NFL Divisional Round Thread: Colts? Chargers? Vikings? Saints? Come Out & Play!

I put myself through that torture tonight. Yeah, I keep watching thinking this time Quentin Coryatt will hold onto the goddamn ball. Or that Willie Williams doesn't come around the backside. Or instant replay is made retroactive, and Pittsburgh's first touchdown is called back because Kordell Stewart stepped out of bounds.

By the way, was there a conference championship game feature such mediocre players at the skill positions? Neil O'Donnell vs. Jim Harbaugh was practically fucking Brady vs. Manning. The Colts' starting wide receivers were Sean Dawkins and Floyd Turner, and the running backs were Lamont Warren and Zack Crockett (Marshall Faulk was injured). Pittsburgh had Mills and Thigpen, and in the backfield was America's favorite drug mule, Bam Morris, and Erric Pegram.

The Colts did have a team thick with future broadcasters: Tony Siragusa, current radio color man Will Wolford, local radio yokel Joe Staysniak and one-time radio color guy Grandpa Ted Marchibroda.

Trivia time: who was the starting quarterback Harbaugh displaced?

 

Trudeau?

 

Nope, he was long gone. And I'm not thinking of ex-Bear Paul Justin who started a game that year. (By the way, Bill Tobin had traveled down I-65, which is why so many ex-Bears ended up with the Colts during that period.

 

Worse that you imagined -- it was Craig Erickson. Tobin traded a first-round draft pick for him, and he lasted something like three games. Maybe he should have consulted Mel Kiper.

 

Didn't Crockett have a huge game the week before against the Chiefs?

That Steelers' offense was actually very good. That was O'Donnell's career year, but even then he faltered badly in the playoffs.

 

Re: NFL Divisional Round Thread: Colts? Chargers? Vikings? Saints? Come Out & Pl

Could be wrong, but didn't Harbaugh replace Craig Erickson?

And yeah, I remember eating at Dingbats in the North Hills, looking up at the TV and seeing Crockett score a touchdown. Have no idea his final rushing line.

Even with the two recent SB titles, that game remains my favorite sports moment. Enberg (or was it Simms?) screaming that Aaron Bailey caught the ball when it rolled off his chest. Cowher in tears. Kordell stepping out of bounds and the refs not catching it. Coryatt dropping a sure-fire pick six.

Disclaimer: I was 14 and owned a Steelers Apex jacket/shark tooth cap at the time.

EDIT: Didn't see Bob's posts ... which makes mine virtually worthless.

 

Love the 90s era NBC intros (and music):

 

At least the damn Steelers and Colts have won Super Bowls since then.

All I think about is what happened the week before the Steelers and Colts... Lin Elliott missing three damn field goals at Arrowhead in the 10-7 loss to Jim Harbaugh and the Blue Horseshoe.

 

I lost a wagon load of money on that Colts-Chiefs game.

 

LJB-

That was the last NFL game that I paid to go to as a fan... drove down from college, 8 hours each way. Froze my tuccas off in the corner end zone, 80 rows up. Heck, I was so far up at Arrowhead I could see Kansas and feel the gusts blowing off the plains.

As Gannon led the Chiefs back (having replaced Steve Bono), we all knew Elliott would shank the game-tying field goal.

I expect the Metrodome could have a similiar feel this weekend -- the upstart Wild Card round team rolling into town. If Minnesota falls behind early, the panic starts to set in.

This is a great playoff round to be a road team if you have a solid QB.

 

I've frozen my tush off in that stadium before too, exmedia. But not cold like that day. The Denver game a few years later, same round, was almost the same kind of weather, and the same result for the Chiefs. This is just a great round, period.

"Is there anyplace you'd rather be, than right here, right now?"