Divisional Thoughts

This was a great weekend of football. The first game was the best but all four were wildly entertaining. Congratulations to the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers, and Indianapolis Colts for their wins in the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs.

The Conference Championship games are set:
Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots
Green Bay Packers at Seattle Seahawks

Patriots coach Bill Belichick won his 20th postseason game. The win tied former Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry for the most in NFL history. Congratulations.

Speaking of Belichick. He had Ravens coach John Harbaugh in a rage. The Patriots ran out a few offensive formations that put only four offensive linemen on the field. A normally eligible receiver (running back Shane Vereen in a couple of instances) lined up as an ineligible receiver. In accordance to the rules, he reported as an ineligible receiver. It caused a great deal of confusion for the Ravens defenders. "Who do we guard?" and such. It also forced Harbaugh onto the field to plead his case with the officials. That only got him and his team a 15-yard penalty. There is nothing wrong with the Patriots tactics. It's no different than the first time that a team flooded the field with four or more receivers. Harbaugh should have been more upset with himself for not having his team prepared.

The Ravens might have lost this game but they sure do become a different team in the playoffs. They stumbled to a finish during the season. Then they turned into the "postseason Ravens." Quarterback Joe Flacco turns into one of the top quarterbacks in the league. The Ravens and Patriots might still be playing if the Ravens had ended their late, 8-minute drive with  a touchdown rather than a field goal. The Ravens will probably always be a team that can win any postseason game while Flacco is throwing and Harbaugh is coaching for them.

The Seattle Seahawks are talented enough to win it all again. They are certainly talented enough on defense but their offense is so dependent on quarterback Russell Wilson's impromptu play. Their success on offense is based more on his uncanny ability to extend a play than the play that is called. Wilson's first touchdown pass against the Panthers was a prayer that was answered only when the defensive back fell down. The Seahawks can't rely on a defender falling down every time their quarterback tosses up a prayer. Now, the second touchdown was a beautiful pass and catch. Perfect touch by Wilson. Nice catch by Jermaine Kearse. If Wilson can consistently improvise and execute like that over the next two games, the Seahawks will be very, very hard to stop.

Panthers quarterback Cam Newton had to play a perfect game. He played well. He led several, long drives against the best defense in the league. That doesn't happen often. But, he made too many poor throws. The most obvious was the throw that Kam Chancellor intercepted and took back 90 yards for a touchdown. That sealed the game for the Seahawks. Richard Sherman didn't have to work very hard to make an interception earlier in the game. The throw was right to him.

"New York Bozo"
     -Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers

I still fall into giggles when I recall then-San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy saying that then Cal quarterback Aaron Rodgers wasn't mobile enough for his team. That opinion went a long way in the 49ers deciding to draft Alex Smith over Rodgers. Lucky for McCarthy that he lucked into Rodgers a year later with the Packers. Only then did he discover that the former Cal quarterback could move very well.

Due to a calf injury, Rodgers couldn't move very well against the Cowboys. He still had that rifle of a right arm but he couldn't extend plays like he usually can. Fortunately for the Packers, Rodgers moved better in the fourth quarter than he did in the first three.

It's a damn shame that the Cowboys-Packers game will be best remembered for the Dez Bryant catch that wasn't. The NFL pass catching rule has to be changed. By the letter of the law Bryant didn't make that catch. Common sense says otherwise. Bryant caught the ball and tried to score. The Cowboys should have had the ball inside the one-yard line. A great game should have gotten even better. Stupid, stupid rule.

The Cowboys offensive line got a lot of deserved praise throughout the season. That group is the best  in the league. The Packers line was their match yesterday. They had to protect their hobbled quarterback. They did.

The worst thing about the Denver Broncos loss to the Indianapolis Colts was watching Peyton Manning struggle to make throws that used to be so easy for him. He's been throwing with his legs since his back issues robbed him of a lot of his velocity. Those legs have been ailing for the last few weeks. It showed. I hope that he can get healthy this offseason, stay healthy through at least one more season and end his career on a better note.

Andrew Luck has been carrying the Colts all season. He has the incredible quarterbacking skills to carry his team through two more games. The Colts are the least talented team left in the playoffs. They might have been the least talented team to make the playoffs. But, they have Luck.

I thought that Rex Ryan was a terrific fit for the Atlanta Falcons. He's one of the best defensive coaches in the league. The Falcons have a feeble defense. He could turn that defense around quickly. The one thing that he never had with the New York Jets was a quarterback. Matt Ryan is one of the best young quarterbacks in the league. Rex Ryan to the Falcons just seem to fit. Shows how much I know. Ryan is staying in the AFC East by coaching the Buffalo Bills. Maybe he just wanted to stay in the same division as Belichick. And the Jets.