Super Bowl XLVII Review

Super Bowl Review

Holy crap that Super Bowl was crazy. There were fireworks from beginning to end, minus the little bit of time when the LIGHTS IN THE STADIUM SHUT OFF. During the Super Bowl. How does that happen? Anyway, I want to start off by congratulating the Baltimore Ravens on winning the 2013 Super Bowl with a dominant first half, followed by an OH CRAP OH CRAP OH CRAP second half, that at least kept the game interesting. I also wanted to pat myself on the back, as well as anyone who might have listened to me when I predicted the Ravens to win the Super Bowl in my preseason predictions post. I don’t want to come across as cocky or egoistic because I self-promote myself in times like these; the thing about me is that I always own up to it when I am wrong, so when I nail a prediction as awesome as this one, I feel that it’s fair to take some credit. I wanted to do a Super Bowl review separate from the entire NFL season review because 1: there’s a lot to talk about, and 2: it’s still fresh in my head. So, there’s no more introduction needed. Let’s get into what happened on a thrilling night.

The night started off with some emotions, when the Sandy Hook chorus sang America the Beautiful, and Alicia Keys performed a very moving National Anthem (I started off 0/1 with props; her anthem was much longer than I thought it would be). I feel like if you’re having a discussion with your friend about some of the best voices in this age, Alicia Keys would be one of those people you leave off the list at first, and then the next time you hear her sing, you’re like, “how did we forget about her, she should definitely be included on that list”. The game started off fast too, with the 49ers immediately going 3 and out, followed by a quick Ravens touchdown from Flacco to Boldin. Flacco would later throw a strike to Dennis Pitta for his second TD, putting the Ravens up 14-3. Baltimore was in complete control at this point. The LaMichael James fumble earlier was huge, too; at the time it was 7-3 and the 49ers were in field goal range, at least. After 14-3, Kaepernick, who looked shocked and rattled early on, immediately through a pick to Ed Reed, further sending the 49ers into a tailspin. The next play I want to talk about, is, of course, the fake field goal. It took me completely by surprise. I feel positively and negatively about the call. I like the guts and confidence by John Harbaugh to say, “we’re going for an early dagger right here”, but I would not have made the same call. Not on 4th and 9, that’s the part that I disagree with. A lot to ask from your kicker to get nine yards with a bunch of speedy special teams guys out on the field for San Fran. It ended up not costing them, so in hindsight I would say the call ended up being low-risk (49ers got the ball at like the five), high reward (huge statement and three-possession lead potential). Of course, it didn’t work out, and Baltimore got a quick stop anyway. Then came the play before the half that knocked the wind out of San Francisco. It wasn’t quite the dagger yet, but it was a big blow: the touchdown to Jacoby Jones. I’m surprised he didn’t have his feet up smoking a cigar by a fireplace, that’s how open he was. 56 yards later, the game is blown open, and we end up going to halftime at 21-6, when the niners came up short in the red zone again.

So here we are at halftime. I’m still recovering from how dominant the Ravens were in the first thirty minutes. I was on top of the world, filled with wings, enjoying my pick cruise to a title, and about to witness royalty. Because that’s when Queen Beyonce came out, a goddess stuck on Earth with lowly mortals. That halftime show was extremely energizing. Rumors turned out to be true when the rest of Destiny’s Child popped up from under the stage and joined B for a little bit. To tell you the truth, a small part of me is disappointed, because she didn’t really sing that much with her angelic voice. But for the spots that were lacking for my ears, it was more than made up for with the visual artistry taking place. And by that, I mean Beyonce in a tight black outfit dancing with the grace of a swan and the power of Joan of Arc. Oh my god. The whole world witnessed last night why she was, is, and will always be my celebrity crush. Great performance, a lot of fun to watch, and beautiful in every way. Thank you, Beyonce.

I was still in dreamland when the second half started. And in the blink of an eye, Jacoby Jones was going 108 to the house. I actually missed the first thirty yards and looked up as he broke free from the pack. I was stunned. The whole world knew that Jim Harbaugh had just given a fiery speech to try and get his guys going, and they desperately needed a fast start to the second half. Kick return touchdown for Baltimore. This, I thought, was the dagger. 28-6 with every ounce of momentum and fire that any champion needs. Flacco was on his game, Ray Lewis was the emotional leader he always is, and John Harbaugh was coaching his way to a blowout over his brother...and then the lights went out.

I’m starting a whole new paragraph for this. The 34-minute wait from hell. The game immediately switched from the HarBowl to the Blackout Bowl. There’s been a lot of controversy over ESPN and other networks and radio shows, etc. over the impact of this delay. I agree and disagree with different parts of people’s arguments. I think that this delay DID have an impact on this game, to an extent. I believe in fate, karma, gods, however you want to put it in terms of the sports world. Other things fall into this category of intangible factors on performance, such as momentum. And this wait deeply affected that. This was just after Jones’ kick return that electrified the building. The 49ers were facing a 3rd an 13. They had no confidence. This game was over. The wait changed everything: the energy level of the Baltimore defense just depleted. A huge part of defending is determination, passion, and will, and the fiery streak that the Ravens had just diminished. Part of this is the players’ fault, of course, but the delay was life-sucking. the 49ers, meanwhile, had a chance to catch their breath, and to look at themselves and think, “we’re better than this, and we’re not going out like punks”. From then on, Baltimore played softer and reserved, while the 49ers were the ones attacking, feeling confident and making explosive plays. It was like the teams switched mindsets during the blackout. The Ravens should have came out more aggressive, but they probably felt a little comfortable with their lead, and stepped off the gas, while the niners put the gas to the ground. They scored 17 points in the next four minutes and change. If the 49ers had won this game, I have no doubt that the blackout would have played a major role in it; but a lot of credit has to be given to San Francisco for laying everything on the line, and Baltimore has to be blamed for pulling back. The 49ers did their job after the break, but the Ravens let the niners get in rhythm, which was almost their own downfall. In the end it comes down to the players, but what I’m saying is that the blackout gave the 49ers a new life, and they are the ones who executed afterward, outscoring Baltimore 25-6 for the rest of the game. That’s my stance.

Let’s get back to the action. From here on out, I was terrified. I truly thought that San Francisco was just going to run away with this one at the end. The defensive side of the ball for Baltimore took a huge downturn. The beginning of the comeback was a 31-yard touchdown pass from Kaepernick to Crabtree, with some of the worst tackling on one play I’ve ever seen in my life. YOU TACKLE WITH YOUR ARMS, BALTIMORE, NOT JUST BY HITTING SOMEONE HARD. That should not have been a touchdown, but the Ravens let them run wild. Then Baltimore had an instant three and out, followed by a horrible punt. It took two plays for the 49ers to get back in the end zone. And on the Gore touchdown, Haloti Ngata was knocked out for the rest of the game. In the blink of an eye, it’s a one-possession game and the Ravens don’t have their top run stopper. Oh crap. In the next sequence, Ray Rice, of course, fumbles the ball right back to San Francisco. Then, it’s the stop Baltimore needed: David Akers missed a field goal, right on schedule, giving the Ravens the ball back, with momentum, and a new drive to take back control. Except for one thing: Baltimore had a running into the kicker penalty, which probably could have been roughing if the refs weren’t passive all night long. Akers made his second chance. Combined with the missed fake field goal, that’s six points that the Ravens gave up on field goals. Now it’s 28-23, where one more San Fran touchdown GIVES THEM THE LEAD. Baltimore stopped the bleeding a little bit on their next drive, but not before backup running back Bernard Pierce got hurt on the last play of the third quarter following a huge third down pickup. That was devastating, although he would thankfully come back in the game. I love this kid; I actually think he was better than Ray Rice the last few games of the season. He’s a bulldozer with some nice agility as well, with the speed to get to the outside. He’s a stud. Now on to the fourth quarter.

Still up 28-23, the Ravens have the ball on the one yard line, 3rd and goal after being stuffed on second down. Here’s another decision I didn’t like from the coaching staff for Baltimore. You were aggressive earlier, opting for the fake field goal. You have your opponent breathing down your neck, and have a chance to strike hard. They opted to go play action, and after an incomplete pass, kick the field goal to make it 31-23, an 8-point game. However, this was the time to push, in my opinion. Run the ball. You have two chances, along with fourth down, to get a single yard. They were solid on short yardage all night. Pound the rock from that close, and make it 35-23 in the fourth quarter, taking control back and making it a two possession game. John Harbaugh decided to play it safe, probably because he was scared of the 49ers’ run as well. I would have liked to see them make a stand. Find a way to get one yard. Anyway, I digress. Afterward, Baltimore let San Fran go straight down the field and score again, this time on a Kaepernick scramble. 31-29. 10 minutes left. Next coaching decision: do you go for two this early in the game? My mom was actually the one who questioned this call. I agreed with Jim (I’m just going to use first names to make it easier; I am not on first name terms with the Harbaugh brothers, obviously). Your team is hot. You go for the tie right now. And then, the amazing happened: THEY BLITZED KAEPERNICK AND MANNED UP ON THE OUTSIDE. What a concept. And it worked: Kaep had to throw it fast and missed Randy Moss. Ravens clinging to the lead.

Then came the play of the game, in my opinion. Ravens driving, 3rd and inches at their own 45 with 7:14 to go. Pound this ball, pick up the first, and ice more clock. That’s the plan. But don’t tell Joe Flacco that. He saw the obvious blitz that the LBs were showing, and audibled to the one on one outside matchup, a pass to Anquan Boldin. Joe threw it up, and Boldin once again came down with a marvelous grab, holding onto the ball even though the defender’s arm was in between Boldin’s body and the ball. Shades of that touchdown catch he had against the Colts in the first round. That was the biggest, gutsiest play of the game. The Ravens were not in field goal range, and an incomplete pass would have stopped the clock. After that play, I looked to my parents and said out loud, “That’s a championship play”. The drive would later stall when Dennis Pitta couldn’t bring in a third down pass, which means that Baltimore had to settle for a Tucker field goal, cutting the lead only to 5. This means that the 49ers would be forced to score a touchdown instead of a field goal, but also that a TD would be enough to win. Here’s where that Boldin catch comes into play: not only did it extend the drive, leading to a score instead of a punt, but it took another two and a half minutes off the clock. 34-29. 4:19 left. And here’s the drive for Kaepernick. To either come up short, or become a champion. I felt pretty confident, until the niners went for 24 on a pass to Crabtree, followed by a 33 yard run by Frank Gore to get down to the seven yard line. This is it. Four plays for the Super Bowl Championship.

Needless to say, I was freaking out. Kaepernick was destroying me all second half. And now he only needs seven more yards to win the Super Bowl from down 22. However, the Ravens are really good defensively in the red zone; they destroyed the Patriots when they got inside the twenty in the AFC Championship. 1st down: run by LaMichael James. I’ll take that. 2nd down: incomplete to Crabtree on rollout. Nice. Horrible timeout by the niners. 3rd down: incomplete to Crabtree on a quick out. One more play. One play for the Super Bowl. All out blitz. Fade. Out of bounds. Incomplete. One final goal line stand for Ray Lewis and company to be champions. A lot of questions about playcalling in this sequence, but I don’t care about those. I think the pass calls were ok, the Ravens just defended it well. If anything, they could have tried another run I guess, but in terms of the passes, I think they were solid calls. Would have liked at least ONE to go towards matchup nightmare Vernon Davis. Here’s what I want to focus on. The fourth down play. I gotta be honest...it was defensive holding. But I like the no-call, and I’m not just saying that because I wanted the Ravens to win. The refs were letting them play, there was contact both ways, and Crabtree ran into the defender. It wasn’t a clear cut foul, and I agree with the theory that it would have caused more of a controversy if the call WAS made, then when it wasn’t. It was just a physical play. I was talking all week about the NFC Championship Game, because I thought that fourth down play to Roddy White was  a foul on Bowman, and then maybe San Fran isn’t even in this game. But 49ers fans can’t be mad. They were behind 28-6 and had four plays from inside the ten. It was a bang-bang play that wasn’t called. Not horrible. Not Super Bowl-deciding. Just physical.

Wrapping up this game, the Ravens did get the ball back. Instead of punting at the end, John Harbaugh elected to take a safety, in one of the most sloppy, awkward plays I’ve ever seen. The punter held the ball and ran towards the sidelines while there were like five holding calls and much chaos with the camera angle. 34-31 Baltimore. Free kick returned, and Ginn brought down. Game over. Weird ending. No Gatorade pour or anything. No final Hail Mary attempt. But zeroes were on the clock, and the Baltimore Ravens were Super Bowl Champions. A wild, strange game between two physical teams and two competitive brothers. The Harbaugh-Beyonce-Blackout Bowl will not be soon forgotten. Baltimore 34, San Francisco 31.

Let’s get into the aftermath of the game. First, regarding the losing 49ers: their second half comeback symbolized what could have been if they didn’t suck ass the entire beginning of the game. They’ll be a force for a long time. And while I’m glad he didn’t win, Colin Kaepernick was brilliant during that comeback. Joe Flacco might have the biggest arm, but Kaep throws absolute laser beams. He’s a nightmare to gameplan for. I don’t want him to ever win a Super Bowl, but I don’t hate him anymore, as much anyway. I just really wanted him to lose this one. He’s the permanent starter now, so if he goes the distance in a season beginning to end and ends up winning a title, he will truly have deserved it. No hard feelings Colin. Also, Michael Crabtree has completely flourished with Kaepernick at QB. He’s going to be a top 10 WR next year. But more of that in my season review.

There’s not much else to say about the Ravens that hasn’t been discussed at length. I won’t call Flacco an elite QB, because I don’t believe in that word. I’m going to make a separate post about that topic specifically. However, I do think he deserves at least $15 million a year in his new contract. He’s a proven winner. And he had one of the most incredible postseasons ever: 11 TD, 0 INT. He now has the same amount of playoff wins and rings as Peyton Manning, with the most road/neutral site playoff wins ever. And he’s in his fifth year in the NFL. Other takeaways: I love Bernard Pierce. He’ll be a starter someday, wherever that might be. This offense is just starting to develop. Torrey Smith will keep growing, possibly into the most terrifying deep threat in the game. And a shoutout to Anquan Boldin, who has been an incredible professional since the moment he stepped into this league. In my opinion, he’s the toughest player in the entire league, and I thought that before this playoff run. He had his face broken against the Jets a few years ago and only missed like two weeks. He’s made every big play for Baltimore, and had the play of the Super Bowl with that third down catch. I looked at his stats, and by the time he’s retired he should be at or beyond 1,000 catches, 15,000 yards, and 75 touchdowns, give or take. He might be in the Hall of Fame one day. On defense, this unit was not exactly great, but they sure were passionate and savvy, led by Ray Lewis, who I will probably also dedicate a column to sometime soon. No matter what you think about him, it’s nice to see him go out on top. He is one of the greatest leaders in sports history, and a top five linebacker. Ed Reed and Terrell Suggs also got their first rings. Finally, Jacoby Jones was an unsung hero: he’s the one who made the miracle touchdown catch in Denver, and he was huge in the Super Bowl with the long touchdown catch and the explosive kick return touchdown. That return is Exhibit A of why the NFL should keep kickoffs in the game; it really is the most exciting play in football.

Time for some predictions results! I’m pretty happy with how things went in general. But I wasn’t perfect by any means. First off, I was way wrong on the score; it was much higher than I thought it would be. The game did start off slow, and if the niners don’t give up the Jacoby Jones TD, it’s something like 14-6 at the half. But then it got to 28-6, followed by San Fran becoming explosive. In terms of players, I was way too high on Torrey Smith, and way too down on Vernon Davis. I also missed on the jersey number on first TD, and a few of my own over/unders.

However...I nailed a lot. First, to the NFL awards: the only one I missed was AD getting OPOY as well as MVP instead of Peyton. Congrats to Peterson for winning MVP, well-deserved. I correctly predicted touchdowns by Boldin and Pitta for the Ravens, and by Gore and a Kaepernick run as well. I was right not only about the Kaep interception, but that it would go to Ed Reed as well, so if you bet on that, you’re welcome. I was ALMOST right about Akers: if Baltimore hadn’t committed the running penalty, and that FG missed, he would have been 2/3. I was correct about the niners being down by two in the fourth quarter and missing a two point conversion to tie the game, which was really impressive. I called Flacco winning the MVP, and was SO close on the long pass. I got the OVER right on that, but I said 55 to Torrey Smith--it ended up being 56 and a TD to Jacoby Jones.

Finally, I wanted to give this prediction it’s own spotlight.

My Flacco Prediction: 21-32, 289 yds, 2 TD, o INT, MVP

Actual Flacco Stats: 22-33, 287 yds, 3 TD, 0 INT, MVP

Yeah. That one I will definitely cherish. Pretty damn close.

Last but not least, I want to quickly run through some commercials, but I won’t put too much writing here because I want to do a separate commercial piece, not just with Super Bowl ads but all commercials in general. Look out for that one. I’m interested in marketing. So here are some of my thoughts on the ads.

The Good: Audi (prom), Taco Bell (crazy old people), Jeep, Etrade (love that baby), Clydesdale (duh), Dodge Ram farmer thing (deep), Tide (Montana stain)

The Bad: GoDaddy (oh my god. this is ridiculous. definitely bringing this one back in my big commercials piece), Volkswagen (get happy! no. weird jamaican accents. should have been red stripe), Kia (hotbots), Toyota (Kaley Cuoco) others that were bad so I don’t remember them.

The WTF Just Happened: GoDaddy again (because why not), Both Stevie Wonder commercials (I get them, I just thought they were weird. But I did like Zoe Saldana), Axe Apollo (astro-NOT...you know, because of the astr...never mind), Calvin Klein (male model, making hypocrites out of all women who don’t like the over-sexual women commercials).

The Good Celeb Spots: Best Buy (Amy Poehler), Pistachios (GANGNAM STYLE ALERT!!!!!!), Whatever commercial Deion Sanders was in as Leon Sandcastle, Samsung with Seth Rogen and Paul Ruud.

So there we go, all of my thoughts and feelings about the Super Bowl. It was a great night all around, from food to family to Beyonce to a thrilling Ravens win. Even though the NFL season is over, this won’t be my final football column of the year. I’m going to have a complete NFL season review within a week that includes a preview for next year as well, and then I’ll probably have some minor posts until the NFL draft in April. But for now, readers, it’s been an incredible football season, from the replacement refs to Ray Lewis’ retirement run. I hope you enjoyed the season and my writings. I love getting my sports opinions out into the world, so I hope you appreciate reading. Congratulations one more time to my preseason Super Bowl pick, the Baltimore Ravens on winning the 2013 Super Bowl!!! Until next time, sports fans.

EPIC SUPER BOWL PREDICTIONS EXTRAVAGANZA

EPIC SUPER BOWL PREDICTIONS EXTRAVAGANZA!!!!!!!!

The moment of truth is here. I’ve been making predictions for the 2012 NFL season since last August, and after all the work, passion, excitement, and heartbreak, we have finally arrived at the final game. The Super Bowl is going to be played between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers, coached by John and Jim Harbaugh, respectively. This piece is going to have everything: Statistical predictions, prop bets, various made up betting lines, a RANT ALERT in the Colin Kaepernick paragraph, and, of course, my final score and champion. I’m even going to throw in my predictions for tonight’s award ceremony and pick the MVP, rookie of the year, and more. I’ll recap every aspect of the Super Bowl in a column hopefully on Monday, and go over the entire season next week in my NFL season review post, so this will be the final time I try to look into the future for this football season. I’m going to announce the winner first, then explore the different aspects of this game. So for the final time, can I get a drumroll please.......

BAL vs SF (-3.5) - My final score is Baltimore 21, San Francisco 19.

Before the season started, I picked the Baltimore Ravens to win the Super Bowl. While I did waver on that pick as the season progressed, once they won that epic game in Denver, I jumped right back on them. I always thought that if they had to go up to New England for the AFC Championship, the Ravens would win that game. I picked that before the season, and they stayed strong and did what not many people thought was possible. This team has a fire lit under it, from the retirement of Ray Lewis to the determination of Joe Flacco. They are a team of destiny this year. Let’s get specific.

I’ll start with the quarterbacks. Joe Flacco is a quarterback unlike any other. Many people doubt whether he is elite, but that depends on how you define the word. In this aerial attack, fantasy football world we live in, most people think that the “elite” quarterbacks are the ones who will throw for 5,000 yards, or 40 touchdowns. I don’t buy it. The object of the game is to win, and Flacco has more wins, regular season and playoffs combined, in his first five seasons than any other QB in NFL history. He is the only quarterback to win a playoff game in his first five seasons, and he tops the list of most career road playoff wins already, tied with Eli. He is named “Joe Cool”, because he always has poise, and he rises to the occasion when it matters most. He’ll never blow you away with stats, but if he wins this game then he’ll have the same number of rings as Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Brett Favre, Joe Namath, Steve Young, and others. He has the strongest arm in the league in an offense that likes to throw deep. I’m not calling him the best QB in the league, but if you like the 49ers in this game, it shouldn’t be because you don’t think Joe Flacco can win this game.

Colin Kaepernick has taken over the sports world in the last two months. I was skeptical of the move to start him over Alex Smith, but it has obviously paid off. But I still don’t like him. He walked into the easiest situation ever: a great coach, stifling defense, and powerful running attack and offensive line. His claim to fame was that crazy game against Green Bay when the Packers defense looked like a high school team. He’s lethal when running, which means the Ravens have to stay outside and make him hand off to Frank Gore. I think he’s due for some bad karma. Reports are that Kaepernick is trying to trademark his touchdown dance when he kisses his bicep as “Kaepernicking”. What an arrogant son of a bitch. He’s made NINE career starts in this league. He has not won anything yet, and is only here because the rest of his team is great and because Atlanta choked like dogs, as usual. Who does he think he is that he can strut around like he owns the place and trademark a move? DOES HE THINK HE’S THE FIRST AND ONLY PERSON TO KISS HIS BICEP??!? The Ravens better pound him. Knock him on the ground every single time he goes outside, stand over him, and kiss their biceps right on top of him. Give him helmet to helmet hits. I don’t care. Sacrifice the 15 yards to knock him on his ass and rough him up. People killed LeBron for acting like royalty before he won his championship; why is no one getting in Kaepernick’s face for being this obnoxiously self-entitled? On the other side of the ball is Ray Lewis, someone who would give everything for this game, but he’s a soldier and would never dream of exploiting the sport like that. This, in my opinion, is incredibly selfish, saying that Colin wants to maximize profit on his own ability and not team success, which shows where his head is at. The football gods should not want this guy to just walk into a starting lineup and win a Super Bowl. It’s not right for the integrity of the sport. Bernard Karmell Pollard, I’m looking at you. Sit this guy down. What a punk.

Backs and Receivers: Advantage Baltimore. The Ravens just swallowed up the Patriots’ weapons in New England; do you really think they’ll be scared of the likes of Michael Crabtree and company? Meanwhile, the combination of Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce has been phenomenal this postseason; this Pierce kid is a bulldozer, and in my opinion could be a starter right now. It will be up to them to pound the rock against this brutal 49ers front seven and keep the defense honest. The Ravens receivers are better, too; Anquan Boldin is probably the toughest player in the league (at the very least, toughest WR), and can match up with the physicality of the secondary. Torrey Smith is a huge weapon deep; I think they get at least one huge play downfield. I think that the X factor for the entire game is Frank Gore. In the pistol, the Ravens have to contain Kaepernick, which means Gore will be relied on to rush the inside. If he breaks loose, San Francisco will run to a victory, but if he can be bottled up, it’ll make Kaepernick have to throw the ball to win.

Defense: The 49ers defense is undoubtedly more complete; they are younger, faster, and stronger. However, in the last few games they have been getting torched by the deep ball. Matt Ryan had 400 yards against them last game. And we all know what the Ravens like to do on offense...hello, Torrey Smith. The front seven is critical, as always; if they let Ray Rice run on them from the start, then they will get exposed. But if they stuff the run, and get pressure on Flacco, then this group is tough to stop. The Ravens defense has not been as solid all season long, but this is a new team. They have proven veterans on this side of the ball in Lewis, Reed, Suggs, and Ngata, among others. They had two weeks to prepare for this pistol read option attack, so let’s hope they have it figured out by now. This group is also playing with tremendous pride and heart, which cannot be measured on paper; I believe that one’s will to win has a huge impact on D. Two quick notes on the Baltimore defense: first, I don’t know exactly what’s going on with Ray Lewis and this deer antler spray stuff, so I’m not going to address it, but no matter what happens, he’s a top 5 linebacker to ever play in the NFL and probably the greatest athlete leader that I have ever seen. Congratulations on an amazing career, Ray. Second...Bernard Karmell Pollard is rapidly becoming my favorite player in the NFL. He has now injured Brady, Welker, Gronk, and Ridley in four separate seasons with three different teams. It’s the most incredible, inexplicable trend ever. I hope he gets a ring. Here’s to you, Bernard Karmell Pollard...the Patriot Assassin.

Coaches: I’ve put this off long enough. It’s time to address the HarBowl. The fact that two brothers can coach in any Super Bowl is awesome. It’s that much better when the get to square off against each other. No team has an advantage here. John is more calm and poised, but Jim is fiery and passionate. Good traits all around for different reasons. This matchup has been documented on ESPN enough. I’ll just say mazel tov to the Harbaugh family for such an amazing accomplishment.

Timeline of the Game: This is going to be a quick synopsis of how I think the game will go. It’ll be low-scoring; a slugfest, not a shootout. I don’t think either team gets past ten points in the first quarter. At some point in the game, Flacco will hit Torrey Smith for a 50+ yard pass, whether it goes for a TD or not. With the Ravens up 14-13, Flacco will hit Dennis Pitta for a 10-ish yard touchdown in the late 3rd/early 4th quarter. Kaepernick will run for a score to make it 21-19, but the 2-pt conversion will fail. At some point in the game David Akers misses a field goal, maybe even in the last few seconds to lose the game. Kaepernick will not throw for a single touchdown, but will throw an interception to Ed Reed. Baltimore’s first touchdown will be a run from inside the five by either Pierce or Vonta Leach. Here are some specific player predictions:

QB

Flacco: 21-32, 289 yds, 2 TD, o INT, MVP

Kaepernick: 19-35, 241 yds, 0 TD, 1 INT; 6 rush, 22 yds, TD

RB

Rice: 21 rush, 83 yds; 3 rec, 31 yds

Pierce: 11 rush, 51 yds, TD

Gore: 20 rush, 79 yds, TD; 4 rec, 39 yds

WR

Boldin: 7 rec, 81 yds, TD

Smith: 5 rec, 91 yds (long of 55)

Crabtree: 8 rec, 88 yds

Moss: 2 rec, 23 yds

TE

Pitta: 4 rec, 55 yds, TD

Davis: 4 rec, 52 yds

DEF

Lewis: 9 tack, 1 TFL

Reed: 4 tack, 1 INT

Pollard: 5 tack, 1 FF

K

Tucker: 0/0 FG, 3/3 XP

Akers: 2/3 FG, 1/1 XP, long 41, miss 44

Prop Bets

OVER/UNDER Jersey # of First TD (27.5): UNDER. First TD goes to Gore (21), or Rice instead of Pierce/Leach.

OVER/UNDER Flacco long completion (41.5): OVER. 55 to Torrey Smith.

OVER/UNDER .5 players injured by Bernard Pollard: OVER. (out at least one play).

OVER/UNDER 47.5 total points scored: UNDER. 21+19=40

Super Bowl MVP: Joe Flacco (5/2)

Exact Points scored by the 49ers: 19 (40/1)

OVER/UNDER 2:15 Nat’l Anthem by Alicia Keys. UNDER (1:59)

OVER/UNDER 1.5 fantasies of Beyonce during halftime: Way OVER. I love her.

Color Gatorade poured on winning coach: ORANGE. (3/1)

OVER/UNDER 3 God mentions by Ray Lewis in interview: OVER. Easy.

OVER/UNDER 1.5 helmet to helmet hits called: OVER. Two really tough teams.

OVER/UNDER largest lead 14: UNDER. Tight, physical game whole way through.

OVER/UNDER 2.5 players attempt a pass: UNDER. No Alex Smith in this one.

Will Beyonce’s hair be straight or crimped at beginning of show: CRIMPED.

OVER/UNDER 2.5 HarBowl references during game. OVER. Once in a lifetime event.

NFL Awards

Coach of the Year: Bruce Arians/Chuck Pagano, IND. Chuckstong.

Offensive Player of the Year: Peyton Manning, QB, DEN

Defensive Player of the Year: JJ Watt, DL, HOU

Offensive Rookie of the Year: RGIII, QB, WAS (I think Luck SHOULD win, but won’t)

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Luke Keuchly, LB, CAR

Comeback Player of the Year: Peyton Manning, DEN

MVP: Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN. I think he should beat Peyton. Manning had a solid year in a decent year for QBs. Peterson had one of the greatest seasons for a RB in the history of the NFL less than a year after a blown out knee. The Vikings were 3-13 last year, had no passing game, and a mediocre defense, and AD led them to the playoffs. Peyton went 13-3 against primarily easy teams. I hope Peterson wins. And Peyton Manning is my favorite player.

So, there’s everything I got for you. I think that this will be a low-scoring game, where the first half will be more of a feeling-out process to try to make out the opponent’s game plan. Whichever team can establish the running attack will win the game. Both teams have potentially explosive offenses but dynamic, intelligent defenses as well. I think that the Baltimore Ravens, my preseason Super Bowl champion, will control the 49ers rushing game and make Colin Kaepernick beat them. I don’t think he’s capable. This is Joe Flacco’s moment. He called himself elite (like Eli last year); he’s playing for a contract; he’s got “Nobody Believes in Me” fuel; and he’s a proven winner. This is the final game of Ray Lewis’s career, and there’s no way the Ravens make him go out with a loss. I’m ready for a physical bloodbath. The HarBowl is going to be epic. Beyonce’s halftime show is going to be incredible. I thought about live-tweeting it but I don’t want to be distracted. Not to get side-tracked, but for those who don’t know me, Beyonce is my celebrity crush, so it’s a big deal for me. Getting back to the game, I think Baltimore will do everything in their power to swallow up Kaepernick’s running ability, and hopefully they’ll be in his face all night long. That’s all from me; the only thing left now is the game. Hopefully you’ll be watching with friends and loved ones, with some great food to go with it. I’m getting ready to watch with my family with a whole lot of wings. So here we go. The stage is set in the Superdome. Which team will rise up and be crowned Super Bowl Champions? UPSET SPECIAL. Baltimore 21, San Francisco 19. Good luck to everyone, whichever team you’re rooting for. And LET’S GO RAVENS.

NFL Conference Championship Predictions

Conference Championship Predictions

Here we are, just four teams remaining to compete for a Super Bowl championship. Last week’s games really made up for a dismal opening round, especially the double overtime thriller in Denver, and the double comeback/choke job that happened in Atlanta. After nearly five months of competing, each remaining team is two wins away from being crowned champions. The two games are very different but both are intriguing. On the NFC side, the 49ers have been propelled to another level by the emergence of Colin Kaepernick at quarterback, something that I refused to believe until I saw it happen. An NFL record for QB rushing yards in any game ever pretty much sealed the deal. The Falcons are such a wild card, because they came into last week known as chokers, and tried their very best to keep that reputation intact until Matts Ryan and Bryant wiped that away. As for the AFC, this game between Baltimore and New England will be a rematch of last year’s conference title game in which the Patriots barely escaped with a victory. These two teams are very familiar with each other, and I think it will be a bloodbath. I have to give myself a little praise and criticism here: although I botched the NFC side of my predictions, my preseason AFC Championship Game was, in fact, Baltimore at New England, so I nailed that one exactly. When the playoffs began, however, I did not think that Baltimore would find themselves in this position right now; that was a heck of a performance they put on against Peyton Manning in the Mile High last Saturday, and no matter what happens this week, they should get a ton of credit for pulling off that win. Now I will unveil who I think will become AFC and NFC Champions, and who will battle for Super Bowl XLVII.

SF vs ATL (+4.5) - How about an incredible home team getting four and a half points in a conference championship game against a quarterback with eight career starts? One thing is certain: this 49ers team is really good. Their defense is electric, and this offense has played at a different level since Kaep took over. The Falcons are the exact opposite; they looked phenomenal in the first half against the Seahawks, but in the second half blew a 20-point lead late in the game before finally sealing the deal. If they played like the first half team, then they have a very good chance of winning. However, here’s the important question: if the Seahawks dominated for two quarters last week with a team set up the same way as San Francisco’s, what’s stopping the 49ers from using that same game plan for four full quarters? I don’t really have a good answer. Matt Ryan would have to have the game of his life, but that’s a reach against the vaunted D of San Fran. I just don’t know how I can trust the Falcons after that collapse last week. I still don’t like Kaepernick, but he’s been proving me wrong all season long. If the Falcons can find a way to pull this out, then good for them. But I have to go with the 49ers to win by about a touchdown. San Francisco 27, Atlanta 20.

BAL vs NE (-7.5) - I am so ready for this game. I love Baltimore; I hate the Patriots more than any other sports franchise on the planet, even more than the Red Sox. These teams have played multiple times the past few years, including two playoff matchups: after the 2009 season, when the Ravens went up to New England and smacked them in the mouth, and last year in the famous AFC Championship Game when the Ravens dropped the winning TD and shanked the tying field goal. These two teams also played already this season, with Baltimore winning 31-30. The Ravens have had recent success against the Pats and know that they can win this game; they want blood and revenge for that AFC Championship Game loss from last year and feel like they have gotten a second chance to take care of unfinished business; they want to win for Ray Lewis who is going to retire after the season, and don’t want his final game to be a loss; they have a bolstered receiving core and a kicker who, even though he is a rookie, has shown that he can make clutch kicks; finally, they have Bernard Karmell Pollard. For those of you who are unfamiliar, here is the curse of Bernard Karmell Pollard, the Patriot Assassin: 2008 Game 1, as a member of the Chiefs, tears Tom Brady’s ACL in the first quarter of the opening game, ending the Patriots’ chance for an F U season; 2009 Week 17, as a member of the Texans, tears Wes Welker’s ACL in a game where Belichick decided to play his starters; 2012 AFC Championship Game, as a member of the Ravens, hurts Gronkowski’s ankle and virtually takes him out of play for the Super Bowl, which New England lost. This man is a Patriot Killer. And I love him. I can’t wait for him to strike again. Bernard Karmell Pollard will win this game, or take someone down with him. All of these reasons favor the Ravens. They are a team of destiny this season. The main flaw to watch out for is that their defense has to be exhausted after the last couple of weeks, and they will be facing a brutally up-tempo Patriot offense. But I have faith. This was my preseason pick for the AFC Championship Game. And the Baltimore Ravens were my preseason pick to win this game and win the Super Bowl. So my prediction will be the same as it was back in early September. These are the birds you want to bet on this week. Baltimore 27, New England 26.

I’m predicting an All-Harbaugh Championship. But really, only one thing matters: Anybody but the Patriots. See you at the Super Bowl.

2013 Golden Globes Recap

2013 Golden Globes Recap

I’m not really an awards show kind-of guy, but I watched the Golden Globes last night because there was no football, so here are some only slightly educated thoughts and feelings from the ceremony last night. Congratulations to all winners.

• Best Dressed: Jessica Alba edges out J-Lo in a tight race
• Surprisingly Deep Acceptance Speech: Kevin Costner
• Award for Winning All Awards: Homeland (this might be called the Modern Family Award in the future from that Emmys run a couple of years ago)
• Great Decision: Tina Fey and Amy Poehler as hosts. Really funny.
• Not-So-Great Decision: Showing like seven cut-away shots of Jack Black. Like there aren’t more relevant people you can show, NBC?
• Movie With Multiple Winners That I Still Have to See: Les Mis. Supposed to be great. Didn’t know Hugh Jackman could sing, but now I have to up my game again so I can compete for my girlfriend’s heart. Voice lessons, here I come.
• The Catapult Award:  The Catapult Award is given to something that will receive a huge ratings boost/profit/recognition, etc. from a win. So this award goes to HBO’s Girls for Lena Dunham’s win last night. I have never seen Girls, but it’s been getting a lot of attention in awards season, so now I’m probably going to check it out, and I think a lot of America will follow suit. Calling it now: big season three.
• Strangest Acceptance Speech: Not Jodie Foster’s, because I was very creeped out by one Quentin Tarantino. I know this guy is like a movie genius in some ways, but he is a bulge-eyed crazy dude who was hyper and yelling for his whole speech. Like I could imagine him losing his mind and shaking his head ferociously with his tongue out sending sweat everywhere and becoming an axe murderer. Stranger things have happened. Just saying.
• Most Heart-warming Speech: Probably Daniel Day-Lewis. He was genuinely appreciative of his award, and he spoke very eloquently and passionately. He deserved to win, too; he just nailed the role of a lifetime.
• Best Presenters: I mean, it has to be Will Ferrell and Kristin Wiig, right? I can’t believe how prepared they were, watching all those movies like that to get ready for the show.
• Immediate Internet Sensation Award: Tommy Lee Jones has gotten all the buzz for being incredibly stoic while Ferrell and Wiig were doing their thing. He’s pretty much a cross between the Grumpy Cat and Not-Impressed McKayla. My proposed name for it is “Stone Cold Tommy Lee”. Think that rolls off the tongue.
• Big Winner of the 2013 Golden Globes: Ben Affleck. His career has officially made a full comeback. Last night he won Best Director over the likes of Spielberg and Tarantino for directing, producing, and starring in Argo, the movie about the rescue of American hostages. As if that wasn’t enough, Argo won the award for Best Picture, beating out Lincoln, Django Unchained, etc. Affleck doubled up on two of the giant awards, absolutely making him the biggest winner last night.
• Big Winner of 2012: Jennifer Lawrence. Star of a major movie franchise (Katniss Nation!), winning awards for Silver Linings Playbook, finishing high on lists of World’s Sexiest Women...and only 22.
• Important Questions Needed To Be Asked: Can Fey and Poehler become hosts every year, kind of like Dick Clark’s New Years kind of thing? Why was Taylor Swift even in attendance at a TV and mostly movie award show? Why did Daniel Day-Lewis pass up the obvious chance to being his acceptance speech, “Fourscore and seven years ago...” (Make it happen at the Oscars DDL!)? Why couldn’t the Golden Globes people make video presentations for all of the nominees instead of having the presenters awkwardly read them off the prompter? Who knew there were so many ways to incorrectly pronounce Les Miserables? Why is the Golden Globes trophy so underwhelming and small? How many celebrities do you think show up drunk to these award shows (I’ll put the over/under at 30%)? Do people really have nothing better to do in Yemen than fishing for salmon? Why did Anne Hathaway look like she was going to have a breakdown every second she was on stage? Is Joseph Gordon-Levitt the most overrated actor in the world right now? Ok that last one wasn’t really relevant to last night, but it is valid. Not a huge fan of him.

So that was my review of the 2013 Golden Globes. If you have feedback feel free to comment, I’d like to learn some more stuff about award shows so I know how to judge speeches and outfits and such. Once again, congratulations to all the winners. Godspeed.

Divisional Round NFL Predictions

Divisional Round Predictions

I don’t usually brag, but you are now reading a post from a guy who has now been included in TWO Bill Simmons’ mailbags in the last four weeks. Steadily becoming a modern day Sports Guy. I hope. I kind of wish I was mentioned three times so I had an excuse to use “thrice” in a column. Anyway, the games last week. My eyes are still burning from the atrocity. What a horrible week of football. Three of the games sucked, and the good one will go down in history as the RGIII ACL game. I went 4-0 picking winners and technically 3-1 on the spread, except the one loss should come with an asterisk because of the whole failed Joe Webb experiment. Still a pretty solid week for me though. One quick thing about the RGIII thing: I’m not one of those people who is ripping Shanahan for leaving him in the game. If he pulled Griffin at halftime or something, made his decision early and stuck with it, then that would be fine. But once you leave him out there, and he says he can go, then you go with the best option. Remember, the Redskins were still up 14-13 until midway through the 4th. Could you imagine the backlash if Cousins came in and threw a pick-6? Very tough situation. The captain went down with the ship that carried the team to the playoffs. Hopefully Griffin is ok for next season, but we’ll see. Also one more quick point before I pick this round: did you guys here the whole KG-Melo “your wife tastes like Honey Nut Cheerios” thing? I’m a New Yorker, and even I admit: this is hilarious. This is almost certainly not what KG actually said, but I don’t want to know the truth. This is way funnier than anything it could realistically be. Never before has cereal been so provocative. I can’t wait for Melo to drop 50 on the Celtics one game and have reporters and talking heads on Sportscenter question if Honey Nut Cheerios fueled him. If I’m Carmelo Anthony, I eat Honey Nut Cheerios for breakfast every morning until that January 24th game in Boston, and then drop the hammer on the Celtics like a LeBron Game 6 kind of thing last year. I love this whole situation. Not sure where it ranks on a trash talking list, but it’s great. Ok, so now, finally, on to the games. Since I have all the winners right from last week, my scores will be the same as they were in my pre-playoffs predictions.

BAL vs DEN (-10) - The Broncos are obviously superior to the Ravens, with Peyton Manning looking for his second Super Bowl, as is Ray Lewis for Baltimore. Quick fact: there has been a lot of talk about the greatness of the Ray Lewis-Ed Reed era for the Baltimore defense, and while it has been phenomenal, they have never won a Super Bowl together. Reed wasn’t there for that 2000 beatdown of the Giants. Which begs the question, what the hell was this offense doing for a decade? Anyway, while Denver crushed the Ravens in their regular season game, it was really close until Flacco threw that horrendous pick 6 right before halftime. He’s good in the playoffs, especially on the road. Ten points is too much for me. The Ravens are an experienced playoff team that has played Peyton really well even though 18 usually wins. So give me the Ravens and the points, even though I think Denver wins. Game over for Ray Lewis, one of my favorite players ever in any sport. Baltimore 14, Denver 23.

GB vs SF (-3) - This is going to be a great game. The 49ers have a lot of talent and potential explosiveness with Kaepernick running the show. They went up to Lambeau in Week 1 with Alex Smith and took it to the Pack. But I don’t care. There is nothing “potential” about the explosiveness of the Packers; they are terrifying, and healthy. The defense has been playing better. More importantly, this is the biggest F U game of Aaron Rodgers’ career. Going back home, in the playoffs, taking on the team that passed him over for the 1st pick in the draft...it’s perfect. And I don’t trust Kaepernick still, especially not in his first playoff game. Tight game, but Rodgers wins it for Green Bay. Specific prediction: Randall Cobb has 9 rec, 114 yds, 1 TD. He’ll be a nightmare over the middle of the field. Pack win straight up. Green Bay 24, San Francisco 20.

SEA vs ATL (-2.5) - How funny is it that even though the Falcons are 13-3 and the number one seed for the second time in three years, people (including me) are just writing them off because of their previous playoff ineptitude? I don’t like this team, and I will not pick them until I see them win. Plus, they are a horrible matchup with the Seahawks. Seattle will rush for over 200 yards in this game, and they have two physical corners to match up with the two stud receivers for Atlanta. It’s such an obvious pick, I’m scared for it. But whatever. Russell Wilson is great. Seattle 24, Atlanta 16.

HOU vs NE (-9) - This can’t be another blowout, can it? The Texans have to get an early lead, because if they have to play from behind then they are screwed. Schaub can not bring this team anywhere. I think that Foster has a solid game, and the Texans defense will force two turnovers that keep this team in it, but the Patriots in the end are just better. I’m actually thinking about changing my pick right now to take the Pats, but I won’t. Gotta stick with the pick of Texans with the points. Even though I don’t see any way that they win this game. By the way, Houston vs Cincinnati should be an illegal game from now on in the playoffs. Horrible. Houston 24, New England 27.

Those are my picks for this week. I just realized I took the points in all four games, which is nerve-wracking, but that should make for some exciting football. This is the best weekend in the NFL, so sit back, relax, and get ready. In a couple of days we’ll be down to four. Game on.

Wild Card Weekend Predictions

Wild Card Weekend Predictions

We’re finally here! It’s the 2013 NFL playoffs, where twelve teams are fighting for one common goal: a Super Bowl championship. I already released my picks for the whole playoffs, so if you read that than you already know who I’m picking in these games. However, I’m going to elaborate on those selections here in this column. In these wild card games, we have one rematch of last year, one divisional matchup, one emotional battle, and one showdown between spectacular rookie quarterbacks. An exciting weekend of football is definitely in store, so let’s get to the action. Here are my picks for the teams who will advance in the playoffs, and move one step closer to immortality.

CIN vs HOU (-4.5) - This game was a blowout with TJ Yates at QB for the Texans last year. The Bengals are absolutely better than last year, and are my early pick for 2013 AFC North Champions. Meanwhile, the Texans have lost three out of four to blow an 11-1 start and fall out of a first round bye. I believe in momentum, which points to Cincy here, but I don’t think that momentum is enough to overcome the talent differential between these two teams. The Bengals are moving in the ride direction, and I think this will be a pretty close game, but I’d still give the points and take the Texans at home. They did still win 11 out of 12. Cincinnati 17, Houston 24

MIN vs GB (-7.5) - I know that the Packers on paper are better than the Vikings. But to lay more than a touchdown against a team that just beat them last week? Adrian Peterson, who I believe should win the MVP and Comeback Player of the Year awards (coming from a Peyton Manning fan--he’s my favorite player), has rushed for an average of over 200 yards in two games against the Packers. TWO HUNDRED YARDS. As an AVERAGE. Seriously, they cannot stop this guy. I think that AD will go over 150 against the Packers and control the clock, keeping Aaron Rodgers off the field. However, with all that said, it’s still a matchup between Christian Ponder and Aaron Rodgers. Outdoors. In Green Bay. In the playoffs. So I think that the Pack take care of business--BARELY. Christian Ponder turns it over at the end of the game before the Vikings can get into game-winning field goal range. Vikes with the points. Minnesota 20, Green Bay 21

IND vs BAL (-7) - How about the emotions in this game? The Colts, of course, just endured the sickness and return of their head coach Chuck Pagano, which led to a powerful win last week against Houston. The Ravens will be fired up by the return of Ray Lewis, who announced that this season will be his last, capping off a glorious career. The Colts have gone from atrocious to respectable in one season with Andrew Luck at quarterback, while the Ravens have maintained their consistency; Joe Flacco is the first QB in NFL history to make the playoffs in his first five seasons, and so far he has won at least one game in every single one of them. I was all set to pick the Colts to win because of emotion and momentum and a similar destiny type feeling like Tebow’s run with the Broncos last season. Then I thought logically, and there really isn’t a debate; the Ravens are better than the Colts, and they don’t lose in the first round. And while seven points is a lot, I’m still taking the over. Indianapolis 20, Baltimore 31

SEA vs WAS (+3) - How about a rookie quarterback being favored on the road? I love this Seahawks team; they are incredibly balanced, and Russell Wilson has played well beyond his years. Meanwhile, the Redskins have won seven in a row, and have announced to the rest of the NFC East that they are here to stay. RGIII may already be the most exciting player in the league, but he is not 100%, which means that Washington may have to rely on rookie running back Alfred Morris to try and get past a brutal Seattle defense. The Seahawks, meanwhile, only won three road games all season long, and have to undergo the tough task of flying West to East. This game will be close, but I think the edge goes to the completeness of the Seattle Seahawks. These two teams will be around for the next decade, but the Seahawks are better right now, and they will squeeze out a big road win. Seattle 27, Washington 23

2013 NFL Playoff Predictions

2013 NFL Playoff Predictions

It was another fantastic season in 2012, full of fresh beginnings and powerful comebacks. We were witnesses to the immediate success of three rookie quarterbacks: Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin the Third, and Russell Wilson. We watched two superstars return from devastating injuries and put together phenomenal, MVP-caliber seasons (for the record: AD over Peyton for MVP). We were forced to endure not one but TWO league debacles, with the replacement referees and the mishandling off the Saints bounty scandal. Finally, we saw a team come together and rally around their coach stricken with leukemia to defy the odds and make the playoffs. All of these events will be discussed in my season review, but this piece is about the future, not the past. In this column, I am going to make my playoff predictions, which will hopefully be better than those from the regular season. I’m going to give my winners with scores for the entire playoffs, to see how much I can guess correctly before it starts. However, I will also give my usual weekly predictions with the point spreads and explanations as well. So, without further ado, here are my predictions for every game in the NFL playoffs in the newly born 2013. Happy New Year, everybody, and happy playoffs.

Wild Card Round

 CIN   17                    IND    20                                   SEA     27                   MIN   20 

HOU 24                   BAL    31                                   WAS    23                   GB      21

Divisional Round

 BAL   14                 HOU   24                                      GB    24                  SEA     24

DEN  23                  NE     27                                       SF     20                  ATL     16

Conference Championship

                                                  NE    27                                                                              SEA   20                                                            

                                                   DEN  31                                                                             GB      24

Super Bowl

GB        20

                                                                                      DEN     27

Yes, I think that the Denver Broncos, led by Peyton Manning, will continue their winning streak all the way to the Super Bowl Championship. I see chalk in the AFC; the top teams are too good for any major upsets right now. Plus, the conference has to be decided by Brady and Manning, doesn’t it? Meanwhile, the NFC is very different. I don’t like either of the top two teams; the Falcons have proved that they cannot win playoff games, and I still don’t trust the 49ers with Colin Kaepernick at the helm. I really want to pick the Seahawks to make the Super Bowl, but I think that their magical run will come to an end in Lambeau, where the Packers will want revenge for that Golden Tate game. We are on pace for some great games in the 2013 postseason, but I think it is destined to end one way: with Peyton Manning winning his second Super Bowl by defeating Aaron Rodgers in a thrilling chess match of a game. I’m ready for an exciting playoffs. Good luck to all your favorite teams out there. Game on.