Finally, the Super Bowl

I really don't have much to add from my prediction post last week, which is part of the problem for media members, I'm sure. Two whole weeks to fill sportscasts, ramping up to biggest sporting event in the American sports year, and the biggest stories are that the Packers had some logistical issues with the team photo, Hines Ward wore a cowboy hat and Ben Roethlisberger took his O-Line out to dinner. But all that said, I feel with the big game tomorrow, I must comment on it at least in brief.
- People are aking WAY too big a deal out of Maurkice Pouncey's injury. This is a team that went 3-1 with out their QB, kept winning without the defensive player of the year, and we are worried about a rookie center? I am not changing my pick. The Steelers are simply a better team than the Packers, and that will not change because Pouncey is out.
- I don't know when it happened, but at some point, the most annoying habit in sports coverage went from the media's obsession Brett Favre to the media's obsession with the media's obsession with Brett Favre. I mean, every time I see a Super Bowl article or prop bet or anything, there is always a "how many times will they mention Brett Favre?" reference. OK, we get it, the media is obsessed with Brett Favre. You can stop obsessing about the obsession. I think I just blew your mind, didn't I?
- I think Brett Keisel could get a gig promoting Gnomeo and Juliet. Never has a long flowing beard been less manly than when an animated movie comes out about little bearded men in a Shakespeare influenced movie.

Obligatory Super Bowl post OVER

NFL Computerized Power Ranks: Conference Championships

The computerized power ranks saved face in the conference championship games, picking both the Steelers and Packers correctly. It also just so happened to elevate the Steelers above both New England and Green Bay for the #1 spot heading into Super Bowl XLV. The Packers remained at #2, while the previous #1 Patriots managed to fall back to #3. The Jets, who lost the AFC Championship game, swapped places with the eliminated Ravens, falling back to #5, and the Bears dropped to #9 for losing the NFC title game, pushing Tampa and San Diego up 1 spot each.

Something just dawned on me about the Bears NFC Title Game loss. Take a look at what is happening to the city of Chicago right now. Also, remember the news from Chicago last week? I can only draw one conclusion from this: Jay Cutler is apparently the chosen one and God is punishing the city of Chicago for burning his jersey in effigy after getting injured in the NFC Title game. I guess that could qualify as miracle #1. If Cutler wins the Super Bowl and actually cracks a smile while doing it some day (and if he happens to be Catholic) he can qualify to be a Saint some day....and I'm not talking about the kind from New Orleans.

So, observations from last week aside, the power ranks (6-4) are picking the Steelers to edge out the Packers in the Super Bowl. On the flip side, my 2 year-old Golden Retriever (also 6-4) has picked the Packers. So this Super Bowl is for all the marbles: Super Bowl Champion, #1 finish in the Power Ranks, and probably most important of all, can a randomly picking dog make better playoff picks than my power ranking calculation. We'll find out this Sunday.

Here are the full ranks. Like last week, every team from #10 down remained even this week so I won't bother to mark the change.
1. Steelers - 80.05 - +2
2. Packers - 78.87 - Even
3. Patriots - 78.54 - -2
4. Ravens - 71.03 - +1
5. Jets - 69.97 - -1
6. Falcons - 69.72 - Even
7. Buccaneers - 64.45 - +1
8. Chargers - 61.31 - +1
9. Bears - 59.78 - -2
10. Lions - 58.70
11. Colts - 58.27
12. Giants - 54.89
13. Chiefs - 54.33
14. Eagles - 53.18
15. Saints - 52.49
16. Raiders - 51.69
17. Cowboys - 45.05
18. 49ers - 42.64
19. Rams - 42.01
20. Titans - 40.16
21. Texans - 39.63
22. Seahawks - 38.72
23. Dolphins - 37.17
24. Bengals - 36.43
25. Jaguars - 35.93
26. Redskins - 35.59
27. Vikings - 33.64
28. Cardinals - 33.09
29. Browns - 32.70
30. Bills - 32.07
31. Broncos - 27.69
32. Panthers - 24.60

NFL Computerized Power Ranks: Divisional Playoffs

So last week was a pretty rough week for the power rankings making predictions. Also, the Patriots' loss after dominating the NFL for the previous 9 weeks or so really screwed things up. I'm hoping that somebody could actually mathematically unseat them with a win this week so we at least have the #1 ranked team in the Super Bowl. The rankings only predicted 1 game right in the divisional playoffs after going 3/4 in the wild card round. The only one it got right was the Bears, the obvious pick. My dog outpicked me, picking the Bears and Packers but missing the Ravens and Patriots.

With each of the previously top 3 ranked teams losing last week, we were in for a shakeup this week. The Patriots are barely holding on to the #1 spot still, despite being out of the playoffs. The team who beat them, the Jets, moved up to #4. The Steelers moved up to #3 with their win, while the Ravens fell 3 spots to #5. The Packers moved up 3 spots to #2, while Falcons fell 3 spots to #6. The Bears, who are still kind of on the outside looking in, only moved up 2 spots to #7 by beating Seattle. The Seahawks stayed at #22. All of the movement this week involved the playoff teams, with the exception of San Diego and Tampa, who dropped a spot because of the Bears' win. Usually a strength of schedule change causes some other eliminated teams to flip around. Not this week.

So without further ado, here are the power ranks (4-4) and my dog's (5-3) picks for this week:
Power Ranks:
#2 Packers over #7 Bears
#3 Steelers over #4 Jets

Jake the Golden Retriever:
Packers over Bears
Jets over Steelers

A Jets and Bears win would be devastating for the power ranks. They would not only be 4-6 at picking playoff winners, but the Patriots would probably be #1 heading into the Super Bowl. Wins by the Packers and Steelers will probably be enough to jump New England.

Full Ranks - All teams from #10 down stayed even so I'm not going to type the change this week for them:
1. Patriots - 78.76 - Even
2. Packers - 78.01 - +3
3. Steelers - 74.47 - +1
4. Jets - 71.44 - +2
5. Ravens - 70.92 - -3
6. Falcons - 69.69 - -3
7. Bears - 66.17 - +2
8. Buccaneers - 64.44 - -1
9. Chargers - 61.31 - -1
10. Lions - 58.75
11. Colts - 58.29
12. Giants - 54.91
13. Chiefs - 54.33
14. Eagles - 53.18
15. Saints - 52.48
16. Raiders - 51.69
17. Cowboys - 45.06
18. 49ers - 42.63
19. Rams - 42.01
20. Titans - 40.15
21. Texans - 39.66
22. Seahawks - 38.76
23. Dolphins - 37.36
24. Bengals - 36.32
25. Jaguars - 35.93
26. Redskins - 35.61
27. Vikings - 33.69
28. Cardinals - 33.09
29. Browns - 32.60
30. Bills - 32.27
31. Broncos - 27.39
32. Panthers - 24.62

NFL Computerized Power Ranks: Week 13

Week 13 featured 3 pretty big showdowns with playoff implications on the line. The #1 ranked Falcons disposed of the Buccaneers, causing them to possibly slip out of the NFC playoff race. The Steelers beat the Ravens to take back control of the AFC North. And, last but not least, in a showdown between 2 9-2 teams on Monday night, the Patriots destroyed the Jets to take over 1st place in the AFC East.

These results, of course, had an impact to the top of the power ranks. The Falcons remained at #1, the Steelers jumped up 2 spots to #3, and the Patriots moved up 1 spot to #2. The Jets, who came into this week ranked #2, fell 5 spots back to #7. The Saints stayed put at #4 for their narrow win over Cincy, and oddly, the Packers leapfrogged the Bears (who have been stuck outside the top 5 most of the season despite being 9-3) into the #5 spot.

As usual, the bottom 5 all lost this week, and did not change position. The only thing to note at the bottom is that the Cardinals are so bad that they are at a very strong risk of falling behind 1-11 Carolina.

The biggest gainers this week were the Cowboys and Seahawks, who each jumped 6 spots. The Cowboys beat the Colts in Indy, which would have been more impressive if they weren't facing the 1999-2009 Colts at this point. The Seahawks got to ravage the Panthers, and stay tied in first in the NFC West. The biggest losers were the Colts, who all of the sudden are in an absolute tailspin, but still look like the favorites to win the AFC South, and the 49ers, who got knocked 2 games back of the horrible NFC West playoff race.

Playoff Projection
NFC
First Round Byes: #1 Falcons, #5 Packers
#6 Bears @ #8 Eagles
#4 Saints @ #16 Rams
Top 5 Out: #10 Giants, #13 Buccaneers, #19 Cowboys, #20 Seahawks, #24 Vikings

AFC
First Round Byes: #2 Patriots, #3 Steelers
#11 Ravens @ #9 Chiefs
#7 Jets @ #17 Jaguars
Top 5 Out: #12 Chargers, #14 Raiders, #15 Browns, #18 Dolphins, #21 Colts

Here are the full ranks
1. Falcons - 81.70 - Even
2. Patriots - 79.87 - +1
3. Steelers - 72.76 - +2
4. Saints - 72.07 - Even
5. Packers - 71.57 - +2
6. Bears - 71.14 - Even
7. Jets - 69.26 - -5
8. Eagles - 68.98 - Even
9. Chiefs - 66.48 - +2
10. Giants - 59.92 - +3
11. Ravens - 59.10 - -1
12. Chargers - 57.36 - -3
13. Buccaneers - 55.90 - -1
14. Raiders - 50.47 - +3
15. Browns - 49.92 - +1
16. Rams - 49.42 - +3
17. Jaguars - 49.14 - +1
18. Dolphins - 46.94 - -4
19. Cowboys - 46.93 - +6
20. Seahawks - 44.31 - +6
21. Colts - 44.15 - -6
22. Texans - 42.14 - -1
23. Titans - 40.41 - -1
24. Vikings - 40.13 - Even
25. Redskins - 38.26 - -2
26. 49ers - 36.39 - -6
27. Bills - 31.81 - Even
28. Broncos - 30.74 - Even
29. Lions - 30.60 - Even
30. Bengals - 25.37 - Even
31. Cardinals - 17.39 - Even
32. Panthers - 17.22 - Even

NFL Computerized Power Ranks: Week 9

I really wanted to get the power ranks out this week before the Thursday game, but for I think the 4th or 5th time this season, I had the ranks completely calculated by Tuesday night and then didn't get around to actually writing the post until later in the week. Oh well, I guess I need to start leaving work earlier on Tuesday or something....

In typical 2010 NFL season fashion, once it seems that we have established a top team in the league they get trounced by a bad team. Last week's new #1, New England, got a beating of a lifetime by the Browns, who before their bye, blew out the Saints. What's up with the Browns? Is Peyton Hillis really that unstoppable?!?! Despite this, Cleveland is still only 3-5 but climbed up to #18 this week. The Patriots fell all the way to #8 for their loss. Taking their place was the Steelers, who jumped up 5 spots all the way to #1. The Falcons, who got a huge win on Thursday night (not included in this calculation) moved up 3 spots to #2. Can they capture the #1 spot this week? The Steelers have a tough matchup with former #1 New England. The Giants, who had a rough start, have been crushing teams lately and are the new #3. The Titans hung on to #4 despite losing to San Diego, and the Jets fell 3 spots to #5 for barely winning in Detroit. Last week's #3, the Colts, fell to #10 for losing to the Eagles.

Not much movement on the bottom side of things. The 0-8 Bills are still last. The Cowboys and Panthers switched places after the Cowboys got blown out by the Packers. The idle Broncos stayed at #29, and the Cardinals horrible collapse against the Vikings actually moved them up 1 spot, which allowed the Bengals to take their place in the bottom 5.

The biggest gainer this week was Green Bay, who jumped 6 spots for getting Wade Phillips fired in Dallas, and 4 teams jumped 5 spots: Pittsburgh, Chicago, Cleveland, and San Diego. The biggest losers were the Patriots and Colts, who each fell 7 spots for losing to mediocre teams and losing first place in their divisions.

NFC
First Round Byes: #2 Falcons, #3 Giants
#11 Saints @ #6 Packers
#9 Eagles @ #17 Rams
Top 5 Out: #14 Buccaneers, #15 Bears, #16 Redskins, #20 Lions, #24 Seahawks

AFC
First Round Byes: #1 Steelers, #4 Titans
#8 Patriots @ #5 Jets
#7 Ravens @ #12 Raiders
Top 5 Out: #10 Colts, #13 Chiefs, #18 Browns, #19 Chargers, #21 Dolphins

Here are the full ranks:
1. Steelers - 73.84 - +5
2. Falcons - 71.34 - +3
3. Giants - 70.75 - +4
4. Titans - 70.71 - Even
5. Jets - 69.83 - -3
6. Packers - 69.76 - +6
7. Ravens - 66.89 - +1
8. Patriots - 66.81 - -7
9. Eagles - 65.57 - +4
10. Colts - 65.54 - -7
11. Saints - 62.62 - +3
12. Raiders - 60.80 - -1
13. Chiefs - 60.33 - -4
14. Buccaneers - 54.04 - -4
15. Bears - 53.31 - +5
16. Redskins - 52.32 - -1
17. Rams - 48.45 - Even
18. Browns - 48.05 - +5
19. Chargers - 47.94 - +5
20. Lions - 45.69 - +1
21. Dolphins - 43.75 - -2
22. Texans - 42.76 - -6
23. Jaguars - 42.72 - -1
24. Seahawks - 41.82 - -6
25. Vikings - 41.14 - +2
26. 49ers - 34.44 - -1
27. Cardinals - 32.94 - +1
28. Bengals - 32.65 - -2
29. Broncos - 25.23 - Even
30. Panthers - 23.11 - +1
31. Cowboys - 19.91 - -1
32. Bills - 15.65 - Even

Which 3-0 team is the most surprising?

 We're three weeks into the season, and there are three teams still riding high, without a loss.It actually seems like a low number on my end, only three out of 32 teams going undefeated, especially given the success of some teams last year. The three that haven't suffered a defeat are most surprising, but which one is the MOST surprising? Let's look at the case.

Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers are probably the least surprising, if only because they are such a complete team. Without Ben Roethlisberger, other players have had to step up. It certainly hasn't been the quarterbacks, but the defense and running game have been very respectable. Tough games were had, but it was a good team even without Big Ben.

Kansas City Chiefs: Maybe they just weren't as surprising for me. I like what they did with their offense, and their defense has been supplemented every year for the past 3 or 4. They were bound to reach respectability. It doesn't hurt that the schedule they played was very soft, with the Chargers and 49ers at home and a road game against the Browns.

Chicago Bears: The big surprise for me has been the Bears. What did they do in the offseason to warrant such an improvement? Sure, Urlacher is back and Julius Peppers is on the D-Line, but much of their improvement is on the offensive side of the ball. Is Mike Martz that good? And if he is, how do you explain Matt Forte's resurgence? And on top of that, they have faced two stout opponents after narrowly escaping the Lions. Yes sir, the Bears are the biggest surprise for me.

NFL Computerized Power Ranks: Week 2

The NFL season is off to its usual unpredictable start. Some teams that no one gave a chance to this season, like Tampa, Kansas City, and Miami, are off to 2-0 starts while some favorites to win divisions (or more) like Minnesota, Dallas, and San Francisco are all 0-2. So what better way to sort all of this craziness out by looking at the power ranks? This week we have a new #1, who is shockingly the Pittsburgh Steelers. They may not know who their QB is going to be for the next few weeks, but they are somehow 2-0 and got to Titans to turn the ball over somewhere around 238 times last week.

Even though the Steelers are #1, I'm giving the picture nod this week to Matt Schaub of the #2 Texans, who threw for almost 500 yards last week and won what was the most exciting game of Week 2 (Thanks Sunday Ticket!....the Monday night Saints-49ers game was a close 2nd). Speaking of that Saints narrow victory in San Francisco, they hang on to the #3 spot this week. The Bears leaped up 6 spots to move into #4 after their impressive win over Dallas, and the Packers move into the #5 spot.

3 out of the original 5 bottom 5 teams won in week 2, so we have some newcomers. Staying put are the Rams (#32) and 49ers (#31, even though I think they are way better than the 31st team in the NFL based on Monday Night), and joining them are the Cowboys (#30, another one that probably won't stay), Lions, and Bills (Those 2 probably will).

I know this is only week 2, but some teams had night/day performances between the 2 weeks, and as a result, we saw some of the most dramatic movement since I have been doing this ranks. The Broncos jumped 18 spots from dead last to #14. The Chargers also jumped 17 spots, and the Bengals 14. The victims of the Broncos, the Seahawks, fell 18 spots to #24, and the Jaguars, Giants, and Cardinals all dropped 13 spots.

Here are the full ranks:
1. Steelers - 83.55 - +3
2. Texans - 79.41 - Even
3. Saints - 78.92 - Even
4. Bears - 76.29 - +6
5. Packers - 75.73 - +6
6. Buccaneers - 74.89 - -1
7. Chiefs - 72.55 - +6
8. Falcons - 69.65 - +11
9. Dolphins - 66.61 - +7
10. Chargers - 62.07 - +17
11. Colts - 61.10 - +6
12. Jets - 58.23 - +6
13. Titans - 54.33 - -12
14. Broncos - 51.99 - +18
15. Bengals - 47.74 - +14
16. Redskins - 47.69 - -1
17. Eagles - 46.08 - +5
18. Patriots - 45.81 - -10
19. Ravens - 44.35 - -5
20. Jaguars - 42.31 - -13
21. Browns - 38.87 - -1
22. Giants - 37.77 - -13
23. Raiders - 37.55 - +8
24. Seahawks - 36.05 - -18
25. Cardinals - 32.98 - -13
26. Vikings - 30.00 - -3
27. Panthers - 29.65 - -6
28. Bills - 26.13 - -3
29. Lions - 26.05 - -3
30. Cowboys - 23.25 - -7
31. 49ers - 21.37 - -3
32. Rams - 19.19 - -2

The Final NFL Power Ranks

Better late than never right? I usually have been posting the weekly power ranks every Tuesday after the week's games, but I've been a little sidetracked the past 2 weeks. So pretend it's February 3rd, and enjoy the final power ranks of the season.

As I said 2 weeks ago, the Patriots were completely screwing up my ranks, but the Steelers, who I vehemently was rooting against in the Super Bowl, could have been my saviors. The Cardinals just didn't have the record, schedule strength, or defensive rank to climb to the top of the ranks by winning the Super Bowl, but sitting in 3rd, the Steelers were just 1 win away from finishing the year as both the Super Bowl champs and in the top of the ranks.

With their win, the Steelers finished the year as #1, pushing the Patriots and and Ravens back a spot each. The Cardinals loss dropped them from 6th to 11th, allowing a few other teams to move up a spot or 2. And yes, its pretty bizarre that the Bengals and 49ers switched spots yet again, but both teams were extremely close and benefitting from their division rivals success throughout the playoffs.

So after this 2nd year of doing the ranks I'd have to say I'm pretty happy with them. I think the only thing I might change for next year is some sort of way to penalize teams that miss the playoffs so they don't pull a New England and pop up to #1 the week before the Super Bowl. New England was a bit of an oddity though, since they finished the season 11-5 and won their final 4 games in a row. Power ranks are really a measure of "who is the best right now" instead of "who is the best over the whole season" so recent W-L record carries a decently large weight in my formula. When the season ends, I freeze that total for the non-playoff teams, so New England's winning streak to end the season was giving them the upper hand over teams that actually made the playoffs because 11 of the top 12 teams (the playoff teams) ended their season with a loss, hurting their recent success score.

I was pretty happy with the reweighting of some attributes that I made and the addition of turnover ratio as an attribute. Some teams were absolutely attrocious at holding onto the ball, and they got killed in the ranks for it, even if they had a good record, and in the end, the ranks were right (I'm looking at you Denver). The ranks also did a great job predicting the some of the "sleeper" teams. The Falcons and Ravens were much higher in my ranks than in most "expert" ranks all season, and Week 1's #1 team, the Eagles, stayed in the top 10 for 18 of the 21 weeks this season even though a lot of people left them for dead. The Eagles playoff run didn't fool anyone at the Times.

So here are the final ranks for 2008:
1. Steelers - 77.55 - +2
2. Patriots - 73.35 - -1
3. Ravens - 71.86 - -1
4. Colts - 71.46 - E
5. Eagles - 68.87 - E
6. Dolphins - 65.51 - +1
7. Giants - 63.30 - +2
8. Falcons - 62.78 - +2
9. Titans - 62.67 - -1
10. Panthers - 62.07 - +1
11. Cardinals - 60.50 - -5
12. Bears - 59.32 - E
13. Chargers - 57.23 - E
14. Saints - 51.98 - E
15. Vikings - 50.97 - E
16. Jets - 49.64 - E
17. Texans - 49.29 - E
18. Buccaneers - 46.28 - E
19. Redskins - 46.18 - E
20. Packers - 44.30 - E
21. Cowboys - 42.76 - E
22. Bengals - 42.34 - +1
23. 49ers - 42.33 - -1
24. Bills - 39.62 - E
25. Raiders - 36.70 - E
26. Broncos - 34.45 - E
27. Jaguars - 34.21 - E
28. Seahawks - 32.21 - E
29. Browns - 32.08 - E
30. Chiefs - 22.19 - E
31. Rams - 16.21 - E
32. Lions - 11.50 - E

Good God give this man some oxygen

Steve's Super Bowl Pick

Watch the video above if you dare, for it is the hell raising shriek of the mighty Cardinal as he prepares to go into battle. It seems fitting that the least threatening mascot in the NFL is paired with a team that could possibly be the least successful in the history of sports. Even though the Cards are a division rival of my favorite team (the 49ers), they have been significant to me for 2 reasons this year. First, their roots are in the south side of Chicago, where they played their home games at Comiskey Park until they moved to St. Louis in 1960. Because of this they were my dad's favorite team as a kid (then he switched to the Raiders). Second, I moved to Arizona this fall and have nothing against supporting any of the 4 home town teams (but only the Coyotes have a chance to become my favorite in any of those sports).

All of the experts out there are going with the Steelers to win this game, and it makes a ton of sense. The Cardinals would be the worst team record-wise to ever win the Super Bowl if they pull off the upset tomorrow, and the Steelers have history, experience, and the stronger AFC background going for them as well. But in a season where Tom Brady gets knocked out in week 1, Brett Favre plays for the Jets, the Dolphins and Falcons make the playoffs, and Mike Singletary moons his team at half time, doesn't it sorta just make sense that an ancient Kurt Warner would lead the Arizona Cardinals to a default (because everyone else was awful) division title and then miraculously carry them to their first ever Super Bowl win? I think so too. Sorry Steelers, if this was a normal season, I'd be on your side. I'm not even all that impressed with the Steelers this season either. They seemed like a 2nd class team all year that could hardly ever get anything going offensively. I think they were probably the 4th best team in the AFC this year (behind Indy, Tennessee, and New England) and got lucky with matchups in the playoffs. No matter who wins, this Super Bowl champ may be remembered as the team that deserved the title the least, but I don't think the fans in Pittsburgh or Arizona will care.

Cardinals 34, Steelers 24

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Is It a Blog?: Quick Hits #6

Originally posted on "Is It Sports?" This is the last of the Quick Hits posts, and the 2nd to last post ever on the old site. I found out I would probably have to move away for work (it wound up being Indianapolis) and that was pretty much the end of updating the old site, especially with Ryan building up momentum here on the times. At least the last post (Check March 5 in the archives

Ryan: you know who i think should have been MVP?
Steve: who?
Ryan: Randle El
Ryan: he was involved in the two plays that secured the win for the Steelers
Steve: yeah I could agree with that
Ryan: nobody else has even mentioned him
Steve: Thornton High School #11 3 sport star
Steve: Sports Guy Super Bowl diary is pretty damn funny
Ryan: I should read it...
Ryan: so did i tell you about my experience?
Steve: uh I don't think so
Steve: first, why are you going to be on that hometime show?
Ryan: well, they film in chaska and they are sponsored by the Depot, so they come in and film every once in a while
Ryan: the other day they were in the store filming a piece on faux finishes, and they needed me to pretend like i was helping them
Ryan: they made me ad lib and stuff... it was awful
Steve: haha cool
Steve: I'll have to try to watch it
Steve: ...if its on here
Ryan: PBS
Steve: ahh I see
Steve: good to see you like turtles
Ryan: turtles are sweet
Steve: damn straight
Ryan: so, the game
Ryan: I went to my coworkers house, and he had just bought an antenna so he could get the game
Ryan: well, when i got there it wasnt working.
Ryan: so they messed with it a little bit and it came in, but it was fuzzy
Ryan: Daves GF bitched, but it was fine by my standards, and Dave kept fumbling with it
Ryan: because he was messing with it, I missed all the cool pregame stuff AND the first drive of the game
Ryan: I was exceptionally pissed
Steve: wow
Ryan: not only that, I was the only one there who actually appreciated the game
Steve: I was interested in the game, but I think the actual game pretty much sucked
Ryan: like, nobody understood it... Dave was drunk and when he wasnt talking about stupid shit he was eating his Tostitos waaaaay to loud
Ryan: well, from now on, I'm watching the game alone, inless its with someone like you
Steve: ahh I see
Steve: yeah that's always annoying
Steve: I watched it by myself, but I had Elizabeth on my speaker phone during the entire game....she was actually interested
Ryan: ouch for the phone bill
Steve: ahh it was my cell phone
Steve: free nights and weekends
Ryan: i see
Steve: did you see the Hummer commercial with the 2 monsters?
Ryan: yeah
Steve: very effective
Steve: Elizabeth HATES the Hummer H3 and is horrified by the thought that I thought about getting one, but since it was like a pregnancy/baby type commercial that appeals to women, she thinks its ok now
Ryan: haha.... are you really thinking about getting one?
Steve: its on my list
Ryan: cars arent high on my list
Ryan: I would rather overpay for a house or apartment
Steve: I already do that
Steve: so overpaying for a car is next
Steve: well underpaying actually with the employee discount
Ryan: well, I don't really have any aspirations for a fancy car... I can't see myself spending over 10K for a car at any point in my life, really

Is It Sports? would like to Congratulate Ben Roetheslseibegeraeraegeerber and the World Champion Pittsburgh Steelers!

NFL Playoff Time....woo-hoo?

Originally posted on "Is It Sports?" this is another post that we co-wrote. On the original page, the background was green, I wrote in white, and Ryan wrote in "Vikings gold." Since the background on this site is white, I'm writing in black and Ryan in Vikings Purple.

Steve: yeah I'm so apathetic to these playoffs
Steve: I don't really like anyone thats left
Ryan: theres an idea... you could rip every team thats left in the playoffs... i would be amused
Steve: haha
Steve: "why I hate all the teams left"
Ryan: exactly Ryan: although... i get first dibs at the vikings and rams
Steve: haha that's fine

Well the divisional playoffs are here and I couldn't be less excited. I had my hopes riding on 2 teams: The Chargers, because they have Drew Brees and LT, and the Seahawks, because I wanted to see Jerry Rice get one more shot. Now that Marty pulled off his annual choke, and the Seahawks proved they are owned by an 8-8 team, I don't have much left to root for. Here's my breakdown of what I don't like about any of the teams that are left, along with my predictions for this weekend.—Steve

You would think that I would be a little bit happier with the whole situation, what with the Vikings still in the playoffs, and the Colts, local celebrities looking like Hulk Hogan in the 1987 Wrestlemania that is NFL football. Yet I’m not happy. The Vikings, whom I’ve been watching whenever I can all season failed to disappoint me, as is there custom. I bet against them, and they won despite me. The Colts are just annoying if you aren't a Colts fan. In four years of living here, I’ve learned the only thing a Hoosier likes more than ripping their rivals is boasting about their team. Without further ado, here are our thoughts on the remaining teams and the games this weekend. Steve is in white, I am in Vikings gold.—Ryan.

Steelers: These guys have put together a fine season, especially in the era of mediocrity (oh I mean parity) in the NFL. Growing up in a Raiders household, I learned to not like the Steelers at a young age. I'm pretty much impartial to them now, and I like Ben Roetheslseibegeraeraegeerber a lot, but something inside of me kind of wants to see them go down because if they go all the way after a 15-1 season, they'll be placed in the sacred realm of greatest teams of all time, and I just don't think they belong there.

I’m old school. I like the 2-3 zone and lots of passing, very few fast breaks. Fighting has its place in hockey. Pitching wins championships. Our steroided batters of note, Bonds and Giambi, haven't won any rings, last I checked. But that’s for another column. I like the Steelers. They run the ball and play solid defense. Some call it boring, but that’s what old school (or skool, for you new skoolers) is. It’s boring but it’s ultimately effective. I doubt anyone is saying they wish Plaxico Burress had a few more 80 yard receptions.

Jets: I just can't get over this team. I kept asking myself, how do they keep winning like this. The AFC was so competitive this year with so many good teams, and apparently the Jets were one of them. They were very good at doing what other pretty good teams couldn't: beating bad teams. After Pennington's meltdown a few weeks ago, I thought this team would be done for sure, but as I told Ryan the other day, their suck power was no match for Marty's choke power and they got the W in RAINY San Diego in a very bizarre game. I think it ends here

I’ve been on the Jonathan Vilma bandwagon all year. This guy is going to be great. Mark my words. (I know, calling the defensive rookie of the year a “player to watch” is quite a stretch. But just you wait. A few years from now, Vilma will be compared to Ray Lewis, an Mr. R. will be compared to… Mr. T. You heard it here first.)

Steve's Prediction: Steelers 23, Jets 16 (Pennington throws a pick in the end zone as time expires, then stabs 4 members of the New York press after the game)

Ryan’s Prediction: Steelers 27, Jets 6. New York’s… thrilling… attack will be stymied.

Colts: I think this is the bandwagon I'll jump on. If I wasn't currently living in Indiana, I would have been on them from the start. I've loved watching Peyton all season and Marvin Harrison just gets the job done with class (though I loved what Moss did to the Packer fans). My big problem is that I get stuck watching this team every week when sometimes there are much more competitive games on. Like I said, I love watching Manning, but the TV stations in Indy need to implement the "Sorgi Rule." Once Jim Sorgi steps onto the field, the game must immediately be switched.
It bothers me that Dwight Freeney, best DE in the league (I was on his bandwagon too) gets no press, but some jerk-off kicker does. It also bothers me that “Vanderjerk” is the only personality this team has had since Jeff George.

Patriots: This team just looks shaky with all the injuries. I don't care how smart Bill Belichick is (I think ESPN is now claiming that he discovered fire AND invented the wheel). I just don't think they can do it this year. But the NFL must have their team of the decade, and I'm sure the refs will be aware. This time though, I think the Colts are going to get them and shut all the critics up and kick off the most intense rivalry in the NFL for the next 5 years (because the Steelers will go 7-9 next year).

No. It’s not to early to start calling this team a dynasty. And yes, this is the best team we have had in a very long while. This is a team without a major superstar, except maybe Tom Brady, though he isn't even a statistical marvel. Bill Belichick has laid the coaching groundwork for all major team sports. Teamwork! On a team!

Steve's Prediction: Colts 34, Patriots 31 (If it doesn't happen, at least we'll get to see Peyton's "aww dang" face as he rips off his chinstrap)
Ryan’s Prediction: Colts 58, Patriots 35 if the field is clear. Patriots 21, Colts 17 if it snows, rains, there is any wind, Ben Affleck is at the game, a squirrel delays the game for more than 30 seconds, or if anyone on the Colts gets injured. Including Tony Dungy.

Eagles: Eww...is there anything to like about these guys? I’m looking forward to watching them play though after not giving a damn since December 19.

It’s hard to think of anything pertinent to say about the Eagles that doesn't involve Terrell Owens or Campbell’s chunky soup. So I won’t.

Vikings: I'll let Ryan lay into them....

I want to take you back to week 15, the Vikings were in Detroit, and had, of course, allowed the Lions to score a potentially game tying touchdown. Then the long snapper one hopped the ball to the holder, no PAT, game over, Vikings win. I hope, Aaron Brooks, that you realize, that this play is why you aren't in the playoffs. The Vikings are in the playoffs because of a botched extra point by the Lions. THEY WON BY ONE AGAINST THE DETROIT LIONS! And don't even get me started on the jerk players on this team. The fine, decent folks of Minneapolis don't deserve this team in the same way the fine, decent folks of Portland don't deserve the Trailblazers. Randy Moss is an ass, no pun intended (well, maybe a little), Daunte Culpepper is the poorest leader I have ever seen, our top running backs are a guy from Wisconsin who has never shown any signs of production, a druggie named after a Canadian province and a rookie drafted in the 4th round. On the other hand, Mike Tice is 1-0 in the playoffs! His former Phys. Ed. Students are proud, let me assure you.
Steve's Prediction: Eagles 28, Vikings 27 (with the score 28-20, the Vikings will score and Tice will kick the extra point)
Ryan’s Prediction: In a way, it would be cathartic to see the Vikings get thumped. That’s why it won’t happen, at least not until I have faith in them. Vikings 35 Eagles 24

Falcons: As a Niners fan, I still hold a grudge from the Dirty Bird days, but Vick is fun to watch.

Probably my favorite team left in the playoffs, but it goes against everything I stand for. They are the only team I will tolerate reaching the Super Bowl from the NFC, but only because I can’t find anything in particular to squabble with.

Rams: I just hate this team. Mike Martz has an amazing combo of both arrogance and stupidity. He seems like he should be a villain in some dopey kids movie. For a crap 8-8 team beating their crap 9-7 division champ, they get way too much publicity, but the NFC is so weak they could be playing in Jacksonville.

The Rams have found their way into the playoffs once again. They also managed to get to the second round by beating Darrell Jackson and the hapless Seagulls, err… Seahawks.

In a related note, I think their title as the “Greatest Show on Turf” is about to come to an end after the warrants come in and Randy Moss and Onterrio Smith are arrested on field in a home game sometime next season. I’d buy that video.

Steve's Prediction: Falcons 27, Rams 6
Ryan’s Prediction: Falcons 20, Rams 16