Monday, January 25, 2010

Mon AM QB

Colts 30 - Jets 17

What evil hath been wrought? How dost thou deal with a monster of thy own creation? Did Bill Polian shoot himself and the team in the foot, when they made that fateful decision to hand the Jets a victory in Week 16?

These were the questions on every Colt fan's mind in the first half of this ball game.

To the Jets credit, they did what they had to do in the first half, just to have a chance to win the game. They controlled the tempo on both sides of the ball, they executed their game plan with better precision. They played chess better and created an almost unsolvable puzzle for Manning and the Colts' offense.

The blitz was remarkably effective, the coverage was close and tight. The Jets were punching the Colts right in the mouth, even more so than the Chargers last week. And all Indy could do was wipe the blood off of their faces and say: Thank you sir, may I have another?

Momentum was clearly on the Jets side, until Indy's last drive of the first half. That is when I felt it shift, that is when I felt like the puzzle was solved.

This game just goes to show that you can cover Clark and Wayne all day, and still get burned by Collie and Garcon. You can confuse Manning for awhile, but he will eventually see a weakness and openly seek to exploit it. Once the Jets' CB Donald Strickland went down with an injury, Manning and company went right after his replacement.

With all of the attention on the Indy offense, the overlooked squad was certainly the defense. Sure, they gave up some big plays early. But they regrouped and did not quit. They held the heralded Jets' running game to a mere 86 yards and made big plays down the stretch when they needed to most.

All in all, the Jets do not have any reason to hang their heads. They certainly fooled the experts in the post-season. They also have a solid foundation to build on for next year, Sanchez looked very composed for a rookie, and I look for him to develop into an All-Pro QB. I also expect they will challenge New England for the division, next season.

But for now, they are understandably disappointed. The farther you go in the playoffs, the harder it becomes to take a loss. But mark it down, this team will bounce back.

Congratulations to them for a great year and a great AFC Championship game.


Saints 31- Vikings 28

Dirty hits on Favre, multiple turnovers by the Vikings and yet, this was still a great ball game.

Give the old man his due, he is definitely one of the gutsiest players I have ever seen in this game. He took those dirty hits like a man and stayed with the game until the end. But for some odd reason, I suspect this really was his last season.

As to the game, we must address some inarguable truths:

1. Favre was the reason they were in this game, period.

2. Favre was the reason they were in the game late, after all of the careless turnovers.

3. Favre was the reason they lost the game. He had an open field, but went against the grain trying to force something that was not there. How many times have we seen that over his career?

But beyond these three observations, we must not overlook:

4. The turnovers. Minnesota would not have put Favre in the awkward position of carrying a team in the end, had they been able to hang onto the damned ball.

5. I rarely complain about the refs, but these guys stunk up the place. I cannot believe these guys are qualified to officiate a Pop Warner game, much less one in the NFL. They blew call after call by allowing dirty hits on Favre, calling only a couple. And they even got it wrong on instant replay in OT, when it counted the most. If it were up to me I'd fire all of them and I certainly hope they aren't calling the Super Bowl.

But hats off to the New Orleans Saints, they have had a banner year. Brees has shown that he is a top-notch QB and their defense has greatly improved. They will be tough for the Colts to beat.

And now, we can all get ready for the two weeks of seemingly endless hype.


14 comments:

Tom said...

I think Indy will have their hands full in a couple of weeks. The Saints really put a lot of pressure on Favre and company. I personally think that the Vikings lost the game solely on their lack of ball control, i.e., as you so eloquently put it, hanging "onto the damned ball."

I would have liked to see Favre in one more Superbowl, and up against Manning. *sigh*

But it should be a great game if both teams bring their "A" game.

Greg said...

I guess the Jets' game wasn't as big as their boasting. They need to learn to stfu, starting with their head coach. I didn't really think it was much of a game yesterday. The Jets were completely over-matched.

The NFC game was a heck of a game though. I'm with you on the refs - it sucks when that's what we're talking about on Monday morning.

I find it impossible to make a prediction for the SB. Clearly, the best 2 teams are there, so it will probably be a good, close game.

Mary Ellen said...

Are they STILL playing football?

Rocket said...

I take it Greg doesn't like NY teams that much.

Greg said...

rocket: I take it Greg doesn't like NY teams that much.

Not so much. How could you tell? ;)

Actually, there was a lot to like w/ this year's Jets. They reminded me a lot of the '01 Patriots. One exception: running of the mouth. Oh, and a second - they didn't win the SB. :)

Rocket said...

Dudes,

I'm going with the Colts in the SB 35 -17 or 28 - 17 around that area. Manning knows how to thread the need all to well as we saw last night. (my time).

LA won't pronounce because he's nervous about the jinx but this Manning won't crack.

Would have liked ot see the old man get one more but of course he did what he does best. Throw interceptions at the most important moment. His name is Favre. That's French!!!

A.C. McCloud said...

This game just goes to show that you can cover Clark and Wayne all day, and still get burned by Collie and Garcon. You can confuse Manning for awhile, but he will eventually see a weakness and openly seek to exploit it. Once the Jets' CB Donald Strickland went down with an injury, Manning and company went right after his replacement.

Well said. All Collie and Garcon had to do was catch Manning's prevision passes and voila. Their running game helped a bit, too.

LA Sunset said...

//I personally think that the Vikings lost the game solely on their lack of ball control, i.e., as you so eloquently put it, hanging "onto the damned ball."//

Adrian Peterson used to be the best back in the league. Hanging on to the ball is essential to being among the elite RBs. He has clearly lost a step.

LA Sunset said...

//I guess the Jets' game wasn't as big as their boasting. //

I am with you on principle. As you know I am low key when it comes to sports. One of my favorite NBA players was Hakeem Olajuwan. Quiet, determined, he just did it.

But the only way the Jets respond to Ryan, the only way to get the most out of them, was for him to keep them talking smack and have them believe they were the best. That's youth for you and sadly, it's also the way many dictators were able to rise to power.

LA Sunset said...

//I take it Greg doesn't like NY teams that much.//

And Mustang accuses ME of being sarcastic. ;)

LA Sunset said...

//Are they STILL playing football?//

Yes. Yes they are. But it will all end in two weeks and you baseball fans will be seeing the beginning of spring training soon.

LA Sunset said...

//LA won't pronounce because he's nervous about the jinx but this Manning won't crack.//

Any team can beat any team, on any given day. I remember the Bengals would be lucky to finish a season with 4 wins, but 2 of them would be against Pittsburgh, usually with no more than 3 losses and 2 of them to Cincy.

LA Sunset said...

//Well said. All Collie and Garcon had to do was catch Manning's prevision passes and voila.//

For all the stubbornness and arrogance of Bill Polian, he does know talent. He can pick them. Imagine if Gonzalez hadn't gotten hurt, one of these guys doesn't get a shot to do what he did this year.

LA Sunset said...

//Oh, and a second - they didn't win the SB.//

There's still time for them in the coming seasons.