SUPER BOWL XLIX ANALYSIS

                                            5 STAR PLAY

          *****  NEW ENGLAND  pick em    vs    SEATTLE

So, a person who analyzes the game and tries to pick the winner, and knows the game of football, would probably say that defense wins championships.  They would probably say that in a match this even, generally, the team with the better defense will win.  Well, defense, alone, does not win championships.  Having a great balance of both offense and defense can win championships, as well. In college, they pick the teams they think are the best during the season to play for the title, and they do this by judging the teams by their "body of work."   This means they are judged by what they have done throughout the whole season and it could be how they finished.  Quality wins definitely come in to place when deciding who the best are, and I do this when I select my two best NFL teams.  Last year Seattle had the best quality win of them all, destroying the Saints on MNF, and holding them to record-low of offensive stats.  This year, I think the Pats had the best one, by defeating the then hottest team, Denver, by 22.  I think people are forgetting how dominant New England was at times this year, and are under appreciating their defense.  The Pats are great defending the pass and just OK, but not bad, at stopping the run.  In the NFL, today, it is better to be able to stop the pass, because everyone is throwing more, and teams, with not so great defenses, have won it all.  I think the Pats have the kind of formula it takes to win the championship.  They have great balance.

I think picking this game is pretty simple for me, because I think the Pats are the better overall team, and I think they will play like it on Sunday.  The Pats have Brady and Belechik to figure out  ways to beat that Seattle defense, and they have some weapons, believe it or not.  They also have a great team rushing attack, which is difficult to stop because of it's versatility.  They have four different serviceable backs they can hand off too, which gives them fresh legs.  They also have Blount, who is a bulldozing power back, who is a little underrated in this league.  I'm not saying that the Seahawks are slouches at stopping the run, because they are pretty darn good, but you can't ignore the fact that teams have put up some yards on them in the playoffs.  I think the Pats will RUN THE FOOTBALL, and protect Brady pretty well, and it will open things up in the passing game.  I look for Brandon Lafell, who is a good young talent, to come up big for N.E. in this game.

  As for Russel Wilson, and his offense, I don't think they are as good as they were last year.  They did lose their best WR, in Tate.  Wilson is a great young player, though, but he 'aint no Brady.  At least, for now he isn't.  He is still very young and Green Bay showed us if you keep him bottled up and make him throw, that you can force some mistakes.  I think the Pats will do just that with their speedy LB's and force Wilson to throw against a very veteran, savvy bunch, in the N.E. secondary. If Green Bay was able to do it, I don't see why N.E. can't.  I do think that Wilson will throw at least 2 INT's in this game, too.  I really don't think the Pats will stop Marshawn Lynch.  I think he will probably have 100 yards, but I do think they can stop Wilson, and if they can, they can definitely win.  I look at this as a not so strong passing game of Seattle, going up against a great secondary of  N.E.  Plus, they will be cheating, so they will have the advantage, right?  Whether the Pats cheated, or not, you can't discredit all the countless hours of hard work and dedication that these teams put in.  You have to recognize that this organization is great and appreciate what they represent, which is hard work, humbleness, and a respect for the opponent.  Well, I guess you don't HAVE to, of course, if you don't like the Patriots.  You just have to go look at the facts for the spygate thing, or just anything, and realize that many other teams broke the rules or cheated, but N.E. is the only one that are being called cheaters.  That could possibly tell you something.
 
  I don't care what anyone says, but nobody, and I mean nobody, wants this game more than Tom Brady.  He plays with the most passion and drive, I think I may have ever seen, and he knows that it is now or never, because he always plays like that.  I think all the greats do.  I think they have been the best team throughout the season and this is their time.

BOLD PREDICTIONS : 1) Brandon Lafell will have anywhere from 7-10+ catches for over 100 yards.
2)Tom Brady will have more rushing yards than Russel Wilson.  I know.  This is very bold and yes, a little crazy, but Brady is not afraid to take off, and he already has a rushing TD in these playoffs.

PREDICTED SCORE : PATRIOTS  27     SEAHAWKS  23

NFL CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY PLAY

                                           NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

                                     SEATTLE    vs    GREEN BAY

I still don't think the Packers are a real championship contender. I'm sorry but their defense is suspect, and we should all know that offenses, alone, do not win titles.  Even if Rodgers didn't have a calf injury, and was able to be a threat with his feet, I still wouldn't see them winning this game.  The fact is, is that he is hurt, and will be affected and that hurts their chances even more.

PREDICTED SCORE :  SEAHAWKS  27    PACKERS  17


                                         AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

                                NEW ENGLAND  vs   INDIANAPOLIS

If any underdog has a decent shot this weekend, I think it would have to be the Colts.  Andrew Luck is on fire and they showed they can play some defense last week.  I really don't think they have too great of a shot, though, because I think this is the Patriots' year.  They beat a damn good play-off team, and QB last week in a thriller and showed some real guts.  I will not be upset at all if the Colts pull off the upset, because I bet Indy to win the AFC, at 14/1, in the beginning of the season.  I figured they would probably be in this game, so why not for those odds?

PREDICTED SCORE : PATRIOTS  28    COLTS  21

*** PLAY - 6 POINT TEASER  -  PATS -1    HAWKS -1.5

CFB CHAMPIONSHIP PLAY

                        CFB  CHAMPIONSHIP GAME    AT&T STADIUM, ARLINGTON, TX


                                          OREGON   vs    OHIO ST

6 POINT  TEASER    OREGON  pick em    OVER 67.5

First off, I will say that I wasn't that sure about laying the spread which is -6.  I am very sure that the Ducks are going to win this game, but I do think it's going to be a good game and could be very close.   I'm also pretty sure that these teams are going to be able to score.  I think Oregon has the best team they ever have this year.  I think it's mainly because they have a defense they can rely on to make stops and take the ball away. Against Florida St they gave up a good bit of yards to the Noles, but only 20 points.  They were able to rattle Jameis Winston for four quarters.  Something no team in America could do for 2 whole seasons.  Mark Helfrich has done a great job coaching these kids this season and I think this is the Ducks' year.  Now the Buckeyes are very talented and well coached themselves.  They bring in true frosh QB, Cardale Jones, who  I think is probably the best QB on the roster, even only after seeing him play 2 games.  They also have RB, Ezekiel Elliot who is fast as the wind and can pick up any blitz.  Ohio State can score a lot of points, but they also give up a bunch too.  Their defense can do some good things, like rush the passer and force some turnovers, but Mariotta will be the toughest test for them, thus far.  I am more impressed with Oregon's defense, who can rush the passer and get turnovers, as well.  They are a true "bend but don't break" defense and I think they will make more plays than Ohio St's in this game.  So I am taking this tease to the bank!  Enjoy the game, folks!

PREDICTED SCORE : DUCKS  41   BUCKEYES  34

NFL PLAYS

                              NFL DIVISIONAL ROUND  PLAY-OFFS

*** SEATTLE  -10(-120)   vs     CAROLINA

The Seahawks have the most stout defense in all of the NFL.  They are 1st against the pass and 3rd against the run, and their home field advantage is the best in the league, as well.  Last week we saw the Panthers beat a team that really had no offensive options, whatsoever.  They were down to their third string RB and QB, and I also think there are several QB's on the collegiate level that could have played better than Lindly did last week.  That was probably one of the most artificial playoff wins I've seen.  Cam Newton still continues to struggle as a passer, and while he may be able to break a few big runs on any defense, I don't think it will be close to enough to beat this team.  Everyone is saying how the Panthers played these Seahawks close every time they played them.  Well, those 3 meetings were all in Carolina and why do you think Seattle has beaten them 3 straight times?  They are the better team.  Why do you think the spread is -10.5?  Seattle is off of a bye and will be ready to take care of business and I don't think it will be so close this time.  I know the Panthers can hang in there, but I see the Hawks pulling away.  Just go look at the history of these NFL playoff teams who have won their crappy divisions with sub par records.  All 3 times it has happened, they won their first home game and then got beat badly in the next round.  Why do you think that is?  It's because they had no business being in that divisional game to begin with.  They got lucky, because they played in a really bad division and the NFL gave them a home playoff game for winning it.  Carolina had just got extra lucky, because they played a team that, basically, had no offense.  I'm not going mainly by what history says, I just think Seattle is a much better team and should dominate.  I'm buying the line down to -10 for some extra insurance, but I don't think that will come into play.

PREDICTED SCORE : SEAHAWKS  26    PANTHERS  10

*** DALLAS  +5.5   at    GREEN BAY

I'm really not looking at the Aaron Rodgers injury, and how he hasn't practiced, as much of an angle at all.  The fact is, is that he is playing, and that's that.  I just see this as a bad match up for the Packers.  Green Bay has had lots of trouble stopping the run and doesn't really play any kind of stingy defense, at all.  I don't see them being able to stop Murray for four quarters, and I think Romo will be able to carve that secondary up a little bit, as well.  They will be able to limit the time Rodgers and that offense sees the field.  I think they can make some key stops, and I see this being a great back and forth type of game.  This possibly could go either way, I just favor the Boys.

PREDICTED SCORE :  COWBOYS  30   PACKERS  27