Sim City

ESPN loves simulations. When something is interminably debatable, like, for instance, who should or should not be in the Baseball Hall of Fame, they don't just argue about it - they simulate it!

And that got me thinking: maybe I could use my trusty Sony Playstation football game to simulate this weekend's NFL playoff contests. Lame and pathetic? Absolutely, but something of a fun exercise. Instead of just speculating about how many yards LaDainian Tomlinson will churn up against the Pats or what kind of day Rex Grossman will have, I thought I would put it to the test, a by-no-means-scientific test.

The rules are simple: I play the offense for each team (no playing favorites!) and try to score as many points as possible. The computer plays defense.

So, here is what happened, starting with the New England-San Diego and Philadelphia-New Orleans games (Stay tuned for Seattle-Chicago and Indianapolis-Baltimore tomorrow).

New England Patriots at San Diego Chargers
Led to a NFL best 14-2 record by young quarterback Phillip Rivers and super-human running back LaDainian Tomlinson, the Chargers have one of the most potent offenses in the league - a true test for a somewhat banged up Belichick defense. The key for the Pats going in was to neutralize Tomlinson and limit the damage he can wreak on the ground. Brady, as always, was going to have to spread out his passes and confuse the Chargers defense.


But as it turned out, this game was defined less by the Chargers running game as it was by the horrendous performances by both quarterbacks. Brady threw FOUR interceptions, while Rivers completed only seven passes for a total of 89 yards. For the most part, it was a defensive game, and when the Pats' defense did its job, the offense was able to capitalize. Tomlinson was "held" to 94 yards rushing and no touchdowns. Corey Dillon and Larry Maroney, on the other hand, combined for 162 yards and two touchdowns.

The Pats got on the board quickly after only four plays. Starting at his own 39 yard line, Brady marched down the field with haste, culminating with a 19-yard touchdown run by Maroney to make it 7-0 a mere two minutes into the game.

Tomlinson's first handoff was stuffed at the line, a recurring theme throughout the game, and he struggled for yards early. To make it worse for San Diego, Rivers first pass attempt was picked off by Ellis Hobbs, who returned it deep into Chargers territory. But Brady, who was in the early stages of one of the worst performances of his career, threw a pass right into Quentin Jammer's hands in the end zone to return the favor. But the Pat's defense held, and got the ball back after a three and out.

Again, the Pats could not capitalize and gave it away again when Dillon fumbled after a great run up the middle. This time, the Chargers would respond. Rivers found Antonio Gates for a 24-yard touchdown to knot it at 7-7.

It stayed that way through an atrocious first half (not fun to play at all!). Brady finished the half 7 for 14 for 97 yards and three interceptions. Rivers was not much better. By the half, however, Tomlinson had heated up for 74 yards rushing, while Dillon/Maroney had combined for 73 yards on 14 carries.

Not surprisingly, the second half belonged to the Patriots, who, despite a continued mediocre performance from Brady, shut down Tomlinson for only 20 more yards rushing, allowed no touchdowns and sealed the victory with strong defense. Brady did throw two touchdowns - to Watson (82 yards) and Gaffney (25 yards) - and finished with 221 total yards, but completed only 18 of his 34 passes and looked off balance for most of the game. Maroney, the rookie, rushed for a total of 85 yards and two touchdowns, while Dillon added another 77 yards on the ground.

But it was the defense again that saved it for New England. Another key interception by Asante Samuel late in the game and a drive ending tackle of Tomlinson by Richard Seymor highlighted another playoff victory for the Patriots. On to another AFC Championship. Is anyone surprised?

Final Score: NEW ENGLAND 31, SAN DIEGO 10.

Philadelphia Eagles at New Orleans Saints
Would this be Reggie Bush's national coming out party, or would the Eagles, led by MVP wannabe Jeff Garcia fly higher than a mountain? Would the Saints be coronated the New America's Team or would Brian Westbrook blow through the Superdome like a, er, hurricane?

I expected the Eagles would kill the Saints, and man, was I wrong. The Saints rolled all over the Eagles en route to a thorough ass-whipping, out-gunning thier opponent with a lethal combination of the long pass and a double-barreled running attack. Drew Brees had the game of his life, with 13 of 24 passing for a total of 349 yards and five touchdowns, relying heavily on the deep ball to his unusually wide open receivers. Bush blew up too, running 18 times for 102 yards to go along with eight yards receiving. Deuce McAllister ran for 98 yards as well, pushing the total offensive numbers to 545 total yards.


It was pretty much over in the first minute. Brees' precision and aggressiveness was a factor from the start, as he hit Marques Colston for a 42-yard TD strike followed by an 86-yard touchdown pass to Joe Horn. Before the first quarter was over, Brees was 3 of 4 for 156 yards! He would later find Devery Henderson for a 69-yard touchdown pass and another 47-yard touchdown toss to Colston - all before halftime! If it had not been for the genius of Garcia, who kept the Eagles in the game with his own gunslinging, the Saints would have blown the Eagles out of the water. Garcia tried to keep pace, firing his own deep posts to Donte' Stallworth (who reeled in 221 yards on the day!!!) that resulted in a touchdown and two field goals.

At the half, while Brees was a ridiculous 8 of 11 for 297 yards and four touchdowns, Garcia was not far behind with 226 yards on 16 of 21 passing and one touchdown. The score was 28-13, still within reach for the Eagles.

But that was all Garcia could do, and as it turned out, all he would do. Early in the third quarter, after another Brees-to-Colston touchdown pass, Garcia was taken down by defensive tackle Brian Young for a sack and had to leave the game with a strained hamstring. In came AJ Feeley, who promptly drove the Eagles to the one yard line before Westbrook trotted in for a touchdown, making it 35-20. If the defense could hold the Saints, you got the sense that Feeley might lead the greatest comeback in Philadelphia history.

But it never happened. If the first half was about passing, the second half was all about running the ball, and again, New Orleans dominated. Westbrook was consistently stymied by the defensive line and only broke out once for a 40-yard scamper. He ended up with a respectable 91 yards rushing. Bush, on the other hand, was a menace, blasting through the hole and cruising the middle of the field at will. While the Eagles made 24 first downs to New Orleans' 16, most of those 16 first downs came in the second half, when Bush and McAllister ground up yardage and ate up the clock. A late field goal by Carney made it 38-20 Saints, giving New Orleans a trip to NFC Championship game.

Final Score: NEW ORLEANS 38, PHILADELPHIA 20