Great sports anthems are a lot like great mascots: Corny enough to not take seriously, but enough substance to not be a total embarrassment. That perfect recipe makes the Sixers’ new/old anthem burst with that feel-good “Saturday morning cartoon happiness” that the 80s emulated. Can’t get enough of this song! Lots of credit to 76ers CEO and Co-Owner Adam Aron for this and many other great decisions to date.

Philadelphians are looking for anything to be excited about in the sports world, and the Sixers are giving it to us on a silver platter. Can they win the NBA title this year? Who cares? If they can go out there and give us some good basketball night in & night out without the egos and without that “me” guy that basketball has become plagued with, then I am more than happy to come out and support them. It’s the brand of basketball that I grew up on.

1-2-3-4-5-SIXERS!

10-9-8-76ers!

Video courtesy of YouTube’s Rascalvision
 
 

Sometimes believing you can do something great is more powerful than actually being great. I think that’s where we are with these Giants. Tony Robbins must have been hired to talk to them after they dropped that home game to the Redskins in Week 15. You talk about an across-the-board average team just strapping it on and playing like a Champion out of the blue – it’s more apparent with this Giants team than any team I can remember.

It seems to be an annoying formula for sports anymore. Survive the regular season just enough, turn it up at the end of the season, go into the playoffs hot, and win a Championship. It’s worked in baseball the last few years. Last year with the Packers. And the Giants have also gotten the breaks: eg, New Orleans getting ousted in the playoffs on a last minute drive by Joe Montana Alex Smith, thus avoiding a sure loss in the Thunderdome; now we’re looking at the most dominant tight end in the 2011 season – Gronkowski – being hobbled by a high ankle sprain. Talk about a huge break. Everything seems to be adding up for the Giants.

Give them credit. They got everything together at the right time. That D Line is nasty. Eli has really been lethal in clutch 4th quarter situations AND on 3rd downs. The WRs have been unstoppable. And Tom Coughlin has proven again to be a great coach. All the important pieces are working in unison.

What about the Patriots? They have won ten straight games including the playoffs. They haven’t lost since November 6th – a game at home against these very Giants (uh-oh). Here’s an interesting tidbit: after that loss the Patriots cut Albert Haynesworth. They haven’t lost since. The team that picked Fat Albert up? The Tampa Bay Bucs. How did they do once they snatched him up? They went 0-8. Let’s hope Haynesworth doesn’t show up to the Superbowl or we might see both teams lose. On second thought, get that man a ticket.

We have done fairly well with our playoff picks, with Voodoo, Mike, and CJ all going 7-3. Darren must be blinded by his regular season success, going an abysmal 3-7 so far.

2012 playoff results:
Voodoo: 7-3
Mike P: 7-3
CJ: 7-3
Darren D: 3-7

Here are our Superbowl predictions…

Voodoo Brown: This is a tough game to call, because although the Patriots have had impressive wins and they’ve scored at will this year, they really haven’t seemed too dominant this season. It comes down to their defense being GOD AWFUL, which will be a problem against the Giants. Look on the other side of the ball, the best case scenario for the Pats is that this Giants D line just never gets off. If they do get pressure on Brady, I think most people will agree the Giants will control this game.

Look at it like this:
• Pats have no running game.
• Pats won’t stop the Giants offense.
• Pats CAN light up the scoreboard with their passing game.
but…
• If the Giants DO stop the Pats passing game by pressuring Brady? Game over.
• If the Giants DON’T stop the Pats passing game and give up 30+? Well, the Giants are capable of keeping up with that pace.

I see too many signs pointing to a Giants win here. As an Eagles fan, it pains me to say, but I don’t see any other outcome than a Giants Superbowl victory for the reasons stated above. They will bring the Lombardi Trophy back to East Rutherford, New Jersey for the 2nd time in 5 years.

Giants 31, Patriots 27

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Darren DeGaetano: I keep hearing how this Superbowl will be yet another shootout. I don’t see it that way at all. Both of these teams are in this game, surprisingly, because of their defenses. New England’s defensive squad appears to be in the midst of the biggest one season turnaround in NFL history. The Giants’ defense has been stifling through it’s three post-season games. I think we’ll see a lot more of that this Sunday in Indianapolis. I do recognize, however, that a defensive game isn’t what one would expect from two quarterbacks that save their best for big games, have a full aresenal of weapons and less than desired running games. Take a look at the history of this matchup.

The Patriots have a solid revenge intangible on their side. It was only five years ago when David Tyree (how many times have you heard his name in the last two weeks?) became a football folk hero, helping NY lay that one Giant loss on the Patriots bid for 19-0 and football immortality. On top of that, the Giants went in to Foxboro in early November and upset New England again. In both games, Tom Brady struggled against a strong pass rush.

On Sunday, New England will get it’s revenge. Though Tom Coughlin has had Bill Belichick’s number, I expect the hoodie to have the game’s most improved defense ready to take away the deep passing game of the Giants. If New York can establish the run, they may prove my pick incorrect but I like New England’s defense to be the best unit on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium. Patriots win, the forgettable 2011 season ends and I can finally focus my attention on April’s draft.

Patriots 23, Giants 17

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CJ Sullivan: Everyone seems to assume that this years Giants are going to finish off the Super Bowl just like they did in 2007, and for good reason. Both teams were wildly inconsistent all season, got the rare moral victory against the best team in football, then rode a hot wave of luck to the title game. Tom Coughlin has figured out how to make a mockery of the game simply by benching his most important players (the defensive line) until the second half of the year when things matter. If the Giants do win this second super bowl I argue that it would be more annoying than the Patriots winning their 4th smug title. As hateable as New England is, at least they are a great team. The Giants are a painfully mediocre squad that have simply exposed a flaw in the system.

Eli Manning has his greatest season of his career, in a year where several quarterbacks put up record breaking stats. Meat heads think that if Eli wins this game he should be considered better than his brother Peyton because he will have one more ring than him. Jim Plunkett also has one more ring than Peyton. Even better, some media members want to say he is as good as Brady because he would have beat him twice. None of this is true of course – not that Eli is a terrible quarterback, he just isn’t as good as Brady.

Tom Brady is aware of these recent comparisons and knocks on his legacy. This Super Bowl, Brady will remind America that he is in fact Tom fawhkin Brady. The only celebrity that America gave a pass to when he left his actress girlfriend while she was pregnant to upgrade to a super model. A recent poll of American women showed that they would rather have an affair with Eli than Brady. This is because even in anonymous online poll, women don’t want to be humiliated into realizing the fact that Tom Brady will not sleep with them, but Eli might.

Patriots 27, Giants 20

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Mike Procopio: Having experienced my first Super Bowl atmosphere a few days ago, I sat there on the plane ride home asking myself… why didn’t I do this before? The city of Indianapolis shows Hoosier Hospitality from the second you get off the plane until the moment you head home. The entire city is showered with NFL logos, branding, and memorabilia was being sold at every corner store and street vendor. Media Day was amazing to say the least. The NFL really did it’s fans a great service opening it up to them this year. There really was nothing like it. Now to the game…

The Giants are confident and borderline cocky it seems this time around. This is a team that – yes – did beat the Patriots, but lost to Rex Grossman twice, Vince Young, and Tavaris Jackson. They almost got beat by Matt Moore as well. The Patriots are much more relaxed and “talkative” to the media than they have been in years past, which is a bit odd watching it from Patriot fan perspective. I don’t see Brady having two bad games in a row. I also don’t see the defense playing as well as they did against Baltimore and Denver. Eli is an elite quarterback in this league now. Like him or not, he is in that discussion after Brady and Brees. The biggest questions of the game is can the Giants offense keep up with the Patriots offense? Can the front seven of the Giants get to Brady? The fact the Giants and their obnoxious fan base (I thought Jets fans were bad) are so confident this is going to be a blowout and they will steamroll the Patriots is mind blowing. I like the Patriots here. There is too much going for them with this record setting offense, the death of Myra Kraft, and Brady playing with a chip on his shoulder.

Patriots 31, Giants 23

This is definitely an instant classic… to be played on those legendary highlight reels for years to come. LeBron James leapfrogs over John Lucas of the Chicago Bulls to finish the Dwyane Wade alley-oop. Sick.

Courtesy of YouTube’s nbavideosnow2

Sean Couturier with a little trickery at the NHL All Star Skils Competition on NBC

Corey Perry shows off his Lacrosse skills at the NHL All Star Skils Competition on NBC

Part of the journey of taking the Voodoo Site to the next level has always been video snippets and micro-blogs. Our real site launch in the summer of 2011 gave the public a simple blog roll… but we have much bigger plans in store. We are working feverishly on the back end to bring this vision together. But here is one baby-step. We have released a more segmented navigation for categories, with more features being released soon, we now have a home for all of our favorite videos.

Below is a song to commence the celebration. After all, the very first video post on a sports blog can not show favoritism toward any one sport. So in order to stay neutral, we are kicking off this site page with our eventual theme song: “Day Man,” from Always Sunny in Philadelphia…

As an Eagles fan, it’s been a hellish year for me and since I’m looking for someone to blame, I’ve decided to dig through the season’s events, in reverse, as I look to find the one sole reason the 2011 campaign has taken years off my life.

January, 2012  I have to watch the stinkin’ NY Giants appear to be on a mirror image run from 2007. Not that I despise the Giants. They are not the Dallas Cowboys. The Giants are somewhat likeable actually, though I’m not sure why Justin Tuck felt the need to be an a$$hole and call the Atlanta Falcons dirt bags a few weeks back. Atlanta certainly doesn’t have the reputation of being dirty. The only thing Atlanta is guilty of is having a head coach with rocks for brains. I also have some good friends who are Giants fans so, eh…good for them. It’s still tough, though. The team plays in my home state, resides an hour and a half up the turnpike, has had a great deal more success than the Iggles and possesses that one golden piece for which I have longed and longed and longed…a franchise quarterback.

And then there are the Patriots. Satan’s favorite team. Why do I despise them? Well, while I recognize the brilliance of Bill Belichick (and NFL Network’s “A Football Life” certainly put him in a different light), I can’t get past the lack of class he has shown other coaches and franchises in the past. And then there was Spygate when both the league and Belichick acknowledged his staff illegally video recorded other teams’ practices to gain an unethical edge. IT IS WIDELY BELIEVED, THE 2004 SUPERBOWL AGAINST THE EAGLES WAS ONE OF THESE UNETHICAL VICTORIES. I’m a big man and if you ask me on the street, I’ll tell you the Pats were the better team that day. But I can promise you the thought of them cheating and taking away a Superbowl from long waiting Philly fans is sitting at the bar in the back of my brain downing shots of Jack Daniels just waiting to be provoked. If that were proven, I’d consider taking a Molotov cocktail to Belichick’s boat which bares an eerie resemblance to Dexter Morgan’s “Slice of Life.” Coincidence?

December, 2011   I’m put out of my misery. The ’11 Philly football season ends as Mark Sanchez can’t beat Cherokee High School’s freshman team (trust me, coach Dolores and I are tight), let alone the Giants. Yes, another Giant reference as they escort the Birds to the golf course. What’s worse is the Eagles were able to win the last four games against less than strong opponents giving the delusional and naïve reason to believe they will be fine next year.

November, 2011   Usually the time when Andy Reid’s teams flip the switch, the Birds went 1-3 with their only win at the stack of CDs up the turnpike. Those losses included another fourth quarter collapse at home against Chicago, an ass whooping by New England and this season’s Joe Webb game…a loss at home to John Skelton and the Cardinals which made absolutely no sense except, I have to assume, not one player had any interest in playing Arizona.

October, 2011   My birthday month started off, well, not so happy. See what I did there? With a 20 point third quarter collapse to Alex Smith and the Niners at home and a slop-fest in turnovers and penalties at Buffalo, the Eagles were reeling early. The month finished strong with their most complete win of the year at home against Dallas and on the road at Washington. No one with a brain was convinced, though. This team was too inconsistent.

September, 2011   1-0, YAY! Superbowl! That early season sarcastic euphoria was quickly followed by back to back fourth quarter collapses at Atlanta and at home against the GMen. Only Nostradamus could’ve told you that would be the story of the season. All told, the 2011 Eagles would blow FIVE fourth quarter leads. Prior to 2011, it had never been done FOUR times in the modern era. I spent more sleepless Sunday nights this year than I could take.

July / August, 2011   The Eagles’ spending spree followed by a shortened, confusing training camp. Why did Andy cut it short? There was no off-season. No mini camps, no OTAs. This team that included an inordinate amount of new faces both player and coach hadn’t even gotten a copy of the playbook until late July! Shouldn’t they be spending MORE time practicing? The other perplexing (in hindsight) moments were supplied by fantasy football GM Howie Roseman, the man who makes the decisions while having virtually no football pedigree. You might say, well neither does Joe Banner? Banner is the President, not the GM. He does not make football decisions. He’s like a Hollywood film producer. With a movie, the producer’s role is to make sure he has the right people in place and the finances balanced. He lets the storytellers tell the story. As does Banner, contrary to what some might believe. It is Roseman that signed Vince Young to a four million dollar contract. It was Roseman that gave similar money to Steve Smith, despite having a spiraled crack up his tibia. It was Roseman who was convinced the one trick pony Jason Babin was worth twenty-eight friggin’ million dollars and it was Roseman who kept all of that money away from Desean Jackson. It was also Roseman’s decision to take a shot at the undersized Casey Matthews in the fourth round and to reach on Jaiqwan Jarrett in the second to fill positions of need. During this time, there was also the “Dream Team” moniker supplied by Vince Young. Thanks for that, Vinnie.

GM Howie Roseman has, for the most part, gone unscathed as the nightmare season winded down. Why? I can’t say I have an ounce of faith that the right players will be picked come April in the most important draft of the Andy Reid era. I’m putting the blame on his little, tiny shoulders. No, I’m not ignoring the inexperience of the defensive coordinator but Juan Castillo is too easy to blame. Reid is even easier. Roseman should have been replaced and how did Jeff Lurie not even, at least, consider talking to Bill Polian after his release from Indianapolis as VP / GM?

Now that I’ve cleared that mess up, here are Tyler Perry’s NFL Playoffs Notes & Musings…

I know you’re thinking, Tyler Perry?  Well, his name is on every show I would never, ever watch yet I have no idea who he is. Why not put his name on my column?

Tom Brady and Joe Montana are tied with 16 playoff victories, most in NFL history.

Californication is back on Showtime.  Always loved this show. Some of the story lines are completely egregious but the dynamic between Hank Moody (David Duchovny) and his daughter, Becca, is what brings me back each week. Like Rob Lowe’s character said in an episode last season, “it’s about a guy just trying to keep it together and failing miserably at it.” Can’t say I haven’t spent a few years of my life rowing that boat.

Which leads me to my second Rob Lowe point!  Yes, TWO ROB LOWE NOTES! I don’t care if Rob Lowe tweets that the country should go to Def-Con One because Al Qaeda is planning an attack on the Superbowl (by the way, if they gotta do it…this, um, would be the year), no news outlet should ever under any circumstance report it as news. No exceptions. As a friendly reminder, Rob Lowe tweeted this week that Peyton Manning would retire and the news outlets took it as gospel because he is friends with Colts coo-coo bird owner, Jim Irsay. It should be noted that both Peyton and his father, Archie, have denied Lowe’s breaking story.

The Patriots are now 7-1 in AFC title games, 4-0 at home.

Allow me a moment to discuss The Book of Eli or as my friend Alex calls him, “the real touched quarterback.  Not that fraud, Tebow.” It wasn’t long ago that Eli Manning was the most frightened quarterback in the NFL. (*see the Jags’ Blaine Gabbert if you’re too young to remember Eli’s formidable years.) The key was always to blitz him and he’d fold like a cheap tent. And he did. Over and over and over and over. I almost understand Tiki Barber’s criticism of him, though you can’t speak your mind like that to the media. Never in a million years did I think the toughness would develop yet, call a spade a spade, it has. He hangs in to the last moment and past! His third down efficiency is off the charts and the man saves his best for the fourth quarter. I’m thoroughly impressed with the quarterback he has become and I’m a guy who destroyed him for years. You can’t rattle Eli’s cage anymore, though he still has the ‘aw, shucks’ look on his face except now he has that look when good things happen, too. Hats off to you, Eli. You told us you were an elite quarterback and with a win in two weeks, you will certainly be a first ballot Hall of Famer.

Superbowl 46 is, as you know, a rematch of Superbowl 42.  Next week in Superbowl 46, there will be only 23 players combined for both squads that played in Superbowl 42.

Bet you didn’t know, Reebok is no longer the manufacturer of NFL jerseys!  Nike takes over that contract in April. I’ve seen stores recently selling off all their Reebok jerseys for $9.99 because of the change so if you’re looking to plunk down $60 to $300 for a new NFL jersey, wait a few months. I’ve seen some prototypes and not only did some of them look completely different, but fairly unattractive. Nike, however, says there won’t be drastic changes in the looks.

Brady and Bill Belichick are the first coach and quarterback combo to make five Superbowl appearances.

Victor Cruz turned in another insane performance…did you happen to hear all the “CRUUUZZZ” chants coming from the stands at Candlestick Park?

Nothing infuriates me more in football than when a defense completely collapses during the final minutes.  Like they’ve completely forgotten what they’d been doing for the previous 56 minutes. The end of the Saints – Niners divisional round game, while extremely entertaining, was an abomination. No surprise that Greg Williams, New Orleans’ defensive coordinator, was quietly given his walking papers afterwards.

Drew Brees finished the season with 6,404 yards passing, including the post-season.  It is the league’s all time highest yardage total for passing, including the playoffs.

I’m drafting all tight ends in my fantasy league next year.

The Ravens are now 6-0 all time against the Texans and Baltimore’s win over Houston was it’s first home playoff victory since 2000.

Baltimore’s John Harbaugh is the first head coach in NFL history to win a playoff game in each of his first four seasons.

Everyone made a big deal that Tim Tebow threw for 316 yards in the overtime victory over Pittsburgh because his favorite bible verse is John 3:16.  But did you know this? The guy who caught the last pass (80 yard TD in OT to win the game and set Tebow’s yardage at 316), Demaryius Thomas, was born on Christmas? By the way, the Messiah completed less than 50% of his passes in what most called his best performance to date.

Drew Brees’ 466 yards passing against Detroit in the Wildcard round is the most ever in regulation of the post-season by a quarterback.  Believe it or not, the side-arm of Bernie Kosar threw for the most ever in a playoff game with 489 for Cleveland in 1986 against the Jets. Bernie had the benefit of overtime, however.

The Wildcard round marked the first time in NFL history a team finished a post-season game after scoring only 2 points as that’s all the Falcons could muster against New York.  Maybe next year Atlanta’s offense could outscore it’s defense in the playoffs.

Atlanta hasn’t won a playoff game since Michael Vick was their quarterback.

In Tony Gonzalez’s illustrious 15 year career, he has never been on the winning side of a playoff game.  Gonzo is 0-5 for his lifetime.

And finally, in the words of Ferris Bueller, “life moves pretty fast.”  The wife and I welcomed our second daughter to the world on January 11th. Now with two daughters, I can fully expect to shell out a minimum of half a million dollars in college and weddings. Aint’ that a bitch.

And don’t forget, I’m officially a douchebag as you can now follow me on Twitter!  Why not?  ESPECIALLY during all NFL games!      @Darrendegaetano

Here we are, one set of games away from the Superbowl. What I love the most about Championship Weekend is looking at the possible plot-lines for each potential matchup. You see, as an Eagles fan, I have to get creative to make things entertaining on this particular NFL weekend. Kind of like the kid that gets sent into a timeout and has to pretend that a paper clip and a broken pencil are action figures, just trying to pass the time by for fear that he’ll go insane from boredom. It’s painful being an Eagles fan these days, especially after hearing moments ago the Saints signed Spagnuolo to be their D Coordinator. He was “the one that got away”, a true disciple of the late, great Jim Johnson that was supposed to come in and replace our offensive line coach, Juan Castillo as our D Coordinator. (puke). It was our one saving grace that would keep me interested in next season. Now, I almost feel like the Eagles are on strike until 2013. Oh well.

Back to the potential matchups:

Niners vs. Patriots: Not much of a history between these teams, but the subplot that will be beat to death will be of Tom Brady’s childhood hero Joe Montana… him feeling slighted that the Niners didn’t draft him… we’ll see “The Catch” played about 25 times per day… this matchup would also draw coast-to-coast interest.

Niners vs. Ravens: Obvious one here, the “Harbaugh Bowl”. Would be remarkable to have two brothers coach against each other in the Superbowl, but if you would’ve told me that 16-6 snoozer on Thursday November 24th was a Superbowl preview, I would’ve stopped watching football on November 25th. Please. God. No.

Patriots vs. Giants: Obvious implications here, Superbowl rematch from 2007 when the Giants turned the Patriots perfect season into a shattered dream. 18-1 was a tough pill to swallow for those Pats, and who wouldn’t love to see a fired up Tom Brady put up a 40-spot on the Giants in a revenge performance for the ages?

Ravens vs. Giants: This would be a rematch of the classic Superbowl XXXV featuring Trent Dilfer vs. Kerry Collins. Ray Lewis was actually the MVP but had recently murdered somebody, so Trent Dilfer got to say “I’m going to Disneyworld!” after going up 12/26 & 153 yards passing. I don’t feel like watching this one either.

2012 playoff results:
CJ: 6-2
Voodoo: 5-3
Mike P: 5-3
Darren D: 3-5

Here are our Championship Weekend predictions…

Voodoo Brown: This is a classic offense vs defense battle, but I don’t know how great this Baltimore D really is. Let’s point out the obvious, the Patriots WILL score their points when they have the ball. Question is, can Baltimore keep up AND keep the ball out of Brady’s hands? Ray Rice will have to be an absolute monster for the Ravens to have a chance. And they’ll need to force a couple of turnovers. I think it’ll be a close game, but with home field, Tommy Clutch, and much loftier goals, you can pretty much expect a guaranteed Patriots win.

New England 31, Baltimore 27

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Darren DeGaetano: The Baltimore Ravens are better than the New England Patriots at every position except two…quarterback and tight end. Maybe three if you throw in Gostkowski over Cundiff. Additionally, Joe Flacco and the Ravens have faced a top 10 defense 12 times in 2011 and the post-season. They are 10-2 in those games. If you look at this matchup’s history, Baltimore has been quite the thorn in Bill Belichick’s side. Speaking of Belichick’s sides…here’s a side note on Belichick…what the hell was he doing throwing from the no-huddle up 32 late in the third quarter of a playoff game last Saturday? Denver head coach John Fox should’ve ordered Brady’s knees to disappear. Back to this week’s game…I’m picking the Ravens here because I like the balanced attack they offer on both sides of the ball and despite Tom Brady saying every team New England plays week in and week out is the best team they’ve played all year, this week Baltimore is, in fact, the best team they’ve played all year. And harking back to New England’s season? As of today, they have not beaten a team with a winning record in 2011 or 2012, for that matter. Second half of the Harbaugh family gets the check!

Baltimore 29, New England 27

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CJ Sullivan: Nothing is better than when ESPN judges players for acting like them. Ed Reed barely criticized his QB, Joe Flacco this week during an interview when he said he was “rattled” by the Texans defense. Reed was slammed not for being accurate (he was) but for the timing of it. When would have been a better time to answer a direct question about Flacco’s performance? Summer? The Patriots defense is absolutely terrible, and people wrongly think they have improved because they stopped the Christ on a Cross T option game. Flacco is not as bad as people want him to be, and they have a good chance for the outright win.

Baltimore 28, New England 27

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Mike Procopio: Scared, petrified, nervous are just a few words that come to mind when I think of this weekends match up against the Ravens. Out of any AFC team these guys worry me the most. Pressure Brady and take the best tight end tandom this league has seen in recent memory off their routes, and you have the makings of an upset in Foxboro. However Brady proves once again why he is the best player in the league and the greatest quarterback of all time. Bring on the Giants for a SB rematch.

Also let it be known THIS GUY won the overall Office Pool Championship over the mighty Darren

New England 34, Baltimore 17

Voodoo Brown: I must say, I underestimated San Fran’s ability against New Orleans. They came out and played a physical game, took the ball away, and simply outmuscled them. At the end of the game, they made the plays, although Gregg Williams deserves to be tarred & feathered to blitz the Niners with 90 seconds left in the game. Complete idiot, he’ll fit in nicely with the Rams. But it was an impressive performance, give credit to the Niners, they really deserved that win. This week’s matchup will be a different kind of challenge. The Giants offense is no slouch, but their defense is suddenly playing lights out. That was not the case with the Saints. It will be too much of a challenge for this Niners offense, and with the way Eli is running this offense, look for the Giants to capitalize on the tough red zone opportunities, and the Niners to settle for field goals. Good for Akers’ record, bad for San Fran. Giants won’t get tripped up at this point after knocking off Green Bay. No way. Giants win another road playoff game.

New Jersey 24, San Francisco 19

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Darren DeGaetano: As the Giants appear to be on a similar run to 2007, I’m beginning to think there’s a team with slightly more destiny behind it. Jim Harbaugh’s 49ers have been, without question, the most focused team in 2011. New York comes in with a strong passing game, particularly on third down where Eli Manning has been nothing short of sensational. Is it better than the Saints’ passing attack? Of course not and a wounded Ahmad Bradshaw and seemingly cooked Brandon Jacobs don’t possess the running skills to keep a solid Niner defense on it’s heels. Alex Smith has gotten progressively more impressive as the season has unfolded with his own set of weapons to offset a rejunvenated Giants defense. First half of the Harbaugh family gets the check!

San Francisco 23, New York 20

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CJ Sullivan: I will continue to say the Niners are a fraud even after they win the Super Bowl, because I’m stubborn. I don’t care that Alex Smith led two miraculous touchdown drives last week in the final minutes to win one of the most exciting games ever played, I still think he’s dull and terrible. He has not thrown for 300 yards in a game once this year, which in today’s league is almost impossible. The Giants luck continues as they avoid the death trip to New Orleans because the Saints played defense with my stubbornness and refusal to believe Smith could complete a pass.

New York 24, San Francisco 20

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Mike Procopio: Eli Manning is having one of his best years as a pro. He played better against Green Bay than I have ever seen him in a playoff game. Even better than the 07 Super Bowl. I think the front seven of the Giants put pressure on Alex Smith and force him to make Alex Smith like mistakes. I’m going with the G Men here by a touchdown.

New Jersey 24, San Francisco 17

AP Photo/Jack Dempsey

 
We were on our game last week. 3 out of the 4 contributors picked Denver outright to beat the Steelers in the upset, and yours truly (Voodoo) actually predicted it would happen in OT. CJ was a perfect 4-0. What does this week have in store for us? These matchups all seem very predictable. In fact, all 4 of our contributors all have the same picks for this week: Saints, Pats, Ravens, Pack. Is it really that predictable… Or are we in store for some major upsets? Can Tebow slay the Pats? Are the Giants really as hot as they looked last week? Can the Niners slow down the Saints? Questions that will be answered over the next couple of days.

Here are our Wildcard Weekend results:
CJ: 4-0
Voodoo: 3-1
Mike P: 3-1
Darren D: 1-3

Here are our Divisional Weekend predictions…

Voodoo Brown: San Francisco has put together quite a season under soon-to-be Coach of the Year Jim Harbaugh. People talk about their stout defense, and while they are a good defensive team, they are hardly impenetrable. Their run D is impressive (they didn’t allow a rushing TD until Week 16), but guess what, New Orleans is a pass-first offense whose running game is essentially screen dumpoffs to Darren Sproles – huge mismatch for every opposing defense. Couple that with the fact that the Niners lack major firepower on offense, and you are looking at an awful matchup for them. There’s no bad weather to slow the Saints down, no bitter cold to stiffen them up. Unless San Fran soaks the field with hoses and makes it sloppy, New Orleans will cut right through them. Every offensive Saints player seems to be a mismatch, especially Jimmy Graham in the heart of the field. New Orleans wins this one easily.

New Orleans 34, San Francisco 20

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Darren DeGaetano: Top offense versus top defense. In past years, the adage went: Offense wins games, defense wins championships. Not so much this year. San Francisco may well have the best defensive player on the planet in MLB Patrick Willis. He IS that good. But in this case in a big game, New Orleans’ offense will be too much. Last week against Detroit, the Saints showed they can be well balanced as Darren Sproles, Pierre Thomas and Chris Ivory all ran the ball well. I think you may see the Saints run a little more than usual, especially early in the game. All that nice analysis is somewhat moot because Alex Smith is still the 49ers quarterback and I just can’t trust him yet in a playoff game.

New Orleans 27, San Francisco 20

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CJ Sullivan: The old guard desperately wants the Niners to win this game so they can hold on to their outdated beliefs of defense winning championships. The 3 best teams (GB, NE, NO) have seemed to have gone out of their way this year to not a give a shit about defense. It makes our elders as irate as casual Friday. The Niners are improved and have an excellent defense. Boring.

New Orleans 31, San Francisco 20

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Mike Procopio: The Niners had some time to get healthy and also gave Alex Smith two weeks to “think about it.” Anytime Alex Smith has time to think about it, it isn’t a good thing for anyone involved. The defense causes as many turnovers as anyone in the league and has a gentleman who was named as an All Pro in two different positions! However, Drew Brees and the most potent offense I’ve seen since 2007 in New England is coming to town. This Saints team lost games to the Rams and Bucs this season on the road. Both of those teams fired their coaches last week. Being an underdog at home in the playoffs is never a good thing. Having the second coming of the Greatest Show on Turf in town is an even worse thing. I’ll take the Saints here.

New Orleans 27, San Francisco 10

Voodoo Brown: If you are a Tebow hater, I really need to question why. How can you not love this guy? He’s slow, can’t throw, looks like he’s in the midst of a Gladiator battle when he plays, and he still pulls off these Hollywood script wins. To top it off, he is a genuinely nice guy – almost to the point of being comical. For instance, when Brian Urlacher insulted Tebow’s QB legitimacy and called him “a good runningback”, Saint Tim politely responded “Coming from a really good player, that means a lot.” Friggin amazing, Tim. Keep the soundbytes coming. Unfortunately I think the Tebow show ends this week. Pats are at home, and I don’t see Denver keeping up with Brady & Co. The only chance the Broncos have is if Elvis Dumervil can get tons of pressure on Brady and keep him rattled all day. Even then, not sure Denver can keep up. Gotta go with the rested Pats at home.

New England 38, Denver 24

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Darren DeGaetano: Everyone says this game is going to shatter Nielson ratings and it just might. The country has been polarized by the man they call Tebow prompting people, such as myself, to slam Tom Brady with the satan moniker. These two teams squared off about a month ago and after Denver hung with the Patriots for about a quarter, the league’s true dark prince, Bill Belichick, decided he had enough of the Messiah. The hooded devil is licking his chops and the Patriots will roll again. All that said, I’m certainly pulling for the Broncos. What amazes me is how many people are threatened by Tebow’s success. Why does it bother you? Yeah, I’m talkin’ to YOU!! Don’t we all yearn for real good guys in sports to succeed? Why not him? My only question is why do teams make it so difficult on themselves to defend him? Michael Vick has more speed, agility and double the arm strength, yet most teams don’t seem to have a problem beating him. Divine intervention, I suppose.

New England 37, Denver 17

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CJ Sullivan: Tim Tebow should have another solid game against what is a hilarious Patriot defense, but the problem will be Tom Brady. Denver’s pass defense is surprisingly just as bad as New England’s and that is not good when facing a qb that actually can throw an over handed forward pass.

New England 48, Denver 17

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Mike Procopio: Brady versus Tebow Part II. McDaniels comes back to New England after his “eff you” moment a few years back in Denver, to coach against two guys he drafted in Tebow and Thomas. Primetime game on a Saturday Night that will probably shatter all divisional playoff ratings, it doesn’t get any better than this. The Patriots will expose the Broncos defense once again and force Tebow to beat them. They have the youth on defense (if you wanna call it that) to hang with the Broncos as the Steelers showed their age late in the game on Sunday. The Patriots earn a birth to the AFC Title game with a 38-17 beating of Tebow and the Broncos.

New England 38, Denver 17

Voodoo Brown: Imagine if Houston never left and they were still the Oilers, and the Ravens stayed in Cleveland and were still the Browns. This would be a classic Oilers/Browns “baby blue vs brown & orange” matchup, and I’d be glued to my TV. Instead, I need to watch Ray Lewis and T-Sizzle bark like dogs and that Baltimore meat & potatoes offense go to work, led by the most boring QB in the game. The only thing slightly appealing about this game is the Ray Rice vs Arian Foster matchup. But I think it’s going to be way more Rice than Foster. Baltimore wins this very lame game easily, and Houston will think about the “what if”s.

Baltimore 27, Houston 13

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Darren DeGaetano: Despite a strong running game, Houston quarterback T.J. Yates is going to see a much stronger pass rush this week. The Texans defense is going to see a more balanced attack than they did last week against Cincinnati who played, essentially, without an ability to run the ball. Ray Rice should open things up just enough for Joe Flacco and the Ravens will win a run heavy matchup.

Baltimore 20, Houston 17

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CJ Sullivan: The Houston Texans have given everything their fans wanted this year. After starting off the season on fire, they suffered numerous injuries that threatened their run. The Texans rallied, however, and key reserves stepped up to give their fans their first ever playoff win at home. Now the fans want their team to come home before they do anything stupid like get embarrassed in a Super Bowl. Texans oblige.

Baltimore 27, Houston 3

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Mike Procopio: This will as “smash-mouth, game won in the trenches” as you can get on Sunday. Neither team has a quarterback that you can trust. Both teams also have a top 5 NFL running back to pound the rock. I do think the inexperience in Houston will show, perhaps with a turnover two early that they just can’t come back from. Don’t be surprised to see the Ravens special teams make a big play as well on Sunday. I’m going with the Ravens in this one.

Baltimore 24, Houston 13

Voodoo Brown: I’m not sure if the Giants were that “lights out” impressive last week, or if Atlanta just has no heart. They never showed up. With the Giants, it’s amazing to me how many times Coughlin is on the hot seat one week, then after a big win he’s serving up quotes that the press latches onto like he’s Vince Lombardi. Absolutely mind-boggling how much of a see-saw the NY media is. And I thought Philly was bad. I’m glad that their D Coordinator saved his job with that one stellar performance last week, giving the Eagles a chance to sign Spagnuolo. Now if Andy would just come home from vacation to make the deal official, I’d rest much easier. Because this week, Aaron Rodgers & Co are going to hang 40+ on them… and we can’t have any heads roll in New Jersey after this game.

Green Bay 41, New Jersey 31

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Darren DeGaetano: I expect Eli Manning to play very well in this game. I expect Aaron Rodgers to play a lot better. Thanks to the emergence of Victor Cruz, the Giants now have a legitimate top flight passing attack. Last week, their ground game simply outmuscled Atlanta’s defense. On Sunday, I expect the Giants offense to play even better. Only problem is, their defense isn’t playing the Falcons’ terrible offensive line this time. Rodgers will have plenty of time to pick apart New York’s secondary.

Green Bay 33, New York 24

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CJ Sullivan: Everyone wants to compare this years Giant team with the 2007 version, because of the similar finishes to the seasons. The difference is that the 2007 Giants upset Jeff Garcia, Tony Romo, and Brett Favre on the road to their improbable playoff run. Aaron Rodgers will not be floating up daddy ghost balls in Lambeau this Sunday.

Green Bay 44, New York 24

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Mike Procopio: The pass rush, the receivers, the quarterback, and coaching staff is all in sync right now in New Jersey. These components are the perfect recipe for an upset win in Green Bay. Aaron Rodgers will not have played in meaningful football game in over three weeks, Greg Jennings will have to put some trust in that limp knee he is hobbling around with, and the worst defense statistically in the NFL has to match up with Nicks, Manningham, and Victor Cruz. All of these are reasons why the Giants could pull an upset in Lambeau on Sunday. I still don’t see it happening. The Packers have too much fire power and enough playmakers on defense to bend and not break when it counts. I’ll take the Pack by 10 – 31-21 to head to the NFC Championship game.

Green Bay 31, New Jersey 21
 

Over the past decade, I have had a personal interest in almost every NFL playoff season. Why? The Eagles. My wonderful, never-break-your-heart Philadelphia friggin Eagles… always making noise and qualifying for “The Tournament” as Bill Parcells likes to call it (sidenote: ESPN dropped about 3 Parcellisms during their playoff preview tonight before the first commercial break. Needs to stop). Part of me is thankful that they missed the playoffs this year so I can enjoy the next month as a football fan instead of kidding myself that this team could get through New Orleans or Green Bay… because quite honestly, they would have no shot whatsoever. Maybe next year, but not this year. Too many holes. But I’m glad they finished strong at 8-8 and locked up a brutal schedule next year. Awe-summmm. Anyway, this year’s set of teams is very intriguing, and it’s oddly relieving that I can enjoy it without the impending sense of heartbreak.

Every week of this year’s playoffs, the Voodoo team – Voodoo Brown, Darren DeGaetano, CJ Sullivan, and Mike Procopio – is going to weigh in on each matchup. Whether you’re a fan of these teams or a fan of football, you can never get enough analysis. Here are our Wildcard Weekend predictions…

Voodoo Brown: These two coaches have done tremendous jobs getting their teams into this position, but I’m really impressed with the job Kubiak has done. Houston lost their best pass rusher, best WR for a majority of the season, starting & 2nd string QB for the year, their best RB for a good portion of the season, and they still won their division (yes their division is terrible, but still). If it wasn’t for Harbaugh in San Fran, Kubiak might win the Coach of the Year with what they’ve been dealt. I think this team has been through too much adversity to be tripped up by the Bengals, who by the way have only had 2 wins this year against teams .500 or better: Arizona (8-8) and Tennessee (9-7). I’m going with Houston.

Houston 27, Cincy 13

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Darren DeGaetano: Houston sputtered in to the playoffs, down to their third string quarterback. Here’s hoping the Texans return the favor and sit any Bengals family members way up in the nosebleeds. (The Bengals put T.J. Yates’ family in the nosebleeds seats during their completely undersold game earlier in the year.) Bengals QB Andy Dalton has played well and Cincy’s defense will be too much for the young Yates.

Cincy 20, Houston 17

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CJ Sullivan: Both of these teams backed their way in at the end of the season. The difference is that the Texans actually planned their route. Houston’s crowd will be ready for their first playoff game in franchise history and the Texans will roll.

Houston 27, Cincy 9

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Mike Procopio: The smart money here is on the Bengals. However, I think the Texans defense causes Andy Dalton to make a mistake at a crucial time. Whether it be a late interception or a strip sack, the Texans find a way to win this. Arian Foster and Ben Tate both have huge games and Mr. Yates does just enough not to lose the game. I’ll take the Texans.

Houston 23, Cincy 17

Voodoo Brown: When the Saints play in the Superdome at night on prime time, it is simply hard core football porn. There isn’t one team out there, not even the Green Bay Packers, that can stop them. They would hang with them, but they wouldn’t be able to stop them. It’s an absolute onslaught of black, gold, and voodoo madness in that dome. It’s a real shame that the Lions have to play their first playoff game in over a decade in Nawlins. I think the Lions will hang though, they are a relentless pass-first team with a gunslinger of their own. We’re in store for an exciting game full of highlights & big plays. But the Saints have too much firepower and are smarting from last year’s early exit in Seattle. Going with the Saints here.

New Orleans 48, Detroit 37

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Darren DeGaetano: This game will be closer than most people think. The Lions have the firepower to keep the game close and they should cover the number. The Saints’ defense has weaknesses in the secondary and I expect a high scoring game.

New Orleans 37, Detroit 34

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CJ Sullivan: I’m not sure how many consecutive night games the Saints have played at home, but it seems like a lot. Is the Superdome not available before 6pm? Does Harry Connick Jr. have the next 4 months of matinees rented out? Either way, the Saints are slaughtering anyone who enters there.

New Orleans 49, Detroit 27

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Mike Procopio: Drew Brees is having a fantastic year. It is an MVP calibur year if you think about it. He also threw more than any other quarterback in the league basically and ran up the score on plenty of teams when the game was in hand. Refer back to Tom Brady in 2007, so no gripes there. This team is poised to win it all, and I think they do. This Detroit team is not the same one who the Saints beat up on in the Superdome a month or so ago. However, the I think Saints win here, and win big.

New Orleans 38, Detroit 17

Voodoo Brown: I’m almost hoping the Giants win this week so the Eagles have another week to talk Spagnuolo in to coming to Philly to be their D Coordinator. If the Giants lose, then they might snatch up their old Superbowl DC hero in order to make an upgrade. I think that the Falcons WILL expose this awful Giants D, but Eli will sling it as well against that average Falcons D. Should be an exciting game with two QBs that play extremely well in the final minutes, expect some last minute drama in this one.

Atlanta 34, New York 31

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Darren DeGaetano: Both teams have played well down the stretch but I think the Falcons are more rounded offensively. Expect a nice balance of Michael Turner runs and Matty Ryan tosses. The Falcons WR duo of Roddy White and the rookie Julio Jones will be the difference.

Atlanta 34, New York 24

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CJ Sullivan: I have no idea if these 2 clubs are the hottest teams going into the playoffs or complete frauds. Probably a little bit of both, but at least the Giants have been here before.
 

New York 24, Atlanta 17

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Mike Procopio: Matt Ryan needs to win a playoff game to be considered an elite quarterback. We’ve heard this song and dance for a while now. I think the key to this game is Michael Turner. If they can establish the run things will open up for Julio Jones, Roddy White, and the ageless Tony Gonzalez across the middle. BTW, his wife may be the hottest athlete wife I’ve ever stumbled upon. My lord what a smokeshow. The big question here is can the offense line slow down the express train which consists of Tuck, JPP, and Osi? I’m taking the Falcons.

Atlanta 34, New York 27

Voodoo Brown: Berger is limping. Isaac Redman is Pitt’s RB (not much of a downgrade, actually). How healthy is Polamalu? Ryan Clark can’t play in Denver’s altitude. So many obstacles coming together at once. And then you bring in the mystique of Denver, and Tebow, and these improbable wins. This feels like an upset brewing. In all actuality, the Steelers are too dinged up to make a serious Superbowl run this year. So they will lose at some point in the playoffs. So why not this week? Tebow’s MO during their hot streak of 6 wins was to play 3 terrible quarters of unwatchable football, then turn in a spectacular 4th quarter that took their opponents by surprise. Well, the Tebow works in mysterious ways, and I think I know his new trick. Play 3 GAMES of unwatchable football, then turn in ONE spectacular game that will knock the reigning AFC Champs out of the playoffs. That would make the season a success for the home crowd. My brain says Pitt wins, my gut says Denver for the reasons listed above, PLUS they are a 8.5 point home dog!

Denver 20, Pittsburgh 17… in Overtime. Why not?

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Darren DeGaetano: The Steelers will be without RB Rashard Mendenhall, safety Ryan Clark and QB Ben Roethlisberger’s ankle has not recovered and taken away his best quality, escapability. Couple that with a strong Denver pass rush and I think the Broncos could actually keep this game close. I expect it to be tight and unwatchable.

Pittsburgh 13, Denver 6

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CJ Sullivan: This game is the classic 1st round upset that happens every year. A terrible division winner that limps into hosting a playoff game by default to a former champion that is riding in on name only. It is an exact replica of Seattle versus new Orleans of last year, minus the Jesus frenzy.

Denver 22, Pittsburgh 17

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Mike Procopio: A beat up Big Ben, Mendenhall starting nine months of rehab, Ryan Clark having a serious blood issue when it comes to altitude, and the Tebowmaniacs going bonkers in Denver may be just enough for the Broncos to beat the Steelers. I’ll pound the under all day on this game. Field position and special teams are going to be very important in this affair, and I’m going with the Broncos here.

Denver 17, Pittsburgh 13