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Saturday, January 22, 2005

“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

Saturday, January 15, 2005

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

Tuesday, January 11, 2005

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?

Saturday, January 08, 2005

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

Sunday, January 02, 2005

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