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Marshall Shines in Pro Bowl

djames — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 23:05:46 +0000

Though it wasn’t the best played game of the season, the annual Pro Bowl had plenty of great football that showcased most of the top talents in the entire NFL. In the end, it was Brandon Marshall who ended up being the star of stars, as the Dolphins wideout hauled in a Pro Bowl record four touchdowns as the AFC went on to beat the NFC, 59-41. As you can imagine with a score like that, the game wasn’t exactly won on the defensive side of the ball, as defenses looked considerable less ferocious than usual.

The game even brought some criticism around the country, as it mainly looks like a celebration of the sport instead of an actual game. Several players around the league were displeased with the event, which has been moved around over the years and is now an exhibition with an unsure future. With the Pro Bowl now behind us, the attention will be back on Indianapolis, where the Giants and Patriots are getting ready for a brutal rematch. It was just a few years back that the Giants ruined the Patriots’ perfect season, and Tom Brady and Bill Belichick seem poised for revenge. Though all Super Bowls have plenty of talent and two good teams, this one has plenty of potential and could end up being one for the ages.

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Giants Squeeze By 49ers to Super Bowl

djames — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:50:04 +0000

The San Francisco 49ers put up a valiant effort, but the New York Giants proved up to the challenge, as the G-Men pulled out a 20-17 win to send them to the Super Bowl. Alex Smith and the 49ers ended up making some big plays down the stretch, but a couple of poor special teams plays ended up dooming the team, propelling the Giants to a tight win in OT. After the teams played to a draw in regulation, with both teams exchanging blows, it was Kyle Williams who muffed a punt in OT, setting up a 31-yard field goal in overtime by Lawrence Tynes. When Tynes banged it through, the 49ers season came to a close and the Giants moved on to the Super Bowl.

With the win, the Giants also setup a rematch with the New England Patriots, a team that were cut short of their perfect season when the Giants pulled out a dramatic Super Bowl win just a few short years ago. Right now, Eli Manning is playing as well as he ever has in his career, which will make it difficult on the New England Patriots all game long. But even though Tom Brady had an off game during the AFC Championship, the Giants know better than to expect a second off-night in a row.

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Pats Slip By Ravens to Super Bowl

djames — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:44:33 +0000

Well, you can’t say that the Patriots are headed into uncharted territory. Though Tom Brady looked fairly pedestrian for much of the time he was on the field, the Ravens didn’t quite have enough to overtake the Patriots in the AFC Championship game, losing 23-20 and coming up just short of another Super Bowl appearance. After a valiant drive by Joe Flacco and the Ravens, Billy Cundiff ended up hooking a 32-yard field goal in the closing seconds, delivering yet another AFC win by the New England Patriots under Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.

Now the Pats get to head back to the Super Bowl to take on the Giants, a team that just ruined their perfect season just a few short years ago. Right now, the Giants are playing as well as anyone, with Eli Manning starting to establish himself as one of the elite quarterbacks in the entire league. Behind his excellent play, the Giants once again look like a potential champion, though the Patriots offense might have something to say about that in a couple weeks in Indianapolis. Brady and company get to head to the Super Bowl for the fifth time in this era, and he’ll have another chance to match all-time greats like Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw on the all-time Super Bowl wins list.

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Super Bowl Has Classic Potential

djames — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 22:58:11 +0000

The Super Bowl is right around the corner, and it looks like we have two heavyweights that know a thing or two about winning a big game. On one side you have Tom Brady and the Patriots, a team that ranks as the reigning dynasty that has enjoyed about as much success as teams have in the NFL. On the other side we have the New York Giants, a talented and disciplined team that just a few short years ago dashed Brady’s hopes of leading a team to a perfect season. With Eli Manning establishing himself as an elite quarterback in the league, the game could clearly either way.

The game will also bring together two different styles and it’s unclear which one will end up having the upper hand. The Patriots have a bend but don’t break defense with a few holes, but they also have a prolific offense that can really turn it on when they get protection for Tom Brady. But it was protecting Brady that caused the downfall of the Patriots the last time the Giants played them in the Super bowl, which is exactly what they’ll hope to do this time around as well. If Brady can be slowed down by the strong defensive front of the Giants, Eli Manning might walk off with a Super Bowl ring in the town that his brother bit. Talk about a good story.

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Texans Fall to Ravens

djames — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 22:33:23 +0000

Though T.J. Yates did a good job in keeping the Texans’ hopes alive, the dream finally came to a close over the weekend, as Yates and company proved no match for the staunch defense of the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens forced Yates into three interceptions, overcoming a strong performance from the Texans’ defense to deliver the win. It was still a memorable season for the Texans but now they’ll have an offseason to think about what might have been if they were able to stay healthy and play against the Ravens at full strength.

But for now the moment belongs to the Ravens, who will head on to take on the Patriots in New England this weekend. The Patriots are coming off an offensive explosion against the Broncos, a team that they buried 45-10 with six Tom Brady touchdowns backing them up. The Ravens have given Brady trouble in the past, however, and the Ravens have a new opportunity to knock the Patriots out of the playoffs. A lot, of course, will fall at the feet of Joe Flacco, who is a strong quarterback still proving that he’s one of the elite. Either way, it should be a great battle of strong defense versus strong offense, with the winner heading to the Super Bowl.

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Brady Has Way with Broncos

djames — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:28:40 +0000

After a nice two weeks off, Tom Brady was more than ready for Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos. Though Tebow delivered an impressive OT win in the first round, the New England Patriots defense got a good pass rush and Tom Brady ended up absolutely eviscerating the Broncos secondary. When all was said and done, Brady ended up with six touchdowns and 363 passing yards in total, making it one of the most impressive offensive outbursts in the history of the playoffs. With the win, the Patriots move back to the AFC Championship Game, a place that they’ve grown accustomed to playing over the years.

The Patriots get to stay put and wait for the Baltimore Ravens, a team that just held down a victory against the Houston Texans over the weekend. The Ravens have a strong defense as well and are sure to give Brady a little more of a test, though his hot hand could prove to be too much to handle if they can’t get an extreme amount of pressure on him. The game also ends a surprising season from Tebow, who got into the starting lineup mid-season and helped guide them all the way to the playoffs, giving management plenty to think about in the offseason.

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Pats, Brady Move to 10-3

djames — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 18:36:24 +0000

Though the New England Patriots don’t have nearly their best team in recent years, don’t tell that to Tom Brady. After holding off the Redskins and winning a tough 34-27 game on the road, the Patriots are now 10-3 and in a commanding position in the AFC East, which they have absolutely dominated for the last decade. The Patriots once again showed their lack of talent on defense, but it simply doesn’t matter when you have Tom Brady clicking on offense. Even though Brady threw an uncharacteristic interception in the back of the endzone late in the game, Brady still is putting together an MVP-caliber season and leading the Patriots toward the top of the AFC in the process.

And the beautiful thing about this Patriots team is that they don’t have to be perfect. Looking around the league, even the elite teams have imperfections or straight up flaws – including the Green Bay Packers. The Patriots are pushing forward and may have a chance at getting the first seed in the AFC, which would make their road to the Superbowl relatively easy and they’ve always been a very difficult team to beat at home in the postseason. Though most of the talk this season has been on Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, it would be very New England Patriots if Brady and Bill Belichick pulled out yet another ring this season. You might not want to bet against them from here on out.

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Pats Bounce Back, Thump Jets

djames — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 15:51:34 +0000

With the Jets looking to make a statement at home and the Pats looking very beatable the last couple of weeks, Tom Brady took the Pats on his back and gave them a must needed win, one that might end up sending them on their way in the AFC East. Brady ended up having one of his best games of the season, as he threw for 329 yards and three touchdowns without a pick, which turned out to be more than enough as the Pats’ defense was able to curtail Mark Sanchez in the second half. After the win, the Pats move to 6-3 and are in a commanding position over the 5-4 Jets, not to mention the 5-4 and fading Buffalo Bills.

It wasn’t just Brady who had a great game, however, as tight end Rob Gronkowski announced on national television that he is one of the premier players at the position. Gronk grabbed two touchdowns and finished with eight catches and 113 total yards, making him one of the top wideouts of the weekend in terms of fantasy production. Even Chad Ochocinco got into the mix with two catches for 65, giving him his most productive game playing for New England thus far. With a very easy schedule from here on out, the Pats look to be the clear favorite in the AFC East once again.

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Patriots Hand Cowboys New Heartbreaker

djames — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 17:58:36 +0000

The Cowboys were in line for another win, and it just didn’t happen. Though in former games it was questionable throws and passing calls that got the Cowboys into trouble, this time they got burned by going conservative. Leading by three, the Cowboys dialed it down and kept the ball on the ground, giving the Patriots a chance with the ball for only a couple minutes left in the fourth. Even though the Cowboys had stifled the Tom Brady and the Pats for much of the day, Brady led the Patriots down the field and threw a clutch game-winning touchdown to Aaron Hernandez with just 22 seconds left on the clock.

But even though the Patriots were able to come out with the win, there was still lot to be optimistic about for the Cowboys. Going on the road to beat the Patriots is one of the most difficult things to do in the NFL, and they were in position to do exactly that late in the fourth quarter. Though they’ll take their fair share of criticism, a softer schedule should bring about quite a few wins heading towards the midway point of the season. Even if the loss was a tough one to swallow, the Cowboys aren’t going anywhere this season.

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Pats/Steelers is Marquee Matchup

djames — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 16:25:21 +0000

As the season moves on, the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots look like the teams we thought they were heading into the season. This week, with the Pats coming off of a bye and the Steelers narrowly surviving a game against the Cardinals, the two will square up in Pittsburgh. Could it be a potential preview of the AFC Championship Game? You never know with these two, as they’ve been in and out of the biggest postseason games in the AFC over the last decade, with a combined five Super Bowl rings in the process.

This year, both teams are relying as much on the pass as they ever have before, which should also make for a much more high-flying game than you might usually think a game featuring the Steelers would have. Tom Brady and the Pats have been carving up secondaries, even without the deep threat that he used to have. Wes Welker is having a Hall of Fame level season so far, but the Steelers have expanded their aerial attack and Ben Roethlisberger is showing that he’s more than just a guy who can hang in the pocket and make a play. With plenty on the line for both teams, this should be one of the best and most grueling matchups of the weekend.

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