Breaking news… another superstar in the NBA wants out of his current situation. This is not breaking news or anything new when it comes to the NBA. This is the norm. In soap operas, the norm is Dr. Drake will sleep with his wife’s sister. Episodes later, Dr. Drake will take a bullet to head. The bullet takers in the NBA this go around, are the New Orleans Pelicans. Their big man they pay 25 million dollars a season, wants out.  Anthony Davis wants to force a trade to a contender. It has to be the LA Lakers because they are, of course, the only contending team out there.

The Lakers are only three games better than the Pelicans, as they are chasing the 8th spot in the playoffs, as of today. To the eye test, the Lakers would not be a contending team just from looking at the standings. However we do know Lebron James shares an agent with Anthony Davis. Rich Paul is the slime who is orchestrating the plan. The middleman who is part of the grand scheme to bring Anthony Davis to LA to build the norm in the NBA CALLED… THE BIG THREE. Do you think Lebron James would go to LA for the money and Hollywood and play with younger guys and develop them and guide them to the playoffs and beyond?  If you picked answers A & B you are correct. Lebron James’ group is like a terrorist cell. They have certain dates and times they plot and make their attack. Anthony Davis is strapped with a bomb vest as he demands the trade, or he blows the Pelicans out of the water.

It was not long ago, in the beginning of the season, that we saw this take place. It was Jimmy Butler who wanted out. The Timberwolves did not grant him a wish as the big money is not enough for these players as they treat all these organizations like genies, and think they have a never ending list of wishes.

Jimmy Butler played some games for the Timberwolves before the trade. He probably acted like George Costanza as he wanted out of his contract for the Yankees. The New York Mets offered him a better deal. George had to get fired so he was doing it all to make sure that happened.

 

Finally the Timberwolves made the deal and sent Jimmy Butler to the Philadelphia 76ers. The Timberwolves who made it to the playoffs last season are only 24-26 this season. They fired their head coach. They probably did not get what they gave up for Jimmy Butler. These Superstar want out, they get their wish, and then they leave their former team like a bloody crime scene. Same thing will probably happen in New Orleans. It will be a beach of bloody dead birds washed up getting picked at by other birds, as their stock will drop and they’ll be looking to hit the reset button. The reset button is nothing like an easy button as it take the franchise years to rebound after Anthony Davis leaves Mardi Gras town.

Anthony Davis was fined $50.000 for violating the collective bargaining agreement. He had Rich “the slime bag” Paul go public with the trade demand.  Anthony Davis and his people and his buddy Lebron, have no respect for the New Orleans Pelicans. Telling people he will only sign with the Lakers and no one else. That domino takes out most of the league. If a team makes a trade for Anthony Davis, he most likely will only be a one year rental. If you’re the Boston Celtics, do you gamble a few pieces away to have Anthony Davis finish out the year and the playoff run? Would he be the player to put the Celtics over the top of such a team like the Warriors, if these two teams met in the championship? If you win the championship and Anthony Davis likes the team which could be a long shot, he might want to come back and sign a long term deal.  Thinking like that has to be thrown out the window. This is the NBA, nobody is loyal in the league which is equivalent to Days of Our Lives or All My Children.

It’s quite disturbing how the NBA has such a huge following. For decades many players in every sport, demanded trades. In the NBA, the superstars run the league. In the days of Michael Jordan, every team had superstars. You can name a few players from each team. It was a better game. It had more entertaining rivals. Because teams stayed together. Teams added pieces for sure. Plus, you could build from the draft and be successful. Nowadays, the big three is the only way.  If you can not establish the big three super start team and quick, it will not matter. If you have one superstar or even come up short by one, your time is up. It does not matter even if you play in a big market either, see the Chicago Bulls. The big three way of doing things creates too many messes. In due time, the whole league of the NBA will be in disarray as many cities will want nothing to do with this concept. Why would you want to pay big dollars for tickets to watch your team always going back to the drawing board? It only leads to your favorite player wearing multiple jerseys from different cities, most of them in ruins. Not sure if today’s NBA fan pays attention to what is on the front of the jersey. It is more about  what’s on the back of the jersey and that is why it is a backwards league.

Many people are probably still in shock after what they saw on Sunday. Two NFL championships that went into overtime. Two nail biter games that came close to drawing blood, biting all the way down to the nubs of the fingers. Two calls, one from each game, could have landed the two home teams in the Superbowl, rather than the two teams that prevailed on Sunday. The visiting teams. Obviously the championships the NFL was letting them play. Referees were not calling all the ticky tack fouls like in regular season. Or is it just the way the NFL sets up rules with more holes in it than Swiss cheese that cost the Saints and Chiefs?

In the Saints Rams, how did the refs miss the receiver not get blown up in the last two minutes? Then in the Chiefs and Patriots game they threw a flag on  a guy lined up in the neutral zone that had nothing to do with the play. It was the one play that cost his team the game. Sure the refs saw him lined up in the neutral zone. Lined up inches over the line. Then they overturned a punt play with no clear evidence that Julian Edelman did not touch the ball which was originally ruled he did. Things usually do even out when it comes to calls in games. Both games had these plays where the referee had the eagle eyes one play, but then the next play was the blind leading the blind.

In the Saints and Rams with under two minutes left to play, Drew Brees launches up a pass down the side line. The ball is in the air as the Saints receiver, Tommy Lee Lewis, is open. He’s looking at the ball floating in the air coming his way. Then BAM!!! Nickell Robey-Coleman lights him up. Then the ball hits the ground. Two red flags pop up on the same play in my head. Even the sold out crowd was thinking the same thing. Probably the Rams players or even the Rams fans at home watching it on TV. Pass interference is the easy one as the Rams defender mauled him before the ball got to his hands. The second flag, helmet to helmet contact the Rams player made with the Saints receiver. Rams fans were thinking, “Well, it was a great run. We improved from the season before and won a playoff game instead of going one and done.” However, not one yellow flag was on the New Orleans turf. Boos erupted over the whole stadium. Nickell Robey-Coleman was like OJ Simpson, if the glove does not fit you cant equit. It was like having 75,000 witnesses on the scene telling the same story over and over. How he did the crime, but received no time.  The zebras pronounce the Rams not guilty. Saints instead kick the field goal instead of running the clock down and getting the lead for good with only seconds left.

When it comes to New England, they must have naked pictures of somebody. Perhaps Bill Belichick has mercenaries pointing guns on  the referees’ families. How the Patriots  got out of the Julian Edelman call baffles me. Maybe he did not touch that ball. What proof did the refs or anybody else see to change that call on the field when it looked like he did touch it? You need conclusive evidence to change the call originally ruled on the field. It did not take very long for the Chiefs to get the ball back with the interception. Cheaters never win raced through my mind when Kansas City took that in for a score after getting screwed on the Edelman play. Other plays that were so bad in this contest, included the roughing call on Chiefs defensive line man, Chris Jones. Obviously going for the ball, he slapped the almighty Tom Brady’s shoulder pads. He gets flagged for that. That helped the Patriots continue to march down the field. Then the Chris Hogan catches. At least one of them should have been over turned. Ball clearly was trapped by the ground. Plus the ball was moving,  he did not have complete control.  No dice the Patriots get their way and both calls that were replayed calls were upheld on both catches Chris Hogan was questioned about.

If those mighty Patriots had a guy inches lined up in the neutral zone, would they have gotten called for that?  After the game Andy Reid said usually the referees will warn a player about lining up in the neutral zone before they actually call it. In overtime you could say on that Drew Brees interception he was hit in the head with helmet on helmet contact. The NFL always bellowing safety first. That’s why so many flags were thrown during regular season  on helmet to helmet contact. It will get a team every time. I can see letting these teams play it out in the playoffs. Not calling every little penalty on tomfoolery. Most receivers think they should throw a flag on each play if they don’t come up with the catch and signaling their own first down. NFL and the refs were all over the map with these calls this Sunday. First, missing the very obvious. Then if you preach safety, don’t change the way you call it in the playoffs. If you see it call it. Many plays in both games had the helmet to helmet contact and most of them were obviously. Some were called, most were not.

The problems I see are the NFL has rules that they do not even understand. Especially, what is a catch? They’ve been working on this for a freaking decade trying to figure out what a catch actually is. Plus pass interference, they make everything hard on defense. Everybody gets used to the regular ruling and then they change their philosophy in the playoffs. Why can you not challenge the pass interference call? You can challenge the spot of the football.   The NFL is too busy trying to speed up the game. They are too busy handicapping the defense, making it a flag football competition.

The NFL is ruining the game, especially because they want every game to be competitive since the league is watered down. Then they could easily have close games and their stupid changes effect games where referees are screwing up the outcomes of very important games. I think everyone is sick of the Patriots way. Tom Brady and the Evil Empire get away with murder each year in the playoffs. From the fumble tuck rule years ago, when they should have lost to the Raiders. Then this year where all these stupid rules only help the Patriots prevail. If you want the Patriots in every Superbowl, why even play a regular season? Now the NFL will be bringing in legal gambling on football. Looks like the refs are practicing to line the pockets of the NFL, fixing the outcomes how they want them. Now we are stuck with a rematch between the Rams and Patriots. Where it all started for the Evil Empire 17 years ago. I will root for the Rams. However, since the Patriots lost last year they will be assigned the win in the Superbowl in two weeks. Everyone knows both outcomes were not decided fairly. The real Superbowl should have been the Saints versus Chiefs. The two best quarterbacks in the league. Both teams had the game won. The game was taken away by the NFL stupid logic coming up with rules that make no sense. Trying to enforce them even makes these rules look pathetic because too many moving parts.

SUNDAY JANUARY 20,2018

PLAYOFFS ROUND THREE(CHAMPIONSHIPS)

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP

AT

THE MATCH UP

RAMS AT SAINTS

Met once in regular season, Saints prevailed.

Rams and Saints are the top two teams in the conference. Both teams are very good on both sides of the ball. Both teams have many play makers that can come up with the big key play to win it for their team. I think the Saints have the better offense. While the Rams have the better defense.

This will be a close game. I think the Saints defense will take out Todd Gurley and that running game, leaving it up to Jared Goff to beat them. I do like the Saints run defense, they will be able to contain Gurley. If you can get pressure on Goff you can rattle him. The Saints will need to stop Aaron Donald any way they can and give Brees that extra split second. Wade Phillips will have to come up with something very clever to stop the Saints offense. I see them taking a page out of the Cowboys playbook, bringing all kinds of pressure from every direction to force Brees to make a mistake. Goff will need to have one of his best games if they want to win in New Orleans.  I think Sean Peyton will have a different game plan where he will use his two headed monster in the back field and wear out the Rams defense by running the ball and quick passes out of the back field.

I like the Saints in this one. NO PLACE LIKE THE DOME. I believe this year is the Saints’ year. Plus Drew Brees is a hall of fame quarterback and he is going to get the job done. I think Sean Peyton will ou- coach Sean McVay and Wade Phillips, throwing the kitchen sink at them.

OUR PICK: SAINTS

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP

AT

THE MATCH UP

PATRIOTS AT CHIEFS

Both teams have met in regular season with the Patriots prevailing.

Last time these two met it was a high scoring affair and a great game. I expect this match up to be another shoot out. The weather will be cold which both teams are used to. I do not see it affecting either team’s playbook. Tom Brady looked like his former self last week as the Patriots destroyed the visiting Chargers with ease. Chiefs led by Patrick Mahomes looked sharp as he guided his team over the red hot Colts. Both teams have very talented offenses. I think Kansas City with all their weapons of mass destruction gets the edge over the aging dinosaurs the Patriots have. I give the Chiefs the nod with the better defense especially how they put the brakes down hard on Luck and the Colts. Andy Reid is a great coach. However, the man under the hooded sweat shirt will have a better game plan. Most likely stole the Chiefs game plan somehow during the week. It is the playoffs, during which the Patriots are a different animal.

The big key to this game is the Chiefs at home. With the win last week over the Colts, they broke that nasty streak they were on with bad home playoff losses. They never had Patrick Mahomes during those games and he is a big difference. Even though the Patriots are different animal in the playoffs which they are, this is a road game for them. The Patriots  have been to more Superbowls than road playoff games. The Death Star is unstoppable in New England with the home cooking. Plus in the regular season the Patriots struggled big time. Tom Brady looked like a shell of his old self. I might be heading down a dark road with no head lights, but this is the game the Patriots fall in. The Chiefs defense will make Brady uncomfortable in the cold and with the loud fans it will not pleasant. I don’t think the Patriot defense can contain the Chiefs offense. I’m throwing out a bold statement in this prediction. This is the end of the Empire Empire. January 20, 2019 is the date where the Patriots empire will start to crumble. It will be a bad loss for them that eats away at the Death Star all off season like termites on wood. Big changes will happen. Give me an AMEN !!!!!

OUR PICK: CHIEFS

The NFL is down to the final four. With two games on the Sunday slate that will decide who is going to the Superbowl in Atlanta. Both the AFC and the NFC championships feature the two best teams from both conferences. What would be the best match up to watch out of the 4 different combinations?

THE FALL OF THE EVIL EMPIRE

Whatever combo takes place for this year’s Superbowl it has to be the fall of the Evil Empire. Yes, the end of an era to the New England Patriots. The Patriots might not even get in this Superbowl because they have to play Kansas City, which will not be easy for the hooded man in the Sweat shirt. We do not need to see the Empire Strikes Back, even though that was the best Star Wars movie of them all. We don’t need Tom Brady coming back and winning the Superbowl to revenge last year’s loss to the Eagles. I do not want to see Tom Brady’s story end with him walking off into the sunset.

THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO SEE HAPPEN TO THE EMPIRE

I want opposing defenses to swarm the Patriots. Wrap them up and knock the day lights out of them.

I want Tom Brady to feel like this after the loss. Most of the year he has been a shell of his old self anyways. It tells you how weak the AFC is, to designate a regular spot for the Patriots each year, even when they are not as good.

I’m hoping the Chiefs give the GRONK the white washes he deserves as they bury this big bastard in the snow bank.

THE END OF THE EVIL EMPIRE

The best Superbowl game out of the four combos.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS VERSUS KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

First thing… this game does not have the Patriots in it. This game intrigues me the most because it has two of the best offenses in the league. Both teams would be number one seeds from each conference. Both teams have the two best quarterbacks this season. Both of them are probably neck and neck in the MVP race. Let this game decide that trophy as well. Winner take all. Both teams have lots of intriguing play makers as well. Whoever has the ball last type of Superbowl wins it.

TIDBITS I LIKE:

If Saints win the Superbowl, Drew Brees  would have his second ring. He seems like he gets the shaft when it comes to all-time great conversation of best quarterbacks in the league. Even though his numbers back it up. Two rings would be hard to keep him out of that conversation.

The last time the Chiefs were in the Superbowl, it was 1970. Superbowl IV versus the Vikings and a win.

The second best combo Superbowl.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS VERSUS NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

This game would feature two for sure Hall of Fame quarterbacks. Reminds me of the Montana Marino show down in the 1980s. Both quarterbacks are up there in age. Brees is getting better with age. Brady was playing well at Brees’ age. You can not count out Tom Brady, look at last weekend when he looked like his old self. He did not look like Peyton Manning on his last leg like he did in the regular season. Another Superbowl where who has the ball last probably wins the game.

TIDBITS I LIKE:

If the Saints win the Superbowl this year, will they have any kind of controversy follow them next year? Last time the Saints won the Superbowl it was bounty gate that followed.

If New England makes in the Superbowl, would it be the end of the great Gronk win or lose?

If he has been hobbled on offense fighting through nagging injuries playing tight end, maybe they move him to a different position. Maybe free safety is more up to his speed. SEE MIAMI MIRACLE…..

Third best combo.

LA RAMS VERSUS KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

These two teams met in regular season on Monday Night. It was the best game of the year if you like watching flag football. Rams won this one as both teams scored in the 50’s. If they meet again, you know it will be a battle of field goals. The roof will blow off in Atlanta. The zombie apocalypse will start in the middle of the game. Walking dead will invade the stadium. Ndamukong Suh for the Rams would cheap shot all the zombies. He of course might bite them. I can even see him running out the stadium crying for his mother as well. Overall part two’s like Weekend at Bernie’s two or the remake of the Blues Brothers are very disappointing.

TIDBITS I LIKE.

If Chiefs win, Andy Reid would get his first ring as head coach. He guided the Eagles  to the Superbowl and obviously they lost.

LA RAMS never won a Superbowl in LA. When they moved to St.Louis is the only time they won a Superbowl. I think the St.Louis area  would wear their Cardinal Red and support the Chiefs if they make it.

The last combo.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS VERSUS LA RAMS

This is the rematch I was not envisioning when the playoffs started. I was thinking Bears versus the Patriots. These two teams met in 2002 and the Rams were in St.Louis at the time. They were the greatest show on turf. They had a dynasty going. The Patriots were underdogs. People did not hate them at the time, like they do now. If I knew then what I know now, I would have rooted for the Rams. Can you bring back Kurt Warner for this one?  Now that would be a game. Kurt Warner coming back to slay the Evil Empire that started on his watch.

Goff versus Brady does not get me very excited. I do like Wade Phillips’ defense versus Tom Brady which is the intriguing match up of this potential Superbowl. If you’re a Buffalo Bills fan, this game would remind you of what a receiver would actually look like. You had two of them that were actually teammates and did well on the Bills. The Bills let them both walk. They would play in this game because they both are having pretty good years. Both are solid weapons for both the quarterbacks. Chris Hogan for the Patriots and Robert Woods for the Rams.

TIDBITS I LIKE..

Coach Sean McVay of the Rams is the only head coach that has not led his team to a Superbowl.

New England Patriots have been in more Superbowls than road playoff games.

DUMB AND DUMBER

Can the Kansas City Chiefs win without Kareem Hunt? I’m sure the Patriots can win without Josh Gordon. Two players that could of been in the thick of things. Addiction and outside distractions preventing them from playing in the biggest games of the year. If both of these players do make it back in the league, they might not be this close.

KAREEM HUNT

Hunt is an ultimate fighting fan. As you can see he took down this female.

JOSH GORDON

Gordon loves the glue. Substance banned from the NFL. Except crazy glue you can still sniff, ask Leonard Fournette.

 

 

 

Should the Chicago Bears go after Kareem Hunt in the off season to improve their offense? Or Should the Bears stay put and continue with the Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohern combo? Kareem Hunt was cut weeks ago by the Chiefs after a video surfaced of him involved with a woman in little “bam zoom to the moon.”

Except in the Honeymooners, the mild threat Ralph makes in every episode, is only a threat. Kareem Hunt sent a woman to the ground with a shove caught on video. I guess that would not technically count as to the moon. However, he followed that up with a judo kick to her when she was on the ground. Allegedly she was intoxicated and provoked the man, Kareem Hunt. Throw in some racial slurs into the equation like every good fight should have and you’ve got a nice Saturday night fight beyond the Thunderdome. Hunt has an anger management problem. No criminal charges will be attached to this situation. Hunt will get to play in the NFL again. Matt Nagy of the Bears coached Kareem Hunt in his first year, when he was not an angry elf running the ball. Matt Nagy runs the same style offense that Hunt is familiar with. Should the Bears stay put with the thunder lightning combo of Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen? Or seek a double threat of running back combo with Hunt and Cohen?

In 2016, Jordan Howard was in beast mode running the football between the tackles. He averaged 5.2 yards for carry and tallying up 1313 yards. In 2017, the yards per average slipped to 4.1 yards per carry. His yards went down 1122. In 2017, he played on a very bad Bears offensive team. They had Mike Glennon followed by a rookie quarterback with horrible receivers. Jordan Howard was the only game in town. In those two years, Jordan Howard was one of the best backs in the league. Running the football he can do, but catching balls out of the back field is not the man’s cup of tea. In 2018, Matt Nagy took over and put in a whole new offense. An offense which is very pass happy. An offense that is very spread out. An offense where multiple play makers get chances to carry the ball.  Leaving Jordan Howard to see his numbers across the board dwindle. Except in touchdowns. He had nine of those, tied his total in 2016. A power back. A work horse that needs steady carries throughout the game to be effective. A work horse that does not catch balls in the passing game that much, unless a quarterback’s only option.

Kareem Hunt in 2017, came in the league and set things on fire as he galloped for 1327 yards on the ground. He average 4.9 yards on the ground during his first season. He ran in 8 touchdowns as well. In 2018, before they found about the woman he beat up in the hotel hallway where he lives.

In 11 games he had 824 yards on the ground. His rushing average dropped only some to 4.6 yards per carry. He had seven touchdowns on the ground. Kareem Hunt has been in the same style of offense his whole career, which has not been long. Besides running the ball, Kareem Hunt helps out the passing game. He caught 53 balls in 2017 for 455 yards with three receiving touchdowns. In the 11 games this year for the Chiefs, he caught 26 balls for 378 yards and 7 touchdowns.

Techmo bowl video game numbers is what Kareem Hunt puts up in Matt Nagy’s style of offense. Add the human joystick they call Tarik Cohen and the Bears would have a combo a double threat that would take the league by storm. Defensive coordinators would stay up all night walking the ledge coming up with no plans in stopping this kind of razzle dazzle offense. It would be like the two headed monster the New Orleans Saints have right now. How many broken legs and tweaked hamstrings would defenders get trying to chase down either son of a bitch? Then throw in the crazy runs with the wide receivers. All the miss direction runs and  with a quarterback that can run. Let’s not forget the passing game will only get better. You would be taking your offense to the Saints and Chiefs, but beyond that. Wake up its a bad idea.

I love the idea of a thunder and lightning combo with Cohen and Jordan. It should of been like how the Giants  used that combo years ago. Ron Dayne, former Badger, would bulldoze players throughout the game and wear out defenses. Then throw in the lightning speed back in Tiki Barber and defenses would  be gasping for air trying to chase down a speedster after dealing with a wrecking ball. This combo would work vice versa with lightning rather than thunder. It was a combo that wrecked havoc on defenders. The Giants back then ran a different offense than the Bears do today. That’s probably all they had. This system would not work with the Bears because it’s an offense with multiple weapons. Running backs that only run between the tackles and that are not a threat in passing game are dinosaurs in this style of offense. That’s why you seen Jordan Howard’s numbers go down this year. Jordan Howard is a running back that needs many carries each game. They do not offer enough carries for Jordan Howard to be effective in Matt Nagy’s offense.

I think both running backs, Kareem Hunt and Jordan Howard, are a bad idea to have either one of them on your roster next season. Kareem Hunts fits perfectly. Jordan Howard is like a square peg trying to fit in a round hole. Kareem Hunt you can probably get cheap because of the baggage that comes with the player. Jordan Howard, you can probably get something good in return in the trade market.

I like the idea with a back like Kareem Hunt and Tarik Cohen and seeing what they can do. This Bears team has  great things going on with them right now that you do not want to ruin. They have a great locker room with high character players with a great coaching staff. Kareem Hunt may have been a good team guy. But you do not want his baggage to disrupt the locker room they presently have. The Bears had enough of Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall. We do not need a Pittsburgh Steeler type of locker room as well. Do not kill the chemistry.

Running backs grow on trees. You can draft a running back like Kareem Hunt in the third round. Trade Howard, get something for him. You can pick up a power running back on the cheap in free agency or late rounds in the draft if you need a specialist  to get that one yard bruiser style. Do not let any of your key defenders walk away. Resigning them is most important. Throwing your money at Robbie Gould is a great idea. Kind of need a kicker. Or if you see somebody to make that defense even better or improve depth on your roster, this is the direction the Bears should go. You can find late round backs to really make that offense even sweeter later rounds instead of bringing in the wife beaters. Let’s not be the Bengals of the past.

 

 

 

SATURDAY GAMES JANUARY 12,2018

LAST WEEK WILD CARD ROUND (2-2)

FIFTH GAME

AFC

AT

 

MATCH UP

COLTS (11-6) AT CHIEFS (12-4)

This is one of the hardest match ups to figure out a winner in the divisional round. The Colts have been on fire for awhile now. The Chiefs have been on fire most of the year. The last part of the season the Chiefs had fight and scratched their way just to win the division. It did not look pretty. Colts playoff games had to come early as they had to win a few games to just get the number six seed. Then they won last week in the first official playoff game they played.

You could say by history the Colts are like the Harlem Globetrotters and the Chiefs are like the Washington Generals when it comes to these teams meeting in the playoffs. Colts are 4-0 versus the Chiefs . In 2013, Andrew Luck had that epic comeback versus Andy Reid and the Chiefs. Down 38-10 in the second. Andrew Luck led them back in the game in which the Colts prevailed 45-44. Then you have the Chiefs in general over the years self destructing in the playoffs like last year versus the Titans. Another big lead blown and another loss in the playoffs for the Chiefs.

This year the Chiefs have the high powered offense with many weapons of mass destruction. They have a new quarterback leading this team. This is not your typical Alex Smith team. The Colts have a great offense. Andrew Luck has emerged as one of the best quarterbacks in the league. They have a great running game as well. I think the Colts have the better defense in this one. They have a top ten unit that can do some good things especially putting the brakes on a well oiled machine. The Chiefs defense are always hoping they can make the one key stop, the one key turn over to hope that Mahomes can out-duel the other team.

Arrowhead is a tough place to play in as a visitor. However the home field advantage is thrown out the window with the Chiefs history in playoffs. I think this game will be a shoot out. Everything points to the Colts winning this game. I have two X factors why the Chiefs can win this game and change their playoff history at least temporarily. Andy Reid’s coaching record coming off bye weeks during the regular season and playoffs is off the charts. The second X factor is Patrick Mahomes. He is not Alex Smith. Everyone keeps thinking this kid is going to have that bad game. Not happening. This guy comes out loose and nothing gets him frazzled as he goes out and plays football every week.  He will show you with a great game plan installed by Andy Reid that the regular season was no fluke. I like that Sammy Watkins will play in this one, giving the Chiefs yet another weapon. The Colts handled the Texans with ease last week. I think they match up against the Texans very well is why they handled them. I think the Colts do not  match up well with this Chiefs team.

OUR PICK: CHIEFS

SIXTH GAME

NFC

AT

MATCH UP

COWBOYS (11-6) AT RAMS (13-3)

Cowboys have not won a playoff game on the road since 1993. The Rams have not won a playoff game in 14 years as they were not even in LA when they last won. Rams finally broke a playoff drought last year when Sean McVay took over. Rams had a home playoff game but they suffered a loss to the Falcons. This year they did even better as they got the first round bye and now get another home playoff game this time against the visiting Cowboys. Cowboys who have been up and down all season finally took control of one of the worst divisions in football. They had a home game last week where they took down the Seahawks to advance to this round as they head to LA.

Both teams have great defenses. LA Rams have bigger names for veterans. They also have Aaron Donald who is one of the best defensive guys in the league. Both teams have great running backs. Rams are happy to get their star running back, Todd Gurley, back as the bye week helped him get back in the line up. The receivers edge has to go to the Rams. At this point they are healthier. Both quarterbacks are pretty even. I might give Goff the slight edge.

I like the Rams getting their feet wet last year as a group making it to the playoffs. With the loss will only help this team strive for that first win as  a group. I think home cooking will help them achieve this even though Cowboy fans travel very well. I like the fact that Wade Phillips has extra motivation, especially being  fired by the Cowboys. Wade Phillips’ defenses in the playoffs are always a problem for opponents. I think that he knows what buttons to push to stop the Cowboys running game which will be the biggest x factor in this match up. I think the walking wounded receivers Dallas has and relying on Dak’s arm will be in the Rams favor. Cowboys played good last week. But Seahawks played without a kicker most of that game. Then a few phantom penalties that went in the cowboys’ favor changed that game. I don’t think the Cowboys can stop Jared Goff and that Rams offense that is one of the best in the league. I think the Cowboys are overrated and the Rams will put them out of their misery early on.

OUR PICK: RAMS

It is round two of the NFL playoffs and eight teams remain. The Divisional round, the games get better as now the teams get better with all the first round byes set to play their first games. Plus you got teams like the Eagles and Colts that started playing playoff games way before it actually started, just to get in the tournament. Usually the biggest reason teams advanced to the Superbowl is the quarterback play. Tha’ts how they usually get to the playoffs in the first place. Out of the remaining teams, who has the best quarterback and who has the worst? I won’t throw stats down your throat until you puke. We are judging these gunslingers just by our own eyeballs on what they did in regular season or last week. Not going by their past history of how many trophies and stripes they won or have not won. We will go worst to first since that is a common theme in today’s NFL.

NUMBER EIGHT: DAK PRESCOTT       I think the Cowboys arrived where they are from good defense and good running game. Dak Prescott made some nice throws last week versus Seattle. He needs that running game to set up his passing game. Dak for most of the year has regressed. To my eyes he has not carried the team on his own shoulder very much. If Cowboys are down by a score late, he is the one quarterback I see that would have trouble leading his team down-field in crunch time.

NUMBER SEVEN: JARED GOFF     Jared is a very good young quarterback in my eyes. He has been climbing the steady improvement charts every year. This season has been a roller coaster of a season. Came out the doors firing and chucking the ball all over the field as the Rams put up some big points. If you get steady pressure in his face like the Bears did, he has problems. He went through a stretch of this season where he looked like a rookie quarterback. Then at the end of the season during the last two weeks, he seemed to be sharp again. To me he could be too unpredictable, especially with another playoff game on the horizon. Could the pressure on and off the field take him out of his game?

NUMBER SIX: NICK FOLES      St. Nick has taken over once again and has delivered another miracle. I don’t know what it is… if this guy needs most of the season off then inserted in he turns into instant magic. He started a few games earlier in the season but did not look like he does at the end of regular season and beyond. Maybe they should shorten the regular season to eight games. Nick Foles is perfect for Philadelphia. He is like the Rocky of football. It’s more determination and heart than any of his football tools. Very impressive late drive versus the Bears last week.

NUMBER FIVE: TOM BRADY  At times Mr. Fantastic has looked like a shell of his former self. Looked like Peyton Manning on his last legs. Then all of a sudden he will go back to his old self and look like a young Darth Vader with a pep in his step. Patriots still captured their division. They even captured the number two seed. In Tom Brady’s case, looks may be deceiving. Things are getting done in a timely fashion as usual, but it may not look as clean and crisp and very easy like it used to. If I do the quarterback rankings, next week could be saying just like the old Tom Brady as we see him pass for about 400 yards and 4 touchdowns.  Right now he is like a box of chocolates, you do not know what you will get. I would put money on the dark side because this is his animal, round two playoffs at home.

NUMBER FOUR: PHILLIP RIVERS     The ability to lead a team on the road and come away with all those victories away from LA is very impressive. At home playing in a soccer field is home but may not seem like home. Especially when the opponent out numbers your fans at home.   Rivers is an old wily veteran showing true grit this season as his numbers have been very good. He has the best team he has ever had making it to the playoffs. I’ve seen less mistakes in crunch time this year. He always has been a gunslinger. Always prone to those last minute last quarter drives and throw that Jay Cutler type of interception to cost the team dearly. This year he’s making the right throws. Winning on the road. This could be a deadly combo for opponents in the playoffs, especially since the Chargers have a better record than most teams in the conference and are a wild card.

NUMBER THREE: ANDREW LUCK  He was hurt last season. This year coming back he has knocked off the rust very quickly. He has been rock solid all year and delivered some big games especially down the stretch. The comeback win versus the Giants was very impressive, down ten points in the fourth quarter. He is like Nick Foles of late as he is red hot with way better numbers. Luck is prone for a boneheaded mistake at times. He seems like he can overcome them, which you want as a quarterback.

NUMBER TWO: DREW BREES       Brees could easily be slotted as the number one quarterback out of these rankings. Another great season as now he put the team in that number one spot and they  have all their home games in the dome in New Orleans.  For a few weeks, the Saints had all kinds of injuries to some of their play-makers. Saints were still marching on as Drew was throwing touchdowns to people you never heard of. Guys that may have been working concessions and given a uniform at the last second to go in for whoever. Drew Brees can be down a few scores and can storm right back into the game and win. No lead is safe when your team is up against the Saints. His approach to the game plan is perfection. Drew can make all the throws on the field. Pressure does not rattle his cage as the ball comes out faster.

NUMBER 0NE: PATRICK MAHOMES    Everyone is still waiting for Mahomes to have a bad game. Maybe his bad game is like most of the NFL quarterbacks’ greatest  games. Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs put up video game numbers against the league this year. Mahomes has a rocket arm. He can make the throws and does not make many mistakes. Then you add his Houdini act to the equation where he can escape the pocket and throws on the run, keeping plays alive until he finds an open guy. If your team gets in any kind of shoot out with the Chiefs, the opponent has to be perfect because it is very hard to stop Mahomes running that offense like a well oiled machine with weapons of mass destruction. This kid definitely earned MVP of the league. No way former Chief Alex Smith could run that offense like Mahomes did on his best day. Mahomes’ worst day running the Chief offense trumps over Alex Smith’s best day by miles and miles.

 

What if the Bears would have prevailed in week one versus the Green Bay Packers? In a game they held a 20 point lead late. Then to watch Aaron Rodgers on a bum leg come back and win that one. Then they  bumbled and fumbled away the contest against the Miami Dolphins. A game where both teams played hot potato and did not want to win that game. Dolphins ended up with the potato and the win. Then last weekend the kick that hit the upright, then the cross bar, and then fell in the direction that ended your season. They say the kick was partially blocked. That was the play that ended your season. That was the play that also took away your defensive coordinator.

When agony and pain enter your life, time does not stop? For the Chicago Bears they were still in shock with their early playoff exit losing a tight one to the Philadelphia Eagles. Before they could address their wounds. Before they could really grasp the situation on what bombshell that just hit the Soldiers Field turf. They did not see the farmer carrying the shotgun.They did not notice they were like Old Yeller behind the shed in misery. It was too late as they saw the barrel of the shotgun fire, and poof like that, the Denver Broncos pounced on the carcass like vultures from the skies. They picked the Bears clean and took away their defensive coordinator, Vic Fangio.

Vic Fangio is the mad genius behind the Bears defense this season. It was the defense that carried the Chicago Bears this season. Matt Nagy was very impressive on the offensive side. However they went through growing pains especially with Mitch Trubisky in only his second year as a pro. You can say the defense was the main staple that made this season into something magical. People will say Khaili Mack can make any defense great. Vic Fangio had the Bears defense in the top ten last year without Mack. Then adding Mack and drafting Smith, they were sprinkles on the ice cream sundae. By far, Fangio has his defense number one in the NFL by a million light years from any other unit.

The Denver Broncos go old school with their hire. Instead of a quarterback guru. Instead of some youngster that knows just  x’s and o’s and goes by the numbers. Vic Fangio finally gets his chance as a head coach after being in the NFL for 30 years. A guy that bleeds football. Jim Harbaugh brought him back to the NFL when he got the job with the 49ers, as they both were doing great things at Standford. Vic Fangio’s defense was a big part of that 49er team getting back to the Superbowl versus the Ravens years ago. Since being back in the NFL, Vic Fangio’s defensive units have led the NFL in scoring 6 out of the 8 years.

Vic Fangio gets a 4 year deal with fifth year option. I like how John Elway has Gary Kubiak back in the fold as the Offensive Coordinator. Both coaches can have their own thing like how the Bears did it this year with Nagy controlling the offense and letting Fangio do his thing on defense. Gary Kubiak was the head coach that took Denver to their last Superbowl and won it. He stepped away for health reasons. Fangio will have some weapons of mass destruction to work with in Denver. The sack master Von Miller. They also have Bradley Chubb. It will not take Fangio  long to put a stop  to Mahomes and that Kansas City Juggernaut they have for an offense. Overall this is a great hire by John Elway.

As for the Bears, if they would have won those games as they should have, they would of never been apart of Wild card weekend. They would of had a first round bye. Sure they could of lost this weekend the same way they did last week. But what if they had the bye week and won this weekend? That would of been another week the Broncos would have to wait.If they won this week, that would of been two weeks the Broncos would have to wait to talk to Vic Fangio.  Would they have gotten nervous and hired one of their other choices?  Vic Fangio could of been with the Bears still.

You probably think anybody could be inserted in the Bears defense next year with all of that talent assembled. Remember the defensive coordinator calls the plays. Vic Fangio had this down to a science. Hopefully Bears get this right person that keeps this ship from sinking. Bears have went from worst to first, a common theme in the NFL. They can also go from first to worst. That’s the worst thing about the NFL these days. These magical seasons are very hard to duplicate over and over. Now it’s Ryan Pace’s turn to deliver a key chess move like Elway’s to keep this team from going down a road they do not want to go. To find a guy that can keep this Bears defense the best in the league.

Last Sunday the Bears gave up the lead late to St. Nick and the Eagles. With one minute left, the Bears offense came to life and stormed down the field. Mitch Trubisky got the team into field goal range with just seconds remaining on the clock, down by one stinking point.  The kicking team ran on the field. The Bears snapped the ball as whistles blew. Timeout called by the Eagles. Cody Parkey, the way kickers are taught, just kicked the ball anyways. Like a practice swing in golf, he halfheartedly kicked the ball and drilled it through the uprights perfectly. After the ice down of the kicker was over, play resumed. The Bears snapped the ball and the kick was off. Everyone stood up watching with hearts stopped. People clung to their bar stool ready to leap out of their skin to high five each other. This would be a Bears win. A playoff Bears win does not come around often. Doink off the upright. Then another doink off the cross bar. People gasping for air, jaws dropping. As the ball hits the ground in front of the goal post. The referees wave no good. As a hush falls over the stadium. People in disbelief. People thinking, “not again.” Rage fills the pit of the stomachs filled with beer and chili. While the Eagles looked stunned themselves. St.Nick Foles had pulled off another Christmas story that would poke the eyes out of the Chicago faithful.

Was this miss something so deep and dark that somehow you can not explain it? In a world with so much mystery. Where usually good tramples over evil. Where miracles happen and you might not be aware of them. Could Nick Foles be the savior in this situation? Could the Eagles be the miracle? Weeks ago, the Eagles looked like a team found dead on the road. Road kill exactly. They looked like Charlie Sheen suffering from the biggest hang over of all-time. Found waking up in Mexico with no clue how you got there. This seems like the same plot as last year when Nick Foles took over from an injury and took them to the Superbowl. They even slayed a team we know is pure evil, in the Patriots. The Evil Empire to be exact. Could the Eagles be the good team while the Bears are just a team in the way of this miracle we are seeing?

Perhaps this unexplained miss could be the works of former kicker, Robbie Gould. His name was probably mentioned a lot after that miss. His name has been screamed by fans for years now, as he is some kind of Greek God. Suddenly the Bears ex-kicker is sharing a Chicago style Mount Rushmore with the likes of Michael Jordan, Frank Thomas, Patrick Kane, and the late great Walter Payton.  Robbie stood out most of the time during the good, bad and mostly ugly years he was in a Bears uniform. He was on hand with his kids at Soldier’s Field witnessing an ending to one of the most exciting seasons in Chicago Bears history. At least most exciting in a very long time.

The crazy people which most fans are, will want to gather all the torches and pitch forks they can find. Find Cody Parky, drag him to the town square, and beat him to a bloody pulp. This is football damn it!!! Some have already sent death threats. The smarter people will follow the trail. Because when you lose one like the Bears did, you need a scapegoat. Who is the fall guy in this? Would it be Ryan Pace, the one that chased out Robbie Gould for his one bad year in a Bears uniform? Because if Robbie Gould was still in uniform, Bears would win this playoff game?

Did it even have to come down to the kicker in this one? Looks from my eyeballs that Cody Park scored 9 out of the 15 points that were on the score board for the Bears. You have to say the defense did not look good on that last Eagles drive. However they held the Eagles to only 16 points. What happened to the Bears offense in this game?  What happened to Jordan Howard? He hardly got any carries in this game. The back up running backs had some carries in this one. Was Coach Nagy out-coached by former co-worker Doug Peterson? I did not see any misdirection plays done by the Bears in this one. No interesting formations, some of Nagy’s cutesy plays were not seen. Suddenly Mitch Trubisky comes to life on the last drive chucking it down field to set up the kick. This was not your regular Bears offense that we had enjoyed, seen and hung to edges of seats excited to see what was coming next.

Since Ryan Pace has gotten rid of Robbie Gould, he had missed on many kickers. Connor Barth, Mike Nugent… sounds more like a rock band than guys that can kick the ball in between the goalposts. The Cairo Santos experiment blew up immediately. You can throw in Kevin White, a bust even though he is not a kicker.  But Ryan Pace has hit on everything else that has worked on the defense, including working out the deal to land Khaili Mack. He provided his young quarterback with many weapons in the off season. He even found a coach to mold his young quarterback into something special, only in his second year as a pro. Cody Parker, you thought he had fixed the kicking game. You could say Cody Parker was unfortunate to doink 4 kicks in one game against the Lions. In a game the Bears won. In the fourth quarter Cody Parky was 11-12 in field goals this season.

You could put all the blame on Cody Parker. Perhaps then we agree with the likes of Rex Ryan who thinks he was a great coach. Who took teams and ran them into the ground. Thought quarterbacks like the Butt Fumbler and Geno Smith would lead his teams to the promised land.  If the Bears could of held on and beat the Packers in week one, would their destiny come to an end with a miss kick? Sure you add the Dolphins game they blew and gave away, the Bears would of never been in the wild card weekend games.They would of had the first round bye. I believe Coach Matt Nagy was out coached by Eagles head coach Doug Peterson. This is the same Matt Nagy who coached and did the play calling last year for the Chiefs. The Chiefs were ahead at halftime by three scores over the Titans in the first round of the playoffs and faltered in the second half.

You can break it all down like shredding a brick of cheese of what went wrong and how the season ended.  You could say the missed kick was like Scott Norwood’s big miss wide right that cost the Buffalo Bills a Superbowl. Cody Parkey could suddenly turn into Ray Finkle and carry a grudge against Mitch Trubisky in years to come. I know Mitch was not the holder but work with me.  Maybe it was the goat that jinxed the Chicago Cubs all those years. Perhaps the goat is working on new streaks like how the Cubs seem to be crashing, after winning the World Series in 2016. The only explanation is it has to be the ghost of Robbie Gould. Can you have a ghost and be alive? Maybe he has jinxed the Bears, after all he was there when this kick took place. Plus the Bears have hit only 60 out 79 field goals since Robbie was cut. That is 19 field goals. During the same time, Robbie Gould has hit 82 out 85 field goals since he was cut. Would one of the three been that crucial miss versus the Eagles if he was still here? Could it be part of a plan by Robbie Gould to get his old job back? He should be heading to free agency once again. He can circle the wagons and come back to Chicago. He could make the kick that will send everyone in Chicago home a winner.  As long as we don’t give games away and not get out coached in our own building. Perhaps not go down that road to be forced to win the game with special teams.

 

 

SATURDAY GAMES JANUARY 5, 2019

ROUND ONE   ( WILD CARD WEEKEND)

GAME ONE

AFC MATCH-UP

AT

COLTS(10-6)  AT  TEXANS (11-5)

Both teams played each other twice in 2018 regular season. The series was split 1-1.

The Colts come in as the hotter team as they had to win games to be able to get in the playoffs. The Texans won nine straight games in regular season. The Colts snapped that long winning streak a few weeks back. Since then, the Texans have been sputtering along. The Texans had a very good chance to grab the number two seed in the AFC but they could not seal the deal.

During Regular season, the Texans broke a three game losing streak to start the season versus the Colts. Coach Frank Reich went for it on 4th down in overtime. The Colts did not even have the ball at mid field. The Texans stopped them and then ran a play, kicked a field goal, and won that affair.  The Colts gave that game to the Texans. If Colts punted, most likely that game would have ended in a tie because it was less than a minute left in overtime.

The Colts’ strength is their offensive line. The Texans’ strength is their defensive line. I give the Colts the advantage there. I think they can contain and give Luck the time he needs versus Watt and Clowney. I think Andrew Luck has the hotter hand over Deshaun Watson in the arms race. Overall I think the Colts match up very well with the Texans in everything down the line. The Texans have not beaten anybody special at home. Coach Bill O’Brien’s history in the playoffs does not intrigue me. He has beaten a Raider team minus Derrick Carr. The rest of his playoff games have resulted in losses. Frank Reich has his Colts red hot at the right time of the year. While the Texans have been playing 500 since they were red hot.

OUR WINNER: COLTS

GAME TWO

NFC MATCH UP

AT

SEAHAWKS (10-6)  AT  COWBOYS (10-6)

Both teams met once during regular season. Seahawks won that affair at home.

Seahawks are only 4-4 on the road. They have won games on the road against nobody special. Their strength is at home. The Cowboys’ strength is at home this year. Both teams have been up and down all year. Seahawks have been more consistent down the end of the road of the regular season. Seahawks beat a very good Chiefs team at home. Then they fall to the 49ers. The Cowboys would get their butts kicked in by the titans on Monday night. Then weeks later beat a very good Saints team on Thursday night. Both Jekyll and Hyde teams in which something will have to give when it’s all said and done.

Both these teams are pretty even. The Cowboys will Amari Cooper in this match up versus the Seahawks since the last time they have met. The Cowboys definitely have the better running back in Ezekiel Elliot. However Seattle has Russell Wilson. He is the biggest X-factor in this contest. Compared to Prescott Wilson who has all the stars and strips on his uniform as he “did this done that” before. Wilson decides this game. I hate Pete Carol. However he’s 6-0 in opening playoff games as a head coach. Pete is 4-0 in Wild Card games as the Seahawks coach. Jason Garrett is only 1-2 all-time in the playoffs. Plus to get rid of all the guys from the legion of boom defense and coach a young group on your defense. With good results. Seattle, with the quarterback and coaching edges making a  difference, and they win this one.  HATE BOTH OF THESE TEAMS.

OUR PICK: SEAHAWKS