Super Saints

We had a great Super Bowl weekend.  Very happy that the Saints went marching in tonight.  They so deserve it and so do the people of New Orleans.  I have met so many wonderful people during my time in Houston that have Louisiana roots.  Having visited the city twice, I can say I love that city.  The food, the people, the culture and the love of their Saints.

Norma made these great sandwiches tonight from a recipe I found here:  Breaded Pork Tenderloin Sandwich
They tasted awesome.  It was our Indianapolis dish for the day.  Earlier we went to Zachary's Cajun Kitchen in Kingwood for some lunch.  I was super impressed.  They did a great job.  I had gumbo and red beans and rice.  Superb.

Saints played so well tonight.  Just took the game from the Colts.  As a Texans fan, I just HATE the Colts.  So I am glad for the result.  As someone who really loves New Orleans and the many friends that I have from the Louisiana area, I am super glad for their Super Bowl success.

It was  a great night.

Steelers Win

Super Bowl XLIII

Who's gonna win? Well that's easy. Black 'n Gold. But, how will it shake down?

In the most offense-filled season since 1965 — teams averaged 22 points a game this season; in 1976, it was 19.2 — the Steelers allowed just 13.9 points a game. They also did not allow a rusher to go over 100 yards or a quarterback to throw for more than 300 yards. And that was playing the hardest schedule in the N.F.L.

Defense wins championships. Will Warner throw for over 300 yards. It's possible. Because that's all Arizona is going to do - throw. I do not believe they will be able to run the ball against the new Steel Curtain. So Warner may pick up enough yardage.
Look for these two things to happen, first I think the Cardinals will get off to a fast start. They have all playoff season long. But, also look for the Steelers to go ahead just before half time and to DOMINATE the third quarter. They have been AMAZING just after the half all year.
The key to the game is absolutely - the Steelers running game. I think the Cards will get their yards and points against the Steelers defense because they are just that good. But, the Steelers offense must be able to control the football with the run, not turn it over and get their points. Tight End Heath Miller is a huge part of the game (especially if Hines Ward is not his usual self - which would be hard to believe). Miller is a massive plus in the run game and often is the most responsible blocker for big outside runs when he cuts down the corner of the opposing defenses. But, Miller may be clutch around the goal line and during short yardage situations.
Look for Warner to have a fantastic first half and then slip up as the sun goes down and day turns to night. It won't be all his fault. With turnover machine Troy Palamalu back there... #43 will make his big plays. Just like in the AFC Championship Game, that defense will have it's say before it's all over. Steeler defensive co-ordinator Dick LeBeau is the master and this will be his most impressive moment in a long and storied career.
Final score:
Pittsburgh Steelers 31
Arizona Cardinals 23

MVP: Ben Roethlisberger
Why Big Ben? I don't think there will be a clear MVP. This will be a team effort. But, Big Ben will not turn the ball over. He won't have a ton of completions, but the ones he does get may just go long distance. So I think he'll throw for 280+ yards and get the job done. But, in the end people will be arguing for a number of defensive players that could easily have won the award. Turnovers will be a huge key. So will sacks. Who goes down more? Big Ben or "Thank You Jesus" Kurt? It is my opinion that Ben is tougher in the pocket and has be elusiveness. Plus, Kurt Warner has to play against one of the best defenses this league has ever seen. After the season they have had... they should go down in history as one of the best units ever. Facing the schedule that they did, they still were #1 overall in just about every single defensive category. Amazing.

Steelers Renegade

Teaching (Steelers) History

All week long I have been giving my kids 5 minutes of "Steelers History" in World History class. Tomorrow I'm going to kick it up a notch with a few video clips about these very important topics:

The Terrible Towel, from the perspective of Steelers Fans:


Food - Primanti Bros. Sandwiches:


I've also given them the lowdown on why the Steelers are the only NFL team with only one logo on their helmets. 1956 the logo was introduced and they wanted to "try it out" to see how it went over with the fans. So they used it on one side only. They went 9-5 and made the playoffs. It's stayed ever since. (Although the helmets changed colors to primary black)

You have to educate the youth! :) I'm just doing my job. Otherwise I'd be negligent in my duties as a history teacher.

Coke Polamalu

This is going to be great!



For those of you too young to remember the original...


Mean Joe is the man!

Here We Go Steelers - 2009

P-O-L-A-M-A-L-U

The Steelers are going to the Super Bowl!
Defense is the reason. Wow, what a job today. #43.

My team is the Texans - 1a. The Steelers are 1b. So I always root for my hometown Pittsburgh roots (unless they are playing Houston - my current and permanent hometown). I just hope the Texans were paying close attention today. Each team in the conference finals had a pro bowl safety. Polamalu - Steelers. Wilson - Cards. Reed - Ravens. Dawkins - Eagles. The Texans need a big time safety in the draft. It makes a huge difference. It was the difference for the Steelers today.

When the third quarter started getting tight and the Steelers lost their momentum, I turned to Norma and said, "The team that scores a defensive touchdown is going to win." Troy took care of business.

It did have a bitter sweet end after that massive hit on McGahee. Let's hope Willis is ok. That was an incredible hit. It was an incredibly tough and physical game.

I played this video for Norma and Aidan before the game. It pretty much says it all for this game...

Careful. It'll get stuck in your head.

Super Bowl XLII

Official Aidan Prediction:
"Daw Gi-ents."

There you have it. No questions about it. Biggest upset in Super Bowl History. New York Giants will win, because my 3 year-old says so. (disclaimer, he kind of picked the Patriots earlier today, although he didn't really say Patriots. Norma gave him a puzzled look and probably planted a seed that the Patriots are evil cheaters!)

We had "chowder" for lunch. For dinner I am heading out in a minute to pick up Pizza from NEW YORK Pizzeria in Town Center. Then later in the game I'll have some chips and salsa. So we have it all covered:

New England - NE Clam Chowder
New York - NY Style Pizza
Phoenix, Arizona - Chips & Salsa for the great Southwest

I am going to try to keep this fun Super Bowl tradition going each year.

Final Score:
NY Giants 34
NE Patriots 31

Difference - the two headed running monster of Bradshaw and Jacobs. I also think the Giants will be able to put enough pressure on Brady to aggravate his ankle injury. The kind of pressure on the cheaters, errrr Patriots is ENORMOUS. I think that will have an impact on the game and keep it very close. But, the Patriots are not going to go down without a huge fight. This one goes right down to the wire.

Super Bowl Rings

NFL Super Bowl Rings - Every Ring Has a Story. Cool stuff. Can't wait for the Super Bowl next weekend. I always hate the week between the Championship Games and the Super Bowl. Nothing going on. But, it does give us a chance to look back at previous Super Bowls.

I remember as a kid in high school I would sit and watch a 24-hour marathon of Super Bowl Highlights on ESPN. The Super Bowl between the Broncos and Giants I remember very well because by the time the game came.. I was exhausted from Super Bowl hype. I had a broken ankle at the time and was the only person home that weekend. So it was me, pizza, and watching football. I recovered enough to enjoy the game.

This year should be a really good game. It is great that we get the rematch of the Giants-Pats that ended the regular season. That was a really competitive game. I think the Super Bowl will be as well. No predictions yet, but I am working on it.

Post Super Bowl Thoughts

+Peyton Manning should not have won the MVP. Why not give it to the two RBs for the Colts - CoMVP was the right call there. I like Peyton and everything, but dude is seriously a ROBOT. He shows about as much emotion as a frog. Sorry, but if I just showed every doubter in America for all of those years... I would be like, "Stick it!" Or at least be so excited I'd be in tears. But, he must have "ice water running through those veins."

+Phil Simms is retarded.

+Super Bowl Commercials were not very good, but I liked the Coke ads the best. By far. They were imaginative and eye catching. The video game one was really well done.

+Rex Grossman is a spazz.

+The Texans are the #2 team in the NFL (we were the last to beat the Colts)

+Thank God for TiVo. It enabled me to catch the opening KO Return for a TD because we were just coming home from shopping and barely missed it. I saw 7-0 Bears with 14:50 left in the quarter and I said, "Hester took it the distance, ALREADY!" I really thought the Bears special teams would be a big difference. But that was the only play that haunted the Colts.

+Rain Super Bowl was interesting. The back-to-back fumbles (twice) was unique. But, I wonder what things would have been like on a fair field for both teams. Would it have changed the outcome? Grossman was lost in the slop. He couldn't throw it downfield at all. The week before he zipped some great long passes in the cold.

+The better team won. "TEAM" being the key word. Those Colts aren't great individually (except for at WR and QB) but you add up their teamwork, coaching, and spirit and that makes a Champion.


TOP 5 WAYS YOU KNOW FOOTBALL SEASON IS FINALLY OVER!
1. Your husband starts thinking about taking down the Christmas lights
2. That big lump on your couch is gone
3. Your husband starts learning the names of the kids all over again
4. Your husband discovers new qualities of your life that he never noticed before... like your new boyfriend!
5. Your husband just found out you had a baby last month!
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Super Bowl Pick is the ....

Super Bowl Sunday. It's a national holiday. The combination of food, football, and very expensive commercials make for a fun evening. All the hype that 2 weeks of national spotlight can place on an event and then they play football.

Who will win?

My head tells me that a team with a great running game (da Bears), a dominant defense (da Bears), and that has incredible special teams units (da Bears) should win. But, my heart says Colts. Manning. It seems storybook.

Plus, the last team to beat the Colts this year was the Texans. So if Indy wins, the Texans would by 'default' have to be 2nd in the NFL, right? (smile) I wish.

I think the MVP will be Thomas Jones, RB for the Bears. And not just because I owned him in my two (Championship) Fantasy Football teams this year. Well, yeah,... it's pretty much because I "owned him in my two (Championship) Fantasy Football teams this year." :) That and I just think the guy is gutty and tough. And the Bears running game could be the difference. They have a big advantage vs. the Colts run D.

Rex Grossman will have to make enough big plays to make up for his lack of consistency. He will also have to avoid the big huge turnover that he is prone to. Either Rex has a great day and the Bears win big... or Rex has a terrible day and the Colts will win big. I am rolling the dice that he will come up big.

My final score: Bears 37, Colts 17.

That's with my head.

My heart tells me: Colts 31, Bears 24. At least that is the score my heart will be rooting for. It would be nice to see the AFC stand tall again.
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