File this one under: For What It’s Worth …

NFL Network’s Albert Breer reported Sunday that the Giants’ charter to San Francisco was delayed two hours on Saturday due to mechanical issues.

The hold-up won’t stop the Giants from meeting the 49ers on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET with a trip to Super Bowl XLVI on the line.

“Playbook” analysts Solomon Wilcots, Brian Baldinger, Joe Theismann and Brian Billick make their picks for the conference championship games:

“Playbook” — the ultimate football Xs and Os show – airs Friday at 8 p.m. ET (AFC Championship Game preview) and 9 p.m. ET (NFC Championship Game preview) on NFL Network. Check the NFL Network broadcast schedule for further details. Follow “Playbook” on Twitter @NFLN_Playbook.

Some of the credit for the Rams landing coach Jeff Fisher might go to QB Sam Bradford.

It turns out that Bradford spent some substantial getting-to-know-you time with his future coach during the courtship. Considering that having a quarterback in place was one of Fisher’s two must-haves for his new team, well, that Bradford time likely helped seal the deal.

“Well, everybody that has crossed paths with Sam knows what a great young man he is and how competitive and how talented he is,” Fisher told “NFL Total Access” on Tuesday about meeting Bradford. “That was not a concern of mine. I knew we’d get along great. But it was some of the other things — trying to get a pulse for the team and what he thought it needed — and as a leader of this team, you want to talk to him. It was a very valuable conversation.”

Bradford claims he didn’t do a sales job on Fisher.

“I really just tried to be myself,” Bradford told the team’s official website. “I wasn’t going to be anything but who I am. It was just a time for us to meet and get to know each other. If that helped along the process and helped get him here, then I am very happy about it.”

Whatever Bradford did or didn’t do — intentionally or not — it was enough to help sell his new coach.

The Giants are a confident bunch, and really, they’ve earned it. They also might be the team riding the biggest wave of momentum entering Championship Weekend after knocking off the Packers on the road.

The Giants also are a balanced team, arguably more so than any remaining in the final four. And as far as NBC color analyst Cris Collinsworth is concerned, it’s no longer defense that wins championships.

“I think it’s complete teams that win championships,” Collinsworth told “NFL Total Access” on Tuesday. “And right now, when I watch the New York Giants play, I think they’re probably the most complete team.”

Collinsworth went on to say the current Giants remind him of an earlier version, the team that lost to the then-undefeated Patriots in 2007 before winning the rematch in Super Bowl XLII.

“This is a team with the way that Eli Manning has been playing, especially in the fourth quarter, (and) with the way that their running game has rediscovered itself come playoff time … it’s a team that really reminds me of that 2007 team,” Collinsworth added.

Collinsworth doesn’t completely throw his hat in the Giants’ ring, but he’s clearly impressed. Even Antrel Rolle has to be happy to hear this.

And one area of the field that every high-flying offense loves to attack is the seam. However, when the Giants and 49ers walked off the field last weekend and into the NFC Championship Game, they had won on the scoreboard – and down the seam. But why?

Packers’ plight

If you watch the Packers’ offense on film, you’ll see that they rotate all of their receivers — Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson and Jermichael Finley – into the slot to put them into a position to be a quick-strike threat for QB Aaron Rodgers.

But after playing catch up with Rodgers in Week 13, the Giants found a way to slow him with a Cover 3 look designed to take those seam routes away. Instead of having their slot defenders play under basic Cover 3 rules – buzzing to the flat – the Giants had their nickel corner and safety carry their receiver vertically down the seam. That allowed the Giants’ monster pass rush more time to get to Rodgers. 

At the same time, give credit to the Giants’ defensive backs. They manned-up on the Packers (with two safeties over the top) on 15 plays, holding Rodgers to 4.56 yards per attempt on 5-of-9 passing for 41 yards with two sacks.

Green Bay couldn’t attack vertically, and never really tried to attack the flat.

Saints’ stunted

The 49ers practically dared the Saints to throw deep — but to the sideline — by playing mostly man-to-man with a single-high safety. On 62 percent of passing downs (66 plays), the Niners rolled one of their deep safeties into the box while the other sat in the middle of the field and took away the seam.

The Saints, on the other hand, have a threat in the flat with RB Darren Sproles. He made the role of the safety in the box just as important.

For the most part, the 49ers’ safety in the box was able to limit the amount of space in which Sproles had to work. He ended up with 15 catches for 119 yards, but if you take away his 44 yard touchdown – where the safety didn’t roll down in time – Sproles averaged 5.35 yards per catch.

The 49ers also had their share of success down the seam on offense, burning New Orleans’ man-to-man defenders in the slot, thanks to a huge day from Vernon Davis.

“Playbook” — the ultimate football Xs and Os show – airs Friday at 8 p.m. ET (AFC Championship Game preview) and 9 p.m. ET (NFC Championship Game preview) on NFL Network. Check the NFL Network broadcast schedule for further details. Follow “Playbook” on Twitter @NFLN_Playbook.

Colts owner Jim Irsay might have understated things a bit when he said new general manager Ryan Grigson is walking into “a difficult job.”

Grigson has plenty on his plate, and scratched somewhere near the top of his initial to-do list — after deciding on a coach — will be having a conversation with Irsay to determine the course ahead with QB Peyton Manning.

It’s believed the Colts could usher in a new era with a complete overhaul of the roster, including Manning, which has fueled speculation of where the four-time NFL MVP will or won’t play next season. But not everyone has punched Manning’s ticket out of Indy.

“I have said this emphatically: Peyton Manning will be a Colt,” NFL Network’s Michael Lombardi told “NFL GameDay Morning” on Sunday. “I believe Peyton Manning won’t be traded, and I believe if Peyton Manning plays anywhere next year – and that’s not a 100 percent certainty — that he will play for the Colts.”

Lombardi appears convinced. If Grigson fires coach Jim Caldwell, the new front office could view Manning as a much-needed constant for the transition. The key is that, according to Lombardi, the decision on Manning will fall on Irsay, not Grigson.

“(Grigson) will be a part of that rebuilding process as they draft a quarterback,” Lombardi said. “But I don’t see this as Ryan Grigson’s decision; I see this clearly as Jim Irsay’s decision as his relationship with Peyton Manning and what Manning has done for that franchise.”

With a $28 million option bonus due to Manning, the Colts will have to pay to have that piece of mind.

The premise seems almost comical, but the Boston Herald’s decision to publish a sports page with the words “Brady, Pats must end playoff skid to salvage legacy” printed in large bold type shows just how badly Patriots fans want Tom Brady & Co. to end their three-game playoff losing streak Saturday night against the Broncos.

Starting with their loss to the Giants in Super Bowl XLII, the Pats since have lost a 2009 wild-card game to the Ravens and flamed out last year at home to the Jets in the divisional round.

“When you go back and look at the last couple of games, Tom Brady threw an interception, their defense let them down against Baltimore, giving up a big 80-yard run the first play of the game,” NFL Network’s Michael Lombardi said Saturday on “NFL GameDay Morning.”

“I think their team has to come and play a team game today. Tom Brady can’t throw interceptions. They have to control the game. They have to start quickly and force Tim Tebow to play from behind, which is something they’re very capable of doing. Each team is different — [Bill] Belichick will tell you that. I think this team has a sense of continuity, has a sense of confidence that they’ve come from behind in a lot of games this year, and they’ve won some close games.”

One thing Lombardi believes makes this game different from the Patriots’ past playoff setbacks is the presence of the uber-popular Broncos QB. Tebow’s star-power is so great, Lombardi said, that it can even render a player of Brady’s status an afterthought.

“This is the first time Tom Brady hasn’t been the star of the game,” Lombardi said. “Everyone’s been talking about Tim Tebow. This will be the first time he now becomes an assistant player. He’s one of the actors that becomes and Tom Brady instead of starring Tom Brady.”

There has been plenty of momentum behind the idea — as unlikely as it feels rolling off the tongue — that Peyton Manning might not be with the Indianapolis Colts next season. And it’s not entirely just media fodder.

NFL Network’s Michael Lombardi recently outlined why it’s possible for the Colts to work around the $28 million option bonus owed to Manning and work a trade.  If Manning is able to return to football, it’s entirely conceivable the Colts, who own the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, have a new general manager and could employ a new head coach, would chose to go in a different direction.

Those circumstances and the simmering anti-Mark Sanchez movement have sparked the theory that the Jets could figure out a way to make use of Manning.

One unnamed Jets player went so far as to call it a no-brainer. A Jets beat writer believes the team would make the call if the right circumstances play out. Plus, the world knows Rex Ryan has an affinity for Manning above all other quarterbacks.

As much as the New York tabloids would love to run with this for months, NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora throws a pretty wet blanket on the story.

“People I talk to in the league just don’t see it happening,” La Canfora told “NFL Total Access” on Thursday. “It just doesn’t add up to where (Manning) wants to be.”

Rather, general managers around the league mention teams such as the Seahawks, Cardinals and 49ers to La Canfora as possible destinations for Manning.

Joe Flacco deserves some credit in at least one area. The guy is getting pretty good at brushing off criticism.

Flacco did it with a smirk on Wednesday, playing the disrespect card with reporters when the topic of elite quarterbacks was put on the table. There was a touch of candor involved, however, as Flacco  explained he’s overlooked when the Ravens win, and not thought of as an elite player because he’s in a run-first offense.

Maybe Flacco battles perception problems, but things could become much more transparent following Sunday’s AFC divisional playoff game against the Texans, who will be starting rookie QB T.J. Yates.

“This (game) is going to say a lot about Joe Flacco and what we say about him from here on,” Marshall Faulk said on NFL Network’s ”No Huddle.”

Flacco doesn’t get a heap of praise. His comments are proof he hears the doubters. But he can improve upon his 4-3 career postseason record when he makes his first home playoff start, against a rookie QB. Whatever the Ravens ask Flacco to do — even if it’s to turn around and hand it to No. 27 — he will have to deliver.

“Joe Flacco is going to step up this game because of all the criticism he’s been taking from everyone and everyone doubting him,” Willie McGinnest said. “I think he steps up and shows everyone that he’s that quarterback he started to show his rookie year.”

The Ravens have everything to lose, because anything short of the Super Bowl will be considered a failure. If there was ever a statement game for Flacco in his young career, this would be it.

Four divisional playoff games this weekend to break down. Let’s get right to it.

Saints-49ers

The 49ers will have to establish the run to win this game. The Saints have a middle-of-the-road run defense (No. 12 in the league), and if they can keep the ball out of the hands of Drew Brees, it will go a long way toward keeping the game within reach.

Otherwise, New Orleans has all the measurables to pull away. Because they have such an array of offensive weapons, the Saints convert third downs at a 56.7 percent clip, which ranks first in the league (the 49ers rank 31st at 29.4 percent). On the other hand, the 49ers have the top rushing defense on third down (76 yards allowed).

For that reason, the 49ers will have to exploit every chance they get with the ball, especially if their defense can turn mistakes by the Saints into possessions inside the 50. Unfortunately for the 49ers, far too many of those possessions have turned into field goals or no points at all. On 33 possessions inside the 50, only 12 have turned into touchdowns.

Giants-Packers

The Giants have is a pass rush that — with the addition of DE Osi Umenyiorain recent weeks — has taken its game to another level. But after breaking down the tape of their matchup in Week 13, it’s apparent that the Giants can’t matchup man-for-man with the Packers’ receivers — in fact, we don’t know many teams that can.

If the Giants don’t affect Aaron Rodgers with pressure, he has demonstrated an ability to slice and dice man coverage. When the Giants went man-to-man in Week 13, Rodgers completed 11 of his 14 throws for 178 yards and a touchdown.

He found the Giants in Cover 1 down the stretch of that game and was able to exploit the coverage for three first-down completions for 72 yards.  Although Rodgers was 6-of-8 passing when the Giants used two safeties covering deep halves of the field, the cornerbacks fared better in those situations because the passing windows were tighter with the benefit of safety help over the top.

Broncos-Patriots

The Patriots were able to make QB Tim Tebow a pocket passer in Week 15 via the “mush” rush, containing him in the pocket and forcing him to make throws and sustain drives. Because the Patriots purposively slow-played the edges against Tebow, the Broncos were able to take advantage of downhill runs between the tackles, sending 18 of their 26 designed run plays up the gut for 117 yards and a touchdown.

Expect more of the same this game if the Broncos hope to keep up with New England’s explosive offense. Moreover, expect the Broncos running game to serve as a way to control the ball and keep it out of Tom Brady’s hands.

When Brady has the ball, Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil have to bring pressure and make the Patriots convert on third and long. The Broncos do not have the pieces to match up with Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez on a man-to-man basis for 60 minutes.

Texans-Ravens

While the Texans’ No. 2 rushing offense averaged 153 yards per game this season, they were only able to muster 93 versus the Ravens in Week 6.

The Texans will have to do better running the ball versus Haloti Ngata and the Ravens and get rookie QB T.J. Yates in more manageable third-down situations. With Matt Schaub, 10 of Houston’s 16 third downs were of 6 yards or more, and only 14.3 percent of Schaub’s second-down throws were efficient.

This is the week rookie Yates really needs to get WR Andre Johnson up to speed. At the same time, it will be on Yates to make good decisions versus the exotic pre-snap looks the Ravens can bring. The Ravens, who allow the lowest passer rating versus the blitz, brought five or more rushers 54 percent of the time on third down. Expect that number to rise with Yates in at quarterback.

“Playbook” — the ultimate football Xs and Os show – airs Friday at 9 p.m. ET (Saturday’s divisional playoff games) and 10 p.m. ET (Sunday’s divisional playoff games) on NFL Network. Check the NFL Network broadcast schedule for further details. Follow “Playbook” on Twitter @NFLN_Playbook.

It’s a simple yet complex question: Would you take Tom Brady or Drew Brees at quarterback to win one game?

Brees has traditionally been thought of as the third wheel on the NFL quarterback hierarchy behind Brady and Peyton Manning. But Brees’ resume more than stands on its own: A Super Bowl MVP; 43 consecutive games with a touchdown pass; six straight 4,000-yard seasons; and the NFL all-time single-season passing record.

Brady, of course, is Brady. But one of his former teammates — current NFL Network analyst Heath Evans – would choose Brees in a one-game scenario over the three-time Super Bowl champion.

“It’s just my viewpoint, but the chip on Brees’ shoulder is larger than the chip on Brady’s shoulder,” Evans said on “Around the League” Wednesday. “Brady was passed up in the draft, we all know (that). Brees, an earlier draft pick, was booted out of San Diego. Sean Payton was the only guy who wanted this particular football player, the same one who is lighting up the skies.

“When you compare all of the different things — you can talk about humility, work ethic, character — these guys are equal across the board. But ultimately, what it takes to win one game, if there is an even playing field for both, that’s my answer.”

Haters, feel free to unload on Evans.  But taking personal biases out of the equation, Brees has made this a legitimate question.

So leave your comment below: Who would you rather have to win one game, Brees or Tom Terrific?

Either Mark Sanchez is only one of many problems that led to the Jets’ demise or he’s become the unofficial whipping boy for all gone wrong in New York. Apparently, it depends on whom you ask.

A season of over-hyped expectations surrounding the Jets ended in a not-so-silent thud of missing the playoffs. The critics raged, and at the center of the storm over the travesty was Sanchez, who turned in an uneven season at best.

When Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News finished reporting on the dysfunction within the Jets’ walls, Sanchez was portrayed as “lazy,” “content” and a player who wasn’t improving by unnamed players and members of the organization.

Mehta insists those sources carry weight.

“I talked to several people, really up and down the organization, from players on up,” he told NFL Network on Wednesday. “It’s obvious that there’s a clear division within the building about whether Mark Sanchez is the long-term solution at quarterback.”

Well, the backlash now is in full swing, as many others within the locker room are stepping up to defend Sanchez.

Mehta called it “difficult” to characterize the anti-Sanchez movement as widespread, but he said the opinion wasn’t isolated and called the number who don’t believe the quarterback is the future as “significant.”

“I think the point of the story was to find out how the people in the building truly feel about their quarterback,” Mehta said. “Let’s be honest, this was not all Mark Sanchez’s fault. The Jets did not miss the playoffs just because of their quarterback. … I don’t think it’s fair to lay it all on Mark Sanchez. But I also think that it’s not realistic to say everything is rosy regarding this quarterback.”

No, not so rosy. And as the Jets continue to talk about things that should be kept in-house, it might just be the tip of the iceberg.  Maybe Derek Mason was dead-on.

The No. 3 seeds (Houston and New Orleans) are feeling pretty good about themselves after big wins in the wild-card round.

What kind of obstacles will they face this week?

We answered a couple of fans’ questions from Facebook in our weekly mailbag.

Saints at 49ers

Corey C. Favorite asked, “What will be the Saints’ biggest issue in San Francisco this Saturday?”

With all of the talk surrounding the Saints’ explosive offense, let’s not forget that the 49ers have one of the best –- if not the best – defenses in the league. And, as we saw with the Packers-Chiefs game in Week 15, any offense is susceptible to failure under the right kind of pressure.

And the 49ers can bring it.

While the Saints have a unique ability to pass out of running sets (i.e. two running backs and or tight ends) or run out of pass sets (single back, three and four wide receivers), San Francisco has the front seven to challenge any of New Orleans’ offensive linemen. Justin Smith is the “picker,” occupying blockers, for rookie Aldon Smith, who thrives in one-on-one situations.

The question for the Saints: Do you rely on Drew Brees to maneuver away from pressure in the pocket, or do you keep an extra man in to protect and limit how many eligible receivers are sent into routes?

In the wild-card round against the Lions, the Saints were conscious of the Lions’ pass rush and aligned “wing” backs, varying between running backs, tight ends, wide receivers or even an extra tackle, tight to the ends of the formation. They would chip and release, or protect the end and then release into a route.

Texans at Ravens

Josh Schlaflin asked, “Bengals were burning the Texans D in the screen game. Can they possibly stop the Ravens’ passing game with Ray Rice, who’s probably the best catching RB in the game?”

The Ravens certainly have an advantage with Rice as a receiver, especially against a Texans defense that plays man and will have to guard Baltimore’s star back with an athletically inferior defender.

Rice, and Matt Forte, might be the closest thing we’ve seen since Marshall Faulk, a multi-purpose back who plays on all downs and contributes this much to an offense. He can win routes at the top of his stem and then gain separation like a wide receiver.

Screens could be an effective way to get Rice the ball in the pass game, because the Texans love to bring the blitz and play man behind it. If you can clear out for Rice and give him room to work, Rice is a big play waiting to happen.

Because Rice is a dual-threat, you don’t need to run a screen to get Rice the ball in the pass game. Against the Texans’ man defense, he’ll most likely be matched up with a player like Brian Cushing, who is no match for Rice’s quickness in space. And, versus zone, Rice has the acumen to find voids and sit it down.

“Playbook” — the ultimate football Xs and Os show – airs Friday at 9 p.m. ET (Saturday’s divisional playoff games) and 10 p.m. ET (Sunday’s divisional playoff games) on NFL Network. Check the NFL Network broadcast schedule for further details. Follow “Playbook” on Twitter @NFLN_Playbook.

“Playbook” analysts Sterling Sharpe, Brian Baldinger, Matt Millen and Brian Billick make their picks for the divisional playoff games:

“Playbook” — the ultimate football Xs and Os show – airs Friday at 9 p.m. ET (Saturday’s divisional playoff games) and 10 p.m. ET (Sunday’s divisional playoff games) on NFL Network. Check the NFL Network broadcast schedule for further details. Follow “Playbook” on Twitter @NFLN_Playbook.

Reggie McKenzie said he wanted his guy to coach the Raiders. As the team’s new GM, McKenzie has the power to make that call. And his guy isn’t Hue Jackson.

A 1-4 record down the stretch and no ticket to the playoffs certainly didn’t help Jackson’s cause. But McKenzie’s admission that he wanted “his guy” and “a fresh start” points to more behind the scenes.

As NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora pointed out Tuesday, Raiders owner Mark Davis didn’t receive positive feedback when reviewing Jackson during the team’s leadership void following the death of previous owner Al Davis.

“A lof of players and coaches felt like that went to (his) head, and that he conducted himself in a manner that at times put himself in front of the team,” La Canfora told NFL Network. “Then you go to what he said at the end of the year, when he basically pointed the finger at his players at his Sunday night press conference after they didn’t make the playoffs. Then he came back the next day and talked a lot about personnel control and how he should continue to run the organization.

“That didn’t bode well for him.”

The truth is this decision was about more than wins and losses. Enter veteran Richard Seymour, who gave a definite pause on “Around the League” when finding an answer for whether or not Jackson was well-liked in the locker room.

“Yeah … I mean, I don’t … ah, as far as I know, of course we did,” Seymour explained. “I think we all had his back, and he had our back. I think at the end of the day, obviously it came down to the new general manager wanted his guy in there. As a player, you have to trust that the new leadership will guide us in the right direction. It’s the nature of the beast.”

As far as we can tell, Seymour’s dance around the question is an attempt at being honest. The same goes for his explanation about what the Raiders lacked in 2011.

“We were too inconsistent to beat the good teams when it mattered most,” Seymour said.