Hey, What Happened to Ed Reed?

With the celebration of the Steelers AFC Championship game victory dying down late in the night (or early in the morning), one question popped into my head...what happened to Ed Reed? In case you forgot, Reed is that safety from Baltimore who is supposed to be the greatest defensive player on Earth and better than Troy Polamalu. Yeah...well after the Steelers crushing win over the Ravens, I'm trying to figure out where Ed Reed was because I didn't see him at all during the game. I did see him talking to Mike Tomlin following the game so he was, in fact, in Pittsburgh. Well, I came up with a couple ideas of where Reed was during the game tonight...

Maybe Ed didn't know how many more trips he would be making to the 'Burgh that he had to check out Primanti Brothers to see if it was as good as advertised.

Or he could of had a dinner date with Eagles coach Andy Reid last night to discuss Reid's failures as a head coach...again.

Ed possibly could have been too stressed out waiting for the game to start and decided to ride the Duquesne Incline on Mt. Washington and just lost track of time. That could be it.

Or Ed could have really wanted to cruise the three rivers and rode the Majestic up and down the river all night.

If you didn't catch the sarcasm in this post then you're a mess. In all seriousness, Reed was in the official stat line. You wants cold, hard facts?
Ed Reed, two tackles. Troy Polamalu, three tackles, one interception, one touchdown and one ticket to Tampa. 'Nuff said.

Conference Championship Picks

Today's the big day in the National Football League. If you're a fan of the Steelers, Ravens, Eagles or Cardinals, you're going nuts and your stomach has been in knots all week. If you're a general NFL and your team was knocked out already, you're still ready to watch history unfold today. I haven't made any picks all season on The Wheelhouse, but I decided these games were too big to pass up.

Eagles at Cardinals
For some reason I happen to like the Cardinals in this game today. They've been playing just as good as any team in the playoffs to this point. They are at home today in the desert. Their defense has been playing great in the playoffs while stopping two of the best running backs in the game in Michael Turner and DeAngelo Williams. Larry Fitzgerald is a beast and continues to make ridiculous catches. Anquan Boldin should return and be a factor for the Cards. And Kurt Warner has been to the Super Bowl before and got the job done. The Eagles, on the other hand, have been way too inconsistent this year for me to expect them to win for a fourth week in a row. I think the Cardinals contain Brian Westbrook today and Warner gets it going through the air and makes Philadelphia play the Cardinals way in a shootout.
Cardinals 31, Eagles 21

Ravens at Steelers
Here we go again. Baltimore and Pittsburgh meet for the third time in what is quickly becoming one of the best rivalries in football. Just like the first two games in the regular season, expect this game to be a knockdown, street fight between two teams that genuinely don't like each other. Pittsburgh won both games in the regular season on a final game-winning field goal in overtime, and they won the second game on a touchdown with under a minute to play. So it's tough to beat a team three times in one season right? Wrong. Read my post from a couple days ago if you disagree with me. I like the Steelers in this one today. First, the Steelers defense is better than the Ravens all season and they proved it in the first two games against the Ravens. Second, I'd rather have the Steelers offense than the Ravens offense led by a rookie. Joe Flacco has done a great job this year, but he really hasn't been asked to do much with that defense behind him. I just don't see a scenario where Flacco goes into Heinz Field and wins a game to the Super Bowl. Call me bias, but I think that's too much to call on a rookie to do. I think the Steelers move the ball well against the Ravens defense today and PROTECT the football, which is key anytime in the playoffs especially in a game like this. I like the Steelers today, and I actually like them by about two touchdowns. I pray I'm right on this one.
Steelers 24, Ravens 9

The Common Sense Rule

In a story that flew under the radar yesterday, owners voted to change a MLB rule that finally makes sense. The baseball owners approved the change to allow head-to-head records determine home-field advantage for one-game playoff tiebreakers following the season. It's a refreshing change that I applaud being made considering they previously used a coin toss to determine the home site.

That's right, a coin toss. As you can see, it's about time a change was made. I'm calling this the common sense rule from now on. If you remember back to last October when the Twins and White Sox met up for a one-game playoff for the division in Chicago. They played at US Cellular in Chicago because despite the Twins winning the season series, the White Sox won a coin toss. Under the new common sense rule, the Twins would be hosting the playoff in the Metrodome and would have won. Not that it would have mattered because neither team was getting past the Rays, but it's about time they made the change to dump the coin toss as a tiebreaker for something as important as a one-game playoff. I don't know who ever came up with using a coin toss to determine home field originally because that's garbage. The coin toss is used as a very last resort to breaking a tie in sports...I think the NFL uses it as like number 10 on a long playoff tiebreaking list.

Kudos to the MLB owners for making one good decision this offseason.

Defeating a Team Three Times in One Season? Never!

With the Steelers AFC Championship game against the Ravens looming this week, I've heard the same line over and over again, and I'm sick of it. Apparently it has become universally known that it's difficult to defeat the same opponent three times in one year. It's almost become a cliche. I thought it was tough to beat a playoff team once period. I don't know who ever came up with that idea, but did anyway think of actually researching it? Thankfully, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette took care of that.

According to the Post-Gazette, there have been 18 instances in NFL history where teams have met up for a third time in the playoffs with one team winning both regular season contests. The team that won both games the first two times around are 11-7 in the crucial third game, including a 7-3 record in the most recent 10 times it has happened. Not too mention that the Steelers are 2-0 in these games after beating the Browns (the old Ravens) three times in 1994 and more recently in 2002. I'm not saying that it can't happen, but these numbers clearly prove that the team winning the first two games are well over .500 in the final game. So can the media and experts please put this argument to bed? I'm tired of hearing it.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin had a great answer this week when asked about the myth...

"I personally don't subscribe to that hocus-pocus to be honest with you."

Me neither, Coach.

Worst Performances of the Divisional Playoffs

Everyone likes to talk about the top performances from the weekend and hand out game balls all the time. But that won't be happening here. The Wheelhouse will hand out the worst performances from the latest NFL week. We want to know who failed and really stunk it up each week. So instead of game balls being awarded for good play, this will be like eggs being thrown out for terrible play. We'll hand out a couple here each week, but there's no limit as we'll let the bad play deem how many to give out.

Jake Delhomme, 17/34, 205 yards, 1 TD, 5 INTs, 1 fumble.
Jake Delhomme is not a great quarterback nor is he a bad quarterback. He has good games more often then he has his share of bad games. On Saturday night, however, Delhomme was downright awful in the Panthers loss to the Arizona Cardinals. We're talking one of the worst performances by a player in the history of the NFL postseason. In a game the Panthers were heavily favored, Delhomme did not keep it close as he turned the ball over six times...six! He threw five interceptions and lost one fumble on way to Arizona's easy 33-13 victory.

Sometimes you can't put all the interceptions on the quarterback, but this game it was pretty much all Delhomme's fault. He was impatient from the start of the game, making terrible reads and throwing into double and triple coverage while a couple times tossing it right to the Cardinals defenders. He said after the game that he apologized to his teammates in the huddle during the fourth quarter. I don't know if I've ever heard anyone else do that before. It was such a terrible performance that it almost became laughable at some point during the second half as it just was not his night at all. And the kicker was that this all happened on his birthday. Ouch. I feel bad for ol' Jake, but he gets an egg for that horrendous performance.

Eli Manning, 15/29, 169 yards, 0 TDs, 2 INTs.
There were plenty of bad performances in the Giants-Eagles game Sunday because the defenses were pounding the offenses all game, but the blame for the Giants has to fall on Eli Manning. He got the much deserved credit last year for their Super Bowl run, but he was not the same quarterback late in this season when they lost Plaxico Burress from the lineup. Manning's quarterback rating drop almost 30 points without Burress and yesterday, he did not get the job done at home for the G-men. He threw two interceptions, one directly in the stomach of Asante Samuel, ran probably the worst QB sneak in NFL history on fourth and inches and he failed to find a deep threat or get the ball into the end zone as they settled for three field goals.

Playcalling was also suspect in this game by New York. In what was a close game all four quarters, the Giants continued to try and put the ball in the air in windy conditions instead of pounding it to Brandon Jacobs all day. Jacobs was effective with 19 rushes for 92 yards, but could of easily had another 10 carries while Manning continued to struggle. And just like that, the defending champs were out.

Honorable mention this week goes to the referees in the Titans-Ravens game. Refs never had control of this slug fest from the first whistle, and how does a back judge miss a blatant delay of game in a tie game when his job is to watch the play clock?

Is Peyton Manning Still a Choker?

Deadspin ran a post earlier this week posing the question if Peyton Manning was still a choker after his Colts were knocked from the playoffs again last Saturday. I don't hide the fact that I don't really like Manning. I like to watch him lose, it's fun to me. I don't know where that comes from, probably because I'm scared as hell when he's going up against the Steelers. He has those commercials that you can't help but laugh at, but besides those I'm not a big fan of him.

Will that being said, is he a choker that can't win the big game? Absolutely not. I've been reading other articles about this same thing from different news outlets, and I can't believe it. Manning won a Super Bowl just two years ago. I don't care how many times he loses in the playoffs before and after that...he defeated his rival Tom Brady and the Patriots in the AFC Championship game that year and then won the big game. Dan Marino couldn't win the big one. Peyton Manning has already won a Super Bowl.

To further my point, has anyone watched the Colts team this year? The Colts running game was horrendous and their defense was mediocre at best. Manning was the MVP of the NFL this year and that was the right choice because without him, the Colts would have been 6-10. The Colts didn't lose to the Chargers because of something Manning did or did not do. The team had other problems. Earlier in Manning's career, he was choking in playoff games and throwing three or four picks to the Patriots and Ty Law. But I don't recall him making any mistakes last week against the Chargers. Plus, no matter what happens in the future, Manning still has that ring to flash to critics.

James Harrison = MVP

If you're a diehard Steelers fan, then you've known about James Harrison's ability years before the rest of the NFL got the memo. You remember him dominating on special teams for years and at linebacker during preseason games before becoming a regular starter in 2006. And you also remember the game on Christmas Eve 2005 when Harrison body slammed a drunk, Browns fan who had run onto the field during a 41-0 beat down of the Brownies. Of all the accolades that Harrison has accumulated, that was easily my favorite James Harrison moment...



Today, Harrison (the pride of Kent State!) finally earned his due by being named the 2008 NFL Defensive MVP. His monster season includes breaking the Steelers sack record with 16 to go along with a career-high seven forced fumbles and he did all that despite being held on every single play and sitting out the season finale against Cleveland. When you're breaking the Steelers single-season sack record...that's getting it done. Congrats to Harrison on the very deserving honor, and let's hope he's well rested and ready to get after Philip Rivers this Sunday.

Worst Performances of the Wild Card Round

Despite it being late in the NFL season, I'm going to start this weekly post anyway. Everyone likes to talk about the top performances from the weekend and hand out game balls all the time. But that won't be happening here. The Wheelhouse will hand out the worst performances from the latest NFL week. We want to know who failed and really stunk it up each week. So instead of game balls being awarded for good play, this will be like eggs being thrown out for terrible play. We'll hand out a couple here each week, but there's no limit as we'll let the bad play deem how many to give out.

Here are the worst performances from this week's NFL wild card round...

Chad Pennington, 25/38 for 252 yards, 1 TD, 4 INTs. Chad Pennington's storybook season peaked last week when he led the Dolphins into his former place of work and defeated his old team to clinch the AFC East Division. This week his season ended with an early exit from the playoffs with a performance you can only describe as a lame effort. You can't turn the ball over against the Ravens defense...you just can't do it. Pennington threw seven picks all season and threw four today...two of them to Ed Reed, which by the way is unbelievable that people still throw Reed's way at all.

I believe the Jets were correct in getting rid of Pennington before this season because even though he had a great regular season, Pennington is the same guy he's always been. He might get you to the playoffs, but he won't win the big one for you or even get you close to the big one for that matter. Congrats Chad on getting the first egg thrown at you in the history of The Wheelhouse!

LaDainian Tomlinson, 5 rushes, 25 yards, 1 TD, a detached groin and a lot of sitting on the bench. I think it's time to declare that LaDainian Tomlinson disappears in the playoffs. And not because he doesn't perform, it's because it seems like every time a playoff game hits, LT has some weird injury that came out of nowhere. If you played all season with it, why can't he play now? It's the playoffs...show me something, get out there! Remember the AFC Championship game from last year where all LT did was sit on the bench with his helmet and coat on looking cold and bored in New England. He apparently was injured in that game too. But even if you're injured, show some emotion for your team LaDainian! He makes no attempt to be a cheerleader on the sideline and get behind his team...he just sits there, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else but at the game.

Thankfully for the Chargers playoff hopes, they had speedster Darren Sproles to carry the load and be the dagger to pierce the Colts hearts yesterday. LT has been one of the best running backs in the NFL the past five or so years, but let's face it...he disappears in the playoffs.

Honorable mention goes to Tarvaris Jackson. I don't care how great Adrian Peterson is, the Vikings will never go anywhere with Jackson at QB.

The Big Ten is Officially Down

Every year when that classic debate arises of which football conference is the strongest, Big Ten supporters always point to the bowl games and its surprisingly good bowl record. And with good reason. Bowl games are always a good measuring stick for conferences because teams are playing competition from other conferences that they don't face very often. It actually makes the bowl season a little more interesting to watch. So Big Ten fans make it a point that the conference isn't really down because of what they do in bowl games over the last couple of years. Well, they won't be doing that this year.

Everyone knew that the Big Ten was down this year during the regular season and now you are getting real proof at just how bad it is. The Big Ten is an awful 1-6 in bowl games so far this season and with Ohio State left to play Texas Monday...I'm not really expecting much out of them. If OSU loses, it will drop the Big Ten to 1-7. If that wasn't bad enough, Penn State, who for most of the season looked like an explosive team that had a good shot at the national title, got leveled by USC in the Rose Bowl. The only conference with a worse winning percentage this year is the MAC, which is 0-4 with one game to play.

Iowa is the only Big Ten team to record a win so far while Wisconsin was blown out by Florida State, Michigan State lost to Georgia, Minnesota was hammered by Kansas. Northwestern was the only team to put up a close fight, losing to Missouri in overtime. Maybe the record wouldn't seem as bad as it is, but then you look at how the majority of the teams lost, it's not a good sign for the conference. I don't think it'll get any better for the Big Ten in the next couple of years either. The SEC seems to get better every year, the Big 12 has four to five elite programs now and the PAC-10, who is another conference the rest of the country writes off, went 5-0 in bowl games this year.

The Jets are Classy

In sports, you win as a team and you lose as a team. Apparently, the New York Jets haven't figured that out yet. It's bad enough to go in the proverbial downward spiral, losing your last four out of five games to miss the playoffs. But it's another whole story when your players start throwing their teammates under the bus not even a week after their season ended. Thomas Jones and other "anonymous" teammates have been doing a lot of talking this week saying things like Brett Favre was distant from the team, his careless interceptions should have warranted a benching and coach Eric Mangini wasn't the reason the team missed the playoffs. Jones has since backtracked his comments, saying he has nothing but respect for Favre, but the damage has been done with his and other players comments.

I'm not going to say that Favre wasn't horrible down the stretch. He actually stunk, throwing seven picks in his last three games. But Favre wasn't the only one stinking it up on this team in December. There were a lot of dropped passes by Jet receivers in their final game against Miami so you can't put it all on Favre. Maybe Jones should point the finger at himself...he didn't run for 100 yards in his last four games while managing only 67 yards against Seattle and 23 yards against the Dolphins. Also, the Jets defense was an absolute joke the past month so there's plenty of blame to go around. Favre has always thrown picks throughout his career and still racked up wins all the time. The Jets knew what they were getting themselves into and the owner has already stated that he wants Favre to return next year.

The Jets were 8-4 with Favre and despite what happened at the end of the season, let's be honest...the Jets would not have been leading their division in Week 13 without Brett Favre. Who else were they going to turn to? Kellen Clemens? Come on. I wonder what kind of year Jones would have had running the football with Clemens behind center? He had a more productive season because defenses were accounting for Favre. Jones should think about that before opening his mouth.

Then there's anonymous players talking crap toward Favre about him being distant. All I have to say to that is if you aren't man enough to put your name behind what you are saying then don't go spreading rumors to the media or anyone. There's a better way to handle these issues. The Jets were already set up for an interesting offseason with the Favre retirement issue, but now these comments should make for a fun couple of months especially if Favre comes back. Jones and these anonymous players need to spend the offseason looking at themselves and figuring out what they can do to improve the team for next season.