NFL Predictions: NFC Divisional Round
By Thomas Hair Online Copy Editor The Dallas Cowboys are experiencing the NFL Playoffs from their sofas once again, but that has not prevented infectious postseason excitement from spreading throughout Coppell. The Wild Card round was full of excitement, highlighted by Tebow’s overtime magic lifting Denver over heavy favorites Pittsburgh. With four matchups pitting the league’s best teams and everything on the line, the second round is sure to have more thrilling performances in store. Below I will give my take on the two NFC Divisional Round games and briefly predict who advances, and who goes home. New Orleans Saints @ San Francisco 49ers Despite not being one of the top two teams in the NFC, the New Orleans Saints and their record-breaking offense have…
Fantasy football increasingly popular among CHS students
By Seth Slover Staff Writer Fantasy football, once considered simply an outlet for over-obsessed football fans, has grown on students at Coppell High. It is now common to walk down the halls of CHS and hear students discussing their latest match-ups or potential trades. The allure of fantasy football is ever-present. For those who don’t know what fantasy football is, here is a quick description: Football fans (such as myself) join up with friends on websites like ESPN.com or cbssports.com to create a virtual league composed of “teams” with “owners” that manage their team. Teams are made up by actual NFL players that are awarded points based off their performance in each week’s game. In…
Wait is over, Gridiron greats return
John Loop Staff Writer The first week back on the gridiron had its ups and downs, as NFL fans got their much-needed influx of football since the 130-day labor standoff started. The league kicked off week one of the regular season last weekend with the first slate of games. On Sunday, the Carolina Panthers traveled to Glendale, Arizona to battle the Cardinals. Arizona won, 28-21, but wasn’t all for naught. Panthers rookie quarterback and University of Auburn alum Cameron (Cam) Newton passed for 422 yards and 2 touchdowns, both rookie quarterback debut records. The Buffalo Bills, believed by many to be irrelevant in their division, surprised a lot of people with their win over the…
Brady should lead AFC to victory in Pro Bowl
Peter Sblendorio Sports Editor For the second consecutive season, the bye week in between the NFL Championship games and the Super Bowl will be filled the NFL Pro Bowl. While much of the league’s top talent will be on the field for this Sunday’s all-star game, one player in particular should have no trouble leading his team to victory. New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, this year’s starting quarterback for the AFC, had perhaps his best season to date in 2010. He threw for 36 touchdowns and only 4 interceptions while amassing 3,900 yards through the air. All of this came with an offense that boasted a series of small receivers and a pair of…
NFL Conference Finals predictions
Peter Sblendorio Sports Editor AFC Championship: The Jets have been the most impressive team in the postseason thus far. Behind a pair of stout defensive performances and the hot play of sophomore QB Mark Sanchez, New York has dominated on both sides of the play at times in knocking off Peyton Manning and Tom Brady and their respective teams. The Steelers, on the other hand, looked shaky on offense against the Ravens last week, and it was their defense that got them back into the game after a weak first half performance. Points should be at a premium in this one, but based on last week’s performances, the Jets seemed poised to win their third…
NFL First Round Playoff Picks
Adam Bremner Staff Writer Now that the NFL’s roller coaster of a season has concluded, the playoffs hang in the balance and provide some compelling first round matchups. Here are previews and picks of the wild-card games. AFC #6 New York Jets (11-5) vs. #3 Indianapolis Colts (10-6) At Lucas Oil Stadium this weekend, the Colts host the second-best showdown of the weekend as nearly polar opposite teams face off. The Jets go into Indianapolis as a shaky team that have finished the season much weaker than they started. After a 9-2 record, New York lost 3 of its last 5 games, two of which were extremely embarrassing; the 45-3 pounding against the rival Patriots and…
Cowboys it’s your fault
Chase Porter Staff Writer The Dallas Cowboys is America’s team. but at the moment it appears that America just wants the team to forfeit for this season. From the start, the season was going down the drain with their first game being a loss. The second game they came out and beat the Houston Texans but I think Jerry Jones just paid the other owner so they could get a win under their belts. From then on their season has continued to go down hill with their most resent loss coming from the Jacksonville Jaguars who intercepted 4 of Kitna’s passes. Why are they playing like pee-wee football players, you ask? To be honest with you…
The Cowboys’ nightmare continues with loss to Jacksonville
By Thomas Hair Staff Writer The Cowboys’ nightmare season that began with a loss to Washington and came to a head last week against the Giants took yet another turn for the worse in Week 8 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Cowboys had their backs against the wall but did not respond, falling to a ghastly 1-6 record. Even with surprising offensive firepower, the Boys could not keep the game close, losing 35-17. The Cowboys, who lost QB Romo to a collarbone injury last week, had no trouble moving the ball under the helm of veteran Jon Kitna. Once again, it seems the Cowboys have actually played decently but somehow managed to lose because of infuriating blunders and un-professional mistakes. In previous…
Preseason woes hinted to Cowboys’ 1-5 start, disappointment
By Adam Bremner Staff Writer It is official, the putrid preseason was no fluke. And now, the Dallas Cowboys face a season of utter disappointment and the bottom of the barrel of the league. Following a preseason that involved lack of concentration and production by the Cowboys, Wade Phillips and the players assured all the fans that they were not “game planning” and did not want to “give anything away” to their future opponents. But here we are, 6 games into the season, and the mentality still lies in the same state of complacency. Apparently, the Cowboys do not realize they are currently styling a 1-5 record. With quarterback Tony Romo suffering a fractured clavicle…
Upsets rule the NFL
Rebecca Neumann Entertainment Editor Talk to anyone watching NFL football this year and they will agree: it’s getting weird. Not the game itself or even the players. The season just isn’t going the way everyone expected it to. For example: The Chiefs are undefeated. The Chiefs. From Kansas City. And they are the only undefeated team. It’s just weird. Also, Dallas and Minnesota, both of whom won playoff games last year, have losing records. It just doesn’t compute. Of course, some divisions are dominated the way every believed they would. The Jets are leading the AFC East. But on a whole, the games are not predictable. Upsets rule and picking the outcomes is nearly…