Never bet with your heart, remember? I remember, and I ignored it. An dit cost me. After a 7-0 start to the playoffs, I have hit a slump, losing my last three. Where did it all go wrong?
The Bears truly surprised me. They jumped to an early lead before New Orleans stormed back with what could have easily been the game changing play. Admit it, after Reggie Bush scored on that 88-yard pass, cutting the score to 16-14 you had to feel good about the Saints' chances. A safety later the score wass still a manageable 18-14. Then came the defining drive of Rex Grossman's career to date. At other times this season he folded like oragami, but not this time. Right down the field went the Bears, with Grossman going 6-6 and capping it all of with a 33-yard touchdown to Bernard Berrian. Game over.
The Saints have nothing to hang their head about, and with a good draft, and some free agent acquisitions, especially on defense, the Saints are one of the early favorites next year.
The Colts and Pats battle was epic, on a grand scale. The Pats' game plan was simple. Jump out early, get a lead, and watch Peyton Manning crumble under the pressure. It worked for a half, with the Pats taking advantage of every opportunity, including the deadly Pick-6, to jump ouot to a 21-3 lead. No team had ever come back from a margin that large in an AFC Championship game, and there was no reason to think Manning and Co. had it in them.
Unfortunitely for me they did. I know there is alot of sentiment out there for Peyton. I just don't share it. Sure, he's a great player, but I think he does well enough for himself being in every TV commercial played during NFL games. I have to admit, I puked in my moouth every time they cut to the video of the "Manning Family Suite", with loser Eli up there cheering like a 15 year old JV cheerleader. I may have to sequestor myself from TV and Radio these next two weeks for fear of OD'ing on Archie and the Family.
That leaves just two - Chicago and Indy - in a Super Bowl that does absolutely NOTHING for me. Yea, I'll watch it, but I am hoping to get invited to a Super Bowl party so I don't have to watch it, watch it if you know what I mean. Maybe I'll warm up to it as the days go on, but let this be a lesson to the NFL, and the best reason to date, of why there is no logical reason for a 2-week layoff between the Championship games and the Super Bowl.