Packers QB Aaron Rodgers has been a busy man since winning the Super Bowl MVP award. From Disney World to talk shows, he’s been all over the place lately. So it should be no surprise to find he made time for play as well.

Rodgers was spotted with Jersey Shore’s Pauly D at N9NE Steakhouse at the Palms. Pauly D went over to congratulate him of his Super Bowl victory over the Steelers (Pauly D is a noted Patriots fan). Earlier that night, he was spotted at comedian Terry Fator’s show at the Mirage.

Also spotted at N9NE Steakhouse was recent Hall Of Fame inductee Marshall Faulk, boxer Floyd Maywether, Jr. and Joey from New Kids On The Block. Sounds to me like my new crushy crush fits right in the limelight.

Rodgers, with teammate Matt Wilhelm and Executive Chef Barry S Dakake

That’s right.. you heard it here first. Okay, so it’s not the Super Bowl XLV MVP (which you could have figured out by the spelling of the name) or the deceased Hall-Of-Fame coach, but 2 guys with the same namesake.

The same night of the Packer Super Bowl victory over the Steelers, both Rogers and Lombardi coincidentally got in trouble with the law. According to Last Angry Fan, here’s what happened in both of their cases:

Rogers, not Rodgers, from Des Moines, Iowa, got into an argument with a woman while celebrating his namesake’s victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers at a Super Bowl party he was hosting.  When the argument escalated, the woman’s two brothers stepped in and things turned physical, with Rogers’ kitchen being “destroyed from food being thrown all over,” according to Des Moines police.

The fight continued out in the yard where Rogers claims he was thrown to the ground by the pair of brothers and suffered a back injury.  The suspects then fled in their vehicle and remain at large.

Meanwhile in Ellsworth, Maine, Vince Lombardi was arrested after he allegedly tried breaking into an auto parts store, most likely to feed his addiction to car air fresheners.  A cop on a routine patrol noticed the 38-year-old Lombardi tumbling down a snowbank right about the same time he was receiving a notice from dispatch of an alarm notification from a nearby local business.

The cop put two and two together and arrested Lombardi on the spot.

My, my, my.. how the universe works. All you needed was a Bart Star committing felonies and it would have been the perfect story to tell.

Lesson to those with famous namesakes: Live up to it, people! Unless you’re a Lawrence Phillips or Charles Rogers, of course.

Fifty thousand Packers fans filled Lambeau Field yesterday to welcome and thank their Super Bowl champions in bringing the Lombardi Trophy back to its original place. Despite the fact the it was 5 degrees with a negative windchill factor, fans paid the $5 and weathered the cold to get a glimpse of the team, the trophy and to celebrate.

I love my Ravens and I’ve been out in the cold many a times to see them play. But I’ll be damned if I can hang out in weather with a -14 wind chill factor. Packers fans are probably used to it, and I’m sure it was well worth the wait. I would surely watch that at home, though…

Even my new NFL crush Aaron Rodgers looked frigid out there in the cold….

Don’t worry, Aaron. I’m here to warm you up! (if you missed my new professed love for ARodg, check it out here)

Former Bears player William “Refrigerator” Perry is dealing with a major decline in health as he battles alcoholism. Perry is currently topping off at 400 lbs, doesn’t exercise and is dealing with the overwhelming need to have a drink every single day.

We hear about most former players battling pain killer addiction and other drugs, but never really alcoholism. Most of us know someone that’s battling this awful disease, so Perry’s struggles are too familiar to a lot of folks. Hopefully he can get the help he needs before it’s too late.

And finally, I found this pretty awesome video via courant.com. UConn QB Johnny McEntee did a video with a bunch of trick plays while throwing the pigskin around. The redshirt junior doesn’t have any stats to quote, which is probably why he made this video. Looks to me like he’s vying for some playing time for 2011. If he’s as accurate with blitzing LBs on him as he is in this video, I say give the boy a chance!

I tried to put this into words yesterday, but it was just too much. So I decided to put my thoughts on this vlog instead. I discussed everything that was a part of Super Bowl XLV. Pardon my excitement, as I stuttered a couple of times. I could have easily taken it out, but for what? My excitement took over, sue me! I hope you enjoyed my little production.

Super Bowl XLV Recap from The NFL Chick on Vimeo.

Youtube has been the new outlet for people to record videos to praise, talk about, or even sing about their favorite NFL team. So since it’s SuperBowl weekend, there are tons of Packers and Steelers vids made by folks to show their support (or disdain) for their  squad.

Some kids did a video for their beloved Packers, using Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance. It’s a cute video, but confusing as hell, being as though the singer’s background dancers have NO sense of togetherness in their routine (between the kid collar popping his Aaron Rodgers jersey, the girl doing cheerleading moves and the boy on the right doing some random fist pumping, they were all over the place).

The words were pretty on point and the singer did a great job of using the lyrics to go with the tune (although it may be safe to assume she knew the Lady Gaga version well before doing this song). It’s actually pretty catchy, because I found myself singing it not long after watching it. It’s much better than the original Go Pack Go song!

Now that the wait is over and we know who’s going to the Super Bowl, it’s a little bitter sweet for fans. Let’s face it: the supposed “big” game is rarely all it’s cracked up to be. It’s usually the lead-up to the championship that keeps everyone on their toes.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, although they’ve won 6 Super Bowl titles and have appeared now in 8, are an old-school team, boring and slow on offense with a ground-and-pound approach and a stingy defense that, like usual, is ranked high in the NFL (#1 in 2010 for total YPG).

The Green Bay Packers, led by the now-free-of-Favre’s-shadow Aaron Rodgers, are a more explosive team on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, but yet they’re still not the sexy choice for NFC representatives.

It is what it is, however, and while this isn’t a Drew Bress vs. Peyton Manning rematch, or even a Tom Brady vs. Matt Ryan showdown, Big Ben and Mr. Rodgers are certainly nothing to sneeze at. Sure, it’s not that great on paper. No one expects the over to exceed around 35. But with these teams in this atmosphere, we might just see the best Super Bowl in a long, long time.

Currently, the Green Bay Packers are favored by about a field goal universally. Of course, betting on football—especially the Super Bowl—isn’t like betting on online blackjack games. Nothing’s set in stone, nothing’s quantifiable; it’s all up for grabs. Even still, that’s a fairly safe bet as we see it.

Pittsburgh’s run defense is monstrous, stuffing everyone, but it’s also exploitable by way of play action and an ironically Roethlisberger-like mobile quarterback, ala Aaron Rodgers.

One thing neither the Ravens nor the Jets had was a playmaker at the QB position. Sanchez and Flacco are both pretty good pocket passers, but their ability to extend a play is about as good as that can of Crystal Pepsi you have in the basement. Rodgers, on the other hand, was second only to Michael Vick in rushing yards from the helm, and he has put the belt on all season long with rushing TD after rushing TD.

The Steelers are exploitable here because they’re not fast enough to cover all the bases. They will stuff the run, surely, but quick slants, deep outs, broken plays, and potential third down conversions all work in the Packers’ favor due to the type of dynamic, switch-‘em-up O they bring with them to Cowboys Stadium.

The game should remain very close, however, as the Steelers’ offense is definitely not a pushover. We all bore witness to what Rashard Mendenhall did to the third-ranked defense in the league, the New York Jets (Just Envy the Steelers?), and Big Ben can also turn broken plays into sandlot football and pick up key yardage in tough situations.

Many feel as if this game is a toss-up, the proverbial roll of the dice or a spin on the no download slots reel. But just like Pittsburgh did to the Jets in the first half, the Green Bay Packers should be able to dominate time of possession and keep the Steelers off the field.

Other than a forced throw in Chicago that resulted in an Urlacher INT, Rodgers has been playing out of his mind. Roethlisberger, conversely, threw 2 INTs vs. the Jets and should have thrown 4 to 6, and he wasn’t exactly Troy Aikman in his previous playoff game against the Ravens.

In the first half with the Ravens and the second half with the Jets, the Steelers were only on the field physically. Their spirits were in the locker room or off somewhere trying to send Jenn Sterger photos of their junk.

When Super Sunday rolls around, the Steelers will need to play all 60 minutes – something they’re not really accustomed to, whereas Green Bay has yet to take a down off all postseason.

When it’s all said and done, the Packers can keep the ball away from the Steelers and hold on to a lead late. True, Pittsburgh is going to score on Green Bay’s defense. They can’t match the Steelers’ physicality. But the object of the game isn’t to score; it’s to score more than your opponent.

This is something that the Steelers will fail to do, and we predict that the final score will be Green Bay 30 and Pittsburgh 24 – covering the spread but still a great game that comes down to some fourth quarter heroics.



And then… there were 4. It’s Championship Weekend. I, for one, am in a melancholy mood about this weekend’s games. I’m filled with joy because the Final 4 get to duke it out until only 2 stand to make it to the Super Bowl. Then I get sad because 1. My Ravens losing the way they did STILL stings (especially after New England lost last weekend), and 2. Because it means the end of the 2010 season is near. With the uncertainty of football for the 2011 season, it really makes me appreciate these final weeks a little bit more. At the end of the day, football is still going on and needs to be played for the Lombardi Trophy. Last weekend I was 2-for-4 in my picks. Lets see if I can get them all.

Packers at Bears

Last weekend’s AFC matchups were all divisional. And they didn’t disappoint. Nothing better than seeing the 3rd leg of 2 teams who know each other well battling for a chance to play in the championship game, along with bragging rights that lasts an entire offseason. This weekend’s NFC Championship matchup brings us the same game as Aaron Rodgers and Co head to Chi-Town to play Jay Cutler and the Bears. Both teams won a game against each other this season. And while Chicago won the NFC North, Green Bay were on their heels the entire season. The Packers beat the Bears in the final week of the season with a lowly 10-7 score, but the Bears kept their starters in, hoping to knock Green Bay out of the playoff picture (GB needed to win and they were in). The Bears know what everyone else does- Green Bay in the playoffs are a threat. They went to Philly and defeated the Eagles 21-16, then went to Atlanta (the #1NFC seed) and embarrassed the Falcons 48-21. The Bears know what they are facing. A hungry team that’s clicking on all cylinders right now.

The Bears aren’t a slouch either. Their 11-5 record was the 2nd best record in the NFC, giving them the #2 seed. Jay Cutler has been playing good ball, not turning the ball over like he’s been known to do in the past.

And now that the running game has become a factor again, the Bears offense has been able to move the ball while minimizing mistakes. The Bears defense is still Top 10 caliber, and with Julius Peppers playing at a high level, Chicago will look to get to Rodgers early and often.

No disrespect to the Bears. I simply think this is The Pack’s time to shine. They have the #5 defense in the league and it’s for a reason. Clay Matthews, AJ Hawk, Charles Woodson, all are great players for Green Bay and they will try to force Chicago to throw the ball. Throwing the ball means possible turnovers from Cutler. I picked the Pack to go to the big dance early on in my preseason picks and so far they’ve given me no reason to go against it. So I gotta go here…. Bear Down!!!  Literally… Sorry!

Winner:

Jets at Steelers

This game doesn’t have the history that the Bears and Packers bring, but it’s just as intriguing. Two teams built on defense. Players and coaches are familiar with each other (Rex Ryan and Bart Scott were with the Ravens until the 2009 season). Not to mention the Jets beat the Steelers at home this season. So there is some familarity here. The pick I make in this game comes down to this: Experience.

I like Mark Sanchez, I do. He’s had an up-and-down season this season, but that’s to be expected from a 2nd year player. I think he has what it takes to be a very good QB in this league. He’s slowly becoming the leader of his team, which is very important.

The problem I have with Sanchez is this: His cold weather play and his lack of experience. Playing New England wasn’t a huge obstacle to him, simply because he’s played them frequently in his young career already. And while I’m sure it wasn’t 80 degrees when the Jets beat the Pats in Foxboro last week, the fact that it was division rival gave him an advantage, especially since they “can’t stop a nosebleed” on defense, like Scott later said. Another thing about this matchup. When the Jets beat the Steelers, they were also without S Troy Polamalu. And while Polamalu wasn’t much of a factor in last week’s division game against the Ravens, he automatically makes you change your game plan, whether he’s 100% or not. He’s THAT good, and Sanchez will be on the lookout for #43 at all times, which means changing up the calls at the line of scrimmage and possibly being baited into the Steeler’s defensive gameplan.

Say what you will about Ben Roethlisberger on whether he’s an elite QB or not. But ask his peers what they think of him, and I promise you more than half will tell you he is. His numbers aren’t like Brady’s or Manning’s. But he does win football games. He may not have a lot of skill players that you’ve heard of, but he knows what to do in order to gain yards. The Steelers are one of the best teams in the league when converting on 3rd and long, and that’s because of Ben. Although Ben has an awful habit of holding on to the ball longer than he should, he makes you pay for it when he gets it right. This is what I consider to be the difference maker in this game.

Notice that I didn’t mention neither defense. That’s because we all know what both defenses bring. There are stars on both sides of the ball, from Polamalu to James Harrison to Antonio Cromartie and Darrelle Revis. But the X-factor in this game starts and ends with the QB. Whoever makes the less mistakes at the QB position wins this game. Ben is at home, playing with the crowd and his experience may be the key to winning the game. It hurts my heart to type this… I want to pick the Jets so bad…..but I’m going with Pittsburgh on this one (Sorry Jets fans… and hey if I’m wrong, I expect another awesome soundbyte from Bart Scott!).

Winner:

I dunno about you, but I’m as excited as a fat kid with birthday cake on their plate. Wild Card Weekend is here and I cannot wait to see the games. Everytime I think of the NFL Playoffs, extra hard fist pumping comes to mind!

Eagles, Ravens and Colts… OH MY! So much going on. 8 teams, 4 games, but only 4 teams advance to the divisionals. Who will live to see another week? It’s time to pick the Wild Card Weekend games.

Saints (-11) at Seahawks: This started out as one of the most lopsided games on paper earlier in the week. The Saints are 11-5 headed to Seattle who ended the season with  a dismal 7-9 record. I’m blown at the fact that the Seahawks, or any NFC West team for that matter, is taking up good playoff space. But that’s another story for another day. It just became really real this week in the Big Easy, however, when RBs Chris Ivory and Pierre Thomas were put on IR. This means the Saints have pretty much NO running game coming into this weekend’s match up (please don’t insult my intelligence and remind me that Reggie Bush is on the roster…. he’s done very little at Tailback). To add insult to injury, New Orleans is 0-3 in road playoff games and Seattle is known to have one of the league’s loudest stadiums. Seahawks QB Matt Hasslebeck gets the nod this week as the starter, and the Seahawks have every reason to believe they can come out with a win with him at the helm. He’s had recent success against New Orleans. That being said… I’m too petty to pick Seattle. They shouldn’t even be in the dance if you ask me. I’m taking New Orleans because they’ve earned the right to be there, and will find a way to prevail over the obstacles they are facing.

Winner: 

Jets at Colts (-3): Despite the Colts finding a way to make the playoffs after losing so many key players this season, the Jets have reason to worry. They lost to Indy in the AFC Championship game last season and a Rex Ryan-led defense has had no luck in beating Manning and Co in recent memory. Ryan said earlier this week that, “it’s personal”, regarding this weekend’s match up. And it should be. Mark Sanchez has been hot and cold this season, but the Jets are a run-heavy offense that can attack the Colts’ depleted D. Manning will always be Manning, he can make wine out of water. And he’s done just that with the castoff of players he’s had this season. But one has to wonder if the injuries are too much to handle, now that it’s playoff time. Beating the Titans was cool, because the Titans weren’t really that good this year anyway. But the Jets are better than the Titans. And they have more skills players that are healthy than the Colts, including Santonio Holmes, Braylon Edwards and LaDainian Tomlinson. Rex and that sweater vest finally gets the monkey off his back this weekend.

Winner:

Ravens (-3) at Chiefs: Of course, I hold a real interest to this game, because I’m a Ravens fan. Dan Kolko from MASN Sports broke down the rankings between the Ravens and Chiefs on paper and they seem to be very neck and neck (except overall offense.. my Ravens really tanked in that dept). But if you lookpast the stats, it’s not that simple. Case-in-point: In addition to playing the Steelers twice a year, the Ravens also played the Jets, Patriots, Falcons, Saints and Bucs, while finishing their division with a 4-2 record. The Chiefs played the NFC West (and y’all KNOW how I feel about that division) while playing the likes of Houston, Tennessee and Buffalo. They finished 2-4 in their own division, and was blown out at least once by the Broncos, Chargers and Raiders. Not to discredit what KC has done this season…. they took helm of a division previously OWNED by San Diego. But it’s hard to ignore the schedule and division differences. Baltimore knows how to play on the road and win, and KC may be prematurely playing with the big boys. I think KC is a strong team, and they will find some success running the ball against the Ravens. But I think Baltimore is better built for the playoffs while having experience on their side.

Winner:

Packers at Eagles (-3): This one will be a good one. Both of these teams are built for post season football. There is no real advantage for this game. The Packers have a losing road record, and the Eagles are 4-4 at home this season. But there are 2 key elements that may make a difference in this game- health and momentum, both of those in Green Bay’s favor. Aaron Rodgers has played well since going down with a concussion last month. He had a great game in the 45-17 routing of the Giants, and did just enough to beat the division rival Bears last weekend. The Eagles, however, haven’t been so lucky. They ended the season on a 2-game losing streak and have seen some key players go down with injury, including Vick who was hurt during the Vikings game. Vick will start this weekend and of course Philly has the likes of DeSean Jackson, Brent Celek and LeSean McCoy to take the pressure off of #7,  but the Eagles offensive line isn’t that good. Packers LB Clay Matthews may have a field day this weekend if Andy Reid doesn’t find a way to protect his QB. I expect Matthews to get into Vick’s face often this weekend. As good as the Eagles have been, Green Bay was the one team I didn’t like them to be matched up with so soon. Well, they are. With health and momentum on their side, I expect us to wave goodbye to Vick’s great season, a tad bit premature than expected.

Winner:

There you have it. Let me know your thoughts. Agree, disagree? If so why? Feel free to chime in your thoughts. In the meantime, have a wonderful Wild Card Weekend and if your team is playing (like mine), I hope you get the outcome you wanted!

Last night, the Bears defeated the Packers in a good Monday Night Football game. We saw the return of Devin Hester on special teams, as well as the return of Jay Cutler’s INT passes. While the Bears go on to be 3-0 (The only NFC team to remain undefeated), they do it with the help of Green Bay. The Pack had 18 penalties for 158 yards (a team record), and a crucial fumble late in the 4th quarter that led to the go-ahead field goal to win the game.

Despite their record, I believe the Packers are a better team. But the loss of Ryan Grant is a glaring issue. They have no one that can be able to take the pressure off of the passing game. And while the rumor mill said the Packers were interested in Ravens Willis McGahee, Ray Rice’s injury may be the seal of fate in McGahee’s stay in B-More. Green Bay, in order to win games, you need a running back.. and BAD!

P.S.- Packers LB Clay Matthews reminds me of the guy from the movie, The Program, with a head banger twist. I get kinda nervous every time they show him on TV, to be quite honest…

*Colts President Bill Polian spilled the beans and pretty much confirmed what we already knew was coming, the expansion of the NFL season to 18 games. During his weekly radio show, Polian said the following,

“I think that the owners, and principally the commissioner, have decided that it’s the way to go, and so the debate, such as it was, is over. I’ve heard recently, and I’m sorry that this didn’t get more coverage earlier, some really, really interesting commentary on it. … I wish some of that dialogue had taken place earlier.”

A lot of players have spoken out about their dislike for the expansion. At the end of the day, these players are humans first. They know their bodies and if they think 18 games is a bit much, then the owners should stop being greedy for one second and listen. Not to mention, a lot of teams that have playoff eligibility before the season is over will probably rest their starters the last 2-4 weeks into the season anyway. But we shall see how this benefits everyone involved.

*Bills QB Trent Edwards and 49ers offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye were both relieved of their duties yesterday, after their respected teams believed they were a part of the problem, not the solution. Unfortunately, that’s the nature of the beast. I feel bad for Edwards because he played on a bad offensive line with no real weapons to throw to. I feel bad for Raye for having to make Alex Smith look credible. May the force be with both of them.

*I found this video on LiveLeak and I thought it was post material. A kid with Down Syndrome scored a TD for his team. Although the team didn’t win, this is still a really heartwarming video. It’s no secret that the other team let’s him score, but I’m sure the kid felt like a million bucks when he reached the end zone.

Note: Please Check Out Gridiron Gals radio, every Tuesday, starting at 9pm, starting TONIGHT! http://www.blogtalkradio.com/gridirongals

So, as I was on my way to BWI Airport to to windmill Flacco for his horrible ass play, I ran across this video on Black Sports Online, courtesy of WNST, from Ravens LB Ray Lewis about yesterday’s game:

Now, by any means did the Ravens lose because of the penalties. But I agree with Lewis 100%. There were 2 BAD calls that accredited to 6 points the Bengals received because of it. The tripping call on Lewis was bull, because he was blocked to the ground and he was trying to get up. The Suggs call was bull hockey, particularly because Palmer had the ball still in his hand as Suggs was taking him to the ground.

More and more, the NFL is becoming too technical and too Charmin-esque when it comes to the way they protect their QBs. We get it- the league is a QB-driven league. But by any means, let these guys play!

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves Ray, Joe Flacco is why you lost, my friend. 4 INTs cannot happen for a team w Super Bowl aspirations.

P.S.- If I see Flacco anywhere around town this week, I’m still gonna windmill him.

Dear Arizona Cardinals- Call Kurt Warner and offer him $100 million NOW! Maybe he’ll reconsider. Without him you suck!

Did anyone see the Cowboys going 0-2?? Did anyone see Jay Cutler throwing ZERO INTs in a game??? What is the NFL world coming to?

Last April after Jason Campbell was traded to the Raiders, I suggested that Bruce Gradkowski should at least be able to compete for the starting job. I was told how dumb that was and how Campbell is better.. blah, blah, wonk wonk… but after yesterday’s game, Tom Cable got my memo and finally got it right. He benched Campbell, put in Gradkowski and he helped lead the Raiders to a victory over the Rams. In the words of Shaquille O’Neal, “Tell me how my ass tastes”.

Dear Mark Sanchez: Thanks for showing up at the party this week!

Dear Darrelle Revis: We saw you grab your hamstring after that Moss 1-hand TD. All I have to say is,

THAT’S the San Diego Chargers squad I know!

Aaron Rodgers, you are doing the damn thing, but your Lambeau Leap SUCKS! Work on that, mmmmmkay?!

The Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 2-0?????

The Texans-Redskins game is reason number 1, why I love the game of football. Just when you think you can count someone out, they find ways to come back and win games. That game was by far the best game of the week. And it paralleled last year’s Saints-Redskins game. Down 10 points in the 4th Qtr, Matt Schaub hit Andre Johnson with the tying TD with 2 minutes left in the game. A blocked FG that would have given Washington a nice cushion was the leading factor into the game going into OT. I thought the Texans would lose for SURE after Gary Kubiak decided to punt opposed to kicking a 52-yard FG to try and win the game. But the Texans were given new life after Graham Gano missed his 52-yarder.

That game was exciting, full of offense and nail biting. This is why I love football.

PS- Is it crazy that I am (quietly) rooting for the Texans, week after week?!

Giants looked bad, real bad, Michael Jackson

Vince Young gets benched- again! Hey look, the sky is blue!

Michael Vick is balling…. and not looking back. And if Andy Reid brings in Kevin Kolb next week, he might have to say goodbye to his head coaching job. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

Maybe Favre should’ve stayed retired after all……………………………