THE BIGGEST STAGE

What does it mean to be in the superbowl? It means that players have one shot at being the best. They have one shot at holding the trophy they dreamed about as children. Only three Giants have ever been in the superbowl and experienced all the media hoopla that surrounds it. Junior Seau that said it best a week and a half ago when he stated that the teams that are playing the superbowl have a chance to be part of ever. No one understands that more than him because it took him 13 years, which is 181 games, to get back to the superbowl. Reaching that game is a testiment to a teams mental and physical toughness. Reaching it there undefeated is testiment to team dominance . With thousands of players in the NFL, few ever get to experience a superbowl run. Everyone wants to be on the team where John Elway marches down the field to score the winning touchdown or be there for when Adam Viniteri kicks the field goal to ice the game. The only you get a chance to live that is if the organization down to the players all have one common goal.
The Patriots have numerous players that have been in the superbowl but if you ask anyone of them, every superbowl has its own experience that is fresh. Players begin there Journey to the superbowl in the offseason when no one is around and all eyes arent on you. Only they know how hard it is to get to this game. Rookies on the other hand get robbed of this feeling when they get drafted on to decent to great teams that makes a superbowl run. They can't fully understand the work ethic that it takes to be on top. Im not to saying im not happy for them, but when you look at a guy like Randy Moss who worked 10 years to get here and then you look at Kelly Washington who is here after 6 months, it can be a little frustrating.
Superbowl week can be a pretty fun week for the players but if you want to be celebrating at the end you have got to go into this week like your studying for finals. Tom Brady recently said that superbowl week is great time just not for his team because they have a job to do. He also stated that going to arizona is a business trip for him and his teammates just on a larger scale. Its all about how much focus you will have come game time Those who focus when the lights are on them the most are the ones that truly enjoy and understand superbowl week. The Pats and Giants understand that this is the biggest game of thier lives but who ever walks out of Arizona with the Lombardi trophy will have played the game of thier lives.

Boston an NBA Contender?

Well here we are witnessing what we never thought we would see in our era, a possible NBA champion. With the amount of acqusitions that were made in the offseason during the draft, Danny Ainge finally got it right. He made the Boston Celtics a contender for the title. Who would have thought..right? The man that everyone thought was on his way to being a distant memory in Boston struck back and shocked the world KG style. Now put that in cup of Peirce with a shot of Allen and you have the PGA tour. The Celtics are off to its best start in franchise history with a 33 and 7 record which also happens to be the best record in the NBA. While everyone else has their team in cruise control, the Celtics are running hard up and down the floor every single game like they have something to prove. Why you ask, because they DO have something to prove. Were not talking about the Suns who know they are going to make it to the playoffs no matter how they play in January and February. Were not talking about the Spurs who have four championships and still manage to kick tail even when Duncan is out of the lineup. We are talking about the Celtics, who last season were riding a 18 game losing streak and were at the end of everyone's jokes. This was a team that had to lose by 40 points just to be in highlights on ESPN. An arena that you could go into and get a ticket 10 minutes before tipoff. A city where fans would go to the game on a night when the Lakers were in town just to get a glimspe of Kobe, and see him dunk on Brian Scalabrine. But no more because the Garden is now the house that Garnett is rebuilding. ESPN now needs the Celtics for ratings. No one cares for Kobe. Bostonians can't even smell a ticket anymore. And like that team 40 minutes north of Beantown, the only thing the green rides are winning streaks.
The number one thing that KG preaches is team defense making the Celtics the number one ranked defense in the league. Its seems the company line around the North End is run hard on every team good or bad, which make it easier for us to understand why the Celtics only have one loss in the Atlantic conference. So KG and Peirce will make sure the rest of the guys don't let up teams like the Bobcats because its February. Youngsters like Big Baby Glen Davis will learn that the NBA is an 8 month affair where you have to prove your worth to the league and your peers. Ray Allen will realize that the playoffs are looming and playing hurt might just have to be a real possibility. Danny Ainge will understand that a back up point guard is very much nessecary. And most importantly the city of Boston will again "Believe in the Green".

The most wonderful time of the year for predictions

Its that time of year again, yes Championship Friday. The air always seems a little more crisp on days like these. Children seem to be a little more happy as if santa was on his way. Boston is shining a lot brighter because once again the Patriots grace the center stage and Bostonians want last years championship episode erased from everyone's mind. But here come the mighty San Diego Super Chargers with thier mouths that speak louder than thier play does on the field. These two teams have a bit of history such as the fiasco that happen on the field after last years divisional game that Patriots won. Then LT ignites the fire with comments about the Patriots as a team. He even went as far to throws some jabs at coach Bill Belichick. Several months later the two teams squared off again in week 2 of the season where the patriots put on a show and decided to rout the Chargers 38-14. But like the old saying goes, out with the old and in with the new, and the new is sunday's AFC Championship game. The heavily favored Pats will have to take on a very hot San Diego crew with revenge on the mind which they know is a dish best served cold. They are on an 8 game winning streak that include two playoff games. They went into Indy last weekend and took out the Colts so they will be coming into New England with a noticeable swagger and a nothing to lose attitude. And while they have a right to be confident but they really should be concerned. The Chargers won the game against Indy but not before the Colts could take some shots at them. They managed to take LT out the game and leave him with a hyperextended knee and crushed Phillip River leaving him with a hip injury. Thats direct hit to the running and passing game so i cant understand how these sports analyst can say that the Chargers are playing with house money. People can only play with house money when they have a strong hand, and most people would fold if they had San Diego's.
Im not saying that the Chargers dont have credible backups, but when teams are healthy they still have a hard time keeping up with the Patriots. Antonio Cromartie is a very athletic and experienced cornerback but he wont be the answer. To even give yourself a chance to win against the Patriots, you cannot make one mistake and if you dont believe me, ask Philadelphia. Its going to take way more then Billy Volek and Darren Sproles to win this game. For the Chargers to pull off the upset for the ages, they are going to have create turnovers on defense and capitalize on every opportunity with 7 points, which is not going to happen. With that said I think the Chargers will atleast put up a fight for a quarter or two but in the end the Pats will pull it out in their ever so handsomely rout fashion. My prediction for the AFC championship, the Patriots win by a landslide 48-17.

Patriots-Packers 2008 superbowl. A Football fans Dream

What happens when you put a quarterback who is playing ungodly football together with a quarterback who everyone in America(even New England fans) roots for. You get the greatest superbowl of all time. This would be a dream for Fox. The money that would come in for them would be off the charts. Bret Farve, in many people minds, last year was washed up. People were getting the lynch mob ready to run him out of Green Bay. Rather than give in to the pressure, he goes out and proves that, still in his 17th season, he is one of the great football hurlers in the league. This guy threw for 28 Touchdowns this year, gained 4,155 yards and is going to the Pro Bowl at 38 years old. Yes, he is getting up there in age according to football standards, but he is one of two quarterbacks in the NFL still standing that has the sheer desire to drive his team to the big game. The Packers this season have more than exceeded expections. I guarantee that no one, expect for Green Bay, expected the Pack to be back in the NFC Championship game.
The Patriots, the other team Fox needs in the superbowl, are going for history. The covoted 19-0, a challenge that no man has ever accomplished on the NFL level. Would'nt it be amazing to a watch a superbowl where you have the "Golden Boy", with all the single seasons records, going up against America's favorite QB. The story lines are there: Can Farve take down the undying machine. The sports writers will twist it into an good vs. evil story: Good ol' small town boy Bret Farve vs cheating Hollywood Scoundrel Shady Brady. Writers will somehow relate this superbowl to the 1997 superbowl as the second part or the revenge. People need this to be the superbowl, they are dying for it to be the superbowl. This is the time for Patriot haters to root for the stumble and Patriot fans to see what everyone else in New England have been waiting for. People from young to old will watch this game and it will go down as the most watched superbowl ever. Its a chance for the Patriots to become the greatest. Its a chance for New Englanders to throw another championship in the face of the rest. Its a chance for Tom Brady to show that he is the most feared QB. Its a chance for Bret Farve to prove everyone wrong and complete the unthinkable. The Patriots vs. The Packers, the greatest superbowl of all time.

Bolting toward the AFC championship Game

When it was all said and done, lightning struck twice. The San Diego Chargers pulled off the upset and knocked the Indianapolis Colts right out of the playoffs. The Chargers, not once but twice, stopped the Colts from gaining a pivitol first down in the final minutes of the game. Its absurd to think that sending a backup quarterback and tailbacks in the game was going to get the job done. Thats exactly what happened. Phillip Rivers goes down at the end of the third quarter while throwing a touchdown pass runningback Darren Sproles. They put the ball in the hands of Billy Volek who goes 3 of 4 for 48 yards. Volek marches San Diego down field and scores the winning touchdown with a with a quarterback sneak. Earlier in the game Ladainian Tomlinson injures his knee and has to leave the game. What do the Chargers do then? They put in Darren Sproles and Micheal Turner who do their job and keep Peyton Manning on the sideline. Come to think of it, San Diego had so many backups in the game that it was reminisent of a team they might field for a preseason game. Regardless of who was in the game, they all did thier jobs and KOed the the defending superbowl champs. So now the Chargers earn the right to play the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game in Foxborough Massachusetts. A direct rematch from last years divisional game. The only way the Chargers will have a chance of winning that game is if they play mistake free football. Rest assured they are going to not only have double Randy Moss, but the key here is to slow down or stop Wes Welker. Hes the driving force to keeps Tom Brady on the field during key third down situations. Its up to the San Diego linebackers to limit his yards after the catch. If they can do that they will force the patriots to rely heavily on their tight end Ben Watson. In not saying its going to totally stop the Patriots offensive machine but that will definitely throw a wrench in their plans. Its a daunting task but after the win in Indianapolis they know they can go toe to toe with anyone.

Dominance on all phases of the game

Since the AFL NFL merger in 1970, there has been only one team to win every game on there NFL schedule. It just so happens that that team won the superbowl, which served as their reward for their hard work. The team that I speak of are the 1972 Miami Dolphins. That Record, for so long, was thought of as untouchable, to the extent that no one else would ever be able to reach that accomplishment. That way of thinking is beginning to vanish from the minds of people around the country and even the world. It was during the 2007 NFL Draft that people began to realize that the New England Patriots were putting together a team to dominate the football world in ways never seen before. The acquisition of Brandon Merriweather as the number 24 pick would give them depth at the safety position. But it would be the next pick that would blow up the sports world. The Patriots traded a 1st round pick to Sanfransico for a 4th round pick and a 1st round pick in the 2008 draft. What a steal considering the discipline of spygate. Bill Belichick and Scott Pioli then gave that 4th round pick to the Oakland Raiders for Randy Moss, possibly the greatest reciever of our era. Its unheard of to think that a team that has dominated for so hasnt had an offense that could obliterate the opposing team, until now. And after the dust has settled and the smoke cleared, here the Patriots are today. Sixteen wins and no losses in the regular season, surpassing the 1972 Miami Doplhins old record of fourteen wins and no losses. Tom Brady becomes the League MVP and throws for 50 touchdowns, taking the throne as the the new touchdown king. Gisele Buchen becomes queen of the touchdown. A position not easily handled, ask Peyton's wife. They set all sorts of team records. Bill Belichick becomes coach of the year and they get home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Randy Moss becomes the new touchdown receptions leader with 23, passing Jerry Rice. All that stands between them and the AFC Championship are the Jacksonville Jaguars. To become the greatest team in NFL history they will have to first beat a very phyisical Jacksonville team who loves to control the clock with their duel back running game. Whatever happens count on number 12 to bomb the ball to number 81 to secure the game. And as we've seen when that happens we get "Straight Cash Homie."