There's something about Ryan...

First there was Buddy Ryan, who was the head coach of the Eagles and Cardinals (who are in the Super Bowl by the way). Then there was his son Rob Ryan, who spent the last four years as the Raiders defensive coordinator before signing with the Cleveland Browns this offseason.


And now Rex has marked his spot in New York with the Jets.



The thing they share? They all either took over, or took a job on teams that have been anything but great.



However, of the three of them, Rex has the best shot to be the most successful.

His track-record speaks for itself. As the Ravens defensive coordinator, the Ravens were ranked in the top six defenses for the four years that Rex was there and had his defense lead the NFL in takeaways with 34. Plus, he prefers to run a 3-4 defense which the Jets already use.



The 47-year old, stated his goals for Gang Green in 2009 and beyond in a press conference on Wednesday that debuted him as the Jets new head coach.



"With all the cameras and all that, I was looking for our new president back there," Ryan said Wednesday, moments after being introduced as the team's head coach. "You know, I think we'll get to meet him in the next couple years anyway," he added.



The Jets last appearance in the Super Bowl was back in Super Bowl III in 1969. The game that was made famous as Jets quarterback Joe Namath guaranteed the win over the favored Baltimore Colts; a guarantee the Namath made good on.



Buddy Ryan was an assistant coach on that team also.



"We want to be known as the most physical football team in the NFL," Ryan also mentioned. "The players will have each other's backs, and if you take a swipe at one of ours, we'll take a swipe at two of yours."



Rex is finally bringing that "New York" mentality that the Jets have been missing for the past few years.



However, he will have a big challenge ahead of him.



After spending the big cash in free agency and aquiring Brett Favre in August, the Jets collapsed after their 8-3 start, going 1-4 in their last five games, including losses to Seattle and San Francisco.



"We expect to win," Ryan said. "We have a lot of talent here that's already in place."



Question is, will he still have all of that talent come training camp in the end of July, or will the Jets take a page from the Mets book and choke twice in consecutive years?



"I'm not a one-hit wonder," Ryan said. "When you look at my background, I think I've been successful at all stops along the way. I know the kind of responsibility it takes to be a head football coach. Again, you got the right guy -- and I plan on proving that each and every week."

For his sake, he'd better.

Cards dealt first Super Bowl appearance

They we're doubted in the NFC Wild Card game against Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons, and the Cardinals won.

They we're heavily doubted against the second-seed Carolina Panthers, and not only did Arizona win, they won in dominating style.

They we're doubted against the resurgent Donovan McNabb and his Philadelphia Eagles.

I think you get the picture.

Sunday's 32-25 win over the favored Philadelphia Eagles snapped that streak giving the Cardinals their first NFC Championship in franchise history, and the franchise's first Super Bowl berth.

The win over Philly didn't come easy however. After starting red-hot in the first half, taking a 24-6 lead at half, the Cardinals sputtered offensively and allowed the Eagles to score 19 unanswered points on three consecutive possessions to go up 25-24 in the fourth quarter.

"That drive where we scored a touchdown at the end of the game and took seven minutes was really the difference," Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt said.

That touchdown came off an eight-yard screen pass from Kurt Warner to rookie runningback Tim Hightower with 2:53 left in the game. Warner went 21-for-28, passing for 279 yards and four touchdowns, three of which went to star receiver Larry Fitzgerald. The 37-year old Warner is also now 3-0 in the NFC Championship game, winning in 1999 and 2001 with the St. Louis Rams, and now with the Arizona Cardinals.

Fitzgerald had nine catches for 152 yards and three touchdowns, all of which came in the first half. He also broke Jerry Rice's record for most receiving yards in the postseason with 419 yards.

Oh, and he still has the Super Bowl to go.

"And it was appropriate we had a bunch of different people make those plays, and it was a great team win for us," Whisenhunt said after the game. In his two seasons as head coach, he turned around the dismal Cardinal franchise from laughing stock of the league to, now, NFC Champions.

"It's been a tough number of years here in Arizona," Whisenhunt also admitted.

The NFL's motto this season is "Believe in now". Arizona did just that this season, especially when nobody else would.

This is not a mirage, the Arizona Cardinals are going to Tampa for Super Bowl XLIII.

The NFC's unpredicted showdown

The Eagles and the Cardinals will play Sunday for the NFC Championship and the right to represent the NFC in Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa Bay on Feb. 1.

That's right, the Eagles and the Cardinals.

Not the former-defending champion New York Giants and not the "all-star" Dallas Cowboys, but the Philadelphia Eagles and the Arizona Cardinals.

You know, the Eagles and quarterback Donovan McNabb who didn't know that a game could end in a tie, not to mention became the first six seed in the NFC to beat a top-seed. And the Arizona Cardinals who have lost for what seems to be ages, and had their first, and now second, home playoff games since 1949.

Yeah, those two teams. Who would've thought right?

Both teams will play for the NFC title for the first time since 1947, when the Philadelphia Eagles lost to the then-Chicago Cardinals for what was the NFL Championship.

The pressure, however, will be on Philadelphia as they look for their first Super Bowl appearance in five years, and their first Super Bowl victory in franchise history. Philly beat Arizona in week 13 48-20, a week after McNabb was benched in the Eagles 38-7 loss in Baltimore.

The Eagles are considered the favorite this time around, and technically, the better team, which might go against them since we saw three favorite teams lose, especially in the NFC (Falcons, Panthers, Giants). Besides, Philly has that beard-look going for them.

Arizona has pulled the upset numerous times this year. Besides winning the division, despite how weak the NFC was this year, they beat the Falcons in the wild-card, and upset Carolina last Saturday in the divisional playoff. Arizona also has a higher passing average than the "high-flying" Eagles. Arizona has averaged 292.1 yards a game passing compared to Philly's 244.4 passing average.

Arizona's advantage? They're playing on borrowed time. Nobody ever thought the Cardinals would make the playoffs, let alone get to the NFC Championship. If Arizona wins, they only tack on more borrowed time for the Cardinals.

Both quarterbacks have been on fire this postseason and both team's defenses have been clutch.

We're in for an interesting treat on Sunday.

By the way, time to start taking bets for Detroit to be the "Cinderella" next year.

CARD-iac shock

We've laughed at them for years. They were the team that could never seem to win.

Then the Arizona Cardinals finished the 2008 regular season 8-8 in the (weak) NFC west.

They even lost four of their last six games after winning the NFC west crown.

Nobody gave Arizona a chance against the Atlanta Falcons last Sunday. Besides, they lost three of their last four going into the wild card game, their first home playoff game and win in 51 years. And all the Cardinals did was stun everyone as they beat Atlanta 30-24.

Once again, nobody gave Arizona a shot against the number two seed Carolina Panthers Saturday night.

Carolina was 8-0 at home during the regular season, meanwhile Arizona was winless on the east coast in the regular season.

Carolina opened the game with a nine-yard touchdown run by Johnathan Stewart on their opening-drive, however Arizona would force six Panther turnovers and score 33 unanswered points to upset the Panthers 33-13.

The win marks the Cardinals first trip to the NFC Championship game for the first time in franchise history.

Arizona held star Panthers receiver Steve Smith without a catch until just under a minute left in the third qurater and quarterback Jake Delhomme threw five interceptions on the night, including a key pick in the red zone early in the fourth quarter. He would also have a key fumble in the second quarter which led to Cardinals points.

The Panthers would try to claw back in the third quarter after linebacker John Beason intercepted Kurt Warner, however Jake Delhomme would give the ball right back after he was picked by Arizona safety Antrel Rolle as his pass to Steve Smith was tipped.

Delhomme, who celebrated his 34th birthday Saturday night had his worst career night passing, completing only half of his passes, throwing for 205 yards with five interceptions and a late touchdown to Steve Smith. Delhomme was one interception short of tyin the NFL-record six interceptions held by Rich Gannon of the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII.

His counterpart, Kurt Warner, continued his resurrecting season, going 21-for-32 passing with 220 yards passing with two touchdowns and one interception. Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald stepped up against Carolina as he had eight catches for 166 yards with a key 29-yard touchdown to give Arizona a 27-7 halftime lead.

The Cardinals we're once in the bottom of the barrel. They're now throwing that barrel back at the league.

With a runningback who wanted out, two all-pro wide receivers and a quarterback whom nobody wanted, the Cardinals are now one game away from their first franchise Super Bowl.

Who's laughing now?

Tebow leads Gators back on top

In late September, after Florida's 31-30 loss to Mississippi, Tim Tebow made a promise to the media and Gator nation that nobody and no team will work and play harder than he and his team will.


The result?



The Gators would win ten straight including a win over previously undefeated Alabama in the SEC Championship game and last nights 24-14 win in the BCS National Championship game over the #1 Oklahoma Sooners.



"I was already motivated for a national championship game. But you know, there was some trash talking going on, and it just gets me going during the game," said Tebow, who ran for 109 yards and went 18 for 30 passing with 231 yards with two touchdowns and a career-high two interceptions in the game.



Safe to say that he kept his promise.



The win marked the schools second national championship in three years (2006). Florida also becomes just the fourth school in the modern football era to win two national championships in a three-year span, joining Oklahoma (1955, 1956), Miami (1987, 1989) and Nebraska (1994, 1995).



Tebow also joins Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart, Gino Toretta and Johnny Rodgers as the only plays to win a Heisman and two national championships in their collegiate careers.



The AP announced Friday that the National Champion Gators are #1 in the final AP poll with undefeated Utah at #2. Florida recieved 48 first place votes of the 65 casted.



"I'll tell you, we're going to enjoy a big win, we're going to enjoy the national championship," Florida's Head Coach Urbay Meyer said, ignoring questions about other coaches claiming their team should be ranked #1. "Let someone else worry about that. Gators are No. 1"

The question now is, will the juniors take a page out from the Florida basketball team and stay to win back-to-back national championships.

The end of this decade is now looking at a Gator dynasty.

Back to his roots

After spending the last seven years with the New York Yankees, first baseman/designated-hitter Jason Giambi is coming back to where it all began.

On Wednesday, he signed a one-year deal, $5.25 million deal with the Oakland A's, with a club option for 2010. A far cry from the seven-year, $120 million deal he signed with the Yankees after the 2001 season. The Yankees refused to pickup the $22 million option on Giambi following a disappointing 2008 season.

"When you're with the Yankees, you're like a traveling rock band," Giambi said in a press conference Wednesday. "I played with basically 25 superstars in New York every day. They're incredible guys and we had the time of our life."

The 38-year old Giambi follows a line of aging, injury-prone hitters signed by Oakland in recent history. (Mike Piazza, Frank Thomas and Mike Sweeney)

In 2008 with New York, Giambi batted .247 with 32 home runs and 96 RBI's. In his seven years with New York, Giambi batted .260 with 209 home runs and 604 RBI's.

Giambi is the also the second big pickup for the Oakland A's this offseason. In November, Oakland traded for outfielder Matt Holliday from Colorado.

"I'm back here to win," Giambi mentioned. He'll join Holliday in the middle of, what is now, an improved Oakland lineup. He'll also play first base from time to time to give Daric Barton a break when needed.

Tampa Bay was also interested in Giambi, but ended up signing Pat Burrell to a two-year, $16 million deal instead, giving Oakland the green-light to get him.

"Jason understands hitting more than any other player I've ever been around," A's General Manager Billy Beane said. "I missed his 35 homers the most, but I also missed his personality."

As far as Giambi's styles go... the mustache that Yankee fans, even some fans of baseball, loved is gone, however the scruffy look that Giambi brought with him to Wednesday's press conference will stay.

Big Tex arrives in Big Apple

The third free-agent prize the Yankees signed in the offseason arrived in New York today.

Mark Teixeira addressed the New York media as he was introduced officially as a Yankee, showing of his new number 25 Yankee pinstripes jersey and meeting his new manager Joe Girardi for the first time.

Teixeira stared his career wearing the number 23 jersey to honor his favorite player Don Mattingly, but since 23 is retired by the Yanks, he settled for 25, formerly Jason Giambi's number.

"I think that says a lot about the Yankee organization," Teixeira said. "I loved Cal (Ripken), I loved Eddie (Murray), but there's something about Don Mattingly. I used to wear a Yankee hat to games – that wasn't a safe thing to do in Baltimore."

Teixeira was signed by the Yankees to an 8 year, $180 million deal in December, after denying offers from the L.A. Angels, Washington Nationals, Baltimore Orioles and the Boston Red Sox.

The press conference was held at old Yankee Stadium, which Girardi mentioned "doesn't want to die."

Teixeira hit .308 with 33 home runs and 121 RBI's for the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Angels last season. He has a career .290 batting average with 203 home runs in just over 900 career games in the majors.

"No one's going to expect more out of me than me," the 28-year-old Teixiera said. "I believe I have yet to tap my potential. I'm trying to get better. I haven't accomplished anything yet - I don't have a World Series ring on my finger."

The Yankees will have all the world watching them this season however. Their 2008 plan to "build from the farm up" cost the Yankees their 13th consecutive postseason appearance as the Yanks finished 89-73, also marking the first time in 12 years the Yankees finished with less than 90 wins.

So the Yankees did what the Yankees do best... buy talent. Their $450 million shopping spree on pitchers C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett and first baseman Mark Teixeira not just shocked the sports world, but put the Yankees in the spotlight where they must win the World Series to justify their offseason spree.

New digs, new lineup, new season... it should be a fun, and maybe a bit nerve-racking, watching the Yanks in 2009.

'Simple Joe' leads Ravens past Miami

He never owned a car in college and drove his mom's old Volvo to his first day of training camp.


Not that all that stuff mattered to the kid from New Jersey anyway.

Guess it's safe to say that Raven's quarterback Joe Flacco is nothing like another young quarterback named Joe (that guy who played for the Jets in the late 60's through the 70's, wore a fur coat on the sidelines).

However, Flacco now has the keys to drive something worth a bit more than his mom's Volvo, he's now driving the Baltimore Ravens closer to the Super Bowl.

The Ravens 27-9 win over the Miami Dolphins Sunday afternoon marked the third time in NFL history that a rookie quarterback won his postseason debut. The last two were Shaun King and Ben Roethlisberger.

The win also marks the first playoff victory for Baltimore since beating Miami back in 2002.

Flacco didn't necessarily shine against Miami, only going 9 for 23 with 135 yards passing on the day. All Flacco simply did was manage the Ravens offense, make the easy throws, not commit any turnovers and lead his team downfield. Then he let the defense do the rest.

He played Sunday's game the way he lives... simple.

"They've been doing it all year," Flacco said after the game. "You're sitting on the sidelines, and that's what you expect. You get used to it, and you're asking for it every play. Today, they did it on every play."

Flacco also had a key five-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter which sealed the win for Baltimore who will now play Tennessee in the AFC Divisional Championship.

But Flacco's success has come quietly this year. We've heard much about the other (higher drafted) rookie quarterback, Atlanta's Matt Ryan, for the past four months, yet it is Flacco who is one step closer towards Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa Bay on Feb. 1.

Flacco threw for 2,971 yards and 14 touchdowns in the regular season, completing 60 percent of his passes leading the Ravens to an 11-5 record. This comes just a year after they struggled to finish 5-11, with one of those losses coming to the Miami Dolphins who finished 1-15 in 2007.

Warner deals Cards to first playoff win in ten years

The last time the Arizona Cardinals won a playoff game was in 1998. The last time they won a home playoff game, let alone hosted one? 1947, as the then-Chicago Cardinals beat the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC-championship game.

(Would that be a sign of things to come later on?)

The Cardinals 30-24 victory over Matt Ryan's Atlanta Falcons marked just the third time the Cardinals won a playoff game in the history of their franchise, and the first home playoff victory in 61 years.

Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner continued his current resurrection, going 19-for-32 with 271 yards and two touchdowns, one of which was a 42-yard touchdown pass off a flea-flicker to Larry Fitzgerald who made the catch in double-coverage. The other was a 71-yard touchdown pass to Anquan Boldin, who would miss the rest of the game after that with a hamstring injury. The game was Warner's eighth career playoff game and just his fifth throwing for at least two touchdowns.

"We're a work in progress and we know that." said Warner after the game. "If you can show up for three or four Sundays then you can win it all."

The Cardinals outgained the Falcons 174 yards to a mere 61 yards through the entire second half.

Although Warner has won it all before in his first season as a starter with St. Louis, then was close to winning it all again, but lost to Tom Brady and New England. Then he simply stopped winning for a while.

Arizona just simply hasn't won... in a long while.

Despite his struggles in recent seasons, Warner played 2008 as if he was back in 1999. He threw for 4,583 yards with 30 touchdowns and had a quarterback rating of 96.9.

Warner is still unsure about his status for 2009, but if this is his last year, it was one hell of a ride.

The little back that did...

He might be as tall as Speedy Gonzalez, but he's also just as fast. And he proved it Saturday night.

After LaDainian Tomlinson went down midway through the second quarter of Saturday night's wild card game against Indianapolis, Chargers Head Coach Norv Turner turned to Darren Sproles and told him to "be ready."

"I just didn't have the burst," said Tomlinson after the game. "I couldn't get my foot in the ground and get off like I wanted to."

Ready would be an understatement as the other backup to L.T. racked a total of 328 all-purpose yards, including a game-clinching 22-yard touchdown run as San Diego shocked the Colts 23-17.

Sproles, just 5-foot 6-inches tall and all of 186 pounds, gained the third highest amount of all-purpose yards in NFL playoff history. He had 23 carries for 105 yards and two touchdowns, five catches for 45 yards, 106 yards on four kick returns and 72 yards on three punt returns.

Sproles relief of an injured LaDainian Tomlinson, who started the night, but only had five carries for 25 yards, sent the Chargers into the AFC divisional championship for the second time in consecutive years and gave the Chargers back-to-back playoff victories against Indianapolis. The Chargers beat Indianapolis at the RCA dome 28-24 in last year's playoffs, only to lose to New England the week after. Tomlinson took much criticism last season in that AFC Championship game for not fighting through a knee injury and playing, even though quarterback Philip Rivers almost won the game with his knee injury.

"He was unbelieveable," said Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers after the game.

For a guy that's one of the smallest, if not the smallest players in the league, I'd agree.