Stampede Blue

And this is why we all watch football every Sunday... What an amazing game. I'm sure if Tom Brady would have pulled out another game-winning drive, my tune would be a little different. But regardless, it's undeniable that there is absolutely nothing more sweet than seeing such an epic match-up, no matter the outcome. Oh, and watching Tom Brady fail always does the soul some good.

Congratulations to both teams on their highlight-filled journeys to the Super Bowl.

The New York Giants are the 2012 Super Bowl Champions and the Luke has been protected.

Indy was raved about for its hospitality, grace, and amazing festivities all week long. So be proud that your city hosted an unbelievable Super Bowl and hopefully the big game will be back in Indy very soon.

Here's to 2012 and the future of Indianapolis football. Tomorrow marks the start of OUR path to recapture the Lombardi. Go Colts!

And here you thought you'd be sparred the insane ramblings of a once great NFL executive:

NEW YORK – January 27, 2012 – Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) announced today that former Indianapolis Colts Vice Chairman Bill Polian has joined SiriusXM NFL Radio, the only radio channel dedicated to the NFL 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Polian will make his debut on Monday, January 30, on Late Hits (8:00 – 11:00 pm ET). He’ll host the show again on Wednesday, February 1, and Friday, February 3, and will be heard regularly on the channel throughout the year. SiriusXM NFL Radio is available to listeners nationwide on channel 88 on Sirius and XM Premier (formerly known as "The Best of Sirius").

I'm actually a little surprised ESPN wasn't able to snatch-up Polian and have him do football commentary the way they use noted gasbag Bob Knight for their college basketball coverage. Like Knight, Polian has a brilliant sports mind and offers occasional nuggets of wisdom about the game he was so closely associated with for decades.

Also like Knight, Polian is batsh*t nuts, thinks way too highly of himself, and treated people who worked and played for him like urinal cakes.

In case you are wondering, no. I will not to be tuning into this show and transcribing every little thing that dribbles out of Bill Polian's mouth. While it was certainly entertaining to listen to ole Bill routinely make an idiot out of himself, and then laughably try to thwart our efforts to transcribe what he said to a larger audience, I'm just not up to it anymore. Let someone else do that sh*t.

In many ways, this Super Bowl is a story about Peyton Manning, not necessarily the New York Giants or the New England Patriots.

Super Bowl XLVI will feature the little brother of Peyton Manning v. Peyton's ultimate nemesis. The game will be played in the house Peyton built, and it's outcome will, fairly or not, help to define Peyton's legacy should he never play another down of football again.

Should the Patriots and Tom Brady prevail, Brady will be lauded by everyone as being the greatest quarterback of all-time. Better than Joe Montana. Better than Peyton. Doesn't matter if it's "true" or not. It will be said, and it will have merit on several levels.

Should Eli prevail, the question of Eli possibly being better than Peyton will be raised. Heck, it's already getting asked, no matter how silly and unsupported the suggestion is.

What this all plays to, boys and girls, is the what players do in the regular season means nothing. Absolutely nothing. Eli Manning has never been a serious MVP candidate. Yet, his amazing performances in virtually all his post-season games have people actually suggesting he is a better quarterback than his four-time MVP-winning brother.

In the end, I think it's safe to say we will all be rooting for Eli and the Giants. I know I will. We all want to see the Mannings stick it, once again, to Bill Belichick. I am happy for the Kraft family though, as odd as it feels to write that. The season began with Colts center and NFLPA representative Jeff Saturday hugging Patriots owner Bob Kraft outside a law firm in Washington DC, announcing the end of the 2011 labor lockout. During the long negotiating process, Kraft lost his wife to illness. Six months later, the team he owns is back in the Super Bowl.

So much loss. So much anguish. When you think of all that Kraft did to get football back on the field, it's fitting his team is playing for another championship.

Less than three hours after the news broke regarding the Jacksonville Jaguars firing head coach Jack Del Rio, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports (via PFT) that Jags owner Wayne Weaver is in the process of selling his franchise to Shahid Khan, the owner of the automobile parts manufacturer Flex-N-Gate Corp who recently tried unsuccessfully to purchase the St. Louis Rams.

Interesting side note: Schefter works for ESPN. His report counters a report made as recently as Oct. 24th by Chris Mortensen, also of ESPN. Back in October, Mort reported that Weaver would not sell the team, and his source for the report was Weaver himself.

With a potential new owner, the speculation will now involve whether or not the Jaguars will move to Los Angeles, where the NFL desperately wants to set up a franchise to play in the mega Southern California market. The Jags have the 26th worst attendance in the NFL, drawing roughly 62,000 a game. They also play in a tiny market that has been utterly crushed by the economic downturn plaguing the United States. Right now, they look the most likely to pack up and leave for So Cal.

For me, a longtime Colts fan with nothing but disdain for the Jaguars and their sometime silly fans, I would view a move by the franchise as something that would hurt the league, not help it. The Jaguars should stay in Jacksonville, and the new owners should do what Wayne Weaver refused to do: Spend money and build a franchise worth a damn.

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It's after the bye week for the Indianapolis Colts, and from this point forward no team is off for the remainder of 2011.

Well, one could make an argument that the 0-10 have taken 2011 off completely, but we won't go there. Right now, we're just picking football games for NFL Week 12. Don't forget to submit your picks if you are part of Eric Miller's picks contest.

For me, this is straight-up who will win (aka, no spreads, cause I personally hate that sh*t):

Falcons over VIKINGS

BENGALS over Browns

Panthers over COLTS

JAGUARS over Texans

JETS over Bills

RAMS over Cardinals

TITANS over Buccaneers

RAIDERS over Bears

Redskins over SEAHAWKS

Patriots big over EAGLES

Broncos over CHARGERS

Steelers over CHIEFS

SAINTS over Giants

The Predictor can't seem to get out of its rut of going .500 against the spread each week, as another 6-6-1 week keeps it at exactly .500 for the season. It was a terrible 6-7 picking straight up though, as several teams crapped the bed.

Here are your Week 9 picks:

I thought last week was going to be a good week Against the Spread, and it turned out to hit .500 once again, going 6-6-1, although it was 10-3 picking straight up. Look for it to keep improving as we go forward, as it's bound to start hitting a lot of games here soon as it gets more and more data.

Here are your Week 8 picks (note the big upset it is calling for):

Quick post this week, as there is some game going on in South Bend this weekend that I'll be in attendance at. The Predictor is back at .500 after a 6-5-2 week last week, and I'm expecting a good week this week, as I pretty much agree with everything it's saying.

Here's your picks for Week 7: