Wild Card Review

[TiceMustGo]

Good game between the Redskins/Bucs this afternoon. It could have went either way. Washington capitalize a lot of the Bucs mistakes in this one.

Both defense played well. I am not sure what else you could have asked from both sides.

Who would've thought Chris Simms had to engineer the offense instead of Cadilliac? Cadilliac was a non-factor as the Redskins D just smothered him all day long. I actually thought Chris Simms did a good job out there today. He almost tied the game in the end which could have went to OT and then who knows. Redskins D did their job on Simms, but I liked how Chris Simms was able to handle the pressure from the Redskins defense. He made some plays out there. I think this is a great learning lesson for him today and I think he will only get better.

Who would've thought Lavar Arrington would have made big plays today? I know he has been on the doghouse recently.

I thought the ref got this one right as he called that catch by Bucs WR Eddell Sheppard as incomplete. He dropped the ball in the last second as Rogers was able to hold on to Sheppard. It looked like Sheppard had it, but then ESPN really showed the replay real close to the action and that's where he dropped in the last second. Tough break there for the Buccaners.

Good job by the ref taking Taylor out of the game after he spat at Pittman.

Redskins are going to have to get a lot more from Brunell and the offense next week at Seattle.

Great to see the Redskins win. I was rooting for them to win this one. I would love to see them go all the way.

 

[TiceMustGo]

Jags/Patriots was a snorefest. I did not pay much attention. You knew what the Pats would do. Brady would have found a way and that's what he did. He got hot late in the game and then took care of business in the fourth quarter.

I thought Jaguars did the best they could out there. Their D did the best they could for three quarters. I think they got tired in the end by being on the field for so long thanks to an very ineffective offense. Leftwich was giving you nothing out there and the Pats sensed blood right there come second quarter. I am not sure if it would have made a difference or not, but Jack Del Rio should have played Leftwich last week just so he can get in the flow of the offense. He wasn't his usual self. Granted the Pats D is tough to play against, but geez. At least, David Gerrard gave them a little spark.

Man it seems there are always ghosts at Gillette Stadium similiar to ghosts at Yankee Stadium in which great things happen to a home team and bad things happen to the road team. Jaguars had wide receivers missing some catchable balls out there. Had Jimmy Smith caught that ball, who knows what happens.

Jaguars had a great season. They will only get better. The sky is the limit for them for years to come.

As for the Pats, GO BRONCOS!

 

[TiceMustGo]

Panthers showed Giants fans and the Giants who was boss today.

Eli Manning and Tiki Barber was a non-factor. Giants fans and the NY media clearly overestimated the Panthers all week. Giants fans can now shut up about their SB dreams until next season.

Too bad that Carson Palmer was out. When he got hurt and when he left the game, you knew it was over.

 

[Crossbones]

Bengals/Steelers

This one would have been a really good game except for the injury to Carson Palmer. What a shame. After throwing a strike for 60 yards Palmer a Steeler rolls up on Palmer's leg and tears the ACL in his knee. Game. Set. Match.

Interestingly enough with Jon Kitna at the helm the Bengals roll to a 10-0 lead and then take a 17-7 lead. That's when it all cam crashing down.

In the second half Pittsburgh got it's running game going. The Steelers had a couple of trick plays getting Randle El involved and tolok the lead for good at 21-17.

Jon Kitna showed his true colors looking confused and finally the inevitable -- the patented Kitna mistakes one after the other. On one play he scrambled until he got into the open filed and just dropped the ball to the turf. Idiot.

It's really a shame we didin't get to witness the sure to be shoot out between these two teams. Cincy's defense (under that defensive dynamo Chuck Bresnahan) is terrible but their offense is equally good under Palmer.

 

[Rupert]

You know. What's funny about Bresnahan's defense is that it's exactly what we saw in Oakland. It can land haymakers over and over, but like any puncher, a good boxer can get them off balance and deliver a killing blow.

It happened with Cincy like it happened in Oakland, plenty of great plays and then the blitz that cooks the golden goose (your own that is). Bresnahan's defense is like a game of don't spill the beans that is always one bean away from disaster.

 

[TiceMustGo]

Bengals were done as soon as Carson Palmer was out with an injury. It's too bad that it happened to him and the Bengals. He should be ready in training camp though. I thought Carson Palmer gave the Bengals a better chance than Jon Kitna. The thing I love about Carson Palmer is that presence and leadership. You know you are going to win when he is out there. He just has that aura and confidence in himself that filters the team which is why I am a huge fan of his.

Bengals were playing better when Palmer was on the field. When Kitna came, you just sense the balloon was burst by then. Ktina did good when he entered the field, but then he became Kitna after that as the Bengals looked inept offensively. Steelers milk the clock real good with their running game in the third quarter which helped them get more time poessession over the Bengals.

Was that hit to Palmer dirty or not? I thought it was. What do you think?

 

[Rupert]

The loss of Palmer sealed the loss for the Bengals, no question. Was it a dirty hit? I didn't see it live, only in truncated replays so I don't know where von Oelhoffen was prior to diving at his knee.

I also didn't watch the second half, errands to run, but I knew the team would revert to Kitna's team. In the 1st half they had the Palmer aura still hanging over them. They could pretend it was just a bruise and he'd come back to lead them to victory. When it was Kitna's show the results were predictable. At the half Kitna turned from a fairy princess into a cleaning lady (and not with a French maid's outfit either).

Kitna's a good backup, if you only need him for less than two quarters at the end of the game. He's not good for spot starter duty, and he's just as bad if you go into the half knowing he's the guy coming out of the break. I guess you could be worse off, you could have Kyle Orton as your backup or any of those stiffs that rotated under center in San Francisco.