2012 NFL Week 15 'BIG UPS' 12-17-12

Bryant gets major props for playing with a broken finger.

Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys.
The Dallas Cowboys (8-6) came from behind in the 4th quarter to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-7) 27-24 in overtime, and create a three-way tie for first place in the NFC East.  Dallas has won three in a row, five out of the last six, and controls its own playoff destiny.  Wide receiver Dez Bryant did his part to keep the postseason hopes alive finishing with four receptions for 59 yards and 1 TD while playing with a broken left index finger.
Seattle Seahawks.
For the second straight week, the Seattle Seahawks (9-5) put a 50-spot on the board (58-0 vs. Arizona Cardinals the previous week) after drumming the Buffalo Bills (5-9) 50-17.  Rookie quarterback Russell Wilson rushed for 3 TDs and running back Marshawn Lynch collected his 8th 100-yard rushing game of the season (10 carries, 113 yards, 1 TD) and is averaging 11.5 yards per carry in his last two outings.

Von Miller leads the 2012 version of the Orange Crush.

Denver Broncos Defense.
The Denver Broncos (11-3) go on the road and earn their 9th straight win, 34-17 over the Baltimore Ravens (9-5), who have dropped three straight.  The defense came up with the key play, as defensive back Chris Harris broke the game open with a 98-yard pick-6 late in the second quarter that put the Broncos up 17-0 right before halftime.

LaMichael James & Michael Crabtree, San Francisco 49ers.
The San Francisco 49ers (10-3-1) blew a 28-point 2nd half lead to the New England Patriots (10-4) but came up with big plays late in the 4th quarter to squeeze out a 41-34 victory.  After New England tied the game 31-31 on 28 unanswered points with under seven minutes to go in the 4th quarter, rookie running back LaMichael James returned the ensuing kickoff 62 yards, setting up a 38-yard TD jaunt by wide receiver Michael Crabtree who broke free after an intermediate pass from quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

BIGGEST UP
Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings.

Not even 8-man fronts have denied A.D. from getting his.

Peterson made his case for league Comeback Player of the Year and Most Valuable Player even stronger Sunday as he busted up the St. Louis Rams for 212 yards and 1 TD, including his second 82-yard touchdown romp of the season.  A.D. has 1,812 yards rushing on the season including 1,313 in the last eight games, which is the most rushing yards in NFL history during an eight game span. With two games left in the season, Peterson is on pace to become only the seventh player in NFL history to eclipse the 2,000 yard mark and is in striking distance of Eric Dickerson's single-season NFL record 2,105 yards.  All this coming after Peterson blew out his knee less than 12 months ago.

2012 NFL Week 2 'BIG UPS' 9-18-12

Week 2 NFL in the books.  What stood out the most to me were the upsets, close calls, and bad calls by the replacement officials.  RGIII is taking the league by storm and I'm happy because I'll gladly take the networks talking about him all the time over Tim Tebow.  No amount of words can really describe that Patriots/Cardinals game, but you could probably judge it by the amount of New Englanders who are just now waking up from alcohol induced comas.  Best thing that came out of B-More vs. Philly was Jacoby Jones crankin' the CHOPPA CITY JUKE and in OHIO, Trent Richardson for the Browns breaking out the #BEASTMODE on the Bengals. . . enough of that though, time to give props, Week 2 NFL BIG UPS.

Spiller + open field=GOODBYE.

C.J. Spiller, Buffalo Bills. All those Bills fans that were on the Fred Jackson-Top 5-running back-in-the-NFL-bandwagon better circle around 'cause one Clifford Spiller, Jr. is running roughshod on the league right now and if you blink you might miss him. The third year speed burner out of Clemson has come out the gates with some astonishing stat lines. Spiller racked up 123 yards and 2 TDs on 15 carries against the Kansas City Chiefs this week. Add in 14-169-1 in Week 1 vs. the New York Jets and Spiller is averaging 10.1 yards per carry.

Philadelphia Eagles Defense.  You can't turn the ball over nine times in your first two games and expect to win both of them.  A short field puts the defense in a bad spot because they generally lead to quick and easy scoring drives.  Hasn't happened to the Philly D so far this year.  Granted, they just barely edged the Cleveland Browns in Week 1, and forced rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden into 4 INTs, and definitely benefitted from a poor offensive pass interference call on a would-be Joe Flacco to Jacoby Jones touchdown pass against the Baltimore Ravens.  But when you look at the team record, it says two in the wins, zero in the losses.  Just what you need the D to do until Mike Vick and the O can get that machine rolling, because we all now the talent is there on that side of the ball. 

Danny Amendola, St. Louis Rams.  I remember this kid coming out of the now world famous little guy receiver factory that is Texas Tech and trying to make the Dallas Cowboys on HBO's Hard Knocks.  From the practice squad to one of the Rams most versatile threats to score, Amendola is very deserving of a BIG UP.  His 12 first-half catches against the Washington Redskins on Sunday tied the NFL record for most catches in an opening half.  Amendola finished the game with 15 catches, 160 yards, and 1 TD.

Reggie Bush, Miami Dolphins.  He's never gonna be a feature back in the league, they said.  He can't carry the ball more than 20 times a game, they said.  The longer Bush keeps at this pace, the more they say becomes irrelevant.  Bush, coming off his first career 1,000 yard rushing season in 2011, looks prime to honor his prediction of eclipsing 2K this season.  Wishful thinking on the young man's part but if he has games similar to the 26 carry, 172 yards and 2 TDs performance against the Oakland Raiders then the numbers start to pile up.
 

BIGGEST UP
Eli Manning, New York Giants.

Best 4th quarter QB of all-time?

He doesn't always start fast, but Manning has now become legendary for his play in comeback/game-on-the-line situations. Three interceptions in the first half, the Giants trailing 24-13 to the Tampa Bay Buccaners at the half while the home fans boo their Super Bowl winning quarterback off the field, finishes the game with a career-high 510 pass yards, including 234 of those in the fourth quarter, 3 TDs, including a bomb to Victor Cruz that went for an 80-yard TD, and a comeback 41-34 win to avoid the dreaded 0-2 start. Yeah, sounds just like a prototypical Eli game.

'Big Ups . . .'

Houston Texans quarterback T.J. Yates >>> 4th quarter comebacks in first two starts of career #tebowing
Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray >>> broken ankle last week ended season early but put up big numbers and proved his doubters wrong #boomersooner

Feed the beast . . . footballs; not Skittles.

Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch >>> tearing up NFL defenses right now and will be getting big time paid very soon #BEAST_MODE
Indiana University basketball coach Tom Crean >>> hoops team back on the rise after knocking off No. 1 Kentucky, Assembly Hall is jumpin' again #HOOSIERS
ESPN 30 for 30 >>> Chris Herren 'Unguarded' and Todd Marinovich 'The Marinovich Project' documentaries are the latest installments in a great series taking viewers behind the scenes of unique athletes and sports phenomena #realsh*t

Footing the Bill

Wes Welker high-stepping to the end zone.

AFC Divisional Playoffs
New York Jets at New England Patriots
Sunday, January 16th, 2011 - Gilette Stadium, Foxborough, MA

It's funny with all the trash-talk going on between the Jets and the Pats this week that there hasn't been much talk about how New York will rebound from a 45-3 baptismal at the hands of the Patriots in Week 13.  If I was a Jet I wouldn't want to talk about it either.  New York coach Rex Ryan can say that the matchup is between him and New England coach Bill Belichik, and it is, because Ryan will need to throw some new wrinkles in the game plan this time around, because, obviously, nothing they did last time really worked.  On defense, New York cornerback Darrelle Revis did a bang up job last week against the Indianapolis Colts, holding Pro Bowl receiver Reggie Wayne to only one catch for one yard.  But Revis, Antonio Cromartie, and the rest of the Jets secondary will have their hands full with the Pats very diverse passing game, which has been sparked by rookie tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.  Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will have to keep his feet in the pocket as Ryan and the Jet D will probably send pressure at him similar to that of the first matchup between the two teams this season, a 28-14 Jets win in Week 2. On offense, the Jets will still try to pound it out on the ground with healthy doses of running backs LaDanian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene, and rely on timely passes from quarterback Mark Sanchez (who wasn't extremely accurate in the Wildcard playoffs, but made big plays in the 4th quarter).

Pick:  Patriots, 27-20
Key to game for Jets:  Take the ball out of Brady's hands by running the ball on offense and controlling the clock.  Send exotic blitz packages to confuse Brady and force him to throw before he wants to.
Key to game for Patriots:  No 3-and-outs on offense.  The longer the New England defense is on the field, the better it plays into the hands of the Jets' gameplan.

NFC Divisional Playoffs
Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons
Saturday, January 15th, 2011 - Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA

Packers must slow the powerful Turner.

Aaron Rodgers took the first step in replacing legendary Packer quarterback Brett Favre last week on the road in Philly by recording his 1st career playoff win as the starter.  Rodgers will lead Green Bay (11-6) on the road again this week in the ATL and face a team that has a quarterback who is starting to build is own legend.  In just his third year in the league, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan has been a juggernaut when playing in Atlanta, going 20-2 as starter in the Georgia Dome.  About half of those wins have been in dramatic fashion, including a 20-17 win over the Pack in Week 12 that was sealed with a Matt Bryant 47-yard field goal with 9 seconds left.  The Falcons (13-3) were aware of the implications that game had in playoff picture as league-leading receiver Roddy White said, "I have no plans of going to Lambeau Field in January, I plan on staying right here and sleeping in my own bed in the playoffs."  White and the Falcons did what they had to do to get home-field throughout but Rodgers and the Green Bay offense comes in more confident now with the emergence of fullback John Kuhn and running back James Starks, who started the year on the practice squad but had 123 yards rushing in the 21-16 win over the Eagles in the Wildcard playoffs last weekend.

Pick:  Packers, 27-24
Key to game for Falcons:  Don't let the Packers receivers get behind you.  Rodgers will kill you with the vertical ball, especially with guys like Greg Jennings, James Jones, Donald Driver on the receiving end.
Key to game for Packers:  Slow down Falcons running back Michael Turner.  The Green Bay D allowed Turner to rush for 110 yards and a touchdown in the Week 12 matchup.

AFC Divisional Playoffs
Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers
Saturday, January 15th, 2011 - Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA

Flacco must know where #43 is on every play.

The annual "black and blue" game between these two no nonsense defenses is certainly poised to be another brutal affair.  The Ravens defense was dominant on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Wildcard playoffs, blanking the Chiefs for the final three quarters of the game for a 30-7 win.  They will have to repeat that performance once again on the road, this time against a familiar foe.  On offense in the divisional playoffs, Baltimore (13-4) featured tight end Todd Heap (mostly on crossing routes) to the tune of 10 catches, a franchise record for the post season.  Heap was injured on the first offensive play against the Steelers (12-4) in the Week 13 matchup, a 13-10 Pittsburgh triumph, where the Ravens led most of the game but had the win stripped away by a blitzing Troy Polamalu and a shifty Ben Roethlisberger.  I expect Heap to be the difference maker in this one, just as long as the Baltimore O-line can keep quarterback Joe Flacco upright long enough to deliver the football.

Pick:  Ravens, 20-16
Key to game for Steelers:  Same as every matchup with Baltimore, keep Flacco guessing where the blitz is coming from.
Key to game for Ravens:  When Roethlisberger is to be had, bring him down.  Big Ben is the best in the league at making something out of nothing.

NFC Divisional Playoffs
Seattle Seahawks at Chicago Bears
Sunday, January 16th, 2011 - Solider Field, Chicago, IL

Beast Mode part 2 will be less likely against the Bears D.

Marshawn Lynch's "beast mode" was enough to take the Seahawks (8-9) and put them over that edge last week against the New Orleans Saints, and they are gonna need another beast-like performance to tame the Bears in Chi-Town on Sunday.  Seattle coach Pete Carroll and his team seemed to thrive on the underdog role against the defending champs in the Wildcard playoffs, and the fans at Qwest Field definitely were "The 12th Man" in that game.  Now we can see if they can turn those feelings of disrespect into a hostile environment at Soldier Field.  Yes, the Seahawks have already beaten the Bears (11-5) on that field this season, 23-20, but that was in Week 6 (October 17th).  That being said, it will be interesting to see how Jay Cutler and the Chicago offense responds to the bye week.  The Bear D will have added pressure to perform at a high level, especially if Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck has it rolling like he did against the Saints (272 yards passing, 4 TDs).

Pick:  Seahawks, 21-16
Key to game for Bears:  Score when in the redzone . . . touchdowns.
Key to game for Seahawks:  Stop Matt Forte out of the backfield.  Force Jay Cutler to make plays in 3rd-and-long situations.