That's the ticket

Forecast for Sunday: Mostly sunny, 40 degrees. Light breeze. Sounds like perfect passing weather for the guy on the front of the ticket.

Talk the talk

You very rarely see Bill Belichick doing anything but coaching during games. He makes an exception when it comes to the Baltimore Ravens. Derrick Mason -- the target of Belichick's trash talk here -- doesn't play for the Ravens these days. He's at home with Rex Ryan watching the playoffs. But that doesn't mean there won't be a lot of talk coming out of Baltimore this week. If there's one team that talks as much as Mt. Ryan's Jets it's Ray Lewis's Ravens. Difference is the Ravens can back the talk up. It should make for an entertaining conference championship week.

Here they come

It's the Ravens vs. the Patriots in the AFC title game next Sunday at Gillette. Not time just yet to pack away the tailgating supplies. Not just yet.

These two teams have been on a collision course for this moment since 2007 when the Pats stayed perfect (momentarily) by stealing a game in Baltimore. The Ravens still hold a grudge even though they got revenge in the playoffs two years ago. That's just the way it is when it comes to the Ravens. Ray Lewis believes they are the dominant team of the last decade. They've  been very good -- no doubt. But every time they have their mirror-mirror moment it's Tom Brady and his three rings that reflects back at them. Terrell Suggs likes to say things like "I hate Tom Brady." The Patriots are kind of an obsession for the team in purple and black.

As epic as those Pats-Colts games were in '03 and '04. This one is bigger. This is smash-mouth vs. high-octane. I was hoping I wouldn't see Suggs walking into Gillette. I'm pretty sure Tom Brady was hoping the same thing.

Full gallop

MICHAEL IVINS/US PRESWIRE

DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF GAME
Patriots 45, Broncos 10 (1/14/'12): The conversation around all the campfires in the parking lot before yesterday's playoff game focused on two topics: the cold weather and the Pats' postseason cold streak.

Neither proved to be a problem.

The enchanted forest lot across from the Bass Pro Shop began filling up about 3 p.m., five-plus hours before kickoff. I was coming from the north while my friends Mark and Bergs and were coming from the south. The plan was to get into the lot and then call each other. I pulled into an open spot in the very back of the forest and Bergs stepped out of the car next to me. It was a good omen.

The fire pit was quickly roaring in anticipation of the eight-layer cold. By the time Shep and Matt arrived a half-hour later I was tailgating in just a T-shirt, jersey, and hoodie. The beers were cold but my feet weren't. And the sun was shining bright. It was a good omen. The fun was enhanced by a round of Bloody Marys -- and the three women they arrived with (thanks Amy, Roxanne, and Frances).

A few cups of chili and rice, some flank steak, and a few trays of wings kept things warm as the the sun went down. Body temperatures began to drop as game time neared and the wind-chill hit single digits. We got in early to avoid getting stuck in the usual logjam at the gates and stood in the cold watching Mr. Kraft and Jon Bon Jovi (sporting a very sharp red scarf) schmooze on the field before the game. My feet were starting to get a little cold and a round of margaritas and beers didn't help much. Then Tom Brady and the offense warmed the Gillette crowd up -- in a hurry.

After witnessing the last two seasons end in great disappointment at home, the fired-up crowd was clearly looking for some good omens early. That came four plays into the game when tight end Aaron Hernandez lined up as a running back and busted a 43-yard run down to the Denver 7-yard line. "We steal coaches and run tight ends out of the backfield! We can't be stopped!," one of the guys behind us yelled, referring to Belichick signing former Broncos' head coach Josh McDaniels this week.

One play later Brady hit Wes Welker for a touchdown and the temperature in the stadium rose a good five degrees. Besides giving up a ridiculous amount of yards on defense, the Pats' biggest problem lately had been getting off to slow starts. Another concern that proved not to be a problem. Brady got the ball back and led another fast scoring drive, this time ending with Gronk making a great diving catch at the side of the end zone. Pats 14-0 just ten minutes into the game. The crowd was on its feet and stayed that way throughout the whole offensive show. When Brady hit Branch for a 61-yard score with just more than two minutes to play in the half, the crowd went into celebration mode. When he and Gronk connected again with just nine seconds to go the crowd began looking ahead to the AFC title game. At Gillette. Brady threw a record five touchdowns in the first half while the defense gave Tim Tebow all kinds of trouble.

The deservedly-maligned  D kept the Denver quarterback from running all over the field and he wasn't able to recreate his passing performance from last week's upset against the Steelers. Tebow was held to just 136 very-ineffective passing yards and -- impressively -- only 13 yards rushing. The Pats got to Tebow for five sacks while also stuffing the league's best running game. It was an impressive performance.

The chants of "Teee-bow! Teeee-bow!" echoed through Gillette. The crowd hadn't been that fired up since the days of chanting "Paaaay-ton! Paaaay-ton!"

My hand was sore by the time I got back to the parking lot from all the high-fiving with strangers after the game. My throat was sore from all the yelling.

That's how you know it was a great game.

Injured ribs

Bill Belichick's weekly press conferences are a source of great annoyance for the local sports media. They are a source of great satisfaction for Pats fans. At least the ones who prefer their coaches to just coach and not talk. (Which I think would now include most Jets fans).

I reported to my group of friends that due to a dead furnace (of course it happens before the coldest weekend of the winter) and the time spent dealing with that, the short ribs I was planning to bring to Saturday's playoff game are now listed as "doubtful."

Apparently the tailgate menu became a topic at today's press conference and on the injury report. (Courtesy of Matt Shepherd.)

Reporter: "Coach. Word is that there may not be any short ribs at the tailgate Saturday. And that Billy will not be bringing his array of seafood and things wrapped in bacon. How does that change the tailgate game plan?"

Belichick: “The food that is ready to eat at the tailgate is the food we will eat. I’m not a chef so I can’t really comment on what will be ready. I’m not going to worry about menu changes I can’t control. Whatever food puts us in the best position to enjoy the tailgate is what we’ll eat”


INJURY REPORT (1/13/'12)

Out:
-- Billy Brogno (court order).
-- Scallops wrapped in bacon (coach's decision).
Doubtful:
-- Short ribs (non-football injury).
Questionable:
-- Grappa (esophagus, stomach).


Everyone else fully participated in practice. There is an open roster spot to promote someone off the practice squad if need be. Could be hot dogs, hamburgers, sausages, or kelly dogs

Long division

It's round two of the NFL playoffs. The divisional round. The four best regular season teams (rewarded with a week off) against the four teams coming out of wild-card weekend with some serious momentum. The winners go to the conference title games. It's the best weekend of the season.

The Patriots have played in many divisional games over the years. Their first playoff game in 1963 against Buffalo was a divisional-round game. Pats won that one 26-8. In 1976, the Pats were robbed in Oakland. It was the first time I cried over my team losing. (I was 14). Two years later the Pats were hosting a divisional game against Bum Phillips and the Houston Oilers. Unfortunately, in the week leading up to the game Pats' head coach Chuck Fairbanks announced he was leaving to coach the University of Colorado and team owner Billy Sullivan suspended him. The Pats got crushed 31-14. And there was last year's divisional-round loss to the Jets. A game I'd like to forget I was at.

The divisional round is also the home to some of the team's best playoff victories. In '97 there was the Fog Bowl against the Steelers. The Pats recorded their first home playoff victory in franchise history with the Tuna as coach. There have been some great division-round wins during the Belichick era. In 2002 there was the historic Snow Bowl game against the Raiders. In the 2004 season the Pats thumped the unbeatable Colts at Gillette 20-3, my all-time favorite. In between those two was a game that left me thrilled -- and chilled to the bone. Forecast for this Saturday's game is temps around 10 degrees. That will still be a little warmer than the coldest playoff game in team history.

Predicting this week's games is not easy. I got lucky and went 3-1 last week. Let's see if my luck continues. I think the cold weather (and the Niner D) will keep all the high-powered offenses below 30 points.

Saints 24, Niners 20

Patriots 27, Broncos 20

Ravens 23, Texans 17

Packers 20, Giants 17

Game films

Ball Breaker
The Longest Yard — MOVIECLIPS.com

If you only know the Adam Sandler version of "The Longest Yard" then you haven't really seen "The Longest Yard." The real one. 1974 (Yes, another "Game films" movie from the '70s). Burt Reynolds. Eddie Albert. Football legends Ray Nitschke, Joe Kapp, Sonny Sixkiller. The guy who played Jaws in the Bond movies. And a comically hot Bernadette Peters.

Oh, and it's a prison movie. Football in prison. What's better than that?

There are so many great scenes that it's tough to choose just one. ("I think I broke his freakin' neck!") But the scene above captures the essence of the movie. A disparate group of prisoners, led by pretty boy ex-quarterback Paul "Wrecking" Crew (Reynolds), goes up against the guards in what should be a mismatch as big as Brady vs. Tebow. But that's the beauty of football... you just never know.

If you're looking for something to keep you entertained while awaiting kickoff Saturday night... check out the original "The Longest Yard." Here's a clip of the winning score... kind of reminds me of a Tebow play.

The Longest Yard
The Longest Yard — MOVIECLIPS.com