:: Life on Planet Dan-E ::
Thoughts, observations, and introspections from an
:: Saturday, January 10, 2009 ::
Labels: football, picks, playoffs, sports
That being said, these two still aren't as dormant as Miami's ball protection against Baltimore last week. Everyone was talking about how the Dolphins rarely turn over the ball. Having seen most of the games this season, I can say that a lot of that was sheer dumb luck. In literally every game QB Chad Pennington had at least a two or three passes that made people ask "what were you thinking?!" Every now and then it would result in a crippling interception.
Speaking of which, Ed Reed is the biggest stud right now. I haven't seen a ball hog like this since Kobe Bryant's rookie years and that's saying something for a guy playing on defense. Of course, this is the same Ed Reed that got jacked up by a wide receiver so I'm not surprised he's playing like he has something to prove.
I think the sleeping lady just drooled. With that note, and before I get distracted any more, on to the picks.
Titans over Ravens:
I'm going to be the 2,174,823rd person to say that the Titans remind me of the Ravens back when they won the Super Bowl: stifling defense, strong running game, and a veteran QB that doesn't make mistakes, and a very good special teams unit. Of course, the current Ravens look a lot like that as well; only they have a rookie QB with eyebrows that look like they could withstand a zone blitz by themselves. It's going to be low-scoring, physical, well-coached, smashmouth game that just might remind everyone why they became fans of football in the first place.
Cards over Panthers:
This one is almost too easy: The game is in Carolina, the Panthers are 8-0 at home, Arizona is 3-5 on the road and those losses weren't even close. That's why I think this game has "upset" written all over it. Arizona almost won last time they played and unlike then, the Cards actually have something resembling a running game now. It remains to be seen if the Running Back formerly known as Edgerrin James can continue his rebirth from Week 17 and Round 1. I was gonna pick Carolina but just barely; this might be closer than everyone thinks.
(By the way, isn't it weird how after all this time, that "The [Fill in the Blank] Known as [Name]" joke still kinda works? Forget his great music, I'll always appreciate Prince for this particular contribution to pop culture. Sorry, got distracted again.)
Giants over Philly:
This is the second year in a row where the last remaining Manning is Eli. Sibling rivalry being what it is, I have believe that on some level, Eli is loving every moment that big brother is up in the luxury box pretending to root for him while he's on the field defending his team's Super Bowl Title. If he does win this year, I have a feeling that Eli's going to rub his second Lombardi Trophy in Peyton's face and say, "you like that? You like that?! This is for talking me into doing those dumbass Oreo commercials. Bitch."
Steelers over Chargers:
I almost took San Diego in this game. Darren Sproles is awesome almost made LaDanian Tomlinson seem like an afterthought. Phillip Rivers did anything and everything to win that game while Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger spent the last two weeks trying to remember how to spell his name. (By the way, that's his third concussion - Non-motorcycle Injury Category.) Steelers have the better defense but the Chargers have a better O-line, running back (even minus LDT), and QB. Bad news is they're coached by Norv Turner so that cancels out some of those advantages. That and Pittsburgh has a unique homefield advantage: Heinz field is loud, the weather is going to be icy, and the field is going to be muddy, mangled, and slippery. It's exactly the kind of game John Madden would love if he were alive today.
EDIT 4:15: I already posted my pick but did I say that Arizona just might win this thing? I just have a gut feeling but... ugh. We'll see what happens when the game actually starts.
:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 2:45 PM [+] ::
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