LUCK takes HAWKS not COLTS to SUPERBOWL

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP
Rus sell Please....   To hear him talk, you would think Russell Wilson won the NFC Championship game. "I told the guys at halftime - we didn't make the plays in the first half, we will make them in the second." or something like that was Wilson's post-game speech. We? You threw 3 INTs in the first half. Wilson seems to have his head so far up ownerships ass that he blissfully dawns the emperors new clothes. He loves the way they look "I guarantee it".

Wilson and the Seahawks didn't win, and Green Bay didn't lose it.  The Hawks got lucky - Period.  So leave poor Bostick alone. We have all been guilty of not looking before we back out of the driveway. We're all just lucky our Superbowl hopes weren't on a big wheel behind us. 

I play the Horn at Craps. It's a High Return Low Odds to win bet.  2,3,11 or 12 have to hit and it pays 16-1 for 3 or 11 and 30-1 for 2 or 12. If you sit and play that bet for an hour - you will go broke. I bet it for two rolls, hit or walk away. When I stand there and watch 2 12s hit in a row, I'm elated. But unlike Russell Wilson - I realize I had nothing to do with it.

The Hawks hit on Sunday against similar odds. Fake Punt, Onside Kick and a careless desperation pass - thrown straight up in the air for a 2 point conversion. That million to 1 shot completion  - was a direct result of Horrible play calling by Bevell.

Seattle did everything possible to lose on Sunday. Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and Head coach Pete Carol have obviously learned nothing. In my pregame post  - I clarified what the Seahawks Must and Must Not do. They did exactly the opposite. Result - 16-0 Packers. 19-7 2nd half. 

The winning formula has not changed over the last 3 years for Seattle.  STAY VERTICAL!  Run Lynch, short passes and boots. NO deep drops, or letting Wilson run around the backfield. Wilson spent most of the game running around the backfield and threw 4 interceptions in the process. 

Richard Sherman, The Seattle Defense, and Marshawn Lynch are For Real. Sherman ended an early GB drive with an aggressive, athletic pick. A swat team could not have stopped Beast Mode when he knew he had to score. He even waited short of the goal line in case anyone else wanted to try. 

Bevell and Carol have had plenty of time to learn what not to do. They haven't.  It cost them a Superbowl trip 2 years ago and will cost them a 2nd trophy on February 1st. 
I'd rather be lucky than smart any day.  But I don't count on it. Neither can Seattle vs Tom Brady and the Patriots.  If the Seahawks were in Vegas, I would advise them to leave the table, take their winnings and get on a plane home.

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP
There is a ball inflation controversy in New England. However, the only thing the Patriots Deflated on Sunday was Andrew Luck's Over Inflated Ego. Colts players have come straight out and admitted Luck talks down to his teammates and bosses everyone around.  I thoroughly enjoyed watching his demise for that reason. 

As far as the Patriots are concerned - the crazy old man did what he needed to do. 
I implored him to play Blount in the Divisional Playoff last year. He gave him 5 carries, sat him and lost.  Bount's first 4 or 5 carries didn't go for many yards this year either. But, this time Belichick left him in. He ended up running for 148 yds and 3 TDs. In my Pregame Post I insisted Belichick must not abandon the Run and must play Jonas Gray. He got the first part right. I love Bount by the way. He looked like a Water Buffalo on meth. He deserves the rock on short and goal in the Superbowl.

That leads me to the one mistake Belichick continues to make. When the Patriots run game is firing on all cylinders, they move down the field with ease. Normally they end up with a short yardage 1st and Goal. This is where Belichick loses his mind. Blount was averaging like 8 yards per carry in the 2nd half.  They ran 7 or 11 passes (lost count) inside the 15 on one drive Sunday and did not score a TD.  RUN the Fricken ball on 1st and Goal Bill!

A Mack Truck was the right tool against a weak Colts Rush Defense. Seattle does not have a weak Rush Defense though. More Speed and mobility may be needed to penetrate that Defensive line.  For that reason, I'll stick with my prediction that Jonas Gray still holds the final key to the Lombardi returning to New England. 

Russell Wilson should be young, dumb and on the Run. Don't get me wrong, I like the kid, but he has a lot to learn. When a PGA pro holes one out of a bunker - they lower their head and smile. They know they stole one. Wilson stole one vs GB on Sunday.  He just doesn't know it yet. Bevell and Carol are clueless on offense. if they continue to call plays that take time to develop - Wilson's Fran Tarkenton imitation will produce 3 or 4 more picks vs the Patriots defense.  If the Patriots answer with a single back, spread offense, they will win with short passes and a sustained run attack.  

An Offense limited to Short Drops, Quick Releases, and a Consistent Run Game, is the only formula that works in the NFL these days. If both teams subscribe - we might actually have a game worth watching. But don't count on it. 

I rolled the dice on Seattle last week. I'm putting money on New England Now at even odds.

- Rick Jansen