Life and Stuff

Because there are only 8 teams left in the NFL, with the number dwindling even more by the week, expect these columns to be much shorter in the coming weeks. So, what exactly did we learn last week in the NFL playoffs? I'll tell you what I learned. I learned that the New York Giants are one heck of a team on the road. I'm sure that if they could, they'd rather play all of their games away from Giants Stadium. Luckily for them, they will, because they are the only wild card team left in the NFC. That therefore guarantees that they will play away from the Meadowlands for the rest of the season. I also learned, that the Jacksonville Jaguars are a very physical team that is not to be taken lightly, even by the undefeated New England Patriots. I've said all season that the Jaguars have the best running attack in football The Patriots have shown that they have a severe inability to stop the run all season. This was best exemplified by Colts RB Joseph Addai, who ran all over the Patriots in their meeting earlier this year. Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew are two of the premier running backs in the NFL. If they bring their A game, I guarantee you that it will be a long night for the Patriots. The Jaguar defense is a physical bunch as well. If they can isolate Randy Moss and Wes Welker by giving them a few pops, Tom Brady may have a long evening as well. While I still feel the Pats will win, it will be a very hard fought victory because the Jaguars will not be a bunch of pushovers. For more of my observations, refer to the following bullet points.

• Kudos to Vince Young, who took a licking but kept on ticking in the first quarter of Sunday's game. I guess when you're a mobile quarterback you need to be durable.

• The phony LT's numbers for the first half, 7 carries 6 yards. Can you say overrated? But then again, he is a talented player as you'll see later.

• What in the world was Titans defender Albert Haynesworth thinking in the third quarter? It's bad enough to get an offsides penalty on a crucial down, but to get a personal foul because you roughed the passer on the same play is just wrong. Haynesworth's faux pas led to a Charger touchdown, but I think you already knew that.

• I've got to commend Phillip Rivers for picking up the slack when LT was shut down for the majority of the game. He may not be Brady or Favre, but he's proven he's a playoff worthy quarterback.

• Mr. Tomlinson may have had a bad game, but credit him for having the presence of mind to cross the plane of the end zone while taking a smack from the Titans Keith Bullock. The heads up play put the Bolts ahead and clinched their matchup with the Colts on Sunday.

• Phillip Rivers said after the game that the essence of playoff football is to win. You can just throw out the stat sheets, but at long as you find a way to win, you're golden. I couldn't have said it any better myself. Who cares that Mr. Tomlinson only rushed for 42 yards on 21 carries. the aim of the game is to win, and that's what the Chargers did.

• The mindset for the Giants this weekend was this, Jeff Garcia beat us in the playoffs when he was a 49er and an Eagle, the third time has to be a charm.

• Giants RB Brandon Jacobs is tough. To see him plow through Derrick Brooks was an amazing feat in itself.

• Sunday's playoff game was the 40th in the proud history of the New York football Giants. In that time, I ask you who was the first RB to both catch and run for a touchdown in a playoff game. Tiki? His torch was always burnt out by the end of the regular season. Giff? No way. Joe Morris? guess again. Rodney Hampton? Peter Frampton would have been better than him. Ron Dayne? Pullease! The correct answer is Brandon Jacobs, a guy who plays like a superstar in the making.

• The Bucs lost because Garcia constantly overthrew his targets and they could not sustain any offensive momentum that would have led to long drives.

• This was also the Giants first road playoff game since the 1990 NFC Championship in San Francisco. Astute Giants fans will be quick to point what happened at the end of that season, but I think this team is too inconsistent to go all the way.

• While it was a noble effort by the Steelers to almost come back from a large deficit. I think the same speed that the Patriots will have difficulty with tomorrow night did the Steelers in.

• Nothing is as good as the original, and Joe Gibbs the revival wasn't even close to the original. Although Redskin fans have to be happy that he led them to 2 playoff appearances after several lean years. What did the Skins in on Saturday was the missed field goal by Shawn Suisham in the third quarter. A 30 yard field goal is a chip shot for an NFL kicker in any stadium. Suisham's miss opened the flood gates and the Seahawks piled it on from there. Although I must admit that Fred Smoot should have had a touchdown on his fumble recovery. Joe Gibbs got out at the right time, the game has changed too much since he first left and it seemed to me like the time was passing him by.

• Finally, I must ask the question of why on Earth would Pete Carroll go back to the NFL? Carroll is too nice of a guy to fix the sinking ship known as the Atlanta Falcons. At best, Carroll was a mediocre coach in the NFL, but he did win more games after three seasons in New England than Parcells and Belichick did. The bottom line is that Pete Carroll has it too good at USC, he revitalized a proud and powerful program by providing a breath of fresh air and treating his players as people not players first and foremost. In his years at USC, he has won 2 national titles and two Rose Bowls. In short, Pete Carroll is the anti Bobby Petrino, and has already failed as an NFL coach. He's way to successful as a college coach to leave for the pressure of the NFL.
  

• Until next week, I bid you peace.