I will get to my Super Bowl pick in a minute but first I have to get a few things off my chest.
I have heard it all season long. After every game I heard it said, “The Eagles have not played anyone.” It was as if Eagles’ fans are not supposed to enjoy the 2017 season because of the schedule crafted by the NFL. How is it that the Eagles’ wins did not count. Now, after defeating the defending NFC champions and team with the best defense in the league, the Eagles are one of only two teams remaining. What do they have to do for the naysayers to admit this is a good team? Is being in Super Bowl LII enough or do they have to win? Is a win enough or does it have to be a blowout?
Then there are the comments about Eagles’ fans. Yes, fans were quite naughty in throwing snowballs at Santa...back in 1968! Yes, there is a group of fans whose conduct can only be described as embarrassing. But that 1% does not speak for the other 99% who are excited about the game but disciplined. That 1% is a minor story at best, especially in light of accusations that the Patriots have in the past used some rather...unique…tactics to win championships. The focus on the fans is nothing more than a distraction. The game will be won or lost on the field.
On the field I expect to see a great game. The Eagles’ defense ranks among the best. Their offense scored rather handily against this year’s best defense. On the other sideline are the Patriots who we all know will be ready. The Pats know how to win and even with a sore hand, Brady is the best. But football is normally won at the line of scrimmage where I think the Eagles are better on both sides of the ball. That being said, will the Eagles play a full four quarters?
This season has been full of very slow starts by the Eagles, with many situations where the Eagles tried (and sometimes succeeded) in beating themselves. The Patriots will not make many mistakes nor will they take any part of this game off. If the Eagles play four quarters and cut down on their own mistakes, this is a winnable game. I think they pull it off.
Eagles 24 Patriots 21
Friday, February 2, 2018
Friday, January 26, 2018
Praying for Obstacles in the Life of Your Children
Once when asked what I thought was the most important goal in bringing up children I said, somewhat tongue in cheek, preparing children to get out. I suspect the mom who asked wanted something else. Her response made it sound as if she was somewhat appalled at my answer. I suppose had I said smother them with love, or direct them with strict/less strict discipline she would not have had a problem. Perhaps she was looking for something profound about ways to teach kids to live by faith. All this and more is a part of preparing a child to live on their own, as is one of the most difficult parts of raising children: letting them face difficult challenges as they grow into adults who are ready to handle life on their own.
My sons, both of whom are very athletic, have faced their share of challenges on and off the field, including a season ending injury suffered by one a few years ago. What we thought would be a short time on the sidelines turned into several months of no activity. This was followed by months of trying to get back into shape. Like any good Christian parent, I prayed for quick healing but the recovery time was anything but quick. I was left struggling with why God would allow an injury of this kind and why we would have to go through such a trial. (Trust me, a child’s injury is a trial for the entire family.) As days turned into weeks and weeks into months, I wondered why God was taking so long to answer.
For the record, I do not believe God causes injuries. I do believe He uses them, and other trials, as tools for growth. And so, though it was a difficult time for us all, I am thankful for what my son learned (not for the injury itself but for the lessons). The list of life lessons learned during his recovery is long, beginning with a lesson in perseverance when the odds turn negative. My son will be a better person because of these lessons. I have already seen them come into play in his young life. Where I wanted a quick recovery, God used the situation in a way I never would have thought of on my own.
I still believe the most important goal in parenting is to prepare children for their future when they will no longer live at home. There is a lot involved in this process, including (for believers in Christ) teaching them about the faith. Those lessons, as well as lessons in how to handle adversity, are not strengthened by sheltering kids or by solving problems for them. God understands this, which I suspect is why when we pray for our children to have a smooth day, God sometimes responds by saying no. Trials and obstacles help build faith. So now, instead of asking God to give my children a great day, I ask God to give them the day they need to become the people He wants them to become, even the obstacles. I ask God to prepare my children to get out.
My sons, both of whom are very athletic, have faced their share of challenges on and off the field, including a season ending injury suffered by one a few years ago. What we thought would be a short time on the sidelines turned into several months of no activity. This was followed by months of trying to get back into shape. Like any good Christian parent, I prayed for quick healing but the recovery time was anything but quick. I was left struggling with why God would allow an injury of this kind and why we would have to go through such a trial. (Trust me, a child’s injury is a trial for the entire family.) As days turned into weeks and weeks into months, I wondered why God was taking so long to answer.
For the record, I do not believe God causes injuries. I do believe He uses them, and other trials, as tools for growth. And so, though it was a difficult time for us all, I am thankful for what my son learned (not for the injury itself but for the lessons). The list of life lessons learned during his recovery is long, beginning with a lesson in perseverance when the odds turn negative. My son will be a better person because of these lessons. I have already seen them come into play in his young life. Where I wanted a quick recovery, God used the situation in a way I never would have thought of on my own.
I still believe the most important goal in parenting is to prepare children for their future when they will no longer live at home. There is a lot involved in this process, including (for believers in Christ) teaching them about the faith. Those lessons, as well as lessons in how to handle adversity, are not strengthened by sheltering kids or by solving problems for them. God understands this, which I suspect is why when we pray for our children to have a smooth day, God sometimes responds by saying no. Trials and obstacles help build faith. So now, instead of asking God to give my children a great day, I ask God to give them the day they need to become the people He wants them to become, even the obstacles. I ask God to prepare my children to get out.
Thursday, January 11, 2018
2018 NFL Divisional Round
After going .500 last weekend my playoff record stands at 16-10. Hopefully I’ll improve as we move into the divisional round. Last week gave us some very close and (with one exception) very entertaining games. This weekend should give us two good games and two which I am not too sure about. All four games feature road teams traveling north, although the Pittsburgh game is the only one where weather might be an issue (unless the Minnesota opens the windows on their dome).
Atlanta at Philadelphia
Saturday 4:35 pm on NBC
My heart is all in behind the Eagles. My head is not quite as confident. Losing Carson Wentz during the season has left Eagles’ fans wondering if we are looking at one and done. To be honest the Falcons are one of the teams I worried about facing even before the Eagles lost their starting QB. That being said I think the Eagles can and will win on Saturday. Having the bye should help the Eagles’ d-line which will be key as it was all season. The Falcons are a good team but they seem to have played below expectations most of the season. Last week the Rams got in their own way, helping the Falcons to the win. Which Falcons team is the real 2017-18 team? We know a backup quarterback is often a step down from the starter but how good are the rest of the Eagles? I think this comes down to the Eagles’ defense making a stop when needed as they have a few times this season.
Eagles 21 Falcons 17
Tennessee at New England
Saturday 8:15 pm on CBS
The Titans feature one of the young potentially great quarterbacks in the league. Last week Mariota proved he can overcome a slow start and do some amazing things with the football, even throw touchdowns to himself. Of course the veteran quarterback on the other sideline is no slouch and is able to control a game, making opponents look like they should have stayed home. But these two will not be the only ones on the field. I think overall the Titans bring the better defense. On offense these teams are equal except for Gronkowski. Normally defense wins playoff games but in this case I think the Patriots’ passing game (including Cooks) will be too much for the Titans to overcome.
Patriots 45 Titans 28
Jacksonville at Pittsburgh
Sunday 1:05 pm on CBS
Last week the Jaguars played two different quarterbacks: bad Bortles in the first half and good Bortles in the second. Good Bortles did more with his legs than with his arm, leading to the only touchdown in the game. The defense won the game against the Bills, holding them to a field goal and keeping the Jaguars in the game while the offense struggled in the first half. That defense should play well again this weekend but they will not hold the Steelers to a field goal. The Jaguars will need offense and I do not see them generating much more than they did last week. This time around their offensive struggles will hang their defense out to dry. Watch for the Steelers to wear down the defense, scoring points in the second half for the win.
Steelers 35 Jaguars 10
New Orleans at Minnesota
Sunday 4:40 pm on Fox
It’s tough to score on the Viking defense which only allowed an average of 15 points per game, holding the Saints to 19 points back in week one. But when I look at their week to week performances and which teams were able to score against the Vikings, I suspect the Saints will put up points this week. Both of these teams are very different than they were back in week one, with the Saints bringing a complete team up north to Minnesota. This has the makings of a playoff classic but in the end I think the Saints’ balanced attack will win out over the Vikings’ stingy defense.
Saints 27 Vikings 24
I am looking forward to another great weekend of football which should leave us with a couple of exciting matchups for the conference championships. What are your thoughts?
Atlanta at Philadelphia
Saturday 4:35 pm on NBC
My heart is all in behind the Eagles. My head is not quite as confident. Losing Carson Wentz during the season has left Eagles’ fans wondering if we are looking at one and done. To be honest the Falcons are one of the teams I worried about facing even before the Eagles lost their starting QB. That being said I think the Eagles can and will win on Saturday. Having the bye should help the Eagles’ d-line which will be key as it was all season. The Falcons are a good team but they seem to have played below expectations most of the season. Last week the Rams got in their own way, helping the Falcons to the win. Which Falcons team is the real 2017-18 team? We know a backup quarterback is often a step down from the starter but how good are the rest of the Eagles? I think this comes down to the Eagles’ defense making a stop when needed as they have a few times this season.
Eagles 21 Falcons 17
Tennessee at New England
Saturday 8:15 pm on CBS
The Titans feature one of the young potentially great quarterbacks in the league. Last week Mariota proved he can overcome a slow start and do some amazing things with the football, even throw touchdowns to himself. Of course the veteran quarterback on the other sideline is no slouch and is able to control a game, making opponents look like they should have stayed home. But these two will not be the only ones on the field. I think overall the Titans bring the better defense. On offense these teams are equal except for Gronkowski. Normally defense wins playoff games but in this case I think the Patriots’ passing game (including Cooks) will be too much for the Titans to overcome.
Patriots 45 Titans 28
Jacksonville at Pittsburgh
Sunday 1:05 pm on CBS
Last week the Jaguars played two different quarterbacks: bad Bortles in the first half and good Bortles in the second. Good Bortles did more with his legs than with his arm, leading to the only touchdown in the game. The defense won the game against the Bills, holding them to a field goal and keeping the Jaguars in the game while the offense struggled in the first half. That defense should play well again this weekend but they will not hold the Steelers to a field goal. The Jaguars will need offense and I do not see them generating much more than they did last week. This time around their offensive struggles will hang their defense out to dry. Watch for the Steelers to wear down the defense, scoring points in the second half for the win.
Steelers 35 Jaguars 10
New Orleans at Minnesota
Sunday 4:40 pm on Fox
It’s tough to score on the Viking defense which only allowed an average of 15 points per game, holding the Saints to 19 points back in week one. But when I look at their week to week performances and which teams were able to score against the Vikings, I suspect the Saints will put up points this week. Both of these teams are very different than they were back in week one, with the Saints bringing a complete team up north to Minnesota. This has the makings of a playoff classic but in the end I think the Saints’ balanced attack will win out over the Vikings’ stingy defense.
Saints 27 Vikings 24
I am looking forward to another great weekend of football which should leave us with a couple of exciting matchups for the conference championships. What are your thoughts?
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