This and That

Some stories from today:

MLB

• Joe Girardi has figured out how to make the Marlins winners.
• The Coco Crisp to Boston trade should happen now.
• Frank Thomas is an Oakland Athletic now, and apparently I'm not the only one who is a little sad about it.
• Things just keep getting more interesting in the World Baseball Classic when it comes to who's playing for whom. Just ask Danny Haren.
• Sammy Sosa already knew the bigger you are, the farther the ball goes. Now he's learning about how the bigger you are, the harder you fall.

NFL

• Still the Seahawks vs the Steelers in Super Bowl XL. Game's still 9 days away too.
• Sean Taylor may be listed as Questionable for next season.

NBA

• Pretty big trade in the NBA today between Minnesota and Boston. Bill Simmons has something to say about it.
• Someone compared Ron Artest to Isaiah Rider the other day. That made me ask myself, "Whatever happened to Isaiah Rider?"

Then finally, I would like to thank Aaron for pointing this one out.

• Crying Fan

Big Ben's Time Has Come and Kobe Goes Off

Big Ben Reaches the Big Time

I told you Steeler fans to be excited after I endorsed Jake Plummer. Four turnovers by The Snake sending the Steelers to XL, and restoring order in the world. There's gonna be a lot of talk about the Super Bowl in the next week and a half. Unfortunately most of it will probably center around Detroit, and the lack of big names. It's gonna be called boring by a lot of people which is stupid if you ask me. I think this is going to be a great game. I'm not gonna talk too much about it now though. I'll break down what I think later next week before the game.

My honest feeling about the Steelers is jealousy. They are everything the Bears want to be right now. They have a solid run game, and they play solid defense. They beat up on their opponents. The major difference is the Steelers have Ben Roethlisberger. It surprises me how many people still think Ben is a game manager. Look at these numbers he's had in the playoffs:

680 Yds 68% Comp. 7 TD's 1 INT

Looks more like a game winner than a manager to me. He is a franchise quarterback, and he has shown that this postseason. A lot of people say they are surprised to see the Steelers in the Super Bowl. Well 6th seed or not the Steelers really have been the best team in the NFL since Week 14 when the beat the Chicago Bears 21-9. They haven't lost a game (7 game win streak) since December 4th when they lost 38-31 against Cincy, but the Steelers got the last laugh in the opening round of the playoffs.

While the running game and defense are very large reasons for the Steelers success, does anybody think they'd be anywhere near as good a team if Tommy Maddox was behind center? I sure as hell don't. This is Ben's team, it doesn't matter that he's only in his second year and is only 23 years old. (24 in March) While a lot of people don't see it yet, there are some starting to notice outside of Pittsburgh, and Big Ben is gonna be Big Time for quite a while in Pittsburgh if you ask me. Even if Pittsburgh loses on February 5th, I think it won't be Ben's last chance with this team. They were 15-1 last year, and despite a bad 3 week stretch (when Ben was hurt) finished 11-5. They easily could have been 13-3. This team is not going to just drop of the face of the NFL landscape next season.

Not with Ben around.


81

Ok so there's already been a ton of things said about Kobe and his 81 point performance on the night. I don't want to get too far into it cuz if you're like me you're probably a little bit sick of hearing about it. I am not a Kobe Bryant fan, and I never will be. I think he is a ball hog, and he was ball hogging when he scored 81. I don't have a problem with him doing it though. When he took over the Lakers were down by 18, and by the time he was done they had won.

Plus I don't exactly see Phil Jackson or anybody else on the Lakers do anything but help him get the job done. Kobe did do a couple of things afterward that I find are par for the course in his career. He never once thanked his teammates after the game for helping him. Not once. Then he actually said, after putting up a stat line that read 81 points 4 rebounds and 2 ASSISTS, "I'm all about the W."

He must have been talking about President Bush. I'm sorry but anytime a player would rather be the best player on a losing team, than the second best player on a championship team, they don't care about winning no matter what they say.

Another thing I loved about the whole situation was when New Jersey Net Vince Carter said that Kobe's performance was "bad for the kids." You're kidding right? I understand that maybe future ballers may get the wrong idea about Kobe's selfishness here, I'm not arguing with what VC said, I just want to know one thing. What does VC think about the fact he admitted that his last few years in Toronto he didn't give 100% of his effort so he'd get traded? Was that setting a bad example for the kids Vince? If your team is bad, don't waste your time trying to make them better, suck it up until they trade you to a better team.

Also I'm going to go on record and say I think what Kobe did is greater than what Chamberlain did with 100. Chamberlain was the tallest guy on the court, and if he got the ball down low he was unstoppable. Kobe did it as a guard. He had to take outside shots, not 4 footers. Plus he took a beating running into the lane to get fouled and go to the line. I also think at the rate he is going Kobe will have a higher scoring game this season. I mean the only thing that can stop him at this point is not opposing defenses. It's Lamar Odom snapping and blowing Bryant away after practice one day.

Random Thoughts

• Ron Artest was a King for I think 15 seconds before he started trouble. GL Kings. I think Peja may be revitalized in Indianapolis. With Jermaine O'Neal getting double teamed Peja will give the Pacers the outside shooting presence they've lacked without Reggie Miller this year. Their team defense will suffer though. The Kings are getting a good player on the court, but they have no idea what they have on their hands now. No matter what he says, it's obvious Artest didn't want to go to Sacto, and it's only a matter of time before something big happens.
• Mario Lemieux has retired, and it's for real this time. No doubt Mario was one of the greatest ever, but luckily Penguin fans shouldn't feel too bad, at least they still have Crosby. Too bad for the NHL though cuz they REALLY need some kind of star power. Ovechkin and Crosby could be just what the doctor ordered though.
• The Buffalo Bills have hired Dick Jauron to be their head coach. Good luck with that. Don't get me wrong, nice guy and all, and his players loved him here in Chicago, but I really don't think he's a very good coach. I'm not even sure he has feelings, and in fact he may be a robot.
• The White Sox have offered 1B Paul Konerko the position of Captain on the team. I'm very happy to report that Konerko doesn't want it. The Chicago Sun-Times' Chris De Luca was able to sit down with Paulie and talk about it. For more on why he doesn't want it, and why I love Paulie and this team so much, go here.
• I'm really trying to get excited about the World Baseball Classic, but just can't. I think MLB really messed up the timing of it. It's a great idea, but it's been poorly executed. Can you really blame Major Leaguers for skipping out on the event? It's important time they should be spending getting ready for the MLB season.
• Jeff Bagwell's and Frank Thomas' careers are just eerily similiar. They both were born on the same date, they both won MVP awards in the same seasons, they both play first base, and they have both now been publicly humiliated by their teams after injury plagued years. First was Thomas with the Sox and the diminished skills clause in his contract that resulted in his leaving this offseason (And signing today with the Oakland A's for $500,000. Talk about bargain if he stays healthy. IF.) and now the Astros have come out and said basically that Bagwell is no longer good enough to play baseball. Harsh. I don't know if Bags can stay in Houston now. I think he's going to end up signing a one year deal with an AL team and play DH.
• Speaking of the Big Hurt, good luck in Oakland. I hope things work out for you. It's going to be very strange to see you in another jersey next year, let alone those white shoes. You were my favorite player growing up, I even mimicked with my batting stance. You took a lot of heat in this town, but during the mid 90's there was no better hitter in baseball.

A question for you my readers. Leave your answers in the comments.

You are the Houston Texans new head coach Gary Kubiak. You have the first pick in the upcoming NFL draft, what do you do with it and why? Keep it? Trade it? If you keep it who do you pick and why?

Also as always if you ever have a question for me ask in the comments or email me at [email protected].

NFL Conference Championships

Do the NFL Playoffs make any sort of sense anymore? I mean really. Look at the 4 teams left. There are no Patriots, no Eagles or any Colts. Instead its some Broncos, Panthers, Seahawks, and Steelers. We have 4 teams that at any given point could beat any team remaining. So while there is a large part of me dying inside from the way the Bears gave away their oppurtunity, there is a part thrilled with the possibilities. These games are going to be good. There is no way to get around that fact. There are other things I would like to get to though, so without any further ado let's get to my Conference Championship picks.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos (-3)

Well something tells me the Refs in this game aren't going to be fawning over Jake Plummer, no matter how sexy that beard is. So Joey Porter and his teammates can at least feel more secure this week. This game is really hard to put a finger on. I look at both teams, and see a lot of similarities. Both have very good defensive units, and both have good offenses that start with the run. The Broncos spent last weekend ending the Patriots postseason brilliance, while the Steelers took down the heavily favored Colts.

It also seems that Jake Plummer has fallen into my "Tiki Barber" class of NFL players. For no real reason, I just don't like him. Every part of me says "He sucks." but then it turns out he doesn't. In the first round though I finally gave Tiki his due, and he went right out and had a horrible day against Carolina. Well I have bad news Bronco fans, I'm about to give Jake Plummer his due. He really has changed. I've now seen 4 complete Bronco games this season, and not even ONCE have I seen him do something stupid. I don't know if it's Plummer, Shanahan, or Kubiak making the difference, but whatever the hell it is it better keep going. (Bronco fans better hope it's not Kubiak, cuz he'll be in Houston next season) Jake makes every throw he needs to make and has overall just done a fantastic job running the Broncos offense.

The Denver defense is seldom heard about when analysts talk about the better D's in the NFL. They should be. A fundamentally solid, FAST unit that rarely misses tackles and flies to the ball. Al Wilson and John Lynch are the figure heads behind this style, while Champ Bailey (Even if Portis runs for 1500 yards every season in Washington the Bailey/Portis trade has been great for Denver) shuts down opponents top WR and makes big play after big play. (Also, I'd like to see you sprint 102 yards in the thin Denver air without getting tired before you dog Champ for getting caught at the 1 yard line Saturday night.)

Pittsburgh will be a tough opponent for Denver though. Much is made of the fact that Pittsburgh is the 6 seed, but they weren't 15-1 last season cuz they were a bad team. Take out a 3 week stretch in the regular season and this team is a 3 seed. Pittsburgh can grind you down with the run, and Big Ben can hurt you with his arm. (Steeler fans should feel very happy, I think they have their first real franchise QB since Bradshaw. Big Ben has my attention.) Hines Ward won't have an easy day with Bailey presumably covering him, but Hines Ward doesn't need to make catches to beat you. He can help his RB's with his solid outside blocking.

Pittsburgh's Defense is a Pittsburgh defense. In other words it's big, it's strong, and it will hit you. They consistantly force turnovers thanks to ball hawk Troy Polamalu. In fact this defense is a lot like Denver's in that they both blitz a lot and cause a lot of havoc for offenses.

I think the key in determining who is going to win this game will depend on each QB. Both Plummer and Roethlisberger will have to deal with constant blitzes. Whichever one can maintain enough poise to move the ball downfield is going to be the winner. I think this will be easier for Plummer, seeing how he is at home so he won't also have to deal with the deafening noise. (That sound in the background is Steeler fans cheering.)

Denver Broncos 27 Pittsburgh Steelers 23


Carolina Panthers at Seattle Seahawks(-3.5)

I just wanted to start this portion of the column off by thanking Shaun Alexander for proving me right. Last week when he left the game early due to a concussion the Seahawks didn't seem to have any trouble winning without him. (Though they tried repeatedly to get the Redskins to the NFC Championship with fumble after fumble) This just further proved my theory that Alexander wasn't the Most VALUABLE Player in the NFL. The best season, yes, most valuable, no. Of course Steve Smith showed me that Tom Brady wasn't the most valuable either, but Steve Smith doesn't write this column, he only haunts the dreams of the man who does. (Seriously I had a dream the other night straight out of Planet of the Apes. It was the final scene of the movie and I was Charlton Heston on the beach. But instead of the Statue of Liberty it was a big statue of Steve Smith. I threw rocks at it while screaming "You maniac!! You blew us up!!!! Damn you Steve Smith! God damn you to hell!!" but he kept catching every rock I threw at him and turning them into 6 points. I am seriously traumatized by this man.)

This game is another tough call, but realistically I have to go with the Seahawks. Matt Hasselbeck showed last week that he isn't a "Game Manager" QB as much as he's just a good QB. A lot of people around the country didn't realize that cuz all they ever see is Shaun Alexander crossing the goal line. Darrell Jackson is also probably the best WR that you have never heard of. Steve Smith wasn't the only NFC WR to have a huge day last weekend.

The Seahawks lone "weakness" is their defense. That's not a true weakness though. They're vulnerable, but not weak. Fortunately for them though they have an offense that scores 30 points a game at home. They do have one major problem though....

Steve Smith is still alive. I'm thinking Mike Holmgren has instructed all his players to keep their mouths shut. Unlike the Bears secondary, who learned the hard way, the Seattle secondary will not be talking smack to Steve Smith in warmups. You can't talk trash to Steve Smith. I'm pretty sure that's in the Bible. It says something like "And on the Seventh Day God called Steve Smith a punk. Smith then burned him for an 85 yard touchdown and God never worked a Sunday again." I'm pretty sure its John 3:16.

Let's not forget Jake Delhomme and his 5-1 playoff record, best of all the remaining QB's. Delhomme has that Favre like intangible in that he's just a good ole boy lookin to have some fun out there. Pressure doesn't really get to him, and in the postseason that's huge. Losing DeShaun Foster (I don't think I'm the only person in Chicago that screamed "Wrong ankle jackass!!" after Bears LB Hunter Hillenmeyer rolled over Foster's last Sunday) to the broken leg hurts, but Nick Goings did fine in his absence Sunday, and last season. For the Seahawks sake, it's important they don't look past Goings and the Panthers running game to focus solely on Smith, or they are going to get burned.

Carolina has a great defense. They do have problems though in that Dan Morgan got hurt against the Bears, and is still being bothered by his shoulder, and Julius Peppers hasn't practiced yet this week after being hurt in Sunday's game. Morgan should play, but Peppers is listed as Questionable. I'm guessing that unless his arm falls off he will play. It's the most important game of the season, but the question is if he does play will he play well? So even with a solid unit, with all the injuries I don't think the Panther D can contain all of the Seahawks weapons on offense. With solid vets like Mike Minter, Brentson Buckner, and Mike Rucker back there though, I can't rule them out.

Seattle Seahawks 28 Carolina Panthers 24



No matter what happens this weekend though, with coaches named Shanahan, Cowher, Holmgren, and Fox we can be damn sure we won't be seeing badly coached games. (Hello Lovie Smith and Ron Rivera)

Speaking of Lovie Smith, and Ron Rivera, I'm not throwing you guys under the bus or anything, but what happened? You both did a great job this season, and I won't try to take that away, but what the hell happened on Sunday? Was Rivera too busy interviewing for head coaching jobs, that he didn't have proper time to prepare? I think that is the case, then throw in the fact that Smith sat all his key players at the end of the season, and you get what you got. (Indianapolis rested it's starters too, and it looks like Vanderjagt needed all the practice he could get.)

Ok, well now it's onto everybody's favorite part of the show.

Random Thoughts

• Does Matt Millen just not get it? First it was hiring Morningwheg right away, then Mariucci without interviewing anybody and now Rod Marinelli. Millen had visits scheduled with both Marinelli and Jim Haslett on Tuesday. Well his first was Marinelli and Millen decided that hiring him was good enough, and that he didn't need to bother calling Jim Haslett, or anybody for that matter. Meanwhile Haslett sat around the airport waiting for a call from Millen that just never came. Also he's a good coach, but Marinelli has never been anything but a DLine coach. Is he really ready to go straight to Head Coach? I mean the last thing they need in Detroit is another project.
• 5 games is too long a suspension for the Knicks Antonio Davis. When he went into the crowd Tuesday night at the United Center it was for completely different reasons than Artest. He was protecting his family. Plus once he got there he did nothing but protect them until security came. He didn't swing at or even touch anybody. I know Stern had to do something, but I think 2 or 3 games would have been enough.
• I know I picked Michigan State to go to the Final Four, but Indiana will win the Big Ten. That team is good and they don't even have their "Best" player in DJ White. Marco Killingsworth is a beast.
• Shaq and Kobe are friends again? That's bad news for the NBA cuz they no longer have any completely unwarranted made up rivalries to hype. (Anytime teams only play twice a year ie Lakers/Heat Cavs/Nuggets it's not a rivalry. Pistons/Spurs maybe cuz of Finals history.) I'm trying to enjoy the NBA like I used to, but dammit, I just can't. Give me the College game any day of the week.
• Panger wants me to mention that the Olympics start in 2 weeks.
• Cubs GM Jim Hendry and Manager Dusty Baker got the hell booed out of them at last week's Cubs Convention. This restores hope for Cub fans in my book as it seems they are starting to wake up. My favorite moment was when a fan asked Dusty Baker "Have you ever even heard of a suicide squeeze or a sacrifice?"
• I'm still trying to figure out how Hockey qualifies as Outdoor Life
• If this column seems subpar to my usual performance, well, I don't want to throw anybody under the bus here, but let's just say we had some protection issues.

Grin and Bear It

For once I am at a loss for words. There is no single word I can use to describe how I feel right now. Sad, depressed, disappointed, devastated, none of them tell the whole story. You don’t really understand how much a team means to you until you don’t have them anymore. I truly have an unhealthy passion for my Chicago Bears. I live and die with them every fall/winter. I haven’t said three words since Rex Grossman’s incomplete pass on 4th down sealed our fate.

When the White Sox won the World Series a few months ago, the emotion I felt was completely foreign. When the Bears lost today, I knew the feeling. I’ve had it before, but not often. The great thing, and the cruelest thing about the NFL are the "short" seasons. In baseball you have a 6 month 162 game regular season, followed by a postseason that could be as long as 19 games. The NBA and NHL have 82 game seasons. So when your favorite team loses, you have that "We’ll get em tomorrow" type of feeling. In the NFL during the regular season you have to sit with that sour taste for at least a week. In the playoffs you’re stuck with it for 7 months.

Forgive me if this column seems directionless, or lacks a definitive purpose. It’s just, well, that’s kind of how my mind is right now. I just had to watch my favorite team get outplayed when it mattered most. It happens too damn much for my liking. I can barely remember the last time I got to see the Bears win a playoff game. I can tell you it was at Minnesota, and we won 35-18, but I couldn’t give you any real info on the game. It was over 10 years ago. I was 14 years old.

This just in: Steve Smith has just burned Charles Tillman for ANOTHER touchdown, back to our column

The most sickening aspect of this game, is the one facet of our team there was no questions about failed. Ask anybody before this game, and they’d tell you that the Bears defense was the only thing you can count on. Then the game started and two plays later there was Steve Smith walking into the end zone. 7-0 Panthers. All the built up emotion and excitement just got sucked out of my lungs. The Panthers gained over 400 yards of offense on the Bears defense before the game was over. The same Bears defense that usually gave up 400 yards over 3 game spans during the season.

Then there was our offense, which predictably started out slow. Rex Grossman was going to be nervous and needed to settle in for the offense to run. He did eventually too. The game really turned into nothing more but a shootout. For once the Bears offense got the job done, and then some. The defense let them down. The same defense that carried them all year, finally crumbled under all the weight.

You can’t be mad at them for it. No wait, ya you can, cuz I am. Without them we never would have been to the playoffs to begin with. There was a lot of talk about how great a defense this was this year, and in truth they were. Unfortunately the only way to be remembered that way is to win in the postseason. They couldn’t do that.

This just in: Steve Smith has just sacked Bears QB Rex Grossman, and tied him to a tree. He is now having sex with Grossman’s wife, and forcing him to watch. Now he is making Rex Grossman a sandwich, what kind, I cannot tell. He’s laying the sandwich down next to Grossman. What’s this?! Steve Smith is now urinating on the sandwich he just made for Grossman. Charles Tillman is running onto the field to tackle Smith, but he’s tripped on his own feet. Smith has now taken off for the endzone. Touchdown Panthers. Back to our column.

Can you sense the slight bit of anger I’m feeling right now? There are a lot of things about today’s game that I didn’t like. Mostly the 29-21 final score. Then there was the fact that Steve Smith was somehow left in single coverage on Tillman all game. After he’s burned him a few times you’d think the thought of matching up Nathan Vasher on him might occur at some point. Vasher had a quiet game, 1 tackle I believe. Why? Cuz the Panthers never threw the ball near him except once. A screen to Smith, for one yard. How about a reason why we seemingly threw the ball on first down every time? Why didn’t we challenge the last Panther TD? It looked as if Mangum was bobbling the ball, and it DEFINETELY touched the ground when he came down with it.

Losing for fans is just as bad as it is for players. It’s just in different perspectives. Either way it’s painful. Of course none of this is going to make me love the Bears less. In fact there are quite a few things I see about our team that has me very excited about our future. They are:

• All of our starters are signed for next year except RG Terence Metcalf, but we have Roberto Garza signed, and he’s played better than Metcalf anyway.
  
• Another year under our defense’s belt in Lovie’s system. Plus the average age of the defense is 26. Find a cornerback in the draft (PLEASE) or free agency to shore up the secondary and we could be dominant.
  
• Rex Grossman gives us an offense. He started off shaky, but at the end of the first half, and in the second half he marched us up and down the field. He answered every Panther TD. His defense just let him down today.
  
• Our Division is in shambles. Every other team will have a new Head Coach next season, implementing a new scheme. So barring a huge rash of major injuries we have to be the favorites to win our division again.
  
• Bernard Berrian. Berrian had a very good game against the Panthers, and has had a couple of good games ever since Grossman returned. Give Muhsin Muhammad a complete season with Rex, and he should have a lot better numbers. Justin Gage keeps coming along, and rookie Mark Bradley was playing very well before getting hurt during the season. Our offense has a lot of potential weapons heading into next year, not the least of which is,
  
• Thomas Jones. I cannot express how huge he was for us this year. The fact we spent our 1st round pick on Cedric Benson really seemed to light a fire under him. He stayed healthy for just about the entire season, and even if he isn’t our depth at running back is key. Adrain Peterson could start for a number of teams in this league, it’s just nobody knows who he is. Then there’s Cedric Benson who we just don’t know enough about yet, though he showed some of his potential before the knee injury.
  

What we need to address this offseason is getting a Tight End and another Corner through the draft of free agency. Rex needs the kind of TE to depend on when he’s under pressure. He can’t keep flinging the ball around the field to his WR’s when he’s in trouble. Ask Brett Favre how that turns out.


So yes, Im extremely disappointed in today’s game, but the future isn’t depressing. Though to be honest the future won’t be of any consolation until opening kickoff next season. Hey it’s only 7 months away, but luckily Spring Training starts in 35 days.

Random Thoughts

• If you asked me this morning what was more likely, the Steelers beating the Colts in Indy, or the Bears defense giving up 434 yards, I take Pitt.
• There is only one person in the country right now who correctly predicted the NFL's "Final Four" this season. (Denver, Pittsburgh, Carolina, Seattle) The thing is he knows nothing about football, and is in fact a woman who picked them cuz "They have pretty uniforms."
• Former White Sox, Current Cub Bobby Howry called the White Sox starting rotation over rated. He also said the Cubs was better. Funny cuz last I checked the White Sox rotation will all be wearing rings on their hands next spring while the only things Cubs pitchers will have on their arms are slings.
• I hate the Pistons (Bulls/Pistons) but I love the way they play basketball.
• I wonder if Peyton Manning is going to blame his Offensive line for Eli's crappy performance too?
• NCAA Final Four of Duke, UConn, Texas, and Michigan State. Write it down.
• Steve Smith just stole my TV on his way to another touchdown
• At what point to defensive coordinators say to themselves about Steve Smith "We better double him."?
• Guess I can cancel my plans for going to Detroit in February

NFL Divisional Round

Ok so the Divisional round is upon us. This round is quite intriguing. All 4 games are rematches from the regular season. In those 4 games the home teams (Washington, Denver, Indy, and Chicago) all won. I think that this week should be the same, with one exception. Let’s look at last week first though. Picking games straight up I went 3-1 (W-Wash, NE, Pitt L-NYG), and 3-1 against the spread. So my undefeated postseason dream is over, but I’ll take a 3-1 again this week. So anyway, onto my prognosticating brilliance.

Washington Redskins at Seattle Seahawks (-9.5)

Well the Redskins only mustered 120 yard on offense last week, and still somehow managed to win in Tampa. Of course when your Defense gets 2 huge turnovers in the first 5 minutes (INT resulting in a 1st and goal, Fumble rec for a TD) leading to a quick 14-0 lead, it never hurts your chances. If the Redskins are going to beat the Seahawks, they are probably gonna need more than 120 yards. I’d say at least 135.

When these two teams met early in the season the Redskins prevailed 20-17 in DC. This week’s game is 100% different though. Both teams are not the same teams they were in that first meeting. This time though the Seahawks are at home, and the Skins just aren’t a good road team. (Even though they won last week, if you saw the game you know what I mean)

Newly named MVP Shaun Alexander will be the toughest test this revitalized Redskin defense has faced. Not to mention the fact he is rested. Matt Hasselbeck is not exactly a pushover either at QB. Also now that Darrell Jackson is healthy, the WR corps in Seattle is a very solid unit. These Seahawks didn’t get finish as the #1 Offense in the NFC cuz they can’t move the ball. Of course the must unknown, and underappreciated unit on this offense is its line. The left side of the line with T Walter Jones, and G Steve Hutchinson are phenomenal. They are absolute death to RE’s. When watching the game pay attention to how many of the Seattle’s run plays go left compared to right. Stats show that Alexander averages more yards a carry to the right, but the reason for that is that defenses overload on the left side of the Seahawks line to account for Jones and Hutchinson. This frees up space on the right side for Alexander to break long runs over there occasionally. It’s a pick your poison for opposing defenses. Either play balanced and have the left side eat you up, or overload the left and leave the right exposed. This is a VERY GOOD offense, and I can’t stress that enough.

On the flip side the Seattle defense isn’t great number wise, but they have a ton of sacks, and cause turnovers. Both of those are magnified in the postseason. The Redskins are coming off of a god awful offensive performance in Tampa, but lucky for them they won’t be facing the Tampa defense this week. Look for Portis to get 100 yards, and maybe a TD, but I expect the Seahawks defense will be able to keep Santana Moss in check. In other words, the Redskin offense will be a lot better this week, but it won’t be good enough to keep up.

Seahawks 27 Redskins 21


New England Patriots at Denver Broncos (-3)

The Patriots started off slowly on Saturday night, but got things going in the second half to make an easy time of it against Jacksonville. They shut down the Jaguar running game, and forced them to throw stopping that too. The Jags are a good team, but they were just out of their element in Foxboro.

In the same matchup between these two teams during the regular season the Broncos won at home 28-20. I really don’t think this week will be the same. I’m officially on the Patriots bandwagon right now. Though it’s for selfish reasons I’ll get to later. I could try to get real in depth with my reasoning for this game, but I don’t think it’s necessary. I only have to say the following sentence.

It’s a playoff game with Jake Plummer going against Tom Brady.

See what I’m getting at here? Jake Plummer is going to come back in this game. The Patriots defense(Even without Bruschi, who won’t be playing, pay no attention to the NE injury report) will shut down the Bronco running game. That front 7 has been phenomenal the last few weeks. That’s going to force the Broncos to leave the game in Plummer’s hands. That sentence right there should send shivers down any Bronco fan’s spine. It did mine, and I don’t care about the Broncos.

Yes it’s in Denver, I don’t care. It’s my "upset" pick of the week.

New England 20 Denver 14


Pittsburgh Steelers at Indianapolis Colts(-9.5)

Yesterday Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger said it best "We have to play our A+ game to beat their B- game." He said it jokingly, and as a motivational tactic for his team, but he was right. Some people are saying that the Colts are gonna be rusty, and out of practice. Well Indy hardly played its stars in the preseason, and then they only won their first 13 games.

In the regular season matchup, also in Indy, the Colts outright destroyed the Steelers 26-7. If this game were being played in Pittsburgh I’d give the Steelers a fighting chance, but not in the RCA Dome.

I don’t think Pittsburghs secondary can keep up with the Colt WR’s on that turf. Harrison and Wayne will run by them, and Clark, Stokley, and all the rest will take care of the underneath stuff. Then throw in the fact Polamalu will have to play close to the line of scrimmage to help stop Edgerrin James, and I see some post routes opening up. The Steelers front 7 can stop the majority of the teams in the leagues run game, but not the Colts. It’s not that Edgerrin James is the greatest RB ever, its his help. He has Peyton Manning taking away attention, the WR’s keeping the Safety from cheating too much, and the best offensive line in the league. (Other teams may have more "talent" on the line, but none have been as good for as long as the Colts line) Put all those together and the Steelers front seven will need help from Polamalu that the Steeler secondary can’t really afford to give.

That means the Steelers are going to have to outscore the Colts. The Steelers have had some high scoring games this year, but how many teams can keep up point wise with the Colts? I’d say 3, the Pats, Seahawks, and Bengals. Of course that’s without considering doing it against the much improved Colts defense.

The Steelers keep it a lot closer than last time, but not close enough.

Indianapolis 31 Pittsburgh 23


Carolina Panthers at Chicago Bears (-3)

Ok, so Im probably just a bit biased in this one. It’s just I’ve seen this entire story before during the regular season. The Panthers were rolling on all cylinders before coming into Chicago. They had scored over 30 points in their previous two games, and they were going to destroy the Bears. Then the game started, and the Bears won 13-3.

That 13-3 is very misleading though. The Bears got one offensive TD from former Panther Muhsin Muhammad, and should have had 2 but Muhammad dropped a touchdown in the end zone. (Round here we refer to these instances as Moose Droppings. Did he always drop this many passes? Course he’s still better than any reciever we’ve had here since Eddie Kennison, and Tom Waddle. Yes...that Eddie Kennison. He was a bad ass here.) Also the Bears D smothered the Panthers. They sacked Delhomme 8 times, and only gave up 60 yards rushing. Meanwhile the vaunted Panther D line was held sackless, barely pressuring then Bears QB Kyle Orton.

Steve Smith did go off on the Bears for 170 yards, but the Bears kept him out of the end zone. If they can keep him in check again, the Bears should win. Another key will be stopping DeShaun Foster. Towards the end of the season the Bears defense was missing a lot of tackles, something the unit rarely did during the season. I suspect this was just a sign of an undersized defense wearing down. I think the rest in Week 17 and the Bye should leave this defense as refreshed as it has been all season.

Also in the Bears favor this time is Rex Grossman. Yes it’s his first ever postseason start (Hell it’s only his 8th CAREER start), and all 4 Playoff virgin QB’s lost last week. The difference here is that the Bears don’t NEED a strong output from their QB. They run the ball, and they stop you from scoring. Grossman’s presence though keeps opposing defenses honest, and let’s Thomas Jones run against something other than 8 man fronts. So in reality, the only thing different from this matchup compared to the last one is the Bears have a better offense this time.

If they won last time without one, I would have to assume they win this time with one.

Chicago Bears 17 Carolina Panthers 10

Random Thoughts

• I'm praying for a Patriots-Bears Super Bowl. It will be called Super Bowl XX Squared. This Time....it's Personal. Now if it does happen, I will have to find a way to get rid of Tom Brady, and find Steve Grogan or Tony Eason.
• There's a lot of fuss being made over Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart, and Vince Young in the NFL next season, and where they'll be drafted. Am I the only one who thinks LenDale White will have a better pro career than any of them? (I just hope it's not with the Packers.)
• Don't believe Miguel Tejada saying he doesn't want to be traded anymore. It's just a ploy to strengthen the Orioles stance. It's hard getting equal value for a guy when the team you're negotiating with knows he wants out.
• Funny headline I saw on ESPN.com yesterday, Kobe HELD to 41. The most damning part of that game was the Lakers still lost despite Kobe's performance. I would like to know what the Bulls record was when MJ scored at least 40. If you can't win when you're superstar is scoring 40 points, you can officially say "We suck." How long til Lamar Odom attacks Kobe?
• The Winter Olympics start in a few weeks!!! Yep. I don't care either. Well except for the luge, Luge is badass.
• Pitchers and Catchers report in about 5 weeks. I'd say I can feel the warm sun on the horizon, but it's already 50 degrees in Chicago.
• Congrats to Bruce Sutter on his pending HOF induction. Now if only sportswriters would put in Dawson, Rice, and Gossage.
• The Detroit Pistons are still a great basketball team.
• The Big Ten is the best college basketball conference in the country, though Big East fans will argue.

NFL Wildcard Weekend

It's that happy time of year!! NFL Playoff time. There is no time of year I enjoy as much. There are no playoffs I enjoy as much. With all that said, it's about time I broke down this weekend's games, and picked some winners.

(Note: All spreads mentioned are current as of January 5th)


Washington Redskins at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3)
You know the NFC is taking a lot of flak this year from football fans. A lot of people are talking about how weak it is. Well ya in truth the AFC is stronger from top to bottom, but think of how good the NFC playoffs will be. All the teams in the NFC bracket are very evenly matched. It should make for some very entertaining games.

If this first matchup of the postseason is half as good as the regular season meeting was I'll be satisfied. Tampa beat the Skins earlier this year 36-35 on a 2 point conversion late. Much like this game, it was played in Tampa.

The Redskins are riding a 5 game win streak, but after seeing them struggle in Week 17 at Philadelphia with their season on the line, it kinda confirmed some of my worries about this team. The truth is they are a lot better at home than they are on the road. Also with Brian Kelly and Ronde Barber in the Tampa secondary, I think the Bucs can keep the reins on Santana Moss. Moss will probably get some yards, but I don't think he'll score. Clinton Portis could pose a problem for the Tampa defense. His patience and cutback ability should take advantage of the Bucs pursuit driven defense. Look for Portis to bust at least a couple of big runs. The key will be how often he finds the endzone.

Where I see a large problem for the Bucs will be on their offensive line. I just don't think that it's all that strong, and with the way the Washington defense has been playing lately I think they could be in Chris Simms' grill all day. Also with problems on the offensive line I think the Skins can keep Cadillac Williams wrapped up.

The biggest key to this game will be the Tampa Bay defense. Whether they can produce a couple of big turnovers and plays will decide this one. If they don't, I just don't think the Bucs will be able to beat the Redskins. I really think that this game will be the closest and most exciting of all the wild card round matchups.

My final score:Washington 21 Tampa Bay 20


Jacksonville Jaguars at New England Patriots (7.5)
Unlike the NFC side of the pairings, I think the AFC has a couple of blowouts this weekend. This will be the first one. The Patriots are healthy now for about the first time this season. Though MLB Tedy Bruschi may be missing this game, I still don't think Jacksonville poses that big of a roadblock to the Patriots.

Yes the Jaguars went 12-4, but they played an incredibly weak schedule. I know they didn't choose whom they played but they definetely benefited from it. Also the fact that the Jaguars were able to beat bad teams, but keep the games close scares me. (Ex: Jaguars 10 49ers 9) Throw in the fact that they will either have Byron Leftwich in at QB in his first game in weeks, or David Garrard and things don't look much better. Garrard isn't a bad QB, but he's not exactly someone that makes you worry.

Now let's look at the other things going against the Jaguars.

1. They're playing the Patriots
2. They're playing the Patriots in the playoffs
3. They're playing the Patriots in the playoffs in Foxboro
4. They're playing the Patriots in the playoffs in Foxboro with Tom Brady having the best season of his career.

Tom Brady carried this team on his back all year, and now he has his horses back. Corey Dillon will get the tough yards, while Brady will pick the Jaguars defense apart 7 yards at a time. He'll also occasionally sprinkle in that 40-50 yard pass.

My final score: New England 31 Jacksonville 10

Carolina Panthers at New York Giants(-3)

Yet another really good matchup in the NFC. This game is the biggest question mark to me. It really depends on which Carolina Panther team shows up.

Will we see the incredibly balanced Panther attack or the one dimensional offense? The Panthers NEED, and I mean NEEEEEEED a running game if they want to beat the Giants. If they are forced to rely on dropping Delhomme back to pass every play Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora will make Jake's day a nightmare. Look at the Carolina at Chicago game as an example. The Panthers were on the road, and could not run the ball. As a result the Bears DE's were able to just pin their ears back and go. As a result they ended up with 7 sacks and an estimated 392 QB hurries.

The Giants offense will revolve around Tiki Barber. I look at Tiki and I always think "Nope. He is not that good." Well he is. I'm wrong. A lot of people are questioning whether Eli Manning can have a good enough game to help the Giants win. I don't think he really has to do all that much. Get anywhere around 200 yards and a TD and I think the Giants win as long as Tiki gets his touches. The Giants biggest question mark in fact is not Eli, but their defense right now. There are no problems on the line, but just about every linebacker on the Giants roster is out of the game with an injury. This could really hinder their ability to shut down any Panther running game.

Much like the TB/Wash game I think this one is going to come down to which team makes the least mistakes. It's a very tough one to call.

My final score: New York 17 Carolina 14

Pittsburgh(-3) at Cincinnati

I don't think this game will be all that close either. The thing is I'm thinking the Steelers are the ones who run away with it.

For the last few weeks these teams have been moving in the complete opposite direction. The Steelers are pounding their opposition like was expected of them all season long, and the Bengals looked like they couldn't care less the last few weeks of the season. There is a reason that Pittsburgh is the only favored road team of all the matchups this week.

It's the third meeting of the two division rivals this year, the previous two being split. In the first matchup the Steelers imposed their will on the Bengals and beat them. In the second the Steelers tried to keep pace with the Bengals in a shootout, and lost(though they kept it close much to my surprise). This time the Steelers play their style of football again. The Bengal defense hasn't been very good stopping the run this year, and should expect a steady diet of Willie Parker and Jerome Bettis all day long. This will wear the Bengals down, and most importantly keep the Bengal offense off the field.

Make no mistakes about it though, I think that the Bengals have a very good offense. It's just that right now their defense is going to keep them from going anywhere in the playoffs THIS year. Give Marvin Lewis another year to get more of his kinda guys in there, and another year for the defense with his scheme under their belt, and I think Bengal fans are going to enjoy football again for a while. Just not this year.

My final score:Pittsburgh 24 Cincinnati 14

Random Thoughts

• Think Vince Young is still upset about not winning the Heisman after last night's Rose Bowl? Good Lord what a football player. I've been a huge Reggie Bush guy all season, but at this point I'm upset I didn't get to see more Longhorn games this year. As far as what he will be able to do in the NFL, I'm not sure. There is a lot of concern over his throwing mechanics, but he completes like 65% of his passes. Throw it underhand for all I care if you're gonna complete them at that rate.
• Wondering to myself the other day...Did Miguel Tejada not know the Orioles sucked when he signed with them a few years ago? Why not just buy a house on an Ancient Indian Burial ground and wonder why the walls are bleeding?
• I probably wouldn't have minded seeing Brady Quinn's sister so much during the Fiesta Bowl if she were a lot better looking. Prototypical Butterface Girl. (As in, Everythings pretty but her face.)
• Congratulations to Joe Paterno and the Penn State Nittany Lions for winning the Orange Bowl. Though instead of FedEx, shouldn't the AARP have sponsored the game?
• As Aaron asked, would there be anything more exciting than a College Football playoff system? Look at how great the BCS games all were this year. Imagine if all those teams really had something to play for.
• I hope Keith Jackson never retires.
• I wish Brent Musberger would retire.
• Odds I could walk onto a college football team and get a scholarship as a kicker next season: 3/1
• The Detroit Pistons are a great basketball team. They'll win the NBA Championship.
• The Cubs signed veteran Marquis Grissom to a minor league contract this week. Buy those World Series tickets now Cub fans.
• I can't be the only one who thinks the Packers firing of Mike Sherman is based less on his record, and more on wanting Favre to retire can I? Seriously, the Packers didn't want to have to deal with a situation like last season waiting on #4 to make up his mind. Instead they decided to force his hand.
• Mike Martz will coach in Oakland next season, write it down. He likes to pass, and he's a bad coach. In other words he's everything Al Davis likes in a Head Coach.