Monday, January 16, 2012

Playoffs, Part Deux

The divisional playoffs are now behind us and I am proud to say that I accurately predicted every winner this weekend - 49ers, Ravens, Giants and Patriots. Not too many people wanted to bet against the Saints or the Packers, and understandably so, but I liked the 49ers chances at home and I just can't seem to bet against the Giants right now - they are on fire.

The magic ended for Tebow and the Broncos this week. As I had said, I just didn't think there was any chance that the Broncos would beat the Patriots. The Broncos got lucky that their first playoff game was at home and they were playing a beat up Steelers team. The Pats were healthy and ready for them. Tom Brady threw a record 6 TD passes and even punted the ball during the game (which was really stupid, I thought. No reason to get too cocky Brady. You haven't won anything since 2007).

Earlier today the Broncos organization issued a statement saying that Tebow would be the starting QB next season. I think he's earned that right. They should at least have the opportunity to work with him in the off season and see what they can do next year.

I honestly did not watch a lot of the Ravens-Texans game, as I was at church when the game started so I missed most of the first half.The Ravens did what they do best: forced turnovers and made the day very difficult for young TJ Yates. Arian Foster surprisingly ran the ball for 132 yards and got a TD, which is a rarity against this tough Baltimore defense. Unfortunately for the Texans, that was about all of the offense they could get going and Baltimore was just the better team.

The 49ers-Saints game was exciting. At first it looked like the Niners might run away with the game, but Drew Brees was not about to go down with a fight. When the game turned into a shoot out, it looked like the Saints would pull off the win. Apparently, if you give Alex Smith 1:30 to score, that's more than enough. An exciting finish with the winning TD pass to Vernon Davis and wow, how key was he to this game? Note to the NY Giants: find a way to cover Davis if you want to win next weekend.

Finally, the Giants pulled an upset win over Green Bay in Lambeau. As I saw some people tweet following the game "Discount Double Choke at Lambeau." For those who don't know, this is referencing the State Farm commercials that Aaron Rodgers is featured in. I am not sure what happened to Green Bay. Perhaps the 2 weeks off was bad, or sitting Rodgers in the last game was bad, they just looked out of synch. So many dropped passes which is so unusual for this team. The Giants have just simply been on fire on all ends. Eli had a great day with 3 TD passes, Nicks had a spectacular day catching 2 of those TD passes and though Rodgers have 2 TD's the Giants defense was able to get to Rodgers with 4 sacks and an interception.

Before the playoffs began, I predicted the Super Bowl would be Giants-Baltimore. I'm sticking to that prediction.

This weekend will feature the 49ers-Giants, and the Ravens-Patriots. I realize I have picked 2 teams on the road to win.

Here's my thoughts. First, the 49ers were able to pull off an impressive win last weekend. However, the Saints should have not been able to come back like they did and still almost win after committing 5 turnovers. The point being, while San Francisco was able to get turnovers, they struggled with capitalizing on them and points out the one thing they've had trouble with all year: scoring in the red zone.

The Giants have a tougher defense than the Saints, especially lately. They will go after Alex Smith and if the Giants can create turnovers they will score points. I think the game will be close, but I just think the Giants are unstoppable right now.

With the Patriots and Ravens, my initial thought prior to this past weekend's game against Denver, was that if these two had to match up, the better defense wins. I still think that, though New England's defense was impressive against the Broncos. New England has one of the worst defenses in the league, and though Tebow and co couldn't product offense, Baltimore will. And the Baltimore defense is not going to let Brady throw 6 TD's. I also think this game is close, but I think Baltimore can pull off the win because if they can get to Brady and create some turnovers, that will place them in a good position to win.

So there you go, we'll see if I'm right next week. And I do pick the Giants to win the Super Bowl, if they make it.

In other news Jeff Fisher finally announced that he accepted the head coaching job for the St. Louis Rams. The speculation surrounding his decision was a bit ridiculous at times. I think this is a good move for the Rams. They need something, change is good. Fisher has already selected former Saints DC, Gregg Williams as the new DC. A press conference is scheduled for tomorrow to announce the new head coach. It is reported that Fisher signed a 5 year contract with the Rams, but again, I'm wary of speculation. How many experts in the sports industry were sure that Pujols was going to stay a Cardinal? Right.

I know there is a lot going on in the NBA and the NCAA, I will try to get to my thoughts on basketball soon.




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