Superbowl XLII - PREVIEW

February 3rd, 2008 5:35 am
by Pro Set

New York Giants vs New England Patriots - Superbowl XLII

Despite the substandard play of Tom Brady in the AFC Championship Game, the Patriots remain clear favourites. The key to the game, when New England has the ball, is whether New York changes its tactics from the Week 17 contest.

In Week 17, the Giants attacked the patriots, and put pressure on Brady. He looked a little unsettled, and generally the tactics of the Giants met with widespread approval. But the seminal moment of Week 17 was the Brady to Moss TD pass when Moss was left single-covered. The playoff opponents that have faced New England clearly determined not to get beaten deep. This policy looked futile as Brady picked Jacksonville apart in the AFC Divisional Playoff. But JAX stuck form to the game plan, and never let the Patriots strike quickly.

San Diego followed this lead, despite the fact that JAX could not force the turnovers. Luck, however, was with SD as Brady was 5% off his game, and with 7 or 8 men in coverage, SD had the men there to swallow three INTs.

So, does New York attack or play coverage? The excellent weather in Arizona tends to suggest that Brady will be comfortable picking apart deep zones. But I think that the Giants must rush four and trust them to deliver. The Patriots offensive line has to have an off day eventually. Since New York has no one who can cover Moss in single coverage, it would be a massive gamble to bring excess rushers on a consistent basis.

For the Giants offense, Eli Manning needs to have his hot streak continued. The accuracy on his throws, the lack of one bounce receptions, and the reliability of Plaxico Burress have to arrive in Arizona. It is obviously well known that Eli Manning has not fared well in his career against the blitz. New England will be tempted to bring relentless pressure. This will test Asante Samuel, who is surely the man to cover Plax when the blitz arrives. He cannot fare worse than Al Harris, who had a nationally televised disaster that will surely be the epitaph to an overrated career.

The Patriots will win, and this author congratulates New England in advance on a perfect season.

Posted in Plaxico Burress, Bill Belichick, NFL Coaches, Asante Samuel, Tom Coughlin, Superbowl XLII, Superbowl, Randy Moss, Tom Brady, Analysis, Game, NFL Franchises/Teams, NFL Players, New England Patriots, NY Giants, NFL | No Comments »

Superbowl XLII - Pros and Cons

January 31st, 2008 11:11 pm
by Big Dog

The Superbowl’s always an exciting time of year. It’s the culmination of a long and hard season. It’s one of the greatest sporting spectacles on earth. And yet, if your team didn’t make it, the Superbowl presents a very real conundrum. Who do you cheer for?

This year your choice is between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants. Each of these teams present their own sets of pros and cons when you consider offering your support.

New England Patriots
Pros

Cons

New York Giants
Pros

Cons

Anyway, no matter who you decide to cheer for this weekend, enjoy the game, enjoy the spectacle and enjoy the football.

Posted in Plaxico Burress, NFL Game Previews, Bill Belichick, Tom Coughlin, Superbowl, Superbowl XLII, Laurence Maroney, NFL Coaches, Randy Moss, NFL Players, NFL Franchises/Teams, Game, Eli Manning, NY Giants, Tom Brady, New England Patriots, NFL | No Comments »

Week 14 Analysis: Dallas @ Detroit

December 10th, 2007 6:54 am
by Big Dog

With most pundits declaring that the Detroit Lions are pretty much done for the season it looked today like QB Jon Kitna and the rest of the Lions may have had the fire to pull off an amazing upset win against the second best team in the NFL right now, the Dallas Cowboys.

The Lions took the early lead and stayed there for much of the game. Kitna managed to put up good numbers (22 of 36 for 248 yards) with no interceptions. The telling statistic was that he also had no passing touchdowns. The Lions also managed to gain 152 rushing yards against a Cowboys defense that is very tough on the run. In the end though, there were two drives that defined the outcome of the game. Early in the 4th quarter, the Lions had the chance to stretch the lead to more than a TD, with a 35 yard field goal attempt. Detroit K Jason Hanson would normally find this well within his range but this time the kick sailed just wide, to the right of the uprights. This missed attempt is sure to be haunting the Lions staff, players and fans.

The second key drive began when Dallas gained possession at their own 17 yard line with 2 minutes 15 seconds left on the clock and no timeouts remaining. Dallas QB Tony Romo led the march down the field, connecting regularly with TE Jason Witten (as he had all game). Detroit’s great sin was that they constantly allowed Cowboys receivers to find the sideline and stop the clock. In the end Romo connected with Witten for a 16 yard TD pass. The point after was successful and that sealed the win. This is the Cowboys’ ninth win from behind this season.

In many ways, it’s that statistic that makes the Cowboys’ record even more impressive than the Patriots. The Patriots are easily dominating almost every team that they meet and have only really been put to the test twice this season. Meanwhile, the Cowboys are having to work harder to get their wins, and the toughness that is bred by that sort of competition will serve them well when it comes to the playoffs.

Posted in Detroit Lions, New England Patriots, Jon Kitna, Jason Witten, Jason Hanson, Dallas Cowboys, Tony Romo, Game, Analysis, NFL Franchises/Teams, NFL Players, NFL | No Comments »

Week 13 Analysis: New England @ Baltimore

December 4th, 2007 1:25 am
by Big Dog

First things first, the Baltimore Ravens defense dominated much of this game. On offense, RB Willis McGahee earned his money and then some, as he carried major responsibility for a Ravens strategy that included keeping the New England Patriots offense of the field for as long as possible.

Baltimore led this game from the early stages and were managing to stay in front as the Patriots were at best only able to equalise. Each time they did that the Ravens came back to score with confidence and QB Kyle Boller did an excellent job of making some critical passes in the face of tough pressure from the Patriots pass rush.

The Ravens have been renowned for their defense for years and tonight that squad’s skill and experience showed as they limited the Patriots and managed to apply significant pressure to New EnglandQB Tom Brady, sacking him several times. Importantly, they were twice able to hold the Patriots to field goals and maintain a lead. In the end the Ravens defense still had to spend a lot of time on the field and the toll of their workload was showing in the latter stages of the fourth quarter.

New England’s final drive was what decided the game. The Patriots took possession with a little over three minutes left on the game clock and were moving downfield. The Ravens had held the Patriots to 4th and 1 on the Baltimore 30 with just under two minutes to go. The Ravens sideline called a timeout just before the ball was snapped and as the play was whistled off, the Ravens defense stopped the play for what would have been a turnover on downs if the timeout hadn’t been called.

After the reset, the Ravens again stopped the following play for a turnover on downs, but a flag on the play called a false start on the Patriots offense for 4th and 6. Brady scrambled for the 1st down on the following play.

That series of plays was decisive. After investing nearly 60 full minutes of emotional, mental and physical energy, the Ravens defense just imploded. The rest of the drive was dogged by penalty calls against the Ravens. Every time that the Ravens defense got the upper hand, there was another call that let the Patriots off the hook. The frustration was tangible.

The Patriots snatched the lead with a passing TD to TE Benjamin Watson, that will live in infamy for Baltimore fans as Watson held the ball in the fingertips of both hands for the completion. The play was reviewed by the booth and upheld, on replay it clearly was a caught pass.

Kyle Boller and the Ravens offense made a huge effort to race back down the field in the final minute and try to either get into field goal range to tie the game or make the long play for a TD and win. The final play of the game was an awe-inspiring 52 yard shot from Boller to WR Mark Clayton who was on the 2 yard line and unable to make it to the endzone.

In the end, Baltimore’s troubled season continued and the pressures within the team once again boiled over. On the other hand, the Patriots stayed cool and committed to the end, making the plays when the plays needed to be made. This is two weeks in a row that the Patriots have been tested and both times they have passed. The Patriots aren’t without their weaknesses, but nobody has yet been able to make New England’s weaknesses overcome their strengths.

Posted in Baltimore Ravens, Monday Night Football, Willis McGahee, Kyle Boller, Mark Clayton, Benjamin Watson, Tom Brady, New England Patriots, Analysis, Game, NFL on television, NFL Franchises/Teams, NFL Players, NFL | No Comments »

Week 13 Analysis: Cincinatti @ Pittsburgh

December 3rd, 2007 1:20 am
by Big Dog

It was another wet night at Heinz Field as the Pittsburgh Steelers played host to the Cincinnati Bengals. Even with the rain, the field was in much better condition than last Monday night, and this made for a much more eventful game.

In the early stages Cincinnati QB Carson Palmer and the Bengals looked to be in excellent form, despite the conditions, as they moved down the field smoothly and opened the scoring for both teams with a touchdown. While Palmer looked like he was handling the wet comfortably, Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger looked anything but comfortable. The ball was coming out of his hand in an awkward fashion with most of his early passes being high and wobbly.

The momentum shifted early in the second quarter as Roethlisberger found his rhythm and got into the flow of the game, leading the Steelers on a 67 yard drive that ended in a six yard dive from Roethlisberger to score Pittsburgh’s first TD. From there on Pittsburgh dominated the scoring, piling on a further 17 points that included two TD passes to FL Hines Ward that saw Ward passing the Steelers’ All Time team record for TD receptions.

In the end, the Steelers held on for the win, although it looked more comfortable than it was. Turnovers were a big part of the story and the only statistic where the Bengals performed better than the Steelers. Officially the Bengals had one turnover to the Steelers’ four. This figure doesn’t include the fumble by Steelers’ HB Willie Parker that was overturned after a challenge by Head Coach Mike Tomlin. It also doesn’t include the fumble by Parker that was ruled down by contact on the field and upheld after the challenge by Bengals Head Coach Marvin Lewis. It also doesn’t count the safety scored by the Bengals that was reversed by an illegal holding penalty and it doesn’t include the turnover on downs that the Bengals would have won late in the game which was also reversed by a penalty call.

For the Bengals the biggest issue is clearly team discipline, but we’ve all known that for years. Either Cincinnati will find a way to deal with this problem, or all their players will retire. It’s just a question of which happens first.

For the Steelers, Parker’s fumbling troubles have got to be a major concern coming into the business end of the season and given the current injury concerns surrounding Parker’s replacement HB Najeh Davenport. The question is, did Parker just have a bad night in bad conditions? Or is there a bigger problem? This is bound to be something that the New England Patriots will test next week.

Posted in Pittsburgh Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger, Cincinnati Bengals, Willie Parker, Hines Ward, Marvin Lewis, Mike Tomlin, Carson Palmer, NFL Coaches, NFL on television, Analysis, Game, NFL on NBC, NFL Franchises/Teams, New England Patriots, NFL Players, NFL | No Comments »

Week 12 Analysis: Philadelphia @ New England

November 26th, 2007 1:24 am
by Big Dog

God bless Andy Reid and the Philadelphia Eagles. I’ve written previously about how watching the New England Patriots just dominate football is boring. This week the Eagles demonstrated that New England aren’t untouchable.

The Eagles came to play with a clear plan, and for the most part were able to execute it well even though QB Donovan McNabb was out with an ankle injury and backup QB A.J. Feeley(27-42, 345 yards, 3 TDs, 3 INTs) was managing the game. Feeley did a magnificent job and even though the Eagles didn’t come away with the win, due mainly to a pair of interceptions from Feeley, it’s important to remember that for most of the game Feeley had better stats than New England QB Tom Brady 34-54, 380 yards, TD).

For the Eagles’ offense it was clear from early in the game that New England weren’t going to give any room deep or on the outside. This opened up the inside pass every time. In fact, this was a feature topic of conversation for John Madden and Al Michaels mostly because it was absolutely true for the whole of the game. Even when Philadelphia took the lead and New England’s defense was clearly struggling to contain them, the inside pass was always there for Feeley. In addition, Eagles RB Brian Westbrook had his typically solid game, making good, strong runs and critical receptions.

On defense, the Eagles were able to contain Patriots WR Randy Moss(5 receptions for 43 yards) and basically eliminate his impact on the game. This did open the game up for WR Wes Welker who managed an impressive 13 receptions for 149 yards. In truth, if it hadn’t been for Welker’s speed and effective route running, New England wouldn’t have been in this game at all.

The most frustrating aspect of the game for the Eagles were Feeley’s interceptions. The first came on his second play of the game and was returned by CB Asante Samuel for a TD. The Eagles dealt with that setback promptly, with a fantastic drive for their own TD. The second interception came in the late stages of the fourth quarter, as Philadelphia was 3 points down and trying to score for the win. Feeley (against all the experience and success of the game to this point) attempted the long throw to the outside corner of the endzone and once again Samuel took the pick. In the resulting drive, New England ate a lot of the clock and forced Philadelphia to burn their final timeout.

The Eagles got the ball back with 20 seconds on the clock, needing to make about 40 yards to be within FG distance. Once again, Feeley went for the outside throw, clearly trying to preserve time and ignoring the old football adage “take what they give you”. This time Patriots’ S James Sanders came away with the ball and that was the game.

This was one of the genuinely exciting Patriots games of the season and among other things provided an excellent demonstration of why Andy Reid is considered to be one of the best coaches in the league today. The Eagles came so very close to a truly remarkable upset win today, and in so doing, they have provided a blueprint for taking on New England that is bound to haunt the Patriots through the rest of the season.

Posted in John Madden, Andy Reid, NFL Coaches, Brian Westbrook, Al Michaels, Asante Samuel, James Sanders, Wes Welker, A.J. Feeley, Randy Moss, Tom Brady, NFL on television, Analysis, Game, NFL on NBC, NFL Franchises/Teams, New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles, NFL Players, NFL | No Comments »

NFL Week 11 Analysis: New England @ Buffalo

November 19th, 2007 12:36 am
by Big Dog

Look, the truth is that you’re not supposed to say things like this, but I’d be a liar if I didn’t tell you this now. Watching the New England Patriots march unchallenged through their season is boring. It’s just boring.

In case you don’t already know, here’s how most of every game goes: QB Tom Brady to WR Randy Moss, TD. Brady to Moss, TD. Brady to Moss, TD. Brady to Moss, TD.

Over and over again, it’s boring. It’s not that the Buffalo Bills are bad. It’s just that New England hasn’t met a team that’s really challenged them yet. This is scary for a number of reasons. The first of which is that it has everybody talking about a perfect season. The truth is, while that’s more possible from here than it was 11 weeks ago, it’s still a tall order. The next thing is that it’s building this mythology around the Patriots that’s almost as dangerous as their defense.

I think this is why Head Coach Bill Belichick and Brady bring such an obsessive nature to what they do. It’s clear that this attitude has influenced the whole team, which is after all exactly what a good coach should do. These guys are averaging over 40 points per game this season and aren’t looking like they’ll slow down and all they do when they get back to training is look at what they did wrong!

They’re as dominant defensively as they are offensively and the Patriots are committed to this idea of a season so good that it completely washes away that nasty aftertaste of the whole spying controversy. I don’t begrudge this team any of their success, it’s obvious that they’ve worked fanatically hard to achieve it. That said, the scariest question of all that is raised by their complete dominance at the moment is, what will happen when they finally meet a team that can really challenge them?

Sure, sure. You’re already thinking of the Dallas and Indianapolis games, but that’s not my point and it’s not what I asked. The team that’s going to challenge the Patriots this season is going to be the completely unexpected one. That’s the only way to do it. To suddenly be better, play better, do new, interesting and desperate things that nobody sane would try. You need to be a team like the Miami Dolphins with nothing to lose and everything to gain by trying the crazy stuff.

When the Patriots are beating everyone else by huge margins, nobody’s going to blame the Dolphins if they lose big but lose big by trying something different. If and when that finally happens, that’ll be a Patriots game worth watching because there’ll finally be some unpredictability and uncertainty in it.

Until then, Brady to Moss, TD. Wash, rinse, repeat.

Posted in Randy Moss, Tom Brady, NFL Coaches, Buffalo Bills, Bill Belichick, New England Patriots, NFL Players, Analysis, Game, Miami Dolphins, NFL on NBC, NFL Franchises/Teams, NFL | No Comments »

Week 6 Showdown in Dallas

October 13th, 2007 10:13 pm
by NFL Freak

It’s a huge week in football as the undefeated New England Patriots prepare to meet the undefeated Dallas Cowboys in a showdown that’s bigger than Texas.

Pro Set offers his NFL Week 6 Best Bets.

Pro Set’s preview of the Patriots @ Dallas gives you his final verdict on why the Patriots will win.
Meanwhile Big Dog claims that if the Cowboys play smart, New England can’t win. He’s already copping some heat in the comments for that notion.

Pro Set has also detailed a preview of the Carolina Panthers @ Arizona Cardinals game.

The guys once again face off with their NFL Game Selections for the week.
There’s also the Love ‘em and Leave ‘em list for Fantasy Football fans.
Don’t forget to check out the NFL on TV page to catch what games are showing in your part of the world.

Finally here’s an update on the AFC so far.

Posted in Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, Arizona Cardinals, NFL Franchises/Teams, NFL on television, Game, Carolina Panthers, NFL | No Comments »

If the Cowboys play smart, New England can’t win

October 13th, 2007 7:10 am
by Big Dog

Last Monday the Dallas Cowboys and QB Tony Romo gave their fans a scare as they nearly fell to the Buffalo Bills. In an amazing comeback that included rookie K Nick Folk entering Dallas folklore by kicking the winning goal twice, the Cowboys proved that they have the determination and drive to win no matter where they’re at in the game.

While pretty much every so called expert in football is predicting that the New England Patriots will win as a result of their superior offensive options and stronger defense, this demonstrates an ignorance of one of the most important lessons in all footballing codes.

I’m talking about the impact of Jonny Wilkinson on the sport of rugby union. Of all the codes of football around the world, rugby is the one that shares the most in common with American football. Jonny Wilkinson is a player who has made his name in world rugby as a specialist kicker, capable of making drop-kick field goals from well over halfway. Jonny has already led England to one World Cup victory and is on his way to a second. (Here’s a bonus clip of Jonny and soccer superstar David Beckham kicking a few balls of different shapes)

The lesson here (if Dallas want to learn it) is that field position and kicking can win big football games. With a kicker capable of making not one, but two 53 yard field goals under real pressure, Dallas can choose to win this game with the boot and there is little that the Patriots can do about that. I just hope that Wade Phillips has paid attention in class and learned this lesson.

Posted in NFL Coaches, New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Wade Phillips, Nick Folk, Dallas Cowboys, Tony Romo, Game, Analysis, NFL Franchises/Teams, NFL Players, NFL | 2 Comments »

NFL Week 6 Featured Preview: New England Patriots at Dallas Cowboys

October 12th, 2007 8:46 pm
by Pro Set

New England (5-0) @ Dallas (5-0) 4:15pm ET on CBS

Two big name undefeated NFL teams dominate this Week 6 schedule.

New England

RB Laurence Maroney is out. RB Sammy Morris has run the ball well, but against Cincinnati and Cleveland. This will be tougher. New England did not run the ball well in their last two big losses: both playoff games. Just because they have the most amazing pass offense for now does not mean it will always be so.

When the ball is in the air, it’s simply a question of whether Dallas can get pressure. If Dallas can’t get to QB Tom Brady, it’s over. Brady is completing passes everywhere. Expect WR Randy Moss to have a monster game. He loves Texas Stadium. Just remember Thanksgiving Day 1999 if in doubt.

Dallas

The Cowboys need to run the ball well in order to maintain possession. They face a smilar challenge to that faced by most opponents of New England: they need to keep the ball for long periods. DAL RB Julius Jones has been solid without being spectacular. I would like to see him attack the line of scrimmage more and carry tacklers forward. It is these yards on early downs that bring up manageable 3^rd down situations.

In the air, we know that QB Tony Romo loves to get rid of the ball. He might be having second thoughts after the bizarre occurrences last Monday at Buffalo. Against the Patriots, if his first 2 reads are covered on short drops, he must be prepared to keep the ball. Romo must avoid turnovers, and therefore put all the pressure on the NE offense. It’s possible that Brady could have a bad day.

Conclusion

New England has more weapons than Dallas. If Dallas pulls off the upset, I think that WR Terrell Owens will have had a big day in yards after the catch.

Prediction: New England

Posted in New England Patriots, Tom Brady, Randy Moss, NFL Game Previews, Dallas Cowboys, Terrell Owens, Game, NFL Franchises/Teams, Tony Romo, NFL | No Comments »