In what was probably the most anticipated NFL playoff game so far, the Minnesota Vikings BARELY held off the New Orleans Saints.
Minnesota QB Case Keenum is now a hero, but easily could have been a goat after he threw up an off balance "wounded duck" that got picked off and let the Saints back into the game. Let's not forget the Vikings were hammering the Saints 17-zip at halftime.
Drew Brees could be considered a hero of sorts for not only leading his team in a furious comeback, but finally taking the lead with just a few seconds remaining in the game. The Vikes were in trouble.
#13 of the Saints, one Michael Thomas out of Ohio State, 24 years old and a second year guy in the league -- appears to be a combination of a whiner and dirty player. Every time he failed to catch a pass from Brees, he looked to the refs for a pass interference flag. It was just good physical defense shutting him down. But when the opportunity presented itself, he couldn't wait to deliver a killer blind side hit on an opponent, knocking him out of the game and into the concussion protocol. Consider him a goat.
#43 of the Saints, one Marcus Williams out of Utah, 21 and a rookie, was definitely a goat. With time running out and his team ahead, the safety pulled the ultimate bonehead. Not only did he blow the coverage on a Viking receiver, he totally whiffed on a tackle attempt as the receiver caught the ball. Yep, Williams lowered his head and tried to make a shoulder pad tackle. Evidently, the good Mr. Williams must be a concert piano player or surgeon in the off season. How else to explain why he's afraid to use his hands and arms to make a tackle -- like what is taught beginning in 7th grade or so?
You see it over and over again, not only in the pros, but in college. Defensive players trying to knock a ball carrier to the ground with a big hit, instead of just "wrapping him up". This is purely on the coaching staffs for tolerating such nonsense.
In the case of Williams, the receiver not only made the catch, but trotted for a long run into the end zone afterwards with the winning score as time ran out. If I'm Sean Payton -- head coach of the Saints -- this doesn't sit well with me. We had the game almost in the bag until the bonehead rookie somehow forgot how to make a proper tackle -- and we wound up losing -- bang -- season over. What do I do? That goat is cut. Now, as soon as I can get to him in the locker room after the game.
Though the Vikings had obviously won the game, that presented an interesting scenario, not the least being the thousands or millions of people across the country that had participated in buying "squares" on a football sheet for the game. You know, the 10x10 grid where everybody fills in squares, ponies up whatever they're worth for any game, and cards are randomly drawn later to fill in the numbers.
Zeros, sevens, and fours are typically pretty good numbers. Twos, fives and nines are not.
Yet as time ran out and Minnesota won the game 29-24, whoever was on those numbers was probably celebrating. But wait, even though the field was mobbed by security personnel, reporters, camera people, and both teams, NFL rules dictate the "point after" has to be attempted. Uh-oh. Could that 9-4 combination on the betting sheet go away? Maybe. So after several minutes of a delay finally clearing the field, and getting enough Saints back on it to take a pseudo defensive stance (they had all already gone into the locker room) those sitting on 0-4 were probably feeling pretty good. Just kick the stupid extra point and I win. Yippee.
And after all that, the Vikes came back out and took a knee. It was a class thing to do, considering the game was already over. No sense rubbing unnecessary salt in the wound.
So the 9-4 people got to cash after all.
Funny thing, or maybe not, how those bar pools work out sometimes.
You're a hero one minute, a potential goat the next, and wind up a hero in the end after all.
All by the luck of the draw and the whim of a particular team.
No comments:
Post a Comment