Back to reality

After a season of shocks, normality was restored in Sunday's Divisional games, says Nick Halling.

Old-school values shine through as Green Bay and Pittsburgh prevail

After a season where we didn't know what the hell would happen, we have got back to what we know and good old-school NFL values have prevailed. Both Pittsburgh and Green Bay run the football (the Packers belatedly), both have extremely tough defenses and both play a very physical game. The margins in the NFL are so fine, almost non-existent, that we have had shocks and surprises all the way through, even into the play-offs which is something we don't always see. So in a way, order has been restored.

Consistent

The question that usually gets asked this time of year is have we ended up with the two best teams in the Super Bowl? Well, we have certainly ended up with the most consistent. In terms of talent you would've picked the New England Patriots and arguably the Atlanta Falcons because they had the best records. But Bill Belichick was completely out-coached by Rex Ryan and the Falcons proved my analogy of Sweden in football's World Cup right; they are organised and efficient but that will only take you so far. And the one quality Green Bay and Pittsburgh have displayed is winning games when you are not playing that well. It is an age-old cliche, but it has rung true, even in Sunday's Divisional games. The Steelers in fact, haven't played well all through the play-offs. I am one of life's pessimists and those of you who read this will know I didn't fancy them for the Super Bowl anyway. Well I got that wrong, although even against the Jets, I wouldn't say they were anywhere near their best. They did just enough to win, as they did against Baltimore last week, and in the end I think every one of the Steeler Nation was sweating buckets. But they have always run the football and Rashard Mendenhall did it again and defensively; well it was a typical Pittsburgh performance, really.

Plaudits

I'll be honest when I say I expected Green Bay to get to the Super Bowl and even had them down as my NFC representatives right at the start of the season. But I have to say they have shown us things that I wasn't sure were there. For a start they have come up with some sort of running game at just the right time. James Starks didn't have a massive night against the Bears, but he has done enough in the play-offs to make defenses at least take the run into account. And for all the plaudits going the Steelers' way, that Packers defense has really come good. They have had terrible injuries to contend with, but the way the likes of Charlie Bishop, Sam Shields and Tramon Williams have performed this season has been a major reason behind their success. They pretty much run the same scheme as Pittsburgh, with the three guys up front and they have people performing so well that Charles Woodson, AJ Hawk and Clay Matthews can do their thing. It's no surprise really because their linebacker coach is none other than Kevin Greene, who holds the all-time NFL record for sacks for an outside linebacker, so they are being taught by the master - and a former Pittsburgh man to boot! The Packers have also shown they can match up to anyone physically. In the past they have been bracketed with those sexy west coast passing teams and in NFL terms 'sexy' just means soft. Well not any more!

Nick's Picks of the Week

TEAM - Green Bay Packers (bt Chicago Bears 21-14)
It was always going to be a toss-up between Sunday's two winners but I just think the Packers deserve it for winning on the road, against a big rival, in a Championship game. They started like a house on fire and we all thought they were going to blow the Bears away and although Chicago were flat to start with, a lot of that might well be down to how well the Packers played that first half. It's not all about Aaron Rodgers either because that defense did not let the Bears get a foothold in the game for long periods of time. Maybe they did ease off a little sensing the job was done, but they showed the consistency, balance and temperament needed. How often have you heard Soldier Field that quiet as well? COACH - Rex Ryan (New York Jets, lost to Pittsburgh 19-24)
It might seem strange to give it to a losing coach but Rex had the hardest job of any coach in action and Sunday and he came within a touchdown of pulling it off. It's a simple fact of life in the NFL that if you let the Steelers get a double-digit lead on you, it's game over, but the Jets had them sweating right down to the final few minutes. At 24-0 down we said on air that Rex would have to earn his money in the locker room at half-time and boy did he do that. All the credit may go to the offensive co-ordinator Brian Schottenheimer but the head coach sets the tone and Rex did just that. Admittedly some of the improvements were obvious but Ryan had to make the most game-day adjustments on Sunday and came within a whisker of pulling it out of the bag. PLAYER - Brian Urlacher (Chicago Bears, 3tackles, 0.5sacks v Green Bay)
Again it might be odd giving this to a guy on the losing side but if anyone deserved to be going to Arlington on the back of their own performance, it was the Bears linebacker - and leader. Twelve months ago he was going nowhere but the way he has bounced back to become the linchpin for that defense is incredible and he kept up his own high standards again on Sunday night. He made more plays that the stas will suggest but as well as that, this is the guy that leads that Bears offense and it was great to see him doing that, reading Aaron Rodgers and at times winning the chess game that always goes on at the line of scrimmage. There were four of the best defenses in the NFL on display on Sunday night and Urlacher would have graced any of the other three. PLAY - BJ Raji (Green Bay Packers, 18-yard Int Ret TD v Chicago Bears)
This guy is an interesting mix. Sometimes nose tackles are just those great big hulks that you cannot shift and although BJ fits that bill, he has surprisingly quick feet - which is an unusual combination. He has developed a hell of a lot over the second half of the season and in these past few weeks we have seen that he can make plays, tipping down passes, making tackles while doing his blocking duties. It was no real surprise to see him pick one off at the end and then rumble over the line - although he clearly needs practice because he almost didn't make it! A couple of weeks ago we made a fuss about Marshawn Lynch's touchdown causing a seismic tremour in Seattle, well I suspect there was a minor earthquake in the Chicago area as BJ lolloped in from 18 yards. VILLAIN - Jay Cutler's critics
This goes to anyone and everyone who has had a pop at the Chicago quarterback. That includes Deion Sanders and Maurice Jones-Drew. It's one thing for the likes of us outsiders in the Sky Sports studio to question a guy who hobbles out of a Championship game - and we didn't - but guys who have been there should know better. Much better. Just because we never saw him flattened or his knee twisted horrifically does not mean he did not want to be there and those guys I have mentioned should not have been so disrespectful. We said at the time there had to be a major injury behind it and a sprained knee ligament proved that to be the case.