Super Bowl 47 Picks

AKA the HarBowl, and yes, 47, because I'm just not playing with Roman numerals any more.

The Ravens and 49ers face off this Sunday. Both teams have good stories. It's Ray Lewis's *last* time at the rodeo. Colin Kaepernick came in mid-season and set the NFC West on fire. Plus, Chef Spouse's boy David Akers. The 49ers have never lost a Super Bowl, and they've played in - and won - five, behind only the Steelers. (The Ravens have also never lost a Super Bowl, but they've only played in one so far.) Also, Harbaugh v. Harbaugh, which is like Spy v. Spy, only in color and with fewer explosives (THAT WE KNOW OF).

As usual, what I'm mostly rooting for is a good game.

Well, unless the Eagles are playing, in which case it's cool if they win 59 to 3.

Or if the Patriots are playing, in which case I hope they all come down with norovirus and have to forfeit.

Or if they Cowboys are playing...wait, what am I saying? That's not likely to happen any time soon. Heh.

I've got the 49ers. I'm not putting money on it or anything, but I think the teams are pretty evenly matched on defense, and I don't think the Ravens will be able to keep up with the 49ers scoring juggernaut.

I just hope it doesn't come down to kicking, because since his mid-season double hernia surgery, David Akers has not been brilliant.

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Super Bowl 46 Recap

It's official. Eli Manning is Bill Belichick's kryptonite.

Raise your hand if you had the "safety" square as the first score in your office football pool. Yeah, me neither.

Fortunately, the game got better after that. And it *was* a pretty good game, even if it was between two teams I really did not want to watch again this season.

Leading up to kickoff, I was still thinking that the Pats would win, although after all the "Tom Brady is a god - A GOD!!!" talk on the pre-game shows, I had convinced myself that the Giants winning was the lesser of two evils. Which I guess it still is. Sorta.

If you had told me that the receiver who dropped the key pass would be Wes Welker and the receiver who caught the key pass would be Mario Manningham BEFORE the game, I would've said you were nuts. Just goes to show how much I know.

Obviously Ahmad Bradshaw was supposed to go down on the 1, letting the Giants run the clock down and kick the field goal for the win. But oops - he scored a TD. Normally, leaving Tom Brady with a full  minute would've been a mistake. But the Pats receivers were not sharp in the second half last night, and the Giants hung on for the win.

If Madonna was going to reprise "Like a Prayer" backed by a gospel choir, I gotta point out: what was with all the white people? And what was with the ultra-slo-mo assisted cartwheels? And the giant "WORLD PEACE" at the end of her set? It's a puzzlement.

In the meantime:

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Super Bowl 46 Picks

The Giants and the Patriots will be facing off in Indianapolis this Sunday, February 5. You know, just in case you've been living under a rock or so mesmerized by the Republican debates that you've forgotten about all other types of media.

If you recall, the last time they met in the Super Bowl - a mere four years ago (but I'm not bitter) - the Giants played spoiler to the Patriots' attempt at a perfect season, beating the Pats 17-14 and significantly aided by David Tyree's miracle helmet catch.

I don't think that's going to happen again.

Yes, since I can't have what I really want - a time machine that will take us back to week 4, when the Eagles SHOULD have woken up (as opposed to week 12, when they actually did) - or what I wanted as an alternative - a Ravens/49ers Super Bowl - I'll sigh, place my faith in the Pats, pray for a natural disaster, and watch for the commercials.

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Sunday Schedule: Sunday, February 6, 2011

In case you've been living under a rock, this Sunday the Packers and the Steelers meet up at Cowboys Stadium for Super Bowl XLV.

If you're reading this and know where I live and my phone number, you're invited to my Super Bowl party. But please email or call to let me know to expect you, so Chef Spouse and I make enough food.

Party starts at 5 pm.

Kick off is at 6:30 pm.

Living room seating is reserved for those who are serious about watching the game.

The kitchen is for those who at least want to know what's going on with the game while they eat and socialize.

The dining room is for those who are just here for the food and conversation.

Speaking of, we'll be preparing our usual Tex-Mex bacchanal, with burritos, fajitas, and quesadillas, plus Chef Spouse's fab homemade guacamole. Bring something to share. What? Pre-game snacks, beverages, and desserts are all good ideas.

Children are welcome, but remember that I tend to swear like a sailor around football, even when my team's not playing, so if they learn colorful new expressions at my house, you've been warned.

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Super Bowl XLV Preview

Confession: it's just not as fun to preview the Super Bowl when your team's not in it. But you knew that.

The Packers go into the Super Bowl smokin' hot. Aaron Rodgers has had inhumanly good QB ratings pretty much since he came back from the concussion. Clay Matthews was right behind another guy who'll be playing Sunday for defensive player of the year. James Starks came out of nowhere to buck up the Packers decimated RB core. And they have some pretty decent receivers - you might've heard of them? Donald Drive and Greg Jennings? The Packers have a better claim than that team from Dallas on the title "America's Team" - hey, it's called the LOMBARDI trophy.

And I'm conflicted about the Steelers. They have, for a long time, been my AFC team, but I have a really hard time rooting for them as long as Ben Roethliseberger's still under center. Bust magazine explains it far better than I could. But to all the people who continue to ding Mike Vick, just remember: he hurt dogs. And served his time. Big Ben is a sexual predator who hurts women. I love dogs, I really do, but they aren't people.

So my heart is with the Packers. Who, you might remember, were the NFC's sixth seed. The only sixth seed team ever to win a Super Bowl? The Steelers.

Which I'm pretty sure is what's going to happen again on Sunday, extending their lead as the Super Bowl winningest team in the NFL.

Steelers. And it should be a good game.

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Saints Victory Parade

Video from the Times-Picayune:

New Orleans Saints Video: Victory Parade

Or click here for pictures.

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Super Bowl 44 Recap

Saints v. Colts, Sunday, February 7, 2010

In attendance: Small group, due to the Snowpocalypse. Shoegal, Limin' ABD, Wingman & Mr. Wingman and a few neighbors who could get here on foot.

Menu: Tex-Mex deliciousness, hot wings, homemade pralines, ice cream, beer & margaritas

Stud of the game: Tracy Porter. I know Drew Brees got MVP (because really, the winning QB almost always gets MVP), but Tracy Porter's pick in the 4th quarter was what really sealed the win, putting the Colts in a 14 point hole with just over 3 minutes left in the game.

The Colts owned the first quarter, but the Saints pretty much owned the rest of the game. Key plays, in addition to Tracy Porter's pick, included the surprise onside kick to start the second quarter, the challenge on the successful two point conversion, Matt Stover's missed field goal, and the fact that Garrett Hartley nailed 3 long ones. And the fact that the Peytonator spent the entire second quarter watching the game from the sidelines, which was exactly what the Saints needed to do. You beat Peyton by keeping him off the field.

Congratulations to the Saints. We'll miss you in the "never won a Super Bowl" club. This is gonna be one hell of a last week of Mardi Gras season.

(yes, that photo above is me & Chef Spouse second lining to Rebirth down our snow-covered street in the aftermath of the win)

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Saints WIN the Super Bowl!

Game recap coming later today, but I had to share this great Times-Picayune video of the party on Bourbon Street last night:

Saints Fans Celebrate Super Bowl Victory on Bourbon Street

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One last thing...

Need to get FIRED UP to cheer for the SAINTS tomorrow?

Check out this playlist, conveniently assembled by the Times-Picayune.

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2009 Super Bowl Picks

I've been putting off writing this post. As I tweeted to Tweety Monster the other day:

I have 4 days to convince myself the Saints can win & write about it :)

Time's up.

And my heart says Saints.

But my head...my head says Colts.

There is no "owed" in football. Just ask Eagles fans.

And the Saints are a great story this season, but you don't always get the storybook ending. Just ask Jeff Garcia about the 2006 season. Or Jaws about 1980.

Philly.com has a "keys to victory" post up for both teams. Yes, keeping the Peytonator on the sidelines is a good plan, as far as it goes. But do you remember that game earlier this season when the Colts held the ball for less than 15 minutes and won anyway? And they scored 14 points in about 30 seconds? The man does not need much time to win the game. Frankly, if you're dependent on the arrival of "The Turnover Fairy" to win the game, you might be in trouble.

I do feel that the best team in each conference is representing at the Super Bowl, rather than one or both being repped by teams that just happened to get hot at the right time. And if good wishes were points, the Saints would win this easily, since I think everyone who doesn't live in Indianapolis (and even maybe some who do) are rooting for the Saints.

Every bit of reason...everything I know or pretend to know or suspect I know or am widely believed to know about football...everything I absorbed from watching umpteen games and hours and hours of SportsCenter and the NFL Network...tells me the Colts are going to win this.

I'm calling Saints anyway. To hell with good sense, and if they win, don't expect to see me in the office Monday.

In other news...

The NFL finally leaps into the 21st century with fan page that will collect a variety of social media content about the Big Event.

If the game turns into a blow out, you can always switch over the Super Bowl commercial archive (thanks to Tweety Monster for link).

Interesting in placing a wager on the Super Bowl? You got it - Super Bowl betting.

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Black & Gold!

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Geaux Saints

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Get CRUNK!

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Remember

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Awesome Super Bowl Stats

Emailed by blog reader Mike Fearon (and re-posted with his permission):

Since my horse is out of the race, I’m picking a team based on food ( New Orleans is much more my taste) – but in the spirit of fair play, I feel obligated to include Indianapolis . Without further delay, here are the party concepts:

New Orleans Saints

What to drink (cocktail): Sazerac
What to drink (beer): Abita Amber
What to eat: Spicy Chicken Bites
Fan faux pas: A Saints tattoo [YIKES! Somebody get that guy some teeth already!], shooting a television

Indianapolis Colts

What to drink (cocktail): Colt .45 Cocktail
What to drink (beer): Colt .45 Malt Liquor
What to eat: Hoosier "Fried" Pork Tenderloin Sliders
Fan faux pas: A horse mask

I Just Can’t Decide or I’m Rooting for the Commercials

You can turn on the Gloria Estefan, hang up a Scarface poster and chill with a Cruzan Mango Mojito all in honor of this year’s host city Miami

The stats on how people celebrate the Super Bowl are available at Mike's great web site, Book of Odds. Go check it out!

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Did You Not Hear Me? I said WHO DAT?

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WHO DAT?

(even though it makes my team look bad)

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