For the first time both conference championship games in the NFL will be played in a domed stadium in the same season.
Dome teams are 4 and 1 in these title affairs played at home. The Rams registered a pair of five-point successes against the Buccaneers and Eagles, the Colts trimmed the Patriots by four, and the Cardinals stopped the Eagles by seven. The Vikings lost to another dome team, the Falcons, by three points.
SUNDAY
| Time: |
Favorite |
Underdog |
Point Spread |
Total Points |
| Noon (PT)--AFC |
At INDIANAPOLIS |
N. Y. JETS |
7 1/2 |
40 1/2 |
| 3:40 (PT)--NFC |
At NEW ORLEANS |
MINNESOTA |
4 |
52 1/2 |
| - |
|
|
|
|
The Jets and Colts played on December 27 this season at Indianapolis. Undefeated going into the game, the Colts led, 15-10 midway through the third quarter when their regulars were taken out by coach Jim Caldwell. New York rallied to win, 29-15.
The Vikings and Saints last played on October 6, 2008 in New Orleans. The Vikings won, 30-27 on a 30-yard field goal by Ryan Longwell with 13 seconds remaining in the game. It was the first NFL game in history that had a combination of a blocked field goal, returned 59 yards for a touchdown by Antoine Winfield of Minnesota; a TD pass thrown by a non-quarterback, Chester Taylor of the Vikes ( 4 yards); two field goals of beyond 50 yards; and two punt returns for touchdowns by Reggie Bush of the Saints. One was for 71 yards and the other for 64, tying a league record. Minnesota's quarterback that Monday night was Gus Frerotte. The Vikings have taken seven of their past eight meetings against the Saints.
Only one underdog and one road team came out on top in the four NFL playoff games over the weekend, and it was the same club---the New York Jets. They rallied to defeat the biggest favorites in the second round, San Diego's Chargers, 17-14.
The Chargers had been the only pro team to score at least 20 points in every outing this season, and had an 11-game win skein, but the seven-point choices fell at home. Jets coach Rex Ryan had commented on December 20 after a loss to the Falcons that there was no chance his squad was going to make the postseason. Now, the Jets are one triumph away from the Super Bowl.
[caption id="attachment_6562" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi"]
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Ryan has expressed the belief that his offensive line is the strength of his team and the best in the league. They have paced the NFL in rushing with 172 yards a week, and rookie Shonn Greene's 53-yard touchdown scamper in the fourth period gave the Jets some breathing room at 17 to 7. Rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez had put the Jets in front, 10-7 with a short scoring pass early in the final quarter.
New York did not record a first down for almost 22 minutes, but was behind only 7-0 at intermission. Nate Kaeding, the most accurate field goal kicker in league history, missed attempts of 36, 40, and 57 yards for the Chargers.
Baltimore's Ravens played the Colts twice in this professional football season-----November 22 and January 16. In those eight quarters and 120 minutes of action, how many touchdowns did the Ravens score?
NONE.
Saturday night's playoff fray was tied at 3 after one period. In the second quarter, here was the first down count.
COLTS 11
RAVENS 0
[caption id="attachment_6563" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="AP Photo/Michael Conroy"]
[/caption]
Peyton Manning was able to flip two scoring aerials of 10 and 3 yards, respectively, in the last two minutes of the half to give the Colts a commanding 17-3 advantage. With the Ravens offense primarily a ground attack, this game was over. The final was 20-3, and Indianapolis has beaten Baltimore eight successive times.
The Dallas Cowboys knew that to reach the Super Bowl outdoors in Miami that they had to win indoors on the road at both Minnesota and New Orleans. They never came close to being in the NFC championship game at the Superdome.
Dallas moved the ball well early, but could not score. I was surprised when the Cowboys, on a fourth down and one at the Minnesota 30 a few minutes in, did not go for a first down and missed a 48-yard field goal. In the first quarter, the Cowboys gained 118 yards. For the next three periods, they had a total of only 130 yards, never scored a touchdown all day, and got walloped, 34 to 3 by the Vikings. Minnesota had the ball for just 12 minutes in the first half, yet led, 17 to 3.
[caption id="attachment_6564" align="alignnone" width="267" caption="AP Photo/Paul Sancya"]
[/caption]
Quarterback Tony Romo had not fumbled in his last eight games for Dallas, but he dropped three in the first half at Minnesota, and lost two. Romo was also sacked six times for 42 yards in losses, and threw an interception. The pressure applied by the Vikes kept him from getting into a rhythm.
[caption id="attachment_6565" align="alignnone" width="234" caption="AP Photo/Paul Sancya"]
[/caption]
Brett Favre, at 40 the oldest quarterback to start an NFL postseason duel, was magnificent in directing Minnesota to the surprisingly easy triumph. It was the first time he had thrown four scoring passes in a playoff tussle, and three went to Sidney Rice. I couldn't believe Favre, on fourth and three at the Dallas 11 with two minutes to go and ahead by 24 points, went to the air for his fourth. Kicking a field goal would have been rubbing it in, and so was the pass. In nine home games this season-----all wins----Brett had 25 touchdown passes and two interceptions.
The Vikings did not have a fumble or an interception. Dallas still has not been to the Super Bowl since 1995.
New Orleans had not won a game in 34 days and was coming off a bye week, but the Saints overcame a game-opening 70-yard touchdown dash by Tim Hightower of Arizona and pummeled the Cardinals, 45 to 14 in their NFC second rounder.
Drew Brees had a solid passing performance for New Orleans, connecting for three TDS to different receivers while posting an impressive 125.4 quarterback rating.
[caption id="attachment_6566" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Reggie Bush"]
[/caption]
Reggie Bush showed up to have one of his best outings for the Saints. He touched the ball a dozen times and gained 217 yards on five runs, four catches, and three punt returns. A 46-yard TD dash and an 83-yard punt return for another score were the dazzlers.
With the noise level the way it is in New Orleans, it will take a huge effort by Minnesota to win on Sunday.
Attention Arizona Cardinals Scouting Department:
In this spring's NFL draft, make most, if not all, of your selections defensive players. During your last two playoff games, in one 30-minute span, your defense allowed a humiliating 70 points---35 by the Packers in the second half and 35 by the Saints in the first half. Each opponent finished with 45 points, putting your name in the record books for dubious distinction. The shocking fact was that you won the Green Bay game. If he thought his defense would be better next season, Kurt Warner might be more likely to return and not retire.
Did you notice how many stupid moves pro players made over the weekend to incur penalties, some of those at crucial points. Kicking a challenge flag, head butting, personal fouls. Why don't these guys quit trying to be macho and be smart?
TRIVIA QUESTION: What is the average amount of time the ball is actually in play on the field during an NFL game?
It bothers me that Lane Kiffin spent one season as the head football coach at Tennessee and bailed out for USC. The athletic director, school president and board of regents at Knoxville gave him the job when he was out of work. How about the young men he recruited to come to the school to play for him, and he strands them?. That's a poor example of commitment. A national poll of 1,700 fans showed 73 percent thought Kiffin made a classless decision.
Kiffin told Matt Hayes of The Sporting News before he took the USC post, "I love the NFL...but the biggest advantage in college football is you have control of putting together your own team. If something happens and it doesn't work out, you're the only one to blame. There's more freedom in college because you choose who you want to recruit, and you can outwork the other guy for a player."
For 20 games, Kiffin was head coach of the Oakland Raiders before he went to Tennessee. His mentor at USC, Pete Carroll, has just returned to the pros with the Seattle Seahawks.
William C. Rhoden of The New York Times wrote a column January 13, 2007 on this subject. In his words, "For reasons that have to do with ego and control, great college coaches do not make great NFL coaches, and they probably never will. The college coaching culture makes it so. In college, the head coach holds all the cards, has all the power, gets all the glory. The players have one-year renewable scholarships, and the coach can bad mouth troublemakers. When a college player and a college coach reunite in the pros, the cleat is on the other foot. The NFL is all about the players. College coaches, by and large, can't get their minds---or egos---around that reality. There have been two great NFL coaches who made the transition from college: Bill Walsh and Jimmy Johnson. The list of flops is much longer. Free agency has made it even harder for any coach to succeed. With key players coming and going each season, the pro coach needs a level of flexibility that the college coach never has to exercise.
Dennis Green has enjoyed success at both levels. "In college football, a top coach can pretty much go out and it's going to be seven wins and up," Green said. "A 9-2 record, 9-3, you're really dominating. In the National Football League, you're more likely to win four, lose two, win three, lose four. You've got these huge swings. It's an up-and-down process and you have to be able to adapt to when you're up and also adapt and not be discouraged when you're down."
"In college football you get a chance to build your program; you got some time," Green said. "In pro football, guys go to the playoffs and the teams still make changes because they didn't go far enough in the playoffs. There's a lot higher expectations than in the college game. In the National Football League, the difference between being 6-10 and 10-6 are a few plays. It's that tight. It's much more of an every-game, everyday battle in the National Football League. There are no teams that everybody wants to play for homecoming."
TRIVIA ANSWER: 11 minutes
Source: The Wall Street Journal
[/caption]
Ryan has expressed the belief that his offensive line is the strength of his team and the best in the league. They have paced the NFL in rushing with 172 yards a week, and rookie Shonn Greene's 53-yard touchdown scamper in the fourth period gave the Jets some breathing room at 17 to 7. Rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez had put the Jets in front, 10-7 with a short scoring pass early in the final quarter.
New York did not record a first down for almost 22 minutes, but was behind only 7-0 at intermission. Nate Kaeding, the most accurate field goal kicker in league history, missed attempts of 36, 40, and 57 yards for the Chargers.
Baltimore's Ravens played the Colts twice in this professional football season-----November 22 and January 16. In those eight quarters and 120 minutes of action, how many touchdowns did the Ravens score?
NONE.
Saturday night's playoff fray was tied at 3 after one period. In the second quarter, here was the first down count.
COLTS 11
RAVENS 0
[caption id="attachment_6563" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="AP Photo/Michael Conroy"]
[/caption]
Peyton Manning was able to flip two scoring aerials of 10 and 3 yards, respectively, in the last two minutes of the half to give the Colts a commanding 17-3 advantage. With the Ravens offense primarily a ground attack, this game was over. The final was 20-3, and Indianapolis has beaten Baltimore eight successive times.
The Dallas Cowboys knew that to reach the Super Bowl outdoors in Miami that they had to win indoors on the road at both Minnesota and New Orleans. They never came close to being in the NFC championship game at the Superdome.
Dallas moved the ball well early, but could not score. I was surprised when the Cowboys, on a fourth down and one at the Minnesota 30 a few minutes in, did not go for a first down and missed a 48-yard field goal. In the first quarter, the Cowboys gained 118 yards. For the next three periods, they had a total of only 130 yards, never scored a touchdown all day, and got walloped, 34 to 3 by the Vikings. Minnesota had the ball for just 12 minutes in the first half, yet led, 17 to 3.
[caption id="attachment_6564" align="alignnone" width="267" caption="AP Photo/Paul Sancya"]
[/caption]
Quarterback Tony Romo had not fumbled in his last eight games for Dallas, but he dropped three in the first half at Minnesota, and lost two. Romo was also sacked six times for 42 yards in losses, and threw an interception. The pressure applied by the Vikes kept him from getting into a rhythm.
[caption id="attachment_6565" align="alignnone" width="234" caption="AP Photo/Paul Sancya"]
[/caption]
Brett Favre, at 40 the oldest quarterback to start an NFL postseason duel, was magnificent in directing Minnesota to the surprisingly easy triumph. It was the first time he had thrown four scoring passes in a playoff tussle, and three went to Sidney Rice. I couldn't believe Favre, on fourth and three at the Dallas 11 with two minutes to go and ahead by 24 points, went to the air for his fourth. Kicking a field goal would have been rubbing it in, and so was the pass. In nine home games this season-----all wins----Brett had 25 touchdown passes and two interceptions.
The Vikings did not have a fumble or an interception. Dallas still has not been to the Super Bowl since 1995.
New Orleans had not won a game in 34 days and was coming off a bye week, but the Saints overcame a game-opening 70-yard touchdown dash by Tim Hightower of Arizona and pummeled the Cardinals, 45 to 14 in their NFC second rounder.
Drew Brees had a solid passing performance for New Orleans, connecting for three TDS to different receivers while posting an impressive 125.4 quarterback rating.
[caption id="attachment_6566" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Reggie Bush"]
[/caption]
Reggie Bush showed up to have one of his best outings for the Saints. He touched the ball a dozen times and gained 217 yards on five runs, four catches, and three punt returns. A 46-yard TD dash and an 83-yard punt return for another score were the dazzlers.
With the noise level the way it is in New Orleans, it will take a huge effort by Minnesota to win on Sunday.
Attention Arizona Cardinals Scouting Department:
In this spring's NFL draft, make most, if not all, of your selections defensive players. During your last two playoff games, in one 30-minute span, your defense allowed a humiliating 70 points---35 by the Packers in the second half and 35 by the Saints in the first half. Each opponent finished with 45 points, putting your name in the record books for dubious distinction. The shocking fact was that you won the Green Bay game. If he thought his defense would be better next season, Kurt Warner might be more likely to return and not retire.
Did you notice how many stupid moves pro players made over the weekend to incur penalties, some of those at crucial points. Kicking a challenge flag, head butting, personal fouls. Why don't these guys quit trying to be macho and be smart?
TRIVIA QUESTION: What is the average amount of time the ball is actually in play on the field during an NFL game?
It bothers me that Lane Kiffin spent one season as the head football coach at Tennessee and bailed out for USC. The athletic director, school president and board of regents at Knoxville gave him the job when he was out of work. How about the young men he recruited to come to the school to play for him, and he strands them?. That's a poor example of commitment. A national poll of 1,700 fans showed 73 percent thought Kiffin made a classless decision.
Kiffin told Matt Hayes of The Sporting News before he took the USC post, "I love the NFL...but the biggest advantage in college football is you have control of putting together your own team. If something happens and it doesn't work out, you're the only one to blame. There's more freedom in college because you choose who you want to recruit, and you can outwork the other guy for a player."
For 20 games, Kiffin was head coach of the Oakland Raiders before he went to Tennessee. His mentor at USC, Pete Carroll, has just returned to the pros with the Seattle Seahawks.
William C. Rhoden of The New York Times wrote a column January 13, 2007 on this subject. In his words, "For reasons that have to do with ego and control, great college coaches do not make great NFL coaches, and they probably never will. The college coaching culture makes it so. In college, the head coach holds all the cards, has all the power, gets all the glory. The players have one-year renewable scholarships, and the coach can bad mouth troublemakers. When a college player and a college coach reunite in the pros, the cleat is on the other foot. The NFL is all about the players. College coaches, by and large, can't get their minds---or egos---around that reality. There have been two great NFL coaches who made the transition from college: Bill Walsh and Jimmy Johnson. The list of flops is much longer. Free agency has made it even harder for any coach to succeed. With key players coming and going each season, the pro coach needs a level of flexibility that the college coach never has to exercise.
Dennis Green has enjoyed success at both levels. "In college football, a top coach can pretty much go out and it's going to be seven wins and up," Green said. "A 9-2 record, 9-3, you're really dominating. In the National Football League, you're more likely to win four, lose two, win three, lose four. You've got these huge swings. It's an up-and-down process and you have to be able to adapt to when you're up and also adapt and not be discouraged when you're down."
"In college football you get a chance to build your program; you got some time," Green said. "In pro football, guys go to the playoffs and the teams still make changes because they didn't go far enough in the playoffs. There's a lot higher expectations than in the college game. In the National Football League, the difference between being 6-10 and 10-6 are a few plays. It's that tight. It's much more of an every-game, everyday battle in the National Football League. There are no teams that everybody wants to play for homecoming."
TRIVIA ANSWER: 11 minutes
Source: The Wall Street Journal
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