Simms talks NFL with Mike Francesa going into Week 12 on WFAN. He touched briefly on the Giants near the end of his second segment.
1) MIA-DAL. No easy games in the NFL. Cowboys will not dominate you on both sides of the ball. Core group of players in Miami. Miami just not ready to win. Veterans in Dallas were the difference. Opportunities were there for the Dolphins to win, they just were not able to take advantage of them.
2) HOU-JAX. Matt Leinart gets Andre Johnson back at WR. Houston will run nearly the same offense, a lot of play action. Will Leinart be able to make the throws down the field? That is a big question mark for Simms (code for doubtful). Jaguars cannot move the ball on anybody, the Houston defense may be able to outscore the Jaguars.
3) CHI has lost Cutler to the thumb injury. Hanie is not Cutler. Design the plays for Hanie to succeed. Martz is up to the challenge. Phil thinks the Bears should be able to overcome the loss and make it to the playoffs.
4) NE-PHI. Simms says even if Vince Young wins today vs NE, they will still sit him down and put Vick back in the following week. The Eagles ran their offense differently for Young. Young made plenty of mistakes. The Patriots will make him stay in the pocket and force him to make decisions.
5) BUF-NYJ. Bills should not be able to move the ball. Simms admits is that he was wrong about the Bills, felt they were real, no they aren’t. WRs can’t get past defenders. Tipped balls, fumbles, INTs; the margin for error is too large and the result is mistakes. Cannot rush the passer. Kyle Williams got hurt in the NY Giants game and his loss has hurt the Bills. Without Merriman and Williams, the Bills can’t get pressure on opposing QBs. Jets are built around their defense making a stop when the game is on the line, and they have not been able to do that this year. They should be able to stop BUF today.
6) SD-DEN. The Broncos defense is getting better. They gave up 40 to the Packers but it was Aaron Rodgers, who makes throws everyone else can’t. Pass rush is real. Three new starters again for the SD OL. SD is built for Rivers to make the plays, and he is doing the opposite. Tebow has to quit being so careful, worried too much about the INT.
7) Who is the best AFC team? It is about matchups. But Simms says it is the Ravens. Can stop any running game in the NFL. Very talented on defense. Flacco turning into one of the best deep throwing QBs in the league. Tory Smith improving greatly. BAL lacks consistency. They were flat for the Rams. They try to beat you w talent. OL is solid but not great. They can have some breakdowns you don’t see from top echelon teams.
8) NYG, NYJ. Coaching staffs have to make proper adjustments in their offense with proper allocation of amount of pass vs run, depending on the team and the matchups. NYJ and NYG have not done this well this year. The Giants weakness in being unable to run the ball hurts them. Bradshaw’s loss is huring the Giants; he is underrated and people are starting to open their eyes to how good he was, now that the Giants need to run the ball without him. Simms (Showtime) picks the Saints over the Giants.
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