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Dallas Cowboys: 2014 season will be epic

If you are a Dallas Cowboys fan, as I am, this could be really, really ugly. Unless you are the most delusional football fan, it’s hard to see how the Dallas Cowboys are going to put together a season worth watching. Last year, there were two pivotal football games that really showed Cowboy fans exactly how the season was going to go. First, back in week five, the Dallas Cowboys played the Denver Broncos. Although Tony Romo in the Dallas offense really did put up a valiant effort, this game should be etched in the memory banks of all Dallas Cowboys fans for its defensive performance. Yes, Peyton Manning and the offense put up jaw-dropping numbers (33/42 four 414 passing yards, four touchdowns and one interception). If you go back and look at our defensive performance, the Dallas Cowboys had no sacks. Not one. Sure, Peyton Manning is one of the best in the business. The Dallas Cowboys defense looked amazingly bad. With no pressure, the whole secondary was exposed. Our linebackers, safeties and cornerbacks simply couldn’t cover any of the Bronco receivers. We saw the same type of performance against the New Orleans Saints. Drew Brees looked like he was playing a videogame. There was no pass rush. Drew Brees had his choice of receivers on almost every play. The New Orleans defense shut down the Dallas Cowboys offense. The New Orleans Saints had 40 first downs and over 625 yards in total offense. No team in NFL history had ever given up 40 first downs. (more…)

By ecthompsonmd|2014-09-07T10:11:55-04:00September 7th, 2014|NFL|Comments Off

NFL week 13: A Few Predictions and A Few Thoughts

New Orleans Saints versus Cincinnati Bengals – in theory this game should be a blowout. The New Orleans Saints should easily be able to handle the Cincinnati Bengals. But, then again, the New Orleans Saints should’ve easily handled the Dallas Cowboys and had to depend on a fumble late in the game to win. If Cincinnati can find the ground game, they may be able to pull this game out. I’m still giving a slight edge to the New Orleans Saints. (Where is Cedric Benson? He is only averaging 3.6 per rush.)

Chicago Bears versus Detroit Lions – Detroit has played surprisingly well down the stretch but seems to find a way, sometime during the fourth quarter, to lose a game. The Lions have been playing extremely hard. I’m still not convinced that Jay Cutler has the discipline to consistently win in the NFL. Somehow, after 13 weeks of football, the Chicago Bears are 8-3. Shaun Hill, the second string quarterback for the Detroit Lions, is out for this game. No matter who is playing quarterback, the Chicago defense should be able to him. Chicago wins this game.

San Francisco 49ers versus Green Bay Packers – I thought Green Bay’s offense let them down last week against the Atlanta Falcons. They had at least two drives stall inside the red zone. They have to be able run the ball. Is Troy Smith the man for the 49ers? I don’t know. I know he’s played pretty well over the last couple of weeks. I look for Green Bay to figure out a way to win this game.

Denver Broncos versus Kansas City Chiefs – are the Kansas City Chiefs for real? They can go a long way in proving that this season has not been a fluke by beating the Denver Broncos. I’m choosing Kansas City in this one.

Cleveland Browns versus Miami Dolphins – if Chad Henne can avoid interceptions, the Dolphins have an opportunity to win this game easily. By the way, who is going to play quarterback for the Browns today? McCoy may give the Browns the best chance to win.

Buffalo Bills versus Minnesota Vikings – the Buffalo Bills had a heartbreaking loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last week. The Minnesota Vikings have all kinds of turmoil but they also have all kinds of talent. I think if Brett Favre can avoid turning over the ball the Minnesota Vikings should roll.

Washington Redskins versus New York Giants – Donovan McNabb can keep the Redskins in the game but he really needs some more weapons on offense. The New York Giants seemed to have snapped out of their zombielike state during their game against Jacksonville last week. Turnovers have killed the Giants this year. If the Washington defense can rattle Eli Manning early, the Redskins have an opportunity for victory – a slim opportunity. The New York Giants are simply a better team. I look for the Giants to figure out a way to win… And hang onto the football.

Jacksonville Jaguars versus Tennessee Titans – With all the turmoil that’s been going on in Tennessee, you would figure that they were out of the playoff hunt. Not true. If they can figure out a way to beat Jacksonville, they are definitely in the playoff hunt. Kerry Collins will start today a quarterback. He still has some juice left in his arm. Chris Johnson has not had the season that the Titans were hoping for. On the other side of the ball, the Jacksonville Jaguars have been led by an erratic David Garrard. He is had moments of brilliance (near-perfect performance against Dallas). He is also looked totally lost (fourth quarter against the Giants). I think the Titans are simply a better team. If the Titans can fix their quarterback trauma, they can still go deep into the playoffs. I’m picking Tennessee in this one.

Late Afternoon Games

Oakland Raiders versus the San Diego Chargers – the San Diego can take your the ball, they should be able to defeat the Oakland Raiders easily.

St. Louis Rams versus Arizona Cardinals – this is a tossup. Neither team has a proven quarterback. Good luck.

Dallas Cowboys versus the Indianapolis Colts – This game should be an easy victory for the Indianapolis Colts. Then again, maybe not. Peyton Manning has thrown nine interceptions in the last three weeks. The Colts are hurting at receiver. Their receivers are simply not getting open. People are double and triple teaming Reggie Wayne. The Dallas Cowboys secondary a suspect. They have been burned many times this year. On the other hand, Dallas should be able to run the ball. If they’re able to run the ball effectively with Felix Jones, they can keep the ball away from an ailing Indianapolis Colts offense. Run the ball early and often. Run the ball straight at the Indianapolis Colts and the Cowboys have an opportunity to win this game. The Colts linebackers are too fast to try to pitch out and out run them. Dallas does have an opportunity to win this game. I am hoping that they will win this game. The smart money is on the Indianapolis Colts and Peyton Manning.

Carolina Panthers versus Seattle Seahawks – I’m going with Seattle. Carolina is simply awful. Will John Fox keep his job?

Atlanta Falcons versus Tampa Bay Buccaneers – this matchup this should be one of the best matchups of the afternoon. The Falcons play great at home but this game will be played in Tampa. Tampa Bay has lost some very close games over the last couple of weeks. I don’t think they’ll be able to pound the ball very well against the Atlanta Falcons defense. Josh Freeman is going to have to throw the ball and make plays down the field. I’m not sure if he’s going to be able to do this. On the other hand, the Atlanta Falcons must run the ball effectively. I think they should be able to do this. I’m choosing Atlanta in this game. Matt Ryan has been playing very well over the last several weeks.

Pittsburgh Steelers versus Baltimore Ravens – This is the night game. As I predicted, earlier this season, the Ravens do not show the same intensity that they did five or six games ago. They seem to be a step slower on defense. I think that the Pittsburgh Steelers should be able to pound the ball and move the Ravens defensive line. This will set up play action pass and expose the ravens secondary. I think this is going to be an excellent game. I’m going with the Steelers.

Monday Night Football
New York Jets versus New England Patriots – I simply don’t like the New England Patriots. I think that Bill Belichick is cocky but then again, when you win three or four Super Bowls I guess you can be cocky. Over the last several weeks, Sanchez has been outstanding in the clutch but average the rest of the game. I look for the Jets to pound the ball early and often. If they can avoid turnovers, they can stay in this game. The defense of the New York Jets has been good but not great. The safeties can be exploited. I look for Tom Brady to use his young tight ends to expose some of the Jets issues at safety. This is some of the best football that the NFL has to offer. I look forward to this game. In the end, I think the Patriots win this game.

By ecthompsonmd|2010-12-05T08:33:14-04:00December 5th, 2010|Sports|Comments Off

Shonn Greene

Just because my beloved Dallas Cowboys were rudely bounced from the playoffs does not mean that I’m not watching football this weekend. I continue to be amazed at the New York Jets. They figure out ways to win.

New York Jets versus the Indianapolis Colts. A lot has been made of this rematch from week 16. The Indianapolis Colts, in a tight game, pulled all their “main” starters towards the end of the third quarter. The Jets took advantage of a second string quarterback who had not really seen the football field in years. The dream of a perfect season went down the tubes. For the New York Jets, the dream of making it to the playoffs went one step closer to becoming reality.

There are lots of ways to look at this game. In some ways, the Indianapolis Colts are much like the San Diego Chargers. They have an okay defense coupled with a high-powered offense. The Jets kept the game close against the San Diego Chargers. Their defense continued to pressure Philip Rivers, who, up until that game, played a nearly flawless season. From deep in his territory, Philip Rivers throws a pass up the seam to nobody. The Jets intercept and the momentum which had been pretty even up until that moment, swings towards the Jets. So, can Peyton Manning avoid the big interception? Can the Colts offensive line give Peyton Manning enough time? I think the answer is yes. I think it is important for Peyton Manning and the Colts’ offense to control the ball. Scoring quickly is not going to help their defense. I think that the Jets’ defense is most vulnerable in the middle of the field. I think the Peyton Manning will look for a second or third receiver in the middle of the field. I think going after Darrelle Revis is foolhardy. He’s proven he can play in this league. I think the Jets will put him on Reggie Wayne and sometimes on Dallas Clark. Peyton Manning will look for receivers who are covered by linebackers or safeties. I think that’s where you will find most of his success.

On the other side of the ball, the New York Jets’ offense has a bruising running attack. They averaged over 170 yards per game on the ground. They have simply run over their last three opponents. The Indianapolis Colts are going to have to win first and second downs. If they’re able to get the New York Jets in the third and long, they will win the game. I don’t think that Mark Sanchez can consistently beat most defenses. On the other hand, if the New York Jets are always in third and short and play action pass with bootlegs and rollouts come into play. Mark Sanchez is perfectly capable of making these types of throws. The Jets have to play mistake-free football. No turnovers. No penalties. This is how they win. It is hard to play football with almost no margin of error every single week, but that is what the New York Jets have been doing for the last 8-10 weeks. So, can they do it again? Maybe. I don’t count them out.

I also think that the Jets are going to try to be very aggressive on special teams. Look for a fake punt or possibly a fake field goal.

Minnesota Vikings versus New Orleans Saints. The Vikings’ defensive front four completely manhandled the Dallas Cowboys last week. I think that Tony Romo is still in the sauna trying to get the soreness worked out. The New Orleans Saints are going to have to figure out how to protect Drew Brees. If he has time, it is clearly possible to take advantage of that secondary. I think this is the key to the game right here. Jared Allen and Ray Edwards are playing at a high level. The New Orleans Saints tackles are going to have to figure out how to block these guys. I’m not sure they’re going to be able to do it. If Drew Brees has time, you will find receivers. The New Orleans Saints are going to have to run some draws and screens in order to slow down the rush. The running backs are not going to have to pick up the blitz. Reggie Bush needs to have another game like he did last weekend!

The Minnesota Vikings’ offense can be slowed down. In spite of their dominating win over the Dallas Cowboys last week, I still say there’s something wrong with the offensive line. Adrian Peterson is not getting to the second level without being hit. He has not had an explosive run in weeks. In spite of this, the Vikings have been winning. Brett Farve has had his best year ever. He’s throwing the ball more accurately. He has not been turning the ball over which has plagued him his whole career. If the Saints are going to win this game, they’re going to have to get pressure on Brett Farve. If you can hit Farve early, you could throw him off his rhythm. He’ll start to press and that’s when the turnovers began. We saw just a little bit of this when the Vikings played the Steelers earlier this year. Darren Sharper has a little extra incentive to play well this week, as he was cut by the Vikings. He’s having one of his best years for the Saints, with five or six interceptions. He would like nothing better than to take one back to the house. I wonder if a safety blitz is in his future.

I think he ran for two very good games this weekend. Although I’m choosing the New Orleans Saints to go to their first Super Bowl and the Indianapolis Colts to go to their second Super Bowl in four years, I think both of these games are to be very close. Because the teams are so evenly matched, turnovers were be very important and will tip the scale. I’m looking forward to this.