The AFC and NFC championship games are looming this weekend in two cities where weather in mid-January could be a huge factor. If you don't think so, just ask the Seattle Seahawks. Those poor guys started the game in Green Bay last weekend in normal, albeit cold, weather and by the time the rout had mercifully ended they looked like Kurt Russell and the cast of The Thing stumbling around lost in Antarctica with some sort of monster chasing them.
Oddly enough, the Packers appeared to be enjoying themselves in the blizzard, which, I suppose is to be expected when you're kicking the other team's butt all over the frozen tundra.
So, the question is, what are the weather conditions going to be like this Sunday, when, in perhaps the only time you will see these two cities on your radar at the same time for any reason, Green Bay and Foxboro take center stage in the sporting world for a few hours.
I looked at the long-range forecast for each city on weather.com and discovered a couple of interesting things. First off, there is more than one Green Bay as well as more than one Foxboro, which I did not know. In addition to Green Bay, Wisconsin, there is also a sister city named Green Bay, Virginia. Even stranger, in addition to Foxboro, Massachusetts, there is a Foxboro, Wisconsin which seems to give the whole thing a weird sort of synchronicity.
Seemingly against all odds, neither stadium will feature a big snowstorm this Sunday, at least not according to the long range forecast. Gillette Stadium in Foxboro will see partly cloudy skies with a high temperature of 23 degrees, but with winds out of the west-northwest at up to 25 miles per hour. If true, that would result in a wind chill factor of about 6 degrees.
That's the good news. In Green Bay, the high temperature is forecasted to be just 4 degrees, with snow flurries and 13 mile per hour winds. This translates into a wind-chill factor of about -13 degrees, without even Philip Rivers' hot air to warm things up.
Just for a point of reference, the temperature in Fairbanks, Alaska Sunday will be 14 degrees. Plus, and this will warm the hearts of everyone planning to attend the game, the NFC Championship doesn't even start until 6:30 p.m., by which time the high temperature will be just a fond memory.
If you happen to have tickets to either game, have fun and make sure you bring plenty of antifreeze. It will be a toasty 72 degrees in my seat, unless I feel a chill, and then I'll bump it up to 75.
The amazing thing about Terrell Owens' crying jag in front of the media isn't so much that he did it, but rather that he showed some empathy for someone other than, well, Terrell Owens. For a man almost universally believed to be in love with himself, this was an incredible display, one which I'm pretty sure signals the impending apocalypse.
If so, we could all be running out of time, but before I begin attempting to explain to my maker my reasoning for all of the missteps I've made over the last 48 years, let's get something straight.
Tony Romo was stupid to go to Cabo with Jessica Simpson for a few days during the Cowboys bye week, but not because it had anything whatsoever to do with Dallas losing that game to the New York Giants. Players routinely scatter to all corners of the country when given time off by the coaching staff and nobody was the least bit concerned about where, say, Terence Newman went on his off days and who he spent time with.
But as the quarterback for America's Team, Romo had to understand he would be held to a different standard if Dallas did not win a home playoff game against the Giants, a team they had beaten twice already this season.
The notoriety that comes with his position is a double-edged sword. The same recognition and hero-worship that allows him to get Hollywood cuties like Simpson and Carrie Underwood with barely more than a snap of the fingers makes him the Number One Target of the fans' venom when that Hollywood ending everyone is expecting does not materialize.
If Romo had spent his time off in his apartment manipulating his joystick playing Madden 2008, no one would now be questioning his judgment, at least not his off-field judgment.
But here's the thing people should remember about Tony Romo: He's a second-year starter in the NFL, where it often takes quarterbacks years to gain the experience necessary to win in the postseason. Sure there are exceptions like Tom Brady, but it's not at all unusual for even future Hall of Famers to struggle in their first few playoff appearances.
Here are Romo's numbers for his first two playoff appearances, both losses:
You could play this game all day, but the point is this. Each of the above-mentioned quarterbacks eventually made it to a Super Bowl, with Elway winning two and Simms one. Marino lost in his only Super Bowl appearance but is widely and rightly regarded as one of the best quarterbacks ever. But the numbers for all of these greats indicate an inconsistency that should be expected from a relatively inexperienced quarterback.
So T.O. can cry all he wants, as can Cowboy fans everywhere, but maybe you should hold off on passing judgement on Tony Romo. He is only two games into what should be a long playoff career. He may or may not eventually become what people seem to think he is right now, someone who can't win the big one, but it is simply too early to make that kind of determination.
Come on, Colts fan, admit it. When Logan Mankins recovered Lawrence Maroney's first quarter fumble in the end zone after three Indianapolis players had fallen on the ball, seemingly smothering it like polar bears laying on a robin's egg, you thought to yourself, "Oh, no, here we go again.
Then, when Asante Samuel returned a Peyton Manning pick 39 yards for a touchdown late in the first half to make the score 21-3 New England, you thought, "What is it with these guys?"
As it turns out, there was nothing with these guys. At least nothing a second half of football right out of the Air Coryell archives wouldn't cure. All the Manning playoff demons, all the ghosts whispering in the ears of the players, "You can't beat New England in the playoffs," all the doubting Thomases, all the people who said Dungy's not a good coach because he can't get to the Super Bowl, all those naysayers were banished to a remote spot in the football kingdom after the Colts' come-from-behind (no, let's be accurate, after the Colts' come from way, way behind) 38-34 victory in the AFC Championship last night in the RCA Dome in Indianapolis.
You are well aware, no doubt, that the comeback from an 18-point deficit was the biggest in Conference Championship history, the Fox talking heads told us that as soon as the game was over. But try these two numbers on for size:
32 points 311 yards of offense
That's a pretty good day's work for an NFL team, especially in the playoffs, where the competition is so intense and the teams are the best of the best. When you consider those were the second-half numbers for Indianapolis, you realize that the New England dam didn't just crack, there wasn't a loss of structural integrity where a little water came trickling through, this was a demolition of biblical proportions. This was locusts swarming over the land, this was Ronald Reagan winning 49 states in the presidential election, this was Miracle taking on Mother Theresa in a cursing contest.
The Colts gained yardage in huge chunks, acres of real estate at a time falling under their galloping hooves, starting with their drive to end the first half with a field goal, making the score a seemingly uninteresting 21-6 at halftime. Ah, but that one little bitty field goal accomplished two things: It gave the Colts a little momentum going into halftime, and more importantly it made it a two-possession game with the Colts getting the ball to start the second half.
For all of this, for all of Manning's brilliance and Dungy's coaching prowess, going against logic by coming out and running the ball to open the thrid quarter, New England still had a real opportunity to advance to the Super Bowl in Miami. They held a three-point lead, with the ball, with about three-and-a-half minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
A couple of first downs would have either run out the clock or forced Indy into a desperation scenario. A championship team needs to be able to run the ball first and foremost. Allow me to present the Patriots second-half rushing totals: Five carries for eight yards. After gashing Indianapolis's defense for big gains on the ground throughout most of the first half, the Patriots were either unwilling or unable to commit to the run in the second half and it ultimately cost them an opportunity to salt a winnable game away.
In the end, the Pats were forced to punt the ball away, allowing this generation's most prolific quarterback 2:27 and two time-outs to come back from just a three-point deficit. At home. Game over. It was nearly too easy, as the Colts scored almost too fast.
After Indy's touchdown gave them a 38-34 lead, Tom Brady and New England got the ball back with 54 seconds remaining. This time, though, no more miracles were left in the bag of tricks as Marlin Jackson intercepted a Brady pass and almost immediately dropped to the ground. There would be no stripping the ball away en route to a miracle comeback here.
Although it's a tough loss to #### from a Patriot fan's point of view, it was an exciting and interesting game to watch. Congratulations to the AFC Champion Colts, back in the Super Bowl after a 36-year absence.
And to all you Colts fans who commented on my blog posts, and took my ragging of Manning and the Colts in the good-natured manner in which it was intended, thanks for reading. It was fun. See you next year.
If you're enough of a sports fanatic to be blogging and reading blogs about sports here at Foxsports.com, you probably have a long laundry list of sites you like to visit to keep up with the sports news of the day. Obviously Foxsports would be one, but of course there are plenty of others: Sportsillustrated.cnn.com, espn.go.com, cbssportsline.com, babeoftheday.com, you know, the usual sports sites.
With the big NFL Conference Championship games looming on Sunday, every sports website has trotted out their "experts," each laying out a convincing argument for why the teams they are picking will win. The AFC Championship is the one that interests me the most, but none of the websites or writers I have read has truly covered every angle on the Patriots-Colts matchup, so I have decided to do it.
Without further ado (does anyone really know what that means? And why doesn't anyone ever say, "please allow me to present further ado?"), here is a completely HalfBaked breakdown of the Indianapolis-New England game, in order of importance.
1) Team logo
New England: Flying Elvis head, featuring funky sideburns Indianapolis: Cool horseshoe
This actually could have been a very close call. The old Patriots logo, of the Revolutionary War soldier hiking a football, was pretty cool in its' own right, but the Flying Elvis head is just, well, lame. The Cool Horseshoe is a traditional throwback to the days of the old Baltimore Colts of Johnny U and company.
ADVANTAGE: COLTS
2) Stadium sponsor
New England: Gillette Indianapolis: RCA
Tough call here. RCA is into all sorts of high-tech stuff, which some people might believe makes them the devil. Okay, Ted Kaczinski is in jail, but still. The saving grace for RCA is the old puppy dog listening to the phonograph record logo.
On the other hand, Gillette products can be used by both men and women, which makes a trip to the drugstore to pick up a few "necessities" feel like a guy's way of supporting his team, rather than just another thing you have to do because your wife told you to.
ADVANTAGE: TOSSUP
3) Team Ownership
New England: Robert Kraft Indianapolis: Robert Irsay
Kraft is a local hero in New England, having rescued the Patriots franchise from a series of inept and occasionally traitorous ownership groups. The previous owner had threatened to move the team to St. Louis, whereas Kraft only threatened a move to Hartford to help get a new stadium built. Plus, he was a season-ticket holder for decades, sitting in the old Schaefer/Sullivan/Foxboro Stadium freezing his #### off, rooting for a nearly uninterrupted series of bad teams.
Irsay may be a local hero in Indianapolis, considering he brought NFL football to town, but the people of Baltimore would love to get ahold of his superhero's cape and do unnatural things to it. This is the guy who backed rental trucks up to the bowels of Memorial Stadium in Baltimore under cover of darkness and slunk out of town like a deadbeat dad cutting out on his child support.
ADVANTAGE: PATRIOTS
3) Team history
New England: Hall of Famers - 3, Super Bowl wins - 3 Indianapolis: Hall of Famers - 10, Super Bowl wins - 1
The Colts have a proud history, having won three NFL Championships prior to the Super Bowl era. However, all three NFL Championships, plus the Super Bowl win, came in the days prior to the team's 1983 move to Indianapolis.
The Patriots, up until the 2001 season, had a mostly sad-sack history, with just a couple of bright spots. Think Detroit Lions without the long tradition. Of course, everything changed in 2001 with New England's improbable march to the championship. Since that time the Pats have become a potential Super Bowl team every season, as have the Colts.
In the past five years, both New England and Indianapolis have been arguably two of the best teams in the NFL, and while the Colts have a longer and prouder history than the Patriots, you play the game to win, so the nod in this category goes to New England.
The Patriots website has more options on the front page, including an inspirational message from Sunita Williams, an astronaut currently on a mission on the International Space Station.
Both teams get penalized for forcing fans to make one extra click in order to get to the cheerleaders section of their website.
ADVANTAGE: PATRIOTS
Head Coach
New England: Bill Belichick Indianapolis: Tony Dungy
Each man is in his second go-around as a head coach, not counting Belichick's one-day stint with the New York Jets. Here is how the two coaches stack up against each other, with their win-loss records with their current teams:
Both coaches are considered two of the best and brightest in the game, and rightfully so. However, only Belichick has been so successful in his position that he is been able to get away with dressing on game day like a homeless guy who slept behind a dumpster next to the Old North Church with a bottle of Ripple clutched to his chest. Considering owner Robert Kraft's obsession with appearances (I'm pretty sure he sleeps in a suit), this tells you all you need to know about Belichick's abilities as a coach.
ADVANTAGE: PATRIOTS
Recap: It's clear upon reviewing this list of important factors which will determine the winner of the AFC Championship game on Sunday night that what appears to be a close contest will in reality be a cakewalk for New England. If it's not too late for you, get on the line with your bookie immediately and put everything on the Pats to cover the spread and ultimately win the game.
Disclaimer: Just kidding about these being the deciding factors in the AFC Championship game. We didn't even consider the cheerleaders.
Hey everyone, I know it must seem like I've dropped off the face of the earth, but it's nothing like that.
I've been busy writing - two full-length novels so far, plus over a dozen short stories - and working hard to try to get an agent. If you are curious and have a few minutes, check out my website, www.allanleve rone.com.
If you're a literary agent or if you know one, by all means contact me! In the meantime, I'll be here when I can - love this forum - and as always, thank you for checking out my blog, especially considering how many great ones you could be reading instead....
