Year of the QB and other football thoughts

So this was the year of the qb, to be an elite team you needed a high power offense and a qb to throw all over the place...No so fast, 4 of the top passers in the league started the playoffs and only one remains.. Brees,Stafford and Rodgers all made early exits from the playoffs and it came down to 2 reasons.. Lousy defense and lousy ball protection, the Saints and Packers both had suspect defenses but were bailed out by their quarterbacks.

Rodgers looked flat and while his receivers did drop quite a few balls he missed wide open passes and looked slow going through his reads. Rodgers extended plays with his feet, but to many times missed the open man. His defense did him no favors getting zero pressure on Manning and horrible tacking. Green Bay had one of the worst defenses in the league but close to the top in takeaways.. The Giants protected the ball and Eli avoided turnovers...

Brees was his typical Brees self, the guy puts up amazing numbers but every game will throw at least 3 no look deep passes. If you look back to the game against Detroit, he had 3 int's dropped and came back to win the game. This week that did not happen, the Niners took advantage of every chance they got. On defense Greg Williams chose to blitz Alex Smith and I'm not sure why... Smith is one of the best quarterbacks in the league against the blitz. Smith is not flashy and will not put up huge numbers but he plays it safe and the Niner play to his strengths.

What separates Brady from the others (besides still being in the playoffs) he doesn't force the ball down field. That's why he is able to control the game better and limit his turnovers. Using his two tight ends he is allowed to work the middle of the field and his receivers pick up huge chunks of yards after the catch. Yes the Patriots defense is suspect and they did play Tim Tebow, but if they can get the same type of pressure on Flacco this week, I think the results will be the same. The Broncos had one of the best defenses in the league and Brady picked them apart...Which leads me to McDaniels..

People are upset over the Patriots bringing McDaniels back a week before the game. Yes I understand your point, but if he was a ball boy it wouldn't be an issue. McDaniels was let go in St.Louis thus voiding his contract making him available to hire. It's within the rules so move on..

Giants fans it's the morning after and you are still crying over the terrible calls.. Let it go, you won the game..This stuff has been going on all season long with blown calls, it's part of the game and will continue to be part of the game. The NFL needs to hire a full time review crew instead of having the field crew review it.  Put it directly on the NFL and not the judges on the field who are basically part time employees..

Next week...I like the Pat's over Ravens 28-14 and Niners over Giants 21-7

Packers Undefeated Season.....

Does anyone see a NFC team knocking off the Packers? Probably not, not that it can't happen, but it is unlikely to happen. Look at the NFC so-called powerhouses and who installs fear in the Pack...NFC East, Dallas or Giants.. No...NFC West, San Fran.. Probably not.. NFC South, Atlanta or New Orleans.. Maybe New Orleans but Atlanta no.

The Packers SHOULD have a easy trip to the Super Bowl, looking at the NFC landscape there is not a team with a strong enough secondary to hold up against Rodgers. The Giants came close in a shoot-out with them, but their cornerbacks failed at stopping the big play... It took Rodgers about 15 seconds and 3 plays to go from his 20 to field goal range for Crosby.. That's efficent !!

To beat the Packers you need an above average offense along with a top defensive pass rush and an above average dime package. Keep Rodgers off the field with your offense and slow him down with your D. Let's face it you probably won't shut them down totally.So who fit's that bill...I got nothing.. The closesest I could come would be Baltimore or Pittsburgh, but I would need a hybrid.. Balitmore's defense with Pittsburgh's offense. Baltmore alone might have a chance with decent play from Flacco. So there you have it...Move over Mercury Morris, you are going to get some company...