Drew Gordon
Drew Gordon
Drew Gordon:
Today's Games...
1. 300,000♦ Packers
2. 50,000♦ Purdue
1. Packers- While many in the public believe the Seahawks can get it done this afternoon at Lambeau, I say: where's the proof? Seattle benefited from one of the weakest schedules in the NFL, including facing only two teams with double-digit wins this season in Pittsburgh (21-0 loss) and Cleveland (33-30 loss). Not only that, but Seattle was just 3-5 SUATS away this season, including wins against the at sorry 49ers and at the even sorrier Rams. In other words, this Seattle team is a pretender, but let me explain further...
While critics of this pick will argue that Seattle's "sack-happy" defense will be able to disrupt Favre and the Packers offense, I disagree. First of all, no unit benfited more from playing in the sorry NFC West than Seattle's defense. Take away wins against the Rams and 49ers, and all of a sudden the Seahawks defense isn't nearly as good, plain and simple. And second, unlike Seattle, Green Bay has a much more dynamic offense, with Ryan Grant and his 5.1 yards per carry balancing out this Packers attack.
Speaking of offense, its Seattle's reliance on the pass that will be their downfall today on the road. Clearly, the cold and relatively windy conditions expected at Lambeau Field aren't conducive to this Seahawks finesse attack, but neither is a Packers defense, which has been allowing opponents just 9 ppg over their last 4 home games! CB duo of Woodson and Harris is one of the best, while LBs Hawks and Barnett are young, athletic, and nasty. Packers may not get after the QB as well as Seattle, but make no mistake, KGB and Kampman will apply enough pressure to rattle Hasselback.
Bottom line, Seattle gets exposed this afternoon at Lambeau by a superior Packers team with more balance on both sides of the ball. Green Bay's defense has been outstanding at home, and there isn't much a one-dimensional Seahawks offense can do to change that. Also, you can count on Favre, Grant and this Packers offense teach the Seattle stop-unit a little lesson in competition, as their wins against cupcakes like the Rams and 49ers mean nothing here. Packers roll!
Take the Packers BIG over the Seahawks as your top-rated play of the day.
2. Purdue- Everyone loves Ohio State, despite the fact names like Oden, Conley Jr., and Cook have been replaced by names like Kosta Koufos... Guys, this is not the same Buckeyes team you remember, and this afternoon we'll see first hand just how far they fallen, as Purdue protects its house and grabs the cash in this Big Ten showdown.
Revenge is one of the single best motivators in college basketball, and the Boilermakers have plenty of it on their side this afternoon. In fact, the Buckeyes beat them not once, but twice last season. Lucky for Purdue they don't have to deal with Oden down-low or Conley Jr. blowing past their guards this time around, and the difference will be self-evident. Boilermakers have been waiting for this chance for some time now, and I say they play accordingly.
Biggest change for Ohio State in this game will be the level of defensive pressure they'll face today at Mackey Arena. They're coming off two nice and easy home wins, where both opponents (Iowa & Northwestern) struggled on the road. Now, flip the script, and we've got a young Buckeyes team heading into hostile territory, facing a motivated defense that allows just 58 ppg at home this season!
Finally, the match ups in this game are interesting, because the Boilermakers rely on balance more than anything else. Their rotation is guard-heavy, but 5 of their guards average 8 ppg or more and 8 players overall average 6 points or more. The Buckeyes are more dependent on their starting 5, and could find themselves in trouble once they go their bench.
Bottom line, the Boilermakers have been waiting for their chance at redemption, and I say they take it this afternoon at home. Ohio State is young team, which is still going to make plenty of mistakes on the road, especially against a solid Purdue defense. Boilermakers are the play here.
Take Purdue at home over Ohio State in afternoon Big Ten action.
Tonight's Games...
1. 50,000♦ Patriots
2. 50,000♦ Creighton