NFL playoffs

[kimmy]

Ravens, Packers, and Texans are through to the next round already.

Later today the Seahawks and Redskins will go at it; I think the Seahawks might be a dark horse team this year.

I think that the Broncos are probably the favorites to win it all.

-k

[sharkman]

Did Manning land on his feet this year or what? Made the faithful forget all about Tebow.

[kimmy]

Did Manning land on his feet this year or what? Made the faithful forget all about Tebow.

I think the Jets made people forget all about Tebow. I imagine he will end up somewhere else next year; I wonder if he will rebound.

-k

[Boges]

The Jets really didn't give him a shot. They're a horrific organization.

I too think the Broncos are the team to beat. I think the Niners are strong too.

This Skins v Hawks game is turning out to be really good.

[sharkman]

Yeah, I thought the Seahawks were in trouble but then they made 3 scores, and it's a pretty close game.

[Mighty AC]

I was hoping Manning would get a chance to play the Colts...no Luck! I was happy to see RG-knee and the skins go down though.

[Mighty AC]

I think the Jets made people forget all about Tebow. I imagine he will end up somewhere else next year; I wonder if he will rebound.

Rebound from what? He's not that good.

[Boges]

If the Redskins are going to use RG3 like that going forward he'll have a very short career.

He was clearly injured in the first quarter and the coach kept him in. He didn't even go past 100 yards passing in that game.

I'm not medical expert but his knee shouldn't have bent that way after the fumble in the fourth quarter.

[sharkman]

Yep, it was a short sighted stupid decision that may have damaged his knee to a point it will always be the first to get injured. I hope he now gets good advice and heeds it. He needs nothing less than a full recovery.

[Mighty AC]

Mike Shanahan says that both the doctor and RG3 claimed he was fit to play.

[sharkman]

I saw Shanahan's press conference where he said that. He said RG was running around on the off field and that seems to be one of the things he used to make his continued decision. He didn't seem to notice all of the limping he was doing while on field. The play-by-play guys i heard quoted Washington's doctor as saying he cringes every time RG steps onto the field, though I don't know what he said to the coach.

Either way they've cost their team an amazing quarterback for most of next season. Even if they would have won, it woudn't have been worth it, because RG would still be out for the next 10 months or so. They will suffer in the wins column because of it, and RG3 may have a bad knee for the rest of his career and life.

[Boges]

Just before he threw that second Touchdown everyone who was watching that game knew he was hurt. Even if he said he was fine, he clearly wasn't.

Apparently Doctor James Andrews who is on staff for the Skins (He's also the doctor everyone in North American pro sports goes to see with orthopedic problems) and was on the sidelines had said he never got to examine him.

Lot's of fingers will be pointed at lots of people.

It's a good thing they drafted Kirk Cousins, everyone thought that was idiotic when they did it after traded multiple first round picks to trade up to get RG3 but hindsight makes that move look genius.

[bush_cheney2004]

Given RG3's prior knee history at Baylor, he was already at higher risk and should have been pulled at the first sign of aggravated injury. Shanahan knows he may have pushed it too far this time. You can play hurt, but not injured.

[msj]

Shanahan wrote in his book "He who knows not, and knows not that he knows not, is a fool. Shun him."

Wonder if he is shunning himself.

I used to be a fan of the Redskins. At least until Synder showed what an idiot he is (first season? second? can't remember when it became obvious).

This is what happens when you draft a running QB.

Even a QB as good as Peyton Manning can have bad injury luck.

Now apply that to a QB who gets hit many times more often per game than PM and I wonder why RG3, Tebow and Vick get drafted at all.

Because it's so "exciting" I suppose.

I find it interesting that running QB's seem to be more about high risk with very little middle-to-long-term reward - sure, flash in the pan type of reward but nothing that would be consistent over several years.

[sharkman]

So Baltimore makes it into overtime with a late touchdown against Denver. I didn't think they had it in them and Ray Lewis is having a great game.

[bush_cheney2004]

Ravens win after a classic Manning mistake early in the 2nd overtime.

Next up...Packers and Niners.

[kimmy]

Wow, that was quite a performance. I have no idea who Colin Kaepernick is, but nearly 600 yards of total offense speaks pretty loudly. 183 yards of rushing is a single-game record for a QB, and the game generally looked like a track-meet whenever Kaepernick was on the field.

I'm a little shocked that the Broncos are out, but the Ravens are always tough.

Tomorrow's games should be exciting too.

-k

[sharkman]

Payton threw 2 interceptions and that alone could have been the difference. He was pressured pretty good some times and they didn't have a great running game. At the end of regulation, the Broncos had a touchdown lead, but couldn't hold it. Ray Lewis gets to see another game.

[kimmy]

I guess the Ravens beating the Broncos was the only real surprise of the weekend. Before the game I really thought the Seahawks would pull off the upset; during the first half I was almost ready to drop-kick my TV through the wall. In the second half the team I expected to see finally showed up. Russell Wilson had almost 400 yards of passing today, and most of it in the second half. I thought we were seeing one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history, instead I had to settle for an epic football game. What a difference those two first half trips to the red-zone with 0 points to show for it made. Imagine being in that stadium and experiencing the rollercoaster of emotion as the home team goes from a 20 point lead to trailing with 30 seconds to go to finally kicking the game winning field goal with just a few seconds left. What a game.

As for the Patriots-Texans... meh. I think that everybody knew from the way the Texans finished the season that they weren't as good as their record. Tom Brady is without question going to be remembered among the all-time greats. At this point the only argument you can make him is that he ought to have won more Superbowls than he has. Today he passed Joe Montana to become the all-time leader in NFL playoff wins.

-k

[bush_cheney2004]

The Sea Chickens had every opportunity to win the game, right up to Coach Carroll outsmarting himself with the time out before a missed field goal. Last chance for Randy Moss to get a SB ring, so I'm hoping the 'Niners go all the way.

[Boges]

BC2004 he called that timeout way before the snap was even made. Apparently that's why he was mad. Essentially the refs allowed him to get a free practice kick. Icing the kicker is stupid but people do it.

If I was a Seahawks fan, I would want to kill myself. What an amazing comeback. I know a TD on 1st and goal at the 2 is never a guarantee but I think they should have run the clock down a bit. Hindsight I know but they left way to much time on the clock. That play to Lynch was too successful.

It's sort of like that play in last year's Super Bowl where the Patriots tried to push Bradshaw into the endzone to allow them time to make a last minute drive.

Ultimately the hot headed Seattle CB's let the team down though. Prevent Defense Prevents you from winning.

Peyton Manning's career will be forever marred by playoff failures. His brother has the better legacy right now IMHO. Tim Tebow won more playoff games for the Broncos than he did :-D

Edited January 14, 2013 by Boges

[Boges]

So it's the Harbowl. The story of brother head coaches facing eachother in the Super Bowl will allow the sports networks to ignore the fact that Ray Lewis killed some people.

Go Niners . . . I guess. Randy Moss winning a Super Bowl will be kind of cool.

[msj]

So it's the Harbowl. The story of brother head coaches facing eachother in the Super Bowl will allow the sports networks to ignore the fact that Ray Lewis killed some people.

You mean he agreed that he obstructed justice while the other two guys were found not guilty on grounds of self defence.

[msj]

Peyton Manning's career will be forever marred by playoff failures. His brother has the better legacy right now IMHO. Tim Tebow won more playoff games for the Broncos than he did :-D

This is pretty idiotic thinking.

Playoffs are a small sample size. They are a "one and done."

Tom Terrific has been a far better QB in the past 6 years than he was when "he" won "his" 3 SB's.

Yet he hasn't won a SB since the 2004 season.

Why? Because winning football is a team thing.

Sometimes you can pin most of the blame on the QB (and Tom certainly deserves most of it for yesterday and Peyton wasn't so great himself when he lost to a Ray Lewis led defence) and other times the game could have gone another way if person X held onto a sure interception or person Y made a sack or person Z didn't make an unbelievable one in a million catch etc....

One would think that seeing Brady's poor showing in the playoffs/SB's in the past few years would put an end to this simplistic thinking that some QB's are "clutch" or they "just win."

I keep thinking back to how great Joe Montana was/is while keeping in mind that Joe likely wouldn't have 4 rings, and such a high standing, had Lewis Billups held onto the ball:

Yes, even great QB's get lucky.

Even the best, or at least near best of their generation, don't get lucky and never sniff a SB.

That's how life works with a team sport and a playoff format that is one and done: poor play, even for a quarter, and poor luck often means that the "more talented" or "better" team doesn't win.

That's what makes football (and even soccer) so awesome.

[Boges]

Here's what Wes Welker's wife has to say about Ray Lewis.

http://www.torontosun.com/2013/01/21/wes-welkers-wife-aims-tirade-at-ray-lewis

“Proud of my husband and the Pats,” she wrote. “By the way, if anyone is bored, please go to Ray Lewis’ Wikipedia page. 6 kids, 4 wives. Acquitted for murder. Paid a family off. Yay. What a hall of fame player! A true role model!”

Maybe he didn't kill anyone be dude is not a role model. He was coming out with the Praise Jesus talk after that game. PAAAAALESE!!!!!