I had a nice little discussion with a couple of friends the other day, one being a former NFL player. We were talking about the upgrade of quarterbacks the Ravens will face in the playoffs, and how they will be better than the ones the Ravens faced during the regular season. I agreed partially, but also noted that the Ravens had already played against Trent Green and Philip Rivers. He said that Mr. Brady of the Patriots and Mr. Manning of the Colts were like Mr. McNair, unflappable.
That's when the argument began. I think Tom Brady is excellent and a big-game quarterback. You can smack him hard and he gets back up. He is such a competitor that he won't gag in the big game regardless of what happens. I think Peyton Manning is a great quarterback, one of the best ever to play the game. But I've seen teams get to him. I've seen him get nervous feet and I've seen him choke in big games.
With that said, I don't know if the Ravens can get to Manning or not, but they've got a shot. They've been getting pressure on the quarterback without blitzing, which is a sign of a great defense.
mike.preston@baltsun.com
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