Well Look for the Eagles to make all the way to the Super Bowl this year.  They should have won their division last year but they came up just short.  Now with a lot more fire power Mcnabb should have one of his best years ever.  So will they win it? No.  That s right the Eagles will lose in the Super Bowl too…

THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS:  That’s right a repeat. Why? Because only injuries can stop the Steelers from being the champs this year.  Baring any long term injuries to Big Ben the Steelers should be able to pull off the repeat easier than people think.  The schedule is a lot softer than it was last year and the depth is solid.   So those are my Super Bowl picks for this year, right it down, and “T.J. Hushmazo lock it up”

Also Mad’Nuff Monday night guarantees are back and better.  Stay posted.

Let the drama begin.

By now everyone knows about the latest head-turning acquisition in the NFL. No ladies and gentleman, we are not talking about Michael Vick. This is the return of the return of Mr. Brett Favre. I got a look at the Vikings schedule which didn’t interest me much prior to the huge pickup. But let’s all take a look together now that Favre has joined the club.

The first five games should produce a 5-0 start; at Cleveland, at Detroit, home against rebuilding San Francisco, home against defensively struggling Green Bay, and at the inept St. Louis Rams.

The next three games are tough; home against Baltimore, at Pittsburgh, home at Green Bay. I’d say the Pittsburgh game is a loss. The one against Green Bay could be a shootout based on pure emotion alone that could go either way. The game against the Ravens figures to be hard-nosed and I’ll give the Vikes the edge in that one being at home to bring them to 6-2 midway.

After that they get to rest up for a week before they face the Lions again at home, then inconsistent Seattle at home, and Chicago who has defensive and wide receiving woes at home as well. I think all three are wins bringing them to 9-2.

The final stretch is where it gets tough; at Arizona, a trap-game like matchup against Cincinnati at home, at Carolina, at Chicago who may be in the division race at that time, and home against the New York Giants who might be in playoff or NFC East title contention as well.

If the Vikings turn out to be solid, they should win one or two of those last five games. If they mold into a great team then 12-13 wins should be on the horizon. Favre may be 40 years old, and have shown signs of decay over the last half of the previous year, but in Minnesota he has a proven deep threat in Bernard Berrian, and a put-the-team-on-my-back rusher in Adrian Peterson along with starter-worthy Chester Taylor.  

This team is much more balanced offensively and stronger defensively than the Jets were last year and that should be the difference in how well Favre plays through another 16 game stretch.

Well after Thursday night there is one thing that is clearly apparent and that is the good get better.  All eyes were on Tom Brady last night in his first action since game 1 last year.  Tom Brady proved to be very good for his first game back.  He was accurate but did have trouble with the deep ball you can tell that he is still leery about his knee when he has to sit in the pocket for long, but other than that he looked good.  One thing I noticed is the bend in his knees when he dropped back and the slight bounce or chop in his feet.  He still has a long way to go in that department but I say the effort to break his old habit of a straight leg delivery and little motion in the pocket was apparent.  Brady looks to be dangerous in this upcoming season.

On the other side the defending champs , believe it or not, look like their defense has only gotten better.  It was an actual shock that the starters played as efficient as they did and were able to make plays with out doing as much scheming and blitzing as they will do in the regular season.  The only weak point could be seen in the number two corner spot where you can tell the young corners are still trying to find their stride.  The positive of that is that Polamalu was able to pick up the slack for those corners while he was in the game.  Write this down now, “You will see the Steelers defense be even more dominant this year than they were last year”.  I know it is just preseason but Vegas has gotten the top two teams write this year maybe just not in the correct order.

But that doesn’t matter because they aren’t champions and the Pittsburgh Steelers created and/or forced the Cardinals into those mistakes. But make no bones about it; this team totally changed its approach when the playoffs began.

Their offense remained just as explosive as it had been in the air, and then they finally decided to rely on the run a little more. For next year, the Cardinals now know that they can run the ball effectively. With Edgerin James getting older, and Tim Hightower being nothing more than an effective backup, the Cardinals have plenty of room to draft a power or fast, or whatever kind of back that can be a pro-bowler. And honestly, they can’t be much worse than James and Hightower.  

Everyone knows about the trend of Super Bowl losers not making the playoffs the next year, but remember, the Cardinals are still in a poor division with two teams that have to rebuild, Rams and 49ers, and one team that was in real shambles this season and with an aging QB in Matt Hasselbeck, the Seattle Seahawks. I know that sounds hypocritical because Warner is 37 and was still dead nasty, but he is an exception to the rule of the old quarterbacks whose performances dwindle when they get older.

Another strong argument against their chances may be that if they can’t keep Anquan Boldin they won’t be as explosive. However, we must remember they either didn’t play with him or did while he was ailing with injuries during these playoffs, and Larry Fitzgerald still tore it up.

I believe the Arizona Cardinals are right where they need to be. They showed lots of heart in the Super Bowl defensively after being down 17-7 and 20-7, because they still stuck to their guns and held the Steelers shy of the end zone twice. Of course they blew it at the end, but they still showed a lot of moxie. Do not be surprised to see them in the Super Bowl if it does happen. Plus, with the way the NFL has been the past few seasons, I think the only teams that could surprise me in the Super Bowl are the Lions and 49ers. ‘Nuff said.

On the coaching end Pittsburgh’s new head man Dan Bylsma picked up his first two victories as an NHL coach in two 5-4 victories over Montreal and Philadelphia respectively. The Penguins lost to Washington on Sunday but five points out of a possible eight in Bylsma’s first four games is a good start for the new headcoach who is hoping to guide the Penguins back into a playoff spot after a disappointing start to the new year for Pittsburgh.

Staying in the Atlantic Division takes us to New York where the Rangers fired Tom Renney this weekend only to name John Tortorella as his replacement on Monday. Many close to the team believe Tortorella can provide a spark for the Rangers they could not seem to get from Renney. Tortorella has a history of calling out players publically which may inject the Rangers with just the right amount of energy to help save this sinking ship by not only keeping it afloat but guiding them to the playoffs. There is no denying that Renney is a great coach who will ultimately get another job and most likely be successful in that new position. However, Tortorella sweetens the pot by adding his Stanley Cup ring and that demands the utmost respect; something Renney simply couldn’t add to the mix.

In the future there will undoubtedly be many coaching changes across the sports landscape—especially in the NHL. In reality, mid-year coaching changes tend to do very little to change the course of a team especially when they are made toward the end of a season. The players normally don’t change—save for a few here and there—while a season is ongoing and so the chances of a different outcome no matter the coach is slim to none. And this year will probably be no different as both the Penguins and Rangers will probably continue on the paths they were on before coaching changes were made because personnel remains basically the same. If there’s one thing the sports world can learn from the Pittsburgh Steelers is that consistency in coaching and upper management yields sustained, long-term success.

In an interview this week Troy Polamalu was asked about Kurt Warners resurgence in the NFL, Polamalu went on to compare it to Tommy Maddox’s days with the Steelers.    He stated that Kurt Warner is a good quarter back in a great system with great players, and that is the truth.  While Kurt Warner is a good quarterback we all saw how well he performed in New York.   If that indeed is the truth then here is another truth you can’t win the Super Bowl with Tommy Maddox at the helm.   The Steelers know all to well what that is like,  the only concern now is if Kurt Warner  a former NFL MVP and Super Bowl Champion will use that comment as fuel to help him play better.  I know that if I was compared to Tommy Maddox in anything I would be quite upset.    Now the intention is not to take what Polamalu said out of context, he in fact was doing his best (as all the Players have been doing this week) to say nothing but good things about the other team to keep media hype down.  However if Tommy Maddox is involved in the topic there can be no good to come from it.   On the other side I am sure Tommy Maddox is somewhere saying “yeah I am kinda like Kurt Warner” ha ha ha.

And even the veteran Steelers are somewhat of a surprise after being knocked out of the first round last year at home to Jacksonville, in earning a Super Bowl Birth while facing the league’s toughest schedule based on last year’s opponents winning percentages.

The Skinny on Arizona

The Arizona Cardinals went from losers of three of their last five regular season games, to winners of three straight post-season games. And not only did they do this with the playoff-history-leading performance by Larry Fitzgerald, 23 catches and 419 yards, but they did it by forcing turnovers and also by generating a respectable ground game.

In their three playoff victories, the cardinals have forced a total of 13 turnovers; eight interceptions, and five fumbles, for an average of 4.3 per game.

On top of that, a running game that averaged a mere 73.6ypg during the regular season, good for last in the league, grew up and averaged 113.3ypg game in the post season.

The Downside on Arizona

For all of the praise that the Cardinals have received for being a previously perennial blundering franchise and finally reaching a Super Bowl, they still managed to give up 259.6 passing yards per game (38.4 more than their 22nd ranked 221.2ypg in the regular season) and 20.6 points per game, which is only 6.1 less than their 26.7 in the regular season.

Although that is an improvement of close to a touchdown, and the extra passing yardage they have given up can be attributed to giving up just 74ypg on the ground in their playoff wins, that still shows that they have a propensity to let teams back in the game through the air, as they did against the Falcons in the Wild Card round, and Eagles in the NFC Championship game.

The Skinny on Pittsburgh

The Steelers benefited greatly from the privilege of facing an 8-8 San Diego Chargers team in the divisional round, and an 11-5 sixth seeded Baltimore Ravens team at home, after they upset the one seeded Tennessee Titans, in the AFC Championship Game. However, they still won their games by continuing on the success of their 1st ranked defense in points (13.9), total yardage (237.2), passing yardage (156.9), and 2nd ranked run defense (80.2ypg). They were able to hold Baltimore to 14 points, and even though San Diego managed 24, that was mostly because they got two TDs in the 4th quarter while the Steelers were already riding a comfortable lead.

Finally, the Steelers have also been able to get two very solid performances from Ben Roethlisberger who has no interceptions, 255 yards and a TD against the Ravens who gave up just 175.5ypg, and an efficient 17-26, 186 yard, 1 TD game against the Chargers while riding a 27 carry 146 yard outing by Willie Parker.

The Downside on Pittsburgh

The negatives for Pittsburgh are simple; If Ben Roethlisberger reverts to his at times erratic regular season play which got him 15 INTs, a low 59.9% completion percentage, and an 80.1 QB rating, then that would most likely produce a loss, as it would for many teams. But the bigger issue is that is the kind of thing that the Cardinals have been using to fuel their remarkable post season run, so if it happens, it will most likely be “Bye-bye Steelers.”

And even though Pittsburgh has used their defense to overcome much of the bad play from Roethlisberger, they might be hard-pressed to “stay in the game” with their defense if they aren’t sufficiently complemented by their offense. The Cardinals passing attack, ranked 2nd in the regular season with 292.1ypg, has shown absolutely no signs of slowing down in these playoffs. Even with their more balanced approach by going to the run more often, they are still managing 256.6 yards per game in the air.

Finally, the X factor is the two weeks of rest that Anquan Boldin is getting before the big game. With Arizona being able to produce this kind of yardage without him thus far, the return of Boldin can help balance things out against that 1st ranked passing defense of the Steelers.

So, once again, Big Ben doesn’t need to have an outstanding game, but will most likely need to play well, because the Cardinals should still be able to get “theirs” through the air in this contest.

Conclusion

If any quarterback is going to be less prone to suffer a let down, it should be Kurt Warner, as he has yet to throw a game away all season. I still see him throwing an INT, but one INT does not destroy a team’s hope depending at what point in the game it is thrown. Ben Roethlisberger has looked very mediocre at times this season, and very superb at other times specifically late in games. He would definitely like to make up for his 2005 Super Bowl performance where he went 9-21, 123yds, 2 INTs, and had a paltry 22.6 quarterback rating.

Solely because of this notion (that Ben wants to make up for his first Super Bowl and has admitted that to the media) I should be picking the Steelers to win this game. However, I just don’t see the fire in the eyes of any of the Steelers like I see in the eyes of Kurt Warner (which will be instilled into his young team in the huddle and on the sideline). I just feel that the “just another game” approach for the Steelers is a bit too close to the lackadaisical side, and I think Big Ben feels that saying he wants to make up for his appearance is enough. I.E., he won’t.

The Steelers could end up looking like a team baffled at the energy of their opponent, and the wake up call may come too late. Cardinals win convincingly, if not handily.

Mike Tomlin Coach of the 2009 Pittsburgh Steelers

On February 1st, the Arizona Cardinals will do battle against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Aside from the surprising appearance by Arizona to get to their first Super Bowl, there is a very surprising trend beginning to surmise… that is if the Steelers win the game.

In the Steelers last four Super Bowl appearances they have faced off against the L.A. Rams in 1979, winning 31-19, the Dallas Cowboys in 1995 losing 27-17, the Seattle Seahawks, winning 21-10, and now the Arizona Cardinals. If the Steelers win, that will mean that their last three titles will have come against present NFC West teams.

Back in 1979, the now St. Louis Rams, still were a part of the NFC West, but that division consisted of the San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints, and Atlanta Falcons. Since the arrival of the Houston Texans, that division now includes the St. Louis Rams, Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks, and the 49ers.

Another interesting tidbit, like this year’s Cardinals, the only other 9-7 team to ever make a Super Bowl were those same aforementioned L.A. Rams.

However, the most striking piece of trivia has to be that all three team’s Super Bowl appearances against the Steelers were their first ever. Could this mean that the Cardinals, although a great story, are doomed to drop the ball in the non-literal sense of the phrase? Who knows, and if the world is what it is, and the Cards do lose, it shouldn’t be viewed as much more than a wild coincidence. Either way, it’s pretty damn cool… especially if you’re a Steeler fan.

Rex Ryan Takes Center Stage On

Will the New York Jets ever get it right? That remains to be seen. For now I will let you chew on this. The only two defensive coordinators to win a Superbowl in their first head coaching job with new organizations are Tom Landry and Bill Cowher. Landry went to the Dallas Cowboys in 1960 after spending the previous six seasons as the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants. Bill Cowher took over for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1992 after having spent the previous three seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs as their D.C. Landry spent 29 seasons in Big D having won and lost two Superbowls. Cowher spent 15 seasons in the Steel City yielding one Superbowl victory and one loss. It took Landry 11 years to win a Superbowl and it took Cowher his entire coaching career to accomplish the same. Mike Tomlin could very well add his name to this very short and elite list. Making him the quickest to do so in that small class. 

Many of you are going to point out that everyone is an assistant at some point and that they cant all win Superbowls. Surely names like Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick will surface as well. Of course I am sure you will not forget Lovie Smith and John Fox. How much longer are you willing to wait Jets fans?

Don Shula + David Shula = 2 Superbowls

Bum Phillips + Wade Phillips = 0 Superbowls

Jim Mora + Jim Mora Jr = PLAYOFFS!?!? 0 Superbowls

Dick Nolan + Mike Nolan = FIRED 0 no Superbowls

Buddy Ryan + Rex Ryan = ? Superbowls

On Sunday, January 4th, at 1:00pm eastern, the Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Ravens will line up against each other one last time in Miami in a Wild-Card Weekend matchup.

Game number three of Wild-Card weekend will feature two teams that had surprise turnarounds from last season. But of the two teams, the biggest surprise was last season’s hapless 1-15 Miami Dolphins doing a complete 180 with an 11-5 record this season while also earning the AFC East title. The Ravens, although always strong defensively, are nothing short of surprising either as they went from 5-11 last year to 11-5 this year. What makes their turnaround so remarkable was that they did it with rookie quarterback Joe Flacco, and if it weren’t for injuries to both Kyle Boller and Troy Smith before week one, Joe Flacco may not have gotten his first start until later in the season and who knows what happens. With that being said, let’s take a look at the key phases of each team’s game.

Ravens’ Advantage

Both team’s offenses seem to even one another out. The Dolphins score 21.6 points per game and the Ravens 24.1 points per game. Although the Dolphins average only 118.6 yards on the ground to the Ravens 148.5, Miami out-throws Baltimore by a tune of 227 yards per game to 175.5. This shows that the Ravens outrun the Dolphins by 29.9 yards per game, and the Dolphins pass for 51.5 yards more than the Ravens.

Even with that being said, conventional wisdom shows that the team with the better running game will win. And that should be the case here. What’s even more is that the Ravens are 3^rd defensively against the run at 81.4ypg, and a whopping 2^nd versus the pass giving up 179.7ypg. The problem the Dolphins have, even though they get to play in the confines of their home stadium, is that they are 25^th against the pass at 227.8ypg, and 10^th versus the run at 101.2ypg. In all respects, giving up 101.2 yards a game on the ground is not that bad, but when the duo of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams is good for a great total of 1,575 yards, and the Ravens trio of Willis McGahee, Le’Ron McClain, and Ray Rice combined for an outstanding number like 2,028, then not only are the Ravens defending the run better, but they are carrying the ball better as well.

Dolphins’ Advantage

Even though the Ravens outweigh the Dolphins in some key statistical categories necessary for playoff success, they have not been very good on the road playing against the projected playoff teams in the pre-season; at Indianapolis they lost 3-31, at the Giants they lost 10-30. Their only strong points against what were considered playoff teams were at Pittsburgh when they lost in OT 20-23, at the Dolphins when they won 27-13, and finally, when they beat Dallas 33-24.

Allow me to downplay. The Steelers and Ravens are diehard division rivals and always play each other tough. The Cowboys game had two aberration type plays on the Ravens final two drives; an 82 yard scoring run followed by a 77 yard scoring run. Any team would be lucky to get a run of either of those lengths all season long. Last but not least, when the Ravens beat the Dolphins in Miami in week 7, it dropped the Dolphins’ record to 2-4. Since then, Miami has gone 9-1 and are playing at a slightly different level than that period of time.

The other thing the Dolphins have going for them is that they had the fewest turnovers in the league with only 13. Chad Pennington had arguably his best season since his first ever rotator-cuff injury with a career-high 3,653 yards, 19 touchdowns and just 7 interceptions while completing 67.4 percent of his passes. Rookie QB Joe Flacco, although he had a great season for a rookie, 2,971 yards, 14 TDs, 12 INTs (not to mention his eleven fumbles) and completed 60.0 percent of his passes, he is still a rookie and is definitely mistake-prone.

Like one analyst put it… “What the Ravens thrive on, the Dolphins simply don’t do”… turn the ball over!

Conclusion

Although the Dolphins play at home, and are riding the emotional high an unprecedented successful season and comeback year of Chad Pennington, I have to go with the Ravens. They can negate their opponent’s run, and kill them with their own. Furthermore, Joe Flacco is quickly being molded into the confident game manager who can make a few plays here and there that Baltimore has been looking for. I only see Joe Flacco having, at the most, one turnover, and with their 2^nd ranked total defense (261.1ypg) and 3^rd ranked defense in points given up per game (15.2), the Ravens can easily overcome it. I cannot see a team who beat squads like Seattle without QB Matt Hasselbeck by two points, Oakland by two points as well, San Francisco by five, all at home, and Saint Louis by four on the road beating this gritty Ravens team.

Ravens will move on to play the one-seeded Tennessee Titans next week.