...>Only the most astute talent evaluators will remember that Branch missed seven games. Even they, however, will remember his stellar performance in the Super bowl, which earned him MVP honors. He tied a Super bowl record with 11 catches for 133 yards. More impressive were his circus-style catches.

Branch is small but quick, as evidenced by his 13-yard-per-catch career average. This was just his third year in the league, and he is certainly a star on the rise.

If you have ...more

Super bowl Preview

...ed offenses. Each team has a bruising running back and strong offensive line play.

It was interesting that the last few weeks both teams didnt play conservative, which has been their reputation. Pittsburgh came out throwing the ball often against the Colts and Broncos, and threw several trick plays at the Bengals. In the past, Cowher has leaned more toward running the football, critics say too much, but that hasnt been the case in this playoffs. Dont be surprised if both teams come out throwing the ball and mixing up the plays. The difference this season for Pittsburgh is probably that Cowher has a talented young quarterback who is an excellent decision-maker. Cowher clearly has trust in letting Big Ben Roethlisberger throw the football. That wasnt the case over the last ten years when he was stuck with below-average QBs such as Bubby Brister and Kordell Stewart.

Think back to last years Super bowl when two fine QBs squared off in Donovan McNabb and Tom Brady. Brady was calm the whole game because he was playing in his third Super bowl in four years. McNabb, on the other hand, was erratic, espe...more

The Super bowl 2005-2006: Iron Men and Girlie Men

... the caught passes that didnt count as receptions.

I live in the Northwest. Seattle is the preference up in these parts. In fact my son and his family live in Seattle. But we lived in Pittsburgh too. So, who ever won was okay for us. But Im glad that Pittsburgh won because I think that the Pittsburgh coach is a fine family man that does not mouth filthy words to his players when they make a mistake.

He said that he wanted to win the game for that old fellow you saw hoisting the t...more

Dog Clothes make Great Gifts - football jerseys, etc.

...orget to include an opening for the dog to relieve himself. Don't laugh, it happens a lot!

Now, if you're shopping for your own dog, you're all set. But if you're buying clothes for someone else's dog, I've got a few more tips for you.

Surveys conducted on the subject of gift preferences of men and women have shown that men prefer gifts that are more playful or practical. So, if the dog's owner is male this might translate into a doggie Harley jacket, a funny costume, or a reflective hunting vest (more on practical clothing in another article!).

Women, on the other hand, prefer gifts that are beautiful, memorable, and personal. It shouldn't be hard to find an item of clothing for a woman's dog that's either beautiful or memorable or both, and it will of course be personal!

Exception: if the woman is someone you don't know well. The more distant the relationship between giver and receiver, the riskier it is to give a personal gift. So, be they man or woman, if you don't know the dog owner very well, you probably shouldn't be buying dog clothes for their pet.

I hope you'll have fun picking out something nice for the canine on your shopping list. If you get a chance, send me a photo!

...more

Two Yoga Dvds