President Obama successfully predicted 14 out of the tournament's remaining 16 teams.  Only Xavier and Arizona fillibustered his all-out mandate on the Sweet 16.  (Did anyone get Arizona right?)   

See the President's bracket here.

Everyone from Chris Matthews to Dick Vitale has commented on the Chief's bracket, so it is not exactly news.  But WeTheSportsPeople feels the Prez needs a better name than "President Obama's Entry," as shown on ESPN.  America is more creative than that!  Where are the speech writers and hopeful rhetoric?

How about these names, Mr. President:

- Pass Me the Ba-Rock

- Redistributing Your Office Pool Dollars

- Yes, UNC can!

- I Dunked On McCain in '08

It prompted this email from loyal SportsPeople contributor Mario Mizoni:

"March Madness is more entertaining when the favorites rule the brackets.  Which is better to watch, #1 Louisville vs. #12 Arizona, or #3 Syracuse vs. #2 Oklahoma?  It reminds me of another great bracket echoing through the mausoleum of sports history:  Wrestlemania III.

You remember, a single-elimination tournament to decide the champion?  Of course you do.  No one wants to see the King Harley Race vs. the Junkyard Dog as the top billing.  We tuned in to see Hogan tackle Andre the Giant!"

 We don't typically talk WWE on this website, but we'll indulge Mario this one time.  Here, for your pleasure, are some highlights from Hulkamania sweeping through the Pontiac Silverdome, March 29, 1987.

Unlike some Seahawks faithful, who still whine about an offensive pass interference call in the first half of Super Bowl XL; the Cardinals supporters recognize they did not play well enough to win.  Missed opportunities, misexecution -- they had their chances but ultimately lost to the better team.  By the closest of margins, of course.

Here's what our friends at Shutdown Corner had to say about the officiating.   

What does WeTheSportsPeople staff think about the specific calls?  Here are the bullet points:

One - The first tricky point of the game was the Roethlisberger - endzone replay, after which officials overturned the ruling on the field.  It was close, and #7 was probably short of the line, but was there conclusive evidence?  Cardinals got the benefit here.

Two - The first Kurt Warner forward pass replay.  This one was fairly clear, and it the Cardinals won this call too.

Three - Holding calls.  While both teams were flagged for their share of holding violations, Arizona's Gandy could have been flagged for half a dozen more.  James Harrison and Lamar Woodley were virtually unblockable.  On an important 4th quarter pass play and converted first down catch by Steve Breaston, you can clearly see Woodley's #56 Jersey becoming disfigured in the hands of the out-of-position Right Tackle.  Amazingly enough, the Cardinals continued to use just one blocker on these beastly linebackers.  Often using James and Hightower for receiving threats in the flat, they left the O-Lineman overmatched.  Memo to Carindals fans who think they got flagged too many times -- if you double-teamed the defensive player of the year, you might not have to hold so much.

And don't forget the most important holding call -- Justin Hartwig's holding in the endzone.  It was iffy at best, and it changed Pittsburgh's near-game icing pass play into a safety/turnover.  If they don't throw that flag -- and they probably should not have -- the Steelers have the ball at the twenty five and need one more first down to kill the clock for good.  There isn't any time for Fitzgerald's second TD, let alone a possible Warner Hail Mary.    

Four - Roughing Big Ben.  A borderline call, one that probably should not have been called.  Arizona got snubbed on this one.

Five - Running into the holder by Adrian Wilson.  Just a dumb, dumb play that warranted the call.  It looks ticky tack, because the ball was already through the uprights, but Wilson put the official in a bad spot -- you just can't run over the holder after the play.

Six - Warner's second forward pass call.  While the first one was a likely forward pass, this one leaned fumble.  Woodley made contact with the ball early in the backwards arm motion, and The football was moving when Warner went to release.  Could have gone either way, but it leaned fumble, and there was certainly no clear evidence to overturn the ruling on the field.

So congrats to the Cardinals on a fantastic performance in a close loss; and congrats to the Cardinals fans for not being like Seahawk fans.

"If they played this game in the regular season," the NBC analyst said, "it would be a [regional] game, and no one would watch."

I guess the Super Bowl ringless Tiki would rather the Super Bowl feature big market teams like the Oakland Raiders or Chicago Bears.  (What would the line on that game be?)

Tiki, Tiki, Tiki.  Last season, while you woke up early to do read teleprompters with Al Roker and Ann Curry, your Giants won the Super Bowl.  Turns out the grouchy old coach and the ho-hum Manning brother 'knew them some football.'

While former NY Giant Jesse Palmer and guys like Trent Dilfer have become excellent network analysts, in his new profession Barber proves as graceful and effective as a Marc Bulger sprint option. 

Oh, by the way:  according to the Neilson ratings, "NBC's coverage of Super Bowl XLII averaged 95.4 million viewers, making it the second-highest-rated Super Bowl of all time."

We will continue to update you on Tiki's surge towards irrelevance. 

Santonio Holmes dragged his feet excruciatingly close to the sideline, as he hauled in the game winning touchdown reception.  With three Cardinals in the area, if Big Ben's throw is a foot or two off the mark, it's an interception and game over --  Arizona thwarting the uncannily clutch Roethlisberger to earn their first Super Bowl victory.

James Harrison's game changing 100-yard pick-six was a few inches from a pick-zero.  With no time left on the clock as Harrison stumbled toward paydirt, those 99 yards could have been all for not. 

But those weren't the only plays to be determined by the tiniest of measures.  Kurt Warner's first TD pass was an impossibly accurate throw to tight end Ben Patrick, who used his height advantage and athleticism to overtake linebacker Larry Foote.  If the ball was a few inches lower, it's an incompletion.  A few more than that, and it might have been a pick.  But Patrick secured possession, making it a game at 10-7.

The first TD hookup between Warner and Fitzgerald was strikingly similar.  Larry outjumped Ike Taylor, who had executed near-perfect coverage on the big receiver.  By the smallest of margins, number 11 got to the ball first and pulled it down for the score.

And don't overlook the plays that were not made.  On the opening possession of the game, Roethlisberger bootlegged to right and plunged just inches short of the TD stripe, as replay officials witnessed.  They overturned what was initially called a score, and the Steelers settled for 3 points.  See the video of Big Ben's close call. 

Lost in the shuffle of great plays and a frantic 4th quarter, it is also easy to forget about an early near pick from Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.  As Steeler deep threat Nate Washington sprinted past the last line of Arizona defense, DRC closed on the ball and nearly came away with the pick.  Instead, the Steelers went on to score a rushing touchdown for a commanding 10 point lead.  See the video of DRC's near pick.

Super Bowl XLIII was ultimately won by the better team -- the more experienced and balanced Pittsburgh Steelers.  But it was won in the closest of margins.    

Wikipedia Explains 46 Defense

"The "46" was an innovative defense with a unique defensive front; designed to confuse the quarterback. The line was shifted dramatically to the weak side (opposite the Tight End), with both Offensive Guards and the Center "covered" by the Left Defensive End and both Defensive Tackles. This front forced offenses to immediately account for the defenders directly lined up in front of them, making it considerably harder to execute blocking assignments such as pulling, trapping, and in general, pass protection. Moreover, the Right Defensive End would align outside of the Left Offensive Tackle, leaving him "on an island" when trying to block him.

Another key feature of the "46" is that both outside linebackers play on the same side of the formation. To avoid confusion the strong side linebacker (who is no longer lining up on the strong side) is frequently renamed to the Jack Linebacker. The linebackers line up behind the linemen two or three yards from the line of scrimmage. The primary tactic is to rush five to eight players on each play, either to get to the quarterback quickly or disrupt running plays.

The formation was very effective in the 1980s NFL because it often eliminated a team's running game and forced them to throw the ball. This was difficult for many teams at the time because most offensive passing games centered around the play action pass.

Currently, the "46" is rarely used in modern professional and college football because of the emergence of the West Coast Offense, popularized by San Francisco 49ers head coach Bill Walsh, and other offensive schemes that rely on short, timed passes from formations that use multiple receivers (though it should not be forgotten that the Chicago Bears won the NFC Championship for 1985 with their famed "46" right in the middle of Walsh's tenure with the 49ers). A major weakness of the "46" is that too many defensive players line up near the line of scrimmage to blitz, leaving areas wide open for receivers to catch passes. Also, the short, timed passes are thrown before the players blitzing have a chance to reach the quarterback. Another problem is that most teams do not have enough impact players to run the "46" as effectively as the 1980s Bears did. Those teams fielded some of the best front-seven defenses in the history of football, including such players as Mike Singletary, Richard Dent, Dan Hampton, and Wilber Marshall.

In Super Bowl XX, the Bears coincidentally scored 46 points in their victory against the New England Patriots.

The ideas of the "46" defense are more often used in today's game by bringing a fourth defensive back (usually the strong safety) up closer to the line of scrimmage (an eighth man in "the box" to help stop the run). This is done without the radical shift in formation seen in the "46" defense. Defenses today may also run safety blitzes and corner blitzes at crucial moments without committing wholly to the "46" defense."

Many sportswriters think this Super Bowl will come down to one marquis matchup:  how Arizona's potent offense fares against Pittsburgh's historically formidable defense.  One of our members wants to focus on the reverse of that matchup.  Arizona has looked holding down NFC opponents Atlanta, Carolina, and Philly.  But can they do the same thing to Pittsburgh?

HOLES IN THE DESERT

Big Ben is accurate, crafty, and he is taking control of games when the pressure is on.Defense wins championships, and the story of this postseason has been the emergence of a sound defense in Arizona.  What happened?  All of a sudden, Adrian Wilson, Dominique R-C, Antrelle Rolle, Gerald Hayes, Darnell Dockett ... all of these guys are playing like Pro Bowlers.  First they took down the Falcons, then they picked off Jake Delhomme several times, rendering him speechless.  Last week they sent Philly packing.  Maybe they can shock the Steelers.

Only, if you take a quick glance at the numbers, Arizona's defensive unit may not be as dominant as we believe them to be.  They allowed Donovan McNabb to throw for 375 yards and 3 TD's.  They surrendered 97 yards on the ground in only 18 attempts.  (That's more than 5 yards per carry.)  In McNabb's 47 pass attempts, the Cardinals only sacked him twice.

Nearly 400 yards is a lot to give up, especially to a group consisting of Jason Avant, DeShaun Jackson, and tight end Brent Celek.  What is going to happen when those names change to Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, and Heath Miller?  What happens when the playaction fake takes on real meaning as part of a balanced Steeler attack?  

Perhaps most importantly, how will the Cardinals D look when they face an accurate QB?  There is rookie Matt Ryan, erratic Jake Delhomme, and inconsistent Donvan McNabb.  Good QB's who have the potential to miss the boat sometimes.  Battle-tested and gritty gamer Roethlisberger is a different story.  If the Cardinals aren't careful, Big Ben can take over this game.

The Arizona Cardinals have had great receivers for half a decade, but it took coach Ken Wisenhunt to mold the team into a true contender. The perennial doormat of the NFC West used to be a good source of fantasy points, and that was about all. They offered no defense, no line play on either side of the ball, and a rollover down the stretch attitude.

Not any more. This is a different version of the Cards, and Coach Ken is a big reason for it. In their two playoff games so far, it is evident that they are playing tough, physical football. They are filling gaps and making tackles on defense, and they are blocking well and finishing runs on offense. Although Larry Fitzgerald took over the stat sheet via imposing his will on the Panthers last weekend, James and Hightower earned over 130 yards rushing between the two of them. Perhaps Wisenhunt learned a valuable lesson in two late season blowout losses to New England and Minnesota: Good teams will find a way to exploit an offense’s lack of balance.

Some are comparing this Arizona group to the Super Bowl Colts of two seasons ago – a good passing offense and a speedy defense that got hot during the playoff stretch. Yet, I think this Cardinals defense is much better than that. They might be one of the real up-and-coming units in the league.

The Cardinals have long been talented. How many NFL draft specials included the commentary, “The Arizona Cardinals had a great draft – this could be their year” ? The difference is now they are playing disciplined, as a unit, with sound fundamental blocking and tackling. Antrel Rolle, Rood Hood, Adrian Wilson, and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie are growing into one of the league’s more solid secondaries. Darnell Dockett and Gerald Hayes lead a physical and versatile front seven.

Ken is galvanizing Arizona's young talent. A former Pittsburgh offensive coordinator, he seems to have brought smashmouth football to the desert. The O-line, which did not scare anyone going into the 2008 season, is keeping Kurt Warner’s uniform clean. Give Warner and Fitzgerald time, and we just witnessed what they can do.

Philly will be a challenging matchup for Arizona, to say the least. And if anyone can hold down Larry Fitzgerald, it may be a secondary that features Asante Samuel, Brian Dawkins, and Sheldon Brown. And surely Jim Johnson’s mass blitzes will at least give Kurt’s jersey a few grass and mud stains. The question is, will a muddy Warner look up from the dirt to see his team celebrating a touchdown … or rather, will he see the punt unit preparing for duty?

Even if the Eagles defeat them this weekend, everyone is now on notice. The Cardinals, led by Ken Wisenhunt, are a team on the rise.

Yesterday's postseason performance officially elevates him to the status of the NFL's best receiver.  He might not have the best forty time, but he flies past DB's in space. He might not look as good in tights ... or doing situps as other diva wideouts, but he has the best hands in the sport.  His work ethic has no room to improve.  He would never divide a locker room or step on another player in selfishness.

More tangibly, Larry tallied 1400 receiving yards this season for the 3rd time in 4 years.  And he made it 3 out of 4 years with double digit touchdowns.  The only thing missing from his young but burgeoning resume was playoff performance -- and now that accomplishment is in the books.