Saints take home first Super Bowl title, 31-17....

My Observations....

- It's amazing how good both quarterbacks looked. It once again highlights how far away the Bengals offense is from being championship caliber.

- You've gotta be impressed with how the Saints performed in the 2nd half. The onside kick to open the half was NUTS. What a ballsy play. That speaks to the confidence level of Sean Payton and the rest of the team.

- As impressive as the Colts offense performed all year long, the Saints defense made Peyton Manning look beatable. Don't get me wrong, Manning was still outstanding....but New Orleans made more big plays on D.

- The halftime show was boring....not anything wrong with The Who...but it just wasn't worth watching.

- The National Anthem, on the other hand, was definitely worth seeing......

- Anyone else notice Peyton Manning didn't shake hands with anybody....he simply left the field. Kinda would have expected better.

- Gotta admit, I was pretty disappointed in this year's crop of commercials...there were a few good ones. But only a few. Was it just me, or were there a lot of commercials with dudes in their underwear?? Anyway, here are a couple of my favorites...

Doritos...

E-Trade Baby...

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The T.O. / Ocho show continues.....The effort culminated on Friday night in the two players appearing together at the Chad Ochocinco Mansion Party in South Beach on Friday night. Chris Littmann of SportingNews.com was there, and he captured T.O.'s comments on video. "I'm changing my name to Ocho Uno," Owens told the crowd.

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Rey Maualuga to enter rehab
ESPN.com
Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Rey Maualuga will check into the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif., later this month for at least 30 days, according to multiple NFL sources.

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Former Bengal coach LeBeau elected to NFL Hall of Fame
Geoff Hobson, Bengals.com
Fifty years after Paul Brown cut him from his first NFL training camp and 30 years after he hired him as a secondary coach, former Bengals head coach Dick LeBeau joined him Saturday in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. No. 44 was in full karma mode for LeBeau, 72, the current defensive coordinator of the Steelers. A day before the 44th Super Bowl the 44-member board of selectors gave the nod to LeBeau 37 years after he last wore No. 44 for the Lions.

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Gomes' return to Reds still up in the air
Mark Sheldon, Reds.com
Reds camp is getting closer and closer to opening -- 13 days from Friday to be exact -- but outfielder Jonny Gomes seemed no closer to being signed in order to participate. There has been little movement, if any, since the Reds and Gomes' agents resumed talking last week about what would likely be a Minor League deal.

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Bearcats could miss NCAA's.....One step forward, another step back. That?s the way it?s been for the University of Cincinnati basketball team in the Big East Conference this season. And that?s not likely to be good enough to deliver the Bearcats to their first NCAA Tournament since 2005. After UC played so well on Maui during Thanksgiving week, knocking off Vanderbilt and Maryland and narrowly missing an upset of Gonzaga, it seemed like big things were ahead for the Bearcats in Mick Cronin?s fourth season as head coach.

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Musketeers fall at Dayton.....Despite 24 points from sophomore guard Jordan Crawford the Xavier Musketeers were unable to overcome a determined Dayton squad and fell 90-65 in front of a raucous, sold-out, University of Dayton Arena. With the loss, the Musketeers had their four-game winning streak snapped. The Flyers protected their home court as they held the lead for the entire game. Rebounds proved crucial as the Flyers out-rebounded the Musketeers 42-24 and out-scored XU in the paint 40-22.

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Sad news out of Oxford....The RedHawks learned that Miami senior Brendan Burke, 21, a student manager for the team and the son of Toronto Maple Leafs president and general manager Brian Burke, had died from injuries suffered in an auto accident in Indiana earlier Friday. Miami coach Enrico Blasi made a brief statement about the 2-0 victory against Lake Superior State afterward, announced that no players would be coming to the usual postgame press conference, and then he quietly returned to the locker room.

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RedHawks pound LSSU 10-3 with heavy hearts....Top-ranked Miami honored four-year student manager Brendan Burke, who died tragically in an auto accident Friday, by opening the game with seven unanswered goals and cruising to a 10-4 victory over Lake Superior State on Saturday night at Steve Cady Arena at the Goggin Ice Center.

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Division leading Cyclones win Saturday night in shootout.....The Cincinnati Cyclones (30-17-1) scored a 3-2 victory over the K-Wings (24-13-6) in a shootout in an ECHL game Friday night at Kalamazoo, Mich. Barret Ehgoetz? shootout goal in the sixth round proved the winner. The Cyclones used a solid defensive effort and a 34-save performance from rookie goaltender Jeremy Smith. It was the 30th win of the season for Cincinnati, which now leads the North Division by seven points.

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Speaking of the Cyclones....Head Coach Chuck Weber and I are back it for another week of the Coors Light Cyclones Coaches Show LIVE at Jefferson Hall in Newport. We'll be hanging out from 7-8pm....hope to see you there!

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