*Kitna named Superbowl MVP!* Official NFL 2013 Postseason thread

[smackababy]

Damn you Comcast!!!! Looks like I moving this weekend was a bad idea. I am not going to have TV or internet on Sunday... I guess I will have to go to somewhere to watch the games. =( Buffalo Wild Wings, I know you're in league with Comcast to screw me over and force me to come spend $50+ to watch the games there...

 

[Jimzz]

Damn you Comcast!!!! Looks like I moving this weekend was a bad idea. I am not going to have TV or internet on Sunday... I guess I will have to go to somewhere to watch the games. =( Buffalo Wild Wings, I know you're in league with Comcast to screw me over and force me to come spend $50+ to watch the games there...

Over the Air Digital TV FTW!!


Probably better HD quality as well.

 

[Ban Bot]

Over the Air Digital TV FTW!!


Probably better HD quality as well.

Silly question (I don't own a TV and watch the games the houses of friends and family): How would someone get over air digital TV on a 1920x1200 HDMI monitor? Any good tuners or whatnot?

 

[NoCreativity]

Silly question (I don't own a TV and watch the games the houses of friends and family): How would someone get over air digital TV on a 1920x1200 HDMI monitor? Any good tuners or whatnot?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16815116037 for an add on card or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16815116034
for a usb stick.

You would also need an antenna. Check out antennaweb.org to see how far you are from your stations and what type of antenna you would need to get reception.

 

[zinfamous]

Over the Air Digital TV FTW!!


Certainly better HD quality as well.

ftfw...

too bad I live behind a mountain that royally screws up my reception.

 

[lupi]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap20...ib-talib-to-marquice-cole-get-that-check-baby

 

[smackababy]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16815116037 for an add on card or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16815116034
for a usb stick.

You would also need an antenna. Check out antennaweb.org to see how far you are from your stations and what type of antenna you would need to get reception.

I been debating getting a TV tuner for my HTPC, but haven't really gotten around to it yet.

 

[HopJokey]

www.aereo.com ?

 

[rudeguy]

The longer the week goes the more confident I am in a Bronco victory. The last game, Thursday night game - the Broncos were not into that game at all. Didn't have nearly as much to play for as the Chargers. Manning is old and needs a whole week to rest, he can't play after 3 days and look nearly as good. Plus Wes Welker will make a big difference IMO.

If Ryan Matthews is gimpy or can't play at all, that will be huge.

Congrats on the correct pick!

 

[smackababy]

Damn you Comcast!!!! Looks like I moving this weekend was a bad idea. I am not going to have TV or internet on Sunday... I guess I will have to go to somewhere to watch the games. =( Buffalo Wild Wings, I know you're in league with Comcast to screw me over and force me to come spend $50+ to watch the games there...

Oh thank god! I called them again and ended up being able to get standard self installation! I can hook myself up on Saturday! Heavens be praised!

 

[AMDZen]

Congrats on the correct pick!

Go Broncos!

 

[darkewaffle]

Goddamnit, the games this weekend are on CBS and FOX. FOX only streams through their "FOX Sports GO" app/service (man I've never had one of those "login to your provider and stream" services work) and CBS' stream is unbelievably bad. Fucking hell.

And FOX is doing the Super Bowl too. Great. Man the only one with a passable stream to my knowledge is NBC :/

 

[lupi]

CBS web stuff does suck. Even if I shut everything else on the computer off and have no other computers running on the network, it's hard to get a quality of good SD. If anything else is running, it gets heavily pixelated real easy.

 

[Ban Bot]

CBS has a nice summary of why the matchups are so great this weekend.

Think about this for a minute -- the longest losing streak any of these teams had was two games. That's it. In fact, between the four of them, there were just two losing streaks, total, of that length -- both by the 49ers and both coming before Thanksgiving. So, these four teams are all "hot" to one degree or another, and all battle tested, and very, very good, and in every way earned their way to this point.

Take it a step further:

• The only teams the Seahawks lost to -- Colts, Cardinals, 49ers
• The only teams the 49ers lost to -- Colts, Seahawks, Panthers, Saints
• The only teams the Broncos lost to -- Colts, Patriots, Chargers
• The only teams the Patriots lost to -- Bengals, Panthers, Jets, Dolphins

So of their collective 14 losses, only three came against non-playoff teams (Jets, Dolphins and Cards; Miami and Arizona just missed the postseason). There were no losses to a sub-.500 team among the entire group. And of those 14 defeats, 10 came to teams that reached at least the divisional round of the playoffs. So let's savor what we have here, which is really the best teams, many peaking at precisely the right time, all of whom can and should be equipped to handle performing in the first cold-weather, outdoor Super Bowl. You gotta love all of the above.

EDIT: Harvin ruled out.

 

[mugs]

SF @ SEA – a homer's thoughts.

Anyone can win from here on out. I am not one to predict or “guarantee” anything. I like matchups. As a SEA homer I really respect SF and believe SF is good enough to win. In fact I think SEA and SF are the two best teams in the NFL and have the horses that at their best SF can beat anyone. I feel the same way about SEA. I even “like” Harbaugh. I think he is silly but he is passionate AND knows football. He is a very good coach and he is his own man.

Being a SEA homer here are some reasons I think the SF is hotter/better than SEA is being overplayed. While I would not be surprised if SF won I also won’t be surprised if SEA blows SF out. Here are some reasons why.

The last two games in SF were very close (2012: 13-6; 2013: 19-17).

The last two games in SEA did not end up close (2012: 42-13; 2013: 29-3).

Those facts are skewed by all sorts of details; in the very first game in SF Wilson was still very raw. In the last SEA game the game was very close in the 3rd. But I think those 4 games show SEA is very good and matches up well. SF has proven to struggle at SEA as of late. Those don’t guarantee a result Sunday but it balances out the current narrative as SF was playing well last year before getting destroyed by SEA at home.

The NFL narrative is SF is playing lights out and SEA is playing poorly. SF has been playing very well. All that matters is Ws. But SF has had a lot of close games the second half of the season: CAR at home (L, 10-9), at NO (L, 23-20), SEA at home (W, 19-17), ATL at home (W, 34-24), at ARI (W, 23-20), and at GB (W, 23-20). Some of those are “deceiving” as SF was missing key cogs in the CAR game and had some fluke plays; ditto NO. But ATL was a scare. I agree SF is playing well. Looking at the games on the field, ignoring stats and end scores, SF is a really, really good team and finds ways to win. But they are not destroying good teams, either.

The SEA game is one that is interesting as it is a good benchmark how these two are playing as of late. I think SF had everything to play for in that game and SEA had almost nothing. It was SF last division game at Candlestick, SF was 2.5 games behind SEA with ARI nipping at their tails so it was a must win. And there was the revenge factor for being thoroughly embarrassed in week two in SEA and the previous year. SF won, and deserved the win, in SF this year. But it was close, 19-17, and the ball bounced their way. A fluky blocked punt was big. SEA losing Wright and having the combination of Maxwell (backup) over pursue and Earl Thomas taking a bad angle on the 51 yard Gore scamper on 3rd down are things you cannot count on. What I am saying is not that SF didn’t deserve to win but SF better not be betting on THOSE things happening again. SF, to win in SEA, will have to play even BETTER.

I think SF can play better than in WEEK 14 so I am not counting them out.

But if you are following the narrative about how great SF is playing I think SF needs to up there game even more as they are now in SEA against an amped SEA team. I would NOT hang my hat firmly on the, “SF is playing great, SEA not” hook. That may come true this Sunday. But WEEK 14 says SF’s best is only slightly better than SEA on the road.

As for the SEA narrative, that they are really struggling on OFF, I agree. But a qualified agreement. Look, SEA had 3 weaknesses last year: their OL cannot pass block, WRs could NOT get separation (see ATL), and they had only 1 proven pass rusher (Clemens who had an ACL in the playoffs). So they fixed the pass rush with Bennet and Avril and those were GREAT moves. With WR they went after Harvin who unfortunately was hurt before the season started and then lost their backup TE (McCoy) and Rice (underperforming but still a big target). SEA was left with their number 3-4-5 receivers in Tate-Baldwin-Kearse. All smaller receivers without speed; two were undrafted. SEA also failed to address their OL which was horrible this year with injuries.

And yet they went 13-3 and the PFF breakdown on Wilson shows once you put aside SEA doesn’t pass a lot Wilson is very, very good. That said he has not been as sharp as of late. Gameplan? People adjusting? Hitting a wall? Who knows. Against NO Wilson missed quite a few passes, especially slants. He handed off to Lynch on the wrong side. He hesitated on a wide open Harvin bubble screen. He failed to threaten with his feet when he had chances. As repugnant as I found Bush’s head shot (tucked his arms in, led with the crown of his helmet, left his feet, and clearly aimed at the head with no play on the ball or body of Harvin, and a ton of high fiving with no concern over the big penalty) Wilson takes some blame for not looking off the safety and putting Harvin in that situation.

So I get it, SEA’s OFF is a problem. SEA has a habit of slow starts. Their line is so bad their TE Miller blocks too much when he may be their best healthy receiver. Until the NO game Lynch was in a dry spell.

And yet SEA scored 23 points against NO. DEN scored 24 against SD and SF scored 23 against CAR. SEA’s OFF, for all their troubles, was like #7 in scoring even though they are toward the bottom in yards. SEA plays an ugly form of OFF but they score. Even in the NO game it was rainy, cold, and more importantly very windy with 20mph winds and gusts over 40mph. Between these elements, having a lead, NO taking the wind in the third, and NO having one of the best DEF backfields in the league (statistically) resulted in SEA being very conservative in the pass game. And yet SEA put up 23 and it could have been worse for NO as SEA left a number of plays on the field (couple INTs, missed turnover challenge, holding on a 50 yard run, settling for FGs in the red zone, etc). Considering the weather made SEA on dimensional I don’t think the 23 points was bad.

What I did see was Lynch looked like a back being “protected” at the end of the season who burst out. 13 freaking missed tackles!! Ray Rice had 9 all year! All other playoff backs last week had 17. And everyone can dis Harvin (tip: As someone with TN I know migraines are no joke. The meds work). But this is what I saw: With Harvin on the field NO stopped putting 8 in the box and their safeties played deeper. If SEA can keep Harvin on the field it changes the game. If I am SF even Harvin can play I don’t want to see him on the field AT all; in fact I would be more afraid if he did kick off returns and only 10-20 total OFF plays (i.e. spot duty to threaten a screen or fly sweep; best case scenario for SF is if he plays a lot IMO). SEA went 13-3 without him but I do think he presented an X factor in SEA’s favor.

As bad as SEA’s OFF is their DEF has been playing at another level as of late. When Wagner got healthy they really got stingy on the run and their pass defense is historically good. Their special teams are also exceptional and the threat of Harvin returning kicks makes them that much better.
In a nutshell the narrative, SF playing lights out and SEA playing poorly, has the backdrop of a match up in that time period that was close, 19-17.

Changing venues from SF to SEA and much more on the line for SEA I would not count the Hawks out. SF is good enough to win, and they are a really great team and deserve a lot of respect, I wouldn’t overplay SEA’s troubles. They may struggle on Sunday… but they may also blow SF out. Again.

Could use more TLAs

 

[smackababy]

EDIT: Harvin ruled out.

That sucks. But, I think Seattle has learned to play without him just fine.

 

[rudeguy]

That sucks. But, I think Seattle has learned to play without him just fine.

Yea they will be fine.

Also: I need to admit I was wrong. Manly called it before Harvin hit the ground and I flamed him.

lil bastard should have taken the bet!

 

[AMDZen]

CBS has a nice summary of why the matchups are so great this weekend.



EDIT: Harvin ruled out.

So the only team that lost to two non-playoff teams was NE. Sweet

 

[rudeguy]

So the only team that lost to two non-playoff teams was NE. Sweet

I can't even tell you how excited I am for the Brady/Manning matchup and I am not a fan of either team.

And SF v SEA? Someone is going to bleed in that game.


FOOOOOTBAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

 

[Ban Bot]

Yeah, whatever. You need to watch the plays again. The Saint defender on the flagged hit:

(a) did not make a play on the ball
(b) lowered his head and hit with the crown of his helmet
(c) tucked his arms and left his feet
(d) targeted and hit Harvin's head
(e) did not even challenge the flag (i.e. he knew it was a penalty) and he and his coaches/teammates were high fiving.

It is absolutely classless to break the rules, rules in place to protect players short and long term health, and celebrate hurting another player.

The NFL agrees and fined Bush $21,000.

 

[smackababy]

I can't even tell you how excited I am for the Brady/Manning matchup and I am not a fan of either team.

And SF v SEA? Someone is going to bleed in that game.


FOOOOOTBAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

SF in SEA is gonna be a rough game for sure.

This is just another chapter in the Brady / Manning rivalry. Brady will probably get another victory if history shows correctly. It's 10-4 and one of those Brady losses was the "4th and 2 game".

 

[Ban Bot]

This is just another chapter in the Brady / Manning rivalry. Brady will probably get another victory if history shows correctly. It's 10-4 and one of those Brady losses was the "4th and 2 game".

When I look at the Denver vs. New England matchup I see less Manning vs. Brady and more, "How bad will Denver's defense be?" If they are remotely good Manning wins. But I don't trust that defense. In their losses they let up 39, 34, and 27 points. They also let up 27 or more points 4 other times, including 48 to Dallas. The recent defensive injuries don't help. Denver's defense is bad. Manning could drop 4 TD passes and still lose this one. Sure, everyone will blame Manning, but if that happens the fault falls squarely on that defense. You cannot put the offense in a position where they are pressing to score on every drive. Too risky.

New England has the blue print to stop Denver (run the ball, control the clock). Denver's defense needs to step up.

Similar situation for Seattle. They are asking their defense to play almost flawlessly. That is a great defense that can win you a lot of games but against the best teams the margin of error is so small it works against you. That could win with an anemic offensive output (see: Week 2's stats where Seattle blew out San Fran) but the odds are really against you.

It will be exciting to see if Denver's defense and Seattle's offense can step up to the challenge.

 

[Capt Caveman]

fwiw - Del Rio defenses are 0-7 against Brady with Brady 17 TDs and 0 Ints.

But I think in both games on Sunday, either team can win. They should be close and the team that makes the less mistakes will win.

 

[AMDZen]

I can't even tell you how excited I am for the Brady/Manning matchup and I am not a fan of either team.

And SF v SEA? Someone is going to bleed in that game.


FOOOOOTBAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

I'm hoping the Broncos blow NE out enough in the 4th QTR I can leave the game early and get home by the start of the NFCCG but I know that's not going to happen.

Hopefully won't miss too much more then the first QTR

 

[AMDZen]

When I look at the Denver vs. New England matchup I see less Manning vs. Brady and more, "How bad will Denver's defense be?" If they are remotely good Manning wins. But I don't trust that defense. In their losses they let up 39, 34, and 27 points. They also let up 27 or more points 4 other times, including 48 to Dallas. The recent defensive injuries don't help. Denver's defense is bad. Manning could drop 4 TD passes and still lose this one. Sure, everyone will blame Manning, but if that happens the fault falls squarely on that defense. You cannot put the offense in a position where they are pressing to score on every drive. Too risky.

New England has the blue print to stop Denver (run the ball, control the clock). Denver's defense needs to step up.

UH huh

NE's defense is worse than the Broncos' D. Although I do agree with you, their defense stopping Manning (which they won't) is just as important and even more so will be stopping our run game, which they won't. Broncos should have easily won that game in NE if they didn't give the game away in the second half.

Bottom line is that Denver's D is ranked 19th in Total Defense, NE is ranked 26th which is quite a bit worse.

Denvers defense against the run is ranked 7th - tied with Seattle. So your point about the ball control, just because it worked Thursday night against SD doesn't mean thats the blue print to beat us. Meanwhile NE is ranked 30th against the run. Knowshon and Montee Ball should go ape shit against that defense. Meanwhile Blount isn't going to do shit, and it will be on Brady to beat us in the air. I don't care what Blount did against the Colts.

I realize that the Broncos injuries are on the forefront of everyone's mind now, but NE lost just as many if not more key personnel earlier in the season. Spikes, Mayo and the freight train himself.

It should be a good hard fought offensive game and fun for all

My point is that the game IS about Manning vs. Brady because both defenses are horrible, you can't just pick on the Broncos horrible D without bringing up NE's horrible defense which is worse in total defense and rush defense (although better in passing defense)