The Longest Short Week

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING

I saw Joe Montana play his last game at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, CA., against the Detroit Lions on Monday Night Football and he won 24-3.

I saw John Elway defeat the Atlanta Falcons 34-19 in Super Bowl XXXIII at Joe Robbie Stadium in 1999 as the signal caller went out on top in Miami.

Tonight, it appears that I've seen another player play in his last game, but this one is forcing his way out of town and he got a lot of attention on Thursday Night Football.

There were no shortage of storylines by NFL Network Commentators Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.

After tonight's game it looks like another player down the road will be wearing the No.20 jersey that Jalen Ramsey occupies.

I would highly doubt it that Ramsey will ever make Jacksonville's Ring of Honor and will never have his number retired.

When I grew up as a kid, Marcel Dionne wanted out of Detroit and he moved to Los Angeles to play for the Kings. When Dionne returned to Detroit to play at Olympia Stadium, he was pelted with debris. The Red Wings would eventually put a protective tunnel to protect him.

Despite winning Stanley Cups for the Red Wings, Sergei Federov burned his bridges and despite getting inducted into The Hockey Hall Of Fame, the No.91 is still not retired.

Time hasn't healed this wound but with Steve Yzerman in charge of Hockey Operations, we'll see if Federov's number goes to the rafters.

But back to Ramsey.

Last year, he made derogatory comments towards opposing quarterbacks and had a bullseye on his chest. The Jaguars had a disappointing season finishing 5-11 and failed to make the playoffs.

This was a team that came minutes away from reaching the Super Bowl losing to the New England Patriots.

Ramsey came into training camp driving a money truck. Time will tell if he gets his cash.

On Sunday, he committed a cardinal sin by getting into a heated argument on the sideline with Head Coach Doug Marrone that led to more controversy resulting in a trade demand.

If this wasn't a Thursday Night Game, I think Ramsey would be wearing another uniform.

But it's not.

If indeed this is Ramsey's last game with Jacksonville, he had five tackles, four assists for a combined total of nine to go along with a forced fumble.

The Jaguars defeated the Tennessee Titans 20-7 on a rainy night.

QB Gardner Minshew II  recorded his first NFL win and was quite efficient by going 20-30 for 204 yards and two touchdowns.

One of those touchdowns was to DJ Chark for 22 yards. He has a TD pass in each of Jacksonville's first three games.

When this game, which took 3:01 to complete was over, Coach Doug Marrone was happy that his squad got a much needed win especially after a tough 13-12 loss Sunday to the Houston Texans in Texas.

"This was a good win, the longest short week in the NFL," Marrone said. "We did a heck of a job in the protection game. Our QB is playing remarkable and the team played with a chip on their shoulder. We do have to do a better job protecting the QB and the offensive line will continue to get better. We also have to do a better job running the ball.

"DJ Chark is playing at a high level and this will open up a lot of things for us."

Chark finished the game with four receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown.

Minshew II said he was extremely excited that he got his first win on National TV but had higher praises for his new favorite target, Chark Jr.

"DJ has been awesome and he's been playing with a lot of confidence," Minshew II said. "I have confidence in him. If I see him one-on-one, I'll throw it to him."

With tonight's win on Thursday, the Jaguars improved to 3-0 versus the Titans at TIAA Bank Field. Jacksonville has now won four of it's last six games on Thursday Night and four straight at home.

The Jaguars improved their record to 63-46 in games which they wore teal jerseys.

The nicest part of winning on Thursday Night is the team can decompress and get ready for it's next opponent. It won't hear about the negativity around the building.

Whether Ramsey is on the field on September 29 when the Jaguars (1-2) face the Denver Broncos in Colorado remains to be seen.

But you can rest assure that this drama doesn't figure to continue much longer and Jacksonville will get a lofty return to part ways with their defensive playmaker, who was the fifth overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft out of Florida State just 2.5 hours down the road in Tallahassee off I-10 West.

If this is his last game with the franchise it will at least end with a win.

But it won't compare to the high roads of Montana and Elway.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com.

Football Stories To Follow In 2018

BY  SCOTT MORGANROTH

It's hard to believe that in a matter of weeks that training camp will open for the NFL.  

It's been an interesting spring for myself, since I've had to deal with eye surgeries and now with shoulder injuries.  I'm probably the one sports writer that has more injuries then the athletes that I write about.  

I'm just hoping that I'll be feeling up to covering the Detroit Lions vs the Tampa Bay Buccaneers here in Florida on August 24th at Raymond James Stadium.

    What we are going to do in this story is talk about four interesting story lines leading up to opening week.

    1) Dez Bryant - The Dallas Cowboys cut him after three non-productive seasons and have revamped their receiver core through free agency and the draft. 

Where will the unemployed Bryant subsequently land? 

Bryant had an opportunity to land with the Baltimore Ravens but passed on a contract offer. 

Initially Bryant wanted to stay in the NFC East but there was no interest in him. 

The only three places that make sense for me are the Green Bay Packers, the New Orleans Saints, and the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

Bryant would actually be an ideal fit in Green Bay because you have a championship and future hall of fame quarterback in Aaron Rodgers throwing spirals to him. 

With the Cowboys, Bryant was known for his tirades with the teams quarterback as well as the coaching staff.

With Rodgers, I couldn't see any of that occurring because Aaron would definitely put him in his place.  If a receiver can't produce with Rodgers then he should be out of the league.  I still find it hard to believe that Jordy Nelson was let go during the off season. 

In New Orleans, Drew Brees is running the show, and like Rodgers has a championship pedigree and would be no nonsense towards Bryant antics.  With Green Bay and New Orleans, Mike McCarthy and Sean Payton would be able to tame Bryant's temper and if he was non-productive, Dez would be looking for another job immediately.

In Jacksonville, under the leadership of Tom Coughlin and Doug Marrone once again they're no nonsense disciplinarians who would also put Bryant in his place. 

Coughlin is a two time Super Bowl winning coach and is actually a God in Jacksonville because of the teams most successful years have occurred with him calling the shots.

Quarterback Blake Bortles is a most inexperienced of these quarterbacks and is long as Blake can accurately throw Dez the football, this could be a productive tandem and give Bryant an opportunity to resurrect his career,  in hopes of securing a longer term contract in 2019. 

2)  Blake Bortles - During the off season the Jags gave Bortles a contract extension for leading the team to the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots.  The Jags came up a little short in the fourth quarter and were unable to reach their first Super Bowl.

Bortles will have a tough road to get back to the post season as he faces Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots, and a healthy DeShaun Watson of the Houston Texans.  The Tennessee Titans, led by QB Marcus Mariota always give the Jags a battle.

Will the Jaguars regret giving Bortles a contract extension? 

Time will tell.  If Jacksonville doesn't reach the post season then the critics will be like great white sharks and for a team that a year ago thought about acquiring New York Giants QB Eli Manning it will be interesting to see whether there are enough good options in free agency or whether to develop another signal caller through the 2019 draft. 

I will say this, if Bortles notching two playoff wins there are a lot of excellent quarterbacks who haven't even won a playoff game a couple that come to mind Andy Dalton, Mathew Stafford.  It will be interesting to see how this unfolds.

3) Jameis Winston - We are going to stay in the State Of Florida and talk about the signal caller for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

Winston is a very lucky young man. 

Normally the NFL's suspension for violating the personal conduct policy is six games, instead he received a three game suspension for groping an Uber driver.  He was smart taking the suspension this year instead of next year where his contract is going to be much higher.

I have always found it to be a risky proposition when you draft a player at the top of the first round especially No. 1 overall when he has had a track record for personal conduct issues as he did at Florida State University.

Aside from the fact that he is a talented player, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wanted to draft an in state kid who they thought would have success on the field ad who would put fans in the stands. 

Winston has played for Lovie Smith and Dirk Koetter.

Being absent for the first three games missing the Saints, Eagles and Steelers is a huge loss for Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers could start the season 0-3 and have their work cut out for them, unless Koetter can get a win or two out of experience backup Ryan Fitzpatrick. Koetter could very well be on the hot seat if the Buccaneers don't reach the payoffs.

I have friends in Tampa Bay that have told me that the local media and fan base would love to see the Buccaneers cut Winston and feel that is was a mistake that the team should have drafted Mariota. 

If the Buccaneers were to cut Winston, the 24 year old signal caller would easily get picked up by another team therefore, the Bucs are in a catch 22 situation.  They are damned if they do and damned if they don't.

One can only hope that Winston stays out of trouble because if he doesn't the NFL will permanently ban him and he will go down as a talented quarterback that became a BIG BUST.



4) Tom Brady - The former University of Michigan Quarterback will turn 41 by the time the regular season starts in September. 

One thing is for certain, he'll be inducted into the Pro Football Hall Of Fame during his first year of eligibility after he retires when the five year waiting period is over. 

Brady is 5-3 in the Super Bowl and the three Super Bowl losses were tight contests twice against the New York Giants and once to the Philadelphia Eagles. 

 How long will Brady play until?  He seems to think he can play until he's 45.

But there is perception and there is reality. The most recent report indicated that Brady will play one more year. 

During the off-season, Brady did not train with the team and didn't attend off season training activities and voluntary workouts. 

Whether he was pondering retirement this year is something that he'll never admit to the public. 

During his career, Brady did once suffer a season ending injury and I can only imagine if he sustains another major injury whether father time will expedite his retirement. 

During this off-season, the Patriots had significant roster and coaching turnover.  Is there a sixth Super Bowl left for the former Wolverine or does the AFC have another team that will play in the biggest game on the planet in February?

Do the Patriots have Brady's replacement on their roster right now? 

I don't think so and that is the only way that I think he will stay as long as he can. 

But his waffling during the off-season makes me wonder whether he will ride off into the sunset like Peyton Manning and John Elway did, going out on top.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Scott Morganroth is a member of Detroit Spots Media. Candy Ebling contributed to this story.

Only In Hockey

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

As the NHL prepares for a potential lockout this fall, we must not forget what happened on June 11, 2012.

The Los Angeles Kings completed their improbable ride through the Stanley Cup Playoffs winning their first NHL title since the team began play in 1967. LA's first championship in its 45-year history was a 6-1 rout of the New Jersey Devils.

Over the years, I've seen teams in all sports reach the finals with records under .500, but these Los Angleles Kings made a different type of history.

One must look deep into their regular season record of 40-27-15 with 95 points.

They changed coaches and fired head coach Terry Murray, he was replaced by interim coach John Stevens, then on December 20, 2011, Darryl Sutter was named 24th head coach in franchise history.

The NHL standings are wins, losses and overtime losses. In the real world, the Kings would be 40-42.

But not for the sport that is played on a Frozen Pond.

The Kings entered the playoffs third in their division behind first place Phoenix 42-27-13 with 97 points. San Jose was 43-29-10 with 96 points.

The Kings earned their way to the Stanley Cup Finals with 10-straight road wins and 12 over two seasons which are both NHL records. LA's road winning streak ended as New Jersey defeated the Kings 2-1, on June 9, 2012.

All it takes in Hockey is a hot goaltender and Jonathan Douglas Quick, who was born on January 21, 1986 was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player during the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The 26-year old native of Milford, CT, has a regular season record of 131-87 and playoff mark of 20-12, including a 16-4 mark in this years post-season.

This kid defeated No.1 seed Vancouver (51-22-9, 111), No.2 seed St.Louis (49-22-11, 109) and No.3 Phoenix, all of which were division winners. On June 28, 2012, Quick agreed in principal to a 10-year contract that will keep him in Southern California until the 2023 season.

There is no way that I will ever down play this team's success. It's hard to believe that they were the final Winter Sports LA team standing since there were high hopes for their Staples Center neighbors the Lakers and Clippers.

Before their series started with the Devils, I predicted they would leave New Jersey with a 2-0 lead and indeed, the Kings did against their No.6 seeded counterparts, who were 48-28-6 with 102 points

Los Angeles 4-2 series win against the Devils came against future Hall Of Fame Goaltender Martin Brodeur, who has led New Jersey to three Stanley Cup Titles.

The Kings win over the Devils was the first time ever that an eighth seeded team in North American Professional Sports won a championship.

Los Angeles was the second team in NHL history to beat the top three conference seeds in the playoffs.

The 2004 Calgary Flames did it under Darryl Sutter, but LA was the first eigtth seeded team to accomplish that feet. Sutter was 25-13-11 (25-24) when he took over the Kings.

But this is a sport which its storied franchise is the Montreal Canadiens.

Montreal hasn't won a championship since Jacques Demers was coach and Patrick Roy was the goaltender in 1993.

The Canadiens finished in last place in the Northeast Division with a 31-35-16, and 78 points, translating to an actual 31-51 mark. It may be awhile before Montreal wins Championship No.25.

Rival Toronto finished two points ahead of Montreal with 80, posting a 35-37-10 mark which is actually 35-47.

Montreal's record was the worst in the Eastern Conference and the third worst in the NHL.

Only the Edmonton Oilers and Columbus Blue Jackets finished lower.

Since Montreal's last Stanley Cup Championship, the following teams have won titles: New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils, Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red Wings, Dallas Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes, Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Blackhawks, Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins. Now the Los Angeles Kings.

Ex Canadiens have figured in these teams success.

Former Montreal Coach Scotty Bowman piloted Detroit to three titles. Roy won a championship in Denver before Broncos legend John Elway won a Super Bowl in the Mile High City.

I wouldn't classify Colorado, Dallas, Tampa Bay, Carolina and Anaheim as hockey hotbeads. Nor will I consider Los Angeles as a Hockey Town.

But I will say the Kings are champions and they won their title without Hall of Fame players Wayne Gretzky and Marcel Dionne, albeit with an under .500 mark.

With the parity in the NHL, don't be surprised if the Blues, Coyotes, Florida Panthers or Nashville Predators are in the finals. Nashville's task got much tougher as the smaller market club lost many key players due to free agency.

If Montreal or Toronto get to the Stanley Cup Finals, then the ratings could be a good boom for NBC across North America.

NBC may not like it, but "Only In Hockey" can a points standings set-up produce such intrigue as we've seen year in and year out.

But, I guarantee you one thing. There will be NO ASTERISK next to the LA Kings title. They made history for all of the most unique reasons.

Now we'll see if new NHLPA Donald Fehr lets them defend their title. In 1994, under Fehr's leadership, the World Series was canclled for the first time in baseball history.

In 2004, the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning held their title for two years, but the second year it collected dust since there was no regular season.

My message to hockey fans is Fear the Fehr because the Stanley Cup Trophy could be residing in Hollywood, CA longer than a year. Enjoy It LA! You won it the hard way by being full fledged road warriors.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.

Best Lions Draft Decision

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

There aren't many athletes that I can't stomach, but the two that stand out are former Miami Dolphins Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino and Deion Sanders.

I'll discuss Marino another time but since the NFL Draft is tonight, the timing couldn't be better to talk about Sanders.

It's easy to point out the numerous draft mistakes the Detroit Lions have made over the years.

But there is one mistake they didn't make.

I'll never forget that before the 1989 Draft when Deion Sanders told the Lions it would be a wise move not to draft him because he didn't feel they'd either have enough money to sign him or wouldn't pay him the salary that he would command.

From that point on, just thinking of Deion Sanders made me sick. Instead, the Atlanta Falcons selected Sanders in the first round and fifth overall.

After his Atlanta stop, Sanders would play for the San Francisco 49'ers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins and Baltimore Ravens in a career that would last until 2005.

Lets not forget that he also played baseball for four teams which included tenures with the New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds on two occasions, and the San Francisco Giants. He was just a mediocre player who finished with a lifetime average of .263 with 558 hits and 186 stolen bases.

If there has ever been a high maintenance athlete, Deion Sanders is it!

Should Sanders ever get selected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and I'm there to see it at the Press Conference, I'll take some medication to settle my stomach.

We all know that the Green Bay Packers took Tony Mandarich with the second overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft. Mandarich became one of the biggest draft busts in league history.

The player Detroit selected behind Mandarich and ahead of Deion, with the third overall pick was a guy by the name of Barry Sanders, who played his entire career with one organization.

I'd say by selecting the 1988 Heisman Trophy winner that the Lions made out pretty well!

All Barry did was fill the Pontiac Silverdome, rush for 15,269 yards, get selected to 10 Pro Bowls and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004 in a class that included John Elway, Carl Eller and Bob Brown.

But back to Deion. When I heard that in a Detroit News article that he hoped the Lions would give Pacman Jones another chance, this seemed strange. I guess Sanders forgot that the Lions are still owned by the Ford family, an organization that he had negative words about in 1989.

Before Sanders made his suggestion to the Detroit News, I might have had a soft spot for Pacman because of his past relationship with Jim Schwartz, who was with the Tennessee Titans when Jones was there.

Now I'm against the idea coming from a clown like Deion! I guess he figures the Ford family can afford Jones at a bargain basement price since he's had numerous chances and has failed them all.

Even Dallas Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones gave Pacman an opportunity to resurrect his career and surrounded him with good people but the player failed to straighten himself out. I don't care if he's been free of any legal troubles the past two years. Pacman, 26, hasn't been paid millions to blow his money and go back to his wild lifestyle.

I'm sure that even if Pacman does get back into the league, Commissioner Roger Goodell will put him under a "Zero Tolerance" policy. After dealing with the recent problems of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, the last thing the commissioner wants to do is open up his Tylenol and take a couple pills or step up to the microphone at a press conference indicating the player is banned for life.

As for Deion, I refuse to listen to anything that he has to say on the NFL Network because I just simply dislike him!

Whatever he's learned by reading the Bible is all well and good and if makes him a better person then more power to him. But as I've stated in this blog, I can't stand the guy because he's full of hot air thus I have no respect for him!

Years ago, I had the opportunity to meet Barry Bonds when his San Francisco Giants lost to the Florida Marlins in the National League Division Series but chose to pass on that and instead got soaked with the winners at Joe Robbie Stadium.

All I can say Deion is if you ever read this blog, you wouldn't want to hear what I have to say to you. But perhaps you will if I ever attend your Hall of Fame selection.

Your "Prime Time" persona is as fake as it gets and whether you donate lots of money to charity, while that may be an admirable gesture, you also know it's a good tax write off especially in your tax bracket.

But I do know this, the Lions did draft the better Sanders by taking Barry, and the best two sports star I've ever seen is Bo Jackson.

Jackson was an excellent baseball player, great football player and if his NFL & MLB careers weren't cut short due to injuries, he'd get my Hall of Fame vote. Those that watch ESPN Classic can still appreciate Bo Jackson.

Here is another piece of advice for you Deion, if you want to give the Lions draft advice, perhaps you could work alongside of Martin Mayhew and he'll give you your two cents worth and you can voice your opinion. But then again, I have to ask myself, can the Ford's afford you after your football career?

Although the Ford's have never seen their football team reach a Super Bowl, they still have more money then you'll have in plenty of lifetimes.

Your eight Pro Bowls and two Super Bowl rings mean nothing to me. It's your superficial personality that makes me ill. If you can ever prove to me that you can build a championship team in the front office and respect good business people, then I won't nominate you for the Hall of Shame.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at www.scottsports33.com.

Super Bowl XLIV Preview

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

As we prepare for Super Bowl XLIV in Miami, here are the reasons why the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints should win on February 7.

In the last three Super Bowls I've covered, each quarterback has won multiple titles and padded their Hall of Fame credentials.

In Super Bowl XXXIII here in Miami, Denver Broncos signal caller John Elway retired a two-time champion with a 34-19 win over the Atlanta Falcons, who were piloted by his old coach Dan Reeves. This gave Coach Mike Shanahan his second championship.

Super Bowl XXXIX in Jacksonville saw former Michigan Wolverines QB Tom Brady and Coach Bill Bellichick capture their third titles together with a 24-21 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Finally, Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, who struggled to win Super Bowl XL in Detroit by tossing for only 123 yards passing, redeemed himself with a one touchdown and a 256 yard performance to emerge with a 27-23 triumph over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa.

Roethlisberger's game winning six-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes with 35 seconds was one of the greatest games ever, and gave him his second championship, and the Steelers recorded the franchise's sixth crown.

Here are the reasons why the Colts should win:

Indianapolis is the beneficiary of the Rooney Rule which requires teams to seriously interview a minority candidate for head coaching and executive positions. Former Coach Tony Dungy became the first African American Coach to win a Super Bowl by knocking off the Chicago Bears 29-17 in Super Bowl XLI in a battle of black coaches defeating his former assistant Lovie Smith.

Now Dungy's African American successor Jim Caldwell has a chance to win on the same Joe Robbie Stadium turf.

This is my third Super Bowl where I've seen a team reach the title game for the first time. The Falcons and Cardinals have both lost and Indianapolis is under extreme pressure to win because the Colts bypassed a historical opportunity to go 16-0 by resting their starters in season ending losses to the NY Jets & Buffalo Bills.

The AFC is 3-0 in Super Bowls that I've covered as Denver, New England and Pittsburgh have won the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Here are the reasons why New Orleans should win:

Quarterback Drew Brees is on a mission to make the San Diego Chargers regret that they kept Philip Rivers instead of him.

If Brees leads the Saints to a victory in their first appearance in the Super Bowl, they'll join division rival Tampa Bay with victories in it's initial appearance. The Buccaneers blasted the Oakland Raiders 48-21 in Super Bowl XXXVII as Coach Jon Gruden defeated his former boss Al Davis.

New Orleans defeated the Miami Dolphins 46-34 at Joe Robbie Stadium on Oct 25, 2009. The Saints would like nothing better than to extend their celebration from South Beach to Bourbon Street giving the city its first major championship against New Orleans native Peyton Manning, the son of legendary Saints QB Archie.

New Orleans spoiled the homecoming of former Saints fan Brett Favre with a 31-28 OT win in the NFC Championship Game. New Orleans would like to continue this against Manning.

For the Saints to defeat future Hall of Famer Kurt Warner of the Cardinals who retired Friday, Favre, who could likely retire this year with his final game like Warner's being played in the Superdome, and Manning; this would be a championship well earned. Warner is 1-2 in Super Bowls and has played in three classics.

Finally, if there is a sentimental choice to root for a team, this would be it. The city of New Orleans has already said it will throw a parade whether the team wins or loses. To see the Saints win a title after the region was battered by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 would be

unbelievable!

Here is my prediction on who will win Super Bowl XLIV based on this formula.

Denver defeated Atlanta by 15 points, New England edged Philadelphia by three while Pittsburgh came from behind to defeat Arizona by four points. The total point differential for all three games is 22 and if you divide it by three games, this equals 7.3.

Therefore, in a shootout of two franchises which have won important games at Joe Robbie Stadium, Indianapolis (14-2) defeats New Orleans (13-3) by a 38-31 score in the Super Bowl everyone wanted to see in the battle of No.1 seeds.

The win allows Manning to join Elway, Brady and Roethlisberger as multiple Super Bowl winners.

Since Shanahan and Bellichick won back to back multiple titles when I attended those games, it's time for a repeat of African American titles. Caldwell would become the third African American to win a championship with last year's Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin being the second.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at Scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at www.scottsports33.com.

Historic Super Bowl In The Making

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

The Minnesota Vikings and QB Brett Favre finally erased some of their bad memories of the Dallas Cowboys by blasting them 34-3 in the Metrodome Sunday.

Here is what we have to look forward to in the next few weeks leading up to the Super Bowl on February 7, 2010.

The Vikings (13-4) travel to the Superdome and face the New Orleans Saints (14-3) in the first ever NFC Championship to ever be held in this historical venue. It's only fitting that we have a matchup featuring the top two seeds.

The 40-year old Favre returns to the building where he won his lone Vince Lombardi Trophy on January 26, 1997 with a 34-21 victory over the New England Patriots. Favre, who played his collegiate career at Southern Mississippi and was born in Gulfport, Mississippi, is 363-531, 4,202 yards for 33 TD's and just seven interceptions in 2009.

In Sunday's win over Dallas, Favre was 15-24, 234 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions. Favre's four touchdowns was the most in his post-season career and he earned his first playoff win over the Cowboys.

Including the post-season, Favre has played in 307 consecutive games. During his 19-year career as of week 17, 2009, Favre has thrown for 69,392 yards, 497 TD's, 317 interceptions, 9,811 attempts and 6,083 completions.

Here are some more interesting numbers.

Thirteen years ago when he won his Super Bowl in New Orleans, the cost of a 30 second commercial was $1.2 million. The Neilson Ratings were 43.3 and the market share was 65.

Pat Summerall and John Madden were the broadcasters for his historical win on Fox. Joe Buck and former Cowboys QB and Hall of Famer Troy Aikman will be televising this contest for FOX.

In Miami, the No. 13 jersey of Dan Marino is retired at Joe Robbie Stadium. Marino's 61, 361 yards in 16 seasons used to be the all-time NFL mark before Favre broke the Super Bowl Titleless performer's record.

My first Super Bowl was XXXIII in Miami on Jan 31, 1999. The Denver Broncos, who defeated Favre a year earlier to win their first championship, knocked off the Atlanta Falcons 34-19 as Hall of Fame QB John Elway retired a two-time champion. Now Favre, like Elway, has a chance to win his second title on Marino's old playground.

Going into Sunday's NFC Championship Game, Saints QB Drew Brees, at the age of 31, who played at the same university as Miami Dolphins legend Bob Griese, Purdue, has put together an excellent career of his own.

In 2009, Brees is 363-514, 4,388 yards, 34 TD's and 11 interceptions. During his nine-year career, he's 2,697-4,164, 202 TD's and 110 interceptions for 30,646 yards.

Brees turned down the opportunity to sign with the Miami Dolphins and play for Coach Nick Saban and chose to accept the challenge of playing for first time Head Coach Sean Payton in 2006.

In their first year together, they advanced to the NFC Championship but lost to the Chicago Bears 39-14 at Soldier Field as the Saints amassed four turnovers. On that Sunday, January 21, 2006 afternoon, the Saints had to deal with a cloudy, snowy day with the temperature 28 degrees. Despite the loss, the Saints would be greeted warmly by a grateful region that had appreciated their efforts on the field and in their ravaged community due to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

The weather at the Superdome in Saturday's 45-14 rout of the Arizona Cardinals will be the same against the Vikings. Against the Cardinals, Brees was 23-32, 247 yards, three TD's and zero touchdowns as he out performed Arizona legend Kurt Warner.

Regardless of whether it's Favre or Brees, if the Indianapolis Colts (15-2) are able to defeat the surging New York Jets (11-7) Sunday, this could be a historic Super Bowl.

Manning won his first Super Bowl against the Chicago Bears on February 4, 2007 at Joe Robbie Stadium as history was made in the first game ever coached by African Americans featuring Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith.

Another African American is at the helm for the Colts as Jim Caldwell is under pressure to win this Super Bowl when he chose to not make a run at a 16-0 season as the Colts lost their final two games to the Jets and Buffalo Bills in an effort to rest their players, plus avoid injuries while getting others healthy.

Nonetheless, Manning, who is an 11-year veteran has compiled 50,128 yards as of week 17, 2009. He'll either face his hometown team New Orleans, whom his father Archie played for when the franchise was known as the Aints otherwise, it will be a match-up against another NFC North team in the Minnesota Vikings.

At the rate Manning is going, he should pass Marino's yardage mark in 2.5 seasons. But having won a Super Bowl in Marino's playground, now he has a chance to win a second one at Joe Robbie Stadium at the age of 33, the same Super Bowl as Elway's second. If Favre wins his second, it will come in a regular season where he threw for 33 touchdowns.

If Favre doesn't reach the Super Bowl and the Saints make it for the first time it will be a great story for the region which was battered by Hurricane Katrina but more importantly, the list of teams to have never reached the Super Bowl will be down to four.

How ironic will it be that as was the case in Super Bowl XXXIII, that an NFC South team could be making it's first trip to the Super Bowl in South Beach.

No matter what scenario plays out, history is destined to be made in South Florida. If an NFC team wins the Super Bowl, the Saints will either be 1-0 or the Vikings will be 1-4.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at www.scottsports33.com.