Dallas Cowboys And New York Giants Start The NFL Season-To The Winner Goes The Spoils, Like The NFC East Title

Regular season NFL football has finally arrived, and it is only Wednesday. Does it have something to do with with the DNC, I wonder? Usually, Thursday is the day NFL football games are scheduled. Oh well, not important. The question is only rhetorical and a day early is just fine with me. I now have something to look forward to on those other Sundays and Monday nights other than the endless, repetitious parade of repeat movies on AMC and FX. I just can not get into the preseason games.

We will now get answers to some of these looming questions. Will Peyton Manning take the Denver Broncos to the playoffs and ultimately the Super Bowl. Who will end up being the permanent starting quarterback for the New York Jets. Will the Cleveland Browns finally put together a winning team? Will the New Orlean Saints be able to rise above all the controversy of the past off season? Will the Indianapolis Colts overcome the stigma that one player doesn't make a team? I am sure you the reader have questions of your own. At least now we will be able to get the answers.

All eyes will be on Eli Manning and Tony Romo in the season opener tonight. Who will emerge on top? This first game could set the tone for both quarterbacks and their season. They will be playing at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The Cowboy's have a bone to pick, no offense Brown's fans, with the Giants for the loss that was handed them in last year's regular season finale in which the Giants clinched the NFC East title. I am picking the New York Giants to win this one and my decision is not based on any player superiority because I just don't see any, but simply on the fact the Giants are playing at home.

No major insights today. Let the games begin.  

NFL Conference Championships-Who Will Move On To Superbowl XLVI?

Two of the top offensive powerhouses were eliminated from the post season. Lesson learned, you can have the most potent offense in football, but if it has a bad day or gets shut down by the other team's superior defense and you don't have a defense of your own, you are finished. That is what happened to New Orleans and Green Bay. The New Orleans at San Fran game was probably the best post season game ever. Not a dull moment from beginning to end. Just when you thought New Orleans had sealed the victory, the 49ers came roaring back. Green Bay had problems with the ball period. They couldn't hold onto it and they couldn't catch it. Now, all eyes are on Baltimore at New England, the last offensive juggernaut left. Will defense beat offense?

New England just flat out dominated Denver. The Patriots defense boxed Tebow in so he had nowhere to run and nowhere to throw, all adding up to nowhere to hide. Bill Bellichick is a master at defense and he will devise a winning game plan for each team New England faces. Plan one against Baltimore, stop Ray Rice. Plan two will be a tiny bit more difficult, how to score against one of the top rated defenses. Baltimore's big challenge will evolve around how to cover Gronkowski, something nobody has been able to figure out. And if that isn't difficult enough, there is also Wes Welker to contend with. Baltimore's defense will have to move Tom Brady out the pocket or else he is just going to pick them apart.

It has been said, timing is everything. The New York Giants are peaking at the right time. Unfortunately Green Bay was on the wane and New York's defense took advantage of it. Just about all Rodgers could do was run with the ball. It will be different against San Fran. San Fran is peaking also, both offensively and defensively. The advantage that separates the two teams, home field. I guess you can make the argument the Giants handled it well in Green Bay. Eli Manning will be facing a defense that forces turnovers. Alex Smith's challenge, to silence critics once and for all, will be to put a defining exclamation point on this championship game with a win. Quick releases up the middle to Frank Gore along with screen passes will keep the Giant's quarterback hawking defensive line at bay.

This is football. There are no secrets. Every team knows its own weaknesses and generally has an idea of what the opposing team will be looking to exploit. The coup d'etat is execution with alittle 'hope the ball bouces your way.' Everything has been said that needs to be said. So let the games begin.

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SUN, JAN 22                    TIME (ET)    TV      LOCATION
Baltimore at New England        3:00 PM     CBS     Gillette Stadium
NY Giants at San Francisco      6:30 PM     FOX     Candlestick Park

Divisional Playoffs-Will It Be The Brady Bunch And TeBye-Bye

I got Tebowed this past weekend. My picks got hammered. Only one of the games out of the four was even close. New Orleans did their thing, Houston rose to the occasion, New York would be likened to a sleeping giant awoken, and Denver just plain and simple outsmarted Pittsburgh. My prediction about Tebow getting slaughtered by the Pittsburgh defense was way off. They couldn't even touch him. The Steelers had zero sacks and zero quarterback hits. Denver's play calling had Pittsburgh tripping over their own feet. Hats off to Tebow and the Broncos.

I don't even know what to say about the Denver at New England game this coming Saturday evening. One thing for sure, Bill Belichick is a master on defensive schemes and will have a plan conjoured up to deal with the Tebow Express. He isn't going to let Denver get away with that little stunt they pulled in overttime against wool-pulled-over-eyes Steelers. On top of it, Denver will be facing an offense that protects its quarterback and has an array of weapons at wide receiver, not leaving out their one-two punch at tight end, Rob Gronkowski. The defense has been New Englands only weakness all year, but the offense fills in the gaps.

New Orleans and San Francisco ended the season with identical records. This will be their first meeting of the year. It's no big secret that you have to take advantage of mistakes when they are handed to you on a silver platter. There has been talk about Brees short stature and being prone to throwing errant passes from time to time because he can't see over the linemen. I think the Saints record speaks for itself. When you throw the ball as much as Brees does the inevitable mistake is bound to creep in, after all, he is still human. He had a record setting year with 46 touchdowns and in the San Fran game it will be more of the same. The 49ers, if they are to win, must win it on defense. Their challenge will be to close off the middle and restrict Brees from moving up from the deep drop in the pocket. Lest we not forget, the Saints have a decent running attack.

Houston and Baltimore is a no brainer, if the Ravens offense shows up. There have been times when Baltimore's offense has struggled to score points. If Ray Rice does his thing, the passing game will follow, because the heat will be off Flacco to win the game on his arm alone. If Houston's defense stuffs the run, then Flacco will be hard pressed by a strong pass rush. The same can be said about Houston's offense with Arian Foster. If Foster does his thing, it will take the heat off of T.J. Yates, but here in lies the difference. Flacco will win over Yates.

The NY Giants and Green Bay Packers will be the game to watch. The Giants are at the top of their game. They had a huge victory against an Atlanta that gambled away their season. A Giants defense that struggled all season stepped up and stuffed their opponent. Ely Manning has been finding his favorite targets for big plays and when things are on the line, seems to come through to keep the game close down to the final minutes. Green Bay's success is attributed to their offense plain and simple. Aaron Rodgers, if he wouldn't have sat out that one game, would have surpassed Brees in touchdowns, easily. Rodgers spreads the ball out nicely, but his big play maker is Jordy Nelson. The Packers defense will have to be wary of the Giants bruising running game and at the same time keep Manning off balance in the passing game.

Which would you rather see-New Orleans verses Green Bay or NY Giants verses San Francisco or a Green Bay verses San Francisco or a NY Giants verses New Orleans NFC Championship? The first shall be last.

SAT, JAN 14                         TIME (ET)      TV       LOCATION
New Orleans at San Francisco 4:30 PM       FOX      Candlestick Park
Denver at New England           8:00 PM       CBS      Gillette Stadium
SUN, JAN 15                        TIME (ET)      TV       LOCATION
Houston at Baltimore               1:00 PM       CBS      M&T Bank Stadium
NY Giants at Green Bay          4:30 PM       FOX      Lambeau Field

Wild Card Weekend-It's All About Quarterbacks

I finished out the regular season 182-74 on my picks. Now, it's playoff time and the craziness continues. How the heck did it come to be that Pittsburgh(12-4) has to go to Denver(8-8) for the Wild Card? Well, that's just the way the rules bounce it. Denver just continues to defy the odds despite losing their last three games and finishing the season with more points scored against them than they scored against opponents. The only other team in the playoffs with that similar distinction is the New York Giants, and they took their division also.

It is going to be cold and snow on Sunday in Denver. Nothing the Steelers can't handle, except the air is thinner in Denver than Pittsburgh. With the colder air chilling the ball somewhat, maybe we will see some kickoffs returned instead of the ball sailing into the stands. Of course, touchdowns have to be scored or field goals kicked for that to happen. So, Denver's kicker is going to get quite cold standing idle on the sidelines. Defense is the only way I see Denver winning this game because the Steelers are going to be all over Tim Tebologny sandwiched between two linemen. Tebow will be doing the Tebow not in thankfulness, but to pick himself up off the turf. Roethlisberger has been there, done it. Nothing more needs to be said.

Cincinnati will be at Houston. Cincinnati has risen from the ashes of last season on the arm of a rookie, Andy Dalton. It is always helpful to have a go to guy, and Dalton had A.J. Green. The Bengals have also succeeded with good defense. Dalton and company will be facing a tough defense in the Texans, who have been strong both against the run and the pass. Houston will be looking to stuff the run, thus forcing the Bengals to rely on rookie Dalton's arm with hopes he will make a crucial mistake in the process. Houston has been struggling on offense as of late with T.J. Yates at the helm, even with a strong running attack in Arian Foster. The Bengals obvious objective, stop Foster. Do that, job won.

Atlanta at New York Giants will be a bruising game. Atlanta closed out the season with a blowout against Tampa Bay. Turner ran wild and the defense picked off three passes. It will be a tougher go this week against the Giants. This game is probably the most evenly matched that can go either way. Eli manning had an on again, off again season, showing brilliance one moment and total frustration the next. Last week, against Dallas, he was on. We will have to wait to see which Manning shows up on Sunday.

Detroit at New Orleans, and all that needs to be said is Drew Brees. Too many weapons for Detroit to handle, unless they can get a handle on Brees. It is a bit strange two of the Saints three losses in regular season were against two of the worst teams, Tampa Bay and St. Louis. They are playing in the Superdome where such meltdowns don't occur. New Orleans defense needs only to do one thing, shutdown Calvin Johnson.

SAT, JAN 7                 TIME (ET)      TV       LOCATION
Cincinnati at Houston      4:30 PM       NBC      Reliant Stadium
Detroit at New Orleans    8:00 PM       NBC      Mercedes-Benz Superdome
SUN, JAN 8                 TIME (ET)      TV       LOCATION
Atlanta at NY Giants      1:00 PM       FOX      MetLife Stadium
Pittsburgh at Denver       4:30 PM       CBS      Sports Authority Field at Mile High

Week 17 NFL Picks-This Is It

Ok, its that time again. Time to make predictions as to who you think is going to make the playoffs and where each team stands in the playoff bracket. The AFC is a tougher nut to crack than the NFC because it is still up for grabs. Here is my bracket predictions going into the final games of the season and a little summary of what has happened so far on a season that has gone by quickly. (I am picking Oakland and New York Giants to sneak in with Denver and Dallas dropping out.)

After starting the season strong, the Buffalo Bills haven't just faded away, they've disappeared. Well, injuries in key positions can do that to a team. Still, like a light bulb before it burns out completely, the Bills flashed brightly last Sunday against the Broncos and Tim Tebow. The Teblown Express wasn't just derailed, it was blown up, but no surprise, I knew that was going to happen. Denver came out of nowhere and that's how they will end up, nowhere. The Detroit Lions put an exclamation point on their playoff intentions with the pounding they gave San Diego. The Chargers found themselves up the Rivers without a paddle. The New York Giants seem to be the Johny-come-lately of football. At the start of the season they were winning or losing games in the last minute. Now in the last minute of regular season they are making their bid for the playoffs. Watch out Dallas.

The big matchups this Sunday are Detroit at Green Bay and Carolina at New Orleans. Win or lose it won't impact the playoff picture, much. It will be interesting to see how Cam Newton will stack up in comparison to the Saints high powered offense led by Drew Brees.

Detroit can improve their position by beating Green Bay. Win, they come in as the 5th Seed and wouldn't have to face New Orleans in the Wild Card. Lose, they would then be the 6th Seed and the path to the championships would go through New Orleans.

The Buffalo at New England game could have implications of the dire sort. If New England and Baltimore both lose and Pittsburgh with an obvious win over Cleveland, then Pittsburgh would be the 1st Seed. If New England loses and Baltimore wins it doesn't matter what Pittsburgh does, Baltimore would be the 1st Seed and New England would be the 2nd Seed. I don't even want to know what would happen if by some remote chance Cleveland should beat Pittsburgh. End of the world scenario.

SUN, JAN 1                      TIME (ET)       TV       LOCATION
Carolina at New Orleans       1:00 PM        FOX      Mercedes-Benz Superdome
Buffalo at New England        1:00 PM        CBS      Gillette Stadium
Chicago at Minnesota            1:00 PM        FOX      Mall of America Field
NY Jets at Miami                   1:00 PM        CBS      Sun Life Stadium
San Francisco at St. Louis     1:00 PM        FOX      Edward Jones Dome
Detroit at Green Bay              1:00 PM        FOX      Lambeau Field
Washington at Philadelphia   1:00 PM        FOX      Lincoln Financial Field
Indianapolis at Jacksonville   1:00 PM        CBS      EverBank Field
Tennessee at Houston            1:00 PM        CBS      Reliant Stadium
Seattle at Arizona                  4:15 PM        FOX      U of Phoenix Stadium
Kansas City at Denver           4:15 PM        CBS      Sports Authority Field at Mile High
Tampa Bay at Atlanta            4:15 PM        FOX      Georgia Dome
Baltimore at Cincinnati         4:15 PM        CBS      Paul Brown Stadium
Pittsburgh at Cleveland         4:15 PM        CBS      Cleveland Browns Stadium
San Diego at Oakland           4:15 PM        CBS      Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Dallas at NY Giants              8:20 PM        NBC      MetLife Stadium

Week 15 NFL Picks-The Brady Bunch Verses The Tebow Express

Quite frankly, all the stuff that is going around about Tim Tebow is getting Te-boring. There is nothing spectacular about his last minute antics to win games. He has just been down right lucky and fortunate to have a defense that keeps the opponents from scoring and therefore in the game until the offense finally scores, which generally takes the whole game. Look at Cam Not-Win-A-Game, who I also think comentators are making to much of a fuss about. He scores touchdowns in bunches, but is unfortunate not to have a defense that keeps him in the game. In fact, Newton is forced to score just to keep up with the opponents scoring. Well, todays game will make or break the Tebow Express and no amount of Tebowing will help the cause or hinder it because God will be in Arizona with the Cleveland Browns, a team who really needs his help.

The Brady Bunch steam rolled Washington last week. Gronkowski was too much for the Redskins to handle, which is difficult to understand. The opposing defense should already know if Brady isn't looking towards Wes Welker then he will be looking in Gronkowski's direction or visa versa. I guess the two of them are just too hard to handle at the same time. That will be the challenge facing the Broncos defense, covering the two of them. Tim Tebow, instead of thanking God for the win at the end of the game, will be Tebowing to thank God today's humiliation will had finally come to an end, unless the defense comes to his rescue.

Baltimore will be facing a reinvigorated Chargers offense. Philip Rivers has found his groove. We will see if he stays in it today facing a tough on quarterback Ravens defense. Joe Flacco will need to get his mind off the Tebow thing and focus on today's game. Pittsburgh is breathing down their necks in the AFC North. Today's confrontation in San Diego is a must win for both teams and even more so for the Chargers, who have no wiggle room in the AFC West division.

Pittsburgh is in somewhat of a pickle themselves with an injured Roethlisberger. Without Roethlisberger, the Steelers playoff hopes will be iffy. Mendenhall has proven he can carry some of the load on the offense and whether Roethlisberger plays or not, the Steelers game plan will be filled with a heavy dose of the running game. San Francisco has already clinched their division, so their focus will be keeping their players healthy and injury free, but San Fran lost against Arizona last week and a team heading for the playoffs doesn't want to enter it on a skid, so the 49ers can't allow two losses in a row. It will be Pittsburgh's run game against San Fran's run game in the final analysis.
 
THU, DEC 15                        TIME (ET)    TV       LOCATION
Jacksonville at Atlanta             8:20            NFL       Georgia Dome
SAT, DEC 17                        TIME (ET)    TV       LOCATION      
Dallas at Tampa Bay                8:20 PM     NFL      Raymond James Stadium
SUN, DEC 18                        TIME (ET)    TV       LOCATION
Carolina at Houston                 1:00 PM     FOX      Reliant Stadium
Washington at NY Giants       1:00 PM     FOX       MetLife Stadium
Miami at Buffalo                     1:00 PM     CBS       Ralph Wilson Stadium
Seattle at Chicago                   1:00 PM     FOX       Soldier Field
New Orleans at Minnesota      1:00 PM     FOX      Mall of America Field
Cincinnati at St. Louis             1:00 PM     CBS      Edward Jones Dome
Tennessee at Indianapolis        1:00 PM     CBS      Lucas Oil Stadium
Green Bay at Kansas City        1:00 PM     FOX     Arrowhead Stadium
Detroit at Oakland                   4:05 PM     FOX      Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
New England at Denver           4:15 PM     CBS      Sports Authority Field at Mile High
NY Jets at Philadelphia           4:15 PM     CBS       Lincoln Financial Field
Cleveland at Arizona               4:15 PM     CBS       U of Phoenix Stadium
Baltimore at San Diego            8:20 PM     NBC      Qualcomm Stadium
MON, DEC 19                        TIME (ET)    TV       LOCATION
Pittsburgh at San Francisco     8:30 PM       ESPN    Candlestick Park

Week 14 NFL Picks-Can Tebow do It Again

My choice for the Browns verses Pittsburgh game on Thursday night was a no brainer, and not surprising, the Browns lost. They couldn't even take advantage of a hobbled Roethlisberger. No further comment needed. The wildcard picture is still wide open in the National Conference and in the American Conference one slot most likely will be filled either by Pittsburgh or Baltimore. Baltimore plays Indianapolis Sunday and I am expecting no surprises there either. Wouldn't it be something to see all three teams from the AFC North in the playoffs, excluding you know who of course. Cincinnati faces off with Houston in what should be a good game. Two surprises, the Buffalo Bills at the start of the season were hopefuls, but have fallen from grace, and the Detroit Lions are still hanging on with their pinky. San Diego can still make it if Denver and Oakland have a meltdown.

The Bengals need to show they can win against teams with a plus record and Houston would be a good place to start, and it isn't optional. Andy Dalton and A. J. Green face a tough defense in the Texans. A decent showing from Benson will help the cause. Houston, on the other hand, has continued to win despite their quarterback loss. They will be facing a decent defense in the Bengals as well. Stop the run, win the game.

San Diego is back on track, although it was the offensiveless Jaguars they took advantage of last Monday. Their chances are slim at best on making it to the playoffs. The Chargers need to win and keep on winning, and that still leaves their chances very slim. Philip Rivers may have finally got his head on straight, maybe. We will see. Buffalo lost Fred Jackson, but even though that was a huge blow to their offensive attack, it is not the sole reason they have been losing. The Bills have been giving up two many points, which leaves their offense hard pressed to match. When an offense is forced to press than mistakes often follow, just ask Rivers.

Tim Tebow showed alittle more quarterback than running back his last outing, which is a good thing. However the Broncos are doing it, the fans have at least something to cheer about. They went from being a punching bag to being the boxer. Chicago's defense is built to take on the offense Denver has been putting out with Urlacher as its foundation and if the Bears are to win, it will have to be with defense. Chicago will seek to box Tebow in, so outside passes and screens will be the way to go for Tebow and let McGahee take on the middle.

One of the most animated coaches in football is the Giant's Tom Coughlin. The more unstable the Giant's offense is, the more entertaining Coughlin is, and the cameras know this. I'll watch the Giants just to see the antics of Coughlin. It's entertaining. They're winning, then they're losing, and then they're winning and losing. Dallas has been surging, but I think the Giant's pass rush is going to give Tony Romo fits and Eli Manning is going to give the Dallas secondary fits. Both Romo and Manning are proned to making knuckleheaded mistakes at times, but Romo will win in this category.

Both Cam Not-Win and Tim Tebow score more with their legs, but between the two of them, Tebow wins more. Everyone makes a big deal about Cam Not-Win, but he has not proven himself as a pocket quarterback. Until he does that, Panthers will not be a true contender and he will not be considered a true quarterback, unless they redefine what a quarterback is. Running quarterbacks do not go to the Super Bowl. However, Tebow is supported by a good defense that keeps the opposing points low and the offense in the game to make the winning score. The other rookie, Andy Dalton, has proved himself the way a quarterback does, with his arm.

One final note. The hit on Colt McCoy was an obvious cheap shot by Harrison. When you watch the replay, Harrison had enough time to calculate his hit on McCoy. It is true McCoy exposed himself more to a frontal hit when he changed his posture from a run to a throw, but Harrison was head hunting from the get go, going in high with the top of his helmet all the way.

THU, DEC 8                            TIME (ET)   TV       LOCATION
Cleveland at Pittsburgh                8:30            NFL      Heinz Field
SUN, DEC 11                          TIME (ET)   TV       LOCATION
Kansas City at NY Jets                1:00 PM     CBS      MetLife Stadium
Tampa Bay at Jacksonville          1:00 PM     FOX      EverBank Field
New England at Washington       1:00 PM     CBS      FedEx Field
Atlanta at Carolina                      1:00 PM     FOX      Bank of America Stadium
Indianapolis at Baltimore            1:00 PM     CBS      M&T Bank Stadium
Philadelphia at Miami                 1:00 PM     FOX      Sun Life Stadium
Minnesota at Detroit                   1:00 PM     FOX      Ford Field
New Orleans at Tennessee         1:00 PM     FOX      LP Field
Houston at Cincinnati                1:00 PM     CBS      Paul Brown Stadium
Chicago at Denver                     4:05 PM     FOX      Sports Authority Field at Mile High
San Francisco at Arizona           4:05 PM     FOX      U of Phoenix Stadium
Buffalo at San Diego                 4:15 PM     CBS      Qualcomm Stadium
Oakland at Green Bay               4:15 PM     CBS      Lambeau Field
NY Giants at Dallas                  8:20 PM     NBC      Cowboys Stadium
MON, DEC 12                        TIME (ET)    TV       LOCATION
St. Louis at Seattle                     8:30 PM     ESPN     CenturyLink Field