The 2009 Super Bowl is a mere two days away as the world awaits one of the biggest sporting spectacles on the planet. The Super Bowl has always been the most popular and widely watched game in sports. This year’s battle promises to draw some more dramatic excitement as the Arizona Cardinals are in search for their first ever Super Bowl victory while the Pittsburgh Steelers will be trying to break an NFL record with their 6th Super Bowl win. Not only does this game cap off a great season for the winner, but it will also define the eternal career of quarterback Kurt Warner. One of the growing debates leading into this year’s spectacle has been the possibility and chances that veteran QB Kurt Warner will make the Hall of Fame. Warner has definitely received a bigger fan base through his performance during the playoffs this year where he has epitomized what it takes to be a leader of an NFL football team. Clearly this debate does not have an answer with many people believing Warner will make it into the Hall of Fame and many believing he will be left out. One thing that is for sure is this year’s Super Bowl may be the final audition that concretes the Warner legacy forever.

One of the pessimistic clouds that have overshadowed Warner’s career is that many believe he has not been as consistent enough as a top quarterback to receive the ultimate nomination into Canton, Ohio. Warner became an Arena Football League quarterback in 1995 after not being able to get a spot with an NFL team. Warner did not even enter the NFL until 3 years later at the age of 28. However, one year later Kurt Warner would take the role behind center for the St. Louis Rams and complete one of the biggest breakout stories in NFL history. The 1999 season really put the star quarterback on the map as he completed 65% of his passes on the season, for 4,353 yards, and an amazing 41 touchdowns. The 41 touchdowns became a Rams all-time record while placing 5th on the single season all-time list. Warner received his first MVP and led the St. Louis Rams to their first ever Super Bowl victory and also won the Super Bowl MVP becoming the 6th person ever to win both MVP titles in the same year. Over the next two years Warner will still have a good bit of success throwing 57 touchdowns and racking up an outstanding 4,830 yards through the air in 2001. The yardage total of 4,830 ranked 3rd all-time and led to Kurt Warner receiving his 2nd MVP award in 3 years while leading the Rams to another Super Bowl appearance. The Rams lost a close game to the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI, but Warner still amassed over 365 yards the 2nd most in Super Bowl history behind his 414 yard performance in Super Bowl XXXIV.

Warner seemed to be on the fast track as one of the NFL’s all-time greats at the quarterback position despite his late entrance into the NFL. However, the following years were anything but expected. In 2002, Warner broke a finger on his throwing hand after a 0-3 start and despite making a comeback effort only played in two more games the rest of the season. Warner got the starting role back in the 2003 season opener, but after fumbling 6 times in the opener against the New York Giants his season was over before it begun. Marc Bulger took over the QB position for the Rams and Warner was left on the sidelines for the rest of the season and was releases by the Rams at the end of the year in 2004. During the off-season, Warner found a home with the New York Giants. However, this fit could be seen long before it happened that it was not going to work. Warner had become popular behind explosive offensive attacks and the New York Giants offense was more balanced power attack. Not to mention the Giants had already signed their future franchise quarterback in rookie Eli Manning. Warner got the Giants off to a 5-2 start before going through 2 straight poor performances that resulted in losses and Eli Manning would take over behind center. Following the season, Warner signed a one year contract with the Arizona Cardinal in a move similar to the St. Louis situation where a talented receiving core based around a west coast offense was in search of quarterback to give them a spark.

During the beginning of the Arizona campaign in 2005, Warner battled injuries in the midst of mediocre performances and finally partially tore his MCL at the end of the season. The popular belief quickly became that Kurt Warner’s days of a starting quarterback in the NFL were over and that he may even retire. However Warner got off to a fairly good start in 2006, but shared time with Matt Lienart who many thought was the future for the Cardinals. Leinart got the nod going into the 2007 season, but after some poor performances Warner would have to come of the bench and give Arizona a much needed confidence boost. Warner ended the 2007 season with a rather effective impression falling one touchdown short of a franchise record with 27 TDs for the season along with 3,417 yards as well. Warner got the start entering this season and it quickly became apparent that all the pieces of the Arizona offense had finally got glued together. Arizona sported one of the most potent passing attacks in the NFL and Warner led the assault by amassing over 4,583 yards and a franchise record 30 touchdowns. Warner’s ability to direct the talented Arizona offense down the stretch this season has become eerie similar to that of his performance with the St. Louis Rams. Despite the year’s of underachieving, Warner has the opportunity to grab his 2nd Super Bowl ring and become the first ever quarterback to win the first franchise Super Bowl with two different teams. If Warner can lead the Cardinals into another postseason upset, the years from 2002-2006 will likely be forgotten forever.

The debate is so popular because the argument is legitimate from both sides. Many people may argue how can a guy receive the Hall of Fame talk when he spent nearly half his career battling for a starting position? However, looking at the statistics side of the argument Warner would likely be a lock. After all how can you turn down someone who has the second highest completion percentage all time at 66%, 3 Super Bowl appearances, 1 Lombardi Trophy, a Super Bowl MVP, and 2 NFL MVP awards? Warner also has a few more notable statistics including the highest passing yards per game average in NFL history at 261, the highest percentage of 300 yard games at 45%, and is tied with Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger for the most games with a perfect passing rating. However, the sad thing is that without this year’s breakout Warner might not be in any of the Hall of Fame talk. Still his performance down the stretch has been noticed by everybody in America and truly spectacular to watch. It is safe to say if he can pull off another underdog type feat and win his 2nd Super Bowl then the 37 year old can make retirement reservations for Canton, Ohio, but for now let the debate rage on.

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The Division Playoff Round is out of the picture along with yet another exciting and crazy weekend of football leaving us with NFL’s version of the final four. Championship weekend is among us as we have a pair of games to determine both the NFC and AFC Titles and more importantly decide who will be playing in this year’s Super Bowl. Amazingly the NFC will be hosted by the #5 and #6 seeded teams in the Title game for the first time in history when the Arizona Cardinals host the Philadelphia Eagles. The AFC match-up will be a colossal rematch between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens dominated the majority of the game earlier this year, but Ben Roethlisberger led the Steelers to a game winning drive late in the 4^th quarter to steal the victory. Take a look at what to watch for during Championship weekend.

NFC Championship

Philadelphia Eagles (11-6-1) at Arizona Cardinals (11-7)

The Arizona Cardinals have been the biggest surprise this postseason. The Cardinals started off the year strong, but were nearly written off for dead losing their last 4 of 6 games of the regular season. However, the Cardinals would find the spark that would need to ignite their electrifying air assault. The Cardinals blew out the Carolina Panthers last week 33-13 a team that many people thought were the best in the NFC heading into the playoffs Arizona will host their first playoff game this weekend since 1947 and will become the final NFC team to host at least one home playoff game. Kurt Warner has looked solid finding targets Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. Boldin missed last week’s game and his status for the NFC Championship game is unknown. Larry Fitzgerald has been spectacular to say the least. Averaging 130 yards per game in the playoffs receiving with a pair of touchdowns, Fitzgerald has been uncontrollable for opposing secondary. The Cardinals will match up well again this week when they lead a high power offense against a brutal Philadelphia defense. The Eagles defense has been superb especially in the trenches. The best way to attack the Philadelphia defense if there is any is to try and pick apart the secondary. Warner and company will attempt to shock the world once again and earn a bid to the Super Bowl when they host the Eagles on Sunday.

Philadelphia has looked scary good during the playoffs and knocked off the defending Super Bowl Champions last week 23-11. The Eagles are flying high since their 5-5-1 start this season equaling 6 victories in their last 7 games. Philadelphia is getting it done on the defensive side of the ball. The Eagles have not allowed over 14 points in 6 straight games and only allowing 10.8 points per contest during that stretch. The Eagles may have surprised many with their victory over the Giants, but I knew if New York did not make some plays through the air that they would be in for a long day. The Eagles have opened up as 3 point favorites over the Cardinals and they will have to withstand a strong passing game that was 2^nd best in the NFL this season averaging 292 yards per game. The Eagles let some Giants receivers get open last week, but New York failed to make the big plays. The Eagles secondary will have to be solid this weekend to slow down the Arizona passing game. Philadelphia QB Donovan McNabb has been wonderful since being benched in week 12 for not performing up to par. Since that time, McNabb has averaged 240 passing yards per game with 11 touchdowns and only 4 picks. McNabb has the offense back to performing the way they should have been all year. Michael Westbrook is a big time playmaker that had a big 71 yard screen pass that lifted the Eagles over Minnesota in the first week of the playoffs. Westbrook was not very effective last week, but his presence alone is a big play threat for the Eagles offense. The Eagles made a Super Bowl appearance in 2005. McNabb and Westbrook will look to lead the Eagles back with a win over the Cardinals.

AFC Championship

Baltimore Ravens (13-5) at Pittsburgh Steelers (13-4)

The first meeting between these teams this season was a wonderful defensive football game and the re-match has all the makings to be very similar. In the first meeting, Santonio Holmes caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger with 43 seconds left to get the victory over the Ravens 13-9. The Steelers have been nearly untouchable in the latter part of the year winning 7 of their last 8 games against some of the best teams in the NFL. Pittsburgh had a convincing performance last week when they man-handled the San Diego Chargers 35-24. Pittsburgh has one of the best defenses to ever step on an NFL field. The Steelers rank 1^st, 1^st, 2^nd, and 1^st in all 4 major defensive categories. Pittsburgh’s success is based around the performance of the defense because before last week the offense had really not been that good. The Steelers offense only averages 21 points per game along with 312 yards of total offense that both rank in the bottom half of the NFL. However when you have defense as talented as this unit, like the 2000 Baltimore Ravens proved that alone can be enough to win a Super Bowl. The Steelers looked like more of an offensive team last week, but that could be due to a poor San Diego defense as well. Still Pittsburgh is playing very well. Willie Parker leads the way on the ground and had a big performance against the Chargers. When Parker is effective on the ground, the Steelers are nearly impossible to defeat. Parker racked up 146 yards and 2 touchdowns last week and will get a load of carries this weekend for certain. Pittsburgh has yet to lose a game this season when Parker rushes for at least 50 yards or more. The Steelers defense will certainly be stout, but will the Pittsburgh offense be strong enough to hold off the Ravens for a second time?

I said before the playoffs started the Baltimore Ravens looked like the best prepared team to really make a strong run at a Super Bowl. The Ravens have really matured on the offensive side of the ball and the defense is a very tough unit. Baltimore has played better than anyone in the 2^nd half of the season winning 11 of their last 13 games. In the last 8 games, Baltimore is only allowing 10.2 points per game. If you throw out the Cowboys high scoring game, the Ravens are only allowing an amazing 8 points per contest. On top of that, the Baltimore offense has really come around late in the year. Rookie QB Joe Flacco is throwing more passes and controlling the ball well. The Ravens ground game has been solid this season as well behind the legs of Le’Ron McClain and Willis McGahee. Both running backs will share carries and they have both shown the can be effective backs. Baltimore was shut down by the Pittsburgh offense in their last meeting only putting up 202 total yards. The offense should have a bit more confidence this time around and it will be interesting to see if they can get the job done. The turnovers will be a key category in this game. Last meeting, both teams have two turnovers a piece and it will be very crucial for each team to hold onto the ball in a field position type ball game. Look for this ball game to possibly be another very low scored game controlled by defense.

The NFL Playoff scenario is set in stone after a season of teams battling to earn their right to play in the postseason. Many teams had already clinched going into week 17 this Sunday, but many others had fight their way in during the last week of the season. The San Diego Chargers blasted the Denver Broncos 52-21 to win the pitiful AFC West. The Chargers have the worse record amongst any playoff opponents at (8-8) and benefit from a weak division. Other teams that had to earn their way in this past weekend include the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles blew out the struggling Cowboys 44-6 to pick up the final wildcard spot in the NFC. The Eagles really come on strong winning 4 of their last 5 games to edge into the playoffs. The Miami Dolphins and the Baltimore Ravens both clinched playoff berths in the AFC with wins this week improving to 11-5. The Dolphins won the division with a 24-17 win over the Jets while the Ravens earned a wildcard spot knocking off the Jaguars 27-7. The Atlanta Falcons also were another team that earned their way in the postseason with a close win over the Rams 31-27.

There were a number of promising teams that were left out of the playoffs this season and highlighting that group are the New England Patriots. The Patriots were perfect in the regular season a year ago, but were plagued with key injuries this season. The Patriots needed a Miami loss along with their win over the Bills this Sunday, but things were not meant to be. Brett Farve possible final season in the NFL ended on a sour note as the Jets failed to beat the Dolphins. The Jets started the year really strong and at one point this season seemed like the class of the AFC. However, the Jets lost 4 of their last 5 games on a terrible month of football. The Dallas Cowboys have had the most consistent troubles closing out seasons in the last decade. The Cowboys have been known for under achieving late in the season and they were blown out in a game that would have put them in the playoffs in week 17 against the Eagles. Dallas still has not won a playoff games since the 1996 season. Tampa Bay lost every game in December dropping 4 in a row to miss the playoffs. The Buccaneers were a promising NFC team going into that stretch, but simply could not close out the season. Despite the teams that are in and out, the playoff picture is set. The next few weeks of football promise to be exciting and fun to watch. Here is a breakdown of how the playoff bracket looks and a preview of next week’s games.

As you can see the New York Giants are the #1 seed in the NFC meaning they will have home field advantage throughout the playoffs while Tennessee Titans have the #1 seed in the AFC. Both # 1 and # 2 seeds will have first round byes and the #1 seeds will play the lowest seeded team to advance from the wildcard round. The Carolina Panthers and the Pittsburgh Steelers will both get first round byes as #2 seeds as well this week.

Miami vs. Baltimore

The Dolphins really come on strong towards the end of the season winners of their last 5 games this year. The Dolphins pulled off possibly the best turnaround in NFL history. A year after only winning one game they ended the season 11-5 and winners of the AFC East. Miami will have a tough task to keep the streak going against the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens as usual are led by strong and talented defense. Defensively, the Ravens can play with anyone in the NFL. However, it will be interesting to see how rookie QB Joe Flacco performs in the postseason with no prior experience. I don’t know how the betting public will favor on this game, but the Ravens look primed to end the Dolphins winning streak in this match-up.

Indianapolis vs. San Diego

Before week 17 the majority of people around the nation would have thought the Colts would be a lock in this game. On the other hand, the Chargers demolished the Denver racking up 52 points in the process. All of a sudden San Diego has won 4 straight and are possibly one of the hottest teams heading into the playoffs. Indianapolis has been even hotter winning 9 straight games behind QB Peyton Manning. The Colts have some key players who have been in this position before and that experience always helps. This game looks to be an exciting battle between two streaky teams. Expect some points to be scored in this game as well.

Arizona vs. Atlanta

Arizona really looked good until the last month of the regular season. The Cardinals dropped 4 of their last 6 games with their only two victories in that stretch coming over rather weak opponents. Atlanta on the other hand has been improving all season behind rookie sensation QB Matt Ryan. Ryan looks like a superstar in the making, but heading into this game he lacks any playoff experience. Keep your eye on the passing game for the Cardinals. QB Kurt Warner and the offense were putting up big numbers most of the season before mellowing out down the stretch. Arizona will need a big offense performance against a talented Falcons team.

Philadelphia vs. Minnesota

The Eagles surprised the nation in how easily they handled Dallas in week 17. Philadelphia closed out the season very strong winning 4 of their last 5 games against quality opponents. QB Donovan Mcnabb has overcome mid-season controversy surrounding his performance and is playing well in recent weeks. The Vikings sport the best ground game in the NFL behind the amazing ability of running back Adrian Peterson. Peterson’s play will be the difference in this game. If Philadelphia can keep Peterson from making a number of big plays, they will have a good chance in this game if they continue their stellar play.

The first week of the NFL Playoffs looks to be very exciting. While I am sure they will probably be a surprise or two, it is almost impossible to predict who is playing the best football right now. Unlike previous years where you had clear favorites, anyone this season has a legitimate shot to make the Super Bowl. These set of teams making up the 2009 playoffs are perhaps the most evenly match from top to bottom to ever make the playoffs in quite some time. Keep an eye on how these teams play this coming weekend and how the playoffs will unwind down the stretch.