Recently in Never Stepped On Category

Right on schedule. For this edition, J. Couch and I break down the divisions into separate nuggets of streaming files. This way, you don't have to sit through a 50-minute podcast. Even if said podcast culminates with a perfect Super Bowl matchup, as ours did in 2009. We'll do the AFC on Tuesday, the NFC on Wednesday, roll out big predictions and playoff trees Thursday.


Today, a thorough examination of the NFC which stands for "Notably Finer Cities." There's Kansas City, Cincinnati, Jacksonville, Cleveland; then there's Seattle, New York City, Chicago, Atlanta. I'd much rather live in San Francisco than Oakland. The AFC boasts the two best quarterbacks, the best defenses and the overall better football culture, but its best teams stem from Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, and Foxborough. All this without making a Cleveland or Buffalo joke about ugly women.

Good thing football is big enough for the relative disparity in resources and population to mean little. Any other sport, the Packers moved to Orlando decades ago. But I digress, enjoy our considerately arranged podcasts.

NFC West

NFC South

NFC North

NFC East

Right on schedule. For this edition, J. Couch and I break down the divisions into separate nuggets of streaming files. This way, you don't have to sit through a 50-minute podcast. Even if said podcast culminates with a perfect Super Bowl matchup, as ours did in 2009. We'll do the AFC on Tuesday, the NFC on Wednesday, roll out big predictions and playoff trees Thursday.


One in three American televisions tuned into the NFC Championship; Brett Favre against America's Sweethearts in January and the Greek tragedy that unfolded. There are likely several million stories of drunk goons stumbling home and elated fans falling in love and the dying wishes of elders being fulfilled. A watershed game in the only sport that suffocates our attention span. A galvanizing moment.

I was just happy to see Brad Childress lose. Some friends were watching down the street and two of the bigger personalities put $50 on the game and the broadcast yielded to an enormous pissing contests between rivaling, would-be alpha males. One guy chanted "who dat" to no end. Words were exchanged. He was left at a Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Around here, there's no better sport to follow. A perfectly-structured league that offers cyclical hope to every participant and its sympathizers, that culminates with satisfying and empirical endings. A game devoid of major controversies polluting the results we see with doubt; we can talk ourselves into reasonably believing as much at least. A game built for gambling. A game for the weekends. A game for the brown leaves, for the blizzards. A game for once-in-a-lifetime celebrations. A game for picking up where we left off: Saints-Vikings, Cowboys on the cusp, San Diego hoping to not choke away another home playoff game, Carolina finishing strong and for their lameduck coach. A game for new beginnings: estranged protege Aaron Rodgers facing the mentor, Detroit in capable hands, Mike Martz draining the genius part from his crazy genius moniker.

Onward to predictions!

AFC West

AFC South

AFC North

AFC East

Graphic by Ramon Ramirez for ATG.

No matter how densely scheduled SXSW becomes, I have to sneak away for several crucial chunks to check brackets. I'm guessing whatever your career path, this week meets a similar urgency for monitoring scores.

Given season, had to ring up ESPN's Jerod Couch for an edition of Never Stepped On. Fresh off his perfect preseason Super Bowl prediction, Couch is hot but  over-hyping Baylor. His three-Big XII-schools-in-the-Final Four outlook was troubling so Duke Law ace and hoops guru, TJ Finley, brought balance to our front court and podcast.

Enjoy the tourney.


Part I - Opening Rounds


Part II - Sweet 16

A pair of incredible conference championships made our Sunday and set up a dream Super Bowl sure to guarantee lots of points. This is, however, more of an opportunity to self-congratulate as ATG's own J. Couch called the Colts and Saints grand finale back in August.


GET ENLIGHTENED

As promised, it's time for bold predictions made with swagger, cojones, and not the slightest tinge of fear.

Our resident, makes-"Baseball Tonight"-promos-working-for-ESPN-up-in-Bristol, namedrop-worthy ace, J. Couch, goes in. I, too, go in. You won't guess our Super Bowl picks.


LISTEN.

ATG's own J. Couch goes in.

It's been a minute folks, we apologize. The homie Couch has been busy making moves up and down the East Coast. Politics.

This morning, dude checks in with the beautiful and talented Quota to recap an extraordinary weekend of sports including Michael Vick's tax problems, Usain Bolt's turbo mode, and the AL Wild Card race.

Special congrats are in order, as it's late August and Couch's Rangers continue to flirt with the postseason. Stay tuned.

A critical, focused take on last night's timely BET Awards.

You can listen to the two-part transmission in its entirety here, more AP images from the ceremony after the jump.

 

ATG Radio and J-Couch discuss the 50 Cent and Rick Ross beef. OFFICER RICKY!!!

Never Stepped On is joined by E'van Hickmon and Jeremy Drummond this week.

Considering all our staff is from, or has lived in, the Lone Star State, we couldn't ignore the biggest sports story to come outta Texas since Tracy McGrady sabotaged the Houston Rockets:

All-world athlete and future Hall of Famer, Terrell Owens, was cut from America's Team on Wednesday. As lifelong, cry-when-they-lose-to-the-fucking-Eagles-with-the-playoffs-on-the-line fan, I'm livid.

Mr. Couch? Not so much.

Needless to say, I had to call in to his Connecticut-based studio, and relay the pain and anger of Texans everywhere. Except, of course, Houston Texans, who are presently preoccupied sucking balls.