Observations from Wildcard Weekend

Well, wildcard weekend is over. Out of the four games, I predicted 3 correctly. No REAL BIG surprises. The Ravens defense perplexed Chad Pennington and the Dolphins offense like expected, and the Eagles made enough plays on both sides of the ball to beat the Vikings as anticipated.  While most people picked the Colts to win, I did not, as I felt the Chargers, not the Colts, were the hottest team in the AFC going into the playoffs. They proved it. Now, the only surprise to me came in the Arizona-Atlanta showdown. While it was a high-scoring affair like I projected, it didn't happen the way I thought. Arizona actually stopped the run (for what it seemed like the first time all season), and Edgerrin James finally played a big role in the Cardinals offense, carrying the ball for 73 yards on 16 carries. Besides this, here are some quick thoughts on Wildcard weekend.

1. Larry Fitzgerald may have the best hands in Football

For this coveted title among NFL wide receivers, there are many candidates. Randy Moss, Andre Johnson, Wes Welker, and Fitzgerald is making a strong case for himself, especially in the Atlanta game Saturday night. For a wide receiver who has always been a threat for the deep ball, Fitzgerald made possibly one of the best catches in his career on his 42 yard touchdown in the first quarter in the game vs. the Falcons.  Amidst double coverage, Fitzgerald snatched the ball out of mid air, while falling backwards, and secured the ball before bracing himself for a hit by Atlanta S Lawyer Malloy. Among wide receivers with over 1,000 yards receiving, Fitzgerald has the least amount of drops, and his route running is just improving, since he is only 25 years old.

2. While it may have been humbling, a playoff loss was good for Matt Ryan

Yes, its tough to say right now that a playoff loss can be good for a 23 year-old rookie quarterback. But, in my opinion it was. For the past 4 weeks, and especially in the Arizona game as Ryan gained confidence throwing the ball, he has developed some bad habits, typical with most rookie quarterbacks. It was clear that Ryan was tipping off some of his passes by staring down his receivers throughout their route, a pattern observed by NBC's announcers after Ryan threw a first quarter interception to Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. The NFL is a humbling game, and after looking at this game's film, a studious Ryan will work hard throughout the offseason to get rid of that tendency.

3. Adrian Peterson may not be the best all-purpose back..on his own team.

Adrian Peterson is a tremendous talent. His rushing total for the first two years of his career ranks 4th all time. His breakaway speed, and lateral quickness is the best in the league hands down for a running back. However, being a running back is much more than running the ball. It was Peterson who struggled with pass protection so badly in the first quarter against the Eagles, that backup Chester Taylor was in for most passing down for the ladder part of the game. Taylor is also a much better receiver out of the backfield than Peterson, and his north-south running style better suited the Vikings in their stretch run for the 2008 season. Peterson also has a well-documented fumbling problem, as his 9 fumbles this season was tops among NFL running backs. Peterson is a pro-bowl back, hands down, but Taylor might just be the better all around back. 

4. Next to the Ravens, the Eagles defense may be the best in the NFL

People who read this might think that my Philadelphia bias is the reason for all my illogical thoughts but think about this. The common belief in the NFL is that the Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Tennessee Titans are the 3 best defenses in the playoffs, let alone the NFL. Statistically though, the Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Baltimore Ravens are the only team defenses in the NFL that are in the top 5 in fewest yards given up on the ground (Steelers 1st,Ravens 2nd, Eagles 4th) and through the air (Steelers 1st, Ravens 2nd, Eagles 3rd), in which in both categories, the Eagles are better than the Titans. Even with the statistics, I still to believe RIGHT NOW the Eagles defense is better than the Steelers. In week 3, the Eagles beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in a defensive battle by a score of 15-6, a game where the Eagles outperformed the Steelers defense to a tune of 8 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and two INT's. Also, at the present time, the Eagles have held their opponents to less than 15 points in each of their last 5 games. The only team to go that stretch and let up as few points is the Tennessee Titans, and that was through the first 5 weeks of the entire season.

5. Ed Reed quite possibly is the best defensive player of the last decade.

Now, I realize that Reed was drafted in 2002, and he has been teammates with Ray Lewis that entire time, but unlike Lewis, ever since Reed stepped onto the field in a Ravens uniform his rookie year, he has been dominant. 5 pro bowls (another as an alternate in his rookie year) in 7 seasons, but the older he gets, the better he gets. His ball-skills are second to none, and just watching his performance the second half of this season has been a sight to see. 9 INT's this year, 6 in the last 8 games, and 2 more in Baltimore's playoff win against Miami, his statistics say the story themselves. However, it's more than that with Reed. His pass defense from a secondary standpoint is so beautiful to watch as he takes his steps, truly baits the quarterback like great safeties Ronnie Lott and Jack Tatum used to do, but when he does intercept the ball, Reed posses the 4.3 40 speed and un-parallel agility that Lott and Tatum did not have, to the point where he is weapon every time he touches the ball. Do not forget, Reed also returns kicks, and has a knack for blocking field goals, just other elements to his game that Reed has over players like Ray Lewis, Troy Polumalu, Jason Taylor, Michael Strahan, Champ Bailey, Charles Woodson, Brian Dawkins, and Brian Urlacher, guys who may also get consideration for that title.

6. Darren Sproles is a freak of nature

At a stature of 5 feet 5 inches, Darren Sproles shouldn't even be an impact player on a high school football team. However, with Sproles's tremendous football IQ, along with his versatility and sub 4.3 40 speed, he has suddenly became the force behind the San Diego Chargers post-season emergence. While he has made an impact all season, his coming out party may have been Saturday's game against the Colts. Sproles had over 300 all purpose yards, including over 100 yards in both the return and running game, and also accounted for 2 of San Diego's 3 touchdowns, the ladder of those the overtime-clincher that will send San Diego flying to Pittsburgh for a matchup in next weeks divisional playoffs against the Steelers. With the status of Chargers starting running back LaDanian Tomlinson unknown due to a groin injury, Sproles may have yet another chance to prove that size isn't everything.

Divisional Round Predictions and news on Coaching Changes to come throughout the week