Wildcard Reflections

The wildcard round of the playoffs is over and it was sure full of surprises. There were at least two upsets. (Is the Ram victory an upset? I picked it, so it's not a surprise. But I guess it would have to be considered an upset too, since they were the lower seed.) The one bastion of sanity was the Colt juggernaut, which looks pretty darned unstoppable. Of course, they looked pretty unstoppable last year, too, until then they visited Foxboro.

I feel bad for the Chargers. They played their hearts out this year, defying every prediction, including my own. After all that, it comes down to a 30 yard field goal attempt in over time. I guess they should be glad they got that chance. Were it not for a stupid play by Jet linebacker Eric Barton, roughing the passer on an incomplete pass at 4th and goal that would have otherwise ended the game in regulation. But still, one wanted to see the Chargers get one playoff victory to complete their surprising season. Oh well.

To me, both personally and as a general fan, the biggest surprise had to be the Viking upset of Green Bay. The shock is not only that they won, but that they won so easily. I wrote a few times early in the season that the Packers struggle when they get forced out of their usual offense. Injuries to several key players on their offense forced them out of their preferred run-oriented offense, and out of their typical passing game. Their top two running backs were playing with rib injuries, and hardly themselves. Two of the top three receivers were out for most (Walker) or all (Ferguson) of the game. To top things off, they lose their left tackle, which forces a shuffle to the offensive line. Without a running game to worry about and facing a shuffled line, the usually overmatched Viking front seven were able to tee off on Favre, who had to rush too many throws and run out of the pocket too many times.

Then, of course, there is the issue of tackling in the Packer defense. Or, should I say, the lack of tackling. For some reason, the Packer defense is such that everyone appears to have to play perfectly for it to work. Somebody misses a tackle or make any kind of mistake, and it's over. Look at Michael Bennett's long touchdown run in the Christmas Eve game. Nick Barnett has him pegged in the backfield for a loss, but misses the tackle. No other Packer came close in the next 40 yards. Aren't there supposed to be layers of defense, such that if someone misses up front, someone else will come in downfield? Apparently, not in Green Bay. Look at Randy Moss' second touchdown, the "moon" play. Al Harris make a mistake in coverage for a split second, biting on a short crossing pattern and leaving Moss to limp past him. That split second was all that was needed. It figures, as soon as the commentators say the Packers don't need to double Moss any more, he limps past Harris and scores a touchdown which wouldn't have happened if Sharper was in double coverage.

By the way, that play has to be the finest pass I have ever seen Culpepper make. I know it sounds weird, but think about it. According to the commentators, the play was a designed run, so Daunte starts off running like he's supposed to. In an instant, he notices Moss open downfield, makes the decision to abort the run and throw, does whatever physics calculations necessary to make the throw, and, on the run, lobs a picture perfect touch pass into Moss' hands, hitting him in stride for the touchdown. That is a mature quarterback in the zone. He may throw prettier passes or longer passes, but that was one heck of a display of intelligence and physical ability coming together. (Compare that play to Favre's great display of improvisation, throwing a shovel pass for a touchdown, about four yards beyond the line of scrimmage.)

Writing about a really good throw and catch brings me to Seattle. Can anyone in Seattle be counted on to catch a ball? I know some of those catches are hard, especially the last one. But these guys get paid huge salaries to make those catches. Who was that Raider receiver back in the 80's who always slathered his hands with some kind of goop to make the ball stick to his hands? The Seahawks should get truckloads of the stuff for their guys before next season. That was just terrible. How much more can one ask of Hasselbeck? It just goes to show you football is a team sport, and someone can be the best passer in the game, but if the receivers don't catch the ball, it won't matter.

Can any of these wildcard teams win next week? Yes, especially in the junior conference. Yes, the Vikings have a shot at winning. Remember, many have been warning about rust accumulating in Philadelphia with the extended rest time given to the key players left on offense. So, if Minnesota can play defense as well next week as they did this week, this have a chance. Of course, I don't think too many teams totally re-invent themselves in the playoffs, so don't hold your breath.