AFC/NFC Championship Games for 23 January 2005

FR ^ | 23 January 2005 | rdb3

[rdb3]

Okay FR football fans, this is it. Championship Sunday. We have the Patriots in the Steel City to battle the Steelers. We have the QB/RB/HB/All-around-fast-guy Michael Vick and his Falcons taking on the Chuncky Soup eating Donovan McNabb (his mama made him eat it) and the Eagles in Philly.

Offensive octane in Philly, defensive titans in Pittsburgh. Sounds like it's gonna be a fun day today!

Post your picks. Who do you think will win and why? Here are my choices, so take a peek and tell me where I'm wrong if I'm wrong.

New England is -3 in Pittsburgh. What? The Steelers aren't even favored at home? That's right. And the reason has to be Rothlisberger. Remember, he's still a rookie. The last rookie to go to the Super Bowl was Dan Marino. San Francisco denied him the victory, remember?

Rothlisberger has had a storybook season. He has not made bonehead decisions while in the pocket that gave away a game. But taking a look at last week's game, he damn near gave it away, throwing two interceptions late in the game. Had the Jets gained just one more yard, Rothlisberger and the Steelers would be watching this game taking place in Foxboro.

Expect trench warfare, a thousand casualities for a measly ten feet of gained territory. The Pats easily handled Peyton "Cut That Meat!" Manning and the high-powered Colts last week. Peyton "Here we go insurance adjusters" Manning, after topping Dan Marino's season TD pass record could not throw just one against the Pats. With Dillon in the lineup today for the Pats, ball control will be the name of the game again. Make Rothlisberger beat you. Stack up against The Bus.

My pick: Pats cover the spread and win by the score of 16-14.

Now for the battle of the birds. Well, what can I say? What can anyone say? This game has a very strange aura.

Will Andy Reid devise a defense to successfully box in Michael Vick?

He'd better.

The Eagles are without the field-stretching and locker room booty-call man Terrell Owens. Hey, the team can wait when you have a woman in a towel in your locker room, right?

Anyway, McNabb's key weapon is gone. Look for the Falcons to put eight in the box and force McNabb to beat them with the pass.

After all that, I still have no idea nor a feel for how this one will go. Dome teams normally don't do well in the snow in January. Remember that Mr. "Cut That Meat!"? But, and it's a mighty big "but" (no, not Hitlary's), Vick did beat the Packers in Lambeau Field when it was definitely the frozen tundra.

My, my. So many variables. I thought this was football, not calculus.

My pick: Forget the Falcons being +5.5 point underdogs. The O/U is 37. The smart choice, then, would be to take the over.

There it is, rdb3's prediction. Last week, I went a meager 4 for 4 against the line. Heh, heh... Can I be another Swami today? You tell me.

[Dog Gone]

I'm hoping it's going to be Steelers/Falcons in the Super Bowl.

No Cowboy fan can ever root for the Iggles, and I'm just tired of New England. They had the Red Sox in the Series last year, so quit piling on, dammit.

[mainepatsfan]

The only reason he got the Rams to the divisional round was because they had the fortune of playing the frauds in Seattle. He should have been fired after not going for the win last year against Carolina.

[MotleyGirl70]

Michael Vick and his Falcons taking on the Chuncky Soup eating Donovan McNabb (his mama made him eat it) and the Eagles in Philly.

Haha! ;)

I'm cheering for the Steelers and the Falcons. May the best teams win today.

[SwinusMaximus]

Atlanta 24, Philadelphia 20. Taking the over.

[meowmeow]

The Stillers over the Pats, Eagles over the Falcons, and then PA will be in civil war for the next few weeks.

GO BIG BEN!

[Lawgvr1955]

He should have been fired after not going for the win last year against Carolina.

Truer words were never spoken. No better way to tell your quarterback and team that he has no confidence in them and would rather go with a fifty-fifty proposition of a coin toss. Terrible.

IMHO the only reasons the Rams went back to the Super Bowl after Dick Vermeil coached them was because Martz had a lot of Vermeil players with him. Naturally the Rams were mismanaged in the final drive of the game.

The Rams went back in spite of Martz, not because of him.

[Lawgvr1955]

For all the good fortune you New England fans have had this year (Pats, Sox) I am glad for the one loser, John F. Ketchup.

[KoRn]

I like 'Championship Sunday' far more than Super Bowl Sunday. It's far more intense, and there's 2 games to watch. The Super Bowl seems to be more theatrical and just full of commercials. Also, I believe while both Super Bowl teams play to win they are happy just to be there. In the Championship Games, the players play like their life is on the line.

[Dog]

Thanks for the ping RD..

[farmfriend]

Hey, the team can wait when you have a woman in a towel in your locker room, right?

LOL! You tell me.

[rdb3]

I strongly believe that Belichick is going to make Rothlisberger beat him. He's going to see more defensive alignments than he has ever seen before. But the Pats will assuredly stack the box.

If your Steelers have to convert 3rd and long all day, you should sweat. That means Rothlisberger must throw the ball.

[rdb3]

I really wouldn't know!

Never been confronted with that situation...

[farmfriend]

Never been confronted with that situation...

Bummer!

[Petronski]

But the Pats will assuredly stack the box.

I fervently hope so. This is the key to a Steeler victory.

[Fintan]

Eagles 27, Falcons 14.

Book it.

[rdb3]

Go 'head with ya bad self. Picking the Eagles to cover and then some.

I still can't call it.

[mainepatsfan]

If he had given Faulk the ball in that Super Bowl the Rams may well have beaten the Patriots but Belichick knew Martz wouldn't do it.

[mainepatsfan]

I agree. Though there is something to be said for a whole weekend of playoff action as opposed to just one day.

[mainepatsfan]

He was such a fraud of a fan. Manny Ortez?!

[mainepatsfan]

It'll be interesting to see how much Cowher will let Big Ben throw the ball tonight.