I have followed Virginia Tech sports (football and basketball) for a long time. There have been times when the Hokies have reached their full potential but, as most Hokie fans will tell you, Virginia Tech is a school destined for heartbreak.
The football program does this on occasion, like when they outplayed Michigan in the Sugar Bowl but still lost. Beamer will lose some games in this fashion, but the people of Blacksburg know where the real heartbreak lies and that is in Cassel Coliseum.
The Hokies basketball team has had more than their fair share of bad luck over the past four or five years. The last time the Hokies made the NCAA tournament was in 2007. They defeated Illinois in the first round before falling to Southern Illinois in the second.
Since then, the Hokies have been the team on the bubble. The current season is the first time since 2007 that Virginia Tech hasn’t been squarely on the bubble and that is because they are out of the conversation all together.
Seth Greenberg’s team has been one win away from the tournament during the past four seasons. It seems that those wins are often taken away on a ridiculous buzzer-beater. In 2008 Xavier beat the Hokies in overtime on a half court buzzer-beaterthat was well-defended. Virginia Tech lost by one point.
A similar situation occurred two years prior to that in 2006, during a game against Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Sean Dockery hit a 44-foot shot as time expired to beat the Hokies by two. The shot prompted the Cameron Crazies to storm the court.
If buzzer-beaters aren’t the problem then the injuries are. J.T. Thompson was supposed to become a star for the Hokies playing beside the likes of Malcolm Delaney, Jeff Allen and Dorenzo Hudson. Thompson was the Hokies’ sixth man during his first two seasons, but it all went wrong when he was set to become a starter. He tore his ACL before his junior season. He recovered only to tear his other ACL before his senior season.
Thompson isn’t the only player to have such luck. Florida transfer Allan Chaney will probably never play in maroon and orange and he may never play basketball again. After he transferred to Virginia Tech he was diagnosed with a heart condition. Chaney had a lot of potential and Coach Greenberg believed him to be a possible NBA talent.
The buzzer-beaters and the injuries are part of the problem at Virginia Tech, but the biggest reason for the Hokies’ struggles and life on the bubble may be the state of mind in Blacksburg. It is hard for a Virginia Tech basketball fan to not believe in Murphy’s Law—that whatever can go wrong will go wrong.
Despite the heartbreaking losses and the major injuries, the Hokies have still fought over the past five years. After all, Malcolm Delaney and Jeff Allen didn’t have injury problems. They had highly productive careers in Blacksburg; they just weren’t rewarded with trips to the NCAA tournament.
During Delaney and Allen’s tenure as Hokies they won at least 20 games in three seasons and won 19 in the other. Virginia Tech was always listed as either the first team in or the last team out, but it didn’t matter because the Hokies never made it.
Being the last team out is like a slap in the face, it doesn’t matter if you are the last team out or the 200th team out, you are still out of the tournament. The NIT doesn’t really matter anymore, and a loss in the first round of March Madness is still considered as good, if not better than, winning the NIT.
The biggest snub to the Hokies probably came during the 2010-11 season. Delaney, Allen and Terrell Bell were all seniors. The Hokies were ranked in the preseason polls but quickly fell out of the rankings and never returned. Virginia Tech finished the season (including the ACC tournament) with a record of 21-11. They beat a Duke team that was ranked number one in the country and beat Florida State (a tournament team) twice.
After the Duke win, ESPN’s Dick Vitale told Seth Greenberg to bring his dancing shoes and declared that the Hokies’ life on the bubble was over. Then Selection Sunday happened and the name Virginia Tech was nowhere to be seen. VCU was taken instead and the Hokies watched from home as the Rams went to the final four.
Malcolm Delaney and Jeff Allen were two of the best players in Virginia Tech basketball history and they never got to experience March Madness.
The 2011-12 season has gone the same way for the Hokies but with less success. Greenberg brought in his best recruiting class as Virginia Tech’s coach, but the offense is stagnant.
Virginia Tech lost to Florida State last week because they missed too many free throws down the stretch. Michael Snaer hit a three with 2.6 seconds left to take the lead. Hokies’ guard Erick Green appeared to be fouled as he shot from 40 feet to win but the call wasn’t made and Virginia Tech lost by one.
The Hokies lost to rival Virginia on Tuesday night; missed free throws and one bad call cost Virginia Tech the game. Cavalier guard Jontel Evans hit a three-point bank shot as the shot clock expired in the last few minutes of the game. A replay showed that Evans still had the ball in his hands when the shot clock hit zero. The officials didn’t review it and Virginia Tech lost the game by two.
At this point it seems that during every Virginia Tech game there is a moment when the fans all think “here we go again.” People can still hope, but the only way that Virginia Tech can make the tournament this year and get the monkey off their back is by somehow winning the ACC tournament.
Virginia Tech will be considered long shots to accomplish such a feat, but as a Hokie fan would say, “there is always next year.”
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Eli Manning is all grown up. Sure, he finished his 2011 season on Sunday by winning the Super Bowl and taking home the game’s MVP trophy after completing an instant classic of a fourth-quarter drive, just as he did at the end of the 2007 campaign. The differences between the process enlisted by Old Eli and New Eli, though, are stark. The old Eli Manning struggled through an uneven regular season before raising his game to unforeseen heights during a shocking playoff run. The new Eli Manning? He’s been playing at an excellent level all year and rose to something even higher during the playoffs. In 2007, while Manning may have been playing the position traditionally associated with leadership, he wasn’t anywhere close to the best player on his team. He did not lead his team to a title; he was dragged, kicking and screaming, by a dominant defense. Four years later, Eli Manning stood at the helm and dragged a flagging defense to a second World Championship. This, so much more than 2007, was Eli’s title.
The numbers don’t lie. In each of his two Super Bowl runs, Manning has followed a four-year stretch with a playoff performance that dramatically improves upon his established level of play. Notably, during his two title runs, Manning has been able to essentially avoid interceptions while becoming a much more accurate quarterback than the guy he had previously been.
Forget about the numbers, though. Consider the excuses that we could come up with when trying to analyze Manning’s performance from four years ago, and how few of them actually apply now. The famous “Helmet Catch” from 2008 was one of the most memorable and exciting plays in NFL history, but it was a dangerous throw and a miraculous catch as opposed to some sort of perfectly executed decision. Manning’s throw down the sidelines to Mario Manningham also required a brilliant catch, but the play worked because Eli hit Manningham with an even more impressive pass. The Helmet Catch, somewhat infamously, was preceded by a terrible Manning decision that saw him launch a would-be season-ending interception to the sidelines, only for Asante Samuel to let the clinching pick go through his fingertips. There was no such play this time around. The Helmet Catch oozed luck and good fortune. Manning-to-Manningham oozed a different class of skills.
Those Giants were also a different team. That team was built around running the ball and playing tough defense, two things it did with aplomb. Those Giants averaged 4.6 yards per carry, good for fourth in the league, and had an offensive line that was so good it garnered MVP discussion the following year. It created a play-action passing attack and provided easy reads for its limited quarterback. These Giants averaged a league-low 3.5 yards per pop and looked shambolic at times over the past two weeks. Eli was able to throw the ball in spite of them, not because of them.
The defense from 2007 was above average before raising its game in the playoffs, notably dominating the Patriots on the line of scrimmage and sacking Tom Brady five times. This year’s defense was also below average, including a 25th-place finish in points allowed. To put that into context, Eli Manning just won the Super Bowl with a defense that allowed more points per drive this season than the Rams did. They were able to get pressure on Brady during the final two drives of the fourth quarter, and forced a safety on Brady’s first pass attempt, but both the safety and two sacks appeared to be coverage-caused pressure. Either way, most of the crutches Eli might have relied upon to boost his production in 2007 don’t seem to stand up very well in 2011.
Eli’s big win also started the chatter about his legacy and eventual case for enshrinement in the Hall of Fame. That’s where we pull the brakes. Winning two Super Bowl MVPs is a remarkable achievement, one pulled off by just four other players. Of those four, three (Joe Montana, Bart Starr, and Terry Bradshaw) are in the Hall of Fame, and the fourth (Tom Brady) will be voted in at the first moment of eligibility. So he’s off to a good start. You’ll probably hear that Manning has won two Super Bowls before finishing his age 30 season, just as Joe Montana did in San Francisco. That’s true. On the other hand, remember how we noted Manning’s improvement from 2008 to 2011? Those were his age 27 through age 30 seasons, and over that time frame, he was 13th in the league in cumulative completion percentage, eighth in yards per attempt, and 10th in passer rating. Montana, during those same seasons in his career, was first in completion percentage, third in yards per attempt, and second in passer rating. For Manning to take the next leap forward from very good quarterback and playoff hero to elite, surefire Hall of Famer, he has to continue to play at the new level of ability he established during the two Super Bowl runs. If he can do that, even for a few years, there’s no way the Hall of Fame will be able to keep Manning out.
That’s all gristle for another day, anyway. Right now, it’s time for Eli Manning to celebrate a title all his own. He’s finally led his team to a Super Bowl victory.
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]]>Meir21 and M3D collab on a quick highlight mix about the two impressive games by Jeremy Lin. Enjoy.
Video Information:
Author: Meir21 & M3D
Title: Jeremy Lin – The Taiwanese Pride
Length: 2:36
Size: 720p, mb
Format: N/A
Music: Tinie Tempah – Pass Out
Download link: Coming
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]]>Hers a quick made mix of Jeremy Lin Heroics in the Last 2 knicks games vs Nets and Jazz, hope u like it!
The True Pride of the whole Asia. 林書豪 台灣之光.
For more discussion, visit our forums: http://forums.hoops4life.com/
Video Information:
Author: Phoenix32
Title: Jeremy Lin – Taiwanese Pride
Length: 2:17
Size: 720p, mb
Format: N/A
Music: N/A
Download link: Coming
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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.
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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
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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!
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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?
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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!
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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.
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