The conference championship games are set, but before we turn the page to next week's big showdown, I had to sound off on some final takes from the divisional rounds...

*The Ravens continued to live up to the hype I've been giving them, but the Titans really shot themselves in the foot. They can blame the refs all they want about the blown call on a blatant delay of game, yet they still can not deny the fact that despite 391 total yards of offense costly turnovers and penalaties sealed their fate. It's amazing that the Titans kept it as close as they did even though they turned the ball over three times to the Ravens' zero.

*Joe Flacco once again did enough to help his team won the game. Another game without a pick or a sack. Consider that the Ravens managed just 50 yards rushing and the rookie's 161 passing yards seem pretty impressive.

*The game could have been a different story had Chris Johnson not suffered an ankle injury midway through the second quarter. He left the game with 72 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown.  The Ravens were struggling to find an answer for the rookie.

*I still can't get over the thumping Arizona handed Carolina. The Panthers had two weeks to prepare, were 8-0 at home, and a double-digit favorite. Take nothing away from Arizona, but that is the biggest egg laid by a higher-seeded team in this round in recent memory. 

*Larry Fitzgerald continues to show me that he is the best receiver in football and right now the Cardinals look smart for giving him the money they deserved. He accounted for 75% of the team's 220 receiving yards, finishing with 8 receptions for 166 yards and a TD.

*The Eagles beat the Giants for the second time this season in their house. New York did not look like Super Bowl champs today and really have not looked as good since troubled wideout Plaxico Burress shot himself in the leg and shot the Giants' chances for a repeat.

*Andy Reid outcoached Tom Coughlin on Sunday and it started with the coin flip. Coughlin opted not play the wind game and took the ball right off the bat. It didn't seem bad when Ahmad Bradshaw ran his longest return of the season back. However, Eli Manning couldn't get on track throwing into the fierce breezes early in the game and it was even worse in the fourth quarter when the team was forced to come from two scores down.

*Brian Westbrook was not a factor in this game. He had 20 touches, yet he only mustered 46 total yards and did not score. The Giants owned him, but they couldn't translate that into a victory.

*It figures Willie Parker finally gets healthy after my fantasy season is over. Two touchdowns and 146 yards on the ground shows that Fast Willie is finally nearing 100%.

*Pittsburgh officially has the best homefield advantage in football.

*Phillip Rivers' season may be over, but it wasn't because of his play. He finished with 308 yards and three scoring strikes against a very good secondary and while under intense pressure. Rivers has arrived as one of the league's elite passers.

*As a Bengals' fan I hate the Steelers and Ravens. Stil, I was rooting for both this weekend. Sure, money had something to do with (bet on both). I would rather have our division do good than have it look like chumps. Clearly, these our the two best defenses in the league and now they meet next Sunday for a third time this year.

NFL nfl playoffs, cardinals, panthers, ravens, titans, eagles, giants, steelers, chargers, joe flacco, chris johnson, larry fitzgerald, tom coughlin, ahmad bradshaw, eli manning, brian westbrook, willie parker, phillip rivers

Watching this Giants/Redskins game, I can't help but wonder what would've been if Mike Brown had chosen Tom Coughlin as the Bengals head coach instead of Marvin Lewis. At the time, Lewis and Coughlin were the two finalists for the vacated job.

Now, let me state that I was a huge fan of the Marvin hiring when it happened and was only lukewarm to the idea of Coughlin. But what this current Bengals team lacks is discipline. Look at all the arrests. Look at the antics of Chad Johnson. The players don't fear or respect Lewis. Maybe they did initially, but not now, for sure. The book on Tom Coughlin is that he's tough. He doesn't take any antics or garbage and demands discipline. I'd say he knows what he's doing as he has a proven track record, oh and a Super Bowl ring now too. Marvin has underwhelmed us all here in Cincinnati, and of late, his act has worn thinner on me than that of Ocho Cinco. At this point, I can't really see what Marvin brings to the table. And someone like Tom Coughlin is exactly what this team needs. Discipline, integrity, work ethic and high expectations. Something I thought Marvin had, but can't seem to find any more. Perhaps he's been "Bengalized" himself.

Either way, I'd like grab Marty McFly and jump into Doc Brown's time machine and go "Back to the Future" and bribe Mike Brown with a Frisch's hot fudge cake to hire Coughlin over this upstart defensive coordinator. 

NFL back to the future, marty mcfly, mike brown, tom coughlin, marvin lewis, ocho cinco

For those of you that followed the Mock Draft last month here on GSI.com, you already know I like the Giants' Ahmad Bradshaw and now is time to tell you why.

Really, it amazes me that this guy isn't getting more hype right now than he is.  Am I the only guy out there that watched the playoffs last year. Bradshaw came in handy for the Giants after both Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward went down with injuries and WAS the reason the Giants went to the Super Bowl. Sure, the defense was great and Eli Manning played smart but Bradshaw made the plays time and time again.

Most owners are assuming that Jacobs is going to be the man in New York, but he has never proven he can handle the full load and last year injuries got him in trouble. However, offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride says the Giants will "ride the hot hand" this season when choosing which tailback to feature in a given week.

"Each of them has their strengths and areas that you like to take advantage of," Gilbride told the team's website when camp began. "They really serve as a nice complement to each other."

If healthy, expect Jacobs to be the touchdown maker. The numbers don't lie - 16 TD's on just 134 carries in the two years before Tiki's retirement. He left the season opener with a sprained MCL, and missed three games. He missed two more with an ankle injury, and left another three midway through. The Giants know the key to success is mixing it up and keep the big guy fresh.

Bradshaw though is a game-breaker. His 88-yard TD run last season was the NFL's longest of the year. He hits the hole well and has surpsingly good power for a back his size (5-foot-9, 198 lbs). In limited action, Bradshaw averaged 5.6 YPC on 71 attempts.

Tom Couglin loves to run the football, the Giants were fourth in the league last year in rushing offense and will use a stable of backs to be amongst the elite this year.

Bradshaw was facing some legal issues that raised some concern, but it does not appear to be an issue any longer.  NFL Network's Adam Schefter reported earlier this week that the league has determined Bradshaw is not in violation of the personal conduct policy. He will not be suspended. Bradshaw served 30 days in a Virginia jail earlier this offseason and must serve 30 more next year, but his violation predated his NFL career. 

Even if Jacobs stays healthy, I see Bradshaw being a legitimate RB3 right out of the gate this season, and a guy that could be a top-15 running back given the opportunity this year. In keeper leagues, he's even more appealing as Jacobs is facing a contract year.

I nabbed him with the 119th overall pick in the mock draft and would easily put him inside of the top 100 if I needed to, but too many owners are keeping him too far down on their list to warrant going after him too early. That makes him a legitimate fantasy sleeper.

Did you miss our RB Breakdown on GetSportsRadio.com? Check it out below:
Fantasy Playbook - RB Breakdown - join myself and Larry Schmitt as we preview fantasy wideouts.

Fantasy Football giants, ahmad bradshaw, brandon jacobs, derrick ward, tom coughlin, kevin gilbride

There are many parallels to the Giants and the Bengals, at least in some key areas and hopefully Mike Brown was paying attention (although I bet Katie had to remind him that the Super Bowl was on yesterday).

Tom Coughlin was close to being fired. He was about to run out of town by the fans. He'd lost the team. Nobody wanted to listen to him. In many ways this is similar to what is going on right now with Marvin Lewis (although Coughlin and Lewis are polar opposite type coaches). Marvin can't coach any more and he's lost this team. He's on the hot seat.

Tiki Barber and Jeremy Shockey are selfish, larger than life players that were cancers on this team. They were holding the Giants back. Tiki retired and everyone doubted that he could be replaced. Shockey broke his leg and an unknown rookie Kevin Boss fills in and does a fantastic job for Shockey. Boss catches a 40+ catch in the Super Bowl. Shockey watches from a luxury box with his entourage (not his team mates) sipping beer. So the Giants win without their star RB and stud TE. Nobody thought that was possible and when the Giants were 0-2 everyone thought Coughlin was an idiot and Tiki was sorely missed and Eli Manning was a goofball.

So the lesson to be learned from the Giants season is that team chemistry is huge in this ultimate team sport. Those players, like Chad Johnson, that are me driven and hurting the team chemistry must be dealt with. Even if it looks like they're irreplaceable, they may not be missed at all. The other difference for the Giants is strong ownership. The Mara family is legendary in football (sort of like the Brown family is). Mike Brown won't eat the 8+ million cap hit it will take to trade Chad. He will expect Chad to honor a very fair contract (and in this regard I agree with him). But the Mara family stood by Tom Coughlin and made the right football decisions in the draft and regarding personnel. Can Mike Brown do the same thing? I don't think so, but if he and Marvin can, the blueprint for success has been established by the G-Men.

NFL super bowl, chad johnson, tom coughlin, marvin lewis, tiki barber, bengals, giants