NFL Final Four

With apologies (once again) for the delay of posts, I thought that the conference championships deserved a mention on MIB. I'm admittedly not a huge NFL fan, but due to Burnside and KFW going MIA (just like the Bearcat's win streak) I am forced into the role. Granted, it's nothing like March Madness, but anytime I hear the words "Final Four," I am intrigued. After further review looking the the matchups, though, I am actually very excited to see these games.

Starting in the AFC, we have two teams coming off of emotional wins against division rivals. The Jets beat the Steelers earlier in the year, and with a win would become only the 9th team in the Super Bowl era to knock off the Steelers in both the regular season and the playoffs. I honestly just don't see that happening. I know that this is Cincinnati, but you do have to respect Pittsburgh because they flat out win ballgames. They have arguably the best run organization in pro sports, and as a result, they are once again in this position, nothing new. Polamalu is back who along with James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley forms the best defense in the NFL. The run stopping is particularly impressive, allowing only 62 yards per game on the ground. They won't go untested, though, as LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene make up one of the best backfields, combining for over 1,500 rushing yards on the season. Mark Sanchez has elevated his game, but he still needs to cut down on his picks, especially against this defense. However, I will never be able to trust a quarterback who takes sloppy seconds from Turtle, so I'm going with Pittsburgh. Fuerto's Pick: Steelers 28 Jets 10.

I think the NFC will have the better game as the Bears and Packers just hate each other. The story of the game is at the quarterback position, where two of the best in the game will line up. Jay Cutler is not given nearly enough credit, as he has played as well as anyone in the league the past 5 weeks (minus week 17). He has Matt Forte in the backfield, and two very underrated receivers in Johnny Knox and former Vanderbilt teammate Earl Bennett. It won't be easy though, as the Packers line up with a nasty defense headlined by linebackers Clay Matthews and AJ Hawk. Another player to watch is Tramon Williams, who had huge interceptions the last two games. Cutler is a great QB, but he has thrown 16 picks. He has to avoid mistakes if the Bears want to go to the Super Bowl. On the other side of the ball, Aaron Rodgers is one of the best in the league, and you gotta respect a guy who banged Erin Andrews. They do have to get the ground game working, but with Julius Peppers, Brian Urlacher, and Lance Briggs on the other side, that won't be easy. The X-Factor could be the return game, as Green Bay gave up a kick return touchdown to Atlanta last week, and Devin Hester has a good return every once in awhile. I think that this game is much tougher to call, and even though I love Aaron Rodgers, I gotta go with my boy Jeremy Piven (huge Bears fan) and take Chi-Town in a close one. Fuerto's Pick: Bears 17 Packers 13.