Rosenthal: No favorite left in playoffs

Brady gives Patriots an edge, but it's a razor-thin margin over other 3 teams

Image: BradyReuters

Tom Brady could take the Patriots back to their first Super Bowl since the 2007 season.

ANALYSIS

updated 11:33 p.m. ET Jan. 15, 2012

Gregg Rosenthal

There are no big upsets left in the NFL playoffs.

The Patriots, Ravens, 49ers, and Giants are all talented teams with obvious limitations. They are all fallible.

It feels like any team left has a great shot at the title, but of course that was the case all along. It just took the Packers and Saints getting knocked out to remind us that the hunt for the Lombardi Trophy was wide open.

We like to convince ourselves the NFL is predictable. We forget that the regular season often has little to do with the postseason. Every year, we are surprised and come back for more.

Consider: Next Sunday?s matchup between the Patriots and Ravens marks the first time since 2004 that the top two seeds made the AFC Championship.

The NFC proved far more surprising. In the year of the record-setting quarterback, Alex Smith?s team beat Drew Brees? Saints in a furious late shootout. Aaron Rodgers will likely win the MVP, but he was outplayed by Eli Manning.

Manning?s Giants symbolize that the playoffs are a different season. It wasn?t so long ago the Giants lost their fourth straight game and were 6-6. Or how about when they lost at home to the Redskins to fall to 7-7?

All year, the Giants had a defense that gave up big plays in bunches. They couldn?t run the ball on offense. But they spackled those problems, displayed their considerable talent, and well, got a little lucky. (9-7 wouldn?t make the playoffs in most divisions.)

Now the Giants have a solid chance to win their second title under Tom Coughlin. I can?t remember a Final Four that was more evenly matched. It wouldn?t surprise me if any of these teams won, but I?m going to lamely try to predict what teams have the best chance left to win it all.

As NFL fans, we never learn.

1. New England Patriots
Things have fallen into place nicely for the Patriots. They only had to beat a mediocre Broncos team to get to the AFC title game.

The recipe to beat New England in the playoffs was simple: have a pass rush and a quarterback. Well, the best quarterbacks have been knocked out.

Baltimore is a difficult test, but the Patriots are a much different team than they were in 2009 when the Ravens won in Foxborough. They have won in a variety of ways. More importantly, Tom Brady has Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski, and Aaron Hernandez at his disposal.

The Patriots' defense has also quietly improved. They are healthier than they have been all year with safety Patrick Chung and linebacker Brandon Spikes both making a huge difference.

New England gets the top spot on my list because they have the last transcendent quarterback left in the field. In a one-game situation, I?ll still take Tom Brady at quarterback and Bill Belichick drawing up a gameplan.

Brady and Belichick will only get so many chances to win one more title. They know what a great opportunity they have in front of them.

2. San Francisco 49ers
If the 49ers can survive that game against New Orleans, they can survive anything. The 49ers have the best group of defensive players remaining. Justin Smith, Aldon Smith, Patrick Willis, and Navorro Bowman are all among the best at their positions.

Jim Harbaugh is on a serious playcalling roll and the 49ers showed against New Orleans they can win any kind of game. They love the slugfest and Alex Smith showed they can come from behind too.

3. New York Giants
Winning in Green Bay and San Francisco in back-to-back weeks is a tall order. The Giants can match up with any team?s talent, but scoring on the 49ers will be difficult. New York?s sagging running game figures to be stuffed.

The Falcons and Packers haven?t had the horses to show the holes in New York?s pass protection, but the 49ers can get to any quarterback. Just ask Drew Brees.

The Giants are peaking at the right time and they will get a lot of comparisons to the ?07 title team. They remind me more of the ?08 Eagles. That Philadelphia team was talented, got hot late in the year, and then lost in the NFC Championship game in Arizona just when everyone expected them to win.

4. Baltimore Ravens
The gap between the Ravens and Patriots is not great, but Baltimore finished fourth in my little exercise for a few reasons.

They don?t have the best remaining defense left. That belongs to the 49ers. San Francisco is more physical, too.

Houston dominated the line of scrimmage against Baltimore. The Texans were the better running team, and they had the better pass rush.

Baltimore had the better quarterback against Houston, but that won?t be true against the Patriots. And it won?t be true if the Ravens faced the Giants; Joe Flacco simply hasn?t played that well down the stretch this season.

Could the Ravens win it all? Of course. But they are playing on the road Sunday and don?t seem to be playing their best football.

As we learned Sunday, that can all change in one performance.


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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/46009277/ns/sports-nfl/

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Deal of the Day: Case-Mate Tough Case for Samsung Epic 4G Touch

Android Central

The Jan. 13 ShopAndroid.com Deal of the Day is the Case-Mate Tough Case for Sprint's Samsung Galaxy S II, Epic 4G Touch. With dual layers of silicone and ABS hard shell plastic, this impact-resistant, flexible case provides some serious protection for your Samsung Epic 4G Touch. The Case-Mate Tough Case for Epic 4G Touch is available today for $18.95, 46% off the regular price. Get yours while stocks last!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/Uhubo2AU9c4/story01.htm

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UFC 142: Yahoo! Sports and Heavy present Fight Day live

UFC 142 pre-show Fight Day Live is back on Saturday, January 14, at 6pm ET/ 3pm PT. Hosts Dave Farra and Megan Olivi will guide you through the full fight card and all of the biggest news in the UFC.

Top MMA journalists Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com and Larry Pepe of ProMMARadio.com will join HeavyMMA Editor Matt Brown on an expert roundtable that will analyze and break down the entire night's fighting action. UFC heavyweight Frank Mir will be live on set for a one-on-one interview as well as an inside look into Anthony Johnson's training camp.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ufc-142-yahoo-sports-heavy-present-fight-day-035210472.html

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Swatch ? Year of the Dragon

Year Of The Dragon:? Swiss fashion watch and jewelery maker Swatch takes great pleasure in celebrating the Chinese New Year. Coming up soon (starting January 23rd, 2012) is the Year of the Dragon, one of the most lively and colorful signs of the Chinese animal zodiac, and is the key symbol of Chinese Spirit.??The Year [...]

Source: http://www.celebritymound.com/swatch-year-of-the-dragon/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=swatch-year-of-the-dragon

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Clean-cut Kutcher wants to continue on show

Getty Images

Ashton Kutcher ditched his long hair and beard as part of a plot twist on "Two and a Half Men."

By TODAY.com news services

A clean-cut Ashton Kutcher said Wednesday that he's interested in continuing with "Two and a Half Men" beyond this season -- and CBS wants him, too.

Kutcher's addition to television's most popular comedy following star Charlie Sheen's implosion was a grand experiment that has worked out better than CBS or the producers could have dreamed.

The show is up 20 percent in viewers over Sheen's final season, the Nielsen ratings company said, and Kutcher has also brought in a younger crowd.

Live Poll

Which look do you prefer on Ashton Kutcher?

  • 173120

    Clean-cut

    71%

  • 173121

    Long hair and beard

    8%

  • 173122

    Neither works for me

    21%

VoteTotal Votes: 13010

"I've had a blast," said Kutcher, who plays the heartbroken Walden Schmidt. "Since I stopped doing 'That '70s Show' I've always wanted to go back and do television."

Kutcher appeared at a news conference without the long hair and beard he has worn this season. It was cut as part of the plot in an episode of "Two and a Half Men" that airs Monday, he said.

"I'm sure there will be people now that I've cut my hair and shaved my beard that want me to have long hair and a beard," Kutcher said. "And there were people that when I had a beard and long hair they wanted me to be? shaved and have a haircut.

Us Weekly also reports that Kutcher, who split from wife Demi Moore after six years of marriage,?fidgeted with his wedding band throughout the talk.

Series creator Chuck Lorre said he gave thought to ending the series after Sheen left last season and couldn't imagine it continuing. But CBS and his co-creator, Lee Aronsohn, nudged him to continue.

"Lee said, 'Why not try? If we fail, no one would be physically harmed,'" Lorre said. "It seemed like such a heartbreaking way to end, and we didn't want it to, so we said let's keep the light on."

Lorre, who was the target of sharp barbs from Sheen last spring after he was fired, said he wished his former star well.

"I really do," he said. "I'm glad he's sober and I think it's terrific."

Are you happy with Kutcher on "Two and a Half Men" and would you welcome him back? Discuss on Facebook.

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Source: http://theclicker.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/11/10119493-clean-cut-kutcher-wants-to-return-to-two-and-a-half-men

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French journalist, several others killed in Syria

A French journalist was among several people killed in Syria's central city of Homs on Wednesday, becoming the first Western reporter to have died in 10 months of unrest in the country.

Gilles Jacquier, of France 2 TV, was on a rare Western reporting trip authorized by Syria's embattled government amid a 10-month uprising against the regime of President Bashar Assad. Another France-2 reporter was uninjured.

News director Thierry Thullier of France Televisions, the parent station of France-2, told French TV BFM that Jacquier appeared to have been killed by a mortar or rocket as part of a series of attacks.

Attacks in Syria kill western journalist and?several others
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A report on Addounia TV said eight people were killed and at least 25 people wounded, but the circumstances were unclear.

'Odious act'
A witness in Homs, who asked not to be named, said the casualties were caused by rocket-propelled grenades fired during a pro-Assad rally. The witness said he had seen three bodies.

It was the first known instance of a Western journalist dying in Syria amid the unrest. Syrian authorities have denied many efforts by Western journalists to enter the country since the uprising began.

Video: Syrian president vows to use ?iron fist? (on this page)

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said in a statement that Jacquier, who had previously reported from Iraq and Afghanistan, had been killed "in an attack" in Homs.

He called it an "odious act" and demanding an investigation into the killing.

"It's up to Syrian authorities to ensure the security of international journalists on their territory, and to protect this fundamental liberty which is the freedom of information."

"France 2 television has just learned with a great deal of sorrow the death of reporter Gilles Jacquier in Homs," France 2 said in a statement, adding it did not have details of the circumstances of his death.

In a live blog about events in Syria Wednesday, The Guardian newspaper posted a video in French about Jacquier, which was taken in 2009 when he won an award for a piece on girls attending school in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The chief judge described his report as "un reportage de verite" or "a work of truth."

The U.N. estimates more than 5,000 people have been killed in the uprising.

Earlier, Assad joined thousands of his supporters Wednesday in an extremely rare public appearance, telling a pro-regime rally in the capital that the "conspiracy" against his country will fail.

Assad, who inherited power from his father in 2000, has blamed the revolt on foreign-backed terrorists and conspirators. On Tuesday, he gave his first speech since June and said he would strike back at those who threaten his regime with an "iron hand."

On Tuesday, Arab League monitor said he had resigned because the mission was powerless to prevent what he said were the "scenes of horror" he had seen in the Homs.

"The mission was a farce and the observers have been fooled," the Algerian told Al Jazeera English television. "The regime orchestrated it and fabricated most of what we saw to stop the Arab League from taking action against the regime...

"The regime isn't committing one war crime but a series of crimes against its people," he added.

Malek's resignation was the latest blow to a mission already criticized for inefficiency and whose members have come under attack this week from both Assad supporters and protesters.

Syria has barred most independent media, making it difficult to verify conflicting accounts of events on the ground.

There was no immediate comment on Malek's remarks from the Arab League, which decided on Sunday to keep monitors in place at least until they report again on their mission on Jan. 19

Opposition groups have been deeply critical of the Arab League mission, saying it is giving Assad cover for his ongoing crackdown. The observer mission's Sudanese chief has raised particular concern because he served in key security positions under Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted for crimes against humanity in Darfur.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45957075/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/

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Toshiba to enter U.S. smart home energy market

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) ? Japan?s Toshiba Corp said on Monday it plans to enter the smart home energy market in the United States at the end of this year and generate 10 billion yen ($129.68 million) in revenue by the fiscal year ending March, 2016.

Original post by timothy

Source: http://www.techblogger.org/2012/01/09/toshiba-to-enter-u-s-smart-home-energy-market/

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Jon Huntsman gaining steam in New Hampshire primary

Jon Huntsman?says if he can gain steam in the New Hampshire primary, he can prove he's the Republican candidate able to defeat Barack Obama.?

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman says if he can just chug out of the New Hampshire primary "with a head of steam," he can prove he's the Republican candidate able to defeat Barack Obama.

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With Mitt Romney favored in Tuesday's voting and most of the rest of the field vying to become the conservative alternative, Huntsman is taking a different path. What the GOP needs is a nominee who "can reach beyond just the Republican Party" to win over lots of Obama's 2008 voters, Huntsman said Tuesday, boasting of his appeal to independents and even some Democrats.

He reveled in a minuscule victory in the first voting of the primary. Tiny Dixville Notch cast its ballots at midnight ? and Huntsman scored a tie with Romney, at two votes each. It may be a harbinger, Huntsman declared.

Huntsman, who skipped the Iowa caucuses to stake his candidacy on a strong showing in Tuesday's primary, has struggled to win over New Hampshire's conservative Republicans. He's been making an aggressive play for independent voters, who can vote in the GOP primary, and has shown signs of gaining ground in the last few days.

Huntsman, also has been making the most of his weekend debate response to front-runner Mitt Romney, who criticized Huntsman for serving as the Obama administration's ambassador to China.

Huntsman quickly adopted Sen. John McCain's old campaign slogan "Country First" and had large signs displaying that message at his final campaign event Monday night, a rally in Exeter. He told the crowd to remember the word "trust" when they vote Tuesday, saying it encompasses his entire campaign.

"We're going to surprise the heck out of 'em!" he insisted.

That confidence was reminiscent of the Huntsman who proclaimed months ago that he would win the New Hampshire primary. But he switched to predictions about "beating market expectations," and two weeks ago suggested that anything below a third-place finish in New Hampshire would mean an end to his campaign.

On Tuesday, Huntsman declined to say just how well he must do to hang on. "If we can move out of New Hampshire with a head of steam we can prove the issue of electability," he told NBC's "Today" show.

In the past week, Huntsman cast himself as the underdog fighting against Romney, whom he called the "status quo candidate." After he campaigned in seven communities Monday, Huntsman's only public appearance scheduled Tuesday is a noontime visit to a Manchester polling place.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/r-kD1GCbhIY/Jon-Huntsman-gaining-steam-in-New-Hampshire-primary

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Automotive Fastening Solution Provider Company | ArticleGoes ...

An automotive fastening solution provider company provides a comprehensive solution and offers competitive services regarding the entire fastening needs and requirements of the client. The automotive fasteners include an array of products like the bolts, nuts, washers, socket products, and other such technical equipments which are used by the automobile manufacturers.
Bolts are one of the most general elements in production and device design. A typical bolt has a hex head and an even shoulder area beyond the average amount of threading. They confine and fix other parts, and are held with the assisting of screw. A nut is a type of automotive fastener with a hole. Along with a bolt, nuts are intended to capture and tie up objects together. The nut and the bolt are two interdependent automotive fasteners which would slide out without each other. However the nuts are divided into sub types like Hex Nuts, Flange Collar Nut, Self Locking Nuts, Wing Nuts, Square Nuts, Weld Nuts, Rivet Nuts, Cap Doom Nuts, Castle Nuts, and Slotted Nuts.
A washer is a slender disk with a gap, usually in the center. It is usually used to sustain the weight of an automotive fastener. Plain Washers, Spring Washers, External/Internal Tooth Lock Washers, Machined Washers, Taper Washers etc are the types of washers manufactured by the automotive fastener manufacturer. Another type of the automotive fastener is also known as the socket products. A socket cap screw has a hexagonal dug in drive, generally with a tube-shaped head. Socket Cap screws can be fitted more securely than other drives without stripping, and they are usually made from a potentially strong steel alloy. Socket Head Cap, Socket Countersunk Cap, Socket Button Head, Socket Set Screws are some of the variants that can be found in the category of the socket products.
The automotive plastic products are also produced by the automotive fastening solution provider company. The automotive plastic OEM products are high precision products having specifications like high life cycle and high quality. The automotive plastic OEM products are made by using molding and injection facilities with varied designs. The manufacturer even provides sample before signing the deal and starting with mass production of the ordered goods. Some clients even want some customized designs which the automotive fastener solution providers have to comply with.
The Automotive Fastening Solution Provider Company generally uses steel to produce the above mentioned range of products except plastic OEM products. Even in steel there are varieties like high tensile steel and stainless steel. Apart from steel and plastic the other materials used in the manufacture of the automotive fasteners are brass, nylon and copper depending upon the device to be manufactured. The automotive fasteners are also available in varying finishes and coatings. Some of them include zinc, zinc ? yellow, black oxide, brass, nickel, cadmium, etc. whatever the demand of the client maybe, be it plastic automotive OEM, or automotive fasteners the quality should be worth the price charged by Automotive Fastening Solution Provider Company.

Source: http://articlegoes.com/automotive-fastening-solution-provider-company.html

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