2011 NFL Playoffs: Peyton Manning and the 10 Biggest Goats of the Playoffs

In the playoffs, it's either win or go home. Sometimes players just seem to play like they can't wait to get home, see their family and sit by an open fire. It's those players that cause their teams to lose. 

A lot of times, we call people goats, using the acronym for "greatest of all time" to express their greatness. This is not one of those times. 

These goats are the players (and coaches) who put up real stinkers in their respective games. Some are bigger names than others, but all are enjoying the rest of the 2011 NFL playoffs from their couches. 

Read on to see who they are.

Bill Belichick

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FOXBORO, MA - JANUARY 16: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots looks on during their 2011 AFC divisional playoff game against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium on January 16, 2011 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Imag

After a week of trash-talking filled billboards and newspapers before the New England Patriots took on the New York Jets, one name was missing. 

Bill Belichick hadn't said a word and was planning on letting his preparation show on the field. His silence left as big an impression as Rex Ryan's candor and inability to hold back anything. 

But then the game came and Belichick's master plan failed as the Jets knocked the Patriots out 28-21. 

He even benched his star wide receiver, Wes Welker, for the first quarter due to the subtle jabs he made at Ryan during a press conference. Then he refused to even explain the decision. 

It was just one of a number of poor decisions throughout the game. 

Matt Cassel

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KANSAS CITY, MO - JANUARY 09: Quarterback Matt Cassel #7 of the Kansas City Chiefs fakes a hand-offagainst the Baltimore Ravens in their 2011 AFC wild card playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 9, 2011 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vi

Matt Cassel was simply terrible in his playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens. Could it be that he was simply a fluke all year long? 

Only time will give us the answer to that question, but we can be sure that this game was quite bad. 

Cassel completed only nine of his 18 passes for 70 yards. The only points the offense produced came on a 41 yard touchdown run by Jamaal Charles. 

Instead of throwing scores, Cassel threw three interceptions. 

Unfortunately for him, he'll have no shot for redemption until next season. 

Joe Flacco

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PITTSBURGH, PA - JANUARY 15: Quarterback Joe Flacco #5 of the Baltimore Ravens walks off the field against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Divisional Playoff Game at Heinz Field on January 15, 2011 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Nick Laham/Ge

Joe Flacco played quite well in the opening game of the playoffs against the Kansas City Chiefs, but then he put up a stinker in the divisional round against the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

Flacco completed just 16 of his 30 passes for 125 yards and a single touchdown. He also turned the ball over twice, throwing one interception and losing one fumble. 

Sure, the fumble may have been center Matt Birk's fault, but it still happened and the interception was most definitely his fault. 

Can we wait to call him Joe Cool until he has some postseason success?

Todd Haley

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KANSAS CITY, MO - JANUARY 09: Head coach Todd Haley of the Kansas City Chiefs looks on during the 2011 AFC wild card playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens at Arrowhead Stadium on January 9, 2011 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Ge

Todd Haley led the Kansas City Chiefs on a remarkable turnaround from mediocrity to being the surprise team of the season. But that was during the regular season. 

The playoffs were a much different story. 

Whether it was a lack of motivation or simply being outplayed, Todd Haley's Chiefs were awful in their wild card game against the Baltimore Ravens. 

He said after the game, "It was a tough one. I thought we got great experience for a lot of young guys that hadn't been part of this." But the playoffs aren't about just getting experience, they're about winning. 

Roman Harper

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SEATTLE, WA - JANUARY 08: Cameron Morrah #88 of the Seattle Seahawks runs down field against Roman Harper #41 of the New Orleans Saints during the 2011 NFC wild-card playoff game at Qwest Field on January 8, 2011 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jonath

If you watched the New Orleans Saints lose a shootout to the Seattle Seahawks in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, this picture was a sight you saw often. 

Roman Harper was part of the reason that Seattle was able to score 41 points and put up 272 yards through the air to go along with their four passing touchdowns. Every time you looked, Harper was getting burned by some member of the Seahawks receiving corps. 

The Seahawks targeted Harper all game and it paid off. He was too aggressive, missed a tackle on Ben Obomanu and left John Carlson wide open on a blown assignment created by his biting for a play-action fake. 

Peyton Manning

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN - JANUARY 08: Quarterback Peyton Manning #18 of the Indianapolis Colts looks to pass against the New York Jets during their 2011 AFC wild card playoff game at Lucas Oil Stadium on January 8, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Jets won 17

Peyton Manning was good in the Indianapolis Colts' 17-16 loss to the New York Jets, but he wasn't great. At this point in Manning's career, we expect him to be great regardless of the situation. 

Manning completed 18 of his 26 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown, but he could only lead the offense to a touchdown and three field goals. 

That's not what we expect from one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the game. And therefore he's a goat. 

Saints Running Game

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SEATTLE, WA - JANUARY 08: Reggie Bush #25 of the New Orleans Saints runs down field against Lawyer Milloy #36 of the Seattle Seahawks during the 2011 NFC wild-card playoff game at Qwest Field on January 8, 2011 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jonathan

The Saints backfield was depleted thanks to injuries to Pierre Thomas and Chris Ivory, but that's not really their fault. Injuries are more the product of being in the wrong place at the wrong time than anything else. 

The players who were healthy and contributing were Julius Jones and Reggie Bush. Jones had two touchdowns, both on short runs, but he and Bush combined to gain just 71 yards on the ground. 

Jones also lost a fumble and neither was able to produce enough of a threat to keep the Seahawks from sitting back in pass coverage against Drew Brees. As a result, Brees had to throw 60 times in a rather one-dimensional offense. 

If the Saints had been able to get the ground attack going at all, this game would have turned out differently. 

Saints Tackling

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SEATTLE, WA - JANUARY 08: Running back Marshawn Lynch #24 of the Seattle Seahawks runs for a 67-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Saints during the 2011 NFC wild-card playoff game at Qwest Field on January 8, 2011 in Seattl

The Saints had trouble tackling the Seattle Seahawks running game throughout their Wild Card matchup, but I'm just going to focus on one play. 

Marshawn Lynch's 67 yard touchdown run was one of the single greatest plays I've ever seen. He didn't want to be tackled and he wasn't. 

Eight members of the New Orleans Saints failed to tackle Lynch despite all getting their hands on him. Others just gave up on the play and were outrun by offensive linemen and even Matt Hasselbeck. 

That's just a pathetic effort in a key play during the playoffs. 

Seahawks Running Game

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SEATTLE, WA - JANUARY 08: Marshawn Lynch #24 of the Seattle Seahawks and Justin Forsett #20 pose during player introductions before taking on the New Orleans Saints during the 2011 NFC wild-card playoff game at Qwest Field on January 8, 2011 in Seattle,

As impressive as Marshawn Lynch's touchdown run was, the Seattle Seahawks running game was subpar throughout the playoffs. 

Minus that run, they only gained 83 yards on the ground in the first game and then had just 34 yards in their divisional round clash with the Chicago Bears. 

The result was Matt Hasselbeck having to air it out 46 times against Chicago, and that's never a good idea. 

Mike Smith

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ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 02: Head coach Mike Smith of the Atlanta Falcons against the Carolina Panthers at Georgia Dome on January 2, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

The Atlanta Falcons were one of the best teams throughout the course of the regular season, finishing with a 13-3 record, second best in the NFL and best in the NFC. 

It earned them a first round bye and a date with the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round of the playoffs. 

Then they got smoked. The Falcons allowed 28 points in the second quarter and then 14 unanswered points to open the second half. It was never even close. 

There were plenty of goats on the Falcons in their stinker against the Packers, but Mike Smith stands out above all. 

You should never get blown out in the playoffs. Period. 

It seems as though Mike Smith couldn't get his team prepared to play whatsoever. And even if that's a problem, still make some sort of adjustment to avoid getting trounced.