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THIS WEEK: We have two Conference Championship games:
The San Diego Chargers at the New England Patriots, Sun., 1 p.m. (pacific time) CBS
The New York Giants at the Green Bay Packers, Sun., 4:30 p.m. (pacific time) FOX
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GREEN BAY PACKERS
As Associated Press sports writer Colin Fly suggested, "Brett Favre can rest easy. ..." Instead of playing at Dallas' Texas Stadium, where the three-time MVP is 0-9 in his career, the Packers will host the NFC championship game against the New York Giants on Sunday.
"I really haven't had time to digest it," head coach Mike McCarthy said Sunday night. "I'm just excited about having the game here at Lambeau Field."
A November clash of 10-1 teams left Dallas with the inside track for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Both the Packers and Cowboys ended up 13-3 with first-round byes.
Green Bay beat Seattle 42-20 on Saturday, but Dallas couldn't hold up its end of the deal for a potential rematch, losing 21-17 to the Giants on Sunday.
"We'd love to play at home," Favre said after Saturday's game. "We haven't had a whole lot of success in Dallas. I'm well aware of that, but I'm just pleased that we won this game and gave ourselves an opportunity."
Now, he'll get that chance. For the record, Favre is 8-2 in the postseason (and 8-1 this season) at home.
But beating New York won't be easy.
As Fly pointed out, the Giants are the league's most road-hardened team with nine straight victories away from New York.
"You have to respect the fact that they went into Dallas and Tampa Bay in a playoff atmosphere and won those games," McCarthy said. "It's a credit to their players, their coaching staff; the ability to focus and get over the hurdles that road games do present to you and that's why they're playing in the NFC championship game."
It'll be the first NFC championship game in Green Bay since the Packers beat Carolina 30-13 on Jan. 12, 1997. Green Bay went on to win the Super Bowl that year for Favre's only title. Sunday's game is expected to be frigid, with a forecast of highs in the single digits and wind chills below zero with kickoff not until the late afternoon.
"I'm told already it's going to be cold. Wind is the biggest thing because Brett does a great job with the football, handling the football in bad weather," McCarthy said. "The wind is the only thing I'm ever concerned about."
The teams have a long history in the playoffs. Green Bay won four NFL titles against New York in 1939, 1944, 1961 and 1962. The Giants' only postseason win against the Packers came in the 1938 NFL championship.
This season, the two teams met in New York on Sept. 16 and Favre had his way that Sunday, setting the career mark for wins by a starter with a 35-13 victory. But as Milwaukee Journal Sentinel staffer Greg A. Bedard suggested, when the Packers go back and look at the tape of that game, they'll see a much closer game than the final score indicated.
Green Bay trailed, 10-7, at halftime as its early season offensive struggles continued, and led by just 14-13 heading into the fourth quarter before a 21-0 run to end the game finished off the mistake-prone Giants.
"Definitely the New York Giants are a different football team," McCarthy said. "The running game is better. When we played the Giants, Eli [Manning] had hurt his shoulder the week before, and their defense was in the second game of a new defensive system. Just watching the game today, you can see that they're playing very well in all three areas."
The Packers might not be the same team four months later, but Bedard believes their offensive persona for the rest of the season took shape in the second half at the Meadowlands.
Favre, who completed 29 of 38 passes for 286 yards and three touchdowns, came out of the halftime break and completed his first 14 attempts for 119 yards and two touchdowns. Nearly all were of the short, quick variety, as he averaged 8.5 yards per completion.
The Giants didn't help themselves by picking up two crucial personal-foul penalties -- one each against tight end Jeremy Shockey and wide receiver Amani Toomer -- that cost themselves points. And a fumble on a fourth-quarter kickoff by Ahmad Bradshaw directly led to a Packers touchdown that gave them a 28-13 cushion with 11 minutes 41 seconds to go.
"That was Week 2," Giants defensive end Justin Tuck said. "We're both different teams now."
The Giants have changed not only direction, but in personnel.
In addition to Manning playing much better -- especially in recent weeks, three Giants starters from the first game are on injured reserve: running back Derrick Ward (90 yards in 15 rushes vs. Green Bay), Shockey (five catches, 60 yards) and linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka.
Brandon Jacobs, the regular starter, and Bradshaw have ably picked up Ward's slack. The two combined to rush 20 times for 88 yards and a touchdown against a stout Dallas run defense.
And the secondary that Favre was able to pick apart held Dallas' Tony Romo to a 50 percent completion rate and intercepted him with the game on the line.
"I think that's a very similar illustration to a number of our players," McCarthy said. "They're young players that have been given an opportunity, and they're improving each week. You could see it just watching them on TV against Tampa and the game today. That's a big part of their success."
And as mentioned above, the Giants will only be encouraged playing on the road. ...
Other notes of interest. ... As AP sports writer Chris Jenkins noted this week, for much of this season, the Packers have been causing fits for opposing defenses with their "Big Five" formation -- five wide receivers and an empty backfield.
But with the weather turning bad against Seattle last Saturday, the Packers temporarily put their signature spread formation on ice and mostly ran their way to a dominant 42-20 victory.
Jenkins added the Big Five hiatus shouldn't last very long, though.
With the Packers preparing to face the Giants' banged-up secondary, there's every reason to think they'll return to turning their receivers loose.
Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin said coaches went into Saturday planning on using the five-wide formation, but decided to steer clear of it as the game unfolded.
"We just felt like we had better things in our game plan to utilize," Philbin said. "And obviously the score being what it was, the weather being what it was later in the game, it didn't make a lot of sense at that point."
By unofficial count, the Packers didn't use their Big Five formation at all against Seattle on Saturday. Green Bay did deploy a similar personnel group with four receivers and tight end Donald Lee lined up wide -- but they only used that twice.
Instead, the Packers went in the opposite direction.
Not only did they run the ball 35 times while passing only 23 times -- only the third game all season in which the Packers have run more than they've passed -- they often did it out of full-house formations featuring two fullbacks and running back Ryan Grant.
It was an offbeat look for a team that until then had seemed to be spending more and more time with nobody lined up behind Brett Favre.
Philbin said the Packers' two-fullback attack is designed to make a defense commit to defending one side or the other, then exploit it.
"It's like anything else, you just try to figure out what they're trying to stop in that particular formation and then work off of that," Philbin said. "Are they geared up for the run? Maybe you've got some throws you can do. Are they geared up one side? Maybe you can work the other side. So it's not unlike many of our formation groupings that we're trying to just gain an advantage, a little bit here or there."
Jenkins went on to explain, the Big Five also makes defenses make difficult choices.
Do they sit back in a zone, or do they play man-to-man coverage and blitz? Teams have tried both approaches, and neither has worked consistently.
But at the same time, the formation leaves Favre by himself in the backfield, relying solely on his offensive line and his ability to dump the ball off quickly to avoid sacks.
And while Packers right tackle Mark Tauscher ended up having an excellent day against star defensive end Patrick Kerney on Saturday, the Packers didn't necessarily want to take chances against the Seahawks.
Add in a stellar day from Grant and an unexpected snowstorm, and it didn't make much sense for the Packers to get pass-happy.
"You stay with what's hot, and obviously our run game had been very, very productive," Philbin said.
Still, with New York's secondary beat up, it's safe to assume Philbin will be ready to take advantage of it -- weather willing. ...
If not, there's always Grant. ... As SI.com insider Don Banks wrote Saturday night: "Is it too late to change my vote for the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year? I went with Randy Moss, and the Cowboys' Greg Ellis wound up winning. But if I had it to do over again, I'd go with Grant -- just for the resurrection job he did after those two early fumbles against Seattle on Saturday. ..."
In case you missed it, Grant lost two fumbles in the first 70 seconds last Saturday, resulting in a 14-0 Seattle lead.
Grant handled it well. What was his approach? How did he deal with the situation?
Grant explained it quite well after the game: "It happened. That sucks. Gotta move on."
Whereas rookie receiver James Jones was quickly yanked from the Week 5 loss to Chicago when he had a pair of costly fumbles in the first half, McCarthy cut halfback Grant some slack after his two fumbles in the first three offensive plays Saturday led to the 14-0 deficit against Seattle.
Grant remained in the game and atoned for the turnovers by setting franchise records in the postseason with 201 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns.
According to the Sports Xchange, McCarthy explained Sunday that his decision-making on promptly benching Jones, while sticking with Grant stemmed from different situations.
"James' situation was using poor technique," McCarthy said. "I thought Ryan's first turnover, the ball was thrown behind him -- it was actually the only minus throw [Favre] had all day. [Grant's] body was contorted, and he was unable to get himself in position. The second one, he had his pads too high. It was bad technique. We corrected it and went on.
"So, I have a lot of faith in Ryan. I have a lot of faith in James Jones. That's why we picked up with him the next game and never looked back. ..."
Meanwhile, SI.com's Peter King advised readers on Monday one of the biggest storylines this week will be Grant's rise with the Packers.
The short version: McCarthy, frustrated with the lowest-rated running game in football entering the Week 7 bye, got Sept. 1 acquisition Grant ready to play a prominent (dominant, as it turned out) role for the Week 8 Monday-nighter at Denver.
Since Week 8, here's how the four lead rushers in Championship Weekend have fared:
Grant, who has carried the ball 209 times for 1,130 yards with 11 touchdowns, leads the way. He's followed by LaDainian Tomlinson (200 carries for 965 yards with 9 TDs), Jacobs (162 carries for 778 yards and 4 TDs) and Laurence Maroney (153 carries for 705 yards and 7 TDs).
Who would have guessed? Who could have guessed??
After all, as Journal Sentinel columnist Bob Wolfley reminded readers Tuesday, Grant joined the Packers with little fanfare after being acquired in a Sept. 1 trade (ironically enough) from the Giants.
As the Journal Sentinel described the deal on Sept. 2: "Ryan Grant, a nondescript third-year player without regular-season experience, is the newest addition to the Green Bay Packers' menagerie of running backs," the story began.
"The Packers must have seen something they liked in the guy," an unidentified personnel director was quoted by the Journal Sentinel as saying in the article. "You're not talking about a guy who will hit you with the 'wow' factor. I think you're talking about a stopgap more than anything."
As Wolfley noted: "Well, 201 yards qualify as a wow. And if he's a stopgap, then he deserves a spot in the Stopgap Hall of Fame. ..."
Incidentally, the stopgap is making $310,000 this season, seventh from the bottom of the Packers' 53-man roster to begin the season.
"Maybe I'm missing something," an unidentified scout said in the article, referring to Grant. "But everything I saw of him was just OK. Quick enough, but not overly quick. Fast enough, but not exciting fast. He can drop his shoulder and get another yard or two, but he's not going to run anybody over."
Well, maybe the scout was missing something. Or maybe Grant has blossomed into something other than what he appeared to be.
And as for not running anybody over, in the second half of this season there were a few opposing safeties who did fantastic imitations of defenders appearing to be run over by Grant.
The article quoted another scout as saying P.J. Pope, who was waived by Green Bay on Aug. 24, had "more everything" than Grant, including "strength" and "vision." This scout went on to say, "There's some guys on the street that have better (reputations) than Grant."
Since then, it's become obvious that Packer GM Ted Thompson was the one with the vision here. ...
As Yahoo! Sports correspondent Charles Robinson summed up: "When Grant is at his best, the Packers are almost impossible to beat. He has become a perfect complement to Green Bay's deep game and makes the Packers exponentially harder to defend."
Robinson went on to suggest that after his gut-check performance on Saturday, it's time to stop questioning whether he's one of the NFC's elite running backs.
However, Grant will face one of his stiffer tests this season against a Giants team that ranked eighth against the run during the regular season. If the Packers are successfully able to pound the edges with Grant, they can wear down Osi Umenyiora and Michael Strahan and alleviate some of that nasty pass rush. ...
In a semi-related note. ... The Xchange points out that Brandon Jackson acquitted himself in Saturday's win after committing a roughing-the-punter penalty in the second quarter that led to a field goal to keep Seattle within striking distance at 21-17.
The rookie responded with a 13-yard, catch-and-run touchdown in the third quarter and spelled Grant at halfback down the stretch, finishing with 34 yards in eight carries. ...
Also according to the Xchange, Bubba Franks had only one catch Saturday, but he had an instrumental role for the high-powered offense, which scored a touchdown in six straight possessions after the team fell behind 14-0.
Franks, who missed most of the regular season with a knee injury, was utilized frequently as an extra blocker. ...
And a few final items this week. ... As Profootballtalk.com's Mike Florio reminded readers this week, it wasn't that long ago, the Packers were being widely criticized for refusing to embrace free agency and for stubbornly building through the draft.
Now, however, the roster features a nucleus of young, talented players who could very well place the Packers among the year-in, year-out elite in the NFC.
Grant emerged from a hodgepodge of halfbacks to become a legitimate threat in the running game, and second-year receiver Greg Jennings is poised to become one of the best wideouts in the league.
The offensive line has plenty of youngsters and Lee is just entering his prime.
Apart from the starting cornerbacks, Al Harris and Charles Woodson, the defensive players have plenty of good years left, especially if youngsters like Atari Bigby, A.J. Hawk and Nick Collins continue to improve.
Florio went on to note the most intriguing aspect of the Packers is that they're led by an aging quarterback who, less than two years ago, didn't think the team was on the right track.
But Favre now is a believer. And much of the credit has to go to Thompson, who is suddenly being hailed as a genius by publications like the Wall Street Journal.
Then there's McCarthy. ... As FOXSports insider Jay Glazer first reported Sunday, the Packers are on the verge of signing the coach to a lucrative long-term contract extension. The deal should be worked out this week.
McCarthy had one year left on his original deal.
In just his second year as head coach, McCarthy now has Green Bay one win away from a Super Bowl appearance.
Thompson actually took some heat for hiring McCarthy but now looks like he knew something the rest of the world didn't (much like he did with Grant, Jennings, Jones and others). ... All of which explains why the GM already has his extension. ...
All of which brings us to something Pro Football Weekly pointed out: With McCarthy calling all of the Packers' plays this season with tremendous success, it's very easy to overlook the job that has been turned in by Philbin, who took over the coordinator duties this season after Jeff Jagodzinski left to become the head coach at Boston College.
According to PFW, team insiders couldn't have been more impressed with Philbin, who they believe has a rather thankless job, working in McCarthy's increasingly large shadow.
The well-spoken Philbin's forte is teaching, and we hear the Packers' players seem to respect his obvious intelligence, particularly backup QB and heir apparent Aaron Rodgers, which figures to bode well for both Philbin and the Packers' future.
Philbin is also considered greatly responsible for the dramatically improved play of Lee, who was locked up long-term by the team down the regular-season stretch.
"It figures. It has been a magic carpet ride of a season in New England, and things just keep falling perfectly -- there's that word again -- in line for the history-making Patriots. ..."
Not only did the No. 2-seeded Colts go down in flames at home to the underdog Chargers, eliminating the Patriots' most dangerous rival from the AFC playoff field, but suddenly resilient San Diego very likely expended itself in the process of both doing that favor for New England and reaching its first conference title game in 13 years.
San Diego entered the game at the Colts with Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates hobbled by a dislocated big toe. He played, but he wasn't his usual factor, catching just two passes for 28 yards.
And now the Chargers have exponentially more injuries woes to deal with as they head for Foxboro next weekend. Super-back LaDainian Tomlinson bruised his left knee and left the game in the second quarter.
Quarterback Philip Rivers did the same after three quarters, injuring his right knee on his third touchdown pass of the day.
But according to Boston Herald staffer Karen Guregian, the shine hasn't fallen completely off Sunday's AFC Championship Game matchup between the Pats and San Diego Chargers.
Once you get past the letdown of Tom Brady and company against Peyton Manning and the Colts not happening, the second choice isn't too shabby.
Think sparks won't be flying in this game? Or during the week leading up to the game?
Should anyone need a refresher course, Guregian offered a sample of what will be posted on the Pats' bulletin board:
Rivers on Pats cornerback Ellis Hobbs after last year's AFC divisional playoff game: "He's the sorriest corner in the league."
Tomlinson on the Pats and Belichick following that same game: "They showed no class at all. Absolutely no class. And maybe that comes from their head coach."
Linebacker Shaun Phillips on the loss: "Every time I play New England, it will be a personal grudge. They're classless."
Tomlinson joking about Spygate this season: "The Patriots live by the rule, ‘If you're not cheating, you're not trying.'"
Defensive end Igor Olshansky after yesterday's win over the Colts: "The way we're playing now, nothing can stop us. ... I guarantee you that Belichick and everybody else over there are scratching their heads saying, ‘Man, we better get ready.'"
Granted, a lot of water has traveled under the bridge since those remarks were uttered during the last year. There's also been a lot of backtracking, particularly by Tomlinson.
But as Guregian suggests, that won't matter.
The old wounds will be dug up, recycled and revisited all week on both sides. The Chargers didn't like how the Pats reacted to their playoff win at Qualcomm Stadium, as some players were dancing on the Chargers logo at midfield, mimicking Shawne Merriman's "Lights Out" sack dance.
San Diego didn't like being ousted from last season's playoffs given they were the top-seeded team. The Chargers claim they've learned from that defeat.
Sure, the Bolts already had one crack at payback during the regular season and failed miserably, as they were trounced by the Pats in Week 2, 38-14, in Foxboro.
The Pats made a huge statement in that game, as it was the first in the wake of Spygate. But as Belichick said Monday, a lot of time has passed since then, and much more is at stake this time around.
The teams have fast-forwarded to the postseason, and the Chargers, under new coach Norv Turner, have found their rhythm.
"They're a good football team, strong in every phase of the game -- offense, defense, special teams," Belichick said yesterday via conference call. "They make a lot of big plays in all three areas of the game as we watched them through the season. They're tough, they're physical. Going out on the road and winning in Indianapolis shows what kind of mental toughness they have. We know we're going to have to play our best game of the year."
Of course, Belichick downplayed the revenge factor for the Chargers or any lingering bad blood between the teams.
"Both teams are playing for the AFC championship, so I can't imagine there'd be a game you'd be any more focused and have much more riding on a game than this one," he said. "I'm sure everybody will do their best to prepare and coach and play as well as they possibly can in this game. Our whole season's at stake -- so is theirs. It's a one-game season. One team moves on, one team goes home, so I don't think anything that's happened in the past has all that much bearing on it.
"It's going to be whatever team is able to perform the best next Sunday. That's the team that's moving on. We all know that, and I think that's plenty right there."
And if it's not, there's still plenty of bulletin-board material available. ...
Other notes of interest. ... According to Associated Press sports columnist Jim Litke, this is how terrific Brady is: He was pitching the NFL equivalent of a perfect game two minutes into the third quarter, and no one on the New England sideline even noticed.
"I didn't really realize it," Pats tackle Matt Light said after New England's 31-20 victory sent Jacksonville home Saturday night. "Somehow, though, it's not surprising to find out. I don't know. Maybe we just kind of expect it."
On the Patriots' opening drive, Brady attempted five passes against Jacksonville's defense and completed them all, finishing with a 3-yard bullet to Ben Watson. On the second drive, he tried five and hit them all, letting Laurence Maroney run it over from 1 yard out. By halftime, Brady was 12-for-12.
On the opening drive of the second half, Brady completed his first four. His fifth was a high, hard pass that Watson got his hands on, but couldn't pull down.
"You always think you should catch anything," Watson said. "So it was my fault? My bad."
Brady has been so good for so long in so many big situations that instead of letting that drop break his momentum, he simply began another streak. He completed passes of seven, 13 and six yards on the next three plays, ending the drive with a touchdown throw to Wes Welker.
"Those guys, when they're open like that, it's my job to hit them," Brady said. "They were open every time.
"It's easy when you have receivers that are open all the time and an offensive line that never lets anyone touch you. It makes it fun to play."
Litke went on to suggest that thanks to Brady, playoff time in New England has become "a lovefest."
He's 7-0 at home and 13-2 in the postseason overall. The Pats won three Super Bowls in four years, and he was the MVP in two of those. Small wonder compliments fly around like snowflakes this time of year. Maybe that explains the first question asked by a TV reporter who came from Japan to see the magnificent one.
"You never seem flustered no matter the situation. From our Japanese point of view," he said, "it looks very Zen of you."
Brady bit his lower lip before answering, making him look even more boyish than usual.
"I'm all Zen," he chuckled. "I'm all Zen."
"I know you're from California," the TV reporter persisted, "but where did you pick up that focus?"
"I hope I'm Zen-like for another week," Brady said a moment later. "That would be a great feeling."
The rest of the questions were variations on how Brady managed to play so well. Only two balls he threw all night hit the ground -- Welker dropped the other one -- and the interview room was quickly turning into a Tom Brady roast. Just about then, a New England public relations staffer yelled, "last question," and from a corner came this one:
"Do you think you're a handsome quarterback?"
Brady blinked momentarily, then his eyes darted in the direction of the questioner. Seeing teammate Randy Moss wearing what looked like Superman pajamas, Brady had a comeback ready.
"Nice outfit," he said. ...
Yet the get-up almost seemed appropriate. Moss' arrival in the offseason gave Brady a receiving corps worthy of his talent for the first time in his career. Joining Welker and Donte' Stallworth, Moss predicted that with a trio of receivers as good as those Manning enjoyed for years, the sky would be the limit.
That was not an exaggeration. Brady broke Manning's single-season TD passing record with 50; Moss broke Jerry Rice's single-season TD reception mark with 23; and Patriots are now 17-0.
"I told you when I first got here, I've always been a fan of Tom's" said Moss. "He doesn't surprise me, man, but it's not just me. I think we expect greatness out of our leader. ..."
As SI.com's Peter King noted Monday, it's impressive that Moss catches one ball, the Patriots win, and Moss has no problem with the distribution of the football.
King believes it shows how much Moss respects Brady.
King added, however: "If it was a (offensive coordinator) Josh McDaniels-type ignoring him, Moss would be the squeaky wheel, but he knows the drill. Brady will get it to him soon. And often, in the next couple of games. ..."
Meanwhile, Stallworth, who was nearly invisible down the stretch -- seeing more balls and playing time go Gaffney's way -- was happy to finally make some meaningful catches against the Jaguars (he pulled in three for 68 yards in Saturday night's win).
"It's good to be involved," Stallworth said after the game. "It's good to get my hands on the ball and help the team win."
While Stallworth claimed he wouldn't look at tape of his 53-yard reception in the fourth quarter -- since he was caught from behind and tackled by Rashean Mathis -- the catch itself was worth a second look.
As Guregian noted, Stallworth essentially made the grab with one hand. It was quite a study in hand-eye coordination and athleticism, as he reached out and tipped the ball with his right hand, trying to gather it back in his body. The ball actually caromed off his facemask and back into his hand, where he finally clasped it. Even though he got caught on the play, the catch did set up a field goal.
"I just know I stuck one hand out there and I tried to tip it to myself, and I was thinking, ‘Run Forrest, run,'" Stallworth said. "But obviously, I wish I was Forrest (Gump) because Forrest never got caught."
Stallworth also made a great play to gain a critical first down later in the quarter. On third-and-7, he caught the ball, broke a tackle and dived for the first-down marker to help seal the win. ...
In another passing-related note. ... According to Guregian, Stallworth bit his tongue upon hearing that Jaguars rookie safety Reggie Nelson didn't think Brady's performance was terribly special.
"He ain't all that. ... He's all right," Nelson said after the loss. "It was a check-down game. Anybody can go 26-of-28 in a dump-down game."
Stallworth's reaction was muted.
"I can't say what I want to say," Stallworth said. "This is the NFL. If this was high school, yeah (it might not be all that)."
Moss was also dumb-founded by Nelson's remarks.
"It wasn't impressive? I mean, of course, when you lose, you're going to say things that's really inappropriate," Moss said. "You're talking about the MVP, that's Tom Brady.
"I'm not even going to respond to that. I'm not even going to get started. Tom Brady led us out there and he led us to a victory. I didn't really see anything wrong with his passes. ... You want your quarterback to take what the defense gives you, and that's exactly what he did. ..."
Meanwhile, also according to King, McDaniels has done an excellent job down the stretch re-integrating Maroney into the flow of the offense, because it's clear that in January you're going to have days you can't complete 26 out of 28 passes.
Now, according to AP sports writer Howard Ulman, there's no longer any doubt about Maroney, a bystander most of the season to New England's record-breaking combo of Brady and Moss. Opponents realize they must pay attention to the shifty 220-pounder who doesn't mind running over would-be tacklers.
"I don't think he probably had all of the opportunities he would have hoped," Brady said. "But his role has been whatever he's got and he's been extremely productive."
Not really, unless the quarterback is talking about the last four games.
In the first 13, Maroney missed three with a groin injury and cracked the 100-yard rushing barrier just once. Early on, he even shared time with Sammy Morris, a free agent pickup expected to be a backup, until a chest injury in the sixth game ended Morris' season.
But Maroney still had to wait his turn as a runner. The passing game was just too productive.
"I knew that our passing game was doing an excellent job this whole year," Maroney said after scoring the Patriots final touchdown of the regular season in a 38-35 win over the New York Giants. "If people were going to keep letting us pass the ball, then why not keep passing it?"
He had rushed for a total of just 112 yards in a four-game stretch that brought the Patriots to 13-0. Moss by himself gained more than that as a receiver in two different games in that stretch.
Wait, Maroney kept saying, his day would come.
It did in the next game -- and the one after that, and the one after that, and the one after that.
"Sooner than later, the running game had to kick in and when they did turn to it, I knew we had to be prepared," he said after Saturday's win.
In the critical stretch when the Patriots tried to finish off the first 16-0 season in NFL history, Maroney rushed for 104 yards in the 14th game, a career-high 156 in the 15th with gains of 59 and 51 yards, and two touchdowns in the 16th.
Then he piled up 122 on the ground against Jacksonville, nearly twice the total of 66 of Taylor and Jones-Drew. And he did it on 22 carries, his second busiest game of the season.
"For half the year, Tom Brady was doing it all by himself with the receivers," running back Heath Evans said. "And, during the most important time of the year, Maroney stepped up."
In a big way. ... Against the Jaguars, Maroney had a hand in three touchdowns.
His 1-yard run put the Patriots ahead 14-7. His 22-yard gain set up Brady's 6-yard scoring pass to Wes Welker that gave New England a 21-14 lead. Then his consecutive runs of 29 and 11 yards led to Brady's 9-yard scoring pass to Ben Watson that made it 28-17.
"We have been here and worked hard, and knew we would finally get a chance to show the world that we do have some type of running game," he said.
Now he must wait for a chance to do it again on Sunday.
"Laurence, thank God, lost it there for a little bit," Brady said. "But he's obviously found his way. ..."
It's worth noting that Kevin Faulk also continued his tremendous work in the passing game with five receptions for 36 yards against the Jags.
But Maroney was also important in this area, with his biggest play coming on the opening drive, when he dug the Pats out of a second-and-14 situation with a 33-yard gain on a swing pass. ...
Still, Pro Football Weekly suggests Faulk to continue to see extensive playing time through the remainder of the playoffs. The reason? Blocking. Although lacking the size of Maroney, Faulk has developed into one of the league's better backs in pass protection.
In particular, he's outstanding in his recognition of and picking up the blitz.
Maroney isn't the only guy picking up the pace when it counts the most. ... Brady has shown faith in Watson all year by continuing to go in his direction despite some inconsistencies catching the ball, and Watson rewarded him on Saturday with a pair of touchdowns.
Per the Sports Xchange, the scoring catches were Watson's second and third career playoff touchdown receptions, with his other scoring grab also coming against Jacksonville in a wild-card matchup on Jan. 7, 2006.
Watson's previous playoff touchdown came on a 63-yard scoring grab and was the longest touchdown reception in Patriots postseason history. In the 2007 regular season, Watson finished third on the team with six scoring catches.
One last item, a bit of breaking news if you will. ... According to reports out of Florida, Moss has been hit with a temporary injunction for protection against dating violence.
According to an affidavit Moss committed a battery upon the victim causing serious injury and then refused to allow her to seek medical attention. The affidavit out of Broward County reveals Moss cannot come within 500 hundred feet of the victim and cannot use or possess firearms.
A hearing in the case is scheduled on January 28th. The court will determine whether to file a permanent judgment of injunction for protection against dating violence. No criminal charges have been filed in the case. ...
Moss addressed the issue in the locker room Wednesday morning, telling a group of reporters that allegations he committed battery against a woman are false and that she made the claim to get money from him.
Moss gave no details of the alleged incident, saying he was restricted by the legal case.
He said the woman was a friend of 11 years and that she asked for "six figures" for what Moss said was an accident in which she was hurt.
"First of all, you all probably heard about these allegations. All I want to say is that they are false allegations," Moss told a large gathering of reporters. "It's something I've been battling for the last couple days, threats of going public if I didn't pay X amount of dollars.
"Before people rush quick to judgment, I think you need to find out the facts about really what is really going on. This young lady, by no means, is hurt. I didn't hurt her. ..."
Bottom line? No criminal charges; no impact this week.
"It can be as cold as it wants, I don't really care at this point," Mara said, before adding, "I may regret saying that next week."
There are no regrets coming from the Giants as they begin to comprehend the impact of Sunday's NFC Championship game at historic Lambeau Field, which was indeed a frozen and snowy tundra as the Packers on Saturday beat the Seahawks in a blizzard.
Who knows what awaits the Giants, and for now, they could care less.
"Lambeau's probably one of the toughest fields to play on, as far being that away team. Their fans are loud, they have a great team to begin with, so we're really going to have to be ready for that," Michael Strahan said.
The Giants got even after the Cowboys swept the two-game season series and now will look for some Packers payback.
As Schwartz suggested, it feels so long ago when back in mid-September the Packers seemingly left the Giants for dead. The home-opener at Giants Stadium devolved into a Brett Favre joyride through a bewildered and bedeviled Giants defense, and the resulting 35-13 Giants loss started the engines on all those doom-and-gloom scenarios.
Eli Manning played despite suffering a bruised right shoulder in the season-opening loss in Dallas and was mercifully pulled from the game in the fourth quarter after tossing an interception, sending the deflated home crowd hustling for the parking lot wondering if the Giants were headed for a dismal season.
It was in this game that Plaxico Burress sprained his left ankle, an injury that would slow him the remainder of the season, forcing him to sit out nearly ever practice and limiting his effectiveness in many games.
By virtue of their 9-1 road record, the Giants will be confident and they will have a familiar face starting back at them.
Back in the summer, they traded running back Ryan Grant to the Packers for a sixth-round draft pick, and all Grant has done is revitalize the Green Bay rushing attack. Grant ravaged the Seahawks for a Packers playoff-record 202 yards.
"Trust me, I'm upset Ryan Grant is not with us," Strahan said. "He's a bull, he runs like a bull, we have our work cut out stopping him."
They certainly do. ... But according to New York Daily News beat writer Ralph Vacchiano, Sunday's game is more than just a chance to continue their improbable run toward the Super Bowl.
It's a chance to prove they're a better team than they were when they started the season 0-2.
"Especially as a defense," said linebacker Kawika Mitchell. "Giving up 80 points in the first two weeks was embarrassing. We didn't do a decent job against Green Bay and they scored 35 points. So it's a great challenge for us."
"I don't think we played our best game (against the Packers)," Toomer added. "They're not going to face the team they faced in Week 2."
That 0-2 start still stings the Giants, especially considering they were a goal-line stand in Washington away from making it 0-3. They gave up 80 points and 846 yards to the Cowboys and Packers in those two games, their worst back-to-back totals in 41 years. Head coach Tom Coughlin's normally hot seat was suddenly on fire. And the Giants heard from everywhere how they looked to be one of the worst teams in the league.
Then, even after they rebounded to go 10-6, make the playoffs and win a first-round game, they still had to hear how they had beaten nobody of consequence, and how they were 0-4 against the NFL's elite teams (the Cowboys, Packers and Patriots).
By beating the Cowboys in Dallas Sunday, they may have proven they're an elite team, too.
It's worth noting that following their Week 2 loss to the Packers, Coughlin said, "I think we're a better football team than we showed."
It took awhile before the Giants offered any proof.
"We've been a good team all season long," said center Shaun O'Hara. "The games that we really lost, I think the theme coming out of those losses was that we played bad football. We committed penalties. We committed turnovers.
"So it's not so much that we're a better team, but we're just playing better football. ..."
Other notes of interest. ... While Mara might not be worried about the weather, others probably should be.
It won't just be cold. As New York Newsday staffer Arthur Staple suggested, it could be dangerously cold; the long-range forecast calls for single-digit temperatures. It could snow, as it did last Saturday
What it definitely won't be, is anywhere near 70 degrees, the temperature at game time Jan. 6 in Tampa, or even 50, the temperature at game time this past Sunday in Irving, Texas.
Coughlin said the Giants' playoff-clinching win in Buffalo on Dec. 23 was perhaps the worst weather he's coached in. That day started with temperatures in the 40s and wild wind and rain, then ended with snow and temperatures in the 20s.
The problem is, Manning has not performed well in the cold, and he's never played in this kind of cold. He had plenty of trouble hanging on to the football in Buffalo, when he fumbled five times, losing two of them. But Coughlin said he doesn't think Manning will try to put gloves on Sunday.
"Eli has used the hand- warmer and is able to come to the sideline between series and get more relief than just from the pouch," Coughlin said, "but that is the way he has gone, and quite frankly, I don't ever remember him even complaining about it."
As for the coach, he took his Jaguars to Cincinnati for a 9-degree game on Dec. 17, 2000, which Jacksonville lost, 17-14. Coughlin was an assistant coach with the Packers in 1986 and 1987, so he knows about the cold, but there may be no way for his team to prepare for this kind of weather.
Temperatures in the New York metropolitan area are expected to be in the 30s and 40s all week.
"We just have to focus on the game, on the plan, on the execution of our plan," Coughlin said, "and if we have to do some things, if we catch a day where we can be outside when it is chilly with snow around, then that would be fine. If we can't, we have to just mentally prepare ourselves for it and go play in it. ..."
And by preparing to play in it, I suggest that means getting their ground attack ready for action.
As SI.com insider Peter King put it Monday, the Giants have a punishing inside runner, Brandon Jacobs, and a slithering rookie, Ahmad Bradshaw.
King went on to remind readers that seven years ago, Tiki Barber and Ron Dayne were supposed to do what Jacobs and Bradshaw are doing now.
Jacobs has been especially impressive.
As Yahoo! Sports columnist Michael Silver put it: "I don't see a whole lot of defenders who are particularly enthusiastic about trying to tackle Jacobs right now. ..."
Silver went on to suggest: "When Jacobs scored that game-winning touchdown early in the fourth quarter against Dallas and hurled the football at the play clock behind the end zone, I think the play clock soiled itself."
The team's current backfield situation prompted Profootballtalk.com editor Mike Florio to note that lost in the team's unlikely success is the fact they've advanced to the NFC championship game without the services of Barber.
Florio added: "But how can that be? The Giants weren't supposed to succeed without Barber fueling the running game. They were supposed to struggle without him. To flounder. To fail. ..."
The reality is that Barber's departure has helped the Giants. There's one fewer divisive personality in the locker room and Florio believes the Giants have pulled together to show Tiki they don't need him.
And Florio further suggested, it might not be a coincidence that the team has gotten better since tight end Jeremy Shockey broke a leg.
It's hard to argue the point -- and it's a credit to the efforts of first-year general manager Jerry Reese.
According to the Sports Xchange, the Giants' astounding rookie crop continued to make major contributions against Dallas. Bradshaw gained 34 yards in six carries as the backup to Jacobs and had a key seven-yard run from the Dallas 8-yard line to set up a Jacobs smash up the middle for the Giants' winning TD.
Rookie receiver Steve Smith had four catches for 48 yards including two for 33 in the Giants' TD drive in the waning seconds of the first half that allowed them to go into the locker room for orange slices and drinks tied at 14-14. Receiver Domenik Hixon had three kickoff returns for 93 yards, including a 45-yarder.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the chronological calendar was Toomer, 34 years old and a 12-year Giant veteran, who had four catches for 80 yards and a 52-yard TD.
"I've just got to find a way to relieve all this," he said. "It's amazing. ..."
Also according to the Xchange, Burress, who has become a vocal supporter of Manning, contends his teammate hasn't changed and hasn't become more mature: "He's pretty much been the same person all year. We started fast, then had some games where we couldn't throw the way we wanted to, but he's playing well and he always has had the confidence.
"If he keeps on playing this way, we'll be going to Arizona (Super Bowl XLII). ..."
And finally. ... Three cornerbacks will be on the Giants' injury report this week, not a good thing for a team with just six corners that has to face Favre and the Green Bay passing attack Sunday.
Sam Madison (abdominal strain) and Kevin Dockery (hip flexor plus) missed the win over Dallas during which rookie Aaron Ross' right shoulder popped out twice.
"I know Aaron is sore, but that kind of an injury is being controlled by a young man on our team right now," said Coughlin, referring to tight end Mike Matthews. "Hopefully we can get [Ross'] strength back where it belongs and do some things to make sure it doesn't happen again.
"Aaron wants to play and has talked about it, and hopefully we can get him right back on the practice field."
Coughlin said Madison and Dockery are making progress, but he wants to see how they are when practice resumes Wednesday before making any comment on their conditions.
They lost anyway, 38-14.
The Chargers may have beaten the Indianapolis Colts 28-24 on Sunday without their top players, but they'll have a hard time keeping up with the unbeaten Patriots in the AFC title game if they're still out.
Back on Sept. 16, a Sunday night game in the second week of the season, the Patriots were just getting started on their 16-0 run and blowing away anyone in their path. Their margin of victory has dropped markedly in the second half of the season, but New England will still be 17-0 when they play host to the Chargers next Sunday.
"A lot's happened since then," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said after the Chargers beat the Colts to qualify for a trip to Foxboro and the AFC title game. "We'll definitely start all over on the preparations. It's like it's a new team."
The first question for San Diego is the health of Rivers and Tomlinson, their starting quarterback and star running back, who was the 2006 NFL MVP. Both injured their knees in Sunday's 28-24 win in Indianapolis and their status isn't yet known for next week's AFC title game in Foxboro.
Gates took two shots for pain before the game and played despite a dislocated toe that kept him in the trainers' room and off the practice field all week.
He caught two passes and was a target on another but was mostly in the game for show.
San Diego was so short of offensive options against the Colts that rookie receiver Legedu Naanee -- the team's fifth-round pick from Boise State -- contributed a big catch for 27 yards.
According to San Diego Union-Tribune staffer Kevin Acee, one of the ways head coach Norv Turner won over his players this season – besides the streak of victories that eventually came – was with his consistent straightforwardness.
The head coach sees no need to change now, with his team as beat up as it has been all season, about to square up against history in the biggest game many of the Chargers have ever played.
"I'm concerned," Turner said Monday. "I mean, I'm real concerned. ... You can only withstand so many hits."
The coach is right. And the Chargers began to look toward Sunday's game facing the reality that practice for at least a portion of this week will likely be minus Gates, Rivers and Tomlinson, among others.
According to Acee, Tomlinson is almost certain to play Sunday but will rest his hyperextended left knee early in the week.
"I think I'll definitely be able to play," said Tomlinson, hit on the knee at the end of a run in the second quarter. "I'm going to get as much treatment as I can. Obviously I'm going to do all I can in practice. I don't want to miss any time in practice."
Rivers, too, likely will play against the Patriots, now on two injured knees, a strained medial collateral ligament in his right knee suffered Sunday added to the sprained left MCL he has played on since Dec. 9.
Gates likely will follow the same path he did last week, rehabbing and keeping weight off his dislocated left big toe before testing it again on Sunday morning.
"You have to be concerned," Turner said. "We've got guys who aren't going to practice all week that are going to play."
The Chargers probably also will rest for at least a day nose tackle Jamal Williams, who aggravated an ankle injury that has bothered him much of the season, and defensive end Luis Castillo, who suffered bruised ribs in Indianapolis.
Cornerback Antonio Cromartie could also miss a day of practice with what Turner described as "soreness" in his knee.
While they are riding the momentum of eight straight victories, including two in the same postseason for the first time since going to the Super Bowl 13 years ago, the Chargers also are feeling the effect of two physical contests in successive weeks.
"We're beat up," Turner said. "In (Sunday's) game, I asked them to give me everything they've got and a little more, and they did. So now we've got to be smart and use this week to get our energy level back but still get prepared."
What they're readying for is a game in which they are two-touchdown underdogs.
And as Acee noted, they don't want to face the league's fourth-ranked defense (in both points and scrimmage yards allowed) without their hot quarterback.
Rivers has put together the best two back-to-back playoff games by a quarterback in team history in leading the Chargers to their fourth AFC title game. He has completed 33 of his 49 passes for 556 yards and four touchdowns with just two interceptions. His 115.7 rating is better than any two-game stretch in his career.
"Billy [Volek] played great and went in and did the things he had to do," Turner said. "But we're getting ready to play the best team in the National Football League. So we need to rally the troops and get everyone as healthy as we can be."
Belichick is preparing as if the Chargers will be at full strength.
"We're prepared for everybody. As we saw today, any number of players could be in the game," the Patriots coach said Sunday after the Chargers-Colts game. "If they're on the 53-man roster, we'll prepare for everybody."
But even if Rivers, Tomlinson, Gates and the rest of the walking wounded play, the Chargers face a daunting task.
Tom Brady did to Jacksonville in Saturday night's 31-20 win what Peyton Manning did to the Chargers early in Sunday's game, completing his first 13 passes, most of them underneath, to give Indianapolis a 7-0 lead. But after Marvin Harrison, coming back from injury, fumbled one of his completions to give the Chargers life, Manning started taking more chances and had less success deep.
San Diego managed to beat the Colts with subs -- good ones in Michael Turner and Darren Sproles at running back, plus journeyman Volek leading the winning TD drive.
As Goldberg suggested, Turner and Sproles together equal Tomlinson, but Volek is not going to beat the Patriots. Rivers will have a hard time doing that if he's ready.
If the Chargers are to have a chance, they'll have to get the kind of pressure they got on Manning on critical drives late in the game. That was most notable when Shawne Merriman got around rookie left tackle Tony Ugoh to force an incomplete pass on fourth down inside the San Diego 10-yard line with just over 2 minutes left.
Merriman is certainly one of the NFL's best pass rushers and Shaun Phillips is formidable from the other side.
So Brady may not have as much time as he had Saturday night in completing 26 of 28 passes, an NFL-record 92.9 percent for both playoff and regular-season games.
But the Chargers don't cover as well as Jacksonville, and Randy Moss is unlikely to be limited to one catch for 14 yards, as he was by the Jaguars. ...
Other notes of interest. ... It wasn't the most yards Turner had this season, but it was the most carries. And it was the most important. It was also the most like 2006 he has run.
"It's the course of the season," said Turner, who rushed 17 times for 71 yards against the Colts, "Everything is not guaranteed just because you had success one time. The coaching staff came up with a good game plan, how to get some creases in their defense."
It should be noted that Sunday's win was a great showcase for Turner, who is expected to move on as an unrestricted free agent this year. ... For what it's worth, there's been considerable buzz in Chicago suggesting the Bears will target Turner this offseason.
Unless, as Profootballtalk.com's Mike Florio suggested, the Chargers slap their franchise tag on Turner. If they can find a way to carry the one-year average of the top five running back cap numbers in 2007, the Chargers will still have a chance to get something of value in return for Turner.
Or, they can keep him for another season. In the new NFL, having two running backs who can move the chains is proving to be a necessity. ...
In an article published Sunday night, SI.com insider Don Banks wrote: "I'm no play-calling expert, but if I were the Chargers I'd find more ways to get the ball into Sproles' hands this week at New England."
Banks is right. ... On the 56-yard pass that Sproles scored on late in the third quarter, the Chargers return man was gone almost before the Colts defenders knew he had the ball.
According to the Sports Xchange, Tomlinson knew Sproles was on the verge of a big play when he caught the ball.
"As he caught the ball my mind goes like a runner," Tomlinson said. "I look at the field and see where the guys are coming from and at that point I didn't see any. And with Sproles' speed, he should be able to go all the way and he did. ..."
Meanwhile, Banks went on to suggest that Vincent Jackson looked every bit like a No. 1 receiver in grabbing a team-best seven catches for 93 yards and a touchdown in Indy.
As the Xchange noted, with defenses paying more attention to Chris Chambers, it has presented opportunities for Jackson and he has taken advantage of it. ...
Also according to the Xchange, veteran fullback Lorenzo Neal (broken leg) could have probably played Sunday, but the numbers game said otherwise with so many other injuries. Look for Neal to practice for the second straight week and likely play Sunday in New England. ...
After missing his fourth field goal attempt in four playoff games, Nate Kaeding said he feels as good as he has since bruising his left leg Dec. 24 and expects to kick off in the AFC Championship Game.
"I'm feeling better," Kaeding said yesterday. "My plan is to run today. My plan is to kick off this week."
Kaeding pushed a 48-yard attempt just right, as it bounced off the upright, in the second quarter against the Colts. He has missed one field goal in every playoff game of his career.
Kaeding told Norv Turner before the game his range was about 52 yards.
"I hit it pretty true," he said. "I expect to make every one.
Kaeding acknowledged that not practicing field goals much the past three weeks and not kicking off is hurting him when it comes time to kicking in games.
"I'm going to go full, 100 percent in practice," he said. "And hopefully from a rhythm standpoint I get back out there kicking off and that will help it."
Should Kaeding be able to kick off, that would make specialist Dave Rayner expendable and likely result in offensive tackle Roman Oben being activated. ...
And a few final items this week. ... As SI.com's Peter King suggested, Monday: "What a long, strange trip it's been for Turner, who couldn't have been lower when the Oakland Raiders fired him in 2005."
Seen as a compromise candidate when GM A.J. Smith hired him to coach the fractured Chargers last winter, Turner didn't panic when the team was 1-3.
He stayed positive when Rivers looked lost, and kept the ship afloat until the team rallied late.
The stunner against Indy on Sunday was San Diego's eighth straight win.
"He's been good for us because he brings a relaxed feel to the team and never gets uptight," said Tomlinson, a big Marty Schottenheimer guy who's come around to support Turner.
According to Pro Football Weekly, Rivers is clearly benefiting from working with Turner.
Apparently, the frequent conversations the two men indulge in about their passion for the game and the intricacies of the offense, has helped Rivers let loose a bit more as a passer.
Now if only the coach could get the QB to shut up.
As North County Times staffer Scott Bair noted, while Rivers' ailing knee was a major point of discussion in a Chargers press conference on Monday, it was at times overshadowed by the quarterback's penchant for trash talking.
Rivers was seen talking back to fans on several occasions during the win over Indianapolis, but that's nothing new.
Rivers has been caught talking to opposing players on several occasions, a trend that came to a head in the regular-season finale against the Denver Broncos.
It's continued since then, forcing others to continually address Rivers' actions and the notion that the Chargers are generally a bunch of trash talkers.
"I think we're perceived as a trash-talking team, and I hate that," Tomlinson said. "That's never been my style, to really trash talk. The only thing you can do about that to change is to just play the game and quit talking about different things. Eventually it will go away, but you have to win also.
"The problem is that if you trash talk and you lose, people say that, 'This team, all they can do is talk and they can't back it up.' I've heard that this year already."
Rivers has ignored criticism and continues to speak his mind, something few expect him to change.
"We're going to let Philip be Philip," Tomlinson said. "No one has talked to him about it, because that's the way he's always been. He's his own man, and at this point I don't think you can try to sit him down like a high school player and say, 'You shouldn't be talking like that.'"
Turner did take certain exception to Rivers' actions in Indianapolis, where he was seen talking directly to a group of fans after the game.
"(Rivers) doesn't need to be turning around talking to some guy that has had 12 beers in the stands. He doesn't need to do that," Turner said. "But I watch the other team, too, and they make plays and they're back to back and they're jumping up and they're celebrating.
"I always say, if you're doing it as a celebration, that's great. If you're doing it in any form of being disrespectful to an opponent, then I don't think it's appropriate."