NFL Playoff Musings

After watching both conference championship games on Sunday (well, napping through the second half of the Saints/Bears fiasco), I have some thoughts that I'd like to share on the NFL playoffs so far.

1) Firstly, contrary to the opinions of many people I've talked to, the Chargers did not choke last Sunday. Choking implies that they couldn't handle the pressure. They were quite simply outplayed by the Patriots, and made a few stupid mistakes; they didn't succumb to the pressure.

I'm a Charger fan, and I think I speak for fellow Charger fans when I say that the city of San Diego should have Drayton Florence tarred and feathered. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this Chargers cornerback, he is number 29, the idiot who channeled the spirit of Zinedine Zidane after the Chargers recovered a Patriots fumble on 3rd and long, and were about to run down the clock in the fourth quarter. He headbutted a Patriots player, got called for a personal foul, gave the Patriots the ball back with 15 extra yards, which resulted in a first down. In short Florence can be blamed more than anything else for the Chargers loss. More than Philip Rivers' inexperience (largely a non-factor in this particular game), Marty Schottenheimer's decision to not kick a field goal on the first drive of the game, or Tom Brady's 2-minute touchdown routine at the end of the first half, Florence can be held responsible for the fact that the Chargers didn't have the chance to host Indy for the conference championship.

#29 should be traded to the Raiders as punishment.

2) The Bears haven't convinced me that a dominant defense can cover up a weak quarterback in the playoffs. Instead, Rex Grossman has convinced me that he isn't the worst quarterback in the league. There was one drive where he displayed what looked like mastery of the football, something that has shown up from time to time during the season. I've always maintained that Rex Grossman is just embattled and lacking in confidence, not actually a bad quarterback, and he displayed that this weekend. In addition, Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson showed that they are capable of taking pressure off of Grossman's shoulders. I think that the Bears finally feel more comfortable letting Benson rumble through on 3rd down instead of asking Grossman to perform in a high-pressure situation.

It's still unclear if the Bears or the Saints were the favorites last Sunday. I'd say that the Saints were the general consensus for favorite, partially because Chicago looked weak against Seattle, but mainly because no one wants to bet against a Cinderella story like that of New Orleans. But sentimentality aside, the Bears are the best team in the NFC, and they deserve to be heading to Miami.

3) That being said, the Indianapolis Colts will win the Super Bowl. Had I not watched the AFC game, I wouldn't be so confident in saying that. But after witnessing the clinic that Peyton Manning put on for the Patriots defense, I feel safe predicting that the Colts high-octane offense will be relatively unimpressed by the Bears' athleticism. The Bears succeeded against the Saints because the Saints are a physically weak team. "The Deuce" got nowhere near loose in the game, and except for one run, they shut down little Reggie Bush. And Drew Brees, for all his 500-yard games, still has a weak arm. The Colts have a much more physical offense and Peyton Manning has the ability to throw right past most of the Bears' pass defense, especially with their safety and cornerback nursing injuries. Really, who thinks that Brian Urlacher, for all his incredible talent, can really cover Colts tight end Dallas Clark? Not me. And I'd put up Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne against any cornerbacks and/or safeties in the league.

For me the wild card is Thomas Jones/Cedric Benson. While the Colts have really stepped up their abysmal run defense in the playoffs, I'm still not convinced that they can stop a team that is determined to keep the ball on the ground.

I'm looking forward to a great Super Bowl matchup. Each team has strengths and weaknesses, and it'll be an exciting game that won't be decided until at least the end of the third quarter when the Bears defense wearies of Peyton Manning's no-huddle offenses.



Finally, I'd like to share with any readers a little halftime tradition that my friends and I have. As soon as the second quarter is over, we hop in my friend's car and go to Taco Bell. The goal is to be back exactly at kickoff of the second half, thus missing the crappy halftime entertainment. Enjoy the game!