Man am I posting late on this one, but it's been a busy wk. And the way my playoff picks have been doing, I don't blame anyone for caring!
I'm going the way of the hot team with the points. I was most definitely one of the ARI doubters heading into the playoffs. I did pick ARI to beat ATL, then initially liked ARI over CAR, but with a wet field and Boldin not playing, I dumbly switched to CAR. Then I liked PHI to beat ARI, but ARI mounted a great comeback win, even after PHI put on the right blitzes to get to Warner. ARI's "D" has really stepped it up in the playoffs, and I think that's the biggest difference from their regular season selves. ARI's "O" could always score enough to win gms, but it was their "D" that basically led to their losses. And with the inside knowledge of PIT's QB, RB, and some of their oline, I strongly believe Whisenhunt & Grimm will have ARI's "D" ready. People say this team was average at best during the reg season. They were, but their personnel weren't. The biggest knock on ARI was usually that they underperformed. That every yr they have the talent, but never play like they're supposed to. Well, here in the playoffs, they finally are. They got their QB, their "D" is playing cohesively, and their oline is solid. Geez, they've even developed a semblance of a run gm! PIT's "D" is great, but is their team great too? Esp with injuries, I think PIT's "O" is average. Everyone likes to say how bad Warner can be under pressure, how's about Ben? Yes, he's hard to bring down, but easy to force fumbles/INT's from too. And PIT loves to run anyway, and it's crucial to their "O" being successful, but I strongly believe PHI, CAR , and ATL are all better running teams than PIT. And in all those cases, ARI forced them to pass (which almost backfired vs PHI) and won. PIT's 3-4 "D" does scare me, because ARI's oline has struggled against it all yr. But I'm relying on Whisenhunt/Grimm's familiarity with Lebeau's schemes to somewhat neutralize that, as seen in ARI's win over PIT the previous yr. People also point out their gm vs NE, which you must throw out just as you threw out the ARI/PHI thurs gm. Weather and motivation were both factors in the two. I also feel PIT won't have an answer for Fitz/Boldin. I think PIT will rely on their pass rush to stop them, by stopping Warner. But if ARI's line can just hold on long enough, PIT's secondary won't be able to keep up. "D"s always gameplan to stop Fitz, but time & again they fail. His crossing route is made unstoppable with Warner's great passing. Lots of media and fans aren't giving ARI a chance, and that only helps ARI.
ARI 27
PIT 24
I'm also playing ARI ML, Warner & Fitz for game MVP, and TAILS!
BOL all, and thanks to all that stopped by my threads, may you all have a great offseason, as I'll disappear until wk 1 rolls around (can't wait already). Enjoy the super bowl, should be a great game!
:toast:
I'm going the way of the hot team with the points. I was most definitely one of the ARI doubters heading into the playoffs. I did pick ARI to beat ATL, then initially liked ARI over CAR, but with a wet field and Boldin not playing, I dumbly switched to CAR. Then I liked PHI to beat ARI, but ARI mounted a great comeback win, even after PHI put on the right blitzes to get to Warner. ARI's "D" has really stepped it up in the playoffs, and I think that's the biggest difference from their regular season selves. ARI's "O" could always score enough to win gms, but it was their "D" that basically led to their losses. And with the inside knowledge of PIT's QB, RB, and some of their oline, I strongly believe Whisenhunt & Grimm will have ARI's "D" ready. People say this team was average at best during the reg season. They were, but their personnel weren't. The biggest knock on ARI was usually that they underperformed. That every yr they have the talent, but never play like they're supposed to. Well, here in the playoffs, they finally are. They got their QB, their "D" is playing cohesively, and their oline is solid. Geez, they've even developed a semblance of a run gm! PIT's "D" is great, but is their team great too? Esp with injuries, I think PIT's "O" is average. Everyone likes to say how bad Warner can be under pressure, how's about Ben? Yes, he's hard to bring down, but easy to force fumbles/INT's from too. And PIT loves to run anyway, and it's crucial to their "O" being successful, but I strongly believe PHI, CAR , and ATL are all better running teams than PIT. And in all those cases, ARI forced them to pass (which almost backfired vs PHI) and won. PIT's 3-4 "D" does scare me, because ARI's oline has struggled against it all yr. But I'm relying on Whisenhunt/Grimm's familiarity with Lebeau's schemes to somewhat neutralize that, as seen in ARI's win over PIT the previous yr. People also point out their gm vs NE, which you must throw out just as you threw out the ARI/PHI thurs gm. Weather and motivation were both factors in the two. I also feel PIT won't have an answer for Fitz/Boldin. I think PIT will rely on their pass rush to stop them, by stopping Warner. But if ARI's line can just hold on long enough, PIT's secondary won't be able to keep up. "D"s always gameplan to stop Fitz, but time & again they fail. His crossing route is made unstoppable with Warner's great passing. Lots of media and fans aren't giving ARI a chance, and that only helps ARI.
ARI 27
PIT 24
I'm also playing ARI ML, Warner & Fitz for game MVP, and TAILS!
BOL all, and thanks to all that stopped by my threads, may you all have a great offseason, as I'll disappear until wk 1 rolls around (can't wait already). Enjoy the super bowl, should be a great game!
:toast:
