Who Wants It More?
That’s the question the NFL is asking of this year’s playoff field. Which, I think, is quite apropos this season. The teams that have been playing to win since September are still alive. Those that took some time off, not so much.
Tampa Bay, Dallas, Indianapolis, and Pittsburgh all took games off near the end of the season. Each had their playoff fate sealed before the regular season was complete. Each rested players and entered the tournament well rested, but having not playing meaningful football since before Christmas. And each was defeated in their first contest of the post-season. If that’s not an argument for playing sixty minutes for sixteen games I don’t know what is.
I don’t know if this means anything, but winners of the last six Super Bowls (Colts, Steelers, Patriots, Bucs) appeared in this years tournament. And you have to go all the way back to the XXIV to find a Super Bowl that didn’t feature (win or lose) at least one team from this year’s playoffs. Probably doesn’t mean squat, but I found it interesting.
I was able to catch bits and pieces of each game this weekend. But not enough to make any sort of coherent analysis based on first-hand knowledge. However, I will make a stab at it.
–The Packers should make a shrine to the snow gods. If not for the weather I can’t imagine the Seahawks would have let the turnover-assisted 14-0 first quarter lead to evaporate so quickly. The came in with something like the 3rd best pass rush in the league, and were slowed by the conditions. The Giants have the league’s best pass rush.
–Colts fans, Tony Dungy is on the way out. Be fortunate that you had him this long. As any Bucs fan can tell you, coaching football is not his life’s work. He has other plans and other passions that far out-weigh Peyton Manning and the NFL.
–The Chargers were jobbed on that interception return. Pure and simple. At best, that was a mutual take-down. But what I saw was that Addai grabbed first. The Colts weren’t prepared to play a game Sunday, and it showed. They got beat by backups, at their own house, in a playoff game.
–Cowboys, what to say. The easy way out would be to blame it on Romo’s lifestyle. But you’ll hear none of that from TALB. I’d opine that it has much more to do with the lack of effort during the end of the regular season, and that there’s a reason Wade Phillips hasn’t been a head coach in a while.
–Eli Manning, looking more like Peyton than even Peyton this weekend. These Giants have a shot if he can keep it together just one more week. They took the Pats to the wire in week 17, and I think that with that knowledge, they might be best equipped to beat them in the Super Bowl.
–That said, no one is going to beat the Patriots. They are too good. The Jags gave it their all, but in the end the Patriots just have too many weapons. Moss had one catch, but it didn’t matter. On any other team if you shut-down the #1 wide out you’ll win. But the Pats don’t have a true #1 guy anywhere but under center. Stop Moss, okay they’ll kill you with Welker or Stallworth. Bracket the receivers and they’ll pound Maroney at you, and chip away with Watson underneath.
–The Jags, though, shouldn’t be disappointed. They have a bright future with that team. I’m sure they have a couple of holes to fill, but from my vantage point there’s not much they need to change. Just get better in a couple areas and they’ll be back in the playoffs next year.
I was, straight up, 3-1 on my picks. Even going so far as to pick the Giants over Cowboys. Which, to toot my own horn, is about as good as can be expected given the outcomes. I can’t imagine any sane prognosticator would have selected the Bolts over the Colts. I won’t be picking the Championship round until later in the week. I want to see what the weather in Green Bay will be before I make my selection.
