Ending the Henne Era in Miami Would Be Unwise

Because it's far too soon.

People need to calm down about Henne. If the Dolphins replace him they'll be making a mistake far too many teams have made over the last 10+ seasons. It takes time for QBs to learn an NFL system and adapt to the pro. game. Also, and I know this is STARTLING for many people, the talent around you matters. Crazy, I know. Henne just started his 23rd NFL game, a loss to the Browns. He's being blamed for the loss. Even though his play was bad today people think he needs to go. Let's check the numbers...

In 23 starts Henne is 473 of 771 (61.3%) for 5,167 yards with 23 TDs and 27 INTs. That's a 76.5 QB rating in his 23 starts, in which his team is 12-11.

Here's another current QBs stats after 23 starts. Mystery QB was 459 of 765 (60.0%) for 4,685 yards with 24 TDs and 27 INTs. That's a 73.4 QB rating in his 23 starts, in which his team was 9-14.

Anyone care to guess who the "mystery QB" is?

To spare everyone some time, and for those that don't care, "mystery QB" is Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees. Yep, performed worse than Henne overall. I think Brees is doing just fine, don't you?

So calm the hell down people. It took Brees until his 4th year in the league to start being a Pro Bowl-caliber QB.

Scouts, Inc. writers to teach divination at Hogwarts this fall

Or, at least, they should be employed by Dumbledore to do that. (Nothing like some fantasy/sci-fi reference on a sports blog). This is why.

Penn State to Start True Freshman at QB in 2010?

According to Craig Haubert and Billy Tucker of ESPNs Scouts, Incs. expect that to be the case. They believe it will be true freshman Robert Bolden - over sophomore Kevin Newsome and fellow true freshman Paul Jones - taking snaps under center come September.

Ding, ding, ding! That analysis/prediction was posted all the way back in February.

Adam Rittenberg loves it. So do I.

Here's ESPNs write-up on the revelation, which comes the same night as the Big Ten's announcement of division alignments and the 2011 & 2012 schedules.

Penn State ends up in a strong division with perennial powerhouse Ohio State and midwestern squads Indiana, Purdue, and Illinois. And, oh yeah, an end-of-the-season showdown with Wisconsin. The best part of the divisions is each team getting a cross-divisional rival. Penn State's? Nebraska.

Settle the score for '94...annually!

So excited for Saturday!!!

SOMEBODY CONVINCE ME

By Your Athletic Supporter, Jack Strap

I'm heading into what for many years has been my Summer Sports Void (SSV) which dates back to the Baseball Strike of 1994. I was upset with the millionaire/billionaire players/owners & found I didn't miss baseball during the strike, so I never went back to watching games, although there was one small exception to that about 10 years after the strike. I was on the computer & a headline popped up that the Yankees were about to playoff sweep Boston, so I tuned in to watch the poor Red Sox fans once again "wallow in the mire" (kind of like a rubbernecker at a car wreck). But to my surprise, the Red Sox dramatically tied it in the 9th & won in extra innings. So I tuned in for Game 5 and Boston won again, ditto in #6, and amazingly completed the historic comeback in Game 7. So you think that would be enough to hook, line & sinker me back in--think again as didn't have an interest to watch one pitch of the World Series that followed. Even in recent years with my hometown Philadelphia Phillies contending & winning a World Series, I didn't watch any of it although because my Mom is a Big Phils fan, followed along in the newspaper & by osmosis on sports talk radio. So with another SSV upon me, I'm looking for SOMEBODY with strong persuasive skills to CONVINCE ME to come back to Baseball.

SOMEBODY CONVINCING ME would be a very tough task, but not impossible if you consider what happened this past year with Hockey & me. I had similarly given up watching the NHL after the 2004-5 strike/lockout until the end of this season. That's when I heard the Flyers were playing their old Rangers rivals in a home & home final 2 games that would decide who made the Playoffs. So I tuned in to see what would happen & found the games to be a lot more exciting than I had remembered from the years preceding my strike against watching hockey. I had heard of the NHL rule changes, most notably eliminating the 2-line pass rule, but had no idea how much that opened up the game until I saw it for myself. Prior to the Strike I had painful memories of the hated Devils "trap defense" bottling up the game in between the blue lines & rendering it boring for long stretches of time. I got to watch that final Flyers-Rangers game with my Brothers at a cook-out & they brought me up-to-speed on the Flyers roster, so I was ready for the Playoffs after that shootout win (although hate that it was decided by a shootout) knocking the Stink'in Rangers out.

The Playoffs deserve a separate paragraph as they started with the Flyers impressively knocking out the hated Devils. So I was already hooked at that point, but what happened next was the Greatest OMG Comeback in Sports History (even greater than the aforementioned Red Sox-Yankees Series) with the Flyers amazingly erasing a 3 games to zero deficit while ultimately coming back from 3-0 in Game #7. They then very interestingly as a #7 seed had the home ice vs. the Canadians and I had a flashback to the "Slap Shot--Olde Time Hockey" pre-game playoff brawl started by the Habs' Claude Lemieux & the Flyers' Ed "The Box Car" Hospodar. In this Series, another flashback was the Flyers' Michael Leighton turning into the 2nd coming of "Only the Lord Saves More Than" Bernie Parent. So then the Black Hawks stopped the Flyers just short of winning the Stanley Cup, but it was an ultra-exciting playoff run & I look forward to Hockey season again. Could that ever be the case for Baseball season, SOMEBODY CONVINCE ME.

That Is All

FLYERS STANLEY CUP SONG

It's a catchy tune, sing along @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9931L3N8wU

OUT WITH THE "OLD" & IN WITH THE NEW @ PSU

By Your Athletic Supporter, Jack Strap

This NFL-draft extended weekend represented the Changing of the PSU Guard (& I'm not talking about Stefen Wisniewski switching from Center to Guard) as it was OUT WITH THE "OLD" & IN WITH THE NEW @ PSU. It started Thursday night with Jared Odrick being selected in the 1st round by the Dolphins. Odrick was the most highly touted linemen to come out of Lebanon since John Scholes and he disappointed nobody who bleeds Blue & White. This was followed Friday night (did anyone else think extending the NFL Draft over 3 days was too-too much?) with LB Sean Lee being drafted in the 2nd round by the Cowboys & as an admitted Cowboys-hater & Lee-luver this was bitter-sweet to me. Then in the 3rd round, Navorro "Big Play" Bowman went to play for Hall of Fame LB Mike Singletary in San Fran, although not sure when Bowman's stock slipped because when he declared for the draft, the so-called experts were saying that he'd be a 1st round pick--wish he would have stayed in school. Then on Saturday, the NFL's "Black & Blue Division" welcomed in PSU TE's Andrew Quarless (Packers) & Micky Shuler Jr. (Vikings) followed by the 3rd LB selected from Linebacker U--former walk-on Josh Hull. Not that I looked at Daryll Clark as an NFL starting QB, but a little surprised he wasn't drafted late, so that's it for OUT WITH THE (not so) OLD.

IN WITH THE NEW started Saturday with Penn State's Blue-White Game with 55,000 in attendance & many more watching on "The Deuce". I guess the big story is at QB regarding who is going to succeed Clark who was an upgrade from the enigmatic Anthony Morelli. Will the next QB be another upgrade? It's hard to be too optimistic about that being the case next year as this inter-squad scrimmage saw disappointing performances from Kevin "Young & Restless in the Pocket" Newsome & Matt McGloin who combined were 15 of 35 for 160 yards, while 17-year old Paul Jones stole the show by completing 5 of 8 for 67 yards & the game's only two Touchdowns. Would JoePa really consider starting the season with a True Freshman QB? I highly doubt it, but we'll see.

IN WITH THE NEW @ PSU on Defense means having to replace Odrick & all the starting Linebackers. Well overall I certainly expect some drop-off there, but not too much drop-off as DT Devon Still has shown glimpses of great potential & now he gets his big chance surrounded by (3) starters from last year including Ollie Ogbu-u-u-u-u-u-u and Jack "The Ripper" Crawford. Linebacker U is re-loading with Michael Mauti (who probably would have started ahead of Josh Hull last year) returning from injury, Nate Stupar who has made some big plays the past 2 years in somewhat limited action, and the fairly experienced & cooly named Bani Gbadyu. On Offense, Andrew "Buy a Vowel" Szczerba who had a great Blue-White game last year will step in for Quarless & Shuler. The top RB's & WR's are all back led by Evan "Blue" Royster "Cult", the speedy Stephfon Green, Derek Moye, and WR Graham Zug who is also the back-up Punter after graduation & an underage drinking incident.

So what does all this OUT WITH THE OLD & IN WITH THE NEW @ PSU mean for next year? Now your guess is as good as mine, but it all will be clearer after PSU travels to National Champions Alabama in early September.

THE MADNESS FROM A to Z

By Your Athletic Supporter, Jack Strap

THE MADNESS has been upon us for over a week now & there's still over a week to go so enjoy that & this A to Z tribute to that MADNESS:
A = Alex Herrmann, the autistic teen from the Chi-town burbs who picked 48 straight games correctly in his MADNESS Pool before The 'Cuse let him down; Honorable Mention: my son Andrew who leads 100 bracketologists in our Relay for Life Pool
B = Big East Busted MADNESS Brackets B-B-B-B-Badly
C = Champions--Who are the Champions My Friends? TBD, but it won't be my pick Kansas
D = Do you believe there were no teams in the 65 team MADNESS field that begin with a "D"? No, there was & still is Duke
E = Ekpe Udoh from the surprising to some Baylor Bears (not me, have them in my Final 4) who will take on those Dukies in the Elite Eight
F = Florida & Florida St. both went out in Round 1--this ain't Football
G = Greenie & Golic's (Mike & Mike's) "Sheets of Integrity"
H = Houston's Aubrey Coleman easily led the Nation in scoring (anybody remember Phi Slamma Jamma?)
I = Interestingly this year, Iowa wasn't the best team in Iowa--it was the Jayhawk Giant Killing Panthers of Northern Iowa
J = Johnathon Jones of Oakland (not Da Raiders) had as many assists/game as the more well known Wall, John
K = Kentucky is the Favorite now that Kansas was upset, but don't forget about Coach K and/or Kansas St.
L = Lehigh Mountain Hawks (didn't they used to be the "Engineers"?) which was the closest team to me to make the Tournament
M = MADNESS: Murray St. #13 Seed Buzzer-Beats #4 Seeded Vanderbilt; Honorable Mention: Robert Morris #15 who took #2 'Nova to OT
N = New Mexico was a #3 Seed & like New Mexico St. was an early-out
O = Orange-men of Syracuse #1 Seed are now Out courtesy of those Butler Bulldogs
P = Purdue Boilermakers shared the Big 10 Title & then without their best player made it to the Sweet 16
Q = Quincy Acy of Baylor made over 70% of his shots in the Regular (Non-MADNESS) Season
R = Red, Big of Cornell--the Ivy Champs out-smarted Temple & Wisconsin
S = Sweet Sixteen didn't include the Siena Saints like it said on my MADNESS Pool
T = Three Point Shots: St. Mary's Mickey McConnell led the Nation hitting a Terrific 51.7% & Turner, Evan from Ohio St--the 2010 National Player of the Year
U = University Tennessee defeated Evan Turner & Ohio St. to reach the Elite 8
V = Villanova who was Samhan-dled by Omar's 32 Points in St. Mary's Victory
W = West Virginia--the only Big East team still standing, at least until tonight vs. KY
X = Xavier had a nice MADNESS run before losing to K-State in a great double-overtime game
Y = Your MADNESS Bracket on Yahoo or CBS Sports? Yummy or Yucky?
Z = Zags of Gonzaga--those former Giant Killers are now Giants, but they ran into that Syracuse 2-3 Zone
That's THE MADNESS FROM A to Z!!

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month

CareMeridian contacted me about running an article about traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) and their relation to sports, especially football. Below is the article passed along to me by them. I urge you to read it.

Mild TBI and Sports Related Injuries

Athletics are a fun and healthy way to stay active that millions of people take part in each day. However, some of these activities can take a toll on the physical body of the individual. Contact sports like football, boxing, soccer, and hockey can cause damage that can change a person’s entire life and sometimes can even be irreversible. An example of this type of sports injury is traumatic brain injuries. A TBI can permanently alter someone’s life and can even require long-term rehabilitation and care from special facilities like CareMeridian and these injuries are often too common when taking part in sports.

According to the Brain Injury Resource Center, an estimated 300,000 sports related brain injuries occur each year. Most of these injuries are not classified as severe. Many of these mild TBI’s or concussions may appear unthreatening, but in fact they can often cause significant damage if not treated properly. The hidden danger of a concussion comes from the fact that it is usually passed off as nothing more than pain and soreness inflicted from the sporting activity, which is why they can easily be a repeatable injury. Consequently, concussions are often regarded as very hazardous and should be given thorough and constant attention.

Concussions are head injuries that are caused by blows to the head that usually cause the brain to move violently within the skull. For a sport like football this type of injury is common and unfortunately, at times ignored. Many athletes shake off the pain that’s caused from the head injury, because the immediate effects are often unnoticed. Yet, without treatment, a simple injury can cause a lifetime of suffering. The NFL has a concussion rate of 61% and this type of injury not only sidelines the player impacted, but can end their career. Some NFL players, like quarterbacks Troy Aikman and Steve Young, retired from the game rather than take on the risk that comes from the injury, but others are not so lucky. Many retired football players and athletes battle memory loss and constant migraine headaches that result from head injuries.

Participating in athletic competition (football, soccer, basketball, etc…) is inherent in many different peoples’ lifestyles, but comes with risk of injury. Mild TBI is among the most common forms of sports related injuries, which also include fractures, tears, bursitis, sprains and more. As an enjoyable means of human interaction and competitive lift, sports will always be an integral ingredient of modern day society. Ultimately, it’s important to be aware of mild traumatic brain injuries (symptoms, treatment, etc…) and the frequency of occurrence on the field of play.

Awareness is always a good thing. Continue to enjoy all of the wonderful contact sports out there, but be mindful and safe.

Thanks to CareMeridian for passing along this article.

The Phield 2010: My Bracket

As The Phield churns out matchup previews over the course of the next few days, as well as starts the tournament with voting for the play-in game, let's take a look at my bracket.

My bracket for The Phield 2010. Click to enlarge and see my predictions.

Yep, I'm calling for a 3-seed to take it all. I am still shocked The Fightins were given a 3 and not a 2 (or even a 1), as their site has been stellar since its full-time debut in the spring of 2008. Yep, before the greatest night, er, nights in Phillies history. My final four consists of Macho Row, The Fightins, Beerleaguer, and The Zo Zone.

Macho Row, in my opinion, got too high a seed and could have easily been a 3 or 4. I think they can take down the almighty 700 Level, the overall #1 seed. Why? Because, while The 700 Level is an excellent Philly blog, it is split over all things Philly sports. I think blogs that are dedicated to just the Phillies cover the team more thoroughly and I think that will be shown with the results in The Phield. Really though, no disrespect to The 700 Level. I've been a daily reader of their site since 2006 and think they're the best all-around Philly blog on the web. For this though I go Macho Row.

The Fightins may just be my favorite Phillies-centric blog. It has a little of everything: statistics, game recaps, a kick-ass store, focus on broadcasters, and jokes. Boy do they bring the jokes. They have the fan base to topple the other 64 worthy entrants.

Beerleaguer is a classic and located just outside my hometown. The commenters may appear dry and pessimistic about everything but sole writer Weitzel knows his stuff. His strong following should get him to the Final Four. I'll be one pushing to get him there.

Lastly comes The Zo Zone, my favorite blog by a Phillies beat writer. I figure one of the beat writers makes it and since Zo is my favorite - and appears in tune with fans and other blogs - I think he storms past fellow beat writer blog Finger Food and edges out Swing and a Long Drive in the Elite Eight.

So there are my picks. I'm not getting into every single selection because that would take forever. Plus, this is just my gut feeling and biased approach as to which blogs I like best.

Really the real winner in this whole awesome process are the smaller, less-known blogs. This is free advertising for them and they should relish the chance to grab a new audience. I know I'll be perusing all 65 of these sites more often to get as much Phillies love as possible. Each site is different and original, and I respect that.

So, now that you see who I got... who you got? Favor The 700 Level? Love a dark horse?

Playing The Phield

Yep, another long break in posts. Sorry about that. We're mainly a Penn State/NFL blog so it's hard to stay up on things from February through August (save for April... NFL draft!). One thing I need to start doing again is blogging about my beloved Phillies. And this might push me to do so. It's called "The Phield".

The Phield has composed a bracket of 65 of the best Philadelphia Phillies blogs around the Internet to determine one Phillies blog to rule them all. It's an awesome idea, started by former Phillies Nation - a #1 seed, by the way - writer by the name of Timothy Malcolm. He has done a stupendous job of finding great Phillies fans' sites from across the web, excluding us here. But that's OK; I never expected to be added to The Phield since I haven't written about the team since October 30th, 2009. Heck, I didn't even comment on the World Series loss or offseason changes.

Anyway, this leads me to want to start talking about the Phillies again. I love the team but don't give them as much face time here due to my obsession with all things football. Hopefully that changes this coming season and I can get a high seed for the 2011 Phield. That's my new goal.

For reference, here is The Phield for 2010, taken from the main site.

Click to enlarge.

Malcolm certainly included all of the ones I peruse on a daily basis, such as Macho Row, The 700 Level, The Fightins, Swing and a Long Drive, and Phinally Philly, plus a lot more. There are at least 30 I hadn't even heard of before this tournament. My Google Reader is about to be even more full...

You can get involved in the voting, too! Follow @ThePhield on Twitter, where you can submit votes and get updates. You can also vote by emailing thephield@gmail.com by 8 PM each day. You vote for your favorite blog in each two-team matchup, when the match-up is featured on the site (and mentioned on Twitter). UPDATE: Kevin McGuire, from Macho Row, has let me know that The Phield has changed voting procedures to a poll on the main site. Vote there each day between 8 AM and 8 PM.

Good luck to all 65 teams involved! My the best Phillies blog win!

FOOTBALL VOID

By Your Athletic Supporter, Jack Strap

I've been looking for sporting events to fill the FOOTBALL VOID with mixed results.

Basketball would be the natural filler for me, but in the NBA my team--the 76ers continue to be less than mediocre. The NBA All-Star weekend was disappointing overall with a weak slam dunk field (thought Lebron was going to spice that up?), a "Celebrity" Game where Michael Rapaport (who?) was the MVP with 4 points, H-O-R-S-E, and the most interesting thing about the NBA game was that they got over 100,000 fans in Dallas Stadium.

I've been getting more interested in College Basketball with March Madness on the way, especially in the Big East where Villanova (always want the Big 5 teams to do well) & Syracuse are at the top, although Georgetown recently beat Nova and this week almost finished a great comeback vs. Cuse. No March Madness ramifications, but We Are! Penn State! has won 2 Big 10 games in a row including beating Michigan (always enjoy beating the Wolverines in anything) yesterday.

Having worked for Penske at one time, I'm a casual fan of auto racing and tuned in to see Danica "Go Daddy" Patrick's NASCAR debut in-process last week just as she crashed out & this week she finished, but near the rear--3 laps behind the winner. I'm a "Tiger" golf fan, so his "sex addiction" has eliminated that as a possibility. Also Tennis never really captivates me until Wimbledon. Finally, I've not really gotten into the NHL (besides the Winter Classics which are very cool) since their Strike/Lockout.

This year we have the Winter Olympics to help with the FOOTBALL VOID. Our hometown hero, Allison Baver lost last night in one of her speed skating events, but will be watching as she still has a couple more shots at medals. Right now on ESPN, there's a 1980 Miracle on Ice (I was at a concert at Shippensburg when they announced that stunning upset of the Russkies) story that just got me warmed up for tonight's Team USA vs. Team Canada match-up, as we try to beat Oh Canada in the Olympics for the 1st time since 1960 (yes, 1960) which was actually The First Miracle on Ice. I know it's only a preliminary round game, but gotta fill the FOOTBALL VOID.

Allison Baver, Speedskating Extraordinaire

The 2010 Winter Olympics are in full swing now, with medals being handed out left and right. I personally have watched multiple snowboarding and skiing events plus some curling, hockey, and figure skating. One event that I caught on Saturday but has been absent since then is speedskating, an event that has many people in the Reading, PA area excited. Why? Wilson High School alum Allison Baver will participate in multiple events, including the 1000m (finals-Feb. 26th), 1500m (finals-Feb. 20th), and 3000m (finals-Feb. 24th). This is Allison's 3rd winter games. Her team finished 7th in the 3000m relay in Salt Lake City (2002) and 4th in the same relay in Torino (2006). She finished 7th in the 500m in Italy as well. The Olympics are what everyone focuses on but she has also done extremely well in the World Cup and World Championships, leading Team USA in total medals on multiple occasions.

She also happens to be not only a Wilson alum but also a Penn State graduate, too. Thanks to this she is featured at Black Shoe Diaries in a new series called "Nittany Lion Spotlight". The article is nice and gives a brief biography on Allison and her past and present. It also touches briefly on her looks.

Allison Baver, Speedskating Extraordinaire

Not too shabby, eh? (The games are in Vancouver. I had to.) Well upon finishing the article I hit up the comments to see what everyone was saying. Towards the end I noticed a comment from user LionsandBear...

Click to enlarge.

LionsandBear previously mentions that his wife attended Wilson with Allison. With regards to this comment... I like it. However, I was quick to add the he had forgotten 2000 Summer Olympics (Sydney) swimmer Kristy Kowal, who earned a silver in the 200m breaststroke event.

And for those wondering what "The JuggerNitt" was referring to, watch this.

Let's Get It Started

I know we rarely get into hockey on here (despite at least 3 of us being big hockey fans), but I had to post this picture when I saw it.

By @NHLFlyers on twitter (via The 700 Level via TweetPhoto)

So awesome. The good guys take on the Swiss at 3 PM eastern today on USA Network. Let it begin, indeed.

A Tweet from The Man

Former star Penn State linebacker LaVar Arrington was angered by current Redskins RB Clinton Portis. Why? This is why...

LaVar Arrington was the man in D.C. when I arrived, and all of the sudden LaVar felt like it was competition, and he left D.C. He didn't want to be in D.C. any more. He gave back $15, 20 million to leave D.C., because he felt like he wasn't the main money guy, because everybody was getting [paid]. Laveranues, myself, Deion was still getting paid, so he even had input. So I think it was just the wrong attitude, and I think for some of the beliefs that was funneled through, it was like whoever gets the money was the captain.

-- Clinton Portis, on NFL Network, February 6, 2010.

Huh? Well, as you could expect, LaVar did not take kindly to that unsubstantiated diss. Arrington had a rebuttal... and what a rebuttal it is. Here's a tiny portion...

I get a call from Renaldo Wynn, my family, my teammate. I get a call from Cornelius Griffin, my family, my teammate. And you know what they say to me? They say to me, if we don't get this stuff restructured, if you don't restructure it and this collective bargaining agreement doesn't get done, we will be out of jobs. We will lose our jobs, because of how high your cap number is, and all the people that they have tried to restructure to be able to be under this cap.

Ok. So if that's the situation, you're telling me these are my teammates, these are my soldiers, we go to war together, I humble myself for a great purpose and I called the Washington Redskins and I told them there would be one condition that I would restructure my contract. If you think I'm lying, you can call Joe Gibbs, you can call the Washington Redskins. Ask them. I told them the restructured contract of every single individual on the defensive unit, if those contracts are guaranteed as opposed to just being stuck somewhere in a drawer...you honor the contracts and I will restructure my deal....I was unselfish, and I was a leader, and I am proud of that to this day.

The Redskins did not guarantee those guys their contracts. They did not. So therefore I did not restructure my contract....It wasn't $15, $20 million that I threw away to get away from Clinton Portis. It was a $3 million bonus that I was due, that I took $1 million of it instead of 3. You keep the 3, you give me the 1, and let's part our ways

-- former Redskins (and PSU) linebacker LaVar Arrington, on The LaVar Arrington Show, February 8, 2010

Yes, folks. That is a small snippet of the "rant", though it was more of a rebuttal.

LaVar Arrington and Dukes for 106.7 "The Fan" in D.C.

So, after reading the full transcription (you can also download the entire thing here) I sent a tweet to LaVar (@LaVarArrington), simply saying "You're rant was epic and spot on. Awesome." And I got a response.

Simple. Nothing earth shattering, but awesome nonetheless. LaVar seriously tweeted to me. ME! And the great thing is I know he does it to a lot of people who mention him in a tweet. That's what's so great about LaVar - he LOVES HIS FANS, as he mentioned in the rebuttal. Wish there was a way we could get him back to Happy Valley.

Regardless LaVar, you're awesome.

Super Bowl: Who I Wanted to Win VS What Really Happened

The first Super Bowl I remember was #26, Redskins vs Bills, Buffalo's second consecutive trip (and second of four straight). I was thinking today, before the Colts and Saints march in to the record books, what happened in past Super Bowls, in regards to who I wanted to win and what the actual outcome was. Check the list below.

SUPER BOWL AFC CHAMP NFC CHAMP HOPED WOULD WIN ACTUAL CHAMP
XXVI Bills Redskins Redskins Redskins
XXVII Bills Cowboys Cowboys Cowboys
XXVIII Bills Cowboys Cowboys Cowboys
XXIX Chargers 49ers 49ers 49ers
XXX Steelers Cowboys Steelers Cowboys
XXXI Patriots Packers Patriots Packers
XXXII Broncos Packers Broncos Broncos
XXXIII Broncos Falcons Falcons Broncos
XXXIV Titans Rams Titans Rams
XXXV Ravens Giants Giants Ravens
XXXVI Patriots Rams Patriots Patriots
XXXVII Raiders Buccaneers Buccaneers Buccaneers
XXXVIII Patriots Panthers Panthers Patriots
XXXIX Patriots Eagles Patriots Patriots
XL Steelers Seahawks Steelers Steelers
XLI Colts Bears Bears Colts
XLII Patriots Giants Giants Giants
XLIII Steelers Cardinals Steelers Steelers
XLIV Colts Saints Saints ????????

So...

I'm 11-7, not too shabby. Of course there were some that I really didn't care, like XXX, XXXIII, XXXIV, XXXVI, and then this years. I'll be happy whether the Colts or Saints win.

Here's to a great Super Bowl XLIV!

And I can't wait to be at Super Bowl XLV a year from now! Yes, I am going. Exactly 10 years after I was at Super Bowl XXXV!

THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN...

By Your Athletic Supporter, Jack Strap

I waited patiently for the SFH's Joey Mays to make his pick (check out his playoff prognosticating record below) and now I'm going the opposite way with the Saints. That and I polled my facebook friends and those results tell me that the Colts will be leading before Drew Brees & THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN for a late touchdown to win the Super Bowl 28-22. And remember, you heard it right here in the Sports Fountainhead.

My Picks for 2010 NFL Playoffs: Super Bowl XLIV

K.I.S.S. - Keep it simple stupid.

High scoring, light on defense. Cliches out in full force: turnovers, line play, great QBs being great.

Peyton Manning - soon to be the greatest QB of All-Time - is too much for the mediocre Saints defense, and he out guns Drew Brees and a surprisingly balanced New Orleans attack. The Saints ground game looks good early but can't keep up with the high-flying Colts.

PREDICTION: Colts 38, Saints 27

35-24 Colts

Don't question it, just roll with it. I'd offer insight but I recently completed digging my car out of 30" of snow and plan on doing no thinking for the rest of the night. I'm just gonna sit back and hopefully watch Ilya Kovalchuk score some goals for my Devils.

AMERICA'S TEAM?

By Your Athletic Supporter, Jack Strap

Years back they said that the Dallas Cowboys were AMERICA'S TEAM. I never understood that, but realized that maybe that was because I was an Eagles fan & simultaneously a Cowboys-hater. In the midst of the Jerry Jones era, I'm not hearing that anymore which is good, but think it's time for a real AMERICA'S TEAM & would like to nominate the New Orleans Saints.

My case for the Saints as AMERICA'S TEAM starts with the severe strife that New Orleans has gone through since Hurricane Katrina. This football franchise has had a lot more disappointments (i.e. Aints) than success, but now they are in their inaugural Super Bowl. Their QB Drew Brees also seems like a really good guy in addition to being a top-rate QB. So let's kick-off the Saints as AMERICA'S TEAM with everybody getting behind them to upset Peyton Manning (Who Dat?) & his Colts (who dem?). And following that will be the greatest Super Bowl celebration in history--think Mardi Gras on Bonds/Sosa/McGwire Steroids.

Penn State to Start True Freshman at QB in 2010?

According to Craig Haubert and Billy Tucker of ESPNs Scouts, Incs. expect that to be the case. They believe it will be true freshman Robert Bolden - over sophomore Kevin Newsome and fellow true freshman Paul Jones - taking snaps under center come September.

7. Bold move in Happy Valley

A true freshman will be leading Penn State's offense before the 2010 season is over because Daryll Clark is gone and a new starter needs to emerge. Robert Bolden (Orchard Lake, Mich./Saint Mary's) will prove to be the best overall option over Kevin Newsome and fellow true freshman Paul Jones (Mckees Rocks, Pa./Sto-Rox).

If that happens it would show a huge operating change as Joe Paterno has historically favored upperclassmen at every position, not just QB. His philosophy has been you have to earn your chance to play. Of course in 2005 we saw the emergence of a young WR corp. Plus, the defensive coaches have never considered class standing a determining factor in playing time.

There had been murmurings that JoePa and the Nittany Lions would look at current WR Brett Brackett and backup QB Matt McGloin for the starting QB spot as well for 2010. So as it appears, this is a completely wide open QB race with 5 players. Who will really be considered for the spot? My money would still be on Newsome since he has a year in the system and some, albeit limited, experience in Saturday's. However, Bolden may be may #2. And since it is only February - and he is enrolled early - maybe Bolden may start as a true freshman? That'd be something. Whoever it is better be ready for Saturday, September 11th.

EDIT: Thanks to a commenter for correcting my "early enrollment" mistake. It was Paul Jones, not Bolden, who is already on Campus. I think this makes Bolden's chances even slimmer now.

Before JMays posts about it...

So Rex Ryan was in Miami yesterday at Herschel Walker's MMA debut and with Miami fans expectedly booing him, he took the time out to acknowledge them a little bit.

He even took the time out to personally acknowledge a couple of other Miami fans. If you'd like to see the salute he gave, just click here. Link name might be a further give away of what you're going to see (it's censored on that site though!)

Now I know many people would call it tasteless and classless. And in some aspects it is. But he's at an MMA event. And it was on Showtime, so he's helping give the people what they paid large amounts of money for...entertainment. Also, would you really expect anything else out of Rex at this point? It's just what he does.

NOT MY FAVRE-ITE PLAYER

By Your Athletic Supporter, Jack Strap

Brett FAVRE is NOT & has never been MY FAVRE-ITE or Favorite PLAYER, but after the Vikes went down in The Big Easy, I was a bit surprised by the degree of hater-ism displayed towards him. For example, right after the game I saw the following from some old high school classmates:

Judy Tomko Dowdalls Saint are in.... good bye Mr. Favre, here goes the retirement again and again and again..... GO SAINTS!

January 24 at 10:20pm · Comment · · View Feedback (10)Hide Feedback (10)

Lynn Dettra Bozzelli

wonder what team he'll try to worm his way onto next year?

January 24 at 10:31pm

Judy Tomko Dowdalls

well we will have to wait till after training camp.....

January 24 at 10:33pm

Lynn Dettra Bozzelli

yeah, thats when he usually gets in his good cry.

January 24 at 10:34pm

Judy Tomko Dowdalls

ya know i dont like the iggles, but, if he does retire.... McNabb to Minnesota? Childress is there?? but then again, along as reid is coach iggles lose.

January 24 at 10:36pm

Glenn Miller

you gals are vicious; To be fair Favre took some mean hits & just kept getting up & almost throwing them to the Super Bowl

January 24 at 10:45pm ·

Judy Tomko Dowdalls

Paalleessse, Bears fan here, tired of him. he needs to go home to his wifie poo and mom.

January 24 at 10:46pm

Lynn Dettra Bozzelli

Brett Favre just needs to retire already Glenn...give it up, take a rest, go back to Mississippi.

January 24 at 10:53pm

Rick White

Favre was faking those injuries yesterday. The Old Gunslinger lost another game because he's a selfish, overrated and reckless QB. Isn't there a Facebook group I can join out there called Brett Favre Haters?

January 25 at 10:11am

Lynn Dettra Bozzelli

Rick, I bet we could find a BF Haters page. There's a page for everything else

January 25 at 11:53am

Judy Tomko Dowdalls

I'm in and I know my hubby is in, he is the biggest Fav...re hater.

January 25 at 1:54pm

Judy joined the group Sports Fountainhead.

Then shortly after Judy joined the Sports Fountainhead as noted above, her & the others joined Facebook's "Brett Favre Haters" group. I joined too just to see what the members were posting & they were fittingly flinging it at the gunslinger.

The BF Hate also showed up before & after the game in this very Blog by our Founder Joey Mays "Hayes" (reference Major League) and you can read all about it below.

Although not a full-fledged FAVRE Hater, I first started getting annoyed by John Madden's "love affair" with Brett, although then really enjoyed it when Frank Caliendo entertainingly mocked it. Then of course the whole "retirement" thing back-and-forth with the Packers was annoying and I unbiasedly felt that FAVRE handled it all very irritatingly. On to the Jets & the way he finished up there was a fiasco, so I guess I can kind of understand how that would build some hatred. Finally this year, he came back out of "retirement" yet again to stick it to the Packers by leading the Vikings to a Super Bowl victory before his fitting "gun-slinging" interception ended that & kicked off a final round ("he's not coming back"--reference end of "Point Break") of hate that may not subside until he's elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Best. Facebook Group. Ever.

Join me, won't you?

Hat tip: Jack Strap

Football Outsiders Believes Former Nittany Lion Hali Deserved Pro Bowl Selection

The Pro Bowl has become a farce, especially now that it's a week before the Super Bowl meaning a bunch of players fore-go the chance to participate because they have a slightly more important game the following Sunday.

Though it may be a meaningless game, selections are still considered important to a players legacy. Football Outsiders addresses who got snubbed and who wasn't deserving. It's done via ESPN and is INSIDER only.

The only player of interest for readers of this blog is their stance on former Penn State DE Tamba Hali. Bill Barnwell, of Football Outsiders, had this to say:

Tamba Hali, OLB, Kansas City Chiefs -- Who, you ask? Hali bounced back after a poor 2008, even though the rest of the defense around him is still mostly miserable. Hali's 8.5 sacks don't sound like a Pro Bowler's total, but the rest of the Chiefs only combined for 13.5 sacks more. In addition, Hali picked up 20.5 quarterback hurries, an elite total and a good indicator that his sack numbers will increase next season. The idea that Tennessee Titans end Kyle Vanden Bosch (three sacks, 12 hurries) made it to the Pro Bowl as an injury replacement despite playing essentially the same position as Hali is ludicrous.

I won't quote the article anymore for fear of the ESPN lawyers. But that's some good praise for one of the real "good guys" in the NFL. Nice to hear he rebounded in 2009 and has a lot of potential for 2010. Good luck, Tamba.

Voice of the Vikings Isn't Too High on Favre at the Moment

Have a listen.

Yeah, Paul Allen of KFAN is (rightfully) upset.

But why do you even ponder passing? I mean you CAN TAKE A KNEE AND TRY A 56-YARD FIELD GOAL! THIS IS NOT DETROIT, MAN, THIS IS THE SUPERBOWL!

--Paul Allen, KFAN (Twin Cities), following Favre's 4th quarter INT

(Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

What a terrible decision, one Jets and Packers fans are all too familiar with. And how does Brett respond?

By (supposedly) hanging them up, of course! Third time's a charm... I hope.

Colts, Saints Set for Showdown in Miami

Congratulations to the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints, the AFC and NFC Champions, respectively, for the 2009 NFL season. This will be New Orleans' first appearance in the Super Bowl.

Also, congratulations to the Jets and Vikings on putting together great seasons as well. Though I have to say for personal reasons I'm glad you lost today. Sorry, but it is true. Still you both had wonderful seasons and should be applauded for that.

I have officially finished 1-9 in the 2009-2010 playoffs, prediction wise. I'm telling you people, it's hard to prognosticate as well as I do.

Super Bowl XLIV will be epic, as two potent offenses will face off with the ability to put points on the board on every play from scrimmage. I won't do any predicting now; we have two weeks to do that!

During those 2 weeks I expect plenty of coverage of what the media believes is the most important thing after these games - will Favre retire...again?

(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Bye bye, Favre!

My Picks for 2010 NFL Playoffs: Conference Championships

Nope, I didn't get to 0-8 thanks to the Cardinals Cowboys Chargers Colts; 1-7 will have to do. Alas, there are 2 more games to pick! Onward for my 2009-2010 Conference Championship selections...

#5 Jets @ #1 Colts - Seriously, WTF?!?! How is this possible?!?! I get the Bengals, but the Chargers too? There is something that wants the Jets in this position, but what is it? AND WHY? Regardless of those philosophical musings, the Jets are here and only the Colts stand in their way of the freakin' Super Bowl. I've been picking against them for a few weeks now. It's time to end that. I picked against them because, well, I HATE them and believe they're overrated. And they are. That's not different. They're 9-7 regular season record says that. As does their subpar QB. But they're playing hot at the right time, just like a few past Wild Card teams. Props to them. And of course, as the cliche goes, defense wins championships (a good running game doesn't hurt, either). Sorry, Peyton. These Jets are soaring - all the way to Miami.

PREDICTION: Jets 17, Colts 13

#2 Vikings @ #1 Saints - I hate Brett Favre. Hate. HATE. So seeing him do this again is aggravating. I don't want him to accomplish anything more. It burns me up inside. That's why I need the Saints to win. I can't handle Favre in another Super Bowl. I don't want him in one again, let alone to win the whole damn thing. The Vikings looked great last week against an overmatched Cowboys team, which surprised most people. Can they do it against a supposedly stronger opponent? On their field? In a city that has never seen a Super Bowl-caliber team (other than when they're hosting it)? Won't happen, right? Well I'm going to say - much like the Jets/Colts game - that whoever I want to win, won't. Damn, damn, damn!

PREDICTION: Vikings 28, Saints 24

If my predictions come true then I'll go undefeated in a round for the first time. However it will also cause this to happen...

Me if the Jets AND Vikings win on Sunday.

And I won't be watching.

However, if I go 1-1 or, better yet, 0-2 (hey, it's VERY likely based on the past 2 weeks) then I will be very happy.

Go Colts. And Saints.