A lot of fans and observers of the National Football League had been critical of the lack of excitement in the Wild Card playoff games. Well, us football fans got our wish for excitement as we were treated to as compelling a weekend of Divisional Playoff games as there has been since the 12 team format was incepted. Here are some of the things we learned this weekend.

1. Steve Smith is the best player in the NFL and possibly the best big game receiver in this generation. His two playoff performances have been the stuff of legends and if he and Jake Delhomme can will Carolina to a win at Seattle, he will become the unquestioned best receiver in the league.
2. Peyton Manning still has happy feet when he gets hit. Look, let's not blame it all on him, but he gets a little sheepish when he gets hit....... doesn't he. Some guys bite their lip and almost make you think they enjoy getting hit (Simms, Elway, Brady, McNair), all the while, completing passes. Peyton seems to not be that type of guy, which makes blitz pickup all the more important.
3. Tom Brady is human. Was that Tom Brady I saw out there overshooting open receivers in Denver?? Yes, it was him and he proved that he is not infallible in a big spot. I would still take him over any QB in a big game, but Saturday night was not his best effort, and he will tell you that. The crucial interception thrown to Champ Bailey may have been the worst decision Brady has made as a pro. You just can't throw THAT pass in Bailey's direction. Throw the ball away and take the three points and the score is 10-9. I would have like to have seen how Jake Plummer would have responded to that situation.
4. Matt Hasselbeck has STONES. I have always been a little bit skeptical of Matt Hasselbeck because he can be skittish at times. He certainly started out the game that way. After a 43 yard first drive completion to Darrell Jackson, Hasselbeck made some poor throws throughout the first half and if Carlos Rogers holds on to a late throw out in the flat, Seattle could have been down 10-0. But, late in the first half, Hasselbeck stood in there and threw some great balls to get Seattle the lead going into the break. He has this Brett Favre-type thing going where he drives you crazy at times, but he's gutsy and his teammates seem to really enjoy playing with him. Winning that game with Shaun Alexander concussed has to be a huge confidence boost for the Seahawks.
5. Jake Delhomme is a winner, plain and simple. The Cajun kid from Louisiana just gets the job done. He may not be the flashiest QB in the league and he forces some throws from time-to-time. But when the game is on the line, he has this Tom Brady karma going on. It also doesn't hurt that he gets to throw the ball to Steve Smith.
6. Along the same lines, Dan Henning is a heck of an offensive coordinator. I know, the guy has seemingly been around since the Eisenhower administration and was a failure as a head coach, but he can sure implement a game plan. Henning is not a Mike Martz, Charlie Weis mad scientist. As a matter of fact, he's kind of dull in his approach. But he understands one thing, GET THE BALL TO YOUR PLAYMAKER............A BUNCH. He gets the ball to Steve Smith outside, down the field, in the slot, in the screen game, on reverses......heck, I'm waiting for Smith to take the snap this week. Some of these guys try to be too smart, not Henning. He just gets the ball to the guy that can win the game for you.
7. Seattle's defense is pretty solid. They are not a great unit, but they play well together and have two good corners when they are healthy (Andre Dyson and Marcus Trufant). Lofa Tatupu is an impact rookie who will only get better as time goes along. Plus, the advantage they get playing at home in noisy Qwest Field helps that unit out tremendously. The crowd noise allows Grant Wistrom, Bryce Fisher, Chuck Darby, and company the ability to get off the ball quicker than the guys blocking them. They will be a tough out at home.
8. Mike Vanderjagt...................Ugggghhhhhh. Dude, that looked like that zany Adam Vinatieri, David Akers, made for TV kicking competition that was staged last year in Hawaii. It almost looked like he was kicking toward a goal post in South Bend or in Columbus. I think you just may get deported back to Canada after that one. Not the fact that you missed, but you missed it B....A....D.
9. Note to Washington, you have to have some semblance of an offense to win in the playoffs. Mark Brunell, despite his solid season, looked really old Saturday and Clinton Portis was awful beat up. I think Joe Gibbs may have to take a small step back in 2006 and start Jason Campbell at QB. This could pay off in 2007, as the Redskin stars, Portis, Sean Taylor, and Santana Moss are all still fairly young. They just need a young QB to get them there.
10. The officiating is horrid. There were more blown calls this round than I ever remember seeing. The Troy Polamalu overturned interception takes the cake (I can't stand Joey Porter, but the conspiracy theorist did not have to reach far to suggest that someone at NFL headquarters got on those headsets at the replay box), but the Asante Samuel phantom "interference" call was absolutely bogus. Anyone who thinks that play was not a huge momentum swing obviously has never played much football. Another play that bothered me was the Thomas Jones overruled TD/facemask/touchback. The replay booth got the call right, but did anyone notice how out of position the side judge was on that play to make the initial ruling? That just can't happen in these huge games. The officials have to be at a playoff level too.

The Divisional playoff round featured it all; huge upsets, the champs being dethroned, bad calls, and untimely injuries that will be huge in the next round (Shaun Alexander, DeShaun Foster, and Julius Peppers). However, we now have a four team free-for-all where any of the team still alive can win it. Hopefully, the officiating will get better and we will have two more great games this weekend.