Tuesday Morning Crackback (Divisional Semifinals)
http://www.blickees.com/articles/49/1/Tuesday-Morning-Crackback-Divisional-Semifinals/Page1.html
By Patrick Williams
Published on 01/15/2008
One down, one to go, as the Cowboys lose to the Giants, Colts suprised by the Chargers, Patriots steamroll to the conference finals, and the Packers make short work of the Seahawks. Patrick Williams discusses all of the above and gives his Super Bowl picks.
One down, one to go, as the Cowboys lose to the Giants, Colts suprised by the Chargers, Patriots steamroll to the conference finals, and the Packers make short work of the Seahawks. Patrick Williams discusses all of the above and gives his Super Bowl picks.NFL Playoffs; Divisional Semifinals
I'm pretty proud of my picks last week, as I went 3-1 and nearly picked the score of the Jags/Pats game. (I predicted 31-21 and the final score was 31-20) Not only that, The Giants/Cowboys game came down to Eli Manning v/s Tony Romo and Eli proved that pedigree actually does mean something!
New York Giants 21, Dallas Cowboys 17
There is only one place to start with regards to this game. The soon to be classically hilarious Terrell Owens crying episode. Get your tissues ready.
Does this loss anoint Tony Romo as the new Peyton Manning, a regular season wonder who can't get it done in the postseason? Eli on the other hand gained alot from this win. Not only has he played brilliant in the last two games, but he has played brilliantly on the road in pressure situations. He's been largely inconsistent during the regular season, but at the very least it appears he is slowly but surely earning some respect.
San Diego Chargers 28, Indianapolis Colts 24
This game was very similar to the game during the regular season. Although the Colts looked healthy on paper, ultimately health issues caused two of the biggest turnovers of the game. Marvin Harrison who hasn't seen much live action this year, fumbled on the Colts second drive of the game deep in Chargers territory with the Colts up 7-0. Kenton Keith let a mid screen bounce off his fingertips which resulted in an interception while subbing for a banged up Joseph Addai.
The Colts can't attribute the loss entirely to health issues however, as the heavily praised Colts defense reverted back to the early Dungy days.
The Blickees First Lady and Colts #1 fan was none too pleased; however, the first lesson to learn ladies if you're just getting into football is, part of being a true fan is dealing with disappointment resulting from a big loss. Maybe next year sweetie.
New England Patriots 31, Jacksonville Jaguars 20
So yeah, in case you didn't read this, not only did I predict the winner, but I almost predicted the final score. Don't I get a prize for that? Maybe if I were a betting man I could have used my winnings on a Vegas trip or something. (One can dream)
The Jags couldn't run the ball and the Pats ran all over the place. The Jags struggled to stop the run as they devoted a good amount of resources to shutting down the Pats big play ability. It also didn't help that their two all-pro defensive tackles and their all-pro middle linebacker have been injured for some time. Even with all the cogs in place, the outcome would have probably been the same as the Jags have serious issues in the secondary.
Green Bay Packers 42, Seattle Seahawks 20
Snowy and cold. A washed up Shawn Alexander is the only shot at a Seahawk ground game. Matt Hasselback returning to Lambeau Field. Possibly Brett the Legends last game at Lambeau. With the deck stacked against Seattle, this score shouldn't have surprised anyone.
You want surprise? Ryan Grant, 27 car. 201 yards against the normally stout Seahawks defense.
Divisional Finals predictions:
New York Giants at Green Bay Packers
I love Eli's pedigree, but I can't put the pedigree above destiny. It seems the football Gods are determined to give Favre another shot at a ring. The guy hasn't been hurt in decades and he won't quit playing. Its going to take another Super Bowl or another Super Bowl loss to make him hang up the cleats. The football Gods know this and are itching to get rid of Favre more than anyone except Aaron Rodgers.
Seriously though? The Packers are better all the way around. This one could be a slaughter.
Packers 38, Giants 17
San Diego Chargers at New England Patriots
I really, really want to pick the Chargers in this game. If Gates' toe wasn't in his back pocket and if LT and Rivers' knees weren't injured, I would be that guy picking the upset . However, that's way too many ifs to pick an upset and if they were fifths, this blog would be in another language and my keyboard would be really wet and sloppy.
The Pats will win, but damn if I don't plan to cheer like hell for the Chargers to save humanity. Or maybe I'll breakout the classic player prayer: "Lord infant baby Jesus, please with all of your infinite wisdom oh Jesus, if there is anything right in the world, make the Chargers win this game."
Pats 28, Chargers 17
New York Giants 21, Dallas Cowboys 17
There is only one place to start with regards to this game. The soon to be classically hilarious Terrell Owens crying episode. Get your tissues ready.
Does this loss anoint Tony Romo as the new Peyton Manning, a regular season wonder who can't get it done in the postseason? Eli on the other hand gained alot from this win. Not only has he played brilliant in the last two games, but he has played brilliantly on the road in pressure situations. He's been largely inconsistent during the regular season, but at the very least it appears he is slowly but surely earning some respect.
San Diego Chargers 28, Indianapolis Colts 24
This game was very similar to the game during the regular season. Although the Colts looked healthy on paper, ultimately health issues caused two of the biggest turnovers of the game. Marvin Harrison who hasn't seen much live action this year, fumbled on the Colts second drive of the game deep in Chargers territory with the Colts up 7-0. Kenton Keith let a mid screen bounce off his fingertips which resulted in an interception while subbing for a banged up Joseph Addai.
The Colts can't attribute the loss entirely to health issues however, as the heavily praised Colts defense reverted back to the early Dungy days.
The Blickees First Lady and Colts #1 fan was none too pleased; however, the first lesson to learn ladies if you're just getting into football is, part of being a true fan is dealing with disappointment resulting from a big loss. Maybe next year sweetie.
New England Patriots 31, Jacksonville Jaguars 20
So yeah, in case you didn't read this, not only did I predict the winner, but I almost predicted the final score. Don't I get a prize for that? Maybe if I were a betting man I could have used my winnings on a Vegas trip or something. (One can dream)
The Jags couldn't run the ball and the Pats ran all over the place. The Jags struggled to stop the run as they devoted a good amount of resources to shutting down the Pats big play ability. It also didn't help that their two all-pro defensive tackles and their all-pro middle linebacker have been injured for some time. Even with all the cogs in place, the outcome would have probably been the same as the Jags have serious issues in the secondary.
Green Bay Packers 42, Seattle Seahawks 20
Snowy and cold. A washed up Shawn Alexander is the only shot at a Seahawk ground game. Matt Hasselback returning to Lambeau Field. Possibly Brett the Legends last game at Lambeau. With the deck stacked against Seattle, this score shouldn't have surprised anyone.
You want surprise? Ryan Grant, 27 car. 201 yards against the normally stout Seahawks defense.
Divisional Finals predictions:
New York Giants at Green Bay Packers
I love Eli's pedigree, but I can't put the pedigree above destiny. It seems the football Gods are determined to give Favre another shot at a ring. The guy hasn't been hurt in decades and he won't quit playing. Its going to take another Super Bowl or another Super Bowl loss to make him hang up the cleats. The football Gods know this and are itching to get rid of Favre more than anyone except Aaron Rodgers.
Seriously though? The Packers are better all the way around. This one could be a slaughter.
Packers 38, Giants 17
San Diego Chargers at New England Patriots
I really, really want to pick the Chargers in this game. If Gates' toe wasn't in his back pocket and if LT and Rivers' knees weren't injured, I would be that guy picking the upset . However, that's way too many ifs to pick an upset and if they were fifths, this blog would be in another language and my keyboard would be really wet and sloppy.
The Pats will win, but damn if I don't plan to cheer like hell for the Chargers to save humanity. Or maybe I'll breakout the classic player prayer: "Lord infant baby Jesus, please with all of your infinite wisdom oh Jesus, if there is anything right in the world, make the Chargers win this game."
Pats 28, Chargers 17