Patriots Are Denied and Seahawks Are Sent Packin'

Number One New England Patriots mounted a second half surge, but were denied a trip to the AFC Championship by a stubborn NY Jets, who just won't go away. Tom Brady couldn't get into his usual rythmn due to an annoying Jets defense and was sacked five times plus hit another seven. Mark Sanchez didn't make any mistakes, which was necessary for the Jets to even have a chance in this one. The Jets running game was superior to the Patriots. All the way around the Patriots were out finessed by the Jets ending 28-21.

Tom Brady threw for more yardage than Sanchez. Brady accumulated more passing first downs with 19-8. Time of possession was as equally imbalanced, with the Patriots holding the ball almost ten minutes longer. Obviously Brady and company were not as productive with the ball. Brady threw for 299 yards, but had the one looming mistake in the beginning that set the tone. The Patriots even had more rushing first downs. Five different rushers combined for 113 yards. All-in-all just too many passes fell to the wayside.

The Jets made the most of the time they had the ball. Mark Sanchez had a 194 total passing yards with three touchdowns. He went 16-25. Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson combined for 119 yards of rushing with one touchdown each. Santonio Holmes and Braylon Edwards accounted for the other two reception touchdowns, but Jerico Cotchery was Sanchez main target hauling in 5 passes for 96 yards. Offensive job done. The Jets defense did their part in making sure the Patriots were miserable and frustrated. As already mentioned, they sacked Brady 5 times, 3 of them in the Patriots disastrous first half. Jets move on to play the Steelers in the AFC Championship.

Seattle made it fun and interesting, but you had to know it wasn't going to last. Jay Cutler was just too much for the Seattle defense to handle, who had a great game. He became the second quarterback in NFL history to throw for two touchdowns and run for two others in a playoff game. Seattle made a valiant effort in the fourth quarter to narrow the point difference, but it was not enough. Chicago won 35-24.

Jay Cutler passed and ran like a man on a mission. The mission was to win, and that is what he did. Cutler threw for 274 yards and two touchdowns. Greg Olsen made some big catches for him scoring one touchdown with 113 yards. The big one was a 58 yard touchdown on the Bears first possession. Chicago dominated the ground game with Matt Forte pounding out 80 yards. Chester Taylor ran for another 44 yards and Cutler scrambled for 43 yards. The Bears defense did their job keeping the Seahawks out of the end zone for three quarters. Bears move on to face the daunting Packers in the NFC Championship.

Seattle could not get anything going for three quarters, their guns were silent. If it wasn't for the fourth quarter there wouldn't be anything to talk about as far as Seattle's offense was concerned. You figure by then Chicago was in prevent mode being so far ahead with the score at 28-3. Matt Hasselbeck threw three touchdowns, all in fourth quarter. Mike williams caught two of the three in that last ditch effort-less ending. Brandon Stokely caught the third and through the game mounted 85 yards. That's pretty much it, the fairy tale season is over for the Seahawks.

Green Bay Sneaks Past Philadelphia And Baltimore Steamrolls Kansas City

The very first play of the Green Bay and Philadelphia game set the tone for its final outcome. From start to finish it was the defense of Green Bay that decided who would move on. It began with a sack and ended with an interception. One question lingers. Did Vick go for it all to soon with less than 40 seconds left? You can't falt him for trying to win, but once that ball is released there is no pulling it back. Tramon Williams made a good catch for an interception, game over, Packers win 21-16. Baltimore just plain set the tone in their confrontation with Kansas City. Once again it was defense, defense, and more defense. Kansa City turned the ball over five times as a result, three of them Matt Cassel interceptions. Flacco got the job done on offense. Baltimore wins persuasively 30-7.

Aaron Rodgers spread the ball around like cream cheese on a warm bagel. He made use of nine different receivers. Jones and Jennings were not his primary targets in this one, it was old veteran Donald Driver and a host of others. Rodgers only accumulated 180 total yards, but made good use of every yard, throwing for three touchdowns. Rookie James Starks ran for 123 yards to balance out the Packer's offensive attack. On the other side, Michael vick did plenty enough to win the game, throwing for a touchdown and running one in. Unfortunately, it was the one errant pass at the end that sealed the Eagles fate, coutesy the defense of the Packers.

Joe Flacco completed 25 passes out of 34 attempts. You would have to say that is a pretty good ratio. Todd Heap was his main target hauling in 10 of those passes for 108 yards. The two touchdowns Flacco threw went to Ray Rice and Anquan Boldin, who made an excellent catch in the middle end zone. Rice and McGahee shared the running assigments combining for 101 yards. McGahee's longest was a 25 yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, putting an exclamation point on the game. Matt Cassel took it one the chin and just about everywhere else on his body. He was stung for three picks and sacked three times. Jamaal Charles scored the Chiefs only touchdown and that is pretty much it. It was all Baltimore defense.

Green Bay moves on to play Atlanta. They met once in the regular season where the Falcons won in a close game. They will faceoff on Saturday at 8:00 PM. Don't miss this one. Anytime Baltimore and Pittsburgh get together it's going to be a headbanger. Division rivals who ended the regular season with the same win-loss record and Baltimore has a score to settle. Each of their previous confrontations were low scoring and decided by three points. I hope their is plenty of snow on Saturday at 4:30 PM. It would make it all the more interesting. Football and the elements, good old fashion fun the way it was meant to be.

Browns Lose In Stunning Fashion To The Jets In OT-Final Score 26-20

After dismantling two of the top contending teams, the Browns lose in a heartbreaker. A mental error and a lapse in agressive tackling turned a great effort into a loss. Santonio Holmes took a pass from Sanchez and proceeded to weave around the frozen in their tracks Browns coverage for the winning score in OT. The mental error was rookie cornerback Joe Haden intercepting a ball he should have knocked down to force the Jets to punt with just over a minute left in OT. Who knows what the result of that punt would have been, but in all fairness to Haden, when you are in the heat of the moment and the adrenaline is pumping the obvious isn't so clear and defining. He did what a cornerback is supposed to do when the opportunity presents itself, intercept the ball. Any other time in the game it would have been an oustanding defensive play, just not in overtime when one play can mean your demise.

The Browns had a chance of winning their third straight, but a Chansi Stuckey fumble at New York's 32 yanked that chance away. Aside from that fumble, the Browns offense put in a decent day. Colt McCoy was error free and threw a touchdown in a pivotal moment of the game. Peyton Hillis ran for 82 yards and one touchdown. Joshua Cribbs looked good until an injury removed him from the game. The other offensive player that helped the Browns cause was Nick Folk of the Jets. His three missed field goals made it possible for the Browns to stay alive in regulation time.

The Browns may not make it into the playoffs, though it is still a remote possibility. But they are making a show of it. They have been handling a tough schedule remarkably, which at the beginning of the year you could have very easily been looking at an merciless string of losses these few past weeks. Hopefully, this loss didn't take the air out of the balloon. Cleveland next goes to Jacksonville. The Jaguars are bursting at the seams with hot air after pulling off a well conceived desparation pass against Houston for a win. The Jets game is history, Jacksonville is the next first step towards the playoffs.

No Surprise-Browns Lose to Bengals 16-7

The Browns couldn't get much of anything going considering they had a mistake free game. Was Cincinnati's defense dominating or a matter of no offense on the Browns part again, which? I would have to resevedly select both if it were multiple choice and add to it the Browns were just dominated, but then again, when it comes to the Brown's it doesn't take much to dominate, unless your Detroit. Cincinnati continued its control of the AFC North sweeping the divisional confrontations with this victory.


Brady Quinn could only manage 100 yards on 15 completions out of 34 attempts, which would calculate to an average yards per completion at 6.6. Quinn targeted 10 different receivers to no avail and caught a pass from Joshua Cribbs that netted 18 yards. He scored the lone touchdown. Quinn was sacked only once and hit 3 other times. So, what was the problem? Massaquoi, Quinn's favored receiver, caught only one pass out of 8 attempts. There is the sum of it and the pattern through the game, a failure to connect. Palmer didn't impress either with comparable statistics.

The running attack for Cincinnati is what got the job done. Larry Johnson, Cincinnati's newest aquisition, ran for 107 yards and Bernard Scott scampered for 87 yards. Cincinnati's running backs ran a total of 40 times. Ball control adds up to a lopsided time of possession, which favored the Bengals. Jamal Lewis only had 40 yards, but he ran with the ball half the amount of times Johnson carried the ball.

The Browns next two games will be at home with the Chargers and Steelers coming to town. The Chargers will be merciless and the Steelers will be desparate to get ahead of the Ravens in the standings after losing to them last night in a tear jerker. Steeler fans, get out your Terrible Towels and wipe your watering eyes. The meeting with the Steelers will be a Thursday night game. After those two games the only possible chance at one more victory will be against the Oakland Raiders and that will be a slim chance at best. Brown's fans, Super Bowl in 2020, if the world doesn't end before then.

No Surprise, Browns Lose To Bears, 30-6

I can guarantee the Browns will not lose this week. Its a bye for the Browns. Maybe after the bye they can begin a new season and go 8-0 to close out. Maybe Cleveland can host the Super Bowl in 2011. Not likely, but it is within the realm of possible. That is, going 8-0 to close out, if you are a an optimist.

These are the sad stats again. Derek Anderson was 6 for 17 totaling 76 yards with a rating of 10.5. He did score the Browns only points. Brady Quinn made an appearance briefly and was 1 for 3 with 9 yards. He did have a better rating than Anderson, a 42.4. The running game was slightly better than previous weeks with Lewis, Cribbs, Harrison, and Anderson combining for a total of 117 yards. Lewis getting the bulk of the yards with 69. The Browns did have a good day punting, averaging 45.3 yards on 6 punts. Something to celebrate.

Putting all that into perspective, again through 60 minutes of football, the Browns got close enough to the goal line to score only one touchdown and not one time close enough to kick a field goal. On top of it, the extra point was blocked. It makes sense since their total combined offensive yardage was 191 yards because they gave the ball back to the Bears five times on two interceptions and three fumbles. Those kinds of mistakes are drive killers.

Joshua Cribbs was their top performer again. Cribbs had 137 yards on 6 returns, 28 yards on 6 carries, and 23 yards on one reception. Mangini still needs to make Cribbs more of a factor in the offensive scheme. Enough said about that because it is something I have said week after week.

Mangini has the easiest position in football, standing on the sidelines every game doing nothing. Possibly, he is listening to other games on his headset for excitement. In the picture is he yawning or shouting, you decide? Well, this Sunday he can sit down and watch some good contests with Baltimore at Cincinnati on Sunday and Pittsburgh at Denver on Monday.

Week 8 NFL Picks

Week 7 I was 7 for 6. Ouch again. This week isn't going to be any easier considering the teams that are playing each other. The games could go either way. For example, Houston at Buffalo. Although I would give the edge to Houston, Buffalo could surprise. The only pick I am comfortable with is the 49ers and the Colts, the Colts the obvious choice. Jacksonville is another easy choice over Tennessee. You would think New Orleans is an easy pick, but Atlanta can be a formidable opponent. New Orleans is at home, so I will take them. The crowd will be pumped up. Minnesota will be the game to watch. It will be a strongly contested game and I am taking Minnesota. Miami at NY Jets is another game to zero in on. If the last game was an indication of what to expect in this game, it will be a good one to watch. What about Cleveland at Chicago? Will Mangini come up with a winning game plan? A good game plan would be to use Joshua Cribbs more in the offense. The rest of the games are up for grabs. The spoils will go to the victors.

SUN, NOV 1 TIME (ET)
Houston 21 at Buffalo 20-1:00 PM Tickets W
Ralph Wilson Stadium
Cleveland 18 at Chicago 24-1:00 PM Tickets W
Soldier Field
Seattle 20 at Dallas  23-1:00 PM Tickets W
Cowboys Stadium
St. Louis 24 at Detroit 27-1:00 PM Tickets L
Ford Field
Denver 20 at Baltimore 24-1:00 PM Tickets W
M&T Bank Stadium
San Francisco 12 at Indianapolis 38-1:00 PM Tickets W
Lucas Oil Stadium
Miami 24 at NY Jets 21-1:00 PM Tickets W
Giants Stadium
NY Giants 28 at Philadelphia 24-1:00 PM Tickets L
Lincoln Financial Field
Jacksonville 27 at Tennessee 15-4:05 PM Tickets L
LP Field
Oakland 18 at San Diego 30-4:05 PM Tickets W
Qualcomm Stadium
Carolina 18 at Arizona 34-4:15 PM Tickets L
U of Phoenix Stadium
Minnesota 28 at Green Bay 21-4:15 PM Tickets W
Lambeau Field
MON, NOV 2 TIME (ET)
Atlanta 23 at New Orleans 34-8:30 PM Tickets W
Superdome

The Browns Continue Their Losing Ways

The Dawg Pound was an ugly place to be and it was tricks over treats. The Cleveland Browns deliver another sad performance before the home crowd, final score Packers 31 Browns 3. Maybe you will agree with this assessment, I don't think Mangini wants to win. Is there some grand plan in wanting to lose? No wonder Braylon Edwards was happy to go.

Derek Anderson had a low quarterback rating again of 36.4. Anderson was 12 of 29 totaling 99 yards. All of that adds up to an average of a little over 9 yards a catch. He also threw one interception and fumbled twice. The running game didn't fair much better with a total of 58 yards. They couldn't even manage one touchdown again and out of sixty minutes of effort only one field goal.

Joshua Cribbs had 78 yards of kick and punt returns. Mangini went to him sparingly again, just on one run play and one pass play. Cribbs is the Browns top performer week to week and Mangini needs to use him more often in the offensive scheme, but seems to shy away from it. The big question is why? The answer is in paragraph one.

Cleveland is at Chicago next week. Will anybody in Cleveland be watching this one? Even the diehard fans of the Browns got to be getting quite disgusted. My brother-in-law, who is a ticket holder in the Dawg Pound, wasn't very keen on attending today's game. I think tickets for the home games will be going on sale. Cheap tickets anyone? The Steelers game was very entertaining, lots of touchdowns.

Browns Lose Again-Joshua Cribbs Performs

Week after week I say the same thing. Joshua Cribbs is the Browns top offensive producer and Mangini needs to be more creative in using Cribbs. Yesterday game’s was another example of what Cribbs is bringing to the team.

Joshua Cribbs had a total of 158 yards in kick and punt returns capped off with a return of 98 yards for a touchdown. Added to that was 45 yards of rushing and two pass attempts in which one was picked off. All well, nobody’s perfect. Mangini appears to be using Cribbs in different ways and Cribbs has certainly found his niche in an otherwise weak offensive attack. One player can only do so much.

Derek Anderson again ended the game with a rating of 51. He was 9 for 24 totaling 122 yards. Anderson also fumbled twice and threw an inerception. Jamal Lewis only had 21 yards on 11 carries. Massaquoi had a decent game with 83 yards on 5 receptions. The offense produced a total of 7 points, Cribbs produced the other 7 points. That’s all she wrote.

The Browns play the Packers this Sunday in Cleveland. What can the fans expect? Let's hope the Brown's coaching staff can come up with a game plan to win and hopefully the players will execute. Maybe it will snow and the Browns can do what the Patriots did to the Titans. One thing is for sure, all eyes will be on Joshua Cribbs. Go Josh.

Week 6 NFL Picks

Week 5 I was 10-4. Just can't seem to get passed losing 4. This week I am determined to break that pattern. Week 6 I am going with all home victories except two, Minnesota and Oakland I am picking to lose. Minnesota has been flying high with Favre at the helm. Baltimore is going to edge them out in a tuff battle. The Ravens are going to throw everything at Favre to take him out of rythm. Philadelphia should be able to handle Oakland easily. New England does not lose two in a row, especially at home. If Detroit plays the way they played against the Steelers, Green Bay may find themselves on the short end. Cincinnati is slipping by on close games and if they are not careful could lose to Houston. The Giants at the Saints, the Broncos at the Chargers, will be good matchups. This week I am choosing the Steelers over the Browns. I have to be realistic on this one. See you on Sunday.

SUN, OCT 18
1:00 PM ET
Houston 17 at Cincinnati 20 L
1:00 PM ET
Detroit 15 at Green Bay 24 W
1:00 PM ET
Baltimore 27 at Minnesota 25 L
1:00 PM ET
NY Giants 24 at New Orleans 30 W
1:00 PM ET
Cleveland 17 at Pittsburgh 24 W
1:00 PM ET
Carolina 20 at Tampa Bay 21 L
1:00 PM ET
Kansas City 14 at Washington 18 L
1:00 PM ET
St. Louis 17 at Jacksonville 28 W
4:05 PM ET
Arizona 28 at Seattle 31 L
4:05 PM ET
Philadelphia 34 at Oakland 13 L
4:15 PM ET
Tennessee 14 at New England 28 W
4:15 PM ET
Buffalo 17 at NY Jets 27 L
8:20 PM ET
Chicago 24 at Atlanta 28 W
MON, OCT 19
8:30 ET
Denver 24 at San Diego 30 L

Browns and Bills Mesmerize the Spectators

How is it possible for a team to win a game when its quarterback ends up with a 15.1 rating and 2 for 17 with a total of 23 yards? The amazing Browns pulled off the impossible with a mind boggling 6-3 victory over the Bills who need to hang their heads in shame for losing. Trent Edwards was 16 for 31 and 152 yards supported by a 145 yard ground game.

Cundiff basically won the game with the help of Jamal Lewis and Joshua Cribbs. I have asked this before and I am asking it again, why isn't Mangigi using Joshua Cribbs more strategically in the running game and more in the WR position? Week after week he produces more offense than anyone on the team.

Let's see, out of 59 minutes and 37 seconds both offenses could only produce 6 points. Electrifying! I am glad I wasn't at this game. Or maybe I am looking at it the wrong way. Maybe the defenses were so dominating the offenses couldn't get off their butts or the bench. Kudos to the defensive coordinators, razeberries to the offensive coordinators. Or maybe, and this is only speculation, both teams were partying the night before and were just too tired for this one.

The Browns came off a good effort the week before against the first place Bengals, even though they fell short in overtime. Things were looking a little brighter in Brown's country. Then yesterday's game, a win is a win. My brother-in-law sent me a text after the game which read, "Yeah! Woo-hoo." You need to read between the lines.

This week they are facing the Steelers. I wonder what their game plan is going to be? Is it possible for a game to end 0-0? Oops, I forgot, the Browns are playing the Steelers who almost got beat by the Detroit Lions. Anything that can happen does happen.

Week Five NFL Picks

Week 4 I was 10-4. Still room for improvement. Picking the Browns every week doesn't seem to be working. The Browns made it a game against the Bengals, but fell short in overtime. I am still going to pick the Browns this week over Buffalo. Would like to see more of Joshua Cribbs. Minnesota Vikings, NY Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Indianapolis Colts should be easy victories. Dallas is very iffy every week and against the Chiefs who knows, but I am taking the Cowboys. Jacksonville exploded this past Sunday and should beat Seattle this week. The Dolphins and the Jets will be a good Monday Night Football contest with Miami on top at the end. Looking forward to Sunday's kickoff.

Sunday Oct 11, 2009

1:00 PM EST
Cleveland 24 at Buffalo 21 W
1:00 PM EST

Dallas 21 at Kansas City 14 W
1:00 PM EST
Minnesota 24 at St. Louis 10 W
1:00 PM EST
Oakland 16 at NY Giants 30 W
1:00 PM EST
Tampa Bay 15 at Philadelphia 20 W
1:00 PM EST
Pittsburgh 27 at Detroit 18 W
1:00 PM EST
Washington 17 at Carolina 21 W
1:00 PM EST
Cincinnati 20 at Baltimore 24 L
4:05 PM EST
Atlanta 28 at San Francisco 18 W
4:15 PM EST
Jacksonville 24 at Seattle 10 L
4:15 PM EST
Houston 20 at Arizona 18 L
4:15 PM EST
New England 30 at Denver 20 L
8:20 PM EST
Indianapolis 34 at Tennessee 12 W
MON, OCT 12, 2009

8:30 PM EST
NY Jets 21 at Miami 24 W

Week 4 NFL Picks

Week 3 I was 12-4, much better than the previous week. Let's see if I can improve on that this week. Detroit won their first game, but this week will not be a repeat. Cleveland will get their first win, hopeful thinking. Indianapolis will continue its winning ways along with the Giants, who are hot, Saints, and Cowboys. New England will face a rough go with Baltimore, but will come out on top at home. Washington and Tennessee will narrowly escape their contests. The big game will be the Chargers and Steelers in Pittsburgh. It will be a highly contested and physical game. San Diego's running attack will make the difference. Monday Night Football will be a highly anticipated game between rivals Green Bay and Minnesota, Minnesota the winner. Let the games begin.

SUNDAY, OCT 4

1:00 PM ET
Detroit 18 at Chicago 27 W
1:00 PM ET
Cincinnati 20 at Cleveland 23 L
1:00 PM ET
Seattle 14 at Indianapolis 30 W
1:00 PM ET
NY Giants 24 at Kansas City 10 W
1:00 PM ET
Baltimore 21 at New England 28 W
1:00 PM ET
Tampa Bay 15 at Washington 20 W
1:00 PM ET
Tennessee 18 at Jacksonville 14 L
1:00 PM ET
Oakland 12 at Houston 27 W
4:05 PM ET
NY Jets 18 at New Orleans 34 W
4:05 PM ET
Buffalo 23 at Miami 27 W
4:15 PM ET
St. Louis 14 at San Francisco 18 W
4:15 PM
Dallas 28 at Denver 24 L
8:20 PM ET
San Diego 27 at Pittsburgh 24 L
8:20 PM
MON, OCT 5

8:30 (ET)
Green Bay 21 at Minnesota 30 W

Week Three NFL Picks

Week two was a rough one. I was 8-8. Hopefully this week will be better. Detroit, St Louis, Cleveland, Jacksonville, and Carolina seem to be on a losing track and will no doubt continue it. New England and Atlanta will be close, but New England seldom loses two in a row. The Bills will give the Saints a run for the money, but will fall short. The Colts and Cardinals will be a shoot out, with the Colts ending up on top. The rest, we will see.

Sunday

1:00 PM ET
Washington 20 at Detroit 14 L
1:00 PM ET
Green Bay 30 at St. Louis 18 W
1:00 PM ET
San Francisco 15 at Minnesota 27 W
1:00 PM ET
Atlanta 24 at New England 28 W
1:00 PM ET
Tennessee 10 at NY Jets 18 W
1:00 PM ET
Kansas City 18 at Philadelphia 24 W
1:00 PM ET
NY Giants 27 at Tampa Bay 18 W
1:00 PM ET
Cleveland 20 at Baltimore 23 W
1:00 PM ET
Jacksonville 10 at Houston 20 L
1:00 PM ET
New Orleans 30 at Buffalo 24 W
4:05 PM ET
Chicago 21 at Seattle 17 W
4:05 PM ET
Miami 18 at San Diego 34 W
4:15 PM ET
Pittsburgh 23 at Cincinnati 21 L
4:15 PM ET
Denver 14 at Oakland 18 L
8:20 PM ET

Indianapolis 34 at Arizona 30 W
MON, SEP 28 TIME

8:30 PM ET
Carolina 17 at Dallas 24 W