2012 NFL DIVISIONAL ROUND: Ravens v. Broncos

Felipe M

The following is part of our continuing coverage of the 2012 NFL PLAYOFFS

Saturday's Divisional Round playoff game between the Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos might have been the greatest game I have ever seen.  This isn't hyperbole; this game was the epitome of exciting, NFL football. I understand that the 2011 NFL Playoffs alone had a couple of gems, but this game is going to be impossible to match.  Here are more thoughts of the game:

THE MYSTERIOUS BEARDED MAN: His name is Paul Kruger and he's had two great playoff games.  After getting off to a slow start to the 2012 season due to a back injury, Kruger finished the season strong to post decent numbers. However, a recent injury to starter Albert McClellan has given Kruger a chance to shine in these playoffs, as football fans get acclimated to the 4th year veteran out of Utah. In the two playoff victories for the Ravens, Kruger could be seen constantly pressuring and flying towards Quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck and disrupting their rhythm with his speed and motor.  So far, Kruger has been credited with 2.5 sacks and countless hurries and pressures on the QB. The Ravens will certainly need him to continue to play at a high level against the New England Patriots next week.

COLD TEMPS, THIN AIR, BOARD GAMES: Much hype was given to the weather in Denver as the pundits were going out of their way to mention Manning's record in outdoor, sub-freezing temperature games. Much more hype was given to the fact that he would be wearing gloves on both of his hands. All of that misguided gibberish was forgotten as fans from all over were treated to a classic performance from Manning.  The numbers do not support that last statement, but from an intangible standpoint, in vintage style, he was up to his old tricks, including, but not limited to:

• Getting his offense to the line of scrimmage quickly in order to give him time to see what the defense was setting up.
• Constantly going no-huddle and calling plays on the line of scrimmage (QBs who can virtually call their own plays for almost an entire game are slowly going the way of the dodo, let alone the ones who can actually do it while the defense is peeking from the other side).
• Undressing the Ravens' defense and making the necessary changes to the offense to offset the Ravens' play-calling.
• Especially when he would do quick, hard counts (Hurry! Hurry! set...) that the Ravens would often bite on, therefore showing which players on that team were about to blitz.
• Another instance was when performing a hard count, once again the Ravens' defense bit on it and showed their play. Manning noticed that legendary linebacker, Ray Lewis did not move. In a somewhat, unintentional nod to the hype surrounding this game between the so-called "chess match" between the Broncos' surgeon-like QB and the relentless, tackles-machine Lewis, Manning went up to his offensive line, pointed directly at Lewis, and exclaimed to his line "52 is the Mike! 52 is the Mike!" 
• (for those that don't know, Manning was informing his offense that with all the blitzes coming from the flanks, Lewis would stay at home in his inside linebacker position and convert into a traditional middle linebacker. If I'm wrong, please share your thoughts at the comments' section of this article). 
• The weird gyrations and hand gestures 
• Getting rid of the ball quickly and accurately (65% on a cold day like this against a ferocious defense like the Ravens, that's not too shabby!).
• Using a hybrid of no-huddle and hurry-up offense, combined with the thin air in Denver, Manning used the game plan and the environment to gas out the Ravens' defense.  By the time the Broncos had made the score 35-28 in their favor, the Ravens' defense looked completely exhausted and demoralized. 

Unfortunately for Manning, despite his efforts, he was still responsible for 3 turnovers and much blame has been bestowed upon him for the Broncos' loss.  Manning's legacy as one of the most cerebral, accurate, and complete Quarterbacks of all time has been considerably tainted by his shoddy playoff record. Despite winning one Super Bowl (with the Colts), he is repeatedly overshadowed by long-time rival and nemesis, Tom Brady and Manning is seen more as an accumulator of statistics and as a signal-caller that, more often than not, crumbles under pressure.

Nevertheless, as we say goodbye to one legendary defender in Ray Lewis, we as football fans must sit back and appreciate the small window we have of watching one of the greatest QBs the NFL has ever seen. It's no doubt that many of his passing records and accomplishments will be broken by the next generation of QBs, but his methodology, dedication to the craft of passing, and his unique, overall style of play will definitely be missed. 

LEWIS' LAST STAND: It was 35-28 with about 3 minutes left in the game when the drained Ravens' defense, seen collectively gasping for air and trying to find that last ounce of strength, were summoned to stop the Broncos', dualistically assembled, erroneous, but efficient offense and retrieve the ball back to their offense. 

After a Broncos' 1st down, the Ravens were forced to use their last timeout of the half. It looked bleak with the meticulous Manning in control looking for the kill. However, with Knowshon Moreno lost earlier in the game due to a knee injury, the Broncos' conservative answer to kill the game clock fell on the hands of super-sub, but much smaller Ronnie Hillman. Hillman did help the offense get a 1st down, but three consecutive runs up the middle were met by a wall of Ravens' defenders, led by the always reliable, run-stuffer, Ray Lewis. Lewis would get credit for 2 combined tackles on Hillman after the first down and that forced the Broncos to punt the ball back to the Ravens with about a minute left in the game. Perhaps the bigger, more explosive Moreno might have sealed the deal for the Broncos, but that's all moot.

Somehow, some way, Lewis and the Ravens found the will and way to stop the Broncos when all hope looked to be lost; when the defense looked broken; when it looked like it would be Lewis' last game of his illustrious career. 

$$$CHA-CHING$$$: Joe Flacco's camp was probably jumping for joy to see the, at times, inconsistent QB come through to pull off a victory from the jaws of defeat. No doubt that Flacco had a great game and came through in the clutch. With Flacco becoming a free agent after his contract runs out this season, Flacco's agent reminded the world that Flacco deserves to be mentioned as an elite QB and, therefore, should be paid like one. That was a big joke when the idea that Flacco should be considered "elite" came out last year, but after Saturday's game, there is no doubt that teams will be throwing a lot of money at the young QB in the offseason. 

SPEAKING OF LEGENDARY DEFENDERS: With Lewis retiring at the completion of the Ravens' season, Champ Bailey looked like his best days were behind him--at least against speed-burner, Torrey Smith. The 14th year Cornerback out of Georgia will no doubt be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but on Saturday, Bailey looked ordinary against Smith and the Ravens' passing attack. 

Throughout his career, Bailey was the quintessential, shut-down Corner. Opposing teams game-planned to NOT throw the ball at Bailey's way. However, credit needs to go to Flacco and Offensive Coordinator Jim Caldwell for their aggressive attack. Aggressive is the right word as Flacco was struggling under the conservative Cam Cameron and flourishing under Caldwell.

(this marks a reunion of sorts as Caldwell was playing against Peyton Manning. Caldwell was the head coach at Indianapolis when Manning was the QB there--but we're not playing that game today...)

It is amazing how Ray Lewis played impeccable defense, as expected, in his final year in what could've been his final game. Meanwhile, Bailey who is younger than Lewis, did not play up to his reputation and could be debatable that he single-handedly cost the Broncos the game by giving up big plays to the Ravens. Then again, it is safe to say that the entire Broncos' secondary played a big role in losing this game to the Ravens.

Johnny J mentioned at the conclusion of his article that he was a Division winner in our fantasy football league. For those wondering who won the Championship this year, I now show you, Exhibit A:

Exhibit A

KAEPERNICK GOES WILD: Packers v. 49ers

The following is part of our continuing coverage of the 2012 NFL PLAYOFFS.

Johnny J

Colin Kaepernick grew up a Packers' fan; so when the date was set for the Green Bay Packers to come into Candlestick Park, Kaepernick wanted to make his presence known. He wanted to prove that he could carry his team to a playoff victory. The second year quarterback showed up Aaron Rodgers by carrying the San Francisco 49ers to a  45-31 win over Rodgers and the high-powered offense of the Packers.

"It feels good. We're one step closer to where we want to be," Kaepernick said. "I feel like I had a lot to prove. A lot of people doubted my ability to lead this team."

And lead he did; Kaepernick out-rushed the Packers team 181 yards to 104, Breaking Michael Vick's previous record of 173 set back in 2002.  Kaepernick played his first playoff game and accounted for 4 touchdowns: throwing for two and running for two, including a 57 yard touchdown scramble that left the Packers defense unsure of who actually had the ball.

Kaepernick, who took over for Alex Smith after Smith sustained a concussion  never handed back the starting role to the veteran. Instead, he was the one who continued to run the ball and hand it off to Frank Gore.

   

"The execution for the 49ers on the read option was excellent, but our issues were bigger than that," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "We did not do a very good job of keeping him in the pocket. He was able to get out of the pocket for a number of big conversions."

That is the reason why Kaepernick took over the starting job for the 49ers. When you have a quarterback that can out-run defenses, the threat becomes more of a guessing game. The defense might be leading one-way toward the running back and when the quarterback reads it, he keeps it, and just takes off running. Pro bowl linebacker Clay Matthews was caught looking confused on the field, unsure of who had the ball, and when he finally saw the ball, it was half-way down the field.

Credit head coach Jim Harbaugh for bringing his Offensive Coordinator, Greg Roman with him from Stanford. The coaching duo brought some of the college plays to the big stage. Harbaugh may lose Roman as it is rumored that he may get a head coaching job elsewhere (Roman and Alex Smith to Jacksonville?  What?--Ed).

Back in 2005, Rodgers was asked about how disappointing it was for the 49ers to pass him with the first pick. He replied, "not as disappointed as the 49ers will be that they didn't draft me."

The 49ers did not feel any remorse or regret on Saturday night. Rodgers returned to his home state

just to get out-dueled by Kaepernick. Rodgers had a good game throwing for 257 yards and two touchdowns to go along with a pick, but he couldn't do it alone. He needed help from his defense whom seemed like they couldn't stop the run or the pass. In fact the Packers gave up a total of 579 yards.

 "We expected them to try to get him out on the perimeter. But we didn't expect to let him do what he did. Give him a lot of credit. He played a great game. He made a lot of great plays out there today. It was hard to swallow," said safety Charles Woodson.

When Kaepernick was in 4th grade, he wrote himself a letter stating that he would go to the pros to either play for the 49ers or the Packers. "I remember growing up watching Brett Favre every Sunday," said Kaepernick. He dind't get a chance to play against Favre, but Kaepernick beat Araon Rodgers who I believe will be a better quarterback than Brett Favre. He beat the reigning MVP at his own game: with his arm and his legs. The 49ers have beaten the Packers in the playoffs for only the second time in 6 meetings dating back to 1996.





2012 Dick Butkus Division Champ

                   

I would like to take a moment to reflect on yesterday when I received my trophy for winning my division in my Fantasy Football League. I lost in the first round of the playoffs because my first three picks were all hurt, (LeSean McCoy, Rob Gronkowski, Jordy Nelson), but I was happy to go home with something. 

It looked like a promising season, especially after our draft in August when Yahoo left a message on the league's homepage that my team, Black Sunday, was projected to win the whole thing based on my picks. It didn't happen, but I'm eager to finish off what I start next season. 

2012 Dick Butkus Division Champ!

2012 NFL PLAYOFFS: Random Wildcard Thoughts

Felipe M

The following are just some quick thoughts about the 2012 NFL Playoffs. Nothing too fancy:

Deja Vu?: The Cincinnati Bengals vs the Houston Texans. They played against each other last season as well. The Bengals have scored a combined 23 points. However, the Bengals' defense did make a case for being one of the game's elite as they proved why they finished the season as the #3 best defense team in terms of "weighted defense" in 2012. Unfortunately for them, Houston proved why their defense finished 5th in that same category and were able to shut the Bengals offense to 10 points. 

Like a Cincinnati Ignition: This is two years straight that the Bengals made it to the playoffs, but experienced a first-year exit. But it's really hard to comprehend what's going on in Cincinnati.  Growing up in the 1990s, the Bengals were a joke of a franchise that were being driven to the ground by owner Mike Brown. The 1st round busts that have been produced by the Bengals is very comical (David Klingler, Dan Wilkinson, Ki-Jana Carter anybody?). It was just expected that the "Bungles" would permanently be the worst team in the NFL!

The Curious Case of Marvin Lewis: Despite head coach Marvin Lewis constantly being on the hot seat (he is one game under .500 in Cincy), he somehow finds a way to get his team to rally.  Lewis was facing death's door last year when the Bengals traded former QB starter, Carson Palmer and went ahead and inserted, then rookie, Andy Dalton. And let's not forget that defensive coordinator, Mike Zimmer is one of the best in the business and credit goes to him for creating one of the best defenses in the NFL.  It's very hard not to imagine the Bengals taking another step forward next season. 

Thoughts Send me on a Carousel: Speaking of Lewis, he is a former defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens. Last season, that spot was filled in by Chuck Pagano who is now the current Indianapolis Colts' head coach. That spot was filled by Jim Caldwell in 2011 who was inserted as the offensive coordinator in Baltimore very late in the 2012 season as he replaced Cam Cameron where he coached future NFL player, Antwaan Randle El at Indiana University. The speedy receiver played for the Pittsburgh Steelers where Bruce Arians was his Wide Receivers' coach. Bruce Arians was the Colts' interim head coach this past season while Pagano was treated for Leukemia.

You want more?

Bruce Arians was the offensive coordinator under Butch Davis and the Cleveland Browns. Davis was the Defensive Coordinator in Dallas under Barry Switzer. Mike Zimmer was a fellow coach of Davis' under Switzer and eventually became the Cowboys' D-coordinator. Currently, Zimmer holds that same position in Cincinnati....under current head coach Marvin Lewis. How you like that?

Joe Webb still sucks: That is all.

Unintentional Play off the Night: This goes to Packers' LB Clay Matthews who was making his turn against the Vikings' left tackle, Matt Kalil as he was trying to chase down Webb. Kalil did a good job of keeping Matthews off Webb, but as it was a running theme all night long, Webb was holding on to the ball for too long and eventually would try to make plays with his legs. In this instance, Webb tried to do the same thing and run away from the pressure, but he still ended up tripping over Clay Matthews.  Even Matthews was surprised to see that he got credit for an "accidental" sack against the overmatched QB. He was so surprised that he didn't even bother doing his sack dance.

To Play or Not to Play: As much as I criticize Jay Cutler's performance in 2012, I will not deny his toughness. Unlike many fans in Chicago and around the nation, I thought he was wise to sit out in the 2010 NFC Championship game against the Packers. But I have seen Cutler refuse to sit out with concussion symptoms, I have seen him take a beating against defenses who look at the Bears' offensive line like it was lunch meat, and I have seen Cutler continue to get up and run the next play (assuming that the play got to him on time before having to burn another timeout). So this past weekend, we saw two Quarterbacks come into these playoffs with injuries that were severe enough to justify a move by their respective head coaches in the lineup.

One Christian Ponder was sat out at the last minute with an elbow injury. In came Joe Webb. The Packers scored 24 points against the Vikings and they never had a chance. The other was Robert Griffin III who had been dealing with an injured knee for the last few weeks or so.  He wanted to play in the playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks and went on to re-injure his right knee, not just once, but twice in one game. Results of an MRI today showed that Griffin has partial tears in knee ligaments and possible surgery is being discussed.

I'm not going to delve too much into this topic, but it's funny how fans all over the NFL have mixed views on Griffin's situation, although most think that coach Mike Shanahan should have taken him out of the game, but we all know fans would've second-guessed Shanahan for taking him out after the first time his knee buckled. Tough situation either way.

The fact is, however, that the onus is and should be on the players to know if they are healthy enough to play and be man enough to say "no" when they can't. Post game on the NFL NETWORK showed Deion Sanders, Marshall Faulk, and Michael Irvin all agreeing with Griffin's decision to stay in the game. It was HIS choice. He was the one that got the Redskins INTO the playoffs. Finally, Griffin is the team's BEST chance to win the game. In the post-game interview, Griffin repeated the sentiments of the three Hall-of-Famers. He wanted the challenge to play on one leg and he understood the consequences if he continued to play.

Lesson learned.

And finally, we bring it back to Ray Lewis' final home game in Baltimore. Enjoy!

2012 NFL PLAYOFFS: COLTS V. RAVENS--Welcome Back, Ray Lewis!

Johnny J

Ray Lewis played and danced in his final game at M&T Stadium with a win over the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Wild Card game. While I can sit here and talk about Ray's dance and how electrifying his moves were to pump up the fans, I need to add that I was hoping to see him chase Paul Rudd around the field. It didn't happen, but, regardless, the Ravens' defense welcomed their defensive coordinator of 2011, Chuck Pagano, back home. The welcome was so warm, that they beat his new team 24-9.

The middle linebacker played in his first game since tearing his triceps in mid-October. Lewis looked dominant with his robotic arm (Oh, wait... its just a harness that made Lewis appear as some sort of half-man, half-Transformer), leading the defense with 13 tackles.  The defense played vintage, Ravens' football that ranked in the top ten as opposed to ranking 22nd, in terms of "weighted defense." The Ravens entered play giving up a total of 350.9 yards per game (ranked 17th) and 122.8 being rushing yards (ranked 20th). That doesn't sound like the viciously, terrifying, hard-hitting Ravens' defense that we know.

But that's what happens when your future Hall-of-Fame linebacker misses 10 games (makes me want to create a dance at work--maybe it will get my team pumped-up to reach, what should be, attainable metrics and goals). Now that he's back, I guess Ed Reed doesn't need to go out of his way to make "illegal" hits on opposing receivers in an attempt to terrorize them (I can hear him now: "Me and my wallet thanks you for coming back, Ray!").

Lewis has been the face of the Ravens' franchise for years and now, in his 17th season, he is calling it quits. He couldn't have picked a better time to make the announcement--win or go home--so why not try to ride this emotional, do-or-die, "win one for the gipper," adrenaline rush all the way to the Super Bowl? (think Ray Bourque when he played for the Colorado Avalanche--Ed). 

This game had implications on both sides. Besides Ray Lewis announcing his retirement as soon as the Ravens' season was completed,Chuck Pagano returned to Baltimore as the head coach of the Colts. It was an emotional sight to see the Ravens' defense showing their old coach support and love.  Pagano coached his second game after coming back from his Leukemia treatment that forced him to miss the majority of the 2012 season. Pagano, along with offensive coordinator, Bruce Arians (who might be the Chicago Bears' coach in 2013?--Ed), revived a Colts' team that went from 2-14 last season to going 11-5 this season and making the playoffs as a 5th seed. 

A lot of the reason for their success is, while they went 2-14 last season, last year's struggles helped them obtain the number 1 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, in which they drafted Andrew Luck--who is pretty good (a lot better than "good"--Ed). I mean I drafted him in my fantasy league and sometimes even started him over Peyton Manning, which says a lot about the rookie's ability. In his first year, he threw for 4,374 yards breaking Cam Newton's record for a rookie. Newton threw for 4,051 yards (Hey, Cam--it looks like that kid really did warm up his arm!).

In his first playoff game, Luck threw for 288 yards and an interception (and it could have been 2 INTs if Ray Lewis' robotic hands could have cradled a tipped pass in the 2nd quarter--Ed). Luck had a hard time against the Ravens' defense only connecting on 28 of his 54 pass attempts. Reggie Wayne had 9 of those catches for 114 yards. Even though the Colts lost, they have a lot to look forward to as they try and build a team around Andrew Luck.

Pagano took over for Jim Caldwell last season who is the new offensive coordinator for the Ravens after Cam Cameron was fired late in the season. Caldwell was hired as the quarterbacks coach (Yeah I thought it was a joke when he was hired for that position as well--"Hey Flacco let me show you how to be like Curtis Painter and Kerry Collins."). No wonder Joe Flacco is garbage: his passing completions and attempts are far apart! He reminds me of Allen Iverson's shooting numbers: 9-25 from the field, but he did score 30 points because he shot the ball 25 times (Joe Flacco is the Allen Iverson of today's NFL? Unlike Iverson, Flacco can pass the ball.--Ed). Flacco was better today though, he was 12 for 23 for 282 yards and 2 touchdowns. Ray Rice finished with 2 fumbles to go along with 70 rushing yards.

If the Ravens want to help Lewis finish his career with a Super Bowl ring, they're going to have to go through Denver and their defense ranks 2nd in total yards and 4th in points allowed. In order for that to happen, they need a combination of Ray-Ray: Ray Lewis and Ray Rice. I'm not worried about Lewis doing his part, but with Rice suddenly being a fumbles machine, I think that puts a lot on Joe "Sacko"--err-- I mean Flacco. Hey, maybe Lewis can do his dance in the locker room for motivation.

For more on the 2012 NFL Wildcard Weekend, click here.

Please welcome our newest contributor, Johnny J.  Even though Johnny is one of "Chi-town's finest," he is a Green Bay Packers' fan, roots for the Detroit Red Wings, follows the Seattle Mariners, and--the biggest sin of all--he bleeds orange and blue as he cheers on the New York Knicks.  Feel free to say "hi" to him on the comments section.