Game Day Thoughts

Congratulations to the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers on advancing to their Conference championship games.

The Ravens and Broncos played a terrific game. Playing into a 6th quarter. It was unfortunate that Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning ended a fantastic season with an interception that led to the winning field goal.

Maybe it's just me but it felt like the Broncos were always on the verge of simply taking over this game and putting the Ravens away. Horribly blown coverage by the Broncos on the last real play in regulation allowed the Ravens to force overtime. The Ravens just wouldn't go away. They kept the game close and they were in striking distance at the end. The Ravens did what they had to do. The Broncos didn't.

A lot of the Ravens offense was provided by receiver Torrey Smith. He frequently abused Broncos corner Champ Bailey. While Bailey has been playing in the NFL for quite some time he's still one of the best cover corners in the game. Smith has quickly become one of the most dangerous receivers in the league. I've always found Smith's path to the NFL an interesting one. He followed Darius Hayward-Bey at Maryland but never quite got the same recognition. Hayward-Bey got a ton of attention. Smith received little. I never understood it. NFL teams certainly favored Hayward-Bey as he was a top-10 pick. Smith lasted until the end of the second round. I never understood it. Smith has done far more in two years than Hayward-Bey has done in four. I really like Torrey Smith.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick sure played a nice game. Nearly 450 total yards. My goodness. He played the game that I hoped Minnesota Vikings quarterback Joe Webb would play last week against the Green Bay Packers. While both can run Kaepernick, unlike Webb, provides a throwing threat.

49ers guard Mike Iupati is a beast. He's going to be on the best in the league for a long time.

It's players like 49ers safety Dashon Goldson that keep the NFL far more dangerous than it really needs to be. He's going helmet-to-helmet way too often. Way too often. Clowns like Goldson and Brandon Merriweather need some suspension time to think about their tackling fundamentals.

The Associated Press All-Pro Team was announced yesterday. It should come as no surprise that Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson and Houston Texas defensive end J.J. Watt were unanimous selections. It was a surprise that Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson wasn't. He only had the greatest receiving season from a yardage standpoint in NFL history. Tim Ryan of Fox Sports was the only voter of the 50 that didn't think that Calvin Johnson was one of the two best receivers this year. Ryan should never again have an AP vote. Ever.

This was the second consecutive year that some AP voters could not grasp the fact that San Francisco 49ers defensive end Justin Smith plays defensive end. He received 17 votes as a defensive tackle. He doesn't play that position. He received 6 votes as a defensive end. He does play that position. He made 2nd team All-Pro at both positions. Very nice.

A few years ago everyone with a twitter account tore apart Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler for taking himself out of the NFC Championship game against the Green Bay Packers due to a banged up knee. Last week everyone criticized Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III for not taking himself out of a playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks due to a banged up knee. Some people just like to complain. They'll make shit up if they have to. I just wish that more would understand that coaches and players never have the benefit of hindsight when making game time decisions. Whether people want to accept it or not, players and coaches try to make decisions that they feel gives their team the best chance of winning a game.

Of the 32 most-watched television shows last fall 31 were NFL telecasts. The NFL is a machine.