As residents along the east coast begin to dig out of the year’s first…and with fingers crossed extra tight, hopefully only storm…the NFL has managed to brew up its own version of the perfect storm:
Wildcard weekend started things off with a 4-0 sweep by away teams….only to have the home teams return the favor the very next weekend.
It is probably a safe bet that fans of the other 28 teams are marking their calendars for the proverbial “next year”….in the meantime though, there is something that has felt so right about this sport’s Final Four:
Hailing from Arizona, the Cardinals have dominated headlines throughout the season…for all of the right reasons of course. Included amongst this gritty team is a Heisman Trophy winner and former overall first draft pick getting to a place where it seems someone with such accolades, ought to be….a wide receiver whose obvious talent level is in direct contrast to the rumblings of him being “done”…..and a head coach with more swag than all of his peers combined…ummm, minus Tomlin—the line is so close between these two that it is statistically invalid!
The Carolina Panthers have a slightly newer model Heisman Trophy winner & former overall first NFL draft pick. This version is dabbing his way into the league’s record books. I don’t believe anyone can honestly say they predicted this scenario….a team that by all accounts was depleted of everything needed to have a respectable, yet alone winning season. Apparently these fellas like a challenge…..the defense has answered the call time and time again…and the offense has operated with the type of “next man up” mentality typically reserved for more seasoned teams! While I remain baffled that Greg Olsen is ever left wide open…I’ll be equally so if Cam Newton is not named league MVP!
Although their defense appears to have lost a step or two as the season progressed and their starting qb found himself sidelined then back in the starting lineup…the Denver Broncos made it to the AFC Championship for a reason!! For the record…a blind man can see Peyton is not the same specimen he once was…then again, who amongst is? Undoubtedly, his football iq has not diminished. He has what it takes to figure out exactly what is needed from him & give it a better than average shot. All of the nonsense about his need to secure another ring for Hall of Fame entry is just that, nonsense. Talking for the sake of talking is very seldom noteworthy!
For all of my misgivings about the Patriots…..a less than competitive division & tendency to be on the wrong side of scandals amongst them….the outcome of more w’s than l’s is universal. Winning breeds confidence and confidence leads to winning….all of which, keeps your name on the list when dynasties are discussed!!
Speaking of dynasty discussions….hats off to the Crimson Tide of the University of Alabama for yet another win in the Nick Saban era!
