Divisional Playoffs-Will It Be The Brady Bunch And TeBye-Bye

I got Tebowed this past weekend. My picks got hammered. Only one of the games out of the four was even close. New Orleans did their thing, Houston rose to the occasion, New York would be likened to a sleeping giant awoken, and Denver just plain and simple outsmarted Pittsburgh. My prediction about Tebow getting slaughtered by the Pittsburgh defense was way off. They couldn't even touch him. The Steelers had zero sacks and zero quarterback hits. Denver's play calling had Pittsburgh tripping over their own feet. Hats off to Tebow and the Broncos.

I don't even know what to say about the Denver at New England game this coming Saturday evening. One thing for sure, Bill Belichick is a master on defensive schemes and will have a plan conjoured up to deal with the Tebow Express. He isn't going to let Denver get away with that little stunt they pulled in overttime against wool-pulled-over-eyes Steelers. On top of it, Denver will be facing an offense that protects its quarterback and has an array of weapons at wide receiver, not leaving out their one-two punch at tight end, Rob Gronkowski. The defense has been New Englands only weakness all year, but the offense fills in the gaps.

New Orleans and San Francisco ended the season with identical records. This will be their first meeting of the year. It's no big secret that you have to take advantage of mistakes when they are handed to you on a silver platter. There has been talk about Brees short stature and being prone to throwing errant passes from time to time because he can't see over the linemen. I think the Saints record speaks for itself. When you throw the ball as much as Brees does the inevitable mistake is bound to creep in, after all, he is still human. He had a record setting year with 46 touchdowns and in the San Fran game it will be more of the same. The 49ers, if they are to win, must win it on defense. Their challenge will be to close off the middle and restrict Brees from moving up from the deep drop in the pocket. Lest we not forget, the Saints have a decent running attack.

Houston and Baltimore is a no brainer, if the Ravens offense shows up. There have been times when Baltimore's offense has struggled to score points. If Ray Rice does his thing, the passing game will follow, because the heat will be off Flacco to win the game on his arm alone. If Houston's defense stuffs the run, then Flacco will be hard pressed by a strong pass rush. The same can be said about Houston's offense with Arian Foster. If Foster does his thing, it will take the heat off of T.J. Yates, but here in lies the difference. Flacco will win over Yates.

The NY Giants and Green Bay Packers will be the game to watch. The Giants are at the top of their game. They had a huge victory against an Atlanta that gambled away their season. A Giants defense that struggled all season stepped up and stuffed their opponent. Ely Manning has been finding his favorite targets for big plays and when things are on the line, seems to come through to keep the game close down to the final minutes. Green Bay's success is attributed to their offense plain and simple. Aaron Rodgers, if he wouldn't have sat out that one game, would have surpassed Brees in touchdowns, easily. Rodgers spreads the ball out nicely, but his big play maker is Jordy Nelson. The Packers defense will have to be wary of the Giants bruising running game and at the same time keep Manning off balance in the passing game.

Which would you rather see-New Orleans verses Green Bay or NY Giants verses San Francisco or a Green Bay verses San Francisco or a NY Giants verses New Orleans NFC Championship? The first shall be last.

SAT, JAN 14                         TIME (ET)      TV       LOCATION
New Orleans at San Francisco 4:30 PM       FOX      Candlestick Park
Denver at New England           8:00 PM       CBS      Gillette Stadium
SUN, JAN 15                        TIME (ET)      TV       LOCATION
Houston at Baltimore               1:00 PM       CBS      M&T Bank Stadium
NY Giants at Green Bay          4:30 PM       FOX      Lambeau Field

Wild Card Weekend-It's All About Quarterbacks

I finished out the regular season 182-74 on my picks. Now, it's playoff time and the craziness continues. How the heck did it come to be that Pittsburgh(12-4) has to go to Denver(8-8) for the Wild Card? Well, that's just the way the rules bounce it. Denver just continues to defy the odds despite losing their last three games and finishing the season with more points scored against them than they scored against opponents. The only other team in the playoffs with that similar distinction is the New York Giants, and they took their division also.

It is going to be cold and snow on Sunday in Denver. Nothing the Steelers can't handle, except the air is thinner in Denver than Pittsburgh. With the colder air chilling the ball somewhat, maybe we will see some kickoffs returned instead of the ball sailing into the stands. Of course, touchdowns have to be scored or field goals kicked for that to happen. So, Denver's kicker is going to get quite cold standing idle on the sidelines. Defense is the only way I see Denver winning this game because the Steelers are going to be all over Tim Tebologny sandwiched between two linemen. Tebow will be doing the Tebow not in thankfulness, but to pick himself up off the turf. Roethlisberger has been there, done it. Nothing more needs to be said.

Cincinnati will be at Houston. Cincinnati has risen from the ashes of last season on the arm of a rookie, Andy Dalton. It is always helpful to have a go to guy, and Dalton had A.J. Green. The Bengals have also succeeded with good defense. Dalton and company will be facing a tough defense in the Texans, who have been strong both against the run and the pass. Houston will be looking to stuff the run, thus forcing the Bengals to rely on rookie Dalton's arm with hopes he will make a crucial mistake in the process. Houston has been struggling on offense as of late with T.J. Yates at the helm, even with a strong running attack in Arian Foster. The Bengals obvious objective, stop Foster. Do that, job won.

Atlanta at New York Giants will be a bruising game. Atlanta closed out the season with a blowout against Tampa Bay. Turner ran wild and the defense picked off three passes. It will be a tougher go this week against the Giants. This game is probably the most evenly matched that can go either way. Eli manning had an on again, off again season, showing brilliance one moment and total frustration the next. Last week, against Dallas, he was on. We will have to wait to see which Manning shows up on Sunday.

Detroit at New Orleans, and all that needs to be said is Drew Brees. Too many weapons for Detroit to handle, unless they can get a handle on Brees. It is a bit strange two of the Saints three losses in regular season were against two of the worst teams, Tampa Bay and St. Louis. They are playing in the Superdome where such meltdowns don't occur. New Orleans defense needs only to do one thing, shutdown Calvin Johnson.

SAT, JAN 7                 TIME (ET)      TV       LOCATION
Cincinnati at Houston      4:30 PM       NBC      Reliant Stadium
Detroit at New Orleans    8:00 PM       NBC      Mercedes-Benz Superdome
SUN, JAN 8                 TIME (ET)      TV       LOCATION
Atlanta at NY Giants      1:00 PM       FOX      MetLife Stadium
Pittsburgh at Denver       4:30 PM       CBS      Sports Authority Field at Mile High

Week 17 NFL Picks-This Is It

Ok, its that time again. Time to make predictions as to who you think is going to make the playoffs and where each team stands in the playoff bracket. The AFC is a tougher nut to crack than the NFC because it is still up for grabs. Here is my bracket predictions going into the final games of the season and a little summary of what has happened so far on a season that has gone by quickly. (I am picking Oakland and New York Giants to sneak in with Denver and Dallas dropping out.)

After starting the season strong, the Buffalo Bills haven't just faded away, they've disappeared. Well, injuries in key positions can do that to a team. Still, like a light bulb before it burns out completely, the Bills flashed brightly last Sunday against the Broncos and Tim Tebow. The Teblown Express wasn't just derailed, it was blown up, but no surprise, I knew that was going to happen. Denver came out of nowhere and that's how they will end up, nowhere. The Detroit Lions put an exclamation point on their playoff intentions with the pounding they gave San Diego. The Chargers found themselves up the Rivers without a paddle. The New York Giants seem to be the Johny-come-lately of football. At the start of the season they were winning or losing games in the last minute. Now in the last minute of regular season they are making their bid for the playoffs. Watch out Dallas.

The big matchups this Sunday are Detroit at Green Bay and Carolina at New Orleans. Win or lose it won't impact the playoff picture, much. It will be interesting to see how Cam Newton will stack up in comparison to the Saints high powered offense led by Drew Brees.

Detroit can improve their position by beating Green Bay. Win, they come in as the 5th Seed and wouldn't have to face New Orleans in the Wild Card. Lose, they would then be the 6th Seed and the path to the championships would go through New Orleans.

The Buffalo at New England game could have implications of the dire sort. If New England and Baltimore both lose and Pittsburgh with an obvious win over Cleveland, then Pittsburgh would be the 1st Seed. If New England loses and Baltimore wins it doesn't matter what Pittsburgh does, Baltimore would be the 1st Seed and New England would be the 2nd Seed. I don't even want to know what would happen if by some remote chance Cleveland should beat Pittsburgh. End of the world scenario.

SUN, JAN 1                      TIME (ET)       TV       LOCATION
Carolina at New Orleans       1:00 PM        FOX      Mercedes-Benz Superdome
Buffalo at New England        1:00 PM        CBS      Gillette Stadium
Chicago at Minnesota            1:00 PM        FOX      Mall of America Field
NY Jets at Miami                   1:00 PM        CBS      Sun Life Stadium
San Francisco at St. Louis     1:00 PM        FOX      Edward Jones Dome
Detroit at Green Bay              1:00 PM        FOX      Lambeau Field
Washington at Philadelphia   1:00 PM        FOX      Lincoln Financial Field
Indianapolis at Jacksonville   1:00 PM        CBS      EverBank Field
Tennessee at Houston            1:00 PM        CBS      Reliant Stadium
Seattle at Arizona                  4:15 PM        FOX      U of Phoenix Stadium
Kansas City at Denver           4:15 PM        CBS      Sports Authority Field at Mile High
Tampa Bay at Atlanta            4:15 PM        FOX      Georgia Dome
Baltimore at Cincinnati         4:15 PM        CBS      Paul Brown Stadium
Pittsburgh at Cleveland         4:15 PM        CBS      Cleveland Browns Stadium
San Diego at Oakland           4:15 PM        CBS      Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Dallas at NY Giants              8:20 PM        NBC      MetLife Stadium

Week 11 NFL Picks-Green Bay Remains Undefeated

Winning in football is sometimes literally a matter of inches. This statement had verification in the Saints verses Falcons with the Falcons losing 26-23. San Diego got Bush-wacked and Palmer-ized by Oakland Thursday night. Pittsburgh gained control of the AFC North beating Cincinnati, while Baltimore sputtered against lowly Seattle. The Jets inability to put it in the end zone cost them against New England. Chicago topped Detroit and Green Bay had their way with Minnesota.

November 13, 2011, Atlanta verses New Orleans, a date which will live in infamy. The game was forced into overtime and Atlanta won the coin toss. Momentum appeared to be on the side of Atlanta. Mike Cox took the third down pass from Ryan. The oustretched arm of Cox in real time looked to have gotten the first down, but the replay showed he had bobbled the ball just before his arm crossed the stick. The Falcons now were faced with a drive ending fourth down. The obvious decision would be to punt, a no brainer, but the obvious was not today.

All eyes were on Mike Smith. A glaring fact: Go for it and fail, it would be a chip shot for New Orleans to win. If you are a gambler it could be likened to a moment you're standing at the Roulette Wheel with a wade of money in your hand and you pause to reflect, should I or shouldn't I. A decision that would have one of two outcomes. If you succeed, you will be celebrated with confetti showering down and corks popping. If you don't, it won't be confetti showering down, but a hail of disappointment and that was really stupid.

The offense got the green light and it was over at the snap of the ball. Turner couldn't get any momentum with his offensive line pushed back in his face and the Saints swarming to the ball. New Orleans took over, end of game, end of story.

It was the game to take control of AFC East because Buffalo lost to Dallas earlier. The Jets inability to score in the red zone and some stupid mistakes made it easy for the Brady Bunch. If you give Brady a minute of time, he will turn it into a score, and that is what Mark Sanchez did just before the half ended. Fumble a punt and throw an interception, thus turning the ball over to the Brady Bunch is only asking for trouble, and that is what the Jets did. Instead of taking advantage of the rag-tag defense of the Patriots, the Jets offense sat on the sidelines while Tom Brady performed his magic.

The New York Jets play Denver on Thursday night. Stop Tebow from running and it should be a farely easy victory. Is Dallas for real? They play Washington and it could get real nasty for the Redskins. Buffalo will be facing off with a surging Miami. Could go either way. San Diego is jumping from the frying pan into the pot against Chicago. A must win for both teams, especially the Chargers. Cincinnati needs A. J. Green against Baltimore and Baltimore needs to get focused. New England, on a Monday night at Gillette Stadium, mixed with some New England weather, could leave the Chiefs shivering in their feathers. I was 10-6 in Week 10.

THU, NOV 17                       TIME (ET)        TV          LOCATION
NY Jets at Denver                   8:20 PM         NFL      Sports Authority Field at Mile High

SUN, NOV 20                       TIME (ET)        TV          LOCATION
Tampa Bay at Green Bay       1:00 PM         FOX      Lambeau Field
Carolina at Detroit                  1:00 PM         FOX      Ford Field
Jacksonville at Cleveland       1:00 PM         CBS      Cleveland Browns Stadium
Oakland at Minnesota            1:00 PM         CBS      Mall of America Field
Buffalo at Miami                    1:00 PM         CBS      Sun Life Stadium
Dallas at Washington             1:00 PM         FOX      FedEx Field
Cincinnati at Baltimore          1:00 PM         CBS      M&T Bank Stadium
Arizona at San Francisco       4:05 PM         FOX      Candlestick Park
Seattle at St. Louis                 4:05 PM         FOX      Edward Jones Dome
Tennessee at Atlanta              4:15 PM         CBS      Georgia Dome
San Diego at Chicago            4:15 PM         CBS      Soldier Field
Philadelphia at NY Giants     8:20 PM         NBC      MetLife Stadium

MON, NOV 21                    TIME (ET)        TV          LOCATION
Kansas City at New England 8:30 PM         ESPN     Gillette Stadium

Week 8 In The NFL Highlights Some Surprises And Follies

Denver got t-boned by Detroit. Pittsburgh stole the show from New England. Buffalo buffaloed Washington. Cincinnati clawed their way to victory over Seattle. Philadelphia soared over Dallas. Whoopsy San Diego made a late game mistake that cost them a victory. But, the shocker of all shockers was St Louis ramming New Orleans into the wall of shame.

The Rams going into their contest with the Saints were 0-6. The previous Sunday they were pummeled by inconsistent Dallas. Meanwhile. the Saints thoroughly embarrassed Manningless Indianapolis, scoring 62 points. So, what the heck happened to the Saints, who I would not have picked to lose in a million years against the Rams? The answer is quite obvious, Steve Jackson and a relentless defense. The Ram defense took Drew Brees out of his usual rhythm. While on the otherside of the ball, Jackson ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns. The rest of the NFL teams, take note.

Detroit rebounded in a big way. They needed to reaffirm their legitimacy. Sure, it was just Denver, but a win is a win. Matthew Stafford had a career day. He threw three touchdowns on a total of 267 yards with a rating of 130.8. Tim Whoop-tee-do Tebow didn't have a bad day, running for 63 yards and throwing for 172 yards and one touchdown. His one huge blunder was a pick that went for a hundred yards and a touchdown. Tebow runs out of necessity because he gets easily flustered and can't find the open man. Running quarterbacks just don't go to the Super Bowl.

Buffalo is one of the surprises of the year. They are staying on pace with New England. One of the reasons, Fred Jackson is having a great year. He didn't score a touchdown in this one, but he accumulated a total of 194 yards of offense. Ryan Fitzpatrick threw two touchdowns to Scott Chandler. Buffalo faces a tough, opportunistic Jet defense that raise havoc a a quarterback. Jackson will be their ticket to victory.

Their were alot of borderline penalty calls that went against the hard luck Chargers in the Monday Night Follies. It was raining yellow flags from the beginning to the end. Game altering official calls that took scores away from the Chargers. That been said, San Diego shot themselves in the foot on numerous occassions. They could only get the ball across the goal line once. All the other times they entered the red zone, penalties and mistakes forced them back. Kansas City didn't fair much better, but came away with the win on an overtime field goal. The Chargers are looking eerily like the Browns of old.

Pittsburgh handled the Brady Bunch quite nicely. New England fought right down to the final seconds of the game when their final possession ended up sailing in the wrong direction and out the back of the end zone, courtesy Polamalu, after a Brady fumble. The result was a safety. The offense can't advance the ball on a fumble, but there is nothing ruling against the ball going backwards 25 yards after being slapped. Roethlisberger and Company controlled the ball twice as long as the Brady Bunch. Ouch. Now Pittsburgh faces a gauntlet of AFC North teams in the back stretch. Though, I don't think they need to worry too much about the touchdownless Browns. Unless, the Browns coaching staff gets their heads out of their keisters about the wide receiver dilemma. And that's another story.

The First Week Of NFL Football Was A Real Eye Opener

Does explosive or inept describe the game play of the first week of the NFL? Were the offenses that good or were the defenses that bad? The new kickoff rule, did it take away some of the thrill? All good questions. In any rate, the first week of football was very entertaining from the first kickoff of the New Orleans at Green Bay opener to the final play of Denver at Oakland closing the week out.

Now, to answer the question about the new kickoff rule. It really doesn't matter unless you are playing in Denver where the kickoffs were going into the stands. Well, maybe not quite that far, but pretty close. Randall Cobb's kickoff return of 108 yards in Green Bay is proof the thrill of a monster return is still ever present. Maybe, the returners will take more chances at bringing the ball out of the end zone creating longer runs like Cobbs.

Some of the offenses ran up big numbers like New England, Miami, Buffalo, Houston, New Orleans, and Green Bay. Probably, no surprises here with quarterbacks like Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Aaron Rodgers and their ability to methodically take apart a secondary. But the fact that their own teams defenses were also shredded reveals an apparent weakness, an Achilles heal that other seemingly lesser teams can exploit to overcome the offensive juggernaut they face. One simple mistake could tilt the game in any direction, like the Saints and Packers game proved.

The Cleveland Browns disappointed again in a game they should have won despite themselves. They were caught daydreaming and A.J. Green waltz into the end zone like he was on "Dancing with the Stars." Shurmur complained that the Bengals did something illegal, but the fact still remained, the Browns defense that was on the field didn't have a clue and Green tippy-toed past the secondary. The only bright spot for the Browns this week was the fact the Steelers looked even worse than they did, and who got obliverated by the Ravens. The Browns can only go up from here. Cleveland plays Indianapolis this week, thank goodness.

I was 100 percent on the picks I made this week. This coming week I will be making my picks for the whole schedule. I glanced over it and the only game that looks like a sure win is Detroit over Kansas City, but despite everything said and done it was only the first games of the season. Glad the strike got settled.

History In The Making-Seahawks Win Big And Colts Just Lose

It was a great start to the Wild and Wooly-Card Weekend. The 7-9 Seattle Seahawks rocked the football world by taking out the New Orlean Saints 41-36. The Seahawks defied all logic. They not only won, but did it convincingly. If that wasn't enough irony, Peyton Manning stood helplessly on the sidelines as the Jets methodically moved down the field in the closing minute. The camera honed in on Manning and then the field of play where Edwards made a sensational catch to seal the Colts fate. All that was left to do was for Nick Folk to put it through the uprights for a 17-16 win, which he did with no time on the clock.

The Seahawks are changing the record books and making history. I guess the statement, "It's tough for a visiting team to win at Qwest Field," is true. Matt Hasselbeck outmatched Drew Brees with four touchdown passes to one and he did it with almost half the attempts. Brees threw the ball sixty times in desparation to Hasselbeck's thirty-five. It was one of Hasselbeck's best performances. Marshall Lynch was held to 55 yds of running going into the fourth quarter and then it happened. Lynch broke free for a 67 yard scamper and his only touchdown of the day. The video will be watched time and time again by Seahawk fans for days to come. He ended up with a total of 131 yards for the day. Seattle's tightend, John Carlson, had only three catches, but two of them were for pay dirt. Stokely and Williams accumulated most of the reception yardage and each had a touchdown.

You could see the agony on Peyton Manning's face after the game ended with the Colts on the short end of the stick. Manning is a true competitor, who doesn't like to accept anything short of perfection. There isn't much offense to talk about in this one. Manning had a decent game, although not one you would usually expect when Manning takes the field. He was 18-26 totaling 225 yards and only one touchdown toss. The rest of the Colts points came on Adam Vinatieri field goals. The offensive highlights came late in the game after the Colts took a two-point advantage. Antonio Cromartie returned the ensuing kickoff 47 yards. The ball was now in the hands of Mark Sanchez. He completed four passes to bring the Jets into Folk's range, but that was not enough. A final pass went in the direction of Braylon Edwards, an ex-Cleveland Brown, going down the right side, who adjusted his stride and leaped into the air to make a spectacular catch. From there it was easy for Folk to put it through the uprights with no time left. Jets win, Colts lose.

Well, that's two picks wrong so far. I wrote in my previous article, "If the Seahawks win, I am taking them to go to the Superbowl." Looks like I am locked in on this one. If the Seahawks play like they did against the Saints, there is no stopping them. Although, the next game won't be at Qwest Field. As for the Jets, I still don't know what to make of them. They will face ex-Cleveland Browns coach Bill Belichick's Patriots next.

Playoffs Begin-Wild Card Round

Seattle tops St. Louis to go into the playoffs with the first full season losing record in NFL history. The only other time that happened was in the strike shortened 1982 season. Cleveland and Detroit finished at 4-5 and for the record were knocked off in the first round of playoffs. So, what are Seattles chances of making it past the first round? How many times have you won the million dollar lottery? Pittsburgh, New England, Atlanta, and NY Jets all put huge exclamation points on their final games, each scoring over 30 points in their wins. New Orleans fumbled their way into the playoffs and Indianapolis stubbed their toe to victory. Chicago and Baltimore need more offense if they are to survive. The Packers and Eagles futures rest on the arms of Rodgers and Vick.

As I watched the Rams-Seahawks game I saw nothing that would convince me there is even a remote chance for Seattle to survive their meeting with New Orleans on Saturday at 4:30 pm. During said game I kept on hearing the words, "Its tough for a visiting team to win at Qwest Field." Well, the Saints aren't the Rams and anything short of an earthquake can save the Seahawks. If they were to beat the Saints, I will pick them to go to the Superbowl.

The Packers have something the Eagles do not, a relentless defense. The Eagles will need some help from mother nature in the way of rain to even the playing field. Vick would have the advantage on a soggy field with his ability to move and run. Sunday's weather looks to be free of any rain at 4:30 pm. Sorry Philadelphia, you might try a dance or two.

Indianapolis will be hosting the Jets on Saturday at 8:00 pm. The Colts, as of late, have not been the offensively explosive team we are use to seeing. Peyton has struggled through this season missing his compadres Clark and Collie, but has weathered the storm. Manning will be facing the tough defense of the Jets. Addai's return no doubt has given him some comfort along with the addition of old friend Dominic Rhodes. The Jets were razzling and dazzling everyone in the beginning with their last minute shockers in the form of Santonio Holmes. Well, the Jets have sinced used up their nine lives. They will need to blitz and blitz some more to keep Peyton from gaining any rythmn or else it's lights out.
 
Baltimore and Kansas City play on Sunday at 1:00 pm. The Chiefs were whacked by the Raiders in their last game. Not a good way to enter the playoffs against a bruising Raven defense. If Jamaal Charles gets stuffed it's going to be a long frustrating game for the Chiefs. The Ravens will try to establish a running game of their own and if they do that, it will give Flacco the edge he needs to get the job done. Cassel and Flacco are birds of a feather, so it is a tough one to call after all is said and, you will just have to wait for the done.
 
AFC wild-card round SATURDAY, JAN. 8
No. 6 New York Jets 20 (11-5) at No. 3 Indianapolis Colts 30 (10-6)
Lucas Oil Stadium, 8 p.m. ET, NBC
SUNDAY, JAN. 9
No. 5 Baltimore Ravens 23 (12-4) at No. 4 Kansas City Chiefs 21 (10-6)
Arrowhead Stadium, 1 p.m. ET, CBS

NFC wild-card round
SATURDAY, JAN. 8
No. 5 New Orleans Saints 28 (11-5) at No. 4 Seattle Seahawks 23 (7-9)
Qwest Field, 4:30 p.m. ET, NBC
SUNDAY, JAN. 9
No. 6 Green Bay Packers 27 (10-6) at No. 3 Philadelphia Eagles 24 (10-6)
Lincoln Financial Field, 4:30 p.m. ET, FOX

Week 16 NFL Picks-The Field Is Narrowing Down

Poor execution at critical moments was the predominant theme in Week 15. The Giants squandered a substantial lead by letting Michael Vick out of his cage and with 14 seconds left watched the game literally slip through their fingers. DeSean Jackson took an errant Dodge punt 65 yards straight up the middle of the Giants special teams for a touchdown. Tom Coughlin went bananas on the field. Too bad because Eli Manning had such a good game. Jacksonville had another "what the heck happened" game. The contest still winnable despite being behind late in the fourth, Jacksonville's Scobee attemted an onside kick with 1:54 that went straight to Hagler of the Colts who scooped up the ball and blew past everyone 41 yards for a touchdown. Finally, we come to the Patriots-Packers game. How do you let an offensive lineman take a kickoff 71 yards? The Packers coaches were probably asking that very question after their loss to the Patriots. Dan Connolly's blazing speed caught the Packers off guard. It's that simple, or is it?

Some Divisions are still up for grabs and Week 16 may clarify who may come out on top. The AFC North is still undecided. Pittsburgh plays Carolina and Baltimore plays Cleveland. The Steelers should have no problem with the Panthers, if they confine Jonathan Stewart. The Browns could put a wooden stake into the hearts of the Ravens and possess the capability, which would put Pittsburgh back in the driver's seat. That's a huge maybe. Where's Joshua Cribbs? Tennessee pulled off a shocker against Houston. The Titan defense plagued Schuab and both Chris Johnson and Kerry Collins had good games. If the Titans repeat, Kansas City will be in a fight for their life. Favre is in, Favre is out. Philadelphia is going to put the hammer to Minnesota. Seattle and St. Louis are neck and neck. Between the two, St. Louis has the better odds of winning this week. San Diego is playing Cicinnati and is in a must win situation. Should be no problem for the Chargers, you would think. The Chargers have played us for fools before.

The games of the week are Indianapolis at Oakland, NY Giants at Green Bay, New Orleans at Atlanta, NY Jets at Chicago. Peyton Manning is still a beat off with making big throws. If he gets back in sinc this week, look out Oakland. Unfortunately, Manning will have to do it without Austin Collie, but he has other weapons. One thing Oakland has that Indy doesn't is a running game, and Indy's defense is weak against the run. Oakland's defense is 5th against the pass, but 26th against the run. Maybe Peyton should fool everyone and run a few times. The Giants are coming off a heart breaker as well as the Packers. Aaron Rodgers is back, which is bad news for the Giants. For the Giants to win, Eli Manning is going to have to hold his own against a good pass defense. The Giants defense is up to the challenge, if they don't fall asleep again.

Atlanta has won eight in a row and is scoring touchdowns. They are solid at every position. New Orleans only hope for a playoff is a wildcard spot because Atlanta has already wrapped up the division. Atlanta has a chance to take the Saints out for good. Drew Brees will have to put out his best to survive. The NY Jets against Chicago is huge. The Jets have spent their nine lives. They have won in dramatic fashion games that could have easily went to the loss column. Sanchez to Holmes has been a winning combination at pivotal moments and against the Bear's defense nothing short of spectacular will do. They are playing in Cold-Chago, windy Cold-Chago, Bear country. Chicago exerted their domination in Week 15 against collasped Vikings. If Cutler continues to avoid the costly mistake, it will be an easy win.

Can a team win their division with a losing record? St. Louis and Seattle just might. Either team will have to win their next two games to avoid that honorable distinction. It has happened before. The Browns and Lions both entered the 1982 playoffs with 4-5 records because of a strike shortened season. Too bad the Browns weren't in the NFC West this year.

 

THU, DEC 23 TIME (ET)

Carolina 15 at Pittsburgh 27 8:20 PM NFL W

Heinz Field

SAT, DEC 25 TIME (ET)

Dallas 23 at Arizona 18 7:30 PM NFL L 

U of Phoenix Stadium

SUN, DEC 26 TIME (ET)

Washington 20 at Jacksonville 24 1:00 PM FOX L 

EverBank Field

Detroit 23 at Miami 24 1:00 PM FOX L

Sun Life Stadium

San Francisco 18 at St. Louis 25 1:00 PM FOX W

Edward Jones Dome

Tennessee 24 at Kansas City 21 1:00 PM CBS L 

Arrowhead Stadium

NY Jets 20 at Chicago 26 1:00 PM CBS W

Soldier Field

New England 30 at Buffalo 20 1:00 PM CBS W 

Ralph Wilson Stadium

Baltimore 24 at Cleveland 23 1:00 PM CBS W

Cleveland Browns Stadium

Houston 24 at Denver 18 4:05 PM CBS L 

Invesco Field at Mile High

San Diego 28 at Cincinnati 21 4:05 PM CBS L 

Paul Brown Stadium

Indianapolis 34 at Oakland 24 4:05 PM CBS W 

Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum

NY Giants 20 at Green Bay 27 4:15 PM FOX W 

Lambeau Field

Seattle 23 at Tampa Bay 27 4:15 PM FOX W

Raymond James Stadium

Minnesota 18 at Philadelphia 32 8:20 PM NBC L 

Lincoln Financial Field

MON, DEC 27 TIME (ET)

New Orleans 27 at Atlanta 28 8:30 PM L

Georgia Dome

Week 15 NFL Picks-It's Beginning To Look Alot Like The NFL

Is there some deep cosmic connection between the Metrodome roof collapsing and Brett Favre's consecutive game streak at 297 coming to an end? Remind's me of the scene from "Back to the Future" when the clocktower was struck by lightning sending Fox back to the future. If not, it certainly was a fitting graphic representation of the Vikings season that began with such high expectations. It has been a Bizzaro World in the NFL this year. As I analyze the season up to this point, I have to say the Cleveland Browns have played a significant role in shaping its destiny. Since suffering embarrasing losses to the Browns, New Orleans and New England have been on fire and look unstoppable, particuliarly the Patriots whose leader is the greatly despised ex-Browns coach Bill Belichick. Thank you cards are in order. Going into the stretch, the Browns can have a signicant impact on their own division, playing their final games against the Ravens and the Steelers. Win or lose, they're in a position to make or break either team. How's that for irony.

I was 11-5 in Week 14, not bad considering what happened to Minnesota and Green Bay. Without Favre, the Vikings didn't score a touchdown and without Rodgers, the Packers are offenseless. The Packers are playing New England, who have been destroying their opponents as of lately. Aaron Rodgers is iffy and if he does play could take a beating at the hands of the Patriots, and if he doesn't the team will take a beating. They can't afford to lose another one with Chicago a game up. It's a dilemma. Minnesota is playing Chicago. Tough luck Green Bay, it's not looking fortuitous. Washington plays Dallas. This will be the battle for not being at the bottom. Both teams are coming off stinging losses. This will be a good game, two division rivals going at it. Dallas is much improved and anything can happen with McNabb. Washington doesn't have a defense and Dallas is weak against the pass. The perfect scenario. San Diego plays Thursday against San Francisco. A must win for the Chargers.

The games of the week are Philadelphia at NY Giants, New Orleans at Baltimore, and NY Jets at Pittsburgh. They say Michael Vick's weakness is when he is forced to the right, but I saw something different in the game against Chicago. When the play was designed to go right, Vick was deadly accurate. The Giants defense is tough on the pass and quarterbacks. It will be interesting to see how they handle Vick. Both teams are even in the run department. The Giants offense has sputtered all season, but Philadelphia's defense hasn't handled the run well. New Orleans has scored over 30 points in each of their last five games. Both New Orleans and Baltimore are up against the wall in their divisions. It's going to be the Saints offense against the Ravens defense, winner take all. Takeaways or the lack of them will decide the game for Baltimore. Which brings us to the Jets and Pittsburgh. The Jets have used up their nine lives, its do or die. The Steelers have an ace-in-the-hole called Polamalu. The Jets are going to have to dip into their trip bag of tricks to survive this one.

THU, DEC 16 TIME (ET)

San Francisco 15 at San Diego 34 8:20 PM NFL W 

Qualcomm Stadium

SUN, DEC 19 TIME (ET)

Cleveland 21 at Cincinnati 27 1:00 PM CBS W

Paul Brown Stadium

Washington 23 at Dallas 27 1:00 PM FOX W

Cowboys Stadium

Houston 27 at Tennessee 17 1:00 PM CBS L

LP Field

Jacksonville 24 at Indianapolis 30 1:00 PM CBS W 

Lucas Oil Stadium

Kansas City 27 at St. Louis 24 1:00 PM CBS W

Edward Jones Dome

Buffalo 23 at Miami 26 1:00 PM CBS L

Sun Life Stadium

Detroit 23 at Tampa Bay 24 1:00 PM FOX L

Raymond James Stadium

Arizona 23 at Carolina 14 1:00 PM FOX L

Bank of America Stadium

New Orleans 27 at Baltimore 24 1:00 PM FOX L 

M&T Bank Stadium

Philadelphia 28 at NY Giants 24 1:00 PM FOX W

New Meadowlands Stadium

Atlanta 30 at Seattle 21 4:05 PM FOX W

Qwest Field

NY Jets 20 at Pittsburgh 27 4:15 PM CBS L 

Heinz Field

Denver at Oakland 4:15 PM CBS W

Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum

Green Bay 15 at New England 34 8:20 PM NBC W

Gillette Stadium

MON, DEC 20 TIME (ET)

Chicago 24 at Minnesota 18 8:30 PM W 

Mall of America Field

Week Eight NFL Picks-Will The Craziness Continue?

Can you sensibly explain how the Giants won their outing against Dallas on Monday Night Football? Three interceptions and three fumbles and still scored 45 points to outlast the pathetic Cowboys. Brett Favre has become totally discombobulated. He now has ten interceptions to seven touchdowns for the year. When he looks out over the secondary he envisions himself running through tall green grass on the sand dunes of a faraway beach. Retirement is looking better all the time. San Diego is suffering a complete meltdown adding four more turnovers to their list of mishaps. Then, finally there is the Saints, who suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the lowly last place Browns. Great defense was the final analysis, but I think there is something more sinister happening here. The 2010 Football Follies continue.

Week Seven I was 9-5. Somewhat better, but considering the craziness, that is not bad. Washington is at Detroit. Detroit has been experiencing woes of its own, but you expect that out of the Lions. They are better than their record shows. Washington should win on good defense and Detroit gives up alot of run yardage. Can Cincinnati live up to their expected potential against Miami? Tune in Sunday to find out. Tampa Bay is fulfilling what was said of it at the beginning of the season, that it would take its division. Maybe, the jury is still out. The Bucs should win against Arizona. Indianapolis was beaten by Houston the first time around. It's not going to happen this time even with Clark and Collie out and Reggie Wayne left to be double teamed. The Colts will persevere.

Games to watch are Green Bay at NY Jets, Tennessee at San Diego, Minnesota at New England, Seattle at Oakland, and Pittsburgh at New Orleans. Oakland's Darren McFadden had a monster Sunday against Denver and should have a decent outing against Seattle. Seattle is 4-2. It should be close. I favor the Raiders. Collins and Young are both questionable with injuries. The Tennessee and Charger game is a tough one. The Chargers should prevail if they correct the disorder called the "muffs". The Pack is back and the Jets are on a roll. The Jets have alot going for them with the home advantage included. Roethlisberger is back and Pittsburgh appears unstoppable. Drew Brees was fleeced by the Brown's defense and the Steelers look to do the same. That brings us to Minnesota at New England. Favre has stress fractures in his ankle and Moss is probably looking for some pay back against New England. It is a tough call. Minnesota's defense will have to step up to win this.
 
SUN, OCT 31 TIME (ET)
Washington 23 at Detroit 20 1:00 PM FOX L
Ford Field
Jacksonville 24 at Dallas 21 1:00 PM CBS W
Cowboys Stadium
Miami 24 at Cincinnati 27 1:00 PM CBS L
Paul Brown Stadium
Buffalo 18 at Kansas City 20 1:00 PM CBS W
Arrowhead Stadium
Carolina 17 at St. Louis 21 1:00 PM FOX W
Edward Jones Dome
Denver 23 at San Francisco 24 1:00 PM CBS W
Wembley Stadium
Green Bay 24 at NY Jets 27 1:00 PM FOX L
New Meadowlands Stadium
Tennessee 20 at San Diego 30 4:05 PM CBS W
Qualcomm Stadium
Tampa Bay 20 at Arizona 17 4:15 PM FOX W
U of Phoenix Stadium
Minnesota 27 at New England 23 4:15 PM FOX L
Gillette Stadium
Seattle 21 at Oakland 26 4:15 PM FOX W
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Pittsburgh 28 at New Orleans 24 8:20 PM NBC L
TSuperdome
MON, NOV 1 TIME (ET)

Houston 22 at Indianapolis 32 8:30 PM W 

Lucas Oil Stad

Browns Defense Topples The Super Bowl Champs 30-17

Who Dat? What Dat? Where Dat? Why Dat? How Dat? Who, is the Cleveland Browns. What, was a big victory. Where, was the Superdome. Why, was great defense. How, was two interceptions for touchdowns. The Browns future before New Orleans looked bleak, but now the sky is the limit. The Browns stunned the Saints 30-17. Cool Brees got stiffled with a total of four interceptions and the Super Bowl Champs looked like chumps.

There wasn't much in the way of offense for the Browns. Phil Dawson was the top point getter on the offense with three field goals. Hillis had a touchdown off of a short run that was set up by an interference call on an attempted pass to Joshua Cribbs. Colt McCoy passed for only 74 yards and that is about it for the rookie other than catching a 13 yard pass from Hillis.

It was defense and special teams for the Browns all the way. Linebacker David Bowens intercepted Brees twice and scampered across the goal line on both. Scampered maybe a little much, more like trotted and skipped for the touchdowns. Perhaps Scott Fujita, who had an interception near the goal line, was a secret weapon seeing he is a former Saint and was familiar with their schemes. Maybe, maybe not. Sheldon Brown had the other pick. The defense was all over Brees and kept the Saints non-existent running game in check.

Drew Brees was passing like a bull let loose on a crowded street flailing and thrashing in all different directions looking to hit someone. Even though Brees had four picks he threw 56 times with 37 completions amounting to 356 yards, plenty enough to win any other game. The Saints are looking unchampion like through their first seven games and are 4-3. Still very much alive in spite of the mishaps.

The Browns are 2-5. They are still very much in need of an offensive attack. I still say Mangini needs to get Joshua Cribbs more involved in the offense, but with Colt McCoy at the helm getting the ball to Cribbs on a deep route will be a challenge. Until the offense is capable of doing that the only wins from here on out will be when the opposing team has a complete meltdown like the Saints. Cleveland is on a bye this week so they have some extra time to come up with some imaginitive schemes to dazzle their opponents. Come on Mangini, entertain us.

Week Six NFL Picks-Big Ben Returns

Cincinnati, Green Bay, Houston, New Orleans, and San Diego all lost this past week. What a crazy season. No undefeated teams remain and the way things are going you might see the Lions and Buccaneers in the playoffs. Oh the hell with it, let's add the Browns as a possible. I know you probably are thinking this guy has gotten out of touch with reality. But this coming Sunday if the Browns beat the Steelers, the Lions beat the Giants, and the Buccaneers beat the Saints you will be apologizing for even slightly entertaining such a thought. It's a Bizzaro World in NFL 2010.

I was 7-7 last week. Time to get out the darts, close my eyes, and let it fly. I am pretty confident about The Chargers winning over the Rams this week, that is if the Chargers use super glue in the huddle before every offensive play. The Steelers are an easy bet over the Browns with Roethlisberger returning. As it stands right now Cleveland is sending in rookie Colt McCoy. Good luck with that one. A snow storm would even the playing field in this one, but that is unlikely. The Tampa Bay and New Orleans game is a toss up. The Saints have been in Jello Land since the beginning of the season and Tampa Bay's defense has been on a tear and acting like division contenders. All the rest of the games, anything can happen. Peyton Manning didn't have a single passing touchdown against the Chiefs. This week he will be compromising the goal line frequently. He will have to because Donavan McNabb will be putting the pressure on the Colts secondary with an aerial attack of his own.

The contests to watch this week will be Baltimore at New England and Tennessee at Jacksonville games. It will be interesting to see what the Patriots will do without Moss. They have picked up Branch and said they were glad to have him back to help them win some games, hopefully more than "some". Baltimore has the strong running attack and Flacco is looking decent. It will be a tough, close game, but I am taking the Patriots for the win. Wes Welker will be the deal breaker. Tennessee and Jacksonville are always a good matchup. Jacksonville is tough at home. Both teams have a good running attack. The difference will be decided by the quarterbacks. Whatever quarterback will make the least mistakes will come out the winner for his team in this one. Between the quarterbacks Vince Young has the least amount of interceptions but Garrard has more touchdowns. Jacksonville will come off victorious.
 
SUN, OCT 17 TIME (ET)
Seattle 15 at Chicago 22 1:00 PM FOX L
Soldier Field
Miami 23 at Green Bay 28 1:00 PM CBS L
Lambeau Field
San Diego 32 at St. Louis 17 1:00 PM CBS L 
Edward Jones Dome
Baltimore 20 at New England 211:00 PM CBS W 
Gillette Stadium
New Orleans 30 at Tampa Bay 24 1:00 PM FOX W
Raymond James Stadium
Detroit 17 at NY Giants 28 1:00 PM FOX W 
New Meadowlands Stadium
Atlanta 21 at Philadelphia 20 1:00 PM FOX L 
Lincoln Financial Field
Cleveland 18 at Pittsburgh 27 1:00 PM CBS W 
Heinz Field
Kansas City 17 at Houston 23 1:00 PM CBS W
Reliant Stadium
Oakland 24 at San Francisco 18 4:05 PM CBS L
Candlestick Park
NY Jets 21 at Denver 20 4:05 PM CBS W
Invesco Field at Mile High
Dallas 24 at Minnesota 27 4:15 PM FOX W
Metrodome
Indianapolis 34 at Washington 27 8:20 PM NBC W
FedEx Field
MON, OCT 18 TIME (ET)
Tennessee 20 at Jacksonville 23 8:30 PM
EverBank Field

Week Two NFL Picks-Should Be Another Wild Week

Week one is in the books. Pittsburgh ran away with the ball in overtime against Atlanta. New Orleans Brees-ed passed Minnesota, but not impressively. Cincinnati's top two receivers left the house while New England brought down the house. Cleveland dropped the ball as Tampa Bay plucked it from thin air. The Colts aired it out and got drunk on Fosters. Tennessee won con-Vince-ingly over a Young Oakland. If week one is a precursor of things to come then we are in for a wild ride.

I was 7-9 for week one. What happen? Anything that can happen will happen on any given Sunday or Thursday or Monday. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Vince Young and the Titans are for real and they will have a chance to prove it again against the Steeler defense this week. Brett Favre is in flux with his receivers and should rely on the screen to Peterson as a backup until he finds his sweet spot. Cleveland is going to have to get imaginitive with their game plan against an opportunistic Kansas City if they want to start their new win streak. San Diego shouldn't play in the rain, but should be alright at home in sunny San Diego, maybe. Jacksonville's quarterback finished his first game with a rating of 138.9 and three touchdowns. Garrard could prove to be a handful for the Chargers. New Orleans at San Francisco, a no brainer. Should be a breeze for the Saints.

The one game I will have my spy eye on will be the Giants at the Colts game. Manning against Manning. It can't get much better than that. Ely had tree touchdown passes against Carolina, but also had three picks. A somewhat shacky start. But that doesn't always tell the true story, tipped balls and all. Peyton is coming off one of his most productive yardage games with 433 yards. He also threw for three touchdowns and still came up short in the points column. The Colts were in the red zone only three times with all that yardage and were 4-12 in third down efficiency. That may explain why they lost to Houston, aside from the fact that Foster ran all over their defense. Will it prove to be a shoot out or a run off? Stay tuned.

Just an added thought-I saw somewhere on the internet T.O. has an IQ of 134. They always did say there is a fine line between genius and insanity. Well, maybe genius is a stretch.

SUN, SEP 19 TIME (ET) 
Pittsburgh 18 at Tennessee 23 1:00 PM CBS Tickets L
LP Field
Miami 20 at Minnesota 24 1:00 PM CBS Tickets L
Metrodome
Arizona 17 at Atlanta 23 1:00 PM FOX Tickets W
Georgia Dome
Baltimore 17 at Cincinnati 27 1:00 PM CBS Tickets W
Paul Brown Stadium
Kansas City 20 at Cleveland 21 1:00 PM CBS Tickets L
Cleveland Browns Stadium
Chicago 14 at Dallas 24 1:00 PM FOX Tickets L
Cowboys Stadium
Philadelphia 30 at Detroit 20 1:00 PM FOX Tickets W
Ford Field
Buffalo 15 at Green Bay 28 1:00 PM CBS Tickets W
Lambeau Field
Tampa Bay 17 at Carolina 21 1:00 PM FOX Tickets L
Bank of America Stadium
Seattle 22 at Denver 20 4:05 PM FOX Tickets L
Invesco Field at Mile High
St. Louis 12 at Oakland 23 4:05 PM FOX Tickets W
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Houston 28 at Washington 24 4:15 PM CBS Tickets W
FedEx Field
New England 34 at NY Jets 18 4:15 PM CBS Tickets L
New Meadowlands Stadium
Jacksonville 23 at San Diego 30 4:15 PM CBS Tickets W
Qualcomm Stadium
NY Giants 28 at Indianapolis 35 8:20 PM NBC Tickets W
Lucas Oil Stadium

MON, SEP 20 TIME (ET)

New Orleans 37 at San Francisco 13 8:30 PM Tickets W
Candlestick Park

Week One NFL Picks-2010 Season Begins

The stage is now set. The play is primed to begin and the curtains are ready to go up. The opening act will set the tone for things to come and it is anticipated to be an eye-popper. The Minnesta Vikings and New Orleans Saints will step back onto the field to face off in quarter five after a long halftime.

It seems like just yesterday they collided in the NFC Championship at the Superdome. The Saints walked away victorious, but the victory was somewhat hollow because they were dominated by the Vikings through the four quarters of their match. The Vikings were plagued by their own mistakes that dogged them at every turn and finally brought them to their knees in unwilling submission. The Vikings have a score to settle and Brett Favre, haunted by that final errant pass, will be looking for redemption. It will be bruising, but the Vikings will overcome and Brett will find peace.

The first games of the regular season are tough calls because you only have the preseason to base your judgements on and there is no certainty in what you have observed. It takes a few to get a feel for how all the acquisitions, trades, and draft picks will pan out.

I am looking for the Cleveland Browns to vastly improve themselves this season. Last year they were plagued by a quarterback controversy and it took some time for Mangini to finally wake up to the versitily of Joshua Cribbs. Cleveland will be in Tampa Bay for their first game. There is talk the Buccaneers are going to win their division. Something to do with the last-place team has won the division the following season in all but one year. Good luck with that one. The Browns will egde the Bucks in the opener.

I am very interested in seeing how it all shakes out for the Bengals with Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco competing for top spot in the wide receiver spotlight in Cincinnati. Owens claims to have changed and Ochocinco is what he is. Could be alot of drama in store for Palmer and company or just maybe the acquisition will increase the strength of their deep threat. I am quite sure the cameras will be honed in on their every move.

That's my take for this week, the rest is below. I will be making my picks each week, so come back and compare your choices to mine. Looking forward to the first kickoff and the beginning of a great season of NFL football. Question: What should the wildcat offense be called in Cleveland? The answer is in one of my previous posts.
 
THU, SEP 9 TIME (ET)
Minnesota 30 at New Orleans 28 8:30 PM NBC Tickets L
Superdome
SUN, SEP 12 TIME (ET)
Carolina 17 at NY Giants 21 1:00 PM FOX Tickets W
New Meadowlands Stadium
Atlanta 24 at Pittsburgh 21 1:00 PM FOX Tickets L
Heinz Field
Cleveland 23 at Tampa Bay 17 1:00 PM CBS Tickets L
Raymond James Stadium
Denver 18 at Jacksonville  20 1:00 PM CBS Tickets W
EverBank Field
Indianapolis 27 at Houston 24 1:00 PM CBS Tickets L
Reliant Stadium
Miami 21 at Buffalo 15 1:00 PM CBS Tickets W
Ralph Wilson Stadium
Detroit 21 at Chicago 23 1:00 PM FOX Tickets W
Soldier Field
Oakland 17 at Tennessee 27 1:00 PM CBS Tickets W
LP Field
Cincinnati 27 at New England 28 1:00 PM CBS Tickets W
Gillette Stadium
Arizona 14 at St. Louis 16 4:15 PM FOX Tickets L
Edward Jones Dome
San Francisco 18 at Seattle 16 4:15 PM FOX Tickets L
Qwest Field
Green Bay 28 at Philadelphia 20 4:15 PM FOX Tickets W
Lincoln Financial Field
Dallas 30 at Washington 18 8:20 PM NBC Tickets L
FedEx Field
MON, SEP 13 TIME (ET)
Baltimore 18 at NY Jets 23 7:00 PM Tickets L
Travel New Meadowlands Stadium
San Diego 30 at Kansas City 24 10:15 PM Tickets L
Arrowhead Stadium

Superbowl XLIV-And The Winner Is?

It is time to make the final pick of the NFL season. The scene is Miami, the place-Sun Life Stadium, the event-Superbowl XLIV, the opponents-Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints. Whodat you say? Yah, that's right, and unless your living under a tree in a remote jungle I'm not informing you about something you don't already know. Not alot can be said about tomorrow's game that hasn't already been said. The statistical configurations have all been calculated and the comparisons have been assessed. What's left now neither calculators nor stat sheets can measure. All that matters is what comes from inside, gives this happening breath and life, causes the pulse to quicken and the adrenalin to flow. The thing that causes individuals to reach beyond their physical boundaries and fly.

Peyton Manning possesses it. All you need to do is observe Manning in action. His demeanor, his expressions all exude this thing I am talking about. When he approaches the line of scrimmage after breaking the huddle you can see the determination in his body language as he reads the defense. As a commander he makes the necessary adjustments and positions his troops. There is no hesitation once he is set and without pause zeros in on his target. You know how things are going because you see it in his face. You see the disappointment when he fails to execute a third down, the dissatisfaction when the offense settles for a field goal, and when in a dog fight the complete focus on matching blow for blow until an edge can be exploited. When on the sidelines waiting for his next shot, the wheels continue to turn in his mind, never breaking his concentration.

Drew Brees possesses it. Brees has quietly gone about his business for years now and finally, deservedly reached the goal. He has piled up the yardage and has one of the best pass completion percentages of quarterbacks. His presence on the field inspires his teammates and the fans. When things break down on the line and the pressure is felt, his determination to find an open receiver is relentless and more times than not he will find that one receiver. His exibits the quiet, patient kind of reflection as he sits on the sidelines waiting his turn with the ball, kind of like a cat waiting and at the right moment springing into action onto its prey.

The Indianapolis Colts have already been to the Superbowl, so their fans know what they want to see. This is the first time for the New Orleans Saints and their fans emotions equal their expectations. Based on that perspective, I would give the edge to the Saints, but that won't be enough. Peyton Manning is a proven winner with a heart to match. Drew Brees is an equal in many ways. It is a tough call. I give the edge to Peyton Manning in that he is a consistent winner, always has been, and will be considered in the books and in hearts one of the best quarterbacks to have played the game.

 

SUN, FEB 7 TIME (ET) 6:25 PM CBS

New Orleans 25 at Indianapolis 30 Tickets

Sun Life Stadium