11 Picks for NFL 2010 Playoffs Week 1, Packers at Eagles
Published Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 01:00:00 PM
Hey, it's playoff time! How about that local sports team?
Last year, for the first week of the playoffs, I did Eagles at Cowboys. Seven of last year's methods went with the Cowboys, only four went with the Eagles. And Dallas worked them. This year, Dallas is irrelevant and everyone wants to see what Michael Vick can do for the Eagles in the playoffs.
This week's game is the Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles. The opening line was Eagles -3, but we're all just picking the game straight up.
This list was published on Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 01:00:00 PM under the category NFL Picks.
It currently has View Comments.
Published Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 01:00:00 PM
Hey, it's playoff time! How about that local sports team?
Last year, for the first week of the playoffs, I did Eagles at Cowboys. Seven of last year's methods went with the Cowboys, only four went with the Eagles. And Dallas worked them. This year, Dallas is irrelevant and everyone wants to see what Michael Vick can do for the Eagles in the playoffs.
This week's game is the Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles. The opening line was Eagles -3, but we're all just picking the game straight up.
Tecmo Super Bowl simulation. (7-10) This is the best Tecmo game I've had in two seasons -- which is to say, there wasn't even an ounce of defense in the thing. (Other than one interception thrown by Randall Cunn-- I mean "QB Eagles".)
The teams traded scores back and forth, long passes were flying, running backs were breaking off long runs... and finally, it came down to the Packers down by two with only 30 seconds to go. In TecmoLand, 30 seconds equals about eight regular seconds. Naturally, Majkowski pulled out some of his semi-trademarked Magic, hit Sterling Sharpe with a bomb, and the Packers won it, 35-30.
Madden 11 simulation. (5-12) Madden has NOT done very well in this year. And the games haven't been very good.
In this one, Green Bay went up early with a couple of long drives and then just tried to hold the Eagles off. There were some turnovers. There were some missed field goals. There were about four dropped interceptions, which seems to happen in every Madden sim I run. Finally, in the end, the Packers were able to grind down the clock and win it. So both video games are in the Green Bay camp.- Laska, my parents' dog. (10-7) My parents lived in Philadelphia for a while before they settled down in Cleveland, but swear there was no influence on the dog. She ate the treat corresponding to the Eagles.
Accuscore. (13-4) A decently close Accuscore computer prediction this time. In its thousands of simulations, Philly won 52 percent of the time, Green Bay ran 47 percent of the time, and the city of Philadelphia calling off the game out of fear of a tiny bit of snow one percent. The pick is the Eagles.
- ESPN's Sports Guy. (7-10) He's picking the Packers to win 40-34 in overtime... and, in the process, debuting the NFL's new playoff rules. (The team that gets the ball first in OT can win with a touchdown. If they kick a field goal, the other team gets a possession. If that team kicks a field goal it goes to sudden death.)
- 11 Points Reader Battle. (10-7) Sadly, all three readers went with the Rams over the Seahawks last week, so all of them were bounced. This week I expanded the field a little bit so I can try to get everyone who's still on the wait list a chance to pick.
@BrettHendrick: "The Pack has momentum and a solid defense. Which are two things the Eagles are lacking. The Packers win in the rematch of week 1."
@MoAwesome: "No matter how much Obama thinks he deserves his sevond chance, I refuse to pick Vick. I have to go with Green Bay by default."
@BradForPres2040: "operating under the cliche that it's harder to beat a team the second time, I am going with Andy Reid's mustache and the Eagles."
@Janus09: "Yay! I like GB to win a very close game. I'll Email something more descriptive in a bit. When you need it by?"
@JFGIV: "After GB's showing at NWE week 15, I'm tempted to go with them...until I remember PHI's showing in New York that week. Eagles."
So with three votes, the Packers are the reader pick for the week.
Internet psychic. (8-9) Each week, I disguise my question as an innocuous question for this $1.99/min overseas Internet psychic. This week...
Our spiritual guide for the season.
"I'm trying to choose between two women -- and they both have a strange quirk I'm having trouble getting past. One can really pack it away -- I mean, she eats more cheese than anyone I've ever seen. The other one has this incredible wingspan like an eagle. Oh, and she's bald. Who should I choose?"
Apparently he doesn't have any beef with bald women but hates ones who consume epic amounts of cheese, because he went with the Eagles.- Randier cheerleaders. (8-9) This is pretty much what you'd expect from Philadelphia cheerleaders. One of them gets send to Hawaii; one who's pictured on the other side of a page has her body contorted in a small bikini to "Save the Oceans".
Meanwhile, the Packers don't have official cheerleaders. Here's when they let a group of college cheerleaders handle the game. Those fellas don't look particularly randy.
The pick is, easily, the Eagles. - Turnover margin. (9-8) The Eagles had just 25 turnovers in the regular season -- helped by Michael Vick not throwing an interception forever -- and 34 takeaways. That's a solid +9 ratio.
But... the Packers only had 22 giveaways, and had 32 takeaways, for a ever-so-slightly stronger ratio of +10. - Higher team salary. (10-7) Philadelphia has a healthy salary of $127,444,934, with the largest chunk of $13.1 million going to left tackle Jason Peters (and Kevin Kolb taking in $5.8 million).
But Green Bay has an even more mammoth payroll at $139,276,998, with the largest chunk of $10.95 million going to safety Nick Collins. The pick is the Packers. - The opposite of my pick. (10-7) I've got to say, I like the Eagles at home. They were one of the biggest storylines of the regular season and I think they could really do some damage in the playoffs. I see them winning this game at home and, therefore, my official pick is the Packers.
This list was published on Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 01:00:00 PM under the category NFL Picks.
It currently has View Comments.
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It's all written by Sam Greenspan, a Midwest-born, classically-trained journalist who now tries to make a dollar out of 15 cents in Los Angeles. (It's hard to be legit and still pay the rent.)
Read more about 11 Points and Sam here.
For information about reprinting 11 Points content, or for quotes/interviews for your newspaper, magazine, website, TV program, or radio show, contact Sam via e-mail at
