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January 10, 2006
NFL's Super Saturday
Nine rings will be on displayBy ROB LONGLEY -- Toronto Sun
The Roman numerals are reserved for next month in Detroit. As it applies to accomplished coaches, however, Super Saturday takes place this weekend. Day 1 of the divisional round of the NFL playoffs features a quartet of head coaches who have won nine Super Bowls between them. Count 'em: Joe Gibbs (three rings) vs. Mike Holmgren (one) in an NFC game followed by Bill Belichick (three) vs. Mike Shanahan (another pair) in an AFC clash. There has been no other playoff season in league history where the depth of coaching pedigree been so prominent among the final eight teams. Gibbs already is in the Hall of Fame and the other three are well on their way to joining him. The senior citizen of the group, Gibbs led Washington to titles following the 1983, '87 and '91 seasons. When the Redskins hired Gibbs for the '04 season, the move was criticized by some who wondered whether the game had passed him by. Instead, Gibbs surrounded himself with a strong staff, most notably defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and put his trust in a veteran quarterback, Mark Brunell. His opponent this week, Mike Holmgren, who won Super Bowl XXXI with Green Bay after the 1996 season, gets his shot to slay the critics that have been howling the past few years in Seattle. The Seahawks are 13-3 and Matt Hasselbeck is the best-kept quarterbacking secret in the league. Oh and nothing makes a coach look smarter than a running back such as Shaun Alexander. In the nightcap, the current guru of the coaching fraternity will attempt his latest magic act. Here's betting that Belichick, who has led the New England Patriots to wins in three of the past four Bowls, will pick on Denver Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer as the focus of his game plan. On the other Invesco Field sideline, Shanahan will have his most talented team since John Elway retired. Shanahan has had his critics as well, and the more time that passes between those championship wins following the '97 and '98 seasons, the more credit goes to his quarterback. But the Broncos are deeper than they have been in years and the bye week and home field will be a huge help. FOUR MORE All four losing quarterbacks this past weekend were making their first playoff starts. Obviously, Carson Palmer had little say in the Cincinnati Bengals' loss after been felled by Kimo von Oelhoffen on his second snap. In Tampa, Bucs quarterback Chris Simms didn't look so bad either. Had receiver Edell Shepherd hung onto that ball in the end zone on a perfect throw late in the fourth quarter, the Bucs would have taken the Redskins to overtime. The other two aren't so easily excused. In New England, Jacksonville's Byron Leftwich was in a Heisman pose. Unfortunately he was like the statue, not the players who win it. And after loading up to stop the New York Giants' run, the Carolina Panthers dared quarterback Eli Manning to beat them. The rest wasn't pretty. QUICK KICKS Besides facing long odds against high-scoring opponents in the next round, the Redskins and Steelers have something else against them: A No. 6 seed never has advanced to the Super Bowl ... If the four divisional-round matchups sound familiar, they are. Each game is a rematch of a regular-season contest. The results: Washington 20, Seattle 17; Denver 28, New England 20; Chicago 13, Carolina 3 and Indianapolis 26, Pittsburgh 7 ... The Manning vs. Manning Super Bowl isn't done yet. If Carolina wins the NFC, defensive back Ricky Manning could be trying to knock down the passes of Colts QB Peyton Manning (no relation) ... For the second consecutive season, three of four wildcard winners were road teams. |