MySports Today

Plaxico Burress got some good news on Monday after a judge postponed his trial on gun possession charges until the end of September.  Burress’ attorney Benjamin Brafman made even a bolder statement stating that it would be “inconceivable” for Burress to go to trial before the beginning of 2010.  That means Burress will be available to play in the NFL during the 2009-2010 season, assuming Commissioner Roger Gooddell doesn’t take any NFL action against Burress prior to the start of the 2009-2010 NFL season.

Brafman also indicated that he didn’t think that the case would be resolved through a plea deal with prosecutors, so the case would likely go to a grand jury and then Burress would plead not guilty to the charges at trial.  If convicted of the criminal possession of a weapon charge (Burress shot himself in the leg in a Manhattan night club on November 29, 2009), he could face up to 3 1/2 years in jail.  But most first-time offenders for this charge in New York City do not serve jail time.

Burress’ agent Drew Rosenhaus does not believe Commissioner Goodell would take action under the NFL’s personal conduct policy against Burress until the legal system has adjudicated the case against Burress.  Rosenhaus has indicated that several teams are interested in Burress and sources around the league have reported that the New York Jets, Chicago Bears and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are potential suitors for Burress’ services.  Burress has played 9 seasons in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Giants.  He has 7,845 receiving yards, 505 receptions and 55 career touchdown receptions.

We’ll keep you posted as soon as we hear anything on the Burress-NFL front.

In one of the more exciting Super Bowl contests, the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Arizona Cardinals 27-23 to win an NFL record 6 Super Bowl Championships. Santonio Holmes was named the Super Bowl MVP after he caught the game-winning touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger with less than a minute to go in the game. Holmes had 9 catches for 131 yards, including the acrobatic, game-winning 6-yard touchdown catch that put the Steelers up for good.

Arizona Cardinals Quarterback Kurt Warner completed 31 of 43 passes for 377 yards, with 3 touchdown passes – good for a 112.3 passer rating. But his turnovers were the bigger story. With the Cardinals trailing 10-7 with 20 seconds left to go in the half, the Cardinals had the ball inside the Steelers 5-yard line. Instead of being ultra-cautious, Warner tried to force a pass into the end zone, and NFL Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison intercepted the pass and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown that gave the Steelers a 17-7 halftime lead. If Warner doesn’t make that poor pass, worst-case the Cardinals kick a field goal and the game is tied at halftime. Instead, the Cardinals dug themselves a deeper hole and trailed by 10 points. Warner’s final turnover, a fumble, came at midfield as the Cardinals were driving in the waning seconds of the game. The fumble ended all hopes of a comeback for the Cardinals.

Cardinals stud wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald lived up to all the hype in the 4th quarter. He caught 2 touchdown passes, the last of which was a 64-yard pass play which put the Cardinals ahead for the 1st time in the game – 23-20. It also erased the 20-7 4th quarter deficit that the Cardinals faced with under 8 minutes to go in the game. Overall Fitzgerald finished with 7 catches for 127 yards, while Anquan Boldin finished with 8 catches for 84 yards.

The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Baltimore Ravens 23-14 on Sunday night to win the AFC Championship and advance to Super Bowl XLIII on February 1, 2009 in Tampa Bay, Florida. The Steelers #1 ranked defense was the difference and Troy Polamalu’s interception and subsequent 40-yard return for a touchdown all but out the game out of reach with just under 3 minutes to play.

The Steelers defense harassed Ravens rookie Quarterback Joe Flacco all game long. Flacco, who had led his team to 2 playoff victories to get to the AFC Championship Game, was exposed as a rookie who still has much to learn about how football is played in the NFL. Flacco completed only 13 of 30 passes for 141 yards. He threw 3 interceptions, 2 in the 4th quarter which destroyed all chance of the Ravens pulling off the improbable upset win in Pittsburgh.

Hines Ward summed it up best: “It was a typical, hard-hitting, physical game. It’s the way every Baltimore-Pittsburgh game is. Sometimes guys get hit so hard. you don’t know if they’re going to get up. They say defense wins championships, well, we have the No. 1 defense. And they’re the reason we’re really going to the Super Bowl.

The Steelers have now won 2 out of the last 4 AFC Championship Games. Ben Roethlisberger will get a chance to play in his 2nd Super Bowl in only his 4th year in the NFL. In Sunday’s game, Roethlisberger completed 16 of 33 passes for 255 yards. He connected with Santonio Holmes on a 65 yard touchdown pass minutes into the 2nd quarter to give the Steelers the early 13-0 lead, but most importantly, Roethlisberger did not throw any interceptions. Roethlisberger led the Steelers on efficient drives that also resulted in 3 field goals for kicker Jeff Reed.

Despite trailing early, the Ravens never gave up. Baltimore cut the Steelers lead to 6 points right before the end of the 1st half on a 3-yard touchdown run by Willis McGahee. McGahee’s 2nd touchdown of the game – a 1-yard plunge in the 4th quarter – cut the Steelers lead to 2. The Ravens had their chances later in the 4th quarter, but Flacco’s inopportune interceptions brought an end to the Ravens run.

The Pittsburgh-Arizona Super Bowl match-up is an interesting one. Cardinals Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt was the Steelers Offensive Coordinator when the Steelers won the Super Bowl in 2006. After Bill Cowher retired following the 2006-7 NFL season, the Rooney family and the Steelers elected to go outside the organization and hire Mike Tomlin as the Head Coach. Whisenhunt saw this as a snub by the Steelers, and he decided to leave to take the Arizona Cardinals Head Coach position. Fellow long-time Steelers assistant Russ Grimm also left the Steelers and is now Whisenhunt’s top assistant in Arizona. In taking the Steelers to a Super Bowl appearance in just his 2nd year, Tomlin is doing something that Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher couldn’t do for the Steelers organization.

It should be an interesting match-up in 2 weeks in Tampa. The Steelers are currently favored by 6-7 points on most boards, but the Cardinals have been winning despite being the underdog in 2 of their 3 playoff games. Will that streak continue? Only time will tell.

The injury bug could play a major role in this weekend’s NFL Conference Championship Games.

On the positive side:

For the Arizona Cardinals, wide receiver Anquan Boldin, who missed last week’s victory over the Carolina Panthers with an injured hamstring, has been able to practice all week and is expected to play on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles. Boldin will not be 100%, but he should be able to run his normal pass routes and play a vital role in making the necessary possession catches. His presence will also take some pressure off of Larry Fitzgerald, who was expected to get double or triple coverage if Boldin did not see action.

For the Philadelphia Eagles, Brian Westbrook has been dealing with a knee injury all season long. Westbrook practiced on Friday for the first time all week and is expected to play a full game on Sunday. He will not be limited by the injury and was able to play with the pain last week in the victory over the Giants.

On the negative side:

The Ravens will be hurting on the road at Pittsburgh. Cornerback Samari Rolle is listed as doubtful after he suffered an injury in the Ravens win over the Titans last week. Pro Bowl Linebacker Terrell Suggs is listed as questionable with a sprained right shoulder. He has had the shoulder in a sling or wrapped to his body all week. He did have an MRI during the course of the week and has improved each day, but will likely be a game-time decision. He has never missed a game in his 6 years with the Ravens. Wide Receiver Derrick Mason is also listed as questionable with a knee injury. This has bothered Mason all year and he has not missed any playing time, so he is expected to suit up and be ready to go.

One of the more surprising injuries involves the Ravens’ Safety Ed Reed. He is bothered by a knee injury that limited him in practice on Wednesday and Thursday. Reed is expected to play a full game on Sunday, but you hate to see one of your defensive stars come up with an injury before one of the biggest games of the season. The Ravens will need Reed and his NFL-leading 9 interceptions at the top of his game if they expect to pull of the upset in Pittsburgh on Sunday.

The NFL’s Conference Championship Games are this Sunday. Are you ready to find out who is going to make it to the big game on February 1st? Here are the match-ups:

NFC – Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, January 18th at 3:00 PM EST

AFC – Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, January 18th at 6:30 PM EST

I’m going with the all-Pennsylvania Super Bowl. The Phillies just won the World Series in October 2008, so why not another team from Philly (or Pittsburgh – aren’t all Pennsylvania cities the same anyway?) winning the Super Bowl in February 2009?

Check out the ESPN crew’s picks here. Everyone likes the Steelers at home, but the group is divided in the NFC.

The Steelers won both contests against the Ravens during the regular season. Although both games were close, I’m looking for the Steelers Willie Parker to run wild on a tired Ravens defense and numerous mistakes from the Raven’s rookie QB Joe Flacco who will end up losing the game for Baltimore.

Philadelphia’s defense is just playing too well right now. While Arizona has played well at home and found a resurgent running game with Edgerrin James, I don’t think they have what it takes to put up enough points to win the game. Eagles QB Donovan McNabb and RB Bryan Westbrook each emerged from the Giants Divisional Playoff victory with no significant injuries, and that means the 2 will be ready to go off in Phoenix. Look for a 31-17 victory for the Eagles and a 2nd shot at the NFL title for McNabb.

Good luck – stay warm – and enjoy some exciting NFL action this weekend!

The Pittsburgh Steelers were the only home team to win in the NFL’s Divisional Playoffs this weekend, taking out the San Diego Chargers with a 35-24 victory. Chargers Quarterback Philip Rivers connected with Wide Receiver Vincent Jackson on a 41-yard touchdown pass on the opening drive of the game to give the Chargers an early 7-0 lead. That would be the last time the Chargers had reason to cheer during the long road playoff game. Just 5 minutes later, Steelers return-man Santonio Holmes to a Mike Scifres punt 67 yards to pay-dirt to tie the game at 7. And although the Chargers took a 10-7 lead on a Nate Kaeding 42-yard field goal in the 2nd quarter, the Steelers took a 14-10 lead into halftime when Steelers running back Willie Parker scored on a 3-yard touchdown run with just 40 seconds left in the 1st half. That set off a run of 21 straight points for the Steelers who turned a 10-7 deficit into a 28-10 4th quarter lead. Steelers Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hit Heath Miller on an 8-yard touchdown pass midway through the 3rd quarter and then Steelers Running Back Gary Russell extended the lead to 18 points with a 1-yard touchdown plunge right at the start of the 4th quarter. The Chargers had no answer for Willie Parker. Parker rushed the ball 27 times for 146 yards and 2 scores – the last of which sealed the victory with just 4 minutes left in the game. Roethlisberger was an efficient 17 of 26 for 181 yards and 1 touchdown. He did not throw an interception – good for a 98.4 passer rating.

Statistically speaking, Philip Rivers had a solid game on the road in a hostile environment for the Chargers. He completed 21 of 35 passes for 308 yards and 3 touchdowns. He had 1 interception – good for a 105.4 passer rating. Only problem was, his team wasn’t on the field enough to keep the Chargers in the game – the Steelers won the time of possession battle 36:30 to 23:30 and the Chargers ran only 1 offensive play in the 3rd quarter.

Next up for the Steelers is a battle against the division-rival Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers defeated the Ravens twice during the 2008 regular season, but the Ravens played the Steelers well in both contests. Home field advantage should help the Steelers, and the Steelers defense hopes to pester rookie quarterback Joe Flacco, who has played anything like a rookie quarterback during his 2008 inaugural campaign. It should be a fun, smash-mouth AFC Championship Game on Sunday in Pittsburgh – strap on your helmets tight, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride…

The Baltimore Ravens upset the Tennessee Titans in Nashville on Saturday on a 43-yard field goal by Matt Stover with only 53 seconds left in the game. The Ravens are poised to return to that 2000 NFL Championship form in a similar fashion – wild card team with a dominant defense, winning 3 playoff games on the road to advance to the Super Bowl. We’ll see if the Ravens can repeat that magic.

The Ravens forced 3 Titans turnovers which negated good statistical games from the Titans offense. Kerry Collins completed 26 of 42 passes for 281 yards. But Collins threw a costly interception in the red zone and did not have a touchdown pass. Chris Johnson had a good start to the divisional playoff game but was forced to leave in the 2nd quarter with a right ankle injury. Johnson scored the Titans only touchdown of the game on an 8-yard run on the game’s opening drive, and rushed for a total of 72 yards on 11 carries. In reserve, LenDale White rushed for 45 yards on 15 carries, but had a turnover that cost the Titans a chance to score in raven’s territory. Alge Crumpler also had a fumble for the Titans.

Ravens Quarterback Joe Flacco and the Ravens offense did just enough to get the victory. Flacco helped the Titans tie the game at 7 on a 48-yard touchdown pass to Derrick Mason. Flacco completed only half of his passes (11 for 22) for 161 yards, good for a 89.4 passer rating. Flacco is the only rookie quarterback to lead his team to 2 NFL playoff game victories. The Ravens also only had 50 rushing yards, but that was enough to help set up 2 field goals by Matt Stover in the 4th quarter. Stover connected from 21 yards out in the early part of the 4th quarter to give the Ravens a 10-7 lead. After the Titans tied the game at 10 on a Rob Bironas 27-yard field goal with 4:23 left in the game, Flacco orchestrated the drive that set up Stover’s 43-yard game-winning field goal.

Now it’s off to Pittsburgh for the AFC Championship. Although the Steelers defeated the Ravens in both regular season meetings (by a combined 7 points), the Ravens held their own in both contests and match up well against the physical Steelers. It should be a fun, grind it out football game. Are you ready for some smash-mouth football?!