The Super Bowl Is Set

The AFC Championship game had the momentum carrying New York Jets taking on the Indianapolis Colts. The game was in Indianapolis where in week 16 the Jets ruined the Colts perfect season. That game back then was controversial as the Jets were 7-7 and the Colts were 14-0, the Colts pulled their starters in the second half after leading and of course ended up losing the game which kept the Jets alive for the playoffs. The Jets won the next week to get themselves in the playoffs and then won 2 playoff games on the road to get to this AFC Championship game. The Jets and their fans wanted validation bad but the Colts were ready to prove that they let them in the playoffs and they were going to knock them out. The final score was Colts 30 Jets 17. The game started off very well with the Jets, they were playing good and getting to Peyton Manning a little. The Jets had a 17-6 lead with just over 2 minutes left in the first half. Peyton Manning got the ball and as he does so often in the 2 minute drill, he took his team down the field for a touchdown to get them within 17-13 at the half. The Colts got the ball in the second half after stopping the Jets and went down and scored again to take the lead that they would never relinquish. It was like a switch flipped on and Peyton Manning just took the Jets defense apart. He threw for near 400 yards with 3 touchdown passes. The Jets running game never got it going like they had in the previous playoff games and Shonn Greene left the game with an injury which hurt them badly. Mark Sanchez played a pretty good game but in the end the Colts were just too good for the Jets and they are headed back to the Super Bowl with Peyton Manning trying to win his second ring. The Mannings have been in 3 of the last 4 Super Bowls and this week Archie Manning will be front and center with his son in the Big Game against his Old Team. The NFC Championship was a great game, it was back and forth the whole game. The Minnesota Vikings really controlled the game but had 5 turnovers which kept the Saints in the game. The Saints did cause most of those turnovers as you could really see them going for the strips and playing aggressive defense. Brett Favre was really getting hammered and even left the game at one point for an injury. He is a tough guy though and came back in after getting taped up. The game ended up being history repeating itself. The Vikings were in field goal range with not much time left when Brett Favre threw a pick and the game went into overtime. The Saints won the coin toss and ended up going down the field and kicking the game winning field goal. This is a rule that is going to have to be looked at and we can debate that another time. The last time Brett Favre was in the title game was in 2007 with the Packers against the Giants. He threw a pick in OT that ended up leading to the game winning field goal by the Giants. I don't think you ever know with Brett Favre but the way he got beat up last night this may be the end for him. I can't see him saying yeah let me try this all again next season. It should be a great Super Bowl and we will have plenty of time to go over everything with the Big Game. Congratulations to the Saints and Colts, it is really good to see New Orleans be able to celebrate after everything that city has gone through and it will be a big boost for them.

NFL Championship Round

The AFC and NFC Championship games will be played tomorrow. The first game will be the New York Jets at Indianapolis Colts for the AFC title. The Colts were undefeated in week 16 when the Jets came to town needing to win to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. The Jets did pull out a controversial victory and have reeled off 3 more in a row after that to get to this point. The reason the game was controversial is because the Colts were 14-0 and leading at the half when head coach Jim Caldwell decided to pull his starters and the Jets went on to win the game keeping them in the playoff hunt and eventually they did make it and won 2 playoff games on the road to get here. The Colts fans really wanted the undefeated season and this is something that win or lose will be discussed all offseason. If the Colts do go on and win a Super Bowl it won't be as big of a deal but everyone will still wonder if they would have gone undefeated and if they lose well then it really will be criticized. I really like what the Jets have done in the playoffs and they won't change their style now. They will run the ball and play good defense but in my mind the Colts are the best team in football and they are home. I don't see the Jets winning this game although it should be close. I am picking the Colts to win by the score of 24-17. The NFC Championship will be at 630 tomorrow night and have the Minnesota Vikings taking on the New Orleans Saints. The Saints who have been a long suffering franchise will host their first ever title game. They have never made it to the Super Bowl. I think with all that has gone on in that city they really need this and are riding a wave of momentum and passion. The Vikings have played great football this season but not on the road and I think this will be the end for them. I see the Saints winning this game by the score of 35-21. I hope everyone enjoys the championship games and tomorrow night we will find out who will be facing off in the Super Bowl.

NFL Playoffs Recap

The New Orleans Saints came into their playoff game with the Arizona Cardinals limping. They had lost 3 straight to end the season after opening with 13 straight victories. The Arizona Cardinals won a thrilling game against Green Bay last week and were riding some momentum. The Saints took care of all that yesterday and looked like the team they were for most of the season. They beat the Cardinals by the score of 45-14. The Saints took the time at the end of the season and the bye to rest some guys and get healthy. Jeremy Shockey was back and played a good game. He was his wild, emotional self and that seemed to lift the Saints early. Reggie Bush had his best game as a pro with over 200 all purpose yards. He looked like the man that played at USC 4 yrs ago and won the heisman. The Saints will take on the Vikings at home in their first every NFC Championship game. The Saints will be looking to make their first trip to the Super Bowl. The Vikings led by ageless wonder Brett Favre put a spanking on the Dallas Cowboys today and beat them 34-3. Dallas was riding momentum after finishing the season strong and then winning their first playoff game in 15 years last week. Minnesota weathered a early storm from Dallas and then never looked back. They finished the season 9-0 at home. They will take on the Saints in New Orleans next week, it should be a high scoring game. The Indianapolis Colts who were heavily criticized for not going for the record undefeated season came out and took care of business over the Baltimore Ravens yesterday. They won the game 20-3. They were never really in danger in this game and the Colts didn't look great but they didn't have to be in this one. They will host the AFC title game for the right to go to the Super Bowl. The New York Jets who have been the big underdogs keep living up to their talking. They came out to San Diego and weathered a dominating first half by the Chargers. The Chargers were in control but only led 7-0 at the half. The New York Jets turned it on in the second half and won the game by the score of 17-14. Nick Kading the placekicker will be kicking himself for missing 3 field goals. The Jets defense is starting to really earn its stripes and will now head to Indianapolis for what will be their toughest test. The thing is if they could go into San Diego and win they could probably beat anyone. San Diego definitely helped the Jets but all that matters is they got the victory, it doesn't matter how. The Jets and their fans should enjoy this one and then start looking ahead to Indy. The Jets beat the Colts in Indy in week 15 after the Colts were heavily criticized for pulling their starters after the first half. The Colts will surely be fired up for this one as they want to show the Jets they can beat them. It should be a fun weekend next weekend with the title games.

NFL Divisional Round Playoffs

The Divisional round of the NFL playoffs will begin tomorrow. The Arizona Cardinals will be in New Orleans to take on the Saints and then in prime time tomorrow night the Baltimore Ravens will be in Indianapolis to take on the Colts. Sunday will have the New York Jets at San Diego Chargers and Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings. I was 1-3 with my picks last week so I am hoping for better luck this week. Here are my picks: I am going to go with New Orleans over the Arizona Cardinals. I think this could be another high scoring game, I just don't think Arizona will be able to stop the Saints. If there are turnovers that will definitely be huge in this game. I will go with Saints 35 Cardinals 31 I am going to go with the Colts over the Ravens. I just don't think the Ravens are that good and the Colts will be looking to shutup their critics. The Colts are a great team and I don't think the layoff will hurt them at all. I think they will be able to put up enough points and the Ravens don't have a great offense. I will go with the Colts 24 Ravens 14 I think the New York Jets have a shot against the Chargers and it should be a good game. I think this will definitely come down to turnovers in this one. I think even the Jets will have a hard time stopping this offensive machine. I think they can slow them down but won't be able to shut them down. I think the Chargers will be able to move the ball and beat the Jets. San Diego 28 New York 21. The Dallas Cowboys are really rolling now and the Vikings come in to the playoffs limping. They only won their last game against the Giants who were just horrible in that last game. The Giants didn't even show up. I think the Vikings will be rusty and the Cowboys are playing as well as anyone right now. The Cowboys defense has been a force to be reckoned with. I am going with Dallas 24 Minnesota 17.

Recap of Wildcard Weekend

Wildcard weekend lived up to it's name, it was wild. The Jets/Bengals game which started it all off and last nights Green Bay/Arizona game were the good ones. The Dallas Philly and NE/Balt games were pretty much blowouts. I will start with the Jets/Bengals game since the New York Jets are the home team for me. The New York Jets played a pretty dominant game, good defense and a solid running game. They also didn't turn the ball over and Mark Sanchez was good, they didn't make him throw it all that often which is a good thing. He really wasn't in any third and longs which is another way from limiting the mistakes that he could possibly make. The Bengals were awful especially there quarterback Carson Palmer who was overthrowing guys left and right. Chad Ochocinco once again was shut down and maybe he needs to learn how to shut his mouth and just play the game. I give the Jets credit for getting down 7-0 but not panicking and once they tied the game up they took control. It looked early on like the Jets could be in trouble but they weathered the storm and then were fine after that. They will now move on to play San Diego in San Diego on Sunday afternoon. The other AFC game between New England and Baltimore was a shocker. The Patriots were down 21-0 before you even blinked and they just couldn't catch up. I wonder if Tom Brady was really hurt as he played a terrible game, he wasn't helped by the offensive line which just let him get beat up back there. The Patriots are still a good team but are no longer the dominant team and have some work to do to get back there. Baltimore will travel to Indianapolis to take on the Colts on Saturday. The NFC started off with the Dallas Cowboys once again dominating the Philadelphia Eagles. I guess you could say that Tony Romo and Wade Philips have the monkey off of their back now. They look like they are going to be a tough out the rest of the way. The offense is really rolling along with Romo looking sharp and their defense has been playing great. I really think Brett Favre and the Vikings are going to be in for a really tough battle. The last game of wildcard weekend turned out to be a really fun and entertaining shootout. The Arizona Cardinals got up big on the Green Bay Packers but to their credit they wouldn't quit and battled all the way back. Arizona had a chance to win it on a chip shot field goal in the closing seconds but missed it and the game went into OT. This was a game where it was back and forth and the teams kept matching each other score for score. There was basically no defense in this game and then when it is all said and done the game ends in OT with a fumble return for a TD by Arizona which will go on and play the Saints in New Orleans.

NFL Week 17

The New York Giants will play their final game of the season tomorrow afternoon in Minnesota. The Giants would like to win the game to finish the season on a positive note and also have a winning season, they are currently 8-7. The New York Jet on the other hand will play tomorrow night at home against the Cincinatti Bengals needing a win to get into the playoffs. I am pretty sure that the Bengals are going to rest their starters making it much easier on the Jets. I don't see how the Jets are going to lose this game and I don't really see how the Giants are going to win their game. The reason I can't see the Giants winning is because the Vikings will still be playing for a chance at the second seed which is homefield advantage and a bye. I am sure Brett Favre will be coming out throwing the ball all over and the Giants defense just isn't up to the task of stopping anyone. I could see the Giants offense competing and going out with a bang but if anything it will be a high scoring affair. I am going to pick the Vikings in this game by the score of 38-31. I can't see the Jets losing because why would the Bengals play anyone? If the Jets win they will have to travel to Cincy the next week to play them again. The Jets have to go all out and show everything when the Bengals don't have to show them anything and can prepare for them better after they see them up close and personal. I will pick the Jets in this game by the score of 24-17.

NFL Week 4 football picks

The New York Giants will take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Kansas City and the New York Jets will head to New Orleans to take on the Saints. I will start with the Giants, I expect them to beat the Chiefs by a lot. I don't think there will be any looking ahead as they know what happened last year when they went into Cleveland and everyone thought they would win and they got beat up. The Chiefs have no passing attack and the Giants will be getting Kevin Dockery back to help the secondary, I expect Brandon Jacobs to get going and have a big game running. I am taking the Giants. Giants 28- Chiefs 10 The Jets I think are going to lose their first game of the season. The Saints have the best offense and although I think the Jets defense is very good they will give up some points and I don't think Mark Sanchez and the offense can keep up with the Saints. I would think the Jets keep it competitive but lose. Saints-24 Jets 17 My random pick of the week will be the Monday night game between Brett Favre and the Vikings and the Green Bay Packers. It should be interesting but Favre will be at home so it won't be like when he returns to Green Bay later in the year. I think the Vikings are good but not sure they are as good as they have looked, the Packers aren't great but should be better then they are. I will take the Vikings in a close one. Vikings 24 Packers 21 Those are my picks for week 4 of the NFL season, I was right last week with the Giants wrong about the Jets and I did get the Colts right so I am 2-1 for the season, lets see how I do. I would like to hear other opinions so please comment here and let me know if you think I am right, wrong or whatever lets have some fun with the picks as we go along.

Some Random things

Peter Abraham had a good blog post today about A-rod looking better and better with guys like Vick, Favre, Manny, Big Papi all doing things to look bad and him just playing ball and not saying much and looking good. I would advise you to check it out at http://yankees.lhblogs.com. Brett Favre can't he just go away it is dispicable what he has done the last couple of years holding these teams hostage and putting young guys on the bench and possibly screwing up their futures. The Yankees signed most of their top picks actually 13 out of 14 and overslotted on most of them but this is where they can take advantage and get away with it. Teams like Boston and the Mets can also do it. I am going with the Lohud Yankees Blog on a trip to Scranton next Sunday. There are some tickets available and it is worth going on, if you are interested let me know or check it out on the Lohud Blog. The minor league season will be ending in the next couple of weeks, I will do some postseason reviews of some of the top prospects at that time. The Mets finally put some Met history into Citi Field and recognize the New York Giants also not just the Brooklyn Dodgers. This seems good but didn't it take a little too long for this to happen?

Favre Calling It Quits

I know im a little late on this as I have been focused on baseball but Brett Favre has finally retired. I know we have been down this road before but it looks like it is real this time. Brett Favre is probably a hall of fame quarterback but he didn't have too great a season with the Jets in his final season. He was rushed into a new system after all the drama with Green Bay and probably should of just stayed home. The Jets are now in a better place because they can plan for the future and not be held hostage by Brett. The Jets though do need a QB and may go threw a growing period with a new head coach and new QB. It will be interesting to see if they go with one of the young kids or bring someone in or draft another QB. I think I would give Clemmans a chance and see what you have.