With the Vince Lombardi Trophy barely hoisted in the Crescent City, crystal ball-gazers already looking ahead to Super Bowl XLV in Dallas may likely see the black and gold colors of New Orleans and the blue and white of Indianapolis squaring off under Jerry Jones’ infamous HD screen high above the field at Cowboys Stadium in 2011, in a repeat of this year’s NFL title game.
The recently completed 2009 season will be remembered for more than New Orleans’ first Super Bowl crown. Branded into the brain was the rapid rise of the New York Jets under first-year head coach Rex Ryan, who improbably took a moderately talented Jets team and revamped its defense into the league’s best, not to mention courageously placing his offense into the hands of rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez, who surpassed everyone’s expectations, at times looking like a seasoned signal-caller; there was Tom Brady’s comeback but the Pats ultimate failure in the playoffs; Cincinnati’s out-of-nowhere rise to topple incumbent Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh as king of the AFC North; Minnesota’s great run behind an ageless quarterback; the Tennessee Titans impressive turnaround with Vince Young at quarterback.
Fans of the kicking game almost witnessed a monumental feat, when Oakland punter Shane Lechler’s season punting average (51.1) came within four-tenths of a yard of besting the legendary Sammy Baugh’s hard-to-believe, 70-year-old NFL punting record (51.4) for season average. I rank Baugh’s mark among the three greatest records in NFL history. Imagine the advantage of today’s punters, kicking for the most part in climate-controlled facilities with year-round training and conditioning. Baugh, on the other hand, withstood temperamental outdoor conditions every game and didn’t kick a ball as aerodynamically designed as today’s prolate spheroid, in what amounted to a seasonal job in 1940. The other two marks I rank with Baugh’s standard are Ernie Nevers’ single-game scoring mark (40 points, set 81 years ago!) and Norm Van Brocklin’s single-game passing yardage record of 554, set 59 years ago, in 1951. The Dutchman’s mark is nearly incomprehensible when placed against the non-stop passing game that football has evolved to since the early 1950s. Those three records are the NFL’s Holy Grail, venerable achievements all.
Dallas and Green Bay should contend mightily in 2010 and it would be difficult to pick between the two as a possible successor to Minnesota in the NFC Championship Game, in the likelihood that Brett Favre joins Arizona’s Kurt Warner into retirement. Should Favre return, look for a great three-way battle for the right to fight the Saints in the National Football Conference.
In addition to Indianapolis and New York, AFC pretenders certainly will include San Diego, if it can rebuild its once unmatchable running game; Cincinnati, with its Cinderella 2009 season a step-stone to consistency; a rebounding New England Patriots team, with head coach Bill Belichick now heading up the defense, and the sleeping-giant Houston Texans, who just might break all the way through.
If one moment from 2009 lingers with me through the spring and early summer, it will be the image of Brett Favre being helped off the Superdome turf in the third quarter of the NFC Championship Game, the target of a Saints’ beat-down. It would be a prophetic metaphor for the team, a harbinger of more unraveling to come: the inexplicable 12-man huddle penalty that took Minnesota out of field goal range with :19 left, followed by Favre’s game-ending and possibly career-ending interception on the very next play that sealed the Vikings’ fate. Kickoff 2010? It can’t be that far away.
Alan Ross is the author of 32 books, including Away from the Ball: The NFL’s Off-the-Field Heroes. E-mail him at: alanross_sports@yahoo.com
© Sportland 2010
(NOTE: This concludes 2009 NFL coverage. Over the Ball will return the first week in September 2010.)
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Surprise play propels Saints to Super win
It might have been the most shocking play in Super Bowl history.
Down 10‒6 at the half but having reversed the momentum that had favored the Indianapolis Colts early, the “Who Dat” New Orleans Saints opened the second half of Super Bowl XLIV with an unexpected and daring onside kick, the recovery of which launched a resurgent New Orleans come-from-behind, storm-in-front 31‒17 victory over the stunned Colts and Peyton Manning.
Saints cornerback Tracy Porter, who made the NFC Championship Game-winning interception off Minnesota’s Brett Favre two weeks earlier, re-cloned that big play with a similar game-sealing pick six of Manning, this time going 74 yards to put New Orleans up by two touchdowns with 3:12 left.
But Porter’s “game over” play won’t be the only missed opportunity Indianapolis will think about over the winter and spring. Up 10‒0 and utterly dominating the Saints offensively and defensively, Pierre Garcon, Indy’s record-setting AFC Championship Game receiver of a fortnight ago, dropped an in-the breadbasket toss from Manning midway through the second period that seemed to kill some Colts momentum. They appeared to regain it temporarily on New Orleans’ ensuing drive, when the Saints forewent the sure three-pointer to go for it on fourth-and one at the Colts 1. But Pierre Thomas’s run was stuffed by the quad-headed Brackett-Jennings-Foster-Sessions combo tackle. With 1:55 to go in the half, New Orleans on the ropes, and the Colts with the ball, Indianapolis will remember going a poor three and out, leaving 35 seconds for Drew Brees to gather his team for a short-field, 52-yard drive that got back three of the potential seven points the Saints had just missed on their prior goal-line failure. Amazingly, New Orleans was only down 10‒6.
The sold-out Sun Life Stadium crowd of more than 75,000 erupted with New Orleans’ second-half onside kick that kept Manning on the Indianapolis sidelines. The Saints converted that recovery into seven points to take their first lead, but the Colts immediately retaliated, making it 17‒13 Indy. New Orleans swung right back with a 47-yard Hartley field goal and later watched a 12-play Indianapolis drive come up empty, as veteran kicker Matt Stover missed on a long field goal that would have given the Colts a 20‒16 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Brees then marshaled his Saints on a 59-yard, nine-play drive culminating in a 2-yard Brees-to-Shockey TD pass followed by a sensational two-point conversion. New Orleans, with the rafters rocking, had its second lead of the game. On the scoreboard, it wasn’t close, as the Saints outscored Indy 25-7 in the second half. Brees, New Orleans’ man of the hour, on 32-of-39 passing for 288 yards and two touchdowns, ran away with the Super Bowl MVP award.
Who dat? N.O., dat’s who.
Alan Ross is the author of 32 books, including Away from the Ball: The NFL’s Off-the-Field Heroes. E-mail him at: alanross_sports@yahoo.com
© Sportland 2010
Down 10‒6 at the half but having reversed the momentum that had favored the Indianapolis Colts early, the “Who Dat” New Orleans Saints opened the second half of Super Bowl XLIV with an unexpected and daring onside kick, the recovery of which launched a resurgent New Orleans come-from-behind, storm-in-front 31‒17 victory over the stunned Colts and Peyton Manning.
Saints cornerback Tracy Porter, who made the NFC Championship Game-winning interception off Minnesota’s Brett Favre two weeks earlier, re-cloned that big play with a similar game-sealing pick six of Manning, this time going 74 yards to put New Orleans up by two touchdowns with 3:12 left.
But Porter’s “game over” play won’t be the only missed opportunity Indianapolis will think about over the winter and spring. Up 10‒0 and utterly dominating the Saints offensively and defensively, Pierre Garcon, Indy’s record-setting AFC Championship Game receiver of a fortnight ago, dropped an in-the breadbasket toss from Manning midway through the second period that seemed to kill some Colts momentum. They appeared to regain it temporarily on New Orleans’ ensuing drive, when the Saints forewent the sure three-pointer to go for it on fourth-and one at the Colts 1. But Pierre Thomas’s run was stuffed by the quad-headed Brackett-Jennings-Foster-Sessions combo tackle. With 1:55 to go in the half, New Orleans on the ropes, and the Colts with the ball, Indianapolis will remember going a poor three and out, leaving 35 seconds for Drew Brees to gather his team for a short-field, 52-yard drive that got back three of the potential seven points the Saints had just missed on their prior goal-line failure. Amazingly, New Orleans was only down 10‒6.
The sold-out Sun Life Stadium crowd of more than 75,000 erupted with New Orleans’ second-half onside kick that kept Manning on the Indianapolis sidelines. The Saints converted that recovery into seven points to take their first lead, but the Colts immediately retaliated, making it 17‒13 Indy. New Orleans swung right back with a 47-yard Hartley field goal and later watched a 12-play Indianapolis drive come up empty, as veteran kicker Matt Stover missed on a long field goal that would have given the Colts a 20‒16 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Brees then marshaled his Saints on a 59-yard, nine-play drive culminating in a 2-yard Brees-to-Shockey TD pass followed by a sensational two-point conversion. New Orleans, with the rafters rocking, had its second lead of the game. On the scoreboard, it wasn’t close, as the Saints outscored Indy 25-7 in the second half. Brees, New Orleans’ man of the hour, on 32-of-39 passing for 288 yards and two touchdowns, ran away with the Super Bowl MVP award.
Who dat? N.O., dat’s who.
Alan Ross is the author of 32 books, including Away from the Ball: The NFL’s Off-the-Field Heroes. E-mail him at: alanross_sports@yahoo.com
© Sportland 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Super Bowl paths may go through Dungy twice
Sometimes you have to read between the lines to see greatness.
Take the case of Tony Dungy, the inspirational head coach of both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1996-2001) and the Indianapolis Colts (2002-2008). Hired by both Tampa Bay and Indianapolis on the same day and month, Jan 22, six years apart, Dungy was fired by the Bucs at the end of the 2001 season and retired from coaching after the 2008 campaign at Indy. Though his success with Indianapolis is well documented, including his Super Bowl XLI victory over Chicago to complete the 2006 season, the record does not show an amazing fact about the Dungy coaching regime: Tampa Bay won the Super Bowl the year following Dungy’s departure; now possibly the Colts will duplicate that feat in next Sunday’s Super Bowl XLIV. On the surface it looks like the coaching change was what put the Bucs over the top in 2002 and the Colts in 2009 (should they beat New Orleans), where longtime assistant head coach Jim Caldwell stepped up and in for Dungy. To many onlookers, it is Dungy who should have those Super Bowl stripes on his sleeve. There’s no arguing that both the 2002 Bucs and 2009 Colts teams were Dungy developed. When Jon Gruden walked into the situation at Tampa Bay, all the pins had already been knocked down by Dungy, except one. But it’s Gruden who gets the Lombardi Trophy and the credit. Caldwell likewise will ascend, should he win Sunday.
Tony Dungy has a coaching dossier rivaled by few, but a Colts victory Sunday would demand that two Super Bowl triumphs currently accredited to other coaches also be added in major part to the good name of Dungy.
Sunday’s New Orleans-Indianapolis game is the most anticipated Super Bowl matchup in 16 years. Not since Super Bowl XXVIII, when Buffalo squared off against Dallas to conclude the 1993 season, have the No. 1 seeds from the AFC and NFC conferences met in a Super Bowl. Back then, the Bills and Cowboys met for the second consecutive year in the big show, with Buffalo ultimately succumbing 30‒13, their record fourth straight Super Bowl loss.
ANGLING FOR THE CORNER: I knew the Pro Bowl had slipped from what it once was, when the TV cameras isolated New York Jets defensive end Shaun Ellis totally shutting down on a pass-rush attempt on the play that NFC starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers arched a perfect 48-yard touchdown aerial to Steve Smith in Sunday night’s full-moon Pro Bowl in Miami. It was indeed a far cry from the days of 1953, when Cleveland Browns immortal quarterback Otto Graham got word during practice week of the Pro Bowl, then played in Los Angeles, that his infant son had died accidentally. Grief-stricken, Graham flew back to Cleveland to face the burial of his baby. Then, at the strong urging of his family and motivated by a fierce commitment to his fellow NFL brethren back in L.A., Graham, incredibly, flew back to Los Angeles to play in that Sunday’s Pro Bowl. Why, you would ask? Well, back then the Pro Bowl had no guarantees. Whatever purse there was to split, usually $500 was the difference between winning and losing, maybe a thousand. In 1953, that was serious money. But much more than that, the players’ percentage of the take was dependent on the crowd turnout, whereas today’s Pro Bowl winner’s share is a guaranteed $45,000. With no such guarantee, Graham knew that his fellow Pro Bowlers were counting on his star name recognition to help draw a crowd that would help bring in a paycheck for everyone.
Now that’s an all-star.
Alan Ross is the author of 32 books, including Away from the Ball: The NFL’s Off-the-Field Heroes. E-mail him at: alanross_sports@yahoo.com© Sportland 2010
Take the case of Tony Dungy, the inspirational head coach of both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1996-2001) and the Indianapolis Colts (2002-2008). Hired by both Tampa Bay and Indianapolis on the same day and month, Jan 22, six years apart, Dungy was fired by the Bucs at the end of the 2001 season and retired from coaching after the 2008 campaign at Indy. Though his success with Indianapolis is well documented, including his Super Bowl XLI victory over Chicago to complete the 2006 season, the record does not show an amazing fact about the Dungy coaching regime: Tampa Bay won the Super Bowl the year following Dungy’s departure; now possibly the Colts will duplicate that feat in next Sunday’s Super Bowl XLIV. On the surface it looks like the coaching change was what put the Bucs over the top in 2002 and the Colts in 2009 (should they beat New Orleans), where longtime assistant head coach Jim Caldwell stepped up and in for Dungy. To many onlookers, it is Dungy who should have those Super Bowl stripes on his sleeve. There’s no arguing that both the 2002 Bucs and 2009 Colts teams were Dungy developed. When Jon Gruden walked into the situation at Tampa Bay, all the pins had already been knocked down by Dungy, except one. But it’s Gruden who gets the Lombardi Trophy and the credit. Caldwell likewise will ascend, should he win Sunday.
Tony Dungy has a coaching dossier rivaled by few, but a Colts victory Sunday would demand that two Super Bowl triumphs currently accredited to other coaches also be added in major part to the good name of Dungy.
Sunday’s New Orleans-Indianapolis game is the most anticipated Super Bowl matchup in 16 years. Not since Super Bowl XXVIII, when Buffalo squared off against Dallas to conclude the 1993 season, have the No. 1 seeds from the AFC and NFC conferences met in a Super Bowl. Back then, the Bills and Cowboys met for the second consecutive year in the big show, with Buffalo ultimately succumbing 30‒13, their record fourth straight Super Bowl loss.
ANGLING FOR THE CORNER: I knew the Pro Bowl had slipped from what it once was, when the TV cameras isolated New York Jets defensive end Shaun Ellis totally shutting down on a pass-rush attempt on the play that NFC starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers arched a perfect 48-yard touchdown aerial to Steve Smith in Sunday night’s full-moon Pro Bowl in Miami. It was indeed a far cry from the days of 1953, when Cleveland Browns immortal quarterback Otto Graham got word during practice week of the Pro Bowl, then played in Los Angeles, that his infant son had died accidentally. Grief-stricken, Graham flew back to Cleveland to face the burial of his baby. Then, at the strong urging of his family and motivated by a fierce commitment to his fellow NFL brethren back in L.A., Graham, incredibly, flew back to Los Angeles to play in that Sunday’s Pro Bowl. Why, you would ask? Well, back then the Pro Bowl had no guarantees. Whatever purse there was to split, usually $500 was the difference between winning and losing, maybe a thousand. In 1953, that was serious money. But much more than that, the players’ percentage of the take was dependent on the crowd turnout, whereas today’s Pro Bowl winner’s share is a guaranteed $45,000. With no such guarantee, Graham knew that his fellow Pro Bowlers were counting on his star name recognition to help draw a crowd that would help bring in a paycheck for everyone.
Now that’s an all-star.
Alan Ross is the author of 32 books, including Away from the Ball: The NFL’s Off-the-Field Heroes. E-mail him at: alanross_sports@yahoo.com© Sportland 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Super Bowl set – Saints, Colts meet in Miami
It was the matchup everybody wanted to see all season, No. 1 New Orleans vs. No. 2 Minnesota. And they got it. A heart-pounding NFC Championship Game for the ages that had to go to overtime for the outcome. In the end, a fortuitous flip of the coin and the Saints’ willingness to take the five-turnover handout from the Vikings defined the end result.
Minnesota can only look in the mirror and say, “what if?” Six times they fumbled the ball on the Superdome turf, losing three. And then there were Brett Favre’s two interceptions, the last one a game-killer for the Vikings, who squandered a potential game-winning field goal opportunity on the previous play which then influenced the Favre interception. On that play—a non-play, actually—facing third and 10 from the Saints 33, all Minnesota had to do was fall on the ball to provide Ryan Longwell a final-play field goal shot from 50 yards. But the Vikings, having weathered four turnovers to that point, had 12 men in the huddle and were flagged for too many men on the field. That forced Favre to try and make up ground with the ill-advised pass play. But as the veteran has done so often in his long career, he misfired at a most inopportune time. The Vikings never saw the ball again. New Orleans, having won the coin toss in overtime, got a 40-yard field goal from Garrett Hartley to advance, 31‒28, to its first Super Bowl in franchise history.
No such game-ending histrionics dictated play in Indianapolis. With just under two minutes remaining in the first half of Sunday’s American Conference championship game, it looked like New York’s upstart Jets might continue their upset ways, when they led the AFC’s top-seeded Indianapolis Colts 17‒6 at the Colts’ own house. But quarterback Peyton Manning tossed two consecutive big passes to rookie wide receiver Austin Collie, the second one producing a 16-yard touchdown that enabled the Colts to go to the locker room only five points down. Manning’s patience ultimately solved the Jets’ blitzing riddle, and in the second half he repeatedly found Collie and fellow wide receiver Pierre Garcon for key gains to ultimately take charge of the title game. The 30‒17 victory over New York sends Indy to its fourth Super Bowl appearance, ironically all of them in Miami.
With his top wideout Reggie Wayne blanketed as expected by the NFL’s premier cornerback, New York’s Darrelle Revis, Manning looked elsewhere among his coterie of pass catchers and pulled big days out of both Collie and Garcon, the pair combining for 274 reception yards on 18 catches, with each posting a touchdown. Garcon’s 11 receptions set a new AFC Championship Game record. Indy’s opening drive of the second half concluded with the Colts’ second touchdown, a Manning pass to Dallas Clark. That series, coupled with Indy’s closing scoring drive of the opening half, stole the game’s momentum from New York. In addition, the Colts’ defense minimized the Jets’ thundering rushing attack, one of the league’s best, holding them to just 86 yards.
ANGLING FOR THE CORNER: Again, the coin toss. It is an affront to the game to continue to allow this archaic piece of 19th-century obsolescence to affect the outcome of ballgames. With teams’ entire seasons on the line, how preposterous to let a whimsical flip of a coin determine something as important as a Super Bowl participant! Quickly reviewing, the beef here is that both teams should get a chance to touch the ball at least once in overtime. It’s the only fair way. At the very least, the NFL should make that concession for the playoffs. There’s simply too much at stake. Replay now governs practically every occurrence on the field, and rightly so. But settle it all with a coin toss in sudden-death? Commissioner Goodell, tails! You lose!
Alan Ross is the author of 32 books, including Away from the Ball: The NFL’s Off-the-Field Heroes. E-mail him at: alanross_sports@yahoo.com
© Sportland 2010
Minnesota can only look in the mirror and say, “what if?” Six times they fumbled the ball on the Superdome turf, losing three. And then there were Brett Favre’s two interceptions, the last one a game-killer for the Vikings, who squandered a potential game-winning field goal opportunity on the previous play which then influenced the Favre interception. On that play—a non-play, actually—facing third and 10 from the Saints 33, all Minnesota had to do was fall on the ball to provide Ryan Longwell a final-play field goal shot from 50 yards. But the Vikings, having weathered four turnovers to that point, had 12 men in the huddle and were flagged for too many men on the field. That forced Favre to try and make up ground with the ill-advised pass play. But as the veteran has done so often in his long career, he misfired at a most inopportune time. The Vikings never saw the ball again. New Orleans, having won the coin toss in overtime, got a 40-yard field goal from Garrett Hartley to advance, 31‒28, to its first Super Bowl in franchise history.
No such game-ending histrionics dictated play in Indianapolis. With just under two minutes remaining in the first half of Sunday’s American Conference championship game, it looked like New York’s upstart Jets might continue their upset ways, when they led the AFC’s top-seeded Indianapolis Colts 17‒6 at the Colts’ own house. But quarterback Peyton Manning tossed two consecutive big passes to rookie wide receiver Austin Collie, the second one producing a 16-yard touchdown that enabled the Colts to go to the locker room only five points down. Manning’s patience ultimately solved the Jets’ blitzing riddle, and in the second half he repeatedly found Collie and fellow wide receiver Pierre Garcon for key gains to ultimately take charge of the title game. The 30‒17 victory over New York sends Indy to its fourth Super Bowl appearance, ironically all of them in Miami.
With his top wideout Reggie Wayne blanketed as expected by the NFL’s premier cornerback, New York’s Darrelle Revis, Manning looked elsewhere among his coterie of pass catchers and pulled big days out of both Collie and Garcon, the pair combining for 274 reception yards on 18 catches, with each posting a touchdown. Garcon’s 11 receptions set a new AFC Championship Game record. Indy’s opening drive of the second half concluded with the Colts’ second touchdown, a Manning pass to Dallas Clark. That series, coupled with Indy’s closing scoring drive of the opening half, stole the game’s momentum from New York. In addition, the Colts’ defense minimized the Jets’ thundering rushing attack, one of the league’s best, holding them to just 86 yards.
ANGLING FOR THE CORNER: Again, the coin toss. It is an affront to the game to continue to allow this archaic piece of 19th-century obsolescence to affect the outcome of ballgames. With teams’ entire seasons on the line, how preposterous to let a whimsical flip of a coin determine something as important as a Super Bowl participant! Quickly reviewing, the beef here is that both teams should get a chance to touch the ball at least once in overtime. It’s the only fair way. At the very least, the NFL should make that concession for the playoffs. There’s simply too much at stake. Replay now governs practically every occurrence on the field, and rightly so. But settle it all with a coin toss in sudden-death? Commissioner Goodell, tails! You lose!
Alan Ross is the author of 32 books, including Away from the Ball: The NFL’s Off-the-Field Heroes. E-mail him at: alanross_sports@yahoo.com
© Sportland 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Defenses dominate Divisionals; Jets upset Chargers
Winners’ defenses dominated the Divisional Playoffs Saturday and Sunday, as the NFL’s game of postseason musical chairs paired down to the final four teams. With only San Diego needing a victory to set up identical No. 1- vs. No. 2-seed pairings in next weekend’s conference championship games, an interloper from New York with title-game designs of its own stepped onto the turf at Qualcomm Stadium and short-circuited the Chargers’ 2009 season.
A blitzing Jets defense and solid running game, coupled with three Nate Kaeding field goal misses, sent the Cinderella Jets to Indianapolis for next week’s AFC Championship Game. Cool rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez superbly managed the New York offense, mixing just enough passes with the bread-and-butter ground game to knock off the Chargers, 17‒14, in by far and away the weekend’s most exciting game. Defensively the Jets kept San Diego’s Philip Rivers off-balance, and more importantly, out of the end zone when it mattered. Kaeding must have felt like it was déjà vu all over again, having missed the game-winning field goal in the 2004 Wild Card game that would have beaten these same New York Jets.
Dallas looked like it might blow Minnesota off its own field at The Metrodome, but negative plays continually kept the Cowboys from the end zone. Eventually Minnesota caught its breath, dominated the line of scrimmage on defense, and waited for periodic magic from Brett Favre (which came in the form of three touchdown passes to Sidney Rice) to seal the 34‒3 win.
Indianapolis’ well-rested veterans showed no rust in returning to form, having their way with Baltimore, whose famed Ray Lewis-led defense was compromised by Colts quarterback Peyton Manning’s 68 percent completion rate and two touchdown passes. Fortunately, the one-dimensional Colts offense could count on its ball-hawking brothers on the other side of the ball, whose stout defense smothered the vaunted Ravens ground game. Baltimore made big plays throughout, but invariably wound up shooting itself in the foot via turnovers or penalties. All-Pro Ravens safety Ed Reed fumbled following a 38-yard return of an interception in the third quarter. Five plays later, Reed duplicated his feat with a 54-yard INT return but this time the play was nullified by a holding penalty. Then running back Ray Rice coughed it up after a 20-yard run in the fourth quarter. Without a running game, the Colts took out one of the AFC’s tougher teams. Now a most unexpected New York-Indianapolis conference title showdown looms.
It mimicked the start of the Baltimore-New England romp the weekend before—a stunning 70-yard touchdown run on the game’s first play—but ended with a Mike Tyson-esque K.O. of quarterback Kurt Warner in the second quarter. Arizona’s attempt to repeat last year’s Super Bowl appearance was over. New Orleans’ Saints did indeed come marching in—over the mostly unresponsive bodies of the Cardinals’ lame defense—to catapult into the NFC Championship Game against Minnesota. As with the Colts, an anticipated New Orleans’ lull coming off a decline at the end of the regular season never materialized, as Drew Brees’ pinpoint passing and running back Reggie Bush’s superb athleticism made for a 45‒14 rout.
ANGLING FOR THE CORNER: With the quick start the Cardinals enjoyed right out of the box on Tim Hightower’s 70-yard TD run, I couldn’t help but wonder—momentum being the fickle agent that it is—that if Cardinals receiver Jerheme Urban hadn’t fumbled the ball away after completing a 28-yard reception from Kurt Warner to open Arizona’s second possession, would the end result have been different, say, if the Cardinals had gone on to score to lead it at 14‒7? Likely not, given the performance of the Saints defense and Reggie Bush’s sublime effort. The great Sammy Baugh was once asked a similar question regarding a play following the 1940 NFL Championship Game, which the Redskins had just lost 73‒0. Baugh thought about the play in question and answered, “Yeah, it sure would’ve made a difference. We’d have only lost by 73‒7!”
Alan Ross is the author of 32 books, including Away from the Ball: The NFL’s Off-the-Field Heroes. E-mail him at: alanross_sports@yahoo.com
© Sportland 2010
A blitzing Jets defense and solid running game, coupled with three Nate Kaeding field goal misses, sent the Cinderella Jets to Indianapolis for next week’s AFC Championship Game. Cool rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez superbly managed the New York offense, mixing just enough passes with the bread-and-butter ground game to knock off the Chargers, 17‒14, in by far and away the weekend’s most exciting game. Defensively the Jets kept San Diego’s Philip Rivers off-balance, and more importantly, out of the end zone when it mattered. Kaeding must have felt like it was déjà vu all over again, having missed the game-winning field goal in the 2004 Wild Card game that would have beaten these same New York Jets.
Dallas looked like it might blow Minnesota off its own field at The Metrodome, but negative plays continually kept the Cowboys from the end zone. Eventually Minnesota caught its breath, dominated the line of scrimmage on defense, and waited for periodic magic from Brett Favre (which came in the form of three touchdown passes to Sidney Rice) to seal the 34‒3 win.
Indianapolis’ well-rested veterans showed no rust in returning to form, having their way with Baltimore, whose famed Ray Lewis-led defense was compromised by Colts quarterback Peyton Manning’s 68 percent completion rate and two touchdown passes. Fortunately, the one-dimensional Colts offense could count on its ball-hawking brothers on the other side of the ball, whose stout defense smothered the vaunted Ravens ground game. Baltimore made big plays throughout, but invariably wound up shooting itself in the foot via turnovers or penalties. All-Pro Ravens safety Ed Reed fumbled following a 38-yard return of an interception in the third quarter. Five plays later, Reed duplicated his feat with a 54-yard INT return but this time the play was nullified by a holding penalty. Then running back Ray Rice coughed it up after a 20-yard run in the fourth quarter. Without a running game, the Colts took out one of the AFC’s tougher teams. Now a most unexpected New York-Indianapolis conference title showdown looms.
It mimicked the start of the Baltimore-New England romp the weekend before—a stunning 70-yard touchdown run on the game’s first play—but ended with a Mike Tyson-esque K.O. of quarterback Kurt Warner in the second quarter. Arizona’s attempt to repeat last year’s Super Bowl appearance was over. New Orleans’ Saints did indeed come marching in—over the mostly unresponsive bodies of the Cardinals’ lame defense—to catapult into the NFC Championship Game against Minnesota. As with the Colts, an anticipated New Orleans’ lull coming off a decline at the end of the regular season never materialized, as Drew Brees’ pinpoint passing and running back Reggie Bush’s superb athleticism made for a 45‒14 rout.
ANGLING FOR THE CORNER: With the quick start the Cardinals enjoyed right out of the box on Tim Hightower’s 70-yard TD run, I couldn’t help but wonder—momentum being the fickle agent that it is—that if Cardinals receiver Jerheme Urban hadn’t fumbled the ball away after completing a 28-yard reception from Kurt Warner to open Arizona’s second possession, would the end result have been different, say, if the Cardinals had gone on to score to lead it at 14‒7? Likely not, given the performance of the Saints defense and Reggie Bush’s sublime effort. The great Sammy Baugh was once asked a similar question regarding a play following the 1940 NFL Championship Game, which the Redskins had just lost 73‒0. Baugh thought about the play in question and answered, “Yeah, it sure would’ve made a difference. We’d have only lost by 73‒7!”
Alan Ross is the author of 32 books, including Away from the Ball: The NFL’s Off-the-Field Heroes. E-mail him at: alanross_sports@yahoo.com
© Sportland 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Playoff mayhem finalized; Jets, Ravens in
Week 16 Weirdness and its indeterminate aftermath left a still-unresolved playoff picture heading into Sunday’s Week 17 regular-season finales, with the last two AFC playoff teams and the second first-round bye in the NFC still unknown.
Minnesota, Baltimore, New Orleans, the New York Giants, and Miami all blew Week 16 chances to advance or maintain playoff hopes, putting must-win imperatives on Week 17 action. Baltimore, which had a lock on an AFC berth, self-destructed in Pittsburgh last week when it had three touchdowns called back. Fortunately for the Ravens, Denver and the Dolphins also lost, enabling Baltimore to have one more crack at it this past Sunday at Oakland. The Ravens finally got the win they needed, and they’re in.
Talk about lucky. The New York Jets drew league-leading Indianapolis and division-leading Cincinnati for its last two regular-season games. There’s nothing ordinarily lucky about having to face top-tier teams to finish the season, but the Jets caught a most fortunate break: both the Colts and Bengals had earlier secured playoff spots and thus began resting their regulars, giving the playoff-pumped New Yorkers a far easier path than if they’d been playing those teams at full strength. The above notwithstanding, the Jets looked mighty tough in their dominance of the Bengals Sunday night.
And then there was the late-season swoon by the season-long No. 2 NFC team, Minnesota. Sound familiar? It should. It could have been a nightmarish mirror reflection of Brett Favre’s late-season collapse last year with the Jets, when four straight losses killed New York’s promising playoff run. The Vikings had lost three in a row prior to meeting the Giants in the season finale Sunday. As it turned out, the Vikings won handily, but some late-season mediocrity spawns questions about their overall playoff strength. If Favre is off his game, forget it.
With homefield advantage throughout, the Saints are another team heading south at the wrong time, having lost their final three games. Admittedly, with many of its first stringers out against Carolina, New Orleans limited its fight against the Panthers. Still, they’ve picked a bad time to go cold.
And who would have guessed from last year’s two Super Bowl teams that it would be Pittsburgh failing to repeat as a postseason entrant?
ANGLING FOR THE CORNER: In a true playoff oddity, three games will be played next weekend featuring teams that had just gone head to head to complete the regular season Sunday: Philadelphia, a huge loser to Dallas, again heads back to Texas to face the Cowboys; Green Bay, a dominant winner over the Cardinals, returns to Phoenix for the second straight week to battle Arizona; and the Jets, big winners over the Bengals at the Meadowlands, now get to visit Cincinnati for the rematch…Both my preseason Super Bowl picks, Baltimore and Minnesota, are in the playoffs, but if I were to offer a revised pick based on the just-completed season, I might be swayed to select San Diego vs. either Dallas or Green Bay.
Alan Ross is the author of 32 books, including Away from the Ball: The NFL’s Off-the-Field Heroes. E-mail him at: alanross_sports@yahoo.com
© Sportland 2010
Minnesota, Baltimore, New Orleans, the New York Giants, and Miami all blew Week 16 chances to advance or maintain playoff hopes, putting must-win imperatives on Week 17 action. Baltimore, which had a lock on an AFC berth, self-destructed in Pittsburgh last week when it had three touchdowns called back. Fortunately for the Ravens, Denver and the Dolphins also lost, enabling Baltimore to have one more crack at it this past Sunday at Oakland. The Ravens finally got the win they needed, and they’re in.
Talk about lucky. The New York Jets drew league-leading Indianapolis and division-leading Cincinnati for its last two regular-season games. There’s nothing ordinarily lucky about having to face top-tier teams to finish the season, but the Jets caught a most fortunate break: both the Colts and Bengals had earlier secured playoff spots and thus began resting their regulars, giving the playoff-pumped New Yorkers a far easier path than if they’d been playing those teams at full strength. The above notwithstanding, the Jets looked mighty tough in their dominance of the Bengals Sunday night.
And then there was the late-season swoon by the season-long No. 2 NFC team, Minnesota. Sound familiar? It should. It could have been a nightmarish mirror reflection of Brett Favre’s late-season collapse last year with the Jets, when four straight losses killed New York’s promising playoff run. The Vikings had lost three in a row prior to meeting the Giants in the season finale Sunday. As it turned out, the Vikings won handily, but some late-season mediocrity spawns questions about their overall playoff strength. If Favre is off his game, forget it.
With homefield advantage throughout, the Saints are another team heading south at the wrong time, having lost their final three games. Admittedly, with many of its first stringers out against Carolina, New Orleans limited its fight against the Panthers. Still, they’ve picked a bad time to go cold.
And who would have guessed from last year’s two Super Bowl teams that it would be Pittsburgh failing to repeat as a postseason entrant?
ANGLING FOR THE CORNER: In a true playoff oddity, three games will be played next weekend featuring teams that had just gone head to head to complete the regular season Sunday: Philadelphia, a huge loser to Dallas, again heads back to Texas to face the Cowboys; Green Bay, a dominant winner over the Cardinals, returns to Phoenix for the second straight week to battle Arizona; and the Jets, big winners over the Bengals at the Meadowlands, now get to visit Cincinnati for the rematch…Both my preseason Super Bowl picks, Baltimore and Minnesota, are in the playoffs, but if I were to offer a revised pick based on the just-completed season, I might be swayed to select San Diego vs. either Dallas or Green Bay.
Alan Ross is the author of 32 books, including Away from the Ball: The NFL’s Off-the-Field Heroes. E-mail him at: alanross_sports@yahoo.com
© Sportland 2010
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