Chris Simms' All-22 Team from NFL Conference Championships

Chris SimmsJan 24, 2017

Is anyone trying to coach anymore?

It’s a valid question after an absolute stinker of a playoff cycle—and one I can’t seriously answer. When I look at the 10 games that got us here (minus Packers-Cowboys), I see the creative teams advancing and the boring teams wondering what the hell just happened.

Championship weekend was that helplessness in a nutshell. I could see Kyle Shanahan targeting LaDarius Gunter and Joe Thomas from the Bleacher Report office; Dom Capers couldn’t see it from the coaches' box? And Pittsburgh, oh Pittsburgh. Tom Brady might be the most accurate passer of all time, but let’s roll out the most predictable zone coverages and let receivers run right through them. That ought to work.

You’ll see plenty of Patriots and Falcons on this week’s All-22. Some of them got on the list for balling out. Others got there because the opposing coach didn’t know how to stop them. I’ll miss football when it’s gone, but these playoffs have been hot garbage.

QB: Tom Brady, New England Patriots

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Brady isn’t declining at age 39. He’s improving.

I’ll offer two reasons why the fine wine of quarterbacks is at the height of his game. First, the man takes care of his body like no other. When you factor in the latest AFC Championship Game, Brady just started his third extra season (16-game schedule) of professional football but has only suffered one major injury ever.

Then there’s scheme: New England’s offense sets its quarterback drops at six-and-a-half yards, allowing No. 12 to scan the field and step up in the pocket. Ask the Steelers how frustrating that can be; Brady missed on just 10 of his 42 throws.

RB: Devonta Freeman, Atlanta Falcons

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Devonta Freeman can be a workhorse in Week 20 because he wasn’t worn down in Weeks 1 through 17.

Now the Super Bowl is approaching, and thanks to a little foresight from Dan Quinn and Kyle Shanahan, the Florida State product is the freshest ball-carrier around. That pop transfers over to the passing game, where Freeman will be the best pass-catching backfield threat in Houston.

Packers linebacker Joe Thomas is probably still spinning from the option route—I called it a "choice" route—that Freeman pulled off in the second half. He caught the football, absorbed contact and still made it across the goal line. Not every running back can do that.

WR: Julian Edelman, New England Patriots

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What’s the difference between Julian Edelman and Antonio Brown?

A few steps of speed and—let’s be honest—the color of their skin. We have this archetype of the Patriots slot receiver as being a shifty little white dude. It’s time to throw it away.

In doing so, we might finally recognize Edelman for the freak athlete he is. Pittsburgh knew where Brady was throwing on third down last Sunday night and still couldn’t stop him from an eight-catch, 118-yard outing.

WR: Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons

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My mind is blown every time I watch Julio Jones cross the middle of a football field.

Sometimes that’s because he can take a simple crossing route 73 yards to the house and treat tacklers like peewee football players. And sometimes that’s because defenses still insist on single-covering him and crossing their fingers.

News flash: Jones is athletic enough to burn an undrafted guy like LaDarius Gunter. Hell, he even did it somersaulting in the air for an amazing over-the-middle reception. Bill Belichick needs to mix it up because what Green Bay tried to do didn’t work in the NFC Championship Game.

WR: Chris Hogan, New England Patriots

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Ramapo High School represent.

I knew Chris Hogan could be something special from his days at my alma mater. I just wasn’t sure he’d be able to flip the football switch so easily after three seasons of lacrosse at Penn State.

You know who was sure? Lacrosse fan Belichick, who saw something in the journeyman that other teams flat-out missed. Now, Hogan is the Patriots’ all-time single-game receiving yards leader in the postseason (nine receptions, 180 yards, two touchdowns). Think about the receivers who have played in New England and be amazed.

Then discard that pesky Patriots receiver narrative again. Hogan is not a shifty slot receiver or particularly short (6'1"). He’s just the guy outrunning first-round picks like Steelers corner Artie Burns down the field and making plays on the football.

WR: Mohamed Sanu, Atlanta Falcons

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You can go out and buy shares of Mohamed Sanu.

I suggest you do so before the market gets cramped in the run-up to Super Bowl 51. The football-watching world is just about to understand how valuable he is to Kyle Shanahan’s offense. Buy low while you still can.

Sanu is the perfect complement to Julio Jones. Sure, you saw him catching a nifty one-handed touchdown flip from Matt Ryan. Look closely and you’ll notice he effectively works as an extra tight end, motioning down the line of scrimmage to chip defensive ends. And Devonta Freeman always loves running to his side of the field.

TE: Jared Cook, Green Bay Packers

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Aaron Rodgers singled him out as a piece he’d love to have back.

You now know just how valuable Jared Cook is to his quarterback. For long stretches of the NFC Championship blowout, the Packers tight end looked like the only guy capable of getting separation downfield.

For that kind of production, Rodgers will deal with a few Cook drops here and there. No. 89 was an integral part of the Packers’ late push, and he should be a big part of their 2017 campaign, too.

OL: Alex Mack, Atlanta Falcons

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Alex Mack escaped football purgatory, and now look where he is.

Atlanta is on the precipice of a Super Bowl victory thanks in some part to Mack’s decision to bolt from the Browns. The film doesn’t lie; Ryan and Co. don’t make it this far without their star center.

Mack’s play against two stout-as-all-hell defensive linemen put Atlanta over the top. He had to handle both Letroy Guion (6'4", 322 lbs) and Mike Daniels (6'0", 310 lbs), alternating his center of gravity between each distinct rusher.

Oftentimes, that meant slamming into one until help arrived, then expertly peeling off that double-team to go find his next victim.

OL: Marcus Cannon, New England Patriots

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Marcus Cannon’s inclusion on this list was a long time coming.

Now that it’s here, let’s all tip our caps to the TCU product. It wasn’t long ago that Cannon was fighting for an NFL job at the same time he had non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Look at him now. Pittsburgh needed to get to Brady if it wanted to advance to Super Bowl 51, and Cannon was having none of it. He swatted guys like Stephon Tuitt away for 60 minutes.

OL: David Andrews, New England Patriots

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No. 60

Houston rattled Brady two weekends ago by getting pressure right in his face.

Pittsburgh wanted to do the same in the AFC Championship Game, but it couldn’t find a way to get by second-year center David Andrews.

Consider Andrews’ opposition. Together, Ryan Shazier and Lawrence Timmons form the most blitz-happy inside linebacking tandem in football. Given Brady’s penchant to move up in the pocket, both figured to bring pressure often.

The Steelers stayed conservative for most of the game, and Andrews’ ability to point out oncoming pressures played a role in that.

OL: Nate Solder, New England Patriots

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The AFC Championship played out like a two-act tragedy for Pittsburgh.

In Act 1, Bud Dupree and James Harrison would come screaming off Brady’s blind side. In Act 2, they’d always receive the slightest shove from Nate Solder—just enough to let Brady step up in the pocket and avoid their rush entirely.

Solder’s presence was demoralizing for the Steelers defense, both in those scenarios and when it used a three-man rush. The Colorado product manhandled his assignment in the latter category, affording Brady enough time for some long downfield throws.

DL: Mike Daniels, Green Bay Packers

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No. 76

He was the best defender at the Georgia Dome on Sunday.

And for a while, it seemed like he was the only one suiting up for Green Bay.

I’ll give a little love to Mike Daniels, who brought it against the likes of Chris Chester and Andy Levitre. When Ryan faced any kind of pressure, it was because No. 76 had blown by one of those two guards like it was nothing. Green Bay needs about 10 more guys like him.

DL: Javon Hargrave, Pittsburgh Steelers

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Rookie Joe Thuney was the obvious weak link in New England’s strong line.

It speaks volumes that Pittsburgh entrusted another rookie with the assignment. Javon Hargrave was able to exploit lapses in pass protection to force a few key Brady hurries. He also nabbed a sack and should’ve hauled in a fumble recovery.

His presence was felt most in the ground game. He shed blocks like no other Steeler and forced either LeGarrette Blount or Dion Lewis to pause before finding a hole to run through. By then, most of them had closed.

DL: Alan Branch, New England Patriots

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I don’t care if Le’Veon Bell was healthy for one quarter or four.

He wasn’t finding any running room. That’s a testament to the two-gapping prowess of Alan Branch, the Patriots’ new Vince Wilfork.

Branch stuck out on film. He bullied Maurkice Pouncey, one of the strongest NFL centers, on more than one occasion. On others, he prevented double-team savant David DeCastro from splitting off and blocking another. No Steelers interior lineman reached the second level of defense on a snap Branch played.

DL: Ra'Shede Hageman, Atlanta Falcons

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Rodgers’ behind-the-line antics were not allowed in Atlanta.

One big reason: Ra’Shede Hageman, who had the game of his career as a pocket collapser and contain holder. Green Bay wasn’t counting on him to throw No. 12 down with one hand from his shade nose tackle position. His end-of-half sack doubled as a statement that this defense wouldn't be Rodgers'd.

He won’t be overlooked two weeks from now. Hageman is one of the only guys the Falcons possess with prototypical lineman size (6'6", 318 lbs) and strength. He’s the ideal 3-, 4- or 5-tech who can bowl centers over.

LB: Ryan Shazier, Pittsburgh Steelers

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No. 50

Ryan Shazier could’ve done without a phantom late hit call.

Just like the Patriots could’ve done without Ryan Shazier. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels attempted to set up halfback or quick bubble screens. No. 50 blew them all up.

My one negative is that he wasn’t used more as a blitzer. The Steelers rushed three routinely, keeping Shazier back in coverage. He might’ve been better served as a delayed blitzer to wreak havoc on Brady’s rhythm.

LB: Deion Jones, Atlanta Falcons

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No. 45

Securing a Rodgers fastball is tough enough on a receiver.

It’s doubly tough with Deion Jones bearing down on a guy. When a football or two hit the Georgia Dome turf last Sunday, it was out of sheer self-preservation. No one wanted this guy to hit him.

I can’t blame Green Bay’s pass-catchers for some tough drops. Jones is an absolute ball of muscle and Atlanta’s defensive MVP. He jacked up anyone who crossed his face in the middle of the field.

LB: Dont’a Hightower, New England Patriots

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When Dont’a Hightower sits down to negotiate with New England this offseason, he should pop in the AFC Championship Game film.

Here’s what it’ll show: a three-down linebacker who thumped for a few snaps on the inside of Belichick’s defense and stayed true to his run fits. Then, he shifted outside, where he was asked to set the edge against tackles 50 pounds heavier.

He did both with flying colors. Hightower is exactly the kind of versatile defender Belichick loves to move around. Pay the man.

DB: Jalen Collins, Atlanta Falcons

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No. 32

Rodgers was about to get the Packers back in it.

Jalen Collins had other plans. The second-year cornerback slammed a football out of Aaron Ripkowski’s hands in the second quarter, preserving Atlanta’s 10-0 lead. It ended up as the biggest play in a game filled with them for the Falcons.

Oh, and he’s done a damn fine job filling in for Desmond Trufant. Atlanta’s defense got good in a hurry, and Collins is a big reason why.

DB: Malcolm Butler, New England Patriots

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Every defense goes into a game trying to limit its opponent’s top threat. New England is the only one that does it every week.

Malcolm Butler is a big reason why the Patriots can be so smothering. Belichick knows he can leave the former Super Bowl hero out in coverage—even against the Browns of the world—and be safe. That frees New England up to do so many other things with the 10 defenders remaining.

One last stat to illustrate Butler’s dominance: According to Pro Football Focus, Brown caught only two of his four targets against Butler for 24 yards. He was targeted just nine times overall. With Butler trailing him, that tells me Pittsburgh gave up on throwing to No. 84.

DB: Devin McCourty, New England Patriots

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No. 32

Frustration for a quarterback is wanting to move the ball downfield but knowing it’s ill-advised.

Big Ben Roethlisberger must’ve felt that in spades Sunday. His receivers got downfield separation at times, but it was never a good idea to chuck it up with Devin McCourty lurking.

Therein lies this guy’s value to the Patriots. He always knew where Brown or the deepest Steelers receiver was, then he got deeper. You’d be amazed at how many safeties don’t play safely.

And, because no Belichick player can do only one thing well, he also dropped down to play man coverage on Cobi Hamilton or Jesse James.

DB: Ricardo Allen, Atlanta Falcons

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You know what I just said about playing safety the right way?

Same goes for Ricardo Allen. He actively discouraged two or three Rodgers deep balls by staying in front (or in his case, behind) the call itself. Doing so juxtaposed against Green Bay’s bad secondary play made Allen’s even more striking.

One last thing: When Green Bay did break through for first downs, Allen made sure that’s all they were. He’s a solid tackler who has great tackling range in addition to pass coverage range. He’s only getting better, too.