NFL Championship Sunday Recap Part 2

Pittsburgh 23 Baltimore 14

This game had all the makings of a street brawl and lived up to the hype. On the opening kickoff two Ravens players had to be helped to the sidelines. Along with big time blocks, Willis McGahee's head flew into the third row. The hitter himself, Ryan Clark, even went down. Was it the hit of the year? No doubt, but was it legal? Debatable. Pittsburgh surprisingly dominated both sides of the ball. Defensively, they kept Joe Flacco and an above average rushing attack in check. Offensively, they were able to control the clock, move the chains when they had to and keep Big Ben upright for the most part. I had picked Baltimore because I felt they would be the aggressor and hold down the Steelers rushing game. Willie Parker was effective and Pittsburgh was the one laying wood. The Steelers won a tough game against a great defense and now head to their NFL leading 7th Super Bowl.

Big Ben is a very underrated QB. He has proven time and time again he can win the close games and win them ugly. I rarely see him kill his team in the postseason. Statistically, his worst postseason game was in the Super Bowl; Pittsburgh won anyways. He is the best at extending plays by escaping the pocket and blitzers from the secondary have a real tough time bringing him down.

Speaking of QB's, Joe Flacco finally had the game we all thought he would as a rookie QB in the playoffs. The play not to lose mentality was not going to be enough to win in Pittsburgh. However, he is the real deal. By going out on a limb and drafting Flacco, Baltimore won't have to worry about the QB position for years, a position that has plagued them for seasons. Expect Baltimore to be back next season.

One quick award/record of note. The Guiness Book of World Records sent the following to Steelers punter Mitch Berger: First NFL punter to successfully punt a football with his knee cap.

Finally, I can't say enough about the coaching abilities of Mike Tomlin. When rookie WR Limas Sweed went Braylon Edwards and dropped a sure touchdown he was greeted at the sidelines by Coach Tomlin. Ordinarily you would think a tongue lashing was in order. later that drive Sweed delivered a monster block, and all but sealed the game on a crucial 3rd down catch late in the game. When other coaches might have buried the rookie, Tomlin kept it cool. Being as young as he is, his attitude with handling things speaks loudly on a veteran football team. The respect the have for him is one large reason the Steelers didn't taper off after Bill Cowher's departure.

NFL Championship Sunday Recap Part 1

First, I would like to apologize for not getting my picks recorded for the Conference championship, very unprofessional. Yet I can confirm I went 1-1, and have the text to prove it. However, I'm not so sure it even matters. After an 0-4 divisional weekend, I doubt anyone even cares or even worse puts money down. But I've said it once and I'll say it again: When home teams, scratch that, home favorites go 1-3, a lot of people will have bad weekends. On to the recap.

Arizona 32 Philadelphia 25

The Cards are going to the Super Bowl! Nailed it! Home favorites are one thing, but home dogs? Your almost guaranteed a cover in my view. They almost went old school Arizona cardinals and blew a 24-6 halftime lead and trailed 25-24 with 5 minutes left in the game. The 13th disciple, Kurt Warner a game clinching TD drive, sending Andy Reid and the eagles home to go shave those beards!

Quick Observations & AWCB Awards!

- The Saddam Hussein Award for Disappearing when the people who counted on you, needed you the most goes to: Brian Westbrook. 12 carries 45 yards. 2 receptions 26 yards. Westbrook was a non-factor. Philly's only shot of winning was a balanced attack featuring a lot of Westbrook. 

-The Terrell Owens Sideline Cancer Achievement Award. The winner is: Anquan Boldin. Before I rant, I'm a huge fan of this guy. Dude broke his face 2 months ago, came back quick and helped Arizona get to that game. He was taken out of a package in the final game winning drive and went nuts on the sideline. Not only was he yelling at the Offensive Coordinator while he was trying to call crucial plays in the game, but 'Quan also skipped out on the celebration. Sources reported that he left the field immediately and went home. Way to Savor the moment!

-The Rube Baker Award for Excellent Accuracy: Donovan McNabb.  For those that don't know Rube Baker, he's the catcher in the movie Major League, with a throwing problem. (No not a going problem, or a growing problem. Seen that commercial a little to much) McNabb killed Philly drives and big play opportunities. He threw several balls behind guys, including under throwing some routes with a lot of open field ahead. Including the 3rd and 10 with 1:00 remaining where Donovan threw behind a crossing route that could have easily been a first down. Even still a 4th and 3 is better than 4th and 10.

-Larry Fitzgerald has put together the best performance by a WR in NFL playoff history. My question is how the man hasn't been double teamed yet. Teams just can't be missing assignments that regularly. Makes me wonder what the scheme is to stop the Cardinals?

NFL Rumblings and Grumbling Part Deux...

Some quick thoughts I couldn't add without my last blog turning into a novel.

-Plain and simple: Eli Manning and the Giants are not the same team without Plaxico "Cheddar Bob" Burress. Last weekend they looked nothing like the team that began the season 10-1, and more like the team that finished the regular season 1-4. When Eli would get in trouble he'd throw up jump balls to Plax who has so much size over an NFL corner. He was the driving force behind their win in Green Bay in last years NFC title game and caught the game winner in the Super Bowl. The distraction of him was gone. The fact he was gone made the Giants an unbalanced offense and a very beatable team.

- Donovan McNabb is the most underrated and under appreciated QB maybe in NFL history. I can understand being unappreciated playing in Philly, the freaking people there booed Santa Claus. Aside from T.O, who I would consider drastically overrated, McNabb has never had a legit wide receiver. He will be going to his 5th NFC championship in the past 8 years. He is still a mobile threat and has an absolute cannon. 

- Dan Marino Vs. Joe Flacco. Dan Marino is the most bitter man on TV when it comes to giving props to other QB's. Since the majority of people feel careers are defined by Super Bowl titles, I can't wait to see the look on his face if Flacco wins it all. My prediction is that next week Marino will take the Steelers, sighting Flacco's inability to make things happen against the "Steel Curtain". 

For the record, I haven't given Flacco the credit he deserves. He was given a legit D, and basically told not to make critical mistakes and he hasn't. Flacco has a big-time arm, and has made some good decisions in situations where you might see QB's with more experience disappear. 

- The Chargers finally have a legit #1 wideout in Vincent Jackson. He has size, great hands and big play ability. After Chris Chambers went Bobby Fischer this past season, Vjax emerged as the lead target for Philip Rivers and did not disappoint. His ability to stretch the field and in doing so keeping safeties honest, will allow Antonio Gates to have a lot of room to run those underneath routes. With what seems to be the end of an era in LT being the driving force behind the San Diego offense, Vjax brings stability to what could become a pass happy bolts team with the NFL's leading passer in Rivers.

- Darren Sproles is who we thought he was. A great change of pace back, that with enough space can change a game. But in all seriousness, Sproles is not an every down back. Sproles becomes a free agent this off season and San Diego should do all they can to re sign him for his multiple threats. However if another team offers him more money to be the every down back, San Diego shouldn't pursue him. Find a solid RB in the draft, and I have a feeling LT will be back serving crow to all the haters next year.

- I do not like Hines Ward.

-Everyone's "sexy" picks for surprise seasons next year? Houston and San Francisco.

- My two picks: Packers. Bengals. 

-Take time this week to notice the size of Ben Rothelisberger's face. As one radio personality has said, "his face has audibled into the spread formation".

-While Micheal Vick sits in jail for killing dogs, which I think is wrong, Ray Lewis will be in the AFC Championship. If you don't remember, before the Ravens won the Lombardi in 2000. A man was murdered after a fight at a nightclub with Ray Lewis and his crew. Ray Lewis killed a man and ratted his boys out to avoid jail time.

Thats what's real...

NFL Rumblings and Grumbling Part 1

Well the weekend that was the NFL divisional round saw many things, including yours truly going 0-4 in his picks. That would typically be bad, but when you consider that only 1 of 4 home favorites actually won, I know that I wasn't the only one with a dismal weekend. The biggest shock to all was the complete obliteration of the Carolina Panthers at the hands of what Vegas considered to be double digit dogs; the Arizona Cardinals. Not to take anything away from their great win, but if you told me Panthers QB Jake Delhomme would turn it over 3 times I would have thought about taking the Cards. Well he turned it over 6, I say 6 times. Meanwhile "Father Time" Kurt Warner delivered another stellar performance even without having Anquan Boldin at his disposal. With the win Kurt Warner also earned $1,000,000 in incentives just for that one game. The most amazing thing to me is that even Arizona fans have no idea what's going on. You won't hear any, "We told you" coming from them because they can't believe the NFC Championship will be in Glendale, Az either.

Now on to my Chargers spew. Yes the Chargers had a great final leg of the season. Yes they beat Peyton Manning in the playoffs. Sure they lost to the better team in the Steelers. But let me ask you this Charger fan: Do you honestly feel better about the team? Do you feel there's a serious sense of direction for the future? In watching the game with Bolts fans, I noticed they all felt the same way. Norv Turner looked completely overwhelmed by the whole thing. I'm sure most would agree that coaches get a little to much credit for positive things and a little to much blame for negative things. With that being said, am I the only that believes the Chargers would still be better of with Marty Schottenheimer at the helm? He took over a crappy team and instilled a hard nosed attitude that transcended the team ultimately to a 14-2 record. The knock on Marty was that he couldn't win in the playoffs (5-13) and with a Charger team full of expectations he was fired.

The NFL is no joke. It's a man's game. The playoffs are not gimmies. While Marty is the goat, we should look deeper into it before passing such judgement on what I consider to be an excellent football coach. All of his losses in the postseason have come by 5 points or less. He also hasn't been blessed with a truly good quarterback during his playoff run. (He did have Montana in KC, but his legendary years were well passed him) Finally, Marty's coup de grace with the chargers occured in 2004. A 14-2 record, home field advantage and a first round exit to Tom Brady, Bill Bellicheat and the eventual Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots. Like I said, the NFL playoffs are no joke. Give Marty a break.

On the other side of the coaching spectrum is newly retired Tony Dungy. I respect the guy a lot as a coach and a man. All that aside, he has been given a free pass in the media. His 9-10 playoff record is respectable, but his 6 one and dones is not. Between Tampa's dominance of the NFC and Indianapolis' reign as an AFC power, Dungy went one and done often. In Tampa, he couldn't win the big one. His first year removed Tampa wins it all. Then he gets the Indy job, and handed a sure fire Hall of Fame QB in Peyton Manning. His lone Super Bowl win as coach came against Rex Grossman and the Bears. Grand total: 7-6 with Manning and a home field advantage known as the RCA dome. 

All this makes me wonder. Dungy's lone Super Bowl win makes him better than Marty? Take out that run and Dungy was 5-10. Marty got burned at the stake every playoff loss. You cannot say the same for Dungy. Finally, winning the big one (Super Bowl) is the crowning achievement for an NFL career. But for those legends without rings, it haunts their status forever. Most people when putting a list together rank in terms of titles. So Dungy's 1 is better than Marty's 0. Would you rather have Trent Dilfer (1) over Dan Marino (0)? Would you build your current team around Eli Manning (1) over Drew Brees (0)? Let me put this into perspective. Nicholas Cage has won an Oscar for "Best Actor" while Clint Eastwood has not. Is Nic Cage the better actor? Please people! Football domination by one man doesnt result in a title the way Jordan did in the NBA. The Super Bowl Championship should not be the be all end all of an NFL legacy.

That's Part 1. Part 2 up tomorrow will consist of some quick thoughts on last weekend's games...

Get Your NFL Playoff Previews and Predictions Here.

Well this weekend bring us the Divisional Playoffs in the NFL. A lot of these games are highly anticipated rematches of the regular season. Aside from just predicting who will advance to the Conference Championships I would also like to pick these games against the spread. If your new to betting on NFL games (like me) these are much harder because the spreads are always relatively close. I'd like to think that with 8 teams left vying for the Lombardi, we have eliminated all the pretenders; allegedly. Which brings me to the first game. 

PANTHERS (-10) over Cardinals

Now, I know that this isn't the first scheduled T.V game, but I felt I had to lead it off because of that brilliant introduction to the blog. To me the Cards are pretenders. Plain and simple. The wild card victory over Atlanta was expected but still seemed fluky. A flea-flicker jump ball for a TD, and a huge defensive breakdown led to a 72 yard TD. Plus that weird fumble they returned for a TD. Not to mention a hungry home crowd and a rookie QB on the other sidelines. All of that is gone this weekend. Carolina boasts a strong D, an amazing running game and pound for pound maybe the best player in the NFL in Steve Smith.

Finally the Cards were 3-5 on the road and were outscored 151-62 in those games. Carolina is 8-0 at home. The Cardinals can't run the football, Carolina will be able to harass the "King of the Flat Top", Kurt Warner all game.

Prediction: Carolina 34 Cardinals 20

TITANS (-3) over Ravens

This is a very tricky game to pick. The Titans team identity is to run the ball and control the clock. Let Kerry Collins manage the game and score just enough for their stingy D to hold down the opponents' offense. To save myself from typing that exact description all over again, Baltimore is a twin of Tennessee. When they met in Week 5 it was a low scoring and heavily physical affair. I expect more of the same tomorrow. A field goal spread is very dangerous no matter who you pick, but I feel this spread might be based on how well Baltimore handled Miami in what was a great matchup for the Ravens. Yet while the Ravens are the "sexy" pick to go to the Super Bowl, Tennessee is the favorite, playing at home and will unleash their lowest scored upon D against a rookie QB. While Kerry Collins isn't Tom Brady, he is a veteran, and that is what counts this time of year.

Prediction: Titans 20 Ravens 13.

GIANTS (-4) over Eagles

A rematch of a rematch of two NFC Division rivals that featured a series split with both road teams winning games. Trend? Not this week. That Week 15 win for the Eagles was a must just to have a sliver of hope down the stretch. The Eagles found themselves in the postseason because nobody else seemingly wanted to go. (see Oakland 31 Tampa Bay 24) I however tend to look at the entire picture. The Giants realistically had nothing to play for and were in the middle of dealing with Drama even Dallas would appreciate. (see Plaxico aka Harris Smith who shot himself in a night... eerrrr was shot at an Applebee's)

Aside from a 71 yard TD pass last weekend at Minnesota the Eagles offense stunk against a Minny D that was missing two key players on D. So how could I see them moving the ball against a well rested Giants D on the road? I CAN'T. Ex Charger and Reining Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning (somebody wake me up) should be able to move the chains consistently against an Eagles team that I feel will just run out of gas; and not soon enough because Andy Reid's playoff beard is getting nasty.

Prediction: Giants 27 Eagles 14

Chargers (+6) over STEELERS

San Diego... Super Chargers! The 'Bolts come into this game as arguably the best 9-8 team in NFL history and are the hottest team in Football. The Steelers on the other hand are banged up. Big Ben enters this game 2 weeks removed from his 3rd career concussion, Willie Parker isn't the same runner he was before that fractured fibula a year ago. All that plus they face a Chargers D that is on the rise after hiring Ron Rivera to D coordinator. WARNING: THIS STAT MIGHT MAKE YOUR HEAD EXPLODE... Norv Turner is 12-1 in December and January as Chargers Head Coach. His one loss? At undefeated New England last year, with a body double of LT standing on the sidelines, and Philip Rivers ACL resembling chewed up spaghetti.

In a game I feel is gonna be very low scoring, field position is the biggest factor, not the home crowd. The Chargers Darren Sproles is averaging 24 yards a kick return and almost 11 a punt return. The steelers host of returners 20 yards on kickoffs and 6 on punts. The Chargers punter Mike Scifres went video game on the Colts last week pinning them inside the 10 yard line 4 times. Pittsburgh's punter Mitch Berger was released for 3 weeks this season. 

Even without LT, the Chargers and Philip Rivers are in F-U mode to the rest of the league. They have a ton of momentum and even with LT more than likely out I still like them to cover the 6 points. Drum Roll Please......

Prediction: Chargers 16 Pittsburgh 13

The Most Fraudulent "Title" in Sports

Welcome to Another West Coast Blog! As a first time blogger with a passion for sports debate, I felt compelled to offer up my takes, ideas and facts about the sports world that encompasses us all. This blog (for the most part) will be dedicated to exposing the evil that is the East Coast bias, and its stranglehold on sports fans and the majority of sports media. I aim to bring enlightenment to the globe (if possible) that the West coast is more than beaches, celebrities and great weather.

With the long and drawn out CFB bowl season coming to a close I'd like to shed light on the biggest myth in all of organized sports: The National Championship. In 1936 the AP released its first poll containing College Football's "National Champion". Today the AP is accompanied by the Bowl Championship Series standings, both crown a "National Champion" for College Football. While the AP consists of sports writers and a "human vote", the BCS is a series of mathematical equations and percentages that give us two teams to compete for the BCS Championship.

Let me stress that again. The BCS selects two teams to compete for the BCS Championship. Before the BCS the AP selected its "National Champion" based on a vote of who the best team was. Since there has never been a playoff to decide the National Champion, how can any of us determine who really was the best team in College Football in any year? The answer: We can't. Until there is a playoff in College Football we will continue to crown a "National Champion" based on a beauty contest (Media and Coaches Polls) and a series of numbers (BCS). It will remain the only major organized sport without a playoff

For those that oppose a playoff in College Football, the common belief is that the regular season is a playoff. The Utah Utes went 13-0 and will be rewarded with an HD view of the "National Championship" and a slim hope of a split championship. The argument that Utah didn't play anybody is ridiculous. 6-0 vs. teams that made bowls, and a beat down of Alabama (a heavy favorite). USC could be playing the best football of anyone in the country, and Texas has to watch the team they beat on a neutral field in Oklahoma, play for the "National Championship".  What a year for playoff right?

Wrong. In my estimation, it will never happen and that my friends, is a damn shame. Why? Money. A couple years ago Kansas' Head Coach Mark Mangino cited his teams loss to Texas on some horrible calls by the ref's as a scam. "BCS made a difference in this game... dollar signs". The BCS grants 6 conferences as Automatic Qualifiers for BCS bowl games. Teams not from AQ have huge mountains to climb just to get in to a BCS game, let alone the BCS Championship. 

So this year when undefeated (at the time) Boise State was sent to the Poinsettia Bowl and 4 loss Virginia Tech automatically qualified for the Orange Bowl (BCS) cries of foul went unheard. The payout for the Poinsettia Bowl winner this season was $750,000. The payout for the Orange Bowl was $17,000,000. The sad thing is Boise State could compete with Virginia Tech, but BCS big wigs have given mediocre conferences like the ACC and the Big East AQ's and therefore don't even believe Boise could hold Virginia Tech's jock strap. The relationship between conferences and bowl traditions has ruined the spirit of competition. The reason VT goes to the Orange Bowl is because the winner of the ACC has a contract with the Orange Bowl, not because their 4 losses is more deserving. Just like all the power 6 football conferences. 

Solution: Playoff!

Eliminate the 6 power conferences.

The top 8 teams enter a playoff to determine a true National Champion (1st ever). Popular belief says that determining team 8 over team 9 is the same as the BCS determining team 2 over team 3. Wrong again. The debate for 8th place and 9th place in the polls will not be the same as 2 vs 3. At the end of the year there are a legit 4 or 5 teams that can win it all. Pitting 8 vs 9 is a waste.

Seed the teams and place them in bowls geographically, adding say the Holiday Bowl and the Cotton Bowl which would always be quarterfinal bowls along with 2 BCS bowls. The 4 BCS bowls rotate between quarters and semi finals each year with the final being the National Championship. (BCS bowls also rotate for this honor each year. Based on this season's final BCS standings my playoffs would look like this:

Oklahoma vs Penn State @ Cotton Bowl

Florida vs Texas Tech @ Orange Bowl

Texas vs Utah @ Holiday Bowl

Alabama vs USC @ Fiesta Bowl

1 vs 8 against 4 vs 5 in Rose Bowl

2 vs 7 against 3 vs 6 in Sugar Bowl

National Championship Game at Rotating BCS Bowl.

While the system isn't error proof, it does offer up a scenario in which an 8 team playoff occurs without ruining the integrity of the major bowl games. Other teams that qualify for "non championship" bowls can receive a capped payout amount. Most schools that have financial advantages over others receive most of their money from boosters anyways. 

So when you see either Oklahoma or Florida holding up that crystal football tonight remember that it is the BCS championship, and NOT a National Championship. We have never known a true National Champion, and until there is a playoff we will continue to be deprived.

Greed is the drive behind College Football, not providing a clear cut National Champion.