Conference championship games
Last week 4 – 0 (Postseason, 5 – 3)
No gloating here at Sports Beat. We just call it the way we see it. Let’s get right to the meat of the matter. I was so furious as to how the Steeler game unfolded Saturday night that I actually changed channels after Baltimore went up 21 – 7 and watched an infomercial and then part of Predator, a movie I have seen countless times. Sometimes this Steeler team so infuriates me that I can’t watch them. Quit reading your press clippings and watching your highlights and PLAY BALL!
I did leave the game on in another room and I also had the radio on to listen to the play by play. They needed to give me a reason to turn the game back on where I was watching. Finally, they got it together in the second half, thanks to three turnovers by the Ravens and turned those into points. Yes, this game did live up to its billing, but they cannot Sunday night like this and expect to win. They will need to put together 60 minutes of football, not make mistakes, and score points.
I have said this countless times, and it bears repeating. There are those who are tired of hearing about the Steelers of the 70s. Well, the way to quell that talk is to go out and play 60 minutes of nose busting football and put your opponents away. These guys get up and flex and trash talk after they make a catch or a tackle. Hey, that’s your JOB!! Do your job, then get back to the huddle for the next play. Celebrate after you’ve scored, NOT before. Yes, I know that sounds old school, but old school works. Football is an emotional game, but you need to play with an even keel and not let your opponent think he has the edge.
Maybe the week off took the Steelers out of their rhythm from the start, but they needed that extra week to rest some key players. No excuses. These are the playoffs. Win and go on; lose and go home. It’s that simple. I no longer celebrate when the Steelers score or win a game because I expect it to happen. The standard is the standard (mega kudos to Coach Tomlin!!). You need to be playing your best football to win that seventh Lombardi.
A look ahead a little bit later. Green Bay took care of business Saturday night against the Falcons and they look like a finely oiled machine. That is scary, as Aaron Rodgers is looking practically unstoppable. The Packers are ready to play ball and it shows. They are going to be a tough out in these playoffs.
Chicago made it look easy against Seattle, but this game exposed the Seahawks for what they really were; a bad team from a bad division. The late scores were nothing but window dressing for the Seahawks, so that final score is a bit overblown. The Bears won’t make it look this easy against the Packers. Count your blessings, Chicago. At least the title game is going to be played at home in Soldier Field.
Well, well, well. Terrific Tom Brady isn’t so terrific, is he? He cannot handle the pressure, as was evident Sunday night against the Jets. When he is under pressure, he can’t handle it. Championship quarterbacks can handle anything thrown their way. He is an average quarterback in a system designed to make him look better than what he really is. No one else has the guts to say that. There is a reason why he didn’t play a full season of college football and why he lasted until the sixth round of the 2000 draft (that means the Patriots passed over him five times, too). Think about that. The Jets had the game plan and executed it. The Patriots did not. The Jets advance. The Patriots go home and get out the golf clubs. Now we are down to the Final Four. Here is a look at the conference championship games.
NFC Championship – Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears
Green Bay (12 NFL titles total, 3 – 1 in the Super Bowl)
Chicago (Nine NFL titles total, 1 – 1 in the Super Bowl)
Sunday, Fox at 3:00 p.m. This is old school football at its finest. The two oldest teams in the league, and the oldest rivalry, square off for the right to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. It’s fitting that it should be this way. This will be the 182nd meeting between the two squads, and this one might just be the biggest ever played between the two, which is saying a lot.
Somehow, the Bears won the division and the Packers got in as a wild card in the last game of the regular season between the two, and the Packers are the favorite going into this game at Soldier Field. The latest line is Green Bay by 3.5. However, it stands to reason since the Packers are playing an exciting brand of football and Aaron Rodgers is on top of his game.
The Bears do have home field advantage; however, the problem very well could lie with the fact that Jay Cutler is a hit and miss quarterback. A very good defense could give him problems, and Green Bay does have a terrific defense. Thus far, the Packers have won two games on the road while the Bears have the number two seed and won one game against Seattle.
Despite the venue and the weather, this could come down to who makes more big plays, as I believe the Packers employ the better defense. They are also riding a strong wave of momentum. The Packers have not been to the Super Bowl since they were beaten by Denver in SB XXXII. The Bears lost SB XLI to the Colts.
I have been a believer in Green Bay since these playoffs started and I am not backing down now. They have the better quarterback, the better defense, and the better playmakers. It appears they are destined to reach the Super Bowl and I have no argument with that. Final score Green Bay 28, Chicago 24.
AFC Championship – New York Jets at Pittsburgh Steelers
New York (1 – 0 in the Super Bowl)
Pittsburgh (6 – 1 in the Super Bowl)
Sunday, CBS at 6:30 p.m. Pittsburgh is the last of the old school franchises left in this tournament, to go along with Green Bay and Chicago. New York is a member of the old American Football League that merged with the NFL back in the late 60s and the Jets pulled off one of the most important upsets in football history when they beat the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III behind the quarterbacking of Joe Namath. They have not been back to the big dance since.
The Pittsburgh Steelers played football well before the 1970s, but most people either don’t know or don’t want to remember. When Chuck Noll was hired from the Baltimore staff in 1969, he changed the mentality and the culture of the organization and produced four Super Bowl titles in six years. The franchise then won two more titles in four years in the 2000s.
The Steelers cannot start the game Sunday night the way they did last week against the Ravens. Spotting your opponent a 21 – 7 lead in the playoffs is not a good M.O. The Jets might be riding an emotional high after dispatching both the Colts and the Patriots in consecutive weeks. The question is whether they can maintain that high for three weeks straight.
Rex Ryan has no personal qualms towards anyone in Pittsburgh. There is no one personal he can go after to rouse the troops. The only real argument can be made is that it has been 42 years since the Jets were last in the big game. So, with all of that in mind, here is the situation.
Ryan and Mike Tomlin are total opposites and Ryan is not going to engage Tomlin in a war of words. The Steelers are a veteran team that knows what is at stake and the legacy the Steelers uphold. Ben Roethlisberger has two rings in his pocket and wants to have more than anyone when he’s done. That is motivation enough to want to move on.
Rashard Mendenhall has come into his own as a running back and Mike Wallace is only getting better as a receiver. Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown have made significant contributions as rookies. You also have Antwann Randle El and Hines Ward in the passing game.
This defense knows what it needs to get done in order to move on. They are well schooled under Dick LeBeau and they play as much for him as they do their teammates and Mike Tomlin. This is an opportunistic defense, especially with Troy Polamalu in the secondary, and it can make plays at any time.
The Jets have the young Mark Sanchez at quarterback, with Shonn Greene and Ladainian Tomlinson in the backfield and Santonio Holmes, Jericho Cotchery, and Braylon Edwards at wideout. The defense contains Bart Scott, Jason Taylor, and Darrelle Revis. So this almost constitutes a wash offensively and defensively.
While the Jets won at Heinz Field during the regular season, the playoffs are a different animal and Ben knows how to deliver in the clutch. Even though the Jets appear to be on a mission, the Steelers are on a mission of their own. A trip to Dallas and a chance for seven Lombardi trophies will distance them from San Francisco and Dallas by two, who have five each. So, the extra incentive is there; not that they need it.
Home field, a stronger team, a young coach who already has a Super Bowl in his pocket (the youngest to do so), and the chance to add more hardware to the trophy case is enough to lift the Steelers past the Jets and into the Super Bowl. Objectivity rules the day; but so does common sense. Final score Pittsburgh 31, New York Jets 17
No gloating here at Sports Beat. We just call it the way we see it. Let’s get right to the meat of the matter. I was so furious as to how the Steeler game unfolded Saturday night that I actually changed channels after Baltimore went up 21 – 7 and watched an infomercial and then part of Predator, a movie I have seen countless times. Sometimes this Steeler team so infuriates me that I can’t watch them. Quit reading your press clippings and watching your highlights and PLAY BALL!
I did leave the game on in another room and I also had the radio on to listen to the play by play. They needed to give me a reason to turn the game back on where I was watching. Finally, they got it together in the second half, thanks to three turnovers by the Ravens and turned those into points. Yes, this game did live up to its billing, but they cannot Sunday night like this and expect to win. They will need to put together 60 minutes of football, not make mistakes, and score points.
I have said this countless times, and it bears repeating. There are those who are tired of hearing about the Steelers of the 70s. Well, the way to quell that talk is to go out and play 60 minutes of nose busting football and put your opponents away. These guys get up and flex and trash talk after they make a catch or a tackle. Hey, that’s your JOB!! Do your job, then get back to the huddle for the next play. Celebrate after you’ve scored, NOT before. Yes, I know that sounds old school, but old school works. Football is an emotional game, but you need to play with an even keel and not let your opponent think he has the edge.
Maybe the week off took the Steelers out of their rhythm from the start, but they needed that extra week to rest some key players. No excuses. These are the playoffs. Win and go on; lose and go home. It’s that simple. I no longer celebrate when the Steelers score or win a game because I expect it to happen. The standard is the standard (mega kudos to Coach Tomlin!!). You need to be playing your best football to win that seventh Lombardi.
A look ahead a little bit later. Green Bay took care of business Saturday night against the Falcons and they look like a finely oiled machine. That is scary, as Aaron Rodgers is looking practically unstoppable. The Packers are ready to play ball and it shows. They are going to be a tough out in these playoffs.
Chicago made it look easy against Seattle, but this game exposed the Seahawks for what they really were; a bad team from a bad division. The late scores were nothing but window dressing for the Seahawks, so that final score is a bit overblown. The Bears won’t make it look this easy against the Packers. Count your blessings, Chicago. At least the title game is going to be played at home in Soldier Field.
Well, well, well. Terrific Tom Brady isn’t so terrific, is he? He cannot handle the pressure, as was evident Sunday night against the Jets. When he is under pressure, he can’t handle it. Championship quarterbacks can handle anything thrown their way. He is an average quarterback in a system designed to make him look better than what he really is. No one else has the guts to say that. There is a reason why he didn’t play a full season of college football and why he lasted until the sixth round of the 2000 draft (that means the Patriots passed over him five times, too). Think about that. The Jets had the game plan and executed it. The Patriots did not. The Jets advance. The Patriots go home and get out the golf clubs. Now we are down to the Final Four. Here is a look at the conference championship games.
NFC Championship – Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears
Green Bay (12 NFL titles total, 3 – 1 in the Super Bowl)
Chicago (Nine NFL titles total, 1 – 1 in the Super Bowl)
Sunday, Fox at 3:00 p.m. This is old school football at its finest. The two oldest teams in the league, and the oldest rivalry, square off for the right to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. It’s fitting that it should be this way. This will be the 182nd meeting between the two squads, and this one might just be the biggest ever played between the two, which is saying a lot.
Somehow, the Bears won the division and the Packers got in as a wild card in the last game of the regular season between the two, and the Packers are the favorite going into this game at Soldier Field. The latest line is Green Bay by 3.5. However, it stands to reason since the Packers are playing an exciting brand of football and Aaron Rodgers is on top of his game.
The Bears do have home field advantage; however, the problem very well could lie with the fact that Jay Cutler is a hit and miss quarterback. A very good defense could give him problems, and Green Bay does have a terrific defense. Thus far, the Packers have won two games on the road while the Bears have the number two seed and won one game against Seattle.
Despite the venue and the weather, this could come down to who makes more big plays, as I believe the Packers employ the better defense. They are also riding a strong wave of momentum. The Packers have not been to the Super Bowl since they were beaten by Denver in SB XXXII. The Bears lost SB XLI to the Colts.
I have been a believer in Green Bay since these playoffs started and I am not backing down now. They have the better quarterback, the better defense, and the better playmakers. It appears they are destined to reach the Super Bowl and I have no argument with that. Final score Green Bay 28, Chicago 24.
AFC Championship – New York Jets at Pittsburgh Steelers
New York (1 – 0 in the Super Bowl)
Pittsburgh (6 – 1 in the Super Bowl)
Sunday, CBS at 6:30 p.m. Pittsburgh is the last of the old school franchises left in this tournament, to go along with Green Bay and Chicago. New York is a member of the old American Football League that merged with the NFL back in the late 60s and the Jets pulled off one of the most important upsets in football history when they beat the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III behind the quarterbacking of Joe Namath. They have not been back to the big dance since.
The Pittsburgh Steelers played football well before the 1970s, but most people either don’t know or don’t want to remember. When Chuck Noll was hired from the Baltimore staff in 1969, he changed the mentality and the culture of the organization and produced four Super Bowl titles in six years. The franchise then won two more titles in four years in the 2000s.
The Steelers cannot start the game Sunday night the way they did last week against the Ravens. Spotting your opponent a 21 – 7 lead in the playoffs is not a good M.O. The Jets might be riding an emotional high after dispatching both the Colts and the Patriots in consecutive weeks. The question is whether they can maintain that high for three weeks straight.
Rex Ryan has no personal qualms towards anyone in Pittsburgh. There is no one personal he can go after to rouse the troops. The only real argument can be made is that it has been 42 years since the Jets were last in the big game. So, with all of that in mind, here is the situation.
Ryan and Mike Tomlin are total opposites and Ryan is not going to engage Tomlin in a war of words. The Steelers are a veteran team that knows what is at stake and the legacy the Steelers uphold. Ben Roethlisberger has two rings in his pocket and wants to have more than anyone when he’s done. That is motivation enough to want to move on.
Rashard Mendenhall has come into his own as a running back and Mike Wallace is only getting better as a receiver. Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown have made significant contributions as rookies. You also have Antwann Randle El and Hines Ward in the passing game.
This defense knows what it needs to get done in order to move on. They are well schooled under Dick LeBeau and they play as much for him as they do their teammates and Mike Tomlin. This is an opportunistic defense, especially with Troy Polamalu in the secondary, and it can make plays at any time.
The Jets have the young Mark Sanchez at quarterback, with Shonn Greene and Ladainian Tomlinson in the backfield and Santonio Holmes, Jericho Cotchery, and Braylon Edwards at wideout. The defense contains Bart Scott, Jason Taylor, and Darrelle Revis. So this almost constitutes a wash offensively and defensively.
While the Jets won at Heinz Field during the regular season, the playoffs are a different animal and Ben knows how to deliver in the clutch. Even though the Jets appear to be on a mission, the Steelers are on a mission of their own. A trip to Dallas and a chance for seven Lombardi trophies will distance them from San Francisco and Dallas by two, who have five each. So, the extra incentive is there; not that they need it.
Home field, a stronger team, a young coach who already has a Super Bowl in his pocket (the youngest to do so), and the chance to add more hardware to the trophy case is enough to lift the Steelers past the Jets and into the Super Bowl. Objectivity rules the day; but so does common sense. Final score Pittsburgh 31, New York Jets 17
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