Nikki Panache
Cincinnati Bengals
2012 College Football NCAA Championship and Other News
Well I was going to write on the College National Championship Football game today, that was played between LSU Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide last night. Unfortunately, the game was extremely boring as LSU decided they were still on a holiday and never got out of bed. Alabama made LSU look like a NCAA Division II team had actually taken the field as the Tigers never scored. With a final score of 21-0, not much more to say about the game other than if Les Miles is the “Mad Hatter”, Nick Saban is the “Mad Genius.” Saban is the only coach since the inception of the BCS to win three National Championship titles. All indications point to Nick Saban being far from done with his winning ways. We know Saban will win again, we just do not know how long until he is hoisting the Championship trophy up again.
In NFL Football Playoff news, an update to my predictions from last week, I did pretty well. I correctly predictied the winners of three out of four games on the NFL Playoff Wild Card Weekend. In addition, two of my predicted scores were almost the exact scores of the game. The game between the Detroit Lions and the New Orleans Saints ended up being a final score of 45-28 in favor of the Saints. I had predicted that the score would be 42-28 in favor of the Saints. The score between the Houston Texans and the Cincinnati Bengals was 31-10 in favor of the Texans. I had predicted that score to be 31-14 in favor of the Texans. In addition, I predicted that the New York Giants would win over the Atlanta Falcons but thought the score would be much closer than the 24-2 final score in favor of the Giants. I truly had no idea the Falcons would not show up to play at all. The Falcons could not even convert a 4th and inches at all the whole game and they had multiple chances.
The only game that I completely missed on was the Denver Broncos and the Pittsburgh Steelers. I was not the only one that was completely wrong about this game. The majority of experts and analysts also picked the Pittsburgh Steelers to win. After three bad weeks to end the season, my faith in “Tebow Time” had definitely diminished. I did not believe that Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos could pull of a victory to continue their dream season.
However, I was very wrong and the Denver Broncos accomplished what seemed to be the impossible. The Denver Broncos played their best game of the season, led by spectacular play of Tim Tebow. Tim Tebow threw for 316 passing yards and 2 touchdowns. Tim Tebow rushed for another touchdown on the ground. The pass of the night was in overtime when after running on first down all game, the Denver Broncos trusted in Tim Tebow’s arm and threw on first down. Tim Tebow completed an 80 yard pass to Demaryius Thomas for the game-winning score. Thomas was Tim Tebow’s favorite target during the game, totaling 204 receiving yards for the game. The final score of the game ended up being 29-23 in favor of the Denver Broncos. The Tim Tebow Train survives but arrives in Foxboro Stadium this week. The playoff rematch should be interesting as we see if Tebow Time can finally overcome the Brady Factor.
Like every other NFL fan I have enjoyed this NFL season and the NFL playoffs have not disappointed me either. I would have not wanted to miss all the drama, big plays, and great games of this NFL. I am glad that we still have some football action coming up this weekend. I have to say my thank you again to the NFL owners and NFL players for reaching an agreement. Thank you for allowing us to have a football season this year because it has been one of the best.
NFL Playoffs Are Here!
The Playoffs are upon us and the games are all set. We will be missing some of the normal playoff contenders this year, such as the Indianapolis Colts, who failed dismally without Peyton Manning (See the Jim Mora Video above to understand how the Colts really feel.) This weekend NFL playoff football starts on Saturday and we are looking at some exciting football action both days. We might even see some dark horses rise up and claim a victory. The records are reset for the playoffs. It is either Win or go Home.
The first game that we will see this weekend will be between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Houston Texans. I am impressed by Andy Dalton, AJ Green, and the Bengals defense. However, I am more impressed by the Houston Texans number one ranked defense, Arian Foster, Ben Tate, and Andre Johnson. I do not believe the Bengals have enough firepower to overcome the Texans defense and keep up scoring wise with the Texans. I will predict that the Houston Texans win this game 31-14.
The second game that will be played on Saturday will be between Detroit Lions and the New Orleans Saints. If the Detroit Lions were playing some other NFC team, excluding the Green Bay Packers, I would say they have a chance to win the game. Unfortunately, the Lions have drawn the short straw and have to play the New Orleans Saints. Drew Brees and company will comfortably and easily outscore the Detroit Lions. The Lions are a good team with a nice high-flying act featuring none other than Calvin Johnson. The problem is the Lions high-flying act pales in comparison to the Drew Brees air show. The Saints silence the Lions roar with a final score of 42-28
On to Sunday’s games and the first game that we will see on Sunday will be the Atlanta Falcons versus the New York Giants. This will be the closest game of the whole weekend. We have two teams that play like an elite NFL team on some days and look dismal on others. This means that which ever team between the Falcons and the Giants brings their “A” game on Sunday, will win the game. The New York Giants have been playing better as of late and so the edge in the game goes to them. That does not mean that we immediately count Atlanta out of the running. The Falcons have an “X” factor in a running back named Michael Turner. If Michael Turner gets going and the Atlanta Falcons can control the tempo of the game, we could see the Falcons advancing to the next week instead of the Giants. In the end, I believe that intangibles of Eli Manning and his ability to play at times like his big brother Peyton Manning, will be the difference. The Giants will win the battle in the 4th quarter with a final score of 28-24
The last game will be one of the most interesting. Interesting because we have no idea what will really happen. The Denver Broncos take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in the last game of the weekend. I am not sure which Broncos we will see though. I want to see the 4th quarter come-back, winning Broncos come out and play their hearts out, giving them chance to win the game. I fear we may see the not so productive Broncos and the team will get blown out. No matter which Denver Broncos team shows up, the result should be the same. The Pittsburgh Steelers will come out with the win. The Steelers defense is too good to allow Tim Tebow and company to work any “Tebow Time” magic in the 4th quarter. Even with Big Ben not playing at full strength and Rashard MendenHall out for the playoffs, The Pittsburgh Steelers will score enough points to win. The final score of this game will be 21-7 in the favor of Pittsburgh.
There you have it, a complete preview of the first weekend of NFL playoff football. The regular season may be over but now the real battle starts as NFL teams try to win each week. No mistakes are allowed, any team that loses is done. To the victor goes the spoils and a chance to play another day. Time for each NFL playoff team to prove they belong in the playoffs and the pretenders to be eliminated. Now is the time for teams to go after it all or be sent home to watch television. The stakes are high and the winner will be greatly rewarded.
NFL News: The Holiday Fun has Begun Early
Another week of NFL is in the record books, and beginning of the holiday week has bought some things to light. This is the time of the year where we discover which NFL teams truly want to be in the playoffs and which teams cannot finish. In addition, we discover which teams deal with adversity well. A champion is not made in one game but a champion is made over a 16 game season.
The Green Bay Packers are strolling through their schedule on their way to an NFL undefeated season. I believe that the Packers can accomplish the goal, make it all the way to the Super Bowl, and win the whole thing again. Aaron Rodgers is simply an unbelievable talent at quarterback. Rodgers makes all the right throws and rarely makes a mistake. I am actually hoping the Packers will achieve what seems to be the impossible. Unlike the Patriots in 2007 which decided to run the score up on multiple opponents and left a bad taste in a great deal of people’s mouth, the Green Bay Packers are likeable. The Packers do not brag or run the score up just for the sake of it. Green Bay has no diva-like personalities speaking out on camera to cause controversy. The Packers just win and win gracefully. We know Green Bay is going to win when they step on the field, but even Minnesota Viking fans have to admit the Packers are a class act.
I have finally figured out that Tim Tebow is a superhero. Tebow has a good public image, is willing to help other people, and always has something positive to say. Tim Tebow clearly has a secret identity for the first three quarters of any game. Tebow looks like a mere mortal aka, “Clark Kent”, anytime before the fourth quarter. However, in the fourth quarter, Tim Tebow, puts on his superhero apparel, dons a cape, and has a big “S” on his chest. Tebow is a completely different player in the fourth quarter and keeps swooping in to save the Denver Broncos day. When the game is on the line in the last quarter of the game, Tim Tebow should just proclaim, “Have no fear Denver Broncos teammate, Tim Tebow is here. I will save the day!” This past week the Broncos won again on a Tim Tebow fourth quarter drive, making Tim Tebow 4-1 as a starter. People can complain about what Tim Tebow cannot do and how his quarterback mechanics are suspect. However, Tebow does well at the most important attribute of any good quarterback and that is that Tim Tebow is a winner.
The Chicago Bears were finally starting to look like they had the talent to be a serious playoff contender. Every thing was moving in the right direction. The Chicago Bears defense was playing well. Jay Cutler, the Chicago Bears quarterback, for the first time in years, was not taking multiple sacks every game. The Chicago Bears had proven they were a team ready for playoff football. Then it happened, similar to last year, Jay Cutler suffered an injury. This year the injury is a broken thumb that will require surgery. Cutler is done for the year and no timetable for a return. Without Cutler, who has been playing his best football of his career recently, the Chicago Bears chances of going far in the playoffs are looking slim. Caleb Hanie is a fine backup but I have no faith in Hanie being able to put together enough wins for the Chicago Bears to make a difference in the playoffs.
Quick hits, Vince Young looked good in his Philadelphia Eagles debut. Young had some initial rust but managed to go 23-36 for 258 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Eagles to victory over the New York Giants. Cam Newton to Steve Smith is definitely one of the best quarterback-receiver duos to watch. However, the rest of the Carolina Panthers team is severely lacking. The Panthers defense needs some major help as they never seem to slow any opposing team down at all. The Detroit Lions put up 49 points on the Panthers defense. The quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals, Andy Dalton is only a rookie but is playing not only like a veteran but also one who is playoff ready. Over the weekend, Dalton threw for 373 yards and a touchdown in a losing effort. However, the Bengals lost to the Ravens and almost took the game to overtime. The Bengals are back and they are the real deal.
The games start early on Turkey Day this week so we do not have to wait long to see some good football action. The game of the week should be the San Francisco 49ers against the Baltimore Ravens. When was the last time anyone saw two NFL playoff contending teams, in which both coaches are actually brother, actually go head to head? I am ready to see the Harbaugh brothers clash and duke it out with their perspective teams on the football field. Let the holiday fun begin!
