The QB Duel We Didn't Expect

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING

If there was ever a time that covering the NFL Draft was useful then this year was it.

When the Jacksonville Jaguars drafted QB Gardner Minshew III in the sixth round, 178th overall, everyone in the building raved about the Washington State product who worked under the tutelage of offensive guru Mike Leach.

Leach has worked wonders at Texas Tech and he's repeated his success for the Cougars.

The Jaguars gave Minshew plenty of playing time during the pre-season to keep starting QB Nick Foles healthy for the start of the regular season.

Great logic for a guy that signed a four-year $88 Million Contract on March 13, 2019.

It worked early in the game as Foles threw a 35-yard TD pass to DJ Chark Jr. 5:23 into the game. Foles left the game completing five of eight passes for 75 yards and a score.

But the downside of the touchdown was Foles got knocked out of the game as he suffered a broken collarbone in his left shoulder. Jacksonville is expecting him to return by Week 11.

Who would have expected the opening weekend in Jacksonville to see a battle of young QB's in a shootout, the most unlikeliest of one?

Nobody!

But that's what we had, Minshew III vs Mahomes.

Minshew kept Jacksonville in the game as the Jags trailed 23-13 at halftime.

The rookie went into the intermission by completing all of his nine passes for 128 yards.

Minshew continued his accuracy in the second half as he became the first NFL player since 1991 to complete his first 13 passes.

The streak of 13 passes is the third longest in franchise history.

You talk about a hot streak, this was it!

On a day where the temperature was 91 degrees at kickoff, according to First Coast News, the temperatures reached above 120 degrees and the Jacksonville Fire Department reported 86 medical calls were made from TIAA Bank Field and 18 people were taken to hospitals.

But not Minshew III. He stayed hot all afternoon.

In the Press Box there were comparisons to New England Patriot future Hall of Fame QB Tom Brady. In 2000, the former Michigan Wolverine was selected in the sixth round, 199th overall by New England and has six Super Bowl Championships.

The Patriots are favorites to win their seventh title.

Perhaps at this stage that may be a bit premature however, the draft position will always be linked to Minshew.

When the contest was over, it was Mahomes who led the Chiefs to the opening season 40-26 triumph and his favorite target was Sammy Watkins, who played his collegiate ball at Clemson.

Mahomes, last years MVP, completed 25-33 passes for 378 yards and three touchdowns which led to a passer rating of 143.2 for the team coached by Andy Reid.

Meanwhile, Watkins caught nine passes for 198 yards and scored three touchdowns.

Minshew finished the game completing 22-25 for 275 yards, two touchdowns and one interception with a 122.5 passer rating. His interception was a pass that was tipped twice, simply bad luck.

You talk about an impressive debut, this was it!

Head Coach Doug Marrone raved about his rookie signal caller.

"I think that Gardner (Minshew), I feel better about him now, today, after Week 1, than I did during the pre-season," Marrone said. I think that's fair to say. I think the work during the preseason was able to get him ready for things like this.

"I don't know, I'm hoping that's the case. I think you have to understand is it's very difficult for any backup quarterback to go out there because they don't take any reps during the week. He didn't take any reps against Kansas City's defense and went out there and performed."

Here are some other facts about Minshew's debut.

He became the most accurate single game passer in Jaguars history among players with at least 25 pass attempts with his 88.0 completion percentage.

His 88.0 completion percentage was the highest for any player with at least 15 attempts making their NFL debut in NFL History.

His 275 passing yards were the most ever by a Jaguars player making his NFL debut, and the fifth most by a Jaguars rookie in a single game.

Get used to seeing second year wide receiver DJ Chark Jr., who turned in a career performance against the Chiefs, catching four passes for 146 yards (36.5 rec. avg.) and one touchdown from Foles. Among players with at least four receptions in a game, Chark's 36.5 yards per-catch average is the highest in a single game in franchise history.

This marked Chark's first 100 yard performance and the first by a Jaguars receiver since Week 4 of the 2018 season against the New York Jets.

Chark was responsible for three of the Jaguars four longest offensive plays on Sunday, a 69-yard reception and two 35-yarders, one of which was a TD.

In many instances, a team should be quite concerned losing a starting QB in the opening week especially when it rests its players during the preseason to avoid injuries.

However, because Jacksonville's football operation appears to have found it's Hidden Gem in the off-season, this organization has a future building block in Minshew.

Moreover, he'll have Foles on the sidelines mentoring him as he gets on the job training.

Jacksonville enters tomorrows road game at the Houston Texans as 8.5 point underdogs.

Houston has game film on Minshew, while the rookie has practices with the first team this week.

Jacksonville has additional playmakers it can turn to with running back Leonard Fournette, who rushed 13 times for 66 yards, in addition to catching four passes for 28 yards.

The LSU product has now eclipsed 1,500 career rushing yards (1,545).

Add wide receivers Dede Westbrook, Chris Conley, Keelan Cole and tight end Geoff Swain and Minshew will have some offensive support.

Conley made his Jacksonville debut as he was signed as an unrestricted free agent on March 16, 2019. The five-year veteran caught six passes for a career high 97 yards and one touchdown.

Conley's previous career-high for receiving yards was 74, set on November 19, 2018 against the Rams as a member of the Chiefs. Conley now has seven career TD passes.

I'll be watching this game closely as we get set to cover Thursday's Nationally Televised Home Game against the Tennessee Titans at 8:20 pm on The NFL Network.

This could be Minshew's coming out party as 31 NFL teams could be scratching their heads as to the prospect that got away.

But it was neat observing first hand about "The QB Duel We Didn't Expect" yet getting a glimpse of potentially more encounters, Minshew vs Mahomes, the race to their first Super Bowl Championship.

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

He is the Founder and CEO of The South Florida Tribune, plus the Co-Host of The Sports Exchange on the weinetwork.com that airs Tuesday and Thursday 5-7 ET.

Jacksonville's Hidden Gems?

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
JACKSONVILLE, FL

If common logic had anything to do with the draft process, there would be no such thing as busts in any draft, especially the NFL Draft.

But that's not the case and I'm not going in that direction.

In the last article, I summarized all of the Jaguars draft choices.

Top pick DE Josh Allen seems like a good prospect.

Jacksonville traded up with the Oakland Raiders in the second round, 35th overall, to select Jawaan Taylor, who played for the Florida Gators.

This seems like an excellent move as the tackle should be able to protect free agent QB Nick Foles.

At 312 pounds, Taylor could be my body guard.

After these two picks, the intrigue starts.

As I took the five hour trek back home on I-95 South, the three picks which standout in my mind are TE Josh Oliver (San Jose State) who was selected in round three.

Fifth rounder RB RyQuell Armstead (Temple), should bolster Jacksonville's running back position.

QB Gardner Minshew III (Washington State) was selected in the sixth round, 178th overall.

Instead of throwing out zillions of statistics and attempting to convince you this prospect is good, I'll let the key individuals explain the thought process behind the selection.

Let's start with Oliver, who played with multiple QB's last season at San Jose State. For the Spartans, he caught 56 passes for 709 yards, and four TD's. He averaged 12.7 yards per catch and his longest reception was 70 yards.

Oliver was third nationally among FBS tight ends and led the team with 56 receptions.

Thirty eight of his 56 receptions resulted in a first down.

His 709 receiving yards was fifth nationally among FBS tight ends.

At 6-5, 249 pounds, he's a tall target for Foles.

General Manager Dave Caldwell said that Oliver "is an extremely athletic guy with a lot of production. I know it was really frustrating for him because he really wanted to win. I think he made the most of it, but it was impressive how he kept his head up and kept playing hard and playing at a high level."

Executive VP of Football Operations Tom Coughlin was also pleased with Oliver.

"We've been talking about a tight end forever and not done anything about it," Coughlin said. "Josh Oliver is a guy that can run. He's a run after the catch guy. People knock him a little bit for blocking, but I think as a move guy and as a detached guy, motion guy in the backfield, I think he can handle all of those types of runs. The screen blocking, etc. He can reach (block) and put his hat on the outside and make people run with him and that kind of thing."

In the 2017 Draft, Jacksonville selected RB Leonard Fournette in the first round, fourth overall out of LSU.

In an effort to shore up their running game, the Jags added Alfred Blue (formerly of the Houston Texans) then drafted RyQuell Armstead in the fifth round, 140th overall. Now the Jags have a solid running back room.

He's 5-11, 220 pounds.

These are the types of selections that make scouting and personnel departments look like geniuses. As I found out during these two days, the evaluation process of a player can have as many as 10 people involved.

There are coaches, scouts, player personnel as well as the executive brass looking at film, attending the scouting combine, College All-Star Games, etc...

I also found out that the wonderlic timed test which determines IQ is somewhat important, but during the evaluation process, talent evaluators acknowledge that players learn visually as well.

These individuals admit that they'd be nervous about taking such a test. Yet, as I mentioned, it's still part of this process.

Nonetheless, the deeper into the draft, this is what leads to Super Bowl contenders.

I left Jacksonville turning my head on a few players and Armstead could cause defensive coordinators tons of headaches.

Armstead had 210 carries for 1,098 yards and 13 touchdowns.

He became the 11th player in Temple History to eclipse that plateau.

He was 10th in the nation in rushing TD's with 13 and averaged 115.8 per-game.

Jaguars Assistant Director of Player Personnel Andy Dengler talked about the guy who played up I-95 North in Philadelphia.

"He's really fast, you can see it on tape," Dengler said. "He ran a 4.45, 22 reps on the bench. He's been a really productive player at Temple. He'll provide a lot of good depth for us. Explosive and he's good in pass protection as well."

Coughlin said he received positive vibes from former Temple Coach Matt Rhule who is now the head man at Baylor University.

"Matt Rhule texted me right away when we took him and said, 'Yes, sir. He's a winner.' We're excited about that. A guy who is tough and has the ability to make that one cut and get to the goal line. He will be 222-223 pounds when he gets here. Runs very well."

In the 2000 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots drafted Michigan QB Tom Brady in the sixth round, 199th overall. Brady is 6-4, 225 pounds and he's a classic example that you don't need to draft a franchise QB in the first round.

I want to make one thing very clear.

I'm not putting the pressure on Minshew III to live up to what Brady accomplished.

But Minshew was selected 178th overall and in the sixth round.

Period.

In 2018, he threw for 4,779 yards, 38 touchdowns and just nine interceptions for Washington State Head Coach Mike Leach, an offensive mastermind.

He finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting.

While I won't put too much pressure on Minshew III, that didn't stop Coughlin from gleaming about this guy especially his intelligence.

"When we interviewed him in Indianapolis, he came in and said, 'Yeah, I know I'm too short, too slow and my arm is not good enough. But I just went to Washington State and won 11 games.' Not bad. As a matter of fact, he probably should have won 12 because they got beat by USC along the first part of the year, and had a chance to drive the ball at the end of the game and win, and they weren't able to do that. He is a really interesting kid."

Coughlin continued to rave about Minshew III as he talked about the impressiveness to process information.

"Wow. Can you imagine that? He is headed for Alabama and as you guys have noted, he's thinking of his first step into coaching," Coughlin said. He goes out to Washington State in the summer. He has nothing else going for him, he doesn't know anything about anything. He studies, he's in the weight room.

"What he is, is a gym rat. He's hanging around, he's doing this and that. You watch him play and it looks like he's been there forever. As I said, the real thing about this guy is the competitiveness. He's very smart, he's very sharp. He loves the game, he loves the study part of the game. He'll be a great guy in the classroom with the coaches. He will suck up all that information up and then based on what we have seen, he will go onto the practice field and carry it with him.

"Some guys can't do that, or don't do it as fast. They don't process. They're not as quick. I think this guy will be quick. Now does he have to learn some things? Yeah, because he's going to be up under center. He's not going to stand back there in the shotgun the whole time. If you were to tell me that you don't think the guy can throw play-action passes from the tackle box, I don't believe that.

"I think he can do that and do it well. We're excited about the competition that will now take place with those three young guys that play behind Nick (Foles). It will be a great situation for us."

For a guy that has two Super Bowl Championships with the New York Giants pairing with Eli Manning, Coughlin knows what he's talking about.

On Friday Night, Caldwell was pleased with what the Jaguars accomplished with his first three picks.

"We wanted to come out of our first three picks with a pass rusher, an offensive tackle and a tight end and then a linebacker with our next one," he said. "So we felt like we checked the box on all four of those and we're happy with how that happened. Our last pick was Quincy Williams out of Murray State."

I asked Coughlin if there were any guys they drafted that he was surprised that they fell to the team. "The first guy. Then we took the first guy, the second guy (laughs)."

As for Coach Doug Marrone, the evaluation process really begins.

After the seven players were drafted, Jacksonville went on to sign 21 undrafted free agents on Sunday.

The parking lot at TIAA Stadium will be busy over the next several months as rookie mini-camps, mini-camps, off-season training activities, training camp and pre-season games will take place.

Jacksonville finished the 2018 season with a 5-11 mark and failed to reach the playoffs, amid high expectations following an AFC Championship Appearance which left them short of making the Super Bowl.

To say that the 2019 season is pivotal would be mildly stating the obvious.

Owner Shad Khan has been patient and has invested money to put a winner on the field.

The NFL Draft reminds me of Spring Training as everybody is happy that they have a new season and lease on life.

I'm glad this is over because now it's time to evaluate players and get to the nitty gritty.

During my 40 years of covering sports, I've covered them on all levels.

From collegiate sports, to the minor leagues, etc...I've always been intrigued by the process.

But it doesn't take a genius to figure out that you can't teach hard work and gauge or measure what's in a person's heart.

Yes, players better be talented as well but don't overlook the other intangibles.

We'll find out in time whether this cat will prowl it's way back into the playoffs with a newly revamped roster.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottbm33@gmail.com.

Super Bowl Icons

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

While the main story-line heading into Sunday's 53rd Super Bowl is former Michigan QB Tom Brady appearing in his ninth championship game; there is another man who is one of three writers that's covered all of these contests.

His name is Jerry Green, a long-time columnist of the Detroit News. Green is age 89 and is a very good friend of mine. Green has been a colleague of mine in Metro Detroit for years and is a journalism icon back home.

When I was growing up in Detroit, Green and the late Joe Falls were the best one-two punches when it came to credible columnists whom informed readers and provided credible opinions. These guys did things the right way and I'm very proud of the fact that I know and knew both of them!

Falls was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001.

Green was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005.

While I've had the great privilege of covering four Super Bowls and am very proud of that, I hope Green can reach at least 60.

In sports there are many records that will never be broken, Green is doing something more special that unless you're in Sports Media, you'll never really appreciate what Jerry has really accomplished.

The players make the news, but without great journalists like Green writing the news, nobody would know the news. I'm looking forward to updating this in a year when Jerry reaches No.54.

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The most interesting part of Sunday's Pro Bowl was watching Jalen Ramsey catching a touchdown pass in the final minute of the game. I have to wonder whether the Jags might consider using Ramsey as a wide receiver in periodic situations.

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Speaking of the Pro Bowl, the AFC won it's third straight All-Star Game 26-7, all at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, FL.

New York Jets Safety Jamal Adams and Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes won Co MVP Honors. Each of them got a luxury vehicle.

Meanwhile, the AFC players earned $67,000 for the win which is $8,000 more than the guys who lose in the Super Bowl on Sunday in Atlanta, GA. The Pro Bowl losers earned $39,000.

Nonetheless, not a bad days work if you can get it.

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Finally, New England Patriots wide receiver Josh Gordon remains at an inpatient drug treatment facility in Florida after he was suspended in December for multiple violations of his reinstatement under the NFL's Substance Abuse Policy, a source told NESN's Doug Kyed.

Kyed adds that Gorden's suspension was triggered by diluted drug test samples. It's his fifth since 2012 and his third indefinite ban.

The Patriots are reportedly paying for the receivers treatment.

If New England defeats the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII, Gordon would receive a Championship Ring. He caught 40-68 targets with the Patriots for 720 yards and three touchdowns over 11 games after being acquired from the Cleveland Browns.

Have to wonder what former Miami Dolphins QB Dan Marino is thinking that Gordon could get a championship ring, and he was shutout in the jewelry department.

MY SUPER BOWL PREDICTION:

While I'd like to see the Rams win the Super Bowl, I have to agree with recent Sports Exchange Guest Mel Farr Jr.

It's tough to bet against greatness as in Tom Brady.

The Patriots will not lose two Super Bowls in a row.

New England will defeat the Rams 33-28. Tom Brady gets it done again and makes the Michigan Wolverines alumni base very proud.

Scott Morganroth can he reached at www.scottsports33.com and is a member of Detroit Sports Media.

He is a Co-host of the Sports Exchange with Peter Wein which airs Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5-7 pm on the weinetwork.com and is Founder of The South Florida Tribune.

NFL Lockout, Who Cares?

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

It seems like all I hear, see and watch these days in sports are labor conflicts.

The NFL's eight day lockout is the latest squabble between millionaires versus billionaires and to be frank with you, I'm Sick And Tired of hearing about it!

As far as I'm concerned, the owners can lock out the players until the day that I die!

With the economy in shambles, we have a bunch of greedy individuals that are disputing on how to divide a boat load of cash for a sport that's enjoying a Super Bowl that drew a record 111 million viewers!

What angers me the most about this conflict is the owners and players should still be at the bargaining table until they lose their voices.

Instead, the players think they can take their so called injustices to the court and manipulate a judge to force the owners to cave in!

The only thing I can say to the players is "Good Luck."

These owners didn't become wealthy individuals because they were stupid!

The players can use all the angles they want, but in the end, when the players do go back to work, it's the owners that will still sign their paychecks.

At the moment, the players can be as disruptive as they want. If they want to discourage top NFL Prospects from attending the upcoming Draft, that will only make them look like bigger clowns. After all, these are the players that they'll be taking money from when the new Rookie Wage Scale is inserted when this labor mess eventually resolves itself.

But if the players are smart, they won't influence the rookies to not attend the NFL Draft. These youngsters that get invited deserve a chance to be welcomed to the league by Commissioner Roger Goodell just as they were at the beginning of their careers.

Also, the fans deserve to see one more piece of Football Business before the next game being played is "Chess in the Courtroom."

Unfortunately, as things stand right now, there is no Sense Of Urgency to make a deal.

The paychecks don't start coming in until September. When the players fall behind on their bills, then there will be the pressure from their significant others, children, bill collectors, etc... and as I've seen so many times in these disputes, the deal that was on the table was better than the new agreement.

As far as the major issues are concerned, I'm not going to be getting into any major details. Instead, I'll comb over them briefly.

First, I have no  problem with the NFL playing an 18-game schedule. Stadiums are half full during the pre-season, major injuries still occur and teams usually rest their regulars the final two games. It's inevitable that teams will expand their rosters by 10 players and more jobs will be created. I have a feeling that the salaries will increase slightly to accommodate the extra two games.

But more importantly, the NFL will have the ability to play a couple games in Europe, Mexico, Japan, Canada, Spain, Germany and perhaps Australia. The global effect of the product will go beyond just additional sellouts but also in merchandising. Teams that travel overseas will likely get the following week off to recover from jet lag.

Second, as I mentioned, the Rookie Wage Scale is long overdue! To me, how unproven NFL players make more money than established veterans goes beyond my imagination. If a team makes a bad pick in the higher rounds, not only is he a bust on the field but also a bad business decision for the books. When I think of former San Diego Chargers quarterback Ryan Leaf and Detroit Lions wide receiver Charles Rogers, I get sick to my stomach.

By the same token, when a guy like Tom Brady wins three Super Bowls for the New England Patriots, those are the stories we want to hear about.

When a team wants to trade down in the draft because they don't want to get trapped paying too much  money for a top 10 player, but they can't, this prevents them from making the trade which could also allow them to add late round picks that become sleepers and future stars.

Third, there is no question that the time is now to address the needs of retired players. When a player sustains injuries that limits their ability to make a living due to physical or mental problems, are not properly given adequate medical insurance, there are problems. There have been numerous stories that players in their 30's, 40's and 50's have died prematurely. 

The most recent being former Chicago Bears safety Dave Duerson (50), who committed suicide on February 17, 2011, and asked that his brain be used for research at the Boston University School of Medicine which is conducting research into chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) due to playing pro football.

I can think of many other examples in the past but this one stands out the most. We don't need any more of these stories.

But in this game of billionaires versus millionaires, I still would like to know who benefits from all of the bad publicity and mud slinging that goes on? Nobody!

Right now, team employees will be without jobs, players won't be able to seek treatment from team doctors, and it will be tougher to prepare for next season.

Yet, as the players seek litigation over collective bargaining, they better realize the following trends that other sports leagues have set in past years and what lies ahead in the future.

In 1994, the Baseball Strike lasted from August 12, 1994-April 2, 1995 and it wiped out the World Series. Major League Baseball had the public relations nightmare of a lifetime. For years, the World Series was always played during wars and other nationwide conflicts, yet it took a labor dispute amongst rich men to eliminate it, thus alienating a fan base which has never totally forgiven the game.

It destroyed baseball in Montreal as the Expos eventually moved and became the Washington Nationals. The Montreal Expos were 74-40, six games ahead of the Atlanta Braves and were on a pace to win 105 games. They were my favorite to win the World Series.

When play resumed, it took Cal Ripken Jr's Ironman streak where he passed Lou Gehrig along with a season long home run chase by Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire who broke Roger Maris 61 to get fans interested again. Commissioner Bud Selig would continue to add extra playoff series and interleague play to add to the healing and growth processes.

The 2004-05 NHL Lockout cancelled the 88th season. This was the first time in a major sports professional league in North America that a league didn't play as a result of a labor dispute. The lockout lasted 310 days, from September 16, 2004-July 22, 2005. The NHL still hasn't recovered as the league pays for its airtime to have NBC broadcast The Game Of The Week. How many cable subscribers can get Versus?

It seems that the NBA could be headed down the same road as the NFL and follow the lead of the NHL. Commissioner David Stern wants a hard salary cap and has gone on record that he'll take a hard stance to get it. Baseball's labor agreement ends in December but for some reason, I have a feeling this one will get worked without much resistance.

But back to the NFL.

Fans won't be without football too long.

There is the UFL which does play in the fall but more importantly, NCAA Football returns. For some reason, the NCAA Football Gods will be smart enough to schedule games on Sundays to fill some of the void left by the NFL.

The New USFL is tentatively set to play in the Spring of 2012 and that league could experience much quicker growth is the NFL doesn't settle it's conflict soon.

So the bottom line is, it's best for these sides to get back to work and start negotiating. I haven't seen anything positive develop from these most recent work stoppages and nothing good will come out of this. It's time for cooler heads and common sense to take over.

The players have to realize, that everyone in the real world is struggling to make a living so there will be very little sympathy thrown their way.

I'm Sick And Tired of all this nonsense and at some point it has to stop!

The government doesn't have time to get involved in this dispute. It has to run this country at perhaps the most difficult time in our history.

Both sides need to get back to the bargaining table and don't leave until a deal is done!

Right now, the only people that wouldn't mind if there isn't football on Sundays are the women that want to spend time with their men. Otherwise, it needs to get resolved and if there is no football in the spring, baseball is waiting for this as a golden opportunity to steal fans and get them to watch the postseason and see if the San Francisco Giants can defend its World Series title.

But again, I'm Sick And Tired of hearing, listening and watching the latest episode of "As The Greedy Get More Greedy" and I'll wake up when this debacle is over. Or I'll just get sun burned at my pool or at the beach.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at http://www.scottsports33.com/. Gladys Echevarria contributed to this story.

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.