New England Patriots (15-3) versus New York Giants (12-7)

Two things have to break right for the Pats to win: 1) Tom Brady must avoid mistakes and deliver precise throws, and 2) the secondary must contain New York’s dangerous trio of wide receivers. Brady was erratic in the November loss to Big Blue, committing three turnovers. He was harassed from the start in Super Bowl XLII, taking five sacks and losing a key fumble. Like many quarterbacks, Brady doesn’t respond well to a relentless pass rush, and the Giants can definitely bring the heat. However, don’t underestimate his desire for redemption; he’s been waiting four years for this chance and will be motivated to play well. The leaky secondary has improved in the playoffs, but that was against Tebow and Flacco. Now they face a red hot Eli Manning, who has thrown for eleven touchdowns and one pick in his last four starts.

The Giants are playing excellent on both sides of the ball. A suspect defense that ranked 25th during the regular season has come alive in the playoffs, shutting down Matt Ryan, Aaron Rodgers and Alex Smith. The unit has recorded nine sacks and forced six turnovers in three wins. Limiting New England’s dynamic tight end duo of Gronkowski and Hernandez will be critical to keeping the offense in check; the twosome caught 12 balls for 136 yards and two scores in the November game, although Gronk’s gimpy ankle could prove problematic on Sunday. Meanwhile, Eli is looking sharper than ever with a plethora of weapons at his disposal. Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham have combined for 43 catches and seven touchdowns in the postseason. The Patriots will have to play lights out on defense to prevent Manning and Co. from posting huge numbers.

This has the makings of a classic back-and-forth battle that could easily come down to the final minute. Betting against Tom Brady and Bill Belichick in these situations is bold, but the Giants appear to be the more confident team.

Giants 31, Patriots 27

“It’s my body and I know how I feel the best. I just communicate with the trainers on how I feel, what they think, and we just put all our knowledge together so we can get the best possible situation.”

He insists he’s not going to do anything stupid:

“I will make the final call. I listen to the trainer’s advice, but it’s how I feel. ‘m just trying to get better. The trainer has helped me to get to a place where I need to be.”

Gronkowski has missed practice all week in hopes that his high ankle sprain will heal sufficiently by gametime. He says he wants to play and hopes to practice on Thursday:

“Obviously I want to be out there and get some practices in before a game. I want to do as much as possible before a game. We’ll see. Our practice is in a couple hours [and] we’ll see how I’m feeling, talk to the training staff, talk to the coaches, put it all together and we’ll see what I can do today.”

New England coach Bill Belichick was typically tight lipped when asked about Gronkowski’s injury:

“We haven’t really got to that point yet. We’re on the same page, we’ve been on the same page for the last few weeks, and it’s going well so far.”

Gronkowski denied reports that he’d wear a specialized cleat on Sunday, but said that he’d look in to different taping and support options:

“Just weighing all our options. I won’t really even know until game time anyways.”

The current Super Bowl betting line has the Patriots installed as -2′ or -3 point favorites. Money has been coming in on the Giants since the game opened and sports handicappers are split in their assessment of where the line will move from here. Some suggest that the Giants will continue to take action while others look for some ‘buyback’ on New England as game time approaches.

Either the leggy Brazilian is doing her best to comfort Brady in his time of need, or she’s nervous as hell things aren’t going to end well for her man.

“My sweet friends and family,” the e-mail began. “This sunday will be a really important day in my husband’s life. He and his team worked so hard to get to this point and now they need us more than ever to send them positive energy so they can fulfill their dream of winning this super bowl . . .”

Sounds like her family has no idea what Brady does for a living. Nevertheless, a few positive vibes can go a long way. The email continued.

“So I kindly ask all of you to join me on this positive chain and pray for him, so he can feel confident, healthy and strong. Envision him happy and fulfilled experiencing with his team a victory this sunday…

Who knew Gisele was such a sweetheart. Beneath all that hotness lies a heart of gold. Of course, it’s stuff like this that makes people despise Golden Boy Brady and his perfect life even more. Sappy sentiments for Tommy aren’t befitting the rough and tumble sport of football.

However, considering Brady’s recent track record against the Giants, he and the rest of the Pats probably need a jolt of positivity before taking the field on Sunday. At the very least, should Tommy lose again, he gets to return home to Gisele’s comforting bosom, which isn’t a bad consolation prize.

Source: NY Post

Of course, McNabb is being super secret about which teams he believes can benefit from his inaccurate arm and atrocious decision-making skills. That’s probably because none of these mystery franchises has an iota of interest in signing him to a contract.

“I see three teams in the NFL, right now, that I feel like I can add a little bit of flavor to it from what they have,” McNabb said. “I won’t mention those teams. But, if the phone rings, there will be a lot of decisions to make on that.”

The 35-year-old has-been must have a short memory. In the last two seasons, he was benched and replaced by Rex Grossman and rookie Christian Ponder respectively. His record during this span was 6-13. The Vikings went so far as to cut him, at his request, this past December. Did any of the other 31 teams snatch him up? No.

His days as a starter are over, obviously. If he’s deluded enough to think he’s still worthy of leading a team, then he’s sorely mistaken. Teams like Cleveland, Miami and Seattle all face uncertain quarterback situations entering next season, but adding a fallen star like McNabb would constitute a step back, not forward.

Cleveland makes the most sense for McNabb due to his relationship with head coach Pat Shurmur and offensive coordinator Brad Childress, both of whom are familiar with him from their time together in Philadelphia. However, the Browns hold the fourth overall pick in April’s draft, so Robert Griffin III could be targeted, which would pave the way for Colt McCoy to become a backup, a role he’s more suited for.

Bottom line: it’s time for McNabb to call it a career.

Source: NFL.com

Henne, who hasn’t seen the field since last October after wrecking his shoulder, was a topic of conversation during a recent interview with Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland, who heaped nothing but praise on the injured signal-caller.

“He’s done some things we’ve asked him to do,” Ireland said. “I like Chad personally very well. He’s very smart, very intelligent, very tough. He’s a football guy. He loves being around the game. He’s a very good teammate.”

Reading between the lines, Henne isn’t the answer in Miami. Calling someone a “good teammate” and a “football guy” is the equivalent of lauding a fat chick for having a great personality. It’s no secret the ‘Fins are searching for a franchise quarterback and based on Henne’s first four seasons under center, he doesn’t fit the description.

Since ex-Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin was brought aboard to coach, rampant speculation has linked Green Bay backup Matt Flynn to Miami. Flynn is set to be a free agent and Brandon Marshall has admitted to contacting him about relocating to sunny South Florida.

Flynn was selected 152 spots after Henne in the 2008 draft. He first turned heads in a 31-27 loss to the Patriots during the 2010 season when he threw for 251 yards and three touchdowns, He further bolstered his resume in the 2011 season finale when he tossed for 480 yards and six scores versus Detroit.

It’s a small sampling, but with so many teams desperate to find a reliable starting quarterback, it’s safe to assume Flynn will receive a hefty payday come March.

Source: NFL.com

Player to score first TD has odd- or even-numbered jersey? – Betting which player will score first is cool, but tossing jersey numbers into the equation is nutty. If you’re a fan of even numbers, roll with the G-Men: Nicks, Cruz, Manningham and Bradshaw are all safe bets. On the other hand, the Pats lean toward odd numbers: Welker, Gronkowski, Hernandez, although don’t sleep on BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Deion Branch. Speaking of Branch…

LeBron James points, rebounds and assists or Branch receiving yards? – Who will have more? James averages roughly 45 combined points, boards and dimes per game, while Branch averaged 46.8 yards in 15 regular season games. However, Deion’s last two trips to the Big Game netted 21 catches for 276 yards, so history is definitely on his side. Nevertheless, this is a crazy bet to consider.

More Phil Mickelson 4th-round birdies or Giants punts? – Huh? The assumption here is Mickelson makes the cut at the Phoenix Open, where he’s won twice before. Steve Weatherford averaged about five punts per game in the regular season and booted eight times in Big Blue’s November victory at New England. So, unless you’re a member of Mickelson’s family, go with punts in this one. Or save your money for a non-stupid bet.

What will Kelly Clarkson be wearing when she sings the National Anthem? – Good grief. What is this, the red carpet at the Oscars? Your choices include official Super Bowl XLVI shirt, Colts jersey (?) and something not football related. Pure madness. Instead of wasting thought on this nonsense, bet whether or not she screws up or forgets the lyrics.

Rodgers is complaining about a lack of effort from his teammates. Not his Green Bay Packers teammates, but his teammates in the least relevant of all pro sport All Star Games, the Pro Bowl. Apparently not realizing that this is a glorified scrimmage where the goal is to not get hurt and enjoy a free trip to Hawaii, Rodgers is criticizing his teammates–eg: the rest of the NFC–for their shoddy effort:

“I’ll be honest with you. I was a little bit disappointed. I felt like some of the guys on the NFC side embarrassed themselves.”

ESPN aka ‘NFL PR Central’ grouses that the game ‘drew boos’ for its ‘lack of intensity’. Clearly these people have been living under a rock for the past decade or so and don’t realize that the Pro Bowl is synonymous with a ‘lack of intensity’. Rodgers sounds like he’s as clueless as anyone with this comment:

“I was just surprised that some of the guys either didn’t want to play or when they were in there didn’t put any effort into it.”

He continued to say that he was ‘surprised’ that Mickey Mouse was just a human in a mouse costume and that pro wrestling has a predetermined outcome.

Rodgers tried to backpedal someone, coming up with the silly suggestion that his concern was for the well being of others:

“I’ve always found that when you’re going that tempo, that’s when the injuries are going to happen, not if you’re going full speed. You’re more likely to get an injury standing around a pile or just going through it half-speed.”

A couple of Pats players–eg: guys who are playing in the Super Bowl–all but called Rodgers a moron starting with Logan Mankins:

“I don’t know how you fix it. You’re going to give a little effort, but you’re not going to get out of control. Some guys are free agents over there. You get hurt in a Pro Bowl and it’s going to affect that contract with another team. Who would want to get hurt in a Pro Bowl and not be able to play the next season?”

Vince Wilfork added:

“Guys play a full season, they play physical through a full season, and you get rewarded. The last thing you want to do is go out in a game like that and hurt yourself. That is not good for the individual or for the organization.”

Rodgers will reportedly spend his offseason coaching little league baseball players in how to go after the knees of a second baseman when breaking up double plays.

Seriously, I like Aaron Rodgers–he’s one of the good guys in the NFL. He’s a hell of a quarterback and has always come off as a cool dude off the field. He just sounds silly griping about ‘intensity’ in the Pro Bowl.

Keep in mind that the ‘Manning’s career is in jeopardy’ stories weren’t just the speculation of a few disgruntled bloggers–they were based on information from a variety of medical doctors, Manning confidants and other experts. Even the ones without direct information on Manning’s condition were experts on the type of medical procedures he’s undergone and the rehab from them. Not that it takes a neurosurgeon to figure out that getting three vertebrae fused in your neck isn’t a routine procedure.

On Monday there were thousands of stories that all started with a Yahoo Sports article by Jason Cole that sure didn’t make things sound good:

The nerves in Manning’s arm are not healing as quickly as hoped and, worse, don’t appear to be progressing at enough of a rate to indicate that he will play again, according to two sources with knowledge of Manning’s rehabilitation from neck surgery. The vertebrae in his neck that were fused have healed as expected and Manning began throwing in December. But he hasn’t shown improvement in velocity on his passes, and the two sources fear he likely never will again.

In addition, two league-affiliated doctors with experience in spinal fusion surgery said it could take up to a year before Manning knows if he can return. Both said the risk is too great for Manning to play again and, because of the timeline, neither would recommend the Colts pay Manning the $28 million bonus he is owed in March.

Then the NFL’s public relations arm–aka ESPN–went in to action to convince the unwitting masses that Manning is fine:

Manning said that his recovery from spinal fusion surgery in September — his third surgery in 19 months — is going well despite the fact he didn’t play last season.

Manning sounded like a classic guy caught between trying to stay optimistic and being in complete denial about his status:

“I really feel good. I continue to make progress every day,” he said. “Everything that the doctors have told me has been on point, which is encouraging to me. I just had a great day today with rehab, just got back from the facility, and that’s what we continue to do. Just keep trying to get better. So far I have. That’s the plan from here on out.”

Well that settles it! Who cares what all of these doctors with their fancy degrees and abbreviations after their name thing. ESPN and Manning himself says that things are great! Play on!!

Even if Manning isn’t in denial about his health he’s got plenty of incentive to play along. There’s an outside chance the Colts pick up his $28 million option. Even if they don’t, the more he can convince the league that he’s fine the more likely he could continue to rehab and pull a paycheck with some other team.

A Yahoo! Sports report claimed Manning’s rehab from multiple neck surgeries isn’t progressing in a positive direction. According to sources close to the situation, the nerves in his arm are sill weak, which is limiting the velocity of his throws. Some doctors even went so far as to suggest it could be another year before Manning’s playing future can be properly assessed.

ESPN’s Amy Lawrence tweeted on Sunday that NFL insider John Clayton believes Manning will be forced to retire due to the damage in his arm being too severe for him to regain the strength he had prior to surgery. This is Clayton’s opinion, but the fact that no one in the Colts organization, including Manning, has revealed an accurate medical prognosis is troubling.

On the flip side, Peyton’s brother Cooper thinks his little bro is determined to resume his career, although no timetable has been set for a return.

“What I do know is Peyton is going to do every single thing a human being can possibly do to get ready to play again,” Cooper Manning said from his office in New Orleans. “Where, when and how he’ll play, that’s all up in the air. But as far as his body goes, Peyton’s smart, he’ll know what to do. Anyone predicting what will happen now going forward is just wasting their breath. But he is working as hard as anyone can work to get out there again.”

It is a waste of breath to speculate, but until Colts owner Jim Irsay makes a decision on whether or not to pay Manning his $28 million bonus, the rumor mill will continue to churn.

Sources: Yahoo!, Rant Sports

The transition to the new and improved look will occur throughout the 2012 season.

“We have one of the finest and most recognizable logos in the NFL and wanted to make it as modern as possible without losing the dramatic essence of the mark,” said Carolina Panthers President Danny Morrison. “It is a cleaner style that is easier to read and should be more applicable to different uses.”

Look closely at the eyebrows and teeth to see the differences. The furled brow and more pronounced fangs are meant to represent a tougher, meaner persona. Also gone are the white nose and whiskers, which are now a darker shade of teal, as evidenced by this pic of the old logo.

In addition to the art, the actual logotype has been updated to reflect the modernized branding and will feature a claw swipe on the “A” in Panthers. It was “inspired by the swift, sleek nature of a panther.” Now all they need to do is get rid of the all-white Plain Jane uniforms to complete the makeover.

The Panthers will likely be a trendy pick next season to make some noise. A year after finishing a league worst 2-14, they showed vast improvement by going 6-10 in 2011. With Newton at quarterback, the offense finished 5th in scoring and third in rushing. He set eight rookie records and his fourteen rushing touchdowns set a single season record for quarterbacks. He also earned a trip to the Pro Bowl as a replacement for Eli Manning.

Source; ESPN.com

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