NFL Playoffs - Championship

It’s championship weekend in the NFL. Hopefully this Sunday we get two, good, watchable football games. I’m not saying these playoffs haven’t been interesting. But if we were to equate this year’s playoffs with late night talk shows, these games would be the Last Call with Carson Daly of playoffs. Honestly, we’ve had 6 blowouts that were more painful than any you’ll find on “Jersey Shore” (side note: there’s a pretty funny youtube video from Sara Bareilles, the girl who sang the song “Love Song”, about that show, and I actually gained a lot of respect for her from watching it. If these games suck, you might want to check it out...); 1 sloppy defensive mess that purists (and Jets fans) will argue was a great defensive game, but in actuality was just a horribly played football game with stupid penalties, bad officiating, bad kicking, and bonehead quarterback play on both sides; and 1 offensive shootout which I personally enjoyed, but think I might have been the only one who watched without a rooting interest because it was between the Packers and Cardinals. Anyways, here’s hoping that these two games will be better. I feel like they will be. Because these games are so big, I’m telling you who the pressure’s on for BOTH TEAMS. I am the man.

AFC Championship Game

Sun 3:00

Jets (5) at Colts (1)

Background – The Indianapolis Colts had the chance to not have to worry about the Jets a month ago. Instead they felt that staying healthy was more important. Now, they have to face the monster they in a sense created in the New York Jets. Peyton Manning did not have a great game back in December but certainly didn’t have a bad one either. Something else that’s interesting about this game: No matter who wins, a rookie head coach will be in the Super Bowl. This speaks highly of what both coaches, Rex Ryan and Jim Caldwell, have been able to do this year. But could these two guys be any different? Love him or hate him, Ryan is a character, but I don’t think I’ve heard Caldwell speak. And if I did, I’m not sure it wasn’t just Manning doing a ventriloquist routine.

Pressure’s On:

Jets – MARK SANCHEZ. Before you say “well that’s obvious”, keep in mind that this is really the first week in the playoffs where the pressure is going to be on him the most. While you can run on the Colts, everyone knows you need to be able to score to beat Peyton Manning. He doesn’t have to out play Manning, but he has to be able to make plays. He has to convert 3rd and 7’s. He has to test the Colts’ secondary from time to time. He has to not get distracted by fans like these:

Colts – DALLAS CLARK. Reggie Wayne is going to be on an island of some sort that I’ve been hearing about from people around here who recently discovered that New York has another football team, so Clark must pick up some of the slack. Antonio Gates was able to make some plays against the Jets’ linebackers, so I expect Clark to be able to as well. Also, some pressure HAS to be on Matt Stover. Opposing kickers are 0/5 on field goal attempts against the Jets in the playoffs.

Prediction – The Colts are good. They won 22 straight regular season games before losing to the Jets and Bills in which starters were pulled, and then beat the Ravens last week. If there was any rust, they shook it off last week. But there is just something about this Jets team. They can shut down the other team’s best weapon and force other players to beat them. They can run the ball better than any team in the playoffs and can stop the run too. They have the best defense in the playoffs. They simplify their offense well for their young QB. And most importantly, they find ways to win the close games. It just seems like their year, doesn’t it? But wait a minute. Don’t the Colts win close games too? (5 in a row at one point when trailing at the start of the 4th quarter) Don’t the Colts barely run the ball anyway? Isn’t Peyton Manning one of the few QB’s who is smart enough to confuse Darrelle Revis? Haven’t players like Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie stepped up and made plays all year? How can somebody pick against the Colts? So, am I dumb enough to pick against Peyton Manning with the game on the line? Almost. But not quite. COLTS: 17, JETS: 16.


NFC Championship

Vikings (2) at Saints (1)

Sun 6:45

Background – It seemed inevitable that this would be the matchup for the NFC crown for a long time now, and here it is. The high-octane offense of the Saints versus the equally potent Vikings offense and their fierce pass rush. The Saints looked like they were rested and not rusty in their 45-14 win over Arizona last week, while the Vikings made mince meat of the Cowboys 35-3. Both of these offenses can score, so it may come down to who has the ball last. Percy Harvin is expected to play, which gives the Vikings another weapon that they will need to keep toe to toe with the Saints, where Drew Brees could turn you and me into weapons.

Pressure’s On:

Vikings – SECONDARY. Eventually, in order to win they are going to need to make plays and force turnovers. Brees spreads the ball around better than anyone in the game, so they are going to have to play the game of their lives to keep the Vikings within distance. Also, it is imperative for the Vikings’ offensive line to protect Favre, so the gunslinger can gunsling.

Saints – PASS RUSH. The Vikings can score, too. But the way to beat the Vikings’ offense is to get at Favre and make him make bad decisions. Will Smith, Anthony Hargrove, and Charles Grant must get a couple of sacks and hurries or this game is going to break the Packers/Cardinals’ points record.

Prediction: I honestly think that this game is going to be a similar shootout to the Pack/Cards game. Brett Favre on one side. Drew Brees on the other. I don’t care if defense wins championships, because offense sells tickets. And as a fan without a rooting interest, you can bet I’m more than looking forward to this one. So how does one pick this game? The Vikings have the better defense, but that didn’t matter in the Pack/Cards game as GB had a better defense but ultimately lost. So you have to go with which QB is more likely to make that costly mistake. I know Brett Favre has thrown less interceptions this year than Brees, but I can just foresee Favre throwing one into the arms of Roman Harper or Darren Sharper in the 4th quarter and the sea of Gold and Black erupting. It should be close, and it should be fun to watch, but ultimately I’m going: SAINTS: 33, VIKINGS: 24.

Sideproject

Like all celebrities (and that is obviously what I have become), I cannot just focus my greatness on one thing. I must spread it out to all.

That is why I have created a side-project. I now have a second blog. This blog will focus more on pop culture references and things that are going on in the world.

I know, boring right? No. It won't be.

http://adamromo14.blogspot.com/ is where all of this will take place. I invite you to take a look.

See you soon.

NFL Playoffs - Divisional Round

>So my wildcard predictions were all but awful, but whatever. I wasn’t as bad as Bill Simmons, who not only went 0-4, but, as he acknowledges in his current column, could not have been more wrong about the playoffs in general. This weeks games should be better for the most part than last week. I would like to take this time to brag about pinpointing the Packers/Cardinals game for exactly how it went. I said it would be the game of the week (obviously was), least watched game (it was, though the second half ratings grew significantly), an offensive shoot-out (obviously was), and would be won on defense (and a miss-called face mask). The only thing I had wrong was the team winning. Go figure.

NFC Divisional Playoffs

Cardinals (4) at Saints (1)

Sat 4:30 PM

Background – So it took a while but the Cardinals’ defense finally made a play to stop Aaron Rodgers. Great. Now if only it didn’t take 45 points to do so. Drew Brees and the Saints offense would figure to also have their way against the Cardinals defense. This should be another shootout, as New Orleans’ defense will struggle against Kurt Warner and the Arizona offense too. Anquan Boldin is not expected to play, but Larry Fitzgerald, Steve Breaston, and last week’s hero and one of the top names ever, Early Doucet, should pick up the slack.

Pressure’s On: DREW BREES. The Saints haven’t won since mid-December, and the pressure from that monkey falls squarely on Brees to get them back in rhythm in the playoffs. The Cardinals are going to score, so it’s imperative that Brees matches Warner TD for TD. Aaron Rodgers had the game of his life but just had one big mistake, and that’s why he’s no longer playing. Brees can’t have that mistake.

Prediction – SAINTS: 38, CARDINALS 31. The fireworks will go off from both sides, but something tells me the excitement of the people of the bayou in the Superdome will fuel the Saints to victory while the Cardinals will be forced into a couple mistakes. The rule is don’t pick a road team in the divisional round unless you REALLY like them, and that’s not the case with the Cardinals.

AFC Divisional Playoffs

Ravens (6) at Colts (1)

Sat 8:00 PM

Background – These teams know each other real well, and they played this year in November, with the Colts taking the game 17-15. In that game the Ravens simply could not punch it into the endzone, and the Colts defense picked up the slack when their offense had an off game. You would have to think that the offense would be back this week, looking to finally play again after their long layoff. The Ravens will utilize Ray Rice and Willis McGahee to keep Peyton Manning on the sidelines. But if they keep him there long enough, he may film another one of those DirecTV commercials with Justin Timberlake.

Pressure’s On: PEYTON MANNING. Yes, the QB on the other side had 34 yards and a QB rating of 10.0, but the truth is, the Ravens could have that again this week and STILL WIN. The Colts live, breathe, and move in the form of Peyton Manning. The Colts may have some rust with their decision to rest players, and it’ll be up to Manning to get everyone in midseason form and shake that rust.

Prediction – COLTS 34, RAVENS 20. I don’t think the Colts will take long to shake off their rust, since Peyton Manning is easily the best QB of my generation. The Ravens will contend most of the game, relying Rice and McGahee to move the chains and keep the clock running. However, the Colts’ offense will force the Ravens to get plays out of the passing game, and the pass rush of Indy will just be too much for Flacco and the offensive line to handle.

NFC Divisional Game

Cowboys (3) at Vikings (2)

Sun 1:00 PM

Background – The Cowboys won a playoff game! Now America’s team must stop America’s QB, Brett Favre. Tony Romo grew up watching Brett Favre, and looks up to him. Brett Favre sees a lot of him in Romo. Could this be a passing of the torch?? Or a grizzly old vet showing the young-gun that he is still king?? Will I be able to think of another cliché about this game?? Yeah, probably. And so will Joe Buck. You’ll hear about 50 of them.

Pressure’s On: BRETT FAVRE. Well, here it is, Brett. The playoffs are here. This is why you came back. This is why you went to a team who has yet to won a Super Bowl, but was a QB short of one in most people’s minds. This is the NFL. On Fox.

Prediction – VIKINGS: 23, COWBOYS: 26. The Cowboys look like the best team in the NFC right now, at least recently. The Vikings pass rush will force Tony Romo to make quick decisions, but I have a feeling he will outdo Favre, who will also have not much time to throw. Miles Austin and Roy Williams (yes, Roy Williams) will both have big games, as will Percy Harvin, who got healthy during the break. So why the Cowboys, Adam? You must REALLY like them, right? Well, I do. I like them to win the turnover battle, play smarter football, and get the big plays from their playmakers. Look for someone on Minnesota to make a key turnover late. I have a hunch his name will rhyme with “STARVE”.

AFC Divisional Playoff

Jets (5) at Chargers (1)

Sun 4:45 PM

Breakdown – In this corner, you have Philip Rivers, LaDainian Tomlinson, and the 20+ point scoring machine that is the San Diego Chargers. In the other corner, you have Darelle Revis, David Harris, and the best defense in the playoffs. This is the NFL. On CBS. The Chargers will look to utilize their arsenal of offensive weapons. If Revis shuts down the talented Vincent Jackson, look for Rivers to spread the ball around to Malcolm Floyd, Darren Sproles, and all-pro tight end Antonio Gates. Meanwhile the Jets will most likely run the ball early and often against a weak run defense, and use the run to set up the play-action for big plays downfield. Big plays that Braylon Edwards will most likely drop.

Pressure’s On: THOMAS JONES and SHONN GREENE. The only way the Jets win this game (let alone stay in it) is if they can run the ball. If they are unable to get anything going, and the great pass defense of the Chargers know that the Jets are passing, just turn this game off. Otherwise it’ll be a whole stadium of people doing this. “What it do??”

Prediction – CHARGERS: 30, JETS: 20. The Jets are very talented, particularly on defense. And this is actually a pretty good matchup for them, since their biggest strength is the Chargers’ biggest weakness. But the thing is, the Jets’ weaknesses on defense are also some of the Chargers’ strengths. Rivers doesn’t really use Jackson as a number one; rather he has no problem dumping it off to the speedy Sproles, going deep to Floyd, and going over the middle to Antonio Gates, the latter being the key player for San Diego. Here’s another thing, why is there all this talk of the Jets having SWAGGER? Please. This is the team that got rid of Eric Barton in the offseason, and no one on the corner has swagger like him (thank you). Again, I’m not picking road teams in the divisional round unless I REALLY like them. Not the case here. Chargers move on.

NFL Playoffs - Wildcard Weekend

So the NFL playoffs are here. Twelve teams fighting for football’s ultimate prize. And it’s been quite the wacky season this year, but when it’s all said and done, it should make for a great postseason. Let’s take a look at this weekend’s action.


AFC Wildcard


Jets (5) at Bengals (4)
Sat 4:30

Background – One of three of the same games from Week 17, only this one is the only one that switches fields. Both teams rely heavily on their defenses, behind defensive head coaches in Rex Ryan and Marvin Lewis. The obvious matchup to watch (perhaps the only reason to watch) will be Chad Ochocinco (maybe Johnson now) versus Darrelle Revis.

Pressure’s On: CARSON PALMER. You may think the pressure is on opposing quarterback, and rookie, Mark Sanchez, but that’s not the case. Palmer is the one with the pressure on him, as he is the key to the Bengals’ success in this game. The Jets’ run defense is going to force Palmer to have to make plays through the air, something not many have been able to do against the Jets secondary, and not something he did last week when he completed just one pass.

Prediction – JETS: 17, BENGALS: 10. This, to me at least, is the easiest game to predict. We saw what happened when these teams played just 6 days ago, in the cold. And guess what. They’re meeting again. In the cold. Palmer could not get anything going last week, and I don’t see how he’ll be able to get something going this week. Meanwhile, Sanchez and the Jets’ offense have to now more than ever play smart. It doesn’t matter if your defense makes your coach think you’re super bowl favorites if you turn the ball over and give the other team free points.


NFC Wildcard

Eagles (6) at Cowboys (3)
Sat 8:00

Background – Yes, these teams also played on Sunday, and it also was not a memorable game. But this is slightly different, as this is a matchup between divisional foes. These teams are very familiar with each other. The first matchup was won by the Cowboys 20-16, while the second was won 31-0. Both teams expect this game to be more like the first matchup, which was very physical and went down to the wire. Something to think about: Philly has never lost their first round playoff game under Andy Reid.

Pressure’s On: TONY ROMO. How could it not be? The team hasn’t won a playoff game in more than a decade, and the team worked on making the offense easier for Romo, cut troublemaker T.O., and gave him 3 dynamic running backs to work with. The offense is squarely on Romo’s shoulders. Romo has played sensational in his past 6 weeks, but there’s only one thing that matters in Dallas, and that is how he fares in the playoffs.

Prediction – EAGLES: 23, COWBOYS: 21. This one (as are the entire NFC playoffs I might add) is extremely hard to predict. So many teams gearing up and resting players, and then there’s teams like the Packers and Cowboys who both look sensational going into the playoffs. As far as this game goes, I think that the safe bet is that it will be close and go down to the wire. But if Dallas gets behind early, they might start to head into “here we go again” mode, and not put up much of a fight. So, naturally, I went with Philly winning close, which I don’t think will happen because if Philly wins I think it’ll be a blow out, and if it’s close I think Dallas wins. Make sense?


AFC Wildcard

Ravens (6) at Patriots (3)
Sun 1:00

Background – Hey, you actually DIDN’T see this game a week ago! These teams played back in October, but a lot has changed since then. The Patriots are without go-to receiver Wes Welker, but the Ravens are without both of their starting cornerbacks. Tom Brady had a fairly good stat line against the Ravens back in week 4, but the loss of Welker will likely make that go down. The Ravens were in position to win that game, if not for a 4th down drop by Mark Clayton.

Pressure’s On: RANDY MOSS. With Welker out, the #1 WR has to actually play like a #1 WR. Yes he has the talent, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he will utilize it. Moss will have to make the most of a depleted Ravens secondary, as it is clearly their weak point defensively. Doing so in turn will add to the pressure on Ravens QB Joe Flacco.

Prediction – RAVENS: 20, PATRIOTS 27. Not as easy to predict as the other AFC game, but the Patriots in the playoffs are about as cool as the other side of the pillow. That plus the Ravens’ D not being close to what it was in years past, and the home field advantage of Gillette Stadium, means we’ll be seeing the rematch of Classy San Diego versus “They have absolutely no class” New England.


NFC Wildcard

Packers (5) at Cardinals (4)
Sun 4:30

Background – Chances are you didn’t see this game last week, but that’s not because it wasn’t played. It was just god-awful. The thing is this game will most likely be the best game of the weekend. The Packers are looking as strong as ever, winning 5 of their past 6, with the only loss being the wacky game against the Steelers. The Cardinals chose to rest QB Kurt Warner in their game last week. Arizona last year went to the Super Bowl in a similar situation last year, making them a difficult team to gauge. They have been a seesaw team all year too, so there’s nothing to say that can turn it around in a week and beat Green Bay.

Pressure’s On: AARON RODGERS. It’s his first playoff game. You know who else is in the playoffs? BRETT FAVRE.

Prediction – PACKERS: 31, CARDINALS: 28. Two very talented offenses, particularly in the passing game, but it will most likely be whoever’s defense can make a stand that ends up winning. Charles Woodson has been very impressive all year having the best year of his career, and that’s enough for me to (after going back and forth) end up with the Pack in a close one.