by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
I need to mail Andy Reid a gift certificate to Krispy Kreme.
Reid, the head coach of my favorite team, the Philadelphia Eagles, made a couple of the most boneheaded decisions I have seen in the playoffs, seemingly because he was daydreaming about the next batch of doughnuts he could feast on rather than watching the game he was supposed to be coaching.
After former Lobo Hank Baskett converted a 4th-and-10, which was overturned because of a false start penalty, Reid decided to punt on 4th-and-15 with about two minutes left and trailing 27-24 to let his defense get the ball back. Makes sense, right?
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Well, for anyone watching the game, the answer is a resounding no. New Orleans Saints running back Deuce McAllister was pounding through the Eagles' defense easier than a bowling ball knocking down a bunch of pins.
So, of course, McAllister slashed through the Philadelphia defense almost as fast as Reid chows down a couple bear claws, allowing the Saints to run out the clock and move on to the NFC Championship while Reid happily flew to Dunkin' Donuts to enjoy a few jelly-filled treats.
Next year can be different, Eagles fans. If enough of us can e-mail Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie during the offseason and persuade him to allow Reid to snack on the sidelines during games, we will be unstoppable. We need to make it happen.
Moving on, the rest of the NFL divisional playoff games were intriguing, as well. Other than the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens' 15-6 barn-burner, each game went down to the wire and was decided by a field goal.
None was more exciting than the thriller between the New England Patriots and the San Diego Chargers. That, too, featured some inept decisions by a head coach, none other than Marty "If the playoffs didn't matter, I would be a legend" Schottenheimer.
His replay challenge of a fumble in the fourth quarter was one of the most absurd calls I've seen and cost the Chargers a timeout they desperately needed down the stretch.
However, I am not going to put the entire loss on Schottenheimer. Tom Brady proved once again that he is the best big-game quarterback in the NFL with his drives at the end of both halves.
There are few things you can be sure of come playoff time, but Brady performing well in the clutch, Schottenheimer mismanaging a game and Reid violently abusing his arteries are givens.
The other divisional game, a 27-24 overtime win by the Chicago Bears over the Seattle Seahawks, was quietly the most surprising game of the weekend.
For the first half of the season, experts were drooling over the Bears' defense and comparing it to the greatest of all time. However, in the past couple weeks, that same unit has looked more like a
Division II college than the 1985 Bears. The fact that the Seahawks, who were only in the divisional round after edging by a terrible Dallas defense, scored 24 on Chicago is amazing to me.
McAllister, Reggie Bush and Drew Brees have got to be foaming at the mouth in anticipation of going against that defense. Mark my words: The Saints will decimate the Bears in the NFC Championship and advance to the Super Bowl. That game is going to be less exciting than the thought of seeing Will Ferrell and Jon Heder suiting up in ice-skating outfits.
The AFC Championship, however, pitting Peyton Manning's Colts against Brady and the Patriots, should be a game for the ages. Despite Manning having to refer to Brady as "daddy" in the playoffs, I have an odd feeling about this game.
The fact that the Colts are hosting this game and the Patriots seem to be way too happy about their win in San Diego makes me think Indianapolis can pull this win out.
Plus, if Manning lost to Brady again in the postseason, wouldn't he spontaneously combust right there on live TV? Either way, we're in for a treat.
So, if I happen to be right - and trust me, it's not often - then we will have an insane offensive matchup between Brees and Manning in the Super Bowl. And while the AFC has been the dominant conference all season, I just can't see any team stopping the Saints from the roll they are on.
So, sorry, Peyton. You might finally get past Brady, but your Super Bowl ring will have to wait. I'd send you a gift to cheer you up, but unfortunately my pocket change is going to be spent on keeping Reid's appetite satisfied.
