Heading Into Championship Week
Except for the Patriots destruction of the Denver Broncos, divisional playoff weekend provided great entertainment for football fans. The best game without a doubt was the New Orleans-San Francisco contest which saw a coming out party for the much-mailgned Alex Smith. Smith has often been considered a first round bust. The thinking was that Smith was nothing more than a game manager, just like Trent Dilfer, and that the 49ers relied on a running game and defense. But Saturday afternoon, Smith went toe-to-toe with NFL MVP candidate Drew Brees and drove his team down the field not once but twice, the last time with 9 seconds remaining to punch the Niners ticket to the NFC Championship game. A championship game that will be played at Candlestick Park as a result of the New York Giants victory over the Green Bay Packers.
The Giants were led by their franchise quarterback, Eli Manning, who outplayed the other NFL MVP candidate Aaron Rodgers. The Giant defense pressured Rodgers and made plays when they had to and the Packer defense which has been suspect all year long could not get it done when they needed to. New York's victory was not surprising to me as they had the better defense, were on a roll and their QB and WRs were every bit as good as the Packers. On top of that, the Giant running game was firing on all cylinders as evidenced by Brandon Jacobs' touchdown at the end of the game which sealed the deal for New York.
In Baltimore, the Ravens recipe for victory remained the same as they capitalized on turnovers and their defense was able to make big plays. Give the Houston Texans credit for not backing down as they trailed 17-3 in the first quarter and it looked like it was going to be a blowout. But they made it close behind the running of Arian Foster but in the end it wasn't enough. One has to think that if Matt Schaub had not been injured that this game would have ended differently.
Saturday night, Tom Brady showed that he wasn't screwing around as he lit up the Bronco defense for 6 touchdown passes, 5 in the first half, as the Patriots rolled Denver 45-10. Tim Tebow was not a factor at all as the Patriot defense played one of its better games of the year. A defense that was just as bad as that of the Packers. In the end, the Patriots were just too much for the Broncos.
The championship games should be very interesting. Two years ago the Ravens knocked the Patriots out of the playoffs, as Ray Rice ran all over them in Foxboro. Don't think that Bill Belichik won't remind his team of that. On the NFC side, the Giants will try to avenge a loss that they suffered at the hands of the Niners during the regular season. In what has become a quarterbacks league, next Sunday it will come down to four QB's. Right now, I'd have to go with Tom Brady and Eli Manning and what a Super Bowl that would be: a rematch from 2007 that saw the Giants win the Super Bowl and end the Patriots undefeated season. Stay tuned.
Rangers Get Revenge With 3-0 Win At ACC
There are times heading into a game when you know that the odds might not be looking too good. The Toronto Maple Leafs had defeated the New York Rangers twice at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers were coming off a terrible loss to the Ottawa Senators. The Leafs were coming off a tough 3-2 loss at Buffalo the night before. Well while it didn't look good before the game started it looked worse when the game was over as the Rangers manhandled the Maple Leafs 3-0.
The Rangers banged around the Leaf forwards as if they were pinballs. Toronto was unable to get their speed advantage going as the Rangers bottled up the Leafs, especially the Kessel-Connolly-Lupul line. The Rangers made sure that Kessel was shadowed by a big body all night and leads one to wonder if Brian Burke's pursuit of a big forward will intensify as a result. The only line that had any jump was that centered by Mikhail Grabovski, who has been the best Leaf in the new year.
The Rangers intense and physical forechecking caused the Leafs to cough up the puck on numerous occasions. The one highlight for the Leafs was their penalty killing as they were 100% successful. It's obvious that their more aggressive style has been successful. Success cannot describe the power play unit, firing blanks once again. It's apparent that the loss of John-Michael Liles is really hurting them. I also think that the Leafs need to put an end to a forward on the point with the first power play unit. They either have to rotate three defensemen, Dion Phaneuf, Carl Gunnarsson and Cody Franson, or put Jake Gardiner back in the lineup. It's obvious that the power play unit needs a change.
The Maple Leafs' next four games are at home with Ottawa the opponent on Tuesday night. It will be interesting to see who Coach Ron Wilson will put in goal. Wilson indicated earlier this month that he would play the goalie who was winning and he rode Jonas Gustavsson for the first 4 games of 2012. But, Gustavsson has lost two in a row and in each game there has been a soft goal. In my mind, James Reimer needs to be in goal on Tuesday night. The Leafs need to give the young 23 year-old a chance to take over.
The Leafs need to win 3 out of 4 of these next home games. In fact, these are all winnable games for the Leafs: Ottawa, Minnesota, Montreal and the Islanders. It is important that the Leafs get back on a roll. They have lost two in a row. The playoffs are there for the taking and hopefully the Leafs will grab it.
Yankees Make Moves!!! & NFL Picks
Since July I have been complaining that the New York Yankees needed to upgrade their starting pitching. I have blasted General Manager Brian Cashman continuously. But last night, the Yankee General Manager pulled off a trade and then signed a veteran free agent pitcher that dramatically upgraded the rotation by acquiring Michael Pineda for Jesus Montero and signing Hiroki Kuroda. The Yankees also got a hard-throwing 19 year old pitcher, Jose Campos for Hector Noesi adding to their bevy of young pitching prospects.
The trade sets the first four spots in the rotation as follows: CC Sabathia, Ivan Nova, Michael Pineda and Hiroki Kuroda. The fifth spot in the rotation would be filled by either AJ Burnett, Phil Hughes or Freddy Garcia. The speculation will begin as to who would fill that spot. What could figure into this decision is who will be the Yankee DH. So there are two questions: who is the 5th starter and who is the DH?
Before we get to what I think the answer is let's look at this trade closely. Acquiring Campos for Noesi is obviously not the major issue. Noesi was being a possible rotation candidate but with the acquisition of Kuroda it would appear that if Noesi stayed with the Yankees he would be in the bullpen as an insurance policy if one of the starters faltered or got hurt. Pineda for Montero. Now here is where the meat is. We must realize that this part of the trade involved two kids who have tremendous potential and have showed us some of that potential. However, both are not flawless.
Montero has been touted by the Yankees for years. The question has never been about his offensive ability, it has been about whether or not he could be a decent defensive catcher. It is obvious now that the Yankees felt that he would not be. Moreover, the Yankees are deep with catching prospects with Austin Romine and Gary Sanchez. Based on that assessment, the Yankees felt that Montero would have to be a fairly often DH. With AROD having four years remaining on his contract and having injury problems the last two years, the Yankees could not tie up the DH role with Montero and they believed that he could not be a big league catcher.
The Mariners have a number of pitching prospects so they could part with Pineda. Their problem has been scoring runs and Montero can help in the DH role. Pineda had a great 1st half of the season last year which earned him a place on the AL All-Star team. However, the second half of the season was not as good, in fact the youngster struggled big time. But the thing to remember is that Pineda is a hard throwing right hander who has a very good fast ball and slider. If Larry Rothschild can get this kid to upgrade his change-up this kid who could be a number 1A for the Yankee rotation.
In my mind, Cashman did what he needed to do to upgrade the starting rotation. Good pitching beats good hitting. With Albert Pujols strengthening the Angel lineup, the Rangers looking to add Prince Fielder to an already dangerous lineup and the Red Sox being the Red Sox, the Yankees rotation now does not only have to rely on Sabathia to stop losing streaks and more importantly be very formidable in a short post season series.
Now getting back to those two questions, let's address who will be the 5th starter. The Yanks could very well have an open competiton in camp. Phil Hughes is at a disadvantage because it would be easy for the Yankees to move him to the bullpen. It was Hughes who solidified a leaky bullpen in 2009 which propelled the Yanks to their last world championship. That would leave Garcia and Burnett. Burnett has the big contract and I would think that the Yanks would not put him in the bullpen leaving Garcia as the odd man out. However, the Yankees could also decide to move one of these guys to add another bat.
That leads to the second question concerning the DH. I'm sure if the Yankees could dump Burnett's salary they would however I don't know many teams that would want to take that on. Hughes would probably bring the most back in a trade and that could be a possibility. The other option would be to bring in a free agent bat like Vladimir Guerrero. But what could very well happen is that you will see the DH spot filled by ARod, Derek Jeter and Eduardo Nunez. The Yankees have indicated that they want Nunez to get more at bats. This actually may make some sense in that the Yankees will get to see Nunez perform for a full season, basically being in the lineup every day. If he does as well as the Yankees think he will it should be a no brainer. If he doesn't, then the Yankees know that they have to go to Plan B for the eventual replacement for Derek Jeter.
While I hated to see Montero go, this was a good move by the Yankees. Pineda has the potential be a staff ace. He will be 23 years old and is under contract for 5 years. Their rotation is solid for this year and they have a great base for the next several years in Pineda, Sabathia and Nova. In addition, you have Hughes and the young kids on the farm. Give credit where credit is due: Cashman in one night has propelled the Yankees back into a legitimate shot to win another world championship.
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I had a great wild card weekend going 3-0 and bringing my season record up to 33-20 and for the last 13 weeks a record of 29-12. Two picks for this weekend and both games are on Sunday:
Baltimore (-7 1/2) over Houston
NY Giants (+7 1/2) over Green Bay
Lindy Ruff’s Culture Of Whining
After Tuesday night's 2-0 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Buffalo Sabres Head Coach Lindy Ruff was lamenting the charging call against Patrick Kaleta which resulted in Nikolai Kulemin's power play goal that gave the Leafs a 1-0 lead. Ruff complained that Kaleta was a marked man by NHL referees and that he doesn't think Kaleta can hit anybody now because the refs are looking to penalize him which could result in Kaleta being suspended. Really???? The NHL is targeting a slug like Patrick Kaleta. Please???
But this is the type of stuff that you would expect from Lindy Ruff and explains why he has been perfect for the Buffalo Sabres. You see Ruff plays right into the inferiority complex that Buffalo sports fans have had for years. Remember when the Miami Dolphins dominated the Bills in the 70's and early 80's??? It was because Dolphin Head Coach Don Shula was on the NFL's Rules Committee and that's why the Dolphins received all the favorable calls.
Sometimes a coach says things in order to get a favorable call the next time around but Ruff's assertion that Kaleta is being targeted is a big joke. Kaleta is not even considered a top ten agitator, let alone a top ten fighter. On Wednesday, Schopp & The Bulldog made the point that Kaleta has been totally ineffective and brought up the game on November 12th against the Bruins when Milan Lucic ran Ryan Miller. Bulldog made the point that Kaleta had an opportunity to run Tim Thomas and didn't. If he had there is no doubt a brawl would have ensued but at least the Sabres would have showed a willingness to stand up to the Bruins and showed the rest of the league that they were not going to back down to anyone.
Ruff's whining about referees and other teams' players is nothing new. But the damage is that it creates a culture of whining and no accountability and that is what's wrong with the Sabres. I have to laugh when I hear Sabre fans complain that the players are complacent because Terry Pegula upgraded the team's locker room. Really??? The reason why this team is complacent is because the players have tuned out Ruff. It's either that or they are simply not good enough. To use injuries as an excuse is nonsense. Every team goes through that but the key is whether or not the veterans can respond and whether the coach can hold things together. In the Sabres case, it appears that Ruff wants to make excuses. The refs are targeting Kaleta. Injuries are killing us.
Terry Pegula spent a considerable amount of money in the off season bringing in high priced free agents. Optimism abounded throughout Western New York. But since the Lucic hit on Miller, the Sabres have been in a tailspin and neither the players nor their head coach have been able to turn things around. Where is the accountability??? Instead Ruff whines that the NHL is targeting Patrick Kaleta. The question becomes: how long will Terry Pegula put up with this???
January 11, 1987: A Day Of Infamy For Browns Fans
Thirty-five years ago yesterday, the AFC Championship Game was held at the venerable Cleveland Municipal Stadium. (great atmosphere even though it was decrepit) The Cleveland Browns led 20-13 with 5:32 left in the game and they had just pinned the Denver Broncos back on their own 2 yard line. The old Stadium sensed that their team could be punching a ticket to the Super Bowl. I remember my whole family was gathered at my parents for Sunday dinner. Dinner was over and we were all huddled around the TV set. Even the ladies were in on it. My mother, who has endured the trials and tribulations of the Browns since I was five years old, knew that this was something big.
I was guarding against thinking ahead but remember thinking about what it would be like getting ready for the Super Bowl with the Browns in it for the first time. All they had to do was hold the Broncos one more time and they would move on. It was not to be. John Elway, who to this day when I see him I boil with rage, brought the Broncos to the Cleveland 40 yard line with 2 minutes left in the game. First and 10 from the Cleveland 40. On first down, Elway attempts a pass that goes incomplete. Second and 10 and Browns defensive tackle Dave Puzzuoli sacked Elway for an 8 yard loss. I was fighting not to think about the Browns Super Bowl shirts and hats I might be looking to buy. Stop them here and this one is over.
Third and 18, 1:52 left in the game. 1:52 to the Browns first Super Bowl. It was not to be. Elway hit Mark Jackson for a 20 yard pass. First and 10 from the Cleveland 28 yard line with 1:19 left. After an incomplete pass, Elway hit Steve Sewell for a 14 yard gain and brought the ball to the Cleveland 14. On first down, an incomplete pass brought second down when John Elway scrambled for a 9 yard gain. After a first down, it became third and one from the Browns 5 yard line with 39 seconds left in the game. I was pleading for them to stop them. The house was eerily quiet but I think everyone had a feeling if this didn't turn out well who knows what could happen. I remember back-up linebacker Brad Van Pelt running onto the field late and I was going nuts. What the hell is going on??? And then Elway hit Mark Jackson for a touchdown. The extra point was good and we were heading to overtime.
The Browns won the toss and got the ball first. They got to their own 36 yard line. It was third and 2 and they called for a running play to back-up running back Herman Fontenot. Are you kidding me?? What the hell are you thinking Marty?? (Schottenheimer). The Browns were forced to punt and Denver got the ball on their own 7. Once again, the Browns defense couldn't stop Elway. It was third and 12 from the 50 yard line. I'm thinking, stop them here and we''ll get the ball back. But no. Elway hit Steve Watson for a 28 yard gain. I knew it was over. 2 plays later Rich Karlis kicked a 33 yard field goal and Denver was going to the Super Bowl.
I remember going into a bedroom, grabbing a pillow and screaming into it. I was devastated and pissed off at the same time. How many more times will they get this close?? (the following year, The Fumble which I maintain was even harder for me to swallow). My wife, son and I left my Mom's. I was boiling. Our Christmas tree was still in the house and needed to be put out for the trash on Monday. While my wife was looking after my son, I bull rushed the tree out the front door and slammed it to the ground falling on top of it. I laid their on top of it, swearing and weeping at the same time. To this day when the highlights from this game are on TV I look away. Just can relive the pain.
Four In A Row: Leafs Defeat Sabres 2-0
The Toronto Maple Leafs continued their winning ways by defeating the Buffalo Sabres 2-0 at the Air Canada Centre. The win was the Leafs fourth in a row and may have been one of the team's most defensively responsible of the year. Nikolai Kulemin and Mikhail Grabovski provided the scoring for the Leafs. Grabovski has been on a roll in this four game winning streak scoring 3 goals and registering two assists. Kulemin opened the scoring on the power play and made a nice pass to set up Grabovski's goal. If these two can get going, the Leafs will really be firing on all cylinders and provide them with a great compliment to the Kessel line.
Jonas Gustavsson registered his 2nd shutout in this four game win streak and has been solid in goal. While the Sabres out shot the Leafs, the number of really good scoring chances were limited. However, Gustavsson came up big when he needed to and seems to be gaining in confidence. More importantly, the team seems to be having more confidence in The Monster.
After the first period with a 2-0 lead, the Leafs played a very strong defensive game not allowing the Sabres to get anything going and playing very solidly in their own zone. A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that the Leafs needed to play smarter when they had a lead. Last night they did just that. For the second game in a row, they did not allow a power play for their opponent which indicates that they are skating well and being responsible with their sticks.
The fourth line of David Steckel-Darryl Boyce-Mike Brown has also made a difference. They provide energy and are a force when they are on the ice. Steckel was dominant in the face-off circle and Brown and Boyce were excellent on the forecheck. I don't see how the Leafs could send Boyce down to the minors. Since he has been called up, the Leafs have been on a roll.
One of the more gratifying moments last night was the excellent body check by Kulemin on Patrick Kaleta. Kaleta is a joke. I can't recall him ever getting into a scrap with a tough guy. I highly doubt that Pork Chop Jenneret called the hit, a "Carrubba Collision" but it certainly was the best hit of the night. In a Buffalo News article before last night's game, Kaleta talked about being physical against the Leafs but he was hardly a factor.
The Leafs now head to Buffalo for a rematch with the Sabres on Friday night. It will be interesting to see if Coach Ron Wilson will stick with Gustavsson or if he will start James Reimer with a back-to-back situation over the weekend. One could make the argument that he should continue to ride the hot hand and go with The Monster. Whoever starts in goal, the Leafs could really put the hammer down on the Sabres with a win on Friday night. Regardless of that, the Leafs have so far done what they needed to do with this current four game homestand by winning all four games. The wins have pushed them up from outside the top eight to sixth overall in the Eastern Conference. With 5 out of their next 7 games at home, if the Leafs can continue their winning ways at home they should set the stage for a playoff appearance in April
Tuesday’s Thoughts
While wondering if anyone cares who Todd Palin endorses for President, here is what's on my mind this morning:
* The Toronto Maple Leafs begin a home and home series tonight against the Buffalo Sabres at the Air Canada Center. The Leafs have won three in a row, including a 4-3 win against the Detroit Red Wings. With 9 games this month in January, the Leafs have started that stretch off well with the 3 home wins. Tonight they face a team that has historically given them problems. The Sabres are reeling right now and the Leafs really need to come out flying tonight and take it to the Sabres early. With Leaf-nemisis, Ryan Miller in goal, it won't be easy. The puck drop is 7:05.
* Last night's BCS Championship Game was boring as hell. Those that say this is what football is all about need to get off the BCS bandwagon. There were only 3 plays of twenty yards or more, hardly the makings of a classic championship game. Alabama wins 21-0, however that includes 5 field goals. I still say that the more intriguing game would have been Oklahoma State against one of these two SEC teams.
* The total ineptness of the LSU offense made the game less than a classic. The LSU defense needs to be given full marks for keeping their team in the game and limiting Alabama to 5 field goals before Trent Richardson's late 35 yard touchdown run.
* http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=dw-wetzel_alabama_lsu_bad_bcs_title_game_010912 This article says it all.
* Trent Richardson last night rushed for 96 yards on 20 carries, with 35 of those yards coming off of a late fourth quarter touchdown run. Richardson did nothing to impress me to the point where I believe that the Cleveland Browns should take him with the fourth pick overall. Unfortunately most recent mock drafts have wide receiver Justin Blackmon being taken before the Browns pick. If that is the case, they should trade their pick down to Washington's 6th pick overall and draft Ashley Jeffries, wide receiver from South Carolina.
* Congratulations to Jorge Posada on his retirement. I'm glad that the former Yankee catcher decided to forego playing with any other team. For Yankee fans, Posada's retirement is a stark reminder that the 1996-2000 championship run is slipping farther and farther away in history. There are only two players remaining from those great Yankee teams: Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera. The critical question is: will we ever see a team like that again and if so, when??
* I just have a feeling that the New York Giants are going to give the Green Bay Packers all they can handle on Sunday. Even though he plays in the largest media market in the country, Eli Manning does not get all the notoriety that some other quarterbacks receive and he is deserving. The Giants are a more complete team right now than the Packers: they can run, pass and play defense. The Packers can't run or play defense. If the Giant front four can pressure Aaron Rodgers, New York may be headed to the NFC Championship Game.
* Browns fans watching the Pittsburgh Steelers-Denver Broncos game featured two teams that have tortured us for years. However, we can take solace in knowing that the Browns contributed to the Steeler defeat with the ankle injury that Ben Roethlisberg sustained on December 8th against the Browns. By the way, do you think Denver wins if Big Ben was healthy???
* WGR Radio 550 is the new radio voice of the Buffalo Bills and yesterday Schopp & The Bulldog had Bills General Manager Buddy Nix on to discuss the state of the team. Nix sounded like a pretty solid old school football guy. He also sounded like Foghorn Leghorn.
* I have to give Paul "Gasbag" Hamilton credit for his objective analysis on the Sabres. While Jeremy White and Howard Simon were begging to hear that the Sabres were going to make a move, Hamilton explained that the team believes that they have the right players and that injuries are the reason why the team is in 11th place in the Eastern Conference. Simon and White were heartbroken. Actually kind of funny.
* And finally, does anyone have any idea when the MSG-TWC stalemate will be resolved?? Once again, the fans suffer so what else is new.
Holmgren Doesn’t Get it
Last week, Cleveland Browns President Mike Holmgren and General Manager Tom Heckert held an end-of-the year press conference to discuss the team's season and what lies ahead. What was apparent is that Mike Holmgren doesn't understand what he needs to do as team president: Give the fans hope that things will turn around. The press conference didn't do that for me. The Double H boys want Browns fans to have hope that things will turn around because they say so. Really???
Mike Holmgren has never built a Super Bowl winning team. He coached two teams in the Super Bowl: Green Bay (won) and Seattle (lost). When he had general manager responsibilities in Seattle, the Seahawks did not do all that well and he was forced out of that role. With respect to Heckert, none of his Philadelphia Eagle teams won the Super Bowl. Based on the record, it's hard to buy what Holmgren is selling when he lectures us that we need to have faith in him.
While I agree that the Browns need to have continuity and stop the coaching carousel, what I have a problem with is how the Double H boys seemed to have ceded the decision about having an offensive coordinator to their rookie coach, Pat Shurmur. It appears that Holmgren likes to deal with his coaches the way he would like to be dealt with as a coach. The problem is that he is no longer a coach. He is a team executive who has years of experience in the NFL and needs to use that experience to assist his young first-time head coach. They hired an experienced NFL defensive coordinator (and former head coach) in Dick Jauron and the defensive unit had a fairly good year. The same cannot be said for the offense which stumbled and bumbled under the guidance of an overwhelmed rookie head coach. The same can be said for special teams, which went from a team strength to a team weakness that cost them at least two games. By the way the guy they got rid of, Brad Seely, coaches the San Francisco 49er special teams which won the NFC Western Division.
Holmgren made a point of saying that this was actually the first year of the Browns rebuild. Hmmmmmm. I can understand why he said that but he has been in Cleveland for two years and allowed his first year to be wasted by holding on to Eric Mangini. Again, this was a case where Holmgren acted as a coach as opposed to an executive. I remember him saying that it wasn't fair to Mangini to just come in and fire him. Really??? It was the first big decision that Holmgren had to make and it was a bust as he set the rebuild back a year.
As far as I'm concerned, the Double H boys do not deserve a pass. I'm not saying that I was expecting a playoff appearance this year. I'm also not saying that I expected an 8-8 record. But another double digit loss season with an offense that was putrid after hiring an offensive-minded head coach who was calling his own plays is totally unacceptable. Their handling of Colt McCoy also leaves a lot to be desired. In fact, I will say that McCoy has regressed. The whole concussion issue was badly mishandled and now the revelation from Seneca Wallace that he did not help McCoy in learning the new offensive scheme is an indictment on Holmgren because Wallace is Holmgren's guy. At the press conference he waxed glowingly about Seneca. Yet, the career back-up admitted that he didn't help McCoy because he wanted the starting job. If I were Colt McCoy, I wouldn't want to play another down for the Cleveland Browns.
The thing with McCoy is that Holmgren drafted him. He sold him as their guy. He believed that he could be the guy who would lead the Browns to the playoffs. Yet, Seneca Wallace refuses to help the kid quarterback out??? The same Seneca Wallace who played for Holmgren in Seattle and who Holmgren spoke so glowingly of last week. If McCoy is not the guy, and I don't believe he is, then Holmgren has set the rebuild back another year which makes this year's off season critical.
It is apparent that the Browns need to acquire playmakers, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. If they can't move up to get Andrew Luck then they need to acquire someone like Kyle Orton. With their two first round picks they need to draft players who can make a difference. Justin Blackmon would be a no-brainer if he is available with their first pick in the first round. If they can't get him, maybe they move down a couple of spots where they would draft either Ashton Jeffries or Michael Floyd plus pick up another draft pick. With that second first round pick, they need to take someone who can make a difference on either side of the ball. By acquiring someone like Orton, the Browns can have a chance to improve offensively while setting themselves up to be able to draft a quarterback in 2013. They could also use a third or fourth round pick this year to draft someone like Kellen Moore.
The Double H boys need to make the right moves this off season. Their first two major decisions have not panned out and in baseball its three strikes and your out.
Monster Pitches A Shut Out As Leafs Win 4-0/NFL Playoff Picks
Jonas Gustavsson was in a zone last night, even making a save without his catching glove and a stick, as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Winnipeg Jets 4-0 at the Air Canada Center. Gustavsson looked extremely solid in goal and made some big saves, particularly in the second period. As a whole, the Leafs were pretty much in control of the game from the start. One of the keys to the Leafs last two victories is an aggressive forecheck, utilizing their speed to attack their opponents. This is what they exhibited early in the season and seemed to have been lacking in the month of December.
The Leafs were also able to get some secondary scoring as Mikhail Grabovski and Clarke MacArthur scored to add on to the goals of Phil Kessel and Tim Connolly. The Leafs specialty teams also contributed as Kessel and MacArthur's goals were on the power play and the Leafs killed off the lone Winnipeg power play. The victory pushed the Leafs back into the top eight in the Eastern Conference. The only downer of the game was watching Dion Phaneuf go off the ice after being hit in the face with a puck late in the third period. Hopefully there are no broken bones and he doesn't miss many games. Coach Ron Wilson stated that Phaneuf's face was very swollen and that the team would know more today. It seems like its quite possible that the Leaf Captain will miss Saturday's game against Detroit.
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The NFL Playoffs begin Saturday and here are my picks:
Houston (-3) over Cincinnati: Texans are at home and their defense should hold down the Bengal offense. Houston 20 Cincinnati 14
New Orleans (-10 1/2) over Detroit: The Lions were in the Superdome this year and the results were not good. Expect more of the same on Saturday night as the Lion defense was torched by Matt Flynn last week and one can only imagine what Drew Brees will do. The Saints are 8-0 as home favorite and 12-4 ATS overall. Saints 38 Detroit 23.
NY Giants (-3) over Atlanta: Falcons are terrible on the road and in their only game against a quality opponent over their last 4 games they were beaten badly. I don't know why but I have a feeling that this Giant team may go on a roll. New York 24 Atlanta 17.
2011 NFL Picks
Well, the NFL regular season is over and after a very slow start with my NFL Picks, I closed out the season in Week 17 going 3-0 in convincing fashion with Atlanta (-12), Baltimore (-2) and the NY Giants (-3). For the season I was 30-22 but over the last 12 weeks I was 26-12. NFL Playoffs begin on Saturday and I will have picks tomorrow.
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This morning at 11am Cleveland Browns President Mike Holmgren and General Manager Tom Heckert will hold a season ending press conference. I am really looking forward to hear what these two have to say as it relates to the quarterback situation, Peyton Hillis, free agency and the 2012 draft. The last time Holmgren addressed the media was after the McCoy concussion fiasco. At that time he scolded fans about being patient along with giving a Nixonian explanation about how they handled Colt McCoy after the James Harrison hit. Should be interesting.
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