The Aussie Audible: weekly discussions on the NFL written by Dominic Davies.
I won’t offer any real discussion of the Super Bowl XLII rematch until next week. Suffice to say it’ll be a corker. *spoilers* I’ll actually argue that the Giants should win it. Again. Until then, let’s reflect on the NFC and AFC Championship games.
- It’s very easy to see how next week’s Super Bowl could have been completely different. If both Championship losing teams hadn’t made mistakes on special teams, they would now be fighting for the Lombardi Trophy next Sunday. A few fans and commentators have labelled the victories as ‘cheap’ or ‘hollow’ because of the way each game ended - to say such a thing dismisses all the efforts made throughout the entire game. The most complete team will win the Super Bowl and that means victory on offense, defense AND special teams.
- Still, it’s fun to speculate eh? I crave a Harbaugh v Harbaugh Super Bowl.
- The Ravens did not lose because of Joe Flacco. In fact, throughout the entire game, Flacco was a major reason Baltimore remained competitive. If Flacco’s receivers had held onto the ball, or his OL had not folded every time Vince Wilfork got ‘that twinkle’ in his eye, the Ravens would have won. Flacco, by all accounts, played better than Brady.
- The Patriots did not win because of Tom Brady. In fact, New England was lucky Brady didn’t lose them the game. Rare-form mistakes, poor throws and bad decisions hounded Brady. You know it, I know it and clearly he knows it too: “I sucked pretty bad today but our defense saved us” he said during his post-game interview.
- The Patriots’ DL showed a mean spark. Vince Wilfork clearly still has it. He demolished the Ravens OL. 2011 has been a terrific year for Vince, despite the Patriots defense letting the team down, and he continues to improve. Wilfork managed 3.5 sacks on the year - solid stats for a nose tackle.
- The Patriots also ran the ball! I know! Crazy, right? I really enjoyed watching BenJarvus Green-Ellis run the ball up the gut on the Ravens. He averaged 4.5 yards per carry and also managed a touchdown.
- The Ravens, on the other hand, couldn’t run squat. Another reason why the AFC Championship game was one straight out of ‘Bizzaro Land’ - Ray Rice made only 3.2 yards per carry. His play was nothing like last year, when he destroyed the Patriots. Strangely, Flacco scrambled (or ran for his life) for a much better average than Rice - he averaged 6.8 yards per carry on 4 carries.
- The Ravens’ fans should not whine about the no-review on the end zone drop. It’s clear that Lee Evans did not have control of the ball - don’t have to take my word for it, the decision was spelled out here. To quote the league official “The receiver did not get his second foot down in the end zone with possession and, as a result, it was an incomplete pass.” The Instant Replay assistant told the officials this, so there was n need for a review. Yes, that means you can blame Evans. Perhaps you could also blame kicker Billy Cundiff for that shank. But to be fair to both players, they both admitted their mistakes and own them. Good.
- Kyle Williams has been receiving death threats on twitter. After all the hullabaloo from 49ers fans about how violent and unpleasant the visiting fans have been to Candlestick, this happens? Bravo! 49ers fans, it seems, are as rabid as any others (but maybe still not as bad as Philly fans). Williams has shouldered the blame, he isn’t hiding from it. Give him a break.
- The guy who really deserves to be blamed for the 49ers defeat is Elisha Nelson Manning. Manning played the best football of his career against an amazing team, in a season that, statistically, has been his best. He and the Giants are hot right now – remember that to get to the Super Bowl he had to beat both the 1st and 2nd seeded NFC teams.
- You should also probably blame Devin Thomas, twice. He was the one who capitalized on both of Kyle Williams’ mistakes, recovering the ball for the Giants both times. This is further proof that the only thing Washington Redskins players need do to find success in the NFL is to stop playing for the Washington Redskins.
- The New York Giants have an amazing offense. I’m not just talking about Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz who are elite. After all, Ahmad Bradshaw recorded 6 catches and it’s easy to forget that Mario Manning, even hampered by injury, is an outstanding talent. The 2011/12 Giants are not the run heavy team that won Super Bowl XLII. Instead, they’re better. While they still have Brandon Jacobs to pound the rock and wear a defense down, they now feature a truly explosive big play ability. We have seen it in almost every game this season.
- The Ravens should be pleased with their season. The Ravens continue to assert themselves as the premier team of the AFC North with that big DL and running game. I expect them to be a force in the AFC for at least another half decade. Flacco deserves a break – at least until the preseason. Then, there’s this post-game speech:
Ray Lewis says it and you believe.
- The 49ers organisation, as a whole, should be ecstatic about their success. They were 6-10 in 2010. Now? Near NFC Champions. They clearly have a future with Harbaugh, Alex Smith and that defense. The NFC West is such a weak division right now that it’s easy to see the 49ers finding themselves in future playoffs. Of course the manner in which they lost will leave a bitter taste when they reflect on the 2011/12 season but, in the context of their season as a whole, they should be happy.
Point of Interest: The NFL is allowing players to tweet during the Pro Bowl by supplying them with a special computer they can use before the game and at halftime. Slippery slope, guys.
Point of Interest 2: If Peyton Manning is feeling uncomfortable with the situation in Indy, fans should be too. He deserves to end his career there, but the winds of change have already swept up most of the organisation.
Point of Interest 3: I actually love the Pro Bowl, for some players this is the highlight of their careers. For that reason alone it deserves respect. It’s also a ton of fun.
Point of Interest 4: Roger Goodell just received a contract extension. He’ll be the Commish for the NFL till the end of the 2018 season.
Final Point of Interest: Happy Australia Day! Time for me to retire to my Hottest 100 and Boags Draft. Enjoy!
The Aussie Audible is a weekly column written by NFLDownUnder’s editor Dominic Davies. Summing up some of the week’s action and news as well as offering some opinion and pointless hyperbole.
