Wild-card Judgements: Officials screw Pack; Pats miss Seymour
1. Green Bay should be steamed, and not because it lost a game it felt it should have won. Officials flat-out missed two blows to Aaron Rodgers' head in overtime, and one was on the last play when Michael Adams nailed Rodgers in the facemask. The other? It was two snaps earlier when the Packers, not the Cards, were penalized. Huh? I thought the NFL was trying to protect the quarterback. I also thought the playoffs featured the game's best officials. Somebody please explain and make it snappy.
2. Sorry, I disagree with commissioner Roger Goodell. When Washington interviews Jerry Gray before Jim Zorn is fired, then hires Mike Shanahan, and Seattle basically offers Pete Carroll the job before interviewing Leslie Frazier, the spirit of the Rooney Rule not only has been violated; it's been obliterated. Either enforce the rule or get rid of it.
3. Memo to Bill Belichick: Suck it up and admit you never should have traded away Richard Seymour. Then re-sign the guy and shore up a run defense that, frankly, misses Seymour more than you ever imagined.
4. Yeah, sure, it looks as if Kurt Warner is ready to retire.
5. Let's hear it for Mark Sanchez, not only for winning a playoff game but for getting in the last word on his former USC coach. Asked what he thought about Carroll jumping to the NFL, Sanchez said, "I just want everybody to know I completely disagree with his decision. Statistics show that it's not a good choice." Touché.
6. If I'm with Nicorette, I market the "Suckometer" where it would get the most use -- like New England and Philadelphia.
7. Lucky for Charles Woodson the Defensive Player of the Year voting was completed before Sunday.
8. I don't know how badly Tom Brady is hurt, but I do know what the Baltimore Ravens told me ... and they said it looked as if he doesn't plant on his left leg with confidence or comfort. They weren't talking just about Sunday. They were talking about this season.
9. It's hard not to like Dallas now. Now only did the Cowboys destroy the Eagles in successive weeks; they don't have to play outdoors the rest of the NFC playoffs. But that might be a problem, folks, and here's why: Brett Favre doesn't have to play outdoors, either. So what? So in his eight games at home this season, Favre had 21 touchdown passes and only two interceptions. Plus, he never lost.
10. People ask how Minnesota can stop the Dallas pass rush, and I'll tell you in two words: Adrian Peterson. The Eagles didn't have a running game, so Dallas could commit to defending the pass and dare the Eagles to beat them with LeSean McCoy, Leonard Weaver and Brian Westbrook. It wasn't going to happen. But the Vikings have Peterson and Chester Taylor, and you better believe the Cowboys will respect them.
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| Will Donovan McNabb be back in Philly next season? (Getty Images) |
12. Get ready for a tidal wave of speculation about Donovan McNabb's future. He has one year left on his contract, he stunk his last two games and the Eagles just lost a playoff opener for the first time under Andy Reid. That's a bad combination, but this is worse: Kevin Kolb is sitting behind McNabb, and he threw for 300 yards in each of his two starts this season. Now more than ever, Reid's allegiance to McNabb will be tested.
13. Go ahead, Wade Phillips, and exhale. One more win, and you can take a deep breath.
14. Next time Ed Hochuli's crew officiates a game, let's use an hourglass instead of an electric clock. Hochuli's crew called 23 penalties for 228 yards, with the game lasting 3:23. That is not what the NFL had in mind when it said it wanted to speed up games. I know one team that hopes it doesn't run into Hochuli, and it has nothing to do with length of games: Would the Chargers please stand up?
15. And that, folks, is why Sheldon Brown is not going to the Pro Bowl.
Five guys I wouldn't want to be
Referee Scott Green ... Please tell me why nobody on his crew flagged Arizona for successive blows to Rodgers' head -- including an obvious call on the game's last play. Just a hunch, Scott, but whoever blew that call goes to the Super Bowl with a ticket only.
Philadelphia QB Donovan McNabb ... Get ready to become the eye of the storm ... again.
New England coach Bill Belichick ... Next year's dictionaries will no longer carry his photo next to the word "genius."
Cincinnati PK Shayne Graham ... And to think, the Bengals made him their franchise player. I'm not sure whom I trust less, Graham or Neil Rackers.
New Orleans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams ... Green Bay ranked second in overall defense and fifth against the pass, yet surrendered 51 points to Arizona. Now along comes New Orleans, which ranked 25th overall and 26th against the pass. How in the world are the Saints going to stop a blitzkrieg the Packers could not? It's your move, Gregg.
Five things I like
1. The ratings for next weekend's Dallas-Minnesota game. Are you kidding me? America's Team vs. Brett Favre? Make this CSI times 1,000.
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| Innovator Don Coryell (second from left) belongs in the Hall. (Getty Images) |
3. Brian Schottenheimer's future. He just added to his résumé -- winning two games where the temperature wasn't above 21 degrees and winning them with a rookie quarterback from USC. Here's hoping Buffalo was paying attention.
4. Tom Brady's honesty. When asked about the booing he and his teammates took from the home crowd, he didn't back down. "I'd have been booing us, too, the way we played. That's their right."
5. Greg Jennings' spectacular sideline catch with just over three minutes to go. It was tough enough to make the leaping grab, but how in the world did he get both feet down? I don't know, and I don't know how he made that one-handed stab for a touchdown, either.
Five things I don't
1. That story about Michael Vick getting an "adrenaline high" from killing dogs. Gee, maybe he can get an adrenaline high by killing his career, too.
2. Marvin Lewis' challenges. He burned his two by the first period, and both were fairly obvious losers. C'mon, Marvin, that's not why I made you Coach of the Year.
3. Philadelphia without Brian Dawkins. It's not too late to admit you made a mistake, guys. All I know is that without Dawkins, the Eagles couldn't beat the Cowboys.
4. Indoor football. With Dallas and Arizona closing their roofs, every NFC playoff game will have been played inside.
5. Kelley Washington's throat-slash to New England fans. "It was just a messaqe that we're the team to beat," he said afterward. "That message was basically for the fans to know there's a new show in town. This is our era." Maybe, but you can't make that gesture without hearing about it from the NFL. The league outlawed it years ago, which means Washington can expect to be fined.
Just asking but ...
• Who should be more embarrassed -- Philadelphia or New England?
• If Jason Campbell can shread New Orleans for 367 yards, what can Kurt Warner do?
• What do the Eagles do with Michael Vick now?
• If you have $20 could you please lend it to Marshawn Lynch?
• Which home team is most likely to lose next weekend?
Significant numbers
• 2 -- Chad Ochocinco catches the past two weeks.
• 2.9 -- Yards per pass attempt for New England.
• 3 -- Penalties vs. Darrelle Revis in his first playoff game.
• 7 -- Consecutive wins for Indianapolis over Baltimore.
• 9 -- Larry Fitzgerald TD catches in five playoff games.
• 16 -- Consecutive playoff games with a Tom Brady touchdown pass, second best in league history.
• 59 -- Consecutive games won by the Jets when leading by at least eight points in the fourth quarter.
• 1978 -- The last time New England lost a playoff game at home.
