Old School vs New School NFL Conference Championship Weekend

I know I am a Patriots fan, so I am probably slightly biased, but as an overall football and NFL fan, I can't think of a conference championship weekend with two awesome match ups like this Sunday will have to offer.  Somewhere in New York Roger Goodell has to be just salivating over what the ratings for this weekend will be.

What makes this weekend so appealing to many is that it has the classic match up of Brady vs. Manning, which has been one of , if not the biggest story lines in the NFL over the last decade, and a battle of two of the best new school quarterbacks in Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick.

I don't want to talk about "who is better" between Manning and Brady because if you turned on the TV or listened to sports radio at all this week, you can't go two minutes without people debating about the topic. I will say this, I do think Manning has to win this game way more than Brady.  Manning has without a doubt the better receiving corps, he has the home field advantage, Brady throughout his career has a 10-4 record against Manning, and most importantly Manning only has 1 Super Bowl win to Brady's 3.  If I were to look at this match up as an objective fan, I'd give the edge to the Broncos given their offensive weapons and home field advantage of playing in the thin air.  However, I do love that the Patriots' run sustaining offense as of late does allows them to control the clock a lot more and their defense with the emergence of Jamie Collins and a healthier Aqib Talib is peaking at the right time.

I will also say this about Peyton Manning, while I am on the topic, I actually do like the guy a lot.  You can't deny his talent and he seems like a pretty good and funny guy as he showed us again last weekend with his Bud Light comment .  In many ways I put him in the same category as a Derek Jeter. As a Red Sox and Patriots fan, I obviously hope both their teams lose miserably, but at the same time I respect the hell out of the way they play the game, and my feelings for Manning will not change regardless of the outcome this weekend.  However with all that being said, if the Patriots win I cannot wait to see another burnt red forehead and vintage Manningface.

While I will be mad if the Pats don't win I can honestly say that this has been one of the more fun Patriots seasons to watch in a while.  In many ways it reminds me of this past Red Sox season.  The Patriots have won not with stars, but rather a variety of role players.  While TB12 is arguably one of the best quarterbacks of all time, the Pats didn't need to  rely on his arm to win them many games.  Players like Blount, Edelman, and Logan Ryan just to name a few have far outplayed the money they are being paid.  Just to think the Patriots have played nearly the whole season without 4 of the biggest players from last years squad including Hernandez, Gronkowski, Wilfork and Mayo and are now one game away from another Super Bowl is unfathomable. Also, of all years (with the exception of maybe the year Brady went down and Matt Cassel stepped in and some would also argue the 2001 season) this has been hands down Belichick's best year of coaching.

I won't give a prediction for the game (I don't like picking games when I have a dog in the fight), but I look forward to the Brady-Manning games more than any other games, and I don't think this game will disappoint.

As for the Seahawks-49ers game, it is another game I can't wait to watch (although if the Pats lose I will be thoroughly depressed watching it).  The game features two of the best young talents in the game in Wilson and Kaepernick, whose ability to run is a stark contrast to the drop back quarterbacks like Brady and Manning.  What I like most about these two teams however is that their defenses are the heart and soul of each team.  Both defenses hit hard and have an attitude about them that makes you hate them, but their play on their field backs up the talk. While the 12th man in Seattle is a huge advantage for the Seahawks, the 49ers in my mind have been the best team in the playoffs thus far and because of that I am going to go with them. Every year it seems there is one team to make the Super Bowl who has had to win all their games on the road and this year I think it will be the Jim Harbaugh $8 Walmart khaki wearing led 49ers.

Well anyways, enjoy the weekend and hopefully Sunday will come quickly.  Go Pats!