HARU'S NFL FREE Playoff Pool!

[Haruhifan]

Greetings!  This year I bring to this forum my annual online playoff pool for those who follow the National Football League.  In the New Year once playoff matchups are figured out after Sunday, December 28th, I will start the pool.

RULES:

*You pick a winner for any amount of games posted for the week.  You'll be rated on two categories: the number of total wins you got and your winning percentage (wins divided by games chosen).  This way there are two overall winners, and you can choose to play every game to get the Wins Leader title, OR if you want to just choose your choice games you can win the Winning Percentage Leader.

*You can choose games UP TO THE FIRST GAMETIME OF THAT WEEK.  So if it's Saturday at 1PM EST, I will close picks then.  Once that week is done I will post the next matchup and the next gametime will be the next deadline.  Games run up to the Super Bowl, so you can pick any and all games, including the Super Bowl.

*I will also include picks done on my Protego and Yahoo 360 blogs in the comments section, again by the set time each week as said above.

So look out starting Monday for the playoff matchups to pick.  Simply reply with your picks, feel free to add comments on why and good luck!  It's as simple as that and FREE.  Your prize is bragging rights so have fun!

[Haruhifan]

HERE ARE YOUR MATCHUPS AND GAME TIMES! http://www.tsn.ca/nfl/feature/?id=1091 and http://www.nfl.com/

DEADLINE FOR WEEK ONE IS SATURDAY JANUARY 3rd at 4:30PM EASTERN TIME IN NORTH AMERICA/1:30PM PACIFIC or use this time converter http://www.worldtimeserver.com/convert_time_in_EC.aspx All times below are Eastern Standard Times.

GAME 1: Saturday, 4:30PM, NFC Bracket - #5 Atlanta Falcons at #4 Arizona Cardinals
GAME 2: Saturday, 8:00PM, AFC Bracket - #5 Indianapolis Colts at #4 San Diego Chargers
GAME 3: Sunday Jan.4, 1:00PM, AFC Bracket - #6 Baltimore Ravens at #3 Miami Dolphins
GAME 4: Sunday, 4:30PM, NFC Bracket - #6 Philadelphia Eagles at #3 Minnesota Vikings

BYE WEEK for AFC #1 Tennessee, AFC #2 Pittsburgh, NFC #1 New York Giants, and NFC #2 Carolina

I will close the picks by the set deadline with my OWN so once you see mine up, PICKS ARE DONE FOR THAT WEEK.

[andone]

Looking foward to this Haru. I'll post my picks tomorrow and to help others who may be intrested I've done a little playoff preview to add to the thread.

Andy previews the 2008/9 NFL playoffs

Hey everyone .To help my good friend Haru for his NFL play offs pool I thought I'd do a littlr preview and anlyasis of each team in the play offs to help with your picks.

NFC

1 Seed -New York Giants
Strengths-Running Game,Strong QB
Possible Weakness Question of if the passing game can carry them if the running game goes wrong
Andy says The Giants can possibly be favourties to return to the super bowl.A win over Carolina in a thriller few weeks ago showed they have the guts to battle things out.Home advantage is a big factor to.

2 Seed Carolina Panthers
Strengths Running game
Possible Weakness . Can they win away if they makr the NFC title match.
Andy says Carolina have possibly the most dangerous running game of all the playoff teams.The questions of can they grind out wins will have to be answered.

3 Seed Minnesota Vikings
Strength Running Game
Possible Weakness QB
Andy says The Vikings barely squeezed into the playoffs and with QB issues may struggle to go all the way.Relying on the next big thing of running backs could be to much.

4 Seed Arizona Cardinals
Strength Passing game
Possible Weakness Poor recent form
Andy says Arizona come into the play offs after a horror run of form after clinching their playoff spot . Weather they can recover now will be the question.

5 Seed Atlanta Falcons Wild Card 1
Strength Running game
Possible Weakness lack of playoff experince.
Andy says One of the fairy tales of this season .The Falcons are the dark house of the NFC .Can they win back to back to back away from home may be the issue.

6 Seed Philadelphia Eagles Wild Card 2
Strength Defence,Experinced QB
Possible Weakness Lack of a big back
Andy says Dispite having tied a game the Eagles made it through to the playoffs .Their experinced but unpredictable so if the Eagles that crushed the Cowboys turn up they should go far otherwise dispointment is in the stars.

AFC   
 
1 Seed Tennesse Titains
Strength Running Game ,Consistent QB
Possible Weakness Injures to key defensive players
Andy says The Titains were the best team in the NFL most of the reguler seasopn.Their well coached and prepared.and will be favoured to go throw at least to the tile game

2 Seed Pitsburgh Steelers
Strength Defense
Possible Weakness Offensive line can disaper,QB may not be 100%
Andy says The Steelers come in with a few questions.Injuries to some key players could hurt them in the long haul but don't count them out.

3 Seed Miami Dolphins (YAY)
Strength Consistent QB,Lack of turn overs
Possible Weakness Lack of playoff experince
Andy says.The other fairytale of the season.The Doplphins have momentum winning 8 of the last 9 and if the belief generated continues don't count them out.

4 Seed San Diego Chargers
Strength QB
Weakness Injuries
Andy says. Having been come back from no where to make the playoffs the Chargers could have high hopes.With players looking to prove something they could be the spoilers in the playoffs.

5 Indianpolis Colts Wild Card 1
Strength Super Manning at QB
Weakness Lack of run game
Andy says The colts are the team you wou;dn't want to play in the playoffs right now.Having started badly they have the strogest momentum of all.To beat them you must stop posibly the leagues MVP no easy task.

6 Balitmore Raven's Wild Card 2
Strength Defense running game.
Possible Weakness Lack of experince at QB
Andy says. Defense win's champoinships and the Raven's possibly have the best. However if their offense can't produce do they have enough to get the points their defense can hold over.

Hope this helps 

[andone]

Here are my picks for the pool.

Game 1
Cardinals 20 Falcons 34
Game 2
Chargers 21 Colts 38
Game 3
Dolphins 24 Ravens 16
Game 4
Eagles 21 Vikings 17

Hope more people will join
 

[Haruhifan]

WEEK 1 NFL PLAYOFF PICKS CLOSED!  (PLEASE excuse that I closed picks an hour and a half too early as I’m being called out urgently and won’t be back online until AFTER the 4:30PM set deadline-IF I see someone’s picks in AFTER this post I’ll make exceptions up until I get back but again to be safe in the future GET IN PICKS AS SOON AS I POST MATCHUPS!  Thanks.)  OK will follow this process.  PLEASE NOTE I’ll mainly hope for yours to make your picks for all other weeks on the forum I posted this pool in as it’s easier to check. 

Again the rules are simple: check once games are done for the week and I post the new picks up to participate that week!  Make your picks and comments/predicted scores are optional!  You can win either the OVERALL CORRECT PICKS made award (Good if you pick every game every week), or the WINNING PERCENTAGE award (Wins divided by games picked for those who just pick a few games or just their hometown team’s games), and it’s all for FREE with simple bragging rights as your prize!

Here are my picks then to enter and close Week 1’s picks:

Atlanta at Arizona:  This was my easiest pick when I saw the matchups.  Arizona won one of the 2 horrid Western Divisions this year and slumped against better teams down the stretch.  They also will hope that Anquan Boldin is healed enough to play to supply QB Kurt Warner all his offensive weapons like Larry Fitzgerald, because the veteran thrower, who has won a few Super Bowls long ago will need as much help as he can get.  Atlanta offers a nice balance with John Abraham leading the defense, and being able to score with running back Michael Turner who San Diego let go last year, Roddy White, Harry Douglas and Jerious Norwood slowly becoming new receiving stars for Rookie of the Year QB Matt Ryan.  Yes he’s new unlike Warner and yes the Falcons are not as good on the road, but in this case they’re playing composed and have better balance to beat the Cardinals.  And upset former #1 Arizona Cardinals RB Edgerrin James won’t have much longer to wait to be cut from the team then as he complained this week.

HARU’S PICK: Atlanta in a blowout, 38-17.

Indianapolis at San Diego: The 2 hottest teams clash though many are upset (OK those of New England) that the Chargers made it as the other divisional winner from the West for the AFC with a 8-8 record while teams like New England and the NY Jets finished out of the playoffs with better records.  Also Indy comes in as the away team despite their record.  It doesn’t matter now as this is a classic matchup from years past as both teams seem to play better against each other, taking turns winning the big games.  Indianapolis did their season in reverse, struggling the first half due to injuries to those like Bob Sanders on defense, Joseph Addai, aging Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne and their current 3 time MVP QB Peyton Manning suffering various injuries until Peyton turned it on to win the last 9 games to will into the playoffs.  Peyton knows now how to win it in big games and will be a key IF he’s on the offense.  San Diego has underachieved but right now have it going thanks to LaDainian Tomlinson’s final push as the main running back that had won the MVP before, and got Darren Sproles as another competent backup like Turner was last year.  Add that Antonio Gates at tight end and Vincent Jackson at wide receiver are getting looks thanks to the running game being another option for the cocky QB Philip Rivers.  Rivers is cheesed that he got snubbed for the Pro Bowl and NOW for the MVP, and can simply look in envy at Peyton for some of that.  He’ll try to make sure the potent Indy defense stays off the field more and he’s got to use that running game (even if LT and Gates on the receiving game are game time decisions), Indy’s lone real weakness to defend against.  I think this will be the difference maker in a tight game that should be fun for primetime.

HARU’S PICK: San Diego squeaks one out at home, 45-42.

Baltimore at Miami: The story of 2 teams bouncing back is this matchup.  Baltimore was 7-9 last year but their defense found new life under the guidance of Ed Reed and Ray Lewis who taught the youngsters like Terrell Suggs how they did it before their time is up.  They have OK offensive weapons like Willis McGahee, Todd Heap and rising star Derrick Mason (who is playing badly hurt at the moment), but it was the other top rookie QB this year, Joe Flacco, doing just enough for the defense to shut things down.  Now they met early in the year but the Wildcat formation of Miami wasn’t at its peak like now.  Miami flipped the one on 1-15 to 11-5 thanks to the NY Jets dropping the comeback player of the year, QB Chad Pennington into their laps, and GM Bill Parcells (who we shall see if he’s back pending if there’s an ownership change that would trigger a buyout clause for him to look elsewhere) picked him up along with small pieces like a found again snarky defense of their own with Joey Porter.  Add the running game of Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, who found their potential this year along with Ted Ginn Jr., and this is not a fluke, it’s the fairy tale story of the NFL year.  Coach Tony Sporano will look to offset this stone wall defense of the Ravens with lots of trick plays, and will preach they win if they stay away from stupid penalties and missed tackles on a really above average Ravens offense that can be beat if you don’t give Flacco time to throw.  That means Mr. Porter will be blitzing when he can to help Miami to victory under their preferred weather climate.

HARU’S PICK: Miami wins a tight game, 21-14.

Philadelphia at Minnesota: This is the game I needed a week to consider.  I’ve flipped flopped back and forth on why one team can win.  Philly has a surging QB Donovan McNabb who is now playing his best after a benching a few weeks ago, and after stomping the preseason favorite Cowboys, many now believe they can win, unlike the Vikings who have been unstable and prone to late season losses.  He is running again and using his often hurt running back Brian Westbrook in many formations.  Their issue is having no big back to smash for yards.  Minnesota has that and then some in Adrian Peterson.  Minnesota has rising players like Bernard Berrian to throw to.  The defense is strong, coached by former Philly coach Brad Childress, but they might not have one of two Williams, with Kevin now cleared to play after the steroid masking agent fiasco but Pat is hurt, along with Jared Allen on that D Line.  The Eagles hope on their defense that Asante Samuel can hold up at safety to stop the deep throws, because Minnesota’s weakness is a playoff rookie in Tavaris Jackson.  If they keep pressure on the QB, and the Eagles can find some help to Westbrook from receivers like Kevin Curtis and DeSean “Don’t Celebrate TDs too early” Jackson, I am giving them that slight edge to do it in Minnesota.

HARU’S PICK: Philadelphia scores a victory on the road, 27-24.

MASQUE/PORTEGO PLAYERS  GAMES PICKED-GAMES CORRECT-WINNING PERCENTAGE
HARU       0-0-.000
ANDONE   0-0-.000

GAMETIME PICKS WEEK ONE:
Andone - ATL/IND/MIA/PHI
Haru - ATL/SD/MIA/PHI

[Haruhifan]

Here are the results for Week one and the picks for Week two of the NFL playoff  pool.  Note I set the time a bit earlier than the first game time for the Picks Deadline in light of being needed to be called away for Week 1 a bit early.  Good luck this Week two!

WEEK ONE RESULTS:
NFC Arizona beat Atlanta, Philadelphia beat Minnesota
AFC San Diego beat Indianapolis, Baltimore beat Miami

MASQUE/PORTEGO PLAYERS GAMES PICKED-GAMES CORRECT-WINNING PERCENTAGE
HARU 4-2-.500
ANDONE 4-1-.250

GAMETIME PICKS WEEK ONE:
Andone - ATL/IND/MIA/PHI
Haru - ATL/SD/MIA/PHI

CORRECT PICKS LEADER AFTER WEEK 1: HARU
WINNING PERCENTAGE LEADER AFTER WEEK 1: HARU

WEEK 2 MATCHUPS (All times Eastern Standard Time in North America from http://www.nfl.com/ )

DEADLINE FOR WEEK 2 PICKS: SATURDAY JANUARY 10 at 4PM

AFC #6 Baltimore Ravens at AFC #1 Tennessee Titans on Saturday, January 10 at 4:30PM
NFC #4 Arizona Cardinals at NFC #2 Carolina Panthers on Saturday at 8:15PM
NFC #6 Philadelphia Eagles at NFC #1 New York Giants on Sunday, January 11 at 1:00PM
AFC #4 San Diego Chargers at AFC #2 Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday at 4:45PM

Take care!  You can enter anytime into the pool by the way!

[andone]

Okay after a poorish week one,my picks played like my dolphins did time for this week's.

Ravens vs Titians.
Andy says Home advantage to be enough Titains 20 Ravens 13

Cardinals vs Panthers
Andy says Cards travel poorly and Panthers run game is scary. Panthers 35 Cards 14

Eagles vs Giants
Andy says Both teams will feel the cold so don't expect a big scorer.
Giants 16 Eagles 10

Chargers vs Steelers
Andy says Chargers maybe played their big gamw a week earlier.Could got to OT .
Steelers 24 Chargers 21

[Haruhifan]

WEEK TWO PICKS CLOSED!

I peak out from under all this snow.  Welcome!  Yeah it’s been very blanketing around here of late.  It just never ends up here, eh?  It comes, stops, and when a bit of it melts we get double the amount back!  While I watch reruns of the Simpsons, American Dad and Family Guy before the Week 2 NFL kickoff, here are my picks to CLOSE THIS WEEK’S PICKS.

Again the rules are simple: check once games are done for one week and I post the new picks up to participate that following week!  Make your picks; comments/predicted scores are optional!  You can win either the OVERALL CORRECT PICKS made award (Good if you pick every game every week), or the WINNING PERCENTAGE award (Wins divided by games picked for those who just pick a few games or just their hometown team’s games), and it’s all for FREE with simple bragging rights as your prize!

I’ll keep the updates of scores of course so just get your picks in each week and we do this until the Super Bowl is done!  You can join in ANY time to make picks!

WEEK 2 PICKS:

Baltimore at Tennessee:  Meet the most underappreciated #1 seed of all time, the Tennessee Titans!  Is it the fact that Kerry Collins is the quarterback, who is about as flashy exciting as Baltimore’s old QB Trent Dilfer?  Well if that was the case that’s a good thing since Baltimore last won the Super Bowl that way: an old but effective QB with no flash to his game behind an amazing defense and running game.  They pretty much score with Smash and Dash Version 1 of Lendale White and Chris Johnson (Version 2 is on another team as they two duos fight over naming rights).  They got the defensive weapons (if healthy after some late season nicks) in Albert Haynesworth, who is a giant like no other, Jevon Kearse.  Thing is, that 2001 Ravens team is not that far off from the 2008 version that beat the Dolphins last week.  Ray Lewis is the lone man on that defense but he’s brought this year’s defense together with the likes of Ed Reed who will pick any QB apart if they throw even a bit off.  Le’Ron McClain and Willis McGahee are not quite Smash and Dash, but they give rookie QB Joe Flacco enough room to throw the ball to the likes of Derrick Mason.  This game seems pretty even so I suspect it will come down to special teams, where both teams have veteran punters in Baltimore’s Sam Koch and Tennessee’s Craig Hentrich who pin offenses deep near the end zones to hurt their starting positions.  Rob Bironas can kick the deep field goal but Matt Stover has more experience, also being there in that 2001 Ravens Super Bowl team.  The only other concern is the Ravens have been playing 17 straight weeks since they got their bye moved to week 2 due to the weather and flooding for the Houston game (which cost the Texans some of their own season, good job NFL heads) but I think the pacing of playing important games for so long should last for them once more week at least.  Looks like those Ravens are back, even if the Titans are trying to be the same team.

HARU’S PICK:  I see Baltimore winning on the last play of the game by a score of 17-14.

Arizona at Carolina:  Meet Smash and Dash Version 2 in running backs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. I don’t care who came up with the name, it suits those teams with that type of duo running game, one that can ram over defenders, the other being able to run around them.  Now Arizona has its own running game of sorts now that Edgerrin James decided to care about playing again instead of moping about his rare usage, but he nor Tim Hightower are near Carolina’s duo.  The Cardinals do win out on the rest of the offense, lead by rejuvenated former Super Bowl MVP Kurt Warner at quarterback, who, even if Anquan Boldin is out, has Steve Breaston and Larry Fitzgerald to throw to.  Their bigger challenge will come from travelling from Arizona where they beat up on rookie Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons, to the Eastern Time Zone.  The records this year show they are 0-5  when travelling East (or so my newspaper sources tell me that I used for this report), and I do know the NFL talking heads keep saying how Western teams cannot adapt to the time zone changes (though my 49ers managed to win a game after a time zone change so it’s not impossible).  Boldin is a game time decision, so Carolina’s defense, led by defensive end Julius Peppers, will have one less weapon to worry about.  So long as Jake Delhomme doesn’t throw away the game he can match Warner throw for throw, and he has his own weapon in Steve Smith (when Smith is not beating up teammates like at the beginning of the season), so once more I got to point out the glaring advantage of having Smash and Dash being the edge for the Panthers.

HARU’S PICK: Carolina will run all over Arizona by a score of 34-24.

Philadelphia at New York:  The New York football Giants do not seem so gigantic anymore.  You can thank a man named Plaxico for that.  Without that big game breaking receiver, they seem more vulnerable.  Dominic Hixon will grow into that spot but he’s not there quite yet.  Add that Brandon Jacobs, part of their Earth, Wind and Fire rushing team, is hurting.  This is not a good sign for QB Eli Manning and company as this will be the best game of the week simply since it’s a bloody feud of 2 NFC East teams.  They split the series and the Eagles seem to be the one team that can rattle the Giants, thanks to the unorthodox style of running back Brian Westbrook.  He can bruise through defenders like the Eagles seem to lack in their rushing game, but he puts defenders like Justin Tuck and Corey Webster off kilter due to being able to run with the ball or catch it as an effective receiver.  Just ask the Minnesota Vikings, whom he broke a major score on to break the game wide open late last week.  If the Giants do not blitz QB Donovan McNabb, who has been outstanding since his halftime benching the game after forgetting about ties in football, then he’ll have enough time to scramble, find Westbrook or even run it himself.  I’m going out on a limb but with how the season has been, we might see both #1 seeds taking an early powder.

HARU’S PICK: Philadelphia will send Giants fans home unhappy by winning this brutal match by a score of 45-38.

San Diego at Pittsburgh: I could point out that LaDainian Tomlinson is hurting bad and is a game time decision for San Diego, though they got a good up and comer in Darren Sproles.  I could point out Philip Rivers is hot, while Big Ben Roethlisberger has a concussion from playing (inexplicitly) in the last pointless game of the season against the Cleveland Browns.  Pittsburgh Running Back Willie Parker is also playing hurt.  But even if the Steelers go with capable backup Byron Leftwich, they will win on one point alone: weather.  Yes once more you can use the argument San Diego has to travel from the West where they took out the Indianapolis Colts, to the Eastern Time Zone.  The bigger concern will be the cold and possibly snowy conditions at Heinz Field, where the Chargers would do better if playing in a large bottle of Heinz ketchup instead considering it’s ranked the worst stadium in all the NFL even WITH the new grass being installed (though it might have saved Big Ben from worse injuries at least), being the place where the most fumbles tend to occur.  Rivers won’t be comfy in that climate, nor will he be comfortable running away from the Steel Curtain defenders like Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison.  This might get ugly folks, oh and don’t bet real money on this one.  The NFL referees blew the call last time that made the Las Vegas line favor one side over the other.  Do expect the Steelers to roll right into the next round.

HARU’S PICK: Pittsburgh wins this one in a laugher, 51-17.

GAMETIME PICKS WEEK TWO:
Haru – BAL/CAR/PHI/PIT
And one – TEN/CAR/NYG/PIT

WEEK ONE RECAP:

MASQUE/PORTEGO PLAYERS GAMES PICKED-GAMES CORRECT-WINNING PERCENTAGE
HARU 4-2-.500
ANDONE 4-1-.250

CORRECT PICKS LEADER AFTER WEEK 1: HARU
WINNING PERCENTAGE LEADER AFTER WEEK 1: HARU

[Haruhifan]

Welcome back!  Another crazy football weekend in the NFL, so here are the results for the NFL Playoff Pool!

WEEK 2 GAME RESULTS:
AFC: Baltimore beat Tennessee, Pittsburgh beat San Diego
NFC: Arizona beat Carolina, Philadelphia beat New York


GAMETIME PICKS WEEK TWO:
Haru – BAL/CAR/PHI/PIT
And one – TEN/CAR/NYG/PIT

WEEK TWO RECAP:

MASQUE/PORTEGO PLAYERS GAMES PICKED-GAMES CORRECT-WINNING PERCENTAGE
HARU 8-5-.625
ANDONE 8-2-.250

CORRECT PICKS LEADER AFTER WEEK 2: HARU
WINNING PERCENTAGE LEADER AFTER WEEK 2: HARU

WEEK 3 MATCHUPS (All times Eastern Standard Time in North America from http://www.nfl.com/ )

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME at 3:00PM #6 Philadelphia Eagles at #4 Arizona Cardinals
AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME at 6:30PM #6 Baltimore Ravens at #2 Pittsburgh Steelers

DEADLINE FOR WEEK 3 PICKS: SUNDAY JANUARY 18/09 at 2PM

GOOD LUCK!

[DTM (Wet and grey)]

Philly and Pittsburgh.  It's gonna be an all PA Super Bowl!

[andone]

Okay need to go perfect this week so looks into my crystal ball.

NFC Title game
Eagles vs Cards

-Two aging QB's with plenty to prove.I'm giving it to the eagles slightly as they've been to a lot of NFC title gamres over the years.
 
Andy says-Eagles 28 Cards 19

AFC Title game
Steelers vs Ravens

-No love lost between these two teams so it ain't going to be pretty.

Andy says
Number of total penalties 20
Number of Hard hits 50
Number of injuries A lot
Steelers 17 Ravens 10

[Haruhifan]

OK we’re down to the NFL Conference Championships!  Here’s how things stack up and my picks for this Week 3 of the NFL Free Playoff Pool!  Picks of course are now CLOSED for this week.  I accepted all picks on my posts; as even if you just picked one game as it’s all in good fun!

HARU’s Week 3 Picks:

Baltimore at Pittsburgh:
At first I was going to use how injuries play a huge role at this time of the year for both of my picks, but this season has been surprising and beyond the norm.  We had the Dolphins go from 1-15 to 11-5.  The Patriots miss out despite San Diego having a worst record but winning a weak division.  A man named Plaxico added to the weird injuries with self inflicted gunshot wound, while Terrell Owens, Chad Ocho Cinco and others learned new ways to shoot off their mouths and cause enough locker room problems to be out of the playoffs.  Then you got 2 sixth seeds being in the Final Four.  Yes this is meeting #3 for these two hated rivals since the Steelers fought the once great Raiders for many years.  The mayor of Pittsburgh even pulled yet another political stunt by changing his name from Ravensthal to Steelerstahl for one week (funny since Stahl in German already means Steel). 

But enough of the silliness, this rivalry is beyond recourse with enough bounties on heads and bad blood to fill a hardcore wrestling match.  Terrell Suggs and others on the Ravens are hurting bad, and they haven’t healed up since week 2 when their bye was moved due to the hurricanes affecting Houston’s game and thus their playoff chances (good one NFL…).  I’m sure the NFL will root for them to make it so that planning error doesn’t bite them twice.  Pittsburgh beat them twice in the regular season, but both were close and one came down to a controversial call of a late touchdown.  Many know this game could be in the single digits.  No matter who comes out, there will be casualties.  But somehow, this Ravens team beat two good teams and has been in playoff mode all season long.  Joe Flacco is a rookie similar to his opponent Ben Roethlisberger, a rookie playing like a veteran and leading his team to the Super Bowl.  It’s not to say the Steelers can’t do well as they beat San Diego without many injuries like the Ravens had to endure against another tough defense in the Titans.  The Steelers even got a better offense with Hines Ward, a healthy Willie Parker and Santonio Holmes being better weapons than Derrick Mason, Le’Ron McClain and Willis McGahee .  But once more, they hate each other, and the Ravens won’t allow a third loss.  It will be close, and I suspect the last big play will come on defense.  Now I won’t forget how Defensive player of the year James Harrison and the rest of the new Steel Curtain will make Flacco’s challenge his hardest, but I also can’t discount how Ed Reed is hot right now, and in blowing snow and frigid night weather, (which the NFL is not helping making this the night game solely because the TV station who are showing this game, CBS, can’t swap to disrupt the FOX lineup; and hey I like Simpsons and Family Guy but I can catch them another time as it’s mostly reruns tonight) he’s going to find his nose sniffing out a Big Ben miscue and take it the other way.  So long as Flacco avoids the same and sticks to not turning the ball over, Baltimore’s defense might make it a long day for Pittsburgh’s offense, even if hurt beyond belief.

HARU’S PICK: Baltimore will edge out a last minute win by a score of 9-6.

Philadelphia at Arizona:
The battle of the birds sure is an odd one.  The Arizona Cardinals played in a horrid division in the NFC West but now host the NFC Championship game.  Makes a 49ers fan cry, it does.  *sniff*  Meanwhile many had the Eagles written off for dead, just like last year’s NY Giants, as QB and long time star Donovan McNabb was benched after a tie and then a horrid game thereafter, and Philadelphia fans, as they are, were calling for blood and firings.  But now we got the least likely NFC East team there.  Are they the best teams of the NFC?  No, the NY Giants, Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons and even Minnesota Vikings are better teams.  But guess what, they all got knocked off by these two unlikely squads, so I take nothing for granted anymore, and as the new Arizona T-Shirt says: “Prove it!”

I was leaning at first to the Eagles since McNabb has been here, and been here recently in 2001 unlike the Cardinals who last saw the NFC championship game in 1947.  But injuries are going to play a role more significantly here to start unlike how the AFC Championship game the injuries will come during the game.  Arizona will be with a semi-healthy wide receiver Anquan Boldin, but they’ve shown they can do well with Steve Breaston stepping up while Larry Fitzgerald is a highlight reel catch waiting to happen, that it’s amazing this guy used to be the Minnesota Vikings ball boy!  Philadelphia got here on Brian Westbrook’s back, as he can run the ball but also serve as a variable receiver who can turn a screen play into a touchdown.  He’s hurting and limping on last look from the Minnesota and Giants games.  Without him, Philadelphia tends to lose.  What’s worse, Arizona found a defense that can stop the run now (stopping #2 Atlanta and #3 Carolina’s rushing games), and they got Edgerrin James to shut up and play like he can to give them their own running game.  Tim Hightower adds another running threat, even if Philly is a top rushing defense.  But the game breaker is the rejuvenated Kurt Warner, left for scraps but has rebounded to a status similar to his Super Bowl runs with the St. Louis Rams, making this team the new Greatest Show on Turf on his own.  He knows unlike McNabb he has so few tomorrows left for his football career, and he’s driving one more time to win one more now.

HARU’S PICK:  Warner and Arizona will shoot the lights out and win by a score of 31-20.

Good luck as we approach the Super Bowl!  That’s on SUNDAY February 1st so I’m setting a likely deadline for SATURDAY, JANUARY 31st at 11PM so I can post my final picks early, and 2 weeks should be enough for you to think up a pick!  Ta!

WEEK 2 RECAP:
MASQUE/PORTEGO PLAYERS GAMES PICKED-GAMES CORRECT-WINNING PERCENTAGE
HARU 8-5-.625
ANDONE 8-2-.250

CORRECT PICKS LEADER AFTER WEEK 2: HARU (5 correct picks)
WINNING PERCENTAGE LEADER AFTER WEEK 2: HARU (.625 Winning Percentage)

PICKS CHOSEN for WEEK 3:
HARU – BAL/ARI
TIANNA – PIT
SEXY MAMMA (V) – PIT/PHI
DTM – PIT/PHI
AND ONE – PIT/PHI

[Haruhifan]

Well after a VERY long Sunday (trust me, the night game felt like eons…), we FINALLY got the last match up in Week 4 of the NFL Playoffs, the SUPER BOWL on Sunday, February 1st!

WEEK 3 RESULTS:
NFC Championship – Arizona beat Philadelphia
AFC Championship – Pittsburgh beat Baltimore

MASQUE/PORTEGO PLAYERS GAMES PICKED-GAMES CORRECT-WINNING PERCENTAGE
HARU 10-6-.600
ANDONE 10-3-.300
TIANNA 1-1-1.000
SEXY MAMMA (V) 2-1-.500
DTM 2-1-.500

CORRECT PICKS LEADER AFTER WEEK 3: HARU (6 Correct Picks)
WINNING PERCENTAGE LEADER AFTER WEEK 3: TIANNA (1.000 Winning Percentage)

PICKS CHOSEN for WEEK 3:
HARU – BAL/ARI
TIANNA – PIT
SEXY MAMMA (V) – PIT/PHI
DTM – PIT/PHI
AND ONE – PIT/PHI

WEEK 4 PLAYOFFS PICKS MATCHUP-THE SUPER BOWL XLIII (43) in Tampa Bay, Florida, site at http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/43

NFC Champs Arizona Cardinals vs. AFC Champs Pittsburgh Steelers

PICKS CLOSE ON SATURDAY, JANUARY 31st at 11:00PM Eastern Time!  Not too late to enter the pool to win the Winning Percentage Award!  Also in a post game blog there will be the Award for Most Correct Picks!

GOOD LUCK!

[andone]

Sorry I'm a bit late with the pick Haru was unwell the last two days anyway. here is my pick.

Cardinals 14 Steelers 24

Expect to be close at the half with the Steelers slightly pulluing away in the 2nd half.

[Haruhifan]

PLAYOFF POOL CLOSED!  Here’s my pick and preview!

SUPER BOWL-ARIZONA CARDINALS vs. PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Here we are, another Super Bowl.  Sure it’s going to be hard to top Super Bowl 42 where the NY Giants toppled the undefeated New England Patriots, but here in Super Bowl 43 we got the big defense of Pittsburgh and their 20 veterans from their last Super Bowl win against the top fledged offense of Arizona and its youthful squad.  Let’s look at Arizona first.  OK yes there’s going to be some biased as you simply do not cheer for a division rival; there’s no stupid thing about cheering a fellow division team,  I will rate this as fair as I can.  I got to respect the elder Kurt Warner, who didn’t even start this season as the starter and had to count on the youngster Matt Leinart to fail badly like others this year like Alex Smith of the 49ers or Vince Young of the Titans (though I wish my 49ers would have done as well as the others in this case…).  He’s got the weapons even when 2 of them complained about leaving this year: running back Edgerrin James and wide receiver Anquan Boldin.  Both feel disrespected losing out on starts or reps.  We heard from both during the playoffs but they will be keys in this game to take pressure off the new star and best receiver in the NFL now, Larry Fitzgerald.  His hair is not just a story, he studied under the Minnesota Vikings, in particular Cris Carter, as their water and ball boy, and now he holds the Playoff record for yards caught and has the hot hands to catch the big scores!  His father is also into sports as a huge reporter and sports show host in the area, and will be the first father to cover his son in a Super Bowl.  He’ll have to keep calm because this 9-7 team is unpredictable.  To get that record at some points they looked amazing, but then got blown out a few times due to shoddy defense.  Warner can only score so much to his weapons aforementioned along with other youngsters like receiver Steve Breaston and running back Tim Hightower.  The huge defense of Pittsburgh has so many weapons though to handle them all.  Defensive player of the Year James Harrison, Jason Farrior, Lamarr Woodley and others are going to blitz and keep the running game in check.  Now I’ll give though, Warner is hot right now and is a wiser quarterback now, as watching his game he’s avoiding those blitzes better than any other QB right now so consider that another form of his Born Again persona.  He’s also going to use the trick play at his disposal thanks to his coach Ken Whisenhunt, who has the story of having a chip on his shoulder for being passed over for the head coaching job when he was an assistant on the offensive coaching side with the Steelers when they last won in 2006.  Mike Tomlin, who is the youngest coach in the history of the Super Bowl, is leading them, though note Ken did leave before the final cut so it’s a bit misleading in this whole revenge story.  The only way Warner could falter is either if he fumbles which he’s prone to, or if a long pass is found by outstanding safety Troy Polamalu, long locks and all.

The game might come down to the weaker parts of these two teams.  Now look at that defense of the Cardinals, it’s holding of late.  Safety Adrian Wilson is decent but can they keep the Steelers’ offense in check?  Andrel Rolle is playing hurt which doesn’t help them either.  Pittsburgh does have one chip on their shoulders in this revenge story in that Big Ben Roethlisberger (and yes I’m using the newspaper to spell his name right) had issues with former coach Whisenhunt on how to run the offense.  He also had a lousy performance when they did win, so he too has something to prove.  He has some great weapons at his disposal but I question the health of them.  He himself still is only a few weeks removed from a serious concussion (again it baffles me why Tomlin used him in a nothing game against the Cleveland Browns) while his top receiver Hines Ward is badly hurting but is practicing again.  His knee is hurting but when he’s on he can catch, he can score, and has a notorious pass block to free others up, the same ferocity that got the rival Ravens and other teams putting bounties on his head.  A nice side note I like about him is his mother is Asian and during the Vietnam War he was given up to go to the US away from her to make a living as Asian/African American relations are even worse than Caucasians are with blacks.  They reunited and he got to show off that 2006 ring back in Asia as a hero, but he wants another like Big Ben and others to cement a chance in history and Canton for the NFL Hall of Fame.  I think though the Pittsburgh offensive game comes down to Willie Parker.  He’s also hurting all year long, but if he can break out a big rushing game, that opens up the field for Big Ben to find Ward, Tight End Heath Miller or underrated receiver Santonio Holmes for big plays.  If Ward is hurt, the Cards will have an easier time double teaming Holmes and forcing wear and tear on the running game.

I think though the final edge Pittsburgh might have is special teams.  Jeff Reed is very efficient in kicking the field goals, though David Akers of Arizona is decent too.  A big key will be Canadian Mitch Berger of Kamloops, B.C. not flubbing any punts like in the Ravens game in the AFC Championship game.  He cannot afford Warner good field positioning or worse, let the amazing returners of the Cardinals, Breaston or J.J. Arrington get loose and return a ball.  Ben Graham of the Cards must do the same against Holmes but he’s more accurate in pinning teams deep of late.  Both punters should also be punting from some decent spots barring penalties.  The Steelers and particularly the Cardinals should yield to the Steelers of Super Bowl X when they had no penalties against Dallas but still hit hard and won.  If one team does get penalty heavy, that would be a game changing edge as both can take advantage of mistakes.

HARU’S PICK: It comes down to not only being the best team, which the Steelers are, but being the best team for one day.  I wouldn’t be as shocked as last year if the underdog won, but I am going with Pittsburgh winning a good game which I hope isn’t overshadowed by the Boss Bruce Springsteen who is doing the halftime show (and whom I still feel was snubbed in the Oscars for best Song from the Wrestler).  I see a score of 30-24, which means they wouldn’t cover the spread in Las Vegas of a seven point touchdown win, though with their games as seen in the one against San Diego, bettors will hope the refs get it right in this case.  I’ll also go with Santonio Holmes as my Super Bowl MVP surprise.

PICKS CHOSEN FOR WEEK 4, THE SUPER BOWL!
HARU-PIT
TIANNA -PIT
SASSYBRAT -ARI
COWBOY-AA -ARI
SEXY MAMMA (V) –ARI
DARLIN (FF) – PIT
ANDONE - PIT

MASQUE/PORTEGO PLAYERS GAMES PICKED-GAMES CORRECT-WINNING PERCENTAGE
HARU 10-6-.600
ANDONE 10-3-.300
TIANNA 1-1-1.000
SEXY MAMMA (V) 2-1-.500
DTM 2-1-.500

CORRECT PICKS LEADER AFTER WEEK 3: HARU (6 Correct Picks)
WINNING PERCENTAGE LEADER AFTER WEEK 3: TIANNA (1.000 Winning Percentage)

So GOOD LUCK to all, enjoy the game and I'll post the final results once I'm done partying at home, ta!