Unfortunately, as hard as I have tried up to this point, I forgot to post on Sunday. I got to my computer too late after a long night of miscellaneous activities, and tried posting before the deadline, even a quick blurb mind you. But alas, the date now reads Monday so this will be a Monday post but will cover events on Sunday and Monday. First, a little bit on the NFL playoffs from Sunday.
-As a Bengals fan, I respect Tony Dungy, Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts as a franchise so much, that it was hard seeing them go down to San Diego at home on Sunday. In a game that many considered (myself included) would be a Colts blowout, was actually a back and forth battle that went down to the final few minutes. The Chargers, even without quarterback Phillip Rivers and running back LaDainian Tomlinson, won their 8th straight game 28-24. Led by subs Billy Volek (who is the best backup quarterback in the NFL who could start on other teams) and running back Michael Turner (the best backup running back in the NFL), the Chargers went 78 yards on 8 plays that ended with a 1 yard Volek sneak to take the lead with 4:50 remaining.
-The Colts had their opportunities getting all the way to the Chargers 7 before going for it on 4th and Goal and not converting. Thanks to some timely clock management and use of timeouts there was one final shot late in the game but a 4th down pass to Dallas Clark fell just short.
-The team now waits to see what Tony Dungy will do. If you read my January 10th column found here, I predicted Tony Dungy would retire after this season regardless of how it ended. He himself mentioned in different interviews that he didn't think he would be coaching past 50, now that the season is over and he has time to discuss it with his wife and family, only he knows what the future lies.
-Can the Chargers go into Foxboro and makeup for that 38-14 whopping the Patriots put on them in week 2? Well I guess anything can happen, just not in this case. Everybody was waiting for the "True Super Bowl" between the Colts and Patriots. Now that that's not going to happen, all indications are the Pats will take care of business like they always do and return to the Super Bowl for the 4th time since 2001. My early prediction? I like New England 42-17.
-In the other game, the Cowboys proved that you can't beat a team three times in one season as their quest for the Super Bowl ended with a 21-17 loss to the New York Giants. This was another one of those games where many people didn't give the Giants that much credit/hope against the heavily favored Cowboys. But Eli Manning, as much as he has been criticized up to this point, came through when it mattered. The "Manning who doesn't do too many commercials" completed 12 of 18 passes for 163 yards and 2 TDs. The most important stat there? He didn't turn the ball over, one of the big criticisms about Eli and his play. The win was the 9th straight road win for the Giants and leaves them one game away from the Super Bowl, the deepest run this team has made since 2000 when they made it to the big game, only to lose to Trent Dilfer and the Baltimore Ravens.
-Tony Romo is now 0-2 in playoff games and remains winless just like his coach Wade Phillips who is now 0-4. You know a lot of people are going to blame his weekend in Cabo with Jessica Simpson as the reason the team lost but you know what? I just don't see it. Rather blame the team as a whole. On the offensive side, there were way too many penalties. Same as on the defensive side but also, there was poor tackling and misuse of clock management. However, when a team wins and loses, everyone looks to put the blame on someone. And in Romo's case because of his high profile dating lifestyle, it looks like this one is all on him.
-Early thoughts on Giants-Packers? It's really going to depend on the weather in Green Bay for me. That's the "x" factor. If it is anything like it was for the Seahawks game, I think the Giants are in for some trouble. If Ryan Grant continues to run the ball well I give the advantage to the Packers at home to play in their first Super Bowl since 1997. Prediction? Packers 31-24.
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