Is another Eli starting to show up?

I'm not here to waste anybodies time, so here are nine quick random thoughts about last weekends NFL playoff games (plus one about the NCAA National Championship game).

1) Even though they fell to the Seahawks 35-14, I got to give the Washington Redskins players, coaches and fans a lot of credit for what they did this season. I can't imagine what its like to play a game a few days after losing a teammate, but that's what the Skins had to do after the tragic death of Sean Taylor. And then to lose that game versus the Bills were coach Joe Gibbs had a senior moment and called consecutive timeouts to give Buffalo an extra 15 yards. But Washington fought back, won their final four games with their backup QB and gave Seattle all they could handle on Saturday afternoon. The Seahawks may have won by three scores, but the game was much closer than that.

2) If I'm a Packers fan right now (And thank God that I'm not), I am going crazy thinking about that Seattle pass rush. Versus Washington, the 'Hawks had three QB sacks and what seemed like 400 hurries on Todd Collins. Defensive end Patrick Kerney was in the backfield all day, and when he was contained, it was linebackers Lofa Tatupu and Julian Peterson. Brett Favre may be running for his life on Saturday if the Pack can't establish a good running game.

3) Of all the players I saw this weekend, the guy who stood out for me the most was Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward. Man, I would love it if that guy was on the Bears. Not only is he a great run blocker- a very rare skill in today's game- but an outstanding receiver as well. Versus Jacksonville, Ward had ten catches for 135 yards, plus he caught an amazing two-point conversion that was called back for holding. It seemed like every third down, Pittsburgh would draw up a play to get the ball to Ward. (Except of course when the Steelers were trying to run out the clock and they ran an idiotic QB draw.) He may not get the recognition some of his peers do, but Hines Ward is a great football player.

4) Another guy I wouldn't mind putting on the navy blue and white of the Bears would be Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew. Known as 'pocket-Hercules' by NFL Network analyst's Rich Eisen and Deion Sanders, the little guy (5-7. 212 lbs) is the definition of a beast. Not only did he take a kickoff back 95 yards, he also had 29 rushing yards (including a TD) and 43 receiving yards (another score). Don't forget that the man blocks well and is quite fast for a little guy.

5) It didn't get a lot of publicity, because the Jaguars came out victorious, but I felt that JAX coach Jack Del Rio came very close to screwing them over big time with his clock management. First, with just over two minutes left, Del Rio challenges a catch that was pretty obvious that it hit the ground. That costs them their final timeout. Then with 2:25 left, QB David Gerrard completes a passes to give the Jaguars eight yards. Most teams, except ones coached by Dick Jauron and Del Rio, would have gotten another play off before the 2-minute warning. Of course the Jags didn't. If Gerrard doesn't have a brilliant 32-yard scramble on 4th and 2 with one and a half minutes left followed by a Josh Scobee 25-yard kick a minute later, Del Rio looks like an idiot. Instead it's Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin who looks dumb for going for two points twice (missing both of them) and then losing by two.

6) Ever since the Giants took care of Tampa Bay Sunday afternoon, all the talk has been about Eli Manning's maturity and how he looks great going into this Dallas game while Tony Romo seems unfocused. And while it is true that Manning looked good in round one, does that equal long term success? I think this may be a case of a much-criticized athlete finally playing well in a big game versus a heavily complimented player looking like he doesn't care. Will this impact the game? We shall see.

7) If he had to do it again, would Bucs coach Jon Gruden have rested all his star players over the last two weeks of the regular season? It's a tough question, because the first quarter proved that Tampa Bay was far from rusty. But then the game's final 45 minutes just proved the Giants were just better prepared and a better all-around squad. I think Gruden probably regrets his choice, but in the end, I'm not sure if it would have mattered.

8) I thought that Tennessee had an actual chance of winning the game versus San Diego in the first half after stuffing running back Ladanian Tomlinson. But settling for field goals instead of punching in touchdowns allowed the Chargers to stay in the game. Then Phillip Rivers woke up, Vince Young stopped completing passes and finally LDT got going (somewhat). The Titans have the potential to be a very good team in the future, but they need a play-making receiver to stretch the field. And no, former Bear Justin Gage does not count.

9) I'm not going to give away my pick, but losing Antonio Gates could really cost the Chargers this Sunday versus Indy. Gates is what stretches the field out for receiver's Vincent Jackson and Chris Chambers as well as Tomlinson. With his bad toe, the All-Pro tight end will surly not be at full speed. That could allow Colts safety Bob Sanders to come into the box, taking away LDT and making Rivers win the game without his best pass catcher.

10) Turning to the NCAA Title game, I have to clear something up for people: LSU didn't win because they were faster than Ohio State, they won because they are a much better team. As I said before the BCS games were announced, Ohio State just wasn't one of the top teams in the land. Sure they went 11-1, but with that schedule, it wasn't a great accomplishment. Their best wins were versus Wisconsin, Penn State and Michigan, all of which finished with four losses. Compare that with LSU's best wins against Virginia Tech, Aubrun, Tennessee and Florida and it is no shock that LSU just dominated the scarlet and gray. Chris Wells ran well for the Buckeyes, but sloppy tackling and a lack of depth just killed their chances. To put it simply, playing LSU in New Orleans was Ohio State's toughest test of the season...by far. And going against the Buckeyes wasn't even one of the three toughest games the Tigers had all year.


Now on to this weekend's NFL Playoff picks, with my picks in bold.

Seattle at Green Bay

I think Seattle's a very good team. I like their passing game and their pass rush. But I see two problems for the Seahawks: Running the ball and stopping Brett Favre. Against a talented Packer secondary, Matt Hasselbeck and Co. are going to want to run the ball. And Shaun Alexander just can't do it anymore. On the opposite side of the ball, the matchup between GB back Ryan Grant and the Seattle front seven should be fun to watch. But when the Pack go out of the shotgun with four wides, will Seattle have enough defensive back play to slow them down? I see a high scoring game that comes down to the fourth quarter, but just too much Favre.

Jacksonville at New England

On Saturday night, after their dramatic game against Pittsburgh where they blew an 18 point lead followed by them coming back to win, a lot of momentum was going towards the Jaguars. Then people realized that they're banged up on defense, they have no passing game and their facing half of the NFL All-Pro team. I think the Jags will keep the game close for a while, but Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Wes Welker will eventually snap and break the game open.

San Diego at Indianapolis

When the Chargers and Colts met on November 11, San Diego had two kick return touchdowns, got Peyton Manning to throw a career-high six interceptions and had the luck of a missed Adam Vinatieri 29 yard field goal with a minute left. The game was played in San Diego, at night, in the rain. And the final score was Chargers 23, Colts 21. On Sunday the game will be in the RCA Dome in downtown Indy, and I promise you that there won't be two return scores, Peyton won't throw six picks and Vinatieri won't miss a chip-shot with the game on the line. Add to that Antonio Gates not being 100% and I could see this one being a blowout.

New York at Dallas

This was the toughest pick of the week and not only because it's my only road win. The Giants have looked very good recently in their win at Tampa and a close loss to the Patriots. On the other hand, Dallas looked horrible to end the season, falling to Philly and Washington in two of the final three weeks. Add to that a week off, T.O.'s injured ankle, Jessica-gate and the fact that the Giants are 8-1 this season on the road (Only loss was week one in Big D), and I like New York big. Then I remember Eli Manning will be under center and I realize that this will be the best game of the weekend.


Playoffs: 4-0
Regular Season: 156-100 (Exact same record as the 2006 regular season, which is very strange)