NFL
So much for the dream of a perfect 11-0 playoff season – the Colts ruined all of that. Thanks a lot, Peyton! This week, we look at two great conference championship games, Steelers at Broncos, and Panthers at Seahawks.
You can listen to in depth analysis of this week’s picks as well as a discussion on our podcast or subscribe via this feed.
Even the best criminals can stay one step ahead of the law for so long. Likewise the Indianapolis Colts could stay one step ahead of the NFL’s defensive coordinators for so long. Their prolific offense led by the notorious gunslinger Peyton Manning managed to strike fear in the hearts of opposing players and fans. Their daring attacks saw Manning set a new single season record for passing touchdowns a season ago and helped them get off to a 13-0 start this season. That is though when their fortunes would change. Similar to the outlaws that came before them, the date of their demise had unknowingly been set. Also similar to those outlaws was that their demise was totally preventable. The invincible Colts fell victim not to the rough and tough Pittsburgh Steelers, but to a meaningless game in December and a record just as insignificant.
After one of the closest fought playoff weekends in living memory, the road to Super Bowl XL has come down to two games. One sees the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos match up in the AFC Championship game, while the other will pit the Carolina Panthers against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship game. Expect fireworks.
Think fast: Who do you think is the favorite to be this year’s Super bowl champion? Unless you’re a fan of one of the four remaining teams, it’s highly unlikely that you were able to answer this question in less than 10 seconds. I myself have been mulling over this question for the last 2 days, and the more I think, the more confused I get. I’ll be lucky just to pick the winner of one of this Sunday’s conference championship games, let alone pick the team who is going to win Superbowl XL.
By: Rob LaBrie
The two conference championship games include two very intriguing match-ups. On the AFC side you have the red-hot Pittsburgh Steelers going to Mile High to face the Denver Broncos. Pittsburgh is coming off a confidence-building win over the choke-artist Colts. However, Denver hasn’t lost at home all year and last week they handled the Patriots behind a solid defensive effort and a plethora of mistakes on the part of New England. In the NFC, you have the Seattle Seahawks, a trendy Super Bowl pick coming into the playoffs, at home against the Carolina Steve Smith’s… I mean… Panthers. Seattle also went undefeated at home this season including a win against the Redskins in the Divisional round. The Panthers managed to get to this game through great defense and clutch performances by Steve Smith over the last two weeks.
Late Monday night, the New York Jets announced that they indeed had a new coach for the 2006 season. So, who would it be? Mike Tice? Jim Haslett? Mike Sherman? No, it would be the “frontrunner” from last week – Eric Mangini. Wait….WHO? That’s right, Eric Mangini, the defesnive coordinator for the New England Patriots in 2005. The Jets are expected to make the hiring official on Tuesday.
So inevitably, the question will be asked: Why did the Jets want Mangini so badly? Do they think this move will work? What happens if this move blows up from the start? The following explains 3 pros and cons about the hiring of Mangini, with the bad news (the cons) listed first…
“He missed it.”
The words almost simultaneously spilled from three sets of lips, just as Mike Vanderjagt’s field goal attempt sliced wide, thus eliminating the juggernaut Indianapolis Colts from Super Bowl contention.
Reggie Bush had an amazing collegiate career. He was a walking highlight reel for his 3 year stay at USC. He helped the Trojans in getting their first two national titles, one of which was a split. He won the Heisman, joining a highly exclusive group of the best college players of all time. So naturally, who was standing on the sidelines when the game was on the line in the Rose Bowl against Vince Young’s Texas Longhorns? Reggie Bush. Who was out single-handedly tearing down the legend that was the USC Trojans while Bush was taking a break? Vince Young.
If you had asked me Sunday morning who we would be seeing in the AFC Championship Game, I would have told you that it would be the Denver Broncos at the Indianapolis Colts.
To back myself up, I would have pointed out the dominating performance the Colts put forth against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 12, a 26-7 victory at home. It was a game in which Peyton Manning threw for 245 yards and Edgerrin James ran for 124. The Colts scored on their first offensive play of the game, giving them the momentum they would have for the entire game. The Steelers were shut down in that game. Period. So, the Colts would logically run away with the game in Indianapolis on Sunday. Right? Oh, how wrong I was.
If ever a 90+ quarterback rating lied, it was this one. If ever a 290 yard, no interception game lied, it was this one. If ever a promising season lied, it was this one. Many believed that this was the year that Manning would exorcise his playoff demons. His team, the Colts, had home-field advantage. His defense was stout. His main nemesis, the Patriots, labored and limped through the regular season only to be trampled by another team of horses (Broncos) a day earlier.
But, another playoff loss, another disappointing season, and another sub-par passing effort will likely bring another off-season of head scratching, and excuse-mongering for those still supportive of Peyton Manning. Not I, though. I don’t have to scratch my head, and I no longer need to offer excuses. I now know why Manning hasn’t, didn’t, and won’t ever, perform to his abilities when it counts the most.