NFL Playoffs

[themattman]

NFL playoffs are underway!

ATL 24
ARI 30

Good game and I am glad Arizona won their first playoff game since 1947.

IND 17
SD 23

Wished Indy would edge by, but the Chargers outplayed the Colts. Sproles was on fire.

PHI-MIN and BAL-MIA tomorrow. Go Eagles!

[Skrying]

Sproles had one hell of a game, him and Gates were the San Diego Chargers tonight. Simply great play from them, Sproles for showing he can do it all and Gates playing through an injury. I really wanted Indy to win this game and I was extremely pissed about the poor play in OT... but I like San Diego. I've always been big on LT (and I refuse to write him off after this year, I expect a 1,300+ season next year) and I think Rivers is highly under rated (Super Bowl > Pro Bowl). But, Peyton Manning is potentially the greatest quarterback ever, and I love quarterbacks.

I'm super happy Arizona won. Kurt Warner will always be a favorite of mine, and Matt Ryan gets on my nerves... simply because of his "nickname." Since when did it become hip to flaunt a name that is clearly from an alcoholic beverage? No matter, he's a rookie, he'll have more opportunities (if Turner plays as good next year).

[PRIME1]

I'm happy with the results so far. Good to see Ole Man Warner doing well (shoulda gave him the MVP). San Diego finally made up for the bad calls they got earlier in the season.

[SpotTheCat]

The vikings are a huge letdown. They're so close to being a good team.

Overall I think the tops of the league are fairly well matched.

[idchafee]

The vikings are a huge letdown. They're a real, NFL-caliber quarterback from being a good team.

Fixed

[SpotTheCat]

The vikings are a huge letdown. They're a real, NFL-caliber quarterback from being a good team.

Fixed

Yeah. They're pretty solid everywhere else.

[PRIME1]

The vikings are a huge letdown. They're a real, NFL-caliber quarterback from being a good team.

Fixed

Yep. They have a fairly strong D. A top 5 running back and a reciever who possibly could be top 5 if someone knew how to throw to him.

However with their QB doing so poorly all you need to do to win is stop AP. Which Philly did well.

I was hoping Miami would win. I never liked Baltimore.

So 3 of 4 wins for me. That's pretty good. Can't wait for the real show to start. I'm still having trouble picking who I want to win it all. Maybe New England....maybe not.

[derFunkenstein]

Maybe New England....maybe not.

Drinking so early in the morning?

[PRIME1]

Maybe New England....maybe not.

Drinking so early in the morning?

No I was joking, hence the "maybe not" statement.

I really don't know who I want to win.

As for this weekend I want Philly, San Diego, Carolina & Tenn.

I'm not saying that is who will win, just who I want to win. So that narrows my SB choice to 4.

[SpotTheCat]

I wanted Miami to win, but that's already done . How cool would it be to go from 1-15 to NFL champion?

I'll be rooting for the Lion's next year

[steelcity_ballin]

GO BURGH!

Highlights for me were the 1 play 3rd quarter for SD, The Rivers Slam, and the Parker entire package.

[Corrado]

Go Birds! Philly wreckin house. Arizona is next. We already tee'd off on you once, get ready for it again!


Does anyone else think Kurt Warner looks like Lenny from the Simpsons?

[PRIME1]

Looks like I want the NFC to win the SB. I would be happy with either Philly or Arizona. I can't stand Baltimore and Pitt already got a ring recently.

I guess Arizona vs Pitt with Warner getting the MVP...... It could happen.

[Dizik]

GO BURGH!

Highlights for me were the 1 play 3rd quarter for SD, The Rivers Slam, and the Parker entire package.

Haha....17 seconds of possession. That rules. It looks like my new cap brought us the luck that we needed. You can thank me later.

Next week should be good. I think we can take the Ravens, though their D is looking pretty solid (as usual). Just keep the ball away from Ed Reed, and we should be golden.

GO STEELERS!

As far as the NFC side of the house, do I root for the Cardials or the Eagles? While a backyard Bowl would be nice against the Eagles, I think it would be cool to see how well the Cardinals under Whisenhunt and Grimm's tutelage fairs against the Steelers.

[Skrying]

I don't mind San Diego losing. I hope Darren Sproles is still given a chance next year, he had a bad game against a tremendous defense when it came to running. He still did a wonderful job with recieving and returns though. I love the guy, his story is simply amazing.

Go Arizona. I really want Kurt Warner to get another title and win MVP. The more he does the more likely he is to get in the Hall of Fame some day and he truly deserves that honor.

[Hawkwing74]

Lots of upsets make things interesting. I really thought the chargers would win but they didn't have Tomlinson. A #2 seed, a #4, and 2 #6's.

[druidcent]

Sproles doesn't appear to me to be a starting running back.. he's a good change-of-pace back.. He's fast and elusive, which is great on long 2nd, or third downs.. but he doesn't appear to have a power running game..

[idchafee]

Has anyone ever seen Darren Sproles & Naploean Kaufman in the same room at the same time?

[Skrying]

A running back doesn't need a power game, the greatest running back ever didn't have much of a power running game either. All I'm saying... He is what people wanted Reggie Bush to be, that's saying a lot.

[derFunkenstein]

Yeah it is, Bush was supposed to save people from burning buildings and do my dishes. There's nothing he couldn't do until he turned pro.

So two 9-win teams are playing for the NFC title. I'm amazed the Cardinals have lasted this long, the way they limped into the post-season. The Iggles finished very strong and probably should have won 10-11 games. I don't see AZ going to their first Supper Bowl, does anybody else?

My wife has been rooting for the Stillers since the Cowboys didn't make it. She thinks Big Ben is hot.

[themattman]

Well, we have the following this weekend:

PHI
ARI

BAL
PIT

I think it will end up being Eagles vs. the Ravens.

Predictions?

[Corrado]

I think it will end up being Eagles vs. the Ravens.

Predictions?

Eagles vs Steelers. PA Super Bowl In Tampa. I think the Steelers end up winning, unfortunately. However, the Eagles already beat the Steelers once. The Steelers rarely play a defense that can match up to their own, so they win close games. You can say the Ravens D is as good, but their cornerbacks aren't that great. The Eagles CBs combined with the pressure of Trent Cole and Juqua Parker just utterly confused ben in the first game. He had to hold the ball too long because there was no one open, leading to all the sacks and fumbles. The DTs and the Linebackers have been so great at stuffing the run that Willy Parker and Mewelde Moore won't be able to help them out much either.

On the other hand, the Steeler D is awesome too. Their only weakness I see is the cornerbacks, but with Woodley and Harrison there isn't enough time to get the ball out in the first place.

It would end up something like 9-6 Pitt over Philly.

[derFunkenstein]

The Ravens and Stillers just played twice during the regular season, and the only way they won the second game was the blown TD call towards the end of the game (where the ball never actually made it into the end zone). That Monday night game earlier in the year was pretty damn good tho. They were *this* close to splitting the season series.

That said, I'm thinking it'll be Pittsburgh/Philly, with the Super Bowl ending in a tie (there ya go, Donovan, now you know what happens in the playoffs...). Arizona baffled everyone the last two weeks but that **** has gotta stop sometime right?

[steelcity_ballin]

So the entire march down the Ravens throat where they couldn't stop us at home didn't matter? Hah. The Ravens are good, not as good as the Burgh. I'm going to believe it will be the Steelers and the Eagles, but wouldn't be surprised if Philly lost - Their offense has been inconsistent as anyone's, and their defense is only so so. It beat us with speed when we played but our O line didn't know what the hell it was doing and we had plenty of injuries.

The real challenge for Pitt will be the mavens, not the nfc IMO. Hope I don't have to eat those words.

[derFunkenstein]

Uh, pete...I'm not sure we watched the same game. The week 4 game went into overtime (I'm pretty sure...time to Google...*sigh*)

edit: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 03348.html
http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter?game_id=2 ... &week=REG4

[steelcity_ballin]

Uh, pete...I'm not sure we watched the same game. The week 4 game went into overtime (I'm pretty sure...time to Google...*sigh*)

edit: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 03348.html
http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter?game_id=2 ... &week=REG4

I'm only referring to the entire drive down the field where the holmes play was in question, it didn't happen on a 60 yard bomb, we drove the length was my point.

[derFunkenstein]

ah, yeah, they did put together a pretty nice drive. But we'll never know whether or not they would have scored legitimately (and I do believe they would have) or if the Ravens D would have finally stood up, all because a ref didn't know the rules. Depressing.

I now realized that you meant the Ravens were at home in your post rather than what I originally read, which was that "couldn't stop (us) at home" meant that Pittsburgh was at home. Stop using the first-person-plural pronoun when you're talking about a sports team and I'll understand you better.

[steelcity_ballin]

Stop using the first-person-plural pronoun when you're talking about a sports team and I'll understand you better.

but Pittsburgh = us! (doesn't everyone do that?)

[derFunkenstein]

I missed the one play where you actually got inot the game and laid that amazing block on Ray Lewis.

/me does not do that "we" thing because I have nothing to do with the Rams' lack of success.

I figured that Pittsburgh = us, that's why I thought you meant "you" were at home. Hence my confusion.

[Kevin]

I'm hoping for Ravens - Cards, if only so we don't have to listen to our resident PA fanboys.