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Norv Needs To Go

January 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

All of the top seeds have advanced to their conferences championship game except for one, the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers are the greatest collection of talent that have never won a Super Bowl. The Chargers are loaded at every position including  players like Philip Rivers, Vincent Jackson, Antonio Gates, Rodgers-Cromartie and Kris Dielman. Think offense is the problem? No, try again. The Chargers offense has ranked in the top 5 in the NFL the past six seasons. Then it must be the defense. No, the Chargers defense has not been ranked lower than 15th since 2003.

This is a championship team on paper. So, what is the problem? I think the problem is coaching. The Chargers need a head coach that can get them over the hump. Norv Turner is a nice man and a great offensive coach but he has proven again and again that he just can’t win the big game. I personally think that the Chargers have gone as far as Norv can take them. They should have looked elsewhere The Chargers need a Super Bowl winning coach. The best candidate for the job would have been Mike Shanahan. He has a championship pedigree and could have helped Philip Rivers make the leap to Hall of Fame status. What do the Chargers do after their 4th straight disappointing season? They give Norv Turner a 3 year extension. Oh well…Chargers fans can always hope for Gruden in 2011.

Filed Under: San Diego Chargers

Packers vs, Cardinals

January 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals (-1)

Last Matchup:   Green Bay Packers 33
                         Arizona Cardinals    7

Green Bay Packers Avg. 28.8 PP3G 18.6 Points Against

Arizona Cardinals  Avg. 23.4 PPG 20.3 Points Against

Cardinals run offense vs. Packers run defense

The Cardinals are one of the worst rushing teams in the NFL averaging just 93 YPG. The Packers are the best run defense in the NFL yielding just 83.3 YPG. Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower will not be factors in this game.
Advantage: Packers

Cardinals pass offense vs. Packers pass defense

The Cardinals are the 12th rated pass defense in the NFL averaging over 250 YPG. The Packers have a ball hawking secondary that give up big plays but also force turnovers. Woodson vs. Fitzgerald is the key matchup in this game. Anquan Boldin will be missed if he doesn’t play.

Advantage: Even

Packers run offense vs. Cardinals run defense
The Packers are a middle of the pack team in terms of running the football averaging almost 118 YPG. The Cardinals run defense has been gouged for big yardage all season giving up 4.5 YPC and  13 TD’s. Ryan Grant should have a decent day but he is not a good enough back to rack up huge numbers against the Cards.

Advantage: Even

Packers pass offense vs. Cardinals pass defense

The Packers are 7th in the league and passing and Aaron Rodgers is one of the best quarterbacks in the league. He should have a lot of success against the NFL’s 23rd rated pass defense. Donald Driver, Greg Jennings and Jermichael Finley will all be big factors in the passing game.

Advantage: Packers

My pick:
The Cardinals are just too banged up to win this game. The Cardinals need Anquan Boldin to beat a hot Packers team. No Boldin…no chance. The Packers will run enough to keep the Cards honest and Aaron Rodgers will have a huge day. Kurt Warner will do his best but he will throw 2 picks to an aggressive Packers secondary.

Packers 33 Cardinals 21

Filed Under: Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers

Ravens vs. Patriots

January 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots (-3.5)

Last Matchup: New England Patriots 27
                       Baltimore Ravens 21

Baltimore Ravens Avg. 24.4 PP3G 16.3 Points Against

New England Patriots Avg. 26.7 PPG 17.8 Points Against

Patriots run offense vs. Ravens run defense

The Patriots have the 12th rated run offense averaging 120 rushing yards per game. The Ravens have the NFL’s 5th rated run defense yielding 93.3 YPG. The Patriots have no shot at running the ball against the Ravens with Maroney, Taylor or Morris.

Advantage: Ravens

Patriots pass offense vs. Ravens pass defense

The Patriots are 3rd in passing averaging 277 yards per game. The Ravens main defensive weakness is in the secondary. They have been getting pass interference penalties all season. The Patriots will throw early and often. The Ravens are catching a break with Wes Welker injured.
Advantage: Patriots

Ravens run offense vs. Patriots run defense

The Ravens are 5th in rushing offense in the NFL averaging 137.5 YPG. The Patriots are 13th in the NFL in rushing defense giving up over 110 YPG. The Ravens will have great success running against the Patriots with Ray Rice, Willis Mcgahee and LeRon McLain..

Advantage: Ravens

Ravens pass offense vs. Patriots pass defense

The Ravens are 18th in the league in passing throwing for 214 YPG. The Patriots are the 12th rate pass defense yielding 210 YPG. Flacco should be able to expose a porous Patriots secondary. They have been known to give up leads in the 4th quarter.
Advantage: Even

My pick:

The Ravens will triumph in New England. These aren’t the 2007 Patriots. Tom Brady and company will be in for a long day. Julian Edelman is no Wes Welker. The Ravens will double cover Randy Moss and that should shut down the Patriots passing attack. They will be unable to run against the Ravens as well. Baltimore gives Brady his 1st home loss.

Ravens 24  Patriots 20

Filed Under: Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots

Eagles vs. Cowboys

January 9, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys (-4)

Last Matchup: Dallas Cowboys 24
                      Philadelphia Eagles 0

Philadelphia Eagles Avg. 26.8 PPG 21.1 Points Against

Dallas Cowboys Avg. 22.6 PPG 15.6 Points Against

Cowboys run offense vs. Eagles run defense
The Cowboys have the 7th rated run offense averaging 131.4 rushing yards per game. The Eagles have the NFL’s 8th rated run defense yielding 104.7YPG. The Cowboys should be able to run the ball to keep the Eagles honest.

Advantage: Even

Cowboys pass offense vs. Eagles pass defense

The Cowboys are 6th in passing averaging 268 yards per game. The Eagles have very good corners but are vulnerable to the pass giving up 27 TD passes and 216 yards per game. Miles Austin will need a big day for the Cowboys to have success on offense.

Advantage: Cowboys

Eagles run offense vs. Cowboys run defense

The Eagles are 22nd in rushing offense in the NFL averaging 102 YPG. The Eagles often abandon the run as Andy Reid tends to fall in love with the pass.The Cowboys are 4th in the NFL in rushing defense giving up just 90.5 YPG. The Eagles will have very little success running against Dallas.

Advantage: Dallas

Eagles  pass offense vs. Cowboys pass defense

The Eagles are 10st in the league in passing throwing for over 256 YPG. The Cowboys are the 20th rate pass defense yielding 225 YPG. McNabb needs to hit big plays to DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and Brent Celek for the Eagles to win this game.

Advantage: Eagles

My pick:

This one may end up being a higher scoring game then most people expect. The Cowboys will try to win their 1st playoff game in over 14 years. The Eagles are looking to go to their 6th NFC championship game in 11 years. After last weeks terrible showing in a must win game for home field advantage; I am going to have to go with the Cowboys.

Cowboys 24 Eagles 21

Filed Under: Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles

Bengals vs. Jets

January 5, 2010 By 2 Comments

Every day this week I will review a NFL playoff matchup taking place this wild card weekend. First up:

New York Jets at Cincinnati Bengals (-3)
Last Matchup: New York Jets      37
                       Cincinnati Bengals   0
New York Jets         Avg. 21.8 PPG     14.8 Points Against
Cincinnati Bengals    Avg.  19.1 PPG     18.2 Points Against

Bengals run offense vs. Jets run defense
The Bengals have the 9th rated run offense averaging 128.5 rushing yards per game. The Jets have the NFL’s 8th rated run defense yielding just 3.8 YPC and 98.6 YPG. The Bengals will have to commit to running the ball to set up the pass. I expect a heavy dose of Cedric Benson and Larry Johnson Saturday afternoon.
Advantage: Bengals
Bengals pass offense vs. Jets pass defense
The Bengals are 26th in passing averaging just 181 yards per game. The Jets are number 1 in the NFL in pass defense giving up only 8 TD passes all season and only 154 yards per game. The Jets have the best corner in the game in Darrelle Revis and he will shut down Chad Ochocinco. The Bengals will find passing yards tough to come by all game
Advantage: Jets
Jets run offense vs. Bengals run defense
The Jets have the number 1 rushing offense in the NFL averaging 172.3 YPG. Thomas Jones has been a beast all season long and Shonn Greene is a solid backup. They lead the league in rushing attempts, yards and are second in touchowns with 22. The Bengals are 7th in the NFL in rushing defense giving up just 98.6 YPG.
Advantage: Even
Jets pass offense vs. Bengals pass defense
The Jets are 31st in the league in passing throwing for only 149 YPG. The Bengals have the 6th rated pass defense yielding 203 YPG. Mark Sanchez is a turnover machine when forced to throw the football. The Jets are just 3-7 in games in which Sanchez has had to throw the ball more then 20 times in a game.
Advantage: Bengals

My pick:
The Jets will see 8 men in the box all day as the Bengals will force Mark Sanchez to beat them with his arm. Sanchez will throw a few picks and the Jets won’t have the same success as they did Sunday night running the football. Carson Palmer and the Bengals will do just enough for the Bengals to win a close one.

Bengals 20    Jets 16

Filed Under: Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets

Live Fantasy Football Chat at 3:45PM

January 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Filed Under: Uncategorized