The Monday Morning Longsnapper

Credit Where Credit Is Due Edition

Jordan did have this game picked right, but, most people didn't give the Cardinals much of a chance in this game.  Most people didn't give the Cardinals credit a week ago, in Carolina.  Some even doubted their chances to beat the young Falcons, two weeks before that.  And now, for the third week in a row, they've shut us all up.  Except for Jordan.

What most people doubted (if I can confidently speak for the masses) was Arizona's defense.  People questioned whether or not a defense that was in the bottom five in the NFL in points allowed would be able to slow the Eagles.  Now, no one was confusing the Eagles with an offensive juggernaut but for whatever reason, we (at least, I) felt like stopping Atlanta and Carolina in consecutive weeks was merely happenstance.

Crushing DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart (not to mention making Jake Delhomme look like he was 70 years old) just wasn't enough to convince people.  Neither, apparently, was derailing another 2009 elite running back in Michael Turner and forcing 3 turnovers out of Matt Ryan.  Wasn't enough.  

Too soft, not a big game defense.

Then, they went up 21-6 in the first half, forced Donovan McNabb to make throws he didn't want to make, and generally had the heat on the Eagles in that first half.  Things certainly slowed down a bit in that third quarter for the Cards defense, but, the '85 Bears they ain't.  

The simple truth is that the Cardinals, lead by Jesus Christ and his lone disciple Kurt Warner, are a good team.  They weren't a good team all season, they were never the best team at any point in the season.  But, unfortunately for the Panthers and Giants and Eagles and any other team in the NFC, that's just not how it works.  

• Eagles Fans:  That wasn't a missed pass interference call on your second to last pass of the season.  Two things, Kevin Curtis (still my man), was falling down anyway, and McNabb's pass was offline as it was.  Not a PI, sorry.
• Some part of me feels good for the Cardinals.  If I had told you, two years ago, that in the same sports year, the "Devil" Rays would be playing in the World Series, and the Cardinals would be playing in the Super Bowl, there's no way you'd have believed me.  What's next, are the Nationals going to beat the Globetrotters?  Has the world gone completely mad?  Let me guess, the economy's going to tank too, and we're going to have a black president, right?  Sure...
• Brian Westbrook has to be more hurt than he lets on, because when you look back at the three games he played in, he really only had one play of note which was the long screen pass in the Minnesota game.  That was about it.  Average or bad the rest of the way.
• Players that probably wish they didn't play football professionally on Sundays:  Corey Ivy, Willis McGahee (ankle), Willis McGahee (neck)...and anyone else on Troy Polamalu's side of the field at any given time.
• On that note, obviously you hope McGahee comes out OK from the scare he got on the field yesterday.  I've never been a big fan of him, especially after his comments regarding night life in Buffalo, but the kid's tough.  He tore up basically everything possible in his knee in college, was banged up this year, and now this neck injury.  Word was he was moving his arms and legs and speaking easily, so those are obviously good signs.
• The score may have been close, but Baltimore wasn't really in the game as much as it may have seemed.  They seemed to be waiting on a big play, which Joe Flacco has been able to deliver fairly often.  But, against this Steelers D it just wasn't to be.  I expected him to fold completely after the early interception, but to his credit he held it together.  The pressure he never seemed to get a break from, the nearly flawless downfield coverage his receivers faced--it was just too much.  The Steelers D isn't particularly flashy, but they just hit you hard, and often and right in the mouth.
• Lastly, Limas Sweed, if you ever, ever, ever ever ever ever ever (sorry got sick of using commas) drop a pass again like the one at the end of the first half where you're wide open with a chance to blow open the game, I will personally come to Pittsburgh and smack the hell out of you.

Everything You Need To Get Ready for Wild Card Weekend

Saturday Edition

The first round of playoff football is finally upon us, after 17 weeks of watching battling, and playoff jockeying, and eventual choking, the supposed cream of the crop, the league's best 12, have risen to the top.  Eight of them square off this weekend, in a battle for the right to move on to face teams that are way, way better than them.

Falcons (+1) @ Cardinals

First of all, if you saw this one coming, pat yourself firmly and squarely on the back.  Matter of fact, have someone else do it so you don't have to do any more work.  Well done.

Second of all, this one should be a fun one, if only because it's something new.  Don't get me wrong, Colts/Chargers is compelling, and has provided great playoff drama in the past.  However, as most baseball fans agree, Yankees/Red Sox games get a little boring after the 100th time.  Point is, this game features some new playoff blood, both teams haven't been here in a bit.  Both teams feature offenses that can put up points in an absolute hurry.  

The rub, as they say in the movies, comes from two pointed differences in these two teams. First, both are quite prone to giving up yards, however, the Cards are in the bottom 5 in the league in points allowed per contest at just under 30.  The other problem Arizona faces is that they couldn't have played much worse football down the stretch of the season to "tune up" for the playoffs.  After a hot 7-3 start, the Cardinals dropped four of six, and at least 35 points in every loss.

Atlanta, on the other hand, finished the season 5-1, with impressive victories against Carolina and Tampa Bay, and at Minnesota and at San Diego.  We all know that Matt Ryan's a rookie QB, and how rare that is for him to be starting a playoff game (only 3 other guys have done it, and one was Shaun King).  That said, he hasn't Joe Flacco'd his way through this season.  Ryan's had to carry an offense at times, not simply manage it.  And, as the team's success indicates, he's done a pretty damn good job.  With such a small line, I'm going with Atlanta, behind one of the league's best new running backs Michael Turner and star rookie QB Matt Ryan.

Scott's Pick: Falcons  Jordan's Pick: Falcons

Colts (-1) @ Chargers

Before we get into this one, is there a more blatant example that the idea of division winners getting automatic home field in the first round is absolutely moronic?  Here's a San Diego team that backed into the playoffs, largely due to Denver's never ending, confounding incompetence.  All Indy's been doing since Week 9 is winning, plain and simple.

Then again though, LaDainian Tomlinson did look mighty spry against that Denver D.  Now, that is a swiss cheese defense, no one's doubting that, but, for the first time in a while, LT looked like his old self again, making cutbacks, exploding into the open field. Indy's been susceptible to the run game this year (122 ypg), so if Tomlinson's feeling good again, this one could be swung to the home team.

Still though, it is hard to pick against a team that's won nine straight and has the league MVP, unless, you're negative and you're constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop.  

But, if we may for just a second, let's take a look at that nine game winning streak.  Credit where credit is due, Indy did beat Pittsburgh on the road and New England at home.  However, of the other seven games, not one was against a winning record (if you take out a meaningless win against Tennessee in the final week of the season).  Houston, San Diego, Cleveland, Cincy, Detroit and Jacksonville all had under-500 records at the time they faced the Colts.  Cleveland, Cincy, Detroit and Jacksonville just happen to be four of the worst teams in the NFL.  Not so impressive now, huh?

And so, I'm going with San Diego, if only because I want to see a last gasp effort out of LT and finally see Philip Rivers get some credit.  He had the year of his life, and it's not nearly talked about as much as it should be.  I expect he and LT to step up big time, because they're going to need it in this one. 

Scott's Pick:  Chargers  Jordan's Pick:  Colts

The Monday Morning Longsnapper

Cancel Your Playoff Plans Edition

If you live in New York (and wear green and white), Denver, Dallas, or Tampa, you've got to be extremely disappointed with your football teams' efforts.  There's no true way to describe how awful these teams played, not just this past week, but over the last quarter of the season.

It's honestly even hard to pin one down as the worst choke job of them all.  

Tampa has to be up there, losing four in a row to close the season, allowing more than 30 points  per game in that stretch (which just included a home loss to Oakland and Walter Payton...sorry, Michael Bush).

The Jets would have to get serious consideration, too.  They join the Bucs as the only two teams to start out at least 8-3 and not make the playoffs since 2002, and the advent of the current four division set up.  Road losses to the dregs of the league in Seattle and San Fran obviously don't help anyone's cause.  Neither does Brett Favre saving his absolute worst stretch of the season for the end (2 TDs to 9 INTs in the final 5 weeks).

Denver is just bad, plain and simple.  Good teams don't give up 52 points.  Good teams don't lose home games to Oakland and Buffalo in the same calendar year.  Good teams don't lost to Kansas City, anywhere.

And last, Dallas.  If you're really surprised by this latest Dallas collapse, then you've mysteriously either missed out on the last few seasons of awful Decembers for the Boys, or, you refuse to believe it could happen again.  Can Tony Romo have a full good season before people anoint him as anything other than an average QB?  As far as I see it, he's a guy that gets injured too often and has a real hard time winning games either in December or January or any other time labelled as "big".

• You think Pittsburgh's rethinking playing Ben Roethlisberger after watching him take a beating that lead to his leaving the game with a concussion?  Maybe, but, that sort of thing happens sometimes.  If it had happened in the third quarter, there's beef.  As it is now, that bye week should be enough.
• Stat of the Day:  the Browns haven't scored an offensive TD since Nov. 17th.  That's a string of 6 games to close the year, without one.  So long, Romeo.
• Whether or not you're from the New York area (in fact, unless you root for the Jets), you've got to be happy for Chad Pennington.  After being let loose for the golden goose, he latched on with a one win team, and most people in the NY area figured never to hear from him again, at least not with anything serious on the line.  To have him come into the final game of the season in the Meadowlands, and not only beat his former team, but kick them out of the playoffs...Mmmm, revenge is sweet.
• Who says the one-running back systems are dead?  Don't tell that to Michael Turner.  First full season in the books, pretty darn good.  Nearly 17-hundred yards, 17 TDs and two 200+ yard games.  And, oh yeah, he lead the league in carries.
• Of course, this wouldn't be complete without a reference to the now infamous Detroit Lions.  At one point during the broadcast, the Detroit announcers referred to the roster as the worst roster in the NFL.  The final call went something to the effect of "16 times the Lions thought this Sunday was theirs, 16 times, they were wrong".  Obviously, this isn't just a one year problem.  Those of you thinking this year's Lions will be next year's Miami--not so fast.  Detroit's lost 97 games over the past 8 seasons.  Getting rid of that clown Millen is a great start, but, from there, it's truly anyone's guess.  I don't root for Detroit, nor do I truly care how they do.  But, for their own sake, could they at least work at not being the biggest joke in the league?  Until that point, get them off the Thanksgiving Day game.  If 0-16 doesn't kick you off that game, nothing will.
• Houston is on the brink of something big.  Maybe it'll just take Matt Schaub to be healthy for the whole season.  Maybe another year of dominance from Mario Williams.  Who knows?  But, they're going to be good, and real quick.

Special season wrap up edition of the Longsnapper coming mid-week.

The Monday Morning Longsnapper

• If there was ever more proof needed that Bill Belichick is, in fact, a truly dislikable human, it was when, with his Patriots up by 29 with under three minutes left, he challenged a 4th down conversion for the Raiders.  JaMarcus Russell threw a short pass to Chaz Schilens, one that, if it was a close game, probably wasn't enough to warrant the yardage for the first down.  Either way, the officials gave the Raiders a favorable spot, and Billy Boy wasn't going to let that go without a fight.  Thankfully, the play was upheld.
• It's official:  running back is the most easily replaceable position in the NFL.  LaDainian Tomlinson's backup leaves a career as as second stringer behind to head to Atlanta, and now Michael Turner has over 1,400 rushing yards this year.  Marion Barber goes down with an injury, his unknown backup, Tashard Choice has averaged nearly 90 yards per in his last two games filling in.  In Denver, Ryan Torain, before going down with an ACL-tear, rushed at 5.7 clip in the first half of his first start.  Peyton Hillis, before he went down for the season, was averaging over 5 a pop in his last four games, with 5 TDs.In Pittsburgh, when Mewelde Moore's gotten the chance to start, he's averaged 90 yards a game. Word to the wise if you're an RB:  don't get hurt, ever.
• Houston with an obvious upset, right?  Not as much as you'd think.  Last year, Houston lost to Tennessee twice, but held their own each time.  Not to mention, Houston's got the best WR in the league in Andre Johnson (just ask Nick Harper, he's got AJ's cleat marks up and down his chest).  And, the Texans came in winners of three in a row.  Also, I know I'm not the only one that doesn't think Jeff Fisher's gang is that good anyway.
• Speaking of not that good, is LaDainian Tomlinson the next Shaun Alexander (maybe he should have taken more time protecting his career?)?  That's probably a bit extreme, but, don't be surprised if you've seen the very best of the former Horned Frog.  His toe injury that's limited him all season hasn't gone away, and, sadly, it appears his electric cutback abilities may have Bison Dele'd.