CAFFERKY: The Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Ravens will be playing in Dallas for this year’s Super Bowl with the Ravens holding the Lombardi trophy once again.
Quarterback Joe Flacco will be one of the most improved players we have seen in recent years now that he has Anquan Boldin and TJ Houshmandzadeh to throw to — not to mention an amazing dual-threat running back in Ray Rice.
On defense, they are getting old, but linebacker Ray Lewis is still a beast in the middle and safety Ed Reed should return in week seven in full form. With those guys leading a defense that includes dynamic pass rushers Haloti Ngata and Terrell Suggs, don’t discredit them just yet.
JACKSON: Super Bowl XVL will be the battle of the Manning brothers, as the Indianapolis Colts take on the New York Giants.
Last season, many preseason prognosticators picked this matchup for the big game and it looked possible, until both team’s defenses suffered injuries too big to overcome.
With both teams healthy entering this season, it’s a completely different ball game. The Colts not only return Sanders but add some youth to their pass rushing unit, which already includes Dwight Freeney, with first-round draft pick Jerry Hughes.
The Giants’ defense got a major overhaul too, with the addition of defensive coordinator Perry Fewell, all-pro safety Antrel Rolle, safety Deon Grant and veteran linebacker Keith Bulluck.
And remember that Giants defensive line that beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl three years ago? It’s back. Defensive ends Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora are finally healthy, and with eight solid defensive linemen, including first-round pick Jason Pierre-Paul, the G-Men can finally rotate like they once did along the line to beat the league’s best offense.
On the offensive side of the ball, Eli and Peyton Manning have two of the most talented young receiving units in the league. They finally have had time to develop chemistry with Steve Smith and Hakeem Nicks in New York, as well as Pierre Garcon, Austin Collie and Anthony Gonzalez in Indianapolis.
The Giants’ running game is finally healthy, with Ahmad Bradshaw coming off two surgically repaired feet, looking to be the breakout player of the year in the NFC East. Brandon Jacobs appears finally healthy and is fresh after a light preseason workload.
The Colts’ running game is back too, after receiving heavy praise all preseason, thanks to a tag-team of Joseph Addai and Donald Brown that finally looks to have it together.
When it’s all said and done, these two teams will be in the Super Bowl. These two teams know how to win Super Bowls. These two teams have players on their team that know how to win Super Bowls. Not the Jets, not the Vikings — the Colts and the Giants. Mark it down.I look for the Giants to pull this one out, with Eli Manning beating out his older brother for his second ring.
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A version of this article appeared in the Sep 9 issue of the Collegiate Times.
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What a farce!!! All this "stuff" for an hour before the game. What makes YOU think that the general public wants to see/hear lousy music, interviews with the likes of Brett Farve, and all of the other junk you have aired prior to rhe first game of the season? The piece on Drew Breese and New Orleans was O.K., but twangy guitars, off pitch singing and all that hoopla has no place in a football broadcast!
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