Saturday, January 21, 2006

Out Of Town Football News

As per usual in mid-January, football action does occur, it's just far beyond metro Detroit. Starting on the other side of the pond, Everton beat Arsenal, 1-0. I'm sort of surprised. Ok, I'm thrilled to see the Toffees upend the Gunners. Didn't Arsenal just win a match 7-1 not long ago? Have Everton even scored seven goals since the new year began? Regardless, Everton is sneaking up the Premiership. I'd discuss Nottingham Forest's disappointing draw, but frankly you didn't care about the Everton match, so.....

Onto football you probably do care about. I rarely make picks around here, but I'm feeling adventurous so here is my take on the conference championship games. If you ask anyone who knows me reasonably well they will tell you I support two NFL teams--Detroit and Pittsburgh. While this means I clearly want the Steelers to triumph tomorrow, I'm getting the feeling Denver is going to emerge victorious. Why? Well, even though the Broncos are the betting favorite and they are at home, the Steelers are getting all the love.

If you've watched the coverage of the AFC title game, you'd get the feeling Pittsburgh was the favorite. Knocking off Indianapolis, everyone's Super Bowl favorite, coupled with two road playoff wins has made the Steelers the trendy pick. However, the Broncos have quietly dispatched nearly everyone this year including sending the champion Patriots home early. I'm going to hope the Steelers get the job done, but if I am going to guess a winner, I'm guessing Denver. (Please, please, Steelers, get two more wins. Please and thank you.)

In the NFC, I've got no gut feeling. Seattle would seem like the team to beat. However, a part of me just can't get past the fact they are still the Seahawks. The Panthers have a bit more post-season success, including a Super Bowl appearance. (I still can't get over the Panthers have been in a Super Bowl and the Lions haven't.) I like Jake Delhomme just a bit better than Matt Hasselbeck. So, I'll take Carolina in a close game.

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