Spygate II

So what happens if it turns out to be true that the Patriots cheated in a Super Bowl, specifically their first win against the Rams, you know the one that's drawing comparisons to the one the lost on Sunday to the Giants. Taping a team's final walkthrough, which the Patriots reportedly did, would be the equivalent of looking at another player's hand poker. If there's a worse type of cheating — other than taking a dive — I don't know what it is.

You may also ask what business U.S. Congress has investigating a matter like cheating in the NFL. You can also wonder why they became involved in the MLB-steroids mess of the past while as well. Let's just remember where these leagues play their games: in stadiums that were built in large parts thanks to tax dollars. These tax dollars were alloted by whom now? That's right the government. Basically, when you're playing in somebody else's house, you better abide by house rules and try not to put your feet up on the furniture.

The real question I have about Spygate II is what exactly are they going to investigate? The NFL already requested tapes and notes from New England, said they'd reveal what was on them (and didn't until pressed about it last week) and then destroyed the tapes for no one to ever see again. Why? It makes no sense. It was reveal that the Pats did cheat in at least six games during the 2006 season though, and why has there been nothing done about that?

Also, what did the NFL ask the Pats for? Was it just last year's tapes? If so, then New England can say they complied with the league's orders and commissioner Roger Goodell seriously dropped the ball. The NFL has to disclose what the Patriots had, how they did it, how far they went and when they cheated. It's the only way to not make themselves look like fools and come out looking alright.

As for consequences, If the allegations of cheating that go back to the victory over the Rams (and maybe even before) is true, then Bill Belichick should be suspended from the league for life and SEVERE fines should be laid on the team. It's the only way to go. All of the Patriots records should be tarnished, sullied with asterisks everywhere they belong.

Goodell has gone above and beyond what any previous commissioner has in terms of disciplinary measures to uphold the integrity of the league. If he drops the ball on Spygate II in the same fashion he did with the original, more than a few people will be calling for his ousting. I'll be one.

More and more jinxes

Just thought I’d add a few more things that lost the game for the Patriots, you know, besides their atrocious, uninspired performance on the field.

- Have you ever seen Bill Belichick wear a red hoodie before? Me neither. Why would he change up his style on the biggest night of his season?
- Tom Brady spend time during the week leading up to the Super Bowl getting not one, but two hair cuts by his personal stylist he flew in. Shouldn’t he have been studying some game tape perhaps?
- Both of Bill Belichick’s “girlfriends” were in Arizona during the week. Distractions, distractions.
- Preorders for a book entitled “19-0” went on sale on Amazon.com a week before the Super Bowl. The book was supposed to be about the Patriots’ undefeated season. I hope every skips over the last chapter; the story doesn’t have a happy ending.
- Boston’s mayor already had the Patriots’ Super Bowl parade route planned a week in advance will New York City’s mayor refused to even think about in fear of a jinx.
- And finally, when Elisha Manning and the Giants got the ball and had to travel 86 yards and score a touchdown to win, I claimed to the room: “There is no possible way Eli Manning can drive 86 yards.”

You’re welcome New York but let’s not get our hopes up for a repeat. In fact, people should be flocking to Vegas immediately and putting down their money on, believe it or not, the Washington Redskins. The seasons after the first two Giant Super Bowl wins, the Redskins have taken the title. Remember that.

Giants win!

There are so many different headlines that could’ve worked here. I could’ve gone with “18-1*” -note the asterisk is still present because of Spygate (which is heating up to white hot levels). I could’ve used “Cheaters never prevail,” because quite frankly, they don’t. Or even an open-handed “Eat it Tom Brady,” which I think he kind of deserves for his smack-talking during press week. But “Giants win!” is more suitable and just a great way of showing the surprise behind what happened.

So Thomas, what did you say about getting credit for being a great offence when Plaxico predicted a 23-17 win and you claimed that you would score more than that? If anything, you threw a jinx down on your team and your own play. And the way you choked at the end of the game, with everything on the line? It was certainly Peyton Manning-esque, which is especially fitting after the comparisons between the two QBs’ record breaking seasons.

Was there even a single omen or jinx going against the Giants? It seemed like the deck was stacked in their favour on that front. Well, except for Eli’s Peyton jinx. So, in no particular order:

Gisele was in the stands to jinx Brady.
The league’s leading passer has never won the Super Bowl.
Strong defence will beat a strong offence.
There’s no roman numeral for zero so the Patriots could not go XIX and zero.
The report that the Patriots cheated in their first Super Bowl win was broken days before the game.
The 2008 Giants were eerily similar to those Pats who beat the heavily-favoured Rams.
Plaxico Burris guaranteed a win. Wasn’t that famous guarantee made in Super Bowl III predicted by a New York player on an underdog team? Broadway Plaxico doesn’t really roll off your tongue though.
And, just for Bill Simmons:
The Ewing Theory potential of Tiki Barber’s retirement was off the chart.

And if Elisha Manning can continue playing like he did throughout the playoffs, he might actually have been worth the first overall pick that San Diego used on him. Is it weird that I still don’t believe he’s a good quarterback even though he just won Super Bowl MVP? What a great story that is too. Peyton and Eli winning back-to-back MVPs is certainly something I never would have thought would happen.

In the end, even though I thought the Patriots would mop the floor with the Giants of New York, I’m glad I was wrong. Now, let’s see some heavy Spygate fallout, congress-stlye. Ban Belichick for life.

Final picks roundup.
The playoffs: 3-5-1
The season: 111-117-10

Super Bowl XLII

It's the biggest annual sporting event in the world and its taking place tomorrow. The NFL's championship — the Super Bowl — is set for kick off at 6:17 p.m. ET at the home the Arizona Cardinals in Glendale. It’s the Giants of New York representing the NFC against the undefeated* Patriots of the AFC and, if it all goes down like I expect it to, it’s not going to be a close game.

Sure, you can convince yourself that the New York’s front-seven will but enough pressure on Thomas Brady to force some bad throws. Sure, you can convince yourself that maybe Thomas won’t be at 100% because of his ankle injury. You can also try talking yourself into Elisha Manning turning the corner and becoming the quarterback the Giants expected him to be, or that New York’s thunder-and-lightning running game can wear down the Pats even to control the clock and game. Gambling-wise you can also remind yourself that the Patriots have won three Super Bowls by a total of nine points and that they’ve only covered two spreads since Thanksgiving Thursday.

But then you have to remind yourself that you’re wagering on Eli Manning and in the Super Bowl. Remember how Eli has those up weeks where everybody forgets that he stinks up streaks of games at a time? This is happening right now. Just earlier this year Elisha tied a record for interceptions returned for touchdowns in a game. Are we sure enough that we want to put our money on a hot quarterback who just had a week off to possibly cool down?

Another key factor is where the Big Game is being played: sunny Arizona. The past few games have been in poor conditions; in rain, wind, sleet, snow and generally cold weather. This greatly affects passing teams, even the best of passing teams. In relatively good conditions, the Patriots are set to have a great day passing the ball, despite the Giants fabulous d-line play.

And how dare Plaxico Burris make a prediction – that slowly turned into a guarantee by the media – that the Giant would win 23-17. Did he really need to fuel a team that was already hungry? It makes no sense. Don’t poking the sleeping bears you moron! And then missing two days of practice really helped back up that statement, which also gave your defence way to much credit.

Lastly, the fact still remains that for this cycle of the universe, Boston teams rule over New York teams. It’s just plain dumb to take a New York team when these cities match up any more. The Red Sox are going to be great for a long while, the Celtics and Knicks don’t even have to be discussed because Isiah Thomas is involved and then there are the Patriots. The NFL’s New York teams (Giants and the Jets) have less wins combined than New England. I think the pick here is obvious, but if you bump the line to Pats minus-22, I’d give you some action.

Congratulations New England on your undefeated* season. May you live with that asterisk forever, cheaters.

Dan’s Pick: New England (-12) over New York.
Dan’s Score: New England 38, New York 21.
Dan’s MVP: Asante Samuel

The playoffs: 3-4-1
The season: 111-117-10

And just for fun:
The tech guy: New England 24, New York 17.
The Intern: New England 35, New York 3. MVP: Randy Moss.

A big ol' non-story

Really? We're all supposed to care and focus intently for two weeks on Thomas Brady's right foot? Just because he was seen with a walking boot on it the other day? it makes no sense and it's not even worth thinking about. He was obviously well enough to continue playing throughout the AFC championship game and he'll definitely be able to play on it in two weeks time in Glendale for the most important game of the year.

And, of course, nobody will be talking about his foot and if he's actually injured. This will only fuel speculation that really has no business taking up space in the paper or pages on the internet. A sprained ankle (which is what it is) is just a sprained ankle and even the slowest healers can fight off that annoyance in two weeks.

XLII: Pats and Elisha?!?

For the third week in a row, Elisha Manning and the New York Giants faced a tough adversary on the road in the playoffs and won. I don't know if I'm more shocked or disappointed or both at the same time. It wasn't even as much as his effort as it was the effort of Plaxico Burris absolutely schooling Al Harris and the two-headed monster of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw tearing up the Packers front seven.

And what a way for Lawrence Tynes to make up for his previous two missed field goals, especially the possible game-winner with time expiring in the fourth, by hitting the first ever 40+ yard field goal in Lambeau's history. He's severely lucky that Brett Favre gave the Giants the chance with that weak overtime interception.

I do know this though, I'm more sure that the Giants will lose their next game more than any of the previous three. The entire North American media scene is going to be criticizing his composure, softness and the dumb look always plastered on his face for two whole weeks. Not to mention how many references to his brother's past success and failures against the family rival, Tom Brady.

I tell you what: If the Packers' Atari Bigby keeps up his hard-hitting ways and continues playing the way he has been since late in the season, he'll become the next very good safety that everyone touts. He also has a great name.

The Chargers couldn't get it done in the red-zone against the undefeated* Patriots and it cost them dearly. Settling for four field goals when the could've driven home touchdowns is precisely what cost San Diego the game and a trip to the Super Bowl. It may have been because the Bolts were just too banged up or it may have been the outstanding work of New England's defence but that was the difference to the AFC Championship in my mind.

And how about Brady, who only had two incompletions last week against the Jaguars, tossing three interceptions yesterday? You have to give credit to the Chargers front-liners for actually putting pressure on Brady as well as the d-backs for their coverage which — while overmatched by the Patriots depth of weapons — did a good job containing the receivers. Quintin Jammer had a great game and deserves a lot of credit for San Diego's defensive effort.

Oh, and the early line (as set by Michael Roxborough) and my early pick for Super Bowl XLII: Patriots (-13.5) over Giants. What, you thought I would ever take Elisha?

This week: 0-2
The Playoffs: 3-4-1

The XLI Wrap Up

Thanks more so to his team's defense and running game, Peyton Manning has shed the tag of not being able to win the big game at Super Bowl XLI. Manning also took home the Pete Rozelle trophy for the MVP of the big game which is fairly undeserved; an outcome that at least one clever blogger predicted (read: I called it).

I was wrong about one prediction for sure; Rex Grossman was an absolute liability for Chicago. Fumbling the snap on two occasions and lobbing passes at opposing safeties and corners are two ways to lose any game for your team, especially the Super Bowl.

Heading into the off-season (after the Pro Bowl next Sunday, that is), each team now has important questions that will need to be answered. In Indianapolis, there is talk that Tony Dungy may retire since he's now won the big game. There will also be speculation along the lines of where Peyton Manning will go from here sans monkey on his back. For Chicago it will be a long off-season for Rex Grossman who's going to come under even more fire than he already is enduring. Both Thomas Jones and Lance Briggs, two key members of the Bears could land on different squads. Defensive Co-coordinator Ron Rivera is also meeting with Jerry Jones about possibly coaching Dallas next season.

The one real question I'm going to be wondering until next season isn't about personnel or coaching changes; what's on my head is what am I going to do with my Sunday afternoons? I've seemingly taken NFL-filled Sundays for granted. It looks like I'm going to be in the market for a hobby starting after the Pro Bowl wraps up next week. Maybe my beloved can send me into this void with a win; I can only hope.

The Super Bowl Preview Edition

For the first time in years, I don't know what will happen in the Super Bowl. I'm not ashamed to admit that. Looking at this year's game, there's too many variables to consider. So many things could or couldn't happen. You could take a look at last year's Super Bowl as a good example. If it weren't for the referees calling the game as if they had blatantly wagered on Pittsburgh, the outcome would probably have been greatly different. This year, if Peyton is seen with his brother Eli at a South Beach club before the party, disregard anything below this paragraph.

It would be easy to break down the teams by comparing how they match up at positions, i.e. who has a better defensive line or who's quarterback is better? But what does it matter if Tank Johnson is better than Raheem Brock? They're not going to butt heads against each other and Peyton Manning vs. Rex Grossman a game of dodgeball.

So what am I going to use to judge my predicted outcome of the game? I have already flip-flopped four times and at the end of this article there may be a fifth. I could use the dozens of breakdowns and articles regarding the game that I've read over the past two weeks as a basis. But it doesn't mean that they're right just because they're insiders and experts. Since each of these writers has a different point of view (by default) and some will pick Indy while some will pick Chicago, then, along with us, the average football fan, the experts WILL be wrong. Unless you have a time machine, you can only use past outcomes to try figure the variables of the big game. In short, no one is an expert, for except Dr. Emmett Brown and Marty McFly that is.

If anything, the last paragraph was a disclaimer.

The way I'm looking at the game, it's a lot more even than people think. Chicago just finished putting the boots to New Orleans and showed they are truly the best team in the NFC (not as good as it sounds). But Indy took a harder road to the Super Bowl, beating each of the teams that they faced at their own game. They beat the Chiefs by shutting down all-pro Larry Johnson; in fact, shutting down isn't even strong enough to describe what they did to LJ. They went into Baltimore and proved that they didn't need to score touchdowns to win. Then they came back from 18 points down to rally against the Patriots, a roll that's usually reversed. But when you look at those three games, there're reasons why those outcomes occurred. LJ must have been tired and bruised after setting a record for carries in the regular season, Baltimore has been shoddy on offense when McNair is off his game (as he was) and the Patriots aren't the same Pats of the last few years.

The teams' defenses are both under the microscope coming into the game for different, yet the same reasons. They haven't been themselves as of late. Chicago's daunting Monsters of the Midway have allowed over 300 yards in their last several games while the Colts once porous defense has tightened up remarkably in the playoffs. This being said, it's impossible to tell which of these faces shows up at XLI.

Rushing the ball always turns out to be a key in any game and both teams have outstanding duos, which is the new trend in the league. The way I see the running games is that they're pretty even; Jones and Benson against Addai and Rhodes should turn out to equal in terms of productions, but anyone of the four could break a big run given the chance.

The last factor I can think of is that both quarterbacks should be coming into the game with huge chips on his shoulders. Will Peyton Manning escape the inevitable Dan Marino comparisons and win the big one? Or will Rex Grossman prove his (many) critics wrong and perform well on the grandest of stages. I think both will knock the proverbial monkeys off their backs and, without further ado, I have decided on my final pick.

Pick: Indianapolis 30, Chicago 24.

Also, Rex Grossman will play better than expected but will have one or two "did he just do that" moments. Peyton Manning will throw two interceptions, one will be more so due to a good Chicago play though. Chicago's defense will score a touchdown. Indianapolis won't punt the ball directly to Devin Hester and if they do, they will pay. Finally, Peyton Manning will be the game's MVP, even if he doesn't deserve to be.

And, in case you were wondering:
The Intern's pick is: Raiders by 15 (seriously)

Super Bowl X-Factors

So what's an X-factor you ask? An x-factor is an unknown quantity that could be big or small in an equation; for this instance, the occasion is the Super Bowl. I've taken a run at who should be considered X-factors on Sunday; one from each team on offense, defense and special teams.

Bernard Berrian: Everyone believes that the Bears are a hard running team that doesn't like to pass that often but everyone neglects to remember that Chicago, overall, was quite good at going through the air this season, in spite of Rex Grossman. Berrian, the top receiver on Chicago has a propensity to get open way downfield and hauling in a huge touchdown could break the game open.

Ricky Manning: Chicago loves to play in nickel and dime sets and when they do, Manning is in the game. Despite being a third-string player, he tied for the team lead in interceptions with 5. "The illegitimate Manning brother" plays well in big games as evidenced by his 3 picks against Philadelphia two NFC championship games ago while he still played with Carolina. He has the experience and the skill to make a difference.

Robbie Gould: It would be too easy to pick Devin Hester here so I didn't, but I will talk about him later. Gould finished second in the league in scoring behind LDT but failed to even attempt a field goal of 50 yards or longer. If he's put into a long field goal situation, I'm not sure how confident I'd be in him.

Joseph Addai: The rookie has been a bright spot from a sterling draft. He's a good, slashing running back that can also catch out of the back field. It also seems like he comes up with at least one big play every game. I wouldn't think that would change on Sunday.

Booger McFarland: The Colts defense has improved dramatically in the play-offs and their ability to stop the run has been a key. The reason for this improvement isn't just because of McFarland, it's because the Colts have been stacking eight men in the box to crowd the line. With a deep threat like Berrian on the other side of the ball, the Colts may not be able to line-up like that on Sunday in fear of being beaten deep. Booger is going to have to clog the middle and stop the run without the extra safety's help.

The entire Colts special teams coverage unit: It's up to them to get a grasp on Devin Hester before he takes off. Overall, they haven't covered punts and kickoffs as well as most teams in the league so they'll definitely have to work on this during practice. It's also up to punter Hunter Smith to keep the ball out of the hands of Hester without giving up too much field position.

Super Bowl Week Continues!

The Glorious Media Day!

If anyone reading this cares about what happened or what was said by anyone on media day, you're not going to find it here. I really could care less about the talking during the week and the swelled up coverage that takes place. The only talking I'd like to hear during media day is smack-talking and this year seems to be lacking. Hopefully Tank Johnson pulls a gun on somebody to make this week a bit more interesting.

The Flip-Flop v4.

I must say that, after reading Easterbrook's article on ESPN.com, I've got to flip-flop back to picking the Colts to win. I seemed to have forgotten that the Colts are peaking at the right time on defense and that Tony Dungy is a good enough coach to figure out Chicago's schemes. Also: Rex Grossman.

Pick: Indianapolis 24, Chicago 13

Life Imitates Madden?

Jerry Jones recently interviewed Bears assistant coach Mike Singletary in what was only thought of as a way to avoid reprimand for not having interviewed a black coach left. Then it turned out that Jones liked him. Where they stand is still unknown and more than likely won't be settled until after the Super Bowl, but, I must say, this is a move that I would, rather, DID make. So it was only in Madden and I hired Singletary as my Cowboys' defensive coordinator, but the point is: I would be a good decision-maker in the football world. Then again, I also ended up moving the Dallas Cowboys to New York City and renamed them the Coney Island Whitefish so disregard any claim I make to being a good decision-maker.

Chargers Closing in on the Bengals

San Diego Chargers safety Terrence Kiel apparently couldn't hold it in long enough and thanks to this, the Bengals are now only one arrest ahead of the Chargers. Kiel was charged with urinating in public which makes him the eighth San Diego player to be charged since last April. While the Bengals get all the glory for being bad boys, the Chargers are quietly putting together a nice (criminal) record.

K-Fed Grabs Some Fries

Have you seen Kevin Federline's Super Bowl commercial? The one where he's watching his own music video while working at a burger joint? Well he's getting in trouble for it now. Apparently, the fast food employees of America don't even want to associate with K-Fed.

**UPDATE**

Here's the YouTueb link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtXkG6EVfVg

Super Bowl week starts!

After a perilous Sunday off, the Colts and Bears are arriving in Miami early week. Expect the media circus to be getting in full gear, covering anything you could ever possibly want to know about any player or coach on either team. So this a heads up to anyone who wants to know what kind of gin Rex Grossman prefers (Gordon's Gin by the way) or exactly how much ammo Tank Johnson had in his car when he was arrested.

This weekend and its absence of football served as a harsh reminder to how bad Sundays can be without the NFL. Without those 10 or so hours of gridiron fun, there isn't very much else to watch on the couch (I opted to watch nearly the entire second season of Veronica Mars).

I've also adjusted my Super Bowl pick, as I've now decided it will be a closer game.

Dan's third crack at a Super Bowl Pick: Chicago 23, Indianapolis 19.