Patriots not perfect; easy with the Super Bowl talk for now

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Nobody asks how you won, they ask if you won.

The only thing that matters is picking up victories, so even though the Patriots didn't play a solid game by any stretch of the imagination, the important thing is that they didn't get tagged with a loss.

Winning is so hard to come by in the NFL, but if anyone in Patriots Nation thinks this team is a shoe-in to go to the Super Bowl, they better not think that far ahead.

The Patriots had been on a great run with Tom Brady posting eye-popping numbers over the last month and the defense coming up with big plays, but last night's game against Green Bay had stinker written all over it.

Who thought this game was going to be a laugher because Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers was out with a concussion and little-known Matt Flynn was the starter?

Well, the Patriots sure made the inexperienced quarterback look good, which they do from time to time (see Cleveland's Colt McCoy as an example).

Actually, just about everyone on the Packers looked good.

But the Patriots found a way to get the job done, even though the Pats should be thankful that Flynn completely blew it with his lack of clock management skills at the end when the Pack had a chance to win the ballgame.

We probably should have seen this coming, too, since the Pats have been decimated by injuries on the defensive line and the loss of inside linebacker Brandon Spikes gave the Packers a gigantic advantage in the running game.

But some old issues resurfaced -- not getting off the field on third down, the inability to stop the run or get pressure on the quarterback, and poor play-calling on offense -- which need to be corrected.

Give the Packers credit, however. They played good enough to win and probably should have, especially given the circumstances of having to start Flynn.

But the Pats proved again that they have that special something going on, with the ability to overcome adversity and produce when the game is on the line.

Those qualities can take you long way in the playoffs.

While it wasn't a vintage Patriots win, it was a victory nonetheless. It also gives Bill Belichick and his staff another reason to push the Pats even harder and demand excellence, knowing they simply aren't good enough to walk all over every opponent they face.

The Patriots are a darn good football team, obviously, but they are definitely beatable.

But it's a lot nicer to be able to correct mistakes when you're winning than if you were losing.

Week 15 Picks: Chad vs Jim

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

It's been a good year for me to pick games straight up, and I am very happy with a 14 game lead over Chad with just 3 weeks to go in the season. I do not feel comfortable because my hot streak can only last so long, and all Chad needs to do is get a big week to get back in the game. We differ on 7 games this week, as you'll see below, so he can certainly chip away at that lead. For the season, Chad is 102-72 and I am 116-58. If you're interested to see how Chad and I stack up against the "Experts" from ESPN, go and look at their records. I think it's safe to say we easily go toe to toe with them, and often hammer them week to week.

Losing out on Lee hurts, doesn't kill Yankees 2011 season

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

To start off, I want full disclosure here. I am not a fan of either the Yankees or the Red Sox. The Yankees organization, and fans, can say what they want but losing out on Cliff Lee really hurts this team. Simmer down Red Sox fans because this does not sink, or kill, the Yankees 2011 season.

Why you ask? Well, the Yankees starting rotation is really not that far away from the solid rotation the Red Sox have. I'd certainly take Jon Lester and Clay Bucholtz over CC Sabathia and Phil Hughes, but it's not like there that much better. The Sox top two starters combined for a 36-16 record with era's of 3.25 and 2.33. The Yanks top two went 39-15 with higher eras of 3.18 and 4.19. Josh Beckett and John Lackey sound great as your 3rd and 4th starters, but are there are so many questions about those two. Beckett has only had one really good year since coming to Boston, and Lackey showed he's very much a #4 starter last year. On the other side, Andy Pettite is a far more consistent performer as long as he's healthy. I also have no doubt he'll be back in pinstripes now. AJ Burnett was an unmitigated disaster last season, but realistically there's no way he's that bad again this season.

Now let's look at the positional players. Right now I'd say the catching position is a draw, but if one of these teams lands Russell Martin, then they have a slight advantage. Most people would call the first base position a draw, but I think Teixiera is still a better player. When you look at it, I think the Yankees also have an advantage at 2nd base with Cano, 3rd base with A-Rod and shortstop with Jeter. Crawford is a huge upgrade in the outfield, but do you really trust Jacoby Ellsbury, JD Drew and Mike Cameron? Ellsbury has great potential, but does he have the stones to get on the field? Nick Swisher is a better player in right, and I really think Curtis Granderson will have a breakout year if healthy.

What's next for the Yankees? I'm not sure. Brian Cashman has been reluctant to part with his best prospects the past few years. Much like Theo Epstein this offseason, losing out on Lee may put enough pressure on him to move some high level pieces to add the the rotation. I don't see the Yankees trading for Zack Grienke. If I'm the Yankees, I am seriously concerned with Grienke's mental history and his ability to cope with pitching in New York. I'm not convinced the Rays would trade Garza in the division.

Whatever comes next, I'm sure the entire baseball world will be on the edge of their seat.

Week 14 Picks: Chad vs Jim

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

It's just about time Chad starts going against the grain to try and gain some ground now that he's 11 games back in the standings. Including this week, he has only 4 weeks left to make a real push to get back in the game. We're both doing pretty well overall as I have a record of 1014-54 and Chad is 93-65. If you look at the "experts" from many of the big boy websites, we're doing better than them. This week Chad and I differ on 7 games. Not too surprised on some of these though.

Take a look

Week 13 Picks: Chad vs Jim

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

First off, there is a correction from Chad's picks for last week. He meant to pick the Texans instead of the Titans. Full disclosure here. What that really does is give me an 11 game lead instead of 12. Hopefully that doesn't come back to haunt me. Of course that means nothing this week as we differ on only 2 games. Not much ground to be made up here.

Week 13 Picks: Chad vs Jim Thursday Night Special

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Very quick blog here. We've finally got around to picking the Thursday night game. Chad and I are both picking:

Philadelphia Eagles

Make sure to check back Sunday morning for the rest of our week 13 picks.

The World According To Ingy!

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Welcome to my new weekly article that compiles my thoughts on the sports world, and some non-sports topics, from the week that was.

- First off, Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday. No presents, no religion, lots of great food and three NFL games. There is no better day on the calendar.

- The Bruins are scuffling right now. Don't worry too much though. Rask does need to start playing better soon. They'll get back on track. Of course, you can expect another little hiccup when Savard and Sturm come back as most of the lines will need to be reshuffled.

- I don't want to sound like a homer, but I don't see the Patriots losing to the Jets next Monday night. This is a different team than the past few years. They may be young, but they're a tough team that can be physical with anyone. The Steelers game showed that. This game is more important to the Patriots than it is to the Jets. There's virtually no way they can win the AFC East if they lose this game.

- I know Phillip Rivers is having a great passing season, but there's no way he deserves the MVP more than Tom Brady. Both quarterbacks have been playing, and throwing to, players you've never heard of before. You know what the difference is? The Patriots are 9-2 and the Chargers are 6-5.

- I am a huge fan of Derek Jeter, but he needs to accept that 3 year, $45 million dollar offer from the Yankees. There's no way another team offers him more. He's still a very good player, but his defense is going to make him a liability sooner rather than later. I would love to see him at third base for the Dodgers, but there's no way that happens.

- Speaking of the Dodgers, this is a tough time to be a fan of them. They've already made their "Big Splash" of the off-season by resigning Ted Lilly. Don't hold your breath for anything else really. The McCourt divorce fiasco is crippling that team. In a normal world, they'd spend the money to sign Carl Crawford because he'd be a perfect fit. His home runs might go down a bit in Dodger Stadium, but he'd hit 50+ double and 6+ triples easily.

- Speaking of disappointing off-seasons, it looks like it will be the 2nd consecutive one for the Boston Red Sox. Theo Epstein is one of the games most overrated general managers, and I see another off-season of b-level moves like last season. I don't see him having the stones to use some of his true bargaining chips to make a trade for Adrian Gonzalez or Prince Fielder. He'd much rather wait a year and sign them as free agents. We all know he's excellent with free agent signings.

Well, that's all I have for this week.