I think that the Pro Bowl could have a lot more luster if they rotated it amongst the NFL cities just as they do with the Super Bowl. Hawaii is too far away and too expensive to visit for most NFL fans. The NBA All-star game garners a fair amount of appeal from fans throughout the country. I know many people that visit the All-star game city to be a part of the many social festivities of the event. Being that the NFL is the most popular sport in America, it seems like it would generate just as much, if not more interest from fans.

Maybe this could help bring some flare to the Pro Bowl. I know that it would be virtually impossible to conduct this event during the season like the other major American sports leagues, but if you bring the Pro Bowl to the fans “backyard”, then maybe we could be more excited about it.

Last year it was Peyton, this year it’s Eli. What a difference a year makes. This time last year, Eli was a bust and a goat. Fast forward to 2008. Now he is starring in a “League of Clutch”Gatorade commercial. It’s actually, pretty cool. Maybe because he isn’t talking. LOL.

The Atlanta Falcons and Washington Redskins hired Mike Smith and Jim Zorn respectively to be their new head coaches. Neither is a household name and neither seem to address their teams immediate need from a head coach.

The 2007 season was horrible for both of these franchises. Both were effected by a player and coach. The Falcons star player spent more time in a jail cell than on the football field and their coach gave up on them during the middle of the season. On the other hand, the Redskins banned together due to the loss of Sean Taylor during the season, but their Hall of Fame coach retired after the season.

In my opinion, both of these teams needed an experienced head coach that will be immediately respected by the team. The Falcons have so many issues, that gambling on a coordinator that doesn’t have a captivating personality may set them back even further. According to Marcellus Wiley, a former Jags player and current ESPN analyst, Smith didn’t run the defense, Jack Del Rio was the captain that steered the ship. The Redskins, took even more of a gamble. They hired a quarterback coach. Not even a coordinator. Jim Zorn is going from coaching a handful of people to managing a full roster of players. That will be a challenge to say the least. The Redskins are in a lot better shape than they were in prior to Joe Gibbs returning to the sideline, but if this becomes a botched coaching hire, they could immediately return to being a non-playoff team.

Congrats to the New York Giants for winning a great Super Bowl! Looks like my reverse psychology work.

New England Pick = New York Giants Win.

I was never sold on the Patriots all season. They destroyed the basement teams, struggled badly against the mediocre teams and were really fortunate against the tougher teams (injuries, bad coaching, etc.) I actually believed that the Green Bay Packers could have also pulled off this upset.

Well, I remember a broadcast earlier during this season in which Sean Salisbury claimed that the mantra that “Defense Wins Championships” was hogwash. Of course he was in a segment which deemed the New England Patriots as the best team ever. Well, Mr. Salisbury, defense does with championships. Always has and always will. The New York Giants once again proved this to be true.

As a bonus, here is clip of the great pitch and catch between Eli Manning and David Tyree. True, it’s an offensive play, but if the New England Patriots would have made the defensive stop, maybe they would be celebrating a 4th championship.

Well, after spending several days going back and forth with this pick, I have settled on the NY Giants upsetting the New England Patriots. Even though I, like most Americans, have a insatiable appetite to cheer for the underdog, my head is going to win out. I think that the New England Patriots will complete their historic season and defeat the New York Giants. Although I am surprised by a significant number of the “experts” picking the Patriots to win by a very large margin.

I believed that the Green Bay Packers were the best team in the NFC, but they ran into the buzz saw of the New York Giants. The Giants are playing great on the road and love being the underdog. I think that all of the pressure is on the New England Patriots and they have faced another controversial week with the new Spygate allegations hitting the newswire. Eli Manning has played mistake free and the running game is clicking on all cylinders. Add the surprising play of the Giants secondary and Burress playing lights out football, I believe that this could be one of the better Super Bowls in recent memory. I won’t try to predict a score, but I feel like a 3-4 point win game is about right.

Byes: None.
Last Week: 1-1
Regular Season: 167-89 (.652)
Playoffs: 7-3

I’ve had a blast with my Nostradamus picks. I think I had a pretty decent season for my first time around. Unfortunately, this is the end of another great NFL season. A time of the year that no football fan enjoys. (Thank god for the NFL Network.)

Not even Peyton Manning’s Pep Talk can help you out.