The Eagles 2012 season will thankfully come to an end on Sunday. There will be no more confusion, screaming, or yelling about the on-field play until the preseason kicks off next August. He Eagles enter the game having won just once in their last 11 games. Save for the 23-21 come-from-behind victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the last time the Eagles had a lead and held on to win was on September 30th against the New York Giants. That was the game where Lawrence Tynes missed a 54 yard field goal wide left but Andy Reid had called timeout giving Tynes another try that came up short to give the Eagles a 19-17 victory and push them to 3-1 and sole possession of first place in the NFC East. Doesn’t that seem like eons ago? Well the Eagles will head to north Jersey to take on the Giants, who are still fighting for a playoff spot.
 Good morning, Philly fans! It is a good morning knowing the New York Giants lost but, unfortunately, that means the Dallas Cowboys won. With the exception of a pop-up shower or two in the morning/midday, the weather in Philadelphia looks nice. Highs are expected to reach 87 degrees. Today is an off day for the Phillies as they return home tomorrow to welcome the Colorado Rockies to town. The Phillies ended their six game road trip yesterday afternoon in Cincinnati. The Phillies sent Roy Halladay to the mound for the early 12:35 pm first pitch. The Reds were given a boost before the game as 2010 NL MVP Joey Votto returned to the lineup. The Phillies jumped on Reds pitcher Mike Leake early. After a Dom Brown single in the third inning, Erik Kratz came up with two runners on and drove a Leake pitch into the left field seats for a three run home run. Chase Utley came up in the following inning with a two run homerun of his own. That would be all Doc needed as he went 7 1/3 innings allowing just one run on eight hits. The Phillies finished their road trip 4-2. More here. For those still holding out slim hopes of the Phillies making a magical push for the second Wild Card, the Mets-Cardinals game was of interest. The Mets jumped out to an early 2-1 lead before scoring 3 in the fifth inning to give them a 5-1 lead. That is all Mets starter R.A. Dickey would need as he went 6 2/3 en route to becoming Major League Baseball’s first 18 game winner. The loss brings the Phillies to within 8 games of the Cardinals. More here. Football is officially back! The NFL kicked off its regular season last night with a primetime NFC East matchup. The defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants welcomed the Dallas Cowboys to the Meadowlands. For those that watched the game, the first three quarters were pretty underwhelming. The fourth quarter got a little interesting as both teams found the endzone and sustained decent drives. All in all, the performances of both teams were not enough to strike any fear into the hearts of Eagles fans. The Cowboys went on to win the game 24-17. It was the first time in 12 years that the defending Super Bowl champions lost their first game the following year. More here. Legendary NFL owner Art Modell passed away this morning at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. He was 87 years old. Modell was the famous owner of the Cleveland Browns and, in 1996, moved the team to Baltimore when they ultimately became the Baltimore Ravens. Modell won the Super Bowl with the Ravens in January 2001 and won a NFL Championship with the Browns in 1964. His biggest impact on the game of football was the negotiation of television contracts in the 1960s and 1970s. The most influential contract he negotiated was the one between the NFL and ABC which ultimately lead to Monday Night Football. More here.
Video of the Day:
 (Picture: ESPN/Giants.com) If you haven't heard, Eli Manning and the New York Giants are in the Super Bowl. The New York Giants website apparently does not think much of the New England Patriots and has already declared the G-men as Super Bowl Champions. There isn't much else I can add to this story that hasn't already crossed your mind. Yes, I find this ridiculous as well. The Giants eventually removed it. Another thing to add to the list of arrogant actions/remarks from the Giants this week. (
-Steve Dolan
Follow Steve on Twitter @SDolan3
Follow Whiz Wit on Twitter @WhizWitSports
 It has finally arrived. It is Super Bowl Sunday and the countdown is on until kickoff. All this week we broke down both teams from every angle and gave out the advantages. Now, all there is left to do is make our predictions! Monday: Defensive Line/Linebackers Wednesday: Special Teams Wednesday: Defensive Backs Thursday: Running Backs/ Offensive Line Yesterday: Quarterbacks Yesterday: Wide Receivers/Tight Ends Today: Game Predictions
Predictions  Dolan: Going through the position-by-position breakdown this week it is clear that there are many categories in which these teams are so even that it could go either way. As an Eagles fan and going to school in Philadelphia, I see a lot more of the Giants and hear a lot more about them on campus (unfortunately). The Giants are a hot team right now and did just enough at the end of the season to get into the playoffs. In the past, there have been teams weren’t the most talented or best teams in football but got hot at the right time (last year’s Packers or this year’s St. Louis Cardinals). The Giants fit that profile and I have this feeling in the pit of my stomach that the Giants are going to win this game- it is nauseating.
However, the numbers lean towards the Patriots and I know there is more to the game than the numbers. But I also don’t like how people are dismissing Tom Brady as quickly as many of the analysts are. I feel like they are waking a sleeping giant (no pun intended) and Tom Brady has shown, on multiple occasions, just how clutch he is in the Super Bowl. Brady and the Patriots’ three Super Bowl victories have all been by 3 points. Just some food for thought.
Even though my gut tells me to pick the Giants. My head tells me that Brady is a sure ballot Hall of Famer and how do you pick against that? So, because I refuse to pick New York and I think the Patriots are an exceptional football team, I am picking New England.
New England Patriots: 27
New York Giants: 23
 XLII Tristan: As a Philadelphia Eagles fan, watching both of these teams in the Super Bowl for the second time in 4 years is quite frustrating. The match up that I would have like to see on championship sunday was the Ravens and the 49ers for the novelty of seeing different teams, and one with a storied franchise that has not been there in over a decade. Although once again, the Giants and Patriots will play in Super Bowl XLVI, with the same quarterbacks, in a newer retractable domed stadium wearing the exact same jerseys as they did 4 years ago.
When it comes down to it, the Giants and the Patriots have had tremendous second halves of their seasons and both come into this game very hot. The saga of Rob Gronkowski still continues and it is to be seen if he will have a definite impact with that injured ankle. It's going to be a close game, not a ton of scoring, and will probably once again be decided again in the final two minutes. Like Steve said, my gut tells me that the Giants will once again win the Super Bowl because apparently the football gods hate me. So in saying that Im going to predict that the New England Patriots will win Super Bowl XLVI on a final drive touchdown pass to Gronkowski.
New England Patriots: 20
New York Giants: 16
 Bill O'Brien and Tom Brady Higgins: As a Penn State fan, this super bowl is even more intriguing to me than I thought it would be. When the Eagles clearly lost their chances of getting the the Super Bowl, my interest severely declined. But now, Bill O'Brien is the Penn State head coach, and I am very interested. The Giants have had probably the best defense in the playoffs, and now I get to see my school's future head coach prepare an offense to win a Super Bowl.
Regardless of my feelings, I think this game will be close throughout. The Patriots have been in the Giants' heads these past two weeks by not giving any information on whether Gronkowski will play. He is, and the Giants could be in trouble. The matchup to watch is the Giants D-Line vs. the Pats O-Line. If Brady can stay on his feet I think he will be able to pick apart the Giants defense.
New England Patriots: 27
New York Giants: 17
McCabe: Both of these teams come into the Super Bowl on a tear. The Giants have been unbeatable heading into the playoffs and in their three games. The Patriots have responded to the doubters who thought Tom Brady and his offensive weapons alone would not be enough to lead them into the championship. I think this will be a very close game throughout. The Giants defense will keep them in the game, and Eli will do just enough to match Brady. That is until Brady gets his hands on the ball in a tie game with 2:00 left. Brady gets revenge on Eli by leading a game winning drive resulting in a Wes Welker touchdown.
New England Patriots: 31
New York giants: 24
 Welcome to Super Bowl week. This week we will breakdown the positions for each team to give you the full report all the way up until we make our predictions on Sunday. Monday: Defensive Line/Linebackers Advantage: Giants Wednesday: Special Teams Advantage: Patriots Wednesday: Defensive Backs Advantage: Push Thursday: Running Backs/ Offensive Line RB Advantage: Giants; O-Line Advantage: Patriots Today: Quarterbacks Advantage:Patriots Today: Wide Receivers/Tight Ends WR Advantage: Giants; TE Advantage: Patriots, Overall TE/WR Advantage: Patriots Sunday: Game Predictions
 Well, outside of the quarterback position, these positions have been the talk of Indianapolis the past week and a half. The Giants wide receivers and the Patriots tight ends are some of the best in football at what they do. Today we are going to break down the tight ends (as receivers, not blockers) and the wide receivers.
First, we will look at the New York Giants. The Giants come in sporting the best wide receiver tandem in the league with Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz and Mario Manningham. They are also bolstered by rookie tight end Jake Ballard. Nicks and Cruz stand out as Manning’s go to targets. Cruz set the franchise record for receiving yards this season 1,536. He is certainly a big play receiver who can break one lose at any time. Nicks is a physical 6’1’’ 208 lbs receiver who has a pair of the largest hands on the east coast. These two are going to give the Patriots secondary fits. If the Patriots spend too much time focused on Cruz and Nicks, Manningham could break lose for a big game. Ballard is also capable of contributing on the offensive side as he reeled in 38 balls for 604 yards and 4 touchdowns. Eli Manning has some weapons here.
 As for the Patriots, they are using the two tight end set almost exclusively. Why wouldn’t you when you have arguably the two best tight ends in football? Rob Gronkowski, Brady’s red zone target, pulled in 90 balls for 1,327 yards and a tight end single season record 17 touchdowns. “Gronk” suffered a high ankle sprain in the conference championship win over the Ravens in the AFC Championship Game. He was in a walking boot earlier this week but has been practicing and, according to Bill Belichick, has not suffered any setbacks. Translation: He is playing on Sunday. Analysts are talking about how the Giants are going to try and jam Gronk at the line of scrimmage but other analysts think that will open up space for Aaron Hernandez. The Giants also cannot forget how lethal Aaron Hernandez can be as he reeled in 79 balls for 910 yards and 7 touchdowns this year. Both can pick apart a defense. They both open the field up for Wes Welker who, surprisingly, had more catches and yards than Victor Cruz and the same amount of touchdowns. Welker is not getting half the press that Cruz is and I think that is ok with the Patriots. Lining up opposite of Welker is former Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch who caught 51 balls and 5 touchdowns this year.
When it comes down to it, you need to pick your poison. Gronk is not healthy and the Giants receivers are healthy. However, Gronk will play and he could have an impact on the game. Regardless of whether he is going to be as agile as he normally is, the Giants defense must prepare for him and that will open up Welker and Hernandez. The tight ends of the Patriots are incredibly versatile and Belichick constantly changes looks. That, combined with their skill set, I give the edge to the Patriots.
Wide Receiver Advantage: Giants
Tight End Advantage: Patriots
Overall TE/WR Advantage: Patriots
-Steve Dolan
Follow Steve on Twitter @SDolan3
Follow Whiz Wit on Twitter @WhizWitSports
Email: Dolan@WhizWitSports.com
 Welcome to Super Bowl week. This week we will breakdown the positions for each team to give you the full report all the way up until we make our predictions on Sunday. Monday: Defensive Line/LinebackersToday: Special TeamsToday: Defensive BacksThursday: Running Backs/ Offensive Line Friday: Wide Receivers/Tight Ends Saturday: Quarterbacks Sunday: Game Predictions
Defensive Backs This year's Super Bowl features two of the best quarter backs in the game; Tom Brady and Eli Manning. Brady threw for 5235 yards while Manning threw for 4933 yards. Both teams are pass oriented - which can be seen when their top rushers have under 700 yards. This pattern seems to have no end as the Giants and the Patriots feature two of the NFL's worst secondaries. My prediction: this game will have plenty of passing, and plenty of completions. Who knows? We might have a high scoring Super Bowl.  The Giants have had their share of problems this year, but you can't overlook their secondary especially against a quarterback like Tom Brady. The Giants defensive backs ranked 29th in the NFL in opponent's passing yards per game at 255.2. Brady threw for 327 yards per game in 2011-2012. Stopping him consistently will be a problem throughout the game for the Giants secondary. They will have to rely heavily on their front four to get pressure, much like they have been throughout the playoffs. As a defense, the Giants had 20 INTs, and no returns for touchdowns. The core also had 82 passes defended this year, and will look to increase that number in the Super Bowl. The Giants have been an inconsistent team this year, but in order to have an edge on the Patriots offense the secondary needs to attempt to shut down Brady and his weapons. For CBs AAron Ross (left), CB Corey Webster, SS Kenny Phillips, and FS Antrel Rolle this will not be an easy task.
 The Patriots secondary is, if you couldn't guess, worse than the Giants'. With their high profile coach and quarterback, it can be easy to miss the flaws of the Patriots. However, their defense as a whole has not been good this season, and their secondary is ranked 31st in the NFL in opponent's passing yards per game at 293.9. It does not get any easier. Manning, who threw for just over 300 yards per game this year, will look to exploit the Patriots defense, especially down field. The Patriots as a whole forced 23 INTs and returned 3 of those for touchdowns. They also recorded 56 passes defended. The Patriots starters CB Dexter McCourty (right #32), FS Patrick Chung (right #25), SS James Ihedigbo, and CB Kyle Arrington will play a large part in the Patriots avenging their loss to the Giants in the Super Bowl a few years ago. (Photo: Jim Davis/Globe Staff)
When trying to compare the two secondaries, you can see that they are not much different. Both have had (much) less than perfect seasons, and will have to tighten up against two of the top QBs in the NFL. If these secondaries don't game plan well and shut down the receivers, Brady and Manning could be in for a duel. Advantage: Push- Mike HigginsFollow Mike on Twitter: @MikeHiggzPSUFollow WhizWit on Twitter: @WhizWitSports
 Welcome to Super Bowl week. This week we will breakdown the positions for each team to give you the full report all the way up until we make our predictions on Sunday. Monday: Defensive Line/LinebackersToday: Special TeamsToday: Defensive Backs Thursday: Running Backs/ Offensive Line Friday: Wide Receivers/Tight Ends Saturday: Quarterbacks Sunday: Game Predictions
Special Teams  Giants P Weatherford, we have no idea what he's doing Many times when people are analyzing and predicting the outcome of games, specials teams is overlooked. Both the NFC and AFC Conference Championship games came down to special teams miscues. The Patriots held a three point lead when Ravens kicked Billy Cundiff missed a 32 yard field goal that would have tied the game and, in all likelihood, forced overtime. Instead, it sent the Patriots to the Super Bowl. In the NFC game, Kyle Williams fumbled the ball deep in their own territory in overtime to give the Giants great field position which set up a Lawrence Tynes 31 yard field goal to win the game and punch their ticket to Indianapolis.
Looking at the Patriots special teams, they are pretty solid. Starting with their punter, Zoltan Mesko, the Patriots help themselves out in the field position battle. Mesko had 24 of his 57 punts (42.1%) this year end up inside the 20 yard line. Only 5% of his punts ended up as touchbacks and his average punt distance was 46.5 yards. In the playoffs, 2 of his 4 punts ended up inside the 20 and he is averaging 43.8 yards per punt with a net of 37.8 yards. Not too bad. When the Patriots and Giants met earlier this year, Mesko had no touchbacks on 5 punts. He averaged 45 yards per punt and only one of the five was returned, which ended up in no gain. As for place kicking, the Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski was 28-for-33 (84.8%) in the regular season and 4-for-4 in the postseason field goal attempts. His longest kick this season was 50 yards and his career long is 53 yards.
The Giants punter, Steve Weatherford, punted 82 times in the regular season. Only 25 of his 82 punts (30.5%) this year ended up inside the 20 yard line. 7.3% of Weatherford’s punts ended up as touchbacks and the average distance was 45.7 yards per punt. In the playoffs, 3 of his 18 punts ended up inside the 20 and he is averaging 46.4 yards per punt with a net of 40.6 yards. In the Giants win over New England in November, Weatherford punted the ball 8 times, five of which ended up inside the 20 yard line. He didn’t have any touchbacks and five of his 8 punts were returned for a total of 17 yards. He averaged 43.1 yards per punt in the November victory. Gaints place kicker Lawrence Tynes had the weight of the world on his shoulders when he sent the 49ers home for the season. Tynes went 19-for-24 (79.2%) in the regular season field goal attempts and 6-for-8 (75%) in the postseason. His longest kick this season was 50 yards and his career long is 53 yards.
 Patriots WR Edelman The return game is big. For the Patriots, Danny Woodhead primarily carries the load on the kick returns and Julian Edelman returns punts. Woodhead has returned 20 kicks for a total of 437 yards (21.85 yards per attempt) with his longest return registering 37 of those yards. Edelman has returned 12 kickoffs this year for 284 yards (23.67 yard per attempt) and his long also is 37 yards. Edelman also returns punts for New England. He has 28 returns for 300 yards (10.71 yards per attempt) and one touchdown. His longest punt return was 72 yards. For the Giants, cornerback Will Blackmon handles both kick and punt returning duties. Blackmon returned 2 kickoffs for 43 yards (21.5 yards per kickoff return) with his longest return being a 32 yarder. He also returned 6 punts for 25 yards (4.17 yards per attempt). His longest punt return was for 16 yards. This one is not as close as the defensive line/linebacker battle was. Although Weatherford and Mesko are both good, Mesko appears have had the upper hand all year and their playoff numbers are really close as well so the nod goes to Mesko. As for Gostkowski and Tynes, Gostkowski has been perfect in the playoffs and also had better regular season numbers than Tynes. Both can kick in the clutch and come through when you need them. Due to Gostkowski’s better numbers in the regular season and postseason, he gets the nod. As for the returners, it isn’t even close Woodhead and Edelman have the advantage over Will Blackmon. Look at their numbers and it becomes abundantly clear. Due to the fact that the Patriots have shown that they are better in all four categories (punter, place kicker, kick return, and punt return) they have the special teams advantage. Advantage: Patriots -Steve Dolan Follow Steve on Twitter @SDolan3 Follow Whiz Wit on Twitter @WhizWitSports Email: Dolan@WhizWitSports.com
 Good Morning! Serving up steak and eggs on this unseasonably warm Tuesday. Today's high is expected to be 59 degrees. The Flyers get back at it tonight at 7:00 pm at the Wells Fargo Center against the Winnipeg Jets. The Sixers took down the Magic 74-69 last night at the Wells Fargo Center. The Sixers held the Magic to 9 points in the second quarter as they were able to push their record to 15-6 overall and 11-2 at home. More here. Blake Griffin had the dunk of the year (and possibly ever) last night over Thunder forward Kendrick Perkins. Video Below. Former Phillies slugger Pat Burrell retired from baseball yesterday. More here. The New York Giants arrived in Indianapolis yesterday. The Patriots practiced in full pads yesterday which is uncharacteristic for Super Bowl teams. The Eagles announced that they have hired Todd Bowles to be their secondary coach and will bring back Juan Castillo as Defensive Coordinator. More here.
Video of the Day:
 Welcome to Super Bowl week. This week we will breakdown the positions for each team to give you the full report all the way up until we make our predictions on Sunday.
Today: Defensive Line/Linebackers
Tomorrow: Defensive Backs
Wednesday: Special Teams
Thursday: Running Backs/ Offensive Line
Friday: Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Saturday: Quarterbacks
Sunday: Game Predictions
 The New York Football Giants. Big Blue. We have all heard all the names and we all know the colors. The Giants, blue, white, and a little red. The San Francisco 49ers. We all know about them and their colors: red, gold, and white. Both of these iconic teams battle it out Sunday night in San Francisco for the NFC Championship. The last time the Giants were in the NFC Championship they beat the Packers to go to Super Bowl XLII. In Super Bowl XLII, Eli Manning found WR David Tyree who made one of the most amazing catches ever to bring the Giants into Patriots territory. The rest is history and the Giants would go on to beat the previously 18-0 Patriots. Where am I heading with this? Well on Friday, the former Giants WR Tyree lit the lights of the Empire State Building. The Empire State Building lights up different colors different times of the year and for different purposes. When Rutgers made their incredible run in 2006, the Empire State Building was lit up scarlet. The past few years the Empire State Building has been lit up green and white because of the New York Jets playing in the AFC Championship game. So with Tyree on hand to light up the Empire State Building, it would be lit up blue and white? Blue and red? Nope. The Empire State Building, with 49ers and Giants playing on Sunday, was lit: red and gold. Yes, you read that correctly. With the hometown Giants playing the 49ers, the Empire State Building is lit up in 49ers red and gold. In reality it is lit up red and gold for the Chinese New Year but this is an incredible oversight for those in charge of the building. -Steve Dolan Follow Steve on Twitter @SDolan3 Follow Whiz Wit on Twitter @WhizWitSports
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