So it's one of those days where I have a bunch of random thoughts from the sports world bouncing around my brain, but nothing really worth of writing an entire article on. So I'm going to pass them along to you and give you some things to contemplate as you jump start your weekend.

The 2009 NFL Season:

It's officially underway! Last night's game wasn't exactly riveting, but with those 2 defenses going at it, I guess it wasn't expected to be. Neither team looked particularly overwhelming to me and I don't think we're going to see any teams just destroy everybody in their path this season. That whole parity thing the league so desires is starting to come around more and more.

Fantasy Football:

Yup, a new NFL season means another year of fantasy football, and all the regrets that come with it. I'm in 3 leagues once again this year after telling myself I'd limit it to two, and I even turned down about 4 other offers to join leagues as it turns out. Even the casual football fans who don't live and breathe this stuff seem to be all about getting in on the fantasy action. It took exactly one game for me to already swear at my decision making for my teams as I had Willie Parker (19 yards) starting, and Santonio Holmes (9 receptions, 131 yards, 1 TD) on the bench. It's going to be a looooong year.

Madden Curse:

Tell me this thing isn't real??? Brett Favre has certainly been a curse since last year's cover, but we'll talk more about that in a minute. Last night, Troy Polamalu came out of the gates on fire, seemingly involved in almost every play and making a ridiculous interception as well. Then he goes down with what looks to be a serious knee injury. Preliminary reports have him missing 3-6 weeks. Speaking of fantasy football, owners of Larry Fitzgerald (myself included) reading this right now are cringing at the prospects of what may happen.

Brett Favre:

I seriously can't recall wanting somebody to just go away more than Favre right now. When he originally retired from Green Bay, I had a great deal of respect for him and his accomplishments. I never really was a big fan or anything, because frankly, I just didn't care much about the Packers one way or another. However, that respect has completely diminished at this point and he's quickly become one of my least favorite players in the league. As if the retiring/coming back flip flop saga where he couldn't keep himself out of the spotlight wasn't bad enough, now he's got to make sure even more people are talking about them as we head into the start of the season. Essentially, Favre seems to be blaming the NY Jets as an organization for his absolutely horrendous performance down the stretch last year. Claiming that the team new of his torn bicep muscle and that he "offered" to sit out those last few games.

I guess New York just forced him out on to the field and made him throw those 9 interceptions in the last 5 games... Seriously, if you're legitimately injured and don't think you can play well enough to be out there, then you sit on the bench. Favre never had any intention of this despite what he says now and his streak means way too much to him. Now he's claiming he's not sure he can make it through the entire season this year. Sounds a lot like he just wants a built in excuse for when he inevitably sucks horribly at some point this year. Congrats Vikings, you took a possible playoff team and turned it into a sideshow circus that is going to be a detriment to your organization in the long run.

Allen Iverson:

So Iverson finally signed with Memphis this week, doing so apparently because God told him to. Hey Allen, did God also tell the other 29 teams in the NBA to have absolutely no interest in you? Seriously, I have no clue what Memphis is thinking here. They've struggled for awhile now, but they really do have a good nucleus of young talent in place that just needs to grow a bit and have time to gel together. Iverson undermines all that completely. I've never been an Iverson fan at all, and actually couldn't stand him when he first joined the NBA, but I grew to respect him as he seemed to have matured and unquestionably played hard every night. He's regressing however. Denver got instantly better without him and Detroit imploded with him. Iverson's biggest problem is that he always has a chip on his shoulder. He's 34 now and clearly in decline skill wise after the years of beating he's taken going to the basket relentlessly. There's nothing wrong with that and he can still fill a useful role for many teams. However, he still seems to think he is as good as he was when he was 25, and that's where the problem is created. I see Iverson out to prove a point this year and he's going to be jacking up shots at a Kobe Bryant 05-06 level. At any rate, it's going to be yet another ugly year in Memphis.

ACC Football:

There has been much discussion of late as to how poor the ACC has gotten as a football conference. It's true that they did not look to good in the opening week, going 5-7, including 2 losses to FCS teams. They're still a far better conference than the Big East however, which somehow still gets an automatic BCS bid, which just proves how flawed that system truly is. Apparently for the ACC though, things change when they play each other. So far there have been two games between conference foes and both have been nothing short of highly entertaining. Last night Georgia Tech managed to take down Clemson 27-24 in the closing seconds of the game, after having lead 24-0 at one point. On Labor Day, Miami and Florida St. created a buzz with a very exciting 38-34 game which saw the Hurricanes take away the win and bragging rights. Both teams showed flashes of the old brilliance the programs are noted for and have many thinking they may be on their way back to prominence after several down years.

I will say that as a Miami fan, it was nice to have something to feel this good about to start off the season. While many of the national powers have multiple cupcakes to begin their year, Miami scheduled 4 straight Top 20 opponents. Taking out #1 rival FSU was a great confidence boost heading into games against Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, and Oklahoma. The bigger confidence boost however is that Sophomore QB Jacory Harris looked like the real deal Monday night in Tallahassee. The question is what that just because of the complete lack of solid defense played by both teams, or because he really is that good. We shall see soon enough.

At any rate, while the ACC might not be able to keep up with the SEC, Big 12, or even the Pac 10 right now, there is a lot of great, highly competitive football being played within the conference. Living smack in the middle of ACC Country allows me to see a great deal of it, and while this will always be a basketball first league, Saturdays in the Fall can keep you entertained as well.

Only one team has earned more trips to play on Super Sunday, but on February 1st, the Pittsburgh Steelers will have a chance to move alone into first place for Super Bowl victories. The Steelers head to Tampa to face off with the surprising Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII. After a strong regular season performance, Pittsburgh entered the postseason as the #2 seed champions of the AFC North. Having knocked off both San Diego and Baltimore to claim the Lamar Hunt Trophy as AFC champs, they now find themselves matched up against a Cardinal team that essentially nobody expected to make it this far.

Coming into the season, the Steelers were expected to be amongst the best teams in the AFC, and they didn't disappoint on their way to a 12-4 record. Their 4 losses all came to teams who would go on to join Pittsburgh in the postseason, including close losses to Philadelphia, the New York Giants, and the Indianapolis Colts. After the loss to Indy in Week 10 however, the Steelers won 6 of their last 7, only dropping a game 31-14 in Tennessee in Week 16. As is customary for Pittsburgh, the team got the job done with a blue collar work ethic all season long. The focus was on defense throughout the year, invoking memories of the vaunted Steel Curtain of the 70s for many who watched them. It was defense that continued to propel them in the playoffs as well.

In the divisional round, the Steelers found themselves matched up against a red hot San Diego Charger team who had taken down heavy favorites in the Indianapolis Colts the week before. Holding the ball for 14:57 of the third quarter and only allowing San Diego one offensive play, which resulted in an interception, the Steelers would move to a 28-10 lead in the 4th quarter. After an exchange of touchdowns, the defense would relax a bit and allow one more before the game ended, making the final score 35-24 in favor of Pittsburgh. Moving on to the AFC Championship, the Steelers would host division rival Baltimore in a surefire defensive battle.

Leading 13-0 in the middle of the 2nd quarter, Pittsburgh finally surrendered a touchdown late in the half as Willis McGahee brought the Ravens within 6. After more defensive back and forth in the 2nd half, the Steelers clung to a 17-14 lead late in the game when Troy Polamalu picked off a Joe Flacco pass and took it into the endzone. This moved the Steelers to a 9 point lead at 23-14, which would prove to be the final score. A 7th trip to the Super Bowl had become a reality for the Steel City.

As I mentioned in a previous article, I'm a big believer in the theory that defense wins championships, and Pittsburgh brings the top ranked defense in the NFL with it into Tampa. However, they face an offense from Arizona that been the most prolific of any postseason team. The Cardinals have been absolutely on fire during their postseason run, most notably with the Kurt Warner to Larry Fitzgerald combination. Add in a seemingly recharged Edgerrin James, and Arizona might just have something to test the Steelers' D. While a win would give Pittsburgh their 6th Super Bowl title, the Cardinals will be making their debut in the big game despite being an original member of the NFL and they are out to prove they belong in this position after many doubted they could make it out of the first round of the playoffs.

Pittsburgh's got a decided advantage in Super Bowl experience with 20 members of it's roster having been there before. Arizona by comparison has just 5 players who have dealt with the added pressure of a Super Bowl. This could play a role early on in the game when the Cardinals might find themselves overwhelmed by their surroundings. If they can settle down quickly however, one would think a football player's instincts take over and all the hype and pressure are forgotten. If the Cards can manage an early touchdown, it will go a long way to boost their confidence and keep them in the game.

For Pittsburgh, one of the keys to victory is going to be establishing their running game early on. Their offense in flashy by no means and instead relies on a ball control system as well as the play of their defense. Ben Roethlisberger has an outstanding record, including 7-2 in the postseason, in his short career, but he is not at all known for putting up big numbers. If Willie Parker can get in a groove early on and Pittsburgh can keep the ball out of Kurt Warner's hands, it provides them with their best path to victory. Arizona's defense, while not overly impressive throughout the season, has turned it up a notch in the playoffs and only allowed around 77 yards rushing per game. Parker made a name for himself in Super Bowl XL and his performance will go a long way towards propelling his team to victory again in my opinion.

A great deal of attention has been focused on the battle between the Pittsburgh defense and Arizona offense heading into this game, and with good reason. These teams have both clearly excelled in these areas respectively, but I think the battle can be broken down further. The key matchup for me rests between the linebackers for the Steelers against the offensive line of Arizona. Kurt Warner has had a history of struggling when he faces a great deal of pressure. So far the Cardinal linemen have been up to the task, most notably against Philadelphia, a team known for it's blitz packages. The interesting thing for Pittsburgh however is they don't actually blitz in the conventional sense of the word. Generally a blitz is recognized as the defense sending more men at the quarterback then the offense has linemen to block them. The Steelers however typically only send 4, maybe 5 guys to rush the quarterback. The key to their success is their unpredictability, it's difficult to know where it's going to come from. LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison combined for 27.5 sacks during the regular season from the linebacker position.

Arizona absolutely needs Kurt Warner on top of his game and throwing the ball all over the field to Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin to have a legitimate shot to win in this game. If he doesn't get the time in the pocket to make accurate throws, the Cardinals are likely in for a very long night. The Steelers weakest point on defense is probably their cornerbacks, which could prove great for Warner, again, provided he has the time to make good throws. If he doesn't however, Troy Polamalu will be playing centerfield just waiting for the opportunity to ruin all the hopes and dreams of Cardinals fans.

Other possible notes of interest that could play a role in Sunday's game include the status of Hines Ward. Pittsburgh's do it all receiver injured his knee in the AFC Championship and hasn't practiced since. While I'd be surprised if he didn't end up playing in the game, his effectiveness could be questionable, and his versatility is going to be needed both in the passing game as well as for his effective run blocking. Additionally, it's a well known fact that the Steelers faithful travel very well, perhaps better than the fans of any other team in the league. Typically Super Bowl crowds aren't particularly loud one way or the other due to the nature of where most of the tickets end up, but all reports thus far are that Pittsburgh fans far and away outnumber Arizona fans in Tampa. Perhaps enough of them will actually make it into the game to provide a bit of a home team advantage for the designated visitors in this game.

As the two weeks leading up to the game have progressed, it seems more and more people are jumping aboard the Arizona bandwagon. I think this is a typical reaction to two weeks worth of hype and statistical bombardment, eventually the underdog doesn't seem so unlikely anymore. Personally, I'd say the 7 points that Pittsburgh is favored by are pretty close to dead on. I see this game staying close just because the Steelers offense won't have the fire power to pull away. Meanwhile, Arizona has too much talent to be held down completely and will manage a few big plays along the way. I look for the Steelers to get a score from either their defense or special teams and take the win by about a touchdown.

Prediction: Pittsburgh 26-20

One of the nice things about writing is that every once in awhile the things you say come true and you have some sort of evidence as vindication. Now, I didn't really go on any limbs with my AFC preview exactly, but I did throw out a few fairly specific things I thought could happen, and as it turned out, I wasn't too far off.

Simply for bragging purposes, I'll point out a handful of things I wrote about last Monday:

"Both defenses are simply going to bring it and turnovers will likely play a huge role in this game as well. I would put money on the fact that there will be a defensive touchdown scored in this game at some point."

"Flacco is going to have to be kept away from Harrison as well as LaMarr Woodley to avoid making mistakes and if he can't, Polamalu is the type of player that always capitalizes."

"Ultimately, I think it comes down to Flacco being pressured or not. If the Steelers can't get to him for some reason, the Ravens will have their best shot at a victory. I just don't see that being the case though. The Steelers fans will be crazy as ever with Terrible Towels in hand and they'll pump up their defense to make big plays. I see this one coming down to a turnover forced in the 4th quarter leading to Pittsburgh getting the late game winning score yet again. Steelers 20-13."

I guess I could say that I saw the Polamalu interception coming ahead of time, and while I wasn't right on the score, I wasn't far off. Simply put, Pittsburgh's defense was the best in the league this season and Flacco's rookie magic was due to run out. Those things kind of went hand in hand of course, and when they both came together, you saw the end result.

Anyways, enough of my pompousness, let's take a quick look at the game itself. As expected, the defenses were the dominating storyline in this one. Neither offense looked all that impressive at all, but Ben Roethlisberger managed to cobble together one of those good games without huge numbers that he's become rather famous for. 16-33, 255 yards, and 1TD don't really jump out as you as stellar, but against the Baltimore defense, it's all he really needed. Especially when you consider Joe Flacco went 13-30 for 141 yards, and most importantly, through 3 interceptions. Baltimore had mild success on the ground against the Steelers for the 3rd time this season, but it wasn't enough to keep the Steelers blitz away from Flacco.

One of the big storylines heading into the game was about the star safeties on each team, Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu. Reed was virtually a non factor with just 2 tackles on the day, while Polamalu of course had the interception return for a touchdown that virtually sealed the win for the Steelers with 4:39 to go. Flacco dealt with a lot of pressure all day long, getting sacked 3 times, and forced to make bad throws several others.

The win marks the 7th time the Steelers have advanced to the Super Bowl, with a 5-1 record in previous appearances. The two week layoff will certainly do them some good as a few players were banged up in yesterday's extremely physical game. Most notable amongst them was Hines Ward, who appeared to injure his knee after a reception in the 2nd quarter. Pittsburgh will look to continue it's defensive dominance against a red hot Arizona Cardinals team lead by a Kurt Warner to Larry Fitzgerald combination that has been on fire in the postseason.

Make sure you check back as we give you a full preview of Super Bowl XLIII next week, and don't forget to look for new stories from all throughout the sporting world in the meantime.