Congratulations Sam Bradford, again

* Sam Bradford is the Associated Press NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. He received 44 of 50 votes. Bradford threw for 3,512 yards and 18 touchdown passes in 2010 and set rookie records for attempts, completions and consecutive completions without an interception. He completed 60% of his passes. Bradford won the offensive rookie of the month award twice in leading a 1-15 Rams team to 7-9 and to the brink of a playoff spot.

* Tonight's Hall of Fame class is going to be smaller than I thought. I've been picking seven to get in and the limit is apparently five. Most years the induction committee doesn't have that hard of a job, but this year's awfully tough. My final five:
- Marshall Faulk, and, cough, Deion Sanders, should still be automatics. Faulk's the best all-purpose RB of all time. Even if you're creating an all-time team that starts Walter Payton or Emmitt Smith, you're bringing Marshall in on 3rd down. Deion's the best cover corner of all-time and one of the all-time great playmakers at his position.
- I'd call Curtis Martin the next no-brainer. The #4 rusher of all-time has not just the numbers and the consistency, but also the class of a deserving first-time Hall of Famer. I'm now leaving Jerome Bettis off my ballot, because Martin's numbers are better. If you want to place extra value on Bettis having a Super Bowl ring, that's your prerogative. But limited to five people, I'm only taking two RBs and Bettis can wait till next year.
- Cris Carter and the receiver positions in general are overdue. His numbers are prodigious, and the "all he does is score touchdowns" moniker is one he can wear as a badge of pride as one of the NFL's great clutch players.
- NFL Films founder Ed Sabol will be close to 95 years old when the next class is inducted. NFL Films has always been one of the qualities that makes football better than any other sport. It's an important contributor not just to football history but to broadcasting history. With all due respect to Shannon Sharpe, Richard Dent, Dermontti Dawson and Willie Roaf, who all deserve to be in, Sabol should get the last spot. Don't make the mistake baseball made with Buck O'Neil or that football has already made with Don Coryell. Get your pioneering figures in while they're still alive to enjoy the honor.

* Super Bowl prediction: Pittsburgh 24, Green Bay 20. I see a lot of problems for the Steelers but still can't see past them winning. Green Bay's secondary matches up better against Pittsburgh's receivers than vice versa. Same for Packer defensive line vs. Steeler offensive line. And though I hate to pick on a guy who was a Ram for a couple of weeks in August, Shane Suisham + Dallas != clutch kicking. If I need a long FG to win the Super Bowl I would MUCH rather have Mason Crosby kicking it.

Still, the Steelers have had two weeks to scheme for Clay Matthews; I think their coaching staff is smart enough to figure out schemes to reduce his impact. And the way the Steelers ran on the Jets two weeks ago, they can run on anybody. The ability to run gives them balance the Packers won't have. Also, this game more than often goes to the team with the best rushing yards per game and per carry. Pittsburgh leads both of those categories; I think Green Bay was somewhere around 30th in the league. (If I weren't on dialup I'd look it up.) I also think Ben Roethlisberger will run out of trouble a couple of times that Aaron Rodgers can't, enough to make the difference. Pittsburgh's been to 7 Super Bowls and won 6, a history impossible to ignore, and yes, I know the Packers are 3 for 4.

Feel free to bet the house on the Packers now that I've posted this.

-$-