football playoffs

[j44ke]

Newton got his bell rung about 12 times before that last drive, and he was starting to look like he was standing in cement. These star quarterbacks with running skills on historically struggling franchises - they get beat the heck up with this sort of play calling by gunslinging coaches. But you got to figure Carolina's smash-mouth attitude early in the first quarter put a target on his back.

I love Boldin trying to calm down Harbaugh at the end of the first half. Hilarious.

[RickM]

Carolina's toast. Their true class has been revealed.

They are the dirtiest team out there. Bunch of creeps. Coach is a dumbass and a douchebag.

[Dave Wofford]

Has Whisenhunt been fired yet?

[j44ke]

Aqib Talib out. Two drives over 7 minutes. Max play clock. Incessant "Omaha". Getting sleepy, sleepy....

[SteveP]

season over.
glad kraft chopped payroll for receivers...
great plan, keep the payroll down.
these guys are all the same anyway.
one of bradys last productive season chopped.
credit to the broncos. they beat them in every aspect of the game.. might have been a little different if played in boston.

[Bobqzz]

I really don't think that the Patriots had much of a chance today with the personnel they have. The better team won.

That said, the offensive game planning and play calling was atrocious and bound to fail. It is the exact same thing McDaniels does every year- decides they are going to pass all the time.(He really had me fooled the last 3 games)
There are a number of reasons this is very stupid.
1. You are playing the best offense in the league with an undermanned defense- it is essential to keep Manning off the field by moving the ball on the ground. Over the years he has consistently failed to understand this.
2. We have (1) good wide receiver. (Edelman who is a good slot receiver).
3. The team had tremendous success using the power run for the last 3 games. Today 16 runs (Blount got 5 carries- WTF?), 38 passes (yes, I know this is skewed due to playing from behind)
4. Tom Brady is great and all, but you need to give him a game plan he can execute. A. If he lines up with an empty backfield it removes any doubt he'll be passing and allows the defense to unload on him. He does not do well under pressure. B. He absolutely cannot throw long passes outside the numbers. Not just my opinion, it's a fact and has been for at least 3 years. Any time they call those plays, it's just a waste of a down. He's better on long routes up the seam- not great, but acceptable.

Also, when you have Blount and Ridley on the sideline, why would you have Vereen run off guard from the 2 yard line?

Honestly, holding Denver to 26 points was a victory for the defense- I know it looks like they played terribly, but given the loss of Talib (who I'm thinking shouldn't be back next year unless he is super cheap) and Denver's plethora of offensive weapons, 26 points is not bad at all.

Overall, a great season, but I think the coaching staff had a really, really bad day.

[jitahs]

Kaep is young.

[burgess1108]

And Sherman has no class.

[Nierman]

And Sherman has no class.

Erin handled that well.

[j44ke]

I think Gore likely sustained a concussion on that goal line stop. He was a non-factor for the rest of the game afterwards. Kaepernick had his throwing hand/wrist iced down several times in sideline shots. That roughing the kicker penalty was clear as day but Fox needed a consulting referee to explain a pretty basic rule to them. Unfortunately the refs in the game didn't have the same assistance. Fox jumped to commercial before replaying the Kaepernick TD pass and biffed on their chance to ever replay it again. Everything about that game seemed sloppy, even the coverage. How many leg injuries in that game?

When I was at ASU, Pete Carroll's Trojans were a barely controllable force. Campus and municipal police were really happy when they all left. Doesn't look like the pros have changed much of that.

[jitahs]

Erin must've handled a few collicky babies in her time.

[SteveP]

brutal sport.
dont know who to root for.. prob watch first half for the ads.

[Christian Fox]

I'll root for the Hawks. I can't stand Peyton Manning. It's not his fault; he is a great player and seems like a decent guy (except for the female trainer he tea-bagged back in college). It's the media that continually, collectively gags on his johnson. They've ruined him for me.

[robin3mj]

Pulling for the Seahawks because I want Eli to stay ahead of his bro in Lombardi trophies, and having been exposed to a lot of Wisconsin games since moving to Chicago, I appreciate Russell Wilson too.
Carroll's rah-rah demeanor on the sideline is entertaining, as well.

[Wisco]

Sherman is a pretty articulate Stanford grad who started life in Compton. What we saw was the "young Sherman" amped up on adrenaline and the moment.

His behavior was not ideal, but cut him some slack.

And Sherman has no class.

[SteveP]

adrenalin too?
phew.

[j44ke]

And a Stanford grad! Part of the intellectual elite!

[Saab2000]

1. Champions are gracious in defeat and victory. No sportsmanship awards for that dude.
2. The season is not over yet. Trash talk of that variety is better left unsaid but if you've got to say it, wait until you've won the Super Bowl.

I'm pulling for Denver. Manning might be a bit too polished in his presentation but he is the most exciting QB to watch, maybe ever. He runs his own show and runs it well. I'm just surprised he's so good given the fact that he really doesn't throw a good football all the time. A lot of wounded ducks come off his hand but they seem to find their targets pretty often.

[SteveP]

last laugh (for now) to welker. he took out talib in the first half.
by mistake,
hahaha
haha
ha

[jitahs]

You guys have it wrong, Sherman is the complete package: bow tie-wearing Urkel, revisionist historian, Bayless-baiting dé·clas·sé brute chameleon by day...that's all I got: Richard Sherman explains the Crabtree incident and postgame interview | The MMQB with Peter King

Bowman snaps his leg, Seattle fans throw skittles at him. I'd like to see Peyton eviscerate those classless morons.