Super Bowl XXXVI

[Jedi Master Carr]

Ok now with only one game to go the playoff picture is almost complete. The NFC is done here are the seeds
1 St. Louis
2. Chicago
3. Philadelphia
4. Green Bay
5 San Francisco
6 Tampa Bay so its
Phi vs TB, Philadelphia should win, TB can't play in the cold
and GB vs S.F in Lambeau Field, Ouch I feel sorry for S.F, they have a good team, but I don't think they can win in Green Bay, there are almost unbeatable there in January.

The AFC is not completely clear yet, but here are most of the seeds
1 Pittsburgh
2 New England
3 Oakland
4 Miami

Ok after that it gets murky the Jets are in and if Baltimore wins on Monday they are in, if not its Seattle. The Ravens should win, Minnesota has probably given up considering the Green Fiasco, if they win it will be Miami vs Baltimore and Oakland vs the Jets again if not it will be Miami vs the Jets and Oakland vs Seattle, now either way I wouldn't be shocked to see Oakland lose its first game they are playing terrible right now, they have struggled in their last 5 games, losing 3 of them. New England is a surprise and it helps them by getting a Bye I think its between them and Pittsburg in the AFC and St. Louis and Chicago in the NFC

[JMK]

Yeah, but you didn't say that the Fish are going all the way! :lol

[Jedieb]

The Jets are already in with their dramatic win over Oakland. The teams on the bubble are Baltimore and Seattle. If Baltimore wins then Seattle is out. If the Vikings manage to upset the Ravens then we'll get one of the best slices of irony we've seen in the NFL in years. The quarterback of the reigning Superbowl champions wins the final game of the season thus sending the Superbowl champions home early. I hate the Ravens, but I've always liked Dilfer. They deserve to lose tonight. They wanted Grbac, well now they've got him.

GO Vikings!!:evil

I can't wait to see what happens tonight, then I'll start to go into each match up in more depth.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Well the Ravens are winning 12-3 in a game of FGs, yeah I would love to see them lose but the Vikings are not very good, especially with the whole Green mess. I can't stand Grbac myself now, he left the Chiefs, my team, saying that he was going to a team that knew how to win in the playoffs, Excuse me, Elvis but you never helped the chiefs get to the playoffs. The only time they were there in 97, he played an average game but he did a bad job in managing the time clock at the end of the game that they came withing 10 yrds of the end zone and ran out of time. In 99 They should have made it but Grbac had a terrible game in the last game against the Raiders, and I can't tell you about all the bad games he played in including the whole 98 regular season where he led the league in INTs. He is just an average QB who doesn't know how to win, they very well could make the playoffs, but they will not get far, Miami will probably slaughter them, or Pittsburgh will if they get that far.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Well since we know who is in lets predict who will win the games on Wild card weekend Here are the 4 games on so make your pics
Satruday: the repeat games because you could get enough of them last weekend
Tampa Bay at Phildelphia
Ny Jets at Oakland
Sunday
San Franscisco at Green Bay: a great matchup too bad its in GB
Baltimore at Miami: the defending champs might not get past this game


Here are my pics
Phildelphia over Tampa Bay (TB got the one team other than GB that they probably can't play because of the weather, Philly should win for the second straight week and the second straight year)
NY Jets over Oakland (Oakland is just playing lousy)
Green Bay over San Franscisco (if it was in San Fran I would probably pick them but they will not win in the fridge cold of Lambeau Field)
Miami over Baltimore (Miami will win it will be close and Elvis will probably be the difference:))

[Jedieb]

NFC Wildcard
Tampa V. Philadelphia
I'm not even going to try to be impartial here. I'm picing the Bucs. The 30 degree curse will be broken at last! Honestly, this game will be a low scoring affair. Hopefully a rested Johnson and Alstott will prove to be the difference. McNabb, despite Thrash's late season success, is still a one man show. I think the Bucs will rise to the occasion. If they don't, then I think the Bucs will end up hiring Steve Spurrier or Bill Parcells before the Buc's plane returns to Tampa.

San Francisco V. Green Bay
The best game of the week. Two of the NFL's proudest franchises square off in what could be a classic. Green Bay has a solid defense and the Frozen Tundra going for them. The Niners defense, despite those 3 shutouts, is vulnerable. Engleberger is injured and a couple of other key defensive players are banged up. That's not the kind of shape you want to be in when you head into Green Bay in January. Ahman Green could end up having a big day and do I even need to say what Favre is capable of in cold weather?
AFC Wildcard
Jets V. Oakland
As much as I like the Jets, I can't see them beating Oakland at Oakland two weeks straight. If not for Ganning missing wide open receivers Oakland would have had a bye. However, the Raiders are ripe for an implosion. This team has fallen apart these last few weeks and could easily get spanked. Still, I'm picking Oakland.

Baltimore V. Miami
Oh, how I hate the Ravens. Unfortunately, last night they looked like the same damn team that won the Super Bowl last year. A bunch of field goals and a defensive touchdown. Sound familiar? They beat Oakland in Oakland last year and I fear they'll do the same to Miami. I'm picking the Ravens. But Yoda how I'd love to be wrong, so VERY WRONG!

[Jedi Master Carr]

I don't think the Ravens played that good last night I think they got lucky they had to face the Vikings 3rd string QB who was terrible, his pass were all off and the Vikings have no running game so they had no offense in effect, also Green quiting like he did I am sure didn't help matters, I think the Ravens will get beat soon and I think it will be Miami because it will be a close game and Grbac will have to do something and he will throw an INT that will cost them the game. They were lucky they didn't have to throw last night Miami will probably make them throw (I don't Allen and his two bad knees has another 100 game in him) and when that happens he will probably throw a couple of INTs and that will be the difference. Oh by the way I'm going to change the name of thread to NFL Playoff predictions so we can see more activity.

[Jedieb]

Good idea JMC. Don't get me wrong, I'll be ROOTING for the Dolphins. With the injuries the Ravens have had on defense and their anemic running game the Dolphins may stand a chance. I just wouldn't bet on it. The Ravens piled up a lot of rushing yards, but they were PATHETIC on short yardage. How the hell do you let the Vikings repeatedly keep you out of the end zone? Even if the Ravens do win, the Steelers will make short work of them.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I think either way Pittsburgh will make short work of them, but if the Jets win I guess they get the winner of that game gets the Patriots, but the way the Patriots are playing they could easily handle the Ravens and the Dolphins can't win in Foxboro, I know they are one team that won't miss that stadium.

[Jedieb]

I can't believe they honored the driver of the snowplow. How do make a hero of a guy that basically helped you cheat?! Damn the Pats are desperate for heroes. ;)

[Jedi Master Carr]

I guess thats what happens after years of losing:p Well at least the Red Sox have had wining teams (but have stunk it up in the WS) The Pats generally have mostly had losing teams.

[Figrin D'an]

Alright, my turn...


Tampa Bay at Philadelphia:
The warm-up game this past weekend meant nothing... the key starters on both sides played for a couple series, then rode out the rest of the game on the bench. Some didn't play at all.
It should still be a low scoring game, but it's not going to be ridiculously cold, so both teams will still be able to throw the ball with some success. Defense will dictate the pace of the game. Tampa Bay needs to get after McNabb and force some errent passes. Philly needs to stop Alstott from breaking a lot of tackles and contain Keshawn Johnson. One big play might be all it takes to win this one. The Eagles tend to be better in that department...

Winner: Philadelphia

Baltimore at Miami:
The only thing the Ravens proved in their game against the Vikings is that they are ripe for the picking. The Ravens D is still very good, but their offense is on life-support right now. Miami's front seven is going to destroy Grbac if his receivers don't start finding ways to get open quickly. The Dolphins offense has been solid and has good big play ability thanks to Chris Chambers, who IMO is the NFL Rookie of the Year. Fiedler has done well this season by playing within the system and letting some others make plays for him. Miami won't be able to run the ball that well, so they need to attack the Baltimore corners with a lot of underneath and slant routes, then occasionally take a shot down field. Baltimore needs to hope Terry Allen can run well enough to open up the Miami secondary and get the ball to Sharpe in the middle of the field. Both field goal kickers are good, and either one could win the game late.

Winner: Baltimore, but not by much...

San Francisco at Green Bay:
Two 12-4 teams in a Wild Card game? A couple years ago, this would have been an NFC title game matchup. Just shows how much of a disparity exists between the upper and lower echelons of the NFC. This should be a really good game, likely the best of the weekend. Both defenses played well this season, but I still expect plenty of points to be scored because of the playmakers on both offenses. San Fran will need a good game from Garrison Hearst, as the Packers biggest weakness is run defense. Terrell Owens will get his catches, but the key for Green Bay will be to keep him from getting open deep and make sure they tackle well. The Packers will attack use Ahman Green a lot as a reciever out of the backfield, and I wouldn't be surprised if both Green and Dorsey Levens are in the game at the same time on several plays to make the Niners guess who the ball could be going to. The Packers will also take their shots downfield using Schroeder and Bradford, and run Bubba Franks and Antonio Freeman underneath. The Niners defense has to shut down Ahman Green, because they won't stop Brett Favre from making plays. The temperature is expected to be around 30 degrees at gametime, but the wind could push it lower. If the game was in San Francisco, the Niners would have the edge, but bottom line: Favre is undefeated when the temperature drops below freezing, and the Packers have never lost a home playoff game.

Winner: Green Bay

New York Jets at Oakland:
The Jets won round one last weekend, but it took a 52-yard field goal by John Hall to pull it off. The Jets have been playing better lately, and the Raiders have been slipping, which seems to bode well for the Jets. However, I think the Raiders want redemption. Losing to the Jets cost Oakland the #2 seed in the AFC and a first-round bye that they could have used to solve a few problems on defense. Gannon did not play well last week, and he rarely has two 'off' games in a row. The Jets need to give the ball to Curtis Martin at least 25 times... the Raiders run defense is horrible and New York will need to force Oakland to stack 8 players in the box to get the passing game going. Oakland needs to get marginal production in the running game, just enough to take the pressure off of Gannon. Oakland, though, will still look to Rice and Brown to make plays to win. This one could be close... I'm not really convinced that either team is going to get very far in post-season, but somebody has to win, and I don't think the Jets can win in Oakland two weeks in a row.

Winner: Oakland

[CMJ]

Tampa over Philly
Baltimore over Miami
Oakland over New York
Green Bay over San Francisco

[Darth23]

I'm just pissed that my Eagles have to play my (sort of) Bucs. :-|

Those are the only 2 teams I really cheer for.

[Jedieb]

It is tough to see two teams that you like play each other. It's much simpler when you love one team or despise another. For me a Steeler Rams match up is tough. I like BOTH teams, in fact there aren't too many teams in this years playoffs I'd root vehemently against.

What does everybody think about Warner's MVP award? The number of touchdowns, yards, and wins he accumulated made it hard to vote against him. To think that he won despite having the #2 vote getter coming from his own team is pretty impressive.

[CMJ]

It should've gone to Urlacher IMHO.

[Jedieb]

Urlacher actually got a couple of votes. To get my vote he would had to have had the kind of season Ray Lewis had last year. If Urlacher had made both the plays that Brown did I would consider him, but I think the 5th place finish he got was well deserved. I would easily rank Faulk, Cordel Stewart about him. Although Gannon's late season troubles would make me rank Urlacher above him.

[Figrin D'an]

Warner had a great season from a statisical point of view... but the bottom line is that Marshall Faulk is the key player in the offense. He makes it go... he's the most potent offensive weapon in the league and is an equally good reciever as he is a rusher.

I guess I either would have given the award to Faulk, being that key player for the Rams, or to Kordel Stewart. Stewart didn't have insane numbers or anything, but he took his game to a new level this season and turned a very average Steeler team into AFC's top contender. Especially with Bettis missing a couple games late in the season, Stewart became even more important, and he performed very well. To me, the MVP isn't about the stats, necessarily... it's about which guy is the most important to a team's success... hence, most valuable.

[Jedieb]

Warner had a great season from a statisical point of view... but the bottom line is that Marshall Faulk is the key player in the offense. He makes it go... he's the most potent offensive weapon in the league and is an equally good reciever as he is a rusher.

I think Faulk is the best running back in the league right now. But if you take Faulk out of that offense Candidate can step in and do an admirable job. He's nowhere near as a good a receiver as Faulk, but he's fast, runs hard, and knows the offense. He's filled in for Faulk before and proven that he can do the job. The Rams could probably make it to the Superbowl with Candidate, but if you take away Warner from the Rams they're finished. That's what separates the two of them right now. Without a first rate back up, Warner is the most valuable player on the Rams.

If Kordell had started the season a bit stronger he would have gotten my vote. But his numbers were just too anemic the first half. I thought he was incredible down the stretch. I saw the Steelers last 6 games and I Stewart was a completely different from 2 years ago. The improvement was startling. He beat the Ravens by making some big time throws. But again, Warner made those kinds of throws all year long. I don't think an MVP QB has to throw 30+ touchdowns, but he should have at least 20+ and be amongst the leaders.

[Figrin D'an]

I agree that Trung Candidate has played well in his few opportunities, but I really don't think he could do everything that Faulk can throughout a 16-game season, plus a playoff run. He's fast (according to Martz, he's the fastest guy on the team), but he doesn't break tackles like Faulk can, and he doesn't find and hit holes as well as Faulk. Warner is a good QB, don't get me wrong, but I just don't think he's the most valuable guy on the roster. He's an accurate passer, and can throw the deep ball pretty well, but when he gets pressured, he doesn't scramble well and he can be forced to make some bad throws.

Both players are important to the team, and the Rams would be in trouble if either one of them went down in a playoff game.

[Jedieb]

Don't get me wrong, I think Faulk is amazing. I don't see the Rams winning the Superbowl without him, but I think they could still get there if Candidate had to step in. As for Warner, he's a leadfoot, but like Marino he knows how to work a pocket. Remember that touchdown pass he threw against the Dolphins earlier this year? He rolled out, stiff armed a defender, and still threw a bullet into the end zone for a touchdown. (If I remember right I think Faulk was the receiver, but I could be mistaken.) In the pocket he's still the most accurate passer in the league. He hits guys in stride better than anybody I've ever seen. The interceptions he's thrown aren't all on him. Many of them have been a product of the Rams offensive system and their cavalier attitude with the ball. They've also had a large amount of fumbles to go with Warner's picks. I think if Faulk had been healthy all season and had led the league in total yardage again he would have gotten enough votes to tie or pass Warner in the voting. But Warner played all 16 games and had an injured thumb to deal with for the first half of the season. I think that's why voters like Chris Mortenson from ESPN went with him.

Either way, Warner and Faulk were clearly the two most valuable players in the league. I was hoping they'd tie and we'd get co-MVP's. That would have been a great solution.

[Jedieb]

BUCS READY TO FIRE DUNGY
ESPN has just reported that unless the Bucs make it to the NFC championship (or possibly the Superbowl) Tony Dungy will be fired and replaced by Bill Parcels. This is a sad development and another example that the concept of "loyalty" is totally foreign to most NFL owners. I went to college in Tampa and I can tell you that the Bucs were the lauging stock of the NFL. This team didn't just lose, they lost year after year after year. An entire decade of 10+ loss seasons. The franchise started with 26 CONSECUTIVE losses and in some ways never looked back. Despite a fluke of a season in which they reached the NFC championship agaisnt the Jack Youngblood and Vince Feragamo Rams, the Bucs kept right on losing. In the early 90's you couldn't GIVE Bucs tickets away. My father in law was a Tampa detective and could get tickets to every sunday game. I rarely accepted them but when I did go the Big Sombrero was as lifeless as a morge. five minutes into the game you could get up and walk down to just about any seat you desired. McKay, Perkins, Sam Wyche, they were ALL losers in Tampa Bay.


ONE MAN turned things around, Tony Dungy. Under Dungy the Bucs became one of the top defenses in the league. The team got a new attitude, new uniforms, and eventually a new stadium. The Bucs were now on Monday Night Football every year, the Bucs were a playoff team and perennial Superbowl picks. Tampa was actually a big time NFL city for a change. Yes, the offense sucked, but so what, THE OFFENSE HAD ALWAYS SUCKED. The Glazer family should have had the decency to let Dungy finish out his contract. They OWE him that much. Bill Parcels is a great coach. The Bucs probably could move to the next level with him. But that's no excuse for not honoring the contract of the coach that elevated your franchise to the NFL elite. I was going to say 'resurrcted' instead of 'elevated', but I couldn't because the Bucs WERE NEVER ALIVE IN THE FIRST PLACE!

Rant over, let the playoffs continue.:mad

[Jedi Master Carr]

Well, I would agree with you except that the owner has spent a lot of money the last two years and he feels that he has a team that should be compeating for the SB. The last two seasons they have barely made the playoffs where many people picked them to get to the SB both years. A similar thing happened in baseball with the Red Sox, they had spent load of money the last two years and when they fell apart this past July, August Williams got canned for the same reason. That is just the way sports have become unfortuntely, its all about what have you done for me lately.

[JonathanLB]

I understand history and appreciate it. Fortunately, the same cannot be said of the 49ers, which is why they are going to blow Green Bay out in Green Bay Sunday, starting at 10 a.m.

The Packers are a good team, too bad they have to play a better team immediately. The Niners have a chance at winning the Super Bowl this year, the Packers don't.

I see that people are very convinced by this whole "cold weather" record and "Green Bay" record and I definitely agree both can be major factors, so I see where you are coming from in picking the Pack over the Niners. Still, perhaps you don't realize that the new game-time forecast says temperatures in the mid-30's. That is NOT that cold for Green Bay and will not affect Garcia whatsoever, nor will it affect the Niners any more than the Packers. Garcia is used to conditions like this and in playoff CFL games, he is 4-2 with 2 very close losses (and 2 close wins).

The Niners defense is better right now than the Packers and most analysts I have heard from are questioning the Packers defense more than the Niners, although they do mention injuries to the Niners starting lineup of course. That will not hurt, though, as a few writers observed. The Niners rely on speed and quickness, not size, so the lost players, while they certainly made a difference, can be replaced with reasonable efficiency that will keep Brett Favre out of the end zone to a fair degree.

The Niners running defense is ranked way above the Packers running defense, while the Niners running game is 2nd, the Packers is about 21st I believe (just read this). So if the Packers cannot run versus the Niners, they WILL lose. Favre cannot be made to pass every time, and if he does, he will be picked at least three times Sunday. If they run and aren't able to get the yards, they will not get the first downs, which means they won't score enough to beat the Niners, whose offense is ranked well ahead of the Packers and Green Bay cannot stop it, either.

I think the Niners will be the first team to go to Lambeau and show the Packers what team is best, and that's also the best franchise in the NFL, the San Francisco Forty Niners.

Niners by two TDs.

As for the other games, Jets are going to win again, Bucs will win (I am not a Bucs fan, though, so I hope I am wrong), and Miami also will triumph. I don't care for Miami much either, though.

In fact, I would rather be wrong on all of my picks except the Niners game. I like the Raiders and I like Rice, so I'd like to see them win, but they are playing lousy football. The Niners are playing their best football at the end of the season, having shut down three teams totally in just six games, plus a 13-3 win versus the Eagles, another reason the Eagles will not win. They are just not a very impressive team...

Niners vs. Rams, now that is what I would like to see. The Rams need to go down...

[Figrin D'an]

According to ESPN.com, the Niners do have a better rushing offense (Ranked #6 vs. #21 for Green Bay) and a better rushing defense: (#9 vs. #16 for Green Bay).

However:
The Packers have a better passing offense (#5 vs. #18 for San Fran.) Overall, the offenses of the two teams are pretty darn close (#4 for San Fran, #6 for Green Bay). They only differ by about 15 yards per game, and a little more than 1 point per game.

Another thing to keep in mind about the Packers run defense as well... the main struggles against the run have occurred over the last 5 games, over which two key defensive starters have been injured (LB Na'il Diggs and NT Gilbert Brown). Both will play on Sunday. Brown is the key though. He's the big man in the middle of the D-Line for Green Bay and is the primary run stopper in between the tackles.

I also kind of question whether or not San Fran will be able to generate a solid pass rush against Favre. If Engelberger and Okeafor don't play, which is a possibility, that means two backup defensive ends will be playing most of the game. The Packers offensive line was one of the best in the league this year on pass protection... if the Niner's don't generate pocket pressure, they'll get burned. Now, granted the same thing goes for Green Bay, 'cause Garcia is capable of picking apart defenses too. The Packers were 3rd in the league in sacks this season, though...

Anyway... no matter what, it's going to be a pretty good game. The teams are evenly matched in most areas, have big play ability on offense and have quick defenses. Will likely be the best game of the weekend. :)

[Jedieb]

I think the injuries you mentioned will be the key Firgin. With Brown in there it's going to be very difficult for SF to run between the tackles. Hearst does have the speed to get outside so all is not lost for SF. Garcia has played in cold weather so they do have that going for them. Unfortunately for the Niners, their receivers don't have the cold weather experience Garcia does. If Owens drops passes in good weather you can count on him for a couple of drops on the frozen tundra. Farve and Co. just have too many things going for them. They should be able to score 24+ points against a depleted Niner defense. It wouldn't be a shock if SF pulled off an upset, but it's definitely a long shot for them to be the FIRST team to beat the Pack at Lambeau in the playoffs.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Well it looks like the axe will fall on Dungy Tampa got killed by Philly 31-9, if Dungy gets fired part of his undoing could be that Tampa has lost the last three playoff games and hasn't been able to score a touchdown in any of them ( they only scored 18 points in three games getting beat 66-18 those aren't pretty numbers) They are obvisoly underachievers and something has to give. I am not sure if Parcelles will take over the team or not, it could be Spurrier too. I also wonder if certain players might just get released (Brad Johnson, Warrick Dunn maybe a few others).Oh well now in the other game today it looks like it is going to be a close game so far its 9-3 Oakland, though I don't think it matters who wins either team will get killed next weekend. The Jets will not win in Pittsburg and Oakland will have tons of trouble winning in cold Foxboro.

[JonathanLB]

I do not think by any means that the Niners winning would be an upset. I would call it an upset if the Niners didn't win. The Niners have the better football team statistically and I think they have the better football team in general, so it is an upset if they lose. The two teams have the same record, so the fact that they play in Green Bay does not mean that it's an upset if GB loses, or not in my view it doesn't.

I would be surprised if the Niners didn't win.

I see a 35-21 game, Brett Favre has a good game, but GB relies on him too much for passing, therefore he throws for 2 TDs and 2 INTs, one leading to an SF TD. Garcia is 65% accurate, throws for 3 TD's and 1 INT. Hearst rushes for one TD, SF defense scores the other mentioned before.

"To me, the MVP isn't about the stats, necessarily... it's about which guy is the most important to a team's success... hence, most valuable."

Yes, I totally agree, which is why Garcia without a doubt should have been MVP. I am very surprised that he didn't get any votes even, maybe it was the 2nd St. Louis game that doomed his chances?

I read articles even after that on ESPN.com with analysts saying Garcia should be MVP because he is the most important person to the success of his team. While the other teams with great MVP candidates were average or mediocre last year, the Niners were not even a 50-50 team. They were 6-10 and came off another year of being 4-12, but Garcia's presence made the difference between a team that could win the Super Bowl and a team that, without a QB like Garcia, would not be looking at a playoff game tomorrow. That is my opinion, anyway, though I DO believe that Kurt Warner is a better QB right now than Garcia! I am just saying that as an MVP winner goes, I thought personally that Garcia should have been given votes and really should have won. Other than that, though, I think Kordell is my 2nd choice.

Kordell Stewart has always been one of my favorite QB's, even when he "sucked," and I was one of the few people still standing up for the guy. I really got into watching the NFL in his first season, and I saw what the guy was capable of doing. He rushed, he scrambled, he passed, he was fun to watch! Then he had a few bad years, and throughout that I heard, "Kordell sucks, bench him, trade him," and even "Kordell is a ***, I hate that ****" or whatever and I kept saying, "The guy has potential, he is going to get better, he's a good QB having a bad time." Now, he has finally proved me right, otherwise I'd look like an idiot, but the guy has really fought back and he's a fun player to watch. I like Kordell a lot, he's the man. If the Steelers won the Super Bowl because the Niners lost to the Rams or to GB, then I would still be at least somewhat happy; it would be a good consolation prize. I just HATE the Rams, sick of seeing them around, their stupid uniforms, their usually lousy defense, Kurt's ugly wife, all of that is getting boring to me, but I still like Warner. He's awesome.

I am so happy I was wrong about both of Saturday's games. Phew, I like the Raiders a lot. Their two main players are, in my eyes, still Niners, haha. Jerry Rice with 183 yds and 1 TD, then Garner with 158 yds! They both were salary cap casualties for the Niners, but they are sure doing well with the Raiders. Too bad the Niners couldn't have held them. :(

Mainly Rice, though. He is a Forty Niner forever, regardless of who he plays for now.

I find it most ironic that he really wanted to be part of a contender and not part of a rebuilding team, yet the Niners are better in every way than the Raiders this season and are every bit the Super Bowl contender the Raiders are and more. I cannot at all see the Raiders winning the Super Bowl! No way. I can see the Steelers, the Rams, or the Niners winning, but no other team. Favre and the Packers would get creamed by the Rams, who would then cream Chicago, but the Steelers have the definite edge in the AFC and the Niners are the only team that MAY be able to beat the Rams and advance to the Super Bowl. Although, it would take a great game for the Niners and a decent to bad one for the Rams. Beating one team three times, though, in one season? It's tough...

I suppose I see five somewhat legitimate contenders in the NFL: Steelers, Oakland (NE will lose I think), Chicago, Rams, and the Niners.

Of those, Rams and Steelers are clearly the best. Niners are third I think, though Chicago beat them in a lucky OT win, yet the Niners led most of the game and are a better team now than they were then, IMO. After Chicago comes Oakland, which has played like crap for a while but they look like they want to win games now. New England is overrated and won't be able to beat the Raiders if the Raiders play as they did Saturday, but otherwise NE will still lose to the Steelers...

[Jedi Master Carr]

NE is not overrated, they have overchachieved this year maybe but they are very good team and are very good at home. First off they will have a huge advantage in having a week off, second Oakland will have to go across country to play them in Foxboro. Then there is the weather, a cold front is moving that way this week, and I bet it will be snowy, cold (maybe under 30) all those conditions favor the Pats. I personally don't care for the Raiders and hope they lose. I am a big Chief fan and the Raiders are the Chiefs archrivals so of course I will not root for them. I am also from Mass and want to see them win anyway they are my second favorite team. Sure, I don't think they will beat Pittsburgh but the Raiders just aren't that good, especially defensevily, they gave up 400 yrds to the NY Jets who don't have a very good offense. I think the Patriots will win 24-10.

[JonathanLB]

The Raiders and Jets both sucked defensively on Saturday. NE has a solid chance to beat the Raiders, but if there is ONE upset that is most likely, that is it, and then after that, the Niners over the Rams (if the Niners win) would be 2nd most likely.

Figrin (I think you said this), where did you get this stat of the Niners being 18th in passing?! That puts them in the bottom half of the league, no, that is not right at all.

From the AP:

"San Francisco had the NFL's second-best rushing attack. Garcia threw for 3,538 yards and 32 touchdowns against just 12 interceptions, while Owens caught 93 passes for 1,412 yards and a league-leading 16 TDs in the league's sixth-best passing offense."

6th best passing offense, not 18th...

[JonathanLB]

How about the injuries to the Packers, or are you going to ignore them and pretend that the Niners actually cannot succeed without two players?! LOL. Those two players, while good, are not at all necessary. As I said above, they have young talent that they can replace those two with and while the injuries deplete the Niners defense a bit, the Niners plan of attack has allowed them to succeed with faster, quicker, but smaller defensive players.

How about this one for you? Packers are hurting pretty badly too:

--------
Jue misses practice as secondary injuries pile up
Associated Press

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Green Bay Packers might be down to their fifth strong safety Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.


Rookie Bhawoh Jue missed Friday's practice with sore ribs and Billy Jenkins, who had one tackle in six games for the Packers this season, took his place.

...

"It's hard to move. I mean, just imagine hitting somebody with sore ribs. Laughing, coughing, everything is tough to do," Jue said.

------

and also...

"With all the injuries, the Packers have allowed an average of 170 yards rushing over the last four games, and the 49ers, behind Garrison Hearst, boast the NFC's top rushing attack."

The Niners are going to run right through the Packers while Garcia passes when needed, or that is how I see this game going. Favre will do all he can to win, and he is a true competitor, but without a rushing game and without being able to stop the Niners rushing and passing (because their rushing will free up the passing game), the Packers will be sorely outmatched.

35-21, I still say.

[Jedieb]

Yesterday really was a sad day. In a game that many Bucs players played for their coach's job they ended up insuring his dismissal. I don't believe that Johnson will be the free agent that leaves. He was very accurate this season. What the Bucs need is another receiver to compliment Johnson. They need someone with some actual speed that can stretch the field and free up Keyshawn so he can get a little deeper. Dunn wants to stay, but I really have no idea if he's a player Parcel's wants.

Last night's Raiders game was certainly fun to watch. The Raiders offense finally woke up and resembled the offense we saw at the beginning of the year. However, that defense gave up a lot of yards to the Jets. The Jets are a scrappy team and they showed a lot of heart, but they certainly aren't an offensive powerhouse. I don't see the Raiders beating NE if they don't put up a better defensive effort up in Foxboro.

Today's games should be great. We may get a defensive battle with nothing but field goals in Miami. The Packers and Niners could stage a classic. I still think it'll be the Ravens and the Packers, but Miami may rise to the occasion and defeat a Ravens team whose offense is even more anemic than last years. Go Fins!

[Jedieb]

Buh-bye San Fran! :p

This game certainly lived up to its billing. Both defenses played well. In the end, one QB made plays, and the other underthrew a critical pass for an INT. That was one of the most important edges the Packers had over the Niners going into the game, Favre. His arm is just as live as it's ever been. After that wobbler in the first half, he zipped every ball he had to in the second half. The Packers defense held the Niners below their season rushing average and the Niners defense did a good job for most of the game on Green and Levens. This last turnover is the final nail in the coffin. The Packers are still undefeated at Lambeau in the playoffs and they're 9-1 in their last 10 games versus the Niners. Let's say it once more cuz it was so much fun the first time.

Buh-bye San Fran! :p

[Jedieb]

The Dolphins are going to be without Chris Chambers. He's their primary deep threat and Fielder's favorite receiver. This is a serious blow to the Dolphins. That offense was depending on him to give them a spark. Stupid, lucky Ravens. :mad

[CMJ]

I really think Jon underestimated GB's home field. NOBODY(literally) beats them there when it counts.

[Jedieb]

These were two evenly mathced teams. But there was absolutely NOTHING to suggest that the Niners were going to go into Lambeau and have their way with the Packers. Anyone who thought differently was looking at the game with Niner colored glasses. San Fran overachieved all season long, but they still put up numbers with a 5-11 schedule and most of their losses came to teams with winning records. Farve has plenty of BIG GAME NFL experience to his credit, Garcia has little. The return of Gilbert Brown showed his absence was a big part of Green Bay's late season rushing woes. With him in the line up the #1 rushing team in the NFC was held to just over 70 yards. This game played out the way most people thought it would, close throughout, but the Packers and Favre pull it out at the end.

[Jedieb]

BTW, I didn't see Jon's Garcia for MVP campaign. That's just plain SILLY. :lol There's a reason he didn't get ANY votes for the MVP. His record as a started in 3 critical games (Bears & Rams) was 0-3. Those games were why today's game was played in Lambeau and why the Niners lost their division. He was badly outplayed by Warner in their second matchup so you can't even begin to compare the two. (But if you do then just look at who had the #1 QB rating and who was #2.) You can't call him a one man show either, not with Garrison Hearst, TO, and a surprisingly improved young defense. The Garcia MVP vote talk was early in the season, but after he fell flat against the Rams, so did his MVP campaign. How can anyone seriously put their guy up for an MVP when EVERYONE who knows football and casts an MVP vote completely IGNORES him? That's hometeam tunnel vision if I ever saw it. :lol

[Figrin D'an]

Originally posted by JonathanLB


Figrin (I think you said this), where did you get this stat of the Niners being 18th in passing?! That puts them in the bottom half of the league, no, that is not right at all.

From the AP:

"San Francisco had the NFL's second-best rushing attack. Garcia threw for 3,538 yards and 32 touchdowns against just 12 interceptions, while Owens caught 93 passes for 1,412 yards and a league-leading 16 TDs in the league's sixth-best passing offense."

6th best passing offense, not 18th...


I pulled the stat from ESPN's playoff preview pages... the Niner's ranked 18th in the league in passing yards... I probably misread it and neglected to put in the 'yards' part... my bad. Even so, it was only about 23 yards/game behind the Packers, who ranked 5th. So, really, not a huge difference...

All in all, the teams were pretty evenly matched, and the game today proved as much.

I never said that San Fran couldn't win without Okeafor and Engelberger. I mearly said that without those two, I questioned if the Niner's defense could generate a good pass rush. The Niner's are young and talented, yes... but 'young' is the key word here. Game experience matters in do-or-die situations like the NFL playoffs, any coach will tell you that. Losing two DEs that played most of the snaps this season hurts when you have to go on the road against a solid O-Line and a veteren QB.

The Packers do have a couple injuries to be concerned about as well. Losing LeRoy Butler for the season was huge, and I unfortunately believe that it will come back to bite them eventually (probably against the Rams next week). Jue has filled in well, and him not playing was a problem, yes. That meant that Jenkins had to play the entire game. Fortunately, he's been around, he's played in some big games, and he didn't make any huge mistakes. Gilbert Brown's toe isn't completely healed, but his presence in the game had an obvious effect. Holding the best rushing attack in the NFC to 70 yards is pretty darn good. Most of rushing yards came on off-tackle or counter plays... rarely did Green Bay give up anything in-between the tackles, and even had a few tackles-for-loss.

Next week will be tough for Green Bay, though. John Madden made a good point in the post-game analysis today that the Packer's secondary will not be able to match up against the Rams because of the amount and type of blitz packages that they like to use. I tend to agree with this. Green Bay's defense might be able to slow down the Rams in the running game, but the offense will have to sustain drives, use the clock and score a lot of points to have a shot at winning. Even then, the Rams will likely have to hurt themselves with turnovers and special teams mistakes to give Green Bay a shot to win.

[Jedieb]

Next week will be tough for Green Bay, though. John Madden made a good point in the post-game analysis today that the Packer's secondary will not be able to match up against the Rams because of the amount and type of blitz packages that they like to use. I tend to agree with this. Green Bay's defense might be able to slow down the Rams in the running game, but the offense will have to sustain drives, use the clock and score a lot of points to have a shot at winning. Even then, the Rams will likely have to hurt themselves with turnovers and special teams mistakes to give Green Bay a shot to win.

Hasn't that been the case with the Rams all season Figrin? Aside from their loss to the Bucs, they weren't dominated once all season. They played some close games, but they pulled them out and never had to win in desparate fashion. Even in the Bucs loss they still turned the ball over several times. Can Green Bay go on the road and win in St. Louis? The Rams two losses have come at home, but for some reason, Favre has struggled in domes. The Rams defense, which I believe was ranked 6th in NFL and 4th in the NFC in pts. (behind Green Bay and AHEAD of SF) and 2nd in the NFL and 1st in the NFC in yards allowed (yards allowed is the rank that's commonly used to determine the #1 defense in the league, although I think pts are more important.) should be able to match any effort the Packers put up. The offensive comparison are woefully in the Rams favor. They are not only 1st overall, but they're #1 in most offensive categories. Even in rushing they're 5th overall and 3rd in the conference. This is from a team that THREW for over 4,000 yards!

I think the team that has the best chance to stop the Rams are the Steelers. It'll be real interesting to see how the Steelers play next week. I'm also interested in seeing how the Rams offense holds up. They sputtered in their Superbowl run and really depended on their defense to win that Superbowl. They raked up a bunch of points against N.O. last year late in the game, but they still haven't shown the same explosiveness in the playoffs as they have in the regular season. I think the Rams are the team to beat, but it's not necessarily a lock.

Anyway, the damn Ravens are doing it again. Fiedler threw a perfect deep ball only to have McKnight bounce it off his chest and into the hands of a waiting Raven. Stupid arrogant lucky b.&**&%! :mad

[Jedi Master Carr]

I agree with you, for them win they need to force a couple of turnovers which is possible with them. Back to the game the reason why GB won was because of Farve, he played brilliantly in the second half. S.F played well for most of the game and held there own for much of it until that INT in the 4th quarter which killed them. To me though Farve showed why he is the best QB in football today but I am not sure if that will be enough to beat the Rams.

On to the other game unfortunately it looks like the Ravens are going to win up 17-3 in the 4th. It was an ugly game and I think thought that Baltimore will get killed by Pittsburgh next weekend. There offense is pathetic and Pittsburgh's defense is superior to theirs.

[Jedieb]

The Steelers OUTPLAYED the Ravens in BOTH their games. Yet, the Ravens still managed a split. Even in the game they lost, superior special teams helped keep them in the game until the 4th quarter. Actually it wasn't all great special teams, it was a combination of the Ravens excellent return game and the woefull kicking of Kris Brown. Kris Brown's poor performance can be deceiving though. ALL field goal kickers have been having problems at Heinz field. I believe Brown is actually holding his own against visiting kickers. But the Steelers have to cover punts and kickoffs better next week. They can't keep givng the Ravens a short field or the Ravens will hang around until the 4th quarter and then anything can happen. Also, how will Bettis respond? Will he tire out in the second half? Luckily, the Steelers have an outstanding back up in Mafuwhadayacallhim. He looks like a younger version of Bettis and he allows the Steelers to substitute for Bettis without giving up their power running game. I think this game should come down to the play of the QB's. By all accounts Stewart should outplay Grbac. He better!!!!!!!!>D

[Jedieb]

Oh, sorry about the Dolphins JMC. Better luck next year. :(

[Jedi Master Carr]

I agree there also they should shut down ancient Terry Allen and then they would be forced to throw the ball, if that happens I see Grbac thowing a couple of INTS. I'd say Pittsburgh wins by 10 points at least.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I guess you mean JMK, Jedieb my team (the Chiefs) faded long ago unfortuntely :(

[Jedieb]

The Chiefs should do well next year. Holmes will be back and Green will have a full year under his belt. I think they could easily make the playoffs next year.

[Jedi Master Carr]

They should be better next year, if their defense improves, they need to take one of the top DT's in the draft to help in that area, another reciever would help too, the best reciever on the team is Kennison who they only got towards the end of the season but he played great in the last 4 games, they got one of their recievers coming back from injury (Morris) and I think they need to add one in FA (maybe Michael Westbrook, I can't think of anybody else who is a FA). And yes Holmes is amazing he can be like Faulk in that offense, hopefull Green plays better though or they won't improve too much.

[Figrin D'an]

Originally posted by Jedieb


Hasn't that been the case with the Rams all season Figrin? Aside from their loss to the Bucs, they weren't dominated once all season. They played some close games, but they pulled them out and never had to win in desparate fashion. Even in the Bucs loss they still turned the ball over several times. Can Green Bay go on the road and win in St. Louis? The Rams two losses have come at home, but for some reason, Favre has struggled in domes. The Rams defense, which I believe was ranked 6th in NFL and 4th in the NFC in pts. (behind Green Bay and AHEAD of SF) and 2nd in the NFL and 1st in the NFC in yards allowed (yards allowed is the rank that's commonly used to determine the #1 defense in the league, although I think pts are more important.) should be able to match any effort the Packers put up. The offensive comparison are woefully in the Rams favor. They are not only 1st overall, but they're #1 in most offensive categories. Even in rushing they're 5th overall and 3rd in the conference. This is from a team that THREW for over 4,000 yards!



Yeah, you're right. That has been the case the entire season for St. Louis, except for two games... the loss to Tampa Bay and the narrow victory against the New York Giants... the Giants outplayed the Rams in that game, but St. Louis got one last big play to steal it away.

The best chance Green Bay has at winning is to hope the Rams come out flat in the first half, then force some turnovers and get some quick scores... if the Packers can get a decent lead and take the Rams running game out of the picture in the second half, they can drop 6 or 7 into pass coverage and at least limit Warner's options. That and, like I mentioned before, the Packer's offense has to sustain drives... the best defense is a consistent offense in this case... keep the Rams offense on the sidelines.

Actually, I think that the Eagles secondary might have the best chance to slow down the Rams. They're physical, they're very fast and they can afford to use 6 guys in pass coverage because their front 4 gets such a good pass rush. That's if the Eagles get past Chicago though. The Bears are still kind of a mystery team, as far as how they will handle their first playoff berth in 10 years. That game at Soldier Field next weekend could be rather strange... I can just see some kind of wacky play deciding the outcome of the game.

I'd pay good money to watch the Steelers beat the snot out of Baltimore next week. I don't think it'll happen, since the two teams know each other too well, but one can always hope...
Pittsburgh should still have the edge, though.

Oakland at New England... I have know idea what to think about this game. Oakland still looks kind of shakey to me, even after beating the Jets. I haven't seen much of the Patriot's games' this year, so it tough for me to analyze them. I'm really gonna have to think about this one... right now, it's a complete toss-up in my mind.

[Jedieb]

Yeah, you're right. That has been the case the entire season for St. Louis, except for two games... the loss to Tampa Bay and the narrow victory against the New York Giants... the Giants outplayed the Rams in that game, but St. Louis got one last big play to steal it away.

You're right about the Giants game. I forgot about that one. The Giants defense was able to get pressure on Warner throughout that game. I guess I just overlooked it because the Giants were such a dissapointment.

Green Bay
They do have to hope the Rams come out flat or rusty from the time off. Green and Levens need to take some time off the clock. The danger with that strategy is that you're a couple of 3 down stops away from disaster. The Packers tried that in the first half today and the Niners stopped them on 3rd and short twice and dominated the first half. They opened it up in the second half and it paid off. But opening it up plays into the Rams hands.

The Eagles
Taylor and company are VERY physical and that's just what you need to do against the Rams receivers. But even if they try to rough up Holt and Bruce, Phroel and Faulk probably like contact coming off the line. So can the Eagles linebackers handle those two? The key would be whether that great front four you mentioned can get a sustained pass rush. I'm not sure if they'd match up against each other, but wouldn't Hugh Douglas have to go against Orlando Pace? Pace is no Kenyada Walker, he should be able to hold his own against Douglas. The Eagles are a mystery. You pit them against the Giants and they seem like an ordinary team, against most other teams they refuse to allow over 20 points and McNab looks like an MVP candidate. That would be a great Championship game.

The Bears
Weak offense and more miracle wins than any team deserved this year. They kept winning when they had to, but you can't ignore that season sweep by Green Bay. They're so young that I could easily see them fall apart next week or in the championship game. I really think they're the weakest team left in the NFC.

Next week's match ups
AFC
Raiders at Pats (Raiders)
Ravens at Steelers (Steelers)

NFC
Philadelphia V. Chicago (Philadelphia)
Green Bay V. Rams (Rams)

I'm picking a couple of road teams because I've just got a feeling the Pats and Bears are going to show up with a wide eyes "I can't believe we're not playing golf!" attitude that might tip the scales in two close games. Next week should be great!

[Jedi Master Carr]

I disagree about the pics, actually
I think it will be
AFC
Patriots over Raiders, I think NE's homefield is huge plus Belliceck is a great coach and will get them ready, also the Raiders aren't very good IMO (especially defensively) and will give up a lot of points to them I see a score of 28-17

Steelers over Ravens, Pittsburgh basically dominated them all year and I think it will continue. They will shut down their running game and force Elvis into throwing a couple turnovers and that will be the difference, Pittsburgh 24-14

NFC

Rams over Green Bay, I would love to pick GB but I won't I think Farve is the best QB in the game but he doesn't have the weapons that Warner has which is the difference, I think it will be a high scoring game where the Rams come out on top
35-28

The Bears over Eagles, I think the Bears will be ready too, sure the Eagles are good but I still have some questions about their team (their recieving core and their running game), it will be a close game and the Bears will somehow find a way to win
Chicago 21-17

[Jedi Master Carr]

Did anybody else see that the Redskins just fired Schottenhimer? I am surprised by this develoment, mainly because he team got better as the season wore on, and now it looks like he is going to hire Spurrier who he tried to lure in the past. Tells you how much of a moron that Snyder is, he thinks he knows more about football than the coach, he is worst than Jerry Jones.

[Jedieb]

Marty is gone and Dungy will probably be fired by the middle of the week. Snyder is just a meddler, Jones is worst because he's CONVINCED he can be a great general manager. He's always wanted to take more credit for the job Johnson did than he deserved. If not for Green Bay beating San Fran and Neil O'Donnel falling in love with Larry Brown he wouldn't have won another Superbowl. My Cowboys are probably going to wallow in the basement for decades now. But I digress...

Yeah, my Philly and Raider picks are underdogs. I've just got a feeling about them, but I've been wrong before and I'll be wrong again. Either way, I think we're heading for a Steeler/Rams Superbowl.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I think that will be the case too. Now I do think the Eagles could beat the Bears that game could go either way I think but I am just picking the Bears because I think there luck will hold at home. The Patriots I guess I am picking for two reasons: One is biased (I hate the Raiders and the Patriots are my second favorite team), second I think the weather will be a huge factor because the game is a night game (what are those TV executives thinking?) and I am sure it will be very cold maybe as low as the lower teens before the game is over.

[JMK]

Yes, the Fish are my team, and I'm sad they lost, but deep down I knew they would. They're perennial chokers in the playoffs. Even though they were in sunny Miami, they clearly had their minds set on their upcoming vacation. I was stunned to hear that the last 2 playoff games in miami have not been sellouts because the fans are tired of a team that merely *makes* the playoffs. Now I don't know who to pull for, but it certainly won't be the Ravens.

[Jedieb]

Yes, I remember last year the Dolphins couldn't sell out a playoff game. One of my best friends from college is a season ticket holder (he was actually there for the Chargers/Dolphins shootout) and he told me the fans in Miami are tired of playoff losses. Couple that with the retirement of Marino and many of the local fans are just fed up. I think they're being rather ungrateful. They should be glad the Dolphins are a perenial playoff team. I guess it's just been tough to see the team make the playoffs year after year but no Superbowl wins since the 70's. At least they had two Superbowl appearances in the 80's, but the 90's were pretty baren. I still don't think some of them have gotten over all of the broken promises Jimmy Johnson made them. They sold their souls and dumped Shula for Mr. Ego and they haven't recovered since. But hey, maybe next year you'll see Norv Turner as the Dolphin Offensive coordinator with none other than concussion prone Troy Aikman as your QB. How would you feel about that JMK?

[JMK]

I'd be exstatic for the one quarter he'd play before getting pumelled back into the fogs of concussion. I do think it's pretty clear that they aren't going very far with Fielder at the helm.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I agree Aikman is pretty much done, if I were the dolphins I would rather take one of the young QBS coming out of college (Harrington or Carr) that would make more sense to me.
In other news it looks like Dungy might be going to the Colts. That would be a good move and I think the Colts are better team to be coaching. They have a great QB and a great running back and an awesome WR, all they need is a defense, maybe Dungy can work into shape and get them into the SB in the next couple of years. Talk about irony if that happens:p

[Jedieb]

The Colts would be the perfect fit for Dungy. The offense is in place and the defense needs work and that's Dungy's specialty. I've also read that the Colts are keeping their offensive coordinator. What I find ironic is that the Colts would be replacing one defensive minded coach who couldn't win in the playoffs with another. Still, I think Dungy can win in Indy if he can get the right players for his defense.

As for Aikman, he's going to have to learn the hard way. I think he's a great QB, but I saw him play those last few years. Hits that QB's like Favre or McNair would shrug off would send Aikman off to the hospital for observation. He was even more fragile than Young was at the end. He should stay in the booth with Moose.

[Darth23]

I think Tampa Bay deserves liek 5 losing seasons in a row - they're idiots. I think the team has definitely been flat offensively, but overall they were winning. This is a team that has long really bad streaks two different times since they were formed.

I guess the Washington coach was just a filler - getting fired after 1 season and a .500 record is pretty stupid. It DOES take time to build a winning program.


I think these owners are psycho.

[Jedieb]

Here's the thing about Tony Dungy. He's the kind of coach and the kind of man that would have stayed at Tampa as long as they wanted him. I could picture him coaching in Tampa 5 or 10 years from now. Mark my words, no matter how successful Parcells is, he'll be out of Tampa in less than 5 years, probably 4. He did it with the Pats and Jets and he'll do it in Tampa. When Parcells leaves Tampa Dungy will still be going to the playoffs year after year with Peyton Manning as his QB and the Bucs will probably be back in the cellar. Dungy won't gloat, but you can bet the fans and sports writers who've been calling for his head will be wishing he was still there.

[Jedi Master Carr]

It also looks like Schottenhiemer might be getting another chance, he is talking to the Chargers about their vacancy. That would be interesting though he would get to visit his exchiefs twice a year.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Talk about irony it looks like Tampa will not be getting their man after all. Parcelles has told them he has decided he will never coach again. This is great because now they have no idea who to pick. They fired Dungy, and I don't see him coming back, Spurrier their logical second choice is gone, so who is left? Dennis Green says he will only coach in the bay area what ever that means. There is Marty Schottenhimer, but they have already fired one conservative coach and I doubt they will go with the most conservative coach of them all that would be dumb. I have no clue who they might go after at this point, but the owner of team must really look dumb know:p

[Figrin D'an]

In my opinion, the Glaser family (the owners of the Tampa Bay Bucaneers) is getting exactly what it deserves. They decided to dump the coach that turned that franchise into a legitimate contender... they can deal will all of the crap that will happen in it's wake. The longer it takes them to find a coach, the harder it will be to resign free agents and convince players that Tampa Bay really is a good place to play. I hope the Bucs fall back into obscurity... Tony Dungy deserved better.

I'd love to see Dungy in Indianapolis. He'd be a perfect fit for that team... I'd actually root for the Colts if that happened.

Anywho... this weekends games...

Philadelphia at Chicago:
Great defensive matchup. Eagles might have the best D-Line in the league, and have a fast, physical secondary. Bears have BIG guys on the D-Line, a solid secondary, and wicked linebackers. Urlacher, Colvin and Holdman are scary good as a group. 14 points might win this game. Chicago needs a big game from Anthony Thomas and Jim Miller just needs to not make mistakes. The Eagles, of course, are all about Donovan McNabb. If he can get around 200 yards passing and 50 yards rushing, the Philly will be tough to beat. Deuce Staley will need to have a good game though, too. This one's pretty tough to call. Turnovers will be critical. I think Chicago will be a bit 'wide-eyed' early in their first home playoff game in 10 years, and the Eagles will capitialize on this, then hang on late.

Winner: Philadelphia


Oakland at New England:
Oakland looked about 200% better the second time around against the Jets. Rich Gannon looked great, and Jerry Rice... what can you say... best receiver to ever play, and at 39, the guy is still one of the best. Against the Pats, though, Oakland has to establish a decent running game. It will be interesting to see how Tom Brady reacts to his first playoff start. New England has also had a huge layoff between games, so they could be a bit rusty in the first half. Antwain Smith is the key to the Pats offense, though. If he has a good day, and Brady and Troy Brown connect, Oakland is in trouble. Smith always gets better in the second half, and I think this will be the case again in this game. Oakland still can't stop the run, and when the safety's have to sneak up to help, Brady could burn them deep. Close game in the first half, then New England pulls away in the second half on the strength of Smith's running.

Winner: New England

Baltimore at Pittsburgh:
Two teams that know each other very well. Baltimore got a bit of swagger back with a dominant defensive performance against Miami. Pittsburgh has seen this before, though, and won't let it effect them. Baltimore will still be able to slow down Jerome Bettis, especially considering that Bettis hasn't played in several weeks. But the most glaring stat about the season series between these to teams is Kordel Stewart's passing stats. Over 500 yards passing, 3 TD's and no interceptions in two game. The Steelers go as Stewart goes, and Baltimore still doesn't have much of a passing game. If Terry Allen gets shut down, the Ravens are doomed. Bill Cowher will have his team ready for this one.

Winner: Pittsburgh


Green Bay at St. Louis:

I think it's pretty clear that I'm biased about this game. That being said, I'm going to mearly say a few things about what must happen for the Packers to pull off the upset. Green Bay needs long, sustained drives, a big day from Ahman Green, and points at every opportunity. They'll also need to get turnovers... at least 3, and turn them into points. On defense, the Packers best hope at at least slowing the Rams down is to get pressure on Warner from the middle of the line. Even if Warner doesn't get sacked, just making him scramble will disrupt pass patterns long enough for the secondary to establish coverage. I expect a lot of points in this game. If Green Bay can stay with the Rams on the scoreboard and get a few turnovers, they can give Favre a chance to win it in the 4th quarter. I will say that if this game is close with under 10 minutes to go... don't bet against Favre, even in a dome.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I agree with you Tampa deserves this after they way they treated Dungy, they are going to have problems the next few years. Also I like your anayalis of all your picks and I agree with it too, that Philly game could go either way I think but other that I think the other games will go exactly as you say.

[Darth23]

Philly

Oakland

Pittsburgh

St. Louis

--------------

I think we need an All-Pennsylvania Superbowl.

[Jedieb]

In my opinion, the Glaser family (the owners of the Tampa Bay Bucaneers) is getting exactly what it deserves. They decided to dump the coach that turned that franchise into a legitimate contender... they can deal will all of the crap that will happen in it's wake. The longer it takes them to find a coach, the harder it will be to resign free agents and convince players that Tampa Bay really is a good place to play. I hope the Bucs fall back into obscurity... Tony Dungy deserved better.

I'd love to see Dungy in Indianapolis. He'd be a perfect fit for that team... I'd actually root for the Colts if that happened.

Figrin, thanks for saving me the trouble of writing a long rant about how crappy that entire situation was. What are you, a Jedi mind reader? ;)

It seems like most of us expect at least one upset. Darth23 has my picks but he's pulling the exact opposite of a Superbowl match up and Figrin is stickin' with the Packers. I think my Oakland upset may be in trouble. N.E. is getting a couple of inches before the game and snow throughout. That same system just dumped 4 inches of snow on my front lawn. This could be a classic defensive battle in the snow. I'm sure the Pats are warming up the snow plow as we speak. :lol

[Jedi Master Carr]

The weather could be a huge factor in this game depending on how much snow falls and second how cold it is at game time. It is a night game (I have no idea why it only benefits the Pats) and I bet it will get awfully cold especially for Oakland. Yeah I am sure they are working that plow as we speak :p

[Jedieb]

Well it looks like it's safe to say the Bears will be hittting the golf courses next weekend. The score doesn't show how close the game really was. In the end, the Bears had no answer for McNab and they own offense was as anemic as it was for most of the season. They had a great year, but that 13-3 record relied on several nail biters. I'd say that both the Niners and Packers were much better teams than the Bears. The Packers 2-0 record against Chicago is proof of that. Now I await my other upset special; Oakland V. N.E!

[Jedi Master Carr]

I think it shows the Bears need a QB, the Eagles knew they would run so they put 9 guys up there and dared to throw, and of course they couldn't. I think they should go after Bledsoe he will be available in the offseason. Also I think the Pats will win, I think the combination of their defense and the weather will give them a victory.

[Jedieb]

HOLY COW WHAT A GAME! Vinetari just hit the tying field goal and it looks we're going to overtime. I have to say I'm very impressed with Brady. I thought the difference maker here would be at QB but Brady has more than held his own. Now, are Phil Simms and I the ONLY people that think the refs shouldn't have overturned the Brady fumble? I thought the replay clearly showed that Brady completed his pump fake, and THEN had the ball knocked out by Woodsen. It did slip out, it got knocked out. Plus, he had just patted the ball which means his forward motion had stopped. I don't see how the refs saw CONCLUSIVE evidence that that pass was an INT. That oveturn is going to be debated for years. Well, here comes overtime...

[Jedieb]

Well Brady did it. The Raider offense never even got the ball back. The Pats converted on a critical 4th and 4 and took the ball down inside the 10 and then kicked the winning field goal. That was a terrific game. I'm interested in seeing ESPN's post game show to see what they thought of the overturned call. Nevertheless, Brady played a great game. The Raiders got a little too conservative and couldn't convert a very manageable 3rd and 1 that ended up costing them the game. I hope tomorrow's games are as good as this one! :D

[Jedieb]

They just talked about the rule that led to the overturned fumble on ESPN. Apparently, tucking the ball in is actually considered part of the forward motion. It doesn't make sense to me, and even Sean Salisbery(sp?) said the rule "stinks", but under the rules the refs made the right call. I bet that rule gets changed in the off season. Still, Brady deserves a lot of credit for his second half performance.

[JMK]

Playoffs are great in any sport, aren't they? :D

[Jedieb]

Yep!:D

[Jedi Master Carr]

It was a heck of game, the best one so far I think. It will probably become a classic for the controversal call alone. As far as the rul eah the rule probably will get changed in the offseason, I'm sure but the Raiders should have put them away instead of letting them hang around. And that 3rd and 1 was big if they had got that the game would have been over. Brady played better than I thought, I have been a cynic of his all season, I thought they were wrong to bench Bledsoe and play him, but I guess I have to eat my words now. I still think Bledsoe will go somewhere else and put up good numbers (probably Chicago), but Brady just proved himself to me. Now for tomorrow, those two games should be very good at least the first one. I think Pittsburgh will win but probably not by more than a touchdown. The other game will probably be a shootout, but if they don't beat themselves they should triumph.

[Jedi Master Carr]

My father, who is a big Pats fan, says that call was fitting since another contraversal call went against the Pats in the a 1976 playoff game against Oakland. I was only born the year before so I know nothing of the game though, so I am not sure how similar they are.

[Jedieb]

They've mentioned that call a few times on ESPN. I guess there's some kind of karma going on here. The league is sticking behind the official and they're quoting the rule in their defense. Even if a QB tucks the ball in it's still considered a forward pass. I think that's absolutely absurd, especially on a pump fake. Bad rule, bad call. Of all the post game reactions I've seen I think Gruden took the high road and looked the classiest. Woodsen was understandly upset and keeps using the same word I would in his place. Brady is now singing a different tune and saying his arm really was forward. But the one that galls me the most is Bryan Cox. This loud mouth not only refuses to admit the call was unfair, but he still has the nerve to say the "game was decided on the field." If this had happened to the Pats instead of the Raiders Cox would be yelling LOUDER than anyone else that he was robbed. He'd probably call the ref a bigot in the process. :x

Steelers and Ravens are only a few hours away. Am I the only one that see's the eerie resemblance between the Raven's divisional playoff game against the Titans last year? The Ravens are facing the winner of their division on the road. The Titans actually had the #1 defense last year because they allowed fewer yards per game, although Baltimore dominated every other major category. The Titans had a suspect kicker and special teams that cost them dearly. The Steelers have a suspect kicker and problems on special teams(their kickoff and punt coverage against Baltimore has been dreadful.) Now I'm picking the Steelers. I think their defense is better as well as their offense. But the ingredients for another week of Shannon Sharpe talking trash are in place. Go Steelers and spare us the nightmare of another Ravens run!

[Jedi Master Carr]

There is one major difference between that scenerio and this one. The Ravens beat the Titans both times last season and won the 3-0. The Titans beat everybody last year except for the Ravens. The Steelers have beaten the Ravens once and dominated the other game and should have won except for missed FGS. I think the Steelers will win probably something like 19-16, mostly because they will stop the run and force Grbac to throw which will be the Ravens downfall.

[JMK]

Yeah yeah, but what about the day's 2nd game! That's gonna be nuts! :rollin

[Jedieb]

I also think the Ravens defense is weaker than it was last year. But the Ravens defense and special teams can keep this game close. It looks like Bettis won't be starting because a pain shot pinced a nerve. This may actually benefit the Steelers because they'll revert to the offense that served them so well late in the season.

That Rams/Packers game is the perfect match up to end the weekend. I think that the difference maker will be Faulk. But, if the Packers can get a couple of turnovers and Favre and Green/Levens can convert them into TD's then anything can happen. But the Packers have to capitalize on turnovers. They can't let the Rams defense hold them to field goals or 3 and outs.

Hey, aren't we missing someone from this thread?;)

[Jedieb]

The Steelers D is simply dominating the game. They just bailed out Kordell by picking off Grbac in the end zone. Grbac now has 2 pics in less than a quarter. This is what Billick wanted, he might as well be throwing the pics himself. :p

[Jedieb]

STUPID KRIS BROWN!!!!!

This is just like their two regular season games. The Steelers dominate statistically, but the Ravens hang around. The Ravens don't even have 30 yards of offense to the close to 150 that the Steelers do, but they're only down by 10. Stupid kickers!!!

[Jedi Master Carr]

I must say that I am shocked how badly the Steelers beat them, I thought it would be close but the Steelers, especially their defense knocked them around. Well know we get to game 2 and I think the Rams will win probably in a shootout.

[Jedieb]

Even though it didn't always translate to the scoreboard, but the Steelers dominated the Ravens all season long. It took several missed field goals for them to win that first game in Pittsburg, and if not for their return game they wouldn't even have stayed close in the second one.

The Packers and Rams are tied at 7. The Packers offense and Rams defense have been the only ones to make plays so far. The Rams have been pretty silent on offense.

[Jedieb]

The Rams defense wasn't ranked 3rd in the league without reason. They've forced 3 Green Bay turnovers in the first half. They've scored once and set up the Rams offense for an easy TD. Unless the Packers get Favre under control things could get out of hand quickly. On defense, that 7 DB defense the Packers are sometimes using isn't going to work. Faulk will break that down in a heartbeat. The Packers just had their kick return called back for holding. Back to the game.

[JMK]

This is getting sad really quick...

[Jedieb]

This has been the MOST dominating performance we've seen in the playoffs so far. The scary thing is, the Packers defense didn't roll over today. They didn't play as well as last week, but they did give the Rams some problems. Yet, look at the score. The Rams defense just picked off one of the best QB's of all time 5 times and forced a fumble. They gave up yards and now at the end they've given up a charity TD, but this is great defense. I don't think they're as dominating as the Steelers, but they're aggressive, fast, and well coached. They can more than hold their own against any of the other defenses left in the playoffs, they proved that today. But can ANY offense out there match the Rams? Green Bay was the most explosive out there and look what happened to them today. Philly may have kept it close in their first meeting, but that was in Philadelphia. I still don't see anybody beating this Rams team. It's possible of course, nothing is a lock, but it's highly unlikely.

[Syron Ward]

I feel sorry for Favre. Packer's had a great season, and it's all blown in one night. But then again, this is the playoffs. Ah, well.

[JMK]

So what are the odds now that the Rams are gonna win the Superbowl? Probably closer to 100% than to 0% :p

[Figrin D'an]

Well... I must say the Rams defense impressed me a lot today. I really thought this was going to be a 35-31, 42-37 type of game. Early on, it looked like it could be. I think the big problem for Green Bay was that they were pressing too much. They got suckered into the shoot-out, quick strike mentality, because they felt it would be the only way they could keep the game close. The Rams offense really didn't get going until late in the 3rd quarter, and if Favre doesn't throw those two picks in the first half, it's probably a tie-game at the half. The Packers D played well early on, they just got worn out in the second half. I almost think that the Packers would have been better off running their typical offense... but, I shouldn't second-guess Mike Sherman. He coached the team to a 12-4 record and a playoff win, he knows what he's doing.

The Rams D was very opportunistic, though, and they turned bad decisions by Favre into points. Every hall-of-fame QB has his bad games, and this was just one of those times. But, again, props to the Rams D for really being THE deciding factor in the game.


I can deal with the Packers losing, though, as I can take comfort in knowing that the Lombardi Trophy will not again be fouled by the touch of the evil Baltimore Ravens. :)
It was sooooo gratifying to see the Steelers just beat the crap out of the Ravens on both sides of the ball.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I think the Steelers can do it in my opinion, they have a great defense and Stewart is playing great. They would have to force turnovers and then run the ball to do it, but I think they can.

[Jedieb]

The Packers/Rams game was rather anticlimatic, but it was better than seeing the Rams beat the Niners for a 3rd time this season. :lol

I thought that the Packers did give in to the idea that the only way to beat the Rams was with a shootout. For most of the game, Favre was quite reckless. He can make great plays when he plays that way, but he can make mistakes. The Rams D made him pay dearly for those mistakes. Now comes Philadelphia. Even with McNab at his best, the Eagles are not going to score 40+. They've got to run their usual offense. Let McNab be creative, but don't abandon the run and don't think that you've got to go deep all game long. Philadelphia can't get careless and turn the ball over. Yesterday was not something new for the Rams defense. The Rams scored more points off turnovers this season than ANY other team in football this year. If the Eagles turn the ball over the Rams will make them pay. They won't make them pay with field goals either, they'll stick the ball in the end zone.

The first game between these two teams was so long ago that it may not have much bearing on Sunday's game. McNab is playing much better and the Rams seem to have gotten a hold on their turnover problems. Plus, the game isn't at the Vet. The Eagles have an aggressive D line, but they're not that big. You know they're going to blitz like crazy. Occasionally, Warner or Faulk will make them pay dearly, but you have to figure they'll get to Warner a couple of times. A fumble or an injury to Warner may be all that Philly needs to pull off the upset. Still, yesterday's performance puts the Rams and Steelers as heavy favorites going into Sunday.

Steelers & Pats
Brady played one of the great games a young QB has ever had in the playoffs. Yes, he never should have had the chance, but that's irrelevant now. I didn't think he had it in him. He and the Pats have to be very confident going into the big ketchup bottle. The Steelers however, look too damn strong. Even with no Bettis and a sub par performance from Stewert, they DOMINATED the loudmouthed-overbearing-material-witness-to-a-homicide Ravens. This game could easily be a blowout, I think the Steelers are that good. The Patriots may keep it close for awhile, but I think the Steelers will wear them down and win by double digits. Then we can get a match up of the two BEST teams the league had this year!

[Jedi Master Carr]

That would be a great matchup but would it live up to it? I can think of sever 1vs 1 that have not, S.F vs Denver (that game was never close) Buffalo vs Dallas PT 2, Buffalo vs Washington (Not sure if I should count either one, Buffalo tanked twice and two times other than that), there is Miami vs S.F but again San Fran dominated the whole game. So what was the last matchup of this caliabur that lived up to the hype Dallas vs Pittsburg? maybe I mean the 70 show dows probably the one in 78 (that one was close right?) Also we better not get carried away with this predicting you never know it could be New England vs Philadelphia :p

[Jedieb]

The last Superbowl between the Cowboys and Steelers was VERY close. The Steelers were one possesion away from taking the lead until O'Donnel made Larry Brown a hero and multi millionaire. One of the 70's Superbowls was a shootout, but the Cowboys were playing catch up in the second half. The other one was a lower scoring affair that the Steelers defense dominated and Bradshaw was able to come up with the big plays the Steelers needed. They were great games, but Superbowl 30 was the closest of the 3.

I'm not going to start breaking down this Superbowl match up until we see whose going. Or maybe I'll get bored and crank it out this week.

[Jedieb]

Will Sunday ever get here?

Not too much to talk about except that Dungy has gotten the Colts job. That will be an interesting team to watch next year. How quickly can Dungy retool the Colts' defense? The Rams did it in a single season, but Lovie Smith didn't have to be the defensive coordinator AND the head coach. I think it may take a couple of years, but they should see SOME improvement immediately.

I found this on espn.com . It's a great article on Kurt Warner and how his numbers are starting to stack up against Hall of Fame QB's. He's blowing away his contemporaries.

http://espn.go.com/magazine/vol5no03hirdt.html

[Jedi Master Carr]

I doubt he will touch Montana's SB records though, it will be almost impossible to do mainly because Montana didn't throw one INT in any of them, and the same with his playoff drive of 89-90 he didn't throw one INT, that to me is amazing. I still don't think Warner is that great, to me he is no where near Montana, Bradshaw, Starr, Untias. Those guys were amazing, and Warner has a long way to go to prove it to me. A second thing he threw the most INTS this year 22, he threw one more than my team's QB 21 and he had a bad year. That is my problem with him I guess Montana never threw that many INTs even in his worst year, he might have thrown 15 or 16, but he averaged around 10-12, that is why he is the best IMO.

[Darth23]

Looks like that William Penn Bowl is still a possibility.

If there's any justice in the world New England will lose because of a bad reversal by the refs late in the game.

[Jedieb]

Warner throws more pics, but he also throws more TD passes than Montana. Montana never even had back to back 30TD years. Montana was superb in his Superbowls, but he could have easily had a couple of INT's to his credit. There were some dropped balls here and there and all you need is a blown route or a tipped pass and you've got an INT through no fault of your own. The thing about Warner's INT's is, he still had a QB rating of over 100. His yards, completion %, and yards per attempt brought up his rating and offset his INT's. He's going to be a Hall of Famer. We still don't know how many Superbowls he may end up playing in. His career totals will never approach Marino or Favre because he started so late. But as the article shows, his current numbers are simply amazing.

The guy that's going to set his claim to greatest QB ever will be Favre. If he keeps it up he'll break many of Marino's career records. He'll also have that Superbowl to hang his hat on. Number of titles in a TEAM sport is misleading. Throw some of these guys on teams with bad coaches or one-dimensional offenses and they won't win anything. Marino never had a running game, EVER, but he put up numbers Montana would have been hard pressed to do in the same system. Look at poor Dan Fouts, that guy should have won a ring or two. But he never had a defense and his teams couldn't run very well so he never won the big one. He's still a better QB than Bradshaw or my own Aikman.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I guess its all a matter of opinion. I admit I am biased when it comes to QB I grew up idolizing Montana and I guess that makes me think he is the best ever. Still, Montana did not have great players around (I am talking about recievers here) until Rice and Taylor came along in 88. Before the best recievers he had was Dwight Clark (who was good but no where near as good as either Rice or Taylor) and Roger Craig who was a good all around back but no where near as explosive as Faulk. Now if Montana had the weapons Warner had I think he would have threw for more yards than he did in his career but that is just my opinion.

[Jedieb]

I'd think Montana would have thrown for more TD's and yards in the Rams offense also. But I don't think he would do as well as Warner, because that offense is suited more to Warner's specific skills. Montana's arm wasn't strong enough to throw the deep ball as well as Fouts or Warner. These are all GREAT QB's. Picking one over the other is very subjective. People who saw Unitas play still insist he's the best ever despite him not having the kinds of numbers of Marino, Elway, Favre, or Montana had. They even put him ahead of Montana in that recent all time team. I wish I could have seen him play in person to see how good he is. But I have to give him credit without seeing him because his greatest advocates have the benefit of seeing ALL of these guys play.

The thing we must all agree on is that Elvis Grbac sucks and the Ravens deserve all the misery he's going to bring them. :D

[Jedi Master Carr]

I have to agree on Grbac he does stink. I am wondering if the Ravens will cut him. They are 28 million over the salary cap and have to start cutting some where. I read they are going to have to cut 6 guys off there defense, I doubt they will be making the playoffs in the near future.

[Jedieb]

Billick said that he's keeping him and not exercising the option on his contract. The Ravens could have cut him and not taken a major salary cap hit. I think Billick wants to prove that he was right on letting Dilfer go. He probably thinks that with a healthy Jamal Lewis(that was their running back right?) the Ravens offense will be much better next year. I think it'll still suck, and suck hard. But that's just me. >D

[Jedi Master Carr]

But if they have to cut half their defense they won't be the same team, in fact they will probably stink and be at the bottom of their division, Cincinatti and Cleveland will probably have better teams.

[Jedieb]

Championship Sunday!!!!!
I think we're going to see a blow out today and it's not going to be where most people would think.

Pats V. Steelers
I really think the Steelers can not only beat the Patriots, but blow them out. The Patriots are lucky to be here, while the Steelers have been a dominant team for most of the season. The offensive line should be able to dominate the lighter Patriots D-line. Once they establish the run it should free things up for Kordell. Theymay get stuck in the red zone a couple of times, but I still see them putting together 4-6 long drives against the Patriots today.

The Steelers defense is should rule the day here. Yes the Pats get a chance to practice against more than other teams because Bellichk's defense runs it sometimes, but they're still going to get punished by it. The Steelers love to hit and their linebackers are very athletic. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw a couple of interceptions from linebackers today.

Steelers 31 Pats 10

Philadelphia V. Rams
Everyone is ready to annoint Donavan McNab as the best QB in the league. I think he may be there in a couple of years, but not yet. He's been great these last few games, but he and the Eagles offense struggled at times this year. For 7 quarters the Giants held McNab in check. McNab cannot beat the Rams by himsefl. Staley and the other running backs have to be effective. They need LONG drives, they cannot engage the Rams in a quick scoring shootout. Take time off the clock and put the ball in the end zone whenever you have the chance. Unfortunately, the Eagles aren't built to do that. I think the Rams defense will hold the Eagles to under 20 points, but that may be all the Eagles need.

If the Eagles win today it will be because of their defense. They have not allowed more than 21 points this season. They are one of the more consistent units in the NFL. Plus, they play the kind of style of D that can cause Warner problems. The Eagles blitz as if their lives depended on it. If they hit Warner often enough they may cause the turnovers they need to stay with the Rams and pull out a close victory. But with Troy Vincent banged up they're going to be susceptible on their blitzes. Warner can, and will make them pay. And then we come to the difference maker, Marshall Faulk. But will the Rams use him? They have a nasty habit of ignoring Faulk in the playoffs. The surest cure for a blitz is to burn it with a few runs. The Rams can beat the blitz with quick handoffs to Faulk and screens to Faulk. The screens can be particularly effective. Faulk in open space can be deadly. I think we may see that 21 point barrier broken today, but not by much.

Eagles 17
Rams 27

[Figrin D'an]

Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of time for a detailed analysis of today's games, so I'm going to give the short version.

New England at Pittsburgh:

I have to agree with Jedieb on this one. I just don't see the Pats moving the ball very well against that Steelers D. I think they're going to harass Brady all game and force him to make some costly mistakes. The Pats defense can't hold down the Steelers, either, especially if Bettis is healthy and runs well today. It'll be close for one quarter, as I think Kordel Stewart might be a little too hyped up for this game (wanting to exorcise some of those bad playoff experiences of the past), but he'll clam down after a series or two. Pittsburgh will then slowly roll up the points on New England. Steelers win big.

Winner: Pittsburgh


Philadelphia at St. Louis:

I think this could be a damn good game. I know people were impressed by the Rams D last week (hey, so was I), but I don't expect another performance like that today. Don't be surprised if the Eagles go after Kurt Warner early and often... one Hugh Douglas hit could take Warner out of the game, and the Eagles know that. The Rams will need a healthy dose of Marshall Faulk to avoid that from happening. On offense, the Eagles have to sustain drives, and avoid getting suckered into playing a shoot-out game, like the Packers were last week. The Eagles receivers need to play better, as a group, than they have at any other point during the season. Donovon McNabb just needs to be Donovon McNabb... make some plays with his arm, make some with his feet, and be able to hit the open guy downfield. I think the Eagles will not only cover the spread... I think they'll pull off the upset.

Winner: Philadelphia



I'll take the all-Pennsylvania Super Bowl. :)

[Jedieb]

Two 3 and outs to start the game, although Stewert had a couple of wide open receivers and was a bit off the mark. Like Figrin predicted, he seems to be just a bit hyped up. I don't think a Eagles upset is a bad pick. Not that I gamble, but putting money on them today to beat the spread is a good bet. As for Hugh Douglas getting to Warner, the Eagles are going to have to disguise their blitzes well to get to Warner. If they do get to him, I don't expect it to be Douglas because he's matched up against Orlando Pace. He's not going to overpower or outquick Pace. They've got a blitzing DB that's very good whose name escapes me for the moment. Now, back to the game!

[Darth23]

"I'll take the all-Pennsylvania Super Bowl"

Me too (in case I haven't mentioned it).

Realistically I think Pittsburgh and St.Louis have the best shots, but HEY, I'm from Philly! If Iverson can lead the Sixers to defeat in the NBA finals, then McNabb can help the Eagles get their butts kicked in the Superbowl. ;)

[Jedi Master Carr]

Man Troy Edwards made a stupid mistake going out of bounds there, so instead of putting the Pats on the 20 they have Troy Brown return a 50 yard put for a TD. But with NE leading Pittsburg is driving as we speak, Steward just had a 30 yard run. to put them in NE territory.

[Jedieb]

The Pats just had a close replay call go against them. They're not upset are they? :lol

7-3 Pats Steelers have the ball with good field position.

[Jedi Master Carr]

LOL then Pittsburgh had one go against them, the game is close which favors the Patriots in that aspect, neither offense has done anything the difference so far is that punt return.

[Jedi Master Carr]

What a development, NE is driving but Brady gets hurt the severity is unknown and they have to send Bledsoe back in who hasn't played in forever. And what does he do, he throws three terrific passes including a TD, now they are up 14-3, NE looks like the better team so far.

[Jedieb]

And that's why they play the games!!!!

I've always thought that Bledsoe was a better QB than Brady. One of the worst things that could have happened to Pittsburg was for Brady to go down. Bledsoe hasn't played since week 2 and he stepped in as if he'd been playing all season. Bledsoe is tough, experienced, and he has a cannon for an arm. The Steelers defense had the Patriots shut down until Bledsoe got in there. Now the Patriots are energized on offense and the Steelers have a different kind of QB to contend with.

I've been very suprised by how poorly the Steelers have been playing on offense. I thought they would have been able to run the ball more effectively. They've got to come up with some offense these last two minutes to get some kind of momentum before the half. Stewert has been very innacurate. He's making his receivers go down on the ground for balls, he's not hitting them in stride, he's all over the place. He has to settle down or the Steelers are in deep trouble.

[Jedieb]

Stewert was just HORRENDOUS on that last drive! Plexico actually made a great play on that offensive pass interference. First, he beat his man deep but because Kordell underthrew him so badly he had to become a defender and stop the INT. That knocked the Steelers out of FG range and Kordell couldn't hit any receivers to bring them back into FG range. I said it once, I'll say it again, if Stewert doesn't snap out of this funk, the Steelers are in deep trouble. What the hell, they ARE in deep trouble.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I have to give a lot of credit to the NE defense they have played incredible. They have completely shut down Pittsburgh's running game (Bettis I admit still doesn't look right), they have put tremendous pressure on Stewart and they done terrific coverage on the recievers. On offense I think Bledsoe is the better QB but Brady was finally getting going before he got hurt, I question if he would have gotten in the endzone, the patriots have been terrible there the last 7 games. I also have to say that Troy Brown is amazing he did that PR by himself and he has been terrific getting open.

[Jedieb]

WOW! Instead of starting the second half with the ball inside the 20 off a turnover the Pats have to send their defense on the field. That could have been a back breaker for the Steelers if NE had gotten a FG or TD out of that turnover. They certainly haven't gotten the benefit of replay today.

HOLY CRAP Stewert just fumbled the ball!!!! Are the Steelers trying to give this game away!?

[Jedi Master Carr]

Well I don't know if we can pin this TD on Kris Brown or not, the kick was blocked and Brown scooped it up and pitched to another guy who returned it for a TD. Man this amazing I am starting to wonder if the Patriots are a team of destiny.

[Jedieb]

The Steelers have been betrayed today by the few weaknesses they've had all season; special teams. Brown's kick was just blocked and returned for a TD. That's 14 points the Patriots have scored with special teams! Think about that, the Steelers defense has only allowed 1 TD, but they trail by 18 points. The Steelers now have to abandon the run, which may actually be a good thing since they haven't been able to run all game. Wow, this has been a shocking game.:eek

[Jedi Master Carr]

21-10, now but its getting later and they still need two scores, another score by NE and this game is over.

[Jedieb]

21-17, WHAT A GAME!!!!!!!!

The Steelers defense has just been phenomenal. Despite the blunders on special teams and early ineptitude on offense they've hung in there and put their team in a position to come back. This is going to be a great 4th quarter!

[Jedi Master Carr]

24-17 now, Bledsoe really impressed me on that drive he mada a couple of great passes. I must say that incompleted pass looked like a complition to me but I guess there wasn't enough evidence to rule it that way. Man, replay has sure been busy today.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Looks like Stewart has made the play that will cost them a chance of tying this game that INT is huge because the Pats are in FG range and can make it two scores, there is not enough time left either which doesn't help.

[Jedieb]

That last interception by Kordell could be the nail in the coffin. He had real pressure and a WIDE OPEN Hines Ward streaking down the field. He overthrew him badly and now the Pats are in FG range. Even if they stop them, a FG will put the game out of reach. That blocked FG was a 10 point swing that the Steelers just couldn't recover from. Stewert is going to have a tough time forgetting this game.

[Jedieb]

HE MISSED IT!!!!!

I guess we're typing at the same time JMC.:D

[Jedieb]

Stewert threw that last ball 6 feet over his receiver's head. That was simply pathetic. Today we saw the Kordell from last year, this year's Kordell was nowhere near the stadium. You've got to feel bad for the Steelers defense. They did everything they could to keep their team in the game. Now we get the Pats in the Superbowl. I smell a blow coming next week. But then again, I smelled one today and looked what happened so what do I know! :p

[Jedieb]

3 minutes into the game and the Rams are already up 7-0. This is the worst way the Eagles could have started the game. They've basically given the Rams the first possession of each half because McNab fumbled the ball on the second play from scrimmage. You can see the Rams look determined to give Faulk the ball, he got them down there and Warner took care of the rest.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Actually the Pats played the Rams (it that is who they meet) pretty close, but who knows nobody expected them to get this far can they do the impossible? And who will be the QB Bledsoe or Brady? I dobut they will annouce that until the last minute to keep the opposing team guessing.

[Jedieb]

The Eagles just came back with a nice drive to set up a FG. They needed something to not let things get out of hand early. It's early, and I'm assuming a Rams victory, but I don't see NE doing anything but getting blown out in the Superbowl. They won these last two games by putting up less than 20 points in each game on offense. I don't see them getting the same kind of replay or special teams breaks against the Rams, especially in a dome. My advice, take the Rams even with the big spread.

[CMJ]

I don;t think the Patriots story could get any better. Now BOTH QB's have come off the bench to become hero's. :)

[Jedi Master Carr]

10-10 now Philadelphia is playing pretty good, and even if the Rams won I think NE has a chance against them as I said they almost beat the Rams this year so who knows anything is possible.

[Jedieb]

Philadelphia played extremely well on offense after that first turnover. They limited the Rams to just 5 possesions. Neither defense has shut down the other offense, but the Eagles have at least held the Rams to field goals. The Rams first possesion of the second half is going to be huge. If the Eagles can hold them they can then put some pressure on the Rams. This game is unfolding more like I thought it would than the first.

[Jedi Master Carr]

17-13 Philadelphia at half time, the Eagles are playing great, they have only give up FGs since that TD and have scored 17 points, right now they are outplaying them, if they keep this up they have a chance to win.

[Jedi Master Carr]

We seem to be typing at the same time Jedieb This time you got the jump on me:D

[Jedieb]

The second half is getting ready to start. It'll be interesting to see what adjustments each team is going to make. The Rams have got to get some pressure on McNab on 3rd downs. They're giving him too much time and the Eagles have converted on 3rd down several times keeping drives alive and the Rams offense off the field. That could be the key to the game. The game is so close that 1 more turnover by either side could be the difference maker.

[Jedieb]

It looks like Martz is determined to beat the Eagles blitz by running Faulk as much as possible. He's already over 100 yards. He ran him on 2nd and 9 to try to fool the Eagles but it didn't work. This is a risky strategy because it's limiting the number of big plays the Rams could get down the field and it's taking time off the clock and shortening the game and the number of possessions the Rams offense will have in the game.

[Jedieb]

The Rams have gotten back in the end zone and taken the lead. That dropped 2-pt conversion by Conwell could be huge. As well as the Eagles have played on defense, the Rams have had a scoring opportunity on every possession except for that last one before the second half. They've already scored more points on the Eagles than any other team this season and they still have a quarter to go. This 3rd down coming up for the Eagles is big. They need to keep the Rams off the field and give their defense a blow. If they go 3 and out here it could mean the end of the game if the Rams get the ball back and score yet again.

[Jedieb]

The Eagles converted on a gutsy 4th down and then went on to score. The Rams are going to have to get some first downs now, unless Philadelphia gets an onside kick. What a game!

[Jedieb]

2 minute warning and the game is coming down to the wire!!!! 3rd and long coming up but the Eagles have 4 downs. WHAT A GAME!!!!:crack

[Jedieb]

Great game! Marshall Faulk was simply amazing. The Eagles had no answer for him all game. That was a great defense that the Rams scored 29 points on. They dominated offensively and defensively in the second half. The Eagles showed a lot of heart. I think they proved today that they are one of the elite teams in the league. What a play by Aneas Williams. He and Winstrom made big plays on defense and were the key to preserving the Rams victory.

[Jedieb]

Just a reminder, the Lucas biography on A&E is coming on at 8PMEST!

[Jedi Master Carr]

It was a great game and the Eagles played well, Mcnabb is a great QB but he needs better WR's a few of them dropped some easy passes and showed no speed at all. The Rams also now don't look invincible and it will be interesting to see what NE will do against them. I know nobody will think they have a chance (but of course they have been told that all year) and I think that is what they want. They want to be the underdogs and they have proved they can play the Rams, they could have beaten them if Smith hadn't fumbeled at the goal line. They also proved they have a great defense they shut down the best running game in football and they will need to do the same with Faulk, they will have to put pressure on Warner and force a couple of turnovers to win.

Offensively, it will depend on who Belliceck decides to pick at QB, I think they should go with Bledsoe, if Brady is even a little digned up, it would also benefit the team since A Bledsoe had been there before, B has a lot to prove, C has the better arm. Special Teams could also be key Troy Brown is incredibly and could easily make another great play. On one down note the Pats have been there twice before in 85 they got trounced by the Bears and in 97 they got beat by Green Bay so will the third time be the charm? One final thing I want to see what you think I thought about starting another thread called Super Bowl XXXVI but then I thought about just renaming this thread that so what do you all think?

[JMK]

I think he's going to go with Brady, but who should he go with? I don't have the answer to that, I don't think he can go wrong with either. I think alot will depend on who the rest of the Pats want to play in front of.

[Jedi Master Carr]

If Brady is healthy he will probably start, I think who ever is QB doesn't matter, it will matter more about the defense and how well they do on Warner, they need to put pressure on him and make him make some turnover and then they can beat them.

[JMK]

I would think they have to stop Faulk first and foremost. I would rather take my chances with Warner looking for guys like Tory Holt than to have to deal with Faulk and let him run all over me...

[Jedi Master Carr]

Stopping Faulk should be the first goal, and I think NE can do it because they already stopped the best rushing offensive in football last weekend. Still, they have to put pressure on Warner, they can't let him stand back there and complete passes at will, and they can't win a shootout I don't think. Also Belliceck picked Brady last night as the starter. I wasn't really surprised and I doubt it will affect the outcome either way, it depends more on how there defense plays over the QB IMO.

[Jedieb]

I fear we are headed towards another dreaded blowout. The Rams could easily win this one 45-10. There's a better than even chance the game could be over by halftime. Here's a scary thought, 3/4 of the secondary that Favre torched in NE's last Superbowl is STILL playing for the Patriots. This could get out of hand quick.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I hope not, well at least they have been there before maybe they have learned something. I know history is not on the Pats side this their third trip to the Superdome in Super Bowl history . The last two times they got killed by the Bears and Packers, I hope this time they will win or at least keep it close. I will still root for them, who knows nobody thought they beat the Raiders or Steelers so anything is possible.

[JMK]

I'm probably going to be going to a theater or bar to watch the game, so it had better damn well be a good game or I'll be pissed! I like to watch a blowout now and then, but not when it's the last real football game of the year (I don't count the pro bowl!)

[Jedi Master Carr]

I don't count that game either, nobody watches it and the defenses don't do anything (they got a lot of rules about not blitzing and stuff) so its just an offensive game, a lot of times the best players sit out and the others just go there because the game is in Hawaii. The game is not like the other all star games I guess because those are in the middle of the season and the players take the game more seriously.
Also I hope the game is not a blow out either, I hope its like the last time the Rams played down to the wire.

[JMK]

Geez, it's super bowl eve and this thread is as if it isn't even here! Or maybe what they say is true: "It isn't about the game anymore".:p

[Jedieb]

There'd be more action here if it were the Steelers/Rams, Steelers/Eagles, or Pats/Eagles. This was the weakest matchup we could have gotten from those final 4 teams. It's given us a huge point spread and has the biggest blow out potential. Yes, the Pats could step up and surprise us all, but it doesn't look likely. They've only scored TWO offensive TD's in the playoffs. In their previous matchup in the regular season they only scored 1 TD, the other scores were a defensive TD and a FG. Plus, they are simply lucky to be at the game in the first place. We all know how easily they could have lost the Raiders game, and they needed big special teams plays to beat the Steelers.

The game is indoors and that's going to help the Rams on BOTH sides of the ball. I just don't see how the Rams are going to let this one slip away. The highlight of this Superbowl could end up being Paul McCartney and U2.

[Jedi Master Carr]

You never know the Pats could surprise us all, Thiesman think they will win he has an article up on ESPN saying why. I hope he is right. :) It is possible everybody thought that the Rams was going to beat the Titans by a lot and that was one of the closest games every, the Titans could have won that game. Also some of the strongest matchups have been bad blowouts Miami vs S.F that game was all 49ers and Miami was favored to win by 2 points, S.F vs Denver that was the most one sided matchup ever and the Broncos had a great year went 13-3 or 14-2 can't remember which. I can't think of any other examples there are probably more.

[Figrin D'an]

I suppose, with the game about to kick off in 5 minutes, it's time to chime in. :)

I agree... this is the weakest matchup out of the final 4 teams. There is always hope that it will be a good game, though.

Basially, the Pats have to try to disrupt Warner's timing and play a bend-don't-break style of defense. Try to force the Rams to kick field goals early on those long drives. If New England does this, and keeps the score down in the first half, say in the teens, they have a shot in the second half to run the ball and control the clock with Antwain Smith as the Ram's defense tires a bit. Once again, though, I think the Rams will have to hurt themselves with turnovers for the Patriots to have a legitimate shot at winning the game.

The key will be the late first quarter/early second quarter... after the teams work out the 'big game jitters' at the start of game, the team that calms down the quickest and starts to just play football could take over the game. If the Pats can do this, and can get a couple of quick scores during this time frame, they can pull it off.

Still, it's hard to pick against the Rams. They have everything going their way for this game. So... if the Rams beat the Rams, it'll be a game... if not, look for that Super Bowl scoring record to go down today.

[ReaperFett]

I'm going to pick the Patriots. Don't know a thing about either, not even the state, but I don't like being left out :)

[Champion of the Force]

I don't normally watch it, but they've got the TV on in my class so we're all going to watch it.

Try kicking that big football! :)

[BUFFJEDI]

GO!!!! Cowboys!!!!!!

[Jedi Master Carr]

Wow what a shock 14-3 NE at halftime, two turnovers have been costly and that is the difference so far. NE's defense has been impressive and has done what they needed to do force turnovers. I find it ironic that it is the same halftime score as the game against Pittsburgh. Also Bradshaw has pointed out that no team has come back from 11 down, he said the most was Dallas over Buffalo I didn't realize the Bills were winning one of those games at halftime?? Still there is always a first so NE needs to keep up what they are doing to win the game.

[Champion of the Force]

Patriots win 20 -17. :)

[Khan Surak]

:crack
:crack
:crack

NE WINS! 20-17!! Vinateiri(sp) should have his foot insured!! YESH!!

[Champion of the Force]

Haha - beat you to it. :p

[Admiral Lebron]

WHOOO! AFC! PATS! YEAH YEAH!

[Khan Surak]

Oh yeah? Well.. I had the

:crack

So :p

[Jedieb]

WOW .:cool

Best Superbowl I've ever seen. The Patriots won the same way they did in the playoffs. One offensive TD and another TD from their defense or special teams. I was really hoping for an overtime but the Rams decided to play a soft zone. That always disgusts me. This reminds me of two other Superbowls; Niners/Bengals and Broncos/Packers. The Bengals, like the Rams tonight, decided to play a soft prevent and ended up getting beat. The Broncos however blizted and stayed aggressive and forced the Packers to turnover the ball on downs. It just doesn't make sense. You hold a team to just one TD, their QB doesn't even have 100 yards passing at that point, but you decide to play soft?! If you noticed, there was one play that Brady threw an incompletion. Why? BECAUSE THE RAMS BLIZTED! I thought they learned from that but they went right back to their prevent. Give the Patriots credit, they played the perfect game, the Rams didn't. The end result was well deserved for BOTH sides.

[BUFFJEDI]

Not a fan of either team.Only watched about half the game.
But nonetheless I could role around in a Vat of rotten fish for a week and not smell as fishy as that game (IMO)

[JMK]

:lol Buff! I was thinking the same thing!
It was entertaining for the last 10 minutes though, you gotta give them that....

[Figrin D'an]

Joe Theisman had a really interesting article on ESPN's website about why he thought the Patriots would win, and why he thought it was ridiculous for the Rams to be favored by so much. I must admit, he made some really good points in that article and bascially all of his points played out in the game today.

A few random thoughts....

- The Patriots really tweaked the defensive scheme they used earlier in the year against the Rams. The major difference between the two games was less blitz packages, allowing for more man coverage in the secondary. Great game plan that was executed to near perfection. With all due respect to Tom Brady, the New England defense was the MVP of this game

- You can't get more "clutch" than Adam Vinitieri was in the playoffs this season.

- I'm not sure I've ever seen such a young QB be so confident and calm in a pressure situation as Tom Brady. He played smart, he took the check-downs when there was nothing down field, he got rid of the ball instead of forcing any throws, and he just didn't make mistakes. His stats weren't great, but he ran the offense and didn't give up the ball. Very impressive for such a young player.

- The Rams did indeed hurt themselves with turnovers, but their biggest mistake was scoring the game-tying TD in just 30 seconds. This was one occasion in which the Rams quick-strike game came back to bite them. They left too much time on the clock. And, as Jedieb pointed out, the Rams were foolish to play a dime-prevent defense, especially considering that the Pats have a great field goal kicker that can consistently hit from beyond 50 yards. If the offense needs a TD, playing prevent makes more sense, but when a team only needs to get about 40 yards for a field goal, it's better to play a more conventional defense, even a dime-man package to make quick tackles and keep the ball inbounds.



Okay, now for the big opinion question: Is this game a bigger upset than Super Bowl III (Naimaith's Jets beat the Baltimore Colts)?

[Jedi Master Carr]

Wow, what a great game, I agree with Jedieb that it is one of the best games I have seen, the only SB I think that was better was 23. Also I think the reason why the Rams didn't rush in the end is they figured they were going to try to go to overtime, when they realized they weren't doing that they blitzed twice I believe but weren't able to get to Brady. Really I don't think their is anything fishy about the game unless you think the game was decided by a higher power, which I doubt (I am sure God has better things to worry about) I know Mcartney at half time with the Pats winning said wouldn't be great if a team called the Patriots won after all that has happened. Now I think its a weird fate kind of thing but nothing else. The Patriots won the game the Rams turned the ball over too much which cost them, you can't turn the ball over 3 times and expect to win, and that is the main reason why they loss. Being from Massatuschetts I must say I am biased I rooted for them to win. I am not really a true Pats fan, they are my second favorite team to the Chiefs so I am happy that they won and I am sure they are going crazy in Boston right now the whole town is probably drunk, the only thing that would be bigger up there is if the Red Sox won the World Series now maybe that can happen next;)

[Jedi Master Carr]

I agree with you Figrin, I thougth the defense maybe Law could have just gotten he had the game's biggest play IMO.
As far as the biggest upsets this is still behind that Jets one in my opinion, it is even neck and neck with the Chiefs upset over the Vikings and I say that because those were AFL teams and everybody thought they had no chance and the leauge was a joke, the Chiefs and Raiders got killed in SB I and II. That is why the Jets betting the Colts was so shocking and the Chiefs clobbering the Vikings was nearly as impressive. This is defintley the biggest upset in the last 30 years IMO, and one of several games going down to the last minute, SB V (Colts winning by a FG over Dallas), SB XXIII (Montana leading 49ers to last second victory), SB XXV (Giants winning after Norwood misses wide Right), and SB XXXIV (the Rams prevailing after the Titans fall one yard short of the victory.

One more thing that I want to point out Thiesman pointed it out too, the Rams have dominated in the big playoff games, they barely beat the Titans, and Bucs and had some problems against the Eagles last weekend. That does make me how good they are, the other great teams S.F, Pitt, Dallas all dominated in the post season (S.F crushed 2 of the 4 teams they played in the SB and were dominate in their SB runs in the playoffs, the same goes for Pitt and Dallas) but the Rams don't seem nearly as invicinible in the post season. I have no clue why maybe its pressure, it could be a lot of things but they don't like the dynasty teams of the past. I guess that could because dynasty are finished the league is balanced any team can win the SB. To me that is great because it gives fans hope. Who knows next year the Chiefs, Vikings, or Chargers could be in the SB it is that balanced.

[Figrin D'an]

I think many people wanted to crown the Rams as the new NFL dynasty before they really deserved it. The Rams have been a pretty good team the past few years, but one title doesn't constitute a dynasty. Sorry, but that's the way it works.

And yes, that's a great point about the Rams post-season games. They don't dominate in the playoffs, especially on the offensive side of the ball. For a team that is supposed to be "The Greatest Show on Turf," they don't dominate on offense in the post-season.

In my opinion, there have been only 4 real dynasties in the NFL over the past 40 years: Lombardi's Packers, the "Steel-Curtain" Steelers, the Bill Walsh/Joe Montana Niners, and the Cowboys of the early 90's. They're have been some other really awesome teams interlaced amongst those dynasties, like the '72 Dolphins and the '85 Bears, but those four groups are the only ones that really sustained the greatness for long periods of time. I'm not saying that the Rams can't become a dynasty, mearly that they have a long way to go before they can be included in that elite group.

[CMJ]

Of course the Dolphins went to the Superbowl in '71 as well as '73. They won 2 in a row...close to being a dynasty in my book.

As for the game..one of the best Superbowls ever...but not the best IMHO. Great finish though.

[Figrin D'an]

The Dolphins of the early '70's were close... really close... to being a dynasty. Two titles in three years in pretty darn good, and three straight Super Bowl appearances is an impressive feat.

Agreed, one of the best, if for no other reason than the finish to the game. The best... not sure. The Niners' comeback against the Bengals ranks up there. So does the game two years ago... Mike Jones' tackle to save the game for the Rams. SB XXXII was pretty good, too, even though my team (the Packers) lost that one.

This one is up there, though. :)

[BUFFJEDI]

UH OH!! JMK for your sake don't start thinking like me ;)






It was entertaining for the last 10 minutes though, you gotta give them that....



Yes!!!! it very much was

[Jedieb]

I would agree with all of those choices for NFL dynasties. I'd throw in the Otto Graham led Browns too, at least I remember reading about those teams. I have to say I consider the 70's Dolphins a dynasty. 3 straight Superbowl appearances with two victories puts them in contention. The undefeated season elevates them into the Dynasty class IMO. The most impressive dynasty of the Superbowl era IMO is the 70's Steelers. 4 titles in 6 years is an awesome accomplishment. If not for key injuries in 75 they might have had 5. The 80's Niners are close, but they were spread out a bit farther and had different coaches and personnel towards the end of their Montana led run. The 90's Cowboys had the potential to top them all but the ego clash of Johnson and Jones ruined the team. The Rams had the title of a dynasty within their grasp, but the Patriots denied them. They do have an established habit now of coming up short on offense in big playoff games. It will interesting to see how they respond in the next couple of seasons.

[ReaperFett]

They won? See, when you need a tip, ask Fett! :)