by Tony & Andy | Dec 20, 2012 | 2012 season, NFL Picks
The NFL Rookie of the Year discussions to this point have primarily centered on RGIII and Andrew Luck. Those two certainly have shown that they’ll be forces opposing defenses will have to reckon with for years to come. In a traditional season, however, the work Russell Wilson has done in bringing the Seattle Seahawks to prominence this season would be in the mix as well.
Wilson, Marshawn Lynch and a hard-hitting defense have combined to put Seattle squarely in the playoff mix. With a pair of 50-point showings the last two weeks, the team is peaking at the right time, too.
Keith Myers, editor and lead writer for 12th Man Rising, acknowledges that injuries and suspensions make this week’s divisional tilt with the 49ers a challenge.
“The Seahawks likely go into this week’s game against San Francisco with their fifth and sixth string cornerbacks again playing very large rolls for the defense,” he says. “That’s not a recipe for success once the playoffs begin. Throw in significant injuries to two starting defensive linemen and there’s some concern when the opponents are better than the Cardinals and Bills.”
Still, he adds that this team is better than most people think and that it is going to be a tough out once the playoffs begin.
“The way the Seahawks’ offense is clicking right now, if they can get healthy on defense before the playoffs start, then there’s no team they can’t beat,” Myers says. “They may not win three straight road games to get to the Super bowl, but they’ll go into every game with a real chance of winning.”
This team has shown improvements throughout the last two seasons. With the steady play at quarterback both teams are getting from their youngsters, I think the 49ers and Seahawks are primed to create a rivalry for supremacy in the NFC West, not just this year, but for years to come.
Myers joined us as this week’s guest game picker. Last week’s guest blogger, Kim Constantinesco, not only has the best name of anyone who has ever participated in this segment. The senior editor for Predominantly Orange stuck with my brother pick for pick in week 15. Despite some close games decided in the last seconds, Constantinesco and Tony finished the week 9-7.
This allowed Andy to pick up a game in the standings, as the blind squirrel I’ve had doing my picks the last couple weeks found the nut 10 times. Tony’s got a three game lead over me and, due to a couple rough weeks in the middle of the season, the celebrity guest game picking bloggers are currently six back of the leader with two weeks to play. (more…)
by Andy | Dec 13, 2012 | 2012 season, NFL Picks
The sense heading into the 2012 season was that if Peyton Manning could come back to anything resembling his earlier years, the Denver Broncos would be in position to have a pretty good season.
Manning has answered any doubters he may have had to the tune of 3,800 yards and 30 touchdowns heading into week 15. And the Broncos have won eight in a row, running away with a division that in recent years often has been won by whatever team can reach eight or nine wins for the season.
Kim Constantinesco, senior editor of Predominantly Orange, thinks the best is yet to come.
“When all three phases are playing well, this is undoubtedly the best team in the NFL,” she says. “If everyone stays healthy and takes care of business, the Broncos team is Super Bowl bound.”
I’m not sure the separation is that great yet. New England is playing well and, when on its game, Houston can play with anyone. But the Broncos are right in the mix to be playing for the town’s first title since John Elway retired.
Constantinesco joined Zoneblitz as our guest blogger for week 15. She follows Greg Cowan, managing editor and senior writer with Colts Authority. I’m not sure we’ll be inviting him back again – Cowan destroyed both of us by going 11-5. Andy was a brutal 6-10 and Tony finished a paltry 8-8. Tony maintains the lead as we head into the final three weeks of the season.
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by Andy | Dec 5, 2012 | 2012 season, NFL Picks
Andrew Luck provided Indianapolis fans with another comeback win, this time ruining the weekend for the Detroit Lions. The level of success Luck is having early in his career has created speculation about just how far this team can go in 2012, which was supposed to be a rebuilding year.
Greg Cowan, managing editor and senior writer with Colts Authority, says he’s intrigued by that question too given that “on paper, they probably should have stopped winning about two wins ago.”
Cowan is realistic. If the Colts do make the playoffs they probably should be one-and-done. But he also thinks they could be capable of a first-round shocker, particularly if they get a match-up with a flawed Baltimore squad.
“Are they going to win it all? Not this year,” he says. “But beyond this year, the sky is the limit.”
Cowan joined Zoneblitz.com as week 14’s guest blogger. He follows Steve Spooner, team editor at 49ers Gab.
Spooner struggled to a 7-9 mark during another wild, upset-filled week. Tony was 10-6. Andy was 11-5. This put some distance between the brothers and the bloggers, but tightened the match between the two of them, err, us. Tony retains a two-game lead for the season.
|
Week 13 |
Season |
| Tony |
10-6 |
125-66-1 |
| Andy |
11-5 |
123-68-1 |
| Celebrity bloggers |
7-9 |
116-75-1 |
There are four weeks left in the regular season. Here are the picks for week 14. (more…)
by Tony & Andy | Nov 28, 2012 | 2012 season, NFL Picks
In what should surprise nobody, the NFL Network just reported that the San Francisco 49ers will start Colin Kaepernick this weekend against the St. Louis Rams. Kaepernick’s passing numbers haven’t been overwhelming in the two games he has started since Alex Smith suffered his concussion. But he’s unquestionably jolted an already strong team into another gear.
Smith has developed into a very solid quarterback and he really doesn’t deserve yet another downside to a career that got off to a slow start, in part due to coaching and system changes. But keeping the athletic Kaepernick in the lineup makes all the sense in the world, agrees Steve Spooner, team editor at 49ers Gab.
“The 49ers are making the right move by sticking with Kaepernick,” he says. “He has the hot hand right now and has added an extra spark to the offense.”
Spooner joined Zoneblitz.com as guest picker for week 13. He follows Richard Hill from Pats Pulpit, who went 9-7 in week 12. It was a tough week with a couple of real upsets and a bunch more close calls. Tony and Andy both went 10-6, leaving Tony with a three-game lead for the season.
|
Week 12 |
Season |
| Tony |
10-6 |
115-60-1 |
| Andy |
10-6 |
112-63-1 |
| Celebrity Bloggers |
9-7 |
109-66-1 |
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by Tony | Nov 21, 2012 | 2012 season, NFL Picks
The New England Patriots scored a convincing win last weekend against Indianapolis, but it ended up being a costly one.
Star tight end Rob Gronkowski could miss a month or more with a broken arm suffered while blocking on an extra point late in the game.
Richard Hill, assistant editor for Pats Pulpit, acknowledges that Gronk is a tough loss to swallow, but adds that the team may be primed for another deep playoff run nonetheless.
Aaron Hernandez and three other lesser known tight ends will have to step up in his absence. And all three phases of the game will have to adjust and play better.
Nonetheless, the schedule plays out favorably for clinching a playoff spot, with two contests against Miami and single games against New York Jets and Jacksonville on the slate. A first-round bye, however, might be a tough get.
“It won’t be easy,” Hill says. “They’ll need the Ravens to either drop two games (likely) and beat the Broncos (possible, but it’s at Mile High), or they’ll need the Broncos to stumble along the way (not likely).”
Hill provided some longer thoughts that we’ve turned into its own post. He also joined us as our guest blogger for this Thanksgiving weekend’s slate of games.
Week 11 realistically saw a great week of picks across the board, but Andy’s 10-4 picks were far and away the worst of the week, finishing two games back of Derek Arnold from the Russell Street Report—who’s pick of Chicago on Monday night kept him from matching Tony’s 13-1 mark. The only game Tony missed was the Jets drubbing of the Rams, a game that Andy and Tony discussed as potentially going that way earlier in the week over lunch (you’re going to have to just trust us on that one, we really did discuss it).
That puts some distance between first and second place for the season:
|
Week 11 |
Season |
| Tony |
13-1 |
105-54-1 |
| Andy |
10-4 |
102-57-1 |
| Celebrity Bloggers |
12-2 |
100-59-1 |
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by Tony | Nov 14, 2012 | 2012 season, NFL Picks
Many observers were ready to bury the Baltimore Ravens after they lost Ray Lewis and Lardarius Webb during their Oct. 14 win over Dallas. But the Ravens have won two of three games since the defensive duo went down and, after putting up 55 points against Oakland on Sunday, the Ravens stand at 7-2 heading into next week’s division matchup with Pittsburgh.
Baltimore has remained competitive on defense, but has won by scoring points – 124 in the last four games, specifically. Derek Arnold, senior editor with the Russell Street Report, says that’s no accident.
“Despite their reputation, the Ravens are no longer a team that is carried by the defense,” he says. “They have become one of the NFL’s best red zone offenses and, as a result, are near the top of the league in points scored.”
Consistency is still an issue on offense and he’s not banking on another division title just yet. But the offense is improving and seems to be understanding that it is going to need to score in the mid-20s many weeks to win.
“While not spectacular, Joe Flacco is an extremely capable quarterback,” Arnold says. “And when the offense runs through Ray Rice and utilizes play-action effectively, Torrey Smith can hit a home run at any time. Anquan Boldin, Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson can keep the chains moving.”
Arnold joined Zoneblitz as its guest blogger for week 11. After pulling into a three way tie in Week 9, in Week 10 we saw Andy and myself continue in our tying ways, with a 9-4-1 record, while our collective of celebrity bloggers dropped eight games to break the three-way tie.
|
Week 10 |
Season |
| Tony |
9-4-1 |
92-53-1 |
| Andy |
9-4-1 |
92-53-1 |
| Celebrity Bloggers |
5-8-1 |
88-57-1 |
Week 11 picks, where Andy and I finally don’t feel obligated to pick against the Vikings, sees us agree on all of the Sunday day games, but disagreeing on the night games:
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Robert no what makes you think that
heres a question for the group should a contributor be retired like players and coaches
Paul I hope so and that depends if the process changes again
if Hall stays with one coach and one contributor finalists-you can be certain Bill and Kraft will again be those…
I’m also on PFRA under the name PFHOFlover