If one follows the NFL decree that the Baltimore Ravens are not the descendants of the old, and often times, great Cleveland Browns, then none of the four teams in the two title games this weekend has ever won a title before the Super Bowl era which began in 1966.
The old basketball shooting game, “5,3,1” applies as the San Francisco 49ers have won five Super Bowls, the New England Patriots three and the Baltimore Ravens one. The Atlanta Falcons lost in their only Super Bowl appearance. The 49ers are (5-0) in Super Bowls while the Ravens won in their only Super Bowl appearance. The Patriots, who are (7-1) in AFC title games, (4-0) at home are only (3-4) in Super Bowls, (3-2) in the Tom Brady/Bill Belichick era.
The Falcons will be playing in their third title game and first at home. All three are the earlier starting title game. On the other hand, the 49ers, who lost a divisional game at Atlanta in 1998, are in their 13th NFC Title game and this will be just the third one that is the earlier game. The 49ers lost both previous earlier title games at Dallas in 1971 and at Washington in 1983.
“Who but me” would note this? San Francisco won a road, earlier start playoff game in 1970 versus the favored Minnesota Vikings in their first such playoff game. Since then they have lost eight straight such games since that lone victory.
The 49ers have lost eight straight times when playing a road, earlier start playoff game. In one of those eight games, 1985, there was only one game played.
When the nine point favorite, and defending AFC champion, New England Patriots host the Baltimore Ravens in the later title tilt on Sunday, it will mark the fourth time the same two franchises are playing for the AFC crown in a second straight year.
On the previous three occasions the team that won the first game won the second. The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Oakland Raiders in both the 1974 and 1975 AFC title games but did lose the 1976 AFC Title game to the Raiders. Neither Franco Harris nor Rocky Bleier, the Steelers’ starting running backs, played in the loss. That was a key reason the vastly overrated Oakland coach, and later “analyst,” John Madden ever won a title.
The Steelers also beat the Houston Oilers in consecutive AFC Title games in 1978 and 1979. All four Steelers’ victories and the Oakland victory were followed by Super Bowl wins.
In both 1986 and 1987, the Denver Broncos beat the Cleveland Browns for the AFC Title. Both times the Broncos were devoured in the subsequent Super Bowl.
Last year the Patriots edged the Ravens for the AFC Title only to lose the Super Bowl to the (9-7), and just three point underdog, New York Giants. By the way was it necessary for Bill Belichick, as stated here a coach I truly admire (see September 12, 2012), to have kicked a field goal, up 10 points with seventy four seconds left vs the Houston Texans? Bad karma for the Patriots to have done so?
The Atlanta Falcons will host a conference title game for the first time in their 47 year history when they face the San Francisco 49ers in the earlier title tilt this Sunday. The winner will go to the 47th Super Bowl, being played this year in New Orleans, on Sunday February 3rd.
The Falcons, who were two and a half point favorites yesterday versus the Seattle Seahawks, disappointed their bettors but delighted their fans (wonder how many are both, and the extent of the fan’s diminished joy with the “no cover” victory) winning (30-28) after dissipating what twice was a 20 point lead.
Bettors have reacted to the Falcons’ near loss/no cover and to the 49ers impressive Saturday night win vs the Green Bay Packers. SF is a three and a half point favorite, after opening as a three point favorite, vs the Falcons.
The 49ers are hoping to bring San Francisco just the 5th “double title,” meaning baseball and football in the same year during the Super Bowl era (1966- present). The San Francisco Giants, who had never won a World Series as a San Francisco based team, won their second World Series in three seasons. Now if the Niners (5-0) in Super Bowls can win a sixth in the next three weeks, San Francisco will join Baltimore 1970 (with the Orioles and Colts–Ernie Accorsi was the Colts public relations man), Pittsburgh in 1979 (Pirates and Steelers), New York in 1986 (Mets and Giants), and Boston in 2004 (Red Sox and Patriots) as the only cities to win the baseball/football “Double title” in the same baseball, followed by football, season.
The Baltimore Ravens pulled off a big upset win on the 44th anniversary of an even bigger upset, that went against a Baltimore football team.
Yesterday, when the nine point underdog Ravens went to Denver and upset the top seeded Broncos in a scintillating double overtime game, was the anniversary of the New York Jets’ win over the Baltimore Colts in the third Super Bowl. The Jets were twice the underdog that the Ravens were going into yesterday’s game. In some circles, they were 18 point underdogs, before winning (16-7) vs the Colts, coincidentally the same franchise that the Ravens beat last week in the wild card round of the NFL playoffs.
The Broncos are now (7-3) in home divisional playoff games. All three losses have come in years that a United States President was reelected. The Broncos’ home divisional round loss to the Steelers in 1984 came after Ronald Reagan won a second term in a landslide vote. In 1996, the top seeded Broncos were stunned by the upstart Jacksonville Jaguars, coached by Tom Coughlin, who has won two Super Bowl titles with the New York Giants. Earlier that year Bill Clinton was easily reelected as President. Now a stunning Broncos loss, again as the AFC top seed, in the divisional round at home. Of course, earlier in the course of this football season, Barack Obama was voted a second term as President.
The Hall of Fame, especially baseball’s, was supposed to be a truly special place. However, as with the rest of our society, the standards have been lowered causing major erosion in its glory.
So many “compilers” (Phil Niekro, Don Sutton and Dave Winfield as examples) have made the “Hall,” while others worth true consideration because of their impact (Kirk Gibson, Keith Hernandez, Tommy Davis and Minnie Menoso) have not.
Nobody made the “Hall” this year. That was rare good news. The utter disgrace that is the denial of entry to Pete Rose gets less and less attention. Want to cite his gambling? Put it on his plaque, but to deny this great player, who epitomized one of the few instances when the “American dream,” peppered with hard work, can manifest, is beyond injustice.
That decision is presided over by a chain smoking former car salesman who intones baseball’s current glory equating it with money. That “decision maker,” baseball czar “Bud” Selig, did more to destroy baseball’s integrity by putting in wild card teams and catering to TV networks, than any gambling on one’s own team, however sick (that is the operative word as compulsive gambling is a sickness) could possibly have caused.
Why Craig Biggio? Any titles on his resume? Could one write the history of his era without including his name. I think so. Believe it or not, a so called “traditionalist” like me, has no problem with Edgar Martinez making the “Hall.” If he does not, I would not lose sleep but the designated hitter has been around (better or worse) for 40 seasons. He was a great hitter and on his plaque, if he ever gets in, should flash pictures of Rico Carty. When the subject is just hitting, Martinez and Carty are two of the best I have seen.
I am not “backtracking” but know I did not give enough credit to Peyton Manning. He has played on a Super Bowl winning team and on another team that lost the Super Bowl. He clearly is one of the greatest regular season quarterbacks in NFL history. Most of all, he deserves credit for his hard work epitomized by coming back from a neck injury to lead the Broncos to the AFC top seed.
Maybe, even likely, next week at some point I will preview a New England (Patriots) at Denver Broncos AFC Title game and at that time I can tell you I choose Tom Brady as the better quarterback. Right now, having cited Manning’s failures in at least four post season losses, I had to add he won a title (2006 Colts) and his Colts’ team overcame a (21-3) deficit vs New England and Tom Brady in the AFC Title game that season.
One has to be careful criticizing players, as while of course, they are rewarded “totally out of whack” as compared to such society contributors as teachers and nurses, they do possess a unique skill.
The divisional round of the NFL playoffs, nicknamed the “slots” begin Saturday afternoon in Denver when the Baltimore Ravens visit the Broncos. The Ravens won the lone playoff clash between the teams in a wild card round game in 2000. The Ravens then won two road games and the Super Bowl.
Despite what the NFL deems, I consider the Ravens the descendants of the old Cleveland Browns (for example, in baseball the old Washington Senators became the Minnesota Twins and a new Washington Senators team now the Texas Rangers, began play in Washington D.C. in 1961. The records of the Senators, Walter Johnson for example, are with the Twins.) Without going into the hypocrisy involved in the fact the Ravens are not recognized as the Browns’ descendants, I recall three AFC Title game victories by the Broncos over the Browns, who moved to Baltimore and became the Ravens in 1996. Denver lost the subsequent Super Bowl all three times after beating the Browns for the AFC crown.
Last year Eli Manning won his second Super Bowl with a (9-7) Giants team. Now brother Peyton, (a playoff bust in losses at New England in 2003 and 2004, a home loss as the AFC one seed in 2005 and another home loss as the two seed in 2007) and a well coached, “parts in place” Denver team is the favorite to win the Super Bowl. Surely, if they do, Manning will get a disproportionate amount of the credit. I predict, but admittedly hope not, that Manning will have an excellent post season and may well win a second title on the AFC TV network with Jim Nantz “gushing” about him.
One thought, Archie Manning, a fine quarterback, but ridiculously remembered for more than he was, predicted a low scoring national title game. He was wrong, a loss. He and his sons have it so good and here’s hoping Peyton is denied another title. I should talk, but Peyton have you learned how to plug in your toaster yet?
Peyton, Archie & Eli
Four times Alabama had been denied a mythical national championship by Notre Dame. All four times, the results were close and even disputed. This time it was Alabama winning the title vs Notre Dame and it was not close.
From the moment he got off the team bus and kissed his beautiful girlfriend wearing a bowtie, it was A. J. Mc Carron’s night. He threw four touchdown passes, two to Amari Cooper, as Alabama claimed a third BCS Title in 4 seasons easing (42-14) vs Notre Dame. Alabama now has nine Associated Press titles which is one more than Notre Dame which is next with eight. The A.P. vote started in 1936.
In 1966, 1973, 1974 and 1977 Notre Dame either directly or indirectly cost Alabama at least a share of the national title. In 1973 Notre Dame won by one point and claimed the title. The next year they played the spoiler’s role and won by 3 points denying the “Crimson Tide” a share of the title. Far worse and a big reason people dislike Notre Dame football is that in both 1966 and 1977, “The Fighting Irish” and not Alabama were voted national champions. Notre Dame had a tie while Alabama went unbeaten and untied in 1966 but Notre Dame was voted the title. In 1977 Notre Dame ranked fifth vaulted over third ranked Alabama to win the title. Each was a convincing bowl game winner. This time it was Alabama and it was not close.
Last night I saw that a beautiful woman, Angie Dickinson, is a part of the “thread” that relates to Alabama and their local rival, Auburn. As Frank Sinatra’s character “Danny Ocean’s” estranged wife (roles reprised by George Clooney and Julia Roberts in the “Ocean’s Eleven” remake) in the original Ocean’s Eleven (1960), Angie’s character says “What’s the good news: that Auburn beat Alabama by 12?” Alas, A. J. Mc Carron’s beautiful girlfriend Katherine Webb graduated from Auburn.
Ocean’s Eleven–Frank Sinatra and Angie Dickinson
All four favorites, three playing at home, won wild card round games this past weekend. I believe all four divisional round games are intriguing though both AFC top seeds Denver (Broncos) and New England (Patriots) will likely be ten point favorites by game time. Each is favored by nine points to start the week.
If either Cincinnati or Indianapolis had won, first off, the line(s) would have been even higher, and I believe those teams would have had little chance to win going to either Denver or New England. The Baltimore Ravens visit the Denver to start the divisional round while the Houston Texans go to New England to end the divisional round.
Both NFC games are deemed more competitive, as surprisingly, the top seeded Atlanta Falcons are less than three point favorites in their Sunday game vs the Seattle Seahawks. Joe Buck and Troy Aikman were “chirping” about Seattle’s chances, therefore I predict Atlanta and QB Matt Ryan get off their playoff “schneid” and win next week. The Saturday night game has the San Francisco 49ers as 3 point favorites at home vs the Green Bay Packers.
Speaking of Joe Buck, who worked Seattle’s win at Washington which ended an eight game Seahawks’ road playoffs losing streak, he did not exactly take a stand near the end of the broadcast. The Seahawks were ahead by ten points with about 2 minutes left to play and had the ball at around the Redskins’ 25 yard line. At this point Buck said “It APPEARS Seattle will get a road win.”
Joe Buck, “Mr. Cautious”
Seeing “Grace” with its great four person cast of Paul Rudd, Michael Shannon (like Rachel Mol and Bobby Cannavale, an actor on HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” who is standing out on stage), Kate Arrington and the incomparable, Ed Asner was a great experience. The play written by Craig Wright is at the Cort Theatre (138 West 48th Street) and has only two performances left. Those performances are today at 8 p.m. and tomorrow at 3 p.m.
“Grace” is directed by Dexter Bullard and is visually stimulating as the characters move around in two Florida apartments. Issues of faith are addressed with humor and I believe, insight. All the actors give moving performances.
Additionally, all four actors took significant time on a cold night to sign programs and even pose for pictures after the performance. I found a similarity between Mr. Asner’s “Karl” and his incredible performance as “Axel Jordache” in “Rich Man Poor Man,” one of my favorites. I imitated some “Axel” (not a great rendition but sincere as imitation is) and Mr. Asner added some favorite “Axel” lines of his own. We had a nice chat and of course social activist, human rights activist, superb actor and it turns out nice guy, Asner hopes Leonard Peltier (see “Bring Leonard Peltier Home,” December 17, 2012) is given his freedom soon.
Ah injustice, God or not, believe or not believe (all themes in “Grace”) are concepts likely beyond our comprehension. We are able to “pick and choose” and perhaps hang on to something as we journey in this life. We certainly can invoke the “golden rule” and to paraphrase, be kind to each other.
Ed Asner
