I wore the
same hat (a cap from the
Chatham Squire, with a lucky gold fisherman’s hook
my uncle, a commercial fisherman and avid Pats fan, gave me
years ago) I’ve worn for 10 straight Patriots playoff
games. I drank hard cider, which I’ve drunk for 10 straight
Patriots playoff games. I did everything I could, but it
just wasn’t enough. The Patriots lost their first playoff
game since Pete Carroll was the head coach. Ironically,
Carroll (now at USC) lost only his second “playoff” game
this year since he was the Patriots’ head coach.
The loss
stung, to be sure, especially since the AFC Championship
would now be in Foxboro this weekend. But, I gotta say, it
didn’t hurt too badly. When your team’s won three Super
Bowls in four years, after choking for so many years before
that, it feels like the championships were a bonus, not a
right. Besides, too many people had decided they hated the
Patriots, mostly because of their continued success. Now
they have reason to hate them a little less.
The
Colts fans, on the other hand, got screwed. After years
of hearing how their team couldn’t beat the Patriots and
couldn’t win outdoors, they faced a situation where they
didn’t have to do either to win the Super Bowl. And their
team failed.
I’ve never
liked Peyton Manning because he sucks in the
playoffs. He did in college and he does in the pros. guy is
a choker. Period. Every year, he gets his fans’ hopes up and
dashes them. I’m actually less interested in ripping him
than I am for scolding him for disappointing his fans every
single year.
I'll tell
you something I liked about Manning first, and why I have
some hope that he may not be a COMPLETE choker. The Colts
faced a fourth down in their own territory and it looked
like coach Tony Dungy was sending his punting team
out there. Manning wouldn't budget. Dungy said after the
game that he hadn't called for a punt, but I don't believe
it. Manning was noticeably irritated on the field and Dungy
was yelling at Manning from the sideline. It certainly
looked to me like Manning was going for it, and there was
nothing anyone could do to stop him. I liked it because it
has been conservative play-calling that has helped doom them
every year. At least Manning showed a little fire, which I
liked.
SI’s
Dr. Z is wondering this week why so many people are
attacking Peyton Manning for his miserable performance in
the playoffs while few are going after Tom Brady for
his performance. Here are my five reasons:
REASON #1 – SUPER BOWLS. You can
start with the most glaring three reasons: Super Bowl XXXVI,
Super Bowl XXXVII and Super Bowl XXXIX. Tom Brady has led
his team to three Super Bowls; Peyton Manning has won none.
It’s a big deal. Every season, every NFL fan hopes their
team wins it all. Brady has handed his fans three years of
glory. Manning: zero.
REASON #2 – MVPS. Another key is
the MVP awards the two players have won. Manning is heralded
as the best quarterback in the league and has won two league
MVP awards for his regular-season performance. Since the
merger, only three other quarterbacks – Brett Favre,
Steve Young and Joe Montana – have done that.
Brady has no league MVP awards, but he has two Super Bowl
MVP awards. I guarantee you that, if you ask any fan if he’d
rather have the regular-season MVP or the Super Bowl MVP on
his team, they’d pick the latter every time.
REASON #3 – WEEK 14. Just one
month – 31 days – before the Pats’ and Colts’ playoff
losses, the Colts were 13-0 and the Patriots were 8-5. The
Colts had locked up homefield advantage in the AFC and many
were picking the Colts to run the table and go 19-0. Let me
revise that; they weren’t picking them to do it, they were
expecting them to do it. Two years ago, when Brady’s team
was the #1 seed and the highest of expectations were on
them, he delivered with his second of three Super Bowl
titles. The Colts lost that week-14 game and ended their
hopes of an undefeated season. That was okay though, said
many, because the real goal was the Super Bowl. Not only did
Manning fail to deliver on the expectation of a Colt Super
Bowl title, but he failed to win a single playoff game.
Remember, despite some iffy first-half play, Brady did win a
playoff game this season.
REASON #4 – FACTOR IN THE GAME.
Brady and Manning put up similar numbers this week. Not
identical, but similar. For example, Brady threw for 51 more
yards in two fewer attempts (in fact, Brady leads the NFL in
playoff passing yards). Brady threw one horrible
interception, but so did Manning (and the refs agreed with
that statement, before deciding to disagree with it).
Watching the two games, though, it just felt like Manning
contributed a heck of a lot more to his team’s loss than
Brady did. Manning’s passes looked rusty. With all the talk
about whether the Colts would be a little shaky after not
playing a “meaningful” game (as if every game isn’t
meaningful to the fans), the concern was right-on. Manning’s
balls went into the ground, into the stands – everywhere, it
seemed, except into his receivers’ hands. He was better in
the second half, to be sure; but, by then, it was quite
nearly too late.
REASON #5 – SACKS. Contributing in
a big way to reason #4 was the sacks. After being sacked
only 17 times in 16 regular-season games, Manning was sacked
five times against Pittsburgh. Brady got sacked 26
times in the regular season, but against Denver wasn’t
sacked a single time. A sack isn’t always the quarterback’s
fault, to be sure; the offensive line is responsible for
them, too. Manning hadn’t been sacked since week 5 of the
2002 season. He has had the luxury of sitting behind one of
the best (if not THE best) offensive lines in the league all
of his career. When the Steelers blitzed and blitzed and
blitzed, leaving fewer men in coverage, Manning was unable
to adjust, continuing to hold the ball too long, failing to
evade the oncoming blitzers, and get rid of the ball. Those
five sacks alone may have cost the Colts the game, and
Manning had some responsibility in them.
Personally,
I don’t feel bad for Manning. He gets paid a hell of a lot
of money and has gotten more accolades than maybe any other
player in the last five years. With those things comes the
glory in victory and the blame in defeat. He also takes on
too much responsibility. Stop with the audibles at the line
of scrimmage, already! The coaches who are making the play
calls have a longer football pedigree, and surely more
tested fooball minds, than a 29-year-old quarterback. I
don’t care that some of the audibles he’s calling are just
gibberish to fool the defense. A player needs to be able to
clear his mind on the field. Manning thinking about changing
plays or not changing plays or fooling the defensive
captains or drawing the defensive line offsides – it’s just
too much. If Manning would just play football, he might be
able to get over the hump.
One
question I do have is whether Manning or Dungy are more
responsible for the Colts’ dismal playoff record. But, one
thing is for sure: they’re a bad combination. Somehow, each
and every playoff run (except 2000, which just ended with a
loss) has ended in utter embarrassment for them:
Colts and Manning before Dungy: 1998 – Missed the playoffs.
1999 – Lost at home to Tennessee Titans, 19-16.
2000 – Lost on the road to the Miami Dolphins, 23-17.
2001 – Missed the playoffs.
Colts and Manning with Dungy: 2002 – Lost at the New York Jets,
41-0.
2003 – Lost at the New England Patriots, 21-14.
2004 – Lost at the New England Patriots, 20-3.
2005 – Lost at home to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 21-18.
That’s
right. In their four playoff losses together, Manning led
his offense to a whopping 35 points.
I do feel
sorry for the Colts fans, though. Manning and their team
have failed them miserably every year they’ve been in the
playoffs.
While I
think the Patriots will again return to the playoffs next
year and will be a favorite next January to win the Super
Bowl, I see bad things for the Colts next year. I see
Edgerrin James gone. I see a fanbase that is deflated. I
see a search for a kicker. I see an AFC that watched San
Diego and Pittsburgh kill Manning with blitzes. I see an
aging Marvin Harrison. I see a team that just might be
losing faith in its management.
I guess
this is all why I don’t like Manning – he disappoints his
fans every season in excruciating fashion and shows no signs
of that changing.
The Indianapolis Colts’ 21-18 loss
to the Pittsburgh Steelers featured the most amazing last 90
seconds in memory and also one of the biggest collapses in
pro football history.
The Colts, who started the season 13-0 and
had everyone talking about an unbeaten season, lost at home
to a team they beat a short while ago by 19. The team that
many people, including me, thought was Super Bowl-bound,
didn’t even win a playoff game. A team that finished second
in both points scored and allowed fell behind quickly to a
team not known for its quick-strike capabilities. One and
done.
Quarterback Peyton Manning was lousy in the
first half and the defense was no better as the Steelers
scored on two of their first three possessions. By the time
Manning got in a groove, the Colts were down 21-3 and needed
a stunning play to nearly give them a miracle win.
With 1:20 to play, the Steelers had just
sacked Manning on fourth down and had the ball at the Colts’
2. The game was, by all logic, over. Then, on a handoff up
the middle to Jerome Bettis, Colts linebacker Gary Brackett
caused a fumble and defensive back Nick Harper scooped it up
and started running. This is the same Harper whose wide
allegedly stabbed on the thigh the night before, causing a
gash that required three stitches.
I was watching the game at ex-NFL player
Dave Kopay’s house along with Outsports’ Jim Allen and the
three of us started jumping up and down, cheering on Harper.
But somehow, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger managed
to tackle Harper at the Colts 42. Big Ben (with an assist
from Mrs. Harper) saved the day.
"It's one of those things that
once in a blue moon Jerome fumbles, and once in a blue moon
I'm going to make that tackle," Roethlisberger said.
Indy managed to drive 30 yards and set up
Mike “The Liquored-Up Kicker” Vanderjagt for the game-tying
field goal with 17 seconds left from 46 yards out. CBS
doomed Vanderjagt by showing a graphic saying he had never
missed a kick at home in the playoffs. Vanderjagt promptly
kicked the ball way far right on one of the most pathetic
big-game kicks ever and the Colts dream season officially
became a nightmare.
--Had Harper returned Bettis’ fumble
for a touchdown, it would have gone down with the 1972
Immaculate Reception (by the Steelers’ Franco Harris) as the
most astounding plays in NFL history. I imagine Steeler fans
everywhere must have had coronaries as they watched it
unfold.
--I question the Colts’ play selection
right before Vanderjagt’s miss. They faced a second-and-2
when Manning went to the end zone to Reggie Wayne on a pass
that was broken up. That’s defensible, but the call on
third-and-2 was not. Manning again went to Wayne but the
pass was nearly intercepted. I don’t understand not giving
the ball to Edgerrin James. The running back was underused
all game but could have easily gained the first down against
a Steeler defense playing the pass. They then could have
played for the win or given Vanderjagt a shorter chance.
James was the Colts’ offensive MVP this year
in my mind, since his running kept defenses honest. He was
terrific on the Colts’ 94-yard second-quarter drive that
resulted in a touchdown, but then was largely forgotten.
James had only two carries in the last 28:11 of the game; that’s just crazy.
--Manning is now 3-6 in the playoffs
and is looking like his generation’s “best player to not win
a title.” He did not choke on Sunday – his defense didn’t
help much, his offensive line was overrun and the Colts did
stage a comeback– but he’s as responsible as anyone for the
defeat. "I can't
argue with the truth or counter any points," Manning said.
"It's a fact."
He has not been capable of rallying the Colts
in the clutch (in his three playoff wins, the Colts led from
the start) and has been unable to raise the level of his
game or that of his teammates in the playoffs. He said after
the loss that “you try to make your peace with the football
gods.” He must have done something in a previous life to
piss the gods off.
--Don’t expect Vanderjagt to be back next
season. He is paid a ton of money to make clutch kicks
and this is the second time he has failed in the playoffs
(he missed a kick in overtime in the 2000 playoffs against
Miami).
--It will be interesting to see where
the Colts go from here. They had everything they wanted –
home field advantage, the Super Bowl in a dome and the
Patriots eliminated, yet they still failed. James might be
gone after this season along with Wayne; they’re the
second-youngest team in the league and quite talented but a
hangover next season seems possible.
--The officiating this weekend was the
worst I’ve ever seen in the playoffs. There was a bad pass
interference call against New England at Denver that led to
the Broncos’ first score. On Sunday, the Colts got away with
a major non-call on pass interference that would have set
Pittsburgh up deep in Indy territory, and a similar non-call
happened to the Bears against Carolina. There was also a
strange play in the Colts game when both teams’ lines moved
and there was contact, but the officials ruled no penalty.
Huh? There has to be a penalty on someone.
The worst call, though, came when
Pittsburgh’s Troy Polamalu appeared to have intercepted
Manning with about five minutes left. It was ruled an
interception and the Colts challenged it. Replays looked
very clear that it was Steelers’ ball but referee Pete
Morelli overruled the original call and said it was
incomplete.
Morelli said: “I had the defender catching
the ball. Before he got up, he hit it with his leg with his
other leg still on the ground. Therefore, he did not
complete the catch. And then he lost the ball. It came out,
and so we made the play an incomplete pass.” Nice try, but
no sale. The refs blew it and had the Colts won, Steelers
fans would have howled about it for years.
--One of the great adages in playoff
games is that the team that wins the turnover battle wins
the game. That was true in Denver, where New England
committed five turnovers to Denver’s one. It didn’t hold,
though, in Indy, where the Steelers had two turnovers to the
Colts’ zero, or in Seattle, where the Seahawks had three
turnovers to only one for Washington.
--Another adage is that home field
advantage is golden. Not this year. Last week, three of
the four home teams lost, and two of four this week. In
addition, Pittsburgh has won two road playoff games after
going 0 for 3 previously in the Bill Cower era.
--All season, the three most-talked about
teams were Philadelphia, New England and Indianapolis.
The Eagles fell out midway through the season and now
neither the Pats nor the Colts are still alive. Teams that
got little notice, like Seattle, Carolina and Denver are
still playing, while the Steelers are on a six-game winning
streak after being declared dead by some. It’s been a weird
season.
I got this fromTom, a
Seattle fan in reaction to the above comment: "I
love most your comments, but I gotta say that YOU were among
the media outlets not giving Seattle much notice. The
Seahawks certainly may choke at any time, but the fact they
have made it this far in the playoffs is a testament to
their abilities this year, and that each week's win this
season were not flukes."
Tom is correct. I think the
Seahawks have been the beneficiaries to be in a weak
division and weak conference, but they are still playing so
they will get the attention they deserve.
--While Manning is 3-6 in the playoffs
yet is one of the highest-paid and celebrated players,
another Louisiana native is a better playoff quarterback.
Jake Delhomme was terrific in leading the Panthers over the
Bears, 29-21. Delhomme is 5-1 in the playoffs, with the only
loss being by three points in the Super Bowl to the Patriots
two years ago. He is 5-0 in the NFC playoffs, including 4-0
on the road. He is simply a winner.
--While Delhomme was clutch, the best
player of the weekend was Carolina receiver Steve Smith.
He had 12 catches for 218 yards and two touchdowns and ran
for 26 yards. The Bears knew the ball was going to be thrown
to him and he still made catch after catch. He totally
abused Bears corner Charles Tillman.
--How weird it was to see the Patriots
self-destruct with their five turnovers. Guys like Tom
Brady, Adam Vinatieri and Troy Brown have always come
through in the clutch, yet each of them committed a key
gaffe that ended the Patriots’ dream of the ThreePeat. It
simply shows they’re human and that the margin for error in
the NFL is small.
--CBS announcer Phil Simms added to his
list of homoerotic comments, with two in the fourth
quarter of the Patriots-Broncos game.
When partner Jim Nantz was promoting the
Colts-Steelers telecast, Simms said, “We get to hear
Dick Enberg and Dan Dierdorf.” Nantz: “And Armen
Keteyian. …” Simms: “Big Armen, gonna be looking good
on the sidelines.”
Later, the camera showed Steve Plummer, the
dad of Broncos QB Jake Plummer, both sporting beards.
Said Simms: “You see Jake Plummer’s dad. Their beards
run in the family, except the father’s is a lot neater, trim
and better-looking than Jake’s”
Championship picks:
AFC:
Pittsburgh (13-5) at Denver (14-3):
A game few expected. The Steelers are on a roll and
Roethlisberger has been on target, but the Broncos just
don’t lose at home. Broncos 23, Steelers 20.
NFC:
Carolina (13-5) at Seattle (14-3):
The Seahawks looked shaky in knocking off Washington and
running back Shaun Alexander will be coming off a
concussion. I took Carolina as my NFC pick in the preseason,
and won’t change now. Panthers 24, Seahawks 20.
