The Scoop

By Dalton Del Don

Watching the Cardinals/Falcons game, it was obvious Arizona was jumping the snap count abnormally early, so it comes as no surprise to hear Bertrand Berry confirm this. What is surprising, however, is his claim that Matt Ryan didn’t change the snap count the entire game. Now that’s just absurd…What a fantastic catch by Larry Fitzgerald. Forget the size, speed and strength, is there a wideout in the league with better hands?…Anquan Boldin is as tough as they come, but he really is rather injury-prone…Saturday’s game was a microcosm of Roddy White’s season – drops an easy would-be long gainer yet catches the balls thrown with others draped around him. 7.6 yards per catch against a secondary that allowed an NFL-high 36 TD passes was pretty underwhelming…Matt Ryan had an amazing rookie season, probably the best ever, but he did finish the year throwing six picks over the last three games…Michael Turner’s final count – 394 carries. His is a rare case since he was previously barely used, so the career mileage remains way low, but historians will likely avoid him at the draft table in 2009.

An instant classic in San Diego on Saturday night. And to think, a punter was the difference maker. Mike Scifres set an NFL playoff record with a 51.7 net average during six punts – all of which fell inside the 20 (five times inside the 11). Indy had six total return yards!…If Antonio Gates truly was playing on a high-ankle sprain, that was some performance…The secret is probably out, but Anthony Gonzalez is an excellent target in fantasy leagues next year…The Colts allowed six touchdown passes in 17 games this year…Just an incredible job by Peyton Manning on that 72-yard TD to Reggie Wayne. Who else does that?…What a blessing in disguise that LaDainian Tomlinson injury was for the Chargers. Darren Sproles isn’t a 300-carry running back – he’ll likely miss practice all this week after getting 23 rushing attempts last week – but few players are as explosive. Fumbles have been a problem with him, but Sproles is also much more powerful than most realize. San Diego doesn’t win Saturday if Tomlinson is the back getting those touches…As someone who has called Philip Rivers MVP over Manning this year, nothing may have proved my point more than Saturday’s game. Manning definitely outplayed Rivers, without a doubt, yet the Chargers won. Winning doesn’t correlate to singular performance in football.

This Ravens defense is no joke. Miami committed 13 turnovers all season and then five this weekend. I used to call Ed Reed overrated, as he was always good for a highlight reel play but often exposed other teammates in the secondary by gambling too much. But I was wrong. He’s been great all year, and unlike seemingly every other defensive back in football, possesses terrific hands. What a player…Joe Flacco was inaccurate Sunday, but man does he have some arm strength. The team needs to utilize his ability to run more…What a TD catch by Ronnie Brown. Why didn’t the Dolphins use him as a receiver like that throughout the regular season?

The Vikings vs. Eagles, otherwise known as Dumb & Dumber, predictably featured some of the worst coaching decisions of the year. With 2:30 left in the first half, the Vikings have 1st and goal, and Andy Reid doesn’t call a timeout after a running play. Remember, it’s a goal to go situation, so Minnesota can’t get another first down. Of course, Reid then calls a T.O. after the two minute warning, so instead of it being 2nd and goal with 2:21 left, there’s 1:51 (and no 2 minute warning) remaining. This isn’t rocket science…As far as I’m concerned, Jared Allen was the best player on the field Sunday. What a disruptive force. He even almost caught up to Brian Westbrook during his 71-yard TD…Man was Tarvaris Jackson shaky. Shame on me for backing him ATS. Just some horrible decision making on his part. And as the fastest QB in the NFL, how does he only attempt to run the ball twice?…Adrian Peterson has a ton of work to do over the offseason. The team’s best player was effectively useless over the final 10 minutes because of his shortcomings in pass protection and as a receiver…Not to be outdone by mentor Reid, Brad Childress decided to call a pass play on 2nd and 10 with :35 left in the first half. At his own 13-yard-line. Since Philly had just one timeout remaining, two kneel downs would have ended the half. Instead, the Vikings, who have the worst punt coverage in the history of the NFL, had to kick to a dangerous DeSean Jackson, giving the Eagles an opportunity for a field goal…With 2:22 left in the fourth quarter, Childress elected to decline a holding penalty on Philadelphia. I’m not questioning the decision, I’m far more curious as to why the clock never restarted. A timeout wasn’t called, Westbrook had just ran the ball, and as mentioned, the penalty was declined. What am I missing here? Was this a complete oversight by the referring crew?