THE WACKY WORLD OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL - 2007
December 31, 2007
The 2007 college football season is nearing the end. The BCS Championship game is only a week away and either the LSU Tigers or the Ohio State Buckeyes will be crowned national champions next Monday night in the SuperDome in New Orleans.
Here are some wacky facts about the crazy college football season this year.
An unranked team beat a Top 5 team a record 13 times.
The No. 2 team in the nation had a record of 2-7 over the final nine weeks.
The AP No. 1 and No. 2 teams lost three times in the same week, including the final two weeks. That hadn’t happened once in a season since 1996.
Five games met or exceeded the all-division NCAA record for highest combines score: Chadron St. 76, Abilene Christian 73 (3 OT), Hartwick 72, Utica 70 (4 OT), Weber State 73, Portland State 68, Navy 74, North Texas 62, and Boise State 69, Nevada 67 (4 OT).
Appalachian State’s upset of Michigan was the first time an FCS (1-AA) team ever beat a ranked FBS (1-A) team. The Wolverines were No. 5 at the time.
Stanford (+40 over USC) and Syracuse (+37.5 over Louisville) pulled the two biggest upsets ever in relation to the Vegas point spread.
The only game between AP Top 5 teams was Missouri vs Kansas — teams that had never both been ranked in the Top 10 in 115 previous meetings.
Happy New Year!!
NFL WEEK 17 - FINAL ANALYSIS.
December 30, 2007
To all my loyal readers, Hookscenter (HC) says thanks for sticking to my NFL picks each week. I got off to a very poor start to the season but as the weeks moved along so did the wins in the left side of the column.
HC rewarded all readers with a 14-2 record against the spread on the final weekend of the year. Indianapolis covered the seven point spread Sunday night as they lost to playoff bound Tennessee, 16-10, in the RCA Dome in the last regular season game of the 2007 campaign.
HC finished the season with a 111-82-3 overall record. If the average bettor had put a C-Note on every game since this website’s inception in late September, my loyal readers would have an extra $2050.00 in your pocket for the new year.
The 5 Star Pick of the Week finished with a 10-7 record ($230.00 profit).
The 4 Star Picks of the Week finished at 21-17-1 ($220.00 profit).
The Rest of the Week picks finished at 80-58-2 ($1,600.00 profit).
The 5 Star Lock of the Year finished at (1-0).
The 5 Star Lock of December finished at (1-0).
I will treat the visitors to HC this week with a guaranteed 4-0 record this weekend as the NFL playoffs get underway with the wild card games.
The initial glance at these games and the lines make picking these games as easy as the New England Patriots disposed of their opponents during the regular season.
No problem.
The lines for the opening four NFL Wild Card games next weekend are listed below.
Washington @ Seattle (-4).
Jacksonville @ Pittsburgh (PK).
New York Giants @ Tampa Bay (-2 1/2).
Tennessee @ San Diego (-9).
If you want to make a cool $400 or more, check back later this week as Hookscenter will give you a free parlay on the NFL Wild Card games guaranteed to make you a winner.
The NFL playoffs have 11 games including the Super Bowl. Hookscenter’s had a winning percentage of 58 in the regular season. I will not settle for anything less than 70% in the playoffs so therefore I need to pick 8 winners in the postseason.
I will be half way to the promised eight wins after next weekend’s guaranteed sweep.
Happy New Year!!
MEMPHIS IS THE CLASS OF COLLEGE HOOPS.
December 30, 2007
In the past century, seven teams have gone undefeated and won the NCAA title in the same season. The first to do it was San Francisco (29-0) in 1956. North Carolina accomplished the feat the next year. Four of John Wooden’s national championship teams had a perfect record — 1964 (30-0), 1967 (30-0), 1972 (30-0), and 1973 (30-0). In 1976, the Indiana Hoosiers (32-0) became the seventh team to win a NCAA title with an undefeated record.
While their achievement was considered remarkable, nobody realized the ‘76 Hoosiers would be the last team to have a perfect record. In fact, since Indiana won the NCAA title in 1976, all of the other national champions have had at least two losses thru the 2007 college season.
Memphis coach John Calipari wanted to challenge his team with a tough non-conference schedule this season. It wasn’t tough enough to derail the Tigers.
Robert Dozier had 18 points, Chris Douglas-Roberts scored 17 and second-ranked Memphis beat No. 17 Arizona 76-63 on Saturday night, the third time the Tigers have knocked off a ranked opponent this season.
“It wasn’t easy,” Douglas-Roberts said. “None of these games have been. We’ve been playing the best teams in the nation. Any one of them we could see in the Final Four. To be able to beat them, we feel like we can beat anyone.”
Shawn Taggart added 15 points and seven rebounds to help the Tigers (11-0) match the second best start in school history, dating to the 1982-83 season.
Despite one of the nation’s toughest schedules, Memphis still doesn’t have a blemish.
Calipari scheduled tougher opponents this season to help offset the Conference USA schedule his Tigers begin playing in January.
Memphis has rolled through the thick of its daunting non-conference schedule this season much like it has through C-USA in years past: untouched.
The Tigers already have defeated Georgetown, Southern California, Oklahoma, Connecticut and Cincinnati.
The strong schedule should not only make the Tigers better come March, it may bolster their bid for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
They still host Gonzaga on Jan. 26, and in-state rival Tennessee on Feb. 23. The Tigers went 16-0 against C-USA opponents last season.
If the Tigers can get past Gonzaga and Tennessee they have a good chance of entering the NCAA tournament with a 34-0 record.
Memphis is looking to match the New England Patriots this year. One thing they definitely have in common is that they both play in a weak division/conference.
While the Patriots were mopping up on the likes of Buffalo, NY Jets, and Miami on a way to an unblemished season, the Tigers will be mowing down C-USA opponents like Ricky Williams was smoking grass in Jamaica a couple of years ago - one after another.
The Tigers are the only legit tournament team in C-USA. Memphis was ranked number 2 behind Arizona in the latest CBSsports.com RPI ratings. The Tigers should move to number 1 next week and remain their the rest of the season.
The Tigers opponents ratings in C-USA, bases on the top 341 teams in Division 1 men’s basketball, are as follows: Tulane (51), UAB (80), Houston (89), UTEP (109), Tulsa (121), Southern Miss (160), UCF (161), East Carolina (199), Marshall (249), Rice (270), and SMU (214).
Memphis has reached the elite eight the last two season only to be turned away from the final four by UCLA and Ohio State respectively.
Calipari is using those two losses as motivation for the Tigers to take the next step and make the Final four this year in the AlamoDome in San Antonio. Once their the head coach of the Tigers should be able to motivate the most young, talented team to a pair of victories.
Memphis and Calipari will be cutting the nets down in April as the first undefeated national champion since the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers.
Even if Memphis trips up along the way in the regular season, they have nothing to worry about. Since 2000, no national champion has finished with fewer than four losses: 2001 Duke (35-4), 2002 Maryland (32-4), and 2005 North Carolina (33-4).
Once again Hookscenter gives it to you first: Memphis finishes 40-0 and wins the school’s first national championship.
PATRIOTS RUN TO HISTORY.
December 29, 2007
The New York Giants have come to play tonight at the Meadowlands against the unbeaten New England Patriots.
The Giants came out firing as Eli Manning hit Plaxico Burress for a 52-yard gain on the second play of the game. The Giants capped the drive as Manning hit Brandon Jacobs out of the backfield for a 7-yard touchdown pass.
It was the first time this season the Patriots defense have allowed a touchdown on the opponents opening drive.
New England answered the Giants opening drive with a 37 yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski. Tom Brady completed five passes on the Patriots opening drive.
The Giants second drive of the game was a quick, three and out. Sometimes you have to wonder what coaches are thinking during a game. The G-Men crammed the ball down the Patriots throat thru the air on the opening drive and then they come back and try establishing the run on the second drive.
Why wouldn’t head coach Tom Coughlin stick with what was working so far?
The Giants led 7-3 after the first quarter.
The second quarter of this game might have been the most entertaining 15 minutes of football I watched the entire season.
Tom Brady hit Randy Moss on a 4-yard scoring strike on the first play of the second quarter to give New England a 10-7 lead. The pass was triple bubble for the Patriots as they tied or broke three records on the play. Brady tied Peyton Manning at the top with 49 TD passes, Moss tied Jerry Rice with 22 scoring receptions, and the Patriots broke the 1998 Minnesota Vikings single season scoring record.
The game seemed to be turning in New England’s favor but a costly unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for excessive celebration might have turned the game around.
Domenik Hixon ran the ensuing kickoff back 74 yards for a touchdown that sent Giants Stadium into a frenzy. That play may have saved the 1972 Miami Dolphins. It sure inspired the home team.
New England moved the ball at will on the Giants defense in the second quarter but they had to settle for a pair of Gostkowski field goals. The second one put the Patriots ahead 16-14.
The Giants capped the scoring in a wild second period by driving 85 yards in eight plays to take a 21-16 lead into halftime. Manning capped the scoring drive by tossing his second TD pass of the night. This one went to TE Kevin Boss from 3 yards out with 13 seconds left in the half.
The Giants took the largest lead an opponent ever had this season against the Patriots in the second half (12 points).
After forcing the Patriots to a three and out on their first offensive series, the Giants drove 60 yards in 7 plays to take a 28-16 lead. Eli Manning tossed his third TD pass of the night as the G-Men took control of the game. Burress hauled in the 19 yard strike from Manning.
The Patriots answered right back like they have done all season. New England went 73 yards on their next possession to cut the deficit to five points at 28-23. Laurence Maroney capped the scoring drive with a 6 yard scamper.
The Giants led 28-23 after the third quarter.
The Patriots exploded for 15 straight points to open the fourth quarter as they build a 38-28 lead with 4:36 seconds left in the game as Maroney took it in from 5 yards for his second rushing TD of the game.
Earlier in the fourth quarter, Brady hooked up with Moss on a historic 65-yard TD pass to give the Patriots the lead back, 30-28. The long bomb broke two prestigious NFL records. Brady set the new NFL TD passing mark at 50 and Moss sits alone on top of the heap with 23 TD receptions.
The Giants closed the gap to three late in the game as Manning hit Burress with a 3 yard TD pass. Manning fourth TD pass of the game set a Giants record as he and Burress have hooked up 29 times in their careers in a New York football jersey.
Mike Vrobel recovered the onside kick from Lawrence Tynes and Brady took three kneel downs and the Patriots ran the clock out on a date with history.
I would like to congratulate the New England Patriots on the best regular season ever in the history of the NFL as they beat the Giants 38-35.
Enjoy the win because the second season (playoffs) will not be as easy.
NFL PREDICTIONS WEEK 17 AGAINST THE SPREAD.
December 28, 2007
Hookscenter is going to guarantee a win on his 5 Star Pick of the Week. The 5 Star has been a rollercoaster this season. Three losses followed by nine straight wins and then 4 rotten eggs.
The San Diego Chargers (10-5) travel to Oakland (4-11) to take Raiders at McAfee Coliseum in the season finale. If San Dego win, they lock up the number 3 seed in the AFC playoffs and a much easier road to a possible date with the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game.
If the Raiders lose, they lock up a top five draft pick next April.
The Raiders have made strides in Lane Kiffin’s first year as head coach of the Silver and Black. The total in the win column hasn’t jumped dramatically but the Raiders have been a lot more competitive this season. Of the Raiders 11 losses, six of them are by seven points or fewer.
Oakland looked like it packed its bags in for the season as they were routed by Jaguars, 49-11, last weekend in Jacksonville. The number 1 pick of last season’s draft, JaMarcus Russell, will get the starting nod for the Raiders. Al Davis believes it has been a successful season because he won’t have to pay top dollar for the first pick next season.
Led by reigning league MVP LaDainian Tomlinson and with two keys to their defense getting back in game shape, the AFC West champion Chargers will try to solidify their playoff positioning.
In the last meeting, Tomlinson matched a career high with four rushing scores among 24 carries for 198 yards in a 28-14 win on Oct. 14. It was San Diego’s eighth straight win over Oakland.
The Chargers have rebounded nicely after a 1-3 start. The Chargers have won 9 of their last 11 games and resemble the team that took the AFC be storm last season.
The addition of WR Chris Chambers to the receiving unit has opened up the offense. Chambers presence has turned Tomlinson back into the touchdown machine he was last season and it has opened up the middle of the field for TE Antonio Gates.
The Raiders have been outscored 77-31 in three straight home losses to the Chargers. Last season, Aaron Brooks and Andrew Walter combined to go 8-for-19 for just 96 yards in a 27-0 defeat there to San Diego.
The Chargers have been dynamite the last two months and don’t expect anything less than 30 plus points on the board for San Diego. The defense will play “LIGHTS OUT” literally and give Russell a taste of what its like to be any NFL quarterback.
Russell will be eating turf more Sunday than passes he will be completing.
This game could get ugly in a hurry and that why it is not only my 5 Star Pick of the Week, it is Hookscenter’s 5 Star Pick of the Year.
Enjoy the extra spirits on New Year’s Eve courtesy of the Chargers. San Diego wins 38-9.
5 Star Pick of the Week (9-7): San Diego (-8) @ Oakland.
4 Star Picks of the Week (19-16-1): Chicago (+3) vs New Orleans, Pittsburgh (-3) @ Baltimore, and Cincinnati (-2 1/2) @ Miami.
Rest of the Week (69-57-2): New York Giants (+14 1/2) vs New England, Philadelphia (-7 1/2) vs Buffalo, Carolina (- 2 1/2) @ Tampa Bay, Washington (-9) vs Dallas, Green Bay (-5) vs Detroit, Houston (-4) vs Jacksonville, Atlanta (-1) vs Seattle, Cleveland (-11 1/2) vs San Francisco, Minnesota (-3) @ Denver, Arizona (-6) vs St. Louis, Indianapolis (+7) vs Tennessee, and Kansas City (+6 1/2) @ New York Jets.
Overall Record: 97-80-3.
NFL PREVIEW - WEEK 17
December 27, 2007
Hookscenter had another good week handicapping week 16 of the NFL season. HC went 10-6 overall. The lone downfall was another 5 Star pick getting shot down (4 in-a-row).
HC will end the season strong with a guaranteed 5 Star winner for all my readers that have made some good jack the last 6 weeks off my free picks!!
There are five games this weekend with playoff implications, but probably the only three that matter are the ones involving the NFC teams fighting for the last playoff spot. Washington, Minnesota, and New Orleans are all battling for final position in the NFC.
The AFC side is much clearer. Tennessee and Cleveland are duking it out for the last playoff berth. Tennessee wins at Indianapolis and they get the final playoff berth. If the Titans lose Sunday night, the Browns are headed to San Diego for the opening round of the playoffs.
The Cleveland Browns (9-6) host the San Francisco 49ers (5-10) Sunday afternoon at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Weather might be an issue as Browns fans might be treated to their second consecutive blizzard home game. Even though the game has no meaning to Cleveland, their fate rest with Tennessee, the Browns would like to finish with a win. It would be the first time since 1994 that the Browns recorded 10 wins in a season. The coach of the Browns that year - Bill Belichick.
The Browns win in a laugher.
Cleveland got some good news as Marvin Harrison practiced for the Colts (13-2) on Thursday. Harrison is expected to play Sunday and that means that Peyton Manning will probably play longer than expected. If the Colts get out to a huge first half lead, the Titans (9-6) season will end in the RCA Dome. Look for the Colts to get ahead early and then Dungy starts pulling his studs midway thru the third quarter.
The Titans rally late in the fourth quarter and win by a field goal.
Washington (8-7) host Dallas (13-2) Sunday afternoon at Fed Ex Field. The Cowboys wrapped up home field advantage in the NFC last weekend thanks to the egg the Packers laid last weekend in Chicago. Terrell Owens is ruled out for the game (ankle injury). Wade Phillips will play his starters sparingly and the backups will be no match for the red hot Redskins.
Todd Collins wins his third straight start at QB as the Redskins stomp the Cowboys.
Minnesota (8-7) travels to Invesco Field to take on the Denver Broncos (6-9). The game is being played the same time as the Washington and Dallas game. The Vikings will be scoreboard watching because the Broncos packed their bags a long time ago on this season. Adrian Peterson will run wild in the Mile High City.
The Vikings roll the Broncos but learn in the locker room afterward that the Redskins won ending their season.
New Orleans (7-8) travels to Chicago (6-9) to take on the Bears in the early game Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field. The Saints need to win and have both Washington and Minnesota lose later on in the day. If that scenario happens, the Saints are in the playoffs. Weather could be an isssue Sunday in Chicago. If the Bears play like they did last weekend in embarrassing Brett Favre and Company, the Saints have no chance. This game has all the making of last year’s NFC Championship game.
The Bears will get another can of whoop-ass out. The Saints, minus Reggie Bush, might not hit double digits on the scoreboard Sunday.
NFL POWER RANKINGS - WEEK 16
December 26, 2007
The National Football League season concludes this weekend with 16 games on the slate. Some of those games have major playoff implications, some of the games shouldn’t even be played, and one game has a date with destiny.
The New England Patriots (15-0) travel to the Meadowlands to take on the New York Giants (10-5). The Patriots are looking to become the first team since the 1972 Miami Dolphins to go undefeated during the regular season.
The Giants have nothing to play for in regard to playoff positioning as they are locked into the number 5 spot in the NFC playoff picture.
The Giants can go one of two ways in preparing for the Patriots.
New York could rest its starters and give the nicked up players one more week to heal their aches and pains. That would be the logical solution.
The Giants could also use this game as a huge confidence builder heading into the playoffs if they can knock off the almighty Patriots. New York has been known for their late season collapses and a victory over New England could just be the medicine the G-Men need to make a deep run through the NFC playoffs.
New England is playing this game to boost their already inflated ego’s. The Patriots want that 16-0 mark so they can go down in history as the best regular season team ever to step on a football field.
Tom Brady needs two touchdown passes to break Peyton Manning single season TD record of 49. Randy Moss needs two TD receptions to break Jerry Rice’s all-time record of 22. New England also has a chance to break several team scoring records Saturday night.
The Patriots are playing to break records and you can debate all you want till you’ll blue in the face, whether New England should be going full boar for the win and all those individual and team records.
This would be my perfect ending to the New England and NY Giants game. Tom Brady throws two TD passes to Randy Moss. The second one comes on the last play of the game. As Moss and Brady are celebrating in the endzone, a Patriots lineman, running to congratulate them slip and takes out the dynamic duo.
Brady and Moss are out of the playoffs with broken legs.
Hoodie finally gets what he deserves for running the score and his ego up all season!!
1. New England (15-0), 2. Indianapolis (13-2), 3. Dallas (13-2), 4. Green Bay (12-3), 5. Jacksonville (11-4), 6. San Diego (10-5), 7. Pittsburgh (10-5), 8. Seattle (10-5), 9. New York Giants (10-5), 10. Cleveland (9-6), 11. Tampa Bay (9-6), 12. Tennessee (9-6), 13. Washington (8-7), 14. Minnesota (8-7), 15. New Orleans (7-8), 16. Buffalo (7-8), 17. Philadelphia (7-8), 18. Houston (7-8), 19. Arizona (7-8), 20. Detroit (7-8), 21. Chicago (6-9), 22. Cincinnati (6-9), 23. Denver (6-9), 24. Carolina (6-9), 25. San Francisco (5-10), 26. Oakland (4-11), 27. Kansas City (4-11), 28. Baltimore (4-11), 29. St. Louis (3-12), 30. New York Jets (3-12), 31. Miami (1-14), 32. Atlanta (3-12).
CHARGERS IN POSITION FOR DEEP RUN IN PLAYOFFS.
December 25, 2007
The San Diego Chargers took a huge step towards a possible deep run into the AFC playoffs as they disposed of the Denver Broncos, 23-3, Sunday night at Qualcomm Park.
The Chargers remain the #3 seed in the AFC playoff picture heading into the final week of the season. San Diego travels to Oakland next Sunday to take on the Raiders. A Chargers win locks up the #3 seed and they would avoid dangerous Jacksonville in the first round.
If San Diego drops to the fourth seed, they would host Jacksonville in the opening round of the wild card weekend. If the Chargers beat the Jaguars, they would almost certainly head to New England to take on the undefeated Patriots. New England pasted San Diego, 38-14, in week 2 in Foxborough.
A San Diego win next weekend in Oakland and they host either Cleveland or Tennessee in the opening round of the wild card weekend. The Chargers would then travel to Indianapolis, who they beat earlier this year at home 23-21, for a divisional round game.
It all adds up for San Diego.
Win next weekend and there’s a good chance you could be playing in the AFC Championship game for the right to represent your conference in the Super Bowl. Lose and you will probably not have to make travel plans to the Midwest or the East Coast.
San Diego looked impressive as they routed the Broncos on Monday Night Football on Christmas Eve. The Chargers are starting to resemble the team that went 14-2 and earned home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs last season.
The Chargers got off to a 1-3 start this season and many people were calling for coach Norv Turner’s head. San Diego then reeled off three consecutive wins. Losses to Minnesota and Jacksonville on the road sandwiched between a win against the Colts, left the Chargers at .500 ten games into the season.
San Diego has won their last five games. The Chargers clinched the AFC West title last weekend. They look to keep the momentum rolling after throttling the Broncos for the fourth consecutive time.
It turned out to be a walkover for the Chargers who beat the Broncos behind the running of LaDainian Tomlinson. LT is closing in on his second straight NFL rushing title and San Diego is inching closer to the No. 3 playoff seed.
Tomlinson had a 17-yard scoring run among his 107 yards before sitting out the bulk of the second half, already having scampered into the rushing lead with 1,418 yards. His route to another title was made easier when Pittsburgh’s Willie Parker (1,316) broke his right lower leg on Thursday night, finishing his season.
L.T.’s closest pursuer is Minnesota rookie Adrian Peterson, who has 1,305 yards after being held to just 27 yards on nine carries in a loss to Washington on Sunday night. Peterson set the NFL single-game record of 296 yards against San Diego on Nov. 4.
Tomlinson, the 2006 NFL MVP, had only four of his 19 carries in the second half.
Tomlinson felt his hamstring grab following a 6-yard run, his final carry of the night, just as it did a week earlier in a blowout against Detroit. He checked by trainer James Collins, and coach Norv Turner decided he’d carried enough.
The Chargers held the Broncos (6-9) without a touchdown in the season series. The Bolts beat the Broncos 41-3 at Denver on Oct. 7 to end a three-game losing streak.
San Diego is on a four-game postseason losing streak.
That streak should come to an end as the Chargers will totally dominate the Silver and Black next weekend in Oakland.
The Chargers will snap that four-game playoff slide as they will pounded either Cleveland or Tennessee at home in the opening round of the 2007 NFL playoffs.
BROWNS MELTDOWN IN CINCINNATI.
December 24, 2007
The Cleveland Browns played their biggest game since the rebirth of the franchise in 1999 Sunday afternoon in Cincinnati. The Browns had a chance to clinch a playoff birth for the first time since 2002 when they went 9-7 and lost in the opening round of the playoffs to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 36-33.
Instead the Browns wasted a golden opportunity as they lost to the Bengals, 19-14, Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium. Watching the Browns play reminded me of watching Ray Rhodes coach the Green Bay Packers in 1999. Can anyone say - DEER IN HIGHLIGHTS look the whole game.
Just like Rhodes took one of the most talented team in the league to an 8-8 mark in his only season as head coach of the Packers, the Browns displays the same characteristics of the gum-chomping head coach in a game that could’ve brought respect back to the franchise located on the south end of Lake Erie.
The performance of Derek Anderson, one of the league’s most pleasant surprises this season, left the Browns leaving Cincinnati smelling like the lake they are located on. If you have ever been to the Flats in downtown Cleveland, you will definitely know what I am talking about.
Like one of Anderson’s wind-blown passes, the chance to clinch a playoff spot slipped right through the Browns hands.
No surprise, really. Nothing comes easy to these guys.
Anderson threw four interceptions Sunday, two of them setting up rapid-fire touchdowns that left the upstart Browns scrambling for a playoff spot instead of celebrating one.
Cleveland (9-6) could have clinched with a victory over the down-and-out Bengals (6-9), who had nothing more than pride on the line and several starters out with injuries. The Browns acted more like the team playing it out.
They dropped passes. They botched a field-goal attempt. They came up short on fourth-and-short. Ultimately, they couldn’t overcome a bad game by Anderson.
Anderson tied his career high with the four interceptions, leaving the Browns needing help to get a wild-card berth. Tennessee’s 10-6 victory over the Jets later Sunday left the two teams tied with 9-6 records, but the Titans have the tiebreaker on their side.
Cleveland finishes at home against San Francisco. Tennessee ends the season at Indianapolis, which has already clinched the AFC’s No. 2 seed. With Cleveland’s loss, the Pittsburgh Steelers won the AFC North title.
The Browns had everything in their favor. Thousands of their fans were in the stands, taking advantage of local indifference to another losing season. Scalpers had plenty of tickets available on street corners.
Now the only way the Browns can return to the postseason is if Indianapolis beats Tennessee next Sunday night in a nationally televised game from the RCA Dome in downtown Indy.
The Colts played Sunday’s 38-15 rout of the Houston Texans as their season finale in the minds of most of the brass connected with Indianapolis. The Colts will rest the majority of their starters against Tennessee this weekend.
The Colts, who two weeks ago clinched the No. 2 seeding in the AFC playoffs, will play starters early on Sunday in their season finale, Dungy said. But as was the case in a victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday, head coach Tony Dungy said they won’t likely play the entire game.
And in fact, they may play a bit less.
That’s not good news for reindeer in the Flats in Cleveland. Next time you have a big game in December, please remember one thing - sunglasses. At least you can avoid the deer in headlights look and maybe you’ll get your Christmas wish - a playoff birth.
PACKERS LAY AN EGG IN CHICAGO.
December 23, 2007
The Green Bay Packers got the break they needed Saturday night in the race for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs in the NFC.
The Dallas Cowboys beat the Carolina Panthers, 20-13, to remain a half game ahead of the Packers going into Sunday’s action. A Carolina win Saturday would have been great for Green Bay but they received something just as nice.
The Dallas Cowboys lost wide receiver Terrell Owens in the second quarter to an ankle injury. Initial reports has Owens with a high ankle sprain. These sorts of injuries normally take a couple of weeks to heal.
That would have left the Cowboys without Owens for next week’s game at Washington. The Redskins are fighting for the last playoff spot in the NFC. A Washington win next Sunday gives the Redskins the final spot left in the NFC playoff picture.
The Cowboys offense is nowhere near as potent without Owens on the field. Owens commands double coverage almost every offense play and therefore it opens up the field for the likes of Whitten, Crayton, and Barber to have huge games.
Dallas is not a very good road team and probably would’ve lost next week to the Redskins in Washington minus TO.
That all doesn’t matter anymore because the Packers might have played the worst game I’ve ever seen a 12-win team play Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field in Chicago.
The Packers needed to win this game, beat Detroit next week and have Dallas lose to Washington to capture the No. 1 seed. Instead, it goes to the Cowboys, with Green Bay locked in at No. 2.
Brian Urlacher returned an interception for a touchdown for the first time in his career, Adrian Peterson ran for 102 yards, and the Bears beat the Packers 35-7 on a frigid Sunday afternoon.
I’ve been playing 17 years, and that was the worst condition I’ve ever played in,” Favre said. “Excuse? No excuse. It was, but they handled it better than we did. We have historically handled it well. It’s kind of our ace in the hole, but today, obviously, it wasn’t.”
Favre was at his worst on a bone-chilling, windy and at times snowy afternoon, and the Packers (12-3) took their most lopsided loss of the season.
He passed for just 9 yards in the first half and 153 overall, giving him 4,058 this season and putting him over the 4,000-yard mark for the fifth time.
He was 17-for-32 and threw two interceptions. Alex Brown picked him off on the first possession of the third quarter, setting up a touchdown that made it 21-7, and Urlacher ran one back 85 yards early in the fourth after juggling the ball.
But Favre, who left Soldier Field in tears after leading the Packers to a win last New Year’s Eve, wasn’t the only one to have a rough afternoon. The Bears blocked two punts by Jon Ryan, who also dropped a snap and booted a 9-yarder.
The Packers had gone 12 years and 929 punts without a block before Darrell McClover knocked one down in the second quarter. More damaging was Charles Tillman’s block midway through the third quarter. Corey Graham recovered at the 7 and ran it in for a 28-7 lead.
The Bears (6-9) had little to celebrate this season, but they got some consolation by knocking off their archrivals twice. And the 35 points were their most against Green Bay since a 61-7 win on Dec. 7, 1980.
The Packers head back to Green Bay for a meaningless game this weekend with the Lions. Whether coach Mike McCarty decides to rest his players or not should be an easy decision.
Any team with Super Bowl aspirations should not get a week off before the playoffs after they just got humiliated by their arch-rival. The worst part of Green Bay’s performance is they made the whole state of Wisconsin get out of bed to watch that debacle Sunday afternoon.
Remember the old saying, practice makes perfect. If I was coach McCarthy, I would have the beloved Green and Gold outside all week working on the basic fundamentals they couldn’t execute in the snow, wind, and bitter cold temps Sunday in Chicago.
For a minute their Sunday afternoon, I thought it was April Fools Day. I keep thinking that somehow, the Miami Dolphins slid into the Windy City and had put on the Green and Gold.
I quickly realized that it couldn’t have been the Dolphins because the only thing good on the Miami team is their punting unit (they have had plenty of practice this year with that offense in South Florida).
The Packers better right the ship in a hurry because I have a feeling that Green Bay will be seeing their former coach, Mike Holmgren, and the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round of the playoffs.
One thing Packers fans will remember about Holmgren is that he usually wins in January at Lambeau Field. Sunday’s clunker at Soldier Field might have been the dagger in the Packers back.
Only time will tell.