One game, one chance and for some their only shot at one of the most prized trophies in all of sports. The Lombardi Trophy has come to be the symbol of the NFL and aside from the Stanley cup is the most recognizable trophy in American Sport. Each year we see that shiny silver football raised over the heads of warriors who have fought and clawed their way to the pinnacle of Football excellence. Granted some of those winners were not entirely deserving of putting their finger prints on the prize like Crash Test Dummy Ben Roethlisberger but that is beside the point.


This weekend we get two teams who deserve to be where they are and both loaded with talent. Their paths looked very similar even if in different conferences. The Colts started out the season with a dead sprint only using 1 leg, but managed to rip off 9 straight wins without much of a run defense. If anything it looked like the Colts were going to snub their nose at the critics and win despite their lack of run defense. Giving up well over 120 yards per game on the ground throughout almost 80% of the year it looked like the Colts were destined for post-season failure even with great play from an underrated secondary. Enter a rehabilitated Bob Sanders at Safety and suddenly week 1 of the post-season the Colts found their identity. Outstanding run support against Kansas City (Larry Johnson) and an even better performance against the Baltimore Ravens (Jamal Lewis) set this team on the right track for their collision with New England.

Sitting in my living room for the AFC championship game I look over at my friend (species8472) and say “the colts are down 21-3 and this is the defining moment of Peyton Manning’s career. If he comes back to win this game he will no longer be the loveable loser.” It was right at the time as he brought his team back from a seemingly impossible position to get over the hump the only way it seemed was right……through the New England Patriots. Think about where this team is compared to the Boston Red Sox. For so many years the Red Sox couldn’t get passed the Yankees until finally down 3 games to 0, they realed off 4 straight wins and go on to not only win the AL championship but also the World Series. If you ask any player from that Sox team or any fan they will say it wouldn’t have been the same if they didn’t beat the Yankees to win. Does it seem fitting that the Colts found a similar path to their championship season getting past their nemesis? Things are sure set up that way but we will see.


The Bears on the other hand pimp slapped a sorry, pathetic and embarrassing NFC central and the entire National Football Conference. Their 13-3 record is inflated. Their defensive numbers may be helped by the lack of prolific offenses in the NFC. Their QB seemed to constantly be saved by a very good run offense. All that said it’s a team that really hasn’t found their identity yet and may not until Sunday February 4th. All season there has been one fortunate bounce after another like the amazing defensive comeback in Arizona or just a few weeks back when they snuck passed Seattle at home. The scary thing is everything is going their way and it doesn’t seem like anyone is driving the bus. Who would you call a leader on this team besides maybe Brian Urlacher? Brian is not the same type of motivator that Ray Lewis was in 2000, just a different type of personality. Sure he is fearsome, and a great field general but to date I don’t see him as the vocal leader. It’s up to two people to carry this team to the promise land. Thomas Jones or Rex Grossman. One of them needs to say “hey this is who we are and it all starts today!” If the season has told me anything so far, it’s that it will be Thomas Jones as “Batman” and Cedric Benson as “The Boy Wonder”. Or The Lone Ranger and Tonto…..either way you slice it those are the guys.


Matchups
Colts Offense vs. Bears Defense
Obviously this is the matchup everyone wants to see and will be the best battle of the day. Can the Bears secondary keep up with all of the weapons and who in gods name is going to cover Dallas Clark? Nevermind Marvin Harrison, forget Reggie Wayne but please somebody anybody put a body on Dallas Clark. If the Bears want to stop the Colts offense they have to start with Clark first and then worry about the wideouts because Clark is a huge piece for Peyton. When Dallas was out earlier this year the offense didn’t look anything like they usually do and suddenly Manning’s safety valve was not there when he needed it. This matchup comes down to the pass coverage ability of Brian Urlacher just the same as it did when Ray Lewis tipped away 2 major INTs from Ed Reed’s hands. Where Clark goes Urlacher must read and follow for the Bears to stop Peyton or he will throw all day over the middle.
Edge - Colts

Bears Offense vs. Colts Defense
During the post-season the colts have been facing a one dimensional running game with Larry Johnson being without Priest Holmes and Jamal Lewis running without Chester Taylor. If there was one piece that could have made a difference it would have been Taylor. But without Taylor, Jamal is just a pound it ahead running back incapable of getting 3rd and long yardage which was the specialty of Chester Taylor. This game is nothing like the Colts’ last 3 in the playoffs and now they get the enjoyable task of stopping both Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson. You will see right away that the Bears will run, run, run and run some more in the first 15 minutes than they have all post season only because they will be able to with ease. The colts will try and blitz Rex Grossman to their own demise as Jones/Benson run right by Freeney and Mathis. One thing because I bet some are wondering about Rex Grossman as I am. Rex would scare the clipboard out of my hand if I was coaching but he has three things that will get him through. The running game, Bernard Berrian / Mushin Muhammed, and lest we forget that young Rex played his college ball at University of Florida. In 2001 Rex shined in Miami in the Orange Bowl going 20 of 28 and 245 and 4TDs and last time I checked they are playing this years SuperBowl in Dolphin Stadium. Little things like this pop up with me and it just fits for Rex this year.
Edge - Bears

Bears Special Teams vs. Adam Vinatieri
I only put it this way because these are the two most important pieces for each team. The Bears special teams has to come up big and give the bears a short field or grab some quick points. If they don’t get the Bears offense good field position it turns into a field goal competition and we all know who we want on our side for that contest. Keep the field long for the Colts and short for your own squad so they not only can’t sniff the end zone but can’t get into Vinatieri range. With Devon Hester back there it can either be a breakaway TD return or a muffed punt, but once again……the boy played at Miami and this is almost a home game so we are to assume he will have cured his case of the dropsies.
Edge – Bears


Should be a great game either way and compared to our other choices of Patriots/Bears, Ravens/Bears or god forbid Seahawks/Ravens this game has serious potential. I am sad cause I would like to see the Colts take it but unfortunately……Bears 31 – Colts 27. Enjoy the game everyone!


As always this list of HD Sports Programming is shown by day and categorized by sport but…Please check your local listings for channels and availability.
Games and Times are listed in RED.....Games and Times in BLUE are do not miss.



Wednesday 1/31/07
NCAABB
7:00pm EST: Miami (FL) vs. North Carolina ESPNHD in 720p

NBA
7:30pm EST: L.A. Lakers vs. Boston Celtics (Regional) FSN NE in 1080i
7:30pm EST: Detroit Pistons vs. N.J. Nets (Regional) YES in 1080i
9:00pm EST: Sacramento Kings vs. Minnesota Timberwolves ESPNHD in 720p

NHL
7:30pm EST: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. N.Y. Rangers (Regional) FSN NY in 1080i





Thursday 2/1/07
NCAABB
7:00pm EST: Georgetown vs. St. John’s ESPNHD in 720p
9:00pm EST: Duke vs. Virginia ESPNHD in 720p
Great matchup and a must see. Duke has been in some close ones and I expect nothing less than a nailbiter when they travel to Virginia. Don't miss this one!

NHL
7:00pm EST: Buffalo Sabres vs. Boston Bruins (Regional) NESN in 1080i
7:00pm EST: N.J. Devils vs. Philadelphia Flyers (Regional) CSN in 1080i
7:00pm EST: Buffalo Sabres vs. Boston Bruins HDNet in 1080i
7:30pm EST: Washington Capitals vs. Florida Panthers (Regional) FSN FL in 720p
7:30pm EST: Montreal Canadiens vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (Regional) FSN P in 720p
9:00pm EST: Minnesota Wild vs. Colorado Avalanche (Regional) Altitude in 1080i
10:30pm EST: Dallas Stars vs. San Jose Sharks (Regional) FSN BA in 1080i

NBA
8:00pm EST: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Miami Heat TNT-HD in 1080i
I watched LeBron take on the Suns and the guy continues to amaze me. He has the potential to make you call someone and explain what he just did at any time. During the Suns game he threw a no look pass directly on target and turned away from the ball which made it look like a video game play. Later on in the game he drove baseline and threw down a monster dunk dunk over a Suns defender.......to which Mike Tirico responded "he just turned that guy into a screen saver!" If you say so Mike.

10:30pm EST: San Antonio Spurs vs. Phoenix Suns TNT-HD in 1080i
Two teams that have very different styles but both kind of rock opposing teams to sleep until the last 18 minutes then turn it on. Regardless the Suns are extremely fun to watch.



Friday 2/2/07
NBA
7:00pm EST: Golden State Warriors vs. Philadelphia 76ers (Regional) CSN in 1080i
7:00pm EST: N.J. Nets vs. Orlando Magic (Regional) Sun Sports in 720p
7:30pm EST: L.A. Clippers vs. Boston Celtics (Regional) FSN NE in 1080i
8:00pm EST: Milwaukee Bucks vs. Detroit Pistons ESPNHD in 720p
10:30pm EST: Chicago Bulls vs. Seattle Supersonics ESPNHD in 720p
This is one of those nights where nothing really jumps out with sports so you find yourself glued to Discovery HD. Damn that channel is addicting and I never thought watching water would be so fascinating.




Saturday 2/3/07
NHL
1:00pm EST: Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (Regional) FSN P in 720p
3:00pm EST: Edmonton Oilers vs. Colorado Avalanche (Regional) Altitude in 1080i
4:00pm EST: Chicago Blackhawks vs. San Jose Sharks (Regional) FSN BA in 1080i
7:30pm EST: N.Y. Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (Regional) Sun Sports in 720p
8:00pm EST: Anaheim Mighty Ducks vs. Nashville Predators HDNet in 1080i
8:30pm EST: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Boston Bruins (Regional) NESN in 1080i

Golf
3:00pm EST: FBR Phoenix Open -- 3rd Round - TPC Scottsdale NBC in 1080i
Everyone is taking a break heading into the Pebble Beach Pro-Am.....and Tiger is off to Dubai for a paycheck. NAH I will pass.

NCAABB
4:00pm EST: Ohio State vs. Michigan State CBS in 1080i
9:00pm EST: Texas A&M vs. Kansas ESPNHD in 720p

NBA
7:00pm EST: L.A. Lakers vs. Washington Wizards (Regional) CSN in 1080i
8:00pm EST: Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Dallas Mavericks NBA/INHD in 1080i
10:00pm EST: Denver Nuggets vs. Sacramento Kings (Regional) CSN in 1080i

Boxing
9:00pm EST: Tomasz Adamek vs. Chad Dawson / Jesus Chaves vs. Julio Diaz Showtime in 1080i





Sunday 2/4/07
NBA
12:00pm EST: Atlanta Hawks vs. N.J. Nets (Regional) YES in 1080i

Futbol El Non-Americano
12:58pm EST: Real Madrid vs. Levante WorldsportHD in 1080i

NCAABB
2:00pm EST: Florida State Seminoles vs. Duke Blue Devils FSN-HD

Golf
3:00pm EST: FBR Phoenix Open -- Final Round - TPC Scottsdale NBC in 1080i

NFL
6:00pm EST: Super Bowl XLI -- Dolphin Stadium Indianapolis Colts vs. Chicago Bears CBS in 1080i
One more thing on this game.............The Colts have major problems playing in Florida. They always suck against Jacksonville and have problems against the Dolphins. Some say dome teams have problems playing in December and January because of the cold but it may be the nice weather and sun too. Also Rex Grossman was the September player of the month all while playing in warm weather settings........as if anything I just wrote really matters at all.




Monday 2/5/07
NBA
7:00pm EST: N.J. Nets vs. Philadelphia 76ers (Regional) CSN in 1080i
7:00pm EST: Seattle Supersonics vs. Washington Wizards (Regional) CSN in 1080i
7:00pm EST: Seattle Supersonics vs. Washington Wizards NBA/INHD in 1080i
7:30pm EST: Charlotte Bobcats vs. Miami Heat (Regional) Sun Sports in 720p
10:00pm EST: New Orleans Hornets vs. Sacramento Kings (Regional) CSN in 1080i

NCAABB
7:00pm EST: Syracuse vs. Connecticut ESPNHD in 720p
9:00pm EST: Texas vs. Texas A&M ESPNHD in 720p

NHL
7:00pm EST: Detroit Red Wings vs. N.Y. Rangers Versus / INHD in 1080i




Tuesday 2/6/07
NCAABB
7:00pm EST: Michigan vs. Ohio State ESPNHD in 720p
7:00pm EST: St. Josephs vs. Villanova ESPN2HD in 720p
9:00pm EST: LSU vs. Tennessee ESPNHD in 720p

NHL
7:00pm EST: Washington Capitals vs. Boston Bruins (Regional) NESN in 1080i
9:00pm EST: Florida Panthers vs. Colorado Avalanche (Regional) Altitude in 1080i
10:30pm EST: Anaheim Mighty Ducks vs. San Jose Sharks (Regional) FSN BA in 1080i

The first half of SuperBowl 41 was great. From the opening kickoff both teams came out fired up and overcame mistakes on both sides to end up with a 16-14 score. It was messy, sloppy and at times blood pressure raising but in all it led us to believe this was a classic in the making. WRONG!!!!

I blame Prince. After Michael Jackson's body double left the stage and the hurricane hit Dolphin Stadium everything took a drastic turn for the worse. With Cedric Benson out in the first quarter (goodbye Bears running game advantage) we got a heavy dose of Rex Grossman and that giant dude who kept picking up the ball for the bears after repeated squib kicks. The Tale of Two Halfs.

-Tony Dungy plays "Madden"
I am convinced of this for two reasons. Anyone who plays Madden and gets beat by a kickoff return for a touchdown automatically squibs it to the nearest overgrown oaf with crap for hands. (led to a fumble) Also with time running down in the 4th quarter and the Bears needing two scores he opts to punt instead of trying a field goal and coffin corners one to pin them back deep. You gamers know that its risky to chance a blocked field goal with time running out cause that thing is going back for a TD.....especially with the Bears.
Too bad cause that field goal would have put the total over 48 which was the big number this weekend for bettors. (over/under 48 points) Ended up 29-17 = 46 points. Damn you Tony!

-The commercials sucked
Aside from the Rock Paper Scissors ad nothing blew my mind (maybe i was drunk) and did anyone see the proposal???? If you did please let me know cause noone I know saw it.

-47 HiDef Cameras in the stadium and each and every one of them had rain drops on it?
Just totally dampened things with the haze from the rain and the drops hitting the camera it just didnt have that wow factor like usual.

-Rhodes & Addai should be pissed
Manning surely is the guy controlling the offense but those two running backs were outstanding and deserve the credit. Peyton put them in a bad position early and they easily could have been down 14-0 in only 5 short minutes. They suffered from the same thing players from the same team usually suffer from......split votes. Should have been given to Rhodes if not both but voters love the sexy choice.

-$3,000 for Rain Soaked Seats
Each year it gets more and more depressing that I know I will never be able to afford a SuperBowl trip. To make things a little easier this year they showed the stands and all of the people who paid a fortune to watch the game in a downpour. Am I the only one who enjoyed watching this? Pure comedy in my house all night........while staying dry and watching it in HiDef.

-Thank you federal government
Finally I would like to send out a thank you to Bush and the Federal Government for saving me a nice chunk of change this Sunday. Before gametime I realized that a certain offshore betting site has been shut down prior to my bet on the Chicago Bears. Had they not cracked down on the online betting version of PayPal last year, I would be a little lighter in the wallet........so for the first time ever I would like to say thank you!

Now where is that number for my bookie?