Saturday, January 19, 2008

Conference Championship Sunday


This is it. Winners moves on to the Super Bowl. Losers wonder the "what ifs" and has to wait 9 months to improve on their title aspirations. One visiting team goes to New England where the Super Bowl title has gone 3 times this decade. While the other visiting team must go to cold Green Bay where they are trying to bring the title back to the storied frozen tundra. Both the San Diego Chargers and New York Giants have a tremendous tasks facing them for a chance to beat heavy favorites and move on to sports biggest game. Let's looks at the match ups:

NEW ENGLAND VS. SAN DIEGO Another game closer to perfection for the 2 touchdown favored Patriots. While the Chargers have a bitter taste when mentioning the Pats, since they lost in the divisional round last year and a butt whooping that was given to them during week 2 this season. Not only do the Chargers have enough to worry about with the potent offensive attack of Tom Brady and the rest of the Pats but they their own worries about whom on their team will play or not. Quarterback Philip Rivers has been playing with a bad knee for more than a month and not practicing this week is a cause for concern as far as timing is concerned. Antonio Gates has been nursing a dislocated left toe the last two weeks and even though he did play last week he wasn't much of a factor during the game with only 3 catches. Finally, Ladainian Tomlinson will be on the field despite a nagging knee injury but with a backup like Michael Turner the run game shouldn't be that effective. But, let's face it. They are still playing the Patriots in Foxborough. As much as I am sick of the Patriots and their winning ways, we are all watching history right before our eyes. I really don't think that this is a very favorable match up especially if back up QB Billy Volek might have to step in for Rivers. Take the 14 points if your a betting man, the Pats will rout!

GREEN BAY VS. NY GIANTS If your a fan of the NFL how can you possibly be routing for the Giants this weekend? Brett Favre after many of us wrote him off last season, is back and is a win away from a Super Bowl appearance with the youngest averaged team in the league. Favre has been so special this year and to have a possibility of a Tom Brady/Brett Favre Super Bowl very close the Green Bay faithful will be loud and Lambeau should be electric. The Giants who have been playing the "underdog" card since getting to the postseason are red hot. They are going to have to keep their hotness Sunday night if they want any chance at a title with the temperatures looking to be in single digits by game time. Both teams will try to run the ball as much as possible with the wind being a factor throughout the game. Ryan Grant has been another feelgood story for the Packers this year and will have some redemption on his mind since he was traded to the Pack from the G-men this season. For the first time ever I feel pretty confident in both home teams this year, the Giants will keep it close but I cannot see Favre's season ending on Sunday night during a, I think, a potential high television rated game.

1 comment:

Shorty said...

If I have to hear about Favre for two weeks prior to the SuperBowl, I might kill myself...no...really kill myself...I don't think i could take it...