Tidbits

[lostinamerica]

Part I of ????

INDIANAPOLIS vs. NY JETS

Newsday(1/3/02):

The Jets have felt the pressure and the urgency for the past 10 weeks. They knew that their poor start had left them with no margin for error and they have said every week seemed like a playoff game, which is very logical.

But it's not true.

They know there is nothing like a playoff game. Nothing in any regular season - no matter how dramatic - can compare to their next game, with the Indianapolis Colts at Giants Stadium tomorrow afternoon. "The next one," coach Herman Edwards said, "is real."

Postseason games build legacies, and more. The last time the Jets and Colts met in one, Super Bowl III, the entire shape of professional football was changed.

Playoff games are just different. In basketball and hockey, they are more physical than regular-season games. In baseball, they are more tightly contested and pitching-oriented. In the NFL, where every postseason game ends someone's season, there is a bit more of everything. One thing in particular:

"Speed," Jets left guard Dave Szott said, answering without hesitation, before the question was half out. "Everybody's game is elevated. Everybody knows you go home if you don't."

Szott has been in 10 postseason games (all with the Kansas City Chiefs) and didn't have to pause to remember that number. "Oh, you count those," he said. "Some happily, some not."

Edwards' personal tally told him that tomorrow's game will be his 23rd, counting his appearances as a player, assistant coach and head coach. He doesn't need a calendar or a program to tell him he is involved in a postseason game.

"It's the speed and the intensity, and the highs and lows of the game," he said after practice at Hofstra yesterday. "It's how you get over a negative play, how all of a sudden a couple of positive plays get you going."

Considering the postseason is such a different animal, there is no telling how much the Jets' momentum from last week's high-pitched win over the Green Bay Packers will apply. On the other hand, tradition favors the Jets: Home teams have won 75 percent of NFL playoff games over the past four seasons. Either way, the stakes are way up.

"It's very hard to get that first one, as a team, in the playoffs," Edwards said. "History tells you that. It's just tough. It doesn't matter who you play. It doesn't matter what the odds look like. It's just one of those deals."

A lot of credibility will be on the line tomorrow. The Jets are looking for the niche they would carve with their first postseason victory under Edwards, who pointed out that, by his count, the Jets roster has a combined 121 games of playoff experience. The team had that in mind when it made moves last offseason.

Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, who has compiled impressive statistics, still is lacking the cachet one playoff win would bring, although he downplayed that this week. "I can't say that winning a playoff game is necessarily going to change anything," Manning said in a conference call. "I don't hear a lot of guys going around, bragging that, 'I won a playoff game.' I think the ultimate goal is to win a championship for your team."

But you can't win a championship without winning your first playoff game. And every snap all week reminds a team of that. "The intensity has picked up," said Jets defensive end Steve White, a veteran of six playoff games with Tampa Bay. "It's one-and-done, so guys are more focused."

Edwards wanted to make sure they didn't get too focused, though. He insisted that they have fun, and yesterday ordered quarterback Chad Pennington to stop watching Colts films. Thinking back to his own days as a player with the Philadelphia Eagles, Edwards said, "[Coach] Dick Vermeil told us he was going to have one extra practice. I walked up to him and said, 'Coach, if we don't know how to hike it or throw it by now, we're in trouble, man,' " Edwards said. "I think it was our 23rd game."

Of course, they had the extra practice anyway, because in the postseason you can't be too sure.

 

[lostinamerica]

NY GIANTS vs. SAN FRANCISCO

NJ Star-Ledger (1/3/03):

The Giants declared a unilateral truce yesterday before a war of words with the San Francisco 49ers could escalate. "Listen, we're going to play the game, and all the talking is going to stop," coach Jim Fassel said.

So, Fassel told his players to zip it? "Never, not me," he said, grinning. "I'd never do that. They can say what they want. It's a free world."

Jeremy Newberry, the 49ers' Pro Bowl center, said both Monday night and Wednesday that the Niners would kick the Giants' behinds in Sunday's wild-card playoff game.

Linebacker Julian Peterson added to that Wednesday when he said Tiki Barber has a "psyche problem" after fumbling three times last weekend, Jeremy Shockey tends to "get frustrated and then blow a couple of plays" and Kerry Collins' "accuracy goes down" when he is on the move. "I don't worry about what they have to say," Barber said. Was he worried about the 49ers going after the ball? "In 2000, Philly said they'd go after my [broken] arm, but they didn't." Barber said the fumbles are "completely out of my mind."

Said Shockey of Peterson, "It's his opinion. He can say what he wants. I'm not getting mixed up in any of that stuff. I'm just ready to play the game."

Someone placed pictures of various 49ers at the lockers of players they will match up against yesterday, some of which were promptly torn down.

 

[lostinamerica]

Ron Jaworski is no slouch.

Jaw's Picks (1/3/03):

I think these are the most wide-open playoffs we've seen in years. I can't honestly tell you there is one favorite in this field.

This Wild Card weekend has the potential to be wild.

Two of the hottest teams, the Jets and the Giants, barely reached the postseason but both teams are scary. The Packers absorbed a huge blow when they lost last weekend and now have to play a wild card game. The 49ers have gone downhill since the midway point in the season.

Pittsburgh was a Super Bowl favorite before the season. Now the Steelers have a long way to go to get there. And both the Browns and Falcons can already consider their seasons successful.

I look forward to a great postseason ride. Here are my picks for this weekend.

Saturday
New York Jets 31, Indianapolis 28
Green Bay 24, Atlanta 10

Sunday
Pittsburgh 20, Cleveland 17
New York Giants 24, San Francisco 17

Overall Record To Date: 166-84 (SU)

 

[lostinamerica]

ATLANTA vs. GREEN BAY:
Red Zone and Third Down Discussion


Atlanta Journal-Constitution (1/3/03):

For all the fuss about Atlanta's offensive problems over the past five games on third down and in the red zone, the woes on defense offer a mirror image.

Strong safety Gerald McBurrows had the right idea, saying, ''We've got to fight, kick, punch, whatever it is.''

Clearly, the Falcons' defense needs to do something, anything --- and fast.

In those last five games, opponents scored 11 touchdowns (and two field goals) in 14 red-zone possessions. Before that, 15 of 30.

And in Atlanta's three December losses, opponents converted 52.5 percent of their third downs. In 13 other games, it was 36.6 percent.

The good news is Saturday's playoff opponent, the Packers (12-4), are No. 18 the red zone, scoring touchdowns at a 52.6 percent clip. And they're No. 21 with a 39.5 percent third-down rate.

Then again, the Falcons (9-6-1) are dead last in the NFC and No. 28 in the NFL in red-zone touchdown percentage (61.4) and No. 20 in third-down defense (39.5 percent).

"Maybe teams see a certain softness in the defense, an area they want to attack," said defensive end Brady Smith.

Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips pointed to ongoing personnel changes, like linebacker John Holecek missing four of the past five games. But injuries in the secondary have hurt more.

Left cornerback Ray Buchanan's play has been compromised by a strained abdominal muscle. His replacement, Juran Bolden, has a strained left calf.

Because of these and other injuries, Phillips has relied recently on more zone than man coverages, and his corners are bumping receivers much less.

Too many receivers are running unfettered off the line. And with more defenders in coverage, there have been fewer to blitz, and quarterbacks have had more time.

"[In the first 11 games], we held up receivers and took away a lot of quick throws," McBurrows said. "We gave our linemen an extra second to get the quarterback."

Atlanta has allowed a whopping 146.4 rushing yards per game in the past five (119.5 before that). But even though the ground game is usually the predominant concern close to the goal, Atlanta has allowed eight red-zone passing touchdowns in the past five games.

"It's nothing about [Phillips'] calls," said linebacker Sam Rogers. "We go over every route possible in practice. Wade will say, 'This will be the worst route that can be called against this defense.' And then in games it's like we've never seen the play before."

Phillips did a masterful job early in the season hiding Atlanta's injuries and weaknesses. But opponents have caught on.

"Once they get enough film to get a handle on you," he said, "they try to beat individuals one on one."

Time to get nasty again.

"[Jamming receivers] was successful for us early in the year," McBurrows said. " "We can't let them get off the line free, and when they do, we've got to cover 'em."

 

[lostinamerica]

INDIANAPOLIS vs. NY JETS:

The SU winner is 8-0-2 ATS last 10 meetings.
The over is 5-2-1 in Colts road games this season.
IND is just 3-6 ATS on turf this season.
Jets have covered eight of their last nine overall.
Under is 7-0 in NYJ last seven as home fav of 3-7pts.
Jets are 9-0 ATS this season when they win SU.
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INDIANAPOLIS DEFENSE:

Indianapolis Star (1/3/02):

Tony Dungy has achieved considerable respect for the effectiveness with which he has inculcated the fundamentals of the Cover-2 defense. He gives far more credit to the simplicity of his lesson plan than to his sophistication as a teacher.

"If you can count to three, you can play in this defense," said Dungy. "If you can count to three fast, you can play it well."

The Indianapolis Colts can count. They can count down. Ranked 29th in the NFL in total defense last year, they moved all the way to eighth this season, Dungy's first as their coach.

A little history lends perspective. In their previous 18 seasons in Indianapolis, the Colts achieved top-10 defensive rankings only three times: sixth in 1987, seventh in 1995 and 10th in 1997.

The defense the Colts will take to Giants Stadium on Saturday to face the New York Jets in an AFC wild-card playoff game has been remade. The weekly yield has dropped by 50 yards and 11 points. The record has gone from 6-10 to 10-6.

Defense has been the difference.

"Our personnel aren't that much different, but the way the personnel are playing is," said middle linebacker Rob Morris. "It's because we have more confidence and we're more familiar with our scheme."

Morris is playing the football of his life. So are end/tackle Brad Scioli and outside linebacker Mike Peterson. And a wave of newcomers that includes veteran cornerback Walt Harris and strong safety David Gibson and rookie end Dwight Freeney and tackle Larry Triplett have plugged right in and begun making plays.

"That's one thing about this defense," said coordinator Ron Meeks. "It's very friendly to young players."

That's a byproduct of its simplicity: 1, 2, 3.

Reduced to essentials, the Cover-2 is the safeties playing back, in a "two-deep zone," each responsible for half the field. The linebackers and cornerbacks also play zone coverage, or "five under." The four linemen rush the passer.

The objective is to deny the big play, to keep the offense in front of the defense.

Everything is predicated upon rules. Everyone is responsible for a single gap. Everyone reads a single player: If he does this, then you do that. Free safety Idrees Bashir estimated that the Colts' pass coverages have been reduced from about 35 to fewer than 10.

Said end Chad Bratzke: "The less you have to think, the faster you're going to react."

Harris played on a pretty good defense in Chicago last season, but he says this scheme is far superior because of the rules that govern it and make everyone accountable.

Tampa Bay, the New York Jets, St. Louis and Denver all play Cover-2. Virtually every NFL team plays some version of it at least some of the time.

Dungy got the defense from Chuck Noll, under whom he served, first as a Pittsburgh Steelers assistant coach, then defensive coordinator, from 1981 through 1988. Dungy employed the Cover-2 throughout his six years as coach at Tampa Bay, where the proof was in the playing. The Buccaneers' defense ranked sixth or higher four of his last five seasons.

Meeks learned it last year, when he toiled as secondary coach under Lovie Smith, a Tampa Bay linebackers coach St. Louis brought in to install and coordinate the Cover-2. The Rams defense soared from No. 23 in 2000 to No. 3 last year.

"I fell in love with the defense," said Meeks. "This system will take care of itself. If you consistently do it over time, you will make plays because it puts you in the right place at the right time."

If you make the wrong reads or fail to make them quickly enough, the effect is altogether different, and the errors can be minute. A lapse of recognition. A misstep that fouls footwork. A failure to get the head and shoulder on the correct side of the blocker.

As the nose tackle, it is Triplett's job to take on the double-team, to tie up two blockers and keep the linebackers "clean." Early in the season, Triplett was repeatedly "scooped" out of the hole. The guard would hit him hard. The center would delay until Triplett was turned, then apply the double-team, using Triplett's own momentum to drive him out of the hole.

"Once I'm out of my gap, it's kind of a domino effect," said Triplett. "The linebackers don't know where to go and I don't know where to go. All of a sudden the running back is up the gut for 20 yards."

A little savvy and improved footwork have made Triplett more effective. Defense-wide, misreads and failures have become fewer, but there have been lapses.

In five of their six losses, the Colts have fallen behind during the first half, made their adjustments and come back. Each time, the offense was complicit, but the defense was abused.

"We're facing teams that do different things that you've never seen before," said Scioli. "With a new defense like this getting new looks, it's a tough adjustment."

After giving up only 13 plays of more than 25 yards through their first 12 games, the Colts yielded eight gouge plays during their next three, losses to Tennessee and the New York Giants and a victory at Cleveland. They included touchdown passes of 42, 78, 30 and 82 yards.

"You don't get to where Tampa is in just one or two years," said Meeks. "That takes a number of years and we have to go through the same process. We're not there yet. We're a young team. We've made some progress, but I promise you, there's a lot of progress to be made."

Tampa Bay ranks No. 1 in overall defense, pass defense and scoring defense and is tied for fifth in rushing defense. Of course, the Bucs are operating with five Pro Bowl players: end Simeon Rice, tackle Warren Sapp, linebacker Derrick Brooks, safety John Lynch and cornerback Ronde Barber.

The Colts have had a single Pro Bowl defender in their 19 years in Indianapolis. That was linebacker Duane Bickett, way back in 1987.

The Colts acquired Freeney, an AFC Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate, as well as Triplett, defensive back Joseph Jefferson, linebacker David Thornton and tackles David Pugh and Josh Mallard in the 2002 draft. Still, it takes years to build a defense like Tampa Bay's.

"We don't have the individual talent Tampa has," said Gibson, who played the past two seasons with the Buccaneers. "But defense is a team game. One of the best defenses in NFL history was Miami's 'No-Name' defense."

One area in which Tampa Bay's playmakers separate themselves from the Colts is turnovers. The Bucs have 38 takeaways, the Colts 27. The margin in interceptions is 31-10.

Dungy attributes the disparities to the fact that the Colts currently play a preponderance of man-to-man pass coverage, rather than the zone upon which the Cover-2 is based. It's a matter of personnel, and the techniques that best suit them. It's game situations. It's the need to bring down a safety to help against the run.

Dungy wants to evolve more and more toward zone. That enables the defense to "face up," to watch the quarterback and the football, to swarm and gang-tackle, to pick up fumbles, errant passes and deflections.

It all remains a work in progress, but there has been progress. Opponents see it.

Jets running back Curtis Martin has faced the Colts 14 times over the years. He has averaged 110 yards rushing in those encounters. He will be Saturday, as always, the center of the Colts' defensive attention, the acid test.

Martin cites the Colts' speed.

"I think they're playing with a sense of urgency this year that I haven't seen in them in past years," he said. "I think they get to the ball faster. I think their defensive scheme is great."