01:00 AM EST on Saturday, January 15, 2005

Who says blogs are only good in cyberspace?

It's been a week of handwringing, browbeating, dissection and analysis leading into the Patriots divisional playoff game. Here's a print blog of game-related and ungame-related observations:

Now, I'm going to tell you something right now. . . . You have no idea how happy I am that ESPN isn't broadcasting any more games in the postseason. Because if I had to hear analyst (and we are stressing the first two syllables in that word) Paul Maguire say one more time: "I'm going to tell you something right now . . . "and then blurt out something that was eye-meltingly obvious, I may have boycotted the station. And then I'd have missed "Tilt."

I'm going to tell you something right now. . . . The concept of throwing on a particular defensive back is misrepresented. Quarterbacks don't just drop back and throw it at a receiver covered by an assumed stiff. He goes through his progressions the way he always does and when he gets to the guy who's a stiff, chances are good his receiver is open because, well, the DB is a stiff. That's why the ball goes there. If a play is designed to go to, for instance, Marvin Harrison and he's covered by, for instance, Ty Law, the ball will go to Harrison if he's open. Chances are he won't be. So the quarterback skips to the next guy. And if he's covered loosely by someone -- regardless of his number or experience -- the ball's going there.

I'm going to tell you something right now. . . . I don't think Richard Seymour's playing tomorrow. On Thursday, players were talking as if his being out of the lineup wasn't a maybe, but a definite.

I'm going to tell you something right now. . . . Forget the sideline shots of Tony Dungy. If CBS wanted some good reactions, they'd have a camera fixed on Colts' president Bill Polian. The talented and likable Polian (OK, he returns my calls) is a combustible cat and he was pounding his fist like a gavel in the press box last year during the AFC Championship Game, veins-a-poppin', eyes-a-bulgin'.

I'm going to tell you something right now. . . . I'm done with that schtick.

On Thursday, I asked Rodney Harrison if he wished the game was sooner than 4:30 [now 4:45] on Sunday, if the wait was getting to him. He said, "Naaww. . . . .the hard part is you guys. The media. You're like ants, crawling all around." Yeah, we kind of are.

Darkhorse player of the game: Patrick Pass. I don't know if Kevin Faulk will dress or how effective he'll be, so Pass will have a bigger role and -- given the way he's played in the latter portion of the season -- I think he makes at least two big plays.

Ummmm. . . . Don't let Bethel Johnson return punts.

Christian Fauria had a good response last season when asked why players sometimes feel the need to "guarantee" victory. It's pertinent this week in light of assurances made by Colts kicker Mike Vandejagt and Jets defender Shaun Ellis in the run-up to their divisional playoff games. "Those aren't guarantees. What happens if they lose? Nothing. If somebody wants to put up their paycheck, that's a guarantee."

Tomorrow's game is rife with historical implications -- the Patriots chasing history, Peyton Manning trying to break through to become a transcendent quarterback. And yet, if the Patriots advance and play the winner of the Pittsburgh-New York Jets divisional game in the AFC Championship Game, the bet here is that the Colts game will have been the easier of the two for New England.

Which is the easier job: Opening fan mail for Stuart Scott or the groundskeeper at Gillette Stadium? Both give the employee exceptional amounts of downtime.