Peyton Manning probably has the mantra that most older brothers have....only I can make fun of my little brother. Which is why his interview with Bob Costas Sunday night was so funny. Costas asked Peyton if he can watch Eli play at all, and this was his response. Via Watchdog....

"I get so into it. I get so worked up. I remember last year they were playing Philly, or maybe it was two years ago. They beat them and he drove them down there late and I remember standing on top of the bed, yelling at Toomer or one of his receivers because they ran a wrong route, and Joe Buck is just ripping Eli, just because that's what he seems to enjoy doing.

So I'm yelling at Joe Buck, 'Just call the play-by-play, Joe! Let Aikman do the commentary.' I said to myself, 'Peyton, what are you doing? Why are you on top of the bed yelling at the TV?' I've got a game here in four hours against New England or something . . . But you know what, I love watching him play. That's the first thing I do after a game when I get to the locker room. I'm asking for the Giants score."

Wait, so you're telling me Joe Buck doesn't know anything about Football? I am shocked! You can check out the clip below, right at the 10 minute mark....

Peyton Manning prefers Troy Aikman's analysis to Joe Buck's (Watchdog)

Another day, another Tiger Gatorade commercial. Apparently the company is using the Masters to release a campaign of random commercials, and today's debut features none other than the unstoppable, Eli Manning....

I guess that was kind of funny, and I think I want to try the new Tiger "Focus" drink from Gatorade, so I guess it did the job. We've had a cartoon and Eli Manning as spots so far. Now if we can just Tiger to join the DSRL....the trifecta will be complete!

I don't know what it is about January 18, 2009, but multiple athletes plan on using the date to launch ad campaigns. The Williams Sisters will battle the Manning Bros in the DSRL on that date, but they might get shown up by Lebron. James was recently photoed wearing a Browns jersey (above), and released this Youtube video a few days ago...

While the possibilities are endless, and Lebron the Football player would be crazy, the real story is that musician Buckethead has decided to create two instrumental songs for King James! You can listen to the awesomeness below....

Lebron James (Buckethead Land)
Lebron's Hammer (Buckethead Land)

ROCK!

LeBron James Going Bo Jackson? (WFNY)
LeBron's Least Probable Fan: That Guy With the KFC Bucket On His Head (The Sporting Blog)

The dynamics of a post game parking lot have always amazed me, but I didn't think any place was worse than FedEx Field in that regard. I've seen some crazy s**t in Raljon, but I don't think I've ever seen a person take a bat to a car after a loss. Via The 700 Level....

The worst part is that if you look to the left, that Porsche is already wrecked. I guess it's not a problem to find out who did it though. If your car got trashed, after the Giants got trashed by the Eagles, just go to YouTube!

Dejected Giants Fan Takes Bat to Cars (The 700 Level)

That's the Eli we know! The guy certainly wasn't unstoppable today as the Eagles D ran roughshod all over the Giants O, and Philly is now advancing on to the NFC Championship game. The highlight though was Dononvan McNabb, late in the fourth quarter, running out of bounds and deciding to grab the Giants sideline phone and make a call to their booth.

Pretty funny, but also pretty disrespectful. I was waiting for Buck to call it a "disgusting act!", but alas....no such luck. Either way, Philly is going to Arizona (ARIZONA!!!) for a battle against the Cardinals next week, while the rest of the NFC sits at home and wonders what just happened.

Actually, I'm wondering that myself.

It's been awhile since we've had a Tiki Barber update in these parts. It was mainly because I couldn't stand the guy, and I thought his role on NBC was transparent and annoying, but he also hasn't really made waves the way he did in the past. Sure there was the whole Olympics "see you in Toledo" moment, but he hasn't provided fodder in terms of the NFL in over a year.

Which leads us to today. Tiki and Eli Manning have made up! Hallelujah!!!

"It cleared the air for everybody else who think Eli and I are still at each other's throats," Barber yesterday told The Post. "He actually laughed about it."

The "it," of course, was the line the recently-retired Barber threw out there last summer, calling the young Manning's leadership ability "comical at times." Manning, with the most pointed comments he's ever made, immediately shot back at Barber, who now says comical was "too strong a word."

Tiki wants to chat with Tom Coughlin.

"I'm trying to do an interview with him this week," Barber said. "Put the emphasis on 'trying to.' I know there's no shot, but we'll see."

Yeah I don't know about that one. When you say that your coach was "out coached", in an NFC Championship game, but I guess anything can happen. As far as Eli goes, you can expect talk of him to reach Peyton levels on NBC now.

Barber, Eli Clear The Air (NY Post)

Hey AA what is the o/u on Browns flag tonight (Via Johnny Yellow)

The official number is set at 14.

Yep, Eli is showing his true colors tonight with all the errors he's making, but boy was he lucky that the Browns are ridiculously undisciplined, or else that awful fumble would have counted. (Via Anon)

He seems to be settling down now, but we shall see. 2nd Half starting in a few and it will be Giants ball.

"No mistake by the lake."- Mike Tirico talking about the Browns play tonight

10:24- Downed in the endzone, Giants ball at their 20.

Eli Manning with play action and it's picked downfield!!! McDonald then runs it all the way back to Giants' territory. Manning and Burress were not on the same page there.

"Settling down" into 2005 Eli form. On cue - INT # 2. (Via Mal)

Yes....thanks very much for pointing that out Mal. Browns ball at the NY 36....Lewis nowhere on first down. Harrison on the reverse (which was called correctly for once) and he takes it all the way to the 13!!! Great play.

Lewis goes for two and follows that up with another two. 3rd and 5, and the Browns need a TD here. Anderson to Stallworth! Noooooo. Just off his fingertips. Dawson out for another FG.....

Good. 20-14 Browns.

You know your season is going well when your own player tackles you on an interception return and hurts himself doing it. (Via Dan)

Haha...this could become a "You might be a redneck" kind of thing.

So, where is all of Tony's talk about how Eli is better than Big Ben now? (Via HW)

Yeah he stopped all that chatter quickly.

I've mostly been watching the Giants game but everytime i turn to FOX Tim McCarver has just been plain awful. (Via Anon)

Me too. I heard both the bunt/passed ball comments when Victorino was up and that slider nonsense from earlier. I might have to switch over to the game for a bit.

10:35- Jacobs for four on first down, incomplete to Burress on second and they have to call a timeout as the Cleveland crowd gets loud.

"When I look at the Cleveland Browns helmets it looks like someone put the numbers on with magic markers."- Tony Kornheiser third quarter
"Did somebody write those numbers on the Browns helmets with a Sharpie?"- Mal at 9:02pm

Hmmmmm. Manning on a scramble and he gets the first. Jacobs to the left and he adds another first. He runs again but this time he's dropped behind the line. And again....nowhere. 3rd and long....

Browns blitz! Manning sacked.

"This isn't the Super Bowl."- Mike Tirico on Manning not being able to escape the Browns' grasp

10:45- Cribbs goes nowhere and it will be Browns ball at their own 10. The Browns and Giants trade penalties and then Lewis reels of about four. Lewis again and he gets a nice gainer of about 11 and a first.

Incomplete pass as Dinkins drops it on first and whoa....Harrison almost breaks one but is tackled by the shoelaces right before the marker. 3rd and 2....got it. Good run there and Tirico correctly credits the O-line on that one. When they're not false starting, they're not that bad.

Play action to Dinkins....incomplete. Annnnnnnd.....false start. Penalty number seven. 2nd and 15....Anderson to Heiden and that'll make it third and a "manageable", 3rd and 4....

Heiden again and another first down! Kellen Winslow who? All the way down to the Giants' 37....annnnd they immediately commit a hold. Good lord.

"We're betting the over on the Browns penalties tonight right?"- Tony Kornheiser

Edwards is wide open on 1st an 20 and he picks up a ton of those yards back. It'll be 2nd and 6....Anderson to Edwards.....dropped....again. 3rd and 6....screen to Wright and that's right at the marker....FIRST DOWN!

Browns penalty....drink. Anderson to Harrison down to the 11 for 18 yards and that's a huuuuuge play!

End of the third....20-14 Browns and they're looking to score again.

"The dog pound got a bone they can chew on here tonight"- Mike Tirico (Via Mal)

Anderson rolls out....HIT.....TOUCHDOWN BRAYLON EDWARDS! Way to hang in there. It wasn't pretty but it got there.

27-14 Browns and Ross is down for the Giants.

Coughlin is wondering how the Browns are beating his team. He looks confused. (Via BWAlaska)

11:06- Bradshaw muffs the kick and he can only bring it out to his 12 yard line. Jacobs for three on first down and a facemask on him on second down will make it 2nd and 16. Manning hits Smith over the middle for a nice gain though and that will make it 3rd and 4....

Manning to Smith again! First down. The other S. Smith is everywhere tonight. Eric Wright on the corner blitz and he brings down Jacobs. Wright is having a great game tonight. Jacobs gets a nice gainer on 2nd down and it'll be 3rd and short....

Manning to Burress and that was too easy. Braylon Edwards tries to strip him on the sidelines, but that doesn't work either. First down into Browns' territory. Ward up the middle and he's all the way to the 30! Another first.

And Ward again....almost the same exact play. First down at the Browns' 15. Jacobs for five......

Manning under pressure....PICKED! It's Wright and he only has Manning to beat.....GONE!!!!! Pick six for the Browns....amazing. That makes three for Eli....

35-14 Browns with 8 minutes left to go!

Baseball time! Top of the 8th Phillies have a man on first and Pat Burrell pops it up for out number one. Victorino up.....

GONE! TWO-RUN SHOT TO RIGHT!!! That's a nice F-you to the Dodgers.

Feliz flies out but Ruiz hits a single and the go ahead run is on. Stairs to the plate. Pitching change.

11:20- Back to Football and of course Eli is making the Eli Manning face. Nice return by Bradshaw out to the 40 and a draw to Ward nets 18. Eli avoids a sack and/or fumble...and hit Burress for another first down at the Browns' 30. Ward again and he's running all over the Browns! Ball all the way to 14 yard line in what seems like 14 seconds.

Manning to Smith, but that's only for a half a yard and they have to take a timeout on second down. Not what they wanted there.

STAIRS KILLS ONE!!!!!!!!!!!! Phillies 7-5 in the 8th. WOW! That's a dagger if I've ever seen one.

2nd and 9....Manning to Ward and he only gets a yard. 5 minutes to go. 3rd and 8....Draw to Jacobs and that's a sure sign they're going for it on 4th. 4th and 2....

INCOMPLETE! Browns ball with 3:58 to go.

In other news...Big Brown retired hurting Detroit Shock's chances at a repeat championship. (Via Mal)

"Just shocking."- Tim McCarver

Rollins with a stolen base and he's on second with two out and a 2-2 count to Werth. Utley on deck. And JW fouls it off...and again. Strike out....crazy inning and FOX cues the Rocky music.

Browns ball....3rd and 7.....LEWIS FOR 13 YARDS! That might just about do it. First and 10 Browns at their own 21 and the Giants are out of timeouts. Two minute warning.

That's it folks and the NFC East was officially dreadful this past weekend. I'm switching over to Baseball and will have videos if anything else crazy happens.

Final: Browns 35 - Giants 14

Another exciting matchup this week....oh, what am I saying? We all know how this one is going to go, but I'm still at 100% over the past two years, so we're stopping now. It's Eli and the Giants and ummm.....Braylon Edwards(?) and the Browns.....on Monday Night Football!

See you around 8pm or so with some quotes from Countdown as we get ready for kickoff at 8:30pm. Oh and FYI....John Madden is actually taking a game off this coming Sunday. Not entirely sure of all the details, but it will be the first contest he's missed in 476 games. More on that tomorrow morning.

Can this also serve as an open thread for Game 4 of the NLCS? I'll be watching the baseball game and flipping to the football game during commercials... (Via JFein)

Yes..yes it can. I'll flip back and forth at times just like last week. Just keep myself, and the rest of us, updated.

"This is what I call a trap game."- Emmitt Smith

Yes, Emmitt. You and every other person in the world.

"I know all the prognosticators had that other team, I won't even mention their name right now, winning the NFC East."- Osi Umenyiora

Amen Osi. Amen.

"Eli Manning he has a big brother you know, Archie. Peyton's injury?"- Chris Berman
"Cooper! You talking about Cooper?"- Chris Mortensen

What the hell just happened there?

Looks like Kellen Winslow will be out with a testicle tonight. (Via Dan)

Yeah that's not a good thing. Have you heard that Tony Romo got injured too? My friend told me, but I can't find information on it ANYWHERE!

"A lot of the issues of the Dallas Cowboys yesterday having pressure on Tony Romo, came from the outside pressure."- Emmitt Smith

I'm so confused.

"In 1492, Christopher Columbus....in the ultimate road game. Where was he going? I don't know, but winning in front of hostile crowd....not easy."- Chris Berman

Ridiculous.

"We think Eli is taller and handsomer now that he's won the Super Bowl. Imagine what would've happened if [Jaws] won the Super Bowl." - Tony Kornheiser (Via SS)

Ugh....well no chin music to Rollins to start Game Four of the NLCS, so I'm going to stick with Football. Kickoff is just a few minutes away. See you then.

Picks:

Steve: Browns
Emmitt: Giants
Stu: Giants
Ditka: Giants
Key: Giants
Cris: Giants
TJ: Giants
Boomer: Giants

"Even if Cleveland sails the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria can the Browns win tonight."- Chris Berman

"How did Eli get to be the first pick? If his name was Schwartz he would have went in the sixth round."- Tony Kornheiser

JINX! Okay....here comes the kickoff. Over/Under of the times the name "Eli" is said is set at 43.
______________________

8:40- Browns ball to start and they'll get it at their own 20 after Cribbs drops it through the endzone. Out comes Derek Anderson, and if we don't see Brady Quinn at some point tonight....I'd be surprised.

1st down...incomplete and a penalty on the Browns is declined.

"Penalty on the Browns. That's a shock....they only have nine a game."- Mike Tirico

2nd down and Lewis goes for six. 3rd and 4....HUGE GAINER for Braylon Edwards on the slant 40+ yards and the Browns are in business. Lewis follows that with an eight yard run and a five yarder for the first. Cleveland ball at the Giants' 12....make that 17....false start. Lewis for two on first down and an aborted snap on second down will make it 3rd and 15 from the 17....

Anderson hits Stallworth over the middle but that's nowhere near enough. Phil Dawson FG attempt....

Good.....3-0 Browns, but that drive stalled out awfully quick

"Thanks for Coughlin and Crennel, or I would be the third oldest coach in the NFL."- Tony Kornheiser (Via 49er16)

Damn I missed that one. What does that even mean?

8:52- Giants ball at their own 28 after they almost broke one on the kickoff. Jacobs goes for seven and he's already hitting Cleveland's LBs hard. Eli then hits Steve Smith for ten and a first down.

Romeo Crennel looks like the bad coaching offspring of Andy Reid and Art Shell. (Via Lammy)

Throw in a little Charlie Weis and I think you have it. Jacobs again for six. Eli hits some guy named Michael Matthews and they're into Browns' territory. Hey an incomplete pass! 2nd and 10 from the Browns' 36....

"He's like a medieval battering ram trying to bring down a fort." - Tony Kornheiser on Jacobs (Via SS)

Eli audibles and Jacobs gets about four on a run. 3rd and 6....

PICKED OFF!!!! Pool leaps in front of Burress near the goal line and brings it all the way back out to the 30.

Anybody else notice in the closeup shot of Eli, he's finallay getting his first bad teenage moustache! Good for him! (Via Lammy)

Oh I need a pick of that. Cribbs in the Wildcat and he runs for a first down near the 40. Great option play there. Lewis gets four on a screen and gets another couple on a run. 3rd and about 2....Lewis up the middle and he has it! Nice run there with a quick counter.

False start on first down, and an incomplete TE screen on first first down. Stallworth picks up 12 on 2nd on another slant and that's seemingly all CLE is running at this point. 3rd and 3....

Great move by the TE Heiden! He crossed over a defender and is into Giants' territory. Lewis for three on first down.

"Wasn't Jamal Lewis, Brandon Jacobs, before Brandon Jacobs was Brandon Jacobs?"- Tony Kornheiser

That was humorous. Another penalty on the Browns...that's four. 2nd and 13 at the 34 and Anderson's pass is batted down. 3rd and 13...and that's a terrible pass that falls incomplete. The Browns are trying a 51-yarder into the wind and that's just a bad idea....No Good.

You know you are having a bad season when a quick screen pass nearly gets intercepted. (Via SS)

Seriously.

End of the first....3-0 Cleveland

Did anyone else see that Cleveland Browns fan wearing the Grateful Dead T-Shirt? (Via 49er16)

No....no I did not. Drats.

How many fucking Brady Quinn camera shots will we see tonight? (Via Silly Tricky)

I'm expecting a ton. You know Kornheiser is just begging for him to come in. He probably has 10 "on-air columns" ready to go just in case.

9:15- Eli hit Boss to get into Browns' territory before the end of that quarter and now Ward runs it for 17 and 3. 2nd and 8 at the Cleveland 15....

Ward down to the 11 and some crazy lady is yelling "Believe-land" at the camera now. Scary. Eli to Smith....first down at the seven....

Jacobs just destroys the entire Cleveland defense and falls into the endzone.....7-3 Giants.

Is Jaws drunk? Stumbling all over the place and stuttering nonstop. (Via SS)

He's running downhill just like Brandon Jacobs.

Anderson on a fake.....GOING DEEEEEP....Edwards has it for 69 yards!!! That was a heck of a throw there and it's all the way to the Giants' four.

9:24- Of course they can't get everyone down the field and they have to call a timeout.

1st down....Anderson to Steptoe and he gets dragged to the ground. The ball was tipped however so that will be incomplete.

"You were a hawk on that."- Jaws to Tirico
"He's being helped by that hunter's moon."- Tony Kornheiser

Lewis cuts back....TOUCHDOWN BROWNS! 10-7 Cleveland with 11+ minutes in the second.

I can't believe TK has gone over one quarter without a Favre reference. (Via BWAlaska)

Shocking.

9:30- Giants ball at the 30 after the Bradshaw return. Wright bats down a screen on first down and the Giants have to call timeout on 2nd with the play clock running down.

Joe Buck, showing his on going love for baseball is discussing the fact that the teams can now bring their own footballs to the games. (Via JFein)

Hahahahaha. Jacobs picks up four after the timeout and it's 3rd and 6 for NY.....Eli throws over the middle to Burress and he's WIDE OPEN! 32 yards, but there's a flag. Illegal block on Hixon, but the play will stand minus 10 yards. Moves it back to the 49. Jacobs up the middle on first down.

"I don't want to make a Terrell Owens comparison here....."- Tony Kornheiser

But you will. 2nd and 6....Eli to Burress and he drops it. Holding on the Giants to boot and that puts the ball almost back to the original spot before the long Burress catch. 2nd and 16....Manning deep to Burress down the left sideline and it's batted away. 3rd and 16...

Screen to Ward but a great play by Cousins drops him behind the line of scrimmage. Giants to punt to Cribbs, but a false start sends them back another five yards before they get to. Browns ball at their own 22.

Looks like ESPN figgered out how to put down/yardage on their graphics. Goddamn, they're GOOD! (Via Hollywood Wags)

They've been on there a few weeks now, but they seem to be showing them a lot more.

9:42- ANOTHER false start on the Browns and Jaws is trying to say that Tony Romo getting hurt for the Cowboys is a good thing. He can't believe his bullshit, can he?

Heiden on second down and there's about 6 minutes left in the quarter. 3rd and 5....Edwards on the slant and he's got the first at the 37. Lewis follows that up with four and the Browns are moving again. That's followed by a 14-yard pass to Heiden and Cleveland is across midfield.

Is Babe Laufenberg still backup QB for Dallas? (Via Mal)

A couple of runs by the Browns that go nowhere, one in the "Flash/Wildcat" offense, and it'll be 3rd and long after an injury timeout. Wow! Anderson hits Steptoe and they've got another first......

ANDERSON TO DINKINS.....Touchdown Cleveland. Right over the middle to his backup tight end and that was a gorgeous pass....

17-7 Browns with 2:15 to go in the half

Guess we won't see Brady Quinn tonight....and hey....right on cue, Tony says the same thing.

9:53- Manning hits Steve Smith and that's the two minute warning. After the timeout the Eli passes to Smith again for a first down and they're at midfield. The Browns blitz, Eli just throws it up to Steve Smith and he catches it. If that was two years ago, that would have been a pick six.

Manning to Smith again....this time for 14 and it's down to the 21. One minute to go....and ohhhhh....Eric Wright just misses and INT. 2nd and 10....fade to Hixon and that's not working. 3rd and 10....

Eric Wright just did his best Booker T impression. (Via Anon)

MANNING SACKED! Fumble and the Browns have it!!! Scratch that....illegal contact on Cleveland and that'll give the Giants a first down with :47 left.

There's a review now to see if the ball came out before the flag. No one on the MNF crew seems to know why. Back from commercial, Ward runs it up the middle inside the ten and it's 2nd and 3. Manning to Hixon for a first down and it's a first and goal at the three....Giants use their last timeout with :17 left....

Manning to Burress....TOUCHDOWN G-MEN! Beautiful fade there and Terry Cousins didn't even have a shot.

17-14 Browns now and that should do it for the half. I'll see you in another thread for some Baseball-Football combo, as we get near the end of each game.

It was inevitable wasn't it? Almost immediately after I put up the Don King/Undertaker post yesterday, I noticed a DSRL commercial that seemed a bit different. The Mannings were at a press conference and....oh no....not Venus and Serena!

Lame. I do have to say though that the DSRL theme song is catchy as hell. These U.S. Open promotions are just everywhere and since someone guessed this one in the comments yesterday, I'm going to give it a shot. My prediction is that the next U.S. Open spot will come either during A) America's Got Talent or B) Hillary Clinton's speech at the Democratic National Convention.

Video: Williams Sisters Challenge Manning Brothers To Oreo Licking Race (You Been Blinded)

I saw the end of this during yesterday's NFL Live and yesterday was apparently the first airing of this Reebok commercial. The theme is that NFL Players are obviously migrating to training camp, and in the V-formation no less.

I think they're selling something too, but I couldn't figure out what. The music weirds me out, and I have no idea why Laurence Maroney is on a beach, but I'm officially ready for the start of the season. I don't care what you think about Eli, seeing him standing on the BK Bridge is pretty badass.

I had been thinking that these latest Gatorade ads were a bit over the top. There are a couple out there at the moment but one where the field is following Jeter is kinda creepy. Well Gatorade fixed all that with their newest ad featuring Mr. Unstoppable.....

I'm a bit sick of that song, but still a pretty awesome spot.

We all had a great time arguing whether David Tyree's third down grab was the Greatest Super Bowl history. This is obviously as subjective as it gets buy my vote was a resounding yes and a few of you disagreed. Well Steve Sabol of NFL Films has come out with his opinion and from someone who has watching every Super Bowl about 8,000 times, I think he's a good a judge as any....

I was sitting around with some people after Super Bowl XLII, talking about the dramatic finish and, in particular, the winning drive. We still were marveling over the catch David Tyree made, leaping high in the air and wrestling the ball away from New England's Rodney Harrison, to keep the drive alive.

Someone said it might go down as the greatest catch in Super Bowl history, better than Max McGee's one-handed stab in Super Bowl I, better than Butch Johnson's tumbling touchdown grab for Dallas in Super Bowl XII, better even than Lynn Swann's balletic leap for Pittsburgh in Super Bowl X.

I took it a step further. I said I thought it was the greatest PLAY in Super Bowl history.

That's right everyone. Better than Vinatieri, better than Riggins' run, better than the Mike Jones tackle, and better than Elway's helicopter run. After thinking them all through I'm inclined to agree. Thinking back to how I reacted to all of those plays (minus the Riggins play) I've never going that crazy for a play in the Super Bowl ever. Not even for any play during the two Redskins Super Bowl wins I watched as a kid.

So that's my two cents. I hope some of you that are a little older can share some other highlights that us youngins may not understand the gravity of, but my vote's for Tyree.

Tyree's catch goes down as best play in Super Bowl history (NFL.com)

So I completely missed this yesterday, but apparently Tiki Barber was actually granted a Giants interview. And get this....it was Eli...

Whoa and Peyton too! I bet Tiki died a little when Meredith said congratulations to him. Schadenfreude is so great.

Tiki Barber Reports on Super Bowl, Interviews Eli Manning on Today Show (Fanhouse)

Eli Manning may be unstoppable but David Tyree is a magician!

I love the hurt in Joe Buck's voice as he says this one is caught. Imagine Gus Johnson on that call for a second.

Eli to Plax....

Unbelievable. (Videos to follow shortly)

I don't have anything to post for the day yet (I mean I'm watching Rider play Siena for some reason), so I thought I'd just share this photo of Evil Peyton. Maybe someone can explain why he decided to show up his brother with this facial hair....

He already burned me once this year by not saying the name Jessica Simpson in Dallas' Playoff game against the Giants, but this seems like a great bet for those of you who do that sort of thing. Via Sports Biz...

My big bet this year is "How Many Times Will (Fox Announcer) Joe Buck Mention Peyton Manning's Name During The Broadcast?"

The over/under is 5.5 times.

If you take the over, BoDogLife.com is paying out $100 for every $125 wagered. If you take the under, the Web site will pay out $100 for every $115 wagered.

Before I analyze, let me just set up a couple terms for you. A "Peyton Manning" mention counts if Buck says "Peyton Manning" or "Peyton." It does not count if he says "Eli's brother" or "his brother." Another point worth adding is that the broadcast consists of the time in between the opening kickoff and when the clock hits zero.

The biggest thing to consider is that it has to be during the action, so I'm inclined to go with the under. I'm also inclined to believe that Buck will see what I picked and to the exact opposite. He can read minds you know.

Super "Prop Bet" That I Need Your Help On (CNBC: Sports Biz)

Here at AA I've taken pride in the ribbing that I've given Eli Manning over the past two years. He was dubbed unstoppable and that was basically his nickname in live-blogs, and posts. I hammered Citizen Eco for that campaign that consists of Elisha, an always injured Emeka Okafor, and some Tennis player named Nicole Viadasova.

Well it turns out that Eli's run with the Giants is actually working out for the Citzen people, and they want to thank him. Via Sports Business Daily....

Citizen runs an ad in the sports section of today's N.Y. Times congratulating Giants QB Eli Manning and his teammates for winning the NFC Championship. In the ad, Manning is wearing a Citizen Eco-Drive watch.

I haven't seen the ad yet, so if you have please share your thoughts as soon as you take a gander. Congrats Eli and to the good people of Citizen that may just now be tuning in. I thought this was a great idea from the beginning, and you can email me if you have any watches you would like me to test out and promote on the site.

It always amazes me when people watching the same game draw two entirely different conclusions on the contest. Normally it's reporters covering different teams that notice certain nuances and rarely reporters on the same beat. That wasn't the case this morning as I was flipping (or clicking rather) through some of Green Bay and New York's coverage of the game.

The publications are the NY Daily News, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal and the Green Bay Press-Gazette. All took stabs at FOX's coverage of last nights Pack loss and both came up with something completely different.

Bob Raismann (NY Daily News): "Neither Joe Buck nor Troy Aikman overplayed the weather angle. In a game contested at such a high level, under miserable conditions, the voices let the pictures take care of that story.

There were other issues to deal with, like Plaxico Burress' matchup with cornerback Al Harris. The plot was visual, with Fox's cameras offering telling replays of the confrontation, which often played on after the whistle, and Aikman making the point - in the second quarter - that the Packer coaching staff "sure should think about" giving Harris some help covering Burress.

OLIVER'S TWIST: Pam Oliver, working Fox's sidelines, tried selling a conspiracy theory in the second quarter."

Bob Wolfley (Milwaukee J-S): "Fox did a good job during the broadcast keeping viewers informed about the temperature and wind chill index during the course of the game. The game started at minus-1 degree with a minus-23 wind chill, and it was minus-4 and minus-24 late in overtime, according to the Fox thermometer."

Warren Gerds (Green Bay P-G): "In the booth, Buck and analyst Troy Aikman let the action play out, rather than say anything cute about the cold.

They had plenty to work with — the battle between Giants receiver Plaxico Burress and Packers defensive back Al Harris, the wowing 90-yard touchdown catch of Packers Donald Driver and the unfolding answers to the main mystery, "How will the quarterbacks perform in the numbing cold?"

Despite the outcome for Green Bay, the viewing was entertaining, perhaps more so when the Fox camera caught three "Bikini Girls" dancing in the stands in their yellow outfits."

Now for a fourth view. I don't mean to pick on you Warren and Bob (NY Post), but the last part of each of your quotes sound like they talked about the Weather a lot. I too didn't think they "overplayed" it, but it did get annoying at some points.

Since I was sans-internet for the game I couldn't really take "notes" on the contest but I don't think it was the weather that was the deciding factor on whether the broadcast was bearable or not. Maybe since Warren and Bob cover the Packers they didn't notice just how in love with Brett Favre FOX was. Look I understand it was possibly his last game, but I think Joe Buck's love of Favre surpassed Jim Nantz' love of Tom Brady during last night's contest. I honestly didn't think that was possible.

I know that you have to take certain angles and story lines during a contest, but Joe Buck was just flat out rooting for Brett Favre. I got the sense that Buck and Aikman truly thought that the Giants couldn't, wouldn't, and shouldn't win that game. I'm actually rather glad they did today.

ELI MANNING = UNSTOPPABLE

Signal to Noise mentioned Lena Headey in the comment of the last thread. She is, in fact, amazing, but I'm not sure she can save this new Terminator show. It doesn't look, how do they say, "good".

Good start to the second half: Tampa Bay turns it over on the kickoff, and New York picks up right where they left off.

Eli rolls out, avoids pressure, and makes his first mistake in awhile, missing Boss in the end zone. The ball is tipped and almost intercepted. Next play, screen to Jacobs, first down. They haven't done a lot on the ground with Jacobs, but he's had a couple of big receptions thus far, including the first touchdown.
Missed the specifics of the last series - the baby started fussing and my wife apparently forgot that I had a prior commitment. Don't get married, kids! Anyway, the Giants take it down to the goal line but can't put it in the end zone, leaving it up to Lawrence Tynes to put points on the board. The field goal is up, and it is good.

New York 17, Tampa Bay 7

I can't wait for Cloverfield. - JD

Yeah, looks pretty good (how's that for analysis?)

Garcia picked in the end zone - way to kill that promising drive. Why aren't they using Graham more to set up Garcia, instead of the other way around?

You commenters are brutal re: Garcia, and I love you for it.

Okay, so I've missed most of the third quarter - you, the commenters, are manly men for the sheer wit and wisdom of your responses in my absence.

I'm thinking that Joe Buck doesn't actually like sports. He likes the life — he learned that from his dad, and he can recite from his notes with the best of them (and then some), but I don't think he actually likes sports (the game on the field). He got into this because it was the family business. - newmexiken

Interesting thought. Actually, that's not far from the way I tend to view sports - love the history and factual stuff, but don't often sit and just watch a game. (Did I just compare myself to Joe Buck?)

If it's a penalty for Pax, the it's a penalty for Moss, but the NFL has let Moss get away with the same thing for the entire season. - pm

Actually, Moss did get called for offensive interference a few times this season. Burress actually got away with one last week against the Patriots, in the end zone. I think everyone but Peter King saw him push Ellis Hobbs. The problem isn't with Moss getting away with it, it's with virtually every receiver getting away with it.

Third quarter is over, by the way, and the Giants are trying to get Ahmad Bradshaw moving on the ground to chew up some clock. The two basic plays at this point are a Bradshaw run and an underthrown pass from Eli.

So Joe Buck=fredo? - sam

First Eli Manning, then Jeff Garcia, now Joe Buck. NO ONE IS SAFE TODAY!

First-and-goal for the Giants, under ten minutes on the clock. Huge series of plays for the Bucs - a field goal here keeps it a two touchdown game, and they can't really afford to go down three scores with seven-ish minutes to play.

And, seconds after I write that, Amani Toomer catches the touchdown pass from Eli. I'm not quite ready to write, "It's over" in my notebook, but it's getting close.

New York 24, Tampa Bay 7

Tampa Bay's diagnosis of Amani Toomer: not benign in any way. - Signal to Noise
-1 to S2N for the groaner pun of the day. - pm

I came thisclose to writing Amani "It's Not A" Toomer. Pray for me. Pray for all of us.

"Eli Manning, one of the biggest days of his young career." - Buck

When exactly does a career get to the point where you can't refer to it as "young" anymore? I mean, it's Eli's fourth season. He's 27. Does that really still qualify as young, or am I wrong?

Tampa Bay needs to go downfield for a quick score if they want a chance in this game. Bring on Gradkowski!

I have no idea if Gradkowski actually has a strong arm or not. I just really wanted to type, "Bring on Gradkowski".

How many Bill Parcells Coors Light commercials does the world really need? It seems like there are a million of them out there.

Apologies if this has been mentioned before, but now that you notice it it will torment your enjoyment of any broadcast featuring Troy. He doesn't speak in sentences, he speaks in clauses. His conjunction of abuse is criminal.

example: "Yeah, I don't want to overstate this drive by any means Joe, BUT y'know that's a heck of a job right there by Eli Manning AS you said directing this drive, getting them down here into a position to throw the touchdown pass AND you know, who knows, whatever happens BUT we may be looking back at some point and time on this drive for Eli Manning and say, "You know what? that's when he really grew up."

I can't say anything about this. I sometimes with the word "but" had never been invented.

Touchdown, Bucs.

New York 24, Tampa Bay 14

If the game clock wasn't down to the 3:25, I'd say that this isn't over. Unfortunately, I'm not sure the Bucs have anyone who is a threat to score quickly, even if they recover an onsides kick.

"Too bad U2 didn't sing a song called, "It's A Humid Day." - Buck

WHAT? 57% humidity is cause for alarm? I find that to be as stupid as anything Joe Buck has ever said.

Oh, and good call not to onside kick there, Gruden. You can always try to hold 'em and score again in the fifth quarter. What's that? There is no fifth quarter? Well then, I'm afraid you're screwed.

Why, why, why are we still comparing Eli Manning to Peyton. Guess what, Joe Buck? Eli will never be as good as Peyton! Peyton, like him or not, is going to end up as one of the top three quarterbacks ever. Eli might, if he's lucky, make a couple of Pro Bowls. And you know what? There's nothing wrong with that.

Troy Aikman is leading the league in flip-flops today. Three minutes ago: "Good call, he was out of bounds," even though there someone on the sidelines walked in front of the camera and you couldn't see where McQuarters landed. Now, "That's an interception." Troy should run for president.

Barring a miracle for Tampa Bay, this one's over. Thanks everyone for reading, and be sure to join Signal to Noise for the upcoming Chargers-Titans games.

Final Score: New York Giants 24, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14

Final Note: Joe Buck just referred to Jeff Feagles as "the wily veteran."