Thomas had been a strong USC recruit, as he grew up in South Central L.A. and had little reason to leave home. That reason changed as Oregon grew into a Championship contender, and promised him the one thing USC could not, a chance on offense. USC had been recruiting Thomas as a corner back, and while they said he’d have a shot on offense, his prospects didn’t look exactly stellar. They looked even more cloudy as USC got recruits from two other quality running back prospects, meaning whatever dim hope he had at lining up in the Trojan backfield was all but gone. Oregon on the other hand is willing to commit to the explosive Thomas as a running back, and their spread offense should be a good fit for his style of running. While both schools still were going to end up with top 25 recruiting classes, this move definitely moves Oregon up a notch or two, and puts a damper on a fine USC class. Although the Trojans recruited other backs, neither look to have the quickness and agility of Thomas.

N.C. State Prepares to Lose Wilson To Baseball:

In a somewhat surprising move N.C. State has announced that they are moving on from Russell Wilson as their quarterback and are prepared to go with Mike Glennon. While everyone knew that Wilson would be going to Spring Training with the Colorado Rockies, it was assumed that he would be back for his senior season. Wilson was a dynamic runner and a passer, who really improved the overall talent of the Wolfpack. He was a dangerous quarterback and was named All-ACC this past season. He was drafted in baseball this past year by the Rockies, but had left open the possibility of playing football next fall, until apparently the school closed that door. Now I can understand them preparing Glennon like he is the starter, but to publicly announce that Wilson won’t be back like this is pretty tacky. I know you want to give Glennon the shot you have been promising him, but I don’t think this makes your program any better.

Ravens and Gaither Meet, Attempt To Work Out Differences:

The Baltimore Ravens met with their star offensive tackle Jared Gaither as they begin to look towards next season and rebuilding their relationship. Gaither who was a restricted free agent last year, was holding out for a big contract and skipped voluntary mini-camps last season, which created a rift with the team. The gap widened when he was sidelined with both a heel and back injury, that forced the Ravens to put him on I.R. While many can say the Ravens took the high road, in holding firm with their offer and putting him on I.R. when Gaither took a cautious approach in recovery, their offense paid a price for it as they surrendered 40 sacks and struggled rushing the ball all year.

While it is possible that Gaither will be a restricted free agent again this season, if the free agency rules from last year are applied, I think it is much more likely that the free agency rules will revert back to those from prior to last season, making Gaither an unrestricted free agent. If Gaither is an unrestricted free agent, it might be tough for the Ravens to resign him, given a new salary cap and other pressing free agent needs. Despite being injured last season, I’d expect Gaither to still command a hefty price tag this offseason on the open market, and it might be too much for the Ravens to compete with.

1. Know where Troy Polumalu Is: If you want to have an effective offense against the Steelers defense first and foremost you have to account for number 43. Polumalu is the heart and soul of the Steelers defense, and while you can’t stop him entirely, you try to minimize the impact he has. Joe Flacco can’t get cute and try to challenge Polumalu, or he is likely to watch the ball go the other way. Also, if there is a running back staying into block, he needs to first make sure Polumalu isn’t coming on the blitz.

2. Get Suggs Free: The Steelers only weakness is their offensive line, so the Ravens need to attack it with a vengeance. They need to run multiple blitz formations and looks, as well as overloading certain areas. Basically the Ravens need to do anything to help disguise/free up Terrell Suggs to rush the quarterback. For the Ravens to win they will need to come up with some big stops and turnovers, and the best chance of that is if Suggs is getting constant pressure.

3.Challenge the Pittsburgh Corners: The Steelers biggest defensive weakness is their corner backs. While overall they are solid, they rely more on having a great pass rush, than actual talent. The Ravens have a favorable match up here and they need to exploit it. You don’t run against Pittsburgh, so you have to find a way to pass against them. If the Ravens can give Flacco enough time he can some big chucks of yards against the Steelers corners (though beware of what side of the field Polumalu is on).

Steelers:

1. Stop Suggs and Ngata: Ed Reed is a constant threat to pick one off, and Ray Lewis still gets it done as an inside linebacker, but Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata are the true stars of this defense. They account for 2/3 of the teams sacks, and Ngata is one of the best run stoppers in the league. If you key in too much on them, the Ravens do have other talent that will make the big play. Pittsburgh will need a big game from their offensive line, as well as using tight ends and fullbacks to chip Suggs coming out of the backfield. If Pittsburgh can minimize their impact, Roethlisberger should be able to handle the rest.

2. Don’t Abandon The Run: The Ravens might not be the easiest team to run against, but as Jamaal Charles showed last weak you can get some big gains against them. Pittsburgh can’t afford to be one dimensional in this game, so they have to at least show signs of a rushing attack. Pittsburgh won’t be able to win this game on the ground alone, but they need to have something. An effective running game will be key to controlling the clock some and giving their defense a rest. At the same time it could help some up a few play action passes.

3. Bring the Heat: Blitzburgh needs to be out in full force today for the Steelers to win. The Ravens might have a pretty good offensive line, but Pittsburgh’s defense is still good enough to get to Joe Flacco. If the Steelers can’t get to Flacco, he will be able to pick apart the Steelers corners, but if they do Pittsburgh should be in the drivers seat for this game. Flacco is developing into a top notch quarterback, but he still struggles mightily against the blitz, in particular the Steelers blitz that will come from anywhere.

I am happy with my Alma mater Maryland’s selection of Randy Edsall as its head coach. Edsall had success at UConn with developing decent talent, in College Park he will be able to work a better recruiting base. Coach Friedgen left him with good talent to start with and the return of defensive coordinator Don Brown is a big bonus. As for Mike Leach, I am now not shocked he wasn’t the choice. Nobody else has really looked at him and with violations just imposed on Texas tech and with his pending lawsuits, he was a risk. Plus if he won quickly at Maryland, would he have stayed long term? I am doubting that, and would guess he would have jumped to the next big time program offer he got. Best of luck to Ralph Friedgen, and thank you for bringing the program back. We sucked when I was there under Mark Duffner, as I can remember bailing at halftime every Saturday to go back to the tailgate in the parking lot.
It was great to see the caps win the 2011 winter classic at Heinz Field. Although I had to rewatch the game on NHL network since I was particularly out commission by New Year’s night. Sid the kid getting crushed was solid also. Only to top it were the Pens failing to shake hands afterwards. I do hope we get them again come playoff time.

I watched the ESPN documentary on Tim Tebow’s prep for the draft and I hope he becomes a solid NFL qb. I promise I won’t do a Thom Brennaman BCS title game speech about meeting Tim Tebow’s makes you a better man though. It was funny to see Todd Mcshay wrong throughout the show on Tebow. Mcshay blows and I hope Mike Shanahan doesn’t read any of his reports on prospects. That one was for you Kingston.
For all 8 of you who read my past blogs, I talked about my fantasy football arch rival, the Matzie. To no surprise we met in the finals.  I took a 33 point lead into Monday night, but he had Ron Mexico, Lesean McCoy and David Akers. Figured I was cooked, but my dream season culminated with a 1.8 point victory and being crowned champion of the Joe Kelly league once again. Matzie was pissed and since has disappeared on Canton.

Huge playoff battles this weekend. All four are rematches highlighted by the AFC rivalry games. Pittsburgh and Baltimore is always close as I expect a big play from a future hall of famer like Lewis, Polamalu, Reed or Ward to be the difference. I am going with Ray Ray to make it in a 17-14 ravens win helped by a big Suisham miss at some point.

I think the pats handle the jets again. I can’t see Rex Ryan winning a super bowl because I think he is a fool. It won’t be 45-3 but something like 27-13 pats. Brady is playing too well. I think he ended the MVP debate in weeks 16 and 17.

Biltzburgh Comes Up Big: The Steelers were trailing by 4 with 3:20 left in the game and Baltimore was moving the ball. Things did not look good in Pittsburgh for stealing a win in Baltimore and taking the division lead, that is of course until Troy Polamalu took over. The Ravens had 2nd and 5 at their own 43, with momentum firmly on their side. As Joe Flacco went back to pass, every fan (at the game or on TV) could see what he couldn’t, Polamalu storming in from his blind side. Not only did Polamalu get the sack, but he knocked the ball out which was recovered by the Steelers. When the play was over the Steelers had it 1st and goal from the Ravens 9 yard line. One play, and one player changed the entire course of the game (though major credit goes to Redman and Roethlisberger on offense as well), and with it potentially the season. When you hear statements like “Defense wins Championships” that play is exactly what they are talking about.

Now that the majority of NFL teams have played a quarter of the season we can start to get a grasp on which teams are contenders and which are pretenders. I wanted to throw out a few thoughts on what I have seen and what I feel may be coming up down the road. As with every season, it hasn’t been boring. Great games and compelling storylines have already taken place in the first month.

Let me first start with the team which comes into week five possibly playing the best. The New York Jets. Three weeks ago they looked like a fiasco, all the talk was about Rex Ryan’s mouth, Mark Sanchezs’ Trent Edwards style checkdowns and the lingering effects of doing Hard Knocks. Three straight wins have changed that. LT is playing like five years ago, Darelle Revis, Santonio Holmes, and Calvin Pace are due back this week and Sanchez hasn’t turned the ball over. Side note, my friends and I get a good laugh anytime Holmes is referred to SanAntonio Holmes. It happened this week by Dan Fouts again. I am far from sold on the Jets mainly because what I saw week one versus the Ravens. When it comes playoff time the Jets will be seeing tough defenses like the Ravens again or the Steelers or the Bills…just joking Bills fans. I have a feeling we could be seeing a lot more stagnant Jets offense like week one. Can the defense and the running game carry them like last playoffs, maybe?

If were talking checkdown quarterbacks, Kevin Kolb was the king of week 4. Take some chances bro. Its tough to discuss the Eagles without being biased, being a Redskins fan. Sometimes I worry that quarterbacks can change with one game. I think that this could be the case with Kolb. Bad memories of being chased down by Clay Matthews week one could have changed his whole demeanor in the pocket. As a Skins fan, I feel I have seen this twice. Patrick Ramsey had a promising start with Steve Spurrier and then one Sunday night he got destroyed in Miami. His night finished after being bulldogged Barry Windham style to the ground by Jason Taylor. He was never the same in the pocket after that. I also think Jason Campbell got weak in the pocket after showing lots of poise early on.  His offensive line destroyed his head. The NFC East is anyone’s division. Each week a new team steps up and another looks done. I wouldn’t count any team out.

Is there anyone feeling more miserable than Larry Fitzgerald in the NFL? Well, maybe Nate Clements. Fitzgerald is in an awful situation on a team that is actually 2-2. Fitzgerald has been a class act which makes it difficult to watch his frustration at the Cardinals QB situation. “The Situation” would call Derek Anderson a Grenade for the way he played before being benched last week in San Diego. For Fitz’s sake maybe Max Hall brings some life to the Cardinals passing game but then again he is being flanked by no names currently so coverage can key on him all game.

On a side note, I see that another Real World/ Road Rules challenge starts this week on MTV and of course it looks more dangerous than ever . They always try to infer that someone may die in one of the challenges. My guess is that a newcomer gets a concussion. Speaking of concussions, thanks Jay Cutler. Negative five points for my fantasy team this week. While I am at it…Shout outs to Mike Martz and the Chicago Bears o-line as well. Did they get an official sack total for the Giants? 10, 14, 19? Jay Cutler is going to look like Ricky Hatton after the Pacman fight by week seven. And if you were wondering I do have Big Ben on my fantasy team to cover, but I doubt you care. I scored 43 points this week, I don’t even care anymore.

Its way to early to tell but I like the Ravens alot as this season goes on. I live in Baltimore so I hear alot about them. I have a feeling the offense is going to only get better and that Ed Reed will bring his big play ability to an already good defense. They have depth at almost all positions and the biggest worry, the defensive backs have been good. Lardarius Webb being back from the ACL is a big factor. I am interested to see where Ray Lewis ends up on the NFL films top 100 players of all time list. If you haven’t watch, its very good and worth it. Although its at the same time as “The Office.” Just DVR it or watch one of the 50 times its replayed. As for the NFC, the top teams look to be Green Bay, Atlanta and New Orleans but all squeaked by with home wins this past week against struggling teams. The NFC is up for grabs with many teams who can make a run.

We have only seen four weeks so a lot can happen over the next thirteen. The returns of Big Ben, Brian Cushing (if he hasn’t over-worked out again), Sidney Rice and Kurt Warner (my bad Cards fans) will make their teams stronger. The NFL is tough to predict this early like last year when the Colts and Saints were undefeated at this point. OK, bad example. Undefeated to the Super Bowl? Congrats Kansas City, its a short flight to Dallas in February.

Ravens over the Steelers: While Pittsburgh played well enough to win, they ended up beating themselves in the end. Between missed field goals and stupid penalties, Pittsburgh continued to shoot themselves in the foot. How you have three penalties on your last offensive series, while you are trying to put the game away is beyond me. The Steelers have the return of Ben Roethlisberger this week (they have a bye, so he won’t play until the following week) so I think they will be quite alright, but it was still a rough loss to Steelers fans.

Atlanta Beating the 49ers on a last second FG: The Falcons were coming off a win against the Saints and were once again at home, but they were a completely different team yesterday. Atlanta was sloppy all game (and the 49ers weren’t that much better) and needed a last second 43 yard field goal to beat San Francisco. Although the shock of the season might be the 49ers 0-4 start, the Falcons barely squeaking by shows some weaknesses on that team. The Falcons should still be a solid playoff contender, but that offense was not clicking on all cylinders yesterday against a team that can’t seem to get out of their own way. Atlanta will need to tighten up if they are to contend with the best teams in the NFC.

Saints squeaking by the Panthers: New Orleans was favored by two touchdowns, but needed a FG late in the 4th quarter to get past the hapless Panthers. Carolina played well enough to win this game against the Super Bowl Champs (in New Orleans no less). Rookie Jimmy Clausen showed some promise and their running game did well against the Saints defense. New Orleans is still 3-1, but they haven’t dominated anyone the way they did last year, and have some major questions going forward. I will say it is probably a good thing they changed placekickers as John Carney’s leg was needed three times.

Redskins Upset Philly, In McNabb’s Return (and Vick’s exit): Washington scored 17 points on their first three drives, and it is a good thing they did since those were the only points they had. While Washington’s offense struck early, this ended up being a defensive game as the Redskins held the Eagles to just 12 points. Philly lost starting quarterback Michael Vick to a rib injury at the end of the 1st quarter, but Kolb came in and played a solid game. Some bad coaching calls help lead to Philly’s demise (the whole 4th and 1 thing at the end of the first half was ridiculous). The Redskins won the game based on their rushing attack and defense, but the win still propelled them to 2-2 and atop the NFC East.

Colts Lose Their Second Divisional Game on a last second FG: Indianapolis has at times appeared dominate this season (weeks 2 and 3 and the last 5 minutes of week 1) but at other times has looked pretty ordinary. While Peyton put up another 350 yards and two touchdowns, their rushing attack failed to average any better than 3.1 yards per carry. While the Colts defense didn’t give up major yards like they did in Week one, they still gave up some big plays that put them in a hole. Overall I wouldn’t be too worried about the Colts as they are still a playoff team, but this loss could really hurt their chances for the division.

AFC EAST:

1. New York Jets

2. New England Patriots

3. Miami Dolphins

4. Buffalo Bills

The Jets are the team to beat in the AFC East and their chances got progressively better with the return of Darrelle Revis from his holdout. Once again the Jets will have a championship caliber defense that can beat any team in the NFL. The real question mark is the development of Mark Sanchez. While a lot of hype surrounds him, he hasn’t really shown himself to be a capable starter, much less a “Franchise Quarterback”. It could have just been rookie jitters but those excuses won’t fly this year, with an improved offense and a whole offseason of working with two top flight wide receivers, (Edwards and Holmes). The Patriots offense could be championship caliber, but I think this could be a let down season in New England. Their passing attack is superb, but their running game seems to get weaker each season. The holdout of Logan Mankins weakens that offensive line and really hurts their depth. While the Pats offense is high powered their defense has been slacking off in recent years. The Dolphins could be an up-and-coming team, but really are a stretch as a contender. This is a big year for Chad Henne, but I am not sure if he is the right answer. The Bills unfortunately aren’t going to be much of a threat in the East as their quarterback and offensive line play leave a lot to be desired.

AFC NORTH:

1. Baltimore Ravens

2. Pittsburgh Steelers

3. Cincinnati Bengals

4. Cleveland Browns

The North will be a battle to the end, but I think the Ravens will come out on top. With Joe Flacco, Ray Rice and Derrick Mason already in place the Ravens went out and added a pair of rookie tight ends and a pair of veteran receivers. Combined with a quality offensive line (albeit one who is dealing with injuries), the Ravens now might have the best all-around offense in the AFC. The Ravens defense is still one of the best in the league and is good enough to carry this team far into the postseason. The Steelers are a bit of a surprise pick here considering they will be without their quarterback for the first 4 games, but they have the talent to go far this season. Even after trading Holmes, they have one of the better offensive units. The Steelers defense still has the makings of a great unit and I’d expect a big rebound year for them. The Bengals are a quality team and will in the playoff hunt all year. But I’m not sure if Palmer is as good as everyone believes. That defense has some game though and should keep them in the race until the end. The Browns should be improved some and could have the pieces for a nice future, but it will be another year or so before they are competitive.

AFC SOUTH:

1. Indianapolis Colts

2. Houston Texans

3. Tennesse Titans

4. Jacksonville Jaguars

The Colts should be the best team in the AFC this season. As long as they have Peyton Manning they are a Super Bowl contender. Their defense and O-line need some work, but Manning is too good to ignore. The Texans could make a serious run this season and I’d expect them to make their first postseason. The Titans are an intriguing team with Vince Young and Chris Johnson on offense, but they lack the receivers to be a serious offensive force. The Jags are a team that I think could be a huge disappointment this season and think they could end up with a top 5 pick in next April’s draft.

AFC WEST:

1. San Diego Chargers

2. Oakland Raiders

3. Denver Broncos

4. Kansas City Chiefs

The Chargers should be the only playoff team out of the West this year, and that is despite not having Vincent Jackson. They still have a top offensive unit and an impressive defense. They are far superior to any other West team, and should runaway with this division. The Raiders I think will be a very improved team this year and could even end up with a .500 record. Their offensive line will hold them back, but the Raiders could be returning as a relevant team in the West. The Broncos have some talent, but injuries have already depleted this team and could haunt them this entire season. I really see the Chiefs as another disappointing team as I’m not a big believer in Matt Cassel.

Playoffs:

1. Colts

2. Jets

3. Ravens

4. Chargers

5. Steelers

6. Texans

Colts over the Steelers in the AFC Championship game.

Baltimore once again showed why they are one of the top teams in the league each year. They had another brilliant draft, trading out of the first round and recouping the picks they lost in their trade for Anquan Boldin. In the 2nd round the Ravens took a pair of very talented players, both of whom are perfect fits for Baltimore. OLB Sergio Kindle is a tenacious pass rusher and benefits by slipping some to the Ravens. Now instead of being one of the top guys on a bad team, Kindle can have the time to develop into a great player. He should find plenty of freedom playing along with all the starts the Ravens have on D. Baltimore’s second 2nd round pick, will do a great job in opening up holes for Kindle and the rest of the linebackers. Nose tackle Terrence Cody is a perfect fit in Baltimore. They have the depth that he won’t have to be an every down player, also his presence next to Ngata along the front line should give the Ravens a devastating run defense. After filling their defensive needs, the Ravens loaded up on pass catchers drafting tight ends in the 3rd and 4th rounds (thanks to the Tim Tebow deal) and a receiver in the 5th round. Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson are good complimentary tight ends. Dickson is the stronger, faster and more athletic one. While Pitta has great hands and instincts. Both should be immediate contributors, giving Joe Flacco one of the best arsenals in the league. Fifth round pick David Reed, was one of my favorite players in this draft and I expect him to emerge as the successor to Derrick Mason. The Ravens also added a solid DT/DE in Arthur Jones in the 5th round. He will move to end in the 3-4, but has a lot of potential. While the Ravens didn’t draft one of their bigger needs (cornerback), they added another fantastic class. When you factor in Boldin to this mix, Baltimore gets a very strong Grade A+.

Cincinnati Bengals:

The Bengals did a great job of filling their two biggest needs going into this draft, defense and pass catchers. The Bengals landed the top tight end in this draft with their first round selection of Jermaine Gresham. Gresham should give the Bengals passing game the jolt they needed last season. He has all the talent and skill to develop into an elite tight end in the NFL. In the 3rd round the Bengals grabbed Jordan Shipley who should help on special teams and as a slot receiver. He might never be a game breaker, but Shipley filled a big need for Cincinnati. Late in the draft the Bengals got great value by adding receiver Dezmon Briscoe, who was projected to go earlier in the draft. He has excellent size and speed and could develop into a starter. On defense the Bengals added four good prospects, who all have starting potential. 2nd rounder DE Carlos Dunlap, could develop into a top notch defensive end if he ever gets his mental game figured out. Cornerback Brandon Ghee was excellent value for the Bengals in the 3rd round, as were DT Geno Atkins and LB Roderick Muckelroy in the 4th round. All three of whom should be solid rotational players as rookies. The Bengals didn’t address their needs at safety, but filled every other position. While a lot of this draft is based on potential, I think the Bengals made some excellent selections. Grade B+

Cleveland Browns:

The Browns had a mixed bag with this draft. They traded away some picks to acquire Sheldon Brown and Chris Gocong and got some nice prospects, but they didn’t fill all of their needs. Joe Haden I thought was a interesting pick, since they had just acquired Sheldon Brown. Even if they do move Brown to safety, the Browns missed out on a chance to trade up for Eric Berry, who would have filled a major need for Cleveland. Considering the fact that the Browns used both their 2nd round pick and 5th round pick on safeties, it is safe to say Cleveland still was looking to upgrade the position. While I think Ward is a solid prospect and Asante offered them nice value in the 5th round, them combined don’t equal Berry, whom I think was the best player in this entire draft. For me, Ward was a bit of an overdraft and it would have made more sense to either trade back to the middle of the round or just outright select Jimmy Clausen with that pick. While they did eventually get their quarterback in the 3rd round, Clausen I feel will be ready sooner and has more upside. Trading up for Hardesty in the 2nd round was a bit of a surprise as well. While I like him as a player, they gave up a good bit to get him (picks that would have made more sense, plus others towards a deal for Berry). I did like both WR Carlton Mitchell and DE Clifton Geathers in the 6th round. I feel both have big upsides and should find roles on the Browns. Overall it seemed like a strange draft for Cleveland, where they addressed the majority of their needs but seemingly at the wrong times with the wrong players. There grade will remain high because of the addition of Brown and the talent they acquired, but I don’t know if this draft can put them back into contention. Grade B-

Pittsburgh Steelers:

The Steelers had a very good all-around draft, with the only question mark coming at the lack of drafting a corner early (they did trade for Bryant McFadden, so that did help and is weighted in this grade). Overall I loved their picks of Pouncey and Scott along the offensive line. Both players have nice upside and were good values for where they were drafted. Pouncey should start from day one in Pittsburgh and help solidify that unit. The Steelers addressed their skilled positions well, by adding a pair of receivers and a power back. WR Emmanuel Sanders in the 3rd round, offers good value and could work his way into the rotation. 6th rounder Antonio Brown, I thought was pretty underrated and should develop into a solid player, as well as helping early on in the return game. At running back the Steelers added Jonathan Dwyer, a bruising back out of Georgia Tech. A Dwyer-Mendenhall backfield should be very formidable, and Dwyer was excellent value in the 6th round. On defense the Steelers drafted 3 linebackers, one defensive end, and a corner. Most of those were depth picks but I believe the two rush linebackers they added should give them value. I’m actually higher on 4th rounder Thaddeus Gibson than 2nd rounder Jason Worilds. In fact I think Pittsburgh missed a golden opportunity with their Worilds pick. There were a number of trades at the end of that 2nd round, and if Pittsburgh had moved back they could have gotten additional picks, but also would have been able to grab one of the corners before they were all drafted at the top of Round 3. To me Worilds is more of a 3rd or 4th round prospect, and while he might fit in Pittsburgh I think he could be a bust as well. Gibson was excellent value for the 4th round, and should well continue the tradition of Pittsburgh sack masters at some point in his career. Overall I really liked what the Steelers did, but would have probably rather seen them trade back to the end of the 2nd round and grab a corner over Worilds. Other than that though I don’t have any real complaints or issues about this draft. Grade A-

Simple answer to that question is an emphatic YES! The Indianapolis Colts I think are the best team in the NFL, and have been all season. While they will now have to prove it against the Ravens vaunted defense, I don’t think anything can stop Manning and the Colts right now.

I realize the Ravens are a good team, that runs the ball REALLY well, and plays good defense, but I think Manning and the Colts will be too much for them this week. As good as Baltimore’s defense has been this season, they’ve had their share of lapses. And the Colts are one team they can’t give an inch to. Manning and the Colts have too many weapons for the Ravens to cover, and Baltimore’s pass defense is their one area of weakness. I think the Ravens may have some success on offense, but it won’t be enough. The Colts are notorious for giving up a lot of yards, but keeping teams off the scoreboard. Most of the yards the Colts give up are, garbage yards at the end of the game. They are susceptible to the run, but generate a ton of pressure that allows them to stop good passing attacks.

Now I think there are some concerns for the Colts, not the least of which being, how do they come out after not playing for three weeks. I’m normally not a fan of taking it easy at the end of the season, but I don’t see it affecting the Colts. Manning and company are too professional, and have the experience to overcome the rust from the layoff. While there are holes in their defense, I think the Colts will do enough to slow down the Ravens and their running game. I think Manning and the home crowd will be enough to overcome Baltimore, 31-17.

–For all the talk about this being a quarterback league and that you need a franchise quarterback to win the big games, defense and the run game were the difference in the first round. The four highest paid QB’s in the first round all are going home and of those matchups you can really only say that Romo was better than McNabb (and that is a pretty close comparison). Though Warner is a ‘franchise’ guy, and Flacco and Sanchez could one day be as well, none of them were the best quarterback on the field.

–Running game and defense were the difference in ALL the games.

While you wouldn’t think the Cards could play defense with the way they were torched by Rodgers, they made two big plays early, as well as the fumble return that won the game in overtime. They also put more consistent pressure on Rodgers than the Packers defense did on Warner. The Cards out gained the Packers on the ground 156-90. The Ravens defense absolutely dominated the Patriots from start to finish, they forced four turnovers and had Brady completely confused. They won with just 34 yards through the air (Flacco had a 10.0 QB rating!), because they controlled the running game 234-64.

As for the Saturday games: The Cowboys forced four turnovers, and also chipped in with four sacks. They out gained the Eagles 198-54 on the ground. The Jets game is the one exception as they didn’t out rush the Bengals, both teams finished with 171 yards, but the Jets defense controlled that game from start to finish, with 3 sacks and forcing two turnovers. For the Bengals, running the ball is the only way they could move it (not good when they spent most of the game trailing) as Darrelle Revis absolutely shutdown Chad Ochocinco.

–Another interesting thing was of the three repeat matchups from week 17, only the Cardinals changed their fortune: We heard all week how you should take the results from week 17 with a grain of salt, because the playoffs are different, or they ran vanilla offenses, or that the Bengals, Eagles and Cards were resting their players, or that they weren’t trying because they had nothing to play for (even though the Eagles definitely did have something to play for). Despite all the talk and rhetoric all week, the exact same result happened when the Bengals and the Eagles got on the field this weekend (and the Bengals were now at home).

–The thing I love the most, is the four teams that were considered the “sleepers” or “dark horses” are now out of it: All year we heard about the Patriots being back this year, now that Brady was healthy New England was going to pick up where they left off in 2007. And the talk didn’t die down when they lost to the Colts or the Saints, or a few other games a ‘dominate’ team should have won. Instead it turned to how they would be a different team in the postseason, and a team that could go to the Super Bowl. In reality they weren’t a great team and got blown out yesterday (how hard is it to figure out the Raven’s offense: run right, run right, run left, run center, run right?).

The Bengals all season we heard how they were a new team with a ground game and defense to go along with Palmer and Ochocinco. Well the running game worked, but Palmer was off all day on Saturday. And what happened to that defense, not only did the Jets run over them, but they couldn’t figure out the Jets simple passing attack or get any pressure on Sanchez (has anyone ever seen two more simplistic offenses than the Ravens and Jets be successful in the playoffs??).

In the NFC, for a long time the Eagles became a favorite third option for all the analysts who didn’t want to pick a front runner. And Philly looked like an even better pick once the Vikings and Saints started struggling down the stretch. They looked anything but a Super Bowl contender on Saturday. The Packers became another favorite pick down the stretch, despite the fact questions about their O-line, pass defense and running game hadn’t been answered. All the talk of how they were a new team after the Cowboys game and that if they faced the Vikings and Favre again the outcome would be different is all for naught.