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Honored Contributor
Posts: 24,102
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Week Two of the NFL Playoffs!!!

And we start out this week with two games on Saturday. Our first game is Seattle at Atlanta. This should be a pretty competitive game. Seattle's a little handicapped in coming east to play a game. West coast teams coming east tend to have more trouble than east coast teams going west. Atlanta's rested and reasonably healthy, but Seattle has momentum on their side. Atlanta is better in nearly every offensive category while Seattle is better in nearly every defensive category. I guess I'll take Seattle. Matt Ryan is one of those QB's I just don't trust in a crucial situations.

 

Saturday night we get the Texans at the Patriots. This could be a blowout unless the Texans defense comes up with a super human effort. The Patriots are better in nearly every offensive category and in some cases, much, much better. They're about equal to the Texans in most defensive categories. The Texans could really use some help from Mother Nature to win this game. Here in NJ we're due to get showers/rain on Saturday night, so that could be snow in New England and bad weather is a great equalizer. I'll take the Patriots in this one though and it could get ugly.

 

On Sunday we start out with the Steelers at the Chiefs. Ben dinged his ankle on the next to last play in the Steelers last game but says he'll play. Andy Reid has always been great coming off a bye. I'll take the Chiefs in this one. I'm assuming the Chiefs will cover Antonio Brown and not give up two long, fast touchdowns to him.

 

And finally we get Green Bay going to Dallas. The Cowboys used the bye week to tweak the roster and add another ofensive lineman to take the place of Randy Gregory who's suspended yet again. A bye can be a bleesing or a curse. Some teams come out of the bye breathing fire, while others come out slow and lethargic. The Cowboys have the more talented roster, but with Aaron Rodgers playing the way Aaron Rodgers is playing, I'm not sure anyone can beat the Packers. He extended plays for eight and nine seconds last week against a team with a decent pass rush. The Cowboys don't have a decent pass rush. Aaron Rodgers may have twenty seconds on some plays to make a throw down the field against the Cowboys and there's no defensive back in the league who can cover a receiver much longer than four or five seconds. The Cowboys will try to keep the Packers on the sideline by running the ball and this will largely be a battle between Green Bay's front seven and Cowboys' offensive line. Doug Free (their right offensive tackle) is the weak link for the Cowboys. He gets beat on inside and outside moves and he tends to get a bit jumpy and take stupid penalties. I expect Clay Matthews to have some fun with Doug Free and the Packers to come out with the win.

Fly!!! Eagles!!! Fly!!!
Honored Contributor
Posts: 33,580
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Week Two of the NFL Playoffs!!!

GO STEELERS!!!!!!!!!!

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 6,497
Registered: ‎03-11-2010

Re: Week Two of the NFL Playoffs!!!

One concern about Kansas City is clock management: Andy Reid has made some dubious calls before. Just one  mistake on their side could be the difference in the game. Otherwise, they have the talent to score, and their defensive players should be ready to go.

 

Can Green Bay stop Ezekiel Elliott? He could be the X-factor for the Cowboys. I don't think that it will matter if Jordy Nelson plays or not. Rodgers has other playmakers as last week's game proved.

"The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog."

Mark Twain
Honored Contributor
Posts: 24,102
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Week Two of the NFL Playoffs!!!

For reasons I don't understand the Bears have signed Rueben Randle to a contract for next season. He was in the Eagles' training camp this past summer and was horrible. He put out minimal effort in camp and the preseason games and was cut despite wide receiver being an area of great need on the Eagles. Despite multiple wide receivers through the league going down with injuries, he was not picked up by any team to fill a void. Now one of the first things the Bears did this offseason was sign Randle to a new contract?

 

Do they know something the rest of the league doesn't know, or are they hoping he decides to live up to the talent he possesses but seldom displays? This is one of those head scratching moves that teams make from time to time. I know they're afraid of losing Alshon Jeffery to free agency, but Rueben Randle is no Alshon Jeffery. He's a 'name' receiver, but his name isn't synonomous with good performance at this point and time. What's next, signing Johnny Manziel to replace Cutler?

Fly!!! Eagles!!! Fly!!!
Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,797
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Week Two of the NFL Playoffs!!!

Atl over Sea                              Matty Ice

NE over Hou                            Tom Brady

KC over Pit                                Andy Ried

Dal over GB                              I am certainly NOT a Cowboy (Jerry Jones) fan, but

                                                    I am sick of GB and their favorable calls

 

Good Luck to all teams!!

 

My prediction:     Atl over NE in SB

I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend, til death, your right to say it
Honored Contributor
Posts: 24,102
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Week Two of the NFL Playoffs!!!

I'm kind of hoping New England comes into this week's game over-confident and sure they'll win only to get ambushed. With Brady and Belichick on the Patriots I put the odds of that at about one a million, but stranger things have probably happened. The Texans do have a good defense. If that defense can make some big plays, they could eke out the win. 

 

The Eagles are doing some housecleaning and have flushed out wide receiver coach Greg Lewis. G-Lew (as he was known in Philly during his playing days) was one of those over-achiever types. The hope was that he'd instill that into his receivers, but there was no meshing there. He worked with them very hard to minimize drops, from all the way back in the OTA's when he had them catching everything from tennis balls to footballs, but the drops kept coming. Coaches had to remind receivers where to line up and we had several big plays called back when a receiver was too far off the line.

 

We've got some talented bodies at wide receiver in a few first round picks (Jordan Matthews, Nelson Agholor and Dorial Green Beckham) but that potential didn't show up enough on the field. Rumor has it that we're looking to poach the wide receiver coach of the Bills. Sammy Watkins, the Bills young wide receiver has begged the Bills to keep him, but they still have to find a new head coach first and see what he says. (The Eagles have Sammy Watkins' brother Jaylen Watkins on the roster as a DB, so they may have some inside info on how good a coach the guy is.) If a new coach could extract the potential from the guys already on the roster we could probably worry less about using a high draft pick on a receiver this year. Our top receivers are just not consistently performing well. They either don't get open, or drop the ball when they're open.

 

Connor Barwin, the Eagles right defensive end is offering to take a pay cut to stay in Philly. The problem is, I'm not sure he's really a defensive end. He kind of falls into that middle ground between a linebacker and a defensive end. He's a good outside linebacker in a 3-4  as an edge speed rusher, but a deficit in coverage. As a defensive end though he's just not big enough or explosive enough. I suspect he'll be a cap casualty unless the Eagles find a creative new use for him. We have a couple of young guys, including one who was on IR all year, who could take his place and likely perform as well for a lot less money. The Eagles would save $7.75 million by cutting him.

Fly!!! Eagles!!! Fly!!!
Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 6,497
Registered: ‎03-11-2010

Re: Week Two of the NFL Playoffs!!!

Anyone who is in Houston during Superbowl week can get an autograph from Johnny Manziel and take a "selfie" with him for $149. Any takers?

 

Maybe Reuben Randle's signing will turn out OK for the Bears. It doesn't seem likely, but strange things happen.

 

No one is givng Houston a chance to win. While the Patriots will do all they can to stop Clowney, someone could step up. Unfortunately, Belichick will probably have everything covered. Brady has had "off" games before; it's not like he's completely invincible. Osweiler has to be on the top of his game in order for Houston to be in it.

"The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog."

Mark Twain
Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,029
Registered: ‎03-29-2015

Re: Week Two of the NFL Playoffs!!!

Sorry - I put this one on the wrong thread.  I deleted it and brought it here.

 

Steeler update. 
 
Ben's boot is banished, he will play.  TE Ladarius Green is still in concussion protocol.  He will be tested on Friday to determine if he is able to play.
 
The Steelers have placed linebackers coach Joey Porter on leave pending an investigation of Sunday night's arrest.  IMO this will not be any kind of distraction for the team. 
 
The Chiefs are a slight favorite.  Good, Pittsburgh plays harder when they are the underdogs.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 24,102
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Week Two of the NFL Playoffs!!!

And the Broncos are apparently hiring Vance Joseph as their new head coach. There were a lot of big names hinted at for head coaching jobs, but the lesser known guys seem to be getting snatched up. Doug Marrone (Jacksonville) and Vance Joseph (Denver) were not names you'd expect to be the first names off the board.

Fly!!! Eagles!!! Fly!!!
Honored Contributor
Posts: 33,629
Registered: ‎03-20-2010

Re: Week Two of the NFL Playoffs!!!

[ Edited ]

@teganslaw wrote:

Anyone who is in Houston during Superbowl week can get an autograph from Johnny Manziel and take a "selfie" with him for $149. Any takers?

 

Maybe Reuben Randle's signing will turn out OK for the Bears. It doesn't seem likely, but strange things happen.

 

No one is givng Houston a chance to win. While the Patriots will do all they can to stop Clowney, someone could step up. Unfortunately, Belichick will probably have everything covered. Brady has had "off" games before; it's not like he's completely invincible. Osweiler has to be on the top of his game in order for Houston to be in it.


@teganslaw

 

Never underestimate the loyalty of the Texas A&M Aggie alumni .....or their mentality.....many a joke book has been written about The Aggies....  My veterinarian is an Aggie and he has backward clocks and other joke items to prove it....LOL!!!  But isn't it sad a 24 year old has a "career" of signing autographs and taking selfies with fans....Oh I know he has a nice tidy sum from the Browns....but what is he doing with his life!!! 

 

I was hoping weather would be a factor for the Texan/Pat game to help even the odds a bit.......it will be cold 22 degrees but no percipitation is expected.....Brady is vunerable with that O line and he is working without his buddy Gronk....but comparing Osweiler with Brady....it doesn't look good....still you never know....

 

 

Animals are reliable, full of love, true in their affections, grateful. Difficult standards for people to live up to.”