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The San Francisco treatCase in point: Martellus Bennett. Physically, you can't find another physical specimen in the NFL. He's gigantic, quick, athletic and a second-round pick.
Yet, he could give a shit about playing professional football.
Furthermore, he couldn't hold the jocks of Jimmy Graham, Vernon Davis, Jermichael Finley, Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, Jake Ballard, Owen Daniels and Ed Dickson.
In fact, none of the teams that played this weekend wouldn't have Bennett and his brand of bullshit. The Dallas Cowboys ... well, he was a second-round pick. Can't just go cutting second-round picks, can you?
Then there's defense. The losing teams -- Denver, Green Bay, Houston and New Orleans -- have defenses with 200 times the heart and effort (and talent) than that of the Cowboys.
Eat your heart out.
Also, it was some of the sloppiest football played in a long while. The ball was on the loose. Winning teams had a significant edge in the turnover ratio: 14:4. Take out the New England-Denver ratio (oddly, 2:1 in favor of the Broncos ... the only battle they won) and the winners had a 13-2 advantage. Not just killed drives, but turnovers that turned directly into points creating massive swings of momentum. This also doesn't take into account the fumbles reversed by replay or near turnovers.
San Francisco 49ers 36, New Orleans Saints 32
Who knew it'd be the 49ers' offense that could save the day? Alex Smith's best game as a professional by a million miles. And it's remarkable how fast the San Fran defense is. Since they played the Cowboys all those weeks ago, they've gone from 55 to 110. Not only are they fast, but they hit incredibly hard and are impossible to block. Turnovers, clearly, were a huge story. The Saints had five and the 49ers just one. The Saints' key turnover was Pierre Thomas' fumble near the 49ers' goalline. Granted, I can't blame him. He was knocked the fuck out. Still, it took seven or three points off the board.
New England Patriots 45, Denver Broncos 10
This was varsity versus peewee. Big brother versus little brother in the backyard. A team that's been there a lot and a team that can't believe they're not at home watching the game on TV.
Baltimore Ravens 20, Houston Texans 13
When will the Ravens get fed up with Joe Flacco? Granted, they won, but they were severely outplayed by the Texans, who just about find a way to win this dumb game. Flacco's terrible. He's proven that in the playoffs, he can't put together a performance worth a damn and the team's punished for it. I can't imagine the Ravens ignore the quarterback position this summer because there's no way the Ravens can last much longer this post-season. The key here, as always, is turnovers. The Texans had four and the Ravens had none. Maybe Flacco was unspectacular, but he hardly hurt the team. Jacoby Jones' fumble clearly was the the game changer. The three other turnovers -- and the half dozen near turnovers -- were just wastes. The Texans probably win with Matt Schaub.
New York Giants 37, Green Bay Packers 20
Turnovers: Packers 4, Giants 1. Ballgame. I didn't have the guts to take the Giants yesterday, but I certainly thought they'd give the Packers all the fight they could handle. Eli Manning outplayed Aaron Rodgers. Of course, for the latter, it didn't help that the Giants' pass rush was relentless. Four sacks and Rodgers led the Packers in rush attempts with seven. Not that Rodgers can't run. But the Packers will not win that way. Giants, again, are the most complete team in the playoffs.
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