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Imagine viewing results of a Super Bowl prediction on a map…who wins Super Bowl XLIII. I’m going out on a limb here, but I’d bet the only ‘red’ state would be Arizona. There’s no question that the Cardinals are the underdog going into this game. The Steelers have been strong all year…12-4 on the season, 6-2 on the road (including a win in Jacksonville…that’s a Florida reference in case you’re wondering), and arguably the most stiffling defense in the NFL.
Kurt Warner. The former grocery store shelf stocker will undoubtedly be the key to the Cardinals’ offense. His uncanny ability to go ‘Arena League on that ass’ (cue 1812 Overture) has been more than effective this season. And he’s got the tools to hit a homerun at will — once he figures out the Steelers plan of attack. And although we can anticipate the Steelers getting in his face every down, it’s safe to say that it will only bother Warner briefly…as witnessed in the NFC Conference Championship against Philly. The Steelers D is fast and furious. But I believe it shouldn’t take too long for Warner to adjust.
Unlike the Steelers, the Cardinals’ offense has a knack for climbing out of holes. In fact, they had to fight back in each of the last three playoff appearances.
One last tidbit…according to NFL.com, the team with a higher yards per pass average has over an 88% chance of winning the Super Bowl. The Cardinals have to hope Kurt Warner can stay healthy. Leinart isn’t ready to come out of the hottub just yet.
Edgerrin James & the Rushing Crew. “Really, Derrich? Edge? You’ve lost your mind.” Maybe. Although Edge only rushed for 514 yards during the regular season, he’s also part of the reason the Cardinals’ can claim the top spot in the NFC despite on the league’s lowest regular season rushing offense. But he and his running buddies have clearly stepped their game up during the postseason averaging over 110 yards per game. Edge has become a vital cog in Arizona’s offensive machine. While it’s unlikely that Edge will break it open for any long bursts, his improved contribution will help keep the Steelers D honest.
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Defense! If Darnell Dockett and Antonio Smith have anything to say about it, the Cardinals should be able to take care of the Steelers otherwise effective running game. During the playoffs, the Cardinals front men have held three of the league’s premiere rushing attacks (Atlanta, Carolina and Philly) to less than 100 yards. And don’t forget Adrian Wilson. Some believe the unsung hero of the Cardinals defense may be slightly past his prime, but there’s one accolade he hasn’t achieved. That’s a ring.
The defense will also have the challenge of bothering Big Ben. How tough can it really be? Roethlisberger hasn’t done a great job of staying in the pocket, and has been quick to run. The Cardinals will definitely exploit this part of Big Ben’s game hoping to force him to make bad throws…or better yet hit the surf. During the regular season, he tossed 17 scores, but 15 picks…and he has been sacked 51 (46 regular season) times up through Sunday’s contest. Only Matt Cassel was sacked more times during the regular season (47).
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Larry Fitzgerald. It’s obvious. Fitz is hot right now…arguably playing at the top of his game. And it doesn’t hurt that Anquan Boldin is looking for some time in the limelight either. The Steelers secondary may have a tough time trying to decide which of these two threats to load up on. The Steelers do have Troy Polamalu to aleviate some of that uncertainty. But if the game comes down to one homerun play, it’s safe to say that Larry Fitzgerald, or Anquan Boldin for that matter, are ready to perform. Oh yeah. Don’t forget about Steve Breaston either. He pulled in 77 receptions for 1,006 yards during the regular season.
The more I thought about these things, the more it made sense that Arizona has a great shot at winning this game. While at first I thought it would be a blowout in favor of the Steelers (superior defense, tougher schedule), now I can’t help but believe that Arizona will win this thing. I’m out of my mind.
Popularity: 14% [?]
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Tampa Bay is hosting its fourth Super Bowl. Despite the number of Tampa’s attractions that the city’s tourism bureau would like for you to visit, one industry in particular is looking forward to the big game. It is believed that there are as many as 43 skrip clubs in the Tampa metro. SI.com has some interesting insight to the “Tampa Strip”. Somebody pass me a steak…and shrimp.
How hard is it to get Super Bowl tickets? Well, not that hard at all…just expensive. StubHub.com has a bunch of tickets listed starting at $1,600 per seat up to $10,000 per seat. And if you have $100k to blow and 15 friends (or strippers from the night before) you like alot, you can buy a luxury suite.
Hey, Tony. I can’t stand girls with twig-like physiques, but what did you do to Jessica? Seriously, though…I’m not making fun. But I’m not gonna lie. This is definitely surprising. Somebody pass me the chips and pizza.
Is Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald the greatest wide receiver ever? If the Steelers win the Super Bowl, will they be the greatest team in NFL history? Did you know that Bill Cowher once coached the Steelers? And did you know that Ken Whisenhunt once worked for Cowher? So, who does Bill Cowher pull for in this game? Just a few of the questions you’ll hear over and over again leading up to this weekend. John Royal at HoustonPress has a whole list of Super Bowl Memes you’ll be sick of.
Raise your hand if you thought Paul Blart Mall Cop signaled the end of Kevin James’ movie career. It’s been #1 for two weeks in a row. Somebody pass me the crow.
Earlier this year, one of my friends brought to my attention Erin Burnett’s snobbish tendencies. Ever since then, I’ve been looking for my new fav CNBC hottie. I found her. Did you know Trish Regan is fluent in Spanish and Italian, studied classical voice (opera), and was Miss New Hampshire in 1993?
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As I spend days house hunting (there should be plenty with all that’s going on in the economy) with no luck, watching this Heineken commercial gives me a renewed sense of hope that the perfect house is out there somewhere.
Popularity: 17% [?]
Casey Carlson—–
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The Kansas City round of American Idol auditions were sans bikinis, but not talent. So far, it’s (arguably) produced the two most talented contestants: Lil Rounds and Danny Gokey. Danny was the evening’s heartstring story. Four weeks prior to the audition, his wife passed away as a result of a heart condition. Aside from the fact that he was wearing some horrible elongated pointy-toed shoes, his performance was pretty impressive.
Michael Castro, brother of alum Jason from last season, impressed the judges with his over confidence, his charm and the fact that he claims to have only practiced for about 20 days prior to the try out. Hmmm. Nice pink hair.
The beauty pageant portion of American Idol was won (hands down) by Casey Carlson from Minnesota. Her fresh face made it easy for Simon to give her the thumbs up. Despite not showing up for the audition in a bikini, Casey is no stranger to swimsuits. As displayed proudly on her “OFFICIAL fan site“, Casey has had some face time with a camera…in a bikini. According to TMZ.com, her photo shoot in the Virgin Islands was for CampusGirlsUSA.com — 100% of the site’s proceeds benefit breast cancer research.
Good for you, Casey.
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Last night, I obligingly sat and watched American Idol with my family. I hadn’t tuned in since William Hung brought his horrible, yet oddly entertaining rendition of Ricky Martin’s, She Bangs. Since then, I’m in the school of thought that wonders why (as my father empatically questioned) “anyone would watch this crap”…referring primarily to the talentless screamers and tone deaf contestants. Regardless, there’s some degree of comedic value watching someone try their hardest to belt out their best version of “Wanted Dead or Alive”…and instead produces sounds resembling a goose.
Katrina Darrell, bikini girl—–
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Aside from the usual ‘make Simon cringe’ performances, American Idol threw in some twists to keep its audience intact. The addition of fourth judge, Kara DioGuardi, was somewhat surprising…but boring.
And rather than focusing on one really bad performance, the attention was spread out over multiple auditions — the chick with the pink hair and tats, the Asian guy with that enormous Bob Ross ‘fro, or the guy with the super deep Issac Hayes-like voice. Then there were the feelgood stories — the horror movie teenager that surprised everyone by not sounding like Marilyn Manson, the quick-witted nerd (he told Simon his jokes would be funny if they made sense) that serenaded the ladies with his James Ingram (in a Joe Cocker voice), and the blind guy who graduated from college at 19, and just blew it out of the water (hey, Seacrest…way to go on the high five. He’s blind, dude).
Despite all of these memorable performance, the one thing that everyone will talk about until the main event is Katrina Darrell aka. the bikini girl. My son even dismissed the previous girl with the beautiful voice and chose Katrina’s performance. When we asked him why…with complete resolve he based his decision on her appearance. (Don’t worry concerned parents…he got a lesson on judging people based on beauty and respect of the opposite sex…and that was his last episode of Idol…at least until there are finalists.) Kids say the darndest things.
She definitely caused unrest on the set. She vowed to make out with Seacrest if she got the golden ticket. She strutted into the audition, which resulted in a near cat fight between her and new judge, Kara. And now I can’t stand her after stooping to Katrina’s level — defending her singing skills by initiating a little sing-song retaliation and a Z-snap/head bob to finish her off.
“Oh no you di’int! Slut!”
*sigh*
She’s already got a few fan sites and a photo gallery on COEDMagazine.com. Pervs eveywhere are going crazy. (begin sarcasm) Thanks, American Idol. (end sarcasm)
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Lebron sure has caused a stink with all that speculation about joining the Brooklyn Nets in 2010. Maybe we’re all mistaken. Did you ever think Lebron might be jumping sports? How dare we! Thanks to lebron2010.com, we have new fodder for speculation. Lebron to the NFL!
Myron Rolle is living a charmed life. He’s brilliant, he’s athletically gifted and he’s calling the shots…as he should. He decided to forego the 2009 NFL Draft and head to Oxford to pursue his Rhodes Scholarship. He will earn a one-year Master’s Degree in Medical Anthropology. Jolly good, Myron! See you on Sundays in ‘10!
Marcus & Michelle Schrenker——
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Memo to Bernie Madoff: Next time you scam millions billions from people — hop in a plane, send a distress message to air traffic controllers and just parachute out. Easy. No word yet on whether or not Marcus Schrenker scammed money from people, but the investment advisor was issued a $535,500 judgement against his company in favor of OM Financial Life Insurance Co. To add to the downward spiral, his wife filed for divorce on December 30 of ‘08 and his step-father recently passed away. Check out the article in the Indy Star.
You, too, could own a strip club! Better yet, a strip club in Las Vegas! Better yet…the strip club once graced by Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones. The Minxx is for sale!
Popularity: 26% [?]
While it appeared that Utah was the compassion play for the AP poll going into last night’s BCS National Championship game, they will have to settle for #2.
After a rather sloppy title game, I was even more convinced that an undefeated Utah would receive more momentum to climb to #1 in the AP poll. I should have known better… Utah was precluded from any chance in hell of being crowned the champion since the beginning — thanks, Bowls Contrived in September.
Some sports writers agree with me.
James Lang/US Presswire—-
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USC ruined its chances early by losing to Oregon State as did Texas by losing in the final seconds to Texas Tech. Too many ‘what ifs’ and question marks. Each of the top 4 AP poll teams — Florida, Utah, USC and Texas — has an argument for the #1 spot. But how can you deny an undefeated Utah that beat top tier teams the top?
Florida, of course, finished #1 in the AP poll after edging out the Sooners last night. But the contest was tied early in the 4th quarter, 14-14. Florida bounced back late in Tim Tebow fashion (with help from Percy Harvin, of course). He turned a prosaic contest into a poetic display…putting his team and the crowd on his back and wielded it like a true Heisman-deserving college football player would. He took the ball under his wing a couple of times and he didn’t hesitate to lay the hammer down on Sooner defenders. Regardless, the game as a whole was blah. Can you settle for a champion that resulted from such an odd contest of two ‘powerhouses’?
I guess we’ll have to.
BCS National Championship Game in 3D
It appears that some viewers have already posted their thoughts of the game on AVS Forum. Despite some minor technical difficulties, there was a resounding “WOW” amongst the crowd. There were those that thought that 3D sports broadcast technology is not ready for prime time.
Popularity: 23% [?]
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