Stealing the Show

We have reached Super Bowl week.

The media has shoved a bunch of storylines down our throats for the last week and it will only get crazier this week. The hype for the game will be at an extreme high come Sunday afternoon.

Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that the Super Bowl game will be entertaining. In fact, more times than not, the game is usually dull and disappoints.

But there is one part of Super Bowl week that ALWAYS lives up to the hype.

Super Bowl media day.

Held annually on the Tuesday before the Super Bowl, media day is essentially a 2-hour free-for-all.

All players and coaches from the two teams head out onto the field and a swarm of media from virtually everywhere greets them and asks them questions of all sorts.

And by all sorts of questions, I mean stuff ranging from "Will you marry me?" to "How long have you been a black quarterback?"

(More ridiculous questions here and here)

So what can we expect this year?

Don't be surprised if Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger, recently accused of sexually assaulting a woman, gets reminded of that on media day.

Green Bay LB Clay Matthews will have about 43 questions relating to his hair.

There will be memorable soundbites on Tuesday afternoon, sometimes from the unlikeliest of players.

And this sort of free-for-all is a rare happening when it comes to sports journalism. Rarely are athletes available for several hours to answer questions like these, but Super Bowl media day is indeed one of those rare days.

And sometimes, media day will end up stealing the spotlight from the game itself.

So have your quirky questions ready, journalists.....because your question might end up stealing the show.

The Work Placement..

I think I speak for everybody who went on a work placement when I say that I learned way too much to fit into a readable blog post.

So I decided to narrow it down to a top 5 list.

But before we get into the list..let's not forget the moments that didn't make the cut.

Honourable Mention:

-I learned that Global reporter Jeff Keele is a Metallica fan. Jeff Keele is now my favourite reporter of all-time.

-I learned that the Italian place in 201 Portage Avenue (formerly Canwest Place) has the best chicken burger in the entire city.

-I learned that the word "filming" should not be uttered in front of some of the Global cameramen.


Now on to the top five...

5. Try telling an entire news story in 20-30 seconds. This is what the writers at Global have to do when writing voiceovers.

No time for details, just get what's important in there. Oh yeah....and make sure it matches the footage that the cameramen shot and make sure the last line leads into the sound clip.

4. When doing a television interview..you have to shut your mouth and let the other person talk.

I knew this already..but it takes time to get used to. Nobody needs to hear you agreeing with what the person is saying. I used to be bad at this but have gotten a lot better.

3. I learned that despite the great ideas that some reporters may have for that day's stories, they may not pan out in the end. If News Director Jon Lovlin tells them to go cover this, then that's what they do.

2. I learned that sense of humour is key in a newsroom. If you don't have a sense of humour, especially at Global, then you don't have a job in the newsroom. Simple as that.

1. You better be multi-faceted. Tamara Forlanski helps produce the newscast, writes tons of VO's, and even reports at times. Nicole Dube is a weekend anchor, a weekday reporter and an occasional producer. Mitch Rosset is a weekend sports anchor, and a weekday news producer. And, of course, all shooters have to edit stories as well, which apparently wasn't the case at Global up until a few years back.


And on a side note, I learned that Global might just be the funnest newsroom in the city and it was a pleasure being there for three weeks.

Against all the Odds: NFL Championship Weekend

Let's flashback to December 20th when the New York Jets played the Pittsburgh Steelers in a late-season game at Heinz Field.

The Jets earned a hard-fought victory on the road to help their case for a playoff spot. But what was more striking to me was the conversation that took place after the game. As the two coaches, Rex Ryan and Mike Tomlin, met up to shake hands, CBS microphones caught their brief conversation.

Ryan told Tomlin "good game" and he also said "we'll see you in there" with "there" referring to the postseason.

Watching this live, I couldn’t help but laugh a little. First off, the Jets had yet to even clinch a playoff berth, so for Ryan to say that was pretty bold.

And second, a playoff matchup between these two teams was highly unlikely. I mean, at this point, the Indianapolis Colts getting hot at the right time, the Baltimore Ravens were their usual dangerous selves, and of course, the New England Patriots were unstoppable.

So a Steelers-Jets meeting in the postseason? No way!

But four weeks later, truer words could not have been spoken by Rex Ryan as the two teams, against all the odds, will meet for a berth in Super Bowl XLIV.

"Against all the odds"

Seems like a fitting description of the final four teams left in the hunt for the Lombardi Trophy.

We have the Jets, who rode the rollercoaster hard this year, having to come back from numerous deficits in games this year (Cleveland, Detroit, Houston) to somehow pull out wins.

The Bears were thought to have one of the worst teams in the NFC and little was expected from them.

The Steelers were without their star QB for the first 4 games of the season, and many experts anticipated a mediocre start and for the team to never recover.

And the Packers were destroyed by the injury bug, as their starting RB, TE, and many key defensive players were lost for the season.

Yet these four teams, who had to endure all these hardships, and find answers to all these problems, are the ones left standing.

Before we get to the picks, some thoughts from last week's NFL circus:

The Curse

Another nice prediction showing from myself last week. 1-3. Brutal.

The Kevin Hirschfield Super Bowl curse also continued this week and it’s starting to get ridiculous.

For those of you who don’t remember the curse, any team that I pick to win or be in the Super Bowl usually loses in the wildcard or 2nd round. It’s been going on for the last couple of years, but this year the curse is going to a whole other level.

First, I picked the Eagles to win it all.

They were done.

Then I picked the Falcons to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.

Nope.

The whole time, though, I had the Pats representing the AFC in the Super Bowl.

So what do they do in their playoff debut?

Exactly.

I don’t know why this curse has happened, but maybe it relates back to the time this year when the Chargers playoff hopes were dashed by the Bengals and I screamed out loud,

“I F------ING HATE THE NFL!!!”.

The football gods clearly didn’t take too kind to this verbal abuse of their league and now I have a picks curse.

First round bye-bye?

Is there an advantage to having a first round bye? It sure doesn’t seem like it anymore. The 2 Number 1 seeds are gone this year and every year it seems we see teams with first round byes who get taken down in their first playoff game.

(Last Year: San Diego)
(2 years ago: NY Giants, Carolina, Tennessee)
(3 years ago: Indianapolis, Dallas)

Seriously, the teams who play in the wildcard games can easily have a super-inspiring performance that gives them tons of momentum heading into the second round game. That team with the bye has been sitting at home the last two weeks, with no sort of game action, and they more than not come out rusty in their first playoff game.

If having a first round bye is a disadvantage, then this raises the question, “Which seed would you rather be?”

The 3 seeds this year?

Both gone.

The 4 seeds?

Seahawks win a miracle, Chiefs get obliterated.

To me, the 5 seed seems to be the best place. OK, you’re playing on the road….but you get to play the worst division winner.

The Chiefs and Seahawks were the worst division winners this year.

Not what you would call contenders.

The 5 seed Ravens easily won their game, while the Saints had a shocking meltdown and lost to the Seahawks.

But other than the fact you’re playing on the road, isn’t the 5 seed the position to be?

You get to go into the 2nd round with a lot of momentum from your big wildcard win playing a rusty team who just had the bye.

The Giants just won a Super Bowl as the 5 seed a few years back. And although the 5 seeds are gone this year…I think this whole 5 seed thing is going to catch on.

The 5 seed is the new 1 seed.

THE OT WAIT

The wait continues for the first playoff game that goes into overtime under the new rules. Steelers-Ravens looked headed that way and it’s only a matter of time before we see it. Can you say first Super Bowl OT Game ever?


THE PICKS

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP

Green Bay @ Chicago

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

That sound you hear is the ticking time bomb himself, Jay Cutler. And he still hasn't exploded. Will the bomb blowup during the NFC Championship with Green Bay freak LB Clay Mathews blitzing Cutler every second play?

Let's remember, this is virtually the same Packers team that picked off Cutler 5 times in Week 1 of last season. You could argue that Cutler has turned his game around since that horrific Bears debut, but take a look at what the Packer D just did to him in Week 17. They held Cutler and the Bears to just 3 points, and Cutler made some of his wildest throws of the season, eventually leading to a couple of interceptions and a 10-3 loss.

This Packers team is as hot as anyone has been at any point this year. They shut down Michael Vick. They scored 48 points on the best team in the NFC. What's next? The sky seems to be the limit for the Pack.

Chicago is clearly the weakest offense that the Packers have had to face in this year’s playoffs. Even though Cutler is firing on all cylinders right now, the Packers D is in a good frame of mind and for the Bears to put up more than 25 points, it might take a minor miracle.

And even if the Bears somehow light up the Soldier Field scoreboard, look who's behind centre for the Pack. Aaron Rodgers, who is coming off one of the best performances in NFL history against Atlanta. 31 for 36, 366 yards? Did the "legend" Brett Favre ever have a playoff game like this?

Rodgers will compete in a shootout if he has to.

Make no mistake about it, the Bears D is no slouch. And neither is the Packers D. So I have a new theory I’d like to introduce. In a playoff game with defenses that are both ranked in the top 10, always take the better QB.

The Packers were the 5th ranked D this season, the Bears 9th.

(Side note: The Chargers were ranked 1st.)

Recent Example: Ravens/Steelers last week....two top 10 defences. Steelers 2nd, Ravens 10th.

Yet I chose to take Joe Flacco over 2-time Super Bowl Champion Ben Roethlisberger. Never again. And in this NFC showdown, it’s clear who the better QB is.

Rodgers over Cutler.

Green Bay 23 Chicago 20

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP

NY Jets @ Pittsburgh

So who do I cheer for here? A coach who has a foot fetish, or a quarterback who sexually assaults women?

That's the Jets vs. the Steelers for you. 2 teams who are very easy to hate.

Speaking of hatred, I'd personally like to thank LaDainian Tomlinson, who when in San Diego, used the playoffs as a time to disappear, and cost my team from making the Super Bowl. Now LT has 3 touchdowns in 2 playoff games and is a far cry away from last year’s LT who basically dropped to the ground after 2 yards a carry.

LT should face a reality check this week though against a defense that NEVER lets a running back run wild against them. Old man Tomlinson and the overrated Shonn Greene are not going to change that.

The Jets D, however, shut down the formerly unstoppable Tom Brady and the Pats last week.

Ridiculous defences all around.

Which got me thinking...when was the last time we’ve seen a Conference Championship weekend with 4 teams that have defences ranked in the top 10?

And don’t say I put no effort into this blog, because I went and researched this stat.

And the last time that this happened was in 1997-98 when the Steelers, Broncos, Packers, and Niners were all in the top 10 in defence.

In fact since 1976, this has happened only twice!

The other time was in 1990-91, when the Bills, Raiders, Niners, and Giants were in the top 10.

So to recap, this is only the third time in the last 35 years that this has happened.

Recently, there’s always been those one or two offensive powers( last year..Indy and New Orleans) who have absolutely no defence. But this year....defence reigns supreme.

And here we are again, in a game similar to Green Bay/Chicago, with 2 superb defences.

The Steelers ranked 2nd, the Jets 3rd.

And remember my newest theory...in a defensive standstill, pick the better QB.

Roethlisberger over Sanchez.

Pittsburgh 20 NY Jets 17


So if my predictions are correct, and more than likely they won’t be, we would see a pretty intriguing Super Bowl matchup between two of the NFL’s most legendary franchises, the Packers and the Steelers.

The fans want Packers/Steelers, Super Bowl broadcaster FOX wants Packers/Steelers, but are the football gods going to give us Packers/Steelers?

In a season that’s been dubbed (by me…) as “against the odds”, we should expect the unexpected.

Can you say Jay Cutler vs Mark Sanchez in the Super Bowl?

Yikes.

ROUND 2

Another blog, another disappointed Peyton Manning face. I don't hate Peyton, but pictures of his angry/disappointed face are just gold.

I made this face after I went 2-2 with my predictions last week. I really can't remember the last time I've had a weekly predictions record of over .500 hence the Peyton Manning face. I always go 2-2. So keep that in mind when reading these 2nd round picks.

A few quick notes from last week before the picks:

-I retract my statement from last week saying that the Madden Video Game Cover curse is dead. The Madden Curse is alive and well. New Orleans QB Drew Brees, who appeared on the cover of the game this summer, played a strong game in Seattle but his team ultimately lost. The Madden Curse technically didnt curse the individual, but it cursed the individual's team. And that still leaves Brees cursed. Would Brees have fallen victim to the greatest upset in NFL playoff history is he wasn't on the cover? Who knows. But curses are for real, people. And Drew Brees found that out on Saturday. Now we'll sit through the spring and summer and await our next Madden victim.

-Peyton Manning is deteriorating. The Colts will never be the same again.

- I'd like to thank Kansas City QB Matt Cassel for playing one of the worst games in NFL history. It was very amusing to watch in a season of disappointment for me.

-I can't believe I picked the Eagles to win the Super Bowl. Speaking of curses, the Kevin Hirschfield Super Bowl Curse continues. It seems that at the beginning of every playoffs, the team that I pick to win the Super Bowl goes out in their first or second game.

Now on to the picks.

Seattle @ Chicago

Lets begin with one of the ugliest playoff games in the last 10 years. Is there anyone in the world who is excited to watch this game?

I had a disgusting dream about a week ago. In that dream, the Seattle Seahawks made the Super Bowl (yes, I dream about football sometimes.) The 7-9 Seahawks are 2 wins away from doing just that.

Here are 3 reasons why I think they have a chance to win:

1. Seattle went into Chicago earlier this year and beat the Bears convincingly.

2. Chicago QB Jay Cutler is the definition of a ticking time bomb right now. Everyody is just waiting for that epic 4-interception meltdown. In the regular season finale against Green Bay, he finally showed signs of the QB everyone thought he would be. Terrible decisions by Cutler eventually led to the Bears defeat. Now he's playing in his first playoff game. The pressure is cranked up a notch. Can Cutler be the solid QB he was all season, or he will transform back into "Cutler the Clown" that we saw last year?

3. There's a chance of snow Sunday in Chicago! Snowy games mean anybody can win. Just ask the Bears who played in the blizzard of the year in December and got manhandled by New England.

So it really is sad to say, but the 7-9 Seahawks have a legitimate shot at advancing to the NFC Championship game..

Buuuut.....these are the Seattle Seahawks. Cutler won't have a meltdown against a defense as catastrophic as the Seahawks. The Seattle offense meanwhile has no shot against this Bears D, who is the best unit in the NFC right now. When Michael Vick was picked off on Sunday and the Eagles lost, it meant that the Bears would host Seattle rather than the much more dangerous Eagles. The football gods have been way too kind to the Bears this year and that blessing will only continue.

Chicago 31 Seattle 10



Green Bay @ Atlanta

All 4 playoff games this week are rematches from the regular season. The Atlanta Falcons pretty much secured their position as the NFC's best when they beat the Packers at the end of November.

This Falcons team is eerily similar to the Saints of last year. The Falcons have yet to play any sort of bad weather game this year, and they won't need to as the number 1 seed. 2 of their losses?? At Pittsburgh and at Philly in outdoor games. But they'll stay warm inside their Georgia Dome just like the Saints stayed in the toasty Superdome last year.

You wanna talk about a bandwagon? The Packers bandwagon will be heavily jumped on this week. A team that was a preseason favourite, but had an average regular season, then in the last 3 weeks, has transformed into one of the NFC's elite. Atlanta might be the home team here, but with the way everyone's talking, Green Bay is the favourite.

Really?

Aaron Rodgers wasn't shooting the lights out in Philly last Sunday. And don't tell me that the Packers have a run game. Because that's the feeling around the media. THE PACKERS HAVE A RUN GAME NOW, LOOK OUT!! Unknown Green Bay RB James Starks had a fluky afternoon against the Eagles. Why do they have a run game all of the sudden? Are we convinced that he can do this for more than one week?

The Atlanta Falcons have one of the more underrated offences in the league. A QB in Matt Ryan, who's not quite a superstar, but is pretty damn close. A big RB in Michael Turner, who gets the necessary yardage. One of the best WR's in Roddy White, and a Hall of Fame TE in Tony Gonzalez.

Hey, I'd love to see Green Bay-Chicago Part 3 in the NFC Championship too, but the Falcons are the 1 seed for a reason.

Atlanta 26 Green Bay 16


Baltimore @ Pittsburgh

Enough of that NFC crap, it's time for the big boys of the AFC. In one of the most anticipated matchups of the year, it's Steelers-Ravens III. And yes, it will resemble World War III.

The winner of the game will be determined by one simple thing...who makes the fewest mistakes. In a high-scoring game, teams may be able to get away with a mistake or two. But in a low-scoring game like this one, each play is life or death.

So let's figure out who will make the most mistakes. My opinion changed on Baltimore QB Joe Flacco in Sunday's win against the Chiefs. Maybe it was because he destroyed my least favourite team in football. Or maybe it was because in a hostile environment, Flacco played flawless football and took the team on his back. The run game was horrible for the Ravens and likely won't get any better against the Steelers. But the Steelers have a dangerous secondary led by Troy Polamalu. Can Flacco close out a tough close game against the Steelers D? Uh oh, I dont know.

Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger has 2 Super Bowls...but the Ravens have a dangerous D led by Ed Reed and Ray Lewis. Pittsburgh has a run game..but the Ravens can easily shut Rashard Mendenhall down.

I don't know who to pick. I'm confused. This is too hard. What am I going to do?

Alright here goes...

Baltimore 2 Pittsburgh o

just kidding.....

Baltimore 17 Pittsburgh 10


NY Jets @ New England

There is no way that the Jets show up in Foxboro and lose by 42 points like they did in early December. This is another grudge match that will be decided by the fewest mistakes. But right now, what Tom Brady is doing is unheard of. Brady has 4 interceptions this season. 4 PICKS?!?!?!?

But guess who picked off 2 of those balls? The Jets.

And guess who handed the Patriots 1 of their 2 losses? The Jets.

Oh no. I dont know who to pick...again.

In divisional games like this one, the teams know each other like the back of their hands. ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN.

But here's the fact. Not one defense can stop this Patriots offense right now. And unless the Patriots somehow stop playing the way they've been all year (which wouldnt be surprising..), they're the favourite for the Super Bowl right now.

New England 19 NY Jets 16

Wildcard Weekend

Alright, enough is enough. It's time to blog again.

The above picture is pretty much how I feel after watching the San Diego Chargers miss out on the playoffs. I didn't even want to talk about football for the next 6 months. But I figured a blog would take my pain away.

And it's time to get back to my blogging roots. Sports predictions. Some of my favourite things to make. I've had a lack of prediction blogs in the last couple of months, but it's time for that to change. The reason being because it is NFL Playoff time.

In fact, my last predictions blog was written in September the start of the NFL season. And looking back at it now, I can't help but squirm at the predicitions I made (as is the case most of the time). Some of them are just awful.

For example:

I said the Cowboys would win the NFC East. The Cowboys decided that they wanted no part of playing in their own building for this year's Super Bowl and finished at a lowly 6-10.

I said the 49ers would win the NFC West. The 49ers decided that they would change quarterbacks 446 times during the season and they also finished a medicore 6-10.

I said the Vikings would make the playoffs. The Vikings decided that they needed to bring Brett Favre back and he did them well by throwing 19 interceptions in 13 games and getting injured about 110 times in 13 games. As I've stated before, I hope the door drills Brett in the ass on the way out.

In total, out of 6 NFC playoff teams, I picked only 2 of them right at the beginning of the season (GB, NO). In the AFC, I did a little better, correctly predicting 4 out of 6 at the beginning of the year (IND, NE, PIT, BAL).

The fact is that it's the same old story in the NFL year after year. There are ALWAYS surprise teams that make the playoffs yet most prognosticators refuse to acknowledge them at the start of the year.

The Bears were expected to be at the bottom of the NFC this year. Now, they are an NFC favourite. The Chiefs were supposed to be the same old Chiefs. They won 10 games and won their division. Even the teams that narrowly missed out on the playoffs shocked everyone. The Bucs at 10-6? The Raiders at 8-8? What's going on here? Every year in the NFL, 2-4 teams who had dreadful seasons the year before, have playoff-caliber seasons the following year. So for those of you who making future NFL preseason predictions, remember this. I know I will.

(My early surprise favourites for next year barring an NFL lockout: Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo)

Anyways, enough with the regular season, it's time for the postseason. Wildcard weekend starts this Saturday. There are some great games....and there are some not so great games. I'll explain below in my first predictions blog of 2011: Wildcard Weekend

New Orleans at Seattle

And the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints, who finished 4 games better at 11-5, have to fly cross-country to play in front of one of the loudest fan bases in the NFL. Why NFL why? At least let the Saints host this game.

Even with the loud crowd, and the long flight out west, the Saints should really have no problem winning this game. It's a Seattle defense that let the opponent score more than 30 points 8 TIMES THIS YEAR. It's a Seattle team that has gone 2-5 in their last 7 games. Seahawks, just get out of here and let the big boys settle things.

The Saints are considered one of those big boys in the NFL, although is it just me or have they been almost underrated this year. You wouldn't think so coming off of a Super Bowl title, but few people have mentioned the Saints as legitimate contenders this year. It's been Falcons this, Eagles that in the NFC this year.

And can we finally all agree that the Madden curse is officially toast? Drew Brees was featured on the cover of Madden 2011 in the summer. All the talk started about how the Saints would miss the playoffs because of the curse, or how Brees would tear both of his ACL's and miss the season. Well it turned out that Drew Brees was a top 5statistical quarterback this year and without him, this Saints team is nothing. But those Madden Curse conspiracy theorists still have a minor case: Brees threw 22 picks this year and has thrown an interception 12 games in a row. Cursed? Uhh.. if they lose to Seattle then maybe. But for now, this is basically the same team that won the Super Bowl last year. Chalk up a W.

New Orleans 34 Seattle 17

NY Jets at Indianapolis

Just like there's always a few surprise teams throughout the regular season, there's always an upset or two during Wildcard Weekend. Here's where I think it will come.

For the last half of this season, I have been saying that the Colts remind me of one team. The 2009 New England Patriots. Last year's Pats had an up and down season and finished strong to win their division and host a home playoff game. Baltimore came into New England on Wildcard Weekend and spanked them. The Colts are on pace for the same thing. The once-dominant team had a surprisingly average year, (just like the '09 Pats), their superstar QB played just OK (just like the '09 Pats), everyone thinks they will turn it around come playoff time(just like the '09 Pats). When similarities like this happen, you can't ignore it.

Plus, don't you think the Jets are still fuming after last year's AFC Championship loss in Indy? They had a 14-3 lead and Manning ended up picking them apart. What the Jets need here is a huge showing from their run game. Shonn Greene and LT need to split carries and pierce the Colts D. New York QB Mark Sanchez does not have to be great for the Jets to win this game. (It's not like he's ever played a great game anyways). I'm completely throwing out the Colts run game even though Joseph Addai is back so it will be up to Peyton to win the game through the air. Sure, Jacob Tamme and Blair White look good against the Titans and the Raiders, but how about against the Jets D, in my mind, the best in the league. Remember, the Jets almost beat the Colts last year. They can go back to the game tape and see what went wrong. And as much as I hate the Jets, I can't ignore similarites. Say it with me... the '10 Colts are the '09 Pats.

NY Jets 20 Indianapolis 17

Baltimore at Kansas City

There's always an upset and there's always a blowout during Wildcard Weekend. Here is the blowout. It made me legitimately sick down the stretch watching the Kansas City Chiefs beat lame duck opponents and eventually clinch the division title. My team, the Chargers, would beat this Chiefs squad 9 times out of 10. No question. Yet the Chiefs are hosting a playoff game.

I guess the next best thing for me is watching the lame Chiefs get demolished at home which is what the Baltimore Ravens will do on Sunday.

The Chiefs main strength is their run game. Do you really think they're going to run all over Ray Lewis and the stingy Ravens D? Nope. So it's up to Matt Cassel. He's the typical QB who shines in games against horrific teams and then when he plays a decent team, he's nowhere to be found. The Ravens are more than a just decent team. They are a contender. Baltimore is no stranger to winning playoff games on the road (see the last 2 years), so a game in Kansas City won't likely mean panic. And I'm the last person to trust Baltimore QB Joe Flacco, but he seems to falter when games are on the line. He won't have to worry because this won't be a close game.

Baltimore 34 Kansas City 7

Green Bay at Philadelphia

In my mind, the best of the four matchups this weekend. Green Bay went into Philly in Week 1 and beat them. But this was before the emergence of Philly QB Michael Vick. Vick has singlehandedly transformed this team from a team on the bubble, to a Super Bowl favourite. I can't remember watching 2 more amazing offensive performances in my life than what the Eagles did this year.

First there was the Monday nighter in Washington, where Vick combined for 6 TDS, and got like 75 fantasy points or something ridiculous. Best individual performance I've ever seen. Then, in one of the greatest comebacks I've ever seen, Vick and the Eagles overcame a 21- point deficit in the 4th quarter over the Giants and won in regulation. Remember, at this point, the Giants D was considered one of the best in the league. Then Vick tore through them and they were never the same.

The Green Bay Packers D is also considered one of the best in the game right now. The big question is how healthy is Vick at the moment? He has been banged up lots this year, and we really don't know how healthy he is. Even if he's not completely healthy, it's nothing compared to the health of the Green Bay Packers. Had the Packers not suffered all the injuries this year, they might be a Super Bowl favourite. But they underachieved and squeaked into the playoffs. As much as I like Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers, he's not enough. The Packers might have the worst run game in the league. So Rodgers will have to do it all through the air. Not going to happen. Michael Vick is on a mission. A few years ago, he was sitting in a jail cell, wondering if he would ever step on a football field again. Now he has just finished an MVP season, and has a chance to make one of the greatest sports comebacks of all time. From dogfights and jail cells, to touchdowns and Super Bowls(?). He's only 4 wins away.

Philadelphia 23 Green Bay 20