Divisional Round Thoughts

Congratulations to the Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots. They are moving on.

Baltimore at New England in the AFC Championship
San Francisco at Atlanta in the NFC Championship

It's hard to believe that it was only three years ago that the Minnesota Vikings took apart the Dallas Cowboys in the Divisional round to move on to the NFC Championship game. That was a happy time.

This weekend's Division round games sure brought the excitement that the Wild Card round didn't. Great games.

It seems that some are surprised by the great playoff exhibition from San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. A lot of the media and fans were surprised. Green Bay Packers defensive back Charles Woodson was. No one should be. It sounds like Woodson expected more of what they saw from Minnesota Vikings quarterback Joe Webb the week before. I saw all that I ever needed to see of Kaepernick when he and his Nevada team completely dismantled Cal in 2010. Comparisons between Kaepernick and Webb are valid  Both are tremendous, fast athletes with unique running skills. Both put up similar numbers in college. One of the biggest differences then and now was their respective coaching in college. Not to disparage Webb's coaches at the University of Alabama-Birmingham but Nevada's Chris Ault is one of great offensive minds in football. Kaepernick came into the NFL far more prepared than Webb but the biggest difference between the two quarterbacks is in their passing skills. Webb can throw much better than he did against the Packers a week ago but he's still not in Kaepernick's class. Maybe Woodson didn't expect that. The Vikings and 49ers ran similar plays to take advantage of their mobile quarterbacks. They just worked better for the 49ers. Kaepernick had the Packers all turned around because he could hurt them with his feet or his arm. Anybody that saw him play in college would've known that he had it in him.

Another thing that Kaepernick had going for him, perhaps the biggest thing, was the 49ers offensive line. They were awesome.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan finally got his first playoff win. Tight end Tony Gonzalez finally got his first too.

That Falcons-Seahawks game was terrific. Big first half lead. Great comeback. Game-winning field goal. Last gasp chance at the end.

That game and the Ravens-Broncos of the day before are instant classics.

Atlanta Falcons running back Jacquizz Rodgers had a terrific run up the middle against the Seattle Seahawks to end the first quarter. That kid was a nightmare for Cal and the rest of the Pac-10 while he was at Oregon St. That run brought back those nightmares.

I love seeing Seahawks corner Richard Sherman quiet after he's been burned for a touchdown. I've never known of a former Stanford player quite like him. He's more like a USC clown. Like his current coach.

Speaking of Pete Carroll. I love seeing him on the sideline when his team is down by three scores. He looks like someone stole his hoagie.

It's too bad that big Atlanta lead didn't hold because I hate seeing Carroll jumping around all warm and fuzzy. Fortunately Carroll's happy feeling didn't last long.

I love seeing Carroll watch an opposing kicker make a game-winning field goal.

Seattle's failure to get the snap off at the end of the first half sure impacted this game. They had a great chance to get points. In a two-point game, any points would have made a difference.

When I see Patriots receiver Wes Welker catch a 46-yard pass down the sideline I think of all the people that pigeon hole a receiver as only being able to play in the slot. Just because a receiver is perfect for the slot doesn't mean that he can't play outside the numbers. I hear it all the time when people, especially Vikings fans, say that Percy Harvin can't be the supposed #1 receiver on the team. That he's only a slot receiver. Harvin can play anywhere on the field. Just because he isn't 6'4" doesn't mean that he can't be a threat downfield. I'm certainly not saying that the Vikings don't need a big-bodied, deep threat at receiver. They most certainly do. I'm just saying that Harvin can do pretty much everything on a football field.

That was a fantastic catch by Welker.

Houston Texans running back Arian Foster just glides across the turf/grass. His running reminds me a little of former Viking Robert Smith.

Losing tight end Rob Gronkowski for the rest of the playoffs is a blow to the New England Patriots but it shouldn't hold them back too much. Tom Brady turns everyone on the roster into a playmaker.

Patriots running back Shane Vereen had an excellent game. Scoring three touchdowns.

I love seeing former Cal players doing well. Shane Vereen and Tony Gonzalez, in particular, excelled yesterday.

This year's coaching searches seem to be dragging on more than most. Maybe it just feels that way because the Chicago Bears are interviewing every coach on the planet. Of the eight openings only three have been filled:
Kansas City: Andy Reid
Buffalo: Doug Marrone
Cleveland: Rob Chudzinski
San Diego, Philadelphia, Chicago, Jacksonville and Arizona are still searching. I'm actually scheduled to interview with the Bears this week. They're looking under every stone.