Super Bowl Preview
Alex: I’m still a little sour from the Patriots premature exit from the playoffs, so it’s been hard for me to get amped up for the game. That being said, fans of the sport have plenty to look forward to: two historic organizations, Dallas’s beautiful stadium, and perhaps the last game we’ll see in a while. At the beginning of the season, like the rest of the TNIB staff, I picked the Packers to win the Super Bowl, so I have to stick with them here, I’m thinking to the tune of 35-27 and I predict this will be the game that we remember Aaron Rodgers for at the end of his career. I also predict Alex Smith is sitting at home praying that during the game nobody mentions the time the Niners picked him number one while Rodgers fell into the 20s.
Patrick: I’m sticking with the Packers here. That will make my preseason prediction of a Packers Super Bowl win look pretty good, which I need because, like the rest of the TNIB staff, I was crazy wrong about the AFC. Here’s my prediction: Aaron Rodgers will throw for one million passing yards (give or take a few) and will have two rushing TDs to accompany his 23 passing TDs. Those number work out, right? He’ll also throw one interception, but he’ll do it on purpose. Rodgers will throw a pass directly at James Harrison so he can tackle Harrison and put on his wrestling title belt.
The Packers will win by a score of 175-7. The Steelers lone TD will be a defensive touchdown scored on a fumble caused, recovered, and returned by Troy Polamalu because even though the Packers will win, Polamalu will always win the hair battle, no matter how glorious Clay Matthews’s hair might be.
Walt: The Packers are pretty much a lock for the “moral” victory award, but I think that’ll have to keep them warm during the cold, snowy Dallas night, because to the surprise of absolutely no one I’m picking the Steelers. Mostly out of pure homerism, but I’m also doing it because, dammit, I wasn’t at TNIB for the beginning-of-season picks and SOMEBODY needs to bring a little variety to these proceedings. Predictions: Pittsburgh will get off to a slow start when the entire O-line injures themselves during the coin toss, but receive a lucky break when Harrison decapitates Rodgers in the second quarter. He’ll be charged the first-ever on-field multi-million-dollar fine, which he’ll pay with spare change from his son’s piggy bank.
The Steelers will oversleep during their halftime nap and miss the third quarter completely, but hold Green Bay off and pull it out at the last second when Randle El completes the gadget play everyone’s been waiting for him to throw all season long. Pittsburgh takes it, 24-17, which everyone will complain about until Roethlisberger single-handedly prevents a lock-out and saves the next season, thereby making him a good person again in the eyes of the world.
Ian: Go Pack Go. Like Alex, I’m still sour from the Patriots’ loss, but the Packers have been my second favorite team since they jettisoned Bart Farve. I hadn’t been super-excited about the game, but Lil’ Wayne’s new freestyle called “Green and Yellow” actually got me pumped up (at least more than the Super Bowl Shuffle would have) and so now I’m ready.
As for the actual game, I can’t see the Steelers’ offensive line, especially without Maurkice Pouncey, holding back the front seven of Green Bay, especially B.J. Raji and Clay Matthews who may be the two best players in the NFL at their respective positions. Roethlisberger may be able to make things happen when his protection fails, but it’s likely that he’ll be so hassled that the Steelers won’t be able to do much on offense. On the other side of the ball, the Packers have so many weapons that they’re tough for any defense to stop, and with the emergence of James “Heart like John” Starks it’s tough to look past them for this game.
*Image courtesy of We’ll Never Forget You Brent
Optimism Reigns or Rain on Optimism?
Who is going to prolong Boston’s run of success?
Ahh, summer. If you’re not a baseball fan, it can be the slowest time of the year, the few month period where baseball is the only sport going on until NFL training camps convene and the season begins at the end of August. With the drafts now completed for the NBA and NHL, it is a time where fans who enjoy having three or four of their teams competing at the same time are forced to dwell on what could’ve been this past year and be optimistic about what is to come.
Boston fans still smarting from a Game 7 loss at the hands of the Lakers really have nothing to complain about. From 2001 to 2008, the city underwent an unprecedented run of success not just for Boston, but any sports city. We won six titles in eight finals appearances across three different teams. The Red Sox broke an 86-year string of disappointment only to repeat three years later, the Celtics won their first title since 1986, and the Patriots dynasty won the franchise’s first three Super Bowl titles. In the past decade, Boston teams have 25 combined playoff appearances, dominating other four-sport, four-team cities such as Phoenix/Arizona (13), Atlanta (13), and DC (10). Toronto has 14 and I even gave them the six postseason appearances of the Toronto Argonauts in the CFL.
These things go in cycles, of course. The nineties were a relatively down time in Boston sports with only the Bruins being a consistent playoff contender and never reaching the Stanley Cup. With the Celtics lost title, the Bruins historically embarrassing second round exit to the Flyers after being up three games to none, and the Patriots losing their first home playoff game of the Belichick/Brady era, there are ominous signs of lean years approaching. Both the Celtics and Patriots are led by aging veterans and the Bruins are starting to have the stench of perennial underachievers.
That being said, we still have a lot going for us, including four bonafide playoff teams, and as I said, ‘tis the off-season when optimism can reign supreme. The question is this: Whom am I most optimistic about for when the leaves turn orange and baseball goes into hibernation?
The case for the Patriots
First and foremost, we still have Brady and we still have Belichick. We also still have the veteran offensive line led by Logan Mankins, who may be the best interior lineman in the NFL, and rising tackle Sebastian Vollmer. Vince Wilfork, Jerod Mayo, and Brandon Meriweather are Pro Bowl caliber defenders. Randy Moss is still “straight cash, homey” and the Patriots have gotten a much needed infusion of youth in the past two drafts that should hopefully start to pay dividends this season. Specifically, I’m excited about cornerback Darius Butler and rookie linebacker Brandon Spikes, who’s got the leadership and instincts reminiscent of former Pats stud Mike Vrabel.
The case against the Patriots
There have been reports that Tom Brady is no longer seeing eye to eye with the coaching staff and other veterans, causing fans to worry if he’s gone too “Hollywood” on us. Mankins has requested a trade (never a good sign), and you have to wonder when that offensive line will go from being “veteran” to “old.” We have no idea what, if anything, we’ll get from Wes Welker, and the options to replace him are the gritty but limited Julian Edelman, second-year man Brandon Tate, rookie deep threat Taylor Price, and Torry Holt, who is entering the “Babe Ruth with the Braves” portion of his career. The scheduling doesn’t do us any favors with non-division games against Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Minnesota, San Diego, and Baltimore. Perhaps the biggest concern of all isn’t anything to do with the Patriots themselves, but the fact that the Jets and Dolphins have continued to get significantly better; they have better people in their front offices now than in the past, and have been huge players in the free agency market, with the Jets acquiring Antonio Cromartie, LaDanian Tomlinson, and Santonio Holmes, and the Fins picking up Karlos Dansby and Brandon Marshall. The Patriots could possibly go 10-6 again and not make the playoffs.
The case for the Bruins
Seguin! Seguin! Seguin! Thanks to the inept Maple Leafs trading two high first-round picks in successive years to the B’s for Phil Kessel, the Bruins drafted forward Tyler Seguin Friday night, one of two players in the draft to be considered star caliber. The Globe’s pre-draft coverage of Seguin detailed how following a playoff loss to number one overall pick Taylor Hall and a superior Windsor team, Seguin went into seclusion, working out and training with intense competitive fervor for sometimes ten hours a day leading up to the draft. Kid’s got moxie. The Bruins’ off-season will also look to be the most animated of the three teams; they’ve already traded playoff scapegoat Dennis Wideman, resigned hard-nosed young defender Johnny Boychuk, and acquired talented scorer Nathan Horton. Seguin’s arrival gives them a back log at center, but the kid can play some wing and the Bruins have promised more moves are on the horizon.
The case against the Bruins
How do you bounce back after coughing up a 3-0 lead in a Game 7 of a series you once led three games to none? The second round exit was a stain on the franchise and nearly wiped out the memory of the gutsy first round upset over Ryan Miller and the Sabres. In fact, it was probably the worst playoff loss after being up 3-0 since this infamous game. Scoring was the chief concern this year, and despite the talent down the middle, there is no promise that the Bruins will get enough from the wings to change that. Mark Recchi, the veteran leader, is a free agent-to-be, and there is concern about the sizeable contract of now backup goaltender Tim Thomas. At what point do we start calling former top sixteen picks Zach Hamill and Joe Colbourne busts?
The case for the Celtics
Out of the three, they’re coming off the most successful previous season, and the heart and soul of the team, Paul Pierce, should have a few good years left. Despite an erratic and sometimes downright puzzling finals, Rajon Rondo has established himself as one of the top five point guards in the league, and is locked up for the next five years. Rasheed Wallace, we hardly knew ye: the NBA career technical foul leader’s pending retirement, paired with some shrewd contract restructuring with Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, could leave the Celtics enough money to pursue a second-tier big man, the likes of a Carlos Boozer, as well as set them up to have Pierce, Allen, and Garnett’s contracts all expire at the same time. Celtics fans will love rookie Avery Bradley—he fits the Celtics mold of an athletic, stud defender who should develop an offensive game and give Rondo (fourth in the NBA in minutes last season) and Allen (if he returns) a breather off the bench. It was only a year ago that Bradley was ranked ahead of top overall pick John Wall by ESPN scouts.
The case against the Celtics
Another year goes by, another hundred games of wear and tear on Pierce, Allen, and Garnett. I’d ask at what point the age starts to take its toll, but I think we already saw it this past season. The Celtics should still be good enough to be a top four team in the East, but their window of being a legitimate title contender may have just ended at the Staples Center last Thursday. Also, what happens with Doc Rivers? I have a feeling he’s going to leave, and it’s not easy to find quality NBA coaches. One thing that the Celtics have no control over is what the rest of the league will look like. LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, Amare Stoudemire, Dirk Nowitzki, David Lee, Joe Johnson…all available and possibly on the move. Personally, I think James is out of Cleveland, which will probably immediately drop them out of playoff contention. Orlando will certainly be around, and if talks to acquire Chris Paul go anywhere, they will be downright scary. But what if James joins Wade in Miami? What if he takes someone like Amare with him to Chicago to team with Derrick Rose? If he joins Jay-Z with the Nets, they go from a 12-win team to a suddenly intriguing squad with a scoring point guard in Devin Harris, two young big men with high ceilings in Brook Lopez and rookie Derrick Favors, and potentially solid role players in Terence Williams, Courtney Lee, and Yi Jianlian. Whatever happens, next season’s Eastern Conference should have a completely different look to it, and where the C’s fit in will largely depend on how they replenish themselves with youthful talent and how starting center and resident banger Kendrick Perkins comes back from knee surgery.
Ideally, I’d like to see all three teams at least continue to make the playoffs, and in truth, that’s what I expect of each. But the law of averages tells us that disappointment will eventually rear its ugly head and one or more of these teams will go through another rough stretch. So whom am I most optimistic about?
I promised myself when the Bruins were eliminated that I wouldn’t just go back to them, that they had to earn my trust back, like a friend who had lied to me. Their Game 7 loss made me want to reenact the shower and crying scene from Ace Ventura. However, I trust in Coach Claude Julien and I trust in General Manager Peter Chiarelli. I like the guys they’ve built this team around, and defensive stalwart Zdeno Chara is still in his prime. Injuries and inconsistency hurt the team this year and you got the sense that they never were operating on all cylinders.
I believe in the moves they’ve made so far, and the moves they’re going to make. I believe in Tyler Seguin. I believe in goalie Tuukka Rask. I believe that over the next few years, I will see the Bruins in their first Stanley Cup since 1990. I believe in the B’s.
*Photo of Tom Brady courtesy of Keith Allison via Creative Commons License
**Photo of Tuukka Rask courtesy of 4rilla via Creative Commons License
Ahh, summer. If you’re not a baseball fan, it can be the slowest time of the year, the few month period where baseball is the only sport going on until NFL training camps convene and the season begins at the end of August. With the drafts now completed for the NBA and NHL, it is a time where fans who enjoy having three or four of their teams competing at the same time are forced to dwell on what could’ve been this past year and be optimistic about what is to come.
Boston fans still smarting from a Game 7 loss at the hands of the Lakers really have nothing to complain about. From 2001 to 2008, the city underwent an unprecedented run of success not just for Boston, but any sports city. We won six titles in eight finals appearances across three different teams. The Red Sox broke an 86-year string of disappointment only to repeat three years later, the Celtics won their first title since 1986, and the Patriots dynasty won the franchise’s first three Super Bowl titles. In the past decade, Boston teams have 25 combined playoff appearances, dominating other four-sport, four-team cities such as Phoenix/Arizona (13), Atlanta (13), and DC (10). Toronto has 14 and I even gave them the six postseason appearances of the Toronto Argonauts in the CFL.
These things go in cycles, of course. The nineties were a relatively down time in Boston sports with only the Bruins being a consistent playoff contender and never reaching the Stanley Cup. With the Celtics lost title, the Bruins historically embarrassing second round exit to the Flyers after being up three games to none, and the Patriots losing their first home playoff game of the Belichick/Brady era, there are ominous signs of lean years approaching. Both the Celtics and Patriots are led by aging veterans and the Bruins are starting to have the stench of perennial underachievers.
That being said, we still have a lot going for us, including four bonafide playoff teams, and as I said, ‘tis the off-season when optimism can reign supreme. The question is this: Whom am I most optimistic about for when the leaves turn orange and baseball goes into hibernation?
The case for the Patriots
First and foremost, we still have Brady and we still have Belichick. We also still have the veteran offensive line led by Logan Mankins, who may be the best interior lineman in the NFL, and rising tackle Sebastian Vollmer. Vince Wilfork, Jerod Mayo, and Brandon Meriweather are Pro Bowl caliber defenders. Randy Moss is still “straight cash, homey” and the Patriots have gotten a much needed infusion of youth in the past two drafts that should hopefully start to pay dividends this season. Specifically, I’m excited about cornerback Darius Butler and rookie linebacker Brandon Spikes, who’s got the leadership and instincts reminiscent of former Pats stud Mike Vrabel.
The case against the Patriots
There have been reports that Tom Brady is no longer seeing eye to eye with the coaching staff and other veterans, causing fans to worry if he’s gone too “Hollywood” on us. Mankins has requested a trade (never a good sign), and you have to wonder when that offensive line will go from being “veteran” to “old.” We have no idea what, if anything, we’ll get from Wes Welker, and the options to replace him are the gritty but limited Julian Edelman, second-year man Brandon Tate, rookie deep threat Taylor Price, and Torry Holt, who is entering the “Babe Ruth with the Braves” portion of his career. The scheduling doesn’t do us any favors with non-division games against Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Minnesota, San Diego, and Baltimore. Perhaps the biggest concern of all isn’t anything to do with the Patriots themselves, but the fact that the Jets and Dolphins have continued to get significantly better; they have better people in their front offices now than in the past, and have been huge players in the free agency market, with the Jets acquiring Antonio Cromartie, LaDanian Tomlinson, and Santonio Holmes, and the Fins picking up Karlos Dansby and Brandon Marshall. The Patriots could possibly go 10-6 again and not make the playoffs.
The case for the Bruins
Seguin! Seguin! Seguin! Thanks to the inept Maple Leafs trading two high first-round picks in successive years to the B’s for Phil Kessel, the Bruins drafted forward Tyler Seguin Friday night, one of two players in the draft to be considered star caliber. The Globe’s pre-draft coverage of Seguin detailed how following a playoff loss to number one overall pick Taylor Hall and a superior Windsor team, Seguin went into seclusion, working out and training with intense competitive fervor for sometimes ten hours a day leading up to the draft. Kid’s got moxie. The Bruins’ off-season will also look to be the most animated of the three teams; they’ve already traded playoff scapegoat Dennis Wideman, resigned hard-nosed young defender Johnny Boychuk, and acquired talented scorer Nathan Horton. Seguin’s arrival gives them a back log at center, but the kid can play some wing and the Bruins have promised more moves are on the horizon.
The case against the Bruins
How do you bounce back after coughing up a 3-0 lead in a Game 7 of a series you once led three games to none? The second round exit was a stain on the franchise and nearly wiped out the memory of the gutsy first round upset over Ryan Miller and the Sabres. In fact, it was probably the worst playoff loss after being up 3-0 since this infamous game. Scoring was the chief concern this year, and despite the talent down the middle, there is no promise that the Bruins will get enough from the wings to change that. Mark Recchi, the veteran leader, is a free agent-to-be, and there is concern about the sizeable contract of now backup goaltender Tim Thomas. At what point do we start calling former top sixteen picks Zach Hamill and Joe Colbourne busts?
The case for the Celtics
Out of the three, they’re coming off the most successful previous season, and the heart and soul of the team, Paul Pierce, should have a few good years left. Despite an erratic and sometimes downright puzzling finals, Rajon Rondo has established himself as one of the top five point guards in the league, and is locked up for the next five years. Rasheed Wallace, we hardly knew ye: the NBA career technical foul leader’s pending retirement, paired with some shrewd contract restructuring with Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, could leave the Celtics enough money to pursue a second-tier big man, the likes of a Carlos Boozer, as well as set them up to have Pierce, Allen, and Garnett’s contracts all expire at the same time. Celtics fans will love rookie Avery Bradley—he fits the Celtics mold of an athletic, stud defender who should develop an offensive game and give Rondo (fourth in the NBA in minutes last season) and Allen (if he returns) a breather off the bench. It was only a year ago that Bradley was ranked ahead of top overall pick John Wall by ESPN scouts.
The case against the Celtics
Another year goes by, another hundred games of wear and tear on Pierce, Allen, and Garnett. I’d ask at what point the age starts to take its toll, but I think we already saw it this past season. The Celtics should still be good enough to be a top four team in the East, but their window of being a legitimate title contender may have just ended at the Staples Center last Thursday. Also, what happens with Doc Rivers? I have a feeling he’s going to leave, and it’s not easy to find quality NBA coaches. One thing that the Celtics have no control over is what the rest of the league will look like. LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, Amare Stoudemire, Dirk Nowitzki, David Lee, Joe Johnson…all available and possibly on the move. Personally, I think James is out of Cleveland, which will probably immediately drop them out of playoff contention. Orlando will certainly be around, and if talks to acquire Chris Paul go anywhere, they will be downright scary. But what if James joins Wade in Miami? What if he takes someone like Amare with him to Chicago to team with Derrick Rose? If he joins Jay-Z with the Nets, they go from a 12-win team to a suddenly intriguing squad with a scoring point guard in Devin Harris, two young big men with high ceilings in Brook Lopez and rookie Derrick Favors, and potentially solid role players in Terence Williams, Courtney Lee, and Yi Jianlian. Whatever happens, next season’s Eastern Conference should have a completely different look to it, and where the C’s fit in will largely depend on how they replenish themselves with youthful talent and how starting center and resident banger Kendrick Perkins comes back from knee surgery.
Ideally, I’d like to see all three teams at least continue to make the playoffs, and in truth, that’s what I expect of each. But the law of averages tells us that disappointment will eventually rear its ugly head and one or more of these teams will go through another rough stretch. So whom am I most optimistic about?
I promised myself when the Bruins were eliminated that I wouldn’t just go back to them, that they had to earn my trust back, like a friend who had lied to me. Their Game 7 loss made me want to reenact the shower and crying scene from Ace Ventura. However, I trust in Coach Claude Julien and I trust in General Manager Peter Chiarelli. I like the guys they’ve built this team around, and defensive stalwart Zdeno Chara is still in his prime. Injuries and inconsistency hurt the team this year and you got the sense that they never were operating on all cylinders.I believe in the moves they’ve made so far, and the moves they’re going to make. I believe in Tyler Seguin. I believe in goalie Tuukka Rask. I believe that over the next few years, I will see the Bruins in their first Stanley Cup since 1990. I believe in the B’s.
*Photo of Tom Brady courtesy of Keith Allison via Creative Commons License
**Photo of Tuukka Rask courtesy of 4rilla via Creative Commons License
Super Bowl 44 Perfect Preview
“There is no defense against a perfect pass. I can throw the perfect pass.” -Dan Marino
“Perfect” is an overused term which has lost much of its meaning. My favorite sportswriter, Joe Posnanski, wrote recently that “we live in a time when many words have lost their power, when spectacular is good, when great is better than average, when a team that is undefeated is perfect no matter how they got there, when I find myself saying ‘awesome’ just when a waiter brings me a second Diet Coke before I have finished the first.” The Colts weren’t perfect through 14 games, even though they hadn’t lost. Neither were the Saints through 13. The Colts had won seven games in extremely close fashions, including beating the Texans after they missed a 42-yard field goal that would have won the game, and of course the 4th-and-2 call against New England when the Colts won by a debatable half yard.
The Saints had their own problems even as they racked up 13 consecutive wins. They probably should have lost in week 12 against the Redskins (“Crazy plays,” linebacker Jonathan Vilma said. “When you’re hot, you’re hot. And sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.”), and their flukey nine returns for touchdowns makes their offense look better than it was.
All that aside, Peyton Manning may be the perfect quarterback.
Week 1: Indianapolis 14, Jacksonville 12. After a perfect 35-yard pass to Reggie Wayne, the Colts put up consecutive three-and-outs and allowed the Jaguars to come back to within two. While Manning didn’t take over the game from this point on, he put up two drives of four minutes each, and the defense forced two 3-and-outs to give the Colts the game.
Week 2: Indianapolis 27, Miami 23. Manning makes a perfect pass on the first play from scrimmage. Overall, the Colts only take 35 offensive snaps, but Manning is so efficient that it doesn’t matter. In the fourth quarter, down by two scores, he makes this perfect pass for a big gain, and later leads the Colts on a four-play, 80-yard drive to take the lead for good.
Week 3: Indianapolis 31, Arizona 10. This game wasn’t really that close. Manning torches the Cardinals for 379 yards and four TDs, making perfect passes all day long.
Week 4: Indianapolis 34, Seattle 17. This is getting boring now. Peyton builds a 34-3 lead throwing for, like, three trillion yards or something. This pass is pretty perfect.
Week 5: Indianapolis 31, Tennessee 9. At the end of the first half, the Colts go 93 yards in 48 seconds to take a 21-9 lead. This isn’t even noteworthy in the game recap.
Week 8: Indianapolis 18, San Francisco 14. Even the most perfect quarterback of all time is allowed an off game, right? Isn’t that what Posnanski was saying up there?
Week 9: Indianapolis 20, Houston 17. Manning’s perfection rubs off in a reverse way on Kris Brown who misses the aforementioned 42-yarder that should have won the game. Peyton knows how to win.
Week 10: Indianapolis 35, New England…yeah, let’s just skip this one.
Week 12: Indianapolis 35, Houston 27. Manning threw for two touchdowns in the second half as the Colts came back from being down big. But did anyone watching think Texas would hold on? With stuff like this?
As we’re getting to more recent history, I’ll stop with the week-by-week summaries, but here’s the thing: it’s more of the same. Every week, Manning threw lasers all over the field. If he got pressure, he might throw a wobbly pass, but the Colts’ line is so good that he rarely had rushers in the backfield, and teams were hesitant to blitz him for fear of leaving their secondary to get burned. There’s really no good way to attack the Colts’ offense because Manning is SO DAMN GOOD. And it’s all Manning—just look at what happened in the two games he didn’t play. Reggie Wayne would be good with anyone, but who are Austin Collie and Pierre Garçon, really (besides having great names)?
Prediction? How do you predict against Peyton Manning this year? It just can’t be done. The statisticians say that winning big is a better predictor of a good team than close wins, as close wins hinge on unpredictable events like fumbles, bad or “50-50” calls, dropped balls, and so on. But Manning has shown the ability to drive his team efficiently and simply dominate a defense so often this year that I think there is something to all his close wins. My theory is that he spends the first few series of a game figuring out what will work, and by the end of the game he has such a feel for what the defense is doing that he can move the ball basically however he wants. Drew Brees is no slouch, but when the Saints “athletic receivers run as fast as they can down the field” offense has faltered, he doesn’t seem to have the same power.
Colts win 31-21.
Fair and balanced postscript: Peyton Manning, if he wins Sunday, will have a 10-8 record in the playoffs, with two Super Bowl wins. Tom Brady has a 13-4 playoff record, with three wins, for a long time had no good receivers, has the best statistical season of all time, and made a superchild with a very attractive woman. Hopefully this saves my New England cred.
Themed by Hunson and Five Gorillas
