NFL Conference Championship Weekend Wrap-up

It was a tough weekend for rookies and old people, and now the Super Bowl is set:

Indianapolis Colts 30 - NY Jets 17
To look at this game and try to analyze it would be impossible if taken as a whole. The fact of the matter is, this was really two diffferent games. One the Jets won, 17-6, and the other the Colts won, 24-0. For the first 27:49, the Jets controlled every part of the game. They kept Peyton Manning out of the end zone. They made big plays. They controlled the ball. Then, with 2:11 left in the first half, the Colts put together their first TD drive of the game. The Jets still led, 17-14, but things seemed to change on that drive. They seemed to suddenly be less agressive, both on offense and defense. Their blitz packages, which sacked Manning on back-to-back offensive plays, suddenly weren't getting through. The deep passes that led to both TDs were replaced with short throws. The loss of Shonn Greene at the start of the second half greatly hurt the running game. Manning used the lack of depth in the Jets secondary to hit Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon on pass after pass. The Jets offense played well, but not good enough to win. Their defense played dominant football to start the game, but gave up too many plays and too much yardage in the second half. The Colts, as an entire team, made the correct adjustments throughout the game, and won a game they clearly deserved to win.

NFL Week 12 Wrap-up

Theres a big divide between the best and worst in the NFL this here. So how do you stop the best, and how do you improve the worst?:

Stopping the Best:
Indianapolis Colts
I'm chosing the Colts to cover first because they have the most obvious flaws. Yes, they have the best passing game in the league. They have nothing else, though. Their running game is the second worst in the league. Their defense, though third in points allowed, really can't stop anybody when it comes down to it. They're products of playing in a week division. While they beat the powerful Patriots, it was due more to defensive breakdowns against Peyton Manning than anything else. Not to mention the Colts arguably biggest weakness, run defense, couldn't be exploited by a Pats team without much of a running game of their own. The key to beating the Colts is disguised agression. Manning has never been a very mobile QB. While he has improved from early in his career, he's still slow and can be brought down. The problem, of course, is how. The Colts are one of the best teams in the league at picking up the blitz, and Manning is probably the best in the league at reading and reacting to defenses. The best option, then, is to run the ball straight at the Colts D, and disguise blitzes as much as you can. I know it goes against NFL logic, but maybe the best strategy is to not show blitzes, ever. If Manning can't read a blitz coming, he can't react to it before the snap. Disguising a blitz as a Cover 2 defense on every play, in my opinion, would keep Manning from making the reads he has become famous for making.

NFL Week 9 Wrap-up

With every team having played 8 games, here's some midseason awards!

MVP:
Peyton Manning
With his Colts once again 8-0, Manning is the leader at the half-way point. His closest competition is Drew Brees, but Manning has a better completion percentage, more yards, and two less picks. I'm thinking Brees might win this at the end of the season, but Manning has a slim lead after 8 games.
Honorable Mention: Drew Brees, Chris Johnson, Maurice Jones-Drew

NFL Sunday Recap - Week 4

After the first quarter of the season, some things have gone as expected, some haven't:

Living Up to Expectations:
Drew Brees
After almost breaking Dan Marino's single-season passing yards record, Brees is out firing on all cylinders this year. The Saints are putting up big numbers already this year, in large part thanks to Brees's passing numbers. His ability to get the passing game moving early has allowed the running game to pound the ball late, and the defense to sit back and force turnovers when the opponent is playing from behind.

Chad Pennington
Pennington has been injured more often than not over his career. Going down for the season in Week 3 is just more of the same.

Playing Below Expectations:
Tennesee Titans
The Titans are probably the biggest disappointment this year. After starting last year 10-0, and finishing 13-3, they sit this year at 0-4. What was last year one of the leagues best defenses is now a team that gets pushed around each week. And things won't be getting any easier: Their next 4 games are Indy, @ New England, Jacksonville(who just beat them 37-17), and @ San Francisco. Thats right, their next 4 opponents are a combined 12-4.

Brady Quinn
I wanted to make this JaMarcus Russell, but I don't think most people expect much from him at this point. Quinn, however, was looked at as the savior of the Browns franchise when he was drafted, and this is the first real look we've had at him. After three start, he completed 60% of his passes for 400 yards. Its his 1 TD, 3 INTs, and 10 sacks that got him benched at the half in Week 3. Now Derek Anderson is under center, and Lord only knows when we'll see Quinn again.

Rookie Roundup: Using a complex scoring system to rank two major rookies for the season

Mark Sanchez: 14/27, 138 yards, 0 TD, 3 INT, 4 Sacks, 24 rush yards, 1 fumble(lost)
Points: -11.7, 31 overall

Matthew Stafford: 21/36, 241 yards, 1 TD, 2 sacks, 23 rush yards
Points: 15.8, 36.7 overall

Week 4 Winner: Stafford

What Have We Learned?: Three things we can take away from this weekend
1. The Jets are human
With Sanchez off to the first rookie 3-0 start in NFL history, and one of the best defenses in football, the Jets were flying high. With his performance against the Saints this week, he looked like what he is: a rookie QB. He threw 3 picks, one returned for a TD, and fumbled in his own endzone for another. The defense still played well, however, only giving up 10 points against one of the leagues best offenses. But this game served as a reminder to Jets fans that Sanchez is still learning, and once in while he'll have a game like this.

2. Miami can win with Chad. No, not that Chad, the other one.
With Pennington out for the season(though he's hopeful he can return next year), Chad Henne had to step up and take his place. He may have only had 115 passing yards and 1 TD, but he did enough to give the Dolphins their first win of the season. The real story, though, was a Miami rushing attack that put up 250 rushing yards to beat a Bills team that struggled a bit against the run the past two weeks.

3. Another strike for the Chosen One!
Peyton Manning and the Colts have now won an NFL leading 13 straight regular season games. Their last loss was Week 8 of last season, against the then-undefeated Tennessee Titans. In addition, Manning set a franchise record by having 300 passing yards for the fourth straight game. If you throw out the final game of last season, traditionally a rest game for playoff teams but one where Manning still went 7/7, Manning has 300 yards in his last 7 games. And these last 4 have been without Manning favorite Marvin Harrison, who is still considered a free agent.