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FLASHUPDATE CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM NOTES/Wednesday, 14 January, 2015
Compiled By FlashUpdate Editor Bob Harris
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GREEN BAY PACKERS
According toAssociated Presssports writerGenaro C. Armas, the Packers will get a head start out West to prepare for the NFC title game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Green Bay plans to leave for Seattle on Friday, one day ahead of when the team would usually fly out for Sunday road games.
This is no ordinary road game. The winner goes to the Super Bowl.
Head coachMike McCarthyis hoping this trip to CenturyLink Field has a different outcome than the previous one in September -- a 36-16 loss in the league opener to the Seahawks.
"You learn from past experiences," McCarthy said Monday. "We evaluate every schedule, every practice. We're always looking to try to get better."
Just like quarterbackAaron Rodgers, whom McCarthy said felt well a day after the 26-21 win over Dallas that clinched the Packers' first trip to the NFC championship game since their most recent run to the Super Bowl title after the 2010 season.
According toNFL.com'sKevin Patra, after watching Rodgers drag his injured calf around Lambeau Field on Sunday, the prevailing thought was that the quarterback would be in worse shape to face the Seahawks this week.
Remember, Rodgers had a bye week to rest the calf and yet it still hindered his mobility. Surely the injury would be worse after a 60-minute slugfest.
Not so, said McCarthy.
"I think it feels a lot better this time this week than last week," McCarthy told reporters Monday, also noting his quarterback felt better than after Week 17 against Detroit.
"I think I've got 120 minutes left in me," Rodgers said Sunday's win. "So, I'm going to do everything I can to make sure I can play all those minutes."
McCarthy said that Rodgers would continue treatment that he received last week.
The MVP front-runner's calf will be the focal point of the injury reports this week. While he won't be 100 percent facing a daunting Seahawks secondary, any positive news about the NFL's most important player is worth noting.
Ailing calf notwithstanding, Rodgers once again proved Sunday that he's better than most healthy quarterbacks in the league even if he's less than 100 percent. He finished 24 of 35 for 316 yards and three touchdowns.
Rodgers said the calf felt better as the game progressed. A practice plan for Rodgers will be determined on Wednesday (and I will be following up in theNews & Views sectionof the site in coming days).
For as good as Rodgers was against the Cowboys with limited mobility, the Packers may need him to be even better against Seattle's rugged defense on the road.
Rodgers was 23 of 33 for 189 yards with a touchdown and interception in the opener against Seattle. Back then, the Packers offense was still trying to find its rhythm.Eddie Lacygot knocked out of that game with a concussion.
Things have changed dramatically. The offensive line has played well all season.Jordy NelsonandRandall Cobbare one of the top receiving tandems in the league, and Lacy has gotten stronger in December and January.
And now, rookiesDavante AdamsandRichard Rodgershave proven they can produce in the postseason after good games against Dallas. FullbackJohn Kuhnand tight endAndrew Quarlesshave also emerged late in the season to help diversify the attack.
"You know, this team from Week 1 has grown a lot, so we're definitely looking forward to it," said Quarless, who had four catches for 31 yards and a touchdown against the Cowboys. "Just to see the growth and resilience of this team throughout the postseason is a positive."
Indeed, asESPN.com'sRob Demovskynoted, in that season-opening loss, Aaron Rodgers never once threw at Seahawks cornerbackRichard Sherman. Despite the fact that McCarthy said the Packers didn't intentionally avoid challenging one of the NFL's best cornerbacks, it sure looked that way.
Rodgers said it came down to matchups. He finished that game with his second-lowest passer rating (81.5) of the season.
Demovsky went on to note that Nelson had a productive night on that left side with nine catches for 83 yards (although his longest gain was just 16 yards) but cutting the field in half didn't help the offense. Rodgers attempted 33 passes, and 23 of them were targeted at either Nelson or Cobb (six catches for 58 yards). Rodgers' 23 completions were spread among just five players, two of whom were running backs.
"I think we've played a lot differently since then," McCarthy said.
How far has his offense come?
Ten times in the past 16 games, including Sunday's win over the Cowboys, the Packers have had at least seven players catch passes. Three of those times, Rodgers spread the ball among eight receivers, and one time -- in the Week 7 win over the Carolina Panthers -- he found nine.
Adams played only nine of the 62 offensive snaps in the opener. Against the Cowboys, he played all but seven of the 68 plays and caught seven passes for 117 yards and a touchdown.
Richard Rodgers didn't catch a pass against the Seahawks or in any of the first three games of the season. In his past three games, he has eight catches, including a 13-yard touchdown catch against the Cowboys that ended up as the winner.
"I think we're better; I think they're better," offensive coordinator Tom Clements said Monday. "As the season goes along, teams get better."
And teams change their game plans, too.
In the opener, it wasJarrett Boykinwho lined up on Sherman's side of the field most of the time. Boykin played 49 snaps and not only didn't catch a pass, he didn't have one thrown his way. Boykin barely plays anymore and finished the season with as many drops (three) as catches (three for 23 yards).
This time, it might be Adams' turn over there.
"He'd be a great matchup," Nelson said. "He's growing his understanding of the game, the speed of the game. He's got great quickness, great hands, so he'd be ready for that matchup. ..."
Meanwhile, the Packers gave up 123 yards rushing toDeMarco MurraySunday and looked more like the run defense that was ranked 32nd in the league halfway through the regular season than the group that was a top-10 unit over the last eight games. They might have to do better againstMarshawn Lynchto have any chance in Seattle.
In the season-opener, Lynch rushed for 110 yards on 20 carries and scored two touchdowns. In three career games against the Packers, Lynch has averaged 90.7 rushing yards per games
Julius Pepperssigned with the Packers in part because he wanted a shot at a Super Bowl. He played like it. Peppers had a sack and two forced fumbles. He stripped Cowboys quarterbackTony Romoon his first-quarter sack, although Dallas recovered. Peppers then stripped Murray, a fumble that Packers defensive endDatone Jonesrecovered, on Dallas' first possession of the second half.
Nick Perryhad three sacks in the regular season. He was in on two sacks on consecutive plays in the second half Sunday. He got one on his own on the final play of the third quarter and then shared one withMike Danielson the first play of the fourth.
In addition to the shifting game plan, the tweaks that McCarthy made to the training schedule and conditioning program have paid off. Not counting Aaron Rodgers' lingering injury, the Packers for the most part haven't been hit by long-term or season-ending injuries to key players that seemed to slow them down in recent years.
The move to fly out on Friday fits the pattern of McCarthy trying new things to give his team an edge. The practice schedule will be normal otherwise, given that Friday is usually a day off the field. The team will then run through a practice on Saturday in Washington.
"Just the fact that we're trying to get better at everything we're doing," McCarthy said. ...
All that said, as Demovsky suggested, if the Packers played in the NFC West, they might not even be in this position.
Indeed, they haven't been able to beat the Seahawks or San Francisco 49ers of late. When the Packers lost at Seattle in the NFL opener back on Sept. 4, it was their sixth straight loss to those two teams combined. The 49ers have ousted the Packers from the playoffs each of the past two seasons. ...
Other notes of interest. ... Lacy carved up the Cowboys' defense for 45 yards on seven carries on the opening touchdown drive, only to vanish until the middle of the second quarter.
As it turns out, the Packers' power back was waylaid by an asthma attack brought on by the frigid Wisconsin weather.
"You know your body is good enough to go out and play," Lacy explained, via theMilwaukee Journal Sentinel. "But. ... You just can't breathe. And it's a breathing thing. It's not something you want to go out and. ... Risk something bad happening. There's nothing I can do about it. It's a medical condition. I take my inhaler, I do everything I'm supposed to do. When it happens, it happens."
Although Lacy managed just 3 yards from early in the first quarter until halftime, he came back strong in the second half, salting the game away with 63 yards on 11 carries.
The asthma shouldn't be an issue in Seattle's more mild climate this Sunday.
Far fresher than he was at the end of his 2013 Rookie of the Year campaign, Lacy is coming off his 10th consecutive game with 100 or more yards from scrimmage. The Seahawks aren't the only team bringing a smashmouth ground attack into the NFC Championship Game. ...
Mason Crosbybecame Green Bay's all-time leading scorer in the divisional playoff win over Dallas on Sunday. Crosby made two field goals and also two extra points, raising his points total to 1,122 in all games played (regular season and postseason). KickerRyan Longwellheld the team record of 1,119 points since 2005.
And finally. ... During the Sunday's game, Rodgers peered over the line of scrimmage and barked out the phrase "New York Bozo."FOXmics picked it up and left much of America asking the same question? Who is the New York Bozo?
On Sunday, a reporter asked the Packers' quarterback about it.
"What about it? Did you guys hear that?" Rodgers asked with a chuckle.
"Our guys don't know what that means, either. I don't know if you caught what (left tackle) David (Bakhtiari) said after I said that. Nobody knew what that meant. It obviously didn't mean anything."
That's right. "New York Bozo" was a dummy call. A bunch of nonsense representing nothing. And now that Rodgers has revealed this, we're unlikely to ever hear it again.
DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 CT
QB:Aaron Rodgers, Matt Flynn, Scott Tolzien
RB:Eddie Lacy, James Starks, DuJuan Harris
FB:John Kuhn
WR:Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Davante Adams, Jarrett Boykin, Jeff Janis
TE:Richard Rodgers, Andrew Quarless, Brandon Bostick, Justin Perillo
PK:Mason Crosby
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INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
AsESPN.com'sMike Wellsframed it: "The biggest win ofAndrew Luck'sthree-year career came in what ultimately might have been his predecessor's final game. ..."
Wells went on to explain that Luck pushed asidePeyton Manningin his own house Sunday in Denver. Now he will try to pull off a rare feat: beating Manning and New England'sTom Bradyin back-to-back playoff games when the Indianapolis Colts face the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium.
"Words can't describe how special [Luck] is," receiverHakeem Nickssaid of his QB, who won for the first time on the road in the playoffs as Indianapolis beat Denver 24-13. "The belief he has in his play-making is something not many people have. He's definitely a guy who comes around once every blue moon. He's not your average quarterback."
Five teams have tried to beat Manning and Brady in back-to-back playoff games, but only former New York Jets quarterbackMark Sanchez(2010) and Baltimore Ravens quarterbackJoe Flacco(2012) have done it.
For all the late-game heroics and overall success Luck has had in his career so far, the one thing he hasn't been able to accomplish is beating Brady and the Patriots.
Luck is 0-3 against New England and has thrown eight interceptions, including four when these two teams met in the 2013 playoffs.
"I'd like to think I'm a better quarterback and we're a better team and more well-equipped to handle the unknown and the unforeseen," said Luck, who threw for 303 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in a 42-20 loss to the Patriots at home Nov. 16. "I think we've got a bunch of good football players, and a chance to go up to New England and play them and get another crack at it is awesome. We'll make sure to take full advantage of it and do what we can."
This isn't the same Luck who turned the ball over 22 times during the regular season. He's making the right reads and not forcing the ball down the field to his receivers. He's playing safe -- not risky. That's why running backDan"Boom"Herronhas 18 catches in two playoff games, and that's why the Broncos didn't sack Luck.
Luck did throw two interceptions against the Broncos, but they were third-down heaves that were basically punts. When he was pressured, he was 8-of-13 for 99 yards and a touchdown. Not surprising, considering Luck's seven touchdown passes under duress during the regular season were the most in the NFL.
According to Wells, "The best way to describe Luck these days: nearly flawless.
"He'll have to continue to play that way if he expects to join Sanchez and Flacco in an exclusive club."
"Andrew does a great job of simplifying things," tight endDwayne Allensaid. "[He] focuses on his job. He does a great job of leading us, making sure there's no panic inside of us. It doesn't matter if he's throwing an interception or throwing a touchdown -- he's so even keeled. He's never fazed, and that's why [GMRyan]Grigsongot him with the first pick."
It took Manning six years to win his first playoff game. Not Luck, who led the Colts to a playoff appearance as a rookie and a playoff victory in his second season, and now he has the Colts in the conference championship game. He is 3-2 in the playoffs, and his 1,703 passing yards are the most through five playoff starts in NFL history.
"We've got a special team," receiverReggie Waynesaid. "We have everything in place."
While Luck has been better than advertised, there's more to it than just the quarterback.
Wide receivers Wayne,T.Y. Hilton,Donte Moncriefand Nicks have all been effective at times. And as ESPN.com'sMike Reissnoted, each brings a little something different.
The speedy Hilton (third year) totaled 82 catches for 1,345 yards (16.4 avg.) and seven touchdowns during the regular season; the savvy veteran Wayne (36 years old) remains one of the game's smoothest route-runners and is still productive (64 catches, 779 yards, 2 TDs) even though he went without a catch in the divisional-round win over the Broncos; while the 6-2, 221-pound Moncrief (32 catches, 444 yards) has done his part after being drafted by the team in the third round out of Mississippi.
Nicks hasn't been all that impressive over the course of the season, but he secured 2-of-3 targets for 24 yards and a touchdown against the Broncos.
The tight ends are also factors. All three of them.
As Reiss notes, Allen (6-3, 265) is a combination type whose improvement as a blocker caughtBill Belichick'sattention in November.Coby Fleener(6-6, 251) is more of a receiver, whileJack Doyle(6-6, 267) can move bodies in the running game but shouldn't be overlooked as a pass-catcher (18 receptions in regular season).
Meanwhile, Indy has embracedChuck Paganoand his philosophy and Grigson has put enough pieces in place to win 11 regular-season games in three straight seasons.
The two-time AFC South champs have gone one step deeper in the playoffs each year of the Luck-Pagano-Grigson era, and now they are just one win away from their third Super Bowl trip in eight years.
"You're excited that you've done so much so soon but you also feel the weight. You know where you have to go," ownerJim Irsaysaid. "We know what we have to do as an organization and that's to get to the top of the mountain. That's what our goals are as we go into this playoff run."
It's exactly the road Irsay expected to face when he toldAssociated Presssports writerMichael Marotlast month that Indy's likely path to a championship would go through Denver and New England, then either Green Bay or Seattle, who will square off in the NFC championship game.