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The Reuters global sports blog
NFL Superbowl live blog – New England Patriots against New York Giants
Click here to join our Superbowl liveblog where we will bring you all the latest from one of the biggest sporting events on the planet.
Whether you are a New England Patriots fan, a New York Giants supporter or a neutral, give us your views on the Indianapolis showpiece.
NFL Liveblog
We are liveblogging the NFL Conference championships on Sunday – come back at game time for in-game chat and info with Reuters reporters and fans.
Sunday’s American Football Conference (AFC) championship game (15:00 ET) between the high-powered New England Patriots and ferocious Baltimore Ravens is more than just a clash between two rivals battling for a place in the Super Bowl.
It is a classic showdown between teams with opposing styles of play. A match-up that has been played all over North American fields for generations and has the ingredients for an intriguing battle that will be decided as much by wits as athleticism. Read more from Julian Linden’s Reuters preview here.
The New York Giants have enjoyed plenty of playoff success on the road, but their good fortunes will be tested in Sunday’s NFC title game against a San Francisco 49ers team that has lost just once at home all season.
There are many ways to get to the Super Bowl and the Giants are once again taking a long and winding road, but it is a path they are familiar with having followed a similar route to the National Football League’s (NFL) title game four years ago.
Brady hurried throw over the head of wide open Gronkowski that should have been a touchdown…. Pats now have to settle for field goal try
Tebow time makes way for Manning mania even outside U.S.
The Tim Tebow fairytale is over but NFL provided more drama with Super Bowl champions and previously imperious Green Bay being unceremoniously dumped out at home by New York Giants.
Over here in Europe, interest in NFL has grown markedly this year if Twitter trends are taken into account. Maybe the annual game in Wembley has boosted UK interest along with better live coverage on satellite TV but the players themselves deserve credit.
Undoubtedly the story of Denver Bronco’s quarterback Tebow has captured the imagination of fans around the globe. It’s not just his religious beliefs, it was his style of running and the fact he seemed to throw the ball all wrongly but still produced results.
The England Patriots, surely now the hot favourites for the title , ended his remarkable run in the divisional playoffs this weekend but Eli Manning’s nerveless performance for the Giants as Aaron Rodgers and the weak Packers defence fell apart means NFL’s new viewers may still be tuning in come next weekend’s Conference championships.
Manning looks a little unusual like Tebow. His helmet and shoulder pads seem way too big for his surprisingly small frame but his unerring passing accuracy and calmness under pressure at Lambeau Field, where teams are not meant to win, was remarkable.
The fact it’s the San Francisco 49ers aganst the Giants next week may also mean the worldwide NFL fanbase stays hooked. Along with the Cowboys and the Packers , the 49ers and the Giants are arguably the most well-known NFL teams outside the U.S. and the west/east coast fight adds to the allure.
The only shame? The game is being played in California. For European audiences that means a very late start. That will test the diehards.
Hey Mark,
Ever wonder where these professional football players start out playing? Check this video outhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJVyyP kqLHE&feature=colike.
Lineman Week 11 NFL picks
The Wichita Lineman had a bit of a rough outing last week but we have to remember it is always hard to step in mid-season and be at the top of your game.
But the Lineman is back for Week 11 so let us see if we can get this thing turned around.
Record: 30-30. Last week 1-5; Pick of the Week: 8-2
PICK OF THE WEEK
Kansas City Chiefs (4-5) at New England Patriots (6-3) (Line Patriots minus-14.5)
Tim Tebow completed just two (count em two) passes last week in the Denver Broncos win over the Chiefs and I cringe to think what damage Tom Brady (the best NFL quarterback not named Aaron Rodgers) will do at home on the Monday Night stage.
New England still has big questions on defence yielding a league worst average of 412-yards per game but should have no problem controlling a sputtering Chiefs attack that will be without starting quarterback and ex-Pat Matt Cassel.
The Lineman: Week Nine NFL Picks
Week Eight was full of surprises, not many of them pleasant. The St. Louis Rams taking down the New Orleans Saints was the big shocker while the New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens managed to escape with wins but were unimpressive failing to cover.
It all it added up to a disappointing 2-4 week but we bounce back in Week Nine.
Record: 25-23; Last week 2-4; Pick of the Week: 6-2
PICK OF THE WEEK Atlanta Falcons (4-3) at Indianapolis Colts (0-8) (Line Falcons minus-7.5)
You have to feel for Indy, no NBA and no NFL. It is apparent now that there will not be any meaningful football played at Lucas Oil Stadium until the Super Bowl hits town in February.
It has been a truly miserable season for Colts fans, who can’t even get excited about the possibility of landing superstar college quarterback Andrew Luck with injured Peyton Manning having just signed a ba-zillion dollar contract. After being pounded 62-7 by the Saints, the Colts bounced back last week and only lost by 17 to the Titans but now await the Falcons coming off a bye week, well rested and starting to take flight as they chase a third straight win.
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, his superb pass-catching trio of Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez and Julio Jones and the punishing running of Michael Turner are likely to heap more embarrassment on a Colts defence that is surrendering a league worst average of 31.5 points a game.
The Lineman: Week Five NFL picks
OK, it is not exactly the big week I was looking for but 3-3 at least has the Lineman heading back in the right direction. But catch a look at the Pick of the Week 3-1 (soon to be 4-1).
Good tipping to all.
Record: 12-12. Last week 3-3
Pick of the Week: 3-1
PICK OF THE WEEK
San Diego Chargers (3-1) at Denver Broncos (1-3)
The Lineman’s NFL picks — classics on the cards
The Lineman is only sure of one thing this weekend and that is that football fans are in for a real treat with all four games shaping up as potential classics.
It was a rough ride for home teams last weekend with only the Seattle Seahawks surviving and who says you need an elite quarterback to win in the playoffs.
Saints Drew Brees and Colts Peyton Manning will watch this weekend’s action from the couch while Jets’Mark Sanchez and Seahawks Matt Hasselbeck moved on.
Yes indeed, shaping up as another wild and wonderful weekend in the NFL.
Playoffs: 2-2. Pick of the Week 0-1.
Regular Season Record: 53-49
PICK OF THE WEEK:
Pats’ Belichick played the right odds, Harvard economist says
Bill Belichick has been crucified metaphorically by many pundits and fans for his gamble late in a National Football League game against the unbeaten Indianapolis Colts, but one top economist says the coach many previously called a genius made the right decision Sunday even if it backfired on him.
Belichick chose to have the Patriots go for a first down late in the fourth quarter with his team deep in its own territory and clinging to a lead on the road. New England failed to convert and the Colts immediately drove for the winning score in its 35-34 victory. And the second guessing began.
However, Greg Mankiw, former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers under President George W. Bush and now an economist at Harvard University, said on his blog that sometimes even the optimal strategy fails.
“It did not work out well in this particular case, and Belichick is coming under some heat for his call,” Mankiw said. “This does not mean … Belichick (is) wrong. Some strategies that fail ex post might be optimal ex ante. Randomness is a fact of life, even if Patriots’ fans do not fully appreciate it.”
Belichick defended his decision again on Monday. He should take heart that most people face criticism in their lives, including Mankiw, who in 2004 came under heavy fire for saying outsourcing of U.S. jobs to workers overseas may benefit the U.S. economy.
(Reuters photo by Brent Smith)
What was Bill Belichick thinking?
Bonehead move or brilliant gamble? Gutsy call or clueless mistake?
With the New England Patriots leading the surging Indianapolis Colts 34-28 with just over two minutes to play and staring at a fourth and two gamble on their own 28 yard line, was Bill Belichick’s decision to go for the first down rather than punt the ball away the right one?
The result, a shock 35-34 Colts comeback victory says Belichick made a boo boo.
Right or wrong, “The Call” sparked a debate more heated than healthcare reform across the United States on Monday and threatens to rage on for weeks to come as fans and commentators try to get inside one of the NFL’s greatest minds and get the answer to one question; “What was he thinking?”
Headlines Monday morning indicated many already had their answer.
“Beli-flop”screamed the headline in the New York Daily News while internet chat rooms were buzzing hailing Belichick “Bozo the Coach”.
Under cross-examination, Belichick stood by his decision but his body language as the final seconds ticked down on Sunday was saying something else like “What did I do?”
How could the Pats defence have been out of gas. They were on the field for only 4 minutes in each of the 3rd and 4th quarters. If they were out of gas after spending most of the 2nd half sitting on the bench, then NE has a serious problem with conditioning.
Week Seven NFL Picks
The Lineman had been in a bit of slump the last three weeks. After a very solid start to the season he has picked just six winners the last three weeks.We were hit hard by upsets last week (give me a break Raiders and Bills both picking up wins). But we are still ..500 on the season and Pick of the Week is back at .500.
Record: 18-18. Last week 2-4. Pick of the Week: 3-3
PICK OF THE WEEK:
New Orleans Saints (5-0) at Miami Dolphins (2-3) (Line Saints minus 6 1/2): OK, am I missing something? The Saints have won every game by more than 14 points, last week they torched the unbeaten New York Giants 48-27 and quarterback Drew Brees has put on an air-tossing 13 touchdowns including four against the New Yorkers, who came into the Big Easy with the NFL’s top ranked defence.
The Dolphins looked like fish out of water the first three weeks before putting together back-to-back wins and are coming off a bye week. Chad Henne has done a better than expected job taking over the signal calling for injured Chad Pennington but this one has Fish Fry written all over it.
Take the Saints and happily surrender the 6 1/2 points.
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I personally dont really agree with everything people are saying about the eagles. I mean obvioulsy im an eagles fan but they have a stacked team and will definetly go far if they dont play like they did agaainst the raiders. Ecspecaily with Deshawn jackson, our new recruit witherspoon, mcnabb throwing better, and TRENT COLE!!!!!!
