Hoops4Life

NFL Super-Bowl Preview

G.J.D — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 01:56:36 +0000

How do you cut through the clutter of Super Bowl hype to provide readers with a value-added preview of the Big Game?

I’m glad you asked.

It ain’t easy, that’s for sure. If it was, everybody would be doing it. Wait a minute, everybody IS doing it. I think I even saw a special Super Bowl edition of The Mentalist the other day, and I’m pretty sure Tom Brady is on the cover of this month’s Creative Knitting Magazine.

So the way we can offer a value-added Super Bowl preview is to tell you to throw everything those other Super Bowl previews tell you out the window.

Why?

Because it’s 60 minutes of football and anything can happen. That’s part of the fun, of course, but very little of the avalanche of tweets, blogs, vlogs, columns and general opinionating that comes before Sunday’s kickoff between the AFC champion New England Patriots and the NFC champion New York Giants will be an indicator of what will happen in Super Bowl XLVI – that’s 46, for the Roman numeral-challenged – in Indianapolis.

It’s like the stock market. Past performance is not an indicator of future results.

The experts say it will be a battle of superstar quarterbacks Tom Brady and Eli Manning and thus an offensive fireworks show. That usually means the first touchdown won’t be scored until there’s, like, three minutes left in the third quarter.

The experts say New England’s defense was ranked second last in the league this season. That usually means the Pats’ secondary will pick off three passes and the D-line will sack Manning four times before the half.

The experts say Brady will pick apart the Giants defense, one hapless cornerback at a time. That usually means Giants sophomore All-Pro defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul will be in Brady’s face all game.

The experts say Brady has revenge on his mind following the Giants’ Super Bowl XLII win over New England back in February 2008, thus ruining what would have been an undefeated season for the Pats. Yes, well, revenge is overplayed by media peeps all the time. A lot of faces have come and gone in four years. The new ones don’t care, and the old ones know how special it is to get to the final game, revenge be damned. The game is too important to be worrying about media-fuelled fake tension.

What should be causing some tension of the real variety for New England fans is the state of Pats tight end Rob Gronkowski’s left ankle. Gronk, who set an NFL record for touchdowns by a tight end this season and one of Brady’s favorite targets, practiced for the first time Thursday as he tries to recover in time for Sunday’s game.

Punters aren’t usually talked about that much, and with good reason. Punting isn’t sexy. You don’t see Terry Bradshaw getting all excited in the TV studio about punting, but it says here that with field position being of the utmost importance, the guys who kick will play an important role in determining Sunday’s outcome.

And the nicest part about Sunday’s Super Bowl? No matter who wins, we don’t have to endure the Pro Bowl the week after.

NFL Pro-Bowl Recap

G.J.D — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 01:39:10 +0000

The AFC and the NFC again will not have players from either of the Super Bowl teams, as the attempt to keep the Pro Bowl relevant is a constant struggle. It is a great game to attend live simply because of all of the action and festivities in Honolulu the entire week. Waikiki Beach features many fun NFL events.

Yet on television the game is not very compelling unless a lot of action happens. In this game it did.

The Pro Bowl is meant to be entertainment, which means as much offense and trick plays as possible with little to no defense.

The AFC began after a touchback and Ben Roethlisberger hit hit teammate Mike Wallace for 25 yards. On 4th and 4 from midfield, the AFC decided to go for it. Big Ben threw incomplete. Aaron Rodgers took over for the NFC and hit Steve Smith for 15, Tony Gonzalez for 8, Graham for 11 on 3rd and 6, and Larry Fitzgerald for the 10 yard touchdown to put the NFC up 7-0. The NFC then tried a surprise onsides kick, which they recovered at the AFC 44. One play was enough for Rodgers to go deep to Fitzgerald for the touchdown to make it 14-0 NFC.

The AFC soon faced 3rd and 10 at their own 20. Big Ben was intercepted by Clay Matthews. Matthews lateraled to Peanut Tillman, who lateraled it to Julius Peppers. Peppers fumbled it, and Vincent Jackson recovered for the AFC at their own 22. Big Ben then hit Antonio Gates for 33 yards. Maurice Jones-Drew ran for 11, and Roethisberger went deep to AJ Green for the 34 yard touchdown to get the AFC within 14-7. The NFC then moved from their own 20 to a 2nd and 2 at the AFC 38. McCoy gained 8 but fumbled, and Champ Bailey recovered to put the AFC at their own 15. Ben Roethlisberger went deep to Brandon Marshall for a 74 yard touchdown to tie the game 14-14.

The NFC soon faced 3rd and 2 at their own 34. In a bizarre moment even for the Pro Bowl, Aaron Rodgers completed a pass to himself. It went for a 15 yard loss and the game had its first punt as the opening quarter ended. From the AFC 47, Philip Rivers came in at quarterback. He hit his teammate Vincent Jackson for a 25 yard gain. Rivers hit Willis McGahee for 20 more, but on 1st and goal at the 8 Rivers was intercepted in the end zone by Patrick Peterson for a touchback.

Drew Brees came in at quarterback for the NFC, and on 3rd and 6 from their 24, He hit Fitzgerald for 13 and Gonzalez for a pair of 26 yard gains. From the 8, Matt Forte gained 7 and lost one, and on 4th and goal at the 2, the NFC decided to go for it. Brees hit teammate Graham for the score as the NFC led 21-14. The AFC soon faced 3rd and 2 at their own 28. Rivers hit Gates for 7 and Vonte Leach for 13. On 3rd and 5 from the NFC 47, Rivers hit Jackson for 18 and Marshall for a 29 yard touchdown to make it 21-21.

The NFC went 3 and out, but on 4th and 3 from their own 27, a fake punt worked as Lee hit Peterson for 8. This only happens in the Pro Bowl. Brees hit Graham for 25 and again for 29, and then Greg Jennings for the 11 yard touchdown to put the NFC up 28-21. With just over 2 minutes left in the half, the AFC faced 3rd and 10 at their own 21. Rivers hit Brown for 9. On 4th and 1 from their own 30, the AFC went for it. This was the Pro Bowl. Leach got the yard. On 4th and 4 from their own 37 with 42 seconds left in the half, the AFC again went for it. Rivers hit Jackson for 15, Jones-Drew for 21, and Gates for a 27 yard touchdown just as the half ended. 4 touchdowns made it 14-14 after one and 4 more touchdowns made it 28-28 at halftime.

The points slowed in the third quarter as Cam Newton took over for the NFC. He hooked up with teammate Steve Smith for 8 and 33, but was then intercepted by Eric Weddle. Weddle returned it 63 yards to the NFC 23. Andy Dalton came in at quarterback for the AFC. On 4th and 6 the game actually saw a field goal try, and Sebastian Janikowski came in for the 37 yarder. After 12 years Seabass was finally in the Pro Bowl, and the Polish Cannon put the AFC up 31-28. It barely lasted as the NFC took over at their own 35. Newton ran for 10 and went deep to Smith for the 55 yard touchdown to put the NFC up 35-31.

The NFC attempted another onsides kick, and again David Akers kicked a good one that the NFC recovered at the AFC 42. Newton moved the NFC to the AFC 18, but on 3rd and 10 he was intercepted by Joseph, who returned it 26 yards to the AFC 36. Jones-Drew then broke free for a 39 yard gain. On 3rd and 5 from the 9, Dalton went to his teammate Green, but at the 1, Green fumbled and the NFC recovered for a touchback. Marshawn Lynch then fumbled, resulting in an 8 yard loss. The NFC went 3 and out and punted. Brown returned it 27 yards to the NFC 47, and one play was enough for Dalton to go deep to Marshall for the touchdown to put the AFC on top 38-35. The NFC would again punt on their next drive. For the most of the game players take it somewhat easy, but the winning team get a larger amount of money per player, and then try to actually win the game.

Brown returned the punt 46 yards to the NFC 45. Dalton hit Gresham for 14 to the NFC 29 as the third quarter ended. The fourth quarter saw an exciting game turn into a blowout. The AFC went basic as Mathews ran for 5, 4, and 5 on 3rd and 1. McGahee gained 9. Leach added 5 more and then the final yard to put the AFC up 45-35 with 12 minutes left in regulation.

The NFC again went 3 and out and Brown returned the punt 32 yards to the NFC 30. Dalton hit Marshall for 17, and on 3rd and goal from the 3, Dalton hit Marshall again for the score as the AFC led 52-35 with 11 minutes left. The NFC soon faced 4th and 7 from their 43. Newton hit Gonzalez for 20. Yet on 4th and 15 from the AFC 42, Newton was intercepted by Weddle. Weddle returned it 27 yards to the AFC 40, and then lateraled it to Johnson, who took it the final 60 yards for the clinching touchdown as the AFC led 59-35 with 6 minutes left.

After a touchback with the game out of reach, now the goal was just to have fun and avoid anybody getting hurt in what is basically a pickup practice game. Lynch ran for 8 and 15, and on 3rd and 2, 13 more. Newton then hit Fitzgerald for a 36 yard touchdown. Drew Brees then came on the field. The leading single season passer in NFL history attempted a drop kick extra point, in honor of Doug Flutie. Flutie kicked one for the first time in 60 years a few years ago, and now he was in the broadcast booth. Brees missed it, and is now 0 for 1 in drop kicks. The NFC decided against an onsides kick and did not use timeouts as the AFC ran out the clock.

All 3 AFC quarterbacks had 2 touchdown passes while Rivers and Roethlisberger were each intercepted once. Rivers was 11 of 19 for 190 in one quarter and Roethlisberger was 6 of 11 for 181 in his one quarter. Dalton was 7 of 9 for 99 in one half. In the NFC, all 3 quarterbacks also had 2 touchdown passes. Rodgers and Brees were not intercepted as Brees went 10 of 14 for 146 and Rodgers was 13 of 17 for 141, each in one quarter. Newton had a tough game, playing one half and going 9 of 27 for 186 yards but with 3 interceptions. The teams combined for 100 points, not the highest total. Next week the Giants and Patriots play in the Super Bowl, and for now the Pro Bowl is in the books. 59-41 AFC

NFL Pro-Bowl Preview

G.J.D — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 04:16:35 +0000

Aloha, NFL fans! It’s that time of the year again! Players representing both the NFC & AFC will square off for yet another Pro-Bowl decider.
We here at Hoops4Life are here to bring you some of the best action from the Pro-Bowl, in anticipation for the big dance between the New York Giants & New England Patriots on February 5th.
So, without further adieu, here it is!

The Pro-Bowl is a game that means nothing played by men that have earned a free vacation to Hawaii. While they are on that vacation, they are forced to stop off at Aloha Stadium and go through the motions of pretending to play football. Even the NFL has admitted that the game is largely useless by implementing rules such as no blitzing and no rushing the kicker. But, even though it is all pageant and no substance, the Pro Bowl still gets its fair share of viewers. When the NFL moved the Pro Bowl to the Sunday before the Super Bowl, it increased ratings even more.

The AFC, dressed in red will take on the NFC dressed in blue. The price per head sportsbook experts know that many of the best players in the league will not play in this game because they will be playing in the Super Bowl. Most betting sites do not assign odds to this game because there is no competition. Still, if you like offense and the potential for spectacular defensive plays in the secondary, then the Pro Bowl is a fun thing to watch as you wait for the week-long Super Bowl preview show to start. Even though guys like Tom Brady will not be playing in the Pro Bowl, this game will still be fun to watch.

AFC

Cincinnati rookie quarterback Andy Dalton will replace Tom Brady on the AFC’s roster, but it is doubtful that Dalton will be the first starter at quarterback for the AFC. More than likely, Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger will start the game and be relieved by San Diego’s Philip Rivers. A sportsbook review of the AFC roster shows a definite advantage for the AFC at running back. The AFC’s roster features running backs Maurice Jones-Drew of Jacksonville, Arian Foster of Houston, Ryan Mathews of San Diego and a surprise appearance by Willis McGahee of the Denver Broncos. Still, the AFC should be strong on offense and give the NFC a challenge. But he NFC is so deep in all positions that this could be a Pro Bowl blow out.

NFC

At quarterback, the NFC fans wisely chose Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers and Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints. As of now, there has not been a replacement named for Eli Manning’s spot. Look for Matthew Stafford to take this spot. While defense is not a huge priority in a game like this, the defense that the NFC has put together could severely limit the NFL scores of any opposing offense. If the NFC can find a way to incorporate the extremely talented aspects of its defense into the rules of the Pro Bowl then the AFC might not be able to score a single point. But playing defense in the Pro Bowl is difficult and it often winds up being a shooting gallery for the quarterbacks.

The Bottom Line
Watching four of the best quarterbacks in the game going head to head and airing out the ball makes for some great television. If this game were being played for real, then the NFC would be a lopsided favorite. But since this is played as an exhibition, this will be a high-scoring but close game. I’m going with the NFC in a nail-biter here.

As always, be sure to tune into the game over the weekend and then gear up for the SUPER-BOWL!

Happy viewing, guys!

NFL Playoff Recaps – Conference Championships

G.J.D — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:19:10 +0000

Baltimore 20 / New England 23

Billy Cundiff missed a 32-yard field goal with 11 seconds to play, and the New England Patriots beat the Baltimore Ravens 23-20 in to win the AFC title. As a result of the victory, New England will make its fifth Super Bowl appearance in the past 11 seasons under coach Bill Belichick and seventh overall in the history of the franchise.

Tom Brady’s 1-yard touchdown dive with 11:29 remaining in the fourth quarter gave New England a 23-20 lead. The Patriots’ defense made the margin stand up, as defensive back Sterling Moore swatted away two potential touchdown passes on the Ravens’ final drive to force the field goal attempt by Cundiff.

The Patriots led 13-10 at halftime and stretched the edge to 16-10 when Stephen Gostkowski kicked a 24-yard field goal with 9:06 left in the third quarter. Baltimore took a 17-16 lead when Joe Flacco threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Torrey Smith later in the period. After the Patriots’ Danny Woodhead fumbled while returning the ensuing kickoff, the Ravens turned the miscue into a 20-16 advantage via a 39-yard field goal by Cundiff.

Flacco completed 22 of 36 passes for 306 yards and two touchdowns for Baltimore. He was intercepted once. Anquan Boldin caught six passes for 101 yards for the Ravens, while Ray Rice led Baltimore in rushing with 67 yards. Brady completed 22 of 36 passes for 239 yards and two interceptions for New England. BenJarvus Green-Ellis ran for 68 yards and a score for the Patriots, while tight end Rob Gronkowski caught five passes for 87 yards.

New York 20 / San Francisco 17

Lawrence Tynes kicked a 31-yard field goal in overtime, and the New York Giants beat the San Francisco 49ers 20-17 in the NFC championship game. The victory gave the Giants their second Super Bowl berth in five seasons and the franchise’s fifth overall Super Bowl appearance.

Tynes’ game-winning kick was set up as a result of a fumble by San Francisco punt returner Kyle Williams, which was recovered by Devin Thomas of the Giants on the 49ers’ 24-yard line. Thomas also recovered a muffed punt that hit off Williams’ leg in the fourth quarter. That recovery helped set up a touchdown pass from Eli Manning to Mario Manningham that gave the Giants a 17-14 lead with 8:34 to play in regulation. David Akers’ 35-yard field goal with 5:39 remaining in the fourth quarter tied the game at 17 for the 49ers.

Eli Manning completed 32 of 58 passes for 316 yards and two touchdowns for the Giants. He was sacked six times. Receiver Victor Cruz caught 10 passes for 142 yards for New York, while running back Ahmad Bradshaw ran for 74 yards. 49ers’ quarterback Alex Smith completed 12 of his 26 passes for 196 yards, including touchdowns of 73 and 28 yards to Vernon Davis, who caught three passes for 112 yards total. Frank Gore rushed for 74 yards for San Francisco.

Tune in to all the Pro-Bowl action this week! Will the AFC or NFC take out the win?

NFL Playoff Previews – Conference Championships

G.J.D — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 04:17:52 +0000

Kick back, relax, and get ready for one of the most anticipated playoff series in recent years! We here at Hoops4Life are here to bring you all the NFL action.
From previews, to reviews, to downright nasty highlight plays, you can find it all here over the next 4 weeks.
This week we have 2 huge match ups that will determine who meets in Superbowl XLVI.
Here’s a complete breakdown of all match ups for this upcoming weekend.
LETS PLAY FOOTBALL!

Tom Brady hasn’t won a Super Bowl ring since after the 2004 season. However, he has never looked better — or more focused — than he did during his record-breaking performance in a 45–10 blowout of the Broncos. Brady completed 76.5 percent of his passes for 363 yards, six TDs and one INT.

This is Brady’s team.

Superstar tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez are dangerous weapons. Veteran slot receiver Wes Welker is a first-down maker and comes up big in the clutch, but the Patriots begin and end with Brady, who carries a 15–5 career record in the playoffs with a 3–1 mark on Super Sunday.

Brady has struggled against the Ravens recently, however, posting season-low passer ratings against Baltimore in each of the last two seasons — throwing one TD and two INTs for a 69.5 rating in a 23–20 Week 6 win last year, while tossing two TDs and three INTs for a 49.1 rating in a 33–14 defeat in the Divisional Round of the playoffs following the 2009 season.

On the other side, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco may have been joking when he said, “If we win, I’ll have nothing to do with why we won,” but there is some truth to that statement. Flacco rarely gets credit for wins but almost exclusively takes blame for Baltimore losses. In the Ravens’ 13 wins, Flacco has thrown 17 TDs and six INTs; in their four losses, he has five TDs and six INTs. Obviously, Flacco must play well in New England.

The real focus will be on Baltimore’s defense, which is led by future Hall of Famers in linebacker Ray Lewis and safety Ed Reed, as well as current All-Pros in edge-rusher Terrell Suggs and run-stuffer Haloti Ngata. If coach John Harbaugh’s strongest side of the ball is unable to slow down New England’s potent passing attack and, namely, Brady, then the Ravens have no chance to beat the Patriots.

Running back Ray Rice is the X-factor. If the defense can force field goals and turnovers, the offense must be able to control the clock with Rice.

New England coach Bill Belichick has been putting band-aids on his defense’s secondary all season, mixing and matching personnel based on the situation. The Pats’ pass rush doesn’t have to necessarily sack Flacco, but pocket-collapsing nose tackle Vince Wilfork and Co. cannot give him time to find home run hitter Torrey Smith or physical veteran Anquan Boldin downfield.

Patriots by 14.

*The winner of this match will be crowned AFC Champions & advance to Superbowl XLVI on the 5th of February, 2012.

New York’s playoff formula has mirrored the one that the G-Men used en route to winning Super Bowl XLII just four seasons ago. The potent combination of Eli Manning on offense and a devastating Big Blue Wrecking Crew front four on defense has been the secret to success and will continue to be.

Manning has completed 67.7 percent of his passes for 607 yards, six TDs and only one INT in wins over the Falcons and Packers. His go-to guy during that stretch has been Hakeem Nicks, who has hauled in 13 catches for 280 yards (21.5 ypc) and four TDs — including a momentum-shifting jump ball as time expired on the first half in the upset at Lambeau Field. Manning-to-Nicks (or breakout wideout Victor Cruz) will need to continue their tear in San Francisco.

The No. 1 overall pick the year after Manning, 49ers quarterback Alex Smith is coming off a statement performance in a win over the Saints. Even so, Smith must avoid doing too much and continue to protect the ball.

Coach Jim Harbaugh’s club made it this far with a blue-collar approach — bludgeoning opponents with running back Frank Gore on offense and suffocating teams with a hard-hitting defense led by All-Pro middle linebacker Patrick Willis and end Justin Smith. San Fran’s stop-unit ranked No. 1 against the run (77.2 ypg), No. 2 in scoring defense (14.3 ppg) and No. 4 in total defense (308.2 ypg) during the regular season. Until giving up 32 points to the Saints in the Divisional Round, the Niners had not allowed more than 27 points this season; only four teams hit the 20-point mark against the 49ers, who are 14–3 overall and 8–1 at home under Harbaugh.

A low-scoring game favors San Francisco. But big plays — like the ones tight end Vernon Davis provided vs. New Orleans — must come from somewhere in order to keep up with the explosive Giants.

Since Week 16, New York is 4–0 with an offense averaging 30.3 points and a defense that is allowing just 12.5 points in must-win games over the Jets, Cowboys, Falcons and Packers. If terrorizing pass-rushers Jason Pierre-Paul, Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck are able to pressure Smith into making costly mistakes, Big Blue could make a big splash in the Bay.

The 49ers beat the Giants 27–20 in Week 10. That game went down to the final seconds, as Manning’s fourth-down pass from the 10-yard-line was batted down by Smith. The rematch could be just as close.

Giants by 3.

*The winner of this match will be crowned NFC Champions & advance to Superbowl XLVI on the 5th of February, 2012.

Tune in to all the action this week! Who is going to advance to the SUPERBOWL? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

NFL Playoff Recaps – Divisional Round

G.J.D — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 04:21:49 +0000

New Orleans 32 / San Francisco 36

Alex Smith threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Vernon Davis with 9 seconds to play, and the San Francisco 49ers beat the New Orleans Saints 36-32 on Saturday. San Francisco’s game-winning score came at the end of a thrilling fourth quarter that saw four lead changes in the final four minutes. The 49ers will host the New York Giants next Sunday in the NFC championship game.

The 49ers raced to an early 17-0 lead. They were still ahead 23-17, when New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees passed to running back Darren Sproles, who zipped through the San Francisco defense for a 44-yard touchdown that gave the Saints a 24-23 lead with 4:02 to play. On the ensuing drive, Smith ran down the left sideline for a 28-yard touchdown to give his team a 29-24 edge. Brees then connected with tight end Jimmy Graham for a 66-yard score that gave the Saints the lead and set the stage for the 49ers’ game-winning drive.

Smith completed 24 of 42 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns for San Francisco. Davis caught seven passes for 180 yards, including two scores. Running back Frank Gore ran for 89 yards for the 49ers. Brees completed 40 of 63 passes for 462 yards and four touchdowns. He was intercepted twice. Sproles had 15 receptions for 119 yards, including a score for the Saints. Marques Colston caught nine passes for 136 yards and a touchdown for New Orleans, while his teammate Graham had five catches for 103 yards, including two touchdowns. The Saints committed five turnovers.

Denver 10 / New England 45

Tom Brady tied an NFL record with six touchdown passes in a post-season game, including five in the first half, as the New England Patriots routed the Denver Broncos 45-10 on Saturday night. New England led 35-7 at halftime, as Brady threw touchdown passes of 10, 12 and 19 yards to tight end Rob Gronkowski, as well as additional scoring tosses of seven yards to Wes Welker and 61 yards to Deion Branch. The Patriots’ defense kept Denver quarterback Tim Tebow in check by sacking him five times. New England will host the Baltimore Ravens next Sunday in the AFC championship game.

Brady completed 26 of 34 passes for 363 yards, the six touchdowns and one interception. Gronkowski finished with 10 catches for 145 yards and the three scores. Fellow Patriots’ tight end Aaron Hernandez ran five times for 61 yards and had four receptions for 55 yards. Willis McGahee carried 17 times for 76 yards and the Broncos’ only touchdown. Tebow completed just nine of 26 passes for 136 yards. He also fumbled once. Demaryius Thomas caught six passes for 93 yards for Denver.

Houston 13 / Baltimore 20

Lardarius Webb and Ed Reed had fourth quarter interceptions to thwart scoring drives, and the Baltimore Ravens beat the Houston Texans 20-13 on Sunday afternoon. Baltimore led 17-3 after the first quarter and held on for the victory thanks to mistake-free play. The Ravens had no penalties or turnovers during the game. Their dominant defense intercepted Texans’ rookie quarterback T.J. Yates a total of three times and had four takeaways. Baltimore will travel to New England next Sunday to face the Patriots in the AFC championship game.

Ravens’ quarterback Joe Flacco completed 14 of 27 passes for 176 yards and two scores. Running back Ray Rice ran for 60 yards for the Ravens, while teammate Anquan Boldin had four receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown. Texans’ receiver Andre Johnson had eight catches for 111 yards, while teammate Arian Foster carried 27 times for 132 yards and Houston’s only touchdown of the game. Yates finished with 184 yards and the three costly interceptions.

New York 37 / Green Bay 20

Eli Manning threw for 330 yards and three touchdowns, and the New York Giants upset the Green Bay Packers 37-20 on Sunday. Manning’s 66-yard touchdown heave to Hakeem Nicks at the end of the first half gave New York a 20-10 lead. Green Bay never got closer than seven points in the second half, as the Giants pulled away late. New York will travel to San Francisco next Sunday to face the 49ers in the NFC championship game.

The New York victory came four years after the Giants beat the Packers in the NFC title game prior to defeating New England in the Super Bowl. Despite a 15-1 regular season record and a partisan Lambeau Field crowd, the Packers looked flat on Sunday. They committed four turnovers in the game after giving the ball away just 14 times all season.

Nicks caught seven passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns for the Giants. Ahmad Bradshaw ran for 63 yards for New York. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers completed 26 of 46 passes for 264 yards, two touchdowns and an interception for Green Bay. He was sacked four times and fumbled once. Rodgers also led the Packers with 66 rushing yards. Green Bay receiver Donald Driver caught three passes for 45 yards, including a touchdown.

It was an exciting weekend of football in the wildcard round of the NFL playoffs. The home team was perfect prevailing in three out of the four games, with the Giants causing the upset of the season in beating the Packers. Stay tuned for our previews later in the week for the Championship round of playoff games this coming weekend. There is still a lot of football to be played and it is anybody’s guess who will meet in Indianapolis for Super Bowl XLVI.

NFL Playoff Previews – Divisional Round

G.J.D — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:57:08 +0000

Kick back, relax, and get ready for one of the most anticipated playoff series in recent years! We here at Hoops4Life are here to bring you all the NFL action.
From previews, to reviews, to downright nasty highlight plays, you can find it all here over the next 4 weeks.
This week we have 4 huge match ups that will define how the rest of the NFL Playoffs will pan out.
Here’s a complete breakdown of all match ups for this upcoming weekend.
LETS PLAY FOOTBALL!

New Orleans have been great all season but this is going to be one of their biggest tests offensively. They don’t run the ball, and they will probably need to in order to stay one step ahead from San Francisco’s #1 ranked rush defense. If the Saints can’t get a running game going early on in this one I think it’s going to be tough for them to mix it up later on. Brees will become predictable and the 49ers will look to bring pressure on all passing downs.

However, it’s Drew Brees we’re talking about here, not Andy Dalton. Brees can pick apart a defense better than anyone in the league. If the 49ers can hold the Saints running game, I think they are in with a huge chance to possibly pull this one out at home. Don’t count out the Saints, but they are facing a great test this week.

*The winner of this match will advance to the NFC Championship Game on Sunday, January 22nd.
*If Green Bay loses, the winner of this match-up will host the NFC Championship Game.
*If Green Bay wins, the winner of this match-up will travel to Green Bay to face the Packers in the NFC Championship Game.

What a run the Broncos have had this year. They said he couldn’t lead a team, they said he couldn’t win in this league, and they said he couldn’t win in the playoffs. He’s proved every doubter wrong and now Broncos QB Tim Tebow gets the chance to once again put a foot in the Superbowl door Saturday as he and the Broncos travel to Gillette Stadium to take on Tom Brady and the Patriots.

To be quite honest, it should be a really exciting contest. Yeah, the Patriots took care of business last time these two teams played, but this is the playoffs, and playoff football is known for running the ball, playing defense, and low scores. Denver epitomizes all three of those areas. It would be a miraculaous win if Denver was to pull it out, but I wouldn’t write them off. Tebow knows how to win big games, and while his defense has to go up against one of the most high scoring offenses in the league, I believe if they are able to keep Brady relatively quiet, the mile high train may just keep chugging on. Well, at least we can dream.

*The winner of this match will advance to the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, January 22nd.
*If New England wins, they will host the AFC Championship Game.
*If New England loses, the winner of Houston & Baltimore will host the AFC Championship Game.
*Denver cannot host another playoff game.

Houston cannot let Baltimore break out big plays early on in this game. Courtesy of ESPN, we have some statistics to further prove Baltimore doesn’t like to mess around when it comes to putting points on the board;

The Ravens have had 13 20-yard rushes this season: Nine from Rice, three from Ricky Williams and one from Flacco. Here are the five longest.

Rice – 70, Week 17 at Bengals
Rice – 67, Week 13 at Browns
Rice – 59, Week 11 vs. Bengals
Rice – 53, Week 3 at Rams
Rice – 51, Week 17 at Bengals
Flacco’s longest was 31 yards, Williams’ was 28.

The Ravens had 17 30-yard completions, and 45 of 20-plus yards. Here are the five longest:

Flacco to Torrey Smith, 74, Week 3 at Rams
Flacco to Anquan Boldin, 56, Week 6 vs. Texans
Flacco to Ray Rice, 52, Week 4 vs. Jets
Flacco to Smith, 51, Week 6 vs. Texans
Flacco to Smith, 49, Week 11 vs. Bengals

The formula becomes quite simple for the Texans. If they let any of these big plays go for scores or lead to scores, they’ll lose. They keep Ray Rice in check and eliminate the deep ball from Joe Flacco, and they are in with a chance. Expect it to be low scoring but one or two of these big plays will ice the game.

*The winner of this match will advance to the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, January 22nd.
*If New England loses, the winner of this match-up will host the AFC Championship Game.
*If New England wins, the winner of this match-up will travel to New England to face the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.

New York is ready to ball. You can tell from their demolition of Atlanta and you can tell from their almost league best momentum going into the post-season. Green Bay are still the best team in football, but momentum is a cruel thing sometimes. It happened to New England in 2008 after a furious playoff run by the Giants ended up winning them the Superbowl, and history could very well repeat itself in New York this year.

Eli Manning is back to his best, Brandon Jacobs is running angry, and then there’s Victor Cruz & Hakeem Nicks who are slicing teams apart week in, week out.We know Green Bay has an average secondary, so you can probably bet on Eli Manning going deep early in the game to open up some running lanes for Jacobs to run through. Hell, a few of those deep balls might even pay off and we could see one of the upsets of the year. Not taking anything away from Green Bay, they are a fantastic team and should be Superbowl favorites. However, the Giants are playing like Giants are right time of the season.

*The winner of this match will advance to the NFC Championship Game on Sunday, January 22nd.
*If Green Bay wins, they will host the NFC Championship Game.
*If Green Bay loses, the winner of New Orleans & San Francisco will host the NFC Championship Game.
*New York cannot host another playoff game.

Tune in to all the action this week! Who is going to advance? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

NFL Playoff Recaps – Wildcard Weekend

G.J.D — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:57:20 +0000

Cincinnati 10 / Houston 31

Despite the problems that Houston has had with QB’s this year, give them credit for hanging in there and finding a way to get into the playoffs. It was a great effort by the whole team yesterday as the Texans shook off a recent 3 game slump to easily defeat the Bengals and get their first playoff win in franchise history. Arian Foster rushed for 153 yards and 2 touchdowns. Although not having big numbers, Yates played a solid game, passing for 159 yards. He had a beautiful TD pass to Andre Johnson in the third quarter. And rookie J.J. Watt had a great interception for a touchdown late in the second quarter. Cincinnati surprised a lot of people this season, but just made too many mistakes against Houston. Dalton had 3 interceptions and was sacked 4 times. The Bengals are a young team and they will be back. Houston will have a tough one in Baltimore next week, but the Ravens better show up ready to play. The Texans are no pushover.

Detroit 28 / New Orleans 45

It seems like the Saints are unstoppable these days on offense. It was another huge effort by Drew Brees, passing for 466 yards and 3 touchdowns. They also broke a 49 year old record for total yards in a game with 626. Detroit did not play a bad game; they were just overmatched by this Saints offense. Matthew Stafford passed for 380 yards and 3 TD’s. He also rushed for a touchdown. He had 2 interceptions in the fourth quarter that killed thoughts of a comeback. All pro receiver Calvin Johnson had a big game himself. He had 12 receptions for 211 yards and 2 TD’s. Detroit made big strides this season and they have the foundation to be a great team in the future. At times, you thought they might pull it off on Saturday. It was a shocked Saints crowd as the Lions had the halftime lead. But there was no panic in New Orleans. This team knows what they are capable of. It should be a great matchup in San Francisco next weekend.

Atlanta 2 / New York Giants 24

Eli Manning and the Giants will head to Lambeau Field with a lot of confidence next weekend. New York had a dominant performance against the hapless Falcons on Sunday. Eli had another great game and it was good to see the return of the rushing game for the Giants. They had a season high 172 yards on the ground, with 92 by Brandon Jacobs and 63 by Ahmad Bradshaw. The Giants, a bit critical of themselves, say they would like to see a complete game. They were much happier in their play in the second half. The defense came up big for them all day. Matt Ryan was shut down on two crucial fourth down QB sneaks inside the Giant’s 25. New York will need to play that full game next week if they want to get by Green Bay. They have the talent to do it. They came very close back in early December and are a better team now.

Denver 29 / Pittsburgh 23 (OT)

It looked like things were coming apart for the Broncos after the Steelers came from 2 touchdowns behind to tie the game. The Steelers were looking good, even with a hobbled Roethlisberger. I don’t think anyone in the stadium or watching the game was ready for what happened on the first play of overtime. Tebow sold the whole Pittsburgh defense on a fake handoff to Willis McGahee on first down. He proceeded to hit Demarvius Thomas for an 80 yard touchdown pass. A brilliant stiff arm by Thomas gave him the extra little bit he needed to find the end zone. And just like that, the Broncos sent the Steelers home for the season.

Tebow definitely came through in the big game. Although he completed just under 50% of his passes, this was one of his best efforts to date. He looked like a real passing QB for a change. He had 316 yards passing and 2 TD’s. He also rushed for 50 yards and another score. You’ve got to give it to Big Ben though. It was a admirable effort on that bad left ankle. He got a hit to it in the first half that I’m sure didn’t help things. It will be a tough game against New England next weekend. Even if we don’t see any Tebow magic again, this has been an exciting season for the Broncos, probably exceeding fan expectations. New England is going to score a lot of points. The question will be whether Denver can keep up and match them.

It was an exciting weekend of football in the wildcard round of the NFL playoffs. The home team was perfect prevailing in all four games. Stay tuned for our previews later in the week for the next round of playoff games this coming weekend. There is still a lot of football to be played and it is anybody’s guess who will meet in Indianapolis for Super Bowl XLVI.

NFL Playoffs Preview

H4L Mix Crew — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 09:36:01 +0000

At long last, the playoffs are here in the NFL, which of course means that it’s time to look at each team’s chances of reaching the Super Bowl! The season has seen a few dominant teams emerge, but there are a number of teams very capable of challenging them, which should make for an exciting playoff. You’ll definitely want to make sure you check out directstartv.com in order to make sure that you have the best football-watching package available, because these games should be great. So, without further ado, here are some brief wildcard game previews and general outlooks:

In the AFC Wild Card schedule, the Broncos-Steelers game is getting the most attention, for a number of reasons. While the Broncos went on a great run in the second half of the season behind Tim Tebow, they’re still by all accounts the weaker team, and should be expected to lose even at home. However, the Steelers are dealing with several significant injuries, including one to QB Ben Roethlisberger, which could open the door for a Denver upset. My prediction: Roethlisberger plays through the pain and the Steelers advance. But I hate betting against Tebow….

The Texans-Bengals game is probably the least talked-about of Wildcard Weekend, largely because no one sees either team making much noise deeper in the playoffs. Cincinnati had a nice first half of the season, but in a close toss-up, the edge would seem to be with the Texans at home with their high-powered offense. My prediction: Texans run away with this one.

The NFC Wild Card will open with the Detroit Lions visiting New Orleans in a much-discussed game. The Lions have to be riding high, finally having made the playoffs, and they’re as healthy as they’ve been all year, with a defense gunning to shut down Drew Brees and the Saints. Ultimately, however, this New Orleans team is hot at the right time, and should get the job done. My prediction: Lions will make a strong showing, but the Saints will win in the end.

Finally, we have the Atlanta Falcons visiting the New York Giants, who snuck into the playoffs with a strong finish and a must-win triumph over the Cowboys. The Falcons may be one of the more underrated teams in the league, but these Giants are looking strong, and momentum is everything in the playoffs. My prediction: The Falcons are too good not to compete, but the Giants will still look convincing in a win.

Whether or not any of these wild card winners can get much further after this weekend is, of course, a whole new question. With the Patriots and Ravens looming in the AFC, and the Packers and 49ers in the NFC, there will be plenty of challenges ahead. In fact, there are almost too many strong teams for an early Super Bowl prediction to be worthwhile. But if you’re looking for one, I’ll go out on a limb and say Ravens over Giants.

NFL Playoff Previews – Wildcard Weekend

G.J.D — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 13:28:44 +0000

Kick back, relax, and get ready for one of the most anticipated playoff series in recent years! We here at Hoops4Life are here to bring you all the NFL action.
From previews, to reviews, to downright nasty highlight plays, you can find it all here over the next 4 weeks.
This week we have 4 huge match ups that will define how the rest of the NFL Playoffs will pan out.
Here’s a complete breakdown of all match ups for this upcoming weekend.
LETS PLAY FOOTBALL!

Rookie Quarterbacks: Much is made of how much of a strain is put on a rookie quarterback in a playoff game. On January 14th or 15th, Andy Dalton or T.J.Yates will be going into a AFC Divisional Playoff game. That’s big news, primarily because of the scenarios both of these two young QB’s have been in over the past 16 weeks of the NFL season. Yates coming in as a backup and Dalton taking the starting role after Carson Palmer left for Oakland (Ironic the Bengals are now in the post-season). History shows teams like to run the ball and play a more defensive game during the Playoffs, so I would expect that both of these guys won’t necessarily need to drive their teams down the field for scores. However, they’ve both been good this year and surprised a lot of people so it should be interesting to see how this match up pans out

Cincinnati Offensive Line: Needs to step it up. In their first meeting, the Texans only got to Andy Dalton once. But this is the playoffs, so you can expect Houston to bring the ruckus. Luckily the Bengals have a huge offensive line, it’s just a matter of them keeping Dalton out of harms way for the entire game. Playing at home will favor the Texans in this one and the pressure will be on the young Bengals QB to use his feet and make some plays.

Keeping T.J Yates under pressure: The Bengals sacked Yates three times in their last meeting, so putting the pressure on him will be key here as he did in fact go for over 300 yards against them – all without star wide-out Andre Johnson. Cincinnati has a serious chance at getting the upset win here, but they need to be cautious on D and they must run the football effectively.

*If Cincinnati wins, they will travel to New England to face the Patriots on Saturday, January 14th.
*If Houston wins, they will travel to Baltimore to face the Ravens on Sunday, January 15th.

Saints need to continue their dominance: Drew Brees is having arguably the best season of his career, throwing for an outstanding NFL record 5476 yards on 71% completion. That needs to continue. We’ve just seen Packers backup QB Matt Flynn throw for 480 yards and six touchdowns against the Lions secondary, so I’m scared to see what Brees is capable of on Saturday under the roof of the Superdome. New Orleans has a high powered offense, likes to put up a lot of points, and has a serious case to go all the way to the big dance. It needs to start here.

Pressure Matthew Stafford: Matt Stafford is quickly becoming one of the better QB’s in the league. He threw for over 5000 yards this season, with 520 coming just last week against a abysmal Packers secondary. New Orleans aren’t known for a great defense but they have a secondary capable enough of shutting him out of the game. Stafford threw for over 400 yards in their last meeting, so it’ll be something the Saints will need to watch closely before he gets into a rhythm with his receivers.

Slow down Calvin Johnson: Calvin Johnson is coming off a huge year, ending with 244 yards off 11 catches against Green Bay in Week 17. In the snow. This game will be under a roof, with perfect weather conditions for Johnson to put up a huge game receiving for the Lions. Jabari Greer and Malcolm Jenkins need to find out a way to stop one of the hottest receivers in the game or he might go for over 200 against them too.

*If Detroit wins, they will travel to Green Bay to face the Packers on Sunday, January 15th.
*If New Orleans wins, they will travel to San Francisco to face the 49ers on Saturday, January 14th.

Give it to Matt Ryan: The Giants’ secondary hasn’t been the best for the most part of the season, and the Falcons always have the ability to light up the scoreboard. They put up 42 points in just 20 minutes of play Sunday against the Buccaneers. Whilst New York is a totally different team, there’s no question that Matt Ryan & co. can put the Giants on back foot early with some deep balls. Franchise rushing TD leader Michael Turner can help the cause too, as we’ve seen he is as explosive as ever.

Eli is elite: Eli Manning shows up when it matters most. He’s shown it two weeks ago against the Jets in a must win clash, and put on a display against the Cowboys Sunday to take the NFC East crown and advance into the playoffs. New York is looking eerily similar to their 2008 Superbowl team which made a furious run into the post-season and took out the inform Patriots. They don’t have David Tyree, but they do have a guy called Victor Cruz, who just happened to break all the receiving records in a storied franchise this season. He is a deep threat, he has great hands, and if Eli doesn’t get flustered it’s going to be a rough day for the Falcons secondary.

Falcons Defense: Atlanta had 4 takeaways last week and they need that trend to continue. On the road, takeaways will be key to setting up the Falcons high powered offense to win the game. They are more than capable of getting to Eli Manning and causing some turnovers. Getting New York on the back foot early will be crucial to the outcome of the game.

*If Atlanta wins & Detroit loses, Atlanta will travel to Green Bay to face the Packers on Sunday, January 15th. However, if Atlanta wins & New Orleans loses, Atlanta will travel to San Francisco to face the 49ers on Saturday, January 14th.
*If New York wins & Detroit loses, New York will travel to Green Bay to face the Packers on Sunday, January 15th. However, if New York wins & New Orleans loses, New York will travel to San Francisco to face the 49ers on Saturday, January 14th.

Tebow Is Finished: The Broncos aren’t exactly storming into the playoffs after a six-year break. Denver has lost three straight games after turning around its season with a six-game winning streak. The Broncos advance to the postseason against the 12-4 Steelers on the merits of a tiebreaker. Unless Denver’s offense and beleaguered quarterback Tebow get out of its doldrums, it will be short postseason ride in the Rockies. Look for Pittsburgh to attack Tebow all night long.

Pittsburgh Hurt: Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is still suffering from an ankle injury. Steelers Rrunning back Rashard Mendenhall hurt his knee last week and is doubtful for this game. Ryan Clark seems to also be out for this game as he has a medical condition which gives him headaches/stomach fits because of the high altitude in Denver. While it still seems likely the Steelers will win this game, if they can’t get going offensively I think the Broncos, who are a low scoring team, could pull a huge upset in a dog fight.

Denver’s Defense: Pittsburgh will look to go deep on the Broncos early and then ground and pound their way to a win, so the Broncos defense needs to be on point before this turns into a playoff blowout reminiscent of the 2005 AFC Championship Game between both these teams. If the Steelers hit the lead early it will be tough to see a under performing Tim Tebow rallying the Broncos one last time.

*If Pittsburgh wins & Cincinnati loses, Pittsburgh will travel to New England to face the Patriots on Saturday, January 14th. However, if Pittsburgh wins & Houston loses, Pittsburgh will travel to Baltimore to face the Ravens on Sunday, January 15th.
*If Denver wins & Cincinnati loses, Denver will travel to New England to face the Patriots on Saturday, January 14th. However, if Denver wins & Houston loses, Denver will travel to Baltimore to face the Ravens on Sunday, January 15th.