Championship Game Reviews

I'm going to work backwards on this one...

NY Giants @ Green Bay-okay, who else thought on Byun Yung Kim when Lawrence Tynes came out to kick the game-winning FG in OT? Maybe I was the only one. I'm not going to be like those I've heard on TV who only gush over another Manning and let Brett Favre off the hook. "The Giants of New York triumphed over the Packers of Green Bay by kicking an oblong ball made of pigskin thru a giant 'H'...it was a most ripping victory"-bonus points if you can name where that quote came from.
Eli Manning was fantastic, as were his receivers. Plaxico Burress ought to be arrested for the abuse he leveled on corner Al Harris. The old guy, Amani Toomer, still has plenty left in the tank, making clutch catches. And the Giants O-Line deserves a bunch of credit for giving Eli plenty of time. I'll get to their D in a minute, but OC Kevin Gilbride deserves some props for the excellent play calling. I'll say it, the Giants have played the best of any team I've seen in the playoffs. In all 3 facets, they've been the best.
The Giants D got a rush on Favre with mostly just their front 4, and won with backup corners. My favorite thing about this game is the discussion on the weather. They both had to play in it, so enough of that already.
As for the Packers, in my estimation, they blew it, time and time again. Favre played awful, and he pretty much played this way only one other time this season, the game @ Dallas. Old Gunslinger Favre came out and turned the ball over and made some horrid decisions. None more worse than his pick in OT, especially when replays show 2 other players in that line of sight open. The Packers only ran the ball 6 times in the 2nd half. I could tell Ryan Grant wasn't getting any room to run, but you still have to run the ball in order to keep a defense honest. I question the play calling, but on both sides of the ball. As for the Pack D, apparently they chose not to make a single adjustment all game. Eli Manning can be as accurate as any other QB in the league if given all day to pick apart a defense. As it is with all Manning's, pressure up the middle is the key to getting to him, to allow him to make mistakes. I never saw GB blitz. Or lay off the press coverage of Plaxico Burress. The guy is 7 inches taller than the CB playing him, might want to back off a little bit.
The Packers had chances, didn't take advantage of them, and now a Manning is in the Super Bowl. No one to blame but themselves. And the Giants won this game, just to be certain.

San Diego @ New England-I don't like anyone on the Chargers, but like Wes Mantooth, I do respect the hell out of a few of them. As much as I can't stand him, a big hand for Philip Rivers, who was gimpy and we all just found out today that had a little cartilage cleanup procedure last Monday so he could play on Sunday...and will now have to have his ACL replaced. As someone that's had that procedure done, I'm more than impressed. Now, LT2 can zip it for as long as he plays. Emmitt Smith played a game with one shoulder. LT2 had a knee sprain. Well, if his QB didn't have a ligament, what the hell? The trainers said he couldn't go? Since when did they matter in a game of this magnitude?
And now I get to hear and read the excuses-No LT2, our QB was hurt, Gates was less than effective, the Pats are cheaters, especially Richard Seymour. Let me see if I have this straight-I've had to listen for over a year about this supposedly better team is classy and plays the game the right way and they have no excuses, but now I get to hear the excuses? Antonio Gates has stated that if he were healthy that it would've been a different game. No Shit. Any other brilliant observations, Captain Obvious? How about grass is green and water's wet? Do any of them tickle your fancy? The guy I expected to bitch the most, Rivers, stated the better team won....and here's why.
While San Diego played well and moved the chains, they kept going for 3 when the Pats were getting 7s. Thank goodness I have an accounting degree, that way I can tell you that it will take you a lot longer to win a game when you're kicking FGs instead of scoring TDs. Oh, Tom Brady played like crap, his worst game of the year by far, but if you don't capitalize on turnovers, it will cost you in the end.
Now, my gameball(s) go to Junior Seau, for making plays the day after his 39th birthday, Kevin Faulk for being himself (the Pats have an abundance of 'those guys'), Laurence Maroney for finally being patient enough on the backside pressure to press the hole and cutback. I was begging for it all 1st quarter, and when it happens, it's friggin beautiful. The O-Line needs some steak dinners or monster trucks bought for them, they were great, as they've been all year.
February 3rd can't get here soon enough.