“Who do you think has better hair: You or Troy (Polamalu)?”

Matthews gave the old, “It’s all about preference” explanation, but he simply couldn’t resist offering Maria the opportunity to run her hand through his thick, blond locks.  And as you may have expected, she simply couldn’t resist such an offer.

Hat Tip – [Hot Clicks]

The spread for the Superbowl is only 2.5 points (Green Bay being the favorite), which is a razor thin margin. Can both teams win? Not as far as I know. The Super Bowl historically only has one winner. This list doesn’t constitute a “pick” per se, but it is a pretty convincing list of reasons why McCarthy and company should be able to at least go the distance, Terrible Towels be damned.

9. Clay Matthews is a Beast at LB
Sure, it’s more of an observation than a reason, but Matthews has the uncanny ability to think like a veteran while playing with the energy of a rookie. Either one of these attributes without the other is not much of an asset, but together, this skill set exceeds the sum of its parts. He can terrorize an offense in pass coverage and he can do it behind the line of scrimmage. Neutralizing him will, at the very least, take extra effort that should free up the Pack’s D-linemen in 1-on-1 situations.

8. B.J. Raji has the Line on Lockdown
Do I want to place a prop bet that he’s the first one to score a touchdown next Sunday? Not really. But there isn’t much about this guy that ISN’T intimidating. Normally, the big dudes appear daunting, but can’t really get much done. As Raji showed last week, finding his way to the end zone, he’s not one of those guys.
 
 
 
7. The Steelers’ Center Is Out
Reports have come in saying Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey has a broken bone in his ankle that will sideline him for the big game. Pouncey hasn’t missed a game this season, which would normally be a blessing, but in an instance when a backup has to come in cold, especially a center, a coach would like to have seen that backup get some PT. While the team has had two weeks to prep for this, there’s no substitute for the real thing, so look for some confusion and rhythm issues.

6. There’s Nothing Aaron Rodgers Can’t Scramble His Way Out Of
To say that he is reminiscent of Steve Young might actually be selling Rodgers a little short when it comes to his ability to get stuff done on the fly. You never want to plan for your quarterback to be out of pocket. That’s like planning for failure. But knowing that a little pressure won’t cause your helmer to fold like a cheap card table is some serious piece of mind. That importance registers tenfold when the defense you’re going up against is the Steelers’.

5. Hey! The Pack Has a Running Game: James Starks
Who would have thought that an X-factor for one of the most anticipated Super Bowls in years would be a running back that was added to Green Bay’s roster in Week 11 and hadn’t played a game before that since 01/09? If you’re raising your hand right now, you’re lying. Starks may not be an elite running back, but with the passing game the Packers have, they don’t need elite. They need solid and consistent to balance out their offense, and consequently, their defense.
 

4. Ladies and Gentlemen, Defensive Coordinator Dom Capers
Implementing the 3-4 defense isn’t as easy as scooting around some X’s and O’s. Just ask the Washington Redskins and Albert Haynesworth. However, since getting picked up by the pack two years ago, Capers has given Green Bay an elite defense that is effective in its ability to confuse offenses and quarterbacks with delayed blitzes and misdirection on the other side of the ball. However, his sneakiness is mitigated by the fact that the Steelers have two weeks to figure out what this guy is all about, instead of just one. Will it neutralize him? Probably not, but it’s up to Capers to step up his game one last time in order to catch Pitt off-guard on Sunday.

3. Polamalu Not at 100%
While he is back at practice, this ebony-maned beauty seems to still be somewhat hampered by an Achilles injury. Injury reports given this time of year are hardly trustworthy, as coaches would rather have the status of their players be an unknown so that the opposition can’t adequately prepare for any personnel changes. However, if Polamalu isn’t at 100%, it will take a toll on Pittsburgh not only in terms of physical consequences, but also psychological, as few players in the league are more intimidating than Troy.

2. The Steelers Have Flozell Adams
No NFL player has made a name for himself for all the wrong reasons more than Flozell. Ok, maybe Vick and Ben, but Flozell did it with his on the field performances. Flozell would drive John Madden crazy by jumping offsides at least 4,530 times per game (estimate). If this game comes down to the fourth quarter, Adams is not an asset, he’s a liability. He’s lost a step in his age, though he’s still a formidable lineman. Get the Steelers over a barrel, and Flozell will screw up in crunch time. It’s a certainty. He just gets to do it on a national stage this time.

1. Charles Woodson
A Pro Bowl corner with 13 years of experience leading your team? Yeah, you’ll want him on your team. And the Packers have him. He hasn’t put up the most gaudy numbers at this stage in his career, but the great defensive backs never do. Because offenses stop throwing at them. Woodson has been integral in the Pack’s playoff run, and his coverage efforts should have Ben hanging back in the pocket for a lot longer than he would like to.

It is said that if you give a moron enough rope he’ll eventually hang himself. The same could be said about athletes and social media. It seems now that every week there is a new headline in the sports world about some dumb-ass athlete posting something racist, homophobic or just plain retarded on Facebook or Twitter. Here are six that topped them all.

Clay Matthews (Almost)

Usually, if an athlete creates a Facebook group called “White Nation” and adds a photo of a black baby in handcuffs with the caption, “Arrest black babies before they become criminals,” their career is finished. That’s what makes Clay Matthews the exception on this list. Somehow, despite doing exactly what I described above while playing at USC, he went on to a successful professional career in the NFL.

Luckily for Clay, his claim that it was all an “inside joke” was backed up by his teammates, specifically, a black teammate who had taken to calling Matthews and the other white players “White Nation.” The Facebook page was an outgrowth of the running joke between the two. While there’s nothing wrong with screwing around with your friends, even about controversial topics like racism, posting such things in public and completely without context is just asking for trouble.

Larry Johnson

A little over a year ago Larry Johnson was a starting NFL running back for the Kanas City Chiefs. Today he is out of work after being released by the Redskins in September of this year. Why? Poor play was part of it, but a poor choice of medium to express gay slurs were a bigger part. The other part was calling out his then head coach Todd Haley on his Twitter account and then getting into a back and forth with a heckling fan (never a good idea) whom he called out for having a “fag pic” on his Twitter page.

A few years ago Larry Johnson was the consensus #1 draft pick in any fantasy football league, and if you told him that in a few years he would get kicked off the Chiefs for “tweeting” he would have called you a faggot and said he would “never do no gay shit like tweeting, whatever that gay sounding sh*t is.” Unfortunately for him, Twitter was invented and he signed up. The rest, like his career, is history.

Buck Burnette

Who in the hell is Buck Burnette? Well, in 2008 he was the backup center for the Texas Longhorns. He also had a Facebook page. Things were going along okay. Then Barack Obama got elected and that’s when things went bad for him. See, ol’ Buck figured it would be a good idea to rally the troops and post the following:

“all the hunters gather up, we have a #$%&er in the whitehouse”

Let’s see… a six letter word that ends in “er” that if you found it in the White House you would need to shoot it. What could he have meant? A robber? Maybe, but security there is so tight, how would a robber ever get in? Perhaps he meant a tiger but thought it was spelled “tigger” due to his small town upbringing. Wait, no, due to his small town upbringing it was probably very close to tigger, but with an “n” instead. Well, that’s what Texas head coach Mack Brown thought, too, and kicked him off the team. Now Buck has plenty of time on his hands to gather up hunters for anything he pleases.

Caitlin Davis

Are cheerleaders athletes? Well, for the purposes of this article, they are, because in 2008 the New England Patriots had an eighteen year-old cheerleader with a Facebook account, a Sharpie and a passed out dude covered in drawings of swastikas and cocks. In a series of photos that would make Lynndie England proud, Davis dove in for pose after pose beside the shirtless body of some passed out Boston College d-bag who couldn’t handle his liquor.

After finding out about this, the Patriots immediately kicked her off the squad. Davis was banished from the world of professional cheerleading and forced to resort to minor league gigs cheering flag football games in rural Mississippi for teams like the McComb Tri-Ks, Brookhaven Coon Hunters and the Jackson Hitlers. The good news is that she was very well received by the local community. The bad news is that she recently posted a picture of herself and an African American male on her Facebook page and now has a whole new set of problems on her hands.

Stephaine Rice

Three-time Olympic gold medal winning Australian swimmer Stephanie Rice had this to say after South Africa’s rugby team was beaten by Australia:

Suck on that fag#$ts!

In Australia, I think that’s considered the epitome of ladylike behavior, but in the Jaguar corporate offices, it is grounds to sever ties and pull a sponsorship deal. Rice would later remove the tweet and apologize for the comment, but Jaguar still demanded the return of a loaned vehicle. While there do not seem to be many other sponsorship deals on the horizon for Rice, an offer from either Tootsie Pop or Popsicle brands cannot be considered out of the realm of possibilities.

Stevie Johnson (Honorable Mention)

Ruining your career on earth is one thing, and so far, Stevie Johnson has not done that. However, ruining your career in the afterlife is a whole other matter. If God is anywhere near as vengeful as he was in the Old Testament, Stevie is really going to regret his tweet (listed above)

The guy upstairs who almost had Abraham cut his son’s head off just to test his faith. Does this sound like a guy you want to call out on Twitter? It was nice of Stevie to cap his tweet with “THX THO…” in an effort to offer some form of penance before his 140 characters were up. Still, when judgment day comes and Stevie Johnson’s name is called, don’t be surprised if he is sentenced to an eternity of dropping game winning touchdowns with God narrating from above, “No, that’s how I do you!!!”

17 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (trade from Cleveland) – Josh Freeman – QB

Yes they have. Either you sit Freeman for a year no matter what and play Leftwich, or you throw Freeman in day one. Do not mess about with “McCown is in competition with Freeman, but we think Brian Griese has something to offer and Josh Johnson is a developmental talent…” crap, be decisive. Cut Griese, trade McCown and show some backbone at the QB position for once in your history. Also, what is Cleveland’s aversion to drafting?

18 – Denver Broncos – Robert Ayers – DE

Ouch Eagles’ fans, this was your guy. After that horror pick, Denver have saved some face. Who would have known adding players to your abysmal defence was a good idea?

Mayock believes Ayers could end up being the best defensive player in this draft, but with only one productive year under his belt this is a huge gamble.

19 – Philadelphia Eagles (trade from Cleveland) – Jeremy Maclin – WR

Jermey Maclin?! That was a surprise; even the NFL Network guys were thrown. I thought it might have been Brandon Pettigrew since the Eagles struggled in the red-zone, but Maclin is crazy. He’s a small track star like DeSean Jackson last year, and where did Jackson end up? Oh… the Eagles. So why do they need Maclin? I’m not condemning this pick it’s just a weird choice, I expect they scrambled a little once Ayers left the board. Also, if the Eagles knew that Michael Oher would fall to them, there is no way they trade for Jason Peters. This is painful for the Eagles so far.

How many 6^th round picks does Eric Mangini want? These guys are cut fodder for the wiliest drafters and this is the Browns we’re talking about.

With Michael Oher available Detroit should be ecstatic. I had them walking out with Stafford and Beatty, but Stafford and Oher would make for a phenomenal first round.

20 – Detroit Lions – Brandon Pettigrew – TE

You’re killing me here. Matthew Stafford is David Carr 2.0; confirmed. You loaded this team with receivers this offseason and you still want to add a TE? Don’t even try and tell me they need a red zone target; Kevin Smith is a solid thumper, and Calvin Johnson is the best combination of speed and size in the league. Horrible.

Everette Brown – make it happen Cleveland. You’ve moved back and back, and I’m assuming you’re following Brown and/or Ayers. Well here is your guy.

21 – Cleveland Browns – Alex Mack – C

Amazing… the one area of the field that the Browns are serviceable is offensive line. At the end of the day if the positional value of centre was higher then Mack would be a top 5 selection, as it is, the Browns have fallen flat on their face by not upgrading their pitiful pass rush. It could have been Crabtree. It could have been Orakpo. It could have been Everette Brown. But instead you choose a centre/guard way too high.

I have this weird feeling like Rhett Bomar is about to be called. No way that 5th round talent will be, but I feel like the Vikings want to get in on the crazy pick action.

22 – Minnesota Vikings – Percy Harvin – WR

Michael Oher continues to fall, I understand he isn’t a prototypical right tackle but he is good enough to push Bryant McKinnie over to the right. In face Bryant McKinnie is a tasty prospect at right tackle… but that’s irrelevant because the pick is Percy Harvin (or Bernard Berrian jnr as I know him). Downfield speed, better route running than expected and a real danger on special teams make him an attractive asset but possibly not a necessity. With ageing corners I would have liked Darius Butler here, and the Vikings better hope Phil Loadholt can slide to them in the second to fill their mammoth hole at right tackle.

Baltimore have swapped places with New England. If they both want Darius Butler then this could have been expensive for Baltimore.

23 – Baltimore Ravens (trade from New England) – Michael Oher – OT

I think Baltimore were sick of seeing terrible franchises continue to be dumb by passing on talent. Jared Gaither played pretty well last season with only 3 sacks on the year after being selected in the fifth two years ago, but at 350lbs he’s prime right tackle material. There is a reason teams like Baltimore go to the AFC championship game whilst Detroit lose everything, and this is the perfect example of why.

24 – Atlanta Falcons – Peria Jerry – DT

One of 5 picks I’ve managed to get dead-on so far and with Gonzalez traded for, Peria Jerry made a lot of sense. Solidify against the run and take the heat off John Abrahams, will be the orders of the day.

Indianapolis are blowing their brains out right about now with Jerry off the board, you may be about to see them reach for Evander Hood.

25 – Miami Dolphins – Vontae Davis – CB

Phew. Looks like we’re returning to some normalcy here with the third sensible pick in a row. Strip away the entourage, teach him some respect and don’t let him anywhere near the doobie toting Ricky Williams and you’ve got a super talented shutdown corner. I’ve already raved this offseason about combining Yeremiah Bell and Gibril Wilson at safety, so when you add in the incumbent Will Allen and now Vontae Davis Miami have strengthened a previously weak secondary into a vaunting prospect for Brady and co in the AFC East.

Green Bay trading up?! Has the world gone crazy? Ted Thompson shows some balls for the first time in his Green Bay tenure, and I can picture him now snarling and growling to rapturous applause inside the Packers’ war room. If this pick is Everette Brown, the player I had them taking at 9 overall, then the Packers just won the first round.

26 – Green Bay Packers (trade from New England) – Clay Matthews – OLB

New England check out of the first round and Clay Matthews checks into a Green Bay uniform. The obvious weakness last year was that meagre pass rush and now your adding a pass rush specialist in Matthews. This guy is like catching a wasp in a jam jar and then shaking the jar just to make the wasp extra angry. A little too instinctive to play first and second downs year one, but the best pure third down outside linebacker in the draft.

27 – Indianapolis Colts – Donald Brown – RB

I guess so… first off; Brown over Wells? Do you like this guy’s pass catching ability that much more than Wells? And secondly, why so quick to give up on Joseph Addai? I get the guy has health issues, but if he does stay healthy then do you really want him to split his slender 15 carries a game in half?

28 – Buffalo Bills – Eric Wood – C/G

You knew that the streak of good selections had to end somewhere, and are you shocked it was ended by a crappy team drafting out of position? I guess it’s a left guard replacement for Kevin Dockery, but since when have left guards been worthy of a first round selection? Just for the record Eben Britton is still on the board and the Bills have a no-namer and then me on their depth charts at left tackle, the second most important position in the sport of football. Make of that what you will.

The Giants are going receiver now Moreno is gone, so is it Nicks or Britt…

29 – New York Giants – Hakeem Nicks – WR

Golden hands and 6-1 size. Plaxico who? NFL Network are projecting Steve Smith as their number two, but he’s a better fit in the slot so I’m not ruling out a third round trade for Ocho Cinco (Really Chad? We have to call you that stupidity?).

30 – Tennessee Titans – Kenny Britt – WR

Wh-What!? The Titans taking a skills player in the first? What happened to slowly slowly boring Titans? I would’ve thought after the Vince Young fiasco the Titans would be done with these temperamental offensive fairies. In all seriousness, I love the balance this pick brings; Nate Washington is a deep threat and at 6-3 Britt will be the red-zone/possession guy. Now if only they could get Alge Crumpler working…

31 – Arizona Cardinals – Chris ‘Beanie’ Wells – RB

Teams are going to have to pay a little more respect to the Cardinal run game this year with Wells in town. In case that exquisite far right fade route that Larry Fitzgerald was dominating the red-zone with all season fails, Beanie Wells is the thumper that will finish those drives. And here you all were thinking people mocking Wells to fall this far were crazy.

Wow, the NFL Network guys are ripping on Wells – “a marginally better Tim Hightower”. Is that 5^th round Tim Hightower versus arguably the best back in the 2009 draft you’re comparing? Is that the same Tim Hightower who couldn’t cut his way out of a paper bag let alone an NFL line of scrimmage? That one 100 yard game against the St. Louis was a long time ago, and it was the only time Hightower surpassed 40 yards. Oh and it was against the Rams, who are like reeeeeeally bad.

32 – Pittsburgh Steelers – Evander ‘Ziggy’ Hood – DT

This pick was Mack all the way, but not even the “world champion Super Bowl… er… Champions?” (nice one Goodell) could of conceived Eric Mangini’s insanity. 6-3 300lb nose tackles don’t excite me but neither do small school 6-1 250lb rush linebacker prospects called James Harrison, and look how that turned out. How do you criticise anything the Steelers do on D?