There were two NFL games yesterday -- the first one ended with the Saints being upset by the 7-9 Seattle Seahawks which left me crying tears of joy, and the second one ended with Jets kicker Nick Folk kicking the second go-ahead field goal in the last minute of regulation -- which sent the Jets onto the next round to face the New England Patriots, and that game left me pissed off.
As a New Yorker I typically stand by the Jets if the Giants are out -- I'm true to my region/city. However, I am also true to not being an over-the-top ego and believing the world revolves around me, and thats why I was rooting for the Indianapolis Colts. I honestly just can't stand the Jets fans, who constantly talked trash about the Patriots this past week instead of worrying about a crucial game against the defending AFC Champions. The Jets fans are dead lucky Antonio Cromartie had a great kickoff return late in the game -- but part of the blame there must fall on coach Jim Caldwell of the Colts. First off, his clock management and timeouts was absolutely absurd and his inability to use his timeouts properly left him without a "freeze" for when K Nick Folk of the Jets kicked New York into Foxborough. He also made the mistake of not ordering a "squib" kick, which would have given the coverage team a better chance of avoiding a return past the 40 yard line. His inability to make important, obvious coaching moves is what cost this team the win; not to mention WR Blair White dropping a very catchable pass that would have sealed the Colts' 16-14 victory, or calling multiple 3rd and 7 run plays in the 4th quarter. Do it once, you're a smart coach and caught the defense off guard. Do it again and get stopped, and you just killed a great thing.
As for the first game yesterday, that game was shockingly interesting because nobody expected the Seahawks to make it a close game, let alone defeat the Saints. Now granted I'm sure a lot of people bet against the Saints due to the large point spread, but very few people expected the Seahawks to actually win the game. I mean holy cow what an excellent game played by the Seahawks. They clearly have defensive issues and if Tatupu misses next week's game against either the Bears or Falcons I can't envision that defense holding off either team's passing attack to advance to the NFC Championship Game. Nevertheless, I think this club is headed in the right direction. They went out there yesterday and simply played the way an NFL team plays in the playoffs.They threw in unique offensive plays and packages, put pressure on the QB, and left their fate in the hands of a veteran named Matt Hasselbeck. But most importantly, give credit to 2 Seahawks -- Coach Pete Carroll for putting 100% confidence in his players and leading them to shock all of us by defeating the defending Super Bowl champions, and give credit to RB Marshawn Lynch for possibly the best run I have ever seen. Lynch was relentless, breaking tackle after tackle, and utilizing the excellent blocking by the entire offense including offensive linemen running their hearts out down field and even QB Matt Hasselbeck getting in there to help Lynch into the endzone. That is teamwork -- that is how you win in the Playoffs. The Seahawks wanted it more, and they came more prepared -- it is that simple, and it is also proof why maybe we were wrong to suggest the playoff system needs to be changed. I'm still a believer that it should be changed, but my lord did the give me something to think about this morning.
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