Sunday, January 13, 2008
Greatest Upset in NFL History?...and other playoff thoughts
Show of hands...how many people thought the Chargers had a chance against the Colts today? Keep them up there...now of the ones raising their hands, how many still would think that if I told you Ladainian Tomlinson would miss most of the final three quarters with injury and Philip Rivers would miss the fourth quarter with injury and it would be up to Billy Volek to lead a fourth-quarter comeback in one of the NFL’s toughest places to win?
If your hand is still raised you either are likely a Chargers fan or really, really know something the rest of us don’t.
Those of you that know me, know that I can’t stand the rash of what I call instant historianism. However, I think in this case it applies that when I say the Chargers beating the Colts 28-24 in the RCA Dome today ranks as the NFL’s greatest playoff upset ever.
A lot of people point to the Jets over the Colts in Super Bowl III but I think that was more of a perception that the NFL was superior to the AFL when in reality the gap had dramatically closed. Today was a case of a vastly undermanned team beating a defending world champion with a prolific offense and the league’s top-rated defense. Think about it...the Colts were 13-3 and in their three losses they dominated 51 minutes in the first, were a Adam Vinatieri chip shot field goal away from winning the second and would have won the third if it meant something and they played their regular starters.
The Colts were that close to being 16-0 and yet were taken down by a team that lost its top two offensive players and had a third somehow playing on a dislocated toe. They did it with the referees seemingly in the Colts pocket the entire game (i.e. phantom hold on Cromartie’s interception return, a phantom pass interference call after the Chargers had taken a 21-17 lead...) And they did it with what was basically a JV offense.
It was a reminder of what makes sports great. No matter what the circumstances you just never know who will win...
INVISIBLE MAN: Did Marvin Harrison play in the second half? I saw him on the sidelines a few time but really even when he was on the field you can’t tell whether he’s playing or not when it comes to the playoffs. The bottom line is once the postseason hits Harrison disappears into thin air. His latest disappearing act involved him catching a whopping two passes for 27 yards, one which he fumbled away when the Colts were getting ready to score again. His fumble might have been the game’s biggest play as it changed the complexion of everything.
But was anyone really surprised? This guy is a perennial zero when the games mean the most. In 15 playoff games he’s topped 100 yards just once and has just one game in which he caught a touchdown. He had two in that game and one was because the Broncos didn’t realize that when a receiver catches a pass and falls down they have to touch him before he is ruled down. They didn’t and he ran into the end zone.
The biggest joke I’ve ever heard is when a few no-nothing about football goofs in the media actually tried comparing Harrison to Jerry Rice, the greatest receiver in NFL history. Rice was at his best in the playoffs. He had eight 100-yard games, including three in the super bowl. He also caught at least one touchdown pass in 14 different playoff games. He has playoff records and super bowl records, in addition to all the main regular-season ones. This guy’s worst...WORST super bowl with the Niners was 7 catches for 148 yards and three touchdowns. And while Harrison missed an absurd amount of time this year with a bruised knee, Rice caught 10 passes for 149 yards and three touchdowns against the Chargers in Super Bowl 29 after separating his shoulder in the first quarter...and Harrison missed almost as much time with a bruised knee as Rice did with a torn ACL in 1997. That was the year Rice made it back late in the season after tearing it in the season opener. The truly great ones do their best playing when the games matter the most. Harrison does his best in the regular season–always has always does. To those that have compared him to Rice please buy a clue.
MR. COMMERCIAL: Make no mistake Peyton Manning is a great quarterback and a future Hall of Famer. He had a good game today too and is not the main reason the Colts lost. But what has always bothered me about Manning is his inability to be great in the playoffs. Granted, he put that in my face against the Patriots last year in the AFC championship but if you look at his four playoff games last year he played below par from he did in the regular season–something he has done throughout his career. He threw more interceptions than touchdowns and had almost as many interceptions in the playoffs as he had thrown in 16 regular-season games. He also had both of the Colts turnovers in the super bowl in which he still somehow won the MVP. Today he threw for over 400 yards and three touchdowns but he also had two costly interceptions inside the red zone. Granted the one to Keith could have been caught but it was a high throw that Keith had to leap for. He also didn’t get the job done on the last two drives (although he made a great pass to Wayne on the final drive that was knocked loose by a great hit).
As you all know I always put Peyton under a microscope, but I’m just saying that for as wonderful as the media makes him out to be he is not at his best in the playoffs. He’s no Harrison but he makes a lot of mistakes in the playoffs that he doesn’t make in the regular season. The guy is great and he’s probably one of the top 10 quarterbacks ever, but I’ll take Brady, Montana, Bradshaw, Johnny U, Bart Starr and Otto Graham and clutch performers like them any day of the week if I had one game to win and could choose any quarterback from any era.
At least you have more time to make commercials now, Peyton, that get less and less funny year after year.
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