NFL Playoffs Edition: Championship Round

Posted by Nick Verlaney on Jan 21, 2011 in NFL | 1 comment

- Hey nation, I hope you are having a great week. In my never ending quest to be up-to-date on everything social media, I would like you to check out my new social media site: about.me. I think it is a very simple, cool idea that can work as a “new age” resume type of site. Also, in lieu of Monday being Martin Luther King Jr. Day I would like to share a couple of my favorite quotes of his:

• “I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.”
• “A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.”
• “Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can’t ride you unless your back is bent.”

- To put it lightly, the NFL took my lunch money last week, as I went 2-2 in my Divisional Round predictions. So for the AFC and NFC Champioship games…..here goes nothin’ (rankings are based on playoff seed).

AFC Championship:

• #6 Jets at #2 Steelers. I must say that although I did not pick either one of these teams to be in the AFC Championship, both were very impressive in their wins last weekend. The Steelers looked lost in the first half against the Ravens, but came back in the 2nd half with a vengeance and had some luck to beat Ray Lewis & Co. The Jets exorcised their demons in Foxboro by totally manhandling the Patriots on both lines of scrimmage. In fact, I havent seen Tom Brady look that bad in quite a long time. The Jets ‘D’ had an incredibly simple, yet genius scheme that took the intermediate gains away from the Patriots and forced Brady to make throws down field. If the Patriots and Jets were Jekyll & Hyde, then the Jets and Steelers are Jekyll and Jekyll. Both teams  love to play aggressive, hard-hitting defense. They also have scrappy, talented QB’s, a good running game, and huge down-field threats at wide receiver. The two teams also get their swagger from their head coach. Just like last week, there is nothing to hide for either team. Here are my keys to the game:
• The Jets must trust Mark Sanchez to make throws to win this game. The Steelers defense simply doesnt allow opponents to run the ball. They use creative blitzes and try to force opposing quarterbacks into mistakes. The Jets offensive line absolutely must do their best to keep Mark Sanchez’s jersey clean, and give him time to throw. Running bootlegs could help their cause against a sometimes iffy Steelers secondary. Santonio Holmes, who has been the ultimate late game weapon for the Jets this season, will also be looking to exact revenge on his former team. If they can have some success early in the passing game, it will allow them to mix up their play calling and use Shonn Greene to pound the ball late in the game.
• The whole key to the game for the Steelers is whether their patchwork offensive line can make it through another game. The Steelers need to find their running game for this match-up, because the Jets secondary is much better than the Ravens (sorry Ed Reed). The Jets wont allow those absurd deep throws that Big Ben got in the second half last week. If the Steelers can run the ball, they should be able to control the clock and tire out the Jets defense.
• For some reason, I think that Rex Ryan is doing his best work in the playoffs and is slaying all of his demons along the way. Prediction: Jets 27-24. Confidence: 6.

NFC Championship:

• #6 Packers at #2 Bears. Hey, look at this, a game that I actually predicted last week. This is second time ever that these 2 rivals have ever met in the playoffs, the first time was in 1941, a few days after Pearl Harbor. I must say that among all of the impressive performances from last weekend, that the Packers absolute manhandling of the Falcons was easily the best. I mean, really? They took a Falcons team that didnt turn the ball over in the regular season into a turnover machine. They took unflappable Matt Ryan, and made him look so confused that he appeared to not know what country his receivers were in. And all Aaron Rodgers did was have the best game of his life as well. For the Bears, they were impressive as well against the Seahawks. Their defense thoroughly punished Matt Hasslebeck, forcing him into bad throw after bad throw. Jay Cutler also had a great game, finding Greg Olsen on numerous deep routes throughout the game. Although the final score was 35-24, the game was never that close. Here are my keys to this game:
• The Packers just need to keep rolling. Their offense is on another level than most teams right now. Everything for them is working like clockwork. Aaron Rodgers is playing the best football of his life right now, and the team is following his lead. My key for the Packers isnt Rodgers though, its their front 7. If the Green Bay pass rush can get to Jay Cutler, I personally guarantee he will fold like origami. Cullen Jenkins may not get a lot of hype from the media, but Im sure all Packers fans know how important he is at nose tackle in leading the charge. If he does his job, then Clay Matthews should have a field day blitzing from the outside. Corner Tremon Williams will also benefit from the pressure.
• The key for the Bears has, and will always be, their quarterback play. Everyone knows that their defense will play excellent and keep them in this game, but Jay Cutler must play the game of his life for the Bears to win this game. He must have excellent pocket-presence and awareness of the different blitz looks that the Packers will throw at him to confuse him. He also needs to use his tight-ends when the Packers do bring the house. If Green Bay does have a weakness on defense, its a safety, so Cutler needs to use the aggressiveness of the Packers safety’s against them. If he can spread the ball around to start the game, then Matt Forte may have a chance to run the ball as the game goes on.
• Hey, Packers fans, I hope I’m not jinxing your team. Prediction: Green Bay 23-17. Confidence: 7.

- Now lets take a look at what we learned in the NFL last week:

• Just like every year since 2000, the Ravens wont get a chance at the Super Bowl because due to offensive ineptitude. Can someone get Ray Lewis and Ed Reed a real offense please? Those guys deserve another ring. RED CARD.
• That down field throw by Big Ben to ice the Ravens game was gutsy. The catch was even better by rookie Antonio Brown.
• 
• Rex Ryan out-schemed  Peyton Manning and Tom Brady in consecutive weeks, wow. How he beat Jim Caldwell and Bill Belichick in a row, I will never know.
• If there was ever a time for Belichick to stick it to Rex Ryan, it was last week. Im extremely surprised he got out-coached. RED CARD.
• Tom Brady is 4-5 in his last 9 playoff games…..remarkable statistic.
• The Falcons may have struggled mightily last week against the Packers, but they are another very young team that has nothing but a bright future ahead. Matt Ryan will definitely win an MVP, and sooner than you may think.
• The Falcons defense does need a bit of a makeover before they are truly ready to take the next step in the Playoffs. Look at all the teams still playing: all have great defenses. Offense wins you regular season games, but defense wins in the Playoffs.
• The Seahawks are on the right track. They need to find a consistent running game, and pass rush before they will be back to controlling the NFC West though.
• Well, the Raiders officially hired Hue Jackson to coach the team…..over/under on how long he lasts is 18 games. Ill take the under, not because he will do a bad job, but because Al Davis is insane. RED CARD.
• Jackson did make a great personnel move in hiring former Chiefs Offensive Coordinator Al Saunders to run the Raiders offense. Saunders is still an elite OC.
• Tony Romo said in an interview this week that he wished the season would start now because he feels great. Im sure Jerry Jones and his brand new stadium wishes that too, Tony. RED CARD.

- Changing gears, in a not very surprising development, the University of Texas and ESPN have agreed to a 20 year, $300 million dollar TV contact. Whats funny, is that Texas will now earn an extra $15 million dollars more than every other “Big 12″ school for the foreseeable future. Who saw this coming? Easy answer: everyone. Hows that for competitive balance, Commissioner Beebe? Oh Im sure UT is cutting you in on a little bit of the deal while you pretend to “work on a Big 12 TV package.” Good luck to the Texas + 9 other less important schools conference, Im sure it wont last. RED CARD.

- Im not a huge tennis fan, but every time that ESPN shows video of Australia during the Australian Open, it makes me want to go there more and more. Melbourne looks quite nice at this time of year. So does Maria Sharapova. But anyway, if someone wants to go with me next year, that would be swell.

- My music recommendation for this week is the song Violet Hill by Coldplay. Its stuck in my head and wont leave.

- Not to be too political on this blog, but I really hope that the Senate keeps the Healthcare bill intact. It is one of the very few major achievements by the Obama administration, and to repeal it, just months after it was passed makes our government look less productive and smart everyday. RED CARD.

- On a positive note, Congresswomen Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in Arizona last week, stood up Thursday for the first time since the incident. She is undergoing “aggressive rehab” right now, and vows to come back. At least some good may come out of this horrific event yet.