“Once a young QB starts thinking, he sometimes can't stop, can't do anything at all. In Eli Manning yesterday, I saw a mature quarterback: he knows when to use his head, and when to switch it off and throw.”

~ Scott Garson

By Scott Garson  |  Send to Friend

Piers: Scott, one question to start out with: Do you think San Diego looks back at their choice of keeping Philip Rivers and not resigning Drew Brees as a colossal mistake? Not to pin the blame of yesterday's loss on Rivers, I thought he played valiantly, actually, but Brees is definitely a better pocket passer, no?

Scott: Wait, P. I'm busy.

Piers: Doing what exactly?

Scott: I'm composing an ode to the Patriots. It starts like this:

And the leaves, they did fall,
And the birds, they did call
And the Patriots won on Sunday.

Piers: Does this go on?

Scott: Sure. But I'll answer your Q.

Piers: Good.

Scott: Rivers is hell of a QB right now and is going to be better. He has that 'x' factor of determination, belief. He's going to win in this league. But not on a day when he's gimpy, and the teams two other top offensive talents are basically out of commission. Not against the Patriots.

And Moss, how he streaked
In that offense, much tweaked
As the Patriots won on Sunday

Piers: So, are the Pats in the realm of those teams who win so consistently, so absolutely ruthlessly that you start to attribute their wins to divine will? It gets to a point where you just know they'll make this or that play (usually to freaking Faulk) and ice the game. Like, it's done before the coin toss. Are the Pats are now so calculatingly good at winning that you can't actually see them lose. That you KNOW they'll make the key play that wins it for them?

Scott:

And God, he looked down
On Patriot-town
And said, They shall win on Sunday

Piers: Quite.

Scott: The Pats are so good on the offensive end that they can win without really trying. And if there's going to be a regret for them this season, it may be just this: there's nobody close to them, no one to force them to get better. I mean, look at yesterday. Brady throws, what? Three picks? The offense moves down the field again and again, but without having to make SportsCenter plays. They're just too good, P. They can do it in their sleep.

The Jets, they did whine
And others malign
Still the Patriots won on Sunday

Piers: Okay, let's jump overboard to the Giants/Pack game. It seemed to me the Pack were in trouble early on: As a Birds fan, I've seen too many games like that for Plexico Burress. When that dude comes to play, he can just TORTURE you. He abused Al Harris, just abused him.

Scott: Plexiglass, as only Shannon Sharpe can get away with calling him. Yeah, he was good. And you're right: much as Troy Aikman -- Mr. Heckuva -- wanted to call it a good matchup for both teams, Burress vs. Harris was ridiculously one-sided. A heckuva one-sided matchup. But really, P, I think the Giants defense had more to do with the win yesterday. No?

Piers: They stoned GB's running game, alright. And they do seem to be playing incredibly cohesively. There were a few plays where they broke down a screen pass or a short run and toss, where it looked like everyone was in perfect position. The interception Favre threw in OT was just an awful throw, but for most of the second half, it looked like the Giants knew almost exactly what plays the Packers wanted to run.

Scott: They seem extremely well-coached.

Piers: And Eli was throwing with a lot of conviction. For all the talk of him hating the cold, he was poised as hell. Any sympathy for your Midwestern brethren?

Scott: You know, I was pulling for them at the beginning of the game -- just a little, as much as a Vikings fans can pull for the Pack. On O, though, they did nothing. They were just stymied -- at Lambeau, in Packers weather. They were no fun at all to watch. The G-men played a great defensive game, and you're right: if Eli Manning didn't show you something yesterday, you are a person of great prejudice.

Piers: Gotta say, he made balls-out great throws. It helps, though, when Burress is that on. Dude is huge. Funny they do all this without Shockey, huh? Maybe loudmouth isn't so important to this offense, after all.

Scott: Eli Manning played smart. The problem with 'smart,' at QB -- and let's look to Favre as a great QB who DOESN'T always play smart, and sometimes benefits from not playing smart -- the problem is thinking. Once a young QB starts thinking, he sometimes can't stop, can't do anything at all. In Eli Manning yesterday, I saw a mature quarterback: he knows when to use his head, and when to switch it off and throw.

Piers: And, better yet, he looked like he really, really cared out there. That one near catch Burress made streaking down the sideline right before halftime, Eli was hopping with frustration. For a guy who always looked like he'd rather be doing almost anything rather than play football, he seems to have really gotten into it.

Scott: Roger that, P. He's the Manning of the Hour.

Piers: Shameless. Last question: is this a case of the Giants really just maturing into the team they always could be, or more like the Steelers a couple of years ago, getting hot at precisely the right time?

Scott: Ah. Good Q. Let us all hope that they've matured into the team they were meant to be. Because if not, P -- if they just happened to get hot at the right time, like the Redskins and Vikings earlier in the year -- then they're going to look at out of place in Arizona against the mighty Patriots as either the Redskins or Vikings would.

And the brave Ravens' win
It was lost, with chagrin
For the Patriots win on Sunday.
What should the last verse be, P? Let's do this together.

Yoda Bill, did he smile?
What rhymes with 'smile'?

Piers:

To his young quarterback reptile?

Scott:

Yoda bill, did he smile
To his young quarterback reptile?
as the Patriots won on Sunday?

"Ode to the Patriots," by the Sportsmen. Thank you. Thank you very much.

Piers Marchant and Scott Garson are two old comrades from long-suffering sports towns who do their damndest to aggravate one another in the name of cyber-journalism.