NFL Championship Roundtable
Each week, Sports Collision is teaming up with TheSportsCartel.com for a roundtable discussion on current events in the world of sports. This weeks topic: NFL Playoff Championship Round Matchups
FIRST QUESTION, sponsored by the frigid purple face of Tom Coughlin
Best storyline of Championship Weekend?
Wes French, The Sports Cartel: Jim Harbaugh taking the 49ers as far as they’ve gone. They’re playing with house money at this point. I can’t believe they were able to beat the Saints at their own game, marching down the field under a minute left like they did to beat them. Harbaugh is one win from a Super Bowl berth that is very winnable given the teams left, and he’s done it as a rookie coach with a team full of also-rans, cast offs and some very solid core players who have never been to the playoffs. I can’t believe that they had to do what they did to beat NO even after taking the ball away 5 times, but I guess that just shows you how good the Saints are. I wasn’t in on the 49ers at all before that game, now I can’t really argue against someone who thinks they will win the Super Bowl. This should be one hell of a Conference Championship game.
Caleb Eubanks, Sports Collision: The best storyline is easily Jim Harbaugh, Vernon Davis, Alex Smith and the rest of the 49ers. Cast away to the island of misfit toys nobody thought Alex Smith could play football and Mike Singletary didn’t think you could win with Vernon Davis. Harbaugh came in with little time in training camp, pounded his chest, pumped up these guys and got the most out of this seemingly sorry group of players. Coming from the laughable NFC West to destroying the Saints and now hosting the NFC Championship game this 49er story is shaping up to be a nice one. I can already hear the NFL Films music and Steve Sabol talking about the season that was.
Tony Bosma, The Sports Cartel: I get why the 49ers are a popular pick, but I have to disagree. The best storyline of the weekend is the battle between the best quarterback (Tom Brady) and defensive player of the past decade (Ray Lewis). I like an underdog story as much as the next guy, but Brady vs. Lewis in the AFC Championship is the kind of story we’ll remember 5 years from now, not that San Francisco was scrappy and made the NFC Championship game. We remember legends and the stories they leave behind and this could be the final chapter of Lewis’ defensive dominance. I want to see legends play on the biggest stage, not Alex Smith… sorry.
Andy Barry, The Sports Cartel: I hate to write similar things as the others but the best storyline is the 49ers. MY BOY, Jim Harbaugh, took a team that was in so much chaos with a short preseason and got them to win the division, cliche the two-seed, and win a second round playoff game against the hottest team in football when no one gave them a chance. Alex “Tiny Hands” Smith has been written off as a bust since being taken with the top pick in the 2005 draft. This man lead the 49ers down the field not once but twice inside three minutes to beat the Saints. Frank Gore has been a top runningback in the league but toiling around on horrible 49ers teams (mostly lead by Tiny Hands himself) since he was drafted in 2005 and is finally getting a shot to make the Super Bowl. Yes, this team is playing with house money because no one believed in them and everyone should be happy with getting this far but Jim will not let anyone be content. I expect Harbaugh to motivate and keep all his players focused on the only thing that counts which is winning the Super Bowl. Harbaugh will be the first rookie head coach to win the Super Bowl since George Seifert with these 49ers 22 years ago (need to fact check this one, I am going off of memory). How is this not the best storyline right now? I’m sick of Brady and the Pats so there is no way I can agree with Tony on this one.
TB: Being sick of the Patriots doesn’t mean it’s not a great storyline. If you want to watch a Flacco/Smith Super Bowl, be my guest but I want nothing to do with that. There’s a small chance I’d rather watch the WNBA. Completely kidding of course. I guess I’m just not that taken by the Harbaugh/Smith story. It’s good, but it doesn’t get me glued to the TV like Brady/Lewis does.
WF: The Patriots are the NFL evil empire at this point. No one likes to acknowledge them as a great storyline because we’re all sick of hearing about how great they are. I think it would be the greatest thing ever if The Giants beat the Patriots for the super bowl again or if the 49ers and their rookie coach beat Darth Belicheck. Either way, I think we’re in for a blowout in the AFC game and a tight, down to the wire bloodbath in the NFC game.
AB: Disagree, the Ravens will come to play and that game will be close. It is hard to pick the Ravens to win, I would definitely take the points if I were betting on the game. The Patriots looked great last week against one of the worst teams to make the playoffs that I can remember (I love me some Timothy Richard Tebow but I’m not retarded) so they are getting a bit too hyped here. The Ravens did not look great last week but I fully expect them to make this a tight game.
CE: Really Wes? I think Brady is great and Gronk and Hernandez are fantastic but I don’t have any faith in that Patriots team at all. They STILL haven’t beaten a team who finished the season with a winning record. The Ravens consistently play down to their opponents, but they also play up. With all the talk around the Patriots I think the Ravens come to play and certainly don’t get blown out. They may lose, but wont get blown out.
NEXT QUESTION, sponsored by new IFL Alamo Wranglers receiver Terrell Owens
Most obnoxious storyline of Championship weekend?
CE: The Giants being compared to the 2007 team that won the Superbowl. Just because it’s the same franchise with the same quarterback and coach doesn’t mean it’s the same team. Aside from the large amount of turnover that franchises have, this team was dead in the water with 4 weeks left in the season and if not for a Cowboys collapse wouldn’t even have made the playoffs. The 2007 team went on a tear rattling off 6 consecutive victories in the middle of the season. People were scared of the 2007 Giants and that defense. At some point the number of injuries will catch up to the Giants and the run will be over. It’s been special, but it hasn’t been magical the way the 2007 team was.
Honorable mention goes to the conversations if Eli is better than his big brother Peyton if he happens to win another Superbowl. It’s clear that the Colts without Peyton are a terrible team, but if you replace Eli on the Giants they’re not looking at the #1 draft pick and probably wouldn’t even be the worst team in their division. Eli is fantastic and deserves to be mentioned in the top tier of QBs in the league now, but he’s doesn’t strike fear in defenders the way Peyton does. Few do. Give Eli his credit, but understand Peyton isn’t worse off for only having one Superbowl championship.
WF: Ed Reed calling out Joe Flacco. It’s obnoxious because we get the very vanilla, cookie cutter responses/backtracking/explanations to the whole thing. I just want for once a guy to snap back and be like “WTF man? we’re on the same team” through the media. I get why you can’t do that, because it’s the week before the Championship game, but Flacco and a few other guys had to have gone to Reed and been like “Yo, do that shit in the locker room man”. This isn’t to say that Reed is wrong, though. Flacco needs to be better if they’re going to beat the Patriots, so I think Reed was just trying to light a fire under him. Problem is I don’t see Flacco as the type of guy who will respond well to something like this. The guy has an impressive post season record, but when you look a little deeper you’ll find more INTs than TDs and an average of just over 150 yds passing/gm in the playoffs. Need to advance past WC weekend? Flacco is your man. Anything after that is murky.
AB: The most obnoxious storylines this week are definitely the Super Bowl matchup possibilities that many in the media are discussing. The first one is the rematch of Super Bowl XLII between the Giants and Patriots and the other one I hear about, albeit to a much lesser extent, is an all-Harbaugh matchup. The analysis of Super Bowl matchups before the championship games is just stupid and means nothing. There is no fate or destiny for a SBXLII rematch as that was four years ago and means nothing to the teams playing this weekend. I would rather here about Tiny Hands, Frank Gore, and Vernon Davis having to take on a red hot Giants defense and Eli and his band of wideouts taking on a 49ers defense that kept Drew Brees in check just last week. Tom Brady and the Ravens have had some great showdowns in recent years and I fully expect that to be a close game. I hate the media writing off teams before the games are played, that did not play out well last week and I do not expect it to happen again this week.
WF: You which matchup no one has brought up? The a Giants/Ravens rematch. You guys remember that game, when Trent Dilfer became a SB champion because his defense could score better than half the offenses in the league that year? How come no one is talking about that rematch? I really hate Trent Dilfer.
AB: Oh how I wish the media was talking about Kerry Collins this week, that would be fun!
WF: guarantee you Kerry Collins is not available for interview right now, unless you find the bar stool he’s occupying and but him a bottle of vodka.
TB: How funny is it that Collins was the starting QB for the Colts to start off 2011? His results probably sent him straight back to the bottle.
AB: He threw such a beautiful deep ball though. Just imagine if he had Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz, and Mario Manningham. I bet he would have beaten those Ravens in SBXXXV.
NEXT QUESTION, sponsored by The Church of Latter Day Tebows
Would you rather see an all Harbaugh Super Bowl, Super Bowl 42 rematch, or Super Bowl 35 rematch? Or, none of the above.
WF: I’m not really rooting for any one matchup, but I think the most intriguing would be 49ers/Patriots in what would be billed as a “Changing of the guard” type of game if the super underdog 9ers could knock off the Evil empire Patriots. It’s somewhat similar to how the Patriots knocked off the Greatest Show on Turf Rams and started their own Dynasty. I could see the 49ers becoming a recurring playoff power based simply on the fact that their division is complete dogshit and their new staff/front office has shown they can take complete advantage of that.
AB: My preference would definitely be for an all-Harbaugh Super Bowl, I love me some Jim Harbaugh and hate New England. Also, I think it would be a great game even though the first time through was not the best. I would love to see Jim take home the crown this year. However, I know this will not happen because it never works out that way so I see a 49ers/Patriots Super Bowl coming because then the media won’t know what to hype up.
CE: None of the above. I want to see a a solid defensive match-up. I want to see Ed Reed get a title. I want to see Ray Lewis get another title so he can FINALLY hang up those cleats and become a motivational speaker for hire. Think Terry Tate Office Linebacker. I want the Giants to fall hard on their face. I want the 49ers to have such high expectations for the next 5 years that even the mediocre NFC West proves too much for them. I want Tom Brady to demand they put a team around him. Other than those tight ends, who do they have? I want half of that Ravens team to retire after a Superbowl victory that they don’t even make the playoffs next year. I want to see the media spin out of control with this brother vs. brother match-up that we give it a tropical storm name like Gina.
TB: Sorry, I’m still trying to recover from the fact that Wes said an Alex Smith-led team will become a recurring playoff power.
I want Ravens/49ers for many of the same reasons Caleb stated. I like the organization (and I’m from Cleveland!) especially owner Steve Biscotti and Ozzie Newsome and would be extremely thrilled to see them crush the Patriots, then the 49ers. I will not accept the NFC winning the Super Bowl this year because that means either 1. The Giants win and I hate them or 2. The 49ers get another ring and jump ahead of the Cowboys in number of Super Bowl wins. There is only one good resolution for any scenario for me and that’s the Ravens taking the Lombardi trophy.
WF: I see the angle that you guys want the Ravens to win a Super Bowl because you want to see guys like Reed/Lewis etc win a title. I get it. But that means that Joe Flacco is a Super Bowl winning QB and we’re back to the Trent Dilfer files. If there is one thing I lean towards in Football this weekend it’s QBs that have been there and done it. Tom Brady knows what it takes. So does Eli Manning. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Alex Smith showed me more last week than Flacco. I rank the remaining QBs Brady, Elisha, Tiny Hands and Flacco. If I was laying money on these things which is very illegal and something I never do, I’d say we’re going to be hit with a 2007 rematch of Giants/Patriots.
AB: I sure hope that does not happen though, I really do not want to see the helmet catch eleventy-billion times for two weeks.
CE: Andy just sealed the deal. No way can we have a rematch or either of the Giants or Patriots in the Superbowl. — To address the quarterback situation I’ll say this. Brady is undeniably the best quarterback that played a single snap this season. Eli is good and the argument has been made that you can’t spell elite without Eli but people doubted him until he won his Superbowl. Joe Flacco has been to the playoffs every year he’s been in the league. He’s won with terrible receivers and a power running game. I was a big fan of Anquan Boldin, but I believe he was a product of having Larry Fitzgerald on the outside. He’s not a #1 receiver, he’s better than a 2. He’s more like a #1.5. Torrey Smith is a deep threat, but that’s it. He’s not moving the chains if he’s not running straight down field. It’s been mentioned numerous times that this Ravens’ vaulted defense has been highly overrated. Well if the defense is overrated, he doesn’t have the best receivers and the QB is terrible, is this all on Ray Rice? No. Give Joe a chance. The story behind Eli and Aaron Rogers changed after they won a Superbowl. Maybe the same happens for Joe Flacco.
WF: Yea, that and the Harbaugh vs. Harbaugh would bring some very annoying coverage for 2 weeks.
NEXT QUESTION, sponsored by Tom Brady’s Uggggggs
Who is the best team left? One sentence to state why – use your commas, semi-colons and colons correctly please.
WF: NY Giants – Eli told all of us he was deserving of the “Elite” status, now he’s proving it; that combined with the takeaways they produce puts them on top.
AB: The best team left is the San Francisco 49ers, this is the most complete team left in the playoffs. They have an elite defense and special teams. They are lead by Tiny Hands but with Frank “The Inconvenient Truth” Gore in the back field and a safe, conservative offense they win games. Jim Harbaugh is already a top tier head coach. Defense and special teams are what win in the playoffs, I just do not see this team letting up until they are crowned champs.
TB: I want to say the Patriots are the best team left because of their offense, but it wouldn’t be a reasonable claim; therefore, it is indeed the New York Giants, who have the most complete team.
I have to throw up now.
CE: The best offense is in New York, the best defense is in San Fran and the best quarterback is in New England; so naturally, Baltimore Ravens.
TB: Caleb, stop making so much sense. Had I known you lived in Austin, I would have made an effort to let you take me out on the town and get me drunk when I was there in December. Next time.
NEXT QUESTION, sponsored by Bill Belichick’s dirty hoody
Write headlines for both games.
CE:
“FOOLS GOLD – 49′ers come up short against the mighty Giants 27-10″
“Back in Black – Ravens stun Pats with defensive gamble 27-24″
AB:
Pats Eat Crow, Ravens Upset NE in OT 31-28
Giants Gored, 49ers Advance on the Back of Frank Gore 24-17
CE: BTW, I know you liked my non-QB NFC MVP pick from last week. “Hakeem Nicks, 8 receptions for 185yds and 2TD” He finished just one 20yd reception away from those numbers.
Unfortunately I also picked the Broncos to win. But that was only because I couldn’t back down from a prediction I made earlier. You win some, you lose some.
TB:
ELI-MINATED. 49ers fall short in NFC Championship, lose to Giants 28-20
HIGH AWAY TO THE SUPER BOWL. Ravens outlast Patriots, 20-17
WF:
One Giant Step: NY stops surprise 49ers, 27-19
The Patriot Way: NE cruises by Flacco, Ravens 38-17
FINAL QUESTION, sponsored by Barry’s late mustache and this site that Caleb tweeted yesterday http://wtfismikewearing.tumblr.com/
Random thoughts, shots, predictions, whatever on the games….
TB: If there are no blowouts, I’ll be happy. Deep down I could care less about any of these teams, so all I’m really looking for is a couple good games to keep me entertained while I do my taxes. I have dreams of a Niners/Ravens Super Bowl because each defense is going to try to kill the other teams offense and I’d love nothing more than to see Joe Flacco and Alex Smith getting destroyed all afternoon. Defense!
WF: I’m hoping for some great finish this week to keep up with what’s been a very entertaining playoffs. This is the week where having Alex Smith and Joe Flacco as your QBs really hurts.
CE: If this weeks games are half as entertaining as half the games were last week, we’re in for a treat. Also, if they’re half as boring as the other half, then I’ll be looking forward to more Javale McGee celebratory And1 moments while down by 15pts.
AB: I think we’re going to have some great football this week but as usual I will be rooting hard against the Patriots. Honestly, I would be fine with any team winning the SB besides NE. The team I am most hoping win it all is helmed by the best coach in the National Football League, a man by the name of James Joseph Harbaugh! The 49ers are being overlooked once again this week with another red hot team coming to Candlestick. Tiny Hands will come through again and that 49ers defense will force turnovers while make ELIsha their bitch. 49ers are going to Indianapolis, book it now!
