17-11-2023,
NFL Divisional Round hat tips: Guys who defined unreal weekend Published: Jan 15, 2018 at 05:37 AM Contributing Columnist I've argued forever that the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs is the best weekend in all of sports. Yes, I also love the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, the Masters, Week 1 of the NFL season and those magical October weekends when we get college football, Billy Williams Jersey NFL and MLB playoffs. But the Divisional Round is a simple setup -- four games over two days -- that lives up to its immense billing. And boy, was that true of this year's edition. Now, we could easily dwell on the negatives: the ' heartbreak of unfathomable proportions; Mike Tomlin's not being buttoned-up and losing another game they were supposed to win (at home, no le s); the latest example of wretched postseason play-calling by the . But I'm in a great mood. Let's focus on the positives, soak in the good stuff. Here are nine tips of the ol' cap off a spectacular Divisional Round -- plus a special mention at the end. NOTE: As you can see, this installment of the Schein Nine flows chronologically -- wanted to recapture this memorable weekend in the manner we all saw it play out. And yes, Sunday's participants receive more shoutouts than Saturday's because, well, Sunday was freakin' amazing. 1) Nick Foles, quarterback, Philadelphia Eagles I gave Nicky Foles a zero percent chance of winning in the playoffs. Wow, was I wrong. The first game of the weekend started out rough for 's replacement. Foles' early play was defined by scattershot throws and sloppy ball handling -- fortunately for the , none of this lackluster QB play actually turned the ball over. But Philadelphia's offense initially appeared stuck in the mud. Credit Foles for getting in a great rhythm with the run-pa s options that reminded me of the quarterback's season with the Chip Kelly . And credit Doug Pederson for getting Foles in a zone and giving him balance with (98 yards on 18 total touches). Foles rocked steady -- completing 23 of his 30 throws for 246 yards -- and gave his raging defense a chance by not throwing a single pick. It wasn't dazzling. It was efficient. It was . And I whiffed big-time on thinking the had no shot sans Wentz. 2) Fletcher Cox, defensive tackle, Philadelphia Eagles It's easy -- and accurate -- to rip the ' play-calling late in this game, but Cox was the true game-wrecker here. The 6-foot-4, 310-pound force of nature had his way with Atlanta's offensive line, recording seven total tackles, including two for lo s and a sack. As , the defensive tackle was particularly effective against the run, racking up five run stops in just 17 snaps against Anthony Rizzo Jersey run plays. This guy's an animal. He delivered in a big way after and spearheading Philly's "us against the world" mentality. Major credit is due. 3) Bill Belichick, head coach, New England Patriots I will argue forever that the ' run under Bill Belichick is the greatest dynasty in sports history. I can hit you with the division titles and appearances and Lombardi Trophies as amazing accumulated marks. But -- the only snoozer game of the weekend -- sent the to a seventh straight Championship Sunday. Seven years in a row, New England has hit the final four. That's maintained, consistent genius and domination. And this has occurred in the salary cap era. Players change teams. Squads go worst-to-first quite often. Yet Belichick's remain the same bona fide title contenders, year in and year out. Tip the cap, and applaud while you're at it. You might hate New England, because you're jealous. And you should be. 4) Blake Bortles, quarterback, Jacksonville Jaguars Some might argue I've built my career on ripping to shreds. Heck, I destroyed the draft pick the very night it happened in this Kosuke Fukudome Jersey space -- -- and I haven't stopped since. But here's the truth: just played tough, clutch, interception-free, football , rocking the on third down and guiding the to the AFC title game. Imagine writing that sentence last August, when Doug Marrone was . Or, heck, just , following in which Bortles set offense back to the stone ages. -- while discu sing the criticism surrounding his own play -- it was comical ... but it also showed he would be loose. Bortles handled it all incredibly well -- and shined on Sunday, answering the bell every time the came calling. 5) AND 6) Doug Marrone and Nathaniel Hackett, head coach and offensive coordinator, Jacksonville Jaguars Tom Coughlin deserves so much credit for the ' succe s. Let's make sure Marrone and Hackett also get their due. Marrone sees it just like Coughlin, as a no-nonsense type of guy. And he's quickly established a culture of winning down in Duuuuuuuvvvvvalll. It wasn't surprising to see him go for the touchdown early, on fourth-and-goal, to establish tone and tempo. And . Marrone's Jags were playing to win -- and, despite the ' courageous comeback attempt, Jacksonville did just that. And Hackett got my AP vote for A sistant Coach of the Year. While it might be a Chicago Cubs Jersey stretch to call him , you have to be one heck of an offensive play-caller to reach the AFC title game with Bortles and a rag-tag group of receivers. 7) Antonio Brown, wide receiver, Pittsburgh Steelers He's the best receiver in the NFL, bar none. And you can make a case that he's the best receiver the NFL has seen since Jerry Rice. (No, I'm not forgetting Randy Mo s or Terrell Owens.) Tomlin's suffered another disappointing lo s because they weren't focused, but Brown escapes blame. Seven catches for 132 yards and two touchdowns in his first game back from a calf injury in Week 15? Against the best cornerback duo in the NFL today? With ? Wow. Just wow. Sad that we don't get to see this guy play again for eight months. 8) Case Keenum, quarterback, Minnesota Vikings Did that happen? Did that happen? I still don't believe it. Did seriously throw a walk-off, on the final play of the game? Did he really flip the script from what would've been another epic collapse? Is really four quarters away from the ? If I'm in disbelief, how about the ' great fans? Wow. Tip many caps to Keenum, who made a number of big throws in . What a sensational story amid one of the all-time great finishes. 9) Kai Forbath, kicker, Minnesota Vikings He made the kick. That needs to be stre sed. Forbath made the go-ahead kick with 1:29 remaining . Yes, K Will Lutz proceeded to one minute later, setting the stage for Diggs' miraculous touchdown -- THIS. WAS. A. CRAZY. GAME. -- but don't forget Forbath's bomb. Considering the ' awful past when it comes to big-game kickers, Kyle Hendricks Jersey Forbath's clutch boot was fantastic. And given that Minnesota's a defense-first team, I'm thinking Forbath hasn't faced his last high-pre sure situation of this postseason. That 53-yarder -- down by a point, in the game's waning minutes -- is a huge confidence-booster. BONUS HAT TIP: Matt Nagy, head coach, Chicago Bears OK, let's hand out some kudos for last week's efforts to one -playoff team. I liked the hiring of Nagy a whole lot. And quietly, the 39-year-old head coach is putting together an all-star staff, retaining Vic Fangio (a top-five defensive coordinator) and snatching the great Harry Hiestand from Notre Dame to coach the offensive line. Now, if only Ryan Pace can get Nagy some players ... This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be mi sing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an i sue.
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