Tom Terrific and Patriots Crucify Tebow and Broncos

January 14, 2012 by 3 Comments

Tom Brady

It’s Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski’s world.

We just live in it.

There is not much to talk about in this game so I will keep it brief.

Brady and the Patriots came out firing early in this one and by halftime it was already 35-7 in the Patriots favor.

Brady tied a record for touchdown passes in a post-season game with 6.

Tebow and the Broncos looked very sluggish on offense to start. The option play wasn’t looking as good as it did back when Tebow was a Gator.

Brady and the offense poured it on in the first half.

Brady threw for 5 touchdowns, 3 of which were to his top tight-end target, Rob Gronkowski.

Gronkowski has had a stellar year.

In the regular season, Gronkowski set the record for tight ends with 17 receiving touchdowns and also tacked on a rushing touchdown as well.

It is almost too easy when you are 6’6 and 265lbs up against defensive backs maybe half your size.

Mr. Gronkowski

Brady has been here before and he knows how to win in the playoffs. This is why he gets my notch as the best quarterback ever to lace up. Brady has been to the super bowl 4 times, and won three only to lose his last one in 2007 to my boys in blue, the New York Giants.

Brady looked flat out phenomenal in this game and unless he begins to cool down, I don’t see how anyone can beat the Patriots.

I mean, if Jesus Christ (Tebow) himself can’t be up to the task, who else can?

Congrats to the Niners in their divisional win today as well. It was a well deserved win and they showed some great resilience against Brees and the Saints.

John 3:16

Tomorrow will be some great games as well.

The early game at 1:00 has the Texas squaring off against the Ravens in Baltimore.

Rookie quarterback T.J. Yates will likely have some problems against Baltimore’s smash mouth defense. Quarterback Joe Flacco will have to step up as well if the Raven’s want to win this game. There has been a lot of questions whether or not Flacco has what it takes to win.

He can prove it tomorrow.

At 4:30 the Giants face off against the Packers at Lambeau for a rematch of the 2007 NFC Championship game.

Eli Hoisting the Main Prize

The Giants have ton of momentum and are very dangerous in the playoffs when they are firing on all cylinders.

Their defense will have to step up and stop Aaron Rodgers from walking all over their secondary. It comes down to the defensive line. When they play good, the rest of the defense follows suit.

Expect Eli to show up as usual, and if Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw can run the football like they did last week, the Giants have a good shot to win this game.

 

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Wild-Card Recap: Divisional Preview

January 10, 2012 by 3 Comments

Wild Card weekend has come and gone but will not be forgotten anytime soon.

There were many good match ups this past weekend and they did not disappoint.

Big Ol' Brandon Jacbos

Giants Pound Falcons 24-2 – This game was a combination of bad play from Atlanta and flawless execution from the Giants. Eli Manning led the way with 277 yards passing and 3 touchdowns. Besides an intentional grounding penalty in the end zone, Eli played flawless. Another important note for this win was the re-emergence of the Giants running game.

Jacobs and Bradshaw combined for 172 yards on the ground. If the Giants can sustain a run game, look for this team to make a Super Bowl run.

Last but not least, the Defense showed up to play. Atlanta has one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL and the Giants completely shut down the pass and run. The Defense was also stout in 3rd/4th and short plays. Atlanta went for twice on 4th and inches and were denied both times, tipping momentum and the game in their favor.

As for Atlanta, another year without a playoff win. Matt Ryan was ineffective and the defense was soft. This marks the 3rd straight year the Falcons have been one and done in the playoffs under the Mike Smith/Matt Ryan era.

Matty “Ice” has not lived up to his nickname in the playoffs and questions will only get tougher to answer the longer Ryan does not win in the playoffs.

Saints Muzzle Roar, Defeat Lions 45-28 – After falling behind early, the Saints showed their championship pedigree and experience and completely outplayed the Lions. Drew Brees was outstanding throwing for 466 yards and three touchdowns. The Saints displayed their offensive greatness by setting playoff records for total yards(626) and first downs (34).

The Saints offense has just been amazing this season and just looks unstoppable. This team is just unbeatable at home going undefeated so far this season (including playoffs).

Make no mistake about it, the Saints completely outmatched Detroit.

However, the Lions are coming. The Lions just happen to have run into the worst possible match up for their team.  Stafford is the real deal, Calvin Johnson is a beast, and the defense will get better with time. 4 seasons ago this was an 0-16 team, since than this team has made significant progress and have only gotten better.

Trust me, the Lions will be good for a long time and the future looks bright.

Houston Outplays Cincy, Defeats Bengals 31-10 - Congratulations to Houston for their first playoff win in team history. The Texans won their first division title and playoff game and played like a team that has been there before. What made this so impressive is the journey this team has taken this season and winning the style in which they won this playoff game.

If you told me the Texans would lose Matt Schuab, Mario Williams for the season and not have Andre Johnson consistently this season , I would have thought you were crazy.

Arian Foster torched the Bengals defense with 24 carries for 153 yards and a pair of touchdowns.  Clearly Arian Foster is the MVP for this team. Ben Tate’s emergence gives the Texans an excellent two-headed monster in the backfield.

Another impressive point, the Texans defense was dominant with forcing turnovers and holding the Bengals to only 10 points.

These are not the same old Texans, with no defense and just a prolific passing game, this team runs the ball extremely well and has a dominant defense.

And to think, the Texans had one of the worst pass defenses in NFL HISTORY.

Wade Phillips is the best off season acquisition of the year.

The Bengals had an impressive year going 9-7 and making it to the playoffs.

Nothing was expected of this team pre-season.

However, they have found their quarterback of the future in Andy Dalton and their go-to guy in A.J Green. With two first round picks in this upcoming draft, look for the Bengals to improve and become a force in the AFC North.

Tebow Throws For 316 Yards

Mile High Victory, Broncos Defeat Steelers 29-23 – The first postseason playoff game in history under the new overtime rules did not come into effect.

Why?

Tim Tebow on the first play from scrimmage in overtime, threw an 80 yard touchdown pass to Demaryious Thomas to seal Pittsburghs fate.

This was by far the most exciting game of the weekend.

Besides Ike Taylor getting completely owned by Thomas to end the game, The Steelers just looked old and confused. Poor tackling and man coverage along with an unhealthy Big Ben  and Pouncey also led to the Steelers demise.

Tebow threw for 316 yards (John 3:16 reference) and 3 touchdowns against the #1 RANKED DEFENSE.

I’m sorry Tebow Hater Nation, but now I am a believer.

The Defense stepped up also. They shut the door on Big Ben twice in the final minutes when the game was tied, so i give the Broncos defense an enormous amount of credit in this win.

Big Ben was sacked 5 times and threw an INT. This is not the Big Ben we are used to seeing in the playoffs.

Of course the Steelers would forget how to tackle and have important players out (Ryan Clark, Pouncey) against the Broncos.

Tim Tebow has GOD on his side

Despite my sarcasm, it is remarkable how Tebow has turned around this 1-4 team under Kyle Orton into one of the most talked about and inspiring teams of the year.

Matchup Ratings for Divisional Games:

1.) Saints At 49ers, 5 Stars - Great offense meets great defense. Old school versus new school football, this will be a great game in my opinion.

Can the Saints stop the run?

Can the 49ers contain Drew Brees?

Which philosophy will dictate the game and eventually win?

So many questions and such an intriguing match up, I “can’t wait” (Bart Scott reference)  for this match up, it should be a great one.

2.) Giants At Green Bay, 5 stars – Both teams have suspect defenses and great quarterback play.

Which quarterback will have the better game?

Both Eli and Aaron have had historic seasons and in my opinion, which ever quarterback has the better game will win it in the end.

This match up gave us one of the great games of the regular season with the Packers staying perfect and edging the Giants 38-35 (the same score they lost to the Patriots to when they went on to win the Super Bowl).

So will history repeat itself for the Giants? or will Aaron Rodgers continue his dominance this season and lead the Pack to the NFC Championship game.

We’ll wait and see..

3.) Broncos At Patriots, 4 1/2 Stars - Literally 30 minutes after the Broncos win, the Patriots released an AP report stating that Josh McDanniels will be on the sideline for the Patriots as an offensive consultant.

Classic Belichek, congrats on your playoff win Denver, now i will hire your former head coach from last season that drafted both Tim Tebow and Damaryious Thomas.

Perfectly done, Mr. Belichek

It just seems that Patriots always have an edge and in this match up they are clearly the team with the edge.

Despite Tebow’s dramatics, Tom Brady is too good and rarely loses at home in the playoffs.

The biggest factor in this game will be if the Broncos can control the clock and keep Brady off the field.

Something that is very possible, the Patriots have one of the worst defense in the league. However, with the signing of McDaniels, the Patriots have gained an inside advantage on the Broncos most important offensive weapons, Tebow and Thomas.

The Road To The Superbowl

4.) Texans At Baltimore, 4 Stars – I love defensive struggles so this might be a high ranking depending on the style of football you enjoy.

The Ravens seem to have a clear advantage across the board on paper.

The Ravens are more experienced, have home field advantage, and are healthy.

I feel that the Texans have been a great story, but their end could be near.

Both defenses are stacked and are the clear strengths of both teams. Also both teams present excellent running back play (Rice from Baltimore, Foster from Houston).

Which quarterback makes the mistake to cost their team the game?

The pressure is all on Baltimore, with Pittsburgh out, this could be their best chance to finally obtain a Super Bowl birth.

On the other hand, Houston is playing with house money, they do not have their quarterback and best defensive player. However, they have played inspired football and i could see this backfiring on Baltimore with the pressures of finally being home in the playoffs.

Can Flacco perform at home and not lose it for his team? or Will Arian Foster carry Houston to an upset?

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Eli Manning: The MVP That We’ll Never See

December 13, 2011 by 5 Comments

Being a New York Giant fan can be brutal.

To be honest, I had minimum expectations for the boys in the blue this year. Currently, our defense is 29th in opposing passing yards (263.7) and 22nd in opposing rushing yards (127.9) per game.

Yet somehow we are winning the NFC East. From watching the games each week, I have noticed that there are only two players who you know will show up each week; Jason Pierre- Paul and Eli Manning. Both of them are studs. JPP is the Manning of our defense; each week you can count on him to make a play when one needs to be made. For example, 2 sacks, a FF, and a blocked FG to prevent the G-Men from entering overtime against Dallas.

However, this article is not aimed at JPP. The real hero here is Eli Manning. If it were not for Eli, I don’t think I could manage to get myself out of bed on Sundays to watch the Giants. He gives us hope, but even better, he has consistently put the Giants in situations to win. Credit is given only when it is due and you better believe that it is definitely due for Eli.

Ironically, people laughed at Manning earlier this year when he put himself in the same category as players like Tom Brady. People cited his 25 interceptions last year (which any fan knows take away ten of those because the NYG receivers had a serious case of dick fingers) and the fact that the Giants have only made the playoffs once since they defeated New England.

Regardless, any football fan knows it takes the combination of a solid offense and defense to get in the playoffs and make a legitimate run. Now I don’t want to jump to conclusions but the NYG may be the exception to that rule, especially if you look at Eli’s play over the course of this year. Currently, Eli has 25 TD’s to 12 INT’s, 4,105 yards, and a 95.5 overall QB rating. With solid numbers such as those its no question why the NYG’s are rated 4th in passing behind New Orleans, New England, and Green Bay. With that said, you must also take into account that the Giant’s are ranked dead last (32) in rushing at 3.3 yards per carry. Is it a coincidence Eli is having his best statistical season when the G-Men have absolutely no running game to rely on?

However, lets not forget Eli Manning’s unbelievable fourth quarter play. This year alone, he has led the Giants to five 4th quarter comebacks and is tied with Johnny Unitas and his older brother with 14 fourth quarter touchdowns in a season; yet Eli still has three games left. Interestingly, Eli Manning is ranked fourth in fourth quarter or OT game winning drives since 2004 with 20; behind Peyton Manning (26), Ben Roethlisberger (25) and Drew Brees (23).Oh wait, did I mention he is in front of Tom Brady (18) ?

This year, Eli Manning  has a 117 QB Rating in the fourth quarter which is ahead of Aaron Rodgers (112.6). It  just goes to show you how well Eli Manning is playing, especially when the game is on the line . He is what Tyson Chandler was to the Mavericks, the X- Factor.

Not convinced of Eli’s legitimacy as an elite quarterback in this league? Let’s take a look and see how our good old friends Kevin Boss and Steve Smith are doing. Last season, Kevin Boss had 531 receiving yards and 5 TD. This year, he has an epic 288 receiving yards and 2 TD’s.

Steve Smith, when he was healthy, broke the record for most receptions by a Giant (107) and pulled in 1,220 yards and 7 TD in 2009. In  2010, although he was hurt, played in 9 games and had 529 yards and 3 TD’s. This season, although he was put on IR for a bruise on his knee that he mad microsurgery on, he also played in 9 games but only had 124 yards and 1 TD (which came against the Giants; makes me cringe ever time I think about it).

Now lets compare them with how Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz, and Jake Ballard are doing. Currently, Cruz (1,150 yards and 7 TD) &  Nicks (1,023 yards and 6 TD) are both top ten in the league in receiving yards; 3 and 9 respectively. Meanwhile, Jake Ballard has 589 yards and 4 TD’s.

Did I mention that Victor Cruz and Jake Ballard were both un-drafted free agents as well? There is no question, Eli Manning makes his players better.

Eli Manning is critical for the NYG’s success. Our defense is atrocious, yet we sit at 7-6 ahead of the Dallas Cowboys following a nightmare schedule (if you didn’t notice the Giants just recently faced SF, NO, & GB).

Yet the reason we are at 7-6 and not 2-11, is Eli Manning. It is shocking that he still does not get the respect or coverage that he deserves. Yet that’s in part due to the incredible QB play by Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers who are on the verge of breaking Dan Marino’s single season passing yard record (5,084).

Oh wait, isn’t Eli also on track following his 400 yard game against the Dallas Cowboy‘s last Sunday?

There are no definite things in life except death and taxes. Yet on the  New York Football Giants you can definitely expect Chris Canty to be blocked 100 yards up the field and you can definitely expect Aaron Ross to suck, however, you can definitely count on Eli Manning to make a play when it is needed and to put the Giant’s in a position to win the game.

Yet for some reason he has not been able to shake the “baby face” criticism nor will he be noticed in a sea of other unbelievable Quarterbacks. Therefore, Eli Manning will always be the MVP we’ll never see.

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Teams Pay-Tons of Attention to Manning

December 5, 2011 by 4 Comments

Now that Colts quarterback Peyton Manning was cleared to start throwing the football and advance into more intensive rehab, the organization has to start considering what they will do with him in 2012.

That statement almost sounds disrespectful considering what he has done for the organization, but at the end of the day the NFL is merely a business and owners only care about the cash flow into the stadium. As much as the city of Indianapolis loves Their four time MVP, he can easily be gone next year.

Look at what happened to the hill billy boy down in Green Bay. He was GOD in Green Bay for 16 years before missing his first game ever due to body decay. The team easily dumped him when Aaron Rodgers was ready and it seemed to work out pretty nicely for the organization.

The ‘owner mentality’ is to  Forget about what Favre did for 16 years, hes gotta go, and this can easily be the case in Indianapolis in 2012.

But why?

How can Bill Polian even consider doing anything but keep Peyton.

After this terrible season everyone realized how he is literally the entire Colts team. The guy has a career record of 148-75, passer rating of 94.9, he is a 4 time MVP (should win MVP this year as well) , Super Bowl and Pro Bowl MVP, and holds 45 NFL records.

So now that we are on the same page as to how owners really feel about their players and how Peyton Manning is a top 3 QB of all time, lets look at the scenarios for his future :

1. After being released, Peyton retires.

If the Colts do release Peyton Manning, there is a good chance he will retire.

In an interview in 2006, Peyton Manning made it clear that the Indianapolis Colts are the only team that he will ever play for. He seems like a very loyal guy and and if his injury stays this serious, retirement can be the right choice. No one would want to see him ruin his legacy like Mr. Favre. He would in fact make a great coach, coordinator, analyst or comedian right?

2. After being released, Peyton signs with another team.

Peyton Manning is a very expensive employee for the Indianapolis Colts organization.

He is owed a 28 million dollar bonus after this season and if he stays with the team his salary is one of the largest in the NFL. Before the season started, he took a pay cut so that the colts can keep other players and make the team better. Yes, another reason why he is one of the best and most loyal, but once again, owners do not care about individuals.

Say the colts sign Andrew Luck with their first overall pick, Peyton Manning’s pay can be used to build a team around Luck, unless he takes a deeper pay cut which is not likely.

Peyton can see this as disrepect and make alot more money somewhere else. I know for sure the dolphins would make a nice offer at Peyton if he was to be released.

Surprisingly, they have a talented team and Peyton would win them a lot of games. I am sure he would love to see Brady twice a year as well.

3. Peyton is traded

Out of all the scenarios, I believe along with most professional NFL analysts that this one will never happen. Peyton Manning is owed $28 million dollars after the season as noted before and he cannot be traded until he is paid his money.

So if they are going to pay him that bonus, why would it make any sense to trade him. Their best bet would be to get whatever they can out of him if they give him the $28 million. Manning can also delay his bonus and see if another team is willing to pay him that money. Obviously this will come down to whether Peyton Manning is about the money or winning and I want to believe he is in it to win it.

4. Indy and Peyton restructure his contract

Peyton Manning has already taken less money to better the team, and they might ask him to take even less. If in fact he is all about the team and winning, this can be very possible.

If he takes more of a pay cut and restructures his entire contract, the organization can pay more players and sign more players. Not to mention Andrew Luck will be watching Peyton Manning from the sideline for a couple of years.

5. My favorite scenario for the colts : Pay and keep him on the team!

Knowing how tough of a guy Peyton is, next year he most likely will come back very strong. He is one of the most mature players in the league and he is mentally tough enough to surpass this serious injury and all of the media hype on how he is done.

The colts have to take the chance and pay him, but if he does come back strong it is money well spent. Signing Peyton and drafting Luck would be a Favre/Rodgers situation and it created a Superbowl caliber quarterback.

There are many rumors and opinions about where Peyton Manning will play football next season and this is going to stir up a very interesting off season. If I had to put money on it, I would say Peyton Manning will wind up with a horse shoe on his helmet for the rest of his career.

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