Anti-Farve fan found higher than kite: Tebow news ended it.

OIL CITY, PA -
Jason Rogers, 26, of Oil City was found dead Tuesday in his home at 10:46am EST. Police were call to his house after a 911 call was made by friend Greg Watson, stating that Rogers stopped talking mid-conversation. Watson states that it sounded as if Rogers stopped breathing for about a minute, then the phone hit the floor and Watson heard Rogers give out a loud sigh. Watson proceeded to call several times to ensure Rogers was ok.


Further police investigation revealed the following:

Watson received a text message from his friend Jason Rogers at 2:24pm EST on Sunday saying "I hope that ---hole Favre end his 3rd straight season with a pick and ruins it for his team, again." Watson shook it off saying "Jason was a renowned Farve-hater even since his first fake retirement after the end of the 2008 NFC Championship game.

"(Rogers) used to go on and on about how much he hated all the media exposure that Farve would get. We used watch SportsCenter religiously every day to soak up as much football info as we could. But once all the Farve loving went down, he hasn't been the same" says Watson. "He reached the point where he would either leave the room, or go on a 5 minute rant every time he saw anything involving Favre."

editors note:

Brett Favre is the Quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings. Favre has gone back and forth about returning to play in the NFL for the past 2 years. He had left he previous 2 teams, the Green Bay Packers and New York Jets, on bad terms. Farve has received a significant amount of media exposed since he initially began speaking of retiring 24 months ago. He threw an interception to end the season each of the previous 2 seasons, ending things for his team as well. Sunday night in the NFC Championship game, Farve threw an interception that eliminated his team, the Minnesota Vikings, from being able to attempt a game winning field goal. The Vikings never touched the ball again, and lost to the New Orleans Saints 31-28 in overtime.

"Upon seeing the result of the game, it appears he(Rogers) went into a state of euphoria" states Dr. Gomez of St. Joseph's Presbyterian Hospital "He was so pleased with the result, that his mind could not comprehend whatever had taken place." After Rogers did not show up for work Monday, Watson was given a phone call from a fellow employee of Roger's. Watson again tried to reach Rogers but was unsuccessful.

"Tuesday Morning around 10:30, I tried calling him(Rogers) one additional time. He finally answered" said Watson. "He said he had been on such a 'high' from the result of yet another Farve disaster, he could not function. He said 'I was so happy that ********er got what he had coming, and the media can go **** themselves.'"

I asked Watson to continue, but he was unable to hold back tears and asked to be excused. Investigating Officer Gates, who took Watson's statement, said "Rogers continued with 'The only thing in the world that could make me happier, is if Tim Tebow is failing at Senior Week and NFL scouts are loosing faith'. Tebow is struggling with footwork, mechanics and accuracy. Watson then proceeded to update Rogers on the situation. This lead to Rogers going into a state of ecstasy that he could not recover. He had a stroke, brain aneurysm and went into cardiac arrest simultaneously. He died instantly."

NFL Championship Weekend

A surprising development came about last weekend when the Chargers fell apart and lost at home to the Jets. We now look at a rematch from week 16 in Indianapolis, and the game people have wanted to see since week 3 in New Orleans.

3:00pm EST
New York Jets: 11-7 @ Indianapolis Colts: 15-2 (-7.5)
Outlook: I am guessing when Curtis Painter was growing up in Vincennes, IN and wanted to be a famous NFL quarterback, this is not what he had in mind. The Colts failure at perfection was dumped on his shoulders, when they replaced their starters while leading 15-10 in the 3rd quarter against the Jets in week 16. Indy went on to loose 29-16 and opened the door for New York to make the playoffs. This is being media-titled "Painter Bowl II".
Biggest Question Mark: How much of a factor will Darrell Revis be in shutting down Reggie Wayne? If he does, will the Jets be able to cover Dallas Clark and the other weapons at Mannings disposal?
Key Matchup: New York Jets running game vs. Indianapolis front 7
The Jets showed how dangerous their running game can be the last 2 weeks in playoffs victories. The Colts have a very fast and very solid defense run by their front 7.
Prediction: Indianapolis 27-10. Midnight is striking on this Cinderella story. Indy will shut them down just like they did to Baltimore last week.

6:40pm EST
Minnesota Vikings 13-4 @ New Orleans Saints: 14-3 (-3.5)
Outlook: The trend in the NFC playoffs this year has been teams putting up Tecmo Bowl type points. Expect more of the same from this game. 2 of the NFL's top scoring teams in a dome. This could make for a great game.
Biggest Question Mark: Will the Viking pass rush be able to get to Brees?
Games where the Vikings front 4 has had issues getting to the QB has allowed opponents to be able to complete passes easily. No one is better at creating formations and miss matches then Sean Payton. Look for him to move the pocket to give Brees time to make plays.
Key Matchup: Jabari Greer vs. Sidney Rice
Rice has been the best receiver for Minnesota all year. Greer was having an All-Pro year before needing hernia surgery half way through the season. He returned last week and shut down the league best receiver, Larry Fitzgerald. If he can keep Rice in check and make a big play or 2, Favre will have big issues.
Prediction: Saints 31-27. Brees will need to have a very good day, and he will be up to the challenge at home.

Last Week:

Spread: 0-4
Picks: 2-2

NFL Divisonal Round

I know I missed the Divisional Playoff (the lines were pretty bad) but let’s take a look at what this weekend holds for us.
Lines as of Friday morning

Saturday 4:30 EST
Arizona Cardinals: 11-6 @ New Orleans Saints: 13-3 (-7)
Outlook: This game has all the makings of a shootout, but there really is no way it can live up to the hype. The Saints defense is well rested after taking the last month off.
Biggest Questions Mark: Health. The Saints had issues with injuries which helped lead to their losses at the end of the season. The Cards fought off injuries last week to defeat the Packers, but they will need Anquan Boldin to pull off a win this week.
Key Matchup: Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell vs. Cards rush defense.
Arizona was 17th in rush defense, and people forget that New Orleans was one of the top rushing teams this season until injuries. Sean Payton will look to a now rested Thomas and Bell to keep Warner and Fitzgerald off the field.
Prediction: Saints 31-27 With the Saints running out the clock on a tired Cards defense.

Saturday 8:15 EST
Baltimore Ravens: 10-7 @ Indianapolis Colts: 14-2 (-6)
Outlook: Will the Colts be rusty after not playing a meaning full game for a month? Will Peyton Manning be able to exploit the holes in the Baltimore secondary? Will Joe Flacco’s leaking hip allow him to post a QB rating over 10.0?
Biggest Question Mark: The Colts have lost in their first game all 3 times in the Manning era when resting their players and getting a first round bye (including last year). Will that trend continue?
Key Matchup: Baltimore front-7 blitz vs. Indianapolis O-line
The Ravens constant pressure of Tom Brady last week is what lead to the 3 INTs and strip-sack in their rout of the Pats. Indy has a great offensive line, and no one gets touched less than Manning.
Prediction: Colts win 20-17 with yet another Manning game winning drive.

Sunday 1:00 EST
Dallas Cowboys:12-5 @ Minnesota Vikings 12-4 (-3)
Outlook: Romo grew up in Wisconsin idolizing Brett Favre. Now he has to chance to knock him out of the playoffs and possibly into a permanent retirement. Adrian Peterson hasn’t had a 100-yrd game in weeks, and this would be a great time to get one.
Biggest Question Mark: Who is going to dominate the crowd? In their loss to the Eagles in this exact situation last year, nearly 1/3 of the crowd was Eagles fans. Dallas has an even bigger fan base.
Key Matchup: Dallas pass rush vs. Minnesota O-line
With Spence, Ratliff and Ware, Dallas is able to only rush 4 or 5 and get after the QB. McNabb was on the run the entire time the last 2 weeks. Farve is much less mobile but does have a quick release.
Prediction: Dallas 27-17 The pass rush is too much to handle, and Tony Romo grows up in from of our very eyes.

Sunday 4:40pm EST
New York Jets: 10-7 @ San Diego Chargers: 13-3 (-7)
Outlook: At kickoff, it will have been 2 days shy of 3 months since San Diego last lost a game. They lost to Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Denver. All 3 teams either made the playoffs, or were in the hunt until the final Sunday. If you eliminate last week and the 2 games that Indy and Cincy phoned in to end the season, the last time the Jets won a game against a good team was week 2 vs. New England. Sanchez is due for a bad game.
Biggest Question Mark: Revis will be able to cover Vincent Jackson, even though Jackson has a 6” height advantage. The question is what NY is going to do about Antonio Gates and Malcolm Floyd?
Key Matchup: Shone Green and Thomas Jones vs. San Diego rush defense
We all know Rivers and the Chargers can march up and down the field without issues. If the Jets can run the ball, control the tempo of the game, and keep the offense off the field, they might be able to win this game.
Prediction: Chargers 31-13 Sanchez returns to form and turns it over 3 times. Rivers captializes

NFL season wrap-up

A look back at what my playoff and regular season picks were for the season.
I didn't do too bad. (3/6 on NFC teams 4/6 on AFC) (15 Pro Bowl starters. Several others I picked are alternates)

Here were my picks from mid-season review.

Let's recap all the things I was dumb enough to open my mouth about.

Team most likely to have a major drop off from last year:
My picks: Dolphins, Cardinals, Panthers, Broncos
Result: pretty good
Dolphins, Panthers and Broncos finished better than I though at 8-8 but missed the playoffs. Cardinals are the same team as last year and will need another miracle run to make the Super Bowl again this year.

Player most likely to have a down year:
My Picks: Jay Cutler - QB Bears; Anquan Boldin - WR Cardinals
Result: Cutler- Jackpot; Boldin - ok
Cutler lead the NFL in INTs and if it were not for a great last 2 games of the year, had a good chance to have the most INTs in the last 34 years in the NFL. Boldin still got to 84 catches and over 1,000 yards but finished with only 4 TDs

Player most likely to have a return to All Pro:
My picks: Larry Johnson - RB Chiefs; Joseph Addai - RB Colts
Results: Major strike out
Can I take a mulligan on this one? Johnson has been a disaster but somehow weaseled into the playoffs. Addai has scored a lot of TDs, but the Colts continue to struggle to run the ball.

Team most likely to shock the NFL:
My picks: San Francisco 49ers; New Orleans Saints
Result: Jackpot
Saints flirted with perfection till a late season collapse, but still finished as the NFC's #1 seed at 13-3. 49ers had an up and down year, but did finish 8-8.

Break-out Player of the Year:
My picks: Leon Washington - RB Jets; Jonathan Vilma - LB Saints
Result: Not quite there
Washington was hurt for most of the season. Vilma made the Pro Bowl as a back up.

Now my bold predictions from Mid-Season.

1) Neither the Saints or Colts will finish 16-0.
Result: Winner
Not that crazy of a pick. NFL is just too hard to do this, and they were both going to rest their starters.

2) Chris Johnson will break the rushing record this year (2,105 yards)
Result: Almost
He did break the yards from scrimmage record and ended up with 2,006 rushing yards. I expected him to have at least 2 more of those 200+ yard games in his final 8, but never did.

3) The New York Giants will finish 8-8
Result: Winner
Despite starting 5-0, they completely collapsed on Eli's injured heel. Who knew their defense would be that bad?

4) The Houston Texans will make the playoffs
Result: Missed it by a hair
Had the Colts and Bengals not phoned in their games to the Jets in the last 2 weeks, Houston would have been in. The Texans should have won 1 more game and gotten in regardless, but at least they finished with their first winning season ever (9-7).

5) 7 teams will finish 4-12 or worse
Result: Close
Oakland and Cleveland both managed to beat the Steelers and got to 5 wins. As for the rest of the teams... ouch.

Steelers/Packers “Game for the Ages?”

(article is a celebrity submission by Aaron Zirkle)

Being a spectator at the December 20th offensive death match between the Packers and the Steelers, or should I say Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger, one thing can be concluded; “This was the game of the year.” Not only did this game have a quarterback surpass 500 passing yards (Big Ben 503) for the first time in the NFL this year, and only the 3rd time this decade, but the game combined for 868 passing yards. The most by two quarterbacks in any single NFL game this year.

Having these two heroic performances seasaw back and forth for victory was really something special. Based on both single game performances by one quarterback, and the combined performance by both quarterbacks this is something rarely seen. The overall statistics can help actually appreciate how good this game was. In the 15 weeks of this year’s NFL season, there have only been 4 performances by a quarterback that exceeded 400 passing yards: Big Ben (417), Rivers (436), McNabb (450), and Stafford (422). Only five games had quarterbacks combined for 700 plus passing yards, the highest being 786 by Campbell (367) and Brees (419) in week 13.

If you’re a lover of quarterbacks and team’s winning games by throwing the ball, my heart goes out to you if you missed this game. It truly was a game for the ages. Along with the statistics, the lead changed four times in the last eight minutes of the fourth quarter, including a touchdown as time expired. Despite the heartbreak of being a Green Bay Packer fan watching this game unfold as it did, I am able to take a step back and truly appreciate the year’s best NFL game to date.

NFL All-Decade 1st Team Defense

Peter King put out his All-2000's team on sportsillustrated.com this week. King is a great writer, and I usually respect his work, but I have to disagree on a number of his selections. He tried to make a case for Mike Vrabel to be 1 of the 2 best OLBs in the NFL in the 2000's. Little to much Patriot love for me. It seems he focused too much on recent performance, and not a much on the entire decade. It was almost as if he though about it long enough for his Hot Pocket to heat up.

If you are wondering how I came up with my selections, I decided more on personal statistics then team success. I know present the REAL All-Decade team.

DE
Jason Taylor

10 Seasons
579 Tackles
110 Sacks
7 INTs
38 Fumbles Forced
3 Touchdowns

Taylor, a native of the Pittsburgh area, had more sacks than any other player during the 2000's. He was NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2006. His athleticism transformed what the prototype D-end is now.



DT
Warren Sapp
8 Seasons
349 Tackles
54.5 Sacks
3 INTs
9 Forced Fumbles

Sapp really came into his own starting in 2000 when he recorded 16.5 sacks, an insane number for a defensive tackles. Much like Taylor, his athleticism at his position was something rarely seen before. Sapp would have made an All-Decade trash talk team too.

DT
La'roi Glover
9 Seasons
385 Tackles
58.5 Sacks
2 INTs
11 Forced Fumbles

Glover manged to 1-up Sapp and actually had 17 sacks in 2000. A journey man through the decade, he continued to put up solid numbers year in and year out. A true pass rushing defensive tackle.


DE
Michael Strahan
8 Seasons
485 Tackles
89 Sacks
14 Forced Fumbles

Strahan played like Hall of Fame DE Reggie End. A strong side, run stopping end that was great a rushing the passer. (a rare thing to see) In route to averaging 11 sacks a season, he broke the single season sack record in 2001 with 22.5. Helped shut down the 18-0 New England Patriots in one of the biggest Super Bowl upsets ever.


OLB
Derrick Brooks
9 Seasons
1035 Tackles
9 Sacks
17 INTs
16 Forced Fumbles
6 Touchdowns

Brooks never was a blitzer averaging only 1 sack per year. He was however, the most versitile linebacker the league may have ever seen. Recorded over 1,000 in 9 years as an outside linebacker. Was elected Defensive POY in 2002 and went to to lead the leagues best defense to a dominant performance in the Super Bowl.

ILB
Ray Lewis
10 Seasons
1146 Tackels
22.5 Sacks
21 INTs
12 Forced Fumbles
2 TDs

Lewis has a nose for the ball and loves to make the big hit when needed. A motivational leader has been cirticized for his warm up antics, but manages to always be making the play. Defensive POY in 2000 and Super MVP later that year.

ILB
London Fletcher
10 Seasons
1343 Tackles
15 INTs
12 Forced Fumbles
2 TDs

The undersized Fletcher has 200 more tackles than any other player this decade, and leads the NFL yet again so far this year. He has been consistent year in and year out and always ends up around the football.


OLB
Joey Porter
10 Seasons
576 Tackles
88 Sacks
12 INTs
22 Forced Fumbles
1 TD

THE blitzing linebacker of the 2000's. He was a force playing in the Pittsburgh 3-4 defensive skeem. After being shown the door, Porter went to Miami and still can be a nightmare for QBs.

CB
Champ Bailey
10 Seasons
799 Tackles
39 INTs
146 Passes Defended
1 Sack
3 Touchdowns

Helped create the term "shut-down corner" which is now WAAAAY overused to describe a good cover corner. As good in couverage as Deon Sanders, but is more than willing to get in there and make a hit. Lead all CBs in INTs, and would have had more but teams stopped throwing his way.

CB
Ronde Barber
10 Seasons
813 Tackles
34 INTs
160 Passes Defended
21 Sacks
7 Touchdowns

Barber became the quintisential blitzing corner in the Tampa 2 skeem. Had an obscene 21 sacks as a corner to go with 160 passes defended.

S
Ed Reed
8 Seasons
454 Tackles
46 INTs
97 Passes Defended
5 Sack
6 Touchdowns

An instant impact player since being drafted out of the "U" in 2002. Loves to make big returns out INTs, fumbles and missed field goals. The 2nd best ball-hawking player this decade.


S
Darren Sharper
10 Seasons

657 Tackles
57 INTs
114 Passes Defended
6.5 Sacks
9 TDs


Definitely the best safety of this decade and my choice for the Defensive Player of the Decade. Has 11 more INTs than any other player over the last 10 years. Has been booted from teams twice, but continues to excel. Is now helping revive the Saints defense down on the bayou.

NFL All-Decade 1st Team Offense

Peter King put out his All-2000's team on sportsillustrated.com this week. King is a great writer, and I usually respect his work, but I have to disagree on a number of his selections. He tried to make a case for Mike Vrabel to be 1 of the 2 best OLBs in the NFL in the 2000's. Little to much Patriot love for me. It seems he focused too much on recent performance, and not a much on the entire decade. It was almost as if he though about it long enough for his Hot Pocket to heat up.

If you are wondering how I came up with my selections, I decided more on personal statistics then team success. I know present the REAL All-Decade team.

QB
Peyton Manning
10 Seasons
3,5o4 completions
41,439 yards
306 TDs
133 INTs
The most prolific passer of the decade. Has more than 11,000 passing yards more than Brady and almost 100 more touchdowns. 3 MVPs and is currently making a strong case for # 4.



RB
Ladanian Tomlinson
10 Seasons
12,321 rush yards
135 TDs
521 Receptions
3867 receiving yards
15 Touchdowns

Ladanian Tomlinson did to the 2000's what Barry Sanders did to the 1990's. Broke the single season record for touchdowns, won league MVP and is the fastest player ever to 150 career touchdowns.

FB
Lorenzo Neal
10 Seasons

Blocked for Corey Dillon in the early part of the decade, Tomlinson till 2008, now blocks for Ray Rice in Baltimore. Needless to say, some of their success can be attributed to his hard work.

WR
Randy Moss
10 Seasons
762 Receptions
11803 Yards
116 Touchdowns

Other than when he gave up on playing during his time in Oakland, Moss has been virtually unstoppable. Broke the single season record for receiving TDs in 2007. Has more TD receptions than anyone else during the 2000's.


WR
Torry Holt
10 Seasons
861 Receptions

12462 Yards
68 Touchdowns

Because of how bad St. Louis has been over the past few years, people forget how amazing Holt has been. Has more receptions and yards than any other receiver in the 10 years span (70 more catches than Harrison, 569 more yards than Moss).

WR
Terrell Owens
10 Seasons
772 Receptions
10305 Yards
112 Touchdowns

He might be annoying, but Owens has been a physical phenom for the last 10 years. A strong physical receiver with break away speed. He is 2nd only to Moss in TDs, and that is by just 4.

TE
Tony Gonzalez
10 Seasons

817 Catches
9840 Yards
66 Touchdowns

This was the easiest pick of all the positions. No one comes close to Gonzalez in production.


OT
Walter Jones
10 Seasons

8 time Pro Bowl selection

One of the 2 biggest reasons that Shaun Alexander was able to have so much success in Seattle. Open holes big enough to drive an 18-wheeler through. Helped take Seattle to Super Bowl in 2006.


OG
Steve Hutchinson
9 Seasons
6 time Pro Bowl selection

The other reason Alexander was so great in the northwest. It was close between him and Will Shields, but I have Hutch the nod. He will get another Pro Bowl selection this year to tie Shields with 7. Plus Steve now blocks for an even better running back in Minnesota, Adrian Peterson.


C
Kevin Mawae
10 Seasons
6 time Pro Bowl selection

Has the same number of Pro Bowls as Matt Birk, but Kevin Mawae was much more dominant. He reinvented the Center position. Before him, you never saw centers pulling. Now they all have to be athletic enough to do it. This year, he is blocking for the speed demon Chris Johnson.

OG
Alan Faneca
10 Seasons
8 time Pro Bowl selection

Spent most of the 2000's with the Steelers. Won a Super Bowl ring and cleared the way for Jerome Bettis to run into the record books. Now is still dominating next to Nick Mangold for the #1 rushing ranked New York Jets


OT
Jonathan Ogden
10 Seasons
8 time Pro Bowl Selection

Like Jones, has been to 8 Pro Bowls out of 9. Completely consumed the left side of the line of scrimmage. Helped Jamal Lewis get over 2000 yrds in a season.



K
Matt Stover
10 Seasons

FGs: 269/309 (87%)
XPs: 303/303
Points: 1110

The most accurate kicker in NFL history (at least to me) made an obscene 87% of his field goals during the 2000's and NEVER missed an extra point.

NFL All-Decade 2nd team

Peter King put out his All-2000's team on sportsillustrated.com this week. I do respect him a writer, but I disagree with some of his choices. I have decided to present the 1st and 2nd All-Decade team. (Statistics up through week 13 of 2009 season)

2nd team (# of seasons play in 2000's)
Offense

QB- Tom Brady (10) : 2602 completions; 30084 yards; 219 TDs; 96 INTs
RB- Shaun Alexander (9): 9453 rush yrds; 100 TDs; 1520 rec yards; 12 TDs
FB - Tony Richardson (10): Blocked for both Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson in KC
WR- Marvin Harrison (9): 791 rec; 10166 yrds; 95 TDs
WR- Hines Ward (10): 796 rec; 9818 yrds; 71 TDs
TE- Antiono Gates (7): 467 rec; 6060 yrds; 55 TDs
OT- Orlando Pace (10): 6 Pro Bowls
OG- Will Shields (7): 7 Pro Bowls
C- Matt Birk (10): 6 Pro Bowls
OG- Larry Allen (7): 6 Pro Bowls
OT- William Roaf (6): 5 Pro Bowls

Defense:

DE- Julius Peppers (8): 375 tackles; 79 sacks; 5 INTs; 30 Forced Fumbles; 2 TDs
DT- Richard Seymour (9)- 392 tackles; 43 sacks; 2 INTs; 4 FFs
DT- Kevin Williams (7)- 322 tackles; 48.5 sacks; 4 INTs; 4 FFs; 2 TDs
DE- Patrick Kearney (10) - 435 tackles; 80 sacks; 3 INTs; 20 FFs
LB- Keith Brooking (10)- 1092 tackles; 18 sacks; 11 INTs; 6 FFs
ILB- Brian Urlacher (10)- 1058 tackles; 37.5 sacks; 17 INTs; 8 FFs; 1 TD
ILB- James Farrior (10)- 1068 tackles; 24 sacks; 10 INTs; 15 FFs; 1 TD
OLB- Julian Peterson (10)- 700 tackles; 50.5 sacks; 8 INTs; 20 FFs
CB- Charles Woodson (10)- 578 tackles; 37 INTs; 105 Pass Defended; 11.5 sacks; 6 TDs
CB- Ty Law (10)- 525 tackles; 32 INTs; 98 DEF; 3 sacks; 4 TDs
S- Brian Dawkins (10)- 702 tackles; 22 INTs; 111 DEF; 17.5 sacks
S- Troy Polamalu (7)- 453 tackles; 20 INTs; 70 DEF; 7 sacks; 1 TD

K- David Akers (10)- 253/306 FG (83%); 382/387 XP ; 1141 points

Comparions of NFL teams to pop culture figures

Teams seem to each take on a personality. They sometimes seem to take on the personality of a celebrity. Lets take a look as some of them.

AFC East
*New England Patriots: Brad Pitt
Continues to excel. Loved by the media on all ends. Constantly in the spot light. Has its downs but always comes back strong.
*New York Jets: Jessica Biel
Have plenty of redeeming qualities and a great asset, but never seem to be able to put it all together.
*Miami Dolphins: Madonna
They were very popular and successful in the past. Recently have not had nearly the success. Had a few down years. Now use unusual means to remain relevant and competitive.
*Buffalo Bills: Mario Lopez
Highly popular, loved and adored in the early 90’s. Since has been mediocre taking whatever they can to get by and remain in the limelight.

AFC North
*Pittsburgh Steelers: Robert De Niro
A usually hard-nosed persona has lightened up recently and adapted to the changing world. Still performing at a top level.
*Baltimore Ravens: Mark Wahlberg
A tough in-your-face personality. Has an off year every once and a while, but perennially strong.
*Cincinnati Bengals: Nick Nolte
Has fallen on hard times recently. Shows signs of resurrection but you can feel another collapse coming if they don't stay focues
*Cleveland Browns: Rosie O’Donnell
Just plain ugly. Never has been good and is getting worse.

AFC South
*Indianapolis Colts: Will Smith
Has been a picture of success for the last decade. Year in and year out, they create winner after winner. Don’t have many weaknesses and will continue to succeed in the future.
*Tennessee Titans: Colin Ferrell
Manages to fool everyone into thinking they are good by having a solid performance every once and a while. Completely awful at points and show their true colors.
*Houston Texans: Jessica Alba
Everyone always has big hopes for them, but they usually just end up being average.
*Jacksonville Jaguars: Sarah Michelle Gellar
Has had a few good things here and there. Never spectacular. Has also had a few bad things too.

AFC West
*Denver Broncos: Justin Timberlake
Young, popular and successful. Got dumped by an ex, to only move on to another and succeed. Seem to lack many weaknesses and should be successful for years to come.
*San Diego Chargers: Charlize Theron
Always looks good. Consistent year in and year out but never can stand above the rest. Will need to make some drastic changes and go ugly to win the big one.
*Oakland Raiders: Michael Douglas
Historically great in the past. Things seem to be getting worse year after year. Looks like they are almost dead at this point.
*Kansas City Chiefs: Lindsay Lohan
Has been up and down for years, now is just plain terrible. Has long road ahead to recovery.

NFC East
*New York Giants: Barack Obama
Vastly supported yet very polarizing. As many people hate him as well as love him. Recently lost some support due to poor performances, but still as solid as ever.
*Philadelphia Eagles: Bruce Willis
Have been tough and consistently solid for the past 20 years or so. Still great today.
*Dallas Cowboys: Jennifer Love Hewitt
Loved by some, hated by others. Continues to be popular over the last 15-20 years. A lot on the surface, but yet to do anything of significance. Not much beyond outer shell and media hype.
*Washington Redskins: Paris Hilton
Lots of money. No real amount of talent but continues to be in the public eye and is always in the news.

NFC North
*Minnesota Vikings: Charlie Sheen
Have faced legal trouble in the past. Are doing great as of now.
*Green Bay Packers: Jennifer Aniston
Team everyone loves to love. Everyone is pulling for them since the biggest thing to happen to them left them for another.
*Chicago Bears: Bill Murray
Was awesome in the 80’s. Haven’t done much recently except 1 good year.
*Detroit Lions: Hugh Grant
Will always be associated with 1 particular VERY embarrassing thing from their past, not matter how much success they may have in the future.

NFC South
*New Orleans Saints: Shia LeBeouf
Recently became popular. Seems to be unstoppable at this point. Puts big numbers on the board every time out.
*Atlanta Falcons: Megan Fox
Jumped onto the scene as the new hot thing. All over the media. Still yet to prove they are for real and will be successful for a while.
*Carolina Panthers: Jennifer Lopez
Have been successful since entering the scene in the 90’s. Recently been publicly scrutinized for decision making.
*Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tobey Maguire
Other then a short time frame in the 2000’s, they never really have been good.

NFC West
*Arizona Cardinals: John Travolta
After years of poor performance, shocked the world with an impressive improvement when taking advantage of a little good luck.
*San Francisco 49ers: Robert Downey Jr.
Was great in the 90’s. Had a very public falling out and years of hardship. Has drastically changed themselves as they push towards the top again.
*Seattle Seahawks: Keanu Reeves
One minute can put up something great. They next be absolutely terrible.
*St. Louis Rams: Pamela Anderson
Couldn't be stopped a few years ago. Now they are terrible and really only have 1 thing worth looking at.

Weekly Predictions: Week 10

ESPN is making a case that "there already is a playoff system in college football, because every week has must win games." Although I disagree, they do have a valid point. There are games every week that work out like a playoff game. But did you want to see Iowa's National Title hopes go down the tubes to Northwestern, or would you rather have seen them play a top 10 team???

Every week SI.com does a top 16 tournament bracket. I reccomend a 12 team bracket with the top 4 teams getting first round byes (just like the NFL). Imagine the intensity of Selection Sunday, held the day after the conference championship games. It would be just like college hoops. It could still be done by committee, and they could get rid of the BCS rankings system.

Anyways, lets take a look at the "playoff" games for this weekend.

NCAA
#25 West Virginia @ #5 Cincinnati (-9)
Notre Dame @ #12 Pittsburgh (-6.5)
Another big weekend in the Big East. The top 3 teams in the Big East (Cincy, WVU, Pitt) all play each other between now and Dec. 5th. It will come down to which defense will show in Cincinnati.... The one that shut down South Florida in Tampa, or the one that gave up 42 points and tons of yards to UCONN?
picks: Cincy 30-24; Pitt 27-13

#16 Utah @ #4 TCU (-19.5)
The biggest game in TCU in a looooooong time. They have a dominant defense, strong running game and an decent QB. Utah only has 1 loss this year, in Eugene to Oregon, so they are no slouch.
pick: TCU 20-10

#10 Iowa @ #11 Ohio State (-17)
Will Terrelle Pryor be able to get by the Hawkeye defense? How will a red-shirt freshman do on the road in Columbus? This game will come down to turnovers and big plays on special teams.
pick: OSU 20-13

My Heisman pick for this week
Case Keenum - QB Houston
Last week: 40/60, 522 yrds, 3 TDs
Season: 325/458, 3815 yds, 28 TDs, 5 INT

Keenum had another 500+ yards passing last week in a last second win over Tulsa. Traling 45-37 with :21 left in the game, Keenum threw a 1 yd TD pass. They failed the 2 point conversion. After recovering the onsider, Keenum completed 2 passes to move within long field goal range. Freshman kicker Matt Hogan nailed a 51-yarder to win 46-45.
Pat Forde from ESPN has stated that people need to "get on the Case" for Keenum for Heisman. All which I have been saying for the last 6 weeks.

Bowl Projections
This is not exactly how I think they will end up, this is how I think they should end up.
Orange: Georgia Tech vs. Cincinnati
Sugar: Florida vs. TCU
Fiesta: Boise St. vs. USC
Rose: Oregon vs. Ohio State
Champ: Alabama vs. Texas

NFL
Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh (-7)
Just a year ago, this game would have been looked at as a joke. This year, it is to be in the driver seat in the AFC North. 2 physical, talented teams that can beat you with the run or the pass. 2 good defenses that are both trying to pull the "disrecpected card" on the season. The Bengals have beaten the Ravens twice, proving they are for real. Pittsburgh has won 5 straight games and destroyed Denver in the second half Monday night. Both teams are fighting injuries on defense.
pick: Pit 23-17

Philadelphia @ San Diego (-3)
Both teams aer 5-3. Both have beaten the New York Giants. Both are loaded with talent and have shit-for-brains head coaches. This game will come down to poor clock management, and Andy Reid seems to have that down to a science.
pick: SD 27-23

Dallas @ Green Bay (+3)
How many sacks will DeMarcus Ware have this game... 6? 9? Green Bay gave up 4 sacks to Tampa, who is absolutely terrible. I am a huge Aaron Rogers supporter, but he holds the ball waaaaaay too long (kinda like Roethlisberger used to do).
pick: Dallas 31-17

New England @ Indianapolis (-3)
The great debate continues. Brady vs. Manning. Which is the better QB. Manning has 3 MVPs, 1 ring and a Super Bowl MVP. Brady has 1 MVP, 3 rings and 2 Super Bowl MVPs. Look for this to not stand up to the hype. Peyton will keep Indy in this game, but injury holes in their secondary will eventually be the end of them.
pick: NE 34-24

Hot Chick of the week:
Gisele Bundchen

Since her hubby is playing in the biggest NFL game of the weekend, we will show her being hot.