Another weekend of playoff games, another blowout fest until the very last game, but even that game wasn’t really in doubt toward the end. Hopefully next week we’ll get a little more excitement with Favre in the bayou and Manning navigating around Revis Island. Here are my thoughts and postulations and consternations on the divisional games. Read at your own risk:
Brett Favre: No matter what you think of him he will always be remembered for his “pants on the ground” locker room celebration, which should automatically disqualify him from Canton. Favre threw for four TD’s and 234 yards while humiliating the Cowboys and gets to play in another dome on Sunday which he seems to like.
Sidney Rice: He’s just getting stronger in the big games and will continue to be Favre’s favorite receiver. He tallied 141 yards and 3 touchdowns and is slowly rising on draft boards. Much of his value is tied to Favre so if you want him on your team next season you’ll have to put up with Favreageddon this offseason.
Tony Romo: The Vikings absolutely demolished the Cowboy’s offensive line and pillaged Tony Romo’s manhood. For as often as he was running from Flash Dance Headbanded Mullet Man it’s amazing he didn’t throw more than one interception. There is no reason to think he won’t be a top fantasy QB again next season.
Felix Jones: Watching him run in comparison to Marion Barber was a bit like watching a remake of the Tortoise and the Hare, but in this version the hare’s wife is being held hostage by terrorists and he must beat the tortoise or his wife gets it. Barber has beaten his body to death with the way he runs and looks like he’s lost a step. Jones has given us some hope that he can stay healthy while getting 15 carries a game. I am not going to feel good about taking either, but Jones will get his opportunity next season.
Jason Witten: With no time to pass Tony Romo had to get it off quickly to Witten so his 10 receptions for 98 yards isn’t too surprising. He started off slow this season, but finished strong. He’s not as athletic and fast as Gates, Davis, Finley, etc, but he’ll continue to be productive in the Cowboy’s dynamic offense. Thankfully you’ll be able to get him later in the draft next season.
Mark Sanchez: He’s doing his best Trent Dilfer impersonation, but I’m still sticking to my prediction that the passing game will prevail and that Peyton Manning will pick them apart, but as Sanchez develops he’ll have a great running game and defense to compliment his skills.
Shonn Greene: He ran for 128 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries and has seemingly taken over as the lead back and is making a strong case for starting camp as the #1 running back next season. It’s going to be hard not to push Greene on you next season, but there is a good chance Tom Jones will be back and Leon Washington should be ready to go as well. It will be extremely hard to get Greene in a position of any value.
Philip Rivers: It felt a little like the Bolts took the Jets too lightly. I could be wrong, but Rivers had only thrown 9 interceptions all year and threw 2 killer INT’s in this all important game. Nate Kaeding didn’t help the situation, but Rivers just didn’t look sharp or ready for how well the Jets played.
Vincent Jackson: The Jets tried to confuse the Bolts by not shadowing VJax with Revis, and even though VJax finished the game with 111 yards they kept San Diego off balance. He was a great value pick this year, but will probably go higher and be drafted about where he should be next season.
LaDainian Tomlinson: Even though he was a TD machine once again this season he has lost more than a step. Sproles clearly outplayed him against the Jets. He will have to take a big pay cut to be the goal line back next year or he’ll be released.
Reggie Bush: In the rushing matchups article I wrote, “Reggie Bush will either have 10 touches and 3 touchdowns or 5 touches and a big fat Kardashian butt zero.” Nice riding of the fence Doc! Yeah, well, that’s what I do. He ended up being much closer to the first prediction than the second with 2 TDs and around 200 total yards. Hopefully this will keep people drafting him somewhat early so you can take someone who will get more than 5-10 touches a game and can stay healthy.
Drew Brees: He accumulated 247 yards and 3 touchdowns on his way to yet another great game. You can’t say enough good things about Brees so I won’t try. He gets the Vikings suspect pass defense next week and his O-line should be more stable than Dallas’. In the last 8 games the Saints have allowed 1.1 sacks per game which is second in the league.
Marques Colston: He looked like the elite receiver he should have been all year. He’s just too tall and athletic and as long as he’s getting the opportunities I think he’ll have a good playoff run.
Jeremy Shockey: The grease from his hair was shipped in special from The Jersey Shore, but his doucheness was all his own. He caught a TD while limping around, which I have to believe was done to bang more drunk chicks.
Kurt Warner: I guess Kurt didn’t pray hard enough or God just loves New Orleans more. Wait, what was the whole hurricane thing about? Whatever the reason, the Saints just destroyed the Cardinals. Warner had to leave the game before halftime after getting blindsided and then he left the game again because his team had also been blindsided. Will Warner retire? I think it’s probably 50/50 right now, but Cardinal’s fans better hope Leinart isn’t their QB next season.
Larry Fitzgerald: Tony Siragusa made an extremely astute observation when he said the Cardinals need to throw it to Larry Fitzgerald more. After they were getting killed they finally started throwing to him and he ended up with decent stats, but it was way too little too late. Fitz is still an elite receiver and will go early in drafts, but keep an eye on that QB sitch.
Beanie Wells: He scored a TD, but that was about it. Beanie will be the main back going into next year, at least by a small margin, but he still isn’t trusted to block. If he can get that squared away and take over on the goal line he could be a top RB next season, but don’t bank on it yet. Hightower is trusted and that goes a long way.
Peyton Manning: Not since Australopithecus began to walk upright have we seen such evolution in the passing game. Or maybe it’s just that the NFL doesn’t let defenders touch receivers or quarterbacks, but whatever the reason, Peyton Manning can take over a game unlike any player in the NFL I’m having maybe a bit too much love for Peyton’s skills, but he seems to have taken his game to another level. The Ravens played extremely well on defense, but Manning took what he was given and didn’t try forcing the ball and it never really looked to be in doubt. He gets to actually play the Jets this weekend and I bet you can guess who I think will win.
Reggie Wayne: He’s an elite receiver and showed it by catching 8 balls for 63 yards and a touchdown against a tough Ravens defense. Now, as long as he doesn’t go bustin’ caps in random asses he could someday be the most beloved Indy receiver of all time.
Donald Brown: He split time with Mike Hart while backing up Joseph Addai, but on a couple runs showed some burst and moves that Hart just doesn’t have. Expectations were fairly high for him this season, but hopefully his poor year will drop him into a manageable draft slot where he could have some value next season.
Joe Flacco: He was completely out played by the Colts, but I still think he has the ability to be a very good QB in this here league. His injuries, lack of explosive wide receivers, and the emergence of Ray Rice made this season a running game centric one, and if they give him some help at receiver Flacco could easily balance out that offense.
Ray Rice: The Colts contained him, but “containing” him equals 127 total yards. I’ve said it before, but if McGahee is let go, Ray Rice will probably be my #3 overall pick ahead of MJD. Unlike Matt Forte, Ray Rice can make his own holes and break long runs. Forte and Slaton have left me a little gun shy of young running backs coming off big years, but Rice will not disappoint.
