For those of you angry and depressed that the Colts were not the team that played the Steelers yesterday, consider this: I received an email from a friend of mine yesterday. I won't reveal his name because I haven't asked him if it's OK to write about this, but I have a feeling that if he is OK with letting people know, he'll respond in the comments. My buddy is currently in Tunis, Tunisia, and if you haven't followed the news in recent weeks, the country just broke out in civil war. A dictator of 23 years was overthrown, and now there is chaos in the streets.
My buddy writes me yesterday:
helicopters are hovering above, there is gunshots outside and tanks in the streetand i am watching football. bizarre.
Bizarre indeed, but that should, hopefully, give all of you some clear perspective on 1) Just how truly unimportant football is, and 2) Just how widespread being a Colts fan is in these times. Colts fans live everywhere, and the ones who live in Indianapolis are not 'better' than the ones who live in London, or Beijing, or Tunis.
For my Colts buddy in Tunis, we're obviously thinking of you and hoping this crisis in Tunisia concludes peacefully.
That said, after the jump I offer my observations of yesterday's games.
ENJOY WITH ABSOLUT RESPONSIBILITY®
- Get used to people calling Ben Roethlisberger a 'big game quarterback,' because he is. Rallying his team back from a 21-7 halftime deficit was pretty impressive. That third-and-ten deep ball throw towards the end to Antonio Brown was money. I have a personal dislike for Roethlisberger because of how he treats women, but in terms of his ability to play quarterback, he is in the top five right now.
- Just so everyone understands, Atlanta going 14-2, wining the NFC South, getting the #1 seed, and hosting a playoff game ALL MEANS NOTHING if you lose that first playoff game. Trust us, Falcons fans. We Colts fans know from experience. When you look at at the 2010 season, the 7-9 Seahawks had a better season than the 14-2 Falcons. The reason? Seahawks won a playoff game. Winning in the playoffs is everything, folks. Everything.
- Ziggy Hood, a DT the Colts passed on in 2009 to draft Donald Brown, had 5 tackles and a sack yesterday. In the regular season, the 6'3, 300 pound kid who played at Missouri had 20 tackles and 3 sacks playing DE in a 3-4.
- Aaron Rodgers, right now, might be the best QB in football.
- The punter for the Steelers yesterday was Jeremy Kapinos. Kapinos was the guy the Colts brought in for one game this season after they suspended Pat McAfee for his public intoxication arrest. Kapinos had 4 punts for a 34 yard average yesterday.
- Just FYI everyone, the Packers had 14 players on IR this season. Yet, they are looking dominant in the post-season in large part because they have first round talent invested in the defensive (B.J. Raji) and offensive lines (Bryan Bulaga).
- More FYI: Clay Matthews was taken one spot before Donald Brown in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft.
- I'm sick of the nick-name 'Matty Ice.' Matt Ryan has looked awful in both his playoffs games during his young career. The pick 6 to close the first half against the Packers yesterday was as dumb a decision as it gets.
- Once again, Baltimore's receivers stink. Anquan Boldin dropped a touchdown in the fourth quarter, and T.J. Houshmandzadeh dropped a 4th-and-18 conversion that would have moved the chains had it not bounced off his chest. All the grief many of us gave Pierre Garcon this season, but I didn't see him make drops like the ones T.J. and Boldin made.
- I'm hoping for a Bears win so we can see a Packers v. Bears NFC Championship Game.
- I don't care who wins the AFC. I hate all three teams.