The speed with which the Seahawks defense -- Kam Chancellor! -- closed on the Broncos was remarkable. Manning would complete a pass and immediately there be three Seahawks defenders battering the Broncos receivers with big hits. Case in point is that wide receiver screen to Demaryius Thomas that Manning loves to run. It was immediately blown up by the Seahawks time after time. To be honest, Wes Welker looked physically intimidated. And Eric Decker and Julius Thomas never even figured into the game.
This Seahawks defense, after the show they put on last night, has to be ranked up there with Buddy Ryan's 1985 Chicago Bears.
Showing posts with label Peyton Manning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Peyton Manning. Show all posts
Monday, February 3, 2014
Thursday, January 30, 2014
NFL Week 22: Super Bowl XLVIII
The official wisdom as conveyed by Bleacher Report has Denver beating Seattle in this Sunday's Super Bowl by a score of 31 to 23. The betting line is Denver minus three, which means that the line has moved a half-point away from Seattle since it was first announced following the dramatic Seahawks victory over the 49ers in the NFC Championship.
The thinking is that in a contest that features the best defense (Seahawks) against the best offense (Broncos) the game will come down to how well the Seattle offense does against the Denver defense. I think this is the right way to look at it. But where the analysts at Bleacher Report think that the Broncos defensive line led by Terrance Knighton will be up to the task of shutting down Marshawn Lynch, I foresee that the Golden Bear running back who got his NFL start playing in frigid Buffalo will find some holes and crack off some good runs. Lynch will have a pair of fresh, powerful legs from two weeks between games. As a fellow working man who I spoke with in the Starbucks queue this morning said, "If Marshawn Lynch gets 100 yards, we win." I agree.
The argument against this is that Denver has already in the playoffs shut down prodigious ground games of San Diego and New England. But I would argue that the Chargers were without the services of their premiere tailback Ryan Mathews (he ran the ball only a few times in the first half before going to the sidelines with a bad ankle), while the Patriots gave up on using LeGarrette Blount before the second quarter was finished. This will not be the case in East Rutherford on Sunday. The additional wrinkle that the Denver defense will have to account for is a quarterback, Russell Wilson, who can run. Darell Bevell will undoubtedly script some quarterback runs in his offensive game plan. Percy Harvin is another X-factor in Seattle's favor.
Finally, there is the ultimate X-factor that favors Seattle: Turnovers. The Seahawks defense, whether through strip-sacks or picks, consistently generates turnovers. Peyton Manning throws a lot of balls. Seattle will force turnovers and their defense very well may even put points on the board. This, combined with a Seahawks offense potent enough to keep Manning on the sidelines for clock-chewing chunks of time, leads me to advise you to take the Seahawks as the next Super Bowl Champions!
The thinking is that in a contest that features the best defense (Seahawks) against the best offense (Broncos) the game will come down to how well the Seattle offense does against the Denver defense. I think this is the right way to look at it. But where the analysts at Bleacher Report think that the Broncos defensive line led by Terrance Knighton will be up to the task of shutting down Marshawn Lynch, I foresee that the Golden Bear running back who got his NFL start playing in frigid Buffalo will find some holes and crack off some good runs. Lynch will have a pair of fresh, powerful legs from two weeks between games. As a fellow working man who I spoke with in the Starbucks queue this morning said, "If Marshawn Lynch gets 100 yards, we win." I agree.
The argument against this is that Denver has already in the playoffs shut down prodigious ground games of San Diego and New England. But I would argue that the Chargers were without the services of their premiere tailback Ryan Mathews (he ran the ball only a few times in the first half before going to the sidelines with a bad ankle), while the Patriots gave up on using LeGarrette Blount before the second quarter was finished. This will not be the case in East Rutherford on Sunday. The additional wrinkle that the Denver defense will have to account for is a quarterback, Russell Wilson, who can run. Darell Bevell will undoubtedly script some quarterback runs in his offensive game plan. Percy Harvin is another X-factor in Seattle's favor.
Finally, there is the ultimate X-factor that favors Seattle: Turnovers. The Seahawks defense, whether through strip-sacks or picks, consistently generates turnovers. Peyton Manning throws a lot of balls. Seattle will force turnovers and their defense very well may even put points on the board. This, combined with a Seahawks offense potent enough to keep Manning on the sidelines for clock-chewing chunks of time, leads me to advise you to take the Seahawks as the next Super Bowl Champions!
Saturday, January 18, 2014
NFL Week 20: Conference Championship Round
We've arrived at that point in the season which is really the last Sunday for the regular football fan. After the NFC and AFC Championships are decided this weekend, the National Football League enters its High Holy Days, culminating in the most sacred day on the American calendar, Super Bowl Sunday. At which point it is something other than a NFL game. It is more a celebration of excess and hyperbole -- the partying fans who can afford the thousands of dollars to travel and lodge at the Super Bowl host city; the reverential video biographies of key players; the ad buys and TV commercial premieres and corporate executive luxury suites -- all presented in that peculiarly American vernacular that the world has come to know and loathe: bombast cloaking an infantile narcissism engaged in profligate consumption.
But tomorrow the athletes will still be visible through the mass of machinery that it is American capitalism. The Championship games are most of the time far better than the Super Bowl itself. This was certainly true when I was growing up; less so in the last ten years. The NFL has managed to refine its product.
Action begins tomorrow at noon in Denver. The line on the AFC Championship Game is Broncos -5, and that is probably charitable to the Patriots. My only bad pick last week was the Chargers. I went with San Diego because I was so taken with how the Chargers ran the ball in Cincinnati. Granted, Ryan Mathews was sidelined most of the Denver game because of an ankle injury, but Danny Woodhead, who did a lot of damage to the Bengals, couldn't get anything going against the Broncos defense, and neither could Ronnie Brown. To make a long story short, I am impressed with Denver's defensive line. In order for the Patriots to win they have to run the ball with great success. Ridley and Blount and Vereen all need to have big games. Why? Because Brady doesn't have a dominant receiving corps. I don't see New England's rushing attack keeping them in the game. Take Denver. (Oddly, I will be cheering for the baleful Belichik, my go-to bete noire. For me, Peyton Manning personifies corporate America even more so than Tiger Beat Tom Brady.)
The big match-up is the NFC Championship Game where the Seahawks and 49ers meet for the third time this season. I woke up this morning thinking how evenly matched these teams are. Seattle has a superior defensive secondary; San Francisco, better linebackers. The respective defensive lines are about even with Seattle possessing more depth. On offense, San Francisco's line is superior, as are the 49ers tight end and receivers. But Seattle has the edge at running back, though San Francisco has greater depth at the position. This brings us to the quarterbacks. Colin Kaepernick is playing lights out. The last month-plus he has been the X-factor for the 49ers. For Russell Wilson it has been just the opposite. He struggled through the end of the season and looked off in the win against the Saints. The edge here goes to San Francisco.
So on paper -- because of a more potent offense -- one should go with the 49ers. Why then have the Seahawks stayed at -3.5 throughout the week? The 12th Man! Seattle's home field is like no other. You saw that in the second half against New Orleans. Drew Brees had to burn his timeouts because of the noise; he didn't have any left in the final minute of the game, which cost him a trip to the championship round.
Kaepernick has not been able to master the 12th Man. It could be argued that with a difficult road win at Lambeau Field in single-degree weather under his belt, he is primed to silence the mob at CenturyLink. Of one thing I feel certain: Kaepernick will throw an interception or two. He did in both the Green Bay and Carolina playoff games. In the past, when he did this at Seattle, he was unable to recover. Yes, Kaepernick is a different player now. But I trust Richard Sherman and the rest of the Seahawk defense. And I trust the 12th Man. Russell Wilson will right himself -- he has always had solid games against San Fran -- and Marshawn Lynch will run with strength and purpose. The survey of opinion provided by the Sporting News favors the Seahawks because of Seattle's home-field advantage and the wear and tear of three road playoff games beginning to take its toll on San Francisco. I'm taking Seattle. Onward to the Super Bowl!
But tomorrow the athletes will still be visible through the mass of machinery that it is American capitalism. The Championship games are most of the time far better than the Super Bowl itself. This was certainly true when I was growing up; less so in the last ten years. The NFL has managed to refine its product.
Action begins tomorrow at noon in Denver. The line on the AFC Championship Game is Broncos -5, and that is probably charitable to the Patriots. My only bad pick last week was the Chargers. I went with San Diego because I was so taken with how the Chargers ran the ball in Cincinnati. Granted, Ryan Mathews was sidelined most of the Denver game because of an ankle injury, but Danny Woodhead, who did a lot of damage to the Bengals, couldn't get anything going against the Broncos defense, and neither could Ronnie Brown. To make a long story short, I am impressed with Denver's defensive line. In order for the Patriots to win they have to run the ball with great success. Ridley and Blount and Vereen all need to have big games. Why? Because Brady doesn't have a dominant receiving corps. I don't see New England's rushing attack keeping them in the game. Take Denver. (Oddly, I will be cheering for the baleful Belichik, my go-to bete noire. For me, Peyton Manning personifies corporate America even more so than Tiger Beat Tom Brady.)
The big match-up is the NFC Championship Game where the Seahawks and 49ers meet for the third time this season. I woke up this morning thinking how evenly matched these teams are. Seattle has a superior defensive secondary; San Francisco, better linebackers. The respective defensive lines are about even with Seattle possessing more depth. On offense, San Francisco's line is superior, as are the 49ers tight end and receivers. But Seattle has the edge at running back, though San Francisco has greater depth at the position. This brings us to the quarterbacks. Colin Kaepernick is playing lights out. The last month-plus he has been the X-factor for the 49ers. For Russell Wilson it has been just the opposite. He struggled through the end of the season and looked off in the win against the Saints. The edge here goes to San Francisco.
So on paper -- because of a more potent offense -- one should go with the 49ers. Why then have the Seahawks stayed at -3.5 throughout the week? The 12th Man! Seattle's home field is like no other. You saw that in the second half against New Orleans. Drew Brees had to burn his timeouts because of the noise; he didn't have any left in the final minute of the game, which cost him a trip to the championship round.
Kaepernick has not been able to master the 12th Man. It could be argued that with a difficult road win at Lambeau Field in single-degree weather under his belt, he is primed to silence the mob at CenturyLink. Of one thing I feel certain: Kaepernick will throw an interception or two. He did in both the Green Bay and Carolina playoff games. In the past, when he did this at Seattle, he was unable to recover. Yes, Kaepernick is a different player now. But I trust Richard Sherman and the rest of the Seahawk defense. And I trust the 12th Man. Russell Wilson will right himself -- he has always had solid games against San Fran -- and Marshawn Lynch will run with strength and purpose. The survey of opinion provided by the Sporting News favors the Seahawks because of Seattle's home-field advantage and the wear and tear of three road playoff games beginning to take its toll on San Francisco. I'm taking Seattle. Onward to the Super Bowl!
Thursday, November 14, 2013
NFL Week 11: Three Big Games
Just glancing at the Week 11 schedule, a few games really stand out.
49ers at the Saints. New Orleans put up a lot of points against Dallas last Sunday night. But most of those points came after middle linebacker Sean Lee left the game with a hamstring pull. Then DeMarcus Ware got hurt. Drew Brees will have a harder time with San Francisco. The Saints look good though, and they're at home. If Mark Ingram and Pierre Thomas get any kind of traction running the ball, you've got to take the Saints in the Superdome.
The Sunday night game should be very revealing. Do the Broncos or the Chiefs have feet of clay? Denver at home has always been able to score points even prior to the arrival of Peyton Manning. If Tamba Hali doesn't have a big game and Manning has time to set up and throw the ball down the field, I can't see how Alex Smith and Jamaal Charles keep Kansas City in the game. Though I'd love for Andy Reid to take home the win, I've got to pick the Broncos.
Finally, the Monday night game pitting the Patriots against the Panthers at Charlotte will let us know how good Ron Rivera's Carolina squad is. I think they're playing some of the best football in the league right now. I think that trend continues. Panthers win big.
49ers at the Saints. New Orleans put up a lot of points against Dallas last Sunday night. But most of those points came after middle linebacker Sean Lee left the game with a hamstring pull. Then DeMarcus Ware got hurt. Drew Brees will have a harder time with San Francisco. The Saints look good though, and they're at home. If Mark Ingram and Pierre Thomas get any kind of traction running the ball, you've got to take the Saints in the Superdome.
The Sunday night game should be very revealing. Do the Broncos or the Chiefs have feet of clay? Denver at home has always been able to score points even prior to the arrival of Peyton Manning. If Tamba Hali doesn't have a big game and Manning has time to set up and throw the ball down the field, I can't see how Alex Smith and Jamaal Charles keep Kansas City in the game. Though I'd love for Andy Reid to take home the win, I've got to pick the Broncos.
Finally, the Monday night game pitting the Patriots against the Panthers at Charlotte will let us know how good Ron Rivera's Carolina squad is. I think they're playing some of the best football in the league right now. I think that trend continues. Panthers win big.
Monday, October 21, 2013
NFL Week Seven: Luck Beats Broncos
I wanted to get to bed early last night. By early, I mean 8:30 PM. I was unable to because the Sunday night game -- which was promoted as if it were a Biblical event: "Peyton Manning's return to Indianapolis!" -- turned out to be excellent. Andrew Luck and his young Colts knocked off Manning's unbeaten Broncos. Indianapolis did it playing straight-up football -- rushing Manning with Robert Mathis and playing man-to-man coverage with a secondary that flies under the radar (Demaryius Thomas was shut down and Wes Welker was held in check until late in the fourth quarter).
But the game ball should go to the young QB from Stanford. Luck played pretty much a flawless game. He missed on a few throws -- in particular one to Reggie Wayne in the fourth that would have put the game on ice (Wayne ended up leaving the game on that play with a knee strain when he tried to suddenly change direction to compensate for Luck's underthrow) -- but those were minor details in an otherwise commanding performance. Luck ran well, passed with strength and accuracy, and showed a lot of poise and grace. The guy is the real deal. The question about the Colts is whether they can win consistently on the road against lesser opponents.
As for Peyton Manning and the Broncos, I was glad to see them go down. Manning has always seemed to me to be a repository of white privilege, a media icon in praise of McMansions and lily-white suburbs and SUVs and profligate consumption. (If you haven't noticed, that paradigm is a bust.) Colts owner Jim Irsay set off a firestorm in the media last week by stating the obvious, that Peyton Manning was no Tom Brady and he had no regrets in letting him go.
Nonetheless I was surprised to see how ineffective Knowshawn Moreno was rushing the ball; he has been a monster of late. Also, I was a little taken aback that both Welker and Demaryius Thomas could be reduced to non-factors for most of the game.
The result is a good win for the Colts. Now there is only one unbeaten team in the National Football League -- the Chiefs of Kansas City. I finally got to see the team in action. CBS broadcast the game against the Texans. I was impressed, even though the Chiefs beat a collapsing Houston club by a single point.
Kansas City seems to have it all: a fast, canny quarterback in Alex Smith; a superb running back in Jamaal Charles; and, last but not least, a dominant defense led by the great Tamba Hali; plus, the Chiefs have an awesome ballpark, Arrowhead Stadium, recently named home of the loudest crowd roar.
But the game ball should go to the young QB from Stanford. Luck played pretty much a flawless game. He missed on a few throws -- in particular one to Reggie Wayne in the fourth that would have put the game on ice (Wayne ended up leaving the game on that play with a knee strain when he tried to suddenly change direction to compensate for Luck's underthrow) -- but those were minor details in an otherwise commanding performance. Luck ran well, passed with strength and accuracy, and showed a lot of poise and grace. The guy is the real deal. The question about the Colts is whether they can win consistently on the road against lesser opponents.
As for Peyton Manning and the Broncos, I was glad to see them go down. Manning has always seemed to me to be a repository of white privilege, a media icon in praise of McMansions and lily-white suburbs and SUVs and profligate consumption. (If you haven't noticed, that paradigm is a bust.) Colts owner Jim Irsay set off a firestorm in the media last week by stating the obvious, that Peyton Manning was no Tom Brady and he had no regrets in letting him go.
Nonetheless I was surprised to see how ineffective Knowshawn Moreno was rushing the ball; he has been a monster of late. Also, I was a little taken aback that both Welker and Demaryius Thomas could be reduced to non-factors for most of the game.
The result is a good win for the Colts. Now there is only one unbeaten team in the National Football League -- the Chiefs of Kansas City. I finally got to see the team in action. CBS broadcast the game against the Texans. I was impressed, even though the Chiefs beat a collapsing Houston club by a single point.
Kansas City seems to have it all: a fast, canny quarterback in Alex Smith; a superb running back in Jamaal Charles; and, last but not least, a dominant defense led by the great Tamba Hali; plus, the Chiefs have an awesome ballpark, Arrowhead Stadium, recently named home of the loudest crowd roar.
Friday, September 6, 2013
NFL Season Opener
The National Football League season began last night in Denver with a 49-27 Broncos demolition of the Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens. Peyton Manning threw seven touchdown passes, the first player since the great Joe Kapp, who I passed one time on a sunny weekend Berkeley sidewalk while he ate an ice cream cone, did it in September of 1969.
I was late getting home, having to run a few errands after work. I missed the lightning-storm delay. I watched the second quarter and some of the third before shutting off the TV, which I don't think I had turned on -- maybe once -- since the Super Bowl.
I was impressed by the Broncos TE Julius Thomas. I noted the freshness of Ray Rice's legs. The Ravens miss Ed Reed and Dennis Pitta. Dallas Clark's drop of a sure TD pass from Joe Flacco was big.
So another NFL season begins. A lot of commercials on the menu for the next five-plus months. I am conflicted. I couldn't stop thinking about the war machine being amped up as I watched the Bronco cheerleaders and listened to the play-by-play delivered by one-percenters Al Michaels and Chris Collingsworth.
I was late getting home, having to run a few errands after work. I missed the lightning-storm delay. I watched the second quarter and some of the third before shutting off the TV, which I don't think I had turned on -- maybe once -- since the Super Bowl.
I was impressed by the Broncos TE Julius Thomas. I noted the freshness of Ray Rice's legs. The Ravens miss Ed Reed and Dennis Pitta. Dallas Clark's drop of a sure TD pass from Joe Flacco was big.
So another NFL season begins. A lot of commercials on the menu for the next five-plus months. I am conflicted. I couldn't stop thinking about the war machine being amped up as I watched the Bronco cheerleaders and listened to the play-by-play delivered by one-percenters Al Michaels and Chris Collingsworth.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
"Smart Money" Dumb
The two teams hyped the most by sports writers have been eliminated. It seemed liked everyone was picking Green Bay to return to the Super Bowl. And in the AFC though there wasn't an equal amount buzz about Peyton Manning's Broncos they were heavy favorites against Baltimore.
Kaepernick demolished the Packers defense. The 49ers put up 45 points and Kaepernick with his sprinter's speed rushed for 181 yards, both a regular season and playoff record for a quarterback. Much like last year's Green Bay loss to the Giants Aaron Rodgers never got into the flow of the game.
The Ravens-Broncos double overtime game was tremendous, a televisual smorgasbord. Despite two touchdowns on special teams from Trindon Holliday, a strong performance from running back Ronnie Hillman and home field advantage Denver could not get it done. It says a lot about the true grit of the Ravens. They were all banged up -- the game last week against the Colts was not a cakewalk -- and then to have to travel and play a single-elimination game on the road at altitude and then to win that game in double overtime by intercepting a pass from the great Peyton Manning, the old Raven defense on the field play after play after play, tells me do not rule this team out. As Ray Lewis eloquently said on the field right after Justin Tucker's 47-yard game-winning field goal, "God is amazing . . . Man believes in the possible. God believes in the impossible." How nice; what a complex conceptualization that is. The NFL on TV packs a wallop.
Kaepernick demolished the Packers defense. The 49ers put up 45 points and Kaepernick with his sprinter's speed rushed for 181 yards, both a regular season and playoff record for a quarterback. Much like last year's Green Bay loss to the Giants Aaron Rodgers never got into the flow of the game.
The Ravens-Broncos double overtime game was tremendous, a televisual smorgasbord. Despite two touchdowns on special teams from Trindon Holliday, a strong performance from running back Ronnie Hillman and home field advantage Denver could not get it done. It says a lot about the true grit of the Ravens. They were all banged up -- the game last week against the Colts was not a cakewalk -- and then to have to travel and play a single-elimination game on the road at altitude and then to win that game in double overtime by intercepting a pass from the great Peyton Manning, the old Raven defense on the field play after play after play, tells me do not rule this team out. As Ray Lewis eloquently said on the field right after Justin Tucker's 47-yard game-winning field goal, "God is amazing . . . Man believes in the possible. God believes in the impossible." How nice; what a complex conceptualization that is. The NFL on TV packs a wallop.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Divisional Playoff Game Picks
There are only two new-breed quarterbacks left -- Wilson & Kaepernick; one hybrid -- Aaron Rodgers, a guy who can run like a young Joe Montana but whose arm is stronger; and the rest are all the classic white-privilege stand-tall-in-the-pocket American war machine hegemons -- Brady, Manning, Flacco, Ryan and on a good day Schaub.
Here are my picks for this weekend. First game of the weekend on Saturday is Baltimore against Denver. Denver is a good team. A rejuvenated Manning is part of that success but I think a lot of the Broncos first seed is due to their defense. Smart money is on Denver at home. But I'm a Ravens fan. So I'm going with Baltimore.
The Saturday night game is a real humdinger. Packers-49ers. I think San Fran wins this because of an Aldon Smith pass rush that is going to harry Aaron Rodgers all Candlestick night long. Kaepernick will play well.
Sunday morning it's the Seahawks-Falcons. Can Wilson & Lynch do it again? I hope so. I think it's going to be a tough game though. I think if we can get some pressure on Matt Ryan early and our defense doesn't capitulate in the fourth quarter we'll win. Seattle in a nailbiter.
Last game of the weekend is Texans-Patriots. New England is a big favorite. My head says most likely the Patriots will key on Arian Foster and shut him down and win easily. My heart says that Arian Foster will perform heroically. I can't pick the Patriots. I'm going with my heart.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)