Did the best team win the Super Bowl? Considering there were ten different ways the Giants might have missed the playoffs entirely, it’s hard to say the best team won. I will say the team that played the best game and made the most plays and did what a good team needs to do to win the Super Bowl did in fact win the game.

Did Brady really get called for grounding? In his own end zone? I’ve never seen that (burying the pass 50 yards downfield between the hashmarks) but to be fair isn’t

every single pass

an attempt to avoid a sack? Why not just allow a QB to throw the ball into the ground? How is spiking the ball to stop the clock legal but throwing it into the ground to avoid a sack an infraction?

Peyton Manning? If it was me I’d be tempted to just quit but he seems to want to play. He ain’t going to the Jets and Tennessee just drafted Jake Locker. The Cardinals just signed Kevin Kolb but if they can trade him to Cleveland for 60 cents on the dollar maybe they will sign Manning when the Colts cut him. And yes, I said when. The Colts are drafting Luck so they ain’t keeping Peyton on the roster to the tune of a 25 million bonus plus the salary he’d be due. And you still don’t know if he’s going to play this year. Put is this way – would you hire a guy off the street if you didn’t know that she or he could do the job? And make them your highest-paid employee? Neither will the Colts.

College football’s Powers that Be are still incapable of a plus 1 or playoff, postponing a decision they could vote on in 48 hours for 12 months. Clowns they are, clowns, all of them. Their current system is broke. The Hokies don’t have a quality win, lose to Clemson twice and they still get the Sugar Bowl over Boise, the same Boise team that plays quality opponents on the road with frequency and has the nevre to ask for fair treatment. Keep all your SEC supremacy talk down – I fully believe that Boise would compete with success in the SEC. They are better than Vandy, Ole Miss, Miss St, The Vols, I’d take them against the perennially overrated Gamecocks, Kentucky, (this year) Auburn. How many years in a row do the Broncos have to shine before they get their due? This system is corrupt.

NBA news? I still don’t care about the NBA. Never have, likely never will. Have another lockout and stay locked.

In a desperate move to remain relevant the MWC and Conference USA will likely merge, creating a league of 14 teams that ESPN will ignore.

I think both teams can score, but there will be more running plays than expected and thus a shorter game. Take the under and I’ll take the Pats to cover by more than people think. New England takes their fourth title 28-20.

Other prop bets…
How long into the halftime show until I am bored with Madonna? 39 seconds.
Over/under : Number of commercials that actually make me laugh out lout? 3.5
Over/under : Number of commercials with a completely improper sexual undertone? 3.5
Number of commercials featuring domesticated animals? 77.
Over/under : Number of commercials for The Voice? 77.
Over/under : Number of commercials for The Voice that don’t show unsettling Christina cleavage? 0.5

First issue – the players don’t want to go. I don’t blame them – the season is over, you can get hurt, no ramifications. It’s easy to see how they would feel that way.

First fix – I only want players in a game that care or will try. Ever watch the 4th quarter of a pre-season game? You have if you want to see guys fighting for their pro lives to get on the squad. My solution – don’t compel players to play. As much as I want to see Drew Brees, if he isn’t going to give 100% I’d rather have someone who will.

Second issue – no defense. Barely any blocking, no hard hits. The last time a guy got tackled hard in the Pro Bowl was probably the last time Lyle Alzado was in the game. (side note – cooler name than Alzado? I dunno, I like it a lot.)

Third issue – the scoreboard lights up like a Christmas tree due to lack or coverage, blitzing and pressure.

Solutions to 2nd and 3rd issues? Award points for defensive plays. I know, it’s not real football. New flash – neither is this nonsense. Give points for a QB sack give a point for making the other team punt. I don’t know how the scoring would work, but I do know that playing against a defense that doesn’t try is like lining up the Giants against my old junior high – cruel and pointless.

9. The key plot twist involves making exact change at 7-11.

8. Your story is about a dream within a dream within someone else’s dream within a dog’s dream.

7. Your lead photographer only uses Polaroids and then flips them in a kinescope.

6. You cannot pronounce the letter ‘G’ without giggling.

5. When the director tells you to ‘hit your mark’, you drop to one knee and punch the floor.

4. Your longest directorial film lasts 2 minutes and 13 seconds and it is on your cellphone.

3. The fashions are anything found on your closet floor.

2. Your name is Osama.

1. You couldn’t get Johnny Depp; instead, your film stars Donny Jepp.

The Giants come off the win against overrated Atlanta and travel to the rested Green Bay. Giants can run, they have momentum and Eli Manning has gone for weeks without showing the ‘Eli Manning Face’ ™. 7 1/2 points seems like a lot but I will go the other way and give it. Take the Packers early and often, 42-20.

The 49ers don’t have much of an offense and a great defense. The Saints have a great offense and no defense. That makes for a lower scoring game. While that should benefit the home team I just like the Saints ability to move the ball more. Close, short game goes the bayou way, 20-17. If in doubt, I will pick the team that can actually move the ball when they need to.

If Denver loses by a lot will the Tebow people shut up? No, and that’s fine. Does God want Tebow to win? Well if God cared about it wouldn’t Tebow be the one married to the supermodel wife and not TT? Tom Brady is a chosen one as well. Denver can’t stop New England, but New England can’t stop anyone else either. Lots of scoring and I am looking for the back-door cover. 13 or 14 points seems to many to give. I’ll take the Patriots to win, but in a closer match, 42-31. This game above the others depends on Denver not fumbling.

Houston’s first playoff appearance against a game but young Bengals team. Lots of running and ball control – Texans win 21-14.

Saints and Lions might mimic the Orange Bowl results. Brees make his statement as New Orleans cruises 42-20.

The Falcons never seem to impress, even when they win. The Giants are in the same boat, but are hotter now. Project Cruz to have a bigger game than Turner or Ryan and New York surprises us all by showing cajones. Giants 26-17.

The current word on Tim Tebow’s passing game? He’s afraid to throw, he can’t lead a target, he takes to long to decide and can’t check off to anyone other than the first guy he looks at. Other than that, he’s great.

Denver will need to win to make the playoffs. As much as I would like to see Denver go 8-8 and either enter the playoffs at .500 or miss them totally, the notion of Denver going 9-7 and being allowed to host a 12-4 Steelers team is beyond crazy. I have to be happy if I am Pittsburgh right now. The crazy TT-Bible pushing fans aside, if there is one team you want to face in this year’s playoffs, it is the Broncos. Too bad Kansas City cannot muster any fight, effort or skill. All the Chiefs have is Denver’s former starting QB, but to be fair to Kyle Orton he has just as little to work with on offense in KC as he did at altitude. Denver will win 30-20 and take the division title in bizarre fashion.

Neither team will be good on tv, unless you are a fan of overhyped televised prayer. In that event, just watch the religious channel until 2 pm local time and then tune over to the ‘Touchdowns with Tim’ show. Over/under on completed passes by Tebow should be 9.

Both home teams are 3 point favorites – take the home teams, over on Denver, under on Oakland.

If St. Louis finishes last, they won’t take Luck because they are invested into Bradford.
If the Vikings finish last, it is unlikely they would take Luck- they spent last year’s #1 on a QB.
The Colts don’t even need to take Luck. At this point I’d say just go with Manning and draft for any of your multiple varied needs. There will be fewer QBs to draft next year, but there will not be zero, see Barkely, Matt.

If they show loyalty to Peyton and he gets hurt again next season, no one will criticize their faith in a Hall of Fame player. It gives him a chance to take a graceful bowout (and insurance payout) to retire and then they are in the same boat as this season, but without the negativity.

If I finish first, I am doing everything I can to trade this pick for as much as I can if I have anyone on the roster who is already a decent QB.