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Jets-Colts
*The Jets offense probably played as well as it could. I was impressed with Mark Sanchez for the most part. The Jets defense played well early, but Peyton Manning figured out their blitzes and Collie and Garcon made several big plays.
*Jerricho Cotchery is really good...if he was on a different team he'd probably be a Pro Bowler.
*I think the Colts getting the Collie TD right before the half was the big play. It gave the Colts confidence that they could strike quickly against the Jets D. It seemed like the 2nd half was Manning throwing quick passes to Garcon and Collie, and the Jets didn't have an answer for it.
*Overall, an enjoyable game with the better team winning.
Saints-Vikings
*A very strange game. When it was over, I was so drained I felt like I had played in the game. I knew the game would be controversial when I saw Pete Morelli would be officiating the game. He is an awful official, and I don't understand how he's gotten postseason assignments in the last two years.
*For all the talk of the game turning into a track meet, the Saints offense went into a deep-freeze after the game was tied 14-14. The Saints would run the ball on 1st down, run the ball on 2nd down, then fail to convert on 3rd and 5. This process repeated itself about 10 times until OT.
*Favre was getting beat up, and I'm sure that will factor into his retirement decision. Quite a few cheap shots, some were called, some weren't. Still, the Vikings moved the ball pretty easily on the Saints.
*The game was basically the Vikings fumbling opportunities away. Peterson was so bad that you really didn't want to see him enter the game.
*A lot of questionable officiating decisions, but the phantom pass interference on Ben Leber in OT was the costliest and worst. First, it wasn't even a pass pattern...it was Brees trying to heave the ball out of bounds while being sacked. The official standing next to Leber and Thomas on the sideline who had the clearest view of the play signaled incomplete. The official 20 yards upfield, whose view of Leber was blocked by Thomas, was the one who threw the flag. Pete Morelli should have overruled the flag, because the call was the responsibility of the official with the unobstructed view.
*The sequence at the end of regulation for the Vikings was ridiculous. IIRC, they made it to the Saints 40 with about 1:40 left on the clock, but then they went into hyper-conservative mode. OK, perhaps they thought Peterson would break one. It didn't happen, and it appeared that the Vikings were content to have Longwell try a 50-yarder to win the game. The 12 men in the huddle penalty AFTER the time out was killer, because it probably forced the Vikings into a passing situation. Still, the Vikings were in relatively decent shape. The problem IMO was one of the dumbest play calls I've ever seen. On a key 3rd down, with a gimpy 40-year old QB, you decide then to call a rollout play? First, its a play you haven't used all game. Second, Favre is no threat to run. Why not just call a quick pass to Rice or Berrian? Favre was able to consistently complete those for much of the game. The rollout play was an awful call, but IIRC Troy Aikman actually agreed with the play call!! You've got to be kidding me! Do you want Favre, injured ankle and all, throwing on the run while rolling out to the short side of the field?
*The Jets offense probably played as well as it could. I was impressed with Mark Sanchez for the most part. The Jets defense played well early, but Peyton Manning figured out their blitzes and Collie and Garcon made several big plays.
*Jerricho Cotchery is really good...if he was on a different team he'd probably be a Pro Bowler.
*I think the Colts getting the Collie TD right before the half was the big play. It gave the Colts confidence that they could strike quickly against the Jets D. It seemed like the 2nd half was Manning throwing quick passes to Garcon and Collie, and the Jets didn't have an answer for it.
*Overall, an enjoyable game with the better team winning.
Saints-Vikings
*A very strange game. When it was over, I was so drained I felt like I had played in the game. I knew the game would be controversial when I saw Pete Morelli would be officiating the game. He is an awful official, and I don't understand how he's gotten postseason assignments in the last two years.
*For all the talk of the game turning into a track meet, the Saints offense went into a deep-freeze after the game was tied 14-14. The Saints would run the ball on 1st down, run the ball on 2nd down, then fail to convert on 3rd and 5. This process repeated itself about 10 times until OT.
*Favre was getting beat up, and I'm sure that will factor into his retirement decision. Quite a few cheap shots, some were called, some weren't. Still, the Vikings moved the ball pretty easily on the Saints.
*The game was basically the Vikings fumbling opportunities away. Peterson was so bad that you really didn't want to see him enter the game.
*A lot of questionable officiating decisions, but the phantom pass interference on Ben Leber in OT was the costliest and worst. First, it wasn't even a pass pattern...it was Brees trying to heave the ball out of bounds while being sacked. The official standing next to Leber and Thomas on the sideline who had the clearest view of the play signaled incomplete. The official 20 yards upfield, whose view of Leber was blocked by Thomas, was the one who threw the flag. Pete Morelli should have overruled the flag, because the call was the responsibility of the official with the unobstructed view.
*The sequence at the end of regulation for the Vikings was ridiculous. IIRC, they made it to the Saints 40 with about 1:40 left on the clock, but then they went into hyper-conservative mode. OK, perhaps they thought Peterson would break one. It didn't happen, and it appeared that the Vikings were content to have Longwell try a 50-yarder to win the game. The 12 men in the huddle penalty AFTER the time out was killer, because it probably forced the Vikings into a passing situation. Still, the Vikings were in relatively decent shape. The problem IMO was one of the dumbest play calls I've ever seen. On a key 3rd down, with a gimpy 40-year old QB, you decide then to call a rollout play? First, its a play you haven't used all game. Second, Favre is no threat to run. Why not just call a quick pass to Rice or Berrian? Favre was able to consistently complete those for much of the game. The rollout play was an awful call, but IIRC Troy Aikman actually agreed with the play call!! You've got to be kidding me! Do you want Favre, injured ankle and all, throwing on the run while rolling out to the short side of the field?
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