Championship Fever

Here we stand, on the brink of glory. Four teams, two games, one goal. The last five months have cumulated to this very week. Each and every NFL fan will be sitting on the couch or bar stool this weekend pumped up to watch gut wrenching championship play.

We can all but all agree we saw the Patriots here five months ago; but the Chargers, Packers, and Giants? THE GIANTS? Very few of us can say in honesty that we saw those other teams battling for a right to play in Glendale, Arizona on February third.

The Patriots finished the perfect regular season (16-0) and now they want to finish out on a level that no team has ever reached.

The Chargers looked dead in the water early in the season, but eight straight wins has put them in the AFC Championship and given the Norv Turner signing legitimacy.

The Packers lead by the veteran gunslinger have surprised all and every expectation that we set for them, and since week six only LaDainian Tomlinson has had more rushing yards than Ryan Grant.

The Giants have won their last nine road games, and the maturation process of Eli Manning has put the sleeper Giants one game out of the Super Bowl.

Now that you've seen that reports, read the stories, watched the highlights, the only thing you have left to do is read my predictions.

San Diego at New England- 3:00 Sunday CBS

What is there left to say about New England? The Jaguars hold Randy Moss to one catch so instead Tom Brady hits every other weapon in his arsenal, goes 26-28 with 262 yards and three touchdown passes (let's not forget Wes Welker dropped a pass)

Philip Rivers wasn't too shabby against the Colts, 14-19 with 264 yards three touchdowns and two interceptions, before leaving the game early in the fourth quarter. The Chargers showed their grit in their Indianapolis victory, but it's  going to take a healthy offense to hang in with the Patriots.

Even if Rivers, Gates, and Tomlinson are healthy to go it's going to take some trickery, ego-checking at the door, and luck to beat the Patriots.

Seany Says: New England* over San Diego 42-24

*This is the first time this season I've picked the Patriots

New York Giants at Green Bay- 6:30 Sunday FOX

Two teams who have gone far beyond any expectations we had for them. At 38 Brett Favre is having one of his all-time best seasons, and on the other side of the ball Eli Manning is finally blooming in New York.

Plaxico Burress has five receptions and no TD's, against Dallas the Giants ran for ninety rushing yards and managed to sack Romo just once. Yet the newly inspired Giants are playing as a unit, a group of undeniably the hottest NFC team. They've won nine straight road games and go into Lambeau looking to make it ten.

Unfortunately Brett Favre, Greg Jennings, and the youthful Packers offensive attack have other plans. Ryan Grant who spent his first two seasons on the Giants bench/practice squad is ready for revenge. He's taken Tiki's advice, "be patient and your time will come," to heart. Since being named the starter only LT has rushed for more yards, and no one has fumbled less than he did in the regular season.

To add a little punch Grant's official NFL picture still features him in his Giants jersey.

Pro-bowlers Aaron Kampman, Al Harris, and Charles Woodson have reeked havoc on opposing offenses this season. With the homefield advantage and leadership of Favre it's hard to imagine the Packers being stopped short of another trip to the Super Bowl.

Seany Says: Green Bay over New York 31-24

T.O. Is human after all

Terrell Owens is notorious for being a self-centered showboat. In fact he's made himself famous for his driveway curl ups and Touchdown celebrations. His latest "get your pop-corn ready" escapade gave us a show, but not one Dallas fans were ready to watch.

Whether it was Tony Romo's trip to Mexico or the Giants unwillingness to surrender that handed the Cowboys an early trip home one thing is for sure, we did get a show from T.O.

After Sundays upsetting 21-17 loss to the Giants where Owens was held to four receptions for forty-nine yards and one touchdown, not even the supernatural Owens could keep his composure.

"It's really unfair" Owens claimed, pleading with reporters not to blame Romo for the loss. "That's my teammate, that's my quarterback-and if you guys do that man, it's unfair"

For your enjoyment the link below will allow you to watch the emotional press conference, so get your popcorn ready and enjoy the show.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/22648237#22648237

His quivering lip and sniffles won't get him any sympathy from Jeff Garcia or Donovan McNabb, former quarterbacks of Owens who saw the more evil spirited side of the Pro-Bowl receiver.

In the end T.O.'s tears will do nothing more than grab some air time and cause fans to come up with some pretty creative posters against him next season. For now the Giants move on to Green Bay to take on the Packers in next week's NFC Championship game.

Women + Football = Women football fans?

As I sat on the couch last Saturday evening watching the Redskins playoff game, something about the atmosphere didn’t seem quite right.

Maybe it was the crab dip I just devoured or the flat Ginger Ale I drank. Or maybe it was the strange scenario I thought of, featuring two men sipping Sangria and discussing cooking recipes while a group of women crowded around the pork rinds and yelled obscenities at the television.

Have times really changed? Have females truly become die-hard fans of the gridiron? All I can say about this new phenomenon is: Hell yes, they have. According to Yahoo Sports, 16 percent of the NFL fan base was female in 2006.

The total was even higher in classic football towns such as Green Bay and Pittsburgh where female fan totals reached 29.4 percent and 34 percent, respectively.

In Pittsburgh, female fans have become such a force that the team opened a simulated mini-camp that more than 300 women attend each summer.

Sundays used to be a time for us men to gather around the tube, watch the game and throw back some beers, while spending a few precious hours away from the women in our lives.

When game time rolled around, we could get away from hearing which uniform looked prettier, whose butt was cuter, and other such feminine inquiries that we simply could not stand to listen to.
 
Those traditional game days are a thing of the past. More men are finding themselves surrounded by those they were trying to get away from.

I’ve witnessed this miraculous change with my own eyes. The women in my family have become legitimate fanatics; from my Dallas-Cowboys-loving little sister, to my mother who loses her voice each weekend over Eli Manning’s performance.

I thought maybe my family was different (possibly cooler than yours), but recent discoveries have brought me to the realization that more females have truly become football fans.

I’m sorry if you were looking for an intense argument concerning the supremacy of men over women in the world of sports. Women have adapted to football and football has adapted to them.

Now on Sundays both men and women can sit together and enjoy the game without having to worry about whose butt looked tighter.