NFL analysts keep getting worse

[Ring 6]

This morning I heard:
-The Cowboys need to keep it to 25 passes
-Marion Barber is the biggest threat in the league
-If the Cowboys try to throw, the Giant pass rush will eat them alive, they are unstoppable
-Manning is a better QB this week than Romo
-The Giant D is playing great (um, last week was against Tampa and the week before we ran up a ton of points on them. I guess they measure this by the hour?)

Now comes all of the "Jags are tough" talk.
Lets take a look at why this is being said.
#1, since they cannot effectively pass the ball, they run a lot. I don't know how conservative play calling indicates toughness. They run it about 1 time a quarter more than we do. Damn that toughness will be hard to deal with.
Defensively, they give up more rushing yards than us, and we have 27% more sacks.

Its just funny to me. We run the ball almost as much as them, we play better defense, we allow less rushing yards, and sack the QB more. But since they are afraid (or incapable) of throwing the ball that makes them tough and us soft.

We will blow this team out. There isnt a matchup on the field that we are weak in. If we play our style, we will beat them handily. If we played THEIR style we would still beat them handily.

 

[patriot lifer]

nevermind the analysts, nfl.com's poll at the bottom right of the frontpage says 55% chance the Jags win (that's with almost 100,000 votes)!

it isn't just the analysts. it's a mad world

 

[flasox27]

I doubt seriously any of the Jax voters are willing to put their money where their mouth is.

 

[A.C Vegas]

I finally have the media thing figured out. They went way over board with anti Patriots sentamets during spygate and now that the patriots are about to create history they relized that they can not now jump on the band wagon or they will look foolish so they are doing eveyrthing they can to say that the pats can be beat and are praying that they will be so they don't have to face in inevitable if/when they win the SB

 

[SamBam39]

you gotta keep in mind with anything from the media or opposing fans,
that there are always three forces at work:

1)the media hates belichick cuz he doesn't play nice with them. In fact he gives them nothing at all, which infuriates them.

2)the media is just trying to drum up interest by being controversial, or playing on the frustration of opposing teams fans. they'll say or do anything, fair or unfair, real or imagined, in order to get people listening, watching, talking about their show. it's show business, it's not real.

3)the pats are dominating, and football by it's nature, is emotionally charged with bragging, jealousy, hatred, passion. It's only normal for people to want o knock you down when your up, heck in football, they wanna knock you down when your down. but when somebody starts winning all the time, it quickly excelerates people's emotions toward jealousy, anger, and hatred. Look at any team that has been a big winner, and the opposing fans from those days hated them. they already don't like the opposition, but when you keep beating them, and accomplishing what they wish their team could accomplish, they quickly go from dislike to jealousy to hatred. It is actually the highest form of respect you can get in pro football - to be hated. the worst is to be boring and irrelevant. it's a sure sign you've arrived when everyone hates you!

 

[scout]

I don't understand all the hoopla concerning the Giants. They played great against us, as did other teams which were trying to knock us off. The Cowboys played a couple of bad games, but not against the Giants. I'll give the 7 pts and the Cowboys and whistle all the way to the bank come Monday.
The media has been saying the same thing about the Colts defense vs us, that they are tougher. Because our offense is scoring lots of points through the air it makes our defense soft?
There was a good article in today's Herald, Philly's Lito Sheppard was analyzing the Patriots match up. My question, is there a better secondary in the playoffs then the Eagles who have Two time pro-bowler Sheppard and five time pro-bowler Dawkins? They did manage to hold the Pats to 31. Thus, Jacksonville is going to run the ball to eat up the clock and then their secondary will hold Brady and company to less points then the Jags. That is why I'll be whistling all the way to the bank come Monday.

 

[Ring 6]

nevermind the analysts, nfl.com's poll at the bottom right of the frontpage says 55% chance the Jags win (that's with almost 100,000 votes)!

it isn't just the analysts. it's a mad world

There is one very simple reason that people are annointing the Jags as the team that could knock us off.
They are the only good team in the AFC we didn't beat this year.
Therefore, since we didn't beat them, you can fantisize that we wouldn't have, which, make no mistake, is exactly the agenda of some of the media.

THEY WANT US TO LOSE, at least to the team that they guess could beat us.
Each of these guys wants to be the one who 'called it' so they find the most defendable straws to grab at.

After Saturday night, you will start seeing the comments about how the winner of the Packers/Seahawks game has what it takes to beat us, since they will be the only ones left that there is no direct evidence on.

 

[Ring 6]

I don't understand all the hoopla concerning the Giants. They played great against us, as did other teams which were trying to knock us off. The Cowboys played a couple of bad games, but not against the Giants. I'll give the 7 pts and the Cowboys and whistle all the way to the bank come Monday.
The media has been saying the same thing about the Colts defense vs us, that they are tougher. Because our offense is scoring lots of points through the air it makes our defense soft?
There was a good article in today's Herald, Philly's Lito Sheppard was analyzing the Patriots match up. My question, is there a better secondary in the playoffs then the Eagles who have Two time pro-bowler Sheppard and five time pro-bowler Dawkins? They did manage to hold the Pats to 31. Thus, Jacksonville is going to run the ball to eat up the clock and then their secondary will hold Brady and company to less points then the Jags. That is why I'll be whistling all the way to the bank come Monday.

I dont get the Giant thing either.
3 weeks ago, they were an in the back door playoff team.
Somehow by LOSING to us, and beating the worst team in the playoffs, they are supposed to be better than the team that beat them twice.
I think its similar to the anti-Patriot phenomenon, that they want to be out front in picking the surprise team. There is no gain in saying the Conf Champs are Pats over Colts, and Cowboys over Packers.

The problem is when everyone reaches for the same longshot, you weren't prescient if you are right, because you were one of a crowd.

 

[Metaphors]

How many TV lead-in's or newspaper headlines or webpage hotlinks do you see that say:

All the Home Teams Will Win! 'They are better, rested and playing at home. Duh!'

Do you really believe Jeremy Green thinks the Jags (especially with their injuries) are going to win? Of course not. Someone has to pick a controversial position...with the side benefit that if you turn out to be correct you look like a genius. And there is no accountability if you are wrong. Great job if you can get it.

The unwashed masses like their opinions given to them. Much easier than actual thought.

So contrarians get the airtime. Viewers fill their 3 active brain cells with this information and feel smart. Other talking heads see the benefits and turn contrarian to get their slice. Rinse and repeat.

This has been going on for so long that it is starting to become a contrary position (Skip Bayless) to predict that the Pats will roll.

Not to put down the Jags or Giants. It is entirely possible for the road teams to win this weekend if they execute well enough. That being said, I would be shocked if the Jags win...amazed if the Giants win...startled if the Seahawks win...and kinda surprised if the Bolts win. This should be a year when the top teams hold serve. Doesn't make a good TV soundbite, but that likely means it is an intelligent position to take.

 

[onegameatatime]

THEY WANT US TO LOSE, at least to the team that they guess could beat us.
Each of these guys wants to be the one who 'called it' so they find the most defendable straws to grab at.

Have you ever heard of a pundit in anything -- sports, politics, the economy -- get fired for being repeatedly wrong?

Whether you're Merrill Hoge in sports or Bill Kristol in politics, you can be wrong over and over again and it never matters. So if you;re a sports pundit, why not pick the underdog and then say "I told you so"?

Bit I also think there is a human desire to want to see the underdog or a new team, so I would not blame fans of other teams rooting for Jax. Plenty of other teams rooted for the Pats in 2001 and BB was just as "charming" then.

 

[captain stone]

That being said, I would be shocked if the Jags win...amazed if the Giants win...startled if the Seahawks win...and kinda surprised if the Bolts win.

I would be shocked if: the Chargers win.

I would be amazed if: the Jaguars win.

I would be startled if: the Seahawks win.

I would be kinda surprised if: the Giants win.

 

[alamo]

How many TV lead-in's or newspaper headlines or webpage hotlinks do you see that say:

All the Home Teams Will Win! 'They are better, rested and playing at home. Duh!'

Except that history says this is probbaly a false statement. In 3 of the last 4 years half the home teams have lost each year.

 

[Metaphors]

Except that history says this is probbaly a false statement. In 3 of the last 4 years half the home teams have lost each year.

But the home teams held serve in both 2004 and 2002. I believe I heard somewhere that this occurs about 1/3 of the time. Seems like we are due.

 

[DCPatriot]

"Whether you're Merrill Hoge in sports or Bill Kristol in politics, you can be wrong over and over again..."

Quote of the day.

 

[tuckeverlasting]

if it were another team making history and not the pats, i would be rooting against them just like other teams fans are rooting against us. what i find unprofessional is the amazing number of sports "experts" that allow their personal biases and rooting interests to leak thru into their work. talk about a bunch of losers. the gaggle of morons at espn makes it almost totally unwatchable and has nearly ruined one of my favorite viewing habits.