Can Arizona do it again? Or Will Pittsburgh win a record sixth Super Bowl?

Super Bowl XLIII may not feature an unbeaten team, but the intrigue and the build up, with a loveable underdog, is just as interesting.

Granted, the point spread is around seven points in favor of Pittsburgh, but there are still many who are doubting Arizona.  Both teams seek historic endings.

This would be Arizona’s first world championship. The importance of this can’t be underscored. This is the first time this franchise has done something meaningful in more than 40 years.

Then you have the Steelers, who are seeking a record sixth title. They are currently tied with San Francisco and Dallas with five apiece. A sixth title is akin to Yankee dominance in baseball.

You have the journeyman Kurt Warner, who has turned around not one but TWO franchises. He is 1-1 in the Super Bowl.

His counterpart, Ben Roethlisberger, has one title under his belt. But, it was obvious, and by his own admission that he wasn’t the reason the Steelers beat the Seahawks.

The key was Willie Parker, who had a coming out party. He’s healthy again, which could be bad news for the Cardinals.

Arizona has its own star in Larry Fitzgerald, who has supplanted himself in these playoffs as one of the top wide receivers in the game. He will need to come up big for Arizona to stay close.

But me saying that is a lot like what people have said about Arizona all along. They said the Cardinals couldn’t beat Atlanta. Then when they did, no one gave them a chance against Carolina.

After that blowout win, there was no way Philly would lose, especially after beating Arizona on Thanksgiving. But, of course, we know differently.

I’d love Arizona to win. It can win.

But Pittsburgh’s defense will be the key. That, and Parker will be able to have a good game.

It all boils down to a 24-14 Steelers win.

By the way, I would have Musa pick the game but he was way off his game when we stopped during college football. He went as far as to pick a Citadel upset over Florida. I knew then he was grasping at straws. Perhaps time away will help himthink clearly, so I might put his prediction up.

Update, Jan. 31, 8:30 p.m.: Well, Musa wouldn’t come to a decision. I asked several times and he wavered. I’m guessing he picked a tie, but we all know that’s not possible.

What say you?

Post from: Organized Chaos

The first Jerk of the Week for 2009 is New York Jets running back Thomas Jones. He threw quarterback Brett Favre under the bus after the Jets lost to Miami in the regular-season finale. Favre threw three interceptions and Jones, who thinks he’s the best running back in the league, said the veteran should have been benched.

Jones went on to say he was “ticked” and that the guys are all “playing for the Super Bowl.” Well, news flash Mr. Jones, you were officially out of the playoff race at halftime. Plus, Favre is the best option at QB. AND it’s the coach’s decision, so maybe you should have pointed your anger there.

Here’s the big fact: Favre made the Jets a better team. Yes, Chad Pennington went to Miami and helped turn the Dolphins into a playoff team, but Favre showed the ability to stretch the field with a stronger arm. Pennington is a good QB, but teams would have been able to stop the run more with him in the lineup.

So Mr. Jones, you should thank Favre for turning you into a better running back. You had more yards and more scores due to defenses needing to respect Favre. But instead of thanking him you chose to be a jerk.

I wonder how many yards you’ll have next season with the mighty Kellen Clemens as your QB? I’m guessing not as much as in 2008. Then you can stab him in the back when things aren’t going well.

You and those anonymous teammates have done nothing compared to what Favre has done. You were a castoff for Cedric Benson of all people. So, know your place and keep your mouth shut.

Dishonorable mention: Chris Johnson of the Tennessee Titans. You came out and said you should have been named the offensive rookie of the year over Matt Ryan. You said since you made the Pro Bowl then you should have earned the honor.

Well, playing running back is a lot easier than quarterback. Matt Ryan turned a franchise around. All you did, while having a good season, was provide a complement to LenDale White. And you failed to show up in big games later in the year.

Ryan was consistent and deserved the award. You did well, but maybe this will teach you to do what Mr. Jones hasn’t learned: to keep your thoughts to yourself.

Post from: Organized Chaos

Musa is trailing me and many have deduced it was the tape worm and not the near-death experience that gave him his powers. Either way, he’s down and looking to get back up. The season is drawing to a close and he has to make his move quick if he’s going to do it.

Here we go.

His college picks: South Carolina over Florida, Florida State over Boston College and New Mexico over my alma mater, Colorado State University.

His NFL picks: Chicago over Green Bay and Washington over Dallas.

My picks: Florida, FSU, CSU, Green Bay, Washington.

Musa’s football record last week: 1-4
Musa’s misc. record: 0-1 (presidential election)
Musa’s baseball record: 3-4
Musa’s football record: 20-20
Musa’s overall record: 23-25

My football record last week: 3-2
My misc. record: 1-0 (presidential election)
My baseball record: 5-2
My football record: 23-17
My overall record: 29-19

Post from: Organized Chaos

You see, she’s an avid Georgia Bulldogs fan and would like nothing better than her team to defeat Florida on Saturday. However, she is a realist and knows the game won’t be easy to win. Plus, she works with a ton of Gators fans and she doesn’t want to hear about it if Georgia loses.

Musa may be cognizent of this fact as he took longer than usual to make the pick for the game. Well, here it is.

Musa’s college picks: Florida State over Georgia Tech, Texas Tech over Texas and Georgia over Florida.

His NFL picks: Houston over Minnesota and Dallas of the New York Giants.

My picks (and these are difficult): FSU, Texas, Florida, Minnesota, Giants. (this could change the standings dramatically)

Musa’s football record last week: 2-3
Musa’s baseball record: 3-4
Musa’s football record: 19-16
Musa’s overall record: 22-20

My football record last week: 4-1
My baseball record: 5-2
My football record: 20-15
My overall record: 25-17

Post from: Organized Chaos

I’ll have his official presidential race selection in the near future. I aksed him to pick several weeks ago and the pick refelected the polls at the time. I’m not giving anything away, but you can guess who he picked. I’ll ask him again next week.

His college picks: LSU over Georgia, Alabama over Tennessee and Penn State over Ohio State.

His NFL choices: Pittsburgh over the New York Giants and San Diego over New Orleans in the London game.

My picks: Georgia, Alabama, Penn State, Giants, San Diego.

Musa’s football record last week: 2-3 (he slumped in the college picks)
Musa’s baseball record: 3-3
Musa’s football record: 17-13
Musa’s overall record: 20-16

My football record last week: 2-3 (did better in college, but missed both NFL games)
My baseball record: 4-2
My football record: 16-14
My overall record: 20-16

Post from: Organized Chaos

Anyhow, here we go for more.

His college picks this weekend: Clemson over Georgia Tech, Oklahoma over Kansas and Vandy over Georgia.

His NFL choices: N.Y. Jets over Oakland and New England over Denver.

My picks: Clemson, Oklahoma, Georgia, Jets, Denver.

Musa’s football record last week: 3-2 (hit all the college games again)
Musa’s baseball record: 2-3
Musa’s football record: 15-10
Musa’s overall record: 17-13

My football record last week: 1-4 (North Carolina was my only win)
My baseball record: 3-2
My football record: 14-11
My overall record: 17-13

Post from: Organized Chaos

Davis, the NFL’s version of a bad joke, fired Lane Kiffin this week. He went a few steps beyond that by holding a press conference, telling the media how bad of a coach Kiffin was, how he didn’t want to draft JaMarcus Russell (who may not pan out, mind you) and how he didn’t get along with Davis. He even had visual aids and read a letter he sent to Kiffin. At least he can read.

He did everything short of brining out the Easter Bunny to sing the Raiders fight song, which goes something like this I think: Oakland, fight on. Forge into battle strong. Lose all night long. Oakland, fight on. There’s more losing at the dawn.

I’d be amazed to find anyone who would get along with Davis. His press conference only made him look like more of a jerk. His days of glory are well behind him, yet he thinks he is still relevant in today’s NFL.

He’s old and needs to move along. Lane Kiffin has already and he’ll make one heckuva coach someday, just like that other guy Davis ran out of town, Mike Shanahan, who has defeated the Raiders more times than Plaxico Burress has been fined by the New York Giants.

It’s so wonderful that the Raiders are the laughing stock of the NFL. They haven’t been worth anything since the Tampa Bay Bucs destroyed them in the Super Bowl a few years back.

They are a joke, and it’s all because of Davis, who thinks he can still run a team by picking players, many that have been busts, coaches and strategy. Have fun in the basement.

Dishonorable mention: Greg LeMond. You know, you used to be the best American cyclist. That is until Lance Armstrong took the spotlight away from you. Now you cry foul, saying Armstrong is dirty, yet he’s never tested positive for any banned substance.

You confronted Armstrong, Mr. LeMond, but he was too smart and deflected your questions. Get over it. Stop being jealous. You had a nice run. Let Armstrong live his life, especially after all he went through.

Post from: Organized Chaos

If you need a complete recap, click here to see those predictions and the method to this madness. In short, he was 3 for 5 and I was 5 for 5. He was wrong on FSU and Tennessee.

His college picks for this week: Georgia over Alabama, Illinois over Penn State and Auburn over Tennessee.

His NFL picks: Green Bay over Tampa Bay and Cleveland over Cincinnati.

My picks: Georgia, Penn State, Auburn, Green Bay, Cincinnati.

He also picked the winner for President. More on that at a later date. I’ll also have him pick the winners in the first round of the MLB playoffs.

Musa’s overall football record: 7-3.

My overall football record: 10-0.

Post from: Organized Chaos

Here’s the rundown of how it happens:

My cat, like all animals, likes a bit of attention and petting. He also likes to talk, though my wife believes he can’t understand us. That’s another issue.

I face him away from me and make sure he’s looking straight ahead. And yes, he actually does this. I pet him some then ask him the names of the teams that are playing.

Whichever direction he looks after I call his name is the team he picks. The first team name is to the left and the second is to the right. Pretty simple, eh?

His first weekend he was 4 for 5, hitting on Wisconsin, USC, Georgia and Dallas, while missing the Denver-San Diego game, though that had a controversial ending and really should have gone the way of the Chargers.

I have him pick three college games and two NFL games for the time being, with more in the future. I’ll pick against his choices and we’ll see what happens. I was 5 for 5 on the first picks.

His college picks for this weekend are: Georgia over Arizona State, Florida State over Wake Forest and Tennessee over Florida.

His NFL picks are: Philly over Pittsburgh and San Fran over Detroit.

My picks: Georgia, Wake Forest, Florida, Philly and San Fran.

What do you think?

Post from: Organized Chaos

1) The New England Patriots are no longer the favorite to play in the Super Bowl. I didn’t pick them, anyhow, but many people did. Without Tom Brady they just won’t be the same, especially in the playoffs. Wouldn’t be ironic if Tom Brady lost his job to injury, just like Drew Bledsoe did during the first Super Bowl run.

2) My Super Bowl choice from the AFC, the Indianapolis Colts, looked terrible on offense and defense. They couldn’t run the ball. Peyton Manning was uneasy. And the defense was like in 2006, when they couldn’t stop the run.

3) The New York Jets will be much better with Brett Favre. However, you must temper your enthusiasm given the fact Favre looked good against a bad (albeit better than 2007) Miami football team.

4) The Chicago Bears will be better than most thought on offense and defense. They have a star in Matt Forte (he ran all over me in fantasy football) and the supposedly “aging” defense showed shades of past glory.

5) These teams could surprise: Buffalo, New Orleans and Carolina.

6) These teams may be worse than expected: Indianapolis, St. Louis and Seattle.

7) The Atlanta Falcons will soon forget about Michael Vick completely. Michael Turner had an outstanding debut, as did Matt Ryan, the future of the franchise.

8) Vince Young is still overrated. As is Matt Leinhart and Alex Smith. The latter two didn’t even start, with Smith on the brink of a career threatening shoulder injury. Oh, and Young got dinged up again and showed why he’s so fragile.

9) The Dallas Cowboys look every bit like a championship contender.

10) As do the New York Giants.

Post from: Organized Chaos

You can read the story by clicking here if you need a refresher.

The Lions had no more need for Bell, who was expendable after Johnson came in. In fact, it was the same story for Bell in Denver. Even more to the fact is how Denver has a way of getting the most out of their running backs, then seeing that they are breaking down or becoming unstable and dropping them.

Bell had a decent time in Denver, but never panned out. He was traded for Dre Bly, which was an upgrade.

Denver stood by Travis Henry while he battled a positive drug test last season. The Broncos saw the writing on the wall and got rid of him in the offseason.

They also did it to Mike Bell, who’s gone from a backup phenom to out of the league. The same is true of Mike Anderson (well at least I think he’s playing somewhere, but not much).

Denver is good at getting the most out of their running backs. By the time they leave Denver they are shells of their former selves.

Bell claims he’s “no thief.” In the end it doesn’t really matter. He’s talking with Houston and probably will have a job by the end of next week.

I just think it’s funny that this was newsworthy. What’s next? TO steals Jessica Simpson from Tony Romo?

Man, it’s a good thing football season has started. Now there’s really something important to talk about.

Post from: Organized Chaos

I’ll start off a glance at the NFL and NCAA Football in general. I’ll have my Florida State and ACC predicitions within the next two weeks. Make sure to look out for them.

Here we go…………….

… Gators fans, your team will not win a national championship. However, they will be in the hunt for most of the season, given their all-world quarterback who goes by a name in my circle of friends that can’t be put here. The defense will be the downfall.

… There’s much talk about how the Southeastern Conference is so difficult, yet it has produced the past two national champions. This year is no different, as Georgia wins it all.

… And who will the Bulldogs play for said title? Ohio State is a logical choice. But it will be Oklahoma.

… Clemson will finish in the Top 5.

… Bobby Bowden will be out the door if FSU wins less than 8 games.

… Joe Paterno will be just like Bowden, with one-year deals the norm. However, unlike Bowden he’ll leave the school on “his terms” rather than stepping away for the good of the program.

…  West Virginia will be a better team without Rich Rodriguez at the helm.

… Illinois won’t be as good as it was, but Ron Zook still found a place where he can stay a while if he wants.

… Don’t be surprised if C.J. Spiller (Clemson) and Noel Devine (West Virginia) are in the Heisman talk all season.

… My alma mater, Colorado State, still stinks.

… Brett Favre will throw for more touchdown passes than Aaron Rodgers.

… Aaron Rodgers will throw fewer interceptions than Brett Favre.

… The New York Jets will win nine games with Brett Favre.

… The New York Giants will not return to the Super Bowl. Nor will New England. The Super Bowl will feature the Dallas Cowboys against the Indianapolis Colts. The Cowboys will win.

… Adrian Peterson will play 16 games this season. Tom Brady will not.

… Surprise team in the AFC: The Oakland Raiders (as much as it pains me to say it).

… Surprise team in the NFC: The St. Louis Rams.

… NFL teams that won’t be nearly as good in 2008 as they were in 2007: The Tennessee Titans and Green Bay (though the Pack will be decent, just not 13-3).

… The Denver Broncos will compete for third in the AFC West. And they may not win that battle.

Rivals.com has released its predictions for the college season. You can read them by clicking here.

Post from: Organized Chaos