Thank you King5News.com for blogging this fab interview with Chris Haffly of Gerbing’s Heated Clothing, the makers of the infamous ‘hot pants’ that Seahawks kicker Josh Brown will be wearing on game day tomorrow against the Green Bay Packers. According to Haffly, these pants may make all the difference in the world to a team more accustomed to playing in the rain instead of the snow:

When did the Seahawks first approach you about the gear?
Actually, we initially talked to them five years ago. However, after five years time, our heating technologies and advances in battery technology allowed us to make better products that were better suited for them.

Are Josh Brown’s hot pants customized? What do the pants look like and how do they operate?
What we did was we customized his existing overpants that he wears on the sidelines. We took those and then we outfitted it with our heating technology to the quads, hamstrings and both calves. There are two lithium small 7 volt batteries that individually control the heating system in each leg. So if he just wants to have one leg warm or both, he can do that. The batteries themselves have individual settings with five levels that he can control. It’s a custom job, but we do sell 12 volt pants that sell in the $199 range. Black is mostly all we sell. They just look like any other pants as the heating elements are concealed. I guess that is kind of our job though. We try to make the heating systems unnoticeable to the user as possible…except for the soothing warmth.

Has Josh used the hot pants before during a game?
Josh had mentioned that the pants are the pants that he has been using for years, which they are, but we just added our heating technology to them for this game. He has not used them for a game before.

What other gear are you providing the team?
We’re doing some heating mitts that are battery operated. We’re also doing Coach Holmgren’s game day jacket.

Did the Seahawks test them out yesterday?
Yes. The stuff was very welcome, considering what the weather forecast could possibly bring them. It’s a nice advantage to keep your hands warm.

Is heated clothing commonly worn by NFL players?
Not for playing football, but there are people who wear heated clothing for hunting, skiing and motorcycling.

What’s your prediction for tomorrow’s game?
Seahawks get off to a “hot” start and hang on with a 23 - 20 victory over the cold and achy Packers.

With the NFL Divisional Playoffs still to take place this weekend, we might be getting a bit ahead of ourselves by betting on the team to win the 2008 NFC Championship. But then right about now is when the odds are the best. So let’s see what the sportsbooks are saying…

The Dallas Cowboys have had one heck of a year and as a result they’re the favorites at 4/5 odds to win the NFC Championship. QB Tony Romo has gotten himself into a bit of hot water over his recent vacation with his girlfriend and Hollywood hottie Jessica Simpson. (And who could forget Simpson’s appearance at one of his games…a lot of Cowboys fans are still blaming her for that loss.) But when it comes to the playoffs it’s all business — serious business. Oddly enough the New York Giants are in second place at 13/2 odds to win the NFC, while the Seattle Seahawks are at 6/1 odds and the Green Bay Packers are at 19/10 odds to win.

So what is it about the NFC that makes any team in that conference an unlikely candidate to win the Super Bowl? Statistics. More AFC teams have won the Lombardi Trophy than NFC teams. But don’t tell that to the New York Giants. These guys think they can go all the way…

“It’s very realistic,” said Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress prior to last weekend’s win. “We’re just looking at our wild-card position all the way to the top. We’re going to take it one step at a time. We know what kind of team we got. We know if we can come together and just play great football at this time, nobody can play with us.”