Participants,

OK, so 6 of you will end up wannabe’s and only 1 will be the winner of the 2012 HSBT.  To be sure you’re not in that group of 6, here are the questions you will need to answer before submitting your picks for Conference Championship games this Sunday.

#2 Baltimore Ravens @ #1 New England Patriots
This is a classic game of opposites – Ravens are a defense first team, and the Patriots are an offense only team.  Patriots are 7-point favorites, which is pretty big for this game.

Questions
•  Will the Patriot TE dynamic duo rule the day vs. the NFL’s #1 defense against Tight Ends?
•  Can the Patriots beat a team with a winning record (something they did not do in 2012)?
•  Will Ray Rice (#1 RB in the NFL) dominate vs. the leagues worst run D?
•  Can anyone slow down Tom Brady?
•  Can the Ravens play catch-up if the Patriots jump out to an early lead?
•  Only 3 different teams have represented the AFC in the last 8 Super Bowls; will New England continue that streak?

View from THE Commish
Raven QB Joe has been talking a lot of Flac(co) this week, even from a wounded teammate (S Ed Reed).  Will he now continue his streak of winning a road playoff game (something he has done in each of his 1st 4 years in the NFL)?  We think so, since D is the name of the game.  Early and often blitzing pressure from the Ravens will force Brady to move out of his comfort zone.

Baltimore 27, New England 24

Brady is on his way to Canton and this is just another stamp of approval on that, as he will continue to pick apart defenses with precision passing to his myriad of receiving weapons.  Look for the Patriots to run the ball 8 times and pass the ball at least 50.  The Raven D is aging and Ed Reed is hobbling.  Brady needs only 1.38 seconds to release a pinpoint pass after the snap.

New England 33, Baltimore (or less) 16

#4 New York Football Giants @ #2 San Francisco 49ers
An intriguing match-up, with the game a literal toss-up (49ers favored by 2.5).  The super-hot Giants square off against the NFL’s #1 defense.  The last time these 2 played each other in the playoffs (2003), the 49ers came away with a 39-38 win in a wild Wild Card game in SF.

Questions
•  Will  the 49ers become the 11th different team to represent the NFC in the last 11 Super Bowls?
•  Will the Giants D continue to excel and do they need to?
•  Will SF QB Alex Smith remain hot?  Will the same be true for the Giants QB?
•  Can New York move the ball against the leagues #1 defense?

View from THE Commish
I will admit that when I turned on my iTunes playlist this morning, the 1st 2 songs were Eli’s Coming (Three Dog Night) and If You’re Going to San Francisco (Scott McKenzie).  The Giants whooped up on the Pack last weekend and there is nothing to suggest they won’t do the same again.  They just find a way to win – nothing fancy, but those 3 WR’s (Nicks, Cruz and Manningham) have been awesome.

New York 28, SF 23

And – if you are going to San Francisco – be sure to wear a helmet to cover those flowers in your hair.  These guys hit you like a ton of bricks when you have the ball in your hands.  Alex Smith had a breakout season (about time, since this is his 7th year in the league), and the RB tandem of Gore and Hunter should find some big holes against the Giant blitzing D.

San Francisco 20, New York 17

Well ,that’s it for today.  Your picks will be loaded before kickoff tomorrow afternoon and THE Commish will keep the scores updated in almost real-time, so you can see how you’re doing.