It seems like Bizzaro World, or something, for the first week of the NFL Playoffs. Not only are the Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals and Atlanta Falcons playing this week – the Falcons are even favoured! It’s quickly becoming cliché, but this is a rare playoff weekend where all four road teams are favoured.
Which is exactly how it should be.
Saturday games
Atlanta Falcons @ Arizona Cardinals
Here’s a fun stat: The Cardinals point differencial (the difference between how many points they’ve allowed and how many they’ve scored) is just one. One single point. That’s gotta be some kind of record low for a team in the playoffs, let alone one with a home game. Still, they’re a team that can put up a ton of numbers.
And the Falcons will be a test. They’re a young team that’s never played a playoff game – and by simply making the playoffs, one could argue their season is already a success. Will they have the drive to win? Perhaps, but it’ll be close, so I’m taking the experience – I like the Cardinals in a shootout.
Indianapolis Colts @ San Diego Chargers
On the heels of a crushing win over the Broncos, the Chargers look to be on an offensive roll – they’ve won their last four games. For the first time this season they look on the field like they do on paper. But a closer look reveals a weak defence that’s especially porous against the throw.
And if the Chargers are hot right now, the Colts are on fire; they’re the winners of their last nine games. I like Manning to have a big day against the Chargers’ defence while the Colts win big, by much more then the -2.5 points Vegas is giving them.
Sunday games
Baltimore Ravens @ Miami Dolphins
Much like the Falcons, one could argue the Dolphins season is already a success; on the heels of their famed “Wildcat” offence, they’ve turned from a one-win team to winners of the AFC East, even beating the Patriots twice.
But for all of their offensive prowess lies a pretty average – tepid, even – defence. They’ve allowed a ton of yards against the pass, which is what will cost them here.
In fact, the only major question in my mind here is by how much: in their lone meeting with the Ravens, they were crushed 27-13, with Joe Flacco throwing 17 for 23 in the process. And since the Ravens have only improved since then, I think he’ll have a similar day, winning easily. Take the points on this, a line of just -2.5 for the Ravens just seems too small here.
Philadelphia Eagles @ Minnesota Vikings
Despite only making the playoffs by the barest of margins – they had to beat Dallas and need both Tampa Bay and Chicago to lose – the Eagles are a solid team and one that can easily sneak to the NFC Championship game. Why? They’ve got the best defence in the conference – and maybe in the league.
Yes, that’s right. Better then the Vikings defence. Better then the Giants. And maybe even better then Pittsburgh’s – they allowed only a few more points in a much better conference. I’d expect them to be able to handle Minnesota, which didn’t look all that good last week, when they played for a playoff spot.
Quick recap:
Cards, Colts, Ravens and Eagles.
Friday, January 02, 2009
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Annual NHL Winter Classic just feels right
It wasn’t exactly what one would call a winter classic. The third Winter Classic – the second in what appears to be an annual tradition – was held at Wrigley Field, between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings.
Given that these two teams are so close in the standings – less than 10 points apart – and their original six histories, this was a primo matchup for the league, even if it lacked national appeal.
So given that, it wasn’t a bad game, even if it was a tad dull by the finish, when Detroit held on to win six to four. It was nothing quite as good as last years, sure, but what is?
Call it a side effect if Chicago’s youth movement. They were outplayed by a more experienced team, one able to adapt to the unique circumstances of the game: low temperatures, choppy play and very slow ice. The Wings kept pressure on throughout, and their forechecking paid off with five unanswered goals late in the match.
Still, it was fun to watch. The Hawks blew out of the gate, scoring three in the first period, the second by Martin Havlat, on a no look pass from behind the net by Kris Versteeg.
But for as fast as they started, the Wings kicked into high gear. They dominated the second and third periods, scoring five straight goals. Adapting to ice that made passes slow and erratic, the Wings used a game plan that forced turnovers and kept the puck out of their own end. It certainly worked, as the Hawks only scored once in the final two periods, a power play goal with 10 seconds left.
Playing in his third outdoor game, Wings goaltender Ty Conklin looked good, especially after his slow start – even if he wasn’t wearing his toque this time.
So all in all, it was another successful Outdoor Classic. And somehow, it just felt right to see the Hawks on the national screen again, wearing their throwback uniforms, climbing a set of stairs to get to ice level.
Now that the NHL has staged two of these outdoor games in a row, it appears a tradition is being laid, one that the league would be wise to start. If nothing else, these outdoor games have a unique – almost innocent, if that makes sense – feel to them, one the other leagues can’t seem to create.
But where else can the league take these? After all, it seems most their cities don’t have the right climate for these kinds of games. Certainly anything south of Carolina through San Jose are off the list. Others don’t have a proper venue: Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Minnesota don’t have an outdoor facility big enough.
There’s still a few that could work. Ottawa, Calgary, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia for sure. Detroit and Boston both have ballparks that are available this time of year.
But what about the city that almost had it this year: New York. Imagine the ice in shallow centre field, with, say, Alex Ovechkin netting a shot in the most famous venue in the most famous city in the country. Wouldn’t that be something special?
Given that these two teams are so close in the standings – less than 10 points apart – and their original six histories, this was a primo matchup for the league, even if it lacked national appeal.
So given that, it wasn’t a bad game, even if it was a tad dull by the finish, when Detroit held on to win six to four. It was nothing quite as good as last years, sure, but what is?
Call it a side effect if Chicago’s youth movement. They were outplayed by a more experienced team, one able to adapt to the unique circumstances of the game: low temperatures, choppy play and very slow ice. The Wings kept pressure on throughout, and their forechecking paid off with five unanswered goals late in the match.
Still, it was fun to watch. The Hawks blew out of the gate, scoring three in the first period, the second by Martin Havlat, on a no look pass from behind the net by Kris Versteeg.
But for as fast as they started, the Wings kicked into high gear. They dominated the second and third periods, scoring five straight goals. Adapting to ice that made passes slow and erratic, the Wings used a game plan that forced turnovers and kept the puck out of their own end. It certainly worked, as the Hawks only scored once in the final two periods, a power play goal with 10 seconds left.
Playing in his third outdoor game, Wings goaltender Ty Conklin looked good, especially after his slow start – even if he wasn’t wearing his toque this time.
So all in all, it was another successful Outdoor Classic. And somehow, it just felt right to see the Hawks on the national screen again, wearing their throwback uniforms, climbing a set of stairs to get to ice level.
Now that the NHL has staged two of these outdoor games in a row, it appears a tradition is being laid, one that the league would be wise to start. If nothing else, these outdoor games have a unique – almost innocent, if that makes sense – feel to them, one the other leagues can’t seem to create.
But where else can the league take these? After all, it seems most their cities don’t have the right climate for these kinds of games. Certainly anything south of Carolina through San Jose are off the list. Others don’t have a proper venue: Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Minnesota don’t have an outdoor facility big enough.
There’s still a few that could work. Ottawa, Calgary, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia for sure. Detroit and Boston both have ballparks that are available this time of year.
But what about the city that almost had it this year: New York. Imagine the ice in shallow centre field, with, say, Alex Ovechkin netting a shot in the most famous venue in the most famous city in the country. Wouldn’t that be something special?
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
2008 recap, part one - Tyree's catch
In a year most likely to be remembered for losses – on the stock market, of a home, etc – sports were not immune. And if anything, this year will be remembered for one big one, when the New England Patriots lost the Super Bowl after a 16-0 regular season.
There were favourites going into the game, and early talk of a New York upset was taken lightly. The Giants had just squeaked into the playoffs and won close games against Dallas and Green Bay – the latter in overtime. Then Giants wideout Plaxico Burress predicted not only a Giants win, but a low scoring game (24-17), it was treated as joke. Tom Brady, for one, wondered why the Patriots weren’t spotted more points.
Vegas was spotting them more than a few points. On February first, the Patriots were 12 point favourites in some quarters. The money line on the Giants was a huge +325. And the over/under was 54 points. All indications were for a high scoring game – Tom Brady and Randy Moss had set scoring records throughout the season, as Brady finally had an elite receiver to throw to.
And through the playoffs – even the season itself – the Patriots were a juggernaut. They had not lost a game all season and only four of their wins were by less than a touchdown. They outscored everybody in the NFL by over 100 points and had the second best defence in the AFC (Indianapolis narrowly edged them out).
But Plaxico wasn’t that far off. The Giants won the game, 17 – 14, in what was one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history. Overlooked, perhaps, was the week 17 game between the two teams, when the Patriots roared back from a 12 point deficit to win 38-35. There, the Giants showed that the Patriots were not an invincible team, one that could be beaten.
Using their defence to keep Moss and the Patriots running game at bay, the Giants were able to score early and led by a field goal after one. The Patriots answered back in the second and took the lead on a major early in the second quarter. The Giants had a chance to score later in the frame – a 3rd and four at New England’s 25 yard line – but nothing came of it.
After a scoreless third, the Giants had the ball on their own 20 yard line. Eli Manning, playing the game of his life, led an 80 yard drive that was capped with a short touchdown pass to David Tryee. 10-7 Giants.
But the Patriots weren’t out yet. Two series later, New England started a drive from their own 20 yard line. Making short, quick passes, Brady moved the Patriots downfield and wound down the clock. When the Patriots made it 14-10, there was just under three minutes to play. It was a script seemingly pulled from the other Patriot Super Bowl wins, when a late drive was what won.
And it was a late drive that won it. Starting at their 17, Eli Manning did almost nothing but throw the ball, challenging the Patriots secondary. It was halfway through this, on a third and five, that the most memorable moment of the game – and in retrospect, the year - happened.
Dropping back and under pressure, Manning was scrambling. Hands grabbed at him, pulling his jersey. A sack here, at midfield, this late in the game would be disastrous. But he dodged them and threw the ball up the middle, to a well-covered David Tyree.
The pass, given the circumstances (defence in his face, clock ticking down, the Super Bowl on the line), was well aimed; Tyree didn’t have to dive at it. But it was overthrown, sailing around Tyree’s head. Which was where he caught it. With one hand. While jumping.
Catching the ball and holding it against his helmet, pressing it there while he landed, Tyree moved the ball up, deep into Patriot territory, inside the 25 yard line. One of the best catches in football history, and perhaps the biggest since Jeffrey Mayer’s, this was the moment that’s engrained into memories about this Super Bowl.
But it was not a score, and the Giants would not score until later. Not until after Steve Smith made an 11 yard catch to keep the drive alive. Not until Plaxico Buress scored the game winner with :39 to play.
Three incomplete passes and one sack later, the game was over. 17-14 Giants. The upset was complete – and the Patriots dynasty looked in doubt. In the first game of the next season, Brady went down with an ACL injury and was gone for the year. Under backup QB Matt Cassell, the Patriots finished 11-5 but lost the division to Miami and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2002.
There were favourites going into the game, and early talk of a New York upset was taken lightly. The Giants had just squeaked into the playoffs and won close games against Dallas and Green Bay – the latter in overtime. Then Giants wideout Plaxico Burress predicted not only a Giants win, but a low scoring game (24-17), it was treated as joke. Tom Brady, for one, wondered why the Patriots weren’t spotted more points.
Vegas was spotting them more than a few points. On February first, the Patriots were 12 point favourites in some quarters. The money line on the Giants was a huge +325. And the over/under was 54 points. All indications were for a high scoring game – Tom Brady and Randy Moss had set scoring records throughout the season, as Brady finally had an elite receiver to throw to.
And through the playoffs – even the season itself – the Patriots were a juggernaut. They had not lost a game all season and only four of their wins were by less than a touchdown. They outscored everybody in the NFL by over 100 points and had the second best defence in the AFC (Indianapolis narrowly edged them out).
But Plaxico wasn’t that far off. The Giants won the game, 17 – 14, in what was one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history. Overlooked, perhaps, was the week 17 game between the two teams, when the Patriots roared back from a 12 point deficit to win 38-35. There, the Giants showed that the Patriots were not an invincible team, one that could be beaten.
Using their defence to keep Moss and the Patriots running game at bay, the Giants were able to score early and led by a field goal after one. The Patriots answered back in the second and took the lead on a major early in the second quarter. The Giants had a chance to score later in the frame – a 3rd and four at New England’s 25 yard line – but nothing came of it.
After a scoreless third, the Giants had the ball on their own 20 yard line. Eli Manning, playing the game of his life, led an 80 yard drive that was capped with a short touchdown pass to David Tryee. 10-7 Giants.
But the Patriots weren’t out yet. Two series later, New England started a drive from their own 20 yard line. Making short, quick passes, Brady moved the Patriots downfield and wound down the clock. When the Patriots made it 14-10, there was just under three minutes to play. It was a script seemingly pulled from the other Patriot Super Bowl wins, when a late drive was what won.
And it was a late drive that won it. Starting at their 17, Eli Manning did almost nothing but throw the ball, challenging the Patriots secondary. It was halfway through this, on a third and five, that the most memorable moment of the game – and in retrospect, the year - happened.
Dropping back and under pressure, Manning was scrambling. Hands grabbed at him, pulling his jersey. A sack here, at midfield, this late in the game would be disastrous. But he dodged them and threw the ball up the middle, to a well-covered David Tyree.
The pass, given the circumstances (defence in his face, clock ticking down, the Super Bowl on the line), was well aimed; Tyree didn’t have to dive at it. But it was overthrown, sailing around Tyree’s head. Which was where he caught it. With one hand. While jumping.
Catching the ball and holding it against his helmet, pressing it there while he landed, Tyree moved the ball up, deep into Patriot territory, inside the 25 yard line. One of the best catches in football history, and perhaps the biggest since Jeffrey Mayer’s, this was the moment that’s engrained into memories about this Super Bowl.
But it was not a score, and the Giants would not score until later. Not until after Steve Smith made an 11 yard catch to keep the drive alive. Not until Plaxico Buress scored the game winner with :39 to play.
Three incomplete passes and one sack later, the game was over. 17-14 Giants. The upset was complete – and the Patriots dynasty looked in doubt. In the first game of the next season, Brady went down with an ACL injury and was gone for the year. Under backup QB Matt Cassell, the Patriots finished 11-5 but lost the division to Miami and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2002.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Wherein the AFC East gets a clearer, but only by a little - NFL Notebook
With their backs against the wall, the Patriots played dynamite, sharp and looked as good as ever - but it could all be for naught.
The AFC East is crowded and good, maybe the best division of the decade, and 11 wins could not even be enough now. Three of it's four teams played for their seasons today, all three tied with identical records - and the fourth had a chance to play spoiler, facing a team with the same record; the AFC West leading Denver Broncos.
At home, the Patriots took on the NFC West champion Arizona Cardinals. On paper, a good match for New England - the Cards were good, but not that good. They clinched their division with games to spare - but their division looked like this:
The Patriots have a better, a more dynamic offence. A better defence, too: they allowed a little over 300 points so far this season, nearly 100 less then the Cardinals. They played better, too, putting on a clinic for the Cards.
In poor weather, Don DeLillo once wrote, always take the underdog. Poor weather neutralizes advantages. But during a snowstorm, the kind of weather that has always been an asset for them, the Patriots demolished the Cardinals. I can't stress this enough - it looked like a junior varsity team taking on a state champion at times. Not just big plays, either (although there was their share), but little ones, things that added up.
Item. Last drive of the first half. Less then two minutes left, the Patriots get the ball on their own 29 and lead 28 to nothing. Cassel passes quickly out to his left, a 14 yarder to Gaffney. Three plays later, another one up the left to Gaffney for 16. Both times, Gaffney was in single coverage and ran a quick route - a medium hook, with him turning around to meet the ball - and a step out of bounds. Simple, fast, smart football. Two after that, 20 yards to Welker, same idea on the right side. In about a minute, the Patriots have moved from their 29 to the Cardinals 20 - without using a timeout. They kick a field goal and go ahead 31-0 as the clock expires.
That was a perfect two minute drill, ran against a division champion. And the Patriots made it look easy, like it was an inter-squad game. It didn't even mean anything, really. The outcome wasn't in doubt by this point. It was practice for the playoffs. By a team that could miss them, against a team bound for them.
But getting there isn't just in their hands. If the Patriots are to sneak in, they'll need some help. All throughout this blowout, the ticker keeps flashing updates from the Kansas City/Miami game, which by all indications, appears to be a shootout. Tied as they go into the fourth at 31, this game is a surprise: have the Dolphins fallen back to Earth? They were six-point favourites over the Chiefs, a two-win team. And they're tied? At 31? The Dolphins would score a major about halfway through, though, and held on to win, keeping the deadlock on top of the AFC East alive.
So, as the Jets took the field in a snow-blown Seattle, they dropped to third, just a half-game back; the Dolphins surged to first, as they held the tiebreaker over the Patriots.
And it couldn't have looked good for the Jets. A cold, windy day is not ideal by any means, but for a quarterback like Brett Farve, it's even worse: inaccurate at the best of times, these conditions have to be be hell for the aging QB. Still, a win over a two-win Seattle would set up one final game for the season, played between the Jets and the Dolphins, a game that would almost be a title game in all but name, with the winner going into the playoffs.
But as the game - a mostly dull, defencive affair, dominated by the weather - winds down, I have only one question: does he have it in him? Does Brett Farve, who all but defined clutch quarterbacking in his career, have another comeback left in him?
Down by a major and at their own 12, the Jets get the ball back. They need a win, just to keep pace, just to keep their season alive. Herein follows the drive:
There goes the game, right? This is where it falls apart, isn't it?
Or was it earlier? When the Jets kicked a 45 yard FG that was called back on a false start, and instead of going for the kick, five yards longer but with a kicker who just nailed a kick up the middle, punts it away. Was it there, when the Jets could have made the game 10-6 but didn't, that the game ended? Perhaps not officially... but in an abstract sense? Well...
Maybe it was just a typical trap game. Holmgrin's last home game as a head coach. Held in a stadium where the Seahawks are said to have an advantage (the crowd's noise). With the weather in the Seahawks favor.
Remember DeLillo's advice on games held in poor weather.
Other notes: The season can sometimes be cyclical - the Chargers host the Broncos next week, a rematch of the week two game that the Broncos just barely won on a blown whistle... The Cowboys are in complete free fall after a loss to the Ravens on Saturday night - a game they should have won. They can still sneak in (a win over Philly is all they need) but at this point, can they do it? If I had to bet, they get in and lose in the Wild Card game... Atlanta soundly wins a pivotal one against Minnesota. They've clinched a spot - and if Chicago loses on Monday, so do the Vikings.
The AFC East is crowded and good, maybe the best division of the decade, and 11 wins could not even be enough now. Three of it's four teams played for their seasons today, all three tied with identical records - and the fourth had a chance to play spoiler, facing a team with the same record; the AFC West leading Denver Broncos.
At home, the Patriots took on the NFC West champion Arizona Cardinals. On paper, a good match for New England - the Cards were good, but not that good. They clinched their division with games to spare - but their division looked like this:
Arizona: 8 wins, 6 losses
San Fransisco: 5 wins, 9 losses
Seattle: 3 wins, 11 losses
St. Louis: 2 wins, 12 losses
The Patriots have a better, a more dynamic offence. A better defence, too: they allowed a little over 300 points so far this season, nearly 100 less then the Cardinals. They played better, too, putting on a clinic for the Cards.
In poor weather, Don DeLillo once wrote, always take the underdog. Poor weather neutralizes advantages. But during a snowstorm, the kind of weather that has always been an asset for them, the Patriots demolished the Cardinals. I can't stress this enough - it looked like a junior varsity team taking on a state champion at times. Not just big plays, either (although there was their share), but little ones, things that added up.
Item. Last drive of the first half. Less then two minutes left, the Patriots get the ball on their own 29 and lead 28 to nothing. Cassel passes quickly out to his left, a 14 yarder to Gaffney. Three plays later, another one up the left to Gaffney for 16. Both times, Gaffney was in single coverage and ran a quick route - a medium hook, with him turning around to meet the ball - and a step out of bounds. Simple, fast, smart football. Two after that, 20 yards to Welker, same idea on the right side. In about a minute, the Patriots have moved from their 29 to the Cardinals 20 - without using a timeout. They kick a field goal and go ahead 31-0 as the clock expires.
That was a perfect two minute drill, ran against a division champion. And the Patriots made it look easy, like it was an inter-squad game. It didn't even mean anything, really. The outcome wasn't in doubt by this point. It was practice for the playoffs. By a team that could miss them, against a team bound for them.
But getting there isn't just in their hands. If the Patriots are to sneak in, they'll need some help. All throughout this blowout, the ticker keeps flashing updates from the Kansas City/Miami game, which by all indications, appears to be a shootout. Tied as they go into the fourth at 31, this game is a surprise: have the Dolphins fallen back to Earth? They were six-point favourites over the Chiefs, a two-win team. And they're tied? At 31? The Dolphins would score a major about halfway through, though, and held on to win, keeping the deadlock on top of the AFC East alive.
So, as the Jets took the field in a snow-blown Seattle, they dropped to third, just a half-game back; the Dolphins surged to first, as they held the tiebreaker over the Patriots.
And it couldn't have looked good for the Jets. A cold, windy day is not ideal by any means, but for a quarterback like Brett Farve, it's even worse: inaccurate at the best of times, these conditions have to be be hell for the aging QB. Still, a win over a two-win Seattle would set up one final game for the season, played between the Jets and the Dolphins, a game that would almost be a title game in all but name, with the winner going into the playoffs.
But as the game - a mostly dull, defencive affair, dominated by the weather - winds down, I have only one question: does he have it in him? Does Brett Farve, who all but defined clutch quarterbacking in his career, have another comeback left in him?
Down by a major and at their own 12, the Jets get the ball back. They need a win, just to keep pace, just to keep their season alive. Herein follows the drive:
- Farve sacked. The pocket collapses up the middle.
- A quick reception up the middle to Coles, in a pass from the Jets own end zone
- Farve drops back in the shotgun, pumps, waits, moves, pumps again, has all kinds of time but can't get anything going and throws an incomplete pass
- 4th and four, on their own 20, the Jets go for it. Farve drops back, waits, dodges a hit, pump fakes, throws downfield, a long bomb into double coverage, Gus Johnson yells and... the pass hits Coles in the numbers, a perfectly thrown pass, but he can't hang on and it falls to the ground, incomplete
There goes the game, right? This is where it falls apart, isn't it?
Or was it earlier? When the Jets kicked a 45 yard FG that was called back on a false start, and instead of going for the kick, five yards longer but with a kicker who just nailed a kick up the middle, punts it away. Was it there, when the Jets could have made the game 10-6 but didn't, that the game ended? Perhaps not officially... but in an abstract sense? Well...
Maybe it was just a typical trap game. Holmgrin's last home game as a head coach. Held in a stadium where the Seahawks are said to have an advantage (the crowd's noise). With the weather in the Seahawks favor.
Remember DeLillo's advice on games held in poor weather.
Other notes: The season can sometimes be cyclical - the Chargers host the Broncos next week, a rematch of the week two game that the Broncos just barely won on a blown whistle... The Cowboys are in complete free fall after a loss to the Ravens on Saturday night - a game they should have won. They can still sneak in (a win over Philly is all they need) but at this point, can they do it? If I had to bet, they get in and lose in the Wild Card game... Atlanta soundly wins a pivotal one against Minnesota. They've clinched a spot - and if Chicago loses on Monday, so do the Vikings.
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