This week I decided to shake things up and have a guest blogger. Please welcome to keyboard, ATLANTA FALCONS STAR QUARTERBACK, MATT RYAN! (cue the applause).
Actually, I’m still writing this week’s blog, but I am going by the name Matt Ryan due to my terrible performance last week (in picking games). I hold athletes accountable for their poor performances (as you will read below with my review of Ike Taylor), so I must hold myself to this same standard. I was 1-3 last week. I picked Cincinnati over Houston, which didn’t quite work out.. I also picked Detroit over New Orleans, which proved not to be the best decision that I’ve ever made. The Giants did smash the Ryan-led Falcons, in the most boring playoff game I’ve seen in years. I did get that one right. The Broncos shocked the world and beat the Steelers. I definitely didn’t see that one coming, but somehow two of my homeboys did (shout out to Scott and Marty). This boys and girls is why you do not bet on the NFL. It is so unpredictable. Anything can literally happen on any given Sunday. Who would have ever thought that Tim Tebow beat the Steelers and pass for more yards did I did in my loss to the Giants (remember I’m Matt Ryan this week)? I’m still in disbelief that TJ Yates won a playoff game before ME!
As any good cornerback should do, I must now put last week’s bad picks behind me and look forward to the next week. The next week is now here, and these are my picks for Round 2 of NFL playoff action. I promise to do better this time.
Saints vs. 49ers
This is a very difficult game to pick for two reasons. First of all, the 49ers have arguably the best quarterback in the NFL in Alex Smith. OK, I’m lying; I couldn’t even type that with a straight face.
All jokes aside, there are really two reasons that this is a tough game to pick. First of all, the Saints are playing on the road. They were undefeated at home this season, but they did lose 3 road games. The loss they suffered in Green Bay is respectable. However, losses to the Rams and Buccaneers are just unacceptable. Secondly, this game will be hard to pick because both defenses have the ability to make the other offense one-dimensional. The 49ers have the best run defense in the NFL. Now some of you are saying, “So what, the Saints don’t really run the ball anyway.” I agree with that, but it is one thing to decide that you want to pass, and another thing to be told that you aren’t allowed to run. On the other side, the 49er’s really won’t be able to pass the ball well because Alex Smith will see so many blitzes that he is going to remember why he is mentioned in the conversation when you talk about worst-ever number one picks (he’s in the conversation, but JaMarcus Russell has long ended that debate). Until I sat down to write this blog entry, I was under the belief that I would be picking the Saints. However, after thinking about it, while writing this, I HAVE CHANGED MY MIND!
While the Saints will undoubtedly blitz like Rex Ryan is running their defense, I feel as though the 49er’s regular offense, also known as the Hide the Fact that Alex Smith Sucks offense is actually the perfect offense to run against a blitzing team. I seriously doubt that the 49er’s attempt more than 20 passes. Of those 20, 12 of them will go to either backs or tight ends. They will play a very conservative offense, and lull the Saints defense to sleep. We will see a lot of Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter in this game. New Orleans will eventually start gambling on defense and Drew Brees will attempt some passes that he shouldn’t, which will allow the 49er’s to take advantage of the Saints’ mistakes. Word on the street is that the Saints will win this game rather easily. However, word in my home-office is that the 49ers will pull the UPSET! Bottom line, I don’t think the Saints have enough “goons” on their team to win a road playoff game. Two things travel well in the NFL, great defense and a strong running game. The Saints don’t have either. I think the Saints are just a tad bit too soft to win this game on the road.
Prediction: 49ers 27 – Saints 20
Broncos vs. Patriots
Last week, I thought the Broncos had no shot in (the place that Tim Tebow is trying to prevent us all from going), and I was wrong. As they have this entire season, the stars aligned perfectly for Denver to pull the upset. Pittsburgh played without their starting running back and free safety. Their starting nose tackle, defensive end, and one of the starting outside linebackers were all injured during the game. It didn’t end there. Their starting quarterback was also playing on one leg (because they thought that it would be a good idea for him to play against Cleveland instead of healing up for the playoff, which was STUPID). I am not making excuses for the Steelers, I am just pointing out what happened to make Denver’s task easier. These types of weird things have been happening all year for team-Tebow. However, boys and girls, this is where the magic stops. While the Patriots defense is nowhere near as good as the Steelers defense when you compare talent, I fully expect them to be smarter than the Steelers were last week. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that Demaryius Thomas (a.k.a Ike Taylor Sr.) will see double coverage. I am also going to guess that New England will keep a safety back and force Tebow to lead his team on long drives, which he has proven to be virtually incapable of. The Denver story has been fascinating this season, but they are going to play against a team that will simply score to many points for their limited offense to match. I am by no means a Patriots fan, but I do know that they are going to win this game.
Prediction: Patriots 35 – Broncos 17
Texans vs. Ravens
I don’t think Ball So Hard University was on North Carolina’s schedule when TJ Yates was the quarterback there. Therefore he never crossed paths with their most famous alum, Sizzle a.k.a. Terrell Suggs. Needless to say, they will get to know each other pretty well on Sunday. I fully expect the Ravens to focus on stopping Arian Foster and force TJ to look like the rookie quarterback that he is. Once he has Suggs and Haloti Ngata breathing down his back, he will suddenly feel the urge to get rid of the ball as fast as possible. This will result in a good day for Ed Reed. I look for Reed to have more receptions than Andre Johnson in this game. On the other side of the ball, Ray Rice is simply impossible to stop. The attention that the Texans must pay him will lead to opportunities for Shane Falco to go deep and connect with Tory Smith, all while Anquon Boldin draws most of their secondary’s attention. Texans fans may not want to hear this, but I honestly feel as though there will be a Jake Delhomme sighting in this game when Yates is either knocked out of the game or pulled for ineffective play.
Prediction: Ravens 31 – Texans 20
Giants vs. Packers
There are two teams in this tournament capable of beating the Packers. The Saints are one of them, but since they will be taken out by the 49ers (read above), they won’t have the opportunity. The other team is the Giants. The Giants have a good quarterback as well as a good group of receivers, which allows them to put points on the board. Their defensive line is among the best in football, which allows them to pressure the opposing QB without blitzing. They will definitely push the Packers to the limit on Sunday. However, their secondary is somewhat suspect, and they do not run the ball particularly well. Aaron Rodgers will pick their secondary apart with the embarrassment of riches at his disposal at the skill positions. Running the ball will also be important because the best way to stop the Packers from scoring is to keep their offense on the sideline. This season, Bradshaw and Jacobs (the softest big back in NFL history) have under-performed. Therefore a lot of pressure has been put on Eli to carry the offense. He is definitely capable of doing so, but he is almost equally capable of throwing the big interception. I view Eli Manning as “Tony Romo with a ring”. Meaning that he has all of the talent in the world, but you never know when he is going to do something incredibly stupid. This will be a close game, but with the return of Greg Jennings, the Packers will simply have to many offensive weapons. Once again Aaron Rodgers will make people remember why Green Bay was glad to push Favre out the door to get him on the field as he leads them to another playoff victory.
Prediction: Packers 38 – Giants 35
And now for my Baller & Scrub of the Week….
BALLER – Ike Taylor’s Daddy (Demaryius Thomas is his Government Name): One of my friends hit me up this week and said, “I am tired of hearing about Tebow every time I turn on ESPN.” My reply to him was, “You have two choices, either stop watching ESPN or kill yourself, because the Tim Tebow attention is not going away anytime soon.” Fortunately he has cable and was able to turn the channel. I just went to his wedding, I am not ready to go to his funeral as well. I mention that story because, unlike the mainstream sports media, I am going to give credit to the person who really deserves it for Denver winning that game. Tim Tebow passed for 316 yards in the game against Pittsburgh, which is commendable. However, his 48% completion rate is not. Of those 316 yards, 204 were to Demaryius Thomas. Also, if memory serves me correctly, 204 of Thomas’ 204 yards were against his son, Ike Taylor. I was tempted to call DFACS because where I’m from that’s child abuse. He even hit him with a mean stiff arm on the overtime reception to win the game. For those that don’t follow football closely, a stiff arm is essentially a punch in the face. It’s one thing to discipline your child, but punching them in the face, that’s a bit much. However, I do have to wonder about the ethics of Denver fans, because he punched his kid in the face in front of approximately 76,000 people, yet no one snitched. No offense to Tebow, but it’s about time Thomas got some credit for his contributions to that huge victory as well.
SCRUB – Ike Taylor: Matt Ryan had this award locked up, until the late game started last Sunday. That’s when Mr. Taylor decided that he deserved it more. Ike Taylor said that he is an elite cornerback. Ike Taylor also said that he should have made the Pro Bowl over Champ Bailey. It’s time for Ike Taylor to look into a mirror and tell Ike Taylor that he is a damn lie. To borrow an analogy once used by LeBron James when comparing himself to DeShawn Stevenson; Damaryius Thomas is Jay-Z while Ike Taylor is Soulja Boy. I think all of the kids that live in Taylor’s neighborhood to should come to his house dressed as Demaryius Thomas next Halloween. I’m pretty sure that will scare the crap out of him. I’m also pretty sure that they won’t be getting any candy.
Follow me on twitter @scashhomey
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