The NFL Super Bowl Picture: Would The League Have It Any Other Way?

The NFL playoff picture looked so boring at the start of Saturday and it pretty much stayed that way. Saturday included wins by the Saints, which many expected, and the Colts, which even more expected. Followed by Sunday in which we saw wins from Minnesota, which many expected, and New York, which very few expected. A breakdown of sorts, shall we….

Who Dat Saints – They started the season so hot and created a media buzz that could choke a whale, on the brink of an undefeated year. The Cowboys barge into the Dome and put a hole in the sails. They go on to lose a few more and the country writes off the New Orleans Aints. Why? As if the Saints lost everything they had prior to the Dallas loss? Although the Cardinals were more than a touchdown underdog against the Saints, we all knew the easy money was on the Saints. The Cardinals were unpredictable, up-and-down, and coming off a draining win against the hungry (but not hungry enough) Packers. Not to mention, the New Orleans Saints have very quietly become America’s new favorite team. Ever met a person that said they hated the Saints? Can anyone really say that? They have the support of America behind them and no one would down the Super Bowl if the Saints were involved. And just to help their case, the Saints defense is playing well and their offense is prolific.

Indianapolis Colts – Whether you like him or not, people like Peyton! He’s easily the best quarterback in the league and perhaps the most intelligent passer we’ve seen. Are the Colts necessarily flashy? I would argue no. However, audiences enjoy the happy feet of Peyton Manning and his last-second audibles, which leave defenses simply, well….defenseless. The Colts’ defense is faster than most people give them credit for and the coaching staff for this team could be the brightest in the playoffs. Would the country really not tune into a Super Bowl that included Peyton Manning? Doubtful.

Minnesooota Vikings – I think we all saw this coming. Even before Brett Favre took the field in purple, everyone claimed that the Vikings were just one decent quarterback away from making a Super Bowl run. Soooo, they get a better-than-decent quarterback and land ol’ ageless! Brett has been nothing but spectacular this season, aside from the off-season distracting crap, and he has really made everyone on the Minnesota team better. Take Sidney Rice for example. This kid was about three hairs short of being labled a “bust”, if not labled so already, and suddenly he becomes a Hall of Famer’s favorite target. The Minnesota defense may be a little overrated but they showed otherwise against the Cowgirls and their sissified offensive line. This team controls their own destiny. Picture this: Brett Favre, age 40, leads Vikings in Super Bowl. Whether you’re a football fan or not…is anyone gonna miss the ‘Wrangler Guy’ in the Super Bowl? No way.

New York J-E-T-S – And finally we have the New York, underdog, never-had-a-shot, rookie coach-havin’, rookie quarterback-havin’, no good, stinkin’ Jets. Who’d-uh-thunk-it? The San Diego Chargers were apparently built to win the Super Bowl and the time was now. But then they realized that their head coach was Norv Turner…and that guy couldn’t win a tee-ball game. The New York Jets were told all year that they “couldn’t” and they were told all season that Mark “Sanchise” couldn’t get it done. And now look! The Jets built themselves on the classic football frame – defense and running the football. Now the Jets are in the AFC title game and looking to make history. Would anyone miss the playoffs with an underdog like the New York Jets in the Super Bowl? Um, yes. Although the Jets retain a strong and very supportive fandom, they wouldn’t draw the largest crowd.

So here we sit. Who will be playing in the Super Bowl? I’m no prophet but I predict two scenarios ( not hard to determine if you think about it )…

Indianapolis Colts v. Minnesota Vikings – This one makes the most sense for me. Two Hall of Fame quarterbacks going head-to-head in America’s largest sporting event; who’d miss this? Football people like Peyton and Brett, or at least have respect for their game. And non-football people know Brett and Peyton for their Wrangler and Visa ads, respectively. And did we mention Brett Favre was 40? Every middle-aged man in America will be watching this game and rootin’ for the ol’ guy, even if this is their first ever football game! Rogaine might as well go ahead and buy the largest advertising spot if Brett and the Vikes make it to the Bowl. And can us football fans really make a case that Peyton Manning doesn’t deserve a second Super Bowl ring? This is the best match-up for the audience and the NFL’s pockets.

Indianapolis Colts v. New Orleans Saints – It’s hard for the league to go wrong this year. Even if Minnesota and the original Viking himself, Brett Favre, don’t make it – America’s favorite team will. We all love the Saints! And wow, what a story! A natural disaster literally leaves the historic city of New Orleans in ruins and the fight to rebuild is a long and hard process. The New Orleans Saints have never been so talented and have never given so much to their city. And now, when all their chips were down, the New Orleans Saints make the biggest rebound in history (all statistics aside) and make it to the Super Bowl to represent everyone who is not a Colts fan! And taking on the Saints is the future Hall of Famer that some may call “the best player to ever play the game”. Needless to say, everyone will be watching except maybe a few less uninterested females due to the non-appearence of Brett Favre.

And that’s pretty much it. The league has allowed the underdog Jets to stay in it this long just to make sure that audiences tune in to see if they can “really pull it off”. But in the end, the NFL won’t allow a small-market underdog make it to the Super Bowl over the likes of Peyton Manning and the Colts. The New Yorks Jets are a great story, don’t get me wrong, and they have been absolutely sensational thus far. but the league will have no more. Unfortunately the Super Bowl picture can be too sweet and the NFL’s pockets can be too heavily stuffed.

And with that being said – would the League have it any other way?

Jennifer Hudson lip-synched at Super Bowl XLIII

When Jennifer Hudson sang the “Star Spangled Banner” on Super Bowl Sunday, I thought to myself how good she was.

No wonder she was so good – it has been reported that Hudson lip-synched the National Anthem last Sunday for the nation’s largest television event.

Apparently this whole lip-synching thing happens more than we know…even for the National Anthem. Who’d-a-thunk-it?

Best Super Bowl Commercial

I know I’m getting somewhat of a late start on the whole ‘best commercial’ discussion, but I still wanted to get it out there.

Overall, I thought the Super Bowl commercials were extremely weak. Maybe its the state of the economy? Maybe people are out of ideas? I’m not sure.

Pepsi had a total of three commercials, two of which we’re (in my opinion) phenomenal. The first Pepsi slot was the best, the best for Pepsi and the best commercial all night. The commercial included a split screen of two completely different generations, symbolized in the beginning by Bob Dylan and Will.I.Am (from the Black Eyed Peas). The ad then goes on to show the transition that our country has taken through the years in terms of fashion, style, music, dance, politics, etc. All the while, Pepsi stays the same. What made the commercial so unique was that it was effective, lasting, and surprisingly great despite the lack of raw humor that we typically see in Super Bowl ads.

Others that busted into my top three were Pepsi Maxx (“I’m Good”) and Coke Zero (“Mean Joe Green Reenactment”). Pepsi Maxx’s “I’m Good” commercial was the typical Super Bowl ad, funny and literal. The Coke Zero commercial received mixed reviews because many believe that the original Coke commercial from 1980 involving Mean Joe Green and the cute kid should never be altered. I thought Troy Polomalu did a pretty good job and the directors decided to throw a little comedy in there as well.

All in all dissapointed with the Super Bowl ads but there’s no doubt that Pepsi took the cake.

Super Bowl 43 Recap

After four quarters of extremely intense football, the season ended the way most expected. The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Arizona Cardinals 27-23 in a game that, in my opinion, was the most entertaining Super Bowl in years. 

Although my predicted winner didn’t prevail, other highlights took over the evening. Larry Fitzgerald capped a postseason that will go down as one of the best ever by an NFL receiver. Kurt Warner may not have come out on top but he did throw for three touchdowns and almost 400 yards against the league’s top defense…in a Super Bowl. Ben Roethlisberger has won his second ring by the age of 27. Mike Tomlin becomes the youngest coach to ever win a Super Bowl. And Santonio Holmes made a name for himself – a name that will make its way out of the Steel City.  

Throughout the playoffs, the Cardinals have surprised all opposition and all of the critics. And for a defense that has held up so well against so many strong offenses, for a defense that has been the backbone to a true Cinderella story, it is hard to watch them crumble in the last two minutes.  

As nice as it would have been to see the underdog pull out the big win, the Steelers had the heart and experience to bring a 6^th Lombardi trophy to Pittsburgh.  

I’m officially on the Mike Tomlin bandwagon and I’m happy to see him earn this ring. He has the style and intensity to be extremely successful in this league. Every team should be looking for the next Mike Tomlin.  

Get ready for the Redskins next season (poor attempt at comedy).

Super Bowl Predicition

Now that it’s the day of the event, I guess there’s no better time to make my stone-cold Super Bowl pick. I waited and waited and waited to pick my winner for the most popular game of the year. I thought about stats, streaks, and players. I took into account which team plays better on grass, in domes, or on turf. I even listened to interviews of players and tried to uncover their true confidence from within the tones of their voice.

Actually, I did none of that. All of that handicapping and stat crunching still leave you with one big guessing game. So why cram your brain with stats and bet the house when you can just make an educated guess and bet the car?

Arizona has had the best offense and is on the perfect streak entering today’s game. Pittsburgh has had the best defense and the toughest schedule throughout the whole year. What gives?

There’s no doubt that the game should be entertaining, but the key point will be whether or not Arizona can stop the Steelers’ pass-rush. I said that the Cardinals would beat the Eagles if they controlled the Eagels pass-rush. They did, they won. Comparing the Eagles’ pass-rush and the Steelers’ pass-rush is pretty much apples to apples. The only difference is the time that Pittsburgh has had to prepare. Pittsburgh is dirty, raw, and ready to rip off a quarterback’s head at all times, the Cards should be very afraid.

Kurt Warner did a great job of calling out of plays against the Eagles (i.e. calling quick slants with man-to-man coverage on an all-out blitz) and I think he will be able to do the same against the Steelers. The Steelers will most likely play lockdown defense on the receivers with Polamalu over the top on Fitzgerald’s side. But what about Boldin and Breaston? Just when you think you have Fitzgerald covered, Boldin and Breaston are right there to make huge contributions. If Kurt has the time, the Steelers are going to get beat up in pass-coverage. Arizona wins in the pass-attack category.

The running game will also be a factor. Throughout the season, the Steelers could run and the Cardinals couldn’t. But come playoff time, it’s a totally diffrerent season. Arizona has done a superb job at stopping the run in the playoffs and the Steelers have only performed mediocre on the ground since hitting the playoffs. The Steelers’ ability to stop the run is what may give the Cardinals their most trouble. Edgerrin James and Rookie Hightower are capable of handling the load but the Cards’ offensive line MUST push through the trenches. And it’s likewise for the Steelers, Willie Parker has to find the holes against an underrated Cardinals defense. I think the Steelers prevail on the ground and Arizona is limited.

At the end of the day, the Steelers should come out the clear-cut winners. They have proven themselves all year whereas the Cardinals have only showed up for the playoffs. It’s Big Ben’s time to drop serious numbers in a Super Bowl, not like he did a few years ago. But then again, it’s Kurt Warner’s time to earn himself a spot in Canton. The Steelers have the experience and the Cardinals have Kurt Warner. Is that an even trade-off?

I believe in the “hot streak”. I believe that teams get hot at the right times and that’s what could either make or break a season. As much as I hate Kurt Warner, he deserves to be here and he deserves to win. The Steelers are the favorite and they should be, but I will take the underdog in this one.

Arizona defeats Pittsburgh, 24-20