utopia1dc's Dallas Cowboys friend's fan blogs

1. WR Wes Welker feels it worst, but he wasn’t the only one. He will be kept awake at night by a fourth quarter drop that would had been a first down inside the 20. On the next play, WR Deion Branch let a pass hit the ground as he crossed deep over the middle. On the Patriots final drive, Branch dropped another pass over the deep middle. It appeared the ball was deflected, but the ball did pass through his hands. Lastly was TE Aaron Hernandez on a probable 10-yard gain on the final drive, but he heard the footsteps of the approaching linebacker.

2. Of my three keys to the game, it was the second one that proved costly. New England forced three fumbles on the night and failed to recover all of them. The first fumble, which was recovered by LB Brandon Spikes, was negated by a too many players on the field penalty against the defense. The drive continued and the Giants scored on a touchdown pass to WR Victor Cruz two plays later.

Continue reading "Pick Six: Super Bowl XLVI"

The 2012 Super Bowl is in the books and I’m finally finished writing. Took me long enough. (I was distracted by Puppy Bowl VIII.) So without further ado, here’s the season’s last edition of The Final Drive!

This game started with almost as much drama as it finished with. The New England Patriots came out with strong defensive pressure, sacking Eli Manning twice on New York’s first drive and forcing a punt to give Brady the ball. Tom took that opening possession, dropped back to throw from his own endzone, and let a deep ball fly to absolutely no one while the Giants closed in for the hit. That correctly drew an intentional grounding flag, which from the endzone is grounds for a safety. So the Giants jumped to an early 2-0 lead and we were all flabbergasted.

Continue reading "The Final Drive: Super Bowl XLVI"

It’s finally here. After a drawn-out lockout, a last minute deal, rushed training camps, an eventful regular season and a thrilling postseason, Super Bowl XLVI is upon us. On Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis the NFL’s elite will be decided. After breaking down the Patriots and Giants individually (as well as the Prop Bets), it’s time to actually analyze how this game is going to play out.

Starting with Brady and that offense, it’s clear they’re going to try and avoid testing their protection against that defensive line early when the adrenaline is high. Quick passes to Hernandez, Welker and possibly a still-injured Gronkowski will be the best options, followed by handing it off to Green-Ellis and Woodhead out of the backfield. Belichick’s plan should be to wear down the front four with a barrage of running plays and perhaps a mix of no-huddle possession passing. This way he can wear down the Giant defense for the second half and take control. The key will be how healthy Gronk really is and how many drives Brady and company can end with seven. If they’re settling for field goals the Giants will be happy. Perry Fewell’s defense just wants to keep it close going into the fourth so JPP, Tuck and Umenyiora can begin to furiously throw themselves at Brady. If it stays an even game going into the fourth I feel like it favors the Giants. Eli just has that maddening magic about him.

Continue reading "The Opening Drive: Super Bowl XLVI"

Just four years ago the New York Giants pulled off arguably the greatest upset in Super Bowl history by beating the 18-0 Patriots, ruining New England’s bid for perfection and keeping the Pats from their place in history.

The emotions from that loss are still raw. Many players from that team refuse to watch the game. They haven’t forgotten what it felt like to lose that game.

Would it feel good for the Patriots to make the Giants feel what they did in Super Bowl XLII by beating New York in XLVI? You can say that, but it’s not New England’s motivation.

It’s been suggested that revenge is part of New England’s motivation. Certainly it’s understandable. The Patriots have a history of delivering payback. They had revenge in mind when they obliterated Buffalo 49-21 in the season finale to avenge a 34-31 loss earlier this season.

Continue reading "Hours Before Kickoff: Super Bowl XLVI"

After over 3000 words were spent on the Patriot and Giant previews, I needed to take a small break from the in-depth analysis for my favorite blog of the year: the Super Bowl Prop Bets. For those of you not in the betting zone, prop bets are side wagers on anything aside from the game’s final score or what team wins. There are some boring standards like first touchdown reception or most rushing yards, but there are plenty of non-sports related wagers in which to take part.

For beginners, there are a few different ways these bets are placed/measured. The first is simply the odds (2/1, 9/4). There could also be a money line (+150, -200). So if you see a +150 that means if you bet $100 you’ll win $150. If you see -200 it means if you bet $100 you win $50. (I’m still not sure why I only see money lines when odds could be used as well, but whatever.) The third is simply an over/under followed by a number. This just means you’re betting on whether you think this event/action will occur more than the corresponding number.

Continue reading "Breaking Down the Bowl: The Prop Bets of XLVI"

Following a dreadful loss to the lowly Washington Redskins to fall to 7-7 with only two games left, everyone had counted out the New York Giants.  That is, everyone except the Giants themselves, who kept their quiet confidence as they rolled off two victories to end the season and squeak into the fourth seed in the NFC. Then they mustered up two dominant performances as their defense shut out the Atlanta Falcons and stymied the 15-1 Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers. Now they find themselves in a familiar setting: in the biggest game of the year against the New England Patriots, whom I covered yesterday. Now the Giants are up in the rotation!

Continue reading "Breaking Down the Bowl: New York Giants"

Shockingly enough, the supposedly ring-bearing Patriots haven’t won a Super Bowl since the 2004 season. As great as they have seemed in recent years, they’ve flopped when it comes to the postseason. This year has been different. They’re currently on a ten game win streak where they’ve avenged their horrible 2009 loss to the Ravens on their way to a rematch with the Giant team that stole their chance at immortality. In the first of my articles previewing Super Bowl XLVI, I’m breaking down the New England Patriots.

As well all know, the New England offense starts and ends with Tom Brady. The man is a machine. And this year the machine looks pissed off. We saw it in their first playoff game against Denver, when Brady exploited a crappy defense for six passing touchdowns. We certainly saw it during the regular season, where Brady racked up over 5200 yards and 39 TD’s as he led the Pats to the AFC’s number one seed. Against the Ravens he wasn’t as stellar, but still ran two QB sneaks at the goal line, resulting in two scores. After promising his owner he’d play better at the Super Bowl, you can bet he’ll be at his best.

Continue reading "Breaking Down the Bowl: New England Patriots"

Alright Bear fans, your long wait is over. After turnover on the coaching staff (which is not yet completed), Ted Philips has finished his search for the fifth GM of the Chicago Bears. His name? Phil Emery. Excited yet?

Does his name sound familiar? It should. Phil Emery worked in the Bears personnel department as an area scout from 1998 to 2004. Notable selections during his tenure were Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Charles Tillman, Marty Booker, Jerry Azumah, Mike Brown, Tommie Harris and Nathan Vasher. Now, that’s not a bad list…of eight players. The question is: who knows how responsible Emery is for drafting those players, if at all? Scouting personnel discussions are intensely private and are probably one of the best kept secrets in the NFL. Plus a team has so many scouts that it would be nearly impossible for anyone outside to determine whose input got a specific player drafted.

Continue reading "Bears select Phil Emery to be next General Manager: I'm hardly surprised."

November 6, 2011. With just 1:36 left to play, QB Eli Manning drove the New York Giants offense 80 yards in just 1:21 for a 24-20 come from behind win over the Patriots in New England.

Fast forward 13 weeks and these two teams will meet again, this time with the stakes much higher. This is the second time these two teams will play for the Lombardi Trophy, just four years after the Giants pulled off arguably the greatest upset in Super Bowl history by defeating the 18-0 Patriots, 17-14.

These teams have changed since November’s nail-biter. The Patriots rolled off 10 straight wins while the Giants barely made the playoffs by going 3-5 the rest of the regular season, finding their stride in the final two regular season games and riding the momentum through the playoffs.

Continue reading "A Lot Has Changed Since the Regular Season Game"

1. DT Vince Wilfork was in beast mode all afternoon. Six tackles and a sack doesn’t begin to explain his influence on the game. Wilfork had at three tackles for a loss and his share of pressure on QB Joe Flacco. It was a dominant performance by a team leader showing what it takes to get to a Super Bowl. It was arguably Wilfork’s best game in the biggest game of the year.

2. The other hero on the afternoon was CB Sterling Moore. He practically saved the game with the two passes defended at the end of the game. Moore first knocked a sure touchdown reception by WR Lee Evans out of the receiver’s hands just before Evans’ second foot hit the ground. The other was swatting away a pass to TE Dennis Pitta. That would had put the Ravens inside the five yard line with a fresh set of downs. As badly as K Billy Cundiff hooked the 32-yard field goal, if the ball was spotted about 10 yards closer, Cundiff doesn’t miss.

Continue reading "Pick Six: AFC Championship"