“Special Edition” Playoff Pick ‘em & Beat the Spread

On the eve of the conference championships, we have two intriguing match ups to look forward to as the Steelers face the Patriots and the Eagles face the Falcons. Both home teams are from Pennsylvania where the weather is going to be extremely harsh. Let us first examine the AFC Championship game.

Patriots vs. Steelers

In this game, do not look for a repeat performance from their previous match up on Halloween. Pittsburgh will still bring their same game style, nothing but hard nosed football as they attempt to run the football over the Patriots. The Steelers front line is very good and I do continue to see success in their running game, however, New England will be able to cheat and bring Harrison up into the box to stop the run. Why? They probably noticed much like everyone else that Roethlisberger’s hand is still not 100%, as he almost threw that game away against the Jets. If the Patriots do bring the pressure, I do not see Roethlisberger beating the Patriots secondary. Cowher would rather play field position than risk any interceptions this time around. As for New England, I see Belichick confusing the Steelers D by throwing for a whole series before establishing Dillon. This will be a dogfight, and the team that commits the crucial turnover will be going home. Will the Steelers special teams not lose it for them this time, that proved to be their Achilles heel last time when the Patriots went on to the Superbowl. So my prediction, classic Patriots style, last second field goal by Mr. Clutch in the snow.

Patriots 16 Steelers 13
Take the Steelers +3 ½ and under 34 ½

Falcons vs. Eagles

Will the loss of T.O. really be that big of a difference in this game? I did not see it last week against the Vikings; then again the Vikings should not have been in that position to begin with. Atlanta’s D has not been solid lately; however, they make the big plays when it counts. As long as they contain the Eagles receivers and punish them at the line, they should make this game really interesting. Thanks to Westbrook, guys like Pinkston, Mitchell, and Lewis have been receiving one-on-one coverage. Westbrook will be the key man once again in this game and it will be up to the veterans on the Falcons D like Brooking to keep him contained out of the backfield. McNabb has been making good decisions of late and I do not see him losing the game this time around, but will their defense be able to contain Super Vick? If it wasn’t for Michael Vick, the Falcons would be another boring team to watch, with no chance of ever reaching the playoffs. His presence has been so crucial that opposing defenses have to prepare a brand new scheme whenever they face Vick. Knowing Jimmy Johnson, he will not change his scheme much and will continue to use his men to blitz Vick incessantly. Will Vick stay composed and make the right decisions, that much I do not know. I do see Vick burning the Eagles on some blitzes as he scrambles out of the pocket. The underlying factor here is the experience, and the Eagles have it this year. Trotter and the defense will contain Dunn and Duckett forcing Vick to the air. That is where the question mark is, and I err on the side of the Eagles secondary led by the veteran leadership of Dawkins. Eagles finally pull it off with an emotional victory.

Eagles 31 Falcons 27
Take the Falcons +6 and over 37

Playoff Pick ‘em & Beat the Spread

Here we are folks, in the Divisional Playoffs with some outstanding match ups, a couple rematches to say the least. Get your cell phones ready and your bookie on the line, here we go again. If you listened to me last week, you will be spending your profit on the games this week, as I went 6 for 8, only missing two over/under calls. Check it out!

Steelers 23 Jets 13
Take the Steelers -9 and over 35 ½

Falcons 27 Rams 24
Take the Rams +7 and over 48 ½

Eagles 23 Vikings 17
Take the Vikings +8 ½ and under 47

Patriots 26 Colts 21
Take the Patriots -1 ½ and under 52

Commentating is an art

Why is it that NFL television commentators have to be so politically correct and bland. Joe Buck epitomizes what the NFL wants in a commentator, one who can articulate and illustrate the game in a professional manner. However, football fans are predominantly interested in just watching the game and not the nonsensical correlations and straight faced approach that the guys like Joe Buck bring to the table. NFL fans love and appreciate the color commentating of guys like Myron Cope of Pittsburg and Merrill Reese of Philadelphia for their unique voices. Who doesn’t love that guy from ESPN radio with the deep voice, similar to the voice of the guy who does the highlight clips for Inside the NFL on HBO. What about the liveliness and personality that Howard Cosell had or that of John Madden and how he spices up the game with his X’s and O’s all over the TV screen. Rather, you see the NFL bring these intellectual clowns in to do the job which makes you just want to watch the game in mute or with the radio on instead. Remember the failure of Dennis Miller, what a disaster! Every time an athlete comes up with a creative approach to express himself, the NFL gods crack the whip and sponsor guys like Buck to humiliate the athlete. They have come a far way to control attitudes of athletes and the intervention is becoming a bit too annoying. The elimination of group celebrations, the fines for creative performances, and the negative publicity towards those celebrations is too much intervention. How much harm can Owen’s sharpie, Horn’s phone, or Moss’ fake mooning do to the public, what is the NFL afraid of, that someone is going to go as far as stage a full blown fireworks one day after they score?

Romeo Crennel - Somebody hire the guy already...

It sounds like the Clevland Brown are finally heading in the right direction. Signing Romeo Crennel as head coach would be a huge boost for the Brown organization. He brings discipline and winning attitude that is much needed in Cleveland. Don't underestimate his offensive coaching skills either.

Four Super Bowl rings in his jewelry box and 24 years of NFL coaching under his belt, no one can claim to have more experience. Having spent 23 of those 24 years coaching alongside Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick , no one can claim to have better role models. The best assistant coach in the NFL is Romeo Crennel. He should have been a head coach a long time ago. Browns in the playoffs next year if they get him. Case Closed

Media condemns Moss as the Anti-Christ

Randy Moss's TD celebration warranted Joe Buck, James Brown, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, and Jimmy Johnson to spend almost the entire post game savaging Moss as if literally beat and raped an old lady on the 50 yard line. Isn't this the same network that brought us "Who's your Daddy" and "Who wants to marry a milliionare”?

Chris Berman and Tom Jackson then continued onslaught on NFL primetime.

I have never seen such holier than thou reactions to a pretend moon. FOX sports and the rest of the medias reaction so overblown, and manufactured.

ESPN is not even telling people what actually happened. They're using generalized terms and just telling the audience that he did something "distasteful" or "classless". This leaves it up to the audience to either go look elsewhere for information, or leave it up to their imagination. This shouldn't be the case. As a news organization, it's your job to report events as they happened. It's one thing if you don't want to show the actual video because you believe that children might be watching or that your audience simply might not wish to see it. You could still describe the act in the most clinical of terms.


This absence of description also does Moss a disservice, because viewers who don't have the internet and don't know what actually happened may assume that he did something much worse than he did. They may assume that he actually exposed himself to the crowd, simulated a sex act, or made a gesture such as the one that Jake Plummer made a few weeks back. This is akin to a reporter talking about a criminal charge being filed against someone, and simply saying, "They are being charged with a serious crime." What crime? Murder? Rape? Child molestation? Grand theft? Drinking and driving? What's considered "serious"?

And why can't ESPN differentiate between a commentator and a news reporter? It's one thing for Tom Jackson or Sean Salisbury to have a negative opinion about Moss. They're paid to give their opinions. But Berman and Scott should be there simply to deliver the facts of the story, before introducing Jackson and Salisbury for commentary. Instead, Berman has to sit there and lay into Moss, providing us all with his view about the need for more class in Moss's attitude. What happened to "just the facts"?

I'm getting tired of the tight-wad, "old fashioned" football analysts who think anything outside of the Bart Starr mold is disgusting or disgraceful to the game. A little flare and a little taunting never hurt any body.

Playoff Pick ‘em & Beat the Spread

Time to make some money fellas, this chance comes around once a year so jump on these picks and put some extra cash in your pockets!

Seahawks 27 Rams 24
Take the Rams +4 and over 50 1/2

Chargers 19 Jets 13
Take the Jets +7 and under 42

Colts 34 Broncos 20
Take the Colts -10 and under 56

Packers 26 Vikings 24
Take the Vikings +6 and under 50 1/2

Wild Card Playoff Predictions

Saturday, January 8, 2005

St. Louis at Seattle – This is the 3rd time these 2 teams have met, and Seattle has the Rams to thank for sending them on a downward spiral earlier in the regular season. The Rams have a banged up Marc Bulger leading their offense, against a Seattle defense that seems to stop opponents by accident. I think maybe Mike Martz will be the difference, and again pull one of his patented bonehead moves, which will prevent the Rams from winning the trifecta. Seahawks 30 Rams 28

NY Jets at San Diego – Everyone has been wondering when the Chargers smoke and mirrors show will come crashing down. It appears Marty-ball has taken root, and the Chargers have responded. I think this will be a very close game, hotly contested, and fun to watch. I give a slight edge to San Diego at home. Chargers 31 Jets 21

Sunday January 9, 2005

Denver at Indianapolis – The Broncos beat the Colts in Week 17 in Denver to secure a playoff spot, and have said they fully remember the embarrassing defeat they suffered at Indy in the playoffs last year. I don’t think they’ll need to remember last year’s playoff debacle, as they will get a repeat performance this year. I pick the Colts in a blowout. Colts 38 Broncos 10

Minnesota at Green Bay – This is the 3rd meeting between the 2, the previous games resulting in 34-31 Packer victories. The Vikings are lucky to be in the playoffs, but can be a dangerous opponent. They would have an advantage if playing in the Humpty Dome. Since this game is outdoors, in what may be an ice storm, I give them no chance. Packers 28 Vikings 14

2005 Mock Draft

About.com just released the first NFL 2005 mock draft I have seen thus far. Interesting how this years crop of players is not even close to the talent of last. Still some good ones out there...

1. San Francisco 49ers- Aaron Rogers*, QB CaliforniaIf the 49ers lock up the top slot, they should take a potential franchise quarterback to build around, but I would be surprised if they didn’t trade out of the pick to avoid paying the salary a quarterback would command from the top slot. If they do move down, they could be targeting an offensive tackle, or even a running back.

2. Miami Dolphins – Matt Leinart*, QB USC The Dolphins have a second-round pick invested in A.J. Feeley, but with a new regime coming in, look for them to bring in their own guy to groom. Leinart has said he will return for his senior year, but if USC wins a national championship, he would have little left to accomplish at the collegiate level and could very well change his mind. A running back like Cedric Benson, Ronnie Brown or Carnell Williams are possibilities as well.

3. Carolina Panthers – Alex Barron, OT Florida StateThis may be a bit high for any of the offensive linemen in this draft, so the Panthers could be looking to move down as well. The addition of a left tackle like Barron would allow Jordan Gross to move back to the right side where he is more effective.

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Carnell Williams, RB AuburnThe Bucs are near the bottom of the league when it comes to running the ball, so a running back makes sense here, especially if they can have their pick of Williams, teammate Ronnie Brown, and Cedric Benson out of Texas. These three prospects rank very closely in overall talent, but in my view, Brown’s skills translate best to the NFL. I wouldn’t be surprised, however, to see any of the three picked first at their position.

5. Tennessee Titans - Derrick Johnson, OLB TexasThe Titans could use someone to fill the hole left by Jevon Kearse at defensive end, but if Johnson is still available at this point, they would be foolish to pass on him. Keith Bullock is a tremendous playmaker on the right side, and Johnson would likely step right into a starting role opposite him, giving the Titans a devastating combination on the outside. Johnson looks to me like one of those special players that come along very rarely, so he may not be around this long.

6. Washington Redskins – Matthias Kiwanuka*, DE Boston CollegeThe Redskins have played very well on the defensive side of the ball, but they are missing a speed rushing defensive end that can consistently get to the quarterback. If Kiwanuka comes out, he would be Washington’s best option. He is very quick off the ball and has amazing agility to go along with natural pass-rushing skills.

7. Dallas Cowboys (from Buffalo) – Antrel Rolle, CB Miami (Fla)Injuries have exposed a lack of depth in the Cowboys secondary, and Terrence Newman has struggled at times this year. The addition of Rolle would take some of the pressure off Newman and give Dallas a solid pair of young corners to work with. Other areas of concern that could be addressed with this pick include a pass rushing defensive end, a nose tackle to take the pressure off La’Roi Glover, or even an outside linebacker if Johnson should happen to still be on the board.

8. Oakland Raiders – Cedric Benson, RB TexasThe Raiders have a lot of question marks, so there are a lot of directions they could go here. But Benson is a perfect fit for Norv Turner’s power running style of offense and the Raiders could mask some of their deficiencies on offense with his abilities. Auburn’s Ronnie Brown would be a good fit here also.

9. Dallas Cowboys – Erasmus James, DE WisconsinSomewhere during the first round, the Cowboys must address their pass rush by either adding a speed-rushing defensive end or picking up a nose tackle that can occupy blockers. James is the type of player that can single-handedly alter a game. He has a great first step combined with power and athleticism that make him a challenge to handle one-on-one.

10. Kansas City Chiefs - Marlin Jackson, CB MichiganThis could be a tough decision between two Michigan products with Braylon Edwards still on the board, but the Chiefs have got to do something to address their defense this time around. Jackson is a very versatile player with great size and athletic ability.

11. Cleveland Browns –Corey Webster, CB LSUThe Browns really need an upgrade at left tackle, but unless Barron is still available, they won’t pick one here. Webster would be a nice addition to their secondary, and he’s an experienced play who should make a quick transition to the NFL.

12. New Orleans Saints – Ahmad Brooks*, OLB VirginiaThe Saints are one of the most inconsistent teams in the league, and they lack playmakers on the defensive side of the ball. Should Brooks, who is a draft-eligible sophomore, come out this year, he would be a great addition to the linebacking corps.

13. Arizona Cardinals – Ronnie Brown, RB AuburnThe Cardinals have the 35-year-old Emmitt Smith starting with Troy Hambrick backing him up, so obviously they need to think about bringing in a potential franchise back. Brown is a very versatile player and is one of the most complete backs in the nation. He can run inside or outside, is an excellent receiver out of the backfield, and is very effective as a blocker. Denny Green might also consider a quarterback here as well if one of the top juniors is available.

14. Chicago Bears – Mike Williams, WR Unless the light suddenly comes on for David Terrell, he is likely to be jettisoned after the season. And even if he is not, the Bears are lacking playmakers on offense and would have a tough time passing on Williams in the middle of the first round. He doesn’t really fit their style and Chicago will most likely look to add a veteran receiver during the off-season, but with his talent, the Bears can make Williams fit. I wouldn’t rule out an eventual move to tight end in this offense.

15. Houston Texans – Rodrique Wright, DT TexasThe Texans missed out on a chance to grab a nose tackle last year when they passed on Vince Wilfork, but if Wright decides to throw his hat in the ring, they probably won’t pass on him if he is still on the board. He is the only true nose tackle worth picking in the first round and if he is not available, Houston will likely look in another direction.

16. Cincinnati Bengals – Anttaj Hawthorne, DT WisconsinThe Bengals defense has started to come on strong, but John Thornton and Tony Williams are adequate at best at defensive tackle. Hawthorne has a great first step that allows him to consistently get penetration, and he also has the strength to overpower blockers. He would probably start immediately for Marvin Lewis.

Week 17 Paradise Pick’em

Here is the final week, I see many potential upsets so go get your money and play the dogs:

Bengals trample the Eagles
Texans showdown the Browns
Titans devour the Lions
Bears feast upon the Packers
Ravens shut out the Dolphins
Redskins sneak past the Vikings
Panthers heartier than the Saints
Rams confuse the Jets
Bills rumble past the Steelers
Patriots finish off the 49ers
Seahawks show up the Falcons
Buccs in a toss up against the Cardinals
Broncos survive the Colts
Jaguars excite the Raiders
Chargers thrill the Chiefs
Cowboys entertain the Giants