Randolph Charlotin's New England Patriots friend's fan blogs

           Wildcard weekend had an interesting lineup of games this year.  All four road teams (wildcard teams) were favored to win over the home teams (division winners).  That’s unusual, but this year it actually makes a lot of sense.  Many of the wildcard teams had better records than the division winners.  In the end, the underdogs won two of the four games (both 6th seeds defeated the 3rd seeded teams).

           As I was watching the games, I found myself rooting for the underdogs in several games, but none more than in the Indianapolis-San Diego game.  Norv Turner has been maligned at all his head coaching stops.  He wasn’t the favored choice after Marty was fired.  After all, who fires a legendary coach after a 14-2 season?  The Bolts did…so enter Norv.  The Chargers didn’t live up to expectations last year, as they failed to reach the Super Bowl.  All eyes were on Turner.  This season, Norv ran into a roadblock that is very difficult to negotiate…the referees.  But, the Chargers persevered, and they were able to capture the division crown at a mere 8-8.

Continue reading "Where Are All The Nay Sayers Now?"

           Each week, I will look into my (never wrong, just misinformed) crystal ball and give my predictions for that weekend’s games.  I will prognosticate on all the playoff games each week.  Keep in mind, that this is for entertainment purposes only, and that I do not endorse any sort of legal or illegal gambling.  That being said…let’s see what’s in my crystal ball!

           The crystal ball was mediocre last week, posting a 2-2 record.  Not great, but we will take it!  Now that it is playoff time, the crystal ball assures me it will rebound this week with a better performance.  The crystal ball is now 33-26-1 for the season; which is seven games over .500 (.558 to be exact).  With all the great match-ups before us, this week is going to be a challenge for the crystal ball.  Let’s see what’s in store for us this weekend.

Continue reading "Predictions Wildcard Weekend"

The crystal ball had a mediocre performance this past week, going a mere 2-2.  We’re not sure what happened, but this is not acceptable.  The crystal ball took its lumps on the Cowboys game, but it may have been predicting with its heart rather than its fortune-telling powers?  Either way, that puts the crystal ball at 33-26-1 for the season.  That’s seven games over .500 (.558 to be exact).  Hopefully the crystal ball will perform better in the playoffs!  Let’s take a look back, and review what happened last week.

Last Week: 2-2

Overall:  33-26-1

St. Louis @ Atlanta:  (WIN)  The Atlanta Falcons got a huge win against the Rams last week, finishing the season at 11-5.  Carolina got a last minute victory over New Orleans; otherwise Atlanta would have stolen the NFC South division.  The Falcons had a superb season, and they are the 5th seed in the NFC, a far cry from where they were a year ago!  The Falcons have found themselves a franchise QB in Matt Ryan, and Michael Turner isn’t too shabby of a RB either.  Roddy White has finally lived up to his high draft pick potential.  Atlanta could be a dangerous team in the tournament!

Continue reading "Week 17 Review"

           This past Sunday, the Dallas Cowboys traveled to Lincoln Financial Field to play the Philadelphia Eagles in what was a win and you’re in the playoffs game.  This game had a lot of build-up prior kick-off.  The Eagles found out, about 15 minutes before the game started, that the stars had aligned for them; the Bears and Buccaneers had both lost.  This game had everything football fans wanted.  It was the ‘Boys against the Birds, with their playoff destinies on the line.

           Unfortunately, if you are a Cowboys fan, Dallas forgot to show up for the game mentally.  Maybe all the drama had finally caught up to them?  Maybe the Eagles are just a better team?  It doesn’t matter why…we all know what happened!  The Cowboys shot themselves in the foot over and over again.  They gifted the Eagles two defensive touchdowns, while squandering scoring opportunities of there own on several occasions.  That’s not to take anything away from Philly, they made the plays and the Cowboys didn’t!

Continue reading "Underachievers"

From bostonsportz.com: 

Well it all comes down to this. When Brady went down this is probably about as high as Pats fans' expectations could've been, needing a win in the last game of the season to even have a chance at the playoffs. 

Still, the enjoyment of a playoff race is something that we haven't seen in a while around here. If the Pats do indeed miss the playoffs there are three games that can be noted as those responsible: losses to the Chargers, Colts and Steelers. All three of those teams will be in the playoffs (I'm giving the Chargers the benefit of the doubt) and the Pats could not beat any of them. 

While the loss to the Dolphins in week three and the Jets in November certainly didn't help, 4-2 in the AFC East will not be what derailed the 2008 Patriots. It was their inability to beat a single AFC playoff team outside their division. 

Continue reading "5 Keyz: Patriots vs. Bills"

           Each week, on Friday, I will look into my (never wrong, just misinformed) crystal ball and give my predictions for that weekend’s games.  I will always prognosticate on the Eagles and Cowboys games and then pick two or more games of interest (to me, that is, not necessarily to you).  Keep in mind, that this is for entertainment purposes only, and that I do not endorse any sort of legal or illegal gambling.  That being said…let’s see what’s in my crystal ball!

           The crystal ball was mediocre last week, posting a 2-2 record.  Not great, but we will take it!  The crystal ball assures me it will rebound this week with a better performance.  The crystal ball is now 31-24-1 for the season; which is seven games over .500 (.563 to be exact).  This week is going to be a challenge for the crystal ball, with many key match-ups that have playoff implications.  Let’s see what’s in store for us this weekend.

Continue reading "Predictions Week 17"

           Each week I will answer questions submitted by my loyal readers.  I personally read every single email I receive.  I will pick out the best five or so to use for the weekly post, as I won’t be able to answer all of them.  I will also answer one or two questions on my daily posts as well.  Now it’s time to open the mail!

Jimmy Z., Philadelphia, PA:  What's your thoughts on McNabb coming back next year?  E A G L E S  EAGLES!

Utopia1dc:  Jimmy, I really don’t know what the big fuss is all about.  D-Mac is still a quality QB in this league.  The Eagles still have a chance to make the playoffs if they beat Dallas and get a little help.  If McNabb leaves, do the Eagles really know what Kevin Kolb can do?  If Kolb can’t cut it, the Eagles could be looking at being in rebuilding mode for several years!  Be careful what you wish for!

Continue reading "Reality Mail Bag - 12/25/08"

By now we all know what needs to happen for the Patriots to get into the playoffs, but what happens if and when they get there? 

There are four potential scenarios that could play out depending on what happens this weekend. Assuming the Patriots beat the Bills, which may be a foolish assumption but it's no fun to assume otherwise, here they are:

1. Dolphins and Ravens Win, Pats Out of Playoffs: The log jam at the top of the AFC East has a whole lot more to do with the weak schedules that the teams have played (AFC West, NFC West) than how improved the Dolphins or Jets are. The only playoff team that the Dolphins have beaten is whoever wins the AFC West.

Other than wins over San Diego and Denver, Miami has feasted on the easiest schedule in the NFL. Still impressive considering where they were last year, and when you look at the Jets 0-for-West Coast performance, but it remains to be seen how thePhins match up with top notch competition.

Continue reading "Potential Patriots Playoff Scenarios"

The crystal ball had a mediocre performance this past week, going a mere 2-2.  We’re not sure what happened, but we will get to the bottom of this.  The crystal ball took its lumps on the Cowboys game, but it may have been predicting with its heart rather than its fortune-telling powers?  Either way, that puts the crystal ball at 29-22-1 for the season.  That’s seven games over .500 (.563 to be exact).  Let’s take a look back, and review what happened last week.

Last Week: 2-2

Overall:  31-24-1

Baltimore @ Dallas:  (LOSS)  The crystal ball thought this was going to be a big win for the ‘Boys, we all know that didn’t happen.  The Ravens defense played well, and kept the Dallas offense in check for most of the night.  The Cowboys had two late drives to close within a field goal, but each time the Ravens responded.  And boy did they respond, with back to back long runs of 77 and 82 yards; each for TDs!  It was like the parting of the

Continue reading "Week 16 Review"

           On Saturday night, the Cowboys had a golden opportunity to close out Texas Stadium in style.  This was the final game to be played at the stadium.  A Cowboys win would have been a fitting end to a stadium that has had many classic games.  A win, and the Cowboys would have been one step further in their quest for a playoff berth, and a Super Bowl run.

           It didn’t happen!  The Cowboys defense played well for 55 minutes, but they let two long runs (77 yards and 82 yards) ruin what could have been a festive night in Texas!  Sure, they still had a ceremony after the game.  They honored many former players, but it wasn’t the same.  The Cowboys loss put them in a situation in which they would need help to get to the tournament; a win alone next week against the Birds wouldn’t be enough.

Continue reading "Not Dead Yet"