HarleyQuinn

Eight points is a blowout? Is this what being a Patriots fan does to people? All of the wins were by a minimum of 10 points IIRC. Would the terminology of a 30 point win be more to your liking? That doesn't happen often in the playoffs given the quality of the teams competing (usually). Here are the biggest point differentials of all the playoff games in the past 10 seasons... Only one of them was a Championship Game. 4 Seasons saw a high of less than 30 points with 2 other seasons barely surpassing 30 points. 2005: 25 points (Patriots over Jaguars) Wildcard Game 2004: 30 points (Falcons over Rams) Divisional Game 2003: 31 points (Colts over Broncos) Wild Card Game 2002: 41 points (Jets over Colts) Wild Card Game 2001: 28 points (Rams over Packers) Divisional Game 2000: 41 points (Giants over Vikings) NFC Championship Game 1999: 55 points (Jaguars over Dolphins) Divisional Game 1998: 35 points (Broncos over Dolphins) Divisional Game 1997: 25 points (Broncos over Jaguars) Wildcard Game 1996: 28 points (Steelers over Colts) Wildcard Game Here are the number of games decided by 2 TDs (14 points) or less... 2005: 6 2004: 7 2003: 9 2002: 3 2001: 7 2000: 5 1999: 7 1998: 7 1997: 9 1996: 6 The fact is that given the quality of competition, especially in the Championship/Super Bowl games, it's more likely than not that the winner will not blow out his opponent. Even then, 4 of the 5 games I mentioned were won by at least 2 TDs. Only one, was a win by 10 points... not exactly the bare minimum of 8. Since my terminology was clearly ludicrous in your opinion, what exactly should constitute a blowout given the fact that winning by at least 2 TDs apparently isn't enough?

They busted out the paper bag clips on either the CBS or ESPN pre-game show. Had my parents laughing anyway.

Hula Bowl Standouts QB Will Proctor - Kind of surprised me, showing solid mobility, and good decision making. Led his side to the game winning drive and the winning 2 point conversion pass. QB Jared Zabransky - Displayed good scrambling ability, including a 15 yard run, as well as solid arm strength to throw the 40-45 yard bomb. DE C.J. Ah You - Had an outstanding game. Had a sack and followed that up by nearly blocking a punt on special teams, which will improve his stock to the scouts. DE Mel Purcell - Had a good game, including several plays getting to the QB, and a half sack. CB Willie Gaston - Seemed to be around the ball a lot in coverage, and did well covering his assigned WRs including a couple nice deflections of passes in the end zone. WR Chris McFoy - Seemed to be a favored target by Zabransky and had several catches, including a few key ones towards the end of the game. The passing game started taking preference in the 2nd half so the RBs were used sparingly although Reggie Meriweather came up big on the last drive with a few key catch and runs. RB/FB Nate IIao also did well, scoring a TD off a catch in the 1st quarter and displaying nice power. Could be a 5th/6th round pick if the scouts liked his ability enough. RB Arkee Whitlock and RB Justise Hairston also did well for the I-AA RBs although, again, the running game wasn't featured all that much so their ability to impress was somewhat limited. Hairston had a good catch and run though, showing he can be a possible tool in the flat. QB Paul Thompson was also working out as a WR and had a couple catches, using his frame well to catch a sideline out in one catch.

My predictions... New Orleans over Chicago 27-14 in a surprise blowout. Grossman makes too many mistakes and the Saints playcalling is too tough for the Bears to contain (They gave up 24 to the Seahawks!) New England over Indianapolis 23-20 off a final drive by the Patriots after a key interception by Asante Samuel. Gostkowski splits the uprights on a 44 yard attempt as Phil Simms once again lets the viewers know that the Patriots released Vinatieri and evidently he's the only kicker who could make clutch field goals in the NFL.

It's funny because the Patriots rarely get remembered when they blow opponents out but get remembered for the close victories instead. They have had a fair mix of blowouts however when it comes to the "big" games (AFC Title, Super Bowl) they seem to scrape by. Note: My terminology of 'blowout' is any game where the Patriots don't have to pray that the opposing team can tie/beat them on their final drive. So, namely by more than 1 TD. In 12 postseason wins, they've only won by 10 or more points in 5 of those games. 2003: Win by 10 over the Colts in the AFC Championship 2004: Win by 17 over the Colts in the Divisional Win by 14 over the Steelers in the AFC Championship 2005: Win by 25 over the Jaguars in the Wild Card 2006: Win by 21 over the Jets in the Wild Card

So he's upset the Patriots celebrated on the field with 3 seconds left? If the Chargers won, wouldn't they have been celebrating too?

Troy Brown is the official "Mr. Everything"... Offense, Defense, and Special Teams as a return man.

Was it just me or did the announcers (Phil Simms and the other guy) seem rather biased towards wanting to see the Chargers win? I loved that whole, "Ladainian having a heated exchange on the Patriots celebrating on his home field" at the end as he's running away, as if it justifies his actions.

The Hula Bowl is tonight at 8:30 ET on ESPN. Here are the players of note to watch for... Aina - QB Justin Zwick (The backup behind Troy Smith) - RB Justise Hairston (Led I-AA Football in rushing this season) - RB Arkee Whitlock (I-AA RB Stud at Southern Illinois) - WR Laurent Robinson (I-AA very good production at Illinois State) - MLB Tim Shaw - DT Jay Alford - DE C.J. Ah You - DE Jay Richardson Kai - QB Jared Zabransky - QB John Stocco (Could follow in the line of Jim Sorgi and Brooks Bollinger as backup mainstays) - RB Curtis Brown - WR Vincent Marshall - CB Willie Gaston (I'm particularly high on him and curious to see how he performs) - RB Nate IIoa (Bowling ball out of Hawaii. Speed with a FB build) - RB Dwayne Wright (Entered as a Junior. Should have something to prove) - MLB Thaddeus Washington - DE Mel Purcell

Wow...didn't know WR Ryne Robinson had 7 Returns for TDs with 5 called back on penalties in his career. Could be a good 4th/5th round steal if he falls that far for his return skills. The North/South All-Star game is currently on ESPN2. South leads 17-7 at the half although it's cool to see some of these small school players from Georgetown and such.

Here are the "All-Star" games for Draft Prospects. If you watch any of them, feel free to put your thoughts on players here to give the rest of us some idea of how they may transition to the NFL or what round to expect them to be drafted in. 1/13/2007 CFB North-South All-Star Classic 12:00 PM ESPN2HD 1/14/2007 CFB Hula Bowl - Honolulu 8:30 PM ESPNHD 1/20/2007 CFB East-West Shrine Game 7:00 PM ESPN2HD 1/27/2007 CFB Senior Bowl - Mobile 4:00 PM NFL Network

Also, given his injury history if I were AP, I'd be concerned about returning and suddenly getting another injury that could be season ending. Doing so could really plummet his draft stock next year whereas this year, it's strongly believed he'll be a Top 10 pick at least, Top 15 if injuries really scare some teams off. I'm curious to see where Darius Walker winds up, as he's been compared to Kevin Faulk quite a bit, which I can definitely see. He also kind of reminds me a little of Lamont Jordan in Oakland too. I could see him landing somewhere in the late 3rd, early 4th round depending on how his Combine numbers are.

This WR class is deep and sick with talent... My current Top 10 1: Calvin Johnson 2: Sidney Rice 3: Dwayne Jarrett 4: Robert Meachem 5: Dwayne Bowe 6: Jeff Samardzija 7: Craig Davis 8: Aundrae Allison 9: Johnnie Lee Higgins 10: Andre Caldwell Also a lot of sleepers too including: Jason Hill (Washington State), Steve Smith (USC), Dallas Baker (Florida), Steve Breaston (Michigan), Rhema McKnight (Notre Dame), and David Clowney (Virginia Tech). I'd love to see the Patriots nab a guy like Johnnie Lee Higgins or Steve Smith with their second pick in the 1st round to give depth behind Chad Jackson, Reche Caldwell, and Jabar Gaffney. Given Belichick's love for Florida and Fresno State, I could see a guy like Andre Caldwell or Paul Williams being selected as well at WR.

So Boise State finishes undefeated AND beats a very good Oklahoma team but gets slotted 6th and 5th behind two teams with 2 losses on their resume? No wonder I don't care about these ranking systems...

I think Belichick will be smart and find a way to not only limit LT (he limited the Bills offense in SB 25 and the Rams offense incl. Faulk in SB 36) but he'll have Bruschy/Vrabel manned up on Gates the whole game, limiting his presence. The Patriots O-Line is underrated and underestimated, IMO. They'll do well to limit the pass rush and Brady/Belichick will have the design formatted to get rid of the ball quickly on three step drops to beat the blitzes/pass rush. Dillon and Maroney can both wear down a defense as well, and can be kept fresh while the other does their work on the field. My score: Patriots 27, Chargers 20.

Damn Congrats Danville... at least I bounce back from that woeful 6-9-1 finish in Year 1 with a playoff bound comeback in Year 4.

Oo at Danville... Same score the Jets, nearly the same for the Eagles/Giants game, and the exact same for the Chiefs/Colts. Get outta my head!

Vick - 52.6% completion rate, 20 TD, 13 INT Young - 51.5%, 12 TD, 13 INT. I hear most people saying that Vince is ahead of Vick already, and he "knows" how to play QB. They're wrong. And it's not even close. Young is still a liability in the passing game at this point of his career. I know there's other intangibles involved (Vick being a punk bitch, Young being a "winner" [of a handful of meaningless games, where Travis Henry turned back into a Pro Bowl back...]), but it's still blatant hypocrisy. Mostly, my issue is with Young getting the nod over Colston and Drew. Wouldn't a more accurate barometer be to compare their their first full seasons (esp. since Vick is in his 6th season)? Anyway, Vick clearly was a much better passer and runner than Vince Young was at that stage in time. Interesting to see how closely Young resembled McNair though. Vince Young: 184 of 356 (51.7%) for 2,199 yards (6.2 YPA) with 12 TD, 13 INT. Also had 82 carries for 553 yards (6.7 YPC) for 7 TD. Michael Vick: 231 of 421 (54.9%) for 2,936 yards (7.0 YPA) with 16 TD, 8 INT. Also had 113 carries for 777 yards (6.9 YPC) for 8 TD. Steve McNair: 216 of 415 (52.0%) for 2,665 yards (6.4 YPA) with 14 TD, 13 INT. Also had 101 carries for 674 yards (6.7 YPC) for 8 TD.

Junior TE Greg Olsen has declared for the 2007 NFL Draft, according to his agent Drew Rosenhaus, and should be the first TE taken. Any teams in desparate need of a TE?

New England Patriots Home Buffalo, Miami, N.Y. Jets, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Washington, San Diego Away Buffalo, Miami, N.Y. Jets, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Dallas, N.Y. Giants, Indianapolis A really tough schedule for the Patriots. Home games against what will be a better Jets team, a much improved (IMO) Steelers team, Philly prob. with McNabb back, and LT's Chargers. Away games against Baltimore, Cincinnati, Indy, and Dallas won't be easy matchups either. The AFC East matchups with an improving Buffalo/Miami will also be the usual tough fights.

Some other draft notes... Florida State LB Lawrence Timmons (6'3", 230 lbs.) has declared for the NFL Draft. UNLV CB Eric Wright (5'11", 190 lbs.) has declared for the NFL Draft. Kentucky QB Andre Woodson has declared he will return for his Senior year.

Here's an updated NFL Draft Order #1: Oakland Raiders #2: Detroit Lions #3: Cleveland Browns (pending TB) #4: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (pending TB) #5: Arizona Cardinals #6: Washington Redskins #7: Minnesota Vikings #8: Houston Texans #9: Miami Dolphins #10: Atlanta Falcons #11: San Francisco 49ers #12: Buffalo Bills #13: St. Louis Rams #14: Carolina Panthers #15: Pittsburgh Steelers #16: Green Bay Packers #17: Jacksonville Jaguars #18: Cincinnati Bengals #19: Tennessee Titans #20: #21: Denver Broncos #22: #23: #24: #25: #26: #27: #28: #29: #30: #31: #32:

Jim Mora axed! http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-f...p&type=lgns

A post over at the Footballguys forum said that Javon Walker may have also been in the car and that Williams supposedly hung out with some... not so good people. Here's an article linking to the Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_4931937

Whoo....followed the ride of the real Eagles right into the playoffs! Also interesting to see how close the records are in both the AFC/NFC from the #3 seed on down.