Two Playoff Observations

A couple of things crossed my mind as I watched the playoffs this weekend.

As the San Diego Chargers were busy trying to mop up their many errors and catch the New York Jets--which they didn't--one of their wide receivers kicked a challenge flag that Jets' coach Rex Ryan threw to the ground because he didn't think the fellow made what was an excellent catch along the Jets' sideline in the fourth quarter with about two minutes left and the Jets leading, 17-7.

The official saw that and threw a flag on him for unsportsmanlike conduct. CBS commentator Phil Simms didn't think that was necessary. "It's an emotional time of the game," he observed. "You might want to let that one go."

But then, maybe not. As offenses go, this was not harmful in any noticeable way. But that's the point.

Why kick the flag at all? Because you're frustrated, you're angry because you're losing to a team you never should have lost to, and you just don't like Rex Ryan, who's known for his outward swagger--read "cockiness"--and he's about to get even cockier.

Ryan evokes great loyalty from his players, though, and there might just be one of them who might take particular exception to this otherwise relatively minor diss. It might be like saying, "Yeah, you beat us, but you still aren't good enough to be in this stadium."

It would take just one Jets player to hit that receiver--or some other Chargers--with a cheap shot in retaliation. That might set off a whole bunch of things nobody likes, which would put a bad stain on an otherwise pretty exciting finish.

If you're the lead official, you want to put a stop to this pettiness right now. So you flag it. Back went the Chargers, but they retained the ball, they got a first down, and--eventually--they scored anyhow.

So did that matter in the whole outcome? Actually, no. The Chargers had one last chance to stop the Jets with about a minute to go, but the Jets went for a first down on the San Diego 29 on fourth-and-one, and made it, allowing them to run out the clock. (Which leads us to San Diego's odd strategy of an onside kick, with 2:14 left and one more time out--thus two more chances to stop the clock, which at the very best would have forced the Jets to pooch kick out of bounds inside the ten. If the Chargers would have kicked off deep, they might have been able to stop the Jets around their own 30, made them punt, had the ball at their own 30 with a chance to move about 40 yards in about a minute for a field goal attempt by their poor kicker--otherwise one of the best in the league--who had missed 3 makeable tries earlier that day and I'm quite sure was aching for one more chance. But I digress.)

Did Minnesota run up the score against Dallas, passing for a touchdown while up 27-3 with less than two minutes left in the game? No. This is the playoffs. You win by so much you wipe out any thoughts of defeat.

What could Dallas have done at that point? Recovered a fumble or intercepted that very pass that went for a touchdown, and returned it for a touchdown themselves. Then gone for two points and made it; 27-11. Then onside kicked it, recovered, and scored within, say, two plays. Another two-point conversion: 27-19. Now, it's maybe 30 seconds left. They have to onside kick again. Nuttier things have happened.

After all, we just saw a playoff game in which each team scored 45 points in regulation, with one getting 35 in one half. No lead is safe enough.

Several other playoff games have been blowouts which have been worse. I'm quite surprised Brett Favre put the ball in the air at that point whatsoever, when the smarter thing to do might have been to kick a field goal to make it 30-3 and make it officially a four-score game. But then, who's surprised at anything Brett does on a football field anymore?