For years, the Pacific side of the United States has been associated with the West Coast offense. Sunday, the NFC title game will showcase the West Coast defense.

While the New England at Denver AFC title contest is a meeting of high-scoring offenses, the NFC event pairs power defenses. Seattle allowed a league-low 14.4 points per game during the season, then in its playoff debut held high-scoring New Orleans to 15. San Francisco was third-best against points during the regular season, at 17 points per game allowed, and just held Carolina to 10 points on its own field, shutting out the Panthers in the second half.

The breakthrough idea of the West Coast offense was throwing passes that are designed to be short. Before Bill Walsh, nearly all passing routes were drawn up with long gains as the goal. Walsh realized that short passes could be like extended handoffs. Today at the prep, college and professional levels, football playbooks contain far more short passing routes than long ones.

What's the breakthrough idea of the West Coast defense? Back to basics. During this young century, "unorthodox" has been the favorite word of defensive coordinators. Overload zone blitzes, standing fronts, split coverages, the 46, the Times Square Defense (first used by the Jets against the Patriots in the 2007 playoffs -- all defenders moving pre-snap, like tourists milling around Times Square): confusing the opposition's quarterback has been the goal. The Packers and Ravens have won recent Super Bowls with weird alignments including 2-4-5 looks and defensive linemen dropping into coverage.

This is not the theory of the West Coast defense. The Seahawks and 49ers play conventional fronts, and use a conventional rush much more often than the blitz. There's no mystery about where Seattle or San Francisco defenders are going to be. Offenses know exactly where they're going to be; the problem is outperforming them. Seattle's maddeningly effective corners are not trying to fool quarterbacks, rather, they want to stay glued to receivers. Both teams' front fours usually are coming straight ahead -- maybe a twist, but little funky stuff. Linebackers for both teams crash on rushes and drop on passes, like linebackers of a generation ago.

The West Coast defense is refreshingly simple. Seattle and San Francisco use old-fashioned tactics and outperform offenses. Plus, nobody on either defense takes a down off, which is more important than it might seem. Nobody quits on a play, even when the ball is going the other way -- also, important. And of course Seattle and San Francisco have good players. But most NFL defenses have good players; the Seahawks and 49ers have good players who reach their potential, and they're doing it the old-fashioned way.

Who would have thought the West Coast, known for fads, high-tech, casual dress, laid-back evenings and now for legal marijuana, would be shining the light on traditional football? The West Coast's Chargers can play some defense, too -- three of Denver's four lowest-scoring games this season were versus San Diego.

The weekend's title games will offer a clash of conventional power defense in the NFC and trendy no-huddle offenses in the NFL. This guarantees a Super Bowl pitting offense versus defense, and that sounds like fun. Said Super Bowl will be outdoors in New Jersey in February. For an outdoor bad-weather game, would you rather have the best offense or the best defense?

In other football news, TMQ readers know my hobby horse is coaches who punt on fourth-and-short when trailing or inside opposition territory. Sometimes such decisions rise to the level of Preposterous Punts.

Saturday at New England, Chuck Pagano ordered a punt for which "preposterous" is too mild a word. Colts trailing 43-22 with 10:16 remaining, they faced fourth-and-1 -- and in trotted the punting unit. Who cares if the spot was the Colts' 29? Trailing by three touchdowns in the fourth quarter of a playoff game, it's insane to punt on fourth-and-1. Norv Turner once had his Chargers, down by two scores with 9 minutes remaining in a playoff game, punt on the opposition 36.

TMQ thought that the was the worst play in all of football history -- until Saturday.

Clearly Pagano quit on the game, and was more concerned with holding the hosts under 50 points -- Indianapolis lost 59-24 the last time it visited New England -- than going all-out to win. But what to call a fourth-and-1 punt when trailing by 21 points in the fourth quarter of a playoff? Unconditional surrender.

Patriots cheerleaders always get a lot of playoff work. AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

Stats of the Divisional Round No. 1: Seattle, which hosts the NFC title game, is 16-1 at home with Russell Wilson.

Stats of the Divisional Round No. 2: Tom Brady became the first player to throw for 6,000 yards in the postseason.

Stats of the Divisional Round No. 3: San Francisco has followed a 1-3 streak with a 13-2 streak.

Stats of the Divisional Round No. 4: From the point at which Carolina took a 10-6 lead, San Francisco possession results: touchdown, touchdown, field goal, turnover on downs in the final seconds.

Stats of the Divisional Round No. 5: In two trips to Seattle over six weeks, the Saints fell behind by a combined 33-0.

Stats of the Divisional Round No. 6: New Orleans is 1-6 in road playoff games.

Stats of the Divisional Round No. 7: With the Saints, Drew Brees is 56-27 indoors and 27-24 outdoors.

Stats of the Divisional Round No. 8: Indianapolis turned the ball over 14 times in 16 regular season games, and eight times in two postseason contests.

Stats of the Divisional Round No. 9: Denver averaged 24 points against San Diego and 40 points against all other teams.

Stats of the Divisional Round No. 10: Peyton Manning won a playoff game for the first time in four years.

No matter who catches or carries for the Patriots, it's the New England quarterback and offensive line that count. AP Photo/Matt Slocum

Sweet Play of the Divisional Round: Even considering bad weather, was that really the New England Patriots with 28 called passing plays and 45 called rushes? Flying Elvii leading 29-22 early in the fourth quarter, the hosts took possession at their 27 and lined up in a power set with a single wide receiver. By that point, expecting run, the Colts had eight in the box, with a lone safety. Left guard Logan Mankins trapped right and made a good block, backup tight end Michael Hoomanawanui got a pancake at the point of attack. Undrafted tailback LeGarrette Blount went through the line untouched; the lone safety, LaRon Landry, whiffed on a tackle attempt and there was no one left between Blount and the end zone.

In last season's AFC title contest, their most recent postseason game before this one, the Patriots had 29 catches or rushes by Wes Welker, Danny Woodhead, Aaron Hernandez, Brandon Lloyd and Deion Branch -- none of whom were still with the team Saturday. It doesn't seem to matter who lines up at receiver and runner for New England, because the Patriots have the NFL's most stable situation at quarterback and offensive line.

Sour Plays of the Divisional Round: San Francisco leading 6-0 in the first half, the Panthers reached third-and-goal on the Niners 1. Carolina came out in a power set and ran straight ahead: stuffed. Then on fourth-and-goal, came out in a power set and ran straight ahead: stuffed. No misdirection either time. TMQ's Law of Short Yardage holds -- do a little dance if you want to gain that yard. Now leading 7-6, the Cats again faced third-and-goal on the Niners 1, and this time did employ misdirection: shifting, then pulling a guard. The runner crashed into his own pulling guard, and the home team settled for a field goal. Eight first-half Carolina snaps in goal-to-go situations resulted yielded three points. Sour.

Sweet 'N' Sour Kickoffs: Scoring to pull within 24-14 with six minutes remaining, San Diego onside kicked. Nick Novak launched a terrific onside, very high in the air; the Denver man beneath the ball didn't have the presence of mind to signal fair-catch. Sweet for the Bolts. Now it's Denver 24-17 and San Diego is kicking off again with four minutes remaining. Sure, lightning isn't likely to strike twice, but the league's No. 1 offense isn't likely to punt, either. San Diego did not onside kick a second time and never touched the ball again; the clock struck midnight on the Chargers' improbable late-season run.

The Seminoles are terrific at football. Education -- what's that? Richard Mackson/USA TODAY Sports

The real story? Florida State won the final BCS title. In the run-up or the postgame, did you see any media coverage about the Seminoles' 58 percent football graduation rate? The team's 2007 cheating scandal that led to probation? The program's recent history of classifying many players as learning-disabled, waiving most classroom requirements? Any mention that though Florida State had $48 million in football revenue in the last school year, it still charges every undergraduate $245 annually to subsidize NCAA sports?

At Florida State, 65 percent overall of African-American students graduate, but only 50 percent of African-American football players do. Why was the sports media silent on these Florida State issues? Seminoles boosters and alums who are proud of the crystal trophy should feel embarrassed by the football program's subsidies and poor classroom performance. Of the 11 Seminoles selected in last year's NFL draft, eight graduated.

Good for them! But what about the much larger number of Florida State football players who will never take a snap in the NFL, and never walk to "Pomp and Circumstance?" They are used up and thrown away. Florida State and its coaches exploit those players; the sports media is complicit.

"Let's head to the convenience store for some spring lager." AP Photo/Mike Groll

Unified Field Theory of Creep: Reader Bill Ferguson of Utica, N.Y., reported last week, "I went my local Hannafords in the midst of the polar vortex. Saranac Brewery had its collection of spring beers for sale. Nothing makes me think spring like 7 degrees and drifting snow."

TMQ Nice to Belichick; Loud Klaxons Sound in Bristol: Bill Belichick suggested recently that PAT kicks should be eliminated. At the risk of saying something nice about Belichick, he's got a point. He noted that back in the day, there was drama to whether the PAT kick would succeed. Now there's none. This season, more than 99 percent were successful: 1,256 of 1,261 through the uprights. It might well be that injuries are more common on PAT kicks than misses, at least at the professional level; the missed PAT kick does remain a standby of prep football.

Should an NFL touchdown simply be seven points? Tuesday Morning Quarterback would rather the PAT kick be eliminated, and replaced with a two-point try from the 2-yard line. The case for this change is the same as the case was for bringing the two-point play into the NFL, which happened in 1994 -- the only effect would be to make football more exciting.

Ninety-nine percent succeed. Is the PAT kick obsolete? AP Photo/Michael Perez

The deuce try is one of football's most interesting moments. But the deuce is rare. This year, NFL coaches went for two a mere 58 times. If every touchdown led to a run-or-pass try from the 2-yard line -- essentially, to a fourth-and-goal from the 2 -- this season that would have seen 1,319 deuce tries, an average of five a game. That's a lot more excitement, and the NFL is, at heart, an entertainment enterprise.

In 2013, 50 percent of deuce tries succeeded; for the past decade, that's been the approximate average. Is the deuce try somehow different from a regular fourth-and-goal from the 2? Probably not: Over the last decade, ESPN's research department reports, 51 percent of NFL plays on fourth-and-goal from the 2 have resulted in touchdowns.

So suppose the NFL were to eliminate the PAT kick and allow only deuce tries. If roughly half succeed, scoring wouldn't change -- but a lot of excitement would be added, both with lots of deuce tries and because fourth quarter lead-margin dynamics would become harder to predict. Anything that adds interest to the game is a plus.

If purists must cling to the singleton PAT kick, then move the spot back. Teams could choose between spotting the ball at the 35 for a one-point PAT kick of about 52 yards -- that's where it would have to be to prevent the kick from being automatic, because NFL kickers now hit nearly all attempts from the 40 to the 49 -- or spotting the ball at the 2 for a two-point run-or-pass try. This rule could only make football more exciting!

"My next patient is TMQ. He said something nice about Bill Belichick, and Bristol told him to see a doctor." AP Photo/Stephen Lance Dennee

Tuesday Morning Quarterback proposes a grand compromise in which the kickoff is eliminated -- after a score, the opponent takes possession on its 25 -- in return for changing the point-after rule. In 2011, the kickoff spot was advanced by five yards in order to increase touchbacks; concussions on kickoff plays declined as a result. Eliminating the kickoff entirely would further reduce concussions, especially concussions suffered by the relatively low-paid unknowns who populate special teams. Changing the point-after would add back the amount of excitement that eliminating the kickoff took out. Football would remain just as much fun to watch, while kickoffs, the most concussion-prone play, would be done away with. If all-deuce-no-kickoffs worked in the NFL, college and high school would follow, potentially avoiding thousands of concussions each season.

This item is a trailer for TMQ's Jan. 28 column -- the week between the title games and that Super Bowl thing -- whose subject will be how to reform football.

How Did Denver Do It? In the Bolts' surprise December victory at Denver, San Diego threw Peyton Manning off-balance by being unorthodox. The Chargers had two defenders moving around at random pre-snap; no matter how much arm-flapping Manning did, he never figured out where those defenders would be because, moving randomly, they didn't know either. Sunday in the divisional round, San Diego switched from unorthodox to a conventional West Coast defense. The box-score results were about the same -- 20 points allowed to Denver in December, 24 points allowed in January. But the hosts built a quick 14-0 lead, then spent the contest hanging on. Maybe San Diego figured Denver had prepared for random movement, and conventional would come as a surprise.

TMQ notes hidden plays -- ones that don't make highlight reels, but stop or sustain drives. A couple snaps before the Broncs' first touchdown, Manning threw the ball directly to San Diego corner Shareece Wright, who dropped it.

The Bolts started slow -- 1 yard passing in the first half -- which perhaps made Denver overconfident. In the second half, San Diego gained 193 yards passing, and had the home crowd sweating. Philip Rivers has been eerily efficient all season, and this contest was no exception -- he finished with a 115.8 passer rating despite the rocky start and poor first-half blocking. A couple weeks ago, San Diego struggled to score against the Kansas City junior varsity; in the fourth quarter at Denver, the Bolts offense looked like the Broncos offense. With corner Chris Harris out for the title game, the rest of the Broncos defense must turn it up.

Denver's offense played well enough to win, but hardly was the juggernaut of the record-setting regular season. Last season in the playoffs against Baltimore, Manning seemed to tense up and throw ultra-short: his average per attempt dropped from a regular-season number of 7.9 yards to 6.3 yards. Versus San Diego, this happened again: Manning's ultra-short throws resulted in an average gain per pass of only 6.4 yards, versus an 8.3-yard average during the regular season. Denver' big gainer of the day was a 21-yard catch. Maybe the coaching staff just wanted to get the Bolts out of the way and prepare for the title game. But it's going to take more voltage on offense to defeat New England.

The eagle coach is opposite of the weasel coach. AP Photo/Lincoln Karim

Weasel Coach Watch No. 1: Last week Mike Munchak was fired as head coach of the Flaming Thumbtacks, after being offered the chance to scapegoat his assistants by firing them. Munchak refused, and was shown the door. Reader Jonathan Flanders of San Antonio writes, "This is the opposite of a weasel coach -- perhaps, a bald eagle coach."

Wade Phillips, recently shown the door by the Texans -- his defense only finished seventh overall in 2013, get rid of the bum! -- was fired by the Bills as head coach in 2000, after refusing to scapegoat assistants by firing them. Buffalo had been 29-21 with playoff appearances in its first two years under Phillips; the front office and fan base were furious because in his next season, the team "missed the playoffs for only the third time in 13 years." The Bills have not made playoffs since! Perhaps the football gods cursed Buffalo for firing a head coach who was a winner and who had the backs of his staff. If so, the next few years for the Houston Texans may be unpleasant.

The Bills' playoff drought is a league-worst 14 years, beginning with the dismissal of bald-eagle Phillips. I grew up in Buffalo, and it's been excruciating for all true sons and daughters of the city to watch the once-proud franchise bungle away season after season -- blown draft picks, bad player-management decisions, a succession of head coaches who appear to be taking naps on the sideline. The latest in a long line of indignities will be the NFC title game -- stars Marshawn Lynch and Donte Whitner both sent packing by the Bills.

Besides the firing of a bald eagle, there's something else that happened in the football artificial universe 14 years ago -- TMQ began. One of my frustrations is that in the entire 14 years I've cranked out this column, I have never gotten to tout my hometown team, because the Bills consistently have been bad. What if the reason the Bills have missed the postseason for 14 years is not the Phillips Curse but the TMQ Curse? I'm signed to do this column through the end of the coming season, so the Bills' condition may not improve.

The Road to the Swamps: The Super Bowl will be played in New Jersey, but all the talk will be of New York. So TMQ will try to keep the focus on New Jersey.

I asked readers for quirky facts about the Garden State. Fred Bartlett of Hamilton, N.J., wrote, "Bridges and tunnels on New Jersey borders only have tolls one way. Getting in is always free, but you must pay to leave." Tim Lowell of Dickinson, Texas points out, "Jersey is known for the unusual jug-handle traffic pattern. Let's call this the Jug Handle Bowl." Brian McGuire of Ellicott City, Md., writes, "New Jersey is one of two states (Oregon) where it is illegal to pump your own gas." Theo Vander Wilt ‏of Mount Holly, N.J., reports, "The dirt MLB uses to rub down balls before games comes from the Rancocas Creek in New Jersey."