This weekend’s games sort of throw a crimp into that reasoning. Yes, judging by the results, Manning is a choker. But then, so is Brady.
What can you say about a divisional playoff round in which the two Super Bowl favorites are both knocked out? In one of the greatest games in recent NFL history, the Steelers eliminated Super Bowl favorite Indianapolis, joining together as a team to ensure that Jerome Bettis’ goal-line fumble was not, in fact, the final carry of his career. Ben Roethlisberger even made a game-saving tackle of the Colts’ Nick Harper, who was having unquestionably the greatest game ever by an NFL player whose wife had stabbed him the night before.
Finally, Mike Vanderjagt completed the choking by botching the game-tying field goal; the Idiot Kicker’s idiot kick was further right than Pat Robertson, and about as well-considered.
After the game, Peyton Manning blamed the loss on his own offensive line, provoking a media storm akin to the one after Tiki Barber blamed the Giants’ shellacking by Carolina on the coaching. But Peter King raised a good point this week- how should athletes respond in that situation? By telling the truth, by lying to protect their team, or by not talking to the press at all? ‘Cause sportswriters don’t seem particularly crazy about any of the three options.
In Saturday’s other AFC game, the Patriots lost to Denver by squeezing every mistake they’ve avoided in their five-year, three-championship run all into one game. Losing two fumbles in under a minute? Brady throwing a goal-line interception? Viniateri missing a field goal? The run had to end some day, of course, but this stuff just isn’t supposed to happen.
As for the NFC, the Bears were once again exposed as not all that good; now watch them be horrible for four years before losing at home in the divisional round again in 2009. With the Panthers slamming through Chicago’s vaunted defense, the game’s outcome was never in question, especially with Carolina’s Steve Smith easily outperforming his former teammate, The Honorable Muhsin Muhammad.
And the playoff weekend began with Seattle besting Washington at home. Which brings up an interesting question: last year, “will TO play in the Super Bowl?” was the only question anyone heard for two weeks. This year, the league MVP got a concussion and missed most of the first-round game. Why wasn’t “Will Shaun play?” the lead story of every sports section in America? There may be 12 playoff teams this year complaining about “not getting any respect,” but of them all Seattle actually has a case.
And speaking of TO, rumblings are beginning to be felt in regards to where Owens will play next year, with the latest teams mentioned being Tampa Bay and Miami. Please. TO would chew up Chris Simms and spit him out. Ditto for Brian Griese. You think he and Jon Gruden won’t be at each other’s throats by October 1? And I don’t exactly see Owens rushing down to Miami to catch passes from Gus Frerotte. Nor would he be much more interested if they traded for, say, Philip Rivers. I still say he’ll be a Cowboy by March. He already has the jersey.
And in coaching carousel news, Mike Tice continues to be King Midas in Reverse: he interviewed for the Jets’ coaching opening on Monday afternoon and afterward the Jets almost immediately offered the job… to Eric Mangini, who promptly accepted. Though on the bright side, Tice is said to be on the shortlist for an executive position with StubHub.com.
The Packers, meanwhile, hired 49ers quarterbacks coach Mike McCarthy as their new head coach. ‘Cause it’s always a good decision to hand your team over to the guy who spent the last couple of years supervising the extremely effective Tim Rattay, Ken Dorsey, and Alex Smith. And how can a team from Wisconsin hire a coach named McCarthy? Isn’t this like a Chilean club soccer team hiring a coach named Pinochet?
And finally, after Mike Mularkey quit as coach of the Bills, new general manager Marv Levy admitted that he faces a learning curve in his new job. “I’ll learn,” Levy told the New York Times, "it just might take me a little while.” A “learning curve”? Since Levy is 80 years old, he might behoove him to learn whatever he has to sooner rather than later.
