The Ball of the Foot, part deux

A few thoughts about the divisional NFL playoffs:

:: Wow, watching St. Tom Brady the Overrated pout when he gets beat really never gets old, does it?

:: Sure, Brady's a great quarterback. He's earned his spot in Canton, and probably on the first ballot. But I just don't think he functions well under pressure. When everything is going his way, he can beat the living hell out of you. But if you manage to just get things going not quite his way, he gets frustrated and usually loses. I've listened to a lot of people the last month or so resurrecting the "Brady is the greatest ever" talk, but I continue to believe that until he responds to a real high-pressure situation with a win, he doesn't even merit mention alongside Joe Montana.

Put it this way: if I'm down four points in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl with two minutes to go and I'm on my own 5-yard line, I don't want Tom Brady under center. Sorry. Give me Elway, or Montana.

:: That said, I think the Jets' bubble probably gets burst this weekend. I wouldn't be surprised if they look a bit flat after a hugely emotional win. Plus, for all the talk about how Mark Sanchez faced Peyton Manning and then Tom Brady and beat them both, the fact is, Sanchez didn't face those guys. He opposed them, but he actually faced the Colts and Patriots defenses. Now he gets to face the Steelers defense.

I know, Sanchez beat them in the regular season. That win was rather flukey, if I remember correctly, and the Steelers were pretty banged up at the time. Not the case now...and the Steelers are an experienced, playoff-tested group of veterans.

:: Speaking of Sanchez, I'm not really impressed with him. The Jets' defense is why they won that game, but Sanchez's passing is all over the place. He missed wide-open receivers left and right, and the ones he hit, he didn't exactly hit on the numbers. Again, that's not going to work out well against a healthy and fired-up Steeler defense.

:: My prediction skills suck, but I think Green Bay wins as well. Steelers-Packers in the Super Bowl!

:: Oh, and finally: Lord knows that my love of overalls is quixotic enough, but even I can't endorse this.

Go Steelers!