Journal Of A Mad NFL Fan Divisional Weekend
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, 01-17-2012 at 12:22 AM (6856 Views)
Playoffs? Playoffs? Oh Yes, Jim Mora! He had us some Playoffs! Memorable, Record-Breaking, Instant Classic Playoffs. The NFL has so much similarity with past history and current situations, that we think we know but we ain't got no idea! The games speak for themselves and there's no better way to enjoy the games. Men showed how grown they were & teams showed how gelled they were. Hey Kids, You Like Football? This was your weekend; well, it depends what team you were rooting for. Shout-out to SI.com for the game goodness that is the NFL Playoffs. Man, you can't make this stuff up! I'm holdin' it down on Twitter.com/BuckeyeRidley. That's @BuckeyeRidley.
-AW TRASH! My Saints did it again, Ya'll! They lost to the NFC West in the playoffs! The last time? That NBC Wildcard Weekend match-up at the Seahawks with that Massive Marshawn "Money" Lynch run for a TD. We recall that Roman Harper had a BAD day in that one. That was one of the plays too. Then in 2011, the Saints lost to the St. Louis Rams @ the Rams during the weekend after the St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series. They made an appearance at the Edward Jones Dome. It appeared to affect the Rams in a positive way. Crazy but true. The Saints are a good squad and are still defending NFC South Champions. However, that's what losers say. LOL I'm still disappointed that the Saints are a part of one of the Best Playoff games in NFL history and they are on the losing end of it. It's like Bills fans hearing "Wide Right". It's like Oilers fans seeing that Epic 1992 playoff game when the Bills won in Wildcard Weekend. It's like the Vikings fans seeing the NFC Championship game from 1999 for the 1998 season when the Falcons won & made it to the Super Bowl. It's a bad day for lots of folks who thought the Saints could take their act on the road. I said on FootballPros.com that I felt it was that Home Effect that helped the Saints to get it. Same for Denver over Pittsburgh. That home field advantage is oh so important in the playoffs. That's what was missing in this loss. Of course, you break down the mistakes that are made & how long or how often the other team had to do their thing with their game. I'm not pleased with how many years this Saints squad has been together but yet how they didn't seal the deal. This is like the Falcons. Since the Saints won the Super Bowl in 2010 for the 2009 season, they have been 1-2 in playoff games. I just feel like they should be much better than this. They tease in the regular season and the shut-down in the postseason is crazy. Seriously, Deion Sanders JUST echoed the same sentiment as that last sentence after I typed it. This stuff is madness. They have to learn that playing outside is a part of the NFL. They need some of the same things as their division cohorts, the ATL Falcons. They have talent but yet need to adjust things with who they have. Things work well but when you get out of your element, BAM! The smack is layeth down. Teams like the Saints have to learn to make their team better for the entire run and not just half of it. By that, I mean not just the regular season but the postseason too. This is why the offseason was built. May they utilize it to the fullest. For the sake of football, let's hope the Falcons can do the same for competition reasons. As for the game's details, the main Men to stand out are Jimmy Graham & Darren Sproles. Yes, the Saints are out of the playoffs but The Real House Dudes of San Diego came out to play in 2011. A.J. Smith ate his own heart out for dinner SAT night. Eric Stangel who is a head writer on CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman" is good for Chargers jokes, being that he's a fan suffering for a long time. Graham was hit hard during the game & was suspected by Twitter folks, including me at one point, if he had a concussion. After his first of two TDs, he was slow to get up & went on to spike the football & not dunk it over the goal post as he usually does. However, I thought that it was a statement that was just showing he was not as selfish to do is usual routine. Bro balled for over 100 yards. I'm gonna miss him not going further in the playoffs. Darren Sproles had over 110 yards & was good on the two point conversion late in the 4Q. The fact that the game was close at the end and the Saints lost it, does hurt. They almost had it but it just didn't happen. Sproles was beasty all season &, for the sake of trivia questions, was the receiver of record breaking TD that Brees threw in the 2011 Monday Night Finale on National Return presents day. Sproles had a Good year; his presence was always a welcome sight to Saints fans. We all know that Jimmy Graham was the Man. He balled with about one TD a game and was able to turn his life story into something positive in his still young existence. I think that he will continue to be key for them to succeed. He's got a lot of talent that the Saints use for the red zone & end zone. Man is A Man. The Man Among Men is Drew Brees. He's helped to give fans plenty to cheer about in 2011 & I'm sorry the ride was short-lived. I'm proud that he's on the Saints team still defying the doubts on his height & possible question marks on winning a championship as was the case in San Diego. The Saints are so much better with Drew Brees. It helps that he came in at the same time as Sean Payton. That chemistry helps to make both Men the NFC South's version of Brady/Belichick. Hats off the 2011 Saints BUT there's still a lot of work to do. Hopefully, the can keep a healthy running back corp. We know what Sproles can do but Mark Ingram is a very capable talent in that back-field. Brady/Belichick taught us, you gotta have multiple options. Also, Gregg Williams leaves the Saints to become the Defensive Coordinator for Jeff Fisher in St. Louis. It will reunite them & I like the sound of it. NFL Network's Jason LaCanfora said on MON that Fisher's five year deal was official. We should see the Saints bring in some good defensive talent there to have a continuity with their chemistry. I sense that they could upgrade a defensive position coach who embodies the work ethic of a defensive coordinator. After all, hiring Payton as head coach was giving him his first job at the position. Now, we must applaud [genuinely] for the Niners. People still might not be a fan of Jim Harbaugh or Alex Smith but they are making it happen over there. AND the lights stayed on the entire time the game happened. Oh; it was the sun shining. Nevermind. The way that the team operated was amazing. It was like seeing the Saints do their thing at home against the Lions. The crowd is into it; the team's quarterback makes key plays to be key in the result of the game. Things like this is what San Francisco needed. Alex Smith: Wow. In this here Divisional playoff game, Alex was 299 yards and 3 TD passes AND he ran in for 28 yards. WOW! I love that he has been able to redo the bad that he did before. Yes; I am shocked that he stayed this long but he helped to pay it off. That game was a signature moment for him. If you didn't respect Alex Smith before and you have a pulse in your body now, after that game, you should start. Why did the Niners win? because of the team work & guidance from Alex Smith. They worked together and did it with their surging quarterback at the helm. Alex Smith & his Niners did work and deserve their due. That Vernon Davis catch at the end of the game was T.O. like. I watched it many times before via the "NFL's Greatest Games" that ran on ESPN. Note T.O. had hair then LOL. T.O. did props Vernon Davis on Twitter; Vernon Davis said he grew up looking up to Owens according to Jim Trotter of Sports Illustrated on Twitter. That was not the only massive TD Davis had on the day. He was wide open when Alex Smith hit him for a 49 yard TD which was a part of his 180 yards on seven receptions with the two total TDs. This team is having an amazing year. Not being rude, but they remind me of the Jets with Rex Ryan's first season there. When you get a guy that appears to be a player's coach, that can go far for them. This team was struggling with Alex Smith, now they have him to Thank in part because of their success. To quote Cousin Eddie from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, "I don't know" LOL. This is called "The Catch III" by NFL Network. My first thought, "What will they call 'The Catch XVI'?" LOL Oh Well. Nonetheless, It's fitting to say it because they all happened to SF & in the playoffs. This team is capable of winning in the next round but I sense the Giants will give them a hard time. That home-field advantage is nothing to NYG. The Blue Dudes are capable of going on tour. Niners have to be ready to talk & walk that upcoming game as this Giants team can be scary. They are the reverse of the Falcons & Saints in the regular season. The Giants can lose so talk starts of firing their head coach & doing something about Eli but when the postseason rolls around. They are a completely different team. I think the latter works better for fans & team personnel LOL. The Niners earned this Divisional win & hat tip to them.
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