Atlanta Falcons vs Arizona Cardinals Playoff Preview

NFL Wildcard Saturday (one of the best days of the year for football fans) kicks off with the gem game of the weekend perhaps. Fresh off the news that Matt Ryan has won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, Atlanta takes their high flying offensive attack to meet another high flying offensive attack in the Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium.

The Falcons were a team I didn't think would amount to much. They didn't interest me. You know what? Not only are they a fun team to play with on Madden 2009, but they really have some things that interest the casual football fan.

They've got a young QB with a big arm in Ryan. He makes big throws during clutch moments and he's a tough young leader. They've got a running back who is half big play half grinder in Micheal Turner. They've got a big wideout in Roddy White. Their defense features players like Jonathan Babineaux and Curtis Lofton. Although Lawyer Milloy and Jamal Anderson have some injury questions they still have enough on defense to cause some problems for the high flying Cardinals.

The Cardinals boast one of the most prolific passing attacks in the league with Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston taking in passes from Kurt Warner. They don't have any semblance of a running game and it will probably keep them from advancing far in these playoffs. Still, they've made the playoffs for the first time in 10 years and they won't go down easily.

Who I want to win: Falcons. A team like this that added a few pieces and a new coach is very intriguing to me. It gives hopes that a team like the Browns can make a quick turnaround next season. I like Matt Ryan, he's quiet and he just shows up and plays. If it weren't for the G-Men, the Falcons would be my playoff horse that I'd ride all the way through.

Who will win: Atlanta is going to take this game by a score of 31-27. It is going to be a high scoring boat race. Should be a lot of fun to watch and an excellent game to open up a slate of playoff games. Atlanta moves on in a tight game with a touchdown late in the 4th quarter.

It's Sunday

It's sunday, and the final normal sunday of the year. The Browns nightmare season finally comes to an end; while we have huge games between the Jets/Dolphins, the Giants/Vikings, the Cowboys/Eagles, and finally the Broncos/Chargers to finish off the night.

A Clip that says 1000 Words

This video really says it all. Takes us from the beginning of Quinn's life to the present, guiding us through the trials and failures of the Cleveland Browns.

The journey has indeed just begun.

Commercial of the real King of Cleveland

Great song. Great commercial. Ohio's superstar.

It's Christmas

So another Christmas has arrived. No football on tonight except for those Golden Domers of Notre Dame (big win). Hope every reader and their family had a wonderful Holiday and realized what the holiday is all about. So watch Bad Santa or Christmas Vacation and steal a frozen Christmas cookie from the freezer before they're put out. It's the best holiday on earth. Plus the upcoming weekend is going to go down like a shootout in the O.K. Corral.

He's already been to my place; and 2008 will always be remembered as the year of the Santa Tracker:

Champions Until the End

[Gamebook]

What a game that went down at the Land of the Sopranos (the Meadowlands) this past sunday. It doesn't get much better than that. Eli Manning leads his team back from deficits of 21-10 and 28-20, hitting a key 2 point conversion pass beautifully to Dominic Hixon to tie the game.

The missed field goal by Carney in regulation to allow the game to go to overtime. This was the first game all season I found myself screaming at the television and actually getting into it.

WHAT A GAME.

You could tell that even the players knew what they were part of in the moment. The anouncing team of Madden and Micheals knew they were taking in a classic. The fans there saw one of the better regular season games to be played in the past 25 years. So much was at stake. No hotter team in football at the present than Carolina. It felt a lot like last year's championship run in the playoffs didn't it? Felt a little bit like the rallying cry the Giants had against the Pats in week 17 last year where they just kept hanging around and hanging around. So the Giants deliver an early Christmas present to so many with this win. It didn't look good at times but they hung tough and they've the talk of football again, or at least the NFC.

There should be concerns as far as a few things go but for now this team has proven that you can't "put them on paper" or talk x's and o's (at least not every week), and sometimes with teams that are special like these Giants I don't think you can measure the character they have against the things against them. They are champions in every sense of the word. They're under-manned and they just keep swinging.

A few things that will always stand out:

-Derrick Ward's effort and the way he couldn't be stopped on the ground.

-Justin Tuck getting through the game barely, sick as a dog but still gutting it out.

-Eli Manning had a nice night: 17/27, 181, TD, 0 INT. The converting of some key third downs were huge by Manning.

-Corey Webster's play on Steve Smith to save the Panthers from getting into close field goal range with no time left.

-Kevin Boss showed up to play.

Eli Manning, Pro Bowler

Finally, Eli Manning is a Pro Bowler. Manning in his 5th season was named to his first Pro Bowl along with 6 other Giants players (Tuck, Snee, O'Hara, Feagles, Carney).

Eli and Peyton Manning become the first set of brothers to ever play in the Pro Bowl. Eli has completed 60.3 % of his passes for 2938 yards and 20 TD compared to only 10 interceptions. Manning's passer rating is 86.4 for the season.

Pretty happy that Eli has accomplished this, beating out other passers in the NFC like Tony Romo, Matt Ryan, Aaron Rodgers, and Donovan Mcnabb. Hopefully this is the first in a long line of Pro Bowl selections for Eli.

Quick Hits: Giants at Dallas Sunday Night Football

I been waiting all week to watch this ballgame. We're going to be witness to a classic without a doubt.

-Here's the New York Post talking about the Giants chance to knock out their rival Cowboys for the 2nd year in a row in some fashion.

-The top 10 moments in the Dallas/Giants rivalry.

-The Giants gave Corey Webster a 5-year extension.

-NY Daily News goes into great detail about the Giant task that lies ahead in tonight's game.

-Dallas Morning News Cowboys Blog asks who is more to blame, T.O. or Romo?

-Marion Barber is just 50-50 tonight per Moseley.

-How the Giants will attack without Brandon Jacobs.

It's Sunday

The 8:15 game between the Cowboys and the Giants in Dallas is gonna be a beauty! Denver going into Carolina has some huge ramifications, as well as Balt v Pittsburgh and TB vs ATL are also great matchups.

Full wrap to come.

Don't bet against Matt Ryan and the Falcons right now

While you're doing your NFL betting, don't involve the Atlanta Falcons right now unless you're taking them in a big way. Ryan still has the QB rating above 90 (92.0) with 14 TD and 7 interceptions and 2940 yards.

Now while Ryan's QB rating is sure to decline this sunday against a stiff Tampa defense, the odds are that the Falcons will cover that short spread against the Tampa Bay Bucs at home tomorrow. The loser will have an uphill battle in the season's final two weeks, while the winner will have an inside track at a road playoff game.

These Falcons, they remind me a lot of the Jacksonville Jaguars of 1996. I'm telling you. This is a team that could go to the NFC Championship Game this year. Remember I said it. Don't expect them to lose much over the next month and a half.

Some December 5PF--on a Saturday

So I'm going to go out on a limb and make 5 picks of the week's toughest games. Now remember, I'm not into NFL betting anymore (times are tough!), and I don't pick using the spread. All picks are straight up. But you should definitely put some stock into these picks. I've nailed all five games more then once this season.

You know, the Atlanta Falcons are a team to keep an eye on as far as Superbowl odds. Now if they win this sunday, and somehow the Giants get knocked out of the playoffs without Burress, why not the Falcons? At 45/1 odds? It just doesn't seem that unlikely. I like Atlanta to beat Tampa Bay at home this weekend. Matt Ryan just keeps compiling stats making a case for rookie of the year.

The Pittsburgh/Baltimore tilt is going to be a good one. Two great, fast defenses playing at the top of their games. Whats funny about Baltimore is they're trying to let Joe Flacco do a Roethlisberger act from Big Ben's rookie year but now Big Ben stands in the way. This would be the biggest win for Baltimore in a few seasons. I like Pittsburgh to find a way.

Minnesota goes to Arizona in what could be a battle for the 3rd seed. Adrian Peterson runs well in the nice climate and the Vikings pick off Kurt Warner a few times. I like the road team to win this matchup as well. Vikings are the pick.

Denver travels to Carolina in what should be a shootout. One of these teams will need a boatload of points to win. Carolina wins in a boat race to set up a showdown with the Giants at the Meadowlands next sunday.

Finally, the crown gem of the weekend is the New York Giants going to Dallas in what is basically an elimination game for the Cowboys. I like the G-Men to go in there and win in a bloodbath of hard hitting action, where stats are ugly. It won't resemble the shootout of last season's opener.

Analyze past results, read sports news, and carefully select your pick to turn your few dollars into real cash! Find the best betting odds at 888.com! If you fancy some social fun, visit the online bingo community and play with gamers from more than 150 countries worldwide.

Still Unreal

Then

Old Time Football in the Steel City

Might have been the game of the year earlier today/tonight in Pittsburgh. Like it or not, Ben and the Steelers are just winners and are probably the finest team in the AFC.

Giants now 11-2 with 20-14 loss to Eagles

[Gamebook]

[New York Post]

That's why they call it a rivalry. The Giants had won 6 out of the last 7 contests against the Eagles. It had almost became a foregone conclusion that Eli, Coughlin, Toomer and the boys were going to take it to the guys in green; Andy Reid and Donovan Mcnabb.

But the Eagles fought back and showed you what a rivalry in this league is like. Any given sunday. And more then that you could see that there was going to be some things that would level the playing field between these two teams today and give Philly a chance.

Obviously, I thought that there would be a difference without Plaxico Burress against a good defense. The Eagles agreed with me.

Brian Dawkins: "Listen, I don't mean to take anything away from the rest of their guys or that receiving group, but not having Plaxico out there meant we could funnel our defense in different ways and force the ball more to where we wanted it to go. We were able to take our chances in man coverage on the outside and get nasty with pressure on the inside. You can do everything right with Plaxico and he is 6-(foot-)5. He can make up for any advantage you create by simply mauling and out-jumping you. He makes you back up and back off. Did it make a difference? Absolutely."

Quentin Demps: "We looked at the film from the last time we played them and felt our defense played a little too soft. We were going to be more aggressive this time with or without Plaxico in the game. With him out, it was easier to be aggressive. We loaded up the box and shut down their running game. We won in third-down defense. We tackled well, which is critical when you play the Giants. We have been searching for ourselves. I think we've found our way now."

Eli Manning's best throw of the day (1-yard TD strike to Darcy Johnson not-withstanding) landed on the turf at Giants Stadium after going through the hands of Dom Hixson. It was a 60 yard strike downfield off the playaction fake that would have went for a touchdown. It was right on the numbers, you can't throw a ball better then that. It was dropped and it was then I texted a friend that Burress would have had that ball.

It's clear the Giants don't have a #1 receiving threat anymore. They have a bunch of #2's (Toomer, Smith, Moss, and Manningham). They'd better find out if Manningham or Moss can emerge as a #1 guy soon. It was obvious today when they had to play from behind and couldn't rely on a run-heavy attack that they'd need their passing game to get back in it.

Now winds were 24-25 mph during the game. That had a factor in it without a doubt. It's hard enough to throw on the Eagles defense when there is no wind tunnel. But the Giants just didn't have a go-to guy that they could go to.

The defense looked like the defense of 2005/2006. Play really well in spells, give up a huge play, and break on 3rd downs at crucial moments.

There were some silver linings in today's ballgame. Eli Manning threw his 20th touchdown pass of the season and didn't throw an interception. It's the 4th straight season in which he's thrown 20 touches. The Giants are also NFC East champions thanks to the Dallas loss in Pittsburgh. And next week, the Giants have the opportunity to end Dallas' season for the second straight year.

So next week is a huge ballgame. Its going to be a war, as it always is in Dallas. And for those that are down about losing to the Eagles--the truth is the real rivalry is the Cowboys. Next week is a chance for major vengeance and there is truly more at stake. Stay tuned.

Nintenfox would like you to see his mini-football helmets

This gentleman gives me a visual picture of a guy who is built like Chris Farley but lacks the zest for life. Why do I get the feeling at the last :10 seconds of his video that he starts to feel a bit pathetic?

And he's a Browns fan! (fuck)

Clearly, he feels that any fan who likes the NFL should want these football helmets, because they're very cool to have.

It's Sunday

The G-Men host Philly in the 1:00 game of focus. The Broncos welcome the Chiefs to Mile High Invesco at 4:00. Tonight's game is a beauty with the Redskins taking on the Ravens. Cowboys/Steelers should be interesting.

Oh yeah and keep an eye on the Lions beating the Vikings today--if they don't they will be winless, but I think they might get it today.

Go Giants. Go Denver. Go Browns

And if you need something to wet your appetite, check out this Eli Manning post on the NY Times Fifth Down Blog.

Albom thinks Lions should remain on Thanksgiving

This morning on The Sports Reporters, Detroit Free Press writer Mitch Albom was pleading for the case to keep the 12:30 Thanksgiving game in Detroit.

"We don't have Tom Brady and instead of him we got Andre Ware. One game a year that we get John Madden or we get Phil Simms and that should be something that is never taken away from us."

I am on both sides of the fence in this one. I'm a traditionalist. I think that the Detroit Lions deserve this one day a year where they're in the spotlight. At the same time, it's been years since this game has been of any relevance. If the opponent isn't someone extremely appealing, then you don't even wanna watch this game. The NFL could capitalize a lot on flexing 3 of the best matchups on the schedule into this day.

It's a tough call, but something worth thinking about heading into the future.

It's a Raiders Night

Now this is a team I can get behind. Jamarcus Russell. NFL Network. The fantasy football playoffs start tonight. Had to pick up Russell as my quarterback. I'm a #5 seed ultimately. I'm going to have to come from behind big time to defend my crown.

We're checking out a new place in town to watch the game. Buffalo Wings & Rings. We'll give it a whirl. Maybe throw up some Christmas decorations.

Go Raiders. You're a disaster. But as a Browns fan you can relate. Can't you?