Sunday, January 22, 2012

Conference title games!

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Alright, are we ready for today's games? The games today will decide who goes to the Superbowl this year. 
Will the Ravens beat the Patriots? Can the 49ers pull it off? We'll see! Lots of people are rooting for a "Har-bowl" this year, since the coaches of the Ravens and the 49ers are brothers--the Harbaugh brothers. 

In any case, these should be great games. We've actually hired a babysitter today so that we can go watch an uninterrupted 49ers game. The whole Bay Area is pumped! So without further ado, here are the summaries of today's games:

Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots
Well, we remember last week how Tom Brady overturned the Tim Tebow bandwagon by crushing the Broncos 45-10 and tying the record for most touchdown passes in a single playoff game. (The record of six touchdowns is also held by Steve Young.) Brady is still on fire and doesn't seem to be slowing down at all. Last week the Ravens played a sloppy game but managed to beat the Texans. If Ravens can get the ball to RB Ray Rice consistently, the Ravens might have a chance. 


New York Giants @ San Francisco 49ers
These two teams have already played each other this season. The 49ers did get the victory but it was a hard fought game with lots of good players injured. When they play today, it will almost be like two new, better teams going head to head. The Giants are coming off a great win by beating the Packers who were the Superbowl favorites AND the defending Superbowl champs. And, of course, we all remember last weeks Niner game over the Saints that will go down in history as one of the most exciting playoff games of all time. 
Needless to say, both teams are on a roll with momentum building. The 49ers are hoping for a windy, rainy day (and as I look outside my window right now, they'll probably get their wish!) to slow down the passing attack of Eli Manning.

Enjoy the games today! Go Niners!!





Sunday, January 15, 2012

Sunday's games!

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Ho. ly. Crap. Did you guys see that game yesterday?? We sure did. There was a lot of screaming, running, jumping and "Wooooooo!"-ing in our house. If you missed it, the 49ers beat the Saints at the last second. Vernon Davis was crying, it was basically a sh*t show...and I'm sure we'll hear about it from all of our friends who were at the game for many, many years to come. Congrats to the Niners and good luck next week!!

As for the other game, get ready for a whole lot of Tim Tebow jokes like, "God loves Tom Brady more than Tim Tebow," because they are a-comin'. Tom Brady and his Patriots dominated the Broncos and put an end to Tebow-mania, blowing them out 45-10. Brady threw for 6 touchdowns and TE Rob Gronkowski caught three of them. Congrats, Tom...you are still the Man. Tebow...I guess pray harder next year?

And now let's look at what's happening today.

Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens
The Texans have been plagued by injuries all season. They lost star defensive player Mario Williams and star quarterback Matt Shaub. Then they lost Shaub's replacement, Matt Leinart. Star wide receiver, Andre Johnson, was out for much of the year as well. Even with all of these injuries, the team was able to make it to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. This had a lot to do with running back Arian Foster who had another amazing season. Houston is pumped! (Let it be noted that the Colts usually win the AFC South division but with Payton Manning being out for the season it gave the Texans a chance to finally win the division.)
Rookie QB TJ Yates and the Texans won their first playoff game ever last week against a young Cincinnati Bengals team but now they will be playing against a veteran Baltimore Ravens team, led by the arm of Joe Flacco and the legs of Ray Rice. The Ravens also have an extremely tough defense led by the future hall of fame linebacker, Ray Lewis. This is going to be a tough game for the banged up Texans. If they stop RB Ray Rice, they might have a chance. On the other side, if the Ravens stop RB Arian Foster then the pressure will fall on the young arm of TJ Yates.

Players to watch

Texans Offense:
QB TJ Yates
RB Arian Foster
WR Andre Johnson

Texas Defense: 
LB Connor Barwin
LB DeMeco Ryans
LB Brian Cushing

Ravens Offense:
QB Joe Flacco
RB Ray Rice
WR Anquan Boldin


Ravens Defense:
DE Hiloti Ngata
LBs Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs
FS Ed Reed

New York Giants at Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers, led by MVP favorite QB Aaron Rodgers, had an unbelievable season only losing one game. The Giants, let by Pro Bowl QB Eli Manning, barely made the playoffs when they beat the Cowboys in the last game of the season. This game should be a high-scoring, fast paced offensive showdown. This is a game that will rest on the shoulders of both superstar QBs. They both have unbelievable receiving groups that will make big plays which will determine the outcome of the game. I think both defenses will be looking to put a lot of pressure on the opposing QBs, hoping that they will make a mistake. Let's also keep in mind that the NY Giants was the team that upset the undefeated New England Patriots in the Superbowl when nobody thought they had a chance....the Giants might surprise us!

Players to watch:

Giants Offense:
QB Eli Manning
WR Hakeem Nicks
WR Victor Cruz


Giants Defense:
DE Jason Pierre-Paul
DE Justin Tuck
CB Corey Webster


Packers Offense:
QB Aaron Rodgers
WR Jordy Nelson
TE Jermichael Finley


Packers Defense:
NT BJ Raji
LB Clay Matthews
CB Charles Woodson

And there you have it! Enjoy your football Sunday!



Saturday, January 14, 2012

Playoffs, continued...

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It's an exciting week around here! The 49ers haven't made it to the playoffs in 10 years--even before Mike and I met. What this means for the Alexander family is that after Laila's Saturday swim class and traditional Benihana lunch, we will all be heading home to camp out in front of the TV. Small children included.

So without further ado, here are today's games!

New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers:
Lots of people will be watching this game...especially in this town! The game is basically an offensive powerhouse (Saints) vs. a defensive powerhouse (49ers). Saints QB Drew Brees broke Dan Marino's record for passing yards in a single season that held for nearly 30 years. Versatile running back Darren Sproles, along with superstar tight end Jimmy Graham helped Brees achieve this record. One thing going for the 49ers defense is that the game is played outdoors. The Saints offense made for the "fast" inside turf of their domed stadium. The 49ers are hoping that the outdoor grass will slow down the offense enough so that the defensive line can put pressure on Brees and force him to make mistakes. The 49ers offense is not as strong as the Saints, but QB Alex Smith has played well enough to keep the team in the game.
The 49ers special teams have played unbelievably well this year with kicker David Akers breaking the record for most field goals in a single season. 49ers first year coach, Jim Harbaugh, is looking to win Coach of the Year for the dramatic turnaround of the team this season. If the 49ers can keep scoring pace with the Saints and force Drew Brees to turn the ball over then they have a very good chance of winning this game...even though they are the underdogs. Go Niners!

Players to watch:

49ers Offense:
QB Alex Smith
RB Frank Gore
WR Michael Crabtree
TE Vernon Davis

49ers Defense:
DE Aldon Smith
LB Patrick Willis
LB Novorrow Bowman
CB Carlos Rogers

Saints Offense:
QB Drew Brees
RB Darren Sproles
WR Marques Colston
TE Jimmy Graham

Saints Defense:
DE Will Smith
LB Jonathan Vilma
CB Jabari Greer
SS Roman Harper


Denver Broncos at New England Patriots:
All eyes are on Bronco QB Tim Tebow who has slowly become a fan favorite for his exciting last minute heroics along with his signature prayer "pose" to God after touchdowns. It has officially been dubbed "Tebow-ing." (If you haven't heard about Tebow, then you might be living under a rock.) Nobody (except, I guess, God) thought Tebow could get the Broncos to the playoffs and for sure nobody thought he could win a playoff game--which he did last weekend against the Steelers. This week will be much more difficult as they are going up against the Patriots who crushed them in week 15. (41-23) 
Tom Brady also broke Dan Marino's record but did not pass for more yards than Drew Brees so it was less talked about. The Patriots offense had a very strong season making up for one of the worst defensive units in the league. Tight end, Rob Gronkowski, had an unbelievable year shattering the single season record for 13 touchdowns (by a TE) in a season. He had 18. Tim Tebow might be able to take advantage of this terrible defense but it will be difficult for him to keep pace with Tommy and the Patriots offense. The Broncos defense has been a big part of winning games even though all eyes have been on Tebow.


Players to watch:


Broncos Offense:
QB Tim Tebow
RB Willis McGahee
WR Demaryius Thomas


Broncos Defense:
DE Elvis Dumervil
LB Von Miller
CB Champ Bailey


Patriots Offense:
QB Tom Brady
WR Wes Welker
TE Rob Gronkowski


Patriots Defense:
DE Shaun Ellis
DT Vince Wilfork
LB Jerod Mayo


And there you have it! Stay tuned for tomorrow's games! 

Saturday, January 7, 2012

PLAYOFFS!

Alright, so I know I've been completely MIA over here, but I have a really good excuse! It started with a cold...a cold with the worst sore throat I've ever had. Then Mike caught it. Then Laila woke up in the middle of the night shivering with a high fever. Sasha was spared--or so we thought. Then the cold mutated into a deep, hacking cough. One morning, we heard Sasha cough a tiny little cough. Three days later, we were in the doctors office getting chest xrays for a 4 month old. Turns out she caught Bronchiolitis, something called RSV with a dash of pneumonia and an ear infection!! I've never been so scared in my life, especially since Laila didn't even have a sniffle until she was a year old.

We ended up having a great Christmas despite all of the germs but then Sasha relapsed and just went back on antibiotics last week. Needless to say, football took a backseat.

Luckily, football is never really far from Mike's mind. Also, luckily, he won his Fantasy Football league! Thank God. Nothing like a Fantasy victory to make for a happy husband.

In any case, the playoffs are upon us. There are only 12 teams left to play so that leaves 20 teams that we no longer have to care about for the season! Woooohooo! There are six teams left from each conference (AFC and NFC. Read more about how the system works here.)

The two teams in each conference that have the best records:
San Francisco 49ers (NFC)
Green Bay Packers (Nfc)
New England Patriots (AFC)
Baltimore Ravens (AFC)

Those teams have a "bye" week, meaning simply that they get the week off. Bye-bye. They hve made it to the playoffs because they have the best record in their divisions. (North, South, East, West)

Then there are two "Wildcard" teams that play the other two conference teams this weekend. Two games today, two games tomorrow. The games are as follows:

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Houston Texans (Saturday Jan 7th, 4:30pm ET, NBC)
Detroit Lions vs. New Orleans Saints (Saturday Jan 7th, 8pm ET, NBC)

Atlanta Falcons vs. NY Giants (Sunday Jan 8th, 1pm ET, FOX)
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Denver Broncos (Sunday Jan 8th, 4:30pm, CBS)

Only four games this weekend, ladies! You can handle that, right?
Tomorrow I'll write a recap of the season and get the playoff chart up and running.
Until next time!
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