What We Learned From Wild Card Weekend

The first thing that we learned this weekend is that this year’s wild card games were incredibly boring. Not just the games, but many of the teams that played in those games. It would be tough to find someone who said that the Cardinals/Packers game wasn’t the best, so we’ll start in Arizona.

You can forget about the dream of seeing Favre vs. Packers one more time this year in the playoffs. Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay gave it everything they had, but the Cardinals proved to be too much in overtime. What really stood out to me in this game was Rodgers’ first pass of overtime, an overthrow to Greg Jennings that looked like a sure touchdown, and if nothing else would have immediately put them into field goal range. The main lesson that came from the Cardinals 51-45 win is that Arizona is a very hot/cold team. When they are hot, and Kurt Warner is playing like he did Sunday with more touchdowns than incompletions, it’s going to be very tough to beat them. However, Arizona is also just as likely to forget to show up for a game and lose by 20+.

The other Sunday game got ugly in a hurry as the Baltimore Ravens defeated the New England Patriots 33-14. The Ravens came into this game determined to give the Patriots their first opening round playoff loss in the Belichick/Brady era, and succeeded. While the Ravens played great, what many will take away from this game is that the Patriots dynasty is officially over. Sure, they have the talent to be successful year in and year out, but no longer will we see them annihilating the competition on the road to the Super Bowl. I see their near future to be similar to a team like the Philadelphia Eagles, good but not great.

The Jets vs. Bengals game lacked excitement, if for nothing else, because of the two teams’ playing styles. Both are more power running, grind-it-out football teams, which just doesn’t make for great entertainment to the average fan. The Jets however did come away with a 24-14 win, which will provide us with one more week of Rex Ryan telling us all how the Jets are the best team to ever play before they eventually get eliminated by the Chargers. Enjoy this week Rex!

Also on Saturday night the Cowboys defeated the Philadelphia Eagles for the second straight week and will travel to Minnesota next weekend to take on the Vikings. This game also lacked excitement, but it was great to see Tony Romo and the Cowboys finally get that playoff win. This is a dangerous Dallas team if they get going, so Minnesota needs to be on alert.

All of this leads us to next week. I think that this year’s group of 1 and 2 seeds is so talented that it’s going to be tough to see any upsets. Arizona at New Orleans has the potential to be a good game, or a blowout if the Saints play like they’re capable of. One thing’s for sure, the Super Dome will be rocking as the best fans in the NFL become the 12th man. In my opinion the matchup of the Ravens at Colts on Saturday night will provide the best game. The Ravens defense is playing well and could give Peyton Manning as much trouble as any, but at the end of the day, it’s Peyton Manning and I think he’ll come through. Sunday means Dallas at Minnesota and Jets at Chargers. After losing their previous two games, Minnesota fired on all cylinders against the Giants in Week 17 to head into the playoffs hot. Brad Childress responded by giving the veteran Vikings this whole week off. Now it’s back to business as they prepare for the Cowboys and I don’t see them losing this game. Despite Rex Ryan’s statements otherwise, the Jets are the worst team in this playoff group. Their gameplan will be simple, run the ball and play great defense. Of course the Chargers know this, and their gameplan will also be simple, make rookie QB Mark Sanchez beat us, which I don’t think he can do at this stage in his career. If I had to pick an upset, I’d go with one of the Saturday games, but if the top seeds play like they’re capable, none of these games should be close.

Peyton Manning: Simply The Best

Over the weekend, Peyton Manning was honored with his fourth NFL MVP Award. This gives Manning more MVPs than any player to ever play the game. Two weekends before, Manning became the youngest quarterback to ever throw for 50,000 yards and the fourth ever along with Elway, Marino, and Favre.

Peyton Manning’s brilliance is something that I feel gets overlooked today. Sure, everyone recognizes him as a great quarterback, but I feel like future generations are going to appreciate him more than the people that actually watched him play. The reason for this, I believe, is that there is so much talent at quarterback in the NFL today. This generation of quarterbacks have several guys who aren’t necessarily historically amazing, but have an opportunity to be remembered long after they’re done playing. This list includes McNabb, Roethlisberger, and Brees (who granted, has put up historic numbers). We have young QBs who have the chance to be very good, including Stafford, Ryan, Flacco, and Sanchez. And we have the guy who will always compete with Peyton as this generation’s best, Tom Brady.

Brady is a phenomenal player, you won’t find anyone who would say otherwise. And of course, Brady’s biggest advantage when it comes to being remembered as a historic QB are his three Super Bowl rings. But Peyton Manning is just flat out GOOD. Not only good but he is a hands down better quarterback than everyone else. Peyton has it all, the arm, the touch, the smarts, the consistency, and the intangibles. On top of that all, he works harder than anyone else in the league perfecting his craft.

As fans I think we all need to make an attempt to appreciate Peyton Manning while he is playing because we will certainly miss him when he’s gone. He may not get all of the credit he deserves because more of it is being spread around than ever, but make no mistake about it, there will not be another QB quite like Peyton Manning again in our lifetimes. Let’s hope the Colts keep things going in the playoffs so we can have a longer look this season at the greatness that is Peyton Manning.

Pete Carroll To Seattle And What He Leaves Behind At USC

All signs have pointed to the marriage between Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks to be a done deal. The contract has been reported at 5 years and worth an incredible $35 million. Carroll will also take over as team president, a stated must for any team looking to lure him away from the dynasty he has continued to build at USC. The reasons he is leaving are obvious. First and foremost, there’s the money. Carroll will go from making around $4 million per year at USC to $7 million in the NFL. However everyone who follows sports knows that Carroll could have easily used the Seahawks’ offer as leverage to negotiate a richer contract at USC, though it is doubtful the university would have gone all the way to match the offer from Seattle. So with that, we can gather that Carroll either wanted a new challenge, was scared of future NCAA sanctions that could be imposed on USC for their recruiting violations (most recently with Joe McKnight), or a combination of both.

Regardless of why he left, the bottom line to USC and college football now is that he’s gone. Leaving behind an incredible legacy and one of, if not the most traditionally desired coaching job in the country. This leads me to my next question. How does USC replace Pete Carroll? Ok the names that have been tossed around are fine, but this is Pete Carroll you’re replacing. If you are USC, you cannot afford to get this hire wrong, but with the threat of sanctions, you don’t present the value that you should. The name that is brought up most in connection with the job is Mike Riley, the head coach at Oregon State. Riley is a USC alum and a good coach, he figures to be at the top of the list. Also on that list are Jacksonville Jaguars coach Jack del Rio, Boise State head coach Chris Peterson, and Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh (who just signed an extension with Stanford but those mean nothing in college athletics these days). Of course these potential coaches may have a recipe for disaster if they come to USC and have to deal with the Trojans’ high hopes mixed with the harsh reality of NCAA sanctions.

When USC is winning, there is no better place in the world to coach, but if they are not, the university may be looking for another head coach in just a few more years. Coaches beware.