Super Bowl XLIII - Will It Rank Among the Greats?

There isn't a covert formula. A mysterious benchmark has not been licensed by the NFL. As far as I know, there isn't a classified criterion by which all other Super Bowls are measured.

But, what if there was? What if you were able to create the ultimate recipe for the greatest Super Bowl every played on the planet. What would be your ingredients?

Here are mine:

1. Two 5-star quarterbacks -- In SB I, you had Bart Starr and Len Dawson. SB III featured Namath and Unitas. SB's X and XIII showcased Terry Bradshaw and Roger Staubach. SB XIX had Montana and Marino. SB XXI was led by Phil Simms and John Elway. SB XXIV was highlighted by Elway and Montana. In SB XXXII, you had one for the ages between Favre and Elway. Despite the scores, these battles were epic.

2. Two brilliant head coaches -- Stram and Lombardi (I). Landry and Shula (VI). Landry and Noll (X and XIII). Shula and Gibbs (XVII). Shula and Walsh (XIX). Dan Reeves and Bill Parcells (XXI). Gibbs and Reeves (XXII). Walsh and Reeves (XXIV). Parcells and Mike Holmgren (XXXI). Mike Shanahan and Holmgren (XXXII). Shanahan and Reeves (XXXIII). Bill Belichick and Dick Vermeil (XXXVI). Belichick and Tom Coughlin (XLII). Sideline chess matches are vital.

3. Balance -- There's nothing like two teams entering this Holy Grail of championship games each riding a tidal wave of momentum while hitting on all cylinders on both sides of the ball. Typically, these battles are back and forth and their fates decided in the closing seconds. SB X & XIII (Cowboys/Steelers). SB XXIII (49ers/Bengals). SB XXV (Giants/Bills). SB XXXIV (Rams/Titans). SB XXXVIII (Patriots/Panthers). And, who can forget last year's SB XLII between the undefeated Patriots and a very annointed Giants team. These games left you breathless and exhilarated no matter who you were pulling for.

4. The Cinderella Factor -- One of the greatest elements that you can mix in to a Super Bowl is a team that defies logic by overcoming incredible odds by playing on the last Sunday of the season...and winning. Last year's SB XLII featured these pesky Giants who would simply not go away and ended up shocking the world by defeating the 18-0 Patriots. Other heavy underdogs to win were in SB XL (Steelers over Seahawks), SB XXXII (Broncos over Packers), SB XXV (Giants over Bills), SB XVIII (Raiders over Redskins), and of course, SB III (Jets over Colts).

5. Hall of Fame Broadcasters - Being guided through a Super Bowl by a high-caliber play-by-play announcer and color analyst is the perfect seasoning. There have been some great ones during Super Bowl history: Curt Gowdy, Pat Summerall, Dick Enberg, Frank Gifford, Al Michaels, Jim Nantz, John Madden, Merlin Olsen, and Tom Brookshier. These are all great men to put in the booth, but my personal favorite would be Enberg/Madden.

6. Halftime entertainment - In the very beginning, halftime shows were high school or college marching bands. There was also some choirs sprinkled in there. Then, you saw the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Chubby Checker and Smokey Robinson. The shows grew and you started seeing sensations like Aerosmith, Michael Jackson, Gloria Estefan, Stevie Wonder, and Phil Collins. There were also those who made you reach for the Pepto Bismol: Britney Spears, New Kids on the Block, and then the whole Janet/Timberlake strip tease. There have been some heavyweights in U2, Paul McCartney, Rolling Stones, Sting, and Tom Petty. Why Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson were never invited is one of life's mysteries.

In Super Bowl XLIII (NBC, 6pm EST), the Arizona Cardinals take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in Tampa, FL. Each team is led by unshakable quarterbacks in Kurt Warner and Ben Roethlisberger who have each won a Super Bowl and have hearts bigger than the stadium. Ken Whisenhunt and Mike Tomlin are each in only their second year of being a head coach, but they have the charisma, fire, and smarts to become legends.

Both teams exhibit the balance that you want to see. Arizona's defense struggled during the regular season, but turned over a new leaf when it entered the playoffs. They dismantled a Falcons, Panthers, and Eagles offense accumulating 13 turnovers in those three games. Pittsburgh should not take them lightly. On offense, they are lethal. Their running attack is swelling and, thanks to Warner and the freakish Larry Fitzgerald, the passing attack is explosive. This could be the difference vs. a sub-par Steelers secondary.

Pittsburgh is ridiculous on defense. S Troy Polamalu and LB James Harrison lead a unit that is fearless and terrorizing vs. the run; they feast on offensive lines. Matching up against this Cardinals offense will be fun to watch. On offense, the Steelers aren't super flashy, but they have the play makers to get the job done. Big Ben is solid and has the weapons to move the ball down the field especially in crunch time. The key for them is to hold off the pass rush and keep Roethlisberger upright and not turn the ball over.

Arizona is not supposed to be here. They are the #4 seed, but...they are the Arizona Cardinals. They are the same team who has wondered in the desert aimlessly for five decades; the Lombardi Trophy was a mirage. Now, they are here facing a Steelers team who are in familiar territory looking to win their sixth world championship in seven attempts.

This game is being called by Al Michaels and John Madden who will go down as one of the best broadcasting tandems of all time. The halftime show is none other than The Boss himself. Bruce Springsteen has promised an electrifying performance.

I don't know about you, but I think this game has all the elements to rank among the greatest battles ever to decide who is the champion of the world.

MY PICK - ARIZONA

Is Jerry Living in Reality?

Since 1996, only seven of the NFL's 32 teams have not won a playoff game. Six of them are Kansas City, Houston, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Buffalo, and Detroit. These are names that conjure up images of paper bags over heads, middle fingers, and many appearances on NFL Football Follies.

The other team has a legacy of irrefutable success and prominence after compiling 10 conference championships, 19 divisional titles, and five Super Bowl rings.The Dallas Cowboys built their bedrock reputation with a head coach and GM in Tom Landry and Tex Schramm along with an owner who trusted them and didn't meddle.

In 1989, maverick owner Jerry Jones bought the team, and quickly installed Jimmy Johnson as head coach and GM. While he didn't disappear into the backdrop like Clint Murchison, he still allowed Johnson to evaluate talent, make trades, and run this team like General Patton.

This produced a dynasty. In six years, Dallas won three Super Bowls and appeared in four straight conference championships. But, Jones believed that if something wasn't broke, it needed fixing and soon inserted himself as GM and began hiring puppet head coaches.

He evaluated the talent and ran the draft. His thirst for winning replaced his trust in other men, and thus, the Cowboys thrived in mediocrity. Jones even bit his lip in two and hired Parcells to change the direction of this team in 2004. Big Bill did wonders and reminded many of Jimmy, but decided to resign under speculation that Jerry just wouldn't leave him alone.

Jones went back to his puppet show and hired Wade Phillips in 2007. Any football pundit could see from miles away that Phillips wasn't going to raise any one's skirt. With a new coach and new ideas from the coaching staff, Dallas went 13-3 but still couldn't break the playoff curse. As a result, expectations flew off the handle for this year.

Then, the unraveling began. Dallas missed the playoffs after posting a 9-7 record.

There are countless excuses and reasons that you could point to as the reason for this collapse. They include Terrell Owens, injuries to key players, Wade Phillips, Jason Garrett, and so on.

My theory is that it rests solely with the owner.

Jerry Jones has shown in the past to be a brilliant businessman, having an unquenching thirst for winning, and knowing football. He's also gotten older and more stubborn in his ways. If he's not careful, he will become the NFC's Al Davis who eats senility three meals a day.

He is now the owner of the richest and most visible sports franchise on the planet. He is building a brand new stadium that is the same size as Rhode Island. It is time for him to pull a "Murchison" and lean back in his luxury box seat and watch with pride...and stay there for all four quarters. He needs to hire a GM, and he must insert a head coach that players want to go to battle and risk their careers for.

Wade Phillips is not that kind of coach.

Troy Aikman said that a head coach must "be able to stand in front of 53 guys and command the room." He went on to say, "If he couldn't, I wouldn't hire him. If he couldn't command the room, he couldn't be my coach...It's like at home. I don't ask my daughters to clean their room. I tell them."

Phillips appears to have lost control of this team. How else to do you explain a team that led the league in penalties and ranked near the top in turnovers? Players were fined $100 for being late to meetings; lower amounts for other infractions. Back-stabbing and throwing other players and coaches under the bus ran rampant in the locker room all year. His press conferences were more like listening to a gardener talking about why his tomatoes didn't produce like they normally do.

That attitude has cascaded to the players. After being dismantled by Philly in the last game of the year knocking the Cowboys out of the playoffs, QB Tony Romo responded to the loss with this gem, "I wake up tomorrow and keep living. You just keep playing the game. It's a fun game, it's enjoyable. We're going to try to win next year. We're going to try to get back in the playoffs, and we're going to try to win the Super Bowl. That's all you can do. I mean, if you don't ...ok...if you do......ok."

He went on to say, "I've had a lot worse happen to me than a loss in a sporting event that's for sure and if this is the worst thing that ever happens to me then I've lived a pretty good life."

I want to still believe that Romo is passionate about football and has a deep thirst to bring a championship to Dallas, but those words don't provide a lot of promise. Those aren't the words of a leader.

Which brings up another handicap handcuffing this team - leadership. The Cowboys don't have a leader on the field because they didn't draft or sign one and don't have one in the head coach. If it says anything, the one player who has come the closest to filling that role is Terrell Owens, but even himself has continued his Woe-Is-Me attitude win or lose.

Compare T.O.'s attitude with that of the Cardinals' Larry Fitzgerald who is in in the Super Bowl. "I want to make sure I'm accountable, and if I'm not, I get that death stare from Kurt, and I try to stay away from that as much as possible."

As you can see, there's something missing at Valley Ranch.

Coach Phillips vowed in his press conference following the season that he's going to change. He's 61. How many men do you know who are 61 that can change their ways, habits, and routines on the turn of a dime...which in this case means six months?

After all of this chaos, drama, and soap operas, now we have word that Jerry Jones and Michael Irvin have received the green light to have their own reality show on Spike TV. The premise is sending a group of guys through workouts to see who will win a spot on the Cowboys training camp roster. Jones will be one of the judges.

This team needs a lesson in perception, timing, and teamwork. They are void of leadership, accountability, and a deep-gutted passion to lay down their lives for their teammates.

The only way to accomplish that is for Jerry Jones to establish the same management model that worked for him his first six years on the job and that continues to work for most of the other teams in the NFL today. He must hire a GM who knows talent and team management like Jack Nicklaus knows golf.

He needs a head coach that will control a locker room like a NASA flight director controls a launch; a man that the players are proud to go to battle for every single game. He needs a coach who will bleed enthusiasm and toughness.

But, it all starts at the top -- the very top. For Dallas to succeed, Jerry Jones must demolish the present way of doing things and take a back seat, but I'm not sure that's a reality that the city of Dallas will see as long as Jones is running the show.

NFL 2008 Conference Championship Playoffs

The Apocalypse appears to be near.

At least you won't have to file taxes anymore or pay off your debt.

Unfortunately, you won't get to take that cruise or finish your degree either.

Judgment Day is close at hand -- Arizona is hosting a Conference Championship playoff game.

Many (especially the Desert Denizens) thought this day would never come. The Cardinals are one game away from being in a Super Bowl -- Let that sink in, and I'll go get the smelling salts.

Another sign of the end times might be in the fact that Arizona's opponent is Philadelphia. This is the same Philly team that was on life support in Week 12, and family was being notified to get to the hospital quickly.They have each hit the playoffs at the right speed hitting on all cylinders.

In the AFC, Pittsburgh is hosting Baltimore. This is not a misprint. Many expected Pitt to make it this far, but...Baltimore? The sixth seed had a nice year but barely made it into the Tournament, and now they are playing lights out and are fixing to face their most hated rival in the history of the planet.

Tennessee is gone. The NY Giants are gone. Carolina is gone. Indianapolis is gone. San Diego is gone.

This weekend's games are comprised of a #2, #4, and two #6 seeds.

When you look back at the 2008 regular season, should we really be stunned that we are facing this type of supernatural weekend?

- Philadelphia Eagles (11-6-1) at Arizona Cardinals (11-7): FOX, 3pm EST, Sunday - The paths that these teams have taken to reach this point have been stories that fans will talk about for a long time. Both teams know what teamwork is all about and are being led by feared veterans at QB. McNabb and Warner know what's at stake and have been here before. Both defenses are clamping down hard on offenses during this post-season while the offenses are putting up some serious numbers. The last time Arizona was in a championship playoff game, Harry Truman was President. This is also the first time in NFL history that two 9-win teams have made it to this round. Arizona has lost once at home this season.

- Baltimore Ravens (13-5) at Pittsburgh Steelers (13-4): CBS, 6:30pm EST, Sunday - There are many great rivalries in the NFL. They give the NFL extra spice and flavor, much like adding extra jalapenos to a bowl of chili. This battle between two AFC North armies is no exception. They truly can't stand each other. This is the first time since 1999 that two teams in the same division have squared off for a conference championship. Baltimore is led by rookie QB Joe Flacco who is the first rookie QB to lead his team to this level since 2004 when Ben Roethlisberger did it for Pittsburgh. Flacco is a true NFL star in the making and he knows this Pittsburgh defense. Roethlisberger continues to find ways to win and mature into a championship-caliber QB, and he knows this Ravens defense.Considering the frigid weather conditions, whoever can control the clock and not turn the ball over should be heading to Tampa.

SUPER BOWL XLIII - PITTSBURGH STEELERS VS. ARIZONA CARDINALS

Eddie's record last week: 2-2

Eddie's record to date: 177-87

NFL 2008 Divisional Playoffs

Tom Landry once said, "Just get into the playoffs and from there anything can happen."

The immortal Cowboys coach knew a thing or two about the playoffs winning twenty post-season games which is still the NFL record. He also preached the critical point that you need to be hitting on all cylinders when the playoffs arrive.

The eight teams left in the 2008 Tournament are comprised of squads who either played on all cylinders for most of the season earning first round byes or teams who timed it just right to be playing their best football in December and are riding that swelling wave of momentum heading into 2009.

NY, Carolina, Pittsburgh, and Tennessee each struggled for a few games this year, but that ended up being like a speed bump in their journey to January.

Philadelphia, Arizona, Baltimore, and San Diego represent those franchises who reached deep into their guts as players and as a team and pulled up an unquenching thirst and hunger to consume anything that got in their way to winning.

It's interesting that all eight teams, either all season and/or in the past few weeks, have displayed colossal running attacks and suffocating run defenses.

Including John Harbaugh, the rookie head coach of Baltimore who carries himself like a veteran, each of the Elite Eight are led by coaches whose presence is so commanding in a locker room that shower heads will turn off by themselves when they enter. They are each brilliant and vibrant; their players will sacrifice their careers for them and their teammates.

I don't know about you, but these are the kinds of teams I want to watch, and who I think deserve to contend for a Super Bowl title.

Anything can happen in the playoffs so strap yourself in and be ready to watch these well-deserving teams wage war.

- Baltimore Ravens (12-5) at Tennessee Titans (13-3): CBS, 4:30pm EST, Saturday - Nastiness reigns throughout both of these defenses. They have each caused havoc all year long and have carried a "chip on their shoulder" attitude. On offense, both teams have explosive running attacks but don't raise anyone's skirt with their passing game. If each team is unable to run the ball effectively, then the edge goes to Baltimore who has a stronger arm in rookie Joe Flacco vs. the elder Kerry Collins. The Ravens are fiery hot right now, but the Titans are well rested, getting healthy, and coach Jeff Fisher has far more experiences at these rodeos. A Ravens win won't surprise me, but it's hard to against Tennessee at home where they have lost only once this season.

- Arizona Cardinals (10-7) at Carolina Panthers (12-4): FOX, 8:15pm EST, Saturday - The Cardinals have been one of the NFL's really inspiring stories this season. They decided during pre-season to stop the Matt Leinart Experiment and stick with the grizzled veteran Kurt Warner. That move has paid off huge as Warner has stayed healthy and helped engineer one of the best passing offenses in the league. This one-dimensional element just might not be enough in Carolina as the Cardinals are 0-5 on the East Coast this year. They must stop the Panthers' dynamic running attack and create turnovers to give them a chance vs. this Carolina team which is just too balanced to crumble at home where they are 8-0.

- Philadelphia Eagles (10-6-1) at NY Giants (12-4): FOX, 1pm EST, Sunday - It's so true that anything can happen in the playoffs, but you can't turn a deaf ear to the inconceivable events that can occur during the regular season. Just ask Philly. They were 5-5-1 in Week 12 after a blowout loss to Baltimore. Donovan McNabb was benched in the second half, and Eagles fans wanted him and Andy Reid to catch the next bus out of town. Now, after winning 5 of their last 6 games, Philly finds themselves facing the defending world champions for the third time this season. The familiarity with each other should make for a fantastic battle vs. a Giants team that has lost 3 of their last 4 contests. It's going to be frigid cold among rabid Giants fans. Can you feel the Brotherly Love?

- San Diego Chargers (9-8) at Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4): CBS, 4:30pm EST, Sunday - There's nothing like a cold, snowy, evening game at Heinz Field full of Terrible Towels and screaming fans. That will be the environment that the Chargers will find themselves as they look for a way to win their third straight playoff game in Pittsburgh.The challenge will be how to penetrate this cold, steel defense. QB Philip Rivers saw this defense in Week 11, and he's been known to adjust very well to opposing defenses the second time around. But, I don't know if he can with this one. The Steelers are #1 vs. the pass and run and simply don't have a flaw anywhere. This could become Pitt's ticket to the next round especially if Roethlisberger struggles. It's been a great ride for the Chargers.

Record last week: 1-3

Record to date: 175-85

NFL 2008 Wild Card Playoffs

Vince Lombardi once said, "If you aren't fired with enthusiasm, you'll be fired with enthusiasm."

In today's NFL, success on the football field is paramount. Franchises are professional corporations in a dangerously competitive market creating a cutthroat environment.

It takes a very unique head coach to navigate a group of today's players and make them into a team which is capable in meeting the owner's high demands for accomplishment.

This side line general must be intensely focused, passionate, innovative, inspiring, and of high character. Any combination of these will bring a vast amount of respect by his players and the team chemistry will fall right into place.

Anyone who doesn't possess this type of leadership and enthusiasm will not last as we have already witnessed in Cleveland, NY, and Detroit. For Mike Shanahan in Denver, it was simply time for a man and a city who each needed a change. There will most certainly be more to come.

As we enter the first phase of the 2008 Tournament, take a look at the head coaches of those teams who are left to play in 2009.

In the AFC, there's Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh, Jeff Fisher in Tennessee, Tony Dungy in Indy, Norv Turner in San Diego, and the rookies John Harbaugh in Baltimore and Tony Sporano in Miami.

In the NFC, you have Tom Coughin in NY, Andy Reid in Philly, Brad Childress in Minnesota, John Fox in Carolina, Ken Whisenhunt in Arizona, and the rookie Mike Smith in Atlanta.

Each one of these men's coaching styles possesses most of the aforementioned qualities that you have to have in today's game as a head coach. They will grab a player by the face mask and vehemently remind them why they are on the team. For breakfast, they would eat nails and wash them down with antifreeze right after cussing out their own mother. Their focus and attention to detail of the game and the individual athletes would burn a hole in a steel pipe. They conduct themselves with such integrity and poise that they make it look easy.

Most of them will charge down the sidelines following the action like a hyper kid running after an ice cream truck. They inspire and challenge you.

It's no coincidence that they are all disciples of Bill Walsh, Chuck Knoll, Bill Parcells, Jimmy Johnson, Bill Belichick, or Bill Cowher.

These playoff teams have the potential to win it all this year and/or have immense success in the years to come. Their foundations are, or will be, steadfast despite the outcome of the next few weeks.

Based on the kind of regular season we watched this season, there's no telling what we will witness this next month and it all starts tomorrow!

- Atlanta Falcons (11-5) at Arizona Cardinals (9-7): NBC, 4:30pm EST, Saturday - What a great way to kick off the playoffs. Falcons rookie QB Matt Ryan vs. the aged veteran Kurt Warner who has been to The Tournament a few times. Ryan was 14 when Warner won the Super Bowl in 1999. Both teams have sub-par rushing and passing defenses which is good news to Atlanta's 2nd-ranked rushing attack and Arizona's 2nd-ranked passing attack. The Cardinals, at home, are 6-2 this year and 12-4 under Whisenhunt. If you want fireworks, you have come to the right place.

- Indianapolis Colts (12-4) at San Diego Chargers (8-8): NBC, 8pm EST, Saturday -I can't think of two hotter teams right now in the league. The Colts, led by the 2008 NFL MVP Peyton Manning, head into the playoffs on a nine-game winning streak while the Bolts won their last four games to steal the AFC West from the reeling Broncos costing Shanahan his job. Injuries are plaguing San Diego and, yes, L.T. is among them. It comes down to San Diego needing to play error-free football against this Manning Machine.

- Baltimore Ravens (11-5) at Miami Dolphins (11-5): CBS, 1pm EST, Sunday - These two teams represent another reason that these playoffs are so special. The Ravens are the second team besides Atlanta to reach the playoffs this year under a rookie head coach and QB.QB's Joe Flacco and Chad Pennington each have lethal running attacks which keep the pressure off of their arms to win the game. Baltimore's defense is extremely potent and suffocating led by S Ed Reed who is smoking hot right now.Miami has had a phenomenal year considering their 1-15 record last year. Parcells has laid a great foundation.

- Philadelphia Eagles (9-5-1) at Minnesota Vikings (10-6): FOX, 4:15pm EST, Sunday - Both of these teams snuck into the playoffs with stunning wins. Philly destroyed a self-destructing Dallas squad while the Vikings beat the defending world champion Giants. This should give both squads the momentum they need heading into the playoffs. The key for Philly will be if they can stop Adrian Peterson who will be preforming on the post-season stage for his first time. Minnesota's top-ranked run defense will put the game in the hands of Donovan McNabb who has danced at this ball before. The Metrodome will be deafening.

STANDINGS

Eddie Chinn: 15-1, 174-82

Chris Mortensen: 11-5, 169-87

Mark Schlereth: 7-9, 162-94

Mike Golic: 11-5, 155-100

Ron Jaworski: 9-6, 156-83