NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

Bears Gab was one of a very select few to predict a double-digit win and playoff season for the Bears in 2010. So forecasting every game of this year's playoffs should be a piece of cake considering…

• The Patriots look like the heavy favorite to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
• A division winning team with a losing record is in the playoffs for the first time ever.
• The league's oldest rivals, Chicago and Green Bay, could potentially meet in an epic NFC Championship game.

How will the journey to Super Bowl XLV in Dallas shake down for each of the 12 participating cities? Bears Gab offers its best guess…

FIRST ROUND:

Packers at Eagles

Green Bay's playing their best ball of the season and the Eagles – including Mike Vick – have looked beatable over the last month.

In an upset special: Pack 24, Eagles 17

Saints at Seahawks

Drew Brees and the defending champs will show the sub-.500 Seahawks what a playoff team really looks like.

Saints 27, Seahawks 10

Ravens at Chiefs

Look for KC, led by game-breaker Jamaal Charles, to have surprising success running the ball. While their last outing against the Raiders didn't show it, the Chiefs defense is seriously underrated.

Upset special #2: Chiefs 17, Ravens 10

Jets at Colts

In a rematch of last year's AFC Championship game, we're assuming Peyton Manning will outplay Mark Sanchez at home…and finally silence the NFL's reigning big mouth, Rex Ryan, for good.

Colts 24, Jets 13

SECOND ROUND:

Saints at Bears

Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams' attacking 3-4 defense is scary at times – remember what they did to Favre last year? But the Bears D and special teams match up well against Nawlins' units, especially outdoors in Chicago vs. a team that plays most of its games indoors.

Bears 23, Saints 19

Packers at Falcons

The Pack lost a heartbreaker to the Falcons about a month ago. Last Monday night, the Saints showed the world that the Falcons are beatable in the dome.

Upset special #3: Pack 28, Falcons 23

Chiefs at Patriots

Matt Cassel returns to face the team he quarterbacked a few years ago when Tom Brady got hurt…only to get pummeled by his former teammates.

Patriots 38, Chiefs 13

Colts at Steelers

This All-Pro QB duel between Manning and Big Ben will go down to the wire. The Steelers D will force Manning into more mistakes than Indy will force against Roethlisberger.

Steelers 26, Colts 20

CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES

Packers at Bears

Can you imagine the hype for this one? One rival will go to the Super Bowl. The other will go home. Bragging rights will be at stake for the rest of a lot of peoples' lives. In a tight, defensive game where every play matters, expect the home team to make a few more plays.

Bears 19, Packers 14

Steelers at Patriots

The Patriots almost put up 40 points against the Steelers in Pittsburgh earlier this year. Playing at home, they'll come close again.

Pats 35, Steelers 17

Super Bowl XLV – Bears vs. Patriots

Twenty five years after their Super Bowl XX beatdown, Patriots fans will look for revenge against the 2010 Monsters of the Midway. Chicago will also look to avenge the team that handed them their worst loss of the season (36-7).

The Bears will play better than they did in the Soldier Field snow, but the Pats are playing at another level right now…

New England – 30

Chicago – 17

Sports Illustrated has put out what they feel are the most decisive moments (ie biggest plays) in Super Bowl History. Their list has a lot of great moments, and below we have gotten a hold of the list, as they will be putting out a special issue in Dallas the week before the Super Bowl.

Below after the list is a link for you to vote on the moments, as they will be doing a bracket style competition for the best moments in the biggest game of the year!

The Most Decisive Moments in Super Bowl History:

I – Willie Wood 3rd quarter interception
II – Jerry Kramer halftime speech
III – Joe Namath victory guarantee
IV – Chiefs 65 Toss Power Trap
V – Mike Curtis fourth-quarter interception
VI – Duane Thomas sweep to give Cowboys 17-3 lead
VII – Jake Scott fourth-quarter interception
VIII – Nick Buonoconti's forced fumble
IX – Terry Bradshaw 30-yard third-down completion to Larry Brown
X – Terry Bradshaw 64-yard touchdown pass to Swann
XI – Fred Biletnikoff 48-yard reception
XII – Roger Staubach to Butch Johnson 45-yard TD
XIII – Franco Harris touchdown run on 3rd & 9
XIV – John Stallworth's fourth quarter touchdown reception
XV – Jim Plunkett 80-yard TD pass to Kenny King
XVI – 49ers goal-line stand
XVII – John Riggins’ 43-yard TD run on 4th & 1
XVIII – Jack Squirek's INT at the end of the first half
XIX – Dwaine Board sack of Marino to start 2nd half
XX – Dent, Marshall sack Eason, Hampton recovers fumble
XXI – Phil Simms-to-Phil McConkey flea-flicker
XXII – Doug Williams 50-yard TD to Ricky Sanders to put Skins up 21–10
XXIII – Joe Montana’s John Candy joke in the huddle on the last drive
XXIV – Joe Montana-to-Jerry Rice 20-yard TD pass on Niners’ first series
XXV – Scott Norwood Wide Right
XXVI – Thurman Thomas misses first two plays while looking for his helmet
XXVII – Ken Norton Jr. knocks out Jim Kelly
XXVIII – Emmitt Smith carries on 7 of 8 plays in 3rd quarter go-ahead TD drive
XXIX – Steve Young-to-Jerry Rice 44-yard TD on third play of the game
XXX – Larry Brown intercepts Neil O’Donnell to snuff out Steelers’ last hope
XXXI – Desmond Howard 99-yard KO return
XXXII – John Elways’ Helicopter touchdown run
XXXIII – Darrien Gordon’s 58-yard interception return
XXXIV – The Rams' Mike Jones tackles Kevin Dyson at the 1
XXXV – Jermaine Lewis’s 84-yard KO return, the last of three straight plays on which touchdowns were scored
XXXVI – Patriots decision not to run out the clock at the end of regulation
XXXVII – Joe Jurevicius first-down catch (or 33-yarder) on TD drive at start of 3rd quarter
XXXVIII – John Kasay’s kickoff with 1:08 left goes out of bounds, handing the Patriots the ball at the 40 and setting up winning Vinatieri’s FG
XXXIX – Eagles fail to go no-huddle on their final TD drive, burning up too much clock
XL – Antwaan Randle El-to-Hines Ward flea flicker
XLI – Kelvin Hayden 56-yard TD return of Rex Grossman interception
XLII – David Tyree catch
XLIII – Ben Roethlisberger to Holmes TD
XLIV – Sean Payton calls for onside kick to start second half

The voting begins today on SI.com (http://si.com/supermoments) and SI's iPad App with the winner unveiled on February 4. Sports Illustrated's Most Decisive Moments program is presented by Bing, the decision engine from Microsoft.

With Seattle's 16-6 victory last Sunday against St. Louis, the Seahawks clinched the right to play host to the defending Super Bowl champion; however, those cheering for the team from the Emerald City should know they have history on their side.

Since 2005 a defending Super Bowl Champion hasn't won a single playoff game.

That little nugget, included with the following, are some of the biggest storylines for Seattle's home playoff game Saturday against the New Orleans Saints.

The post-contract extension era begins
After leading the team in receiving this season following a two-year hiatus from professional football, Seattle's Mike Williams signed a three-year contract extension last Sunday.

The 6-foot-5, 242-pound wide receiver is set to make at least $11.74 million over the next three seasons.

Prior to signing the extension, Williams had fallen on hard times, recording five receptions for 31 yards and a touchdown over the span of the season's final two regular-season contests. Now that the 27-year-old has cashed in, will his big-play ability resurface and, if so, will it happen as early as Saturday?

The quarterback controversy
The starter who injured a hip two weeks ago on a one-yard touchdown run or the backup who, in his second-ever start as a professional last Sunday, clinched Seattle's first division championship and spot in the playoffs since 2007…who do you start?

Both Matt Hasselbeck and backup Charlie Whitehurst received practice snaps this week, with the former being a full participant Wednesday.

Hasselbeck, a 12-year veteran, owns numerous Seattle franchise records at the quarterback position including all-time passing yards, completions and attempts. He's also earned his way to three Pro Bowls, has taken the Seahawks to the playoffs five times and the Super Bowl once.

Whitehurst, the five-year veteran who hadn't started a game in the National Football League prior to Week Nine of this season, posted career highs in passing yards, quarterback rating and rushing yards last Sunday against the visiting Rams under the watchful eyes of a national television audience.

Keeping within striking distance
When Seattle's lost this year, it hasn't been close.

In the team's nine losses, the closest point margin has been 15. If the Seahawks want to end Saturday with a win, keeping a possible deficit to last year's Super Bowl MVP, Drew Brees, manageable will be paramount.

All on Brees?
The past 48 hours have been rough for the New Orleans Saints' offense.

In the past two days, the team's placed its top two running backs on Injured Reserve. With both Chris Ivory and Pierre Thomas now out for the remainder of the season, Reggie Bush is expected to take over the lead duties at the position. Backing him up will be Joique Bell, who joins the team after being a member of the Philadelphia Eagles' practice squad, and recently resigned DeShawn Wynn.

Bush has had just three games of more than 13 carries over the past three seasons, meaning quarterback Drew Brees could receive that much more responsibility to move the ball down field and put points on the scoreboard.

That news could be just what the doctor ordered for the Seahawks. Despite owning the league's 27th-best pass defense, Seattle is coming off a regular-season finale that saw the team hold heralded rookie Sam Bradford to less than 53 percent in terms of single-game pass completions and single-game quarterback rating. Couple the momentum from what the team did against Bradford with the possibility of having to face a one-dimensional Saints' offense and a 7-9 Seahawks team playing at home where it is 5-3 this season could have a shot at being something more than a Wild Card weekend doormat.

Can't get enough NFLGridironGab? Follow SeahawksGab Editor Devon Heinen on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DevonHeinen.

The Houston Texans officially hired Wade Phillips today to fill in at defensive coordinator after the Texans released their former defensive coordinator, Frank Bush ,earlier this week.  Phillips is from Orange, Texas.  He was the former Dallas Cowboys head coach before being fired midseason for team's disappointing start.  Some say it's because Phillips is naturally suited to be a coordinator. 

He's taken two teams, who the seasons before were losing teams, to the playoffs in his first season as their defensive coordinator.  He's also created monster defensive playmakers, as well as great defensive identities on the team's he's coached.  Look for the Texans to test Kubiak's coaching ability now that a proven defensive coordinator (unlike Frank Bush and Richard Smith in Kubiak's first five years) is on the payroll. 

Interestingly, Phillips isn't outside the Denver circle.  He was the defensive coordinator from 1989 to 1992 and head coach in the 1993 and 1994 seasons, going to the playoffs in both seasons.   See more on Wade Phillips' career here.

As fans, with the page now turned on the Mangini era, what should our expectations be for the next move made by Mike Holmgren? With interviews underway and rumors daily that Holmgren will indeed come down from on high and once again roam the sidelines, what is the right course for this team to take?

Unfortunately, had Holmgren really had a specific candidate in mind before firing Mangini, I think the media would have been all over it by now.

With other vacancies in San Francisco, Miami and Denver there is a great deal of competition to land some of the more popular choices like Gruden, Fox, Cowher and Harbaugh. Neither of them is really a true fit for the Browns who since 1999 have been nothing less than a mess on the field and in the front office. Holmgren has also quietly squashed the idea that he would take the helm.

So, it seems fair to say that as fans, our expectation should be that Holmgren find a young and hungry coordinator looking for their first real shot at leading a team. That can be both a blessing and a curse, but trusting that Holmgren has been doing serious scouting and research, it can be fair to assume that whoever he chooses, that coach will have a great deal of passion, energy and knowledge of the West Coast offense.

That being said, this team has an opportunity to make huge strides in 2011. The key will be how much energy and effort the new coach and Holmgren spend to mentor Colt McCoy and hopefully another young arm they will select in the upcoming draft.

I don't look forward to another drawn out quarterback competition but I hope that we can add another young arm to the team that can push McCoy or even overtake him quickly. As we have seen, McCoy is a real leader with great accuracy. But, whether he is a starter or a strong backup called on to win 2 or 3 games a year isn't bad either.

Firstly though, they need to select a wide receiver. Nothing we do on offense in 2011 will work if we don’t have a reliable catalyst to ignite the West Coast passing attack. Without a legitimate receiving threat, the ability for the team to develop is hampered and taking the next step in terms of competition becomes moot.

The other side of the ball has to be looked at next. The truth about the defense is that it requires more playmakers. It might even be a good idea to convert back to a traditional 4-3 to take advantage of Rogers and Rubin up front.

If that isn't going to be the case, we can't afford to miss on selecting an outside linebacker who can rush the passer in the upcoming draft. With a young secondary and flux at the corner position, the least we can do is bring in someone who can threaten the opposing quarterback consistently.

Decisions made over the next few months are critical as this team, which for the past two years has been 5-11, needs to take the leap in the win column. We seem to be on the right course, but there is still too much upheaval in an offseason where we should only be focused on player evaluation, free agency and the draft.

From: TMZ

Ben Roethlisberger has got himself quite a catch — ’cause the woman who has reportedly agreed to marry the Steelers QB enjoys ball handling and roasting marshmallows.

The lucky lady, Ashley Harlan, is a 2009 graduate from St. Francis University in Pennsylvania — TMZ obtained these pics of Ashley hangin’ with college friends. She earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s in physician assistant science.

Ashley was also a high school studette in volleyball, softball, and basketball.

Her hometown paper — the New Castle News — is confirming the engagement … but Big Ben has been mum on the subject. Not like he’s got anything else going on … (cough cough) playoffs.

The Titans announced Wednesday that they will part ways with quarterback Vince Young next season.

The information was provided from ESPN.com

It appears that with this news, the Titans will keep coach Jeff Fisher. There was news earlier in the week that Owner Bud Adams was likely to keep Young and part ways with Fisher. Senior management within the Titans had been advising Adams otherwise, and it appears he may have listened.

“Bud Adams: Vince Young will not be on our roster next season.”

Will the Titans now look to draft a quarterback?

The Panthers are looking wide and far for their next head coach, and one guy they have asked permission to talk to is Browns defensive coordinator Roby Ryan.

The 48-year-old Ryan is the son of legendary defensive coach Buddy Ryan and the brother of New York Jets coach Rex Ryan. He has 13 years of assistant coaching experience in the NFL, with stints in Arizona (on his father’s staff) along with New England, Oakland and Cleveland.

He is by far the most colorful of the four candidates that have been made public, which include defensive coordinators Ron Rivera, Perry Fewell, and Greg Manusky. No offensive-minded coaching candidates have been mentioned in the discussion.

Ryan makes the fourth identified candidate the Panthers have targeted, including defensive coordinators Ron Rivera, Perry Fewell and Greg Manusky.

Panthers owner Jerry Richardson held a news conference Tuesday, where he said he's entrusted general manager Marty Hurney with finding a new coach who will be “compatible to the organization.”

The hottest coaching candidate out there is talking to the 49ers today, as sources Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN report the Niners are talking today with Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh at undisclosed location away from team’s facility.

Harbaugh, who led his team to a win in the Orange Bowl the other night, has been linked to the Niners from the minute after the team canned Mike Singletary.

There was talk about Harbaugh going to Michigan, who fired Rich Rodriguez on Wednesday, but there’s also talk that won’t happen, as Harbaugh wasn’t happy they didn’t hire him when they brought Rodriguez in.

The 49ers announced Trent Baalke as their new general manager Tuesday night and he is now looking for the coach to replace Singletary, who was canned following a 25-17 loss at St. Louis back December 26th that eliminated San Francisco from the playoffs for an eighth straight season.

If Harbuagh can’t be lured to the Niners, he will have offers elsewhere, and he can pretty much call his shot in terms of having a head coaching job in the NFL if he wants in 2011.

A hot button topic around the NFL this week seems to be the thought that there should be a change in the playoff format since a 7-9 for the first time in league history made the postseason.

Your kidding me – right?

The reason why the NFL is the best league of all the professional sports is the fact that they don’t water down the playoffs with more and more teams, something the NBA and NHL has been guilty of.

Even Major League Baseball, a sport with all its history, gave into the temptation of adding more teams to the playoffs, as well as tweaking its format.

Which is exactly why the NFL should stand its ground and NOT change a thing. Sure the 7-9 Seahawks seem like a pushover for the Saints, and sure they may not be a sexy playoff team heading in, but don’t blame them for being there.

They did as they were asked – they beat the Rams Sunday night with a backup QB, they won the mandated amount of games to win their division, and they deserve a playoff spot.

Don’t forget the 9-7 Cardinals just two seasons ago flew through the playoffs and gave us one of the best Super Bowls in recent history.

Now while I would be stunned if the Seahawks even won one playoff game, they shouldn’t be punished for being the best team in a bad division.

The league should not have a knee-jerk reaction for a team two games under .500 making the playoffs by changing things. Leave it as it is, there’s no reason to change things now.