Well now, all four of my picks lost. 0-4. WTH? By the time the Packers took the field I didn't even watch much of it because I knew then they were doomed. Sigh.
NBC announcers - I didn't care for the team of Dan Hicks and Mike Mayock who called the Chiefs/Colts game. Not only had I never heard of them, but they had absolutely no pop and sizzle. They were as different from the second team of Cris Collinsworth and Al Michaels as the Chiefs were from the Colts in that second half of their game. Makes a difference too for those of us sitting at home.
First Game - You couldn't ask for a better playoff game. The Chiefs came to play....for the first half. They exploded out of the tunnel and the Colts didn't know what was happening. Then halftime ended and the two teams changed positions. It went down to the wire and kept fans and football lovers on the edge of our seats.
Chiefs defense - What happened here? What happened in that locker room that made these guys come out and play the way they did? That loss is on the defense no doubt about it; missed tackles,
lazy coverage, half assed attempts. They gave up 536 yards, allowing Colts T. W. Hilton to put up 224 yards in receptions. Pitiful.
Colts offense - Which isn't to say that the Colts didn't work their tails off in this comeback. They did. The play calls were spot on, the players determined, and Andrew Luck solid in the pocket and in confidence, despite throwing three previous interceptions. Kudos to them.
Luck's beard - I griped a week or so ago about all these guys growing beards (holy Brett Favre's beard...ugh) but the Colts quarterback's beard is just plain mountain man-ish. Then I got a glimpse of the top of his head and realized he must have made his beard using what use to be there.
Concussions - One by one they dropped. In the first game. In the second game. In the third game. So much for that number one concern being taken care of this season.
Andy Dalton - Was he even aware of where he was? He threw interceptions. He fumbled. I know players have bad games, but I'm not sure Dalton even came out to play. Not that his teammates were any better. This was the same team the Steelers beat twice this year.
Third game - As exciting as the first two games were, the first game of day two was as boring. I went to sleep during halftime and missed the third quarter. Turned out I didn't miss a thing.
NFC -
Nick Foles - He was the real breakout star of quarterbacks this year with Luck, Griffin III, and Wilson being old hat, and while he played respectfully in his first playoff game, he wasn't explosive as he had been during the year. Unfortunately, in the playoffs you need to be just that.
Saints - There is something to be said for experience. Drew Bree's kept his team in the thick of it. I've always said that the playoffs are like starting the season over again with all teams at 0-0. Doesn't matter what you did previously to get there. Obviously, you did enough. Wipe the slate and every team has a shot. Bree's knew that, remained calm despite an interception and some bad reads, and got his team the win.
Colin Kaepernick - Despite missing his arm band with the plays and forced to take a timeout to retrieve it, the 49ers quarterback was everything Andy Dalton wasn't. His big rushing numbers, as well as his passing ones, won that game.
Cold weather - Green Bay won the trophy for coldest venue at 3 degrees, but the hype of storms and freezing temperatures almost overtook all the games themselves. Even Indianapolis was included in the hype and Lucas Stadium is indoors.
Jim Harbaugh - Always easy to be funny in the post season conference when you pull off the win, eh, Jim? He sure was a lot more relaxed then he was at the end of last year's Super Bowl.
Marshawn Lynch - It's been rumored that he was fined by the NFL a whopping $50,000 for never speaking to the media all season long. What? They just now want to hear what he has to say?
Trent Dilfer - I keep saying this, but he is the MAN when it comes to analyzing the game. I look forward to his ESPN coverage every Monday. The man is spot on and isn't afraid to tell it. After the Bengals loss, the media is now wanting to throw Andy Dalton under the bus. Dilfer, who has been there and done that having quarterbacked five different teams, disagreed. He argued that teams have got to build around the quarterbacks they have because, "...you're not going to go to the Hall of Fame quarterback tree and just pluck one off and go to the Super Bowl." Point being not everyone can have a Tom Brady, Drew Brees, or Peyton Manning. Boo Ya!
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