Okay, so it’s really not breaking news as we were all expecting this… I know I did.  Now all we have to do is wait to hear that Brett Favre signed with the Minnesota Vikings and everyone that hardly tried to be Nostradamus can check “Favre signing with the Vikes” from their list of predictions.  Oh, Brett… do you really want to exact revenge on the Green Bay Packers that much?  Get into the NFC North, face your old team twice, and make them regret it?  Okay, you’re more than right to have that as your motivation, but don’t you think you’re damaging your shine a bit?  Favre will always be a Packer, so any attempts to achieve the production he did with the Pack on any other team is somewhat insulting to his own legacy.  I wish he would just stay retired and walk off into the sunset guns smoking, his legend intact, and his time with the New York Jets considered a last attempt at glory, which is very much understood.  But, it won’t happen.

The seemingly neverending saga of Brett Favre continues and at this point, we need to start calling his bluff and call BS on the future Hall of Famer.  Favre says that he is retired and has even had his agent confirm this, but didn’t this happen last year as well?  Fool me once, shame on you… fool me twice, shame on me, but only, you aren’t going to fool me again because I’m not buying it.  And, deep down, the Minnesota Vikings aren’t either and will soon be checking on Favre despite what Vikings coach Brad Childress is saying during their rookie minicamp.  Tavaris Jackson, Sage Rosenfels, and John David Booty… Brett Favre.  Yeah, I can’t blame the Vikings, especially considering how much Favre wanted to play there last year before the Green Bay Packers traded him to the New York Jets.

Well, with the recent release from the Jets, Favre looks like he’ll have a clear path to join the NFC North Packers rival, Vikings.  But Brett Favre says he’s retired.  And so does his agent.  So, he’s retired.  NOT!  Soon enough, every sports website will have the headline, “Brett Favre signs with the Minnesota Vikings” and I hope we all treat it like old news and say, “Duh.”

NBC’s pre-game coverage for Super Bowl XLIII included an interview with Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger.  In it he remarked that in his first Super Bowl a couple years back he was nervous, didn’t perform all too well and had “rubbery legs.” This time Big Ben didn’t disappoint as the Steelers defeated the Arizona Cardinals 27-23 in a game full of big plays and a great finish. Roethlisberger came through and didn’t disappoint. What about the rest of the game?

Continue reading No Disappointment: Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals Deliver a Classic

The Pittsburgh Steelers won the NFL’s 43rd Super Bowl, edging out the Arizona Cardinals, 27-23 in what will be one of the better Super Bowls ever played.  Trailing 20-7 going into the fourth quarter, the Cardinals came back to score 16 unanswered points to take a 23-20 lead with over two minutes to go.  Then Ben Roethlisberger coolly led a 78-yard TD drive to win the game for the Steelers who are now the best NFL franchise in history, winning its sixth Super Bowl, leading all NFL teams in history.  Santonio Holmes was named Super Bowl MVP with nine receptions and 131 receiving yards and one TD.  Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin became the youngest coach to ever win the Super Bowl at the tender age of 36 and in only his second season as the Steelers head coach.  Congratulations to the Steelers!

Wow, am I feeling old.  On Saturday, the day before Super Bowl XLIII goes down between the Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers, the NFL introduced its latest paragons of the sport that will be headed to Canton, Ohio, home of the NFL Hall of Fame.  Bruce Smith, Rod Woodson, the late Derrick Thomas, Randall McDaniel, Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson, and Bob Hayes are the latest NFL Hall of Famers.  The feeling old comment is because I saw Smith, Woodson, Thomas, and McDaniel in their rookie years!  That said, let me speak on some of these players. 

Continue reading 2009 NFL Hall of Fame Inductees

The Fig Caption: Number 43 wants another trophy in Super Bowl 43… is it destined in the numbers?

The NFL’s 43rd Super Bowl goes down this Sunday, February 1st at 6:28 PM ET in Tampa Bay, Florida on NBC.  The NFC champion Arizona Cardinals (9-7) hope to keep the postseason magic going as they face off against AFC champs, the Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4).  The Cardinals had a more burdensome postseason path than the Steelers as Arizona needed to defeat the Atlanta Falcons (30-24 @ Arizona) in the Wildcard Round, take on heavily favored Carolina Panthers and light them up on the road (33-13 @ Carolina) during the Divisional Round, and finally, beat the Philadelphia Eagles in a close game (32-25 @ Arizona) during the NFC Championship Round.  The Steelers on the other hand, had a first round bye, defeated the San Diego Chargers handily (35-24 @ Pittsburgh) in the Divisional Round, and beat the Baltimore Ravens in a closer match-up than the score indicates (23-14 @ Pittsburgh) in the AFC Championship Round thanks to a timely Troy Polamalu interception.

The road for both teams has been a long and taxing road, as only an NFL schedule could be, but on Sunday, one of them will reach the ultimate destination - a Super Bowl victory.

Continue reading Super Bowl XLIII Preview - Arizona Cardinals Versus Pittsburgh Steelers

The Arizona Cardinals jumped out to a big lead over the Philadelphia Eagles, but the Eagles came all the way back to take a one-point lead in the fourth quarter. On the next series Kurt Warner led a fourth quarter drive, ending in a TD, and the Cardinals move on with a 32-25 victory.

It was a heck of a lot of defense as the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Baltimore Ravens, 23-14. The Ravens were never ahead, but kept it close by taking advantage of good field position for their two scores. Pittsburgh used big TD plays by WR Santonio Holmes and an interception that was run back for a score by safety Troy Polamalu to knock down the Ravens.

Continue reading Cardinals Hang On and Steelers Use Big Plays On Their Road to the Super Bowl

I figured when I went 1-for-4 with my Wild Card playoff picks that it couldn’t get any worse. Wrong. I go O-for-4 this weekend. What the heck is going on? One playoff preview (from the experts) this past week stated “pick the home team” in the second round of the NFL playoffs. The reasons given: A) the stronger teams have earned the first week bye, B) these teams will play at home in the second week, C) they’re rested, and D) they have an extra week to gameplan.
So what happens? Other than the Pittsburgh Steelers, all home teams lose.

Continue reading Titans, Giants and Panthers Forget How to Play Football

I went 1-for-4 with my Wild Card picks. Only the Philadelphia Eagles came up with one of my predicted victories.  Meanwhile, San Diego, Baltimore, and Arizona looked good and moved on despite my putting the “whammie” on them.

Arizona Cardinals beat Atlanta Falcons:
The Cardinals used big plays to wide receivers, Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin to pick up 14 points.  Atlanta rookie QB Matt Ryan was very respectable in leading drives and providing Atlanta with a 17-10 lead going into the half.  But the second half got off to a disastrous start as Arizona’s Antrel Rolle picked up an Atlanta fumble and ran 27 yards to paydirt.  Arizona took a lead that they did not relinquish. Then Cardinal QB Kurt Warner delivered a nice drive to put it away. 

Next up:  Cards go to Carolina to meet the Panthers.

Continue reading Ravens, Chargers, and Cardinals Make Me Look Bad

I finished the season on a strong note and am feeling a 4-0 Wildcard Weekend!

Continue reading Dean Browski’s Wildcard Saturday

I thought all the playoff possibilities prior to Sunday would drive me nutty. Now after all the results are in, I’m still woozy. I can’t keep track of all the junky efforts we saw on the field and my coaches’ scorecard is getting marked up something fierce with all the firings that are piling up.

Continue reading Egg On Their Faces:  Cowboys, Lions, Brett Favre

Season: 123-112-5
Last Week: 6-10-0

Continue reading Dean Browski Picks for NFL Week 17

Well, NFL fans, do you believe you received your just rewards? Not only did the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers provide one heck of a Week 16 contest, but they gave you a little extra by taking it to overtime! The best deliver in primetime.

The first order of business for the Giants had to be getting back to a grinding run game. Brandon Jacobs was the welcome re-addition everyone thought he’d be. But how about the career-night for the explosive Derrick Ward? However, it was the balanced attack of Carolina that made the early good impression as the Panthers maintained a lead for most of the game. WR Steve Smith always looks good when national exposure is on the line.

I didn’t notice exactly when the Giants’ vaunted defense finally kicked in. Things were seemingly going Carolina’s way as I recall RB DeAngelo Williams giving Giants’ linebacker Antonio Pierce the ‘ol stiff arm en route to a 30-yard TD run. This gave Carolina a 28-20 lead. Because this score was an answer to a previous NYG touchdown drive I figured the Panthers had risen to the occasion, were making a statement, and that the game and home field in the NFC was theirs.

Not quite.

Continue reading NFL Xmas: Giants over Panthers

Season: 117-102-5
Last Week: 8-6-2

Continue reading Dean Browski Picks for NFL Week 16

The Detroit “how can we lose another this week?” Lions play host to Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints this Sunday. Remember the 51-29 shellacking the Saints pasted on the Green Bay Packers four weeks ago?  This game will pale by comparison. Big Easy quarterback Brees will resemble a Luftwaffe pilot bombing London when he starts peppering the Lions’ swiss cheese secondary. Give whatever name fits the bill - massacre, blowout, route, blood bath. It all adds up to the same thing - another one under “L” for the Lions - this one makes 15. Saints by 14.

Continue reading NFC North Week 16 Predictions

Let’s just throw everything in the air and see what happens. That’s what seemingly happened this weekend in the NFL. Crazy endings and all sorts of things got mixed up. But this helter skelter nature has led to some interesting scenarios.

Continue reading You Gotta Be Kidding Me Steelers, Bills, Giants!

Continue reading Dean Browski Picks for NFL Week 15

The Chicago Bears just made the race for the NFC North crown a bit tighter with a 27-24 win over the Saints Thursday night, giving them an 8-6 record and a half game behind the 8-5 Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings travel to Tempe to take on the Arizona Cardinals. Sure the Cards have a lock on the NFC West title, but they have yet to face the Vikings defense which will shut down Arizona’s running game. Nor have they had to face thunderback Adrian Peterson. This one has massacre written all over it. Peterson will post a 200+ yard game and at least one rushing touchdown. Minnesota’s front four will wreak havoc on the Arizona ground game. Look for the Vikes to jump out to an early lead and pour it on the anemic Cards. Vikings by 14.

The Green Bay Packers travel to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars. Now that the Packers are eliminated from winning the Black and Blue division and a playoff berth, about all they can do is salvage a .500 season. Easier said than done. The Packers have lost more than a fair share of close battles this season - an overtime loss to the Tennessee Titans, a last minute nail-biter to the Vikes and last week’s flub to the Houston Texans. If the stars were in alignment, those three losess converted into wins would put the Pack at or near the top of the division. Alas this just doesn’t seem to be Green Bay’s season. Jacksonville is out the playoff picture too, but they have home-field advantage and Packers have trouble winning on the road. Jags by 10.

And then there’s the Detroit Lions playing Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts are right in the thick of the playoff race and every game is a must win. Why not host the Lions? They lose to everyone. Every week they find new and creative ways of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Teams all over the NFL must be checking their 2009 schedules to see if they get to play Detroit, which is like getting an extra bye week. This one is money in the bank. Colts by 17.

You may think it’s the Terrible Towels that bring the Pittsburgh Steelers luck. You’re wrong. The Steelers’ fortune changed on Sunday when a fan went above and beyond to demonstrate his devotion to his team.  This performance energized the home team in their 20-13 come-from-behind victory over Dallas.

Continue reading Ice Cube Theory: Steelers Cool Enough to Win

Continue reading Dean Browski Picks for NFL Week 14

Former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL Hall of Famer, O.J. Simpson was sentenced to serve at least nine years in prison after being found guilty of armed robbery.  Simpson can spend as much as 21 years in prison if he is not paroled due to the number of counts against him.  Clarence Stewart, Simpson’s co-defendant in this case sentenced to at least 15 years.  For those that thought Simpson was guilty of the 1994 murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ronald Goldman, charges Simpson were acquitted of, this must bring some satisfaction to them as it did for Goldman’s family who were in court as Simpson was sentenced.

Let’s get the easy pick out of the way. The Minnesota Vikings travel to Ford Field to take on the Detroit “0-16 here we come” Lions. The Lions have more holes in their squad than the 7th Cavalry had at Little Big Horn. The Vikes, fresh off a huge win over the Chicago Bears will easily roll over the hapless Lions by a hefty margin. Look for Gus Frerotte and Company to strike early and often. Minnesota improves their record to 8-5 while the Lions drop to 0-13. Vikings by 17.

The Jacksonville Jaguars visit Soldier Field to take on the Chicago Bears. Still smarting from their 34-14 loss to the Vikings last week, the Bears will be out for blood. They also need a win to keep pace with the Vikings. Kyle Orton is due for a big game and Matt Forte will run roughshod through the Jags porous defense. Bears by 10.

The Green Bay Packers host the Houston Texans at home. Tough one to call. The Packers stayed close to the high flying Carolina Panthers for the entire game, but again came up on the short end of a 35-31 tally. Houston isn’t a playoff caliber team yet, but they’re headed in that direction. Their Monday night 30-17 win over the Jags was pretty much a one-sided affair. The Texans jumped out to an early 16-3 lead at the half and played dead even ball in the second half, as each team traded off touchdowns like kids playing two hand touch. Even though the Packers still have a mathematical chance at winning the NFC North, they need to peel off four wins in a row while the Bears and Vikings need to completely tank their last four. Long odds by any standard. The one plus in the Green Bay column is that they’re playing at home — they just can’t seem to buy a road win this season. The Texans are an up-and-coming team who improves every year. Texans by 10.

Continue reading Titans, Cowboys, Giants, Steelers Add to Turkey Stew

What follows is just one writer’s garden theory on who will win their respective divisions and wild card teams.

Continue reading NFC Playoff Predictions

The big showdown in the NFC North is between the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings at the Metrodome. The Bears are fresh off a 27-3 shellacking off the St. Louis Rams while the Vikes posted a convincing 30-12 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Minnesota QB Gus Frerotte posted average numbers on 12-of-20 passing for 120 yards and one interception. Force of nature running back Adrian Peterson ran for 80 yards on 17 carries. Bears field general Kyle Orton riddled the Jags’ defense on 17-of-28 passing for 132 yards and one TD while backfield partner Matt Forte punished the Jacksonville defense for 132 yards on 21 carries and two scoring strikes. Even though the game is being played in Minnesota, this contest is something of a toss up. Minnesota is 4-1 at home, but the Bears have been playing .500 ball on the road with a 3-3 record. This is a must-win game for both teams, but not necessarily a knockout blow. Whoever wins will sit alone atop the NFC North but only by one game. Whoever loses this game could be in a tie for second if the Green Bay Packers pull off a win over the Carolina Panthers. The Vikings lost a 48-41 melee at Soldier Field and will be looking to avenge that loss. Minnesota by 3.

While the Bears and the Vikings are butting heads in the frozen north, the Packers will host the Panthers at Lambeau Field. The Packers were decimated by the New Orleans Saints, 51-29, on Monday night while the Panthers were clobbered by the Atlanta Falcons, 45-28. The Falcons reeled off 28 fourth quarter points, making the Panthers defense suspect. Both the Packers and the Panthers are still in the hunt for playoff seeds, but the Packers are fighting for their lives in the NFC North and will be out for blood after losing in the Big Easy. Packers by 7.

The Detroit Lions? They recorded their weekly loss on Thanksgiving Day. This time out it was the Tennessee Titans that handed them a 47-10 pasting. At least the Lions get the weekend to lick their wounds. What else is new?

Season: 93-80-3
Last Week: 8-8-0

Continue reading Dean Browski Picks for NFL Week 13

The Tennessee Titans’ Jeff Fisher jumped out of an airplane to join the team at practice last week. He was trying to keep it loose for a team that was undefeated at the time. As we now know, it didn’t work. Tennessee lost to the New York Jets, 34-13. While the Titans are winners for 2008, which teams are in vital need for some tricks to pump up their flailing seasons?

Continue reading Daredevil Plans for Eagles, Browns, and Lions

Sorry, Tennessee Titans, but the undefeated dream season is over as the New York Jets (8-3) shattered the dream with a 34-13 victory over the previously unbeaten Titans (10-1).  However, not going undefeated might be a good thing, especially when considering the New England Patriots’ unfortunate fate last season as they lost to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl for the Pats’ first loss.  With the win, the Jets are proving that they will be a force to reckon with if they make it into the NFL playoffs, after beating the Titans this week and AFC East division rival Patriots the previous week. 

Brett Favre had an efficient game and proved to still have “it” - the ability to pick apart a defense and lead his team to victory.  Favre finished the game going 25-for-32, accumulating 224 passing yards, throwing for two touchdowns and one interception.  Backup running back Leon Washington ran for two scores, gaining 82 yards on eight carries, including a 61-yard TD run.  The Titans dangerous running game with rookie Chris Johnson and LenDale White rushed for only 45 yards on the ground, partly because the Titans were trailing and needed to throw the ball.  NFL Comeback Player of the Year candidate Kerry Collins tried to bring the Titans back, but couldn’t, finishing with 243 yards on 21-of-39 passing, and one TD.

The Titans try to get back on the winning track as they head to Motown, visiting the Detroit Lions.  The Jets try to continue their winning ways as they host the Denver Broncos next week.

While everyone will be tuned into the New York Jets-Tennessee Titans game to see if Brett Favre & Company can knock off Tennessee, the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings will be slugging it out for top honors in the NFC North. Coming off an humiliating 37-3 trouncing to the Packers, the Bears will travel to the Gateway to the West to take on the woeful St. Louis Rams. Did someone say “massacre in the making”? You betcha. running back Matt Forte will decimate the Rams defense and Kyle Orton will shower the St. Louis secondary with an aerial bombardment. Bears by 14.

Continue reading NFC North Week 12 Predictions

Continue reading Dean Browski Picks for NFL Week 12