oufhouerghre

See, crap like putting in a link and it not showing up are the reason I have moved.

The site is:

http://thecityofchampions.wordpress.com/


Unreal.

Done Moved

After over 100 posts, I have decided to move. The name has been changed to "The City of Champions." (still debating name). Blogspot has been good to me, but this new site offers me a little more when it comes to a Mac and making writing a little easier. I have been wanting to do more writing, but sometimes complications with this site has made it difficult. I hope that I won't have the same problems with this new site.

You can visit the new site here:

Thanks.

My Favorite Steeler Moments of the 2008-2009 Season

I know, I know football season is way over. I am writing this on the bring of the Penguins great comeback in Game 6 against Philly to win the series. Today is also the NFL Draft. (Welcome Ziggy Hood.) So I got to thinking... what are my top 6 (One for each ring) Steeler moments from this season.


6. Santonio Holmes squeaks over the goal line to win the division.



5. Ryan Clark absolutely destroying Wes Welker and the Steelers beating the Patriots.




4. My man Shea Shea picking off Tony Romo and going Pick-6 to beat the Cowboys on a freezing day in the 'Burgh.




3. James Harrison and his 100 yard INT return in Super Bowl XLIII.



2. The Catch.



1. Troy Polamalu seals the AFC Championship Game. (This is number one because I was at the game and it was the loudest and happiest moment of my sports-viewing life. An unreal experience.)

The 100-0 Debate

If you haven't heard, this girls varsity basketball team in Texas beat an opponent 100-0, resulting in media criticism and the eventual firing of the teams head coach. This team, although it has not been mentioned by media, has beaten other teams by large margins. They have held opposition to 5 and 7 points in other games.

This situation, in my opinion, is ridiculous. I played varsity high school basketball for four years. My team was pretty good for two years and very bad for two of those years. We lost games by 70 points... that bad. So I have been on both sides of the spectrum. I've won games by 50 and lost games by 70.

The key word in all this is: VARSITY.

Yes, I know, high school is a very impressionable time in a kids life. But in sports, especially at the highest level... to say that this is "unsportsmanlike" and "embarrassing" is totally uncalled for.

The only people at fault here A) the team that lost by 100 points, for participating in a league where such scores are possible... and b) the league itself, for letting a team like this (one that apparently has a roster full of girls with learning disabilities) participate in the first place.

The coach has said that he took off a full court press after the first three minutes because he knew the other team was not good. He had his team play a zone the rest of the game.

The problem is that these media people, of which I will hopefully be a peer to one day, DO NOT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT BASKETBALL!

They see this 100-0 score and think it's ridiculous. But it was 88-0 at the end of the third quarter, meaning that the winning team only put up 12 points in the final quarter. You can't tell girls in high school to slow up or not play hard, because (since they are impressionable as high school athletes) they might go out and slow up the next time they have a lead.

The firing of this coach and the media criticism is completely undeserved.

Now, if this coach was full court pressing the whole game and practicing other methods to run up the score, I could see how it would be unsportsmanlike. But this coach did nothing wrong.

The visiting school should be embarrassed, as well as the league and the state of Texas' high school athletics association.

To the coach of the winning team, I extend to you my congratulations on a good, team win. I also give to you my sympathy in regards to you getting caught up in this blown out media fluff-story.

Final 4 2009

Well, Pitt lost. It sucked. I don't wanna talk about it.

Here's what I think about the rest of the unimportant tournament.

50% chance the Big East wins it all basically. Unreal.

My predictions:

Michigan State over Connecticut
- I like what UConn has done in the tourney. But with a stadium full of MSU fans, it'll be tough to win. MSU will have the momentum and edge out the huskies.


North Carolina over Villanova
- Nova has a good shot at winning it all. Seriously. The Heels will be too much though. Lawson will have a big game and take Scottie Reynolds out of the game.
___

National Championship

North Carolina over Michigan State
- In a rematch of a game played earlier this year, in the stadium stadium, UNC will win another championship. Despite a great effort by MSU, the Heels will pull away at the end and win by a few.


Blah. Whatev.

Looking at the Sweet 16 and Elite 8

After a weekend of basketball, we are down to sixteen teams.

Except Arizona, the Sweet 16 is looking like chalk city.

This is kinda a bummer. It's always good to see some Cinderella still dancing after the weekend.

But, I feel as if there is VERY good basketball still to be played.

Let's take a look at the matchups.


MIDWEST

1. Louisville over 12. Arizona
-The Cardinals are just too much for a weaker Pac-10 team and the Cats have their dream come to an end.

3. Kansas over 2. Michigan State
-This has the feel of a thriller already. I think Kansas gets the edge though due to some great inside play recently.


EAST

1. Pittsburgh over 4. Xavier
- Sam Young is making a point. He'll be tough to stop and this team that lost to Duquesne earlier this year shouldn't be able to stop the Panthers.

3. Villanova over 2. Duke
- This one will be a classic. In the end though I think the Nova guards will make some big shots and squeak a win out in overtime over the very game Blue Devils.


SOUTH

1. North Carolina over 4. Gonzaga
- The Zags just can't handle the speed of Lawson. UNC in a blowout.

3. Syracuse over 2. Oklahoma
-While the Sooners have been playing great, I just like the Orange in this one. It will be close, but expect Devenbarf to make some shots late and send the Cuse on.

WEST

1. Connecticut over 5. Purdue
-UConn is just the better team. Purdue won't have answers for Adrian or Thabeet. Huskies cruise into the Elite 8.

2. Memphis over 3. Missouri
- Memphis is getting hot at the right time. This one will be close, but I see the Tigers (of Memphis) pulling it out.

___ ___ ___


MIDWEST

3. Kansas over 1. Louisville
- Don't know why I like Kansas so much. But I think they are going to pull this thriller out. The Ville hasn't looked great so far, and I think they'll struggle against KU.


EAST

1. Pittsburgh over 3. Villanova
- Nova is one of only four teams to beat Pitt this season. I think the Panthers get their revenge and knock off Villanova in a close one to go to the FInal 4.


SOUTH

1. North Carolina over 3. Syracuse
- The Tar Heels are one of the best free throw shooting teams in the nation. Syracuse is one of the worst due to Onuaku shooting around 30% for the year. That will be the difference.

WEST

2. Memphis over 1. Connecticut
- An epic battle. This one will be great. I don't know much about the Tigers this year and I might know too much about the Huskies. But I'm going to take Memphis in a tight one.

___ ___ ___

So, there you have it. My Final 4 looks like this:

Kansas vs. Memphis

Pittsburgh vs. North Carolina

Oh the Madness

My bracket is crushed.
I watched 10 straight hours of basketball today.

Nothing happens during the day games. Something about those night games just brings the insanity.

Pitt tomorrow. Let's Go Pitt!

Let The Madness Begin

The brackets have been released and it is truly time for the best playoffs in sports to begin. March Madness brings excitement, surprise and entertainment to an otherwise dull month of March.

Louisville, Pittsburgh, North Carolina and Connecticut all received the #1 seeds.

Here's a look at the bracket (Click to enlarge):



I'm gonna make some opening round picks here...

Here is my main bracket (Click it):




Now as the tourney progresses and my bracket is surely destroyed, I'll discuss the matchups. I will say that my Final Four seems a bit chalk, and I am tempted to change it to go all chalk. I don't know if Memphis is as good as the hype and I know UConn can play for real.

Another thing I don't like about my bracket is that my highest seed in the Sweet Sixteen is a 7 seed.
THERE WILL BE A DOUBLE-DIGIT SEED IN THE SWEET SIXTEEN.
My money is on Maryland, despite having to beat California and Memphis to do so.

In the end, I find it tough to pick against Pitt, so I pick them to win it all. Will this happen? Probably not. Pitt having to potentially play the top three teams in the ACC in a row is going to be a challenge, as well as having to play Tennessee or Oklahoma State. Even Xavier could give the Panthers problems.

If Pitt makes the Final Four, I think they will take on the Tar Heels of North Carolina. UNC seems to have the easiest path to the Final Four. I would have liked to have seen Pitt-UNC in the Championship though.

I think Pitt beats UNC straight up in that matchup because the only guy who can play as nearly physical as Tyler Hans is DeJuan Blair. Levance Fields is just as good as Ty Lawson in my opinion. When it comes to making the smart decision and hitting the big shot, give me the guy who got tasered. Sam Young is just a man and I feel is set to have a big time performance in the tournament.

The only thing that could really hinder the Panthers is the officiating. If it's called close, Blair and the Panthers could be in trouble. If we get to a PItt-UNC game, expect there to be blood. Someone might die down low.

More to come on the tourney... Right now though it's off to French class. Parlez-vous Go Pitt.

P-I-T-T Let's Go Pitt!

The Pittsburgh Panthers mens basketball team has accomplished a lot this season. They went 28-3. They were undefeated at home. They beat the #1 team in the country... twice. They ascended to #1 in the polls, a first in school history.

Yet, none of that matters. Sure, it all looks nice, and a probable #1 seed in the NCAA tournament will be a a big deal for the team and school. But if this team is unable to at least get to the Final Four, it's all for nothing.

Luckily for the Panthers, this seems to be the best and most disciplined the University has ever seen.

Many people talk about DeJuan Blair and his physicality and how it is a game changer, and rightfully so. Blair is a tremendous talent. He is undersized for his position at only 6'7, but plays much bigger. Just ask UConn's Hasheem Thabeet, who has eight inches on Blair, yet was handled in both meetings between the Big East rivals this season.

Asides from Blair, this team boasts, in my mind, the best small forward in the nation, Sam Young. Young's ability to take over games with his athleticism and versatility makes him the biggest threat right now going into the post-season. He can knock down the 3, or take it to the hoop for the jam. His 31 points and 10 rebounds against UConn on Saturday showed just why every team in the nation should fear Young.

Even though I think highly of Blair and Young, I think the highest of Levance Fields. FIelds is also undersized, at only 5'10. He doesn't have the physicality or athleticism of Blair and Young, but he has something better: intelligence. Fields may be one of the smartest players I have ever seen at the college level. His assist-to-turnover ratio is the best in the nation and he rarely hurts the team.

The 'Big 3' of the Pitt Panthers is something special. But the role players are definitely noteworthy as well. Jermaine Dixon and Tyrell Biggs are great players, especially Dixon, who is the younger brother of Juan Dixon. Off the bench, the Panthers are one of the strongest teams in the country, with talent like Gillbert Brown, Ashton Gibbs, Brad Wannamaker.

The problem for the Panthers is if Blair gets into foul trouble, as they really have no one significant to come off the bench for him. In the Panthers three losses this season, Blair has fouled out of two of them and had 4 fouls at the end of the other. Pitt needs Blair to stay free of fouls, while still playing physical if they want to win a national championship.

With that said, I see that Panthers making a deep run in the tournament, as well as winning a Big East Championship. Anything less than a Big East Championship and a trip to the Final Four should be deemed a failure for this team, because they are THAT good.

Guerin

Yesterday, the Penguins acquired Bill Guerin. All they had to give up was at most a 3rd round draft pick.



Great trade.

Basically, in the last couple weeks, the Penguins have received Chris Kunitz, Craig Adams, and Bill Guerin. Their point totals add up to 82. Basically that means one of these guys will get a point every game.

All we really lost was Ryan Whitney. Whits was a good talent, but he missed much of the season with injury and was never really able to mesh back in with the group it seemed. He put up 13 points in 38 games this season.

They Pens have thrived with a new coach, a new system and Chris Kunitz. I think that the addition of Guerin and Adams only helps this cause. Both guys bring some much needed grit to the offensive game.

This team is very good right now and I can't wait to see what they can do when Sidney Crosby comes back to the lineup. The Penguins are going to be a tough out for any of the higher seeds come playoff time.

The State of the Penguins 2

1. Evgeni Malkin is the MVP.
2. The trade for Chris Kunitz was a great decision.
3. Firing Michel Therrien took balls, but it needed to be done, and was a good decision.


With that said... this team has been a disappointment. Yeah yeah, I know, they aren't the team from last year. I get that. But with the, in my opinion, two best players in the NHL on their team, battling for a playoff spot is not acceptable.

I write this in the eve of the trade deadline, fully expecting to wake up to big news.

However, I am skeptical about what Ray Shero is thinking about doing here. The main talks have been about Staal leaving. Jordan Staal is a great two-way talent who is still very young and has his best years ahead of him. If he is traded, it NEEDS to be for a major talent winger who can be secured for at least a couple years.

Shero should not trade Petr Sykora at all. Do I even need to show the SCF Game 5 winner?

I really don't know if we should make too many moves here. This team is starting to click at the right time, and pulling the trigger on a shake-up may not be the right move. Although, it did work last year, and who the hell am I anyways.

In Shero We Trust... I think.


I am going to attempt writing tomorrow, as I will be hanging with my shoulder surgery-recovering friend all day.

-Right now though, I have some questions. I don't want to get bashed by anyone here, especially on The Pensblog, because I am a big fan of everything those guys do.

I am a huge Pens fan too. Even to the extent of spending many hours crafting a tin-foil Stanley Cup last Spring. I'm a former season-ticket holder as well, well my parents were. Wish they wouldn't have given those up... I love the Pens and always will.

But, I am having questions about our captain. Sidney Crosby is a great player, one of the top three in the NHL. But recently, he doesn't seem himself. He doesn't seem to have fun at all and appears to get annoyed easily. Also, his durability is coming into question for me. He has been missing a lot of games the last couple years, and I wonder if it's holding him back some. Sid doesn't seem to have that explosiveness with the flair of elusiveness that he used to. He doesn't go charging to the net while cutting through defenders, and has yet to have one of those "Wow!" plays that we have grown used to. A little more effort from Sid needs to be expected.

Hopefully I'm not criticized for this, but if so, oh well. It's how it is. I'm a huge Crosby fan, I think he's a great player, like I said. But he needs to show me more if he wants my vote as the best in the league, because right now he's being upstaged by a member of his own team, as well as his rival Alex Ovechkin.

I have a feeling that SId will prove me idiotic, as is usually the case and be big down this stretch into the playoffs.

-If the Penguins get the 8th seed or 7th seed, they will maybe be the dangerous team at those positions in NHL history and could even win the Cup. No joke. You know the NHL is wanting that Pens-Caps matchup in the first round.

I suck.

Yeah, I've been gone for a while. No one reads, sue me. School has been rough, and I have felt a lack of creativity.

But, I'm back, and I'm feeling good. I'm ready to tear it up. Watch out.

In my absence...



the Steelers won the Super Bowl. Those were good times. My life went nuts then. I took like a week off school, it was worth it.

I feel that I have held a lot back in the past on this blog. No more. I have no reason to play conservative, and if you have a problem with it, bite me.

Let's kick the tires and light the fires.

90's Music

Super Bowl XLIII Analysis

So, I'm going to go position by position and do some comparison.


We'll start with offense.
___

-Quarterback-


Ben Roethlisberger vs. Kurt Warner
-Ok, yes, Warner has better numbers. Big Ben has at times been a little erratic and ended up making bad decisions. But, I give the edge to the Steelers on this one. Here is why. If you put Big Ben there with Warners line and with Boldin, Breaston, Urban, Pope and most importantly Fitzgerald lining up to catch passes, he would soar to all new heights. What I like about Ben is his ability to make plays and throw on the run. His size is his biggest strength.


-Runingback-


- While Edgerin James and Tim Hightower have been getting better, I will take Willie Parker, Mewelde Moore and Gary Russell any day. Parker has that ability to break the big one at any point and might be ready for a big game. Moore has the ability to catch the big pass on 3rd down and Gary Russell has been great on short yardage situations. James and Hightower are very good together, but facing the Steelers defense is going to be their biggest task ever. So the edge goes to the Steelers.


-Wide Receiver-
(Yeah, bite me.)

- Well, this is a no-brainer. The Cardinals biggest strength is at wide-out. Fitzgerald and Boldin are so dangerous, but former Woodland Hills star Steve Breaston can be a real threat as well. Santonio Holmes has been a real player throughout the playoffs and is my dark horse to win MVP in SB43. Hines Ward is Hines Ward, The knee will be fine. No excuses from Hines. Also, there is Nate Washington, who has become a big time contributor to the team and is a threat with the deep ball. However, you can't discount what the Cards have, edge: Cardinals.


-Tight End-


-This basically comes down to Heath Miller against Leonard Pope. I am going to say this clearly: Heath Miller is a top 5 Tight End and should be a X-Factor for this game. Big time edge: Steelers.


-Offensive Line-


-This is tougher than I originally thought. While the Steelers have allowed 21 more sacks than the Cardinals in the regular season. However, the Cardinals could not run the ball well this season, and the Steelers run game has been improving greatly. But, the difference in sacks just has to give the edge to the Cardinals.

___

Now for the defense.

-Defensive Line-


-I'll be honest, I don't know much about the Cardinals defensively. But, what I do know is that up front, the Steelers are one of the best. It all starts with big ole Casey Hampton, who clears the lanes for the linebackers and safeties to come flying in. But, the line is more than Hampton, Aaron Smith is one the the most underrated players in the NFL. He is a tremendous talent. Darnell Dockett leads the way for the Cardinals and could be a big force in this game if the Steelers O-line isn't ready. But, edge: Steelers.

-Linebackers-


-Please, do I even need to write anything. Woodley, Harrison, Farrior, Foote, Timmons... Edge: Steelers.

-Cornerback-


- This is an interesting debate. I think the Steelers have great depth at corner and they have a unit that gave up the fewest passing yards in the regular season. Ike Taylor, Bryant McFadden, Deshea Townsend, andWilliam Gay are a group that can hang with the best of them. The Cards bring a good crew to the table as well. Antrel Rolle, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Ralph Brown all bring talent to this corps and can be very dangerous. But, I think that the Steelers are a little bit better and will have to be considering the receivers they are facing. Slight edge: Steelers.

-Safety-


- Adrian Wilson for the Cardinals is a play maker. But, the edge has to go to Ryan Clark and Troy Polamalu. Both guys are great players, especially Polamalu, as the Ravens found out. His skill is just a rare talent, one that can't be matched. Polamalu is my other choice for a potential SB43 MVP. Edge: Stillers.

___

-Special Teams-


- Another very close one. Santonio Holmes has been very good at punt returns, but the Cardinals aren't slouches either. The coverage units are both good as well, with former Steeler leading the way for the Cardinals. Mitch Berger has been questionable at times this year and hopefully that won't be something that hinders the Steelers in this game. The edge goes to the Steelers because of Jeff Reed and his ability to make the big kick.

___

-Coaching-


-This is a close one. In one hand, you have old Steeler coaches, who know player tendencies and weaknesses. In the ther hand, you have a legend and a brilliant mind with Dick LeBeau. The familiarity the old Steeler coaches have I think might give the Cardinals a slight advantage in this one. Edge: Cardinals.
___

It seems as if the Steelers have the advantage, but who knows, anything can happen.

NFL Conference Championship Round Wrapup and Super Bowl Outlook

Well, the Steelers pulled it off.

Big time effort.

Troy Polamalu is a man.

The early game was the NFC Championship, and it was a game that Philadelphia was supposed to win. Unfortunately for them, the Cardinals showed up in a big way, jumping out to a huge early lead. The Eagles would battle back in the second half and take the lead on a bomb to Desean Jackson, 25-24. But, the Cardinals would answer by marching down the field and scoring a late touchdown to give them the lead, 32-25 after the 2-point conversion. The Cardinals defense did the rest, flustering Mcnabb and getting a turnover on downs to secure the win. The Cardinals advanced to their first ever Super Bowl.


But, it was the later came that I cared about. Steelers... Ravens. We knew it would be a slugfest, a heavyweight battle, and it did not disappoint. Both teams came out swinging, but it was the Steelers who would take the lead into half, despite some questionable officiating, a dropped touchdown and poor clock management. The Steelers would extend their lead to 16-7, but a pass interference call on Ike Taylor would lead to another Ravens touchdown, cutting the lead to 2. The Steelers would then lose the momentum, going 3-and out and having to punt the ball away. With just under 5 minutes to go, the play of the century was made, as Troy Polamalu intercepted Joe Flacco and returned it for a pick-6, making it 23-14. After Willis McGahee would get decapitated by Ryan Clark, the Steelers would take over. The Ravens had one more shot late but it was too much in a short amount of time, and a Tyrone Carter interception would end it, sending the Steelers to their 7th Super Bowl.

___

Well, last week I was 1-1 with my picks. Obviously you know who I am picking this week. Maybe I have a bias, but I do think the Steelers are a better team, and I expect them to win. I'm not going to go into things completely because I plan on devoting a whole post to the Super Bowl, but an early prediction for the game is necessary.

-Steelers-26, Cardinals-17

___

NFL Divisional Wrapup and Championship Round Outlook

The divisional round featured a ton of upsets, teams with birds as mascots winning, and the one lone gun, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Steelers were the only home team and the only team that had the bye to win this weekend. The Giants, Titans and Panthers all fell to 6,6 and 4 seeds respectively.

Saturday was all about the upsets, as the day started with the AFC's #1 team fell. The Tennessee Titans couldn't withstand a bundle of costly turnovers and a missed Delay of Game Penalty to beat the Ravens, as Baltimore, with the help of a Matt Stover field goal with 0:53 on the clock, defeated the Titans 13-10 to advance to the AFC Championship.

Saturday night brought the unquestioned biggest upset of the playoffs, as the Arizona Cardinals went into Carolina and demolished the Panthers 33-13. The Cards attack was led by Larry Fitzgerald, who raked up a ridiculous 166 yards, as well as a touch. His playmaking is insane, I can't believe he went to Pitt. After the first drive, the Panthers could never really answer offensively, as Jake Delhomme threw 5 interceptions.


Sunday brought a new day, and a titanic clash of rival NFC East teams, The Giants and Eagles split their season series, with the Eagles winning most recently. Yet again, it was the Eagles who got the job done. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to watch this game because I was at the Steelers game, but from the replays it seemed like the Giants got nothing done offensively and Eli Manning looked like the Eli of old. The Eagles made some big stands on 4th down to hold their lead and move on as they became the second sixth seed to move on.

The Steelers went into the game facing the fact that they would have to be the only home team to win the whole weekend. Initially, things went poorly for Pittsburgh, as Philip Rivers hooked up with Vincent Jackson for a big touchdown in the games opening minutes. But, the Steelers weathered the storm, with a big punt return touchdown by Santonio Holmes to even things up. The Steelers would construct a great drive at the end of the half to go up 14-10. In the third quarter, the Chargers had the ball for one offensive play, an interception. The Steelers would extend their lead to 18 and then exchange scores to go back up by 18. The CHargers would score in garbage time but it wouldn't matter, as the Steelers won, meaning they get the AFC Championship at home next week.
___

So, last week I was 1-3 with my picks. Ouch. I'm 3-5 overall right now for the whole playoffs. Yet, I am going to continue picking, for no reason at all.

The thought of picking a Pennsylvania championship is tempting... really tempting. So tempting, I'm going to do it.


NFC Championship

6. Eagles over 4. Cardinals
- I actually am VERY tempted to pick the Cards in this. They have been as hot as anyone and are playing very well. But, I feel like the Eagles are just a better team. They have already crushed Arizona this year. I don't expect a bowout again, not in the desert, with the toaster going crazy. But Mcnabb (ugh...) will make enough plays to move the Eagles past.
- Eagles-27, Cardinals-23

2. Steelers over 6. Ravens
- Again, I don't like doing this. There are so many intangibles in this game. There are so many reasons why this game could go either way. Picking this game like like like putting 2 baseballs in a bag, one with an "X" written on it and the other without, and you reach into that bag without looking and grab one, hoping that you get the X. I'm hoping that the Steelers are the X, and are picked. The spread is Steelers by 5.5. That is WAY too generous. The Steelers beat the Ravens by 3 points and 4 points this season. I see this thing being a classic. RIght down to the end. But, I can't pick against my Steelers. I won't be shocked if they lose or if they win. But, with the home crowd roaring, and if the team can keep up the solid play, they should win this game.
- Steelers-16, Ravens-13

So that's it. There it is. I picked the PA Superbowl, although I'm not sure it'll happen. I would love to see the Cardinals reach the Superbowl, but as long as the Steelers make it I don't care who we play. Here's to hopefully a great weekend of football!

NFL Wildcard Wrapup and Divisional Round Outlook

It was a big time football weekend. Saturday was crazy as both of my picks were proven false. But Sunday brought new life, as I finished .500 with a couple of correct picks.

On Saturday, the Arizona surprised a lot of people by beating a very talented Atlanta team. I wasn't too surprised by the outcome because I have seen Arizona play and know what they are capable of, however I did feel that Atlanta was the better overall team. Arizona played the better game though and played a great second half to pull off the win.

The night game brought the best game of the weekend, as the Colts fell to the Chargers in San Diego. It took overtime and a flawed NFL overtime system (in my opinion) for the CHargers to pull it out. The NFL's MVP wasn't even able to touch the field and give his team a chance in the OT session. It didn't help that the Chargers obtained 3 first downs on their overtime drive because of the officials.

Sunday brought a good early game, as the Ravens' defense manhandles the Dolphins offense and Chad Pennington in particular, who threw four interceptions. Ed Reed returned an interception for a touchdown and the 'Phins could never really recover, losing 27-9.

The late game Sunday featured a dominating Eagles defense, which overpowered Tavaris Jackson and the Minnesota Vikings. Asante Samuel's interception return, followed by Brian Westbrook's 71-yard screen pass score was all Philly needed to win. If not for a late David Akers field goal, my score prediction would have been dead on. Oh well...
___

So, after going 0-2 on Saturday I was considering not making any picks for this week, since the Steelers are playing. But I guess I have a 50-50 chance on this week... Here goes.


NFC

2. Panthers over 4. Cardinals
- Arizona looked impressive against the Falcons, and I could see them pulling this one off. But it's not going to happen. The Panthers are well rested and ready to go. Steve Smith will have to play a big game, and you know the Panthers are going to run the ball. If Arizona can shut down the run, as they did against Atlanta, they could win. But I think Carolina makes enough to plays to win a surprisingly close one.
- Panthers-31, Cardinals-27


1. Giants over 6. Eagles
- This is another upset I could see happening. However, as I watch the Eagles-Vikings game, I felt as if it was more of a case of the VIkings being that bad, and not the Eagles being that good. These teams split their season series, winning both games in the opponents stadium. While I don't want to pick both top seeds, I don't think the Giants are going to lose this one after resting. Manning makes a couple big plays and the running game remains great. G-Men move on.
- Giants-27, Eagles-20



AFC

2. Steelers over 4. Chargers
- Ugh, I don't like doing this. This is going to be a great game no matter what. The Chargers are hot right now without question. But, with an injured LT things become questionable. Darren Sproles carried the work load and did a magnificent job of it against the Colts, but it will be another challenge entirely to do it against the Steelers and the leagues best defense. The weather looks to be in the high teens and snowing, playing into the Steelers favor. The Chargers will make it a game no doubt. But I think the Steelers are just the better team, and will (hopefully) play like such. B
- Steelers-17, Chargers-13

1. Titans over 6. Ravens
- While I am really tempted on picking the upset here, I can't do it. While I don't want to have to pick all the top seeds, I am. The Titans are the best team I've seen play all season, and I saw them in person. The Ravens are going to make this interesting, especially if they can slow down the Tennessee rushing attack. If they can, they will win the game. I don't think they will though, and Tennessee will win a close one to set up a much anticipated rematch in the AFC Championship.
- Titans-20, Ravens-10


While I think I have picked at least one game wrong here, I am sticking to my guns. I think the 4 teams I picked are the 4 best teams in the NFL, and will prove it. Let's see how it plays out... and of course, Go Steelers.

The State of the Penguins

What in the world is going on. 5 wins in December, now today they lose to Florida 6-1. Things are getting bad. Really bad. Something needs to change.

I'm not big with throwing coaches under the bus or players for that matter, but something must change.

With that said, I have to say it.

Unless things get better in the next couple weeks, Therrien needs to go. I feel like he's lost the team and they aren't responding to him. He called them out a couple weeks ago and since then they have been awful.

Either that, or we need to make a trade. Jordan Staal, while still a great defensive hockey player, is not contributing the way he did his rookie season. Marc Andre Fleury has been terrible as well. So has Sabourin. The defense is a joke. We need Gonchar back. But I'm worried that might even not help too much.

Everyone keeps talking about how the Penguins always have slow starts, and then pick it up.

Who's to say that's going to happen again though? Last year they started rattling off wins and put together a big time winning streak after the All-Star Break. Something like that may not happen again. The East is too good now for something like that to happen. With Boston and New York and Washington playing well the Penguins must keep up.

We'll see...