This is the real Torrey Smith. The Madden version is warming up right now. (Getty Images)

It is the dream of many NFL players to someday be on the cover of a Madden video game, and at least one rising NFL star learns about his opponent's coverage from the famed game franchise. Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith told reporters on Monday that he is familiar with the New England Patriots team he faces in this weekend's AFC championship game largely through playing the game.

Who needs all that time in the classroom, dissecting film of the Patriots? Just fire up the Xbox 360 and toss that game plan out the window.

"The biggest thing I know about New England is my brother always picks them in Madden," Smith said. "They pretty much always have the best offense for some years in that game."

[Video: Ravens could have trouble handling Patriots' tight ends]

Perhaps it isn't a surprise that Smith's first exposure to the Patriots was through Madden as it remains one of the top-selling games on the market. The 22-year-old Smith is among a generation of NFL players who grew up playing football video games as much as they did watching the sport in person or on television.

Eli Manning walks away from another big win. (Getty Images)

Little brother has arrived.

The only thing hot about Green Bay's Lambeau Field as Sunday afternoon turned to night was New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, who orchestrated four flawless quarters in a 37-20 road win over the defending Super Bowl champion Packers. In upsetting the defending champs, he put up some big numbers completing 21 of 33 passes for 330 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. But in advancing to the NFC championship game, Manning made a statement that he is now among the elite quarterbacks of the game.

Suddenly, the New York Giants quarterback deserves to be named in the same company with Tom Brady, Drew Brees and the man he beat on Sunday, Aaron Rodgers, as the greatest of this current generation of quarterbacks. He has now sprung from that second-tier to legit stardom.

In doing so, he has now surpassed brother Peyton Manning in the upper echelon of NFL quarterbacks. The playoffs are Eli's time to shine, where he boasts an all-time mark of 6-3.

"I think it is his mentality. It is his approach. Nobody sees what he does behind the scenes. He is a studier and a pounder. He is looking for every little advantage that he can get. He is just trying to be the best he can be to help this team win," head coach Tom Coughlin said.

"If we could all just remember that and use that. He loves playing against the best competition, but it is just all about doing the best for his team."

The Sack Dance: A group interpretation (Getty Images)

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Playoff football in New York City wasn't supposed to be so blue, at least not this year. The New York Jets, who share MetLife Stadium with the New York Giants, were the favorites to make the Super Bowl from the AFC this year with a veteran team that was loaded with plenty of playoff experience. But given the massive overhaul their team had, Giants fans were planning to spend the second Sunday of the year taking down holiday decorations and not watching their team in the playoffs.

Instead, it was an intense atmosphere at the first ever playoff game at the two-year old MetLife Stadium with Giants fans celebrating not only a 24-2 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday afternoon but also the continuation of what is now a Cinderella season. Not much was expected of this team after the Giants spent the offseason reshuffling the roster, mainly by letting players go out the door and bringing in unproven and unheralded talent as replacements.

Tight end Kevin Boss, center Shaun O'Hara and guard Rich Seubert were among the long-tenured veterans jettisoned by the Giants in a youth movement. A popular pick to finish third in the NFC East and out of the playoffs, not even the Giants themselves thought they were a postseason caliber team.

"It took us a little while. We had to get some game time under belt to see what this team was about," Victor Cruz told Yahoo! Sports. "It took a few weeks but once we saw the talent we had and saw everything we could accomplish - I think that's when we kind of saw we had a good team and we just had to put it all together."

Birds of a feather? Maybe, but Sanchez hasn't climbed the mountain. (Getty Images)

A flurry of criticism surrounding New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez this past week, most from unnamed sources, is puzzling to Jets legend Joe Namath, a contributor to Yahoo! Sports and the Shutdown Corner Blog. The Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback, who has been critical of Sanchez's development — or lack thereof — was skeptical of anonymous quotes in a New York City paper calling Sanchez "lazy."

The story also said that the quarterback, the No. 5 selection in the 2009 NFL Draft and the Jets' incumbent starter since Week 1 of his rookie season, lacks motivation because "he knows he's not going to get benched." Namath bristled at the criticism.

"No, I've never heard or seen that — that he's lazy. In fact from day one, talking with the coaches and coordinators, they rave about Mark's work," Namath told Yahoo! Sports.

"That to me was a stretch what [the anonymous source] said. We don't know who said it but whoever did — all I can say is 'Wow.' The one thing about Mark that has been consistent is his work ethic. Another thing, you've never heard him go against his teammates ever and he's had plenty of opportunities. He's been admirably professional that way."

It is easy to look at Sanchez's numbers and see gains. His completions were up and the touchdown-to-interception ratio was the best of his career. But his quarterback rating remained muddled in the 70s, his interceptions increased over the last year and his quarterback rating showed little improvement. Sanchez's rather average season was seen as a reason why the Jets were 8-8 and missed out on the playoffs despite Super Bowl expectations.

Yep ... he's still the man. (Getty Images)

NFL Hall of Famer and New York Jets legend Joe Namath will join Yahoo! Sports and the Shutdown Corner Blog during the playoffs to break down the key games, players and moments each weekend. Make sure you like the Official Joe Namath page on Facebook and visit the Broadway Joe site for plenty of other insight and gear from Namath. This is what Namath told Yahoo! Sports about the divisional round.

Wow, what a weekend of playoff football we had — and what a weekend lays ahead my friends. It is interesting to me that three of the four games this weekend feature two teams who met in the regular season.

That becomes an underlying issue this weekend. Regardless of who won the first time around, either team can come out on top. And actually, it may more beneficial being on the losing end from a motivational standpoint.

Take the New England Patriots hosting the Denver Broncos. The Broncos did have a lead on the Pats and played well against one of the best teams in the NFL. This should be a mental edge for the Broncos.

[ Related: Tim Tebow's success could erase memory of Josh McDaniels' failure ]

In that game, the Patriots played such a strong second half and that would give a normal team confidence. Here's some news for everyone out there: New England isn't a normal team and they won't fall into that trap of overconfidence. Those boys up there missed out the last two years in the playoffs and that is going to keep them really hungry.

On the other sideline, Denver will have an urgency edge. The Denver players can be confident in thinking they can win because they know what they have to do to eliminate the mistakes from last time. The defense talked about missing tackles, especially on those short crossing patterns. Champ Bailey said that they need to cut down on these errors so they know what they need to do.

Having watched the last game, the key to me is that the Broncos need to control the clock and they can with the running game they have; New England's defense hasn't won any awards this year and the Broncos can run on them. They need to control the clock, keep the ball moving and limit the chances that Tom Brady and that potent offense have.

[ Related: Paul Revere statue will don Tebow jersey if Pats lose ]

I do believe the Broncos can win this game — I know some of you out there are ready to call me out on this as I picked against them to lose last week, but anything can happen. It's the NFL playoffs.

No matter the era, you've got to have the right quarterback. (Getty Images)

Any child of the '80s remembers the great crazes of the decade, from Cabbage Patch Kids to Nerf, all splashed with a healthy dose from a Super Soaker. But for video game fans, before there was the craze that was the Madden franchise, there was Tecmo Bowl.

And now, the Tecmo Bowl craze meets the fad of this year — Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow. The born-again Christian quarterback, an outspoken advocate of his faith, has seen his prayerful position of "Tebowing" become unstoppable in Tecmo Bowl.

And now, because you surely must be wondering, this is what the prayerfully pondering Tebow would look like if he was a Tecmo quarterback:

(TecmoBowl.org)

Admit it - you're sort of thinking of buying one.

Of course, this shouldn't be a surprise that Tebowing has now become a cult icon hit, much like Christian Okoye was unstoppable in Tecmo Bowl.

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(Getty Images)The New York Jets lose the scapegoat for their quarterback and the man blamed for the eighth-worst offense in the NFL when late on Tuesday night they announced that offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer is not returning to the team.

While no formal announcement has been made, the Jets are expected to unveil former Miami Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano as their new coordinator. Sparano was fired from the Dolphins in the midst of a 6-10 season where his team, despite being destined to miss the playoffs for a third straight year, still played hard.

The son of Marty Schottenheimer, the famed NFL coach and offensive mastermind, "Schotty" was with the Jets since 2006 and for the past three seasons, has drawn the ire of Jets fans for his play-calling. Head coach Rex Ryan stayed firm behind Schottenheimer during that time, even as quarterback Mark Sanchez's development flat-lined and perhaps regressed. Schottenheimer even became the face of the "Occupy Florham Park" movement.

In a statement issued by the Jets, the team said it was the coordinator's decision to "not return."

"After much thought and consideration, I have decided not to return to the New York Jets in 2012," Schottenheimer said in the statement. "I am very proud of what we have accomplished in the six years I have been here. I am grateful for the relationships that I have with our players and coaches and appreciate the hard work and dedication that went into our success. My family and I would like to thank Rex Ryan and the entire Jets organization and wish them continued success. I look forward to the exciting opportunities that lie ahead."

Hakeem Nicks was one of many standouts for the Giants. (Getty Images)

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants are arguably the hottest team in the NFC playoffs right now, and they can point to a loss five weeks ago that showed them that they could be among the best teams in the NFL. Now, with a 24-2 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, the Giants are set-up next weekend to avenge a loss that was a turning point in their season.

It was Week 13 and the Giants were just 58 seconds away from giving the Green Bay Packers their first loss of the season -- but an improbable Aaron Rodgers comeback thwarted their upset attempt in what eventually became a 38-35 loss. In five plays, Rodgers marched his offense emphatically down the field to set-up Mason Crosby for a 31-yard field goal to win the game. It was as disheartening of a loss as could be found in the NFL this season.

"The vibe in that locker room after that game wasn't good because everyone knew in their heart that we should have won that game. Sucks that it came down to a field goal," cornerback