23/01/2012 American Football

Good evening. Yesterday was effectively super Bowl semi-final

Sunday. Coming up tonight, we will show you which two booked their

place in the big show in The AFC has gone with the form

books so far, the Patriots and the Ravens were the top two seeds going

in, and they're the last two standing. A little less predictable

has been the NFC, with both the New York Giants and the 49ers providing

What a great weekend that was. We have our resident expert with us

tonight, Mike Carlson. Before we go into these two mouth-watering line-

ups, some great news for British fans. Yes, there Rams have

committed to the next three international series games at

Wembley. That will give it a certain amount of continuity. Next

year they will be playing at the New England Patriots, which looks

like a good game. There will be a lot of new players. Hopefully the

Rams will be a much-improved team. Kudos as well, with the New England

Patriots coming over. Yes, they made the super Bowl winners at that

point, they could be losers, but they consistently have a good team.

With them coming over for the next three years, does that perhaps

increase the potential of a London franchise? It has been talk about a

lot, realistically I don't think it is a possibility. There are the

Just I will problems, and secondly, as a spectacle, the London games

are great, but the traditions in this country are that once you have

a team, you stick with it, which means that people will not

necessarily transfer themselves to the London runs, if that is what it

turned out to be. I have a feeling they might even go back to Los

Angeles, where they came from. have had Wembley booked out for the

past couple of seasons, and in fact, tickets for that game, in October,

go on sale tomorrow. We will have highlights on the BBC as usual.

should hope so! One other thing I wanted to touch on, two Brothers,

both coaches, both now in separate conference finals, incredible.

what is incredible is how much they lookalike. Jim looks like the mean

a version of his brother. They played each other once this season

already. If they get to the super Bowl, it would be the second time.

But after the game, they each send the tapes to their dad for a

critique. What he tells them before they play each other I would really

like to hear. We start with John tonight, and the Ravens. They have

a defence which has a reputation as an immovable object, coming up

against the unstoppable force in this one. Last week in Foxboro, Tom

Brady was inspired, throwing for six touchdowns. When he wasn't

throwing for touchdowns, he was handing it off to Hernandez. So far,

the Patriots have looked unstoppable, but then again, the

Ravens know a thing or to about Quarterback Joe Flacco feels he

does not get enough respect for the success of the Ravens. He will need

to live up to his own billing in this one. New England had to settle

for an early field goal. Baltimore replied with three points of their

own early in the second quarter. We join our commentary team with New

inside, just missed it. When you show your hand too early, Tom Brady

Up and over the top, he wants a flag, but does not get it. Second

down and 10. Another big play for New England. He's covered, and that

after gaining four. Boarding again, that's going to be a face mask, I

believe. Face mask, on the defence. Paul Duff the helmet. Half the

distance of the goal. The whistle was blown once the helmet came off.

It was not the back of the helmet, he grabs the face mask. This is

dangerous right here. First and goal. Just inside the eight. And

he's into the end zone for the touchdown! You said it, he pulled

around, look at the blocks down the field by Wes Welker. Tom Zbikowski

good on the extra point. -- Stephen Williams. A second and five.

Another catch, breaking free, inside the 20. Watch this by Joe

Flacco. Into the corner. Ray Rice going through. Second and three.

Ray Rice once again, trying to back his way in. He may be a few inches

through. May have got there with the second effort. He gets down low

has got his man for the touchdown! Everybody's covered, but Joe Flacco

breaks out of the pocket, he comes down the line of the scrummage, and

front with his 35 yard kick, then added another in the second half.

We rejoin the action with Baltimore driving from their own 39. Third

Watch this, that is what he does best, giving more opportunities to

get deep, take his time, set up and drive it down the field. From the

47 of the Patriots, it's Ray Rice. Second down and six. Those

underneath, and another drop. Ferdinand six. Joe Flacco getting

away from the heat, and he's got another conversion. On the sideline,

they want a personal foul, because they say he could not protect

himself. But he caught the football, held it for a little while, so they

can be no illegal hits after this. Williams comes in, fake, and the

quarterback is out, making four the 10! He tries to reach for the

line. No signal yet. Touchdown! Patriots this term, tired of seeing

Joe Flacco throw the football on the third down, they Blitz. Not

able to make the tackle in the open field then some. The ruling on the

field stance, it is a touch down scored. So, the effort by the

rookie out of Maryland. Joe Flacco now has thrown two touched downs,

LaQuan Williams who stripped it. Yeah the wide receiver, coming from

behind, across the field, the speed an the force. Look, he's holding

the football perfectly. The force and speed is so much, no choice but

to fumble. thing, looking down the field.

can pick up the first inside the one. Second and ten.

football back at the 21. I think he's down. Right knee. He was down.

Good job by Cook getting it down and the kick hooks through.

More bad new for new England, Gronkowski hurt in a nasty

collision, but able to hobble back to the locker room.

We rejoin early in the fourth quarter with the remaining patriots

at the Ravens 23. COMMENTATOR: Gronkowski always such

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was his knee down before he got into the end zone? The ruling on

the field will be reversed. The runner's knee was down prior to the

goal. They say short. They got everybody

bunched inside. Look at the line backers, they're all free to come

up and make the hit. That was absolutely short. I do like the

call. I would go for it here on fourth down, this close. Be alert

want to try. This since the play is over, once he gets the tip of that

football on the goal line, it's worth the risk.

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Big time spike on the back end of way, then he clieds and drives on

Spikes with the interception and the Ravens first give away of the

post season. It's a huge one at 7.22 to go.

Spikes, who had a fumble recovery last week, now has the interception

as a 20-yard run back. haifens say they have it. It's

Jimmy Smith with the football. He's out to the 35. He stepped out at

the 37. I don't think it hit the ground. That was some play. They're

trying to go for the touchdown. Slater down the middle between the

double coverage. Oh, it is intercepted. What a play tipping it.

He tips it over to the rookie Jimmy the Ravens have Rice galloping for

seven. It's not easy, but you have to be

aggressive as a quarterback, even after you've thrown the

Rice missed two snaps. And the flag, a false start by the

the 34, making this a 50-plus starter. I was watching when they

were warming up. Cund iff had trouble making 50 yarders, didn't

make them. Fourth and sixth and they're going for it. What a call.

Time Out signalled by the Ravens. Cameron comes in. Harbaugh says

hold on a minute, guys, I'm calling a Time Out. They're still going for

on downs at the 33. STUDIO: New England couldn't take advantage

though. Ed reed broke up this play to give the Ravens the ball back

with less than two minutes on the clock. This is all you can hope for

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Jim, in a situation like this, 1.44 field goal range with 1.05

having just used one here and they need a yard for the first. Ray Rice

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minute! Moore took it away from Town torrey Smith. What a throw by

makes the play W15 seconds left, here comes Billy Cundiff to tie

this game and in all likelihood send it to overtime. 16 for 16 in

the last four years on field goals. Look out! It's no good! It's no

journey to Indianapolis. They're probably struggled to make eye

contact with anybody in the locker room. Unfair to blame him. Even if

he makes the kick, they only go to he makes the kick, they only go to

overtime. He's been hurt a lot this season. He only just came back.

brought him on with about ten seconds before the snap. He hooks

balls. He always has. That's why they didn't try the kick from 50

yards earlier in the quarter. The kick before that looked like it was

missing to the right, it hooked back to the left. This hooked out

and well out. It's a sad way to Laos a game. How did we get to that

situation, where they were relying on him for a kick? Great plays by

the Ravens, specially Moore. He turned into a hero of sorts. He was

the goat early in the game when he got beaten by Smith. He went in for

the touchdown there. What you see it's not totally his fault. The

patriots have a seven-man blitz. They have to pick up PETA man for

man. He doesn't play behind Moore. He needs to be up on Smith. He's

not. McCourty can't get over in time. Looking at the touchdown,

Smith pulls McCourty with him. He should have drawn a flag there.

This is tug boat stuff here as he flys over. Moore made up for it.

Two plays before that missed field goal, looks like a touchdown. I

thought it was a touchdown to Lee Evans there. It was ruled

incomplete. The field judge there. Evans catches it. There's one foot

and two feats. The second foot comes down just as he loosens the

ball from him. Both feet have to be down with possession. He doesn't

have both feet down yet and now he doesn't have possession. The field

judge in a perfect position to make the call. Moore made a big play on

the next play as well. That set up Cundiff to miss the field goal.

tight decisions there, one given, one nogt. Two touchdown passs from

Flacco. His critics couldn't say this defeat was down to him. He had

a good game. He did. The patriots dared Flacco to beat them. He very

nearly did. They shut down the running game except for Flacco. He

ran the ball well. He made a couple of bad throes, but basically he was

making throws when the necessity called and overcame that moustache

that I think he grew for Chinese You're obsessed with Chinese new

year! Happy New Year. Same to you. On the other hand, Brady was

uncharacteristically out of sorts. Yes, he missed that touchdown pass

to Gronkowski. He was off. What ball to maul were doing was to say,

because on the ground, they were taking away the long stuff, and

making the Patriots to drives over 10 or 12 plays. And if you

quarterback is not perfect, it puts the onus more on the defence.

the back field had its problems, but the defence did step up, and

Vince Wilfork was immense. Watch him here. This was the third and

three. I think there are going to trap him, but they don't, watch the

centre, Matt Burke, he just leaves him alone. On the very next play,

fourth and sixth, Vince Wilfork just rushes Matt Burke backwards

towards Joe Flacco. Just pushes him back. Vince Wilfork is built for

comfort, not for speed, but he has been a rock for the Patriots this

season. Well, not a great game for Tom Brady, but that connection with

Gronkowski has been electric over the post season. You probably saw

him back on the field, the early news is that he will be fit to line

up for the Super Bowl. To find out who Brady and Gronkowski will be

facing, we now go over to the scene of last week's dramatic finale, the

home of arguably this season's biggest success story. The San

Francisco fortyninerzz have been transformed this season under the

The much-maligned Alex Smith has been managing the offence all

season, but last week he carried his team through, a team which is

Every year, one team seems to come up with a late charge, carried on a

run of momentum defying a regular- season mediocre record. The New

York Giants this year have been described as the most complete team

left in the play-offs, and they are just starting to reflect former

glories of their own. COMMENTATOR: Unbelievable! New York,

football, Giants, baby! Let's had to a wintry San Francisco, which

provided testing conditions for both teams from the off. It was the

fortyninerzz' the France who struck the first blow of the game, almost

forcing a turnover here. New no, were forced to kick, and we join

the action with the fortyninerzz in to the and so on. Touchdown! They

go with a tight split with Vernon Davis, and you can see how much

field he has to working. They did not expect Vernon Davis to go deep,

and with that kind of speed, there is no way that the defender was

able to keep pace. Looked like Vernon Davis came close with those

two steps to being out of bounds. Was there enough to overturn the

call on the field? With regards to the replay, there must be clear,

incontrovertible evidence that the ruling on the field was wrong, you

have to be certain. Here, the ruling on the field stands, it is a

touch down. On the Giants' following drive, Tom Coughlin went

for this four and one. The fortyninerzz then had their first

big scale of the game, Kyle Williams fumbling the ball, but the

Giants were unable to hold on. We rejoin play at the start of the

the way. Another third Dell and conversion for the Giants, and Eli

Manning going 36 yards to Victor Cruz. Wide Open, and Hakeem Nicks

sets up first and goal inside the 10, at the eight macro. Jacobs

picks up the first down. They fake the delayed hand-off, incomplete,

dangerous throw. Coverage by Rogers. The intended target was Hakeem

Nicks. Manning pulls it back, and hits his tight end for the

touchdown. They go the other side of the formation, it looked

initially that he was going for the crossing ball from the receiver. We

return to the play at the end of the quarter, Manning on second and

10. Manning goes over the middle and finds Victor Cruz, who goes

Victor Cruz shows of those good hands, does not get out of bounds.

Manning, pass is caught. What a half Victor Cruz is having! And now

the Giants are inside field goal range. The impressive Victor Cruz

court for another 13 yards, but Manning decided to stop the clock,

and the Giants settled for this field goal. They took a narrow lead

into the third quarter, both teams exchanging possession, and we

rejoin the action with the 49ers on the 30! Smith, with protection!

Vernon Davis has another touchdown! Well, Vernon Davis, he moves across,

and he gets one-on-one coverage with Philips. It is basically the

same kind of route that he ran when he had the 73 yard touchdown. He

starts to go up the centre, then runs up the sideline, and Alex

Smith delivers a perfect ball. Manning was sacked on the following

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play, but for both offences were is touched by the Giants inside the

30. It is a challenge by Tom Coughlin, it appears to worse that

it glances of the knee of Kyle Williams. What do you think of that

call? Listen, it clearly does touch him. The Giants in my opinion are

going to get the ball here. It hits the 49ers player on the knee. The

ball is dead as soon as they pick it up, but it is the Giants' ball,

at the 29 yard line, where they recovered it. So, manning back onto

the field. The hand off goes to it, ends up on his back. And Smith

is the guy who put him there. The Giants have had it six times, they

have not made two first downs since half-time. Furzedown inside the 15,

Hakeem Nicks! Turnover has the Giants inside the red zone. Holding,

receiver was Hakeem Nicks. Now, second and 20. Manning completes to

Bradshaw. His forward progress is stopped just inside the 17. Manning,

touchdown! First catch of this NFC Championship game, 17 Yard

touchdown. Jake Ballard was on the inside, pulling the safety out of

three. Here's Kyle Williams! Good return about to the 45. Knocked

down by Grant. Smith, takes off! Alex Smith down inside the 35!

Hunter breaks two tackles and takes it down to the 15th. There have

been no points scored at this end the fake. The pass was incomplete.

Pass grow -- pass is caught. Crabtree made the catch, but short

of the first down. Look at Jim Harbaugh, he wanted a time out, but

did not get it. Whatever it was he saw the Giants were doing, he was

hoping to get the time out, but he was unable to get it before the

ball was snapped. It is fourth and two, and they will try and tie it.

All square at 17. As was the way for much of the game, the ball

continued to change hands between the two quarterbacks, the pressure

getting too much, as the defences were on top. So, it was Eli Manning

who had his hands on the ball, with There was great coverage everywhere,

but Eli kept the play alive. I've said it a lot of time when's he has

time and he can buy time, he can get through every receiver on the

the season. Now he gets it on the Almost a circus catch by Victor

Cruz. You see that he's trying to make a play on the ball as it's

bouncing around. Manning had Mario Manningham that would have gotten

him the first down. Just unable to haul that one in.

STUDIO: So near, yet so far for the Giants as they were forced to punt.

Alex Smith couldn't pull off heroics with seconds left. So it

meant that the NFC championship would be decided in overtime.

We're going to start another game. The big change was that the, that

each team will get an opportunity to possess the ball unless the team

that first possesses it scores a touchdown or if the defence happens

to force a safety. That would end the game also. The key is that

field gold in the first possession won't end the game.

COMMENTATOR: Akers tide for -- tied for fourth in the regular season

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with 47 touch backs. He's got incomplete.

Rogers was on him. If if he could make that catch, he does not pick

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Any points by the 49ers ends this looks to be just short. Vernon

Davis on the catch. Good job again line backer brings him down with a

sack. Just tin Smith. Justin Smith goes right through, pushing him

back, a bit like what we saw last week in that New Orleans game, him

driving the offensive tackle into the quarterback. He does the same

Williams, the rookie knocked it out. The second year receiver, punt

returner, Kyle Williams, he's muffed a punt and now this one is

knocked out by Williams, recovered by the Giants, already inside

field-goal range. Williams he comes in there, he's able to make a play

on the ball. You see Devin Thomas, the hustle he has getting down the

field. The same kind of hustle we saw earlier on the muff by Kyle

Williams two. Big plays then in the Coughlin wants to do here, if he's

going to just try to score a touchdown and not put it in the

hands or set it up for the field field. He will snap it, Weatherford

will hold it. Tynes will try and end it and set up that rematch with

back to the Super Bowl. Super Bowl 46 will be the patriots

and Giants after this low snap. Good job by Weatherford who's had a

nice day all around. He sure has. Of course, the way he punted the

ball throughout this game, but to be able to secure a poor snap and

get it placed then perfectly for Lawrence Tynes to kick the game

winner. Officially a 31-yarder to win it

for the Giants. Oh, my gosh, twice. It's amazing, iing mean, this team

the way we come on the road against a good team, ten minutes almost

a good team, ten minutes almost into overtime. Someone had to win

the game. Give my hats off to San Francisco, they're a great team.

Just a lot of effort, a lot of effort. We knew it would be a tough

game against this defence. We knew we couldn't give them turnovers.

That's one thing we could not turn the ball over. We hit a couple big

plays. The receivers stepped up, had great plays and played tough

all game. So Eli Manning and the super

excited Giants to the Super Bowl. At times there the guy who put the

kick over born in Scotland, you couldn't tell from his accents

though. Not quite. He played in Scotland as well in NFL Europe.

What a hard fought game, two really good defences playing at their best.

San Francisco had a lot of chances to win that game. You said I

remember last week, that there was no way the Giants were going to let

Vernon Davis beat them. He almost did, especially the first opening

quarter. I was amazed that the Giants were covering Vernon Davis

in much the same way that the Saints had, except they weren't

blitzing. There was no excuse. Here beaten one on one. He outruns him.

On this one, the other safety is on him at the line of grimage and gets

beat by five yards -- scrimmage and gets beat by five yards. Here,

Davis is down field. They finally have a second guy on him, but it's

a line backer who is already passed out. Finally they get both saists

on him. -- safe tiz on him. This was a key play of the game. He make

the first down and San Francisco is going on to possibly the win the

game. Great plays from Alex Smith but not consistent enough. No, the

receivers didn't step up. He only completed one pass it a wide

receiver the whole game. You can't pass to nobody I guess. On the

other hand Manning kept the score board ticking over, kept them in

the game when the 49ers were really firing. We've seen this time and

time again over the season, Mike, he keeps them playing. Yeah, he has

this inate ability to keep plays alive. Watch the pressure he's

under here. At the last minute, he knows where the outlet is and he

turns and gets the ball away. He can throw a decent ball when

completely off balance and under pressure. He moves up from the

pocket and now he's off balance, he's flicking that with his wrist

and getting nothing behind it. It's a perfect pass for Victor Cruz to

get it. It's not perfect in the sense that it's easy to catch, but

he throw it's where only Victor Cruz can make a play on it. He

expects receivers to make plays and even Cruz and guys like Bend It

Like Beckham were making plays for him. You mention the option there's

that Manning has and we said that before as well with the 49ers as

well, perhaps not the same for Alex Smith. Mario Manning at the end,

first catch of the game in the fourth quarter and Victor Cruz ot

of nowhere really. Cruz tore them apart in the first half. Undrafted

guy who hung around and got his chance through injury last year.

He's torn up teams all season. Manningham a great illustration how

to bring a guy in for the one play. They see a match up they like.

Mangham the only pay he saw the whole day in the quarter. That sets

up for a repeat of Super Bowl 42. Eerie repeat because the Giants

have done so many things the same this season when they beat the

undefeated Patriots. What's interesting is that you said, I

think Chris Collinsworth they are the best balanced team. They have a

decent defence, great front four. Patriots always a question mark

defencively. Tom Brady though for the patriots, fifth Super Bowl for

him. Has he cemented his place as an all time great. If he wins a

second Super Bowl, yes. Can they win a third, sorry a third for him.

Eli Manning they were arguing about whether he's an elite quarterback.

He's stepped up now. Thanks for all your help over the last three weeks.

You get some rest because you're in for a long night in a couple of

weeks. Super Bowl is live here on the BBC. You can watch it on BBC

One and in HD Sunday February 5, a week next Sunday, 10.55pm. As I say,

get plenty of rest, because it's probably going to be quite a long

night. Fascinating match then between the patriots and Giants.