Award Picks
Executive of the Year: Mike Brown~Bengals. Runner up: Trent Baalke~49ers
Coach of the Year: Jim Harbaugh~49ers. Runner up: Marvin Lewis~Bengals
Most Valuable Player: Aaron Rodgers~Packers. Runner up: Drew Brees~Saints
Offensive Player of the Year: Drew Brees~Saints. Runner up: Darren Sproles~Saints
Defensive Player of the Year: Justin Smith~49ers. Runner up~Terrell Suggs~Ravens
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Cam Newton~Panthers. Runner up: Andy Dalton/A.J. Green~Bengals
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Aldon Smith~49ers. Runner up: Von Miller~Broncos
Comeback Player of the Year: Matthew Stafford~Lions. Runner up: Alex Smith~49ers
Eli will shred the Pats secondary while Tom lays on his back.
That is all. Thank you.
Conference Championship Week: Defense Rules
Pick one way to judge a defense. How many yards they give up, or how many points they allow. The teams that ranked 2nd and 3rd in that category for the 2011 season are representing their respective conferences on Sunday.
The 49ers only gave up 14.3 per game all season. The only team ahead of them was Pittsburgh at 14.2. Yeah the Saints managed to put 32 points on that vaunted Niners D. The problem for the Saints was that the 49ers offense answered with 36. In the final minutes Jim Harbaugh and Alex Smith went toe to toe with Sean Payton and Drew Brees. Alex left the game without the monkey that has been on his back his whole career. After year after year of losing seasons, coaching changes, and boos from the home crowd, Smith stepped up to what was expected of him so many years ago when he went No. 1 in the 2005 out of the NFL draft. So many people have speculated what the 49ers would be like if they had drafted Aaron Rodgers when they had the chance. Well I wouldn’t have it any other way.
The Ravens, at 3rd in PPG, gave up an average of 16.6 this season. They stuck to that last week against Houston, only allowing them 10 points. However, like I have previously stated, I really think that if Matt Schaub had been in the game instead of T.J. Yates, the Texans would have put more than enough points on the board to win that game. Tom Brady won’t be as easy to rattle as Yates, but you can bet that Terrell Suggs will do everything he can to do so.
The Patriots came in 31st in yards allowed but countered that well by only giving up 21.4 PPG this season which put them at 15th in the NFL. The Patriots secondary gave up 293 yards per game in the air this year. More than any team left. So long as they don’t allow the Ravens to turn that kind of yardage into points, they just need to let Brady try to overcome the Baltimore defense. It’s practically guaranteed that the Ravens won’t let Brady do to them what he did to the Broncos.
The NY Giants came in at 25th this season allowing 25 PPG. Don’t let that fool you though. The Giants D is playing much better now than they really have all year. They shut out Matty Ice and the Falcons offense, (Probably wouldn’t have if Mike Smith had not made some horrible play calls) and they held the highest scoring offense of the season (35 PPG) to a meager 20 points. The Giants seem to be on quite a roll. One that the 49ers will undoubtedly need to leave everything on the field to stop.
Baltimore at New England
Baltimore has not fared well against New England. The Patriots stand at 6-0 against the Ravens in the regular season. While not all of those games were close, it’s the W that counts. However, two years ago, these two teams met in a wild card matchup that was dominated by Baltimore who cruised to a 33-14 win. I expect Baltimore to win this playoff matchup as well. I’m sure it won’t be another blowout though. Brady and his receivers will give the Ravens plenty of a challenge but Ray Rice will dominate yards from scrimmage which should open up the passing game so Joe Flacco can answer his critics. Even if Joe virtually doesn’t show, the Ravens D will carry Baltimore back to the Super Bowl.
NY Giants at San Francisco
When Donte Whitner knocked Pierre Thomas, the Saints stoutest running back, out of the game Saturday on the Saints first drive, he was sending a message. If you get the pleasure of playing us, you’re gonna get smacked. The 49ers knocked six running backs completely out of games including Pierre Thomas. The Giants defense certainly is not a force to be taken lightly but when it comes right down to it, the 49ers defense is the hardest hitting of any team left. That’s right, they hit harder than Baltimore. Justin Smith, a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year, dominates offensive linemen. Not even the three Pro Bowlers on the Saints line could stop him from getting to Brees. Couple him with Aldon Smith, the likely winner of Defensive Rookie of the Year, and that is a nearly unstoppable force. Then you get back to the linebacker unit of Patrick Willis, Navarro Bowmann, and Ahmad Brooks. Those guys are frightening. I already mentioned Whitner but keep in mind that Carlos Rogers will knock you silly and pick you off. Look for the 49ers D to set Alex Smith, Vernon Davis, Frank Gore, and the rest of the San Francisco 49ers up for a trip to Indy.
Harbaugh Super Bowl
FEAR THE FAITHFUL!!!!!
Ok ladies and gents, just two more rounds left. To say that the 49ers have shocked the NFL status quo by getting as far as they have is probably just a bit of an understatement. Considering that it wasn’t so long ago that the Giants last made it this far into the post-season I’m sure the shock is quite less. The Patriots were an early AFC favorite so there’s no surprise there. Considering the Ravens recent history of going deep into the playoffs, there is also far less surprise.
Denver 10 New England 45
Raise your hand if you really thought that Denver even stood a chance at going into Foxborough and stealing a win. Better to just leave your hand down if you did. You’ll save your energy and prevent yourself from looking as foolish as Tebow’s performance. At least you wouldn’t look as bad as the Broncos secondary. Tom Brady scorched them for six TD’s to tie a playoff record. Tebow will get better during the offseason but he needs to step up several levels in order to find further playoff success.
Houston 13 Baltimore 20
If Matt Schaub had been healthy and making the throws for Houston, the Texans would have ran away with this game. However, T.J. Yates was under center and making one mistake after another. This is not to discredit the Ravens D who made several good plays on passes by Yates that shouldn’t have been thrown. What does discredit the Ravens D is that Arian Foster ran all over them. Thankfully for Baltimore, Jacoby Jones made a critical gaff on a punt return early in the game that gave the Ravens the ball inside the Texans’ five yard line to set them up for an early score. That TD was the difference in the game as well because Houston’s D did a fine job of slowing the Ravens offense down. The Ravens must execute better against the Patriots if they hope to play in Indy two weeks later.
NY Giants 37 Green Bay 20
Truth be told, I really didn’t think the Pack would let this one slip away. I had figured though, that if the Giants were going to win it, it would at least be close. The Giants simply dominated. Eli and his receiving core exploited the fact that the Pack’s D gives up loads of yardage in the air. The Giants also used their pass rush to expose Green Bay’s lack of a running game. The Giants started out the year looking like they would make a playoff run then almost went back to their old ways of flopping late in the regular season. They got the ship right and are once again playing at a high level. They’ll need to keep doing so if they hope to win their rematch opportunity against the 49ers at Candlestick Park.
New Orleans 32 San Francisco 36
To be completely honest, I never would have thought the 49ers would go 13-3 this season and then go on to host the NFC Championship game. Jim Harbaugh be praised for all ye 49ers Faithful. Critics of Alex Smith: I hope you were watching this game. Alex Smith stepped up big time and went shot for shot against the record shattering Drew Brees in the fourth quarter. That fourth quarter was epic. Just as a fan of the NFL, that game was incredible to watch. The 49ers D was able to keep the potent Saints offense shut down for the first three quarters and when Drew Brees started rallying New Orleans, the 49ers offense stepped up. Down by three, 1:32 left in the game, 49ers ball on their own 15. Alex Smith proceeded to lead them all the way down the field for a game winning strike to Vernon Davis with nine seconds left. For the 49ers to protect their field against the Giants, they simply need to stick to the plan that Harbaugh will give them. The defense needs to put far more pressure on Eli than they did the first these two teams met up. It ended with an Eli Manning pass knocked down at the line of scrimmage by Justin Smith who’s performance is the rematch will be crucial.
Noah Edwards
Divisional Round Preview
Now that the first round is over, the teams that were able to take a week off get to go out there and show what they’ve got to their eager fans. The Patriots will be taking on the Broncos in a rematch of week 15 in which New England went to Denver and hammered the Broncos. Baltimore is hosting the Houston Texans in a week 6 rematch that they Ravens won by 15. The second most intriguing matchup is the 49ers hosting the seemingly unstoppable Saints who have never won a road playoff game. And the most intriguing of them all is the Packers playing host to the Giants in a rematch of a week 13 game played in New York that was only decided by three points.
Denver at New England
Tom vs. Timmy. That’s what this game will be billed as. Can the Denver D shut down the Pat’s passing attack? Can the Pat’s D avoid falling victim to the play action attack of the Broncos? Lots of credit to Tebow and the rest of the Denver team that beat the Steelers in the first round but I really don’t expect the Broncos to go to Gillette Stadium and win.~~~Patriots
Houston at Baltimore
Yes Houston did play well against Cincinnati, in Houston. Yes, some people think that if they can duplicate that performance, they will beat Baltimore. I think those people are losing sight of the fact that Baltimore is undefeated at home and have a way better team than the Bengals. Not to begrudge the Bengals getting to the playoffs but they looked like the team that just didn’t belong there yet. The Bengals were 1-6 against teams with winning records in the regular season and fell to 1-7 after Houston beat them. Don’t expect the Ravens D to give up the kind of rushing yardage that Cincy did. It should be a good defensive battle between these two teams but in the end, experience and home field advantage will win out.~~~Ravens
NY Giants at Green Bay
The Giants look like they are playing their best football of the year right now. Their defense seems to be playing at it’s highest level and their offense is mixing everything up just right. While the buzz is on the Saints as the team that can go to Green Bay and win, the reality is that the Giants (who did it five years ago) and 49ers are the two teams more capable of that than the Saints. Remember, the Saints have never won a road playoff game and they have played their best indoors. If this matchup comes down to a shootout, which it very well could, than it will be up to one of the two defenses to make the plays to win it all. If it comes down to a ground game, which it also very well could be considering Lambeau weather, the Giants have the better tools in place for that. It is awfully difficult to pick against NY considering how much they dominated Atlanta but I have to keep in mind how badly the Falcons were against Green Bay in the playoffs last year.~~~Packers
New Orleans at San Francisco
When the Saints simply kept the pedal to the floor against Detroit, it looked as if Sean Payton was trying to put Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers on notice. I’m sure that Harbaugh is relishing it. If this game were in New Orleans, I would be hard pressed to be confident about the 49ers chances. It’s not though. As mentioned above, the Saints have never won a road playoff game. In a stadium where the wind whips around this time of year, I wouldn’t expect Brees to air it out much. If the 49ers play it right, than Brees won’t get a chance to do much at all. With the stout running game of San Francisco’s and their incredible defense, the 49ers will have to do everything they can to keep the Saints offense off of the field. If their defense can force turnovers as well, it should be a slam dunk. Their offense was the best in the NFL at not turning the ball over and so long as they keep on doing that they should be just fine. Not to say that it will be an easy game for them to win but they have the tools in place to beat New Orleans and move on to Green Bay. Should Green Bay lose against the Giants, all the better for the 49ers who would then be hosting the NFC Championship. Keep your fingers crossed Niners fans. It should be a fun game to watch.~~~49ers
~~~~Noah Edwards
Wild Card Review
Fifty percent. That’s how well my picks worked out for Wild Card Weekend. Specifically I picked the NFC games perfectly and I failed dismally in regards to the AFC. Let’s review.
Pittsburgh 23 Denver 29 Overtime
The Steelers gave it a shot. I wouldn’t call it their best shot though. With Big Ben hobbled and the Pittsburgh defense decimated, they just couldn’t slow down the Tebow express. Tebow became the first QB in post-season history to throw three 50+ yard passes. One of those was the 80 yard catch and run to Demaryius Thomas on the first play of overtime. 11 seconds was all it took for Tebow and company to win in what was the quickest ending to an overtime in NFL history. While his throwing motion could still use some work, Tebow is proving more and more that he can play at the NFL level. If there’s any doubt left, just ask a Jets fan if they would rather have him or Sanchez.
Cincinnati 10 Houston 31
Even after the Texans’ rookie defensive lineman intercepted the Bengals’ Andy Dalton at the line of scrimmage and ran it back 29 yards for a score with 52 seconds left in the first half, this still looked like it could go either way. The Bengals continued to make mistakes on both sides of the ball, while Houston executed like teams that want to go to the next level should. The Texans running game helped grind up the clock and take pressure off of rookie QB T.J. Yates. Once Houston bolstered their lead it forced fellow rookie QB Andy Dalton to put it in the air. Two more interceptions resulted from that. Dalton had only thrown one pick in his previous seven games. In the three playoff games that Marvin Lewis has taken the Bengals to, they have scored first every time. They’ve also lost every time by at least two scores. His job is still secure for now though.
Atlanta 2 NY Giants 24
Similar to Marvin Lewis, Mike Smith is also 0-3 in the post season. There are several differences though. The Falcons have been there three times in the last four seasons and Lewis three in the last seven. The Bengals have gone through significant roster changes since then, whereas the Falcons are not far removed from the same roster of Matt Ryan’s 2008 rookie campaign. Last years loss to Green Bay after getting the #1 seed was a blowout. So was yesterday’s game. Attention Mike Smith: Micheal Turner is your running back, Matt Ryan has an arm, Tony Gonzalez is your tight, and you have speedster Julio Jones as a receiver. Utilize your weapons when it’s fourth and short. A completely undisguised QB sneak against a defensive line of the Giants caliber is not how you do that. Take the FG or try another call. You sir, apparently do not learn from your mistakes. It doesn’t help the Falcons that not only was the play calling atrocious but so is the play of Matt Ryan. The way the Giants played certainly was the most deciding factor. They mixed up the pass and run really well and their defense was phenomenal. They look like a team that could go into Lambeau and win just like they did in the 2007 post season.
Detroit 28 New Orleans 45
466 yards (playoff regulation time record) and three TD’s. It’s almost as if Brees is a robot while playing in the Superdome. When the second half rolled around, the Saints simply rolled the Lions. It looked like the Lions might be able to hang on behind the arm of Stafford and the incredible athleticism of Calvin Johnson. But, as I mentioned, they lacked the mental toughness to bounce back from mistakes. Plus Sean Payton simply would not let up. While in the Superdome, Brees is nearly unstoppable and Payton apparently wanted to put the 49ers on notice. Payton went for it four times on fourth down. The only time the Saints did not convert was when Brees took a knee to end the game. With Jim Schwartz being the defensive minded coach that he is, you can bet he was furious. New Orleans definitely played like the team to beat in this post-season, but they did it at home. They have never won a playoff game on the road. Ever.
~~~~~Noah Edwards
The Playoffs Are Now Upon Us!!!!!! Wild Card Weekend!!!!!
Now we know who’s in and who’s out. I had another good week of picking the winners last week (11-5). There’s less room for error this weekend though considering that there are so fewer games to be played.
Let’s just do a quick season review.
The Packers fell just short of perfection when they fell to the Chiefs in K.C. but regardless of that Aaron Rodgers and several other starters were able to kick back and watch backup Matt Flynn reset the franchise record for TD passes (6) in the season finale against Detroit as they got the #1 seed wrapped up early enough to relax going into the playoffs. The Saints may have lost two more games than them but Drew Brees and company helped rewrite what having a high powered offense means in the NFL and they did it with a defense ranked slightly higher than that of the Packers. The Patriots were the AFC version of high powered offense with a low powered defense. The 49ers defense put the rest of the NFC on notice.
The “Dream Team” failed. So did “America’s Team”. The Seachickens, Raiders, and Chargers all missed the playoffs as well. These are all facts that make me one happy NFL fan. The fact that the Cowgirls and Chargers are in such denial about their season also humors me to no end.
The brash bravado of Rex Ryan and the Jets may finally be facing some real humility now. I had been hoping for good things for the Jets but this could be exactly what they need. Or maybe they need to release Santonio Holmes and trade for Peyton Manning.
The Steelers and Ravens continued to show why their defenses are forces to be reckoned with. The Texans also surprised many with their great defensive showing this year. The standard way that defenses get ranked is by yardage allowed. Well, I don’t like it. The way they should be ranked is by points allowed per game. Let’s take a look at the top three in the AFC shall we? #1: Pittsburgh 14.2. #2: Baltimore16.6. # 3: Houston 17.4 The Bengals were seventh with 20.2 PPG allowed, the Patriots were tenth at 21.4, and Denver was 13th with 24.4.
In the NFC, only one team in the top three of the PPG category made it into the playoffs, two in the top five, and only four out of the top ten. The closest team to the 49ers who topped this category was still 5.4 PPG behind them. Here’s the top three and the rest of those that are representing the NFC in the playoffs this year. #1: San Francisco 14.3 #2 Seattle 19.7 #3 Philadelphia 20.5 The Saints were actually fourth at 21.2 PPG allowed and this is what makes them the most complete team in the NFL this season and the biggest threat to the defending champion Packers. Can they go to Lambeau and win it the cold weather is the biggest question though. Atlanta comes in at #8 in the conference with 21.9 PPG allowed, followed by Green Bay at #9 with 22.4 PPG allowed, at eleventh would be the Lions with 24.2 PPG allowed, and at twelfth with 25.0 PPG allowed sit the Giants.
Alright, now it’s time to pick my winners for this Wild Card weekend.
Cincinnati at Houston: Sat, Jan 7, 1:30
Andy Dalton is a winner and he will find a way to win in Houston. Considering that he plays in the AFC North, he does not lack any experience against highly talented defenses.~~~Bengals
Detroit at New Orleans: Sat, Jan 7, 5:00
The Lions do not have the mental fortitude to go into the Superdome and win against the Saints. Defeating Detroit should be a breeze for Brees and company.~~~Saints
Atlanta at NY Giants: Sun, Jan 8, 10:00
Home field, Victor Cruz, and a poor showing from Atlanta are the things it will take for NY to go to the next round and play Green Bay. Matty Ice, Roddy White, and Micheal Turner are going to do all they can to prevent that. I’m not sure if they can. This is a hard one for me to call but considering Matt Ryan is not his usual dominant self while on the road…~~~Giants
Pittsburgh at Denver: Sun, Jan 8, 1:30
Even if it’s close in the fourth quarter, which so far this year is the only one Tebow is good in, the Steelers defense won’t let itself get “Tebowed” but they will be “Tebowing” after the game to celebrate their road playoff win. Even with a banged up Big Ben and Rashard Mendenhall in absentia I just can’t see Denver moving to the next round.~~~Steelers
