Sunday will feature one of the best pairs of football games in a long time: a group of battle-tested veterans against this year's Cinderella story, a tremendously balanced and dominant club against an offensive juggernaut carrying the hopes of a city and a franchise on its shoulders.
NFC: Minnesota Vikings @ New Orleans Saints
Both of these teams are in relatively new territory. The Vikings have struggled for the better part of the decade after being knocked out of contention in 1998, when they were heavy favorites to win the Super Bowl. Despite lacking all of the top-shelf offensive talent they had that year (namely two shoe-in Hall of Fame receivers in Cris Carter and Randy Moss), Brett Favre has managed to make Sidney Rice and Visanthe Shiancoe into Pro Bowl players. The superb defensive line, anchored by pass rusher Jared Allen and run stuffers Pat and Kevin Williams (not to mention Ray Edwards, who had three sacks last week against Dallas before leaving the game with an injured knee), has been performing admirably in shutting down opposing offenses, giving help to a depleted by respondent secondary that is only featuring star corner Antoine Winfield as the nickel back. Minnesota seems to have just the right blend of firepower and defensive stoutness to win it all.
But for all the pressure on the Men in Purple, they are not in the same territory as their opponents. The New Orleans Saints, who have been one of the lone bright spots for the past four years in a city one devastated by Hurricane Katrina, managed to make the NFC Championship once before in 2006, when they had to travel to a frozen Soldier field and face a powerful Bears defensive unit. But now the Saints are in a position they have never been in before: they have home field advantage in an NFC Championship game, and their team has all the talent needed to win it all. Everyone knows about Drew Brees and his plethora of receivers, who have been struggling to win games singlehandedly over the first years of coach Sean Payton's tenure. This year, however, with the additions of defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and safety Darren Sharper (who signed with New Orleans as a free agent from Minnesota), the Saints defense has made play after play despite letting up occasional big scores.
The recipe for a Super Bowl victory is there for both clubs, but only one can advance. This may well be one of the best matchups of the year, as both the Vikings and the Saints have tremendous balance. But Brett Favre's magic won't be enough to save Minnesota, and neither will their defense, which has yet to face a challenge as seemingly insurmountable as the Saints offense. That being said, New Orleans has to remember that this defense is not the Arizona Cardinals, so the chances of Reggie Bush (or any Saints back, for that matter) finding open gaps will be significantly reduced. In what I think will be the better of the two games on Sunday, I pick the Saints to win, 28-14.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Show Some Love for Gang Green
For almost a half century, the crowning moment in the history of the New York Jets has been one game: Joe Namath's infamously guaranteed victory against the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. Seemingly ever since, they Jets have been the most maligned team in the league, constantly in the shadow of their rival New York Giants, who have one three championships in the last 25 years. Sometimes, they were bad enough that some may have considered their nickname (Gang Green) to be more likenable to an infectious disease, a plague that needed to be purged from the NFL scene.
Sure, the Jets and Giants may not play each other very often (they're not even in the same conference), but they are definitely rivals in every other sense of the word. In what other region are there two NFL teams to root for in such close proximity, both competing for the adoration of a city as well as for Super Bowl rings? The closest you get in San Francisco/Oakland, but even those two teams are separated by a bay. The fans of the winning team get to gloat and show their colors at work or at school, their club having earned them bragging rights for the rest of the year.
At least, that's how it should be. But the cascading spiral of mediocrity that has been the New York Jets over the past 41 years hasn't shown consistency in keeping and fostering their talent, leading to occasional winning seasons puncturing a culture of high expectations and an inability to reach the playoffs. Even when the Jets did secure a playoff berth, they have not been to a Super Bowl since the days of 'Broadway Joe' Namath.
Since Namath's departure, the Jets have not had a true franchise quarterback. Boomer Esiason couldn't win in green despite going to two Super Bowls in Cincinnati. Vinny Testaverde, in two seperate stints with the team, led the Jets to an AFC Championship game in his first year but only played significantly in two of the seasons he was signed to the team. The Jets then signed Chad Pennington, whose nagging injuries and inability to throw deep proved to be his demise in the swirling winds of the Meadowlands. Then head coach Eric Mangini then decided to take a flyer on Brett Favre, who came out of retirement to have a Pro Bowl year despite throwing as many interceptions as touchdowns.
But the new administration had other plans. Following Favre's second retirement, the Jets hired Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan as their new head coach, and drafted USC quarterback Mark Sanchez with the fifth overall pick. Along with a proven defensive scheme, Ryan has brought with him a swagger that the Jets have lacked since receiver Keyshaun Johnson played for the club.
Gang Green certainly has a lot going for them head into their game against the San Diego Chargers. They boast the #1 total defense in the entire league over the regular season despite losing starting nose guard Kris Jenkins to a knee injury, most prominently featuring defensive end Shaun Ellis, linebacker David Harris and shutdown corner Darrelle Revis. They also have an offensive line with three Pro Bowlers in left tackle D'Brickishaw Ferguson, left guard Alan Faneca, and center Nick Mangold, comprising one of the highest paid lines in the league. Veteran runner Thomas Jones, who eclipsed the 1,300-yard mark this year, is accompanied by rookie third-rounder and former Iowa Hawkeye Shonn Greene. Perhaps more importantly, the Jets have some momentum coming off a strong win against the Bengals on Wild Card Weekend. The mettle of their team will be tested against San Diego, who will almost certainly pack the box and force Mark Sanchez to throw. But that's what Cincinnati did last week, and New York persevered.
So raise your heads and break out the green jerseys, Jets fans. Your team is back.
Sure, the Jets and Giants may not play each other very often (they're not even in the same conference), but they are definitely rivals in every other sense of the word. In what other region are there two NFL teams to root for in such close proximity, both competing for the adoration of a city as well as for Super Bowl rings? The closest you get in San Francisco/Oakland, but even those two teams are separated by a bay. The fans of the winning team get to gloat and show their colors at work or at school, their club having earned them bragging rights for the rest of the year.
At least, that's how it should be. But the cascading spiral of mediocrity that has been the New York Jets over the past 41 years hasn't shown consistency in keeping and fostering their talent, leading to occasional winning seasons puncturing a culture of high expectations and an inability to reach the playoffs. Even when the Jets did secure a playoff berth, they have not been to a Super Bowl since the days of 'Broadway Joe' Namath.
Since Namath's departure, the Jets have not had a true franchise quarterback. Boomer Esiason couldn't win in green despite going to two Super Bowls in Cincinnati. Vinny Testaverde, in two seperate stints with the team, led the Jets to an AFC Championship game in his first year but only played significantly in two of the seasons he was signed to the team. The Jets then signed Chad Pennington, whose nagging injuries and inability to throw deep proved to be his demise in the swirling winds of the Meadowlands. Then head coach Eric Mangini then decided to take a flyer on Brett Favre, who came out of retirement to have a Pro Bowl year despite throwing as many interceptions as touchdowns.
But the new administration had other plans. Following Favre's second retirement, the Jets hired Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan as their new head coach, and drafted USC quarterback Mark Sanchez with the fifth overall pick. Along with a proven defensive scheme, Ryan has brought with him a swagger that the Jets have lacked since receiver Keyshaun Johnson played for the club.
Gang Green certainly has a lot going for them head into their game against the San Diego Chargers. They boast the #1 total defense in the entire league over the regular season despite losing starting nose guard Kris Jenkins to a knee injury, most prominently featuring defensive end Shaun Ellis, linebacker David Harris and shutdown corner Darrelle Revis. They also have an offensive line with three Pro Bowlers in left tackle D'Brickishaw Ferguson, left guard Alan Faneca, and center Nick Mangold, comprising one of the highest paid lines in the league. Veteran runner Thomas Jones, who eclipsed the 1,300-yard mark this year, is accompanied by rookie third-rounder and former Iowa Hawkeye Shonn Greene. Perhaps more importantly, the Jets have some momentum coming off a strong win against the Bengals on Wild Card Weekend. The mettle of their team will be tested against San Diego, who will almost certainly pack the box and force Mark Sanchez to throw. But that's what Cincinnati did last week, and New York persevered.
So raise your heads and break out the green jerseys, Jets fans. Your team is back.
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