Well, the results are in, and I couldn't have done much worse in my first column of predicting professional sporting events. I went 1-4 last weekend, and I can only say in my defense that it was a weekend of full of probable upsets. Thank god my lone correct prediction was also my "lock bet" of the week, in which I stated I would stop writing the column if I were wrong. So I would like to thank one balding/clutch quarterback in Matt Hasselbeck for not making my week a complete bust.
While I didnt foresee Tom Brady and Peyton Manning choking en route to the AFC Championship game, I did mention that a strong performance from Steve Smith (150 yards and 2 tds) would give Carolina the edge in their game vs. the Bears. Well, Smith did just that and more, scoring two big tds while grabbing 12 catches for 218 yards (thats more yardage than Bears starting QB Rex Grossman). And this came after a week of rants from Bears players calling out Smiths capability. He made them pay for it, causing d-backs to fall on their asses more than Tara Reid after a night of heavy boozing. This proves it's never wise to awaken a sleeping giant like Smith, (even though hes only 5'9, and is hardly sleeping, he is rather quite awake. I'm retarded).
The situation reminds me of me dwindling at my computer earlier this week trying to get several articles for work done before deadline. An interesting development was occurring nearby on my living room couch, as my twin brother Jon and his friend (who goes by the moniker Bunz) were playing a heated game of NBA 2K6 on my now obsolete X-BOX. While Bunz kept ridiculing Jon for previously saying he "found Ellen DeGeneres funny," the pressure got to my bro and he lost the game. Feeling that vengeance was in store, he decided to create DeGeneres in the "create-a-player" feature, make her a superstar and destroy Bunz with the openly gay comedienne in a rematch. Knowing he had to counter attack, the aforementioned Bunz created Marcy Darcy, the lesbian neighbor from Married with Children, and the rematch of the century was on. Darcy went on to drop 68 points in victory. What does this have to do with Steve Smith? Absolutely nothing, I just really felt the need to mention it.
Moving right along, I won't take up too much time on last weeks games, only to say that Peyton Manning and the Colts had that game gift wrapped to them and totally blew it. Forget the overrated Roethlisberger tackle on Harper that followed the Bettis fumble; how the hell do you throw it to the end zone on a 2nd and 2 at the Pittsburgh 30 yard line? Manning should have tried to secure an easy 35 yarder for Vanderjagt, before trying to end a game they had no business winning (note the Polamalu call). I was gunning for Indy because they make the regular season so exciting to watch, and Manning runs an offense like no other. But after watching him waive off his own coach's call to punt on a 4th and short, Im beginning to lose faith on the guy's psyche in big games.
I won't spend too much time on this weeks Conference title games either, mainly because I clearly have no idea what I'm doing in picking winners and I want to touch on Antonio Davis a little (yeah that's right). But here is what common sense has to say about two games that I didn't envision seeing, or still want to for that matter.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos
Damn it, if Indy would have won we could have had our first all-Equestrian Conference title game! (get it? Broncos? Colts?). Instead, the two teams I praised for controlling the running game will square off in a race that is too close to call. Momentum has got to be equally fueling both teams; the Steelers just beat the odds-on Super Bowl favorite on the road, while the Broncos have finally knocked off the Brady Dynasty. Both teams have great, veteran coaches with plenty of playoff experience. The quarterbacks are not only grizzly in their facial appearance, but are solid in their decision-making (Plummer has made some real strides this year) and are pretty impressive athletes for their stature. And both defenses are amongst the best in the league at working together and meeting their assignments.
I want to give Denver the edge for having home field, even though it has proven to mean nothing in this years playoffs. But I like Pittsburghs D more than Denvers, because of their balance in stopping the run and the pass. I should really throw stats out of the window this week, but aside from that, the Steelers had the calls going against them on Sunday and still won. Denver outplayed New England, but won the game with two questionable calls (the Samuel pass interference and Baileys questionable run back). Come on NFL gods; end this horrible playoff season on a positive note and put Sgt. Slaughter and the Bus back in the Super Bowl. Im taking the Steelers, with no confidence in my choice whatsoever.
Carolina Panthers at Seattle Seahawks
I'll say this right from the get-go; I'm taking the Seahawks to win because I am sick of all these upsets. And they have been; home teams with better regular season records usually win in the NFL playoffs. Aside from that, I was one fan seriously concerned for the Hawks when their MVP back went down with a concussion last week. Against a pressure D, I had little faith in Hasselbeck leading his team to victory with Maurice Morris in the backfield. But Hasselbeck came through, with a pair of tds, no picks and 215 passing yards. Not bad at all. Alexander will be back this weekend, and coach Mike Holmgren said he's at 100 percent. If that is true, Seattle will be at the top of their game, which they obviously weren't in last weeks win.
On the other hand, the Panthers have played great in two consecutive road playoff games. But they didn't play against an offense nearly as good as Seattles, with the inconsistent O of the Giants and the nonexistent O of the Bears being easily exploited by the Panthers third ranked defense. I am worried considering they shut down Tiki Barber in that first round match-up, but Alexander has a much better O line, and can run between the tackles more efficiently than everybodys favorite beef patty spokesman. Plus, Qwest Field has proven to be a tough place for opposing teams this season; the Hawks havent lost there yet. I believe the same will be said for this weekend. I predict that Seattle will win a close, high scoring game, even if Smith puts up big numbers, which he probably will.
Finally, I didn't have the pleasure of watching the live footage of Antonio Davis rushing into the stands against the Bulls last night, but from what I've gained, he saw some creepy random guy harassing his wife and felt the need to intervene. I feel like a big reason Davis got suspended 5 games is because of the sheer size of the man and how it looks seeing a 7 foot behemoth literally climb over a press box. In that sense, the NBA is treating their players like zoo attractions, that cause immediate danger to the crowd when they leave their cages, in this case a basketball court. But in the replay footage I saw, Davis did not threaten anyone while approaching the stands, and merely reacted to what he thought was a threat to his family. This is nothing close to Ron Artest, who literally ran into the stands with a clenched fist ready to do some damage. I did hear that Davis' wife is kind of a loud mouth, and that the guy's intoxicated state is still in question. But Davis is only slightly, Id say one percent wrong in this matter, and should have only been suspended one game. He went on his instinct like any normal person would do, and was wise enough to restrain himself. And if this pathetic loser of a fan is actually contemplating filing a lawsuit, the case should be thrown out like Tara Reid during last call at a Mexican Bar and Grill. I hate Tara Reid. She is a filthy whore.
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