The creaking sound I heard over Thanksgiving was not the floor boards in my house. It was the coffin of the 4-and-6 New York Jets, propping itself open and allowing the Jets to climb out. Yes, they have had help from the Colts and the Bengals, but in the words of Vin Scully, when describing another former Shea Stadium tenant, the Jets “not onlyare [they] alive, they are well”.
EDIT: On the show, I mentioned the Show Notes from this week are from Episode #41. This week’s (January 17th) episode was #42.
Before we get to the timeline, take a look at last week’s Random Musings sports column, “Hall of the Very Good and Moral”.
Timeline
00:00-05:30 – Open: Jets survive and advance against the Chargers
05:30-08:30 – Show Topics: NFL Divisional Playoffs, NHL Devils-Rangers classic, Mets’ Beltran knee-gate
08:30-23:00 – NFL: Championship Game Matchups, More Jets-Chargers
23:00-30:00 – Colts good, not great against the Ravens
30:00-34:00 – Jets-Colts AFC Championship Game Preview
34:00-43:00 – NFC Divisional Playoffs: All Chalk – Saints’ Bush Whacks Cards
43:00-53:00 – Favre and the Vikings embarrass the Cowboys, Championship Game Schedule
53:00-60:00 – MLB: Is it time to finally cut bait on Mets GM Omar Minaya?, Mets’ CF plans
60:00-61:30 – NFL: Offensive/Defensive Player of the Year Awards, Coach of the Year
61:30-64:30 – NHL Game of the Week: Devils-Rangers 1-0 classic at the Garden
64:30-73:30 – Week In Review: Devils, Rangers, Islanders, Bruins, Flyers; Week Ahead
73:30-77:30 – Close: Upcoming Schedule, Next Week’s Show Preview
Main Points
00:00-05:30 – Open: Jets survive and advance against the Chargers
How about those New York Jets? It was beautiful in San Diego for the Jets, who got their wish. They win the right to play for a spot in Super Bowl XLIV. The Chargers were the only favorite to fall and the fifth-seeded Jets are the only team not to have a bye week still alive. QB Mark Sanchez managed to get into a rhythm and RB Shonn Greene rushed for 100 yards again, the first Jet RB to rush for 100 in back-to-back postseason games since Freeman McNeil.
Philip Rivers is the last of the trio of quarterbacks selected in the first 11 picks of the 2004 NFL Draft without a Super Bowl ring. San Diego picked first and traded its pick, Eli Manning, who had no desire to play for the Chargers, for Rivers, who was selected fourth by the Giants. Manning has a ring and Ben Roethlisberger, who went 11th to Pittsburgh, has two. The drought continues for another year.
05:30-08:30 – Show Topics: NFL Divisional Playoffs, NHL Devils-Rangers classic, Mets’ Beltran knee-gate
It was chalk all the way in the other three Divisional Playoff games.
One of the greatest regular season games you will ever see at the Garden last Tuesday night.
Is it finally time to say goodbye to Omar Minaya?
08:30-23:00 – NFL: Championship Game Matchups, More Jets-Chargers
New Orleans will be rocking on Sunday, as the top-ranked Saints will be taking on Brett Favre and the second-seeded Vikings in the NFC Championship Game. The Saints have never been to the Super Bowl and while Favre has one championship under his belt, the Vikings have never won the big game. One of those teams will have a chance to win its first Super Bowl.
The Colts host the Jets in the AFC Championship Game. The Jets beat the Colts in Super Bowl III when the Colts played in Baltimore and sided with the NFL. Since then, the Colts changed over to the AFC, won a Super Bowl (V, against the Cowboys), and moved to Indianapolis before winning Super Bowl XLI after the 2006 season.
San Diego has become Philip Rivers’s team. It is no longer LaDainian Tomlinson’s team, but the offense is now a passing attack. Rex Ryan showed guts in deferred possession after winning the coin flip. San Diego moved the ball early, but Nate Kaeding had the first of his big misses. Kickers make such easy foils, but how bad was Kaeding for the Chargers? He was 0-for-3, hooking a 36-yard field goal there, missing a tough 57-yarder at the end of the first half to increase their 7-0 lead, and coming up empty on a pivotal 38-yard try at 17-7 with about 4:30 left in the 4th quarter.
The Jets punted six times in six first-half possessions and only picked up their initial first down with about 8-1/2 minutes left in the first half. But, the Jets got the ball first in the 2nd half only down 7-0. The Jets are not a team that could match San Diego’s offense, so they had to chip away and they did. The Jets got on the board with a field goal and stopped San Diego to build momentum. After a Sanchez interception, Darrelle Revis had an amazing interception on a Rivers throw that was tipped by Vincent Jackson. Rivers threw another interception later and Jim Leonhard put the Jets in great scoring position, at the 16-yard line. That set up the rolling touchdown throw from Sanchez to Dustin Keller to give the Jets their first lead of the game very early in the 4th quarter. Greene gave the Jets even more swagger with a 53-yard score up the middle to go up 17-7.
After that, the Chargers did not run the ball a single time and Rivers only ran the shotgun. The missed field goals killed the Chargers because Rivers nudged the ball over the goal line to cut the Jet lead to three. Kerry Rhodes recovered an onside kick and the Jets needed one first down to run out the clock. On a 4th-and-1 from the San Diego 29, believing in his offense and especially his offensive line to get that one yard, Rex Ryan went for it and got the first down to seal the 17-14 victory.
The Jets pressured Rivers most of the day, but he managed to pass for 298 yards, while the winning quarterback, Sanchez, only threw for 100 yards.
23:00-30:00 – Colts good, not great against the Ravens
The Colts defense was surprisingly stout against the Ravens rushing offense, only allowing 87 yards to Baltimore. Ray Rice only had 67 yards all game. Remember, he started the Wild Card game against the Patriots off with a 83-yard run. The Colts took a 17-3 lead at the half and you never really felt the Ravens were coming back in the second half with their offense. Baltimore could not strike back after the two Colt touchdowns in the second quarter. Ed Reed almost made a big difference in the game, intercepting a Peyton Manning pass and bringing it back for a big return. But, Pierre Garcon, who trailed the play, tackled Reed and forced a fumble that the Colts recovered.
The Colts advanced because of their defense. Peyton Manning was not the Peyton Manning we are used to seeing. They broke their personal streak of three straight playoff losses after a bye week. For the Ravens, the second-year coach, John Harbaugh, and the second-year quarterback, Joe Flacco, have started their careers very well by getting to the second round both years. They have a lot of great pieces to their team, but they have no one to catch the ball.
30:00-34:00 – Jets-Colts AFC Championship Game Preview
The Colts have their chance to beat the Jets and avenge a loss directed by Bill Polian. The Jets are going to be walking into a minefield, but the Jets have proven to be road warriors, winning five in a row. The Jets had the best rushing offense and they have to continue that against the Colts.
The Colts did not run the ball very well, as Joseph Addai was banged up. The running game for the Colts is more of a change-of-pace. The Jets have to worry about Reggie Wayne, but the Jets will put Revis on Wayne. Dallas Clark will present more of a mismatch than Antonio Gates because Clark has had a better season than Gates this year. Clark is a tweener, with the speed and hands of a wide receiver, but the size of a tight end. Manning can find Clark deep and Clark can run after the catch.
Everyone on the Jets has to do a little more than they did against San Diego. The Jets have to do the same thing they did with Gates and more against Clark. Revis has to do the same thing he did against Jackson and more against Wayne. Greene need to do what he did last week and more against the Colts. Sanchez has to keep growing before our eyes. If all of those four things happen, the Jets may punch their ticket for Miami.
34:00-43:00 – NFC Divisional Playoffs: All Chalk – Saints’ Bush Whacks Cards
No one saw Reggie Bush coming. He is back on the scene, scoring a rushing touchdown and returning a punt for a score. I thought the Cardinals and Saints would be able to punch and counterpunch and that is how it was for the first quarter-plus. The first play from scrimmage for Arizona was a Tim Hightower 70-yard run, which was similar to Ray Rice’s start in Foxboro last week. But, the Cardinals could not stop the Saints from getting three touchdowns of their own in the first quarter and taking off before the end of the half.
Kurt Warner threw an interception and was knocked out for a while and the Saints scored a couple of quick touchdowns before the half. Warner is a great rhythm passer and the Saints disrupted the rhythm by getting in his face. Gregg Williams earned his paycheck with his blitzing defense, pressuring and hurrying Warner. There is speculation that Warner will retire in the offseason. With the numbers he put up in a relatively short career, Warner is a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He has a championship and Super Bowl MVP, going 9-4 in his postseason.
The Saints win stops a two-year streak of #1 seeds losing in the Divisional Playoff round and #1 seeds are now 18-2 in the last 20 years in the Divisional Playoff round. Not enough can be said about the decibel level and the crazy fans in the Superdome, which is where the Saints will have a chance to qualify for their first Super Bowl.
43:00-53:00 – Favre and the Vikings embarrass the Cowboys, Championship Game Schedule
This game was supposed to be the closest of the week and it ended up being a laugher. Dallas was unhappy at the end of the game, accusing the Vikings of running up the score. Brett Favre threw a touchdown pass to Visanthe Shiancoe with under two minutes left.
The Brett Favre-to-Sidney Rice connection is alive and well, with Rice catching three touchdown passes. Some say Favre is due for a game with a lot of interceptions. He had 33 TD and only 7 interceptions and had 4 more touchdown passes and no picks against the Cowboys. The 7 interceptions is his lowest in a full season and the +26 difference in TD and INT is tied for his best. In 1996, he also had a +26 differential (39 TD, 13 INT) and won the Super Bowl.
The Vikings defense was led by Jared Allen, who had a great start to the season, but has not been great lately. He was able to sack Tony Romo and force a fumble. The defense had six sacks of Romo and kept him contained so he could not roll out and make plays downfield. It was not pretty for the Cowboys. There were seven Dallas drives of four plays or less and only five first downs in the second half, when they were already down 17-3.
Look for a new guard-old guard classic matchup of quarterbacks with Drew Brees and the Saints taking on Brett Favre and the Vikings. For the picks of the AFC and NFC title games, look for the “Sports With The StatMan: Fantasy Football Edition – Conference Championship Weekend” blog, which will be out on Saturday.
53:00-60:00 – MLB: Is it time to finally cut bait on Mets GM Omar Minaya?, Mets’ CF plans
The latest Met news is Carlos Beltran’s arthroscopic knee surgery that will keep him out of action in April. According to Beltran, he told Met GM Omar Minaya of the surgery, to which Minaya told him “good luck” and to “let him know how it goes”. Minaya denied that he okayed the surgery.
I have given Minaya the benefit of the doubt in the late-season collapses and the injuries. They weren’t his fault. If signing Oliver Perez to a 3-year/$36 million deal was strike one and the handling of the Tony Bernazard situation which turned into the Adam Rubin fiasco was strike two, this might be strike three.
Having a high-profile star player like Carlos Beltran engaging in a “he said/he said” situation cannot be tolerated, especially since Beltran is a player that you want to keep beyond his contract, which runs out after 2011.
What are the Mets going to do in centerfield? Rick Ankiel? Too fragile an ego. Another bat would help, but Bengie Molina has not signed yet. Orlando Hudson wants $9 million and the Nationals are interested. Johnny Damon is not a good fit. He has no arm and his power at Citi Field would be non-existent. Otherwise, it will be Angel Pagan’s job to lose and that might not be in the Mets best interests.
60:00-61:30 – NFL: Offensive/Defensive Player of the Year Awards, Coach of the Year
Chris Johnson won the Offensive Player of the Year and Charles Woodson takes home the Defensive Player of the Year. Darrelle Revis was very deserving of the Defensive Player of the Year, and after the game this week, it shows how glaring his omission was. Johnson definitely deserved his honor, rushing for 2,000 yards. Marvin Lewis wins Coach of the Year. He was on the hot seat when the season started and his Bengals won the AFC North, qualifying for the playoffs for the second time in 19 years.
61:30-64:30 – NHL Game of the Week: Devils-Rangers 1-0 classic at the Garden
One of the best regular-season games you will ever see was played at the Garden on Tuesday night. The Devils defeated the Rangers in a shootout, 1-0, after 96 shots were taken and none of them hit the back of the net. Martin Brodeur stopped 51 shots and Lundqvist turned aside 45. Patrik Elias won the game in the fourth round with a snap shot over Lundqvist’s glove. Including the six of seven shootout attempts that was on net before Elias scored, there were 102 total shots on goal before Elias’s winner.
64:30-73:30 – Week In Review: Devils, Rangers, Islanders, Bruins, Flyers; Week Ahead
Devils: It was the highest of the highs and lowest of the lows for Patrik Elias. Elias scored the shootout winner against the Rangers, but got blasted by Colorado defenseman Ryan Wilson and was removed from the game on a stretcher.
Rangers: After being shutout at home by the Devils, they were shut out by another Brodeur – Mike Brodeur – on Thursday night. A long scoreless string was snapped in St. Louis on Saturday night, but the scoreless streak at home is at 126:05.
Islanders: The Isles are 8-2-1 in their last 11 and 5-1 in their last six at home. Rick DiPietro had his first home start since the day after Christmas, 2008 and won the game by shootout, 3-2. DiPietro did not have the same movement issues he had against Dallas in his first start.
Bruins: The Bruins finished 1-1-1 on their California trip, getting the win at San Jose in a shootout, losing to the Ducks and the Kings in a shootout. The Bruins have the draft picks to really get involved in the Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes. They have five in the first two rounds, including the Leafs first-rounder.
Flyers: The Flyers are 8-2-1 in their last 11 and they have been scoring first consistently. But, this week, they had one good game against Dallas and a bad one against the Leafs. Michael Leighton is still starting in goal even after Ray Emery has returned to the active roster.
Week Ahead: The Devils play the Islanders twice at the Nassau Coliseum and the Rangers visit Philadelphia on Thursday night. For more about the next week in hockey, check out the “Sports With The StatMan: Fantasy Hockey Edition – Week 16” blog.
73:30-77:30 – Close: Upcoming Schedule, Next Week’s Show Preview
Next Week
Next Sunday night (January 24th), Sports With The StatMan (#43) breaks down the Divisional Championship round. The NFC Championship Game will be in the second half when we start the show, so we will break down the AFC Title Game between the Jets and Colts and talk about the Vikings-Saints game. The Devils play the Islanders twice in six days at Nassau Coliseum. And, what new controversy will surround the Mets this week? We’ll talk about it all and more on Sports With The StatMan.
Upcoming Schedule
• Wednesday: “Random Musings” Sports Column (blog)
• Saturday: Sports With The StatMan: Fantasy Football Edition – Conference Championship Weekend (blog)
• Sunday: Sports With The StatMan: Fantasy Hockey Edition – Week 17 (blog)
• Sunday, 8-9pm ET: Sports With The StatMan: No. 42 (live show)
* All blogs will be available on our “secondary” blog, which is called “Random Musings from the StatMan” (http://gstatman.blogspot.com). You can listen to the show live at our show page (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/The-StatMan) or download the podcast, which is normally available 15 minutes after the show, either from the show page or from iTunes (search: Sports With The StatMan).
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