teasing this weekend......the lines are difficult and some additional plays will be forthcoming as the weekend unfolds and different scenarios take shape....
1)eagles-half/ravens-1.....the eagles are coming off a very bad loss at home vs san fran...of course,if the eagles are going to hit the wall at this point in the season,it figured to be at home....a much better road club,imo.....
the redskins are a mess...running backs hurt,qb hurt....motivation questionnable....the front office and head coach appear to be at odds....now it`s gone public....snyder and spurrier fighting over potential sweeping staff and personnel moves.....can`t be much focus on this ballgame....
mcnabb concentrates better on the road....this whole team does....i would be shocked if the eagles laid back to back eggs with so much on the line...i understand that troy vincent and carlos emmons are serious hits to this defense....still not enough to derail the eagles vs a very unfocused bunch....you hear about the sad eagle run defense...well,lately,the skins have been pretty bad themselves(gave up close to 200 yds to the bears last week and over 200 to the cowboys the previous week...buckhalter/staley and westbrook could put up big numbers here)..
it`s nice to be a contrarian....but,i also try to be realistic....philly bounces back...i don`t think the skins have the runners to take advantage of philly`s weakness...
reid is an excellent coach....check his stats on losing back to back games.....i expect the eagles to be focused with the coveted bye and division as the carrots at the end of the stick.......
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if you lived in baltimore,you`d know how big this game is....it has gotten back to the ravens that pitt players are telling cincy to just win vs cleveland this weekend....and they`ll take care of the ravens.....
the ravens have a horrible history vs pittsburgh....eveyone`s aware of this.....billick is milking all this cincy/pitt stuff and the raven players are filling up the bulletin board...out of the baltimore sunpaper....
""In order to beat Pittsburgh, we have to defend the pass better than we have, plain and simple," coach Brian Billick said. "We can't let them get cranked up in their passing game and create any kind of separation that could arbitrarily push us out of our [running] profile."
Besides having that challenge placed squarely on its shoulders, the Ravens' secondary is also carrying a chip there, too.
Ranked fourth in the NFL in pass defense, the Ravens have held six of the past nine opposing quarterbacks to under 200 yards passing.
Plus, half the starting secondary -- cornerback Chris McAlister and strong safety Ed Reed -- was named to the Pro Bowl last week.
"I do like the fact that he presented that as a challenge to our secondary," McAlister said. "I have nothing but confidence in the way we're playing as a unit. We'll step up to the challenge."
This challenge represents a playoff prelude.
If the Ravens clinch the AFC North with a win over Pittsburgh or a Cincinnati Bengals loss, they likely would face one of the league's top passing attacks every step of the way in the postseason. Of the five AFC teams that have qualified for the playoffs, four (the Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Titans and New England Patriots) rank in the top 10 in passing.
"The last couple of weeks, we have been challenging ourselves to turn it up another notch and make things happen," cornerback Gary Baxter said. "If we want to go where we want to go, we have to bring our A game every single time we play."
The Ravens turned the corner as a secondary when Baxter moved from safety to corner, replacing Corey Fuller.
With Baxter and McAlister as the starting cornerbacks, the Ravens have two physical and fast cover men who have the size to play bump-and-run and the instincts to jump receivers in zone.
Since Baxter made the switch permanently a month ago, the Ravens are 3-1 with the defense making seven interceptions while giving up two touchdowns through the air.
In last season's finale, Baxter had his best game at corner, holding Steelers big-play receiver Plaxico Burress to three catches for 52 yards.
Presumably, the Ravens will stick Baxter on Burress and put McAlister on receiver Hines Ward in a Pro Bowl matchup.
"Playing corner allows me to play much more faster and much more aggressive," Baxter said. "That's what I really like."
The team taking the more aggressive approach during the week has been the Steelers, who have not shied away from trash- talking.
"I'd rather have Cincinnati go than Baltimore," Ward said about the playoffs. "Just for [Bengals coach] Marvin Lewis' sake. He's done a tremendous job in Cincinnati. I'd rather have Cincinnati than Baltimore. ... It would be more exciting than watching those guys [the Ravens].
"I don't think anybody likes Baltimore, period. They're a confident team and they're playing well, but they don't like us for whatever reason. They talk more than most teams."
The Ravens, though, have given the Steelers the silent treatment.
"I was advised not to say much and I won't say much," Reed said. "It's no secret about what needs to be done."
Reed has some retribution on his mind.
In the season opener at Pittsburgh, he bit on a fake that left tight end Jay Riemersma open for a 20-yard touchdown catch. After the game, Steelers coach Bill Cowher said, "We designed to get Jay matched up one-on-one against Ed Reed, and he just beat him really bad."
When asked about those comments, Reed said: "They got what they wanted last game. Let's see about this one. Pittsburgh-Baltimore, Sunday night, tune in."
Despite the Steelers' 6-9 record, there's still no better measuring stick for the Ravens than Pittsburgh.
Whether it's quick slants or fade routes, Maddox has primarily beaten the Ravens with his favorite targets, Ward and Burress, who have combined for 36 catches, 457 yards and five touchdowns during the past three meetings. If the Ravens can shut them down, they likely would earn a playoff spot as well as confidence that would extend into the postseason.
"I think you've seen that group progress all year long," Billick said of his secondary. "This group is playing at an elite level. This will be an elite test."
i`m no homer....but the fans and players alike in b`more WANT cincy to win sunday....i know how that sounds.....but,they really want pittsburgh....with everything on the line....
and removing moving corey fuller from cornerback has made a world of differnce in the raven secondary....the guy was horrible and was beaten constantly.....and terrell suggs is becoming the pass rushing force that everyone anticipated he would be....peter boulware is nicked up,but is playing...there will be plenty of pressure on maddox....
that said,i`m always leery about teams needing to win to get into the playoffs vs teams with nothing to lose...... very comfortable with philly.....i may hedge the end of the teaser with a small pitt moneyline play.........
2)pats-2/bears+15.5.......simply put,the pats need the game....have an enormous revenge motive....and the lawyer milloy factor shouldn`t be an issue this time around......
now, on an even playing field,this is about as large a coaching mismatch as it gets......and i`ve always felt like bledsoe was a stiff....
if the pats aren`t focused here,then so be it....but,i don`t see it....
i`m certainly not laying 8-10 points....but i`ll gladly cheat a little and lay the 2
and if new england does it`s job,as i expect them to,k.c. has very little motivation vs the bears....they can`t improve their playoff position.....
dick jauron may be on his way out....you know he needs this game badly to have a shot at staying....the bears have been playing very competitive ball lately.....and anthony thomas will carry the rock many times here....i see no reason for k.c. to want to pour it on here......i would suspect they`ll try and keep injuries to a minimum.....16.5 is alot of points to lay in an nfl game....even when you are motivated....
if you like k.c. here...wait until after the pats/buffalo result is in....and watch that line drop once the chiefs chances at improving their playoff lot disappears....
3)looking at over 44 in san fran/seattle....love the way brandon lloyd is playing in place of t.o......
g.l.
1)eagles-half/ravens-1.....the eagles are coming off a very bad loss at home vs san fran...of course,if the eagles are going to hit the wall at this point in the season,it figured to be at home....a much better road club,imo.....
the redskins are a mess...running backs hurt,qb hurt....motivation questionnable....the front office and head coach appear to be at odds....now it`s gone public....snyder and spurrier fighting over potential sweeping staff and personnel moves.....can`t be much focus on this ballgame....
mcnabb concentrates better on the road....this whole team does....i would be shocked if the eagles laid back to back eggs with so much on the line...i understand that troy vincent and carlos emmons are serious hits to this defense....still not enough to derail the eagles vs a very unfocused bunch....you hear about the sad eagle run defense...well,lately,the skins have been pretty bad themselves(gave up close to 200 yds to the bears last week and over 200 to the cowboys the previous week...buckhalter/staley and westbrook could put up big numbers here)..
it`s nice to be a contrarian....but,i also try to be realistic....philly bounces back...i don`t think the skins have the runners to take advantage of philly`s weakness...
reid is an excellent coach....check his stats on losing back to back games.....i expect the eagles to be focused with the coveted bye and division as the carrots at the end of the stick.......
....................................................................................................
if you lived in baltimore,you`d know how big this game is....it has gotten back to the ravens that pitt players are telling cincy to just win vs cleveland this weekend....and they`ll take care of the ravens.....
the ravens have a horrible history vs pittsburgh....eveyone`s aware of this.....billick is milking all this cincy/pitt stuff and the raven players are filling up the bulletin board...out of the baltimore sunpaper....
""In order to beat Pittsburgh, we have to defend the pass better than we have, plain and simple," coach Brian Billick said. "We can't let them get cranked up in their passing game and create any kind of separation that could arbitrarily push us out of our [running] profile."
Besides having that challenge placed squarely on its shoulders, the Ravens' secondary is also carrying a chip there, too.
Ranked fourth in the NFL in pass defense, the Ravens have held six of the past nine opposing quarterbacks to under 200 yards passing.
Plus, half the starting secondary -- cornerback Chris McAlister and strong safety Ed Reed -- was named to the Pro Bowl last week.
"I do like the fact that he presented that as a challenge to our secondary," McAlister said. "I have nothing but confidence in the way we're playing as a unit. We'll step up to the challenge."
This challenge represents a playoff prelude.
If the Ravens clinch the AFC North with a win over Pittsburgh or a Cincinnati Bengals loss, they likely would face one of the league's top passing attacks every step of the way in the postseason. Of the five AFC teams that have qualified for the playoffs, four (the Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Titans and New England Patriots) rank in the top 10 in passing.
"The last couple of weeks, we have been challenging ourselves to turn it up another notch and make things happen," cornerback Gary Baxter said. "If we want to go where we want to go, we have to bring our A game every single time we play."
The Ravens turned the corner as a secondary when Baxter moved from safety to corner, replacing Corey Fuller.
With Baxter and McAlister as the starting cornerbacks, the Ravens have two physical and fast cover men who have the size to play bump-and-run and the instincts to jump receivers in zone.
Since Baxter made the switch permanently a month ago, the Ravens are 3-1 with the defense making seven interceptions while giving up two touchdowns through the air.
In last season's finale, Baxter had his best game at corner, holding Steelers big-play receiver Plaxico Burress to three catches for 52 yards.
Presumably, the Ravens will stick Baxter on Burress and put McAlister on receiver Hines Ward in a Pro Bowl matchup.
"Playing corner allows me to play much more faster and much more aggressive," Baxter said. "That's what I really like."
The team taking the more aggressive approach during the week has been the Steelers, who have not shied away from trash- talking.
"I'd rather have Cincinnati go than Baltimore," Ward said about the playoffs. "Just for [Bengals coach] Marvin Lewis' sake. He's done a tremendous job in Cincinnati. I'd rather have Cincinnati than Baltimore. ... It would be more exciting than watching those guys [the Ravens].
"I don't think anybody likes Baltimore, period. They're a confident team and they're playing well, but they don't like us for whatever reason. They talk more than most teams."
The Ravens, though, have given the Steelers the silent treatment.
"I was advised not to say much and I won't say much," Reed said. "It's no secret about what needs to be done."
Reed has some retribution on his mind.
In the season opener at Pittsburgh, he bit on a fake that left tight end Jay Riemersma open for a 20-yard touchdown catch. After the game, Steelers coach Bill Cowher said, "We designed to get Jay matched up one-on-one against Ed Reed, and he just beat him really bad."
When asked about those comments, Reed said: "They got what they wanted last game. Let's see about this one. Pittsburgh-Baltimore, Sunday night, tune in."
Despite the Steelers' 6-9 record, there's still no better measuring stick for the Ravens than Pittsburgh.
Whether it's quick slants or fade routes, Maddox has primarily beaten the Ravens with his favorite targets, Ward and Burress, who have combined for 36 catches, 457 yards and five touchdowns during the past three meetings. If the Ravens can shut them down, they likely would earn a playoff spot as well as confidence that would extend into the postseason.
"I think you've seen that group progress all year long," Billick said of his secondary. "This group is playing at an elite level. This will be an elite test."
i`m no homer....but the fans and players alike in b`more WANT cincy to win sunday....i know how that sounds.....but,they really want pittsburgh....with everything on the line....
and removing moving corey fuller from cornerback has made a world of differnce in the raven secondary....the guy was horrible and was beaten constantly.....and terrell suggs is becoming the pass rushing force that everyone anticipated he would be....peter boulware is nicked up,but is playing...there will be plenty of pressure on maddox....
that said,i`m always leery about teams needing to win to get into the playoffs vs teams with nothing to lose...... very comfortable with philly.....i may hedge the end of the teaser with a small pitt moneyline play.........
2)pats-2/bears+15.5.......simply put,the pats need the game....have an enormous revenge motive....and the lawyer milloy factor shouldn`t be an issue this time around......
now, on an even playing field,this is about as large a coaching mismatch as it gets......and i`ve always felt like bledsoe was a stiff....
if the pats aren`t focused here,then so be it....but,i don`t see it....
i`m certainly not laying 8-10 points....but i`ll gladly cheat a little and lay the 2
and if new england does it`s job,as i expect them to,k.c. has very little motivation vs the bears....they can`t improve their playoff position.....
dick jauron may be on his way out....you know he needs this game badly to have a shot at staying....the bears have been playing very competitive ball lately.....and anthony thomas will carry the rock many times here....i see no reason for k.c. to want to pour it on here......i would suspect they`ll try and keep injuries to a minimum.....16.5 is alot of points to lay in an nfl game....even when you are motivated....
if you like k.c. here...wait until after the pats/buffalo result is in....and watch that line drop once the chiefs chances at improving their playoff lot disappears....
3)looking at over 44 in san fran/seattle....love the way brandon lloyd is playing in place of t.o......
g.l.
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