Blue-Super Bowl Winners

Winning the Super Bowl is obviously the ultimate goal each and every year. Although kicking the absolute crap out your division rivals, is a close second.

The five year recap to the right, may not come as much as a surprise to some of you. Teams like the Patriots and Steelers have been a dominate force in their respected divisions for years now. Still, the bottom half of the ranking board does feature a lot of the same teams we do seem atop the NFL draft order every April. A sign that the best way to improve within the league, starts with the battles against the teams you know the most.

Winning your division has always been a top priority with coaches. With each division winner getting a free ticket to the post-season, it would only make sense to game-plan and build your franchise around the ability to exploit a rivals weakness.

The fact that the St. Louis Rams have only won 4 games within their own division in the last 5 years is down right disgusting. Clearly there are some obvious goals that new head coach Jeff Fisher must correct. The same could be said for the Cleveland Browns, a franchise that has been a doormat in the AFC North.

Surprisingly the Browns along with Rams, Lions, Jaguars, Chiefs and Broncos have all not been able to crack .500 within their own division in the last 5 seasons.

While the recent Super Bowl champs are all near the top of the rankings list, winning the turf war isn’t a absolute must to win the Super Bowl. The Pittsburgh Steelers did have an impressive 6-0 record in the AFC North back in 2009, but the Giants have won it twice in the last 5 years with a .500 mark in the NFC East.

Fantasy Football:

In One Word: Agile
Fantasy Value: N/A
Resembles: Jake Long
Mock Predictions: Buffalo (10th)

Overview

Iowa’s Riley Reiff is widely regarded as the second best offensive tackle in this year’s draft behind USC’s Matt Kalil. Reiff started eleven of thirteen games as a redshirt freshman and finished his college career starting every game in his sophomore and junior seasons. He started a few games at guard as a freshman but started every game in his final two years at left tackle.

Reiff is an athletic tackle who will excel in the passing game. He has quick feet that allow him to get depth in pass protection and is rarely caught off balance or out of position. In the running game he is excellent in space, getting to the next level and when asked to pull or combo block. If Reiff is allowed to get the angle on his man he is able to get into his man’s body and escort him where the Hawkeye needs his opponent to go. This is where I see some of Jake Long in Reiff. He is an athletic tackle like Long.

The biggest issue with Reiff is – well – he is not that big. When I have seen him get into trouble it’s when he is bull rushed or has to just man on man move his guy without the benefit of an angle. Even though Iowa was a run based offense, he is not the kind of tackle who is going to blow a defensive lineman off the ball. He is more of an escort kind of tackle. He is good at allowing the defensive lineman get up field and staying on him until the defender takes himself out of the play. He is not the kind of lineman you would want to run behind if you need a yard on third and one. Reiff doesn’t have much position flexibility. He is a left tackle only. He is not physical enough to play on the right side or on the inside.

Because of his position he will go in the top half of the first round. Outside of quarterback, left tackle might be the most important position on offense in today’s National Football League. With the domination of the pass game in the league Reiff will be a welcome addition to most teams in the league. Not that there are many of these teams left, but the only type of team who should avoid him would be one of the physical running teams.

Fantasy Football:

Pre NFL Draft Super Bowl Odds

Everyone knows the NFL draft is the fastest way to improve a franchise. All it takes is some clever wheeling & dealing before a .500 team is stronger and better prepared for the upcoming season.

Every year there are teams that have a complete flip flop in the NFL standings, and usually a major factor in such a quick recovery is thanks to an excellent NFL draft.

The list to the right are the latest odds to win the Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans. Notice that the Saints are still high at 14 to 1, a bet I’m sure gets zero action these days.

Although getting in Pre-NFL Draft is not a bad idea. These odds will change within a week or two after the dust has settled from the Draft. I’m guessing sportsbooks evaluate the NFL draft as well, and research what additions were gained through adding talent that can play right away.

Teams like the Falcons, Cowboys and Jets are all 25 to 1. A great return on teams that either just missed the playoffs or made it and put up 2 points on the score board. Yeah you heard me Atlanta, I had a couple bucks on you and I’m holding a little grudge.

Still no love for the Browns at 150 to one, even the Colts are given better odds and their future QB has never thrown a pass in the NFL -Damn

Fantasy Football:

The ruined Patriots perfect season has left a bitter taste in the mouths of the New England faithful. Eli Manning led the winning drive and was well deserving of the MVP award as the super underdogs beat the perfect Pat’s in a thrilling 17-14 victory back in 2008.

This time round the term “underdog” doesn’t apply to either club and should be tossed from any descriptions. Both teams seem equality deadly on offense while the few weak spots on either team make it hard to find vulnerable targets to go after. Two great quarterbacks will battle for what should be an exciting Super Bowl Sunday.

Fantasy Football:

I’ll admit it, I drop more cash on food, beverages and “friendly wagers” on Super Bowl Sunday than any other NFL day of the year. But for big name online sportsbooks or Las Vegas Casinos, money trades hands like you could only imagine. I tried my best to research what was invested at last year’s game, I tried to find something on who lost or even profited the most from last years Super Bowl, but whatever number I found would surely be only the tip of the iceberg. With bets as crazy as calling “Head’s” or “Tails” for the games kickoff, you know if you looked hard enough, the insane prop bets would surely be worth a laugh.

***The Following Super Bowl Prop Bets are real ridiculous wagers you can make for the Super Bowl XLVI with an online sportsbook. I am not plugging any single sportsbook, I researched many providers to bring you these top 10 hilarious bets for a laugh.***

1. What Color will the Gatorade (or liquid) be that is dumped on the Head Coach of the Winning Super Bowl Team?  (If nothing is dumped wagers will be No Action. )

Odds:

• Clear/Water 7 to 4
• Orange 9 to 4
• Yellow 5 to 2
• Red 6 to 1
• Green 7 to 1
• Blue 10 to 1

My Thoughts: Cool bet, but knowing my luck it’s the color that makes no sense what so ever, like yellow or green. Someone somewhere has the inside track on this, I could see this being a loaded suckers bet. Maybe it’s me, maybe I have seen far too many CSI episodes or watched the movie Casino too many times, but couldn’t you just picture the underground betting community fixing this bet. They just need to find the guy that’s making to juice.

My Pick: I’m going to take Blue, both teams have blue in their color jersey scheme and the Colts (home turf) are blue….but wait…maybe that’s what they want  me to pick.

Fantasy Football:

Just a few years ago this question would be ridiculous. Actually just two months ago this question would have been absurd, but if the New York Giants win on Sunday, the idea of Tom Coughlin being a Hall of Fame coach may be legit.

For years there have been rumors that Coughlin has been on his way out. The players hate his old school ways. How many times have we heard about the five minute early to meetings rule? They have had unexplainable losing streaks nearly every year, but most years his teams end up in the playoffs. Even when he coached the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars he nearly took the team to the Super Bowl in just the second year of existence. In his seven seasons in Jacksonville he went to two AFC championship games.

With the Giants, Tom Coughlin pulled off one of the greatest upsets in Super Bowl history when the Giants defeated the undefeated New England Patriots in 2008. Now he has his team back in the Super Bowl against the mighty Patriots for a rematch. If he wins he will have defeated Bill Belichick twice on the biggest stage, the only coach to beat the mighty Belichick even once in the Super Bowl.

The much criticized Coughlin has put together a 142-114 record in sixteen seasons. His teams have been to the playoffs nine of those years. With the expansion Jaguars he was able to turn an expansion team into a team with a winning record in just the second year. Those Jaguars were not a flash in the pan either. After struggling in year one, they made the playoffs four years in a row before starting to struggle in the 2000 season. Two of Coughlin’s worst years can almost be thrown out. His first year with the expansion Jaguars he was not going to win many games and his first year with the Giants he was starting a rookie quarterback – Eli Manning – for most of the season. No coach was going to find much success those two years. If you take out those two years he has had just three losing seasons.

Maybe the best argument for Coughlin in the Hall of Fame if he wins next week is this. If he wins he will join a list that includes Vince Lombardi, Tom Landry, Don Shula, Chuck Noll, Tom Flores, Bill Walsh, Bill Parcells, Jimmy Johnson, George Seifert, Mike Shanahan and Belichick as coaches who have multiple Super Bowl championships. Half of those guys – assuming Belichick gets in – already have the ugly yellow Hall of Fame jacket in their closet.

Personally if the Giants win I am not ready to put the red faced one in the Hall of Fame, but if Coughlin wins on Sunday and his teams continue to show well over the next few years, as crazy as it sounds – Tom Coughlin will be worthy of Hall of Fame talk.

Fantasy Football:

Championship weekend has arrived in the NFL as the 2011 season continues to shock and awe. Gillette Stadium plays host to the AFC Championship between the high-flying Baltimore Ravens and the battle-tested New England Patriots. It comes as no surprise that the top two AFC squads are battling for a spot in Super Bowl XLVI, but only one can rightfully represent the American Football Conference in the most highly anticipated game in all sports. This will mark the first time the Patriots and Ravens have met all year, with both esteemed squads winning their divisions and claiming first round byes, yet questions still linger about the ferocity surrounding the Baltimore Ravens. Can they compete with New England? Do they have an offense that can contend with the Patriots? Sunday afternoon should reveal all.

The Patriots and Ravens are no strangers to each other. They’ve squared off six times against each other in the regular season and once in the postseason, which came last year in a wild card game where the Ravens routed the Pats 33-14. On the other hand, the Patriots own a perfect 6-0 record over the Ravens in the regular season. Whatever the case may be both teams are out to prove they’re worthy of being where they are this season. The Ravens fly into Foxboro hoping to upset the heavily favored Patriots while New England looks to head back to the Super Bowl for the fourth time in ten years.

Baltimore’s Ball Control and Superior Defense

The Ravens offense, as of lately, has been under a lot fire due to the fact that quarterback Joe Flacco seems incapable of moving the ball efficiently, raising questions of Flacco actually being an elite quarterback. This week, veteran Baltimore cornerback Ed Reed literally threw Flacco under the bus saying “he can’t play like he did against the Texans in the AFC Championship Sunday against the New England Patriots,” implying that Flacco wasn’t capable of leading the Baltimore offense. Hopefully this spat won’t carry itself over into one of the most anticipated games in Ravens history.

The top priority for the Baltimore Ravens will be getting the ball into the hands of running back Ray Rice. Rice is the league’s leader in total yardage with 2,068, with 1,364 of those on the ground. If the Ravens can get Rice out into open space, the Patriots will have a mess on their hands. Either running or catching, Rice is one of the most dynamic players on the Baltimore roster and will be expected to show up big if the Ravens have hopes of heading to Indy. If Rice can set the tone, like he did in last year’s wild card game against the Patriots, breaking off on an eighty-three yard touchdown run from scrimmage, then the Ravens will be able to hold their own.

With Joe Flacco facing tons of scrutiny, his confidence has to be shaken. This will open up a prime opportunity for Bill Belichick to neutralize the run game and force the struggling quarterback to beat his team through the air. Flacco hasn’t been spectacular and the Ravens have rarely relied on him to be the central point in their offense, yet come Sunday, the Ravens may have to rely on Flacco’s arm if they hope to surpass New England. Patriots front men nose tackle Vince Wilfork and defensive end Mark Anderson are threats the Ravens should be worried about. If they cannot be contained, Flacco and the Ravens are in for a world of hurt.

Besides getting the ball to Ray Rice, wide receiver Anquan Bolden will be another vital option. Bolden is a superior route runner and has no problem catching the ball in tight coverage (especially if there is an erratic throw from Flacco). New England’s secondary has been mediocre all season and if Flacco is having a good day throwing the ball, watch out for Boldin to be a game changer when the Ravens need it the most. Other wide-outs, rookie Torrey Smith and veteran Lee Evans need to step up in big ways on Sunday and contribute to big pass plays downfield. These receivers will be going up against CB Devin McCourty and solid safeties James Ihedigbo and Patrick Chung (a fierce competitor) and will have to be aware of what kind of defensive schemes the Patriots are using.

Somewhere the Patriots may be surprised by the Ravens could be using Baltimore tight ends Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson. Both can be used in tight situations and are dangerous receivers entering the red zone and third down situations. John Harbaugh would be wise to use these two men in more ways than one if he wants to catch the Pats of guard. Ball control and limiting the amount of turnovers is key for a Ravens victory. Keeping the ball out of Tom Brady’s hands will be vital.

Finally, the Ravens defense is the utmost prime factor in stopping New England. Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, Ed Reed and the rest of the defense (ranked third overall) will need to step up to prevent Tom Brady and this lethal offense from marching down the field. It was by all odds the Ravens D that helped them overcome the Houston Texans, considering the offense was shut down after a stunning first half. If Baltimore’s offense can’t put points on the board, look for the defense to prevent New England from scoring, giving them a greater chance of winning.

Baltimore has one heck of a mighty game to prepare for. Well see if they’re contenders or pretenders come Sunday.

New England’s No Mercy and Aggressive Offense

The New England Patriots look absolutely unstoppable coming off last week’s rout of the Denver Broncos. The AFC divisional game was over by the half as the Patriots had to do very little to stop Tim Tebow and the Broncos. Tom Brady led the aggressive offense, throwing 5 first half touchdowns (an NFL postseason record) and the Patriots cruised to an easy victory leading to the AFC title game against the Baltimore Ravens. The Patriots showed no mercy against the Broncos, what’s to say they won’t do the same against the Ravens?

For more than a decade, Tom Brady has proven that he is one of the most dangerous passers in the NFL. Given the appropriate amount of time, Brady will shred the best defenses out there and may have no problem moving the ball against the third best defense in the NFL. Although Brady hasn’t faced a potent defense in months, going back to a game against Pittsburgh, in which New England was held to a measly seventeen points, yet this is the playoffs and Brady is used to this type of pressure. He could be magical come Sunday.

Tom Brady will likely run the no-huddle offense on Sunday to keep the Ravens D on their toes. The main man the Ravens will have to be aware of Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski. Gronkowski and Brady have been two peas in a pod this year, and if Gronkowski finds space, the Ravens might be in big trouble. Baltimore will need to blanket Gronkowski in coverage, forcing Brady to find another receiver. Yet, that could leave WR Wes Welker in single coverage, another guy who could put up big numbers and another one of Brady’s biggest targets.

If the Patriots run game gets going, with BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead, the Ravens may find that stopping the run could prove difficult considering a week ago, the Texans did a fine job of running all over the Ravens. If the Patriots can up their ground game, they’re surely to win.

The biggest concern for the Patriots is their defense. Yet, if the Patriots were as dominant as they were a week ago against Denver, the Patriots could easily cruise to the Super Bowl.

Another thing about New England is they hold no mercy. No matter how bad the other squad is playing, they’ll continue to throw down the gauntlet. The Patriots aggressive offense is a big concern for Baltimore. They’ll need to find ways to confuse Brady in coverage in more ways than one.

The Patriots are desperate to get back to the Super Bowl and are undoubtedly hoping to have another shot at the New York Giants. They’re looking for revenge and they want it badly.

Who Wins?

The Patriots easily defeated the Broncos while the Ravens had a bit of a difficult time putting away the Texans. If the Patriots are rolling on all cylinders, they’ll easily come away with another AFC Championship. However, the Ravens could surprise the Pats in a big way, but I’m betting that New England isn’t about to let anything stand in the way of another trip to the Super Bowl.

Patriots 31 Ravens 17

Fantasy Football:

This weekend’s outcome could create a few similar match-ups for Super Bowl XLVI.

The Ravens and Giants met back in 2001 for a boring blowout where Trent Dilfer handed the ball off most of the game in a 34-7 win. Dilfer completed 12 of 25 passes for 153 yards and 1 touchdown, numbers very similar to the type of fantasy stats Joe Flacco is averaging today. The Ravens’ defense allowed just 152 yards, forcing 5 turnovers, recording 4 sacks, and not allowing an offensive touchdown en route to the franchise’s first Super Bowl victory.

If the 9 point favorite Patriots win this weekend and meet the Giants in the Super Bowl, we would have a grudge match of the game that got away from a perfect season. Eli Manning led the winning drive and was well deserving of the MVP award as the super underdogs beat the perfect Pat’s in a thrilling 17-14 victory back in 2008.

If the San Francisco 49er’s win the NFC Championship, it will be the first time the team will return to the big stage since beating the San Diego Chargers at Super Bowl XXIX back in 1995. The 49er’s won 4 Super Bowls between 1985 and 1995, but have barley made post season appearances since.

Ahmed is leading our Playoff picks with a 6-2 record straight up. Ahmed and Jody are tied with a 6-2 record against the spread. Both have completely different picks this week

NFL Playoff Picks

Fantasy Football:

Alright, so I dropped the ball on this article, I’ll admit it right off the bat. I said I would take it at the beginning of the week and then got busy writing a couple other pieces, including 10 Amazing NFL Draft Steals, Starting in the Playoffs and Talent vs. Playoff Experience which is 1.) me thinking way too much about the NFL draft too early and 2.) an article (possibly too deep) about the hype the media puts around Playoff Experience. Either way I’m sorry as this article is going to take a weird spin, but hey… it’s Friday, let the weekend begin!

By the way, If you do want to read some amazing in-depth NFL previews I suggest checking out any of the other Gridiron Experts articles that Jody, Brian, and Chris wrote. Killer content that I think any football fan would love.

My preview of the game that Las Vegas sports bookies and many people in the Boston area see as a complete joke between the Denver Broncos and the (wicked-bad) New England Patriots is quite simple.

And it has nothing to do with Tim Tebow.

While the media world can’t get enough of Tim Tebow, I believe this match-up has far from anything to do with him. That’s either the most stupid or brilliant thing I’ve ever said. Clearly the game was won from his big play throw in overtime that shocked the football nation and allowed this match-up to even take place.

But hear me out…

The Broncos proved that they can score points. They did it last week against one of the tougher defenses in the league. Pittsburgh, despite being on the road, has always given opponents trouble especially in the dying seconds of the game. So if a team that has a running back for a quarterback can throw the ball and move the chains against one of the better defenses in the league, the Patriots should be easy to score on.

Remember these teams played each other earlier in the year, and if there weren’t 3 turnovers in the second half the score would have looked completely different. Back in week 15, and after SNL spoofed their winning streak with a Jesus taking credit skit, the Broncos skipped the usual slow start followed by a fantastic finish and scored on their first three possessions to start the game. It was only over after they were done in by a trio of turnovers in the final 8 and half minutes of the second quarter.

Tim Tebow had 93 rushing yards with 2 touchdowns.

But I’m getting away from my original point. It’s clear that the Broncos know how to move the ball, even if it’s an unorthodox style.

What I think Denver will need to do throughout this game is figure out how to stop Tom Brady. Stopping Brady and his explosive offense is the true key to this game. The Patriots defense is average at best, so Tebow just has to keep up with everything that he has been doing to score points. But a shoot-out and this game gets ugly.

As much as I want to pick Denver in this contest I believe that the true strategy is just keeping Brady from blowing this game wide open, a close game into the 4th quarter and the Broncos have a shot.

Pat’s 24-20

Fantasy Football: