Conference Championships; Pick the Winners

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The winners this weekend are...

  • Green Bay

    Votes: 23 48.9%
  • Atlanta

    Votes: 23 48.9%
  • Pittsburgh

    Votes: 23 48.9%
  • New England

    Votes: 24 51.1%

  • Total voters
    47

CGI_Ram

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I am excited for these games. Should both be good matchups.

Pick 2 in the poll.

Also... consider making a SportsBook wager;

http://www.ramsondemand.com/sportsbook/

http://www.espn.com/nfl/insider/sto...ce-championship-predictions-scores-every-game

NFL Nation reporters predict the outcomes and scores for this weekend's conference championship games.

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP

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Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers might be the hotter team and Le'Veon Bell is poised to break the Patriots' 24-game streak of not allowing 90-plus rushing yards to a single player. But this stat is too hard to ignore: 19 touchdowns and zero interceptions for Tom Brady in his past six games against the Steelers. Plus, the Patriots have won six straight home playoff games. The Steelers' improved rushing defense and fierce offensive line play will keep this tight, but it won't be enough.

Patriots 27, Steelers 21
-- Jeremy Fowler

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New England Patriots

This game resembles the Patriots' back-to-back AFC championship contests against the Baltimore Ravens following the 2011 and 2012 regular seasons -- two big, physically and mentally tough teams that won't wilt in the big-game environment. This has all the makings of a field goal-type game. Who is more likely to throw the game-turning interception? Brady has four this season (two in the regular season and two in the playoffs) and Ben Roethlisberger has 15 (13 in the regular season, two in the playoffs).

Patriots 27, Steelers 24
-- Mike Reiss


NFC CHAMPIONSHIP

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Green Bay Packers

The Packers didn't have Randall Cobb, Jared Cook or Ty Montgomeryin their Week 8 meeting with the Falcons and lost 33-32 in the final minute. Even if they're short on receivers this Sunday, it might not matter given how hot Aaron Rodgers has been for the past two months. And if it comes down to a last-second field goal, who's more clutch than Mason Crosby? He has made 23 straight postseason field goals, the longest streak in NFL history. This team looks like it's headed back to the Super Bowl.

Packers 31, Falcons 30
-- Rob Demovsky

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Atlanta Falcons

This game is bound to be a shootout, with the Falcons averaging 35 points at home this season and the Packers averaging 35.3 points in their past four games. MVP front-runner Matt Ryan has guided the Falcons to five straight wins dating back to the regular season, with 14 touchdowns and no interceptions over that span. If Ryan plays turnover-free ball, and if the Falcons find a way to at least slow down Aaron Rodgers just a tad, Atlanta should be able to close down the Georgia Dome in style. The running back tandem of Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman, with a combined 24 touchdowns during the regular season, will come up big again.

Falcons 35, Packers 31
-- Vaughn McClure
 

CGI_Ram

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http://www.espn.com/nfl/insider/sto...-2016-nfl-playoffs-afc-nfc-championship-games

Heading into Sunday's NFC and AFC conference championship games, the Green Bay Packers (plus-4.5) and Pittsburgh Steelers (plus-6) are listed as underdogs. So how do they pull off upsets on the road this weekend and move on to Super Bowl LI? Let's take the perspective of a coach and use some examples from the tape to break down three keys for both teams.

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How the Packers can upset the Falcons

Play safe defense in the "shot zone"

Why it's important: When the Falcons move the ball into the "shot zone" (between the 40s), that antenna has to go up as a defensive back. This is when offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan wants to try to rip off a big play. Matt Ryan threw three touchdowns this season when his team had the ball between the 40s, tied for the second most in the NFL.

How do you do it: Given the layers of talent the Falcons have on the offensive side of the ball and the protection schemes off play-action that give Ryan time, I would take a much more cautious approach when Atlanta has the ball in the shot zone. This is when Shanahan likes to call the Yankee route, Cross-Country Dagger (clear-out deep over route and a dig combo) and the Pin route (post-in).

In these situations, think of receiver Julio Jones as the clear-out guy on the Yankee or the Cross-Country Dagger. He's going to pull the safety and the cornerback off the screen. And that opens up windows for Ryan to deliver the ball to Mohamed Sanuor Taylor Gabriel.

But don't forget about the Pin route, because that has been an issue for the Packers' secondary all season when it's playing Quarters. The Packers allowed touchdowns via the Pin route against the Redskins, the Giants in the playoffs and in their first meeting with the Falcons. These were deep balls over the top -- an easy six every time.

Here's a look back at the route from Week 8 with Ryan hitting Gabriel on the deep post after the safety takes the bait.

170120BowenPackers1.gif


With the safety driving on the tight end, this leaves the cornerback, Damarious Randall, one-on-one with Gabriel. There is no help with the safety now removed, and that puts a ton of stress on Randall to stay on top of the post. Yes, the cornerback can't expect help from the safety in Quarters technique, and he is taught to squeeze to the upfield shoulder. But with Gabriel widening Randall on the stem (creating room to separate back to the post), Ryan isn't going to miss on the deep shot. That's a touchdown all day.

Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers has to adjust his game plan tendencies on Sunday. Get out of Quarters technique and play a two-deep shell. Limit the explosive plays when the field position tells you the deep ball is coming. If Ryan throws underneath, hits the inside windows or targets the dig route, then you live with it. Tackle and move on to the next play.

The key is to have your safeties playing "top-down" instead of taking the cheese underneath. You can't put your banged-up cornerback unit in a compromised position where it has to match up to Jones, Sanu or Gabriel with no immediate help. It's OK to be boring at times if it limits Ryan's ability to throw the ball over your head.

Target the Falcons' single-high defenses with trips formations

Why it's important: I fully expect Aaron Rodgers to continue playing at a ridiculous level regardless of what kind of coverage the defense is playing. But when Atlanta uses a single-high safety (Cover 1, Cover 3), the Packers need to capitalize with some big plays to keep pace with the high-scoring Falcons.

How you do it: Let's start with the Seahawks-Falcons tape from last week's divisional-round playoff game. Russell Wilson gave the Packers a blueprint by hitting both Doug Baldwin and Paul Richardson on deep crossing routes out of trips looks.

Check out Wilson's pass to Baldwin -- a Cover 1 beater from a 3-by-1 "Dakota" formation (tight end aligned as the backside X receiver).

170120BowenPackers2b.gif


With the Falcons playing Cover 1 (man-free), the Seahawks send tight end Jimmy Graham on a shallow crossing route. That pulls the backside defender into man coverage and opens up the outside third on the field. Plus, with the inside verticals (frontside post and dig) "holding" the free safety in the middle of the field, there is no help for the cornerback, Robert Alford, matching up to Baldwin. What does this turn into? A race across the field with Alford playing from an outside leverage position. That's a win for Wilson, Baldwin and the Seahawks.

Can the Packers do this? Of course. Green Bay likes to isolate a tight end on the back side of a 3-by-1 (either attached to the formation or split out wide). That gives Rodgers three wide receivers to the front side of the formation. Whether that is Randall Cobb working back across the field or Davante Adams (if he's healthy), I like the matchup for Green Bay against Falcons cornerbacks Jalen Collins and Alford.

Now, when the Falcons play Cover 3 (three-deep, four-under), the Packers can remove the cornerback to the tight end side by releasing Cook up the field. That vacates the outside third and opens up a sweet window for Rodgers to hit Cobb or Adams on the deep crossers.

Along with the natural three-deep beaters, we are sure to see from the Packers' offense on Sunday (four verticals, sail, etc.), using trips formations allows coach Mike McCarthy to dial up plays that should produce positive gains. And in a game where the Packers will need to rack up points, creating open windows to win matchups is free money.

Be ready for when RBs Tevin Coleman and Devonta Freeman split out wide

Why it's important: Packers inside linebackers Jake Ryan and Blake Martinez will struggle to match up to the Falcons' running backs in the passing game. That can create issues for the Packers if Shanahan uses motion to get Coleman and Freeman aligned as receivers removed from the formation. The Falcons' RB duo combined for 883 yards receiving this season, which would have ranked No. 1 among running backs this season.

How you do it: I always go back to the Falcons-Broncos tape from Week 6 in the regular season because of the game plan from Shanahan. He found the weakness in one of the NFL's best defenses by using Coleman and Freeman to expose matchups against the Denver linebackers.

Take a look at this example with Coleman shifting out of the backfield to a slot alignment to run the smash route.

170120BowenPackers3.gif


With the Broncos in their nickel personnel and playing 2-Man coverage (two-deep, man-under), the linebackers have to "bump" with the shift from Coleman. That allows the Falcons to run a Hi-Lo concept with the tight end releasing up the field and Coleman coming underneath. This is nothing more than a pick route with the tight end creating traffic and forcing the linebacker to bubble over the top. And look at the space it creates for Coleman to come underneath. This is a high-percentage throw from Ryan with the safeties gaining depth in the deep halves. Catch and run. Coleman turns this into an explosive play off a 5-yard pass because of the route combination and the matchup.

From the perspective of the Packers, they should lean on their nickel and dime packages and rely on defensive back Micah Hyde to handle any running back shifting out of the backfield. That puts the Packers in a position where they can use basic rules for the running backs in coverage and also get a defensive back in the matchup to play the skill sets of Coleman and Freeman.

I don't like having linebackers adjust to motions or shifts because they aren't used to playing at different levels, avoiding picks or taking the proper angles to close to the upfield shoulder in coverage. Plus, when you do play zone coverage, Hyde is an upgrade in space.

Whether we are talking base or sub-package, the idea of using defensive backs in coverage protects Green Bay and takes away a key matchup piece for Shanahan with his running backs aligning as receivers.

greyline.png

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How the Steelers can upset the Patriots

Create matchups and open space for Le'Veon Bell as a receiver

Why it's important: Bell should see at least 20 carries in the run game against the Patriots, but his skill set as a receiver could be vital to the Steelers creating matchups against Bill Belichick's defense on Sunday. Bell averaged 6.25 catches per game in the regular season, tops among all running backs.

How you do it: We know the screen game is big with Bell. The same with throws to the flat, the checkdown against zone coverage and the one-on-ones when Bell shifts to the slot or outside the numbers. That's going to force the Patriots to match up with a linebacker or roll down safeties Devin McCourty or Patrick Chung. I would take Bell in those matchups. He has the ability and lateral quickness at the top of the route stem to separate.

He can run an option route, a pivot route or release up the seam. But the Steelers should also think outside of the box with Bell as they did in the regular-season matchup against the Patriots when Landry Jones stepped in at quarterback for the injured Roethlisberger. This is a pretty cool play:

170120BowenSteelers1.gif


With the Patriots using McCourty to roll down in coverage versus Bell, the Steelers countered with an angle/screen concept. Bell releases outside, which forces McCourty to widen with the initial stem. However, instead of running a basic angle route in which Bell breaks back inside and McCourty closes to the throw, the Steelers release guard David DeCastro to block the Patriots defensive back. This prevents McCourty from breaking on the route and creates a ton of space for Bell to get back up the field after the catch.

This is only one example, but it also shows the ability of Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley to add some wrinkles to the call sheet. And I believe Pittsburgh will need some more creativity to counter the defensive game plan of Belichick while generating opportunities for Bell.

Generate interior matchups against the Patriots' offensive line

Why it's important: When Brady isn't pressured and plays from a clean pocket, he completes 75.5 percent of his throws (second overall). That falls all the way to 39.2 percent (24th overall) when he's under duress. And more than anything, pressure up the middle has always thrown Brady off because it inhibits his ability to step up in the pocket and manipulate the coverage.

How you do it: I would go right to the Texans-Patriots tape and use defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel's game plan from Saturday night. Find a way to maximize personnel to win inside matchups while avoiding straight blitz situations. Brady lights defenses up when they blitz five or more defenders; his near perfect 92.2 Total QBR in such situations is nearly 10 points better than the next-best quarterback over the past three seasons.

But the Texans last week -- and the Broncos last year -- showed that teams don't have to blitz Brady to get pressure. Check out this creative scheme from Crennel:

170120BowenSteelers2.gif


As you can see here, Crennel aligns rush linebacker Whitney Mercilus right over the center and bumps Jadeveon Clowney inside. This allows the Texans to occupy both offensive guards while creating that inside one-on-one for Mercilus. On top of that, both outside linebackers drop as rovers with the Texans playing man coverage. The objective? Gain depth and get the eyes back on Brady (second-level help) while Mercilus wins the matchup and forces Brady to hit the eject button in the pocket. If you watch closely, this is really only a three-man rush, but it results in a sack because of Mercilus' closing speed and the creativity from Crennel.

Can the Steelers create a similar situation or alignment to get that inside pressure? I think they can when looking at Bud Dupree, Ryan Shazier and James Harrison. Put your versatile and athletic linebackers in the middle to limit Brady's ability to step up, slide and maneuver within the pocket while playing a smart and safe coverage in the back end.

If the Steelers sit in Cover 2 or Cover 3 all day, Brady will throw for 300 yards. They must generate pressure like the Texans did and get hits on the quarterback. And Houston gave the Steelers some ideas thanks to Crennel's game plan.

Split the top of the secondary with Eli Rogers in the red zone

Why it's important: The Steelers didn't have much success inside the red zone last week against the Chiefs, scoring zero touchdowns in four tries. It's not going to get any easier against the Patriots, who ranked fourth in Total QBR allowed in the red zone.

How you do it: We have to believe that the Patriots and Belichick will plan to limit Antonio Brown in red zone situations. This is where New England can play more combination coverages or use 2-Man technique over the top of Brown. Take away the offense's No. 1 target and force Roethlisberger to go somewhere else with the ball. Hey, I would have the same game plan.

However, that can open up some opportunities for Rogers. The Steelers' wide receiver has really impressed me on tape because of his quick feet and sudden burst to the ball. That allows him to expose inside matchups and beat split safety looks in scoring range.

Here's an example of that from the Steelers-Bengals matchup from the regular season.

170120BowenSteelers3.gif

The Bengals are playing 2-Man to put a safety over the top of Brown (top of the screen) with the Steelers in a 3x1 alignment and Rogers in the slot to the front side of the formation. With Pittsburgh using an outside vertical to widen the front-side safety (bottom of the screen), the middle of the field is now open. This is where Rogers can use his route-running ability to set up the defensive back in coverage. This is called a shake route as Rogers stems up the field, sells the out cut and then carries the seam back to the hash. Separate and split the top of the secondary with both safeties occupied. Clear target for Roethlisberger to deliver the ball for a score.

I'm very interested to see how Belichick prepares for Brown. The Patriots have to limit his ability to stretch the field and produce after the catch on three-step concepts. But while the focus will be on rolling coverage to Brown, this is a game where Rogers can play a major role.

You want to beat Brady and the Patriots in Foxborough, Massachusetts? You have to score touchdowns. Field goals aren't going to cut it.
 

den-the-coach

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Super Bowl

This^ and I believe very strongly that the Falcons can beat the Evil Empire. I really like Atlanta to defeat the Packers like 45-30 as the Packer defense will finally get exposed and for the first time in a very long time I will be rooting for the Steelers, but they never play well against the Patriots and I feel they will just come up a tad short in Foxborough (Yes I spelled it correctly) with a bad call that will send Steeler nation over the edge, the great thing about the Patriot/Steeler game is somebody is going to lose, Pats 24-20.
 

Selassie I

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Yeah... as hard as it is to pick against Rodgers right now... I think the GB defense and injuries are going to stop the packer win streak.

And now that the cheaters found a way to poison half of the steelers... they will cheat their way back to another SB again.
 

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Super Bowl: Patriots vs. Falcons
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https://theringer.com/nfl-playoffs-...l-belichick-tom-brady-f6fcf1678061#.nsrtd9cqe

All the Small Things
Kevin Clark
Staff Writer, The Ringer

The New England Patriots have achieved an astounding level of consistency, reaching 11 AFC championship games since the 2001 season. Sunday’s matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers will be the Pats’ sixth consecutive conference title bout. Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, the Kraft family, and the guys who cosplay in the end zone have been there for the whole run, but the rest of the core cast in Foxborough has rotated.

New England has kept winning thanks not to just one person, but rather to myriad little things that have combined to create the best team of the millennium by a wide margin. We know they have a future Hall of Fame coach and quarterback, but from that quarterback’s secret speed to that coach’s disdain for “SnapFace,” here are the less obvious factors that have kept the Pats on the path to the fifth Super Bowl title of the Brady-Belichick era:

Belichick Coaches Every Position
We all know that Belichick is a massive football nerd. Lots of coaches are. What sets him apart is that he’s a nerd about everything on the field. Though his most notable stint as an assistant came when he served as the Giants defensive coordinator in the 1980s, he’s also worked as an assistant special teams coach, a receivers coach, and a linebackers coach in his career.

He doesn’t seem to favor one side of the ball. In 2005 and 2009, when Belichick lost respected offensive coordinators Charlie Weis and Josh McDaniels, respectively, he didn’t fill the position, instead opting to take on more responsibility himself. In 2010, he made a similar decision with the defensive coordinator role.

The Patriots didn’t win the Super Bowl in those seasons, and Belichick has coordinators in place during this highly successful campaign, so the merits of that particular tactic are up for debate, but Belichick’s commitment to all facets of the roster has undeniably shaped the franchise.

Louis Riddick, a former NFL defensive back who played for Belichick when he coached the Browns, says that Belichick’s team-wide expertise forces players to remain focused.

“There aren’t many [head] coaches, if any, who can talk about a tight end’s footwork when he’s blocking the defensive end then [walk] over to the safety and say, ‘Your eyes are all wrong,’ and he’s going over to another guy and he’s saying, ‘Get your ass over here, this is where your feet should be at the snap,’ and you’ll just be like, ‘Holy shit, I better get this right,’” says Riddick, now an ESPN analyst.

“There are two fields during training camp so you’re sitting there saying, ‘He’s not paying attention to me because this isn’t really his area.’ Wrong. You cannot slack. He sees everything, any position.”

Belichick’s diverse background may be rare among head coaches, but it’s common among his assistants. He gravitates toward staff members who possess similar flexibility, whether it comes from working with the offense and defense alike or from working in different parts of the organization. Current defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, for instance, was the team’s assistant offensive line coach in 2005 before becoming the linebackers coach a year later.

Director of player personnel Nick Caserio was the team’s wide receivers coach. Linebackers coach Brian Flores used to be a Patriots scout. League-wide, it’s uncommon for coaches and scouts to switch career paths like that once they’re at the NFL level, but in Belichick’s house, it’s routine.

Possessing expertise across the organization doesn’t just make coaches and execs smarter; it helps earn players’ trust. “He’s done everything, so when he’s talking about anything you have to listen,” New England pass rusher Rob Ninkovich says of Belichick. “Offensive coach, defensive coordinator, special teams, it’s unbelievable. He can know anything.”

The Pats Invest in Special Teams
The Patriots have finished in the top seven in special teams DVOA in every season since 2011, and that’s no coincidence: They’re obsessed with that phase of the game. Belichick talks breathlessly about its intricacies, and that passion has translated into field position: This season, their opponents’ average drive began on the 26-yard line, best in the league, while their own average drive started at the 31, third best in the league.

Committing to special teams excellence is a conscious choice: The Patriots paid Matthew Slater, the special teams ace tasked with flying down the field to make the tackle on punts and kickoffs, more than $2 million this season, an extremely uncommon expenditure in a league in which teams are loathe to spend more than the minimum on special teams players.

They spent a fourth-round pick on kicker Stephen Gostkowski, who’s been with the team since 2006, and a fifth-round pick on long snapper Joe Cardona despite only four exclusive long snappers ever being drafted. They didn’t draft punter Ryan Allen, but that won’t stop Belichick, who believes the spin Allen generates makes the ball harder to catch, from gushing about the left-footer.

Every team knows that there are three phases to the game, but few care more about the third one than the Patriots.

Brady Is Faster Than He Looks
When Brady is highly motivated, something odd happens: He gets fast. “I’d be embarrassed if he beat me in a regular footrace,” says Patriots tackle Nate Solder. “But there are plenty of times I’m lead blocking for him and I can’t catch him and I’m like, ‘What the heck?’”

A number of Patriots backup quarterbacks say they’ve suggested Brady was slow only to suffer the consequences. “We questioned his speed last year,” says backup Jimmy Garoppolo. And so Brady challenged him to a foot race in camp. “It’s besides the point who won,” Garoppolo says with a laugh, suggesting the four-time Super Bowl winner was the victor. “He’s quick.”

Former Patriots draftee Zac Robinson remembers another former Pats QB, Brian Hoyer, making a similar statement to Brady in training camp in 2010. Hoyer quickly learned that when someone attacks Brady’s speed, the starter takes it personally. “There will be an argument and all of the sudden Tom is setting up a short-shuttle race,” Robinson says. “You would just see the competitiveness — when Tom wants to compete, he’s quick and agile.”

Brady is one of seven active quarterbacks who’s been sacked on less than 5 percent of his dropbacks over his career. That certainly has something to do with his ability to get the ball out quickly and with the Patriots’ offensive line, but it’s also fueled by the fact that a competitive Tom Brady is a fast one.

The burst he finds in practice often appears in games, and Brady’s ability to run when he needs to confounds defenders. “He does a great job of evading pressure — he’s got a real good sense of what’s going on in the pocket and no one in the game can sense it better,” says Rams defensive lineman William Hayes. “It may not seem like it, but he moves really, really well.”

No One’s Putting Speeches on Facebook Live


View: https://twitter.com/MikeReiss/status/821105059245256704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Steelers superstar Antonio Brown
created controversy Sunday night when he put head coach Mike Tomlin’s postgame speech on Facebook Live. Tomlin called the Pats “assholes,” and Belichick responded with his well-worn“SnapFace” line. Current NFL Network analyst and former Patriot Heath Evans says that Belichick has been butchering the names of social media platforms since at least 2005, when he’d parody Myspace (Myface) and Facebook (Spacebook).

But it’s more than just a bit: The notoriously secretive Patriots would likely never have the kind of controversy the Steelers are dealing with now, because, as Brady told WEEI, putting anything considered private on social media is against team policy and wouldn’t go over well with Belichick. Just as notable as the Patriots’ absence of similar occurrences: their reaction to this one. They truly don’t seem to care what the Steelers did or said. Linebacker Dont’a Hightower rhetorically asked WEEI if Tomlin’s words were supposed to hurt his feelings.

In case you’re wondering: Brady has a Facebook page and an Instagram account. No word on SnapFace.

They Think Everyone Is Great — or at Least Pretend To
Last season, Belichick had “high praise” for Blake Bortles. This season, he had it for Darrelle Revis and Ryan Fitzpatrick and made sure to say that he felt the then-1–8 San Francisco 49ers were getting better every week (they weren’t). Defensive end Chris Long, who called the Niners’ players “really good,” isn’t the only Belichick disciple dishing out shocking praise: Alabama coach Nick Saban, Belichick’s former assistant, wants you to know he’s not sleeping on Western Kentucky.

They Overcome Setbacks
I was in Foxborough the day star tight end Rob Gronkowski was ruled out for the season with a back injury. The mood was gloomy everywhere in New England except the stadium, where Belichick was giving a master class to the assembled media on moving on. He refused to even acknowledge that Gronk, one of the most dominant players of the past five years, was good. His take? “We appreciate all of our players.” Those players apparently appreciated the support, because the team hasn’t lost since:


View: https://twitter.com/AndrewSiciliano/status/821067173183356930?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

And Find Value in Surprising Places
Part of being able to recover from losing a player like Gronkowski is being able to find value elsewhere. Gronkowski was replaced at his position by the combination of Martellus Bennett and Matt Lengel, who combined for four touchdowns in the last four games of the regular season, but also by running backs like Dion Lewis, who’ve helped the offense click. That unconventional approach has paid off:


View: https://twitter.com/WillReeveJr/status/821006489032609797?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Belichick Wins Every Argument
Ninkovich says that players rarely challenge Belichick, but that in the rare instances when they do, the coach has a ready-made response: “His line is: ‘I’ve forgotten more about football than you’ll ever know,’” Ninkovich says. “His general knowledge of the game is just unbelievable.” Once Belichick drops the line, Ninkovich confirms, the discussion is over.

Belichick thinks about everything, including the difference between defending in lacrosse or hockey compared with football. (It’s defending a goal versus defending a line, which changes the entire scheme.) He once talked about timeouts for 971 uninterrupted words. He knows a lot about football — and a lot about the little things.
 

DaveFan'51

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Call me a fool, but I'm standing firm, The Steelers will Beat the Pats, and The Packers will Beat the Falcons! And they BOTH will be "Nail-Bitters!" right down to the Wire!!(y);):yess:
Remember one thing, These Conference Championship Games are almost always much better than the Super Bowl! It's going to be Fun watching These games!!:D
 

LACHAMP46

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Green Bay- You don't get to see QB's on this kinda run often. You rarely see them lose when you do. Green Bay's LBing crew of Matthews, Perry, and Peppers is awesome. I like Martinez in the middle too.

Pittsburg- Anyone else notice the last couple games the Pats played in the playoffs? How about the last game they played against an elite QB? (yeah Russell Wilson is elite). Pitts defense led by Shazier, Dupree, Timmons, and Deebo....the LB's...is hunting for the ring.

In a funny way, defenses will win these games. Not by overall dominance, but by key stops and turnovers. Look out for Micah Hyde on Green Bay. And those rookies DB's on the Steelers. Playmakers.
 

Ramhusker

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Good stuff CGI!!!! I'm like DaveFan'51. I'm sticking to my original line of thinking.

Packers 33-31

Steelers 19-17
 

CGI_Ram

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Definitely looks like most are undecided here!
 

Picked4td

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I think the steelers offense is just playing too well to not win. And while I think the Falcons will win, its incredibly tough to bet against the Rodgers and the packers with the way they've been balling
 

Boston Ram

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This^ and I believe very strongly that the Falcons can beat the Evil Empire. I really like Atlanta to defeat the Packers like 45-30 as the Packer defense will finally get exposed and for the first time in a very long time I will be rooting for the Steelers, but they never play well against the Patriots and I feel they will just come up a tad short in Foxborough (Yes I spelled it correctly) with a bad call that will send Steeler nation over the edge, the great thing about the Patriot/Steeler game is somebody is going to lose, Pats 24-20.

I'm with you, I really like Atlanta this week. I'm just not sold on Green Bay. I think Atlanta has enough defense, Green Bay is also banged up a little. I'm rooting Steelers too, but I give NE the edge here, but small edge.
 

den-the-coach

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I'm with you, I really like Atlanta this week. I'm just not sold on Green Bay. I think Atlanta has enough defense, Green Bay is also banged up a little. I'm rooting Steelers too, but I give NE the edge here, but small edge.

Concur and I still feel that a controversial call will send New England to the big dance and then the NFL will do something about the officiating...Well, maybe. But Go Steelers because I also feel good about the Falcons against them as opposed to the Patriots..
 

CGI_Ram

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Burger man
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  • #19

That would be a disaster without them.

I suspect both get IV's and will be fine. Sucks, however, they'll likely be less than 100%. Boo!
 

dieterbrock

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I think Green Bay's magic carpet ride is coming to an end and that the Pats terrible performance last week will have them sharp as a tack.
That said, Im rooting for a Green Bay/Pittsburgh SB