So my first post in 3 months…and it has to be about football right!? I’ve had tons of really cool / interesting / dramatic / exciting things happen over the past few months (some which I can never talk about ), but the one thing that is really making me return to writing is all the bullshit I’ve been listening on TV about the NFL championship games this Sunday. Unless you’ve lived under a rock for the past week, or have been stuck in front of countless American Idol reruns, you should know that THE biggest game today is Manning vs Brady, episode 23 (or so it seems).

Oh no, its not the Colts vs Patriots, its purely the game in which Peyton has to get the ‘monkey’ off his back. Don’t get me wrong, this is a fascinating rivalry and one of the best in recent years in terms of providing us with great entertaining football. Football…that’s the key word though. This game is a lot more than the best regular season quaterback vs the cool-as-cucumber playoff champion Brady. It’s more than the guy who seems to be in every TV ad that runs during sporting games vs the guy who moves from one starlet to the other (forget Super Bowls, this should be Tom Brady’s crowning glory) .

This game should be about all aspects of football: the coaches (great ones in Belichick and Dungy), the defense (Bob sanders leading the Colts D resurgance, the exotic looks the Pats D will throw at Manning), the kickers (Vinateiri trying to bring some Pats magic to the Colts) and the X factors. The TV talking heads seem to agree that since the game is in Indy, and ‘its time’ for Peyton to finally get that gorilla off his back, the Colts are going to come away with a W.

Hell NO! I mean, I want the Colts to win. Peyton is one of my favorite players (I’ve ridden him to quite a few Fantasy football championships over the years) and being a JETS fan, I hate the Patriots on most Sundays….but I just don’t think this’ll be the year the Colts get through the Pats. Peyton is playing horrible so far these playoffs (but I think he’ll have a decent game today) and the Indy D has become the talk of the town for going from vilified to victorious the past 2 weeks. I think that is a mirage though: they played horrible offences in KC and Baltimore where they pretty much sold out to stop the run and challenged the QBs to beat them. Now compare two over-the-hill, barely adequate QBs in Green and McNair to the guy who has only lost ONE playoff game in his career, has 3 won 3 of the past Superbowls and this year managed to work with a no-name group of receivers in still putting up points when needed, Mr. Brady. Brady will pick apart the secondary if the Colts D are intent on stopping the run, so I don’t think they’ll make that mistake. So this is the week we’re back to the bad run-defense of the regular season.

Which brings me to my X factor for this game: everyone talks about how the Colts stole the X from the Pats by signing Vinatieri, but this game will come down to the guy the Pats stole from the Colts: Lawrence Maroney. Yep, most people have forgotten how ahead of last April’s draft, most of the so-called experts had Maroney pencilled in as the Edge’s replacement in Indy. But those sneaky Pats stole him first, making the Colts settle for Jo Addai. Addai has been coming along nicely, but just imagine the speedy, bruising Maroney behing Manning. Can you say 1000 yeards and 15 TDs? Instead, Manning will watch Moroney (with help from Dillon) helping the Pats control the clock and finally the game. As far as Vinatieiri…Gostkowski has been a more than adequate replacement, and when the Colts played the Pats earlier, Adam showed a rare curse of nerves and actually missed some.

My prediction: Peyton throws 2 INTs in the first half which Brady converts to a 2 score lead going in at halftime. Manning bring the Colts back in the 3rd half and its all tied up at the beginning of the 4th. Two scores are traded, and then Maroney leads NE to a very long drive to put up 3. Manning has VERY less time to lead the Colts back, which he does to set-up a Vinatieri late-game FG again….which he misses. NE goes to their 4th big dance in the last 5 years…can you say Dynasty? Pats 27-24

As far as that other game, which really doesnt matter because no matter who wins, the AFC winner will be a huge favorite for the Super Bowl, I think with the weather being snowy and chilly, Brees and that vaunted Saints offence will sputter and hiccup enough to allow the Bears D to make some big plays. Rex will have a good enough game (after a few INTS and atleast one fumble) to maintain the Bears lead, and the monsters of the Midway will beat up on Reggie Bush to make him a non-factor. Brees will have to put the game on his shoulders, but with the ‘football’ weather coming down on Soldier Field, the aerial assault will not work out. Bears 17-10

These are not the results I want to see though…I want Colts vs Saints!