Divisional Round Thoughts

Colts vs. Ravens

Final Score: 15 Indianapolis 6 Baltimore

-First playoff game since 1979 (fourth overall) that did not have a touchdown scored.

-Incredible how the Indy D has turned themselves around. Every sports critic out there was ripping on that run defense week in and week out.

-Bobby Saunders coming back has been monumental. He clearly is one of the more overlooked D-men in the NFL.

-McNair has been in the league far too long to be throwing the INTs he threw today. Defense did their part, now what the offense, Steve?

-Adam Vinatiera has shown that he still is a clutch kicker. 5 for 5, including a 50 yarder. (Any regrets New England)

-Manning struggled, and made some silly INTs, but he got his team down the field when it was needed most. Running a 13 play, 47 yard drive that was over 7 minutes long showed Manning at his best.

-Speaking of struggling, Manning's arch nemesis Tom Brady will be coming to town next week. Will Peyton finally beat him in the playoffs? (Sorry. I don't see it happening.)



Saints vs. Eagles

Final Score: 27 New Orleans 24 Philadelphia

-I knew Jeff Garcia was doing well with Philly, but I really didn't see how good of a QB he was until Saturday night. He has an incredible ability to scramble when the play is dead, also, Garcia showed numerous times great poise. A defensive end was coming right at him and Garcia still stood in the pocket and threw the perfect ball, while taking a big hit.

-I know this is a stretch, but Reggie Bush is similar to Barry Sanders. Sanders would carry the ball and lose yardage a couple times in a row. Then, he would break out for a huge run. Bush showed this quality several times during the game. With him, Saints either lose yardage or gain a lot of it.

-Saints D looked weak. The cornerbacks were constantly being beaten off the ball and even worse, the safeties seemed out of place. Chicago will carve them up the same way if guys like Fred Thomas can not control their respective opponent.

-Dropped INTs. Saints had a couple of those early in the game. Missing opportunities like that will come back to haunt you...as well as getting 2 FGs and no touchdowns. (Am I wrong about that one?)

-Interesting to see how things will be when McNabb gets back. I know he will be the QB, but you can be sure "Garcia" will be chanted once McNabb starts struggling.



Bears vs. Seahawks

Final Score: 27 Chicago 24 Seattle

-Disappointing how poor the field condition is at Solider Field. Saints will be playing the Bears Sunday, but the field is sure to be equally as frustrating as it was today.

-Grossman gets his criticism, but it seems he performs all right when the critics lash out the hardest. His stats were nothing amazing today. Though they were good enough to get the job done. 21/38 282 yards 1 TD 1 INT

-Alexander seems like he's returned to his old form, not Hasselbeck. Since returning from his injury, his performance on the field has taken a great hit. Because of this the team had to rely a lot more on Alexander as oppose to last year when the plays could be mixed up a bit more.



Patriots vs. Chargers

Final Score: 24 New England 21 San Diego

-He is 6th on the all-time wins list, yet Coach Marty Schottenheimer can not win in the playoffs. 5-13 overall and 0-3 as the #1 seed. It really is a shame. Being fired is something not out of the question for Marty. 0-2 in San Diego come playoff time.

-Pathetic how San Diego let this one slip out of their hands. Missed opportunities, dropped punts, and the worst of them all - fumbling the ball after intercepting it.

-I think the most terrifying thing for a defense to prepare for in the NFL is Tom Brady. In the end, you knew Brady was going to win the game, you knew no matter what was necessary he would put his team in position to be victorious.

-Let's face it Rivers didn't play well. 14/32 230 yards, 1 INT. The loss will not be put on his shoulders, but he for sure didn't prove critics wrong. Inexperience was said to be what would separate the winner (Brady) from the loser (Rivers). It did.


BONUS!

Analysis of LSU/Auburn Men's basketball game

-Defense. Coach Brady's teams always strive off of hard D. I am not seeing a lot of that with this year's squad. The worst thing is opponents are constantly getting second chance points.

-Last year Auburn played the Tigers close both times. They were young then, but now seem to be more in sync. The zone defense Coach Lebo had his Auburn team playing suffocated Big Baby all day. Don't be surprised at all if this Auburn team makes a run in the SEC.

-#24 Quan Powell. Good post player for Auburn who had 12 points and 4 rebounds. So why is he up here? Dress code. This guy had his shorts so far down his crack he looked like an idiot out there. Never mind shorts those where pants! I mean you can have long shorts, but there has to be a line. I almost felt like running out on the court and pulling his "shorts" up to his nose.

-Yes, LSU looks like a struggling team, but remember last year it took a while for the engine to get going. The main thing is consistency. One game Temple shoots lights out; the next borderline terrible. The same can be said for Martin, Rolle, Mason and Minor.

-Magnum Rolle gets a lot of criticism. The player I saw Saturday makes a difference when in. Opponents do not seem to shoot as freely in the paint. Also, the guy has had some tough breaks as far as shots go. Have you ever seen so many shots rim out, especially when it was practically a layup? If only Rolle could just stuff the ball down the hoop things would be okay.

-Tack Minor seemed to have played all right. Again silly turnovers because of a silly way of dribbling. It is getting downright dumb that Minor is still carrying the ball the way he does despite being called for traveling for 3 years.

-I am wondering if Coach Brady ever thought that Terry Martin Jr. could be such a big scorer for the team? (Still lousy at free throws) Some nights he is on, others he is completely off.

UCONN: 0 points
0/5 FGs
0/3 3PTs

Alabama: 2 points
1/9 FGs
0/2 3PTs

Auburn: 23 points
8/16 FGs
5/9 3PTs


Let's hope to see more 20 point games...