The Avengers is now the standard for all future comic book adaptations, it appeals to all ages. How often have you gone to a movie with great anticipation, only to leave somewhat disappointed? { think Iron Man 2 or Spiderman 3 } The Avengers exceeds all expectations. The director Josh Whedon, does an adroit job of seamlessly blending the 6 super heroes. The action sequences are breathtaking { better seen in 3-D} and each character has his or her moment to shine. What really separates this film is the humor, there are at least 3 laugh out loud scenes. Whedon pokes fun, but still treats the characters with the proper reverence. Several previous comic book films missed, due to an over abundance of heroes or villains. Here, Whedon astutely integrates all the main characters thru a clever and snappy script and furious direction. The results are a super hero synergy that is palpable. The final 45 minutes of battle sequences are scintillating and sensational. Top shelf family entertainment, almost 3 hours of great fun! Enjoy it!

 

 

The streak is over.  After losing to Novak Djokovic 7 straight times, Rafael Nadal turned the tables on the #1 player in the world.  In a thorough beatdown of Djokovic, Nadal captured the Monte Carlo Masters for an incredible 8^thstraight year! Rafa’s dominance on the red clay has become historic, every spring as the flowers begin to bloom, Nadal becomes unbeatable on the dirt. He played brilliant tennis , served extremely well, and attacked every shortball. These are tactics he must execute to defeat the Joker. In fairness to Novak, during the week his grandfather  passed away  and it clearly affected him. He seemed to lack his customary intensity and focus. This was a MUST WIN  for Rafa on his favorite court vs. his nemesis, and should provide him with a big boost of confidence  for Madrid, Rome and finally Paris and the French Open which he will try to win for the 7^thtime.  See you on the courts, I’ll be the fat guy grunting really loud........

I’m thinking Championship Sunday will be a Dog Day Afternoon.  I know, I’m crazy.  Joe Flacco vs. Tom Brady in New England?  Yup, I think Flacco is going to shut a lot of people up today.  Folks are reading too much into last week’s games, where the Ravens struggled and the Pats looked invincible.  Those games mean nothing –different teams, completely different match-ups.  Yes, Flacco looked bad last week, versus a Texan defense that is light years better than a New England group that ranked 31^stin the yards allowed and gave up the most passing yards in the AFC.  Look for wide receivers Lee Evans and Torrey Smith to have productive days versus a Patriot secondary that has suffered 3^rddegree burns form being torched so much this year.

The NFC is a toss-up, the weather, and more specifically the condition of the field will be a big factor.  The Giants’ big edge is their front 4 versus a 49er o-line that has yielded 20 sacks in its three loses this year.  If the swamp-like filed inhibits the quickness of the Giants pass rush, their secondary could get exposed.  Conversely, as good as the 49ers defense has been, Drew Brees tore them apart for 462 yards.  If Eli is given time, he’ll perform surgery.  Remember, Eli has been sacked just 6 times during the Giants 5 game winning streak.  In what promises to be a close games, give me the points.  (San Francisco is about a 2 ½ point favorite.)  The hot QB, Eli, has 9 TD’s and 1 interception over last 3 games.

See you today at the Hudson Grille!

Falcon fans, don’t listen to the negativity from the doom & gloom folks who are preparing for the collapse.  I’ll evoke Jim Fassel here, “This team is going to the playoffs”.

Sure, the Falcons have warts, but so does every other team in the NFL, including the undefeated Packers.  The Falcons have balance on offense & are stout versus the run on defense.  I fully expect them to take 3 of their last 4 games, finish 10-6 & be the #5 seed in the NFC.  Only one of their remaining opponents has a winning record, and 2 of the 4 games are at The Dome, where their record with Matt Ryan is stellar.

In the NFC right now, the Packers are the top seed, followed by the 49ers at the #2, the Saints are the #3 seed and the 4^thwill most likely go to Dallas in the NFC East.  Look at the competition for the remaining spots.  The Bears have no QB and just lost Matt Forte...they’re BRICKS.  The Lions have lost 5 of their last 7 games, have no running game and 2 of their remaining games are at Green Bay and at Oakland.  And remember, Atlanta owns the tiebreaker over Detroit.  And why are people jumping on the Giants?  They’ve lost 4 in a row.  Is that a team peaking for the playoffs?  They’re o-line is atrocious and the coverage on defense is worse.  They have Dallas twice and the Jets on New Year’s Eve –good luck.

If I’m correct, Atlanta will be a wildcard.  Now the question is –would you rather play your first playoff game in Dallas or in New Orleans?

 

Time to peek into the crystal ball and make predictions for the upcoming season.  One of these years, I could get this right.

Your Playoff Teams & Seeding:

NFC                                                                        AFC

Packers                                12-4                                       Patriots                                13-3

Saints                    11-5                                       Steelers                               12-4

Eagles                   11-5                                       Chargers              11-5

Falcons                 10-6                                       Texans                  10-6

Lions                      10-6                                       Jets                        10-6

Rams                       9-7                                        Ravens                10-6

 

 

NFC Wildcard Playoffs                                  AFC Wildcard Playoffs

Eagles over Lions                                              Chargers over Ravens

Falcons over Rams                                           Jets over Texans

 

NFC Divisional Playoffs                                AFC Divisional Playoffs

Saints over Eagles                                            Steelers over Chargers

Packers over Falcons                                      Patriots over Jets                            

 

NFC Championship                                         AFC Championship

 Packers over Saints                                        Steelers over Patriots

 

SUPER BOWL

Steelers over Packers

 

 

Time to peek into the crystal ball and make predictions for the upcoming season.  One of these years, I could get this right.

Your Playoff Teams & Seeding:

NFC                                                                        AFC

Packers                  12-4                                       Patriots                  13-3

Saints                     11-5                                       Steelers                 12-4

Eagles                    11-5                                       Chargers               11-5

Falcons                  10-6                                       Texans                    10-6

Lions                      10-6                                       Jets                          10-6

Rams                       9-7                                        Ravens                   10-6

 

 

NFC Wildcard Playoffs                                 AFC Wildcard Playoffs

Eagles over Lions                                           Chargers over Ravens

Falcons over Rams                                         Jets over Texans

 

NFC Divisional Playoffs                                AFC Divisional Playoffs

Saints over Eagles                                          Steelers over Chargers

Packers over Falcons                                      Patriots over Jets                            

 

NFC Championship                                        AFC Championship

 Packers over Saints                                        Steelers over Patriots

 

     SUPER BOWL

    Steelers over Packers

 

Had the opportunity to check out Museum Replicas, a really cool store in The Village outside of The Mall of Georgia.  If you are a movie fan, if you love Harry Potter, Star Wars, Iron Man, etc --this store is a must go!  These folks actually created many of the props and costumes you see in the films, like Star Wars.  Think I'm going to get myself a Count Dooku costume...

Check out the website:   www.MuseumReplicas.com