Checkdown Chatter

Yes, the title is two years two old, and well past its humour expiration date… but give me a break, I haven’t written anything in 6 months and I’m easing my way back in with a well used line.

It took a little longer than usual this year, life has been busy, work sucks, the usual, but I’ve fully caught NFL fever just in time for fantasy draft season and the opener on Thursday night.

As always, the 2011 NFL season is bringing with it lots of intrigue, and there are lots of interesting storylines to keep up with. I’ve decided today to enlighten you with a list of those things I’m looking forward to most.

• Fantasy Football.
  This is an obvious for most true fans, but it seems to me like the fantasy football hype is higher than ever, and most leagues are trying interesting new things, PPR, IDP, I’m in my first keeper league (first season where we keep guys, that is) this year and there are some interesting rule tweaks in all my leagues to really get you thinking.
• The 2011 rookie class.
  There are lots of potential impact players at all positions, but I’m particularly interested in seeing how RBs Jahvid Best and Ryan Mathews fare, (sorry, Montario, your hype is on hold). Mathews has some big shoes to fill in San Diego, replacing inner circle Hall of Fame candidate LaDainian Tomlinson, but he’s been handed the starting job for a reason, and Norv has a way of producing successful running backs. Then there is Best, who, I admit I’ve only seen about 5 minutes of in preseason, but I loved every minute of it. This guy can run, and is part of a young nucleus of players in Detroit that has a real chance to make some noise. Make no mistake, I’m not calling for the Lions in the playoffs, but I’m predicting them to be in a lot more games than they are out this year.

How big of an impact Jahvid Best will have in Detroit is still unknown, but he's a definite upgrade over Kevin Smith.

• Division races.
  Of course, it’s every team’s goal to improve in the offseason, but it sure seems to me like a lot of the middle ground teams are making some big leaps heading into ‘11 while the top tier is sticking with status quo. I’m not ready to hand division titles to anyone at the outset of the season. Well… lets be honest, its hard to pick any of the lowly AFC West gang to upset the Chargers, but, all other titles are up for grabs. Of particular interest, the AFC East with both the Jets (assuming they can welcome back Revis, and even still if not) and Dolphins making big leaps. I love me some Patriots, but that is going to be a tough division to come out of this year. I’d be shocked if the Cardinals manage to hang on in the NFC West too, after losing Warner, and Boldin and many cogs on defense. And even in the NFC East, are the Redskins finally ready to make some noise? If so, and if the Giants defense makes some improvement, we’ve got a legitimate 4 team race.
• The Green Bay Packers.
  Lots to love here, a very exciting football team with skill at every spot. Lots of people picking them early for the SuperBowl, and I’d be inclined to agree – but we have to see some significant steps in QB protection, and overall defense if they are going to get there. Still, this team is ready and every game will be exciting. If nothing else, the Packers will be producing some very watchable football this season.

Packers: contenders or pretenders? Most would side with the former, but either way, there will be 16+ action packed football games featuring the Pack this year.

• My first live game.
  Things are different North of the border, ok? I finally caught my first CFL game this year, and even with its inferior players, inferior rules, and general crapiness by comparison I had an AWESOME time. With passport in hand and the border nearby, I have no excuse not to be in Buffalo on at least one Sunday. Its the Bills, I know, but its still live football.

I doubt I'll be cheering for the home team... but just to be at the game...

That’s not necessarily the top 5, just a random spewing of thoughts, but the point is… I’m excited, like all of you for 2011, and can’t wait to get the season underway!

Kurt Warner called it quits today after 12 NFL seasons and a great career. With many asking whether he'll make it to Canton, I've got to ask the question: Why Not?

I’m not the first such person to write this article today, and maybe its because its an easy one to write. Making the argument for Kurt Warner in the hall of fame is a pretty easy task.

His detractors will point out that he had a fairly short career, and there were seasons of mediocrity sprinkled in between the truly great ones. Those are the only real arguments against enshrining the grey-bearded God buddy and I don’t think they’re good enough. In fact, I think they are to Warner’s credit.

To even get into the NFL Warner had to overcome great adversity (we’ve all heard the stockin’-shelves and Arena Football story), only to become one of the most accurate QBs of the last decade. In his first season as starter, coming out of this background, Warner posted a 109.2 QB rating (his highest ever), through for 4300 yards and tossed 41 touchdowns (also a career high). He would then lead the Rams to their only SuperBowl victory, and take home season (his first of two) and Super Bowl MVP honours, leading the greatest show on turf. How’s that for a debut?

And the finale was almost as good. Over the last two seasons, Warner reappeared as a top caliber starting NFL QB posting a combined 8300 yards and 56 touchdowns, after a few forgettable seasons in between. Perhaps most importantly, just as he did in St. Louis, Warner turned a team that had been miserable for as long as memory serves, into a true contender, leading last year’s impressive SuperBowl run, and taking home the NFC West crown and winning one of the most memorable NFL playoff games you’ll ever see in the Cardinals wild card victory over Green Bay.

There are few that could argue that he’s not going out at (or at least near) his peak. At 38, you have to feel like Warner has a few good years left (though we will all hope he doesn’t pull a Favre, of course). Warner overcame a late start, an early departure, significant injury, and a few inexplicable years as the #2 guy on the depth chart to leave a lasting mark on the NFL, and that’s why he deserves to have a spot in Canton.

Lets part with a few of his notable accomplishments:

• Just this season he set the single game high for completion percentage (92.3% on 24/26 passing)
• He has the three highest yardage totals (414, 377 and 365) in Super Bowl history.
• Highest percentage (45.2%) of games with 300+ yards passing.
• One of only two QBs in NFL history to throw 100 touchdowns for two different teams.
• T w/ Marino – fastest player to reach 30,000 yards.

There’s plenty more. And there’s also this quote via Bob Baum of the AP: “In a comparison with the 14 quarterbacks to make the Hall of Fame in the last 25 years, Warner has a better career completion percentage, yards per pass attempt and yards per game. Only Dan Marino had more career 300-yard passing games.”

And, via sporting news he’s got a lot of solid names backing his case for Canton.

More than what he’s done to make it into the hall, you’ve really got to ponder what he has done to keep him out. He’s been an outstanding player, a great leader, stayed out of trouble/exhibited strength of character, and posted some of the most memorable seasons in NFL history, all after making his debut at age 28, and he’s going out on top. I don’t see any legitimate reason that he isn’t a first balloter.

While the Colts won't be hanging the above jersey from the rafters any time soon, there is something to be said for his participation in the closing game's of the season. A rested Manning looked just fine against a Ravens defense that severely hampered Tom Brady the week before.

In the weeks leading up to the close of the season, especially in the case of the then undefeated Colts, I was dead against teams resting their starters and throwing games heading into the playoffs.

I’m still against it, but through the first 6 games of the NFL playoffs the Colts and Saints, the two top seeds in their respective conference for a reason, who were riding a combined 5 game losing streak have made their cases for it.

In their romp over the Cardinals the Saints showed all our fears about momentum (especially since they’ve locked up home field advantage – and that dome seems pretty advantageous to play in) and their struggles heading into the playoffs meant nothing. They are a strong team, with a solid core of players and a great coach.

The same can be said of the Colts, who gave up a shot at history to ensure their health. They handled a Ravens team, that looked after last week like they could present a real challenge, easily.

The big exclamation mark on this: the teams that they played had to play their way in (well, the Cardinals rested week 17 and made their own point on that note against the Packers last week… but they’d been playing hard leading up to that game, and had to really fight to get the week in the wild card round) and were fighting injuries.

Baltimore had their quarterback suffer an injury in the last game of the season… he got away with not being 100% last week, but was exposed this week by the Colts.

The Cardinals, without Boldin and losing some key names on defense through the game (the argument can be made that the exhaustion of last week’s battle did them in) were clearly an inferior team this week.

New Orleans and Indy were as healthy and rested as they could be, and their offenses didn’t miss a beat after dialing it down a notch as the season closed out. Most importantly, their defenses excelled.

New Orleans harassed Kurt Warner and allowed juts 14 points and no touchdown passes just one game after this same offense hung 45 points on the league’s #2 ranked D.

Baltimore had seriously exposed New England the week before and Indy’s run defense was suspect at best. I guess Ray Rice (who played admirably and had a great season, mind you) and the ground game didn’t get the memo.

Last week we watched New England suffer without its top possession receiver, Welker lost in the season’s last game, against the Ravens. And again, Arizona made its point emphatically (on offense anyway) against the Packers by being able to predict their defensive set up from watching them the week before.

I’m not saying I agree with resting starters, or disagree with the importance of momentum (see the Dallas Cowboys win over the Eagles last week… and perhaps more to discuss later this afternoon), but I am admitting the proponents of that point of view are gaining some evidence as the playoffs roll on.

Though ultimately a late Rodgers fumble would lead to the Packers being bounced from this year's playoffs, the young QB and the grizzled veteran on the other sidelines deserve a lot of credit for the show they put on.

The Sunday night game added a dose of excitement to what was otherwise a pretty bland wild card weekend. While it seemed to be heading in the direction of a blowout early, the Packers and Cardinals offense really provided a show (or, their withering defenses allowed for it, whichever side of the fence you sit on).

Last night’s 51-45 overtime thriller was the highest scoring game in playoff history.

Without rehashing the details of a game most certainly everyone watched, I think its important to note the significance of the games both quarterbacks turned in.

Kurt Warner is in the sunset of his career, at 38 – as a dedicated family man, with concussion concerns, etc. – amid speculation that this season may be his last reminded us all that there is still plenty left in the tank, if he chose to continue.

Warner threw 33 passes, yet still managed to have more touchdowns (5) than incompletions (4). His 379 passing yards were slightly over the number of grey hairs in his permanently stubbled cheeks. Warner delivered one of the all time playoff games by a quarterback, in a game that was just a few yards away from being his last.

Lets look at the accomplishments.

• For starters, the 379 passing yards is nothing to shake a stick at.
• The 5tds are the 3rd most in playoff history.
• 154.1 passer rating: the second most
• 87.9 completion percentage; 3rd highest.

Playoff games don’t come much better than that – I’ll admit that I know very little of those that are the 2’s and 1’s on the list above, but you can safely assume that they didn’t combine them all in one game. Thus, this might be the best quarterbacking performance in a playoff game you’ll ever see. I thought retirement was for people on the downswing of their career?

And that’s all well and good, but it speaks volumes that I was more impressed watching Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers started slow, and I’m a bit biased here because I’ve been signing his praises since last offseason when he was finally anointed as the starter in Green Bay.

His line, is less impressive, but still the best of the weekend and one of the best quarterbacking lines in recent playoff memory as well. Of course, there was the costly turnover at the end (which wasn’t really his fault) and the interception on the game’s first throw. But otherwise, Rodgers – a quarterback playing in his first career playoff game – delivered in every situation for the Packers. Every time he was called upon to lead his team in a must score situation – and in a 51-45 game there were lots of these, the 2nd year QB delivered.

As Michael Silver at Y! Sports points out, this was one of the greatest games – and greatest quarterbacking clinics, you’re ever likely to witness.

In addition to being the highest-scoring game in postseason history, this was one of the NFL’s greatest games, period. It simultaneously validated the Packers’ young Pro Bowl quarterback, Aaron Rodgers(notes), as an emerging star and elevated Warner, a future Hall of Famer, into the realm of the ethereal.

The final line: 28/42, 422 yards, 4 TDs, 13 rush yards, 1 rush TD, Int, FL is sparkling. If not for the two unfortunate turnovers it would be even better.

The young QB was under constant pressure, the type that could stymie a 2nd year passer in his first game of such magnitude, but Rodgers was cool, and used his mobility – as he has all season – to create opportunities.

Again, per Silver and some of the members of the Cardinals embattled secondary:

“Let me tell you something – that dude is scary,” Arizona free safety Antrel Rolle(notes) said of Rodgers. “We have a great defense, and we were up on him and ready to pounce, and he found ways to tear us apart.

“I don’t ever want to face him again in my life. I am dead serious. I’ll face Drew Brees any day of the week before I face him again.”

Added Pro Bowl strong safety Adrian Wilson(notes): “Hey, nobody ever said the guy was a bad player. But to have him actually do what he did to us in the second half was unbelievable. He was on fire. The whole half. The guy was just amazing.”

Pretty high compliments for a guy in just the 33rd start of his career.

While Warner and the Cardinals earned their right to march into New Orleans next week, you’ve got to have a great feeling that Green Bay will be playing in these type of football games for a long time to come, thanks to some astute personnel moves, and the emergence of the league’s top young QB.

Interesting tweet session from Darnell Dockett during the Monday Night game.

RT @robtherhino: @ddockett if jason campbell was your QB would you intentionally hit stick him in practice?-> YUP knock his ass OUT! ddockett

RT @mikeyrocks12: @ddockett if you were a Redskin how would you feel right now??- I’d jump out my car during traffic HEAD 1ST!

He also likes commemorating SuperBowl losses (see above commissioned painting). Just kidding, (sort of) congrats on the SB record. … on the topic of interesting twitter activity: Texans TE dressed up for Halloween as my childhood idol