Mike Vick Goes for Two, Maclin Loses to Mono

The voting for the Madden '12 cover has come down to a final four battle. On one side, the number three seed, Eagles quarterback Mike Vick, is taking on the number nine seed, Vikings running back Adrian Peterson. On the other side, the number one seed, Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, is taking on the number ten seed, Browns RB Peyton Hillis. If Vick wins the overall voting, he will be the first player to be on the cover of Madden twice, and in two different uniforms. Vick appeared on the cover of Madden 2004, and fell victim to the Madden Curse, breaking his leg in a preseason game. While some Philly fans have been wary about voting for Vick due to concern for the curse's reach, Vick pointed out on his Twitter account that there is no curse for being on the cover twice. Others argue that an injury would be negated by the lockout, should it extend into the regular season. Whatever your position on the curse, it would be good to have an Eagle on the cover of the newest Madden game. The last Eagle to grace the title's cover was Donovan McNabb on the Madden 2006 game. McNabb was later injured in a game against the Dallas Cowboys, and was replaced by backup QB (and Rutgers alum) Mike McMahon. The Eagles ended with a 6-10 record that year, so vote as your superstition dictates.

Meanwhile, wide receiver Jeremy Maclin is currently recuperating from an illness similar to mononucleosis. Though he lost 15 pounds, the receiver says he's gained about half of it back, and plans on joining Michael Vick and other key Eagles players in southern New Jersey for Vick's informal practices, meant to keep the team sharp. Let's hope it doesn't aggravate anything, or cause any injuries, especially while locked out of the team health plan.

Chuck Bednarick Hospitalized, Lockout Shenannigans

Chuck Bednarik has been admitted to a Bethlehem-area hospital after feeling short of breath. While this doesn't sound like that much of a problem, there has to be more to it, as Bednarik was still listed as being in "serious condition" as of this afternoon. This news comes has many in Eagles Nation worried, as many grew up (like I did), hearing stories about "Concrete Charley" (or "Cement Charley" after a few beers) and his tenure as an Eagle. Bednarik is a true Philly guy, playing football for Liberty High School in Bethlehem, then UPenn in Philly before being drafted by the reigning 1948 NFL champions. As a member of one of the most dominant periods of Eagles history, Bednarik helped propel the Eagles to the first back-to-back shutout championship in NFL history, a record that is still held by the Eagles. Bednarik is a celebrity in Eagles nation, being the last of the 60-minute men, from a time when players played both offense and defense. The former Eagle became a legend after laying a near career-ending hit on the Giants' Frank Gifford. While Bednarik has had his ups and downs with the Eagles, famously for supporting the New England Patriots during Super Bowl XXXIX due to a feud with owner Jeffery Lurie. Still, it's hard to hate Bednarik, responsible for some of the best football in Philadelphia and who had a hand in two NFL championships for the Birds. His recovery will hopefully be swift.

The NFL lockout has affected people in different ways. Fans have taken sides, generally with the players or against the NFL and the players' association. Now the players, with varying degrees of frustration, have begun to speak out, and not always in the best way. Recently, Minnesota Vikings tailback Adrian Peterson said that the NFL was like modern-day slavery. The comments, as any comment regarding slavery, was received very negatively by many, including Green Bay Packers' running back Ryan Grant. While many voiced their disagreement with Peterson's comments, but Peterson has also had his supporters. Rashard Mendenhall was chief among those supporting Peterson, tweeting that there are parallels between the slavery of colonial America and the NFL's practices. Also echoing Peterson's words was Eagles fullback Leonard Weaver. Immediately following the comments, Weaver received criticism from all corners of Eagle Nation, with fans and beat writers weighing in on the controversy. Yesterday, Weaver tweeted that he would be doing an interview explaining his words, and apologized if he offended anyone. Later, he tweeted a retraction for using the term slavery. The term is a strong one, and shouldn't be used to describe the working conditions of anyone making...well, any money. The players need to refrain from making these kinds of faux pas, otherwise it will erode the fan support players now enjoy.

Moving on to happy misfortune, the Dallas Cowboys were fined for illegal offseason activities. Echoing the fears of many that new coaches need to get in sync with their players soon, the Cowboys' new defensive coordinator, Rob Ryan, tried to do just that. Before the lockout began, the league was in a "dead period" where the actions of players and coaches are limited. Four other teams violated the rule and have been fined by the NFL, the fact that the Eagles were not one of these teams could be a good sign. Despite having a new defensive coordinator, Juan Castillo has been with the team and knows the players. Hopefully, this lack of breaking the rules is a vote of confidence in Castillo and his ability to pick up when the season begins. We'll find out when these fellas figure out how to split $9.3 billion. I have a few suggestions.

Could the Lockout Hurt the Eagles?

As we wait and watch the NFL and NFLPA drama play out in court, there are a few perspectives on the labor dispute, old and new. Former Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski discussed the current lockout in terms of the 1982 players' strike. According to Jaworski, the strike, which stopped the season for 57 days, crippled the Eagles. Hot on the heels of the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance in the 1980-1981 season following a dramatic few playoff years, Jaworski assessed the team as "explosive." Jaws attributes the failure of this explosive offense's production to the dwindling numbers at workouts and practice as the strike prolonged. Jaws' biggest concern is for current Eagles QB Mike Vick, still relatively new to the Eagles' offense, and hopefully will have an improved, though new, offensive line to work with. Without the summer training program and preseason activities, as Jeff Offord points out will likely be missed, a new O-line could be disastrous. Even if the work stoppage were to end just before the season begins, and assuming all the players stick with their exercise routine, they will not have worked as a full team, or with the coaching staff, in months. While this problem of time will be the same for all teams, it will not affect all teams equally. Teams whose quarterbacks have been established for years, like the Steelers, Packers, or even Jets, and who have low-prospect of player movement will clearly come out above teams missing quality players at key positions, like the 49ers' lack of QB or the Bengals' struggles both at the QB position and on the offense in general. Teams like the Raiders, who have recently parted with their head coach, will face other difficulties all together. Not that next year's playoffs (if they happen) will look exactly like this year's by virtue of strength of previous year. Not at all, point number one being the NFC West. Last year it was literally anyone's game, and if each of the teams in the division struggle, it could be this year as well, though it is likely one will learn from last year and be stronger this (possible) season.

On the other side of the glass, Eagles president Joe Banner has strong feelings about the lockout, and is not shy about showing his frustration at the stop in negotiations. Unlike many who have discussed anger regarding the talks, however, he is mainly frustrated with the players union. Banner thinks the players walked away from a good deal and said that the owners' final offer proved how much they were willing to give up to keep the game going. The players union executive director DeMaurice Smith contests Banner's assessment, saying that the financial data sought by the union was not given, and breaks down the cap changes significantly differently from Banner. While Banner was making his comments regarding the negotiations, the Eagles emailed an open letter to fans on the Eagles' mailing list from Banner and Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, as well as publishing it on the team website. The letter discussed the management's faith in the federal mediation process and talked about the "long-term health of the league." It also reaffirmed the Eagles' commitment to winning a Super Bowl and that planned offseason events would still go on as scheduled. The letter met criticism from the fans, though it would be interesting to see an event at which coaches and players were both committed to attend. In this case, the players would likely not attend, but it would be fun to watch them act like a divorced couple, forced to be at the same event, though not allowed to interact. To be a fly on that wall.

In former Eagle news, Donovan McNabb is serving as an analyst for Comcast's NCAA Tournament. McNabb, who played two years of basketball at Syracuse, is expected to be traded from the Washington Redskins once the labor dispute is over. The former Eagles QB will have options, depending on when the dispute is over. Let's hope none of them include Kyle Shanahan or Rex Grossman.

The End of the Road for 2010 Season

Aaron Rodgers is the new WWE Champion... Err, wait, Super Bowl MVP! I'm sure all of you watched the game so I won't go into too much detail here, but I would like to throw out a few things I noticed from this year's Super Bowl.

-First of all, Aaron Rodgers did not record a single rushing attempt via scrambling for the first time all season. While watching the game I remember pleading "Run Aaron run!" at least a few times, and each time he pulled back from crossing the line of scrimmage. Perhaps Mike McCarthy had instructed Rodgers to stay back and protect himself from taking hits from those Steelers linebackers, or maybe he just didn't see the opening he wanted. Despite not using his mobility as well as he did all season, Rodgers still managed to extend a few plays and make timely throws.

-Where in the world was Polamalu? According to the ESPN game recap, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year was lined up within five yards of the line of scrimmage for only three out of 55 offensive plays for the Packers. It seems that he has been lined up far from the line for most of the postseason, and one has to wonder why. Polamalu's instinctiveness and ability to make a play are at their best when he is near the line, and he was only sparingly used this way. He was also the nearest defender on both of Greg Jennings' touchdown catches. I won't be surprised if a report comes out this offseason stating that Polamalu was far from healthy during this postseason run.

- In a similar vein, where were all of the other defensive playmakers we expected to see? B.J. Raji ended the game with only a single quarterback hit, and no tackles. I also didn't see him on offense, which is disappointing. James Harrison had just a single tackle, which was a sack to go along with three QB hits. LaMarr Woodley had only three tackles, with a single sack. Clay Matthews did not record a sack, but he did force a crucial fumble late in the game. While the Steelers and Packers combined for four sacks, there wasn't a feel of either defense's pass rush taking control of the game. For the most part, the Packers' superior depth in the defensive backfield made the biggest difference in this game, with two interceptions that tilted the odds squarely in the Packers' favor.

After the Super Bowl hangover has worn off, we'll be getting back to more Browns-centric news and analysis, so check back soon and follow me on Twitter @legoman0721 .

And then there was Suh

The Detroit Lions have had seven Associated Press Rookie of the Year award winners in the team’s history. In 1967, the award was introduced for the first time and given to a defensive player and an offensive player (the same format we still use today). The Lions won both. Mel Farr, running back drafted out of UCLA won the offensive award and Lem Barney, the Hall of Fame cornerback out of Jackson State won the defensive award. The following year a Lion brought home the award again, this one going to Earl McCullouch, wider receiver out of USC. The other Lions’ offensive winners include two running backs that both wore the number 20. Billy Sims and Hall of Famer Barry Sanders. Our second, and last defensive ROY winner was Al Baker in 1978, until this year.

As expected, Ndamukong Suh won the ROY award on Friday, taking home another

piece of hardware. Suh also won the Sporting New, 

Pepsi, Pro Football Weekly and Pro Football Writers of America 

ROY. And don’t forget a Pro Bowl selection. Suh was also selected 

to the All-Pro team, a rarity for a rookie. 

Suh is now the face of the franchise, and for good reason.

Suh scrambles after his first career INT vs the Rams

Watching the Packers win the Super Bowl remind me of the first Lions game I went to. I watched Barry Sanders run all over the Pack at the Silverdome. We beat Favre and the Packers 31-17. This year I watched the Lions beat the Packers 7-3 at Ford Field for our first divisional win since 2007. The question I asked myself was; when is it finally going to be our time? Our time is now. The Lions organization and the players have an opportunity to really turn this franchise around.  Suh is an example of what the future holds for Detroit. It’s time to get it done. 

Monday Morning Falcons Hangover (Super Bowl Edition)

Green Bay Wins the Super Bowl, Prime Time Makes the Hall

Congratulations to the Green Bay Packers and the state of Wisconsin on your fourth Super Bowl Title. As I wrote here, I am not “happy” the Falcons lost to the Super Bowl Champion, as in, “At least we lost to the Super Bowl Champion,” line of b.s. many in Atlanta will be espousing this morning. That’s the lament of the loser, and it’s not for me. I will say my congratulations, and mean it, but it doesn’t heal the wounds of the butt-kicking the Falcons took, the only butt-kicking Green Bay doled out this post-season (all other games were won by single-digits), because the Falcons head coach, Mike Smith, coaches scared, like Marty Schottenheimer.

Now that the congratulations to the Super Bowl Champs are out of the way, I want to also congratulate the seven men who were elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Richard Dent, Marshall Faulk, Chris Hanburger, Les Richter, Ed Sabol, Shannon Sharpe, and of course, Prime Time himself, Deion Sanders! Congratulations, guys, on your outstanding careers in the NFL, but as it is related to Sanders, this is an especially sweet moment, or it should be, for Falcons fans.

Deion Sanders is the first player to be drafted by the Falcons to make it into the Hall of Fame. It is because of that fact that the many Falcons fans that hold any resentment for Prime Time need to let it go; especially since that resentment is usually based in untruth. Falcons’ fans: Deion did “leave” the team to go chase money and Super Bowls. No, the notoriously dumb and cheap Rankin Smith, the team owner at the time, didn’t even offer Sanders a competitive contract when he became a free agent. By claiming that he couldn’t afford to pay Sanders and not even offering a contract, Rankin Smith was able to turn many fans against Sanders; fans that didn’t understand the relatively new salary cap and free agency system.

Rankin Smith could’ve re-signed Sanders. He had the money. The Falcons weren’t strapped for cash or that close to the cap at the time. Smith simply chose to not even offer Sanders a contract because he didn’t want to be rebuffed and look like a fool for being a terrible owner no big name star wanted to play for (which he was). So please, Falcons fans, don’t buy into the anti-Deion hype in Atlanta anymore. The guy was electric. He put the Falcons on the map and gave forlorn fans a reason to cheer. He was a big part of the first Falcons team to win a playoff game (in 1991 against the Saints). And he is now the first player drafted by the Falcons to earn a place in Canton. Be proud of Prime Time, Falcons' Fans!

And to lay another myth to rest: Deion Sanders was not “afraid” of contact on the field. The man was one of the best punt returners in NFL history. Punt returners routinely get hammered on the gridiron. As a corner, he simply always played the ball, not the man. He wanted interceptions, and that’s how he played. Contrary to the myth, he could, and did, frequently make a tackle or two. For about an eight-year period, he shut down an entire side of the field. Who needs to be a physical corner, like Rod Woodson, when you could do that?

The Seven Things I Know

1) Aaron Rodgers is now something Brett Favre can never be: A Super Bowl MVP. Congrats, ARod.

2) Although I picked the Steelers to win 34-31, a part of me can’t help but marvel at the symmetry of karma in Ben’s horrible performance coming at the worst time possible after his previous bad behavior during the off-season. What goes around…

3) Comeback Player of the Year Awards should only be eligible for players who sustained an injury or illness only to overcome true adversity and excel on the field once more. It should NOT be eligible for animal-torturing-and-killing sociopaths who’s personal CHOICES (not mistakes) led to a situation that took them off the field (and into federal prison).

4) Dallas, with its sand (not salt) on the roads, falling ice injuring people, & screwing ticket-holders out of seeing the game, has now become the worst city to hold a Super Bowl. The citizens of Jacksonville can now breath easier.

5) Aggressive, throw-first offenses have now won the vast majority of Super Bowls in the last 20 years or so. Going back to 1989 and Super Bowl XXIII won by the 49ers against the Bengals, teams with attacking, throw-first offenses have won 17 out of the last 22 Super Bowls. You don’t win the big games if you coach scared (don’t take chances with the deep ball), or if you run more than throw. It’s why Marty Schottenheimer never won a game that mattered.

6) The NFL needs to scrap the lame corporate-ized Super Bowl logo and go back to game-specific, city-specific Super Bowl logos. They had character, and some were great, like this one.

7) We’ve now gone 8 years since a terrible Super Bowl game (2003, Raiders-Bucs), and since 1998 (Packers-Broncos), we’ve only had three total truly bad Super Bowl games (Falcons-Broncos, Giants-Ravens, Raiders-Bucs). For a kid who grew up in the midst of NFC domination of the 1980s and 90s, the last 13 years of Super Bowls has been nirvana.

Today in History

On 07 February 1990, the Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party decided to allow the different states making up the Soviet Union to have not only their own elections, but elections with candidates not backed by the Communist Party. The decision by the Committee and Premier Gorbachev was like the first crack in the dam, allowing first just a trickle of water, but soon growing into a torrent, as many of the states elected reformers and began to sever ties with the Soviet Union altogether. To this day, I find it amazing that I lived to see the end of the Evil Empire (although a democratized form of (evil) socialism still haunts the world, including our own beloved country), and as always, give particular thanks to this guy for helping to make it happen.

Film Real

There were trailers for many big name films shown as commercials during the Super Bowl, from Captain America, to Thor, to the new Pirates of the Caribbean film (yep, they’ve made another one of those), but the trailer that had me the most interested was the really quick look at the new Matt Damon film, The Adjustment Bureau.

I’m always a guy who loves smartly written science fiction, like Asimov or Heinlein would write, and from the quick look at this film, it looks like an interesting and intriguing idea. Plus, the guys in this Adjustment Bureau, who control our destinies, look vaguely similar to the Observers on Fringe, a favorite television show of mine, so that can’t hurt.

The idea though, that we are not in control of our destinies is a harrowing thought many have, and that idea could be mined for great material if done right. I hope it’s been done right. Check out the short trailer of here, and see if The Adjustment Bureau looks like a film you’d want to see.

Smart Quote

This quote is for Aaron Rodgers.

Leaders are made; they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.

Vince Lombardi

Hey, Check This Out!

Without a doubt, this is the best Super Bowl Commercial this year, if not this decade. I laugh so hard I cry when watching this. Love the little kid’s body language. Hilarious!

The Lombardi Trophy Returns to Green Bay!

The Green Bay Packers are once again on top of the NFL. They beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 to win Super Bowl XLV. Aaron Rodgers was named the MVP of the game (something that Brett Favre never did). He threw for 304 yards and 3 touchdowns.

On my pregame post I predicted the score would be 31-27 and I was pretty dang close. This is the greatest sports moment I have witnessed. I have never been happier to be a Packer fan. I look forward to seeing many more Green Bay Super Bowls while Aaron Rodgers is around.

Super Bowl Prediction

[NOTE:  I write about the Carolina Panthers for Around Pro Football, but with our editor's permission I'm including my Super Bowl prediction column.  I originally wrote this for my own blog, which can  be found here.  You can also follow me on Twitter @JasonBlackwood.]

After the Steelers beat the Jets and the Packers beat the Bears two weekends ago, Vegas set an early line that had Green Bay favored to win the Super Bowl by 2.5.  Last I checked, the line had jumped to three, meaning more people are taking the Pack to cover that spread than they are the Steel.

This event matches what are almost certainly the two largest fan bases in all of football (the Cowboys are not candidates because it is unclear whether or not they have any real fans) in what has surely been a boon for the local economy.  I have no doubt the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex can hold its own with most Super Bowl sites, but the area has been dominated with a winter storm all week, something that has surely put a damper on the occasion.  It's not as if Packers and Steelers fans aren't used to the weather, but the scene has once again brought up the argument of whether (no pun intended) or not certain cities are Super Bowl-worthy.  The event has a way of really embarrassing any place that proves it can't handle the situation.  Again, in fairness to DFW, I'm confident that there are enough hotels, bars, taxis, strippers, and unique food joints to handle the world's largest sporting event, but the skies are literally dumping on the whole aura.  This has been a remarkably uneventful Super Bowl week.  The game should always take place in one of our nation's party capitals - Miami, New Orleans, or Las Vegas (Vegas, of course, would need to build a stadium) - areas that almost certainly never have to worry about winter storms (hurricanes and oil spills are another matter).  If there is a chance people can become critically injured by ice falling off the roof of your stadium, then you probably don't need to be hosting the Super Bowl.  With that said, let's get to the game.

The word on the street largely seems to be that the Steelers overachieved a bit to get here, winning two home games in very unconvincing fashion and basically getting lucky by not having to play the Patriots, a team that picked their defense apart earlier in the year.  That may be true, but there's a reason these guys are in the hunt pretty much year after year: they draft so well that it doesn't seem to matter when players get old or get hurt - someone is always willing to step in and perform well.  Their offensive line has been banged up all year but as I said in my last post that shouldn't matter because Ben Roethlisberger actually becomes more effective when he's forced to make plays on the fly.  The absence of center Maurkice Pouncey, however, should be cause for concern.

Jason really doesn't want to see Big Ben win another Super Bowl...

The main reason Pittsburgh is here, of course, is Roethlisberger.  One can never count the Steelers out when that guy is on the field.  He just makes plays.  If he has snap issues with Pouncey being out, I expect his rushing yardage total to go up.  If the Steelers can't run the ball, I expect him to get away from the rush and find his receivers open deep.  I just expect Roethlisberger to do great things.

(Note: I am definitely among those who are going to be a bit sick if Big Ben leads the Steelers to a title again this year because of what kind of guy he is.  I don't really want to write that column, though, and I don't have to because Andrew Sharp already did.  I suggest you read it if you're having trouble deciding whom to cheer for on Sunday.  Or if you're a Steelers fan in denial.)

As far as the Packers are concerned, the secret is out.  The overwhelming consensus now is that this truly was a title contender from the get-go but the team suffered enough injuries and lost enough close games that they ended up going 10-6 instead of 13-3 or 14-2, as we touched on in the last blog entry....  That Aaron Rodgers is just a stud, possibly ready to deny the Steelers dynasty status and stake his claim as the league's best quarterback all at the same time....  That they are far more than just Rodgers - look how good that defense was against the Bears, and unsung players continue to step up.  Green Bay has veterans such as Charles Woodson, hungry for his first title; they have young stars like Clay Matthews, A.J. Hawk, and Tramon Williams; they have nose tackle B.J. Raji up against an unproven Steelers center (Legursky, Pouncey's replacement).  They have running back James Starks, who has suddenly given the Pack a ground game once again (star back Ryan Grant was among those hurt earlier in the year).

But let's be honest, this is about Rodgers.

Come back with me to 2008, will you?

Packers legend Brett Favre was retired.  Green Bay was ready to move on with Rodgers, who had been sitting for three years, and the team had already gone through minicamp workouts and begun training camp with him as their leader and quarterback when....Favre un-retired.  (I am better at un-retiring than he is, I'd like to add.)  He wanted to come back and play again, naturally for the Packers, whose reaction was basically, "Uhhhhhh.....welllll.....umm...really?? Isn't retirement cool and all?  You don't really want to come back, do you?"  The team eventually scheduled a really awkward meeting with Favre, and afterward declared him "mentally unfit to lead this team" or something to that effect.  Packers fans, of course, were outraged.  The team's public stance was basically that they weren't sure he was ready to come back - that maybe his head wasn't in the right place.  And this was a man who had just led them to within a game of the Super Bowl the previous season.  Do you really think that was the reason they didn't want him back?

...and because of this guy, he won't have to.

Of course not.  It's because they knew Rodgers was better.  Green Bay would have happily dumped him and handed the keys back to Favre if they felt otherwise.  Of course they would have.  Why?  Because winning means more than doing the right thing in pro sports, unfortunately.  There are examples of it everywhere.  The Packers said no to the most famous player in their history - again, infuriating their fans in the process - because they knew Rodgers would give them a better chance to win.

Fast-forward to the present day, and you will see that Rodgers' numbers in his first three seasons as a starter compare quite favorably with those of Favre during the best three seasons of his career (1995-97, when he won three straight MVP awards).  If he can lead this team to victory tomorrow, he will have just as many rings (1) as Favre does, as well.  You might say that Rodgers will have single-handedly buried the Favre era in Wisconsin, and with great authority.  He handled the Favre situation with incredible class, never dissing his predecessor in public or getting upset with the fans who wanted the legend to take his job back.  Instead, Rodgers just went out on the field and became a star.

I watched the Packers-Falcons game three weeks ago with my jaw practically stuck to the floor.  This Green Bay team just reaches another level when they play in a dome - essentially the scenario on Sunday - because they are so much faster and have so many weapons.  Everyone talks about the Steelers defense, and while they do make plays against the pass, they are predominantly a run defense.  The Steelers can be exposed by teams who can spread the field; no one does that better than Green Bay.  This truly is the worst possible matchup this season for Pittsburgh.

Everyone is planting storylines for this one, about how it matches two legendary franchises, two great teams, and two rabid fan bases.  This is already being touted as one of the more exciting games, and they haven't even kicked off yet.

I'm sorry, but no.  This is about Aaron Rodgers.  Super Bowl XLV will be his official coronation as the league's new star, and if the Steelers can't make a big play on defense, this might not be close.  I just hope someone keeps Aaron away from the Kardashians.  Packers 38, Steelers 28.

The Packers Return to the Super Bowl

This is one of greatest Super Bowls to ever be played. Both teams have a rich history of winning championships. The Green Bay Packers have an NFL best 12 world championships (including 3 Super Bowls), while the Steelers have an NFL best 6 Super Bowl wins. There has never been a Super Bowl with this much history in it. No matter the outcome it will be an "instant classic."

It will be a very hard game for both teams but I believe that the Packers will come away with their 13th world championship. To be successful against the "steel curtain" defense of the Steelers will not be an easy task. I am tired of hearing everyone in the media say that Green Bay needs to spread the field and use their 5 wide receiver set. I think if the media is smart enough to figure this out, then so is Dick LeBeau. Green Bay just needs to play smart and aggressive.

The first thing that Green Bay needs to do is to win the field position battle. This is important because both teams have very good defenses and the team with the shorter field will have a huge advantage. I think this will be a game that is decided by 1 or 2 field goals. Obviously, it is easier to go 40 yards and kick a field goal than it is to go 60 yards. Field position will be a huge factor in deciding the winner.

The Packers will also need to keep the pressure on Ben Roethlisberger. Even though he is very hard to take down, it is much harder to find the open receiver with a linebacker hanging on to your back. If the Green Bay pass rush can consistently get in Roethlisberger's face I think he will be more likely to try to force the ball out, which will give the Packer secondary a chance to make a play on the ball. Green Bay has been thriving off turnovers during their historic playoff run and if they can continue to do this, I think the Packers will have a chance to win.

Another key factor for the Packers in this game is for them to just stay calm and execute their game plan. I know that Mike McCarthy can put a perfect game plan together when he is given 2 weeks to do so. Dom Capers (the Packers' defensive coordinator) can do the same thing. With these two master minds having two weeks to plan for one game, there is trouble for the opposing team, no matter who it is. With that being said, it is up to the players to keep their cool and just play football the best they can for one game.

Is this the game that will put Aaron Rodgers in the same class as Bart Starr and Brett Favre? Will Clay Matthews finally win a ring for his family name? Will the Packers finally be able to put all the Brett Favre talk behind them for good? Will this be the start of a new dynasty for the Packers rich history? Or will the 2010 Green Bay Packers just be the forgotten team that lost the Super Bowl?

Only time will tell. For me, I hope this is only the first of many rings for Aaron Rodgers. I have been a Packer fan for 10 years and I have never been happier to be a Packer fan than I have this year. No matter the outcome of the Super Bowl, this is by far the best team I have seen in Green Bay and I am proud to call myself a Packer fan.

My prediction: Packers 31 Steelers 27

Football Friday!

Well, I meant to have a rundown of Senior Bowl news as it pertains to the Browns, but Mother Nature had other ideas. Since this is the last Friday of the football season, it's a good time to focus on the Super Bowl. As a Browns fan, I will be loyally wearing my cheesehead on Sunday and I hope the rest of Ohio will be doing the same. Well, I don't expect any of you to actually own a cheesehead but you get the point.

In the spirit of the Super Bowl, and due to my fanhood of Bill Simmons, I've been taking a look at some interesting gambling tidbits for the big game. The basic line is Packers by 2.5, last time I heard, and I would definitely take the Pack (you know, if gambling was legal). They have quite a few matchup advantages to exploit, chief among them being Aaron Rodgers. From taking a quick peek at their schedule, the only elite quarterbacks they've faced this season were Tom Brady and Drew Brees, and they lost both of those games. They have yet to face an "elite" QB in this offseason, with their wins coming against Joe Flacco and Mark Sanchez. This may be pretty tenous, considering that the Steelers did beat Matt Ryan and Rodgers is only arguably an "elite" quarterback, but I'm sticking to it. Oh yeah, I really don't like the Steelers so that may be skewing my opinion.

Some other fun bets concerning the Super Bowl are whether B.J. Raji will appear in an offensive play (+140), points total of 71-75 (100/1), John Kuhn rushing for more than 5.5 yards (-115), and Aaron Rodgers winning Super Bowl MVP (+175). Until recently I had no idea that there were so many things to bet on, up to and including the length of the final word in the national anthem!

Coming back to more local goings-on, Colt McCoy is all set to be the full-time (and healthy!) starter next year. He says he was not fully recovered from the shoulder injury he suffered in his last college football game, but he will be ready to go for next season and he's preparing to be the starter. Considering how the quarterback situation has been handled for the last few years, this is welcome news for Browns fans. Stability at last?!

As always, stay tuned for more Browns news and notes and feel free to comment.

Thank Goodell It’s Friday!

A No-Brainer in Flowery Branch

Mike Smith deserves to be lauded for his achievements in Atlanta as much as he deserves scrutiny for his mistakes in two early playoff exits (both times his team was favored), and so it has to be the NFL’s biggest no-brainer that Mike Smith deservedly received a contract extension from team-owner Arthur Blank and GM Thomas Dimitroff for three years and what’s being reported as a big raise (though no details have come out as of yet to the size of the raise).

I know it seems as if I’ve used this space to be particularly hard on Mike Smith, the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, and in some ways I have. I am hard on the man for good reason: he’s an excellent coach, and much should be expected of him and the team he leads. When he and his team fail to live up to not just our expectations, but his own, then a hard look must be taken to find out why that is and what must be done to correct grievous mistakes that lead to the failures.

Even with his post-season mistakes, Mike Smith has proven to be a excellent leader of men and a steady hand on the rudder guiding this organization to highs it has seldom experienced, or in some cases, never experienced before. Mike Smith is the only Falcons’ head coach to have more than one double-digit win season under his belt. I know that sounds ridiculous (and it is), but Smith is the only Falcons’ head coach to have more than one season of 10-or-more wins in his career.

Mike Smith is also the man who guided this franchise to their first-ever back-to-back winning seasons. Many fans around the league of other teams may take for granted this simple act of being average or slightly above average two years in row in the NFL, but until Mike Smith arrived in Atlanta, Falcons’ fans had never known what it was like to cheer on a team that was able to continue success from one year to the next. Even Tampa Bay and the Cincinnati in all of their histories of wretchedness had achieved the simple pleasures of back-to-back winning seasons, but never Atlanta, until Blank and Dimitroff hired the unassuming Mike Smith to lead the team.

The length of the extension is three years, and it is both an adequate length showing confidence in Smith and his vision, and a shrewd move by businessman-extraordinaire Arthur Blank. Blank, who by all accounts, is still angry about the playoff loss to Green Bay, knows the future of his team hangs precariously on the edge. He’s given Smith three years to prove whether he can evolve in the modern NFL; if he can adapt his football philosophy and become a more aggressive coach whose teams make things happen on the field as opposed to coaching his team simply to react to what the other team does. Truly great leaders are able to adapt their plan of attack and overcome the obstacles in their way. Leaders who fall in love with their plans, unwilling to change them, will eventually fail.

If Mike Smith can embrace change, can truly see his shortcomings and not only his successes, then he can become one of the great NFL coaches and lead the Falcons to the Promised Land. If he doesn’t, well, the shrewd businessman Arthur Blank, who built Home Depot, won’t be on the hook for his contract for very long.

Game Day Predictions (Super Bowl Edition)

On paper, this Super Bowl has it all: two of the NFL’s historically-best franchises (9 Super Bowls between them, the most ever to meet in the big game), two great young QBs, two aggressive, hard-hitting defenses, and two teams who somehow very wrongly think the color yellow is the color gold.

I see an ebb-and-flow Super Bowl, much like Super Bowl XXXVIII between the Patriots and the Panthers. I see the offenses prodding two excellent defenses in the first quarter, and then exploiting defensive miscues in the second. I see great half-time adjustments by two great defensive coordinators (Dick LeBeau for Pittsburgh and Dom Capers for Green Bay), followed by a furious finish in the fourth quarter.

In the end of what should be an excellent game, I just can’t bet against the man who may be in the midst of usurping the title of most clutch QB in the NFL from Tom Brady: Ben Roethlisberger. While to me personally (I have a huge man-crush on Brady), I don’t like that idea, given Roethlisberger’s past transgressions and general air of douche-baggedness, even I can’t deny that the man is simply magic when the chips are all-in.

However, I don’t see Big Ben winning the MVP. No, I see the Steelers down 31-27 with about four minutes to go in the fourth quarter and Green Bay driving in the redzone, when Troy Polamalu intercepts Aaron Rodgers for the second time in the game, giving Big Ben 80 yards to cover in 4 minutes. Of course, he doesn’t need that long, and leads the Steelers to the go-ahead touchdown with about a minute left in the game. Then, before time expires, Polamalu snags his third interception to ice the game away and earn Super Bowl MVP honors.

The Steelers win the Super Bowl, 34-31. Rodgers throws for four touchdowns, but his three INTs (one first quarter, two in the fourth) to Polamalu seal the deal.

Today in History

On today’s date, 04 February, in the year 2004, the biggest time wasting and addictive website in interwebs history was founded by a Harvard computer nerd with moderately poor social interactivity issues.

Yep, that’s right, today marks the seventh anniversary of the founding of Facebook.com (or, thefacebook.com, as it was known then) by Mark Zuckerberg (and if you’ve seen The Social Network, others who will go on to sue Zuckerberg).

I used to be active on Facebook, but am no longer. I’ve been facebook-free for about five months now, and unlike what I imagine quitting smoking must be like, it wasn’t hard at all. I simply suspended my account, and that was it. Suddenly, the air was sweeter, and my days seemed brighter. I guess I just couldn't take anyone asking me to watch their corn anymore.

And after quitting Facebook, I promptly signed up for Twitter, heh.

(In my own defense, I use Twitter as an information tool, I don’t let it use me, much as allowed Facebook to do. Also, Twitter isn’t trying to dole out my private information to the highest bidder… yet.)

Hey, follow me on Twitter at @UGABugKiller. Thanks!

The Jukebox

I love my iPod Touch because it gives me the freedom to not only listen to what I want with a swipe of my finger, but to create eclectic mixes and playlists on my iPod without having to connect to my MacBook as well.

Right now, I’ve been in particular love with what I’ve labeled “Old Country.” Basically, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, et al. Normally, I love my rock and especially my alternative (my high school years, the years that truly inform a person’s musical tastes, where in the mid-90’s) rock, but the old-guard singer-songwriters from Nashville were music’s first rebels, and they're awesome.

Most people don’t realize that most major country music stars are just pretty or handsome faces that can sing. Most of them don’t write their own songs; not like Cash or Haggard or Nelson did. There are few singer-songwriters left in modern country music (Toby Keith is one of which I know). In fact, you can say there isn’t much difference in modern country music and the lame pop acts of the last ten years like Britney Spears or the Backstreet Boys, who wouldn’t know how to write a song if you provided them pen, paper, key, and meter.

I urge y’all to head on over to iTunes to (legally) download some of the best singer-songwriters of the last century. Men who knew how to tell a story in song-form, men who rebelled against the conformity of their times to create great music. You won’t be sorry you did.

Smart Quote

I believe this quote is appropriate, given the situation in Egypt.

Dictators ride to and fro on tigers from which they dare not dismount. And the tigers are getting hungry.

Sir Winston Churchill, 1937

Hey, Check This Out!

Oh, how I miss you Tobias Fünke, and all of your hilariously inappropriate double-entendres! (Warning: may be considerd NSFW, so use headphones if you got'em.)

Wednesday Football Two-A-Days

The ONLY thing worse than having the Super Bowl in bad weather…

… is having to read NFL writers complain and moan about the bad weather.

Seriously, guys, y’all are attending the Super Bowl, all expenses PAID. Get the heck over yourselves and enjoy the first Super Bowl played by what are in essence the two most storied franchises in the game.

Still, I am hearing less whining about Dallas than I did about Atlanta 11 years ago, and Dallas is experiencing a MUCH worse weather situation than Atlanta did in January 2000. Chalk it up to another, “Atlanta never gets a fair shake” moment. (And y’all know we don’t!)

With that being said, playing the Super Bowl in Dallas, or Indianapolis, or New Jersey (that’s right, New York, it’s being played in New Jersey) is stupid and counterproductive to the NFL’s mission of how to handle their Crown Jewel. The Super Bowl is about showing off the NFL’s product to the world, and when you do something like that, you want it to be viewed in the best light possible, both on the field and off of it. To ensure that is the case, the Super Bowl should never be played in the current weather conditions facing Dallas-Fort Worth this week.

The Super Bowl should only be played in the current NFL cities of Miami, Tampa, New Orleans, San Diego, Glendale (Phoenix), and soon, Los Angeles (as soon as Los Angeles builds their new stadium of course). That’s it. Those six cities are the only acceptable cities in which to hold the Super Bowl. All of the cities do well with large events, and five of the six are great cities in which to spend a week before the game (sorry, Tampa, you’re the odd duck out).

The Super Bowl played in a city in an ice storm is bad enough. Imagine what the actual game would be like, how sloppy it would be, or if it would even be played at all due to “public safety concerns,” if it were played in a city going through an ice storm but in a stadium without a roof. Wait a tick, we don’t have to imagine it, as that very scenario could very well be upon us soon enough.

Roger Goodell, end the madness that is cold-weather Super Bowls!

At the very least, it saves us fans from having to read copy from bitter NFL writers who are pissed that they missed their tee times, or gasp, couldn’t even play a round because of the weather.

Get the ESPN cameras ready - it’s Signing Day!

Today is Signing Day all around College Football. Signing Day is akin to NFL Draft Day, and is just as serious, if not more so, to the fans, alumni, and boosters of the College Football teams throughout the nation. During this time of the year much is written about how “wrong” it is for grown men (and women) to obsess over 17 and 18 year-old kids, and where those poor, exploited children decide to play football in college.

And to those who say or print that I have to ask: How is obsessing over Signing Day any more or less “wrong” than all of the people who obsess over where 20, 21, and 22 year old barely-men end up being drafted to teams in the NFL?

Most of the sports media members who disparage College Football fans for “obsessing” over Signing Day are usually NFL writers, or have a background writing for NFL teams. They have no problem feeding the NFL Draft “obsession” their NFL readers have, yet take this hypocritical stance about Signing Day and the football fans who care about it. Like a three or four year difference in the age of the players makes it more “wrong” for fans to be excited for Signing Day as opposed to the NFL Draft.

It could be argued that Signing Day is a much better option for the players than NFL Draft Day. On Signing Day, the players choose where they will be going. On NFL Draft Day, they are told where they are going. On Signing Day, if programs like Alabama or Texas covet a player, that player can choose to join those winning programs. On NFL Draft Day, if the player is one of the most talented college football players in the country, they are picked to join a team like the Buffalo Bills or the Oakland Raiders, teams that are run poorly by their owners and front offices, and are stuck with those loser teams for up to five years in economically depressed cities that their populations are fleeing.

What sounds better? Choosing to live in great college towns like Athens, GA or Austin, TX, or being told you must live in Buffalo, NY? Yes, those players are paid handsomely, but they are consigned to terrible organizations with no chance of winning anything important, and believe it or not, it is actually hard to be on a team that never wins. No matter how much money you’re being paid, you didn’t choose to be on that team in the first place.

So, NFL Fan who doesn’t pay much attention to college football, but obsesses over NFL Draft Day as much as CFB fans obsess over Signing Day, you’re no better and no different. And if you’re reading some idiot writer telling you that you are, he or she is a full of crap hypocrite.

Today in History

On 02 February 1967, the American Basketball Association was founded with former Minneapolis Lakers great George Mikan as Commissioner. While the ultimate purpose of the ABA was to force the NBA to merge with the upstart league (four teams did merge with the NBA: the San Antonio Spurs, New Jersey Nets, Denver Nuggets, and Indiana Pacers), the league found a place in the hearts of fans much like the American Football Conference once did.

The ABA was flashy and fun with it’s red, white, and blue ball compared to the staid and conservative NBA. The ABA introduced the three-point line to professional basketball, as well as the Slam Dunk Contest to All-Star Weekend. The ABA also pioneered the idea of regional teams that played home games in different cities of the same regions, like the Carolina Cougars. The league sported exciting stars with cool nicknames like Julius “Dr. J” Erving and George “The Iceman” Gervin, and those stars went on to NBA stardom as well; bringing their “above the rim” style of play with them to the NBA when the ABA folded in 1976.

TV Dinner

Now that football season has wound up and the Super Bowl is upon us, just like it is a good time to catch up on films we missed during the season, so it is a good time to catch up on television shows that we should be watching that we can’t for a variety of reasons, whether they be work-related, or if you’re like me and don’t have any of the premium pay cable channels like HBO or Showtime where many of the great shows are to be found nowadays.

After the Falcons were embarrassed by the Packers last month, I decided to forego watching my daily dose of sports programming for the week as the last thing I wanted to do was be reminded of my team’s obliteration. So I fired up my MacBook and got into my Netflix account to see what was available for InstantWatch, which just may be the greatest internet application of all time. I found that Netflix had the first two seasons of Dexter available to watch on my computer or through my Xbox360 (or a Wii or PS3 if you happen to have those gaming consoles).

I watched the first episode of the first season of Dexter and I was hooked. This show is excellent in so many different ways, from the performances to the writing, which are all superb. But what reeled me in was the perverse sense of humor the show possesses. I love dark comedy. Dark comedy is such a hard concept to pull off that just about no one tries anymore. But in Dexter, they’ve found the magic to make it work.

Dexter Morgan is a serial killer who only kills murderers who happen to escape justice in his city (Miami). He also happens to be a blood spatter expert for the local police department.

That’s all I want to tell you. Any more information than that would totally ruin the experience of finding and experiencing the darkly comic wonders of Dexter on your own.

Rent the first season or watch it on Netflix. You will not be sorry you did so.

Smart Quote

This quote is appropriate, I think, in light of the current struggle to keep freedoms from being taken away by our own Government.

Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people. Those who have known freedom and then lost it have never known it again.

Ronald Reagan, Gubernatorial Inauguration Speech, 1967.

Hey, Check This Out!

I am a BIG fan of the “re-cut” interwebs meme. This take on whom I believe is the greatest single television character ever makes me laugh every time I watch it. It’s also faux-inspiring, because the video uses the wonderful music from the end of The Shawshank Redemption.

For enjoyment purposes, I present y’all with… George.

Follow me on Twitter at @UGABugKiller.

No Green and Gold at the Pro Bowl

The Pro Bowl was this past Sunday. Although, the roster was stacked with talent, it was missing some of the NFL’s best players. The Green Bay Packers were supposed to have 6 players in the game, but they weren’t there due to their participation in Super Bowl XLV. The Pittsburgh Steelers also had 4 players that were voted to the Pro Bowl but couldn’t go either. I think that the Pro Bowl should be played after the Super Bowl.

The Pro Bowl is supposed to be a fun event for both the players and the fans. I don’t think that just because you are in the Super Bowl you should be snubbed from the Pro Bowl. I think having 10 total players from the 2 best teams in the NFL, not in the Pro Bowl, is taking away from the game. Not that the players really care if they miss it (I’m sure they would much rather be preparing for the Super Bowl), but they don’t get to go have fun and support their team colors with the league’s top players. I think the Pro Bowl should be moved back to after the Super Bowl so everyone has their chance to play in it.

I know for me, I would be much more interested in the Pro Bowl if the players form my favorite team were actually there. Green Bay and Pittsburgh have the 2 best and largest fan bases in the NFL and I’m sure the majority of them, including myself, didn’t pay much attention to the Pro Bowl. The TV ratings would probably be a lot higher with those players in the game.

Green Bay Players voted to the Pro Bowl:

Tramon Williams

Chad Clifton

Clay Matthews

Charles Woodson

Greg Jennings

Nick Collins

Pittsburgh Players voted to the Pro Bowl:

Troy Polamalu

James Harrison

Maurkice Pouncey

Brett Keisel