Pre-draft NFL rankings

There have been some movements by teams prior to the draft, mostly free agent signings but some trades and retirements.  A friend of mine and I put together a ranking of where the teams are (were) before the draft starts (started).  We ranked each team from 1 to 32 and added the rankings together.  The teams that had the same resulting number we have ranked at the same level, for now.  This post will almost surely be updated or followed shortly.

1. Denver

1. Seattle

1. San Francisco

4. Houston

4. Atlanta

6. New England

7. Green Bay

8. Baltimore

9. Bengals

10. Washington

11. Indianapolis

12. New Orleans

13. Tampa Bay

13. New York Giants

15. Chicago

16. Minnesota

17. Detroit

18. St. Louis

19. Dallas

20. Miami

21. Philadelphia

22. Carolina

23. Kansas City

24. Pittsburgh

25. Arizona

26. Buffalo

27. San Diego

28.  Cleveland

29. Tennessee

30. Oakland

31. Jacksonville

32. New York Jets

Super Bowl XLVII Preview

Much is being made of the fact that two men who occupied the same womb at different times are competing against in each other in the grand finale of the National Football League season.  This has never happened before and will only serve to increase the ratings on the already highest rated television event annually.  Also helping to increase the rating will be a highly entertaining and hard fought contest.  Let’s take a brief look at how each team got to the championship contest and what may happen on Sunday February 3rd.

San Francisco 49ers 1st NFC West (11-4-1) #2 Seed

The 49ers played very well throughout the season and were competitive in all but one of the games they lost.  The team went through a major facelift after Alex Smith suffered a concussion during the tie with St. Louis in Week 10.  Colin Kaepernick got a shot at quarterback and torched the vaunted Chicago Bears defense which earned him the starting role for the rest of the season.  He has done more than enough to lead his team to the final game and has made coach Jim Harbaugh look a genius.  Their defense took a big hit when Justin Smith was sideline with a partially torn triceps, but he will play against the Ravens.  Even at less than 100% his experience and level of play will help the entire defense.

Baltimore Ravens 1st AFC North (10-6-0) #4 Seed

The Ravens made it through some ugly games this season on the right side of the score and because of this earned 1st place in their division and one of the playoff spots in the American Football Conference.  These games were almost always ugly due to their offensive play.  Joe Flacco is wildly inconsistent and former offensive coordinator Cam Cameron was not utilizing Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce as frequently as he maybe should have.  After Cameron’s firing before week fifteen former Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell was handed the offensive coordinator position which included play-calling duties.  The offense has been much more run-heavy since and the offense has been running much more smoothly.

Super Bowl 47 is going to be a game that people remember for a long time.  Two of the top five defenses in the league are competing against each other and both sides offenses have been performing at an extremely high level recently.  I think we will see a lot of both running backs and some huge plays in the pass game, both offensively and defensively.  I would also be surprised if Kaepernick does not run for at least 50 yards.  I think despite the fact both teams have crushing defenses this will be a high scoring affair and predict a 37-33 finish.

Zero Dark Thirty

The build-up for this particular movie was intense.  The theatrical version of the epic saga that ultimately ended in the assassination of public enemy number one is a screenplay any patriotic American should see.  I do not want to reveal any secrets of the film, give any spoilers away per se.  What I will say is that the acting was incredible, even Pete from “The League” performed greatly (although it was extremely hard to take him seriously).  If action is what you are looking for you may be disappointed but if you can “settle” for a historically accurate account of the most widely publicized manhunt in the history of the United States of America.

This is not a typical action film, not an action film at all really, but it is a fascinating account.  I would recommend this film to any person who is old enough to understand the story.

NFL Conference Championship Round

San Francisco 49ers @ Atlanta Falcons

Colin Kaepernick is playing just as well as some expected but above the expectations of most.  Maybe the people who doubted him should just talk to the Vikings, who he showed flashes of brilliance against in the preseason and Minnesota was fortunate enough to not have to play during the regular season.  The Niners defense has been playing at their utmost potential and they are primed to go where they would have gone last year had it not been for some inopportune Kyle Williams fumbles.

Matt Ryan finally has the playoff monkey off his back, and this is where it stops.  Michael Turner is churning like he has yet to this season and Ryan showed the side that gave him his nickname “Matty Ice” by driving them down the field in the waning seconds of the game in order to set up a Matt Bryant field goal attempt that went through the uprights propelling them into this week’s Conference Championship match-up.  To be honest I think the Seahawks would have given the 49ers a better game.  Final score prediction: 33-23 49ers over Falcons.

Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots

As the whole NFL-world knows Ray Lewis has claimed he is retiring at the end of this season.  Cue stories such as this billboard.  Apparently not only are Patriots fans extremely confident, they are malicious.  Baltimore has had their ups and downs, some really low downs.  Ray Rice is one of the most dependable running backs playing today and Joe Flacco has been improving his accuracy on his down-field tosses to his top three receivers Anquan Boldin, Torrey Smith and Jacoby Jones.    The defense has been playing just well enough to take them this far.

Tom Brady is in familiar territory, the AFC Championship game.  Tom Brady is technically 5-1 in AFC Championship games, although Drew Bledsoe did take over for him and ensure Brady a chance at his first Superbowl victory.  Nonetheless Tom has a great record in AFC Championship games, and also fares pretty well against Baltimore.  He is 4-1 and his only loss has come during the playoffs.  That is not exactly a ringing endorsement for New England, but even with the loss of Rob Gronkowski (again) they simply have too many weapons for Baltimore to stop.  They have a stable of running backs that any team should be jealous of.  I predict a close victory for the Pats, 24-20.

2013 NFL Playoffs Divisional Round

Baltimore Ravens @ Denver Broncos

I am writing this from my phone because at the moment I do not have a computer. 
The only chance Baltimore has of winning is if they hand the ball of to Ray Rice far more times than Joe Flacco gets to throw it.  They have a great defense but any defense can be made to look mediocre by Peyton Manning. 

I think Denver wins this one by a lot mostly due to Peyton Manning but also the help of his young receivers and Denver’s new starting running back Knowshon Moreno.  Final score prediction of 34-13. 

Green Bay Packers @ San Francisco 49ers

Green Bay had the benefit of playing an easier schedule to make it into the playoffs and now they’ll be truly tested by a team they lost to the first week of the season. 

What will decide this game is the health of Green Bay’s receivers and how well San Francisco’s defense does covering them.  Although I do not like the Packers I think they will win this game in a close one.  Final score of 27-24. 

Seattle Seahawks @ Atlanta Falcons

The Russell Wilson show goes on tour to Atlanta in the battle of the birds on Sunday.  He and Marshawn Lynch should be able to run roughshod over a defense that has struggled at times this season with lesser offenses than what Seattle is operating at. 

Atlanta might have a better offensive attack than Seattle, but the Seahawks have been crushing on defense at times.  I think Seattle will win this game with a score of 20-17. 

Houston Texans @ New England Patriots
Not much to say here, we saw how the last meeting between these teams went and not much has changed since.  If Houston does a better job of confusing Tom Brady this time the game may be closer.

My call, Patriots over Texans 31-20.

NFL Wildcard Round Predictions

Cincinnati Bengals @ Houston Texans

The Bengals have had somewhat of a rocky season.  They’ve looked like a team that will be contending for the Superbowl in the AFC in some games, but have also looked as if they should probably be picking in the top half of the draft against lesser competition.  As many other teams have dealt with injuries or for other reasons taken steps back in toward the end of the season they have been flourishing.

The Houston Texans have looked amazing against horrible teams.  They have played some decent teams close and have been trounced against some of the top competition.  They are one of the teams that have been fading down the stretch, winning close games against much lesser competition and losing most games against solid opponents.

This rematch of last year’s playoff opener should be a good game to watch.  I feel that Cincinnati’s strong defensive line will be able to help neutralize the pass game while the rest of the team does enough to help the Bengals overtake the Texans.  I feel as if the game will be much closer than the score, but will be 27-13 in the Bengals favor.

Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay Packers

Minnesota has been surprising teams and football fans all season long.  They played well enough and beat the right teams to earn their first berth in the playoffs since Brett Favre’s last full season.

The Packers have dealt with a plethora of injuries this season and have come out as champions of the NFC North.  Due to their loss to the Vikings in Week 17 of the regular season (and a play that will forever stand in infamy as the “Intertoucheption”) they have been relegated to the #3 seed in their respective conference and must play in the wildcard round.

This game is going to be a hard hitting match between bitter rivals.  Green Bay would seem to have the edge being that they are at home, but the weather is expected to be below freezing and that usually lends the edge to the team with the better run game.  This advantage clearly goes to Minnesota.  That being said, I do not think the Packers will lose to the Vikings twice in two weeks, Packers on top 31-20.

Indianapolis Colts @ Baltimore Ravens

Clearly the best turn around in the league this season, the Andrew Luck led Colts are a team that will continue to get better.  The lack of a powerful running game definitely hurt them this season, but the poise and precision of Luck has helped the team overcome this disadvantage.

The Ravens are recently one of the most disappointing teams in the entire NFL.  They have a horrible habit of playing well in the regular season (or at least well enough to make the playoffs) and then faltering against teams it seems they should have a great chance of defeating.  This is one of the teams that has been faltering down the stretch.

The Colts defense is not very good, Ray Rice should have a monster game.  If Joe Flacco is at all accurate this could turn into a blowout.  Andrew Luck will make some plays, along with Reggie Wayne, but the Ravens should topple the Colts.  I am going to say it is a high-scoring and close game with a final score of 37-31.

Seattle Seahawks @ Washington Redskins

I think many would agree with me when I say that Seattle has been a surprise team this season.  Russell Wilson has been phenomenal when it comes to rookie quarterback standards and Marshawn Lynch is quietly continuing his run as one of the most effective running backs in the league.  The real story has been the defense, which has played incredible all season and will be at full strength now that Brandon Browner is back from a PED suspension.

The Redskins have their own stud rookie quarterback and a surprise 6th round stud running back in Alfred Morris.  The addition of Pierre Garcon in the offseason was a stroke of genius, making their wide receiver corps arguably as solid as any left in the playoffs.  Even better news for this team is because of the threat of their run game many times their receivers create separation with ease.

The biggest issue in this game will be the battle between Seattle’s DBs and Washington’s WRs.  If they can bottle up the pass catchers as well as they have most of the season they should coast to a win.  In my opinion, they are not completely shut out but Seattle earns the win in a close game.  Final score of 24-20.

Week 14 NFL Picks

Once again my work load at school is taking a larger toll on my time than normal.  Also the washer at my house as bit the dust, so I need to head to a laundromat soon.  Because of this I will just say that I got only 9 straight up picks right and 7 against the spread, and I am moving down in the ESPN rankings.