NFL 2011 Season

[pilferk]

I think alot of people forget that Frank Gore didn't play in that first matchup...and I think field position is a factor

Coop

I don't think Ahmad Bradshaw played, either, for the Giants.

1/2 the giants front line was injured (Tuck and Osi)...playing, but hardly full strength.

The Giants have seen more improvement, via health, than basically any other team in the league, over the past month.

Field position might be a factor...but special teams has very little to do, with that, now.  Everything is in the end zone on kickoffs.  Punting isn't going to win this game (and I'm not sure SF punter is any better than the Giants).

[faldor]

9ers already beat the Giants once this year...its going to happen again. I like how all these Giants fans come out of nowhere once they start winning. 9ers got the better D and better special teams...plus its at the stick.

Go Niners!!!


Coop

9er's beat the Giants by the skin of their teeth, when the G-men weren't playing all that well.  Remember?  

I don't know if I'd say that.  I'd actually say the opposite.  The 9'ers beat the Giants after they had their best win of the season, @Patriots.  I'll grant you they're a better team now, but so is San Fran.

[Bodhi]

This is definitely a very tough game to pick.  If the Giants were at home I would be able to pick them and feel pretty comfortable about it.  The fact that it's in SF makes this a very tough pick.  I think barring something like a bunch of turnovers, the Giants should win this game.  If they take care of the ball they should leave there with a win, I think it will be a close game though.

I think the same goes for the Patriots in their game.

[Jbat81]

I also didnt come out "nowhere". Im a NYG fan living in Patriots world. I see this game close to the end but of course Im sayingthe Giants come out winning. But I know this is as "tough" or tougher then GB. Someone said Gore didnt play last time... Well, neither did Bradshaw. Pretty much EVERYONE IS healthy for NY. Cant wait. Def should be a great game. Hopefully the Giants only play Vs. SF and not SF/Refs like GB/Refs...

[Axl4Prez2004]

Alright!  Axl4Prez brings his (as usual) less than stellar betting record (1-3 and 2-2 against the spread)
into Championship weekend.

I'm takin' Ravens +7
and
niners +3

[sandman]

Giants-49ers. this is a classic matchup. brings me back to the 80's when both franchises were great and it seemed like they played each other alot. they had some epic battles back then and i think this game will live up to the hype. close all the way. both teams are well coached and have difference makers on both sides of the ball. i think the giants players will step up and make a couple more big plays. they are peaking and have the experience from a few years ago. tough to pick against a home dog in the playoffs, but i'll say giants 20-16.

Ravens-Pats. i think the pats will be in control all the way and will win comfortably. the weapons they have on offense and the mis-matches they create are really dangerous. i really hope i'm wrong on this one cause i like the Ravens. there's some philly connections there with the coach and QB so they are kinda the AFC team i root for. but i'm saying Pats 31-20.

enjoy the day! after this sunday, things get kinda boring. still a few weeks until pitchers and catchers report, and still a few months away from the NHL and NBA games really getting intense. but this has been a great NFL season and hopefully we finish strong with three more great games. 

[pilferk]

[I don't know if I'd say that.  I'd actually say the opposite.  The 9'ers beat the Giants after they had their best win of the season, @Patriots.  I'll grant you they're a better team now, but so is San Fran.

Looking at the actual GAME (and not what happened before and after the game), I'd still say the 9'ers won that first game by the skin of their teeth.  A VERY close INT, and missing that last stop, and the Giants win.  That's pretty darn close.

9er's have gotten better (having Gore play will certainly help).  Giants have gotten MUCH better.  Again, I don' think there is any reasonable argument that ANY other team has been improved, in terms of health, MORE than the Giants have.

Picking the Pats by 10.

Not picking the Giants game...it's a push.  Maybe I'll come back and venture a guess on Sunday.  I want to see what the weather's REALLY going to be like...because given how closely matched these teams are, I actually think that might matter.

[GeorgeSteele]

Alright, I'll go with the Pats over the Ravens 27-16 and the Giants over the Niners 28-20.

[LunsJail]

Pats over Ravens 27-17
49ers over Giants 21-17

[gilee7]

I think the Pats and Giants are going to win. I hope they do, at least, because I think that'll make for the most entertaining Superbowl among the possible match-ups, and that's all I really care about at this point.

[Rainfox]

A Niner fan for 26 years.

I'm still mentally drained from last Saturday and "The Catch III".

Who's got it better than us? Surely, no one. Gold helmets gleaming in the evening sun of foggy San Francisco, playing for the NFC Championship at the 'Stick.. and all is right in the world again. I'm a kid again. I love the rivalry with New York (and Dallas) and I view this game as completely open.

Bought Alex' jersey his rookie year in the NFL Shop on Pier 39 in 2005. Been in his corner (through SEVEN offensive coordinators) ever since. It has been... an experience. So happy for this kid. Like Axl.. he kept doing what he does and he finally came through and into the light. Yowza.

The best of fortune to all teams playing, folks!

Let's have the Har-Bowl!

GO NINERS

[faldor]

[I don't know if I'd say that.  I'd actually say the opposite.  The 9'ers beat the Giants after they had their best win of the season, @Patriots.  I'll grant you they're a better team now, but so is San Fran.

Looking at the actual GAME (and not what happened before and after the game), I'd still say the 9'ers won that first game by the skin of their teeth.  A VERY close INT, and missing that last stop, and the Giants win.  That's pretty darn close.

9er's have gotten better (having Gore play will certainly help).  Giants have gotten MUCH better.  Again, I don' think there is any reasonable argument that ANY other team has been improved, in terms of health, MORE than the Giants have.

Picking the Pats by 10.

Not picking the Giants game...it's a push.  Maybe I'll come back and venture a guess on Sunday.  I want to see what the weather's REALLY going to be like...because given how closely matched these teams are, I actually think that might matter.

Oh I agree.  I remember the first matchup quite well.  The Giants didn't play great early on, but were right there at the end.  Just like the previous week against the Pats, I thought Eli was going to drive them down to victory again.  The game was very close. 

In all honesty, it's tough to say the Giants aren't the better team at this point the way they've been playing.  They've got a clear advantage at the most important position, QB.  San Fran is going to need their D, running game, and home field to be in fine form to come out on top.  Should be fun to watch.  Hopefully I'll be watching to see who will be the next opponent for the Pats and not who will be joining them on the golf course.

As for the Pats, I had great confidence in them after last weekend.  That has waned a bit over the week though, for whatever reason.  I keep coming back to the same conclusion though.  I just think the Patriots offense has too many weapons for the Ravens to handle.  People like to reference the fact that Brady has struggled against the Ravens in the past, and it's true.  But he's still only lost to them ONCE in his career.  And that loss in the playoffs two years ago is a distant memory.  You look at what he had to work with that day compared to this weekend.  Wes Welker was out, and Randy Moss without Wes Welker was not all that explosive.  Aside from that he had Julian Edelman, Sam Aiken, and Ben Watson as his top targets.  So I don't think you can even reference that game.  Their biggest issue remains on defense.  While their D has gotten much better over the last month or so, they haven't faced a good QB since Eli way back in week 8.  And while I don't think Flacco is that good, he probably is the best QB they've faced since then.  He's obviously going to need a lot of help from the Ravens D and Ray Rice to pull out a win.

[Axl4Prez2004]

Congrats Faldor!
I got my Ravens +7 pick right, and your team is going to the Super Bowl!  That's win-win!!!
Congrats. 

[tim_m]

Pats got fucking lucky in that game its not even funny. First i'm not convinced that wasn't a touchdown there at the end. It looked to me like he had possession and both feet down before it was ripped out and went out of bonds, then to shank a chip shot field goal like that just awful.

[D]

Brady bailed out once again by a FG kicker. 

[Jbat81]

Pats got fucking lucky in that game its not even funny. First i'm not convinced that wasn't a touchdown there at the end. It looked to me like he had possession and both feet down before it was ripped out and went out of bonds, then to shank a chip shot field goal like that just awful.

Yea, sucks for Ravens fans. I live in NE and I gotta hear Brady is the greatest everyday... Whatever. My GMEN are in and I love my D. Wow!!!! Altho I know SF fans dont wanna hear it, but what a team they have. Wow. Their time will come. 2 weeks baby!

[pilferk]

Thoughts on yesterday's games.

Pats/Ravens:

- Brady did NOT play well.  Ravens defense was PART of that, but not all.  He was flat out missing guys (and not because the pocket was collapsing).

- Flacco, after the 1st Q, DID play well.  The most surprising thing, to me, was how well he ran for yardage. 

- Pats defense looked good...better than I've seen them look, especially in the red zone.  Their secondary played WAY better than they have, all year, in that game.

- I, too, think that last throw by Flacco was a TD.  It's close, but I think both feet are down, he has the ball JUST long enough to be considered posession, and he fumbled it out of bounds.  Admittedly close, even in replay.  If the ref calls it a TD on the field, it doesn't get reversed (no incontrovertible evidence).

- The Ravens kicker will NOT be kicking for the Ravens next year.  Norwood got 2 chances on reputation....I doubt this guy will get more than one.  That's way too big a kick to miss.

- Brady needs to shut up when he gets hit, hard.  Just because the refs protect him like he's the crown jewels in the regular season....doesn't mean he has a right to bark at someone who, LEGALLY, hits him hard.


Giants/9ers:

-9ers are the real deal....and while they won't be in the SB this year, they look like they might be a force over the next couple.

- Turns out, SF special teams WAS the deciding factor...just not quite in the way I think many SF fans thought it would be.  I do feel bad (a little) for Williams....though on the 2nd strip, you gotta give the Giants some credit on the strip.  He actually WAITED til Williams went, and dove for the ball.  Risky, but it worked.

- Again, it looked like the Giants were, at times, playing against the refs.  Some bad calls (that first 9er TD wasn't...he clearly stepped out of bounds on the run, IMHO), some BAD spots (punt soaring out of bounds at the 28...spotted at the 34?), and some bad penalty calls (specifically a couple of bad false start calls that clearly showed SF defenders in the neutral zone).   

- Eli is one tough SOB.  The Giants O-line better get their shit together over the next couple weeks.  While a good part of it was the SF rush....there were some BAD blown blocks and lack of effort plays from them.  I'm glad the refs let 'em play, in that respect (on both sides).

- WTF was up with the consistent low snaps from Baas yesterday?  Eli was constantly having to pick the ball up off the ground.  Even Weatherford had to do it on the last snap for the final FG. 

- Giants special teams return crew need to step up and take some hits.  There were a few times, late (and one in OT) where the guy returning the punt could have picked up 3 or 4 more yards by taking a hit.  Not a mass pig pile, either.  Just a 1 on 1 or 2 on 1 straight shot.

- I'm perfectly content with my "push" prediction.  I'm not sure, if Williams doesn't fumble the ball, that the game is over yet.  Both teams, right around the middle of the  4Q, started playing lock down, you ain't gonna move the ball, defense.  I think both teams would still be punting the ball back and forth.....

[Bodhi]

Brady bailed out once again by a FG kicker. 

haha what a load of shit.  Tom Brady is the best QB of his generation and by the time he retires he'll be in the all-time discussion.  Yes he got bailed out yesterday, as he has also bailed his own team out a countless amount of times.  He put his body on the line on the 4th and goal in a way most QB's wouldn't.  Did he get bailed out by a field goal kicker last week when he was embarrassing Tebow and the Bronco's for the second time in a month?

[pilferk]

haha what a load of shit.  Tom Brady is the best QB of his generation and by the time he retires he'll be in the all-time discussion.

True.  Sure fire HOFer.

But, yesterday, it wasn't a load of shit.  He WAS bailed out by a shanked kick.  And I emphasize HE, in that...because most of the rest of the team played pretty well (especially the Pats D).

The fact is this:  One SLIGHTLY different call on that catch (that wasn't) in the end zone...and Brady's arranging Tee times, today.

AND

A kicker hits a kick that is widely considered routine in the NFL...and suddenly the Pats trip to the Superbowl is much more in doubt.

  Yes he got bailed out yesterday, as he has also bailed his own team out a countless amount of times.

True.  But yesterday...he wasn't very good.  Now, BRADY, in his own words, said he sucked.  I'm not sure I would got that far.  But he was NOT very good.  I'm not sure I would say he was BAD, either......but if his job is to win them games, he didn't do his job yesterday.

  He put his body on the line on the 4th and goal in a way most QB's wouldn't. 

And then cried about it to the guy who hit him.

And cried when he took a LEGAL hard hit, earlier in the game.

Look...I'd applaud him for going up and over to get 6 inches and a TD.  But I'll temper that applause a bit when the QB whines about it....Take the hit and the 6 pts and walk away.

Did he get bailed out by a field goal kicker last week when he was embarrassing Tebow and the Bronco's for the second time in a month?

I'm not sure the Broncos are the team you want to brag about embarrassing.  They were a suspect team.  And Tebow isn't an elite QB (no matter what the Tebow-maniacs and Skip Bayless would have you beileve).

[Bodhi]

I'm not sure the Broncos are the team you want to brag about embarrassing.  They were a suspect team.  And Tebow isn't an elite QB (no matter what the Tebow-maniacs and Skip Bayless would have you beileve).

This was a response to D, that's why I used the Bronco's as an example.  Tebow was REALLY getting bailed out all season long yet D thought he was the greatest QB in the world.  Yet when Brady get's bailed out once, he was making it seem like that's how his whole career has gone by using the words "yet again." 

It's a team game, yesterday he had help to win, it happens.  I didn't like how D, who makes all the excuses in the world for Tim Tebow's shortcomings immediately jumps on Tom Brady, who is one of the best to ever play the game, with a resume that is almost unmatched.

Pilferk, I think you are on point with all of your analysis of the games, including this one.  It was D's saying "yet again" that set me off.