Championship Weekend in the NFL

It is Division Championship weekend in the NFL, and the QB matchups of Manning vs. Brady and Kaepernick vs. Russell for this weekend have many believing this could be one of the greatest football weekends in playoff history. In the AFC, we have a familiar matchup of the two best teams and two of the best QB’s in NFL history. While in the NFC, we have two of the younger but most exciting QB’s currently playing in the league. Many feel that these two QB’s are the future of the NFL and play with the QB style that all teams will be looking for. Besides the QB’s, both games feature very good teams that deserve to be competing for a shot to play in the Super Bowl. It looks to be an exciting weekend in the NFL!

Some things to watch for:

Patriots at Broncos
If you remember the first time they met this season, the Broncos jumped out to a big lead, and then the Patriots came roaring back to win in overtime. The game was a tale of two halves and of turnovers. New England could not hang onto the ball in the first half, and Denver took full advantage of their mistakes. The story totally flipped in the second half with Denver turning the ball over and the New England offense scoring at will. The AFC division title game, should feature a little more consistency by both teams.

New England has changed their identity a bit since the last meeting. New England has suffered many injuries to starters, but continues to find new players to fill in and continue their success. Many reporters have said this is Belichick’s best year of coaching, and it is difficult to argue this point. Yes, they still have their star QB in Tom Brady, but they have also really improved their running game. The Patriots bring a trio of backs and try to use their powerful back Blount to finish the game out. Brady has been very successful throwing short passes and then establishing play action off the run game. If the Patriots can continue their success running the ball, they will be very difficult to beat, as they will be able to keep the Denver offense off the field and eat up clock.

For Denver, last year was a year of getting comfortable with their new personnel. This year, there are no excuses. Anything less than the Super Bowl would be a disappointment for the Broncos. Their record-setting offense this year did not carry over to an underwhelming performance in the first playoff game against the San Diego Chargers, and they have their work cut out for them against the very talented Patriots. Denver has home field advantage and they will to make the most of this by trying to disrupt Brady and the Patriots offense, while at the same time keeping the pedal to the floor and continuing to score touchdowns. Denver’s defense has also been hurt by injuries this year, but do not look for them to point fingers. They will look to make New England try to earn each first down and shut the run game down for the Patriots.

49ers vs Seahawks

Anyone that followed this NFL season is excited for this game for many different reasons. This game features two talented teams with talented QB's, but inter-division teams that split on the season is what has people so excited. This game has truly become a rivalry from top to bottom, and while the players respect each other, it's fairly clear they do not like each other. The coaches also have a history dating back to their days at USC and Stanford. With each team winning when they faced each other at home this season, the playoff rematch is going to be high intensity, extremely emotional, and fun to watch!

The Seahawks have a distinct advantage playing at home, and only one team has been able to overcome that advantage in the last two years. Seattle is able to feed off the crowd and take advantage of the lack of communication they are able to create with a loud atmosphere. The Seahawks defense has been stifling at home and creates pressure that allows their talented defensive backfield to take advantage of poor decisions by opposing team QB's. Offensively, Seattle has been riding the shoulders of Marshawn Lynch and QB Russell Wilson. Wilson has struggled throwing the ball in the playoffs, but he has not panicked and is willing to punt and allow his defense to come out and play. Many times in a game, the opposing defense thinks they have Wilson sacked and he finds a way to escape and create a big play that makes the difference in the game. His composure is admirable and will help his team against the 49ers!

San Francisco took the Wild Card path to this point and won their first two games on the road at Green Bay and Carolina. The 49ers believe they are a different team than the team that lost in Seattle during the regular season. Michael Crabtree has returned and emerged as a reliable WR to compliment Anquan Boldin. Their TE Vernon Davis was injured and ineffective but has returned, plus their QB who struggled earlier in the season is now playing with the confidence that took the team to the Super Bowl in 2013. San Francisco also has a very talented defense. San Francisco will bring in one of the best LB groups ever assembled and a very aggressive defensive line.

This game will be a little different than most big games. Usually we say that the team that turns the ball over will have an uphill battle. In this game, it will not only be turnovers, but it could be as simple as which team even allows a big play. Field position will be critical, and if an offense takes great field position with a big play, this could be the difference in the game. Watch how the two defenses try to keep the QB's from having an opportunity to create big plays with their legs. This will lead to the teams throwing against man-to-man coverage and trying to take three yards and a cloud of dust with the run game.

Between the dynamics of the QB's, the talents of star players, and the rivalries between teams and coaches, there are plenty of reasons to be excited for the Division Championship games! Enjoy this great weekend in the NFL!

Super Bowl Preview

It's hard to believe that Super Bowl weekend is here! There is plenty of excitement for this year's game, and you have probably already heard many of the media storylines for the game. I wanted to give you a quick preview of what to anticipate for the game itself...I think it will be a great game to watch!

The saying in football is that, "Defense wins championships." If you watched the second half of the NFC and AFC Championship games, you saw the truth behind this saying. Both San Francisco and Baltimore were able to hold their opponents from scoring a TD in the second half of their games. Both teams have an identity of strong, aggressive defenses that can get pressure with their front four defensive linemen and can dominate a game. While the defense definitely contributed to victory in the championship games, it really was the offensive changes and performances that defined the two teams through the playoffs.

San Francisco’s starting QB Alex Smith suffered a concussion during the regular season, and many doubted Coach Jim Harbaugh's choice to stick with the backup after Smith was able to return. That backup, Colin Kaepernick, has brought an entirely new dimension to the 49er’s offense. Kaepernick is able to create a little magic when a play looks all but dead, so he keeps the offense on the field and rolling. Kaepernick’s extremely athletic combination of running and passing, along with the strong 49er's running game has made the 49er’s offense a difficult team for others to predict and match.

Baltimore was on a three game losing streak deep into the 2012-2013 season, and Coach John Harbaugh felt a change was absolutely necessary. It wasn't a small change. He decided to fire his offensive coordinator, which is basically unheard of at that point in the season. In hindsight, it is easy to say that this was a bold and amazing move, and he was absolutely correct. The change in their offensive look makes Baltimore appear even more impressive offensively then defensively. Joe Flacco looks very relaxed, he has a great pocket to throw from, he is giving his star receivers a chance to make plays, and most importantly they are finding ways to get Ray Rice the ball within their new offensive scheme.

Two of the playmakers that I think will be fun to watch in this game are Anquan Boldin and Michael Crabtree. Since the beginning of the playoffs, both receivers have clearly become the "go to" guys for their teams, and they are presenting themselves as nearly unstoppable forces. Both defenses will always know where these receivers are on the field, but the question remains whether anyone will be able to stop them.

This should be a great game, with many off field storylines. We could discuss the coaching brothers, Ray Lewis, or Alex Smith. But really this game comes down to two very talented teams that are going to put on a tremendous show. Both teams are very well-rounded in all facets of the game.  This Super Bowl will truly come down to which team is able to create turnovers and capitalize from the mistakes of their opponents.  Looking forward to a great game! Enjoy!

Things to Watch in the NFL Playoffs

There has been some great football in the NFL playoffs so far, and the Conference Championship games should continue the playoff excitement! These are a few things to watch for in the games this weekend:

San Francisco at Atlanta:

Both of these teams have worked to overcome media obstacles this season. San Francisco has been continually answering the question of whether their QB switch was the correct move or not. Colin Kaepernick clearly showed last weekend that Coach Harbaugh made the right decision in his selection. In that game, Kap became only the second player in NFL history to rush and pass for more than 150 yards in a playoff game.

Atlanta was saddled with the reputation of facing extreme difficulty in winning their first round game. This game looked to be the same as previous years when the Falcons were losing with less than a minute left in the game. This time around however, Matt Ryan was able to lead the team into field goal position with three long completions, and they made a game winning field goal with six seconds left.

So with those obstacles aside, what will we see in this game? Both teams bring a very physical style of play, but have very different styles of offense and defense. San Francisco relies on pressure from their defensive line, while LB’s Bowman and Willis make all the tackles. Atlanta will try to create pressure by disguising their looks and bringing different blitz schemes at Kap. Offensively, San Francisco relies on a balanced attack of run and pass, but they include their extremely athletic QB in the run game. Atlanta will include a balanced attack but will not feature Matt Ryan as a runner. Atlanta will look to stretch the field a little bit more with their star WR’s Jones and White. Both teams have all league TE’s in Gonzalez for Atlanta and Davis for San Francisco. These two players are the security blankets for the QB when they get into trouble.

San Francisco is favored, but they have three major elements to overcome. First: Travel. The trip from west coast to east coast will take a toll, and this is an advantage for Atlanta. Second: Visiting team. Atlanta has a very loud atmosphere inside their dome, and San Francisco makes a lot of their offensive calls at the line of scrimmage. Third: Underrated opponent. They are facing a very athletic, talented team. Atlanta is a team that has really flown under the radar this season, which is odd to say for a team that has the best record in football. Atlanta has the tools offensively and defensively to cause havoc for the 49ers.

Baltimore at New England

I believe the spread is more than nine points, which is absurd for a Divisional Championship game. We are seeing Tom Brady, one of the greatest offensive players of all time vs. Ray Lewis, one of the greatest defensive players of all time. Everyone is focused on these two players, but the really interesting matchup is going to be New England’s much improved defense vs Joe Flacco, Ray Rice, and the Ravens' new look offense. Baltimore fired their offensive coordinator during week 15 of the NFL season, and the team seems to really be responding.  That will make for some interesting football!

New England just lost star TE Rob Gronkowski for a second time, and we will see the effects against a veteran-led Ravens defense that played very well against Denver. New England does a great job of answering the call and has done an excellent job of instilling a run game in their offense this year. That run game has allowed Tom Brady to unleash one of his strengths--a play action passing attack. Look for New England to try to open the run with the short passing game, establish their run game, then try to finish the Ravens off with the play action pass.

Baltimore is trying to rally around their emotional leader on his last run at a Super Bowl title. Ray Lewis came back from injury and announced his retirement, effective at the end of the season. Since this announcement, the Ravens have beaten a solid Colts team and upset the #1 seed Broncos at Denver. Baltimore was able to get the win with a solid defensive performance and some huge plays from Flacco to Torrey Smith. Baltimore struggled in their special teams vs Denver, allowing a kickoff return for TD, and a punt return for a TD. Facing New England, Baltimore will have to be clicking on all cylinders. If Baltimore hopes to win, they need Ray Rice to have a great game, they need other players to step up and make big plays, and they need their special teams to be EXCELLENT.

The Divisional Championships should give us another great weekend of NFL football! Looking forward to some excellent matchups and prime performances. Nothing better than playoff time in football...enjoy!