Showdown in South Florida

Hey again, sportz freaks. This week's edition of Sportz Talk needs little explanation, as we are less than 48 hours away from Super Bowl XLIV. When the post-season began just about a month ago, the Colts and Saints were odds-on favorites to make it to the bash. But how often do two #1 seeds actually make it to the Super Bowl? Well, taking a look at the statistics, only eight Super Bowls have featured the top two seeds since 1975. It is a rather rare occurrence, and the fact that we are getting to see it this Sunday has to be considered a priviledge. Add that to the fact that we are not only getting the two best squads from each conference, but also quite arguably the two best offensive units in the league. Defense is a different story, but you get my point. Last week I brought up how epic a showdown between Peyton Manning and Brett Favre would be. While we won't be getting that this year, what we got instead is far from a disappointment. In fact, as magical as it would have been to see #4 get back to the 'Big Game' one more time, you have to think that a much younger, flashier Quarter Back in Drew Brees is going to put on just as great, if not a better show than Favre could ever have pulled off. Brees and Manning are sure to put on a show, and football fans across the country are going to witness a classic. There's a lot to be said about each of these teams, and strong arguments can be made for both sides in terms of who will win the game. So let's break it all down, shall we?
Let us start by discussing the team with more post-season experience: the Indianapolis Colts. How can you not like the chances of a Peyton Manning-led football team? The guy already has one championship ring on his finger, and seems to be extremely focused on grabbing his second Lombardi Trophy. Many people, including myself, doubted the legitimacy of this year's version of the Colts, and many wondered if the excess rest they got at the end of the season would hurt their chances to make it back to the Super Bowl. But just like many times before, Manning and the Colts proved the doubters wrong and find themselves a win away from another championship. Indianapolis came into the playoffs as the #1 seed in the AFC, earning a first-round bye, and then pulling off two victories over two top-three defenses in Baltimore and New York. With almost no effort at all, the Colts proved that tough defenses are not nearly enough to stop their offensive attack, and that New Orleans is going to need to much more defensively than either of those two teams did. And what's even scarier is how amazingly sharp Manning has looked despite much contemplation about the level of rust he would feel after nearly a month off from the game. The question that remains is whether or not the red-hot Colts will be able to be cooled off, or if it is inevitable that they will capture their second Super Bowl title in four years.
That brings me to their opponents: The New Orleans Saints. Could there possibly be a more heart-warming story in the history of the NFL? Here's a city that is just five years removed from one of the most catastrophic hurricanes to ever hit this country, and yet somehow their football team has risen from the ashes to go from laughable to down right scary. If ever there were an offensive unit to match that of the Colts, this is it. With the likes of Drew Brees, Marques Colston, and Reggie Bush, one could easily argue that they have more weapons than their opponents this Sunday. The Saints were on the ride of their lives this year also, as they began the season with 13 straight victories before losing their final three contests. They didn't let that affect them, though, as they came back from the bye week and took down the high-flying Cardinals and Kurt Warner, as well as the legendary Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. With two victories over strong opponents, New Orleans now finds itself in the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history. The question for them is: will the pressure be too much for them to handle?
Now onto the match up, I will take a look at each team's main offensive positions as well as their defenses and special teams, and decide which side has the advantage in each category.

Quarter Back
Drew Brees is easily one of the best QBs in the game right now, and he has only gotten better with time. From an average player as a Charger to a star in New Orleans, Brees has quickly become a phenomenal passer, and it's hard to argue with those who believe he leads the most prolific offense in the NFL. On the other side you have Peyton Manning, who needs no introduction. A guaranteed first ballot hall-of-famer, Peyton Manning is a man on a mission, and can the Saints defense honestly say they're going to stop him? I'll give the nod to Indy.

Running Back
Joseph Addai is a great back, no doubt about it. He's quick and can cut through defenders with the best of them. The Saints, however, have their own set of weapons in the backfield, consisting of Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas, and Mike Bell. Bush is a phenomenal athlete, and has really stepped up his game since the post-season began. But then you have a bulkier guy like Thomas to change the pace, and then a goal line back in Bell. The three-headed monster is hard to pull off, but the Saints have done it well. Advantage: New Orleans.

Wide Receiver
Out of all the receivers playing in this game, Reggie Wayne would have to be my pick for the best of the bunch. That's not to say, however, that there aren't other stellar options out there. Marques Colston comes to mind. Then you have the silent-but-deadly wideouts in Robert Meachem and Devery Henderson. Then there's the Colts, who other than Wayne have a rather young core of receivers such as Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie. To me, though, the guy who separates the boys from the men in this game is Dallas Clark. While he's technically a Tight End, the guy is an absolute play maker, and can be the difference in the game this Sunday. Slight edge to Indianapolis.

Offensive Line
The Colts line is arguably one of the best in the game. The aforementioned Joseph Addai was able to surmount over 800 yards on the ground during the regular season, and the team as a whole garnered well over a thousand. The stat that jumps out is the fact that Manning was sacked just ten times this season. TEN times! That's less that once a game. David Carr couldn't dream of a game with less than five. The Saints blockers aren't too shabby either, as they allowed the three main backs to gain at least 300 yards each on the ground, with Bell and Thomas each surpassing the 600 yard mark. Individually, those aren't the best of numbers, but looking at the three as a whole, it's quite impressive. Brees was sacked twenty times this year, twice as many as Manning, but the staggering thing is that he fumbled nine times and lost six of those. That could be the difference between a Super Bowl victory and a long trip back to New Orleans for the Saints. Colts with the edge again.

Defense
During the 2009 regular season, the Saints defensive unit managed to intercept the opposing quarter back 26 times, and sack him 35 times. They also managed to turn the ball over into the endzone five times. Similarly, the Colts ended up with 23 sacks, but only 14 interceptions. The big factor is going to be whether or not Dwight Freeney is able to play. If he doesn't, Brees could have a field day with these guys. I'll take the Saints in thie category.

Special Teams
This one seems relatively easy to me. When you have a guy like Reggie Bush on your team, who can hurt their opponent in so many different ways, you have to like your chances. Bush is not only a great runner, not only a great pass-catcher out of the backfield, but also an excellent special teams player. He, alone, will make the difference in this aspect of the game. Could we see a repeat of 2007 when Devin Hester pulled this off against the same Indianapolis Colts?



Kicker
It seems almost pointless to include the kicking game in the discussion of important players, but kickers most certainly have a great impact on a game, and we've seen that more than ever this post-season. Supposed "clutch" kickers have shanked field goals time and time again, causing would-be winners to pack their bags. So which one of these teams has the guy who will make that game-winning kick, should the situation present itself? Well statistically, both Garrett Hartley and Matt Stover have been perfect on all field goal and extra point attempt during their run in the post-season. Hartley, however, has only had to kick two of them, while Stover has drilled five down the middle. Given a choice between the vet and the kid, I'll take the one with more experience and more proof of his adequacy. Colts get the nod.

Coach
Finally, we come to the leaders of the pack. Sean Payton and Jim Caldwell have each done a fantastic job in getting their respective clubs to the championship game, despite both having been heavily criticized at times throughout the year, particularly Caldwell. But both men proved that they know exactly what they're doing, and should not be questioned for their actions. Coming from the Cowboys organization, coach Payton has almost instantly cemented his legacy as the greatest coach New Orleans has ever had, while Caldwell has done an excellent job filling in for the recently retired Tony Dungy. Neither guy has Super Bowl experience, but Payton has sure gotten a whiff of the Lombardi Trophy, coming up just a game shy of the Super Bowl in 2007. In a toss-up, I'll take Payton.

And now for the moment of truth. When matched up head to head, you can tell just how even these two clubs really are. Each has a stellar offense anc coaching staff, while each of their defenses is lacking. Both sides have big playmakers, as well. Wayne and Clark for the Colts, Colston and Bush for New Orleans. The game comes from sunny Miami, and features two dome-playing teams, so no real advantage there. But the one thing separating these two mirror images from one another is the 'e' word, and that's experience. Manning has been here before, and no longer has those doubts he had several years ago when he couldn't get past Brady and the Pats. Those days are over, my friend. Peyton is clearly on a mission, and while a New Orleans victory would be nothing less than magical, I believe the Colts will close the book on this fairytale one chapter early and capture their second title in four years. With my 6-0record in the Super Bowl on the line, I'll take Indianapolis in a shootout.

Colts-38 Saints-34

Regardless of who wins, this is sure to be a classic. So sit back, relax, and eat lots of food this Sunday. But most importantly, enjoy the show!

Is Favre Finally Finished?

Welcome back, sportz freaks to another edition of Z Money's Sportz Talk. Some of you might be wondering if this blog is specifically designed to cover football and football alone. Well, fear not, because Sportz Talk is your home for all kinds of sportz. Since the NFL is currently in the home stretch of the season, and with so many questions about it left unanswered, I figured who better to answer these questions than myself? For this reason, the next two posts will still be revolving around football, but after the second one you can safely look forward to me discussing all sotrs of other sportz-related topics. Which brings me to today. Every year for the past three years, there has been one burning question, one unanswered question in the hearts and minds of football fanatics across the country. Or, at least it was a burning question the first two times. But here we sit at the end of yet another NFL season, and we still find ourselves asking: "Will Breatt Favre finally retire?", "Is this the end of the line for Favre?", questions of that nature. Well, as Favre has proven twice before, no one ever truly knows the answer to those questions until the next season begins: even him. Twice now, Favre has claimed that he is leaving the game of football and finally hanging up his cleats, so to speak. But just as frequently, Favre has come back weeks, sometimes months after his original announcement to take back his claim. Why is it, exactly, that Favre has such a hard time giving it up? Is it because he truly loves the game that much? Is it pure boredom at home, with the fear of watching hundreds of guys playing the game he has left forever? Or is there something else keeping Brett Favre from calling it quits for good? Hell, Kurt Warner did it last week with no problems at all. He had no regrets, he wasn't overly emotional, and you could tell that he truly meant the words that were emanating from his mouth. So why then, does Favre have such a hard time doing the same? To me, the answer is obvious: Brett Favre longs for the childhood dream that every sportz kid has ever had. Not only to work h ard and to make it all the way to the NFL, but to ride off into the sun at the end of his career. John Elway did it, so why can't Favre? It seems to me as if good ole #4 has had a very hard time coming to terms with the fact that he has not once, but twice gotten within a game of the Super Bowl in the last three seasons, and come up short both times. And believe me, I completely understand the pain he must be feeling, and the lack of closure he must have each time he hangs 'em up without that second (yes, second: Marino had zero, just saying) Super Bowl Ring on his finger. But just how many times is he going to come back and try the same thing over and over until he finally realizes the inevitable truth: that Brett Favre's glory days have come to an end. Did he have a great season this year? Absolutely. But the issue lies further down, in that he most likely feels as if he has failed if he hasn't accomplished the storybook ending. Well, not to harp on Warner again, but again here's a guy who took his team to the championship game last season, only to lose to Pittsburgh. Then he comes back this year to give it one more go, and after one thrilling playoff victory, is unable to get the Cards back to the big game. But you don't see him complaining, do you? And do you know why that is? Simply put, Warner appreciates everything he was graced with from birth, and Favre simply does not. Does that sound a tad bit unfair? Maybe. But if Brett Favre truly appreciated the gifts he was given and the incredible ability he had to not only make it to the NFL, not only win a Super Bowl, but to come out of the game with his head on straight and the pure satisfaction of a job-well-done. No, rather, Favre feels as if it his fortune, his destiny if you will, to win the Super Bowl and retire on top of the world. News flash: Thousands of quarterbacks have come and gone in the NFL, and hundreds upon hundreds of them leave without ever coming close to the Super Bowl, let alone having half the success Favre has had in over eighteen years. To me, this just says that Favre is a selfish human being. Do i admire his talent? Definitely. Is he a Hall of Famer? No doubt about it. But the question then, is, just how far will Favre push this gig of retiring and un-retiring until the fans finally turn on him? Until his grand legacy in the NFL is forever tarnished? my advice to you, Brett, is to officially (and permanantly) retire. No one is going to bash you because you didn't finish your career in the best possible way imaginable. No one's going to think any less of your legacy in the National Football League because you didn't come out on top. That is, unless, you keep doing this. End it now, before any serious harm to your image in the NFL can be done.

Be Remembered for this:



Not this:

Pros and Cons of the Pro Bowl

Welcome back, sportz freaks. I'm your host, Zmoney, and this week I'm going to discuss what has been a relatively hot topic this year: the NFL Pro Bowl. For years now, football's All-Star game has been the end-of-the-year treat, and has been played in Honolulu. This year, however, Roger Goodell decided to change things up a bit by pushing the game ahead one week, to the weekend before Super Bowl Sunday. While some see this as a bright idea, seeing as how the game will now seem more relevant, others argue that it still serves no purpose, and is in an even worse position than it was before. My take? I am personally on the fence about this topic, because both sides have made some pretty good arguments. However, if forced to take a side, I'm going to have to disagree with the idea to move it ahead a week. But before I talk about why, let's take a quick look at some of the pros and cons of each idea.
First off, I must agree with the notion that the Pro Bowl never really garnered the hype it was set out to receive. Unlike other sports, whose all-star games are played somewhere near the midpoint of the season, football always chose to place the game at the end of the year, after a champion has already been decided. The reasoning, of course, would be that no one wants to see the stars get hurt halfway through the year, and not be able to finish. Well news flash: hockey, baseball, and basketball players share that same risk of getting hurt, and yet they all seem to be doing just fine in their exhibition games. To me, aside from the fact that the game is traditionally held in Hawaii (although this year the game will take place in Miami), there is nothing too special about it. Sure, all the stars of the game together to play one final game, but once the Super Bowl is over, who really cares? Never have I sat down and waited in anticipation for the Pro Bowl. On the day of the Super Bowl, hours are spent getting food ready and setting up parties, and getting prepared for the biggest game of the year. Then the Pro Bowl comes, and everyone's footballed out. So the commissioner aimed to fix that.
Roger Goodell, who has had quite a revolutionary run as NFL commissioner, decided that instead of playing after the Super Bowl, they would have the Pro Bowl the week before. And instead of Hawaii, they will play in southern Florida. But why change it? Why now? Simply put, it's all about the money. Not to say that Roger is a greedy individual, but his main job is to make as much money for the league as possible, and he is attempting to do that. Hats off to him for the effort. Perhaps he thinks that the timing of the game will help to invoke interest, as people will be in the midst of the two week waiting period for the Super Bowl, and will have a much better chance of tuning into the game. I tend to disagree with that, and here's why:
I see where Goodell is going with this plan, and I even credit him for attempting to make a change that could possibly benefit his league, but I feel like swapping the game into the week before the Super Bowl is no better than the initial idea. The Pro Bowl is generally a laid-back, fun game where players don't play as hard as they normally would. Sure, bragging rights are on the line, but aside from that, there's no real reason behind it. So why, then, does Roger Goodell think that putting the game a week earlier will help increase overall viewing? People aren't stupid. They know the intensity of the game isn't going to pick up now. It's still the somewhat pick-up style game it's always been. And what's worse? The players from the two teams representing the AFC and NFC in the Super Bowl will not be parttaking in the festivities. Why would they? They're a week away from one of the biggest games of their lives and have zero reason to want to risk fatigue, or worse: injury. So that means the likes of Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Dallas Clark, etc. will not be a part of the Pro Bowl, thus even further lessening the interest factor. So while the commissioner has the right goal in mind, I don't think this is necessarily the way to go about it. However, one could also argue against my theory by asking just exactly what I would propose. Well, I've thought it out and come up with a few solutions. None of which are necessarily better or worse, just other possibilities.
One such idea would be to play the Pro Bowl halfway through the season, just like everyone else. However, that same argument of players getting injured for the regular season would be brought up and would never survive. Another interesting theory would be to have it before the season, sort of like the Hall of Fame game they play every year. That might work, but is injury still a risk? Who knows? But in an unfortunate state of events, I feel that if the NFL is that afraid of injuries to players in the midst of a season, then the most logical solution would be to get rid of the game altogether. Sure, the NFL won't make that excess money, but just how many people watched it to begin with? Taking away the Pro Bowl wouldn't be a horrible idea, as I'm rather sure no fan would cry over it, and only those players who had a chance to play would be the least bit upset. So to sum it up: if the NFL can't find a proper spot for the Pro Bowl, it's time to get rid of it altogether.

Once again, I'm Zmoney. Catch ya later, sportz freaks.

Conference Championship Weekend

What's up, my sportz freaks? I couldn't have picked a much better weekend to start my initial blog than this one, as the NFL's Conference Championship games are being played this week. Sunday's games are sure to be jam-packed with action, as the red-hot New York Jets travel to Indianapolis for a rematch with the top-seeded Colts, and the ageless wonder Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings travel south to New Orleans to take on the offensive-minded Saints. The biggest game of the sportz year is just about two weeks away, and the intensity is really starting to pick up. While this blog may not always entirely focus on who I think may or may not win certain sporting events, there is no way I can turn my back on making NFL playoff predictions, as I have been doing so for almost eight years now. I'm no betting man (since my luck isn't exactly good enough to place money on anything), but I absolutely love trying to decide who will win, and love it even more when I'm right. Since this is my first blog here, none of my playoff predictions this year have been posted, but as an f.y.i. I'm 4-4 thus far. 3-1 in the first week of action, and a devastating 1-3 last weekend. I need to turn it around and aim for a perfect 3-0 in the final three games of the season. Let's get started, shall we?

We'll start things off this week with the early game Sunday (if you call 3:00 early). The Jets and Colts are quite familiar with one another, as they just met in the same stadium only three weeks ago. The Jets, however, haven't exactly seen all of the Colts yet. As you may or may not remember, week 16's match-up between these two teams was the one in which Indy removed all their star players in exchange for some rest for the playoffs... Well, don't you just love karma? Three weeks later, those same Colts, who, by removing their starters and allowing for an all-too-easy victory for the Jets, sent the oft-forgotten New York footballers a first-class trip to the post-season. Now those same Jets will travel back to Indianapolis for a rematch, this time against the likes of Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne, and Dallas clark (for a full 60 minutes). But don't count New York out (I did last week). The Jets roared into the postseason after beating Indianapolis and throttling the Bengals, and then beating that same Cincinnati team the following week. Then, to the surprise of many (including myself), they knocked off the #2 San Diego Chargers in almost perfect fashion. With their strong rushing game and dominating defense, the Jets have suddenly become very hard to pick against.
On the other side, the Colts kind of surprised me last week when they came into their game against the Ravens after almost a month's worth of rest, and still managed to win. Resting up is one thing; rusting up is entirely different. I was convinced their break from playing was far too long and that they'd never be able to get back into the groove they had a few weeks prior. To my surprise, although mostly fueled by Baltimore miscues, the Colts won rather easily and punched their ticket to the AFC Title Game. They now take on the Jets for the second time this year, looking for a much different result this time around. Peyton Manning is arguably the best passer of all time, and he is looking to get back to the 'big game' for the second time in his illustrious career. I think the Jets strong defense will be able to get to Peyton enough to frustrate him, and their running game could possibly keep him off the field for a majority of the game. However, there's just no way I can doubt Peyton for the second week in a row, as I believe he is focused and ready to get back to the Super Bowl. I'll take the Colts on the last drive of the game, 27-24.

The Vikings and Saints will play in the Super Dome at 6:30 on Sunday night, in what should be one of the best games this league has seen all year. On one side, you have Brett Favre, who is in that same argument of 'best all-time' passer with the older Manning brother. Favre will be going head to head with a much younger, yet still phenomenal quarterback in Drew Brees. These two teams will trot out two of the league's best offenses, and it is sure to be a wild game.
Starting with Minnesota, the Vikings are quickly becoming one of the most dangerous teams left, as they are led by all-time great Brett Favre, another possible hall-of-famer in Adrian Peterson, and a rather stout defensive squad. The Vikings struggled a bit toward the end of the season, but got a very important win in week 17 against the Giants, which allowed them to regain much of their lost momentum. They then were treated to a week off, as they earned the #2 seed in the NFC, and were able to rest their starters. A fresh Minnesota team then took on the then-rolling Dallas Cowboys and beat them down with ease, winning 34-3. While that surely won't be the case come this Sunday, it's still one heck of a way to roll into the NFC Title Game.
The Saints, who many feared would become the next team to go 16-0 in the regular season, have gotten themselves within one game of the Super Bowl for the second time in franchise history. Drew Brees leads a prolific offensive attack, and the defense isn't all that shabby either. Plus, there's that whole 'Dome Field Advantage' thing they have going for them. The Super Dome is quite possibly the loudest venue in all of sports, and it is sure to be fired up this Sunday.
When it comes down to Minnesota versus New Orleans, the two teams are very evenly matched. They each have an excellent Quarterback. The Vikes have Adrian Peterson, but the Saints have their fair share of great running backs as well. I think the Minnesota defense is a bit better, as they can really pressure the QB, as well as cover the speedy Saints receivers. New Orleans' 'D' isn't quite as good, but can still find ways to make the Qb make mistakes, and that is highlighted even further by the aging Favre, who is no stranger to post-season mistakes. That all being said, I'm a man who believes in destiny when he sees it. And if Minnesota's thrilling early-season victories over Baltimore and San Francisco didn't prove it to you, then possibly last week's shillacking of the Cowboys did. Favre is a man on a mission, as is Peyton Manning. Can you imagine a Favre-Manning Super Bowl? I sure can, and I think we just might get it. Vikes, 34-28.

Super Bowl XLIV Prediction: Colts vs. Vikings