Super Bowl 44!

Tomorrow night is the championship game for the NFL, commonly known as the Super Bowl. It is single-handedly the biggest sporting event in the calendar year. It attracts close to 100 million viewers in the U.S alone, and it is the second largest day for food consumption. It's so huge, that it's even considered as a U.S holiday, commonly referred to as Super Bowl Sunday. It's the type of day where people not only tune in to see who goes home with the coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy, but how the half-time performances are and what type of commercials are broadcasted, which companies by the way, pay close to $3 million for a 30-second air time.

This year, in the 44th edition, the NFL pits the 2 best teams in the league, the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts, which will mark the first time in 16 years that the 2 number one seeds have made it to the Super Bowl. For the Saints, they will be making their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history, while the Colts make their 2nd in the past 4 seasons, fourth overall. With 2 high scoring offenses facing off tomorrow night, with a kickoff of 6:28 pm ET, this game almost promises a slug-fest with plenty of points to go around.

However, who does have the advantage? Who's got the better goods to win this game? Here's a breakdown of how you should expect this game to go.
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Passing Offense

The Colts ranked 2nd in the league in passing, with 282 yards through the air per game. They have the best quarterback in the league, who is being brought up in the best of all-time discussion this past week. Peyton Manning, who won his league record 4th MVP and who threw for 4500 yards with 2 inexperienced wide receivers (Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie), he is obviously hard to fool. He had two 1000-yard receivers on his team, 1 that included tight end Dallas Clark.

The Saints ranked not far behind, averaging 10 yards less, at 272 per game, good for 4th. Drew Brees has found his groove as of late, throwing to receivers such as Marques Colston, Lance Moore, Robert Meachem, and Dave Thomas. Brees had a lower completion percentage, but a higher QB passing rating than Peyton.

The Edge: Colts, by a few hairs.
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Passing Defense

The Colts' passing defense allowed only 213 yards a game, which was average, as they were 14th. They allowed 19 touchdowns through the air, and picked off 16 footballs. They alowed 23 completions per game, which was the 3rd highest total in the league, only behind the Titans and Seahawks. They have been inconsistent all year and haven't really been the same without hard-hitting safety Bob Sanders.

The Saints are quite the different story, allowing close to 236 yards a game, which is 26th in the league. However, their takeaway ability and potential is far greater than that of the Colts, as they intercepted the ball 26 times, which was 3rd in the league, and 10 more than the Colts. They also only allowed 20 completions a game, and had one of the best completion percentages, at 57.5%, while the Colts allowed a completion percentage of 63.8%. For this game, look for one player: Darren Sharper, who has returned 3 of his 9 INTs for touchdowns.

The Edge: Saints
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Rushing Offense

The worst kept secret: the Colts have an atrocious running attack. They are ranked dead last, with an average of 81 yards per game, 9 back of 2nd place, the Chargers of San Diego. They rush 23 times a game, and only average 3.5, which is 2nd worst. They have had a very bad, but improved running game in the playoffs however, but haven't really produced a total that they would like.

When possessing the 4th ranked passing game, it's hard to believe that your rushing game could be anywhere nearly as great. However, when it comes to the Saints, they have what you're looking for. At 132 yards a game, they are 6th in the league for their rushing game, which has seen the emergence of back Pierre Thomas. On only 6 more attempts per game, they have been able to amass more than 800 yards than the Colts, and have the 5th best rushing yards per attempt, with 4.5 yards per carry.

The Edge: Saints, by a clear 500,000 miles.
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Rushing Defense

Allowing 127 yards per contest, the Colts ranked 24th in the league in this department. They also allowed 4.3 yards per carry, but only 10 touchdowns on the ground. The longest rushing gain against the Colts was 64 yards.

New Orleans has a similar rushing defense, allowing a 21st-ranked 122 yards per game. While allowing a 4.5 yard per carry average, a big concern is the fact that they have given up 19 rushing touchdowns, which is tied for 4th highest.

The Edge: Colts
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Intangibles

As mentioned before, the Colts are making their 2nd Super Bowl appearance in the past 4 years, in which they won the game 3 Bowls before. With players like Peyton Manning being apart of that win, they have the experience. They, however have the utmost pressure of winning the Super Bowl. If they were to win it, then Colts fans and football fans in general will be able to applaud rookie head coach Jim Caldwell's decision to bench their starters, erasing the perfect season capability. If they don't win it, they will be under fire for not winning the full 16 games.

The story has been reported so many times. After Hurricane Katrina wiped New Orleans fully 4 and a half years ago, the city was under a crisis. After years of hope and success, there is no closer and better team-to-fans relationship than that in the Big Easy. The fans are so attached to their teams, and are already so proud and happy that they're in the Bowl, that if they lose, yes they'll be bummed, but they'll still applaud their team.


The Edge: Way too close, and both are very different, so a draw.
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Who's Winning The Game?

It is no doubt that both of these teams are better than the other in different areas of the game. It's heavily agreed on that the Colts are the favourites in this game, as they've been here before.

However, when it comes down to it all, my pick for Super Bowl 43 is the New Orleans Saints.

The biggest factor in this game something that cannot be overlooked is the fact that the Saints have a running game. They have one of the best, while the Colts are dead last. You'd think that the Saints have a crappy passing game, but you'd be wrong, as the Saints are only 2 places behind the Colts who take great pride in their passing game.

The defenses won't really be that existent as it will be a showdown between 2 high-scoring offenses.

5 players that will put on a great performance, in no order:

1) Marques Colston- The Saints' deep-play threat. The wide-out is due for a big game after having an a decent postseason thus far. On the grandest stage of them all, it seems to add up that he should break out of his shell.

2) Pierre Garcon- Since the start of the postseason, the Haitian has stepped up his game to a new level. He has been playing amazingly for the Colts, racking in yards and getting them closer and closer to 7 points on the board every time he touches the ball.

3) Reggie Bush- Whether he's catching Drew Brees' balls or rushing it, it's no doubt that whenever Bush gets the ball, he could explode to huge gains. Plus, this could very well be his last game in a Saints uniform, pending his play, and as of late, he's definitely showed his USC-type form again.

4) Drew Brees- He has been the leader for this team not only on the field, but emotionally. He's brought the city of New Orleans together to heights they have never seen before. He's also performed a hell of a job behind the center, passing the ball like a magician.

5) Peyton Manning- Of course he's going to have a fabulous game. He's Peyton Manning. He's the MVP of the league. With the smarts like nobody has seen in a very long time, it definitely will be tough to take him down.

As you can see from the 5 players chosen above there are no defensive players, because this game will be an offensive showdown. It will be a classic back-and-forth game, with a ton of points going around.

With my pick being the Saints, it's time to pick the score.

Super Bowl 43 --> New Orleans Saints, 34-30. --> Super Bowl MVP: Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints.

NFL Conference Championship Round Picks

After all the gridiron last week, 4 teams advanced. 3 of them were expected. 1 of them was just simply uncalled for. Rex Ryan, who unknowingly said that his team was out of the playoffs a few weeks before the big dance started, has somehow gotten his team not only into the playoffs, but into the AFC Championship game, beating the 2nd seeded Chargers, who have failed yet again to go deep into the playoffs. The hard-hitting Jets showed tons of heart, battling out an ugly game to win it and advance to face the team that let them have a chance at even making the playoffs, the Colts. Let's go to the picks for these 2 Sunday games.
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AFC Championship -- New York Jets (11-7, 5th seed) vs. Indianapolis Colts (15-2), 1st seed), 3 pm.

This game has so much meaning. Really, it does. If it weren't for these Colts, the Jets would've probably had 0 chance of making it to the playoffs, let alone the AFC championship. You see, the Colts, who were 14-0 at the time they played the Jets, decided to go through with the safe method, which is benching your starting players to take away the chance of injury. So, the Jets, who were pass-rushing someone not named Peyton Manning, took advantage and won the game that they needed to win to stay alive.

Now, as to the game, I believe that these 2 teams are heavily deserving of this. Peyton Manning has done a terrific job in making full use of receivers that didn't include future-hall-of-famer Marvin Harrison. He did a great job on offense to hide the sub-par defense's jobs. On the other side, their whole team has put forth an amazing show. Darrelle Revis has played just tip-top defense.

When it comes to this game, I look to see a low-scoring game that consists of an amazing passing offense, going toe-to-toe against a number one pass defense. The Colts did have a better overall season, but the Jets have have the better run as of late.

In a surprising move that may have me get killed, I have picked a team, and it ain't who you thought it would be.

X-Factors: Shonn Greene - New York Jets and Dallas Clark - Indianapolis Colts.

Pick: New York Jets, 20-17. _____________________________________________________________
NFC Championship -- Minnesota Vikings (13-4, 2nd seed) vs. New Orleans Saints (14-3, 1st seed)

The 40-year-old quarterback against the confident and young quarterback. Brett Favre against Drew Brees. With these 2 teams possessing the 2 highest point totals in the NFL this season, it goes without saying that this will be a high-scoring game.

There's really not a lot to say about this game, because everything about this game is already out there. Plus, these 2 teams are real quiet, unlike Rex Ryan.

The Saints have really stepped it up this year without a doubt. How did they do it? What makes them different from the Saints a couple seasons back? A) they have a better defense, led by Darren Sharper, their big play-maker, and the most important one, B) a nicely-shaped offense. Yes, they are passing freaks and can beat you with the long ball anyday, but what separates them is their 6th-ranked rushing game, which is better than the Vikings, who have the best running back in the game.

The Vikings haven't really changed much, except their quarterback, of course. Favre, who is, again, 40 years old, has had the best statistical season of his career. Seriously. His best completion percentage ever, and a season where he only threw 7 interceptions. His play has effected everyone's like Sidney Rice.

The game should be a wonderful game and I'm certainly looking forward to it as I love high-scoring games. It would be inspiring if a 40-year-old QB made it to the big Bowl, but it's not going to happen. The Superdome's noise is absolutely bolstering. The Saints fans have the most effect than any other team's fans in the league.

X-Factors: Adrian Peterson - Minnesota Vikings and Reggie Bush - New Orleans Saints.

Pick: New Orleans Saints, 35-31.

NFL Divisional Round Playoff Picks

Last week, 8 teams took the gridiron, and 4 came out as winners, leaving me with a quite impressive 3-1 playoff record. This week, I look to go something that the Colts and Saints failed to do this year: go perfect. Let's get straight to the picks, shall we?
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Arizona Cardinals (11-6, 4th seed) vs. New Orleans Saints (13-3, 1st seed), Saturday, 4:30 pm.

After watching last week's record-setting game between the Cardinals and Packers, I was fully convinced that this game would probably be the game of this round. After an NFL playoff record combined 96 points, the Cardinals put up 51 points on the league's second-best defense. Kurt Warner played one of the best games of his career at the tender age of 38, going throwing more touchdowns than incompletions (5 to 4). The league's most efficient offense goes up against a high-powered offense, in what is almost guaranteed to be a high-scoring game.

If the second-best defense allows 51 points, how does a pretty crappy defense hold up?

The huge key factor in this game will be if Anquan Boldin return that sidelined him for last game. If he comes in, the Saints secondary will not only have to focus on a red-hot Larry Fitzgerald, but a tough and extremely dangerous Boldin. Not to mention the up and coming of Steve Breaston, this game should be interesting to see how the Saints line their men up.

The only problem I see with the Cardinals is really, their special teams. After watching Neil Rackers absolutely botch a 34 yard field goal kick to win the game, it has got people uneasy he lines up.

Pick: New Orleans Saints, 48-42.
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Baltimore Ravens (10-7, 6th seed) vs. Indianapolis Colts (14-2, 1st seed), Saturday, 8:15 pm.

The Ravens came into New England, where Tom Brady had a perfect playoff home record, and absolutely embarrassed them, putting a strong halt to the New England reign that took off at really the start of the 2000's. Their running game, Ray Rice being a major part of it, ran all over the Patriots and left them with a bitter taste of what they can now expect out of a much-improved AFC.

The Colts, who have lost 2 straight due to the injury-prevention-strategy, are coming into this one after a month of full play. That could and probably will be a factor in the game, as the Colts may be a little over-rested. However, that still remains to be seen.

In the battle of offense vs. defense, the Colts and Ravens will definitely engage into something that will be a very fiesty fight between two teams known for two opposite areas.

In this game, expect a great running game and great pressure from the Ravens and expect off-the-charts passing by the MVP, Peyton Manning.

Pick: Indianapolis Colts, 31-27.
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Dallas Cowboys (12-5, 3rd seed) vs. Minnesota Vikings (12-4, 2nd seed), Sunday, 1 pm.

As I've said before, any questions that surrounded the inability to win big games in big situations towards Tony Romo have been cleanly swept. Romo, who was the best quarterback in December, throwing for 11 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions, has turned his bad luck upside down, and finally won a playoff game against their divisional rivals, Philadelphia Eagles.

Now, they take their shot and go to Minnesota, to play the Vikings, who have been one of the coldest teams of late.

This game, to me, isn't going to be something of huge interest. The Cowboys D has one of the best rushing attacks in the league, led by none other than DeMarcus Ware. Yes, they do have Adrian Peterson to keep them honest, but it's hard to rush on a unit that is the 4th best when it comes to rush defense.

On the flipside, the Vikings don't have a terrible defense to say the least. They have one of the most feared, probably behind only the Ravens, but I say that they only perform a decent job against the red-hot 'Boys.

Pick: Dallas Cowboys, 34-21.
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New York Jets (10-7, 5th seed) vs. San Diego Chargers (13-3, 2nd seed), Sunday, 4:40 pm.

The Jets were, to me, the sleeper team of the playoffs. They turned heads after beating the Bengals, who clinched the AFC North. They had an extremely efficient running game, and a defense who, although didn't play up to expectations, played like they wanted the game.

They go to San Diego to face the hottest team in the entire NFL. The Chargers finished off the regular season with an 11-0 record, and have never looked better in a long time. Phillip Rivers is having the best year of his life, actually achieving a higher QB rating than Peyton Manning, who was chosen as MVP of the league. Althought LaDainian Tomlinson hasn't gone back to his hall-of-fame form that he was a few years back, he has showed signs of life again, and seems to be near his groove.

The depleted defense of the Chargers, however, is something that hasn't been wiped away. If they can find a way to shut down this 1 rushing unit in the Jets, they will take this game with ease. Don't expect a whole lot though.

Pick: San Diego Chargers, 42-24.

NFL Wild-Card Playoff Round Picks

The 2009 NFL regular season has finished its course, and now we are headed to the big tournament. We are left with 12 teams, all trying to achieve the same, one goal: win the Super Bowl. After New Orleans, Minnesota, San Diego, Indianapolis, Arizona, New England, and Cincinnati wrapped up division spots, there were the wild cards and one division title left. When it was all set and done, the Baltimore Ravens clinched a playoff spot with a win over Oakland, and the Jets grabbed the last one with a 37-0 win over the Bengals who were without star receiver Chad Ochocinco, who hurt his knee during pre-game warm-ups. In the NFC, Dallas beat out the Eagles to win the East title, and the Eagles settled with a wild card spot. Finally, the Green Bay Packers beat Arizona to get the last spot. Now, we get to the picks. Who moves on? Who goes home?
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New York Jets (9-7, 5th seed) vs. Cincinnati Bengals (10-6, 4th seed), Saturday, 4:30 pm.

As I read all the predictions and see what analysts are saying about this match-up, it's about how Mark Sanchez is a rookie who has showed plenty of rookie mistakes down the stretch. However, for me, the numbers outside their dismal passing game is pretty damn good. They are 1st in the league in total defense. They are first in the league for their rushing attack. They allow the fewest points per game in the entire league, with 14.8. Now, the Bengals, are very similar to them, it's scary. Their running game is 9th in the league. They are 4th in the league in total defense. they are 7th in the league for rushing defense, while New York is 8th. They have the 6th ranked pass defense, compared to the Jets' 1st ranked. Finally, they are 6th in the league for points allowed, at 18.2.

It's scary. These teams are almost identical, having problems with their passing game, but being absolutely spectacular in every other category. Now, for the Bengals, the passing game just hasn't been there. They have the quarterback in Carson Palmer and they have the receiver in Chad Ochocinco. With the Jets, they don't really have a quarterback that is proven.

When picking a winner for this game, it's hard, because I personally want the Bengals to win. I really do. They have been through so much, like the death of Chris Henry, a close teammate to a lot of players, especially Ochocinco. They deserve this game, and so does the NFL, because it would be a feel-good story and something that they need in the midst of various scandals.

However, the Jets are far more dangerous. They have one of the best, if not the best cornerback in the league in Darelle Revis. The Jets aren't that shaky as their record suggests. They, in my opinion are the sleeper team in the league that could make some noise. Yes, passing is a huge part of it all, but these guys just find a way to win. Expect this to be a dogfight between two elite defenses. I'm not entirely confident on this though.

Pick: New York Jets, 16-14.
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Philadelphia Eagles (11-5, 6th seed) vs. Dallas Cowboys (11-5, 3rd seed), Saturday, 8 pm.

The NFC is the more competitive, by far. The 3rd seed has the same record as the 6th. That just shows how good this conference is and how much this conference is up in the air. The big headline for the 'Boys heading into the last month of the season was their inability in the past several seasons to win big games, questioning the big-game ability of Tony Romo and head coach Wade Phillips. That's all done. After knocking off the then-undefeated New Orleans Saints and a huge division-clinching win over the Eagles, they have turned heads and played the best football in a long time. The big-play capability of Romo is in no doubt, as they look to continue their reign over their division rivals.

The outstanding numbers for the Eagles include a 9th ranked rush defense, a 5th ranked scoring team, and an 11th ranked offensive team. That's a little different for America's Team. They have the 2nd best offense, the 7th best rushing attack, the 6th ranked passing game, the 9th ranked defense, the 4th ranked rush defense, and have allowed the 2nd fewest points per game. Pretty lobsided, eh?

A long-missed Brian Westbrook comes back for the Eagles, who have been deprived of a striving running game, and look to add another threat to their explosive offense. It still, however, doesn't really make up for the fact that the Cowboys have DeMarcus Ware in their front line.

For some reason however, people are leaning over to the Eagles because they believe it's hard to win 3 games in a row in one season against the team. How does that make sense? I mean, the better team almost always comes out on top, right?

Pick: Dallas Cowboys, 27-17.
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Baltimore Ravens (9-7, 6th seed) vs. New England Patriots (10-6, 3rd seed), Sunday, 1 pm.

They have Tom Brady. They have Bill Belichek. They have Randy Moss. They don't have Wes Welker. After going down with a knee injury that is going to take him out of the entire playoffs last week on an awkward fall, the star receiver who led the league in receptions will not be another one of Brady's targets. It comes against a bad time, when the Ravens, knowing for not giving a damn about who and/or what they're hitting, they'll hit you. It's scary to think about how the Patriots will survive, and it's a thought that has crept into their fans, now becoming a reality.

The Pats, and know that this is involving a healthy Wes Welker, have the 3rd best offense, the 12th best rushing game, the 3rd best passing game, and have scored the 6th most points in the league. The Ravens have the 5th best running attack, and have scored the 9th most points per game. Their defense, as always, is absolutely amazing. It ranks 3rd in overall defense, 5th in rushing defence, 8th in passing defense, and have allowed the 3rd fewest points. The Patriots meanwhile, have only produced the 5th best point defense in the league.

A very good determining stat is that the Patriots went a perfect 8-0 at home this year, while the Ravens stunk it up with a 3-5 road record. Another big factor, is the upgraded role of receiever Julian Edelman, who absolutely surprised me. The way he plays out their and runs is exactly like Wes Welker. His skill level isn't there, but the way he plays is exactly the same. He runs the short routes, and makes big plays out of them.

Nonetheless, the expertise in postseason glory is something that should carry the Patriots on to the divisional round.

Pick: New England Patriots, 31-19.
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Green Bay Packers (11-5, 5th seed) vs. Arizona Cardinals (10-6, 4th seed), Sunday, 4:40 pm.

This is the toughest game to pick. Mainly because, these two teams are extremely good and I`ll say something that has been on the minds of many. Whoever wins this could very well go all the way, given the way the top 2 seeds (New Orleans and Minnesota) have played lately. Aaron Rodgers seems to be coming out of his own and making his own mark into Green Bay Packer legendary status, trying to get rid of the enormous shadow left behind by Brett Favre.

The Packers possess the 6th best offense, the 7th best passing game, and have scored the 3rd most amount of points. They also have the 2nd best defense, the best rushing defense, a 5th ranked passing game, and have given up the 7th fewest points. The Cardinals are no comparison, as they don`t even rank in the top 10 for the top categories.

Experience should be key as the Cards went all the way to the Super Bowl last year. Aaron Rodgers is making his 1st career playoff start. Larry Fitzgerald going up against Charles Woodson will likely be something of an entertaining show to say the least. Again, it is the hardest one to choose. I will go ahead and choose the team with experience.

Pick: Arizona Cardinals, 41-38.

MLB Player Of The Decade

The last edition of the "Player Of The Decade" is here! After picking my NBA (Kobe Bryant) and NFL (Peyton Manning) players, it is now time to switch gears and turn to baseball. Without getting too much into the conversation, let's jump right into it.
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The Candidates
Baseball is a different sport, and could be exactly why I love it the most. There isn't really one position that dominates the game. It is one of the only sports that incorporates all out team play. It's true. In basketball, a player like LeBron James can dominate the whole game and score as much as he wants, and lead his team to victory.

Nonetheless, let's round down the candidates, shall we?

Let's take the game's biggest stars now. There's Tim Lincecum, but he hasn't even been around for half the decade. Cross him off the list. You could include Johan Santana, and he would probably be somewhere in the top 25, but he's not even top 5 worth. There's Roy Halladay, and he's probably the closest pitcher to it, but he hasn't been consistent enough considered.

There are two men who cross my mind. They're probably one of the 2 people that comes to your mind when the word baseball is used. They are Alex Rodriguez and Albert Pujols.
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The Statistics (courtesy of Sporting News)
Albert Pujols: .334 batting average, 366 home-runs, 1106 RBIs, 59 stolen bases
Alex Rodriguez: .304 batting average, 432 home-runs, 1232 RBIs, 176 stolen bases

It's obvious that Alex Rodriguez has been the better power hitter of the decade than Albert Pujols, beating him by 66 home-runs and 226 RBIs. One thing however, that his hidden in the stats, is that Albert Pujols has hit 30 home-runs, 100 RBIs, and a .300 batting average for each of the past 9 seasons. That is truly a great feat.

Albert Pujols: 2 MVPs, 1 championship title
Alex Rodriguez: 3 MVPs, 1 championship title (Sporting News did not include it because the article was written before the championship won by the Yankees)

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The Verdict
It is without question that both of these players are baseball's elite. Night in and night out, these two provide shows for audiences watching. They both play power baseball. They both have a competitive spirit. However, it isn't Players of the Decade, it is Player Of The Decade.

So, with that being said, I crown baseball's Player Of The Decade to St. Louis Cardinals' first baseman, Albert Pujols. There are a couple of reasons as to why I made this decision.

First of all, I do realize that Alex's numbers are pretty lobsided, but Alex Rodriguez hasn't hit 30 home runs, 100 RBI's, and .300 every season for the decade. Albert Pujols did. That just goes to show his all-around playing ability, which can go further than just hitting it out of the park. Secondly, and which I think is a huge reason, is that professional athletes have to control their antics outside their playing venues. Whether it be off the court, the field, or turf, they have to keep their composure. We've seen many that have fallen under the public microscope, like Allen Iverson, Plaxico Burress, Michael Vick, and the latest one, Tiger Woods. Albert Pujols, throughout his time in the majors, has always kept out of things that help athletes lose fans, interest, and sponsorships. Alex Rodriguez has been caught in a steroid scandal, and has always been under the public eye, mostly for the bad.
So, let it be known, that Albert Pujols has been the best MLB player this past decade.

NFL Player Of The Decade

Welcome to part 2 of the "Player of the Decade" series. The NBA player of the decade was selected, and was given to Los Angeles Lakers star, Kobe Bryant. Today, we recap the NFL's most prolific player that has played throughout the course of the past 10 years.
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The Candidates
Other than quarterbacks, it is almost impossible to think of anybody in any other postion that has had so much of an impact, that they can be considered as the player of the decade. No running backs have been in the league for that long, and still be great. That may be the thing. Because, you see, running backs involve a lot of grueling work, and a lot of careers fade off after the player turns around 28. That is pretty much the same deal with defensive positions. The only two positions in the league where players past 35 can still have really good success, is a quarterback and a placekicker, and a placekicker shouldn't really be considered as a player of the decade. Please.

It is almost no doubt that when thinking player of the decade, a quarterback has got to be chosen. It's the sad truth, but nonetheless, it is the truth. For the MVP, you barely don't see a quarterback chosen because of the fact that quarterbacks are given the utmost respect for their hard work and dedication. They are really the heart and sole of a lot of teams, given loads of responsibilites.

Brett Favre could be a candidate, but he hasn't really been that great of a quarterback over the past decade to be chose as the QB of the deacde.

With that being said, if you are given 2 candidates to choose for NFL player of the decade, most likely, at least 8 times out of 10, you will get Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.
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The Statistics
Peyton Manning (up until the start of the '09 season) : 102 wins, 43 losses, 37 754 passing yards, 281 touchdowns, 122 interceptions, 98.4 QB rating
Tom Brady (up until the start of the '09 season) : 88 wins, 45 losses, 26 466 passing yards, 197 touchdowns, 86 interceptions, 87.2 QB rating

It is extremely clear the Manning is the better quarterback, except for when it comes to interceptions, where Brady has nearly 40 fewer INT's. However, in every other statistical category, #18 reigns. Now, I'm not making any excuses for Tom Brady, but one must note that in the 2000 season, Brady was just a rookie and didn't play a full season, playing only 1 game, and in the 2008 season, Brady went down with a season-ending injury before the full duration of the first game of the year. That is 30 games missed, which can account for a lot.

Just like the Bryant-Duncan match-up, Brady and Manning have a lot of hardware. Peyton Manning has won 3 MVPs and 1 Super Bowl. Tom Brady has won 1 MVP and 3 Super Bowls. Yet again, just like the Bryant-Duncan discussion, the difference between MVPs and Super Bowls between these two are identical (3 MVPs and 1 MVP is 2 - 3 Super Bowls and 1 Super Bowl is 2.)

How do they do for the team? Well, let's take a look. In 2006, the Colts went 13-0, before losing their first game of the year. In 2007, the Patriots went a perfect 16-0, and even went to the Super Bowl, where the fell to the heavily unfavoured New York Giants, in one of the biggest upsets in NFL history. The Colts also went undefeated this year, where they went 14-0, until they lost to the Jets this past Sunday in a questionable decision by first-year head coach Jim Caldwell to pull the starters in the 3rd quarter.

However, the Colts hold the record for consecutive regular season wins with 23, topping the previous record set by the Patriots last year, winning 21 in a row.
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The Verdict
If you were to tell me to pick a player based on my liking, I would say Tom Brady in a hurry because he is one of my most favourite players in the league. However, that would be a biased opinion. Truthfully, despite my temptations, I pick Peyton Manning as the best player the NFL has seen in the past decade. However, it is the of the slimmest hairline away that he beats out Tom Brady. Really, this one is one of the hardest sports questions to answer. He's just brought more year-to-year success, throwing for over 4000 yards for most of the decade. He is more careless with the ball, averaging over 13 INT's a year, while Brady's only averaged 9, but that doesn't take away from the fact that he is a game changer. Even given Brady's potential to change a game, which he does, Manning brings more to the table when it comes to mentality.

Manning definitely brings a more tough, mental attitude to the game and makes all his players better. A perfect example would be this year, when Marvin Harrison decided to forego a retirement, taking away Peyton Manning's favourite receiver. Also, Anthony Gonzalez, who was a up and coming receiver who came out of his shell last year, went down with a season-ending injury. Even though he had Reggie Wayne, he used receivers that weren't all that known throughout the league at all, like Pierre Garcon, and made them into fabulous receivers.

So congratulations go to Peyton Manning, who is crowned as being the decade's best athlete in the NFL.

NBA Player Of The Decade

The decade is nearing its end, and it has been 10 years of basketball excitement. Years of glorious players, teams, and plays have all come to an end as the 2000's is in the books. However, through all of these years, there have been a few elite players that have come as their own, sitting atop basketball's throne. Who is the player of the decade?
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The Candidates
When you look at today's game, the way it stands, there have been quite a few players that people would label as the game's best players. You have LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant, and Dwayne Wade. Those 4 are the game's biggest names. They sell jerseys, win games, and bring huge success to their teams.

As much as that is true, 3 of the 4 players (Dwight Howard, LeBron James, and Dwayne Wade) weren't around for the full decade, as James and Wade were drafted in 2003, and Howard entered the league in 2004.

So, take them out of the equation. That leaves Kobe Bryant. However, not just only Kobe, but quite a few players who aren't the game's biggest names today, but sure have dominated over the course of this decade.

After rounding down candidates, I am left with two players in mind that qualify for the player of the decade: Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan.
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The Numbers
Kobe Bryant - 28.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 5.1 assists
Tim Duncan - 21.2 ppg, 11.7 rpg, 3.3 assists

From those statistics, it's quite clear that Kobe Bryant beats Tim Duncan in the scoring category, which fits Kobe's portfolio, and Tim Duncan leads the two big time when it comes to rebounds, which makes sense as well. The assists are definitely a bit closer, but Kobe edges Tim out by about 2 dimes a game.

Those are their statistics in terms of their contributions on the court. How about the hardware?

Kobe Bryant - 4 NBA titles and 1 MVP
Tim Duncan - 3 NBA titles and 2 MVPs

Kobe is one up on Tim when it comes to the NBA championships, but Duncan has Kobe's number with 1 more MVP.
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The Verdict
This is definitely a tough question. They both brought perennial success for their teams during this decade, and both have had a spectacular decade. However, if I were to choose one, it should be Kobe Bryant. This is only because of the fact that he has had consistency over the past decade. He has always had an amazing season, for 10 straight years, while Duncan has fallen off a bit over the past couple of seasons. If Tim were to continue the consistent play that he had for about 8 years, then this would be so hard that I most likely would've given it to both. Not only that, but Kobe Bryant is somewhat of a fierce warrior. He yells at his guys to play better. He punishes himself if he has an off game. He is loud about his opinions of what's happening on the court. Tim Duncan has always been known as a quiet guy.

So, with that being said NBA's player of the decade for the 2000's is shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant.