There's so much to talk about regarding these past four games. Stank-0 will try to make this quick. Overall, this mirrors last year's wild card slate, many blow outs and one good game. With the exception of the Packers @ Cardinals, all the games were highlighted by a heavy running attack.
Gang Green prevails!
If you had told Stank-0 that the J-E-T-S, JETS, JETS, JETS would mollywhop the Bengals...Stank-0 would have been listening. If you had then said that Carson Palmer would look like a rook, Stank-0 would have still been listening. If you had then said that Sanchez would throw less than 30 times and they would win
handily, Stank-0 would have told you to stop talkin because that's non-sense. That's exactly what happened.
Let's clear the air. Palmer doesn't have much playoff experience. His last playoff game ended with a major knee injury. He hasn't been in the playoffs very often. Those high throws? Jitters.
Stank-0 was slow to believe in
Revis Island, but that jawn is tighter than Alcatraz. He has locked up some elite receivers. Revis for Secretary of Homeland Security!
The Jets have a great back in Shonn Greene (Iowa Hawkeye). That boy got some good yards on the ground. The Bengals were missing some key pieces on D, namely Gaithers and the rookie LB from USC. The misdirection is gonna wreak havoc on some teams. Sanchez also sells the playaction very very well.
How big is
Houshmanzadeh's free agent move to Seattle now? Coupled with the
untimely death of Chris Henry, the only receiver in stripes that scares defenses was Ocho Cinco. That left Caldwell and Coles to take up the slack.
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)Three times!
The Eagles will need to re-tool in the off-season. They need to rebuild for the sole purpose of beating the Cowboys. Dem Cowboys play havoc on the defensive front. That is the strength of their team. They have aging LBs and a suspect defensive secondary, but neither unit has to be world beaters when they can create pressure with four.
The Cowboys seemed to have turned back to the run. They have a great running back committee, why not? Jones or Barber could start in about 95% of the NFL.
Andy Reid is
too in love with the pass, and that plays into the Boys' plans. They can get consistent pressure so if you pass it's not working out in your favor. Unfortunately, Bryant Westbrook may have reached the end of his usefulness. He missed 8 games, the Eagles' record: 7-1. At this point, you can't say that Westbrook is that much better than McCoy. You just can't. Now to give him some longevity, use him more like Marshall Faulk/Kevin Faulk, a receiving back. If the Eagles won't run, then at least screen pass it's about the same thang.
(AP Photo/Elise Amendola)In your own house
captured this game perfectly.
Ray Ray (Avon), Reed (Stringer), Rice (Bodie), Suggs (Wee-Bey) all making plays early. Order being restored on Baltimore corners!
That encapsulates that game perfectly. Not to toot my own horn, but uh....
toot! toot! Stank-0 said:
The Patriots are a pass happy team now, understandably with Randy Moss and his sidekick, Welker. The balance is missing.
The Patriots are so enamored with
Welker underneath and Moss deep...it's unskewed the balance to the point that the loss of Welker last week already had people doubting they could win this game. The Ravens already believed they lost a game to the Patriots they should have won earlier this season.
That Ravens' running attack is
surrious: Rice, McClain, and McGahee. To hang 24 points on the Patriots in the 1st Q
in Foxboro is unimaginable. Now in all fairness, Brady and Moss looked injured. Brady has had some rib injuries and Moss had something, probably a hammy, ankle, or something in that area. He didn't have that breakaway speed he's known for.
Also not challenging that fumble? According to the announcers, the big boards in the stadium did not show the replay the viewing audience saw of the Patriots player NOT maintaining possession while falling out of bounds. That is odd it wasn't shown. Even so, someone up in the box should have told Harbaugh to challenge that play.
Where's the D?
Stank-0 did not watch the entire game, but did see the end. It looked like this was goin to be yet another blowout, but the Packers refocused and crawled back into the game. Stank-0 watched the Packers, down 7 to the Cardinals with less than 2 mins in the 4th Q, tie the game. Rodgers is truly one of the best QBs in football. His only problem is he likes to try to keep plays alive and that gives defensive players who overran the play time to come back and get him.
The way that game ended has to leave a sour taste in everyone in Cheeseland's mouths. That just hurts, especially considering that
87% of the time the team that wins the coin flip in OT wins the game.
On the flipside, Kurt Warner missed 4 passes and had 5 TDs. That. Is. Not. A. Typo. We are truly watching a HOFer at the age of 38 who is only getting better. The commentators said that Warner owns 3 of the best yardage records in Super Bowl history.
Chew on this. The Cardinals were this explosive, dangerous, etc. and Anquan Boldin aka Q was NOT playing. He'll be back next week. Warner, Fitz, Q, Breaston, Hightower, and Wells, now that's an offensive unit.
Stank-0 will refrain from giving previews because they will be everywhere. A good place to start reading is
here. Can almost bet they will have something written about the upcoming games. Question, dear readers. What's the best game of the next round? Stank-0 is gonna say Bal @ Indy, with AZ @ NO as a very close second. Is it next Sunday yet?
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