Jan 29, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Randy Moss during media day in preparation for Super Bowl XLVII against the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

It’s media day at the Super Bowl in New Orleans, which means we are getting all sorts of quotes. One of the most controversial came from one of the most controversial players in the NFL’s history: San Francisco 49ers’ wide receiver Randy Moss.

“I do think I’m the greatest receiver ever to play this game,” Moss said.

Wait what? Ex-squeeze me? Uh, baking powder? Say it out loud, if you’ve seen Wayne’s World you get it.

That is right folks. The greatest to ever play the game.

He certainly was great, or at least above average. His stats are impressive:

• 982 receptions
• 15,292 yards
• 156 touchdowns
• 5x All Pro
• Record for most TDs in a season w/ 23

According to a tweet from Adam Schefter, Rice had a simple yet effective response.

“Put my numbers up against his numbers,” Rice said.

Ok, let’s do that.

• 1,549 receptions
• 22,895 yards receiving
• 197 touchdowns
• 12x All-Pro

Jerry Rice already beats Moss head to head in almost all statistical categories, of course Rice has a lot more games under his belt. But here is where Rice really runs away with this race, as if the 7 more All-Pro selections and statistics aren’t enough.

• Rated #1 Player of All-Time by NFL.com
• 3x Super Bowl Champion
• Super Bowl XXIII MVP
• 2x AP NFL OPOY
• 3x NFC OPOY

Randy Moss has a chance to finally win a Super Bowl, but unfortunately it’s highly doubtful that he’ll be a major impact on the game like Rice was in the 4 Super Bowls he’s played in.

I know, Moss has numerous records, and other accolades to his name, but a player who is known for antics and trouble causing. But seriously? I don’t think this is even close.

Maybe Moss meant “one of the greatest” because that’d certainly be true.

Jan 20, 2013; Foxboro, MA, USA; Baltimore Ravens free safety Ed Reed (20) walks out to the field for pregame warmups before the start of the AFC championship game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Ravens have been riding a wave of emotion through these playoffs. It all started when NFL veteran and Ravens’ team leader Ray Lewis announced that this would be his “last ride.” They’ve been underdogs almost every step of the way and have beat what arguably two of the best NFL quarterbacks ever in the process, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. They won on the road nonetheless. And maybe in time we’ll find out that they beat another quarterback who’ll some day join their ranks in Andrew Luck, when they hosted the Indianapolis Colts in Lewis’ final home game of his career.

The reward has been the Ravens first trip to the Superbowl since the year 2000 and for NFL veteran Ed Reed, it’s his first trip. Ed Reed joined the Ravens and became a focal point of their defense aside Ray Lewis in 2002, his rookie season. But unlike Lewis, Reed isn’t ready to wind his career down.

“I’ll be playing next year. Next question,” Reed said.

The draw of going out on top is something out of a fairytale, John Elway retired having won the Super Bowl for the second time. Maybe, Reed thinks the Ravens can do it again, or he can choose to join a team that has a shot since he is a free agent after this season, for example New England.

The Ravens could use the franchise tag to keep Reed, but their quarterback Joe Flacco is driving his price up this off season and he too will be a free agent this offseason.

It makes you wonder though, if he threw his name in the hat with Lewis and the “last ride” emotional momentum train, if that’d help secure his teams’ victory. The let’s not win it just for Lewis anymore, as players have seemingly gotten tired of, but now Reed as well.

But even if he plays in the NFL it could still be his “last ride” as a Raven.

If the Ravens win the Super Bowl, do you think Ed Reed will come back? And if so with who? Let us know below!

Feb 6, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; A general view of the Super Bowl MVP trophy and Vince Lombardi Trophy during the Super Bowl most valuable player and winning head coach press conference at the Super Bowl XLVI media center at the J.W. Marriott. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE

Last week we finally concluded our look at the schedules of all 32 teams so it’s time to take that information to the next level. This week, the records of each team will be used for a number of applications and we begin today with the most obvious use – playoff predictions.

First of all, let’s summarise who makes the playoffs according to the scheduling data:

AFC

• 1. Houston Texans – AFC South Winner
• 2. New England Patriots – AFC East Winner
• 3. Pittsburgh Steelers – AFC North Winner
• 4. Denver Broncos – AFC West Winner
• 5. Cincinnati Bengals – Wildcard 1
• 6. New York Jets – Wildcard 2

NFC

• 1. Philadelphia Eagles – NFC East Winner
• 2. Chicago Bears – NFC North Winner
• 3. San Francisco 49ers – NFC West Winner
• 4. New Orleans Saints – NFC South Winner
• 5. Green Bay Packers – Wildcard 1
• 6. Detroit Lions – Wildcard 2

Now that we have the teams in place, let’s take a look at the matchups.

Wildcard Week

• New York Jets (6) at Pittsburgh Steelers (3)

I expect this to be the ugliest game of the round with both teams basing their teams around defense. The main difference here is that Pittsburgh’s offense should be the better of the two by some margin and if this game comes down to offense Pittsburgh wins easily.

Winner – Pittsburgh Steelers

• Cincinnati Bengals (5) at Denver Broncos (4)

This is the most unpredictable game of the round. This prediction has Peyton Manning likely surviving the season which would challenge Cincinnati’s questionable defense but the Broncos own defense has plenty of holes. I’m going to back the younger Bengals squad to pull through as I’m expecting their defense, while inconsistent, to improve mightily from previous seasons.

Winner – Cincinnati Bengals

• Detroit Lions (6) at San Francisco 49ers (3)

This should be pretty back and forth with two hard-nosed defenses and two offenses that play very physically. The Lions have a very aerial based offense but the 49ers have an extremely good secondary that should be a match for them. Ultimately the Lions secondary will cost them this game as while Alex Smith is not a big arm quarterback the lack of depth to the Detroit corners in particular will make it difficult to contain the large number of high quality receivers San Francisco has this season.

Winner – San Francisco 49ers

• Green Bay Packers (5) at New Orleans Saints (4)

This is obviously the top matchup of the round. Two of the most high octane offenses in the league face off with both teams having aggressive but underperforming defenses. The over on total points in this game will hover around 100. I gave the edge to New Orleans due to having a more complete overall team although had the game been in Green Bay it would have been a different story.

Winner – New Orleans Saints

Divisional Playoffs

• Cincinnati Bengals (5) at Houston Texans (1)

This looks like one of those games that is a complete mismatch. Cincinnati has a pretty good offense but I expect their defense to have problems against teams with a strong running game and that’s going to be the Texans strong point this year. Arian Foster and Ben Tate should be the difference here putting the Texans through to the next round.

Winner – Houston Texans

• Pittsburgh Steelers (3) at New England Patriots (2)

This is always an entertaining matchup and a very tough game to try and predict. When I look at it I see the overwhelming offense of the Patriots and I see the dominating defense of the Steelers and I’m inclined to take Pittsburgh mainly because they have an offense that should be able to take advantage of the Patriots awful defense while their own defense contains Tom Brady just enough for a win.

Winner – Pittsburgh Steelers

• New Orleans Saints (4) at Philadelphia Eagles (1)

The Saints are once again in arguably the best game of the week as they take on the Eagles. Once again we have two top offenses and two aggressive but inconsistent defenses. This time however the Saints don’t come out on top – Philadelphia are too complete a team overall and if they storm through the season the way I think they will I expect them to beat this Saints team.

Winner – Philadelphia Eagles

• San Francisco 49ers (3) at Chicago Bears (2)

This is the game I personally would look forward to most. The Bears and 49ers defenses are almost a flashback to teams of the past but the difference will be that both teams have pretty good offenses too. I gave this one to Chicago although I have high expectations of both these teams and expect to be impressed by both all season.

Winner – Chicago Bears

Conference Championships

• Pittsburgh Steelers (3) at Houston Texans (1)

Here is the matchup that I really had to think about for a long time. For Houston you have the running duo of Tate and Foster who could get 2600 yards between them in the regular season, Andre Johnson who when healthy is one of the two best receivers in the league, Matt Schaub who has shown the ability to be a franchise quarterback and a very talented young defensive front seven who get after the quarterback every week. On the Steelers side you have a dominant aerial passing game with Antonio Brown and Mike Wallace capable of exploiting any opportunity given, Ben Roethlisberger who is the toughest quarterback in the league to bring down and is even better outside the pocket than he is inside, one of the toughest defensive lines in football and a secondary that includes a bunch of sensational players including Troy Polamalu who I am expecting a career year from. Give this one to Pittsburgh in a fight that could come down to who has the ball last.

Winner – Pittsburgh Steelers

• Chicago Bears (2) at Philadelphia Eagles (1)

What a game this is likely to be. Key matchups in this one will be the quarterback battle of Cutler vs Vick, the running backs Forte and McCoy trying to get past middle linebackers DeMeco Ryans and Brian Urlacher respectively, the Bears pass rush of Peppers and Idonje trying to get around the sometimes questionable Eagles offensive line plus two of the best return men in NFL history in DeSean Jackson and Devin Hester. I chose the Bears in this instance because I firmly believe in the Bears ability to get to the quarterback and in games where Michael Vick is taken out effectively the Eagles usually can’t get over the line.

Winner – Chicago Bears

Super Bowl

• Chicago Bears vs Pittsburgh Steelers

Predicting Super Bowls is always a risky business because it’s always about more than just the teams – the occasion can be overwhelming and provides that amazing atmosphere we all know and love. With that said, there must be a winner so here we go.

Both of these teams have outstanding leaders and outstanding leaders on defense. Both defenses are aging a bit but still get very good production from their veterans. Both defenses play that rough, in your face style from different formations with the Steelers using a modern 3-4 while the Bears are still using their old-fashioned Tampa 2 style but with a few new twists that have developed very well in the past couple of years as the team adapts to the new style of offense. Lawrence Timmons may not have the experience of the departed James Farrior but he’s a supreme talent all his own in the center of that linebacking corps although his opposite is arguably the best middle linebacker of this century – quality veteran Brian Urlacher.

Speaking of offense, there’s plenty of potential from both teams. Two of the strongest arms in the NFL on display from a pair of quarterbacks who while they have had some amazing seasons have yet to cement a legacy that would have them remembered as “legends” – not yet anyway. Both are supported by diverse but highly talented receivers. Brandon Marshall has been a multiple time Pro Bowler and with massive rookie Alshon Jeffery alongside as well as Devin Hester and Earl Bennett there’s certainly plenty of quality targets. For Pittsburgh you have a pair of prime young catchers in Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown who can both outstrip defenses and with Jerricho Cotchery and tight end Heath Miller working underneath there’s plenty for Big Ben to aim at.

The biggest difference between these two teams is the running game. By this stage you can expect Rashard Mendenhall to be back for Pittsburgh but it has to be said that he hasn’t been particularly special for a while now. I expect Isaac Redman to fall by the wayside too as we’ve seen glimpses of good play but he’s just not an NFL caliber starter. Jonathan Dwyer looked very good in limited action last season but even he isn’t that big time Pittsburgh runner and Chris Rainey is simply a gadget player. By contrast, the Chicago Bears running game is the strongest it has been in years. Matt Forte is probably the best catching running back in the league and now that he is coupled with the highly talented Michael Bush they have a 1-2 punch that arguably is only rivalled by Foster/Tate in Houston and maybe Charles/Hillis in Kansas City depending on how that partnership holds out.

Ultimately for me this game will come down to the offensive lines. You know both teams are going to throw everything out on defense and both teams have superior defensive lines so the offensive line’s ability to hold off the onslaught is what is going to be most important. For me, this is advantage Chicago. Pittsburgh are trending in the right direction especially with the drafting of elite guard David DeCastro but overall that line is still a mess.

As I said, there must be a winner so…

Super Bowl Champion – Chicago Bears

——————————————-

What’s your Super Bowl prediction? As always you can leave your comments and we’d love to hear from you. Tomorrow I’m going to take the predictions data and turn out a strength of schedule for you guys based on the actual results for a projected view of which teams have it easy or tough. Be sure to check back in with NFL Spin Zone for that.

Oct, 23, 2011; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers center Ryan Kalil (67) on the sidelines in the fourth quarter. The Panthers defeated the Redskins 33-20 at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-US PRESSWIRE

Confidence is a great thing for a professional athlete to have and Carolina Panthers center Ryan Kalil is not lacking in that department. Kalil took out a full page ad in today’s edition of the Charlotte Observer to excite Panthers fans and let them know that a Super Bowl victory parade will soon be coming to the streets of Charlotte.

The ad Kalil written ad appeared in the newspaper without the Panthers knowledge.

The Panthers are definitely a team headed in the right direction and the confidence without the locker room should resonate very well. If everyone can believe that the team will be rewarded  ”One hundred-percent, sterling silver victory. The Lombardi Trophy,” then they are on their way to ultimate victory.

Here is ad Kalil took out:

“]

[H/T: Will Brinson on Twitter @willbrinson

The Panthers will need to hope that quarterback Cam Newton can avoid a sophomore slump and that the team can improve on last season’s 6-10 record if they hope to make Kalil’s prediction come true. But hey, with the New Orleans Saints crippled by NFL punishment, perhaps this could be the year that the Panthers are set up for an unbelievable run.

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Sep 20, 2009; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs helmet on the field during the game against the Oakland Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

The Kansas City Chiefs’ 2011 campaign was a major disappointment, after entering the season with big expectations following their surprise 10-6 record in 10-6. However, the Chiefs were plagued with a flurry of devastating injuries and it quickly was realized that another first-place finish was not in the cards.

Early in the season, the Chiefs lost arguably their best offensive player and defensive player due to ACL injuries — Jamaal Charles and Eric Berry, respectively. They also lost rising tight end Tony Moeaki and quarterback Matt Cassell to the injured reserve list. The team is now hoping to rebound.

But what can the Chiefs expect in 2012? If you listen to Sports Illustrated’s Tom Mantzouranis, the Chiefs can expect big things.  Mantzouranis wrote:

“This is a very talented team, there’s no doubt about that. That talent alone should get it to the playoffs easily, even in an AFC West that has a reloading Chargers and a Peyton Manning-led Broncos team.

But how far the Chiefs go in the postseason is up to Cassel and Crennel. Both are good enough to not get in the way. But can they be even better? If so, I dare say that the Chiefs have a chance to be legitimate Super Bowl contenders.”

Obviously, if the Chiefs would hope to become a serious contender, they would need to prove that their star players are fully healthy and ready to contribute this season. It is crucial for Charles and Berry to be in top form if the team is going to move forward. Cassell will also have to prove that he is just more than an average quarterback. He could be the key to the team’s success.

In the offseason, Kansas City brought in some excellent talent to help the team build on their 2-1 finish in 2011. The team added Peyton Hillis, Kevin Boss, Eric Winston, Stanford Routt and Dontari Poe. All of the players should be contributors this season.

I’m not sold on the Super Bowl contender status for Kansas City, but they should definitely be a playoff team in 2012.

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Sep 2, 2010; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady (12) during the second half against the New York Giants at the New Meadowlands Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim O

With the NFL schedule now released, there is a pretty clear winner in terms of who has the easiest schedule – the New England Patriots.

There are three crucial elements to how tough a schedule is – the first four games, the last three games and the three weeks involving their bye week. The rest of the games matter of course but in terms of scheduling the first three set the tone for the season, the last three games show how tough the road into the playoffs will be and the position of the bye week determines how top or bottom heavy the schedule is as well as the fact that the game before and game after the bye is always important with helping momentum.

In terms of these three criteria, the Patriots couldn’t ask for much better. They start the season on the road at Tennessee and then the next three games are all in the northeast – at home to the Cardinals, at home to the Ravens on Sunday Night Football and then on the road at Buffalo. In terms of the first four teams, the only one that scares you is Baltimore although perhaps they shouldn’t given the number of personnel they lost this offseason and the way that defense is aging. In terms of travel, the first four games are a breeze.

To end the season, the Patriots first have a home Sunday Night Football matchup against the 49ers, travel down to Florida to play Jacksonville before coming back home to face the Dolphins. Playing against a 49ers team who will be pushing for a playoff berth is no joke but the Patriots will have the advantage of not only facing San Francisco at home so it’s the 49ers who have to travel from coast to coast but also they get to play at home in the cold which in a crucial game like this will be a massive advantage. This may or may not be the game that gets them into the playoffs but considering that their last two games are against the Jags and Fins, you have to say that the easy finish will put even less pressure on the Pats in the 49ers game.

Finally, the bye week – this  is where New England have really struck it lucky. First of all, their bye falls on week 9 which is absolutely perfect. The closer to the middle of the season the better and the Patriots have lucked out on getting their slapbang in the middle. Now you look at the schedule around it – before the bye they are on the road to the lowly St Louis Rams and then after the bye they have a comfortable home game against Buffalo. Two games against low ranked teams on either side of the perfect bye week placement – what more could you ask for?

In terms of the teams the Patriots will face this year, the toughest games won’t be until late in the year. The Ravens should provide a challenge in week 3 but their personnel losses, problems in the secondary and aging defensive leaders should make that game more routine. The two games against the Jets this year fall on weeks 7 and 12 but these may not be considered a challenge either given how easily the Patriots handled them last year. The only really tough games in the schedule come in the last quarter with Houston in week 14 and San Francisco week 15. Lucky for New England that they get both of those games at home.

In terms of easy schedules, I defy anyone to suggest that a team other than New England has the easiest schedule. Is this a good thing? It should be – but you never know. The team with the easiest schedule has missed the playoffs in each of the last five seasons which includes  – you guessed it – the New England Patriots in 2008 when they finished 11-5. Now that was the year of Tom Brady’s big injury but it just goes to show that you never know what could happen.

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Oct 25, 2009; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) dives for a first down in the second half against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals won 45-10. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-US PRESSWIRE

The Super Bowl is behind us so now we look forward to next season. What better way to do it than with some bold Super Bowl XLVII matchups. Here we go!

1. Cincinnati Bengals vs Chicago Bears

The Bengals are gonna be a real dark horse in the NFL in 2012. After striking gold in the draft last year and making some smart moves — including moving Carson Palmer to Oakland for a couple of very good picks — the Bengals are poised to assault the dominance of the Steelers and Ravens in the AFC North. With picks at 17 and 21, expect the Bengals to bolster their roster in what is a very strong draft class. My latest mock has them taking Devon Still and Cordy Glenn. Glenn will certainly be a player that Cincinnati will target. Although he may no fall as far as I have projected him, due to teams trading picks and changing the landscape a bit.

On the other side, Chicago is a team that is just about there. They always seem to have the talent and capability to get to a Super Bowl, but fall short in one way or another. This team has great strength in it’s defense with veterans like Brian Urlacher, Julius Peppers and Charles Tillman. They have some studs on offense too including much maligned quarterback Jay Cutler and stunning running back Matt Forte. This is one team that people always wonder about in the preseason. Perhaps 2012 is the year they put it all together.

Final Score – Cincinnati 22 Chicago 13

2. Denver Broncos vs Philadelphia Eagles

This one could be known as the “Saviour vs Prodigal Son” Super Bowl, with Tebow and Vick facing off.

The entire country seems oddly mesmorised by Tim Tebow. There wasn’t a week that went by in the regular season that there wasn’t a hundred different news stories or speculations or denounciations that were centred around the former Florida Gators quarterback. To me, this team’s strength in terms of it’s play isn’t Tebow at all. It’s their defense and their rushing attack. Von Miller was the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2011 and he thoroughly deserved it. Flipping the coin, veteran Champ Bailey has shown that, while he’s not quite as fast, he still has all the talent. Denver’s defense kept games close and allowed Tebowmania to hit as the Broncos won close game after close game as either Matt Prater kicked Denver to victory or Willis McGahee plowed his way through.

Philadelphia is a completely different story. With Michael Vick at the helm, this team was marked as the most dangerous in the NFL at the beginning of the 2011 season after they signed a slew of free agents to their defense and removed Vick’s competition by sending Kevin Kolb to Arizona. But for all the hullabaloo, the Eagles played meekly and fell by the wayside relatively early. In this scenario, I’m giving them a mulligan and saying that this was a team that needed time to bond who were sorely affected by the lockout. They’ll have some changes, with DeSean Jackson possibly gone, but Jeremy Maclin is an excellent receiver who Vick trusts. The Eagles have a cupboard full of weapons with Riley Cooper and Brent Celek playing well late in the year, alongside LeSean McCoy, who is one of the most dangerous running backs in the NFL. Couple this with a blitzkrieg defense that features names like Nnamdi Asomugha, Jason Babin and Trent Cole and you have a team that has the highest upside in the league.

Final Score – Denver 24 Philadelphia 38

3. Tennessee Titans vs New Orleans Saints

There’s dancing on Bourbon Street as the Saints break the string of Super Bowl hosts failing to make it to the big dance. But how is that bold? Wait and see.

We start with the Titans, who find new life in 2012 under new quarterback Jake Locker. I was one of the few who was not surprised to see Locker’s name read so early in the 2011 NFL Draft. I wasn’t even particularly surprised by the team, given their need for a quarterback. After a year of sitting behind veteran Matt Hasselbeck, Locker gets his chance to lead the Titans and he doesn’t disappoint. He plays so well, in fact, that the Titans release Hasselbeck midseason who then goes on to play the last half with a team with quarterback needs. Then there are two stars who had a bad time in 2011 for different reasons – Chris Johnson and Kenny Britt. Britt looked like he was going to break all kinds of records before he was sidelined due to injury. Johnson, on the other hand, went from record breaker to alsoran. In 2012, both see a massive resurgence as the Titans offense comes together to be one of the best in the league. The only thing that holds them back is their spluttering defense.

The Saints come into 2012 with alot of expectations on their shoulders. With Drew Brees signed to a new contract and the Super Bowl in the Superdome, feeling is high that the Who Dat fans won’t need their paper bags. Brees carries the team on his back and pushes at the record books once again, ably assisted by his stout rushing attack of Thomas, Ingram, Sproles and Ivory. The defense have a new spring in their step, too, as Steve Spagnuolo changes things up. There are enough holes in the team that they have their problems, but they make the Super Bowl — marking the first time ever that a Super Bowl team gets to play in their home stadium.

Final Score – Tennessee 32 New Orleans 35

Got any bold Superbowl XLVII matchups of your own? Post a comment below or hit me up on Twitter @Gizzy_DJ and remember – you heard it here first.

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