Playoff time is exciting within itself, the intensity is ramped up another 20% and an additional 5% each round.

With that let’s look at this weekend’s matchups.

In one conference, the NFC things are pretty quiet, while in another the AFC, there’s been more bulletin board quotes in one week to last a season. Rex Ryan got the ball rolling during the Wildcard week with his comments about Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.

How Manning’s success stems from him running his own show and calling his own plays, to Brady’s success coming from the input of coach Belichick. Belichick attempted to persuade his team not to take the bait, but Brady responded to both Ryan’s comments and Cromartie’s finger pointing accusations.

Some of Brady’s teammates have commented to support their QB, but nothing bulletin board worthy.

It is a foregone conclusion that a team takes on the identity of its coach, but with the likes of Darrelle Revis on the other side and the way the Jets got torched the last time these two teams met, Cromartie should be the last bird chirping.

It’s obvious that there’s no love lost between the Steelers and Ravens. These two teams are so evenly match that if you don’t like defense you may want to skip this one………not!! This will be an all out brawl. Arguably the two most physical teams in the NFL, they meet for the rubber match of the season, splitting the two previous meetings.

While the Ravens are getting their talk and swagger on early, the Steelers haven’t said much at all. Harbaugh’s comment about his pleasure in Roethlisberger’s pain and Suggs dirty birding the Steelers makes the week interesting. These two teams know each other well and respect each other, but respect has nothing to do with liking each other, it’s safe to say that they hate each other.

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On the NFC front we haven’t heard a word out of either team. It’s almost like, let’s not give our opponent any motivation, like they need it anyhow. So the only thing we have to go on here are the facts. Atlanta against Green Bay: the Eagles achilles heel was their young defense, you can run in the regular season but you can’t hide in the playoffs. James Starks is no longer a surprise and the Falcons will be ready to address him.

Starks makes these two teams similar in the fact that with a running game like Michael Turner provides for Matt Ryan, Aaron Rodgers will benefit from real play-action passing and an open playbook.

With that being said both defenses and special teams will probably be the focus. Field position and turnovers are usually the deciding factors when teams are evenly matched. Whose will can be imposed and ground game controlled will be the defining factors.

Mums the word out of Chi-town and Seattle as well. Neither team is known for talking too much, although Da Bears bring some serious defensive swagger to the field. I get the sense that the Seahawks are pinching themselves to see if it’s really real that they’ve won a division with a 7-9 record and won a Wildcard game all in a two week span.

Can Seattle bring their Northwest game to the Midwest?

Their short quick passing game bodes well in keeping QB Matt Hasselbeck upright and healthy, but Da Bears corners will get up and challenge recievers to throw off the timing. Marshawn Lynch, after a monster game last week could be a huge help to Hasselbeck, but don’t count on it, the Bears D is one of the best vs. the run, and trust me they know how important it will be to make Seattle one dimensional.

The most interesting matchup in this game will be Chicago’s offense against the Seahawk defense and both special teams. Jay Cutler has been on a roll lately, newly revitalized under Mike Martz. But how will he handle playoff pressure, will he revert or have the habits taken hold?

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No doubt continued success on the ground with Matt Forte and Chester Taylor are sure to ease the burden, but how will he react if he has to put it up 40 times under duress? The Seahawk D played hard and fast last week, and with little playoff experience and playing at such a high emotional level last week, can they rise to the occasion once more?

Lastly the X factor for both teams will be the return game, if I am Seattle, Devon Hester doesn’t see a ball unless Cutler throws it to him. Leon Washington garners similar respect. In the playoffs you make offenses earn their points, do not allow the game to fall into the hands of your special teams on a return.

While one conference is selling wolf tickets, the other is hoping to sneak up on their opponent in silence. If fired at sometimes it can be hard to hold your peace, even in such an emotional situation as this, but sometimes it’s best not to write a check your @#$ can’t cash.

Oh I’m sure the depositor believes he can cash it, but having to eat crow on the largest of stages can be humiliating, sometimes it’s best to just line up and play and let the chips fall where they may. Those who have to eat crow, always wind up with pie on their face.

I’m not one for predictions, but looking at the stats on paper, it’s hard to. Most will say a high-powered, quick paced offense like Oregon is sure to dominate, to boot my son is rooting for the Oregon Ducks, I think it’s the multiple uniforms, by Nike.

When you look at the numbers and size, the game plan for Auburn has to be to limit the possessions of Oregon by running the ball and chewing up clock. Looking at the size of the two teams says a lot, the Ducks are built for speed, with the exception of LaMichael James they are a finesse team. The Tigers can beat you with finesse or power. The average offensive lineman for the Tigers is 6′ 4″, 304 lbs, the heaviest being 319 lbs, the lightest 291 lbs. The Ducks D-Line averages 6′ 3″ 256 lbs, the heaviest 289 lbs and the lightest 231 lbs. Clearly the game plan has to be to lay on them for 2 and a half quarters to wear them out, then they can have their way. The Ducks are ranked 16th in the FBS in rushing defense, consider that most of their opponents are Pac-10 rivals that don’t or can’t run the ball. Most of the time their opponents are behind and running the ball is pointless. Time of possession and number of possessions will be critical in tonight’s game. Although I have great respect for what the Oregon Ducks have been able to do over this season, I will go back to the old debate. How many Pac-10 teams could or would compete in the SEC. It is a different brand of football, in the Pac-10 few teams play good defense, they try to just out score each other. SEC football is a more complete style of football, running it to set up the pass, with good play-action and good defense is a must if you have BCS aspirations. The beginning of this game will be boring as both teams feel each other out, taking a conservative approach not wanting to be the first to make a mistake. By the time the second half rolls around you can bet both teams will be pulling out all the stops. Cam Newton caps off a stellar year and career tonight on the biggest stage of all, and silencing his protractors and haters. Yes I wanted to write it before the game, so no one could call me a bandwagoner. If the Ducks pull it out I know I’ll have to eat crow, it won’t be the first or last time.

While Saturday’s games were much more thrilling, Sunday’s games were anything but, with the exception of how the Eagles game ended.

The Ravens rolled into Kansas City and took care of biz in convincing fashion. The Ravens defense yielded only 162 yds and created 5 turnovers. Normally 2 TO’s in the playoffs will get you beat. KC’s Jamal Charles had a big first half keeping the Chiefs close 10-7, but the Ravens D laid down the law in the second half shutting down Charles, putting Matt Cassel under the gun, then victimizing him with pressure causing 3 Int’s. The Ravens offense did what it need to do to get the W. Showing great balance with 40 runs and 34 passes, Flacco threw for 2 TD’s and the Ravens rushed for another score and Cundiff kicked 3 FG’s. The Ravens methodically took the overmatched Chiefs apart, the Chiefs also had a hand in their own undoing, but from a defensive prospective, they were dismantled by Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and company.

The same issues that plagued the Eagles at the end of this season and last continued to persist yesterday. Which make you wonder how much Andy Reid and his Eagles are learning from their experiences. Constant pressure on Michael Vick, a gimpy DeSean Jackson and no commitment to run the ball were the Eagles undoing again. The Green Bay Packers seemed to find a running game behind rookie James Starks that had been non-existent all season. Aaron Rodgers was his usual calm cool and collected self, taking what the defense gave him and taking advantage of opportunity when it presented itself. The Eagle D seemed to be lost all day, poor LB and secondary play, improper gap control against the run. Jaqua Parker learn nothing from the Minnesota game where he let Webb out of the pocket to extend plays that hurt the Eagles in that loss. Time and time again Parker, Trent Cole or the outside rusher in a blitz lit Rodgers  escape to convert 3rd down plays that really hurt the Eagles. Michael Vick had to run for his life once again, because of bad protection and bad play calling. Vick dropped back 36 times, ran it or scrambled 8 times and LeSean McCoy had only 12 carries. Despite Player inefficiency and coaching missteps the Eagles still had a chance to win. With a 1:45 seconds left and the Eagles trailing 21-16, Vick drove the Eagles to the Packer 27 yard line with 33 seconds left and tried to get it all on one play, and was intercepted by Tramon Williams to ice the game.

Seth Joyner

Super Bowl 44 participants New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts both were eliminated from the tournament on this Wildcard Saturday. If this is any indication of how the rest of the playoffs are going to play out, we are in for some exciting football.

The Seattle Seahawks stunned the defending world champs behind a huge day by Matt Hasselbeck and Marshawn Lynch. Seen as a huge underdog, most thought Seattle had no shoot. Early in the game that looked to be the case, Hasselbeck threw an interception on 3rd and 1 on the Seahawks first possession, setting the Saints up to take an early lead. Then they got into rhythm running the ball with Lynch and Hasselbeck passed for two TD’s to John Carlson and one to Brandon Stokley to claw back to a half time lead of 20-24. Hasselbeck and company looked like they would run away with the game in the second half with a 38 yd TD to Mike Williams and a 39 yd field goal by Olindo Mare. Drew Brees rallied the Saints in the 4th quarter, but Marshawn Lynch sealed the deal with a 67 yd run that included 8 missed tackle by the Saints defense. The Seahawk defense played their game, making the Saints settle for the short passing game, because they couldn’t run the ball. This is the most unlikely of upsets because the Seahawks limped into the playoffs with a 7-9 record, there’s a reason they play the game.

Rex Ryan and the New York Jets finally get the Manning monkey of their backs. The first quarter and a half both teams didn’t do much, feeling each other out. The blitz happy Jets took a different approach against the Colts today, playing  mostly coverage against Peyton Manning, making the Colts one-dimensional by controlling the Colts running game. The one time the Jets gave Manning a one safety look he burned them with a 57 yd TD to Pierre Garcon. That one big play was enough to convince Rex Ryan to stick to his game plan. The Jets took the field for the second half resolute to run the ball, with back to back 10 play, 63 yd and 17 play, 87 yd scoring drives, they dominated the 3rd quarter. Manning brought the Colts back to take a 2 point lead with 53 seconds left, but Antonio Cromartie returned the ensuing kick off 47 yds to the NY Jets 46 yd line. Five plays and 41 yds later and a big 2nd & 8, 18 yard completion to Braylon Edwards, Mark Sanchez put Jets kicker Nick Folk in position for the 32 yd game winner. The same things that always plague the Colts when they lose did them in Saturday. An inability to control the run on the defensive side and good coverage by the Jets secondary, limiting Manning to few big plays.

I don’t know what is going on with players in today’s game. First Albert Haynesworth, now Vince Young, you can throw Ben Roethlisberger into this category. I could start my own reality show called ”American Idiots,” pro athelets. With all of the gatekeepers around these guys, one has to wonder why they do such dumb, idiotic things. Vince Young forced Bud Adams and Jeff Fisher’s hand, they had no other choice but to part ways. Whether anyone feels that Fisher is still the man for the job or not is irrelavant, to keep Young on this team would set a bad precedent and send the wrong message to the team, as well as the rest of the players in the NFl.

Jeff Fisher stuck his neck out for this kid, whether he felt that Jeff trusted him or whether or not he felt it necessary to be looking over his shoulder is irrelevant. The way you earn trust on and off the field from both teammates and coaches is by playing with consistency, making steady improvement, winning and conducting yourself in a mature manner, that’s proof you are a leader. Leadership is what the position of QB requires and when you look at his on and off the field actions, they just do not reflect a leader. Bud Adams was the enabler here, Young never believed Adams would cut him loss. Vince knew that Bud loved him and that’s where entitlement became a big issue. You see it more today than ever, I’m a 1st round pick so I can put it on cruise control because the team won’t let me go, they have too much invested in me. What these young players are seeing now, are organizations that are willing to cut their losses rather than deal with divisive players on their team. Although I’m not one that buys into the belief of distractions, I find them more of a scapegoat than anything else. If you are paid to prepare, practice and play games on Sunday, once the game is underway, the last thing you should be thinking about is what’s going on off the field. The media makes it a distraction by continuously bringing it up. But the owner, fans and coaches see these types of players as a distraction and that’s the issue.

Let’s deal with player image first, what team does Vince Young think wants him on their roster after his childlike tantrum. You can’t trust a player like him or Haynesworth, Albert is telling coaches when and in what system he will play, Vince is sending the message that he wants to be the decision maker for the team, instead of the head coach. They’ve both painted themselves into quite a corner. Next, let’s look at the money these guys are throwing away. Young was set to make $12.5 Million dollars next season, he’ll be luck if he gets $1.25 million to play next year. And Haynesworth signs a deal for $100 million and screws up that kind of money? I don’t get it, these players seem to have forgotten what humble beginnings they come from, to thumb their noses at that kind of money.

I am perplexed at the attitude of today’s athlete, why put yourself in these predicaments. Favre and his texting, Roethlisberger and his antics, Haynesworth and his refusal to play in a 3-4 scheme, and now Vince Young throwing a temper tantrum that gets him ushered out of Music City. What a perfect environment for reality show, these young guys need to get real.

While there are more African-American head coaches in the NFL than there’s ever been, I doubt that the Rooney Rule has much effect to that fact. The San Fransisco 49′ers requested interviews with Perry Fewell and Hue Jackson, after 49′ers owner Jed York stated that they would hire a GM first and that GM would hire the head coach. He’s hot on the trail of Jim Harbaugh and seems to be setting up these interviews to clear the requirement of the Rooney Rule if Harbaugh wants the job. A legitimate interview should entail a legitimate chance at being hired. I assume that given these coaches desire and the process of being hired as a head coach, a look is enough to entice them to interview whether they believe they have a shot or not. Teams all over the league do this year after year. Sometimes the only mention that one of these coaches get in the media is to let everyone know that the organization has fulfilled its obligation to extend an African-American coach a look. Everyone is jockeying for position for the few believed to be latest and greatest next head coach. Some will win in the HC lottery and some will lose, but this rule was put in place to level the playing field. It seems as though NFL owners have found a way to circumvent the system they created, once again. Then again I’m sure the end result was already known within the intent from the beginning (loophole). Don’t get me wrong I’m not playing the race card here, 6 and now 5 after the Singletary firing, African American head coaches in the NFL is a far cry different from yester year. I do think that the best coach for the job should get it. Do I believe the numbers are still low, absolutely 5 African American coaches out of 32 comes to 16% of the coaches in the NFL, being of African-American decent, while well over 70% of the players are African-American. And those numbers leads me back to why I even wrote this, the Rooney Rule is a joke.

While there are more African-American head coaches in the NFL than there’s ever been, I doubt that the Rooney Rule has much effect to that fact. The San Fransisco 49′ers requested interviews with Perry Fewell and Hue Jackson, after 49′ers owner Jed York stated that they would hire a GM first and that GM would hire the head coach. He’s hot on the trail of Jim Harbaugh and seems to be setting up these interviews to clear the requirement of the Rooney Rule if Harbaugh wants the job. A legitimate interview should entail a legitimate chance at being hired. I assume that given these coaches desire and the process of being hired as a head coach, a look is enough to entice them to interview whether they believe they have a shot or not. Teams all over the league do this year after year. Sometimes the only mention that one of these coaches get in the media is to let everyone know that the organization has fulfilled its obligation to extend an African-American coach a look. Everyone is jockeying for position for the few believed to be latest and greatest next head coach. Some will win in the HC lottery and some will lose, but this rule was put in place to level the playing field. It seems as though NFL owners have found a way to circumvent the system they created, once again. Then again I’m sure the end result was already known within the intent from the beginning (loophole). Don’t get me wrong I’m not playing the race card here, 6 and now 5 after the Singletary firing, African American head coaches in the NFL is a far cry different from yester year. I do think that the best coach for the job should get it. Do I believe the numbers are still low, absolutely 5 African American coaches out of 32 comes to 16% of the coaches in the NFL, being of African-American decent, while well over 70% of the players are African-American. And those numbers leads me back to why I even wrote this, the Rooney Rule is a joke.

With great curiosity we all will watch and see which coaches get the ax and which stay put. The grim reaper already claimed Eric Mangini and rightfully so. With a 10-22 record after two seasons and a previous debacle in New York I’m not even sure why he got the job in Cleveland. I don’t want to get caught up in the economics or politics of coaching in this season of coaching musical chairs, I just want to look at coaching and team performance in my personal evaluation.

The Tennessee Titans have some major decisions to make. Jeff Fisher is a great coach, who has had some rough years as of late, but Vince Young seems like he will never materialize into the player everyone had hoped he could become. Like the little rascals proclaimed, “they never learn. ” Fisher has stuck his neck out on the line for this guy, when the rest of the world wanted his neck. Now Bud Adams has made it a choice between Fisher and Young, are the patients now running the asylum. Move on Jeff, you are a commodity.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have stumbled in mediocrity for the last 5 years under Jack Del Rio. From what I am hearing he will be back, why? Any other coach would’ve been fired years ago. Mike Singelatary lasted all of 2 and a half seasons, working with some other coaches misfits. Del Rio has had time to build this team in his image and they continue to underacheive.

The Cincy Bengals have had all of the pieces in place it seems for years. With all of the off the field issues, I have often wondered how Marvin Lewis has kept his job this long. To allow him to finish the season with out a contract offer, it seems that the writing is on the wall. Talk about a defensive relapse and an offensive joke, how does he stay in Cincy or furthermore why would he. Seems as though the players are uninspired and he can’t get them motivated either.

The Oakland  Raiders finally seem to be turning the corner and now rumors are swirling that the Cable may be cut? He has had a rough tenure as head coach, but the players seem to be responding to him and to start all over again would only set this once storied franchise back another 2-3 years. Do they still have QB issues and does Davis meddle way to much, absolutely, but with a few more pieces to the puzzle and a renewed belief that they can win, this Raiders team could be a team to be reckoned with next year.

The Miami Dolphins, with the exit of Parcels it seems as though Sparano lost his footing. Chad Henne is still a young QB learning how to play at the pro level. As a fan or owner  I would be pretty upset at the season the fins had as well. They went out and got a top flight WR and Linebacker, discovered a great young pass rusher to go along with two great running backs and they laid eggs at home all year. The question is can you find a QB to flip things right away and can you change the outcome of how you play at home. If not a change may be necessary, if Tony can still motivate this team and get the best out of them then maybe you stay the course for another year.

The Houston Texans really make you scratch your head, with all of the talent on that team they just can’t get it going in the right direction. Schaub can look like a bona-fide winner one second and a rookie the next. With Andrea Johnson and Foster, this offense should’ve been able to put their lackluster defense on their shoulders. Frank Bush out is the right move, a disciple of Greg Robinson, it’s easy to see why this defense with so much talent struggled. Mario Williams had another quiet year and the rest of the defense seemed to always be out of position to make plays. It is the D coordinators job to put his best players in position to make plays. Although Kubiak is keeping his job, the offense is just as responsible as the defense. It’s time for a new paint job and attitude in Houston.

The Carolina Panthers made their decision to not bring back John Fox, not entirely his fault, but when a team gets as bad as the Panthers are, no matter what the issues are it’s time for a change.

The Dallas Cowboys will probably hire Jason Garrett, but I think that this team has underacheived even under his guidance as offensive coordinator. With Romo and without, this team is probably the NFL’s greatest disappointment. The defense is slow and under talented and the offense is unpredictable, a juggernaut one week, a ten second sizzler the next. I think the players need a fresh start with new direction and motivation. Knowing Jerry he won’t make the change because that would mean a new growth period for his Cowboys, and he never wants to admit to rebuilding, just retooling.

I’m tire of seeing the same old faces recycled to another team. It is time for the NFL to infuse some new blood into the game. Kudos to Minnesota for the hiring of Leslie Frazier. I am not so much even in favor of bringing back some of the past greats like Gruden and Cowher. Stats show that these types of coaches rarely leave after success to return and duplicate it with another team. Change is good, especially after a steady dose of 17 weeks of losing.

Seth Joyner

1/4/11

Virginia Tech’s season ended much like it began, at least for the first half. It seemed as though it would be a game, then the experience of a former pro player as head coach, coaches with pro experience and half time adjustments, made it a blow out. I have the utmost respect for V Tech’s head coach Frank Beamer, but he and his staff were out coached in the second half of last nights Orange Bowl. I have stated it before and will again, the same way that USC was such a dominated team under Pete Carroll, so has Stanford become under Jim Harbaugh. When you have professional grade coaching it make all the difference in the world.

Two things about V Tech stuck out to me like a sore thumb. First the undisciplined nature of the V Tech defense. In order to be a good defense, each player has to know his job and be discipline enough to get it done. Good defense is about trust, who the coaches can trust and how much players trust each other, that they will each be where they are supposed to be and do what they are supposed to do. V Tech was over aggressive in that the ends rarely kept contain giving standout QB Andrew Luck time to extend plays and make plays with his feet. The Stanford staff saw that and made the half time adjustment. Second, gap control is crucial in run defense, with their safeties too close to the line of scrimmage and everyone fast flowing to the ball, the cutback was open all night. The ability to run the ball opened up everything else for the Cardinal offense. Football is still football on any level, but this Stanford team is the poster team for discipline and trust on the field.

V Tech had a dynamic weapon in Tyrod Taylor, but that seemed to be all the had. With the absence of any kind of running game and the coaching staffs inability come up with protection schemes to pick up the blitz, which came on practically every play, all Taylor could do was run for his life in the second half. Where were the screens, quick sight adjustments vs. man to man coverage and sprint outs to get Taylor away from pressure? I’m not so sure that the Stanford Cardinals are a better team athletically, but athleticism alone never won a thing. This win is proof again that you can take average athletes, with the exception of Luck, he is a bona-fide baller, and beat exceptional athletes any day with discipline and superior coaching.

Seth Joyner

1/4/11