WIN OR GO HOME

Follow me on twitter @scashhomey


While I am sitting in my home office in a suburb of Atlanta, GA, I just realized that there are currently some extremely nervous individuals in Foxboro, MA and San Francisco, CA. That is because Sunday’s games will be a career defining moment for many of their participants. Tom Brady can add to his legend by leading his team to a fifth Super Bowl appearance. He is also married to a super-model that is actually richer than he is, which is much more important in my book. Ray Lewis can set up the perfect way to exit the playing field and begin an equally lucrative career on the corporate motivational speaking circuit. Alex Smith can tell all of his critics/haters to kiss his A$$ (I’m pretty sure I’ll get the first email) if he manages a victory on Sunday. If Eli Manning wins Sunday and makes it to another Super Bowl, I will have to stop calling him Gomer Pile, and more importantly, Peyton will have to start treating him with some measure of respect and actually call him by his real name. Then there’s the quarterback that is crying out for attention and respect, Joe Flacco. I’m sure that he feels that by leading the Ravens to a Super Bowl appearance, he will finally be mentioned with the greats. I hate to be the one to break the news to him, but win or lose on Sunday, public perception of him is not going to change. If they win, he won’t get any credit, it will all go to Ray Rice, and their defensive stars. While a loss will certainly be pinned squarely on his chest. I’m not saying its right, but that’s just the way it is.

This is the most difficult weekend of the year for all NFL players. A victory, will mean that you will get to live out your childhood dream and play in the Super Bowl. A loss will be absolutely heartbreaking. There are no guarantees in professional sports, and I can’t imagine any feeling being worst than being on the doorstep of accomplishing your dream, but your key doesn’t work. I’m a guy that would rather lose by 50, than lose by 1. It’s much better to not come close to your dream, than to come close and then have it all snatched away. Fortunately (for some) and unfortunately (for others), the outcomes of Sunday’s games are going to be life altering for the participants. The question is, will it be life altering in a good way, or a bad way? Two of these teams will have one more game to play, and two of them will just be a footnote in NFL history. Now it’s time to determine, who will win and who will be going home. My predictions for Championship Weekend are….

Ravens vs. Patriots
These two teams are polar opposites, yet very evenly matched. The Patriots have the advantage at quarterback, while the Ravens have just as big of an advantage at the running back position. Chad Ochocinco leads a Patriots group of receivers and tight ends that will ensure that the Ravens defense has to cover every single blade of grass on the field. (Yeah I know Chad is done, but he still thinks that he is a good player, so I’m going to play along for now.) While defending the high-powered New England offense, will be quite the challenge, Baltimore has a defense that will indeed be up to the task. There isn’t an offensive lineman on the Patriots roster that can contain “Sizzle”. The BSHU alum will definitely put a few good hits on Brady during this game. At the second level of the defense is Ray Lewis. Has he lost a step? Sure he has, maybe even two. Considering the level that he played at in his prime, him losing a step basically means that he is now playing at only a Pro Bowl level. He plays the game mentally and will ensure that his defense is always in position to make the correct play. While New England doesn’t run the ball very much, by choice, the presence of Ray Lewis will ensure that they don’t run the ball because he said they can’t run the ball. Then on the back end there is Ed Reed. He is looking to get rid of the title of “Best Safety in NFL history without a Super Bowl ring”, and simply be known as the “Best Safety in NFL history”.

I noticed last week (and throughout the season), that Joe Flacco gets away with a lot of throws. He often throws to covered receivers. I don’t know if that is because he has that much faith in his receivers, or because he knows his receivers can’t get separation and he is just hoping that they make the catch. This would normally make me nervous for Raven fans, but the New England secondary is ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE! They can’t cover their beds with a blanket. Not only is the Patriots secondary among the league worst, their pass rush doesn’t exactly strike fear in the hearts of opponents either. This should make Flacco and he receivers very happy.

Offenses all over the league exploded this year and put up numbers never seen before. This year alone there were three 5,000 yard passers and six quarterbacks who topped 4,500 passing yards. That being said, I am still a believer in the old football adage, that offense sells tickets while defense wins championships. I am not the only one who believes this to still be true. There are lots of people in Baltimore that feel the same way that I do. While the Patriots have the better offense, Baltimore will be the only team on the field in Foxboro on Sunday that plays anything that resembles defense. For that reason I am picking the Baltimore Ravens to beat the New England Patriots to and represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. At the start of the season, I picked the Ravens to make it to the Super Bowl, and they have not given me any reason to waver (maybe I thought twice after the losses to Seattle, Tennessee, and Jacksonville, but that’s not the point right now).

Prediction: Ravens 27 – Patriots 21


Giants vs. 49ers
Alex Smith was the first overall pick in a draft that included Aaron Rodgers. Boy did the 49ers get that one wrong! I remember watching that draft and saying to my friends, “What the hell are they doing? You never draft a system quarterback from Utah with the first pick in the draft.” I knew it was a horrible mistake on draft day, and today I still know it was a horrible mistake. Fast forward seven years from that horrible day in 49ers history, and the same Alex Smith has the 49ers one game away from the Super Bowl. Actually I should say that the 49ers have Alex Smith one game away from the Super Bowl. Alex Smith has morphed into the modern day Trent Dilfer. He has one job, DON’T TURN THE BALL OVER! This year he has done that job remarkably well. He leads the NFL if fewest interceptions thrown in the regular season, with only five. That is quite commendable, even if he only threw for 3,144 yards and 17 touchdowns. Thanks to excellent coaching and very careful play and game management, Alex Smith has raised his level of play to that of a late third round pick. While he isn’t talented enough to ever play up to his draft position, he can at least stop being mentioned among the worst 1st overall picks in NFL history. That trophy can now be engraved with JaMarcus Russell’s name. That debate is officially over.

While Alex Smith doesn’t lose games, the 49ers defense definitely wins games. They have studs at every level. There is Justin Smith on the defensive line. Patrick Willis, Navarro Bowman, and Aldon Smith at the linebacker positions, and a hard-hitting, ball-hawking secondary led by Carlos Rogers and DaShon Goldson. Going into the Saints game, I thought the fact that the 49ers defense hits extremely hard would be the difference in the game, because the Saints are a bit of a soft team. Unfortunately for the 49ers, their opponents on Sunday won’t be intimidated at all. No one can call the Giants soft (excluding Brandon Jacobs), and they will hit back just as hard as the 49ers will hit them.

I never thought I would say this, but Eli Manning is the real deal. He is without a doubt an elite quarterback in the league, and I would rank him somewhere between 5 and 8 if I were to rank them. He has the Giants offense clicking, and they look like an unstoppable machine. That being said, they will definitely be tested by the 49ers on Sunday. Fortunately for Eli, the Giants have the best defensive line in football, and they will pretty much ensure that the 49ers’ already limited offense will be unproductive. While I don’t see the Giants putting up a big number against the San Francisco’s defense, I see them doing enough to win the game. Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks will make just enough plays to punch the Giants ticket to Indianapolis for a meeting with the Ravens.

Prediction: Giants 17 – 49ers 9


And now for my Baller & Scrub of the Week….

BALLER – Kyle Williams: You’re probably saying who? Kyle Williams is a wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers. Personally, I’m shocked that he isn’t a household name. I mean he did catch 20 passes for 241 yards and 3 touchdowns this season. Before you laugh, just know that he had better numbers this season than the Scrub of the Week (listed below). Williams is not the Baller of the Week because of his hands. He earns this award because of his toughness. It was Williams that made the key block on a Saints defensive lineman that led to Alex Smith’s touchdown run in last week’s game. As a result of that play, the mainstream media have been singing the praises of Jim Harbaugh for the “gutsy” play call and Alex Smith for the run. They both deserve the credit that they have received for the play. However, the play does not happen without an excellent “crack-back” block by Williams.

Personally, I do not like the way that football is televised. They focus on following the ball, which is the best way for a casual football fan to watch the game. That is after all who the networks are targeting with their coverage. However, an end zone view from behind the defense (the all-22 view) is by far the best way to watch the game. This view allows the viewer to see entire plays develop, and would have made it very easy to see the block that sprung Alex on his great touchdown run.

Watch #10 closely in the clip below. You will see that his block was indeed what made the play.



Unfortunately for him, he didn’t get the attention that he deserved from the national media for an excellent block. For what’s it’s, I saw the block as it happened (as the camera focused on following the ball), and I salute you, Kyle Williams for making the play that kept your team in the game.

SCRUB – Terrell Eldorado Owens: Initially I felt as though Owens deserved this dubious distinction for managing to earn and blow nearly $70 million in football earnings before his 40th birthday. Then I discovered that his middle name is “Eldorado”. Really?! Let’s all pause for the cause and take a moment to think about how bad he was teased growing up with that middle name. I do have one question for his parents. Was conceived in the back seat of a Cadillac, or if his dad just dreamed of having a Cadillac Eldorado some day? No matter what the answers to my questions are, it’s a terrible thing to name a child, and I’m surprised CPS never came to his rescue with a court-ordered name change.

All jokes aside, I am terribly disappointed in Eldorado for being stupid enough to blow what could grow to become generational wealth, with wise investing and careful spending, before his 40th birthday. There are often stories of big name athletes making a fortune during their career, only to become broke during their retirement. Eldorado is broke due to a combination of paying the way for his entire family, making several bad real estate investments, having four children that he must support by four different women (approximately $44,000 per month), allowing people to take advantage of him financially, entering into an assortment of bad business deals, and simply being stupid. His biggest fault was trusting others with his money. That is the biggest mistake anyone could ever make. According to Eldorado, his financial advisors and lawyers told him,”You take care of football, and we’ll take care of the rest.” He actually believed them, and was shocked when he ran out of money. Apparently he was raised to trust the word of all others when it comes to your money, because they will always lookout for your best interest and never take advantage of your stupidity. I guess he didn’t pay attention at the NFL’s rookie symposium when they teach new players how to handle their money and other off-field issues. I know that he played four years at UT-Chattanooga, but I do not know if he actually earned a degree. If he did, the school should either lose its accreditation or take back his degree, because he is too stupid to be a college graduate.

The fact that Eldorado has been toxic to nearly every locker room he has ever entered as a professional is why he is out of work today. He is a physical specimen who can still be among the league’s elite receivers. Yet no team has even been interested in working him out. The bad far outweigh the good when it comes to Eldorado. Jerry Rice who is arguably the best to ever play the position (and the best to ever play the game in some people’s opinion) played until he was forty-two, yet Eldorado who is in better shape than Rice ever was and is still faster than Rice could have ever dreamed of being is virtually unemployable at the age of 38. The difference is that Jerry Rice never caused issues in the locker room, while Eldorado has the reputation of being the worst teammate in the history of professional sports. This reputation is also affecting him off the field because he is yet to receive a lucrative network job to be an NFL analyst. Most great players are assured of these coveted positions, if they want them. Even Jerry Rice has gotten an analyst position, even though he has yet to learn the English language. This proves that no one is willing to hire Eldorado and risk him destroying the chemistry in the workplace.

This is really a sad story, and the very embodiment or the saying, “You reap what you sow.” Eldorado’s past has come back to bite him and he is in a terrible predicament with very few options. I don’t wish any ill will to anyone, so I sincerely hope that Eldorado’s fortunes take a turn for the better. However, if they don’t, he could always marry and divorce Kobe Bryant. That seems to be an extremely lucrative business at the moment.


Follow me on twitter @scashhomey