This Past MLK Weekend

     For the sports junkies like me, this weekend proved to be exactly what the doctor ordered. Restricted to home with an ear that had been cleaned out of wax and dried blood but which continued to ooze, throb and be clogged, the past weekend afforded me the optimal time to stay in and watch games.

     My slate included 1Division III basketball game on Saturday and 2 NFL playoff games. Sunday provided 2 more NFL playoff contests, another college hoops matchup. MLK Day left me with a rematch between the last 2 NBA champions, the defending champs, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors.

     Between watching the Seattle Seahawks visit the Georgia Dome for what proved to be the next to last football game to be held there, I went to the computer to see my Franklin and Marshall Diplomats travel to Swarthmore to play the #16 ranked squad. While the Garnet Sports Network certainly was not the highest caliber webcast, it provided me with enough video and commentary to more than adequately follow the Dips as they trounced an undermanned Swarthmore squad in a reprise of last year's Centennial Conference Tournament final won by F&M at home in Lancaster. It has been my pleasure to watch the Glenn Robinson-coached teams for over 40 years--Robinson is the coach with the most wins on the Division III level, now nearing 920. His kids scrap and play the game in a representative manner--unlike Coach Mike Krzyzewski and his most recent bad boy, Grayson Allen.

     As to Seattle-Atlanta, the Falcons ripped apart and exposed the Seahawk defense repeatedly as MVP candidate Matt Ryan exploited the passing lanes with this trio of excellent wideouts which includes Mohammed Sanu Sr, formerly a Rutgers Scarlet Knight, who came to Atlanta from the Cincinnati Bengals as a free agent. Moreover, the Falcons' defense repeatedly stopped Russell Wilson and kept the game slanted in the Falcons favor. They seem to be a formidable foe and appear hungry to reach the Super Bowl.

     The night cap to the trio of games I watched on Saturday was a matchup between the Houston Texans, who had defeated the deflated Oakland Raiders the previous week, visiting the Tom Brady-led New England Patriots. Houston's defense, the key to their success despite missing their superstar, J.J. Watt, was supposed to give Brady, coming off a regular season where he had tossed only 2 interceptions in the 12 games he played due to his Deflategate suspension. The Texans managed to pick off 2 Brady throws from deflections, but in the end, the superiority of the Pats' offensive juggernaut and their stellar defense which included interceptions by the their 3 Rutgers defensive backs, proved to be too much. Most impressive to me was the running game the Patriots displayed and the quickness of Dion Lewis both running and passing. Given that the AFC Championship will be held on Sunday in Foxborough, absent a practice catastrophe, New England is the prohibitive favorite.

     At noon on Sunday BTN broadcast the Rutgers men's basketball team meeting the Indiana Hoosiers on the IU home court in Bloomington. IU has been inconsistent this season, beating some of the best opposition in the nation while losing to others who they never should have. They possess the talent and the coaching, which is why the 1-3 Big Ten record appeared to this observer to be an aberration. While RU started out well as they have lately in a number of conference games, their inconsistency plus a horrid day of foul shooting did them in. Had Rutgers had the talent to match up with the Hoosiers and made some more free throws, then the 76-57 score would have been a lot closer. No matter what the talent gap, Coach Steve Pikiell has made his kids believe that they can compete at the highest levels. Try some more zone defense, Coach along with some upcourt pressure and trapping. These Big 10 teams aren't invulnerable to turnovers when pressed.

     After the hoops appetizer, the game of the weekend was next. The Green Bay Packers, fresh off dismantling the New York Giants, invaded AT&T Stadium for a highly-anticipated contest with the Dallas Cowboys. Which did not disappoint at all. In fact, it was one of the best games ever. Not unusual for these two storied NFL franchises when they meet it the playoffs.

     Green Bay, behind all world quarterback Aaron Rodgers, leaped out to a sizeable lead. Only to have the Cowboys rookie tandem of Zak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott lead the Cowboys back to tie the game. It was a hard-hitting, offensive game with some real good defense thrown in.

     It was the fourth quarter, though which made this game memorable. Down 15 points at the start of the period, Prescott engineered a tremendous comeback, capped by a quarterback draw for a vital 2 point conversion. Then Rodgers took over for one final drive. Moving his team down the field with precious little time, he survived a jarring sack which would have led many other quarterbacks to fumble. And THEN he had the presence of mind to roll over and call a timeout. Rodgers' final pass of the evening went to Jared Cook, who managed to keep both feet barely in bounds as substantiated on replay, which then allowed Mason Crosby to eke a 51 yard field goal within the uprights as time expired. It was the 3rd field goal of over 50 yards in the last 1:33 of the game--Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey had one and Crosby had two, one negated by a last second Cowboys timeout. The "Half Mary," dubbed such in reference to Rodgers' ability to throw "Hail Mary" passes in to the end zone with some degree of success, will go down in the lore of the great Packers-Cowboys contests, akin to Bart Starr's sneak in the "Ice Bowl" so many years ago.

     The GB-ATL match promises to be exciting. The Packers have beaten the Falcons once in the Georgia Dome this year. It will be tough to pick a winner. Maybe the hot hand that Rodgers possesses is the difference maker.

     Almost immediately after the conclusion of the aforementioned game, Pittsburgh and Kansas City teed it up in frigid Arrowhead Stadium, delayed some 7 hours because of the terrible ice storm in the Midwest. While it did not reach the heights of the Packers-Cowboys game, the Steelers, behind rock solid defense and a playoff record 6 field goals, were much better than the Chiefs for much of the tilt. Nonetheless, KC behind the throwing of quarterback Alex Smith (I still don't understand how the 49'ers gave up on him), scored a touchdown and were poised to tie the game on a 2 point conversion. The pass was caught in the end zone, but so was the Chiefs' left tackle,  Eric Fisher, caught for holding Steelers 38 year old marvel at linebacker, James Harrison. The ensuing conversion pass from the 20 yard line as a result of the penalty, failed. Pittsburgh then ran out the clock. While the Steelers may be considered the other Cinderella team after Green Bay, I simply do not see them overcoming the Patriots to make it to the Super Bowl.

     The ratings were sky high for the NFL with these games, especially Green Bay and Dallas. It almost made me forget the greed that persists in the NFL embodied by the Chargers vacating San Diego for Los Angeles because they did not receive a favorable deal for a new stadium. Or the Raiders wanting to abandon Oakland for the paradise of Las Vegas. Almost.

     My final game on this loaded weekend was that rematch between the Cavaliers and Warriors. Golden State had lost 4 straight to Cleveland-all close games and the one on Christmas Day was an officiating blunder or two making a difference. This budding rivalry game was over in the first quarter. The Warriors were way too talented with Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Steph Curry and Draymond Green, who added a triple double; it exposed the flaws in the Cavs--they miss J.R. Smith and Matthew Dellavedova badly. While this was a beatdown, it means very little until and if they meet again in the NBA Finals.  

     I went to bed last night, sick from a head cold, but eminently satisfied. I love being a sports junkie.