Lombardi's Return to Titletown

I know by now most of you in the Facebook world are sick of my talking about the Packers, but I'm not going to apologize. This is something I've been waiting to be apart of for 14 years. So it was time, Sunday morning arrived, and the last time I was this nervous was before my senior year of high school state (the day I won my one and only individual state title in swimming). My mom and I together wandered around the house trying to figure out things to do to occupy our time. Cleaning, organizing, preparing the food, anything we could think of to keep our mind off the game. For our Super Bowl feast we dined on brats and burgers, typical Wisconsin cuisine along with assorted tailgate amenities. And then time ran out... Kickoff time.

I don't know if I've ever been more stressed for a 3 hour time period in my life. I warned friends to not talk to me because I more than likely will not be answering my phone. There are a few special people who can say that experienced the game with me as they were recipients of my text messages throughout the game. From the moment that Mason Crosby kicked off the game, I don't think I ever took a deep breath. Once Jordy Nelson scored and the Nick Collins got his Pick 6 we could start to breathe a little easier, but the game was far from over. What really broke Packer Nation's heart was seeing both Donald Driver and Charles Woodson go down in the first half with two game ending injuries. 2 of the players on this team who quite possibly wanted it more than anyone out there. We went into halftime with a 21-10 lead. The Packers locker room at halftime was very emotional. Defensive leader Charles Woodson gave a rousing speech in which he broke down. Everyone knew how badly he wanted to win, so they came out with even more motivation.

The 3rd quarter didn't start off the way we had hoped, the Steelers found their momentum and brought the game 21-17. All season we've referred to the 3rd quarter as the "turd" quarter. The Packers lost majority of their games this season in the 3rd. We had to find a way to get the momentum back in our favor whether it was on defense or offense, didn't matter we needed it back. The 3rd quarter was finally over but the Steelers still had the ball. I turned to my mom and said "All we need is a big defensive play here and we can change this game around". The next play changed the game. Roethlisberger handed the ball off to Mendenhall, a man we had yet to stop during the game. But this play was different, Clay Matthews saw the play and knew what he had to do. He charged the O-Line as Mendenhall got the ball and before our eyes the ball came loose. Everyone watching saw it, but the only person the field to see it other than Matthews and Mendenhall was Desmond Bishop. Bishop fell on the ball and all I can remember is jumping up and down high fiving my mom. The game was far from over. Packers capitalized on that fumble and brought the score 28-17 with a beautiful pass from Rodgers to Jennings. With a lot of time left, no one was ready to say the game was over, and they were right. The Steelers brought it back within 3 when they scored a TD and made the 2 pt conversions. 28-25 with 7:34 left in the game.

This was the Packers' last chance to put the game away for good. If they scored a TD on this drive the game was over, but 7:30 is a lot of time to mess things up. Rodgers and the offense used up 5:30 minutes only to score a field goal making the score 31-25, giving the Steelers the ball back with 2:00 left and only needing a TD to win the game. Big Ben and his offense should never be counted out in a game if they're only down by one TD until the game clock has run out. The Packers D allowed the Steelers a 1st down, but that was the last 1st down they'd have in the game. Facing 4th and 5 and 1:00 left on the clock, the Steelers have no choice but to go for it. Roethlisberger has done it before and could do it again, but not this time. He stepped back, threw the ball, but it wasn't perfect, short and left and with the Packers on double coverage the ball was knocked away. Game Over. With a minute left all the Packers had to do was knee the ball twice with no mistakes and the Lombardi Trophy would be ours once again. Clock run's out, the Green Bay Packers are Super Bowl XLV Champions.

Pandemonium around the state of Wisconsin and all across Packer Nation. Bars from downtown Milwaukee to the podunk towns of Ladysmith and all the way to Green bay erupted, potentially causing some minor hearing losses. House parties became hugging fests, tears of joy pouring down life long Packer Fans. It's hard to describe the feeling but anyone who's experienced knows what it's like. 14 years ago when the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI I was only 11 years old, I remember it happening but I didn't fully understand what was going on. This year though was different. All the nerves, mini heart attacks, profanities, and panic attacks during the season and during the final game was worth it. Seeing the pure joy on my mom's face in those final seconds was what I've waited for. She taught me everything I know about loving the game, and without her (or the rest of my family) my love for the Packers wouldn't be the same. There have been a lot of amazing experience in my life but this chalks up easily in the top 3. Watching the trophy ceremony brought more tears and more smiles. Players like Donald Driver who's been through so much, especially this season, seeing him kiss Lombardi, made everything worth it. It's 4 days later and I still don't think I've come down from the high, I don't think I ever will.

I have a lot of respect for the Steeler organization. They have just as much history as the Packers do and have built their own dynasties throughout the years. Their fans are just as dedicated as we are, there are many teams who have fans that will fill the stadiums even when it's 10 degrees outside, often shirtless. As much as the Steelers and their fans wanted this win, the Packers needed it. Green Bay is a small town, hell the attendance at the game, even without the 400 people who didn't get into their seats, is more than Green Bay's population. Without the Packers, Green Bay doesn't have anything. This team is the heart and soul of Wisconsin and Green Bay itself. It's a publicly owned organization with thousands of shareholders who have bailed the team out in times of need. No other team can say that they are owned by the people. Fans drove from Wisconsin without tickets, just to be near the stadium with hopes that the Packers would win. The trophy itself is called the Vince Lombardi Trophy, while other teams do deserve to win it, it belongs at home, in Green Bay, where Lombardi changed the game forever.

The Return to Titletown was not just a one time thing, in Green Bay it lasted 2 days. the team came back on Monday afternoon to be greeted by 35,000 fans lining the streets as the Green Bay Metro buses drove them back to Lambeau Field. Schools cancelled classes because the truancy rates would have been too high to even try to teach, to make it easier, it was declared a holiday. Coming off the plane fans erupted in cheers for each player. Riding on the buses players hung out the windows despite the cold temperatures to get videos of the fans, just like all the fans were doing as the buses passed. Donald Driver looked like a kid who just won a trip to Disney World. Arriving at Lambeau Field the players found the fans gave them high fives and signed some autographs. The real celebration was set for Tuesday. Tickets $5 to get into the stadium, we had to go up. I bought 3 tickets and despite the forecast for 0 degree weather, it was only fitting to go welcome home the champions back to the Frozen Tundra.

Bundled in nearly all of our winter gear we made it to the sold out Lambeau Field along with 50,000 other of our people. Every where you walked chants of "Go Pack Go" and "woo-hoos" were heard. On a day like this, everyone is friends with everyone. You bump into someone on accident, you didn't say sorry, you just said "Go Packers!". Before the team even came onto the field the jumbo screens replayed highlights of the season and with the amount of cheering you could have sworn it was gameday. Waving our flags proudly we welcomed each player and their coaches into the stadium with Head Coach Mike McCarthy coming in last holding Lombardi. The roars of the crowd were deafening as the infamous "Go Pack Go" cheered started out of nowhere. In Green Bay when we win Super Bowl's we rename streets, this year we added McCarthy's Way. Majority of the field still covered in snow, players huddled by the space heaters to keep warm but as some individuals came up to speak they braved the cold with smiles on their faces. Stand out leaders on the team: Clay Matthews, Charles Woodson, Jordy Nelson, Greg Jennings and Jared Bush all spoke. John Kuhn came to the stage to the sound of the "KKKKUUUHNNNNNNN" cheer. But the star of the day was fan favorite, Donald Driver. Our all pro wide receiver got the loudest and longest cheer of the day, you could clearly tell who was the favorite. As he spoke about how much this meant to him, I got chills. To see the man smile was worth the trip alone.

To close out the celebration, who better than our So.Cal leader and Super Bowl MVP, Aaron Rodgers. With the crowd cheering "M-V-P! M-V-P!" he grabbed the Lombardi trophy and raised it to the sold out stadium. The man has truly been a leader since he took over as our starting quarterback in 2008. Always, fighting and uphill battle to get where he is today, you could hear in his voice the genuine feelings of appreciation to all the fans and the Packer organization for believing in him from day one. As he put it, August 29, 2005 was the greatest day of his life (drafted by the Packers) up until February 6,2011. The California boy has found his place in life in the Frozen Tundra, and we're not letting go of him anytime soon. Rodgers spoke to the crowd and to the team like he's been doing it for years and as he put it "we'll see you guys here next year!".

It's been 4 days since we became champions, I'm still waiting for someone to pinch me and tell me it was all a dream. Football season is officially over, but now all we can hope is that we have a season next year so we can bring home another championship. In the meantime, I can look at my phone with it's new background of Donald Driver and the Lombardi trophy. I love this team and everything that goes with it. As Charles Woodson put it: "No one can take this away from us, I'm never coming down from this high. Ever." This is the start of a new era with hopefully many more Lombardi Trophies being brought back to Green Bay.

The Week Before the Big Game

The Week after the AFC/NFC Championships are exciting, the winning teams are back at their fields training, handling media and pushing their momentum towards the Super Bowl. Those losing teams are forced back to their homes to sit for the next weeks off and just watch. But then 7 days out something changes. The wind changes direction and everyone starts to get that chill down their spines: it's Super Bowl week.

Maybe it's because I'm more invested in the Super Bowl this year, but I can feel the excitement. I haven't been this excited for the Super Bowl in 14 years, conveniently the last time the Packers were in the big game. Yes as a sports fan I'm always interested in the Super Bowl, I like to see teams that I respect (Saints and Colts) do well and also watch teams choke and lose (Patriots). Anything having to do with sports this week, has involvement with this game, whether it's asking an NBA player after a game who they got to win or the constant ESPN stories. Look at it this way, what else is the NFL network going to show all week but games from the season in order to match-up the two best teams of the season.

There is more excitement amongst the fan nations, more smacktalking and more money spent just to get near Cowboys Stadium. I wish I could say more about this but I can't. Let's just let teams do the talking.

2011 Academy Award Nominations

So here they are, what many people talk about for a year after the last Academy Award ceremony. First the list of nominees (or at least the major awards):

Best Picture:

Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids are All Right
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

Actor in a Leading Role:

Javier Bardem "Biutiful"
Jeff Bridges "True Grit"
Jesse Eisenberg "Social Network"
Colin Firth "King's Speech"
James Franco "127 Hours"

Actor in a Supporting Role:

Christian Bale "The Fighter"
John Hawkes "Winter's Bone"
Jeremy Renner "The Town"
Mark Ruffalo "The Kids Are Alright"
Geoffrey Rush "King's Speech

Actress in a Leading Role:

Annette Benning "The Kids Are Alright"
Nicole Kidman "Rabbit Hole"
Jennifer Lawrence "Winter's Bone"
Natalie Portman "Black Swan"
Michelle Williams "Blue Valentine

Actress in a Supporting Role:

Amy Adams "The Fighter"
Helena Bonham Carter "King's Speech"
Melissa Leo "The Fighter"
Hailee Statfield "True Grit"
Jacki Weaver "Animal Kingdom"

Directing:

Darren Aronofsky "Black Swan"
David O'Russell "The Fighter"
Tom Hooper "King's Speech"
David Fincher "Social Network"
Joel and Ethan Coen "True Grit"


While there are many other categories, I feel as though there is no serious need to name them all. In looking at some of them, I think it's pretty safe to say that Toy Story 3 will win for Animated Feature Film and besides not as many people care about the Foreign Film, Costume Design, and a few other categories. Yes it is cool to see your personal favorite movie win, but when the person gets up there to give their speech do you really pay attention? Alright so onto the big awards.

Best Picture: Now this year might be one of the biggest years for the best picture category with 9 nominees, all in my opinion, worthy nominees. Now I never take what happens at the Golden Globes into account w/ the Oscars because I ultimately like to think the right movie will win. I always try to make it a point to see all of the Best Picture nominated films, this year I've seen: "Social Network", "True Grit", "Toy Story 3", "Inception", and "the Fighter". I have intentions of seeing the "Kings Speech" but the others for some reason I have no motivation. Based on my opinion and those of people who I deem to be "movie experts" I boil the race down to two movies: "King's Speech" and "The Fighter". There are many who won't agree with me but that's okay. Colin Firth in the "Kings Speech" was simply outstanding, with a phenomenal supporting cast, that makes the entire movie magnificent. However I do ultimately think that Academy will vote "The Fighter" as it hits home to American society with the blue-collar boys from Lowell, MA and the struggle with crack addiction. Winner: The Fighter. (A surprise upset could come from The Social Network).

Directing: Some newcomers in the category this year and some returning. Many people have dubbed the Coen Brothers as some of the best directors ever with their films and they deserve it. This year especially with "True Grit". They're remastered version of the classic John Wayne Western is stunning. When watching the movie you feel as though you are there with the characters, while John Wayne and the original may not be topped ever, they did a phenomenal job. The most popular director and movie in the category, David Fincher w/ the "Social Network". Facebook is one of the most popular websites, ever, but it's more than that. Going behind the scenes and really divulging into the drama and scandal behind it all, Fincher does a phenomenal job capturing the emotions, stress, anger and resentment between all the "founding" parties. A real snub this year in the nominations is directed towards Christopher Nolan for "Inception". The movie is a Best Picture nominee, yet Nolan did not receive a Directing nod. Something is not right in this equation. Nolan's film is mind-blowing and without him in the director's chair it wouldn't even come close to the film it turned out to be. Winner: Joel and Ethan Coen "True Grit"

Actor in a Leading Role: Now there are a lot of talks as to why Marky Mark was snubbed for this award and as well for Bale only getting a Supporting Actor nod. Both men were brilliant and near spot on in their portrayals of the loyal Lowell brothers, while Wahlberg may have not been as flashy as Bale, but those were the guys in real life, and they played them perfectly. Jeff Bridges' nod is well deserved, he could surprise people and pull out the win. Jesse Eisenberg's performance in "The Social Network" was mesmerizing playing the arrogant, brilliant, un-emotional, and socially awkward Facebook Co-Founder Mark Zuckerberg. A downright shame was Ryan Gosling's snub for "Blue Valentine" his performance was far superior to Javier Bardem's. But then we look at Colin Firth and there may not have been a better performance of the year. Winner: Colin Firth "King's Speech" (surprise upset: Jesse Eisenberg)

Actor in a Supporting Role: How can the Academy nominate Christian Bale for his role as Dicky Eklund in "The Fighter" and not Mark Wahlberg for his as Mickey Ward? While I believe they were both lead roles, if you're going to nominate one you need to nominate the other. Both of them had Oscar-worthy performances. I have failed to see the other films nominated in the category but Geoffrey Rush's performance I've heard is nothing short of spectacular as Firth's speech adviser. After seeing the "King's Speech" I can report back. I do think despite the other performances I can confidently say that Bale is going to win. In the minutes during the credits where we see Dickey in real life you can see just how good Bale was. Winner: Christian Bale "The Fighter"

Actress in a Leading Role: Majority of the movie going population who has seen "The Kids Are Alright" will agree that Annette Benning deserves this Oscar more than anyone else. Even in only the parts I've seen of her in previews she does an outstanding job. If she doesn't win I think it will rock Oscar nation. I am quite surprised that Michelle Williams got a nod for her role in "Blue Valentine". She was good, but Ryan Gosling was better. The underdog however in this category goes to Natalie Portman in "Black Swan". She stole the Golden Globe this year and could surprise everyone with the upset at the Academy Awards. I still stand by my original pick though. Winner: Annette Benning "The Kids Are Alright".

Actress in a Supporting Role: One of the biggest snubs of the nominations this year is Hailee Statfield's nomination in this category for her role in "True Grit". Not only was she in about 95% of the frames in the movie, a main character in the story, she was also the movies narrator. Her voice was perfect for the film as was her acting in the young girl out to find revenge for her father's death. The least the Academy could do after that snub of not giving her a lead actress nod is give her this award. The only other nominees who could steal this trophy from her would be the leading ladies of "The Fighter". Amy Adams and Melissa Leo played their parts well as the spirited girlfriend of Mickey Ward and the domineering but loving mother of Eklund and Ward. Both of these ladies showed the movie world what it was like to live with this family and the crazy that went along with it. No one else in this category even comes to close to what these 3 ladies did. Winner: Hailee Statfield "True Grit".

It'll be interesting who comes up with what statue to say the least. I hope I'm at least right on a few of these so I don't look like too much of an idiot.

AFC/NFC Championship Sunday

There are many words that can be used to describe the emotions that ran through the 4 teams in the AFC/NFC Championships and their fans: excitement, heartbreak, defeat, anxiousness, anger, nervousness, joy, frustration. God knows what else. At the end of the day only two teams could prevail. For the NFC Championship it would either be the Chicago Bears or the Green Bay Packers, the oldest rivalry in the NFL. And for the AFC Championship the Pittsburgh Steelers or the New York Jets, a newly formed rivalry.

Sunday started off with the Packers at the Bears. A game that I think even some Steelers and Jets fans were more excited about. The oldest rivalry in football. Haven't played each other in the playoffs since 1941 (where the Bears won) so we were long overdue for a rematch. The hype leading up to the game didn't disappoint. Active players, retired Hall of Famers, and fans alike took sides. Even former pro wrestler Triple H endorsed the Packers and praised Aaron Rodgers for his "title belt" TD celebration. Both teams had played great games the week before, the Packers more-so than the Bears with their stomping of the Falcons, 48-21. For the 2 p.m. kick-off, the temperature in the teens with a wind-chill in the single digits, it's this generations "Ice Bowl". From the beginning the Packers seemed to be in control of it all. On their first drive, Rodgers was perfect closing with his own 1-yd TD run. 7-0 Packers. Jay Cutler and the Bears just couldn't get their offense going relying heavily on their defense. The next thing they know, they're down 14-0 after a Starks TD run. Halftime. Going into the lockerroom GB is more than pumped up, but the Bears needed to figure something out. Rodgers had cooled off after the opening drive and the game wasn't going exactly as many thought it would after the first quarter. Coming back onto the field for the start of the 3rd quarter, Cutler didn't last. With an injured knee he was benched, back-up QB Collins was put in but brought out almost as fast after 2 near INTs. Now things relied on 3rd string QB Hanie and to everyone's surprise, he played extremely well. The Bears made things interesting with two TDs in the 4th quarter, but the 2nd one just too late. Like many people said beforehand, it was going to be a defensive game, and that's exactly what it was. The Packers sealed their ticket to Dallas on two defensive plays. First, BJ Raji, 338 lb D-Lineman, intercepted Hanie and ran it 19 yds for the TD. Second, Sam Shields, an undrafted player, closed the door on the Bears with his interception during one of the Bears last plays with 1:00 left in the game. That was it, the Green Bay Packers are going to the Superbowl.

After the game, speculation started to come out about Cutler leaving the game. People were questioning whether he just quit on the team or was truly injured (Turns out he tore his MCL). In the Packers lockerroom, Terry Bradshaw asked Clay Matthews if he was surprised that Cutler left the game. His response: "well yeah, you expect 4 quarters out of him. We hit him pretty hard, I guess hard enough to knock him out". Its hard as a fan and a player not to question when your starting QB, or anyone for that matter, leaves the game seemingly hurt, but appears to be okay on the sidelines. Especially when he's not playing well and your team is losing in the final game before the Super Bowl. Brian Urlacher defended him like any teammate should saying that if he could have played he would have, no questions, but clearly he wasn't 100% so he had to sit.

Moving on to the evening game, NY Jets at Pittsburgh Steelers. While it may not have been hyped up like the Packers/Bears game, it still had a lot of nervous fans biting their nails through the whole game. Like the NFC championship, the Steelers seemed in control of the game from the start. They took the lead 10-0, far from being over but then things took a turn for the worse for the Jets. In :47 seconds they were suddenly down 24-0. Big Ben's 2-yd TD run then a fumble recovery for a TD surged the Steelers into the lead. Going into the half the Jets were at least on the board, 24-3. Halftime. Something kickstarted the Jets, and 3 minutes into the 3rd quarter they were only down 14, 24-10 with a lot of football left to play. 4th quarter starts and many fans on both sides thought the game was over, but we've seen crazier things happen. A safety and a TD brought the Jets within in striking distance, 24-19. Was the unthinkable about to happen? Were the Steelers going to crumble like the Ravens did the week before? Were we going to see two 6 seeded teams in the Superbowl? As much as Jets fans would have liked, no, it didn't happen. Steeler Nation prevailed. Time ran out on the Jets hopeful comeback and their season was over.

So now we have it. Superbowl XLV (45 for those of you who don't pay attention). Green Bay Packers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers. The two nations going head to head. There may not be bigger fan bases in the NFL, and not to mention, fan bases that travel extremely well. All Cowboys fans in the greater Dallas/Ft. Worth area should probably refrain from leaving their houses and wearing any Cowboys gear is pretty much asking for it. 2 weeks from today one team will be returning back to their respective city with the Lombardi Trophy in hand. Who will you root for? We all know my allegiance.

Packers are Superbowl Bound

Ben Folds - Rockin' The Suburbs

NFL Playoffs

It's to no one's surprise that I'm a huge sports fan. It's hard for me to determine what sport I enjoy the most because there are different parts of each one that suck me in. It's hard to top March Madness or the Final Round at the Masters, but right now all I can think about is the Green Bay Packers and their march to Superbowl XLV (45).

The past two weekends of wildcard and playoff games have been a rollercoaster to say the least. Some predictable others not so much, actually wait, I don't think there is one game that has gone as predicted. After the first 2 rounds, the number one seeds (Falcons and Patriots) are both gone and the defending Super Bowl Champions, New Orleans Saints, were knocked off as well. I think majority of sports fans didn't see this coming. Everyone wants their team to win, but often times we find ourselves rooting for other teams with hopes that we'll play the team that may not be as good, however are surprised when the expected winner loses.

Wildcard Weekend:
Jets over Colts (17-16). Ravens over Kansas City (30-7). Packers over Eagles (21-16). Seahawks over Saints (41-36). Fans alike expected the Ravens to win, that was a given, but the other games caused a few more heart attacks. Starting with the Jets/Colts game. It was truly up for grabs really. The injured Colts were struggling to hold on, but no one ever overlooks P. Manning, however Sanchez and the Jets stayed on top, barely, to pull out the victory. The Packers/Eagles game was going to be close, everyone knew that. Michael Vick is a phenomenal QB but the Packers D has been near impossible to break this year and their offense has been exceptional with Rodgers as their leader. With the final minutes winding down, Philly was making a run to win the game, but all thanks to Tremon Williams' phenomenal INT in the endzone, that drive was halted faster than Vick's dog fighting trial. The biggest surprise of the weekend however, the Seahawks defeat of the Saints. The defending Super Bowl champs weren't as good as they were the previous season, however going up against the 7-9 Seahawks no one thought this upset would happen. Down at the half, the Seahawks never gave up. With the "Return that Shocked Seattle" the Seahawks came out victorious. New Orleans came into the game with the mindset that it would be an easy victory and advance to the next round. Now they're back in their homes kicking themselves.

Divisional Round:
Jets over Patriots (28-21). Pittsburgh over Baltimore (31-24). Packers over Falcons (48-21). Bears over Seahawks (35-24). Who would have thought the two #1 seeds would both be gone in the divisional round? Well Packer Nation and Jets fans probably knew it, and a few other serious football fans, but not many others. With the Jets going to Gilette stadium to play the Patriots, not many people thought Sanchez would prevail over multi-MVP Tom Brady and his all-stars, but they did. Same thing with the Saints the week before, the Patriots didn't show up to play. They thought it was going to be an easy win, but it wasn't. The Bears/Seahawks game went as expected, the Bears won and Seattle faltered, nothing else. The Ravens/Steelers game was one that was up for grabs. Both teams had potential to win, it was just a matter of who could play for an hour with the least mistakes. Ravens took the early lead and seemed as if they had control of the game, until they crumbled like the Berlin Wall in the 80's. Mistake after mistake, the Steelers capitalized and prevailed. Now the #1 seeded Falcons had a lot of expectations to live up to, a lot of people thought the inexperienced Matt Ryan could take them to the SuperBowl, but the Packers had other plans. In their first meeting, yes the Falcons won, but barely. The Packers have been on the radar for the SuperBowl this entire season. They were never blown out of a game (all loses were by 3 or fewer points) and when they were playing well, it was dangerous. This game there was no stopping the Packers on either side of the ball. Aaron Rodgers was close to perfection (31/36, 366 yds, 3 TDs, 1 rushing TD) the Falcons defense couldn't stop him. In reality, the Falcons offense only score 1 TD (kickoff return and an INT return were the other 2). But the most interesting fact... the Packers did not punt once in the game, not once. That game could have easily been 50 or more to 7.

And now we wait for the AFC and NFC championships this Sunday. The NY Jets @ Pittsburgh Steeler, a game that could go either way. The Jets have already beaten Pittsburgh at home this year, but after the Baltimore game the Steelers are in full steam and ready to get to the SuperBowl for another Lombardi trophy. This year however, the game to watch is the NFC Championship game: Packers vs. Bears, the coveted rivalry. They haven't played each other in the playoffs since 1941. This year they split the games each winning at home, but now it's different. This game is for all the marbles. Win or go home. It's hard to believe that any team could beat the Packers right now with the way they've been playing, but especially this year, anything can happen.

As a life long Packer fan, we obviously know who I'm rooting for. I'm considering going down to Chicago to watch the game with some Bears fans but as superstitious as I am I'm not sure I can leave the comforts of my home after watching the game there last week. Either way, I will be sporting the Acme Packers shirt I received for my birthday (Jan 4th) for it has been worn for the Eagles and Falcons game therefore it obviously will be worn until they lose. 4 teams remain, only 2 can move on. Root for whoever you want but now it comes down to which team can step up to the pressure.

Go Packers.