The Sports Rumors

Overrated Vikings and NFC Playoff Predictions

Why is everyone suddenly hopping on Minnesota’s bandwagon?  Because they’ve won 5 straight games, 4 of which are against teams with losing records?  Tavaris Jackson is playing good? Really?  5 touchdown and 5 interceptions is good?  Wow.  I guess NFL quarterbacks really are that bad if Tavaris Jackson is suddenly considered “good”. 

I listened to analyst after analyst talk about the scariest team to play if your Green Bay, Dallas, Seattle or Tampa Bay is Minnesota; not Washington.  Let me point out that it was Washington that went into Green Bay and lost by 3.  It was Washington that went into Dallas and was inside the 10 yard line, down by 5 with seconds remaining before Campbell made an errant throw that ended the game.  It was Washington that was inside the 15 yard line of Tampa Bay, on the road, before Ronde Barber had an interception to seal the win for the Bucs.  Yes, I understand that they lost all three games but by an average of 4 points!  Minnesota on the other hand lost by 7 and most recently, 34-0 to Green Bay this season.  They lost by 10 to Dallas.  They didn’t play Seattle or Tampa Bay.  Now look at those games and explain to me why Minnesota is the bigger threat.  Three of the four division winners have defenses that can stop the run.  So you think Tavaris Jackson is going to go into Lambeu, Texas Stadium, or Raymond James and win with his arm?  Please. 

I’m not saying that Washington is suddenly New England-esque or anything, but they are better than Minnesota.  Their defense is clicking and getting better each week.  From 5 weeks ago to now they have given up, in order, 28, 19, 17, 16, and 10 points.  That’s the kind of trend you want to see going into the final two games of the season. 

Here’s what’s going to happen.  Minnesota is going to get beat at home by Washington, then go on the  road and lose to Denver, putting them at 8-8.  The Giants will go into Buffalo and win, then lose to New England, putting them at 10-6 and secure 5^th place in the playoffs.  New Orleans is going to lose to Philadelphia, and then win at Chicago, putting them at 8-8.  Washington will beat Minnesota and then beat Dallas in Washington, putting them at 9-7 and the final spot of the playoffs. 

In the playoffs, Seattle will beat Washington and the Bucs will beat the Giants.  The Bucs will go to Green Bay, the one seed, and lose.  The Cowboys will beat the Seahawks, avenging last year’s heartbreaker.  Dallas will go into Lambeau field, and lose.  Green Bay will go on to the Super Bowl.  That is what will happen.  Start watching my correct predictions next Sunday. 

 You really think this guy has what it takes to make the playoffs? You must be joking.

Weekend Recap

The NFC Playoff Push.  If you stayed up to watch last night, you would have seen the Redskins go into New York in a must win game and give the Giants a beatdown with a 22-10 victory.  It is the second straight for the Redskins, and third straight home loss for the slumping Giants.  The win puts the Skins at 7-7 and drops the Giants to 9-5.  New York, who had a clear path to the 5^th seed in the NFC playoffs, suddenly finds itself in a must win at Buffalo, who also is in a must win situation.  If the Giants lose at Buffalo and drop to 9-6, they will have to beat a Patriots team that will likely be going for a 16-0 mark.  If the Giants manage to drop their last two games, which is very possible, they would potentially miss the playoffs.  The Redskins travel to Minnesota for what is basically a playoff game next week.  They follow that up with a home game against Dallas, who suddenly looks banged up and down.  The status of Tony Romo’s thumb is not known at this time, but that could serve as a serious problem for a team that has hopes of reaching the Super Bowl.  If the Redskins win out, they’d be a lock for the playoffs.  The Saints are also in the mix after winning 3 of their last 4.  They have a home game against the Eagles followed by a road finale at Chicago.  A loss in either game would basically eliminate them from the wild card chase.  The Vikings are most in control of their destiny with two of their final three games at home (the road game being at Denver).  What it comes down to is each team controls its own destiny.  Win and you’re in; lose and the tiebreakers and odds come into factor.  Should be an interesting and entertaining final couple of weeks. 

No more celeb girlfriends in Dallas!  Dallas fans are pretty upset this Monday morning; and they’re upset at Jessica Simpson.  She is the second celebrity girlfriend that Tony Romo has brought to a game and for the second time, he’s had a terrible game and the Cowboys subsequently lost.  Last year, he brought Carrie Underwood to the playoff game against Seattle.  I think we all remember how that turned out.  Yesterday, Jessica Simpson was sporting a pink Romo jersey in the press box.  Romo had his worst game of the season, and in some statistical categories, the worst of his career.  The Cowboys lost to a sub .500 Eagles team and failed to score a touchdown for the first time since 2004.  “Leave your girls at home” is the common sentiment in the big D this morning.

Another College Football coach peaces out.  Extension through 2013 huh?  Yeah, we all know the way this story goes.  College football coach flirts with a different university.  Comes back to his own university and signs a big extension.  And the following year?  Gone.  Rich Rodriguez was raised in West Virginia, attended WVU, put WVU football on the map as a perennial top 15 program; and has now left it for the lures of Michigan.  Rodriguez signed with Michigan faster than Lindsay Lohan would sign a movie contract these days.  Rumors are that the Athletic Director and Rodriguez didn’t see eye to eye on a lot of things.  Who knows.  All I know is that another college coach sold out on his team by going to a more attractive school.  Now that the WVU job is open, I wonder which football coach will be the next to slip his way out of his current contract and come to Morgantown. 

Ladies… New Years Plans?

We know you are all freaking out about the most overrated “holiday” of the year. New Years Eve… a chance for debauchery and renewed vows all within a 12 hour period. Well if you are female and above average on the hottie rating, and have no plans yet for the evening… I just found them for you. What better way to bring in the new year than to Shake it for Shockey. Yes, per this craigslist post, all you have to do is submit a head and body shot, and if you are selected then you get to party it up with open bar in Manhattan. Unfortunately he won’t be out there grinding on you after suffering a fractured fibula in the New Jersey Giant’s first possession of the 2nd half in a loss to the Washington Redskins.

Read More…

For Your Reading Pleasure

The actual full letter Michael Vick wrote as well as the letters of support from the Mayor and others can be found by clicking the link below.

http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/ajc/pdf/vickletters/vick1.pdf

Excerpts from Michael Vick’s Letter to Judge

In case you were wondering…

Growing up in Newport News, I was exposed to numerous illegal activities and dogfighting was one of them. I never understood why people (were) arrested for guns and drugs, but never for dogfighting. No one really cared or called the police so I grew up not knowing the severity of the crime. Your Honor, I grew up loving animals and still (do) to this day. I have Paso Fino horses, parrots, fish tanks, and lizards. I take full responsibility for my actions and am ashamed that my actions hurt animals and allowed animals to be hurt and killed.

Your Honor, I am not the bad person or the beast I’ve been made out to be. I have been talked about and ridiculed on a day to day basis by people who really dont know Michael Vick the human being. They only knew the football player which is unfair. I’m a very humble, soft-spoken, and caring guy. Also kinda shy.” “This has been painful because my son watches the news and can understand whats going on with his father. He says his friends in school make fun of the situation because we have the same last name.”

“It hurts deeply because jail is no place for me and its hard for me to adjust in here, knowing that I’ve left my family behind. There’s a saying “when you know better, your supposed to do better.” Honestly, I wish I had never been involved in dogfighting. As a result, I’ve lost everything — my good name, job, endorsements, and now my freedom. So, sitting here today I can say I’ve learned an invaluable lesson.”

“I apologize for the failed drug test. I was suffering from a deep state of depression, and after my father attacked me in the media, I was heartbroken. I expected nothing but support from him; however, he was trying to get money from me and threatened to do a tell-all story on me. Thats no excuse for using marijuana, but I didn’t know how to cope with all the difficulties I was facing because it was all new to me. After my father did what he did, I just thought it was all over for me.”

“I PROMISE that I will never again use a single dollar that I have earned for anything but to help people. This situation has shaped my life in more ways than one. Ive learned a valuable lesson and have taken my life into a different direction. I purchased a church for my pastor back in July and ever since, have had a different outlook on life.”

“I pray for a second chance to be back with my family, and show the world the real Michael Vick, (not the person the media has made me out to be).”

Terrell Owens… So Annoying

I used to like Terrell Owens.  I really did.  Ask people I know.  I would defend him for no reason; even when I knew he was wrong.  When the McNabb-TO thing went down, I was the guy saying, “Well McNabb wasn’t helping the situation either.  He should stop being such a kiss up to management and stick to being a quarterback.”  When the TO “suicide” thing happened, I was the guy saying “Leave Owens alone… It’s wrong to constantly rip him in the media.  He’s losing his mind.”  But enough is enough.  What is his deal?  What is his problem?  First, he called out Randy Moss for no apparent reason.  Randy Moss doesn’t talk trash about anybody, ever.  Say what you want about him, but the guy doesn’t mouth of about other players for as long as I’ve followed him.  TO went out of his way to call him “The Other 81”.  Well, Terrell, “The Other 81” has 82 catches for 1264 yards and 19 touchdowns to your 74 catches for 1270 yards and 14 touchdowns.  It also should be pointed out that “The Other 81” doesn’t even play the entire game because his team is winning by 45.  So if anything, YOU are the other 81.  But that’s not what ticked me off about Owens. 

Keyshawn Johnson made a point that Bill Parcells should deserve some credit for the Cowboys being 12-1.  After all, it was Parcells who brought in a lot of the players who are on the team now.  It was Parcells who got the Cowboys to their first playoff game in years, nearly pulling off a road upset in the first round had it not been for Tony Romo’s butterfingers.  It was Parcells who had the Cowboys on the right track, whether you liked his style or not.  I didn’t like some of Parcells ways, and I definitely was never a fan of his.  But you can’t argue good coaching when you see it.  The guy was a winner.  What is Wade Phillips signature stamp on this team?  You tell me.  What has Phillips done or who has he brought in of significance that makes you say “Hey, that is Wade’s team.”  He was supposed to be a defensive guy right?  Well, what’s Dallas’ biggest weakness?  The defense.  “But Shaun, look at the Cowboys offense.. look how explosive it is.” Yeah, that’s the work of future NFL head coach Jason Garrett, not Phillips.  Everytime I see Phillips on the sideline, it’s after a touchdown and he looks like the Pillsbury Doughboy getting poked.  When there is a critical offensive play, they show Garrett or Romo; not Phillips.  And name a player that is making an impact on Dallas that was brought in by Phillips.  I dare you.  Can’t think of anyone can you?  My point exactly.  Bill Parcells, love him or hate him, put together this team.  I’m not saying go give the guy a championship ring if the Cowboys win the Super Bowl.  I’m just agreeing with Keyshawn’s very rational statement that Parcells deserves some credit. 

Now Owens took this chance to destroy Keyshawn and ran with it. 

“I challenge him to come down here and take my job. ESPN producers, let him go.”

Asked in the locker room why Johnson would take the position he did Sunday, Owens said: “I’m probably the reason he’s in the booth now. He’s going to be a hater and throw me under the bus because he has to defend Bill. He won a Super Bowl and all, but you’d have to check the roster to know he was even on the team.

“We came out in the same year. He was a first-rounder and I was a third. Go compare our stats. He couldn’t come down here now and be a third or fourth receiver on this team. Just compare our stats.”

“It’s not a matter of me giving or not giving Bill credit,” Owens said, according to The Dallas Morning News. “Everybody wants to make a big deal, that this is the team he built. It doesn’t matter. … My thing is give credit to Wade [Phillips]. The difference between Wade and Parcells is this: Parcells, he didn’t use me as a playmaker; Wade, he got the staff, and that’s what I’m being used as.

“Plain and simple, without trying to be negative or anything. I’m being used as a playmaker, and as I said, the proof is in the pudding.”

And then back to delivering a verbal barrage at Johnson:

“Those guys are probably talking about me, chopping it up, drinking coffee,” Owens said. “They can have their little pity party and talk about me all day long. It doesn’t bother me. There’s a lot of people on the ESPN panel and across the country that has observed what has happened this year versus last year. And there’s a lot of people that just don’t want to give credit for what Wade has done and what wasn’t done last year. That’s it. I’m not trying to be negative.”

Seriously?  Was that all necessary?  And you want to talk about being used as a playmaker?  Dude, you dropped the most balls in the NFL last year!  Maybe if you caught them like you are this year, your stats would’ve been better.  I would love to continue this story folks but I just got word that Roger Clemens is going to be one of those named in the Mitchell Investigation.  That’s of more importance at this point.  As for Terrell Owens, screw you you selfish team wrecking prick. 

Time for a Change

I don’t know if it’s just me, how I was brought up, or how I think. Whatever it may be, I have a hard time accepting or respecting quitters. I understand that there are times when things get so tough that it’s almost better to cut your losses. In those rare situations, I can understand the reason that one quits. I still don’t agree with it, but at least I can see where they’re coming from. But rarely can a scenario like that apply in sports. Rarely, if ever, is there a reason for quitting that is universally “okay”. Sports is a dynamic that is centralized around extreme competitiveness. It’s survival of the fittest, literally. For players, you have to not only have it physically; you have got to be at the top of your game mentally to succeed. For coaches, you have got to be 100% committed at all times to be successful at leading your team. And most importantly, players and coaches are never allowed to quit midway through a game, season, or contract. It’s inexcusable.

This leads me to Bobby Petrino. He was an offensive mastermind at Louisville and I had great respect for how he put that school on the national map of relevancy. Today however, I have absolutely zero respect for the man and the coach. I have zero respect for him because he is a quitter. He quit on not only the 70 or so players on his team, not only on the owner and his staff, but on the entire city of Atlanta. Yeah he was having a lousy season. Yes, Michael Vick basically ended the season before it began. Yes, he had to go through three quarterbacks in the same season because of it, basically derailing his gameplan from the get go. But you know what? That’s coaching. Making adjustments. Learning on the fly. Adapting to adversity. You cannot quit, especially with three games left. The thing that makes this even worse is that he was already in talks with Arkansas to be their next coach. And what’s even WORSE than that, which I didn’t think would be possible, is the fact that he didn’t even look his players in the eye. They found out about this the same way you and I did. Sportscenter or some news station. That has nothing to do with being a weak coach. That has to do with being a weak and cowardly man.

I know things don’t always work out the way we want them to but if you give up at whatever it may be, you are a quitter. Whether you want to believe it or not, you are a quitter. The next head football coach at Arkansas is a known quitter. If I were a recruit, there is no way I’d even pay attention to Arkansas based on the characteristics of the new head coach.

It’s time for the NFL to realize that these college coaches have a greater chance of being a flop than a top 3 draft pick. It’s time to quit, ironically enough, on hiring these guys who have a couple of years of success at the collegiate level. Look at the young stud coaches we have in the ranks, waiting for a chance to move up. Give me Jason Garrett of the Cowboys over Nick Saban or Bobby Petrino any day of the week. Give me Mike Tomlin (assistant last year) over Butch Davis. Give me that kid from New England, whose name escapes me at this moment, over the next big name college coach who tries to make the move. The NFL is producing some quality assistant coaches and teams should start paying attention to them rather than trying to make a big splash by signing some big fish from college. The adjustment is just too great for most of them to make. You can’t go from dealing with 18 and 19 year old kids to 25 year old egomaniac players who make double your salary.

I’m eager to see what Arthur Blank, and a handful of other owners do this offseason in regards to filling their head coaching position. One of them is bound to make the same mistake again. Sucks to be them.

There’s no I in Law… Is There?

It’s over.

You know when you’re the only person who thinks something can work out, but everyone around you is trying to tell you that it won’t? Like a relationship that fell apart months ago, but you’re still confident and stubbornly blind to think that some way, somehow, it will end up working out the way you hoped. That’s how I was with Michael Vick. I was like that when the charges were first brought forward. “Please. It’s Michael Vick. The whole world loves Mike Vick. He’s not going to jail man.” Okay, I was wrong there. Then the trial. “Yeah they’re not going to find him guilty or if they do, he’ll get some deal with probation.” Um. Wrong again. Then, “Even if he goes away for a year, and serves maybe 8 months of it, he’ll come back to the NFL in 2008 and teams will fight to get him on their roster.” That was strike three before I realized I need to come back down to reality. The dreams and predictions of many about Vick revolutionizing the quarterback position to a level we had never seen? Those aspirations are over. The reality is, Michael Vick the football player is over.

He was sentenced Monday morning in a Richmond, Virginia courthouse to 23 months in prison. He will also be on probation for 3 years after. The federal sentencing guidelines suggested a year to 18 months of prison time. The Judge thought 23 months was more adequate. The topic of this article isn’t going to be about what could have been with Michael Vick because that tune has been played enough the past few months. Instead, I want to talk about the sentence and how, similar to how I was stubborn in my belief about Vick eventually walking, Judge Henry Hudson was stubborn about making a national statement rather than adhere to the guidelines of the sentencing.

We live in a nation that puts more cameras and spotlights on celebrities, athletes, and all entertainers more than any other place on earth. Young girls worship Hannah Montana, teenage boys look up to Lebron James, middle aged men dream about what it would have been like to be Brett Favre. We live vicariously through the athletes and entertainers we look up to. But just because WE as the public put a lot of attention on them and their daily lives doesn’t mean that they should be treated harsher, or be exempt from what an everyday citizen goes by.

Explain to me why Lindsay Lohan can be found driving drunk, chasing another car, have no license, and be caught with cocaine in her pocket; and then sentenced to less than a day in jail. Explain to me why Paris Hilton can be caught driving drunk and serve jail time only after she is caught on camera ignoring a judge’s probationary sentence. Explain to me why Britney Spears can be the total mess of a human being she is, neglect her children for almost two years, and then finally get her children taken away from her months, if not years after any other normal citizen would have. Are they above the law? They sure as hell seem to be.

Now tell me why Michael Vick was sentenced to 23 months for a crime and offense that was suggested federally to be a year to 18 months. What was the reasoning for him being put away an extra five? Last I checked, those guidelines are put into place for a reason; after a lot of thought and careful analysis. You’re out of your mind if you think the 23 months wasn’t because of his name. Henry Hudson went out of his way to make a statement, and Vick paid the price for it. This was solely a political, resume boosting move by Hudson. He knew the entire nation was awaiting his decision to see whether he cut Vick some slack or not. He chose to show everyone that Henry Hudson plays by his own rules and will deal with Vick how HE wants to; not as suggested by the law itself.

If we want to use the celebrity card for making a statement, let’s take a look at everything that has transpired with Vick since the day he was indicted. He has lost all of his endorsement deals. He has lost millions of dollars of signing bonus money and his NFL contract. He has been sued by numerous banks for defaulting on loans. His name has been dragged through the mud on every television and radio station. He will forever be viewed as a heartless, animal killing individual. Take all that into consideration. You’re still going to go over and beyond the suggested sentence? Is that really necessary? You can’t sit here and tell me that the judge was trying to teach Vick a lesson because the public humiliation that he has endured is worse than anything he will face in prison. Psychological beatdowns are a lot worse than physical ones. So why the extra five months? Are the extra five months in jail going to make Vick feel worse about what he did? Absolutely not. This sentence, ironically, wasn’t about Michael Vick. His name was just the platform for Judge Henry Hudson to stand up infront of the public and thump his chest. This was Hudson’s chance to show that he doesn’t need guidelines; he goes by his set of laws. This was Hudson’s chance to make a statement, the biggest of his career, with all his colleagues and people he will encounter in the future watching.

This situation on a smaller scale is similar to when you’re at work and a big project is presented. You do well on this project, you know you’re going to get either a promotion or a pay raise, or at the very least; a lot more respect. The Michael Vick project landed in Hudson’s lap. He had a career of putting away Richmond, Virginia scum who meant little or nothing to society. No one cares if drug dealer #824802 gets put away or not. That was his career. Look it up. Look up his biggest cases. But as the saying goes, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Michael Vick’s mistake was Henry Hudson’s gold and he seized it quick as any.

Well congratulations to you Judge Henry Hudson. You have shown that it’s not about the guiding principles or courses of action set forth by the law. It’s not about what’s right or wrong. It’s about how you want your contemporaries to view you. It’s how you want people to remember you. “Judge Henry Hudson, the man who put Michael Vick away for two years.” It’s not about Michael Vick. At the end, it’s all about you.

What Did We Learn This Weekend?

Some things we learned this weekend:

Don’t talk trash about the Patriots. Yeah so much for all the predictions and guarantees about the Patriots losing this weekend huh? I remember talking to a friend of mine on the phone after the Ravens-Pats game a week ago and asking him if the Patriots lost that game. Reason? Because every single radio station was talking about how the formula to beat the Patriots had been discovered. John Seibel, on his god awful radio show “Sportsnation” on ESPN, kicked off his show with, and I quote, “What’s wrong with the Patriots?!” Ummm. I don’t know, they are undefeated last I checked and proved that they can win both blowouts and close games. Idiot. I don’t even know who that guy is who guaranteed the Steelers would win but Randy Moss made him call him Daddy, that’s for sure. It’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that the Patriots are going to go undefeated. All I want to see now is the Colts-Pats in the AFC Championship game because I think the Colts are the only team who have a legitimate shot at beating them. As good as the Cowboys are, and man they are good, they stand little to no chance of beating New England in the Super Bowl. And as much as I do not like the Patriots, I will say this; it is pretty badass how they don’t say a word all week and then absolutely punish teams on the football field. They exemplify the phrase, “let your play do the talking.”

Tony Romo is pretty amazing. It stings that I have to kick off both paragraphs with opinions about teams and players that I don’t like, but I am not blind to talent. Tony Romo is the real deal, as many have already said. Week after week, he manages to get better and better. The best thing about him is that he looks like Brett Favre in the sense that he plays the game with a fun, nonchalant attitude. As good as Carson Palmer is, dude is boring as hell to watch. The best quarterbacks in the NFL are Brady and Manning, in no order. However, the best quarterbacks THIS SEASON are Brady first, Romo second. Hands down.

The playoffs began this past week for some teams. Look at the NFC. It’s a lock that the Packers, Cowboys and Seahawks have won their division and will be the top three seeds in the playoffs. Tampa Bay is probably going to lock up the NFC South. That leaves two wild card spots. The Giants are 9-4 and have secured that 5^th spot unless they go on and have a major chokejob in the final 3 games. That leaves one last spot. Right now, the Vikings have the sixth spot with a 7-6 record. However, they play division rival Chicago, Washington, and at Denver for the season finale. Washington is the team who has the best chance to take the spot away from Minnesota, since they have the tiebreakers over slumping Detroit and Arizona. The Skins upcoming games? At New York Giants, at Minnesota, and home against Dallas who will probably be resting all of their starters. The Eagles and Bears both lost this week, ending their seasons. The next loss for Washington, Arizona, and Detroit will end their seasons. The Skins have got to win next week at division rival New York. IF they do, they will head in to face the 8-6 or 7-7 Vikings. Basically, what it comes down to is no one can afford to lose if they want a chance at that final wild card spot, so the playoffs have pretty much already begun in the NFC.

*In regards to my website updates, they are taking MUCH longer than expected. The template I’m using basically sucks is what it comes down to. We’ll see what we can do to get the videos etc up on here.*

Thursday Night Football Preview

For the first time since 1990, two NFC teams with a record of 10-1 will be going up against each other in the regular season. Last time, it was the Giants vs. the Niners, a game which was an ugly slugfest to the finish. San Francisco managed to win 7-3, but it was New York who had the last laugh as they became Super Bowl Champions that season. Tonight’s game brings a clash of America’s team versus America’s quarterback. Brett Favre brings his young team, whose only loss was a week five touchdown defeat to division rival Chicago. The Packers have won their last 4 games by scoring at least 31 points in each contest and have given up only 15 points a game on average during a stretch of their last 5 games. An even more impressive stat is that they are 14-1 since last Thanksgiving. People, understand that they have had the best record in the past 365 days; that includes the Patriots and Colts. Point being; they’re hot right now. Dallas hasn’t been quiet either. They’ve put together incredible second halves in which they absolutely demolish their opponents. Tony Romo is playing at an elite level, one that Dallas fans have not seen since Troy Aikman in his prime. Terrell Owens is being the beast of a wideout that we all know he can be, when he’s not busy destroying a locker room of course. Marion Barber requires a minimum of three defenders to bring him down. And oh, don’t forget that their only loss has been to undefeated New England. Okay so we all know the big stats and hoopla about this game, like it hasn’t been hyped up enough. Let’s get down to the nitty gritty, see who has what advantages, and see what’s what.

Quarterbacks

Brett Favre: 3,356 yards, 22 TDs, 8 INTS, 68.5% Completion Percentage, 101.5 QB Rating

Tony Romo: 3,043 yards, 29 TDs, 13 INTS, 66.2% Completion Percentage, 105.3 QB Rating

This looks to be an epic battle that deserves every bit of hype it has received so far. You’re talking about a battle between two generations. You’re looking at, arguably, one of the three best quarterbacks in the history of the game going against the young stud who’s playing better than everyone except Tom Brady this year. On the field, neither one of these two has any physical advantage. They both see everything, make the right reads, throw the ball into tight spots and make plays with their feet when needed. However, I give a slight, SLIGHT, edge to Favre on this one based on his experience in big games and the fact that Dallas’ secondary isn’t all that good.

Advantage: Green Bay

Runningbacks

Ryan Grant: 4.6 YPC, 494 Yards, 2 TDs, 0 Fumbles

Marion Barber: 4.9 YPC, 715 Yards, 7 TDs, 1 Fumble

The stats on this one may be deceiving and show that the comparision between the two is closer than it really is. But make no mistake about it, Marion Barber is the superior runningback and the Cowboys have the far superior run game. Not to mention, Barber splits carries with Julius Jones. The Packers lack of a running game was reason to doubt them early on, but to be fair, they have picked it up with the emergence of Grant as of late.

Advantage: Dallas

Wide Receivers

Donald Driver: 832 Yards, 13.2 Per Catch, 2 TDs

Greg Jennings: 625 Yards, 16.0 Per Catch, 9 TDs

James Jones: 594 Yards, 14.9 Per Catch, 2 TDs

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Terrell Owens: 1093 Yards, 17.1 Per Catch, 13 TDs

Patrick Crayton: 482 Yards, 14.6 Per Catch, 5 TDs

Sam Hurd: 177 Yards, 16.1 Per Catch, 1 TD

When people think about the receiver matchup, first thing that will come to mind is “Dallas has TO. They have the better wideouts.” But before you jump to that conclusion, realize that Donald Driver is only 261 yards off of TO’s pace and one less catch. Also, Greg Jennings is a much better deep threat and overall receiver than Patrick Crayton is. Jennings stretches the field much like Owens does for Dallas. James Jones is also a solid young wideout who makes big catches in big moments. Sam Hurd hasn’t made any impact thus far. So if you’re looking at the best wide receiver in the game, of course Dallas has the advantage. But as far as wide receivers as a group, Green Bay has more diversity and depth.

Advantage: Green Bay

Offensive Line:

Chad Clifton, Daryn Colledge, Scott Wells, Jason Spitz, Mark Tauscher

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Flozell Adams, Kyle Kosier, Andre Gurode, Leonard Davis, Marc Columbo

Green Bay is currently ranked number one as far as pass protection in the entire NFL. Their adjusted sack rate is 3.3% (this rate is composed of sacks per pass attempt adjusted for opponent, down, and distance). Considering how everyone KNOWS the Packers love to pass, this is very impressive. Their run protection is not very good; ranked 26^th overall but that comes as no surprise considering how rarely they ran the first 6 games of the season. More importantly, the run protection stat is irrelevant because the Packers run in nickel situations. They set up three wideouts and spread defenses out, leading to nice draw plays or pitches. The Cowboys pass protection is ranked 8^th in the league with an adjusted sack rate of 4.4%. They are amongst the top in run protection with a ranking of 7, gaining an average of 4.56 yards per carry. You have to figure that if you can pick up almost 5 yards per carry, on AVERAGE, things are going to be flowing pretty smoothly on offense.

Considering the styles of offense for both teams, I still give the advantage to Dallas. It’s a lot harder to stop a team with balanced running and passing than it is to stop a one dimensional team.

Advantage: Dallas

Tight Ends

Donald Lee: 39 Catches, 468 Yards, 12.0 Per Catch, 4 TDs

Jason Witten: 59 Catches, 750 Yards, 12.7 Per Catch, 6 TDs

There is no question here that Jason Witten is the better tight end. However, in the Green Bay passing system, Donald Lee is pretty darn good. Still, the Cowboys have the clear advantage here as tight ends usually have field days against the Packers linebackers.

Advantage: Dallas

Defensive Line

Dallas has the much better run defense as they give up less than 4 yards a carry to opposing runningbacks. Green Bay gives up slightly more than 4 (4.18 to be exact). The Cowboys have piled up 30 sacks thus far and the Packers 32. DeMarcus Ware has been a beast coming off the end but Aaron Kampman is no joke either. Ware plays in a 3-4 style defense which gives him the freedom to move around more like a linebacker than an end. Kampman plays a base 4-3, so he’s always going to be coming off the end. Still, Kampman has more sacks (11 to Ware’s 9) as well as only 6 less solo tackles than Ware. As great as Ware is, Kampman gets overlooked far too much because of who he plays for. (Okay damnit. I got busy at work and now it’s 4:30 so I’m running out of time to detail each position. Here is the summarized portion of the rest of the defense..) However, the secondary of the Cowboys gets scorched early and often. Roy Williams may be a solid hitter, but he has not matured into a consistent cover safety. If you watch him on every play, you’ll see that he takes an unnecessary number of risks. He bites on play action very hard and that’s why he gets burned at least once a game. Terrence Newman is a hard hitting, shut down corner but he can’t handle all three wide outs on his own. Green Bay brings Al Harris, a rough and tough physical corner who will put his fist in the grill of TO all night. I am really eager to watch that matchup and see if TO can stay composed and use his speed to shake Harris. Charles Woodson (game time decision) would be a huge help if he plays this game. I’d give the advantage, slightly, to the Packers when it comes to linebacking corps. They’re a solid young group of guys who bring hard hits and pressure on the quarterback, led by AJ Hawk.

D-Line Advantage: Dallas

Linebacker Advantage: Green Bay

Secondary Advantage: Green Bay

Special Teams: Green Bay

Prediction:

Dallas will get off to a slow start and Green Bay will jump ahead early. Dallas should catch up by halftime with the score being Green Bay 17-13. Green Bay will end up winning the game though in a high scoring affair, as their wide receivers and some guy named Brett Favre will be just too much.

FINAL SCORE:

GREEN BAY: 36

DALLAS: 27