In News That’s NOT Related to Creepy Murder Fantasies…
Predictions for this weekend’s playoff games below the fold… (and por favor, don’t read unless you’re a sports geek… I want to hear ZERO WHINING, PEOPLE!!! ;-))
1.) Washington v.s. Tampa Bay
Brad Picks: Washington.
Brad’s Wanky, Ill-Informed Analysis: Oliver should be very pleased with how his team does in the postseason. As Oliver correctly notes, Joe Gibbs is one of the very best coaches in professional football. Added to this, Washington had to play a brutal schedule this year (opponents’ winning percentage: .539) in an uber-competitive division, and still managed to finish the year with a five-game win streak. Their defense is equally adept at stopping the run and the pass (10th in the NFL in passing yards allowed, 13th in rushing yards allowed), and Clinton Portis leads a strong rushing attack.
2.) New England v.s. Jacksonville
Brad Picks: New England.
Brad’s Wanky, Ill-Informed Analysis: While I’m skeptical that the Pats can beat Denver or Indianapolis, I think they’ll ably handle the Jags this week in Foxborough. Even though some people feel that Tom Brady is “overrated,” my careful research finds them to be completely full of shit- in the postseason, Brady has a 62.5% pass completion rate with only three interceptions in 304 attempts.
Brad Picks: Pittsburgh
Brad’s Wanky, Ill-Informed Analysis: Balloon Juice’s favorite team finished the season strong with four straight wins, and their talented core of backs and receivers should do well against Cincy’s shaky defense (26th in passing yards allowed, 20th in rushing yards allowed).
Brad Picks: Carolina.
Brad’s Wanky, Ill-Informed Analysis: I’ll give the nod to future Senator Yosef’s team for two reasons:
1.) Despite having a talented core of receivers and tight ends (including Plaxico Burress, Jeremy Shockey and Amani Toomer), Eli Manning’s completion percentage this year was a wimpy 52.7%, and he threw 17 interceptions.
2.) Carolina a terrific rush defense that only allowed 1465 rushing yards and 9 rushing TDs all year. If anyone can neutralize Tiki Barber, it’s them.
Since you used the terms “Indianapolis” and “Denver”, is it really that difficult to say “Washington” rather than what even federal court has deemed a racist and offensive term?
It gets so tedious having to remind even purported liberals.
How about I just change it all to cities?
That would be appropriate, neh?
Well, I didn’t name the damn teams 😉
Brad,
Someone can’t honestly believe that Brady is overhyped can they?
Oliver, check out the stats (if you don’t believe the Super Bowl championships) and the full argument at http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com
They convincingly show that Brady isn’t only an efficient ‘game manager’, but has put up stats that put him on an all-time level, better than Farve, Namath, Bradshaw and a half-dozen or so Hall of Famers.
And he’s got three championships. And a hot girlfriend. And he seems like a nice guy.
whine whine whine
Thanks for not picking the Jints (Giants)….I haaate both Mannings, both a bunch of baby’s…ok nothing sceintific about that, just hate them 🙂
Having lived 3+ years in the DC area, I can’t help but root for the Redskins.
Is that ok?
As a man of abnormal height and girth, I find it offensive that you continue to refer to the NY Football team that plays in the Meadowlands that doesn’t have a crappy record as “The Giants.”
Stop it or I’ll sit on you all…at the same time. Don’t worry, I can do it.
Oh, and Pats ALL THE WAY!
If the Panthers beat the Giants, then the terrorists have won.
The Giants have to win. I have to go home eventually. And a lot of Giants fans are also Mets fans. They’ve suffered enough.
Sadly No, I don’t give a flying f*ck if you “root” for them – but you should be called out for using a racist term, particularly when you know it’s racist.
Pats AND Redsk… Washington win!
Everybody, start singing:
“BRAD WAS RIGHT! (DOO-DOO-DOO-DAH-DOO-DOO!)
BRAD WAS RIGHT! (DOO-DOO-DOO-DAH-DOO-DOO!)”
Go Pats! (Mmmm…. Toasted Jaguar. My favorite appetizer. Next up: horse flesh of some sort, either colt or bronco. Yum!)
And MB, how would you suggest people refer to the Washington football team — must we avoid all use of the team’s actual name? And will watching every word we utter and scrubbing our speech of all racist or potentially racist language wipe out racism?
“As a man of abnormal height and girth, I find it offensive that you continue to refer to the NY Football team that plays in the Meadowlands that doesn’t have a crappy record as “The Giants.”
As a man of abnormal loyalty to the 49ers football club, I find it offensive that the last two NFL seasons took place.
Ah c’mon. the niners had one of the great dynasties in recent NFL history. I mean, Eagles fans, THEY have something to bitch about.
Careful folks, MB is the Offical Spokerperson For All Native Americans/Indians/First Peoples Everywhere. There was a vote. That’ll teach me to ignore those newsletters.
While through the next couple weeks we could well hear (over and over and over) that no team has every won three Super Bowls in a row, and the Pats have the chance to do that, I would like to remind everyone of this:
There was a time, long ago and far away, when there was no such thing as a Super Bowl, but they still managed to have NFL championships and NFL champions. And twice in those dark ages did teams win three consecutive NFL championships.
They were the 1929-1930-1931 Green Bay Packers, and the 1965-1966-1967 Green Bay Packers.
(Also, while 4 in 5 years would be, I’m pretty sure, unprecedented, the Lombardi Packers of the ’60s did 5 in 7 years. A little something for the Pats to shoot for.)
Zenyenta – Even more Giants fans are also Yankee fans, and they haven’t suffered nearly enough. (although another $200 million + season of disappointment will certainly help)
If Eli is anything like his brother with the Colts, he will prove himself a notorious playoff choker.
And, as 49ers fans will remember, the Giants have done some choking of their own before Manning ever got there.
I would love to see a shutout, but I think the Giants will probably get at least a field goal…
And for those Mets fans misguided enough to actually like the Giants, let the forthcoming kick-ass season by the Mets soothe the embarrassment of an early playoff defeat on your home field.
(also, I’m rooting for the Bengals so that the Pats get to thrash the Colts. Again.)
What sport are we talking about again?
Sorry i’m a goddamed foreigner all I watch is hockey. (Go canucks, fucking drop this losing streak, you lazy assholes.)
To MB’s defence, you couldn’t name a new team the Honkeys or the Rug Riders, so while I disagree with the origional nomenclature, it’s kind of a “Eh, what can you do now? Situation.”
“… the niners had one of the great dynasties in recent NFL history.”
I am hostile to the weasel words “one of” and “recent”, my friend 😉
“I mean, Eagles fans, THEY have something to bitch about …”
True. And Philadelphia is far and away the worst town to be a sports fan in, as far as being rewarded with title.s Philly fans have seen just 15 NFL/NBA/NHL/MLB championships for 343 seasons played by Philly teams in those leagues. The breakdown: 4/57 NBA … 3/72 NFL … 2/38 NHL … 6/122+54=176* MLB.
Given the size of today’s mega-leagues, Philadelphia’s rate of 22.9 years per championship doesn’t seem that terrible (i.e. that would be better than average in a 30-team league), but remember that for the bulk of 343 seasons the respective leagues were much smaller.
*It really, really sucks to be a Phillies fan. They’ve won a grand total of ONE title in 122 seasons as a pro franchise.
Consider too (and I am a fucking dork) that 6 of Philly’s 15 titles came in a 23-year stretch from 1960 (Eagles) to 1983 (Sixers), plus 5 came in one 3-year and one 2-year stretch – 1910-13, 1930-31 – that nobody ambulatory can remember, and from a team (the A’s) that no longer plays in Philly.
There are just enormous stretches of time in which no Philadelphia fan of any stripe had anything to be happy about.
If Eli is anything like his brother with the Colts, he will prove himself a notorious playoff choker.
[snip]
I would love to see a shutout, but I think the Giants will probably get at least a field goal…
Ianua, any thoughts about the Panthers opponent this weekend? Please? Do it again!!!!
Link seems dead.
To elaborate: When I click the “more” link, I get
Fatal error: Call to undefined function: smarty_core_load_plugins() in /www/s/sadlynocom/cgi-bin/mt/php/extlib/smarty/libs/Smarty_Compiler.class.php on line 2157
What about “whinging?”
BTW, in my continuing tradition as a traitor, though I’m a Chicago boi, I really fucking hope the Bears are crushed at some point here. You have no idea. I was both mystified and disappointed when the White Sox won last year.
Ooh–see, I’m a bad, bad person. I forgot to refer to them as “da Bears.” I’m so ashamed. Or not.
This Week’s Playoff Predictions
Click below the fold if you want my predictions. I was four-for-four last week, so I could be onto something……