Both of the conference championship games this weekend showed the importance of having an elite quarterback.  Eli Manning stayed in there despite getting sacked and hit into the ground.  He converted third downs and kept the Giants in the game while Alex Smith was unable to maintain his improved play against a better defense.  Alex Smith will start again next year for the 49ers but there seems to be a ceiling on his abilities.  Another QB should get a chance to play in San Francisco sooner rather than later.

The Patriots return to the Super Bowl but their defense isn’t that strong, and if Joe Flacco can shred your defense, Eli Manning should do the same.  The Patriots will try to beat the Giants with an overpowering offense.  Still, it should be a close game with the 2 best head coaches in the league against each other.  I think the Giants will win in another close and classic game.

Rob Lowe, celebrity and actor, has reported that Peyton Manning is planning on retiring from the NFL.  This would seem reasonable, since Peyton has nothing left to prove, his health seems fragile, and further damage to his neck may lead to health problems or even paralysis.  However, this may be a contract negotiation tactic, with Peyton threatening to retire unless he gets traded or awarded his 28 million dollar bonus.  No word yet from the twitter accounts of Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen.

http://deadspin.com/5877269/peyton-manning-will-retire-today-reports-rob-lowe

Jim Caldwell has been fired from the Indianapolis Colts.  It appears that the Colts owner and new GM are building the new team around new quarterback Andrew Luck, the first player to presumably be selected in the draft.  They will likely hire an offensive head coach to better develop Luck as a franchise quarterback.  In all likelihood, Peyton Manning will either retire or be playing for a different team next year.  With Luck on the roster, Peyton would have at most one year left of playing time with the Colts before they transition to Luck full time.  Peyton probably would not like that situation for himself or his family, so he would prefer to get a long term contract extension for another team.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=Aklgcwf0whDcIuvHbcjgixk5nYcB?slug=ap-colts-caldwellfired

The New York Giants once again beat the Green Bay Packers at home in the playoffs.  While Green Bay had a slight edge with their high powered offense, the Giants entered the playoffs with a lot of momentum including winning the last game of the season to make it in.  In a way, the Giants are playing with the same momentum and urgency as the 2007 team.

One common theme was that in 2007, Tom Coughlin faced a similar lame duck situation, and was able to adjust his coaching methods to win the emotional support of the locker room.  Now, Coughlin has one year left on his contract and has successfully rallied his players and pleaded with them to put in 110%.  The Giants have played hard and tough, and they beat the Packers with tough defense and solid offense.  Eli Manning continues his climb as an elite quarterback.

The 49ers and Giants game next week should be a close game.  Both teams have about equal talent.  But the coaching edge is given to Jim Harbaugh who is not just a demanding coach, but a positive energetic coach who has successfully motivated his players to play beyond their abilities.  I think the 49ers will find a way to win next week.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=320115009

The San Francisco 49ers have returned to the playoffs after a decade absence and urgently made up for lost time.  Jim Harbaugh was very aggressive on offense and played most of the game with the lead.  The Saints, however, stuck in there and Drew Brees’ precision passing helped them gain the lead with several minutes to go.  But this game will be remembered for the mvp-play of Smith on defense and Alex Smith on offense.  Alex ran for a 30 yard touchdown and threw for a 14 yard touchdown to win the game in the closing seconds.  There was much doubt about whether Alex Smith could ever become a superstar quarterback, but he may play just well enough to win the Super Bowl.  Even Trent Dilfer won a Super Bowl and Alex Smith seems to be playing better than Dilfer ever could.  Congrats!

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=320114025

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcwest/post/_/id/57223/rapid-reaction-49ers-36-saints-32