I had a guy in my cab yesterday that worked in forensic accounting. For those of you who don’t know what that is (like me before I picked him up @ Grand Central) what these guys do is find the hidden income of wealthy individuals or corporations by examining their books and ID’ing the trouble signs. It’s kind of like body language experts who can tell a person is lying by the way their eyes look to the left when they’re talking. Forensic accountants are masters at the body language of accounting. This guy worked on Enron and he is now involved in determining who gets paid out in the Bernie Madoff sweepstakes. Fascinating conversation but based on the tip it’s safe to say he hasn’t kept too much of the hidden money for himself.

Luckily I won’t need it this week because after a playoff run in which I went 9-1 for all of you unappreciative assbags (hello talk radio host Mike Bower) I have done the forensic accounting of Super Bowl XLIV and found out where the money is being hidden. Literally hidden! And not just in this game but in every Super Bowl to come! I’m serious.

Anyone that has ever heard me talk about gambling on the radio, a little league game or a dance recital for that matter knows that I am a huge proponent of betting every game for the same amount of money. It is the single most important reason that I have come out ahead every football season since 1993. The reason I find this so important is because if you commit to bet every game equally it takes alot of the emotion out of the process and decreases the chances of you going on tilt after a tough loss and making a bunch of dumb bets. (Tilt the state of mind, not the Michael Madsen vehicle on ESPN)

Placing equal bets also accentuates a winning record by ensuring that you get paid. Sadly, to most people who bet football having a winning record rarely equates to making money. Think about it. How many times have you gone 5-2 in a weekend and lost money because you bet the five wins for a hundo and the two losses for a nickel and a dime. It’s maddening! You have to bet them all the same. People who bet in varying increments are a bookies dream!!! Even if it works for you on a small sample of games over the course of time “betting the big game” has a way turning your bank roll into the last shot of Steve Buscemi in Fargo. I cannot stress this enough. If you are seriously trying to gamble and come out ahead you must bet them all the same.

The Super Bowl is no different. If you’re gonna bet it every year you have to employ the same type of strategy. Mine, without further ado, is this. Bet the underdog in the Super Bowl to win the game outright every single year for the rest of my life. Tha’s right, forget the spread and bet The Saints +180 to win the game! A five hundred dollar bet will pay you nine hundred american bucks!

A lot of people will want to know why. Is it the limited mobility of Freeney, then the “remember me” hits of the Saints D? Maybe someone has finally found a way to confuse Peyton Manning by changing the name of the Stadium every other possession. Nope it’s bigger than all that. It’s not about pass rushers, or average starting field position it’s about FORENSIC ACCOUNTING.

I know at first it sounds highly implausible that their could be money hidden on the most heavily bet game in the universe but when you look at the money line in this game for a few minutes you wind up having a Robert Langdon moment where you decipher a hidden code.

Here is the deal: the team favored to win the Super Bowl has won the game 32 times in 43 tries (75%) so on the surface it would seem simple to bet the favorite on the money line every single year because you’re going to win 75% of the time. But if you look a little deeper you’ll see the trouble signs.

Although favorites win the Super Bowl (without the spread) 75% of the time they are usually doing so at a money line that is extremely high. (avg. price for the 43 favorites is around -500 which means for every hundred you win on a Super Bowl favorite, you lose five!! This year the Colts are laying -210 which means a hundred on the colts will cost you 210 if you lose. (It’s really not bad when you consider a hundred on the COLTS in Super Bowl III would have lost you $1600!!!!!) If you bet the Saints for a hundo it would pay you 180. If you lost it you’d only be out that same hundo and there in lays the value.

Since Super Bowl I betting the underdog on the money line for a five hundred a game would give you a won lost record of 11 wins and 32 losses but you’d be up eleven thousand five hundred dollars. Don’t get me wrong there’d be a ton of games you didn’t like (‘94 Chargers over the Niners comes to mind) but if you stuck it out with this strategy you are bound to get paid. Just don’t count on winning the bet every year (or every three years for that matter). The dog wins the game outright slightly better than once every 4 years. I know this sounds boring and reserved but if you want to make money that’s exactly what you need to be.

Often times the guy you hear celebrating at the Borgata on Saturday night because he’s winning five dime black jack hands is often the same guy you see Sunday morning betting 20 bucks a hand because the excitement made it impossible to walk away and now it’s all gone. It truly is the worst gambling feeling in the world. I’m sure some of you have been there, tipping the waitress a hundred a round, paying people to hit their 16 because you plan on doubling down, lost behind stacks of chips that look like the New York City Skyline. But rather than walking away you keep playing and now you have the Philadelphia Skyline which eventually becomes the Columbus Ohio skyline and then alas, Sioux City. Keep the emotion out of the process and place the boring bet. Believe me I KNOW how boring this sounds but it’s not nearly as boring as Sioux City.

….As far as betting the game on an individual basis I think the Colts are going to destroy them for some reason. The only thing scaring me is that everybody I talk to feels the same way. If I was going one game I would lay the 210 and bet the Colts simply to win the game. Unfortunately or fortunately I have pretty good discipline so I will stick to the money line strategy that I’ve employed since the year 2000. (3-7, up $2500).

If you really plan on betting the Super Bowl every year I have a strategy that cannot lose over the course of time.

Why you ask? Is it because of the limited mobility of Dwight Freeney or the turnover inducing the “remember me” hits of their defense? Is Reggie Wayne’s knee really that bad? Has the ever changing name of the Dolphins Stadium confused Peyton Manning?

Jimmy Failla can be reached at JIMFAILLA@yahoo.com or the Ann Service Taxi Dispatch on w’ 21st street because he’s making something of his life. Honest.

Jimmy Failla is a guest contributor “Wheelhouse Radio” program that airs every Sunday – Thursday @ 8pm ET/5pm PT at www.blogtalkradio.com/thewheelhouse and at www.errorfm.com @ 2am ET/11pm PT

You can visit The Wheelhouse’s official website where you can download “high quality” shows and see all the latest happenings with the show at www.wheelhouseradio.com

If you would like to subscribe to “The Wheelhouse” on iTunes simply subscribe for free at iTunes by typing in “Wheelhouse Radio!”

You can catch out Jimmy Failla at his official website at www.jimmyfailla.com you can also check out his blog at http://jimmyfailla.blogspot.com/

Get your NFL jerseys discounted now on Amazon.com by clicking here

Indianapolis Colts vs New Orleans Ssaints Super Bowl XLIV 44 T Tee SHIRT Size XL

Indianapolis Colts vs New Orleans Saints Super Bowl XLIV 44 SHOT GLASS

New Orleans Saintss NFC Champs Super Bowl XLIV GOLD COIN

New Orleans Saints Super Bowl XLIV Champions Bobble Head MVP

New Orleans Saints vs. Indianapolis Colts Super Bowl XLIV Bound Ash Ticket Driver Dueling T-shirt

NFL Super Bowl I-XL Collector’s DVD Set

New Orleans Saints Black 2009 NFC Champions Super Bowl Destination T-shirt

Indianapolis Colts Super Bowl XLI Champions Official Locker Room T-Shirt

Order the Madden NFL 10: Official Strategy Game Guide by clicking here.

For one week of the year, sports fans that live and die every week with the NFL come together with those that haven’t watched a snap of football since last year. Whether you are watching due to Super Bowl betting, bonding with your significant other, looking for a good party, or actually care about the game, chances are good you will be watching Super Bowl XLIV. For fans of the game like myself, I couldn’t be anymore excited about the possibilities of this year’s matchup between the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints.

It has taken years to get a matchup this good on paper in the Super Bowl. Not since Super Bowl XXXII can I remember a game promising this much hype, this much intrigue, and this much offense. Like Super Bowl XXXII, the headliners in this game will be the quarterbacks. Can Peyton Manning and Drew Brees live up to the drama provided by Brett Favre and John Elway twelve years ago? Not only do I think they can, but I think this has the potential to be the most exciting Super Bowl of this generation.

The Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints combined to score almost 1,000 total points this season. The Saints led the NFL with 64 overall touchdowns during the regular season. The Colts weren’t far behind them, finishing fourth in overall touchdowns with 53. While eight of the Saints touchdowns came from the defense, 51 of the Colts touchdowns came on offense. This one promises to be an offensive show for the ages.

The Indianapolis Colts come into the game as the favorite. Vegas odds have them somewhere between a -4 to a -6 favorite. That is a very interesting number if you think about it. On paper, the Colts should be an easy seven point favorite against anyone in the Super Bowl. The Colts have blown out teams in both playoff games. But guess what, so have the Saints and these guys are the real deal.

Interestingly enough, this game may be more about defense than offense. This year’s Super Bowl storyline features Colts DE Dwight Freeney. The Pro Bowl DE has ligament damage to his ankle and is officially listed as questionable for the game. Other than Peyton Manning, Freeney may be the second most important player to the Colts in a game like this. Sure, you can confuse Mark Sanchez and Joe Flacco with schemes and play the turnover game. However, Drew Brees is not going to turn the ball over without any pressure. Without pressure, Brees will pick the Colts apart for four quarters and slice and dice his way to a championship. Raheem Brock will step in for Freeney if he can’t play and while my fellow Temple alumni is no slouch, he doesn’t possess the speed that Freeney has.

Speaking of defense, the New Orleans Saints come into the game with the 25th ranked defense during the NFL regular season. The Saints have definitely stepped it up in the playoffs. The Saints not only contained arguably the two best quarterbacks in the NFC, they hurt them. Has anyone seen the pictures of Brett Favre’s ankle and arm this week? Forget about looking at the sack number, the Saints got to both Warner and Favre several times throughout the game. It got so bad two weeks ago that even I was wincing in pain watching Brett Favre get up from those massive hits. This is the kind of game that could get ugly real fast for Peyton Manning if he isn’t careful.

The advantage for Manning in my opinion is that he played against two very similar defenses in the playoffs. Manning played arguably the two best defenses in the AFC in back-to-back weeks and shredded them. While the Jets did get to Manning early in the AFC championship game, Manning figured them out, and tore them apart as the game progressed. Manning also seemed to be two steps ahead of the Ravens in the divisional round, who are also a blitzing team. The Colts boast one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. It would shock me quite honestly to see Manning hit anywhere near as much as Warner and Favre were hit by the Saints.

On offense, it is really tough to give anyone an edge here. It is quite eerie as to how similar both of these offenses are. While both teams have their number one targets in Reggie Wayne and Marques Colston respectively, they spread the ball around so much that fantasy owners of any Colts or Saints are probably bruised from beating their heads in throughout the season in frustration. At tight end you have two of the best tight ends in the NFL opposing each other. Where the Saints have a bit of an advantage is with the second tight end. Brees seemed just as comfortable throwing to David Thomas this season as he did Jeremy Shockey. Manning doesn’t have that luxury. However, teams that double Dallas Clark or Wayne usually get bit by Pierre Garcon or Austin Collie. Just ask the Jets how that worked out for them in the title game.

The Colts and Saints also have very similar running games. Both teams go with somewhat of a three-headed monster. While Joseph Addai and Pierre Thomas are technically the starters, Donald Brown and Reggie Bush get plenty of opportunities, with Mike Hart and Mike Bell carrying the ball on short-yardage and red zone plays. Joseph Addai has been hit or miss in the postseason averaging five yards per carry last week, but with no touchdowns in the playoffs. Reggie Bush on the other hand has come alive for the Saints in the postseason with touchdowns in both games. On top of that, Reggie Bush averaged 16.8 yards on the ground against the Arizona Cardinals and 16.5 in the air last game against the Minnesota Vikings. You just have no idea where this guy is coming from!

The quarterbacks have lived up to their billing for most of the season. Peyton Manning has undoubtedly been more consistent over the entire season than Drew Brees has. As long as Manning is taking the snap, the Colts have never been out of a game. Manning and Brees each had tremendous QB ratings in the conference title games. Manning has thrown five touchdowns, while Brees has thrown six. Both quarterbacks have turned the ball over, once a piece on interceptions. The Saints had a better mix on the ground as Drew Brees threw for 444 yards in two weeks as opposed to Peyton Manning who threw for over six hundred yards.

So how does such a great game on paper end on Super Bowl Sunday? I would love to see the Saints win on Sunday. It would be a nice change of pace rather than seeing Peyton Manning’s face everywhere for another offseason. As someone that has watched NFL football for now four decades, the turnaround that Sean Payton has done with the Saints may be the best turnaround I have ever seen in years. It was only a few years ago that Saints fans had to sit through those horrendous Aaron Brooks and Bobby Hebert seasons.

At the end of the day I just don’t see Peyton Manning losing this game. It doesn’t matter if they are down three or thirty-three going into the fourth quarter. Until I see different, nobody is beating Peyton Manning this year. I just think the Colts have too many weapons on offense that at some point or another will break the will of the Saints defense. I don’t like it, but I predict another Indianapolis Colts Super Bowl win and countless hours of Peyton Manning on television cutting meat for the next six months.

Get your NFL jerseys discounted now on Amazon.com by clicking here

Indianapolis Colts vs New Orleans Ssaints Super Bowl XLIV 44 T Tee SHIRT Size XL

Indianapolis Colts vs New Orleans Saints Super Bowl XLIV 44 SHOT GLASS

New Orleans Saintss NFC Champs Super Bowl XLIV GOLD COIN

New Orleans Saints Super Bowl XLIV Champions Bobble Head MVP

New Orleans Saints vs. Indianapolis Colts Super Bowl XLIV Bound Ash Ticket Driver Dueling T-shirt

NFL Super Bowl I-XL Collector’s DVD Set

New Orleans Saints Black 2009 NFC Champions Super Bowl Destination T-shirt

Indianapolis Colts Super Bowl XLI Champions Official Locker Room T-Shirt

Order the Madden NFL 10: Official Strategy Game Guide by clicking here.

Okay so I want to do this in 20 minutes because I’m exhausted. Just some quick hits on championship weekend…..Is it possible that we could resurrect the act of stoning just for the guy who insists on putting that retarded robot on the side of every Fox graphic? Seriously, how did it ever get this far? We hate promos. But throw in a graphic of a down syndrome robot in shoulder pads doing the electric slide and not only do we hate the promos but we now hate you. I’m trying to see the replay of the 47th Adrian Peterson fumble and instead they’ve got the tart bot playing air guitar during a promo for “Human Target”. I’ve got a great idea for a human target: You Mr. Patronizing fox producer…..

………..Has Challenger the bald eagle landed yet? During the national anthem of the Colts/Jets the fine folks at Lucas Oil Stadium decided to bring in Challenger, that past it’s prime bald eagle that used to fly to the pitchers mound before playoff games at Yankee Stadium. It was a post 9/11 patriotic deal where they’d finish the anthem release the bird and he’d do a b-line to his handlers arm atop the mound. The crowd loved it. That is until two years later when old Chally started pulling a Super Tramp and taking the long way home. He’d circle the mound, fly over the backstop, take a dump, you name it. It actually became a distraction from the anthem so they stopped it. Well there I was watching the conclusion of Francis Scott Key’s song (talk about a one hit wonder, what else has F.S. Key ever written) and in comes Challenger. At first I didn’t know if it was planned or if he was still flying from game 6 of the 2003 world series. Sure enough the handler was on a stage and sure enough Challenger flew right by. Stunner! If you tivoed the game you will see that they tried to stay on him for the landing but ultimately went to commercial when they couldn’t get him to land…..

…..How about this stat for Brett Favre: 2007 Packers Last pass INTERCEPTION
2008 Jets Last pass ” ”
2009 Vikings Last pass “yup, you guessed it”

If your like me your not wondering how his last throw of 2010 will turn out your just wondering what team he’ll be playing for when he throws it. It’s time by the way for all the greatest QB of all time talk to stop with this dude. Admire him for his grit, his competitive fire, his cannon arm, and his incredible durability, but stop insulting our intelligence and referring to him as the best ever. Especially not when Archie’s kid is playing 2 channels over, IN HIS PRIME. Favre isn’t in the top five of all time.

If you’re wondering that list looks like this:
1. Montana
2.(and Climbing) P. Manning
3. T. Brady
4. Elway
5. Marino

…..Did Boomer Esiason die? I was watching him on the air yesterday and wondering who was the corpse, him or the person applying his makeup. He looks like weekend at Boomer’s. Dude we know Carton is grating as hell but geez, Boom. You look like an old southwest ad “want to get away”

….Who are the best fans in the world? Everybody who wins a championship, or a disputed one (hello NCAA football) thanks their fans who are “the greatest fans in the world” In the past 6 months I’ve seen the Yankees do it, the Crimson Tide do it, Jimmy Johnson do it, Peyton Manning do it, even Jim Tressel after the Rose Bowl. But only one of these guys can be right. Maybe we should have a battle royal to figure out just who should lay claim to the moniker. For my money, I take Jimmy Johnson’s fan’s because Nascar Fans get off on “Future Weapons” on the Military Channel. Well that and a certain former Governor of Alaska

…….Any moron out there who doesn’t believe in “momentum” in sports should have to watch the Colts final first half drive and then tell me exactly what that nine letter word was that EVERY MEMBER OF THE JETS DEFENSE USED IN DESCRIBING WHAT THAT DRIVE DID FOR THE COLTS GOING INTO THE LOCKER ROOM. If the players believe in momentum, why don’t some fans? Maybe you can define the way the world works while your holding a controller and pressing the R1 button or the analog stick but in the real world of big boy sports there are real things that impact a game. Such as: Momentum. I’m not saying it’s the only factor. It is “A” factor. But sometimes it just seems like the only one.

……and by the way lets kill all the “Colts shouldn’t have benched their starters in the last two weeks” talk because the same people bitching that they didn’t try for perfection would be the same ones calling for Jim Caldwell’s noggin if Peyton were to get hurt during either of those games. Period. It was, no pun intended, a no-win situation for Los Colts….

……….I’m calling a sex tape for Snooki from “Jersey Shore”. Assuming the show will keep her relevant for another year, I set my over under at 18 months. Place your bets.

………Take heart all ye Jet Fans. It was a season of immense progress. I’m not talking the birth of a franchise qb or a couple of playoff wins either. Last week, for the first time in my 33 years I caught people pretending to be Jet Fans. As in, it was cool to say you were a Jet fan. Tell me that aint a big leap foward!!!

………….G’night Ned. G’night Ned. (what movie for extra credit)

Jimmy Failla can be reached at JIMFAILLA@yahoo.com or the Ann Service Taxi Dispatch on w’ 21st street because he’s making something of his life. Honest.

Jimmy Failla is a guest contributor “Wheelhouse Radio” program that airs every Sunday – Thursday @ 8pm ET/5pm PT at www.blogtalkradio.com/thewheelhouse and at www.errorfm.com @ 2am ET/11pm PT

You can visit The Wheelhouse’s official website where you can download “high quality” shows and see all the latest happenings with the show at www.wheelhouseradio.com

If you would like to subscribe to “The Wheelhouse” on iTunes simply subscribe for free at iTunes by typing in “Wheelhouse Radio!”

You can catch out Jimmy Failla at his official website at www.jimmyfailla.com you can also check out his blog at http://jimmyfailla.blogspot.com/

New Orleans Saints vs. Indianapolis Colts Super Bowl XLIV Bound Ash Ticket Driver Dueling T-shirt

New Orleans Saints Black 2009 NFC Champions Super Bowl Destination T-shirt

Indianapolis Colts Super Bowl XLI Champions Official Locker Room T-Shirt

Order the Madden NFL 10: Official Strategy Game Guide by clicking here.

Finally, an entire weekend of games in the NFL postseason lived up to expectations. For at least three quarters, the AFC championship game turned out to be one of the most exciting games in NFL conference championship history. Not even four quarters could decide the NFC Super Bowl representative. For the first time in sixteen years, two number NFL one seeds will play in each other in what will likely be the most hyped game in Super Bowl history.

New York Jets at Indianapolis Colts - As stated above, for three quarters this was an NFL classic. Rex Ryan and the Jets didn’t come to Indianapolis satisfied with exceeding expectations and playing in the title game. The Jets came out firing on both sides of the ball. Manning was sacked on the third down of his first possession and you knew from there, this was going to be a long afternoon. All of the talk about the Jets rattling Manning proved to be correct.

To my surprise, the Jets broke this game wide open with a phenomenal call in the second quarter. Mark Sanchez hit Braylon Edwards with a beautiful 80-yard pass for a score. This was the first touchdown of the game and pulled the Jets in front 7-3. The Colts looked stunned, the crowd got quiet, and the Jets looked more confident than the home team that bucked history and had the opportunity to go for an undefeated season.

Going into halftime I was almost sure that the Jets were winning this thing. The Jets were having some serious problems accounting for Collie and Garcon, but they had kept Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark in check. I didn’t think Jim Caldwell would be able to make the proper adjustments necessary to take the game back. The Jets also had the ball coming out of halftime. Everything just seemed to be going the way of gang green.

The one thing that had to worry Jets fans coming out of halftime was the running game. After bowling over teams for weeks, the Colts did a damn good job of keeping the run game in check. I was also surprised that Shonn Greene seemed to be getting most of the carries. To me, I just think that Thomas Jones gives you that extra on every play where he is going to break tackles at some point and break a run one wide open faster than Greene. Unfortunately Jets fans saw the tide start to turn when Greene left the game with an injury.

Now on paper you wouldn’t have thought Greene leaving was that big of a deal because you have Jones. But Jones works in a split situation because of the change-of-pace style he brings paired with Leon Washington or Greene. A situation that features Jones with no other options is a tricky one. I sent a text to my brother when Greene went out and I said that this one is over. Missing that second back completely changes the game for the New York Jets and makes things a lot easier for the Colts defense.

Manning showed me a lot on Sunday. I think sometimes he gets a lot of criticism because he just makes it look too easy. It took him a half, but he picked up on the Jets schemes and found ways to get Clark and Wayne open. Once Wayne and Clark started getting open, the will of the Jets was broken, and Manning was in cruise control.

Last week I wrote about the underrated Indianapolis Colts defense coming into the game. For some reason, the Colts are still labeled a bad rushing defense because of a few bad seasons a couple of years back. It’s just not true. In back to back weeks, the Colts plugged up arguably the two best rushing teams in the NFL. I think this Colts defense is underrated and are a big reason that this team is going to the Super Bowl.

I don’t think the New York Jets are a case of a team that overachieved and got hot. I think they have a very good coach who can do this again. Think about this. This isn’t even entirely Rex Ryan’s team. Give Rex Ryan a few years where we can get his type of players and this team will be ready for the Super Bowl. So long Kerry Rhodes. Ryan is no fluke. Ryan has been a defensive mastermind for years as a coordinator. I think that there has been an official changing of the guard in the AFC East this year. I don’t see any reason that this team can’t win the East next season and contend once again.

The Jets will be playing with fire if they roll with Thomas Jones next season. He is only getting older. Should the Jets come back with a three-headed attack of Jones, Washington, and Greene, they could be the most dangerous team in the AFC next season. Mark Sanchez will likely have a bit of a sophomore slump so I wouldn’t expect big things next season. However, he only seemed to get more comfortable with Dustin Keller as the season moved on. I think he is the real deal and Jets fans can be comfortable for the first time in decades that they have a franchise quarterback for years to come.

Minnesota Vikings vs. New Orleans Saints - Rarely does a game with this much hype live up to expectations. On paper, this reminded me of those old 49er-Cowboy NFC title games of the early 1990s which always wound up more competitive than the Super Bowl. Both teams opened up the game with scoring drives and reassured fans that this game was going to live up to all of the hype and then some.

I have to start off here with something that didn’t have anything to do with the game itself. Right before the game kicked off on the sidelines, Chris Myers grabbed Vikings coach Brad Childress for some comments. Chris asks him flat out what his run-pass ratio will be for the game. Of course Childress looks at him like, “Are you serious?” and gives up a very non-committal answer. But what kind of lazy journalism is this? Is that any different than a question any NFL fan would ask Brad Childress before a game? Give me a break! There are plenty of ways to ask the same question, yet in a more creative fashion. What is the point of having this sideline charade if all the interviewer is going to do is ask a lazy question? I’ve seen better sideline reporting during an Arena Football game.

The Saints game plan here was to hit Brett Favre and to hit him often. I have no problem with that, because that is what the game is all about. However, the game plan here included taking lots of cheap and dirty shots at old #4. Favre hit the ground often, and most of those hits were late and dirty. I am no Favre apologist by any means, but even I thought some of these hits were getting a bit ridiculous.

The bottom line here is it worked for the Saints. No other team this season was able to get to Favre as often as the Saints got to him. Favre not only went down often, he often went down hard. The pain on Favre’s face as he would get up from every hit was just excruciating. At one point Favre had to go to the bench for medical treatment. This was a defensive performance that you would have expected in the early game. As much as Favre can annoy me at times, I will say this about the gunslinger. He is one tough guy. Nobody can ever question his toughness after watching what he went through at 40-years old and finishing the game.

The story of the game here was turnovers. The Vikings offense turned the ball over six times, with Adrian Peterson stealing that show. The Saints got a bit off of the hook here, because they also turned the ball over several times. Adrian Peterson is taking a ton of heat today for his numerous fumbles. While he does need to own up to his own mistakes, the Saints defense deserves a ton of credit here also. The Saints were constantly going for the ball. I don’t know if this was all about Peterson’s carless play or more about the Saints creating their own turnovers. I tend to credit the defenses on both sides for creating the turnovers rather than putting all of the blame on the players when it comes to most of the turnovers. Not all of them, but I’ll get to that.

The irony here is that even with all of the Vikings turnovers, Peterson’s fumbles, and Favre’s hits, that the Vikings were not only always in the game, but were two minutes away from winning it. It was the storybook moment that football writers dream of. Brett Favre got the ball with two minutes to go, tied at 28, on the road, with the Super Bowl on the line. Favre marched the Vikings down the field and had the team at the 33-yard line of the Saints with 0:19 seconds to go. The Vikings were a field goal away from breaking the tie and doing the unthinkable until the thinkable. A 12-man on the field penalty sends the team back five yards and Favre is forced to move the team back into field goal range. Welcome back Brett Favre!

The old Brett Favre made a special guest appearance here. Favre threw an interception to the Saints, turning the ball over, and taking away the Vikings Super Bowl hopes with one play. This wasn’t a brilliant play by the Saints. This was a horrendous throw and terrible decision by a veteran quarterback who should have known better.

The turnover gave the Saints the ball with less than 10 seconds to go, yet they didn’t do anything with it. The game went into overtime. Now here we go again with the NFL overtime debate. Anytime an NFL game goes into overtime, fans and media start screaming about how unfair it is that the other team doesn’t get a chance with the ball. I hate that argument. Using that argument, it is like saying that defense doesn’t count for anything. The defense has just as much of an opportunity to make something happen as the opposing offense. The Saints won the toss and received the ball.

The Saints wound up scoring on the opening overtime drive. The Saints used 11 plays to move the ball down the field and set things up for a field goal. Garrett Hartley made a 40-yard field goal to win the game and send the Saints to the Super Bowl. Before you anti-overtime critics start screaming about it being unfair that the Vikings didn’t get a chance, keep in mind that the Vikings had 11 chances to stop the Saints. Not too mention, most overtimes don’t end on the first possession. This was only the fifth time out of twenty-seven NFL playoff overtimes that a team scored on its opening possession.

Funny how after five intense quarters of championship football, the quarterback who threw one of the most ridiculous interceptions in postseason history is stealing all of the headlines today. While the most anticipated Super Bowl of our generation is getting its share of headlines, most of the headlines revolve around Brett Favre and his future in the NFL. I will save my opinions on what Favre should and will do for later in the week. But it got so ridiculous that Fox had more shots of Favre leaving the field after the game than the quarterback that just drove his team 11 plays down the field in overtime to win the game and go to the Super Bowl. Heck, I thought at one point that Fox was going to ask Favre to accept the Halas Trophy for the Saints!

Finally after years of disappointment, NFL fans will get the Super Bowl Dream Match that we always hope for when a season starts. I’ll give the NFL a lot of credit, because most of the Super Bowls over the last decade were competitive thrillers. But none ever featured a matchup of the two “sexy” team of the season. This will be the first time in sixteen years that two number one seeds will play each other for in the Super Bowl. Enjoy it, because it may be another sixteen before we see anything like this again.

New Orleans Saints vs. Indianapolis Colts Super Bowl XLIV Bound Ash Ticket Driver Dueling T-shirt

New Orleans Saints Black 2009 NFC Champions Super Bowl Destination T-shirt

Indianapolis Colts Super Bowl XLI Champions Official Locker Room T-Shirt

Order the Madden NFL 10: Official Strategy Game Guide by clicking here.

NY Jets at Cincinnati Bengals

A match up of the 2 AFC teams I didn’t pick for the playoffs in my preview. (And no, you didn’t pick the Bengals to beat the Steelers and Ravens all 4 times and win the AFC North…) Everything is telling you that the Jets are the better team right now. Almost every league rank on defense. More weapons on offense. Momentum after destroying the Bengals in the last game of the regular season. But you can’t avoid history. Rookie QB on the road in the playoffs? Can’t do it. Pick: BENGALS

Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys

Another rematch from the last week, but a totally different case than the Jets/Bengals. One team had everything to play for and one team literally had nothing to play for. But the Eagles had a 1st round bye in their hands. And could the Eagles have been more disappointing? So instead the Cowboys get the 3rd seed and the home game AND all the confidence in the world. While an explicit rope-a-dope strategy is unlikely by Philly, there’s no way they play that bad 2 weeks in a row. Again, I’ll go with history and go against the post-season winless Tony Romo. And make no mistake, Wade Phillips is coaching for his job this week. He either wins or gets fired. So don’t squelch those Bill Cower-isn’t-coaching-this-year reports just yet. And Marty Schottenheimer, hold off on a final word on that Buffalo job… Pick: EAGLES

Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots

The Ravens are about 10 points away from 3 more wins, winning their division, and being the most feared team in these playoffs. And the Pats are playing without their MVP for the year because Reliant Stadium has crappy grass. Awesome. I feel great. At least the tape Baltimore has from their match up earlier this year is useless, because NE had Wes Welker then and it will be a totally redesigned offense on Sunday. That said, this is not the same Raven D that simply doesn’t let you run the ball or score points. Joe Flacco has somehow regressed from last season and even in the 1st 3 games of this year. He’s all about confidence and if he’s knocked around and picked off in the 1st half, he’ll get flustered. And since none of those weaknesses play into a strength of the Patriots, I’m thrilled! I’ll still take the Pats at home, where they haven’t lost this year and where Brady has won over 25 straight, in a squeaker. Pick: PATRIOTS

Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals

The toss-up-iest of the Wild Card match ups. The Packers are playing their best football right now. The Cardinals are at home and have so many offensive talents. The Packers rolled the Cards in Week 17. The Cardinals knew they would likely play the Packers in the playoffs and could not have played more vanilla on both offense and defense. I will take the Packers on the road, but I will be more shocked by Casey Johnson’s drug overdose than I will be if the Cardinals win at home. Pick: PACKERS

- “The Sweet Nasty” Chris Cause

Chris Cause is the co-host for the “Wheelhouse Radio” program that airs every Sunday – Thursday @ 8pm ET/5pm PT at www.blogtalkradio.com/thewheelhouse and at www.errorfm.com @ 2am ET/11pm PT

You can visit The Wheelhouse’s official website where you can download “high quality” shows & see all the latest happenings with the show at www.wheelhouseradio.com

If you would like to subscribe to “The Wheelhouse” on iTunes simply subscribe for free at iTunes by typing in “Wheelhouse Radio!”

You can follow “The Sweet Nasty” Chris Cause on twitter by going to www.twitter.com/thesweetnasty or you can follow Wheelhouse Radio! on Twitter by visiting their page @ www.twitter.com/thewheelhouse. You can also e-mail them @ wheelhouseradio@gmail.com

Get your NFL jerseys discounted now on Amazon.com by clicking here

Check out the NFL Film Classics – Legends of Autumn, Vols. 1-3 DVD by clicking here.

Join ESPN Insider today for the best sports analysis online, plus ESPN The Magazine!

Your favorite NFL teams and players gone big – Fathead.com

Order the Madden NFL 10: Official Strategy Game Guide by clicking here.

After 17 of some of the most exciting weeks in NFL regular season history, the playoffs have officially arrived. The 2009-10 NFL Wild Card weekend looks more like an NFL Network Replay marathon of the Week 17 regular season schedule. This weekend will feature all season rematches, three of which are rematches from a week ago.

Before jumping into each game there is something that I wanted to point out about all of the games this weekend. Obviously with three immediate rematches, we have three teams that lost last week, four in all if you through the Pats in. Fans and teams can make excuses for their teams and in some games where starters sat, some of those excuses could be legitimate. Regardless of the reason, no team that made it to the final four in last season’s playoffs lost its final regular season game. That is great news for Packers, Jets, Ravens, and Cowboys fans.

Let’s start out with the game that hits closest to my heart between the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles. After being declared the hottest team in the NFC, the Eagles reminded fans like me why we can’t trust them in certain situations. Rivalry game, on the road, second seed on the line, and the Eagles decided to take their Bye Week early. The Dallas Cowboys spanked the birds at home and locked up the NFC East, and a home game this weekend with last week’s drubbing.

This is about the only situation that the Eagles do not want to be in on Wild Card weekend. The Cowboys looked to have figured the Eagles out on both the offense and defense last week. The Eagles are a lot like the Philadelphia Phillies. The Eagles are a home-run or bust team. If McNabb can connect on those long bombs to Jeremy Maclin or DeSean Jackson, he and the birds will cruise easily to a win. Take those bombs away from McNabb and this team is in big trouble. God forbid Andy Reid actually has to coach and game plan for one week right?

While the Eagles didn’t get blown out earlier this season in their first meeting against the Cowboys, they were still shut down. I think the biggest issue here facing the birds is the Cowboys 3-4 defense. The defense takes away the screen, which the Eagles also love to play to death. The pressure from speedy linebackers and DeMarcus Ware on McNabb doesn’t allow him to sit back and wait for his receivers to get down field. It is truly a nightmare scenario for the Eagles. The only chance that the birds have at scoring points is to get a run game going early and open up the pass. Otherwise, the Cowboys will tee off on McNabb all day and we will see a replay of last week.

Defensively, the birds have had problems all year. While everyone remembers all of those points the birds put up against the New York Giants, Eagles fans don’t like to talk about the points given up in the same game. This team has serious issues at linebacker, specifically middle linebacker. If the birds put in Omar Gaither, the Cowboys will run all over him. If the birds put in Jeremiah Trotter, the Cowboys will pass to Jason Witten or Felix Jones all night long. The Eagles need to put pressure on Tony Romo and with Trent Cole double teamed, I have no idea where that is going to come from. The Eagles did a fairly good job of holding this offense down during their first meeting. However, that was many weeks ago and the Cowboys just seem much hotter while the birds defense looks more confused than ever going into the post season.

Finally, I have to bring up some intangibles here. There were several off-field incidents this week that hurt the Eagles badly. One, Donovan McNabb and DeSean Jackson have had words over what McNabb said in the post game last week. Two, Jackson has been tweeting some trash talk which is the same kind of stuff that worked against Freddie Mitchell when he talked trash on Rodney Harrison before the Super Bowl. Finally and maybe the most egregious act of all, Eagles employee and media man Dave Spadaro has a video on You Tube of himself spitting on the Dallas star at the new stadium. Not only should Spadaro be fired, as an Eagles fan I am irate beyond words that a little mole who doesn’t even play the game may be the intangible that fires up the Cowboys to go a little extra this week in practice, and destroy the birds on Saturday.

Before I anoint the Cowboys, I do want to bring up a few things. This is the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys have looked unstoppable every year that they have made the playoffs with Tony Romo, and have choked in every game. Between Romo’s fumble against the Seahawks and the inept offense against the Giants, there is something about this team that can’t get over the playoff hump. As a matter of a fact, the Cowboys haven’t won a playoff game since 1996. While the Eagles have choked in many NFC title games, their playoff record under Andy Reid is fantastic. The Eagles under Reid have never lost a first-round playoff game. Keeping all of this in mind, I am predicting a big upset in Big D and an Eagles’ win Saturday night.

Sticking with the NFC, the sexy Super Bowl pick going into the season were the Green Bay Packers. The Packers will travel to Arizona and play the Cardinals in the second NFC Wild Card game. Like the Eagles, these are two teams that you never know what you will get from week to week. As much praise as the Packers get from the media, they are also the same team that gave up over 500 passing yards to Ben Roethlisberger a few weeks ago. The Arizona Cardinals have also been red hot, yet were demolished by the San Francisco 49ers just a few weeks ago on Monday Night Football. Which team shows up is anyone’s guess.

I think it is almost comical that when people talk about this game they immediately rave about the Packers defense, while ignoring the Cardinals defense. This is almost an identical defense to the team that went to the Super Bowl last season. Remember last season when the Carolina Panthers rushing attack looked unstoppable? Not only did the Cards stop them, they crushed them in the post season. This season the team has very average stats, yet their rushing defense has been rather stellar throughout most of the season. It is not inconceivable to think that the Cards will bottle up the Packers rushing attack and turn this into an air-show.

The Packers are one of those teams that just when you think they are the hottest team in the NFL, they give you a Pittsburgh or Tampa Bay performance. Their passing attack is right up there with the best teams in the NFL, ranked number seven overall. Greg Jennings came on late, but has been a beast to contend with as the season came to an end. Jermichael Finley has been one of the most productive tight ends in the NFL since coming back from injury. Donald Driver has found the fountain of youth and has been a game killer to the oppisition. Aaron Rodgers always keeps this team in games even when it looks like the floor is falling out from under them like the Vikings game in Lambeau Field. This team definitely has all of the tools to make a serious Super Bowl run.

Even strength, I think the Cardinals beat the Packers. However, while the Packers are close to full strength, the Cards are not. The key to their defense, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie will either sit out or play at less than 100%. Losing one of the best corners in the NFL against a team throwing Donald Driver and Greg Jennings at you is a recipe for disaster. On the offense, Anquan Boldin is hurt as usual and could miss the game. I don’t expect a team without two critical players like these guys to hang with such a dangerous team as the Packers. The only chance that the Cardinals have here is to get pressure on Rodgers and secure some turnovers. I don’t know if they can do that with receivers who are wide open and I don’t expect them too.

Oh yeah and then there is that Super Bowl loser jinx. Not since the Buffalo Bills in 1994 has a losing team repeated in the Super Bowl. That is not to say that the Cardinals can’t make it back to the title game, but the odds just aren’t in their favor. Between that and the Madden Curse, I don’t see them getting far. The Cards are great at home which plays in their favor and these are two long trips back-to-back for the Packers. However at the end of the day I think the Cards are too hurt at the wrong time to make this a game. I am going with the Packers.

The New England Patriots host the Baltimore Ravens this weekend in the AFC Wild Card round. This is the only rematch this weekend of a game that wasn’t played last week. These two teams met in a thriller earlier in the season which saw the Patriots squeak out a win against the Ravens.

When the story this week for the Patriots is about a guy named Edleman, you know you have problems. The big storyline of the game is the loss of Wes Welker for the Patriots. Welker was injured last week in a routine play and will miss the playoffs, and possibly the beginning of next season. The loss of Welker makes the Patriots a very different team on offense. With Welker, the Pats gave defensive coordinators nightmares. Without him, the Ravens will concentrate on Randy Moss and pressure Tom Brady. This is going to be a much tougher game for the Pats than their first meeting and if not for a Mark Clayton dropped pass in the end zone, they probably would have lost the game.

The Ravens always play the Patriots tough. Even in their destructive 2007 season, the Ravens were seconds away from beating the Patriots. Joe Flacco has been in the playoffs before so this is nothing new to him. Flacco and the Ravens established one of the most dynamic running games in the NFL throughout the season. Ray Rice has turned into the new Brian Westbrook/Marshall Faulk dual receiving/running threat. Willis McGahee turned it on at the end of the season and the two became arguably the best one-two running punch in the NFL. The Ravens are not a team to take lightly at all.

Everyone always says never to bet against Bill Belichick in the playoffs. They are right. He is 15-4 in the postseason with a .789 winning percentage. He missed the playoffs for the first time in years last season, so you know he is hungry for a big run here. If there is any Wild Card team that I would put money on, it would be the Patriots. I know that Welker is done, but the Eagles lost Terrell Owens in 2004 and made a successful playoff run without him. As much as I admire what the Ravens defense has done this year, there are a lot of older guys that aren’t as fast and give up big plays in the secondary. I look for Brady to exploit that with or without Welker and advance to the second round with a win.

Finally, the least appealing game to me takes place first as the Cincinnati Bengals host the New York Jets in a rematch of last Sunday’s marquee game. The Jets spanked the Bengals hard on offense and defense last week. In back-to-back weeks, the Jets beat the Indianapolis Colts and the Cincinnati Bengals. Favorable situations or not, that is quite impressive. However before New York fans are ready to crown the Jets, they are forgetting about one incredibly key factor to last week’s game. The Bengals played without Cedric Benson and Benson is back and with a week of rest this weekend.

I think the storyline that amazed me most this week was the idea that the Bengals are falling apart. Yes, it is definitely not a good thing to be sliced and diced like they were by a team you have to play the following week. Carson Palmer and the Bengals offense were stopped on all facets of the game by Rex Ryan and the Jets. However, I find it amazing that the same people ready to call it a night for the Bengals barely mention the loss of Benson. This would have been like the Jets playing without Thomas Jones against a full Bengals squad. The Bengals are a running team and set the pass up with the run. I don’t take a thing away from last week’s game knowing that Benson was on the bench.

I have always liked the Jets and I like Rex Ryan. Yet I think the Jets are the biggest frauds entering the playoffs. The Jets were handed gifts with the Colts pulling their starters two weeks ago and Benson sitting last week. I know Darrelle Revis shut down Ochocinco, but Ocho was the only thing that the Jets had to worry about. Thomas Jones was a beast, but it will be much different for the Jets who won’t be getting the ball in the great positions they found themselves in last Sunday night. I may be dead wrong, but I think the Jets are in way over their heads this weekend.

I look for a big rebound by the Bengals. I do believe that a great running game and a great defense win championships. The Bengals have both. I am very curious to see how Mark Sanchez handles his first turnover, as I do expect a few. I think this game will be a lower scoring affair (can’t score any less if you are the Bengals). There is always at least one blowout game on Wild Card weekend. I think it is this one. I look for a big day out of Cedric Benson, some Sanchez turnovers, and a very exciting game next weekend when the Bengals travel to Indy to play the Colts.

CamelClutchBlog.com Fantasy Football Playoff Championship

Congrats to Jeff Porrini and Team Nice Guys who beat Eric Gargiulo and DustysRedBellySpot in the championship.

NFL Wild Card Picks!

I had my worst week of the season going 7-9 with my picks. Keep in mind you had a lot of strange things going on like Cedric Benson, Philip Rivers, and Kurt Warner sitting. Overall I was 162-96 on the season which I think is a very respectable record. Now for the NFL Wild Card Picks (Picks in BOLD) -

New York at Cincinnati

Philadelphia at Dallas

Green Bay at Arizona

Baltimore at New England

Get your NFL jerseys discounted now on Amazon.com by clicking here

Check out the NFL Film Classics – Legends of Autumn, Vols. 1-3 DVD by clicking here.

Join ESPN Insider today for the best sports analysis online, plus ESPN The Magazine!

Your favorite NFL teams and players gone big – Fathead.com

Order the Madden NFL 10: Official Strategy Game Guide by clicking here.