Terrell Suggs: One of my New Favorite Players

There was some discussion this week about a scoreboard error at Gillette Stadium which made Baltimore kicker Billy Cundiff think it was the wrong down. This not only shook up his pre-kick routine on the sideline, it also seemed to force him to rush his lining up for a 32 yard field goal. A field goal he famously missed.

There was an attempt by some to turn this into SpyGate 2.0. It's being called ScoreboardGate. And one Ravens coach (Randy Brown, the Ravens' kicking consultant) when asked about the possibility of the Patriots intentionally sowing confusion said "I don't think you can rule anything out in New England, can you?"

The story never took off, despite considerable effort from the bombastic and outlandish wing of the sports media. Outside of Boston, some people tried to make a name for themselves by spewing innuendo, and implying some scoreboard trickery. And inside of Boston, fans and media stalwartly defended their team against an attack that never really came.

WEEI.com's headline, for instance, read "Ravens blame scoreboard for missed kick." Which wasn't true at all. The Ravens didn't make any assertion. The aforementioned Brown was led to say what he said. Which was kind of stupid, but the kicking consultant is hardly the voice for the entire Ravens organization. And head coach John Harbaugh called the whole notion of foul play "nonsense." None of the Ravens made accusations. All accusations were made by sports media people, who then tried to generate a story about the accusations that they themselves made. Sort of like accusing someone of being an alien, then referring to them as an "alleged alien."

The media tried to make a story out of nothing, but their wheels never got any traction. Mainly because despite the confusion, Cundiff should have still made the kick. And also because any sensible person could realize that the scoreboard's error was due to miscommunication over a ruling on Anquan Boldin's fumble out of bounds, which brought the ball back to where he last controlled it, not where it left the field of play. Moreover, the circumstances were so weird that the notion of premeditation was absurd.

Imagine Belichick telling a scoreboard operator, that just in case the Ravens fumbled a ball out of bounds past a first down marker, to screw up on the down and distance, thus confusing the placekicker. That's a little far-fetched, even for the Arlen Specters of the world. And he's the guy who came up with the Magic Bullet Theory.

Terrell Suggs had the best dismissal of this non-story, when Skip Bayless tried to jumpstart the conspiracy theories.

I'm glad Suggs called out him out. But asking Skip Bayless not to be a douchebag is like asking water not to be wet.

Even after Bayless tries and fails to get Suggs to accuse the Patriots of cheating (using a gentle sounding euphemism like "home-cooking"), he then tries to get Suggs to badmouth his own coach. He tries to start one fire, then moves on to start another.

Bayless is a tool. And that's why he has a job. Which makes him an even bigger tool. And makes people who watch him, even if they hate him, tools. Because people do like to watch him be a douchebag, and that's why he gets paid. And that pisses me off.

I want a "Be an Analyst, Don't be a Douchebag" t-shirt. Of course Bayless is such a tool that he'd probably be the one selling them.

-The Commodore

Colts Hire Chuck Pagano

I love this hiring by the Colts. Chuck Pagano will bring a toughness and change into Indy. He's a defensive mind and is a 3-4 guy which means there are a lot of changes coming. The Colts obviously have a lot of decisions this offseason and other than Peyton Manning, Robert Mathis is a free agent.

If Pagano were to move into a 3-4 like defense, that would make Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis (if they signed him) outside linebacker pass rushers like James Harrison and Lamaar Woodley. Which would be a pretty good start. They would need to address the defensive line which they would need to find a guy to plug up the middle (Casey Hampton will most likely be available) and two bigger defensive ends.

Now onto Manning, with more and more hirings/ firings I either think 2 things are going to happen. 1. He's released, 2. He retires. Let's not forget that he has a neck injury and Peyton right now, doesn't even know whether he can play or not. The Colts are in a position where they need to rebuild, rather than retool, which probably means Reggie Wayne is gone.

Why Not?

Why not watch what we were all thinking after the Patriots game yesterday?

Patriots 23, Ravens 20

The defense won this game. The defense and Billy Cundiff. It certainly wasn't the offense that won this game for the Pats. While I don't think Brady "sucked pretty badly," he wasn't good. The Patriots lost the turnover battle, Flacco in many ways had a better game than Brady, the Ravens accumulated more yards, and held the ball longer. But the Pats defense made some big plays in big moments and that's why the Patriots are going to the Super Bowl.

The defense did allow a pair of token touchdown drives, struggling to contain Rice and giving up chunks of yardage in the air.

But when Woodhead fumbled a kickoff return on the 28, the defense held Baltimore to a field goal (which gave the Ravens a 4 point lead instead of an 8 point lead). Spikes' interception might have been a big play if Brady didn't throw a pick a few seconds later.

In the 4th, the Ravens had a 3rd and 3 on the Patriots' 30 (48 yard field goal range). Wilfork stuffed Ray Rice for a 3 yard loss, and Baltimore was forced to go for it on 4th and 6 instead of kicking a field goal. The Pats did not allow the Ravens to convert that 4th down thanks to good coverage and pressure from the aforementioned Wilfork.

The offense had a chance run out the clock late but went 3 and out. The defense did allow a big 29 yard Anquan Boldin reception, which put the Ravens in field goal range. Then Sterling Moore saved the game by breaking up a pass in the end zone, then deflected the next pass. So at the very least, the defense preserved a tie.

Billy Cundiff did the rest.

The Patriots' offense wasn't bad all game. They just couldn't come up with many big plays. They struggled in the Red Zone, the Ravens got timely pressure on Brady, then there were the turnovers. Brady threw 2 picks, he also had one called back because of an illegal contact penalty, and he threw another one after an encroachment flag. He was not that sharp. He also missed a wide open Gronkowski and what would have been a touchdown in the 1st quarter. He missed a number of passes, and frequently threw into double coverage.

The Pats' best player had his worst game of the season, but because of Wilfork, Spikes, Moore, and Ellis, the Pats still won. And Brady will get a chance to redeem himself against the Giants.

Longest two weeks of the year. Let's party.

-The Commodore

Patriots/Ravens Preview

This is the 6th time the Pats have been in the AFC Championship in the Belichick-Brady era. Think about that. 6 times since 2000. Before the B-B epoch (1960-1999), the Pats had reached the AFC/AFL title game a total of 3 times.

Last week, the Patriots were fortunate enough to face the #12 seed in the playoff tournament. They also played the worst QB in the playoffs. And maybe that good fortune has extended into the AFC Championship game. Joe Flacco is the worst QB remaining in the playoffs. 20 touchdowns and 12 picks in the regular season. An 80.9 rating, which puts him 18th in the NFL, between Kevin Kolb and Carson Palmer.

But you don't need a great QB to win a playoff game. Just ask Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers. Or ask the Ravens, for that matter. The Ravens have an excellent chance in this game, although it all depends on one thing. Can they get to Brady?

The Ravens were tied for 3rd in sacks with 48. Suggs had 14 on his own. They can get pressure on Brady. Which means the Patriots will have to rely on guys like Welker and Gronkowski to get open quickly. They'll also need that offensive line to play one of its best games of the season.

If the Ravens do get pressure on Brady and keep the Patriots' offense in check, they can run the ball, they can play possession football, and they can squeeze out a win.

It's tough to respect Flacco, though. It seems like if the Patriots go up by even 4, then Flacco will find some way to screw up.

This game will be tough for Brady and the offense to rack up an absurd number of points. But it'll also be tough for Flacco and the Ravens to do similar. I think the Patriots will win this in a tight contest.

27-20 Pats.

-The Commodore

Ed Reed Ready To Go?

When Ed Reed went down at the end of the Texans game this weekend I thought (and kinda hoped) he was done. He seems to be OK though, as the X-Rays came back negative on his ankle, and Reed has come out to say...

"I'll be all right. I'll get treatment and I'll be ready to go," he said after the game, per ESPN AFC North blogger Jamison Hensley. On Monday, Reed's head coach echoed the sentiment. "Ed looks like he's all right with the ankle," Ravens head coach John Harbaugh revealed, according to Hensley. "Everything's come up OK as far as the X-rays."

Ed Reed, even though he is getting older, is one of the most dangerous defensive players in the league. He scares the hell out of me, because I think he is one of the few guys that can actually lineup against Hernandez and Gronk and have a chance to hold them in check. I guess the question the Ravens have is whether or not they can pressure Brady. We all know that's how you beat the Patriots is pressure up the middle, but last week the Ravens didn't have 1 sack against the Texans. They do that against the Patriots they will get blown out.

For The Rest Of The Games This Weekend

37 New York Giants, 20 Green Bay

The Giants have been absolutely on fire and were the most impressive team in this divisional series.

ShEli Manning played a pretty good game with 330 yards and 3 TDs and lead receiver Hakeem Nicks led the way with 7 receptions and 165 yards and 2 TDs. ShEli hasn't made a those mistakes she's been accustom to recently, and if they beat the Giants this weekend she has a chance to win her 2nd superbowl.

The Packers leave the year as your token flash in the pan regular season team, we have seen this the past couple of years with the top record teams and yet another team falls victim. The Packers 15-1 regular season will be more remembered as a choke job season more than being productive. It wasn't all Aaron Rodgers fault for the loss but he should shoulder a big percentage of the blame. His WR dropped 6 passes, and there were 2 fumbles. But Rodgers threw a pick and fumbled the ball and on top of that his timing looked off all game. I guess now BMack can fall back on his second team in the Patriots now.

36 San Francisco, 32 Saints
The Saints decided not to cover Vernon Davis all game and that killed them. I still don't take the 49ers seriously for some reason. I'm still waiting for Alex Smith to make a mistake, but in this game he didn't. He actually had a great game and won on of the best games I have ever seen.

For a majority of the game it was pretty boring but with 4 minutes left in the game, all hell broke loose. with 4 minutes left the should be MVP Drew Brees hit Darren Sproles with a 44 yard pass for the lead for a 24-23 lead. Then Jim Harbough called a great play and had Alex Smith naked bootleg for a 28 yard scamper for a 29-24 lead (failed 2 point attempt) with 2 minutes left. Then Drew Brees hit TE Jimmy Graham for a 66 yard strike with 1:30 left to retake the 32-29 lead. And against all odds Alex Smith and Vernon Davis made a mockery of the Saints secondary which finally ended in a 14 Yd TD Pass with 9 seconds left.

Drew Brees finished with 40/63 with 463 yards and 4 TDs and 2 Ints in a losing effort. Hell of a game.

20 Baltimore, 13 Houston
This game was boring as hell and Ed Reed is pretty good.

Patriots 45, Broncos 10

I tried finding an appropriate 3:63 Bible verse (Brady threw for 363 yards), and the best I could find was: Look at them! Sitting or standing, they mock me in their songs. (Lamentations 3:63). And maybe that can be about how much hype Tim Tebow got leading up to this game, and how much people forgot that Tom Brady is a pretty good QB.

All season, the Patriots have won and lost based on the performance of their offense. Their defense isn't good enough to win games when Brady struggles or turns the ball over. On the other hand, the offense is potent enough to win games on its own, even when the defense is terrible. Saturday night, the offense was at its best.

Brady was nearly perfect. His one interception was the only blemish on his performance. 5 touchdowns in the first half, 6 overall. He completed over 3/4 of his passes. He had fewer incompletions (8) than Tebow had completions (9).

One amazing stat struck me. The Patriots were 3 of 6 on 3rd down. What amazes me is that the Patriots got to 3rd down only 6 times. They got 31 first downs. That means that 25 times they didn't even get to 3rd down before getting a new 1st down (they got 3 1st downs from penalties). In other words, even if the Pats had been playing with CFL rules and only getting 3 downs per series, they'd have still moved the chains with regularity.

The line protected Brady all night. 0 sacks. That was a huge reason for Brady's monster stats. When Brady did have some pressure on him, he wasn't able to fully step into his throws, and that's the only time the Patriots' drives sputtered and stalled. For the most part, though, the line gave him time to find open receivers, and space to step into throws.

If not for Brady, Aaron Hernandez would have been the clear star of the game. He caught 4 passes for 55 yards and a TD. He ran for 61 yards. And he had a tackle. That's a diverse night. He left the game early but all reports say that he's alright.

Using him as a runningback was ingenious in its simplicity. When an opponent sees no RBs in the Patriots' huddle, they might go with a lighter personnel package with more DBs, and fewer big guys up front. Then Hernandez lines up in the backfield and the Pats run the ball against a defense designed to stop the pass. So simple, which is why it's so smart.

Hernandez did lose a handle on the ball twice, which makes me nervous. He juggled an exchange from Brady, and lost a ball after being downed by contact. His ball control isn't 100%. He's not Tiki Barber in the early 2000s, but it's something to note.

Gronkowski should endorse a line of vacuum cleaners. Everything that enters his airspace gets sucked in. Bibi Jones can be in the commercials with him for similar reasons.

The defense did well. The only touchdown they allowed came when the Broncos got the ball on the Pats' 24. But let's not compare this unit to 2003 and 2004. The Patriots' offense shot out to a big lead, and the Broncos have one of the worst passers in the NFL. When down by two touchdowns, simply not throwing interceptions isn't good enough.

How do you stop Tebow from his miraculous 4th quarter comebackes? You start the 4th quarter with a 42-10 lead.

The Patriots demonstrated why the option is not a viable NFL offense. Defenses are too fast for the backs to turn the corner. And they're too disciplined and coached too well to make mistakes. They know their assignments and containments.

The Pats' D-line got excellent penetration up the middle, as well as even pressure on each flank. That prevented Tebow from rolling out, which is when he's most dangerous. It also meant that when the Broncos ran the option, they couldn't cut back because Wilfork was already through the line and chasing the play from behind. Tebow was sacked 5 times, the Pats had 10 tackles for a loss, plus that 1st quarter strip-sack.

The effect of negative plays is always harsh on an offense. But on an offense that struggles to move the ball as much as Denver's, negative plays are murder.

The Pats played much better than they've played in their past two postseasons. There were no fake punts. In fact the Patriots' special teams executed very well. There were a few mistakes, but they were quickly atoned for.

Nobody's perfect. But Brady came pretty close.

The Pats face the Ravens next week. The other two offensive juggernauts - the Saints and Packers - are out. The Pats are unique among the NFL's final four. Which means either that they're the best of the offense-heavy teams, or were fortunate to play the Denver Broncos.

How weird is this? The Pats are in the AFC Championship and they still haven't beaten a team with a winning record.

Pats vs. Ravens, Sunday afternoon at 3. I'm excited. Let's party.

-The Commodore

Ravens Lose Anquan Boldin For At Least 2 Weeks

"Ravens WR Anquan Boldin (knee) will have surgery on a slightly torn meniscus, coach John Harbaugh confirmed on Thursday. Harbaugh said Boldin will be out two weeks. Boldin will be back for the playoffs (CBS Sports)."

This could be big news for the Steelers/Texans as they battle for bye in the AFC playoffs. The Ravens remaining games are the Browns and Bengals. I think they can win both games without Boldin, but this is also a team that seems to play down to their competition.