ICC Cricket World Cup 2011: Team India Profile

HUNDRED OF millions Indian Cricket fans are praying for the team India to hold World Cup Cricket trophy after a long span of 28 years. India won last world cup tournament in 1983 under the captaincy of Kapil Dev. However, India reached the final of 2003 World Cup in South Africa.
The young Indian team is playing good cricket since last few years under the captaincy of MS Dhoni and coach Gary Kirsten. Sachin Tendulkar, who is the only cricketer who has scored double hundred in ODIs, is playing his record sixth World Cup tournament.  
Out of fifteen members Indian squad for the ICC World Cup Cricket 2011, eight are playing their first World Cup. Ten members of Indian team are still under 30 and five are even not of 25 years. Here is the profile of Indian squad for the ICC World Cup Cricket 2011:

LG Mobile partners with ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

LG Mobile today announced ‘LG Mobile Army’, its marketing campaign associated with the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. Backed by an investment of US$ 9 million (40 crores), the campaign will recruit 2,500 cadets, involve 5 lakh participants, 800 man days of activation and the distribution of 15 lakh units of exclusive cricket merchandise worth US$ 14 million (64 crores), informed the company.

“The LG Mobile Army is an unprecedented initiative undertaken by the ICC and LG Electronics. The LG Mobile Army campaign intends to build on all the cricketing action and excitement during the World Cup. We are positive that this initiative will become an effective way to enter the spirit of local communities and bring alive the soul of sports,” commented Vishal Chopra, business head, mobile communications, LG India Electronics India.

The company informed that, for all the 49 matches, the mobile army squad will select 50 fans who will cheer for cricket live at the stadiums. Led by the cricketing genius Dinesh Karthik, and the brand ambassadors – Genelia D’Souza, John Abraham and Abhay Deol, this ‘mobile army’ will be selected through auditions in which the cricket fan has to showcase his/her love for the game through a ‘cricket celebration dance’, slogans/chants and for the LG Smartphone buyers there is a special wild card entry.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Opening Ceremony

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Opening Ceremony will take place at Dhaka, Bangladesh on Thursday, February 17th 2011 and the opening cricket match will also be held on Saturday, February 19th 2011 between India vs Bangladesh.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 (ICC CWC 2011) of Central Organizing Committee (COC) declared the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 opening ceremony place and date.

2011 Cricket World Cup Opening Ceremony in Bangladesh and Countdown to ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

2011 Cricket World Cup Opening Ceremony in Bangladesh

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Opening Ceremony Live Telecast on Thursday, February 17th 2011.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Opening Ceremony Tickets Prices.

2011 Cricket World Cup Opening Ceremony

The next big thing for cricket lovers is the 2011 world cup. Easily counted amongst the most happening sports extravaganzas of all times the cricket world cup occurs once in every four years.

The 2011 cricket world cup is scheduled to begin on the 19th of February. The 2011 cricket world cup is co hosted by three countries namely India Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

The much awaited sports carnival will began with much jubilation with a grand opening ceremony. The opening ceremony will be held on the 17th of February, just two days before the start of the first match of the 2011 cricket world cup.

The venue for the ceremony is the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka. The events scheduled to take place in the opening ceremony are yet to be disclosed.

This is the tenth cricket world cup and it is for the first time that the opening ceremony will be held in Bangladesh. Since all three nations share almost the same kind of sentiments for the game of cricket the 2011 world cup is a moment of pride for all the three nations.

Since the opening and closing ceremonies of such events generally happen on a very large scale it is expected that the tourism of Bangladesh will receive a boost and this will in turn help to improve the economy of the country. Since it is Bangladesh that will lift the curtains of the 2011 world cup all eyes are fixed on the country.

People and specially cricket enthusiasts all across the globe have a lot of expectations from the country and hope that they make the event worth remembering.

Cricket World Cup 2011: Matt Prior out to make one-day job his own

There is a vitality about Matt Prior that suggests Duracell has dumped its bunny and is using him to advertise its long-life batteries. He was reinstalled in the England changing room yesterday and energy levels that might have dipped in Tasmania's quiet beauty moved upwards.

The man who could have put his boots up after a gruelling and personally satisfying Ashes series opted, instead, to play for Victoria's Bushrangers in the Twenty20 Big Bash.

Now he is back, in place of the dropped Steven Davies, to play in England's remaining six ODIs against Australia and, beyond that, the World Cup, which will begin in February and drag its feet into April, like a house guest who will not go away.

This is Prior's fourth incarnation as England's one-day wicketkeeper-batsman and this time, like his mentor Alec Stewart, he intends to take out a long lease on the role. "I am delighted to be here," he said. "I said from the minute I was dropped that I wanted to get back, that I would go back to Sussex and work on my game, hopefully improve my game, and come back a better player. Thankfully I have that opportunity to show where I have improved and hopefully I can make that place my own."

There was a time when a wicketkeeper knew his place. And it wasn't only behind the stumps. He was the dogsbody of the team who did most of the fielding and hardly got a bat at the end. Now, it seems, every wicketkeeper is the exception.

He is expected not only to bat, but to bat well and often aggressively. He must also be the side's cheerleader and primary energy source.

The England coach, Andy Flower, made it clear this week that Prior was being brought back not only because he would be a physically stronger batsman on the flat tracks of the subcontinent but also because "he suits the high-energy fielding game that the team have developed over the last couple of years".

Prior, who last played one-day cricket for England almost a year ago, said: "Hopefully the batting will look after itself. But from a fielding point of view, certainly from the Test matches, I have taken it on myself to almost manage the fielding unit, and I know it's my role to manage the intensity and energy levels.

"Fielding is something this squad takes a lot of pride in and the standards we set ourselves are something we take a lot of pride in as well.

"I think the keeper's role in this day and age is to make sure you manage and make sure you are the person that makes sure those standards stay where they need to be. It's a role in the Test matches I enjoy and it's what I will continue doing in one-day cricket."

Most of all, though, this England one-day side needs a high energy level at the top of the order. Prior was once considered too orthodox a batsman to meet the innovatory demands of the shorter game. But there is no doubting his clean striking ability. "I don't think I have to change my game hugely from how I play in Test cricket. Obviously there will be times when I need to take more risks."

He has fond memories of his brief adventure with Victoria's Bushrangers. "I was quite nervous as the overseas player, especially an Englishman going into the opposition dressing room. But they couldn't do enough for me.

"It was awesome to work with a different coach as well, with different ideas on the game, and different senior players. I sat down and had a couple of beers with Peter Siddle, so that was great. He has ended up being a really good bloke as well, so that was good.

"It was an eye-opener going into a different dressing room, certainly an Australian dressing room, and seeing their attitudes on cricket and different situations. That's why I was so keen to get involved. I want to keep learning, I want to keep getting better and that's one of the ways of doing it."

The despondent Davies, meanwhile, is plotting his own return to the side. "Naturally I'm very disappointed to miss out on selection for the World Cup, and it's been a tough couple of days, but all I can do is accept the decision the selectors have made and continue to work hard to get back into the England side.

"I'm aware that there are areas of my game I need to work on and intend to spend the next few months doing just that and prove to the selectors that I have the ability to perform at the highest level in international cricket." If Prior has his way, the Surrey keeper is in for a long wait.

Cricket World Cup 2011 squads in full

The 14 teams to contest the World Cup are obliged to name their 15-man squads no later than Wednesday 19 January ahead of next month's tournament in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Bangladesh host India in the opening group game at Sher-e-Bangla Stadium, Dhaka on 19 February.

Australia

Batsmen: Ponting (capt), Clarke, D Hussey, M Hussey, White. All-rounders: Hastings, Smith, Watson. Wicketkeepers: Haddin, Paine. Bowlers: Bollinger, Hauritz, Johnson, Lee, Tait.

Bangladesh

Batsmen: Imrul Kayes, Junaid Siddique, Mohammad Ashraful, Shahriar Nafees, Tamim Iqbal, Raqibul Hasan. All-rounders: Mahmudullah, Naeem Islam, Shakib Al Hasan (capt). Wicketkeeper: Mushfiqur Rahim. Bowlers: Nazmul Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Suhrawadi Shuvo, Abdur Razzak.

Canada

Preliminary squad: Ashish Bagai (capt), Ahmad, Aulakh, Akshay Bagai, Baidwan, Bastiampillai, Bhatti, Broadhurst, Cheema, Chohan, Davison, Desai, J Gordon, T Gordon, Gunasekera, Hansra, Jyoti, Kumar, Limbada, Osinde, Patel, Pervez, Rao, Manrick Singh, J Siddiqui, Z Siddiqui, Surkari, Tariq, Whatham, Zaheer.

England

Batsmen: Strauss (capt), Bell, Morgan, Pietersen, Trott. All-rounders: Bresnan, Collingwood, Wright, Yardy. Wicketkeeper: Prior. Bowlers: Anderson, Broad, Shahzad, Swann, Tredwell.

India

Batsmen: Gambhir, Kohli, Raina, Sehwag, Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh. All-rounders: Y Pathan. Wicketkeeper: Dhoni (capt). Bowlers: Ashwin, Chawla, Harbajhan Singh, Kumar, Nehra, M Patel, Khan.

Ireland

Batsmen: E Joyce, Porterfield (capt). All-rounders: Botha, Cusack, Johnston, Jones, K O'Brien, Van der Merwe, White. Wicketkeepers: N O'Brien, Wilson. Bowlers: Dockrell, J Mooney, Stirling, Rankin.

Kenya

Batsmen: Mishra, Obanda, R Patel, Tikolo, Waters. All-rounders: C Oboya, Kamande (capt), Odoyo. Wicketkeepers: D Oboya, Ouma. Bowlers: J Ngoche, S Ngoche, Odhiambo, Ongondo, E Otieno.

Holland

Batsmen: Cooper, De Grooth, Kervezee, Swarczynski, Zuiderent. All-rounders: Borren (capt), Bukhari, Ten Doeschate. Wicketkeepers: Baressi, Buurman. Bowlers: Kruger, Loots, Raja, Seelaar, Westdijk.

New Zealand

Batsmen: Guptill, How, Ryder, Taylor, Williamson. All-rounders: Franklin, N McCullum, Oram, Styris, Vettori (capt), Woodcock. Wicketkeeper: B McCullum. Bowlers: Bennett, Mills, Southee.

Pakistan

Batsmen: Ahmed Shehzad, Asad Shafiq, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Umar Akmal, Younis Khan. All-rounders: Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi. Wicketkeeper: Kamran Akmal. Bowlers: Abdur Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz.

South Africa

Batsmen: Amla, Duminy, Du Plessis, Ingram, Smith (capt). All-rounders: Kallis, R Peterson. Wicketkeepers: De Villiers, Van Wyk. Bowlers: Botha, M Morkel, Parnell, Steyn, Tahir, Tsotsobe.

Sri Lanka

Batsmen: Dilshan, M Jayawardene, Kapugedera, Samaraweera, C Silva, Tharanga. All-rounders: Mathews, T Perera. Wicketkeeper: Sangakkara (capt). Bowlers: Fernando, Herath, Kulasekara, Malinga, A Mendis, Muralitharan.

West Indies

Batsmen: Barath, DM Bravo, Chanderpaul, Gayle, Sarwan, DS Smith. All-rounders: DJ Bravo, Pollard. Wicketkeeper: Baugh. Bowlers: Benn, Miller, Rampaul, Roach, Russell, Sammy (capt).

Zimbabwe

Batsmen: Coventry, C Ervine, Taylor, Williams. All-rounders: Chigumbura (capt), S Ervine, Lamb. Wicketkeepers: Chakabva, Taibu. Bowlers: Cremer, S Masakadza, Mpofu, Price, Rainsford, Utseya.

ICC Cricket World Cup - 2011 Music Concert

The ‘ICC Cricket World Cup - 2011 Music Concert’ held at Galle Face Green drew crowds of over 200,000 people as the first 15 squad and a host of popular local and international artistes ramped the stage. B n S, Iraj, Chula, Chilli, Lahiru, Rookantha and Chandralekha and the Channa and Upuli ensemble were some of the artistes who performed to make the evening a memorable one.

ICC World Cup 2011: Australia name Michael Hussey in final squad

ICC World Cup 2011: Australia name Michael Hussey in final squad

Mr. Cricket Michael Hussey has been picked in the final 15-member Australian World Cup squad even after suffering a hamstring injury in the first One Day International against England on Sunday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

According to the physiotherapist of the Australian team, Alex Kountouris, the player has suffered a hamstring injury. Talking about Hussey, he said, “Scans have confirmed that Mike Hussey sustained a significant left hamstring injury during the first ODI against England at the MCG. The course of management for this injury will be determined in the next 24 hours.”

Cricket Australia would be hoping for an early recovery of the lower middle order batsman. Before the announcement of the World Cup squad, there were rumours that Hussey may not be named in the World Cup squad due to his injury. However, Australia’s cricket governing body has decided to stick with the experience of Hussey and hopes that he manages to return to full fitness by the time the World Cup begins on 19 February, 2011.

Hussey, who has not been in the greatest of forms, was seen struggling to find good touch with the bat during the later half of the 2010-11 Ashes series. He still seemed out of touch as he scored just 21 runs in the first ODI at the MCG on Sunday.

Cricket Australia also decided to retain Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke in the squad. Ponting is currently nursing a broken finger, an injury that he sustained in the third Ashes match at the Western Australian Cricket Association Ground, Perth. Clarke, on the other hand, is also struggling with his form and has not been able to score big runs throughout the 2010-11 season.

The players to miss 2011 World Cup include the experienced batsman Brad Hodge and young spinner Xavier Doherty. Doherty was fancied by many to make it to the World Cup and his exclusion might be a shock for the likes of former veteran spinner Shane Warne, who had supported the prospects of Doherty in the Australian cricket outfit.

The chairman National Selection Panel, Andrew Hilditch supported the selection of the team and hoped that the national squad would retain its World Cup title. “The NSP has selected a squad we believe is capable of winning a fourth successive ICC Cricket World Cup in sub-continental conditions. As the world's number one ranked one-day team and as the holders of both the ICC Cricket World Cup and the ICC Champions Trophy, Australia has been planning for this tournament for some time and we feel this side is well balanced,” he reiterated.

The NSP chairman further justifying the selection said, “One of the major decisions to be made in this squad was ensuring the balance was right in the squad to provide the best cover for all positions in the event of injury, illness or form issues that may arise.”

Australia’s 15-member squad for the World Cup: Ricky Ponting (captain), Michael Clarke (vice captain), Doug Bollinger, Brad Haddin (wicketkeeper), John Hastings, Nathan Hauritz, David Hussey, Mike Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Tim Paine (wicketkeeper), Steve Smith, Shaun Tait, Shane Watson, Cameron White.

Luke Woodcock in New Zealand World Cup squad

New Zealand have named uncapped allrounder Luke Woodcock in their 15-man squad for the World Cup that begins in the subcontinent on February 19. Jacob Oram, who has been battling to recover from surgery in time for the tournament, has also been included in the mix.

Woodcock, 28, made his international debut in the recent Twenty20 series against Pakistan and was rewarded for his good form for Wellington in New Zealand's domestic one-day tournament, where he is averaging 26.00 with the bat and 20.00 with his left-arm spin. He was the one unfamiliar name in a squad that included six players who competed in the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies.

Mark Greatbatch, New Zealand's head selector, backed Woodock's temperament and floated the possibility of playing three spinners - Woodcock, Daniel Vettori and Nathan McCullum.

"Luke Woodcock has worked hard for his chance after forging an impressive record with Wellington over a number of years," Greatbatch said. "He has a good head on his shoulders and his selection provides the option of playing three spinners, which could be useful in the subcontinent."

Oram has been ravaged by injury throughout his career and after a recurrence of a patella-tendon problem during the tri-series in Sri Lanka in August 2010, he opted for surgery with the sole aim of being fit for the World Cup. His big hitting and nagging medium pace made his an ever-present when fit in the New Zealand team and his inclusion was a boost ahead the World Cup.

Hamish Bennett, the 23-year-old fast bowler, was also returning from injury, having picked up a groin strain during his debut Test in India last November. He impressed by bowling around 140kph and adds pace to an attack packed with steady bowlers.

Greatbatch was relieved to have both Oram and Bennett available and felt the squad can continue New Zealand's good record in World Cups. They made the semi-finals in two of the last three tournaments.

"It's great to see the bowling attack bolstered by the return of Jacob Oram and Hamish Bennett, who have both been sidelined with injury," he said. "Jacob has been a key performer over a number of years and his experience will be invaluable at the World Cup. Hamish made a good start to his one-day career and deserves the opportunity now that he is fully fit.

"We have kept faith with the bulk of the team which played the five-match ODI series in India and believe that, despite recent one-day form, the squad is very capable and owe it to themselves and the New Zealand fans to put in a huge performance at the World Cup."

New Zealand are presently playing Pakistan at home and will play six ODIs at the conclusion of the ongoing Test series. Their coaching staff was bolstered by the arrival of Allan Donald, the former South African fast-bowler, as bowling coach.

Squad: Daniel Vettori, Hamish Bennett, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Jamie How, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram, Jesse Ryder, Tim Southee, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson, Luke Woodcock.

The Pepsi World Cup Commercial

India captain Mahender Singh Dhoni is known as much for his changing hairstyles as for his batting exploits on the field. In the run-up to the ICC cricket World Cup 2011, starting next month, it’s the latter that cola company Pepsi Co has focused on for its latest commercial.

Dhoni’s knack of whacking the ball in a wild circular lob — known as the helicopter shot in cricketing circles — is the focus of Pepsi Co India’s latest commercial campaign, with the theme, ‘Change the Game’. “We wanted to focus on the unconventional side of a game that has changed dramatically over the past decade. It also reflects the irreverence of today’s youth and helps in setting the tone and tenor of the game,” remarks Agnello Dias, chairman and co-founder of TapRoot India, the creative agency behind the Pepsi World Cup television commercial campaigns.

In the 40-second TVC, which hit the screens yesterday, Dhoni is shown learning to play the ‘helicopter shot’ on a hay cutter in a village. After he perfects the technique with the help of a villager, he is shown unleashing the same shot in a one-day match against the England cricket team. “Dhoni’s mannerisms on the pitch are synonymous with the current transition in cricket,” adds Dias. Since Pepsi Co is among the official global sponsors of the World Cup, they have planned five commercials with other players, including Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag and Suresh Raina. “It will be a phased roll-out of the commercials,” says Dias.

Hastings in Australia's World Cup squad, Siddle dropped Read more: Hastings in Australia's World Cup squad, Siddle dropped

SYDNEY: Fast bowler Peter Siddle was excluded while inexperienced all-rounder John Hastings found a berth in Australia's 15-man World Cup squad that was announced on Tuesday.

Skipper Ricky Ponting and veteran Michael Hussey were named in the squad despite injuries. Ponting is recovering from a finger fracture while Hussey suffered a serious hamstring injury on Sunday. Hussey will have his rehabilitation programme determined in the next 24 hours but faces a race against the clock to be fit for Australia's World Cup defence.

Siddle and Tasmanian spinner Xavier Doherty were the hard luck stories on Tuesday morning.

Hastings, who has played two games for Australia, has been drafted in to provide all-round cover for Shane Watson.

National Selection Panel (NSP) chairman Andrew Hilditch said that Hasting's versatility edged him ahead of Siddle, Australia's most consistent bowler during the Ashes, and Doherty, the country's best performing slow bowler in domestic 50-over cricket in recent seasons.

"Victorian John Hastings has been selected as he adds variety to our bowling options. We feel his bowling is well suited to subcontinent conditions and his all-round skills with bat and ball add to the flexibility of the squad," said Hildtich.

Injury prone fast bowler Brett Lee also made the final cut after his impressive comeback to ODI cricket last Sunday and will lead Australia's pace attack on the subcontinent.

Shaun Tait will tour despite missing Australia's last match due to back stiffness, while left-arm pair Doug Bollinger and Mitchell Johnson were also picked despite wayward performances in Melbourne. Tim Paine has been named as wicketkeeper Brad Haddin's understudy while also providing support for the top order.

Hilditch said: "One of the major decisions to be made in this squad was ensuring the balance was right in the squad to provide the best cover for all positions in the event of injury, illness or form issues that may arise. It includes the experience of Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Brett Lee, and also some young talent like Steve Smith.

"Shaun Tait, Shane Watson, Mike Hussey, Mitchell Johnson and Brad Haddin were all also part of the victorious 2007 ICC cricket World Cup squad that went unbeaten in the Caribbean, so there is plenty of character in this group of Australian cricketers."

Hilditch said Hauritz is the preferred spin option and his one-day record in India is excellent.

"He will be an important part of our bid for this fourth World Cup. Doug Bollinger has also been a strong performer for us in one-day cricket in India in recent times and we expect him to have a big impact on the tournament. David Hussey has been selected on the back of years of excellent interstate performances in all forms of the game and we feel he will play a crucial role for us in sub-continental conditions and also has the ability to bowl important overs for Australia. Fellow Victorian Cameron White is very important to us in the middle order and he has the ability to dominate with bat.

"Tim Paine richly deserves his selection as he provides a second wicket-keeping option and is also an excellent option for any top order batting position," he said.

Squad:

Ricky Ponting (captain), Michael Clarke (vice-captain), Doug Bollinger, Brad Haddin, John Hastings, Nathan Hauritz, David Hussey, Mike Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Tim Paine, Steve Smith, Shaun Tait, Shane Watson, Cameron White.

Planning on Betting Cricket at the ICC Cricket World Cup?

Predictions for betting cricket at the world cup are plentiful, with only a month to go. The ICC Cricket World Cup will start on February the 19th, and fans betting cricket are getting geared up for the big day.

The event which lasts until April will see 14 national teams compete in a round robin style of tournament. The event will be co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Pakistan was to have hosted, however security issues as well as scandals involving betting cricket, have concerned the ICC executives. A $10.5 million loss is expected to hit the Pakistani economy, due to the loss of $75,000 per match as well losses to local business that would have greatly profited from the games.

Paul Collingwood, a popular English batsman, has put his skills for betting cricket to use and passed on the teams likely to be in the finals. UK cricket betting fans may agree with the 34 year old.

“On current form I’d hope to put England into a semi final, it would be hard to not put India in there with the strength in their batting and in home conditions – they’ll be tricky to play against,” Collingwood said in an interview.

“I always think Australia can’t be ruled out since they’ve had a good history in this tournament and finally I’d pick South Africa as the fourth semi-finalist. But you never know I may be well off the mark!” he added.

“It’s a huge motivation to do well against Australia in all formats of the game. We want to keep the momentum going from the Test series and we want to carry that into the ICC Cricket World Cup. We want to finish the ODI series in Australia filled with confidence and ready to take on anyone at the World Cup,” Collingwood said.

So how for now in the UK, cricket betting is right on track, and we look forward to a stunning finish.

The list of qualifying teams for the tournament of betting cricket, are:
Kenya
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Canada
West Indies
Bangladesh
India
Pakistan
Sri Lanka
Australia
New Zealand
England
Ireland
Netherlands

Ad Review: Pepsi seeks to ‘Change the Game’ for Cricket World Cup 2011

The ICC Cricket World Cup fever is back. Riding high on the cricket wave is Pepsi and now that it is also an official sponsor, the cola major celebrates the new unorthodox yet immensely popular face of modern cricket with a new campaign, titled ‘Change the Game’.

The campaign has been conceptualised by Taproot India, who has been appointed to handle the World Cup campaign for Pepsi. However, JWT India continues to be the creative partner for PepsiCo India.

Client: PepsiCo India
Brand: Pepsi
Agency: Taproot India
Medium: Television

The Brief:
It’s all about change and so is with the sport ‘Cricket’. According to PepsiCo India, their tagline – ‘Change the Game’ – is not a notion but a reality that is reflected in the way cricket is played, watched and enjoyed the world over and in India today. Through the metaphor of cricket, it salutes the Youngistaanis, who within themselves have found the power to defy tradition and pave their own way by not breaking the rules, but by changing them.

Explaining the objective, Deepika Warrier, Marketing Director, PepsiCo Beverages, India, said, “Pepsi has always been closely associated with youth platforms such as cricket; and ICC Cricket World Cup is the single biggest event that unifies millions of passionate Youngistaanis. Our ‘Change the Game’ campaign celebrates the same passion and the new age mantra of cricket, which is irreverent, unorthodox, fun, challenging and unmistakably Pepsi.”

She further said, “PepsiCo is one of the global sponsors of the ICC Cricket World Cup and we have created an innovative package for brand Pepsi to leverage this mega event. We are confident that the campaign thought of ‘Change the Game’ will appeal to the youth and inspire them to be the game changers in their own lives.”

Speaking on the thought process of the campaign, Agnello Dias, Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder, Taproot India, said, “Pepsi has always been the fearless voice of uninhibited youth; a belief that needed to be interpreted even as the official partner of the event. Only Pepsi could turn this official status on its head by standing up for the brave new, unorthodox face of the modern game. The unplugged, organic face of contemporary cricket is a reflective of everything that the youth of today live by. That it’s not the textbook that matters, but the result is at the end of the day, because the game can always change.”

The Execution:
Featuring some of the cricketing world’s biggest superstars, the campaign includes a series of ad films that will showcase out-of-the-box moves that are not text-book and yet help achieve the ultimate goal. Irreverent and youthful in spirit, these films promise to bring alive the passion Youngistaanis share for the game, both on and off the field. The first film as part of the campaign revolves around Indian team skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s famous game changing move – the Helicopter Shot.

The campaign is produced by Corcoise Films and directed by Prasoon Pandey.

The Final Product:
Supporting the on-air initiatives is the eye-catching off-air campaign with cricketers in a never-seen-before painted body look. The new body painted look is youthful, fresh and symbolic of the individual player’s passion for the game. Covered only with a layer of colourful body paint, the cricketers’ images reflect their energetic and unique persona on the field. Each design and choice of colour palette has a story behind it, which mirrors the athlete’s character.

The campaign is being launched across various mediums and channels to ensure complete 3D activation across all verticals. It will be supported by a 360-degree approach, including thematic ATL and outdoor, consumer engagement programmes, special edition packaging, in-stadia amplification and digital engagement programmes.

Xpert Comments:
So, how does the industry professional view the latest TVC? Nilesh Vaidya, Executive Creative Director, Euro RSCG India, commented, “A watchable film, but didn’t really surprise. In fact, the only thing that got me thinking was the sign-off. Will Coke do a ‘nothing official about it’ number now?”

Our Take:
It’s the Cricket World Cup and knowing how cricket-crazy Indians are, one can only expect a World Cup campaign being larger than life, especially when it comes to a cola major like Pepsi. However, though ‘Change the Game’ idea is fresh, somewhere the X-factor is missing. But here’s hoping that the overall 360 campaign has some good surprises in store.

ICC World Cup 2011 Promotion in Sri Lanka

The Cricket fever is on his way as the heat of Cricket World Cup getting round the world. The cricket fans are very excited to see the clash of top teams of World Cricket. It will be hard to give any prediction on the Champion team but this time it will be Asian teams who had a fair chance to hold the World Cup Trophy. The ICC has got such an exciting way of promoting this mega event of Cricket. A White ball is being taken around Sri Lanka to Promote the World Cup 2011. A huge number of cricket fans are come to see this huge white ball.

Ogilvy Mumbai Launches Campaign For ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

ICC has released one of cricket’s biggest communication campaigns across the sub-continent for Cricket World Cup 2011.

The ICC Cricket World Cup is the biggest and the most prestigious tournament in the game. To be held across India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the ICC CWC 2011 will witness 14 nations battle for cricket’s most coveted prize. Conceptualized by the ICC Marketing Team and Ogilvy Mumbai, the campaign for ICC CWC 2011 shall arguably be the biggest to promote any sporting tournament in the sub-continent.

Navin Talreja, Managing Partner, Ogilvy & Mather says, “About 1000 matches were played between the last ICC Cricket World Cup and this one. Many tournaments, many cups but a World Cup in any sport has been and will continue to be the pinnacle of achievement. The postioning line ‘The Cup That Counts’ serves as a reminder to all cricket fans of this very simple fact.”

With this in mind, a surround campaign involving not just TV, Print, Outdoor, PR but also last mile mediums such has Digital and Activation was created for India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Navin adds, “This time around we have moved away from the conventional amplification approach of the core idea across mediums. Instead the messaging strategy for different elements developed reflects different facets of “The Cup That Counts” from the point of view of the teams, players and of course the fans.”

The campaign kicked off worldwide on the 1st week of January with the launch TV commercial titled ‘Tightrope’. Abhijit Avasthi, National Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather says, “Every country, every player and every fan has only one wish – to win the race to the cup. But this is no ordinary race. Full of obstacles and surprises, to win this race, each player would need to literally walk on a tightrope. Keeping this in mind we decided to use a metaphor and depicted a tightrope race to the cup that counts”.

 

The ‘Tightrope’ commercial aptly captures the passion, celebration, competition and fun associated with the game of cricket like never seen before. Shot across the entire city of Jaipur over 5 days, the commercial ‘features’ captains from most of the playing nations and over 400 fans from various countries. Professional tightrope artists were flown in from USA and UK for the filming of this commercial.

This film has been shot by the Cannes Gold winning director Bob of Good Morning Films and the music has been composed by Dhruv Ghanekar. This launch campaign shall also be supported by print and outdoor, shot by international photographer Palani Chandramohan.

In addition, fans will also get to see another campaign featuring iconic players from the sub-continent. A series of 3 commercials starring Sachin Tendulkar, Muttiah Muralitharan and Shakib Ul Hasan respectively, this campaign plays upon a deep personal wish that these cricketing legends are fostering – to bring the cup home. These films have been directed by Piyush Raghani of Old School Films and shall go on air towards end January. This campaign too shall be supported by print and outdoor.

Additionally, cricket fans shall also enjoy the Official ICC CWC 2011 Event Theme Song titled ‘De Ghumaa Ke’ that has been released on radio channels across the country. Composed and sung by Shankar Ehsaan Loy, this song brings alive the fierce sense of competition and the desire to win. The same song shall also be adapted in local languages for Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. A music video featuring Shankar Ehsaan Loy and ICC CWC 2011′s Official Mascot ‘Stumpy’ is also in the works and shall be released by end of this month.

Further, ICC shall also unleash a slew of contests and below the line initiatives to help spread the CWC 2011 buzz. Across venue cities, Official Countdown Clocks shall be placed at airports and popular malls, uniquely designed ICC CWC 2011 branded vans shall give fans a chance to share their wishes, radio stations shall run contests to help fans win tickets and much more.

As a part of ICC’s CSR and youth outreach initiative, Ogilvy also rolled out a nation-wide school contact program alongwith UNAIDS. The program reached out to 8 cities, 70 schools and above 10,000 students who got a chance to learn about AIDS awareness and also participate in an Inter School Mini Cricket World Cup Tournament.

Credits:

Client: International Cricket Council, Dubai

Advertising Agency: Ogilvy & Mather Advertising, Mumbai

Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman & Creative Director

Abhijit Avasthi, National Creative Director

Rajiv Rao, National Creative Director

Navin Talreja, Managing Partner

Kunal Jeswani, President (OgilvyOne Worldwide)

Sukesh Kumar Nayak, Senior Creative Director

Heeral Ahkaury, Senior Creative Director

Hemal Jhaveri, Associate Creative Director

Vinit Sanghvi, Art Director

Dharam Valia, Vice President

Mudit Trivedi, Account Director

Rahul Bhambri, Account Supervisor

Sukhvinder Singh Wilkhoo, Senior Account Executive

Activation Agency: OgilvyAction, Mumbai

Digital Agency: OgilvyOne Worldwide, Mumbai

Media Agency: Maxus Global, Mumbai

Sri Lanka name 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup squad

Sri Lankan selectors have named their final 15-man squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. Sanath Jayasuriya, Chaminda Vaas and Suraj Randiv are the notable absentees.

Captain of Sri Lanka's 2007 World Cup side, Mahela Jayawardena, has been named as the vice-captain.

The squad is as follows:

Kumar Sangakkara (captain), Mahela Jayawardene (vice-captain), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Silva, Chamara Kapugedera, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath.

ESPN-STAR Sports unveils grand plans for ICC World Cup Cricket 2011

ESPN-STAR Sports (ESS) has unveiled its grand plans to make the 2011 World Cup presentation truly entertaining. The 2011 edition of the iconic tournament, starting on February 19, will see many first of its kind initiatives such as ‘Live’ match coverage by 3G mobile streaming in India.

With this new initiative, fans will enjoy an unrestricted access to the biggest cricket spectacle on Internet and mobile besides television.

Another first in the series is the Decision Review System (DRS), which will be introduced for the very first time for any International Cricket Council (ICC) tournament. First time ever production of the World Cup in the High Definition (HD) format will be another landmark in cricket presentation.

To give television audiences the most riveting experience, each and every match will be covered by 27 cameras including innovative features like movable slips cameras and new low 45 degree field cameras. The production will also have a mid-wicket camera position for live running between wickets.

The pre- and post-match shows will be hosted in ESS’ signature style by iconic former players and legends of the game, while live broadcast will feature as many as 30 commentators and studio experts from leading participating countries.

“There is nothing bigger in the world of cricket than the 2011 World Cup and an event as big as this, especially when it is held in the subcontinent, evokes passion and excitement like none other,” said ESPN-STAR Sports Managing Director Manu Sawhney.

“At ESPN-STAR Sports we are committed to bring alive this passion for the game to fans all across the globe in the most engaging manner. We are therefore launching many first of its kind initiatives during this edition including a special Hindi feed for select matches, HD production and Live match coverage through 3G mobile streaming,” he added.

BCCI to give students free tickets for World Cup

New Delhi: To ensure capacity crowd at the stadiums, the organising committee of the 2011 cricket World Cup has decided to distribute free tickets to school and college students.

Tournament director Ratnakar Shetty told reporters here Thursday that the organising committee is in talks with the sponsors and the host associations to work out how many tickets can be distributed among the students.

"We have decided to distribute free tickets among students. We have lots of sponsorship programmes through which we will be distributing the tickets. State associations will also have some quota for the students. We want the state associations to throw their gates open for the students," said Shetty.

Shetty, who is also the chief administrative officer of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said that free tickets will be given to draw crowds, specially for the non-India matches.

"The real challenge is to bring in people for non-India games and one of the suggestions is to bring in school and college children," he said.

Shetty said that ICC officials have visited Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata to inspect the stadia, which have been renovated.

"All the three stadiums in Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata have undergone massive renovation. We have made sure that the stadiums have better spectator services, media facilities and proper set-up for the broadcaster," he said.

Seahawks May Be Record Super Bowl Long Shot; Patriots Picked by Oddsmakers

The Seattle Seahawks may have the longest shot of any playoff team in National Football League history to win the Super Bowl, according to Las Vegas oddsmakers.

The NFL’s postseason begins this weekend with the New England Patriots 6-5 favorites to win their fourth league championship in 10 years. The Pittsburgh Steelers are the second choice among the 12 teams at 9-2, followed by the Atlanta Falcons at 5-1.

The Seahawks have 250-1 Super Bowl odds after becoming the first NFL team with a losing record (7-9) to qualify for the playoffs in a non-strike season. Jeff Sherman, the assistant manager at the Las Vegas Hilton’s Race and Sports Book, said he can’t remember a playoff team with longer odds in more than 20 years of setting betting lines.

“You get to this juncture and these teams are supposed to be competitive enough if they’re at home,” Sherman said in a telephone interview. “It says a lot to be getting double digits at home in a playoff situation.”

The Seahawks, champions of the National Football Conference West, are 10-point underdogs in their Jan. 8 postseason opener against New Orleans even though they’re at home and the Saints have never won a road playoff game.

Seattle lost to the defending Super Bowl champions 34-19 in New Orleans on Nov. 21. The Seahawks would have to beat the Saints and then win two more games on the road as underdogs to reach the NFL’s championship game, which is scheduled for Feb. 6 at Cowboys Stadium outside Dallas.

‘Historically Futile’

As a result, the Seahawks’ chances of winning the Super Bowl are longer now than at the beginning of the season, when they were 50-1. RJ Bell, president of Las Vegas-based handicapping information website Pregame.com, said the city’s sports books generally have been reluctant to offer high future odds for the NFL since the 1999 St. Louis Rams won the Super Bowl after having 200-1 odds at the start of the season.

“The fact that Vegas is now putting higher odds on a playoff team speaks volumes about how historically futile they consider Seattle’s chances,” Bell said in an e-mail.

The Kansas City Chiefs have the next-longest Super Bowl odds at 40-1, followed by the New York Jets at 25-1, according to Las Vegas Sports Consultants, which helps Nevada’s sports books establish betting lines.

Seattle has been overmatched in more than half its games, with all nine losses coming by at least 15 points. For the season, the Seahawks were outscored by almost 100 points and beat only two teams with winning records.

Winning Record

The only way the Seahawks can finish with a winning record is by taking the Super Bowl title.

“It doesn’t matter what’s happened before,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said yesterday at a news conference. “It matters what’s coming up next. We’re in and what matters now is, will we rise up again this week?”

Dan O’Brien, a senior oddsmaker at Las Vegas Sports Consultants, said he doubts that any NFL playoff team has had longer Super Bowl odds than the Seahawks.

“It’s tough to imagine,” O’Brien said. “You’d have to go back to a team having to beat the dominant (Chicago) Bears or dominant San Francisco) 49ers back in the 1980s. Even then you’re talking about only two layers (of playoffs), not that third game. That’s another multiplier as well.”

Best Record

The Patriots, who started the season as the No. 5 pick to win the Super Bowl at 9-1, are the favorites after rolling to an NFL-best 14-2 regular-season record.

They scored a league-leading 518 points, earned a bye during the first round of the playoffs and have the chance to play two postseason games at home, where quarterback Tom Brady has lost once since the start of the 2007 season.

The Jets have the third-longest odds because they would have to win three road games to reach the Super Bowl, starting with a Jan. 8 meeting with the Indianapolis Colts, the preseason favorites at 13-2. New York is about a 3-point underdog. A win would send the Jets to a second-round game in New England, where a 45-3 loss last month was their worst since 1986.

“If that game comes to fruition, a lot of people are going to say, ‘I’ve already seen this game,’” Sherman said. “And that’s not going to be a 3-point spread like this week.”

Jets coach Rex Ryan predicted a Super Bowl victory before the season and isn’t backing down, even if the odds are against his team.

“We’re going to give it a shot,” Ryan said during a news conference. “We believe we’re going to get it done.”

================================
TEAM                        ODDS
================================
New England Patriots         6-5
Pittsburgh Steelers          9-2
Atlanta Falcons              5-1
Philadelphia Eagles          8-1 Chicago Bears               10-1
New Orleans Saints          10-1
Baltimore Ravens            11-1
Green Bay Packers           12-1
Indianapolis Colts          14-1
New York Jets               25-1
Kansas City Chiefs          40-1
Seattle Seahawks           250-1
================================
Courtesy of Las Vegas Sports Consultants

2011 Super Bowl Odds: Patriots, Falcons Favored To Meet In Dallas

Online betting players woke up on Monday to find their updated Super Bowl odds, as the picture was finalized after Week 17 ended and now, the real fun begins next Saturday with the AFC wild-card round. Here is a look at the 12 teams looking to lift the Super Bowl trophy in Dallas on February 6th.
AFC

New England Patriots (+175): The Patriots have won eight in a row and have the probable MVP in Tom Brady, who powers the highest-scoring offense in the NFL. The defense is young, but makes plays when they need to, and we all know coach Bill Belichick is a defensive genius. Not to mention, they get a bye and will be at home, where they would love to avenge a loss to Baltimore from last year, and that is the only time since 2006 that Brady has lost at Gillette Stadium.

Pittsburgh Steelers (+600): The Steelers have won two of the last five Super Bowls, and they’re loaded with championship experience, and the defense is, well, a Pittsburgh defense (No.2 overall, No.1 in rushing by a mile). The offensive line has to protect Ben Roethlisberger better, but that’s not new. Troy Polamalu came back in the regular-season finale, and now has a week off to rest his injured Achilles.

Baltimore Ravens (+1400): The Ravens may have the Defensive Player of the Year in Ed Reed, who led the league in picks, but missed the first six weeks of the season. But overall, the Baltimore defense isn’t as fierce in the front seven as they used to be. Mainly, Baltimore’s NFL betting odds hinge on Joe Flacco, who has thrown one touchdown and six picks in five career playoff games. He has to be better if the Ravens are going to come out of the AFC.

Indianapolis Colts (+1600): Betting against a Peyton Manning team is one of the scariest things in the NFL, and this year is no different. The defense is sketchy and are missing one of the best players (Clint Session), the offensive line hasn’t been that great, and even though the ground game has improved in recent weeks, we’re still skeptical. Still…it’s Peyton Manning, and that means the Colts have a very good chance of getting to the AFC championship game, at least.

New York Jets (+2800): If you’re looking for a long shot bet, here you go. The Jets have been all over the map this year, and they haven’t really been dominant (six of their 10 wins have come by nine points or less), and there was the 45-3 debacle in New England, not to mention coach Rex Ryan’s off-field problems. But the Jets have all the talent to come out of the AFC, they just need quarterback Mark Sanchez to take care of the ball.

Kansas City Chiefs (+4000): The Chiefs are a great story, going from 4-12 to 10-6, and they’re hosting their first playoff game since 2003. But they looked out of sorts in their finale against Oakland, and that could be due to the impending exit of offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, who is going to the University of Florida. The running game is in good hands, but the big question mark is Matt Cassel, who has never thrown a pass in the playoffs. He has experience from being in New England, but he only got some mop-up time, back in 2005. Also, how will coach Todd Haley handle his first postseason trip?
NFC

Atlanta Falcons (+600): The Falcons are NFL betting monsters at the Georgia Dome, but they showed some nerves by losing to the Saints late in the season. Atlanta has played one playoff game since 2004, which they lost to Arizona in 2008, and now Matt Ryan is going to have a real chance to confirm his “Matty Ice” nickname. And do you trust the defense?

New Orleans Saints (+800): The defending champions showed they still may be the team to beat when the chips are down due to their win in Atlanta, and strangely, despite a worse record, they may be better than last year. The defense is stronger and more consistent, and even though Drew Brees hasn’t been spectacular, Brees at B+ is better than 95% of the league at A+.

Chicago Bears (+1000): When it comes to physical tools, there may not be any better quarterback in the league than Jay Cutler. But he makes some boneheaded throws, such as his last pick against Green Bay in the regular-season finale and it makes us wonder, can you really trust Jay Cutler in the playoffs right now? The Chicago defense may have to carry the team as we’re betting Cutler will throw at least two picks in his first playoff game….at least.

Green Bay Packers (+1200): The Packers are a better bet than the Bears, not only due to their win over them in Week 17, but we trust Aaron Rodgers far more than Cutler (concussions and all, although Cutler had some too), and Green Bay has a better secondary. Rodgers is really the key to Green Bay’s NFL betting chances here: he’s third in the league in passer rating.

Philadelphia Eagles (+1200): The Eagles are the most explosive team in the league, but we’re wondering how banged up Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson are after missing the final game of the regular season. Without these two, the Philadelphia offense is rather pedestrian. The defense lost their leader, linebacker Stewart Bradley, a couple of weeks ago as well. Healthy, the Eagles can play with any team, but they may have too many ailing players to even get past Green Bay in the first round.

Seattle Seahawks (+12500): The worst playoff team in the history of the league. Matt Hasselbeck will likely be back in the lineup after Charlie Whitehurst started the make-or-break game against St. Louis, but neither of those two inspire confidence. The defense is one of the worst in the league and have given up 30 points or more in eight of their 16 games. They also get the Saints in the first round, and we know the Seahawks are decent at home, but they’re not worth a dark horse wager in your sports betting book.

Was Super Bowl III greatest playoff upset?

Six Super Bowls top this list of the biggest postseason upsets in NFL history, including the top spot. But which game was it?

Was it Super Bowl XXXII, when Broncos QB John Elway finally won the big one? The Giants dealing the Bills the first of four losses in Super Bowl XXV? Lenny Dawson leading the Chiefs over the Vikings in Super Bowl IV? The birth of the Patriots dynasty in Super Bowl XXXVI?

This race seems to come down to two games — the Giants’ upset of the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, or the Jets over the Colts in Super Bowl III.

The Patriots were undefeated and expected to roll in that game, especially after dismissing the Giants in Week 17 of the 2007 season. But the Jets gave legitimacy to the American Football League and cemented the merger between the two leagues with their win. Tough call.

They counted down the list on “NFL Total Access” in the video above. After viewing that, be sure to weigh in with your own thoughts below.

Super Bowl XLV Patriots playoff primer

PFW examines the Patriots as they prepare for the playoffs, identifying the keys to the offense and the defense, a player to watch, and what they have to do to win the Super Bowl.

New England Patriots
14-2 / First place in AFC East

Keys to offense: The Patriots' offensive juggernaut succeeds when Tom Brady has time in the pocket to pick apart defenses with a short-to-intermediate passing game. Brady likes to get WRs Deion Branch and Wes Welker the ball in space and utilize his rookie tight ends, Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski. Both are threats up the seam and in the red zone, accounting for 16 touchdowns. The Patriots need to stay mistake-free. They turned the ball over the fewest times in NFL history (10), and Brady was sacked just 25 times. The breakout running game is good enough to keep defenses honest with the powerful BenJarvus Green-Ellis and shifty Danny Woodhead.

Keys to defense: The opportunistic defense is statistically the worst in Bill Belichick's tenure but leads the league in takeaways with 38. It's a bend-but-don't-break "D" that succeeds when it can force teams into 3rd-and-long situations. It has Pro Bowlers at each level, with NT Vince Wilfork and ILB Jerod Mayo stopping the run and rookie CB Devin McCourty, who has seven interceptions, manning the defensive backfield. The Patriots don't put a whole lot of pressure on quarterbacks, but they disguise their looks enough to confuse opponents into making mistakes.

Player to watch: To defeat New England, a team will have to score a lot of points. Teams likely will throw at CB Kyle Arrington, who has struggled at times. The Pats generally don't give up big plays, but teams will challenge Arrington down his sideline to avoid McCourty. If Arrington can keep receivers in check and make a big play or two, it will go a long way for the defense.

They'll win the Super Bowl if ... the defense continues creating turnovers. The offense will score points, but the defense has shown it will give up points. No one will beat New England if its defense takes the ball away at the rate it did the last eight regular-season games (24 takeaways).

Read More >> Super Bowl 2011  , Super Bowl XLV 

Brandt predicts the Falcons will reach Super Bowl XLV

Got to check in with two of my favorite folks around the league this week: the Godfather Gil Brandt and Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. I spoke with the Godfather about the importance of winning the No. 1 seed for the playoffs from a historical perspective. The Seahawks gave us Hasselbeck, who was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in sixth round of the 1998 draft out of Boston College, on the conference call. We’d asked for Lawyer Milloy.  (Usually, you get the defensive player and they don’t give you the quarterback.) The Godfather, who you can catch on NFL.Com and Sirius Radio these days, always give you more than you need. So I like to share his overflow with you all. “Go back into the 90s in the NFC,” Brandt said. “(Home-field) advantage was a huge, huge deal. It wasn’t quite as much in the AFC.” The NFC home-field advantage in the playoffs was six percent stronger in the 1990s. The home team won 74 percent of the time to 68 percent in the 2000s.

“I don’t think that the home team in most cases has as big of an advantage as they used to have because of the competitive balance in the league,” Brandt said. “It’s a lot closer than ever before. The other thing is that teams have the capabilities of making more big plays than we had 20 years ago or 15 years ago consequently, with that said, it gives the underdog a better chance. The team that comes to your city in the playoffs is the underdog.” The Falcons could wrap up the home-field in the NFC by winning out. The Saints had the home-field last season, but needed some late help from Brett Favre, to reach the Super Bowl. “In the case of the Atlanta Falcons, I think that the crowd is tremendous,” Brandt said. “I think that the quarterback plays really well at home. He plays good on the road, but he seems to play even better at home. I would say that in Atlanta’s case the home-field advantage is a huge, huge advantage.”

The Falcons are 19-3 at the Georgia Dome under Mike Smith. Ryan is 19-1 as a starter. THREE-GAME ROAD TRIP: Brandt noted that the Falcons are trying to win their third game in a row this week and how difficult that’s been. Since 2000, 35 teams have had a three-game road trip and only four teams have won all three. A win over Seattle and the Falcons can join the 2001 and 2005 Jacksonville Jaguars, 2005 Philadelphia Eagles and 2009 New York Giants as teams that have pulled off the feat.

Smith was on the 2005 Jacksonville staff. “It’s really tough to win all three,” Brandt said. “This is a huge game for them against Seattle.” FALCONS ARE SUPER BOWL BOUND: Brandt has been big on the Falcons all season. He predicted that Matt Ryan would win the MVP this season. Brandt helps out with the NFL draft each year and met Ryan and his family before the 2008 draft. On his radio show Brandt talks about how impressed he was with Ryan’s football acumen. “I still think that (the Falcons) right now are the best team in the NFC and I think they’ll have home-field advantage,” Brandt said. “I think they’ll be in Dallas in February.”

ON NEW ENGLAND’S SURGE: It’s pretty hard to ignore the surging New England Patriots. They dismantled the New York Jets and Sexy Rexy Ryan on Monday Night Football and then went to the Windy City and showed the Bears how to get it done in the snow.

“I think the competitive balance is so great,” Brandt said. “Every week we put up our rankings on NFL.com. I changed this week. For the last three, Atlanta was the No. 1 team. I put New England ahead of them this week simply because of what New England did on the road to Chicago. “I think that when you look at these teams, about eight of them are all pretty equal. New Orleans is a very, very good team. I think the Matt Hasselbeck was Brett Favre's understudy in Green Bay. (Associated Press) Matt Hasselbeck was Brett Favre's understudy in Green Bay. (Associated Press)

Giants are good. Philadelphia is good. I thought the Jets were good, but they seem to be going backwards.  We’ve got some really good teams. The scramble, the real scramble is going to be for those two wildcard spots, especially in the NFC. I think a team that has 10 wins in the NFC might not make it to the playoffs.”

HASSELBECK REFLECTS: I covered the Packers back when Hasselbeck was in the fold. I asked him to reflect on Favre’s 297-game streak. “It’s a great accomplishment,” Hasselbeck said. “I was talking to him on Monday before the game. He let me know, and I just said, ‘It was a great run, man. It was a great a career and congratulations. Who would have thought?’ “He almost did it in Atlanta. It was close. It was Chris Miller that kept him on the bench. Chris Miller and somebody else too. “He was so much fun to be around. I learned a lot from him. He’s a great storyteller. One of the best was when he wasn’t in the Atlanta Falcons team photo his rookie year and all of that. It’s good stuff.”

Read More >> Super Bowl 2011 , Super Bowl XLV , 2011 Super Bowl

Forward Progress: Which NFC Team Will Reach Super Bowl XLV?

After watching two of the NFC's best teams battle it out on Monday night football, it's time to start making sense of the NFC playoff picture. The Saints may have gotten the best of the Falcons this week, but it's clear that the two NFC South clubs are evenly matched and either of them is capable of representing the conference in Super Bowl XLV. With the Patriots looking like the favorite in the AFC, let's take a look at what the NFC has to offer.

Atlanta Falcons - Despite their loss on Monday night, the Falcons are still in position to clinch home field throughout the playoffs. Mike Smith's team has managed to stay relatively injury-free up to this point and will have a big role in how the NFC plays out in January.

Chicago Bears - Everyone kept waiting for the Bears' train to get derailed, but if anything, they have become stronger as the season progressed. Their defensive front seven consistently gets pressure on opposing quarterbacks and they are one of the few teams that match up well against pocket passers and mobile pivots like Michael Vick. Their win over the Jets in Week 16 was a sign that they are a legit challenger in the post-season.

Philadelphia Eagles - Regardless of how the Eagles fare in Tuesday's game against the Vikings, Andy Reid has once again led his team to the playoffs. Their comeback victory against the Giants showed just how explosive their offence can be, making no lead safe. The Hollywood script would see Vick return to Atlanta for the NFC championship game.

New Orleans Saints - Beating the Falcons was a big step for the 2010 Saints, who seem to have shaken their Super Bowl hangover. New Orleans may not have the same magic that propelled them to the Lombardi Trophy last season, but they have the weapons and experience to get back to the big game.

Green Bay Packers/New York Giants/Tampa Bay Buccaneers - All three teams are sitting at 9-6 heading into the final week, with only one wild card spot left. The Packers control their destiny after dominating the Giants this week. New York seems to be following their usual routine of coming undone near the end of the season. Tampa Bay is an exciting young club, but their record has been inflated by wins over bad teams and they will need a lot of help to get their hands on the golden ticket.

St. Louis Rams/Seattle Seahawks - Sam Bradford is a great story, taking the Rams from the first overall pick in the draft to the doorstep of the post-season. Now he needs to take his team into Seattle for a playoff-style game that will see the loser's season abruptly end. The Seahawks play much better at home, but they may be forced to go with Charlie Whitehurst at quarterback, as Matt Hasselbeck is dealing with a hip injury.

INS AND OUTS

In The Zone
If Josh Freeman's name wasn't in your football lexicon yet, then maybe his five-touchdown performance against the Seahawks will help get him in there. The Buccaneers quarterback should get some consideration as an MVP candidate as he has kept a young Tampa Bay team in playoff contention and likely saved head coach Raheem Morris' job in the process.

Out of Time
Not sure who plans on protecting Gotham City, but it won't be Terrell Owens (Batman) and Chad Ochocinco (Robin). The two likely played their last game together in Cincinnati and possibly their last games ever for the franchise. The Bengals upset the Chargers on Sunday, but that likely won't be enough to keep the old gang together in Cincy.

Back In The Hunt
When a four-game losing streak hit Indianapolis it looked like the Colts might sit this year out when it comes to the playoffs, but with one week to go they control their own destiny once again. The Jaguars, who are their only competition left in the AFC South, lost to the Redskins. A late-season loss to Washington should be more than enough to let Jacksonville know they don't deserve to play on wild card weekend.

Out of Nowhere
Here's a sentence I never thought I would type: Tim Tebow threw for 300 yards in an NFL game. Sure it came against the Texans' secondary, and it was primarily screens and wobbling passes, but it was still a 300-yard game. As someone who lost a friendly bet over the fact that Tebow was drafted in the first round, count me among the group of people who are surprised by his stat-line.

THIS WEEK IN HYPERBOLE

"It's hard to feel good about anything. I understand that it's a nice accomplishment and all that, but right now at this moment, with the way (Sunday went, the way the season has gone, it's not possible to feel good about it." Whether Kerry Collins was willing to admit it or not, I'm sure it had to feel at least a little nice to join such an elite club in NFL history. Collins became the 12th quarterback ever to throw for more than 40,000 passing yards in the NFL. He is sitting 98 yards behind Johnny Unitas, which doesn't seem right, but Collins has put together a surprisingly lengthy career. Collins also showed off his arm strength on Sunday when one of his passes went out off bounds and off the helmet of defensive lineman Jovan Haye, leaving Haye concussed. You can't make this stuff up. Head coach Jeff Fisher confirmed the concussion and that the training staff wouldn't let Haye return to the game.

DOWNRIGHT OFFENSIVE

Move over Matt Flynn. Aaron Rodgers came back to the Packers lineup with a 404-yard, four-touchdown showing in a must-win game against the Giants. The Pack put up 45 points and slid into the last wild card spot, at least for the time being. A win next week would lock down that position and have the Packers on the road the first week of the post-season.

EASIER SAID THAN DONE

"I probably won't say it a whole bunch. I'm proud of the guys. There's a lot of people who have struggled through some tough times. The reward in this business is winning, and winning big games. This just gives us an opportunity to play in some bigger games. We'll see how far we've come." Like a parent that doesn't know how to tell their kids they love them, Chiefs coach Todd Haley mustered up the courage to do just that after Kansas City clinched the AFC West crown on Sunday. Haley, along with general manager Scott Pioli have done an excellent job of making the Chiefs relevant again. The Hollywood script for Pioli would be a visit to Foxboro in January against his old Patriots team. I'm sure coordinators Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel, QB Matt Cassel and LB Mike Vrabel feel the same.

HALFTIME

In a recent Ted Talk, Sir Ken Robinson points out ways the education system needs to modernize itself. One of the problems it faces is that the system was designed for a different time. He believes that educators need to revolutionize the current models in order to better help all students. The NFL knows about replacing a broken old model. The league will likely be bringing in a rookie pay scale, to reduce the obscene signing bonuses players get in the first round of the NFL draft. It should also help keep young players hungry to prove themselves as they learn how to succeed in the NFL.

COACHING ADJUSTMENTS

Kudos to the Lions, who have become the league's new road warriors. After ending their embarrassing streak of road losses, Detroit has put together back-to-back wins away from Ford Field. This week was particularly impressive as they scored 17 points late to shock the Dolphins. We could be witnessing the start of something good in Detroit, especially since they'll have another top ten pick to add to their roster. They could definitely use help in their secondary, which could come in the form of Nebraska CB Prince Amukamara or LSU CB Patrick Peterson.

THE DEFENCE RESTS

The defence rests took on a whole new meaning this week when two defensive juggernauts met in Chicago. A matchup between the Jets and Bears in bad weather was expected to be a defensive duel, but turned out to be anything but. Jay Cutler and the Bears posted 38 points, and the Jets added 34 of their own, in a back-and-forth battle that featured a surprising amount of trips to the end zone.

THE BIG SCREEN

"Can anybody tell me what's wrong with this picture?" -Bill Foster (Falling Down, 1993)

What's lost in the fight between Mike Singletary and Troy Smith was the role Ted Ginn played. Ginn came over and stuffed a towel into Smith's face in what appeared to be an attempt to calm things down. Ginn may very well have saved Smith's life in the process. While Singletary may not be the 49ers coach anymore, you still don't mess with Samurai Mike. Especially after you threw an interception to his future son-in-law. Rams S O.J. Atogwe is set to marry Singletary's daughter.

"I've passed the point of no return. Do you know what that is, Beth? That's the point in a journey where it's longer to go back to the beginning. It's like when those astronauts got in trouble. I don't know, somebody messed up, and they had to get them back to Earth. But they had passed the point of no return. They were on the other side of the moon and were out of contact for like hours. Everybody waited to see if a bunch of dead guys in a can would pop out the other side. Well, that's me. I'm on the other side of the moon now and everybody is going to have to wait until I pop out." -Bill Foster (Falling Down, 1993)

The 49ers weren't the only franchise past the point of no return with their coaches. Tom Coughlin is at risk of not making the playoffs, and there always seems to be a sentiment in New York that he could be replaced. Gary Kubiak failed to get the Texans into the playoffs yet again, leaving his job in jeopardy. Others include Tony Sparano who came up short in Miami this season, as well as Marvin Lewis and John Fox whose long tenures may be over in Cincinnati and Carolina, respectively.

The 10 Most Improbable Super Bowl Teams Of All Time

After another wild weekend in the NFL, the final seeds are set for this year’s playoffs. Twelve teams will enter the postseason with Super Bowl aspirations, all of which believe they have a realistic shot at making the Big Game. As most teams gear up for this “new” season, they believe all bets are off. Regular season records no longer matter. It’s what you do in this next 3-4 games that counts. So, if you’re a Chiefs or Seahawks fan and you think there’s not a shot in hell your team’s holding the Lombardi Trophy come February, you might want to take a look at this list of Super Bowl improbable.

10. 1986 Denver Broncos

Regular Season Record: 11-5 (1st AFC West)
Playoff Results: Divisional Round: vs. New England Patriots, W, 22-17; AFC Championship Game: @ Cleveland Browns, W, 23-20 (OT); Super Bowl XXI: vs. New York Giants, L, 39-20

The 1986 Broncos started the regular season 8-1 before fading down the stretch and finishing 11-5.  After edging the Patriots in the Divisional Round they traveled to take on the Cleveland Browns in the first of three AFC Championship Game matchups over the next four seasons.  But this one may have been most memorable, as Denver quarterback John Elway engineered what has become known simply as “The Drive.”  Elway took the Broncos 98 yards late in the fourth quarter to tie the game, and then kicker Rich Karlis would kick the game-winning field goal in overtime.  A record-setting performance by Giants’ quarterback Phil Simms, as he completed 22 of his 25 passes, would bring a loss for the Broncos in Super Bowl XXI.

9. 2003 Carolina Panthers

Regular Season Record: 11-5 (1st NFC South)
Playoff Results: Wild Card Round: vs. Dallas Cowboys, W, 29-10; Divisional Round: @ St. Louis Rams, W, 29-23 (2 OT); NFC Championship: @ Philadelphia Eagles, W, 14-3; Super Bowl XXXVIII: vs. New England Patriots, L, 32-29

The Panthers made the playoffs for the second time in their nine-year history in 2003, as they won the NFC South and earned the #3 seed in the NFC playoffs.  They would dominate the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card Round before winning back-to-back road games to advance to the Super Bowl.  In the NFC Championship Game, Panthers’ cornerback Ricky Manning, Jr. intercepted Eagles’ quarterback Donovan McNabb three times in a 14-3 victory.  Carolina would give the New England Patriots a challenge in the Super Bowl before losing the game on a game-winning field goal by kicker Adam Vinatieri

8. 1999 Tennessee Titans

Regular Season Record: 13-3 (2nd AFC Central)
Playoff Results: Wild Card Round: vs. Buffalo Bills, W, 22-16; Divisional Round: @ Indianapolis Colts, W, 19-16; AFC Championship: @ Jacksonville Jaguars, W, 33-14; Super Bowl XXXIV: vs. St. Louis Rams, L, 23-16

Despite having a 13-3 regular season record, the Titans were a Wild Card team heading into the post season. In the first round of the playoffs, it looked like the Buffalo Bills had them on the ropes, down 16-15 with less than 2o seconds to go in the game.  What ensued has become known as “The Music City Miracle” as Titans’ tight end Frank Wycheck threw a lateral all the way across the field to wide receiver Kevin Dyson, who would run 75 yards for the game-winning score. The Titans would win their next two playoff games on the road before losing  a close finish to the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV, as Dyson was tackled just shy of the goal line on the game’s final play.

7. 2001 New England Patriots

Regular Season Record: 11-5 (1st AFC East)
Playoff Results: Divisional Round: vs. Oakland Raiders, W, 16-13 (OT); AFC Championship: @ Pittsburgh Steelers, W, 24-17; Super Bowl XXXVI: vs. St. Louis Rams, W, 20-17

Early in head coach Bill Belichick’s second season, the Patriots lost long-time starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe to a severe chest injury. His backup, a sixth-round draft pick in 2000 out of the University of Michigan named Tom Brady, would take over the starting job and still has not let it go to this day.  In the Divisional Round of the playoffs, a snow storm hit Foxboro in what would come to be known as the “Tuck Rule Game” after Brady was hit by Raiders’ cornerback Charles Woodson and appeared to have clearly fumbled as the ball was recovered by the Raiders. The play led to the game-tying field goal by Patriots’ kicker Adam Vinatieri to force overtime where New England ultimately prevailed.  Bledsoe led the Patriots to victory in relief of an injured Brady in the AFC Championship Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.  New England would then upset the heavily favored St. Louis Rams in the Super Bowl, in what can be considered the launching point for their current stretch of success.

6. 1998 Atlanta Falcons

Regular Season Record: 14-2 (1st NFC West)
Playoff Results: Divisional Round: vs. San Francisco 49ers, W, 20-18; NFC Championship: @ Minnesota Vikings, W, 30-27 (OT); Super Bowl XXXIII vs. Denver Broncos, L, 34-19

It’s hard for a team with a 14-2 regular season record to be an improbable Super Bowl participant, but considering the powerhouse Vikings were in the same conference led many to believe the Falcons would be the odd team out.  After edging the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round, they traveled to take on the 15-1 Minnesota Vikings and their record-setting offense.  Many things would go the Falcons’ way in the game, most notably Vikings’ kicker Gary Anderson missing his only field goal of the entire season late in the fourth quarter.  Atlanta would fall behind the Denver Broncos early and never quite recover in Super Bowl XXXIII, but fans of the “Dirty Birds” certainly have good memories of 1998.

5. 1999 St. Louis Rams

Regular Season Record: 13-3 (1st NFC West)
Playoff Results: Divisional Round: vs. Minnesota Vikings, W, 49-37; NFC Championship: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, W, 11-6; Super Bowl XXXIV vs. Tennessee Titans, W, 23-16

A preseason knee injury to starting quarterback Trent Green had expectations on the decline in St. Louis heading into the 1999 regular season.  Head coach Dick Vermeil proclaimed the team would rally around back up quarterback Kurt Warner (who?) and would be ok.   Warner would take the league by storm, passing for 4,353 yards and 41 touchdowns during the regular season directing the Rams’ offense that was proclaimed “The Greatest Show on Turf.”  Super Bowl XXXIV against the Tennessee Titans provided one of the most thrilling finishes in Super Bowl history, as Rams linebacker Mike Jones tackled Titans’ wide receiver Kevin Dyson just shy of the goal line as time expired.

4. 1979 Los Angeles Rams

Regular Season Record: 9-7 (1st NFC West)
Playoff Results: Divisional Round: @ Dallas Cowboys, W, 21-19; NFC Championship: @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers, W, 9-0; Super Bowl XIV vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, L, 31-19

The Rams became the first team with a 9-7 regular season record to reach the Super Bowl. Things looked bleak when starting quarterback Pat Hayden was lost for the season with a broken index finger on his throwing hand, but Vince Ferragamo replaced him capably and running back Wendell Tyler had over 1,400 total yards (1,109 rushing yards) and scored 10 total touchdowns (nine rushing) during the regular season. Ferragamo would have a solid playoff run, including three touchdown passes in the Divisional Round against Dallas, before the Rams ran into the last Super Bowl team of the Steelers’ dynasty of the 1970′s.

3. 1994 San Diego Chargers

Regular Season Record: 11-5 (1st AFC West)
Playoff Results: Divisional Round: vs. Miami Dolphins, W, 22-21; AFC Championship: @ Pittsburgh Steelers, W, 17-13; Super Bowl XXIX: vs. San Francisco 49ers, L, 49-26

The Chargers finished 8-8 in 1993, and were looking to improve in head coach Bobby Ross’ third season. Led by quarterback Stan Humphries, they would ride a 6-0 regular season start to an AFC West title and upset victories over the Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers in the playoffs.  They would run into an offensive juggernaut in the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XXIX, as 49ers’ quarterback Steve Young had a Super-Bowl single-game record six touchdown passes as the Chargers were overmatched and lost 49-26.  This is the only time the Chargers’ franchise has reached the Super Bowl to date, despite the abundance of talent they have had in recent seasons.

2. 2007 New York Giants

Regular Season Record: 10-6
Playoff Results: Wild Card Round: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, W, 24-14; Divisional Round: vs. Dallas Cowboys, W, 21-17; NFC Championship, vs. Green Bay Packers, W, 23-20; Super Bowl vs. New England Patriots, W, 17-14

The Giants finished second in the NFC East behind the favorite Dallas Cowboys with a 10-6 record and entered the playoffs as a Wild Card with a #5 seed. They traveled to Tampa and used timely turnovers along with a balanced offensive attack to defeat the struggling Bucs. From there, they went to Dallas where absolutely no one outside of Giants fans thought a victory was possible. After stunning the heavily favored ‘Boys, they managed to go toe-to-toe with the Packers in one of the coldest games ever played. With kicker Lawrence Tynes finally hitting the game winner (after missing two previous), the Road Warriors became the 9th wild card team in NFL history to reach the Super Bowl and the 5th wild card team to win the Super Bowl when they ruined the New England Patriots perfect season thanks to one of the greatest catches in Super Bowl history courtesy of David Tyree’s helmet. They were also the third team in history to win three road playoff games en route to the Super Bowl and set a league record for most consecutive road wins in a single season.

1.  2008 Arizona Cardinals

Regular Season Record: 9-7 (1st NFC West)
Playoff Results: Wild Card Round: vs. Atlanta Falcons, W, 30-24; Divisional Round: @ Carolina Panthers, W, 33-13; NFC Championship, vs. Philadelphia Eagles, W, 32-25; Super Bowl XLIII vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, L, 27-23

The Cardinals won a perenially weak NFC West and headed into the postseason having lost four of their last six games (allowing at least 35 points in all four losses).   Despite hosting the Atlanta Falcons in the Wild Card round they had to be considered underdogs. Of course, they moved on to face the Carolina Panthers in the Divisional Round, and they took advantage of 5 interceptions by quarterback Jake Delhomme to blow out the Panthers.  Arizona hosted the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game and got three takeways to move their postseason turnover differential to plus-9 and move onto Super Bowl XLIII against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Arizona became the second team with a 9-7 regular season record to advance to the Super Bowl.  They would actually finish 10-6 in 2009, but lost the New Orleans Saints in the Divisional Round.

Doritos and Pepsi MAX Reveal Top 10 Super Bowl Ads for 2011 Voting Starts Today

Doritos and Pepsi MAX Reveal Ten Consumer-Created Commercials Vying for $5 Million Payout, an Advertising Contract and Air Time During Super Bowl XLV Consumers Nationwide Eligible to Win Tickets to Super Bowl XLV by Voting for Favorite Ads at www.crashthesuperbowl.com

PLANO, Texas and PURCHASE, New York /PRNewswire/ — Following a review of more than 5,600 creative submissions – the most ever in a single year of competition – Doritos and Pepsi MAX today revealed the names of the 10 finalists in the Crash the Super Bowl challenge. These 10 finalists will go on to compete to be one of six consumer-created ads – three for Doritos and three for Pepsi MAX – airing during the Super Bowl XLV broadcast, Feb. 6, on FOX.

As the contest enters its next phase, Doritos and Pepsi MAX fans in the United States are invited to vote for their favorite ads, helping to ultimately decide which spots air on the Super Bowl stage. If during the Super Bowl, consumer-created Doritos or Pepsi MAX ads sweep the top three rankings of the USA TODAY Ad Meter, their creators will take home a shared $5 million prize. In addition, the fan who creates the highest-ranking Doritos or Pepsi MAX ad will win a guaranteed contract to create an additional ad for the two brands in 2011.

The 10 finalist ads (in alphabetical order) are:

“Adam and Eve” by Stephen Schuster (Doritos)
“Birthday Wish” by Heather Kasprzak (Doritos)
“Elevator Girl” by Michael Doneger (Pepsi MAX)
“First Date” by Nick Simotas (Pepsi MAX)
“House Sitting” by Tynesha Williams (Doritos)
“Love Hurts” by Brad Bosley (Pepsi MAX)
“Pug Attack” by JR Burningham (Doritos)
“The Best Part” by Tyler Dixon (Doritos)
“Torpedo Cooler” by Brendan Hayward (Pepsi MAX)
“Zero Calories? Psshh” by Brandy Gill (Pepsi MAX)

“From the beginning, we set out to make this the biggest Crash the Super Bowl ever and give our fans even more opportunities to showcase their creativity,” said Rudy Wilson, vice president, marketing, Frito-Lay. “We were blown away by how our fans responded. They not only submitted the most ads ever in the contest’s history, but proved once again they have the talent to compete at the highest level.”

Since Crash the Super Bowl began in 2007, consumer-created Doritos ads have consistently ranked within the top-five spots of the USA TODAY Ad Meter, and last year the talent of Doritos fans made it the most-talked-about brand coming out of the game. This year marks the first time Pepsi MAX has partnered with Doritos for the groundbreaking contest. “As we re-launch Pepsi MAX, we are thrilled to be returning to the Super Bowl as part of the Crash the Super Bowl contest for the first time ever,” said Angelique Krembs, vice president, Pepsi Cola Marketing. “We’re excited by the creativity of the ads submitted by our Pepsi MAX fans. And as we enter this next phase of the contest we’re eager to see which ads America will pick to run during the Super Bowl broadcast.”

Beginning today through January 31, 2011, fans can vote for their favorite submissions, with the most-voted ads taking four of the six spots that air during the Super Bowl – two for Doritos and two for Pepsi MAX. In addition, Doritos and Pepsi MAX executives will each select a winning spot for their respective brands, bringing the total spots airing on game day to six. There are four ways for fans to vote this year – through the official contest website, www.crashthesuperbowl.com, through their smart phones at m.crashthesuperbowl.com, via Xbox LIVE® and through banner advertisements on select websites. Votes can be cast once a day, per platform, per brand.

To encourage fans to vote, Doritos and Pepsi MAX will give away two pairs of Super Bowl tickets every day of the voting period to consumers who make their selections through the official program website. More information about the four voting platforms and details about this vote-and-win offer, including official rules, are also available on the website.

Each of the 10 finalists will win $25,000 and a trip to Dallas to attend Super Bowl XLV, where they will learn for the first time during the broadcast which six ads will air for a worldwide audience. Potential grand prizing for the contest will be based on how each of the six winning ads ranks on the USA TODAY Ad Meter:

$1 million for an ad that scores the No. 1 ranking on the USA TODAY Ad Meter
$600,000 for an ad that scores the No. 2 ranking on the USA TODAY Ad Meter
$400,000 for an ad that scores the No. 3 ranking on the USA TODAY Ad Meter

If the consumer-created Doritos or Pepsi MAX ads sweep all top three rankings of the USA TODAY Ad Meter, an additional $1 million bonus will be awarded to each winner for a total prize giveaway of $5 million. The USA TODAY Super Bowl Ad Meter tracks the second-by-second responses of a panel of viewers to ads during the national broadcast of the Super Bowl and ranks them favorite to least favorite. Created in 1989, USA TODAY’s Ad Meter has been regarded as the most influential Super Bowl ad rating in the advertising industry.

Doritos tortilla chips is one of the billion-dollar brands that make up Frito-Lay North America, the $13 billion convenient foods business unit of PepsiCo (NYSE:PEP – News), which is headquartered in Purchase, NY. Pepsi MAX is one of PepsiCo’s billion-dollar global brands and is part of Pepsi Americas Beverages. To learn more about Pepsi MAX, visit the Pepsi Max tab on Pepsi’s Facebook page at: www.pepsimax.com or on Twitter at: twitter.com/pepsimax. To learn more about Doritos, visit its website at www.doritos.com or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DoritosUSA.

PepsiCo offers the world’s largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 19 different product lines that each generates more than $1 billion in annual retail sales. Our main businesses – Frito-Lay, Quaker, Pepsi-Cola, Tropicana and Gatorade – also make hundreds of other nourishing, tasty foods and drinks that bring joy to our consumers in more than 200 countries. With annualized revenues of nearly $60 billion, PepsiCo’s people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth, called Performance with Purpose. By dedicating ourselves to offering a broad array of choices for healthy, convenient and fun nourishment, reducing our environmental impact, and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace culture, PepsiCo balances strong financial returns with giving back to our communities worldwide. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.

Super Bowl XLV: Atlanta Falcons vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Super Bowl XLV Prediction

I love that new playoff smell...it's intoxicating. So intoxicating that I'm predicting a wild (but not impossible) Super Bowl match up for this year's Lombardi Trophy. It's so crazy that I'm going to have to lay low for a while to avoid being hauled off to a white room with padded walls. I'm predicting that come Sunday, February 6th, you will see the Atlanta Falcons take the field against the Kansas City Chiefs for all of the marbles.

Atlanta's Road to Super Bowl Sunday

The NFC has the most playoff intrigue this year. They boast last year's Super Bowl Champions in the New Orleans Saints and they also have a revitalized Philadelphia Eagles team that's led by one of the hottest media-friendly redemption stories in recent pro football history in Michael Vick.

Atlanta benefits from a first round bye week and from home field advantage. With Matt Ryan under center, the Falcons play extraordinarily well at home. And while there are some high-caliber teams representing the NFC this year, none of them will be able to beat the Falcons for four quarters. Atlanta has stayed healthy throughout the entire season and they are firing on all cylinders. As long as they don't beat themselves, they should do a fine job of making it to Dallas.

Kansas City's Road to Super bowl Sunday

I expect this one to come off as a head-scratcher to most of you, but you need to believe. KC undoubtedly has one of the toughest roads to Jerry World this year, but they can do it. This is a very young and very talented team. They only have one home loss during their entire season. That last home loss did a few things that the Chiefs needed to have happen before stepping foot onto the big stage this weekend. 1) It humbled the Chiefs and it will put a sense of urgency to play well on their offensive line...it's do or die time and 2) It eliminated the pressure of being undefeated at home—they got that out of the way with their loss to the Raiders.

Arrowhead stadium is one of pro football's most difficult places for opponents to play and the Chiefs will need EVERY advantage they can get, especially against a Ray Lewis fueled defense. I'm not expecting any of the Chiefs playoff wins to be pretty for the club, but I think they'll be amped up to be in the playoffs for the first time since their last wild-card appearance in 2007. This talented team will find a way to get it done. Matt Cassel and Dwayne Bowe have been clicking throughout the season and as long as Jamaal Charles is healthy, he'll be the difference maker the team needs to succeed. Now is the time for Todd Hayley to go away from Thomas Jones and let Charles make the plays the Chiefs will desperately need to have a fighting chance.

Super Bowl XLV

There are a lot of good stories surrounding a Chiefs/Falcons Super Bowl: Tony Gonzalez, Roddy White vs. Dwayne Bowe, two up and coming QBs dueling it out, and which defense will show up. Ultimately, I think Atlanta's bye week is the difference maker in this matchup. Kansas City will show up exhausted from having squeaked by the best the AFC has to offer and they will be no match for the caliber of football that Atlanta will play. Cinderella will have to go bye-bye for another year and the Falcons will capture their first Super Bowl victory in franchise history.