Superbowl XLIV-The Final Week Leading Up To The Big Game

The long awaited prestigious football event of the season is just a week away, but the real pulse elevating excitement will not begin until we are past the Pro Bowl tomorrow. The Pro Bowl interestingly is being played at the same stadium as the Superbowl, Sun Life Stadium in South Florida. In my opinion and it is just my opinion, the Pro Bowl means more to the players than it does to football fans who patiently wait out the two week interim between the Conference Championships and Superbowl. A mild distraction from all the hype and hoopla that will finally reach a climax at 6:00 pm, Feb. 7th. This is just my take on things and the way it is for me. You may or may not agree.

Plans are no doubt already in place for the big game. Gathering places have been selected, invitations have gone out, party favorites and beverages have been decided upon. The usual pre-game banter and smack has already started with a few high fives thrown in. As the coming final week passes your mind will be massaged and manipulated by all the videos and football talk. You will get into a few friendly disagreements with friends, co-workers, and even family as to who is the best.

Sunday morning finally arrives. The pre-game warmups begin. Everyone who is someone will give their analysis on what to expect from their point of view. A mountain of statistics will be spilled out onto the table, some of which will leave you bewildered and wondering about its relevance, such as Peyton Manning throws more touchdown passes in afternoon games than night games or Dallas Clark catches more passes when he stands on the sidelines as opposed to sitting on the bench. Well, you get the picture. The afternoon will drag on until 6:00 PM finally arrives, more talk.

Already you are somewhat weary of all the talk and now comes the introductions of the teams and players, more talk. The captains of each team stroll out onto the field and the coin toss takes place, more talk. The official shows them the coin and tosses it into the air, more talk. Who will receive the ball first is decided upon and the two teams take their positions, more talk. Finally, the kick and the game is underway. Give me another beer and pass me the potato chips.

I'm not going to throw a bunch of statistics at you because after it is all said and done they are worthless. Just look at the past Minnesota Viking and New Orleans Saints game. The Vikings dominated statistically in everyway possible and it all came down to one tiny split second decision by Brett Favre to throw the ball into the flow of the defense instead of running with it. We call that the human factor. It is what personlizes the game for us and why we love it.

They are advertising this game to be a high scoring shootout and with Peyton Manning and Drew Brees the opposing quarterbacks the potential is certainly in the mix. Hopefully it will be the case because people lose interest in the Superbowl real fast when it isn't. Maybe something will get exposed in the halftime extravaganza to peek people's interest if the first half is a sleeper. That's when the play by play announcers will try some misdirect to keep themselves from yawning. All the pizza is gone. Just give me another beer. What dvd's do you own or do you have any new video games? Who's going to clean up this mess? Superbowl XLIV, will it live up to the expectations?

Indianapolis Shines-New Orleans Survives-Move on to Superbowl XLIV

The way it started out in Indy it looked like the Jets were going to make it a challenge. The Jets were making big offensive plays and pressuring Manning, but it wasn't sustained. Peyton Manning and company weathered the brief onslaught and were superb. The final blow, a high pass from Sanchez was tipped by the receiver into the awaiting arms of the Colts secondary with about a little over two minutes left. Lights out for the Jets, Colts win 30-17. In a game that was everything you expected it to be the Vikings and Saints battled it out hit for hit, point for point. Brett Favre was battered relentlessly and the Vikings offense developed slippery fingers. Despite Minnesota dominating the second half it ended in overtime with several booth reviews and a field goal by Hartley. Saints won over Vikings 31-28.

Peyton Manning picked the highly touted Jet secondary apart. He had 377 total passing yards on 26 completions out of 39 attempts. Three of those completions were for touchdowns. Garcon and Collie were Manning's primary targets and between the two they had 274 of those yards and a touchdown a piece. Dallas Clark caught a 15 yd reception for the third touchdown. Joseph Addai contributed nicely with 80 rushing yds on 16 carries. It could've been worse for the Jets with Indy in the redzone a total of six times and settling for three Matt Stover field goals in three of those redzone visits.

Mark Sanchez was a bit of a surprise in the second quarter when he hooked up with Braylon Edwards for an 80 yd touchdown. Then he connected for 9 yds to Dustin Keller and a score. The Jets coasted into half time with a 17-14 lead, but that is where it ended. Sanchez had 257 yds on 17 completions. The Jet offense was shut out in the second half by Indy's defense and their balloon was finally popped with the only pick of the day by Indy's Kelvin Hayden. Jones and Greene combined for 83 yds and did not have much of an impact on the up-for-the-challenge Indy defense. The Jets were only in the redzone one time.

Brett Favre was in the fight of his football life. He was driven into the ground, helped off the field limping, and came back time after time. He then made a costly interception in the final minute letting a opportunity to win slip by. Favre out gunned Drew Brees with 310 yds on 28 completions out of 46 attempts and one touchdown. Adrian Peterson ran for 122 yds and had three touchdowns. Their defense hung in their time after time and controlled the Saints passing attack, but after all was said and done, the 5 turnovers was the Vikings demise.

The Saints had 257 total yds on offense and still, and I say luckily, pulled it out. Drew Brees only had 197 yds on 17 completions, but made the most of those completions with three touchdowns. Pierre Thomas had 61 yds on 14 carries with one touchdown running and one receiving. Obviously, the difference was not the Saint's offense, but the ball-hawking of the their defense who forced the Vikings to put the ball on the ground five times and gathering in two interceptions.

Vikings and Saints was a wild one to say the least. One has to feel sorry for Brett Favre who took such a pounding and remained determined not to let it rattle him. Unfortunately, the interception will no doubt haunt him as he considers his future. The Jets and Colts ended the way I expected it to. Peyton Manning and company continues to steamroll over their opponents. Now it is on to Superbowl XLIV.

The NFL Conference Championships-Who Will Be Victorious

It is Conference Chamionships weekend. The final act just before the climax. The stage is set, Indianapolis and Minnesota are the backdrop. The performers are the Colts, Jets, Saints, and Vikings. It's anybody's guess who will be the scene stealer and earn the rights to advance to the big show February 7, but based on previous performances, there are some obvious choices.

The Jets have surprised everybody, at least me. In the beginning of the year you never would have guessed the Jets are where they are now. This weekend it is going to end for the Jets. They have been winning on the run game and defense. That can only last so long, especially against a powerhouse like Indy. Stuff the run and the Jets are done. If they have to rely on the arm of Mark Sanchez alone, lights out in New York. Past teams have won strictly on defense, but Peyton Manning and company will find a way to cross the goal line.

The Colts are my choice in the American Football Conference Championship. They are playing at home and have an offense that scores at will. Peyton Manning is at the top of his game with a powerful arsenal at his disposal. The Jets challenge will be to disrupt Manning and force him out of the pocket and then, find a way to cover the Colt's receivers. Throw Joseph Addai into the mix and it's game over. The Colts have a defense that can handle what the Jets may throw at them.

The Saints in the Superdome, home crowd noise, explosive offense, and a strong defense makes for a formidable foe. Another offense who can score at will. Drew Brees will shred a defense to pieces and his receivers can go up for the ball and snatch it out of the air better than any other receiving core. The Saints also have a strong running game in Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas and an aggressive defense proficient at frustrating an offense. They seem to have ascended out of their slump and are ready to take on their opponent, the Minnesota Vikings.

The Vikings definately are not a push over and can match point for point when it becomes necessary. After the Dallas game, it has become obvious they will show no mercy. Brett Favre is pumped up and playing like a man half his age equipped with the many years experience he has acquired over his long career. Favre has the perfect complement in Adrian Peterson who runs like a mad man and is a threat to bust loose at any given moment.

The Vikings and Saints are a perfect match for opponents. It couldn't have been scripted any better. A game with high expectations on being both entertaining and that edge-of-your-seat potential. The Indianapolis and New York game is a wait and see what happens. Indianapolis has the playoff experience and the home crowd to rile them up. The Jets are playing with an attitude. They're the little dog who doesn't know he is little and that is dangerous. Are you ready? Bring it on.

SUN, JAN 24 TIME (ET)
NY Jets 15 at Indianapolis 27 3:00 PM CBS Tickets W
Lucas Oil Stadium
Minnesota 28 at New Orleans 30 6:40 PM FOX Tickets W
Superdome

Vikings and Jets Move on to the Championships

Brett Favre proved you are only as old as you feel and right now he's got to be feeling pretty youthful. Favre threw four touchdowns and the Minnesota Vikings destroyed the Dallas Cowboys 34-3. The Viking defense took the ball away and the offense put it away. Near the end of the game the Cowboys were incensed about the Vikings running up the score. The whole idea of playing is to score when you have the ball and that is what the Vikings did, they played the game. The game is played for 60 minutes and you give it all you got until the final second. Someone give the Cowboys a "Tearable Towel".

Brett Favre was magnificent and played one of his best games of the year. He didn't rack up the yards, he didn't need to because the defense gave him great field position and he was pinpoint perfect in taking advantage of it. Sidney Rice was Favre's prime target and had a career day scoring three touchdowns with a total of 141 yds. Adrian Peterson had 63 yds on 26 carries.

No mercy was shown. The Vikings defense ripped the offensive line of Dallas apart and frustrated Tony Romo. They forced Romo to fumble two times and picked off one of his passes. The defense also had six sacks and ten quarterback hits. Romo was only permitted 198 yds total and the running attack of Dallas was controlled.

A somewhat uneventful game between the Jets and the Chargers ended with the Jets winning by the score of 17-14. The backbreaker for the Chargers was Shonn Greene's 53 yd run for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Nate Kaeding shot them in the foot missing three field goal attempts. The Chargers just could not excecute in a game they should have won. What topped the game off was the decision by Turner to onside kick when there was enough time left to stop the Jets and force a punt in their own half of the field if the Chargers had kicked it down field. You can't say with certainty what might have happened, but it would have been the smarter thing to do.

NY Jets play Indianapolis for the American Football Conference Championship. Minnesota will be playing New Orleans for the National Football Conference Championship. One more weekend of Conference Championships and the Superbowl will be set with its opponents identified.

Saints and Colts Move on to the Championships

Mad Louisiana Superdome, two teams enter, one team moves on. The New Orleans Saints move on in the playoffs after dismantling the Arizona Cardinals both offensively and defensively. Ater Hightower took the first play of the first series 70 yds for a touchdown, the Saints answered with a touchdown of their own, and there was no looking back. The Cardinals were looking at the backs of the Saints runners and receivers as they crossed the goal line. The final score was Saints over the Cardinals 45-14.

Where do you begin with the Saints. It was a full team effort. No one player stood out statistically. If you were to pick out the player of the game, it would be Reggie Bush. Bush put out an outstanding rushing effort with 84 yds on 5 carries and a touchdown, but it was his 83 yd punt return for a touchdown that made him the standout player of the game. Drew Brees did not rack up the yardage as he usually does in the passing department, but he was very efficient with the 247 yds he spread around the field to his various receivers. Colston, Henderson, and Shockey were all recipients of Brees passes for touchdowns.

The Saints defense shut down the could-have-been potent Cardinal offense as they harassed Kurt Warner and  stifled the running game after the Hightower run. The defense only had one sack and three quarterback hits, but with superb pass coverage, they disrupted Warner and his receivers enough to keep them off balance.

Indianapolis defeated Baltimore 20-3 in the night game. There were no real individual standouts in this game. Peyton Manning had 246 yards on 30 completions out of 44 attempts and two touchdowns. Manning spread his passes among seven different receivers. Joseph Addai had only 23 yds on 11 carries. Wayne and Collie each had a touchdown off Peyton passes. A fairly decent effort for the Colt offense.

The Colts defense kept the Ravens offense in check. Joe Flacco had only 189 yds on 23 completions and was picked off two times by the Colts secondary. Ray Rice had 67 yds on 13 carries and 60 yds on 9 receptions, but was unable to cross the goal line. The Colts defense shut out the Ravens in two red zone attempts and went away with one field goal for their efforts.

Saints and Colts move on to the next level in the Playoffs and it looks like the road to the Superbowl is running through New Orleans and Indianapolis at this point. We will see what happens today in the Dallas at Minnesota and NY Jets at San Diego games. I am not yet fully convinced Dallas has what it takes to get past the Vikings and San Diego has to get over the mountain of falling short in the Playoffs after they beat the Jets, who have not matured enough for this level of play

Picture: No doubt that Reggie Wayne crossed the plain of the goal line.

The Second Week Of Playoffs And My Picks

I was one hundred percent wrong last week with my picks. NY jets just plain outplayed Cincinnati, Dallas Cowboys dominated Philadelphia for the second week in a row, Tom Brady and the Patriots fell flat on their you know what against Baltimore, and Green Bay against Arizona was a nail biter with the Cardinals clipping the Packers in overtime. Its anybody's game from here on out and these are my picks for this weekend.

Arizona at New Orleans will be the first game on Saturday. Will this be the break out game for the Saints after faultering the last few weeks of regular season? Hopefully the Saints will have their game faces on. The Cardinals pass cover defense was shredded by Rodgers and if that was an indication of a weakness, it will be exploited by the potentially explosive Saints offense and master of disaster, Drew Brees. Kurt Warner will have to match pass for pass or its lights out, which probably will be the case in the Superdome.

Baltimore looked good against New England, but that is where it will end, that is, in Indianapolis. The key for Baltimore will be to coral Peyton Manning, if that is possible, but highly unlikely. Nobody could do it all season. Too many weapons at Manning's disposal complimented by the running of Joseph Addai. The only weakness Indianapolis has is the defense. Baltimore has a weapon of it's own in Ray Rice. Ball control can keep a quarterback like Manning off the field. That will be the Ravens task, keep the ball out of Manning's hands. Good luck Baltimore, but I don't believe in luck.

This is it, the big game of the week, Dallas at Minnesota. I have not been a believer in Dallas, but the past two weeks have changed things. Dallas looks cool, calm, and collected. They are comfortable with themselves and what they can do. Miles Austin had completed a fantastic season and carried it into the playoffs. Whitten and Austin are Romo's primary targets, but as seen by last week's game, will sneak a pass to one of his other receivers. If Jones has a repeat in the running department, it will make Romo's job easier. The Vikings are going to have to stuff the run and rattle Romo. For the Vikings, we know what Favre and Peterson can do. Weather not a factor here. Going to be a close game.

NY Jets at San Diego, the final game of the week. The NY Jets I think will be in over their heads with this one, but what do I know, I thought the Bengals were going to beat them. The Chargers have been in this situation plenty of times and are a experienced playoff team. The Jets and Sanchez have proven they are good, but aren't ready for this. Philip Rivers is a 4000 yd plus passer, Sanchez is not. The Jets only hope is Thomas Jones and the defense. Thomlinson is a well balanced back, if the run game isn't there, he is a good receiver. Throw a Jackson and a Gates into the mix and the Chargers can score quickly and at will.

SAT, JAN 16 TIME (ET)
Arizona 27 at New Orleans 34 4:30 PM FOX Tickets W
Superdome
Baltimore 18 at Indianapolis 30 8:15 PM CBS Tickets W
Lucas Oil Stadium
SUN, JAN 17 TIME (ET)
Dallas 24 at Minnesota 27 1:00 PM FOX Tickets W
Metrodome
NY Jets 20 at San Diego 37 4:40 PM CBS Tickets L
Qualcomm Stadium

NY Jets Outplayed Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengal's Bernard Scott took the opening kickoff from Jay Feely 56 yards to the Jets 36 yard line. It looked like it was going to be the Bengal's game. Three plays later Carson Palmer passed to Laveranues Coles for 4 yards who then fumbled the ball and Shaun Ellis recovered the fumble for the Jets. It was all down hill from there. The Jets defeated the Bengals 24-14.

The Bengals could not recover from the numerous mistakes that plagued their game. Cedric Benson was the only Bengal who had a good game. Benson had 169 yds on 21 carries and one touchdown. Carson Palmer on the other hand had a horrendous day. In the beginning of the game all his passes sailed too high for his receivers to haul in. Palmer was harassed by the Jet's defense in key situations and just wouldn't let him get into a rythmn. Palmer had 18 completions out 36 attempts and one touchdown. Chad Ochocinco was dogged by cornerback Darrelle Revis and ended the game with only 28 yds. Near the end Ochocinco had a chance to make it a game when he came close to hauling in a pass in the corner of the end zone, but lost it when he hit the ground. Shayne Graham missed two field goals, which really hurt their cause.

The Jets played a well rounded game on both sides of the ball. Mark Sanchez quarterbacked an excellent game. He made clutch passes in key situations. Sanchez had 12 completions out of 15 attempts for 182 yds and was mistake free. Dustin Keller had two big pass plays and scored one touchdown on a 39 yd catch and run. Shonn Green pounded out 135 yds on 21 carries and one touchdown. The Jet's defense showed why it is number one in the NFL taking it to the Bengal's offense with their blitzing shemes. It was a complete team effort.

The Jets move on to the next level. Their full of confidence and seem to be peaking at the right time. They now have to wait for the outcome of tomorrow's game between Baltimore and New England to see who their next opponent will be. A good start to the Playoffs. Just a side note: The Cowboys took it to the Eagles big time by the score of 34-14 and will be moving on in the Playoffs. My picks this week have already been shattered.

Wildcard Weekend Starts The Playoffs

The final week of regular season I was 9-7 because of a few shockers or was it a matter of concealing game plans so you don't tip your hand stradegy by a few teams who knew they would meet in the Wildcard Playoffs. Whatever the case, this week looks like repeat weekend except for one and that is the Baltimore at New England game. Philadelphia and Cincinnati were both man handled, that is shutout, zippoed, nada points in their losses and New England was out done by Houston. Baltimore was the only winner out of the bunch. This week is going to be a different story.

Philadelphia will be taking the gloves off this Wildcard Weekend against the Cowboys. Tony Romo is going to be harrassed mercilessly from begining to end. Dallas will not be able to contain Desean Jackson and Philadelphia will be relying more heavily on establishing the running game to set up the passing. On the other hand, Dallas has moved up the rankings to number five. The Cowboys have a run game of their own and a strong receiving squad for Romo to choose from, especially with Witten. The key will be protection, if it isn't there game over, this will go for both sides of the field. This contest will be entertaining.

NY Jets at Cincinnati will be another contentious game. The Bengals are vulnerable and have't been producing the points in any great bunches. Cincinnati will attempt to pound it out with Cedric Benson, who was missing in the last game. The old Carson Palmer will emerge and the number one defense will get stung. The Jets faired better this season than what was expected by getting to the playoffs. The Jets run game is tops with Thomas Jones and will be key to their success in this game. If the Bengals stuff the Jets run game and the burden falls on Mark Sanchez they will get some picks, end of story and the season for the Jets.

Green Bay dominated Arizona in their final outing. The Packers are a solid team with all kinds of weapons offensively. Aaron Rodgers manages the offense well and utilizes their strong points. You can't go wrong with targets like Jennings and Driver and Ryan Grant can find the first down marker to keep drives going. The Cardinals defense will have to find a way to disrupt Green bay's rythmn because if they don't, they are in for a frustrating experience. Arizona can produce alot of points themselves with Kurt Warner, but pressure is his Achilles Heal. The Cardinals offensive line will have the major task of protecting Warner.

Now we come to Baltimore at New England. The Patriots will be without a pivatol player in Wes Welker. You cannot replace a key player like Welker. Tom Brady will have to rely on his other receivers to get open. They are going up against a tough Baltimore defense that can be stingy, but has shown vulnerability in past games. The weather in New England will be a major factor and a strong running game in cold weather and a frozen field is a must. Baltimore has Ray Rice for this job. If Lawrence Maroney runs like a mad dog for New England, Brady will get the upper hand.

It is going to be a an exciting start to the playoffs, two games on Saturday and two on Sunday. Purchase all you snacks and drinks ahead of time and get ready to hunker down for some NFL football.

SAT, JAN 9 TIME (ET)
NY Jets 18 at Cincinnati  26 4:30 PM NBC Tickets L
Paul Brown Stadium
Philadelphia 28 at Dallas 27 8:00 PM NBC Tickets L
Cowboys Stadium
SUN, JAN 10 TIME (ET)
Baltimore 20 at New England 24 1:00 PM CBS Tickets L
Gillette Stadium
Green Bay 28 at Arizona  21 4:40 PM FOX Tickets L
U of Phoenix Stadium

Browns Defeat Jaguars 23-17 And End Season With Four Straight Wins

Celebration in Cleveland as the Browns win their fourth in a row and eliminate Jacksonville from the playoffs. It was cold, cold, and really cold in the Cleveland Browns Stadium, but the victory melted away for good any ice cycles the fans had accumulated from the first half of the season. Weather cold as it was in Cleveland definitely impacts a game and without a doubt it affected game play today. It was the running game of the Browns once more that carried the team to victory with some good defense thrown in.

Jerome Harrison proved his worth once more with another hundred plus yard run effort. Harrison carried the ball 33 times for a total of 127 yds and one touchdown. Joshua Cribbs added another 47 yds on 6 carrries includung a touchdown scamper of 14 yds in the second quarter. Cribbs longest run of the day was 25 yds. Chris Jennings contributed 38 yds on 9 carries. Cribbs and Harrison have proven themselves to be a one two punch and a knockout.

What can you say about the passing game, which has been for most of the season lame. True, the freezing cold weather will affect a passing game drastically, so I will give Anderson a pass on this game and maybe, it was the Browns game plan to utilize the strong running game of Harrison and Cribbs. Derek Anderson had only 86 yds on 7 completions out of 11 attempts and one interception. Phil Dawson was perfect with three field goals and two extra points accounting four 11 of the 23 points.

The defense harassed Garrard through the whole game sacking him three times and hitting him another ten times. Garrard ran for forty yards, which would indicate pressure and coverage were good causing him to run all over place. Garrard had 202 yds on 22 completions out of 39 attempts. The Jaguars couldn't close out a fourth quarter surge.

It was a happy ending to a terrible season. Fan expectations will be higher going into next year and Holmgren's challenge will be to fulfill those higher expectations. The running game looks to be in place. The quarterback position still remains a big question mark going into the Holmgren take over. We will see what happens in the days ahead. Season over for the Browns, now the playoffs will begin. Who will it be in the Super Bowl?