Colts vs. Ravens
Defense vs. Offense. The Poster QB vs. the Poster Linebacker. The Hated Moving Truck Colts back in Baltimore. A lot of interesting storylines in this battle.
Steve McNair Big Game QB
Steve McNair has 5 playoff victories under his belt, aka more than Peyton Manning, and is viewed by all as a clutch playoff performer. But is that necessarily true, his career passing numbers are not very impressive, 6 tds to 9 ints, and while his 6 additional rushing tds add some pep to his performances, this is not the Steve McNair of 2000, this is the Steve McNair whose suffered injury after injury for 7 consecutive seasons, his legs are not as big a weapon as they once were.
Dungy Factor
During his time with both Tampa Bay and Indy, Tony Dungy has amounted a total of 6 wins. 6-8 if you must know the exact record. How many of those wins have come on the road, 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs, aka a team with no defense, during the 2003 season. So as a Colt fan what would give you the great idea that this Tony Dungy squad, the one with no run defense for 16 weeks, is going to be different. In humorous Dungy news, go to Google Images and look up Tony Dungy, 90% of his pictures are with him and his arms folded over in the "Man I have no idea why we suck" face.
Joseph Addai
Joseph Addai has emerged in the 2nd half of the season as more than just a warm body to fill in the absent shoes of Edgerrin James. Addai must be effective audible situations when Peyton sees the Ravens loading up on the pass and changes the play to a run. If neither Addai or Rhodes play well on saturday that puts the entire weight of the game on Peyton Manning's shoulders and that hasn't worked out so well for the Colts in past playoff games.
Runaway Truck
So what are the chances of the Colts shutting down the run two weeks in a row? Closer to 1 in 10 or zero? Will Jamal Lewis rush for better than his seasonal 3.6 yards per carry? If you're a Raven fan you have to hope so. Jamal is bigger than basically every Colt other than Booger McFarland, one would hope he is good enough to break some tackles.
All Weight Back on His Shoulders
Peyton got away with one and he knows it. In his head he's got to be thinking that any other 3 interception game and the Colts are bounced. But I bet his performance from last week relaxes him, it's really the first Colt playoff victory in which he hasn't thrown an exorbitant amount of touchdown passes. I think he comes into Baltimore and performs well despite the fact he's playing a much more talented defense. Alteast they do not have Ty Law.
The Pick
Everything here is screaming pick the Ravens, homefield, better defense, a reliable and proven playoff QB (especially in comparison to past Ravens QBs), but the gut isn't listening to the brain. I just feel like this is the year that everybody counts out the Colts, because their defense is terrible, when it's always been terrible, and Peyton comes up with a big game and they prove everyone wrong, well atleast for a week. Plus, the Colts have a solid track record of winning in Baltimore.
Eagles vs. Saints
Boo for the 8 o'clock saturday night game, how much I dislike your attempt to keep me away from the bar. This game is interesting to and should be fun to watch, curse you NFL and you're goal of increasing revenue.
Home Crowd
Think the Superdome will be a little pumped up for a home playoff game. I would expect there to be floats, and beads and daiquiris everywhere. Well maybe not daiquiris, or atleast I hope they aren't sold to the masses at a football game. Anyway the partisan crowd should help the home squad, hell even if Eagles fans show up they'll probably boo the Iggles more boisterously than Saint fans.
Backfield Skills
The most enjoyable position to watch in this game is easily the myriad of running backs. Each team has the power straight forward guy with Duece and Buckhalter and each has the dynamic run/pass threat with Westbrook and Bush. Which RB combo will have the bigger game impact? Will Westbrook dominate the Saints defense much like he did in the opening round? I would venture to say yes, Westbrook doesn't appear to ever have a bad game unless he doesn't actually play in it.
The Jolly Fat Man
Why does Andy Reid never get hyped as one of the best coaches in the NFL? He's been to basically every NFC championship game of this millennium, sure he hasn't won a Superbowl, but how many NFC teams have. Shouldn't winning a division with a 36 year old Jeff Garcia be regarded as one of the great coaching accomplishments of all time. Has anything happened to Jeff Garcia in the past 2 years that would make anyone believe he is actually still good? And Yet, all the credit seems to be flocking to Jeff for 'turning it around' while the Jolly Fat Man deserves all the credit. Payton had a great season but he isn't going to outcoach Big Andy. I wonder if you could fit and entire Dell 19' inch monitor in his stomach.
QB Stories of the Year
The two biggest QB stories of the season get to go head to head in New Orleans this weekend. The season started with great tales of Drew Brees venturing to New Orleans because the Dolphins and Chargers decided to go in different directions, and whether Brees would be able to come back from his shoulder injury. Then come midseason he's throwing continual 300+ yard 3 td games and looking unhuman. Then the story of the second half of the season was easily Jeff Garcia, a guy who looked completely washed up the past two seasons to the point where he backed up Joey Harrington for much of 2005, coming in and carrying the Eagles to the division crown. I think each of these guys play well against their opposing non-top flight defenses. The game could come down to which QB does not make the monumental mistake, which leans in the favor of Jeff Garcia who for the most part has completely minimized his turnovers.
Return of a Steroid Abuser
I need to take steroids so I won't die, come on Hollis you expect me to sympathize over that claim. Well Hollis gets to come back this week for the playoffs with a slightly less potent inhaler I would guess. His job will be to sit up front and make sure that Correll Buckhalter does absolutely nothing the entire game, which is about as easy as it sounds. But Westbrook on the other will bounce everything outside, and Thomas will be a non-factor on these plays.
The Pick
Honestly, I have no idea how this games flow is going to be. Will Drew Brees come out guns blazing, or will he struggle much like he did in the seasons stretch run? Will the Eagles blow out the Saints defense, or will the return of Hollis Thomas help the Saints stuff the Eagles run game. A 35-31 shootout or a 17-13 slugfest? In the end I think the Eagles are the team that has more momentum and will win in a similar fashion as last week, perhaps even another last second field goal by Akers.
Defense vs. Offense. The Poster QB vs. the Poster Linebacker. The Hated Moving Truck Colts back in Baltimore. A lot of interesting storylines in this battle.
Steve McNair Big Game QB
Steve McNair has 5 playoff victories under his belt, aka more than Peyton Manning, and is viewed by all as a clutch playoff performer. But is that necessarily true, his career passing numbers are not very impressive, 6 tds to 9 ints, and while his 6 additional rushing tds add some pep to his performances, this is not the Steve McNair of 2000, this is the Steve McNair whose suffered injury after injury for 7 consecutive seasons, his legs are not as big a weapon as they once were.
Dungy Factor
During his time with both Tampa Bay and Indy, Tony Dungy has amounted a total of 6 wins. 6-8 if you must know the exact record. How many of those wins have come on the road, 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs, aka a team with no defense, during the 2003 season. So as a Colt fan what would give you the great idea that this Tony Dungy squad, the one with no run defense for 16 weeks, is going to be different. In humorous Dungy news, go to Google Images and look up Tony Dungy, 90% of his pictures are with him and his arms folded over in the "Man I have no idea why we suck" face.Joseph Addai
Joseph Addai has emerged in the 2nd half of the season as more than just a warm body to fill in the absent shoes of Edgerrin James. Addai must be effective audible situations when Peyton sees the Ravens loading up on the pass and changes the play to a run. If neither Addai or Rhodes play well on saturday that puts the entire weight of the game on Peyton Manning's shoulders and that hasn't worked out so well for the Colts in past playoff games.
Runaway Truck
So what are the chances of the Colts shutting down the run two weeks in a row? Closer to 1 in 10 or zero? Will Jamal Lewis rush for better than his seasonal 3.6 yards per carry? If you're a Raven fan you have to hope so. Jamal is bigger than basically every Colt other than Booger McFarland, one would hope he is good enough to break some tackles.
All Weight Back on His Shoulders
Peyton got away with one and he knows it. In his head he's got to be thinking that any other 3 interception game and the Colts are bounced. But I bet his performance from last week relaxes him, it's really the first Colt playoff victory in which he hasn't thrown an exorbitant amount of touchdown passes. I think he comes into Baltimore and performs well despite the fact he's playing a much more talented defense. Alteast they do not have Ty Law.
The Pick
Everything here is screaming pick the Ravens, homefield, better defense, a reliable and proven playoff QB (especially in comparison to past Ravens QBs), but the gut isn't listening to the brain. I just feel like this is the year that everybody counts out the Colts, because their defense is terrible, when it's always been terrible, and Peyton comes up with a big game and they prove everyone wrong, well atleast for a week. Plus, the Colts have a solid track record of winning in Baltimore.Eagles vs. Saints
Boo for the 8 o'clock saturday night game, how much I dislike your attempt to keep me away from the bar. This game is interesting to and should be fun to watch, curse you NFL and you're goal of increasing revenue.
Home Crowd
Think the Superdome will be a little pumped up for a home playoff game. I would expect there to be floats, and beads and daiquiris everywhere. Well maybe not daiquiris, or atleast I hope they aren't sold to the masses at a football game. Anyway the partisan crowd should help the home squad, hell even if Eagles fans show up they'll probably boo the Iggles more boisterously than Saint fans.
Backfield Skills
The most enjoyable position to watch in this game is easily the myriad of running backs. Each team has the power straight forward guy with Duece and Buckhalter and each has the dynamic run/pass threat with Westbrook and Bush. Which RB combo will have the bigger game impact? Will Westbrook dominate the Saints defense much like he did in the opening round? I would venture to say yes, Westbrook doesn't appear to ever have a bad game unless he doesn't actually play in it.
The Jolly Fat Man
Why does Andy Reid never get hyped as one of the best coaches in the NFL? He's been to basically every NFC championship game of this millennium, sure he hasn't won a Superbowl, but how many NFC teams have. Shouldn't winning a division with a 36 year old Jeff Garcia be regarded as one of the great coaching accomplishments of all time. Has anything happened to Jeff Garcia in the past 2 years that would make anyone believe he is actually still good? And Yet, all the credit seems to be flocking to Jeff for 'turning it around' while the Jolly Fat Man deserves all the credit. Payton had a great season but he isn't going to outcoach Big Andy. I wonder if you could fit and entire Dell 19' inch monitor in his stomach.QB Stories of the Year
The two biggest QB stories of the season get to go head to head in New Orleans this weekend. The season started with great tales of Drew Brees venturing to New Orleans because the Dolphins and Chargers decided to go in different directions, and whether Brees would be able to come back from his shoulder injury. Then come midseason he's throwing continual 300+ yard 3 td games and looking unhuman. Then the story of the second half of the season was easily Jeff Garcia, a guy who looked completely washed up the past two seasons to the point where he backed up Joey Harrington for much of 2005, coming in and carrying the Eagles to the division crown. I think each of these guys play well against their opposing non-top flight defenses. The game could come down to which QB does not make the monumental mistake, which leans in the favor of Jeff Garcia who for the most part has completely minimized his turnovers.
Return of a Steroid Abuser
I need to take steroids so I won't die, come on Hollis you expect me to sympathize over that claim. Well Hollis gets to come back this week for the playoffs with a slightly less potent inhaler I would guess. His job will be to sit up front and make sure that Correll Buckhalter does absolutely nothing the entire game, which is about as easy as it sounds. But Westbrook on the other will bounce everything outside, and Thomas will be a non-factor on these plays.
The Pick
Honestly, I have no idea how this games flow is going to be. Will Drew Brees come out guns blazing, or will he struggle much like he did in the seasons stretch run? Will the Eagles blow out the Saints defense, or will the return of Hollis Thomas help the Saints stuff the Eagles run game. A 35-31 shootout or a 17-13 slugfest? In the end I think the Eagles are the team that has more momentum and will win in a similar fashion as last week, perhaps even another last second field goal by Akers.
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