AFC/NFC Championship Open Thread
by arquebus
Fri Jan 19, 2007 at 12:53:11 PM PDT
3 games. It all comes down to this. Let's have at it.
- arquebus's diary :: ::
-Taking a shower this morning, my brain happened upon two thoughts. First, there are men out there who can pull off smelling of vanilla body wash, but I'm not one of them. Second, if you're looking for one name that has altered football in the last few years, look no further than Robert Edwards. Following a good but not great rookie season, Edwards blew out his knee in a freak accident during a charity beach football game. Without a decent running game, the Patriots fell into mediocrity, leading to the firing of Pete Carroll and the hiring of Bill Belichick. Although Edwards wasn't the second coming of Jim Brown, it's quite possible that without that one freak injury, Pete Carroll might not be the coach at USC, and Belichick might still be the HC of the NYJ. But that's not all. Charlie Weiss probably wouldn't be the head coach at Notre Dame. Romeo Crennell wouldn't be the coach in Cleveland. And Mangini wouldn't be where he is, either. The Rams almost definitely win the Super Bowl in 2001, the Indianapolis Colts probably would have a ring or two by now, and Tom Brady might not be a household name. Just weird, is all.
AFC Championship stuff-there's no question that a streak will be broken. The only question is, which one. Indy has played 2 great games in a row on defense. Peyton has played 2 bad games. One of those will stop. The visiting team has won the last 2 AFC championship games. However, Tom Brady has had a less than fantastic postseason. One of those streaks will end.
-For all the talk of Vinatieri vs. Gostkowski, the fact is the superior backfield is quite likely to win this game. Keeping the opposing team's gunslinger off the field is going to be the key, and you only do that by effectively moving the chains on the ground.
-Speaking of Vinatieri, knock it off with the "he doesn't miss" foolishness. He missed two kicks in the last Super Bowl. In a dome. And they were makeable.
-Watching all the talking heads on ESPN and other outlets, it's instructive to realize that these people are exactly like political prognosticators: they're big names who have not one single clue about what is actually going to happen. If I had a penny for every empty non sequetor I've seen like "it's the Colts' time," I'd have tickets to the game. 50 yard line.
-One team is going to give up a big return on a kickoff. Neither of these teams covers kicks well, which is entirely unlike them.
NFC Championship stuff- The last 6 games, Chicago's defense has looked positively pedestrian. Trouble is, the Saints haven't been themselves offensively, either.
-The fact that the entire football world breathes a sigh of relief every time Rex Grossman remembers that his shoes belong on his feet rather than his hands can't inspire confidence. Last week's game, he was ok. After the overtime win, by the media reports, you'd have thought the man had morphed into Sammy Frickin' Baugh.
-New Orleans defense is really nothing special, but they have a chance to stifle Chicago's running game and put the game away early with their passing assault.
-Weather report for Sunday, 30 degrees with snow in the morning and snow showers in the afternoon. Light wind of 5 to 10 mph. Long story short: footing could be a factor.
Go bananas.
Permalink | 131 comments