Rich Talks Sports

Not only did the San Diego Chargers lose to the Pittsburgh Steelers today at Heinz Field, they did it while setting a new record. What record did they set, you ask? How about have just one snap in all of the 3rd quarter and generating 0 yards of offense? That feat has not been done and I fear will be a standing record for a long time to come.

I am sure that Phillip Rivers will be honored to have his name entered into the record books beside that very astute record. I am thinking that he might just go out and get several t-shirts made up to commenmorate the teams accomplishments.

In all seriousness though, I do think that Norv Turner has seen his last days as a Chargers coach. I am sure though, that he can find himself a new job. I know that the Detroit Lions, New york Jets, and several other teams can use a good coach.

Right now, if you are a Utah Utes fan, alumni, student, faculty, coach, or football player, you are feeling screwed right now. That is about the consensus of everyone that I speak to as well. You, the football team of the Utah Utes, played your collective asses off this season and then marched into your bowl game an decisively beat the Alabama Crimson Tide. After the dust has settle, you now have a second place trophy to show. Second place is not more than the first loser.

For this very reason, this is why the BCS does not work. When the hell did we turn to a computer to tell us who is number 1. As for me, number 1 is determined on the field by the ONLY team that is left standing. This is why there is no conflict with the Super Bowl.

I feel for these guys that busted their can for their coaches, fans, alumni, boosters, sponsors, advertisers, family, and friends. For it is really them that have lost. Basically, for lack of betters words, the Utes were screwed by a computer.

It is time for Adam Jones to find a new job. Apparently, it is also time for him to find a new career. Touted as one of the best corner backs in the NFL, Pacman began to fall apart. Since that time, he has yet to figure out how to put himself back together. Maybe he should have been nickname Humpty Dumpty. It is apparent that all the king’s horse and all the king’s men can not put him back together again.

It truly is a shame when it comes to this. However, Adam has no one but himself to blame. He has been given so many chances that it is pathetic. At what portion do we say that enough is enough to these “role models” of our youth?

My biggest complaint with the 2008 season has been the lack of quality quarterbacks. Well, the 2009 NFl Draft might just very well remedy that issue. With the likes of Sam Bradford, Matt Stafford, Josh Freeman, Nate Davis, Tim Tebow, and Mark Sanchez all potentially joining an already rich corps of graduating quarterbacks, the quality issue for QBs in the NFL should improve. Personally, I think that Josh Freeman should stay another year, but all the others seem to be a good choice to jump. I have concerns with Tebow making the jump to the NFL only because he has only played in the spread and he will not be able to do in the NFL what he has done in the college ranks. The guys are much bigger, much faster, and look at you as fair game.

I do think that if Matt Stafford chooses to go, he will go very high in the draft right along with Sam Bradford. Matt Sanchez would be another in a long line of USC quarterbacks, but once again, he would be a concern to me in the transitional phase.

I can not wait for the draft as this year seems to have some great prospects that are actually READY to step on the field.

The University of Georgia Bulldogs will hold a press conference on Wednesday at 3:30 PM EST time. The purpose of this press conference is to reveal the decisions made by quarterback Matt Stafford and running back Knowshon Moreno as to whether or not each will be entering the NFL Draft for 2009.. Personally, my opinion is that they are already gone.

The big question is if the two of them are ready to play football at the next level. The answer to that question really lies with the two individuals. However, I am going to put my 2 cents worth in the hat. As for Moreno, this guy has to be the closest thing to Herschel Walker that I have seen come through UGA in some time. He has explosive speed, can cut on a dime, and if need be, lower the shoulder. He also has a flair for the dramatic and a hustle that no one matches. In the case of Stafford, personally I think that he could use another year of college under his belt, but I believe he is as good as any of the other quarterbacks that are entering the draft, so why not.

I will be glued to the television today to hear their announcement.

Well, I guess I am going to have to eat crow today as both my predictions went south. Neither of the 2 wildcard teams managed to advance and that scares me for today’s picks. But, as I stated previously, the 2 winning teams did what they needed to do to win. So, lets take a look at the 2 games yesterday.

For the Atlanta Falcons, the first thing that I mentioned was that they needed to give Matt Ryan time to throw the ball. Well, that really did not happen as Matt was sacked 3 times and threw 2 interceptions. Even though he found the end zone twice on 2 different passes, it was not enough offense. The big reason for that is the Arizona Cardinals managed to contain the run game of Atlanta. They limited them to just 60 total rushing yards. This was another key to winning the game. As for the Cardinals offense, Kurt Warner sat back comfortable all day. He did have one blemish as he threw one interception. However, the offensive line did their job and did not give up a sack.

I think a few things that surprised me was to see Edgerrin  James getting most of the work load as the running back. I also think that Kurt Warner had a great game passing as he threw for 271 yards. One of the last keys that I stated was the fact that the Falcons needed to keep their defense off the field for at least 35 minutes of the game and that did not transpire.

In the night cap game, we got to see a classic match up with the Indianapolis Colts and the San Diego Chargers. Colts nation was not wanting to see the same results as last year. With that said, I am sure the collective nation is disappointed today. Not only did they see them lose this year, they saw it done in overtime.

My personal opinion to the reason the Colts lost this year is simple. The inability to get Marvin Harrison involved in the passing game early on was departmental to the offense.  For him to end the game with just 3 catches for 20 yards was a huge boost for the Chargers offense.

Another portion that the Colts failed out was being able to keep their defense off the field for 35 minutes or more. This is a key element to win a game. Wearing down a teams defense is what allows for sloppy play that leads to sloppy penalties. The last decided factor was the lack of any run game being present. Having only 64 yards for the entire team is no way to win the game.

I have to say that with this game, I have no horse in the race. Personally, I think that both teams have to have motion sickness. The roller coaster ride that they call their 2008 season had to get to them. Nonetheless, they have made it here and they are ready to play. With the game being in the Metrodome, this will definitely give a huge benefit to the Minnesota Vikings. So, without further ado, lets get to my keys to the game.

For the Philadelphia Eagles, they have to keep Donovan McNabb comfortable. If he can sit back in the pocket, he can pick you apart. On top of that, they have to get Brian Westbrook into the game. All  in all, their defense has to put pressure on the Vikings offense and limited how many first downs they give them. The DBs will need to key on the receivers so that the linebackers can key on Adrian Peterson.

As for the Vikings, they can not allow for Westbrook to have his way with them. If Brian runs like he wants to, that opens Donovan up t beat you with his arm. The Vikings will need to spread the ball around on offense and wear down the Eagles defense. If they do that, they can win.

My predicition is the Vikings can not do that and the Eagles win 44-17.

The Miami Dolphins sure mad a huge turn around this year over last. It is amazing what happens when you have an exorcism and lose your head coach and starting quarterback and gain a coach that does not know the meaning of “Can’t” and a quarterback who is determined to prove the he should have not been divorced. Well, they will have at least one more game in Miami Gardens to prove that this season is not a fluke.

Sunday, at 1 PM ET, the Miami Dolphins take to Dolphin Stadium in  Miami Gardens to do battle with the Baltimore Ravens. What I love about this game is the fact that it will pit 2 rookie coaches against each other. The thing that I do not like about it is that only one can continue and the other goes home. But, that is life and that is football. So, lets get to the keys of the game.

For the Miami Dolphins, it is all about the defense. They have to keep theirs off the field for at least 35 minutes of the game. If they can do this, they can win will ball control. Both defenses play very well and if Miami wants to win, they need to wear Baltimore down. On the offensive side of the ball, Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams needs to be on their game. Miami is going to pull every trick out of the bag and this time Ricky has to hold on to the ball. The line is going to have to protect Chad Pennington and give him time to throw. He is coming off his best season yet as a quarterback and he is not finished yet.

As for Baltimore, they have to disrupt Miami’s rhythm. They will need to run a lot of stunts, blitz, and nickle packages to keep this offense off kilter. If they can get to Chad early and often, then they can control the game. Neither of these teams have the dynamic play maker, but they are built solid. The Ravens will need a solid game out of rookie quarterback Joe Flacco. On top of that, Clayton and Mason will have to figure out how to get open. If they can do they, they can win.

My prediction is that the 12th man is going to help Miami advance and we will see a score of 23-20.

The NFL playoffs get under Saturday with the first of the games being the Atlanta Falcons flying west to do battle with the Arizona Cardinals. It will be a battle of the “birds”. Personal feelings aside, I thought that I would share my keys to the games. So, without further ado, let’s get right to it.

For the visiting Atlanta Falcons, the first key they need to accomplish is to give Matt Ryan time to find the open man. In the only meeting of 2008, Ryan threw 10 completions for 160 yards and 1 score. However, he also threw 2 interceptions. Michael Jenkins and Roddy White will have to do a better job at getting open if Ryan is going to have better success. The offensive line did it’s job only allowing one sack. Ryan is going to have to be on his game as I predict the Cardinals to key on the Atlanta run game as they mounted 263 on the ground last time. Michael Turner carried the brunt of that yardage.

As for the defensive side of the ball, the Falcons need to key on Marc Bulger and continue to put pressure on him as they did last time. The Falcons walked away with 3 sacks in week 17 and this time they need to get 5. The defense gave up 202 yards on the ground and 230 in the air for a total of 432. This game, they need to trim that down by at least 82 yards. If they can kept the Cardinals to 350 yards, they can win.

When the Chargers have the ball, Marc needs to be on his game if he is going to take his team to the next level. This defense from the Falcons will give him and his offensive line all they want in a pass rush. Bulger did not throw an interception in their only meeting, but that did not help them win. Bulger needs to figure out how to get the ball in the end zone. Being able to complete passes are fantastic, but if you can not get the ball into the end zone, then you can not win.

On the note of defense for the Cardinals, they have to figure out how to stop Michael Turner. He is the work horse of the Atlanta Falcons and to beat them, you have to stop him. But, with that said, if you forget about Ryan, White, Jenkins, or Jerious Norwood, they will make you pay. You can beat this team if you pressure Matt and get him on his back as well as plugging the line. But, it takes both actions to achieve a win.

My personal predicition is that the Cardinals do not stand a chance and the Atlanta Falcons are going to pour it on. Atlanta wins 38-14.

The Indianapolis Colts will play host to the San Diego Chargers this Saturday at 8 PM ET. The game is set to be televised on NBC from the beautiful Lucas Oil Stadium. This will truly be a good game. This is the playoffs so whatever has happened during the season can typically be thrown out the window. So, I would like to look at what each team must do to win.

Looking at the visitingChargers first, I think the biggest key will be if they can keep Peyton and his offense off the feild. If they can control the tempo of this game, then they have a better chance to win. If they attempt to get into a shoot out with Manning and company, I think that they will come up short. The time that the Chargers defense is on the field will be key. If they are on for more than 25 minutes of this game, the Chargers lose.

As for the Colts, it is really simple. Get your high power, high scoring offense on the field and keep them there. Wear down the defense of San Diego and score often. The offensive line will be a huge factor here and if they can protect Peyton and give him the time that he needs then he will find Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Anthony Gonzalez, or Dallas Clark. Factor in the running back tandem of Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes and it gets even scary.

Ultimately, I think that the biggest factor in the two teams will be that of the defensive backs. Whichever teams DB does the best job will ultimately come out on top. If I had to make a predicition, and I do, I see this game going to the Colts with a final score of 37-24.