Posts Tagged ‘football’

WEEK 84 – Cold As Ice

Posted: January 8, 2012 by Keith Stone in NFL
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Giants 24, Falcons 2

For a while there it looked like it was going to be like a pissing contest between Chaz Bono and John Wayne Bobbitt. The Giants’ running game was non-existent and the Falcons were getting pressure nearly every time Eli stepped back. And then came the fourth-and-1. I understand why the Falcons went for it, but in a game like that, you don’t want to give the other team any momentum at all. Plus you figure it’s probably going to be low scoring. Why not take the points, especially after failing in a similar situation in a big spot against the Saints earlier in the season? Well, the Giants made the big play, and it was like the key in the ignition to the Divisional Round. Let’s face it: if the Falcons converted it, the Giants might be sitting at home right now. These playoff games can sometimes hinge on one or two big plays. The Giants just wanted it more.

The Giants looked great in the second half. It was by far their best sustained football of the year. I don’t know if the Falcons were overwhelmed or just wanted to go home, but I loved it. When the Giants are firing on all cylinders, they are so hard to beat. Jacobs was finally ripping off big plays. All the receivers were making plays. Cruz is covered? Oh yeah, we have another 1,000-yard guy who can take it to the house and dance. Roddy White and Julio Jones couldn’t get anything done. They can make all the 6-yard catches they want. And of course, the Hydra. That is the main reason for the defense’s success. When you have Tuck, Osi, and JPP coming at you, there’s not much time to figure out where to throw it. Once the Giants established a lead and the Falcons became more reliant on their passing game, it was all over. It’s going to be different next week, but with the team as healthy as they’ve been, you’d be an idiot to say they don’t have a shot.

ROUND 1 Picks: We Meet Again

Posted: January 7, 2012 by Keith Stone in NFL
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At the end of 17 weeks and 250 games, the standings of our little picks competition look like this:

Stone: 142-108 (56.8%)
Rory: 136-114 (54.4%)
Slumdeezy: 128-122 (51.2%)
Phanatic: 122-128 (48.8%)
DP Animal: 119-131 (47.6%)

With 52.38% representing the percentage of games a gambler needs to pick correctly in order to turn a profit, only Rory and myself have metaphorical money in our pockets. In fact, if you bet $100 on each of my picks, you would have made about $2,000. Hope you did, kids. On the other hand, if you bet $100 on each of Phanatic’s picks, then you took betting advice from a chick and I laugh in your face. With that said, I gratefully accepted the Title Belt. However, Rory demanded another shot at the crown, and fighting champion that I am, I’ve decided to give it to him. So now it’s a mano-a-mano, winner takes all, every cliche in the book, NY-NJ no holds barred, sudden death, playoff picks showdown. As Judge Mills Lane would say, “Let’s get it on!”

BENGALS AT TEXANS (-2.5)
Stone’s Take: I feel like these teams have had completely opposite seasons. The Texans started out hot and everyone had them as the top team in the AFC until Matt Schaub went out. Now they’re being written off when T.J. Yates hasn’t been awful and the Texans haven’t had anything to play for for a couple weeks. The Bengals, meanwhile, were given less of a chance than Danny DeVito winning the Boston Marathon. They proved the haters wrong with a strong D and a surprisingly competent Andy Dalton at QB, but still haven’t beaten anyone of note. Now, they’re barely underdogs for a road playoff game? Did I mention this is the first playoff game in the Texans’ history? I’m sure everyone and their mom is going to show up in Houston. Prediction: Texans 21, Bengals 9

Rory’s Take: Can you think of a more benign match-up?  It’s like a Wizards-Jazz game.  Does anybody have any particularly strong feelings about either of these franchises?  I hate to take the Texans here, but the line is just low enough for me.  Over 3 points, and it would’ve been the Bengals. Prediction: Texans 16, Bengals 13

LIONS AT SAINTS (-10.5)
Stone’s Take: The Saints have been blowing everybody out like they’re Jenna Haze. If the Lions, who haven’t been to the playoffs since 1999, get off to a slow start like the playoff neophytes they are, this game might get out of hand with a loud New Orleans crowd and a veteran Saints team that has lofty goals. The Lions’ secondary also doesn’t stop anybody from getting into the end zone, again like Jenna Haze. Prediction: Saints 41, Lions 20

Rory’s Take: I think all the games are going to be close this weekend.  This should be a fun, high scoring ordeal, but the Saints win. Prediction: Saints 38, Lions 32

FALCONS AT GIANTS (-2.5)
Stone’s Take: I could see this game going either way. I could see the Giants putting in a strong, dominant performance like they did against Tampa Bay in the Wild Card Round in 2007 or a weak, confused performance like they did against Carolina in the Wild Card Round in 2005. Why do the Giants love playing teams from the NFC South in the Wild Card Round? You know what the Falcons are bringing to the table. If the Giants can get one big play from Cruz, Nicks, or the running game, and the Three-Headed Hydra of Tuck, Osi, and JPP keep the heat on Matty Ice, the G-Men will pull it out. Prediction: Giants 24, Falcons 17

Rory’s Take: Like the Texans game, this line is just low enough for me to feel comfortable taking the Giants.  The only thing consistent about these two teams is their inconsistency. Prediction: Giants 28, Falcons 24

STEELERS (-8.5) AT BRONCOS
Stone’s Take: I would love to take Tebow. I really would. If he was going up against the Texans or the Bengals or even the Ravens, I probably would. But the Steelers are a battle-tested team. They’re not going to be intimidated by the crowd, by Tebow, or even God. In fact, Big Ben laughs in the face of God whether he’s riding his motorcycle at high speeds without a helmet or raping college girls. For an actual football reason, the Broncos defense has been banged up as well. Then again, if this game is close at the end… Prediction: Steelers 19, Broncos 10

Rory’s Take: Tebow?  Tebow.  He’s been on hiatus, but I have a feeling he’s got one more in him. Prediction: Broncos 17, Steelers 13

How’s Things Going For the Jets?

Posted: January 6, 2012 by Keith Stone in NFL
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Let’s go eat a goddamn snack!

So now the Jets are done for the year. The entire team is falling apart. Rex Ryan is crying in the locker room. Santonio Holmes is quitting in the middle of games. Bart Scott is flipping off cameramen. Darrelle Revis doesn’t want to talk, but the eighth string quarterback has a few things to say. The word on the street is that everybody on the Jets was playing for themselves and not the team. Should we be surprised? The team is full of castoffs. When things are going well, everyone is smiling, but when things go badly, it’s every man for themselves. There’s a reason they all got booted for their previous teams.

Rex comes out the worst in all of this. Apparently, this was all going on for weeks. How did he not know about any of it? Isn’t he like the cool coach that’s friends with all his players? And letting your offensive coordinator bench one of your only weapons during a season-saving drive doesn’t look too good. Yeah, you want to have the coordinators involved, but in the end Rex is responsible for the entire team. It doesn’t matter if he’s a defensive guy or not.

Then, he goes out and says everybody is coming back next year. What’s the point of that? You say, “We’re going to examine all of our options.” That’s it. Do you think any of your fans are happy Schottenheimer is coming back? What if Peyton Manning becomes available? I’m sure you’re not ruling him out, but there’s no reason to make the Sanchize confident he’s coming back. He was terrible in the second half of the season. He should be working like a maniac all offseason so he doesn’t get cut. You can say all you want about the back-to-back Championship Games but that means nothing. This is New York. After talking for all these years, Rex Ryan finally got tuned out by his players and the fans.

Call Me “Stone the Greek”

Posted: January 6, 2012 by Keith Stone in NFL
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No, not because I think the black man was bred to be the better athlete. Because my preseason picks were so damn accurate. Let’s take a look back, shall we? The predicted records are in parenthesis.

AFC

East
1. New England Patriots (12-4) 13-3
2. New York Jets (9-7)* 8-8
3. Miami Dolphins (6-10) 6-10
4. Buffalo Bills (5-11) 6-10

Stone’s preseason take: The Pats won’t be as unstoppable as they were last year but the Jets will still struggle to score points. Expect them to lose one or two games they should win.

Stone’s postseason take: Pretty spot on. I forgot the part about Rex Ryan crying.

North
1. Pittsburgh Steelers (13-3) 12-4*
2. Baltimore Ravens (10-6)* 12-4
3. Cleveland Browns (8-8) 4-12
4. Cincinnati Bengals (3-13) 9-7*

Stone’s preseason take: The Steelers bring it every year and the fact that they’ve been together for a while will help them after the lockout. The Browns should also improve as Colt McCoy continues to improve.

Stone’s postseason take: We all knew the Steelers and Ravens would be good, but who could have predicted that Howdy Doody would lead the Bengals to the playoffs?

South
1. Tennessee Titans (9-7) 9-7
2. Indianapolis Colts (8-8) 2-14
3. Houston Texans (8-8) 10-6
4. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-12) 5-11

Stone’s preseason take: UPSET ALERT! With so much flux in the division, why go against the team with an absolute beast at running back and a veteran quarterback that’s been to the Super Bowl before? If Matt Hasselbeck stays healthy, that is.

Stone’s postseason take: Nailed the Titans even with Chris Johnson holding out the entire season. What’s that? He didn’t hold out? Could’ve fooled me.

West
1. San Diego Chargers (12-4) 8-8
2. Kansas City Chiefs (7-9) 7-9
3. Oakland Raiders (7-9) 8-8
4. Denver Broncos (6-10) 8-8

Stone’s preseason take: The Chargers are the best team in the division and should win if they don’t get off to one of their patented slow starts.

Stone’s postseason take: TEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEBBBBBBBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NFC

East
1. New York Giants (11-5)  9-7
2. Dream Team (10-6)* 8-8
3. Dallas Cowboys (9-7)* 8-8
4. Washington Redskins (6-10) 5-11

Stone’s preseason take: This is a total homer pick but the Giants aren’t going to be as bad as everyone thinks. The Cowboys will also be vastly improved. Let’s see Michael Vick stay healthy.

Stone’s postseason take: I didn’t take into account that the Giants, Dream Team, and Cowboys would all blow easily winnable games, but who else do you know that had the Giants?

North
1. Green Bay Packers (12-4) 15-1
2. Minnesota Vikings (8-8) 3-13
3. Chicago Bears (7-9) 8-8
4. Detroit Lions (6-10) 10-6*

Stone’s preseason take: Aaron Rodgers and the Champs still have that swagger and won’t go down easily. The Vikings will be more stable with a competent coach. Don’t forget about that kid Adrian Peterson. He’s pretty good. The Lions have been supposed to be good for like three years now.

Stone’s postseason take: What was I thinking with the Vikings? I feel like I hooked up with a fat chick. Or this guy.

South
1. New Orleans Saints (12-4) 13-3
2. Atlanta Falcons (9-7) 10-6*
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-9) 4-12
4. Carolina Panthers (5-11) 6-10

Stone’s preseason take: The Falcons struggled at the end of last season and the playoffs, failing to prove they belong among the game’s elite. The Saints are always great and there’s no reason to believe that’s changed. The Bucs caught lightning in a bottle last year but teams will be better prepared for Josh Freeman this year.

Stone’s postseason take: Like Montell Jordan would say, this is how we do it.

West
1. San Francisco 49ers (9-7) 13-3
2. St. Louis Rams (7-9) 2-14
3. Seattle Seahawks (6-10) 7-9
4. Arizona Cardinals (5-11) 8-8

Stone’s preseason take: The Rams are everybody’s favorites but they have an extremely difficult schedule to start the season. The Niners finally have a non-insane coach, which should help, and some weapons but obviously Alex Smith is still a liability. Why wouldn’t they go after David Gerrard? To Seahawks and Cardinals fans, I will hold you in my prayers.

Stone’s postseason take: I was four games off, but I still think the 49ers were my best pick. I knew the defense would thrive with a little stability. However, I did not know that the Rams would turn into a M*A*S*H unit and Alex Smith would be competent. To Seahawks and Cardinals fans, I still hold you in my prayers.

WEEK 83 – Finishing

Posted: January 2, 2012 by Keith Stone in NFL
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Giants 31, Cowboys 14

With a three-touchdown lead, the Giants’ let their heated rival came down the field and score. Then, it happened again. With one stop, the Giants would be NFC East Champs. But they couldn’t. The 38-31 collapse last year to the Eagles was a crushing blow to the players, fans, and entire franchise. All season, the Giants have been preaching a mantra of finishing the game. Don’t let your opponent back in it. It was an up-and-down year. Unpredictable.  Sometimes the Giants looked like they had learned their lesson, other times it seemed like they were barely paying attention. After a 6-2 start, finishing would be more important than ever. That brought us to last night.

With a three-touchdown lead, the Giants’ let their heated rival came down the field and score. Then, it happened again. With one stop, the Giants would be NFC East Champs. They finally got that stop. The entire team played at another level last night. It’s hard to single out a single player, but let’s try. You have to start with Victor Cruz who got the salsa party started. More importantly, it was his huge third down catch when the Giants were on the ropes that gave them breathing room. Michael Boley was huge flying over the line of scrimmage to stop Tony Romo on fourth-and-1 in the red zone. Osi Umenyiora played valiantly through pain and had a big impact on the game with two sacks. Don’t forget about the other two heads on the Hydra, Justin Tuck and JPP. Romo was under pressure all night and the Cowboys’ running game never got going. David Baas provided his best protection all year in the middle of the offensive line. Even guys like Bear Pascoe and Devin Thomas played important roles in the victory. It was the most complete game of the season and solidifies the fact that the Giants are the best team in the NFC East and deserve to be in the playoffs.

Every year, it happens. A team gets hot right before the playoffs and makes a run at the Super Bowl. The Giants are as healthy as they’ve been all season and have the momentum of beating the Jets and Cowboys. I wouldn’t bet against them. Let’s see how they finish.

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