The Power Of Willie Lives!

A few weeks ago when I was breaking down the likely predictions of who would win the Super Bowl, I noted that Green Bay, of the four final teams had a considerable obstacle in its way that the others didn't. The Packers had no players on their roster with a Northwestern degree. Now, Northwestern hasn't been a noted football powerhouse since, oh, 1929 or so. In fact in many years, it's been quite the opposite. But the last 20 years or so have witnessed an almost shocking football renaissance in Evanston, resulting in several graduates plying their trades in the NFL and an almost incomprehensibly bizarre streak of players winning Super Bowls.

In fact, last year Saints tackle Zach Strief made New Orleans the fifth consecutive Super Bowl champion to have a Wildcat on the field or the sidelines.

So this year, when Green Bay held on to win Super Bowl XLV on Sunday with nary a Cat on their roster, the streak was done, right?

WRONG!

For I missed something truly remarkable in my little-to-no research when I was writing that blog post, and that is that Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy was the Athletic Director at Northwestern University just eight short years ago. That I failed to remember this is almost embarrassing to me since I covered sports at Northwestern as an undergrad and Murphy's tenure there spanned my college years almost exactly, but the important thing is that I remember now, even if I specifically remember Murphy being named the President of the Packers three years ago and thinking, "Him? Really?"

Yes. Really.

Granted, I will admit I've often misjudged the man because a) he hired a women's basketball coach that I did not have a good relationship with when I covered the team and b) he just looks so dang goofy.

I mean, come on. Look at him. He looks pretty goofy. Or at least like he has no idea where he is.

Remarkably this makes him only the second goofiest Mark Murphy in the levels of mild fame, but when he's holding a Lombardi Trophy in his hand or that horrendously ugly new Halas Trophy, well, it's hard to criticize too heavily. Also, I'm pretty sure if he came running at me decked out like he was in his playing days with the Washington Redskins, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't consider him goofy at all. I'd probably pee my pants. But in any event, what Sunday showed is that Murphy, a world champion who despite his gooftacular smile deftly managed the departure of Brett Favre and helped build Green Bay's fourth Super Bowl winner, was able to keep alive the one consistent vein of each NFL champion from the last half decade. He may not have been a player, but make no mistake, Murphy's stewardship of the Packers means that for a sixth straight season, former part of the Northwestern football program is getting a Super Bowl ring.

The Power of Willie is not to be trifled with.

What's more is that Murphy's place as a former NU Athletic Director doesn't simply extend the streak. As a former player he is uniquely positioned to play a key role in what will surely be contentious arguments between the owners and the players association as the NFL attempts to renegotiate its collective bargaining agreement this month. Hopefully Murphy, who was considered among the more radical players in the League in the 1980s can provide a moderate voice to temper the sturm und drang that PA head DeMaurice Smith has worked up after doing nothing but sabre rattling needlessly since taking the position in slightly less than two years ago.

Until then however, we'll just have to watch recaps of this year's Super Bowl ad nauseum and hope it isn't the last football we see for two years. It's bad enough that it's the last football we'll see until August, but if there was a sendoff we had to witness this one wasn't half bad. And while I know I said B.J. Raji would be a force and he was actually somewhat muted throughout the game, my prediction that Clay Matthews would ultimately do in the Steelers was bolstered by his thundering hit on Rashard Mendenhall, which jarred the ball loose as Pittsburgh was driving for a go-ahead score in the fourth quarter. As well, I've been trumpeting the impressive play of Aaron Rodgers all postseason even if the rest of the world recognized the same thing and I completely neglected to so much as mention "Jordy Nelson" in my preview. Basically, I'm a genius. Or at the very least, I'm not an utter failure.

Either way after a pretty entertaining Super Bowl, I'm not ready to deal with seven long days until Pitchers and Catchers report and six long months until people start playing football again. I'm going to have to cope. At the very least I can take some solace in that while that Championship belt seems to fit Rodgers pretty well when he wears it for real, it fits Willie even better.

Just like it has the last five Super Bowls.

My Sure To Be Mocked Probably Wrong Super Bowl XLV Prediction

I felt a strange twinge of nostalgia this week when I came across the news that Andy Pettitte, stalwart postseason pitcher of the Yankees' recent championship era, was announcing his retirement from Major League Baseball. Obviously, as a Mets fan this doesn't exactly change my life or make me yearn for the good ol' days, but Pettitte had a few things working in his factor me me. Most prominently, it was hard to ignore his ability to pitch in big games -- he is the winningest postseason pitcher in history after all. As well, he is, well, pretty likeable all things considered. But biggest among those quirks for me is the fact that despite not being a Yankees fan, it was impossible to grow up in New York or New Jersey in the 1990s and not have been impacted or influenced by the Yankees' dynasty one way or the other. And when I attended my very first Yankees game in person, it was Andy Pettitte who stood on the mound.

Because of those reasons, there is a twinge of sadness for me in seeing that Pettitte is retiring as well as a wariness of the fact that "is he a Hall of Famer" or not debates sprang up almost instantly. These are all silly since the Hall of Fame has rendered itself completely bunk, but fortunately for all of us, that bit of news has thoroughly been tossed to the backburner because there's a football game this Sunday.

You might have heard of it.

If not, no worries, but something tells me if you had no idea the Super Bowl was this evening, you probably wouldn't be the sort of person who spends their time reading this. Now, if you're part of the other 99% of the population (people cognizant of the Super Bowl, not people that read my blog), well then you must be pretty excited about the impending kickoff between Green Bay and Pittsburgh in 18 and a half hours or so.

Hopefully you're handling the impending excitement better than Dallas has. Then again that wouldn't be hard.

Not that "North Texas", as the city of Arlington wants it to be known since the game isn't actually in Dallas, hasn't done a decent job preparing the excitement. I'm sure the preparations for what will happen later today at Jerry World are first rate, but the North Texas area has seen its fair share of problems that fall well outside of the NFL's control or responsibility. Of course, some of these issues aren't as big as others, but the massively unfortunate influence of bad weather can hardly be anyone's fault. The apparent dangers are real, but no one can really say they expected a blast of harsh winter weather and snow that has actually made the Dallas/Ft. Worth area about as unpleasant to be in as the northeast corridor. The game is in Texas. Texas generally is warm if not hot. Moreover, with the truly big problems solved any concerns that the Super Bowl might not be returning to Dallas because of the cold weather seem ill-founded for three basic reasons.

1) The average high in Dallas on Feb. 6, is 59 degrees. Clearly this is an abnormal case of bad luck.
2) The Super Bowl has been played before in cold weather sites like Minneapolis and Detroit (twice), and will be played in three years in New Jersey.
3) Finally, and perhaps most importantly, tonight's game is being play indoors.

Speaking of which, let's get to that whole ordeal. Who the hell is going to win this damn thing? And why?

Well, there are many schools of thought and considering I have a number of friends who hail from or consider themselves fans of both the Steelers and Packers, I know I'm going to leave at least one person peeved, assuming they actually read this or put stock in it. And both of those ideas are silly. Being that it's late, I don't really have time or energy to break things down bit by bit, so I'll simply talk about where the crux of this game will fall. And that, in my opinion, will rest on five people: Ben Roethlisberger, B.J. Raji, Doug Legursky, A.J. Hawk and Clay Matthews.

Yes, I know, Aaron Rodgers still has to face one of the toughest defenses in the League, but given the kind of zone he was in earlier in the playoffs and that this game will be inside, I have little concern that he will be able to produce. Whether Green Bay's offense will outwit Pittsburgh's defense is a mystery that won't be solved until the two sides take the field -- both units are top notch. And while one will certainly get the better of the other in the end, there is no discernible mismatch here that a prognosticator like me can exploit.

But that isn't so on the other side of the ball.

A fact that has gone somewhat unnoticed for the first two games Pittsburgh has played this postseason is that Pittsburgh's offensive line hasn't been playing too well. Both Baltimore and New York had their way with the Steelers' offensive front for significant stretches and this looms particularly large when one considers that Green Bay's Raji has been absolutely stellar at eating space, disrupting plays and penetrating into the pocket to wreak general havoc on offenses he opposes. If Raji and the rest of Green Bay's impressive defensive line can play as well as it has this postseason, it will pose a massive problem for Pittsburgh's offense. This problem is exacerbated enormously by the absence of rookie Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey, who will miss the game with multiple ankle and foot injuries he suffered against the Jets in the AFC Championship Game. In his place will be Doug Legursky, an undrafted free agent who has never started a game at center before.

Sunday will be Legursky's first ever start at center. Sunday is the Super Bowl.

Call me crazy, but I can't see Legursky having an easy time of it against the quick, massive block that is Raji, and given that Legursky fumbled a snap to Roethlisberger in the AFC Championship Game, resulting in a safety, this does not bode well for Big Ben's protection. Luckily for the Steelers, this hasn't always been an issue. Roethlisberger, despite his size, is known for his impressive mobility, his ability to extend plays with his legs and his ability to throw on the run outside the pocket. Typically he has evaded pressure and found open receivers on broken routes with little problem. But he's also never faced two linebackers like Clay Matthews and A.J. Hawk. They are big, strong and they have speed to burn.

This is where the fate of this game lies.

Yes, Pittsburgh has faced impressive defenses, with New York featuring the likes of Bart Scott and Baltimore showing Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs. But Scott had no partner to match the combined ability of Mattews and Hawk, and Ray Lewis, despite his sideline to sideline speed, is old. He is one of the greatest middle linebackers of all time, but he didn't get the chance that Green Bay's middle linebackers, in their primes and with a defensive line that could potentially eat Pittsburgh's offensive line apart Sunday night, will have in the Super Bowl. I see Raji getting a huge push up the middle, I see Roethlisberger leaving the pocket earlier than he wants to, and I see Matthews and Hawk chasing the Pittsburgh QB all around the field to keep him from having enough time to make plays work. It won't be easy and it won't be a blowout -- the Packers' offense will be given plenty of fits -- but ultimately this is how I imagine the game playing out.

That's why I'm taking the Green Bay Packers to win Super Bowl XLV.

Score predictions are meaningless, but if you all really want me to give one, let's go with Green Bay 23, Pittsburgh 17. It'll be exciting enough and we'll all be happy it happened in the end. I can't promise you I'll be right, but I can promise you that if I am, I won't be as obnoxious as some sportswriters who had the mysterious good fortunate to pick the right Super Bowl matchup in their season preview even if they actually changed their picks after the regular season.

And if I'm wrong, well, let's just forget I picked Green Bay just like we all forgot I picked Indianapolis last year. Enjoy the game everyone.

Super What Sunday?

When I was younger football was my first love and Super Bowl Sunday was essentially the holiest holiday of my religion. Now Yom Kippur has stolen that mantel -- sort of -- but Super Bowl Sunday still has a special feel about it even though I now can viscerally remember watching the last 15 of them. The Super Bowl doesn't feel like quite the rare event it once did now that I'm older -- after all it does happen every year -- but I still can get into it, particularly since the last decade or so of games has for the most part been pretty good, and once in a while a fucking life fucking changing event.

Of course, the Giants can't get there every year, but even though my rooting interest is pretty minimal and based on the least stringent of standards this time around, I'm pretty excited for what should be a fairly entertaining game.

Now for those of you who know me, in addition to sports I also get irrationally interested in the Oscars despite the fact they're almost always wrong. Still, Newsweek had a fairly accurate example of how the Super Bowl would appear cinematically depending on the auteur earlier this week, and for film minors like myself, it makes an awful lot of sense.




Now, Quentin Tarantino will probably never be involved in the Super Bowl. I don't think we could handle the blood, but the game can still be an inspiration for the film industry, apparently, as ESPN Magazine recently reported that numerous Hollywood executives have approached recently retired and future Hall of Famer Kurt Warner about the film rights to his life story. Yes, his meteoric rise from NFL has-been to elite superstar quarterback is only beaten by his sudden rise from grocery store stockboy to the MVP of Super Bowl XXXIV as far as inspiration quotient, and indeed, it is a great story despite all the talk about Jesus.
And there is a lot of it.

But tagging along with him the whole time has been his wife, Brenda Warner, who aside from making a noted physical shift between Kurt's championship with the Rams a decade ago and his third visit to the big game last season with Arizona, has been noted for being awfully outspoken. Well this week she made have topped herself when she told ESPN Magazine that she wanted to be involved in the casting for the film about her husband's life. And who does she want to play Kurt?

Denzel Washington.

There is a disconnect here.

I don't know that there is the potential for any sentimental Hollywood magic this year, though the rise of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina certainly has some cache, but as far as who will win, well, that's a trickier question.

Going into this game I think I would have joined the chorus that seems to believe Indianapolis is simply the better team, and for the most part, I think they're right. In fact, given that in all 16 games the Colts have actually attempted to win this year they have, I think this has been a remarkably underappreciated team. Were it not for the front office and the coaching staff pulling starters against the Jets in Week 15 we might be talking about the first 19-0 team in history today.

Still, the Saints have been an offensive juggernaut most of this year, and while I think Peyton Manning is the more precise surgeon under center, Drew Brees leads an attack that is so potent almost no defense can stop it when it's running on full cylinders.

So essentially, tonight's game, in my mind, comes down to the defenses, since both offenses clearly can score. The Saints' defense is not a particularly great one, but they are opportunistic, and Darren Sharper is as good a ball hawk as they come. New Orleans could easily steal a turnover or two to turn the tide. Indy's defense is better, but with Dwight Freeney hobbled by a fairly severe ankle injury, despite the Colts' insistence and stonewalling all week, I don't for a second believe he's really going to be healthy enough to be a factor.

Although, it should be noted, Freeney was seen driving a golf cart yesterday for some reason. Still with him being unable to walk comfortably at media day this week, I have a hard time imagining him really have the explosiveness off the edge he usually provides, and that may make it open season on the Colts' secondary. And that gives the Saints a chance.

Still, as I look these two teams, I can't help the feeling that Peyton Manning is the brightest mind to play quarterback, maybe ever. And because of that the Colts may be less exciting to watch, but they're just, well, better. The Saints will score, and they will make a game of it. But I just can't see them pulling it off.

Indianapolis 34, New Orleans 31.

Get it? Got it? Good. Let's go have some fun.