NFL

[cowboy_from_hell 2,390]

Playoff tipping comp points tally ... (3 points on offer for correctly tipping the Super Bowl winner)

7 - titan_uranus (6 correct tips in a row)

6 - DemonDave

5 - Macca

4 - Strafford* (technically you can still do the "double," Strafford)

3 - Gorgoroth

2 - Pantaloons*, the master*, cowboy from hell ('possibly still in "road team" mode 'cfh'? )

* denotes missed out on 1 or 2 weeks of tips.

Perhaps along with our Super Bowl tips we can have a go at the Super Bowl MVP. While we're at it, posters here might care to name their regular season MVP, ROTY and defensive player of the year (Peyton would have to have a mortgage on the regular season MVP)

Pretty ordinary tipping effort by me. I was going for the upsets as the playoffs seem to always end up having the road teams get up and wildcard teams making the superbowl. But it's all good once again it has been a very entertaining playoffs. The best two teams are in the superbowl. A dynasty could be set up at Seattle not just because they plucked a QB from no where in the draft. WIlson has a very small contract which has allowed Seattle to target free agents . Wilson's third round selection contract cannot be renegotiated until 2015 I'm pretty sure. He is on 2.96 Million over his four contract. Imagine having a superbowl playing QB for under a million a year. It pays to draft well doesn't it?

[Cards13 9,117]

As a Broncs fan I'm very worried about the Hawks D. I just have a feeling there pressure on the recievers might be a little too much for us. I know Manning is so clinical especially after coming out after half time but he doesn't have the zip he once did and I just don't know if he can work the number 1 defence enough. If we can get more yards on the ground than Beast Mode can we are in with a shot. Another telling point will be Harvin. If Harvin can come back and play then Hawks have a huge boost in the passing game that opens up running lanes.

[Arrow 1,257]

As a Broncs fan I'm very worried about the Hawks D. I just have a feeling there pressure on the recievers might be a little too much for us. I know Manning is so clinical especially after coming out after half time but he doesn't have the zip he once did and I just don't know if he can work the number 1 defence enough. If we can get more yards on the ground than Beast Mode can we are in with a shot. Another telling point will be Harvin. If Harvin can come back and play then Hawks have a huge boost in the passing game that opens up running lanes.

Hi Cards, I'm a Seahawks fan so best of luck for Monday week.

I was reading the stats for last night, 4 times the best defence in the league has come up against the best offence in the Superbowl. 4 times the best defence has come through and won. I'm also quite bullish that minus the KC Chiefs, you're yet to play an elite D and even against them I think Houston and Poe went down.

That's in my opinion our best chance, in the first half to take control, block the run early, force Peyton to make throws against Sherman, Chancellor, Maxwell and Thomas. If he throws the ball 35 times he'll get picked off a few times.

My concern is that 1. Seattle's offensive fire power isn't quite at the level you see of teams winning Superbowl's of years gone by and 2. Whether Wilson has the clutch ability to win the game when it matters.

Manning will put up points, he's truly a once in a lifetime QB, and if Broncos go 14-0 up, I cannot see the Hawks getting back in it. On the flipside, we could be 21-0 up in the 3rd quarter and even with the best d in the league I wouldn't feel safe.

The QB means so much in this game, and I think it'll be a fitting finish when the Broncos win by 3 in a 27-24 game.

All the best, and go the Blue!

[Macca 16,917]

Interesting bit of news ... Roger Goodell: PATs may be in past

Goodell said one suggested proposal involved a touchdown being worth seven points instead of six, with the potential for an extra play from scrimmage that would yield an eighth point. However, "if you fail, you go back to six [points]," Goodell explained.

As it stands now, the 'PAT' is rarely missed and it probably makes sense to get rid of a largely obsolete part of the game. Alternatively, they could make the extra point a lot harder - say from 40 or 50 yards.

... in other news ... Bill Belichick calls out Wes Welker

"It was a deliberate play by the receiver to take out Aqib. No attempt to get open," Belichick said. "I'll let the league handle the discipline on that play, whatever they decide. It's one of the worst plays I've seen. That's all I'll say about that."

No love lost between Welker and Belichick it seems. Here is the video of the incident - Wes Welker's hit tackle on Aqib Talib

The following quote came from an 'SI' story about the same incident

Interestingly, the Patriots ran a nearly identical play late in the first quarter with wide receiver Julian Edelman delivering a hit that shook up Broncos cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

Edited January 23, 2014 by Macca

[Cards13 9,117]

Hi Cards, I'm a Seahawks fan so best of luck for Monday week.

I was reading the stats for last night, 4 times the best defence in the league has come up against the best offence in the Superbowl. 4 times the best defence has come through and won. I'm also quite bullish that minus the KC Chiefs, you're yet to play an elite D and even against them I think Houston and Poe went down.

That's in my opinion our best chance, in the first half to take control, block the run early, force Peyton to make throws against Sherman, Chancellor, Maxwell and Thomas. If he throws the ball 35 times he'll get picked off a few times.

My concern is that 1. Seattle's offensive fire power isn't quite at the level you see of teams winning Superbowl's of years gone by and 2. Whether Wilson has the clutch ability to win the game when it matters.

Manning will put up points, he's truly a once in a lifetime QB, and if Broncos go 14-0 up, I cannot see the Hawks getting back in it. On the flipside, we could be 21-0 up in the 3rd quarter and even with the best d in the league I wouldn't feel safe.

The QB means so much in this game, and I think it'll be a fitting finish when the Broncos win by 3 in a 27-24 game.

All the best, and go the Blue!

Arrow that is the thing in virtually every sport you will see, when it is best D vs best O the best D tends to win. In saying that we have only come up against 1 good defence in the Chiefs, we did beat the Chiefs twice this year .... But our D in the 3 losses this season have allowed 27, 34 and 39 points, that is my worry along with the Hawks D being so good physically and being able to break up passes. Do the Hawks have enough offence to match Peyton? Can Harvin make a difference, he looked good in his limited game time 2 weeks ago....

Good luck Arrow.

Macca, Bellyache is a goose who only sees it one way, his way.

[Gorgoroth 12,920]

If the Broncos get on top early nerves will kick in.

Manning needs to ensure that Sherman is the corner he avoids as much as possible.

[titan_uranus 24,970]

Sigh.

We gave it a pretty damn good shake, but sometimes it just doesn't happen. So many line-ball things we could talk about (the INT, the Bowman non-catch, Iupati getting injured, home-field advantage), but in the end we just didn't play well enough, and that's that. Three consecutive NFC Championship games for one Superbowl appearance and no rings is a little difficult to take (same record as the Patriots, funnily enough), but at the same time it's the kind of success we'd all give our left arm for here at Melbourne, so in that respect it's hard to complain.

Some good points have been made re the 49ers. For mine, Kaepernick is still young and hasn't learnt enough yet to make the most of what should be a better offence than it is. Crabtree, Davis, Boldin, with Manningham in the wings, is a good receiving core, Gore still rushed well this year, whilst our O-line is one of the best. We also don't give up too many points on defence with a fantastic pass rush (though I'd like to see some improvements to the secondary). The nucleus of a great team is there, but in a tough division we'll need improvement from Kaepernick to take the next step I think. Either that or an ability to avoid Seattle in the playoffs.

As for the Superbowl, it should be a great match. Instinct always says back the better defence over the better offence, but the way Peyton played against New England, no secondary can stop him. Seattle needs coverage on four receivers, but they're one down in their Legion of Boom (Browner), and Maxwell's a weaker corner I think. Sherman has to stop Demaryius Thomas and someone has to cut Decker down.

Playoff tipping comp points tally ... (3 points on offer for correctly tipping the Super Bowl winner)

7 - titan_uranus (6 correct tips in a row)

6 - DemonDave

5 - Macca

4 - Strafford* (technically you can still do the "double," Strafford)

3 - Gorgoroth

2 - Pantaloons*, the master*, cowboy from hell ('possibly still in "road team" mode 'cfh'? )

* denotes missed out on 1 or 2 weeks of tips.

Perhaps along with our Super Bowl tips we can have a go at the Super Bowl MVP. While we're at it, posters here might care to name their regular season MVP, ROTY and defensive player of the year (Peyton would have to have a mortgage on the regular season MVP)

Wow, didn't realise. Neat!

[titan_uranus 24,970]

Also, in a handy coincidence, NFC West plays AFC West in the 2014 season, which means a Superbowl re-match is going to occur in the regular season (as well bringing five playoff teams together to match up against one another).

[Strafford 182]

I thought the Vikings would go for a coach with a offensive background as our last coach was a defensive man. Seems to be good reports on Zimmer. The vikings always hire the opposite personality to the coach we just fired. Frazier was the nice guy after Brad Childress was fired and now we have Zimmer who as you said doesn't hold his tongue. Hope he can work with a new QB. We should trade up or hope that Bortles falls to us at pick 8.

Most of the defensive players love Zimmer, despite the tough love. Hopefully as a head coach he will still spend enough time with the players individually to show them he has a softer side, rather than just being a grouch. He really does seem to get the best out of those who had motivational issues in college.

The Vikings could be better off taking best available player at 8 and then taking a QB in the second round. I'm not sure that there is a QB worth trading up for and at 8 you could be looking at 4th or even 5th QB to be taken, so Bortles will probably be gone. A very similar situation as to when the Vikings reached for Ponder. This QB class will be a hard one to project at the next level, as most of the top prospects besides Manziel come from smaller schools who have played against weaker opposition for the most part. Good luck to those teams who just have to have a QB right now.

[Strafford 182]

Also, in a handy coincidence, NFC West plays AFC West in the 2014 season, which means a Superbowl re-match is going to occur in the regular season (as well bringing five playoff teams together to match up against one another).

That is a bit unusual, but it should be fun to watch. On a side note, I wish you hadn't been right about the Bengals...sigh

[Gorgoroth 12,920]

Was talking with mates last night and my thoughts are is Seattle secondary cause 10+ points from picks/turnovers the Seattle win.

I think Welker can be the most important reciever for the Broncos and will receive the least amount of coverage. I think Manning will target him early.

[Strafford 182]

Was talking with mates last night and my thoughts are is Seattle secondary cause 10+ points from picks/turnovers the Seattle win.

I think Welker can be the most important reciever for the Broncos and will receive the least amount of coverage. I think Manning will target him early.

The Seattle secondary, or the "Legion of Boom" as they like to call themselves will certainly be key to the game. They are the best defensive unit in the NFL versus the pass. I expect them to be very physical to try and knock the Bronco receivers off their routes, thus trying to negate the key to Peyton's game, guys being at the right place at the right time.

Not so sure about Welker getting the least coverage, this is a pretty deep unit even without Browner and they have a couple of guys who play well as the slot corner.

The Broncos could try to exploit weak side linebacker K J Wright, as although he is a gun and a key part of their pass coverage, he has only just returned from a nasty injury.

The match ups will be awesome to watch, can't wait for the game.

[Strafford 182]

Playoff tipping comp points tally ... (3 points on offer for correctly tipping the Super Bowl winner)

7 - titan_uranus (6 correct tips in a row)

6 - DemonDave

5 - Macca

4 - Strafford* (technically you can still do the "double," Strafford)

3 - Gorgoroth

2 - Pantaloons*, the master*, cowboy from hell ('possibly still in "road team" mode 'cfh'? )

* denotes missed out on 1 or 2 weeks of tips.

Perhaps along with our Super Bowl tips we can have a go at the Super Bowl MVP. While we're at it, posters here might care to name their regular season MVP, ROTY and defensive player of the year (Peyton would have to have a mortgage on the regular season MVP)

I blame Andy Dalton for my missed week. After I came out of my NFL no go zone funk, I forgot that not all of the games were on Sunday US time doh...then I went stuff it. Summed up my week really

[Macca 16,917]

I blame Andy Dalton for my missed week. After I came out of my NFL no go zone funk, I forgot that not all of the games were on Sunday US time doh...then I went stuff it. Summed up my week really

Perfectly understandable Strafford! There's always next year

A week out from the Super Bowl and I can't split the teams. I guess the colder and windier it gets suits Seattle but I can't help but feel that Peyton will still play a big game. It's a fascinating match-up.

Pro Bowl tomorrow. Gets a huge audience but no one cares. Go figure! (I'll probably take a bit of a look at some stage) Apparently the teams have been picked by Sanders and Rice and ... a few players are a bit miffed at being picked so late. Doubt we'll see many hard hits though and the tackling is usually at a low intensity.

Edited January 26, 2014 by Macca

[Gorgoroth 12,920]

Yeah the pro bowl is now fantasy football.

Strange seeing players from the same teams play against each other... I'm not a fan tbh.

[Strafford 182]

Yeah the pro bowl is now fantasy football.

Strange seeing players from the same teams play against each other... I'm not a fan tbh.

Totally agree mate. They might as well play touch football Basic play calling and a total lack of intensity. It isn't even best of the best, due to so many of the pro-bowlers being in the Super Bowl each year.

There just isn't anything in it for the players, especially with the chance of injury. Football just isn't football without the physicality and complex plays being used.

[Strafford 182]

Perfectly understandable Strafford! There's always next year

A week out from the Super Bowl and I can't split the teams. I guess the colder and windier it gets suits Seattle but I can't help but feel that Peyton will still play a big game. It's a fascinating match-up.

Pro Bowl tomorrow. Gets a huge audience but no one cares. Go figure! (I'll probably take a bit of a look at some stage) Apparently the teams have been picked by Sanders and Rice and ... a few players are a bit miffed at being picked so late. Doubt we'll see many hard hits though and the tackling is usually at a low intensity.

The pro bowl is rubbish. Really looking forward to the Super Bowl, because as you say it is a fascinating matchup. I just really hope the weather isn't too bad.

[Macca 16,917]

The pro bowl is rubbish. Really looking forward to the Super Bowl, because as you say it is a fascinating matchup. I just really hope the weather isn't too bad.

Tuned in for the 4th quarter and it wasn't too bad a standard this time around. Apparently there's been a few decent hits and the tackling has seemed at an acceptable level. 22-21 in favour of the Rice team. Maybe there's hope for the concept yet - the game will no doubt have a big TV audience again.

[Macca 16,917]

I'm sure Richard Sherman will be nice and fired up on the day of the Super Bowl but here's an interesting view on proceedings by Keith Olbermann ...

[Cards13 9,117]

Not long to go now... getting excited!!!

Too bad I will be at work trying to watch it.

[Macca 16,917]

Not long to go now... getting excited!!!

Too bad I will be at work trying to watch it.

You'd have to be pleased with the weather forecast, Cards.

Heard Eli talking about how the wind behaves in the stadium and he reckons it won't be a problem unless it's really windy. They're predicting only 13km winds and a top temperature of about 9 degrees celsius for the day of the Super Bowl (at this stage)

If it had of been below zero with gusty winds I would have probably picked the Seahawks but now I'm leaning towards your Broncos. Game starts at 6.30pm local time so it's sure to get a bit colder than the expected top temperature. Not cold enough to effect Peyton if we look at how he's performed historically (in certain weather conditions)

Peyton is such a key player in this game but if Lynch and/or Wilson have big games then Seattle will be right in it. Obviously the Seahawks defense and in particular their secondary is super strong but the conditions have now swung around in Manning's favour. His offensive line has been tremendous all season and he's certainly got enough targets to throw to.

Anyway, here's my tip ... (remembering there are 3 points on offer for correctly picking the Super Bowl winning team)

Denver 27 Seattle 24 ... MVP - Peyton Manning

Points tally in the playoff comp ...

7 - titan_uranus

6 - DemonDave

5 - Macca

4 - Strafford*

3 - Gorgoroth

2 - cowboy from hell, Pantaloons*, the master*

* denotes missed out on 1 or 2 weeks of tips.

Oh, and here's the BS Report for this week. Bill Simmons and Cousin Sal go over all the weird prop bets surrounding the Super Bowl. Haven't had a chance to listen to it yet, but this particular episode of the BS Report is usually good for a laugh.

[Gorgoroth 12,920]

I think Broncos 34 Seattle 27

Manning will prob get MVP

[cowboy_from_hell 2,390]

I will take Seattle 17 Denver 9

Beast mode for the MVP.

[Cards13 9,117]

Macca just nervous, I know Peyton has had a good season but I just keep thinking the schedule was soft and the Hawks are number 1 on D. In saying that the Hawks schedule hasn't been that tough either but they beat the 9's (even if they were sore) who have a decent offense.

CBH I think you may be correct, as I. The best running game will get over the top. The mode has been ok without being outstanding of late and the Moreno and co have been the same. If one of those can break out it will decide it... Or the defences or the QB's or... Or... So many variables!!

Broncs 27 - Hawks 14

[DemonDave 1,089]

Denver 24 Seattle 17 - MVP is almost always nowadays the winning QB (as the Brownlow is for midfielders) so I cant go past Peyton M.

Long range forecast 49ers to win it all next year haha!