THE TYGRRRR EXPRESS

The Wildcards are done, and 12 teams are now down to 8.

My plane hit the ground at noon, giving me enough time to take a cab to my office, retrieve my car, stop at 7-11 to pick up a hoagie, soda, and chips, get home, finding my DirecTV not working, call up and blister them with a profanity laced tirade, get the problem fixed, and have the big game on my big screen just in time.

I am a nice guy, but don’t jack with my NFL.

As for the Divisionals, let’s get it on!

Seattle Seahawks @ Green Bay Packers–The teacher versus the student, the apprentice versus the master, the rain birds versus the snow cheese. The Walrus Bowl was here. Mike Holmgren, aka the Walrus, won a title with Brett Favre and the Packers. Now he is letting his tusks bark orders to Matt Hasselbeck and the Seahawks, where he took them to a Superbowl appearance a couple years ago.

With snow flurries coming down and the Packers at 13-3 and rested, they were expected to roll. However, in 2002, the Packers lost at home to an upstart Atlanta Falcons team led by then free citizen Michael Vick. The snow flurries did not intimidate a 9-6-1 team, as the 12-4 Packers went down in flames, a playoff shocker. It was their first loss ever in the Playoffs at Lambeau.

History looked like it was repeating itself early on. Green Bay started on their own 18 yard line. Ryan Grant promptly fumbled, Seattle recovered, and within the opening minute the Seahawks led 7-0. On the next drive, the Grant fumbled again, Seattle recovered again, and a Matt Hasselbeck touchdown pass had the Seahawks up 14-0 only 4 minutes into the game. This game was already turning into a shocker.

Football is often about the changing of the guard. In 1995, Brett Favre and the Packers were upstarts, when they went into San Francisco and smacked around the defending Super Bowl Champion San Francisco 49ers. They beat them up, forced fumbles, went up 21-0, and coasted. In 2002 the Packers were on the reverse end, and the guard had seemingly changed again. Yet several years later, the Falcons are in tatters, and the Pack is back.

Down 14-0, they still had 56 minutes left to come back, and Favre stayed calm, throwing passes in the snow, a couple of which went for long gains. The drive culminated in a touchdown pass that cut the gap to 14-7. There were still 7 minutes remaining in the first quarter, and by the time Seattle got the ball back for the kickoff, the snow had started to come down hard. The game had the potential to be a Winter Wonderland. This was fitting, since walruses like frozen tundra. Ryan Grant atoned for his earlier mistakes, and his one yard plunge with one minute left in the first quarter deadlocked the game at 14-14.

The beginning of the first quarter was a nightmare for Green Bay. The first play of the second quarter was a disaster for the Seahawks. This time it was a Seattle fumble, and a Green Bay recovery at the Seattle 19 yard line. Ryan Grant rambled inside the 10 yard line, and then Favre threw a perfect touchdown pass to the back up the end zone to Greg Jennings. The Packers now led 21-14.

On Seattle’s next drive, Hasselbeck fumbled the snap on 3rd and 1. Seattle recovered, but short of the first down. They received a break when Green Bay roughed the kicker. The 15 yard personal foul penalty allowed the drive to continue, setting up a field goal that cut the Packers lead to 21-17.

Green Bay drove right back, and Brett Favre made a play that only he could make. While escaping a sack, he came close to stumbling to the ground. It was 3rd and 8 from the Seattle 14, and somehow he maintained his balance, and completed what looked like a half shovel pass, half shot put. His riverboat gambler instincts lead to interceptions, but they lead to touchdowns as well. At 38, he is still gambling. His completion set up a 3 yard touchdown by Ryan Grant, who had redeemed himself fully at this point. After being down 14-0, Green Bay led 28-17 at halftime.

Green Bay went down the field with their opening drive of the second half, and Brett Favre’s short dump off pass to Brandon Jackson went for another touchdown and a 35-17 Packers lead 4 1/2 minutes into the second half. Seattle did move the ball deep into Green Bay territory, but they bogged down in the red zone. A 27 yard field goal by Josh Brown reduced the deficit to 35-20 with under three minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter. The Seahawks fought hard, but the Packers had too much firepower. Ryan Grant broke off a 41 yard run, and when the 3rd quarter ended, Green Bay had first and goal at the Seattle 4 yard line. 90 seconds into the fourth quarter, Grant had his 3rd touchdown tun, and the Packers had a 42-20 lead.

With 8 minutes left, facing 4th and 10 at the Packers 40, Hasselbeck’s pass fell incomplete, ending any chance of a Seattle comeback. Ryan Grant looked like the goat early on. His fumbled had Seattle up 14-0 only 4 minutes in. 56 minutes later, he had3 touchdowns and 201 rushing yards. All was forgiven. They will either host the Giants, or more likely, travel to Dallas, for the NFC Title Game. Favre had 3 more touchdown passes, and the entire NFL is glad he keeps coming back to play. Well, the Walrus might not be happy about it today, but he will be back as well. 42-20 Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars @ New England Patriots–The unbeaten Patriots were trying to become the greatest team in the history of football. The Jaguars, with a hard hitting attitude emanating from head coach Jack Del Rio, were not going to back down.

The Jaguars took the opening kickoff, and soon faced 4th and 1 at the New England 44. Del Rio decided to go for it, possibly thinking it would be the best way to keep the Patriots and their prolific offense off of the field. This was not a bluff to draw the Patriots offsides. David Garrard rolled out, and completed a deep pass to the 10 yard line. A couple plays later with the Jaguars faced a 3rd and goal. Garrard was about to be sacked when he threw a touchdown before going down. The replay showed that his knee might have hit before he threw the ball. Bill Belichick was about to challenge the call, but the Jaguars kicked the extra point just in time. The touchdown stood.

The Patriots came right back, and with 5 minutes remaining in the first quarter, Tom Brady had his first touchdown of the game. With the score tied 7-7, the Jaguars made the first blunder of the game, which cannot be done if a team is to survive against New England. The Patriots started at the Jacksonville 29. On the first play of the second quarter, Lawrence Maroney plunged over from one yard out to propel the Patriots to a 14-7 lead.

This is where most teams fold. Jacksonville is not 16-0, but they scratch and claw. Maurice Jones-Drew fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and Jacksonville had to start their next possession from their own 5 yard line. All David Garrard did was take them the length of the field. From the one yard line, a false start penalty pushed them back. For most teams, those penalties are drive killers. Again, the Jaguars are not most teams. Garrard calmly threw a 6 yard touchdown pass to Ernest Wilford. Midway through the second quarter, the game was tied 14-14.

The Patriots marched down the field again, but came away empty when a 35 yard field goal attempt was wide right with one minute left in the half. With 21 seconds left, Jacksonville could not make a first down, and New England called a timeout to stop the clock. It was actually the first punt by either team in the entire game. The Patriots took a knee, and the teams were deadlocked at the half.

The Patriots took the opening kickoff of the second half and went 82 yards in 11 plays, eating up over 6 minutes of clock. It culminated in a fake statue of liberty play, where Brady Faked the handoff, and threw a touchdown pass to Wes Welker. The Patriots led 21-14, and every time they took the lead, the question would be whether or not Jacksonville could come back.

The answer was yes, but not sufficiently. Both teams moved the ball with relative ease, but Jacksonville would bog down in the red zone. After a field goal cut the gap to 21-17, New England went down the field again, and Brady threw another touchdown pass. As well as the NFL MVP has played this year, Tom Brady was off the charts in this game, completing 26 of 28 passes. The only 2 incompletions were dropped. Jacksonville, down by 11 in the fourth, stayed calm, and drove inside the 10 yard line. Yet again, their drive stalled, and again they had to settle for a field goal. They were still in the game at 28-20, but would get no closer.

A touchdown would have kept things within reasonable reach, but when New England came back with a field goal of their own, the lead was back up to 11 points. Garrard tried to rally Jacksonville back, even converting one fourth down. Yet another fourth down pass was intercepted by Rodney Harrison, sealing the win for good.

Jacksonville had a great season, and they played tough. Yet New England is 17-0, and two wins away from immortality. While San Diego is still alive, the whole world waits for Indy and New England to battle again. In the meantime, Jacksonville goes home and New England soldiers on. Jacksonville was not the best team this year, but they have a nucleus that could reach the Super Bowl very soon, Just not this year. 31-20 Patriots

San Diego Chargers @ Indianapolis Colts–This game had all the makings of a blowout. San Diego beat the Colts in San Diego earlier in the year, but they tried so hard to lose the game it was ridiculous. Peyton Manning will not throw 6 interceptions today, and Adam Vinatieri will not miss another 29 yard field goal. San Diego led 23-0, and that missed chip shot preserved a 23-21 victory. The Colts are not about revenge. They are simply a much better team.

The Colts took the opening kickoff, and drove straight down the field. Along the way, Manning converted a 4th and 2 at the San Diego 38. Several plays later, the field general threw a 25 yard touchdown pass to Dallas Clark put the Colts up 7-0. The drive took 6 minutes. Philip Rivers moved the ball on San Diego’s first drive, but was then intercepted by Kelvin Hayden at the Colts 24 yard line. The Colts were marching down the field again, and it appeared the rout was on. Marvin Harrison, back from almost 3 months of injury, caught his first reception since he went down. Unfortunately, he was hit, fumbled, and San Diego recovered at their own 22.

Rivers took San Diego all the way to the end zone this time, completing the drive with a touchdown pass to Vincent Jackson. The blowout was a deadlocked game at 7-7 with only 8 1/2 minutes left in the half. The Chargers had slowed the pace of the game with their drive of over 7 minutes, which they had to do. Manning brought the Colts right back, but after completing his first 14 passes on the day, a pair of incompletions stalled the drive. Vinatieri nailed a 46 yard field goal to put Indy up 10-7.

The Chargers again moved with relative ease, but when the drive stalled, Nate Kaeding’s 48 yard field goal bounced off the right upright. The Colts started in terrible field position when Bob Sanders was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct for taunting Kaeding after the miss. Sanders took his hand and playfully slapped him upside the helmet. It was not malicious, but it was taunting. Nevertheless, Manning still had 1:46 on the clock and all 3 timeouts. Manning had the Colts in field goal range with 30 seconds left in the half and one timeout. The first half nearly ended in an absolute shocker when a pass by Manning was high, bounced off of Reggie Wayne’s hands, and was intercepted and returned by Antonio Cromartie 89 yards for a touchdown. The stunned Colts crowd was given a break when a holding penalty during the return nullified the touchdown. The Colts led 10-7 at the half.

One of the keys to the second half would be injuries. Marvin Harrison and Antonio Gates were both playing, but whether they were at full strength was debatable. What was not debatable is that opening the half without Ladanian Tomlinson had the potential to be devastating for San Diego. He bruised his knee in the first half, and was standing on the sidelines as the second half opened. So with the Chargers supposedly in deep trouble, all Rivers did was take the Chargers 83 yards, with a touchdown pass to Vincent Jackson 3 1/2 minutes into the second half giving the Chargers a 14-10 lead. This touchdown counted, and this time the Indy crowd remained stunned.

One person who would not panic in this situation is Manning. He completed several passes in what was almost an entirely passing offense. Finally the Colts went to the gound, and Joseph Addai ran three straight times to the 10 yard line. He appeared to get hurt on the last run, and his not being in the game at the end of the drive proved critical. On 3rd and 3 from the 4 yard line, Manning’s quick pass bounced off the receiver, and was intercepted at the 2 yard line by Eric Weddle.

As if things could not get any worse for the Colts, the Chargers tried to run the ball without Tomlinson. Two running plays gained only 4 yards, but defensive linchpin Bob Sanders remained down after making a tackle. 3rd and 6 was less important than Sanders, who was the difference between the Colts having Superbowl rings from last year and exiting the playoffs. The Chargers went nowhere, and the first punt of the game, from their own end zone, set the Colts up smack dab at the 50 yard line.

Two passes later, with Addai still on the bench, the Colts were at the San Diego 22 yard line. On 3rd and 3, a running play was blown up in the backfield. This did not matter because Manning saw the Chargers hurrying off of the field trying to make substitutions, and deliberately snapped the ball. The offsides penalty gave the Colts a first down and goal at the 10 yard line. Addai came back into the game, but Manning went to Reggie Wayne for the go ahead touchdown. The Colts led 17-14, with 3 minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter.

Knowing that the Chargers had to throw the ball, the Colts collapsed. On 3rd and 15, with the Chargers in complete disarray and the crowd at a fever pitch, Rivers completed the first down. On the last play of the third quarter, a simple swing pass followed by awful defense led to a 56 yard touchdown and a 21-17 Chargers lead. In a game that had already had Harrison and Gates hurt, and Addai and Tomlinson added to the list, Rivers landed awkwardly on his leg and fell down on the touchdown pass. He was not touched on the play. The teams entered the 4th quarter hobbling, and the Colts were 15 minutes away from blowing what was supposed to be an easy victory.

The first play from scrimmage of the 4th quarter was a 25 yard pass interference penalty that put the Colts at the Sn Diego 45. The next play was along gain to the 20 that was offset by a 15 yard offensive personal foul penalty. Facing 1st and 25, the next play was an incomplete pass, but a defensive holding penalty gave the Colts an automatic first down, although 10 yards back from where they were a couple plays earlier. Both teams settled down, but with 13 minutes remaining, the Colts did not move past midfield again on the drive, and the Colts punted for the first time in the game. The ball could have been downed at the one, but the Indy coverage team stepped on the goal line, giving San Diego a gift touchback.

The Chargers did not have Rivers or Tomlinson on the next drive, and Billy Volek could not move the team. Mike Scifres punted for the second time, and the Colts started at their own 43 with 11 minutes left. Facing 3rd and 9, this time it was the Colts that made the big play when it counted. A pass to Anthony Gonzalez, followed by one misstackle, went for a 56 yard touchdown. Replays showed that Gonzalezx stayed in bounds, but Norvelous Norv Turner challenged the call anyway. The touchdown put the Colts up 24-21 with 10 minutes left, and cost San Diego a timeout.

Bob Sanders returned to the game, but Rivers did not. Neither did Tomlinson. Bill Volek completed a couple passes, and a 3rd and 4 pass was incomplete, defended by Sanders. Yet a personal foul facemask away from the play by Marlin Jackson kept the drive going. A screen pass went for 27 yards to the Indy 15 yard line. From inside the one yard line, Volek snuck over the goal line, and the Chargers led 28-24 with 4:50 remaining.

Manning and the Colts retook the field from their own 22 without Harrison. Three passes and one minute later The Colts were at the San Diego 39. On 2nd and 5 and 3rd and 5, Manning decided to go deep to the end zone rather than throw for the marker. On 4th and 5 from the 34, the Chargers called their second timeout. Manning completed a bullet to Dallas Clark, and a 15 yard defensive personal foul for a facemask on Shawn Phillips had the Colts at first and goal at the 10 yard line with 2:56 remaining. On 4th and goal at the 8, the Chargers held.

Last year when the Colts beat New England, they did it by running the ball late in the game. This year they ran Addai on first down, but then inexplicably decided to start throwing it. Three incomplete passes later, and the Colts were on the verge of another postseason collapse at home, and the Chargers were on their way to a won against a superior opponent, just as they did in the 1994 AFC Title game against Pittsburgh.

With 2:01 left in the game, the Colts had all 3 timeouts, the 2 minute warning, and the Chargers backed up at their own 8. The defense had been beaten up all game. One first down could end the game. With 1:49 left, the Colts took their first timeout. The 3rd and 4 was the entire season. The Colts held, and took their second timeout with 1:42 left. The keyto everything was the fact that the Chargers took over at 2:01 instead of 2:00. The extra timeout saved the Colts. Scifres exploded with a 66 yard punt. The Colts took over at their own 33 with 90 seconds remaining and one timeout.

A 3rd and 5 pass to Reggie Wayne appeared caught until Wayne was drilled by Marlin McRee. Not only did the Colts face 4th and 5, but Wayne did not get up, forcing the Colts to use their final timeout on an incomplete pass. 1:03 remained. The 4th down pass to Dallas Clark was dropped.

Network executives across the land committed suicide, as the Colts vs Patriots matchup will not happen. The Patriots should demolish the Chargers, but then again, the Colts were supposed to as well. The defending champs are out, and as Chris Berman reminds us…”That’s why they play the games.” Like 1994, a San Diego team not nearly as good as its rivals somehow beat them. Manning passed for 402 yards, but again had to have one of those hang dog “Dino the Dinosaur” type press conferences to explain why his team lost a game they had no business losing. Tony Dungy might retire, and I hope he does not apologize for a game that the players blew. 28-24 Chargers

Before getting to the last game, one unfortunate aspect to the AFC Title game is that it features two teams lacking in class. The Colts are a dignified team, with Tony Dungy and Peyton Manning staying humble, even when winning a Superbowl. While the Patriots trash talking and their coach’s aloofness is well known, the Chargers are awfully unimportant given the level of trash they talk. Shawn Merriman did his “lights out” dance at the Colts 50 yard line (after a second down play no less) a year after complaining about New England doing it to them. Philip Rivers seems to enjoy taunting opposing players and fans. He is acting like the second coming of Ryan Leaf, although with more success on the field. His verbal abuse of Denver’s Jay Cutler seemed odd given that Cutler is a laid back guy, and San Diego was winning the game handily. Today Rivers went after the Indy fans. He yelled about how he would be back in the game after his injury. He did not come back. The Chargers won a playoff game, but might want to drop the smugness, especially since the franchise has zero Superbowl wins. As Art Modell, former owner of the Browns and Ravens used to say, “Losers should say very little…winners even less.”

New York Giants @ Dallas Cowboys–Eli Manning took the opening drive and went right to work. He converted a 3rd and inches by the nose of the football, and then threw a short strike to Amani Toomer. Toomer broke through some awful attempts at tackling, made it around the corner, and raced down the sidelines for a gift touchdown three minutes into the game. As much as people want to blame Jessica Simpson, she did not give up a 52 yard touchdown on what should have been a 5 yard gain. After an exchange of punts, Tony Romo threw a short touchdown pass to Terrell Owens to tie the game 7-7 on the first play of the second quarter. The drive was helped along by hard running from Marion Barber.

The game remained tied until Barber plunged over from a yard out with only 53 seconds left in the half. The Cowboys had 20 plays on the drive, which went 90 yards and ate up 10 1/2 minutes of clock. The Giants, without a Barber of their own since Tiki retired, have their own bruiser in Brandon Jacobs and a new phenom in Ahmad Bradshaw. Yet it was passing that was needed in the final minute, and Manning delivered. An additional 15 yards for a personal foul facemask penalty set up the Giants at the Dallas 23 with 28 seconds left in the half. On 3rd down, Manning threw a perfect strike to Boss, setting up a 1st and goal from the 4 yard line with 11 seconds left and one timeout. Another perfect strike by Manning, this time to Toomer, tied the game with 7 seconds left in the half. Like other playoff games this weekend, a supposedly easy win for the home team was a struggle. In the playoffs, nothing is easy, as the teams went to the locker room at 14-14.

The Cowboys took the opening kickoff of the second half and mounted a 14 play, 8 minute drive that culminated in a field goal and a 17-14 Dallas lead. While the Giants punted on their next drive, Dallas inexplicably wasted a timeout before the timeout. When Brandon Jacobs barreled in from one yard out 90 seconds into the fourth quarter, the Giants had a 21-17 lead, and another playoff shocker was potentially in the works. The Cowboys could not move the ball on their next series, but a solid punt was downed at the New York 3 yard line with 9 1/2 minutes remaining. The Giants failed to pick up a first down, and Dallas started at their own 44 with 7 minutes left.

On 3rd down and 9, a deep pass went incomplete, but a defensive illegal contact penalty against the Giants kept the drive alive. The Cowboys, after an intentional grounding call that was as questionable as previous calls on both teams, faced a 3rd and 20 at their own 49 yard line. The Cowboys then compounded the problem by taking their second timeout. 4:03 remained. A Hail Mary was incomplete. Cowboys, despite only one timeout, decided to punt on 4th and 20. The Giants took over with 3:46 left on their own 11 yard line.

The Giants played it more ultraconservative than Jesse Helms, refusing to throw. The Giants punted at the 2:07 mark, which meant that the Cowboys would get the ball back under the 2 minute warning, losing that clock stoppage. The Cowboys took over at the New York 48 with 1:50 left and one timeout.

On 2nd and 1, they failed to convert on the ground, but a 3rd and 2 busted play allowed Romo to buy time and execute a shovel pass for a first down. The Giants called a timeout due to an injury on defense with 31 seconds remaining and the Cowboys 22 yards away. A false start pushed Dallas back 5 yards out. Dallas took their final timeout with 26 seconds left after a 4 yard pass to Jason Witten did not get out of bounds before forward progress was stopped. Romo got nailed on the next play, an incomplete pass that forced 3rd and 11. A pass to the end zone to Creighton was incomplete. 16 seconds remained.

10 years ago, Terrell Owens was the hero, as his pass reception from Steve Young in 1998 propelled the 49ers to a miracle win over Green Bay. Could Owens be the hero again?

No. Romo’s pass into double coverage was not even intended for Owens. It was intercepted with 9 seconds left. Another playoff shocker was in the books. Also, 1998 was the year the Cowboys lost a playoff game at home against an inferior team, when the Jake Plummer led Cardinals, who lost to Dallas twice that year, beat them in Dallas. Again, they failed to beat a team three times in one season, losing the one at home that counted most.

Dallas outgained Big Blue by 336-230, and led the G-Men in time of possession 36 1/2 minutes to 23 1/2 minutes. Yet Dallas was done, and the Giants will soldier on.

The few remaining NFL and television executives that did not kill themselves over the AFC results jumped off a bridge once the Dallas matchup against Green Bay dissolved.

Colts vs Patriots and Packers vs Cowboys would have been ratings blockbusters, and clashes of Titans.

The NFC Title Game is now the New York Giants @ the Green Bay Packers, which should be a terrible game. The Giants do have a shot, although they lost 35-13 at home to Green Bay in Week 2. They are 9-1 on the road, having won 9 straight since the opening week loss to…Dallas.

The AFC Title Game is now the San Diego Chargers @ the New England Patriots, which should be an even worse game. The Chargers have no shot whatsoever. The Patriots humiliated the Chargers 38-14 early in the year, and this one should be more lopsided.

Sticking with the 10 year anniversary 1998 theme, Randy Moss was on the 1998 Vikings team that should have coasted to a Superbowl win, only to blow up in the playoffs. Terrell Owens was a hero 10 years ago, but not this time. Randy Moss was not the hero 10 years ago, but this time he can be.

Going back even further than that, 1993 was the last year both # 1 seeds made the Superbowl. Since the Bills and Cowboys, exactly one of the top seeds (never both of them) has gone down in flames every year. This year the Cowboys have gone down, which according to the trend, and every ounce of reality, means the Patriots will be fine. Besides, the Colts had the best shot to take them down, and that will not happen now. The Giants are back in the NFC Title game for the first time in 6 years. The Cowboys have lost 6 straight playoff games.

Nobody is surprised that one Manning is still alive and one is done for the year. The shocker is that Eli plays next week and Peyton does not.

As for the subject of class, Tony Romo’s press conference should be mandatory viewing for children in need of learning what class is about. He took the questions, made no excuses, and expressed his love for the game. When the idiotic questions about Jessica Simpson came up, he deflected them with dignity. Jessica Simpson does not play offensive line, and in the 4th quarter, neither did the Dallas Cowboys. The Giants defense belted the Cowboys offense when it counted. Romo not only showed his love of the game, but his respect and knowledge of the game’s history. He cited John Elway’s Broncos going 13-3 in 1996, blowing up in the playoffs at home in the divisionals, and then coming back the next year to win it all. The Cowboys lost a game, but the league gained an ambassador.

One player that has never been classy is Terrell Owens. Yet he deserves his due. His press conference was sincere. Regardless of his past, he broke down in tears, and fiercely defended Tony Romo. He said, “This is my quarterback…this is my team…don’t blame my quarterback. It’s not his fault. It’s not fair to blame him.” I give Owens all the credit in the world for refusing to make excuses, and for refusing to place blame. He also strongly defended coach Wade Phillips. This bodes well for Dallas, and proves that people can change for the better.

Any Given Sunday…indeed.

7 days until the title games.

eric

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 13th, 2008 at 11:19 am and is filed under SPORTS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.