by Tom Weppel
Random thoughts from a cluttered mind...
And so it comes down to our final four teams playing each other this weekend for a chance to go to Super Bowl XLII in Phoenix. In the AFC, we have the New England Patriots hosting the San Diego Chargers, while in the NFC, we will see the Green Bay Packers host the New York Giants. Let’s start out with the NFC, shall we.
Last weekend, we saw the Packers dominate the Seattle Seahawks in a snow storm at Lambeau Field, which is where this Championship will be played this weekend. Green Bay showed us they can pass with Brett Favre, but we also saw that RB Ryan Grant has emerged into a very, very good runner. Along with their offensive line, they ran over, around, and through the Seahawks. Meanwhile, their defense also did a great job in shutting down Seattle. Now they will play against a Giants team that grinded out two playoff wins with their head coach, former Jaguar leader Tom Coughlin, as their inspiration.
When you look at the Giants, you see a team that has a strong running game with Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw carrying the rock. A decent passing game, with Eli Manning throwing to Amani Toomer and Plaxico Burress. And a stout defense that has come through when needed, in spite of overwhelming injuries.
The Green Bay defense has had a great season, and they’ve gotten better late in the season. I think they can put a lot of pressure on Manning, and it will be a key as to who wins this contest. Green Bay has already beaten the Giants this season, which they did early in the schedule at the Meadowlands. We cannot get much more traditional in a match up than the one we’ll see on Sunday. Both franchises have long, strong legacies in the NFL. It should be cold, and it will be fun to watch. The Packers go in as a seven-point favorite. Keep in mind, though, that New York is now 9-1 on the road! That is ridiculous! I will say that if the Packers do their thing, then they can pull out a victory and head to the Super Bowl, which will be a great scene, to say the least.
The first game of the day will feature the stalwart Patriots hosting the upstart Chargers. NO ONE expected San Diego to be here. Everyone was gearing up for a return match between the Colts and Pats, feeling they were the two best teams in the NFL. But San Diego shocked most of us by going into Indianapolis and shutting down the Colts when it got down to it, winning their game and beating Indy for the second time this season.
Meanwhile, we all saw the Pats take care of business against the Jags, with Tom Brady almost perfect in his play. It seems every time a team is preparing to play New England, we hear their players and coaches suggest they have to play a perfect game in order to beat the Pats. Since there is essentially no such thing as a perfect game, shall we all assume the Patriots can’t be beat?
The Chargers go into this contest possibly without All-Pro RB LaDainian Tomlinson and starting QB Philip Rivers. If they both do play, it will be with hindered knees they each lost in the Colts game. Nonetheless, their back ups, QB Billy Volek, and RB Michael Turner, did a great job last weekend. Both could easily see action.
San Diego has a great defense, as evidenced by their leading the NFL in turnover ratio. That is a huge, huge stat they MUST take advantage of. If the Chargers can force turnovers, perhaps they can stay with the Pats. The Chargers also have strong defensive backs who must do a great job covering the Patriot receiving corps. While we all know how awesome the Pats are at throwing the ball, we also saw that RB Lawrence Maroney can run when called upon.
New England beat the Chargers earlier in the season. They are a two-touchdown favorite to win this game. It will take a monumental effort from San Diego to come away with a victory. I don’t see it happening. For all intents, you can count on the Patriots going to Arizona in two weeks.
We all saw the Jaguars lose to the Patriots last Saturday night. New England is simply so good, they showed the jags what THEY need to do in order to become a great team…not just a good one. In fact, the two strengths we all thought the Jaguars had for so long, their defense and their running game, almost seemed non-existent in that Patriot contest.
But while we can sit here and analyze and critique the Jags, we also have to accept the fact that NO ONE has beaten New England this season. So far, that has been an absolutely amazing feat.
When you look at the entire season, you must give Jack Del Rio and his boys credit for putting together a very good campaign that not many expected. An 11-5 record, along with a playoff win over the Steelers, is a strong showing in the NFL and it will certainly be a great foundation on which to build upon.
Between now and the start of Training Camp in July, there will be changes on the roster, as there always are between every season. There will be a select number of veterans that will not be around, for all intents. OL Maurice Williams feels he can start for a number of teams in this league and might want to test the free agent waters. Same goes for WR Ernest Wilford and DE Booby McCray, who are currently NOT signed to long-term deals. Both feel the Jags may not be able to afford to bring them back. They will very possibly be signed by other teams. A few veterans might even retire, such as Aaron Glenn and Sammy Knight.
So, with all that said, Del Rio, GM James Harris, and Scouting Coordinator Gene Smith will now go to work, looking to see how they want to possibly improve this team and have it ready to go for next season. The expectations have now been raised as the fans of this city have gotten back into the groove of a winning franchise.
Del Rio might have changes to his coaching staff as well. That has happened, it seems, every single year. This time, we might see his good friend Mike Tice get a Head Coaching job, or maybe we’ll see Mike Shula get an Offensive Coordinator position somewhere else. The bottom line here is that teams will be wanting to go after the Jags to find good talent, whether it’s on the field or off, to become better. It will be very interesting to see what the Jaguars do in the coming months.
Tom Weppel talks trash with Greg Larson, Lonnie Marts, Eugene Chung, Artis Gilmore, and Ron Duguay on SportsAvengers.com 24/7.
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