AC's Sportswriters, Experts and Clowns: Tackling Today's Hot Sport Topics

This is the second in a series of articles in which four Associated Content producers give their take on topical sports questions. You can see the initial entry here. Please use the comments box at the end to rate the responses to each questions. Give the CP who gave the best answer four points, the next best three and so on. Then we can tally up the votes and see who is an Expert and who is a Clown. Here is our panel:

Zac Wassink would get 28 points for spelling his name in the game SCRABBLE. He hopes his opinions will score just as many points with our readers.

Nick Meyer brings some Detroit Muscle to our group. Be careful about disagreeing with him or you might find yourself at the bottom of Lake Michigan.

It's been a long time since we had a famous Jake in the sports world and Jake Emen is hoping to fill the void. As a boxing fan, he hopes his sports writing career follows the path laid out by Jake LaMotta, rather than the trail blazed by Jake Plummer.

And you all know me. Hello, I'm Johnny Cash.

This week we're having a Merv Griffin-style theme for our panel. We are in the heart of the NFL season and two teams, the Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots, have separated themselves from the pack. So, each of our three questions this week will deal with those teams in some regard.

What are the chances that some other team than New England or Indianapolis wins the Super Bowl and which other team has the best chance besides those two?

Meyer: I'd put the chances of someone besides those two winning at about 35%. I would pick San Diego as the next-best candidate if not for the Norv Turner factor.

So I'm going with Pittsburgh, a team that's been a bit overlooked this year after the coaching change. Mike Tomlin has them playing intense, physical football again and Ben Roethlisberger is looking good in an opened-up offense.

In the NFC, Dallas is looking like the best team but it's a wide-open (read: not very good) conference. The NFC winner has a very slight chance of winning the Super Bowl.

Joura: I'd put the chance that the Super Bowl champion is someone other than Indianapolis or New England at less than five percent, which is remarkable. It is like the mid-90s, when the Cowboys and 49ers played for the NFC Championship three straight seasons with the winner taking the Super Bowl. The only other team with a chance to win is the Cowboys and they would have to score on just about every possession to do it because the Dallas pass defense is that bad.

Emen: I'd say there is a 33.3% chance that somebody other than the New England Patriots or Indianapolis Colts wins the Super Bowl this season, with each of those two teams taking a 33.3% chance as well. As has been the case for several years now, the AFC is far superior to the NFC. Therefore, a good team coming out of the NFC will have less adversity getting to the Super Bowl - they won't have to beat either of the best two teams before the championship game. The best team in the NFC right now is the Dallas Cowboys, but I don't see them being a real threat to win it all, even with an easy road to the final game. They've played sloppy, have serious defensive issues and a quarterback who either plays like a Pro Bowl player or a third stringer.

The team with the best chance besides the Patriots and the Colts is the Pittsburgh Steelers. They have the championship experience. They are rejuvenated by a young and energetic coach. They are 4-1 and haven't been healthy all season. You might say, but wait, they'd have to run the gauntlet and get past both the Colts and the Patriots to get there. Well guess what? They did that already - as a Wild Card team no less - when they won the Super Bowl two seasons ago.

Wassink: I'd say the chances are pretty good to be honest. I think these two teams are by far the best in the league but, as we all know, the playoffs are a completely different story when it comes to match-ups. Who knows what's going to happen to these teams between now and the playoffs? If Brady or Manning were to get injured that significantly decreases the chances of that team winning the Super Bowl.

As for other possible teams, you have to like the way Dallas and Pittsburgh have been playing thus far. San Diego appears to finally be showing up. Don't ignore the New York football Giants. I'd say that, right now, the chances of another team winning it all other than Indy and San Diego is roughly 45 percent.

Other than Brady and Manning, how many QBs in the NFL right now are capable of winning a first-round playoff game?

Joura: The quarterback situation in the NFL right now is bleak. Before I answer the question for this year, let's step back in time and answer it in 1997. That year, I'd say that conservatively 10 QBs could win a first-round playoff game and six more deserved solid considerations.

1997 - Drew Bledsoe (career high in TDs), Dan Marino, Mark Brunell (Pro Bowl), Boomer Esiason (13 TD, 2 INT), John Elway, Warren Moon, Jeff George (29 TD, 9 INT), Troy Aikman (2nd most TDs of his career), Brett Favre, Steve Young. In the solid category I'd put: Neil O'Donnell, Jim Harbaugh, Steve McNair, Trent Dilfer (21 TDs, 11 INT), Brad Johnson and Chris Chandler (20 TDs, 7 INT).

That's 16 quarterbacks without counting a QB from the Giants, Steelers or Chiefs who finished with 10, 11 and 13 wins, respectively, and each won their division.

Here in 2007 besides Brady and Manning, the list of quarterbacks I'd want on my team in a first-round playoff game is limited to Donovan McNabb, Carson Palmer, Ben Roethlisberger and Tony Romo. I would put Brett Favre (see Zac Wassink's excellent point on Favre's play this year in last week's column), Steve McNair, Eli Manning, Philip Rivers and Vince Young in the solid category. Well, solid's probably not the right word. Favre's an interception waiting to happen, McNair could break down at any moment while Eli, Rivers and Young are full of talent but are far from consistent. And those are the good QBs!

Emen: I think that any quarterback who guides his team successfully into the playoffs is capable of winning a first-round playoff game. Some teams need their quarterback to only be a "game manager", meaning a player who doesn't make any mistakes and keeps the chains moving on offense as needed. That doesn't mean I want all those quarterbacks on my team should we get to the playoffs. Being capable of winning a playoff game is one thing, actually going out there and doing it is another.

Besides Manning and Brady, the quarterbacks I'd want on my team come playoff time are: Carson Palmer, Vince Young and Donovan McNabb. Carson Palmer is in the classic mold of the pocket passer. He has the strong arm, great accuracy and intelligent decision making, all the while being cool under pressure. Vince Young lacks experience at this level, but he is a proven winner. He can and will take over a game with his running ability. The more options you have to win or take over a game, the better. Donovan McNabb has been there before. He's not the runner he once was, but he still has that arm and he knows what he is doing. What is often lost with the "he threw up in the huddle because he was gassed" discussion is that when all was said and done, the Eagles were within 3 points of winning the Super Bowl.

Wassink: There is no quarterback I would rather have leading my team other than Peyton Manning. Brady obviously would be second. After that, I'd say that Brett Favre, Tony Romo, Big Ben, and Carson Palmer are all capable of leading their team to a playoff win. Other than that I'm not sure who I would have complete confidence in.

Meyer: While it seems like many teams are leaning toward game manager-type QB's, there are still a lot of good quarterbacks out there who can win games with big plays in the passing game.

Vince Young is obviously included in that group. I think he will be the next big thing at the position once he gets some actual help around him.

Donovan McNabb has had a rough year but he has little running game and is still recovering from injury. I'd take him for sure. Ben Roethlisberger is also rounding back into form. Matt Schaub and Tony Romo show a lot of promise. Brett Favre can still get it done for the most part, and Drew Brees is also a quality quarterback who can win a game with his arm. Carson Palmer has done well despite the circumstances in Cincinnati. Even Jeff Garcia could make enough plays to win a game.

Still, it seems like playing QB is getting tougher and tougher in the NFL every year due to the speed and complexity of defenses so players like Manning and Brady are pretty rare.

Are the Colts the most disrespected team in the NFL this season? They have the same record as the Pats yet we hear about them roughly 1/100 as much.

Wassink: I cheated with this one. I actually wrote an article about this and it's in my queue. Ha. Let's look at the facts. The Colts have the exact same record as the Patriots and the Cowboys. They have played a more difficult schedule than the Pats. They were even without five starters in their week five game and still won with little difficultly. Manning is being his usual self with ten TDs and only two INTs. Yet it seems that nobody wants to talk about the defending Super Bowl champs. Keep on doing it, America. Tony Dungy and company will just keep on winning.

Meyer: I think people are still taking the wait-and-see approach with the Colts' defense considering the talent they lost like Cato June and their two starting corners. Not only that but some of their stars like Marvin Harrison and Bob Sanders are banged up.

New England has looked more complete so far than Indianapolis and is dominating teams so they have gotten most of the pub. But as the Patriots-Colts showdown draws near, the Colts will start to get more headlines and respect from ESPN to build up the hype surrounding their showdown.

Emen: The obvious answer here is yes, the Indianapolis Colts are the most disrespected team in the NFL this season. They are the defending Super Bowl champions and they are undefeated at 5-0 so far this season. Still, the New England Patriots are receiving all of the hype with their own 5-0 mark, the resurgence of Randy Moss and the brilliance of Tom Brady. Yet, even though the Patriots are listed first in terms of Super Bowl favorites or the best teams so far, the Colts are always listed second. Many people still list them as favorites - including myself - and the discussion always includes them, even if it doesn't start with them. The three questions this panel is answering today all involve the Indianapolis Colts, so are they really that disrespected?

The most disrespected team in the NFL this season is the Pittsburgh Steelers. The defense is in place, Ben Roethlisberger has returned to form and Willie Parker is playing at a very high level. The players know how to win and I can guarantee they feel slighted right now by the lack of attention. They've knocked off the top dogs en route to a Super Bowl before and they will certainly be looking to sneak up on them again.

Joura: Is there any more boring question in sports than "why doesn't everyone give XXX more respect?" It is a two-bit psychological ploy when used by coaches and it is merely whining when used by players and fans. Sports Illustrated put out a commemorative package when the Colts won the Super Bowl, the networks gave them five prime-time games this season, which doesn't even count however many other times they are the featured game that gets sent to 90% of the country, Peyton Manning has more national commercials than any player in football - how many more displays of respect could they possibly need?

We have had our turn it is now up to you. Practice for November by filling out your ballot below. Tell the world who on our panel is an Expert.