I’m going to start by predicting the Saints to win this game. And here’s why.

Both teams have dominating offences and arguably two of the top three quarterbacks in the league. They also have very similar rosters on the offensive side of the ball. One of the keys will come down to the rushing attacks. There shouldn’t be a whole lot of a problem throwing the ball so it will be up to the running backs to give their offence the edge.

For me, I like the Saints rushing attack. This is mostly because of what Reggie Bush has looked like this post-season. He hasn’t gotten the ball a lot but when he has gotten it he’s gone all out. Even to go as far as to lower his shoulder and level guys. He’s a big-play threat that can make a difference in this game.

There is also the defence that will factor into this game. I give the Saints the edge in this category as well because of their ability to force turnovers. Both teams don’t turn it over much so an interception or fumble would be big. And don’t forget, Darren Sharper is one of the best at returning fumbles and interceptions for touchdowns.

Another thing with this game is the over/under total. As of now, the total is 56.5 which his pretty high for a football game. In my opinion, it’s too high.

I’m planning on betting on this game and I’ll be picking the under. Yes, both of these teams can score but it takes time to get downfield. Add on Peyton Manning’s multiple signal calls at the line, and you have a lot of time being run of the clock. A number of times I’ve seen two high scoring teams put together a low scoring game.

My Prediction for this game: 20-17 Saints

Hope everyone has a great Sunday and remember to be safe, don’t drink and drive!

This is AI’s eleventh selection to the NBA All-Star Game. There is no doubt that Allen Iverson is a household name, especially after his practice rant. But now his act seems to be wearing thin, or at least that’s what I thought.

Now it seems that he’s the talk of the town of Philadelphia. Even after complaining and being benched in Detroit. Even after basically trying to start over then giving up on Memphis, who are over 500 without him. He was welcomed into the 76ers locker room like nothing happened.

Iverson’s numbers are at their lowest this year. As of February 4th, AI has career lows in points, steals, assists and minutes per game. He’s not even in the top 15 for Eastern Conference PPG. He has started all of his games while with the 76ers.

And it seems he might have kicked out another player who has also had problems thorough his career.

Stephen Jackson has played a career high 40.4 minutes per game and leads Charlotte with 20.5 points per game. His Bobcats sit at 24-24 and currently hold 6th place in the Eastern Conference, and are on pace for their best record and their first playoff appearance.

With Iverson being chosen as a starter, it only left one or two spots open for reserve shooting guards. Joe Johnson was chosen for that spot, an honour he deserves. Johnson has 1.5 more PPG then Jackson even though he’s played an average 1.3 minutes per game less than Jackson.

In the end, it hurts to see Iverson go instead of Jackson. But when you give the fans the vote, they’ll usually be a flaw in judgement. Let the fans vote in players to the dunk contest or skills challenge. But even then we might have Shaquille O’Neal in the obstacle course because the fans wanted to see it.

The Jets get another shot to upset a favoured team at home. But I can’t really give them full credit for the win. Nate Kaeding cost his team 9 points, 9 points that would have given the Chargers the win. I’m one of those guys who still doubt the Jets’ ability. The Colts were beating the Jets in their last meeting until Jim Caldwell decided to rest his starters. Add that on to the fact that the Colts took easy care of the Baltimore Ravens. Indy’s defence allowed only 3 points in last week’s victory and it will be even more crucial for them to keep New York out of the endzone. However, the Jets offence is arguably better than the Ravens so the Colts will have a tougher task.
My Pick: Colts

Minnesota Vikings vs. New Orleans Saints

Both teams come into this game hot on offence. Both teams scored over 30 points and both have had a bye week to recover. This game will most likely come down to the play of the quarterbacks. Brett Favre, who is arguably having one of his best years, is hot right now while Drew Brees looked amazing last weekend. But the one guy I’ll have my eye on is Reggie Bush. He looked like the back the Saints thought they’d be getting when they drafted him second overall. He was electric every time he touched the ball and was even being physical, laying a few shoulders into defenders after runs. I think we all caught a glimpse of how good Bush could be. But anyways…
My Pick: Saints

And if everything goes right, we’ll have the two teams who were almost perfect in the regular season. Colts vs. Saints would be an epic matchup.

Nate Kaeding after another disappointing miss (Courtesy of nfl.com)

Many people will put kicker at or near the bottom of team’s needs during the off-season. This is mainly because people don’t respect what a kicker can do for their team. But after this post-season, I think some teams will have to reconsider their kicker position.

With only two rounds of the 2010 post-season finish, kickers have gone 15/26 (57.69%). In a few situations, their misses cost their team a win. The weird thing is that 6 out of the 8 games played so far have been either indoors or in warm weather. Here are the kickers who brought shame, frustration and disappointment to their fans:

Nate Kaeding is only 8 for 15 for his career in the playoffs. His worst performance was arguably last Sunday’s game against the Jets. Kaeding missed all three field goals after missing only three out of 35 attempts during the regular season. Though one of his kicks were from 57 yards out, it is still disappointing for him to miss all three kicks, especially since he’s going to the Pro Bowl. Will the Chargers cut him because of it? Probably not but his playoff stats are less than All-Pro.

Shayne Graham, Golden Graham, one of the better kickers in the league, missed both field goals in the Wildcard Round. Funny thing is, they were both under 40 yards. Now was this one bad game? We might never know but it was an awful performance. But with Graham’s contract coming to an end, there’s a possibility that we might not see the red-headed kicker in a Bengals uniform next season.

Neil Rackers might have cost his team a chance to move on to the Divisional Round after missing a 34 yarder that would have put the Cardinals up three with 14 seconds left. Fortunately for him, the Cardinals won the game. He went 1 for 3 overall in this year’s playoffs. He is now 6 for 10 for his career in the playoffs. Now does he get cut? I can’t see it happening but when you shank a 34 yarder as bad as he did, you got to question your kicker’s abilities.

We as fans should understand how important a great kicker is. Numerous games can come down to a late game-winning kick. Kickers like Adam Vinatieri have so many teams interested in signing them because of their clutch kicks. Sometimes it’s just an intangible thing that kickers have. Bottom line, the kicker position is more important than people make it out to be.

Baltimore Ravens vs. Indianapolis Colts

Or the battle of Baltimore. The Ravens are coming off of a big win over the favoured New England Patriots. But now they have a bigger challenge. The Colts won’t be an easy team to beat. However, there are similarities between the Colts offensive and the Patriots offence. Both have great Quarterbacks, average rushing attacks and skill throughout the Wide Receiver position. In their last game, Baltimore got off to a quick start and that will probably be key in this game. If they can get an early lead, their defence could keep them in charge.
My Pick: Ravens (UPSET!) because they took care of the Patriots rather easily

New York Jets vs. San Diego Chargers

Maybe the Jets should be favoured in every game like Rex Ryan said. Sorry Rex, the Chargers are favoured by a touchdown for Sunday’s game. The one battle to look at in this game would be the Chargers passing attack against the Jets pass defence. Both are very solid and have star players at key positions. This week, Revis Island welcomes Vincent Jackson. Jackson has the height advantage but so did Randy Moss in two games the Patriots faced off against the Jets and Moss didn’t do so well. This game might come down to the Jets rushing attack against the Chargers rush defence. The stats tell us that New York has the edge but we’ll have to see. It wasn’t Thomas Jones, their feature back, who was their leading rusher last weekend. San Diego has to learn from what Cincinnati failed to do. The key for the Jets last week was their play action and misdirection. The Chargers must control what the Jets do passing the ball. Though Mark Sanchez did have a good game last week, he is still a rookie that threw 20 interceptions this year. Force Sanchez into mistakes.
My Pick: Chargers

Dallas Cowboys vs. Minnesota Vikings

Now that the Cowboys have won in the playoffs, everyone seems to be jumping on their bandwagon to the Super Bowl. So why haven’t I yet? Because the Vikings are in their way. Now I know Brett Favre hasn’t been great in his last couple of playoff appearances. I understand Adrian Peterson is in slump. But the thing is, Minnesota had the luxury of a bye week. Favre has a week off to rest his arm, Peterson has an extra week to work on his running and the team gets a week to heal up. The Vikings are going to come into this game ready to go. Their run defence has always been solid and will have a difficult task stopping the three-headed running backs of Dallas. However, it might be the passing attack for the Cowboys that is the biggest factor as Tony Romo has been hot as of late and so has their defence.
My Pick: Cowboys (I haven’t jumped on the bandwagon yet, just thinking about it)

Arizona Cardinals vs. New Orleans Saints

This game will be crucial for the Saints. They’ve lost 3 straight even though they had their starters in most of the time. The Cardinals come into this game after putting up 51 points on the second best defence in the league. Kurt Warner lit it up and there’s no doubt that they can do it again. This could be another high scoring game with two of the top offences going at it. But New Orleans is at home for this game, which is a significant advantage since it gets very loud in the Louisiana Superdome. They also got the week off to rest and prepare.
My Pick: Saints

Now I know that the Bengals got destroyed last week. They’ve now lost 3 out of 4 and have some injuries to deal with. The Bengals might not have Chad Ochocinco or Domata Peko for Saturday’s game and they placed Rey Maualuga on IR. The key is to get both Ochocinco and Peko back and starting. Peko is a big guy that can shut down the run, which is something that Cincinnati had trouble with last week. Ochocinco is the main guy in the receiving core and if he is not playing, the Bengals will have to rely on the run. However, both of these guys practiced on Wednesday and should be ready to go. On the flip side, the Jets might not have the services of David Harris, their solid and underrated middle linebacker, for the game.
My Pick: Bengals. I just can’t see the Jets beating them twice but we’ll see.

Baltimore Ravens vs. New England Patriots

The Ravens managed to secure a playoff spot after beating the Raiders Week 17. The key for them now is to prove that they deserve to be playing in the playoffs. These two teams faced off in New England Week 4, a game that the Patriots won 27-21. The difference is that the Patriots had Wes Welker in that game. Welker, who ranked 1st in receptions during the regular season, will not play and it might hurt New England’s offence somewhat. With him being out, I can see Randy Moss being targeted a few more times, especially since the Baltimore cornerbacks are average and not all that tall.
My Pick: Patriots. I don’t know if the Ravens can have the run they had last year in the playoffs.

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys

We’re seeing something out of the Cowboys that we haven’t seen in a long time: Them winning in December. And technically, they did win in January. Tony Romo has been leading his team to the playoffs and is looking almost MVP like. If he can continue with his success and their defence can keep on shutting the door, the Cowboys might be the team to beat in the playoffs. Then again, we haven’t seen them in the playoffs yet and the Eagles are a tough team to beat twice. However, Philadelphia has to make up for the disappointing loss last week. The Eagles could have been sitting back at home watching the Wildcard round on TV if they were to win last week.
My Pick: Cowboys. I know they sucked recently in the playoffs but I can see them beating up the Eagles once again. The new stadium is going to be rocking Saturday Night.

Green Bay Packers vs. Arizona Cardinals

The Packers have been one of the hottest teams heading into the playoffs. They are 4-1 in their last 5 games and had a huge win against the Cardinals last week. They have also outscored their last 2 opponents 81-17. Now they head back to Arizona with some swagger. The Cardinals come into this game knowing what it takes to make the Super Bowl. Both have great quarterbacks, pretty good run games but Green Bay does have a better defence.
My Pick: Packers. Too good of a defence for me to pick Arizona, but it will be a tight game.

Disappointing Finishes

The Cincinnati Bengals couldn’t have picked a worse time to slump. The Bengals have now lost their last 3 out of 4. Their worst loss of the year came on Sunday Night Football against the New York Jets. The Bengals kept a bunch of their starters in yet still lost 37-0. It was a rather disturbing game to watch for me and I’m sure to any Bengals fan. We’ll see how they do in the playoffs. Both teams face each other Saturday at Paul Brown Stadium. Expect a more competitive game out of these two teams.

The Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints are two surprising finishes to the year. In the last three weeks, both teams combined have totalled only 1 win. Both are riding losing streaks heading into the playoffs. Luckily for them, they have home-field advantage and first-round byes. The Colts have the edge in experience as they have been in the playoffs for the last 7 year. However, 4 out of their last 7 playoff appearances have been 1 and done. Maybe one of these two teams will go perfect in the playoffs?

The Playoffs Have Arrived

AFC:

NFC:

Some interesting questions that will be answered after this weekend:
Are the Jets good enough to win in the playoffs?
Are the Bengals for real?
Did the Cowboys shake off their playoff woes?
Is Favre going to hold up in the playoffs?
Can the Cardinals repeat as NFC Champions?

And the most important question of all: WHO’S MOVING ON?

Draft Order

1. Rams
2. Lions
3. Buccaneers
4. Redskins
5. Chiefs
6. Seahawks
7. Browns
8. Raiders
9. Bills
10*. Broncos (from Chicago)
10*. Jaguars
12. Dolphins
13. 49ers
14. Seahawks (from Denver)
15. Giants
16*. 49ers (from Carolina)
16*. Titans
18. Steelers
19*. Falcons
19*. Texans

*Will be determined by coin flip

The Rams have a top 3 pick for the 3rd time in a row. I believe that they will draft a quarterback with the first overall pick but Ndamukong Suh is also a very good option. The 2nd and 3rd overall picks will not be quarterbacks unless there is a trade. Both teams have their quarterbacks of the future. Some players I like: Joe Haden, Donovan Warren, Dez Bryant.

Indianapolis Colts (14-1) at Buffalo Bills (5-10)

The key point for this game is whether or not the Colts will rest their starters again. Most likely it will happen. It would be a slap in the face of all the Colts fans if the team were to keep their starters in all game. I highly doubt we’ll see Peyton Manning or any other starter in the game for more than a half. Last week, we saw how bad the Indianapolis backups could be as they allowed 19 points while scoring 0. Add that onto the fact that it will be in snowy Buffalo, and you got a recipe for disaster.
My Pick: Buffalo

New York Giants (8-7) at Minnesota Vikings (11-4)

Basically this game is a slumping playoff team against a team that just barely missed the playoffs. So who is going to be hungrier in this game? For the Giants, it’s a chance to make up for the 41-9 loss they had at home against the Panthers. A win would also give them their 3rd straight winning season. For the Vikings, it means a couple of things. First off, a win and an Eagles loss would give Minnesota a first-round bye. Even if they don’t get a first-round bye, a win would definitely pick up the spirits of the players. Heading into the playoffs with a 3 game losing streak would be disappointing. I really think that Minnesota needs this game more than the Giants do.
My Pick: Vikings

Green Bay Packers (10-5) at Arizona Cardinals (10-5)

This game would probably be a little more interesting if it wasn’t Week 17. Both of these teams have clinched a playoff birth. The Packers and Cardinals might actually face each other in the Wildcard round if the Packers win this game. If the Cardinals were to win, they would need the Vikings and Eagles to lose to clinch a first-round bye. If both of those teams were to win, Arizona would stay at the 4th seed. The Packers can either be seeded 5th or 6th as the Vikings already locked up the NFC North. Because of the situation with the back to back games, these two teams might rest their starters.
My Pick: Cardinals

New Orleans Saints (13-2) at Carolina Panthers (7-8)

In two weeks New Orleans has gone from a possible 16-0 team to a giant question mark. It’s very disappointing to see the Saints struggling at this point in the season. Now they have to go into Carolina to face a team that has been red hot offensively. A big surprise has been the play of Matt Moore. In his last 4 games, he has thrown for 7 touchdowns and only 1 interception. Also last week, Jonathan Stewart ran for over 200 yards. We’ll see how the Saints do but in my opinion, what’s the point of keeping the starters in for the whole game?
My Pick: Panthers

Philadelphia Eagles (11-4) at Dallas Cowboys (10-5)

There’s no doubt that both teams are coming into this game ready to go. For them, the playoffs start this Sunday. Neither of these teams wants to lose to their divisional rival. What’s at stake in this game? Well the Eagles clinch not only the NFC East division but a first-round bye with a win. If the Cowboys win, they clinch the division and can clinch a first-round bye if the Vikings and Cardinals loss. And just to add a little bit of fuel to the fire: Eagles Intro Video (Thanks to dawkinseffect for posting the video on the EA Forum)
My Pick: Eagles

My Other Picks

Jacksonville Jaguars over Cleveland Browns
Chicago Bears over Detroit Lions
San Francisco 49ers over St. Louis Rams
Pittsburgh Steelers over Miami Dolphins
Atlanta Falcons over Tampa Bay Buccaneers
New England Patriots over Houston Texans
San Diego Chargers over Washington Redskins
Tennessee Titans over Seattle Seahawks
Baltimore Ravens over Oakland Raiders
Denver Broncos over Kansas City Chiefs
New York Jets over Cincinnati Bengals

First off, let me express my anger when I say WHERE ARE MY BENGALS?! There are no Bengals on the roster and it’s pretty upsetting. I would have thought that Chad Ochocinco had a chance. Leon Hall and Jonathan Joseph were both in the running for a cornerback spot. And we all know how well Cedric Benson has been playing. Of course, there is a chance that one of those guys could play if someone gets hurt or decides not to play in the Pro Bowl. But still, it hurts that there aren’t any Bengals going to play in the Pro Bowl. All I got to say is:

Another player that is well deserving of a Pro Bowl appearance is Matt Schaub. He doesn’t get enough respect from people but he definitely deserves some after the performance he’s put on this season. If he starts next week against the Patriots, it will be the first season he has started all 16 games. Through 15 games, he has thrown for 4467 yards and 27 TD’s. He has also completed 68.4 % of his passes and has a quarterback rating of 99.1. He ranks in the top 10 for all of those stats and is first for passing yards. I guess it really sucks to be in the same conference as Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Philip Rivers.

One of the more surprising choices in my opinion was Ed Reed starting. I thought that Jarius Byrd was one of the best defensive backs in the league this season. He got nine interceptions and as a rookie, that is very impressive. Reed on the other hand, has also had a pretty good year with three interceptions and three forced fumbles. However, he hasn’t been as good as he was last year and has been injured for a portion of the year. I believe that Byrd deserves to start over Reed but being selected to the Pro Bowl is a pretty high honour.

Other players who should have made it: Vincent Jackson, London Fletcher, Randy Moss, Tony Gonzalez, Thomas Jones, Steve Smith (NYG), Will Smith and David Harris to name a few. But I guess not everyone can make the Pro Bowl.

http://www.nfl.com/probowl/story?id=09000d5d8155c2fa&template=with-video-with-comments&confirm=true

A few weeks ago, the question was: Will we have two 16-0 teams? Now the question is: What happened? The Colts loss is understandable. After being up 15-10, the Colts head coach Jim Caldwell decided to rest his starters to prevent injuries. Indianapolis went on to allow 19 points and lose 29-15 and the fans were not happy at all. Colts fans were booing the team after the starters were benched. After the game, many fans displayed their anger on radio talk shows. The Colts finish up in Buffalo next week.

As for the Saints, they lost their second straight and many question how they will do in the playoffs. Both games could have been won and yet New Orleans disappointed. The first loss can’t sit well. It was against the Cowboys but it was in December. Maybe the Cowboys have lost their December curse but New Orleans, in my opinion, is the better team. Losing to the Bucs is just embarrassing, especially when the Saints didn’t rest their starters. Sure, Tampa Bay has played the Saints a number of times and they are divisional rivals. But it was a 2-12 team against a 13-1 team. The Saints play against another divisional rival in the Panthers next week.

Another Frustrating Loss for the Vikings

Not only has New Orleans lost two straight, but so has the Vikings. Minnesota started the game quiet but then put 30 points in the second half and went into overtime tied 30-30. In OT, Adrian Peterson fumbled after a reception which gave the ball to the Bears at the Viking 39. Jay Cutler threw his next pass to Devin Aromashodu for a TD and the Bears won 36-30. A win would have insured the Vikings the second seed in the NFC. Now not only have the Vikings slipped down to the third seed but they have also given the Eagles, Cowboys and Cardinals the opportunity to clinch a first round bye. They also made it possible for New Orleans to clinch home-field advantage.

Playoff Picture

With only 1 week remaining, there are still a number of playoff implications for this week’s games.

AFC

Colts (14-1)
Chargers (12-3)
Patriots (10-5)
Bengals (10-5)
Broncos (8-7)
Jets (8-7)

The Jets and Ravens both control whether they make the playoffs. For them, it’s win or go home. The Ravens play the Raiders in Oakland to end the year. Baltimore should be able to beat them but you never know. The Jets last game is against the Bengals at New York. Cincinnati might rest their starters so the Jets may be in luck. If one or both of these teams loses, the Broncos, Texans, Steelers, Dolphins and Jaguars all have a shot at making a Wildcard spot. It’s going to be an interesting race on the AFC side

NFC

Saints (13-2)
Eagles (11-4)
Vikings (11-4)
Cardinals (10-5)
Packers (10-5)
Cowboys (10-5)

All of the playoff spots have been locked up but the seeding has not. The NFC East division can be won by either the Cowboys or the Eagles. Philadelphia has the upper hand and can clinch with a win. There is also the second, third and fourth seeds to be decided.