Who Will Win the AFC Championship?
SodaHead Sports
2012/01/20 16:39:48
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95 votes
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33% | |||
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197 votes
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67% | |||
Be sure to vote on the NFC game, as well!
It's that time of year for the NFL. It's down to the final four football teams in the playoffs. Two teams will punch their ticket to the Super Bowl next month. Two other teams will have to watch the big game from home. Sunday afternoon's AFC Championship Game pits the No. 1 seed New England Patriots against the No. 2 seed Baltimore Ravens.
The Patriots have a shot to win their first Super Bowl since 2004 and make their first trip back to the big game since 2008. For Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, four Super Bowl rings put him in the highest echelons of all-time great players. Not that he's not a future Hall of Famer already or anything...
“The Ravens, they’re the best team we’ve played all year,” Brady said to WEEI. “They present a ton of challegnes in all three phases of the game. When you watch them, like you watched them yesterday, they’re physical, they’re tough, they can cover, they have some of the best players in the history of the NFL at their possitions like [Terrell] Suggs, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Haloti Ngata.”
The Ravens have even more of an incentive to get to the Super Bowl, since it's been over a decade since the team's last appearance and championship. Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has been solid, yet shaky in the playoffs, although he did lead the team to the AFC Championship Game three seasons ago in his rookie year. Luckily for the Ravens, they still have a great defense to make up for their inconsistency -- but they aren't getting any younger. One thing is for sure: This game will be physical.
It's that time of year for the NFL. It's down to the final four football teams in the playoffs. Two teams will punch their ticket to the Super Bowl next month. Two other teams will have to watch the big game from home. Sunday afternoon's AFC Championship Game pits the No. 1 seed New England Patriots against the No. 2 seed Baltimore Ravens.
The Patriots have a shot to win their first Super Bowl since 2004 and make their first trip back to the big game since 2008. For Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, four Super Bowl rings put him in the highest echelons of all-time great players. Not that he's not a future Hall of Famer already or anything...
“The Ravens, they’re the best team we’ve played all year,” Brady said to WEEI. “They present a ton of challegnes in all three phases of the game. When you watch them, like you watched them yesterday, they’re physical, they’re tough, they can cover, they have some of the best players in the history of the NFL at their possitions like [Terrell] Suggs, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Haloti Ngata.”
The Ravens have even more of an incentive to get to the Super Bowl, since it's been over a decade since the team's last appearance and championship. Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has been solid, yet shaky in the playoffs, although he did lead the team to the AFC Championship Game three seasons ago in his rookie year. Luckily for the Ravens, they still have a great defense to make up for their inconsistency -- but they aren't getting any younger. One thing is for sure: This game will be physical.
Top Opinion
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The_Machine 2012/01/20 18:28:19Baltimore Ravens
A former U of M QB who is not a total A-hole.
“Michigan is a good school and I got a good education there,” he said, “but the athletic department has ways to get borderline guys in and, when they’re in, they steer them to courses in sports communications. They’re adulated when they’re playing, but when they get out, the people who adulated them won’t hire them.”
Gee, those are pretty holier-than-thou comments for a drunk driver.
Look, it's no secret that most college football players at most big-time college football programs aren't majoring in electrical engineering or pre-med. That's about as big a revelation as finding out Charlie Weis has high cholesterol. Yes, some of it is the players but a lot of it also has to do with the fact that playing ball is like having a full-time job on top of one's classwork. Is that the way it should be? No. But it is. So double majoring in physics and chem probably won't work for most student-athletes. Thus, I don't understand Harbaugh's point in bashing his school like that.
Furthermore, Jim neglects to mention all the guys at Michigan - and many other big time schools - who somehow managed to juggle spending 40 hours a week playing football but still go on to become successful doctors, lawyers, bus...
A former U of M QB who is not a total A-hole.
“Michigan is a good school and I got a good education there,” he said, “but the athletic department has ways to get borderline guys in and, when they’re in, they steer them to courses in sports communications. They’re adulated when they’re playing, but when they get out, the people who adulated them won’t hire them.”
Gee, those are pretty holier-than-thou comments for a drunk driver.
Look, it's no secret that most college football players at most big-time college football programs aren't majoring in electrical engineering or pre-med. That's about as big a revelation as finding out Charlie Weis has high cholesterol. Yes, some of it is the players but a lot of it also has to do with the fact that playing ball is like having a full-time job on top of one's classwork. Is that the way it should be? No. But it is. So double majoring in physics and chem probably won't work for most student-athletes. Thus, I don't understand Harbaugh's point in bashing his school like that.
Furthermore, Jim neglects to mention all the guys at Michigan - and many other big time schools - who somehow managed to juggle spending 40 hours a week playing football but still go on to become successful doctors, lawyers, business leaders, etc., etc., etc. Is that most college football players? Of course not. Then again, that's not most college students period.
Finally, while Jim Harbaugh was before my time at Michigan, in talking to some acquaintances who were there during his U-M days, I'm told he was pretty "adulated" himself around the A2 campus back then. And, allegedly, he enjoyed that adulation very much. So cut the sanctimonious crap.
Oh, and Jimbo, kiss any chance of coaching at Michigan good-bye. Enjoy Palo Alto.
Sorry, but this story just rubbed me the wrong way.