Fishing for Winners

Bill Fishman can't bet his beloved New York Jets in this year's AFC title game because Coach Herman Edwards' crew got left at the runway gate, leaving him with little choice but to take a "bus" to the 2006 Super Bowl in Detroit next month. Trouble is, Fishman, ProCappers.com's 2005 football handicapping king, doesn't know if it will stall in Denver en route to Motown. He's pretty sure about one thing, though: the Carolina Express will run out of gas in Seattle on Sunday in the NFC championship matchup. "Can you stop (Steve) Smith?" he asked. "I doubt it, but you can make things tougher for (Jake) Delhomme in getting him the ball. "Seattle did lead the league in sacks and this is Carolina's fourth straight 'roady.' "I just don't see the Panthers playing with the same intensity, Super Bowl or not on the line. The last time a team was in this spot it lost 30-3." As far as the other game, Fishman still hadn't made up his mind 24 hours before kickoff. '"Bus' is a great man for sports. I just have not made a decision on that one as of yet," Fishman said. "The Steelers are playing with a lot of karma, but the Broncos have not lost at home this year! "I see both teams with solid defenses. "Ben (Roethlisberger) is the better quarterback, but is still in only his second year. Plummer has not made the mistakes this year. "I think the team that runs better and gets the lead early will have the edge and win."