Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Ken Hawk's Friday Huddle Quick Hits - Playoffs - Conference Week

  • Unstoppable. Unblockable. Unrelenting. Ken Hawk. The legendary loser of Blabbermouth. Love him. Hate him. The guy is going to get a doorknob stuffed up his ass by teenagers either way.
  • "Mr. Hawk, you're saying you didn't come to the hospital with this sooner because you thought you'd get laughs at parties?"
  • Conference Weekend. Its the Saints vs. the Bears and the Patriots vs. the Colts. Two teams that no one saw coming and two with the biggest ongoing rivalry of football in the new century.
  • ...the fuck was I talking about?
  • The final four square off Sunday. The fight begins when the Saints head north to face the mighty Chicago Bears.
  • Chicago is favored by 2 in the odds, but the talk is all the Saints' amazing season and the chance of the franchise's first Super Bowl victory.
  • And why not, it has been amazing. 27 players that returned from a 3-13 season, a new coach, a new quarterback and rookie RB and the Saints are in the NFC Conference game.
  • The Bears have had a rollercoaster of a season. A 13-3 record, a postseason victory for the first time since 1988, and Chicago still remains a target for anyone with an opinion based on the play of the unpredictable Rex Grossman.
  • Now, I've never been a huge fan of Rex's play. But I would love to see anyone take up Grossman's place and weather that storm. I have lot of respect for a guy who has been so dogged and doubted, and endured, and still played, and WON a solid playoff game. To go in with so many criticizing you, and win, I'd say thats a bigger accomplishment that winning without struggling at all.
  • New Orleans has the team to win here, and they very well may, but I believe the Bears have a better shot than most give them credit for. Great offense vs. great defense, I'll take the D. The Saints secondary tends to give up the long ones, where Berrian and Muhammad will certainly be. Hester is due after getting the kinks out last week. Cold weather ahead, and NO hasn't played in a place like Solider Field this year. Like last week, I think Grossman shows up again. Saints have the story of the season, but at this point I'm rooting for the Bears in every way I can.
  • Pats and Colts. I thinks its safe to say this is the rivalry of this decade.
  • New England comes in after that upset over the No. 1 seed San Diego. The same weekend, Indianapolis takes down the No. 2 seed Baltimore and the league's best defense.
  • The fact is the New Englanders continue to be the white whale to Manning, but Hawk believes this round will go to Indy. I'm a firm believer in momentum, and the past two weeks the Colts defense has been something reborn, shutting down the running attack of the Chiefs and holding back the Ravens to a pair of field goals.
  • Some will point out the history, but history is rewritten everyday. Indianapolis is a team trialed by fire, battle tested, and finding their stride just at the right time.
  • Ken Hawk says this is the year the Colts rewrite history, take down their demon, and move to the Super Bowl.
  • Ken's picks: Conference Championships Week:
  • Chicago > New Orleans
  • Indianapolis > New England

8 comments:

BigNewsDay said...

What a fun weekend in football!

The Saints/Bears game should be a great game. I really like both of these teams. i would love to see the Bears win for my brothers in Chicago, but a New Orleans win will do quite a bit to mend a ravaged town. I'm not even going to call this one.

I do think that New England will beat the Colts. This rivalry has become one of the biggest in sports, but I feel that The Patriots will once again break the hearts of the Indy fans.

Lefty Metalhead said...

Bears Bears Bears Bears Bears Bears Bears Bears Bears Bears Bears Bears...Daaaaaaaaaaaaaa Bears!

I felt more uneasy about the Seattle game than this one, mainly because Seattle had the superbowl experience last year. The Saints will be a difficult team to beat, don't get me wrong. But in the end, I think the monsters of the midway will win now that the defense is due. Hester should work some magic, and I expect another solid effort by Grossman. Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister...meet Mr. Urlacher!

spartachris said...

There's a lot of people going against the Bears, basically the nation rooting for "America's Team". But I think playing down the Bears' defense and thinking Grossman is just going to crap out is putting them into a false sense of security. Perhaps the Saints are the better team. But wasn't San Diego? Baltimore? Think about who everyone picked last weekend and why.
As far as Indy and NE, if the past two weeks have shown me anything its that the Colts defense has been THE reason in keeping the playoff dreams alive. Holding Baltimore to two field goals? Forget Manning, theres a team here. This was my original Super Bowl pick winner, and I say they slay the dragon here.

spartachris said...

God damn theres not a single expert at ESPN.com going with the Bears. Explain to me how we're 2 point favorites again?
This team better come out fired up, because they will need a perfect game if they are going to beat the Saints.

Lefty Metalhead said...

Everyone outside of Chicago is rooting for the Saints because they're the "feel good" team of the year. Unfortunately for them, the act of putting New Orleans on such a pedestal will work against the team. The Bears will win and will continue to be the unpopular team. I like it better this way because it will feel much better once we win. Besides, Chicago will cherish this win tenfold compared to New Orleans...Mardi Gras and Superbowl don't mix!

Lefty Metalhead said...

Espn experts? They now suffer from foot-in-mouth disease! Da Bears are going to Superbowl LXI!

spartachris said...

Thats right my friend, the whole country outside of IL was all Saints in this game. Hey, they might have been the better team with the better story, but the Monsters of the Midway ruled this one. They executed, the defense was perfect, they ended the better story and the Bears face the Colts in the Super Bowl.

spartachris said...

And the Colts are already favored by a touchdown. It seems like week to week the Bears are underestimated, and what continues to happen?