Your Thoughts Exactly: Playoffs?

Monday, January 09, 2006

 

Playoffs?

Playoffs!

With the obligatory Jim Mora reference out of the way, let’s get down to breaking down the divisional playoff round, as well as the results of last week’s games.

Game 1: Washington at Seattle.

The Skins defense won the game against Tampa, despite an absolutely atrocious showing by Mark Brunell, who returns to the Pacific Northwest where he is a legend for leading the greatest football team of all time, the ’91 Washington Huskies. Of course Brunell split time with Billy Joe Hobert, but we will forgive him such a transgression. The toll of a long season has made Brunell less and less effective as the season has gone on, to the point where he is making some awful decisions, such as his interception to Brian Kelly thrown back across the field. While I think Clinton Portis is a stud, Brunell is going to have to pass effectively in order for Washington to have a chance. As good as the Skins D looked, Seattle has by far the best offense in the NFC.

Seattle 31 Washington 13

Game 2: New England at Denver

The Pats win against Jacksonville was not as impressive as the final score looked. New England missed some opportunities, took too long to get moving on offense, and got lucky with regards to fumbles. I was about to worry, but then I remembered that the Patriots never look that impressive in victory. Even when we were winning 20 plus games in a row, we often gave away the impression that we could have played better. In the end what matters is the final score, and that we move to another week.

The key matchup in this game is the Patriots run defense versus the Broncos run offense. We know that Denver will try and run all game. The Pats D has been stiffing the run over the last 8 games, the key to its defensive resurgence (along with forcing a few more turnovers.) I am assuming Bruschi will play this week; Monty Beisel isn’t going to cut it versus the Broncos.

Conversely, I don’t see the Pats being able to run it that much on the Broncos. Brady should be able to move the ball through the air, but needs to be on his A game from the opening snap. The Pats will give up some drives on offense, but need to be able to hold in the red zone and give up field goals, not TDs. Against the Broncos in October, we gave up several long pass plays, got way behind, but rallied and almost tied it up were it not for a key David Givens drop on the final drive (where he dropped it on the 45 and had at least 20 yards of daylight in front of him.)

This game has all the makings of a classic. My guess is that the Pats pull it out with the help of some shady officiating, as the NFL looks to set up the Colts-Pats AFC championship game everyone wants to see. I’ll take it!

New England 24 Denver 20

Game 3: Pittsburgh at Indianapolis

In the Indy Pittsburgh game from earlier this year, I thought that the Steelers D did a reasonably good job of limiting the Colts offense. Conversely, they were totally unable to run against the Colts D. Big Ben, in his first game back, did not perform up to his capabilities. For all the credit the Steelers running offense gets, mostly because everyone is in love with Jerome Bettis and his two yard runs, I think Big Ben is the key to this team, and a much better QB than people give him credit for. He is one of my favorite young players in the league.

That being said, the rest of the Steelers, especially Joey Porter and Hines Ward, are a bunch of punks. They are dirty as well, having taken out both Carson Palmer and Rodney Harrison for the year. After the win over the Bengals, Porter, Ward, and company were bragging about how they knew what it took in the playoffs to win games, while the Bengals had proven that they didn’t. I am sorry, but beating a John Kitna led team doesn’t mean shit. And where do Ward and Porter get off claiming they know how to win in the playoffs when they have been parts of teams that have consistently failed in big games, including, two AFC championship games against the Pats where they were favored. Remember those TJ?

The question for the Colts is, did the last four weeks of half-assing games give Edgerrin James a chance to recharge the batteries? Over the first ten weeks of the season, James’ ability to consistently churn out runs of 4-10 yards made Indianapolis unbeatable. But, as in previous seasons, James began to wear down as the season progressed. If he can be shut down, the Indianapolis offense is manageable, if still dangerous. If James can get yards and first downs consistently, Indy will be very hard to beat.

Indianapolis 30 Pittsburgh 21

Game 4: Carolina at Chicago

Do the Bears have mojo? If so, it will be 12 degrees on Sunday evening. I personally hope they do not have mojo, because by then I will be living in Chicago, and I hope global warming hits that weekend and gives me two straight months of 60 degree weather. This may not happen.

DeShaun Foster will not have the same success against the Bears as he did in the Giants, in fact I would be surprised if he gets more than 50 yards on the ground. This leaves the Panthers offense in the hands of Steve Smith, who will dominate, because he is unstoppable. If I was a Bears fan, I would be worried because Smith is capable of scoring 14 points by himself, meaning the Bears offense needs to put up at least that much to have a chance. A tough ask for the Bears against any D, let alone Carolina’s.

As much as I will be wanting the Bears to win this game (and I will be rooting for them I swear,) it kills me to do this

Carolina 17 Chicago 16


Comments:
You make a good point. Where do Hines Ward and Joey Porter come off claiming that they know how to win in the playoffs? Especially when comparing themselves to the Bengals who have not won a playoff game since '91. I mean, clearly those two games against the Patriots are the only two playoff games the Steelers have ever been involved in.

And I'm not exactly sure when the Bengals "proved" the Steelers didn't have what it takes to win in the playoffs as you claim.

Also, They were not bragging. They were defending themselves against accusations that their win was meaningless because it came against a hampered opponent. Which holds some truth but is not completely accurate. Every team must deal with injuries yet at the same time the team they beat was not the Bengals team that they lost to during the regular season.

As for the dirtiness, the Carson Palmer hit was clearly not dirty, it was simply unfortunate luck. Bengals players who played with Kimo attested to the fact that he is a clean player.

Leave it to Marmaniac to use the same underhanded journalistic techniques that he derides in others.
 
As an unbiased observer, I will admit that you are correct in some points TJ...the hit probably wasn't dirty and injuries are part of the game. After all who is to say the Steelers wouldnt have gone 13-3 if they hadnt had to start T-Mad for a couple of games?

However as a biased fan, I can definitively say that the Steelers lack the class and character required of championship caliber football teams. Like the Patriots
 
Once again, making statements without supplying a shred of evidence to back it up.

The Steelers lack class and character? Please. The Steelers are recognized as one of the classiest franchises in the history of the sport. Just because they hide information on injury reports...oh wait that's the Patriots. Well then, I assume you are referring to when they left their field uncovered (Against NFL regulations yet strangely were not fined) so that the high powered offense they were soon about to face would be slowed down would have an unfair disadvantage...oh wait, Patriots again. You must be referring to when a Patriots player (Jerome Bettis) won Man of the Year, an award given to those who excel outside the realm of football in community service. Wait, wrong again. He plays for the Steelers.

Class and character do not lead to superbowls as the evidence has clearly shown (90's Dallas Cowboys). What does lead to superbowls is the willingness to do whatever it takes (See above) in order to get a slight advantage over your peers.

The simple fact is, the Patriots have won a few super bowls, two of them with superior teams; congratulations. Bob Kraft should be enjoying his rings. Well, two of them anyway since he gave one to Vladimir Putin.
 
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