My Forte is blogging Many call it the Era of the Quarterback. This is popularized by the emergence of Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan and other quarterbacks that tend to "carry" their teams. Or, it may be more defined by all the bad teams that have bad quarterbacks.
Others contend that championship teams begin and end with a show-stopping defense and devastating running game.
The fact is this: You simply have to be good at everything.
Per the quarterback argument, people look at the likes of Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson winning Super Bowls. Many call them "bus drivers." It's tough to argue this point. They weren't very good. On the other hand, they weren't awful or even "bad" in the strictest of senses. What they were asked to do, they did pretty well. They didn't turn the ball over and made a throw when they needed it.
Otherwise, those Buccaneers and Ravens teams were good at defense, special teams, well-coached, had a good run game and were just good.
We learned a lot about championship teams this weekend. You need to be good at everything. It's not the Era of the Quarterback nor can you depend on a run game and defense. You need good coaches, a motivated team, fantastic lines, good secondarys, receivers that can catch a ball, a quarterback that can get it there, a running back that can get a yard, special teams that win games for you and players that don't make as many mistakes as the opponent.
We learned, most importantly, that if it is the Era of the Quarterback, at least half of this weekend's quarterbacks were not included.
Everything.
Pittsburgh 31, Baltimore 24
A coming-out party for Joe Flacco? Hardly. More like a go-back-inside party. Flacco could get nothing going, and if he did get a pass to his receivers, they more than likely dropped them. Mistakes, mistakes, mistakes. The Steelers scored 17 unanswered strictly off Baltimore turnovers in the second half. Mistakes are magnified in the playoffs because good teams make you pay. I think Flacco's peaked. Maybe he has another gear. However, I don't think he's going to get to a level to where he beats the Pittsburgh defense as it's presently constituted. Then again, how different is this game if T.J. Housdaqlkdjfaosid;fkh and Anquan Boldin can catch a ball?
Green Bay 48, Atlanta 21
Remember the Era of the Quarterback? You might assume that this explains Aaron Rodgers. Granted. Rodgers is really good and he has to be considered as a top five quarterback in the league. However, it's not completely why the Packers dominated in Atlanta. That defense is so underrated. So athletic, hungry and quick. They swarm before you have an opportunity to breath. Then there's Matt Ryan. The kid is good. However, the Falcons have a number of issues defensively. They've got no one to cover, no pass rush and if they are paying linebackers, they might want their money back. The Falcons will not win until they fix that defense. Did we learn a little bit about Ryan, however?
Speaking of fixing, hasn't this playoffs been a case of the disappearing wide receiver? In two weeks, we've had quiet if not non-existant days from Reggie Wayne, Roddy White, Anquan Boldin, Wes Welker, Deion Branch, Dwayne Bowe, DeSean Jackson and others. White, in particular, has been persona non grata the last four weeks or so. Trust me, he was on my fantasy team and killed me.
Chicago 35, Seattle 24
Not even that close. I can't believe how many people bought into the Seattle thing. Playing New Orleans at home and playing Chicago on the road is apples and prostitutes. Seattle had no answer for the Bears, who did whatever they wanted. The trash-time points should not distort what happened here. This as a ass kicking. Unfortunately, the Bears will be, once-again, disregarded next week against the Packers.
New York 28, New England 21
I thought the Patriots would win. However, just before kick-off, I got a bad feeling. Not that I care for the Patriots, but their inclusion in next week's games would have made it more interesting. EVERYBODY, thought New England would recreate the 45-3 blowout of a couple of weeks ago. EVERYBODY. And that's scary. Because most of the time, everyone's wrong. It's why Las Vegas works. Because most people are wrong most of the time. Then New York goes in and backs up its talk and wins.
Not to take anything away from the Jets, but what was up with the Patriots' body language? Did it look like the Patriots really wanted to win? Did they look interested? Were they motivated? Where was the urgency and the killer mentality that we hear so much about? Why is it that pundits tell me that Tom Brady has been "focused" the last couple of weeks, but in the last several trips through the playoffs (including a Super Bowl loss), Brady seems unconcerned and unfocused? Why is he yelling at teammates in the regular season and then nonchalant in the playoffs?
The Jets wanted this game 100 percent more. The Patriots were passive. The Jets were not. And the Jets shall play next week.
