The New Orleans Saints are the feel good story in pro football this season and deservingly so.
This is a team that finished 3-13 a year ago, went after a quarterback coming off of arm problems that nobody else wanted, and entered the season trying their best to focus on football in a hurricane ravaged area. Throw in a rookie head coach and you probably were looking at another sub .500 season.
Don't look now, but Sean Payton's Saints are 11-6 and playing for the NFC Championship on Sunday.
The Chicago Bears stand in their way, but the Bears can be had. Rex Grossman played well last week. I can't imagine him putting together back to back solid performances. What the Bears do have in their favor is home field. It'll be cold and the Saints are not only coming from a warm weather climate, they're a dome team. But I'll still take the Saints to win this one 24-20.
In the AFC title game, the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots have played their last five games in Foxboro. This contest is back in Indy and this time I like the Colts.
I like the fact that the Colts defense has all of a sudden come alive. And while I'm a big Tom Brady fan, I really think Peyton Manning is going to get over the hump and get to a Super Bowl. I think coaching is even. Bellichick and Dungy are both great coaches.
This one should go to the wire, but I like the Colts to win at home 26-23.
Colts & Saints in the Superbowl? I'm not sure how the networks will feel about it, but I think it would be a great matchup and some great story lines for all of us to talk about the next two weeks.