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How many of you had to get an oxygen tank at some point today? These playoffs are been thrilling down to the wire in almost every game, and Conference Championship Sunday lived up to expectations. Both games went down to the wire and left us with two worthy Super Bowl contestants. Let’s break them down in The Final Drive!

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With the Draft a few days away, I wanted to get my claims to idiocy behind me. After my AFC grades, I knew I was in for a bit of let-down with the opposing conference. All the surprises (both good and bad) were clustered in the NFC. So let’s get to the self-degradation!

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That could have gone… better.

Four years after the Bears made their run to a Super Bowl loss, Lovie Smith had his boys back in an NFC championship against the rival Packers. The stage was set for an epic win… or deflating defeat. Well, the latter came to fruition as the Bears dropped a heartbreaker on their home turf (re: dirt.)

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This is it. The best Sunday of football in the entire football calendar. (Yes, better than the Super Bowl.) Today we get to see the Bears and Packers meet up at Soldier Field and the Steelers and Jets rough it up in Pittsburgh. Here are the breakdowns of today's action.

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For only the second time in their storied history, the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers will meet in the playoffs. In 1941, the game was for the NFL’s then Western Section championship. In 2010, the NFC Championship and a trip to Dallas for the Super Bowl will be on the line. The Windy City is at a fever-pitch with anticipation. Now comes the part where they have to actually play. Ya know, that whole football thing. I’m done fluffing up this game now; let’s just get to the break down!

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PART 1: NFC

For many NFL fans the eve of NFL kickoff takes on the feeling of a kid on Christmas Eve, the excitement, anticipation, surprises that lay ahead.  But for all the football fans out there, the feelings aren’t about gifts and presents, but about seeing how all the unanswered questions that have built up in the offseason will be answered this year. And believe me; every team has their share of question marks.

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The Cardinals finished last season .500. It wasn’t playoff worthy nor was it very impressive. The fact is the Cardinals play in a bad division where the only team that should make the playoffs from it every year is the Seattle Seahawks. However, the Cardinals actually have a lot of talent on their team, it’s a shame that it couldn’t translate to victories last season. The Cardinals have improved their team via the draft with quite possibly my favorite rookie players, with the exception of Glen Dorsey and Darren McFadden. So lets take a look at the Cardinals this year.

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I find it disconcerting when the worst offensive line in football gets a backup quarterback with known concussion problems. It also doesn’t help that this team finished last season with a 3-13 record. What is wrong with the St. Louis Rams? Its simple. They are an old team playing in a young man’s game. Things can get better. Will they this year? No. They still haven’t fixed their problems at the offensive line. Without a line, you have no running game and the passing game suffers as well. The quarterbacks had very little protection last year and got destroyed in the backfield. Which is why I still don’t understand the signing of Trent Green. That is only going to bring up more questions about the danger of the game of football. Green won’t retire, Roger Goodell should keep a close eye on this situation.

Continue reading "32 Teams in 32 Days, Team #23: The St. Louis Rams"

I believe that a 5-11 record is misleading. The 49ers are a much worse team then that. Perhaps it’s the fact that they play in a horrible NFC West division. Perhaps it’s the lack of playmakers. Whatever the reason, the 49ers are not a good team and they haven’t been for quite some time. This is not the team of Montana and Rice. This is not the team that won 4 superbowls. The team that this organization fields is a disgrace to the great 49er teams of old and I am trying to say that in the nicest way possible.

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The Seattle Seahawks ended last season with a 10-6 record and a loss in the second round of the playoffs to the Green Bay Packers. There were good aspects of the team and of course there were bad aspects of the team. Losing fullback Mack Strong to injury and eventually retirement hurt this team a lot. He paved a lot of holes for running backs in Seattle. Star running back Shaun Alexander seemed to lose his game last season, he just never seemed to do something great. We’ll get back to the running game a little bit later on, but lets us first see what we can expect this year.

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a 7-9 record was not good enough to get the Panthers into the playoffs last year. Most of that can be blamed on their quarterback problems last season. Jake Delhomme was having a fantastic year until the injury bug hit him hard and ended his season. This forced the Panthers to play the under-achieving David Carr, a man I feel should not even be playing in the NFL, let alone starting for any franchise. Things got so bad in Carolina, that they even went out and got the older-then-God Vinny Testaverde. Testaverde played ok, but it wasn’t what this team needed to have success. Lets face it, the season was over when Delhomme went down. The offensive line played terribly last season. Delhomme may not have been able to avoid the injury, but Carr was getting killed back there when he played. The Panthers needed to fix that offensive line coming into this year. They did pick up a couple of good draft picks. Jeff Otah from Pittsburgh will be a great addition to the line. I don’t think its going to be enough, but lets hope for the Panther’s sake that the offensive line can come through.

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The Saints were the surprise story of the 2006 NFL season. They exploded onto the scene with new superstar Reggie Bush in their offense. They managed to make it all the way to the NFC Championship Game before falling to the Chicago Bears. 2006, was a great year for every New Orleans’ fan. However, 2007 was not so great. The Saints lost their first 4 games. In what seemed to be a meltdown, The Saints did everything they could to get back into the season. They finally were able to win a game. Not only that, they strung 4 wins together. They then lost 2. This pattern would continue until the Saints would finish the season with a 7-9 record and they would end up missing the playoffs as well. It wasn’t the year they were expecting and this year they must do everything they can to get back to being a contender.

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“With the 3rd pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, the Atlanta Falcons select Matt Ryan, Quarterback, Boston College.” The stain of Michael Vick has finally been dissolved. With the drafting of Matt Ryan, the Atlanta Falcons are finally ready to move on. They have drafted a worthy franchise Quarterback and the re-building has finally begun to take place. Does this mean the Falcons will be successful in the 2008 season? Of course not, but this is a giant step in the right direction. No more Michael Vick. Welcome to Atlanta, Matt Ryan.

Continue reading "32 Teams in 32 Days, Team #13: The Atlanta Falcons"

America’s Team. They have had their rough years, they have had their great years, but through it all they always remain on the hearts and minds of America. The Dallas Cowboys. Since their reign of dominance in the early 1990's, the Cowboys have not looked like a sure fire Superbowl contender until last year. Lat year, they dominated the NFC en route to winning their division and leading their conference. But then as if written out of a storybook, the Dallas Cowboys choked in their first playoff game to the eventual Superbowl Champion New York Giants. And once again Tony Romo ended the season with a sour taste in his mouth. Few can forget, Tony Romo’s botched field goal hold in the 2006 season during the playoffs. He fumbled the snap and because of that, the Dallas Cowboys lost that game. In the 2007 season, the Cowboys looked dominate and it seemed that they were going to be in the Superbowl, but they couldn’t even make it past their first game. The Cowboys come into the 2008 season with everything to prove. They are looking for relevance. Looking to get to the Superbowl. Looking to silence all the critics who say they choke. And with a team like their’s, who’s to say they can’t do just that?

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The Eagles ended the 2007 season with a 8-8 record and did not make the playoffs. Considering they play in the toughest division in the NFC probably has something to do with that. However, there is so much more that bothers me about the Eagles. Their offense plays well one week and then struggles the next. Donovan McNabb plays like an elite quarterback one game and then the next game people start talking about him being traded or that year being the his last in Philly. What bothers me the most about the Philadelphia Eagles is the lack of loyalty from its fans. They have been booing Donovan McNabb since he was drafted. They are the toughest fans to please. They call it passion. But to be honest, I think even the best teams would struggle to please these fans. With fans like them who needs enemies?

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The Washington Redskins are quite the team. No matter how bad they do people always want to watch them. They get very good national television ratings despite what their record may be. They struggle to make things happen, but when they do the crowd erupts as if they just won the Superbowl. I must admit I too enjoy watching the Redskins. Its odd that a team with as many playmakers as they have can’t win more games. They did make the playoffs last year, but lost to the Seahawks in the first round. They will be looking to make it back to the playoffs this year, but there are things they need to work on.

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The Super Bowl Champs. They are returning to the gridiron this year with thoughts of repeating. They want to defend their title and prove to the world that beating the 18-0 New England Patriots was no fluke. The New York Giants shocked the world when they pulled off that miraculous upset. It seemed as though in one game, Eli Manning grew up, jumped out of the shadow of older brother Peyton, and suddenly became a great Quarterback. You have got to be kidding me. Yeah they were good last year at the right time, but the New York Giants in no way earn my respect. They are a team that got lucky. End of story.

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Brett Favre is without a doubt my all-time favorite quarterback. The way he approached each and every game was awe-inspiring. You never knew what you were gonna get when you saw Brett Favre play. He has been a staple on my fantasy football teams for the last 3 years, which totals the amount of time I’ve actually been playing fantasy football. But Brett Favre is retired. He retired after giving a very emotional speech which left him teary eyed. He retired after what seemed to be his best season in a long time, taking his Packers all the way to the NFC Championship game and losing in a heartbreaking overtime finish to the New York Giants, the eventual Superbowl Champions. He retired after breaking basically every Quarterback record of meaning, finishing the 2007 season with 442 touchdown passes, 61,655 passing yards, and 160 career wins and he also started 253 consecutive regular season games, the most by any quarterback in the history of the league. Yes indeed, Brett Favre is one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game, but after a 17 year career, his time is over.

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The Fantasy season has arrived and as owners begin to mock draft, form their strategies, and get set to dominate their leagues (or lose terribly), the question that is on everyones mind is, Who should go #1 in all fantasy drafts?  San Diego Running Back Ladainian Tomlinson or Minnesota Running Back Adrian Peterson? Both of these plow shares have a huge case for them. Peterson, last year’s rookie sensation. Tomlinson, the top running back for the last two years. So how does one decide who should go first?

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This is something that I really am a lost for words. Every year the NFL stages a Pro Bowl where players are voted for and chosen to play in this annual event in Hawaii. Maybe it's because it's Hawaii is the reason the NFL continues to stage this ultimate boring game. They changed the rules so no one can get hurt, but they do. Many players seem to pass on it a couple of weeks before the time of the game. IT just seems like a waste of time anymore.

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