Clock is ticking toward Bears-Packers at Soldier Field

The weekend is here and the Bears and Packers in the NFC Championship game is just around the corner now. I did not think the week could go by fast enough, but it is finally here. I have a couple of great things set for today. Also, be sure to take a look at our mailbag in Thursday's blog with some fans' picks on what is going to happen in the game.



Sports Countdown Clock Generator
Now to some breaking down of what is on tap for Sunday's game. I've reached out to a good Packers friend, Josh Golberg, who will give five keys for the Packers and I'll come back with five keys for the Bears.

1. Momentum. Nobody wants to play the hot team heading into the playoffs and no team is hotter than Green Bay. The Packers have won four straight going back to two must-win games to close out the season. They seem to be peaking at the right time. (You could argue that New Orleans/Seattle were hot teams heading in…but they played each other)
2. The running game. If you would have told me midseason that 25 carries for 66 yards by your main running back against the #1 seed in the NFC on the road would be enough to carry a dominant passing attack and earn an upset…I would have asked for whatever you were smoking. But the resurgence of the ground game with Brandon Jackson, and more recently James Starks, has kept defenses honest and allowed Aaron Rodgers to pick opponents apart. It doesn’t matter if the Bears held offenses to an average of 90 yards rushing during the regular season. They at least now have to account for somebody running the ball effectively.
3. Aaron Rodgers. There isn’t a QB that has played better in the postseason…and not just because the Patriots, Saints and Colts are all out. Rodgers is coming off of what many people are saying is the best postseason performance in history: 31 of 36 passes, 366 yards, 3 TDs, passer rating of 136.8. Ran for a 4th TD. In fact he has 10 TD passes in his first three career postseason games, an NFL record. Against Chicago this year, he’s a combined 53 for 73 with 2 TDs, 2 INTs and a combined passer rating of 91.1. Definitely mortal-like numbers. He’ll have to break that mold Sunday.
4. Dom Capers. Show me a defensive coordinator who has done more with less. Seriously. Ten players on IR. 10. That’s almost enough to form an entire defense. Starters/backups/3rd stringers. No coordinator has had to tweak things more to the constantly changing strengths and weaknesses…yet they still wound up with the 5th ranked defense when the regular season was concluded. I wouldn’t want anyone else gameplanning for an opponent.
5. The receiving corps. Possession receiver? Check (Driver). Downfield threat? Check (Jennings). Emerging threat? Check (Jones). Token white guy who seems to be forgotten about only to come up big? Check (Nelson). No defensive secondary can cover those four plus account for a tailback or a tight end. Top to bottom, Green Bay has the best receivers in the league. Their #1 or #2 might not be as good as some teams, but combine them all and they’re the best. Throw in Rodgers and you’ve got an explosive passing attack. They’ll dink-and-dunk you down the field and just when you make a mistake, they’ll make you pay for it.
Prediction: Packers 31, Bears 17


Now to the Bears keys to success Sunday.
1. Good Jay. It's tops on the list and it is the most important because how Jay Cutler goes, so goes the offense. He played in his first playoff game last week and showed he was not above the moment and had one of his best games of the season. Some of what he is able to do Sunday is not tied directly to him, as he needs the front five to make sure he is not getting the tar beat out of him. Is there any doubt to think Jay will not continue to play smart? No. He has been on point for the last two months and has limited his poor decisions. For his sake, the sack is the lesser of two evils when compared to an interception.
2. Make James Starks a nonfactor. Starks rushed for 66 yards against the Falcons, but 123 against the Eagles where he was an even bigger factor. It will not take much for him to be a factor and do all the Packers need in just planting an idea of the run, but to silence him has to be a key objective for the Bears. Making the Packers turn away from the running game on 2nd and 1 and 3rd and 1 will set the tone for the defense and make them one dimensional. That will open things up for the defensive line to pin their ears back.
3. Get pressure with the front four. Speaking of the defensive line, those front four of mainly Julius Peppers, Tommie Harris, Anthony Adams and Israel Idonoje need to establish pressure on Aaron Rodgers, but with a slight purpose. Consider this an extension of limiting the run game in containing Rodgers and not letting him use his feet to create. Keeping the pocket from moving will set things up for the line and help the secondary.
4. Create turnovers. There is no secret the Bears defense is one of the best in the league at creating opportunities for themselves. Against the Packers it seems they always find a way to force a key fumble when the Green Bay is knocking on the door and getting a key interception, even on Rodgers. If Chris Harris plays like he has been announced he will with his injury, look for the secondary to have to come up big with a great GB secondary. It's all bend but don't break and they can give up yards, if they create opportunities by hawking the ball.
5. Special teams domination. I would expect little argument from Packers backers that the Bears have an elite special teams unit compared to the Packers. In the regular season finale Devin Hester was kept rather silent, but I don't expect that to happen again. He needs to help flip field position and help the offense work a short field to scores. Even if he forces the Packers to kick the ball short or out of bounds, it would work to the Bears advantage most of the time. I do not expect Tim Mastahay to have the game he had in Week 17 where he was pretty much perfect.

Prediction: Bears 23, Packers 20 off a Robbie Gould field goal in the final minute.

On to that other playoff game going on that will determine who the winner of this game will play in the Super Bowl, I know haven't done a lot with it this week. For good reason. This is huge.
That said, I'm still leaning toward the Steelers. They have a better defense all around than the Jets and are not banged up or inexperienced like the Patriots and Colts defenses were. This will be a great game, but I'm still taking the Steelers, 21-17.

As most of you who know me know, I'm a huge fan of Twitter. I have been following the chatter all week on both sides of the aisle and figured I'd make it easy for some of you to do that this weekend. Here's a list of a select number of media members with what they have to say. Should be fun to follow this during the game Sunday. Check out the list on my Twitter page.


Now on to the Nussie Hunter portion of the broadcast. With a big game and a big blog, you have to bring out the big guns for the event. That leads us to the one and only Megan Fox, who is in a new ad campaign in for Armani. She looks as good as ever. You can see more pics, here.

Cutler doesn't have to be 'happy' in leading team

Jay Cutler will play in his first playoff game since he was in high school Sunday afternoon, this blogger's birthday, but the talk going into Sunday's game is not about his play on the field.
The talk is rather, what type of person Cutler is off the field. This is brought on by the "A-Rod" of sportswriters in Rick Reilly of ESPN, who showed up at Halas Hall on Wednesday when the offense had the podium and media day for the Bears.
Reilly ripped into Cutler when the quarterback from Santa Claus, Indiana when he took the mic and asked  him questions like "How many in this room know you?" "Did you idolize a quarterback growing up?"
Both answers where not to Reilly's liking. Jay said, he doesn't hang out with members of the media during the week and offseason and that he did not idolize a QB growing up.
That led to this lede in Reilly's story, "For a man from Santa Claus, Ind., Jay Cutler is one of the least jolly people you've ever met."
His points  on why Cutler is not jolly were noted as he didn't want to hear tips from John Elway when he was with the Broncos and said he does not do well with the media. Basically saying he could own Chicago if he wanted, but doesn't want to so there must be something wrong with the guy that dates reality TV star Kristin Cavallari.
Well, that lead Bears beat writer Bob LeGree to write this piece for the Daily Herald defending Jay. He makes some rather great points. Namely, he has never not given him a good answer when his questions are on point, unlike Reilly's. He has diabetes and spends time at hospitals helping and cheering up those in need.
While Jay is not chipper, I'm not asking him to be, he's not a hostile "hate the world" kind of guy, either. He doesn't like talking to the media, answering the same questions over and over again. To be real, as a writer myself, I can understand how that would be a bit ridiculous at times. He never doesn't answer, though.
Also, because Jay doesn't have an endorsement deal, he must be doing something wrong. Let's be real here and say most people's perspective on Jay came from his departure from Denver when Josh McDaniels arrived in town two years ago. Well, McDaniels just got canned, so that should show you what the thought is on how that move went down.
Yes, Jay may be a bit "different" but he's not breaking laws and he's not calling guys out in the media, so why hate him? He is compared to Eli Manning at times on his facial expressions and demeanor on the field. That is not something he can change. I find it rather funny people form opinions on a guy they have never met and don't follow much.


Alright, let's break down some actually football now that I've taken care of that and gotten it off my chest. There are four great games between teams that have all played each other during the regular season. I'll go in order of how the games will be played.
Ravens at Steelers, Saturday at 3:30 p.m.: This one is going to be close. How close? We are a Troy Polamalu sack-fumble away from this game being in Baltimore. That said, it's in Pittsburgh and that gives the advantage to the Steelers. The ESPN.com Insider Scout page literally has this game a toss up.  Well, yes, it will be close, but when in doubt, go with the home team.
Steelers 17, Ravens 13 in a great game.
Packers at Falcons, Saturday at 7 p.m.: During the regular season this game came down to a facemask call on a decent kick return that set up a Falcons field goal to win the game as time expired. Aaron Rodgers has won just two games decided by four points or less during his three years as quarterback because of plays like that. Oh, and plus he fumbled on the goalline that was recovered by the Falcons. Despite all of that, this might be the coming out party for Rodgers and the Packers. But don't expect James Starks to have another great game. I just don't see that.
Packers 28, Falcons 24 finally silencing Matty Ice for the season.
Seahawks at Bears, Sunday at noon: If you read my blog Monday with the 10 reasons why the Bears will not lose to the Seahawks you know which way I am going with this. This game is in 15 degree temps on the Lakefront. Any question of the Bears being over confident just has to remember how bad the Bears were whacked by the Seahawks in that 23-20 loss during the regular season. With that, this team will right a wrong and move on to the NFC championship game.
Bears 31, Seahawks 17 with it not being THAT close!
Jets at Patriots, Sunday at 3:30 p.m.: Will the score of this game be 45-3? No. But the Patriots will still beat down the Jets. I know I want the Jets out of the way in the worst way, which may be clouding me a bit, but the Patriots are that good and have something to prove too. And really, I think Bill Bellechick shares my disdain for Rex Ryan and wants to shut him up, too. Pile it on Pats!
Patriots 30, Jets 14 with a big second half of adjustments to break it open.

It's time for the Nussie Hunter portion of today's broadcast. With it being my birthday, I have to honor of my favorites, who happens to be in the latest edition of Maxim with a new sitcom debuting Wednesday night on NBC. Yep, it's the return of Olivia Munn to Wilber's Way. Be sure to check out Coed Magazine for a gallery, here. Then get ready for "Perfect Couples" to debut Jan. 20. Woohoo!

Why this meeting with Seahawks will be different for Bears

It became official last night around 7 o'clock the Chicago Bears would get a shot at righting a wrong by taking on the Seattle Seahawks Sunday - this writer's birthday - at noon at Soldier Field where the early forecast has temperatures set to be around 15 degrees on the Lakefront.
The loss the Seahawks dealt the Bears back on Oct. 17 was one that stung for Bears players in hearing their talk in the locker room today at Halas Hall in Lake Forest. The vow things will change and I'm right there with them. Here are 10 reasons why this one will be very different, counting down to the most important). I have to give some credit to former Bears star Jerry Azumah for giving me the idea for this piece.
10. The Seahawks were coming off a bye and had two weeks to gameplan for the Bears. Their gameplan was on point using a hurry up offense and muddle offense to keep the Bears defense off balance. They could go that route a again, but the Bears will be ready for it this time.
9. The Bears are 10-point favorites. I know New Orleans was also 10.5 point favorites, but they were on the road. This is the NFL, people, and the teams are so close. The home team automatically gets 3 points in Vegas because of it. The Bears are the home team this week and you can expect them to have an advantage when they take the field.
8. Johnny Knox had five catches for 120 yards in the first meeting and will get Earl Bennett back from injury this week. Expect the two of them to play a role in this one in the intermediate passing game.
7. The Bears turned their touchdowns per game average around after the first meeting. The Bears entered the first meeting with 1.8 touchdowns per game, but have averaged 3 TDs per game since.
6. Devin Hester had kickoff returns of 93 yards and another for a touchdown in the first meeting. Expect he and Leon Washington to do battle Sunday in the kicking game. Hester has shown he can go the distance against this coverage unit.
--- They get MUCH bigger as we enter the Top 5. These will be vital in the game Sunday. --
5. Lance Briggs did not play Oct. 17. Yes Brian Urlacher and Julius Peppers are the co-MVPs of this defense, but take one of the Pro Bowl players out of the puzzle and things change. Briggs will be on the field Sunday and promises to be a difference maker.
4. The Bears had no turnovers in the 23-20 loss at Soldier Field that day. For a team that had just three games where they did not commit a turnover, I'm not even talking about being on the plus-side of the turnover margin, just forcing a turnover, and went 1-2 in those games. The other loss was to the Patriots. The only win was the narrow win at Ford Field over the Lions.
3. The Bears are the only team to rush the ball more than they threw it since Week 9 (their first game since the Bye). This is a different team since the bye week with Mike Martz moving towards the run and calling 238 runs to 231 passes. That was not the case in the first meeting when the Bears ran the Ball for just 91 yards on just 14 carries (the fewest this season). Chester Taylor ran the ball four times for 31 yards and Matt Forte had eight for 11 yards. Again, that has not been the formula for the Bears success during the second half of the season. It works two ways, really, in keeping Jay Cutler grounded.
2. Speaking of Cutler, he completed just 17 of 39 passes for 242 yards without a TD or an INT in the first meeting with a passer rating of 69.4. He was also sacked five times. If the running game can get going like it has for much of the second half of the season, Cutler relaxes (this will be his first playoff game) and is more composed in the pocket. It also allows the offensive line to impose their will on the Seahawks.
1. The biggest key to success for the Bears Sunday is converting on third down. The Bears were an awful 0 for 12 back in October during a stretch where they converted just 17.9 percent of third downs. Since the bye, however, the Bears have converted on 44.1 percent of their third downs, good enough for ninth in the NFL over that span.
Things will be vastly different than in the first meeting. I also feel the Seahawks caught lighting in a bottle last week and will run into a team that will not overlook them as they look to erase October's defeat.



James Starks and the Packers made the game with the Seahawks possible with their strong showing at Philly Sunday night. I went 2 for 4 with my Wild Card Weekend picks, getting both games Sunday right.
I like the matchup with the Packers and the Falcons, as it should be a tight one in the Georgia Dome Saturday night.
In the AFC, the Ravens get the Steelers and the Jets (Boo!) get the Patriots for the third time this season. Both should be great games between teams that know each other very well. I'll have a full breakdown later in the week, but it promises to be another great week of football.


Now it's time for the Nussie Hunter portion of today's episode and I'm not sure how many of you checked out the new show on NBC called "The Cape" but it was great. A stellar action super hero show. One of the great parts of the show is female star Summer Glau. She doesn't wear a cape, but is the tech and brains behind a lot of what goes on in the show. Plus, she can probably kick my ass. So, I have to put her here! Enjoy and watch the show on Hulu before next Monday's episode.

What a difference a year makes for Lovie Smith

A year ago this week Chicago Bears President Ted Phillips, General Manager Jerry Angelo and coach Lovie Smith pleaded with fans to accept their explanation for what had gone wrong as the Bears missed the playoffs for the third straight year. Lovie stayed on as coach, but had to give up his defensive coordinator post, handing it over to Rod Marinelli, and Mike Martz was brought on to run the offense. In fact, I was even one of those questioning whether it was right to let Lovie go. And I had been one of the biggest Lovie backers, so that is saying something.
The results this season could not have shown any better the Bears brain trust made the right decision in keeping Lovie on board as coach as the Bears went 11-5 when the "experts" did not see them doing much of anything. Lovie has always had one thing with this Bears team and that is loyalty. There have been zero players speak out against him or show any signs of the players not buying into what he has to dole out. The biggest sell to that end might be from the biggest name on the team, Brian Urlacher. It has become quite known that Urlacher absolutely hates this defense, but he is loyal and it has been shown to be successful so Urlacher buys in and performs at a high level.
Now with Urlacher back in the fold and a division title in hand, Angelo has gone as far as to call this team, the "best football team that we've had" referring to the teams he and Smith have built together, including the one that went to the Super Bowl after the 2006 season.
And amidst Jim Harbaugh getting offered Oprah money to coach in the NFL without ever coaching a game at this level, Lovie, who has one year left on his current contract, stands to cash in. The idea David Haugh at the Chicago Tribune gets by reading between the lines from Angelo is that Smith will cashing in depends on the Bears winning at least one game in these playoffs.
I'm down with that. He's shown the ability to work with what he has and coach them up to get a performance greater than the sum of the parts. And again, even when times got tough over the three seasons, everyone stood behind Lovie and that has to speak for what the locker room thought of him. I'd say he deserves everything he gets.


Speaking of playoffs, the Bears have been given a three-day weekend with the first-round bye meaning Wild Card Weekend has arrived. I told you the other day I would be back to break down the games and make some picks. So here we go.
Let's go in order. We'll start with Saturday's games.
Saints (11-5) @ Seahawks (7-9): A home team is an 11-point dog at home in the playoffs? That's what happens when you're the first team in NFL history to make the playoffs with a losing record. Count the 'Hawks out? Not so fast. Now, they'll get Matt Hasselback back under center which should help, but they'll need EVERY break to go their way on defense in forcing a couple of turnovers to be in this one.
That's why I'm taking Saints.
Jets (11-5) at Colts (10-6): Will someone please shut Rex Ryan up? Yes, you, wearing the No. 18 blue jersey. Peyton Manning! Please, end this loser's face time and send the Jets packing. Maybe I'm not being totally fair here, but I hate how Ryan gets in front of a mic and takes all the attention off the players and onto him. I know that's his ploy, but all those ESPN losers don't even talk about the game. Know this, Manning is 6-1 in games he starts against a Ryan team. The one he lost, last year when he was pulled in the final game of the season.
So give me the Colts and ALL the points. It is personal. Shut this clown up Peyton!
Ravens (12-4) at Chiefs (10-6): We're on to Sunday's games and prior to Matt Cassel getting his face pounded in by the Raiders in Week 17, I'd have picked the Chiefs without hesitation, has they had yet to lose a game at Arrowhead this season. Had they not tried, that would be one thing, but Cassel kept getting sent out there and he threw a pair of INTs. Well, bring the Ravens ball-hawking defense to town and things get a little dicier. The Chiefs are good, don't get me wrong, and they are going to need a lot of Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones (TJ!) to take the pressure off Cassel and I don't think they'll do it.
This will be a close one, but I'm taking the Ravens to go into KC and get the win.
Packers (10-6) at Eagles (10-6): The Packers are 3-5 on the road and the Eagles are 4-4 at home. I don't put much weight in the Week 1 game between the teams as Michael Vick didn't start and it was so long ago that many of the faces on both sides of the ball have changed. So you have to look at what the teams have done lately and how they're trending. Aaron Rodgers played OK in the Bears game, not great, but Vick is a game changer. The difference in the game is not letting him get time to throw. The talk has been not letting him run, well, he hasn't been running that much of late, relying more on his arm and the accuracy he's gained this season. The Packers must get pressure on him in the pocket. I'm talking quick pressure to not let him get the ball to DeShaun Jackson if they want to have a shot in this one.
I'm saying they do and the Eagles defense won't be able to stop the one-sided Packers attack.

As a side note, the NFL's new Playoff Overtime Rule goes into effect this week. Here's a great piece on ESPN.com on the matter that should break it down for you.

Alrighty, on to the Nussie Hunter portion of today's broadcast. The Playmate of the Year competition is heating up quickly and we here at Wilber's Way have a candidate we fully support. Her name is Francesca Frigo. A latin bombshell you can follow on  Twitter, or see more of on Model Mayhem (she linked it) with a sample below!

Forte, not Cutler Bears most valuable weapon

Note: Before I get started today, I just wanted to say thanks and Happy New Year to all the loyal "Followers" of The Way. I have made it a resolution to make this more of a priority to write in the New Year. To think I made 100 posts during the first sixth months, but just 55 over the last year and it showed I have slipped. Well, it's time to get back at it. So here goes edition No. 1. Hope you enjoy it!


I know all of my Packers fans friends are gloating today because their team knocked off the Bears Sunday at Lambeau Field. For a game that meant nothing, I thought the Bears played well enough to have a chance to win at the end, which they did. What do I take from it? Well, that was a bit hard to come to, but after a little thought I finally did. If a team can take away the special teams edge the Bears usually get with Devin Hester either returning the ball or forcing bad punts and big turnovers, the offense has a hard time going 80 yards consistently. But whose offense doesn't? I'm not worried about that.
Yes, most of the offensive attention goes to Jay Cutler, but with the production of the pictured above, Matt Forte, the Bears have a guy that for the first time since some player named Walter Payton to run for 1,000 yards and have 500 receiving yards. And to think he did most of that with just about half a season to work after Mike Martz didn't utilize him fully at the start of the season. He said so himself after Sunday night's game to the Chicago Tribune, "If we had run it a little earlier we may have 1,500 or 1,600 yards." He's not looking back and I'm pretty sure the offense not going to Forte more in Sunday's game was a way to not give too much away going into playoffs. He and Chester Taylor are the keys to the offense and are the balance needed from keeping Jay Cutler from going catatonic and throwing balls to the guys in the wrong colored jerseys.
Those back-to-back 20+ yard runs were great and we should have seen more from him. We can't let this go to waste.
And talk all you will about the defense giving up yards, the fact is, they don't give up points. So don't worry!


The playoffs and the road to Super Bowl 45 is set. Can you see any one team in the NFC having a bigger advantage over another team? I don't. I can see the Bears winning two games and going to Dallas and at the same time, I can see them laying an egg on my birthday and ending the season. That's how close I think this NFC field is. That's including the Seahawks who are 11-point home dogs to the defending champion Saints.
The Packers go on the road to Philly and I am leaning towards giving the Packers the edge. Both teams are completely different than what they were in Week 1 of the season with the edge when it comes to shutting down Mike Vick and that offense. If they can keep DeShaun Jackson from going nuts on them on both offense and on kick returns like they did Devin Hester Sunday, they have a shot. But the one thing the Eagles have to do is keep Aaron Rodgers from getting into any kind of rhythm and the complete lack of a running game will make this a nightmare for the Packers.
In the other NFC game, the Saints are the big favorite, but I wouldn't count them out. I like their secondary against Drew Brees to at least give the Seahawks a chance to do some damage and keep it close. If they do that, all it takes is one big play when it matters and things go their way. That said, I think the Saints can find a way to win this game because of the speed they have in Reggie Bush underneath. It's one thing to confuse a rookie in Sam Bradford, but to keep Drew Brees guessing, that takes something special.
Does the AFC picture even matter? A little, sure, but does anyone stand a shot against the Patriots? I'll have my full Wildcard Weekend preview later this week.

OK folks, time to get on to the Nussie Hunter portion of today's broadcast. There is news today one of our favorites here at Wilber's Way, Mila Kunis, is now single. And she was dating Macaulay Culkin of all people? Well, they have parted ways and has put him as the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter all day since news broke. We need to change that and get the attention back on her. So here you go with a great shot below and this link to more great photos of the best thing to come out of That '70s Show.

The 3 high seeds and the (friggin) Jets?!

With all respect to one Giants fan I know that is probably getting the nuess ready for the possibility that the J-E-T-S, JETS, JETS, JETS, beat the Colts and make the Super Bowl after Sunday.
I will say it's not that much of a crazy thought. I mean that defense played amazing yesterday and Darelle Revis shut down the Chargers. I read Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback today and he charted every pass play the Bolts ran against the Jets. It was 45 plays. Of those, only four went Revis' way for a total of minus-three yards, which includes and incompletion and a ridiculous interception. That kid is amazing and he might be the reason the Green Machine knocks the Colts off.
They rush the passer so well, Peyton is going to have his hands full all day long. I will say if there is one quarterback who is going to be able to keep up with Rex Ryan and his exotic blitzes and the famous Ryan 4-6 defense.
That Chargers-Jets game was about the only one worth anything over the weekend. Yes I went 2-2 once again, but really the two I lost I was really proven wrong. It didn't surprise me though. The Vikings and Jets did what I thought they needed to do to win those games. I thought the Cowboys had the chances early to kick the Vikings in the mouth and flat out fell on their face. That's when Brett Favre took over and the Vikings won the game in the trenches.
In the other two games, my picks, the Colts and the Saints showed exactly what I thought they would show. Reggie Bush played his best game as a pro with over 200 yards and two touchdowns that energized that team. And is Drew Brees just amazing or what? What do I hear coaches tell high school kids all the time, never get too high or too low? He is totally within himself in the big games and makes sure the rest of the guys around him do too.
Then the Colts... Wow. They made Joe Flacco their biotch all night long. The guy never really got into a rhythm and the Colts D showed they are a force. They are going to need that against the Jets. You have to remember that Mark Sanchez is a rookie and doesn't have a great arm. It's above average at best and you have to run the kitchen sink at him. Make him make some mistakes. That will make Peyton's job a little easier and make put the pressure on the Jets defense.
I'm really looking forward to Championship Sunday for sure! I'll do some more research during the week and have my picks for you Friday!


I tried to avoid anything American Idol last week, but this "Pants on the Ground" is a damn phenomenon. Even that Brent Favra guy is in on it.


Today is MLK Day and I figure I have to pay homage to the man in some capacity. So in listening to my boys Covino and Rich today on Sirius (Played a new awesome game "Name the famous black man") I was reminded of this. I love me some 'Coming to America' one of the funniest movies you'll ever watch.
Enjoy this..."Oops, I thought you were somebody else." Hahahaha.

Last night was the return of 24 to the airwaves. The Nussie Hunter, man, he was ecstatic about this. Yeah, he loves the show as much as anyone. While Jack Bauer is just greatness (Here's some great quotes), being the Nussie Hunter, you know he's about the ladies. None is better on 24 than Elisha Cuthbert. Yeah, she's back. Take a look at her below and the rest of the girls of all eight seasons of 24 here.

Post 101: Schooling you all on NFL Divisional playoff weekend

It just might be the great NFL weekend of the year. Four huge games that mean everything for next week's conference championship games is why this is the best.
Last week I went 2-2 in my picks thanks to that wild Green Bay/Arizona game. And I'm back for more to pick this round.
Let's go in chronological order on how these games will go down. So we going to Nawleans first for the Saints and Cardinals.
I'm going to say this, I'm really not sure which Saints team is going to show up for this game. They've been handed their hat in the past few weeks, so they really need to return to October form, as odd as that sounds, to win this game. Can they do it? Sure. Drew Brees is a leader of men and these Saints are not Archie's Saints.
The key is going to be starting strong. it's what got the Cardinals settled in last week against the Packers and let Kurt Warner find a groove. If they can get Warner to have to sling it around the field and put pressure on him both literally and figuratively, they will be able to win this game. But defense will once again be optional, so be ready for the fireworks.
Tomorrow night, Peyton, that's P-E-Y..., and company take on the Ravens. This one is going to be a cat and mouse game all night as Manning tries to outsmart this Ravens defense. It should be fun to watch, but I know he'll find a way to do it.
The key to this one is going to be what Joe Flacco can do against the Colts defense. If the Ravens can get the ball down the field, it makes it a lot easier for the defense to take some chances, obviously, and get to Peyton.
Sunday's fun kicks off at noon with the Vikings hosting the Cowboys. Two of Wisconsin's favorite sons square off as Favre and Romo take the field.
This is another one where the team that is at home limped into the playoffs. Don't be fooled by the Week 17 win by the Vikings. The Giants had cashed out and were just physically in the game.The Cowboys need to play this game like they did against the Saints four weeks ago. That means if DeMarcus Ware can fly around the field on the D-line against what has shown to be a pourus Vikings line, the boys in purple could be in trouble. Vikings will need that defense to step up and make Romo look a little silly, too. These quarterbacks are pretty much the same guy. The team that wins will have the one that makes the fewest and least costly mistakes.
The final game of the weekend will be in Cali where the Chargers host the J-E-T-S, JETS, JETS, JETS. This one is interesting, too. Can Philip Rivers continue to dominate? Will Darelle Revis show why he should be the Defensive Player of the Year? Can LT run on this defense?
It's all intersting stuff. and should be fun to watch. I say the Chargers offensive line is too strong for the Jets' front seven and finds a way to get LT going . That means a lot of Rivers getting it to Gates in the flat and to Sproles and LT out of the backfield. That makes Revis pretty much moot.

OK, so here's the picks. Straight up, as always:
Saints 38, Cardinals 34
Colts 24, Ravens 14
Cowboys 27, Vikings 20
Chargers 31, Jets 20

If you want more, why not check out the best NFL writer in the game, SI's Peter King. He's got a look at how the underdogs win these games.

Now for some goodness. If you're follwoing this latenight TV fiasco they delieverd some funny last night.
First Jimmy Kimmel was on Jay Leno. He launched jab after jab and Jay being the tool that he is could do nothing. Loved it! (Like Lyle!)



To take things even further against NBC, Conan put the Tonight Show up on Craig's List. Yeah pretty awesome!



Ok, tomorrow is my 27th birthday so I get to pick the Nussie today. The Nussie Hunter told me it was my present. So I was combing Maxim.com and found one of my old favorites Letica Cline. She was on Beauty and the Geek way back when. And she was actually on the Stern Show a year or so ago and rode the sybean. It was damn hot. Just like this picture!

There's a playoff atmosphere in the air!

Teams spend millions of dollars to get here, but only 12 earn the right every year to go to the NFL Playoffs. And tomorrow afternoon, it all starts.
There are a couple great storylines to keep an eye on and I'll get into those and then make my picks.
First, probably the most interesting game to watch will be the Ravens at the Patriots. Will Tom Brady be able to survive the Ravens? Will Randy Moss be able to step up with Wes Welker out? Those should be answered in this one. To be honest, I'm not so sure the Patriots will come out on top of either of those questions. I like the Ravens in this game A LOT and they will make Tom Brady anxious in the backfield and without his favorite target to throw to in the flat, it might be curtains the for the NFL's prettiest quarterback.
The rest of the these games are repeats from last week and I'm pretty sure in at least two of those games I like the same team to win.
The only one I see a possibility of a turn in fortunes in is the NY Jets at Cincinnati game. The Bengals basically mailed it in in Week 17 and if Chad Ochocinco is on the field, they have a good shot to do some damage. I really like their defense against rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez.
In the game many of my friend care about, the Green Bay at Arizona game, will most certainly not be a blowout like it was last week. But I'm not sold on the Cardinals making another special run back to the Super Bowl. The Packers have too many weapons on both sides of the ball. They've shown they can keep Aaron Rodgers upright since the midway point of the season and that has led to their success. Plus that defense just flies and Kurt Warner won't know what hit him. Well, he will, and it will be in Green and Gold.
That picture at the top could be what Tony Romo is doing at the end of this game if things don't go his way again. It would be the Cowboys' seventh straight playoff loss which would set an NFL Record. Yeah, that would suck for Romo! But I'm not sold on that happening either. The Cowboys showed a lot last week. But the stigma of beating a team for the third time in a season looms large and they will have to overcome that. I really like what they did last week for their confidence and don't see them falling to a struggling Eagles team.
Adam Shefter, one of my favorite Twitter peeps, has more storylines, here.

My picks: Wild Card Weekend
Jets @ Bengals
Ravens @ Patriots
Eagles @ Cowboys
Packers @ Cardinals


 
Another big event going on this weekend is the WEC fight night at the Arco Arena in Sacramento when my man, Urijah Faber (He was one of my mancrushes), makes his return to the cage in his hometown of Sacramento.
Yeah, I'm pretty jacked for this fight. The man is back in shape (STORY) and ready to roll. There's that story and more over at WEC.tv. He fights Raphael Asunaco which should make for a great fight.
There is more to this night than just that fight as Mike Brown, the man who's head took Urijah's blows and broke two bones in his right hand and dislocated his thumb on the other.
Then in the main event, Jamie Varner takes on Ben Henderson. I'm pretty sure the whole building will be against Varner as the last time we saw him fight, he won after a knee to his head stopped the fight against Miguel Torres. Yeah, he's a punk.
But Urijah is the hometown kid and the headliner. Just tune in to Versus (if you have it) and get ready for a show. The California Kid will not disappoint. I PROMISE!


Now for a quick hit. It might be the quote of the century here, as the Bobcats' Stephen Jackson reveals his secret for his success at the FT line. Take a look. AWESOME!



Kansas big man Cole Aldrich usually reminds me of an oversize oaf, but when I saw this video he totally changed my take. Check this as the Jayhawks hit four straight half-court shots. Leads me to my next question, could this be fake? Hmm...

Now to everyone's favorite portion of the show, yep, the Nussie Hunter. I recently found Adrianne Curry on Twitter and must say she posts a ton of pics of her and Peter Brady-- I mean her husband. Well, I couldn't pass up the chance to promote her Twitter and then show a pic that she posted. I guess she wore this to the 2008 Midsummer Night's Dream party at the Playboy Mansion. Whoa!