Jamie Mottram's Sports Blog - www.misterirrelevant.com

Ah, the Fantastic Four: Atlanta vs. Philly and New England vs. Pittsburgh. Four great teams (combined record of 57-11) w/ great-to-good QBs, RBs, Ds and coaches. Three of them w/ fab fan blogs on AOL (Year of the Bird, Belly Check and Black & Gold) and one that does not (where art thou Falcons Blogger? -- make one and email me). So, onto the show. Here's your Pigskin Blogger preview of the conference championship games, and...

Hear the bloggers discuss the road to Jacksonville on Pigskin Bloggers Live radio. We'll be live on-air again Monday night at 7PM ET.

ATLANTA @ PHILLY
 Year of the Bird: "The Falcons absolutely routed the Rams which might scare some of you out there but when you consider that the Rams suck and really had no business making it to the Divisional game in the first place (thanks to Seattle for under-performing... consistently), everything becomes more clear. My call is for an Eagles victory 23-17."

 Ravens Blog: "Looking forward to two great battles. Make it three, including our battle against the City of Philadelphia for the right to raise much-needed funds for a worthy cause. Help us out by voicing your complaints and buying ['Fear the Eagles'] wristbands."

 Who's the best QB in the Fantastic Four?

PATRIOTS @ STEELERS
 Belly Check: "Pay no attention at all to the Pats' loss in Pittslisburger earlier this season. Why, you ask? Belichick was treating it like a preseason game. He knew that we'd be seeing the Pitts again in the playoffs. He also knew that his team almost NEEDED to lose a game (statistical odds of winning 36 or so in a row -- with the odds getting worse with each win -- are President Tyson-unlikely). So he had the team take a dive. Run simple plays. Rest Corey Dillon. Sit back and get a look at how Pittsburgh plays a big game.Pittsburgh, on a high with their hot new QB, emptied both barrels into the Pats, and Belly sat back and let it happen. Belly probably knows the Steeler plays better than Big Ben does. Belichick feasts on punk QBs, and I think he was getting bored with Peyton. Look at that Halloween game as a fattening. Much like a turkey on Halloween, Big Ben was feeding on the seeds of his own demise. His head goes on the block Sunday, and Belichick may even feel a quickly-discarded stroke of pity as the hatchet descends."

 Who's the best QB in the Fantastic Four?

BLOGGER PREDICTIONS
· Sportz Assassin: "The [NE-Pitt.] game could very well come down to the legs. Not the Bus’, Dillon’s or Staley’s, but Vinatieri’s and Reed’s. Heinz Field is one of the toughest places to kick. Reed is used to the conditions, but how can you betagainst Vinatieri? Patriots 20-17. Atlanta is one of the worst passing offenses in the NFL [only 146 ypg] even with their gaudy rushing numbers. Can Vick make THE pass at THE big moment? McNabb can. Eagles 16-13."
· Big Blue Notes: "I'm picking Atlanta. I can see the Falcon defense stepping up to play a great game. I can also see Vick making a play, that's one play, that might break Philly's back. Atlanta 17-9. New England knows how to win big games, Pittsburgh does not. The Steelers had to have the Jets give them the game last week, twice. New England 27-13."
 · Premature Jockularity: "You can only choke in a big game so many times. The law of averages is going to catch up sometime (see Red Sox, Boston). Terrell Owens or not, the Eagles have enough offensive weapons and will slow down Vick sufficiently to earn their first Super Bowl bid in 24 years. Eagles 20-14. The Pats should put eight men in the box and make Ben Roethlisberger beat them (but if Belichick's got a better idea, I'm all ears). The winner of this game should be a touchdown-plus favorite for the Super Bowl, but will be pretty banged up after a day of rock'em, sock'em football. I go with the Pats because they're putting it all together at the right time. Patriots 17-10."
· Quick Slants: "The first time around, Pittsburgh caught [NE] without Corey Dillion, not to mention, a lot less was on the line. History is in NE's favor; Bill Belichick is 14-0 in second meetings with teams the Pats lost to in the same season; Tom Brady is the new Joe Montana; Big Ben is starting to show that he's just a rookie; and Pittsburgh should've lost to the Jets. Patriots 17-10. Providing McNabb, Westbrook, and Mitchell (without his bow tie) can stay atop their respective games, this game shouldn't be much of a problem for the Eagles. Eagles 24-21."
 · Lions Weekly: "[Pats-Steelers] is quite the matchup. You pick it. Steelers 14-13. I'd love the Falcons to win b/c I hate the Eagles. Falcons 33-31."
 · Seahawks Fans Anonymous: "The Eagles are on fire. The Falcons are a Dome team. Nuff said. Eagles 37-10. Bill Belechick's Pats are the stuff of legends. They bring averything you need to win: ball control, hard-nosed D, disciplined special teams and a highly overrated QB. The Steelers are hungry to prove that they do not have the third-best coach named Bill. They bring everything that they need to win: ball control, hard-nosed D, disciplined special teams and a highly overrated QB. They have one edge: home-field advantage. Pittsburgh 24-21 (OT)."
· Packerz Zone: "I have to pick Philly. They have big names on defense that make the big plays. Hope Vick doesn't get hurt when he runs outside the pocket. Everyone's back on the Patriot bandwagon, even ESPN. Not me, I've been impressed with the Steelers all year and I'm not wavering."
 · Raiders Ramblings: "Given how thoroughly the Eagles shut down Dante Culpepper, it's difficult to believe that even as terrific as Michael Vick is he'll be able to do sufficiently better on the road and on natural turf to overcome the Eagles' overall superiority to the Falcons. Eagles win. The Steelers are at their best when they run the ball. The Patriots are not at their best when they try to stop the run. The Pittsburgh defense is better than the New England offense. Do the math. Steelers win and set up an all-Pennsylvania Super Bowl, much to the delight of no one outside the state."
· Overall: That's Eagles 6-Falcons 2 and Pats 4-Steelers 4.

Enjoy the games, and, remember, all the bloggers will be on-air Monday night at 7PM ET on Pigskin Bloggers Live.

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• #1 Comment from philc62341 
  1/21/05 6:01 PM | Permalink

  Take this to the bank!!!!!!Falcons   30----- Eagles   27,  Oh no, four in the row, just like Buffalo.  Well, at lest we got that far!!!!!!                        
  
  New England   19-----Steelers 17