Seattle, Patriots will win Sunday
Robservations ...
■ Suppose that the Saskatchewan Roughriders signed a 1,000-yard receiver as a free agent. There would be considerable fanfare and perhaps another parade down the Green Mile. However, the response is rather restrained when a 1,000-yard receiver is involved in a resigning.
■ The receiver, in this case, is Taj Smith. He led the Roughriders in receptions, with 78, last season while amassing 1,007 yards. Although he was easy to overlook amid all the chatter about receiving colleagues Weston Dressler, Chris Getzlaf, Geroy Simon and Rob Bagg, the 30-yearold wideout was a key component of an arsenal that helped Saskatchewan win the Grey Cup.
■ Ooooh. We are on a roll. Ahhhh. Last week, this visionary correctly picked all four winning teams in the NFL playoffs. OK, it helped that the favourite won in each case. My mom’s Yorkshire terrier, Flutie, could also have gone 4-and-0. Nonetheless, this is the time for unreserved gloating, knowing all too well of my putrid prognosticative pedigree.
■ Now it gets (gulp) tougher. The conference finals are to be played Sunday. Both games look like a coin-flip. So now what? ■ Hmmm ... ■ Uh, here goes ... New England Patriots 38, Denver Broncos 34 in the AFC final. Seattle Seahawks 20, San Francisco 49ers 17 in the NFC championship game.
■ Why New England? Tom Brady must be salivating at the thought of facing a patched-up Broncos defence. Granted, Brady’s receiving corps is depleted, but he has a way of making ordinary pass-catchers look like Lynn Swann in big games (see: David Patten, Super Bowl XXXVI; Deion Branch and David Givens, Super Bowl XXXIX).
■ Why Seattle? The Seahawks’ defence looks like it is capable of shrinkwrapping any opponent, on any day. Another factor in Seattle’s favour: A home crowd that produces ear-splitting decibel levels.
■ Enough of the talk about how the 2014 NFL playoffs will affect the legacy of Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning. Why do some people go to such lengths to diminish the accomplishments of this peerless passer? Manning is 37. He won’t be playing forever. Just sit back and enjoy the show.
■ Oh, and one more thing: Manning piloted the Indianapolis Colts to victory in Super Bowl XLI. Moreover, he was named the game’s MVP. So what’s all this nonsense about him not being able to win a big game?
■ By the way, the crowd at Super Bowl XLI in Miami included the Regina-born Ryan brothers, Jon and Steve. If Seattle and Denver win on Sunday, Jon Ryan will see Manning once again in a Super Bowl, but from field level.
■ This column is brought to you by Peyton Manning.
■ In some circles, Manning’s 2013 campaign — in which he set NFL regularseason records for touchdown passes (55) and passing yards (5,477) — will be considered a failure if he does not quarterback Denver to victory in the Super Bowl. Huh?
■ A double standard is in effect. Brady, for example, fired 50 TD passes while helping New England go 16-0 during the 2007 season. But when the Patriots’ perfect season was ruined by a Super Bowl loss to the New York Giants, Brady was exempted from criticism. Manning would be crucified in the wake of such a defeat.
■ This, too, is irksome. The Patriots’ Bill Belichick is being trumpeted as the greatest head coach in NFL history. Three thoughts in rebuttal: (1) Ever heard of Vince Lombardi, Bill Walsh or Chuck Noll? (2) The greatest coach in NFL history would not, under any circumstances, flush away a 16-0 season with a Super Bowl loss; (3) Spygate.
■ There is a Saskatchewan tie to the 49ers’ active roster. The father of San Francisco defensive tackle Ray McDonald played for the Roughriders. Ray McDonald Sr. was a receiver with the Green and White for all of the 1988 CFL season, plus parts of 1987 and 1989.
■ Erstwhile Leader-Post scribe Danny Gallagher has collaborated with Bill Young on a fine new book: “Ecstasy to Agony: The 1994 Montreal Expos.’’ The 1994 Expos had the (sigh) best record in baseball at the time a strike scuttled what could have been a memorable, franchise-saving season. To order a copy, or for more information about the book, email expos94book@yahoo.ca.
■ Nice people who deserve a plug: Al Driver, Deana Driver, Gregg Drinnan, Dorothy Drinnan, Robert Knowles, Al Hirschmueller, Marsha Hudey, Kali Christ, Brad Amy, Taylor Leugner, Greg Fredrickson, Garth Fredrickson, Chris Getzlaf, Zak Zborosky, Gail Horst, Elizabeth Spilotro, Kyle Angielski, Mike Stumph, Bob and Ev Walker, Christina McCusker, Ken McCabe and, suitably, Peyton Manning.