By Paul Gotham
No Surrender
Not much was certain prior to the Jets – Bengals meeting. Were the Bengals playing possum the previous week when they fell 37-0 to the Jets? If so or if not, how would AFC North champion respond? How would rookie Mark Sanchez perform in his first playoff game? Is the Jets’ defense for real?
No – not well – pretty well – and yes.
Rex Ryan’s Jets showed they do not know how to retreat.
The Jets managed just 48 yards on 16 plays in the game’s first quarter. Ex-Jet Laveranues Coles spotted the Bengals a lead on an 11-yard pass from Carson Palmer.
From there Mark Sanchez did what the Jets needed him to do – limit the damages. Shonn Greene scampered 39 yards to tie the score early in the second quarter. Sanchez hooked up Dustin Keller on a 45-yard pass and the Jets never looked back en route to 24-14 win.
Sanchez finished 12-15 for 182 yards, with one touchdown, and ZERO interceptions. The Jets did not turn the ball over at all.
The Jets’ defense held the Bengals to 281 yards of total offense including 110 through the air. New York caught a break early when Coles fumbled on the Jets 30.
Chad Johnson proved himself as more hype than substance. The Bengal receiver finished with two catches for 28 yards. #85’s performance probably should not have come as any surprise. He finished with 72 catches for the year – 26th in the league – for 1,047 yards – 20th in the league. Hey Chad! His name is Darrelle Revis. How do you like him?
“Blood brothers in the stormy night with a vow to defend – No retreat no surrender.”
Under My Thumb
Six to two – that is the number of touchdowns to interceptions Tony Romo has thrown in the recent four game winning streak for the Dallas Cowboys.
Excuse me for a minute.
Yeah, sorry about that. I had a little vomit in my mouth.
78 to 30 – that is how much the Cowboys outscored the Eagles in three games this season – all victories for the Cowboys. How did the Giants beat the Cowboys twice?
Are the Cowboys really good? Or, are the Eagles suddenly bad? 58-14 the last two weeks? Call the Eagles a bunch of wet rags. Call them old dolls. Call them pinatas. Call them whatever you like, the Cowboys threw them around.
To make things worse for the Eagles, the Cowboys actually committed more penalties 14-9.
As expected, the Eagles gained just 56 yards on the ground. Philly outgained Dallas through the air, 284-228, but four turnovers doomed the Eagles. No, two of eleven third down efficiency doomed the Eagles. No, giving up 198 yards on the ground doomed. Wait, maybe the Cowboys doomed the Eagles.
Whatever way you look at it, the Cowboys have the Eagles under their thumb.
“Down to me, the change has come…under my thumb.”
Won’t Get Fooled Again
The last time New England lost a playoff game at home, oil derricks adorned the helmets of the NFL team from Houston – a streak that covered 10 games.
Prior to Sunday, New England had never lost to Baltimore. Ever. The Pats were 5-0 against The Ravens including a 27-21 victory earlier this season.
New England was undefeated at home this season.
Baltimore showed they would not be tricked again.
All of that history was thrown out the window as easily and as quickly as Ray Rice sprinted 83 yards to day light – ON THE FIRST PLAY FROM SCRIMMAGE! Little did the football world know, the game could have ceased right there. Fans of New England might have been happy if it had. Baltimore gave Tom Brady the third degree picking three of his passes, sacking him three times and knocking down the Patriot QB three more times.
“I’ll tip my hat to the new constitution. Take a bow for the new revolution.”
Born To Run
In a game that saw the Green Bay Packers have more comebacks than Evander Holyfield (or that quarterback that wears #4) it was a play made just when things seemed to be going the Pack’s way that decided it.
Green Bay recovered from a 21 point second half deficit only to fall behind seven with less than five minutes to play. Not to be denied Aaron Rodgers connected with Spencer Havner for the tie.
Then things seemed to turn.
Neil Rackers missed a chip shot that would have given the Cardinals the game. Green Bay won the coin toss in overtime.
Just like that, things changed again. Michael Adams sacked Rodgers. The ball came loose. Karlos Dansby recovered it, and the Cardinals advanced.
This game will be remembered for: 96 total points – a new NFL playoff record, 1,024 combined yards, countless highlight reel clips on offense and a whole lot of running up and down the field.
On a random note – ever wonder what a graduation ceremony at the University of Phoenix is like?
“Chrome wheeled, fuel injected and stepping out over the line.”
Local Hero
Four of next weekend’s quarterbacks developed their game at small schools: Kurt Warner (Northern Iowa), Tony Romo (Eastern Illinois), Joe Flacco (Delaware) and Brett Favre (Southern Mississippi).
Looking ahead
Cardinals at Saints: What is the over / under for this game?
Ravens at Colts: Stopping Tom Brady is one thing. Stopping Peyton Manning? The Colts rushing game is last in the league.
Cowboys at Vikings: If there is such a thing as home field advantage the Metrodome is the place. Minnesota fans are still looking for revenge. Maybe Drew Pearson and Nate Wright should serve as honorary captains for this one.
Jets at Chargers: How good is that Jet defense?
Got any NFL splinters? Share them here.
It was not very long ago (a matter of weeks) when the Eagles were flying high and the Cowboys were left for dead. Tony Romo wasn’t the QB of the future, Wade Phillips was sure to be run out of town, and Jerry Jones was upset. Today, the Cowboys are everybody’s favorite to make a playoff run. Tony Romo is gold. Wade is basically locked in as next year’s coach. In Philly, questions arise about McNabb’s future.
I can’t figure out if this makes the NFL phony or exciting. Perhaps it’s the media hype and intense analysis. I guess I could be swayed either way. I suppose the NFL could be exciting when a 9-7 team (Jets) limps in the playoffs with a below average QB and win a road playoff game by sticking to the fundamentals of football (run the ball, stop the run). But, it’s the other side of the coin in this argument that could make this same example phony. For instance, if I told you that your starting QB stats for the season were this:
196 for 364, 2444 yards, 53.8% completion, 12 TD’s to 20 INTS, sacked 26 times.
You’d probably tell me that your team is not doing so hot. In the modern day NFL, QB’s are put in a position to thrive with so many of the rules heavily favoring offensive passing attacks.
This is just a quick analysis that leads back to my question. Is the NFL phony or exciting? I can’t decide.
In response to your question, I think the NFL does a great job of playing up the hot stories. There are 3 major pregamegame broadcasts, 1 hour on Fox, 1 hour on CBS, and 2 hours on ESPN. They have to find new stories to do each week and most of them are about something that is immediately occuring that week. Some are long term, but most are short term.
This is also the extent of the average fan’s knowledge of the game. Not everyone is as well-tuned to the entire sports scene as the many fine voices on this site. The average sports fan is not discussing Duke’s loss to Georgia Tech or the most recent win streak by the Buffalo Sabres. Everyone is talking about the NFL playoffs and even my mother (bless her heart) knows that the Cowboys won and McNabb lost. This is the hot story, this is the hot angle, this is what the average fan can connect to and join in the discussion of, therefore that’s what is going to be played out on the endless amount of analysis shows.
Paul, nice album covers and song quotes by the way. I like that twist.
Since I did not participate last week in predictions (didn’t know we were doing that) and I commented on those that did, I figure I’ll throw myself out there this week and let people say what they may about my picks. I’m going with the #1 seeds in each game.
Peyton Manning is awesome at home, he’ll be composed and I’m not sold on the Ravens corner play or underneath coverage abilities where Dallas Clark does a lot of work.
As good as the Cowboys are playing, I look for a quick start by Minnesota who has had the 2 weeks off. However, I do think that if Minnesota does not start fast and falls behind, this is the game that I think the lower seed can pull out.
I think Drew Brees and the Saints at home will come out firing like they did 5 weeks ago. Sean Payton will have a solid offensive game plan with interestingly designed plays that will expose the Cardinals defense with play action and misdirection. The Saints, if they’re smart, will take away the Cardinals deep and seem routes. They are at home and that’s enough for at least 2 defensive stops which might be all that the Saints need in this sure to be high-scoring affair.
Chargers might be the best team in football right now. Defensive stars at each level, and offensive weapons everywhere and a QB who loves to win and will sell his soul to the devil to do so. Just my opinion based on his body language and attitude. (Don’t get me wrong, I like Rivers).
There’s what I have to say on those games…go ahead, pick all you like…
Ah yes, the wisdom and energy on the Pine. I love it. Dan and Chris – great stuff. Chris, I love the fact that the Jets can survive in the pass happy league. I might even cheer for Gang Green because of that.
Dan – glad you enjoyed the lyrics and album covers. It’s the NFL as interpreted by Rock ‘n’ Roll. Rivers is definitely gritty. Norv Turner would get his own redemption if he can lead this team to the Super Bowl.
What? No takers on the University of Phoenix graduation ceremonies? 🙂
Casey —
IF “defense wins chan’ships”, then the Ravens and Jets are your picks.
What happened to the Packers? Weren’t they ranked near the top in total defense?
Okay … helmet sticker on the U of P question!
Wally,
The sound you just heard was me exhaling.
Here goes again and, yes, this is a copy and paste:
Look at it this way. Offense is like a road. There are some that reach a dead end. Others are side streets that connect busier thoroughfares. Some stretch for miles and miles. The further a road stretches, the better the chance that road will reach a body of water. At this point, the road needs a bridge to get to the other side. Now, some bridges are the like the one lane I traverse daily on Gillette Road – I admit I cuss that thing out from time to time, but that is another story. Other bridges are like Veterans Memorial over the picturesque Genesee River gorge (Let’s hear it for Rochester). Then there is the Golden Gate Bridge. You can dress up that road however you like – put in a fancy median, add some antique light fixtures, whatever you like. But if you don’t have a bridge or two, it won’t matter because you will need a tow truck when you do a nose dive. As your vehicle is being pulled from those muddy waters, you’ll be questioning: where was the bridge?
By now, I’m sure you guessed, defense is the bridge. That’s right. Your offense can go a long way, but eventually you are going to need a “Bridge Over Troubled Waters.” Maybe it only happens once. Maybe the defense is as famous as the Golden Gate which over shadows the route it connects. Doesn’t matter. if you don’t have a bridge or two, your road can only go so far.
Now, you can continue to assess 21st century football by comparing numbers to the 1970s. Far be it from to tell you what to do. All I know is college and pro pigskin have decided that offense sells. You know, that whole “chicks dig the long ball” sort of mindset. So it isn’t easy to pick out the influence of defense, but it is there. Trust me it is there.
As for the Packers – do you think it might have to do with their schedule? They played the Bears and Lions twice, the Rams, Browns, Seahawks, Cardinals (without Warner), and the Cowboys before they got hot. Stats are only good if you put them in context.
As for the Ravens – Ray Lewis is my least favorite player in the NFL.
Offense wins games; defense wins championships. It is a theory, an abstraction. You can not take a single game out of context to disprove the idea.
Sorry Wally, but the proof for Casey’s point is the Indianapolis Colts. For all of the great teams they have had (offense, anyways), the only championship they have to show for all of that great offense is when their offense was overshadowed for a brief stretch by their DEFENSE, and that got them the Super Bowl. My Pats help prove it as well- beating the “Greatest Show on Turf” but losing to the Giants to end the perfect run- both times the offense gave way to the defense…
And my Pats sure were painful to watch last weekend…uugghhhhllllyyyy…
Muels —
For every champ you can bring up that was defense oriented, I can name one that was offensively oriented (same Kurt Warner Rams team). So as another more legit data point … after this weekend’s games … let’s take a look at the 4 survivors and see how they stack up statistically in terms of league ranks in total offense and total defense. Let’s see what the data tells us.
And oh by the way … for the record AGAIN … my position is that it’s BOTH offense and defense than win chan’ships … not exclusively one or the other. I think it’s balanced excellence that usually gets ‘er done.
Wally – that Super Bowl? The one the Rams won. What happened on the last play of that game?
Oh and did you even try to read what is written above?
Case y–
Do you REALLY want to talk about 1 play?!? Are you SERIOUS!?!?!?
Then talk about the Steelers last play with seconds left last year to win the frickin’ game … it was the perfect offensive play … couldn’t have been defended any better. But we all know the Steelers are keyed by their D, so pointless to use just one play … or one game.
Does anyone REALLY believe the Colts won their SB (vs Bears) because of a “great defense”??? Get a clue? Take Manning off that team and they don’t even make the playoffs!!!! And our local Pop Warner team could stop a Rex Grossman led offense.
Oh … and that gibberish is a bridge to nowhere …
so let’s take a look at the 4 survivors Sunday and see if we can spot anything that ACTUAL DATA would suggest.
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
psst….hey wally …actual data is not what WE are looking at.
But good discussion IS what we are looking for…
Wally- I love this topic!
What we really need, Casey, is a “bridge” that can help us quant types understand you English majors. Better be a REAL looooooooooooooooooong one, too. Maybe you can dream about it … or have a vision … maybe an abstract … then write about it … and then we’ll still have …. NOTHING!
Ha!