This post has been about three weeks in the making. It kept getting put off due to my frustration over the outcomes of each week. So I am going to try to encapsulate my thoughts on the whole thing with out getting to angry. Good luck to myself!
Wildcard Round
- Bengals vs Texans: Well this one hurts the most. I could easily dedicate an entire post to this one, and I might. However I will just say it is nice that the Bengals defense showed up in Houston, not sure where the offense was. Texans earned this one and honestly I am not mad at them (for this round).
- Vikings vs Packers: Packers quickly squashed the evil Purple. However the Vikings didn’t exactly make it easy. Not sure why the Pack let the Vikings roll them the previous week. I assume to keep the Bears out of the playoffs (or the Cowboys). Either way I approve
- Colts vs Ravens: Fail Andrew Luck. This could have been the first last time (makes sense now) that Stabby could have been retired. I didn’t watch this game, as I was still a bit bitter about the Bengals game.
- Seahawks vs Redskins: Terrible field conditions along with some terrible calls (which will be a reoccurring theme here). I predict that Robert Griffin will have a career ending injury if he keeps playing the way he does, which is sad because I like him 100k times more than Cam Newton. He just is not built like Cam. I didn’t watch this one either and was pretty indifferent with the outcome
Divisional Round
- Ravens vs Broncos: This is where the real anger started. Peyton had a great season and he went Jay Cutler on us. Poor Peyton was tired and cold. Taking a knee with less than a minute in the fourth quarter to send it to overtime?! Blown defensive coverage that allowed the score to be tied. Congrats Bronco’s you are back on my list of teams I want to always lose. As a good friend would say… Expletive you John Elway! Guess the Ravens got their revenge for that botched draft trade two years ago.
- Packers vs 49ers: Was pretty mad about the Ravens winning so I didn’t watch this. But I think I can sum it up like this. The Packers offense as a team vs the 49ers Offense, Defense, and special teams as a team. The Pack’s defense should be a lot better than it is considering some of the players they have. Very disappointed with the Pack, this could have been the first exit for Jim Harbaugh.
- Seahawks vs Falcons: I didn’t watch this but I will admit that I was happy with the outcome. That is all I have to say
- Texans vs Patriots: This team came down to who did I think could beat Baltimore. Part of me want the Texans to win, but it became pretty clear right away that it was going to be the Patriots. I wish I could have seen the outcome the other way, perhaps it would have changed things.
Championship Round
- 49ers vs Falcons: So the Falcons dictated the first half and took the rest of the game off. I knew once this game was over, I had to pull for the Patriots all the way. (I’ll explain the 49er hate in abit). I also knew know that it was pretty much fixed (which I could have brought up in the Broncos and Colts games against the Ravens) so that Stabby would make it to the Superbowl. Getting ahead of myself here.
- Ravens vs Patriots: Found it funny that Pollard is a Patriot killer (Gronkowski, Brady, Welker, and now Ridley). Once it became clear the the Ref’s were going to allow the Ravens to win and Bill was not going to pull his camera out, I stopped watching. I really was hoping for a Patriot comeback to enjoy the looks of disappoint on the Ravens players, but I was deluding myself.
So now we have a Harbaugh Superbowl Pretty sure that this was rigged from the get go, only to be amplified by Stabby’s aspirations to retire when at the end of the season or when the Ravens lose. Lets go over the reasons I hate each team, the Pro’s and Con’s of each team winning.
49ers
- Reasons for hate: Well the two obvious reasons are Superbowl XVI and XXIII. A friend of mine pointed out that me being upset about this was sorta like being upset at the British for the War of 1812. I had a nice comeback for him, but when your team goes to the Superbowl twice and loses to the same team there is a bit of bitterness there. Just ask the Buffalo Bills. Then there is Jim Harbaugh and his days as a Raven. Mr. I cannot keep my cool pat you on the back with an attitude. I can only imagine the fits he will through when his other brother lays the smack down. (read on)
- Pros: None really. Except to spite the Steelers fans who didn’t want the Patriots to win because Tom Brady would tie Terry Bradshaw. This way the 49ers can tie the SixBurgh status. Another pro would be that the Ravens lose.
- Cons: Angry Harbaugh would get a Superbowl win.
Ravens
- Reasons for hate: Where to begin? Probably by them being the illegitimate step child of Cleveland. Stabby’s stupid dance and stat padding his way to the hall of fame. Any given Raven fan who thinks that the NFL is out to get just them and just them. The fact that it seems to be a step to retirement for Bengal players (TJ Houshmandzadeh, Bobbie Williams, Willie Anderson, Shayne Graham, Jeff Blake, Kelly Washington, Deion Sanders (ok he was a Reds player, still counts) ). Then there is Joe Flacco who cries like a girl when he is hit. And then there is big brother John Harbaugh who agrees with the fans that the league is out to get just the Ravens, when the complete opposite seems to be true. Cleveland hates Baltimore for obvious reasons, and the Bengals and Steelers do not respect the Ravens.
- Pros: None. Except to maybe see the look on Jim’s face when John lays the smack down and he is beat by the team he used to play for. Another stretch would be the fact that the QB drafted right after Dalton would not have a ring, but honestly there are no positives here.
- Cons: Everything. A win would only embolden the Ravens and somehow make them feel like they are more legit, when they are not.
Regardless of the outcome, it will be Stabby’s last game which by its self is a positive. It is possible that Ed Reed might retire as well if the Ravens win, but that is unconfirmed.
As I stated before I intend to boycott the Superbowl and watch the puppy bowl instead. I said at the get go of the playoffs the worst possible combo would be a Harbaugh Superbowl and that is what we ended up with.