Wow, what a great slate of games last weekend! We can only look forward to more action this weekend as the conference championships have a tendency to be a lot more exciting sometimes than the Super Bowl, so off we go:
San Diego @ New England: San Diego pulled off the shocker and beat the Colts at home last weekend, and they did it with their back-up QB and no LT most of the game. Shaun Phillips and Shawne Merriman are absolute beasts on defense and will constantly bring the pressure to Brady on Sunday. They have one of the best CB in the league in Antonio Cromartie and anytime he gets his hands on the ball he can take it to the house. But last weekend Jacksonville executed a picture-perfect game plan on defense against the Pats and all Brady did was go 26-28 for 261 yds. Hard to beat a team when they execute the way New England did last weekend. They are expected to win this game and THEY expect to win this game. The weather shouldn't be a big factor on Sunday as temperatures are expected to be around 25 degrees with some snow flurries but we shall see how the warm-weather Chargers can adapt. A lot points are on the board here so I'm going to go with the underdog in this one. San Diego +13 1/2.
NY Giants @ Green Bay: What else can you say about the Packers? After falling behind 14-0 in the first five minutes of the game due to two Ryan Grant fumbles, the Pack never lost their composure and came back to outscore the Seahawks 42-6 for the rest of the game. Ryan Grant more than redeemed himself with a 201 yd., 3 TD performance. The Packers have all the weapons on offense. Donald Driver is playing his usual, tough physical over-the-middle game and standout WR Greg Jennings have given Favre the deep threat that the Packers have been missing the last few years. Not to mention Grant has established himself as a legitimate running threat. But Green Bay's defense is underrated. Aaron Kampman has had a spectacular year, Linebacker A.J. Hawk is starting to come into his own and the Packer DB's, in particular Al Harris and Atari Bigby are among the hardest-hitting backs in the league. The Giants pulled off the upset of Dallas at home last week and they are playing their best football of the year. Eli Manning is starting to show signs of poise and maturity as a leader and RB Brandon Jacobs will be a load and a half for Green Bay all day. WRs Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer have stepped up their game in the later part of the season. The forecast for Green Bay is calling for snow on Friday and a high temperature on Sunday of 5 degrees. The cold will probably not affect the Giants like it might some other teams. But the Packers are too tough, too strong and they want that trip to the Super Bowl. I'm taking Green Bay -7.
Good luck and enjoy the games!!
Friday, January 18, 2008
Thursday, January 10, 2008
The Philman's Weekly Predictions: Divsional Playoffs
Wow, some great games last weekend. Sorry to see the Redskins out and to see Joe Gibbs resign. He has been one of the truly great coaches and gentlemen of the sport for many years. We need more guys like Joe Gibbs, not less. Also congrats to Pittsburgh for a come-back season and I think that Mike Tomlinson is going to be around there for a while. Now on to this weeks matchups:
Seattle @ Green Bay: This game has a very nostalgic taste about it. Mike Holmgren coming back to Green Bay for what could be his last game as a head coach. It could very possibly also be Brett Favre's last game as a player. These two teams have met in the playoffs before and there is a healthy respect for each other. It's going to be 32 degrees and snowing on Saturday and this is Favre's type of game. Seattle's defense HAS to slow down Green Bay for Seattle to have any chance because the Seahawks are not going to score a lot against a young, aggressive Packer defense that has gotten better over the course of this season. But it's a lot of points so I'm going with the underdog here. Seattle +7 1/2.
Jacksonville @ New England: Jacksonville has to do three things in this game to win: 1) They must run the football. 2) They must not turn the football over 3) They must take away at least two of Brady's weapons. Sounds easy, right? Well, nobody has really been effective at stopping the Pats this year but Buffalo, Baltimore and the Giants (no, I don't count the Cowboy game in here, they lost by 21 at home) have seemingly found a way to at least neutralize somewhat that awesome offensive firepower. Look for the Jags to sell out early and bring a ton of heat on Brady. Sammy Knight will have his hands full with Randy Moss but if the Jags can move the ball themselves, this could be a lot closer game that most are thinking it might be. Jacksonville +13 1/2.
San Diego @ Indianapolis: The Colts very quietly amassed the second best record in the AFC and the whole league at 13-3, doing most of with several starters injured most of the year including Marvin Harrison who if he can breathe that day will be in the lineup, trust me here. With a week to rest and get ready and playing at home, I'm not sure that anyone stands much of a chance against the Colts. San Diego's offense struggled last week in the first half against a pretty beat-up Tennessee defense so they will have their hands full with Bob Sanders and Co. on Sunday. Colts +9.
NY Giants @ Dallas: The game everyone wants to see. Will T.O. be able to play? Will Tony bring Jessica to the game? Will Eli..........well, what will Eli do? He has looked a lot more like Peyton the last three weeks, throwing the football with authority, making good decisions and managing the game. He may never put up numbers like his brother, but that's not how this Giant team is put together. Brandon Jacobs needs to get of the line in a hurry, make Dallas play the run and then Eli WILL make some plays. The Giant defense will play its usual tough game up front and Michale Strahan and Osi Umenyouri must have big days. Not sure that the G-men call pull it off, but I like the number. NY Giants +7 1/2.
Good luck and enjoy the games!!
Seattle @ Green Bay: This game has a very nostalgic taste about it. Mike Holmgren coming back to Green Bay for what could be his last game as a head coach. It could very possibly also be Brett Favre's last game as a player. These two teams have met in the playoffs before and there is a healthy respect for each other. It's going to be 32 degrees and snowing on Saturday and this is Favre's type of game. Seattle's defense HAS to slow down Green Bay for Seattle to have any chance because the Seahawks are not going to score a lot against a young, aggressive Packer defense that has gotten better over the course of this season. But it's a lot of points so I'm going with the underdog here. Seattle +7 1/2.
Jacksonville @ New England: Jacksonville has to do three things in this game to win: 1) They must run the football. 2) They must not turn the football over 3) They must take away at least two of Brady's weapons. Sounds easy, right? Well, nobody has really been effective at stopping the Pats this year but Buffalo, Baltimore and the Giants (no, I don't count the Cowboy game in here, they lost by 21 at home) have seemingly found a way to at least neutralize somewhat that awesome offensive firepower. Look for the Jags to sell out early and bring a ton of heat on Brady. Sammy Knight will have his hands full with Randy Moss but if the Jags can move the ball themselves, this could be a lot closer game that most are thinking it might be. Jacksonville +13 1/2.
San Diego @ Indianapolis: The Colts very quietly amassed the second best record in the AFC and the whole league at 13-3, doing most of with several starters injured most of the year including Marvin Harrison who if he can breathe that day will be in the lineup, trust me here. With a week to rest and get ready and playing at home, I'm not sure that anyone stands much of a chance against the Colts. San Diego's offense struggled last week in the first half against a pretty beat-up Tennessee defense so they will have their hands full with Bob Sanders and Co. on Sunday. Colts +9.
NY Giants @ Dallas: The game everyone wants to see. Will T.O. be able to play? Will Tony bring Jessica to the game? Will Eli..........well, what will Eli do? He has looked a lot more like Peyton the last three weeks, throwing the football with authority, making good decisions and managing the game. He may never put up numbers like his brother, but that's not how this Giant team is put together. Brandon Jacobs needs to get of the line in a hurry, make Dallas play the run and then Eli WILL make some plays. The Giant defense will play its usual tough game up front and Michale Strahan and Osi Umenyouri must have big days. Not sure that the G-men call pull it off, but I like the number. NY Giants +7 1/2.
Good luck and enjoy the games!!
Monday, January 7, 2008
Monday Morning Coffee: 1/7/08
After a holiday break I'm backkkk!!!!!!! Let's get to it.
--NFL playoffs this past weekend. Biggest disappointment at this point has to be the Pittsburgh Steelers. They played their last few games looking like a team trying not to lose and they did just that. Yes they came from 18 down to lead by 1 last night, but how do you give up a 32 yd. QB draw on a 4th and 1 situation? A decent first season for Mike Tomlinson but I really thought this team would go farther in the playoffs.
--Whether you are a Steeler fan or not, you have got to respect WR Hines Ward. This guy is a true warrior in every sense of the word. He catches 10 balls in the biggest game of the year after being injured a good deal of the regular season.
--Jacksonville's defense was relentless last night. They spent the whole night in the Steeler's backfield saying hello to Big Ben. They let down a bit in the second half but this defense could just carry them through the playoffs.
--Washington's run came to an end on Saturday against the Seahawks. The playoff experience this Seattle team has really payed off and Matt Hasselbeck had one of his best games of the year. He's not a flashy guy and doesn't get the press that some other QBs do, but he wins a lot of games and seems to come up big when he needs to.
--I guess the Giants should still try and trade Eli Manning, he just isn't that good............All he did today was throw 2 TDs and play an almost perfect game. He has grown by leaps and bounds in the past 5 or 6 six games and with that Giant defense, going to be very, very interesting next week at Dallas.
--Somewhere today Marty Schottenheimer shot his television, thinking, "Why couldn't you guys do this last year for me?" After a less-than-stellar start and people calling for both GM A.J. Smith and coach Norv Turner's heads, the Chargers absolutely shut down the Titans in the second half finally found a way to score some points. Phillip Rivers played a great game today and made some big plays when he needed them. LT didn't do much today but he didn't have to. Next week is going to be a different story.
--Roger Clemens' interview on "60 Minutes" tonight was pretty much what I had expected. " I have never used banned substances" and that's the story he is going to stick to. The part of all this that is bothersome is that Pettite has since admitted using HGH to overcome an elbow injury and thus verifying that part of Brian McNamee's story. So why would McNamee lie about Clemens and tell the truth about Pettite? Pettite and Clemens were teammates both in Houston and in New York, they trained together and apparently spent time in the off-season together yet Clemens says that he had no idea what Andy was doing? Hmmmmmm?
Gonna keep it short this week!! Have a great day and a better week?
--NFL playoffs this past weekend. Biggest disappointment at this point has to be the Pittsburgh Steelers. They played their last few games looking like a team trying not to lose and they did just that. Yes they came from 18 down to lead by 1 last night, but how do you give up a 32 yd. QB draw on a 4th and 1 situation? A decent first season for Mike Tomlinson but I really thought this team would go farther in the playoffs.
--Whether you are a Steeler fan or not, you have got to respect WR Hines Ward. This guy is a true warrior in every sense of the word. He catches 10 balls in the biggest game of the year after being injured a good deal of the regular season.
--Jacksonville's defense was relentless last night. They spent the whole night in the Steeler's backfield saying hello to Big Ben. They let down a bit in the second half but this defense could just carry them through the playoffs.
--Washington's run came to an end on Saturday against the Seahawks. The playoff experience this Seattle team has really payed off and Matt Hasselbeck had one of his best games of the year. He's not a flashy guy and doesn't get the press that some other QBs do, but he wins a lot of games and seems to come up big when he needs to.
--I guess the Giants should still try and trade Eli Manning, he just isn't that good............All he did today was throw 2 TDs and play an almost perfect game. He has grown by leaps and bounds in the past 5 or 6 six games and with that Giant defense, going to be very, very interesting next week at Dallas.
--Somewhere today Marty Schottenheimer shot his television, thinking, "Why couldn't you guys do this last year for me?" After a less-than-stellar start and people calling for both GM A.J. Smith and coach Norv Turner's heads, the Chargers absolutely shut down the Titans in the second half finally found a way to score some points. Phillip Rivers played a great game today and made some big plays when he needed them. LT didn't do much today but he didn't have to. Next week is going to be a different story.
--Roger Clemens' interview on "60 Minutes" tonight was pretty much what I had expected. " I have never used banned substances" and that's the story he is going to stick to. The part of all this that is bothersome is that Pettite has since admitted using HGH to overcome an elbow injury and thus verifying that part of Brian McNamee's story. So why would McNamee lie about Clemens and tell the truth about Pettite? Pettite and Clemens were teammates both in Houston and in New York, they trained together and apparently spent time in the off-season together yet Clemens says that he had no idea what Andy was doing? Hmmmmmm?
Gonna keep it short this week!! Have a great day and a better week?
Thursday, January 3, 2008
NFL News and Wild Card Predictions
--Brian Billick and Cam Cameron both bit the dirt this week. Billick hitched his wagon to an aging QB in Steve McNair and an aging defense minus Adalius Thomas who left for the Patriots in the off-season. A nine game losing streak and some very undisciplined play all played a part in the decision. Look for Billick to re-surface somewhere next season, maybe not as a head coach but possibly as an offensive coordinator. Cameron never really had much of a chance. Poor personnel decisions and questionable drafts have left the Dolphins depleted but Cameron's act wore very thin very quickly with both players and the coaching staff. Cameron's story is a tale of caution for GM's around the league: Just because a guy can run an offense doesn't mean he can run a football team. Look for Cameron to end up somewhere back in the college ranks next year.
--One name you're going to hear a lot about in the off-season is Dallas offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. With the success of the Cowboys Garrett is the newest wunderkid that teams are searching for. I'm not sure if he is ready for the pressures of the head coaching world just yet, but he will certainly have to entertain some offers.
--With Cameron's firing and the hiring of former Cowboy's personnel director Jeff Ireland as the new GM, Parcells' has started the rebuilding process in Miami. Two names come to mind immediately: Bill Cowher and Marty Schottenheimer. Cowher's position may depend on what happens in Carolina (Trust me, he is going to be the head coach at Carolina at some point in time). Schottenheimer would be a good fit for a rebuilding team, an experienced, no-nonsense type of coach in the old-school mold much like Parcells himself. Whatever his choice, Parcells is going to be looking for an experienced coach to come in and make an impact.
--Tough break for Cleveland finishing 10-6 and not making the playoffs. They have some decisions to make in the off-season. They didn't draft Brady Quinn to sit on the bench forever but after the season Derek Anderson had, what do you do? Look for a draft day trade of some sort to get some value for one of these guys.
--Scariest team in the playoffs: San Diego. They seemed to have peaked at the right time. LT is going to break loose come playoff time and their defense has stepped up their game. On a side note to QB Phillip Rivers: Just shut up. When you do something in this league, then you can run your mouth. Otherwise, you may wake up after the next play in a different area code.
--Washington is playing with more emotion and momentum right now than probably anyone save for the Giants. QB Todd Collins has come out of nowhere, and I literally mean nowhere, to lead this team into the playoffs. Anybody see that one coming?
And now for the games on Wild Card Weekend:
Washington @ Seattle: The memory of fallen teammate Sean Taylor and the play of QB Todd Collins has propelled the Redskins into the post-season. But the key to Washington winning this game lies with RB Clinton Portis. If he can get off the line then the passing game will open up and take the pressure off of Collins. Seattle's play this season has been good at times but very inconsistent and spotty and they have had a difficult time running the football. They have the edge in big-game experience but Washington's momentum and emotion win out this time. Washington +3.
Jacksonville @ Pittsburgh: You don't see a home team as the underdog very often come playoff time but that's the case here. Pittsburgh comes into this game having lost 3 of their last five against a surging Jacksonville team. With RB Willie Parker out, this game will rest on the Steeler defense and the arm of Ben Rothlisberger. Jags QB David Garrard will see pressure like he hasn't seen this season and his inexperience in the big game will show. I give the edge in experience and poise to the Steelers. Pittsburgh +2 1/2.
NY Giants @ Tampa Bay: It seem no matter where he plays, Buc QB Jeff Garcia shows up at playoff time and that's not just a coincidence. He's a battle-tested veteran who doesn't get rattled and knows how to run a game. The Giant defense will put consistent pressure on him and the Giant DB's must provide tight coverage to make Garcia make mistakes. QB Eli Manning has come of age the past few games and has been making good decisions and making plays. RB Brandon Jacobs must pound the ball on the ground and WR Plaxico Burress has to step up and make a play or two. If that happens, the Giants should win. NY Giants + 3.
Tennessee @ San Diego: Ok Norv, here is the deal: Don't ask Phillip Rivers to win the game and give the ball to LT, then give the ball to LT and then give it to LT again. If the Chargers running attack gets going, look for TE Antonio Gates to have a big game. The mobility of Titan's QB Vince Young may be an issue and with DT Albert Haynesworth still nursing the hamstring injury, the Titans just don't have enough guns to stay in this battle. San Diego wins, but not by a big number. Tennessee +9.
Good luck, enjoy the games and have a great day!!
--One name you're going to hear a lot about in the off-season is Dallas offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. With the success of the Cowboys Garrett is the newest wunderkid that teams are searching for. I'm not sure if he is ready for the pressures of the head coaching world just yet, but he will certainly have to entertain some offers.
--With Cameron's firing and the hiring of former Cowboy's personnel director Jeff Ireland as the new GM, Parcells' has started the rebuilding process in Miami. Two names come to mind immediately: Bill Cowher and Marty Schottenheimer. Cowher's position may depend on what happens in Carolina (Trust me, he is going to be the head coach at Carolina at some point in time). Schottenheimer would be a good fit for a rebuilding team, an experienced, no-nonsense type of coach in the old-school mold much like Parcells himself. Whatever his choice, Parcells is going to be looking for an experienced coach to come in and make an impact.
--Tough break for Cleveland finishing 10-6 and not making the playoffs. They have some decisions to make in the off-season. They didn't draft Brady Quinn to sit on the bench forever but after the season Derek Anderson had, what do you do? Look for a draft day trade of some sort to get some value for one of these guys.
--Scariest team in the playoffs: San Diego. They seemed to have peaked at the right time. LT is going to break loose come playoff time and their defense has stepped up their game. On a side note to QB Phillip Rivers: Just shut up. When you do something in this league, then you can run your mouth. Otherwise, you may wake up after the next play in a different area code.
--Washington is playing with more emotion and momentum right now than probably anyone save for the Giants. QB Todd Collins has come out of nowhere, and I literally mean nowhere, to lead this team into the playoffs. Anybody see that one coming?
And now for the games on Wild Card Weekend:
Washington @ Seattle: The memory of fallen teammate Sean Taylor and the play of QB Todd Collins has propelled the Redskins into the post-season. But the key to Washington winning this game lies with RB Clinton Portis. If he can get off the line then the passing game will open up and take the pressure off of Collins. Seattle's play this season has been good at times but very inconsistent and spotty and they have had a difficult time running the football. They have the edge in big-game experience but Washington's momentum and emotion win out this time. Washington +3.
Jacksonville @ Pittsburgh: You don't see a home team as the underdog very often come playoff time but that's the case here. Pittsburgh comes into this game having lost 3 of their last five against a surging Jacksonville team. With RB Willie Parker out, this game will rest on the Steeler defense and the arm of Ben Rothlisberger. Jags QB David Garrard will see pressure like he hasn't seen this season and his inexperience in the big game will show. I give the edge in experience and poise to the Steelers. Pittsburgh +2 1/2.
NY Giants @ Tampa Bay: It seem no matter where he plays, Buc QB Jeff Garcia shows up at playoff time and that's not just a coincidence. He's a battle-tested veteran who doesn't get rattled and knows how to run a game. The Giant defense will put consistent pressure on him and the Giant DB's must provide tight coverage to make Garcia make mistakes. QB Eli Manning has come of age the past few games and has been making good decisions and making plays. RB Brandon Jacobs must pound the ball on the ground and WR Plaxico Burress has to step up and make a play or two. If that happens, the Giants should win. NY Giants + 3.
Tennessee @ San Diego: Ok Norv, here is the deal: Don't ask Phillip Rivers to win the game and give the ball to LT, then give the ball to LT and then give it to LT again. If the Chargers running attack gets going, look for TE Antonio Gates to have a big game. The mobility of Titan's QB Vince Young may be an issue and with DT Albert Haynesworth still nursing the hamstring injury, the Titans just don't have enough guns to stay in this battle. San Diego wins, but not by a big number. Tennessee +9.
Good luck, enjoy the games and have a great day!!
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