Category: External Sports (Page 331 of 821)

History isn’t on the Jets’ side as they get ready for Pats

January 10, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

Michael David Smith of the Wall Street Journal discovered an interesting stat that pertains to the Jets-Patriots Divisional Round game this Sunday.

Earlier this season, the Patriots crushed the Jets 45-3 in a Monday night laugher. So Smith looked back at how many times a team was beaten by an opponent by at least 35 points in the regular season and how they fared when the two teams met again in the playoffs. The results aren’t pretty for the Jets.

In 1969, the Vikings beat the Browns 51-3 in the regular season and then 27-7 in the playoffs. In 1980, the Eagles rocked the Vikings 42-7 in the regular season and then beat them again 31-16 in the postseason. In 1991, the Redskins shredded the Lions 45-0 and then crushed them 41-10 in the only NFC Championship Game Detroit has ever played in. In 1991, those same Redskins also blasted the Falcons 56-17 in the regular season and 24-7 in the playoffs.

Last season, the Jets beat the Bengals 37-0 in the regular season finale (albeit mostly because Cincinnati rested its starters in the second half and ran the most vanilla offense you’ll ever see from a team). When the two squads met again in the postseason, the Jets soundly beat the Bengals 24-14 in the Natti.

Obviously this doesn’t mean the Jets don’t stand a chance this weekend in Foxboro. After all, they did beat the Patriots in Week 2 this season (although that was in New York).

But considering people already had their doubts about whether or not the Jets could survive this Sunday in New England, the fact that history isn’t on their side doesn’t bode well for Rex Ryan’s boys.

External Sports, NFL

2011 NFL Playoffs New England Patriots New York Jets Rex Ryan

Will Asomugha wind up with the Jets or Packers next season?

January 10, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

At last year’s Pro Bowl, Nnamdi Asomugha told the media that he and Darrelle Revis wanted to be teammates. If it ever happened, the duo would become an instant nightmare for opposing quarterbacks.

After the Raiders voided Asomugha’s contract over the weekend, that nightmare may become a reality. And if what former Raiders beat writer David White says is true, then quarterbacks in the AFC East and NFC North won’t be able to rest easy soon.

From White’s Twitter page:

I know him well. He’ll got to Green Bay or NY Jets. Mark it down.

As previously mentioned, Asomugha and Revis have already stated their desire to play with each other, so the Jets are an instant fit. Antonio Cromartie has played well in New York this season, but his contract is up after this year and Asomugha is by far the better all around corner. Could you imagine Revis and Asomugha joining forces in Rex Ryan’s defense? If Reggie Wayne was frustrated after Saturday night, he may not even want to dress when the Colts play the Jets in the future.

White mentioned the Packers presumably because Asomugha and Woodson are best friends. But unless Green Bay will be looking to replace Woodson, I doubt they would pony up for Asomugha after just paying Tramon Williams. A team can never have enough defensive backs, but Woodson made the Pro Bowl this year and Williams should have made it, so one would think the Packers are set at starting cornerback.

It’ll be interesting to follow Asomugha’s free agent escapades next offseason because there will be plenty of teams interested in the 29-year-old. His contract will scare some teams away, but great corners are extremely rare breeds. And Asomugha is the very best.

External Sports, NFL

Charles Woodson Darrelle Revis Nnamdi Asomugha Nnamdi Asomugha contract Nnamdi Asomugha Darrelle Revis Nnamdi Asomugha rumors Oakland Raiders

Marshawn Lynch’s epic TD run, Tecmo Bowl-style [video]

January 10, 2011 / John Paulsen

Lynch picked a great time to rattle off the best run of his career. He almost looked like he was playing Tecmo with the Saints…

External Sports, Fantasy Football, Humor, NFL, Video

Marshawn Lynch New Orleans Saints Seattle Seahawks Tecmo Bowl

Balanced Packers edge out Vick, Eagles to advance to Divisional Round

January 9, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

Here are six quick-hit thoughts on the Packers’ 21-16 victory over the Eagles in Sunday night’s Wildcard matchup.

1. Thanks to Starks, the Packers finally find offensive balance.
The role that James Starks played in this game cannot be overstated. All season, pundits have criticized the Packers’ inability to run the football and have questioned whether or not they could protect leads in the fourth quarter. But Mike McCarthy made Starks a focal point in his game plan (either that or he just rode the hot hand after Starks busted off a 27-yard run on his first carry…either way, nice work, Mike) and the rookie responded by rushing for 123 yards on 23 carries. From a yardage standpoint, Philadelphia held Aaron Rodgers (18-of-27, 180 yards, 3 TDs) in check. But because the Packers were able to stay balanced, when Rodgers did throw the ball he found open receivers (especially in the red zone). If Starks runs this way next Saturday night in Atlanta, the Pack could be headed for the NFC Championship Game against the Bears. (Oh whatever – I’m just saying what everyone is already thinking…the Seahawks don’t have two miracles in them.)

2. Rodgers silences critics (however few remain).
I was shocked with how much attention was paid to Rodgers’ 0-1 record in the postseason. He’s played at a MVP-like level all season and leads one of the most explosive passing games in the league. No, he didn’t have a playoff win coming into this weekend but he does now. He didn’t throw for a ton of yards but he was incredibly efficient. He engineered three big scoring drives in this game and had James Jones not dropped a deep ball right before halftime, Rodgers’ numbers would have been even better than they were. Because of him, the Packers are legit Super Bowl contenders.

3. Vick comes up short again.
Right before the Eagles’ offense took over down by five with less than two minutes to play, I texted a friend that if the drive didn’t end in a Michael Vick turnover I’d be shocked. After Vick led the Eagles down to Green Bay’s 38-yard-line, he took an unnecessary shot to the end zone and was intercepted by all-world corner Tramon Williams (what a season this guy is having). As a Falcons backer, I immediately felt the Eagles fans’ pain. I had seen similar outcomes like that before. Vick makes some incredible plays at times but he’s always been careless with the football. He’s always been a quarterback that with the game on the line, you don’t know if he’s going to do the unthinkable or make a boneheaded decision that will leave a bad taste in your mouth for three days following the game. That one throw doesn’t take away the great season he had and he kept the Eagles in this game throughout. (He also played that final drive on a bad ankle and came back strong after suffering a quad injury against the Vikings last week.) But if he wants to be elite and a Super Bowl-winning quarterback, he can’t continuously come up short in the clutch.

External Sports, NFL

2011 NFL Playoffs Aaron Rodgers Anthony Stalter Green Bay Packers James Starks Mike McCarthy Philadelphia Eagles