Boston College Fan Rooting Guide For The NFL Playoffs Wild Card Weekend
by Brian Favat on Jan 2, 2012 8:01 AM EST
in Boston College Football
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PrintThe 2012 NFL Playoff matchups are set and Boston College is once again well-represented in this year's playoffs. If you team failed to make this year's postseason, here is your Superfan rooting guide to the NFL Playoffs.
Saturday, January 7
AFC: No. 6 Cincinnati Bengals (9-7) at No. 3 Houston Texans (10-6), 4:30 p.m. ET (NBC)
The Texans feature DE Tim Bulman on the active roster. A five-year veteran in the league that missed the entire 2010 season due to injury, Bulman has recorded nine tackles this season for the AFC South Champions. The Bengals don't have any current BC ties. Rooting interest: Houston.
NFC: No. 6 Detroit Lions (10-6) at No. 3 New Orleans Saints (13-3), 8 p.m. ET (NBC)
Offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus and the Detroit Lions are making a rare NFC Playoffs appearance, the franchise's first since 1999. The Saints, meanwhile, feature both LB Jo-Lonn Dunbar and OL Matt Tennant. With apologies to Cherilus, rooting interest: New Orleans.
Sunday, January 8
NFC: No. 5 Atlanta Falcons (10-6) at No. 4 New York Giants (9-7), 1 p.m. ET (FOX)
The NFC East champ New York Giants feature a playoff-high four Boston College alum on the active roster. CB / KR Will Blackmon, LB Mark Herzlich, LB Mathias Kiwanuka and OG Chris Snee are all on the active roster, while Coughlin and the Giants' front office also have plenty of ties to BC. The Falcons can't touch the Giants in terms of number of BC alumni and connections, but they do have QB Matt Ryan, who finished his fourth full season in the league throwing for over 4,000 yards, 27 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions. Rooting interest: New York Giants, but I wouldn't be torn up if the Falcons pull out the W.
AFC: No. 5 Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4) at No. 4 Denver Broncos (8-8), 4:30 p.m. ET (CBS)
Neither the Steelers nor the Broncos have any ties to BC on the active roster. However, Denver's Tim Tebow did win the Heisman Trophy in the year Matt Ryan went off en route to 11 wins, 4,507 yards passing and 31 touchdowns (both single-season school records). In any other non-Tebow year, Ryan probably gets an invite to the Downtown Athletic Club. I'm not bitter or anything. Rooting interest: Pittsburgh Steelers.
Of the teams that received first round byes, BC's rooting interest in the NFC is the Green Bay Packers (B.J. Raji and Robert Francois) and the New England Patriots (Ron Brace and Dan Koppen, on injured reserve) in the AFC. Both the 49ers and Ravens have no current Boston College players on the roster.
Go Texans / Saints / Giants / Steelers!
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A Matt Ryan fan, but not a Jints fan
Rooting interest: New York Giants, but I wouldn’t be torn up if the Falcons pull out the W.
No way. Giants are going to crush the Falcons. I will go this far : I hope Marty ice plays well. But win. Uuugggghhhh
Are u sure you r a Giants fan?
by eagleosprey on Jan 2, 2012 8:27 AM EST via mobile reply actions
Let’s be honest. Neither team is making the Super Bowl, which is why I wouldn’t cry myself to sleep with a Giants loss.
Editor, BC Interruption
True
GB and NO are the favorites. Although Giants came close to beating GB. I think if they get a few breaks they could beat GB or SF
But not NO
by eagleosprey on Jan 2, 2012 10:35 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
All honesty, BC fans should be cheering for the Falcons and Matty Ice. The worst thing Matt Ryan needs in his career is an 0-3 postseason record…it’d be a talking point about him that would suck to constantly hear by the talking heads.
Unless your a Giants fan, you should be cheering for Matty in this one.
An 0-3 postseason record wouldn’t be that bad of a black mark on Ryan’s career. Falcons are making the franchise’s first back-to-back playoff appearances in team history.
Win or lose, that is an accomplishment in and of itself. This is like the Golden Era of Atlanta Falcons football, and Ice has a lot to do with that.
Editor, BC Interruption
by Brian Favat on Jan 2, 2012 12:52 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Agree that this has been a Golden Era for the Falcons and Matty is a HUGE reason why.
But if they lose to the G-Men, Matty is going to have a ridiculous regular season record as QB and a an ugly 0-3 postseason record. I think you’d be naive to think this wouldn’t be brought up every time someone mentions the Falcons, Matty, etc.
Right, because losing on the road to Arizona (2008), New York (2011) and the eventual Super Bowl champ Green Bay Packers (2010) is an awful playoff track record.
0-3 is far from an ugly postseason record for a franchise that would fall to 6-11 all-time in the playoffs. Keep it in perspective.
Editor, BC Interruption
BC-tinted glasses will see it that way. But anyone who just sees 0-3 playoff record will ask the question on if he can win in the playoffs.
Same talking heads who kept asking if Peyton Manning could ever beat the Pats…
No, they won’t. They are the Atlanta Falcons.
This isn’t the Dallas Cowboys with just one playoff win in 15+ years where the expectation is to win year in and year out. This is a bad NFL franchise making its first back-to-back appearances in the playoffs … ever.
The Giants are a 3 point favorite at home this weekend. ATL isn’t even expected to win.
Editor, BC Interruption
But the Falcons have won playoff games before. They’ve made a Super Bowl. Just because the franchise has historically been below-average doesn’t mean fans, analysts, etc. won’t begin to question Matty’s abilities to win in the playoffs. Fair or not, it will be only intensified if Matty does lose on Sunday.
You know who also started his career 0-3 in the postseason? Peyton Manning.
How about an active NFL QB who has a 4-3 playoff record? That would be Joe Flacco, who benefits from playing on a much better team that Ryan.
Trent Dilfer was 5-1 in the postseason. Tony Romo 1-3. Doug Flutie 0-2.
Sample size is far too small. Also doesn’t factor in each years circumstances e.g. If the Falcons don’t get a first round bye last year and win a game in the divisional round, no one’s opinion of Ryan as a QB changes if his playoff record is 1-2 vs. 0-2. C’mon.
Editor, BC Interruption
Yea and Manning was always questioned in the media if he could win in the playoffs. Then he won but couldn’t win the Super Bowl. The Media questioned that. Then he won.
Yes it’s early but if you don’t think it is going to become the question everyone constantly asks if Matty starts 0-3, then you haven’t watched enough NFL studio shows. They love questioning this type of stuff. Warranted or unwarrented.
I’d rather not hear it. That’s why I’d want Matty to win. Get’s one of those QB monkeys off his back.
Agree to disagree
Beating the Giants on Sunday won’t get the monkey off Ryan’s back, especially if the Falcons proceed to get pasted by either Green Bay or San Francisco in the next round. Studio analysts are lazy, and will come up with some other excuse and bitch about Ryan’s postseason performance.
The only season where any criticism is warranted is last year, when ATL was the No. 1 seed. Ryan lost to Arizona on the road in his rookie season, and with a loss Sunday, will have lost on the road to a team expected by Vegas to win the game.
The reality is a majority of NFL quarterbacks have losing records in postseason play. Even Peyton has a losing record overall.
Editor, BC Interruption
hoyaeagle isn't saying
that this would be deserved criticism, what he is saying is that morons will start to criticize him like this
http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcsouth/post/_/id/29785/quick-take-falcons-at-giants
Since arriving together in 2008, coach Mike Smith and quarterback Matt Ryan have produced four consecutive winning seasons. That’s great, but the big knock on Smith and Ryan is that they have yet to win a playoff game.
It seems like they already have
Side note for today's BC-URI game; URI is playing without their top 2 scorers.
by EagleAboveTheRim on Jan 2, 2012 9:42 AM EST reply actions
They are bad, really bad. BC needs this win.
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