The Sports Monitor

You're a rookie safety and you're about to go up against the best receiver in the NFL. What do you do? Call him out of course. That's what the Baltimore Ravens' Matt Elam did to the Detroit Lions' Calvin Johnson. Elam called Megatron pretty old. Why fire up Johnson before the game? Athletes can really, really be dumb sometimes.

Apparently, the Baltimore Ravens are wacco for Flacco. Me -- I think they overpaid. Big time. Flacco cashed in on his Super Bowl-MVP performance with a six-year, $120.6 million contract, making him the NFL's highest-paid player. He's not worth it. Not even close. Heck, Flacco shouldn't have been the MVP of the Super Bowl. The award should have gone to Jacoby Jones. On the bright side, the contract takes away cash from others who might be willing to go to the Ravens.

I hope Joe Flacco gets everything he wants from the Baltimore Ravens. His agent thinks he deserves Drew Brees money. Flacco isn't in the same class as the Saints quarterback. So go ahead, pay the man. It'll only weaken the Ravens.

People ask me who I'm rooting for in the Super Bowl. As a Steelers fan, it's supposed to be a tough question. I guess. It's not that difficult. I'm rooting for the Ravens. Yep, the Ray Lewis-led Ravens. If the 49ers win, they'll have six Super Bowls, putting them alongside the Steelers. Plus, the 49ers will be 6-0 in Super Bowls, I say it's time for them to get a loss. And, there's a part of me that doesn't mind seeing the Super Bowl champion coming from the same division as the Steelers -- even if it's Baltimore. Simple question. Easy answer.

The most exciting game to watch this weekend -- for me, anyway -- was the Ravens' upset of the Broncos. I know, there was a fantastic finish in the Falcons-Seahawks game, but I give the edge to the Broncos' game. I guess it's because I'm biased. As much as I don't like rooting for the Ravens, I was happy to see Peyton Manning and the Broncos lose. It's probably because I'm so sick and tired of the Manning show. Since the midway point of the season, we've been told how great he is and it hasn't stopped. CBS' telecast was a Manning lovefest. Going into the game, I heard analysts rave about the Broncos' defense. They actually called it the best defense that Manning has had. That Super Bowl-winning team Manning had with the Colts was led by Defensive Player of the Year Bob Sanders. I thought that was a pretty darn good team. That's not the only thing that had me scratching my head. Everyone had pegged the Broncos for an AFC ti...

I never understood the Steelers' fascination with their backup quarterbacks. They've had either Charlie Batch and Byron Leftwich for what seems like ages now. And when the Steelers really needed a backup, Leftwich couldn't deliver. Leftwich rambled 31 yards for a touchdown Sunday against the Ravens, but other than that burst, the Steelers couldn't do anything on offense in a 13-10 loss that puts them in a bad position in the AFC North. Leftwich, with his long delivery, looks better suited for the Pirates' bullpen than behind center. He went 18-for-39 passing for 201 yards, but couldn't help a Steelers' offense that looks lost right now. The Ravens came into the game with a weak defense. The thought was Leftwich could manage the game, the Steelers could find a running back to rely on and they'd escape with a win. It didn't work out that way. And it looks like we could see Batch at QB this week -- or someone else. The Steelers are wor...

Kordell Stewart retired from football Wednesday. Seriously. Kordell Stewart retired from football. It's so bizarre, I had to type it twice. Does anyone really miss the former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback? Was his time that memorable that he needed to sign a contract to officially "retire" as a Steeler? I would have been OK with Stewart retiring as a Raven. It's been seven years. So now we can start his countdown clock for enshrinement into the Hall of Fame?

After watching the two championship games Sunday night, one thing became clear. An argument can be made that the Ravens and 49ers both lost the games instead of the Patriots and Giants winning. That being said, which goat from the two games would you rather be Billy Cundiff, the Ravens kicker who missed a 32-yard field goal that would have sent the AFC Championship Game into overtime Kyle Williams, the 49ers punt returner who had to bad miscues, the last set up the Giants' game-winning kick in overtime I think I'd rather be Cundiff. And I made that decision before reports surfaced that Williams was receiving death threats. What's your take?

This entire postseason, we've heard all about the offenses in the NFL. Then they played the games. The defenses have stood out the past couple weeks, and I'd expect that to be the case for today's conference championship games. The consensus is a Patriots-Giants Super Bowl, and there's nothing wrong with thinking that. I'm not sold on it happening, however. AFC Championship Game: Ravens at Patriots It's all about Tom Brady in New England. He's gotten all of the hype, and after a six-touchdown pass game, he deserves it. However, it's the defense that people will talk about after the game. The Ravens know how to beat the Pats. They have the running game to keep the ball away from Brady and the Patriots' offense. The big question is whether the Ravens will get the play needed from their quarterback to win. Many people have their doubts, including members of the Ravens. Somehow, with Ray Rice running the ball, and the Ravens smacki...

I had a rough weekend picking the wild-card round. I had too many outside influences on my choices. Fantasy football leagues, home teams, allegiances all came into play. I've eliminated all the outside factors this week. It's time to bounce back. Saints at 49ers: Classic matchup between great offense and great defense. The Niners are at home and on grass, which should slow down the Saints, but I don't see how Alex Smith can lead San Fran past Drew Brees and the Saints. If the Niners are to win, the defense will need some turnovers and probably score at least one touchdown. The Saints are just too much. Saints 27, 49ers 16 Giants at Packers: Don't look now, but the Giants defense on a roll. They will face a serious test against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, but they are peaking at the right time. Will it be enough? I don't think so. All season, Rodgers and Co. have come through, putting up the points when needed. The Giants might shut d...

I don't believe for a minute that Ben Roethlisberger is healthy enough to play against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Could he hobble around and throw the ball? Yep. Is it worth the risk? Nope. The Steelers should know around kickoff if their game against the Browns has any meaning. If the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Baltimore Ravens, then a Steelers' win gives them the AFC North title. If the Ravens win -- and I think they will -- then the Steelers' game is meaningless. Roethlisberger should sit either way. The Steelers shouldn't risk further injury to Big Ben. I understand his desire to play. But the Steelers need to understand the need to keep him healthy. Do you think the Browns would like a shot at injuring him as payback for Colt McCoy's concussion? I do. Any playoff run needs Roethlisberger to be as close to 100 percent as possible. I don't see how letting him play gets him closer to that goal.

I can't blame the Pittsburgh Steelers for starting a hobbled Ben Roethlisberger against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night. A win put them in the driver's seat in the AFC, and Roethlisberger gave the Steelers the best chance to win. It didn't work out. It was obvious that Roethlisberger had trouble and it hurt the Steelers throughout the night. He couldn't scramble, he couldn't follow through on his throws and he couldn't heave the long ball. I can't imagine Charlie Batch or Dennis Dixon doing much worse. After all, the Steelers scored just three points. With little chance to win the division, coach Mike Tomlin should rest Roethlisberger the rest of the season. He should give Big Ben a big break, let him heal as much as possible and have him ready for the playoffs. The Baltimore Ravens aren't going to lose in the next two weeks against the Browns and Bengals, which would wrap up the AFC North. That makes these next two games against ...

It was all there for the Pittsburgh Steelers to take. The inside track for the top seed in the AFC playoffs, a game up on the Ravens for the division title, a chance for a bye week. Instead, the Steelers short-circuited Monday night against the San Francisco 49ers. Ben Roethlisberger didn't have the magic this time, throwing three interceptions and losing a fumble. It was a heroic effort by Roethlisberger to take the field, but the performance wasn't there. The usually strong defense gave up 20 points to a team that's struggled scoring touchdowns. One night earlier, the Ravens lost on their trip cross country to face the San Diego Chargers. You would think the Steelers would have taken notice. Instead, the Steelers flopped on Monday Night, a game that was delayed 35 minutes by two power outages at Candlestick Park. The power certainly was missing from the offense. Now the Steelers will need a Christmas miracle to gain the division title. It looks like any...

So much for the Baltimore Ravens being in control of the AFC North. Facing a closing schedule of the Chargers, Browns and Bengals, it looked like the Ravens had the edge in winning the AFC North and sending the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road in the NFL playoffs. Like I said, so much for that. The Chargers ran all over the Ravens, beating the Dirty Birds on Sunday night, 34-14. Now, the Steelers control their own destiny. But first, it starts with needing a win against the 49ers Monday night. A loss Monday, and the Ravens will be back in control. The good news is Ben Roethlisberger should start against the Niners. I'd expect the Steelers to show up and take advantage of this opportunity.

Entering Week 10 in the National Football League, it appeared that the Houston Texans might have been the best team in the AFC. The Texans tumbled from the top after news reports revealed quarterback Matt Schaub could be lost for the season. The Texans (7-3) have a great running game, an excellent defense and have one of the best wide receivers in the game in Andre Johnson. Now they won't have a quarterback to throw Johnson the ball when he returns after his bye week. Matt Leinart is Schaub's backup, which means the Texans don't have a quarterback. Leinart couldn't win the quarterback job in Arizona after Kurt Warner retired and Leinart's former coach, Pete Carroll, didn't work out a reunion. The Texans' woes is good news for the Steelers, who have a week off to get healthy. The Steelers close out the season with the Chiefs, Bengals, Browns, 49ers, Rams and Browns again. The only tough test will be the road game against the 8-1 49ers. The main comp...

The Pittsburgh Steelers' fall from the top of the AFC North didn't last very long. Sunday's win over the Seattle Seahawks proved just how fickle life in the NFL can be. A week after the Steelers were left for dead after getting beat up by the Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh has new life. The Steelers took out their frustrations on the Seahawks, shutting them out 24-0. The Ravens, on the other hand, the new favorite in the division, lost to the Tennessee Titans 26-13. That's quite a turnaround in seven short days. But that's how things work in the NFL these days. One day, you can be the best player or team ever. The next, you're washed up. I thought after the Week 1 loss to the Ravens that the Steelers weren't that bad and Baltimore wasn't as good as one might think. The Steelers simply caught the wrong team at the wrong time. The Seahawks, however, aren't a very good team, so it was good to see the defense have its way. As we enter ...