Seattle Seahawks

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My predictions for Saturday’s Divisional round games

Here are my predictions for the second round of the playoffs.

The Seahawks defeated the Falcons 26-24 earlier this year.

SEATTLE (3) VS ATLANTA (2)

Matt Ryan and the Falcons boost one of the top offenses in NFL history (scored the eighth-most points in a season) and I don’t think that they will stop. Ryan and Julio Jones have been tremendous all year. The running game with Tevin Coleman and Devonta Freeman has given the Falcons a great balance. But going up against the Seahawks defense will be tough. If the pressure gets to Ryan early, it could be a tough game for them.

The Seahawks beat the Falcons earlier this season at home. But now they are on the road, which has not been one of the team’s strongest suits this year. Russell Wilson is still playing well but there are times poor playcalling and bad execution can lead to some short drives. Thomas Rawls was huge last week for the Seahawks and in order for the Seahawks to win, he has to step up and do it again. Seattle can’t afford to make this a one-dimension attack. They can carve up the Atlanta secondary, but they need to balance the attack to have a chance.

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My predictions for Saturday’s Wild Card round games

It’s time for the playoffs once again! Here are my quick predictions on today’s games.

The Texans are stuck with Brock Osweiler.

OAKLAND (5) VS HOUSTON (4)

This is going to be awful. The Houston Texans are not that good of a team but they make the playoffs because their division is awful. The Oakland Raiders on the other hand have played some really improved football but are without Derek Carr and has looked terrible since his injury.

Houston has to turn to Brock Osweiler, who has been the starter for most of the year. He is very inconsistent and the running game for the Texans is suspect. There isn’t much about this team that can get the team hyped. DeAndre Hopkins had a down year and part of it is due to inconsistent offensive play. Rookie Will Fuller is unpredictable (even when healthy) and tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz seems to be the only offensive weapon the Texans are using well. Without J.J. Watt, defensively the Texans are still suspect in what they can do

Oakland on the other hand has Defensive Player of the Year candidate Khalil Mack running a defense that is decent but still isn’t top level just yet. The biggest concern, however, is how Connor Cook can run the offense with such limited experience as a rookie. The running game needs to be their biggest weapon to help set the tone for the Raiders offense. If the Texans can get pressure on the Raiders’ strong offensive line, then Cook is going to have a long day with Clowney in his face.

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My predictions for Sunday’s Divisional round games

Here are my predictions for the second round of the playoffs.

The Panthers shocked a struggling Seattle team during the regular season.

SEATTLE (6) VS CAROLINA (1)

This game could come down to the wire. In their regular season meeting, the Panthers stormed back late and shocked the Seahawks — who at the time was in a mid-season funk. The two teams are playing real well right now and could possibly produce an instant classic.

Russell Wilson has played like a second-half MVP and the passing game, especially with Doug Baldwin has looked fantastic. This is a Seahawks team without Jimmy Graham and with Marshawn Lynch banged up. Yet the offense is playing well enough while the defense remains strong.

That will be a challenge as Cam Newton is such a dangerous quarterback and has made his “lack of quality receivers” into dangerous threats. Devin Funchess and Ted Ginn will be key in helping spread the field as Greg Olsen remains as the focal point of the passing game. Look out for Jonathan Stewart to be the tone-setter.

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My predictions for Sunday’s Wild Card round games

It’s time for the playoffs once again! Here are my quick predictions on today’s games.

Seahawks have won the last three meetings against the Vikings.

SEATTLE (6) VS MINNESOTA(3)

The Seattle Seahawks are one team to be on the lookout for as we begin the playoffs. Russell Wilson has looked impressive in the second half of the season after looking average to begin the year. The entire team has looked a lot better and the emergence of Doug Baldwin has given the offense a big push. Another great sign for the Seahawks is Marshawn Lynch’s return. We don’t know how much he will get to play but he will have a big impact on the game no doubt.

Teddy Bridgewater needs to be on his A-game to give the Vikings a chance. That offensive line will have to be supber in protecting him and giving rushing leader Adrian Peterson any chance at getting the offense going. The Vikings’ defense, especially the secondary. will have to be the X-factor in this game and they are hoping possibly that the weather might help them out in some capacity.

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The NFL couldn’t really fine Marshawn Lynch anyway

Yeah.

Marshawn Lynch stayed for the required minimum for his Super Bowl media appearances. The NFL can’t fine him for that.

Lynch may not have answered the questions thoughtfully, but the NFL can’t control how he talks. No fine there.

The interesting topic was whether or not the cap Lynch wore would warrant a fine. But it was made by New Era, a sponsor with the NFL. The product got so much publicity for New Era, it would be hypocritical for them or the NFL to fine Lynch for the exposure. Even the team color thing was too much.

What Lynch did was the bare minimum. He doesn’t care about going all out. He’s the modern day “Office Space” hero and he does what’s just enough. If the NFL wants him to do more, then they have to set the rules that way. Other than that, they are stuck with their own rules and can’t make an exception out of anyone. Lynch cares not about your flair.

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Super Bowl XLIX may have been the greatest Super Bowl ever

The pick that ended it all.

For years I have been claiming that Super Bowl XXXII was the greatest Super Bowl of all time. It had all the elements to a great storyline. Aging legend John Elway fighting for his last chance to win the big game. The Packers were trying to win their second straight Super Bowl. Terrell Davis, with a migraine, was the MVP. Helicopter dive. Down to the wire ending. The game was the greatest Super Bowl game ever.

Today, I think Super Bowl XLIX takes the top spot.

The game I just witnessed also had a great storyline. With the Deflategate scandal still in people’s minds, we have Tom Brady and Bill Belichick chasing history. We have an amazing defense trying to repeat as champions for their team. Both teams were evenly matched and this was expected to be a great game. The comeback win, especially the ending, will have people talking for years.

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My predictions for Super Bowl Sunday

Who’s going to be mad at the end of the game?

The Super Bowl is here and it’s time for those predictions. It’s going to be a good matchup and this will come down to the playcalling from two very smart head coaches. This is what a perfect Super Bowl matchup is all about.

Here are some things I look forward to in this game.

  1. The first focus of the game will be Marshawn Lynch. How will the Patriots be able to contain him? I think Marshawn could go for over 100 yards.
  2. On the other side, the Patriots running game will rely on LeGarrette Blount and Shane Vereen. Both aren’t feature backs but could they both be a strong two-headed monster to help the Patriots?
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The Patriots end zone looks off-balanced for the Super Bowl

The end zones are ready for the Super Bowl. Both teams’ end zones are navy blue as it matches their team color scheme. I wish they would have gone with gray for Seattle and red for New England, but this was expected.

For Seattle, they have the team logo on one side and the conference logo on the other. For the Patriots, that is not the case. They don’t have their team logo because the team wordmark already features the logo. So in the area where the logo is supposed to be, it is left blank.

Patriots rarely used alternate logo.

It feels odd. It feels off-balanced. I don’t know what the solution would be. Could the Patriots have gone with the wordmark without the logo? They could have. But even if they couldn’t, what other option would there be? Doubling up the Flying Elvis logo would be too much. Maybe an alternate logo? The only other alternate logo the Patriots have is this, and that logo is rarely used.

So we have an all navy Super Bowl with an end zone that is off-balanced. What are you going to do?

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Marshawn Lynch’s Super Bowl Media Day bonanza was pretty sweet

I work in the media and I know the frustrations of when athletes don’t answer questions well and it makes my job harder. However, I never complain to the athlete that I don’t like how they answered me. I know it’s an obligation to meet with the media but I can’t force or control how an athlete answers a question.

Of course, it’s not fair that the athlete is making my job harder. But also, the athlete’s priorities are not talking to the media. So Marshawn Lynch’s carefree attitude towards the media was exactly what I expected. He doesn’t care and there is really nothing the media can do about it. And the league can’t really fine him for it. Unless there is something in his contract that requires to answer questions a certain way, then they have no real grounds to punish him.

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My predictions for today’s championship games in the NFL

Who’s going to the Super Bowl? Check out my predictions below.

Can Andrew Luck handle the big game pressure?

INDIANAPOLIS (4) VS NEW ENGLAND (1)

I don’t want to take away the credit that the Colts deserve for making it this far, but I don’t know if they are good enough to beat the Patriots. They were fortunate enough to play against a Broncos team without a healthy Peyton Manning. That gave the Colts a great opportunity to beat the seemingly weaker team. Against the Patriots, I don’t think they can overtake that kind of experienced attack.

Tom Brady has been playing phenomenal and it appears that the Patriots are clicking on all cylinders right now. Rob Gronkowski is still playing very effectively and that might be the recipe the Pats dial up. On the defensive side, the secondary for New England might have their hands full with Luck and the passing game. However, their front seven should have no problem slowing down the Colts’ nearly non-existent running game. Even though the Patriots have Adam Vinatieri, they should not try to settle for field goals. They need all the touchdowns they can get.

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