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20 observations from wild-card weekend

All in all, it was an entertaining wild-card weekend. The Seahawks beat the Redskins in a game that was much closer than the final score indicated. The Jaguars went on the road and beat the Steelers in the weekend's most entertaining game. The Giants built on their momentum from last week for the weekend's only upset. And the Chargers took control in the second half to beat the Titans. Here are my observations from the weekend:

20 observations from weekend playoff action

It was an exciting weekend, and just four teams remain. The Chargers will travel to New England to take on the Patriots after an improbable win against the Colts. And the Giants will go to Lambeau, which will be home to the NFC championship for the first time since the 1996 season. Here's what stood out for me from this weekend's games:1. In the past couple years, it seems like we've talked a lot about the watered down quarterback play in the NFL. While that's been a valid discussion, how about the performances this past weekend? You had three guaranteed Hall of Famers in action (two still in the mix), and solid QB play all around. Tom Brady was nearly perfect. Brett Favre continued his storybook season. And Eli Manning impressed yet again. There were other notable performances also.2. Let's start with Brady. One of the smartest quarterbacking performances you'll ever see. In case you don't know the numbers by now: 26-for-28 for an NFL-record 92.9 completion percentage, 262 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. We've been used to seeing Brady throw bombs all year, but on Saturday night, it was all about the dump-downs and taking what the defense gave him. He completed just two passes of 14 yards or more, and Randy Moss was limited to one catch for 14 yards. It didn't matter. Brady found yet another way to win the football game and proved why he's the best in the game.3. And then there was Favre. He completed 18-of-23 passes for 173 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. It should come as no surprise that the Packers are 8-0 in playoff games where Favre doesn't throw a pick. If you didn't feel like going outside and throwing the football around after watching that game, there's something wrong with you.4. And the rest of the quarterbacks. Peyton Manning threw for 402 yards, but it wasn't enough. His two interceptions came in San Diego territory, and Manning was unable to lead the offense to a touchdown in two fourth-quarter opportunities after the Colts got down. Philip Rivers, meanwhile, was on target, completing 14-of-19 passes for 264 yards, three touchdowns and an interception before leaving the game due to injury. That left San Diego with Billy Volek, who engineered the Chargers' winning scoring drive. This is why the NFL is insane. Prior to the weekend, if you could bet on such things as Volek leading the Chargers to a victory at the Colts, what would the odds have been? 100,000 to 1? But that's how it unfolded. In Saturday's games, David Garrard played well, completing 22-of-33 passes for 278 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, but he needed to be perfect for Jacksonville to beat the Patriots. Still, Jaguars fans should be excited about having him as their starter next season. In the earlier game, Matt Hasselbeck was asked to carry an offense that had no semblance of a running game, and he wasn't able to do it. And finally, Tony Romo failed to pick up his first playoff win. More on him later.5. What a game for Packers running back Ryan Grant. Two fumbles in the first 1:09. After that, he had probably the most impressive performance of the weekend, setting a Green Bay playoff record with 201 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries. Saturday night, my buddy Lemur texted me asking where Grant would be taken in fantasy drafts next year. Great question. Gotta take Brady, LaDainian Tomlinson and Brian Westbrook before him, but Grant definitely deserves discussion at the No. 4 spot. I know, I know. Way too early for this.6. "Only a mother's love for her son can save the future" -- FOX announcer Joe Buck, plugging Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. I used to wonder if there were any negatives to being a play-by-play man. Now I know.7. The Colts' defense had a great regular season, but what happened against the Chargers? Volek and the San Diego offense took over on their own 22-yard line with 10:02 left. 5:17 later, the Chargers had driven 78 yards on eight plays for the game-winning touchdown. San Diego quarterbacks had all day to find their receivers, and neither team registered a single sack. 8. There are several candidates for Play of the Weekend. One has to be New England's fake direct snap to Kevin Faulk that resulted in a 6-yard touchdown pass to Wes Welker. You can break down the play a hundred different ways. The most incredible thing to me was the way Brady completely turned his back on the play to sell it. I'd say he was pretty confident the protection was going to hold up.9. Another candidate has to be Favre's underhand toss to Donald Lee. The Packers had a third-and-eight when Favre escaped the pressure, stayed on his feet and found his tight end for a first down. Grant got into the end zone on the next play to give Green Bay a 28-17 lead going into the half. I can't remember Favre ever playing better than he's playing right now. 10. During the Colts-Chargers game, my buddy C-Nast asked me, "Huge day for the Manning family. Do you think the parents are in Indy to watch Peyton or Dallas to watch Eli?" I responded that they were probably in Dallas because they knew they'd get to watch Peyton next week against the Patriots. Whoops. Eli completed 12-of-18 passes for 163 yards, a pair of touchdowns and no interceptions. Only once in the regular season did he go consecutive games without a pick. Eli hasn't thrown an INT yet in the playoffs.11. A huge moment in the Giants' win came at the end of the first half when New York tied the game at 14. Remember, the Cowboys had just gone on a ridiculous 20-play, 90-yard drive that took 10:28 off the clock. The Giants were aggressive even though they only had 47 seconds to work with. A couple big-time catches by rookie receiver Steve Smith, one for 22 yards and another for 11. The Giants were also helped out by a 15-yard facemask penalty on the Cowboys and were able to go into halftime with momentum and a tie game. 12. "It's a hard road to climb" -- Randy Moss during his postgame news conference. Huh? We're climbing roads now? I couldn't make this stuff up.13. After getting down 14-0, the Packers' offense scored touchdowns on six straight possessions. Incredible. As I noted last week, the last time Green Bay scored fewer than 31 points at home was Week 6. Should be fun to see if the Giants' 'D' can slow down Favre, Grant and company.14. Award to hardest hitting safety of the divisional round: Atari Bigby. Bigby, the Packers safety who also has one of the greatest names in the NFL, led Green Bay with seven tackles, many of them coming on crushing hits. He forced a Marcus Pollard fumble on the first play of the second quarter with the game tied at 14. Bigby was on the Packers' practice squad in '05 and '06 after short stints with the Jets and Dolphins. In December, he was named the NFC's Defensive Player of the Month with four interceptions. 15. Wonder why I love this blog? At 7:58 p.m., just minutes after the Giants completed their win, I received the following comment on my post from Friday where I picked the Cowboys to be victorious: Single coverage most of the game on Owens...allows depleted Giants secondary to make plays elsewhere. Just as I said. So much for your prediction.16. Teams need to stop calling that middle screen. It's the play that resulted in a P. Manning interception at the San Diego 2-yard line. I feel like defenses are always getting their hands on the ball when that play's called.17. On the other hand, beautifully executed screen to Darren Sproles by the Chargers that resulted in a 56-yard touchdown. The 5-foot-6 running back was a blur running down the far sideline and giving San Diego a 21-17 lead. The Chargers did a nice job on screen passes the entire game.18. Hand a game ball to Amani Toomer. The Giants' veteran wide receiver had three touchdowns in the regular season. He's got three more in two playoff games. So far in the postseason: 11 catches for 154 yards. Not bad. 19. Anyone else still looking for the holding call on Antonio Cromartie's interception return at the end of the first half against the Colts? I'm rarely critical of the refs, but there were a couple phantom calls in this one.20. Enough about Romo's vacation last week. It's ridiculous. Where did Patrick Crayton, who dropped a critical third-and-13 pass in the third quarter, spend his week? Where did Greg Ellis and Anthony Henry, two defenders who missed badly on trying to tackle Toomer in the first quarter, hang out? The Giants played better, and that's why they won. As for Terrell Owens' tears, maybe I'm gullible, but his emotion seemed legit. I remember after the Eagles lost to the Patriots in the Super Bowl, Owens really didn't seem that angry that his team had lost when he spoke to reporters during his postgame news conference. He was proud of the way he played and the way he came back from an injury. But after Sunday's loss, Owens was sticking to the "win as a team, lose as a team" philosophy. Is it possible he's changed and become a better teammate? Hmm...that's probably a sign I need to end this entry.

Rounding up Ravens links, rumors

The Ravens' search for a head coach has heated up. Here are some links to keep you up to date as of Monday night:ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli reports that Jason Garrett was "huddling with Ravens officials" Monday night and was scheduled to fly to Atlanta to meet with the Falcons Tuesday, assuming he didn't already accept a job from Steve Bisciotti. Here's what Pasquarelli says:Given the struggles of the Ravens' offense the past several seasons, Bisciotti could be looking for a coach to remedy the shortcomings on that side of the ball. Of course, Billick earned his stripes as an offensive coordinator and, in his nine seasons, the Ravens never ranked higher than 14th in the league in total offense. Here's what a league source told ESPN.com blogger Matt Mosley about Garrett:"He's a great communicator and we think he'd be able to work with a young quarterback," the source told Hashmarks. "He could be anything he wants to be. You get the feeling he could be the President of the United States. He just has something about him that people gravitate to. I think he can be a great head coach." Some question whether Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will allow Garrett to leave. The Cowboys lost in the divisional round of the playoffs to the Giants and haven't won a playoff game since 1996. Wade Phillips is 0-4 in the playoffs as a head coach. Here's what Jones told the Dallas Morning News:"It does not change my thoughts on Wade," Jones said of the loss. "He's our coach. But this was a significant setback. I hate it for our fans. We had a tremendous opportunity as players and coaches, and we didn't take advantage of it. We missed a great opportunity." Tim Cowlishaw of The Dallas Morning News says it wouldn't be beyond Jones to get rid of Phillips:I don't have any doubts that owner Jerry Jones will consider doing whatever it takes to keep Garrett. That includes making Phillips a consultant, a Bill Parcells-like overseer, whatever he wants to call it. We know Jones has the, um, gall to do it. This is a man who wrote a $2 million check to get Jimmy Johnson out of town on the heels of two Super Bowl victories. Cowlishaw says Phillips deserves to be back next year, in part because Garrett is still a question mark:So even Garrett ended his first season as coordinator with a question mark, where most of the season there was only an exclamation point. Beyond that, we never know if good coordinators are going to turn into good head coaches. Some never learn to delegate. Some trust the wrong instincts. Some break down under the pressure. Garrett might be the next Bill Belichick. He might be the next Cam Cameron. We just don't know. Meanwhile, Marty Schottenheimer tells the Miami Herald he's having fun with his grandchildren and likely won't return to the NFL:''In all likelihood, I'm not going to be back,'' Schottenheimer said by phone from North Carolina. ... ''I'm never going to say never. When I'm in a situation where I don't have to make a decision, I won't. But I have a full life right now.''Sounds a little different than what Schottenheimer's agent Trace Armstrong told the Carroll County Times:"At this point, Marty has earned the right to be very selective in his criteria going forward," said agent Trace Armstrong, the former NFL defensive lineman that represents Schottenheimer. "He's still a football coach, he's still very passionate about the game and he still follows it very closely. The Ravens' job is an elite position. Marty's willing to evaluate every situation. I know the key for Marty is going to be the people part of the equation. No serious discussions have taken place with Baltimore yet, but he has talked with them. It's a great organization with great ownership and exceptional management. I'd say it's a strong possibility to keep in mind."Jonathan Ogden said on his radio show (via the Carroll County Times) that he wouldn't want to play for Schottenheimer:"Of all the names that have been mentioned, I think Marty would probably be the best fit. But I would not want to play for Marty personally. Nothing against the man, I just know his style. He had Bruce Smith doing the Oklahoma drill when he was with the Redskins."

NFL draft profile: QB Matt Ryan

While we still have playoff games to talk about, it's never too early to start thinking about the draft, which will take place on April 26-27.As part of my offseason coverage, I'll be introducing you to most, if not all, of the players expected to be selected in the first round, along with supplemental information on other prospects.My first draft profile focuses on Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan.At 6-feet-5, 218 pounds, size is not a question for Ryan. ESPN.com draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. ranks him as the top quarterback available and the fourth-best player overall. To get a better idea of how Ryan projects at the next level, I called on reporter Mark Blaudschun, who has been working at the Boston Globe since 1987, covering college football and college basketball. Here's what he had to say about Ryan:Q: What are Ryan's biggest strengths as a quarterback?A: Ryan's biggest strength is his leadership. He makes it clear in the huddle that he is the leader and is not afraid to tell people to shut up or chew them out if they don't do their jobs. He also has NFL arm strength and can get the ball to the receiver in the shortest amount of time.Q: What aspect of his game might need the most work at the NFL level?A: His weaknesses in the NFL will be his lack of mobility and a habit of forcing passes to areas where there are no openings (19 interceptions during his senior season). Q: What was Ryan's signature moment at BC? Was it the Eagles' comeback win against Virginia Tech earlier this year? Or another moment?A: His highlight moments this season were the Virginia Tech game in which he brought BC back from a 10-0 deficit in the final three minutes of what turned into a 14-10 win. He also threw the game-winning TD pass in the final two minutes of a win over Clemson, which sealed the ACC Atlantic division title for the Eagles.Q: Talk about Ryan's toughness.A: The toughness factor showed last season when he played the entire year with a broken bone in his ankle and missed one game.Q: What can you tell us about Ryan away from the football field?A: He had his undergraduate degree last summer and lived off campus for his senior year taking graduate courses. I think he majored in interviews this fall since he gave so many. He's from outside of Philadelphia [Exton, Pa.] and grew up an Eagles and Phillies fan so he knows about frustration, and he has the ability to make every answer for the same question sound fresh.Q: How has Ryan been with the media?A: His relationship with the media is as good as any athlete I have dealt with.More on RyanI've scoured the Internet to expand on some of the topics mentioned above. The book on Ryan is that he's smart, he has NFL size, he's a leader and he's tough. Some draft experts have compared him to former BC signal-caller and current Seattle Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck.AJC.com compiled a Q&A with BC coach Jeff Jagodzinski, who says he has no doubt Ryan will be successful in the NFL. Says Jagodzinski, "He takes command of the huddle, which is what great quarterbacks do. His teammates know this guy is in charge, and they respect him for it." Atlanta, which has the third, fourth or fifth pick (depending on a coin flip), is a possible landing spot for Ryan.As stated earlier, Ryan's signature moment this season came against Virginia Tech. With BC down 10-0 going into the fourth quarter at Blacksburg, Va., Ryan led the Eagles' comeback, throwing a pair of touchdown passes in the final 2:11 to give BC a 14-10 victory. Here's a video of the final drive, including Ryan's game-winning pass, which came with 11 seconds left. Plays like this have earned him the nickname "Matty Ice."Then there's Ryan's toughness. During his junior year, he played half the season with a broken foot, in addition to a high ankle sprain. Here's a passage about his injury from a feature on Ryan in BC's school newspaper, The Heights:On Monday, he told his dad he couldn't put his foot on the ground without pain. On Tuesday, he could at least stand. On Wednesday, an orthopedic boot allowed him to walk. And on Thursday, the day he was scheduled for surgery, he called his father to say he was back to throwing a football - two days before he led BC to its first-ever win at Florida State. Was there ever a consideration of risking NFL millions to play through a broken foot?"Well, there was constantly my mom talking to me on the phone telling me this wasn't a good idea," says Ryan, whose foot he now says is stronger than ever. "But once I made the decision and knew I was capable of doing that, I didn't look back and kinda just went with it."Another example of his toughness was during his sophomore year when Ryan took a devastating hit from Clemson's David Dunham. Ryan only missed one play as BC earned its first ever ACC win. Check out the video.And finally, one last link to pass along. A Q&A with Ryan from this past season on NYTimes.com in which he says, among other things, that he's leaning towards voting for Barack Obama.AP photo

Q&A on John Harbaugh

With Jason Garrett out of the picture, several reports indicate the Ravens could shift their attention to Eagles secondary coach John Harbaugh. Harbaugh previously was Philadelphia's special teams coach for nine seasons. The 45-year-old is a Miami (OH) graduate and earned his master's from Western Michigan.Harbaugh had several coaching stops before going to the Eagles. He spent time at Western Michigan, Morehead State, Cincinnati, Indiana and Pittsburgh. John's younger brother, Jim, started 12 games for the Ravens in 1998 and now is the head coach at Stanford.To gain some insight on Harbaugh, I called on Philadelphia Daily News reporter Paul Domowitch. Domowitch has been with the Daily News since 1982, spending most of his 25 years covering the Eagles/NFL and is one of my favorite football writers. Here's his take on Harbaugh:Q: What would potentially be Harbaugh's best qualities as a head coach? A: He's solid all around. Communicates well with players. Brings energy to the job. Smart. Understands both sides of the football. Deals well with the media. Should mesh well with Ozzie Newsome. After talking with John, you usually walk away impressed.Q: How much of a concern should Harbaugh's inexperience be? In today's NFL, is it important for head coaching candidates to have previous experience as coordinators?A: Well, he's spent the last nine years working for a guy who never was a coordinator. Andy Reid was the Packers' QB coach when the Eagles hired him, and that's worked out pretty well. While others may disagree, I actually think John's special teams background has been a better head-coaching primer than if he had been on just one side of the ball.Q: Do you think Harbaugh would be a good fit with the Ravens, a team with several veterans on both sides of the ball? Would he be able to command respect in the locker room?A: I think John would be a good fit with any team. I think veterans like Ray Lewis and Ed Reed and others will take to him right away.Q: What did Harbaugh do to make the Eagles' special teams a strength, and how has he fared so far as secondary coach?A: Well, for starters, he was a good Xs and Os guy. Developed sound schemes and got his players to execute them. A lot of guys, especially veteran players, aren't crazy about playing special teams, but John got them to take pride in it and excel. With respect to the secondary, he did a good job with a unit that had some key injuries this season. Pro Bowl free safety Brian Dawkins missed six games. Pro Bowl cornerback Lito Sheppard also was out for six. But he helped develop backups such as cornerback Joselio Hanson and safeties Quintin Mikell and J.R. Reed, who made important contributions. The Eagles only got eight interceptions out of their secondary this season, but they only gave up 16 passing TDs.Q: Brian Billick was sometimes criticized here for his players' lack of discipline. Do you see Harbaugh as being more of a players' coach or more of a disciplinarian?A: John is a no-nonsense coach, but is liked and respected by his players.Q: How much of Reid's offense and defensive coordinator Jim Johnson's defense do you think Harbaugh would employ as a head coach? Or does he have ideas that are different from their philosophies?A: I can't say about his offensive philosophy. My guess is that he'd be a little more balanced than the pass-happy Reid. Defensively, I think he would be similar to Johnson with regard to blitzing and getting pressure on the quarterback.

What they're saying about the Ravens' coaching search

Here are some opinions from the national media about the recent developments in the Ravens' coaching search:SI.com's Don Banks tries to figure out why the Ravens and Falcons keep getting shot down by head coaches:Finding the right man for the job is starting to take a backseat to finding someone who will take the job. Now spanning multiple weeks and several swings and misses each, the coaching searches being conducted by the Falcons and Ravens have officially become embarrassing. ...If the folks in Atlanta and Baltimore are still laboring under the impression that they've got one of the plum coaching jobs in the NFL to offer, they're either practicing self-deception or not paying attention.Banks goes on to say that things in Baltimore are likely to get worse before they get better:There's some prevailing belief within the league that the Ravens are already an old team that may get worse before they get better, and the next Baltimore head coach is going to have to walk in there cracking the whip after the rather free rein approach that Billick favored. (That's where the [Marty] Schottenheimer scenario makes the most sense). ...Upon firing Billick, [Steve] Bisciotti made it clear he thinks he still has the roster of a playoff team, and just needs to find the coach to lead Baltimore back to the postseason. That sounds like unwarranted optimism to me, even if the Ravens are banking on getting all their injured players from this season back on the field and producing in 2008.Meanwhile, ESPN.com reports that Jason Garrett is now the NFL's highest-paid assistant, with his new contract promising in the ballpark of $3 million per year.ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli says timing, not money, was the key factor in Garrett's decision to stay in Dallas:This much, though, is assured: Had Garrett believed the time or situation was right for him to be a head coach in the NFL, he could have been one on Tuesday or Wednesday, and likely with at least a little more money than Jones is going to pay him. The fact that Thursday arrived and he was still a staffer in Dallas means the "unfinished business" to which he referred during his interview with Ravens officials meant more to him than money. There are dollars and there is sense. And the decision to remain with the Cowboys for at least another year was based more on the latter of those two.ESPN.com blogger Matt Mosley says Wade Phillips is now a lame-duck coach:He would never admit it publcly, but Phillips had to be rooting for Garrett to leave. And who would blame him? Phillips is more of a lame-duck coach than ever, and anything short of reaching a Super Bowl will probably signal the end of the road in Dallas. In fact, a Super Bowl appearance might not do the trick because Garrett would receive another batch of lucrative offers. Jones started down this path when he hired Garrett to be his offensive coordinator before a head coach was in place. I don't think Phillips will function well in this type of environment, but Jones is willing to take that risk. In reality, he fired Phillips last night. We'll just have to wait another 11 months for the announcement.Kevin Sherrington of The Dallas Morning News agrees:Pro athletes measure each other by the size of their paychecks, and the same goes for how they feel about coaches. How long will it be before they start looking over Phillips' shoulder at Garrett?Tim MacMahon, in a blog for The Dallas Morning News, says the story line has already been written for the Ravens' trip to Dallas during the 2008 season:As fate would have it, the Ravens will make an appearance at Texas Stadium next season. You reckon the Ravens will be fired up to face a coach who spurned them? Ray Lewis will probably take Jason Garrett turning down the Baltimore job and turn it into major disrespect for motivational purposes.

More on Harbaugh

When I asked Philadelphia Daily News writer Paul Domowitch about John Harbaugh last week for a Q&A, he made the following comment: "Talking with John, you usually walk away impressed."Anyone who watched today's news conference can see why. Harbaugh showed he has a sense of humor and a real enthusiasm about landing his first head coaching gig. He thanked Eagles coach Andy Reid, referred to Art Modell as Mr. Modell and talked about bringing in a top-notch staff. Harbaugh brings a certain likability that explains why his former players and colleagues have nothing but nice things to say about him.Some other thoughts on Harbaugh:The philosophiesOne of the first things Harbaugh did during his news conference was thank Reid and Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson. That begs the question: How much of their philosophies will Harbaugh incorporate into his plans for the Ravens? The answer to that question won't be known until the Ravens' 2008 season gets under way in September, but it doesn't hurt to take a look at Reid and Johnson's coaching philosophies. Reid's strengths include preparation and sticking up for his players. Say what you want about his family situation, but Reid's players rarely get into trouble off the field. Offensively, everything starts with the offensive line, but Reid has sometimes been criticized for becoming too enamored with his passing game. All you Ravens fans who couldn't stand when Brian Billick threw in short-yardage situations, know that Eagles fans have had similar complaints. Defensively, Johnson is known for one of the most aggressive blitzing packages in the league. The Eagles especially like to blitz in the red zone, where they held opponents to a league-low 36.4 percent success rate in terms of scoring touchdowns. The Eagles have always put a major emphasis on having strong cover corners because of their blitzing philosophy.The pedigreeAt one point during his press conference, Harbaugh said, "I’m a football coach. That’s what I wanted to be, and that’s what I am." And that should come as no surprise. His dad Jack was the head coach at Western Michigan and Western Kentucky and also served as an assistant at Michigan and Stanford. John's brother and former Ravens quarterback Jim is the head coach at Stanford. And his brother in-law is Tom Crean, head basketball coach at Marquette. Harbaugh went to school at Miami (Ohio). Check out some names of coaches who played or coached there in the past: Weeb Ewbank, Ara Parseghian, Bo Schembechler, Sean Payton.Anyway, we used this blog as a forum after Ravens games during the season so feel free to share your thoughts on Harbaugh's hiring and what the Ravens' brass had to say during his news conference this afternoon.

Championship game picks

With all the Ravens news this week, I feel like we've totally ignored the championship games. Here are my picks and check back Monday for observations.Last week: 2-2Playoffs: 3-5Chargers at PatriotsThe pick: PATRIOTS (-14)Give credit to the Chargers. I thought they had no shot last week against the Colts, but they went into Indy with their top three offensive players banged up and pulled off the upset. Not happening this week. San Diego led the NFL in takeaways during the regular season, and that was the key last week as Peyton Manning was picked off twice and Marvin Harrison fumbled. In addition to leaading the league in several other categories, the Patriots only had 15 giveaways during the regular season, the best mark in the AFC. San Diego's offense is just too banged up, and even though Billy Volek did an admirable job against the Colts, I don't see him keeping the Chargers competitive if Philip Rivers can't go. Patriots 35, Chargers 17Giants at PackersThe pick: PACKERS (-7)I've been wrong about the Giants all season. I admit it. I thought they were frauds during the regular season and I picked against them in both playoff games. So why stop now? Even though everyone focuses on Eli Manning, the Giants rely on their defense to carry them to victories. The running game has been solid, and the key as of late has been Manning taking care of the football -- one interception in his last three games. As for the Packers, the offense is in a special rhythm, especially at home. Green Bay has scored 31 points or more in five straight games at Lambeau Field. Conditions are supposed to be frigid, but still expect the Packers to move the football and come away with a win in a good one. Packers 27, Giants 17

R. Lewis' TV appearance

During Saturday's news conference, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said he didn't know where Ray Lewis was and mentioned the linebacker might be in Jamaica.Well, we know where Lewis was this morning. He was in Bristol, Conn., appearing on ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown. I didn't catch the whole show, but Lewis did a decent job as an analyst from what I saw. He talked about what makes Tom Brady so good, and the show's regulars demonstrated (on the fake football field in the studio) what the Ravens did against the Patriots earlier this season. I'm pretty sure Chris Mortensen was yelling "Blue forty-two!" at some point, but that might just be my imagination.Lewis and Mike Ditka each gave today's underdogs -- the Chargers and Giants -- fake pep talks kind of like the ones Lou Holtz gave during college football season. Scratch that. Nothing can be compared to Holtz's now-legendary pep talks, but you get the idea.Finally, at the end of the show, Chris Berman mentioned how Brett Favre has been able to make a Super Bowl run even though he's 38-years-old and maybe Lewis and the Ravens could do the same thing with new coach John Harbaugh at the helm. Lewis said only time will tell to which Emmitt Smith responded, "Gotta get that offense right." Everyone then cracked up hysterically as the program ended.If anyone was watching earlier in the show when Lewis talked about Harbaugh, feel free to chime in with what he said.UPDATE: Here's what Lewis said about Harbaugh, courtesy of The Sun's Jamison Hensley:"The electricity of his voice, the passion for what he feels, with his personality, I think it's really going to capture a lot of personalities in that locker room," Lewis said. "One coach out, one coach in. With our new coach [and] with his personality, I think our team is ready to do some great things."

20 observations from championship weekend

Super Bowl XLII is set with the Patriots opening up as 13.5-point favorites over the Giants. Here are my observations from an entertaining championship weekend:1. We have to start with the Giants. Three straight playoff wins on the road. An NFL-record 10 straight victories away from the Meadowlands. And now Eli Manning, not Peyton, will be playing in the Super Bowl. Unbelievable. Did anyone have the Giants as NFC champs before the season started? Not me. They had one win against a playoff team during the regular season, but anyone who thinks the loss to the Patriots in Week 17 didn't have a profound effect on this team is kidding themselves.2. A four-minute, 22-second stretch in the second quarter showed why the Patriots are so good. Wide receiver Kelley Washington made a spectacular play on punt coverage, preventing the ball from going into the end zone and setting up the Chargers' offense with field position at their own 4-yard line. Cornerback Asante Samuel then intercepted a Philip Rivers pass. And two plays later, Tom Brady hit Jabar Gaffney for a 12-yard touchdown. As we hear in every Bill Belichick sound byte, everyone did their job.3. Too many mistakes and missed opportunities by the Packers. Obviously the one that will stick out is Brett Favre's interception in overtime that set up the game-winning field goal. It was a bad throw. There's no question about it. But the Packers have other areas where they can spread the blame. Four penalties on the Giants' first scoring drive of the second half, including a devastating roughing the passer call on Nick Collins on a third-and-five. And offensively, Favre and company had two chances to win the game in the final seven minutes of regulation, but all the Packers could manage was a pair of three-and-outs.4. Brady and Peyton Manning were picked off a total of 22 times in 1,093 attempts during the regular season, once every 49.68 attempts. In two playoff games against the Chargers, they were intercepted five times in 81 attempts, once every 16.2 attempts. San Diego led the league in takeaways during the regular season and did a good job forcing turnovers against two of the league's best offenses during their playoff run.5. Analyst Emmitt Smith during ESPN's NFL Sunday Countdown when asked about Brady's most overlooked quality: "The self-confidence he has in himself." Not the self-confidence he has in others?6. The weekend's best player was Plaxico Burress, who set a Giants record with 11 catches for 154 yards, abusing Pro Bowl cornerback Al Harris time and again, especially in the first half. Burress had just five catches for 43 yards in New York's first two playoff games, but he was a monster in this one.7. Brady threw two incompletions last week against the Jaguars. His second incompletion Sunday came with 12:25 left in the first quarter. He threw a first-quarter interception for the first time this year and the first time ever in the playoffs. The Patriots' offense didn't run a play in San Diego territory until there was 1:01 left in the first quarter. Brady had thrown 62 touchdown passes in the red zone since his last red zone interception before Sunday. Not what we're used to seeing from New England.8. Did you hear Dan Marino's phone ring while he was on the air during CBS' halftime show? It happened once, and host James Brown tried to make a joke out of it. It rang again, and JB did the same thing. After the third time, Boomer Esiason finally had to chime in, yelling, "Turn your phone off already!" Entertaining stuff.9. Tremendous job by the Giants' offense making the most of their first possessions of each half. After forcing a Packers punt, Manning led New York on a 14-play, 71-yard drive that resulted in a field goal. That was a good thing even though teams scoring first are 3-7 during this postseason. The Giants then took the first possession of the second half 69 yards on 12 plays, scoring on Brandon Jacobs' 1-yard touchdown run and taking 7:04 off the clock. Overall, the Giants possessed the ball for 40:01.10. Kevin Faulk usually has a big effect in games, but it doesn't always show up in the numbers. This time it did. Faulk caught eight balls for 82 yards, including two third-down catches for first downs during New England's final drive that lasted 9:13 and ended the game.11. The cold weather brought some comic relief. Is it possible to have cheeks rosier than Tom Coughlin's? And it was tough to take FOX sideline reporter Chris Myers seriously with that hat on, but whatever it takes to stay warm right? By the way, Coughlin set a new record for most cliches used in one sentence during his locker room interview. "They play hard, never say die and found a way to win." Take it one day at a time Tom and coach every game like it's your last!12. Philip Rivers took some heat this week for talking too much noise to opponents and the fans during the regular season and against the Colts, but give him credit for a gutsy performance Sunday. The numbers weren't spectacular: 19-for-37 for 211 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. The Chargers lost mainly because they couldn't score touchdowns in the red zone, but that wasn't all Rivers' fault. He was there for his teammates, and that will certainly be remembered in the future.13. The Giants' receiving corps has really risen to the occasion. I already talked about Burress. Amani Toomer made a great catch during a scoring drive in the second half. And rookie Steve Smith had a pair of big receptions on the final drive of regulation even though Lawrence Tynes' field goal was off the mark.14. Jim Nantz is as good as they get with play-by-play guys. He lets the color man, Phil Simms, do the analysis. He shows excitement without being over the top. And he always lets you know what the game's major story lines are as they are developing. I criticize announcers enough as it is so I thought it's only fair I dish out a compliment here.15. Huge play in the third quarter by Junior Seau. The Chargers had a third-and-one at the New England 4-yard line, trailing 14-9. Seau blew up a run play to Michael Turner, who was stopped for a loss of 2 yards. The Chargers had to settle for their fourth field goal, and they never scored again. If Seau doesn't make that stop, the Chargers could have taken a 16-14 lead.16. Big-time kickoff return by Domenik Hixon in the third quarter with the Giants trailing 17-13. He went 33 yards, setting New York's offense up with a short field, starting at its own 43-yard line. The Giants scored a touchdown and took a 20-17 lead. Hixon had a 36-yard return in the fourth quarter to set up a drive that resulted in a missed Tynes field-goal attempt.17. Hopefully Favre comes back next year. Every non-Giants fan in America was pulling for Green Bay. When he was picked off in the fourth quarter, but R.W. McQuarters fumbled and the Packers recovered, did anyone else get the feeling that the football gods were somehow involved? In the end, it wasn't meant to be, but Favre showed this year that he's still got it and the league is better with him playing.18. How about the swing of emotions for an NFL kicker? Coughlin looked like he was going to strangle Tynes after his missed field goals. But when all was said and done, Tynes became the only opposing kicker in NFL history to hit a field goal of more than 40 yards at Lambeau Field in the playoffs. Did you see him get interviewed after the game? He looked like a zombie. I don't think he knew where he was after that dramatic turn of events.19. The Packers' offense converted just one of 10 third-down chances. During the regular season, they converted 43 percent, second-best in the NFC.20. During the holiday season, a friend wanted to buy her brother a Giants jersey but didn't know which player to get. She said he had mentioned Manning as a possibility. I told her that was a terrible choice and she should invest in a throwback for someone like Phil Simms. Since I made that comment, Manning's thrown eight touchdowns and one interception. Luckily, my advice was ignored and she went with Manning anyway.AP photo