It all goes by so fast.

The buzz of the annual Thursday Night opener.

The excitement of the first Sunday of the season.

The absurdity of the Monday Night Doubleheader on ESPN.

You look up and its the halfway point.

Then the Playoff Push.

The Tournament (copyright Bill Parcells) begins!

Then, soberingly…Super Bowl Sunday.

I love all of it. From the weekly picks to fantasy football to putting a few bucks on the games to the Monday Morning Quarterbacking on the radio. I love all of it. It is a glorious six months.

And Sunday it comes to a close. Saints and Colts represent our final official NFL game until September.

Depressing, isn’t it?

A couple of appetizers before we get to the Super Bowl pick…

• So, no coordinators for the Patriots this season. I get it. On offense no one stepped up and really deserved the position. Brady assumes a bigger role in the play-calling in 2010, a la Peyton Manning. On defense they go 2004 style (Eric Mangini and Rob Ryan) w/ Matt Patricia and Pepper Johnson. Belichick taking on more of a role. They didn’t want to bring in an outsider for a top spot on either side of the ball.  I get it, I do. But here’s hoping they all go to the White Mountains and fix the communication issues that plagued the team this year. And someone tell Bill O’Brien that unlike Tecmo Super Bowl, he has more than eight plays at his disposal on offense.
• Even Urban Meyer laughed when he heard someone was pushing the Patriots to take Tim Tebow in the second round.
• If you have not seen Rob’s video with Dustin Pedroia yet, do yourself a favor and check it out. Pedroia in a G.I Joe Tee Shirt…interesting.

Three things I find very interesting about Sunday’s game.

1. Can’t recall a Super Bowl in my lifetime where the running backs are all but an afterthought.
2. If the Saints win, they’ll have beaten Kurt Warner, Brett Favre and Peyton Manning along the way. That’s a murderers row of QBs.
3. There is an actual Super Bowl Prop Bet “How Many Times will CBS show Kim Kardashian on TV.” The line is 2.5. I’m firing on the over.

On to the low-def mini helmet pick. Going against my actual rooting interest and heart with this one.

Close game at half. Manning makes his Manning adjustments. Big third quarter. Colts win by 10.

I think Joseph Addai has a big game for a guy no one is talking about.

Pedroia at 2PM on Saturday. Talk to you at Saturday at 1…

-Mut

There’s been a ton of fair Favre bashing the last two days on WEEI. And trust me he deserves everything he is getting. His fatal flaw of the big pick in the big spot shone it’s ugly face again - to the delight of Packer Fans everywhere. No excuse it was a classic Favre INT.

And as someone dreading two weeks of Favreapalooza in the national spotlight heading to Super Bowl 44 in Miami, there were no tears shed in this corner when he threw back across his body to end the Vikings run.

But almost as damning was the Brad Childress play-calling late in that final drive.

From the NFL.com GameBook:

Minnesota Vikings at 2:37
1-10-MIN 21 (2:37) A.Peterson right end to MIN 21 for no gain (B.McCray).

Two-Minute Warning
2-10-MIN 21 (2:00) A.Peterson right guard to MIN 23 for 2 yards (J.Vilma).

Timeout #2 by NO at 01:52.
3-8-MIN 23 (1:52) (Shotgun) B.Favre pass short left to B.Berrian to MIN 33 for 10 yards (D.Sharper). Pass 5, YAC 5 P29

Timeout #1 by MIN at 01:39.
1-10-MIN 33 (1:39) (Shotgun) B.Favre pass deep right to S.Rice to NO 47 for 20 yards (R.Gay). Pass 16, YAC 4 P30

1-10-NO 47 (1:14) C.Taylor left guard to NO 33 for 14 yards (W.Smith, D.Sharper). R31

Timeout #3 by NO at 01:06.
1-10-NO 33 (1:06) C.Taylor right guard to NO 33 for no gain (R.Ayodele).
2-10-NO 33 (:25) A.Peterson right end to NO 33 for no gain (R.Ayodele, S.Ellis).

#2 by MIN at 00:19.
3-10-NO 33 (:19) PENALTY on MIN, Offensive 12 On-field, 5 yards, enforced at NO 33 - No Play.
3-15-NO 38 (:19) B.Favre pass deep middle intended for S.Rice INTERCEPTED by T.Porter at NO 22. T.Porter to NO 48 for 26 yards (J.Sullivan).

A couple of things here. First, the Vikings gashed the Saints defense for 44 yards over three straight plays to get down to the New Orleans 33.

From there the Chilrdess called a scared game. The Vikings ran two straight no-gainers, Brad panicked at the result and called timeout.

Then in the ultimate braincramp, he allows his offense to get banged for 12 men in the huddle…after a timeout! We saw this type of miscommunication from the Pats sideline this season and it killed them. Borderline unacceptable in the that spot.

That forced them to even think about throwing there and we all know what happened.

If Childress doesn’t choke on his play-calling from the 33 in and then allow the 12 men in the huddle, maybe the national media would have 11 more days to tell us Brett is “just a kid out there” and “he’s so fun to watch.” All while not mentioning the groin-punch INTs he throws in big spots and selfishness that leads to off-seasons of indecision and wait…and POOR Rachel Nichols who has to stay at a Motel 6 in Hattiesburg, MS for the next six months waiting for an an answer on whether or not Brett feels like playing next year. Poor Rachel.

We are not letting Favre off the hook, just pointing out that Brad Chilrdess is not without major blame.

Back to picking a new nickname for Glen Davis, because “Uno-Uno” is not going to work.

-Mut

Jets or Colts?

Colts or Jets?

The disgusting Blue and White?

Or the puke Green and White?

Big Mouth and Big Belly Rex Ryan?

Cry Baby and Rule-Changer Bill Polian?

It’s pick your poison this weekend Patriots fans. No matter who represents the AFC in Super Bowl XLIV in Miami, it’s going to sting. And sting hard. I’ll be rooting furiously against the Jets on Sunday, so as shocking as it - Let’s go Colts!

I can’t root for the Jets. Can’t do it, won’t do it. From the post-Super Bowl XXXVI debacle with Bill Parcells to Curtis Martin signing there, to Spy Gate, Tuna Bowl…on and on and on. There’s too much bad blood there.

And then there is this: the thought of two full weeks of “The Jets are in the Super Bowl” coverage on all the networks - complete with Obnoxious Jet Fan running his mouth, calling WEEI to brag. And the flimsy comparisons to one of my favorite team ever, the 2001-2002 New England Patriots.

That’s scarier than any movie with Michael Myers and his mask.

So as painful as it is, I’ll be cheering, very quietly, for the Colts this weekend.

The Mini Helmet picks bounced back last week at 3-1, to bring us to 3-5 through the first two weeks - against the spread and outright. We’ll need to go 3-0 and run the table to finish the playoffs above .500. It would be a Scott Brown-like comeback…and even though “I drive a 1999 Honda Civic!” and not a truck, I have faith. Picks for this week are below.

Lots to talk about on Saturday’s Mut and Bradford Show (1PM–5PM). “The LaserShow” with Dustin Pedroia (2PM), Jason Bay, NFL Playoffs Talk to you Saturday at 1.

Sports movies. They’re a mixed bag. The most recent batch of sports movies seem to be dressed-up chick flicks that have maybe a side helping of actual sports.We’ve heard good things about the film adaptation of Michael Lewis’ “The Blindside” but have not have the chance to see it.

One of my favorite sports moves on record, top 10 for sure, is Oliver Stone’s Any Given Sunday. I like the football scenes. I like the cameos from Terrell Owens and Charelton Heston. I love the “game of inches” speech from hanging-by-a-thread head coach Tony D’Amato. It’s all good. If I come across even the edited version on cable, there’s a 60/40 chance I’m staying until the end.

Great characters in Any Given Sunday. Including aging quarterback Cap Rooney, played by Mr. Sports Movie Dennis Quaid. Late in the movie, Cap tries to come back from injury. He shows up at practice ready to go. Wearing the quarterback “non-contact” pinney, Cap drops back to throw. He’s blitzed by Luther “Shark” Lavay (played by Lawrence Taylor)…and even though he KNOWS he won’t get hit in practice, Cap flinches. Flinches hard. His long career (and abuse from his wife apparently) have taken a toll. He’s battered, he’s bruised…he’s flincing at practice. He tries to laugh it off, but it appears a beaten man.

Well this week, after posting an 0-4 with my NFL Wild Card Picks here in this space last week…I’m Cap Rooney.

I had what I thought was a good regular season (138 wins ATS) but now I’m flinching left and right. Is Dallas really that good? Can the Cardinals do it again, this time on the road? The Jets CAN’T be that good. The Colts are supposed to go to the Super Bowl right? Touchdowns are still six points?

All week. I’ve read every website. I’ve watched every talking head show. And I’m still flinching. You have to be confident and I feel anything but this weekend.

So I’m going back to a few basic premises this week.

1. Don’t get too excited about Wild Card teams that upset in round one, when their opponent stunk.
2. Domes are very loud in the playoffs.
3. Rookies QBs on the road trying to win a 2nd straight game should be picked against. (Joe Flacco killed this one in 09′.)

Also note that the dogs were 3-1 outright last week. And this weekend last year they went 3-1 outright with only Pittsburgh surviving “Upset Weekend.” This is a weekend for the favorites.

Picks are below. Talk to you later today at 1PM. And the “LaserShow” with Dustin Pedroia is set for 2PM.

Seriously, who DOESN’T love the Mini Helmets.

Pedroia joins us today at 2PM.

1000 times I was wrong!

One of the big complaints you hear about sports radio hosts is that we never admit when were wrong.

Or we take both sides so we can NEVER be wrong.

If only it were that easy.

As promised back in September, I am re-posting my NFL Preseason Predictions.  As I mentioned at the time, if you printed them out they made a nice paper airplane. That’s about all they’re good for.

I mean, they wern’t Lenny Clarke Jacket at the Winter Classic-bad, but a couple of key misses. Let’s start in the AFC. Notes for each will be in italics.

AFC Playoff Teams

1. Pittsburgh Steelers
2. New England Patriots
3. Indianapolis Colts
4. San Diego Chargers
5. Tennessee Titans
6. Baltimore Ravens

AFC Title Game: Steelers-Patriots

So yeah, the Steelers. Tough to claim the picks were all that good when my top-seed didn’t even make the post season. They lost to the Bears, Chiefs, Raiders and Browns. To quote Jim Mora, “Playofffffs??????”

The Titans nice run at the end of the season could have landed me five of six. But alas, we get four teams in and just one correct seeding (Ravens). C-

NFC Playoffs:

1. New York Giants
2. Green Bay Packers
3. New Orleans Saints
4. Seattle Seahawks
5. Philadelphia Eagles
6. Minnesota Vikings

NFC Title Game: Giants-Saints

Hey look at that - another top seed not in the playoffs. This one hurt. Five wins by mid-October and they’re out of the tournament. Defense was a disaster. Jacobs was underwhelming all season. I really felt good about this one. Well, not as strongly as Bradford feels about Scutaro, but you get the deal. And I followed that up with e BIG swing and a miss on Seattle. I didn’t like Arizona - gimmicky, coming of the Super Bowl 43 loss to Pittsburgh. I still don’t like them and look forward to betting against them this weekend. Again, got four in but this time none on the correct seed. C-

Super Bowl 44: Giants over Steelers

Oh-fer. Just brutal. Drawing dead on my SB pick heading into playoffs. On par with the Julio Lugo signing or the Fox productions of the BCS games. Terrible.

Hopefully we can rebound this weekend. Talk to you Saturday at 1PM as Mut and Bradford kicks the 2010 campaign.

Yes indeed, the Mut and Bradford Experience did receive a recent email with the subject “Question for Justin Pedroia.”

For fear that the emailer will read his own name attached to the mis-naming of the 2008 AL MVP and go all Michael Douglas in Falling Down, I won’t say who sent it.

Maybe there is a Justin Pedroia out there and we’re missing the boat on this whole ‘Lasershow’ thing. We’ll have to whiteboard this in the near future.

Back in the lavish Brighton Studios for today’s Mut and Bradford Show. Looking forward to getting Pedroia’s thoughts on his new teammates, the Sacramento Kings, The R & L Carriers Bowl, The Rasheed Wallace Ejection, the impeding snow and of course the Winter Classic.

Talk to you at 1PM.

Mut

The show is on the road today as we broadcast live from Fenway Park.

The guest list includes Terry Francona, Manny Delcarmen, “The Lasershow” with Dustin Pedroia and former NHL’er Brendan Shanahan.

Looking forward to Rob’s take on the Indianapolis Applebees….

-Mut

Pedroia at some point today. Thanks to WEEI’s great DJ Bean for making the above banner, and to a large extent Rob’s biggest dream, come true.

Nothing like a good Google Image Search. Below is the first image that comes up for a Rob Bradford search.

"Ive reached full muscle capacity..."

Talk to you Saturday at noon.