The Manning Redemption

Eli Manning's shoulders got a little lighter yesterday as the young quarterback finally won a playoff game. Eli completed 20 of 27 passes yesterday for 185 yards, throwing two touchdowns and no interceptions. If the New England game was Eli's coming out party, yesterday was his redemption. After two years of losing playoff games and four years of boos from fans who compared him to his brother, Eli finally came up big. But it's more than that, isn't it? He looked different. His game looked complete. He was composed, he was patient, he was smart. He took his time and read the defense, using the pump-fake and finding the open man. The Giants didn't win in spite of him. They won because of him. How many times have we been able to say that? I'm not saying Eli is out of the woods. He won a playoff game, not a Super Bowl, and his regular season performance was still shaky and inconsistent. But he looks different. He looks better. He looks (dare I say?) like a very good NFL quarterback. Let's see how he maintains this level of play going forward.


Now Wild Card weekend is over and we are one step closer to the All-Manning Super Bowl of which Archie has long dreamed. Let me first say that I nailed every pick this weekend. I rule. Now onto next weekend:


New England over Jacksonville:
If New England wants to make it to the Super Bowl, they'll have to beat the two other toughest offenses in the NFL (sorry, Dallas). Beating the Patriots would certainly be a tall order for Jacksonville, but the Jags are capable of doing it. If they can contain them on defense, their offense is perfectly capable of keeping up with Brady's Boys. I love David Garrard and not just because he's another Dave G. The guy looks like the real deal. He is so confident in the pocket, so accurate, and yet he is willing to find the open lane if he needs to run. That 32-yard scramble is one of the top five plays by anyone this season. If you disagree, you are wrong. And stupid. And a Steelers fan. Garrard and the seemingly unstoppable one-two punch of Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew will be a huge test for the Pats. But, I think they've proven they're up to a challenge.

That being said, I'm taking New England. When a team is undefeated, they have to give you a reason to pick against them. Another team's success is hardly a just cause. I'd like to see Jacksonville win this game (because I like Jacksonville, not because I dislike NE) but you just can't pick against 16-0 unless a major piece is missing. Sorry, Dave G.


Indianapolis over San Diego:
San Diego is a good team. Indy is a great team. That's it. End of discussion. A year or two ago, I would have said that Peyton would have given up the game...and I still might bring up the choke argument later in the playoffs. But there's no way Peyton Manning will give away a first round game. Marvin Harrison will be back and even if he isn't 100%, Manning still has Wayne and Clark and every other weapon he used all year. By the way, have you heard of a fella named Joseph Addai?

Simply put, the Colts are awesome. They're the defending champs, they dominated this season, and the usual argument against them - that they lose big games - is significantly diminished now that they've won the Super Bowl. The only reason people aren't talking more about the Colts are because the Patriots went undefeated. The Colts are better than the rest of the NFL. They'll roll over the Chargers and then they'll play in what may be one of the best games ever against the Patriots. I think it's more likely that the Jags will beat the Patriots than that the Bolts will beat the Colts. The Colts are heading to the AFC Championship game. It's only a matter of time.

Green Bay over Seattle

I make this pick cautiously because I think Seattle is a good team with good coach and a good quarterback and a good running game and a good defense. The Packers, though, can be great. Favre will play like it's his last chance because it just may well be.

New York over Dallas

The Giants have already gotten two looks at Dallas this year and it's going to be difficult for Dallas to beat them a third time. The Giants have not been hotter under the Eli era than they are right now. Manning's playing great football (Holy shit, I can't believe I wrote that!), the offense is red hot, and the defense is stifling. With TO less than healthy, the Dallas offense isn't at it's top form and let's not forget that as good as Romo is, he has not yet won a playoff game. Eli Manning has one more playoff win than Tony Romo. Beat that, Wade Phillips!