I think I am more excited for this Super Bowl than I have been since the last time my Niners made the big game. It should have huge ratings two of the league's oldest, most storied franchises battling for the trophy named for the former head coach of one of the teams.
Pittsburgh has been a regular visitor to the Super Bowl lately winning Super Bowl XL and XLIII. They have a veteran squad that knows how to handle all the potential distractions of the media hype. Green Bay hasn't been since Brett Favre quit the booze and vicodin. Aaron Rodgers has proven an able successor to No. 4 in "Titletown", and brought the Pack to Dallas to try and win their 4th Super Bowl title.
Pittsburgh is looking for their NFL leading 7th Super Bowl victory.
The line was set at Green Bay -2.5 right after the conference championships and hasn't moved. That is about right where I expect it will end up. Both squads control the game with their defenses. They are ranked 1 (Pitt) and 2 (GB) in total defense this season. Both move the ball well on offense, but as I said with the top two defenses in the league the offenses might be slowed. Both teams feature a strong corps of linebackers, who love to get to the quarterback.
The last meeting between the two teams turned into a barnburner, with the Steelers winning, 37-36, on a last-second touchdown throw by Ben Roethlisberger. If the offenses can gameplan for the solid defenses and move the ball well we could see another game like that.
I tend to think that even though they have fewer players who have been to a Super Bowl, the Packers will come out ahead in this one. I think they will just more than cover the spread.
Call it Green Bay 28 Pittsburgh 24.
Aaron Rodgers (20-33, 3 TDs no INTs) will pick up the MVP award and cause Niner fans everywhere to throw things at their televisions.
Here's hoping we have a good game. Hopefully there will be some funny commercials for the first time in several years.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Web Links Wednesday
It's Humpday, everybody and I feel like I unintentionally started something last week due to a Spokane trip that will be a Musings tradition. Web Links for Wednesday. Without further ado.
- Saw this today, gotta love this kid's exuberance. Gotta say I might be hard pressed to avoid doing the same if I was that close to Benedict XVI
- A great piece on the unconstitutional health care law. Usually read this blog for the Catholicism but a great piece by my favorite blogger/law student at Shameless Popery.
- The English text of Benedict XVI's Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum. Issued in 2007 it is basically calling for a return or at least no impediments to some of the older forms of worship including usage of the Tridentine Mass....for all of you who grew up before Vatican II that would be the Mass you remember from your childhood. Unfortunately the Vatican website doesn't have the document in English yet, so I had to dig a little.
- Great blog from the Heritage Foundation about the 100th birthday of the greatest president of the 20th Century.
- Rush's take on Roger Vinson's ruling about Obamacare.
- All Things Super Bowl and NFLish from Sports Illustrated. My own prediction is on the way I made one last week, but may contradict it this week, tune in and find out.
- The homepage of America's favorite quiz show. Looking forward to taking the test again next week. Here's hoping I pass again and get on the show this time.
- If at least one of the many websites covered in the blanket of this link doesn't make you laugh, check your vital signs.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
The Bowl Game No One Watches....
So the Pro Bowl was this past Sunday...did you know that? If you are a hardcore NFL fan you probably did. The game was moved from its traditional Sunday after the Super Bowl two years ago in an effort to get more people to watch. I don't think it's working.
The problem is the game is a glorified two-hand touch let's not get anyone hurt affair. IT is hardly a real football game. Besides it happens too close to the football game EVERYONE watches, the Super Bowl.
When the game was held post Super Bowl I watched it knowing it was my last chance to look at football and to sort of put football away and prepare for pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training.
Between the Conference Championships and Super Bowl is a ridiculous place for it for several reasons.
First, players on the Super Bowl teams don't participate, not such a big deal if you are a superstar who seemingly goes every year. But how would you feel if you were an average player whose career year finally helped your team to a Super Bowl and you to your first pro bowl. Sure it's an honor just to be selected....yeah right.
Second, by this time too many people are suffering from football burn out. We had the NCAA bowl season which seems to be getting ever longer, the end of the NFL regular season and playoffs and we are waiting on the Super Bowl.
Third, it shares a crowded weekend with the NHL All-Star festivities and late season college hoops. The Pro Bowl is just asking to be lost in the shuffle. Even when the game features nearly a 100 points scored as it did this year.
My solution, have the voting for the season done as it has always been, but have the Pro Bowl take the place of the annual Hall of Fame Game. The Hall game is held every year on the weekend the NFL inducts its Hall of Fame class. The game usually features at least one team that has an incoming inductee. It is also the start of the NFL preseason so it is usually sloppy, and little more than two-hand touch.
So in the new schedule all of this year's Pro Bowl selections go to Canton next August and the Pro Bowl opens the preseason, everyone selected gets to play and no one cares if it is sloppy.
Seriously don't you watch the first preseason game or two intently because it's football.
By early August baseball is just starting to get interesting and people are just starting to recover from the fact that the interminable NBA playoffs finally ended sometime in June. Preseason football comes along just then as balm for the soul. You can stomach watching bad football in August, because hey at least it's football.
Of course with their impending labor doom the NFL might not have a season next year. Here's hoping some NFL player union rep reads this column and brings this idea to the table. Yeah Right.
But doesn't my idea make more sense than trying to make us care about a bad football game right before the Super Bowl.
The problem is the game is a glorified two-hand touch let's not get anyone hurt affair. IT is hardly a real football game. Besides it happens too close to the football game EVERYONE watches, the Super Bowl.
When the game was held post Super Bowl I watched it knowing it was my last chance to look at football and to sort of put football away and prepare for pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training.
Between the Conference Championships and Super Bowl is a ridiculous place for it for several reasons.
First, players on the Super Bowl teams don't participate, not such a big deal if you are a superstar who seemingly goes every year. But how would you feel if you were an average player whose career year finally helped your team to a Super Bowl and you to your first pro bowl. Sure it's an honor just to be selected....yeah right.
Second, by this time too many people are suffering from football burn out. We had the NCAA bowl season which seems to be getting ever longer, the end of the NFL regular season and playoffs and we are waiting on the Super Bowl.
Third, it shares a crowded weekend with the NHL All-Star festivities and late season college hoops. The Pro Bowl is just asking to be lost in the shuffle. Even when the game features nearly a 100 points scored as it did this year.
My solution, have the voting for the season done as it has always been, but have the Pro Bowl take the place of the annual Hall of Fame Game. The Hall game is held every year on the weekend the NFL inducts its Hall of Fame class. The game usually features at least one team that has an incoming inductee. It is also the start of the NFL preseason so it is usually sloppy, and little more than two-hand touch.
So in the new schedule all of this year's Pro Bowl selections go to Canton next August and the Pro Bowl opens the preseason, everyone selected gets to play and no one cares if it is sloppy.
Seriously don't you watch the first preseason game or two intently because it's football.
By early August baseball is just starting to get interesting and people are just starting to recover from the fact that the interminable NBA playoffs finally ended sometime in June. Preseason football comes along just then as balm for the soul. You can stomach watching bad football in August, because hey at least it's football.
Of course with their impending labor doom the NFL might not have a season next year. Here's hoping some NFL player union rep reads this column and brings this idea to the table. Yeah Right.
But doesn't my idea make more sense than trying to make us care about a bad football game right before the Super Bowl.
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