PATS VS. JETS IN RUBBER GAME

You get the feeling that it had to be this way. Even Rex Ryan seemed to be anticipating this Divisional Round matchup when last week he unfavorably compared Tom Brady's work ethic to Peyton Manning. Or maybe he was just putting his foot in his mouth. Or someone else's.

These teams not only split the season series, they've split their last 6 games. It makes sense when you consider how well their different strengths matchup. The Patriots pass first, ask questions later. The Jets run. The Pats have a young, sometimes shaky defense. The Jets have more experience, and are far sturdier. The Patriots keep their mouths shut. The Jets are a reality TV show.

I think the Patriots' ability to distribute the ball to multiple offensive weapons will allow them to regularly beat the Jets' defense. The Jets do have some exceptionally talented guys on defense, but Brady is the master at finding the weak spot, and hitting the open receiver.

However, I temper my optimism knowing that for many of the Pats' weapons, this will be their first postseason game. This past weekend, we saw playoff newcomers drop passes, fumble the ball, and generally fail to execute as they had in the regular season.

Aaron Hernandez, Rob Gronkowski, and BenJarvus Green-Ellis have never played postseason football. Danny Woodhead has 1 career touch in the playoffs. Even Wes Welker has only 3 playoff games under his belt. The defensive side of the ball is hardly any better. McCourty, Chung, Spikes, Cunningham, and so on, are all newbies to this scene. And while veterans like Brady, Branch, and Wilfork might settle locker room nerves, it only takes one or two players making one or two mistakes to screw up an entire game (See: Pierre Woods, Super Bowl XLII).

The Jets actually bring more playoff experience, or at least have theirs distributed more evenly throughout their roster. Sanchez already has 4 games under his belt. Guys like LT, Braylon Edwards, Shonn Greene, Santonio Holmes, and so on, have all been in big games. And won them. That's something to keep in mind.

The health of Danny Woodhead is also something to keep in mind, as he made nothing but big plays in the 45-3 win a few weeks ago. We know that it was a concussion he suffered. We know that he's been practicing with a non-contact jersey.

The key to this game will be how the Patriots do against the Jets' rushing attack in the early stages. In that 45-3 win, the Jets ran for 152 yards, but most of those came when the game was essentially over. The Jets can run (148.4 yards per game, 4th in the NFL), and run well. The Pats have a depleted defensive line. It will be up to guys like Wilfork and Mayo to contain the running attack, and to limit rushes to 3 or 4 yards at the most.

It will also be up to Brady and the offense to hold onto the ball, and to score. The best way to stop an opponent from rushing is to build a lead.

I think the Patriots will be hurt by the Jets' RBs, but not killed. The Pats' offense will score enough to force Mark Sanchez to try to make plays, and we all know what happens next.

Patriots win 28-17.

MISTAKES AND GHOSTS HAUNT BRUINS

You can't get much closer to winning than the Bruins were Saturday night. They outplayed the Habs for a good 50 minutes, getting to loose pucks, winning battles on the boards, playing great in all three zones. Montreal's two regulation goals came off skates, not sticks. One off Chara's, one off Gionta's. Both seemed to slither over Thomas's leg pads as if they had a will of their own. Freakish, to say the least.

Speaking of Chara, he was half a foot (one sixth of a meter in Quebec) from ending the game with an empty-net goal. But that play actually epitomizes the Bruins' collapse, as he wasn't trying to shoot the puck at all. 200 feet from the net, he tried to loft the puck into the neutral zone, hoping it would settle there and the Bruins could change skaters. He got too much power behind it, and it went all the way down the ice, nearly scoring, but missing and becoming an icing call. Montreal scored off the ensuing faceoff. So Chara's near-miss was actually a full mistake.

And so was the tripping penalty on Ryder. Wisniewski's dive had all the subtlety of Sean Penn in I Am Sam, but it was still a mistake for Ryder to be flailing his stick at Wisniewski's ankles, especially since he was 120 feet from the goal. Then there was Wheeler's hooking penalty in overtime, about 190 feet from the goal. It's just stupid to be committing basic stick infractions that far from danger.

The Bruins' Power Play was dreadful. I don't expect them to score more than 18% of the time, but they need to do better at getting shots on net. Make the opposing PK unit work, make the goalie work.

I stated above that the Bruins outplayed Montreal for most of this game, and that's true. But mostly because Montreal played like crap for the first 40 minutes. They whiffed on shots, turned the puck over in bad areas, and committed dumb penalties. If not for Price, they would have been in a much deeper hole.

In other words, the Bruins got to those loose pucks and won those battles because Montreal brought their C-Game to the 1st and 2nd periods. That's not much to be proud of.

The Bruins haven't beaten Montreal since last February. Technically, they're still in 1st due to tie-breakers, despite an embarrassing 5-4-3 record within the Division. They're in Pittsburgh tonight, and I'm not too confident, with or without Crosby dressing for the Penguins.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

COLLEGE BOWL PICKS/PREVIEWS: PART 9*

The last three games. Two bowls that very few people care about, then the big enchilada in the desert. I'm 17-14 in my picks so far, and have selected each BCS game correctly.

Saturday - 12:00 PM - ESPN
BBVA Compass Bowl - Birmingham, AL
Pittsburgh Panthers vs. Kentucky Wildcats
This would be a really good basketball game. Football? Not so much. Pitt can salvage their season with a win here. Kentucky was the SEC's whipping boy, going 2-6 in conference play, beating Vanderbilt and upsetting South Carolina. Wins against Western Kentucky, Akron, and Charleston Southern inflated their record. Pitt should walk.



Sunday - 9:00 PM - ESPN
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl - San Francisco, CA
#15 Nevada Wolfpack vs. Boston College Eagles
Nevada only lost one game. They beat Boise State and won the WAC. They averaged over 42 points and 300 rushing yards per game. They'll face a BC defense that was actually 19th in the country, and might give them a fight. But BC was also 109th on offense, and so will ultimately lose. Though it might be close.



Monday - 8:30 PM - ESPN
Tostitos BCS National Championship Game - Glendale, AZ
#2 Oregon Ducks vs. #1 Auburn Tigers
The Ducks scored 49.3 points per game (#1 in the country), and allowed 18.4 (#14). But that was in a very shallow Pac-10. Oregon's biggest road win was at USC. I think this game will be close, and Auburn has more experience in close, difficult games. Oregon is a great team, and perhaps more talented all around. Cam Newton is such a load-carrying player, though. And his teammates play with character. They've proven so much more than Oregon.

Auburn wins, 31-27.

WHO SHOULD YOU WANT THE PATRIOTS TO FACE?

It will be one of three teams. Either the Jets, Ravens, or Chiefs will come to Gillette Stadium in a little over a week. So as a Pats fan, who should you want the Patriots to face?

The Pats beat the Jets, they beat the Ravens, they haven't played the Chiefs. They also lost to the Jets, needed 73 minutes to barely beat the Ravens (at home), and they haven't played the Chiefs.

You're not going to get a cupcake game in the Divisional Round. Not only are you playing a fellow playoff team, but you're also playing a team that's already won a playoff game. So they must be pretty good.

Let's use the process of elimination, then.

The Ravens match-up the best against the Pats. They get a consistent 4 man pass rush, they don't have the stifling defense of the past, but they're still pretty good. All 4 of their losses were in close games (4 losses by a combined 16 points). They don't get overwhelmed by the Patriots' mystique. I'd rather not see the Ravens.

The Chiefs are an enigma. 10-6, in a weird division. They were 7-1 at home, 3-5 on the road. Their schedule is soft. The only playoff team they beat was Seattle. But they can run the ball with Charles and Jones. And when Cassel plays mistake-free football, they're tough to beat. This might be a fear of the unknown here, but I'd rather not face the Chiefs. There's also a tendency for ex-Belichick assistants to triumph in their first meeting against their old mentor. I'm not sure if that also applies to GMs.

Then there's the Jets. This team beat the Pats early in the season, were throttled by them late in the season, and limped into the playoffs. At the same time, they've got players with good playoff performances under their belt. They can rush the ball, and their defense isn't easy to move the ball against.

The Jets might be the best of these three teams. But it's about matchups in the playoffs. And I think the Patriots matchup very well against them. The Pats can do enough to slow the run to force Mark Sanchez to make bad throws. The Pats' offense can score, generate a lead, and force more throwing and less running.

I've got mixed feelings. I do security at the Stadium, and a playoff game against the Jets means a busy night and extra paperwork. But I'd also love the Patriots to end their season. To make them just a footnote (if you will) of the 2010 NFL season.

I actually do think the Chiefs would be the most favorable opponent. But I think I want the Jets to come here next Sunday. Eliminating a rival in a playoff game is sweet. Although you also risk losing to them, and having it hurt that much more. My brain wants the Chiefs, then Jets, then Ravens. My fandom wants the Jets. And I'll tell you another thing...

I WANT REX RYAN! I WANT REX RYAN!

A TAME NIGHT

This team won't win anything more than divisional titles and 1st round playoff series under Claude Julien. And I can prove this statement. My exhibits A, B, C, D, et cetera (more times than there are letters in the alphabet) are how many times the Bruins have played great for 2 weeks, then generate an outing like this.

It's not really a lack of effort. It's a lack of focus, and a lack of faith. The B's get frustrated and impatient when things don't go well, when the bounces don't come their way, when the puck doesn't fall right. They struggle to score goals, then lose faith in Julien's gameplan, and make glaring mistakes.

Both Minnesota's non-empty-net goals were prime examples of the Bruins losing faith, then losing focus. A flat start to the 2nd period, a bad call on Thornton, then Havlat strolls from the dot to the slot with nobody touching him.

Then in the 3rd, Savard decides to try a skills competition pass in the defensive zone. It was high risk, low reward. Savard usually doesn't do stuff like that, but you can understand the frustration, the lack of results, then the lack of focus.

Sadly, this team isn't talented enough NOT to play Julien's system. They need to be defensive-minded. They need to be low risk, low reward, and high patience. They're like the Jets last year. Keep the score low, manage posession of the puck/ball, and try to grind out a result.

Why do I think this team will never succeed with Julien behind the net? Because they're not buying the patience. The faith between players and coach doesn't last longer than one frustrating period.

The B's need to bring their A Game Saturday night, as they play Montreal up north. The winner will be 1st place in the Northeast.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

2010 BOSTON BLOOD SOX AWARDS

2010 was a bit of an off year for Boston sports. The Celtics made the NBA Finals, but lost to the Lakers. The Bruins blew a 3-0 series lead to Philadelphia. The Patriots were unceremoniously dismissed from the playoffs by the Ravens. And the Red Sox failed to make the playoffs.

However, the year seems to be ending on a high note. The Celtics remain one of the premier teams in the NBA. The Red Sox made some big moves. And the Patriots went 14-2, clinching the #1 seed in the AFC playoffs.

The BBS Award nominees and winners are determined solely by me. And they cover the calendar year. Here is a list of the Awards, along with their 2009 recipients:

Frazee Award for Goat of the Year (Adalius Thomas)
Shaughnessy Award for Worst Sportswriter (Michael Holley)
A-Rod Award for Biggest Choke/Disappointment (Red Sox' offense)
Varitek Award for Most Overrated Athlete (David Ortiz)
Flutie Award for College Athlete of the Year (Brad Thiessen)
Orr Award for Bruins Player of the Year (Marc Savard)
Bill Russell Award for Celtics Player of the Year (Rajon Rondo)
Bledsoe Award for Patriots Player of the Year (Wes Welker)
Ted Williams Award for Sox Player of the Year (Jon Lester)
Tom Brady Award for Biggest Surprise Out of Nowhere (Sebastian Vollmer)
Bloody Sock Award for Toughness (Mark Herzlich)
Game of the Year (BU Wins NCAA Hockey Final)
Auerbach Award for Executive/Coach of the Year (Peter Chiarelli)
Lifetime Achievement Award (Gene DeFilippo)
Athlete of the Year (Wes Welker)
Team of the Year (BU Hockey)

Enjoy!

BBS AWARD FOR TEAM OF THE YEAR

This isn't the happiest Award to give out. The Celtics and Bruins were knocked out by rivals in heartbreaking Game 7s. The Red Sox were irrelevant, and the Patriots haven't won anything truly significant yet. So who gets Team of the Year for 2010? The one team that won a national title.

BC Hockey.



BC Hockey started 2010 slow, losing two games in the Denver Cup, then losing an outdoor meeting with BU at Fenway. Then in February, they exploded. They won the Beanpot, stormed through the Hockey East Tournament, then ripped through the NCAAs. They won their last 9 games, scored 24 goals in their 4 NCAA games, 21 goals in their 4 Hockey East tourney games (that's 5.6 goals per game in their last 8). They finished their season on a 17-2-1 run.

They were also 13-5-0 in the opening phase of the 2010-11 season, tied for the top spot in Hockey East, and ranked 3rd in the country.

BBS AWARD FOR ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Despite the failures of our teams, there have been some sensational individual performances. Here are the nominees for Athlete of the Year...

Rajon Rondo - PG, Boston Celtics
Clay Buchholz - SP, Boston Red Sox
Adrian Beltre - 3B, Boston Red Sox
Tom Brady - QB, New England Patriots

The winner is...



Tom Brady



What can you say about this guy that hasn't already been said? I'm just going to quote the man himself.

"Most Valuable Player in a team sport really doesn't make a lot of sense. I can understand most valuable golfer or something like that… The only award I care about is a Super Bowl ring."

Doesn't that say it all? I won't glorify him, or use the phrase "consummate team player." He wants to win. Maybe he only wants to win for himself. But he's smart enough to know that he can't win on his own. That being said, he'll do everything he can to win.

He's not as fast as Rondo, not as strong as Beltre. In a decathlon, I'd take 95% of Boston pro athletes over him. But when it comes to applying God given talent, along with hard work, dedication, and focus, there's nobody superior in the world to Brady.