Super Bowl XL

This is it: Super Bowl Sunday! The old adage You win the turnover battle, you win the game, is especially true come playoff time. Looking back at last seasons game, we find that the Patriots won the turnover battle 4-1, largely because of three Donovan McNabb interceptions. The Pats won the game 24-21, though they failed to cover. The year before, the Patriots and Panthers were even in the turnover department, 1-1. New England won again, 32-29, but failed to cover. Before that the Bucs had a huge edge in turnovers and destroyed the Raiders as a dog, 48-21, and before that the Patriots were a 14-point dog but won the turnover battle 3-0 in upsetting the Rams, 20-17.

Overall, the turnover department is huge. So who has the edge this Sunday? The Steelers are +7 on the season in turnovers, and the Seahawks are +9. not much of a difference. In the payoffs, the Steelers won the turnovers battle +2 in their win at Cincinnati, and repeated that in a 34-17 rout at Denver in the AFC Championship game with a +4 edge in turnovers. However, they were minus-2 against the Colts, yet won the game 21-18. Seattle won the turnover battle in the NFC Championship rout of Carolina (+4), but were actually minus-2 against the Redskins, but still prevailed, 20-10.

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this weeks Super Bowl preparation has been the war of words. Seattle TE Jerramy Stevens made the cardinal sin of dissing the enemy this week, saying about RB Jerome Bettis, "It's a heartwarming story and all that, but it will be a sad day when he leaves without that Super Bowl trophy. Oops! Big mistake. Seattle coaches no doubt took him aside and told him to keep his trap shut. The last thing anyone should do before a big game is give verbal fodder to fire up the opposition.

Pittsburgh linebacker Joey Porter responded by saying that the Steelers will be so physical in the Super Bowl they will try to make Seattle quit playing. Them sounds like fightin words, pardner! Porter said, "We're going to try to tap out as many people as we can. We're going to try to send as many people to the sideline as we can." Someone is going to look like a hero on Sunday night, saying the opponent fired them up.

Rest assured, players and coaches seize on stuff like this. I recall five years ago when the Steelers were a double digit favorite in the AFC Championship game over the Patriots and made comments about how they already had their bags packed for the Super Bowl. After the Patriots' 24-17 upset win, the New England players all spoke about how they were incensed that the Steelers would talk like that.

Added Porter, "Tell him he's soft. He's a tight end and I've never, ever been afraid of a tight end. They better not make him block me on Sunday. I bet they're not going to make that coaching mistake. Wow! You dont usually hear trash talk like that the week of the Super Bowl.

Perhaps the most important thing to assess before this game is that the Seahawks have been outstanding at home the last few years, but mediocre on the road. Even this season they were 5-3 on the road, winning both playoff games at home. They have a significant edge at home partly because its a long road trip for opponents to Seattle, and also because of their 12th man -- their raucous fans. That home field caused more opponents to be called for false starts than at any other venue in the NFL this season. Thats also an edge the Seahawks wont be bringing to Detroit on Sunday. And theyll be facing a tough, Pittsburgh team that just dispatched Cincinnati, Indy and Denver all on the road! If Seattle wins this title, they will have to earn it without those edges. Good luck, as always...

Mortgages Clothing Yoga Mat Cool Online Stuff

Take Advantage Of All Inclusive Vacation Offers For A Great Time At A Great Price.

all inclusive vacation packages are great for getting the best price available for a dream vacation. all inclusive however needs to be understood and defined unless you end up at your travel destination and find out then what it doesn't cover.

Many all inclusive vacation packages are simply designed by a travel consolidator who has passed on bulk discount rates to you. A consolidator may book a block of rooms at a favorite vacation destination. They will then contact rental car companies and get a great rate on cars, then finally pre-reserve air tickets to that destination. Because the consolidator has booked in blocks, the overall cost per person is much lower and they pass much of this savings through to the vacationing traveler.

Now this isn't however, in the true sense of the word, an "all inclusive" vacation package. This is why it's important to understand what all inclusive means to the travel group or agent who you are working with.

One of the most popular all inclusive vacation packages is actually the cruise ship industry. Here's they break things into 4 distinct categories.

1. AIRFARE: Your airfare to get to the ship. This can be purchased from the cruise ship company though it's sometimes possible to get lower fares. The trade off here is that with cruise ship airfare, the cruise line takes responsibility for your trip from the very start.

2: ONBOARD Or being on the cruise ship. accommodations as in a cabin or stateroom are a given. But they also include all meals, snacks, and most basic drinks other than alcoholic beverages. Onboard entertainment is also included.

3. GRATUITIES and EXTRAS We're talking about tipping the personnel onboard the ship. This is your responsibility. Though technically optional, it's considered good manners to tip at least according to the recommendations easily obtained from the cruise ship company.

4. OFF SHIP EXCURSIONS: Anything you're interested to do while visiting other places off the ship is your responsibility. It's also not mandatory and there's lots of things to do and see for free.

Many resorts have also been designed around true "all inclusive" offers. some very high end resorts have taken this to an extreme by removing money from much of the resort. Guests use special resort tokens, or simply a card to make it a more enjoyable vacation.

At some of the more popular tourist destinations like Disney world in Florida, it's possible to get package deals that also include deep discounts on admission to the various parks in the area.

An all inclusive vacation can be a great way to save big money on a popular destination getaway. Simply understand what is and is NOT provided and plan accordingly. Have a great time and save money while enjoying your all inclusive vacation package!

Abigail Franks writes on a variety of subjects which include family, Travel, and Home. For more information on your next vacation visit http://www.4-carrentals.info/san-diego-vacation.html or http://www.4-carrentals.info

Midwest Yoga And Meditation Institute