One Last Rivalry Weekend

In case you missed it from the week that was…

The 2016 Oscar nominations were announced, and due to the all-white list of actors and actresses in the four major acting categories, the debate of race and talks of a boycott has begun. Yes it’s a bad look, but who is at fault? Do you point fingers at the Academy (whose president is an African American woman, by the way) or the studios that don’t know how to handle their potential Oscar films? If Concussion was more widely accepted by critics and movie goers, then you could make an argument for Will Smith for best actor. The same could be said for Idris Elba and the Netflix film Beasts of No Nation, whose limited theatrical release could have hurt its viewership and chances for nominations. However if Sylvester Stallone is nominated for his reprise of Rocky Balboa, why wasn’t Michael B. Jordan for his role as Adonis Creed? The film Creed itself, as well as the successful and acclaimed Straight Outta Compton, could have been better represented. The debate can go on and on, but in the end people will still tune in to watch famous pampered people dole out accolades to other famous pampered people.

The world of classic rock lost another member with the passing of Glenn Frey, one of the founding members the Eagles. Like them or not, you have to admit the Eagles did nothing but churn out hits, evidenced by Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) being tied with Michael Jackson’s Thriller as the top selling records of all time with 29 million copies. Even The Dude has to respect those numbers.

With 1.9 million votes, Lakers guard Kobe Bryant led all NBA players in the All-Star voting to make his 18^th All-Star game despite averaging 16.0 points a game while shooting a miserable .343 from the field. I can understand the acknowledgement from the fans, but not when it takes a starting spot away from Draymond Green, who leads the league with eight triple doubles and is the heart and soul of a Golden State Warriors team that is currently 40-4. All Kobe has done is handcuffed an already pathetic Lakers team. The fans have spoken, but something is not right here.

In other NBA news, the Cleveland Cavaliers fired head coach David Blatt. My question is what took so long? It will be interesting to see if new head coach LeBron, I mean Tyronn Lue, can steer this team to a championship.

The first blizzard of the season is bearing down on the East Coast, looking to pummel some areas of the mid-Atlantic with up to two feet of show. Fortunately it’s not going to have a significant impact on the games on Sunday. Like Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, everything has aligned for championship weekend. On one side there are the two best teams in the NFC, while in the AFC we will see one last matchup of the greatest quarterback rivalry of all time. As I said last week, you couldn’t have written a better script.

HOME TEAM IN CAPS

New England Patriots (-3) over DENVER BRONCOS

Let’s be realistic about what we’re about to witness in this game. First we will not see a repeat of Week 12, where the Brock Osweiler led Broncos beat the injury plagued Patriots in overtime. The Pats have most of their pieces back, and Denver quarterback Peyton Manning will be starting under center. This will be the 17^th meeting between Pats quarterback Tom Brady and Manning, and the fifth time they’ve squared off in the playoffs. Brady holds the overall edge in the rivalry 11-5, but they’ve split their four postseason games. More importantly, this could potentially be the final game of Peyton Manning’s career. It’s obvious that Manning’s play has declined over the past year. Sure he can still read a defense and audible at the line as good as anyone, but his lame duck passes have lost most of their zip. The question for Denver head coach Gary Kubiak is winning this game more important than Manning's legacy and appeasing the quarterback's long list of supporters? Last week Denver looked less than impressive against the banged up Pittsburgh Steelers, especially Manning and the offense. Denver will once again look towards the strength of their defense to keep the game close. With receiver Julien Edelman back in the lineup the Pats scored 27 points on a good Chiefs defense, so they should be able put up points in this game. Will Manning be able to do the same? New England’s defense is a notch above Pittsburgh, and head coach Bill Belichick should be able to devise a game plan that will limit Manning’s production. If the Pats pull out to an early lead and Manning struggles, it could lead to a tough decision for Kubiak. Brady has a 2-6 record at Mile High, but he will overcome history and move on to his record seventh Super Bowl appearance.

CAROLINA PANTHERS (-3) over Arizona Cardinals

Until last week I was convinced Arizona was the best all-around team in the NFL. They have playmakers on offense and bolster a tough defense. What I witnessed against Green Bay has me thinking otherwise. Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer definitely struggled in his first post-season win, throwing two interceptions in the game. But what baffled me the most was on this Aaron Rodgers Hail Mary touchdown pass that tied the game and sent it to overtime. 

Why does Arizona have seven guys on the line to blitz Rodgers? Seeing as Rodgers completed a similar Hail Mary the play before, why wouldn't most of the defense drop back to try and knock down the pass? What am I missing? Bruce Arians has built a solid resume since taking over the Cardinals head coaching job in 2013, but this is the kind of mistake you can’t make against Carolina. As for the Panthers they came out like gangbusters in the first half against Seattle, scoring 31 unanswered points and looking dominant in all aspects of the game. The concerning part is they didn’t score at all in the second half, eventually holding off Seattle’s comeback. Which Panthers team will decide to show up on Sunday? If it’s the latter, then Carolina will be in trouble. The truth is both of these teams are built in similar fashion and are evenly matched. They can score, have solid quarterback play, are well coached, and their defenses can cause turnovers. Arizona plays well on the road (7-1 during the regular season), and the Panthers are undefeated at home. In the end I have to give the edge to Carolina and quarterback Cam Newton. He has raised his game to a new level and has been making big plays all year, and the league MVP will do it one more time to earn a trip to Santa Clara.

As for Super Bowl 50, I’m picking the New England Patriots to put an exclamation point on their FU season and win their second straight NFL championship. Commissioner Roger Goodell will receive a karma smack in the face when he has to present the Lombardi Trophy to Pats owner Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. It will be a cringe worthy moment, but bittersweet for Patriots fans.