Seahawks are Wildest of Cards

Big Blue Folds. Did a desperate last charge by the Giants keep the game in doubt until the end? Or was Big Blue just doing enough to stall the inevitable, showing tantalizing flashes of talent before crumbling? The valiant Giants D rose up to stop the Eagles time and again, allowing New York to squeak into a 20-20 fourth quarter tie, but no further. This late tie, which represented the apex of the Giants 2006 season, occurred almost as all hope was lost, after numerous squandered opportunities. The Giants showed the skills which could have won the game, and also showed the mental chaos that mostly made winning impossible for them this year.

The images are ugly. Jeremy Shockey lifting the earpiece of Coach Coughlin’s headset to shout at him. Plaxico Burress whining and moping with his visor askew. Tiki Barber sitting by himself with that goofy grin. Worst of all, Eli Manning with his completely blank stare, looking like he had just been lobotomized. I understand he’s not a rah-rah guy but I was starting to get worried about the drool factor the way he was just staring into space. Announcer Troy Aikman, who himself can be quite a stiff, pointed out how Eli was off in another place, but really all the Giants seemed to be islands unto themselves Sunday.

Tiki certainly did not seem to be a man soaking up his last day of battle with his beloved teammates. I’m not sure what was giving him such a sarcastic grin, but he looked like a dude who had to go to a wedding with his ex-girlfriend two days after dumping her. Just sitting by himself with a smile that said “Hi, I’m smiling, but don’t talk to me, I was dragged here and I’m leaving right after the toast.”

Tiki certainly gave a winning effort in his finale, rushing for 137 and consistently picking up key first downs. But where was the pep talk to get his teammates riled up? Look at Jerome Bettis last year, so beloved that his retirement spurred the Steelers on to Super Bowl. You know the Bus had some inspiring words for his boys on the sideline. But alas, just another example of the perplexing aloofness of Tiki, who, unlike the Bus, I fear will never be seated among the Men of the Square Table.

For Giants fans, the end of the season brings more relief than sadness.

Seahawks Discover Clutch. Just as the Cowboys were about to kick a late go-ahead field goal, QB Tony Romo, who has been the holder for every Dallas field goal this season, was victimized by a slippery “K-ball”, which squirted out of his hands. NFL officials say a K-ball is a slicker version of the regular ball which is preferred by placekickers; Romo seemed to believe himself quite slick when he was implicated in a date with Jessica Simpson and seen engaging in pregame sideline flirtation with American Idol Kerry Underwood. Yet on Saturday the concept of extra slickness seemed to work against Romo as his strange inability to grip what would have been an easy field goal erased a probable victory for the Cowboys.

The shoestring tackle of an improvising Romo on the same play moments later at the Seattle 2 by a quick reacting and sure handed Seahawks safety Jordan Babineaux prevented what apppeared to be a sure touchdown. This was one of many nice hustle plays that gave Seattle a chance to steal one, and suddenly give the Coffeetown Ospreys a long absent sense of close-game clutchness. Other key plays included the incredible 30 yard bomb from QB Matt Hasselbeck to Bobby Engram, perfectly placed to the outside shoulder where the defender couldn’t get near it. They included two stellar TD grabs by tight end Jerramy Stevens, best known as the last Super Bowl’s inciter-of-Joey-Porter, who dropped key balls in the pigskin classic. Stevens may have learned from his foolishness as he maintained full concentration on the two difficult TD balls, and Hasselbeck had the true laser rocket arm on Saturday (and not Peyton).

The Seattle D contributed their share of big plays as well. Babineaux’s tackle of Romo was accompanied by the purse snatching executed by Seattle rookie Kelly Jennings, who committed a distract-and-grab theft at the Cowboy 10 on Terry Glenn (previously called a woman by his coach Bill Parcells) for a safety that missed being a TD by a shoelace. No less important was the gang tackle of Dallas TE Jason Witten half an inch from the first down to set up the Romo-botched field goal attempt in the first place. After their dismal Super Bowl, this collection of clutch plays in a game with “crazy” playoff type unpredictability showed a new, tougher Seahawk at the top of the totem pole. (Their fans hope).

My pick of 20-19 Cowboys certainly painted an accurate picture of how this game almost went down. So did my call that the game would be “characterized by another big couple of dropped TO passes and accompanying media frothiness.” Actually one big drop, but it musta been painful for the Big D faithful to watch TO’s right hand not know what the left hand was doing once again, on what would have been a key, drive-extending third down catch in the fourth quarter. It seems fitting as well that Romo, exalted as “lightning in a bottle”, would fall to rookie goat and now will have his clumsiness repeated in slow motion forever in the annals of NFL Films dishonor. He not only had to get consoled by TO, he even felt compelled to issue the “I hate myself now” speech to the media. Ouch, how precipitous is the rise and fall of Romo.

Colts Toughen Up. My prediction of a 14 point Colts victory was dead on. The predicted 41-27 score, admittedly reflecting the conventional wisdom that the offenses would rule the day, was short three touchdowns on each side. Chiefs running back Larry Johnson was absent from the action with only 32 yards on the day – the man who set an NFL record this year for carries in a season had only 15 this game, won by the Colts 23-8. No one predicted that the much maligned Colts D would discover an ability to control the game with smashmouth play in the trenches. Time after time the Chiefs insisted on going back to Johnson, who would get stopped in the teeth of the defensive interior, until KC eventually trailed big and had to go the passing route. A comparison of the number of team first downs early in the third quarter were an unheard of 20-0 in favor of Indy. Statistically, it was the best defensive performance in Colts playoff history, eclipsing some heroic days in their glorious Baltimore past.

After the game a beaming Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney explained that no one outside their locker room believed the Colts could stop anyone. Freeney was a disappointing former sack machine for the Colts this season; after getting between 11 and 16 sacks a season over his first four in the league, in this his fifth season, he managed only a measly 5.5. On Saturday Freeney stuffed Johnson and the run all day and got to Trent Green for two big sacks. The Colts D was a laughtingstock this year and got runnup on plenty of times capped off by an embarrassing 375 running yards allowed in Jacksonville on December 10th. But on Saturday they were the dominant unit on the field, reminding us of one of the eternal mysteries of sports, that the ratio between skill and performance is impossible to predict on a given gameday, and that players are capable of unexpected acts of courage when backed to a corner.

Overshadowed by the heroic defensive performance, but no less important, was Peyton Manning’s willingness to give up throwing the long ball and (after three INT’s) be content with a game plan of easy dumpoffs inside to the running backs and tight ends. Like many fans, Peyton didn’t even know his nemesis Ty Law was on the Chiefs until he intercepted two passes.

We’ve all seen Peyton get hubristic and try to do too much in the playoffs; perhaps this ability to manage the game in changing circumstances provides a different dimension. IF the Colts D dominates like that every game throughout the rest of the playoffs, then they will surely win the Super Bowl. IF, I’m saying, which is a big if. Was their performance an aberration or the sign of things to come? Look to GIOS for a prediction on the upcoming Battle of Baltimore this week, as the Colts return to the city they fled under cover of night, to face the Ravens.

Pats Dismiss Jets. My prediction called for a 20 point Pats victory and a dooming Pennington arm injury. Instead, a 21 point Pats victory was decided by critical arm mistakes by Pennington, the worst of which was a tipped backwards pass turned into 31-yard fumble return by the slow rumbling Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork. The 325 pound Wilfork missed three games with a bum ankle and was a surprise return for the game. He alertly scooped up an ignored live ball after Roosevelt Colvin tipped a pass Pennington threw backwards to the receiver standing slightly behind the line.

When Wilfork paused, puzzled as to the liveness of the ball he was holding, a jumping flailing Bill Belichick, who seemed to be auditioning for a role with Cirque de Soleil, told Wilfork, yes, you should indeed run, as the gyrating coach willed the big man down to the Jets 15 before the sleepy Jets D reacted. Call me crazy, but I’ve always been a fan of the forward pass. Not only does it close the door on the Pandora’s box of live-ball, backward pass troubles, but since forward is the direction you are trying to go, maybe you should throw that way, no?

The ensuing field goal following this Jets gaffe provided a decisive 23-13 Pats edge. Victory was sealed by Pennington’s Pick-6 opportunity handed to Pats DB Assante Samuel in the fourth which provided the final 37-16 advantage and crushed Gang Green’s weak comeback hopes.

Tom Brady was sneaky deadly, making no mistakes and throwing strikes to lead his team throughout. Yet one wonders, are the Pats good enough to go to San Diego and not get burned by the LaDanian Lightning? Predictions await.