And Then There Were Two

Good Monday morning, Hat Trick readers! Today, I have a comprehensive, Xs and Os break down of some big matchups in the National Hockey League. We are going to cover a little Australian Open this morning (in which Americans have been ridden out on a rail). Also, we will touch on some Euro league soccer.

Anyone for tennis? 1

PSYCHE!

Obviously, football is not the only thing, but it is everything right now. The conference championship games were unusual, but entertaining. When the dust finally settled, as many, myself included, expected, the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers survived and advanced to play in Super Bowl XLV in North Texas in two weeks.

Both victors bent, but did not break after jumping out to comfortable, multi-score, early leads. The Green Bay Packers did not reinvent the wheel. They played their game and did not make mistakes. Eventually, even the best defenses, including that of the Bears, will leave a small window of opportunity and Aaron Rodgers and the Packers were able to squeeze through when the opportunities presented themselves. Offense gets a “C”; defense gets a “B”; coaching gets an “A” for the Packers. Defensive tackle BJ Raji gets a 7.5 for his end zone jiggle.

Teach me how to "Raji"...teach-teach me how to "Raji"! 2

This game was unusual on a number of fronts. The road team, a sixth seed, was favored in this game. In spite of the cold weather, I was surprised to see that there were only 14 points scored between both teams in the first three quarters of play. However, the most unusual outcome of this game is that the biggest story of the 2010 NFC Championship Game had nothing to do with anyone on the winning team.

Bears quarterback Jay Cutler was ineffective for much of the entire day. In the third quarter, Cutler was removed from the game and replaced by Todd Collins. Cutler suffered an unspecified knee injury at some point prior to his removal. Cutler was seen on the sidelines walking, without crutches, triggering a multitude of critical remarks from current and former players and the media. An image of fans burning Jay Cutler’s jersey, after the game, was broadcast on television. Good thing he did not announce he was taking his talents to South Beach. They may have burned his house down!

LeBron: "Good! Gooood! People aren't talking about me! Goood! They're burning Cutler's house down? Goood! People aren't talking about me. 4

Bears linebacker and defensive captain Brian Urlacher vociferously defended Cutler and Cutler’s toughness. For me, frankly, that is all I need to see. I find it ridiculous that a bunch of talking heads in the media, many of whom never played organized football at any level, have the gall to call into question the heart of one of the NFL’s better quarterbacks, a quarterback who has been sacked nearly 100 times in the past two seasons and only missed one game during his tenure with the Bears. I am disappointed that so many of Cutler’s fellow NFL player comrades called the quarterback’s heart and toughness into question without speaking to the man and having any idea what the type and extent of Cutler’s injury was. I am buying what Cutler is selling until I see lemons.



Is it just me, or does anyone else think Lovie Smith looks a little like James Evans from "Good Times"?
Lovie: "DAMN! DAMN! DAMN!"

 In the American Football Conference, the stars of sports media in the 2010 season, the New York Jets, led by their coach, the round mound of soundbites, Rex Ryan, traveled to Heinz Field to face the AFC North champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh was favored, but, out of the gates, the game appeared to be a rout, with the Steelers scoring the first 24 points of the game. The Jets battled back and had several opportunities to tie the score or take the lead, with the Jets defense holding the Steelers scoreless after the Steelers’ initial outburst of first half points.

The New York Jets, Coach Ryan, and quarterback Mark Sanchez demonstrated, to me, that they are still not ready for prime time. The Jets are a very talented team with, who I believe is, the best “player’s coach” in the NFL. However, the Jets, early in the game, appeared to lack the type of focus demonstrated in the divisional round game at the New England Patriots.

JETS Suck! Suck! Suck! Shirt (Extra Extra Large)

I think that Pittsburgh, candidly, is a better team than New England, pound for pound, in spite of the regular season records. I understand why the Jets were fueled by intense emotion before and after the Patriots game, given the recent histories surrounding those two franchises. What I do not understand is how a coach as talented as Ryan could allow his team to play in a championship game on the road, against a tougher opponent in the Steelers, with so little focus. The Jets clearly did not suffer from a failure to prepare, as they clearly “snapped out of ‘it’” (whatever “it” was) after halftime. An unprepared team cannot snap out of anything because they would be ill-equipped to face their opponent.

 I guess he'll need a snack, and a new headset.

(Video from YouTube)

The Jets are not ready for prime time. On third and goal from inside the Steelers three yard line with a chance to cut the lead to seven points, instead of trusting the strengths of the team (the offensive line and the running game), the Jets elected to pass, nearly resulting in an interception. Sanchez had the options of checking down at the line of scrimmage, tucking the ball and attempting to run into the end zone, looking for another read, or simply throwing the ball away. In spite of playing impressively in the playoffs in his short career, I cannot help but think that a more experienced quarterback, such as his Steelers counterpart, Ben Roethlisberger, would have made a more sound decision and come away with six points after such a drive. The Jets are not ready for prime time.

Two QBs: One on the rise and one at the peek. 5

This leaves us with the two teams that have weathered the storm better than any other teams in their respective conferences. I think the playoff process got this Super Bowl correct and the two best teams to represent the NFC and AFC are playing in the big game. One team has a young coach, 38 year old Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin, who is achieving well beyond his years, shooting for his second Super Bowl championship in his fourth year as an NFL head coach. One team has an elite quarterback, in Roethlisberger, who, in spite of his well publicized personal shortcomings, knows how to win and will rely on his toughness to get his team over the hurdle, if necessary.

The other team has an emerging young quarterback, possibly playing the position, at the moment, at a higher level than anyone else. It has a group of experienced veteran receivers, particularly Donald Driver and Greg Jennings, who do not, literally nor figuratively, drop the ball. It has a cast of athletic defensive players that appear to have completely gelled as a unit and are as deceptive in presentation and crisp in execution as any defense in the NFL.

This should be a fantastic matchup. The Super Bowl is America’s signature entertainment event, and television ratings overwhelmingly support that claim. Super Bowls with bad, one sided matchups are still bonanzas for television networks and advertisers. This contest contains enough storylines, personal stories of achievement, and sub-plots to fill a series of novels. I will withhold my personal prediction of the winner (which is worth no more than the paper on which one can print it) until next week, after more of the background scouting and analysis has been presented by the media. But, to quote a memorable playoff personality, Jets linebacker Bart Scott, “CAN’T WAIT!!!”

CAN'T WAIT! 6

1,4) Image from huffingtonpost.com
2,3) Image from espn.com
5) Image from Yahoo! Sports
6) Image from frontburner.dmagazine.com