The Aussie Audible: weekly discussions on the NFL written by Dominic Davies.
Defense At Least Gets You In Championship Games?
While watching the 49ers v Saints game, I wondered out loud whether or not a great defence could make up for a poor offence. It seems, for the most part, yes. The 49ers won because of the late game heroics of Alex Smith, sure, however the only reason they were still in the game was due to the effort of their defensive side for the entire game.
Keeping Drew Brees in check for 45 minutes is a heroic feat and the 49ers clearly have what it takes to handle a big passing offence. This bodes well for their upcoming NFC Championship game against the Giants whose passing game is a genuine strength.
Full Time Officials?
The Packers got lucky with the non-fumble call in the first half of their match against the Giants. By all accounts they got away with one there. Ironically just before the game we were informed that the NFL will be looking at hiring officials full time. Yes, in case you didn’t know, at this point the officials in NFL games are part time.
Aaron Rodgers looked uncomfortable with the Giants pressure on more than one occassion
The end of great offenses overcoming all?
Giants fans can be quiet now, they won. Not only that, but they won in convincing fashion. Their offense made big plays (particularly with the pass) and their defense was amazing. Their pass rush, while off to a slow start, accounted for 4 sacks and a fumble, but perhaps most astonishingly their secondary played fantastically. The Giants have now what the Packers clearly did not: a complete team on both sides.
It’s always sunny rainy in San Francisco?
I’m looking forward to the Giants playing the 49ers in the NFC Championship game. Both teams are hot right now but I think Eli Manning’s receiving group is much stronger and unlike the Saints they have the defense to back him up. That said, wouldn’t it be great if this game was one run-heavy defensive slog? In the mud, because for some reason it rains in San Francisco all day beforehand.
The ‘miracle’ is over?
The ‘miracle’ run for Tim Tebow and the Broncos was conclusively ended by Tom Brady and Emperor Palpatine in the first half of their match. Despite the big loss they’ll have something positive to build upon this off-season and should continue to be competitive in that AFC West division. This is the time to put his achievements and failures in perspective. There are reasons to hate him, sure, but also reasons for Denver fans to be optimistic. No, the Tebowmania won’t go away. Get used to it.
Brady Set For Greatness?
Turning to the Patriots, now that the Saints and Packers are knocked out it’s hard to picture a more dangerous offence left in the Superbowl race. Watching Brady stand tall in the pocket and survey the field reminds you of what a true NFL QB pocket passer looks like.I distinctly recall in the Denver game how upset he got with himself when he threw that single interception. He lofted it a little high over the middle right into Quinton Carter’s hands.
While we are reminded he’s just human it’s clear he expects perfection from himself. Allow me to be dramatic and say that if he goes on to win another Superbowl it’ll finally place him above and beyond the achievements of his nemesis Peyton Manning. Perhaps greater than Montana?
Do Flacco & The Ravens Belong?
It’s hard to imagine the Ravens beating the Patriots in the AFC Championship game. I don’t mean to dismiss their terrific regular season but they really shouldn’t have won their match against the Texans. The Texans looked better on both sides for most of the match and if not for the rookie mistakes of T.J. Yates would have most likely blown the Ravens out.
Allow me to explain. As bad as Yates played, he was a rookie. What is Flacco’s excuse? A lot of fingers have been pointed at (offensive coordinator) Cam Cameron’s play calling but blame should fall at Flacco’s feet as well. He did not look like a champion QB but to compete with the Patriots he’ll certainly have to be. Alex Smith did against the Saints. Then before the game there was this prophetic comment:
Right you are, Joe.
Once more, the running game under the usually explosive Ray Rice looked limp. I’m just saying, the Raven’s offense right now is cold.
However, allow me to return to the fence. Last week I offered some arguments as to why we might see some upsets in the Divisional games. As it turned out two out of the three matches discussed were rather large upsets. I should remind you all that the Ravens possess all the qualities required to stop an elite QB just as the Giants and 49ers did: Great pass rush, great secondary and (normally) a strong running game. There you go!
The Year of the Tight End.
We continued to see records broken by elite TEs this week as we have all year. Vernon Davis displayed vintage form in the game against the Saints but NO’s Jimmy Graham and NE’s Rob Gronkowski have broken the mould throughout the entire season. I’d expect scouts in coming seasons to start looking for TEs that have similar characteristics in future drafts.
It’s not a stretch to call their example the next evolution of the position (tall, strong, big basketballer bodies). I should also mention that their hands are actually great too.
Watch this clip:
One of the reasons why these new breeds of TEs are so valuable is because they present a huge target for the QB. Like an elite big WR (such as Andre Johnson or Megatron) the QB can afford to throw a ball further from the chest of the receiver to avoid coverage.
Suddenly you have a WR1 sized target that can also block and easily beat a LB. TEs like Gronkowski frequently beat corners or safeties too, they are simply too big for them to cover. Jimmy Graham especially you’ll notice is terrific at the jump ball.
My Birthday Present!
Points Of Interest
Point of Interest 1: My head picks the Giants over the 49ers and the Patriots over the Ravens. My heart however likes the 49ers and the Ravens.
Point of Interest 2: So far in the playoffs my heart has picked 5 winners, while my head has only picked 3. Go with your gut guys!
Point of Interest 3: I’m becoming a lot more active on twitter. You can blame Andy. On my account it’ll still be mostly Redskins related tweets but on gameday you’ll find me usually using the official NFLDU account commenting on specific plays or players. Check it out!
Point of Interest 4: I would love, LOVE, to see a rematch of the Harbowl we saw on Thanksgiving in 2011. That game was already emotionally charged, imagine if a Superbowl ring were on the line.
Final Point of Interest: It’s actually my birthday today. My fiancee knowing me as well as she does got me this. I love it.
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 offer some opinion and pointless hyperbole.
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