Wellness

[gardenman]

This round of the playoffs is always tricky to predict. Half of the teams are coming off of byes and you don't ever really know how those teams will respond. Some come out of the bye a bit flat and take a while to get back in gear. Some come out of the bye refreshed and playing better than ever.

Our first game this week is Baltimore at New England. The Patriots are a touchdown favorite, but I expect this to be a close game. The Patriots have arguably been the best AFC team most of the season so I'll pick them to win, but an upset wouldn't be shocking.

The later game on Saturday is Carolina at Seattle. This could be a rout. That Carolina defense will have to keep them in this game. Cam Newton can hurt the Seahawks with his scrambling but his inaccuracy in the passing game is a big problem. If I was the Seahawks I would spy Newton like mad (with two men if need be) and make him beat me with his arm. The Seahawk defensive backs should be able to man up with the Panther receivers and blanket them and Cam just doesn't have the pinpoint accuracy necessary to beat tight man coverage. I expect Seattle to win this one pretty easily and a couple of defensive touchdowns by the Seahawks wouldn't shock me.

The early game Sunday has Dallas at Green Bay. The battle of the injured quarterbacks. Romo's back and rib issues seem under control, but I'm not so sure about Aaron Rodger's calf. This could be the best game of the week. I'm a little worried that the officials will go out of their way to not favor the Cowboys which may lead to them unduly favoring the Packers. I'm giving the edge to the Packers here, but nothing would surprise me in this game. I still think the Cowboys grossly under-use Dez Bryant. He's a mismatch against pretty much every defense. Romo's been very accurate lately. Put the ball up and let Dez make a play on it and chances are he'll come down with it most of the time.

And finally we have Indy at Denver. This is a game where I think Indy has a slight edge in playing last week. I don't think Peyton Manning likes taking time off and tends to come back a tick rusty after not playing for a while. The problem is Indy is an indoor/dome team playing in Denver, in January, which is about as far away from a dome as you can get. I'll take the Broncos here, but an upset also wouldn't shock me. It's just hard to pick against Denver in Denver. The Colts need to jump out to an early lead and hang on to win this game.

[gardenman]

And the Browns have cut ties with Kyle Shanahan (offensive coordinator) and also their quarterback coach. It sounds like the Browns management wants Johnny Manziel as their quarterback and those two guys felt he wasn't ready. (Personally, I don't think he ever will be.) Now they've got to find a new offensive coordinator and quarterback coach who don't mind being told who the quarterback is, and they'll be forced to play him regardless of whether he's ready or not. Good luck finding good coaches in Cleveland.

[Sweetbay magnolia]

Baltimore, Seattle, Green Bay, Denver. Mark it in stone (ha ha).

[BecauseCats]

Patriots all the way!!!

[Great Hair in Dallas]

I have so much enjoyed reading this tread during the NFL season - so will miss this and football when it is over.

I just wanted to do a ""Yes Patriots"". It will be a nail biter. Hope that are not too rusty with all of this rest. Best

[Spurt]

On 1/8/2015 gardenman said:

And the Browns have cut ties with Kyle Shanahan (offensive coordinator) and also their quarterback coach. It sounds like the Browns management wants Johnny Manziel as their quarterback and those two guys felt he wasn't ready. (Personally, I don't think he ever will be.) Now they've got to find a new offensive coordinator and quarterback coach who don't mind being told who the quarterback is, and they'll be forced to play him regardless of whether he's ready or not. Good luck finding good coaches in Cleveland.

Or maybe Kyle Shanahan isn't that good of a coach despite his family line......

From what I've read that the Brown's owner is another one that likes to be "hands on" and is calling the shots and has surrounded himself with a bunch of YES men.....Hmmmmm sounds a tad familair..... Oh those poor Cleveland fans....

[gardenman]

On 1/8/2015 Great Hair in Dallas said:

I have so much enjoyed reading this tread during the NFL season - so will miss this and football when it is over.

I just wanted to do a "Yes Patriots". It will be a nail biter. Hope that are not too rusty with all of this rest. Best

We're here talking football pretty much all year. Once the Super Bowl ends, free agency starts. Then the pre-draft talk of who will be drafted where and by whom. Then we move on to the organized team activities and mini-camps, then training camp, and preseason games then the new regular season. We typically switch to a monthly format as opposed to the weekly one we have during the regular season, but we're here all year round. Oddly enough the quietest time in the football season is late June/early July.

[Spurt]

Ravens/Patriots-It will be a particularly interesting game and I suspect a very close one too....I have to pick PATRIOTS

Panthers/Seattle--The Seahawks defense has really come alive and the Panthers have limited weapons on offense that can be easily covered by the Hawks D. The Panthers have a decent defense, but gotta go with THE SEAHAWKS!

Cowboys/Packers---Dallas fans are citing the fact that earthquakes hit North Texas and the epicenter was in of all places the old Texas Stadium, and there were 9 earthquakes which happens to be the same number as Tony Romo, a sure sign the Cowboys will win they say.....but another report says there were 12 tremors which happens to be the same number as Aaron Rodgers..... But what is disheartening is that Rodgers has a tear in addition to his calf muscle being strained......not good. Still I think the Packers will call upon the ghosts of the ICE BOWL for a PACKERS VICTORY!!!!

Colts/Broncos---One wonders about Peyton's performances in the last games of the regular season....Andrew Luck's offensive line has not been too dependable, but Andrew finds a way to get the job done. The Colts defense has been stepping it up and playing better. But Peyton has had chance to rest and the game is in Denver, so I'm going BRONCOS. But wouldn't be surprised to see the Colts win either.....Should be a good game!

[Cookie06]

All I can say is GO SEAHAWKS!!!!!

Love my Hawks

The 12th Man Fan

[ccassaday]

As a colts fan I am glad to see the weather will not be a factor Sunday unless things change. High of almost fifty and sunny.