Football
Indy at Baltimore
I must admit to being surprised at Baltimore's success this year. They're a long time gone from their 2000 Super Bowl winning season. It's a testiment to Brian Billick's coaching prowess - even though he was on the 'likely to get canned' list as recently as mid-season. Having a solid QB helps. And I think this is a team that shows how important it is to have a solid roster top to bottom. There are some stars here, for sure, but there are also lots of lunch-pail guys who get the job done. Adelius Thomas reminds me of Willie McGinest with his mix of power, speed, and versitility. Ray Lewis is no longer the guy who tore up the Giants in 2000 like a police chief with a parking ticket, but he gets it done and is a vocal leader. He's a really likable guy when he's not covering for murderers.
Tony Dungy's Colts are the same team that folds under pressure each year in the playoffs, but has great shiny trophies from the regular season. Peyton Manning always finds ways to lose in the playoffs, and will do so again. The Colts boast the worst run defense in the league. Yes, 2-14 Oakland and all the other bottom-feeders were better, which is really odd. It's odd because if the Colts are built to get a lead fast and hold it, you'd think that teams would have to pass on them, not run. They'e #2 aganst the pass, but that's an obvious reflection on their total inability to stop the run.
Forget about the regular season. The Colts can't play championship level football.
Offense
Run Pass Total
Colts 18 2 3
Ravens 25 11 17
Defense
R P T
Colts 32 2 21
Ravens 2 6 1
Result: Ravens 28-17
Pats at Chargers
Let's finish the AFC and get ready for the Championship Game. The Patriots will be too much for the Chargers. There are a lot of reasons why this will happen, but I'll settle for two: coaching and quarterbacking. There has never been a better playoff coach in the NFL than Bill Belichick. Lombardi was 9-1 to Belichick's 12-2 in the playoffs, but remember that Lombardi only had the Championship game to play after the regular season. Belichick has had to play two or three games just to get to the championship game.
Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer simply can't coach in the playoffs. inexplicable, he's one of the top regular season guys ever, but craps out in the tournament. Sorry, Marty.
Quarterbacking - Philip Rivers vs. Tom Brady. Forget it. Both teams have stout defenses, with the edge to the Patriots. LaDanian Tomlinson, the league MVP, will be the X-factor. New England will have to to something to stop him. But Belichick is the kind of coach who can stop LT and make Rivers win it with his arm. And as a first-year starter in his first playoff game, I don't like his chances against the Patriots defense.
Offense:
Run Pass Total
Pats 12 12 11
Bolts 2 16 4
Defense:
R P T
Pats 5 12 6
Bolts 7 13 10
Patriots 35-14
Bottom line in the AFC is that there are two coaches with Super Bowl rings, and two coaches who have a history of poor playoff perforemances, and no hardware at all. Why can't Tony and Marty coach in the playoffs? What is it? Something in their style? Do their players get the feeling that a 14-2 regular season is "Mission Accomplished?" It's hard to say. I know from watching the Patriots for years that they are palpibly hungry and ready to fight for every blade of grass on the field. Tom Brady looks as though he would kill anyone who gets in his way, including their extended family, realitor, and most people who ever met them or served them at a restaurant. Nothing stop him, or diverts his unreal focus.
Maybe Tone and Marty just don't instill that in threir teams. With Dungy, I think the problem goes to the make-up of the team. They are mentally soft, and physically small. They can't rise up - there's nothing to rise with. They are fair weather low character guys who don't deserve to win - and deep down they know that.
Seahawks at Bears
I still don't know how the Bears have done it. 13-3 and home field in the NFC playoffs. I watched the Pats beat them this year, and they struck me as another try-hard team with a half-decent defense - nothing special. But here they are, the top seed in the NFC. Fine.
The Bears are better on offense and defense. But I still have to go with coaching. Mike Holmgren (Super Bowl winner - and twice loser) had some key injuries this year, and snuck into the playoffs 9-7, but is still the more experienced hand. Lovie Smith has won nothing, and won't win anything until he grows an offense. He should take a page from Belichick, who was also a defensive guru as a coordinator, but has become an offensive innovator as a head coach.
Offense:
Run Pass Total
Hawks 14 20 19
Bears 15 14 15
Defense
Hawks 22 16 19
Bears 6 11 5
Hawks 22-19
Eagles at Saints
The Saints will keep marching in, if for no other reason than their pass offense. Drew Brees had a career year and proved all of his doubters dead wrong. I would actually like to see Jeff Garcia do well. I always have a soft spot for CFL guys. This is an interesting match up of teams who can both pass, and teams that can both stop the pass. Will it be a shoot-out or an interception-fest? Neither, probably, because neither of these guys can stop the run. Look for a ton of rushing yards and some play-action passing.
Offense:
Run Pass Total
Eagles 11 3 2
Saints 19 1 1
Defense:
Eagles 26 9 15
Saints 23 3 11
Saints 27-24
I must admit to being surprised at Baltimore's success this year. They're a long time gone from their 2000 Super Bowl winning season. It's a testiment to Brian Billick's coaching prowess - even though he was on the 'likely to get canned' list as recently as mid-season. Having a solid QB helps. And I think this is a team that shows how important it is to have a solid roster top to bottom. There are some stars here, for sure, but there are also lots of lunch-pail guys who get the job done. Adelius Thomas reminds me of Willie McGinest with his mix of power, speed, and versitility. Ray Lewis is no longer the guy who tore up the Giants in 2000 like a police chief with a parking ticket, but he gets it done and is a vocal leader. He's a really likable guy when he's not covering for murderers.
Tony Dungy's Colts are the same team that folds under pressure each year in the playoffs, but has great shiny trophies from the regular season. Peyton Manning always finds ways to lose in the playoffs, and will do so again. The Colts boast the worst run defense in the league. Yes, 2-14 Oakland and all the other bottom-feeders were better, which is really odd. It's odd because if the Colts are built to get a lead fast and hold it, you'd think that teams would have to pass on them, not run. They'e #2 aganst the pass, but that's an obvious reflection on their total inability to stop the run.
Forget about the regular season. The Colts can't play championship level football.
Offense
Run Pass Total
Colts 18 2 3
Ravens 25 11 17
Defense
R P T
Colts 32 2 21
Ravens 2 6 1
Result: Ravens 28-17
Pats at Chargers
Let's finish the AFC and get ready for the Championship Game. The Patriots will be too much for the Chargers. There are a lot of reasons why this will happen, but I'll settle for two: coaching and quarterbacking. There has never been a better playoff coach in the NFL than Bill Belichick. Lombardi was 9-1 to Belichick's 12-2 in the playoffs, but remember that Lombardi only had the Championship game to play after the regular season. Belichick has had to play two or three games just to get to the championship game.
Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer simply can't coach in the playoffs. inexplicable, he's one of the top regular season guys ever, but craps out in the tournament. Sorry, Marty.
Quarterbacking - Philip Rivers vs. Tom Brady. Forget it. Both teams have stout defenses, with the edge to the Patriots. LaDanian Tomlinson, the league MVP, will be the X-factor. New England will have to to something to stop him. But Belichick is the kind of coach who can stop LT and make Rivers win it with his arm. And as a first-year starter in his first playoff game, I don't like his chances against the Patriots defense.
Offense:
Run Pass Total
Pats 12 12 11
Bolts 2 16 4
Defense:
R P T
Pats 5 12 6
Bolts 7 13 10
Patriots 35-14
Bottom line in the AFC is that there are two coaches with Super Bowl rings, and two coaches who have a history of poor playoff perforemances, and no hardware at all. Why can't Tony and Marty coach in the playoffs? What is it? Something in their style? Do their players get the feeling that a 14-2 regular season is "Mission Accomplished?" It's hard to say. I know from watching the Patriots for years that they are palpibly hungry and ready to fight for every blade of grass on the field. Tom Brady looks as though he would kill anyone who gets in his way, including their extended family, realitor, and most people who ever met them or served them at a restaurant. Nothing stop him, or diverts his unreal focus.
Maybe Tone and Marty just don't instill that in threir teams. With Dungy, I think the problem goes to the make-up of the team. They are mentally soft, and physically small. They can't rise up - there's nothing to rise with. They are fair weather low character guys who don't deserve to win - and deep down they know that.
Seahawks at Bears
I still don't know how the Bears have done it. 13-3 and home field in the NFC playoffs. I watched the Pats beat them this year, and they struck me as another try-hard team with a half-decent defense - nothing special. But here they are, the top seed in the NFC. Fine.
The Bears are better on offense and defense. But I still have to go with coaching. Mike Holmgren (Super Bowl winner - and twice loser) had some key injuries this year, and snuck into the playoffs 9-7, but is still the more experienced hand. Lovie Smith has won nothing, and won't win anything until he grows an offense. He should take a page from Belichick, who was also a defensive guru as a coordinator, but has become an offensive innovator as a head coach.
Offense:
Run Pass Total
Hawks 14 20 19
Bears 15 14 15
Defense
Hawks 22 16 19
Bears 6 11 5
Hawks 22-19
Eagles at Saints
The Saints will keep marching in, if for no other reason than their pass offense. Drew Brees had a career year and proved all of his doubters dead wrong. I would actually like to see Jeff Garcia do well. I always have a soft spot for CFL guys. This is an interesting match up of teams who can both pass, and teams that can both stop the pass. Will it be a shoot-out or an interception-fest? Neither, probably, because neither of these guys can stop the run. Look for a ton of rushing yards and some play-action passing.
Offense:
Run Pass Total
Eagles 11 3 2
Saints 19 1 1
Defense:
Eagles 26 9 15
Saints 23 3 11
Saints 27-24
posted by fiduciary at 2:16 PM
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