Conference Championships

Got to love the conference championships. Mainly because they usually aren't that close, but we still pretend the loser was the second best team. I’m picking the teams that I want to win. The NFC is easy. While I’m a Steelers fan, I’ve always liked the Bears because they had my favorite player (Walter Payton) and coach (Mike Ditka) of all time. Plus, the trainwreck potential of Rex Grossman should get at least another chance to run off the tracks. The AFC is a bit harder, because I don’t like either team and will end up rooting for the NFC winner no matter what. But since they both can’t lose, I guess I’m rooting for the Patriots. A lot of people apparently are rooting for Peyton Manning to make the Super Bowl because he seems like a nice guy. He isn’t. He also played at Tennessee and I hate Tennessee. Plus, if he keeps losing, maybe those smarmy commercials he does every 10 seconds will go away. So, I do get a perverse pleasure in seeing him fail miserably every year. My worst fear is a Colts/Saints Super Bowl because the Saints in the Super Bowl alone would lead to overkill on the hurricane recovery human interest stories, but the Colts would add the Manning family who are from New Orleans. The only good that could come from it would be if favorite son Peyton Manning killed the New Orleans feel good story. Would they hate him for that in the bayou?

Now, why do I think the Patriots will win? A lot of people think this is the year that the Colts (and Peyton) break through and make the Super Bowl. I’m not really sure why. The Patriots do have problems. The Colts beat them the last two times they met. The Pats needed every break to win at San Diego last week. Their top playoff receiver didn’t join the team until October. The new definition for “clutch” when talking about Tom Brady is hoping his latest interception is fumbled. Still, what do the Colts have going for them? This team isn’t as good as past teams that flopped in the playoffs. Their two wins over the Pats in recent years were regular season, not the playoffs. I’m not just waiting for the Colts to prove they can beat New England in the playoffs. I’m waiting for them to show they can stay close to the Patriots in the playoffs. The Pats may have needed breaks to be the Chargers, but they still did it and the Chargers are better than the Colts. Even with seemingly unproven receivers, the Patriots have been more efficient offensively. Brady may be showing cracks in his “clutch” playoff performances, but Peyton Manning has never stepped up big when it counts.

However, the main difference is coaching. Tony Dungy has won two playoff games this year, but he had an advantage of facing mental midgets. I don’t like Bill Belichick. I think he’s a dick. I didn’t need LaDanian Tomlinson to tell me Belichick has no class. Going back to the Bernie Kosar situation in Cleveland, screaming obscenities at Pittsburgh trainers, breaking up marriages, and making an ass of himself earlier in the season when he treated a former assistant like crap. Still, you can't argue with success. He doesn't shrink in the playoffs, so until the Colts can prove me wrong, no way do I take them over the Patriots.

Now, as to why I think the Bears will win; I have start with the fact that I’m biased. I am swimming against the current on this one. All eight “experts” for ESPN.com picked the Saints to win this weekend. Probably because they want the Saints to win which is the “great story” of how the Saints improbable run inspired a city to rise above the crime, filth and corruption that has become New Orleans. Actually, that pretty much describes pre-hurricane New Orleans too. I’ve often (well, not that often) wondered why no one was rooting for the University of Southern Mississippi to at least win Conference USA in football. The Mississippi coast got hammered by Katrina, but nobody gives a crap about them. But I digress. The main reason that I’m picking against the Saints is because everyone else is picking them. When the bandwagon gets that crowded, you have to take a step back.

Now, why else is everyone picking against the Bears. You’ve got the Good Rex/Bad Rex factor. Their defense hasn’t been that good since Mike Brown and Tommie Harris went down with injuries. Even with Decent Rex showing up last week, they struggled to knock off Seattle. Big deal. Seattle was a Super Bowl team that knew what to do in the playoffs. The Bears hadn’t won a playoff game since I was in college, so they just wanted to get over the hump which they did. Say what you will about the Bears, but they’ve overcome every bad game they’ve played to get the best record in the conference. Besides, it’s not like the Saints looked that great against Philadelphia last week. Now they get to go from New Orleans to Chicago in January. Good luck with the snow.