J-Hill’s Two Minute Drill

Opinion, Team FYN Sports

J-Hill’s Two Minute Drill – January 14th, 2012
Falcons Search for Coaches – The Atlanta Falcons are in rebuilding mode following the team’s loss to the Giants, as they have now lost three assistants: defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder to Auburn, offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey to Jackonville as head coach, and QB coach Bob Bratkowski to Jacksonville as offensive coordinator. While some may see this as a negative, following the way the team played in big games this season, I wouldn’t be the least bit upset to see more assistants leave. I still believe that Mike Smith is the best fit for this team as head coach, but something in the philosophy didn’t work this season, because it’s evident that the team has the talent to succeed. Look for the team to bring in more aggressive coaching on both side of the ball to replace coaches that the players publicly called out for being too conservative. My prediction is that next season we will see former Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo calls the plays on defense and Packers QB coach Tom Clements call the plays offensively. Clements will more than likely play a role in who will be the Falcons QB coach, so expect another Packers assistant to follow his lead if he does in fact take the job.

NFL Playoffs, Round 2 – The second round of the playoffs kicks off at four today, and just like the Falcons, I would really like a do over. I went 1-3 with my picks for the Wild Card weekend with my only correct call being the Saints beating the Lions. This week seems to be more cut and dry than last week, so let’s try this again.

Saturday’s Games

Saints @ 49ers – The 49ers were one of the Cinderella stories of the 2011 regular season, but the 13-3 NFC West champions will have their hands full with Drew Brees and Company today. San Francisco had an outstanding first season under Jim Harbaugh, but that season will come to an end this afternoon. Saints win 28-20

Broncos @ Patriots – This game, which will probably have the most viewers besides the Super Bowl, matches up Tim Tebow against Tom Brady. Although the Broncos are 9.5 point underdogs to these Patriots, don’t call a Denver win impossible. The Patriots’ defense has been a joke this year, and the Broncos stayed with New England during the regular season until the turnover bug bit them. Turnovers will be the key to this game: if the Broncos don’t cough up the ball at all in this game, there chances are pretty good. Last week I picked against Tebow big time and it didn’t work out, so this week I’m picking Denver to keep it much closer but still lose. If Tebow pulls a win over Bill Belichick off tonight, you’ll see me wearing a #15 jersey very soon. Patriots win 34-31

Sunday’s Games

Texans @ Ravens – The Texans looked really good in their playoff opener against the Bengals, gaining 340 yards on offense and forcing three turnovers in a commanding 31-10 victory. Tomorrow they face off with the Ravens, a team that ranks 4th in the NFL in opponents’ rushing yards and 2nd in opponent’s passing yards. I like the direction Houston is going and although Ray Lewis and Ed Reed aren’t getting any younger, I think Baltimore will suffocate the Texans’ offense and hold Arian Foster to less than 100 yards on the ground. Ravens win 23-14

Giants @ Packers – Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense will be back in action following their first round bye and will be taking on a Giants squad fresh off a 24-2 beatdown of the Falcons. Some analysts are saying that New York may get hot and start a run like they did when they won Super Bowl XLII and the death of Packers assistant coach Joe Philbin’s son could prove to be a distraction to the defending champions, but I predict it will instead inspire the team to play hard for their offensive coordinator. New York’s offense stays with Green Bay for a while, but they just won’t have enough to hang with Gang Green. Packers win 41-28

Rams Land Fisher – Jeff Fisher finally made his decision in which team he will coach in 2012, spurning the Miami Dolphins offer to take over the St. Louis Rams. Although it appears that Fisher, who coached the Tennessee Titans for seventeen seasons and lost Super Bowl XXXIV to his new team, struggled with his decision over his new job, I think its clear that he made the right call. The Dolphins play in the AFC East, a division that the Patriots and Jets seem to have a stranglehold on, while the Rams play in the NFC West, a division that last year boasted a 7-9 division winner. The Rams have what appears to be their franchise quarterback in Sam Bradford, while the Dolphins haven’t had a reliable quarterback under center since Dan Marino retired following the 1999 season. The Rams have the #2 pick in the draft which will help Fisher build this team into a legitimate contender, while the Dolphins 6-10 record gives them either the #8 or #9 pick (a coin toss will determine whether Miami or Carolina gets the #8 pick), limiting who they can acquire. I expect Fisher and the Rams to contend with the 49ers for the top spot in the NFC West for the next few years as the Dolphins struggle under a second-rate head coach that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross somehow reeled in.

2012: The Year of the Dawg? – The 2011 college football season ended Monday night with #2 Alabama’s 21-0 victory over the #1 LSU Tigers, leaving fans everywhere to watch news from the recruiting season and start making predictions for the upcoming season. The Georgia Bulldogs have had a great start to recruiting, as the commitment of running back Todd Gurley from Tarboro, North Carolina yesterday added another star-caliber player to the Bulldogs program. With such a strong recruiting class coming in (team currently has 1 5-star commit and 5 4-star commits so far, according to Rivals.com), it would appear that the future is bright, but I feel compelled to make a statement that makes it appear that the future is now: The Bulldogs will be serious National Title contenders next season, and if they fail to win it in 2012, they will never win it under head coach Mark Richt.

I make such a bold statement based on three principles of the game: returning starters, strength of schedule, and young talent. The Bulldogs return the majority of their stars from 2011, including quarterback Aaron Murray, wide receiver Tavarres King, linebacker Jarvis Jones, and safety Bacarri Rambo. If you’re in need of a good laugh, all you have to do is look at Georgia’s schedule, which offers matchups against the likes of Buffalo, Florida Atlantic, and Georgia Southern out of conference and Ole Miss and Mississippi State from the rugged SEC West. If the Bulldogs can beat South Carolina, Florida, Auburn, and Georgia Tech, you can bet they will be undefeated going into the SEC Championship. Georgia’s young players and their ability to play were huge in 2011, as freshman like Malcolm Mitchell, Chris Conley, and Isaiah Crowell showed Bulldog Nation that just because they were inexperienced didn’t mean they couldn’t get the job done. I expect to see more young players make strides in 2012, with sophomore Ray Drew, redshirt freshmen Jay Rome, and true freshmen Keith Marshall, Todd Gurley, and John Theus all making big plays for the Bulldogs.

Hawks Lose Horford – The Atlanta Hawks suffered a huge blow on Wednesday when center/power forward for Al Horford tore the pectoral muscle in his righ shoulder, an injury that will take the former Florida standout out of the lineup for 3-4 months. The loss of Horford, who had been averaging 12 points and seven rebounds per game so far this season, is huge for Atlanta, who some felt could be a surprise in the Eastern Conference this season. Currently sitting at 8-4, the Hawks will need some of their other key players, such as Josh Smith or Joe Johnson, to step up in order for the team to continue with its success.

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