The Green Bay Packers won their 4th Super Bowl last night over the Pittsburgh Steelers, and while it is easy to give MVP Aaron Rodgers all the credit I think two units really deserve recognition for the win last night, and that is the Packers offensive line and the Green Bay defense.

While you look at the numbers and you would say that the Packers offensive line gave up more sacks, pressures and hits than the Steelers offensive line, but the numbers don’t tell the whole story. The Packers offensive line continuously picked up the Steelers blitzes, and allowed Rodgers to throw the ball down field. If Rodgers checked down every time there was an overload blitz he might have never gotten sacked or hit in this game, but the Packers also might not have won. The Packers offensive line held the point of attack long enough for Rodgers to wait for his receivers to get open down the field, he might have paid a physical price, but it was worth it. Had the Packers offensive line not held up for as much as it did, my guess is you’d have seen the Packers have three turnovers and Steelers would be holding up the Lombardi trophy.

The other unit that isn’t getting near enough credit today is Dom Capers 3-4 defense. The Packers defense might have gotten on one sack, but they owned the offensive line of the Steelers (usually with even less blitzers). All you have to look at is the three turnovers and you will see just how great of a job the Packers coming up when it mattered most.

Late in the first quarter the Steelers were in the shadow of their end zone after a block in the back penalty on the kick-off. On the very next play Ben Roethlisberger went back to pass, and despite it being just a normal rush the pocket collapsed in front of him. Backup NT Howard Green just got under the pads of starting guard Chris Kemoeatu. Green drove him back into Roethlisberger and hooked the quarterbacks throwing arm. That meant the deep sideline pass to Mike Wallace was severely under-thrown and it fell into the waiting arms of safety Nick Collins. Collins made an impressive return and put up 7 more points for the Packers.

A couple drives later the Steelers had cut the lead to 14-3, and just stopped the Packers on a 3 and out. Despite an early penalty the Steelers were driving and had just entered Green Bay territory when their defense came up with another big play. Roethlisberger tried to hit Wallace again for a short pass over the middle when backup corner back Jarrett Bush read the play and stepped up and made the interception. Four plays later the Packers were in the end zone once again making it 21-3.

In the 2nd half the Steelers had cut the lead to 21-17, and seemed to have momentum on their side. Their defense had shut the Packers down the entire 3rd quarter, and the offense finally seemed to be in rhythm (not to mention the Packers had multiple injuries on defense). Then as the 4th quarter began, the defense stepped up once again. On a 2nd and 2 from the GB 33 yard line, the Packers got great penetration and had two tacklers in the backfield wrapping up running back Rashard Mendenhall, including All-Pro Clay Matthews Jr. who his helmet right on the ball popping it out. Linebacker Desmond Bishop recovered the fumble and returned it to the Green Bay 45. Three minutes and eight plays later the Packers were once again up 11, and that proved to be insurmountable for Pittsburgh.

While I’m not trying to take away Aaron Rodgers accomplishments, and I believe he made the most of his opportunities against an elite defense, I don’t think he is the main reason there will be a parade in Green Bay this week. The Packers got 21 points off turnovers, including the pick 6. And the other two touchdowns, the Packers only had to go half the field. Twice the Steelers looked poised to score, and the big play ability of the Packers defense, set up the offense to put up points. Without the Packers dominating defensive performance the Packers don’t come close to winning this game, and without the protection of the offensive line, the Steelers defense would have easily ruled the day.

Discuss the Super Bowl from start to finish in the comments portion of this blog! I’ll weigh in with thoughts through out the game in both the comments and in the actual post. Enjoy the game!

Prediction: I’ll go into some more detail later, but I like the Steelers in this game, it should be a close one but give me Pittsburgh 31-27!. What are your predictions? Answer below!

It’s game time who do you have ?

I think it will be a close one, but I like the Steelers balance and experience in this one. Their offensive line is a little weak, but Roethlisberger is the one quarterback, that can handle the blitz. Roethlisberger doesn’t win style points for his quarterback play, but this is football not figure staking. Roethlisberger gets the job done and that is all that matters. I think the Packers will keep this game close, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they have some butterflies and start off slow. I don’t expect a blowout, so this should be a fun game to watch.

A Guest Blog By Matt (aka Slick)

Welcome back slicksters… I suppose since there is but one football game remaining before another long spring/summer (thankfully hockey can carry us through mid june), I would bring back one last blog for your reading enjoyment…

Lets talk SUPER BOWL BABY!  the Cheeseheads and the Stillers are about to  break in Jerry Jones’ super stadium and who could ask for a better matchup?  well, i could, id like to see the Lions and the Browns play, but thats just me.  Anyway, seems like the weather has followed these teams all the way to Dallas dampening the festivities a bit, but certainly not haulting them.  lets just hope that everyone with tickets can get there…otherwise Stubhub is going to make a buck or two.

Ok lets talk money, and lets start with the obvious… There are two lines that everyone probably already knows, unless you have been hiding under a rock for the last 2 weeks.  GB is a 2.5 favorite and the TOTAL is 44ish.  So wait, explain to me first, how GB is favored?  Pitt has the better record, has the best defense in the league, and has a QB who does one thing better than any other QB in his first 5 years… win playoff games.  Not so fast, my friend.  In case you werent watching, the PACK have won 3 convincing games on the road and come in with almost as good of a Defense and the best Offense that PITT has seen since the PATS took them to town in the regular season.  GB will spread them out and GB will score.  Yes the defenses are both good, but just like in the BALT/PITT game, there will be points.

SLICKS SAYS……………………… – TAKE GB – 2.5 and TAKE OVER 44……………………………….. THE ONLY CHANCE PITT HAS TO WIN THIS GAME is to TAKE A CHEAP SHOT AT RODGERS AFTER THE WHISTLE OR A LATE HIT and TAKE HIM OUT OF THE GAME.  it is a small price to pay and i would not doubt seeing it happen.  a 15 yd penalty or two will be more than a fair trade-off for PITT if it takes RODGERS out of this game.  Look for PITT to try everything possible to hurt this guy as early as they can.  If they dont do it, GB wins going away.  GB 31, PITT 20.

Now, lets talk PROPS.  PROPS are FUN!

Coin Flip – Tails NEVER fails

First score – what else, of course it will be a FG.

First play Run or Pass - guaranteed RUN, yes even GB will run on the first play, i think

More Points Scored 1st Half or 2nd Half – 2nd Half, thats easy, GB will have a nice lead and PITT will score a couple later TDs to make a meaningless run at it.

Now the FUN ONES:

First Commercial – GO DADDY (i cant wait to see who their new spokesperson is – i hear she is a very attractive female hollywood star – YEAH!)

Over/Under 1115PM actual Eastern Standard Time of End of Game – OVER – this game may not end until midnight…most people will be home by halftime.  when will the NFL wake up and move this game to Saturday night!!??  seriously, forget the 18 game schedule, just fix the screwball OT rule and change it to the college OT rule and move the superbowl to saturday night)

Odds of a personal foul penalty in the game – 1 to 500 (do not mistake this for 500 to 1 – there WILL BE a few of these)

Odds that the roof on the dome will be open at game time – 1,000,000 to 1 (well, the weather is supposed to improve by sunday)

Odds that the roof will cave in from all of the snow like the Metrodome – 110,000 to 1 (that place was not built for snow, but im guessing a couple inches couldnt do too much damage)

Odds that Jerry Jones will be on the Packers sidelines barking at the players during the game in hopes that they will respond with a victory so that PITT doesnt win the superbowl on his field – 5 to 1.

Odds that Maurkice Pouncy plays a down – 25 to 1.  i still think this guy will try to go out there, even if it is after the game has been decided so there is no risk of injury, kind of like how bernie kosar got a snap in the super bowl.  yes bernie kosar won a super bowl ring.

Odds that a punt will hit the giant HD screen at cowboy stadium during the game – 7 to 1 – i dont see a lot of punts in the game, but im all about the hang time

Odds that Tiger Woods had an affair with a Cheerleader for the Steelers or the Packers – 0 (neither team has cheerleaders, he did however have relations with two cowboys cheerleaders, well he might have, you never know)

Odds that anyone you know can actually afford to buy a Super bowl ticket (single tickets on STUBHUB range from $2300 – $11,000 right now) – 250 to 1.

OVER/UNDER 2.5 more times that Chad OChocinco will change his name during the game - UNDER – the red tape will limit his opportunites to make too many before the end of the game, i see it happening two more times, just not 3.

And Finally, Odds that I win in any of my Block Pool (i have a few big ones going) - some would say 100 to 1, but i have a pittsburgh 7 and a green bay 6, so i like my chances.  ill lay 20 to 1 on that.

Enjoy the game slicksters – im open for business!

The New Orleans Saints made a statement yesterday, with their 31-17 victory over the Colts in Super Bowl 44.  They are for real, and the new power house in the NFC. Drew Brees was pretty much perfect after the 1st quarter yesterday, and was well deserving of the MVP award. Though two other people should have been considered for the award, and that is head coach Sean Payton and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. They both coached a brilliant game yesterday and put the Saints in a position to win.

While the Saints offensive line had no trouble keeping Brees upright, Payton did a great job of ensuring Brees had plenty of short and dump off targets to keep the chains moving. Brees and Payton more or less neutralized the Colts pass rush by staying out of 3rd and long passing situations. And Payton had the call of the year, by onsiding the 2nd half kickoff. What made the call even bolder was the fact that the earlier bold call, of going for it on 4th and goal didn’t go his way. That onside kick changed the course of the game, not only was the Colts defense unprepared to stop Brees, but I think it finally allowed the Saints to believe they could win the game.

The other coach that deserves a lot of credit is Williams, whose defense was the first to beat Peyton Manning this season. While overall the Saints had a great game plan, and much will be made about the interception return, three drives in particular epitomized the Saints performance yesterday. The first was the Colts first drive of the game. Manning was moving the Colts down the field, and it looked like a given that they would be putting 7 points on the board. Instead the Saints defense tightened up and held them to a field goal. The next key drive of the game, was early in the 4th quarter after the Saints cut the Colts lead to 17-16, and Peyton Manning converted a 4th and 2 to the Saints 32. Again it seemed as though Peyton was about to score and make it an 8 point lead. At the very least, the Colts needed about 3-5 yards to attempt a fairly makable field goal, instead the Saints forced them to lose 3 yards and Indianapolis missed a 51-yard field goal (which also gave the Saints offense great field position). The last defensive drive of the game, really showed the Saints tenacity. Manning drove the Colts down to the Saints 13 with just under two minutes remaining and a pair of timeouts. Sure the Colts would have needed to score and get the onside kick, but it looked like the Colts were about to make it a one score game, yet they never found the endzone. All-in-all it was a tremendous performance by the Saints defense to bend, but not break to the Colts offense.

The real MVP of the game of course was the field general, Drew Brees. After the first quarter Brees went 29 of 32 and just left the Colts guessing. He did a fantastic job of executing Sean Payton’s game plan, and constantly kept the chains and the clock moving. Brees’ performance was even more impressive given the fact that the Saints running game completely disappeared last night, managing just 51 yards and 2.8 yards per carry. Despite being one dimensional, the Saints passing attack was incredibly effective. Hopefully with the Super Bowl win and MVP award, Brees will start being thought of among the elite quarterbacks in the league (in all honesty outside of Peyton, who can you say is better than Brees?). It shouldn’t be to much of a debate though since I don’t see the Saints going anywhere as long as Brees is behind center.

New Orleans Saints:

Why They Can Win:  The Saints had the league’s best offense this season, led by one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks, Drew Brees. While Brees has his favorite targets in receivers Marques Colston and Devery Henderson, he does a great job of distributing the ball to all his backs, receivers, and tight ends. Brees has one of the league’s top pass blocking offensive lines, giving him the time to get the ball downfield. Though the Saints o-line are top notch pass protectors their specialty is run blocking. The Saints had the 6th best rushing attack this season, which is impressive considering their passing attack and the lack of a true feature back. Instead of one workhorse, the Saints have a three-headed monster in the backfield with Pierre Thomas, Mike Bell, and Reggie Bush. The Saints defense isn’t nearly as good as their offensive counterparts, but they do have one major strength, turnovers. Be it luck or skill, the Saints are always around the ball forcing turnovers and creating points or scoring opportunities.

Why They Can’t Win: The Saints defense collapsed at the end of the season. First, they almost lost to both the Washington Redskins and Atlanta Falcons (without Matt Ryan), before losing their last three games against the Cowboys, Buccaneers and Panthers (The Carolina game was against many 2nd stringers). Major holes were exposed in pass coverage, and the Saints front seven couldn’t stop any rushing attacks. While its easy to point to their playoff wins against the Cardinals and Vikings and proclaim that those problems are behind them, that may be a bit premature. For one thing both of those games were at home, an advantage they won’t have tonight. Secondly, the Arizona game could easily be an aberration, since they injured Kurt Warner severely limiting the Cardinals ability to produce offensively. Lastly, the defense wasn’t the cause for beating the Vikings, as Minnesota handed them the game with their fumbling issues. Favre and Peterson torched the Saints defense that day (though Peterson coughed up the game later), and the Saints caught plenty of lucky breaks with questionable officiating calls (If they try to go low on Manning you can bet there will be a penalty). So basically for the last two months the only time the Saints were able to slow down an opposing offense is when they injured a quarterback (and that didn’t even work against Favre).

Indianapolis Colts:

Why They Can Win: While it seems simplistic to boil this game down to Peyton Manning vs the Saints defense, he really is the biggest difference maker on the field. Drew Brees is one of the best quarterbacks in the league and is in the prime of a Hall of Fame career, Manning is the best quarterback in the league, and is in the midst of becoming the best quarterback ever. There is no definitive way to stop him, or slow him down. Earlier this season in a game against the Miami Dolphins (a game which was held at Sunlife Stadium), the Dolphins held the ball for more than 45 minutes, yet Manning was able to throw for 300 yards and lead the Colts to 27 points. One of the long standing truths in football is if you have the ball for 3/4ths of the game you will win. In the Championship game against the Jets, New York blitzed Manning and took away his top two receivers, Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark. Yet Manning was unfazed, throwing for over 370 yards and 3 touchdowns. Whats most impressive is that Manning is able to do what he does, despite not having a balanced attack. The Colts rushing game finished dead last in the league, even though they have two former 1st round picks in the backfield, and an offensive line that allowed the fewest sacks in the league. Now partly that is due to the fact the offensive line is fairly overrated. They might have allowed the fewest sacks, but much of that has to do with Manning himself. No quarterback is better at reading pre-snap blitzes, allowing him to change the play and/or tell the offensive line who to block. In addition Manning is one of best quarterbacks at feeling the pressure and getting the ball away. Now Manning doesn’t do it solely alone, he does have his share of weapons on offense. In addition to Wayne and Clark (who both had 100 catches this season), Austin Collie, Pierre Garcon and Joseph Addai all have a big role in the passing attack. It’s not nearly as diverse as the Saints, but effective nonetheless. The Colts defense sometimes is misaligned as not being very good, but that is a mistake to count them out. They are notorious for giving up big yards, but then clamping down in the Red Zone. While its not always pretty, they always come up big in major games or situations.

Why They Can’t Win: The Colts defense is good, but they are not without weaknesses. They usually do better against one-dimensional teams, something the Saints are not. Their rushing defense has had major holes this season, and could be something the Saints can exploit. The Colts pass defense relies on the pressure generated by their front four, which is problematic against the Saints top notch offensive line, and Drew Brees quick release. That problem is even more of an issue if DE Dwight Freeney’s ankle prevents him from being 100% today. The injuries to Freeney and Wayne are going to be key today. While both should play, they will need to be at the top of their game for the Colts to win.

Outcome: Both teams have plenty going for them, and weaknesses that can be their downfall. In the end I think the Colts win behind Manning. I don’t think the Saints can get to Peyton enough to disrupt the offense, and if they aren’t getting to him then that means receivers will be open. On the flip side I believe the Colts defense will do enough to slow down Brees and company enough to walk away with the Lombardi Trophy. Colts win 34-23.

Just How Good is Peyton Manning?:  When the Colts were down by 11, I think the Jets and their fans thought they could be Super Bowl bound, but they forgot about Manning. He absolutely went off on the number 1 ranked defense yesterday. And it didn’t seem to bother him that Darrelle Revis took away half the field, because Manning dominated the other half. For all we hear about Manning’s weapons of Wayne and Clark (a pair of former 1st round picks), it was Pierre Garcon (6th round 2008, Mount Union) and Austin Collie (4th round 2009, BYU) that dominated the Jets defense. It was just an all-around incredible performance by Manning yesterday, and showed why he is the best quarterback in the league.

Future Looking Brighter for Sanchez:  Mark Sanchez has had a tough rookie year and has been the weakest quarterback in the playoffs so far. He had shown flashes of being a good quarterback, but that was mostly against weaker competition and had also cost the Jets a few games this season. Of late though he’d been fairly mistake free, not because of major improvement in his game, but rather because of a much simpler passing attack. Sanchez was pretty much regulated to ‘safe’ intermediate and short throws so far in the playoffs. Yesterday though Sanchez had his best game of the playoffs (and his young career), he showed much better decision making and poise in the pocket. He didn’t try to force the ball in to coverage, and really showed something against a big team in the biggest game of his career. Now Sanchez has some things to work on, accuracy being the primary concern, but in 2-3 years Sanchez could become a pretty good starting quarterback.

Saints Go Marching On:  Who would have thought it would have been the Saints defense and special teams that sent them to the Super Bowl? While their defense got torched with yards and penalties, they came up with enough big plays to win yesterday. And how huge was the Peterson fumble right before half after the Bush muffed punt? That Saints defense all season has just been relentless in getting takeaways, and showed it again last night. Gregg Williams and company deserve most of the credit for that victory, because Favre had a great game yesterday. Think of what he would have done if he actually had time in the pocket? The Saints pass rush completely dominated the Vikings offensive line and had Favre on the ground quite a bit. The Saints defense was the key to the game, and is why they will be making their first Super Bowl appearance.

Just How Tough is Brett Favre?:  Now I realize all the talk now is about that last interception, and on whether or not it was Favre’s last game (again). But really we need to acknowledge that yesterday’s loss was on two things:  the offensive line play, and lack of ball control. Not only did the Saints recover a fumble inside the Vikings 20 yard line, but Minnesota coughed it up twice when they were at the Saints 10 yard line! And the offensive line, which had begun to collapse at the end of the season, looked awful yesterday. They couldn’t handle the stunts and blitz packages New Orleans was throwing at them, and Favre paid the price. Not only was he getting hit hard (and sometimes illegally), but he was injured and in obvious pain. Favre played well enough to win that game by a couple of touchdowns, but his 0-line and the fumbles cost them dearly.