NFL Playoffs in Full Swing
I wanted to get a post out before this past weekend, heading into the playoffs, but it didn't happen and honestly it's more fun writing this after getting a taste of where playoff teams are heading into the Divisional round.
I've also got a quick little prediction below from one of the Rant's loyal followers - not MY prediction mind you, but one nonetheless. Let's get to it.
Tebow Mania
How can I not start here? Before we get into the game itself let me take a second to touch on one thing: I can't for the life of me understand how people DON'T like Tebow or his story. I mean, with so many negative stories in professional sports (hitting girlfriends, DWI, fighting, DOG fighting, steroids, etc., etc.) how can anyone in their right mind NOT like this story. Do people still really think Tebow is a phony? I just can't get past that - he's such a good person and the fact is NO ONE can find any evidence or anyone who can honestly say otherwise. Whether or not you're religious or agree with his stance on certain issues, he's about as good a person (and as good an ambassador of the game) as you can find. I don't like the media coverage anymore than the haters out there, but it has NOTHING to do with Tebow the person. With that said....
What a tough spot the Denver front office/coaching staff has to be in. You've got this QB who, like or not, is not on the same level as many QBs in this league - quick, name me 5 quarterbacks who you can honestly say Tebow is better than. It's tough if not impossible. His decision making, his throwing - it's all so very inconsistent. Granted, he's still very young as far as QBs in this league go, but my Lord he can carry a team emotionally and, literally, will them to victory. We've seen it a bunch. He can also ruin a team on any given Sunday which is why Elway and company have a tough road here. This season is already a huge success in Denver, no matter what happens next weekend in Foxboro so there's that. But looking long term, can anyone say that Tebow is the unquestioned answer at QB? Can they say he isn't? The answer is no. But what they do have is a bona fide defense - a GREAT defense led by 2 very young lifers in Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil. Lost in Tebow mania is the defense. Denver's draft will be interesting, but for now, I'll keep my seat on the bandwagon.
Giant Deja Vu
Anyone remember in 2007 when the Giants won 2 straight games to earn a wild card spot and then won 3 straight road games to make it to the Super Bowl and THEN beat the 18-0 Patriots? Yeah, I do. And don't look now, but this Giant team is starting to show some resemblance to that team - the one exception being they actually played a playoff game at home this past weekend. Bradshaw appears to be healthy again, Eli is having a career year statistically, and I can't think of a better pass-rushing unit than the Giants front 7 right now. Couple that with the emergence of Victor Cruz and the continued production of Hakeem Nicks and you're looking at quite possibly the most dangerous team in the playoffs right now. The Giants will have a bitch of a time going to Green Bay, but the last time they went to Green Bay in the playoffs (see the 2007 reference above), they beat Brett Favre in his last game wearing a GB uniform on a day when the temperature was about 267 degrees below zero.
I give the Giants a pretty good chance here - if they can get pressure on Rodgers which they have a great shot to do, and keep them off the field altogether, I think they can move the ball on the Packers' leaky secondary. If you're looking at all the games coming up in this weekend's divisional round, show me a better upset potential....
Dome Sweet Dome
That's what Drew Brees is thinking - unfortunately the Saints get to take a nice little jaunt out to Northern California to take on the "they have been bad ass, but have little playoff experience" Niners this weekend. As important as experience is in the playoffs, I'm not discounting Harbaugh one single bit. What he's done is noting short of amazing in the Bay area.
Weather is on the side of the Saints this weekend - sunny and dry all week makes for a faster track. I'm guessing maybe the blades on the mower were raised just a bit and perhaps we'll see the sprinklers "accidentally" get left on over night, but that would be a very college thing for them to do. The Saints have struggled away from their precious dome this year, but on the flip side, they're a hot team right now. Brees looks pretty amazing, Jimmy Graham looks unstoppable and their running backs are hitting on all cylinders (who needs Mark Ingram?). Give me New Orleans in a very close game here - the Niner defense won't make it easy on Brees, but I think he'll get enough big plays to take the game. Will be interesting to see what the San Francisco offense has up it's sleeve - it's not like the Saints' defense is all world, but neither is Alex Smith. I see a lot of Frank Gore/Kendall Hunter in this one, but it won't be enough.
Saints - 24
Niners - 20
Running Game Special
That's what we're going to see in Baltimore folks as Houston takes to the road to visit dreaded Baltimore. We know Flacco's track record in the playoffs - he's a big-play QB that does not excel at the intermediate "pick-you-apart" type passes which can spell trouble for Baltimore. The good news for Ravens fans is that Ray Rice is playing a very high level and much like their opponents, there will be a whole lot of run left and run right.
One interesting note in this game will be to see how Houston approaches this game. No matter what happens, this has been a hugely successful season for the Texans and frankly they have NOTHING to lose here. I'd like to think they'll throw the entire playbook at Baltimore so if they do go down (and I think they will), they go down swinging. Of course easier said than done with a third-string, rookie QB, but hey, gotta let him rip at some point.
As good as Arian Foster is, I think Baltimore has a few more weapons and wrinkles up their sleeve - and Ed Reed feasts on young, inexperienced QBs like Yates - look for Reed to have at least 1 pick in this game.
Ravens - 27
Texans - 15
One Final College Note
I'm not sure if I'm going to get into a "season-in-review" kind of crap this year, but one thing I want to note before the bold prediction below - worst. title game. ever. Possibly worst BCS bowl ever (bold statement considering a Big East team plays every year).
Now on to the prediction by none other than Bryan "The Body" Boyd:
Texas is going to win the Big 12 next year behind a defense that will end up being better than this past year's defense. The running game featuring Gray/Brown/Burgeron will get even stronger with another off season in Wylie's conditioning system and more familiarity with Harsin's offense. Although I'll be honest, I didn't see anything that seemed overly complex this past year, but I get why.
My rebuttal: QB play and O-line play has to do a complete 180. There are some who are saying that Ash is the guy and the coaches are stoked at his potential. Great. Let me know when he starts sniffing that level and I'll start drinking the Kool Aid. And now I hear McCoy isn't going to transfer after all? Ugh, shoot me now. Can we please cut this kid. I'm sorry, but he's terrible. There's a reason he isn't transferring - NO ONE WANTS HIM. It's that simple. I mean - Abilene Christian? Really? If I'm picking today (which is ludicrous), I'm taking OU to win the conference - go look at the history of the Big 12 and tell me I'm crazy.
That's all folks - enjoy the weekend and I'll get back to it when I can.
I've also got a quick little prediction below from one of the Rant's loyal followers - not MY prediction mind you, but one nonetheless. Let's get to it.
Tebow Mania
How can I not start here? Before we get into the game itself let me take a second to touch on one thing: I can't for the life of me understand how people DON'T like Tebow or his story. I mean, with so many negative stories in professional sports (hitting girlfriends, DWI, fighting, DOG fighting, steroids, etc., etc.) how can anyone in their right mind NOT like this story. Do people still really think Tebow is a phony? I just can't get past that - he's such a good person and the fact is NO ONE can find any evidence or anyone who can honestly say otherwise. Whether or not you're religious or agree with his stance on certain issues, he's about as good a person (and as good an ambassador of the game) as you can find. I don't like the media coverage anymore than the haters out there, but it has NOTHING to do with Tebow the person. With that said....
What a tough spot the Denver front office/coaching staff has to be in. You've got this QB who, like or not, is not on the same level as many QBs in this league - quick, name me 5 quarterbacks who you can honestly say Tebow is better than. It's tough if not impossible. His decision making, his throwing - it's all so very inconsistent. Granted, he's still very young as far as QBs in this league go, but my Lord he can carry a team emotionally and, literally, will them to victory. We've seen it a bunch. He can also ruin a team on any given Sunday which is why Elway and company have a tough road here. This season is already a huge success in Denver, no matter what happens next weekend in Foxboro so there's that. But looking long term, can anyone say that Tebow is the unquestioned answer at QB? Can they say he isn't? The answer is no. But what they do have is a bona fide defense - a GREAT defense led by 2 very young lifers in Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil. Lost in Tebow mania is the defense. Denver's draft will be interesting, but for now, I'll keep my seat on the bandwagon.
Giant Deja Vu
Anyone remember in 2007 when the Giants won 2 straight games to earn a wild card spot and then won 3 straight road games to make it to the Super Bowl and THEN beat the 18-0 Patriots? Yeah, I do. And don't look now, but this Giant team is starting to show some resemblance to that team - the one exception being they actually played a playoff game at home this past weekend. Bradshaw appears to be healthy again, Eli is having a career year statistically, and I can't think of a better pass-rushing unit than the Giants front 7 right now. Couple that with the emergence of Victor Cruz and the continued production of Hakeem Nicks and you're looking at quite possibly the most dangerous team in the playoffs right now. The Giants will have a bitch of a time going to Green Bay, but the last time they went to Green Bay in the playoffs (see the 2007 reference above), they beat Brett Favre in his last game wearing a GB uniform on a day when the temperature was about 267 degrees below zero.
I give the Giants a pretty good chance here - if they can get pressure on Rodgers which they have a great shot to do, and keep them off the field altogether, I think they can move the ball on the Packers' leaky secondary. If you're looking at all the games coming up in this weekend's divisional round, show me a better upset potential....
Dome Sweet Dome
That's what Drew Brees is thinking - unfortunately the Saints get to take a nice little jaunt out to Northern California to take on the "they have been bad ass, but have little playoff experience" Niners this weekend. As important as experience is in the playoffs, I'm not discounting Harbaugh one single bit. What he's done is noting short of amazing in the Bay area.
Weather is on the side of the Saints this weekend - sunny and dry all week makes for a faster track. I'm guessing maybe the blades on the mower were raised just a bit and perhaps we'll see the sprinklers "accidentally" get left on over night, but that would be a very college thing for them to do. The Saints have struggled away from their precious dome this year, but on the flip side, they're a hot team right now. Brees looks pretty amazing, Jimmy Graham looks unstoppable and their running backs are hitting on all cylinders (who needs Mark Ingram?). Give me New Orleans in a very close game here - the Niner defense won't make it easy on Brees, but I think he'll get enough big plays to take the game. Will be interesting to see what the San Francisco offense has up it's sleeve - it's not like the Saints' defense is all world, but neither is Alex Smith. I see a lot of Frank Gore/Kendall Hunter in this one, but it won't be enough.
Saints - 24
Niners - 20
Running Game Special
That's what we're going to see in Baltimore folks as Houston takes to the road to visit dreaded Baltimore. We know Flacco's track record in the playoffs - he's a big-play QB that does not excel at the intermediate "pick-you-apart" type passes which can spell trouble for Baltimore. The good news for Ravens fans is that Ray Rice is playing a very high level and much like their opponents, there will be a whole lot of run left and run right.
One interesting note in this game will be to see how Houston approaches this game. No matter what happens, this has been a hugely successful season for the Texans and frankly they have NOTHING to lose here. I'd like to think they'll throw the entire playbook at Baltimore so if they do go down (and I think they will), they go down swinging. Of course easier said than done with a third-string, rookie QB, but hey, gotta let him rip at some point.
As good as Arian Foster is, I think Baltimore has a few more weapons and wrinkles up their sleeve - and Ed Reed feasts on young, inexperienced QBs like Yates - look for Reed to have at least 1 pick in this game.
Ravens - 27
Texans - 15
One Final College Note
I'm not sure if I'm going to get into a "season-in-review" kind of crap this year, but one thing I want to note before the bold prediction below - worst. title game. ever. Possibly worst BCS bowl ever (bold statement considering a Big East team plays every year).
Now on to the prediction by none other than Bryan "The Body" Boyd:
Texas is going to win the Big 12 next year behind a defense that will end up being better than this past year's defense. The running game featuring Gray/Brown/Burgeron will get even stronger with another off season in Wylie's conditioning system and more familiarity with Harsin's offense. Although I'll be honest, I didn't see anything that seemed overly complex this past year, but I get why.
My rebuttal: QB play and O-line play has to do a complete 180. There are some who are saying that Ash is the guy and the coaches are stoked at his potential. Great. Let me know when he starts sniffing that level and I'll start drinking the Kool Aid. And now I hear McCoy isn't going to transfer after all? Ugh, shoot me now. Can we please cut this kid. I'm sorry, but he's terrible. There's a reason he isn't transferring - NO ONE WANTS HIM. It's that simple. I mean - Abilene Christian? Really? If I'm picking today (which is ludicrous), I'm taking OU to win the conference - go look at the history of the Big 12 and tell me I'm crazy.
That's all folks - enjoy the weekend and I'll get back to it when I can.
posted by The Bearden Wonder at 4:59 PM
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