Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 195 of 1503)

      Five Questions: Packers vs. Falcons

      January 12, 2011 /

      Matchup: Packers (11-6) @ Falcons (13-3)
      Kickoff: 8:00PM ET, Saturday

      1. Can the Falcons deal with the Packers’ newfound offensive balance?
      In the first game between these two teams, the Falcons did a nice job of forcing Aaron Rodgers to throw underneath. On the three plays that went for 30 yards or more, two of them happened because Atlanta defensive backs failed to wrap up Green Bay receivers. (The other play was a great flea-flicker play call by Mike McCarthy on a 3rd and 1.) But in that first meeting, the Falcons also didn’t have to game plan for running back James Starks, who shredded Philadelphia for 123 yards on 23 carries. Atlanta knew it didn’t have to worry about stopping the run and therefore could commit extra defenders into coverage. The Falcons won’t be able to do that again this time if Starks gets going, so they’ll have to deal with both him and Rodgers (one of the most effective quarterbacks in the league). The Packers definitely have the upper hand when it comes to showing the Falcons different looks because Starks didn’t play in the first game.

      2. Can the Packers slow the Falcons’ running game?
      Green Bay’s front seven needs to attack Atlanta’s running game like New Orleans did in Week 16. The Saints didn’t do anything special in that game to slow Michael Turner. They simply attacked the line of scrimmage and forcefully filled Turner’s running lanes. One thing the Falcons had success with in the first meeting with the Packers was running the ball downhill. They didn’t try to go north south with Green Bay; they attacked the outside linebacker position opposite Clay Matthews by moving their lineman downhill. Then fullback Ovie Mughelli did a great job of blocking the first defender in the hole and Turner was patient before heading up field. The Packers can’t allow the Falcons front five and Mughelli to dictate where they the play to go. They must attack and play on the other side of the line of scrimmage.

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      External Sports, NFL

      Les Miles receives seven-year contract extension from LSU

      January 12, 2011 /

      ESPN.com is reporting that LSU and head coach Les Miles have agreed in principle to a new contract that will run through the 2017 season.

      LSU athletic director Joe Alleva says Miles’ annual pay of a little more than $3.75 million will remain the same.

      Miles has won 62 games and five bowls, including a 2007 national title in his first six years with the Tigers. Alleva says the university wants to maintain stability at the top of a winning program.

      Miles, who met with Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon Monday about the coaching vacancy the Wolverines had at the time, says Baton Rouge is home to his family now and that staying at LSU is “the right thing to do.”

      I think it says something that Miles (presumably) had two opportunities over the past four years to leave Baton Rouge and coach at his alma mater and he chose to stay. He has shown loyalty to the LSU program and in turn, the Tigers have given it right back.

      I still think the guy is bat sh*t crazy though. He obviously knows how to win but I wonder if he goes home sometimes and thinks to himself, “How the hell did I pull that one out of my ass?”

      Only Miles could get called for a delay of game penalty on fourth-and-nine and then call a timeout. And only he could then get bailed out when his opponent (Tennessee) had 12 men on the field during the final play and therefore found a way to pull victory out of the jaws of defeat.

      Oh, Les Miles.

      College Football, External Sports

      Five Questions Ravens vs. Steelers

      January 12, 2011 /
      Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger talks to Baltimore Ravens’ quarterback Joe Flacco after the Steelers defeated the Ravens 13-10 at M & T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on December 5, 2010. UPI/Kevin Dietsch

      Matchup: Ravens (13-4) @ Steelers (12-4)
      Kickoff: 4:30PM ET, Saturday

      1. Can Polamalu stay healthy?
      When Troy Polamalu intercepted at least one pass during a game this year, the Steelers were 6-0. I could go on about how important he is to Pittsburgh’s defense but I don’t need to – everyone knows how vital he is to the Steelers’ success. He’s been battling an Achilles/ankle injury for the past month and he didn’t practice all last week. He’ll be held out of early practices this week too, as the Steelers want to limit the risk of further injury. He’s not going to miss a playoff game, but can he make it all four quarters of what should be the most physical battle of the year?

      2. Can the Steelers’ O-Line hold up?
      Just because Pittsburgh scored 68 points in its final two games doesn’t mean that its concerns along the offensive line have disappeared. (Plus, those 68 points were collectively scored on Carolina and Cleveland.) Baltimore has a superior defensive line, led by tackle Haloti Ngata and while Ben Roethlisberger usually does a great job of holding up against pressure, no quarterback wants to throw with defenders in his face. The Steelers’ O-line will be tested this Saturday.

      3. Can the Ravens slow Mike Wallace?
      The Ravens have allowed an average of 10.2 yards per competition through the air this season, which ranks them eighth in the league. They generally don’t give up big plays but if there were ever a homerun threat they needed to be weary of this weekend, it’s Mike Wallace. The second-year pro is averaging 21.0 yards per catch this season, so he’s doing most of his damage downfield. In the season finale against Cleveland, Wallace only caught three passes but they went for 105 yards and one touchdown (off a 56-yard bomb from Big Ben). The Ravens held Kansas City wideout Dwayne Bowe to zero catches last weekend, but can they have similar success against Wallace?

      4. Can the Steelers protect the ball?
      Pittsburgh hasn’t turned the ball over much this season. In fact, the Steelers are second to only the Patriots in turnovers per game at +1.1. But the Ravens defense is playing at a Super Bowl level right now and in the past two games, they’ve forced 10 turnovers (five fumbles and five interceptions) and have held their opponents to 14 total points. It goes without saying that teams usually don’t win when they lose the turnover battle, but it may be especially true this Saturday in Pittsburgh. The Steelers can’t give Baltimore extra opportunities.

      5. Can the Ravens avoid a collapse?
      In back to back games in early December, the Ravens had dominated this same Steelers team for three quarters before Pittsburgh mounted a comeback in the fourth. A week later in Houston, the Ravens needed a Josh Wilson pick-six in overtime to beat the Texans after they coughed up a three-touchdown lead early in the third quarter. The Ravens also blew a lead in Atlanta when they were up with 22 seconds remaining and gave up a late Roddy White touchdown to lose. Baltimore is one of the hottest teams in the league and a legit Super Bowl contender but neither side of the ball can get complacent this Saturday. Given what’s at stake and whom they’re playing, chances are they won’t but they can’t forget what happened last time these two teams met.

      External Sports, NFL

      2011 NFL Power Rankings: Divisional Round

      January 12, 2011 /
      Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, 09 January 2011. The Packers won, 21-16. EPA/JUSTIN LANE fotoglif882812

      My biggest blunder from last week’s power rankings was that I had the Seahawks at No. 12 and the Saints at No. 5. And for obvious reasons, I don’t feel too badly about that misstep.

      Let’s get nasty for the Divisional Round…

      1. New England Patriots
      Wildcard Ranking: 1
      Rex Ryan is making this weekend’s game about him and Bill Belichick, which is understandable given that they’re the two head coaches. But while Ryan stands at the podium every day telling the media that the game will come down to which head coach gets the upper hand, Brian Schottenheimer is in the corner sweating bullets. That’s because this game won’t come down to Ryan v. Belichick. It’ll come down to Schottenheimer v. Belichick and you couldn’t dream up a bigger mismatch.

      2. Atlanta Falcons
      Wildcard Ranking: 2
      While doing my daily web suffering this week, I get the sense that the Falcons are the true underdogs this Saturday against the Packers. Even though Atlanta is a 2-point favorite, the majority of fans believe that if the Packers play their game, they won’t be beaten. But everyone needs to keep in mind how difficult it is to play on the road – especially in consecutive weeks. The Falcons are also well rested and they don’t make many mistakes to cost themselves opportunities. Thus, regardless of if the Packers have the better overall stats or people believe that they’re the better team, they still have to play a near-perfect game this weekend in order to leave Atlanta with a victory.

      3. Pittsburgh Steelers
      Wildcard Ranking: 3
      The Steelers better hope that Troy Polamalu is healthy enough to make it through the entire game this Saturday because that’s a completely different defense with him standing on the sidelines. It’ll also be interesting to see if Baltimore’s defense can shut down Mike Wallace like it did Dwayne Bowe last Sunday in Kansas City. Because you get the feeling that Wallace is rising to that elite receiver status.

      4. Baltimore Ravens
      Wildcard Ranking: 4
      Pass protection is the key for the Ravens this weekend. If they can keep Joe Flacco upright, the Steelers can be had through the air. Pittsburgh’s cornerbacks don’t match up real well with the Ravens’ receivers, but Baltimore’s O-line must hold up under the pressure that they’ll face from the Steelers’ front seven. The Chiefs were able to get to Flacco a couple of times last week and they managed to strip him once. The Ravens won’t make it out of Pittsburgh this weekend if Flacco is constantly under pressure again.

      5. Green Bay Packers
      Wildcard Ranking: 6
      Thanks to James Starks, the Packers have finally found a running game, which isn’t good news for the Falcons. When these two teams met earlier this season, Green Bay predominately threw the ball because it didn’t have much of a choice. But if they can stay balanced like they did last week in Philadelphia, then Atlanta won’t be able to sit back in coverage like it did last time and force Aaron Rodgers to throw underneath. Starks has added another dimension to this already potent offense.

      6. Chicago Bears
      Wildcard Ranking: 7
      Boy did the Bears luck out or what? At the start of last weekend, it looked like they would either face the Eagles or Saints in the Divisional Round and then – surprise! – Seattle knocks off New Orleans and Green Bay knocks off Philadelphia. Now the Bears will host the Seahawks while the Falcons have to deal with the Packers. Of course, Seattle has already beaten the Bears in Chicago this year, so nothing is guaranteed. And if Seattle plays as hard as it did last weekend, then anything can happen. That said, unless the Seahawks can move Qwest Field to Solider Field this Sunday, I doubt they have two upsets in them this postseason.

      7. New York Jets
      Wildcard Ranking: 9
      The Jets may be winning the war of words but it’s not like the Patriots are interested in that game. The one they’re focusing on is this Sunday in Foxboro and the last time the Jets paid a visit, things went very well for the home team. The Jets must run the football like they did in the second half against the Colts last Saturday. Without that type of running game, they stand no chance this weekend because Mark Sanchez isn’t going to get the best of Bill Belichick.

      8. Seattle Seahawks
      Wildcard Ranking: 12
      The Seahawks proved last week what they could do when nobody believes in them and they seemingly have no shot at winning. But now they have to go on the road and face a Bears team that is well rested after taking last week off. Six times this year, the Hawks played at home and then had to travel the next week. And in those six road games, they lost by an average margin of 23.3 points. Inconsistency is the one thing this team must overcome if it wants to advance to the NFC title game.

      External Sports, NFL

      Cromartie says he hates Tom Brady, calls him an A-hole

      January 12, 2011 /
      Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Pierre Garcon (85) turns upfield after a 21-yard pass reception in front of New York Jets defenders Antonio Cromartie (31) and Eric Smith (33) during the fourth quarter of the Jets 17-16 AFC Wild-Card Playoff win at Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis on January 8, 2011. UPI /Mark Cowan

      Well, this Jets-Patriots game is certainly getting interesting.

      From the New York Daily News:

      Cromartie, in his first year with the Jets after four years with the Chargers, backed up Ryan Tuesday when he was asked by the Daily News if he’s ever seen Brady pointing after the Patriots score.

      “We see that a lot. He does it a lot,” Cromartie said. “That’s the kind of guy he is. We really don’t give a damn, to tell you the truth.”

      Okay, what kind of guy is Brady?

      “An ass—-.

      “—- him.”

      “That’s what I think about him. I don’t really give a damn about him,” he said. “I don’t have to play against him. I play against the receivers.”

      Well, Brady is the one throwing to those receivers. “Yeah, but if I beat the s— out of his receivers, he can’t throw the ball,” Cromartie said.

      He’ll beat the s**t out of his receivers? Apparently the only thing receivers have to do to beat Cromartie is make one hard step outside and cut back inside on a post pattern when he lines up off the wideout. Because that’s all Pierre Garcon of the Colts did last week when he scored on that 57-yard touchdown pass. After that play, Cris Colinsworth spent the rest of the game explaining how Cromartie can’t cover if he’s not jamming the receiver at the line.

      Meanwhile, the Patriots have gone about their business while refusing to talk about the Jets. And why should they say anything? The last time these two teams met, it took the Pats all of 14 minutes to build a 17-3 lead. That game was over before it started.

      External Sports, NFL

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