The Aurora, Colorado, home of Patriots reserve safety Derrick Martin was robbed at gunpoint during the AFC Championship Game. Martin, who played in five games with the Patriots this season, was inactive for Sunday’s game.

Police said armed men stormed into Martin’s home, held up people at gunpoint and stole stuff from the home before fleeing. Among those inside the home at the time were at least one adult and some children.

Police said no one was hurt in the robbery. Continue reading Colorado Home of Patriots Player Robbed at Gunpoint During AFC Championship Game »

Now that the Ravens are heading to the Super Bowl, we are probably going to hear about Ray Lewis’s retirement for two weeks now. The legendary Ravens linebacker announced before the playoffs that this would be his last season in the NFL, so with the Super Bowl as his final game, media outlets will be sure to hype up Lewis and the Ravens as much as possible.

Count Wes Welker’s wife Anna Burns as one of those who is not in a hurry to celebrate Ray Lewis’s career.

Shortly after the game, Welker’s wife took to Facebook (click on the image to see the full screenshot): Continue reading Wes Welker’s Wife Reminds Everyone Ray Lewis Was Indicted for Murder, Has 6 Kids by 4 Women »

The Conference Championships are complete. First, San Francisco organized a thrilling come-from-behind victory in Atlanta, then the Ravens marched into New England and shut the Patriots down. That sets up the first ever Super Bowl between head coach brothers.

The Ravens caught almost all of us off guard, but the 49ers gave most of us points, helping to keep the standings relatively stable. However, the first five-point pick of the postseason for guessing the top passer’s yardage in a game occurred in this round as well. How did that affect things? Check below to find out.

The complete results and update point totals for the Conference Championships are below. Be sure to check them out, and come back next week for the Pro Bowl selections. Continue reading 2013 NFL Playoffs Expert Picks: Conference Championships Results »

1. Overview:

* Our team is no longer special giving us less reason to feel different than others
* The biggest play of the year was the medical staff letting Gronk playing last week in a game which turned out to be a blow out (crazy that he had played two weeks prior)
* Injury to Talib was monstrous – changed the entire game (Baltimore started passing right away)
* Welker drop in third quarter biggest play of the game
* Ray Lewis celebrating is painful to watch
* McDaniels game plan – no imagination (Vereen not put into game plan to run patterns against linebackers?)
* Get ready for Harbaugh overdose for two weeks (Questions to parents “where are you going to sit / who are you rooting for / etc”)
* Last year was like the Celtics losing to Lakers in 1987 / this year was the Big Three losing to the Pistons – Dynasty is over

2. Tom Brady:

* I hate to admit it but Brady’s legacy has to be questioned Continue reading Connelly’s Top Ten: Brady Legacy Buster, Welker Drop, Wilfork Invisible »

The Conference Championships are here. The 49ers and Falcons are battling in the NFC finals, while the Patriots and Ravens will have themselves a rematch for the ages in the night game. It’s looking like the Patriots and Ravens will be the more offensive contest, looking at our predictions for the round. Either way, there’s still plenty up for grabs in the 2013 NFL Playoffs Pick ‘Em, so enjoy the games while you look over our picks.

Scoring for our panelists will remain the same from last round:

• Picking the game’s winner correctly is worth two points.
• Picking the combined touchdown total of both teams in a game is worth one point if guessed to within one, or two points if guessed exactly right instead.
• Picking the passing yardage for each game’s top passer is worth one point if guessed to within 50, or two points if guessed to within 10 instead, or a whopping five points instead if guessed exactly right.

So now that everything’s been set out, be sure to check below for everyone’s selections. And also be sure to check back later after the Conference Championships are complete for the results. Continue reading 2013 NFL Playoffs Expert Picks: Conference Championships »

For the second consecutive year, the New England Patriots will host the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship game. Throw out the stats and records for this one. The Patriots may be 9.5-point favorites according to Vegas, but these two teams almost always end up in one-score games, the lone exception in the last six seasons being the Ravens 33-14 victory in the 2009 Divisional Round game. Their matchup in week 3 of this season came down to not only the narrowest possible point margin (31-30, Ravens), but also the narrowest physical margin, as the game-winning field goal sailed almost directly over the right goal post.

Of course, both teams have changed considerably since that game, and even more so since the Patriots beat the Ravens in last year’s AFC Championship game. But fans should expect what they always get out of this modern rivalry:  A tough, physical game, that will likely come down to a last-second field goal or goal-line stand. Who ends up making that final play will probably be determined by a few key matchups. Continue reading Round 2: Patriots and Ravens Square Off in a Familiar Setting »

It may not be judgment day, reckoning, or any number of the over the top Ray Lewis jargon that has infiltrated ESPN headquarters since his retirement announcement, but Sunday’s AFC Championship game between the Patriots and Ravens will be nothing less than a head-on collision.

This isn’t the inexperienced trigger-shy Houston Texans we’re talking about. This isn’t Manti Te’o's girlfriend we’re talking about. This is real. The Baltimore Ravens are for real.

Whether their literal barking before kickoff is used for a legitimate adrenaline infusion or is just Preacher Ray and the gang posing for the cameras, one thing is for sure: the Ravens’ bite matches their bark. Continue reading Patriots in for Physical Match-up Against Ravens »