NFL
Best Storylines Going into the Postseason & Off-season
I know I’ve been gone for a while and I haven’t updated this series of articles as I originally intended to, but that’s what happens when you become a staff writer for a major newspaper. But I haven’t forgotten my roots, so I’m back and ready to roll for the good people of SportsColumn.com.
TV and pro football aren’t always the perfect mix they appear to be.
In its more than 65 years of marriage to television, the backlash of the NFL’s decision to move the Green Bay – Chicago game on New Year’s Eve from day to night is yet another in a long line of slipups and mistakes. Errors in judgement appear to be inevitable at least every few years in this relationship. That it’s happened once again is, if nothing else, a sign of normality given the times.
OK folks, it’s the last week of the season and one last chance to get to the top of your office pool. Here are the final week 17 picks from the Sportscolumn crew. Remember that a lot of games might be rendered meaningless because of playoff positioning so we kept that in mind when making our picks.
If you want to see how we stack up against all the experts, check out a very nifty expert picks compilation spreadsheet by our buddy Tokar.
You can download the podcast directly (running time 41 mins) or subscribe to the feed.
If you use iTunes, just click here and then click subscribe and iTunes will take care of the rest.
Now that most of the team’s problems have been identified, we can examine potential solutions on the coaching staff and defense for the New York Giants. These solutions will not work overnight, but they will help the team in the future, and possibly get them to the Super Bowl in future years.
After watching the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Dallas Cowboy’s at Texas Stadium on Christmas night, I now realize the Eagles are now the favorite to win the NFC. Philadelphia clinched a playoff berth with a 9-6 record, and with a win next week against Atlanta, they will clinch an NFC East title. This has been a major turn-around for a team that was considered “dead” after a primetime loss to Indianapolis. But that game truly was the beginning.
Here I am, the total New York Giants fan. I have sat through fifteen weeks of wins, losses, good performances and bad ones. I have sat through injuries, from Derrick Ward to Sinorice Moss to Michael Strahan. In vain, I have watched Tim Lewis set up a zone defense, one in which the middle of the field is exposed. Here I am, I have seen Eli Manning make mistakes, throw his arms up in the air, and look like a wounded puppy all at the same time. Yes, I have seen the worst tackle and best hug of all time, courtesy of Mathias Kiwanuka to Vince Young. I saw Martin Gramatica, out of the NFL for 2 years (prior to 2006) kick that game-winning field goal, in our house. Please, on behalf of all of us- it is time for a total overhaul.
The NFL playoff race is shaping up as the season comes to a close. However, the teams that won’t be in the postseason made some news-worthy actions this week as well.
When you watch ESPN after anything happens with Terrell Owens, you get a sense of hypocrisy. Let’s take this latest incident where he spit in DeAngelo Hall’s face. Wait this is the same DeAngelo Hall that took a cheap shot at Rudi Johnson’s knees in week 8. At least getting spit on doesn’t injure you. ESPN talks about Tank Johnson and his off the field issues by simply stating what happened. They don’t dig deep into his character and talk about him being a problem for his team. I know T.O. has done a lot in his tenure as an NFL receiver do deserve attention, but maybe everyone should just state the facts and move on. Is it really necessary to talk every week about how he’s such a problem and how something needs to be done before it blows up in their face. Well, based on what they’ve said from the beginning, the Cowboys should be feeling the backlash by now. You don’t have to like T.O. because of all the things he’s done, but you sure can ignore it. My god it’s the only way Cowboys fans can continue to like their team. This isn’t a defense of Terrell Owens, but rather a story about the focus of the people at ESPN.
By Rob LaBrie
A flash comes across the screen, “Breaking News!” it reads in immortal ESPN text. It’s midnight and you just realize you’ve been dozing off on the couch. You see the screen and you decide it’s worth wiping the drool off the side of your face and sitting up to see what the news is before hitting the sack. Naturally, John Clayton pops up on the screen. “I’ve just received big news out of Green Bay. It seems Brett Favre may have played his last game in the NFL. Sources close to Favre say the legendary quarterback is leaning toward retirement. Of course, this is not set in stone, but we are one step closer to seeing Favre hang it up [pushes glasses up higher on his nose and sniffles].” You put your pants back on to hear this? Well, at least it must mean pitchers and catchers will be reporting pretty soon…
OK folks, only 2 more weeks of regular football season left so get your wagers in and get to the top of the office pool standings. Here are the NFL week 16 Picks – GUARANTEED to win it all for you*.
(*No warranties or guarantees express or implied even though it was just expressed.)
The featured games for week 16 are Baltimore @ Pittsburgh, New England @ Jacksonville, Cincinnati @ Denver, and Philly @ Dallas. You can download the podcast directly (running time 30 mins) or subscribe to the feed.
If you use iTunes, just click here and then click subscribe and iTunes will take care of the rest.
For an alternate set of picks, check out pfare’s journal entry.