Sorry for the lack of posting on the blog of late...it's the slowest time in sports until Spring Training and the NCAA Basketball Tournament begin next month.
I just wanted to chime in regarding AZ-TV's partnership with the Rattlers. As someone who worked to facilitate the deal, I commend our General Manager Jeff Burnton as well as Rattlers owner Brett Bouchy and Team President Danny White for making concessions all around to get this done. We were the station who could give the team the most exposure...but financial considerations on both sides were the sticking point.
Arena Football is a great product and for those of you who have never been, you're missing out. Most people think Arena Football = Kurt Warner, but you would be surprised as to the talent level in the league. Considering the fact that Bouchy and White promised a winning team this season in Arizona, I'm excited to go out and watch.
Saturday, April 17th - mark your calendars - that's the first game to be televised on AZ-TV...against the Chicago Rush (who ironically are co-owned by Mike Ditka).
And on a personal note, I have to say...for all that I've heard about Danny White being the ultimate UofA hater...I can't argue with that...he's cracked some anti-UofA jokes in meetings we've had...but he sure seems to be a good guy. I look forward to working with him and the Rattlers going forward.
Back again soon...
Eric
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Tuesday Thoughts - Wow, was I wrong!
I didn't see that one coming...based on the success Indianapolis has had the last two seasons in meaningful games (25-1 or something like that), I just wasn't going to pick the Saints. But destiny was apparently on their side...and that certainly was an embarrassing pick I made...thoughts below:
-Drew Brees has won over a city like no NFL quarterback has done since Joe Namath. He will forever be a legend in New Orleans...and to think his career was seriously derailed by a severe shoulder injury at the end of the 2005 season...
-Brees was fantastic on Sunday night by taking what the defense was giving him...after the 1st quarter, the Saints QB continued to make precise shorter throws and pretty much abandoned the deep ball. He put on a clinic by taking what the defense would give him.
-Peyton Manning, on the other hand, looked flustered throughout. He had plenty of time to throw most downs, but he didn't seem nearly as calm in the pocket as he usually does.
-Saints Coach Sean Payton dialed up the most gutsy call in Super Bowl history with his second half opening onside kick. The resulting Saints recovery and ensuing touchdown changed the momentum towards the Saints side, even though they scored a last second field goal in the first half.
-How about Saints kicker Garrett Hartley? He was suspended for the first four games of the 2009 season for performance-enhancing drugs, yet came up clutch in the NFC Championship Game with the game-winner despite finishing the regular season poorly. His three 40+ yard field goals on football's biggest stage were extremely impressive...
-Give Saints cornerback Tracy Porter a big raise...he sends the NFC Championship into overtime by intercepting Brett Favre in Saints territory and essentially put the Super Bowl away with a long interception return for a touchdown.
-A 100% healthy Dwight Freeney would've helped, but Drew Brees was "in the zone" as they say...his accuracy was unquestionable under any circumstances.
-I wouldn't want Jim Caldwell coaching my team. No question that he did a fine job this year...but these were Tony Dungy's leftovers...Caldwell just had to make sure he didn't screw it up. He was a less than stellar head coach in college and displays no personality on the sidelines...give me a gambler like Sean Payton all day.
-It was a good game...not an all-time classic...but a well-played Super Bowl by both teams.
-Congratulations to the city of New Orleans...your championship is well-deserved based on the hardships you've encountered in the last five years.
-My playoff picks were absolutely brutal...hopefully you didn't take them to the bank (like I did at times)...
-And now...my early projection for Super Bowl XLV in Dallas:
Green Bay Packers 30, Pittsburgh Steelers 27
Mind you I reserve the right to change this pick several times before next September...other teams in consideration: Dallas, Atlanta, San Diego, Indianapolis, Baltimore (sorry New Orleans).
-Drew Brees has won over a city like no NFL quarterback has done since Joe Namath. He will forever be a legend in New Orleans...and to think his career was seriously derailed by a severe shoulder injury at the end of the 2005 season...
-Brees was fantastic on Sunday night by taking what the defense was giving him...after the 1st quarter, the Saints QB continued to make precise shorter throws and pretty much abandoned the deep ball. He put on a clinic by taking what the defense would give him.
-Peyton Manning, on the other hand, looked flustered throughout. He had plenty of time to throw most downs, but he didn't seem nearly as calm in the pocket as he usually does.
-Saints Coach Sean Payton dialed up the most gutsy call in Super Bowl history with his second half opening onside kick. The resulting Saints recovery and ensuing touchdown changed the momentum towards the Saints side, even though they scored a last second field goal in the first half.
-How about Saints kicker Garrett Hartley? He was suspended for the first four games of the 2009 season for performance-enhancing drugs, yet came up clutch in the NFC Championship Game with the game-winner despite finishing the regular season poorly. His three 40+ yard field goals on football's biggest stage were extremely impressive...
-Give Saints cornerback Tracy Porter a big raise...he sends the NFC Championship into overtime by intercepting Brett Favre in Saints territory and essentially put the Super Bowl away with a long interception return for a touchdown.
-A 100% healthy Dwight Freeney would've helped, but Drew Brees was "in the zone" as they say...his accuracy was unquestionable under any circumstances.
-I wouldn't want Jim Caldwell coaching my team. No question that he did a fine job this year...but these were Tony Dungy's leftovers...Caldwell just had to make sure he didn't screw it up. He was a less than stellar head coach in college and displays no personality on the sidelines...give me a gambler like Sean Payton all day.
-It was a good game...not an all-time classic...but a well-played Super Bowl by both teams.
-Congratulations to the city of New Orleans...your championship is well-deserved based on the hardships you've encountered in the last five years.
-My playoff picks were absolutely brutal...hopefully you didn't take them to the bank (like I did at times)...
-And now...my early projection for Super Bowl XLV in Dallas:
Green Bay Packers 30, Pittsburgh Steelers 27
Mind you I reserve the right to change this pick several times before next September...other teams in consideration: Dallas, Atlanta, San Diego, Indianapolis, Baltimore (sorry New Orleans).
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Why the Colts will dominate Super Bowl XLIV--The Breakdown
I'm not going to pull any punches here folks...Indianapolis is going to win this game...there is no doubt in my mind...and like I said last week, I don't see this one being close.
Look at it this way...of the 43 Super Bowls to date, only 14 have been decided by a touchdown or less. Only twice in history has the game been decided by a touchdown or less in consecutive years...it has never happened three years in a row. The last two Super Bowls were decided by 3 and 4 points respectively...meaning we're due for a blowout.
The Saints are a nice story...their city was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the team and city had to rebuild basically from the ground up. Sean Payton has done a wonderful job as coach with Drew Brees being a God-send at quarterback. The team started 13-0 this season before losing its final three games. In the playoffs, they dismantled the Cardinals before squeaking by the Vikings with plenty of luck involved. Their only chance to win in my opinion is to put immense pressure on Peyton Manning like they did Kurt Warner and Brett Favre in these playoffs. But Manning has a quicker release than those QBs and dismantled far superior defenses in the Ravens and Jets these playoffs.
Throwing out the last two games of the 2009 regular season in which they played their backups nearly 3/4 of the time, Indianapolis is 25-1 in their last 26 meaningful games (23 regular season, 3 in the playoffs)...the only loss being in San Diego during the 2008-09 NFL playoffs. Manning is familiar with the spotlight having led his team to a win on the same field three years ago in a 29-17 victory over the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI.
So with all that said, I'll take the Colts by a double-digit margin.
Now looking at the game from a Vegas perspective...the betting line and over-under. Indianapolis is now favored by between 4.5-5.5 points currently. The favorite has covered in 24 of the 43 games with 2 ties...at a rate of 59%. The over/under currently sits at around 56 for the Colts-Saints game, no doubt the highest total in Super Bowl history. Betters usually like the over, yet for some reason it has only hit in 20 of the 43 big games. Still, I'm tempting fate with my prediction:
COLTS 38, SAINTS 24
(Indy and over)
So who will the most valuable player be? Historically, quarterbacks have won the award in 22 of the 43 contests. No wonder Peyton Manning and Drew Brees have the lowest Vegas odds to win the award. Don't be surprised however, if a defensive player steals the ultimate individual game reward. Last year the Steelers' James Harrison was on his way to winning the MVP before the Cardinals' stunning comeback led to a wild 4th quarter (Steelers WR Santonio Holmes won it after making the dramatic deciding catch with under a minute to go).
This year I'll throw out two possibilities:
-Peyton Manning (1-2 odds) - obvious choice who also won the award three years ago.
-Dwight Freeney (50-1 odds) - the sentimental favorite who likely will play with a severe ankle sprain...if he makes at least two significant defensive plays from his defensive end spot and Indy wins, Freeney will get the award.
So there you have it folks, Indy wins convincingly, Manning or Freeney is the MVP...and all of Indianapolis is happy yet again.
FINAL NON-SUPER BOWL THOUGHT - The recently retired Kurt Warner is a shoe-in Hall-of-Famer in my opinion. He's a two time regular season MVP, a Super Bowl MVP, and holds the three highest passing yardage performances in sports' biggest game. Warner was clutch on the biggest stage, taking two of the NFLs most consistent underachieving franchises (Rams and Cardinals) to Super Bowls a combined three times (with a 1-2 record). If he's not a first or second ballot Hall-of-Famer based on those criteria (I understand he also had a rough period during the middle of his career mostly with the Giants), then the voting process to determine pro football immortality is severely flawed.
Look at it this way...of the 43 Super Bowls to date, only 14 have been decided by a touchdown or less. Only twice in history has the game been decided by a touchdown or less in consecutive years...it has never happened three years in a row. The last two Super Bowls were decided by 3 and 4 points respectively...meaning we're due for a blowout.
The Saints are a nice story...their city was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the team and city had to rebuild basically from the ground up. Sean Payton has done a wonderful job as coach with Drew Brees being a God-send at quarterback. The team started 13-0 this season before losing its final three games. In the playoffs, they dismantled the Cardinals before squeaking by the Vikings with plenty of luck involved. Their only chance to win in my opinion is to put immense pressure on Peyton Manning like they did Kurt Warner and Brett Favre in these playoffs. But Manning has a quicker release than those QBs and dismantled far superior defenses in the Ravens and Jets these playoffs.
Throwing out the last two games of the 2009 regular season in which they played their backups nearly 3/4 of the time, Indianapolis is 25-1 in their last 26 meaningful games (23 regular season, 3 in the playoffs)...the only loss being in San Diego during the 2008-09 NFL playoffs. Manning is familiar with the spotlight having led his team to a win on the same field three years ago in a 29-17 victory over the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI.
So with all that said, I'll take the Colts by a double-digit margin.
Now looking at the game from a Vegas perspective...the betting line and over-under. Indianapolis is now favored by between 4.5-5.5 points currently. The favorite has covered in 24 of the 43 games with 2 ties...at a rate of 59%. The over/under currently sits at around 56 for the Colts-Saints game, no doubt the highest total in Super Bowl history. Betters usually like the over, yet for some reason it has only hit in 20 of the 43 big games. Still, I'm tempting fate with my prediction:
COLTS 38, SAINTS 24
(Indy and over)
So who will the most valuable player be? Historically, quarterbacks have won the award in 22 of the 43 contests. No wonder Peyton Manning and Drew Brees have the lowest Vegas odds to win the award. Don't be surprised however, if a defensive player steals the ultimate individual game reward. Last year the Steelers' James Harrison was on his way to winning the MVP before the Cardinals' stunning comeback led to a wild 4th quarter (Steelers WR Santonio Holmes won it after making the dramatic deciding catch with under a minute to go).
This year I'll throw out two possibilities:
-Peyton Manning (1-2 odds) - obvious choice who also won the award three years ago.
-Dwight Freeney (50-1 odds) - the sentimental favorite who likely will play with a severe ankle sprain...if he makes at least two significant defensive plays from his defensive end spot and Indy wins, Freeney will get the award.
So there you have it folks, Indy wins convincingly, Manning or Freeney is the MVP...and all of Indianapolis is happy yet again.
FINAL NON-SUPER BOWL THOUGHT - The recently retired Kurt Warner is a shoe-in Hall-of-Famer in my opinion. He's a two time regular season MVP, a Super Bowl MVP, and holds the three highest passing yardage performances in sports' biggest game. Warner was clutch on the biggest stage, taking two of the NFLs most consistent underachieving franchises (Rams and Cardinals) to Super Bowls a combined three times (with a 1-2 record). If he's not a first or second ballot Hall-of-Famer based on those criteria (I understand he also had a rough period during the middle of his career mostly with the Giants), then the voting process to determine pro football immortality is severely flawed.
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