SportsNetUSA Blogs

I apologize for not having any entries lately.  After last night I decided to write a short one.  I feel very confident that there can be no argument here.  I also want to dispel the rumor that I had sent a text to some of my teammates at SportsNetUSA.net, stating that I was done and was retiring from blogging.  I am due for some surgery this fall but expect to make a full recovery.  Okay, I am straying far from the point.

After watching the Hall of Fame Game, it is safe to say, the season is over!  I expect there will be little argument because it was pretty clear the Dallas Cowboys will be NFL Champs this coming February or  has the season been extended to March?  The Cowboys have it all now.  Great starting talent on both sides of the ball.  They have pretty good depth and the Super Bowl in their home stadium.  They have great assistant coaches and they have a great, okay make that a good….all right they have a somewhat good head coach.

So let me know all of you in the NFC, which of you will be playing for second place?  Over in the weaker league, which of you will choose to get whipped in the Super Bowl?  Those of you that are behind the San Diego Chargers I want to remind you that Norv Turner is still your head coach.  So take it from me now and save yourself a lot of hours on Sundays, it is over.  If you insist on watching pro football anyway then help save yourself many headaches and frustration and lower your expectations.  There is only one way this season can end.  The Dallas Cowboys are the Super Bowl Champions, print the caps and shirts now!

Do you love the NFL Draft?  I do and there must be many out there like me.  The National Football League and ESPN have taken their show to prime time hours.  This is another sign that I am old and have no life.  Rounds two and three are on Friday night and I think to myself, perfect.  What could be better than watching this kind of exciting programming.  You have shots of guys on telephones and young guys wearing hats and holding up jerseys.  You also have guys telling me what my team needs and who is the best guy to fill those needs.  Does this kind of excitement get you pumped up?  If it does then you have got problems just like me.  So be it.

I admit the NFL has me hook line and sinker.  My only relief is in knowing that I am not alone.  The NFL schedule came out and it was the sports story of the day!  They do not do this for baseball nor basketball.  For professional football they announce early in the morning that the schedule will be announced later in the day.  I believe the draft means everything and it means absolutely nothing at the same time.  Let me explain.

You can never know if your team has had a good draft or a bad draft.  You may be elated that your squad got your favorite college player or that they have filled a huge need.  You can also be let down because you do not recognize the names nor the colleges some of your guys are coming from.  I would also suggest that you do not put too much stock in what the draft experts say.  Draft and expert are two terms that should not be used together.  Like expert and weatherman should never be used together.  I would say, draft best guesser would be more realistic.  Let’s take a look at some of some draft stories I came across.  There are millions, you may add your own.

We all love the famous stories of Joe Montana being drafted in the third round and Tom Brady being drafted in the sixth.  This illustrates that the draft can mean everything and nothing at the same time.  How could these two guys go that late?  Have you ever seen the pictures of Brady at the combine?  He was very slow running and very skinny.  Not only was he skinny but he did not have a defined muscle in his body.  He was also sporting that Dumb and Dumber haircut that Jim Carey made famous.  A few years later he wins Super Bowls and marries a Super Model.  Who knew.

My friend the Sports Dr. was so excited when the Colts drafted Peyton Manning because then his Chargers could draft Ryan Leaf.  The expert opinion that year was Manning was more polished but Leaf had the larger ” upside”.  Peyton wins a Super Bowl and will hold most passing records and Leaf disappears except on police blotters and biggest draft busts lists.  Many believe him to be the biggest draft bust ever.

In 1995 the 49ers drafted J.J. Stokes out of UCLA to be the heir apparent for Jerry Rice.  I believed Stokes was a can’t miss star as the 10th player taken that year.  Stokes career numbers: 342 catches for 4293 yards and 30 touchdowns.  In that same year there was a tiny receiver out of that football powerhouse Hofstra named Wayne Chrebet.  Chrebet was not even good enough to be drafted at all, not even in the last throwaway round.  He did not even qualify for Mr. Irrelevant status.  His career numbers: 580 catches for 7,365 yards and 41 touchdowns.  You just never know.  Terrell Davis was the 196th player taken that year.  Jamal Duff a defensive end from San Diego State and Foothill High School in Tustin was the 204th player taken by the Giants.  Jamal played a few years  and then went into acting.

My personal favorite draft story that I came across is the Brett Favre draft in 1991.  You see when you get old you forget things and you also just have more experiences so there is just more to remember.  Favre was the 33 player drafted that year out of Southern Miss. even though I had never heard of him.  I had heard of the quarterback drafted in the first round at number 24, Orange County’s very own, Todd Marinovich.  Is that amazing?  All of these years later I did not put those two together.  Todd was out of the NFL after the 1992 season and Brett…well we know that Grandpa Brett is coming back for season 2010.  Marinovich had career numbers of 8 touchdowns, 9 interceptions and 1,345 yards.

The funny thing is the team that drafted Favre, the Falcons traded the future Hall of Famer to Green Bay.  You just never know.  Other quarterbacks taken in that draft:  Dan McGwire( yes one of Mark’s brothers), Browning Nagle, Scott Zolak, David Hollas, Bill Musgrave, Craig Erickson, Pat Justin, Pat O’hara, Shawn Moore, Jeff Bridewell and Larry Wanke.  I am no draft expert but I am predicting there will only be one Hall of Fame quarterback from that years draft.  So I will enjoy the draft and all of the nonsense that goes along with it. I will also try to remember my own words, you just never know.

I agree with Saints head coach Sean Payton, I hate the NFL overtime rule change also. There is no reason the sudden death overtime rules that are in place now should be changed.   So the coin toss winner kicks a field goal on its possession, the other team gets to ball. If the next series ends with another field goal, play will continue under the current sudden-death rules. If the team winning the toss immediately scores a touchdown, the game is over.  This sounds exactly like the rules we made up when we were playing football in the street and one team didn’t feel like losing, we simply made up rules as we played.

This now means not a single defensive player can make more money than any single offensive player in the league, including place kickers.  

This rule change means to players and fans that defensive players aren’t important enough to decide the outcome of a game. This is a professional sport. The players are getting paid large sums of money to do a job on offense and defense. The rule changers think this will make it a fair outcome to conclude a game. Please. Life is not fair and neither are sports. If a team loses the coin flip, suck it up and stop the other team. If you lose, do better next time in regulation.  So it wasn’t fair for the Saints to win the NFC Championship versus the Vikings because they kicked a field goal? The object is to win the game, by a field goal or touchdown and it is up to the opposing team to stop any advancement. For example in the same game, shouldn’t the Vikings have not turned the ball over, capitalized on Saints miscues, or simply stop the Saints from scoring?

Proponents of the rule change will look at the statistics and tell you that more times than not, the team calling the correct flip and winning the toss will win the game. Owners wanted to produce fairer results. That is a nice sentiment but it discredits the focused intensity and 100% effort during a football game. Players already take plays off and shuffle through games, why not keep the sudden-death sense of urgency in order ensure players playing at an optimum level instead of thinking there is always another chance.

The NFL also passed a safety rule for the upcoming season that enhances the safety of a defenseless player. The key rules change for player safety bars a defenseless player from being hit in the head or neck area by an opponent who launches himself and uses his helmet, shoulder or forearm to make contact. Previously, those kinds of tackles were banned against receivers who couldn’t protect themselves, but now it will apply to everyone. This is a great rule change. Simply look at Donovan McNabb last year scoring a touchdown and being hit late while he was on the ground and the play had commenced. The NFL should go one step further and ban those type of hits from being the lead on post-game highlight shows. It is nice to make a rule but the NFL still condones those types of hits when they are deemed highlight material.

Well, so much for Peyton Manning being called the greatest ever.  I hope you were not near that bandwagon when people began leaping off with three minutes to go in the game.  Tracy Porter picked off Manning and sealed the victory and maybe two quarterback’s legacies.  You all know that Porter picked off Brett Favre in the NFC Championship and got a pick six against Manning.  The talk is that Manning is a great regular season quarterback but his record is only 9-9 in postseason play.  I do not know nor care what others try to make his legacy stand as a quarterback.  I do know that he will always be the all time favorite son in New Orleans.  Peyton was born there and went to high school there and there will be Saints fans always grateful that he helped deliver a Super Bowl victory to the former Aints.  There is already talk that this young Saints team could be on its way to a mini dynasty.  Drew Brees may play another five years or more. 

According to some you may as well find a spot in Canton for Sean Payton as he becomes the latest genius head coach.  It is too early for that but let’s give Sean his due, he coached a heck of a game and it was obvious he came to win.  So much for the Colts staying in the same hotel and all of that they have been there before advantage.  Payton was aggressive and Coach Caldwell too conservative for my taste.  The Colts will deny but the two games they gave away instead of trying to go undefeated sent a bad precedent.

I thought the turning point came in the first half when the Colts held on fourth down on their goal line.  Instead of picking up a first down and running out the clock they turned the ball back to the Saints which led to a field goal and cut the lead to 10-6 at halftime.  In the first half Garrett Hartley was huge in keeping New Orleans in the game.  Marques Colston could not be covered in the first half either.  Pierre Thomas definitely made a name for himself and demonstrated why Reggie Bush is mostly a special teams player and situational back

So at halftime the Colts had to believe they would go in and make adjustments and take control in the second half. There is not much to say about the halftime fireworks show.  I am racking my brain trying to figure out which rock act from the sixties or seventies is still left out there. Back to the game; Sean Payton stunned the world with his successful onside kick and then I think we knew we were in for a game.  I did not understand the field goal attempt by the Colts and Matt Stover.  Stover had not had a field goal over fifty yards since, well since he was well under the forty-two plus years he is now.  He did get a Super Bowl record being the oldest player to ever play in a Super Bowl.  This was the point where I felt the Saints were going to win the game.  Congratulations to the Saints and their fans.  This is another thing I never thought I would live long enough to see.  My whole life I only remember one person ever admitting he was a Saints fan.  So Justin, if you are out there somewhere, enjoy.

What a playoff run for the Saints.  They beat three Super Bowl winning quarterbacks in a row, Warner, Favre and Manning.  Drew Brees completed an astounding 72% of his passes with eight touchdowns and zero interceptions while racking up 732 yards.  Brees won the Super Bowl MVP award and gave himself a huge boost towards a Hall of Fame career if he continues for three or four years at this pace.  He already has 30,646 passing yards, 202-110 touchdowns to interceptions. He came to the Saints in 2006 and his lowest touchdown total is 26.  Funny how life works out sometime.  It seems like the Chargers had decided Drew was not their quarterback of the future and he basically held the job until Phillip Rivers was ready to go.  In the past a top quarterback would not pick New Orleans as the place to go as a free agent.  Yet, Brees does and has the good fortune to hook up with Sean Payton and also the good fortune to not play for Norv Turner.  The Chargers are set to sink with Norv.  He has a 90-98-1 record in 12 years as a head coach and has four teams in the playoffs in those twelve years.  The Chargers fired Marty Schottenheimer because he could not win in the playoffs.  Norv Turner is 3-3 in the playoffs and is rewarded with a contract extension.  Yes sir, life can be interesting.  Have fun Drew and no one would blame you if you were to say, I told you so.

To be honest I was waiting for some of my fellow friends on SportsNetUSA.net to blog first.  I was hoping that someone would write in and smash Brett Favre and then I could respond.  So far it has not happened.  The week after the NFL championships is usually a slow sports week.  This week has been no exception and already I want to scream.  It has me thinking I want to find a classical music station and stop listening to so much sports talk.  I would like to take a look back and a quick look forward to the Super Bowl.  Somewhere another tradition has bit the dust with the Super Bowl now in February instead of January.  Just think if they go to an eighteen game schedule maybe we can get the Super Bowl pushed to March and keep the draft in April and cut down the months in which there is no NFL.

Did you ever really worry when the Colts fell behind the Jets?  I never once believed in that game that the Jets were going to win.  The Jets are what they are, an up and coming team.  The Colts are already there.  The Colts have become the model organization in football.  It helps when you have guys like Dungy, Manning and Polian.  I am happy they are in and I believe they will beat the Saints.  I just want to see a good game because like last week I have no hatred for either team.  Normally I like to be really for or really against a team but not in this one.

I was very happy for the Saints and the city of New Orleans to beat the Vikings.  It is nice to see long suffering franchises win sometimes.  The Saints defense was something to watch and what a whipping they put on Favre.  Turnovers were the difference.  I do not see them getting to Peyton like they did Brett.  If the Saints win the Super Bowl that would be fine with me too.

I have no interest in the Pro Bowl at all.  Do not care when they play it or where they play it.  It is a useless exhibition and a waste of time.  Of course I believe every professional All Star game in any sport is a waste.  I have some ideas on what would make the game more interesting but don’t want to go into that now.

This brings me to the past week and all of the nonsense about legacy and who is the greatest.  I must learn to change the channel when this kind of talk comes up.  Where does Peyton Manning rank with the all time greatest quarterbacks?  What will Peyton’s legacy be if he wins or if he loses?  Brett Favre has all kinds of records but he is not among the all time quarterbacks because he has only one ring and he always throws an interception in the crucial moment of a game. Give me some Bach or Beethoven right about now.

Remember when the standard was if you won a Super Bowl?  Well now a quarterback or coach has to win more than one or they cannot be called great.  That is garbage.  Where did all of this legacy stuff come from?  The greatest of all time talk is comparable to me to which came first the chicken or the egg?  It is useless and yet I cannot stop listening or getting ticked off.  Peyton Manning will, if he stays healthy, pass most of Favre’s records.  He is and has been a great quarterback for some time now.  He will be a great quarterback if the Colts lose.  Favre is a great quarterback despite the interception and the Vikings loss.  Did I mention the greatest back in the league kept putting the ball on the carpet in that game?  Remember in the NBA playoffs last year and I railed against the “what is Kobe’s legacy if he loses?”  Kobe haters were chomping at the bit to say, see he never won one without Shaq.  I heard a guy say that he was not sure how to rate Montana because Joe had Jerry Rice and great players around him!  What!  Shut off your mike since I can’t seem to change the station.

That is what we have to look forward to now.  Grainy films of Joe in the Super Bowl and HD pictures of the current greatest of all time, Manning.  You know if Peyton wasn’t tall, athletic, blessed with a strong throwing arm, a dad named Archie, football smart, had great coaching, have a great offensive line, have a great game plan, play in today’s pass happy game, never have a major injury, get to run the no-huddle, play in an indoor stadium and have great receivers….if he didn’t have all of that, I am not sure I could call him great.  I know this is not grammatically correct but I hope the point is made.  Chicken or the egg, Manning or Montana, enough, stop it.  Now, how about some music!

This is a great weekend for the NFL.  I really like all four teams that are left with three teams I expected and one surprise.  Last week I admitted I was a lifelong Cowboy fan and I still am.  They stunk and were defeated by a superior Viking team.  Usually as a fan I personally like to cheer against teams as well as for teams.  In these two championship games there is not a team I dislike.  The Washington Redskins are a team that I will usually root against.  I used to root against the Raiders but they have been so bad that I actually feel sorry for the team and their fans.  It is bad when at the end of the season your most hyped player is your punter Shane Lechler!  This year I like all four teams so I am having trouble deciding which match up I would like to see in the Super Bowl.
 
Let’s start with the AFC first.  I am on record as I said when the season began that I like Rex Ryan as a coach.  He has breathed some fresh air into the league and does not always resort to using pat coaching answers.  Coaches usually say how good the opposition is and boy we are lucky to be on the same field with them.  We have a lot of things to work on and, well you know how they talk.  How many coaches have you heard say, I think we should be favored to win the Super Bowl!  Rex said it even though his team was lucky to make the playoffs.  I also like Mark Sanchez and I normally like to root for a California connection.  You had to love the dig he threw at Pete Carroll and Pete’s choice to go back to the NFL.  That was classic and I am happy that it has worked out for him.  I did not expect the Jets to be here.  Did the Chargers really give Norv Turner a contract extension?
 
I like the Colts and love Peyton Manning.  I was for him a few years back when they won the Super Bowl, as he and Tony Dungy both were able to shed the “Can’t win the Big One” label.  There was so much uncertainty coming into this season and then Peyton wins his fourth MVP.  I love Dallas Clark who is from Iowa and amazing.  Dallas may be headed to the Hall of Fame.  I will root for a player like Pierre Garcon from Division III Mount Union College.  Finally there is Austin Collie, a rookie from BYU and Oak Ridge High School in Northern California.  I have to root for this player and he even took two years off to go on a mission!  How many players are there that would take two years off and maybe lose a shot to play in the NFL?  I like both teams but I will be going for the Colts in this one.  The great thing is that if the Jets got in that makes for great story lines as well.
 
Over in the NFC we have the two best teams in the conference meeting up.  I have supported Brett Favre before the season began.  I have been amused this week in the way the talk has changed.  The Favre only came back to stick it to the Packers has given way to he came back to win the Super Bowl.  Do you wish sportscasters would admit when they were wrong?  I know that I do.  No big deal, if you were wrong so what.  Most of these guys now are raving about what a season Brett has had.  I have not heard that he will throw a pick and lose the game.  I have not heard that he cannot make it a full season.  He has had a memorable season and who knows about next year.  The Vikings have never won a Super Bowl and they have great fans that deserve one.
 
What is not to like about the Saints?  This franchise has never even been to the Super Bowl even though they have hosted it numerous times.  The Super Dome has been home to some of the biggest sporting events of all time.  These fans are hungry and they deserve to have their team as in the Super Bowl as well.  I loved Drew Brees at Purdue and with the Chargers.  What he has done in New Orleans is stunning.  Sean Payton was an assistant with the Dallas Cowboys and it was my hope that he would be the head coach there.  The timing was not quite right.  So I guess I do not have to say how much I like Payton.  If Reggie Bush has another game this week like last the Saints will win.  Where has that Reggie Bush been?  I thought that Reggie would be an all time great running back.  Is last week the game that maybe brings him back?  This one is tough but I will be pulling a little bit more for the Saints.  Enjoy this weekend because sometimes one or both of these games are better than the Super Bowl.

I admit it, I am a Dallas Cowboy fan. I am not a late get on the bandwagon Cowboy fan. A few weeks ago a lot of people were banging on the Cowboys big time. Most of those same people are now talking about them going to the Super Bowl. I am not one of those delusional Cowboys fans. I have been a fan most of my life. Started when I was about seven and saw them on television. Yes there were televisions back then but they were black and white with a lot of toying with rabbit ears. I chose the Cowboys because I liked their uniforms and I had family that lived in Texas.  To me, Texas seemed like some far off magical land that had to be better than my home in Iowa. Iowa then nor now has a pro major league team of any kind. Most in Iowa cheered for the Vikings, Bears, Packers and the Chiefs. My team the Cowboys were hated and despised. It seemed to me when it came to my beloved Cowboys it was me against the state of Iowa. I feel lucky looking back now.

The Cowboys had a coach and a man that I admired in Tom Landry and they won most of the time. How many fans can say the first team they rooted for and loved had a coach that they liked as a coach and as a person. I believe Coach Landry is underrated. I also believe that Tony Dorsett and Roger Staubach are under rated also. All three are in the NFL Hall of Fame but not usually mentioned when the all time top five or even top ten are discussed. I do not want to stay in the past for too long but indulge me a little longer. Recently I found out that Doug Cosbie a former tight end for Dallas, is the coach of Sacramento High School. Like a true fan I was excited and my thought was I need to interview this guy. Last thing from the far past is a brief great moment in my life.

In the early 80’s I moved from Iowa to Orange County. I trekked up to Thousand Oaks where the Cowboys had their training camp for a scrimmage with the Rams. It was very laid back then as there was no fence around the field and after the game all fans could go down on the field. Fans and players were talking, how different things were then. I cut across the field and headed to my car. After a short ways I glanced behind me and Coach Landry was walking and talking with a man. There was no one else around and I was maybe only five to eight yards ahead of them. My mind was racing and I thought if they keep coming my way and Coach Landry is alone I have to talk to him. Amazingly, after a few steps more, the man left and there was Coach Landry all by himself. He was walking my direction. I decided to introduce myself and expected him to be cold(those were the stories back then that he was cold). The man could not have been any more friendly as he shook my hand. The conversation was short as I told him I was a lifelong Cowboy fan and had finished reading one of his biographies. He asked me which one and he knew of it and liked it. He thanked me for my support and for coming to the scrimmage and wished me well. That was my one and only time ever going up to a famous person. Something I always look back on with joy. I would like to hear any stories that you may have of an experience you may have had like that.

Now to the present state of the Cowboys. I still cheer for the Cowboys but this team has to prove it on the field. All year long I have supported Brett Favre and now I have to go against him. I like the defense and was shocked when I heard that for the first time ever the Cowboys had back to back shutouts. This franchise has had many great defenses and that stat stunned me. I like now that Jason Garrett is calling more running plays than he did in the past. I have always liked Romo as a quarterback. This line has never been that great at pass blocking. Remember when Bledsoe was the quarterback and all of the sacks he had to take. Romo escapes so many sacks and now is taking better care of the ball. I also like his attitude better now that he does not smile on the field and sidelines all of the time. He now looks like he knows he belongs. Before, I always had the feeling he could not believe his luck! He was an undrafted player from Eastern Illinois and then became the quarterback of the Cowboys and dating starlets. Still the Vikings are the better team. The great thing about one and done playoffs is the best team does not always win. There is no doubt the Patriots were a better team than the Giants over that season. However the Giants got hot at the end and was the better team that year in the Super Bowl. It is not about who is the better team nor has the most talent. It is about being the Champions!!!

Last, I must congratulate Wade Phillips and Jerry Jones. I have been critical of Phillips. I like him but did not think he should be coaching the Cowboys. He has really done a great job developing the defense. I have also been critical of Jerry Jones as I felt like he lost his way for awhile. I felt like Jerry became more concerned about being right than about winning. There is no way the Dallas Cowboys should ever go from 1996 to 2010 without winning a playoff game! The tension of a playoff football game with your favorite team in it is unmatched. I will be a Dallas Cowboy fan for life come win or lose. However it is much better to win! Go Cowboys!

Ok…so Wild Card Weekend didn’t quite go a s I thought. Out of four games, yours truly corrected predicted one. How bout them Cowboys? Anyway, let’s give the Divisional Round a try. And remember, what I say, definitely does NOT go…right?

AFC Divisional Playoff #1
Baltimore Ravens at Indianapolis Colts
Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis, IN (Saturday January 16, 2010 5:15PM PT)

So the Ravens destroyed the Patriots last week. DESTROYED them. This week, the Ravens go into Indy to face a Colts team who finished the season 14-2. The two came in weeks 16 and 17. Baltimore’s defense and offense rode high in New England, but now they move to Peyton’s place for a Saturday night brawl. If the Baltimore defense can hold Peyton Manning’s offense in check and Ray Rice runs like he did last week, the Ravens will cruise to the AFC Championship Game. If not, the Colts will continue their postseason success. Look for the Colts to wake up after resting their starters for two weeks and put together an almost-complete game. Should be a good one though.

Prediction: Indianapolis 27, Baltimore 24
Key Factor: Any and all Indianapolis Receivers- Last week, the Ravens completely held the Patriots’ receivers in check, taking away a big key to the New England offense. The passing game is what wins for Jim Caldwell’s team, so if Reggie Wayne, Austin Collie, Pierre Garcon, Dallas Clark or any of their running backs can’t get open to catch a pass, Baltimore will run them over.

AFC Divisional Playoff #2
New York Jets at San Diego Chargers
Qualcomm Stadium San Diego, CA (Sunday January 17, 2010 1:40PM PT)

Wow…where did the Jets come from? Two consecutive dominating performances over the Bengals in two weeks (one in the Meadowlands, one in Cincinnati) and they are showing no signs of stopping. Mark Sanchez wasn’t at his absolute best, but the league’s number one ranked defense kept the Bengals tame. Cornerback Derelle Revis of the Jets had the Cincinnati receivers on lockdown and he may just be the second-best corner in football behind Charles Woodson. Revis will be needed to contain the NFL’s best receiving core in San Diego and keep L.T. from “Electric Gliding” into the end zone on Sunday afternoon (SEE: L.T.’s Video on YouTube). The Chargers are the hottest team in football, bringing an 11-game winning streak into this game. With home-field advantage and a rockin’ Southern California crowd, the Chargers should be able to handle the Jets and Mark Sanchez in his homecoming game. NOTE: These two teams have met once in the playoffs. In 2004, the Jets won in San Diego after Nate Kaeding missed a potential game-winning field goal as time expired. The Jets eventually won the game in overtime, courtesy of a Mike Nugent field goal.

Prediction: San Diego 31, New York Jets 21
Key Factor: San Diego Defense- Take the ball away from New York, win the game. No other words are needed here.

NFC Divisional Playoff #1
Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints
Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, LA (Saturday January 16, 2010 1:30PM PT)

I bet the Cardinals wish they had saved 51 points for a game in the Dome with the Saints. After winning the highest-scoring playoff game in NFL history and almost becoming victim to the third-biggest playoff comeback in NFL history, Arizona should be counting their lucky stars they’re still alive. They couldn’t stop Green Bay on Sunday, but they had better stop the Saints’ offense on Saturday if they have any plans of back-to-back Super Bowl appearances. New Orleans won’t need to play defense if the Cardinals can’t stop them from scoring. Regardless of the Saints’ performance over the final couple of weeks of the season, Drew Brees and the boys should be ready to go.

Prediction: New Orleans 35, Arizona 17
Key Factor: Devery Henderson (WR-NO)- It seems as though every time the Saints need a big play to break a game wide open, Devery is there. If he scores a touchdown from 50 yards or more, New Orleans will win easy in the Big Easy.

NFC Divisional Playoff #2
Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings
Mall of America Field at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Minneapolis, MN (Sunday January 17, 2010 1PM PT)

The Chargers may be the hottest team in the league, but the Cowboys are the hottest team in the NFC. They, like the Jets, picked apart their Week 17 opponent in Wild Card Weekend. The difference was the Cowboys got both games at home. They won’t be home this time as they travel to the frigid temperatures of Minneapolis…to play in a dome. Brett Favre is back in the playoffs and wants another shot at glory. Whether or not they beat the Cowboys this week, I don’t see it in his cards. He’ll play well and possibly lead a comeback in the end just like Brett Favre always does. But the front four for Dallas will get to him, and the ‘Boys will continue to ride high. They were my only win last week, why give up on them now?

Prediction: Dallas 26, Minnesota 21
Key Factor: Jay Ratliff (DL-DAL)- Big Jay has been a monter the last few weeks. He had two big games against the Eagles and is finding more of a knack to get to opposing QB’s. If he pressures Brett to throw more than he wants and makes some key stops on Adrian Peterson, Dallas wins.

So there you go. Divisional Round predictions. Hopefully, we’ll do better this week. By the way, three of the four games this week will be indoors. The only one outside? The one in sunny Southern California. Go figure. And now for a revised “Quick Pick” version of the rest of the playoffs:

AFC Championship Game
Chargers over Colts

NFC Championship Game
Cowboys over Saints

Super Bowl XLIV
Chargers over Cowboys

Champion remains the same, opponent had to change. Thanks Green Bay. Thanks a lot.

Until next time…

Prediction at start of season: New England wins division at 12-4

Prediction after Week 2: New England wins division at 11-5

Prediction at start of season: Pittsburgh wins division at 11-5

Prediction after Week 2: Pittsburgh wins division at 11-5

Prediction at start of season: Indianapolis wins division at 11-5

Prediction after Week 2: Indianapolis wins division at 10-6

Prediction at start of season: Chargers win division at 14-2

Prediction after Week 2: Chargers win division at 10-6

Prediction at start of season: New York wins division at 12-4.

Prediction after Week 2: New York wins division at 12-4.

Prediction at start of season: Bears win division at 11-5.

Prediction after Week 2: Bears win division at 11-5.

Prediction at start of season: Atlanta wins division at 11-5.

Prediction after Week 2: Atlanta wins division at 11-5.

Prediction at start of season: Arizona wins division at 9-7.

Prediction after Week 2: Arizona wins division at 9-7.

The above is what makes sports and sports broadcasting so much fun. The uncertain, the unknown, the-who-knows-what quality. Everyone knows the answer on a given day, but everyone gives the wrong answer on a given notice. Sports, much like politics, are not absolute; the best teams do not always win. The sure bet is not always the right answer, earlier this year the above was part of a blog by a bright young sports broadcaster , if he would have needed the above to get his college degree he might have to try again and again and again.

So many times on Friday Nite Mics we have heard THE Franchise, Title IX, Big E, Buddha of Babble or Pedal to the Metal say “three shows ago I said…” My goodness the other day I had Title IX say to me, “Who said Servite was going to win the state title?” Franchise, Big E put your hands down. Yes everyone in sports has those moments when words of wisdom coming pouring out of their mouth and for a second they seen brilliant.  After the Packers went 4 and 4, I told Phillip (a true Packer fan) that the Pack was going to win 5 in a row and get into the playoffs and look where they are now.

Boys was I brilliant or is that what sports is all about, the unknown. You see, I think that is why most people look at us sports guy/girl with a twinkle in their eye. Because we still are the little kid, we like to play, we like to watch others play, we like to win and we love it when the teams we root for win. Plus, we love the unpredictable atmosphere of sports even though we think we have all the answers and know all the outcomes.

Sports is just what it is suppose to be a game, not with a precursor that is attached to it saying: Team A will beat Team B on this date by this score.  So, have fun this coming year. Be like us and state your mind, make your bold choices and when you are right, do like the above group does and raise your hand. When you are wrong do like the above group does, point at your closest cohort and point at their team when they lose.

There are too many things in this world that are certain, and we all know what they are, and I think we dislike most of them. So have a ball, come join the world of uncertainty. Most of the time you are going to be right, but when you are wrong, you will hear it from Corey, Rahshaun, Erik, Ed, Randy, Mr. T, Steve, David, Nate, Andrew, Andrew and of course me, but that is what makes it so much fun. WELCOME 2010——from all of us at SportsNetUSA.net

As this year ends and I look forward to the New Year, I just hope that some of my holiday wishes come true.  Maybe the BCS will really understand that no matter what you (the BCS) do there is going to be many of us that will argue that your system is flawed and you should have left well enough alone. No playoff system, no computers judging teams, no strength of schedule, no more ranking all off the who, what, where of football. Let us go back to 7 to 8 traditional bowl games on New Year day and let us the FAN argue who should be number ONE (#1).

HEY NFL-the SUPER BOWL is about FOOTBALL, not the so-called build up that lets us the fan down because the hype is bigger than the game.  For all us hockey fans, I think all games should be played outside, it would shorten the season and hockey would only be played where hockey should be played, where it is freezing.

Not Below Average, I am sorry that is what I thought the N.B.A. initials stood for but I guess not, as this will be another year of sub par teams having a chance to call themselves WORLD CHAMPIONS. So may we have two divisions, those who can and those who cannot and the cannots are the NON-WORLD CHAMPIONS.

And let us call March Madness what it is: the madness of coaches and fans whose teams are left out of the elite group that is selected to play for an NCAA Championship.  Another tournament where we the fan can see a non-deserving team being crowned the best in the NCAA. HYPE-HYPE-HYPE. Plus if we are going to call it MARCH MADNESS let us put an equal sense of MADNESS for the MEN and the WOMEN, because some of us are FANS of both. EQUALITY!

Please someone shorten the season, Mike is eating too many post-game meals. Just how much baseball can we watch in sub zero winter gear? Mike looks horrible in a down filled jacket (he looks like an apple that should be dipped in caramel). Baseball is the game of spring, summer, and autumn, not the game of “it was a Cold Day at Lambeau field”.  Before I let you go baseball, how many bad teams do we have to watch? I feel as if you are taking on the NBA’s business plan. “psssst…hockey tried it and it does not work”.  Dump some clubs. Less teams, fewer games, more interest, and hey the season is shortened.

Watch out for that can, step over that person I think he is sleeping, for the rest of you NASCAR yahoos, please realize that there are other drivers out there that are not called “Junior”, I understand that fans love their heroes but NASCAR exist outside of the Confederate south. Wake up, you’re going to have an educated female driver on Junior’s teams, so understand that it is 2009 and fixing a flat is not done with bubble gum and you blowing on the tire stem  (The previous statement was not aimed at any NASCAR fans associated with SportsNetUSA.net).

Fore, or in the case of playing golf with any of us at SportsNetUSA.net, it is seven or eight. I will be the first to say-Michelle you may be on your way and that is good for the LPGA and that the shortened season will be good for women’s golf because then everyone will play. But please ladies stop hugging after you lose or play rotten, be like the rest of us ACT like YOU want to WIN. As a fan of the LPGA it drives me crazy that you just accept defeat as ho hum. As for the men, who cares? There are just too many mediocre millionaires, MEN SHOULD HAVE TO CUT THEIR GOLF PURSES SO THEY WORK FOR A LIVING.

Last but not least, could just once, or maybe even more than once, could a team WE broadcast for WIN an OVERTIME GAME, yes we are not just broadcasters we are FANS.

That’s it- Happy holidays from SPORTSNETUSA.NET and thank you all for listening to High School football, Fullerton College Football, Golden West Football, Sacramento City College Football, Anaheim Jr. Ducks Ice Hockey, Vanguard University Basketball and of course High School Sports Zone, Friday Night Mics and (New Notes! on 90.1 FM KBPK) have a great sports NEW YEAR