Playoffs

Here we are at the second week of the NFL playoffs again, which brings up the same question every year.  Is it better for teams that have clinched first-round byes and playoff seeds to rest their players at the end of the regular season, or play them to keep on a roll going into the playoffs?  Lets look at both sides of the issue.

Continue reading "Rest vs Rust in the NFL"

           Each week, I will look into my (never wrong, just misinformed) crystal ball and give my predictions for that weekend’s games.  I will prognosticate on all the playoff games each week.  Keep in mind, that this is for entertainment purposes only, and that I do not endorse any sort of legal or illegal gambling.  That being said…let’s see what’s in my crystal ball!   

Continue reading "Predictions Super Bowl XLIII"

Last Week: 1-3  

Playoffs: 3-5

Overall:  36-31-1  

Baltimore @ Tennessee:  (WIN)  This was a classic defensive struggle.  Both teams did rack up some yards, especially the Titans (391).  That’s a lot of yards against the Ravens defense, but the name of the game is to score points.  The Titans had their share of opportunities, but they didn’t get the job done!  The Titans had the edge in yards and time of possession, but the three turnovers they committed sealed their fate!  The Ravens offense wasn’t great, but it doesn’t need to be.  They played tough, hard-nosed football, and Flacco managed the offense.  More importantly…he had no turnovers.  In the playoffs, it’s hard to win when you lose the turnover battle.  The Ravens will travel to Pittsburgh for the AFC title.  

Continue reading "Divisional Round Review"

Last Week: 2-2Playoffs: 2-2

Overall:  35-28-1  

Atlanta @ Arizona:  (LOSS)  The Atlanta Falcons had a good run, but their season came to an end.  The Cardinals were able to use the home crowd to their advantage.  QB Kurt Warner had a good game.  The Cards brought Edge off the bench, and he rewarded them by grinding out the tough yards.  Fitzgerald reeled in 6 receptions for 101 yards and a TD.  The Cardinals pulled away in the 3rd quarter with 2 TDs.  The Falcons fought hard to the bitter end, but it just wasn’t meant to be.  Arizona moves on to play at Carolina.  The Falcons exceeded everyone’s expectations this year, and they will be a team to be reckoned with for several years to come.  

Continue reading "Wildcard Weekend Review"

Last Week: 2-2  

Playoffs:  0-0 

Overall:  33-26-1  

Atlanta @ Arizona:  The Atlanta Falcons (11-5) will travel to Arizona to play the Cardinals (9-7).  It’s a quirky nuance in the rules where the team with a better record must travel to play a team with a worse record in the playoffs.  The Cardinals won their division, so by rule they get the home game.  The Falcons have been a huge surprise this season, but the NFL is well aware of them now.  The Cardinals played in a sub-par division, but they won enough games to earn their way into the tournament.  Unfortunately for the Cards, they will be one and done.  The Falcons are clearly the better team, and the Cardinals have been playing poorly as of late.  The Falcons are the real deal and should win easily.  Atlanta 34, Arizona 23.  

Continue reading "Predictions Wildcard Weekend"

The crystal ball had a mediocre performance this past week, going a mere 2-2.  We’re not sure what happened, but we will get to the bottom of this.  The crystal ball took its lumps on the Cowboys game, but it may have been predicting with its heart rather than its fortune-telling powers?  Either way, that puts the crystal ball at 29-22-1 for the season.  That’s seven games over .500 (.563 to be exact).  Let’s take a look back, and review what happened last week.    

Continue reading "Week 16 Review"

           On Saturday night, the Cowboys had a golden opportunity to close out Texas Stadium in style.  This was the final game to be played at the stadium.  A Cowboys win would have been a fitting end to a stadium that has had many classic games.  A win, and the Cowboys would have been one step further in their quest for a playoff berth, and a Super Bowl run. 

Continue reading "Not Dead Yet"

           Last year, the Cowboys sent 13 players to Hawaii for the Pro Bowl.  Granted, a few of those players made it by name alone, but for the most part they deserved it.  When you go 13-3, as the Cowboys did last year, you tend to get a lot of coattail votes.  This year the ‘Boys will be sending only 5 players. 

Continue reading "Snubbed"

The crystal ball, once again, had a stellar performance this past week, going undefeated at 4-0.  Truly a tremendous achievement, as many of the games had playoff implications.  That puts the crystal ball at 29-22-1 for the season.  That’s seven games over .500 (.567 to be exact).  Not many prognosticators gave the Cowboys much of a chance against the G-Men, but the crystal ball took a chance on them.  The ‘Boys rewarded the crystal ball, and pulled off the upset.  Let’s review and see what happened last week.    

Continue reading "Week 15 Review"

           This past Sunday, the Cowboys had a 10-point lead against the Pittsburgh Steelers, late in the 4th quarter.  Then disaster struck, as the Cowboys were not able to finish off the Steelers.  All the Cowboys needed were a couple of first downs and the game would be over.  Nope…didn’t happen!  The Cowboys let the Steelers tie the game with about 2 minutes left in regulation.  Then, Romo gave the entire Steeler Nation an early Christmas present by throwing a pick-6…game over! 

Continue reading "Chokers"

There's nothing quite like it. Cheap ticket prices, amazing warm weather, the smell of hot dogs & freshly cut grass on the baseball diamond in February and early March. It's that time of the year again with Spring Training rolling around and getting us all excited for the upcoming 2008 MLB season. It's also time to make some bold predictions for the long season ahead of us. Of course with injuries, the inevitability of a surprise team, and a little lack of better judgement, predicting the MLB season is incredibly difficult to do. However, after looking at all the new free agent pickups, new coaches, and using basic instinct, I've come up with my predictions for the 2008 season. Some of my predictions may sound crazy, but the baseball season usually plays out that way, I mean who predicted the Rockies to go that far last season? Enjoy, because it's sure to cause some argument.

Continue reading "Bold MLB 2008 Season Predictions ..."

This has been a dream season for Cleveland Browns’ fans. After watching a putrid product on the field for years, Browns’ fans were treated to high scoring, competitive football every weekend this season. The city embraced the “Believeland” moniker, and NFL pundits have openly stated that the Browns are the surprise of the NFL this season.

Continue reading "The Problem with Derek Anderson (December ..."

On Sunday, the Cleveland Browns will play their most important game in five years. Not since 2002 when the Browns beat the Atlanta Falcons in Week 17 to advance to the post-season has a game of this magnitude been within reach.

Continue reading "Browns Need Win to Enter Playoffs ..."

At this point in the NFL season, many fans need encouragement to continue since their favorite team has been knocked out of the playoffs. As you sit there in your Peyton Manning or Tony Romo jersey, why not lighten up your day and play a little drinking game when you watch the rest of the season unfold?

Continue reading "Playoffs and Super Bowl Drinking Game"

Derek Fisher, regarded as a man in decline last year, has come out gunning shooting 37 percent from beyond the arc and a scalding 50 percent overall. He’s having the best season of his career in terms of percentages, efficiency and overall per minute production. But numbers don’t tell the whole tale.

Continue reading "The Importance of Fish"

With such a fast start the Dallas Cowboys and their fans are looking toward that rematch with the New England Patriots. Before that happens, some things are really going have to change or the same result is going to happen. The Cowboys offensively don’t have to take a back seat to anyone and with Tony Romo leading an offense that averages more than 20 points a game this will not be a problem no matter whom they play in the playoffs. Not all is good though for Cowboy fans and if you ask the really die-hard fans they will tell you what they worry about the most and that is the defense.

Continue reading "Dallas Has Some Issues To Take Care ..."