Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Blogging the NFL – Conference Championships

Hit of the Week
Kudos go out to Reggie Bush and the New Orleans Saints for reaching the NFC Championship Game but Bush paid the price to get there. After getting absolutely smoked by the Eagles’ Sheldon Brown Bush bounced back to rush for 52 yards and a touchdown.


Contest Standings

NameSecond Round PicksSuper Bowl PickSleeper PickTotal Points
true2osu3-1Philadelphia#4 New England118
ffnstuff3-1San Diego#5 NY Jets90
dolphinfan2-2San Diego#4 New England88
notafan1-3Philadelphia#3 Philadelphia73
rob1-3San Diego#2 Baltimore73
Matt Jordan1-3New Orleans#5 NY Jets70
chiefsfan2-2Baltimore#6 NY Giants70
KennyN/ASan Diego#2 Baltimore40


true2osu keeps the lead after the second round but Matt Jordan still has a Super Bowl pick alive and could have been in control of the contest had his picks come through. Two people, including myself, still have sleeper picks alive. Conference Championship Games are worth 30 points each. Make your picks here!

You’ve Got to Be Kidding
All the names of the five finalists for the Miami Dolphins coaching job have been released and there is a shocker as well as a possible exception. The shocker is that former Alabama coach Mike Shula was not only interviewed but remains a candidate.

My initial thought was that he was interviewed as a favor to his dad who still has a lot of pull in the organization. Obviously the legend is endorsing is son but so is Dan Marino. Having two hall-of-famers in his corner is enough to make him a finalist.

While I have tons of respect for the Shula family and don’t think that Mike was given a fair shake at Alabama I don’t see him being the answer in Miami. However, I wouldn’t mind seeing him as the offensive coordinator.

The other four candidates are former Atlanta Falcons head coach Jim Mora, Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey, Dolphins defensive coordinator Dom Capers and San Diego offensive coordinator Cam Cameron.

The exception is current San Diego Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer who could become an immediate candidate should he be fired by the Chargers. I say go ahead and interview him but do we really want a head coach who hasn’t won a play-off game in twenty years?

Should the Chargers let Schottenheimer go it would eliminate Cam Cameron as a Candidate as he would be the most likely choice for the Chargers. It also may be the reason why Marty's son, Brian, withdrew his name from the Dolphins.

Conference Championship Winners
NFC - New Orleans Saints at Chicago Bears – Bears
AFC - New England Patriots at Indianapolis Colts – Patriots