Brett Favre’s place in history

By Rick Morris

I join football fans everywhere in saying that I will miss seeing Brett Favre on the football field every Sunday (though I’m sure none of us are quite as broken up about it as John Madden is). He was an entertaining gunslinger, somebody who really loved the game, gave a lot to it and showed how much joy he got from it. I wish him the best in retirement and the game is poor for losing his on-field contributions.

My colleague Nate Noy posed a question about where Favre rates in the eyes of history, then he attempted to answer it (#4 all-time). Likewise, my other colleague Tony Mazur rated Favre within the confines of QBs he had personally witnessed. Similar to Nate's piece, I will offer a look at my own all-time Top 10 at the position. It is striking to me how similar our lists are. Just to recap, here’s Nate’s Top 10 (read his column to learn his justification for each pick and to see the key statistics for his QBs):

10. John Elway

9. Peyton Manning

8. Tom Brady

7. Steve Young

6. Sammy Baugh

5. Dan Marino

4. Brett Favre

3. Otto Graham

2. Johnny Unitas

1. Joe Montana

Before I begin my list, I’d like to note that Sammy Baugh just missed my Top 10 list at #11. Nate’s right that he did revolutionize the position and he was the greatest quarterback of his time, but I can’t award him a spot over any of these players, many of whom helped make this modern “golden age of quarterbacks” what it has been.

10. Bart Starr. If this were a fantasy draft, I’d slot him at the top of the second tier, with the nine QBs above him constituting a top tier. This is no slam on him, merely a statement of how I see him fitting into the landscape and indeed, being proclaimed one of the NFL’s All-Time Top 10 QBs is an honor in anyone’s book. He had a very nice synthesis of statistical production and championships earned (including the first two Super Bowls).

9. Brett Favre. He was a little more all-or-nothing than most of his counterparts on this list, which is the main reason I did not have him higher. Apart from a stretch in the mid-to-late ‘90s, he wasn’t universally regarded as one of the top two or three QBs in the game at the time, but was a top 10 performer almost all the way through. He’s in the top two or three all-time, however, at overcoming any kind of adversity and may have been the most fun to watch, for whatever that’s worth.

8. Peyton Manning. As with my rating of Tom Brady (and with Nathan’s ratings of both players), the slot is awarded based on the body of work to date. As one of the most elite statistical producers ever and a player who now has a title to his credit, the Top 5 list is a certainty if he can sustain his production another half-decade.

7. Steve Young. I fully expect many people to be blown away by the slotting of Young in the Top 10 (Nate won’t be surprised, however, since he had him in the exact same spot). Look up the numbers; from 1991-1994 he was as dominant as anyone to ever play the game and he capped off that run with a Super Bowl at the end of it. With an NFL career compressed into a relatively short run by a USFL stint and backup duty to Joe Montana on the front end and injury problems at the back end, there might not be anyone else in the history of the league who could have earned such a lofty spot based on such a short time frame. And in terms of influence, he still stands as the greatest example yet of the hybrid of athleticism molded to pocket-style quarterbacking – ironic, given the racial connotations so many seem to apply to the term “mobile quarterback.”

6. Tom Brady. One of the game’s most accomplished winners put up arguably the greatest statistical season ever in 2007. As with Manning, the Top 5 is within reach and since he’s a few years younger than Manning with two more Super Bowl wins and one more Super Bowl appearance, the next few years could catapult him to the point of becoming the consensus best quarterback of all time.

5. Dan Marino. He stands at the pinnacle of “statistical quarterbacks,” while falling much further down most people’s lists of “ultimate winner quarterbacks.” This is unfair, given the fact that he had less support than arguably anyone else on this list: few marquee WRs (outside of the early stretch with the “Marks Brothers”), a complete lack of a running game (no 1,000 yard rusher the first 13 years of his career – insane, given that a RB only needs to average 62.5 yards per game over the course of a season to reach that number) and a defense that was uneven at best over the course of his tenure. Given the limited impact that one player, even a great QB, can have on the bottom line on the gridiron, Marino is a very underrated winner for getting his team to make as many playoff runs at they did. And having lost a Super Bowl to the 1980s 49ers and an AFC Championship Game to the 1990s Bills is not a mark of shame.

4. John Elway. When the bad marriage with Dan Reeves ended, Elway got a chance to prove that he could win Super Bowls and also put up ginormous statistics. Factor in his mobility and penchant for late-game comebacks and the triumphant final chapter of his career boosts him to this point.

3. Johnny Unitas. As Nate pointed out, before Marino, Johnny U. was the statistical benchmark for the league and he also was a title-winner (and as Grampa Abe Simpson once said so memorably, “He had a flat-top you could set your watch by”). He had great durability, though he was fairly beat-up at the end. He was Top 5 in anyone’s book.

2. Otto Graham. This OG was simply, the ultimate winner. Every chance he got, he was earning All-Pro honors and playing for a title (and winning several). His vast accomplishments are sadly unknown by illiterates who think the game was invented with the birth of the Super Bowl in 1967, but these accomplishments are undeniable nonetheless.

1. Joe Montana. He was more renowned as a winner than as a stat-producer, but, as Nate notes, he did end up exceeding Unitas’ career passing mark. He was the engine of the 1980s San Francisco dynasty, which may have been the game’s greatest of them all, and he generally made it look easy. He set the all-time standard for clutch play that Tom Brady still has to surmount if he’s ever to claim this position.

My Top 10 Quarterbacks

By Tony Mazur

Below I have posted the Top 10 Quarterbacks of my lifetime. Since I just turned 20 years old last Sunday, I was not alive to see Bart Starr, Otto Graham, Roger Staubach, Ken Stabler, and Dan Fouts, and I only caught the tail end of Joe Montana's career when he was with the Kansas City Chiefs. Oh sure, they were all great quarterbacks, but I did not witness them live. Babe Ruth was an incredible hitter, but most of the population did not see him play.

10. Warren Moon.....Moon may have bounced around from team to team, but he made his name with the Houston Oilers. The Oilers may not have made it to the Super Bowl, but he helped them get to the playoffs year after year.

9. Jim Kelly.....Another QB that did not get a ring. However, he led those Buffalo Bills teams to multiple playoff appearances and pulled them team out of obscurity. Since he announced his retirement after the '96 season, the Bills haven't been the same.

8. Steve McNair....."Air McNair" may not be in everyone's Top 10 lists, but he sure impressed me. Between city and name changes, Steve McNair was a great overall quarterback. He may be somewhat functional now with Baltimore, but he's nowhere close to what he was with Eddie George, Kevin Dyson, and Frank Wycheck around him.

7. Troy Aikman.....Some have Troy higher up on the list, but I think he's fine where he is. Aikman may have had one of the best offensive lines of all time, two legendary running backs (Emmitt Smith and Herschel Walker), and a nearly perfect wide receiver (Michael Irvin), but he was a tough competitor.

6. Steve Young.....Can you think of a better backup? Steve Young backed up Joe Montana from 1987-93, and became the full-time starter in 1993. Young's aggressive style of play led the 49ers to Super Bowl XXIX, which they were victorious. Young helped pave the way for this generations slew of running QBs.

5. John Elway.....One of the greatest ever. Elway led his Denver Broncos to five Super Bowls, the latter two he won. A guy who took so many shots got right up on his feet and continued to perform well.

4. Dan Marino.....Yeah, yeah, we know. "But he didn't win a Super Bowl!" Trent Dilfer did. Brad Johnson did. Just because they won Super Bowls, does that mean they're better than Marino? I don't measure great quarterbacks by Super Bowl rings. Dan Marino was surrounded by marginal players that he helped look better.

3. Brett Favre.....Favre was another QB that turned average players into superstars. Antonio Freeman was a great Packer receiver, but would he have accomplished those feats with another team? The same with Dorsey Levens. Brett Favre wasn't just a great player, he is a great man. The league will surely miss his presence.

2. Tom Brady.....Forget about the 18-1 season. Tom Brady is in the top tier of quarterbacks of all time. He may have had Randy Moss in 2007, but Brady really had nobody for years. Tom Brady literally carried that team to their three Super Bowl victories, and won MVP after MVP awards.

1. Peyton Manning.....From what I hear from my father and other middle-aged adults, Peyton Manning shows signs of the great quarterbacks of the 1970s. His accuracy is astounding, and his demeanor is enviable. There is no coincidence that Peyton Manning pulled the Indianapolis Colts out of the toilet and into somewhat of a dynasty.

Brett Favre: How good was he?

By Nate Noy

Anyone that has listened to me on the FDH Lounge show or the previous shows I appeared on with Rick Morris on Sports Talk Cleveland realizes that I actually have opinions on subjects other than Jean Schmidt.

Rick, Jason and I were discussing the top-32 QB’s of all-time last month and with Favre’s announcement this week it is the appropriate time to have this debate. For today I will look at my top-10, perhaps in the coming days Rick, Jason and I will unveil our top-32.

There are a number of factors to consider and there is no “set formula”.

For me personally, the first question I ask is: “if there are two minutes to go in the game and my team is down six, who do I want to be the QB of my team?” The statistics of course come into play as does the fact if the QB was a “winner” or not. Other lists that have been compiled by the mainstream media should be taken into account, and I also considered the number of times the player was named All Pro(AP) (signifying he was one of the best at the QB position in a particular year.)

Below is my list:

10. John Elway HOF
QB Rating 79.9; AP 5; 51,475 yds; 300 TD’s
Elway ranks higher on some lists, he did win two Super Bowl’s and one SB MVP. He was great in the clutch but was only AP five times and his QB rating is low compared to the others on this list from his era.

9. Peyton Manning
QB Rating 94.7; AP 6; 41,626 yds; 306 TD’s
Right now with only one SB and one SB MVP Manning is still behind the players ahead of him in terms of career accomplishments. Give him five more years to pass Favre and Marino statistically and he moves into the top-5.

8. Tom Brady
QB Rating 92.9; AP 2; 26,370 yds; 197 TD’s
Brady could certainly someday make a case for number one on this list. He already has three SB rings and two SB MVP’s. His QB rating is only behind Young and Manning on this list (ahead of even Joe Montana.) However, he only has been named All Pro twice, since he has to beat out the likes of Peyton Manning for that award each year. With Moss back next year the Pats are the odds on favorites to win the SB, if this happens then Brady moves up a few more spots on this list. It should also be noted that 2007 was the single best season for a QB in NFL history, if his numbers even approach this next year, he continues his journey near the top.

7. Steve Young HOF
QB Rating 96.8; AP 7; 33,124 yds; 232 TD’s
His seven All Pro awards and 96.8 career QB rating keep him ahead of Brady and Manning for at least one more year. He won three SB’s and was MVP of the SB twice. He played for some horrible TB teams early in his career and had to sit in Montana’s shadow for a few seasons. The much higher QB rating and AP awards keep him slightly ahead of Elway on my list as well.

6. Sammy Baugh HOF; NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team
QB Rating 72.2; AP 9; 21,886 yds; 187 TD’s
Sammy revolutionized the game with his success in the T-formation in 1945. His QB rating is hard to apply to an era when the game was played differently. He was also one of the game’s best punters, and his nine AP awards illustrate how many years he was the dominant QB in the NFL. Along with Montana, Graham, and Unitas, he was recognized as one of the top-4 QB’s in the first 75 years of the NFL.

5. Dan Marino HOF
QB Rating 86.4; AP 8; 61,361 yds; 420 TD’s
Only made one SB and did not win it. Granted his supporting cast was weak at best for years. Very close to Favre statistically, but given Favre passed him in both career yards and TD’s this last year I have to give the nod to Favre.

4. Brett Favre
QB Rating 85.7; AP 7; 61.655 yds; 442 TD’s
Did win the one SB and made it twice. He will be the career leader in yardage and TD’s for 4-5 years until Manning likely catches him. His failure to win as many championships as the players in front of him keeps him out of the top-3.

3. Otto Graham HOF; NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team
QB Rating 86.6; AP 10; 23.584 yds; 174 TD’s
Played 10 years, made 10 championship games and won seven. Almost a dead heat with Unitas for number two on the list, but Unitas was a beast statistically. Often overlooked because he did not play in the SB era, but will always be on the short list of the top-5 all time, even if Brady and Manning continue on their current paces. Also it should be noted 10-for-10 being named All Pro, simply amazing.

2. Johnny Unitas HOF; NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team
QB Rating 78.2; AP 9; 40,239 yds; 290 TD’s
Three NFL championships, one SB win. Johnny U was the player Marino had to chase down statistically for all of those years. His longevity and records give him the slight nod over Graham. His QB rating should be taken with a grain of salt since he played in a different era where defenses were far more dominant.

1. Joe Montana HOF; NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team
QB Rating 92.3; AP 7; 40,551 yds; 273 TD’s
Simply set the standard for clutch play and efficiency. Four SB rings and three SB MVP awards. Passed Unitas in career yardage and his QB rating was hard-earned in the era that changed to game to what we see today. If I’m down six with 1:41 to go in the game and I can pick one guy to lead me to victory, there is NO DOUBT Joe is my guy.

Thoughts on these rankings? Feel free to comment below.

Super Bowl Liveblogging Part XIII

By Rick Morris

How can a game look like a lackluster Super Bowl for 55 minutes and utterly catch fire in the last five? There was an unprecedented three lead changes in the final quarter of a Super Bowl.

We just saw history, folks, and this will be a game that gets talked about 50 years from now when we reflect back on what the Giants just did.

Eli Manning completed his 2008 Redemption Tour with a moment that makes his career immortal, regardless of whatever else he accomplishes from here. The game-winning 12-play, 83 yard drive in the final 2:42, culminating in the touchdown pass to a previously-underutilized Plaxico Burress for the 17-14 win, defies belief still. Eli deserves the MVP and the play where he wiggled out of the grasp to hit Tyree deep in New England territory is the defining moment of this epic event.

Eli always had good maneuverability, slightly better than his brother in fact (and that is the ONLY area where he comes out on top of Peyton). But tonight he put it all together in a manner that few QBs ever do on the biggest stage. And it turns out he did win the MVP, good for him.

Now, New England, which reached for untold glory, suffers a humiliation that is under the radar but present nonetheless -- they were trying to be the first team to be both a Team of the Decade and have an unbeaten season (this was only because the Dolphins of the early '70s were decimated by World Football League defections and never got a chance to build on their accomplishments through the decade). But instead, they become the first Team of the Decade of the Super Bowl era to lose a Super Bowl in that decade.

Tom Brady clearly was not nearly 100%, proving my pregame skepticism completely wrong. Credit must go also to the unbelievable Giant pass rush, however, as Brady got hit more in one night than in several previous games combined. But chew this over for a second: the Patriot offense, the greatest regular-season offense in the history of the league in the regular season (at least in terms of points tallied), put up a donut tonight: one TD on their first drive, one on their last, and bupkis in between.

As I noted in our Super Bowl preview, the Football Outsiders website stated this week that the Giants were bucking history -- not merely because of trying to knock off an 18-0 team, but because they were one of the most mediocre teams ever to be in a Super Bowl if you look at the totality of their season. Few teams in the history of the game succeeded in pulling themselves out of the ranks of the average to attain necessary greatness later in the season. That may sound like a backhanded compliment, but it certainly is not. Eli Manning and many of his teammates were looking quite suspect as recently as midseason and the historical record is strongly against such a collection of players growing up over the course of the same season. They deserve a lot of credit for accomplishing such a rare feat.

Prior to the season, I picked the Giants to finish 6-10 as Tom Coughlin was brought back for what looked to be a lame duck season after his 2006 team was racked by turmoil. Who knew that shedding Tiki Barber would help the chemistry enough to bring the team together?

As for me personally, as I have noted I am a huge Dolphins fan and I was rocking my Nat Moore jersey tonight. Frankly, when Burress scored his touchdown, I was hyperventilating I was so happy and so utterly shocked. I had to run into the kitchen to get a bag to breathe into, earning me the scorn of the room!

Here's a little well-earned '72 Dolphins triumphalism.

To conclude this wrapup, here are some quotes I did not hear in the postgame interviews that I had hoped would be said:

^ Eli Manning: "You mean my brother struggled to beat this Brady character all these years? What's up with that? It only took me one shot!"

^ Archie Manning: "This is absolutely the greatest day of my life! Now, don't get me wrong, I'm still ashamed of Cooper, but other than that, nothing can bring me down right now!"

^ Tom Coughlin: "Hey Tiki Barber, I got your coaching effectiveness swinging right here, son!"

^ Steve Spagnuolo: "Back up the Brinks truck, biatches!"

^ Kevin Gilbride: "What a sweet contract I have, I get paid for a full game but only have to work in the late second half!"

^ Tom Brady: "Even a wild night with Gisele won't erase this pain. Oh, wait, it will."

^ Don Shula and Mercury Morris, at midfield swigging straight from champagne bottles after bum-rushing the field: "We're still the only Perfect Team!"

Super Bowl Liveblogging Part XII

By Rick Morris

And there it is -- the lethal Patriot short passing game that has not been in evidence for most of this game has surfaced right when the team needs it most. Brady has been shredding the Giant D, but still doesn't look completely like himself. He's not planting off his foot completely, he's throwing more inaccurate and fluttering passes than usual and he's counting on his receivers to recover slight mistakes far more than usual.

On third and goal from the five with 2:45 left in regulation, Brady finds a wide-open Randy Moss on the right side of the end zone. The PAT makes it 14-10 New England.

Super Bowl Liveblogging Part VIII

By Rick Morris

The Pats won their challenge and continued to drive, but a big sack on Brady set up 4th and 13 from the 31 yard line and a bomb to Gaffney in the end zone that wasn't even close to completion leads to the turnover on downs.

I just had a question posed to me by my friend, former SportsTalkNetwork.com host Nick Despones about whether this turnover could be a turning point (because I had exclaimed aloud that New England winning the challenge would be a turning point before I pleaded, "Prove me wrong, God!"). I answered that the Giants could get a big boost right here, but only if aliens abduct Kevin Gilbride and someone else, anyone, even somebody from the stands, replaces him.

Super Bowl Liveblogging Part VI

By Rick Morris

Giants drive again but are forced to punt to the New England 11 yard line after a penalty on Ahmad Bradshaw for illegally swatting away a fumbled football.

Tom Brady now goes to work in the two-minute offense. They get nowhere after two plays. I could have sworn I just lip-read Steve Spagnuolo and he said, "How you like me now, Daniel Snyder?"

Scratch that, the Pats are off and running again, but it's a relatively nickle-and-dime type offense for being pinched on time. Randy Moss just had his first reception down to about the New York 40, but Brady just had the ball stripped and no phony "Tuck Rule" was able to save him here.

Ten second left and Eli's going to take one shot from midfield. Gilbride works his magic again as Manning throws incomplete to fumble-fingers Steve Smith at the 40 with five seconds left. Randy Moss comes in on defense, but they didn't need him. 7-3 New England at the half.

Super Bowl Liveblogging Part V

By Rick Morris

The Giants and Patriots go on to trade three-and-outs. The sack on Brady at the end of his "drive" highlighted his ankle problems. I guess I was wrong; he is not 100%.

This game is sitting right there for New York if they mix up the playcalling a bit.

Carlos Mencia's Bud Light commercial was awesome, although I'm unsure how "You be the sandwich, I'll be the meat" got past Standards & Practices.

Super Bowl Liveblogging Part III

By Rick Morris

We saw only two possessions in the first quarter of the Super Bowl, which was a new record.

Brady was a bit unsteady on that ankle on the first drive, and it was more methodical than most we've seen from New England this year, but it ended with a 1-yard TD run from Maroney on the first play of the second quarter. 7-3 New England.

The Pats squib the next kickoff out of bounds by mistake and New York takes over at their own 40. Has Kevin Gilbride pulled his head out of his posterior? We'll soon find out.

Super Bowl preview

By Rick Morris

A quick note at the outset: I am an unashamed, unabashed admirer of the 1972 Dolphins. During the course of this past season, it has become apparent that I am one of the few anywhere, apparently, as the champagne toasts and braggadocio about The Perfect Season that I find amusing and appropriate are hated by the rest of Western Civilization. How Don Shula, Mercury Morris and the rest of the gang I appreciate and respect have managed to "babyface" Bill Belichick (in the parlance of pro wrestling) by comparison remains one of the great mysteries of life to me. I also don't care much for The Hoodie. But I pride myself on objective analysis and I will not let my personal biases factor into my assessments of this game. Also, I will be live-blogging the game on this very blog as it is unfolding.

^ First of all, here's a look at some of the best resources you will find anywhere for your pre-game reading. Pro Football Weekly has a great overall game breakdown, injury report, series of keys to the game, position-by-position comparison and series of staff predictions. CBS Sports has a detailed game breakdown video up on its website. And USA Today has a great Tale of the Tape that breaks down the statistics in excellent fashion.

^ Football Outsiders made the very provocative argument that this Super Bowl is the biggest mismatch in history on paper. They back up that statement quite well, although they hasten to add that that does not mean the Giants have no chance to win. The gist of the matter is that not only have the Pats been playing at the historic clip to get to 18-0 (especially on offense, as we are all well aware), the Giants come into the game having put together a fairly mediocre season by the standards of the previous 82 teams that made the Super Bowl (when the whole of the season is considered statistically). Frankly, the dramatic improvement (whether lasting or otherwise -- we'll find out) of Eli Manning is a microcosm for what the Giants are trying to do here -- put together a dramatic, almost-unprecedented in-season improvement that culminates in a Super Bowl win.

^ In my previous analysis of the postseason, I have referred to the Giants defense as being nothing more than the sum total of its pass rush. The secondary and the run defense have striven mightily to prove me wrong, especially in the NFC Championship Game. I question strongly whether they can bring anything near that level of effectiveness tonight, inasmuch as they weren't able to do much in their previous loss to the Pats. There's only so much fault you can drop on a team for getting picked apart by Brady & Company, though, as I noted in my postmortem of the playoff game against Jacksonville; the Jags tried their best to put a body on all available weapons, but there are just too many. And the admittedly superhuman Giant pass rush can be disarmed by effective running from Laurence Maroney and screen passes to that wee little sprite Kevin Faulk.

^ Analysts who claim that the Giants are better off for having played the Pats and for having almost pushed them to the brink in Week 17 are probably right. New England has an enormous mental edge over everyone they play, but the intimidation factor is probably a tad less against a team that stood in better against them than almost anyone else.

^ No talk of Belichick's Patriots can be complete without addressing the role of various mind games that are constantly taking place. Doubtless he is deriving additional motivation from the interjection into the process of Spygate one more time from Professional Ambulance Chaser Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Spector. And the "Brady in a walking boot" motif struck me as a self-indulgent attempt by New England to interject a little drama into the proceedings, perhaps a bit the same as Bob Griese reemerging from injury to lead the Perfect Team over the top 35 years ago. Although the Giants will bring the heat in abundance, I don't look for Brady's alleged injury to play any part in the outcome whatsoever.

^ In terms of fun irrelevancies to the final outcome, this game marks the first time that two teams enter with a combined appearance figure in double digits: it's the Pats' sixth appearance and the Giants' fourth. Also, it marks the third time in the history of the Super Bowl that teams will play each other after missing a previous meeting by one year. The first time was in Super Bowl 19 when the 49'ers and Dolphins faced off against each other (San Francisco appeared in Super Bowl 16, Miami in Super Bowl 17). The second time was in Super Bowl 24 when the 49'ers and Broncos were matched (Denver appeared in Super Bowl 22, San Francisco in Super Bowl 23). The Giants and Patriots have twice missed playing each other in the Super Bowl by one year: New England was in Super Bowl 20, while the Giants made it to Super Bowl 21 and then the Giants were in Super Bowl 35, a year before the Pats in Super Bowl 36. The good news for those hoping for the big upset? NFC teams are 2-0 in such situations. Pete Axthelm would be proud!

^ Here's my actual prediction: I see the game being moderately high-scoring and hovering right around the pointspreads for side and total. I don't see the Giants being any closer to victory on the second go-round minus an unexpected turnover burst from New England; Belichick and his crew have had two weeks to prepare and extend their natural coaching advantage. New York will probably be coming from behind, perhaps as early as the second quarter, and they will be more predictable if they are. New England will look to establish great offensive balance between the run and the pass and in all likelihood they hit their offensive trough in their unimpressive effort against San Diego two weeks ago. The Giant pass rush will have to force at least two fumbles from Tom Brady or an equivalent number of interceptions from what would be uncharacteristically poor throws. Randy Moss and Plaxico Burress will probably each have decent but not hugely explosive games. Interestingly enough, neither team has punted the ball very well this season, so defensive stops could well result in good field position for the incoming offenses. In the end, the field for MVP will probably end up being crowded with a few possibilities, but Brady will take it, not least of which because the media has been snowed about the "adversity he is overcoming with his injury." New England finishes running the slate with a Super Bowl 42 win, 34-20.

Championship Sunday thoughts

By Rick Morris

^ Norv Turner and Philip Rivers are the biggest goats of the day without any doubt whatsoever. Unlike LaDainian Tomlinson, Rivers did not have the good sense to pull himself from the game and Turner did not have the stones to step in and do the job that leaders are paid to execute. How was yesterday's scene any different than Grady Little failing to take the ball out of Pedro Martinez's hands in the 2003 ALCS when his pitcher clearly was gassed? Forget the 2004 baseball postseason, there's your cosmic payback for Boston-area fans yesterday as the shoe was on the other foot. Rivers was in pathetic physical condition, unable to push off at all on his passes. There was so much air underneath his throws that I was half-waiting for the Patriots to signal for a fair catch before making an interception. It is utterly shameful to hold the Pats, the best offense of at least the modern era, to 21 points on their home field and not win the game. Spare me the gaga about Rivers inspiring his team by going out there one leg and not wanting to put the game in the hands of a backup. Phil Simms was just being a homer for the quarterback position when he argued otherwise with no evidence to back up his moronic position. While imperfect, Billy Volek is far better than the average backup and proved his mettle at Indy last week -- and the team wouldn't have folded pathetically in the red zone every time with a quarterback that was physically able to play. I actually like Rivers as a quarterback, but make no mistake that his John Wayne Complex and the gutless non-response of his head coach were primarily responsible for the team's failure to win a game that it should have.

^ Why wasn't the CBS pregame crew on the scene yesterday? Since when is the studio utilized for a Championship Sunday game? CBS doesn't even have the Super Bowl this year -- this was the biggest day of their football season! Fox Sports sent their crew to Lambeau yesterday as they will for the Super Bowl in two weeks. Shame on CBS.

^ Contrary to the final score, the Giants actually dominated the later stages of the game yesterday. How else could Lawrence Tynes miss a game-winning field goal every ninety seconds? Mike McCarthy will have to answer for the fact that he so easily abandoned the ground game. Much like the previous week, you have to give credit to the Giants, but the Cowboys and Packers both made a ton of self-inflicted mistakes. Speaking of which, and my friends watching with me concurred, the game had much more the feel of a routine Week 9 game than a conference title clash. The mistakes, the up-and-down play of so many key performers on both sides -- it just seemed to drain some of the air of urgency out of the contest.

^ Yesterday's game reinforces the notion that even if Brett Favre had pulled off the improbable second Super Bowl win of his career, he still would be no better than a Top Ten quarterback all-time looking in enviously at the Top Five. Few other elite quarterbacks have been great for as long as he has, and few of them have the records that he does -- but few of them have the brutal tendencies that he does to this day of forcing the football and trying too hard to make things happen. You live by being a gunslinger, you die by it also and the flip side of the reality that makes him a folk hero and a legend also makes him somebody that you have to be just a bit conflicted about having at the helm of your team in the clutch.

^ In trying to anticipate the oppressive media crush of manufactured Super Bowl storylines, a few come to mind. Tom Brady will now be carrying on his famous battle with the Manning family against the other brother. Given the fact that New York tends to break down (in large part) with so many fans rooting for the Mets and Jets (the newer franchises in town) and so many fans rooting for the Yankees and Giants (the old-line teams in town), the Super Bowl is going to pit a great many Yankee and Red Sox fans against each other (can we root for Mutually Assured Destruction?). I'm hard-pressed to conjure up a scenario that gives the Giants a serious chance for victory, but I will address the Super Bowl matchup in more detail at a later date.

NFL divisional round closing thoughts

By Rick Morris

^ It was a strange Sunday in terms of the conventional wisdom regarding quarterbacks and coaches. Philip Rivers and Eli Manning have been routinely castigated as chokers during their short careers, but both are still alive going into Championship Sunday (although I am waiting for FDH Lounge Dignitary Nate Noy to call or email me claiming that Billy Volek's appearance in the game was actually the real reason the Chargers advanced). In terms of retread coaches who are not highly thought of by the media and most fans, Norv Turner pulled off a very surprising win and Wade Phillips will have to suffer through a difficult offseason as his Cowboys looked flat on balance and underachieved big-time.

^ Granted, general manager A.J. Smith is looking a lot smarter in San Diego than he did in September. A word to the wise, however for Mr. Smith: you might not want to strut around puffing out your chest saying, "How you like me now???" until the Chargers prove they can stay within three touchdowns of the Pats on Sunday.

^ The Seahawks were exposed as a fraud that took advantage of a weak, injury-riddled division. They need to retool offensively, starting with the run game, in order to make any kind of legitimate Super Bowl run next year.

^ T.O. is right; the Cowboys did lose as a team. But given the scrutiny that he was under for last year's playoff choke and his fade down the stretch this year, Tony Romo had to know that his Mexico junket with Yoko Romo was going to put him in an unacceptable position and he did it anyway. I have no sympathy for him.

^ What shapes up as the most fascinating and possibly consequential coaching decision of the offseason looms in Dallas, as Jerry Jones will have to turn over the ship right now to heir apparent Jason Garrett in order to avoid losing him. Did Bum's Son lose enough luster down the stretch and in this shameful loss to make a change even remotely feasible?

^ Peyton Manning seemed to have gotten the big-game monkey off his back once and for all last year when he won the Super Bowl. But Sunday's name, notwithstanding the gaudy statistics, was a losing effort in a game the team never should have blown, and is actually more typical of his career than what we saw last year (as past shockers to Pittsburgh and Tennessee at home in the divisional round can also attest). For all the talk in recent years about Peyton and Tom Brady being the "Marino and Montana" of this generation (meaning that one was a stat freak and another was a consummate winner), we had already seen a lot of cross-pollination this year what with Manning winning a Super Bowl and Brady having one of the all-time great statistical years and a league-record 50 touchdowns. But this game, combined with a possible fourth Brady Super Bowl ring in a few weeks, could serve to separate the two once and for all in the public mind with Brady universally considered better as a whole.

^ Jacksonville did everything they could defensively against the Patriots Saturday night, but frankly they were limited by only having 11 defenders. When a team establishes the run and pass to perfection as New England so often does, the other team is just on its heels throughout. The Jags were kept honest defensively for 60 minutes and with the historic array of weapons at Brady's disposal, Jacksonville couldn't get one or two additional stops to have a plausible chance at success.

^ This is a very controversial opinion, but the Pats game proved definitively who the league MVP is and it isn't Tom Brady, even in his moment of greatest one-game statistical glory. David Garrard, with a collection of wide receivers that an Arena League team would be ashamed to field, had another excellent game and got a chance to display his playmaking skills on a national scale. If the Jacksonville front office stops bumbling in its attempts to acquire legitimate wideouts, the Jags could make a run at the Super Bowl next year.

^ I love Championship Sunday. Along with Super Bowl Sunday, it ranks very high on my list of favorite secular holidays annually. But I am less enthusiastic for this year's offerings after Sunday's surprises. I believe Indy would have still lost to New England, but given a much better accounting for itself and I remain very unimpressed by a Giant team with an up-and-down offense and a pathetic secondary. While a Sunday night game in the snow at the Frozen Tundra will admittedly be cool, a Packer/Cowboy rematch now that Green Bay has a legit running game would have been awesome. Some of the storylines (aside from the tired Patriot Perfection one) will be OK, though: the bad blood between San Diego and New England dating back to last year, Ryan Grant going up against his old team for a shot at the Super Bowl, young guns Eli Manning and Philip Rivers (who were traded for one another on Draft Day in '04) having a chance to meet in the Super Bowl if they can pull big upsets. Still, though, the anticipated matchups would likely have been far better than what the NFL is going to dish out to us.

2007 NFL Predictions

By Rick Morris

AFC East
X-New England 12-4
New York Jets 9-7
Miami 6-10
Buffalo 5-11

AFC North
X-Baltimore 10-6
Y-Cincinnati 9-7
Pittsburgh 8-8
Cleveland 6-10

AFC South
X-Indianapolis 12-4
Jacksonville 7-9
Tennessee 7-9
Houston 6-10

AFC West
X-San Diego 11-5
Y-Denver 9-7
Kansas City 6-10
Oakland 5-11

NFC East
X-Philadelphia 11-5
Dallas 9-7
New York Giants 6-10
Washington 6-10

NFC North
X-Chicago 10-6
Green Bay 7-9
Minnesota 7-9
Detroit 6-10

NFC South
X-Carolina 10-6
Y-New Orleans 9-7
Tampa Bay 6-10
Atlanta 5-11

NFC West
X-San Francisco 10-6
Y-Seattle 9-7
St. Louis 9-7
Arizona 8-8

Playoff First Round
San Diego over Cincinnati
Denver over Baltimore
Chicago over Seattle
New Orleans over San Francisco

Playoff Second Round
New England over Denver
Indianapolis over San Diego
Philadelphia over New Orleans
Carolina over Chicago

Championship Sunday
New England over Indianapolis
Carolina over Philadelphia

Super Bowl 42
New England over Carolina

MVP: Donovan McNabb
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Calvin Johnson
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Patrick Willis
Super Bowl MVP: Tom Brady