This is how I feltSo the NFL Divisional playoff series are now over and I was COMPLETELY, ENTIRELY WRONG in my picks to win. In fact, I was so wrong, I could probably be terminally depressed at the level of incorrectness I had. I'd might as well pack up and go home and sue myself for falsely posing myself as a knowledgeable sports fan...
...Okay, I won't take it that far, but considering I was 0-4 all weekend, picked 3 upsets that went the way they were supposed to, and the only non-upset I picked (Chargers/Jets), there was the hidden upset.
But that's not all my fault. I mean, I'm sure the majority of the world picked the Chargers to beat the Jets. A good number had the Cowboys beating the Vikings. There were more than enough cases of a few brave (and smart) souls chose the Ravens over the Colts. I can tell you that plenty others had the Cardinals winning in a close game against the Saints.
My biggest explanation here for why I failed so badly in my picks was that I mistook these teams who had bye-weeks who were "well-rested" for being "too rested". But apparently, for 3 out of the 4 teams, that was just the NFL just officially played my life. It went sort of like this:
Saints 45, Cardinals 14
Colts 20, Ravens 3
Vikings 34, Cowboys 3
Jets 17, Chargers 14
My Excuses:
Contrary to what I may say, I DO pick teams for a reason, although when I explain them now, it will sound like an excuse. To all my Greeks reading this, please don't ask for the stanzas of "Excuses". I already went through all that. So here we go...
- I picked the Cardinals because of the way the Saints ended the season and the fact that they had a bye-week. I don't know why - maybe it's because the Cowboys had a bye-week their last playoff entry and lost - but I thought that the teams that had sub-par endings and the extra week off would lose. I should have known better because of the close call with the Cardinals in the previous game against the Packers. They should have lost and didn't. Oh well.
- I picked the Ravens because of in their regular-season matchup; the Ravens came pretty close to beating the Colts in a battle of field goals. Also, the Colts were the team that I thought had too much rest. Finally, I was impres
sed with the way the Ravens played the Patriots in the first round. So I thought, with a little bit of offensive tweaking, they could hang in there at least against the Colts. However, I completely forgot that the Colts were, in fact, the Colts, and they knew better than to sleep in every day, only to wake up to some afternoon television (Maury or something). Shame on me. - Yes, I chose the Dallas Cowboys to beat the Vikings. Before you assume I did it because of bias, I did not. I chose them because they were on fire. I thought they were the most serious team in this year's playoffs. Their defense went SO hard, with 2 back-to-back shutouts to end the season, and continued the great defensive plays in the first game against the Eagles. The Cowboys offense also came out the last game to win their first playoff game in 13 years. I had to be convinced that Dallas had it going for them.
There was an underlying feeling, however, that they will have the same type of game they had when they played against the Packers in Green Bay. For some reason, Tony Romo and his squad can't play well west of Dallas, Texas! I also would like to put Nick Folk... I mean Shaun Suisham on the firing squad for killing any shot that Dallas would have at scoring some more points. That underlying feeling of a bad game came to be true, and my heart was broken. Now I need an alternative team. - I can tell you right now that alternative team will not be the Jets, though. But I'll get to that in a bit. The Chargers were the team that actually played well down the stretch of the end of the NFL season. They won a close one in their last game against the Redskins, but still, one would assume that was a fluke. It seemed more like a foreshadowing of what would happen next. Regardless, I'm still going to say that this was an effort won by the Jets, rather than saying the Chargers lost it. The Jets have been put onto something after the regular season that allows them their defense to REALLY come out and just suffocate the opposing team's offensive talents. I also say the Jets won because the Chargers made it very close, very late, but the Jets held on and won the game. What can I say?
To continu
e on the issue of the Jets seeing abnormal success this postseason, this is a situation that was created by people like Colts head coach Jim Caldwell. I'm sorry if I offend some people here, but the Jets were LET into the playoffs. They were straight handed two games by the Colts and Bengals to enter into the playoffs. I'll put on the DC dialect for a second and rephrase a sentence and tell those two teams, "Y'all shoulda done NEVER gave that team a playoff spot!"Now, I'm not saying that the Jets were given a playoff spot to be condescending towards the Jets. My statement is only referring to the fact that because the Jets were allowed in, it gave them new life; therefore, they plan to act upon it. Thus, I fear for the Colts because they may have given the Jets a pass to beat them at the end of the season, but now the question is: how uncompetitive was that game? It's a legitimate question to me.
The Jets did really beat the Bengals in the first round. They beat the Chargers, who seemed impossible to beat just the day before. So can they beat the Colts? We'll see if that comes to bite them in the butt.
I'm just hoping I don't hear those "woe-is-me" Jets fans celebrating so I'm hoping they don't win in spite... >:-D... It also would destroy me to see the Yankees AND the Jets win. But that's just me...
Pick of Shame
Yes. I will still make picks for the conference championship games. Let's go:
NY Jets vs. Indianapolis Colts @3pm -- Colts
Minnesota Vikings vs. New Orleans Saints @6:30pm -- Saints
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Check out the site thehockeywriters.com and see "The Writers" section. A name might look slightly familiar to you ;-).
I like what you have to say! I made the same mistakes you did this week. I had the Cowboys and Chargers in the Superbowl, but as we can see that is wrong. The Chargers were the only 1st round bye that looked good going into the playoffs. Both games this week are going to be very good. I think the Colts will pull it off, and the Vikings vs. Saints is a toss up. I personally hope that the Vikes will pull it off, and if there defense gets after Brees like they did Romo, they should pull it out. If you get a chance check my blog out at http://mysportspotonline.blogspot.com.
ReplyDeleteHa! I had the same exact problem in my picks - Chargers and Cowboys! I'm glad I wasn't the only one who believed the Chargers were the most certain rested teams.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to your statement about the Vikings, part of me wants the Vikings to win because I'd like to say we got beat by the most legitimate team lol. But if the Saints win, I wouldn't be too upset - they could use something like a Super Bowl win lol. And I don't want Brett Favre to feel all vindicated after the bull crap lol. *personal thoughts* Real talk though, both games in theory are a toss up :/.
Who do you think will win it all then?
I definitely appreciate your comment though, and I will certainly check out your site!
Great info Soror. One point tho is I honestly think we might have to start respecting Rex Ryan and those J-E-T-S. I might have been public enemy #1 when I heard him say "the Jets should be the favorite to win every game" because at that time most of us could've assumed he was on some new NY drugs. but they are BALLIN right now and don't be surprised if they have an answer for Peyton Manning. and Darrell Revis is not just a "Shut down" corner. he's a Shut OUT corner. WR are not getting ANYTHING on his watch. I honestly would say I'd enjoy a Vikes-Jets Superbowl. Like they say defense wins championships.
ReplyDeleteLMAO at "NY drugs"! Their defense is something else. Revis, or as I'll call him for the weekend, Surge Protector, stopped that Chargers offense. It might hold the Colts. In my mind it could be to an extent and the Colts still could win, but yes, people do need to respect them. I'd enjoy it more though if the Jets weren't in NY. <_< haha! jk.
ReplyDeleteso I had a pretty lengthy comment, but due to stupid Facebook, I'm going to try this again.
ReplyDeleteOkay... Cards/Saints... I was rooting more for Kurt Warner. If he retires after the end of the season, the Cardinals are doomed. Leinart sucks, and Boldin will be gone. Arizona will also have their third defensive coordinator in four years b/c you don't average 45 PPG on defense in the playoffs. That is ridiculous.
The Ravens/Colts... you don't go against Peyton. LOL. I believe that until they lose, you don't do that. Flacco had some hip issues, and even though we talk Peyton, Peyton, Peyton, the Colts defense is very underrated. They shut Baltimore down.
Cowboys/Vikings. All I'm going to say is Dallas was cocky. They got those playoff demons exercised and people crowned them. The Williams Wall shut down the run, and Allen and Edwards made Tony Romo their whipping boy. I believed all season long that Minnesota was the best team in the NFC. Reason why I'm sticking with that for next week.
Jets/Chargers (I'm going in on this one). The Jets are rebels. They came from the rebellious AFL, which is pretty much what modern football is now. They made the AFL equal to the NFL (Super Bowl III). And it's fitting enough that they are the party crashers. Say what you want, but they do belong. Defense wins championships, and their defense is what has got them through this month of January. It is fitting on the 50th anniversary of the first AFL season, the first AFL franchise to win the Super Bowl is the same franchise that will be facing the franchise that they beat to make football what it is today.
As for the Jets being let in. I disagree. The Colts rested their guys, and pulled them, but look at Miami, Houston, Jacksonville, and Denver. All these teams were AHEAD of New York. They all lost, and the Jets took advantage. So instead of looking at them being "let in", look at the teams who had everything in their control, and screwed up.
The Chargers... simply put... are the Mavericks of the NFL, and what the Sharks are in the NHL. Nobody believes me and laughs at me, but it's proven every year. Great regular season team, bad in the playoffs.
Never associate "Jets" with the Evil Empire. hmph!
I like the winner of the Saints/Vikings game to take it all. I'm rooting for the Vikings, but it is really anybody's for the taking. Living in Kansas City, I am just excited to watch some good teams playing some good football, since we haven't had much of that around here in the past few years!!!
ReplyDeletethesportsexpress has a point about the Jets, and I don't count them out as long as Revis is on the field. The fact is that if the Colts would have played hard til the end and won; there would have been no way for Ryan and the Jets to make it in.
@tjschwab33: You're from Kansas City! Okay! Yea, I agree with you on seeing good teams play. I certainly hope that whoever wins, these games are down to the wire, since the abundance of football games to give and take have quickly dwindled to two teams (if the games could last 5 minutes longer!). As a Cowboys fan though, I'm still disappointed lol.
ReplyDeleteYou never know though; I think Revis can still be the best player on the field but I wonder if the Jets are going to be able to run it as well as they have been. All that being said about Revis and the Jets run game, you have said what I said: the Texans would have been in had the Colts and Bengals played hard.
@thesportsexpress: I had you put you second so that I can address all your points.
I can see you were rooting for the Cardinals bc of Warner, but it still wasn't going to happen because of that defense against the Saints. Real talk, I had more time to think clearly and I really had NO other reason that I went for the Cardinals besides the fact that I thought the Saints were too rested. I will share a secret with the world as a result... I picked that game by closing my eyes and saying the first team that came to mind and justified my reasoning. Why? Because it was late and I had an 8:30 class to do an assignment for. *Real reason* that was all true but it was for kicks and giggles lol.
You went against Peyton in the regular season, which is where he shines. Now you don't go against him in the playoffs????? WHAT!? Your theory is screwed up my friend. And I would say that the Colts defense wasn't ENTIRELY the reason, because really, what were they really shutting down?! The Ravens don't have a potent offense to have been "shut down"... This time, I really did believe the upset would happen though for the reasons stated in the piece.
I will just say the Cowboys weren't cocky. They just fail for the reasons I stated. If they wanted to be cocky, they would have been cocky in the Wild Card series in the second game against the Eagles. Against the Vikings, cocky would have been up 14-0 and then losing. Just some bad and undisciplined play, along with Romo's mishaps and the Vikings taking full advantage, the Cowboys then lost.
The Chargers' situation is obvious. I'm not even going to explain that. I already did. And mind you, they did play the Patriots when the Pats were the team to beat about 2 of those times. So, it's not irrational that I picked them.
And I will! They're in NY and NY people have a way of reacting that I'm not prepared to handle LOL (Still have love all my NYers!)