Rest Proves Better For Colts As Indy Proves They’re Better Than The Rest

With apologies to the Jets and Bills, no team has a legitimate win over the Colts this season. Their record may indicate a pair of defeats, but so long as Peyton Manning plays all four quarters, Indianapolis wins.

Manning has now had two weeks to prepare for an opposing defense that’s completely unfamiliar with him. You can mess him up for a little while, as the Jets did the first few series of the AFC Championship game, but Manning is simply too smart to be outdone for an entire game.

He took a few series to watch first hand what the Jets were doing and where their pressure was coming from and then went to work. And the Jets went home.

I think that the Saints, much like the Jets, will be unable to neutralize all of the Colts playmakers. The Jets took Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark pretty much out of the equation, only to be burned by Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon.

If one weapon’s not there for Manning, he’ll simply move on to the next one which more than likely will be.

Concerning Dwight Freeney—he’ll undoubtedly play, although his effectiveness will most likely be limited. Some say that’s a death throw for Indy, but I don’t see it as such. Indy’s defense is speedy and sound, and that matches up well against the speed of the New Orleans offense.

The Saints have had an excellent season and mean a lot to the city of New Orleans, but in the end, they’re simply up against one of the greatest quarterbacks ever to play the game.

COLTS 31, SAINTS 21

NOW Joins NCAA, SEC As Things Tim Tebow Are Better Than

There’s two thing that you may or may not have heard. First, that Tim Tebow is going to be appearing in a pro-life advertisement that is to be aired during the Super Bowl. Second, that I have opinions on everything.

Hence, this post.

I’ve never been one to endear myself to the feminists that comprise the National Organization for Women. It just wasn’t ever destined to happen. And the upcoming statement probably won’t make any of them like me more. But it should.

Tim Tebow is one of the better things to happen to young women in recent times.

Is Tim Tebow’s commercial really a worse Super Bowl statement than Jim McMahon dropping his trousers in a response to a question? Society is always criticizing athletes for being more concerned about an extra million than educating themselves on cultural issues. Therefore, it’s extremely hypocritical to require intellectual opinions from these men and women only if their stance lines up with that of particular American activists.

Tebow is clearly pro-life, as am I. And based on what I’ve seen and read about Tebow’s ad, I’m taking his side and proudly. It’s got better grounds than the group-think, elitism and condescension offered by the radical women’s groups that oppose him. Heck, there’s even a petition demanding that CBS pull the ad making its way around the interwebs.

Tebow’s 30-second commercial hasn’t even been aired yet, and has already revealed something very telling about the National Organization for Women Who Only Think Like Us.

They aren’t pro-choice so much as they are pro-abortion.

Mrs. Tebow has a genuine pro-choice story to tell. She got pregnant in 1987, post-Roe v. Wade, and while on a Christian mission trip to the Philippines, she contracted a tropical ailment. Doctors advised her the pregnancy could be dangerous, but she exercised her freedom of choice and now, 20-some years later, the outcome of that choice is her Heisman Trophy winning, National Champion son.

The Tebows feel that they should tell people about the choice Mrs. Tebow made 22 years ago, but the National Organization for Women says otherwise. They think that it’s inappropriate for us to see, but drunk women in bikinis selling beer is fine.

I would wager a guess that both pro-choicers and pro-lifers wish the “need” for abortions wasn’t so great.

But there is something that this country does need more of.

Tim Tebows.

Young men and women who choose not to spend their summers dabbling in debaucheries, but working to better the world. Young men and women who believe in something other than themselves and are willing put their hands and feet where their mouth is.

Tebow often makes America uncomfortable, whether it’s by writing Bible verses on his face for games or for advertising his chastity in a room full of reporters that feel ashamed for the young man because he isn’t bagging every young Florida co-ed.

The Super Bowl isn’t a place where one can escape from the facts of reality. Some individuals will be upset that the ad is paid for by Focus on the Family, a group whose former spokesman, James Dobson has some pretty unpleasant things to say about gays. Other people will hate the fact that Tim Tebow could dare to believe in something as preposterous as creationism. Still others will claim hypocrisy because CBS refused to air a gay dating service ad.

None of this matters. CBS owns its broadcast and is entitled to produce it any way that it deems appropriate, and Tebow has a right to express his beliefs publicly – just as everyone has the right to accept or reject them after having heard those beliefs.

If the pro-choice stance is so unstable that a story about someone who chose to continue a risky pregnancy undermine it, then CBS certainly isn’t the biggest problem.

The ad’s them is “Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life”, and never expressly mentions abortion. And this is the ad that NOW has decided to call “extraordinarily offensive and demeaning.”

But NOW’s suggestion that these aren’t real or pertinent questions and that the Super Bowl audience is to stupid to handle them is far more concerning than a young man who’s only fault is that he is a proud, intelligent and caring human being.

That, and he’s a Florida Gator.

Identifying Each Team’s Best Offseason Move

The completion of the World Series each year brings a time of reflection and planning for MLB front offices. They must assess the state of their team and determine a course of action to follow.

What follows is a compilation of what I believe to be each team’s best move of the offseason thus far. This list may be somewhat premature with players like Johnny Damon, Orlando Hudson, Erik Bedard and Felipe Lopez still unsigned.

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Atlanta Braves – Reconfiguring their bullpen

The two pitchers that shut down the last two innings for the Braves in 2009 were quickly gone from Atlanta, Mike Gonzalez as a free agent to Baltimore and Rafael Soriano traded to Tampa Bay. Naturally, the Braves needed to reload the back end of their bullpen to continue their attempts to return to October baseball.

Both Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito are coming off impressive returns from injury with Boston and will handle the eighth and ninth innings for Atlanta after serving as more of middle relief options in 2009.

Florida Marlins – Locking Up SP Josh Johnson

Two weeks after the new year, the Marlins quieted any and all trade rumors about their young ace by locking him up to a 4-year, $39 million deal.

Following Tommy John surgery in 2007, Johnson has established himself in the same class as fellow young hurlers Tim Lincecum, Felix Hernandez and Zack Greinke. With the Marlins loaded with young talent and Johnson leading the way, the Marlins should be considered as serious playoff contenders.

New York Mets – Signing LF Jason Bay

For a team that ranked dead last in home runs in 2009 and bottom five in slugging percentage, adding a big bat was the Mets number one priority this offseason. Bay is coming off a big season with the Red Sox in which he put up 24 more homers and 47 more RBIs than the Mets leaders.

New York’s pitching must perform well for the Mets to make a run at the playoffs in 2010, but Bay must also spark a moribund offense that just replaced their best hitter (Carlos Beltran) with the league’s most overpaid fourth outfielder (Gary Matthews Jr.)

Philadelphia Phillies – Trading for SP Roy Halladay

The Phillies traded the ace they rented for six months and eventually turned that into arguably the best pitcher in baseball. Regardless of what else you do in any given offseason, if you can obtain the one of the game’s five best pitchers without surrendering your top prospect, that’s your best move.

Halladay moves from a division that contained three of the top seven offenses in baseball, to one that had only one in the top twelve offenses – and that one is the one that now supports him. Expect Halladay to tear through the National League and expect the Phillies to once again, be a title contender.

Washington Nationals – Signing RP Matt Capps

The Nationals, owner’s of the game’s worst record in 2009 had a lot of problem areas to address and the bullpen was arguably the most glaring. They signed relievers Eddie Guardado, Tyler Walker and traded for Brian Bruney early in the offseason, but saved their best acquisition for last.

After the Pirates surprisingly didn’t tender Matt Capps a contract, the Nationals swooped in and handed the reliever a one-year deal in which he’ll be the favorite for saves in the nation’s capital.

Chicago Cubs – Signing OF Xavier Nady

Signing Nady, who’s coming off a second Tommy John surgery, carries with it a good deal of risk but, being only a one-year deal for low money alleviates some of that risk.

When healthy, Nady has proven to be a more than adequate bat and his power should play well in Wrigley Field, although to be fair, Rafael Belliard’s power would have played well in Wrigley with the wind blowing out.

Cincinnati Reds – Signing LHP Aroldis Chapman

While the risk with the Cuban phenom may have been too high for a big spender, the middle-market Reds needed to take a chance on Chapman.
Talent like his doesn’t grow on trees, and usually it has to go through the amateur draft.

Free to negotiate with whichever team he chose, Chapman landed himself a pretty impressive deal for a player who’s never thrown a pitch for an American team at any level.

Houston Astros – Trading for RP Matt Lindstrom

Realizing that stud closer Jose Valverde was most likely on his way out of Houston, the Astros addressed their vacancy at closer by trading for Marlin reliever Matt Lindstrom.

Lindstrom, who’s production has never quite matched up with his talent, is an excellent project for the Astros to experiment with. They should overlook the ridiculous deal that they gave to Brandon Lyon and let Lindstrom close out their games.

Milwaukee Brewers – Signing SP Randy Wolf

Milwaukee needed pitching, and Randy Wold was one of the better options on the open market for the Brewers to go get. They might have slightly overpaid, in dollars and years, but with Los Angeles declining to offer the hurler arbitration, the Brewers were able to keep their first round pick.

The Brewers have lost some high-end pitching talent in the last few years, and outside of Yovani Gallardo, haven’t been able to adequately replace it using their own farm system. Wolf provides a veteran presence and a strong arm to a young Milwaukee rotation.

Pittsburgh Pirates – Trading for 2B Akinori Iwamura

Iwamura was an inadvertent casualty of Ben Zobrist’s breakout campaign in 2009, but finds himself with an opportunity for playing time in Pittsburgh. All the Pirates forfeited to gain Iwamura was Jesse Chavez, who wasn’t anything more than bullpen fodder.

Iwamura gives the Pirates an able bat that can handle just about any spot in the batting order in addition to a very quality glove at second base.

St. Louis Cardinals – Resigning Matt Holliday

The Cardinals bid against themselves to keep their postseason goat, but Matt Holliday is a good fit for this team. He provides the Cardinals with a dangerous bat not named Albert Pujols.

He lengthens a lineup that without him, doesn’t seem all that imposing. He’s a smart ballplayer and seemed to fit in well in his few months in St. Louis. One fielding gaffe does not a player make, and Matt Holliday’s first 63 games with St. Louis are more indicative of his talent level than his second to last.

Arizona Diamondbacks – Three Way Trade With Tigers, Yankees

Arizona certainly gave up some promising young talent, but got back enough to validate the trade. Edwin Jackson remains under team control for two more years and is coming off quite an impressive season with Detroit.

Ian Kennedy never really found his niche in New York, battling injuries and unfair expectations. But he’ll be given an opportunity to compete for a regular starting job in Arizona and he should lock that job up and perform well at the back end of what promises to be an impressive Diamondback rotation.

Colorado Rockies – Extending RP Huston Street

Huston Street performed well for Colorado after being obtained from Oakland, converting 35-of-37 save opportunities in the regular season. A Division Series meltdown did little to dissuade Colorado from locking up their stud bullpen arm.

Street gives Colorado some stability at the back of the bullpen, something they’ve lacked in recent years. He should provide quality value over the course of the deal if he stays healthy.

Los Angeles Dodgers – Trading OF Juan Pierre

The Dodgers had been looking to unload Juan Pierre almost immediately after they signed him to that ill-advised 5-year, $44 million contract back before the 2007 season.

Shipping off to the White Sox, who seem perfectly content taking on big money, freed up some cash for the Dodgers to extend some of their younger players, like Matt Kemp and Jonathan Broxton.

San Diego Padres – Collecting Hairstons

The Padres brought back Scott Hairston in a trade that saw Kevin Kouzmanoff head north to Oakland and then signed brother Jerry to come in and play jack-of-all-trades.

Both Hairston brothers are solid, fundamental ballplayers that play hard and produce. They’ll offer versatility and flexibility for San Diego as the Padres try and turn their franchise back around.

San Francisco Giants – Signing UT Mark DeRosa

The Giants have some of the more impressive pitching in the National League, but the offense needed several upgrades to become respectable. DeRosa doesn’t solve the entire problem, but it’s a start.

But the DeRosa signing is trumped for this type of list if the Giants are able to come to a long-term agreement with double Cy Young award winner Tim Lincecum.

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Baltimore Orioles – Trading for SP Kevin Millwood

In a classic salary dump, the Orioles brought in Millwood from Texas for disappointing reliever Chris Ray. Millwood will front a young rotation and eat innings.

For a team that’s loaded with some impressive young positional talent, but short on major league ready pitchers, Millwood makes for a nice stopgap until young guns like Brian Matusz, Jake Arrieta and Chris Tillman are ready to take on larger roles.

Boston Red Sox – Replacing Jason Varitek

Boston has had a very impressive offseason, making a handful of smart moves to improve their already impressive club. But their biggest improvement and offseason decision is internal. Moving on from Jason Varitek will do wonders for the offense.

Victor Martinez is an elite offensive player who plays an premium defensive position. While the additions of Adrian Beltre, Mike Cameron, Marco Scutaro and John Lackey will undoubtedly improve the club, replacing Jason Varitek with Victor Martinez is the biggest upgrade and smartest move.

New York Yankees – Trading for SP Javier Vazquez

Replacing Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui with Curtis Granderson and Nick Johnson was an important focus this offseason, but the addition of Javier Vazquez is the biggest reason that the 2010 Yankees might be better than the 2009 Yankees.

Vazquez strengthens a rotation that didn’t have a fourth member that Joe Girardi trusted enough to start a playoff game. Vazquez gives them that arm, and allows the Yankees to continue to carefully monitor young guns Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain.

Tampa Bay Rays – Trading for Rafael Soriano

Tampa Bay had an unsettled closer situation in 2009, with twelve different pitchers receiving save opportunities, tops in the league. Using Jesse Chavez, the pitcher they received from Pittsburgh for Iwamura, the Rays brought Rafael Soriano south from Atlanta.

Soriano was lights-out for the Braves saving games in 2009 and should receive the majority of opportunities in Tampa Bay. He’ll be joined by former Atlanta teammate and new Baltimore closer Mike Gonzalez in the AL East.

Toronto Blue Jays – Trading for SP Brandon Morrow

The Blue Jays swapped proven reliever Brandon League for the potentially great Brandon Morrow. Pitchers of League’s quality are fairly easy to find, but Brandon Morrow has the potential to be something special.

Mishandled in Seattle, Morrow was shuffled back and forth between the starting rotation and the bullpen, and was never given an opportunity to properly develop. If the Blue Jays give Morrow the chance to develop as a starter, this deal could end up becoming highway robbery.

Chicago White Sox – TBD

The White Sox made most of their moves during the 2009 season, bringing aboard Alex Rios from Toronto and Jake Peavy from San Diego. Those two players will earn just a shade under $25 million between them in 2010, which has somewhat hindered the White Sox ability to make any major moves this offseason.

They made some minor moves, trading for KC’s Mark Teahen and signing outfielder Andruw Jones, but nothing that I’d label as a great move for them. But they’re certainly in the right division to withstand the inability to make great moves.

Cleveland Indians – Signing Shelley Duncan

Much like the White Sox, the Indians have avoided making any major moves this offseason, but the January 5 signing of former Yankee farmhand Shelley Duncan is a smart move. Duncan has shown immense minor league talent, amassing 55 home runs and 178 RBIs over the past two minor league seasons.

He’s flashed some power in his brief stint with the Yankees in 2007, slugging .554 in 36 games. For a Cleveland team that has a wide-open outfield position alongside Grady Sizemore and Shin Soo Choo, Duncan makes sense as a low-cost, high-reward option.

Detroit Tigers – Signing Jose Valverde

Valverde was excellent as Houston’s closer last season, and with the departure of Fernando Rodney and the unreliability of Joel Zumaya, Detroit had to upgrade. Rodney was shaky but serviceable during his tenure as Detroit’s closer, so Valverde will represent a considerable upgrade for the end of games.

They cut some costs by trading Curtis Granderson and Edwin Jackson, but also used those savings to bring in some good replacement talent. The Tigers have been hamstrung by some poor financial and personnel decisions, but have made some smart decisions regarding the future of the club.

Kansas City Royals – Trading Mark Teahen

Mark Teahen was what he was. An versatile fielder who brings a little bit of pop to the table, but not much else. Moving him for the more promising Josh Fields and useful Chris Getz was a sensible move for a franchise not known for recent sense-making.

The move is somewhat canceled out by the questionable signings of Rick Ankiel, Brian Anderson and Jason Kendall. The Royals are going to have an uphill battle, but Fields and Getz should help.

Minnesota Twins – Trading for SS J.J. Hardy

The Twins swapped underachieving outfielder Carlos Gomez straight up for the underachieving JJ Hardy. I like this move for the Twins because I believe the probability of Hardy bouncing back is greater than that of Gomez.

Both are outstanding defensive players, but Hardy offers more upside with the bat than Gomez.

Los Angeles Angels – Trading Gary Matthews Jr

GMJ2 parlayed his one good season and one fantastic catch into a 5-year, $50 million jackpot following the 2006 season. When the Angels learned that he wasn’t a very good player, they quickly replaced him with better talent, and he went largely unused on the LA bench.

They were able to move him when the Mets lost Carlos Beltran and the Angels agreed to pay a large chunk of his remaining salary. Moving Matthews Jr. allows the Angels to move forward playing their best players and not worry about a cumbersome contract.

Oakland Athletics – Signing SP Ben Sheets

The Athletics have been historically good at determining pitching talent, and the year off may very well have done Sheets a world of good. On his A-game he’s a dominating ace, but there is the huge injury risk still at play.

Best case scenario, Ben Sheets heads a promising rotation and the team rides that momentum into competing for a division crown. Worst case, Sheets injures himself early and becomes a non-factor. Somewhere in the middle lies the scenario where Sheets pitches decently, but Billy Beane spins him for prospects when the A’s fall too far out of the race.

Seattle Mariners – Extending SP Felix Hernandez

Not much trumps trading for a Cy Young winner and playoff hero. Extending a better and younger pitcher on a team-friendly contract is one of them. Felix Hernandez has established himself as one of the premiere arms in all of Major League Baseball and he’s still just 23.

He’ll make just $6.5 million this year and $10 million the next and is coming off a Cy Young caliber year. In each season since his first full season in the majors (at age 20) he’s started at least 30 games and significantly lowered his ERA each year.

Hernandez is already one of the game’s best, and he’s yet to enter his prime.

Texas Rangers – Signing SP Colby Lewis

Lewis may be an unfamiliar name to even some of the more die-hard baseball fans, and that’s certainly understandable. Lewis was drafter 38th overall in the 1999 draft and eventually made his MLB debut with the Rangers in 2002.

He moved to Japan in 2008 after dealing with obscurity, mediocrity and injuries on his way to playing for five different MLB teams. He posted two extremely successful seasons in the land of the rising sun and signed back on with the Rangers.

For two years and around $5 million, it’s a pretty decent risk for Texas to take.

Yankee Fans Should Trust Brian Cashman

What should have been a rather minor free agent acquisition turned into a coup de grâce for many Yankee fans.

Brian Cashman signed former San Francisco outfielder Randy Winn to a small, one-year contract the other day and all hell broke loose in Yankeeland.

Budgetary restraints? Certainly not for the mighty Yankees, for whom money has never been a prohibitive issue. Certainly not for Brian Cashman who doled out $423.5 million last year for three players alone. Heaven forbid the ninth spot in the Yankee lineup be someone who is not a perennial All-Star.

Before we look at Randy Winn’s addition to this team, let’s take a moment and go back to about the same time last year, when Brian Cashman brought in a player coming off a down year, but had a track record of being a pretty good ballplayer.

Nick Swisher didn’t have a particularly great 2008 campaign. In his first year with Ozzie Guillen’s White Sox, he hit .219/.332/.410 while being shuffled all over the lineup and the ball field. It was Swisher’s first season being a below average (92 OPS+) offensive player.

Brian Cashman, in need of a first baseman following the departure of Jason Giambi, swapped a handful of spare parts for Swisher and penciled him into the everyday lineup as the starting first baseman.

The signing of Mark Teixeira pushed Swisher into a backup outfielder’s role until Xavier Nady was lost for the season early in the year. After that, Swisher proceeded to put up impressive numbers and acclimated himself almost seamlessly to New York.

Swisher hit .249/.371/.498 and had his best season to date. Brian Cashman bought low, and took the risk that 2008 was an outlier rather than the beginning of a trend.

Fast forward to now, when Randy Winn is the player with a track record of success coming off a down offensive season. True, Swisher was entering the prime of his career when Cashman bet on a rebound and Winn is decidedly exiting his, but the train remains similar.

Randy Winn hit a pedestrian .262/.318/.353 last season in the moribund San Francisco offense, but hit .303/.358/.435 in the two year stretch prior to 2008. In six of the past eight seasons, Winn has posted an above average OPS+.

So maybe his low BABIP numbers played into his down year as Swisher’s did in his. But even if Winn repeats last year’s offense, his defense and ability on the basepaths helps this Yankee team.

Many Yankee fans screamed for Johnny Damon to return, but Cashman, operating under a budget, couldn’t offer anything close enough to Damon’s liking. Whether or not someone else will is yet to be seen.

Even if they accepted Damon was not going to come back for pennies on the dollar, they continued to throw names out there that they thought would be a better fit for the Yankees than Winn.

Reed Johnson! Rocco Baldelli! Jonny Gomes!

Randy Winn does two things at an elite level—run the bases and defend. The other names floated out there don’t do anything at an elite level. Maybe Jonny Gomes runs into a fastball every once and a while. Maybe Reed Johnson makes Sportscenter’s Top 10 plays one a month.

But that’s not what the Yankees need.

The Yankees need flexibility, both financially and on the field. Randy Winn gives them both.

The Yankees’ general manager is coming off a year in which his team won a championship. I trust he knows what’s best for his team better than I do.

Three home teams and the Mutha-freakin’ Jets!

#5 New York Jets (11-7) at #1 Indianapolis (15-2)

Rex Ryan’s words echo the sentiments of football experts across the country. In a weekend full of higher seeds blowing out the lower seeds at home, the Jet’s spoiled the bracket again, punching the Chargers in the mouth during a 17-14 road win. The Jets reserved themselves a date with Indianapolis next week in the AFC Championship game and a chance to prove that they can beat the Colt starters, just as well as they can beat Indy’s second string.

The rest that Jim Caldwell and Bill Polian gave their starters in Weeks 16 and 17 paid off against Baltimore as their defense looked fresh and inspired and Peyton Manning and company were perfectly healthy and effective. Obviously, the Colts performance in their first fourteen games was more indicative of their talent level than that of their final two regular season contests.

The Jets confused and frustrated Philip Rivers and his big-time receiving targets all afternoon at Qualcomm and they’ll have to do much of the same to have a chance against Peyton Manning’s group on Sunday. While the Colts defense looked powerful, quick and elite against the Ravens, the offense looked flummoxed at times. Peyton Manning’s deep game was shut down – he had no passes of longer than 20 yards – and had to settle for a lot of underneath stuff. The Jets can take away the deep game as well as anyone.

Many analysts compare the New York defense to that of Baltimore and use that as a reason to dismiss the Jets chances. But while both the Jets and the Ravens have strong defenses, the similarities end there. The Ravens defense is primed to stop the run, which wasn’t a great advantage last week because the Colts are a pass-first offense. The Ravens, while a respectable eighth in passing defense, don’t compare to New York’s league-leading unit that allowed over 50 yards per game less through the air than Baltimore did. I’m not saying the Jets will completely take Peyton Manning out of the equation, but they’ll certainly be harder to exploit than Baltimore was.

This game screams defensive slugfest. The Jets have had just enough offensive contributions to get by in the playoffs, and the Colts can expect New York’s best defense Sunday afternoon. Indianapolis averaged 1.7 yards per rush attempt last week against Baltimore and if New York can neutralize the run just as well, they can refocus their blitzes and defensive schemes to confuse and frustrate Manning just as they did in San Deigo last week.

JETS 17, COLTS 16

Thoughts on Jets/Chargers

1. That game unfolded exactly how New York wanted it to – stay close while slowing San Diego’s passing attack, and keep pounding with the run game until San Diego’s defense finally broke. The Jets know what they have, and know how to best utilize it.

2. Nate Kaeding found a way to come up smaller against the Jets in the playoffs – and he came up pretty small last time the two teams met.

3. Rex Ryan sure doesn’t coach like a first-year HC. By deferring the coin toss, Ryan did exactly what he’s been doing all season – daring opponents to score on his defense – and San Diego didn’t. He made the right call taking the points on their opening drive of the second half despite facing a tempting fourth-and-1, and then went for the same fourth-and-1 to ice the game in the final minutes.

4. Darrelle Revis is the best defensive player in football, hands down. He didn’t blanket Vincent Jackson as expected because the Jets didn’t feel that Jackson was good enough to warrant that type of defensive attention. Instead, Revis played his side of the field, occasionally dropping into zone coverages or picking up another receiver. SI’s Peter King charted all 45 of San Diego’s pass attempts in his Monday Morning Quarterback column and found that Rivers threw at Revis four times which resulted in the following results:

One was complete, to LaDainian Tomlinson, for a loss of four yards. One, to Legadu Naanee, was batted down by a diving Revis on a cross route. One, to Vincent Jackson, a deep pass up the left seam, was overthrown, with Revis and Jackson running stride for stride. And the fourth, to Jackson, was up for grabs between the two, with Revis coming down with a juggled ball for an interception in a spectacular play.

Meanwhile, Charles Woodson and the Packers gave up eight more touchdowns in a pickup game at a local park against some high school’s jayvee team. I assume that Revis is going to be blanketing Colts WR Reggie Wayne – as he IS good enough to warrant that type of defensive attention.

5. The Jets completed a dozen passes, were significantly outgained and didn’t record a first down until midway through the second quarter and still won. The defense is that good, but I’d think they’ll need more offense against the Colts.

2-for-2 Saturday, 0-for-Sunday

I picked both Saturday games correctly, and then bombed big time on Sunday’s guesses. Looking forward to this coming divisional weekend, I rather hope my Sunday picks are spot-on this time around.

Arizona (11-6) at New Orleans (13-3)

Arizona’s offense rolled in the desert and I fully expect it to take New Orleans by storm (too soon?). Kurt Warner threw five touchdowns against four incomplete passes against a numerically strong Green Bay defense.

For the first thirteen games, New Orleans was unstoppable – thirteen wins and only a couple of them were even close. But they lost their last three games and haven’t had a convincing win since November. A defense that seemed to score every week has lost that big play ability. Going up against Kurt Warner and his plethora of big-play receivers sure isn’t going to help.

Meanwhile, Arizona outgunned a loaded Green Bay team after finding a passable running game by the end of the season. Don’t be surprised if this game ends up being very similar to the one that just ended in Glendale. Drew Brees and Kurt Warner should both be ready to fling the ball all over the turf of the Superdome. At the very least, expect it to be a better game than the last game at the Superdome. CARDINALS 41, SAINTS 40

Baltimore (10-7) at Indianapolis (14-2)

The Ravens are coming off upsetting the mighty Bill Belichicks in Foxboro and the Colts haven’t played a complete game in about a month. The Colts say the rest will trump the rust, but that hasn’t played out all that well for the Colts in the past. People may be thrown off by the Colts’ last two games, but their first fourteen are far more indicative of their true talent level. They will not roll into this game unprepared.

With the Ravens coming off a dominant showing from their ground game, and the Colts ranking 24th in run defense this year, the Ravens may have a chance to establish themselves early in this game. But if the Colts can hold Rice and McGahee in check like they did earlier this season (98 combined yards), I can’t be optimistic about Joe Flacco doing enough to beat Peyton Manning.

Ultimately, I think the rest wins out over the rust and momentum and the Colts soothe their fans nerves at least for another week. COLTS 24, RAVENS

Dallas (12-5) at Minnesota (12-4)

Minnesota faltered down the stretch until they waxed the mail-it-in Giants on the last day of the season. Brett Favre avoided the late-season swoon that doomed him and the Jets last season, and is still playing at a very high level. Who would have thought that this team, which so prominently featured Adrian Peterson last year, would so quickly become all about Favre? Oh right, everybody.

Dallas comes into this game hotter than perhaps anybody else in the NFC crapshoot. A defense that’s peaking at the right time and an offense that is extremely balanced and talented in both running and passing the ball. The offense moves the chains and eat the clock, but with Miles Austin, Tony Romo and Felix Jones, there’s always the threat of a big play.

While Minnesota’s offense has continued to play well, the defense has slipped since a fast start. COWBOYS 31, VIKINGS 24

New York (10-7) at San Diego (13-3)

The Jets may have backed into the playoffs, but they proved they belonged with another dominant performance on Saturday. The Chargers are heavy favorites, but the Jets match up well against their second round opponent. If the New York defense has a weakness, it’s against the run – San Diego ranked 31st in rush offense. San Diego’s has the same defensive weakness, but the Jets own the top-ranked rushing attack, and Shonn Greene and his offensive line are playing especially well of late.

The Chargers have one of the best passing attacks in football with Malcolm Floyd, Vincent Jackson and Antonio Gates going up against the best pass defense in the NFL. But Darelle Revis can’t cover all three of the Chargers big targets. Guys like Kerry Rhodes and Dwight Lowery are going to need to play big.

If New York shuts down the vertical passing game, then Rivers can look to Darren Sproles, who is very dangerous in space. With LBs David Harris and Bart Scott playing on gimpy ankles, Sproles could have a huge game catching bubble screens and short slants out of the backfield.

The Chargers have won 11 games in a row, but four of their last five wins have been by three points or less. They’re certainly not invincible. JETS 20, CHARGERS 17

The Rest of the NFL Playoffs

#3 Dallas (12-5) at #2 Minnesota (12-4)

Minnesota faltered down the stretch until the waxed the mail-it-in Giants on the last day of the season. Brett Favre avoided the late-season swoon that doomed him and the Jets last season, and is still playing at a very high level. Who would have thought that this team, which so prominently featured Adrian Peterson last year, would so quickly become all about Favre? Oh right, everybody.

Dallas comes into this game hotter than perhaps anybody else in the NFC crapshoot. A defense that’s peaking at the right time and an offense that is extremely balanced and talented in both running and passing the ball. The offense moves the chains and eat the clock, but with Miles Austin, Tony Romo and Felix Jones, there’s always the possibility of a big play.

While Minnesota’s offense has continued to play well, the defense has slipped since a fast start. COWBOYS 28, VIKINGS 24

#5 Green Bay (12-5) at #1 New Orleans (13-3)

Like Minnesota, the Saints also tore out of the opening gate before taking it easy late in the season with home-field advantage secured. For the first thirteen games, New Orleans was unstoppable – thirteen wins and only a couple of them were even close. But they lost their last three games and haven’t had a convincing win since November. A defense that seemed to score every week has lost that big play ability.

Meanwhile, a 4-4 Green Bay team ended the season on a 7-1 tear and then beat Arizona in the Wild Card Round. Unfortunately for them Drew Brees has had quite a while to prepare for them and Charles Woodson can’t shutdown everybody. Expect a big game from Brees & Co. to outgun Aaron Rodgers and the Pack. SAINTS 41, PACKERS 30

#3 New England (11-6) at #2 San Diego (13-3)

A beat-up Tom Brady without Wes Welker was enough to get by the Ravens at home, but Philip Rivers and the Chargers a different beast entirely. San Diego opens their postseason having won eleven games in a row and will be at optimum health following a bye week.

San Diego’s big receivers match up well against a middling New England secondary, so expect the Chargers to continue their pass heavy offensive scheme. The Patriots should be able to put up some points too, as San Diego has had trouble rushing quarterbacks this year and New England’s offensive line is still a strength.

Ultimately, San Diego’s superior talent on offense will carry the Chargers. CHARGERS 34, PATRIOTS 24

#5 New York (10-7) at #1 Indianapolis (14-2)

Don’t expect the Colts to be so accommodating in this rematch from Week 16, when the pulled their starters about midway through the third quarter. Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark will play the entire game. People may be thrown off by the Colts’ last two games, but their first fourteen are far more indicative of their true talent level. They will not roll into this game unprepared.

Call me a Jets fan, but the Jets led the Colts 10-9 in the second half before Jim Caldwell pulled the starters and have the defense and run game to hang with the Colts. If the Jets can force a few turnovers, avoid any of their own and not settle for field goals, they’ll have a fighting chance against what is sure to be a heavily and rightfully favored Indianapolis team. The key for the Jets is going to be setting the tone offensively early. When Mark Sanchez attempts fewer than twenty passes, the Jets are 5-0. When he attempts more than twenty, they’re 3-7.

The Colts are the number one seed for a reason and Peyton Manning is an MVP and Super Bowl champion while his counterparts’ biggest accomplishment is not turning the ball over in the past two weeks. COLTS 21, JETS 20

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#3 Dallas (13-5) at #1 New Orleans (14-3)

Look at it this way – these two teams met a month ago, when Dallas was slugging their way through questions about their mental fortitude this time of year and New Orleans was 13-0 and headed for a perfect season. Dallas shut them down in a very convincing manner that night and has really come into it’s own over the past four weeks.

Both teams have high-octane passing attacks with solid, but unspectacular ground games. Tony Romo’s looking to exorcise some sizable playoff demons and Drew Brees is looking to prove he’s not just a numbers-accumulating thrower.

The difference in this game is the direction the defenses have gone over the past month and a half. Dallas ended the regular season with back-to-back shutouts while New Orleans has seemingly lost the knack for the big play that they had going for them early in the season. COWBOYS 33, SAINTS 30

#2 San Diego (14-3) at #1 Indianapolis (15-2)

Might as well have skipped the first two rounds of the AFC playoffs as the top two seeds have clearly distinguished themselves from the rest of the AFC pack. Whereas the NFC conference seems largely up for grabs, the AFC has two top dogs this year, and they’ll meet here in the conference championship game.

The Colts haven’t had a player rush for more than 79 yards in a single game yet this season, but with the sure-to-be-MVP behind center, they don’t really need anything much better than that. The Chargers are in pretty much the same boat with Philip Rivers. The Chargers didn’t have a player break 100 yards rushing all season either, but Philip Rivers had an MVP-type season as well, leading San Diego to eleven straight wins to close out the season.

I started writing this post with every intention of picking San Diego as my pick to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl – but I’ve changed my mind. I think this game will come down to which team can pressure the quarterback more and I like Indy’s chances with Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney over San Diego’s weaker pass-rushing core. COLTS 38, CHARGERS 34

#3 Dallas (14-5) at #1 Indianapolis (16-2)

Here’s where I think Dallas’ gravy train runs out. Maybe Indy’s had some brutal one-and-dones in the past several years, including the year after their Super Bowl win, but Peyton Manning makes this offense nearly unstoppable. Peyton Manning has simply have too many weapons at his disposal for Dallas to hope to shut down.

Dallas will try to eat clock with Barber and Jones while Romo throws up some huge throws in Miami. COLTS 27, DALLAS 20

2010 NFL Wild-card Weekend

#6 Philadelphia (10-6) at #3 Dallas (11-5)

Philadelphia laid an egg with a chance to clinch the second seed in the NFC last week at Dallas, failing to score in a 24-0 loss. This week, they’re back in Dallas for a rematch, except this time, loser goes home. For Wade Phillips and the Cowboys, as impressive as they’ve been the past three weeks, if they come up short again in the playoffs, Jerry Jones is going to be doing some pretty good steaming.

Tony Romo’s playoff history is checkered at best and it certainly doesn’t inspire confidence throughout Texas, but maybe, just maybe he’s figured something out. Philadelphia’s once prodigious offense couldn’t buy yards last week in the Palace in Dallas. They’ll need some to have any hope of sticking with Tony Romo, Jason Witten and Miles Austin this week. With Marion Barber (who IS NOT who my dad thought he was) and Felix Jones splitting carries, the Dallas offense will be too much for Philly’s defense to slow down.

Ultimately, I like Dallas in a much more competitive game than last time around. COWBOYS 26, EAGLES 17

#5 Green Bay (11-5) at #4 Arizona (10-6)

In one of football’s head-scratching rules, Green Bay takes their better record on the road to Arizona in yet another NFC wild-card rematch. Just like Dallas above them in the bracket, Green Bay handled an Arizona team that really didn’t seem all in it last week once they were locked up in the four-seed.

Arizona has been more than spotty defending the pass this season and Aaron Rodgers has been pretty darn good for the Pack. However, with Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald, the Cardinals are more than capable of trading passing touchdowns with Green Bay.

However, I think that the game ends up being decided on the ground, with Green Bay able to control the pace of the game and the Cardinals losing a key fumble late. PACKERS 28, CARDINALS 24

#5 New York (9-7) at #4 Cincinnati (10-6)

In the third and final Week 17 matchup, the Jets and Bengals switch venues and go at it for real this time. The Bengals will have all their players rested and ready to make everyone forget about the 37-0 pasting they suffered at the hands of the Jets on national television. Carson Palmer won’t repeat his 1-for-11 passing performance from a week ago and Cedric Benson, the AFC’s fifth-leading rusher will be in uniform, healthy and rested. With Pro-Bowl NT Kris Jenkins out, the Bengals should be able to establish the run early.

The Jets have the AFC’s number one ranked defense, but they also have a rookie quarterback who completed just over 50% of his pass attempts and turned the ball over twenty times in fifteen games. Maybe the Jets did slip into the playoffs with two “gift” wins. But they possess the league’s best rushing attack and if they can control the clock just three-quarters as well as they did last week in the Meadowlands, they’ll have a heck of a chance at the upset.

Just like both games in the NFC, I see the same team winning for a second week in a row, albeit by a much narrower margin. JETS 23, BENGALS 12

#6 Baltimore (9-7) vs. #3 New England (10-6)

For as poorly as New England has played on the road this year (2-6), they’re been all the more impressive at home in Foxboro (8-0). The loss of Wes Welker stings, but Julian Edelman is a capable replacement and should see plenty of opportunities with Randy Moss drawing most of the attention.

Willis McGahee and Ray Rice must show up to play against a New England defense that is quite pedestrian against the run. Baltimore knows what’s need to knock off a favored Patriots team, and if the running game is there, then Joe Flacco is more than able to hurt New England through the air.

At the end of the day, New England has too much talent and is playing the home game. PATRIOTS 31, RAVENS 17

Reindeer Race

I threw an Christmas Party last week and overall, it was a huge success. I had hosted two other parties previously, but nothing too fancy. My birthday was in August and I hosted a small party for our friend Lindsey in early November.

I went to a little more trouble to put this one together and it was a huge success. For the first time, I served something other than simple snack foods like chips and munchies. I decided to do something fun, easy and that wasn’t a whole lot of work for me – kebabs. I twisted it up a little and had a “Make Your Own Kebab” night and provided steak, chicken, peppers and mushrooms for people to create whatever kind of kebab they wanted. Some people had all veggie-kebabs and I even saw a few meat-babs. Overall, it was a huge hit.

Fires have become a staple at my parties simply due to the presence of a nice firepit in the backyard. This time, with a little help from Mason, I built up a bigger fire than before and kept it burning long into the night. It was a nice change of pace for people that wanted to get away from the games, dancing and music going on inside. It was chilly that night, but fortunately not unbearably cold.

Being the complete belle of the ball that I am, I was looking for ideas of what I could do at my party that would be a lot of fun and something that people would remember. After a few weeks of thinking, I decided to hold a Reindeer Race. No, I couldn’t catch a real reindeer for the race, so I settled for the next best thing – my riding lawnmower with antlers and a big red nose. Didn’t get a great picture of the finished product (it was dark outside and I didn’t think to photograph it beforehand) but with the mower’s headlights serving as eyes, it looked pretty convincing.

I bought 24 small wooden stakes at Lowe’s and used them to mark out a simple loop course that ran from the backyard, up to the frontyard and then back again. I worried about how to illuminate the course, but when the mower’s headlights worked, that wasn’t a problem.

The night of the party came and the poor mower wouldn’t start – turns out the engine had a warm-weather carburetor – who knew? I ended up jumping the battery from my car and everything worked out. We had 17 people compete in the Reindeer Race – some taking multiple turns.

The winner for the men was Bradley, completing the course in an astonishing 32.8 seconds. The winner on the women’s side was Jenn at 34.8 seconds.

Jenn wins the women's competition - 34.8 seconds

Men's 3rd place winner - Justin!

Mason finished 12th, but he had the most fun!

Even the dog had a turn!

Every good race needs a photographer who forgets the lens cap is still on!

I like to think it was a great night had by all, if I’m not being too assuming. I know I had a lot of fun. It really was a great way to end a great semester.

Hey there!

The men of the party do a Christmas shot!

I'm gonna miss the heck out of that little guy!