Conference Championships

Hello football fans!!!

 

 

Ooooookaaaaaaaayyyyy ‘Old Man Winter’…we get it.  You like to make things cold.  That’s enough…

 

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R.I.P. Eddy Podolak!  (He’s not dead, mind you, but he’s done with calling Iowa Football games.)  We will miss you…and I’m not even talking about the roughly 1,236+ bars in the state of Iowa that see you every week.

 

The only bad part is that he’s not taking Gary Dolphin with him…

 

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Many of you probably won’t agree with a lot of this.  You could probably skip this entire blog as I wrote this right after the Giants got beat.

 

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BCS System vs. NFL Playoffs

 

We all know that the BCS has issues.  Hardly ever will we know – for sure – that the two best teams are playing unless the BCS lucks out like 2005 when Texas played USC (where there was no other team in the country that really challenged those two powerhouse teams).  I would say nine or eight times a decade there will be a controversy.

 

So we know that.

 

 

But the NFL playoff system has major flaws too.  I’m not going to say it ‘sucks’…but much like your first girlfriend in high school…it’s pretty darn close to ‘sucking’.  I’m just going to go ahead and say this: I’m not so sure that I don’t like the college system better when you factor in what you get out of the regular season.

 

 

YES!…I’m a jilted Giants fan.  (In fact…I’m kinda shocked at how pissed I still am about that game on Sunday.)  So take that into account.  But the fact that these teams battle all year long to get a #1 seed…then have to take a week off…then lose their mojo…then get beat the first time they lace it up in the playoffs…is just plain stupid.  It’s happening every year now.  What are the first 16 weeks of the season worth?  NOTHING.  Absolutely NOTHING.  Those 16 games – that entire SEASON – are rendered absolutely meaningless by the NFL playoff system.  If a guy didn’t gamble or have a good fantasy team…I can’t imagine why you would even watch these games.

 

Every single regular season game for your favorite college football team has meaning.  And most of the games for the other teams in FBS have meaning too.  The September game when USC played Ohio State had meaning.  The November game when Penn State came into Kinnick had meaning.  Even the September game when Florida played Hawaii had meaning.  And you know what…those games STILL DO have meaning, even after the season is over.

 

Does that New York Giants against Carolina Panthers game in December have any meaning now?  NO.  In fact…I remember watching that game thinking to myself: “You know…I don’t really care if the Giants win this because they’re already in and I’m not sure if I don’t want them to battle the Vikings in a meaningful game next week to stay sharp.”

 

I ask you this: When would you EVER have a thought like that with the Hawks?  Every game matters…especially when you’re team is still undefeated.  I know it’s different when you compare your college team to your pro team as we all have more invested in the Hawks.  I understand that.  But c’mon…can you honestly tell me the biggest game for your pro team (any one of 16 games) is as important as any Iowa game?  I say no.

 

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My point is this:  I think the BCS just might have a better way to have the two best teams playing for a championship as compare to the NFL.  You KNEW that Oklahoma and Florida where two of the best teams in the country, and both had a great regular season.

 

If the Eagles play the Ravens for the Super Bowl…can you say that about those two teams?  Weren’t the Titans and Giants the two best teams over a 16 weeks season?

 

Or are these just the two hottest teams in January?  Is matching up the two “hottest” teams in January better than matching up the two teams that were the most consistent over a 16 week season (or 12-14 weeks in college) even if there’s controversy picking who those two teams are?  I don’t think so.

 

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National  Football  League

 

Now…after that great pep talk…let’s talk about the Conference Championships!!!

 

So I’m out!  I’m setting aside 90% of what I’m up…and I’m going to put the rest on the first game on Sunday.  If it hits – I’m putting all of THAT on the second game.  If THAT hits…I’m putting the rest on the Super Bowl.  My crack statistician tells me there’s a .0062% chance of this happening.  So when it does not, I’m only out of what my buddy Artie calls – “casino money” and it’s no big deal.

 

With that being said, I feel somewhat confident on these two games on Sunday.

 

 

Sunday

 

NFC Divisional Playoffs

Philadelphia Eagles @ Arizona Cardinals

2:00 / FOX / Line: Eagles by 4

 

I’m not buying into the whole “the Eagles are this year’s Giants” thing.  I think the Eagles have under-performed all year…and are finally playing well.  They have a lot of what you need to get this far: a swarming defense that puts pressure on the QB, and solid QB play.

 

It was nothing short of astonishing how bad Eli looked last Sunday.  (I can still see that go%da#n interception to Asante Samuel in my head.)  Part of that was, of course, Eli.  But an even bigger part of that was the Eagles defense.  I know that Kurt Warner has been here before, and he still gets rid of the ball pretty quick.  I know that Larry Fitzgerald goes up after the ball like nobody’s business.

 

Much like a pigeon to a statue, the Eagles will cover the immobile Kurt Warner.

 

And I think that the Cardinals defense has been doing this with smoke and mirrors.  There will be no 6 turnovers by Donovan McNabb like Jake Delhomme served up last week.

 

Eagles cover.

 

 

AFC Divisional Playoffs

Baltimore Ravens @ Pittsburgh Steelers

5:30 PM / CBS / Line: Pitt by 6

 

(First off – why put these two game so close together, NFL?  You don’t want your sponsors on FOX to get a few more minutes before they switch over to CBS?  You want the NFL post-season to end as soon as possible?  Somebody explain this to me.)

 

The only thing about the Steelers that scared me going into the playoffs was how bad they looked against the Titans just one week before the end of the season.  Methinks they’ve shook that bug.

 

I give big respect to the Ravens and their defense.  Ed Reed is amazing.  However – this magical trip has to end SOMEtime, doesn’t it?  How many turnovers can you force inside the red zone this far into the playoffs?  I just don’t think Roethlisberger turns the ball over like that this week.  The Titans SHOULD HAVE beaten the Ravens.  Does anybody remember that game that just happened last week?

 

6 points is a lot of points, and that does scare me.  But I feel good that the Steelers will win, and if that’s the case, I’m not betting on the Ravens keeping it that close.

 

Steelers cover.

 

 

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HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

GO HAWKS!

 

- Jeffrey the Greek!