Super Bowl Two-Fer

Well folks I was almost set to get out a post before the big games yesterday, but ran out of time so I'm giving you all a nice 2-fer on this beautiful MLK Day. For the sake of full disclosure I'm keeping my original predictions followed by my post-game commentary. 

I think it's safe to say that we're pretty surprised about half of these teams - we suspected the NFC would be up in the air, but I challenge you to find too many folks who had the Giants (or even Packers before yesterday) in the big game.

The AFC? Honestly, if you go back to the beginning of the year there were quite a few folks giving the Bolts a pretty good chance - although that subsided quite a bit 5-7 games into the season. And the Patriots.....riiiiight.

Let's dissect, analyze and make some wild-ass guesses, you know the drill...

San Diego at New England Prediction:
Personally, I don't really care for either of these teams too much. Objectively speaking, I really believe the Pats will run away with this game - I know that's going way out on a limb, but I mean, does anyone really think that the Chargers are going to go into Foxboro with their 2 best offensive players at half speed and pull off an upset? I can't imagine it. The Colts played a terrible game last week (taking nothing away from San Diego), had 2 "right place, right time" picks off of tipped passes and learned just how important Dwight Freeney is to their defense.

Also, they play in San Diego, the greatest and most comfortable climate on the planet - remember, that upset last week was in a dome. Can't imagine they have much of a chance....a small chance, but not much of one.

The thing with the Patriots is you have to stay right with or just ahead of them in terms of scoring - offense is essential to just compete with these guys and even if Rivers plays, he'll be going less than 100%. You can't turn the ball over against them because Brady never turns it over. And when you're playing the Pats, forcing a punt is just as good as getting a turnover.

And no, the Moss accusations will not have an affect on this. I know the idea of giving Randy Moss the benefit of the doubt may seem a bit laughable, but so is this accusation. Non issue.

Patriots - 37
Chargers - 18

Recap:

Well, the Pats won as most of us expected, but man what a close game it was. The Patriots certainly did not look like the same dominating team from this past year. Honestly though, there was never a point when I thought the Chargers may pull out the victory. I'm a little surprised that Turner stayed with Rivers throughout the game - he was clearly hobbled and looked absolutely terrible; some of those pics he threw were awful. 

BUT, kudos to the Charger defense as they played a really good game. Moss was a non factor and Brady had a few INTs which is very uncharacteristic of him. Either way, he's still the best and I imagine they'll be holding up the Lombardi trophy in a couple of weeks as well. 

You have to think that a healthy Tomlinson would have translated to at least 1 or 2 of those field goals (Chargers scored their points on 4 field goals) being touchdowns....but he wasn't...and they didn't. 

New York at Green Bay:
Gotta love this game - this is true, old-school football. The Giants at the Packers where the temp at kickoff will be hovering at around 0 degrees. Can you imagine getting hit by Michael Strahan at full speed when it's 0 degrees outside? Nuts.

This game should certainly be a bit closer. I do think the home field for the Pack will prove to be the difference here, but I would not at all be surprised to see the Giants pull the upset here. I know the Giants have won 9 straight road games including the last 2 in the playoffs, but they've also played 11 straight weeks without a bye - they may be exhausted. And they're going to Green Bay. Brandon Jacobs is going to have to play extremely well and help them control the game and of course, Eli is going to have to continue to play well - moving the chains and eliminating turnovers.

But don't you just get the feeling that the Packers may this year's "team of destiny"? Of course those Pats are going for history themselves... Either way, I just get the feeling that the Packers just aren't going to lose this game at home - I don't think Favre will let them. Will be interesting to see the match up of running backs - Jacobs vs. Ryan Grant.

Packers front 5 have to protect Favre and keep Ume and Strahan at bay - or that may be the opening the Giants need. I promise you this though, Favre won't pull a Romo, he'll come ready to play. Packers in a close, low scoring game.

Green Bay - 20
New York - 14

Recap:

My-oh-my, just when I'm ready to count out my Giants, they continue to plow through the playoffs. If you'll recall, this team is starting to look a lot like the Steelers from a couple of years ago - they too were a wild card team that had to win all of their playoff games on the road, and we all remember how that worked out for them. 

As you read above, I was a tad worried about fatigue coming into this game - 12 straight weeks now without an off week, not to mention 3 straight playoff games on the road. After yesterday, I'm starting to worry if the week off will be bad for them - they've clearly got a strong sense of momentum right now. No doubt the off week will help heal some of their aching players, but one has to worry just a bit about loss of that momentum. 

I really thought that Favre was going to take the Packers down in OT and win the game - it's not often you miss a chip shot field goal at the end of the game and get a second chance against the Packers in Green Bay. And kudos to Tymes for redeeming himself with that 47 yard boomer in OT - that took some cojones there. 

I must admit, although I'm a Giants fan, I was somewhat routing for Favre to go all the way this year as he's one of my favorite QBs of all time, but I'll certainly take the G-men. I can't help thinking though that this Giants team in the Super Bowl is a lot like the team from 2000 that really came out of nowhere to face the Ravens....that didn't work out too well either. Hopefully we'll see a good rematch of the final game of the year when the Pats visited the Meadowlands and narrowly escaped with a victory - that was a great game. As I say...we shall see. 

Quick Longhorn Football Note:
Cautiously optimistic is the tone I'm going for here so keep that in mind ... I'm pleasantly surprised at the changes I'm seeing in the Longhorn football program. It all started with the "boot camp" mentality Brown instilled before the bowl game (and I think I speak for a lot of us when I say we were a tad skeptical) and ever since the program seems to be evolving (slightly) for the better.

First and foremost, hiring Will Muschamp was a great move and a huge upgrade to the coaching staff. But, almost more important than that was settling on one defensive coordinator and being done with this "co" crap. Akina has talents and strengths - he's proved it in past years - but defensive shemes/play calling was not his strength.

Secondly, and I'm giddy about this, bringing on Major to coach running backs and other "responsibilities". I'll be honest, I was surprised that he would take a lower job to come here - I gotta think that Davis and Mack both know that he (Davis) won't be around too much longer so they wanted to bring on Major to groom for that role. Otherwise, why would Applewhite leave Alabama and Nick Saban for a lower position? By the way, he's 29 and making 250 grand a year - not too bad. Anyway, nice move with that hire, I think he'll do a good job (I sure hope he does).

Now, we'll see what kind of recruits we get, but I'd say Brown has made some nice moves that can be considered big improvements in the program. Gotta give him kudos there because aside from bringing on Chizik a few years ago, this is the first real "shuffle" we've seen. We shall see...

Other Random Observations around the Sports World:

• Can't say I'm overly optimistic about the running Horns narrowly escaping the Colorado Buffaloes...at home. Not sure what's up with this team, but they seem to have lost a bit of their edge and mojo. Abrams was cold to say the least. Long way to go though, but they need to pull it together
• And speaking of taking a bit of a dive - what happened to the aggies? 2 straight conference games result in 2 straight losses...and bad ones too. Will be interesting to see if these guys can also pull it together.
• There was about 30 minutes last week (Wednesday or Thursday) when the Lakers, heading into a game with the Suns (which they lost), were the top team in the western conference. No crap, they had the best record. BUT, at the same time, the Celtics had the best record in the eastern conference - first time that's happened since 1988. 
• By the way, Lakers lost Ariza to injury last night as well - man, that's not good at all for this team to lose both Ariza and Bynum - could be a long couple of months.
• You read it here before it happened - the Titans fired Norm Chow as their offensive coordinator. I'm not at all upset or surprised by this - I don't think Chow was getting it done. Granted, he had crap for talent, but if you can't score more than 9 passing TDs in a season, something is wrong. It's do or die for VY as well - if they bring in another coordinator and upgrade the talent, there won't be any excuses if he continues to struggle. I think they'll be better next year, but it all depends on the personnel moves they make. 
• It's just me, but I think Reggie Bush is guilty as hell - and nothing will happen to him; USC will take one on the chin though if this comes through...which will be a catalyst for Pete Carroll leaving for another job.
• How good has Plaxico Burress been the last few weeks? He's a machine. 

That's what I got guys - enjoy the week and we'll do it again later this week. 

Conference Showdowns Set

Wasn't expected to get a post in before next weekend, but had to sneak one in after games this weekend. 

First off, to Mr. Seiders whom I called out for a bet on the Cowboys/Giants game - I, in fact, will have the burrito with a frozen rita. For the record, and for those who don't read the comments on this blog, here's what Mr. Seiders had to say to my challenge:

"I'll take that bet. The boys should be rested and amped to play. The Giants will be no problem. I'll have the Nuevo Leon burrito and a frozen with salt." 

Either way, it was a very entertaining game. Let's recap the big weekend...

• What a game by Favre and the Packers - man they look good. I missed most of the beginning when they were down early, but evidently they weren't phased. How ecstatic are they to be, all of a sudden, playing at home for the conference title? 
• I do think the Packers looked much better than the Giants or Cowboys this weekend - not sure if that really matters, but I gotta think the Pack will be favored by 4 to 6 points. But don't forget, the Giants play in a similar (not as extreme) conditions in the Meadowlands so weather won't be quite the advantage as it would with other teams. 
• One more thing on the Packers - they are one of the youngest (in fact, maybe youngest collective team) teams in the NFL. These guys could have a very bright future. 
• Did you happen to see the passing statistics for both Garrard and Brady in Saturday's game? Brady finished 26 of 28 for 262 and 3 scores. That's a 93% completion percentage. That's crazy. Garrard finished 22 of 33 (which is a very good 67%), but was perfect at the half. I think he was 10 for 10 and Brady was like 10 for 11. Unbelievable. 
• The Patriots are just damn good. They didn't even use Moss (1 catch) and still put up 400 yards on a very tough Jags defense. And how about this for the "aging linebackers" of the Patriots - the Jags rushed for 80 yards and this was supposed to be the key reason why they could beat the Pats. Don't get me wrong, they played very tough and if I'm not mistaken, were tied with them at halftime, but to come out and put up 2 field goals in the second half. Obviously the Patrtiots' defense is very good. 
• How happy are the Patriots about the getting the Chargers next weekend? Say what you will Charger fan, the Patriots are giddy right now. 
• I have a very hard time seeing the Patriots even coming close to losing a game from here on out. They're avoiding Peyton and the Colts and they're avoiding the Cowboys - they couldn't be happier about that.
• Memo to the Colts' receivers: MAKE A PLAY!!! Man, what a terrible game by the Colts receiving corps today. I know one of Peyton's INTs was tipped (and I thought I heard the other was as well, but didn't see it) and in that instance I think it was Adai who lunged at it at the goal line. They just couldn't shake the Chargers defense.
• I'll say this - what's worse about this loss is that Tomlinson was a non factor and Rivers was out for the final half of the 4th quarter - you can't let Billy Volek and Michael Turner beat you in your own home. Embarrassing.  
  
• I've consistently been underwhelmed with Phillip Rivers this season and been quite vocal about the fact that I don't think he's as good as advertised, but he made some pretty big-time throws today and especially when they needed him. With that said, I've always thought this, but today I confirmed it - he's a classless punk. You would never see Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre ore hell, even Tony Romo, act the way he did on the sideline in that game. He really needs to grow up and act like he's been there.
• And speaking of Manning - how crazy is it that Eli Manning is in a conference championship after beating a number 1 seed in their own home while Peyton is at home after losing to the #3 seed in your own home? Weird. 
• How about those Giants - I'll tell you, when they scored on that opening drive, I felt pretty good....until the Cowboys went on a 10 minute drive to score. That was crazy right there, talk about sucking the life out of a defense. With that and the Cowboys converting close to 100% on third downs, I thought they would eventually roll the Giants. 
• And when did the lion of that defense wake up? They came out in the second half and looked like a completely different team. You read it here - once they were able to get pressure on Romo, it was a whole different story. He did make some great plays here and there, but he really needs to learn to throw the ball away. He took 2 sacks in the second half (the only two by the way) where he was outside the pocket and could have easily tossed it away - then when he does, he gets a grounding penalty. Bad decision making there, but it's tough with Strahan and Ume in your face all day. 
• There really can't be any question at this point that Marion Barber is the number one running back for the Cowboys - he's so much better than Jones and I'm glad to see them giving him the ball so much - he carried them in the first half it seemed like. Jones is a good backup, no doubt, but if somewhere down the line you're able to package him up or trade him to get some depth somewhere else, take it. You can fill a backup RB position quite easily in the NFL. He's got value out there, I'm sure of it. 
• And although Eli didn't throw up spectacular numbers, he managed the game exceptionally well completing 67% of his passes and tossing 2 TDs with...most importantly, no interceptions. 
• Oddly, the Cowboys out gained the Giants by more than 100 yards, had more first downs and converted 60+% of third downs. They did have that one turnover, but it was on the last play of the game (essentially) while the G-men had no turnovers. I guess it proved to be the game. 
• Can't wait for Packers/Giants - could be a good game, but I'm putting my money on Favre vs. Brady in the super bowl.

College Basketball:

My gosh Texas, way to open up conference play on a high note. You don't expect to go undefeated in conference play, but there are games you just gotta win. You have to win those tough road games you're SUPPOSED to win. It's not the end of the world, it's not like football, but they do need to play much better than this. I'd hate to be a player on that Texas team and have to deal with Barnes after that game - he was pissed. 

I talked about it on this blog before the season started. We've talked about him throughout the season, and I have a feeling we'll be talking about him consistently all year. Damion James has really stepped it up this year. This dude was the only guy doing anything in that Mizzou game. He's starting to turn into a monster on the court. If this guy doesn't jump at the money too fast and let's his game develop at the college level, I really think he could be a major superstar at this school. I think he's that good. We all know about Augustin and Abrams, but this guy is just as important to this team. 

But as we saw on Saturday, the talent doesn't always translate into victories. Very sloppy. 

NBA:

Listen up Laker fans (all 3 of you out there that is), this team is playing some tremendous ball right now and at this particular point in the season, could compete with the west's best teams. 

BUT, I still firmly believe the season doesn't really start until after the all star break. 

As I'm sure you are, I'm cautiously optimistic - things certainly look more solid than they have in a long time with this team. So, I'm going to sit back and not think too much about it - 10 games after the all-star break, I'm reassessing. Here's what the schedule looks like:

Hawks at home

at Suns

at Clippers

at Sonics

Blazers 

Heat 

at Blazers

Mavs

at Kings

Clippers

Not a terribly tough schedule - if they can maintain this ride for the next month into all-star break and come out of this 10 game stint with a 7-3 or 8-2 record, I'd start getting excited. And, they only get the Spurs one more time in the last game of the year. Could be a big step up for this team this year. 

Alright, it'll be quiet here until after the conference championship games. Have a great week.