Locker Room Buzz – Conference Championships

How about those Arizona Cardinals? I had penciled in the Carolina Panthers as the Super Bowl champions! They had the league’s most dynamic running game, a quarterback who could manage a game as well as put the team on his shoulders when needed, and one of the league’s best receivers in Steve Smith.

I’ve said this before, but I believe what our Arizona Cardinals insider told us about halfway through the season. The Cardinals defense’s main issue was not staying within their gap assignments. This was reminiscent of the philosophy of Monte Kiffin’s tough defenses.

The Cardinals have done that, and by doing that, they have allowed their offense to control portions of the game with a rushing attack. That is they are becoming a complete team right before our eyes. Can they beat the Philadelphia Eagles? I believe they can.

Speaking of the Philadelphia Eagles, I felt the running backs would dictate the outcome of their game against the New York Giants and the better producer would be on the winning team. That did not happen and for one simple reason.

For all intents and purposes, the offenses were not a big factor in relation to the defense and weather. Not making excuses as much as saying we can stack all the numbers up, but in the end, there’s a reason we watch the game. Did the better team win? I would say yes and no. On paper the Giants are the better team, but on the field, the Eagles proved twice that they were the better team. You go with the team that has the W!

The game between the Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans ended as expected. The team that won the turnover battle won the game. I will say this: The Titans are the league’s best team. If running back Chris Johnson had not been injured and Tennessee avoided the turnovers, we’re talking a potential blowout.
That stated, the Titans did not lose the game as much as the Ravens defense did what they had to do: win the turnover battle. I view the Titans’ plastering of the Steelers as legitimate based on how they began to dominate the Ravens prior to losing Johnson.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and San Diego Chargers? Well, head coach Norv Turner has to go. The team was clearly not prepared to play. If you go back and watch the film, watch the Ravens defense on every play and watch the Chargers defense. Two opposites. The Ravens swarmed, gang-tackled and hit their opponents like Mack trucks. The Chargers, on every play, were standing around; they weren’t swarming to the ball and simply put did not have the intensity to play the type of game needed to advance in the playoffs.

I give it to the Steelers and their tradition of playing tough defensive football. There’s a mentality with the Ravens and Steelers that the Chargers can only dream of having right now. I believe that starts with the head coach. The better team won in this case, though I believe the way they won could give them a little bit of overconfidence heading into the championship game.

Who will win? My head tells me to look for the Eagles to be upset by the Cardinals. If the Cardinals defense shows up, the Eagles can’t win on only quarterback Donovan McNabb’s arm. Everyone talks about McNabb, but Brian Westbrook (knee) is the key to this team. Luckily their defense is playing lights out, so they can keep the Eagles in it.

On the other side, the Cardinals have to establish a running game to keep the blitzing Eagles off balance. If they can do that, I believe they will win. I give them the edge because they are playing at home and Westbrook is hurt.

The Ravens and Steelers matchup is going to be a tough battle, and no one can predict the winner. However, while I’ll be rooting for the Ravens (a rarity as I’m a big Steelers fan) because I’ve grown to be a huge fan of Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, I believe that position is the difference.

Flacco is a rookie facing a 3-4 defense that disguises its blitzes extremely well. The Steelers may have a drama queen for a quarterback in Big Ben Roethlisberger, but he’s also a winner and the team believes in him. That’s why I believe they will win.