So 50,000 Come Out To Watch A Practice..

This morning, I woke up under the idea that by the end of the night, I will have done a good, bad and ugly on the Pro Bowl, what with it being the last game of the year and all that. But then at about 5 o'clock I realized something.

How fucking pointless the Pro Bowl really is.

I know, I know. Every major sport has an event to celebrate their all stars. It's pretty much a law. But it's not just supposed to celebrate them, but it's also supposed to celebrate the sport. Which brings me to my main argument as to why I dislike the Pro Bowl so much. It's a scrimmage.

Yep. The best players in the league are selected by fan vote and then by the coaches and then proceed to play in a scrimmage located across the Pacific Ocean (except it won't be next year, as it will be moved to Hawaii. That means John Madden can commentate it. I'm holding my breath for that one.) The main problem with the whole scrimmage thing is that, even though it does have some awesome shows of offense, my favorite part is missing. Defense.

No, there are no Ray Lewis smackdowns, no Albert Haynesworth demolitions or any Ryan Clark decimations of Willis McGahee. Mind you, neither of those two will probably play in a Pro Bowl in the foreseeable future. You're not even allowed to use exotic pass rushes, which is a main part of playing good, solid defense and a reason that a majority of the players who are in the Pro Bowl thrive on their teams.

"15 yard penalty. Playing

real football. #52, defense."

For all the people who say it's a risk to have them playing hard because of injuries, I say we let them play for a bonus. Say 50,000 bucks a piece to the winning team, and we get rid of the rule on restrictive blitz packages. Then it will actually be a celebration of the players AND the sport. That'd be something I'd be thrilled to watch. Sadly, the only thing intriguing about this Pro Bowl was Larry Fitzgerald just dominating. I guess that'll be good, for now.

Super Bowl 43: A Breakdown

The grandest stage. The only thing that can make me actually watch the commercials. The Super Bowl. And now, I shall give yo the grand insight into who's got the edge, and who will in the game Sunday.

Quarterback

Big Ben's won before, so has Warner. So to me, experience in these games is a wash. Some will point to how Warner set a record with the Greatest Show on Turf against the Titans in his first Super Bowl. I say fuck that, because he's no longer part of the show. Looking deeper into this, I'm inclined to give the Steelers the edge because of Charlie Batch, but he's hurt so their backup is Byron Leftwich, so I'm still giving the Cards the edge, because of who Warner throws to, and cause God is on his side.

Running Back

The Steelers can run the football. The Cardinals, it seems, don't have a running back who can consistently remember which foot goes in front of the other to run. One because he's getting old, and one because he's new. I'd use the guy in the middle of those 2 stages, J.J. Arrington, but he's fucking useless. The Steelers run game is solid and can use two guys, Willie Parker and Mwelde Moore. If need be, Bettis can get out of the studio and run some people over for a key 3rd down. Advantage Steelers.

Wide Receiver

This is probably the easiest position to call. Steeler supporters will say that Ward is clutch and reliable and Holmes is a deep threat. Well, that may all be well and good, but the Cards have 3 1000 yard receivers, or more than I thought humanly possible. When your 5th string receiver is a Pro Bowler (look it up. Sean Morey, NFC Special Teams Pro Bowler) then your team is a passing power. Larry Fitzgerald is quite possibly the best receiver in the league, AND he's a nice guy. Only bad part is he looks like Ronaldinho. Sad. Advantage Cards, though in funny names, I'd give it to the Steelers for Santonio and Limas. Awesome.

Offensive Line

Since the lost of Alan Faneca, Big Ben seems to have his ass hit the dirt a ridiculous amount of times. And if Warner can throw enough to get 3 1000 yard receivers, his line must be good, right? I'm going Cards, just because of Warner's time.

Defensive Line

Casey Ham-Ton anchors the Steelers line. And he literally anchors it. The mans a monster. The Steelers line is good at both rushing the passer (mainly tying up blockers so the LBs can destroy) and stopping the run. The Cards line, however, is rather weak in their pass rush. Maybe Big Ben won't be on his ass for most of this game. Steelers win this one to make it 3-2 Cards.

Linebackers

This is what even the casual sports fan knows about the Steelers. Their linebackers make quarterbacks and running backs shit themselves. James Harrison, Lamar Woodley, James Farriror, Larry Foote and even Lawrence Timmons (who will be a force soon, guaranteed.) are arguably the best set of linebackers in the league, and are the main reason the Steelers have the #1 D in the league. The Cards linebackers have some good talent like Karlos Dansby, but they are not even in the ballpark compared to the Steelers. Easy win Pittsburgh.

Defensive Backs

The Steelers have the better secondary anchored by Troy Polamalu and Ryan "We're gonna beat the Patriots" Clark. He's improved since he shut his yap. Against the Cards receivers, I think they got a touch match up, but they'll find a way through it. Adrian Wilson leads a decent cards group, but the star is Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Jesus that's a name. Still, I'll take crazy hair and the Steelers, making their lead 4-3.

The final score, ladies and gentlemen, is 4-3 Steelers. The final score will actually be 21-17 Steelers. And I will sit back with crappy pizza in hand and enjoy the boss during the halftime show. Being Canadian, we don't get the good commercials, which also means we have a chance to pee. Enjoy the game, and hope your bladder doesn't burst like a balloon.

The Good, Bad and Ugly: AFC Championship

Good

1. Willis McGahee and Ryan Clark being ok after that brutal hit. Clean and vicious. That's a playoff hit.


2. Haloti Ngata. How'd they ever reach the Super Bowl before he got here?


3. Troy Polamalu's game clinching interception. Flacco tried to tackle him, lucky he didn't end up like T-Jax in the wild card round.
   
4. Opening Kick-Off, I saw a Steeler defender take out one of the Ravens gunners with a clothesline. There's an unknown soldier.

"Guys, play nice."

Bad

1. Limas Sweed's open drop. One play made the ending a whole lot more exciting and nerve wracking. Just don't go cry about it like your college QB.


2. "Joe Cool." Nope, not anymore. 3 sacks, 3/14 in the first half, 3 picks (including one that iced it). Not how you play in the playoffs son. Good job with the trifectas, though.


3. Running games of both teams. Parker 24-47, McGahee 20-60-1 time annihilated.


4. 2 tackles from Ed Reed. Not enough impact on one of the most important games of his career.

Ugly

1. CBS Pre-game show. True or False segment. Question was "The Pittsburgh Steelers will win tonight's game and play in Superbowl 43" Boomer Esaison and Shannon Sharpe pick "False", and begin to yell about how they wanted true. Basic literacy here, people.


2. Raven's O-line. The major factor for the awesome offensive spectacle put up by Baltimore. Consistently dominated up front by the Steelers and didn't give Flacco enough time. The holes they made this game were so small, Sproles couldn't fit through them.


3. The game in general. So many short drives and possession changes. My mind was drifting in and out. It was ridiculously long.


4. My Superbowl prediction. I had Baltimore-New York, but now that's all gone to shit. Ah well. Why did I ever doubt Polamalu. Fuck.