The Pats Almost Won the Super Bowl
This might seem like the most obvious headline in the history of the world, but it gets more interesting. Mike Carey, the referee in charge of the Super Bowl this year, had some things to say about the game. For the record, Mike Carey is probably my favorite ref in the NFL. He explains his rulings better than anyone else. If you are a Giants fan today, he is probably your favorite NFL ref too.
Carey had this to say regarding the biggest play of the Super Bowl where Eli Manning was nearly sacked on the play that he ended up completing an impossible pass to David Tyree for a first down.
(From the NY Post)
“I anticipated a sack,” said Carey, a veteran of 18 NFL seasons who became the first black Super Bowl referee. “I didn’t assume that was going to happen, but rarely do you see a quarterback escape when he’s got that much weight on his back and being dragged by two or three guys who had a hold of him. I could see his head was just straight ahead. He was trying to break free with desperation. Then all of a sudden he spun out and then he started to come right back at me.”
Granted, even with a sack on that play it would have been fourth down and the Giants surely would have gone for it, but still. With all the other close plays like the one where Asante Samuel almost had the interception, this is just another example of how fine the line can be between winning and losing in the NFL. It was THAT close.
I am sure some New England fans aren’t happy that the play wasn’t blown dead, but I think Carey made the right (non) call there. It is nice to know that the guy who was working the Super Bowl wasn’t too whistle-happy. There is nothing worse than when a ref blows a play dead that should have resulted in either a change of possession like the dreaded “down by contact” before a fumble. I would hate to have had the league’s biggest game decided by a referee’s whistle rather than the play on the field.
NFL Playoff Notes
Just a couple notes from the football I watched this weekend.
- There is going to be criticism for Jeff Garcia and Joey Galloway after the seemingly dismal performance they put together against the Giants yesterday, but Garcia and Galloway weren’t the problem. They were just the problem indicator. The real problem was the line of scrimmage, where the Giants only had to rush their four d-linemen for most of the game. When they don’t have to use extra personnel to blitz and they are still rushing the QB, the QB and his receivers will have bad games.
- Eli Manning will still never be his brother. He did a nice job of managing the game and not making mistakes, but that means he is just like every other QB in the NFL. He won’t win you a game except by not losing it for you.
- The Steelers are not a good team offensively without Willie Parker. Davenport is an effective runner and the Steelers offensive line is good enough that they can get anyone some yards, but without that speed and elusiveness that Parker brings to the game, the Steelers lose a SERIOUS home run threat. The Steelers should consider adding some depth, even in the late rounds of the draft, with someone who has similar athletic ability to Willie Parker.
- The 6 sacks that Pittsburgh gave up are a reflection of Willie Parker’s absence more than Pittsburgh’s offensive line. The Jags didn’t have to respect the run and they blitzed like crazy. No offensive line can withstand a blitzing defense that feels it doesn’t have to respect the run.
On to this weekend’s upcoming games
- San Diego is going to have a tough time against Indy in the dome without Antonio Gates if he can’t play. The Chargers beat the Colts earlier in the season on a fluke when Adam Vinatieri missed a field goal from not much further than an extra point.
- If Marvin Harrison can be even remotely effective, the Colts will be tough to stop on offense. Due to Harrison’s injury, Anthony Gonzalez has gotten a lot of playing time and will prove to be an even better option on offense when he drops to a less talented defender. Now Peyton Manning’s reads will go from Harrison to Wayne to Clark to Gonzalez / Addai out of the backfield in passing situations.
- I am not making guarantees, but I can’t think of a situation where I thought two teams had less of a chance than the Giants and the Seahawks. Anything can happen, but it just feels relatively inevitable that the Cowboys and Packers will play in the NFC Championship.
My worthless prediction right now is a Jags Packers Superbowl. I honestly think that the Jags can be dangerous against the Pats. They are a team built for New England because of their strong running attack. Between MoJo Drew, Fred Taylor and Garrard running the emergency QB draw, I feel like they can actually beat New England. That isn’t to say that they are a favorite, because they aren’t.
Anyway, I called it the worthless prediction because I have no confidence behind it.
