NFL Divisional Playoffs Day 1 Wrap-Up - Ravens best Titans - Cardinals destroy Panthers
Wow, just wow. I need to stop picking teams since I think I’m just jinxing them at this point. This was the first day of play to determine who would go to the conference championship games. Would it be the Panthers, Ravens, or their rivals? Well, if you read my predictions you would have already figured this out.
Ravens 13 - Titans - 10
A game that was totally predictable as a defensive struggle. Both teams started their initial drives punting and that pretty much was most of the game. The first half was not totally stale with the Titans shifty rookie, Chris Johnson, burning up the Ravens for some big gains and putting the first points on the board with a slick scamper around the right side for 6 points. It really was looking like the Titans were going to be able to continue running the ball.
The following drive the Ravens Joe Flacco decided to show off his strong arm with a deep strike to Derrick Mason who walked in for the touchdown. What a letdown for the Titan’s defense here. Even after a 5 yard penalty the Ravens were facing 3rd and 13 from about the 50 and the Titan’s give up a TD? Not really sure how that happened, especially since Mason took a knee to catch the ball and then jogged into the end zone.
Tennesee soon finds themselves on the Ravens 30 with 4th and 8 and decide to go for the first down. Here is the mark that set the REAL tone for the game. There’s the snap, there’s the ball, it’s on the ground, and boom it’s the Ravens ball again after the Titan’s recover for a 6 yard loss. Really, really poor execution in a situation that required quite a bit of precision. 4th and 8 is no gimmie but the Titan’s didn’t even give themselves a shot.
One of the best punts I’ve ever seen in my life is how the Ravens would take advantage of getting the ball back. Here is another point where it seemed the game changed for the worse for Tennessee. Johnson grinds out a nice inside run and when his momentum is stopped (legs wrapped up) Ed Reed comes and does something that was as dirty as it gets. Reed grabs Johnson in his upper torso and pushes that half back effectively folding the guy in half. Not only is the play completely stopped but Johnson couldn’t have been more vulnerable and if it wasn’t for one of his teammates stepping in he might have been very seriously hurt. Johnson ran on the next play and was done for the rest of the day. This really should have been a personal foul and is something that the league needs to look into.
So that this doesn’t become a book I will just highlight the rest of the game; more painful to watch than listen to and that’s saying a lot when Brian Gumble and Dan “More Obvious Than Madden” Dierdorf are announcing. The Titan’s drive into scoring position at the end of the first half which is pissed away by Lendale White holding the ball poorly enough for a three year old to steal. The 2nd half basically can be summed up like so; Missed Titan’s FG, crazy good catch plus made FG for Ravens, really sad fumble for the Titan’s on the Ravens 9 yard line, FG Titans, and winning FG Ravens. The Titan’s turn the ball over on downs to finish the game.
Honestly, really sad. How can you lose with such poor fundamentals. I would be sick right now if I was Kerry Collins to see my team fumble the entire game away, twice. It’s hard to watch these professional athletes who are so PATHETIC at the basics of the game of football.
The Ravens will play the winner of San Diego and Pittsburgh.
Hyper’s Notes
- Anyone who even attempts to put this loss on Kerry Collins should not ever be allowed to talk about football in any context
- Maybe the Titan’s are going to do more drills to emphasize tucking the ball away
- Ed Reed’s biggest play of the game was that cheap play in Chris Johnson
- Flacco made good throws when he had to and was used perfectly in the offense
- McClain is great and all but why not more of McGahee
Cardinals 33 - Panthers 14
This is the “Wow” I was really referring to earlier. If the Titans fumbled the ball away the Panthers definitely threw it away and it was even worse than the Titans.
Carolina set the house on fire with a great kick-off return followed by a fast moving offense and punched the ball in on the ground for the first touchdown of the game. Looked pretty good right there. The duo of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart were already looking like they’d own the game. Not only could that not be further from the truth and would be the brightest spot of the whole day for the Panthers.
The Cardinals next drive really was a pre-cursor for what the day was going to be like. Arizona was forced to punt but not before Larry Fitzgerald gets around 30 yards on a simple crossing route that had some of the worst blown coverage I’ve ever seen. Carolina is forced to punt and Arizona answers back with another big play to #11, Fitzgerald, and punches it in on an elementary pass to the flat with their running back.
Now the game already starts to get out of hand with Carolina’s next possession. Deciding they need to pass on first and 10, Jake Delhomme is stripped on the 12 followed with a rushing touchdown by Arizona’s offense. Bad, right? Well it just gets worse. Carolina gets the ball down to the Cardinals 14 on the next drive and Delhomme throws a pick trying to complete a pass to a double covered Muhsin Muhammad. Jake, throw the ball away, take a sack or anything else to not give away points.
How could it get worse? Oh, you know, that little thing called discipline just disappears in bunches. A 15 yard unnecessary roughness penalty on a retaliating Panther keeps the following Cardinals drive alive which results in a field and then another one on their next drive. The game is now 20-7 Arizona and the Panther didn’t seem to pick up on the fact that Delhomme was not playing well and they had tow of the best running backs in the league. Good ole’ Jake throws a pick on the next drive and the Cardinals offense turns it into an easy touchdown by another wide open Larry Fitzgerald.
The half wasn’t even over and the Panthers have proved two things. First, their defensive coordinator has never heard of a double team and is thus retarded. Second, Jake Delhomme and the defense was not going to win this game.
2nd half starts with Carolina running the ball, punting, and then getting a pick of their own off of Kurt Warner. Man, maybe we are actually going to have a game here. Oh, screw that. Delhomme throws another pick to a another VERY covered receiver resulting in another easy 3 points for Arizona. The 4th quarter is greeted with another interception by Jake Delhomme to another DOUBLE covered receiver. This goes beyond pathetic and straight to conspiracy theory inspiring. I think Delhomme had his money on the Cardinals.
Somehow the Panthers are allowed to finish the game which sees Delhomme throw ANOTHER interception to ANOTHER double covered receiver. Terrible just can’t describe it. I’ve never seen a performance as air headed as Delhomme’s. Game ends 33-13 and Arizona, the “worst playoff team in history,” are suddenly playing for the NFC Championship against the winner of New York (Giants) and Philadelphia.
Hyper’s Notes
- DeAngelo Williams averaged 5.2 yards a carry - why put the game in Delhomme’s unable hands?
- Seriously, Carolina had 15 rushing attempts for the whole day… terrible!
- Who’s running the Defense in Carolina who didn’t hear Anquan Boldin was out and to double Larry Fitzgerald who had 166 and 1 TD on the day
- Highlight for Carolina was their Kick Returner
- Great tackling by Arizona’s kicker on that note
- Kurt, you’re a good guy, but why would God pick the Cardinals over the Panthers? You should be thanking Jake Delhomme…
- Speaking of which, I never put a game on one guy, but Jake Delhomme lost that game all by himself…well, with the Offensive coordinator
- Turnovers don’t win Championships, it’s that simple
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2 Responses to “NFL Divisional Playoffs Day 1 Wrap-Up - Ravens best Titans - Cardinals destroy Panthers”
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January 11th, 2009 at 9:11 pm
Cards are going to make this thing interesting it looks like. I love what Warner does when he’s at the top of his game, but nothing drives me nuts more than athletes that get asked straight up questions about strategy and game insights yet decide to keep steering the conversation toward Jesus. If you want to be believe that Jesus helped you perform up to the level you needed, that’s fine and good, but don’t make it sound like you closed your eyes and God played the made the reads. I would think that God would want to reward good judgment and smart play…tell us about that part.
For a truthful comment from an athlete, Please reference The Onion Movie (generally not very good, but with a few excellent moments) in the clip below:
http://onegoodmove.org/1gm/1gmarchive/2008/06/harsh_words_for.html
January 15th, 2009 at 8:15 pm
Ah, The Onion, the truth in all that is unbelievable.
Bitch, I dunno why you do this shit to me!