New Orleans will play in first Super Bowl…fiction!

Andy Reid made the right decision to punt the ball on fourth down with his team trailing… Andy Reid made the right decision to punt the ball on fourth down with his team trailing the New Orleans Saints in Saturday’s NFC Divisional Playoff loss.

Geoff Dutelle: Fiction. A large part of me does understand his thinking. You always want to believe that your defense can get you the ball back, and, more often than not, getting a stop comes with a higher probability than your offense converting 4th-and-10, something done in only one out of 19 attempts in all of the NFL this year. The bigger part of me says that this was wrong, though, because of the simple fact that the defense hadn’t been able to stop the Saints’ rushing attack up to this point. His thought process made sense when you think about the numbers, but sometimes the numbers just aren’t enough.

Dave Thomas: Fact. Defense wins championships. While trite and cliche, it’s the truth (yinz guys remember the Steelers last year?). Reid was betting on his defense being able to come up with a stop. If they do, it’s a whole new ball game with more than a minute to play. While it is definitely a risk, I can’t fault Reid for having confidence in a unit that played higher than expectations all season long. There’s a reason they say D wins titles, and Reid’s decisions proved it.

Peyton Manning will beat the New England Patriots for the first time in the postseason.

GD: Fiction. I just don’t ever like picking against New England in the playoffs, and you can’t blame me for it. The Patriots are 12-1 in the playoffs with Bill Belichick coaching and that guy named Brady throwing the ball. The offense can beat you on the ground or through the air, but what wins them this game, though, is that defense that always seems to stymie Manning come January. New England’s defense ranked second in the NFL in points allowed. Combine that with a shaky Colts offense, and we will see the Pats in the Super Bowl yet again.

DT: Fact. While Manning has played bad enough for the Colts to lose both of their playoff games, I think this is finally the year he can get over the New England hump. Their defense is actually winning games, and with the return of their injured safety, Bob Sanders, the whole team’s attitude is a positive one. As amazing as Tom Brady has been, I don’t think he will have enough to beat the Colts by himself. I think Peyton and the Colts will take this one by at least a touchdown.

New Orleans will complete a magnificent turnaround by beating the Bears Sunday, making it to the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history.

GD: Fiction. This pick is probably going to come back and bite me when Rex Grossman throws an interception on Chicago’s first series, but I am going to take the Bears anyway. Chicago’s defense is down, but just when you think the Bears are going to lose, they win, and as awful as that logic is, it’s a viable strategy for picking any NFL game this season. I still believe that the Bears are a better team than everybody wants to believe, no matter how shaky Grossman is. I’ll take the Bears at home even though the Super Bowl is actually being played in the form of the AFC title game.

DT: Fiction. As much as I would like to see the Saints pull it off for obvious reasons, I think at the end of the day, the Bears’ hard-nosed defense will be too much for New Orleans. Even though not even Rex Grossman knows which Rex Grossman will show up under center for the Bears, I think Brian Urlacher will not let this chance to get to the Super Bowl slip away. The Bears will be representing the NFC in Miami come Super Bowl Sunday.

The Pitt basketball team will need more scoring and rebounding from Aaron Gray to win when the Big East and NCAA Tournaments roll around.

GD: Fact. The Panthers have gotten the job done without him for the last few weeks, but Pitt will need Gray when the competition steps up. He played an awful game last year against Bradley, and the team felt it. Also keep in mind that Pitt will be playing a lot of games closer together in March, meaning the guard play may not always be there. Inside play is consistent and forces the defense to collapse. If his scoring doesn’t go up, those outside shooters may not be as open as they are now.

DT: Fact. While Pitt has gotten some nice scoring from Mike Cook and Levance Fields, I think the Pitt offense has to go through Gray for them to be successful come tournament time. When he touches the ball in the paint, good things will happen. He will either back someone down and score or get double-teamed and be able to find an open perimeter player. Every good tournament team has a player that they can go to when they need a basket, and I think Gray is and has to be that guy for Pitt to finally get to that elusive Elite Eight and beyond level.