Weekend sports update (and Google)

+ Well, Google came out with Pack, and I downloaded and installed it already, of course. Our favorite app so far, by far, is the Google Picasa Screensaver. We all find ourselves diverting as we walk by the office to watch the screensaver. Funny.

+ What've we got in the NFL? I watched most of the games (mostly without voume and doing something in addition, lest you think I wasted my whole weekend ;-) Same old thing, really, in the AFC (which has to be the conference favored to win the Super Bowl, whoever they send): New England is resurgent and trending as strong as anyone. That was some fine trash when Brady said with a smile, 'The thing that impresses us is winning Super Bowls.' The teams with recent playoff experience beat the teams without it. Surprise: the road teams did so well. Maybe that experience trumps home field. Teams with injured quarterbacks fared poorly. The Steelers are trending awfully well. I weigh the change to keep your games rolling as more valuable than having a week off, but we'll see. You still have to think real highly of the Colts and their chances, but the Patriots and Steelers look pretty good right now. Of course, did it take the injury of Carson Palmer to slow down the Bengals?

The Panthers seem to be able to play with anyone, as long as they're playing their best, which they sometimes don't do. The announcers wanted to rave about their running game yesterday, but the Falcons (last week) have has terrible run defense all year, and the Giants aren't that great. Steve Smith is a playmaker every week, but the Panthers D needs to limit their opponent. No one looked good in the Washington-Tampa Bay game and it's hard to see Washington lasting another week.

Let's make some predictions for next week. I'll go ahead and pick the Colts in their own place and the Patriots because I like them. I'll take Carolina for the same reason, in a grudge match (though this one could easily go Bears), and Seattle without thinking about it. After that, we'll see...

+ As frustrating as the Hawkeyes' basketball team has been, their defense must be amazing... (haven't had the chance to watch them yet).