As good as the Jets looked in beating up on the Bengals this weekend, aren't you glad the Chargers don't have to face the Ravens?
Yep, as expected, those teams coming out of the wildcard round of the AFC playoffs look awfully dangerous, Jets included. In fact, the Ravens appeared so good in crunching the Patriots Sunday that they look quite capable of beating the Colts in Indianapolis. That would be way cool, allowing the Chargers to host the AFC Championship Game -- if they indeed make it that far -- but the idea right now of that team being the roadblock to the Super Bowl ... oh, shudder. Especially when you know the Ravens have already won at Qualcomm Stadium this season.
I think the Chargers have the NFL's best collection of skill talent, but I worry that the Jets are going to keep the ball on the ground the whole game and try to keep Mark Sanchez from throwing more than 20 passes. The strategy worked to near perfection as the rookie completed 12 of 15 throws for 182 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions.
It helped quite a bit that Shonn Greene and Thomas Jones combined for 169 yards on 36 carries. I'd like to say they can't do that against the Bolts, but I won't go that far. They might with the league's top rushing attack going against the Make Shift. That scares me. There's also talk that the Jets blitz-happy defense will be eaten alive by QB Philip Rivers. That's possible, too. But imagine them sending pass-rushers around T Marcus McNeill, who struggled at Tennessee, and right side colleagues Brandon Dombrowski and Jon Runyan. That scares me, too.
The Chargers ought to be good for enough big plays on offense and defense to survive. The odds are better than not. But the margin suddenly looks dangerously slim.
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Wouldn't it be nice to see Don Coryell make the Pro Football Hall of Fame? The former Chargers and San Diego State head coach made the final 15, from which the honored will be chosen on Feb. 6.
Coryell is already a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, which he richly deserves. He revolutionized the college game while at State -- really, what we saw during the 1980s and 1990s and into the 2000s before the Spread took over were versions of his offense. He then moved into the NFL with the St. Louis Cardinals before returning home to San Diego. In those days, as now, taking the Cards to the playoffs twice in five seasons should alone be enough to make the Hall of Fame.
The offensive system had already been introduced to the pro game by the time Coryell arrived, thanks to Al Davis and John Madden, but it really became popular when QB Jim Hart and RB Terry Metcalfe cranked up the Cardinals offense after that franchise had been awful for years, and QB Dan Fouts took "Air Coryell" to new heights here. Oldsters can tell you how bad the Bolts were in the early 1970s before he arrived.
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Darn, why did I have to live through an SDSU team blowing a huge lead to lose to Wyoming, again!? You can point to all kinds of reasons for the football and basketball meltdowns, but players counting their chickens before they hatched were a biggie. I'm tired of this kind of crap. Really, how stupid can you be? If the players wonder why SDSU athletics have little local support, its because setbacks like Saturday's collapse against a lesser team have become the expected.
If it sounds like I'm losing patience, I am. Quickly.
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Advice for Dillon Baxter, the Mission Bay HS star who might de-commit from USC in the wake of coach Pete Carroll's pending departure to Seattle:
1. It's not like USC won't attract a good coach to replace Carroll. Even if you're unsure about the head guy, your position coach will almost certainly be of high quality.
2. That said, the NCAA's hammer is coming down on the Trojans because of violations committed under Carroll. The NCAA could come down hard, or could turn squishy when up against a powerful program. Who knows? But if you stick it out, be prepared to be banned from at least one bowl game while you're there.
3. If you really want to play for Carroll, maximize your potential and he'll draft you in a couple of years.
4. It's less than a month until letter-of-intent day, but time is on your side. That's only the first day for you to sign. You can make your decision when YOU want to, not when someone else says you do.
5. Give Brady Hoke a shot, but don't go to SDSU unless you can get some of your fellow de-commits, especially Palomar CC T Brice Schwab, to go with you. It's too bad you're not a year younger, because at this time in 2011 the Aztecs will be a legitimate option on their own.
6. Keep your eye on what's important: whether you like the coaches and teammates, the environment of the campus, and a school that won't sell you short on academics. If you're as good a football player as everyone thinks you are, the bright lights will come.
Good luck, whatever decision you make.
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