The RedZone: Wrapping Up the Wildcards

Graeme tells me he is going to preview the divisional playoffs at some point (preferably in the next 24 hours before they actually start). In the meantime, I'm going to wrap up wildcard week with an analysis of the key performers in each game, similar to a normal RedZone piece. Apologies for the delay - busy times for me right now:

Saints @ Seahawks - Seahawks win 41-36.
Key man: Brandon Stokley - 4 catches, 73 yards, 1 TD. Yes I appreciate this selection is a little left of field, particular in light of Marshawn Lynch's amazing 67 yard tackle busting run and Matt Hasslebeck's near flawless performance under centre. But the selection of Stokley was made for one simple reason - he was described early in the game by Sky Sports' Nick Halling as "a poor man's Wes Welker". Stokley had come on after Ben Obomanu got shaken up (he later returned) and subsequently performed like a good Wes Welker as a slot receiver. It does of course help that Hasslebeck rolled back the years with a dominant performance against a surprisingly impotent and error-prone Saints defence. The highlight was the 45-yard reception that gave Seattle the lead which they never relinquished.

Jets @ Colts - Jets win 17-16
Key men: David Harris - 9 tackles; Calvin Pace - 4 tackles, 1 sack. To beat the Colts at Lucas, you have to stop Peyton Manning and neutralise the offense. The Jets' aggressive defensive system was perfectly suited to do just that. LBs Harris and Pace have the standout numbers, but every single man on D in green put in a hard shift that was rewarded by Nick Folk's 32-yard FG as time ran out. Rex Ryan has clearly put all of his previous coaching experience to good use on the defense, although they still struggle enough on offense to quell talk that they'll go all the way to the Superbowl. They really won't.

Ravens @ Chiefs - Ravens win 30-7
Key man: Todd Heap - 10 receptions, 108 yards. Ah the joys of a receiving TE. See, I don't think the Chiefs defense played as badly as the scoreline suggests, and the Ravens certainly struggled to stuff the runs of Jamaal Charles early on, so the blowout nature of the final numbers are not a reflection of how things actually went. Eric Berry and Tamba Hali were especially effective at breaking up passing plays and getting to Joe Flacco, which is why Heap's calming presence was so important. None of his plays were massive (21 yards his best), but he gave the short-medium passing route option for Flacco, who did at times look a little flustered in the pocket. Not the best blocker, Heap does manage to find a lot of space for himself in the middle of the field, so it's no wonder he was targetted so often!

Packers @ Eagles - Packers win 21-16
Key man: James Starks - 23 carries, 123 yards; 2 catches, 9 yards. There's something about 6th round picks that surprise in the playoffs (Tom Brady anyone?). Starks set a franchise record for rookie rushing yards in the postseason with his performance against the Eagles, who remain chronically awful at stopping the run without Stewart Bradley at MLB. He actually more than doubled his total yards for the season in this one game! Particularly impressive was his work in the four-minute offense, picking up a couple of crucial first downs to minimise the amount of time that Michael Vick had to mount a late comeback, which was eventually ended with a Tramon Williams INT. Not a great deal wrong with the Eagles on offense, save for DeSean Jackson only being half-fit, it was the defense that cost them this season. I just pray that Vick returns for another shot at glory in 2011. Until then, it's back to the drawing board.

RM

Addition from Graeme

The poor play of the Redskins has led me to tune out of the football groove for a while. I had so many things I could have said about the Skins had we been good this year. Then it dawned on me: I had so many things I could have said about so many players in the NFL this year that I didn't get to use because events turned out differently. So here is my contribution to the Redzone this week- a list of puns that never were. All are my own intellectual property, so hands off!


-David Buehler’s Day Off (for use when the Cowboys lose a game due to a David Buehler missed field goal. Not used due to the Cowboys never being in a close game this year)
-Jairus Byrd is the Word (for if the Bills safety did something positive)
-Kyle Wilson’s War (for use if the Jets corner got into a fight, or joined the army. Both unlikely)
-And here’s to you, Patrick Robinson (why did Pat not get to play and Roman Harper did!?!)
-Jimmy Clause-and-effect/ Jimmy get out clause/ Jimmy Highly in-Claus-able (last one is best, as in 'It's highly In-Claus-able that Jimmy will be a good QB')
-Jason Worilds-end murders/ Jimmy Eat Worilds (with such an easy name to pun, why was he a late round draft pick and not a superstar?)
-Amelia Gerhart (to be used if Toby Gerhart went missing in the South Pacific. Somewhat unlikely)
-The War of Jenkins’ Ear (God knows how this would be relevant to Saints CB Mike Jenkins)
-Larry the English Patient (to be used if Chargers OLB English got injured and flew to England to consult Michael Owen's knee specialist)
-The Sarkisian Candidate (would have been used if University of Washington coach Steve Sarkisian was interviewed for an NFL job)
-Longs Walk to Freedom (if Jake and Chris Long teamed up to bring democracy to Zimbabwe. Unlikely)
-Keith Rivers of Blood (If a Rivers tackle drew blood)
-Sent to the Mayo Clinic (If a Jerod Mayo tackle sent someone to hospital)
-Absolute Zero: Leodis McKelvin (more a new nickname than a pun, but hey)
-Of Men and Ray Rice ( I really should have used this one at some point!)
-Casino Royal (to be used after good play by Eddie Royal of Denver. Not used as a pun due to it being shit)
-Cat on a Hot Wynn Roof (To be used if 5th string Saints back Deshawn Wynn played well. Considering the Saints' RB situation this year, I'm surprised I didn't get to use this one)
-The Grapes of Barth (For if kicker Connor Barth did anything of notoriety)
-One flew over Taribo West (different kind of football, but come on; this is genius!)
-Raging Null (to be used after a Jake LaMotta-esque performance from the Rams' Keith Null)
-Weatherspoon Heights (if Sean Weatherspoon were to release a book or music video)
-The Deer Punter (for use in some form of punter related piece)
-Chariots of Matt McBriar (for use if Matt McBriar recovered a fumble and outpaced the D for a touchdown, or had became religious and refused to play on Sundays)
-No Country for Arrelious Benn (Again, really should have used this one!)
-Candle-Vick Green (unlikely reference between Mike Vick and English animated childrens classic)
-Sleepless in Arnaz Battle (If receiver Arnaz Battle were to have signed with Seattle)
-Dawson’s Creek (if Browns kicker Phil did a Pat McAfee and drunkenly fell into a creek)
-Norv-ill and Dean (For use if Norv Turner of the Chargers had appeared on 'Dancing on Ice')
-LaBoy Story (If something involving Travis LaBoy happened)
-Doctor Suh (For use if Ndamakong Suh had used time travel to take Detroit back to the 1950's, the last time they were good)
-Orton Welles (for use if Kyle Orton died and left a cryptic mystery to be solved by Jason La Canfora)
-Rolle Deep (if Anrell Rolle took up rapping, came out with a profound quote about the nature of existance, or was caught napping and beaten on a deep throw)
-The Importance of Being Earnest Graham (Could be the title of a reality TV show in itself)
-I capture the Cassel (Damn my inability to come up with these at the time!)

GM