Making A Case

Well I'm nothing if not well-read, if you count reading every article known to man about the Colts/Steelers game from Sunday afternoon. It's come with its multitude of depression and trying to continue reading the words through teary-eyes, but I've made it through and I think I'm on the downslope now. If nothing else, reading all the criticism helped me sail right through those stages of grief pretty quickly. I even experienced for the first time a mixture of the upset and angry stages. I didn't think you could mix stages. I came to a new perspective, a positive one, on my feelings about John Elway. He's no longer the cocky, no talent I thought he was. I'll actually go to my grave believing whole heartedly that he was one of the best QBs to ever play the game but not because he won 2 Super Bowls. It's because he really was talented and he didn't give up on what he knew to be true. So, I can't say there aren't still some open wounds and that I don't cringe every time I hear Polamalu's name mentioned, but that'll all heal with time. February 5th will probably be hard, and the February 12th consolation prize game affectionately called the Pro Bowl will do little to easy that, but again...I'll move on because I know that Peyton is healing his wounds somewhere on vacation out of the country with his wife, Ashley. And so, moving on means accepting what has happened and dealing with reality.

I've mentioned over the last week to several people that I could make a case for being happy if any of the 4 teams remaining wins the Super Bowl (except for Carolina). Steve Smith, I don't care how many times you sit in the parking lot of that Taco Bell you used to work at as a teenager, I just can't get behind Carolina winning it all. Of course, you realize this basically means they should just wrap that Lombardi Trophy up and deliver it to Charlotte because my karma ain't so good these days. In any case...here are my thoughts:

1. Seattle wins it all...I'll be happy for Shaun Alexander because we went to school together. He's a wonderful human being and though he was denied a national championship at Alabama, he is the single most reason that we have 21 SEC championships instead of just 20. :) Joe Jurevicius is also one of my favorites from my brief stint as a Tampa Bay fan (gotta save my inheritance you know). He's a fighter himself, and this will be his 3rd NFC title game. He's won the 2 previous ones. The one with Tampa, he caught a 72 yard touchdown pass that is arguably the biggest play in Bucs HISTORY, all while tending to his wife, who had just given birth to their son who lived only 2 months. Great people, and I'll be happy for them if they win, but the Alexander jersey stays in the frame. I'm not taking it out to wear on SB Sunday.

2. Denver wins it all...I'll be happy for John Lynch, another of my favorites from Tampa Bay. I thought he got a raw deal when they let him go, but he's shined even more so on Denver's defense. He's a great human being as well who LOVES his job. Any guy who walks onto a field and says, "ok, I'm ready to hit some people," man...now that's someone I can get behind. Denver's had a bit of a problem in the postseason since Elway's retirement (much like the Colts), so It'd be nice to see a team that has been criticized for that actually make it.

3. Pittsburgh wins it all...(deep breath...resist the tears...ok)...If this is the Bus's final season, then wow what a great way to go out. He's headed for the Hall with or without that SB ring, but I'm sure he'd like to go with it. And who wouldn't like to see a safety with longer hair than mine (Polamalu) hoisting that trophy over his head after what I'm sure would be an MVP performance in the big game. Plus, to see a 2nd year QB without the last name of Brady (Feb. '02) or Manning (I know the fact that I found humor in Eli's "performance" against the Panthers was a direct correlation to my bad karma.) win a SB gets my vote.

4. Carolina wins it all...Leann not happy...Thus, they end up winning it all. :(

Ok. There you have it. What's your pick?