It seems hard to believe that this will be the 44th time that the NFL will be bringing us a Super Bowl. 43 other games have been played and through the years we’ve seen a lot of stuff to make us salivate and wonder, “What can possibly top that?” In the spirit of the big game coming up this Sunday between the AFC’s Indianapolis Colts and the NFC’s New Orleans Saints, I have decided to take us all down memory lane and look back at my top 10 best bowls and look back at some other stuff that makes Super Sunday great.

Yes friends step right up and bring your Doritos, your buffalo wings, hoagies and all the other great foods we like to feast on during the big game to the table. Don’t forget to bring lots of beer, and other beverages. Yes so much makes this event great, and most of America will all have some kind of favorite story. From Aerosmith and Britney Spears rocking to “Walk This Way” to Justin Timberlake exposing Janet Jackson’s breast in the infamous “Wardrobe Malfunction” scandal.

Don’t forget about the best of commercials, with birds forming an army to try and splatter a freshly cleaned car with “bird poo”, all the great beer commercials, and who could forget the gorgeous “Go-Daddy” girl, and the beautiful Ally Landry doing acrobatic stunts while eating puffed Doritos, forcing every man in America to laundro-mats near and far. Not to mention great half-time shows away from the game, like Howard Sterns half-time raunch fest, MTV’s Celebrity Death Match, and the first ever Lingerie Bowl, which has now led to the Lingerie Football League.

So this years event has its intrigue as well. We will be “Keeping up with the Kardashians” as we see Kim and mom cheer on Kim’s boyfriend, Saints running back Reggie Bush. We will get our looks at the Manning family, as Archie’s son goes against his old team, and Eli will be sitting back clapping it up just as his brother did for him two years ago. Perhaps a Saints win will even bring back the umbrella dancing of owner Tom Benson. No matter what, you can be sure there will be something to talk about on Monday.

Okay enough about all that, it’s time for the best of the best that led us up to here. For all of you who follow me regularly, you will remember my top Thanksgiving day games, which got rave reviews, and for that I thank you. I’m pretty sure this list will spark debates, but hey its “my” personal top 10. This is why we offer a comment section, so you can feel free to express your views. Okay so here we are starting at my number 10:

Super Bowl XIII, January 21, 1979, The Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida – Pittsburgh Steelers 35, Dallas Cowboys 31

Two of the very best teams of the 70’s met in a rematch of the Steelers victory a few years before. The Steelers came into the game having won back to back bowls a few years ago and boasted that amazing “Steel Curtain” defense. Terry Bradshaw was the games MVP throwing for 318 yards and a record 4 touchdowns. Bradshaw’s effort spoiled a good outing by Cowboy QB Roger Staubach who tallied 3 TDs. The Steelers big 2 receivers, Lynn Swann and John Stallworth each went over 100 yards receiving, with Stallworth collecting 2 TDs, and 1 for Swann. After the Steelers scored twice in a 22 second span to start the 4th quarter, Dallas had closed out with 2 scores in the final 2 minutes. However an onside kick attempt failed, locking up the win for the Steelers. It had been the highest scoring game of its time, as Super Bowls past were mostly lower scoring affairs, or lop-sided blow outs. It marked Pittsburgh’s fourth victory in the last 6 Super Bowls.

Super Bowl XXXII, January 25th, 1998, Qualcomm Stadium San Diego, California – Denver Broncos 31, Green Bay Packers 24

Two of the games most heroic, and reckless sharp shooting QB’s, Brett Favre and John Elway met on center stage in a battle of 2 very different teams. The Packers were Super Bowl winners the previous year and boasted a high flying passing attack with a stellar defense, while the Broncos were a smash-mouth, ground game offense with a decent defense. The Broncos were able to control the pace of the game led by game MVP, running back Terrel Davis, who rushed for 157 yards and 3 TDs, which is a record for running backs. They were able to out-do Favres good day of 256 yards and 2TDs. Davis’ final TD was a 2 yard walk with 1:46 left in the game after the Broncos were able to consume most of the clock in the 2nd half. Elway only contributed 125 passing yards and rushed for 1 TD, but it was enough on this day, as he managed a perfect offensive attack.

Super Bowl XXXIX, February 6th, 2005, Alltel Stadium Jacksonville, Florida – New England Patriots 24, Philadelphia Eagles 21

After three straight spoiled attempts in NFC Championship games, Andy Reid finally got his team to the big game where they would face the defending champs from New England. Despite striking first the Eagles could not contain Tom Brady and game MVP Deion Branch enough to pull a win out. The Pats defense collected 4 Eagles turnovers, and spoiled the return of Terrell Owens, who came back from an ankle injury to collect 9 catches for 122 yards. Donovan McNabb did manage 357 yards and 3 TDs for the Eagles, but will more be remembered for an alleged “vomiting” incident during the 4th quarter. Brady finished with 236 yards and 2 TDs, and Branch had 11 catches for 133 yards. The Eagles managed to score with 3 minutes left, then stopped the Pats on the next series, but could only muster 3 plays after that from their own 4 yard line.

Super Bowl III, January 12th, 1969, The Orange Bowl Miami, Florida – New York Jets 16, Baltimore Colts 7

We all know by now that a cocky young QB named Joe Namath came out on the Thursday before the game and boldly predicted that the Jets would upset the Colts. What we did not expect was how well the Jets would control the game. Star QB Johnny Unitas did not start for the Colts do to an injury and the Jets defense was able to intercept QB Earl Morrel 3 times. The Jets also did big things in the running game and controlled the pace throughout. Namath was the MVP, throwing for 208 yards. The Colts coming in had dominated all year losing just once in 16 games. The win was the first for the AFL, now known as the AFC, and a win that put Namath on the map. Meanwhile a weakend Unitas played the 4th quarter and managed a TD pass.

Super Bowl XXXVI, February 3rd, 2002, The Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana – New England Patriots 20, St. Louis Rams 17

The Patriots came into this game riding high behind the arm of a young unproven kid named Tom Brady, who took over earlier in the season for the much famed QB Drew Bledsoe, who was lost to an injury. The Rams brought in their “greatest show on turf” offense,led by Kurt Warner, who came from nowhere to lead them to victory just 2 years earlier. It was the first time we would see the masterful defensive mind of Bill Belichick truly befuddle a high scoring offense. The Rams could muster just 267 total yards and turned the ball over 3 times, while MVP Brady worked his magic and the Pats collected 427 yards of offense while committing no turnovers. The game was capped with Brady leading the Pats down field and placing Adam Vinatieri in position for a 48 yard field goal as time expired,marking the first time in history a Super Bowl was decided on the last play. The win began the great legacy of Brady, who was the MVP, Vinatieri who became known as “Mr Clutch” and Belichick, and ended the reign of the mighty Rams. The vision of a stunned Brady, hands on head and shaking his head as if to say “I can’t believe it” is still an iconic piece shown in many Super Bowl history videos.

Super Bowl XXXVIII, February 1st, 2004, Reliant Stadium Houston, Texas – New England Patriots 32, Carolina Panthers 29

Seen by many as a potential mismatch, Panthers head coach John Fox brought in his unlikely cast of winners led by Jake Delhomme, a former Saints back up and Louisiana guy. Delhomme was very Brady-like in his outing recording 322 yards and 3 TD’s, while game MVP Brady threw for 354 yards and 3 TD’s. The Panthers fought it tooth and nail and gave the now mighty Patriots more then they could handle. Delhomme connected on bombs of 55 and 85 yards to keep his team in the game. However the downfall came after the Panthers last score. Delhomme had thrown a 14 yard TD pass to receiver Ricky Proehl to tie the game up, but kicker John Kasay sent the following kick off out of bounds, giving it to New England at the 40 yard line. Brady just needed 3 plays to set up Adam Vinatieri for his 2nd consecutive Super Bowl winning kick with just 4 seconds left. It would be the 2nd of 3 Super Bowls for the Patriots.

Super Bowl XXIII, January 22nd, 1991, Joe Robbie Stadium Miami, Florida – New York Giants 20, Buffalo Bills 19

A fully loaded Bills team with loads of talent came in to face a banged up Giants team who was playing without star QB Phil Simms. What happened was back up Jeff Hostetler playing an excellent game of management and game MVP Ottis Anderson working his battering ram running style into a Super Bowl record 41 minutes of time possession and controlled the game through out. Anderson ended with 102 yards and a TD, and Hostetler also had a TD. Thurman Thomas was the main guy for the Bills as he collected 190 yards of total offense. The Bills did get a last chance to win this game however, despite only seeing the ball for 7 minutes in the second half. After Giants kicker Matt Bahr gave the Giants a 20-19 lead, the Bills marched the ball downfield and got kicker Scott Norwood into position for a game winning 47 yard field goal. The rest, well quite simple, a historic miss known as “wide right” that haunts the fans of Buffalo and Norwood to this day. It was the Giants 2nd Super Bowl win in 5 years, and the beginning of a run that would see the Bills make 4 straight Super Bowls only to lose them all.

Super Bowl XLIII, February 1st, 2009, Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Florida – Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Arizona Cardinals 23

Last years game became an instant classic. Many had felt that the Cardinals, seen as much the lesser team, would be blown out of the building by the mighty Steelers led by coach Mike Tomlin and a very ferocious defense. What they got instead was a great game filled with great plays and lots of offensive fireworks. It marked the coming out party of Cardinals superstar receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who collected 9 catches for 131 yards and 2 TDs. One of those being a long gain in which Fitzgerald was seen infamously watching the jumbo-tron to see the location of Steelers defenders behind him. The second was thought by many as the game winner with a minute remaining. Of course we all remember QB Ben Roethlisberger leading that final drive and game MVP Santonio Holmes becoming a miracle worker as well. Another big highlight was linebacker James Harrison scoring the longest TD in history taking a Cardinals turnover 99 yards right as the first half ended. The game however will always be remembered for Holmes and his skin of his toes 10 yard TD catch in the very back corner of the end zone with just 35 seconds left to play. It was the 2nd straight year a Super Bowl had been decided by a corner end zone catch with 35 seconds left and gave the Steelers the franchises 6th Super Bowl win, most in the league today.

Super Bowl XXIII, January 22, 1989, Joe Robbie Stadium Miami, Florida – San Francisco 49ers 20, Cincinnati Bengals 16

In a rematch of a game played some 7 Super Bowls before, the Bengals were out to stop the legendary Joe Montana and take revenge for a loss years back. The 49ers escaped the previous meeting with a 26-21 win, and many of the experts saw this as a better Niners team. The Bengals managed to stay tight through the whole game and at the half it was just 3-3, the lowest half-time score in Super Bowl history. The Bengals started the 3rd quarter with a 93 yard kick return TD by Stanley Pritchard, only to see Montana strike back and connect with the games MVP Jerry Rice to tie it up. Rice had ended the day with 11 catches for a Super Bowl record 215 yards and a TD. The Bengals were able to get the next 2 scores on field goals and held a 16-13 lead with just under 3 minutes left. 3 minutes? Perhaps they never heard of Mr. Montana. The 49ers got the football back on their own 4 yard line, then Montana went to work. He gently dissected the Bengals secondary, picking it apart and doing brilliant time management as well as a perfect display of field leadership. In what is my rendition of “the drive”, Montana completed the comeback with a 10 yard TD pass to John Taylor with just 34 seconds remaining and sealing another Super Bowl for the 49ers, making them the first NFC team to win 3 Super Bowls.

Super Bowl XXXIV, January 30th, 2000, Georgia Dome Atlanta, Georgia – St. Louis Rams 23, Tennessee Titans 16

A new century was upon us and a new era of football had come forth. In the pre-season the Rams had lost starting QB Trent Green, and with tears in his eyes at a press conference soon after, head coach Dick Vermeil had announced that an untested and unknown QB by the name of Kurt Warner would try and get them through this season. Warner had been an Arena football player, cut from several NFL teams and was working at a grocery store before the season. Through some miracle, the Rams had discovered the legendary “Greatest Show On Turf” led by Warner and loaded with talents like Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce and Marshall Faulk. “The Show’ jumped out early and held a 16-0 halftime lead over the Titans, led by QB Steve McNair. The Titans were out gained 280 to 98 in the first half but managed to keep it close. Over the next quarter the Titans managed to climb back in it, and became the first team in Super Bowl history to overcome a 16-0 deficit. McNair’s passing was near flawless as he completed 22 out of 26 passes for 214 yards, and RB Eddie George got the score tied at 16 with a 1 yard TD rush. Warner, not to be denied led the Rams down field on the next series and managed to drive them to a TD and got them on top 23-16. McNair and his team then took their turn on the field. McNair, playing with a fearless demeanor connected on passes of 23 and 16 yards, working his team down the field. After getting inside the 10 yard line, McNair failed on his next 2 attempts. His last effort seemed to be a Super Bowl miracle, as he danced around pass rushers and found receiver Kevin Dyson opened on a slant. Dyson caught the ball at the 7 yard line and broke for pay dirt, only to be met by Rams linebacker Mike Jones. After being hit Dyson stretched with all his might and reached for the goal line, only to have the ball stop 1 yard short and they watched time expire. Clearly the best finish in Super Bowl history, the Rams won their first and only of that era and the Titans can only wonder what may have been, ending just 1 yard short.

So what do we expect this year? Well 2 great QBs with 2 great offenses and good ball hawking defenses. It’s tough to know if we will have a top 10 game on our hands, but one can always dream. Hey if not, can we please have a replay of Ally Landry at the laundro-mat? “Hey, pass the Doritos”

If you’d like to hear anything else from me on topics or ideas I can be reached at phillyphan1971@yahoo.com.

NFL Super Bowl I-XL Collector’s DVD Set

NFL America’s Game Super Bowl I-XL on DVD

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.

The playoffs unofficially begin in the NFL on Friday. There are three NFC teams alive for two NFC playoff spots, while the AFC has six 7-7 teams fighting it out for a couple of available spots. This may be the most exciting week of the year with so many teams left playing for so little spots in the NFL post season.

The NFL opens up the week with a great prime time special on Christmas night. The San Diego Chargers look for 10 straight as they travel to Tennessee to play the Titans. Vince Young and the Titans are still alive for a playoff spot. After starting off the season winless in six and being blown out in embarrassing fashion by the New England Patriots, a playoff spot for the Titans would truly be a Christmas miracle.

The Chargers are a team that probably deserves more hype than they are getting. They are only behind the Indianapolis Colts in most games won in a row. Philip Rivers is playing out of his mind right now and has the Chargers as the overall fifth best ranked offense in the NFL. That is a good thing because the defense has been putrid this season, ranked currently at 30th in the NFL. Even more impressive is that they are playing a tough schedule and beating very good teams. The Chargers just beat the Cincinnati Bengals and the Dallas Cowboys back to back and are full in playoff mode early.

Vince Young continues to do what he does best and that is win games. Young has brought his winning attitude to the entire team, as the Titans won a recent game that featured Young on the bench for most of the contest. The Titans have only had one loss since Young took the quarterback spot and that was against the Indianapolis Colts. Kenny Britt and Justin Gage have come out of nowhere over the last few weeks as one of the most dangerous wide receiver tandems in the NFL. This is a very good team playing their best ball of the year at the right time.

It is very hard to pick against a team that has just won 10 in a row and I won’t start now. The obvious line of thinking is to take the home team on Christmas night. However, most NFL analysts will tell you that the road team has a bigger advantage on a holiday night. While the home team is busy getting extra tickets for family, hosting family for the holidays, and spending the day at home, it is just business as usual for the road team who tend to be more focused in these situations. I look for the Chargers to win a tight one here and cruise into the playoffs with the number-two seed.

On the flip side, the Philadelphia Eagles have quietly become the hottest team in the NFC. The birds have rolled off five in a row, including a big division win over the Giants. The birds are 9-2 against NFC teams losing only to the Saints and Cowboys. Even more impressive about their recent run is that they have done it without key players. DeSean Jackson, Brian Westbrook, and Jeremy Maclin have all missed at least one game, and in the case of Westbrook it has been quite a few games. This week the birds are expected to have their offense back in full force for the first time in weeks as they host the Denver Broncos.

It is amazing how different the context of this game is to Denver Broncos fans and Philadelphia Eagles fans. For the Broncos it is a must-win situation. After starting the season 5-0, the Broncos have stumbled and are now 8-6 and on the playoff bubble. Denver Broncos fans are thinking about one thing here and that is the post season. For Philadelphia Eagles fans, it is about one Denver Bronco in particular. This Sunday marks the homecoming for one of the most beloved players in Philadelphia Eagles history, Brian Dawkins.

The Eagles are currently in a situation where they could jump up and steal the second NFC playoff seed from the Minnesota Vikings. The Eagles have clinched a spot, but they need to win Sunday to have any hopes at a week off and January football at the Linc.

There are several trends over the course of Andy Reid’s tenure as head coach that remain constant with most of Reid’s Eagle teams. The Eagles are undefeated coming off the bye week and horrendous against the AFC. This season alone the Eagles are 1-2 against the AFC with their only win coming against the Kansas City Chiefs. This is hardly the lock that most experts think it is.

The Eagles have also struggled against 3-4 defenses. The Broncos play a 3-4 defense and Donovan McNabb tends to get hit a heck of a lot more against 3-4 defenses. I also think it is a bigger advantage for Denver than most think to have Dawkins on the team. Dawkins played with and against McNabb in practice every day of McNabb’s career. Dawkins knows McNabb’s tendencies and these are intangibles that the Broncos will attempt to use on Sunday. This has the potential to be a long day for the birds.

On the other hand, how confident can the Denver Broncos be after dropping a game at home against the Oakland Raiders? I was always dubious of the Broncos 5-0 record and was never quick to crown them as some kind of juggernaut. The Broncos won a lot of games in the last minute and could have just as easily been 2-3 as they were 5-0. Denver may also have a bigger advantage than most think at quarterback. This won’t be Kyle Orton’s first dance against the Philadelphia Eagles. Orton threw three touchdowns against the Eagles last season and led the Chicago Bears to a win in Week 4. Kyle Orton can beat this team and isn’t scared of Asante Samuel.

All in all I think the Broncos come away with a win here. They are catching the birds at a good time. The Eagles have two division games to close the season against the Redskins and the Cowboys and may look past the Broncos. I also think the birds tend to look past AFC teams in general, hence their record. The Broncos will also be highly motivated to get a win on Sunday for Brian Dawkins who has reportedly been the same locker room leader in Denver that he was here in Philadelphia. Not even Mr. Courageous himself Michael Vick can save the birds on Sunday.

The Pittsburgh Steelers try and keep hope alive as they host the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. As dreadful as the Steelers have looked lately, they lit up the Green Bay Packers for over 500 offensive yards last week and pulled out a clutch win at home. The Steelers can’t catch the Bengals for the divisional spot, but are still alive for a Wild Card slot. The Ravens would take that Wild Card spot if the season ended today. This is about as big of a regular season game as you can get between two divisional rivals that already hate one another.

The Ravens beat the Steelers earlier this season on Sunday Night Football. The difference that night was no Big Ben Roethlisberger for the Steelers. Even playing against Pittsburgh’s third-string quarterback, the Ravens needed overtime to beat the champs. Big Ben has won four in a row against the Ravens, including three games last year (2 regular season and 1 playoff game). The Steelers will continue to play without Troy Polamalu on defense. Don’t be fooled by the win last week. The Steelers defense is still awful, and gave up 36 points and 383 yards in the air last week. If not for a revamped offense and confused Packers defense, the Steelers would have been embarrassed once again at home.

The Ravens on the other hand have been rolling through their opponents over the last few weeks. Fantasy football owners like me have cashed in on the greatness of Ray Rice and the Ravens running game. The combined scores of the last two Ravens game were 79-10 in the Ravens favor. Joe Flacco did it in the air last week throwing for a career-high four touchdown passes. Oh yeah, something I forgot to note here about those games. Those big wins came against the 5-9 Chicago Bears and the 2-12 Detroit Lions. Come to think of it, those numbers don’t sound that impressive anymore.

ESPN had an interesting stat on the Ravens. The Ravens are 9-0 in games played below 40 degrees and the temperature will definitely be below 40 degrees in Pittsburgh on Sunday. I don’t think that stat holds too much water in this game considering who they are playing. Sorry, I’m trying Ravens’ fans! The big questions here are the offenses for both teams. The Ravens and Steelers have played inconsistent offense all season. One week they struggle and the next they are rolling up the points. I am not ready to trust this offensive turnaround for the Ravens. I’ll lean towards the champs in a close but great NFL regular season victory on Sunday.

The most curious game of the week has to be the Indianapolis Colts against the New York Jets. The Jets boast the overall number one passing defense in the NFL as the Colts boast the number one passing offense in the NFL. Something has to give in this one. Win or lose, the Jets just don’t give up a lot of points. Win or win, the Colts have won by large and small margins throughout the season. Who do you trust? Do you trust Rex Ryan and the boys to hold Peyton Manning to 10 points or do you trust Manning to score 21?

The Jets are still alive for a playoff spot which is news to Rex Ryan. It is never a good thing when your own head coach isn’t aware that his team is still in the playoff hunt. Maybe he’d coach differently if he did?

The Colts may not be saying it, but they are going for 16-0. They have the overall first spot locked up and are on the verge of making history. I am sorry but all of these doubters are just throwing air balls in my opinion. I hear a lot of analysts claiming the Colts have holes on defense, this, and that. They may, but I don’t think there is a team anywhere close to their hemisphere right now in the NFL.

Unless Darrelle Revis can defend all of the Colts wide receivers and Dallas Clark, the Jets don’t have a chance of stopping Peyton Manning. The Jets do boast the overall number one rushing offense, which has meant nothing for other great rushing teams against the Colts. Now keep in mind if Manning sits for the entire game or second-half, all of this is moot.

For the Jets, Mark Sanchez has turned out to be a huge disappointment thus far. USC quarterbacks usually go through college without getting hit. There aren’t many great defenses in the Pac 10. The Colts will likely get a good pass rush going on Sanchez and give him happy feet throughout the game. I love the Colts to win big on Sunday.

Another big game with playoff implications has the Houston Texans traveling to Miami to play the Miami Dolphins. This is a battle of two 7-7 teams with the loser out of the playoff hunt. The Texans look for their third in a row as the Dolphins look to get back into the win column.

I look at this game statistically and it greatly favors the Houston Texans. The Texans are arguably the most talented 7-7 team playing football right now. Then I look at the head coaches. Tony Sparano has played in this situation and beat the Jets in the final game of the season last year in a win-and-in situation. Gary Kubiak has also played in this situation the last few seasons and came up small every time. The coaching factor makes me lean way more towards the Dolphins than the Texans in Week 16.

I have watched the Texans closely the last two seasons due to owning several of their players in fantasy football leagues. Matt Schaub has been unbelievable this season, as has the always constant Andre Johnson. The other constant for this team is the head coach. I think Gary Kubiak may be the worst coach in the NFL. I have never seen a coach do more to cost his team more wins this decade than Kubiak. I can think of at least three games that were lost due to his bad coaching decisions. His musical chairs of running backs have turned the running back situation into a joke. I just can’t see a team winning a big game in Week 16 with so many question marks at running back.

The Dolphins lost a very close game last week at Tennessee. The game came down to the wire. Even with the loss, Chad Henne looked very good and Ricky Williams remains one of the best running backs in the NFL. The Texans boast the 17th overall rushing defense and have given up a whopping 14 rushing touchdowns this year. They are right up there with all the usual suspects when you talk bad NFL defense. Between their bad rushing defense and their head coach, I just can’t see them getting it done this week. Until they come up big in this kind of a situation, I will always pick against the Texans. Go Dolphins!

CamelClutchBlog.com Fantasy Football Playoff Standings

Championship Bracket
Team The Nice Guys 2-0 (Jeff Porrini)
Dusty’s RedBellySpot 2-0 (Eric Gargiulo)

Winner’s Consolation Ladder
…Not You!!! 0-2 (John Yomtov)
Havertown Spoilers 0-2 (Bryan Reigel)
1st Place 1-1 (Derek Sabato)
Team Wheelhouse Radio! 1-1 (Jeff Peck)
Team Nuetral Zone 1-1 (Brett Clendaniel)
Team We Own You 1-1 (Erik Espenberg)
The Kings of Krista 1-1 (Josh Usher)
Team Rowland 1-1 (Justin Rowland)

Fantasy Fix - This isn’t the week to play “reaches.” This is the week you play your go-to guys and the usual suspects. Unfortunately with that said, I will not be writing about anymore fantasy reaches this season. Except Matt Moore, Carolina Panthers and Quinton Ganther, Washington Redskins. I just won’t do it!

NFL Week 16 Picks!

I slipped up a bit last week going 11-5 after going 12-4 last week. I am 145-81 overall on the season straight up in games. Now for the NFL Week 16 Picks (Picks in BOLD) -

San Diego Chargers vs Tennessee Titans
Buffalo Bills vs Atlanta Falcons
Kansas City Chiefs vs Cincinnati Bengals
Oakland Raiders vs Cleveland Browns
Seattle Seahawks vs Green Bay Packers
Baltimore Ravens vs Pittsburgh Steelers
Houston Texans vs Miami Dolphins
Jacksonville Jaguars vs New England Patriots
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs New Orleans Saints
Carolina Panthers vs New York Giants
Detroit at San Francisco
St. Louis at Arizona
New York Jets vs Indianapolis Colts (A loss if Manning sits)
Denver Broncos vs Philadelphia Eagles
Dallas Cowboys vs Washington Redskins
Minnesota Vikings vs Chicago Bears

Happy Holidays to you and yours.

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.

5. Titans win 3rd straight game:

All of a sudden the Tennessee Titans have become one of the hottest teams in the NFL. They have won three straight games since Vince Young took over in Tennessee and they continue to keep finding ways to win. While a portion of NFL fans may be rooting against Vince Young due to his past antics over the course of his NFL career, I for one will be rooting this team on to hopefully have a miracle run into a playoff spot.

The Titans are a tough team to root against especially if they continue to win. What NFL fan doesn’t want to see a team come over mid-season adversity like a 0-6 start only to make a run at a playoff push? I know I may be speaking a little over my head at this stage in the season and the Titans at 0-6 but you have got to root this ball club on right now. While we all like to joke about Vince Young on his statement of being a “future hall of famer,” I would like to see him make a run at that prediction. For the time being Vince Young, Chris Johnson and the Tennessee Titans have made me into believers.

4. Jay Cutler throws 5 INTs:

Jay Cutler has become one of the worst Quarterbacks in the NFL. I repeat Jay Cutler has become one of the worst Quarterbacks in the NFL. He continues to make horrible decisions and is starting to lead the league in interceptions thrown. While people at the four letter network want to seem to blame the Bears offense on Cutler’s struggles, the QB himself needs to be blamed.

This Bears team was supposed to be favorites in the NFC after Jay Cutler joined them at the QB helm. Lovie Smith finally got the QB he always wanted in his Bears tenure and Cutler got out of Denver on bad terms. It now looks like Denver made the right move by getting rid of this troubled quarterback. Another bad couple of weeks for Cutler and the rumor mill will start out that Cutler may actually be a flop in Chicago.

3. The Jaguars are above .500:

Just like many headlines I have written in these blogs throughout the season. I can not believe I just wrote that one. Saying it is even worse. This is something NOBODY (including the fans that don’t go to the game) saw coming! The Jacksonville Jaguars are 5-4 and are above .500 on the season in Week 10.

You could see the Jags have a winning record in Week 1-3 but in Week 10!? Who would have thought that would happen. Credit has to be given to Jack Del Rio and the job he does year in and year out in Jacksonville. To take a team led by David Garrard with little offense with the lone exception of MJD is pretty amazing. I don’t see the Jags making the playoffs, but at best they could be 8-8.

2. Bengals sweep the Steelers:

The Cincinnati Bengals are for real. Anyone questioning this team’s ability got a chance to get it tested after they swept the Pittsburgh Steelers this season. The victory has made the Bengals 5-0 in their division and they need only a victory over the Cleveland Browns to go 6-0 in the AFC North on the season.

The Bengals did lose Cedric Benson for some time with a hip injury but did sign free agent running back Larry Johnson for the rest of the season. Cincy is hoping they get a motivated Larry Johnson to supply the same fire power Benson did for the Bengals running game. Should we get the Larry Johnson that was potentially held back in Kansas City and the same running back we saw the start of his career the Bengals could be dangerous. It’s hard for me to make them a favorite in the AFC with Indy and New England. But they definitely are in the Top 3 in the AFC now.

1. 4th and 2:

This being the top story from Week 10 shouldn’t come as a shocker to any NFL fan. For the first time in Bill Belichick’s historic coaching career in New England he made a mistake. A mistake that cost the Patriots a game against the Colts in Week 10! Not in the playoffs, nothing on the line at all, just another game in Week 10. Granted it was a huge mistake that made many fans in New England scratching their heads on Monday morning but Belichick took a gamble and the gamble didn’t pay off.

Unlike most teams this mistake will not send this team spiraling out of playoff contention. They will learn from their mistake and will most definitely never do it again as long as Bill Belichick is the coach for the Pats. The game proved that New England is an AFC heavyweight and could even defeat Indy if the two meet again in a playoff matchup.

You just have to tip the hat to Peyton Manning and the Colts for having the strength and know how to get the win on Sunday night. The victory for the Colts is very motivating as they continue their undefeated streak this season and improving to 9-0. The play from Peyton and the Colts shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone; this is the type of play we’ve seen from the league’s best Quarterback every single season. As a Football fan, I can only pray to the football gods that we see this matchup again and with a berth to the Super Bowl on the line.

Jeff Peck is the producer for the “Wheelhouse Radio” program that airs every Sunday – Thursday @ 8pm ET/5pm PT at http://www.wheelhouseradio.wordpress.com

You can visit The Wheelhouse’s official website where you can download “high quality” shows & see all the latest happenings with the show at http://wheelhouseradio.wordpress.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 Wheelhouse Radio! on Twitter by visiting their page @ www.twitter.com/thewheelhouse and you can e-mail them @ wheelhouseradio@gmail.com.

Place your NFL bets with Bodog.com or BetUs.com.

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

Play and Win Fantasy Football with the National Football Post – Buy Now

Use Fantasy Football Commissioner for all of your FF needs at www.fflcommish.com/.

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

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

If you think you can fare better then me or the rest of The Wheelhouse Radio crew join us every Thursday Night during our live broadcast at www.blogtalkradio.com/thewheelhouse you will have the chance to win a “prize pack” (some of which will include stuff from our good friends at EA SPORTS!). All you have to do is beat our weekly NFL Pick Em’ guru…Copernicus! You beat him that week you get a prize pack from us! For more info visit our official website at http://wheelhouseradio.wordpress.com.

With that being said let’s take a look at some of the key matchups in Week 10 of the NFL. I’ll start off with a great AFC North matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and the reigning World Champion Pittsburgh Steelers. This game will decide the momentum in the AFC North for the rest of the season as these two teams clearly are the front runners as we approach the final stretch of the regular season now.

The Bengals need this win more then the Pittsburgh Steelers do simply for confidence purposes. Cincy is a team no one picked to do anything this season except maybe win 6-8 games and miss the playoffs again. People expect the Steelers to be where they are right now if not better. This is more of a must win situation in Week 10 for the Bengals then people are talking about, should Cincy win this game we maybe looking at the Bengals as a Top 3 team behind the Indy and New England as the AFC Elite this season.

Must win games are the name of the game at this point in the season for the San Diego Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles. The Chargers are on a roll lately while the Eagles are well the Eagles this point in the season. A loss in Week 10 may start the “start Kevin Kolb” rumblings in Philly as the Eagles continue to slip back and forth away from the NFC East lead.

But this is what we get every season from the Eagles, one minute they are Super Bowl contenders then they are on the verge of a meltdown and then make the playoffs only to lose in the NFC Championship game, again. That’s the every season story for the Eagles in the last decade and I believe that another chapter will be written in that book this season. I like the Eagles in this game but look for the Chargers to bounce back and make a run at the AFC West crown as we get closer to January.

When it comes to important matchups none could be as important in Week 10 then for the Green Bay Packers as they take on the red hot Dallas Cowboys. The Packers are falling fast out of any chance for a playoff spot in the NFC and need to get on a winning streak starting now to save this season while they can. The Packers offensive line has made David Carr has nightmares in recent weeks in fear that he may be sacked at one point and he doesn’t even play for Green Bay!

In the same sense I do not know what has gotten into the Dallas Cowboys in recent weeks. They must be eating their wheaties or something because they are actually leading the NFC East now. This could be one of the weakest teams in the NFC and are making it look easy right now. After a huge victory over Philly in Week 9 and with a victory over Green Bay in Week 10, they may make me a believer in this Cowboys franchise to possibly win a playoff game this year.

And how could we talk about Week 10 without mentioning the Patriots vs. Colts on primetime television on Sunday night. We all make predictions every week that certain matchups may be a preview of an AFC or NFC or Super Bowl game. In the case of the Patriots and Colts playing in Week 10 this is without a doubt a potential AFC Championship game or at least a playoff preview game.

If you’re an AFC team other then Indy or New England you realize every season that to win the AFC Championship you must go through one or both of these teams. They have made up the AFC and NFL elite franchises the last decade. Outside of the Packers/Vikings stuff this is one of the most anticipating matchups in the NFL so far this season.

While Indy is having a normal season, New England started off slow but soon caught onto a normal Patriots pace. I really like Indy in this one and continuing their undefeated streak this season. Peyton vs. Brady always is exciting to watch and should be nothing less then a great game in Week 10. Should be a very interesting and fun week of football.

Now onto my Week 10 picks…

Week 10 Picks:

Bears over 49ers
Falcons over Panthers
Dolphins over Buccaneers
Vikings over Lions
Steelers over Bengals
Titans over Bills
Broncos over Redskins
Saints over Rams
Jets over Jaguars
Chiefs over Raiders
Cardinals over Seahawks
Eagles over Chargers
Packers over Cowboys
Colts over Patriots
Ravens over Browns

Week 9 Record: 10-3

2009 Record: 76-39

Want to challenge my picks? Send me an e-mail at wheelhouseradio.jp@gmail.com and remember to tune in Thursday November 12th @ 8pm ET/5pm PT at www.blogtalkradio.com/thewheelhouse for your chance to win a “prize pack” by picking the most correct NFL games courtesy of The Wheelhouse!

Jeff Peck is the producer for the “Wheelhouse Radio” program that airs every Sunday – Thursday @ 8pm ET/5pm PT at http://www.wheelhouseradio.wordpress.com

You can visit The Wheelhouse’s official website where you can download “high quality” shows & see all the latest happenings with the show at http://wheelhouseradio.wordpress.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 Wheelhouse Radio! on Twitter by visiting their page @ www.twitter.com/thewheelhouse and you can e-mail them @ wheelhouseradio@gmail.com.

Place your NFL bets with Bodog.com or BetUs.com.

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

Play and Win Fantasy Football with the National Football Post – Buy Now

Use Fantasy Football Commissioner for all of your FF needs at www.fflcommish.com/.

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

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

The 2009 NFL regular season is halfway way through as we enter Week 9. After eight weeks we are starting to see the Super Bowl contenders separate from the NFL pretenders. Today is report card day for the AFC. Let’s take a look at some teams on the Dean’s List and some teams who are worthy of a big fat “F” for fail.

There are several different components I take into account in grading the teams. The first is overall won/lose record. The second is quality of competition and how teams played up or down to their competition. Third, are these teams over or underachieving based on pre season projections and analysis? Fourth, I take into account coaching and how well teams have been prepared and whether any coaching decisions have won or lost games. Fifth, overall individual efforts from team players are definitely taken into consideration in both positive and negative grades. With that said, let’s hand out the NFL First Quarter Report Cards for the AFC.

Dean’s List -
Indianapolis Colts

The Colts remain on the Dean’s List for the second report card of the NFL 2009 season. The Colts are now the lone unbeaten in the AFC. Peyton Manning and crew have had some scares and it hasn’t been easy in some cases. However, they have never had to come from behind the way the Saints have to remain unbeaten. The Colts remain to have issues with stopping the run. The problem is that teams have to abandon the run to play catch-up to Peyton and crew. This year’s Week 10 game against the New England Patriots will be the next NFL game to capture the nation. Indy has a very tough stretch down the line so I don’t see Indy going 16-0. However, past lessons have taught this team never to let up. The Colts are truly in a class all by themselves in the AFC.

Grade A -
Denver Broncos
Cincinnati Bengals
New England Patriots
Pittsburgh Steelers

The Patriots have dramatically improved from a slow start. Tom Brady seems to be back in his 2007 groove and the team is looking more confident by the week. The Bengals and the Broncos are the surprises of the AFC this season. I still question the longevity of the Broncos success with Kyle Orton at quarterback. The Bengals look better than they ever have under Marvin Lewis and that includes their pre-Carson Palmer injury run a few years ago. The Steelers continue to come up in big situations. However, they continue to have a hard time putting away teams. It is arguable that they would have lost the Vikings game if not for some questionable calls. I am still not buying into the Steelers as being some kind of NFL juggernaut this season.

Grade B -
Houston Texans
Baltimore Ravens
San Diego Chargers

The Chargers and the Texans move up from a “C” grade on their previous report card. The Baltimore Ravens unfortunately move down a grade. Of the three teams, I think Houston has the only real shot of making it into the playoffs. Unfortunately for the Baltimore Ravens they share a division with the Steelers and the Bengals. Houston has been the quietest offensive show in the NFL. Matt Schaub is the “Matty-Ice” of the NFL this year as he has been a touchdown machine. Steve Slaton got it back on track until his benching and even the defense has played well. The Chargers are in the worst division in the NFL, so division wins aren’t a big deal to me. San Diego has some major problems and may get exposed a bit once they start playing some NFC East teams. However, you can’t argue with their record or mid-season turnaround.

Grade C -
New York Jets
Miami Dolphins
Buffalo Bills
Jacksonville Jaguars

The biggest drop in the report card is the Jets dropping from an “A” to a “C” grade. Teams have finally gotten a look at Mark Sanchez and have been able to prepare for the boy wonder. Rex Ryan has made some rookie coaching mistakes and the Jets have lost some close games. Braylon Edwards looked like a great pickup in his first game against the Dolphins, but hasn’t been a difference maker since. The only reason the Bills are here is because of their record. Like the Washington Redskins, the Bills have a tremendous passing defense and just an awful offense. I don’t believe the Bills are for real, but we’ll see. The Jaguars are a one-man show with MJD. David Garrard is a joke and this is a team that has had problems replacing Mark Brunell at quarterback for years. I love the Dolphins and I am a big fan of their offense. They are the only team in the NFL to properly run a Wildcat offense. However, like the Jags they need a quarterback and until they get one, they will wind up as a really good team with a mediocre record.

Grade D -
Oakland Raiders

This one hurts and they belong as a failure, but the Eagles win has to count for something. After being a blown out a week earlier, the Raiders played the game of their lives against the Eagles. The Raiders never let up and took a big favorite by surprised and pulled off the upset. As for the rest of the season, JaMarcus Russell is the worst NFL starting quarterback I have ever seen play football. Tom Cable looks confused and their rookie wide receiver tandem haven’t done squat. Richard Seymour predicted the Raiders would make the playoffs. I don’t even think the make .500 by the end of the season.

Grade F -
Kansas City Chiefs
Tennessee Titans
Cleveland Browns

Of all three teams, the Titans have the best shot of an immediate turnaround. The Titans finally made the quarterback switch and have gone with Vince Young. Vince Young finally won for the Titans, and the Titans looked great against a team that destroyed them earlier this season. I don’t think they are making the playoffs, but Vince could take them to an 8-8 record. The Cleveland Browns are without a doubt, the worst team in the NFL. There are some bad teams with talented players, but this team is just awful. Congress should investigate how Derek Anderson has been able to keep his job the last few weeks. I do believe that the Chiefs are on the way to good things, but those good things are a season or two away. Larry Johnson has killed the Chiefs on and off of the field. Todd Haley has run the ball to the death, yet his star running back isn’t even averaging 3.0 yards a carry. The only thing that could hold this team back is Matt Cassel. If he is going to be a bust, it will be a longtime before this team turns around.

Read the ESPN Fantasy Football Guide 2009 week to week for tips by clicking here.

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

Play and Win Fantasy Football with the National Football Post – Buy Now

Use Fantasy Football Commissioner for all of your FF needs at www.fflcommish.com/.

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

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

I have to say that it is a good thing I recruited pretty women for this contest, because I’m making it really ugly! Another loss this week for “The Shark” you say? Oh you betcha!

This past week “Beat The Shark” was treated to not only the beautiful Miss Jenn Davis, but Jenn in return served up some history by becoming the first contestant to go a perfect 4-0 on the day. Ahh how nice it must have been for her and all of you followers of the contest to watch the Colts, Chargers, Cowboys, and Saints rack up big victories! Meanwhile not too shabby here either, but only 2-1-1 as I had the Texans push, suffered a loss wth the Panthers and got my 2 wins from the Patriots and Packers. So with Jenns perfect performance the ladies are now 4-2 vs “The Shark” and 15-9 in games, while “The Shark” stumbles to 11-12-1 in games. Keep your eyes on all the pretty girls in the tri-state area, they will all be wearing “Beat The Shark” T-shirts soon! Oh by the way, as always don’t forget if you like Jenn and the other contestants you will get a chance to vote on your favorite at the end of the season for “Miss Beat The Shark”.

So with that behind me (far behind me), it’s time for the Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down portion of our wrap up. As always I go all out to praise some nice things and trash some real garbage that I saw in the past week in the NFL. So here we go.

Thumbs Up:

To Eagles WR DeSean Jackson
You have to admit that he is quickly becoming one of the most exciting young superstars in the game. On the big stage Monday night, Jackson ran a 68 yard reverse for a touchdown and later added a 64 yard reception as well. He is the only player in NFL history to have touchdonws of 60 or more yards in his teams first 3 games of the season. Analysts and announcers abroad are praising this kid every time he touches the ball, and he is becoming more mature every week. For years Andy Reid refused to trust young receivers in his offense, but it looks now as if the times are changing.

To Redskin Byron Westbrook
Football is a dangerous but yet highly competitive sport. However some times things are bigger then the game and we saw that on display this past Monday night. Eagles RB Brian Westbrook had taken a knee from ‘Skins MLB London Fletcher to the head and went down motionless to the ground. Without even a second thought, his brother Byron, a Redskin, came to his side and stayed until his brother showed movement and came too. Yes it is a game, and that’s just it, a game. The Westbrooks realized real life and it was fitting that the nation got to see such an act on a Monday night.

To the Steelers Defense
They say defense wins championships, and if that is the case, the Steelers may have as good a chance as anyone. When Troy Polamalu gets on that field it’s like a whole new club, and last week in their win against the Vikings, this squad came up huge to seal the win. 2 TDs were scored off of forced turnovers and they held one of the games most legendary QBs in Brett Favre, and perhaps the games best RB in Adrian Peterson to just 10 points. While the offense failed to do big things against a very good Vikings defense, the Steelers defense made sure to come in and save the day.

Thumbs Down:

To Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson
So looks like yet another apology is being issued, another team forced suspension, and a once was superstar player at the end of the line. It is always been said that Johnson is a bit of a cry-baby, kind of an angry guy and always has off-field issues but this is the clincher. Using “gay” slurs, really? Not only is it gay slurs, but using it towards his coach, and belittling his team. The Chiefs gave him a second chance after violations of conduct conditons last year, and I guess its now time for the 3 strikes and out rule. This guy is pretty much finished, how about he just goes away.

To The Miami Dolphins
Ok so this franchise will always be known with a perfect season, but when it was needed to defend against a possible undefeated challenger in the Saints this past week they totally crumbled. A 24-3 lead soon turned into a 12 point loss. At the end with just one second left and the game out of reach, head coach Tony Sporano asked rookie QB Chad Henne to “spike the ball?” I’m not getting it? Maybe the 6 1/2 point spread needed to be challenged huh coach? If this team would have just played a full 60 minutes then this act would not have been needed. Must have been some half-time speech?

Once again, the Redskins
Get it right people, it’s not who’s calling the plays, but who you have executing them. Sherm Lewis had to be asking himself “what am I doing here” during a dreadful 27-17 loss to the Eagles Monday night. Oh and how disgusted did Jim Zorn look? They brought in Lewis specifically because they thought Zorn couldn’t handle the play calling? Does management and ownership even watch these games? Can I have a job calling plays?

You know it was really nice and fun to see the people of England enjoy and welcome the NFL into town again this season. I couldn’t help but get a feeling of global pride in our football league when the crowd on hand was cheering the Buccaneers to go for it on a 4th and 1 play from around mid-field in the 2nd quarter. Commisioner Roger Goodell has mentioned the possibilitiy of more games or perhaps a franchise in England. I say why not, they seem more alive then the people in St. Louis did anyway. We here in the U.S. give very little time to soccer, but yet thehy take the time to learn and love our game. Just goes to show you about opening your mind to new things!

Please don’t forget to check out my fantasy football “Flash and Crash”, and a new contestant plays “Beat The Shark” this Friday.

If you’d like to hear anything else from me on topics or ideas I can be reached at phillyphan1971@yahoo.com

Place your NFL bets with Bodog.com.

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

Play and Win Fantasy Football with the National Football Post – Buy Now

Use Fantasy Football Commissioner for all of your FF needs at www.fflcommish.com/.

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

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