jeffd
4601
When was the last time a football game was over in 2.5 hours?
robsam
4602
Why are you still posting here??
sluggo
4605
OK, so now that that’s over, I want to rewind a minute and do some head-scratching.
With :36 left, 1st and 10 at the 34 and one timeout, Rex Ryan calls … a running play? Huh? Your kicker is not Adam Vinatieri. You are not in field goal range. What was the plan? To pin your hopes on a Nick Folk 50-yarder? To waste 10 seconds clocking the ball? What an awful job of clock management…
…only topped by the Colts, who helped the Jets by calling time out! Why?!? If I’m the Colts, with :29 left at the 33, I’m THRILLED to let the clock tick down. I’d love to make Nick Folk try a 50-yarder, or force the Jets to blow their last time out so they can’t work the middle of the field. I cannot for the life of me figure out what the Colts were trying to accomplish with that time out, and they basically handed the Jets a free play with the game hanging in the balance.
Nawid_A
4606
I agree with Rex Ryan’s decision. Colts run D is terrible, Sanchez is garbage, just run it to get closer.
Now, the Colts call was bad. And not the first time it’s happened this season. Caldwell has to answer for that.
Someone on the neogaf boards posted that the Colts play to not lose instead of playing to win. It feels like, at least with the coaching staff, it’s true. I think that team needs help beyond off-season rehab for the injured, and if Manning wants to stay in Indianapolis and win another Super Bowl, he needs to not take half of the Indy salary cap. His contract is the biggest news for Indy after tonight, and I’m curious to see if he wants anything besides money.
sluggo
4607
I could almost see some rationale to running the ball there. Sanchez was awful, but you know the Colts are playing the pass, so with a timeout in your pocket, maybe you get lucky with a 8-10 yard run.
But I thought it was a terribly risky call, one that might have killed the Jets season if the Colts don’t call timeout there – which I really, really can’t figure out. Even Manning looked puzzled by the TO. Did the Colts think using that timeout might buy them a few extra seconds if the Jets kicked a FG?
sluggo
4608
And give the Jets some credit – after getting shut out in the first half, their first two drives in the second half ran 5:12 for a TD, and 9:54 for a TD on seventeen plays. Sanchez missed tons of passes, but that was a gritty game of keepaway the Jets played to get back into it.
And to echo what other people said above: Vinatieri’s a stud. Season on the line, 50 yards, he drills it down the middle, never in doubt. Just stick him in the HoF now.
Sarkus
4609
So, what’d I miss? ;-)
When I went to work the Seahawks were down 10-0. People kept updating the score and when Lynch made that run there was a huge cheer in the back room.
This continues to be a crazy season, but Marshawn Lynch, who was already popular in Seattle, is now a legend.
It’s weird how poorly the people of Buffalo looked at Lynch vs. his reputation here.
Nawid_A
4611
Seattle fans are like the opposite of Philly fans.
I’m rooting for them to go to the Super Bowl because of that.
EDIT: Also that Lynch run is the best play I’ve seen maybe ever. Wow.
dwolfe
4612
Lynch was widely panned in Buffalo for not trying–not Hanesworth levels of fail, just…not working hard enough–like making one cut then falling down. Getting traded might have been a wake-up call.
Let’s not go overboard. It was one great play, but he hasn’t exactly been tearing it up with the Seahawks this year, with his 3.5 YPC. We’ll see if there’s been a wakeup call, but a guy with that kind of natural ability can have a play like that without it being a turning point of his career necessarily. All respect for that play though!
Well, a sack or INT might be game over, so I can see running it. You’re not scoring a TD from there so all you are doing is looking to advance the ball for a closer FG try. A pass gets you more yardage, but more bad things can happen. A run is a surer bet, and like you say, you might break one for 8-10 yards.
No idea why they called TO. Maybe the Colts just needed time to get the defense in the right call.
And what about Revis? Is that guy a shutdown corner or what? If the Jets were getting better play from Cromartie they’d have a scary defense.
Anyway, two interesting playoff games. That was fun. Some days in the playoffs you end up with games that aren’t even close. Let’s hope today’s games are good too.
Watching Eric Berry play safety for Kansas City is wonderful.
This game is dullsville. Even the crowd seems out of it.
KC hasn’t done much. No surprise the crowd is a bit quiet. Take away that 41 yard run by Charles and you’re left with a lot of dull offense.
Sarkus
4618
I don’t think anyone is saying he’s a great running back, though the Seahawks offensive line is spotty enough that it’s probably not helping Lynch’s numbers. Instead you have to look at Lynch in the context of Julius Jones, the last “feature” back in Seattle, and in the context of widely held fan view that Shaun Alexander was a “soft” runner. Lynch and his approach, which was well shown by that play yesterday, is a lot closer to what Seahawk fans like to see in a running back. Don’t forget that full backs have been pretty popular over the years here, from John L. Williams in the 90s to Mack Strong in 2000s.
As for the Chiefs/Ravens game, you had to pretty much expect a defensive struggle. One thing I have been surprised about is how mortal Ray Lewis has looked, especially on that run by Charles.
He is OLD.
To put this into context, he was drafted in the same class as Terry Glenn, Keyshawn Johnson, Amani Toomer, Eric Moulds, and Eddie George.
How dare you forget the NFL’s original Curt Warner.
Are the Ravens this good, or are the Chief’s this crappy? Jeezus, that last pick Cassel had all day in that pocket and all his receivers were still blanketed. Interception.
