NFL Playoffs = crapfest

[Betterread]

Originally Posted by Dom Heffner

This analysis is stunning. I guess the other players on the roster have nothing to do with anything. Brady plays both sides of the ball, I guess.

Put Brady on any team in the NFL and that team will win every Super Bowl ever played. He's the best football player ever.

I tell ya, Tom Brady isn't even in the top 5 quarterbacks of all time.

The point I was making with Elway is moot, since they played on grass. I couldn't remember.

So when Green Bay loses, it's the coach's fault, when the Pats lose it's everybody but Brady's fault, but when the Colts lose, Peyton Manning sucks.

That is something that Chris Berman would have us believe.

Brady is great, but not the sole reason the Pats win. Manning is great and not the sole reason the Colts often lose.

We can all learn from the example of Elway. For years he was considered a choker until his team got better. That was a very unfair assessment.

You are only as good as your surrounding cast in many cases. Sometimes good players can get you so far, but ultimately it's a team effort.

"A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player."
John Wooden

[Chip R]

Originally Posted by Chip R

I couldn't care less that the Bengals are out. I'm no Bengals fan. They playe like crap and the Broncos were just a lttle better and the Chiefs were just a little better than that. But what did you think when the Colts go down in KC territory 3 times and go away with just field goals every time? Did you think that was a good offense and the Chiefs were playing excellent defense or did you think the Colts didn't do a good job of sticking it in the end zone? FGs are nice and it's even nicer to have someone who can kick them on a regular basis. But the point of the game is to stick it in the end zone. If the Colts settle for FGs next week, they are going to be in trouble.

Mmmmmmm, crow. Or was that raven?

[GAC]

Originally Posted by MWM

Brady's a great QB, but the Pats are all about Bellicheck.

I disagree with the "all about" part. You still have to have the "playas" who execute.

[MWM]

More crappy football today. How bad if Baltimore's offense to only score 3 points against that defense? I've always thought Steve McNair, although a good QB, was vastly over-rated.

[traderumor]

Indy did exactly what the Bengals did to beat the Ravens, give them long fields all day. The D didn't provide the field position, the Ravens are ordinary on offense and cannot score on their own, even against bad defenses.

[RedFanAlways1966]

Originally Posted by traderumor

Indy did exactly what the Bengals did to beat the Ravens, give them long fields all day. The D didn't provide the field position, the Ravens are ordinary on offense and cannot score on their own, even against bad defenses.

Although Matt Stover did miss a chip-shot (28 yds?) FG when they played at Cincy on that Thursday night right before halftime!

I did notice, and to your point, that Indy tried the same gadget play in which the Bengals used to score their only TD in that win over Baltimore... handoff to Rudi, who pitches back to Palmer, who hits a wide-open T.J. for a touchdown. Indy did not have the same result (they did complete about a 15-yarder for a first down on it), but I'd like to think that they learned that one from the Thursday night game in Cincinnati.

[redsfanmia]

Originally Posted by Chip R

Mmmmmmm, crow. Or was that raven?

Damn and I was going to point it out, you beat me to it.

[redsfanmia]

Originally Posted by MWM

More crappy football today. How bad if Baltimore's offense to only score 3 points against that defense? I've always thought Steve McNair, although a good QB, was vastly over-rated.

The Colts Defense deserves some credit, I know they were terrible in the regular season, but they have stepped it up and had a little something to do with holding the Ravens to 6 points.

[Tony Cloninger]

Elway had no running game until Davis showed up.

I mean really....he had nothing back there to help......Sammy Winder?

During most of the 80's.......the AFC offenses were about throwing the ball and mostly undersized defenses tailored to stop them.

They go against the plodding teams of the NFC and they get pushed around on the DL.....while the NFC defenses beat up on those 1 dimensional offenses (Marino in 1984.....what did the Pats have in 1985?....Elway in 1986)

The SB between WASH and DEN.....Den was favored...by a little ...mainly beacuse the writers did not believe Doug Williams ( "How long have you been a black QB" was 1 of the many excellent questions asked of him during SB week ) could actually lead the team to victory.

I bet 5 people $20 that WAS would win.....beacuse WAS had a big OL and DEN had a small DL and LB's....... even when DEN went up 10-0 .....i thought nothing of it...beacuse WAS ran the ball down DEN throat and made their RB a SB one-hit wonder.

It is not totally Manning's fault when the Colts lose..... but he does seem to play his worst games during a lot of these playoffs..... but today they won in spite of it. I am glad for him......beacuse he at least needs to go to 1 SB before his career is over.

Brady will get a pass for a while considering he has been part of 3 SB winning teams. What is he expected to do.....win them all?

[Mutaman]

Originally Posted by traderumor

Indy did exactly what the Bengals did to beat the Ravens, give them long fields all day. The D didn't provide the field position, the Ravens are ordinary on offense and cannot score on their own, even against bad defenses.

Now you tell me. The Ravens hit new levels in suckitude. Anyhow congradulations Colt fans, the defense was good, and Vinatieri is amazing.

[GAC]

Poor Marty Schottenmeimer. He comes up short again in the post-season. Another Patriot-Colts showdown in the AFC Championship game.

[MWM]

Wow, the Chargers really blew that one. Once again, the New England defense holds the Chargers offense to 7 points in the second half. NE tried to hand them the game, but their DBs would rather talk trash and get a personal foul call on them (what an idiot), and then fumble an interception that would have darn near put an end to the game.

Indianapolis has no chance next week. They'll do what they always do to Ind in the playoffs. I picked New England before the playoffs started to win it all and I'm sticking with them.

[GAC]

Originally Posted by MWM

Wow, the Chargers really blew that one. Once again, the New England defense holds the Chargers offense to 7 points in the second half. NE tried to hand them the game, but their DBs would rather talk trash and get a personal foul call on them (what an idiot), and then fumble an interception that would have darn near put an end to the game.

Indianapolis has no chance next week. They'll do what they always do to Ind in the playoffs. I picked New England before the playoffs started to win it all and I'm sticking with them.

They've been my darkhorse pick for some time.

Poor clock management at the end by Marty IMO to leave them with no TOs, basically taking LT out of the game and having to rely on Rivers alone.

Brady did not have a good game; but when it was needed, came through.

[MWM]

NE is no dark horse. And I like Tom Brady, but they won in spite of him today. When it counted when they were driving down with a chance to tie the game, he threw the ball right to their DB who then fumbled the ball giving them ball on the 30 yard line. Brady's a fantastic QB and has had plenty of great playoff games. Today wasn't one of them. In baseball, luck comes into play all the time. In football, it's rare. Today was one of those rare games and NE got damn lucky. Without that stupid personal foul and that fumbled interception, NE has no chance. Heck, until that game winning FG, the two scores they got out of those plays were the only points they had in the second half.

Although, to be fair, that drive right before halftime by the Patriots was HUGE. And Brady was brilliant in orchestrating that drive. It was a thing of beauty.

[RedFanAlways1966]

Originally Posted by MWM

When it counted when they were driving down with a chance to tie the game, he threw the ball right to their DB who then fumbled the ball giving them ball on the 30 yard line.

That play reminded me of the 2002 NCAA National Championship game at the Fiesta Bowl. Sean Taylor of Miami picked off OSU's Craig Krenzel pass only to have the ball taken away by Maurice Clarett. Got to hand it to Troy Brown for the intentional strip that he did on that SD defensive back after the pick. It was a key play... if not the most important play for NE. Just like that play by Clarett in 2002 for OSU.

Schottenheimer really blew it IMO. The use of that timeout on the afore-mentioned play with a review was idiotic. I am not sure if someone upstairs told him to do it or not, but it was an obvious fumble. You could see it was a fumble as it happened (no instant replay needed). As luck would have it that timeout was really needed. Not only that, but when SD completed their first pass on the last drive for a 1st down, they should have spiked the ball. Instead they took about 20 seconds getting setup and then completed a 4-yard pass to keep the clock running. Terrible clock management and the reason for a 54-yd field goal attempt.