Wednesday Morning QB (Championship Weekend)
There was a distinct theme to the Conference Championships this week n the NFL as things were set up to be a pass the torch type of situation.
The four teams left vying for the Super Bowl could be put into two very different categories with two teams apiece.
On one side were the old guard featuring teams led by coach and QB combinations that had been together for more than a decade.
Sean Payton and Drew Brees came together in 2006 when they both joined the Saints and since that time have been revolutionizing the NFL.
They represented a big step in the evolution of the game from defence-first to offence-first as Brees and Payton rode their offence to the Super Bowl three years after coming together.
On the other side of the bracket was the ultimate coach-QB pair in Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.
Belichick took over the Patriots in 2000 and drafted a young, and unathletic QB in the sixth round of the draft.
Before either knew it that unathletic quarterback was leading the Patriots to their first-ever Super Bowl title.
That would begin the best dynasty in the history of the NFL that now totals five Super Bowl rings and nine AFC championships.
The Saints and the Patriots are the pictures of stability in the NFL with the coach-QB combinations lasting beyond a decade and providing plenty of success.
They were going to try to show that the experience gained through that time together was going to make the difference in some of the most important games of the year.
They would try to prove that against two teams with a much shorter connection and two teams currently changing the league.
Although Andy Reid is by no means a young head coach he has been a leader in the offensive revolution happening in the league throughout this year.
That has a lot to do with his new QB and MVP candidate Patrick Mahomes who took over in his first year as the starter.
He seems to fit perfectly into a system that concentrates on deception and getting the ball into the hands of playmakers.
That led to one of the best offences in the league and a brand new contender in the AFC despite their quick rise.
In the NFC a similar story has been playing out for the last few years with the Los Angele Rams.
Although the first year in LA didn’t go too well that all changed in year two when the Rams hired the youngest coach in the NFL, Sean McVay.
That same year they drafted Jared Goff to become the new face of a team struggling to gain a fan base in a new city.
McVay has been an offensive mastermind and is becoming the hot coach in the league with all of his assistants getting jobs in the league.
His offensive mind fits perfectly with a young QB will to learn and adjust and have fun playing in the system.
They have put together one of the most fun offences to watch and like the Chiefs are at the forefront of the offensive revolution.
The Chiefs and Rams are the new wave of competition in the league and look like they could be good for a very long time.
They weren’t going to take that crown right away though as the old guard still had a lot of fight in them and weren’t going to go away quietly.
The Saints took on the Rams in a game that was supposed to see defence thrown out the window.
It wasn’t as offensive minded as their first matchup but the offences did go to work in a very tight battle.
The Saints led the entire game until it mattered most and although a controversial call may have prevented the Saints from an opportunity to win the game the Rams were able to come back and take the win in overtime.
In the AFC the Patriots took an early lead in what looked like the veteran team giving the young team a lesson.
Mahomes led the comeback though and after an interesting second half with both teams scoring the game went to overtime.
The young QB never got the opportunity to show what he could do and instead, the Patriots took their third straight AFC title.
That has led to the same matchup for Super Bowl LIII as a young offensive minded team takes on the veteran team that has been more successful than any in history.
The old and the new meet again for the ultimate prize with one team looking to knock off the old guard to show that they are the new team to watch.
Fifth Quarter
Lawsuit for Change
The New Orleans Saints were not very happy with the results of their game after a missed pass interference call forced the Saints to kick a field goal. There was no guarantee that the penalty would have given the Saints the win but it was a bad miss and would have given them a 1st and goal. After the non-call fans filed a lawsuit against the league trying to force the league to change the result or replay the end of the game. There is a rule in the NFL rulebook that allows Roger Goodell to change the outcome but due to the fact that there would never be a guarantee that the Saints win if that call is made it will just go down as one of the worst missed penalties in NFL history.
Schism in Philadelphia
Nick Foles will likely enter the offseason as the biggest prize in the league with QB-needy teams looking to find an NFL-ready pivot. He has led the Eagles to two unlikely playoff appearances and is a Super Bowl MVP which doesn’t come along often. The only reason he is available is due to the fact that the Eagles have invested in a younger QB in Carson Wentz. That decision is proving not to be popular as the Eagles fans would prefer to see Foles back in an Eagles uniform and players are now coming out against their young QB. A report this week claimed that Wentz is selfish and egotistical leading, even more, to call for the return of Foles and abandoning the younger QB.
The Sport Addiction 