Sunday, January 23, 2011

Prediction ... PAIN!

These NFL conference championship games today are going to be straight up bone-crunching, raw displays of power. In the freezing cold. Apparently, this thing happens in January where really cold air permeates much of the northern portions of the United States, and we have some particularly brutal pockets of said cold air going on this weekend. Not so much fun if you're attending one of these games live (or even worse, playing in them), but much more so if you're watching from the comfort of home (me!).

Fellow football lovers, let's relish these last three games of the 2010-11 campaign. We might not see any more for quite some time after this, what with the gloomy presence of a possible lockout casting a depressingly uncertain pall over the proceedings of the NFL's postseason. Let's not focus too much on the labor-dispute saga -- certainly not while the games are on -- but it's hard to forget about it completely. How the draft might be affected is also uncertain, particularly as it applies to rookie contracts. April of 2011 might be the last chance for players out of college to ink deals that give them a lot of cheddar guaranteed up-front before proving that they deserved the big bucks all along. Personally, I wouldn't be opposed to some sort of language or structuring of rookie contracts that filters out gradually larger chunks of cash based on better-than-expected, rookie-year, on-the-field results, but it would probably be a little too nebulous or difficult to enforce this.

Anyway, on to the picks.

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME - NO. 6 SEED GREEN BAY PACKERS (12-6) AT NO. 2 SEED CHICAGO BEARS (12-5)

Last week: Green Bay throttled the top-seeded Falcons in Atlanta, surprising more than a few followers. Chicago stormed out to a dominant lead over the visiting Seattle Seahawks before letting their foot off the gas pedal toward the end, making the final score a bit misleading. Those who watched closely weren't fooled - Chicago was loads better than Seattle last weekend.

Keys to the Game: These two squads are fierce divisional rivals and two of the long-standing, storied franchises in NFL history. There is certainly no love lost between them even during their regular-season matchups, and the stakes can't possibly get any higher than this for a Bears/Packers playoff meeting (the right to go to the Super Bowl).

The teams split their regular season meetings, with Chicago winning 20-17 at Soldier Field early on in the season, and Green Bay prevailing 10-3 in a Week 17, "win-to-get-in" Lambeau Field clash.

To say that today's game will likely be a close call, especially when you throw in the single-digit wind chill temperatures expected for the 2 p.m. local time kickoff, would be a severe understatement.

A productive passing game is infinitely more difficult to pull off in frigid conditions, which may negate the fact that GB's Aaron Rodgers seems to have a slight edge over the Bears' Jay Cutler at the quarterback position. Both offenses struggled to get a whole lot done in that week 17 meeting, but turnovers and penalties were also part of that equation. Needless to say, whichever team commits more of such bone-headed infractions today will likely walk off Soldier Field as the loser.

Assuming the passing games will be slow-going, establishing an efficient ground game will be ever important. Or perhaps we'll see more of a West Coast offense type of passing game - lots of screens and over-the-middle short stuff. Expect both defenses to throw lots of looks at each QB to disrupt the offense's rhythm and timing.

Should the game unfold with stubborn yardage via passing attacks, it would seem that the Bears have more high-profile weapons out of the backfield (Matt Forte, or even some gadget-type plays with Devin Hester) than does Green Bay, which has worked miracles out of its injury situation this year. James Starks probably didn't even expect he'd be as significant for the Pack as he has in the playoffs this year.

The coaching matchup seems to be kind of a wash. Neither Mike McCarthy nor Lovie Smith stands out as a high-profile genius, but at least Lovie went to a Super Bowl with this franchise four years ago.

The Pick: It's hard to pick against Green Bay. Damn difficult. They were a preseason Super Bowl favorite, they took their lumps with injuries, but then they still managed to finish 10-6 and come out on top in a must-win game to sneak into the playoffs. They did this with a patchwork gathering of non-superstars and a gutsy QB named Aaron Rodgers, who by all accounts is probably one of the potential future superstars in this league. The idea that they are in the NFC Championship game is a little nuts.

The 2010 Chicago Bears, on the other hand, are that team that doesn't have the same flash or story behind them. They're the squad that nobody (me included) has wanted to admit might actually be a Super Bowl contender. They don't seem like they should be this good, but they are. They present matchup problems offensively for even the most tested of defenses, and defensively they have looked really solid lately.

Even though I'd love nothing more than seeing a Jets-Packers Super Bowl, I think Chicago is coming out on top in this one. Look, the Packers have been an incredible story this year. And if they had stayed healthy all season I would probably be picking them in this game (come to think of it, had they stayed healthy all season this game would probably be at Lambeau Field and not in Chicago).

But the Bears were just beaten by this team a few weeks ago, and you know they can't like the fact that they are considered an underdog at home against a No. 6 seed. It's kind of insulting really. I think they're going to come out loaded to the teeth. I think Israel Idonije and Julius Peppers are going to be unstoppable beasts on the defensive line, and that Aaron Rodgers will be running for his life most of this game. I think Chicago's 'D' might turn in a performance for the ages. And I think Chicago's offense is going to surprise a lot of folks in how multi-dimensional it can actually be.

And let's not forget the obvious advantage the Bears have on special teams (Hester, anyone?)

It will be an incredible fight, but I think Chicago wants this bad, and playing at home will be the edge that they need to push them to that other level. Chicago in a close one, probably a 3-point game.

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME - NO. 6 NEW YORK JETS (13-5) AT NO. 2 SEED PITTSBURGH STEELERS (13-4)

Last week: The Jets took down the top-seeded, favorite-to-win-it-all, big bad New England Patriots, IN FOXBORO mind you, 28-21. They just played better, plain and simple. The defense was incredible. And they were pissed. They backed up all that trash-talking, which is good for them, because otherwise they'd be eating a ton of crow right now. The Steelers beat up on their divisional kid brother, the Baltimore Ravens, 31-24 in a close one at Heinz Field. The Steelers and Ravens don't know how to play a game with each other that's not intensely even. Baltimore's last chance ran out when a fourth-down pass to T.J. Houshmanzadeh hit him in the chest and bounced out of his arms around midfield with under a minute remaining.

Keys to the Game: The Jets knocked off the Steelers 22-17 at Heinz Field on Dec. 19. The key play was a late-game safety by New York's Jason Taylor that provided a five-point cushion, meaning that Pittsburgh needed a touchdown on their last drive instead of a game-tying field goal.

Jets head coach Rex Ryan basically just needs to duplicate today what he did in that game. Although it certainly won't be that simple. Pittsburgh likely watched the game tape countless times over the past 7 days to study what went wrong so that they can correct it.

The Steelers' offense vs. The Jets' vaunted defense is the premiere matchup for this game. New York stalwart defensive back Darrelle Revis will likely be matched up on the Steelers' best big-play receiver -- Mike Wallace -- and Antonio Cromartie will likely lock up against Hines Ward. This will be an incredibly physical battle. This game will likely come down to what the younger Pittsburgh receivers - Antonio Brown and Emmanuelle Sanders - can do against the Jets' lesser pass defenders. Can the Jets' defensive front (guys like Shaun Ellis) get enough pressure on Ben Roethlisberger when they'll be outnumbered, much the way they did against Tom Brady last Sunday? It will be interesting to see how this all plays out. The linebackers and corners/safeties will likely be in pass coverage on almost every play, since this tactic worked so well against New England. They may have to change up that strategy though if it doesn't work out personnel-wise against the Steelers.

On the other side of the ball, can Mark Sanchez become the first quarterback ever to win five road playoff games in a career, in just his second year in the NFL? Yes, that would be insane. But it's not impossible. The Steelers always have a great defense, but Troy Polamalu, the guy that takes them to another level, hasn't looked the same since coming back from injury. Pittsburgh's D is vulnerable in spots, and the Jets have to do a great job at finding those. Sanchez will need to have a big game offensively if the Jets are going to win, considering that P'burgh has only allowed 100-plus rushing yards twice this season. The Jets will have to be very inventive with their offensive play-calling, because you can't win if you don't score.

Something tells me the Jets' offense is going to have a tough time sustaining drives and staying out on the field. I'm expecting a Time of Possession breakdown that heavily favors the Steelers. This worked out for the Jets last weekend though. New England had the ball way more than the Jets did, but we all know how that played out.

The Pick: The Steelers are a model organization, all the way around. They have six Super Bowls, more than any other franchise, and they have a veteran, but still relatively young, QB who has two Super Bowls under his belt already. They have a ferocious defense, great coaching, and they're tough to beat at home.

So naturally, I'm picking the New York Football Jets.

Hear me out. The Jets just have that intangible quality this year that can't quite be explained. It's more than their flashy ways, their trash-talking head coach and players, their frathouse mentality, their 'us-against-the-world' swagger. That's all part of it. But beyond that, they always seem to find a way to win when it's absolutely necessary. They're not scared of playing on the road - they've already shown they can do that successfully (just look at the past two seasons). There's also the fact that they beat this team already on this field. Sure that usually works against the team that won the first time in the rematch, but it's different with this Jets team. You can feel it. They're not scared or fazed by anything.

I think they'll win the key matchups and do enough defensively to basically shut Pittsburgh down. In fact, I'm expecting the Jets' D to be the hero today, come up with a few big turnovers to set up shop for New York with decent field position and a few relatively easy scores. I don't think the Jets can drive the ball down the field consistently all night long against that Steelers defense. But I have a feeling the Jets' D is going to come up huge and help get the win for this team, just like it did last week against New England.

Remember, the Jets have taken down Peyton Manning and Tom Brady in back-to-back weeks, on the road. Roethlisberger and the Steelers are next - and they've already won that battle this year. They just need to keep doing what they've been doing. On the other hand, the Steelers' run of success can't continue forever. They've got to lose one of these big games. Today seems like just as good a day as any.

Another extremely close one, but I think the Jets get it done.

Jets-Bears Super Bowl. My God. If I'm actually right, I'll be shocked.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

A Variety of Cool Stuff

What's up playas and playettes?

Been heavy on the sports stuff lately (especially the American football, as the kids like to call it), so I thought I'd mix things up with a cornucopia of other stuff that's either awesome, or laughably stupid in some way (new season of Jersey Shore anyone?) NFC/AFC Championship game picks forthcoming tomorrow before 3 p.m. kickoff of the first game (Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears). EL Presidente won't leave you hanging, don't worry.

GOLDEN GLOBES

Word on the street is this guy pissed off some important people at the Golden Globes last weekend.



So much so, in fact, that he apparently won't be invited back to host.

Okay, so Ricky Gervais said some inflammatory stuff. He was on the anti-establishment tip. Not drinking the Kool Aid. It seems kind of obvious he wants to up his profile and continue to push boundaries as a comedian and general celebrity personality. It's hard to imagine this as anything other than a calculated career move. Whether it actually helps him or not remains to be seen, but if there's even a hint of truth to anything he said, I give him credit for setting his fazers on stun and calling people out. Hey if nothing else, it was entertaining.

As for the actual winners? Sometimes the folks who score the hardware are a decent indicator of what might happen at the Oscars, but that's not always the case. I agree with many of the choices, but like usual, you could make an argument for others who lost out but still gave great performances.

Highlights for me (and by highlights, I mean the selections I agree with most vehemently) include:

-- Christian Bale scoring Best Supporting Actor for "The Fighter." I could not believe it was a professional actor playing a character rather than a real guy off the streets of Lowell, Mass.

-- "Boardwalk Empire" winning Best TV Series Drama -- solid show, although I'm a little surprised Steve Buscemi won best lead actor in a drama series over both Jon Hamm (Mad Men) and Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad). I mean, he's adequate in his role as Nucky Thompson, but I've never felt so inspired by him that I just had to start up a conversation about his performance.




-- Aaron Sorkin winning "Best Screenplay in a Motion Picture" for The Social Network -- great flick, and an essential story in our current age of social media addiction and up-to-the-minute updates about virtually everything.

-- Natalie Portman winning "Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama" for her performance in Black Swan. It's not easy to play a character who is both disengaged from most of those around her and also emotionally disturbed all at once, but she did it convincingly, and she had you rooting for her to come out on top even if she wasn't the most likable protagonist ever. If a bat-shit crazy Barbara Hershey was your mother in a cramped Manhattan apartment for several years, you'd be a kick in the ass away from a stint at Bellevue yourself.

It will be interesting to see what happens at The Oscars. Generally speaking, my favorite flicks from 2010 (or at least the ones that stand out most right now) are The Social Network, The Town (brilliant cops-and-robbers stuff, wonderfully done, very unique and entertaining), Black Swan (a total mind-hump), True Grit (fantastic Coen Brothers remake of the 1969 John Wayne classic western) and Winter's Bone, which unfortunately will likely get the least amount of attention at the Academy Awards.



It came out too long ago (last April), had a limited theaters release and admittedly features bleak, depressing subject matter. But it's a jarring story about how the other half lives with a watershed performance by a promising young actress named Jennifer Lawrence. You should check it out, but you should also do so only when planning a happy activity immediately afterward. I mean, there just aren't that many feel-good movies about poverty-level, meth-addicted people and a teenage kid looking after most of her family while drug-dealing, fugitive dad has put the house up for bond collateral. It's worth it to see this though, trust me. Would I ever steer you in the wrong direction? Certainly not intentionally!

KENNY POWERS

Probably my favorite comedy right now, on network TV, cable TV or damn near anywhere, is an absurd, uproarious tour de force known as Eastbound and Down, and it airs on HBO. There's a very good chance you know it, or also enjoy it, which is good because it is goddamn comedic gold, this much I promise you.

The series focuses on Kenny Powers, a washed-up major league pitcher who has been derailed by drugs and alcohol, and also untimely injury. Season one opens with Kenny needing to figure out what comes next in life after his career as a pro baseball player takes a nose-dive, so he ends up crashing with his brother's family in Shelby, North Carolina. That's enough for set-up, but practically everything that happens in this show is laugh-out-loud funny anyway.

What's best about it though? That's tough to say. The obviously idiotic situations that ensue are definitely part of it, but for me, it's got to be the atrociously vulgar yet hilarious dialogue and Powers' complete lack of cooth and decency. Somehow though, you love his character, vile though he sometimes is as a person. Danny McBride completely kills it as Kenny Powers.



The underrated ingredient that makes the show really enjoyable though? That would be a guy named Steve Little, who plays the incredibly nerdy and overconfident yet somewhat self-aware Stevie Janowski, a schlubby dude in Shelby who idolizes Kenny and begs on as his sidekick when Powers rolls into town in Season one.



There have been two seasons of EB&D so far, but it's an extremely manageable 14 total episodes at 30 minutes each. It's totally worth the commitment. You'll plow through them in no time. It's easy, guilt-free, feel-good viewing, and you'll always feel better about yourself when you watch what most of what these mopes go through. Isn't that the point of a good comedy? Anyway, you can catch it on HBO On Demand or through re-runs that they occasionally air. If you don't get HBO, Netflix it.

A SAD 'SITUATION'

Can we just have Jersey Shore taken off the air already? It's a joke at this point, right? Are these situations really real? Is the show not completely manufactured? Do Snooki and The Situation really have multi-million dollar book deals? It's times like these when I need to shoot myself. Not fatally, you know, but a non-lethal bullet would be a nice reminder that people who have NO business being well-paid OR famous are occasionally rewarded with both.

At this point, the only fun for me in a show like Jersey Shore is trying to figure out if these people are for real. Is this really who they are 24/7? Sadly, I think the answer is 'yes.' Nobody can act THAT well. I suppose there's something refreshing about that, right? They're just being themselves, take them or leave them. Nothing wrong with that, right? Certainly not. And if you want to waste hours of your life and basically just become dumber, you can watch them 'just be themselves' for hours on end on MTV!

But the show is somewhat of a trainwreck in the sense that you just can't turn the dial once you stumble upon it. There's no going back. You become transfixed. Don't fall into this trap. Sadly, my wife has a few times already, and I swear to all that is good and just in this world that neither of us is any better for it.

HIP HOP TIP DU JOUR

Since I fashioned my creative namesake after the one and only Notorious B.I.G. -- (moment of silence for his hip hop greatness) ... and .... there. Thank you. -- I'm going to try to begin making it a semi-regular occurrence in this space to drop some true blue hip hop knowledge on those that care to receive it, ya dig?

As an art form, hip hop is one of the more revolutionary and fascinating cultural movements of the past 40 years (the roots of what inspired it go back way farther than that). As is known by many of us who once cared for, and still do, great works in this art form, it's clear that the culture has changed in such a way that the life force and impact this music once had isn't the same these days. But it will never truly be dead. We will always have what made it what it was in the first place.

To that end, I'd like to share with ya'll a prime example of some dope sounds I've been grooving on lately. Check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9aG3xc9IZw

This, constituents, is a perfect example of what laid the groundwork, the foundation, for hip hop music to explode into the universally adored musical movement it has become. This is Grandmaster Flash, one of the original and truly transcendent hip hop figures ever, getting busy on the one's and two's as only he can, taking some dope old 70s sounds and chopping them up for sonic wonderment. Keep in mind all he had were his hands, some black wax circles and a couple basic turntables, as this was clearly back in the day.



Yes, it's not studio-polished, and yes the beat chops slightly out of rhythm here and there. But that's precisely what makes this so enigmatic. Considering what GMF did with what he had to work with, this is like somehow turning a packet of Hot Pockets into gourmet dining.

Hope you enjoy. This one is a 7-minute instrumental beatdown, but put it on in the background while you're doing your taxes, or wasting time on facebook, or looking up Snooki's latest arrest. Next time I'll break you off with something on the lyrical tip.

Peace.

Monday, January 10, 2011

L-O-S-E-R-S - LOSERS!

Okay, sorry, couldn't resist making fun of the Eagles chant there.

On the "right-to-the-point" tip ... (more stuff to come in later posts, but right now, need to get this on the record).

NFL's NFC Wild Card Playoffs - Sunday, Jan. 9th, 2010 at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pa.

Green Bay Packers 21, Phialdelphia Eagles 16

Unfortunately, my prediction was right. In this instance, I would rather have been wrong. And it played out almost exactly like I thought it would. The defense actually exceeded my expectations in terms of how many points were given up, but they were on the field way too long, they let Green Bay sustain their drives and take too much time off the clock, and perhaps most importantly, they were awful at stopping the Packers on third down. Simply put, they couldn't come up with a key stop when they needed it most. As expected, Michael Vick was poorly protected for most of the game. I heard some bozos on The FAN (660 AM, New York radio) blaming all of this on Vick, how he didn't 'show up' and failed to get it done in a big moment. Not one word from these 'experts' though on how much the offensive line blew chunks yesterday, and has for most of the year due to inexperience and untimely injuries to key guys (i.e. Winston Justice). Vick wasn't at his best yesterday, but he certainly wasn't at his worst. And if you blame this loss on him primarily that only tells me you weren't really watching the game that closely. If you want to blame any individual (which is usually stupid in a team sport anyway), blame David Akers for missing two field goals that are usually chip shots by his standards. Those six points would surely have made a difference in a five-point loss.




And for how badly the Birds played, they still had a chance to win on that last-second desperation pass from Vick to Riley Cooper in the back of the end zone, before it was unceremoniously picked off by Green Bay's Tramon Williams. It's unbelievable that they weren't put away much earlier in this game when considering how mediocre the defense was, how inefficent the offense was, the bad-luck re-injury to DeSean Jackson's ankle (he's been gimpy for awhile now), the multitude of stupid penalties, and the failed two-point conversion that would have pulled Philly within 3 (making it 21-18), even though Philly got a mulligan on it because of one of said stupid penalties. A three-point deficit changes the complexion completely, especially psychologically. "Come on guys, a field goal and we're tied, going to OT!" But considering how Akers performed yesterday, a potentially game-tying, last-second field goal would have, no doubt, sailed wide left/right.

I guess now would be a decent time to point out that had the Eagles somehow won, they would have been feasted on by the Bears next weekend at Soldier Field. I mean, the Eagles' D allowed 123 rushing yards by James Starks, a no-name who didn't even have that many yards for the entire season coming into yesterday's game. Can you imagine what Matt Forte would do to them next weekend?



Hey, what can you say. The 2010 season actually exceeded the projected ceiling of this team for most Eagles fans (or at least the realistic ones). It's a young team, lots of injuries this year, a brand new dynamic at the quarterback position, and regardless of how you feel individually about Michael Vick, his play carried the team and was a lightning-rod talking point for the NFL in the 20-oh-10. Oh and Andy Reid continues to appear as though he has no impact on anything that happens out there.

If I was an artist and some big-shot commissioned me to do a work of art entitled "Blank Stare," I would literally paint a snap-shot of Andy Reid's face on the sidelines during any game. I don't understand why so many people continue to defend him. Does he inspire any sort of tangible emotion associated with a winning football team? Passion? Inspiration? Hard work? Dedication? Excitement? Do you think of any of these things when you think of Andy Reid? I think of a guy who never gets pissed off (it's okay to get peeved sometimes Andy, really. It means you actually CARE), a guy who often mis-manages his timeouts during crucial moments (especially toward the end of a half), and a guy whose success is primarily due to having been fortunate enough to be surrounded by a decent staff and talented players. Put Andy Reid in St. Louis, or Denver, or Cleveland, or any other currently undesireable destination in the league right now, and he'd be fired within 2-3 years. We'll never get the chance to see that happen though, because no matter how many frustrating endings to Eagles seasons we experience, it's like he has permanent immunity. A change in the coaching department wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing.



Oh and I can hear the defenders right now. "They had a lot of injuries, young team, can't blame the coach for that!" True, it can't be entirely blamed on him this year. But his inability to generate anything positive out of something negative isn't helping at ALL. Look at what Belichick had to work with this year, and look at New England's record (my God, am I really doing this? Building up the Pats??). He took a bunch of guys who were no-names back in September of 2010 and made them household names by January of 2011. We all know who BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Danny Woodhead and Rob Gronkowski are by now. When did Andy Reid ever turn nothing into something? I'm really thinking hard on this one. I got nothin.'

So what's to do in the offseason? It seems fairly obvious that the organization will try to sign Vick to some sort of long-term deal (perhaps slap the franchise tag on him), and I'm fine with that. But put a better offensive line in front of him. It's a nice collection of skill players wearing Eagles unis right now, but please, improve the offensive line and the defense. The secondary is actually not bad. A few more stalwart, big-name linebackers and/or pass rushers would be nice additions though. Special teams seems serviceable enough, shouldn't need to tinker with anything there all that much. And the kicking game is okay (Sav Rocca is a consistent punter, Akers is USUALLY a consistent kicker).

Will be interesting to see what happens on Draft Day 2011 for the Birds. And of course, let's pray to (insert deity here) that there's no lockout for the 2011-12 season.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Monday Night Quarterback

So here we are in the midst of college football bowl season and in the vital week between the end of the regular NFL season and the first round (aka 'Wild Card' round) of the playoffs.

Like my man DJ Premiere once said (okay, so he's not my man, but still) - "It doesn't get any realer than this."

I know I've been hitting the pigskin-related stuff hard lately, but football to me is like white powder to Frank Lucas in the 70s. It's hard to ever say I've gotten enough of it. I and every other football fanatic is joyful for this time of year, but also mournful that after another 5 weeks or so, we trudge into the dark period that is the seven months without any AMERICAN FOOTBALL. Oh and let's not even begin to get into the fact that there might be a work stoppage, leaving us with no 2011 NFL season. Commish Roger Goodell said earlier today that the league 'can and will' work out the collective bargaining agreement so that the greatest league in all leagues man has ever known will continue on uninterrupted (alright, so I editorialized a little, but he DID say the part about working things out with the CBA).



I know you, like I, am hoping everyone involved who has even a fart's worth of greed in his or her bones smartens up and does what's right for the greater good of all the rabid football fans out there. Pay these guys what they deserve, owners and league reps. And take care of them with better benefits after they retire. I don't want to keep elevating upward on the old high horse here, but it's getting ridiculous. You want to implement an 18-game regular season schedule (horrible idea, by the way), but you can't get straight what constitutes an illegal hit and what doesn't (or you just choose to head-hunt and fine certain players because of their reputation), and worst of all, you don't have any plan in place to help these modern-day gladiators out when they're 42 years old, 6 years retired from the game but can't even bend over to play ball with their kids anymore because of "God-knows-what" aches and pains they have going on. Oh and this is all because you only paid them a pittance compared to what certain NBA players make, leaving them unable to afford the best medical care in their declining years, all so that the kajillionaire owners can continue to pocket what amounts to an extra few dollar bills by their standards.



And now give me a moment to descend off the soapbox. Okay, almost down now. Just a moment. There. Thank you.

But seriously, I love the game as much as anyone, and I recognize that you get what you sign up for in terms of some of the nasty injuries that come along with it. But please, that's all the more reason to protect these guys. They're like pieces of meat right now. The game chews them up and spits them out, knowing full well that the next Brett Favre or Maurice Jones-Drew is coming down the pike to entertain us all for years to come. So who cares about the guys that just put their bodies through about 25 years worth of trauma in a brutal 7-10 year stretch, right? Who would sign up for this? Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there are guys who leave the game all the time and are fine. But there's a whole lot that aren't so lucky, and the years of service they gave to the league and for our enjoyment doesn't amount to so much as a stack of illegally forged pain pill prescription slips because nobody is there to help these guys. I really hope that changes, or else the premiere athletes in our country in the coming years are going to start gravitating toward anything (baseball, soccer, basketball, hockey, olympics, etc.) that isn't football. And who can blame them? No amount of money in someone's bank account can fix years worth of damage done by concussions or vicious helmet-to-body hits. Please NFL, take better care of these guys, any way you can. I don't have the answers for sure, but I think that more time ought to be spent trying to figure them out.

Now that I've started 2011 off like a real Debbie Downer, on to the fun stuff, shall we? I promise next entry I'll hit up more entertainment or other-sports type topics, but for now, College football and the NFL rolls on.

COLLEGE

The Bowl Season thus far has been, I don't know, seemingly not as memorable as in other years. Can anyone recall any other season that featured so many 'who cares' bowls or such a lack of star-power at the college level? Or maybe I'm just paying less attention, I'm not sure. Either way, it seems like the 2010-11 college football season has been just as much about scandals, athletes being disciplined and how hypocritical and laughable an organization the NCAA has become to most of us. Between the Cam Newton stuff, Reggie Bush being guilted into giving back his Heisman Trophy (with the NCAA playing the role of the 100-percent effective guilt-tripping Jewish mother), and the five Ohio State starters getting in trouble for selling off some awards that they won, it's hard for me to respect what this game is about anymore. I still enjoy the actual football and the general pageantry of it all, but the NCAA needs an overhaul with its whole "You can make millions of dollars for your universities, but you can't profit from or lay your hands on a damn thing that isn't ours" mentality. And forget it if you think you're seeing a playoff instituted anytime soon, but that's a whole separate issue I don't even want to get into now.



Anyway, let's try to focus on the positive for a change. What's been notable as the 2010 season is coming to a close, either in terms of teams' overall performances or the Bowl Games? Well the Rose Bowl was quite entertaining. No. 3 TCU, from one of the supposedly 'inferior' conferences, stopped fifth-ranked Wisconsin 21-19 in Pasadena to finish unbeaten at 12-0 and raise all kinds of questions about whether the Horned Frogs could hang with Auburn and/or Oregon, the two top-ranked schools that will face off for the BCS National Championship on Jan. 10th in Glendale, Ariz. Without a playoff, the controversy will continue year in and year out. Fun for some, maddening for others. Detractors will point out that the Big 10 Conference went 0-5 in New Year's Day Bowl Games in an effort to diminish TCU's accomplishment (never mind that Wisconsin had one of the top scoring offenses in the nation statistically).



Basically, this one is simple folks. The TCU's and Boise's of the world can play with anyone. Have we really not learned this by now? Do we not have enough of a body of evidence to support this yet? Boise upset Oklahoma a few years back during bowl season. Utah crushed Alabama on New Year's Day two years ago, the season before the Crimson Tide won the national title. TCU just held off Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl. Is this not enough to end the superiority complex of the 'major' conferences? Give it a rest already. If this was one of those years where Auburn or Oregon would have lost in the last couple of weeks, TCU just may have had its shot at a title. But it just didn't work out that way. Ironically, two of the best teams from the 'inferior conference' schools met in December when Boise State whacked Utah 26-3 in the MAACO Bowl in Las Vegas. Some redemption for the Broncos after blowing that overtime thriller against Nevada that effectively crushed BSU's national title hopes. There were a few other upsets here and there, but nothing so shocking that it's worth recapping.

Enjoy that Stanford-Virginia Tech matchup in the Orange Bowl tonight. Stanford's all-everything QB Andrew Luck apparently might stay put for another year. Can you imagine if he declares himself eligible for the 2011 NFL Draft, gets taken as the first overall pick (like many are predicting) and then there's a season-long lockout? Talk about some Cardinal fans sitting around next year wondering what could have been. I'm pretty sure I know what Stanford supporters are hoping he chooses to do.

NFL

Wild-card round Playoff matchups are set. Here we go!

NFC - No. 5 New Orleans Saints (11-5) at No. 4 Seattle Seahawks (7-9), Saturday, 4:30 p.m. EST, NBC

Unfortunately, that's no misprint. The Seahawks are the first team with a losing record to make it to the playoffs, a dubious distinction to be sure. And they did it with an inspired Sunday night win over the St. Louis Rams, being led by backup QB Charlie Whitehurst no less, the one and only Clipboard Jesus. I was stunned at how well Seattle played. The crowd was loud, the defense did its job (holding the Rams to just two field goals), and Seattle moved the ball when it needed to do so. The Saints of course rested some key starters in a 23-13 loss to Tampa Bay knowing that Atlanta was well on its way to beating Carolina by halftime and clinching the NFC South and No. 1 overall seed, making the Bucs-Saints outcome meaningless for N.O.



I know everyone assumes the defending SB champ Saints are going to roll in this one. In fact, the line is currently at -10.5 Saints. And yes, they probably are going to win. But don't be surprised if Seattle doesn't only easily cover the spread, but possibly look like its capable of winning this game. I don't want to over-rate Seattle based on one impressive win over the Rams. Yeah, the Seahawks have had some stinkers this year. But it's clear that this is a whole different team with a different mentality, and it's also clear that they recognize how big this moment is given that dominating "win-to-get-in" St. Louis victory. They will come out with some fight, absolutely. The crowd will be deafening, it'll possibly be cold and rainy, and the Saints haven't had to win very many do-or-die, crappy-weather road games where they can't even hear themselves think. N.O.'s superior talent and edge in big-game experience will likely give them a win here (Drew Brees is quite unflappable), but I do not expect it to be a cakewalk.

NFC - No. 6 Green Bay Packers (10-6) at No. 3 Philadelphia Eagles (10-6), Sunday, 4:30 p.m. EST, FOX

I'll try not to let my Eagle fan-dom influence me here (in fact I can honestly say that it won't). Why you ask? Because I'm not all that confident that the Eagles will win this game. It's not reverse psychology either, so you can throw that theory out the window. It's actually simple. Whenever I'm predicting who might win a game, I usually examine the most recent performances by the two teams, unless there are some other mitigating or extenuating circumstances going on that warrant being mentioned.

So let's go back and look at the last two games for each of these teams. The Eagles dropped a 14-13 decision to Dallas in a Week 17 game where the Birds were mostly resting key starters. So that's not terrible. But I'll tell you what WAS terrible. Philly's 24-14 loss five days prior to the Vikings at the Linc. Not the kind of note you want to go out on when the next time your starters all take the field will be in a playoff game against a team that beat you on that very same field to open the season. Now yes, these are two very different teams now. But that's not necessarily better for the Eagles. Against Minnesota, Eagles QB Michael Vick looked very un-Vick like as he was pressured all night, turned the ball over twice and generally made poor decisions. On the other side of the ball, Philly's defense made Vikings' third-stringer Joe Webb look like a young Donovan McNabb back in his glory days with the Eagles. It's not going to get any easier with this Green Bay team coming to town.

 

The Packers, on the other hand, scraped by division rival Chicago in a tough 10-3 victory yesterday that Green Bay needed to make the playoffs, a week after a Lambeau-Field thrashing of the N.Y. Giants to the tune of 45-17, which is way better than the Eagles did against the G-Men in either of their two wins over New York this season (you remember that 'Miracle' the Birds needed to win one of those two games?)

So it's going to be no easy task for Philly, even though they are one of the more dangerous teams in the NFL when they're clicking on all cylinders. Hopefully the rest that some of the banged-up key starters got this past weekend will show in the form of a more focused effort by the Birds. We all know how easy they can make it look when Vick uncorks a few early bombs to DeSean Jackson or Jeremy Maclin to give Philly an early 14 or 17-point lead, and then they just have to play in 'Don't eff up' mode for three quarters. On the other hand, we've all seen these games where they get off to a bad jump from the starting gun, and just can't ever seem to regain their composure.



Green Bay seems less prone to sloppy play, dumb mistakes and turning the ball over. Aaron Rodgers has the confidence of a veteran, and it's obvious his teammates love him. Defensively the Packers do have holes and I think the Birds will be able to take advantage of that, but they've also shown the ability to rise to the occasion when necessary (holding a frighteningly capable Bears offense to 3 points on Sunday - and the Bears were in that one to win it, playing all the starters for the whole game). I can see Green Bay going into the Linc and winning this one. They're playing better right now, and generally they are more disciplined and probably have an overall better defense. Certainly a better overall offensive line. Expect Vick to have to continue to run for his life back there. If Philly can put some points up early, get a lead and maintain it - that's their best shot. I'm not confident they can emerge victorious in a slug-fest where both teams are counter-punching for four quarters. And if the Eagles fall behind early? You can pretty much forget it. I am officially nervous for this game. Would much rather see Tampa Bay coming to town, or perhaps even a Giants matchup for the third time.

AFC - No. 5 Baltimore Ravens (12-4) at No. 4 Kansas City Chiefs (10-6), Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, CBS

What in hell's name was that terrible outing by the Chiefs Sunday against the Oakland Raiders in a game that KC needed to secure the No. 3 seed? That doesn't inspire confidence at all. Arrowhead Stadium will be rocking without a doubt, but Baltimore has won plenty of road playoff games the past couple of seasons. If there's any team that doesn't get intimidated easily, it's them.

Chiefs signal-caller Matt Cassel has had quite an impressive season. He'll be the key to this game. Jamaal Charles will get some yards here and there, but no back can completely dust this B'more defense. Cassel will need to get it done through the air, and that will be tough with the likes of Haloti Ngata, Ed Reed, Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs and company bearing down on a Chiefs offense that looked completely disoriented against Oakland. The fact that the Ravens' offense is quite inconsistent will keep the Chiefs in this one though. KC's run defense has shown a tendency to get burned against a solid attack, so look for Ray Rice to go nuts if Baltimore hopes to score a lot of points and put the Chiefs away in a hostile environment. The Chiefs have been a nice story this year, first playoff appearance in 8 seasons. But I think Baltimore will rise to the occasion and get it done.

AFC - No. 6 New York Jets (11-5) at No. 3 Indianapolis Colts (10-6), Saturday, 8 p.m. EST, NBC

Look out, Rex Ryan insists this is 'personal.' I remember the last time he had to repeatedly answer questions about a matter he considered to be 'personal.' I hope for his sake on Saturday night that he's not left feeling as embarrassed as he was over that other incident.



As most recall by now, this is a rematch of last year's AFC Championship game in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, a tense affair in which the Jets hung in there, even having led by three scores at one point in the first half, until Peyton Manning, as he so often does, found a way to solve that defense and guide the Colts to their second Super Bowl appearance in four seasons.

It was a tough loss for the Jets, who looked for all the world at halftime of that game like they could be playing for a Super Bowl.

Well, the way things have unraveled for the Jets this year hasn't been as fortuitous. After a 9-2 start in their first 11 games, they were routed on national TV in a highly anticipated Monday Night Football showdown in Foxboro by New England, a team the Jets defeated at the New Meadowlands earlier this year. Rex Ryan's crew proceeded to go 2-2 in their last four games to grab the final wild card spot when it looked after 11 games like they may have a shot at a No. 1 or No. 2 seed and a first-round bye. My how quickly the tide can turn.

Meanwhile, the Colts have struggled mightily this year. There they stood at 6-6 after 12 games, with a lot of folks writing them out of the playoffs, saying they were done. So they rattled off four straight wins, three of them against AFC South foes, to remove any doubt and earn themselves a seemingly improbable No. 3 seed (thanks to KC's meltdown against Oakland).



No question that Indy has all the momentum heading into this one. But the Jets do have a ton of talent, and came damn near close to pulling off an unlikely road win against the Bears in Chicago a couple weeks back, falling 38-34.

It seems fairly straightforward here. If the Jets can look at last year's AFC title game as a template and figure out how to best Manning, they certainly have a shot. Indy's defense is capable, but not outstanding, so the Jets can and should put points on the board. Obviously, they also need to avoid dumb mistakes (penalties, turnovers, special teams lapses, etc.) for which they've shown a tendency at times. But the real key matchup here is Colts' O vs. Jets' D. Can Rex Ryan's defensive unit keep Peyton off the field as much as possible, and minimize those long, sustained drives that inevitably chew up 5-6 minutes and result in 6 points for Indy. The Jets will certainly have to be creative, mix up their blitz packages and schemes to throw Manning off. It will be much easier if they can get penetration and rattle Manning into making quick, ill-advised decisions. But that's much easier said than done, considering that the Colts' offensive line protects Manning much in the same way that Andy Reid protects his cookie jar.

It pains me to say it, but it feels like Indy is going to move on (hope I'm wrong). It could be by a razor-thin margin, but the Colts have been clicking lately (four straight wins), and shown the ability to win a close one on their own field not even 24 hours ago (even though it was against Tennessee, which was actually playing quite well). The Jets have looked more like their season has been one of lots of talk and potential, but not enough actual impressive results. Let's see if they can win a tough game, do-or-die style, on the road against a wily veteran, one of the best quarterbacks of his generation, in the playoffs, in a loud stadium. If they can do that, I, and others, will officially believe they've regained their mojo - at least temporarily.