Elvis Dumervil: Baltimore Introduces Next Great Pass-Rusher, Reminiscent of Boulware

The defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens put to rest "FaxGate" by introducing former Denver Broncos defensive end Elvis Dumervil.

The 29-year old was forced out of Denver after an incident involving his now-fired agent Marty Magid and a fax machine. On Friday March 15––the deadline for the Broncos to restructure Dumervil's contract and have his $12 million due to him for the 2013 season fully guaranteed––the Broncos were hit with a "dead money" cap hit of $4.869 when Magid faxed the paperwork six minutes late.

Dumervil could have re-signed with the Broncos the following day, but it would have cost Denver more money. Elvis, who had been very interested in staying in Denver, fired his agent and hit the free agent market.

The Ravens and General Manager Ozzie Newsome made a move for Dumervil, signing him to a 5-year deal worth $35M ($8M guaranteed) three days ago.

Dumervil, half of Denver's "Doom and Gloom" duo over the last two seasons alongside linebacker Von Miller, spent six seasons with the Broncos after being selected in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. In 75 starts, Elvis recorded 63.5 sacks, including a league-leading 17.0 in 2009.

When healthy, Dumervil can be one of the most dominating pass-rushing forces coming off the edge. Coupled with returning veteran outside linebacker Terrell Suggs, the Ravens could have a potent passing attack on the defensive side of the ball in 2013, despite losing key pieces this offseason.

When introduced to the media yesterday, Dumervil flashed his brand new purple No. 58 jersey and talked about his exciting new venture for 2013.

Speaking of the No. 58 jersey, I can't be the only one who felt the need to reminisce about the last time there was a dominant pass-rusher coming off the edge sporting that jersey? Baltimore fans, do you remember outside linebacker Peter Boulware?

Boulware, now 38 years old and also a former fourth round pick, played his entire nine-year career playing outside linebacker for the Ravens. From 1997-2005, Boulware recorded 70.0 sacks and was selected to four Pro Bowls. Like Dumervil, Boulware had three seasons with double-digit sacks and recorded 7.0 sacks during Baltimore's 2000 Super Bowl run.

Though Dumervil played a majority of defensive end in Denver, it's pretty clear that he will likely mirror Suggs and switch to outside linebacker in Baltimore's 3-4 defense. The front line looks to be a bit crowded already, with Haloti Ngata, Terrence Cody, Arthur Jones and newly-signed Chris Canty, Dumervil has no choice but make the switch.

With top pass-rusher from last season, Paul Kruger, heading out of town for Cleveland for a boatload of cash, it appears as though the pass-rush will take a step forward in 2013. Especially with a fully healthy Suggs returning to the field in September.

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"What Just Happened?": Recapping a Wild Weekend of Football

The Divisional round slate of games trumped last weekend's wild card games by a long shot. But I guess that's to be expected when you have the top four teams in the postseason squaring off against four teams who just picked up some extra self-confidence a week prior.

Plenty of shocking outcomes and high-scoring games to talk about today. Here's what we learned after this weekend:

Ravens upset No. 1 seeded Broncos at Mile High

This was an instant classic. On one hand we have arguably the best team in the postseason and an MVP candidate/Hall of Fame-bound quarterback looking to further cement his legacy. On the other, we have a motivated and rejuvenated Baltimore defense whose legendary linebacker was facing possibly his last game ever. What did we get? A shocking upset that went into double overtime.

We, along with all 18 NFL Network analysts, picked the 13-3 Broncos to manhandle the Ray Lewis-led Ravens. Instead, we got a match-up for the ages and finally saw quarterback Joe Flacco step up and prove he can keep up with the big boys of the league.

Running back Ray Rice got his touches and went for 131 on the ground while adding a touchdown, but what impressed me the most was the fact that Flacco stuck in there and was able to out-pass Peyton Manning (Flacco: 18/34, 331 yards, 3 TDs, 116.2 rating; Manning: 28/43, 290 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs, 88.3 rating). Denver failed to put any pressure on Flacco as they sacked him just one time all game, and he was able to hit WR Torrey Smith on a couple of clutch touchdowns.

I mentioned that it would take a flawless game from Flacco for Baltimore to pull this one out (which even then I wasn't so sure they'd manage to do so), and that's exactly what he did. Shocking, right? That's not the only shocking feat we saw on either side. Denver stayed in the game because of great special teams play from former Houston returner Trindon Holliday. The 5'5" Holliday returned a punt 90 yards for a TD and a kickoff 104 yards for a TD in the game, accounting for close to half of the points.

The game was back-and-forth from the start, as each team traded touchdowns all the way through. This game, which didn't end until Justin Tucker nailed a 47-yard field goal with 13:18 to play in the second overtime period, saw five different ties and never saw a team leading by anymore than seven points. Down 35-28 with under a minute to play in the game, Flacco hit Jacoby Jones (another former Texans return man) on a 70-yard TD bomb to tie the game with :31 to play.

The play saw a blown coverage on Denver's defense and could have easily been avoided had he not taken a bad angle. Either way, Baltimore was back in it and finally came away with the victory thanks to Tucker.

Key mistakes was the difference in this game. A Manning interception returned for a TD (there was a questionable pass interference non-call on the play that may have overturned the play) early in the game cost the Broncos seven points. Two interceptions and 10 penalties for 87 yards made all the difference in the world as Flacco and his Baltimore offense managed to take advantage of those opportunities and make the most of them.

Key Stats:

*This was the first double overtime game since the Panthers defeated the Rams 29-23 in two overtimes on January 10, 2004.

*Flacco improves to 7-4 in postseason, recording his second career 300-yard passing game in the playoffs. His 3 TDs are a career-high in postseason play.

*Ray Lewis made 17 combined tackles

*In Peyton's 20th career postseason start he falls to 9-11 and it was the eighth different time that he's been one-and-done in the postseason.

Kaerpernick, Niners Pull Away from Packers in 2nd Half

The Saturday night cap was poised to be yet another great match-up, and that's exactly how it started out. Much like the previous game in Denver, this one saw multiple tie games and lead changes, as the two teams swapped touchdowns and field goals on its way to four ties, three of which came in the opening half.

Green Bay got the scoring going with a 52-yard Sam Shields interception touchdown. Second-year quarterback Colin Kaepernick came right back, however, scoring and tying the game at seven with a 20-yard TD dash. DuJuan Harris, Green Bay's leading rusher with 52 yards on 11 carries, gave the Pack the lead back late in the first quarter with an 18-yard TD run. Back-to-back Kaepernick to Michael Crabtree touchdowns gave San Fran the 21-14 lead as Crabtree broke out for the game of his life (9 receptions, 119 yards, 2 TDs in his third career postseason game).

Aaron Rodgers isn't the kind of quarterback to step down, especially against an unproven, 25-year old Kaepernick. Rodgers came back out and led the Pack on a 69-yard drive, capped with a 20-yard strike to James Jones. Tied once again at 21. But just before the half Kaepernick one-upped the Super Bowl champion Rodgers, driving the Niners 79 yards down the field to set up a 36-yard field goal from seasoned veteran kicker David Akers.

Green Bay managed to tie the game for a fourth time on its second drive of the second half, setting up a 31-yard Mason Crosby field goal. But, it was all downhill from there. Green Bay couldn't seem to stop the running game, between running back Frank Gore (119 yards yards, 1 TD on 19 carries) or the speedy Kaepernick. Kaepernick has been a running threat all season, topping 400 yards with 5 TDs in his seven starts. On Saturday night vs. Green Bay, there were gapping holes which Kaepernick exploited. He finished the game with an NFL record 181 yards on the ground, adding two touchdowns 20 and 56 yards out. The rushing total is an NFL record for most rushing yards by a quarterback in a single game. Any game, not just a postseason game. Michael Vick was the previous record holder.

The Niners' 21 unanswered points in the second half gave San Francisco a 45-31 victory. Not only did Kaepernick outplay Rodgers, but the 49ers held the ball for 38 minutes and completely dominated all facets of the second half. Green Bay's late 3-yard TD pass from Rodgers to Greg Jennings was a result of San Francisco's defense slacking off, and I'd consider it garbage yards/points. It made Aaron's stats look slightly better, but I believe that the score of the game doesn't even tell the entire story. A great first half, but San Francisco absolutely blew the Pack out of the water in the second half.

In the fourth quarter, Kaepernick led an 11-play scoring drive that took nearly 8 minutes. Nine of those plays were running plays by Kaepernick, Gore and Anthony Dixon. By game's end, three different running backs, in addition to Kaepernick, had run the ball at some point in the game. Truthfully, I'm a little concerned for Atlanta's 21st-ranked run defense next week. San Francisco's running game looks to be unstoppable, and I clearly underestimated Kaepernick this past weekend.

Key Stats

*San Francisco combined for 323 yards and 4 TDs on the ground between four different runners. That's the most, by far, allowed by the Packers all season long. As a team, that's 7.5 yards per rush over 43 carries. Green Bay's rushing defense (17th) was ranked slightly higher than the Atlanta Falcons' this past season.

*Like I already stated, Kaepernick's 181 rushing yards is an NFL record for a quarterback in a single game. Any game. Vick previously held the record.

*The total plays of the game: San Fran 75, Green Bay 56

*Aldon Smith didn't record a single sack for the Niners (Patrick Willis had team's lone sack), and he recorded just two tackles all game, with one QB hit. Imagine what damage could be done if he can get to Matt Ryan next week?

Falcons Fend off the NFL's Newest "Comeback Kid" in Seattle's Rookie Wilson

Matt "Matty Ice" Ryan appears to have finally gotten that monkey off his back. As did future Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez, who is likely to retire after the season. Ryan, 27, was in the same draft class as Joe Flacco. But, unlike Joe, Matt is still winless in the postseason. Until yesterday of course.

It didn't come without a bit of a nail-biter, however. After another slow start from Seattle, who was looking to defeat two east coast teams on the road in the past two weeks, the Seahawks didn't give up without a fight.

Seattle's first four possessions ended with two punts, a Marshawn Lynch fumble and a turnover on downs, which came deep in Atlanta territory after head coach Pete Carroll elected to go for it on 4th & 1 (while down 10-0) instead of playing it safe and kicking a field goal. On Seattle's fifth possession of the game, rookie quarterback Russell Wilson drove the 'Hawks down the field on 13 plays but, with no timeouts left, Wilson was sacked for -9 yards on 3rd & 11 at the ATL 11-yard line. Unable to spike the ball and kick a field goal since it was already 4th down, the rookie attempted to just run one more play but the clock ran out prior to the snap. Seattle went into the locker room at the half down 20-0 and with an awful taste in its mouth.

Matt Ryan appeared to be on cruise control to his first postseason victory in four tries, throwing two TD passes to Gonzalez and Roddy White in the 20-point first half. But Wilson came right out of the locker room and led Seattle on a 9 play, 78-yard scoring drive capped off with a 29-yard touchdown pass to Golden Tate. The scoreboard read 20-7, which gave the visiting 'Hawks hope. But that hope was short-lived as Ryan came out a couple minutes later and marched the Falcons into the end zone on a 5-yard pass to Jason Snelling, capping the 80-yard drive.

This drive is what appeared to put the Seahawks out of the game, despite it still being early in the third quarter. Seattle's No. 10 rushing defense couldn't seem to stop Atlanta's 29th-ranked rushing attack, led by veteran Michael Turner and Jacquizz Rodgers. On 26 carries throughout the game, Atlanta combiend for 167 yards, which was good enough for 6.4 yards per carry.

But Wilson had yet to give up, as he led his offense to two consecutive scoring drives. It started with a one-yard run from Wilson early in the fourth, and was able to continue thanks to a key interception by safety Earl Thomas. Following the rare Matty Ryan mistake, the Seattle offense went 62 yards on four plays, as Wilson hit tight end Zach Miller in the end zone for a 3-yard TD strike. It was now early in the fourth and suddenly Seattle saw themselves down just six points, 27-21.

Seattle's defense finally stepped up its game in the fourth quarter stopping the Atlanta offense to three-and-outs on two consecutive drives and setting up the offense at its own 39-yard line with 3:00 to play. Managing to move up and down the field with seemingly no problems at all in the second half of play, Wilson once again led the Seahawks on a 60+ yard drive and capped it with a game-changing 2-yard rushing touchdown from Marshawn Lynch. After confirming the play in the booth upstairs, a Ryan Longwell extra point gave the Seahawks its first lead of the day, 28-27.

Once again, we saw the incredible take place in the Georgia Dome. Matt Ryan came away with a clutch 3-yard drive with :31 to play, throwing passes of 22 and 19 yards to Harry Douglas and Gonzalez. This set up a game-winning 49-yard field goal from Matt Bryant to send the Falcons to the NFC Championship game next Sunday afternoon.

Key Stats:

*Next weekend is only the third NFC Championship appearance in Atlanta's 47-year history (1-1 in previous two championship games). They are 7-11 in postseason play, and 3-5 in the Divisional round of the postseason.

*This game was Matt Ryan's first postseason victory (1-3) and first postseason game with 3 TDs. His rating of 93.7 is the best he's posted in the playoffs.

*Atlanta ran for 100 yards as a team only six times all season, and their 167 yards in Sunday's win over Seattle was the most in 2012-13 by 21 yards. They went 6-0 in games in which they ran for over 100 yards.

*As a rookie, Wilson posted a 102.4 rating with 572 yards, 3 TDs and just one interception in his first two postseason starts. He also ran for 127 yards and a TD in his two games against Washington and Atlanta while his Seahawks put up an average of 26.0 points per game (39 of the 52 points came in the second half, and there were zero first quarter points). Not bad for a rookie, huh?

*The win was the first postseason win for ATL tight end Tony Gonzalez in his illustrious 16-year Hall of Fame career (he's now 1-5 with the Chiefs and Falcons). The 13-time Pro Bowler is expected to retire at the end of the season, so next week could be both his and Lewis' final game. If not, then Super Bowl Sunday will be.

Patriots manhandle Texans, Move on to Host AFC Championship in 2011 Rematch with Baltimore

The first two possessions for New England's offense was a little alarming, and it looked as if the Texans defense could maintain the tempo and slow down Tom Brady's roll. Ehh, not so much once the second quarter rolled around.

Sure, the Houston defense forced a three-and-out on the opening drive while putting up three points thanks to a Shayne Graham field goal with its first offensive possession. Another punt on the second New England drive gave J.J. Watt and Houston confidence, and the Texans trailed just 7-3 at the end of the first.

But Houston quarterback Matt Schaub appeared a little too cautious with the ball and, because of that, Houston had several early drives stall and were forced to punt. Settling for two first half Graham field goals diminished the offense's confidence as they trailed 17-13 heading into the half. A scoreless third quarter for the Texans allowed the Pats to jump 31-13, and then extend that lead to 38-13 early in the fourth quarter.

New England's running backs had busy days. The youngsters Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen combined for 124 yards on the ground in addition to two rushing TDs a piece. The hardly-used Vereen (62 carries in 13 games this year) added in two receiving touchdowns from Brady (Brady threw for 344 yards and 3 TDs on the day), totaling a career-high 3 TDs for the game. Already down by 25 points, Houston's 15 fourth quarter points made no difference as the Pats rolled to a 41-28 victory. Putting up 41 points on the 10th-best scoring defense, in a postseason game no less, is pretty impressive. Even if it is the New England Patriots.

There's really not much to say about this one, as this was expected. Watt and Brooks Reed got Brady on the ground early in the game, but that was the only sack of the day. Despite being hit 7 times, Brady stood in the pocket and hit five different receivers for the second-most passing yards in his 23-game postseason career.

There is one big headline that came from this game and will have a major impact on next weekend's match-up at Gillette Stadium, and that's that tight end Rob Gronkowski re-broke his forearm and will miss the rest of the postseason. He may even require a second surgery on it. This injury is likely to effect the beginning of next season as well, although I expect him to be just fine by the time September rolls around. Luckily for New England, Gronk didn't have an impact in yesterday's game (he was re-injured on the only play he was thrown to), so maybe they'll be able to manage without him next week.

Key Stats:

*The victory is the 17th of Brady's postseason career, surpassing Joe Montana (Tom's childhood idol) on the all-time postseason wins list by a quarterback.

*In this game Brady also became just the third quarterback in NFL history to throw for 40 postseason touchdowns. He now has 41 of them in his 23 starts. Joe Montana and Brett Favre were the other two to accomplish this feat. Montana had 45 in 23 starts while Favre had 44 in 24 starts.

*Thanks to his 8 catch, 131 yard performance, Wes Welker now has 61 receptions for 569 yards and 3 TDs in his eight game postseason career. All coming with New England, the Patriots are 5-3 in those games.

*Arian Foster's 1-yard TD run gives him at least one in each of his four career postseason starts over the last two seasons. Houston is 2-2 in those games and he has a total of 6 touchdowns (five rushing, 1 receiving).

- - - - -

There's no doubt we witnessed some of the best weekend of playoff football in a long time, as we had a much higher scoring slate of games than the previous week. Each of the eight teams managed to put at least 28 points up on the scoreboard and we got to see the highest-scoring weekend of playoff football, with 276 total points being scored throughout the four games. That's an average of 34.5 per team.

What a weekend. But the best part about this is Championship Sunday may even top the excitement we witnessed these last two days.

The 49ers will look to avenge last year's NFC Championship loss to the Giants as they travel to Atlanta to take on the top seeded Falcons (3 p.m. eastern time on FOX). On the AFC side of things, the Ravens will look to get its revenge on the Patriots after falling just short of the Super Bowl, at the hands of the Pats, in last year's AFC Championship game (6:30 p.m. eastern time on CBS).

How about that, three of last year's Championship teams managed to get back to the big game for a second consecutive season. There's even a chance we could see another Harbaugh Bowl on Super Sunday.

The All-Out Blitz's game picks will come later on in the week––we need some time to mull over the match-ups.

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Photo of the Night: Peyton and Family Congratulate Lewis after Victory

I don't think it matters who you cheer for and cheer against, or which players you like and dislike. Either way, this is an image that you'll remember for the rest of your life.

Two legends: One is just starting a new chapter in his illustrious career. The other is just about to finish the last page of his legendary career. Denver's Peyton Manning fell to Baltimore Saturday night, but that didn't stop him (and his family) from congratulating the legendary linebacker Ray Lewis for his latest win.

With no more than three weeks left in his NFL career, as he announced he'd retire from the game following this season, Lewis and his Ravens have fought to live another week.

In what may go down as one of the best postseason games in history––it'll go down as one of the best in Baltimore and Denver's franchise history, at the very least––Baltimore came away with a 38-35 victory in two overtime periods.

The image below may go down as a legendary photograph, as Peyton––one of the classiest quarterbacks this league may ever see––stayed after the loss to congratulate Lewis on his team's victory.

What a great game, and what a great time to capture the moment.

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16 Bold Predictions for NFL Divisional Round Weekend

We've already discussed our predictions for today's two Divisional round games between Baltimore and Denver, and Green Bay and San Francisco. But, we have yet to discuss the possible happenings during the weekend's four games.

Will Ray Rice break 100 yards against Denver's defense? Can J.J. Watt get 2-3 sacks on New England's Tom Brady? How about Colin Kaepernick: can he throw 200 yards and run for another 100 against Green Bay?

Here are a couple of stats or feats that we, the All-Out Blitz, believe will happen throughout today's and tomorrow's four games (sorted by games):

Baltimore at Denver

*Bernard Pierce out-rushes Ray Rice for the second consecutive week, but neither breaks 100 yards for the game.

*Ray Lewis makes 10+ tackles again, but Baltimore's defense fails to force any Denver turnovers.

*Joe Flacco throws for 200 yards and a touchdown, but also throws two picks and is sacked four times in the loss.

*Peyton Manning throws for 300 yards and 3 TDs, while WRs Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker both manage 100+ receiving yards.

*Von Miller records two of Denver's four sacks and Champ Bailey makes his third career postseason interception.

Green Bay at San Francisco

*Green Bay's defense keeps Kaepernick to under 200 passing yards and Frank Gore to under 100 rushing yards for the game.

*Aaron Rodgers spreads the ball around the field, hitting 10 different receivers for over 300 yards and a couple of touchdowns.

*Clay Matthews puts pressure on Kaepernick, recording 2 sacks and just causing an overall ruckus against San Fran's offensive line. In seven career postseason games, Matthews has recorded 24 total tackles and 6.5 sacks.

*Aldon Smith records the only two sacks of Green Bay's Rodgers, and San Fran fails to force any turnovers for just the third time all season (Week 6 against New York and Week 13 against St. Louis).

Seattle at Atlanta

*Matt Ryan throws three interceptions against Seattle's defense, and Atlanta gains under 80 combined rushing yards as a team.

*Both Julio Jones and Roddy White are limited to under 100 yards through the air as TE Tony Gonzalez is Atlanta's leading receiver. Unfortunately, the future Hall of Fame tight end will fall to 0-6 in his postseason career.

*Marshawn Lynch will bring extra Skittles to the game and break out for 150 rushing yards and two TDs for Seattle.

*Russell Wilson plays mistake-free football in the dome, as he hands Atlanta its fourth consecutive playoff loss.

Houston at New England

*Houston's J.J. Watt sacks Tom Brady twice, despite the Texans allowing 400 total yards and 30+ points to New England's offense.

*Arian Foster breaks 100 yards for Houston but Matt Schaub is sacked three times and throws two picks, which New England turns into 14 points.

*Tom Brady throws for 300 yards and 3 TDs against Houston's 10th-ranked scoring defense, improving to 4-1 all-time against the Texans (first meeting in the postseason).

Do you have any bold predictions for this weekend's games? If so, share them here!

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Playoff Preview: Saturday's Divisional Round Match-ups

Last week the All-Out Blitz went 4-0 in our Wild Card picks. Can we improve to 8-0 after this weekend? Here's a look at our picks for today's first two Divisional round match-ups, which we are now just over three hours away from!

Saturday January 12, 2013

4 Ravens @ 1 Broncos

4:30 pm (eastern time), Sports Authority Field at Mile High

Heading into halftime last Sunday against the Colts Baltimore led 10-6, but the offense came out in the second half and took the game over. Joe Flacco led the attack with a spectacular showing (12/23. 282 yards, 2 TDs), which I admit is not something I was expecting to see. I predicted that a Baltimore victory would come through a heavy dose of Ray Rice, but it was actually Rice's backup rookie Bernard Pierce who stole the show against Indy.

Rice ran for just 68 yards on 15 carries while losing two fumbles and almost costing Baltimore at critical times in the game, while Pierce stepped in and ran for 103 yards on just 13 carries as the Ravens managed to easily move the ball up and down the field. Flacco hit Anquan Boldin five times in the second half, for 145 yards and a touchdown.

On defense, Baltimore felt the presence of returning linebacker Ray Lewis as he made 13 tackles and nearly made an interception early in the game. Paul Kruger put pressure on rookie signal caller Andrew Luck for most of the day, sacking him 2.5 times and Baltimore forced two Luck mistakes. The Colts' offense held the ball for nearly 38 of the game's 60 minutes as Luck set a rookie record for pass attempts in a postseason game (54), but were forced to settle for three Adam Vinatieri field goals and never got into the end zone against Baltimore's stout defense.

This week will be a much different story for Baltimore, as they get a match-up with the No. 4 overall defense on the road. Sure, Flacco and company could handle the Colts and move on with a 24-9 first round victory, but now they are forced to travel to the Mile High and face a much better defense. Indy was ranked 21st in overall defense, 21st in pass defense and 29th in run defense. The Broncos are 4th, 3rd and 3rd and somehow get overlooked as a top defense around the league.

Indianapolis didn't exactly have a standout pass rusher on its squad this season (Robert Mathis' 8.0 sacks led the team), but the Broncos have two guys in Von Miller (18.5 sacks this season) and Elvis Dumervil (11.0) who don't waste any time getting after opposing QBs and eating them for lunch. Mathis got to Flacco just once last week, but if I'm Flacco I'm not exactly looking forward to this match-up in Denver.

How can the Ravens pull off a victory today? Mistake-free. If this offense makes just one mistake, they aren't winning this game. Peyton Manning and his No. 2 scoring offense will make Baltimore pay dearly for any mistakes they make on the offensive side of the ball. Going for his 5th career MVP trophy this season (hopefully Adrian Peterson will win it instead), Manning is playing a strong as ever right now and has turned Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker into Pro Bowl-worthy wideouts.

Prediction: Broncos 31, Ravens 14

3 Packers @ 2 Niners

8 pm (eastern time), Candlestick Park

Despite the Vikes not playing with starter Christian Ponder last Saturday night, the Packers' 24-10 victory over Minnesota last Saturday night looked pretty impressive. Quarterback Joe Webb couldn't complete a pass to save his life, and I even think he failed to hit a trash can two feet away from while attempting to throw his Gatorade cup away on the sidelines (no joke). Completing just 11 of 30 attempts, Minnesota's offense once again consisted of: Adrian Peterson running a heavy dose.

After allowing 409 rushing yards to Peterson in the previous two match-ups between these two teams this season, Green Bay surrendered just 99 yards on 22 carries. So anytime you hold AP to under 5.0 yards per carry, you're gonna have a good day. The only time Minnesota got into the end zone was on a 50-yard pass from Webb to Michael Jenkins with under four minutes to play in the game, so you can almost call it garbage yards and points. The game was long over by that time.

Aaron Rodgers (23/33, 274 yards, 1 TD, 104.9 rating) played near-flawless football against Minny's 15th-ranked defense, but tonight will be a bit of a different story. Going up against San Fran's No. 2 defense will be a huge challenge for Rodgers and this offense. But with a banged up Justin Smith and after surrendering 34+ points to New England and Seattle late in the season, it's been proven that it's possible for a high-scoring offense to put up points on the Niners.

San Francisco defeated Green Bay 30-22 in the first game of the season, but there's a huge difference between then and now. First off, Alex Smith was the Niners' quarterback back then while now second-year quarterback Colin Kaepernick is under center for San Fran and he has zero postseason experience. Second off, the Packers failed to run the ball effectively (14 attempts for 45 yards). Rodgers was the team's leading rusher in that game, running the ball 5 times for 27 yards while Cedric Benson ran 9 times for 18 yards.

This week will be a whole new story, as the Packers have appeared to have found its guy in the backfield. Second-year back DuJuan Harris ran the ball 34 times for 157 yards and 2 TDs this season, but over the last two weeks he's been the guy for Green Bay, running the ball a total of 117 yards on 31 carries with a touchdown. Harris and Alex Green have been splitting carries and make for a formidable one-two punch alongside Rodgers in the backfield.

Now I wouldn't take Green Bay's backfield over San Francisco's Frank Gore, but the fact the Rodgers may finally have a couple of capable runners coming out of his backfield to accompany his high-flying passing offense is a scary thought. Putting pressure on SF signal caller Kaepernick will be key for the Pack's defense, and I'm not so sure I trust this Niner offense with Kaepernick. I'd take Rodgers and his superb postseason track record (plus experience) ove Kaepernick and the Niners defense any day. Don't forget that Green Bay lost a game to Seattle that they should have won (replacement officials gave Seattle a game-winning TD that should've been ruled an interception at the end of the game), meaning Green Bay would have ended up being a higher seed than San Fran.

San Francisco is favored by 3 points, but I'll take the underdog Packers in this one.

Prediction: Packers 24, 49ers 14

A little later this afternoon I will be posting an article with all of our BOLD predictions for all four games this weekend! Plus, look out for more predictions for tomorrow's games as well.

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Denver and Seattle: Super Bowl Favorites?

The playoff field hasn't been complete quite yet, but that past two weeks of play have really taught us a lot. Some of the match-ups may have even been a preview of what's to come this January.

When it comes down to making a late-January playoff push, it's all about who has the most complete team. After impressive performances yesterday, I think it's relatively clear which two teams have the most complete teams heading into the 2012-13 postseason: Denver in the AFC and Seattle in the NFC.

It's actually quite baffling that more people have not been talking about the Denver Broncos, who happen to be one win and a Texans' loss away from snagging the No. 1 seed in the AFC (can still clinch first round bye with victory over Kansas City on Sunday). At 12-3 with one final regular season game remaining on the schedule, the Broncos are on a 10-game winning streak.

The streak, which may just be the quietest double-digit win streak I've seen in quite a while, includes big wins over teams such as New Orleans, Cincinnati and Baltimore. Peyton Manning (68.1%, 4,355 yards, 34 TD, 11 INT, 103.7 rating) has stated his case for MVP and Comeback Player of the Year, leading his offense to 10 30-point victories this season. The team's only three losses this season have come against playoff teams (Atlanta, Houston and New England), have been decided by 10 or fewer points and all came within the first five weeks of the season.

Since the last loss on October 7, Peyton & Co. has outscored opponents 308-172, and has put up less than 20 points in a game just once.

Sure, the New England Patriots (11-4) beat Denver earlier in the year and have had a more high-powered scoring offense than Manning's Broncos this season. But the Broncos have excelled in a very important area that the Pats have not: Denver's defense has been playing out of its mind this season.

Led by second-year linebacker Von Miller (65 total tackles, 17.5 sacks, 1 INT, 6 FF, 1 TD), Denver's defense has jumped from 24th scoring defense in 2011 to the 5th-ranked scoring defense this season. Atop the AFC in the category (behind SEA, CHI, San Fran, ATL), Denver has surrendered 19.1 points per game.

Having a healthy Elvis Dumervil back in the lineup this season has done wonders against the pass, as they currently rank 7th in pass defense (17th last season) lead the league in sacks with 48––28.5 of those have come from the Dumervil/Miller combination.

Peyton's 2nd-best scoring offense has received some assistance from the secondary in the scoring department, with 5 touchdowns coming off interception returns and one additional touchdown coming from a Tony Carter fumble recovery.

The rookie-led Seattle Seahawks haven't been quite as high-scoring as Denver's No. 2 ranked scoring offense, but in the month of December they've been the highest-scoring team in the league. Clinching a playoff spot in the NFC after defeating San Francisco last night, the 'Hawks have outscored opponents 150-30 over the last three weeks.

At 10-5 and current placeholder of the No. 5 seed in the NFC, Seattle has a shot at winning the NFC West division thanks to a four-game winning streak and a 6-1 record since the end of October. Although only one of its five losses have come against a playoff team (13-6 to San Francisco), all five of them have been by a touchdown or less.

The fact that rookie quarterback Russell Wilson (63.4%, 2,868 yards, 25 TD, 10 INT, 98.0 rating) is leading the team to these wins and is just one passing TD away from tying Peyton Manning's rookie record of 26 isn't even the most impressive thing about this team. Just like Denver, it's the defense that's impressing.

When it comes to playoff football I don't care how much you're passing the ball, defense and a powerful running game wins championships. Top NFC teams Atlanta (13-2) and Green Bay (11-4) have been throwing out of their minds with two top gunslingers Matt Ryan and Aaron Rodgers. But they don't run the ball consistently well.

Both are top 10 passing teams, but Green Bay ranks 20th on the ground while Atlanta ranks 28th. Running under 4.0 yards per carry as a team isn't going to get the job done on the ground. Interestingly enough, Seattle's Marshawn Lynch, A.K.A. "Beast Mode," has single-handedly outrun the Falcons entire team this season (1,490 yards, 11 TDs to 1,332 yards, 11 TD) and has come close to outrunning Green Bay.

Running the ball 297 times with Lynch has done wonders for Wilson's development as the season has progressed, and actually 431 yards and 3 of the team's rushing TDs have come from Wilson himself. That's also something we haven't quite seen from Matt Ryan in Atlanta, though Aaron Rodgers is usually a threat on his feet if the opposition allows him too much time.

Now, when it comes to the defensive side of things, this is where it gets scary. Quietly the Seahawks have become the league's No. 1 scoring defense. After shutting down Colin Kaerpernick and the Niners last night (something I was not prepared for and didn't think would actually happen), the Seahawks are now 19 points ahead of the No. 2 scoring defense in Chicago and the 49ers fell to No. 3.

Try to digest these defensive numbers for Seattle:

5.0 yards/play (t-5th)

275 first downs allowed (7th)

2,998 passing yards (5th)

14 passing TDs (t-2nd)

17 interceptions (t-9th)

71.6 rating (3rd)

36 sacks (t-12th)

1,570 rushing yards (11th)

8 rushing TDs (t-5th)

13 fumble recoveries (7th)

30 forced turnovers (t-5th)

6 defensive touchdowns (t-3rd)

Individual Defensive Numbers:

Bobby Wagner––129 total tackles, 2.0 sacks, 3 INT, 4 passes defensed

Chris Clemons––38 total tackles, 11.5 sacks, 3 FF, 4 passes defensed

Richard Sherman––60 total tackles, 1.0 sack, 7 INT, 3 FF, 23 passes defensed, 1 TD

Kam Chancellor––84 total tackles, 1 FF, 2 FR, 4 passes defensed

Earl Thomas––58 total tackles, 3 INT, 1 FF, 9 passes defensed

Bruce Irvin (R)––16 total tackles, 8 sacks, 1 FF

In order for a team to be strong enough to make a deep playoff run and compete for a championship in the NFL, it has to be able to be multi-dimensional and have a tough defense. Though passing seems to be taking over the NFL, a strong running game is still vital to postseason success.

Because of this, and the fact that young quarterbacks seem to be taking over the game as well, it appears as though the Broncos and Seahawks are two of the best-fit teams for a championship at the moment and are getting hot at exactly the right time. If you were to ask me back in August if I thought the Seahawks and Broncos would be where they are right now at the end of December, I would probably say no. But Peyton has proven he's back and as strong as ever, and Russell Wilson proved last night that he's a force to be reckoned with coming out of the NFC West.

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The Wrath of the Coaches

left-New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick grabs a replacement ref's arm at the end of his hotly contested game with the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 23, 2012. right-Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan voices his displeasure with an official in their Sept 16 game against the St Louis Rams.

After Week 3 of the NFL regular season, one thing is clear: the games are bordering on chaos under the officiating of replacement officials. The expected improvement as the weeks progressed has not happened. Instead, every week games are being poorly officiated with bad calls, missed calls, wrong penalty assessments and an overall failure to control the game. As expected, coaches have reacted, and not in a good way. Replacement officials have transformed many of those normally cool and stone-faced coaches on the sideline into red-faced, raving hotheads. Some of the more notable blow-ups include:

Bill Belichick - The Week 3 game between the New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, Sept 23, came down to a field goal. As time expired and with the score 30-28 Patriots, Ravens kicker Justin Tucker launched a 27-yard field goal that many thought missed wide right. But the ref signalled that it was good and the Ravens won 31-30. As the chaotic exit of players, officials and sideline personnel began, coach Belichick chased after a ref who was running off the field. As Belichick explained, he had questions regarding the last play and he was trying to get the ref's attention when he grabbed his arm. Today, Belichick was fined $50,000 for 'impermissable physical contact.'

Kyle Shanahan - In another Week 3 Sunday game, the Cincinnati Bengals led the Washington Redskins 38-31 with 7 seconds left in the game. With the Redskins on the Bengals 34-yard line, quarterback Robert Griffin III spiked the ball to stop the clock. On the same play, the refs flagged tight end Fred Davis for a false start. But here's where the fireworks began. After one official said that there would be a 10-second runoff because of the false start penalty, Cincinnati's coaches and players, thinking the game was over, began walking on the field. Since that is not the correct penalty, (should be 5-yards) Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan demanded a clarification from the refs and insisted that the game was not over. For this, Shanahan was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. Then the refs backed the ball up 20 yards (instead of 15) for that penalty. On the next play and  now at third-and 50, Griffin hurled the ball downfield for an incomplete pass. Time expired - Game over. Still upset over the rulings, Shanahan pursued the officials into the tunnel and apparently hurled a litany of profanities at them. Shanahan was fined $25,000 by the league on Tuesday, Sept 25.

John Harbaugh - At one point in the same game as Bill Belichick's transgression, Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh admitted that he bumped an official. His explanation was that he merely wanted to call a timeout and the officials did not hear or see him. The league has said they are investigating the incident.

John Fox and Jack Del Rio - After the Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons game on Monday Night Football, Sept 17, both head coach John Fox and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio were recently fined $30,000 and $25,000 respectively. The game was constantly interrupted by long delays and reviews, and reviews of the reviews. Throughout the game, both Fox and Del Rio could be seen berating, intimidating and badgering the officials. According to ESPN analyst Adam Shefter, the NFL even called the Georgia Dome at halftime to get the message to Fox and Del Rio to tone down their behavior.

The past three weeks have seen numerous clashes between coaches and replacement officials. Even with fines and memos mandating better behavior from coaches, we can expect to see more dramatics as long as the replacements are officiating.

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The Age-less Holliday: A Look into Vonnie's 14-year Career

While I was sitting in my apartment watching the Cardinals/Titans Week 3 preseason matchup last night, I made a very interesting discovery: Vonnie Holliday is still in the NFL.

In the league since 1998, the 36-year old Holliday has played with the likes of Reggie White, LeRoy Butler, Hardy Nickerson, Scott Fujita, Jared Allen, Zach Thomas, Jason Taylor, Elvis Dumbervil, Champ Bailey and London Fletcher over the last 14 seasons.

While I was aware that Holliday had been involved in the Tim Hightower trade that sent him from Washington to Arizona last summer, I was surprised to see that Holliday was in uniform last night after recording just 16 total tackles in his first season with the Cards last year.

Playing for four different teams since 2008 (Dolphins, Broncos, Redskins, Cardinals), it's clear that Holliday no longer makes the impact on defense that he used to. But there's no doubt it was still nice to see him on the football field for his second season as a Cardinal.

The 6-foot-5, 285 pound defensive lineman has not played a full season since 2008, starting 15 of his 16 games in his final season with Miami. Recording 45 tackles and 3.5 sacks at defensive end, Holliday finished the season with the third-most sacks on the team behind Joey Porter (17.5) and Matt Roth (5).

Coming in to the league as the No. 19 overall selection by the Green Bay Packers in 1998, hailing from the University of North Carolina, Holliday recorded 52 tackles and set a franchise rookie record with eight sacks in 12 starts. He never surpassed the eight sack total throughout his career, coming close with seven on two separate occasions ('01 with GB and '06 with MIA).

Playing with six different teams, Holliday's longest tenure was the five seasons he spent in Green Bay from 1998-2002. He started a full 16 games just twice over that five year span, yet he managed to record 252 total tackles, 32 sacks, 5 forced fumbles and 2 interceptions in 63 starts (50 tackles, 6.5 sacks per average season).

Holliday signed a five-year, $21.3 million deal with Kansas City as a free agent in 2003, spending two seasons with the Chiefs before numerous injuries forced his release at the end of the 2004 season.

Signing with Miami a few weeks later, Holliday made the switch to defensive tackle where he helped clog up the middle of the line for four seasons. Holliday was one of the best up the middle for several seasons, in addition to his ability to get to opposing quarterbacks. Holliday was most effective with Miami in his first two seasons with the team (2005 and 2006), combining for 12 sacks in two complete seasons.

More injuries slowed down his production in 2007 and '08, and he failed to produce once he left Miami. Three starts with Denver in 2009, two starts with Washington in 2010 and zero starts last season with Arizona. And that brings us to today.

Last night, he did see the field, though it was minimal and did not have much of an impact. He's a longshot to make the final roster, in my opinion, but it's a nice story at least.

I think Holliday, who will be 37 in December, is heading towards the end of the road in the National Football League. And I think the All-Out Blitz is one of the few sites out there dedicating an entire post to Holliday and his NFL career. Someone's gotta do it, right?

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Denver Shows Place Kickers do Matter, Sign Matt Prater to Four-year Deal

In today's National Football League, placekicker is a thankless position and is often the scapegoat for losses.

Make kicks, and they are "just doing their job." But miss a kick? Well, you better hope you have an understanding and forgiving fan base.

Yesterday the Denver Broncos made the decision to lock up 27-year old Matt Prater for the next four years. Prater jumped from Detroit (2006) to Miami (2007) to Atlanta (2007) until he finally caught on with the Broncos in the middle of the 2007 season.

After having the franchise tag placed on him by Denver this off-season, the team made it obvious that they wanted to make Prater their guy for the next four years. The deal could reportedly end up being as much as $14.05 million.

It's not often that you see kickers stick with one team for a long period of time. Matt Stover did so for Baltimore, putting in 13 solid seasons as the team's Mr. Reliable, following five years with the Cleveland Browns (1991-1995; Cleveland made the move to Baltimore after the '95 season). He finished his polished, 19-year career with a season in Indianapolis.

Kicker Jason Elam was able to put up a Pro Bowl career in 17 years, spending 15 of those years with the Denver Broncos. He finished his impressive career with two subpar seasons in Atlanta. Adam Vinatieri is another noteworthy placekicker in today's game of football.

Vinatieri may be the exception to my rule, noted in the first sentence. Vinatieri, for the majority of his career, was well-known for his big-time kicks. Adam is responsible for two game-winning field goals in New England Patriot Super Bowl victories. Leaving New England in 2005, Vinatieri (at the time) had a career kicking percentage of 81.9, which was good enough for fifth all-time.

The four-time Super Bowl champion, 39, is still kicking for the Indianapolis Colts and has hit 82.9% of his 467 field goal attempts over the last 16 years. That's what I call productivity at the kicking position.

Others that have been able to pull this off for a significant period of time include Oakland's Sebastian Janikowski, San Francisco's David Akers (with Philadelphia), Detroit's Jason Hanson, New Orleans' John Kasay (with Carolina) and Cleveland's Phil Dawson.

So, why exactly is kicking a lost gem? Well, that could be because people seem to take placekicking for granted. Thinking of it as an easy task, not many teams have really focused on locking up their franchise leg, and spend each season jumping from kicker to kicker until one latches on for the remainder of that given season.

Missing kicks, as you could imagine, is the No. 1 reason a kicker would lose his job and see himself get cut from the team. Seems rather obvious, you don't do your job and you get fired. But the trick here is that no matter how reliable you have been in the past, a cold streak could just as easily land you on the street without a job.

Prater, replacing somewhat of a Denver kicking legend in three-time Pro Bowler Elam after his departure in 2007, has converted 80.4% of his kicks throughout his five years in Denver. But it has always been his strong leg that has received attention from opposing teams, as well as his own teammates.

Throughout his young career, Prater has attempted 13 kicks from 50+ yards out. Of those 13, 10 of them have been converted for three points. That's a remarkable percentage when you consider other kicking greats of his era (Stover, Vinatieri, Elam, Janikowski) have been unable to put up that kind of 50+ yard convert percentage.

If he can keep up his success over these next four years, and avoid hitting a cold streak such as long-time Pittsburgh Steeler Jeff Reed (nine seasons with team before struggling to kick straight in 2010), we could see the strong-legged Prater turn in a 18-20 year career at his position.

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AFC Championship is Anyone's Game at this Point

The AFC North division champion Baltimore Ravens are heading to Foxboro, Mass. this Sunday to face the No. 1 seeded New England Patriots for a chance to play in the Super Bowl in Indianapolis in February.

Baltimore's stingy defense helped them overcome the Houston Texans' hard-hitting defense and its five sacks of quarterback Joe Flacco, who was also hit on six additional plays and had seven passes defensed against Houston's fourth-ranked overall defense.

Flacco has been a bit of a disappointment this season, as he has been very inconsistent throughout the season, sometimes not even bringing his A game against teams with losing records such as Jacksonville and Seattle. A pair of rookie Texans–DE J.J. Watt and LB Brooks Reed–each recorded 2.5 sacks and combined for 15 solo tackles, including four TFLs (tackles for a loss) against Baltimore's passing attack.

Like I had said in my Preview for this game, the Ravens would win but they would need Ray Rice to get plenty of touches in order for them to do so. Well, he did. He carried the ball 21 times for 60 yards and caught four passes for 20 yards. Clearly he received his fair share of touches, but he wasn't very effective with the ball in his hands (2.9 Y/A, 5.0 Y/R).

I ended up only being half right about the outcome of the game: I picked the winner, but Baltimore's 20-13 victory came because of a dominating defensive effort against rookie signal caller T.J. Yates.

Overall Yates looked closer to a veteran quarterback than a rookie at times. His three interceptions were devastating and led to either BAL points or, as his last one sailed into veteran safety Ed Reed's hands, sealed the victory. Baltimore dropped numerous other possible INT's, which were simple rookie mistakes on Yates' part. But T.J. made a couple of throws that only a handful of QBs are normally able to execute.

This brings me to my next point. If you watched the first AFC matchup of the weekend then I'm sure you noticed how on point Tom Brady was with all of his throws. He was on fire, going 26/34 for 363 yards and 6 TDs with one interception. His five first half TD passes set the postseason record for most in a single half, and his six total tied the postseason record for a single game.

Denver's pass rush struggled to even lay a hand on him (two QB hits, two PDs, 0 sacks) and Brady had no trouble finding tight end Rob Gronkowski in the end zone on three different occasions.

Baltimore's pass rush is far more dangerous than that of Denver, but that doesn't mean Brady is going to turn the ball over. Flacco got his chances at putting the ball in the end zone thanks to the four turnovers his defense forced on Houston. New England, however, doesn't turn the ball over. In fact, they did that just 17 times this entire season (third-least in the league).

Say what you want about New England's porous pass defense, but they have thrived all season on forcing turnovers, much like Baltimore's D, and Flacco's offense is far more vulnerable than New England when it comes to losing the football.

Here's how you know your team is in trouble: Ed Reed made an appearance on The Blitz on SiriusXM's NFL Radio and he made it clear that the Ravens needed to step up as a team this Sunday against the Patriots. He hinted towards the idea that Joe Flacco looked a little rattled by Houston's defense, and that the offense needed to make improvements if they expected to win against New England.


Before this weekend's slate of games I had New England over Denver, Baltimore over Houston, and then Baltimore defeating the Patriots in the Championship game for a trip to the Super Bowl. But after watching New England destroy the Broncos defense with 45 points Saturday night, I may have to re-think my pick.

That's why I will be waiting until the very end of the week to make my two picks. Not only is the AFC game tough to call, but both the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers lit up the scoreboards against their respective Divisional round opponents. With my 6-2 postseason record on the line, I will be taking every second I have to re-evaluate these two match-ups.

Who do you have representing each Conference in Super Bowl XLVI?

Photo credit
Joe Flacco: Rob Carr/Getty Images
Brandon Spikes: Al Bello/Getty Images

Divisional Round Preview: Saturday's Games

Last weekend I went 2-0 in my picks on Saturday (Houston and New Orleans), but 0-2 on Sunday (Atlanta and Pittsburgh) to break even at 2-2 for the Wild Card round. I didn't pick any huge upsets and thought I was picking the safe teams. Boy was I wrong.

In the opening round all four home teams captured victories, but this weekend I expect things to be a bit different. Here's a preview of Saturday afternoon and evening's two match-ups according to my football knowledge.

#3 Saints at #2 49ers--Saturday January 14, 2012 4:30 PM ET

The New Orleans Saints defeated Detroit with 45 points thanks to a flawless passing attack (Brees: 466 yards, 3 second half TDs) and an equal rushing attack (167 yards, 3 TDs) to surpass a 49-year old playoff record for most total yards in a game, with 626.

On defense, they allowed 5,000 yard passer Matthew Stafford and Pro Bowl wideout Calvin "Megatron" Johnson to throw all day long, totaling 380 yards and 3 TDs through the air (211 yards/2 TD to Johnson), but Detroit ran the ball for just 32 yards on 10 attempts (3.2 YPC).

This week will be much different in several different areas, however. New Orleans' second-ranked offense will be matched up against San Francisco's second-ranked defense. A match set in heaven, if you will. Brees had no difficulty against Detroit's 22nd-ranked pass defense, a unit that managed to surrender 24.2 points/game in the regular season, but will have to go up against the swarming SF defense. In the regular season the Niners 14.3 points/game (second in league) and ranked first–along with Green Bay–in turnovers with 38.

The No. 1 rank in defending the run belongs to San Francisco, as well, giving up just 1,236 yards and 3 TDs throughout the season. This will make Brees' offense one-dimensional and put even more emphasis on the passing game. Brees hasn't had much problem with that this season, but if the Niners force a couple of turnovers at the hands of Brees then the Niners have a real shot at knocking off New Orleans.

Now, Alex Smith is no Matt Stafford and the 49ers don't have targets equal to Detroit's Johnson, but they do have a top tier rushing attack with Frank Gore and were 10-0 this season when running for 100 or more yards, and 6-2 when Gore gets in to the end zone. What, then, must the Niners do on offense to win this game? Run early and often. The Saints allowed 1,738 yards and 5.0 YPC this season, and Gore is back in Pro Bowl shape.

My Prediction: Niners 28, Saints 24

Whatifsports.com's Prediction: Niners 17, Saints 16

#6 Broncos at #1 Patriots--Saturday January 14, 2012 8:00 PM ET

Many are still in shock that Tim Tebow was able to pull off the impossible yet again, and in such dramatic fashion coming off a three-game losing streak to end the regular season. Tebow

Denver's passing attack was 31st in the league this season, yet Tebow set a career-high with 316 yards passing against Pittsburgh's No. 1 passing defense–it was Tebow's second career 300-yard game. Pittsburgh's pass rush struggled mightily against Denver's strong offensive line, as well. This makes me worry for New England, who ranks 14th in turnovers and second-to-last in yards.

But what scares me with New England's offense, is that Tom Brady and Co. doesn't seem to be affected when they turn the ball over. On just three occasions have the Pats turned the ball over multiple times, and they actually managed to win one of those games, despite four turnovers.

Even with a flawless game from Tebow against Pittsburgh, Denver managed just 29 points. Yes, that's quite a few points, but playing against New England's offense (32.1 points per game in regular season, third-most in league) puts up quite the challenge for Denver.

Luckily for Denver, they do have one thing going for them: New England had a rather weak schedule this season as they played just two teams with winning records (New York Giants and Steelers) and lost both games. That and, not to mention, the fact that Tebow always seems to get everything together towards the end of games (five 4th-quarter comebackers and six game-winning drives this season).

As much as fans and experts have jumped on the Tebow bandwagon this season, I may have to jump off it this week. New England's offense is much more potent than that of Pittsburgh's, and I don't expect the Pats to start off quite as slowly as the Roethlisberger-led Steelers last Sunday.

My Prediction: Patriots 38, Broncos 28

Whatifsports.com's Prediction: Broncos 31, Patriots 24

Photo credit

Niners D: Jay Drowns/Getty Images

Tom Brady: Elsa/Getty Images

Bengals, Texans and Broncos Back into AFC Playoffs

Last Sunday three of the six AFC playoff teams lost its matchup. Two of those hadn't even clinched a spot yet, meaning they received help from other teams to get in to the second season.

Houston and Cincinnati, throwing it down one-on-one this weekend (Saturday January 7, 2012 at 4:30 PM ET in Houston), are both currently being led by rookie signal callers. Cincinnati's Andy Dalton was one of two rookie QBs to throw for 3,000 or more yards this season–first time in history that has happened.

As for Houston, rookie T.J. Yates will be making his sixth career start this Saturday, and it's clear that Houston has relied heavily on the run. Yates has thrown for just 949 yards and three touchdowns on 134 pass attempts, but has protected the ball well (just three INTs). But after leaving last week's game against the Titans with an apparent shoulder injury, his status for Saturday is uncertain.

It's been said he's likely to play, but even if he does I have a feeling he wont be 100%. There's no doubt these two rookie quarterbacks will be under the microscope when they go head-to-head in Houston's first-ever playoff game. Cincinnati will be looking to win its first playoff game since 1990.

Both teams have struggled as of late. Cincinnati fell, 24-16, to division rival Baltimore in Week 17 and has gone 2-3 in the last five games. Houston is currently riding a three-game skid, finishing the season 10-6. There's no doubt that this matchup, however, may be one of the most intriguing of the weekend, with Cincy sporting a 5-3 road record and Houston boasting a 5-3 record at home. Houston plays great defense and has the second-best running game in the league.

Backing in or not, these teams have set the stage for a classic AFC playoff battle on Saturday afternoon.

Denver was the third AFC team to "back into the playoffs," clinching the AFC West division despite a 7-3 loss to Kansas City. With the help of San Diego (38-26 win over Oakland) Denver captured the title with an 8-8 record–Oakland and San Diego went 8-8 as well, but Denver holds the tiebreaker.

Tim Tebow, after starting his second professional season with a 7-1 record as starter and five 4th-qtr comebacks, has played three consecutive forgettable games as Denver nearly lost its playoff chances.

Over the three-game span, Tebow, who received much of the credit for Denver's win streak despite great support from the defense and running game, completed 41% of his passes for just one passing touchdown (three on ground) and four interceptions. His defense allowed 40 points on two different occasions (41 vs. NE, 40 vs. Buf), but at the same time he managed just 13.3 points on average in those games.

The truth of the matter in Denver is that it appears as though defenses have cracked the code in stopping the offense designed around Tebow, and losing three straight by such deficits is no way to enter the playoffs, especially against a team of Pittsburgh's caliber.

They do have a couple things going for them against Pittsburgh, however. Not only will they get to host the game at Mile High, but they also have the benefit of playing a banged up Steeler squad. Ben Roethlisberger is likely to start, but there's no way his ankle will be 100%, plus running back Rashard Mendenhall and safety Ryan Clark have both been ruled out of the game.

Denver's No. 1 rushing attack will need to show up to play in order to take the pressure off the struggling Tebow. Though he only got the ball in to the end zone five times in 2011 (four rushing, one receiving), running back Willis McGahee is finally healthy and ready to go. He reached the 1,000-yard mark this season for the first time since 2007, his first season in Baltimore.

Denver is only 4-3 this season in games that the one-time Pro Bowler rushes for over 100 yards, but they are 3-0 in games that he runs for a touchdown. Meaning one thing: get him the ball in red zone and goal-line situations. In Week's 15 and 16 McGahee ran the ball just 22 combined times. I find it rather silly to try and rely so much on Tebow when you have a guy of McGahee's caliber sitting in the backfield waiting to get his hands on the ball.

If Denver wants a shot to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers it would be smart of them to give McGahee the ball early and often. Other than that, Denver will be a one-and-done this postseason.

Photo credit
T.J. Yates: Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images
Willis McGahee: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

A Conversation with former Bronco Steve Atwater

I recently got the chance to talk with former Denver Broncos and New York Jets safety Steve Atwater about his playing career, personal accomplishments, the new NFL website schoolofthelegends.com, etc.


Atwater, known as one of the hardest-hitting defenders in league history, was selected to eight career Pro Bowls, two first-team All Pros and won two Super Bowls with the Broncos in the '90s.


Possibly most-known for his leveling of the 253 pound Kansas City Chiefs running back Christian "The Nigerian Nightmare" Okoye in a game against KC, Atwater also totaled over 1,100 tackles and 24 interceptions throughout his 11-year pro career.


It has been a huge debate over the last several years as to whether or not Atwater deserves to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. If I had a vote, I would say yes. But apparently the voters have thought differently. Here is my interview with the member of Denver's Ring of Fame...


All-out Blitz: The creation of the interactive website Schoolofthelegends.com has added a whole new way of players interacting with current and former teammates, opponents and even fans of the National Football League. Has it had a huge impact on your personal life and how you go about your daily life? And if so, how much?

Steve Atwater: It really has had a huge impact on my personal life because I'm much more engaged with the sport that I love. I keep up with all of the news, rumors, etc. and love hearing all of the differing opinions regarding player talent, coaching decisions & on the field fundamentals.

AB: What is one thing you miss about the game, and one thing you don't miss about it?

SA: I really miss hanging out with my friends in the locker room and after games. I don't miss running 100 yard dashes after practice.

AB: Your take on the changes Roger Goodell has made since taking over as commish in 2006? (i.e. crackdown on illegal hits, moving kick-offs up 5 yards, etc.)

SA: I think Roger has done a good job given the situation. His job isn't easy and he has to answer to the NFL owners and represent their best interests along with dealing with the players and their representatives. I dislike the fact that defensive players can only be fined (offensive players can't or most often aren't) in regards to tackling offenders. I agree with what he and his team are trying to do in terms of making the game safer (for offensive & defensive players), but I don't think our current solution is the final one. I don't like the kick-offs moved up - hardly anyone returns kickoffs unless it's poor weather. We may as well eliminate the kickoffs if this is the resolution.

AB: I'm sure your most memorable moment(s) throughout your playing career was winning two Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos, but aside from the two championships what would you say your biggest personal accomplishment was?

SW: Biggest personal accomplishment is raising my children and staying married to my wife for 21 years (and counting). On the field, my biggest accomplishment was simply making it to the NFL.

AB: Anything you regret about your days as a player?

SA: I regret not spending more time getting to really know all of my teammates and other players around the league.

Just one more thing about your 11-year career, I promise...

AB: What was it like facing off with Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway every day in practice for 10 years?

SA: It was a lot of fun going against John. He made me a better safety because I knew if I could give him false reads, that many of the other quarterbacks would easily fall for them.

AB: Do you still avidly follow the NFL, and if so do you have any Super Bowl picks for this season?

SA: Yes, I do still avidly follow the NFL and the Denver Broncos in particular. Unfortunately I don't think my team will win it this year. If I had to bet (which I don't do), I would have to put my money on Green Bay. They are still playing at a very high level and getting consistent play from their QB, Aaron Rodgers.

AB: I'd love to hear your take on the Tim Tebow situation in Denver. Personally, I'm a supporter of Tebow's and am glad he's getting his shot to sink or swim as the starter, but despite his two comeback-for-the-ages against Miami and New York (Jets) I'm already questioning his inability to pass the ball. Inconsistency has been the name of Tebow's game in his five starts. Do you think he will turn in to an elite starting quarterback in this league?

SA: First off, let me tell you that I am a Tim Tebow fan. I believe he has what it takes to make it in the NFL. I definitely think he needs some work and he needs to get with a good QB coach, someone who can help him develop into the great player that I know he can be. I agree, the Detroit game was atrocious. Over the years, we've seen lots of QBs have terrible games. Do you write them off after a couple bad games? I think not. I do believe he will turn into an elite starting QB in the league.

AB: Thank you very much for your time, Mr. Atwater.

Look out for more player interviews. Soon I will be posting interviews with 11-time Pro Bowler Larry Allen and former linebacker Dwayne Rudd.

(Note: I do not own the image above, and the video was found on youtube)

Player Spotlight (Edition 1): Rod Smith, Denver Broncos

To pass the time during the lockout, I've decided that a couple times a week I will be featuring a different former NFL player. Exploring not only his prolonged career as a player in the league, but also my take on what I thought of him, adding in personal opinions on watching him play and how he impacted this league.

Edition No. 1 will feature former Denver Broncos' wideout Rod Smith.

First of all, I would just like to point out that Smith celebrated his 41st birthday two days ago. Happy belated birthday, Rod! Second of all, the long-time Denver Bronco will be eligible for the Hall of Fame next year.

After going undrafted in the 1994 NFL draft, the New England Patriots signed Smith. Shortly after the signing he was released, Denver quickly picked him up and the rest is history. In 12 glorious seasons gracing the Denver uniform, Smith accumulated over 11,000 yards and 68 touchdowns.

Smith became the only undrafted player in NFL history to surpass 10,000 receiving yards. Going down as one of the franchise's greatest receivers, Smith owns the team record for career receptions (849), yards (11,389) and touchdowns (68) in 183 games.

He was only named to three Pro Bowl rosters, but consistently put up over 1,000 receiving yards eight times over his career. With help from Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway, Smith captured two Super Bowl rings in the '90s (1997 and 1998), and didn't miss too many games due to injury.

Personally, I loved watching Smith play the game. He wasn't the fastest on the field, and he didn't have the greatest hands in the game, but that's what made him that much better. He had to work hard, and he was a very reliable receiver over the middle.

He wasn't afraid to take a hit while running a route over the middle, and that just might be what I liked best about Rod Smith. He made spectacular catches, and made it easier for his quarterback--whether it be Elway, Jake "The Snake" Plummer or another one of Denver's signal callers.

While the highly underrated Smith may not ever hear his name being called by Canton, Ohio, I think it's safe to say the Broncos will never see another guy quite like Rod Smith come their way in Mile High.

I do not own the image above

Denver Broncos Bring Back Champ Bailey with Four-Year Deal: Smart Move??

Champ Bailey has decided to stay in Denver by signing a four-year deal reportedly worth $43 million, with a guaranteed $11 million in 2011, according to The Denver Post.

The 10-time Pro Bowler, who turns 33 in June, just completed his 12th NFL season, his seventh with the Denver Broncos.

It's clear that Bailey can still play his position well and keep up with the young receivers of the league, but signing him to a brand new four-year deal at his age doesn't seem like a very good idea for this organization.

Yes, it's true that his $15 million per year is below the average for an elite cornerback in the NFL and his $11 million guaranteed is $2 million less than this past season's pay, but his numbers have clearly taken a hit over the last couple of years, and I don't know if he will be able to keep it up for a full four seasons.

If I was Denver, why not save that money and end the Bailey era before he hits the wall completely?

His 41 tackles were a career-low, and in 15 games he picked off just two passes, two below his average (interceptions per season).

Denver's defense was eighth-worst in passing defense and allowed 26 touchdowns through the air last season. Overall, Denver's defense was porous (also allowed most points, and second-most rushing yards), so it's clear that they have more troubles than just the secondary.

Perhaps they should've saved some of that money to address more than one need at one time? Just a thought.

I really thought going after a smaller name (i.e. Antonio Cromartie or Ike Taylor) for less money would have been just as affective as signing a soon-to-be 33-year old to a four-year deal.

Another thought that popped in to my mind after hearing of the deal is, why did Bailey choose to return to the rebuilding Broncos when he likely would have received offers from contenders such as Baltimore and New England.

Questions surrounding both sides of the deal have popped in my head, but the key here is that Bailey has shown confidence in the changes that have been made from the top to the very bottom of this proud franchise.

Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images