Projo Pats Blog

COULD BE A FIRST: If the Eagles and the Steelers do face off in the Super Bowl, much of the attention will be on the fact that the two teams are from the same state, which would create just the third in-state matchup in Super Bowl history (Chargers-49ers in 1995 and Bills-Giants in 1991 were the others). But I bet you didn't know this: If the Eagles play the Steelers, it will mark the first time in the 39 years since the NFL-AFL merger that the Super Bowl matched the top-ranked defensive teams (in yards allowed per game) from each conference.

SANTOS SCALING BACK: While he will continue on as the voice of the New England Patriots, Gil Santos is stepping down after this month as the morning sports anchor on WBZ radio in Boston. He's had that job for 38 years (Boston Globe).

PATRIOTS STILL ON THEIR MINDS: While the Steelers and the Ravens clearly have a bitter rivalry going, the Patriots still come to mind when Pittsburgh players think of the team they most want to beat. Here's what how left tackle Max Starks described playing the Ravens, according to The Boston Herald's Ron Borges: "It's intense. The intensity is probably tied right up there with playing the Patriots. They're tied at the top."

CONSPIRACY THEORY: Aaron Wilson of the Carroll County Times is skeptical about the possibility that All-Pro linebacker Terrell Suggs won't play for the Ravens on Sunday. He writes that Suggs has changed his story about his injured shoulder a couple of times over the week, and asks: "Could Suggs be sandbagging about the extent of the injury? Could Suggs, an enthusiastic movie buff who regularly plays the latest DVDs at his locker, have been performing for the cameras on his own whim or someone else's suggestion?"

HGH REPORT: ESPN.com's Mike Fish, one of the pursuers of Matt Walsh in last year's Spygate story, has a lengthy report today on former Steelers team doctor Richard Rydze and his reported purchase of a large quantity of human growth hormone from a Florida pharmacy. Rydze parted ways with the team in 2007, after he was identified as a HGH purchaser, and he denies that he gave any HGH to members of the 2006 Super Bowl champion Steelers, saying that he was dispensing it to elderly patients who were recovering from tendon injuries.

HE REMEMBERS WHEN: Ninety-one-year-old Chet Bulger is one of five surviving members of the last Cardinals team to win an NFL championship -- in 1947 -- and the Maine native is hoping that his old team finally gets back to the mountaintop (Portland Press Herald).

WESTBROOK BACK AT PRACTICE: Eagles running back Brian Westbrook was on the practice field today and fully expects to play against Arizona on Sunday.

ON THE WAY DOWN: Former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson said this about Terrell Owens on Bloomberg Radio's "On the Ball" program: "He used to be an outstanding player, a great player. He is still a good player, but you have to weigh the distractions and whether or not he divides the locker room and the problems that he has.''

COACHING NEWS ON THE WAY? Yahoo Sports' Jason Cole reports that the Rams are likely to name their next head coach today: the decision reportedly comes down to Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier and Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

THIS WEEK'S PREDICTIONS: After a solid, 3-1 start in the first week of the playoffs, I fell to 1-3 last week, predicting Baltimore's upset of Tennessee but falling flat on all three other games. This week's picks stick to conventional wisdom. Home teams are in caps:

Eagles over CARDINALS: The Philadelphia Eagles supposedly will not be reviewing any tape of their easy Thanksgiving night triumph over the Arizona Cardinals, feeling that Arizona is a vastly different team today. Certainly the Cardinals have been much different, especially on defense, where they have surrendered just 259.5 yards per game in the first two rounds of the playoffs. Fortunately for Arizona, they were facing a couple of run-oriented opponents in the Atlanta Falcons and the Carolina Panthers. Now come the Eagles and their pass-happy attack. And while Arizona is no doubt a different team than they were in the regular season, can they really be that much different than the team that gave up a league-high 36 passing touchdowns in the regular season?

The Cardinals have also been a much different team on offense these playoffs, thanks to a rejuvenated running game that has produced 115.5 yards per game after finishing dead-last in that category in the regular season (at 73.6). But Philadelphia -- which was number one in the NFC in total defense in the regular season -- is a much tougher challenge than Atlanta (13th in the NFC in total defense in the regular season) or Carolina (eighth in the NFC). The Eagles should take away Edgerrin James and Tim Hightower, and then it will be up to Kurt Warner to stand up to the blitz and make some throws to his star receivers. He will make some, but not enough.

STEELERS over Ravens: I give Baltimore a ton of credit for getting where it is now. I've loved the way this team has played with dominating intensity on defense and with mistake-free tenacity on offense. But even in the best of times, Baltimore is not a great matchup for Pittsburgh. The Steelers are everything the Ravens are, only a just a step better on both sides of the ball. Now the Ravens come into Pittsburgh beaten up and having survived a game in Tennessee that they should have lost -- the Titans racked up 391 yards, gave up just 211, and lost mainly because of their own mistakes.

The Steelers, meanwhile, were the only team with a first-round bye that seemed to take advantage of it. This team played a brutal regular-season schedule, and its dismantling of the Chargers showed that it is ready to dominate in the homestretch. And one other thing, contrary to popular belief, when a team sweeps its division rival in the regular season and then faces that same rival again in the playoffs, the team that won the two regular-season games usually wins again. Pittsburgh will keep that trend alive.

 Tags  Football Today Philadelphia Eagles Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl

Comments

iron mike said:

looks like "The Steel Curtain" is BACK!!!

First team to win 7 Bowls.

Link | January 17, 2009 11:46 AM
Report Abuse

---

Jeff said:

Umm, they've only been to five, and are they are 4-1... still a record 6 trips to the big game, though.

Link | January 19, 2009 7:55 AM
Report Abuse

---

Leave a comment

Name:

Email:

URL:  

Remember personal info?

Captcha:

Type the characters you see in the picture above.