Super Bowl XLIV Wrap Up

Since the game has been analyzed to death already, this post won't be too big on analysis. I'll mostly include some personal thoughts on the game.

• This was one of the most briskly played Super Bowls in recent memory. There were very few penalties and the total elapsed time was just over three hours in spite of the innumerable commercial breaks and lengthened half time show. The flow of the game was a little weird for me though. Lots of movement up and down the field with nary a big play on offense.
• The Pierre Garcon drop on the Colts third possession was an enormous play. Of course there's go guarantee that the Colts would have scored on that drive. But if there's such a thing as a make or break play in the first quarter of a game, that was one.
• Congratulations to two former Redskins (my team), Gregg Williams and Mark Brunell. I was really disappointed when Williams was not named head coach of the Redskins two years ago. I like Mark Brunell also. He lead Washington to the playoffs a few years back. Plus he's a guy that has been on the brink of a championship a couple of times with the Jags.
• Waaaay too much has been made of Peyton Manning and Reggie Wayne leaving the field immediately after the game and not shaking hands with anyone. In a perfect world they would seek out their opponents and congratulate them. But the field after the Super Bowl in nightmarish sea of media, players, a mobile stage, security, and league potentates. Besides, they just lost the Super Bowl. They're trying to process what just happened. They may not have the presence of mind at that moment to make hand shaking a priority.
• Question: Will New Orleans have to be rebuilt again after the crazy-ass party that will go on for the next week?

Super Bowl XLIV Preview

Before the sports pundits give their bottom line predictions you can get your Super Bowl winner here first at brosatarms.

This is so hard because this is really the match up I've wanted since mid-season. There are compelling reasons to pick either team as well as compelling reasons to cheer for either team.

Both teams are tenacious. They have obvious shortcomings that have somehow been able to prevent from being exposed. The most obvious of these shortcomings is defense. Both are opportunistic and though they are mediocre statistically, they make timely plays and are able to stiffen up inside the 20 yard line. Because of these defensive tendencies, I envision a high scoring game with one or two big defensive plays making the difference.

Both quarterbacks have avoided the big mistake although Manning has looked more sharp. Brees all of a sudden has some accuracy problems. Against the Colts' cover 2, accuracy will be crucial because there's always someone closing on the ball. The Saints will try to bludgeon Manning into submission, but good luck getting to him. Unlike Favre, he will not hold the ball. I think the Saints will get burned once or twice while blitzing.

All that being said in my gut I feel the Colts are just more polished. We could be looking at another incredibly close game with lots of scoring with Indianapolis coming out on top.

Colts 33, Saints 30

Congrats Colts. Superlative Saints.

Wasn't just a month ago that I was killing these two teams for how they played out the last few games of the season? Though I was wrong about them, I did get the Super Bowl I really, really wanted.

As soon as Manning and the Colts drove 80 yards at the end of the first half to cut the Jets lead to 17-13, I said to myself, this game is over. The Colts took about 28 minutes to figure out the Jets and made a couple of bad mistakes on defense early. But after that, the Colts dominated. You could see it in Manning's eyes, I gotcha.

The other game just kind of got me aggravated. But after several careless fumbles, many inexplicable penalties, and one last boneheaded int. by Brett Favre, the Saints came out with the win. Favre's play has already been analyzed to death over the past 18 hours, so the only thing I have to say is... the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, yet expecting a different result.

Super Bowl preview coming soon.

NFL Conference Championships

Since my Super Bowl picks (Packers and Chargers) are both out after a mere one playoff game each, let's press the reset button now that we're a week away from the big game.

Jets vs. Colts: Yes, the Jets have an awesome defense. Yes, they like to pound the rock, and the Colts are vulnerable to that sort of thing. No, the Colts can't run themselves. But this is a different Colts team. It's a team that wills itself to win. Some will say that a tight game favors the Jets because of their defense. I say it favors Indy because they have #18. I think Manning will pick apart whatever blitzes and coverages the Jets have. Even if they don't get any huge plays Manning will be happy to kill New York 6 or 7 yards at a time. Manning's stats on the day... 35-50, 285 yards, 1 TD 0 int. Colts 20, Jets 10. (On a side note, Jets' opponents have missed five straight field goals this post season. Absolutely uncanny and absolutely lucky. That's the kind of bull crap that a win-ugly team like the Jets needs to get a championship.)

Vikings vs. Saints: Both teams have come off dominating wins and seem to have their swagger back after struggling the last month of the regular year. The Vikings looked especially impressive to me after they dismantled the Cowboys, a team that is far more balanced than the Cardinals, who the Saints beat. But the Vikes can't win. They mustn't. I can't watch FarveTV for two weeks. Right... It's not possible... OH GOD!! Saints 34, Vikings 28.

NFL Division Round 2010

• So much for me bad mouthing the Saints. I really thought, at the very least, that this game against the Cards would be competitive. It was the high scoring affair that most were predicting. It's just that the Saints did all the scoring.
• And so much for me bad mouthing the Colts. They beat the Ravens Saturday through good, old fashioned hard work and determination. The Colts get most of their press clippings via big plays by Manning and the receivers. But over the past few seasons, they have really learned to grind out wins and how to win ugly. Though the 20-3 score would indicate otherwise, their victory was the result of a full game of battling the tough Ravens' D and the Colts' defenders tightening their chinstraps against the Ravens' vaunted running game. The result was still in doubt for most of the fourth quarter.
• It was enjoyable to see the hated Cowboys feel the pain of having kicker Shaun Suisham on the roster. He missed two makable field goals Sunday. Not that it made much difference. The Vikings' pass rush is back and forced Tony Romo into more turnovers than a German bakery.
• And just when you thought we would see all front runners in the conference title games, the Jets come along and screw things up. The defense kept them in the game and the offense made just enough plays to win. Meanwhile, are the Chargers the new Colts? The super talented team that fails time and again in the playoffs?
• I tell you what though. The Colts better beat the hell out of the Jets next week. And the Saints better beat the Vikes. I don't think I could stomach the sports media if one of them made it to the Super Bowl. Worse yet what if the Jets AND the Vikings make it. It may be the first Super Bowl in 20 years that I skip watching. I couldn't deal with replay after replay of Joe Willies index finger held aloft in 1969 or god forbid Farve Fest 2010!

NFL Playoffs-Stream of Consciousness

• I thought I could get home from the grocery store in time to see the end of Packers vs. Cardinals. I didn't. But that's ok. The stir fry was pretty good too. (grumble, grumble.)
• The Raven's D looked like their D circa 2002. They made Tom Brady look like Kyle Boller. But beware. Although that Pats team has a lot of holes, they still won 10 games. Brady still has a number of good years ahead of him. Just renovate the D and look out.
• From the Looking Old Department: Randy Moss and Chad Johnson. Moss has been absolute force in the league (save a two year nap in Oakland) since his rookie year in 1998. He even finished tied for TD catches for the fifth time this season at the age of 32. But he looked sluggish and absolutely coverable yesterday. Is this a harbinger of things to come? Johnson had a excellent five year run as a premiere playmaker in the league. Last season he hit 30 and seemingly hit the wall. He had a nice bounce back year this season, but Derrelle Revis pushed him around like a skinny rag doll two games in a row.
• The Saints were very fortunate that Sunday's games turned out the way they did. As a result, they draw the Cardinals, a team much like them, that wants to throw the ball if they can and has an opportunistic if not dominant defense. Whose better at it? It's arguable. But for the Saints it's preferable to facing the white hot Cowboys or the second ranked Packers defense (I know they yacked it up yesterday, but still.)
• Conversely the Colts couldn't have asked for a worse opponent than the Ravens next week. Baltimore rushed 52 freakin' times against the Patriots, steamrolling their way to 234 yards. This does not bode well for the lightweight Indianapolis D. Of course if the Colts get a quick lead somehow, that's a different story. But I think it's far more likely that the Colts get bullied in the playoffs like they normally do. I have a lot of admiration for the Colts, and I hope I'm wrong, but I smell disaster.

NFL Hyperbolic Statements-Week 15

I am ill, so though this post will be curtailed, it is here for your enjoyment. My readers demand it.

Danny Says Relax: I know this segment is about overstating things and just saying the first thing that pops into my head. But after the Saints loss on Saturday, the sports media is looking for all kinds of chinks in the armor. Calm down. It's one loss. The Cowboys were playing for their lives, and though the Saints were still fighting for home field, they didn't have as much to play for. I don't think that loss exposed any specific weaknesses. New Orleans just played a bad game.

Best Post Game Comments Ever: After Saturday's loss I LOVED Drew Brees' post game comments. He basically said that he was disappointed that the undefeated season was over. He also stated the team wanted to do it for the city of New Orleans. (Sorry, I couldn't find the video.) He refused to downplay the undefeated season as so many others have and was man enough to admit it was a goal. My opinion is that you try to win every game. When you get to the playoffs, you're done after one loss anyway. Just go for it.

This Is Awesome: Many are analyzing Randy Moss' strange post game comments from Sunday. I'm just analyzing his beard. Man, that is robust! Sorry about the ad at the beginning of the video.

NFL Hyperbolic Statements-Week 13

A couple teams to watch for and a couple on suicide watch. What I want for Xmas. And cut this guy now...

I Hate You: Shaun Suisham, Redskins. I hate to keep advocating physical violence, but this dude needs a flogging with a broom handle. I looked at his numbers and really they're not that bad, but from my observation this guy misses so many easy kicks. I've been calling for him to get cut for two years. I knew as soon as the 'Skins allowed the Saints to tie the game and went into OT they were going to lose. It's just one of those seasons for both teams. The Saints at 11-0 feel like they're never out of a game. The 'Skins feel like they can never get a break. It reflects in both teams play.

Teams You Should Be Afraid Of: No one is really talking about them because of the ridiculous seasons the Colts and Saints are having, but the league needs to watch out for both the Cardinals and Chargers. Let's not forget that the Cards are the defending NFC champs. They served that notice to the Vikings in a big way Sunday night. The Chargers are another team I would not want to face when the playoffs start. They are quietly 9-3. Both teams have tremendous offensive weapons, fearless quarterbacks, and underrated defenses.

Teams I'm Not Afraid Of Anymore: The Steelers and the Patriots. The Steelers have lost four in a row. Two of those games were against the Chiefs and the Raiders. Yeck. A Super Bowl caliber defense should not give up 21 in the fourth quarter against anyone, never mind the Raiders. The Patriots have gone from offensive juggernaut to one dementional. And on the defensive side they are inexperienced. Furthermore, Tom Brady apparently thinks it's ok to just chuck the ball to Randy Moss even when completely blanketed. Not only that, but Brady seems to be calling out his teammates out for not working hard. According to some sources he may be talking about the aforementioned Moss.

Please God, Please: Can we have a Saints vs. Colts Super Bowl? It seems like it's been a long time since we've seen a real battle of the big boys in the biggest game. Some people like underdogs. I want to see the two most dominant teams with the two nastiest QB's go blow for blow in the Super Bowl. AND how freaking cool would it be for both teams to be 18-0 going into the game?

File This One Under WTF: I am attempting to cultivate my own Buffalo wing sauce. Frank's Red Hot etc. just haven't been cutting it for me. Today as I was cutting up jalepenos and habeneros to put in the food processor, I decided to sample a piece of the raw habenero. Aaahh, Scoville Units!!!! Well, as I write, the sauce is simmering and the wings are roasting. Let's how this turns out.

Saints Spank Pats

Sorry folks. No in depth analysis or astute observations in this post; only utter glee at seeing the Patriots get pummeled. My personal favorite was the busted coverage on Devery Henderson's back breaking TD reception, not a New England player within 20 yards.

On the other side of the ball, I can't remember seeing Tom Brady play so poorly. Usually a Brady int. involves a tipped ball or a hit from a D-lineman. I've never seen him throw balls up for grabs the way he did last night. But give the Saints credit, they got after Brady all night and mixed in their blitzes well.

Call me crazy, but I don't think it's too early to talk about Drew Brees for the Hall of Fame. Normally the HOF won't pay any mind to a QB without a Super Bowl ring unless he's got stats that look like the figures for the national debt (ex: Marino, Fouts, Moon). Drew Brees is well on his way with nearly 30,000 yards and almost 200 TD's, and he's only 29. Barring injury he'll pass those benchmarks this year. Throw in his historic 5,000 yard season, and he's well on his way. Throw in a Super Bowl ring, and he's just about a sure thing. (So I lied about the astute observation).

NFL Hyperbolic Statements-Week 7

Bad Brett makes an appearance. The league's best team pulls one out of you-know-where. And some of my formerly prized sports garb may end up at the Good Will.

Worst Turnovers Ever: Twice on Sunday with the Vikes driving for a critical score, Favre handed it back over to the Steelers on Williams Sanoma serving platter. The Steelers take both the fumble and int. for six. Of course the grizzled one has done this too many times to count. It's part of his nature and a trade off that the Packers were willing to live with for years. No problem when Brett is throwing for 30+ touchdowns a season. But what make these the worst of his career are his pathetic attempts at a tackle each time. Granted, he don't get paid to tackle, and an injury to the old man would be cataclysmic, but this looked down right wimpy. He would've had a better chance spitting at Lamar Woodley. And by the way, 51 pass attempts and only 18 rushes for Adrian Peterson against a defense known for tearing QB's limb from limb? The Vikings better not fall too in love with their new toy, Favre. The road to the championship should be traversed on the back of number 28.

Most Awesome Comeback Ever: The Saints were down to the Dolphins 24-3 in the first half of Sunday's game. Drew Brees had three interceptions. It looked like New Orleans was going down for the first time. But any team that makes a Super Bowl run wins two or three games during the season that they have no business winning. This was one of those games for the Saints. They outscored the Dolphins 36-10 in the second half, 22-0 in the fourth quarter. Of course, teams that barely miss the playoffs always have a few games when they snatched

defeat from the jaws of victory. Miami let Indianapolis win on a last minute drive in week two and now this. Instead of 4-2, the Dolphins are 2-4. That doesn't leave any room for error the rest of the year.

Childhood Dreams Crushed: My team, the Washington Redskins, just plain sucks (that's a revelation). A pretty good defense gets the shaft every week from an offense that can't stay on the field for more than ten seconds. I honestly feel bad for Jim Zorn. He was placed in a position where failure was immanent. He was not prepared for head coaching in general, never mind this dysfunctional family of losers that makes the Bundys look like the Waltons. I'm tired. Just tired. It makes me want to jump ship, which of course, to most of fan-dom is punishable by flogging. But in addition when I picked Washington as my favorite team, I was ten. I did not consider the racist nickname I would have to wear on my team garb. So wearing a Redskins shirt is embarrassing in two ways. I don't know if I can do it anymore. My allegiance is now up for sale. Any suggestions? I leave you now with a picture of my favorite Washington player of the good old days, Darrell Green.

Trivia: We all know that no team has ever won three straight Super Bowls. Two, the Dolphins in the '70's and the Bills in the '90's, have appeared in at least three straight. But there is one player who has played for the Super Bowl winner in three consecutive seasons. Who is it? Answer on Friday, 10-30-09.

Restoring My Faith in Humanity: Sesame Street will celebrate its 40th anniversary next month. In a world of frenetic, high fructose corn syrup-fueled kid shows. It's good to know that a smart program like Sesame Street still has its place. It's got a seriously dedicated cast as well. Bob McGrath, who plays Bob naturally, has been there since the premiere. Sonia Manzano, who plays Maria, has been there since 1971. She's won 15 Emmys for her writing on the show. Happy Anniversary guys! You were an important part of my formative years.

NFL Hyperbolic Statements- Week 6

A team gets it's heart ripped out, cut to shreds, thrown in a pot of boiling oil, and eaten like fritola. A jerk gets redemption; remains jerk. A finesse team gets a little nasty.

Worst Bludgeoning I've Ever Witnessed: You may think I'm referring to the Pats 59-0 smackdown of the Titans. Don't get me wrong. The Titans flat out quit. Something about that cold, unseasonable New England snow just wrenched the fight right out of them. You don't lose by 59 in today's NFL without somebody giving up. But no... I'm referring to the Eagles pathetic display at Oakland. McNabb with less than 50% complete? A mere 14 rushing attempts? And an 86 yard TD allowed to the back up tight end? Perhaps the Eagles were looking past this opponent and ahead to the meat of their schedule. I guess every team is entitled to one inexplicable loss per season. Perhaps my 'Skins can hand one out next weekend.

Best Defensive Coach Ever: Greg Lewis, Saints. Washington let him go with little fanfare, but I was really upset at that move. The 'Skins D was at its best when Lewis was at the helm. It just goes to show that the NFL is truly a coach's league. Last year the Saints allowed 393 points and were 26th in total defense. This year they're blitzing from everywhere and making opponents feel the pain. This year they're 12th in total D and 6th points allowed. All they need to do is stay decent, and the offense will score plenty of points. My favorite moment from Sunday's game was when they got Eli Manning to move all of his protection pre-snap to the offensive right, but then the Saints blitzed from the left. This team is just fun to watch. What's not to like about a team that scores 40 a game and blitzes like rabid fisher cats every defensive snap? Well, there is one thing...

Least Desirable Redemption Ever: Jeremy Shockey, Saints. Was anyone really cheering for this guy to get revenge on his former team? The team that drafted him and gave him every chance to succeed? I'm sure Schlocky feels wronged in some way even though he's the one who ran his mouth. He's the one who dropped pass after pass. And he's the one who set back Eli's development. I bet Shockey was the kind of kid who liked to steal lunch money.

File this one under WTF: I looked in the candy machine at my office the other day and found a new variety of Snickers; Snickers Charged. This one has added caffeine! If chocolate, caramel & nougat aren't enough to give you a little jolt of energy, you have one serious case of hypoglycemia. Does everything have to have caffeine in it now? What's next? Noodle soup? Celery? Cheeseburgers? Mark my words. Within 12 months' time, you will see the McJolt burger at Mickey D's. It will contain coffee crusted bacon.