Week 13 NFL PIcks-The Playoff Picture Is Getting Clearer

It's not going to get any easier for the Detroit Lions, who are hanging on tentatively to their playoff hopes. Buffalo is fading fast. San Diego is nowhere to be found. The New York Giants can't score enough points. Baltimore and Pittsburgh are neck and neck. Green Bay is packing for the Super Bowl and New Orleans is Breesing along. And Cleveland, they just seem to be content with living in the cellar of the AFC North.

Green Bay is playing the frustrated Eli Manning Giants. Eli Manning just can't catch a break. He threw for more yards than Brees and still lost. Maybe, this Sunday, going up against a Packer secondary that gives up yardage, will be his day. He will need to have a good day because Aaron Rodgers just has too many options, and the Giant defense can only double cover so many recievers a down. It is inevitable Rodgers will score and not just score, but continue to score. The key to beating Green Bay is disrupting the source, Aaron Rodgers. Blitz, blitz, blitz, and after you blitz, blitz some more.

Cam-not win a game finally won a against the everybody-beats'em Colts. Everyone makes a fuss over Cam Newton and I just don't see it. Yah, he is big and can run the ball. Whoopty doo. Box him in and he will throw the mistake. If Tampa Bay accomplishes that, victory will follow. If they don't, Cam-not win a game Cam-win another one against a weaker defense in the Buccaneers. Carolina's defense has been shredded by opposing offenses, so it will come down to who puts out the better offense with the least turnovers.

Andy Does-win is facing the tough-on-offenses Steelers. Who would have thought the Bengals would be contenders this year. Cincinnati has a good solid defense and a balanced offensive attack with Dalton guiding the way. The Steelers will be focusing on A. J. Green for obvious reasons. Pittsburgh likewise has a balanced attack on offense with Mendenhall running and Roethlisberger passing, but Roethlisberger has more consistent receivers to throw to and the uncanny ability to get out of tight situations when the opposing team brings the blitz. Steelers will come out throwing with the hopes of scoring quickly to take the Bengals out of their game plan.

If Cleveland beats Baltimore, they will win the rest of their games. Ha Ha. That is a mighty big if. As a comparison, that would be like getting a hole in one on the 18th of Pebble Beaches Spyglass Hill Golf Course. As far as winning the rest of their games, they play Baltimore one more time and Pittsburgh twice. That would be like getting a hole in one on the 13th of Spyglass Hill. I think you get the picture.

The Cleveland coaching staff just doesn't want to play Joshua Cribbs on offense and that is getting down right offensive. I remember an announcer once said, "If you don't air it out at least three times a game, you are doing your team an injustice." Cleveland, make something happen or at least look like you are trying to. Send Cribbs long and throw it to him.

THU, DEC 1                         TIME (ET)  TV      LOCATION
Philadelphia at Seattle             8:20 PM   NFL      CenturyLink Field
SUN, DEC 4                         TIME (ET)  TV      LOCATION
Carolina at Tampa Bay            1:00 PM   FOX      Raymond James Stadium
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh           1:00 PM   CBS      Heinz Field
Atlanta at Houston                  1:00 PM   FOX      Reliant Stadium
NY Jets at Washington            1:00 PM   CBS      FedEx Field
Indianapolis at New England  1:00 PM   CBS      Gillette Stadium
Oakland at Miami                   1:00 PM   CBS      Sun Life Stadium
Denver at Minnesota               1:00 PM   FOX      Mall of America Field
Tennessee at Buffalo              1:00 PM   CBS      Ralph Wilson Stadium
Kansas City at Chicago          1:00 PM   CBS      Soldier Field
Baltimore at Cleveland          4:05 PM   CBS      Cleveland Browns Stadium
Dallas at Arizona                   4:15 PM   FOX      U of Phoenix Stadium
Green Bay at NY Giants        4:15 PM   FOX      MetLife Stadium
St. Louis at San Francisco     4:15 PM   FOX      Candlestick Park
Detroit at New Orleans          8:20 PM   NBC      Mercedes-Benz Superdome
MON, DEC 5                      TIME (ET)  TV      LOCATION
San Diego at Jacksonville      8:30 PM   ESPN     EverBank Field

NFL Conference Championships-Who Will Go To The Big Show?

This Sunday it will be decided who will go to the "Big Show" February 6 at Cowboys Stadium. New England and Atlanta, both the top seeded teams, have been eliminated by Wild Card teams NY Jets and Green Bay Packers. What happened? The old adage, "Anything thing can happen on any given Sunday in the NFL", rings true. You have one shot and one shot only when it comes to the playoffs. Lose and you are out. The Patriots had all the advantages going in, but the Jets disrupted Brady and Company just enough to edge them out. The Packers, they outright annihilated the Falcons, but with the way Rodgers has been playing of late, you kind of expected it. The Steelers, they plain and simple know how to win playoff games. The Bears, they will be facing an old rival.

Steelers showed once again in their game with the Ravens there is no quit in them. They will just keep coming at you until you buckle under the pressure. Mark Sanchez better be on his toes this Sunday because the Steelers defense is going to be attacking at every opportunity. If Sanchez sits in the pocket for any length of time he is going to get stuffed and the potential for a game breaking turnover will increase. The Steelers defense is number one against the run. If they succeed at doing what they do best, they will be zeroing in on Sanchez. Ben Roethlisberger and his receivers can burn you at any given moment as was seen in this past Sunday's game. Wallace is Roethlisberger's deep threat, but new comers Brown and Sanders are now on his radar. Hines Ward, he will grin at you like Davy Crockett grinned at the bear and proceed to knock out your lights with a big play.

The Jets have an all around good defense and they are going to need it against Big Ben, who has an uncanny way of eluding sacks and leveraging his way out of tight situations. If the Steelers get anywhere close to the goal line, the Jets will have to contend with the straight ahead power of Mendenhall. I have already mentioned the Steelers will be attacking with an array of blitzes, so the Jets will need to keep Sanchez moving, looking for the quick dump off to the backs and releases to the wide receivers on quick slant patterns. Any kind of mistakes by the Jets will prove to be their undoing with an opportunistic Steeler team.

Aaron Rodgers appears unstoppable. He is passing with accuracy and running for touchdowns when the openings present themselves. He will be facing a tougher Bears defense in this one. It will be difficult for the Packers to establish a run game because the Bears are ranked number two against the run. The Packers will need to come out shooting in the beginning to throw the Bears into confusion and soften up their linebackers, then test the waters for the running game. The Packer defense will be putting pressure on Cutler to raddle him with hopes of forcing a mistake, but will have to be careful of the Bears superior running game.

Jay Cutler is coming off one of his best performances. Like Rodgers, he is passing and running well. Greg Olsen appears to be his main target along with Matt Forte. Cutler will be doing much the same as he did last week, screen passes and quick hits, but will have to watch out for Clay Matthews. Forte will need to play a huge part if the Bears are to succeed, especially in establishing a running attack to assist Cutler. The Bears defense is tough on the run, but unfortunately are weak in the one area they need toughness, the passing game. All I got to say is good luck with that Bears.

In conclusion, every week I have said the Jets have used up their nine lives and are living on borrowed time. Well, this week they will be paying the Piper. When it comes to making mistakes, I see the Jets and Bears as being more proned. It's looking like a Steelers-Packers Superbowl, but in the Bizzaro World of NFL it will be Jets-Bears.

 

Playoffs - Conference Championships

SUN, JAN 23 TIME (ET)

Green Bay 24 at Chicago 20 3:00 PM FOX

Soldier Field

NY Jets 21 at Pittsburgh 27 6:30 PM CBS

Heinz Field

Playoffs Begin-Wild Card Round

Seattle tops St. Louis to go into the playoffs with the first full season losing record in NFL history. The only other time that happened was in the strike shortened 1982 season. Cleveland and Detroit finished at 4-5 and for the record were knocked off in the first round of playoffs. So, what are Seattles chances of making it past the first round? How many times have you won the million dollar lottery? Pittsburgh, New England, Atlanta, and NY Jets all put huge exclamation points on their final games, each scoring over 30 points in their wins. New Orleans fumbled their way into the playoffs and Indianapolis stubbed their toe to victory. Chicago and Baltimore need more offense if they are to survive. The Packers and Eagles futures rest on the arms of Rodgers and Vick.

As I watched the Rams-Seahawks game I saw nothing that would convince me there is even a remote chance for Seattle to survive their meeting with New Orleans on Saturday at 4:30 pm. During said game I kept on hearing the words, "Its tough for a visiting team to win at Qwest Field." Well, the Saints aren't the Rams and anything short of an earthquake can save the Seahawks. If they were to beat the Saints, I will pick them to go to the Superbowl.

The Packers have something the Eagles do not, a relentless defense. The Eagles will need some help from mother nature in the way of rain to even the playing field. Vick would have the advantage on a soggy field with his ability to move and run. Sunday's weather looks to be free of any rain at 4:30 pm. Sorry Philadelphia, you might try a dance or two.

Indianapolis will be hosting the Jets on Saturday at 8:00 pm. The Colts, as of late, have not been the offensively explosive team we are use to seeing. Peyton has struggled through this season missing his compadres Clark and Collie, but has weathered the storm. Manning will be facing the tough defense of the Jets. Addai's return no doubt has given him some comfort along with the addition of old friend Dominic Rhodes. The Jets were razzling and dazzling everyone in the beginning with their last minute shockers in the form of Santonio Holmes. Well, the Jets have sinced used up their nine lives. They will need to blitz and blitz some more to keep Peyton from gaining any rythmn or else it's lights out.
 
Baltimore and Kansas City play on Sunday at 1:00 pm. The Chiefs were whacked by the Raiders in their last game. Not a good way to enter the playoffs against a bruising Raven defense. If Jamaal Charles gets stuffed it's going to be a long frustrating game for the Chiefs. The Ravens will try to establish a running game of their own and if they do that, it will give Flacco the edge he needs to get the job done. Cassel and Flacco are birds of a feather, so it is a tough one to call after all is said and, you will just have to wait for the done.
 
AFC wild-card round SATURDAY, JAN. 8
No. 6 New York Jets 20 (11-5) at No. 3 Indianapolis Colts 30 (10-6)
Lucas Oil Stadium, 8 p.m. ET, NBC
SUNDAY, JAN. 9
No. 5 Baltimore Ravens 23 (12-4) at No. 4 Kansas City Chiefs 21 (10-6)
Arrowhead Stadium, 1 p.m. ET, CBS

NFC wild-card round
SATURDAY, JAN. 8
No. 5 New Orleans Saints 28 (11-5) at No. 4 Seattle Seahawks 23 (7-9)
Qwest Field, 4:30 p.m. ET, NBC
SUNDAY, JAN. 9
No. 6 Green Bay Packers 27 (10-6) at No. 3 Philadelphia Eagles 24 (10-6)
Lincoln Financial Field, 4:30 p.m. ET, FOX

Week Six NFL Picks-Big Ben Returns

Cincinnati, Green Bay, Houston, New Orleans, and San Diego all lost this past week. What a crazy season. No undefeated teams remain and the way things are going you might see the Lions and Buccaneers in the playoffs. Oh the hell with it, let's add the Browns as a possible. I know you probably are thinking this guy has gotten out of touch with reality. But this coming Sunday if the Browns beat the Steelers, the Lions beat the Giants, and the Buccaneers beat the Saints you will be apologizing for even slightly entertaining such a thought. It's a Bizzaro World in NFL 2010.

I was 7-7 last week. Time to get out the darts, close my eyes, and let it fly. I am pretty confident about The Chargers winning over the Rams this week, that is if the Chargers use super glue in the huddle before every offensive play. The Steelers are an easy bet over the Browns with Roethlisberger returning. As it stands right now Cleveland is sending in rookie Colt McCoy. Good luck with that one. A snow storm would even the playing field in this one, but that is unlikely. The Tampa Bay and New Orleans game is a toss up. The Saints have been in Jello Land since the beginning of the season and Tampa Bay's defense has been on a tear and acting like division contenders. All the rest of the games, anything can happen. Peyton Manning didn't have a single passing touchdown against the Chiefs. This week he will be compromising the goal line frequently. He will have to because Donavan McNabb will be putting the pressure on the Colts secondary with an aerial attack of his own.

The contests to watch this week will be Baltimore at New England and Tennessee at Jacksonville games. It will be interesting to see what the Patriots will do without Moss. They have picked up Branch and said they were glad to have him back to help them win some games, hopefully more than "some". Baltimore has the strong running attack and Flacco is looking decent. It will be a tough, close game, but I am taking the Patriots for the win. Wes Welker will be the deal breaker. Tennessee and Jacksonville are always a good matchup. Jacksonville is tough at home. Both teams have a good running attack. The difference will be decided by the quarterbacks. Whatever quarterback will make the least mistakes will come out the winner for his team in this one. Between the quarterbacks Vince Young has the least amount of interceptions but Garrard has more touchdowns. Jacksonville will come off victorious.
 
SUN, OCT 17 TIME (ET)
Seattle 15 at Chicago 22 1:00 PM FOX L
Soldier Field
Miami 23 at Green Bay 28 1:00 PM CBS L
Lambeau Field
San Diego 32 at St. Louis 17 1:00 PM CBS L 
Edward Jones Dome
Baltimore 20 at New England 211:00 PM CBS W 
Gillette Stadium
New Orleans 30 at Tampa Bay 24 1:00 PM FOX W
Raymond James Stadium
Detroit 17 at NY Giants 28 1:00 PM FOX W 
New Meadowlands Stadium
Atlanta 21 at Philadelphia 20 1:00 PM FOX L 
Lincoln Financial Field
Cleveland 18 at Pittsburgh 27 1:00 PM CBS W 
Heinz Field
Kansas City 17 at Houston 23 1:00 PM CBS W
Reliant Stadium
Oakland 24 at San Francisco 18 4:05 PM CBS L
Candlestick Park
NY Jets 21 at Denver 20 4:05 PM CBS W
Invesco Field at Mile High
Dallas 24 at Minnesota 27 4:15 PM FOX W
Metrodome
Indianapolis 34 at Washington 27 8:20 PM NBC W
FedEx Field
MON, OCT 18 TIME (ET)
Tennessee 20 at Jacksonville 23 8:30 PM
EverBank Field

Browns Top Bengals 23 to 20-One Giant Step Forward

The Bengals were ripe for the taking and the Browns did just that, they took it to them by a TKOwens and Browns fans everywhere finally had something to celebrate. Despite the win, the Browns were dominated across the board in every category of offense by the Bengals except one. But if you can't put it across the goal line it means nothing. Seneca Wallace again still did not impress me with a 74.9 rating and the bright spot of the offense for the second straight week was Hillis.

It was imperative to keep the ball out of Palmer's hands near the waining minutes of the fourth quarter with the game close. Peyton Hillis was called upon to grind out the final four minutes and he did exactly that. In those minutes Hillis had a 24 yard scamper. Hillis had 102 yards and one touchdown for the day. Seneca Wallace had 184 yards and one touchdown with an interception thrown in for good measure. Phil Dawson scored 11 points and was perfect with three good field goals. I would say it was a good combined offensive effort after all is said and done.

The game ball however goes to the defense this week even though Owens continuously burned the secondary with 222 yards but amazingly only one score. They pretty much harassed Carson Palmer with seven QB hits and four sacks. That harassement resulted in two Palmer fumbles that went the Bowns way. The last one came at a crucial time and gave the ball to the Browns to finish out the game.

The Bengals have been floundering since the beginning of the season despite what should be a one-two punch in their receiving core, Owens and Ochocinco. Todays loss to Cleveland puts them at 2-2. The road ahead for the Browns is treacherous and slippery.
 
Pittsburgh was stunned by Baltimore and host Cleveland next. The Steelers no doubt will have fresh in mind the loss Cleveland handed them in their last meeting and this weeks stinging loss. It looks to be a punishing game. An opportunity presents itself for the Browns with Roethlisberger still out and contigent on whether they will be able to weather the Steelers defensive onslaught. After that they face the stumbling New Orleans Saints in the Superdome who barely survived Carolina. First, Cleveland will have to ground the Falcons this weekend. If the Browns prevail over the next three weeks, expectations will heighten and anything can be possible.

Good Start to the Season-Steelers Over Titans Thursday Night

You have twenty dollars in your pocket, but suddenly you realize the money is gone. A feeling of dread comes over you. You become frantic. You try to figure out where it went and how you could have lost it. If you have ever experienced that scenario than you know how Hines Ward must have felt when he realized he had lost the ball so close to the goal. The look on his face said it all. The loss was temporary, the Steelers went on to win in overtime with a Jeff Reed game ending 33-yard field goal. Final score, Steelers 13 Titans 10.

Did it look like Tennessee's punt returner, Cortland Finnegan, was afraid to fair catch the ball? Several punts rolled an extra 20 yards because he let them bounce giving his team poor field position. Something the coach might want to address. Tennessee's first half good, second half, not so good. When they were blitzing Rothlesburger he couldn't do anything. In the second half Tennessee's defense sputtered and Roethlisberger dominated. Tennessee's only TD was a Kerry Collins pass to Justin Gage. Tennessee helped Pittsburgh's cause by squandering two field goal attempts, one missed and one blocked.

Ben Roethlisberger had a good night. He was 33 of 43 with 363 yds passing. His only touchdown pass was a 34 yarder to Santonio Holmes. The Steeler's running game was stiffed from the start to the end. Troy Polamalu was certainly pumped up. He made a circus style one handed interception. He was all over the place and in just about every play until an injury sidelined him. Cris Collinsworth kept on saying it had to do with some play last year involving Chris Johnson. He supposedly stuck the ball in Polamalu's face when scoring a touchdown. They showed the replay, but I didn't see it. Adds to the drama I suppose.

All-in-all it was a good start to the 2009 football season, spectacular fireworks and a close game. Somewhat on the boring side, but that is generally the way it is in low-scoring defensive games. Looking forward to sunday's games. Especially the home opener of the Cleveland Brown's who will be hosting the Minnesota vilkings. Just a side note, the Brown's could have beaten the Steelers last night.

Who will be the NFL division winners for 2009-10?

Pre-season has now played itself out. Regular season will kick off on Thurs. Sept. 10th with the Pittsbutgh Steelers butting heads with the Tenessee Titans. Should be a good start to what will be an interesting regular season with Brett Favre, Michael Vick, all the new head coaches who have been shuffled around, the Cleveland QB controversy(overdone by Mangini or is it brilliance on his part), and everything else thrown in the mix. With that said, I am now going to release my picks for division winners as calculated by my pre-season secret mathimatical formula of uncertain relativity. Drum roll please and here they are:

AFC North-Baltimore.........................................NFC North-Green Bay

AFC South-Tenessee...........................................NFC South-New Orleans

AFC West- San Diego..........................................NFC West- Seattle

AFC East- Miami..................................................NFC East- Dallas

Baltimore mathimatically picked, I still go with the Browns.