Weekend

What a weekend on tap…work/life preventing thoughts about the Pats, but hopefully I’ll get something going next week for the 4 people who occasionally read this…but how can you not be fired up about this weekend?

• Bruins-Canucks at 1 tomorrow…think the Bruins are ready?  They have scored 15 unanswered goals over the last two games, firing on all cylinders, and most important, they are healthy.  You listen to the radio and fans around here seem to want the Bruins to go out for blood tomorrow, but that seems backwards to me…yes, we hate these guys, but WE won last year!  The damage has been done…if anything, they’ll be the ones looking for revenge on Marchand, but I think they know that approach doesn’t work with this Bruins team…learned that the hard way in game 3 last year. 

 

• This Bruins team is just so damn likable right now…to me, last week’s fight between McQuaid and Torres says it all about this team.  Torres is a rat, we saw that last year in the Finals, elbows Ference, and McQuaid instantly skates across the ice, tosses the gloves and beats him senseless.  He might be the biggest badass on this team right now, more so than Thornton, Chara, Campbell, etc.

 

• Bill O’Brien to Penn State ey?  We have plenty of time to get into the long-term implications here in New England as well as for him out there, but I’m more concerned about whether this is poor form on his part to even be the smallest distraction to the 2011 Pats.  I understand you have to do what is best and the bye week allows him more flexibility than he otherwise would, but I just don’t like the comparisons to Charlie Weis in 2004.  Weis had been some form of a coach in the NFL for 14 years, so he was better equipped to balance the responsibilties of game-planning and recruiting, etc than O’Brien, who has been here since 2007.  I’m not saying he can’t pull this off, I just would hate to see something off-field derail the Pats playoff push.  If today is any indication, it seems like Belichick got in their ear early and often about not saying a word and focusing on the task at hand…here’s hoping he did the same with O’Brien.

 

• Wild Card Weekend rules, especially when your team is sitting at home resting.  Obviously if you’re a Pats fan you’re a huge Cincy fan this weekend, but I just don’t see it happening.  Even with TJ Yates, Houston runs the ball as well as anyone in the league and now that Wade Phillips is back on the sidelines they are loaded with the top-ranked defense in the league against a rookie QB, and of course, Marvin Lewis.  I hope I’m wrong, just don’t see it happening…like Houston to cover.

 

• Saints-Lions…I don’t think anyone in either conference could beat the Saints at home right now, they look flat-out unstoppable in the dome…get them outside on the road and they’re a completely different team, but I don’t see how a playoff-tested QB-Coach combo like Brees & Payton at home will lose this one…Saints to cover.

 

• Falcons-Giants…best game of the weekend in my opinion.  Two very evenly-matched teams, though the Giants are a trendy pick right now.  The matchup between Atlanta’s o-line and that Giants d-line is going to be fun to watch…I just don’t see Atlanta winning this one…Giants defensive line is healthy and battle-tested and I don’t trust the Falcons to stick to the run like they should…like the Giants to cover.

 

• Steelers-Broncos…again, if you’re a Pats fan, you would love for nothing more than for Denver to win this one…but again, I don’t see it happening.  Even without Clark, Mendenhall, and Pouncey, their defense is still filthy and will eat up Tebow…not to mention I think Rapies is playing up his injury a bit.  That being said, if this game is close, I give the nod to Denver…that crowd will be rowdy, and God will be on Denver’s side of course…jk…either a close Denver win or a blowout loss…really going out on a limb there I know, whatever…

 

Shaping up to be a sick day drinking Saturday, have a good weekend and keep it real.