SCOTT JACOBS

You hear that sound?  That piercing sound crackling through the sports universe right now?  That is the sound of shock… and denial, and fear.  Fear that any of us could be so wrong on any one team in any one post-season. You see the Arizona Cardinals aren’t just a cute underdog story gone all Disney.  They’re the team so buried beneath media hatred that they can’t buy anyone’s respect right now.

After dismantling Carolina last night 33-13 on the road, as 9 1/2 point undedogs, you figured the Cards would have no more reason to play the ‘no one respects us’ card.  But you know what?  They’re hosting the NFC championship game next week, and wouldn’t you know it, they’re underdogs.

Got to love it.

Gene Wojciechowski says Arizona has no shot.  No shot?  How?  Was he watching the same few weeks as I was?

He points to the Thanksgiving game where Arizona was beaten soundly by the Eagles.  Um, lets see.  That game was in Philly.  This one is in Glendale.  That was the old Cards.  This is the new one.  That was in cold weather.  This is in a dome.  That was with the fading Cards.  This is versus the flying Cards.  Arizona couldn’t tackle.  Now they can’t miss.  Arizona couldn’t run the ball.  Now their running game has a pulse. Kurt Warner was too old.  Now he looks like he’s too young (and we mean that with a compliment).  Ken Whisenhunt couldn’t prepare his team.  Now he can’t screw up.  Arizona couldn’t beat a good team.  Now they’re dispatching them.

I’m sorry.  Would someone explain to me how Arizona has no shot?  At home.  Playing in front of a crowd that gobbled up tickets in six minutes.  Would someone explain to me how the Cardinals can’t do this?  Now that they’ve won double the amount of playoff games that they had since 1998.  Would someone explain how the Eagles are some kind of lock?  After Arizona dominated one of the NFL’s ‘top teams?’

Let me get this one correct: the Cardinals beat Atlanta, trounce Carolina, and they don’t have a chance?  The same way Tampa Bay didn’t have a chance to get to the World Series?  The same way the Marlins couldn’t beat the Yankees in 2003?  The same way that there was no chance three out of four road teams would prevail in the divisional round leaving us with two six seeds and a four?

What’s amatter?  Does the idea of Arizona making the Super Bowl sound too comical?  Is the concept of the NFL’s most down trodden franchise in the Big Game absurd?  Are you looking for a reason to laugh at the madness that has ensued over these past few weeks?

Arizona has scored 30 and 33 points their last two games.  Their defense is taking the ball away at an unprecedented rate.  Their running game, while not spectacular, now gains yards most of the time.  And uh, let’s not forget about Larry Fitzgerald.  I heard he’s kind of good.  And dare you count out Kurt Warner, who at 37 probably thought he had proved all the doubters wrong.  Nope, the skeptics keep growing.  Everyone is waiting for the wheels to fall off of this shocking Cards resurgence.  This can’t be real, the Cards can’t be good.  What in the world is going on here?

When you look for flaws you find them.  Arizona has them.  Philly does too.

But Arizona is easy to pick on.  They’re the little kid in the back, quietly waiting their turn, as the bullies push them around.  They plot their revenge.  They unite.  They come together at the right time, and then bam, you never know what hit you.

This is what happens when you underestimate and beat down a team that can’t prove itself out of a paper box if you listen to many a expert.  Their is no way they can win.

Their quarterback is too old.  Their offensive line is too inexperienced.  Their defensive line is too inconsistent.  Their corners are too new at this.  Their coach isn’t ready.  Their star wideout is too banged up.  Their running back is too past their prime.  Their backup parties too much.  Theirother star wide out can’t do it again.

O, they’ve heard what they can’t do.  They’ve been told they’re not good enough, not fast enough, not smart enough, not tough enough, not rough enough, and that they don’t have a huff or a puff.  But come next Sunday, the Cardinals won’t be listening.  No.  They’ll be too busy getting ready to claim a spot in the Super Bowl that no one still believes they can get.

So bash them, call them names, and tell them what they can and cannot do.  They’ll go out on the field and prove to everyone, that this run is no fluke.  This magic carpet ride is no mirage.  That NFC championship and berth in the Super Bowl is no pipe dream.

It’s happening.  Whether you like it or not. Next week, after Arizona beats the media darling Eagles to advance to the Super Bowl, I hope you’ve got some fresh insults for the new NFC Champions.  If you haven’t noticed, they really like your ignorance.

SCOTT JACOBS

I am one to admit when I make a mistake. Namely underestimating teams. So I throw my hat out into the ring and declare you, the New York Giants, as a team I so easily over-looked. You’ve went into Tampa Bay, Dallas, and Green Bay and come out victorious in each one, impressively I might add, and now you have a rematch and a date with destiny’s darlings: the New England Patriots.

Your momentum came following a huge win over the Bills in crappy weather, and you followed that up with a sterling performance against the Patriots, although you fell short. That game changed your season. If you can keep up with the Pats, you can play ball with the big dogs. It’s why Tampa Bay was no real chore for you and the reason that Dallas was a win you could get. But Green Bay? Now that seemed a little too much to ask. In weather that dropped into the negatives, and a windchill that dropped to as low as -24!

But you were undettered. Your QB Eli Manning was mistake free all three games this postseason. Tiki Barber enjoys his desk job. Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw get the credit for taking this team to a very unlikely Super Bowl appearance. Tom Coughlin looked as good as gone early in the year, and now he’s the toast of the town.

And now we get the Northeast Superbowl, live from the Southwest. While it doesn’t sparkle and shine quite like Favre-Brady, it does have some appeal to it. Can the Giants figure out what they couldn’t do in week 17 and repeat their performance from that game, along with a little luck, and win? They got their revenge over Dallas. They got their revenge over Green Bay. And like Lawrence Tynes, last two field goals, it took a third, just like it will take a third revenge shot this post-season to accomplish the unthinkable.

Is this Pittsburgh all over again? The team that goes on the road throughout the playoffs, and comes out so confident that they decide they want to win the whole damn thing? Or is this as far as it goes. I mean, look at it this way: In the last two weeks the Giants have defeated a pair of 13 win teams in hostile conditions. It will take a win over the undefeated, unblemished Patriots to win it all. That would mean that in one month, the Giants beat teams with a combined 42-6 record. Pretty remarkable.

Then again, this run has been pretty remarkable.

They started the season out 0-2 and found themselves on the ropes in Washington down big. I remember watching the ticker on Fox and thinking this team is doomed to a bad year. And then they came back, and I watched that goal line stand. They’ve won every road game ever since, an incredible 10 road wins and counting.

I’m sure they’ll try to wear their roadies in Glendale, cause lord knows, road is where the heart is.

With two weeks to prepare for the playoffs, and a brand new Eli can they do it?

Can they win this final game?


You’ll just have to stay tuned for that one. I don’t give away my predictions that quick.

SCOTT JACOBS

Alright, it’s here. Championship game Sunday. Are you ready? Okay, so it’s not quite the dreamy matchups we had conjured up throughout the year, but with titles on the line in both the AFC and NFC its safe to say we should get at least one very good game today. And it may not be the one you might think.

No one is giving the Chargers a flippin chance, and if I were them boy would I be psyched for today’s game. You don’t get a whole lot of chances as an 11-5 team to be completely buried before you even play a game, but the Chargers have all been put 6 feet under throughout the week by our so called experts. Philip Rivers hopes to play, LT will give it a go, and Antonio Gates will be ready to go. Now about that team New England. They’re pretty good, and though its sort of escaped through the pipelines, they’re going for an NFL record of 18-0 tonight. Windchill is expected to hover around 10 degrees for this one, so it should be a little cold.

Tom Brady is eying history at this point. He can get his fourth AFC championship under his belt en route to an unprecedented perfect season in Glendale, AZ.

It is really cold in Green Bay, expected to have a windchill of below 15. It’s good that the Pack and Giants are hot, cause they’re going to need all that heat to keep themselves warm. Brett Favre’s re-emergence as a top quarterback has solidified Green Bay as a top notch contender. Ryan Grant gives them a chance to win it all.

The Giants are a good team, but at 10-6 it feels like they’re a little lucky to be here. Inconsistent all year which Giants team will we get today? Eli Manning is the key, but keep an eye on Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw. Those two need to give New York the power running game for the G-Men to be able to brave the elements.

So what’s the picks?

NEW ENGLAND 27 SAN DIEGO 21
Disrespect can go a long way in motivating an inferior team, even as one as talented as the Chargers. They’re going to give it their best and their best will be just short, as Brady and Co. drive down the field late in a come from behind win.

GREEN BAY 31 NEW YORK GIANTS 20
Brett Favre is on a magical carpet ride right now, and its not ending at home. I think Eli has a slip up game today, and then Giants make some mistakes, as Grant goes for big numbers in this frigid showdown at the frozen Lambeau Field.