Random thoughts about this weekend's games: They say defense wins championships so according to that adage, the 49ers and Ravens should advance to the Super Bowl on Feb. 5 in Indianapolis. The rematch of the Harbaugh brothers. Two of the stoutest defensive units in the game. Sounds enticing, but not so fast. When we look at the current versions of the Giants and Patriots, we recall the amazing climax to the 2007 season and see parallels to the two squads that battled it out in the Super Bowl, won by the underdog Giants 17-14. That year, the Giants had to make the playoffs as a wild-card team and then win all its playoff games on the road, including a trip through Green Bay. The Patriots and their precisioned offense engineered by Tom Brady entered the Super Bowl undefeated after fending off New York 38-35 in the final week of the regular season and then disposing of the … [Read more...]

Random thoughts on this weekend's playoff games: Saints at 49ers: At home the New Orleans Saints are virtually untouchable. On the road they're still very good, but mortal. Based on momentum alone, the Saints should be the pick in this game. Their offense is playing at an elite level and while they tend not to score on the road with the same frequency as at home, they still put plenty of points on the board. What the 49ers also bring to the table is an efficient offense, one that likes to run to set up the pass; one that likes to methodically march down the field. If Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter are effective against the sometimes porous Saints defense and Alex Smith plays mistake-free football, the 49ers can theoretically keep the ball out of Drew Brees' hands and keep the game close. Brees and his various receiver options continue to pile up the yards and touchdowns, and … [Read more...]

Random thoughts from this week's games: There's little joy in Spudville as we were 2-2 on our wild-card picks with the biggest surprise emanating from Denver, where the Broncos thoroughly outplayed the Steelers on both sides of the ball. Tim Tebow had all day to throw the ball and was able to make several big plays against the normally stingy Pittsburgh defense. Tebow averaged almost 32 yards per completion, including the mammoth 80-yard strike to Demaryius Thomas in overtime to send the Steelers home 29-23. Coming into Sunday's game, Denver offensive coordinator Mike McCoy was already being mentioned as a candidate for one of the NFL head-coaching vacancies; his masterful game plan against the confused Steelers will boost his stock. A major part of Ben Roethlisberger's game is his ability to avoid sacks and throw on the run. That was virtually negated by the obvious … [Read more...]

Random thoughts on this weekend's playoff games: Bengals (9-7) at Texans (10-6): We've been saying for weeks the Texans could go deep in the playoffs because of their punishing running game. We've also been riding the Bengals bandwagon, thanks in large part to the play of rookies Andy Dalton and A.J. Green and their improved defense. So what's a fence-straddler to do? Though they are on the road, we like the Bengals to squeak by in this one. Dalton, the red-headed gunslinger from TCU, has made The Queen City forget Carson Palmer and with Green has given Cincinnati a solid foundation to build around. Dalton, a Houston-area native, has been so impressive (he was 300-516 for 3,398 yards in the regular season) that he could lose his offensive coordinator. It's been reported Jay Gruden, brother of ESPN's Jon, is a leading candidate for the head-coaching vacancy in Jacksonville … [Read more...]