Drew Brees Is Awesome

OK, I know we're not exactly breaking news or giving hard hitting opinion with this article - but, I came across a couple sweet videos about the reigning Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees that are worth seeing. And, what the heck, since I'm a Saints fan and I am still basking in the glow of the Super Bowl XLIV victory... why couldn't I just put together an article featuring the divine revelation that is Drew Brees.

First, here's the highlights from the Super Bowl where he tied a record for completions including going 29/32 in the last 3 quarters and 7/7 on the final drive to 7 different receivers.

Yes, he's an accurate quarterback. But, how accurate is he? This is a mind-blowing Sport Science clip that shows the amazing precision in which Drew Brees can throw a football, even more accurate than Olympic archers. Wait, sorry, my high school Physics teacher would scold me for confusing precision and accuracy. What I mean to say is he is both accurate, and precise! Wow, I'm a nerd. I feel like the Alton Brown of sports blogging.

Yes, obviously the guy is a great QB, yada yada yada. We knew that, but did we know Drew Brees could do this...

Or this...

Home runs from both sides of the plate! He beat Andy Roddick in tennis as a youngster, he can dunk a ball over the goal posts, he can outdo Olympic athletes, and now this?

What's next for this guy? He's already known for his work on and off the field. He's got a trophy wife and what the nation considers to be the cutest kid in the universe. Hello, he led the Saints to the Super Bowl title for God's sake! Now he's taking on the Madden Curse. The SI jinx was nothing for this guy, the Madden Curse will be like a walk in Audubon Park. My bet is that he'll be able to break it pretty easily... and by that I'm hoping that he overcomes the jinx that I just put on him. Perhaps that nickname of Breesus is really justified.

Well... I take that back... he can truly earn that nickname when he leads the Cubs to a World Series title, then we'll know he's the second coming and the apocalypse is near. 2012 is right around the corner you know and let's face it, they can use a switch hitter in the middle of the lineup...

7 Things We Missed This Weekend

Due to our extended absence covering the NCAC Swimming Championships in Canton, OH, there is a lot in the sports world that we need to get caught up on RSS nation! I will say that we had a better than expected time at the swim meets, and I discovered that swimming may be the toughest sport to do play by play for! Luckily we survived, and it actually was quite fun. While Snowmageddon 2010 continues in central Ohio, here's 7 Things We Missed This Extended Weekend!

1. NBA All-Star Game

-The largest crowd ever to watch a hoops game showed up at Jerry Jones palace for the 2010 All-Star Game. The NBA's version of the ASG is by far the best and most entertaining in all of sports and Sunday night's game showed why. The spectacle was one of the cooler sights that I've seen, and it takes away from David Stern's news that the league will lose 400 million dollars this year! (BTW, don't be surprised if we hear about both NBA and NFL labor trouble soon). The game was its usual barrage of highlights until late fouls made it a free throw shooting contest. Dwyane Wade won MVP and the East won 141-139, roll the highlights!

2. Slam Dunk Contest

-While the ASG is better than ever, the slam dunk contest is coming off perhaps the worst competition in the history of the event. When your star for the evening is Nate Robinson, you know there are issues. In looking at the lack of star power in the field, you knew it would take something awesome to make this a memorable slam dunk. In the end, it underwhelmed completely as Lil' Nate took his 3rd title. The dunk contest doesn't need fixed, just like the HR derby or any other skills contest. The actual nuts and bolts are still as good of an idea as ever. What it does need are the stars of the game to step up and save it before it fades away into oblivion. The dunk contest won't be able to survive the Nate Robinsons and Shannon Browns of the world too much longer. Wait a sec, wasn't this guy supposed to be in it?

3. Daytona 500

-A pothole?? At Daytona?? Seriously?? NASCAR is coming into a make or break year as far as its popularity on the national stage and 2 hours of delays during your Super Bowl of racing is not the best way to start the year. Could you imagine last week if Peyton Manning and Drew Brees had to sit in the locker room for an extra 2 hours (let alone wheeling The Who on and off stage) because of a hole in the turf? Jamie McMurray was able to hold off Little E in an exciting end, but two more problems arose for NASCAR. Another year without a big name winner, and more calamity and the end of the green/white/checkered finish. NASCAR has always been ahead of the curve (get it?) as far as rules and standards go, and they'll need to revisit plenty in the coming weeks.

4. College BBall Comings & Goings

-Coming: KU and UK - 1/2 in the polls and still with only 1 loss. They both beat Top 15 teams this week in Texas and Tennessee respectively.

Going: Texas - 5 losses out of 8 to drop them from #1 to #17 in the polls.

Coming: Ohio State - blowout win on the road at Illinois. With POY candidate Evan Turner healthy, the Bucks are a legit darkhorse

Going: West Virginia - two losses to ranked Big East teams, while tough games, this team may not be a true title contender

Coming: Big XII - Texas A&M and Baylor make the Top 25 this week while they also have strong teams like Missouri and Oklahoma, they may be the deepest conference in the country.

Going: Cornell - sorry Nard dog, the Big Red's stay in the Top 25 lasted about as long as your engagement to Angela. Maybe this video will make Cornell fans feel better...

5. NHL = No Hockey League... For 2 Weeks At Least

-Is the Olympic break a good or bad thing for the NHL? Being a casual hockey fan who checks out the occasional game and tunes in for the Stanley Cup playoffs, it's a good thing. I'll watch a lot more hockey at the Olympics than I would during the regular season. I'll get to know players that I would not care about seeing during the regular season. The Winter Olympics gives hockey a much needed attraction and attention that a normal regular season schedule would not bring. It would be foolish for the NHL to abandon the Winter Olympics because the NHL gets more focus when they aren't playing this time of year. On another note, we were at this sweet game in the 5th row yesterday between the Blackhawks and Blue Jackets. The NHL actually does put on a good show at times!

6. Epic Oprah Fail

-What could possibly put a damper on the Saints winning the Super Bowl? How 'bout Oprah trying to wipe Drew Brees' birthmark off his face...

7. Epic Torch Fail

-What could be even more awkward than #6? How 'bout an epic fail with hundreds of millions of eyes watching, and Canada's greatest athlete looking like he's going to set a stadium on fire with the Olympic flame, check out the hilarious link and Gretzky's reaction about a minute in.

NFC Championship Saints Fan Diary: Vol. 3 - Facing Favre

Today brings us to Part III of my Saints fan diary. In Part I and Part II we covered the Divisional win and what it means to Saints fans to finally host the NFC Championship. Today, we begin to turn our attention to the matchup between the Saints and the Vikings starring the evil Brett Favre. Ok, maybe he's not really evil, maybe he's even a good guy to sit down and have a brew with, but I sure as heck wish he would just go away.

By now you've heard all the punditry proclaim that this Vikings season with that #4 guy is the perfect Hollywood script for the good ol' boy to ride into the sunset on a white stallion. I've seen tweets and columns talking about the media's love of Favre, and the blogosphere's hatred for him. Like always, the truth falls somewhere in the middle... but I'm more inclined to be a part of the anti-Favre crowd. I know that not everyone is going to gush over my team, or my favorite player like Favre. But is it jealousy that causes the angst and anger from fans and bloggers, or are there legit reasons? From my perspective as a Saints fan, NFL fan, and microscopic part of the blogosphere, here are 4 reasons to not love Brett...

1) Everybody Else Loves Him

-It's like people living in Columbus being Michigan fans. Or folks in Boston growing up and rooting for the Yankees. Sometimes, it just feels better to go against the grain. And, when you hear about how great and wonderful someone is for 20 years, there comes a point when you just get tired of it all. Especially when that person's reputation has been built up to a godlike status while ignoring other traits that would bring down 99% of athletes, such as...

2) The Waffling

-I don't have a problem with folks wanting to play football into their 40s. If Willie Mays wants to stumble around in centerfield for the Mets, it is his right. But, for many years, Favre has held the media and the sports world by the puppet strings to gain attention for his months of decision making, retirements, and unretirements. You didn't see any anti-Favre backlash until all of this Packers-Jets-Vikings nonsense developed, well, except from Bears fans. I'm sure if you bottled Favre's false tears from his many semi-retirement, close to retirement, and retirement press conferences you could water the Sahara.

3) The Narcissist

-Can you tell that this guy loves himself? All of the constant running around like he won the Super Bowl for every TD pass? But hey, at least he controlled himself while running up the score against the Cowboys last week... oh, wait, he didn't? Sorry. It seems that all the talk about acting like you've been there before goes out the window when it comes to the biggest showboat I've ever seen. Heck, the guy even has to turn his ability to hold an entire franchise hostage into a lame Sears commercial. It's like he knows the commercial shines a light on his ridiculous retirement act, but knows he can get away with it because he's Brett Favre and he's just so funny! And have you seen him fill a pair of Wrangler's? No wonder you have to wipe the drool off of Trent Dilfer's mouth every time Favre comes on ESPN. To top it all off, Favre decided to piggy back off of "Pants on the Ground" after last week's win! Somehow he made a song about young men and their droopy pants about his own personal success! It boggles the mind!

4) The Hypocrite

-This is the biggest thing that annoys me about Favre - he's an enormous hypocrite. Leaving Green Bay didn't bother me because he wanted to play and they wanted to move on. But, leaving New York like he did by manipulating his 2nd retirement left a bad taste in the mouths of a lot of people (not to mention his Jets teammates). Then, when he showed up to Minnesota on a white cloud after training camp, it sent my mind back to 2005 when Favre called out WR Javon Walker for holding out of mini camp. If you'll take a look at the article, you'll see that Favre calls out Walker for not being a "team player" and that if more people held out, "the game would be ruined." (Click here for some other examples)

This guy has a heck of a nerve. Favre broke ranks and called out a teammate for wanting a small portion of the millions that he has soaked in all these years. Are you kidding me? Have you ever heard another example of a player calling out another player like that? Please. And then, the same Brett Favre who didn't want to see a teammate paid, and openly criticized him for skipping mini-camp skipped mini-camp and training camp with the Vikings!!! I wonder what that first conversation was like between Favre, Rosenfels, and Tavaris Jackson...

Favre: Hello, I'm Brett Favre. Who the %#@$ are you?

Tavaris: Hi Brett, I'm T-Jack, thank you for coming in and ruining my chance at being a starting QB. You know, I haven't had the best start to my career, but by holding your clipboard I know that I will be much better off in the long run.

Sage: Yea, yea, yea. And, I got traded here, not to have a chance to compete, but because I wanted to be your emergency QB. Forget about that whole skipping training camp thing, we know that everybody loves you Brett. We know that you are 40, and that you are so good you don't need to practice with your teammates or anything.

Tavaris: Making a mockery of a team concept is no issue with us. Oh, and don't worry about what Coach Childress says, just call whatever play you want Brett.

Favre: Sage can you take this bag to my private dressing room? I don't like sharing a locker room with normies. Oh, and it's 25 dollars for an autograph.

Losing to Brett Favre and seeing him lift the Halas Trophy in the Superdome is my own personal doomsday scenario. For me, the Saints and Drew Brees are the anti-Favre. Brees is a QB who is not about just himself, but his team and his city. A guy who was too short, too injured, and not a big enough star to be an elite QB.

The Saints also have guys that needed second chances like Brees and Jeremy Shockey and Anthony Hargrove. Undrafted players like Marques Colston and Pierre Thomas. Professionals who play without fanfare and constant adoration like Vilma, Fujita, Sharper, and Smith.

For the Saints to come this far and be beaten by somebody who embodies the anti-team concept would be a bitter pill to swallow. For long suffering Saints fans, we had to live through Montana and Young's 49ers in the NFC West and were always held down by teams with more talent and more glamour. Losing to Favre's Vikings means being beaten by another star QB and another season that felt good for a while but ultimately fell short.

For this Saints fan, Sunday is the day I've waited on for 2 decades. A chance to finally make it to the Super Bowl. And, if Drew Brees can lift that George Halas trophy and send Brett Favre into another phony retirement, it'll make the historic day even more sweeter.

In our next installment we'll take an in-depth preview of the game itself. What are the matchups and storylines to watch in the NFC Championship? Find out at RSS.

Hot off the Grill - NFL Week 6 Preview

It was a busy Saturday for Y1 and myself as we were at our alma mater, Ohio Wesleyan University, to broadcast a D3 soccer doubleheader. Junior F Tyler Wall (above) led the national #1 men's team to a 6-0 shallacking of the College of Wooster. With that, we only have time for an abbreviated Hot off the Grill Preview, so hope you like those steaks a little rare.

Big Kielbasa's Game Of the Week - New York Giants (5-0) @ New Orleans (4-0)

Undoubtedly, the big game in the NFL is the only battle of unbeatens as the Giants travel to the Superdome to take on the Saints. Once again, the quarterbacks are in the spotlight, and why wouldn't they be? No two are playing better so far than Eli Manning and Drew Brees. Both teams also boast stout defenses, so this game might come down to a big play on special teams. Those expecting a shootout should tamper their expectations, as both defenses will do enough to stop the other. In the end, the Saints home-field advantage and Eli's balky ankle sees them over, in a hard-fought win. PICK-SAINTS

Beer Brat's Spotlight Game Of the Week - Denver (5-0) at San Diego (2-2)

Our spotlight game involves... wait, the Denver Broncos?? That's what we said last week, but despite our best efforts to jinx the Broncos, they won again. Now, they play another crucial game against division rival San Diego. This week really is a must-win for the Chargers, or else they risk falling several games behind the Broncos. The pressure will really start to mount on Norv Turner if his offense continues to struggle and the defense remains lifeless. Unfortunately for the Chargers, it doesn't seem as if they are playing with any emotion this year. Stick with the hot hand, even if it's Kyle Orton. PICK-BRONCOS

Chorizo's Upset Of the Week - Kansas City (0-5) at Washington (2-3)

-Ok, so one of these terrible teams has to win finally, right? Which one though? Let's try to find one winless team who can get on the board this week. Looking around, the best bet is taking the winless Chiefs at the equally crappy Redskins. Of course, this pick probably says more about the state of the Redskins than the Chiefs, but what the heck? Let's say Matt Cassell finally plays up to that ridiculous contract and finds Dwayne Bowe for a couple of scores (fantasy points for me!). PICK-CHIEFS

Andouille's UTR Game - Baltimore (3-2) @ Minnesota (5-0)

-The Ravens started out the season as one of the NFL's darlings, but they've lost two in a row and face a tough road game at undefeated Minnesota. The Ravens gave up their first 100-yard rusher last week in what seems like years against...Cedric Benson? Are you sure about that?Ok, we'll have to double check that, but regardless, you know Adrian Peterson will have a bullseye on his back this week. So, it will be up to the old man to beat the Ravens, and here's saying he finally plays his age this week. PICK-Ravens

Hot Dog Of The Week - Falcons QB Matt Ryan

As much as it pains me to say this, Matt Ryan is going to have a huge game tonight against the Bears. In last year's big comeback win, Ryan really asserted himself as a QB to watch in the league. He threw for over 300 yards and a TD and led his team down the field with 11 seconds left to win the game. The Bears secondary is even more suspect this year, and playing at home on the Sunday Night stage, Ryan will shine. Expect a similar performance tonight as the Falcons lay their claim as one of the best in the NFC.

Extra Toppings -

-There's only so many times we can remind you of how many bad teams there are in the league. So, let's use our extra toppings segment to examine the Rush Limbaugh controversy from this week. Limbaugh, the controversial talk radio host, was basically blackballed by the media and the Players Association from being a part of a St. Louis Rams ownership bid. Let's take politics out of the equation for a minute and look at the real issues. On one hand, Limbaugh has made some outrageous statements regarding African-Americans and the NFL. Calling a sport a battle between the Crips and the Bloods isn't going to endear you to a lot of its players. And while his Donovon McNabb comments may have been exaggerated a bit, they still show a propensity for creating controversy (especially race-based) that gave many in the NFL pause. So, it's understandable that Don Goodell didn't want to touch Limbaugh with a ten-foot pole, creating an even more polarizing version of Mark Cuban that would make him lose sleep at night.

Still, how Limbaugh was railroaded by other quotes that he didn't actually say was troubling. The way respected journalists like Mike Wilbon blindly followed the likes of Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson was troubling. You may disagree with Limbaugh's political views, but players union chief DeMaurice Smith insinuating Limbaugh's ownership would be a step back towards slavery was equally ridiculous. Would the same have happened to a controversial liberal, maybe? Is Limbaugh any less controversial than players who willingly kill dogs, shoot themselves in the leg, or kill people while driving drunk? Should Keith Olbermann and his equally inflammatory, but liberal views be associated with the league by being on NBC's coverage, probably not. But, I think the lesson from this complicated episode is that everyone in this hyper 24/7 sports media needs to relax. Limbaugh had a right to be vetted as part of an ownership group like any other American, but he certainly is not entitled to it. Those opposing him have a right to express their opinions, but not to the point of repeating out-and-out lies. But for all of this to go down in public in a week's time felt like a rush (pun-intended) to judgement. All told, it's a reminder how exclusive the NFL is and how protective the league's hierarchy and national sportswriters are of their exclusive club. If the media, players, or owners don't want to let you in, you have no chance.

Randall's Got His Eye On You... Titans HC-Jeff Fisher

Jeff Fisher is the longest tenured coach in the league, but he's facing an 0-6 start for the first time in his career. And, to make matters worse, he plays at New England, who will be looking to rebound after their OT loss at Denver last Sunday. The Titans look like a shell of their former selves, nowhere near their inflated 13-3 record last year. If you look at last season, they got an unbelievable performance from a defense that now is without Albert Haynesworth and coordinator Jim Schwartz. On offense, Kerry Collins has come back to earth as teams are daring him to beat him. Fisher needs to rally the troops for a big win tonight to keep false playoff hopes alive, or else risk having to turn the reigns over to legit headcase Vince Young. If that happens, all bets are off on whether Fisher returns next season.

That concludes our Hot off the Grill Preview. We'll be back this week with more of our Decade Series, as seen on SI's Hot Clicks. Enjoy your football Sunday, and until next time, it's bye for now!