411 NFL Playoffs Championship Weekend Roundtable
Posted by J. Yayo Hernandez on 01.19.2007
Only one person is below .500 so far in our predictions. Can our experts keep it up? Come in and find out...
Hello everyone and welcome to 411Sports annual look at the road to the Superbowl. This week we will be reviewing the NFL's Championship playoff weekend.
January 21, 2007 New Orleans Saints at Chicago Bears 3:00 PM on FOX
EM: Saints - This is the only division that's playing according to plan, so far. The asshats in the AFC cost me a couple games over the weekend because they are all heartless, insensitive pricks. As for this game, normally I would say the Saints had no chance at all, being a dome team and playing in the frigid temps of Soldier Field. As we all know, though, this year, the weather is all fucked up and the Saints have been a band of wandering nomads. Brees + Bush again for the win.
Larry Csonka: New Orleans - Well at least I got the Bears winning right. New Orleans is here by luck I have to say, because they battled a TOUGH Philly team, and if that 3rd down conversion would have stood I feel Philly would have come out on top, but it didn't and they didn't and the Cinderella Story that is the Saints is still running. Chicago's offense looked good last week as Grossman had a good game, but their D (which I don't think is so much overrated as beat down at this point in the season) couldn't hold off a mediocre Seattle Offense and we went to Overtime. Grossman is still young and may be rattled by the pressure of the game, and if they can get him rattled early and if the Saints can use all of those weapons and speed to keep this Bears D on the field, the Saints should be marching in to the Super Bowl.
Sat: Saints - Chicago's defense is overrated and it will show this week against the Saints. Seattle has a decent offense and New Orleans' offense is much better. I expect the Saints to score 30+ on Chicago, with Rex Grossman having a very bad game. Chicago would have lost in the divisional round had they been playing a decent team. The Saints blow out the Bears.
Garmer: Saints - Saints played a good game last week and the Eagles just didn't have enough to survive. I'm very happy for the Saints who are in their first Championship game ever. This team is way too talented to fall to a mediocre QB and a worn out D. Bears played a bad team last week and barely won. I think the Saints win big. I will be very surprised if Chicago winds up in the Superbowl.
Pelletier: Saints - If the Saints have been anything this year, it's consistent. That is not something you can say about the Bears. Twelve victories are nice but those three losses, and at least one of the wins, were U-G-L-Y! Sean Payton is a smart coach and he'll have an offensive game plan drawn up to best attack that stingy Bears defense that will result in at least 10-offensive points. New Orleans' defense will bend, but not break, and confuse Rex Grossman. The Saints defense will add a touchdown of its own to secure the victory.
Bauer: Saints - Rex Grossman did not look bad last week against Seattle. That said, he's due to lay a stinker, but he won't. And it won't matter that this will be in Chicago's prefered weather. The reason the Saints win is on the other side of the ball. The Saints simple have too many weapons on offense this year and I would even say that they have a better offense than last year's Colts team. There is no way, as good as Chicago's defense is, that you can stop Horn and Colston and Henderson and Bush and Deuce and Brees.
Yayo: Saints - The number one offense in the NFL against a defense that has lost some of it's luster. The Saints seem to be a team of destiny riding on Drew Brees' bionic shoulder (his 96.2 QB rating is tops in the playoffs) to restore some pride to New Orleans. The Bears started the season sizzling but then Rex Grossman started thinking too much and started making mistakes. So now that Grossman has stopped thinking (like a true Gator) and had a non-bench inducing game (21 of 38 for 282 yards, one touchdown and one interception for a 76.9 QB rating), can they win? I think the Saints offense will be to much and the Bears offense won't be enough against a formidable Saints defense. Go New Orleans!
January 21, 2007 New England Patriots at Indianapolis Colts 6:30 PM on CBS
EM: Colts - Does NE need to go out on crutches before someone beats them? Christ, AFC teams, get it together. San Diego is STILL trying to figure out what the fuck just happened and Indianapolis is there by a fluke. This game is a toss-up, but I REALLY hate Tom Brady, so hopefully Peyton and his moderately amusing commercials can get to the big dance where they can be man-handled and walloped by (see next game).
Larry Csonka:Colts - I sucked last week, going a pathetic 1-3 in picks, taking me to the .500 level for the playoffs. I didn't pick either of these teams. Last week I thought Baltimore had enough to take out the Colts. Apparently the Ravens offense didn't get the memo that there was a game because they were rather pathetic. Indy's offense was just about as bad as Peyton keeps struggling through out the playoffs as a whole, but their D stepped up and they fund a way to win. New England got lucky because San Diego helped them win the game by letting them stick close. Seriously, San Diego had the game in hand, they were in control and then on a 3rd down they stop New England. But some dumb ass defenseman has to head butt a Patriot and they have new life, and score. And then Rivers threw a HORRIBLE INT with that float shit over to LT instead of tossing it out of bounds. This all kept the Patriots close, and when they are allowed to be close I don't care how bad or mediocre Brady is playing, he will FUCK you in the ass, and that is what he did to the Chargers, who are still wondering how they lost the game. This is the point in which Indy fans are praying I pick against them, since in doing so the last 2 weeks they have won. I am not excited at all about this game. I hate both teams, but I think I dislike New England more, so we'll go Indy for the win.-
Sat: Patriots - The Colts have managed to beat the Patriots the last two years in the regular season, but that doesn't matter to me. In the playoffs, Brady is a god and Manning is a peasant. New England's defense will confuse Manning and he will have his worst game of the playoffs. That's pretty hard to believe, but I see it happening. The Colts' defense will probably give up 20 points max, but that's probably too much for the Colts to score on offense. Best case scenario for the Colts is to keep it close and hope that Vinateri can win it for them
Garmer: Patriots - Indy may have gotten the better of the Pats in the regular season, but Peyton Manning has yet to be able to defeat the Pats in the playoffs when it matters. He is at home this week with the best D he's had in years, but the Pats know the Colts too well. Tom Brady showed last week that he is still the best QB in the league because no matter how many interceptions he throws, he finds a way to win, that D may be a little suspect, but they've been able to get it done. Patriots win in a close one.
Pelletier: Patriots - I really think Indianapolis can win this game. It's at home and the Colts look like a completely different team in the post season. They actually look a lot like the team that lost to the Pats two years in a row. Honestly, the Colts have the far superior set of receivers, a line that is blowing people away and a running game that leaves New England's in the dust. On top of all that the much maligned defense no longer looks like a Powder Puff squad. With all that said I still can't see Indy winning this game. I love for it to happen. Tony Dungy and Peyton Manning deserve a title more than anyone else in the league and I hope I'm wrong but I really have to go with my head and not my heart.
Bauer: Colts - I'm still as stunned as Charger nation that San Diego lost. At least I'll get to wear my Tom Brady jersey now more time this season. New England seemingly would have the upper hand, but this is the Colts franchise here. And this their franchise player being anything but in these playoffs. I think that is why they will win this game. If all the pressure is off Peyton, he will play like he did in the regular season, and that's all they need.
Yayo: Colts - Why is it that some people think that the Colts ending the season badly is going to help them now? Ending the season so poorly didn't help build their character, and I'm sure it wasn't intentional. The reason the Colts have been playing better on defense is because of the return of safety Bob Sanders. With him back in the secondary they have been able to cheat him to the line of scrimmage which has helped them against the run. The real question is which quarterback makes the least mistakes. Right now the Patriots are still missing Rodney Harrison, but that didn't stop them from making the Chargers offense make mistakes. On the flip side Peyton Manning did enough against the best defense in the NFL to win. Of course it helped that Steve McNair bet on the Colts. I think the Colts have the confidence of knowing they can beat New England, are playing at home in front of what will be a rabid crowd and my complete disdain for the Pats to pick Indy.
