Wednesday, January 25, 2006

End of the line in Pittsburgh

It’s not really the end of an era - indeed, his era ended long ago - but the retirement of Mario Lemieux is part of a larger symbolic whole taking place in the National Hockey League right now… A change of the guard, if you will.

The process started well before the season did - both the lockout and the new changes to the rulebook - and was spurred along by a series of retirements (Mark Messier‘s, Vincent Damphousse’s and Scott Stephens’ among them) and now, with the retirement of what is arguably the best hockey player of all time, the process is almost complete.

It’s like the NFL of a few years ago - when such legendary players as Dan Marino, Steve Young, John Elway and Barry Sanders all retired in a short time span. The quality of play didn’t drop, because there was a new wave of players ready to take the helm of the league (Tiki Barber, Payton Manning, Terrell Owens, for example) and replace them in the collective conscience.

The same thing is happening in the NHL - for every superstar to retire this year, there is either a replacement already playing or one that will be playing soon: players like Jack Johnson, Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby all are posed to usher in the next great wave of players for the NHL as the league moves on from Messier, Lemieux, Stephens, et al.

So don’t call it a sad loss for the league now that Mario has moved on - instead of a bittersweet ending, this comes as more of a sloppy end to a career that has been heading downhill for quite some time now, down from the greatness it once had. Remember, the Lemieux that has been playing this year is not the same one that scored five goals in five different ways against New Jersey, the same Lemieux that obliterated the North Stars in the 1991 Stanley Cup finals and was most definitely not the same Mario Lemieux that scored in sudden death overtime in the 1987 Canada Cup. He hasn’t been that Mario in quite some time, not since he retired for the first time.

Still, one question remains for Mario: Will he still remain with the Penguins as an owner? And will they still remain in Pittsburgh if someone else takes the helm? For a city with such a bright future for it’s NFL team and a moderately decent future for it’s baseball team, it’s lone winter sports franchise has a dark uncertain and possibly short future ahead of it. It plays for smaller crowds then almost any other team and plays in one of, if not the, oldest arena in the NFL - the Mellon Centre (Which, unlike other old arenas, retains almost no charm whatsoever) and has been dogged by rumours of it’s relocation for some time now.

So should we look into his retirement as a sign of the near demise of the Pittsburgh Penguins? After all, his 2000 comeback was spurred, at least in part, by his purchase of the team… and with so many rumors about the team moving away, to Houston, to Winnipeg, to Kansas City flying about, his retirement comes at a suspicious time. It would surely overshadow any news of the team being sold to anyone - like to a Las Vegas based Columbian Drug Cartel (for example).

But perhaps it’s too easy to read too much into this retirement - he’s had a hard career, from his bout with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma to his bad back and now, most recently, his heart troubles - he’s had a blood-stained career, much like that other tragic hero Jim McMahon. Or perhaps he’s just another example of an athlete staying years past his prime and to the end of his welcome, when even he can no longer rely on past glories to succeed (See Jerry Rice, Reggie Miller, Cal Ripkin Jr.) or to compete.

One thing about his retirement is sure, however - for better or for worse, we won’t start missing him as a player. Maybe if he had years before, but he was no longer a factor for the Penguins, just a liability and a person on the Injured Reserve. The Mario that we all cheered for retired many years ago.

Monday, January 23, 2006

Last Night

Last night history was made right before my very eyes - and I didn't even see it happen.

It started just a few minutes into the third quarter of the Raptors/Lakers game, with the Raptors ahead by something like 15... It was not too late (11pm, maybe) and I was watching the game on The Score and wwas assuming that the game was, for all purposes, already over - I mean, come on, who blows a lead like that, right?

Well, apparently the Raptors do...

The hammer started to fall just before I turned the channel - the Raps missed a shot and Kobe ran it over for a quick 3 - to watch the latest episode of Trailer Park Boys. It wasn't until I went to bed, close to two hours later, that I heard the news:

Kobe didn't just drop the hammer on the Raptors - he fucking smashed the thing down. He went insane, scoring a mind-blowing 52 points in the second half - more then the rest of his team combined! Suddenly this game, the same one I had wrote off as another meaningless win for the Raptors, had turned into a historic night, one that will be replayed on ESPN Classic in the wee small hours...

Maybe I'll watch it then.

Sunday, January 22, 2006

The Strange streak of an un-washed Steelers T-shirt

Two Streaks … Folding like Paper … The Anti-American Card … Jake “The Fake”…


Pregame:

Since everything has to end sometime, and that there has to be a winner, today’s AFC Championship game has two major streaks attached to it – Denver’s four-game unbeaten streak at home in the postseason and Bill Cower’s three game losing streak in the AFC Championship – and one minor one: my Steelers T-shirt. It hasn’t been washed, mostly by accident, since before the wild card game and, in what is either a strange coincidence or some weird charm that I’ll never understand the workings of, the Steelers have won - both on the road and as underdogs – their last three games.

I’ve never been one to believe in superstition – I don’t put on one sock before another; I don’t throw salt over my shoulder; etc., etc. – but even I have to admit that I find this weird. And once you get locked into something like this, you find that it’s hard to get out of – like a gambling debt to a Chinese Mafia Baron.

The major streaks can be broken down as follows: Bill Cower, as coach of the Steelers, has lost his last three AFC Championship games in row – the last two to New England and one to Denver – and barely won the one that he did win (When Jim Harbaugh threw a last-second Hail Mary pass that was never caught) – but his Steelers have upset two teams, both of which were favored to win, thus far in the post season and would love to continue that streak…But they’re playing against a team that not only looks better on paper but completely shut down New England at home last week – forcing more interceptions from Tom Brady in that game then he had ever had in his career.

The other one – the more impressive of the two – is Denver’s unbeaten streak. Arguably thanks to – or in spite of – their home field advantage they’ve won their last four home playoff games. In fact, you have to go back almost ten years (to the 1996 season) to find their last loss at home… But in the last five years Denver has gone 1-4 in the postseason – although their lone win came at home (Against New England) last week…

Either way, one streak will be ending today. Like that old Mad Max movie, “Two go in; one comes out".

Halftime:

Going into this game I liked the Broncos – and I stand by that: I did like them. But no more.

For a team that was so superior on paper, the Broncos have folded like the Boston Red Sox or the Toronto Maple Leafs today: Jake “The Fake” Plummer has had a terrible day passing – it’s like he’s studying to be Maddox’s protégé - and their much-vaunted rushing tandem of Tatum Bell and Mike Anderson hasn’t produced at all. All, or the majority of, their rushing success has been thanks to Mike Anderson – without his big rushes early on, Denver wouldn’t have had their first (and thus far, only) Field Goal. The difference has been Jake Plummer – thanks to some sloppy passing, he has let Pittsburgh force both incompletions and interceptions (the last one leading to a Steeler touchdown)

Pittsburgh, on the other hand, is playing like a champion: Big Ben has been passing successfully and confidently while both Jerome Bettis and Willie Parker have been rushing the ball up through at will – such as on Bettis’ TD that was called back near the end of the half.

And so the half ends – this has been a Steeler dominated first half (they even got a questionable video replay to go their way… maybe this is a team of destiny, as Bill Simmons was calling them)…

Early fourth quarter:

The Steelers defence is strangling Jake Plummer – who just got a lucky catch for a long gain – but like a greased-up eel, he’s been able to wiggle his way away from sack after sack and sent the ball downfield. And thanks to some bad Steeler coverage – and some sloppy play that led to some bad penalties – they’ve pushed their way deep inside Steeler territory and gotten a score from Mike “Mike” Anderson – and suddenly it’s 27 Pittsburgh, 17 Denver.

So Jake is trying to redeem his first half performance – and it looks like Pittsburgh is on the same road they took last week when they blew a huge lead to Indy and nearly lost the game. And unlike last week, there’s plenty of time for Denver to score ten points and tie the game up – or even win.

(Ominous Interlude: Nearly-Slanderous ads for the Liberal party come to air: When Stephen Harper gets elected he’ll not only make the country sad, he’ll make George W Bush happy [“At least someone will be smiling, right?”] – the Liberals are not only playing the anti-Conservative card, they’re playing the Anti-America card, too – is it just me, or does this seem like the Swift Boat Ads all over again? Hell, knowing the Liberals and their lack of both shame and tact, I’m almost surprised that there isn’t an ad out there yet where a cartoony Stephen Harper kills a homeless man and drinks his blood – while popping peyote like a drug-addled madman. Oh well – there’s still time.)

Four minutes left:

Plummer fumbles on a fourth and ten – suddenly the Steelers look like they can pull this off.

And my shirt is back on – I took it off during the third quarter (I was eating dinner with some other people) and suddenly the Broncos exploded for two touchdowns. But now it’s off and Plummer fumbles deep in his own end leading to Big Ben diving in for the score – it’s 34-17 and suddenly this is looking certain.


Post-two minute warning:
NDP ads are slamming the Liberals (Corrupt) and the Conservatives (Hidden Agenda) over soft piano music – why does this ad seem so different, so Canadian when stacked up against the shameless ads the Liberals have been putting on air?

Bill Cower tries to get away from his fate – but it still gets him as they dump the cooler all over him… It is too early to be celebrating? Granted nobody has scored three touchdowns in less then a minute – though the Raiders came close in 1968 – but my shirt is starting to look like it won’t get washed in a while… In two weeks, actually.

Final Score: Pittsburgh 34 – Denver 17

Bill Cower breaks his streak of losses as the Broncos lose at home and Jerome Bettis finally makes it to the Super bowl – held this year, in his last year, in his hometown of Detroit. Somehow it seems fitting, in a way, but in another it’s meaningless. CBS comes back from a break not ready – they put up a key for a few seconds, then just black – so it gives everybody a moment to reflect on this Steelers postseason… In many ways it’s the opposite of last year. After barely winning games against the Chargers (in OT, no less) they lost at home to the Patriots. But this year, they’ve been on the road and been underdogs in all three games. They’ve peaked at just the right time – not like how the Bengals peaked at then end of the season or when the Colts began to fall apart in week 13 – and now they have a ticket to Detroit, quite possibly the first time that they have ever bragged about going there.

Today the difference was Pittsburgh’s defence: They forced turnovers (like how Denver did last week), they shut down Tatum Bell and forced Jake “The Fake” Plummer to scramble wildly, without any target to aim at or anywhere to rush to – resulting in multiple interceptions (two, actually) and, the last one leading to Pittsburgh’s final score, the one that shut down the Broncos.

Bettis and co. are jumping around their locker room now – nothing to report on the Steelers for two weeks – wrong on my prediction – couldn’t be happier…

Saturday, January 21, 2006

Championship Weekend

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Denver Broncos (Vegas Line: Denver -3)
My pick: Denver

It's been a great run for the Steelers - they've battled through Greg Maddox's last few starts, injuries to key players and played some of the toughest teams the NFL has to offer on the road (The Bengals, the Colts) - but, baby, it's got to end sometime... and this week is it. Denver has a powerhouse of a running game, one of the most criminally overlooked QB's in Jake Plummer and a defence that has shut down running games (Pittsburgh's strong point) all season long. And as good at the Steelers have been - much better then the #6 ranking they got at the start of the playoffs - they'll show that they're unable to stop the rushing tandem of Tatum Bell and Mike Anderson.
Granted, Pittsburgh will be able to score some points (This won't be a repeat of the Giants/Panthers 21-0 blowout Wild Card Game) but I suspect that Denver will not only shut down the Steelers running game, but will force interceptions from Big Ben.
Sure, Pittsburgh has a chance - and as a fan, I'd love to see them win. I'd love to see Bettis get one Superbowl ring before he retires. But when I look at both teams, and especially Denver's offence, I can't see that happening.

Carolina Panthers @ Seattle Seahawks (Vegas: Seattle +3.5)
My pick: Carolina

Two words: Steve Smith. He's unstoppable, like Bo Jackson in Techmo Bowl or some user-created Madden character with stats that unrealistic and impossible. If you can shut him down, especially now that DeShaun Foster is done, then you can shut down the Carolina Panthers... But if you can't (and both the Chicago Bears and the New York football Giants learned this) you're in for a world of hurt. And come on, he did that swordfighting thing a while back - this guy is both awesome and unstoppable.
The Seahawks might prove to be a challenge - but then again, they nearly lost to the Giants (yes, it's bad logic, but look at it like this: The Giants are a team that has both great receivers [Plaxico Burress] and a pretty good QB [Eli Manning] - and they let them almost beat them - at home!) Unless the Seahawks can seriously shape up (They played a rough game against a tired Redskins team, exhausted by 7 weeks of playing do-or-die football) they'll be unable too both stop Steve Smith and Jake Delhomme - they're ranked 25th overall in passing yards allowed (3559), 12th in completion percentage (58%) and are tied for ninth overall in receiving touchdowns allowed (18).
Shaun Alexander, as great as he may be, will not be at his best - he's running against a team that allows less then 4 yards a carry and just over 90 yards a game - he'll be hard pressed to get many points, let alone match Steve Smith's offensive output.
In short, this game will be carried by Steve Smith - if he has a good day, Carolina is off to Detroit. If not, then it's a long winter until training camp. Either way, the outcome of this game depends squarely on him, in a way unlike any other game this postseason.

Monday, January 16, 2006

Jangled Thoughts of an expatriate Steelers fan (past midnight)

I was working in the Hot Deli when I heard the news. I had casually mentioned that I wasn’t really looking forward to the game that would be on when I got home (Bears/Panthers) because I was a Steelers fan – and I couldn’t bear to see the beating that Payton Manning and Co. were sure to lay upon them…

But, like so many times before, I was wrong – and I couldn’t be more elated (okay, if they made the Super Bowl … against the 49ers … at Heinz Field … and some poor sap wanted to bet on the 49ers covering the spread). It was a colossal collapse for the Colts, one from which they may never truly recover. This was, after all, their year! They won home field advantage before most teams had even clinched a playoff spot, rattled off 15 wins in a row and were set to relax and prepare themselves for the winners of a Cincinnati/Pittsburgh game.

“Used to be alright / But things got strange” – Flaming Lips, “God walks among us now”

I still can’t believe it. They were 9, by some counts 10, point underdogs. They were facing the 2/1 favorite for the Super Bowl victor. Their QB was still fighting off injury, the team was tired from a dog fight and they were on the road. And a #6 seed had never made it to the Championship game, to boot. Hell, even the officiating was against them at times. The odds were stacked against them like never before – but they produced. Not one person, but everybody.

For every TD run by Jerome Bettis there was a big tackle by Ben Roethlisburger. For every big catch by Hines Ward there was a big hit by some almost-nameless linemen. This was the rare game where everything just clicked and nothing could go wrong; the same kind that Nolan Ryan had seven times.

Don’t get me wrong, the Colts played a good game; they just played it against a great team.

It was almost midnight when I finally got to see the highlights – and I couldn’t have been happier to miss the game.

I'll post my recaps on Mon/Tues - my Predictions on Friday

Friday, January 13, 2006

NFL Playoffs: Week Two

Washington Redskins @ Seattle Seahawks (Vegas line – Seahawks by 9.5)
My pick: Seattle

This is the easiest pick of the week, maybe even of the playoffs. Seattle, even with (or perhaps because of) their relatively easy schedule has been playing powerhouse football all season – racking up with what looks like a dominating 13-3 record. But, as we say before, they have lost (or come close to) a number of key games – an OT win over New York (due to Jay “I’ve lost that loving” Feely missing three Field Goals at the end of regulation and in Overtime), coming within a touchdown of losing against St. Louis and Tennessee (weeks 15 and 11) and their loss to Washington in week 4…
But they aren’t facing the same Washington team that they lost to that early, and they aren’t the same team they were then, either. Washington, in their hot streak, has taken a large toll. Mark Brunell has been playing hurt and his effectiveness has suffered as a result (Since his injury, his pass completion has dropped to something like 40%) and Clinton Portis, playing against a fabulous run defence, has been playing a physical game more and more all year – it’s a recipe for disaster.
Seattle, on the other hand, has been increasing their performance since that loss. They rattled off win after win, even beating the Colts in week 16. Shaun Alexander has had a MVP season, leading the league in rushing yards (almost 1900 yards) and touchdowns (27 – 7 more then anyone else) – plus, you have the infamous ‘Kingdome Sound’ - one of the many intangible factors that the Seahawks have going for them.
While the Redskins have a fighting chance, I can’t see them being able to pull it off in the long haul against a team that has almost all the factors in their favor.

Carolina Panthers @ Chicago Bears (Vegas line - Chicago by 2.5)
My pick: Chicago

In what is almost the least relevant (and the least talked about) game of the week, the Bears should be victorious. Carolina is a team that has one major player (Steve Smith) and once you take him out of the game, you shut down the Panthers. Steve Smith has 12 receiving touchdowns – exactly half of the ones that Jake Delhomme has passed for. Once you can shut him out the game, which should be no trouble for the Bears defence, the Panthers have to rely on their running backs DeShaun Foster and Stephen Davis – not a path that the Panthers would like to take.
The real question here is if Chicago’s offence can support their defence: Rex Grossman, who is starting only his second game of the year, will have to have a great game, his best of the year, if he hopes to pull out a win. He’ll need a great game from both rookie running back Thomas Jones and from playmaker Wide Reciever Muhsin Muhmmad to pull off a win against a defence that is strong on both the rush and the pass (they rank in the top ten for both categories).
This will be a close game, but the Bears should be able to hold back the Panthers enough to ensure a victory.


Pittsburgh Steelers @ Indianapolis Colts (Vegas line – Colts 9.5)
My Pick: Steelers

The Colts, even with 14 weeks of perfection, still came into the playoffs on a cold streak, losing 2 out of their last 3 games – although partly as a result of them sitting starting players and their defence will have a hard time against what is arguably the foremost rushing game in the NFL today (three great rushers in Jerome Bettis, Duce Staley and Willy Parker) and an above-average passing game (With such a great passing game, it’s easy to forget how good Antwaan Randle El and Hines Ward are). And even though the Colts have a good defence (ranked #15 and #16 in passing and rushing yards allowed, respectively) I feel that the Steelers offence will be able to score a decent amount of points.
So this game really comes down to Payton Manning and Co.; the Colts offence vs. the Steelers Defence. Can the Colts – arguably the most dominant offence in the NFL – score enough on a great Pittsburgh defence? The Steelers are ranked 16th overall against the pass (although one spot below the Colts) but are 3rd overall in points allowed. Against a team that is heavy on the pass, though, they might not be able to hold them back enough – in other words, Payton Manning should have a great day.
But will it be enough? In my opinion, this game is a tossup that could go either way – I take the Steelers based on both my personal preference and on their rushing game. If they can produce like they have all season, it should be enough to compensate for a great passing day for Payton Manning… Either way, this is a game that is sure to be a classic, the kind played at midnight on ESPN Classic.

New England Patriots @ Denver Broncos (Vegas Line: Denver by 3)
My Pick: New England

Denver, playing at home in Mile High Stadium, has somehow been overlooked all year long, posting a phenomenal record this year with only one loss by more then a touchdown – in week one. And with a great winning streak that they’ve been on (including big wins against San Diego, Dallas and a crushing win against Oakland late in the season) they’ll be a hard team to beat. Jake Plummer has proven himself to be more then a capable quarterback and the rushing tandem of Tatum Bell and Mike Anderson has the potential to drain the Patriots defence. And their defence, which allows a meager 16 points a game, has the potential to ruin the Patriots.
But the Pats always do their best when the odds are against them – from the 2001 Superbowl to their season this year, Tom Brady has shown himself to not only be the best Quarterback in the league, but one of the best QBs in history. Playing against a defence that despite it’s great production (see above), ranks in the bottom of the league against the rush (29th overall in yards allowed and per game) but ranks among the top against passing should pose both a treat and a threat to him – the Pats aren’t exactly a team that depends on their rushing, so the Pats should have a field day against a stuggling secondary.
Will the Broncos score enough to compensate? No – they might be able to come close, but the Patriots will be more then able to score enough to ensure a birth to the Championship game.

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Raptors - A look ahead

I was sitting at home right now, watching the Toronto Raptors try to get back into a 45/35 game against Charlotte – and they’re trying, but not succeeding. Which are two very different things, despite their similar spelling. It has been this way all season for them – I’ve seen them blow a halftime lead in Boston and lose in the final tenths of a second to New Jersey… time after time, day after day, game after game; it’s almost always the same story. The Raptors have lost.

It hasn’t seemed to matter that they have massive rookie potential – it seems that they do more often then when they don’t – but the talent never seems to stay in Toronto. Perhaps it’s because they lose so often (they haven’t had a winning season since 2001-02) or because Toronto, unlike other NBA locations, is a hockey town first in the winter (their attendance has been dropping steadily since that 01/02 season)… but that has never hindered the other teams in Toronto. Hell, the only team to gather any real success lately was the Toronto Blue Jays (who, by the way, are posed to have a great season).

Either way, I feel that the lack of success can be traced back to the lack of a solid leader on the court… unlike before, they no longer have the leader that they once had in Vince Carter in what seemed like so long ago, when the Raptors made the postseason and actually looked like a contender instead of the lowest ranking team on ESPN.com.

(The Raptors are still down – but have brought the game within one point)

This past year has been a disaster for the Raptors, both on and off the court. First Vince Carter, who lead the team to their only playoff appearances, admitted that he wasn’t even trying at the end of his tenure with the team – then their #1 draft pick, Rafael Araujo, turned out to be a bust of Ryan Leaf-ish proportions. They finished the season 33-49. In the off-season, their first draft choice (Charlie Villanueva) was criticized from all points and they started the season on an 11-game losing streak.

But maybe 2006 will be different. The Raptors actually managed to post a .500 record for the month of December. They had a 5 game winning streak (their best in years) to start 2006. Both of their main rookies (Villanueva and Joey Graham) for this season are looking like the real deal. So maybe there’s a future. Maybe.

(The Raptors have pulled ahead now, 82/81)

Their main hope right now is that they don’t fall curse to the same demons that they have in the last few years – but with the rise of the Canadian Dollar, the fact that Sam Mitchell’s coaching is starting to look decent, that Chris Bosh is looking more and more like a bona-fide superstar or that the Raptors are hoping to clear up some cap room later on in the off season.

Anyway, the Raptors just won against a team that’s only 11-24, and they were down for three quarters of it. Let’s hope that this year will be better then the last.

Friday, January 06, 2006

NFL Playoffs - Wild Card Weekend

Quit my job down at the carwash
Didn't have to write no-one a good-bye note
That said, "The check's in the mail, and
I'll see you in church, and don't you ever change"

They Might Be Giants - Put your hand inside the puppet head


NFC Playoffs:

Washington Redskins @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Vegas line - Tampa by 2.5)

With an almost improbable 5-game winning streak to not only close out their season, but to actually make the postseason (including a memorable 35-7 win over famed choke artist Drew Bledsoe), Washington is looking better then ever. Their offence is firing on all cylinders, as both Santana Moss and Clinton Portis are having career seasons, while QB Mark Brunell is overachieving on a weekly basis - but Tampa Bay’s offence is good too; since being embarrassed by New England (28-0), Tampa Bay has won their last two games, although not by the margin they should have. Last week, against a struggling New Orleans, Carnell Williams was barely able to get over 80 yards rushing and Chris Simms had one of his worst games of the season. Still, thanks to their close win over Washington in week 10, the vegas line is closer then it should be - once Washington silences Williams (which they should be able to do - they only allow 105 yards rushing a game), Brunell will have a great game against a struggling Tampa Bay pass defence.

Washington by 4

Carolina Panthers @ New York Giants (Vegas Line - NYG by 2.5)

The other NFC playoff game features a criminally-overlooked Carolina facing a question-riddled New York. The Giants, and espically Eli Manning, pose many questions for this post-season: Can Eli, unlike his brother, produce in the post-season? Will Plaxico Burress finally start playing to his potential? Will Tiki Barber burn out? It seems to me that the Giants are a team mostly relying on one player (Tiki Barber, who has been overachieving all season) that has talented players (Plaxico Burress, Jeremy Shockey, Jay Feely) that are underachieving as a result - but, with all the hard work, will Tiki burn out in the postseason before the rest of the team can catch up?
Carolina, on the other hand, is a team that is completely relying on just one player - Steve Smith. They have little of a running game and their QB - Jake Dellomme - has been barely playing to his potential, getting almost all of his passing yards and Touchdowns to Smith - and once you take him away as a receiver, there’s very little else that Carolina can do.

New York by 6

AFC Playoffs:


Jacksonville Jaguars @ New England Patriots (Vegas Line - NE by 8)

Finally, a line I can agree with. Despite entering the postseason on a sour note (a loss to the struggling Miami Dolphins at home in week 17), the Patriots are winners of their last 3 out of 4 home games, as well as winners of their last 3 home playoff games - these guys are like the New Green Bay Packers; they're a team that is utterly unbeatable at home in the postseason. Especially against warm weather teams.
Jacksonville, on the other hand, has gone 12-4 this year in a fairly tough schedule (losing only to Denver, Indy and the St. Louis Rams), but has struggled against Houston, San Francisco and Arizona towards the end of the season - and, somehow, these wins have gave them, IMHO, more of a boost from the Vegas odds makers then they deserve.

New England by 8

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cincinnati Bengals (Vegas line - Pittsburgh by 3)

Pittsburgh is the scrappy team of the season - despite losing one of their main offensive weapons (Plaxico Burress) in the off-season and having their only good Quarterback battling injury all season (Tommy Maddox is, and I can say this without hyperbole, ranking among the worst QBs in both the NFL and the CFL - and possibly among NFL Europe), they still put together a good record in a tough schedule. They have one of the best running games in the NFL right now, as well as a great defence - but have little depth in their passing game and in the QB position (if either Big Ben or Randel El get hurt, they’re in big trouble).
Cincinnati, however, has a killer offence - quite possibly the best in the league. They have a great QB in Carson Palmer, a great Running Back in Rudi Johnson and two great receivers in Chad Johnson and TJ Houshmandzadeh - but have only a decent run defence and a weak secondary (allowing almost 240 passing yards a game) and their relative youth makes them almost unpredictable in the post-season. Still, they’ve gone 1-1 against the Steelers this year, including an early season win on the road - but they lost later on, in week 13, against an improved Steeler team. In the end, it’s both the Steelers experience in the post-season that gives them the edge here and the fact that all three of their Running Backs (Bettis, Parker and Haynes) are on a roll and will rack up the yardage.

Pittsburgh by 5

Thursday, January 05, 2006

I bought the Hype - Rose Bowl '06

Okay, I admit it: I bought the hype. I really did. Seeing as how this was Reggie Bush’s last game, I decided that this was, like the NBC line-up of old, Must See TV. I even considered taping it, too. After all, you don’t see players like Reggie Bush every year (Depending on who you ask, he’s like a mutant hybrid of Sidney Crosby and Jim Brown or he’s the best running back to come along since LaDainian Tomlinson).

This isn’t the first time, either. After reading a review for the Beastie Boys “To the five boroughs” I went out and bought a copy - only to be let down by it. After seeing all the ads for King Kong, I went out and saw it - and I could barely sit through it. And tonight, in the last college game that Reggie Bush will likely ever play, I assumed would be a true feat to watch; he is, after all, the best Running Back - Player, even - in the NCAA today.

Make that yesterday, actually. Today belongs to Vince Young.

Last night, he led the Texas Longhorns to a 41-38 victory over the #1 ranked USC Trojans. In a fantastic night, he scored three touchdowns - including the winning one, scored with only 19 seconds left - and went 30/40 with no interceptions. Not only that, but the kid is amazingly fun to watch. When he gets the snap, it’s like watching Mario Lemieux on a 2 on 1 or Manny Ramirez stepping to the plate with two on and two out. You don’t know just what the kid’s going to do, but you just know that it’s going to be either amazing or nothing at all… there’s no middle ground for Young. He either seems to rush madly up the field for 15 yards or throws a pass while scrambling like a madman deep behind the line of scrimmage.

And the game was amazing too… After the one-two combo of amazing games that the Sugar Bowl (Georgia coming so damn close in the last few seconds) and the Orange Bowl (A three overtime marathon that left both the viewers and player spent)provided, I would never have guessed that the Rose Bowl would top them all.

But it did.

A 14 point comeback in the last five minutes of the game; blown Field Goals and Extra Points that would have made a major impact in the game; a desperate comeback attempt that just couldn’t keep up with the clock - this is why we have ESPN Classic...

(Speaking of clocks, why did USC use their last timeout after a touchdown, but before Texas' two-point attempt? Since they used their last timeout, they were forced to pass to the sidelines on their last desperate attempt to win - and then they ran out of time)

Out of all the pre-game hype, Reggie Bush wasn’t the factor that I thought he was going to be. He had only 13 carries and while he scored one touchdown, he also fumbled early in the second quarter (on one of the worst laterals I’ve ever seen) - which led to Texas’ first score. LenDale White, USC’s other running back, looked just as good tonight, coming through with some major plays for them when they were needed most.

In the end it didn’t matter, however. Vince Young was utterly unstoppable for the Longhorns tonight, running for touchdowns with ease and making stellar passes almost at whim - and he looked almost a million times better then the assumed #1 overall pick on the NFL Draft, too...