You Can't Spell Elite Without "Eli"

Hey there sports fans!

I meant to post something sooner but I ended up taking my cat to the ER Sunday evening and then to the vet on Monday and it was a whole ordeal. Needless to say, I was a bit preoccupied.

And I was supposed to post about NCAA basketball and the NBA, but didn't get around to that. I just have to admit, I'm a football and baseball girl. I like all different kinds of sports, but when it comes to having a true passion? It's football and baseball. So I guess I just haven't been all that interested in basketball yet since football is still going on. But not for much longer.

Before I get into the championship weekend results, I have to mention a bit of NCAA excitement the Missouri Tigers, beat Baylor and is now ranked #2 in the AP/USA Today Coaches Poll. It was a very close game that came down to the wire but wow, how great it is to see Mizzou ranked #2? It will definitely be interesting to see how the tournament plays out. There's still a lot of time between now and then, so things could change.

As for the NFL championship weekend, I was 1-1 on my picks. Baltimore certainly had a shot. If Lee Evans had caught that TD pass it would have been over. If Billy Cundiff had made that field goal who knows what the outcome would have been in OT. But Baltimore did prove that a good defense can stop Brady and the Pats defense is vulnerable. If Baltimore's offense had just been a little more solid they would have won that game. But, these things happen. I was not impressed by the Patriots win by any means. When you win because the other team's kicker misses a field goal I always think you sort of won by default. You won because the other team screwed up. It's still a win, but not impressive.

The 49ers-Giants game had a very similar feel to the Baltimore-Pats game in that it wasn't a high scoring game and it came down to the wire. For awhile there I thought that the 49ers were going to pull it off and actually win, but the Giants came back and the game went into OT. And the Niners WR/punt returner Kyle Williams fumbled the punt, the Giants recover and score the game winning field goal. Another not so impressive win. Although the Giants kicker did make his field goal attempt (sorry Billy). That was Williams second fumble of the game and the poor guy has been reamed by fans in San Francisco. I get it, if it had been me and it was the Colts or the Rams playing for their chance for the Super Bowl and their punt returner cost the game with a fumble, I'd be upset.

But I've heard that Williams has gotten death threats. Come on people, it's a game. Anything can happen. Sometimes Adam Vinateri crushes your hopes in one fowl swoop (no, I'm not still bitter about SB XXXVI). There is no reason for death threats. He isn't the only reason they didn't win the game. The defense didn't stop Eli Manning. The Niner offense didn't put up enough points. The guy is already going through his own personal hell dealing with his mistakes, no need to make it worse.

So, the Super Bowl will be a rematch of the Giants and Patriots. Little brother Eli will attempt to win his second Super Bowl in the house that Peyton built. And he will.

My Super Bowl pick is the Giants. I know some say that the Pats will be hungry for revenge from 2007 and the Giants stealing their perfect season hopes. Emotions will be high, no doubt. But when I look at the Giants team and the Patriots team, I think the Giants are the more well rounded team. They have a much better defense and can get to Brady. The Pats defense did okay against a not so great Broncos offense and Baltimore, which relies heavily on the run game.

Eli Manning can throw the ball. And they have a decent run game as well. They will be able to put up points. And the Giants in their run to win their division and throughout the playoffs have shown they can get it done in tight defensive matchups and they can get it done in a shoot out.

I don't think it'll be an easy win and it will probably be close. If I had to guess I'd say Giants win 28-24. Something along those lines.

I know Tom Brady is a good quarterback (even though the Colts fan in me doesn't want to admit that at times) but I think Eli wins this one. And I'd be happy for him if he does. I'm sure Peyton's rooting for him.

Speaking of Peyton, an article was published in the Indy Star in which Manning speaks out about the rumors of his retirement and about his future. He jokes about Rob Lowe's twitter post that started a frenzy wondering if Peyton was indeed retiring.

Bogus, of course. Peyton may well indeed have to make that decision if he is unable to get healthy but it's way too early for him to be making that decision. Peyton also addresses that any talks about his future with the Colts will be with owner Jim Irsay, not the new GM Grigson. Peyton also states he is saddened by all of the recent firings.

Which makes sense, he's worked with most of those coaches his whole career. It's hard to see people you've worked with for so long go.

Peyton also reiterated that he hopes to stay in Indy and finish his career there. But it's not his call and he's just trying to do what he can to get healthy.

I really hope Peyton does get healthy enough to play and leads the Colts to another Super Bowl or two, I really do. It's so hard to say right now. I just don't see Irsay being willing to pay the $28 million bonus to Peyton due on March 8th if there are still concerns about his health. Which means he will become an unrestricted agent and could end up in Miami, Cleveland, San Francisco...

If he's healthy, I want him to continue to play because he's so fun to watch and you just know how passionate he is about the game. But I have to admit, it would be super hard to see him in any uniform other than the Colts.

Nothing is certain, but I guess we'll know in a couple of months. For now, Peyton can enjoy watching his little brother play in his second Super Bowl, right at home.

Playoffs, Part Deux

The divisional playoffs are now behind us and I am proud to say that I accurately predicted every winner this weekend - 49ers, Ravens, Giants and Patriots. Not too many people wanted to bet against the Saints or the Packers, and understandably so, but I liked the 49ers chances at home and I just can't seem to bet against the Giants right now - they are on fire.

The magic ended for Tebow and the Broncos this week. As I had said, I just didn't think there was any chance that the Broncos would beat the Patriots. The Broncos got lucky that their first playoff game was at home and they were playing a beat up Steelers team. The Pats were healthy and ready for them. Tom Brady threw a record 6 TD passes and even punted the ball during the game (which was really stupid, I thought. No reason to get too cocky Brady. You haven't won anything since 2007).

Earlier today the Broncos organization issued a statement saying that Tebow would be the starting QB next season. I think he's earned that right. They should at least have the opportunity to work with him in the off season and see what they can do next year.

I honestly did not watch a lot of the Ravens-Texans game, as I was at church when the game started so I missed most of the first half.The Ravens did what they do best: forced turnovers and made the day very difficult for young TJ Yates. Arian Foster surprisingly ran the ball for 132 yards and got a TD, which is a rarity against this tough Baltimore defense. Unfortunately for the Texans, that was about all of the offense they could get going and Baltimore was just the better team.

The 49ers-Saints game was exciting. At first it looked like the Niners might run away with the game, but Drew Brees was not about to go down with a fight. When the game turned into a shoot out, it looked like the Saints would pull off the win. Apparently, if you give Alex Smith 1:30 to score, that's more than enough. An exciting finish with the winning TD pass to Vernon Davis and wow, how key was he to this game? Note to the NY Giants: find a way to cover Davis if you want to win next weekend.

Finally, the Giants pulled an upset win over Green Bay in Lambeau. As I saw some people tweet following the game "Discount Double Choke at Lambeau." For those who don't know, this is referencing the State Farm commercials that Aaron Rodgers is featured in. I am not sure what happened to Green Bay. Perhaps the 2 weeks off was bad, or sitting Rodgers in the last game was bad, they just looked out of synch. So many dropped passes which is so unusual for this team. The Giants have just simply been on fire on all ends. Eli had a great day with 3 TD passes, Nicks had a spectacular day catching 2 of those TD passes and though Rodgers have 2 TD's the Giants defense was able to get to Rodgers with 4 sacks and an interception.

Before the playoffs began, I predicted the Super Bowl would be Giants-Baltimore. I'm sticking to that prediction.

This weekend will feature the 49ers-Giants, and the Ravens-Patriots. I realize I have picked 2 teams on the road to win.

Here's my thoughts. First, the 49ers were able to pull off an impressive win last weekend. However, the Saints should have not been able to come back like they did and still almost win after committing 5 turnovers. The point being, while San Francisco was able to get turnovers, they struggled with capitalizing on them and points out the one thing they've had trouble with all year: scoring in the red zone.

The Giants have a tougher defense than the Saints, especially lately. They will go after Alex Smith and if the Giants can create turnovers they will score points. I think the game will be close, but I just think the Giants are unstoppable right now.

With the Patriots and Ravens, my initial thought prior to this past weekend's game against Denver, was that if these two had to match up, the better defense wins. I still think that, though New England's defense was impressive against the Broncos. New England has one of the worst defenses in the league, and though Tebow and co couldn't product offense, Baltimore will. And the Baltimore defense is not going to let Brady throw 6 TD's. I also think this game is close, but I think Baltimore can pull off the win because if they can get to Brady and create some turnovers, that will place them in a good position to win.

So there you go, we'll see if I'm right next week. And I do pick the Giants to win the Super Bowl, if they make it.

In other news Jeff Fisher finally announced that he accepted the head coaching job for the St. Louis Rams. The speculation surrounding his decision was a bit ridiculous at times. I think this is a good move for the Rams. They need something, change is good. Fisher has already selected former Saints DC, Gregg Williams as the new DC. A press conference is scheduled for tomorrow to announce the new head coach. It is reported that Fisher signed a 5 year contract with the Rams, but again, I'm wary of speculation. How many experts in the sports industry were sure that Pujols was going to stay a Cardinal? Right.

I know there is a lot going on in the NBA and the NCAA, I will try to get to my thoughts on basketball soon.