411's NFL Round Up 1.15.08: Divisional Playoff Weekend

Posted by Emmett Wilks on 01.15.2008

Eli Manning pulls out the upset and puts Dallas coach Wade Phillips on the hot seat. Also, a look at the potential Super Bowl match-ups in this weeks edition of the Round Up.

Hello to everyone. As we wrap up what is traditionally the most entertaining weekend of the NFL all season, a lot of interesting, if not shocking things are upon us. First off, I just want everyone who hasn't been able to yet to check out Derek Robbins' great BREAKDOWN of the Divisional Round's action. For everyone else, onto the Round Up.

INJURY REPORT

Both Chargers QB Phillip Rivers and superstar running back LaDainian Tomlinson both suffered knee injuries in San Diego's surprise win over the Colts on Sunday. Initial reports state that Rivers will remain questionable and Tomlinson expected to start. As of now, I would be surprised if Rivers made the start and if he does, will be limited in what he can do. Same must be said for Tomlinson, who, despite an incredibly tight game, did not return in the second half. That means that the injury was no light soreness but something potentially serious. I highly doubt either Rivers or Tomlinson will come into next Sundays match-up against the Patriots and make much of an impact now.


QUICK HITS

I believe at this point, without reservation or even the championship to show for it, that Tom Brady is having the best season of a quarterback ever in the NFL. This is not simply based on the astronomical numbers of 53 touchdown passes or recorded setting points the team scored. It is based on the fact that every single scheme from every team has been vanquished with such precision, gusto, and bravado that I watch in awe. While my Patriots praising may get nauseating at times for many, I cannot resist expressing my happiness that I am a witness to this season. The Jags had the best game plan you could ask for, and still came up a completion percentage of 95%. Numbers like that just don't lie.

The San Diego Chargers are poised to make a three peat of a funny trend in the NFL. Last season, the Chargers were the AFC's top seeded team and lost to New England in the Divisional Round. Back in 2004, the Steelers held the #1 seed in the NFL only to lose to New England. The next season, they would win the Super Bowl as a lower seed. Ditto to Indy in 2005, where they blow their # 1 seed only to bounce back in 2006 and win the Super Bowl. Maybe that #1 seed puts too much pressure on teams. Who knows? Just a funny trend that the Chargers could continue.

Let's be fair and give credit where credit is due. The Giants and especially Eli Manning took a monumental leap towards respectability with their win against Dallas. While I have been very hard on Eli all season, and stand by those criticisms, it is clear he has matured into a role of sound, if not excellent signal caller. It is clear he will never be his brother Peyton, but Eli did what he had to do to win. Gone were the boneheaded mistakes that just kept persisting with him for four seasons and especially earlier this year. I will hold the praises right there though, as the history of quarterbacks has shown that they receive too much blame for losses and too much credit for victories. But I am man enough to say when I was wrong. Just as much kudos need to be given to New York's defense, which through the first few weeks of the season was nothing sort of an abomination and is now the second best unit of the four teams left after New England. Gentlemen, you stunned a lot of people, including yours truly. Congratulations.

A CAROUSEL OF RIDICULOUSNESS

The thought that Dallas Coach Wade Phillip's job is in jeopardy is really stunning to me. While owner/president/general manager Jerry Jones has denied that Phillips would be on the hot seat if he lost the game against the Giants, I am sure that the calls for Wade's job will be growing. We all know the NFL guarantees mean little nowadays when it comes to coaching situations. Let me just start out by saying that if Wade is shown the door, it would be an absolute travesty. This is unfortunately not a new trend in the NFL over the last few years. Marty Schottenheimer's dismissal last year from the Chargers was a stunning move. But that was as much a power struggle with San Diego GM AJ Smith than a measure of performance. But the big question we have to ask ourselves is this. Has the expectation in the NFL become so high that it is championship or bust? A coach like Phillips can generate a 13-3 record during the regular season, lose a close hard fought game to a very hot ball club in the Giants and be rewarded by getting fired. All in just his first year as the Cowboys head coach. Much of this speculation is being generated by the presence of Dallas assistant coach Jason Garrett, the NFL's new en vogue, heir apparent that is supposedly the Dallas' answer at head coach. But my question is why you need an answer at head coach when Phillips had so much success this season. People are going to persist on Phillips now 0-4 record in the playoffs. The guy who I always like to go back to with that argument is Tony Dungy, whose unceremonious firing in Tampa back in 2002 was both premature and unnecessary. Tampa of course did not mind their decision, and won a championship the following year with Jon Gruden leading the ship, but no one can argue that the Indianapolis Colts benefited more than anyone with their acquisition of Dungy. I am not calling Phillips' situation the same as Dungy's, but they are similar if Phillips should be let go. Coaching in the NFL is the hardest in all of professional sports. Why do owners and GM's further compound the difficulties of the job by adding Yankeesque expectation that you are champion or bust. Dallas is in a great position for the next several seasons in the NFC. The team played great football for the majority of the season. Why deviate from a path that is clearly successful. The answer is a sad one. Every team wants immediate gratification. They want a championship today, right here, right now. This is certainly not a trend that affects everyone in the NFL. The Rooney family stuck by Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher through good and bad seasons. Seahawks owner Paul Allen isn't threatening Mike Holmgrem's career. And most importantly, Colts owner Jim Irsay didn't bail on Tony Dungy when they lost in the 2005 playoffs with the number 1 seed in the AFC. The results of this are teams that maintained consistent success and in more than one case, championships. None came in the coaches first year. Big time playoff setbacks occurred. But owners and GM's saw the success they were having and stuck with them. The same faith should be given to Phillips.


IMAGING THE POSSIBLITIES

We have four teams left vying for the Lombardi trophy. Let's take a look at the potential match-ups would be the most fun and exciting.



New England Patriots vs. Green Bay Packers

The likely and most desired match-up for the Super Bowl. The storylines are those of a columnist and sportscasters dreams. The star power is something of marketer's dreams. Brady, Favre, and Moss, all household names even outside the NFL fans. Beginning of course with the Patriots march towards perfection, and the best season of any professional sport ever. Could Brady and company overcome the pressure of their own success and reach a pinnacle that only one other team has achieved. But then comes the question of the great elder statesman Brett Favre, whose late career resurgence has furthered his already highly touted legend into the status of a living football god. Does number 4 still have enough magic in the arm to muster another title for the most storied franchise in the NFL at the twilight of his career. I mean, this is the stuff a Disney movie is made of. The Patriots would undoubtedly play to heel to the Packers babyface for this game, and this could potentially be the most watched Super Bowl of all time. The game itself would likely be pretty entertaining, as the Packers would play that upfront, physical game that caused the Patriots scares in the Philadelphia and Baltimore games earlier this year. But the Patriots would not be stopped. BOLD PREDICITION- Pats 34 Packers 17.



New England Patriots vs. New York Giants

Even with the obvious Boston vs. New York angle this one could take; I don't really want to see this football game. The most prevailing thought is that the Patriots would simply run rough shot over New York the entire game. I know that I have been singing the praises of New York earlier in the article, but Let's Be Serious. Green Bay is the only NFC team who could give New England a game in a playoff atmosphere. For all of Eli Manning's tremendous steps forward this season, it would be difficult to image him finding a comfort zone and protection to be able to do anything. I would really hope for a good, competitive football game, but it would most certainly be for naught. BOLD PREDITION- Patriots 41 Giants 10.


San Diego Chargers vs. New York Giants

Now this is an interesting game. For starters, you have two teams who no one expected to see in this game back in November, heck, even the beginning of December. It would be a great example of how the unexpected is commonplace in the world of professional football. With that said, this is also the least likely game to occur. But the other prevailing storyline would of course be a meeting between the Chargers of Phillip Rivers and the Giants of Eli Manning. Eli of course scorned the Chargers publicly on Draft Day back in 2004, refusing to play for them and demanding a trade. The Chargers agreed, shipped him to New York, and got their starting quarterback as well several key players on their playoff run. While it would be ridiculous to say that the winning quarterback would forever validate their team's decision, I'm sure everyone in the sports media will go ahead and say it anyway. BOLD PREDICITION- Giants-24 Chargers- 20

San Diego Chargers vs. Green Bay Packers

The Super Bowl no one really wants to see. This one just doesn't capture the imagination of Pats-Packers or have the storylines of a Chargers-Giant. While it's a good game on paper, great players like Favre, Tomlinson, and Shawn Merriman, this really seems like a "so what" kind of game. Favre's last hurrah would likely dominate the headlines, as well as the Chargers attempt to redeem last seasons letdown to New England. Funny thing is though, this would probably be the best "football" game of them all. Both teams would make great plays keep it interesting until the end. But its obvious there is something so much better out for the fans than this match up. BOLD PREDITION- Packers 28 Chargers 17



Until next week. Hope everyone enjoys the Conference Championship games. Be sure to make a comment if you think I'm an idiot. Have a great week.