NFL Season 2009

[Guard Dog]

Todays Results:

 

Kelverin: 12-4

GD: 12-4

Volo: 10-6

 

End of Season Standings:

 

Kelverin: 174-81

GD: 171-84

Volo: 166-89

 

Yes, I know the Jets-Bengals game is still on but I have a better chance of giving birth tonight than the Bengals do of pulling that one out.

 

So Kelverin wins the season on a surge in week 15. I was never able to close the gap and Volo keot falling farther behind. Congrats Kelverin, you win a lifetime of free use of the Obsidian forums plus the chance to purchase your own copy of Alpha Protocol on the day it's released.

 

We'll keep this going through the Super Bowl just to see what our recods end up looking like.

[Volourn]

Grats to tha winnar!

[Kelverin]

Playoffs

 

AFC

Sat., Jan. 9, 4:30 p.m. ET NBC

N.Y. Jets @ Cincinnati

 

NFC

Sat., Jan. 9, 8:00 p.m. ET NBC

Philadelphia @ Dallas

 

AFC

Sun., Jan. 10, 1:00 p.m. ET CBS

Baltimore @ New England

 

NFC

Sun., Jan 10, 4:40 p.m. ET FOX

Green Bay @ Arizona

 

 

Odds/Point Spread

Favorite Line Underdog Total

Cincinnati -2.5 NY Jets 34

Dallas -4 Philadelphia 45

New England -3.5 Baltimore 43

Arizona -1 Green Bay 47.5

[Volourn]

CIN - CIN is probably the 'weakest' of the homem teams but I think they'll pull it out nontheless.

 

DAL - I don't really care who win this one but I expect a lot of over the top dumbness by so called 'experts' bashing of the loser. Morons.

 

NE - BAL is a tough 1st round opponent for Brady's return to playoff play espicially since NE has been up and down all season; but I just don't see him going one and out.

 

ARI - Rogers needs to suffer that loss in his first playuoff game. But, hey, a GB vs MIN 2nd round match up? EPIC.

[taks]

ARI - Rogers needs to suffer that loss in his first playuoff game. But, hey, a GB vs MIN 2nd round match up? EPIC.

assuming wisenhunt doesn't pull all his starters in the first quarter, rodgers may get his chance, though i'm uncertain of AZ's chances.

 

quite frankly, i totally disagree with such a move even though the game didn't mean anything. a team must play to win, always, and simply getting play time in for the 2nd/3rd string players or attempting to avoid injury (of the stars) is not sufficient excuse to dump a game in my book, particularly when fans are paying to see the stars. now GB is going into the playoffs against the very team they embarrassed last week, which gives them an edge. furthermore, AZ is going into the game after a pounding which likely had at least some demoralizing effect.

 

taks

[Kelverin]

One home team will lose most likely Arizona, but I'll take them all.

 

CIN

DAL

NE

ARI

[Hurlshort]

Ah, the time of the year I actually watch games!

 

NY Jets over Cincinnati - Well, they got walloped last week. I think it will be a better game, but still think the Jets are peaking and the Bengals are sliding.

 

Dallas over Philadelphia - Philly has been an odd bird this season, losing a couple real bad games. Still, they always can get hot in the playoffs, but I think the Cowboys are ready this year to make some noise.

 

New England over Baltimore - I think this will be the easiest call, to be honest. Although losing the top WR is going to hurt NE's offense.

 

Green Bay over Arizona - I'm less confident in the Cards this year. If Rodgers doesn't get cold feet, this could be a blowout.

[Enoch]

I know I dropped out of the regular picks running a month or so ago, but I'm hopping back in for the playoffs:

 

Cincinatti over the Jets. Defense and the running game might have been the formula for playoff success in 1977, but in the modern NFL, you've got to throw the ball to beat good teams. Sanchez just isn't ready.

 

Philly over Dallas. I think they hit on a few deep passes early against the Cowboys safeties in coverage. Get Romo behind the 8-ball, take the crowd out of the game, and hold on for a close win.

 

New England over Baltimore. I'm tempted to pick the upset here because of NE's weak pass defense, but I don't trust the Ravens receivers enough to take advantage of it.

 

Green Bay over Arizona. GB's OL was its Achilles heel for most of the season, but it has really come together and improved its play in the last month or two. Right now I just think that GB is the better team on offense and defense (special teams is a bit ARI advantage, but I don't think it'll be enough).

[Guard Dog]

Bengals over the Jets: Sorry Jets, you have to play against the starters this week!

 

Dallas over Philly: Funny line of the week came from a caller to the Herd the ESPN Radio morning show "Andy Reid couldn't spell excellence if you spotted him the consanants and told him to buy a vowel!"

 

Pats over the Ravens: I do think the Ravens can win this game but it's hard to go against Bellicheck and his boys in January.

 

Cards over the Packers: Arizona finds a way to win when they really have to. I know tha matchup favor Green Bay but my gut is telling me otherwise this week.

[Kelverin]

Wow did Cincinnati stink up the joint. Palmer looked terrible, I wonder how much money he put on the J-E-T-S to win and K Shane Gram needs to be fired!

Edited January 10, 2010 by Kelverin

[Hurlshort]

Looks like I'm going to lose my first game, Baltimore is cleaning up the Pats.

[Kelverin]

Aint it great, hope they wipe out manning and the colts next week.

[Kelverin]

17 - 0 cardinals in the first quarter, hope this turns around and is at least competitive. This weekend has been weak as far as good games are concerned.

[Enoch]

I am not good at picking NFL games.

[taks]

17 - 0 cardinals in the first quarter, hope this turns around and is at least competitive.

in hindsight...

 

This weekend has been weak as far as good games are concerned.

little did you know.

 

though i was skiing today and missed the game, i'm guessing epic defensive FAIL on AZ's part, correct? well, until the epic defensive WIN in OT.

 

taks

[Hurlshort]

That was a pretty exciting game between the Cards and the Packers. Definitely two fantastic QB performances.

 

But yeah, that was some horrific defense. I guess Arizona redeemed themselves by winning it on D, but GB will need to assess that for next year.

[Guard Dog]

The Cards-Packers game was nothing less than epic. Kudos to Green Bay for not rollling over the way the Bengals did. I'm pulling for the Cards the rest of the way. But, they better find a way to play defense before next weekend. If they give up 45 points to New Orelans then they're done.

[Kelverin]

Epic but with no defense being exhibited leaves it at least for me lacking in the Classic department.

[Kelverin]

Saturday, 1/16

 

* Arizona at New Orleans

* Baltimore at Indianapolis

 

Sunday, 1/17

 

* Dallas at Minnesota

* NY Jets at San Diego

 

 

Date/Time Favorite Line Underdog Point Total

1/16 4:30 ET At New Orleans -7 Arizona 57

 

1/16 8:15 ET At Indianapolis -6.5 Baltimore 44

 

1/17 1:00 ET At Minnesota -3 Dallas 45.5

 

1/17 4:40 ET At San Diego -7.5 NY Jets 42

Edited January 13, 2010 by Kelverin

[Kelverin]

Arizona and the under

Indianapolis and the over

Minnesota and the under

NY Jets at San Diego - I'll take the Chargers to win outright, the Jets and the points and the over.

[Volourn]

ARI

INDY

MIN

SD

[Hurlshort]

New Orleans over Arizona - probably a bad choice, but if the Saints D shows up they can stop the Cards

 

Indy over Baltimore - I'm not a Ravens fan.

 

Dallas over Min - The Cowboys look like the real deal this year.

 

SD over NY - Just for Kelverin

[Guard Dog]

I'm pulling for the Cardinals but I do think the Saints will win. Unlike Green Bay last week, the Saints can actually play defense.

 

Indy will win over the Ravens but I expect Balitmore will put a scare into them.

 

Vikings will defeat the Cowboys.

 

The Bolts will make short work of the Jets.

[Enoch]

The Colts should win. All the other games this weekend look like real toss-ups to me.

 

Yes, I think the Chargers are, overall, a much better overall team than the Jets, but this is a terrible matchup for SD. NYJ's two big strengths (pass defense, particularly on #1 WRs, and rushing offense) are perfect match for the Chargers' biggest strength (Rivers-to-Jackson) and their biggest weakness (run D). If they manage to turn the game into a slugging match, I can't say that either team has much of an advantage. I'll make San Diego the call, because I think Gates can get open against the Jets D, but I'm not confident.

 

The NO-ARI game probably depends heavily on how healthy Saints CB Jabari Greer is. He was great for them in the first half of the season, but missed weeks 10-16 with an injury, which is a big reason why the team faded down the stretch. I'll say Arizona.

 

As for Vikes-Boys, I think this is going to be an ugly game. The Vikes' OL has regressed a lot this season, particularly the much-ballyhooed left side of McKinnie and Hutchinson. They're no longer even an above-average rushing offense (22nd in the league in yards/attempt), and Peterson still fumbles too much. But the passing offense has been very good. I think Dallas can take away the deep stuff with their pass rush and their CBs, but I don't think that they'll have an answer to the shorter passing game that Favre excels at-- quick screens to guys like Shiancoe, Taylor, and Harvin. On the other side of the ball, Minny's secondary is their weakness, but I suspect that Jared Allen and Romo being Romo will prevent the Cowboys from really taking advantage. I'll take Minnesota, ever so slightly.

[Nihilus5078]

So perhaps the Cowboys vs. Vikings game wasn't exactly a competition. More a blowout, but I'm still a bit curious on the New Orleans game coming up on Sunday. I wasn't expecting the Jets to pull it off on San Diego, but it happened, but I'm not to sure about them going against Indianapolis. As far as the Vikes going against New Orleans, I'll just jump onto paper as I usually do.

 

So starting out, New Orleans has the number 1 ranked total offense in the entire regular season, they also finished the season 13-3. Not bad at all. Though the downside of them is that they're ranked 25th on defense.

 

Key Players: Drew Brees, Darren Sharper, Reggie Bush, Jonathan Vilma, Jeremy Shockey, Marques Colston, Shaun Ellis

 

For the Vikes, they have a #5 ranked offense and a #6 ranked defense. While Adrian Peterson may still be a bloody butterfingers when it comes to carrying the @#$%ing ball, he's still probably one of the reasons how the Vikes made it into the championship round of the playoffs. The only real weakness in their defense is their secondary, and this has been so for quite a while since Brad Childress took the controls it seems like. Ever since the Vikes picked up Pat Williams, their rush defense has been unstoppable with the two Williams' clogging up the middle of the D-Line with Ray Edwards and Jared Allen on the ends. It's just when it comes to the Linebackers and Defensive Backs where they get a bit shakey. They have good secondary players; Antoine Winfield, Cedric Griffin, and Benny Sapp. Madieu Williams is okay and so is Tyrell Johnson. For Linebackers, the only problem is Greenway is really the only real impact player right behind the D-Line. Though they did go 12-4.

 

Key Players: Adrian Peterson, Brett Favre, Sidney Rice, Percy Harvin, Bernard Berrian, Pat Williams, Kevin Williams, Antoine Winfield, Jared Allen, Steve Hutchinson, Chad Greenway, Bryant McKinnie, Visanthe Shiancoe, Ryan Longwell

 

Brett Favre has many weapons to throw to like Bernard Berrian, Sidney Rice, or even Visanthe Shiancoe that can possibly result in big yardage, or Favre could just hand it off to Peterson and see if he makes a big play, if he can keep the @#$%ing ball in hand. On defense, their D-Line can possibly give Bush a tough day going up the middle, though if he somehow gets past the D-Line, it may be bad news. I think in order for the Vikes to win, they need to keep up their good offense, not do anything stupid and try and make the best of the abilities of the Defensive Backs. As for New Orleans, they'll need to focus on throwing the ball for good powerful marches up the field, and yes, not do anything stupid. Though they may be a bit in the pickle considering their ****ty defense versus one of the better offenses in the league. Both have strengths and weaknesses on both sides of the ball.

 

As far as the Colts facing the Jets, I really think that the Colts will pull this one off, though I may be wrong here.