As the NFL playoffs kicked off Saturday, former QB and current ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer huddled with Post columnist Steve Serby for some Q&A.
Q: What are your thoughts on Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride retiring?
A: I think there needed to be changes. There needs to be a little tension. Things got stale.
Q: Eli Manning’s 2013 season?
A: Eli has relied on trust in his teammates and taking educated risks and depending on guys to make plays around him, and all of a sudden that was taken away. It was alarming to see them not be able to stop the bleeding. At some point, you gotta stop the bleeding. He can’t come out next year and play sloppy. You gotta start fast next year.
Q: Geno Smith?
A: I love the way he responded. I love his competitive temperament. He’s gonna keep fighting. He’s not gonna let failure define him. He did a pretty good job of not breaking down mechanically.
Q: Can he be the Jets’ quarterback of the future?
A: I don’t know if you can make that statement after a year.
Q: 49ers vs. Packers in the cold?
A: It’s not a huge deal if it’s 15 degrees. If it’s minus-15, I think it’s a huge deal. Concentration No. 1. You’re so focused on staying warm, you’re not necessarily focused on doing your job.
Q: Colin Kaepernick?
A: Kaepernick throws nothing but fastballs. He only has one speed to his game, and that’s fast. That’s like catching an ice block at mach 5. Ballhandling for the Niners is gonna be huge — how they can handle dealing with that cold, heavy, hard ball. Zone-read ballhandling is very intricate. There’s an opportunity for there to be ballhandling errors.
Q: Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers has had problems with Kaepernick.
A: He really has. This is a get-right game for Colin Kaepernick each time they play.
Q: Any rust on Aaron Rodgers last week?
A: No. … Even in his great games, he has a couple of plays that aren’t great. The biggest mismatch is the Packers’ offensive line vs. the 49ers’ defensive front. But there are some things you can do scheme-wise, bells and whistles, to give ’em a chance. If the Niners don’t turn the ball over, they should win, but that’s a big shoulda, woulda, coulda. The Niners are the better team, but that doesn’t mean they’ll win.
Q: Chargers vs. Bengals?
A: I think San Diego has a little luck on their side. I kinda like the matchup the Chargers have going — the Charger running backs and tight ends on the Bengals’ linebackers and safeties. If you have good matchups in the red zone, you’re gonna be able to score in the red zone.
Q: Why has Philip Rivers flourished under a new head coach and offensive coordinator?
A: He’s been given all the keys to the car. He has total control of that offense. So much of what they do is at the line of scrimmage. The offense is better suited for him. It’s a more completion-based offense, more intermediate-type throws, not everything chucked down the field like it has been.
Q: How much pressure is on Andy Dalton?
A: I think a lot. … It’s the Matt Ryan Syndrome. You get labeled that you can’t win a playoff game. People want to dumb this down to the simplest thing. It’s gonna stick with him until he does. He may not listen to it, he may not feel the pressure. From an organizational standpoint, it becomes a conversation you don’t want to deal with.
Q: Your opinion of Dalton?
A: I think he’s a guy that’s not an elite talent guy. At times, he plays the position as if he is. His brain writes some checks that his talent can’t cash sometimes. He’s still learning what he can and can’t do.
Q: Russell Wilson?
A: He’s a special kid. He’s a special competitor. He’s kinda creating his own way of playing the position. People say: “Oh, it’s Doug Flutie, it’s Drew Brees.” No, it’s Russell Wilson. He’s created his own way of being effective with his lack of stature. I’m a big fan of the kid.
Q: Cam Newton?
A: I love that he answered the bell. Nobody included him in the conversation this offseason with the young guns. I love the fact he’s responded the way he has. He’s a great competitor. The bigger the moment, the brighter the lights, the better he seems to play.
Q: Andrew Luck?
A: He’s gonna be the best in the game in a matter of a few years.
Q: How do you explain Tom Brady thriving with a new receiving corps?
A: They’re realistic. They understand exactly who they are and don’t pretend to be anybody different.
Q: How long can he play at a high level?
A: I’d say another 3-4 years. They need to put some better people around him so he can distribute at a quicker pace and not take hits. These modern-day quarterbacks, they work so hard in the offseason taking care of their bodies. They can play into their 40s if they want to.
Q: How about Peyton Manning?
A: (Laugh) Do you see any sign of him slowing down? They see it so easily, they get the ball out quick, they don’t take many hits.
Q: Was Peyton’s season the best ever by a quarterback?
A: It’s hard to argue against it. The only thing that diminishes it is I have such a sour taste in my mouth for these downfield hit rules, the contact that’s been taken out of football. You can’t hit the quarterback, you can’t reroute the receiver, you can’t jar the ball loose with big hits. The only thing you can do is sack the quarterback or knock the ball down. So there are five things you can do to stop these quarterbacks and three have been taken away. It’s an unfair fight, that’s what bothers me. Dan Marino and Brett Favre and Kurt Warner and some of these other guys that had these epic seasons must be sitting there going, “Oh my gosh. Imagine what we could have done.”
Q: A Brady vs. Manning AFC Championship game?
A: That would be awesome! I’m kinda rooting for it silently. I love the Rivers thing, too. Peyton vs. Brady in Denver, in cold weather, would be apropos because of the way the league’s built. The league is built for the quarterback to dominate even if their teams aren’t great.