2012 TransGriot NFL Picks-Week 12

Gobble Gobble and Happy Thanksgiving Day TransGriot readers!  

This is a historic day for my hometown NFL ballers as it will be the first time in franchise history they have ever played on Turkey Day and it ain't at Jerryworld.

The Texans tangle with the Detroit Lions later today at 11 AM CST and seek to go 10-1 on the season 

The Cowboys take on the Redskins at 3 PM and the Jets host the Patriots in the evening game.

I went 12-2 during Week 11 while Mr Watts was 13-1.  Gee thanks Chicago defense for not showing up Monday night and allowing him to cut my lead over him to just 3 games.   This holiday weekend all 32 NFL teams are in action, so we'll have 16 games to pick as our prognostication contest has five weeks to go and my lead over him is down .

Y'all know the drill.  Mike's picks are here while mine are in underlined bold print. 


Week 11 records 
TransGriot  12-2
Mike Watts 13-1

2012 Season Records
TransGriot  105-54-1
Mike Watts 102-57-1

Week 12

Thursday, November 22
Texans at Lions
Redskins at Cowboys
Patriots at Jets

Sunday, November 25
Raiders at Bengals
Steelers at Browns
Bills at Colts
Titans at Jaguars
Broncos at Chiefs
Vikings at Bears
Falcons at Buccaneers
Seahawks at Dolphins

Sunday Afternoon
Ravens at Chargers
49ers at Saints
Rams at Cardinals

Sunday Night Game
Packers at Giants

Monday, November 26
Panthers at Eagles

2012 TransGriot NFL Picks-Week 11

Had a rough NFL Week 10 that included an unexpected 24-24 tie in the 49ers-Rams game. Thanks to the Steelers overtime win and my Texans handling their NFL business in Chicago Sunday night I still finished with an above .500 record for the week.

But as a result of the upsets and a 'what was I thinking' moment with the Chargers, my six game lead I had over Mr. Watts has dropped to a mere 4 games with six weeks to go.

Time to get back on the winning trail.  Clock is ticking toward the end of the season and as I said at the beginning of this 2012 NFL prognostication contest I was in it to win it this year.  I do not want to finish tied, nor do what i had to do to get that tie last year.   

The Vikings, Giants, Seahawks, and Titans Traitors are on their bye week, which means only 14 games to select.  Mike's picks are here.   Mine are in underlined bold print and I'm determined to do better than .500 this week.   


Week 10 records 
TransGriot  7-6-1
Mike Watts 9-4-1

2012 Season Records
TransGriot  93-52-1
Mike Watts 89-56-1

Week 11

Bye week
Vikings, Giants, Seahawks, Titans

Thursday, November 15
Dolphins at Bills,

Sunday, November 18
Jaguars at Texans
Eagles at Redskins
Packers at Lions
Cardinals at Falcons
Buccaneers at Panthers
Browns at Cowboys
Jets at Rams
Colts at Patriots

Bengals at Chiefs

Sunday Afternoon
Saints at Raiders
Chargers at Broncos

Sunday Night
Ravens at Steelers

Monday, November 19
Bears at 49ers

2012 TransGriot NFL Picks-Week 10

The Texans got their second half of the season started with a 21-9 win over the Buffalo Bills at Reliant last Sunday to keep the AFC's best record at 7-1.  

They now have an opportunity to atone for that disastrous debut on NBC's Sunday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers.  

In this Sunday's game they face another NFC North Division opponent in the Chicago Bears.  They are the other NFL squad they've never lost to in franchise history (Miami is the other at 7-0) and have beaten them both times they faced them.  But this 2012 edition of the Bears are 7-1 and will be a formidable challenge at Soldier Field.   And yep, they trashed the Tennessee Traitors 51-20.

You can bet the Texans will have the desire to show the national media they are serious contenders to be playing in the Super Bowl down I-10 east in February.

I had a wonderful Week 9 and missed my perfect week again with a 13-1 record.  Got the Redskins-Panthers game wrong while Mr. Watts went a respectable 11-3.   Thanks to moi getting the Seattle-Minnesota and Pittsburgh-NY Giants games correct that we disagreed on, with seven weeks left in the regular season my lead over my fellow Texan has grown to six games.   
 
So y'all know the drill for this season long prognostication contest.  Mike's picks are here.  Mine are in underlined bold print.  Once again we have only fourteen Week 10 games to sort through because the Cardinals, Browns, Packers, and the Redskins are on their bye week.  


Week 9 records 
TransGriot  13-1
Mike Watts 11-3

2012 Season Records
TransGriot  86-46
Mike Watts 80-52

Week 10

Bye week
Cardinals, Browns, Packers, Redskins

Thursday, November 8
Colts at Jaguars

Sunday, November 11
Broncos at Panthers
Chargers at Buccaneers
Titans at Dolphins
Bills at Patriots
Raiders at Ravens
Giants at Bengals
Falcons at Saints
Lions at Vikings

Afternoon Games
Jets at Seahawks
Cowboys at Eagles
Rams at 49ers

Sunday Night Game
Texans at Bears

Monday, November 12
Chiefs at Steelers

2012 TransGriot NFL Picks-Week 9

This week my fave NFL ballers come back from their bye week and welcome the Buffalo Bills and their former 2006 overall number one draft pick Mario Williams to Reliant Stadium.  

In addition to watching the AFC's best team continue their march toward home field advantage in the playoffs, we'll have one NFL game that will be watched by people on the liberal and conservative sides of politics for other reasons besides it being a clash featuring the last two Heisman Trophy winning quarterbacks.  

The Washington Redskins vs Carolina Panthers will be the latest test of the Redskins Election Predictor.  Since 1940, the Redskins last home game before a presidential election has uncannily predicted the eventual winner in 17 out of 18 elections. If the Redskins win that game, the incumbent party goes on to win that election. If the Redskins lose, the party out of power wins the election.  

So you know the Obama administration and every Obama supporter in the country will be rooting for RG3 and the Skins.  The Republicans and Mitt Romney will be rooting for a Black man for once and the Panthers.

But back to the prognostication battle.  I had a 10-4 record in Week 8 and picked up a game on the 9-5 birthday boy (it was Monday for Mr. Watts) when the Broncos beat the Saints, so my lead over him is now 4 games going into the second half of the season.  


Mike's picks are here.   Mine's are in underlined bold print.   Only fourteen games to pick once again with the Patriots, Jets 49ers and Rams being on their bye week.  I'm still shooting for that perfect week after narrowly missing it in Week 7.


(Singing) Hail to the Redskins...hail victory.

Week 8 records 
TransGriot   10-4
Mike Watts  9-5

2012 Season Records
TransGriot   73-45
Mike Watts 69-49

Week 9

Bye week
Patriots, Jets, 49ers, Rams

Thursday, November 1
Chiefs at Chargers

Sunday, November 4
Panthers at Redskins
Cardinals at Packers
Lions at Jaguars
Bears at Titans
Broncos at Bengals
Ravens at Browns
Bills at Texans
Dolphins at Colts

Afternoon Games
Vikings at Seahawks
Buccaneers at Raiders
Steelers at Giants

Sunday Night Game
Cowboys at Falcons

Monday, November 5
Eagles at Saints
. 

2012 TransGriot NFL Picks-Week 8

We're halfway through the 2012 NFL season and my fave NFL ballers finally get to their bye week in spectacular fashion. 

In addition to hanging a team record setting 43-13 spanking on the Ravens and beating them for the first time in franchise history, they also have the AFC's best record at 6-1

Speaking of records, after that 4-10 Week 6 disaster I reversed it with a nearly perfect Week 7.  I went 12-1 and only that last second Tennessee Titans Traitors TD to pull out that 35-34 win over the Buffalo Bills kept me from going unbeaten.      

But Mr. Watts also stepped up his prognostication game and went 12-1 as well, so the lead I have over him going into the midpoint of the 2012 NFL season is still three games.

We now move on to Week 8, and Mike's picks are here.   Mine are in bold underlined print.   I want to not only build on that wonderful Week 7, I want to see if I can get that elusive perfect week I came so agonizingly close to.

Week 7 records 
TransGriot 12-1
Mike Watts 12-1

2012 Season Records
TransGriot  63-41
Mike Watts 60-44

Week 8
Bye week
Ravens, Bills, Bengals, Texans


Thursday, October 25
Buccaneers at Vikings

Sunday, October 28
Jaguars at Packers
Dolphins at Jets
Chargers at Browns
Colts at Titans
Patriots at Rams
Falcons at Eagles
Panthers at Bears
Seahawks at Lions

Afternoon Games
Redskins at Steelers
Raiders at Chiefs
Giants at Cowboys

Sunday Night Game
Saints at Broncos

Monday, October 29
49ers at Cardinals

2012 TransGriot NFL Picks-Week 7

Week 6 was a 4-10 disaster prognostication wise for me no thanks to all the upsets, the Chargers failure to hold a 24 point lead and my Texans failure to show up and play against Green Bay last Sunday on national TV. 

They're going to have to play much better than that against a banged up Ravens squad they have never beaten and who one of their many injured players is Ray Lewis.

Mike did slightly better at 6-8, so my five game lead is now down to three over Mr Watts.   I'm done being pissed about it.  I was going to have a bad week sooner or later but better to have it while I have a nice lead to work with.


So time to move on to Week 7 and get back on the other side of .500 for my weekly picks.   Six teams, the unbeaten Falcons, Broncos, Chiefs, Dolphins, Eagles and Chargers are on their bye weeks which means we only have 13 NFL tilts to sort through this week

Y'all know the drill.  Mike's picks are here, mine are in underlined bold print..   

Time to get busy.

Week 6 records 
TransGriot 4-10
Mike Watts 6-8

2012 Season Records
TransGriot  51-40
Mike Watts 48-43

Week 7
Bye week
Falcons, Broncos, Chiefs, Dolphins, Eagles, Chargers

Thursday, October 18
Seahawks at 49ers

Sunday, October 21
Redskins at Giants
Cardinals at Vikings
Cowboys at Panthers
Saints at Buccaneers
Packers at Rams
Ravens at Texans
Browns at Colts
Titans at Bills

Afternoon Games
Jets at Patriots
Jaguars at Raiders

Sunday Night Game
Steelers at Bengals

Monday, October 22
Lions at Bears

2012 TransGriot NFL Picks-Week 6

My Texans just continue to raise their level of excellence and go where no Houston based NFL team has gone before.  

They are now 5-0 after winning their first Monday Night game since 2008 by defeating the New York Jets 23-17 and play their first ever NBC Sunday night game at Reliant against the Green Bay Packers.

But unfortunately we lost Brian Cushing for the season with a torn ACL in that Jets game.   Oh well, just like last year, next man up.   

Drew Brees broke the Johnny Unitas record of 47 straight games with a least one TD pass in their first win of the season over the Chargers.   

And speaking of wins, Mr Watts had a 10-4 record to finally beat me for the first time since the opening week of the 2012 season.  I went 9-5 with my picks and still have a five game lead on him

So let's get busy and get my picks up for Week 6 as I try to maintain or expand my lead on my fellow Texan.  Once again only have 14 games to pick because the Panthers, Bears, Jaguars and Saints are on their bye weeks. 

Mike's picks are here for NFL Week 6, mine are in underlined bold print  
   


Last week
TransGriot  9-5
Mike Watts 10-4

2012 Season Records
TransGriot  47-30
Mike Watts 42-35

Week 6
Bye week
Panthers, Bears, Jaguars, Saints

Thursday, October 11
Steelers at Titans

Sunday, October 14

Noon CDT Games

Raiders at Falcons
Chiefs at Buccaneers
Colts at Jets
Bengals at Browns
Lions at Eagles
Rams at Dolphins
Cowboys at Ravens

Afternoon Games
Bills at Cardinals
Patriots at Seahawks
Giants at 49ers
Vikings at Redskins

Sunday Night Game
Packers at Texans

Monday, October 15
Broncos at Chargers

2012 TransGriot NFL Picks-Week 5

If you noticed the explosion of pink hats, gloves and team logos during the Bears-Cowboys Monday night game, it's October and it means once again its NFL A Crucial Catch campaign month.  

The pink gear worn by players, special game balls and pins worn by officials and coaches will be auctioned off with the proceeds going to the American Cancer Society.

I had a great NFL prognostication Week 4 and increased my lead to six games over Mr. Watts thanks to going 11-4.  I do have room for improvement because I have had a tough time getting the Sunday night games correct.

Speaking of room for improvement, the four teams on their bye weeks, the Cowboys, Lions, Raiders and Buccaneers all have much to contemplate as they chill and watch everyone else play games before they get back into the NFL fray. 

Also happy my hometown ballers not only have gotten off to a strong franchise best 4-0 start, I get to see them on Monday Night Football this week when they take on the New York Jets.        

So lets get to prognostication business shall we?  I have two less games to work with this week, but have some momentum.  Mike's Week 5 picks are here.   Mine are in bold underlined print  

Last Week's records
TransGriot    11-4
Mike Watts    9-6
 
2012 Season Records
TransGriot    38-25
Mike Watts   32-31

Week 5
Bye Week
Cowboys, Lions, Raiders, Buccaneers

Thursday, October 4
Cardinals at Rams

Sunday, October 7
Noon CDT games

Falcons at Redskins
Eagles at Steelers
Packers at Colts
Browns at Giants
Titans at Vikings
Dolphins at Bengals
Ravens at Chiefs

Afternoon Games
Seahawks at Panthers
Bears at Jaguars
Broncos at Patriots
Bills at 49ers

Sunday Night Game
Chargers at Saints

Monday, October  8
Texans at Jets

2012 TransGriot NFL Picks-Week 4

I compiled a 9-7 record in Week 3 in the wake of the 8-8 Week 2 one, but it was enough to allow me to take a four game lead over Mr. Watts thanks to a disastrous and uncharacteristic 5-11 week for him courtesy of upsets and the egregiously blown call on the last play of the Green Bay-Seattle game that still has the Cheeseheads righteously pissed off.  

I wasn't happy about it either since I had Green Bay winning that game in the Pacific Northwest and I would have finished 10-6 for the week

But I'm looking at the half full part of my 2012 NFL prognostication contest glass.  I've been at or above .500 for the first three weeks and it has resulted in me leading this 2012 contest of NFL prognostication wits for the first time this season.  I'm also deliriously happy about my Texans handling their Denver business trip and as a result are now 3-0 and off to their best start in franchise history.

They play the Tennessee Titans Traitors this week at Reliant in their attempt to start 4-0 for the first time in franchise history  

The photo of longtime NFL official Mike Carey is my way of saying, hallelujah, no more replacement refs!   The jacked up ending to Monday's prime time game forced the NFL to finally handle their business and sign a new eight year deal with the NFL Referee's Association.  The real refs like Mr. Carey will be back in action starting with tonight's Browns-Ravens game.  

And after a honeymoon period from us NFL fans glad the officials are back, we'll probably be shouting stuff at them like the Ravens fans did when they blow their first call of the season. 



We are now one quarter of the way into the 2012 regular season and we get our first two teams with bye weeks in the Colts and Steelers.  They have a lot to think about with their 1-2 records as they relax and watch 'errbody' else play games.    The Colts are probably shocked and deliriously happy to be 1-2.   The Steelers probably aren't since they are supposed to be contending for the AFC North crown.


We move into NFL Week 4 and it's time for me to build on this lead and achieve my goal of winning this prognostication contest at the end of this season.  These are Mike's Week 4 picks.  Mine are in underscored bold print.


Last Week's records
TransGriot    9-7
Mike Watts  5-11
 
2012 Season Records
TransGriot    27-21
Mike Watts   23-25

Week 4
Bye week
Colts, Steelers

Thursday, September 27
Browns at Ravens

Sunday, September 30
Noon CDT Games

Titans at Texans
Patriots at Bills

Chargers at Chiefs
Vikings at Lions
Panthers at Falcons
Seahawks at Rams
49ers at Jets

Afternoon Games 
Dolphins at Cardinals
Raiders at Broncos
Bengals at Jaguars
Saints at Packers
Redskins at Buccaneers

Sunday Night
Giants at Eagles

Monday, October 1
Bears at Cowboys

2012 TransGriot NFL Picks-Week 3

Well TransGriot sports fans, even though I'm in RG3 country and handling my OUT on The Hill activist business, it's Thursday and the prognostication contest between myself and Michael Watts of the Michael's Rant blog continues.

Got off to a great Week 1 start for the season but precipitously fell off due to all the Week 2 games that didn't go quite the way I expected. 

But the good news is that even with an 8-8 record I still erased a two game deficit and Mike and I are tied again   Season is still early, but after two weeks I have a little better idea of which teams are headed in the direction of being playoff contenders and which ones will be competing for the number one pick.in the 2013 NFL Draft.   Week 3 will be another piece of that playoff and 2012 season narrative that is unfolding.

And yeah NFL, y'all need to settle the lockout with the NFL officials.

Enough jibber-jabber, on to my picks.  Mike's are here, mine will be in underlined bold print.

Last Week's records
TransGriot    8-8
Mike Watts  7-9
 
2012 Season Records
TransGriot    18-14
Mike Watts   18-14

Thursday, September 20
Giants at Panthers

Sunday, September 23
Buccaneers at Cowboys
Rams at Bears
49ers at Vikings
Lions at Titans
Bengals at Redskins
Chiefs at Saints
Jets at Dolphins
Bills at Browns
Jaguars at Colts

Afternoon Games
Eagles at Cardinals
Falcons at Chargers
Texans at Broncos
Steelers at Raiders

Sunday Night
Patriots at Ravens

Monday, September  24
Packers at Seahawks

2012 TransGriot NFL Picks-Week 2

Kickoff weekend of the 2012 NFL season is over and I actually accomplished my goal of doing better than the 9-7 I started the 2011 prognostication contest with and grabbed an initial two game lead..   

I went 10-6 to open the season and that wasn't bad, but Michael Watts went 11-5 so he has an initial one game lead on me (for now)   

If it weren't for the upsets I could have done even better.   Upsets such as RG3 and the Redskins marching into the Superdome and marching out with a huge 40-32 win against the Saints.  The NY Jets after having an anemic offense all preseason exploding for 48 points on a Buffalo Bills team that spent all those free agent megamillions on their defense.  

Mario who?  

I also didn't expect the Cowboys to walk into Met Life Stadium last Wednesday and walk out with a win and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers played better than I expected in their win against the Panthers.  

But the first week is over and NFL Week 2 rapidly approaches, so let's get to my Week 2 Picks.   Mike's are here.  Team I'm picking to win will be in underlined bold print. 

TransGriot Week 1 Record  10-6
Mike Watts Week 1 Record 11-5

2012 NFL Season Records
Mike Watts  11-5
TransGriot    10-6

***

Thursday, September 13
Chicago at Green Bay

Sunday, September 16
Noon CDT Games
Houston at Jacksonville
Kansas City at Buffalo
Cleveland at Cincinnati
Minnesota at Indianapolis
New Orleans at Carolina
Arizona at New England
Tampa Bay at NY Giants
Baltimore at Philadelphia

Afternoon Games
Washington at St Louis
Dallas at Seattle
Oakland at Miami
NY Jets at Pittsburgh
Tennessee at San Diego

Sunday Night
Detroit at San Francisco

Monday,  September 17
Denver at Atlanta

2012 TransGriot NFL Picks-Week 1

New year, new season and going into this 2012 NFL prognostication competition with Mr. Watts with the determination to win it. A tie, and especially in the way I had to do it last year to get to that 164-92 record is not an option.

I want to get off to a solid start and better than the 9-7 I started Week One off with last year. 

But the first week of a new NFL season and trying to pick winners is always a crapshoot because the pretenders vs contenders don't usually shake out until about the 4th week. 

You have to factor in all the old faces in new places.  What will be the effects of rookies such Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III and Andrew Luck be to their new teams?   Training camp injuries?  How will the season long suspension of Saints coach Sean Payton affect them?.  Will we see the locked out regular officials soon instead of the replacement ones and when will the replacement refs blow a call or two that costs a team a game?   What 2011 NFL playoff teams will fall by the wayside this year and what teams who didn't make the playoffs in 2011 surprise us and do so this year?  

And will my Texans not only win the AFC South for the second consecutive year but actually make it to New Orleans for the Super Bowl as the NFL pundits are predicting?  

Enough jibber-jabber, it all starts tonight     Mike's picks are here.   Team I'm picking to win will be in bold print and underlined. 

Here's mine to kick off our 2012 NFL prognostication battle and may the best Texan (pun intended) win.

NFL Week 1    Last year's TransGriot record 164-92    
No Byes

Wednesday, September 5

Dallas at N.Y. Giants
Sunday, September 9
Noon Games
Indianapolis at Chicago
New England at Tennessee
Buffalo at N.Y. Jets
Washington at New Orleans
Jacksonville at Minnesota
Atlanta at Kansas City
Philadelphia at Cleveland
St. Louis at Detroit
Miami at Houston Afternoon Games
San Francisco at Green Bay
Seattle at Arizona
Carolina at Tampa Bay Sunday Night Game.
Pittsburgh at Denver
Monday, September 10
Cincinnati at Baltimore
San Diego at Oakland

Moni and Mike Are Going To NFL Prognosticate Again

Haven't written much about my fave NFL football team this preseason because I've been busy with activist stuff, but trust I have been keeping up with the happenings NFL wise for the 2012 season.

The reason I've been doing so is because Michael Watts of the Michael's Rant blog and I will be having our online NFL prognostication battle again for the 2012 NFL season.   We weren't able to get any other bloggers to step up to the plate and be willing to show the world how much they know (or don't know) about NFL football.
 
But once again it's for Lone Star bragging rights since he's from North Texas and a Arlington Cowchips fan and I'm a proud Houstonian and Texans fan. 

Hey, I grew up despising the Cowboys and everything they stood for until Bud Adams moved my beloved Oilers and they became the Tennessee Titans Traitors

And naw, I'm not gonna let it go, even though I have a better team and owner in the Texans.

Mike and I tied for bragging rights last year with identical 164-92 records when the 2011 regular season ended.  I had to do it in spectacular fashion by going 24-8 in Weeks 16 and 17 to erase a four game deficit.

So here are the ground rules for the 2012 edition of our NFL prognostication contest just in case any other bloggers want to get in on the fun even at this late hour. 

We pick the winners of that week's NFL games, no spread.  Our picks go up on a post we'll have up on our respective blogs no later than ten minutes before the kickoff time CT of the day of the first NFL game being played.  

Example- For Week 1 since the Cowboys and NY Giants are playing Wednesday at 7:30 PM CDT, the NFL Week 1 picks post for all teams playing that week has to be up no later than 7:20 PM CT.   

I'll link to Mike's NFL picks post for that week and vice versa throughout the 2012 season so you readers can compare them.  At the end of Week 17, person with best record at end of regular season will have bragging rights.

I'm determined that will be me this year.    So it's on Mike and whatever other blogger wants in on this and ain't 'scurred' to do so.  



 

TransGriot NFL Picks-Super Bowl XLVI

Yes, I'm still bummed because my hometown NFL ballers aren't here in Indianapolis after a remarkable season, but did watch last Sunday's Pro Bowl.

In case you missed it, the Texans coached AFC squad beat the Green Bay coached NFC 59-41.

And next year's Super Bowl will be in New Orleans, so if the Texans do handle their 2012 NFL business, it'll be only a five hour drive on I-10 east to see my boys play.  

The teams that did make it to Circle City as I correctly predicted on Championship Sunday are the AFC champion New England Patriots and the NFC Champion New York Giants.

Mike's prediction will be here.   Here's Moni's

This game is not only a Super Bowl XLII rematch we will never forget because of the Giants memorable 17-14 upset of a perfection seeking Patriots squad, but like that 2008 game is a regular season rematch.

The Giants and Patriots met in Foxborough during Week 9 in a game the Giants won in dramatic come from behind fashion 24-20 and at the conclusion of it had them at that point in the season sitting atop the NFC East with a 6-2 record before embarking on the four game losing streak that nearly ruined their season>

The Giants eventually woke up and went 3-1 to clinch the division with two critical wins over the Arlington Cowchips sandwiched between an inexplicable loss to the Washington Redskins and a victory over the New York Jets, the team they share MetLife Stadium with.  

The reverse is true for the Patriots, who haven't lost since that November 6 game, got the number one seed for the AFC side of the playoff bracket and sent the Broncos and Ravens packing.

The Giants got to the NFC side of the playoff party and knocked off in succession the Atlanta Falcons, the number one NFC seeded and defending NFL champion Green Bay Packers and the number 2 seeded NFC West champion San Francisco 49ers in overtime..


So both teams are coming in hot and we'll have another game in which the NFL and football conventional wisdom will be but to the test.   It's long been said that offense sells tickets but defense win championships. 

But a highly ranked offense can put you in position to win a championship.

New England has the offense.  The problem is their number 31 ranked defense and a secondary who remind me of the Texans one in 2010 which got toasted more often than Quizno's subs.  

But because teams try to test them, they are capable of and do pick off passes from time to time or make a game saving play when they need to. Ask Tim Tebow and Joe Flacco about that

The Giants bring an imposing front seven anchored by Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul that comes after quarterbacks with speed, power attitude and athleticism.  It's also well known in the NFL that if you can get sustained pressure on Tom Brady and have him get frequently acquainted with the turf, he's not as effective a quarterback.

Speaking of Brady, as much as he has been saying this week that revenge isn't on his mind, you can bet it is.   This is a guy who uses the fact he was a sixth round pick in the NFL draft to motivate him, so I'm not buying that bull feces.



The Giants aren't slouches in the offensive department either.  Peyton's little brother Eli has had one of his best NFL seasons at quarterback, has a talented group of wide receivers to toss the ball to and wants to prove to the world he is an elite quarterback.


Eli has to be sitting in the film room salivating as he looks at the video and contemplating the opportunity to turn Victor Cruz and company loose on deep go routes and repeatedly burn this porous Patriots secondary.

Yeah, I expect to see Victor Cruz doing his samba in the end zone in this game at least once.    

Okay, enough jibber-jabber.  Here's my Super Bowl pick. 

It's hard to beat a team twice in the same season.  Unlike the last Super Bowl meeting, it's the Giants that come into this one at Lucas Oil Stadium with the regular season victory over the Patriots and being favored because they knocked off the NFL champs. 

The Patriots will be motivated to avenge that regular season defeat, but I believe the Giants front seven will be too much for them.   Rob Gronkowski's high ankle sprain takes a major offensive weapon away from that high octane offense and doesn't help the Patriots chances either.  

But it will and should be a close game that may even go to overtime or be decided by the kickers. 
 
Going with the Giants in a close one

TransGriot NFL Picks-Championship Sunday

The script got flipped on me during the Divisional round of the NFL playoffs last weekend as I not only saw my hometown NFL ballers drop their second playoff game to the Ravens, I limped into Championship Sunday with a 1-3 record after going 3-1 the previous week  

Only game I picked correctly was the New England Patriots 45-10 blowout over the Denver Broncos.

So now we're down to the NFL Final Four and we will witness which teams get to punch their tickets to go to Indianapolis.  Mike's picks will be here and here we go with mine.
 
AFC Championship Game

The number 2 seeded Ravens know they are lucky to be in Massachusetts playing this game as badly as their offense stunk up M&T Bank Stadium and was manhandled last weekend by the Bulls on Parade defense. 

Flacco and the boys know they need to step it up and produce more than the 227 yards of total offense they did last week, but can they?  

These were the two best teams in the AFC all season and the number one seeded New England Patriots are clicking on all offensive cylinders right now.

The good news is that they are coming off a 45-10 divisional round blowout of the Broncos   The bad news is that they also have the league's 31st ranked defense. 

They are also keenly aware that a team that's built similarly to them, last year's Super Bowl champions is now sitting at home watching Championship Weekend.

Can they avoid the Packers fate?  Maybe.  The Ravens defense, great as it has been for the last decade is also aging and is compensating for a team with a so-so offense that was served two touchdowns on a short field platter by the Texans.   

The proud Ravens defense knows this is possibly their last chance as a unit to get to a Super Bowl and they are tantalizingly close to doing so for the first time since the knocked off the New York Giants in their 2001 Super Bowl appearance.  Inquiring minds wanna know how much did last week's playoff game take out of them, do they have one or two more shutdown defense performances left in them and can their offense score points without being aided by the opposing team? 

I say the clock strikes midnight on them because the Ravens offense lets them down again.

The Ravens defense bothers Tom Brady and company at times but don't forget New England's O-line has two All Pro's on it.   Even if they force some three and outs and sack Brady, it may not be enough to slow down the Patriots potent point producing passing attack especially if the Ravens offense can't keep up. 

The Patriots defense has a problem stopping the run, but managed to do it against Denver last week. 

However, Baltimore isn't the Broncos and has one of the best all purpose backs in the league in Ray Rice.   
.
If the All-Pro Ray Rice shows up and Baltimore turns it into an ugly, boring grind it out game they have a chance since the Patriots don't have much of a rushing attack.  If the divisional round Ray Rice makes an appearance and the New England run defense has some success slowing him down while the Patriot offense turns this game into a big play laden shootout the Ravens are doomed. 

Who wins the AFC Championship game?   The New England Patriots in a close one will pick up the Lamar Hunt trophy.





NFC Championship Game

This game is a rematch of a November 13 regular season one in which the number four seeded Giants traveled to San Francisco and fell 27-20 to the 49ers.   Bear in mind that Ahmad Bradshaw didn't make the trip to the west coast for that game due to an injury and much of the now healthy Giants defensive front four was nursing nagging injuries as well.  

Ever since Bradshaw reentered the lineup the Giants have been on fire offensively.   He is Manning's safety valve receiver in their passing game and their offense since the playoffs started has been more efficient in the running game.  


Eli Manning has had the best season of his career throwing for almost 5000 yards.  The Giants are also a week removed from a confidence boosting playoff win in which they manhandled the 15-1 defending Super Bowl champions 37-20 last week at Lambeau Field.

The 49er defense is known for forcing turnovers, and the Giants forced four in their demolition of the Green Bay Packers..  

However, the number 2 seeded 49ers are also coming off a major confidence boosting win of their own in which they withstood a late burst of offensive fireworks from Drew Brees and got a dramatic Alex Smith to Vernon Davis 14 yard touchdown catch with 9 seconds left to subdue the NFC South champion New Orleans Saints

The Niners top 5 ranked defense like the Giants forced four Saints turnovers in that wild 36-32 game and are seeking to return to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1995. 

The Giants believe that like that 2007 championship team they are a team of destiny as well and a better squad than the struggling team they were when they last made an appearance in Candlestick Park

So who walks away with the George Halas Trophy and the trip to Indianapolis?  

It will be a close game, but as Green Bay painfully discovered last week, it's hard to beat a team twice in the same season, especially one that's got some momentum built up.   The New York Giants in a close one.