How Peyton and Prince Ruined My Super Bowl

I had every intention of writing a pre-Super Bowl article, discussing the game and trying to reason out an excuse to pick Chicago to win due to my previously mentioned dislike of the Colts and Peyton Manning. Then, the next thing I knew, it was the weekend and from Friday - Sunday I wouldn't see the inside of my appartment or the trusty computer I use to write poorly thought out articles that I'm not entirely sure anyone reads. To make things simpler I got too caught up in the glamorous lifestyle of drinking and sleeping on other peoples couches to get around to it.

But, like all good weekends, things wound down on Sunday and I watched the Super Bowl with some friends. I went into the game cheering for the Bears, hoping the Bears could win, and dreaming of throwing yet another loss in my Colts friends face (BTW, there's nothing mean hearted about this. He'd do the same thing to me, its just the nature of our relationship).

Unfortunately, deep down inside I didn't like the Bears chances (really nobody out there did). There are 2 things you need to do to beat the Colts. You need to put up a bunch of points, because regardless of how good your defense is this Colts team puts up points. So to beat them your team needs to be able to match them, and I worried that the conservative Bears offense would struggle to put up points. And you need to win the turnover/big play battle. This one was a toss up, some games the Bears dominate the opposition with takeaways and kick returns, others Rexy and friends play hot potato with the football. Unfortunately for the Bears this was a hot potato game.

Things started off great, opening kick off ... touchdown. The Colts respond, but the Bears come right back and everythings looking good (14-6). That was probably my high point of the game. From there the Colts start clogging up the run, Rex starts fumbling snaps (it was raining like crazy), and all the wall Manning and the Colts are adding on points. Now Rex needs to start pushing a bit on offense, and when he pushed tonight the wheels came off. Two absolutely terribly thrown balls lead to 2 Colts INT's and this ball game is over.

Peyton Manning won another playoff game without being amazing. He had good stats (25-38, 247 yards, 1TD, 1INT), but they weren't great. Peyton didn't pick the team up and carry it on its shoulders to a Championship, the Colts won by playing great team football throughout this game and the playoffs. Their running game, both running backs and blocking, combined with much improved defensive play led this championship run. Peyton had a couple decent-good games (this one and New England) and a couple bad-average games (K.C. and Baltimore), but the Colts won games. May be they've finally figured things out down there in Indy, and that's a scary thought for me and for the rest of the league.

I dislike the Colts, but I do respect them. They are a very scary team, on both sides of the ball, and could be for years to come. I'm not looking forward to the brag it up call or email from my Colts fan friend, I'm not looking forward to the next 6 months of Peyton love (and the 20-30 commercials he will make) that are about follow, but most of all I'm not looking forward to the idea that I could have this same feeling again in 12 months. Enjoy it while it lasts Colts fans, as someone who enjoys the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, CIS Football and NCAA Basketball and Football and hasn't watched their favorite team win since '94 I understand the pain of a drought. Sometime soon you will to, nothing lasts forever.

P.S. And to cover the Prince part of the title, Prince sucks. He is in no way shape or form any good, and nobody likes him anymore. Whoever chose him to be the Halftime Show should be kicked in the balls. And that's all I got to say about that.

Weekend Recap

I meant to write this last night, but got a call from my Colts fan friend and had to be graceful in defeat (at least for one more week). I meant to write it this afternoon, but spent my time reading what everyone else had to say. I meant to write it earlier this evening, but would out watching the Raptor, Heroes and 24. These are excuses or explanations, whichever you prefer. I thought about skipping it, but it seems important to write and with 5 new visitors since my last post (Salt Lake City, Montreal, Markham, McLean and Hunter River bringing the total to 9) what kind of blogger would I be if I slacked off on this.

I was fortunate enough to have a lazy Sunday to myself yesterday, where I enjoyed 2 pretty good NFL football games. The first (Bears/Saints) had its moments, but victory was all but assured for the Bears early in the 4th quarter. The second (Colts/Pats) was a back and forth prizefight between the 2 best teams of the 2000's: one of whom I hate, the other I sorta like. I enjoyed the first one, I loved (even considering the result) the second one.

The closer it got to Bears/Saints gametime the more worried I started to be about my pick. The Bears D hadn't been playing great lately, and the Saints are a really good team with a story that people like to hear. Then, while watching a pregame show, I heard Saints coach Sean Payton say that they had practiced all week in a dome. Being Canadian I know how bad weather affects football games, suddenly I felt much better about my pick. It snowed, the Bears D came to play, and the Saints committed 4 turnovers. Rex Grossman had another solid playoff game, and that's all the Bears needed to win the NFC ... the SuperBowl could be a different story.

For some reason I've always disliked Peyton Manning. It's tough to say why, but I'm a guy who has to watch a game and cheer. I'll watch random colleg bowl games, with in 5 minutes pick a team, and root for them the rest of the game. I've been rooting for whoever's playing Peyton for a while now and I've been coming away happy every year, usually thanks to the Patriots. So I kinda like the Patriots. I'm not a bandwagoner, my team's the 49er's from when I started watching football and Jerry Rice caught my eye, but I appreciate that the Patriots have been kind enough to let me cheer some of their wins while my Niners get things back together.

Yesterday looked like it was gonna be another one of those days. The Patriots jumped out to an early 21-3 lead, and had it 21-6 at the half. But for some reason, this time, Peyton Manning decided to not lay down. The Colts fought back and helped deliver one exceptionally exciting half of football. The Patriots didn't back down, at least their offense didn't, and it was a Stand in Front of the T.V. exciting finish. I give all credit to the Colts, they were the better team (although there were some calls I wasn't a huge fan of) and they won the game.

Now it all rests on the Chicago Bears to save me one more year, and keep my friend (who is a bandwagoner) from celebrating in my face. You're our only hoped Chicago.

Weekend Recap

The good news, I went 3-1 on my picks. Not bad in a weekend where any game could have gone either way. The bad news is that our friend from Sacramento hasn't been back, nor have any other random passer-by's. But I continue to blog on with a recap of the football weekend that was.

The first game of the weekend, Indy at Baltimore, was by far the least entertaining. And I'm not just saying that because I got the pick wrong and my least favorite player in the NFL won the game. Any game whose only scoring is 8 field goals is probably not a great game to watch and this one wasn't. Fortunately it was the only clunker of the weekend. Peyton had another bad game in the playoffs, but somehow Indy will advance to the conference finals. My theory about Baltimore finally having some offense with McNair proved to be way off, and the Colts D was able to do enough to win the game.

Next came the big play extravaganza in New Orleans. The game featured 14 plays of 18+ yards, was tightly contested the whole way, and in the end "America's Team" won the game. Good times had by all ... except the poor suffering fans of Philly. Garcia played good but not great, and somewhere Donovan McNabb is smiling knowing his job and his reputation are safe for another year. Its was the running backs that won it for New Orleans. Deuce McAllister was the stud power back, plowing away at the line, and Reggie Bush recovered from one of the biggest hits ever to make several nice plays.

And the excitement continued into Sunday with the Bears and the Seahawks, which turned into a much better game than I thought it would be. Seattle was able to score on the Bears D, and Alexander looked much better than he did the week before. In the end it came down to Rex Grossman making enough big plays to cancel out his 2 turnovers, and the Bears coming up big enough in OT to win the game.

The pick the Patriots until they aren't around to pick anymore theory works again. I don't know how a team with a player as good as LT can lose a game, but it probably has something to do with passing more than it runs when it has a 1st year starter and a lead for most of the game. Tom Brady wasn't good at all for most of the game, especially the 1st Half, but when it counted he led the Pats on the drives they needed to win the game.

Milestone Moment and The Weekend Picks

First off, the good news. Yesterday the first person, other than myself, saw Ike Krizzule Talks Sports. How do I know this you ask? While, being the exceptionally curious person I am, I wondered if anyone would ever look at my blog so I signed up for this thing called Google Analytics. It records the number of visits, and where the person is looking from. So now I know that someone from Sacramento was on this page, for however brief of a time, and may of may not have read anything I had to say. Not much, but it is a step in the right direction, and for some reason has me really excited.

And there's more good news, seeing as how its a Friday of the NFL Playoffs I've decided I don't really have to think up a column. There's no bigger story for this weekend, and I'm sure the lovely person from Sacramento (or anyone else who stumbles there way here) is dying to know who I'm picking. All picks will ignore the spread, which exists only for the consideration of degenerate gamblers and alcoholics. Of which I am neither, or so I'll have you believe for the credibility of this rapidly spreading blog.

RAVENS over Colts
First of the disclaimer, I hate Peyton Manning. In fact I hate all the Mannings, just something about them I can't explain. But in the Ike Krizzule Wide World of Sports games are much more interesting when I have a rooting interest, and the Mannings are kind enough to give me that every time. I will cheer for any and every team playing a Manning, and when its Peyton .v. Eli I change the channel.

Disclaimer aside, I really do think that the Ravens will win (or is that my bias talking, I'll really never know). I remember watching a Ravens/Colts MNF game last year (I think, could have been 2 years), and the Ravens were terrible at the time. They had no offense whatsoever, people were hurt, Anthony Wright might have been playing QB, and they stuck with the Colts the whole way, keeping it something like 3-0 until the 4th. The point is that if that Ravens team could stay with the Colts, then adding an actual offense should put them over the top.

And on the fact that its in Baltimore, the weather report says cold and raining, Peyton chokes every year in the playoffs, and I could probably run for 100 yards against that Colts D, and the choice is obvious.

SAINTS over Eagles

I'd love to pick the Eagles, Canadians feel compelled to cheer for ex-CFL players who manage to make it in the NFL. For years I hated Jeff Garcia for being so damn good and beating the crap out of my Roughriders, but when he went to the NFL its like a switch flips and he represents Canadian football and everything I love about it. It was the same thing with Doug Flutie. But I can't pick a banged up Eagles team, that barely beat the dysfunctional Giants group, against "America's Team".

The Saints are good, the Saints are rested, the Saints have weapons on offense, and if there's a questionable call don't think the NFL won't try to right the wrongs of FEMA by giving New Orleans the benefit of the doubt.

BEARS over Seahawks
The Seahawks got a gift last week with poor Tony Romo's meltdown, but it won't happen again. The Bears are too good on defense to give up anything to the Seahawks, especially with Shawn Alexander running around with half a leg (or foot, or whatever's hurt). The only thing that could kill the Bears is if Sexi-Rexi (Rex Grossman) goes crazy and throws about 4 picks with 2 fumbles while Lovie Smith decides to, "stick with his guy." I don't see it happening, so the pick is 'Da Bears.


Patriots over CHARGERS
Really weird game, you've got:
- the coaching match up, Belichick's playoff success over Schottenheimers playoff failures
- the QB match up, best clutch QB in the world Tom Brady over 1st year starter Phillip Rivers
- the RB match up, Tomlinson's best RB season ever over the duo of Dillon and Maroney

It could go either way in a blowout, or be a tight game the whole way through. There really is no way of knowing what's going to happen in this game. In the end I just think history shows when in doubt take the Patriots, but if they lose by 20 I won't really be surprised.

So there you go, its longer than I planned so even if somebody finds it who knows if they'll read it, but those are the Ike Krizzule Locks of the Week.