Verb's Superbowl Pick 6

It's Superbowl time and oh man is this fun!

I love the Superbowl!

Every year its great even if my team isn't in it. And trust me it's been awhile!

This year is Pittsburgh and Arizona (in case you haven't hear yet).

Whisenhunt vs. Tomlin

Polamlu vs. Warner and Fitzgerald

Is Hines Ward going to be affective?

Will Ben be better this time?

How great is the Steelers defense?

How is Anquan Boldin going to affect the game?

Will Bruce Springstein end his set with "Born in the U.S.A?"

There are so many interesting stories for this year's game. Media week was relatively boring. I wasn't in Tampa but none of us really heard anything news worthy from either side going into the game. You didn't hear any trash talking, no one was talking about anyone's mother, no one was going out and getting arrested late at night. It really was rather uneventful.

The game is tomorrow and I am here to answer all the questions about who is going to win and by how much and what and who you should bet on.

I really had planned on giving you some prop bets but I couldn't find any lines so I am just going to give you 6 strange predictions that I think will happen during tomorrow night's game. Obviously the final two with include some analysis about the actual game and who you should take and how many points will be scored.

Anyway, here are my 6 quirky predictions for Superbowl 43.

1. Bud Light will have the best Superbowl commercial.

2. The Boss will not play "Born in the U.S.A" but he will play "Born to Run".

3. A quarterback will win the MVP award.

4. Larry Fitgerald will have a touchdown.

5. Hines Ward will not be a factor in this game.

6. Anquan Boldin will also have a touchdown in this game.

Bonus: Neither team will gain more than 70 yards rushing.

Bonus Part II: A field goal will be the first score of the game.

Ok, so I gave you a full Pick 6 plus 2 just with the quirky side predictions. I didn't play on it but then I threw those two in there about the commercial and the halftime show so I guess I went a little overboard.

Oh well, It's just more for you to think about and bet your money on!

Let's get to the game!

Pittsburgh & Arizona (in Tampa)

The Points Spread: It started out at 7 but I have saw it at 6.5 yesterday so I am going with that.

The Over/Under: 46.5

The Analysis: Oh man, what can I say that hasn't already been said. I believe its going to come down to who can make a big play in the passing game. I think there is going to be plenty of scoring but it's going to be the one big play that really decides the game. Pittsburgh's defense may be the best the NFL has ever seen. Arizona's offense isn't the best we have ever seen but it's pretty darn good and everyone is healthy right now. Boldin and Fitzgerald are both great and they will cause problem's for the Steelers secondary. I expect both running games to be somewhat neutralized and really neither one is going to be a factor. There might be one or two rushing touchdowns but they will be from in close. Don't be surprised if both quarterbacks get close or over the 300 yard mark. Quarterback pressure is going to be a big key in this game as well. Whoever can pressure the quarterback better will have a huge advantage. I give that advantage to Pittsburgh but you could give them the advantage in almost everything in this game. But remember, everyone expert has been giving Arizona's opponent the edge in everything up until this game and this game is not different. Arizona will keep this game close. It's going to be a great game to watch from start to finish.

The Pick: Pittsburgh wins 31-24, therefore take the Steelers and the Over. I really took that half point off because I really feel confident the Steelers are going to win by a touchdown and I didn't really want to predict a push.

There ya have it fans, enjoy the game, enjoy the commercials, enjoy the halftime show and most of all enjoy the company you are with! Have a great time!

Verb's Sweet Sixteen - 1/29

God, I love College Basketball!

The Superbowl is Sunday, (in case you didn't hear) so after this week, the college hardwood takes center stage.

I don't know if I told you yet but I don't really think the AP or Coaches' Poll matter much in College Basketball. As long as you are one of the 65 teams to make the tournament you're golden.

That's why I don't do a top 10 or a power ranking or anything like that. In college basketball, it just doesn't matter.

What really matters is where you are seeded, where you play your games and who you play them against. That's why I do the top 4 seed things. Soon enough I will come out with a list of teams that aren't routinely making my top 16 and which of them I think could really make a run come March. That's for a later date and more research.

Because I sort of do my own version, I like to look at Joe Lunardi's, Bracketology. That is the link. Check it out and think what you want. I have two beefs this week and that's it.

My first one as you will see in a minute is that Oklahoma is not a number 1 seed. I think they have a great team and Blake Griffin is playing great and they deserve to be rewarded. I know the argument is that the Big 12 is a bit week and what not but that team crushed Texas and they can only play who they play. They are handling every team and deserved to be rewarded.

The other is having Gonzaga as a 5 seed and St. Mary's a 10 seed. WHAT? I know Gonzaga has played a tougher schedule and all and should be rewarded for doing so but really, a five seed difference? St. Mary's has only lost 1 game all season! At least put them right around the same. I guess I have to wait and see when they play each other who is better, but I think Mr. Bracketology will be surprised by how good the Gaels really are.

Onto the seeds!

East (Boston)

1. Connecticut - They were here last week and all they did this week was end the nation's longest home winning streak by beating Notre Dame in South Bend.

2. North Carolina - They haven't played since the last version of this but that doesn't hurt at all. This team is poised to grab a one seed if one of the other teams loses.

3. Butler - That's right. Butler. I believe this team can play with anyone on any night. This is their debut in my sweet sixteen but I don't think they are going anywhere. It's just unfortunate they come in, in the East with Carolina and UConn.

4. Xavier - Same story, different week. I know I brought Butler in ahead of Xavier who has been here the whole time but I expect I'm splitting hair's and really, who would you rather play in the tournament, Carolina or UConn?

South (Memphis)

1. Duke - I am writing this before the game tonight against Wake so if they lose tonight this would totally change but right now Duke in my mind is the best team in the land. I know I am fan but I truly believe that right now with they way they play defense.

2. Louisville - I believe Duke is the best team right now but I believe Louisville is right on their heels. They team is playing great right now and they just keep beating good teams. Pitino has a good bunch of guys down there so look out.

3. Michigan St. - The Spartans lost to Northwestern. They are still a solid team but it's going to take a big win against a good team for Izzo's bunch to move back into the top 8.

4. Texas - Michigan State beat Texas earlier this season. That's the difference here plus Texas has recently lost to Arkansas and Oklahoma. It's close but Texas will be a 4 seed this week.

Midwest (Indianapolis)

1. Pittsburgh - The Big East is so tough that Pitt deserves this spot until they lose. DaJuan Blair is an animal on the inside and Fields is still running the show. This team is really good!

2. Wake Forest - The loss to Virginia Tech at home hurts bad. They spent 2 minutes at number 1 but have a chance to redeem themselves tonight against the Dukies.

3. Memphis - The one game that could propel Memphis to a number 3 seed just happened. It was the game against Tennessee and Memphis won the game. They get their 3 seed but this is the highest I see them going.

4. Illinois - The other newcomer to the sweet sixteen this week. Everyone thought Purdue would be the second best team in the Big Ten this year but the Illini are having their say. Let's see what happens with this team over the next couple of weeks.

West (Arizona but not necessarily Phoenix)

1. Oklahoma - I made my argument above for this team and why they deserve to be here.

2. Marquette - This team is the winning the Big East right now. They haven't lost a game in conference but when they do it won't hurt them a bit. This team is solid and will be hard to deal with in March.

3. Arizona State - The best team in the Pac-10 after beating UCLA and Arizona on the road. I don't know much about this team but they are playing well and winning games against solid opponents.

4. Clemson - A couple of wins will get this team back on track but I don't think they are as good as they were hyped up to be when they lost two games. Still a very solid group though.

That's it for this week. Tonight's game is going to be awesome!

Let's Go Duke!

Who is gonna win?

I am not sure if you have heard but there is a big football game this Sunday.

Some team from Arizona that has never been there before and another team from Western Pennsylvania that doesn't have any more room on their hand for rings will meet in Tampa Sunday evening.

Well actually most of the guys have met each other already and are probably dining together right now.

But that's besides the point.

This Sunday they will meet in the 43rd annual event known as the Super Bowl.

Have you ever seen it?

Yeah, me too.

But do you know who is going to win? Cause I do.


Okay now let's look at the game.

All the analysis and all the stats point to a victory by the team from Western Pennsylvania, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

They played in the better division (although both divisions had some really bad teams) and they played in arguably the better conference. They definitely played a tougher schedule during the season and hell they won more games than the birds from Arizona.

The Steelers defense is great. They have a safety that looks like a poodle. They used to be the Steel Curtain but are now called (arguably) the best defense ever. The defensive player of the year is on the team. On offense they have a Big Ben and a Fast Willie. And to top it all off they have a guy that wears a big smile all day long especially when he is breaking guys jaws or calling for the trainers cause he just hurt somebody.

The other team, the Arizona Cardinals, well, they don't have any of that. What they do have though is the reputation of being one of the worst franchises ever although they are obviously better this year. They have a receiver who yells at his coaches in (what was) their biggest game of the year. The other receiver is being called (by some) the best in the game today. Oh and get this, they have a quarterback who used to stock grocery store shelves....no not as a kid but after college. Something else...their coach was an assistant on the Steelers last Super Bowl team. That has to count for something doesn't it?

The Cardinals have been written off all postseason. They were picked to lose against the Falcons at home. They won. They were given NO CHANCE against the Panthers in Carolina. They won, easily. They weren't supposed to beat the Eagles. They did. And guess what....they are being picked by just about everyone to lose again to the Steelers.

But you know what....this time....they will.

Steelers 34-24!

Something to watch until Super Sunday

I know that right now all of us sports fan are worried about what is going to happen next. The Superbowl is Sunday and well then what? Usually this is when the sports world kind of dies for a month and half until March Madness kicks up for a couple of weeks and then the same thing happens again.

We here at JO feel your pain as well. We have been really struggling to find things to talk and write about but I have something that may not spark all of your interests but check it out for a second and I think you might get hooked.

It's the second week of the Australian Open.

The what? you ask.

The Australian Open...The first grand slam of the year for the ATP.

That's right, tennis. I am telling you to watch tennis.

The reason I'm telling you to watch is because right now you have 3 players on the men's side that are worth watching. Rafa Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

Rafa is the best player in the world and has improved his hardcourt game. He could win all 4 this year and that is awesome!

Fed has been the best player in the world and is arguably in the top 5 in history and this could be his last real run down under so don't count him out yet. He came back from 2 sets down against Berdych the other night and I wish I would've seen it.

Novak is the defending champion and really worked hard in the off-season to improve his game. If he improved it as much as the announcers say he did, he could be right up there with the other and this could be a legit three horse race.

Oh, and when the women play there are some hot chicks playing in short skirts. Check them out too!

Podcast episode 17

After taking a week off to take care of some personal business Verb and I returned with a podcast last night. It was another good episode that is about 50 minutes long.

Topics:

• Super Bowl preview
• Talked about how ridiculous Mock Drafts are this early in the year
• Discussed Tony Romo's new "leader" status on Cowboys
• Talked about the two books coming out in the baseball world, Torre's and Jay McGwire's
• Discussed the fact that there are no remaining unbeatens in college basketball
• Verb told us who he thinks is the best team in the country
• We asked and answered the question of the Big 6 conferences domination this season
• We talked about fighting in hockey and how it needs to change
• I gave my opinion on the ridiculous NHL for suspending players for not playing in the all star game
• I also gave a brief recap about the NHL Skills competition
• And finally we gave our Super Bowl picks (hint: we both have the same team)

I hope you enjoy. If you have any thoughts for future topics please share your opinion through email or the comments.

Verb's Sweet Sixteen - 1/22

College basketball is great!

We have another year where we are going to play musical chairs at the top of the polls. North Carolina, Pitt and now Wake Forest have all lost as the top team in the country. Who is next?

Duke

They play Maryland this Saturday in a huge game. I know Maryland is unranked but they always play Duke well and Maryland could be a good team if they are on top of there game.

Ask Wake what its like to play a hot unranked ACC team.

Some of the hot teams in the country right now are Connecticut, Louisville and Marquette.

Surprise, surprise, they are all Big East teams.

That's a great conference and is right up there with the ACC in my mind right now.

Let's get on with the seeding.

East (Boston)

1. Connecticut - I am not huge on this team but they are playing really well in a tough conference and they move into a number 1 spot this week.

2. North Carolina - They housed Clemson last night. The 3 league losses keeps this team from being a top seed but they are playing like the best team in the country.

3. Texas - This team has only played one game since last week and that was Texas Tech.

4. Memphis - I don't really have anything new for this team. They are going to keep winning and winning and will stay in the top 4 of some region the rest of the season.

South (Memphis)

1. Duke - They are now the number 1 team in the land. They have a showdown with Wake next week. Let's see what they've got.

2. Louisville - Probably the hottest team in the country. They had 3 straight wins over top 20 teams and are just playing really well right now.

3. Michigan State - Would've been a number 2 if they didn't lost to Northwestern at home last night. What was that? Northwestern? Really?

4. Arizona State - They beat UCLA and are probably the best team in the PAC-10. That gets them in here and this team could definitely move up.

Midwest (Indianapolis)

1. Pittsburgh - I know they lost to Louisville but I already talked about that and then they came back and beat Syracuse pretty good. They stay at number 1 here.

2. Wake Forest - Losing at home to an unranked team. I wasn't sure how good this team was and I don't think that game told the whole story but it definitely told some of it.

3. Syracuse - What a stretch. Georgetown, Notre Dame, Pitt and next up: Louisville. That's killer. So far they are 1-2 and that's enough to knock them down a spot.

4. Xavier - A 20 point win over St. Bonaventure really doesn't impress me. Number 4 may be as high as this team gets.

West (Arizona but not necessarily Phoenix)

1. Oklahoma - This just in: Blake Griffin is really good. Ok, you already knew that. But really, this just in: they rest of the team is pretty good too!

2. Marquette - Another hot Big East team. This sweet 16 is loaded with BCS conference teams but this year it seems to be the trend and Marquette is keeping with it.

3. Georgetown - This team is solid and gets the benefit of the Big East. This team is on my radar as a team that could fall. Let's see what happens. The loss to Duke really didn't hurt here.

4. Clemson - I told you. They lost to Wake by 10 and Carolina by 24. I knew they weren't that good. I may be being a little rough here but those two losses aren't very good.

Check back next week in hopes that some teams get hot or cold and I can change it up a bit. The BCS conference are ruling here and potentially could for the rest of the season!

I have seen 2 mock drafts so far and....

I don't know enough to really do a full mock draft so I am not going to try to. But there are people out there that do and they have already released some of their thoughts.

I have seen 2 and one (Kiper's) has a quarterback going #1 to the Lions. That quarterback is Matthew Stafford of Georgia. The other mock I have seen was by SI's Don Banks. He has Andre Smith (OT from Bama) going #1.

Stafford and Mark Sanchez (also a first round QB) might end up being fantastic quarterbacks in the NFL. But I am not convinced. Neither player dominated in college. Hell neither player looked much better than some other guys in college. Sanchez had some big problems in the defensively challenged Pac-10 and Stafford wasn't consistent enough.

Sure both guys have good arms and can make the throws. And I am sure both guys are smart and can figure out the NFL. But I still wouldn't draft one of them with the #1 pick. Hell I probably wouldn't draft one in the top 5. And it isn't cause I think they will be busts...I really don't know.

But if you take an offensive lineman you are going to do 2 things. One is save a little coin. Lineman don't make as much and won't cost as much. And number two you are going to be more successful in the long run with the pick.

Think about it. High draft picks that are quarterbacks who flop are out of the NFL. Tim Couch, Cade McCown, and Akili Smith are all examples. Other ones stick around but not as starters, like David Carr, Alex Smith, and Matt Leinhart.

But then you say "offensive lineman can be busts too". Your right but even an offensive line bust can be a starter. Example.....Robert Gallery. An amazing talent that couldn't compete at tackle is now a starter at guard. Is he a pro bowler? No. But he is still a starter.

If you take a quarterback early you are gambling more so than with a lineman or another position like linebacker.

I think the Lions should either take Andre Smith or trade the pick. It doesn't matter if you don't get the right "value" in return. If I can trade my top pick and drop down to say 7 or 8 and pick up a 2nd and a 5th I am doing the trade. I gain a pick and don't fall that far. There is less risk and less cost at 7 or 8 and you still get a great player.

But its the Lions and I suspect they will take Stafford because he will throw the ball well at his pro day and impress scouts in 7 on 7 drills.

The GM Says....1/23

It has been a terribly boring week in sports with no real big happenings going on. Really that is how it is when the NFL isn't doing anything like this week. After the Super Bowl you start to have free agent talk then the combine and draft. But right now we have the stupid week of nothingness before the Super Bowl.

But some other idiots and sports have begun making things interesting again.

• Jay McGwire.....what the hell? This is your brother. I understand the two of you haven't spoken for a while and no one on the planet has scene Mark in a few years but still. You are currently shopping a book telling the world that you got him started on steroids and helped him do steroids for years. I believe you. But there had to be a better way than this. This just makes you look like what you are, a money hungry asshole.
• Australian Open....soon I will watch. The first rounds of the Aussie open or any tennis event for that matter are pretty meaningless. You get the top players on tv playing the worst players in the world. After those rounds the action gets much better. Unfortunately for you though the women's side took a huge hit today when Ana Ivanovic lost in her third round match. She is the best part of the women's bracket and now she is gone.
• NHL All-Star Game....probably won't watch. I am a big hockey fan but the All-Star game is a joke. Just like all the all star games actually. Sidney Crosby isn't playing in it and people are whining that players avoid the game. Yeah....so? I wouldn't want to play in it either. It's an honor to get named to the team but to play in the game....who cares.

Now on to the NFL:

• Ray Lewis....don't do it. Don't go to the Cowboys. PLEASE don't go to the Cowboys. I have 2 reasons really. 1) You are the Baltimore Ravens. You are the face of the defense and you guys are awesome on the field. 2) I hate the Cowboys and like the Eagles and don't want to see you in the same division.
• Anquan Boldin....maybe. After you were seen yelling at your offensive coordinator and then left the field and locker room long before your teammates you are now saying that the whole incident is hilarious to you. Really? I think it is only hilarious to you because you want out of Arizona.
• Chargers....TRADE LT. Seriously now is the best time to dump this guy. He has had 2 below average years by his standards and hasn't been healthy at the end of the season in either of them. His trade value probably won't be any higher than it is right now. If you trade him you can resign Sproles and either sign a guy like Derrick Ward or draft a guy like Chris Wells. If you keep him and he has another down year you will be stuck with him. The teams that are continuously at the top of the league are the teams that get rid of aging stars before it is too late.
• Tony Romo....you can't. You say you will be a better leader next season and that you will do better. There is just one problem. You aren't that good to begin with. And if you become a better leader than TO will ABSOLUTELY cause the team to implode. The reason things have gone okay until now is that TO is in charge. If you become a leader like Jeff Garcia or Donovan McNabb than Owens will blow up.

Verb's Blurb's - 1/21

Ok, now that the championship games have sunk in and the Cardinals are really going to be playing in the Superbowl, I figured I give you my blurb's from championship weekend. The GM gave an excellent summary of what happened but here are the things I got from watching the games this past Sunday. I was off of work and did watch so I am not making any of this up. Here we go!

• Larry Fitzgerald is by far the best receiver in football.
  
• Kurt Warner is still really good and I would love to have him on the 49ers.
  
• Edgerrin James may not be what he used to be but I sure would take him over a lot of other guys. Tim Hightower will be decent someday but in the Superbowl, Ken Whisenhunt better rely on Edge to carry the load.
• Anquan Boldin should've been upset. I do believe they are past it and Boldin is going to be huge if the Cardinals want to bring home the Lombardi trophy.
• Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid both need to get out of Philly. They had a great season and great careers there but the time has come for both of them to move on.
• With one more receiver the Eagles would've won that game. Desean Jackson is good but Kevin Curtis needs to be the number 3 receiver, not the number 2.
  
• Brian Westbrook is great but if he is going to be your number 1 back you need a solid number 2. Buckhalter may be that but then again he may not be that.

That's what I got from the NFC Championship. Now here is what I got from the AFC Championship.

• Those two teams can hit. Limas Sweed's block was awesome but then Clark's hit on McGahee was even better. I am glad all players are involved are going to be fine.
• Joe Flacco finally gave into the pressure but that kid will be fine.
• Big Ben makes plays when he needs too and that game was no exception.
• Troy Polamalu might just be the best safety in the league.
• The officiating wasn't very good!
• If that catch that Santonio Holmes made at the goal line isn't a catch then something is wrong with football. The fact that that was ruled no catch is ridiculous!
• Those are two of the best defenses I have ever seen!
• Pittsburgh's defense is going to be the key to the game against Arizona because that may be the best offense in the NFL.

I am sure we will have more on the Superbowl in the coming days but for now that's my recap of the conference championships. Both games were great and honestly, I expect the Superbowl to be just as good.

Super Bowl XLIII

Wow! Two things that I never thought I would see...an African American in the White House and the Arizona Cardinals in the Super Bowl. What are the odds?

The Cardinals beat the Eagles in pretty convincing fashion on Sunday and the new President takes office today.

And oh yeah the Steelers beat the Ravens relatively easily on Sunday as well.

So on February 1 in Tampa, Florida Super Bowl XLIII will be played between a team many thought could make it and a team that no one thought would ever make it.

As for the Championship games I thought they were both fairly interesting and honestly I thought the officiating was terrible. All season long you see flags come in for everything from touching a quarterback after the throw to touching a receiver during a pattern. And yet in two of the biggest games of the season there were missed pass interference calls and a terrible no call when the Ravens hit Big Ben well after the ball was gone.

The Eagles barely made a game of it and if it wasn't for a missed extra point, a missed field goal, and a missed 2 point conversion they might have had a chance at the end. If they hit the extra point and the field goal they would only have been down 3 at the end and wouldn't have needed to worry about getting a touchdown.

But they didn't and now they are done and on vacation. A couple of those Eagles might be on a permanent vacation from Philadelphia.

The other game was honestly dominated by the Steelers. A nice punt return set up one of the Ravens touchdowns and they just weren't in the game for most of it.

Many people were trying to tell me that the running game was the key to the game and which ever team ran the ball more would win the game and that wasn't the case at all as the Ravens ran for more yards but lost the game. Other people told me that the Ravens would be able to pass the ball against the Steelers and that didn't happen either.

Big Ben played great and the defense was tremendous. The Steelers seemed like the underdog in the game as the officials and the announcers seemed to favor the Ravens all game long.

But in the end we have an interesting Super Bowl.

The Cardinals...a team no one gave any chance to getting there this season or any season for that matter against a Steelers team that was always a possibility.

The best receiver in the game against the best pass defense in the game.

It should be a good game. I am sure we will talk about it again.

Verb's Playoff Pick 6

It's Championship Sunday in the NFL so that means this week is a pick 6 minus 2. Since there are only 2 games, there are only 2 point spreads and 2 over/unders. I know, I am disappointed too. I have gone 6-2 the past two weeks and well with only 4 options to win I can't match my win total from either week.

The GM gave you some expert analysis earlier on in the week. He made some good picks and gave you a few keys to the games. I am here to tell you where you should put your money and what I think the keys to the two championship games are.

In one game you have the Eagles and Cardinals. I am not sure the Cardinals have ever hosted a conference championship game in the history of their franchise but in this game some kind of bird has to win. I will tell you which one in a little bit.

The other matchup features the two best defenses in the NFL. It's going to be a hit you in the mouth kind of slugfest. The Steelers have beaten the Ravens twice already and the third time is always the hardest. Can they do it?

Let's get to it!

Philadelphia @ Arizona

The Point Spread: The Eagles are favored by 3.5

The Over/Under: 47

The Analysis: It's curious to me that the Eagles are on the road in a conference championship and they are the favorite here. I think a lot of people are underestimating the Cardinals just like they have done all playoffs. I am sure those guys are sick of hearing about how they can't do it and they shouldn't be here. Larry Fitzgerald has played like an animal in the playoffs so far and even though the Eagles are built to stop a team like Arizona. Expect another big game from Fitz.

The Eagles have 3 all-pro corners, all of which can play solid man to man defense. The key matchup in my mind will be Steve Breaston and Lito Sheppard. The Eagles are going to blitz Warner all day from everywhere and since the loss of Spach, Breaston will probably be Warner most likely bail out target. Anquan Boldin is said to be healthy, which is a big boost for this offense. I don't expect Arizona will be able to run the ball very well so it's going to be on Warner.

On the other side of the ball, I expect McNabb to have a bid day. Arizona was near the bottom of the league in touchdown passes allowed and I think McNabb is hot enough right now to exploit that. Westbrook will have a good game too but might be more effective this week in the passing game then in the running game. Either way this is going to one heck of a game because the Cardinals are at home and I am sure they are sick of hearing about how they don't belong and can't win.

The Pick: The Eagles win this one 27-23. Therefore I say take the Eagles on the road and the over.

Baltimore @ Pittsburgh

The Point Spread: The Steelers are favored by 6.

The Over/Under: 34

The Analysis: The two best defenses square off for the third time this year. If you remember the last time these two teams played it took a questionable touchdown call at the end of the 4th quarter for the Steelers to win. I still say it was a touchdown but it was really close.

Joe Flacco is going to have to stay poised just like he has for the entire playoffs. Playing in Pittsburgh on championship Sunday is going to be a whole different animal but if they youngster can handle it, this game will be great! The Ravens offensive line is going to have to be huge and give Flacco time because if the Steelers defense has a weakness, its the secondary. I don't believe the Ravens will have any success trying to run on Pittsburgh but they are going to have to keep trying if they want a chance to win. Balance will be the key even if the running game doesn't work.

The same goes for the Steelers line. Samari Rolle is out and Terrell Suggs is a game-time decision so that helps the Steelers some but the Ravens still have Ngata, Lewis and Reed. If the line gives Ben time, Holmes and Ward will get open. Willie Parker could have a good game because I think its the speed backs that do better against the Ravens. Chris Johnson proved that last week until he got hurt.

11 out of 18 times when teams have a played three times and one team won the first two, that team has won the third.

As Mike Tomlin said earlier this week, "This would be a huge game if it was a scrimmage."

Man, this is going to be one for the ages!

The Pick: Pittsburgh wins 13-9. Therefore take the Ravens and the under.

I don't really think there is much else I need to say. It's the conference championships!

Enjoy!

Boo Ya!

Verb's Sweet Sixteen - 1/16

Version 2 of Verb's Sweet Sixteen is going to have some serious changes. Last week I realized I put 3 Big East teams in the same region. That's not allowed. Villanova will make that change a little easier on me. They lost and will be out of the Sweet Sixteen this week. Oklahoma and Texas were the 1 and 2 seeds in the west last week. That's allowed but not common. Oklahoma beat Texas pretty good so Texas may move down. We will see in a bit. North Carolina lost again in the ACC and probably has moved out of a number 1 seed. Again, we will see in a little bit.

The Louisville vs Pittsburgh game on Sunday is going to be a great game. If you have any free time that day check it out. The game is on ESPN at 6. Pitt's going to win but it's going to be a really close competitive game.

This past week Jodie Meeks scored 52 points against Tennessee. He may have played himself into the player of the year discussion. If Kentucky was better he would already be in the conversation.

Anyway, on with the seeding!

East (Boston)

1. Wake Forest - They beat North Carolina. Everyone thought the Heels were the best team in the land and now we aren't even sure if they are the best team in the ACC. If they aren't then the Demon Deacon's could be.

2. Connecticut - This team is pretty good and if any of the number 1's stumble Connecticut will be right there to take their spot. Playing in the Boston region as number 2 may be better then a number 1 anywhere else though.

3. Clemson - I know, they are still undefeated but I would love for you to argue me on the fact that they have played anyone that should've beaten them. Clemson has no quality wins and that doesn't sit well with me. If they beat someone I would love to put them as a 2.

4. Marquette - 15-2 right now and just beat Villanova and West Virginia pretty handily. Marquette could be the third best team in the league right now behind UConn and Pitt. They are playing some darn good ball.

South (Memphis)

1. Duke - Number 2 team in the country. Playing great as a team and playing incredible defense. Absolutely destroyed Davidson and then got past Florida State and Georgia Tech. Without 1 slip up against Michigan this team would be undefeated.

2. Syracuse - Boeheim has his team playing really well. The 14 point loss to Georgetown 2 nights ago didn't look very good but the game was on the road against a pretty good team. I am not going to penalize them too much for it. This team should get right back on track and be a 2 or 3 next week as well. The next 3 are against Pitt, Notre Dame and Louisville. We will see what they are made of!

3. Michigan State - They have won 10 in a row and won a close one on the road against a decent Penn St. team their last time out. Tomorrow nights game against a 15-2 Illinois team will tell a lot about how far this team has really come. If they keep winning I am sure they will stay here or move up a little.

4. Louisville - If they can beat Pitt and Syracuse in the next couple of days then I will have to move them up. They have beaten Villanova and ND in back to back games, both of which were in the sixteen last week.

Midwest (Indianapolis)

1. Pittsburgh - The best team in the land right now. DaJuan Blair is an animal on the inside and Lavance Fields and Sam Young are playing great ball too. At Louisville on Sunday will be a big test for this team and it will prove to everyone how good this team really is. I think they are really good!

2. North Carolina - It seems a bit unfair of me to put Carolina with Pitt but wouldn't that be a great game to watch. The number 1 team in the country against what team everyone thinks is the best. Once Carolina gets the ship righted they will be fine, they just need to start playing defense again.

3. Texas - This would easily be the best region in the tournament just based on these three teams. Texas is a solid basketball team. They got romped by Oklahoma 2 games after losing to Arkansas. Both of those teams are very good and its nothing Texas should really be penalized for. Other teams are just playing better right now. The Horns will be fine.

4. Xavier - Xavier's lost to Butler is looking better and better as Butler gets better but its going to be hard for Xavier to move any higher then this playing in the A-10. The quality wins just won't come this year. To put the Musketeers in with these three teams seems to be a bit of a penalty but it would give them a chance to prove themselves, I guess.

West (Arizona but not necessarily Phoenix)

1. Oklahoma - They crushed Texas last week and Blake Griffin is still playing like he is the player of the year. The scary thing is is that this team could get better. If teams start realizing everyone else is good too, Griffin may get some chances against only one defender. This team is good!

2. UCLA - The Bruins are kind of under the radar right now but that may not be a bad thing. They have won 10 in a row and tomorrow's game will prove how good this team is when they play Arizona State. It's going to be a good one which I feel UCLA will win. It will get some of the people talking about the Bruins again.

3. Georgetown - The win over Syracuse was big in my book. They had lost two in a row to Pitt and ND, which aren't bad losses by any means and now came back and beat Providence and Syracuse. This team will suffer it's losses but if they aren't bad they shouldn't really hurt this teams chances of being in the top 16.

4. Memphis - 13-3 and have won 7 in a row. They are going to have trouble, just like Xavier, moving up because of the lack of quality wins down the stretch. However, if the Tigers can take care of business and win most of their remaining games, they could end the season with only 4 or 5 losses and move ahead of teams as they lose.


College Basketball is awesome!

Boo Ya!

The Other Game Sunday

Yesterday I discussed my opinion of which NFC bird would play for the Super Bowl. But there is another game and another bird playing Sunday night to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.

We could have an all bird Super Bowl for the first time ever.

If you pay attention to this site (not many do) or if you listen to the podcast (you should be if you aren't) than you would know that I predicted Eagles vs Ravens for the Super Bowl at the beginning of the playoffs. That's right....I picked 2 wild card teams to make the Super Bowl for the first time ever.

To be honest with you....I didn't give it much thought at the time and would not have made those picks if I would have considered it for a while longer.

But right now I look like a pretty smart guy. And if the Ravens and Eagles win on Sunday I will look like a genius...that's right....a genius!

I am getting away from the point of this post. So getting back to it....


The AFC game on Sunday.....Ravens @ Steelers:

This is the 3rd meeting of the season between the AFC North rivals with the Steelers winning both meetings. The first game was decided by a field goal (23-20) in overtime. The second game was decided by a controversial touchdown in the final minutes (13-9). Either way you look at it the Steelers won both games.

A questionable thing happened early this week though in my opinion. Vegas made the Steelers a 5 point favorite. Why would Vegas make the Steelers a 5 point favorite when neither game was decided by more than 4 points? My opinion is that Vegas thinks the Steelers are going to win by a touchdown and are hoping people will bet on the Ravens. But that is just my theory and what do I know.

Looking at these teams you can see they are very similar. Both have dominating defenses and both want to have ball control offenses. Unfortunately for the Steelers they haven't had a ball control offense much of the season cause they haven't had a running game. But they have had a more dynamic offense than the Ravens which could pay dividends in this game.

In my opinion the road team has played the better game in the two meetings this season. Baltimore controlled the game in Pittsburgh and the Steelers controlled the game in Baltimore. But the question is, will that trend continue?

I think the key to this game will be the quarterbacks. So many people want to put this on the running games saying that whichever team runs the ball better will win. I don't think that is very important. Neither team has been overly compelling running the ball and I honestly don't think it makes a difference. On top of that neither defense allows much rushing room.

Whichever quarterback makes a big play wins this game. And even though I said at the beginning of the playoffs the Ravens would win here I just don't see it. Ben Roethlisberger will make the big throw and might make multiple ones. The weakness to the Ravens defense is in the secondary so I like the Steelers to win and I think Vegas is right. Steelers 20-10.

So that means 3 things.

1. I am not a genious (I had Ravens not the Steelers)
2. We will not have bird vs bird for the Super Bowl
3. An all Pennsylvania Super Bowl!! I am pretty sure the Harrisburg area is going to implode!

College Basketball Player of the Year

The other day on ESPN.com there was a poll that asked the fans who the college basketball player of the year was right now. There were three choices. Stephen Curry, Tyler Hansbrough and Blake Griffin. I love the fact that we are already talking about this but I really don't think there is much of an argument at this point.

Tyler Hansbrough is great! Don't get me wrong, I love the way he plays and I love the way he doesn't put on a show while he is playing. The kid is solid and this is coming from a diehard Duke fan. I hate the fact that he plays in Chapel Hill because he can dominate a game whenever he wants to.

His stat line is this: 22.4 and 7.5 rebounds a game. Those are darn good numbers but when it comes to player of the year in college basketball I worry less about the stats and more about how the guy helps his team. Hansbrough does that but he loses my vote because he has so many great players around him. He may lose a little too because the Heels have lost two in a row. I just can't see voting for him for player of the year at this point.

Stephen Curry is what he is. The kid can flat out shoot. He is the nation's leading scorer at 28.5 points per game. The biggest knock on Curry in my mind is that his team has already lost 4 games. I know that is obviously not Curry's fault but it is what it is. He is averaging 6.7 assists per game which is very impressive in my mind but he is touching the ball every time down the court. He was good in the big games but not great. All the teams he plays in his conference are really just games to pad his stat sheet. If he would've gotten his team a W in one of those big early games, I may change my vote but right now he is second.

That leaves Blake Griffin. This guy is a beast! He is averaging 22.4 and 13.8 rebounds a game against constant double teams. Against Texas the other night he had 20 and 10. That was the number 11 ranked team in the country. You can't stop this guy, you just have to hope to stop all of his teammates. The problem is you always have to leave one guy open and so far those guys have been stepping up and making key shots. The reason Griffin gets my vote is that right now I feel like this guy more then any other is making the rest of his teammates better and Oklahoma is a top 5 team because of him.

Blake Griffin in my opinion is the College Basketball Player of the Year!

Stephen Curry won the vote of America, by the way.

A Bird Will Win!

Not sure if you heard about this yet but there are a couple big football games this weekend.

Seriously. The Philadelphia Eagles travel to Arizona to play inside a big bubble on the best playing surface in the NFL. While the Baltimore Ravens ice skate up to Pittsburgh to play a little hockey. Yes, it might be that cold.

But the question on so many minds is who will win these games. Well I will tell you the one thing I do know...

a bird will be in the Super Bowl and there might be 2.

Okay. Seriously. Let's look at the NFC game....


Philly @ Arizona

Everyone knows the importance of Brian Westbrook to the Eagles. If you don't it goes like this... the Eagles are 7-1 this season when Westbrook gets at least 20 touches. The one loss was in week 2 against Dallas when the Eagles scored 37 and were outscored by Da Boys.

So the first order of business for the Eagles is hand the ball off to Westbrook 18 times and throw at least 2 passes to him.

As for the defense....just do what you do against Kurt Warner. Warner has faced the Eagles 6 times in his career (once in the playoffs) and is 2-4 against them with both wins coming in the 01-02 season and playoffs when the Rams lost the Super Bowl to the Pats. In those 6 games Warner (the man with amazing stats) has thrown for a whopping 220 yards per game and has 7 touchdowns and 9 interceptions.

Which means the second order of business for the Eagles is just do what you do. Apparently Warner can't do much against you.

The Cardinals need to do one thing similar to the Eagles but replace Westbrook with Edgerrin James.

When James gets double digit carries the Cardinals are 6-1 including 3 straight wins. Interesting considering they benched him for most of the season and he wanted to go play somewhere else.

Unfortunately for the Cardinals the Eagles do not give up much in the way of rushing yards. That shouldn't necessarily matter for their plan though. Even if they are only averaging 3 yards a rush they should continue running the ball. 4 of the 6 wins came with James averaging UNDER 4 yards per carry.

So there you go. If James runs the ball more than 10 times the Cardinals are likely to win. If the Eagles get the ball to Westbrook 20 times or more the Eagles are likely to win. Now...what happens if both teams do what they need to do?

How the hell am I supposed to know...I am just a blogger.

But I do know who is going to win. The Iggles will win.....27-20. Kurt Warner will throw 2 interceptions and will fumble once while Donovan only turns the ball over 1 time. The Eagles defense will also pick up 3 sacks and will pretty much put pressure on Warner every time he drops back.

Oh and the Cardinals will NOT get James double digit rushes but the Eagles WILL get Westbrook 20 touches.

Podcast episode 16

The new episode is up! Last night Verb and I conducted episode number 16. Just click on the link on the sidebar or subscribe via Itunes on the sidebar as well.

Topics we covered last night:

• Is Josh McDaniels the next Mike Shanahan and is that a good thing?
• Are the Colts going to be as good without Tony Dungy?
• Who is more responsible for the Patriots success, Pioli or Belichick?
• The seriously messed up MLB Hall of Fame process!
• 8% of MLB players are using banned substances WITH league permission.
• Talked about the Texas Rangers (Verb's team) and if they should trade Michael Young.
• With Tebow coming back are the Gators National Championship favorites? And is Tebow the front-runner for the Heisman?
• Are the Tar Heels in trouble in the ACC?
• Championship games preview
  
• The missed delay of game call and why it isn't a big deal.
• Keys to the Eagles/Cardinals game
• Keys to the Steelers/Ravens game
• Verb gives you the picks and scores

Next week we will have another show that will surely preview the Super Bowl as well as talk more about college basketball.

Verb's Blurb's - 1/12

Here we go with the second episode of Verb's Blurb's. College basketball is getting into full swing, college football is over now and the conference championships are next week in the NFL. That's the big news. I will touch on that a bit here but this is more about the lesser stories so let's get it going.

Here is the big news first:

• For all the experts who said North Carolina might go undefeated, let's now see if they will even win the ACC. There are good and all but undefeated, really? I never believed!
• If Philadelphia makes the Super Bowl, the first thing Barack Obama is going to have to do is declare Pennsylvania a state of emergency on February 2nd. Because Pittsburgh is in the state but Baltimore isn't far either. That will be nuts (for everyone in PA, anyway). Not so much for anywhere else and like the GM said, I don't think it will be very good for the NFL.
• Florida was the best team in the country and should've been National Champions. Utah should've been third and really shouldn't have been considered as National Champions. USC should've been number 2.
  

Ok, now for the other stories...

• Tony Dungy retired today. I think he was a great coach and he deserves to go out when he wants. The NFL will miss him and I wish him all the best in his further ventures. WOO WOO!
• Pacman Jones does not deserve another chance in the NFL. He needs to go and I hope the door does hit him in the ass on his way out. You're an idiot and you should just go be a professional wrestler or something. I would love to see the Big Show chokeslam you or something. You're an idiot!
• Jim Rice finally made the baseball Hall of Fame. He has deserved it for a very long time. Congratulations Jim! WOO WOO!
• The Australian Open starts this week and I am excited. I don't know about anyone else but I could go for a couple of more great matches from Nadal and Federer. Don't forget about Murray and Djokovic. This year will be awesome for Men's tennis.
• The Detroit Lions should try like hell to trade the number 1 pick. They need a defensive stud with their first pick and they can trade down and get that in Malauga. They can sign a veteran quarterback in free agency.
• Is Josh McDaniels just a new version of Mike Shanahan?
• The Celtics don't have the best record in the NBA anymore. Guess who does? The Lakers. Kobe and the Lakers. The Celtics don't even have the best record in the East. Guess who does? The fightin Lebron's. I think Lebron has put all that New York talk behind him and if they do well enough, it wouldn't surprise me if Lebron never plays for the Knicks.
  
• Hockey is cool.
  

That's it for version 2 of Verb's Blurb's.

Sports are awesome!

Historic Championship Games

I was somewhat surprised in how the championship games have turned out. Like I posted here last week there is almost ALWAYS a #1 seed in the Super Bowl and this year there won't be.

But there are some other points of interest to know.

Once again anything here is from 1990 when the playoffs were expanded to 12 teams.

This is only the second time that a #6 seed will be playing for a shot at the Super Bowl and the FIRST time that TWO 6 seeds will be in the games.

This is also the first time that there WILL NOT be a #1 seed in a conference championship game. In every year since 1990 one of the two #1 seeds made a championship game. But this year there won't be any.

Which means that this will be only the third Super Bowl since 1990 that hasn't featured a #1 seed in it.

And for the NFC this is the second year in a row without the #1 seed in the championship game. That comes on the heels of 17 straight seasons with the #1 seed making the game.

Obviously parody is at an all time high. A #1 seed hasn't won since the Patriots beat the Panthers in Super Bowl 38 in 2004. And 2 wild card teams have won Super Bowls in the last 3 games (Steelers, Giants).

So is parody good for the NFL come playoff time?

Obviously it is good for the overall game and during the regular season it is nice cause every game matters. Any team can win any weekend.

But in the playoffs is this much parody good for the league? Think about it. We were not to far from having a Cardinals/Chargers Super Bowl. And the NFC Champion WILL NOT have finished the season with double digit wins.

The Super Bowl champion is possibly a team that went 9-7 or 9-6-1 during the regular season. Once in a while that would be great to see in the NFL but every year I am not so sure.

It is nice to have a dynasty like the Yankees in baseball or the Patriots the past few years to root against and hope they lose. Last years Super Bowl was incredible. And for the most part the game sucked. But you had the mighty Patriots chasing history and most of the country rooting against them.

That is what sports are about. When you have teams fighting for a championship that everyone likes less people care. A game like Steelers/Eagles will be a good game but it won't be memorable unless you live in Pennsylvania.

Verb's Playoff Pick 6 - Weekend 2

It's the second weekend of the playoffs and this is where it really gets fun! The winner's move on to the conference championships and the losers go to the golf course.

This is the big time and this is when the great players come to play and play at their best!

It's going to be one hell of a weekend and I wish I didn't have to work both days but I do.

Anyway, lets get on with the picks. Last week I was 6-2 and only lost on San Diego.

I think all of you should start listening to me and let my expertise make you some much needed money.

Here we go!

Baltimore @ Tennessee

The Point Spread: Tennessee is favored by 3

The Over/Under: 34

The Analysis: This is going to be a defensive struggle from the opening kickoff. The key to the game is which quarterback can control the game more efficiently and which running game will be more effective. Baltimore has the better defense in this one but not by much. The turnover battle will play a huge role in this one as well. I think this is going to be a classic. There will be a lot of big hits and its going to come down to one or two key plays and whichever team comes out on the better side will win this one.

The Pick: Tennessee makes one more play then Baltimore and wins the game 16-10. Therefore take Tennessee and the Under.

Arizona @ Carolina

The Point Spread: Carolina is favored by 9.5

The Over/Under: 48.5

The Analysis: The line here is a little high in my opinion being that we are in the playoffs. I know Vegas usually knows what they are talking about but if Arizona's offense can get rolling early this game could turn out to be a high scoring shootout with the last team that has the ball getting the victory. Arizona's defense really isn't good at all and if Jake Delhomme just has a decent game Carolina might win this one easily. That is, if the defense can shut down Arizona's offense. The key to this game may be the loss of Anquan Boldin for Arizona. He is listed as questionable but the report is, is that even if he dresses he won't be affective at all. This is a huge loss for this offense. Larry Fitzgerald is going to have to have the game of his life.

The Pick: I think there is just too much going in Carolina's favor. A home game with the other team traveling across country. The injury to Boldin. I think Carolina wins 31-17. Therefore take Carolina and the under but barely under. Best Bet!

Philadelphia @ New York

The Point Spread: New York is favored by 4.5

The Over/Under: 39.5

The Analysis: This will be the third matchup between these two teams this season with the away team winning the previous too. They just played in week 14 with the Eagles winning 20-14. The key to the game for New York will be the running game. Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward are going to have to do damage on the ground to open up the passing game for Eli. The key for Philly is staying balanced. The offense has been much better when Andy Reid sticks with the running game. This game will be very low scoring and this will be another game where one or two plays will be the difference.

The Pick: Philadelphia makes the one or two plays that change the game. Philadelphia wins 17-13. Therefore take the Eagles and the under. Upset Special!

San Diego @ Pittsburgh

The Point Spread: 6.5

The Over/Under: 38

The Analysis: LaDainian Tomlinson probably won't play. I don't think this is a huge deal because I don't think he could have run on the Steelers defense anyway. Darren Sproles will not have as good of a game Sunday as he did against Indy. The only way San Diego wins this game is if Philip Rivers has a great game through the air. Pittsburgh defense is too though to let that happen. Big Ben will be ready to go and the home field advantage will play a huge role. I don't think this game will be close.

The Pick: Pittsburgh wins 31-14. Therefore pick the Steelers and the Over. Best Bet II!

There ya have it. 6-2 was good but 8-0 will be better! Enjoy the games! Let me know when you make the big money. I will gladly take a 10% share.

Boo Ya!

The GM Says....National Championship Edition

This was only the 3rd bowl game I watched in its entirety. The others were the Poinsettia Bowl and the Rose Bowl. And this was easily the best of all of them.

• I was very impressed with Oklahoma on the defensive side of the ball. They played very well all game long and their defensive line is dominant. They got pressure on Tebow all game long and forced many incompletions.
• Tim Tebow might not be a star quarterback in the NFL but I would still draft him somewhere around the third round. I think he can be an excellent package quarterback and H-back in situations. And an amazing locker room guy.
  
• I don't think Sam Bradford was that impressive last night. He had a good game but he wasn't dominant. My big problem with Bradford (in the NFL) IS NOT that he won't be good but that it will take him some time to get really learn the game. He never has to make pre-snap reads in college! I am not saying he can't but he doesn't have to right now and he will on the next level.
• Percy Harvin was the best athlete and player on the field last night. I said in the preview that Florida needed him to have a good game and he did. Without Harvin OU rolls in this game.
• Ahmad Black's interception was easily the play of the game. If OU completes that pass they likely go in to score and take the lead.
• Florida needs to get and stay focused in big games. Penalties almost killed them in this game. The LT had 3 or 4 false start penalties which is just ridiculous. And they had at least 2 personal foul penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct. You just can't have stupid penalties like that in a game of this magnitude.
  
• Neither of Bradfords interceptions were really his fault but both of Tebow's were.
• Oklahoma has made 4 National Title games in the last 9 years which is impressive. And I am sure some of that is how good they are but how much of that is how bad the Big 12 usually is? I am not saying OU hasn't deserved it cause they have beaten the teams they needed to beat but really you have Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas State, Kansas, Missouri, Okie State, Texas Tech, Colorado, and Nebraska. None of those teams have been consistently decent let alone good. But OU did what they needed to do each year (unlike USC who loses to lesser opponents every year) and they should be proud of their 4 trips to the title game.

Verb's Sweet Sixteen - 1/8

The college football season is ending as I type.

Florida and Oklahoma are tied at 7 at halftime.

Guess what that means?

It's college basketball time!

BOO YA!

That makes Verb happy.

I have been following ever since the season started but I am sure there are plenty of you out there that would much prefer the pigskin. I totally understand that, but now it is time to focus on the hardwood.

I am going to do a weekly post where I say who I think should be the top 4 seeds in each region of the NCAA tournament if the selection show was tonight. I will keep it on the sidebar for the rest of the season.

The 4 traditional names for the regions are the East, the South, the Midwest and the West. The new way to refer to the regions is by calling them by the name of the city where the regional final will be played. This year those are Indianapolis (Midwest), Phoenix (West), Boston (East), Memphis (South).

The NCAA has really tried to reward the top seeds by letting them play close to home. I am going to use this idea when I predict the seeding.

Anyway, now to how the post is going to be most of the weeks to come...

Conference play started and the Big East is great. Georgetown beat Connecticut, St. John's beat Notre Dame, Notre Dame beat Georgetown, Marquette beat Villanova, and Rutgers played the top 3 teams in the country in 7 days. I also think that Pittsburgh will lose and it will probably be soon.

North Carolina was rudely welcomed to conference play by Boston College. So much for a perfect season. Sorry! Duke is playing great. By the way, I am a Duke fan!

Blake Griffin may be the best player in college basketball.

Gonzaga is overrated.

Stephen Curry still looks like he is 12. He sure can score though.

Let's go with the seeds...

East (Boston)

1. Pittsburgh - They were the second best team until Carolina lost. They are probably still the second best team but for now they are number 1 overall.

2. Wake Forest - They are still undefeated. The big test will come Sunday when they play the Heels.

3. Michigan State - They have 3 quality wins in their last 5 games so they could definitely be rising up the rankings but right now there are at least 8 better teams in the country.

4. Notre Dame - This team is going to be better then their seed because they will lose a few games to great teams. The loss to St. John's really hurts right now.

South (Memphis)

1. North Carolina - I still think this is the best team. Huge game Sunday against Wake and obviously the two games against Duke will tell the story for this team and their seed.

2. Syracuse - I am not sure I truly believe in this team but they are 14-1. The way they play in conference will go along way in deciding their seed. If they can stay in the top 4 of the Big East they will stay at a 2 or higher.

3. Georgetown - They have lost two games in a row. I know they were both good teams but it is what it is and that comes with playing in the Big East.

4. Villanova - This team really has no huge season defining wins yet but I can see it happening soon. This team is good and will come into their own and be very dangerous.

Midwest (Indianapolis)

1. Duke - This team is really deep and playing great. This defense is top notch and the offense is balanced. This is Coach K's best team in a long time.

2. Connecticut - This is the best number 2 seed. They lost to Georgetown at home but Georgetown is good. They could still easily win the Big East.

3. Clemson - 15-0 is 15-0. They haven't played anyone yet which is why they aren't higher but if they can get some quality wins in conference this is definitely a top 16 team.

4. Xavier - The beat Memphis but lost to Duke and Butler. I don't know how good this team is but they should do fine in the A-10 and be right around here at season's end.

West (Phoenix)

1. Oklahoma - Blake Griffin is great! He is getting double-teamed all the time and still is averaging 22 and 12. This is is solid!

2. Texas - This is the best team no one is talking about. I know that making the top 2 seeds in a region from the same conference is silly but I think this makes it interesting.

3. UCLA - A Final Four team the last two years they best number 3 seed. If Collison can get the team playing together this could be the third year in a row for Ben Howland's team in the Final Four.

4. Memphis - They have played 3 quality opponents, Xavier, Syracuse, Georgetown and they have lost all three. Until they beat someone they will be here or lower.

That's the first of many! The season is only going to get better and I am getting hyped!

BOO YA!

History Tells Us Who Won't Win

I did a little research this week about the history of the NFL Playoffs. If I knew a couple weeks ago what I knew now I would not have picked both the Ravens and Eagles to make the Super Bowl. Hell I wouldn't have picked either of them to even make it.

I knew that there had been only one 6 seed to win the Super Bowl (05 Steelers) and I knew that Wild Card teams struggle to get to the Super Bowl. But I didn't know how many times the top seeds got in and how few times the Wild Card teams did.

Since 1990 (the inception of the current playoff system) there have been 18 playoffs. Of all 18 times there has been a #1 seed (from either conference) in the Super Bowl in ALL but 2 games. Those 2 games were the 1992-93 Super Bowl (Buffalo vs Dallas) and the 1997-98 Super Bowl (Denver vs Green Bay). In EVERY other year AT least 1 of the top seeds made the Super Bowl.

BUT both #1 seeds have only made it twice, the 1991-92 Buffalo vs Washington and then two years later in 1993-94 Buffalo vs Dallas. So the odds of a Giants vs Titans Super Bowl are very minimal.

So which team is more likely to make it....based on history of course?

The Giants.

Why? Because the #1 seed in the NFC has played in the NFC Championship game in every year EXCEPT last season when Dallas lost. And overall 11 of the 18 Super Bowls since 1990 have featured the #1 seed in the NFC.

Where as in the AFC the #1 seed has only made 11 of the AFC Championship games and only 7 Super Bowls. So based on history the Titans have longer odds of getting past Baltimore let alone getting to Tampa.

And what about my picks of Baltimore and Philly to make the Super Bowl? Out of 96 wild card teams since 1990 only 9 teams (92 Bills, 95 Colts, 96 Jaguars, 97 Broncos, 99 Titans, 00 Ravens, 05 Steelers, 05 Panthers, and 07 Giants) have even made the Championship game.

And of those only 6 made the Super Bowl (Bills, Broncos, Titans, Ravens, Steelers, and Giants). and 4 won it all (Broncos, Ravens, Steelers, and Giants).

To make matters worse there has only been 1 year where 2 Wild Card teams even made the Championship games (2005-06).

So basically what I am saying is don't bet on the Eagles or Ravens to win the Super Bowl. But definitely don't bet on BOTH teams to GET to the Super Bowl.

BCS National Championship Game Preview

National Championship Game
Florida vs Oklahoma
Thursday, January 8, 8:00
on FOX
Dolphin Stadium - Miami

Why you should watch:

• Umm...hello...National Championship game!
  
• 2 good offenses going head to head
• 2 good defense against a maybe not so good defense
• SEC vs Big 12
• Tebow vs Bradford
• Meyer vs Stoops
• Last college football game (cause senior games and spring games don't count)
  

Why you shouldn't watch:

• It's just a "mythical" championship
  

Streaks and Scheduling Notes:
Florida:

• 12-1 (8-1)
  
• 17th straight bowl game (8-8); 2-4 in their last 6
• Only loss to Ole Miss at home
• Since that loss no game has been within 11 (28 points after that)
  

Oklahoma:

• 12-1 (8-1)
  
• 10th straight bowl game (4-5); 1-4 in their last 5
  
• Only loss to Texas at neutral site
• Since that loss no game has been within 14 points
  

Key Stats, Figures, and Players:
Florida:

• Offensively they are somewhat balanced although they don't throw for many yards. They are 61st in passing offense BUT they are 5th in passing efficiency...which means they are good at passing when they do it.
  
• Defensively they very good. They allow only 105 rushing yards and 174 passing yards per game. They have also picked off 24 passes this season.
  
• QB Tim Tebow obviously. He has over 2,500 yards passing, 28 touchdowns, and ONLY 2 interceptions all season. Maybe even more importantly he has over 500 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns on the ground.
  
• RB/WR Percy Harvin (when healthy) is the game changer on offense. He has run the ball 61 times for over 500 yards and 9 touchdowns. He has also caught 35 passes for almost 600 yards and another 7 touchdowns.
• 4 running backs, Harvin, Chris Rainey, Emmanuel Moody, and Jeffrey Demps, average over 7.3 yards per carry.
• LB Brandon Spikes is the leader on the defense. He leads the team with 87 tackles this season (48 solo). He also has 4 interceptions, 2 of which he returned for touchdowns.
  
• DE Carlos Dunlap leads the team with 12 tackles for loss and 9 sacks this season.
• CBs Janoris Jenkins and Joe Haden have been solid all season. Combined they have 6 interceptions and 21 pass breakups.
  

Oklahoma:

• Offensively they are one of the best. They average over 200 yards rushing and over 350 passing yards per game. And they don't give up sacks as their offensive line is amazing.
  
• Defensively they are not as good. Against the run they are okay allowing only 106 yards per game. But passing they allow over 250 yards per game. They average 3.2 sacks per game too.
  
• QB Sam Bradford has been amazing this season. 4,464 passing yards and 48 touchdowns this season. WOW. He averages over 10 yards per attempt. Meaning they get 10 yards per PASS.
  
• RBs Chris Brown and DeMarco Murry have both rushed for over 1000 yards this season. They also scored 34 rushing touchdowns combined.
  
• WR Juaquin Iglesias leads the team with 69 receptions and almost 11oo yards. He also has 10 touchdowns this season.
• LB Travis Lewis (who by the way is a freshman) is the best playmaker on the defense. He leads the team with 137 tackles including 69 solo tackles. He also has 12 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, and 4 interceptions this season.
• LB Keenan Clayton is another player to watch on defense. He has 78 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery, 9 pass breakups, and a very impressive 6 forced fumbles.
• CB Dominique Franks is probably the best player in the secondary. He has 4 interceptions (with 1 touchdown), 1 fumble recovery (and touchdown), and he has 10 pass breakups.
  

Who Wins:
Florida....I am not a firm believer in the Big 12 this season as has been mentioned here before. But I will say that Oklahoma IN MY OPINION is the most talented of all the teams in the conference. However Florida is only rivaled by USC as the most talented and best teams in the country. Really this game is going to come down to in my opinion Percy Harvin. With Harvin the Gators are not beatable....without him they are closer to average. He says he will be 90% for the game which isn't great but I think it is good enough.

Change is Needed!

The GM and I don't agree on much but we recently agreed on one thing and that is this. The overtime format in the NFL needs changed and it needs changed now. We touched briefly on this subject during the podcast on Tuesday (which if you haven't listened to it yet, you should because it's good) but we are going to get a little more in depth with our ideas here.

The biggest problem in my opinion is that the coin flip carries so much weight. It is something that has nothing to do with football skill and lots to do with pure luck. If the team wins the coin toss, all they will probably have to do is move the ball 40 yards at the most to move into field goal range.

The arguement here is that defense is part of the game and they should be able to stop the team from getting into scoring range. That is a hell of a lot of pressure and hence the reason so many defensive penalties get called in overtime. The defenses can't handle it most of the time and I would venture to guess that over 75% of teams that win the coin toss win the game and most of them probably win it on the opening drive of overtime.

There has to be a solution to this crazy sudden death coin flip type of overtime.

Here is what I, Verb, have got for you:

Overtime should be a fifth quarter. No sudden death. It takes the luck of the coin toss right out of play. A full 15 minute overtime period where each team can score as many times as they want and only time is the end of the game. It takes most of the luck out of the ending and gives all the facets of the game equal leverage on the outcome.

So you ask, well what if the game isn't decided after the first overtime?

Then you go to a 10 minute period or second overtime period. The only rule change is that if a team scores a touchdown they must go for two. If this doesn't decided the game then continue with 5 minute periods with teams having to go for two until a winner is decided.

In my opinion, this is the most fair way of ending a game that is tied at the end of regulation. The coin flip is pretty much taken out of play and it gives each team a chance to get the ball and keeps the special teams in play as well.

An overtime game will take longer, but let's be honest with ourselves for a second, its the NFL. Does anyone really mind if the games go a little longer so we can decide a fair winner?

I didn't think so.

Mr. Goodell, please take this into consideration!


GM's Thoughts:

Okay now it is my turn. Verb...what happens if this is like the Steelers vs Ravens and neither offense scored much during regulation? Not only that you will still find teams running out the clock at the end just to get it over. That would be boring to watch. Overtime SHOULD be exciting.

The better way is to do this:

There is a traditional coin toss like they have now. Then you kickoff. If the team that receives the ball scores then the other team gets a shot. If they don't score the other team gets the ball.

Now...how does it end you ask. Sudden death starts AS SOON AS there is a change of possession. If team 1 does NOT score then sudden death starts as soon as they punt the ball. If team 1 does score than sudden death starts as soon as the kick off.

It keeps all aspects of the game involved and it gives the game a definitive ending.

A Few Notes to Mr. Whitlock

Yesterday I was perusing the different sports news sites and came across Jason Whitlocks column on FoxSports.com called NFL Truths.

He makes some interesting points in the column that got me kind of fired up.

First he basically says that Tony Dungy deserves NO blame for the Colts failures in the playoffs (except his first year with the team when they lost 41-0). Instead he places all of the blame on this teams playoff failures on Peyton Manning and the offense.

He makes some valid points including Manning's playoff numbers (7-8 record, 22 TDs, and 17 INTs). Okay....not fabulous but not really that bad either.

But let's also consider this....teams usually step up in the playoffs and play much better defense. Usually in the playoffs there aren't any huge defensive letdowns and typically the defenses play outstanding throughout the playoffs. So maybe that is part of the reason Manning hasn't won as much in the playoffs.

And there is this too....in his 10 years in the league Peyton has led the Colts to the playoffs 8 times with 1 Super Bowl victory. He is 3-3 in wild card games, 2-4 in the divisional round, and 1-1 in conference title games. But what isn't mentioned in those games is that 3 times the Colts have lost to the eventual Super Bowl Champions and 1 other time to the eventual Super Bowl runner-up.

So in my opinion Peyton is not a choke artist but just a quarterback who has run into better teams in the playoffs.


Second he says Matt Millen should not be anywhere near a studio show as an analyst. I am not saying he shouldn't be but I don't think his successes or failures as a general manager should be a consideration for getting on a show.

Sure the Lions are bad and he built that team but he didn't do it all by himself. There are people within the organization called Scouts, Coaches, and Players that haven't done anything either.

I am not saying Millen doesn't deserve much of the blame but it isn't like he hand picked every player and coach because he looked into everything himself. Many of the draft picks they made were SURELY the suggestions of scouts and coaches on the staff.

But either way I think Millen can bring a different perspective to the show although I think that show is already to crowded and he is not needed.


Third he doesn't think LT will start another game with the Chargers. If that happens I think it is the biggest mistake they could make.

In Whitlock's opinion Darren Sproles is an every down back who apparently can play with and run against anyone.

Hmmm....all this after 1 game in the playoffs? Not only that but it isn't like Indy has the best run defense in the league.

I think Sproles can be a VERY GOOD change of pace/split carries type of back. Not many teams rely on 1 guy anymore and the teams that do aren't playing anymore this season. The Chargers would be smart to keep Sproles and LT and play both of them to keep the other sharp.

Note to Jason.....there are NO EVERY DOWN BACKS IN THE NFL ANYMORE!!


A couple other things he said was that Pennington is a championship caliber quarterback without the key parts around him and he came back at Deadspin editor and former editor Daulerio and Will Leitch for different things.

Pennington as a championship caliber quarterback is a new one to me. I have NEVER heard him described in that light. Sure he is a good leader and a solid quarterback but he will never lead a team to a Super Bowl let alone a championship.

And the Deadspin stuff seems a little childish to me. He has been attacking these guys for a couple weeks now and it seems to me that he feels threatened by them. You have to wonder if he is trying to make an even bigger name for himself by attacking one of the largest names in sports on the web.

Jason, I would have to say that you outta pick a different target cause you are just making yourself look bad. Oh and keep up the hard work you put forth everyday!

Podcast - Episode 15

Last night Verb and I did episode 15 for the Jumping Offsides podcast. It was a little longer than the recent episodes at almost 1 hour but it was probably our best show to date. There was some very good discussion on all the topics.

Speaking of Topics....here they are:

• Should Utah get consideration for the National Championship?
• Boston College and their head coaching situation.
• Should fans be allowed to vote for All-Star teams?
• Pittsburgh makes it to #1 for the first time in history.
• Andy Pettite turning down $10 million from the Yankees.
• Overtime rules in the NFL and potential solutions.
• Matt Cassell getting franchised by the Pats....what does it mean?
• Is Tony Dungy retiring? Should he? Is he a great coach?
• Is Peyton Manning to blame for the Colts playoff struggles through his career?
• Do teams that get the bye week in the playoffs truly benefit from it?
• Do Bowl Games have ANY meaning anymore?
• National Championship game talk
• Previewed all 4 playoff games and gave you keys to the game for each game (and not something like stop the Panthers run game).

Like I said...it was longer than usual and we covered A LOT. Really this was probably the best episode. Listen by clicking the link on the right or subscribe through Itunes.