Wild Card Predictions

Well we have finally reached the playoffs in the NFL. The wild card round will be played this Saturday and Sunday, with three of the match ups being repeats of games in the final week of the regular season. So here we go with a game by game preview and prediction.

The first game on the schedule will pit the New York Jets up against the Bengals in Cincinnati. The Jets throttled the Bengals 37-0 this past Sunday. I'm going to go out on a limb and say this week's score will be closer. The Bengals need to get their offense going and keep the ball away from the Jets corner back Darrelle Revis. While on defense they must slow down the run and put Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez in a position to make plays. If the Bengals do as I say above I have little doubt that they can force Sanchez into at least a couple of turnovers. Predictions Bengals 20, Jets 13.

Game two on Saturday features the Dallas Cowboys hosting the Philadelphia Eagles. Dallas won their match up against Philly this past Sunday 24-0. As much as I would like to find a way for the Eagles to beat the Cowboys, I really don't see it. The Cowboys are just more talented than the Eagles, plain and simple. The lone hope for the Eagles is that they can get in the head of Tony Romo and he will become a turnover machine. I just don't see it happening, I hate to say. Prediction Cowboys 27, Eagles 10.

On to Sunday where the first game will have the Baltimore Ravens facing the New England Patriots. Now as a Patriots fan I don't really fear the Ravens like I may have in the Past. Their defense isn't as stout as it used to be and the passing game isn't scary either. The Patriots will need to stop the running of both Ray Rice and Willis McGahee, no easy task for this defense. The Patriots defense will also need to play all 60 minutes rather than taking their usual fourth quarter nap. Randy Moss will need to be heard from if the Patriots are to win. Prediction Patriots 23, Ravens 20.

The final game of the weekend will have the Green Bay Packers traveling to the desert to take on the Arizona Cardinals. This season has been a nice quiet little coming out party for Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and it will continue this weekend. As much as I like Larry Fitzgerald and the Cardinals I just think that they have too many injuries to overcome and win. The game will be close and Rodgers will lead the Pack to a game winning score late in the fourth quarter. Prediction: Packers 27, Cardinals 24.

Well there they are and if these predictions are as good as my regular season ones we may be looking at a Ravens vs. Cardinals Super Bowl.

Hey all if you like this or heck if you hate it at least go and check out the first few chapters of my baseball novel 33 Summers at: http://www.darrenpare.com/Announcements.html Or if you just want to go ahead and by one you can go here: http://www.eloquentbooks.com/33Summers.html

Random Sports Thoughts

Here are five random thoughts from this past sports weekend. 1. Why did I enjoy watching the Patriots crush the Titans 59-0 so darn much? I know a few reasons are that I love watching snow football and whenever the Patriots pull off a flea flicker I grin from ear to ear. Maybe it was because I could throw the score in the face of all the haters out there. Yes I can be petty, I am not proud of it, but it does happen on occasion. 2. I am a little ashamed to say I also enjoyed hearing about the struggles of the Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez. After three weeks everyone was ready to dub this kid the savior of the Jets, well guess what he is a rookie so get used to the ups and downs folks. 3. Watching the end of the USC/Notre Dame game on Saturday I was yelling at my TV that there should be one second left before the referees looked at instant replay, but it did not help my Fighting Irish for they wasted the extra play they got and lost 34-27. 4. Steelers kicker Jeff Reed was cited for public intoxication on Sunday. Dude you realize you are a kicker the team won't put up with this, you are a dime a dozen and this is your second offense wise up. 5. Obviously I am happy my Yankees took a 2-0 ALCS lead after a 13 inning 4-3 win on Saturday. It was a very entertaining game, even though it was sloppy at times. Also as with pretty much everyone else in the country I can't wrap my head around why Brian Fuentes left that 0-2 pitch where he did for A-Rod to crush, I'm just hoping he does it again today.

Hey all if you like this go check out the first few chapters of my baseball novel 33 Summers at: http://www.darrenpare.com/Announcements.html Or if you just want to go ahead and by one you can go here: http://www.eloquentbooks.com/33Summers.html

An Odd Duck Has a Good Weekend

For those of you that don't know me personally I am of a rare breed when it comes to my sports teams. I am a Boston area sports fan except when it comes to baseball where I root for the Yankees. Now now before you inundate with cries of blasphemy let me explain a bit. I started watching baseball when I was maybe five or six years old with my dad who is a Yankees fan. This led me to like the Yankees and that will never change. The others sports, football, basketball, and hockey, I picked up in junior high and high school and I went with the local teams, the Patriots, Celtics, and Bruins. Well sometimes, when I am not quite awake when I leave the house, I can be seen wearing a Patriots shirt and a Yankees hat and people look at me funny, at least I'm assuming they are looking at me funny because of the clothes and not my face. I have been labeled a cross dresser by friends and had strangers call me a bandwagon jumper, which irks me to know end because I am fiercely loyal to my teams. Well this all leads to this weekend which found the Yankees sweeping the Red Sox to clinch the AL East and the Patriots prove the naysayers wrong by taking care of the Falcons. So that made me one of few people in New England very happy about the sports weekend. If you like an odd assortment of teams let me know in the comments area with an explanation on how you starting liking your teams.

Be sure to check out the first few chapters of my baseball novel 33 Summers at www.darrenpare.com Just click on the announcements tab.

What to Make of These Patriots?

Okay yesterday was a tough day for us Patriots fans and a great day for all the Patriots haters out there and there are many. The question, after 24 hours to reflect on the situation, is should we be concerned and I will be like any seasoned politician and ride the fence and say yes and no. First of all Tom Brady needs to find his timing, he hasn't been as crisp as he should be, but I am convinced that will come in time. Wes Welker being out showed to me just how valuable he really is. Welker is Brady's teddy bear, something he can count on when everything else isn't working out, much like Kevin Faulk. I really don't think the defense has played that poorly, but they do need to find a leader and having Jerod Mayo out certainly is not helping. So to summarize quickly here Brady needs to get back to being the Tom Brady we are used to and soon before the division gets away from them. A healthy Welker and Mayo need to be back on the field and making plays. Next week things don't really get any easier with the new look Falcons coming to Foxboro. Tony Gonzalez seems very happy in his new home and the Falcons are continuing what they started last year. So it is time for Bill Belichick to get the team focused and once again earn the genius label that many have attached to him.
A few loose ends for me to tie up. First I was wrong, wrong, wrong about the Jets I thought they would struggle mightily with Mark Sanchez at quarterback, but so far so good for them. I was a fool to believe USC coach Pete Carroll when he said the Sanchez wasn't ready for the NFL. Maybe Carroll was just being petty after all. For all those ready to jump off the Patriot's bandwagon just remember that the Steelers lost yesterday to, so even the best teams have off days, but if you still want to jump off the bandwagon let me give you a push.


Check out the latest review of my book 33 Summers:
Although at first I wasn't certain I would enjoy a book with a baseball theme, "33 Summers" by Darren L. Pare came as a pleasant surprise. The intertwining of important news events, sports news, and music made this story a pleasure to read. I felt helpless as I watched the life of Jack Mathis who had such a promising future as a major league baseball player spiral out of control. I came to understand that he chose at an early age to focus on things outside of his ability to change because it kept him from having to face life and the problems that it held. He put so much effort into trying to understand the motives of other people that he failed to confront his own demons and eventually those demons consumed him. This was an emotional read from start to finish and I recommend it for its insight and honesty.
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