A few thoughts on the Junior A Crushers:
• This is why it’s very foolish to write off a hockey team in December, when there is still a half-season to go. The Crushers, inch by inch, week by painstaking week, kept gaining ground on the Truro Bearcats and if they beat the Valley Wildcats on Friday night, they’d hurdle over Truro and be in a playoff spot (albeit with plenty of time left, so let’s not print those playoff tickets quite yet).
• In the past few weeks, Michael Dill has been playing like he’s on a mission. Perhaps he took his – and the team’s – slow start personally this season (or perhaps he didn’t), but right now he’s killing it.
• Leading up to the Jan. 10 trade deadline, some fans thought the organization should trade some veterans in order to stockpile draft picks and/or younger players. In other words, give up on the playoffs this year and build for next season and beyond.
Personally, I’m glad they went all-in with what they had. They are mostly young and a little untamed, but if by chance they do make the playoffs, they’d enter the post-season with a few months’ worth of desperation hockey under their belts. And that can make a team very dangerous.
• We don’t know who’s going to finish where in the standings, but if the playoffs started tomorrow, I’m not sure the Yarmouth Mariners would want to play Pictou County.
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The NFL Playoffs:
Minnesota Vikings at Philadelphia Eagles
Minnesota had some very good fortune at their end of their game against the New Orleans Saints last week. The Vikings have had it rough in big games over the decades (in other words, they can’t win them) so it was nice to see a good thing happen to them.
Something bad will happen to the Vikings on Sunday, however – something we didn’t think would ever happen and when it does, it won't be pretty.
Eagles win, 20-19.
Jacksonville Jaguars at New England Patriots
Seriously, Pittsburgh Steelers... Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles walks into your own stadium and lights you up like he’s Joe Montana?
That was some wickedly terrible defence, and awful play calling by whoever is in charge of the big decisions on offence for the Steelers. I guess that’s why their offensive co-ordinator is now moving on.
We keep thinking Bortles is going to come back to earth in these playoffs, but so far he’s doing what he has to do.
New England quarterback Tom Brady supposedly injured his throwing hand at practice this week, but you can’t believe anything the Patriots say because they are pathological liars – my own diagnosis, based on a voluminous amount of anecdotal evidence – and are likely playing mind games with Jacksonville.
I really want to see the Jaguars take this game, so I’ll go against them for one more week and hope to jinx New England.
Patriots win, 24-13.
Kevin Adshade is sportswriter with The News. His column appears each Saturday.
