Bet on Briles…Snyder Needs Baylor, RG3 Coach Now!

It’s funny, but I can’t tell you how many times I’m watching a sporting event and notice something going on and the game’s announcers will repeat, almost verbatim, what I just said.

Now, nearly two months after telling numerous friends, family and colleagues across the globe that the Washington Redskins should go all out for former RGIII mentor and current Baylor head coach Art Briles, reports are starting to come out that they may be just what happens.

Adding more fuel to the speculation that Briles could very well land in the nation’s capitol, is the fact that the elder RGII, the father of Washington’s franchise quarterback, is now openly lobbying for Briles to become the team’s next head coach.

According to recent reports, the elder Griffin has politicked Dan Snyder to hire Baylor coach Art Briles, who coached the younger Griffin to a Heisman Trophy, to replace Shanahan.

One source who has known the Griffin family for at least six years recently compared the elder Griffin to the late Earl Woods, Tiger Woods’ father and a man who many believe lived in the reflective glory of his son’s accomplishments.

Harrison’s Right for a Change!

It’s not often that I agree with anything that comes out of the mouth of idiotic Pittsburgh Steelers’ linebacker

James Harrison, the NFL’s biggest bi**h – but as sad as it is to admit, I agree with Harrison’s feelings on the New England Patriots.

Shortly after (like, immediately) the New England Patriots lost to the New York Giants 21-17 in the Super Bowl 46 this past Sunday, Harrison made the following post on Twitter.

"Told you, cheaters never win!!!!!!!!!" 

After picking myself up off the floor from laughing so hard – all I can say is – good going James. I – and a whole lot of other people – share your feelings on the Pats wholeheartedly, including teammate Ryan Clark.

The Steelers’ talented safety added his own Tweet, saying, "0-2 [in Super Bowls] post spy gate! Just saying!!"

After receiving some criticism shortly after his post, Harrison followed up by adding, "Lol, I'm sorry I couldn't help it!!!" "Come on people love or hate me more!" 

Me, I’, choosing to love James on this one!

How about you Eye On Sports football fans?

Are the Patriots  bunch of cheaters – or should we just forget their past indiscretions?

Let me know one way or the other!

Love Him or Loathe Him – Eli Manning’s Elite!

Love him or loathe him,
you've got to admit that Eli Manning is elite.

Has everyone had enough of the ‘Is Eli Manning elite’ talk by now? I know I have – and besides – I thought it was pretty clear that Manning was elite – before he even won his most recent Super Bowl title.

Before Manning collected his second championship trophy this past Sunday, only 10 quarterbacks in league history had managed to win more than one Super Bowl – and now Manning joins that elite group – not just today’s class of elite quarterbacks.

With the win, Manning joined Bart Starr, Bob Griese, Roger Staubach, John Elway, Jim Plunkett and  Ben Roethlisberger as two-time Super Bowl winning quarterbacks. Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw both won four while Troy Aikman and New England's Tom Brady won three apiece.

More importantly, Manning has risen to the occasion at just the right time in both of New York’s Super Bowl runs which tells me he has that special quality to remained poised at the most critical times – an intangible that has ruined many a NFL quarterbacks’ career.

Love him or loathe him – Eli Manning is an elite quarterback – and not just among today’s era of signal-callers either. He’s going down as an all-time great people!

E Dubya On A Red-Hot, Philly Cheesesteak-Sized Roll!

After nailing both, the SU and ATS outcomes on Sunday’s Super Bowl showdown, yours truly finished the 2011 season on a perfectly-timed 6-0 'Philly cheesesteak-sized' roll to finish the postseason with an impressive 9-3 mark ATS (against the spread) – and put a ton of cash in my betting followers’ collective pockets.

I Told You So!

I don’t want to toot my own horn too much today (okay, I do), but I did tell my touthouse.com and sportscapping.com NFL betting backers – along with friends and family members everywhere – that the New York Giants were going to win all of their postseason games – including their Super Bowl XLVI matchup against the Patriots on Sunday! If you don't believe me, just take a look for yourself. Needless to say, when you’re good, you’re good!

'Papa Bear' Was Right - It’s How You Finish!

The New York Giants proved it's not
how you start, but how you finish!

You know, Eye On Sports readers, my father, the late, great track and field coach, George ‘Papa Bear’ Williams always told me, ‘It’s not how you start son, it’s how you finish’ and apparently, that’s a message that New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin, has shared with his players since taking over as the head coach back in 2004.

New York Giants head coach
Tom Coughlin is 'old school'.

New York has now shown on two occasions that you don’t necessarily have to be a dominant team during the regular season – and that it’s not how you start the regular season – it’s how you finish it and the postseason!

Denver Broncos
quarterback Tim Tebow.

The G-Men caught fire at just the right time in 2007 and did the same thing this year after falling to a mediocre 7-7 with just two regular season contests remaining. One common theme that the Giants preached after their hard-fought victory over the Patriots, was their total belief that they could overcome any obstacle in their path.

"Never," defensive end Justin Tuck said. "We have been in that situation all year and we just kept telling ourselves one game at a time, one play at a time and we finished it."

First, we got a huge dose of Tim Tebow mania and now this from the Giants?

Talk about belief in the NFL this season - not to mention the fact that dear old dad was right - it's not how you star, but how you finish!

New York's Defensive Lineman Factory!

Justin Tuck was a third
round draft pick in 2005.

Look, it probably shouldn’t have taken this long, but maybe somebody should try and find out just who’s behind the Giants’ masterful drafting of the team’s highly successful defensive lineman.

Osi Umenyiorya was a
second round draft pick in 2003.

I mean, really, Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, Mathias Kiwanuka and Jason Pierre-Paul!

Really?

New York’s new-age ‘fearsome foursome’ sacked Tom Brady twice (both by Tuck), hit him on eight other occasions and forced him to throw early on several others.

Oh yeah Eye On Sports readers, I wanna’ know who’s the mastermind behind the drafting of Tuck, a third round draft pick in 2005 and Umenyiora, a second round pick in 2003 – and I want to copy this guy’s method – like, immediately. 

Manningham’s Da’ Man!

 Giants' wide receiver Mario 

Manningham made a likely, 

game-saving catch late in the fourth quarter.

Four years ago, it was David Tyree making the catch of a lifetime to help the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots 17-14 in Super Bowl XLII in one of the most thrilling Super Bowl contests in recent memory.

Manningham's catch will be
remembered for years to come.

On Sunday night, it was Mario Manningham playing the role of ‘Super Mario’ in making a huge, likely, game-saving 38-yard catch that came with 3:39 left in the fourth quarter and the Giants facing a two-point deficit on their own 12 yard-line, trailing by two points.

Quarterback Eli Manning threading the needle between two defenders to find Manningham deep along the left sideline and complete a play that turned out to be the longest play in Super Bowl XLVI.

"I knew I had to freeze my feet when the ball touched my fingertips," Manningham said. "Wherever I was at when the ball hit my fingertips, I just froze my feet and fell. I knew I was either going to get hit or hit the ground. I knew something was going to happen, but I knew that I couldn't let that ball go."

Manningham didn’t let go of the ball and now, he and his improbable catch are both a part of NFL Super Bowl lore.

"Words can't explain this,"  Manningham said. "Thank God I had great footwork and thank God for Eli's arm."

Talented Davis Still Immature!

Vernon Davis is definitely one of the most athletically gifted tight ends in all of football, but he’s apparently not fully mature just yet after receiving two 15-yard penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct in San Francisco’s 20-17 overtime loss to Eli Manning and the New York Giants on Sunday. While Davis is a big part of why the Niners have done so well this season, he’s also been in the league long enough to know that foolish penalties  only hurt his own team, duh!

Alex Smith’s Now A Keeper!

Whether you like him or not, it says right here at Eye On Sports that San Francisco 49ers veteran quarterback Alex Smith is now a ‘keeper’ for the Niners heading into next season! That’s right gridiron lovers, after coming into the season as an uncertainty in Jim Harbaugh’s first season.

Smith finished ninth in the league in passing during the regular season, while completing a very nice 61.3 percent of his passes for 3,144 yards with 17 touchdowns and just five interceptions. The funny part is that, even in his seventh season – I’m thinking Smith can still improve next season – and that should be great news to Niners fans everywhere!

Eli Manning .. Third Down Master!

While the New York Giants went just 7-for-21 on third downs in their 20-17 NFC title game win in overtime against San Francisco on Sunday, we here at Eye On Sports say that Eli Manning is undoubtedly the best third down quarterback in the game today. By hook or crook, it just feels like whenever its third down, the Giants are going to convert – mostly because of Eli Manning!

Psychotic Sickos Disgrace NFL Fans!

Speaking of Kyle Williams, we here at Eye On Sports want to offer some moral support to Williams and his entire family while denouncing the ‘psychotic sickos’ out there that have contacted Williams with either hate mail or death threats.  

First of all, if you’re not aware of all of the problems in this country today and have nothing more constructive to do with your time than send a professional athlete hate mail or death threats, you’re living in a sad state of mind and really need to seek professional help. This young kid does not deserve this kind of treatment, nor does any other professional athlete anywhere and I encourage authorities to prosecute those convicted in connection with the threats to Williams to the fullest extent of the law. 

Don’t Blame Williams Alone!

You know what heartbroken San Francisco 49ers fans, I’m going on record right now to show some love to young Niners’ wide receiver and return man Kyle Williams. I know it’s kind of hard not to blame Williams’ costly punt return turnovers as the underlying reason that the 49ers lost to the New York Giants 20-17 in their NFC title game matchup yesterday, but the fact of the matter is that San Francisco’s underwhelming offense didn’t do much at all in order to help win this contest. When your offense goes 1-for-13 on third downs, they’ve got to take their fair share of the blame no matter how you look at it! Besides, I loved the way Williams stood up like a man and addressed the media after the game when many players, even grizzled veterans would have been looking for a side door out of the stadium to make their respective exits!

I Told You So!

Okay Eye On Sports football junkies, I hate to toot my own horn, but … I told you so!

 

If you played my money-making NFL title game picks this weekend at sportscapping.com, then you’re undoubtedly one happy camper, seeing as how I nailed both games to a tee, predicting three-point outcomes in each contest to boot.

Having said that, I can’t wait for this year’s Super Bowl rematch between the New York Giants and New England Patriots – and I’ve got a red-hot Super Bowl pick that will be forthcoming in the next day or two at best.

2007 All Over Again?

Maybe it’s me Eye On Sports NFL fans but I gotta’ say that the run the New York Giants are on right now is looking eerily similar to the run they made in 2007 when they won it all. The G-Men are playing excellent defense while getting some punishing running from Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs – and this time around – they have an improved Eli Manning.

Call it deja’ vu or whatever you like, I’m just saying, the San Francisco 49ers are going to have their hands full when they host the Giants in their NFC Championship game this coming weekend.

The G-Men!

I’m not trying to sound like a braggart or anything Eye on Sports followers, but if you didn’t see the New York Giants season-ending win over the Dallas Cowboys coming from a mile away, then shame on you!

New York has two bonafide blossoming superstars on both sides of the ball in electrifying wide receiver Victor Cruz and multi-faceted defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, the aptly nicknamed JPP.

If the Giants continue getting one or two game-changing plays from both of these guys, some more dominance from its defensive front four – and some solid rushing from Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, then New York could easily be primed for some more postseason upsets.

Then again, the Giants have had a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personality nearly all season long so I don’t think anyone would be overly surprised if they threw out a stinker of major proportions once the postseason gets under way.

Cowboys Sitting Pretty in NFC Least!

Week 13 is here NFL fans – and what better way to start off the day than by getting your NFL insight from a guy that pulls no punches.
Sit up right and hold on tight NFL pigskin lovers as expert handicapper and longtime sports columnist Eric Williams takes you on a roller-coaster of a ride across the league with his tell-it-like-it-is style.

NFC East
The Eagles are undoubtedly the most disappointing team in the NFL this season and now, the team is clearly in need of a change of leadership – like I’ve been saying for the better part of the last three years.

The Birds looked lethargic, listless and just plain old uninterested in their 38-20 spanking at the hands of Tom Brady and the New England Patriots on Sunday.

Clearly, head coach Andy Reid has lost this team in what has been one of the most disappointing campaigns in recent memory.

And just think, Philly fans thought they had it bad in Donovan McNabb’s heyday.

With the Eagles, Giants and Redskins being among the most underachieving teams in the league this season and the New York Giants clearly not being much more than mediocre themselves, the Dallas Cowboys, a team I still don’t really believe in, are looking like they’re going to be  ‘In Like Flynn’ come postseason time.

The Washington Redskins may have gotten a big win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, but this team is clearly in need of another huge overhaul – and I say it starts at the top with clueless head coach Mike Shanahan, a guy that hasn’t won anything without John Elway under center.