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!

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.

Because we’re a classy blog, and nothing news worthy happened yesterday (Playoff races heating up w/ Giants, Eagles, wins, AFC North losses, the Roethlisberger/Batch injury situation, Brady’s 5th straight 300 yard game, Manning 3000+ for 12 straight years, a shootout between the Browns and Lions) this will be our lead story Monday morning.

If you weren’t incredibly perceptive, there’s no way you noticed the incident pictured above. In real time, it was a flash, but now – thanks to the powers of youtube and screen capture technology, Hester’s ass will be forever immortalized. It was a harmless play (occuring on 3rd and 1 with a minute left, before Cutler’s fitting interception ended the Bears chances), as Hester let a low pass bounce of his hands he was grabbed from behind by a defender (video here including a strange, jiggly slow motion) by the waist line, and down came the pants.

This won’t exactly receive the negative attention that Janet Jackson’s malfunction did, but its worth a chuckle – let’s face it: Bears fans need something to laugh about after watching their playoff hopes all but slip away last night.

Speaking of that: I’ve got a few assumptions as to why Hester allowed this to happen:

• He’s angry at Cutler for overthrowing him, and several other Bears receivers open deep last night, and thought that this was an appropriate gesture.
• He wants the worlds toget a look at the goods – football clearly isn’t panning out this year – perhaps nude modelling in the offseason will keep him occupied.
• He was playing charades, and was trying to describe how he felt about the Bears’ season (3 syllables, 2nd+3rd syllables – bareassed – EMBARASSED!)
• Again, with football not panning out, he thought he’d try out for the broadway edition of Twilight New Moon.