My biggest disappointment going into the weekend is that I will not be able to watch the Cardinals-Panthers game. Why? I don't have cable; I use digital rabbit ears. So if it is not on broadcast TV, I don't see it. Unless I go out to a bar. I did that once for one game of the 1998 World Cup, and I regretted it. I sat at the bar on a Saturday morning and tried to watch Italy vs. Norway while on either side drunks pestered me. They were like noisy children competing for attention, criticizing my interest in soccer as un-American.
Since the National Football League receives an antitrust exemption from the federal government, the principal advantage of which is that it allows team owners to bargain collectively with the television networks, a proviso should be added to the exemption that mandates all playoff games must appear on broadcast television.
This is the first NFL playoff game to appear exclusively on a cable channel. My fear is that this move means that the NFL will go the way of the NBA and Major League Baseball, leagues where most of the playoff games appear only on cable. I have written my Congressman.
As for the games of the wildcard round, here are my picks:
Cardinals at Panthers: Vegas has lost confidence in the miracle workings of Bruce Arians. Carolina is a six-and-a-half-point favorite at home, equal to the margin granted to Cowboys over the Lions. I am not a Cam Newton fan, but his play has improved as the Panthers have gone on an end-of-season tear. He has thrown only one interception in the last three games. I have yet to see the rejuvenated Panthers play. The last full game I saw is when Seattle beat them in week 8, and then Carolina was a team in free fall. I have seen the Cardinals play recently. And with Ryan Lindley at the helm, they are a team in free fall. Take the Panthers.
Ravens at Steelers: This is a tough one. The Vegas line is Steelers by 3. It is hard to go against Pittsburgh at home, but Le'Veon Bell is out. The Ravens get Haloti Ngata back from his Adderall suspension. Plus, I like Justin Forsett. Possibly Roethlisberger could win this game with his arm. Look what Philip Rivers did to Baltimore. Nonetheless, take the Ravens.
Bengals at Colts: The Vegas line is Colts by three-and-a-half points. Even though A.J. Green is out and the Bengals don't win in postseason, I'm going out on a limb here to say Cincinnati will triumph. I like the Bengals defense and their running game with Jeremy Hill; also, Andy Dalton running the read-option. The Colts have not impressed me this season.
Lions at Cowboys: Dallas could be playing the best football in the league right now. The Cowboys are an offensive juggernaut. Everyone is peaking: Romo, Witten, Murray, Bryant, Beasley. There is a possibility for an upset here though. Detroit's fearsome defensive line could knock Romo out of the game. Dallas will counter by running the ball with Murray or going with the quick dump off pass to Lance Dunbar and Cole Beasley. On defense, the Cowboys will devote all their attention to Golden Tate and Calvin Johnson, daring the Lions to beat them with Joique Bell. I would like to see Detroit win this game, but I don't see that happening on Sunday. Take Dallas.
Showing posts with label Justin Forsett. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Justin Forsett. Show all posts
Saturday, January 3, 2015
Thursday, December 4, 2014
NFL Week 14: A Prayer for the Bears + Patriots Stock Plummets
Let's hope that NFL Week 14 gets started on a positive note tonight with an upset of the Cowboys at Soldier Field. Game-time temperatures should be a bit above freezing and with a little luck the snow that is forecast for Chicago tomorrow will arrive early. Romo, with a bad back, can't be expected to wheel and deal on an icy field.
The Bears are a team bereft of leadership. Urlacher retired; Peanut Tillman watches from the sideline for a second-straight year; Marc Trestman is a cold fish; and his QB, Jake Cutler, a sullen, self-absorbed chronic underperformer. This is not a prescription for success.
But at moments Chicago can stand proud. I point to the NFL Week 2 second-half comeback against the 49ers as proof. Alshon Jeffery, nursing a bad hamstring that night in Santa Clara as he is now, had a huge game and Cutler threw with accuracy; at the same time the Bears defense came alive and looked stout.
You might say that Week 2 is a long-time gone. And you would be correct. But in Dallas I see a club on the ropes. The Cowboys were throttled on national television Turkey Day by Philadelphia. Jason Witten's repeated sideline tantrums said it all. Clearly the Cowboys peaked too early, and now they are in the process of winding down. The outcome I am looking for here is for Jerry Jones' "America's Team" to once again fail to qualify for the post-season. A loss to Chicago brings that one step closer to reality.
The Sunday night game for NFL Week 14 should be worth staying up for. Belichick's Patriots exposed themselves against the Packers for what they are: a perennial powerhouse that fades down the stretch. Brady is an aging quarterback who, like the Patriots as a whole, is hard to bet against at home. But send him on the road and put a few pass-rushers in his face and New England becomes little better than a good .500 ball club.
Brady highlights how out of place an immobile quarterback is in today's game. For all the celebration of a Peyton Manning or a Tom Brady both are very beatable come playoff time because opponents usually come equipped with a pass rush and a few shutdown DBs. Look how unimpressive Eli Manning has been the last couple of years without a Giants running game to make the threat of play-action credible. We might be witnessing the end of the era of stand-tall-in-the-pocket, immobile QBs. We'll see who wins the Super Bowl this year. If it is Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson again, the trend will be undeniable.
The biggest advantage for Belichick is San Diego's tendency to self-destruct. Plus, the Chargers run defense looks porous based on their performance against the Ravens. Justin Forsett ran for over 100 yards. But in the end Rivers was able to put more points on the board than Flacco. I like Rivers' chances to do the same against Brady.
The Bears are a team bereft of leadership. Urlacher retired; Peanut Tillman watches from the sideline for a second-straight year; Marc Trestman is a cold fish; and his QB, Jake Cutler, a sullen, self-absorbed chronic underperformer. This is not a prescription for success.
But at moments Chicago can stand proud. I point to the NFL Week 2 second-half comeback against the 49ers as proof. Alshon Jeffery, nursing a bad hamstring that night in Santa Clara as he is now, had a huge game and Cutler threw with accuracy; at the same time the Bears defense came alive and looked stout.
You might say that Week 2 is a long-time gone. And you would be correct. But in Dallas I see a club on the ropes. The Cowboys were throttled on national television Turkey Day by Philadelphia. Jason Witten's repeated sideline tantrums said it all. Clearly the Cowboys peaked too early, and now they are in the process of winding down. The outcome I am looking for here is for Jerry Jones' "America's Team" to once again fail to qualify for the post-season. A loss to Chicago brings that one step closer to reality.
The Sunday night game for NFL Week 14 should be worth staying up for. Belichick's Patriots exposed themselves against the Packers for what they are: a perennial powerhouse that fades down the stretch. Brady is an aging quarterback who, like the Patriots as a whole, is hard to bet against at home. But send him on the road and put a few pass-rushers in his face and New England becomes little better than a good .500 ball club.
Brady highlights how out of place an immobile quarterback is in today's game. For all the celebration of a Peyton Manning or a Tom Brady both are very beatable come playoff time because opponents usually come equipped with a pass rush and a few shutdown DBs. Look how unimpressive Eli Manning has been the last couple of years without a Giants running game to make the threat of play-action credible. We might be witnessing the end of the era of stand-tall-in-the-pocket, immobile QBs. We'll see who wins the Super Bowl this year. If it is Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson again, the trend will be undeniable.
The biggest advantage for Belichick is San Diego's tendency to self-destruct. Plus, the Chargers run defense looks porous based on their performance against the Ravens. Justin Forsett ran for over 100 yards. But in the end Rivers was able to put more points on the board than Flacco. I like Rivers' chances to do the same against Brady.
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