As the competition in the NFL begins to heat up, so is the competition for the "Next Great Sportswriter".

Then who is the great mystery writer that I speak of?

That would be "jbold1"...who labels all of his articles as "Bold1 Liners".  Quite a clever tag, which may be his best move to take the lead in this contest.  Let me break down this candidate, and tell you why he's a contender:

-  This guy has separated himself from the rest by creating a brand name (Bold1 Liners).  Readers will remember the name, remember the label, and remember the blogs.  The first rule of business is to differentiate yourself from the competition.  Score A+ for jbold1.

-  Now that he's got the brand name, the attention is on what he calls superior "content".  I've never been a fan of people bragging too much, but his writing is very sharp.  While most bloggers just put out a bunch of mindless opinions, jbold1 actually has something intelligent to say...and he writes it well.

-  Sports knowledge.  Check out the guy's predictions, and see how accurate he is.  And even if they aren't 100%, the most important part about predictions is the explanation and logic.  Results will vary, but having good sports logic is key to becoming a good writer.

So you may ask why I am praising a competitor in such a manner.  The reason is because I appreciate good writing.  Rather that get in your typical web forum trash talking contest, I thought it would be advantageous to recognize such talent...rather than condemn it.

I would hope that this competition rewards such intelligent writing, rather than 2 line blogs asking who is the hottest female in sports.  I was surprised to see very few comments on in-depth, intelligent articles...while several responses to short, general blogs.

I only have one small criticism of jbold1's blog.  Over-confidence.  If you read his blog, you can tell he doesn't suffer from a lack of confidence about his writing.  That may actually be a good thing, but I think the sports world already sees too much of that with guys like T.O. and Chad Johnson.  I believe that to be part of jbold1's strategy, but it just doesn't sit all that well with me.  On the other hand, he's probably right...

To NGS Judges, sports fans, and fellow bloggers:  Do yourself a favor and check out jbold1's blog.

With that out of the way, here are just a couple of my observations from week 14 in the NFL:

-  Detroit Lions are a young, undisciplined football team.  Shaun Rodgers' personal foul penalty in overtime was possibly the dumbest play in the NFL since Leon Lett was around.  Though I'm not a fan of his coaching style, the Lions desperately need a Bill Parcells type of guy to come in and whip these Lions into shape.

-  The Indianapolis Colts will win the Super Bowl.  Not exactly a bold prediction, but I've seen all I need to from the best team in the NFL.  Their offensive line is light years ahead of the competition, dominating in both the passing and running game.  They are athletic enough to run around and get extra blocks, which is one reason Edgerrin James is always a leading rusher.  If they had to play in snowy conditions against a team like the Steelers or Patriots, maybe they have a chance of losing.  But with homefield advantage, they will march their way to a championship.

-  The NFC is wide open.  There are too many close games going on, and surprises each and every week.  The Seahawks look like the best, but they definitely won't dominate like the Colts.  Look for some tough NFC match-ups during the playoffs, and probably some exciting finishes.

SUPER BOWL:     COLTS defeat BUCCANEERS

Write that down!!