Browsing Archive: January, 2012
Posted by Michael Seff on Tuesday, January 31, 2012,
Line: Patriots by 2½
This
isn’t a movie I wanted to watch again, but it’s the Super Bowl, so we give it
our due diligence as American citizens. The Patriots and Giants at least figure
to put on a heck of a show, just as they did four years ago in Glendale. Rather
evenly matched, there are advantages and disadvantages for both clubs. A
further look:
Quarterbacks – Tom Brady vs. Eli Manning
“I
believe in Eli,” said D... Continue reading ...
Posted by Michael Seff on Monday, January 30, 2012,
Even
from the moment you realized the Super Bowl was being played in Indianapolis,
you had to know that the Patriots would be in the mix.
Then,
the lockout happened, giving an edge to all of last year’s top teams (New
England had the NFL’s best mark at 14-2).
But
then came Week 1, and Patriot fans could have booked their trips to
Indianapolis. When the Dolphins predictably, and fruitlessly, ran a fade
pattern on 4th-and-... Continue reading ...
Posted by Michael Seff on Wednesday, January 25, 2012,
If
it feels like you are watching NFL reruns this January, you are not alone.
The
Patriots and Giants are meeting in the Super Bowl (stop me if you’ve heard this
one before), a week after both utilized epic goat-like performances by the
Ravens and 49ers, respectively, to set up a rematch of Super Bowl XLII.
Minus
the 19-0 subplot of 2007, New England returns to this showdown as a No. 1 seed
while the Giants come in as a N... Continue reading ...
Posted by Michael Seff on Sunday, January 22, 2012,
I was fortunate enough to get a couple minutes in a mini-scrum -- actually, just me and an LA Times writer -- with Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig at the World Children's Baseball Fair awards luncheon at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles. Selig touched on the potential purchase of the Dodgers and the Angels' Hot Stove moves this offseason: (On Frank McCourt buying the team in 2004) "Well it's interesting. The sport was
never happy about it. It's manifested itself in so many w... Continue reading ...
Posted by Michael Seff on Friday, January 20, 2012,
We’ve reached the Final Four and perhaps more refreshingly,
two of the league’s three offensive sideshows have been put to rest. The Saints
and Packers and their circus-like attack will be home watching three teams at
least built in large part on defense, while the one dragon left to slay resides
in Foxborough. The Ravens and Giants are built to win on the road, but in
championship weekend history, only twice have both road teams won (1992 and 1997). Still, from 1997-2005
at least one... Continue reading ...
Posted by Michael Seff on Tuesday, January 17, 2012,
For
all those marveling in the transformation of the San Francisco 49ers this
season under Jim Harbaugh, there is a very real possibility that evidence of
such surfaced at the end of last season.
After
a dismal 5-10 record in 15 games under Mike Singletary, the 49ers not only
played hard in their season-finale for interim coach Jim Tomsula, they were
downright dominant, trouncing the Cardinals 38-7. An impotent offense that had
averaged 17.8 points... Continue reading ...
Posted by Michael Seff on Tuesday, January 17, 2012,
When
you have made it this far in the season, you are less concerned with homefield
advantage and more concerned with momentum and capitalizing on the opportunity
at hand.
As
we approach Championship Sunday in the 2011 NFL season, the Baltimore Ravens
and New York Giants face tall orders in going on the road to try and earn a
trip to Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis.
It
is highly unlikely that both will win Sunday, at least b... Continue reading ...
Posted by Michael Seff on Monday, January 16, 2012,
The city of Indianapolis is no stranger to the Final Four. They have hosted the prestigious NCAA basketball event six times, most recently in 2010. But this year's NFL Final Four represents a plethora of storylines for teams hoping to vie for Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium.
First, there are the New England Patriots. Perhaps the Colts' biggest rival, nothing would incense the locals more than a city overrun with Chowder-heads rubbing it in that their beloved Pats are vying for their fourt... Continue reading ...
Posted by Michael Seff on Thursday, January 12, 2012,
Chris Berman calls this the best
weekend in all of sports, the divisional round of the playoffs. The
big four are coming off their byes, a week after all four home teams
won in the wild card round for just the third time in 22 years since
the NFL went to a 12-team playoff format. However, all four teams
have not won in the divisional round since 2004. However you slice
it, there figures to be a surprise or two this weekend and some
exceptional football. Though Metlife Stadium and Invesco Fiel... Continue reading ...
Posted by Michael Seff on Thursday, January 5, 2012,
Welcome to the second season, my
friends. The playoffs are here – in a season that almost never was.
A dual rookie QB matchup and the toast of the league trying to slay
the mighty Steelers should make for a fun Wild Card weekend.
Regular season: 118-129-9
Cincinnati at Houston (-3)
Analysis: The last time the Texans won,
it was four weeks ago on the road against Cincinnati. But since,
rookie third-stringer T.J. Yates has struggled, and after suffering
five sacks against the Bengals in t... Continue reading ...
Posted by Michael Seff on Tuesday, January 3, 2012,
Coming
into this year, I had a theory: the right teams will always be there come
playoff time. No matter what, the team that has a chance to do damage in the
playoffs will find a way to get in, and the pretenders will shoot themselves in
the foot.
I
no longer have that theory.
After
watching the Oakland Raiders self-destruct on Sunday and the San Diego Chargers
self-destruct for the season’s first 12 weeks, I was still con... Continue reading ...
| |
