I am a kid in a candy store right now. I’m giddy. I’m star-eyed. It shouldn’t take long to guess why–right now we as sports fans are in the middle of some great football.
College football sadly just ended, Jan. 10 when the Auburn Tigers made the National Championship synonymous once again with the SEC Championship by beating the Oregon Ducks. Come on, any other BCS conference. Can someone please step up and knock off the SEC? This makes six years in a row that the SEC champion has walked away with that coveted crystal football. Yes, my Ohio State Buckeyes are responsible for giving them two of those six.
Looking past the fact that the SEC is a bunch of jerks that won’t let anyone else win, how about that Jan. 10 game? That was great. It was the coin flip that everyone thought it would be, but who saw defense playing any role at all in this year’s National Championship? I know I didn’t. The teams scored more times this year than Tiger Woods and Charlie Sheen combined. The 22-19 final score was a shock.
Don’t get me wrong, because I am not complaining. It was nice to see some defense for a change. Both teams averaged more than the 41 points they scored altogether.
Speaking of defense, look at the match-up between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens set for this weekend in the NFL Playoffs. This is another example of some great football to which we are being treated. I wouldn’t be surprised if this game ended 2-0, because I honestly think the defenses have a better chance to score in this game than the offenses do.
This is going to be a thumper. I’m talking hard-hitting, good tackling (something that is lost in today’s NFL), and maybe even a fight or two. It’s no secret that these AFC North rivals are not the best of friends. You put Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs on one side and James Harrison and Troy Polamalu on the other and there are sure to be some helmets knocked off. Don’t expect all of them to be clean hits either.
The Steelers and Ravens won’t be going out to dinner together after the game this weekend, but there also won’t be any love lost between the New York Jets and New England Patriots. They match up in the other AFC Playoff game this weekend. The two teams split their season series 1-1 so it’s anybody’s game. However, when these two teams last in week 13, the Patriots laid the smack down on the Jets 45-3.
Jets’ head coach Rex Ryan, who is never short of words, was not pleased. He kept his weekly ritual of calling out the other team going by saying, “this is about [Patriot’s head coach] Bill Belichick vs. Rex Ryan. There is no question it’s personal. It’s about him against myself.”
This should be another good game. Don’t look for a repeat of week 13. That doesn’t happen in the playoffs between division rivals. The Jets’ defense is too good to let that happen again. Coming off a win against the Indianapolis Colts the Jets will have a lot of confidence. Not that they are ever running short on gusto. Still, I’ll take the Patriots.
With the National Championship, and all the smack talk in the NFL Playoffs right now, we are forgetting that the Seattle Seahawks won a playoff game on Saturday. The 7-9 Seahawks who only made it into the playoffs because three other teams in their division couldn’t muster up a .500 record, won a playoff game. Not only did they win a playoff game, they did it against the defending Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints.
Before the season started I picked the Packers and Ravens for this year’s Super Bowl, so I’m not going to stray from them. But should one of those teams lose this weekend, I am jumping on the Seattle Seahawks band wagon faster than you can Starbucks.
Think about it. A 7-9 team not only in the playoffs, but making a run. It would be magical. Not to mention the fact that if the Seahawks beat the Bears and the Packers beat the Falcons this weekend that same 7-9 team would host the NFC Championship! It would be amazing. Our Jacksonville Jaguars finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs but the 7-9 Seahawks have a chance to host a conference championship. Realignment please?
Everywhere I turn my head I see great, meaningful football, and I feel like I’m in third grade and it’s the last day of school. I’m so happy to watch it all play out. They better not let me down.
