The Only Super Bowl Preview You Need To Read (Well, except for D-Rae's of course)

SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!!!! (in monster truck voice) That's right, Sunday is the big day, its the day when we can finally find an NFL champion. Could it be the Steelers, who have cemented themselves as one of the best (if not the best) pro football franchise? Or will it be the suprise surprise (cough cough, I knew it all along cough cough) Arizona Cardinals (OK, I didn't know it all along, in fact, I'm pretty darn surprised myself, and I'm a west coast guy remember?) The fact of the matter is, by Sunday, no more analysis about how each team will win, or what this team has to do, or that team has to do. It will be all in the books by late Sunday night (unless somehow we had like a gabillion overtimes or something like that, I'll have to ask Mcnabb about the rules) we will have a victor.

So I'm guessing by now your wondering how possible will you have a educated guess by who has the best shot.

Well, you came to the right guy. The basic principles in this Super Bowl are two basic things. Can the Steelers defense stop Larry Fitzgerald and push senior citizen Kurt Warner to the ground. The principle for Arizona is if they can protect their elder (aka, Kurt Warner) and get some sort of alternative offense if they do stop Fitzgerald.

On the side for Arizona this team should not be called the "underdog" anymore, in the NFL, there is no underdog and from the past few years we should be able to realize that for now. This Arizona team has played with high intensity offense, and their defense has been able to force turnovers like a Pop-Warner game. They have just as good of a shot as Pittsburgh in my book. One of the overlooked disadvantages they have is that they wont have many of their "fans" coming to Tampa, since I'm sure most of their "fans" (remember, no one has really liked the Cardinals since they moved, except for the occasional average Joe you find in Arizona, which is hard to find) will enjoy a nice seat on their leather couch and 42" Plasma. They also aren't fighting to get out of the cold like those Steeler fans are.

On the side for Pittsburgh, remember, they have had a couple of regular trips to this thing you guys like to call the Super Bowl. They won one recently in 2005 ( well, the Steelers and the refs won the game). Sorry Seattle, I know your still hurting. They have a good defense, good offense, and a tough nosed coach. (on a side note for Arizona though, remember that Arizona head coach Ken Whisenhunt used to be on the Pittsburgh staff, which could or could not give them an advantage) The only defect on the Steelers side of things is their QB, don't be mad Steeler fans, you know its true. Big Ben, (as they like to call him) has a "talent" of holding on to the ball for extremely long amounts of time to try to make some Superman play. Remember that Arizona did get a fumble on Mcnabb in the NFC Championship game. Other than that, the Steelers are the better team in this match up and I would say 7 out of 10 times they would beat this Arizona team.

That gives Arizona a 30% chance to win this game.

I'll give em' those chances.

My prediction. Arizona by 7.

-J.J.

Super Bowl: Key Matchups

Only a couple more days until the game and its time to break down the key matchups that will make or break the game for the Cardinals or the Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII.

QB Kurt Warner vs. S Troy Polamalu

No matter what the Cardinals have done running the ball recently, they thrive and rely on Kurt Warner putting the ball in the air and preferably to Fitzgerald or Boldin. With Warner lining up against the Steelers defense it is safe to say that, once again, he will be counted on to get the ball out and quickly. This is what leads us to the matchup; Mr. Grocery Man vs The Hair. Troy Polamalu has terrorized QBs all season and will definitely be a huge defensive threat. The man had 7 Ints on the season and will look to add to that with Warner having to get the ball out quickly. It isn't a mystery that Warner will look to Fitzgerald in tough times so look for Polamalu to try and stop what no NFC team has done these playoffs.

Advantage: S The Hair

 

QB Ben Roethlisberger vs. the Cardinals pass rush

It is time for Big Ben to show up to the big ball. Last time around Roethlisberger struggled against a less than stellar Seahawk defense and the Cardinals are a little better. The key for Roethlisberger is to have relax and throw the ball. Now the Cardinals pass rush isn't revolutionary but Roethlisberger is known to regularly hold on to the ball for longer than the recommended 3 seconds giving his offensive line a bad name. Maybe the key matchup isn't Roethlisberger vs DE's LaBoy, Smith, and Berry but rather Roethlisberger against himself. If Roethlisberger can stop his tendency to get happy feet he could have a big game. But who am I kidding, Roethlisberger was only able to muster a total of 3 TDs in 2 games against the Cincinnati Bungals.

Advantage: Cardinals Pass Rush (If they want success they'll blitz S Wilson almost every play)

OLB's James Harrison/LaMarr Woodley vs. T's Mike Gandy/Levi Brown

Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison and (Currently moving on up from underrated) LaMarr Woodley will be hounding Warner all day long and it will be up to Gandy and Brown to attempt to slow them up. When both of the 3-4 OLB's come on the blitz the opposing QB better look out. Gandy and Brown got a glimpse of what they will see on Sunday when they played Jim Johnson's Philly defense. Both of the T's did an adequate job of picking up the infinite blitzes but when they started to struggle later in the game, so did the Cardinals. Now it is impossible for them to be asked to stop Woodley and Harrison but they must do everything they can to keep the slow Warner upright. If the RB's can help with some of the blitz pickups this would lighten the load but I expect something similar to the whooping that Brady received last year from the Giants pass rush.

Advantage: OLB/DE's Harrison and Woodley

WR Larry Fitzgerald vs. CB Ike Taylor

Last but not least is the matchup of perhaps the best player in the game, Larry Fitzgerald, and Pittsburgh's best cover corner, Ike Taylor. The way Fitzgerald has played in the last three games is out of this world. With 23 catches for 419 yards and 5 TD's there is no one in this league or universe that can cover the man. Don't get me wrong, Ike Taylor is a good corner on a very good defensive squad but matching up against Fitzgerald right now is like asking someone to go man up with Jordan with no help. Expect the Steelers to be smart and roll their coverage Fitzgerald's way (Note to Fitzgerald: Look out for Ryan Clark. He will hit you helmet to helmet. He willnot feel any shame about possibly ending your career.... and oh yea, he won't get fined) but Boldin is "healthy". Everyone else has attempted to stop Fitzgerald, without a 100% Boldin and knowing that the ball is coming his way, and everyone has failed. With the things I've seen this postseason, there is no way that Fitzgerald can be stopped (unless you count Warner getting bloodied up from the relentless Steeler blitz).

Advantage: WR Larry Fitzgerald

What about us? Mountain West Confrence seeks automatic BCS bowl bid

Everyone remembers the big win Utah had against rough and tough Alabama, and not many will forget the beating that they give the big SEC powerhouse. Which brings us to today. It is reported by ESPN, who got it from USA Today, that the Mountain West Conference (who includes Utah, BYU, and TCU all in their conference) are begging for a automatic BCS bid like the other big boy conferences, which seems like a fair question to me.


Now, this Mountain West Conference has some pretty darn good football teams, but the question remains. Could the Mountain West be consistent? That is my one main concern with small conferences, is that they go through more streaks then a middle aged woman with menopause.


I am not a huge fan of giving the Mountain West an automatic bid just yet, but I have a master plan to help them get there.


First, drop Wyoming. When I look at them I just think that the Mountain West is on a different level then where Wyoming is at. Next, add two teams, (and I am already guessing you know what I'm going to say) Boise State, and Fresno State. Boise State can even make an argument about being in the Pac-10 (especially that now their basketball team went to the big dance last year). If you put Wyoming in the WAC and throw Boise State and Fresno State in the mixing pot of the Mountain West, now you have five legit teams to throw down in one conference.


If the Mountain West can make that happen, then I will legitimately give them a solid argument to get an auto bid, with five talented teams in one conference, you will get consistency from at least two of the teams and recruiting would show consistency as well. With an auto bid to the Mountain West, no longer would we have to put up with another Cincinnati v.s. Virgina Tech match up in January.


I am all for the little guy upsetting the big guy, I could replay the '07 Fiesta Bowl in my mind from start to finish, and I will always remember the stone cold face on Nick Saban's face when he was slowly realizing he is being outplayed by a team that is famous for a lake filled with salt (don't get mad readers, I was born in good ol' SLC). Last but not least I will always remember that early week in this years college football season when the Mountain West went 4-0 against Pac-10 opponents, now tell me that doesn't say something.


Hopefully we can get to a point in college football where the best teams get to play in the best bowl games. Someday America, someday.

-J.J.

NFL Sunday Quick Bits: Nobody likes to sit the bench

No, the Super Bowl isn't until next week but there isn't a lot of news today but I thought I'd talk about a couple things briefly.

First off I want to talk about the brief tiff between Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Todd Haley and WR Anquan Boldin. Reports say that the argument on the sideline were because Boldin believed that he should be out there on the field but Haley thought that Boldin wasn't at 100%. Now if this is the case, I would like everyone to get off of Boldin's back and stop labeling him as the next TO. The man obviously wanted to be on the field for the (then) biggest game of his life. I don't think that what he did was totally out of line either. Everyone and their dog knew that Warner was going to throw the ball to Fitzgerald but it wouldn't hurt to have a limping Boldin decoy for part of the quarter. In the end the Cardinals are in the Super Bowl and people are looking for news but I think this is something that has become bigger than it should've been.

ESPN recently reported that Tennessee Titans are naming Kerry Collins the starting quarterback for next year already. With the year they had this year (despite the disappointing end), Collins deserves to be the starter next year over (so far) bust Vince Young. But with the emergence of the Wildcat offense in the NFL, why isn't Fisher putting Vince in there for a possession or two and seeing what he can do? I'm pretty sure that Young can run the ball (ask USC) and hand it off. The way I look at it Vince Young is probably a larger threat to throw the ball than Ronnie Brown in Miami's Wildcat offense so it will keep defenses from loading the box as much. I'm not saying that the Titans need to change their conservative philosophy completely but how scary would that backfield look with LenDale White, Chris Johnson, and Vince Young all able to take it to the house (LenDale might need some oxygen on the way there but I know he can take it too).

Lastly, I wanted to talk about Troy Aikman going on Michael Irvin's radio show and saying that Tony Romo needs to become a better leader on this team and that is part of their recent failures. Romo took Aikman's comments in stride and immediately came out in the media and said that he would be a better leader next year. These comments seemed really off kilter to me especially when Aikman referenced Romo's trip to Cabo that occurred last year. Do I think that Romo could be a better leader? Sure, but Aikman didn't need to be the one to say this to the world. Aikman rode Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, and the Super Bowls to the Hall of Fame and all of the sudden became a god. I know that Romo would never do it but I would love for Romo to snap right back at Aikman and ask him to compare their stats:

3 Years CMP% P.Yds TD INT

Romo 63.6 % 10,562 81 46

Aikman 58.6% 7,082 31 46

Now tell me that Aikman has any room to talk and no the TD and INT totals are not typos for Aikman. I love what Aikman and Cowboys were able to do in the '90s but he doesn't need to be telling anyone how to play... Especially someone that has come into the league with more poise than he did. Romo and the 'Boys will be back next year and we will see if they can get by without the injuries and the major choking that happened this year.

- D-Rae

With a name like lil' Romeo, how could that not be a distraction.

First of all I have to say thank you to a young family at the WSU game tonight for kicking me and my brother-in-law out of our seats and showing us our right seats, which were 26 more rows down closer to the floor, four rows up from the floor.

So now that I have gotten all my thank yous and welcomes out of the way I got to enjoy a good collegiate Pac-10 basketball game. As I was sitting in my lovely seat at halftime I couldn't help but overhear the man in front of me screaming "HEY ROMEO, HEY ROMEO!" At first I was trying to wonder why I was listening to poetry references at a basketball game, but then I realized the lil' Romeo (a.k.a Percy Miller) was on the USC roster. That one glance of the teen rap star it brought me back to all those headlines and stories all about lil' Romeo signing with the USC basketball team. The sad part is was that he has simply fallen off the basketball talent since the signing.

Before I dive into my main point of this story let me give some season stats for lil' Romeo (Percy Miller).

PPG APG RPG

0.5 0.3 0.3

Wow! Now that is a stat line! Now before everyone starts to get all crazy on me for criticizing a freshman, I just want to say that the hype on this kid was pretty big. Just like all the rest of most college basketball freshman, lil' Romeo was expected to do big things.

As I was watching the game the same question was running through my mind the whole time.

Why would Tim Floyd recruit this kid? Can someone please tell me the perks of recruiting a ex-rapper/TV show star?

When I realized something, its Tim Floyd, and, its USC basketball. Now, I know that college basketball has turned into a freshman game to where everyone is checking out what teams have who, and where high school seniors are going to go, but that's not the point. Tim Floyd and the USC staff recruited a kid that goes by lil' Romeo, how can that be good?

Throughout the Washington State game you could point out young kids in the crowd with their hip-cool picture phones taking pics of the teen rap phenom (Who, by the way, sat on the pine for what it seemed like the entire game). How can that not be distracting to your teammates, the coaching staff, and the whole university itself? This question that bothered me brought me to one solution, Tim Floyd. I have to honestly say that I wouldn't put anything past that man. He seems to reek the aroma of "high profile" names that are ready to jump to the pro's faster than a fish out of water.

The point I'm trying to get across is that I would of taken any of the kids on Washington State's roster over Percy "lil' Romeo" Miller, and I'm not even that big of a coug fan. It brings great confusion to me about Tim Floyd in the fact that he would take a big enough risk to take a kid who is used to rhyming, wearing bling, and being in front of T.V. cameras. Romeo is listed at 5'11 and 170, but after looking at him, in actuality, let's give him 5"8 and a 160. The list goes on and on with the distractions this kid will bring, and I wont be surprised when he realizes NBA is not in his future and he divorces Tim Floyd and the USC Trojan basketball team.

I'm still amazed that there isn't a billion articles on Romeo and how he went from rap star, ( well, I shouldn't say star, that's reserved for Snoop doggy dogg) to Division I basketball player. At the end of the day, we could of probably seen a normal kid, who probably would work harder, play better, have better skills and would not be a celebrity suit up for the USC Trojans and give them a better shot for a championship.

Isn't that what Tim Floyd wants?

-J.J.

Sorry Herm, but we're gonna head in another direction...

The KC Chiefs have finally finished the front office cleaning with the firing of head coach Herm Edwards (GM Peterson "resigned earlier). I know that Herm was 2-14 last season and that his overall record with the Chiefs isn't that stellar either (15-34 in 3 seasons) but how can you get rid of a man when you committed to going young. Even while they were rebuilding they had better a better record than the rival Raiders. I can just imagine what went down in the meeting between new GM Pioli and Edwards:

"Hey Herm, we think that we're going in another direction." (Pioli)

"I know that we didn't have a great season but we committed to going young and we lost seven of those games by a TD or less." (Edwards)

"You have a valid point. And yes I know that you didn't have some of your most talented players for the whole season (Any QB/Thigpen was a starter!!!) but we don't believe that you are going to put us over the top." (Pioli)

 "Well if the fact that having several first and second year players being starters, close games, and Thigpen as my QB aren't good enough points to give me another chance then I don't know what will be." (Edwards)

"Thanks again Herm." (Pioli)

"Yeah your welcome... by the way do you have someone on the radar yet?" (Edwards)"

"I can't discuss that at the moment but hopefully we can find someone as dedicated as you.... Oh hey Mike, do you need something." (Pioli)

"You gotta be kidding me." (Edwards)

Ok, so Herm is out and Shanahan is most likely in. Do I think that Edwards or Shanahan should've be fired this offseason? No, definitely not and especially in Edwards case. They knew that they weren't going to the Super Bowl this year and there were some very promising bright spots on the team. WR Bowe is establishing himself as one of the best in the league and there was enough talent on the roster to give them the opportunity to win more games. With another year or two, I think that Edwards and the Chiefs could've created something really special but that won't come to fruition.

The hiring of Shanahan looks like brilliance though. He is a perfect fit for a team that has a variety of backs to put out there and he could mold what Edwards started into quite the team. If  it would've been an unproven coach (cough... Denver's new coach McDaniels) then firing Edwards would have really been questionable but I think that this combo of Shanahan and KC will work out. It doesn't hurt that Shanahan has worked for 3 out of 4 teams in the AFC West now (KC HC, Denver HC, LA Raiders HC). All I have left to say is good luck to Shanahan and I am looking forward to seeing the Chiefs/Broncos revenge game.

P.S.- Sorry Herm, hopefully you can someone who doesn't cut you when you commit to going young. Its just not right.

- D-Rae

Just Some Brotherly Love

which one do you believe?

In a recent ESPN article, it is reported that Jay McGwire, Mark McGwire's brother reported that Mark McGwire used steroids and HGH. I have one question for you, should we be surprised?!?!? Take a look at my picture above and tell me those arms are all milk and cookies. The big part of this story isn't that McGwire is jucin', its the fact that his own brother is ratting him out. Yeah my brothers ratted me out, but it was about me stealing some ice cream, not injecting myself with yummy juices through a needle.

You know what the best part is? Jay McGwire is trying to get himself a book deal out of the whole deal (I think he took a page out of Canseco's book, literally). So now this brings us back to square one with baseball, steroids. It never ends and it wont end for a while, steroids and baseball is like PB & J, chips and salsa, Brad and Angelina and any other combo you want to think of. The fact of the matter is, we need to start blood testing or just stop caring, oh and by the way, I'm not gunna stop caring. So that brings us to option 2, blood testing, now, I'm not saying we need to blood test every player, how about just the ones that start hitting their stride at 40 years old, or the ones that puff up like a balloon. If we can clean up baseball we can start thinking about what it used to be like it (by the way this is the perfect time to give my thank you to the Tampa Bay Ray's for giving us a great baseball story that doesn't involve needles and back zits). Baseball will clean up.......... Maybe.

p.s. This Jay Mcgwire makes Canseco look like a saint, he didn't get involved with family.

also I can't wait for thanksgiving 2009 at the McGwire residence. "hey Mark, could you pass the gravy?" (Jay McGwire).

-J.J.

Super... What!?!

First off I need to apologize for my lack of posts on the blog. I recently traveled back to college and have definitely been slacking in my first few days back. But who cares, I'm gonna put some work in finally! During my slouching J.J. has hit up the Super Bowl and the Arizona Cardinals so I'm going to try and stick to some good ol' NBA analysis. (Mr. Cheapshot Hines Ward will play in the Super Bowl... That means look out Cardinals, just ask Keith Rivers).

 

Is it just me or is the top of the Eastern Conference looking a little crowded this year? The Celtics are being matched and in some places outperformed by the Cavs and Magic). Even I have to admit that Cleveland (regardless of the last couple losses) are really looking like the team to beat. I'm not a huge LeBron fan but with him finally realizing that he has a good cast of players around him that know how to play defense and more importantly, make shots when he gets trapped. After the moves last season, the Cavs look like they could have a top tier team for years to come as long as LeBron stays(more on that in a bit) and they find the eventual replacement to aging Ilgauskas.

 

But mainstay Boston is still tough with their veteran cast and the Magic are looking scary as well. The Celtics had an awful four game losing streak but they've recovered with five straight wins. The old three looked a little outmatched in their losing streak but everyone know they will turn it on when it matters. The Fantastic Four (Rondo, Allen, Pierce, Garnett) have the experience and winning last year definitely gives them the much needed past that teams have to draw upon when it comes playoff time. I think the loss of Posey may end up being their achilles heel if it comes down to a showdown with LeBron (38 pts in their last match).

 

The dark horse of the group, Orlando, is shaping up to be a huge force. The inside game of Howard mixed with all of the outside shooters throughout the roster (leading the league in 3 ptrs and setting the single game record this season for 3 ptrs made) could be nasty during the playoffs. Four out of the five starters are averaging between 17 and 20 points per game. Numbers like that make matchup problems and make it almost impossible to gameplan against one individual player.

 

Now I know I'm jumping the gun but ESPN and every other sports media outlet keeps letting us all know about what may happen if(and when) LeBron leaves Cleveland for Brooklyn... I mean New York. When the free agency hoopla finally begins in the summer of  2010, LeBron will be eyeing the Big Apple but my bet is with New Jersey/Brooklyn. Partial owner Jay-Z has spoken about moving the team and he is also good friends with Mr. James. 

Could you imagine the Nets sporting a possible starting five of:

PG Devin Harris

SG *Vince Carter

SF LeBron James

PF Does It Matter?

C Brook Lopez

* (Carter, for monetary reasons may be released but there will be a grab bag of stars like LeBron, Bosh, Wade, etc...)

If they can make it happen with the salary cap, the Nets would be holding one of the best players in the league along with an All-Pro point guard and a young but extremely high potential C in Brook Lopez. Attention all NBA teams (especially the Celtics and Lakers/Kobe): Get your rings while you can because after the summer of 2010... a dynasty may well be purchased instead of created the ol fashioned way.

- D-Rae

YES WE CAN! Words both our nation and the Arizona Cardinals can believe in

Now I know that this is my second Arizona Cardinals article but I promise this is my last one (at least till after the Super Bowl). On this monumental day of our nation where Obama is now our president we can believe that anything is possible, and that's exactly what the Cardinals are believing also. For many many years African-Americans were discriminated against and now on this day January 20, 2009 our new president is African-American. Wow! Talk about progress.

Just like the progression of our nation by electing a black president the Arizona Cardinals progressed to Tampa, Florida for the Super Bowl. The biggest question America has is if the Cardinals can beat the big boy Steelers. For the next two weeks you will all hear about the Steelers defense, Big Ben and everything else to give Pittsburgh the advantage, but I'm not doubting Arizona.

Even though I'm a west coast guy, I have to admit I have been religiously hooked on Bill Simmons' podcast. He says that the "no one believes in us" card is the biggest advantage in the NFL playoffs. Don't worry America, there is evidence. Look at last year, Giants take down Patriots, plain and simple that was a David beats Goliath finish. How about in 2002, Patriots were 14 point underdogs against the Rams, and what do ya know, they beat the Rams. This year will be no different, ESPN and all the other sports channels will tell you all about the strength of Pittsburgh, their defense is too tough for Arizona, their offense will outplay Arizona, the list goes on and on and trust me, Arizona is fine with being the underdog.

Just like America needed Obama to win the presidency, America needs the Cardinals to win the Super Bowl. There is nothing better in sports than seeing the underdog win the big game. Look at the biggest sports movies of all time, here's a few; Rudy, Remember the Titans, Miracle, Radio..... there is a lot more too. Do you notice a theme in all those movies? All of them involve the underdog winning the big game, and that's what we like to see. I have to admit though, I am glad everyone is picking the Steelers because when Kurt Warner (who is a hall of fame pick by the way, no doubt about it) raises the trophy, it will be that much sweeter knowing that no one believed in them (except for me and the state of Arizona).

So with that article I give you my Super Bowl pick, Arizona by 7. Also congratulations to Barack Obama on become our first black president, I hope your four years go great and I wish the best for you.

-J.J.

Arizona Cardinals NFC Champions, tell me that doesn't sound weird.

About two summers ago I had the chance to go on the 2nd highest and fastest roller coasters in the world (sorry, the 1st highest and fastest is in Japan, I just couldn't make the trip there). That roller coaster was full of ups and downs, twists and turns and everything in between. The thrill and feeling of that roller coaster doesn't compare to anything the Arizona Cardinals went through this season, so I'm gonna give you their season in a nut shell. It started with everything climbing up, just like the climb up on Top Thrill Dragster, the roller coaster at Ceder Point in San dusky, Ohio ( your welcome ceder point for the shout out) their offense was looking good, Kurt Warner was a superstar and it look like they were going to take the NFC West cake. Then, suddenly, the Cardinals were bad, reallllllly baaaaad. This Cardinals team were giving up loads of points, their offense wasn't clicking and they were getting blown out and beat up. So, that brings us to the playoffs, where boys become men and losers become extra losers. Arizona's first match up was a hot team led by a hot rookie arm, and well the Arizona Cardinals handled the Falcons on their home turf. OK so big deal right? I mean sure we'll give them that win but they can't go to the east where the Cardinals are 0-5 and beat the Panthers who are 8-0 at home right? Well, they did, Jake Delhome looked like a pop Warner star, Deangalo Williams looked like Ladanian Tomlinson ( and we are talking about the Ladanian Tomlinson in the present, you know the guy who is outplayed by small fry Sproles). OK oK so they had a suprise win on the road, but they can't beat the Philly Eagles, I said the PHILLY EAGLES!!! Everyone loves the Eagles!! OK, so they did that, they took a 24-6 lead, played crappy defense the second half, let them come back, and then did a long drive and punched it in. Oh, and with that win they just booked themselves a trip to Tampa, Florida for the Super Bowl, yes the Super Bowl. Now, let me get back to my first word of this article, weird. That one word solely describes the season the Arizona Cardinals have had and now they are in the Super Bowl. So, can we be mad at them, this team reminds me of a little team last year known now as the New York Football Giants. If anyone can recall, virtually no one, and I mean no one thought that they could take down the undefeated Patriots, led by their handsome GQ cover Tom Brady. Do you know what New York did? They beat em'. So, as I watch the AFC battle between the Steelers and Ravens I know one thing. That who ever has to face the Cardinals, I'm betting against them, because later this week when everyone is making their picks everyone will talk about the strength of Pittsburgh, or the strength of Baltimore. Trust me, that's exactly what the NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals want to hear.

-J.J.

What's Up?

Hello everybody,

My name is Derek Reagan and obviously I'm the D-Rae portion of Sports Talk. I eat, breath, and sleep sports. Everything I've done in life has been motivated or driven by my passion and this is what led me to be a sports journalism major at the University of Missouri. I'm excited to start this blog and hope that everyone enjoys the content that Joey and I will be presenting through the blog. Joey has given you the basic outline of our mission so I won't go into that and we will definitely start on Monday. Oh yea... if you have topics that you would like us to discuss or want to voice your opinion on a topic we encourage you to comment or email us.

Let's Do This!!!

- D-Rae

Who the heck are we?!?!?!

Hello, and my name is Joey Jenkins, I'm the J.J. part of Sports Talk with J.J. & D-Rae. I want to let you guys know a little bit about me and a little bit about our new blog. I currently attend the University of Idaho and am a Journalism student. I have a big passion for sports with a little bias for the west coast. Derek and I wanted to start a blog together since we have been friends since elementary school and have great sports knowledge and chemistry with each other (Don't worry, my door doesn't swing that way). We are going to be posting on a seven day basis with opinionated centerpiece articles every day. I'm very excited for this blog and we should be launching our first post on Monday. Also stay tuned for D-Rae's (Derek Reagan) intro for himself.

-Joey Jenkins