Derrick Brooks doesn't get the assists that Ray Lewis gets, but look at the solo numbers. Every year, they're towards the top. He has no help.

Every offense knows how the Pats D can be beat. They do the same thing every week. The players just execute so well that it's effective. Vick is the same way.

Everyone can be beat. Running at Derrick Brooks is a no-no and the sorry linebackers and secondaries of the league have problems with Vick putting the D-coordinator in a bind when deciding how hard to rush the passer. If you rush Vick hard, he's already passed the linemen. If not, you give hime time to throw. Everyone's opted to keep rushing him very hard.

__________________

Ray Lewis is entirely too overrated with hugely inflated numbers. I dont want to hear how one player is so dominating that he stops whole teams but his team doesnt make the playoffs.

Jones had Kerse playing linebacker last week the majority of the game because of the scrambling qb the 46 defense was more of a 3-4. Against vick, the safety will always be in the box because his recievers can not catch. There is no queston on how hard to rush vick, thats ridiculous. These kinds of ideas come from playing teams like the rams. The key to containing vick is the way you come at him. The key is to not give him holes to run through, come evenly and contain. If this takes longer than a one man rush thats ok because the falcons recievers are a non issue. Good defenses have classically stopped vick.

That doesn't really make sense. Lewis can't play offense for the team. Seriously: Kyle Boller + poor receivers = no playoffs.

One team that was able to stop Vick this year was the Bucs. Their Cover 2 gave nothing passing-wise. And Vick wasn't able to run much. With that said, the Eagles have a chance to stop him because of their speed. However, their defense is notorious for blitzing, and if Vick can get out of the pocket, he will have plenty of yards.

Doesn't matter though, since the Vikes are gone, the Pats are taking home SB39.

Yeah I doubt Belichek could come up with a game plan to stop Vick! LMAO

no player is unstoppable, no player is more important than the team.

Welcome to New England, where heart and soul seem to beat talent every year.

No one can get through that Pats D. What'll define next week's game is:

The Steelers OLine giving the receivers enough time so Rothlisberger doesn't make bad selections that turn into INT That Pats D gives no margin of error to the QB. The Pats have this edge without a doubt.

The Pats need to control the TOPoss. The more Bettis is holding the ball, the more yards are picked up and the less time the Pats can give it to Dillon. I think the Steelers have this edge.

I'm taking the Pats -3. I'm stayin' away from this 37 O/U.

That being said, the Steelers got away with murder last week and at the beginning of the season, I said the final four would be the Falcons, Eagles, Pats, and Jets.

Eagles v. Pats in SB39 and the Eagles win.

I stick to that SB prediction after flip-flopping over the last month. (I should run for president.) My Jets prediction was looking good until they laid down mid-season and pissed on a horrible game last week after their D was almost perfect in that game.

DMcNabb is a great QB with a great line and a lot of time to throw the ball. As great as these D's are, the O/U is 41.5, I'd have to take the over and give the 4 points to the Falcons. But these numbers are gonna change over the next 5 days.

__________________

Patriots 31 to 7, you heard it here first folks!

Rothliesberger hasn't had a good game for weeks, and the steelers have been struggling (although winning) against mediocre teams.

The first meeting was an abherration, this was the pats first game minus their starting DBs (law went down early in the game), no Dillon, no Branch and not much film on Big Ben to study(don't underestimate this).

The order of my statements was confusing. I was talking about Derrick Brooks and the Buc's lack of playoff contention and Lewis being overrated seperately.

I don't agree. Teams have stopped vick repeatedly. Obviously Jones wont go in as he would against somebody like bulger, but that is common sense. It is just a different approach and something that a good defensive coordinator like Jones will take care of given the right talent(which the eagles have).

I dont see how the Steelers got away with murder either last week or in the first 1/3 of the season. Last week everything that could go wrong did. That is how the Jets got all but 3 of their points. A 40+ at Heinz is not a free shot. I dont care who you are it is probably one of the hardest in the league because of the excessive use and wind off the river. At the beginning of the season the Steelers strictly dominated both the eagles and the patriots. The was no contesting it.

He had a bad game last week against the jets, sat out against the bills and threw 74% for 200+ yds 2 td and a pick that was the result of a reciever deflecting the ball instead of catching it(hit as he was catching). The week before that he had 316 yds making 63% with 1 td and 2 picks(cant think that far back, but i recall one being his fault and one not), and this is the same game randle el thru at the goaline. The Steelers defense has been stellar recently allowing 7 or less defensively in the last 5 games. That is insane for a season where illegal contact went up more than 150%. The only games all season where the score was a blowout was the philly and new england games. The steelers dominate and impose their will through defense and run game.


What i love about next week's game is the tremendous respect both teams have for eachother and their general philosophy. They both take modest approaches to beat-em-up football. I hope the steelers win, but the patriots are also a very hardworking and respectable team. Either way, i see the winner of that afc game defeating the eagles in the superbowl.

when a reciever is hit as he was catching the ball and it deflects to another player, it is the QBs fault.

the qb puts it into single coverage on one of the top wide recievers in the league. Hines Ward losing a ball like that is loosing to a 2 outter on the river, its worth the risk.