Hey y'all it's your favorite sports fan- SportsGal89 In the Building! And we officially have a WONDERFUL playoff season upon us. The 2010-2011 NFL Playoff run has officially kicked-off tonight! Very exciting and very interesting turn of events.
The first set of playoff games brought us some familiar champion faces as we watched the Saints (2009 Superbowl Champs) and the Colts (2 Time Superbowl Champions, 4 time NFL Champions and last year's Saints opponents) faced the Seahawks and the Jets respectively.
So let's start with the Saints and Seahawks:
Saints were of coursed favored going into this game, given that they were the returning Superbowl Champs and with Matt Hasselbeck off and on with a hip injury and playing his first game (today's) everyone thought that new NFL coach Pete Carroll would have an uphill battle that he would eventually lose. But Pete Carroll a "G" in his own right is not bashful when it comes to championship caliber match ups. While I don't respect how he, with perfect timing, took a job in the pros, I do like his the legacy he left at USC and I am not at all surprised that the underdogs took this game, giving the West Coast a little something to be excited about.
It was a tough game and there were many times that I thought the Saints were playing sloppy, but by the second half the Saints picked up a little rythym it wasn't as annoying to watch. Needless to say the Carroll's Seahawks took the win with a battle to battle game. But Hasselbeck (the one everyone thought was going to be the weak link) ended up coming back and just throwing some beautiful passes and really driving to keep this team together. But with the Saints inconsistency all season it wasn't that much of a stretch to see where they were losing key plays. But the big name besides Hasselbeck for the Seahawks was the one, the only Marshawn Lynch who really was the nail in the coffin for the Saints D. Interestingly enough the last time the Seahawks made it to the Superbowl was against the Steelers in 2006 when we played them and won in Detroit (SIXBURGH- yes I had to do it)
And for the game of the evening the Colts (again played the Saints in the Superbowl last year) versus Ryan's Hardknocks. Let me say this first, I have no real interest in either game aside from the fact that I want to watch some good ball. But going into this game, while I love the J-E-T-S story, I want the Jets to suffer a little bit still, for the Steelers Loss they handed us AT HOME! This game initially started off low scoring, well I mean it ended low scoring too. But the first two quarters was just a defensive game, neither team really making the most of those 3rd conversions.
Then the Colts scored (I will own it that I thought the Colts were going to take it) in the 2nd quarter keeping the Jets scoreless into the half. But come halftime I have no clue what Rexy said to his boys (I can imagine) but the JETS came back alive. Anotonio Cromartie with a 41 yard punt return at the beginning of the 3rd leading to a Jets touchdown and extra point good by Folk. Colts and Manning still looked pretty nice- Again I'll give it to Manning, definitely favored in this match up considering his legacy etc and his skill, but where I felt the Colts should have had the win, they definitely gave it up, A crucial play coming by Taj Smith in my opinion sort of turned the game, roughing the kicker and giving the Jets another opportunity to go for a touchdown. While they didn't get it, it definitely took away from the Colts time and opportunity to take the lead. I thought the game was over after Manning led his team to field goal range giving Vinateri and his leg the golden moment. But with 53 seconds left on the clock Sanchez and the boys in green and white got enough field room to allow Folk to be the game winner with a sweet field goal kicked in the final seconds of the game.
And the closing remarks from this sports fan, while my team wasn't playing I have to say that was the most knot creating set of games I have had the pleasure to watch. It is really funny that I get so caught up when I have no real investment (but again, that is my love of sports and not just the teams). 2 years ago when the Steelers went to the Superbowl I had a theory about us winning and going to the big game. My theory was dependent on the who scored first in each playoff match up. In the last set of playoff games before the superbowl the team that scored first was the team that one. So far in this playoff run well at least in these two games, the team that scored first lost. So if my theory is right, whoever scores first in the next two games tomorrow should lose (hopefully) so I hope the Ravens score first ;)
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