eagle eye Posted November 20, 2016 Author Posted November 20, 2016 The biggest story of the day will be the first appearance of this year's #1 pick in the NFL draft, Jared Goff. To say the Rams have been offensively challenged is to say Steve Urckel was cool challenged. To say there is a head scratching moment when the #1 pick in the draft is deemed unworthy of being active on game days starting with Week 1 just goes without saying. That is either an indictment of the Rams scouting department or an even more damning indictment of the Rams coaching staff. You guys know my feelings about how overrated I think Jeff Fisher is so I won't go there but after Case Keenum has continuously failed to breathe any semblance of life into an anemic offense Fisher and his staff have thrown up their hands and said, "F**k it, we can't be any worse than we've been so lets give the kid a start." The last top pick QB Fisher had to work with was Vince Young. All Young did was win but Fisher, who didn't want Young in the first place but he was overridden by Tennessee owner Bud Adams who did, never gave Young a chance to develop. It turns out Young was more than a bit of a momma's boy but under the right coach he could have been pretty good for the Titans. Instead Fisher hounded Young until Vince was virtually done as an NFL QB. Kids, tell Mr. Fisher thank you for ruining Mr Young's career. Thank you Mr. Fisher. Great, now kids take those sharp objects and take a lap around that construction site. I so of pity Goff because if he's not good today, he may never be good in the NFL. The next biggest story will be how much will the presence of Tony Romo being dressed and active on game day for the first time all season effects the Cowboys as they shoot for their 9th win in a row. It's a sure bet the CBS cameras will flash often to Tony standing on the sidelines to get his reaction to what's happening on the field. It will be interesting to see how this game plays out. Here is today's updated injury report from NFL.com. It's not a complete list but it hits the highlights and most of the players who will be involved from fantasy standpoint. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000742337/article/injury-roundup-cowboys-dez-bryant-expected-to-play Quote
eagle eye Posted November 27, 2016 Author Posted November 27, 2016 I really dropped the ball this week. Too much holiday and too few hours to do what I needed to do. Good luck and enjoy the games today. After Thanksgiving and Black Friday and Sort of Black Saturday out of the way we can kick back and watch some football. Unless of course you spent yesterday watching college football on rivalry Saturday. Those games were good too but I wish Michigan had beaten Ohio State. Have some fun and throw back a cold one for me! Quote
eagle eye Posted November 28, 2016 Author Posted November 28, 2016 It was a very interesting weekend in the NFL. There were some really good games played too. Tom Brady won his 200th career game tying him with Peyton Manning for most career wins all time. From here on out Brady will just be building his all-time record for wins in a career. The win also is the Patriots 6th in a row giving them a 9-2 record on the season just one behind Dallas for the best record in the NFL. The Raiders are also 9-2 on the season after their 35-32 shootout win over Carolina yesterday. Cleveland lost their 12 game in 12 tries this season. If ever there was a team who needed a bye it’s the poor old Browns. Head Coach Hue Jackson was so emotional after the loss he could barely speak at his postgame presser. The Browns had possessions inside the Giants 10 on two occasions and came away with field goals both times. Defensive breakdowns continue to plague the Browns as they allowed the G-men to score way too easily a couple of times. If Josh McCown continues to struggle to score points for the Browns it may be time to turn the reins back over to Cody Kessler to see what the Browns have going into 2017. The weekend may not be quite over for the NFL but the best game of the Week 12 was probably last night’s 30-27 overtime win by Kansas City over the Broncos. If it wasn’t that game it has to be the 35-32 win by the Raiders over Carolina. Both were really good games which have been in short supply this season. They remind us why we love the NFL so much. You think the 49 points New Orleans hung on the Rams yesterday had a little something to do with Sean Payton wanting to show up his former DC Greg Williams who is in the same capacity in Los Angeles? After all, it was Williams who was found guilty in the “bounty-gate” thing a few years back. Payton was suspended a full year because of “bounty-gate” and lot of the luster of the Saints Super Bowl win just two years prior to that. What’s the saying, oh yeah, “Paybacks are a bitch.” Week 12 concludes tonight with the game between Green Bay and Philadelphia in Philly. Green Bay is trying to right the ship that has seen the Packers lose 4 straight and 5 of their last 6 games. Philly is trying to keep pace with the Cowboys and Giants and stay alive for a wild card spot in the playoffs. The Eagles are 2-4 in their last 6 games but with a win they avoid being the only NFC East team with a losing record. Can somebody just catch a ball once in a while? That has to be what Bears head coach John Fox has to be thinking. After being down 27-7 in the fourth quarter the Bears came storming back with 14 points to get within 6 at 27-21 and they had the ball inside the 10 yard line of the Titans as the final seconds ticked down. On 3rd and goal Matt Barkley, who was the Bears 4th round draft pick in 2013 out of USC, playing for an injured Jay Cutler threw to 4th year WR Deonte Williams. The problem was Barkley hit Williams in the hands and, of course, he dropped the ball. With just :34 left in the game on 4th and goal at the Titans 7 yard line Barkley tried Williams again. It would have been a tougher catch than the 3rd down pass he dropped but it was a ball he should have had but again the ball hit him in the hands and caromed away out of reach. One kneel down later and the Titans had escaped Chicago with a win. It was not a shock that the Titans had won it was just how Chicago lost the game that was the shock. Shocking things do happen all the time and none more shocking than the unlikely loss to Tampa Bay in Tampa yesterday by the Seattle Seahawks. Who would have thought that game would end up with a final score that featured the Seahawks scoring a grand total of 3 points? The Bucs played inspired defense as did the Seahawks and it was a game dominated by Tampa which is even more shocking than the final score. It seemed like Russell Wilson was sacked about 20 times yesterday but he was just sacked 6 times. The Tampa defense didn’t allow a 3rd down conversion until late in the 4th quarter for goodness sakes. It seems like the Bucs are trying to sneak into position for a wild card playoff berth. They are currently 6-5 and right there in the discussion. Here is a link from NFL.com talking about 36 things they learned so far from Week 12. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000746963/article/thirtysix-things-we-learned-from-week-12 Quote
eagle eye Posted December 4, 2016 Author Posted December 4, 2016 Here's the injury report for today from NFL.com. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000750266/article/injury-roundup-packers-rodgers-expected-to-play Here are today's inactives from each game on a game by game list from NFL.com. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000750266/article/injury-roundup-packers-rodgers-expected-to-play This the holy grail of pre game prep for fantasy and betting. The Week 13 NFL Cheat Sheet is here for your approval. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000749953/article/week-13-cheat-sheet What kind of unbelievable spell has Jeff Fisher cast over the Rams ownership? NFL.com is reporting that the Rams have given Fisher a 2 year extension on his contract. Fisher and the Rams GM Les Snead were both extended and the reason is not even clear why. Jeff Fisher sucks and he keeps getting paid TO SUCK!!!! Quote
eagle eye Posted December 6, 2016 Author Posted December 6, 2016 Percy Harvin has had a whole two game comeback from an offseason retirement but that is all she wrote. Harvin has missed the past two games suffering from severe migranes, a condition that has haunted him all the way back to his days at Florida. As a result the Bills have placed Harvin on the NFI list pretty much ending his comeback in 2016. In the wake of a total ass whipping by the Indianapolis Colts last night New York Jets head coach Todd Boles has named Bryce Petty the starting quarterback for the remainder of the 2016 season. The Jets have fallen to a 3-9 record and I guess Boles figures he might as well see what he has in the former 4th round pick in 2015 from Baylor. Ryan Fitzpatrick has likely played his last game as a Jet following a very disappointing season to date. In 2015 Fitz led the Jets to a 10-6 record just barely missing out on the playoffs. Fitzpatrick held out most of training camp trying to get a big money long term contract but what he ended up with was a one year deal worth $12 MM bucks guaranteed. As it turns out, it was money not well spent but who knew? The Jets front office certainly had no idea Fitz would go from the best season of his career in 2015 to the worst in ’16. The Broncos lost RB CJ Anderson to injury a few weeks ago and they have lost backup Kapri Bibbs to a high ankle sprain that landed him on IR ending his season. The Broncos needed to add someone especially with current starter rookie Devante Booker struggling to produce. Booker is currently rushing for an average of 2.80 YPC so the Broncos turned to a man who head coach Gary Kubiak is quite familiar with from their days together with the Baltimore Ravens, Justin Forsett. Forsett has struggled this season gaining just 3.1 YPC with both Baltimore and Detroit. Forsett thrived in Gary Kubiak’s offense in their one season together in 2014. The Broncos need a boost from their run game as they are chasing division leading Oakland by two games and 2nd place Kansas City by one game in the AFC West. Here is a list of injuries that NFL.com is tracking as of yesterday. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000751817/article/injuries-jeremy-maclin-groin-making-improvement Quote
eagle eye Posted December 11, 2016 Author Posted December 11, 2016 Whatever comes from the north in the air when these big northers blow through just took my allergy suffering ballistic. I sit here trying to write through watery eyes and a nose running so badly it resembles a faucet dripping. Yeah, I know, disgusting. The weather has blown through and it has left a lot of frigid temps across the upper Midwest. If you don't think the weather didn't play a big factor is the red hot Raiders undoing in Kansas City on Thursday night you weren't paying attention. A Raiders team that had been averaging over 30 points per game over the last month was held to 13 points, if you watched the game you know it wasn't all that tough KC defense. So, it would be wise to check out this week's NFL Cheat Sheet. The forecast for the Cowboys game tonight on NBC is bad. Cold, rain or snow, conditions that could very well be a deciding factor in the game. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000754132/article/week-14-cheat-sheet Here is a brief injury update including the latest on Julio Jones and Mark Ingram. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000754356/article/injuries-redskins-reed-saints-mark-ingram-to-play After the win on Thursday night you have to wonder now if Kansas City isn't the best team in the AFC. Just a thought. I'm keeping this short for a change because I am tired of my bodily fluids draining all over the table. Yeah, I know, that's pretty gross. Believe me you would not want to be in my shoes right now. Quote
eagle eye Posted December 13, 2016 Author Posted December 13, 2016 (edited) The Rams have now taken Cleveland’s place in my mind as the worst run organization in the NFL on the heels of firing head coach Jeff Fisher Monday. Why? Because just 8 days prior the Rams gave Fisher a 2 year extension on his contract. Most experts would classify this as schizophrenic behavior. Sports analysts might just call this incompetent. Either way, it’s not good when your front office is this erratic. I said a month or so ago that Fisher should be on the hot seat. The guy has had way more losing seasons on his resume than winning seasons and since he became the Rams coach 6 years ago he hasn’t had a winning season yet. If you saw what I think I saw on this past “Hard Knocks” that featured the Rams I was totally unimpressed with Fisher and his staff. I’ve been saying for a good while now that Fisher is overrated and he has lasted way longer than he should have in both, Tennessee and St Louis/Los Angeles. There is still a lot of crap for the Rams ownership to do because housecleaning in the Rams organization probably isn’t over because the GM probably needs to go as well. How bad do you have to be when a winless Cleveland team looks like a better place to be than in La-La Land with the Rams? It looked for all the world that the Dolphins had lost their QB for the rest of the season when Ryan Tannehill went down with what appeared to be a torn ACL. It turns out that Tannehill still has an intact ACL, he just has a sprain. It is likely that Tannehill won’t play this week and maybe not next but he won’t have to go on IR and have his season come to an end. He is definitely hurting with both an ACL and MCL sprain but that is way better tears. As a precaution the Dolphins have signed former Texan TJ Yates to back up Matt Moore. Yates has limited experience as an NFL player but he did lead the Texans to their first playoff win in franchise history a few years back. Yates has missed all of the 2016 season to date as he has been rehabbing a torn ACL he suffered playing for Houston last season. Remember Adrian Peterson? You know, the beast from Minnesota who has been regarded the best RB in the NFL for the past decade? He has been on IR for most of the season after he tore the meniscus in his right knee in Week 2. He will begin practicing this week with an eye on returning to action in Week 16 when the Vikings face off against Green Bay. AP back on the field will be great for the NFL but I’m not sure anyone wants to see him that will have to face him. With AP on the field Sam Bradford automatically becomes better and the offense more dynamic. Late December should be fun to watch. 3 Top five teams in the NFL.com power rankings lost this past weekend. Dallas, Oakland and the Seahawks. The new Top 5 in the NFL power rankings are: 1. New England – they blew out the Ravens despite two fumbled kicks. 2. Dallas – despite the loss they are #2 but the rumblings for Romo have begun. 3. Kansas City – the Chiefs beat Oakland this week in their version of “The Ice Bowl”. KC is now 10-3. 4. Oakland – The Raiders lost to KC last week and they should’ve lost to Houston the week before. They are a weak 10-3. 5. Seattle – At 8-4-1 they are the weakest top five team ever! They went into Green Bay and got bitch-slapped by the Packers. Here is the whole list from NFL.com: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000756263/article/nfl-power-rankings-week-15-patriots-retake-no-1-chiefs-rise Edited December 13, 2016 by eagle eye Quote
eagle eye Posted December 16, 2016 Author Posted December 16, 2016 The NFL is getting interesting as the we get down to the final 3 weeks of the season. The only reason for a ½ game difference in the standings is because of the ties that have occurred so far because the bye weeks are over and everyone has played 13 games through Week 14 of the season. In horse racing terms the 2016 season is past the quarter pole, it’s passed the back stretch and the racers have all passed the final turn heading into the home stretch. Right now the finish line is in sight and everyone is jockeying for position. The biggest difference between horse racing and the NFL race for the playoffs is the fact that the horses in the back of pack can have an effect on the outcome of the race. Bottom feeders like Cleveland, San Francisco, the Jets, the Bears and the Jaguars can have an influence on the outcome in the NFL. In a horse race once the pack has passed you by and you are eating the rest of the field’s dust your ability to affect the final outcome is over. This week it’s not just playoff teams banging heads like the games between the Cowboy-Bucs or the Giants and Lions it’s about the Jaguars trying to play spoiler to the Texans division aspirations. It’s about Chicago trying to spoil Green Bay’s playoff hopes or the Rams trying to jam a stick into the Seahawks bicycle spokes to derail their playoff hopes. The Seahawks will likely win the NFC West, there seems to be no question of that, but the ‘Hawks would still like to get home field advantage at least up to the NFC championship game. The Rams have beaten the Seahawks 3 of the last 4 times they played but the task will be even more daunting now that Jeff Fisher has been fired as the Rams coach. The games in December don’t matter more than games in September but the with the end of the season within sight the urgency goes up. In September you are looking at 3 more months of the season but in December you are looking at 3 more weeks. The players on bad teams often times don’t give up and mail it in for the rest of the season because they have too much pride to roll over and play dead for anyone. That pride thing goes up by a lot if a player is playing out his contract and he’s looking for a big money deal in the offseason. That is why fantasy playoff time is so big because a player on a bad team that is good in fantasy will continue to be good in fantasy because his job can be in jeopardy if his effort level is anything less than great. December football, you gotta love it. Notes around the NFL: Green Bay RB James Starks is in the NFL concussion protocol because of a car accident he was in Monday. There is still a chance he can play this week but frankly most of the touches are going to Christine Michael and Ty Montgomery anyway. Detroit will likely be without RB Theo Riddick because of a wrist injury. The Lions are also without backup Zack Zenner because of a concussion leaving the main RB touches will go to Dwayne Washington. Perfect time for me—NOT. I picked up Washington around Week 8 and he finally becomes relevant now that my unhappy ass is out of the fantasy football league playoffs. This particular league is a 12 team league with 6 teams going to the playoffs. I missed out on the playoffs because of a tie-breaker for the 6th spot. The only good thing about this scenario is I can enjoy this last leg of the season without stressing over my FF lineup. Besides the James Starks thing there are some other injury items of note in this injury update from NFL.com. As usual this is not a comprehensive list but just some of the more significant names around the NFL. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000757221/article/injuries-andrew-luck-shoulder-elbow-practicing Marcus Mariota is leading his Titans to a possible playoff berth but this week it will hold a special significance. The young man from Oregon with his family lineage coming from Hawaii will travel to Kansas City this week to play in what will be the coldest game of his life. Forecast temp in KC on Sunday is supposed to be 140 F at kickoff. Brrrrrrrrrr. The Bills, who have been a big underwhelming this season will play the Browns this Sunday with the hope that they will not be the first team to lose to the Browns in 2016. Bills defensive standout Marcell Dareus said on twitter this week that Bills would definitely not lose to Cleveland. When told about the tweet Cleveland perennial All Pro left tackle Joe Thomas joked, “I hate that guy, I’m going to kill him.” It’s nice to see that at least some of the Browns players can joke about going oh-fer so far this season. As far as Dareus goes, he was just having fun on twitter. Everything isn’t all serious, sometimes smack is just having fun. Quote
eagle eye Posted December 18, 2016 Author Posted December 18, 2016 No time to spare so I'll get right to it. Week 15 NFL Cheat Sheet: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000757835/article/week-15-cheat-sheet-can-titans-unseat-chiefs Week 15 starts and sits. It's playoff time and this is no time to take reckless chances. Scroll through the page links for all the positions. http://www.nfl.com/fantasyfootball/story/0ap3000000756464/article/start-em-sit-em-week-15-quarterbacks I don't know if you knew this but the Vikings are going to be getting a big boost because this is the week RB Adrian Peterson will be back in action and there is no snap count expected. Earlier in the week the Arizona Cardinals released WR Michael Floyd after he got a DUI. It was his second such incident and the Cardinals had had enough of his foolishness. Floyd didn't stay unemployed long because by Wednesday the New England Patriots claimed him. Talk about smelling like a rose, Michael Floyd goes from a struggling Cardinals team who will not make the playoffs to the Patriots who not only are going to make the postseason they are one of the favorites to end up in Houston in Super Bowl LI. Time's up. I gotta post this before kickoff of the noon games. Quote
eagle eye Posted December 22, 2016 Author Posted December 22, 2016 (edited) I was just looking at the schedule for this week and I know the NFL started playing Saturday games this past week when the Seahawks and Rams played last Saturday night. It goes to a whole new level this week because the bulk of NFL schedule for Week 16 will be played on Saturday culminating with the Texans-Bengals game Saturday night. There will only be two games on Sunday, a 3:30 game featuring the Steelers-Raven showdown for the AFC North and a 7:30 game between the Chiefs and the Broncos with both teams fighting for a spot in the playoffs. Of course the schedule is a nod to Christmas that will allow NFL families to be together for the most part for the holiday. The schedule is bookended by two important NFC East games. Tonight the NY Giants play the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles have now lost 5 straight games after beginning the season 5-4. This has to be disappointing to the Eagles because they actually began the season on fire going 3-0 to start the season. The wheels seemed to come off for them after their Week 4 bye. They came back off their break and lost 4 of their next 5 games. The Eagles are not going to make the post season but they can definitely play a spoiler roll. If Philly beats the Giants tonight they will not only end their current losing streak they will hand the division championship and first round bye and home field advantage to the Cowboys. Also, if the 10-4 Giants lose they could also be in jeopardy of missing out on the playoffs altogether if other teams like the Packers, Lions and Buccaneers continue to win. The last game of Week 16 will be against the Cowboys and Lions. If the Giants win tonight but Dallas wins on Monday night the Cowboys will still be NFC East champs and the #1 seed in the tournament. If the Giants win and the Cowboys lose it will all come down to Week 17 when Dallas travels to Philly and NY travels to Washington to face the Redskins. Good times will be had by all. The NFL announced their Pro Bowl selections on Tuesday night and there weren't many surprises unless you are talking about quarterback. I really don't know how the #1 ranked passer in all of the NFL is not a Pro Bowler. Drew Brees has thrown for the most yards of any QB in the whole league. He has thrown more TD passes than anyone, the most yards per game average and his QBR is 4th at 103.0. Matt Ryan leads that category with a QBR of 114.8. I am a Cowboys homer but Drew Brees deserves to be a Pro Bowler over Dak Prescott and Aaron Rodgers who are the 2017 Pro Bowl QBs for the NFC. There isn't much argument IMO over the rest of the roster for either the NFC or the AFC. That is unless you consider how really good the Cowboys Sean Lee has been. There is hardly a game when Lee doesn't record at least 10 tackles a game and he is seemingly everywhere on game days. Luke Kuechly has missed several games and he has made the damn Pro Bowl. IMO Lee has played better than Kuechly this season. It may be because Kuechly has been playing hurt but I think he got the nod simply on name recognition. There is definitely something wrong if Lee isn't named an alternate because he deserves it. Here is an article from NFL.com about some of the Pro Bowl snubs for this year. They make a great case for these players and I don't mind telling you I agree with most of them. I will mention Drew Brees and Sean Lee are on this list. Another one I almost forgot about is on the AFC side of the ledger. Houston's AJ Bouye has been a terror to opposing receivers and QBs. Every week he makes play after play and he really deserves to be a Pro Bowler. Right now the hope is he will get in as an alternate and I hope he does. It looks like Jamaal Charles season is cut short yet again. I would have to classify the Port Arthur native in the same category as another great running back who never was able to reach his full potential because of knee injuries, Gale Sayers. Sayers made the Hall of Fame but it was only because of his spectacular play when he was on the field. Sayers was an electrifying runner who also was used to return punts and kicks. Devastating knee injuries killed what would have been an even more amazing career. The way knee surgery has come such a long way since the 60's when Sayers played he may have enjoyed a much longer career but that is only speculation. The fact is Jamaal is just as good as Sayers IMO and his knee injuries have had the best of care but they still have robbed him of the best years of his career. There is no telling how high Jamaal could have soared if he would have been given the health of say an Emmitt Smith or Eric Dickerson or a Matt Forte. The playoffs are in sight. Only two more games in the regular season and there are already teams like the Patriots and Cowboys who have clinched a spot in the tournament. There are some newcomers to the dance too. Like the Oakland Raiders who haven't been to the playoffs since the 2002 season when they went all the way to the Super Bowl before losing to their former head coach Jon Gruden and his Tampa Bay Bucs. It's been a long, sad drought for a team that spent years as a perennial post season staple. (Don't tell my friend Gerald I wrote this, we have a long standing feud with him bashing my Cowboys and me bashing his Raiders. Now we're both guaranteed a spot in the playoffs but I still have bragging rights since Dallas is 12-2 while the Raiders are 11-3.) The article from NFL.com gives the current playoff scenarios and what it would take for some teams to make it to the post season. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000760475/article/week-16-nfl-playoff-clinching-scenarios I don't remember if I posted this and it's pretty old news since it happened last Sunday but the Jacksonville Jaguars have an interim head coach right now because after the loss to Houston the owner decided it was time for a change. The running joke was if Gus Bradley would be allowed to fly home with the team. Of course he did fly home with the team but it had to be a bit awkward. The Jags front office holds no animosity to Bradley. Of course they wanted him to succeed but he ended up with one of the lowest winning percentages for a head coach with over 50 games coached ever. Bradley's final tally was 14-48 for .226 winning %. Since he was hired in 2013 Bradley never won more than 5 games in a season which is even more damning when you consider the Jags play in the AFC South which has been pretty bad for a while and the Jags do have a very talented roster. They will need a coach who can help Blake Bortles turn around his game which has regressed the past two seasons. He is a big, strong armed guy in the vein of a Ben Roethlisberger and he has some really good receivers but he makes bad decisions and he's also had some pretty bad luck. Bortles has potential but he will need better coaching than he's gotten. That means there are two teams who are in the market for a head coach. Along with Jacksonville the Rams need a new head man because they let Jeff Fisher go nearly two weeks ago. Cutting Fisher loose didn't help them against the Seahawks last week as the 'hawks got the Rams in Seattle and put a spanking on them. The fundamental issues surrounding the Rams won't be fixed until the new head coach comes in a cleans house and put his own guys in. Jacksonville needs a housecleaning too but Gus Bradley was a good guy who just wasn't a good head coach. This past summer's "Hard Knocks" showed me a staff of douche bags and I had not been a big fan of Jeff Fisher anyway and Hard Knocks cemented that opinion. Edited December 22, 2016 by eagle eye Quote
eagle eye Posted December 24, 2016 Author Posted December 24, 2016 Week 16 began with a bang because of the win by Philadelphia over the NY Giants. The Eagles had been on a 5 game losing streak but they refused to lose to a division rival in their home stadium. Of course Dallas was a big beneficiary of the Eagles win so I think I can safely say this holiday football weekend began with a big bang. There are two games left and there are a lot of teams still in the playoff hunt. Either for a Wild Card or a division championship in both the AFC and the NFC. There is only two things for sure going into the rest of this week's schedule, 1) Dallas is the NFC East Champion and #1 seed in the NFC side of the playoffs and 2) New England is the division champ of the AFC East and they will have a first round bye in the playoffs. With the Raiders (11-3) and Chiefs (10-4) hot on the Patriots heels the #1 seed is still up in the air. Yesterday I posted a run-down of possible playoff scenarios so I won't go there again. Needless to say there are still a lot of interesting football games left to play. Here is this week's NFL Cheat Sheet for Week 16 complete with roster news, weather forecasts for the games and a brief preview of the games. This is one of the best features that NFL.com posts each week as it pertains to both fantasy footballers and the folks who like to place a bet or three on the games. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000761474/article/week-16-cheat-sheet-can-tom-savage-do-it-again Here is the NFL injury roundup from NFL.com. Players of note on the "out" list include Adrian Peterson, Tyrann Matthew, and Torrey Smith. Listed as questionable in the article is Houston RB Lamar Miller but he will miss this game due to an ankle injury suffered on the last play the Texans ran last Sunday. Miller is a walking M*A*S*H* unit casualty anyway as he has been dealing with a lot of nagging injuries for most of the season. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000761960/article/injuries-ryan-mathews-back-out-for-rest-of-season The rumors and rumors of rumors are starting to fly over the 2 open head coaching vacancies already needing to be filled. I'm sure there is plenty of speculation over who will be fired and who will be the likely candidates will be but right now the Rams and Jaguars spots need attention. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000762244/article/ron-rivera-could-be-a-good-fit-for-rams-coaching-job http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000762224/article/could-sean-payton-leave-saints-to-be-la-rams-coach The Vikings got a little scare as their plane was taxiing after a safe landing in Appleton Wisconsin yesterday getting the Vikings to Wisconsin for their NFC North division game today with the Packers the Vikings planes slid off the runway and became stuck. It was just an extra 2 hour delay for the team but the good news was nobody was hurt. The team did have disembark the plane via a rescue ladder which will give them all a story to tell their kids. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000762215/article/vikings-plane-slides-off-runway-causes-2hour-delay Merry Christmas to everyone or Happy Hanukkah as the case may be. I hope it will be a safe and joyous weekend for everyone! Quote
eagle eye Posted December 26, 2016 Author Posted December 26, 2016 The games over the weekend cleared up some races around the NFL so let's recap. AFC Playoff picture is complete. Every one of the playoff spots are filled and all that is left is to get through Week 17 without getting someone hurt. AFC East - Patriots have owned the division for over a decade and things didn't change a bit this year. Pats are the AFC #1 seed. AFC North - Pittsburgh took care of business to win the division AND knock the Ravens out of the playoffs in a close game decided by inches. #3 Seed AFC South - Houston wrapped up their 2nd straight division title with a win over Cincy and Tennessee loss to Jacksonville, of all teams. #4 seed AFC West - The Raiders won the division Saturday but their playoff hopes look a little bleak with David Carr suffering a broken fibula (leg bone). Wild Cards > Miami is the 5th seed and will play the Steelers in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. > Kansas City is the 6th seed and will travel to Houston to play the Texans in the Wild Card round. The NFC still has business left to do before the playoff picture is totally clear. Here is what we know right now. NFC East - Dallas is the big dog in the conference owning a division championship and #1 seed despite not having played their Week 16 game yet. NFC North - The Lions lead the division by one half game. After the game with Dallas tonight the Lions will either be tied or have a one game lead on the Packers. NFC South - The Falcons have claimed the division title and they will be the #2 seed. NFC West - The Seahawks have wrapped up the division which isn't saying much because this is the weakest division in the NFL. The Seahawks are still dangerous and cannot be overlooked. If you remember the West wasn't all that strong in the 80's but the 49ers managed to win 4 Super Bowls in the decade. Wild Card > The Giants are the #5 seed (top Wild Card) right now even though they lost to Philly last weekend. The Cowboys could actually guarantee the G-men the #5 seed if they beat Detroit tonight. > The Packers are the #6 right now but a Detroit loss to Dallas could make the picture change heading into their Week 17 showdown with Detroit. In the hunt - both teams in the playoff hunt need help but the fact both are still alive is indicative of their tenacity. > Washington - This team just won't go away and they kept their playoff hopes alive with a big win over Chicago on Saturday. > Tampa Bay - The Bucs are an even bigger long shot than the Redskins but they are still dangerous given a chance. A bunch of teams had their playoff hopes come to an end this past weekend so it wasn't a happy Christmas for them but the few who had their spots reserved did have a great post season. One team that has both was the Raiders. Oakland guaranteed themselves the #2 seed with a win over Indianapolis, which also knocked the Colts out of the playoff picture, but they have lost their quarterback, David Carr for the rest of the season including the playoffs because of a broke fibula suffered in the game. I don't recommend such things but it was prett gruesome sight. You have to feel bad for Carr and the Raiders who have made the playoffs for the first time since 2002. David Carr wasn't the only QB lost due to a broken leg. The Tennessee Titans lost out on their shot at the playoffs with a totally unexpected loss to division doormat Jacksonville they lost their starting QB Marcus Mariota to a broken leg. Tough break for the guy who seems to have had a bunch of injuries over the last two years. To illustrate how difficult an NFL season is check this factoid out. Three of the four teams in the playoffs last year who played for their conference championships and the final two who played in Super Bowl 50 are not even going to the playoffs. Only the New England Patriots, who lost to eventual Super Bowl champion Denver has made the playoff this season. Denver was eliminated last night when Kansas City beat soundly beat them 33-10. On the NFC side the Carolina Panthers stumbled their way through the season and it wasn't until they were the victims of a smackdown Saturday by the Falcons were the Panthers officially eliminated. Arizona has been out of contention for a few weeks now. It's almost inexplicable to think a team this good should only manage 6 wins this season is just that, beyond explanation. As long as Brady and Belichick are going strong the Patriots will be a perennial playoff team. I wish the Cowboys and Texans could go on a Patriots type of run. The coaching rumor mill's current darling rumor is that Jacksonville could hire former Jags and Giants head coach Tom Coughlin. It's not a move with an eye toward the future because, after all, Coughlin is like 129 years old. Seriously, "Old" Tom is actually 70 years old and will turn 71 during training camp this coming August. It is being reported that Coughlin is itching to get back into coaching and that he's energized and ready to get back on the sideline. The real question is obviously how long will he last? I believe the hope is Coughlin will find another Ben McAdoo who took over for him in New York to continue what he builds into the future after 3 or 4 years. Personally, I think Coughlin is a damn good coach and as long as he's down with it more power to him. You would think that Coughlin would consider Jacksonville as a job that he left undone. He did lead the team to two division championships but he was let go after the 2002 season after the Jags had losing seasons in 2001 and 2002. You would think he would like to take a young and talented team that is in Jacksonville to a whole new level. Quote
eagle eye Posted December 27, 2016 Author Posted December 27, 2016 I can't believe I forgot the most wonderful of Christmas gifts that was given over this past weekend. The Cleveland Browns finally won a game! Let a resounding chorus of the Hallelujah Chorus ring out! Every dog really does have its day or in this case every dog pound has its day. It took a blocked field goal and a flat missed field goal for the Browns to finally come out on top. I guess San Diego kicker Josh Lambo would tell me to go blow it out me arse, it wasn't such a great freaking Christmas for him or the rest of the Chargers but, c'mon San Diego, you weren't going anywhere anyway. You certainly wouldn't have gone to the playoffs had you won so lighten the f**k up! Be happy you won more than one game which is likely all these sad sack Browns are going to win this year. After all, your QB leads the whole NFL with INTs including a pick in the game against Cleveland. Let's face it, it wasn't your year San Diego but be glad you brought some joy to the sad sack city on the shore of Lake Erie. The one bad thing is Cleveland lost their starting QB for the sixth time this year. It could be more but that's all I can think of right off hand. RGIII was doing pretty good until he ran a read-option play and got bashed in the head for his trouble. He had to come out of the game under the NFL concussion protocol which opened the door up to Cody Kessler. This is the third time he's made a comeback this year. You see, he's had an issue or two with concussions this year. Hopefully, if he gets the start this week in Pittsburgh in the season finale. There is a rumor that the Steelers will sit Ben Roethlisberger since the Steelers have clinched the AFC North and if he does the Brownies might actually made it two wins on the season. I don't think that's going to happen but without Big Ben you just never know what can happen. With the Cowboys resounding win over the Detroit Lions last night Detroit will be looking to win the division when they play the Green Bay Packers in Green Bay. If either the Lions or the Packers lose they will be hoping like crazy that Washington loses because if they win it would give the Redskins the final wild card spot by virtue of the tie they had in London against the Bengals in Week 8. The old saying goes that a tie is sort of like kissing your sister, you just don't get much out of it. In this case at tie could be the reason the Redskins go to the playoffs. So I guess, in this case, it would be like kissing your 3rd or 4th cousin removed. It's still kinda creepy but a little hot too. In a case of too little too late Denver coach Gary Kubiak said that he was considering giving the season finale start to rookie Paxton Lynch. Trevor Siemian has been up and down all season being alternately good and down right awful. Speculation in NFL media circles it that John Elway might work a deal with the Cowboys to sign Tony Romo this offseason. It seemed like a hollow rumor when it was first broached around Week 12 when Romo had his presser abdicating his job to Dak Prescott. Not because Romo couldn't play any more but because they seemed to have their guy in Siemian or, at very least, they had their first round draft pick Paxton Lynch already on the roster. The Broncos was just not a good fit for Romo. Now it seems that rumor may not be so far fetched as it first seemed. DeMarcus Ware went to Denver and got himself a Super Bowl ring, maybe the same move would work for Romo too. Quote
eagle eye Posted December 30, 2016 Author Posted December 30, 2016 The AFC side of the NFL is settled. Really the only thing is whether the Texans can get to 10 wins for the first time in the Bill O'Brien era. Tune in at 12:00 PM Sunday and find out--assuming you're not too hungover--Saturday night is, of course, New Year's Eve. The one holiday that is almost mandatory for people to get trout-faced drunk. Hopefully, we all survive to see the arrival of 2017. I guess that's my way of saying party smart, people and do NOT drink and drive. The NFC is another thing. There is still a spot or two to be decided. It basically comes down to this, if Washington beats the NY Giants then the loser of the Green Bay-Detroit game is out of the playoffs. If the Giants beat Washington then the Winner of the Packers-Lions game will win the NFC North and be either the 3rd or 4th seed depending on how the Seahawks do against San Francisco. Realistically the Seahawks will win and be the 3rd seed leaving the 4th seed to either Detroit or Green Bay. Still enough to be decided to make the hangover a little easier to bear. There are currently 3 head coaching positions after Rex Ryan was fired by the Bills earlier in the week after the Bills lost to Miami and was eliminated from the playoffs. As a matter of fact both Ryan brothers are both on the street. I never really have been able to appreciate the Ryan family which is to say I don't really like Buddy, Rex or Rob. The Bills assistant head coach/RBs coach Anthony Lynn will be the coach for Week 17. Here is a link to an NFL.com article about who might also be in line for unemployment compensation after this Sunday. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000765796/article/2017-nfl-coaching-carousel-teambyteam-rundown Fantasy football championship games, the ones not already done, will be Sunday so here's this final starts/sits for all the position groups from NFL.com. Remember to follow the link within the article to go from QBs to the rest of position groups. The bad thing about having a fantasy championship is the fact that teams who have things wrapped up might rest some fantasy worthy players. Or, at least, pull them after a half or quarter which just throws a big monkey wrench in your fantasy aspirations. What I'm saying you might want to check out the rumors like these: Dallas might give reps to Tony Romo in the game against Philly so if you have Dak Prescott you might not be too happy seeing Romo play. What about if you are depending on Ezekiel Elliott to make a run at rookie rushing record? Will it sort of screw you over to know Darren McFadden might start? Thought so. http://www.nfl.com/fantasyfootball/story/0ap3000000764554/article/start-em-sit-em-week-17-quarterbacks Quote
eagle eye Posted December 31, 2016 Author Posted December 31, 2016 Jeez Louise, I thought the rain would never stop. Holy crap! But, it's a good thing we got some rain because we really needed it (wink, wink, nudge, nudge). College bowl games will start getting more interesting over the next week culminating in a national championship matchup. Who will survive the playoff? Who the hell knows after FSU upset Michigan? Never a dull moment when bowl games and the NFL playoffs commence. It's almost 2017 and I sincerely hope everyone has a happy and safe New Year's Eve. Like I used to tell my son when he still listened to me, "Party smart" and he knew exactly what I meant. I'll bet if you give that a minute to roll around in your brain you will get it too! Here's the final Cheat Sheet from NFL.com for the 2016 season. Sounds sort of sad doesn't it? Game previews, weather conditions for each game, and all the bells and whistles for any self respecting fantasy football maven or betting man--or woman. Well, everything but the betting lines. You will have to get that from your bookie. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000766290/article/week-17-cheat-sheet-can-redskins-get-to-playoffs For all you Colts fans out there you will be sad to hear that one of the mainstays on defense during the Peyton Manning heyday LB Robert Mathis is retiring at the end of the season after 14 years and one Super Bowl win in two appearances. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000766313/article/robert-mathis-retirement-players-react-to-decision 27 items of injury news from NFL.com will conclude my 2016 regular season news forays. Hope you've enjoyed the regular season and I hope your team made the playoffs, as long as it was either Dallas or Houston! Playoffs next week so bask in the embers of the fire that was the 2016 NFL season. Hasta la vista, Baby. Quote
eagle eye Posted January 2, 2017 Author Posted January 2, 2017 Here's the deal, the playoffs are set, all the seeds have been determined and everyone knows when, what time and where they play. Here is the playoff bracket as it stands now linked below. The bracket comes from businessinsider.com. http://www.businessinsider.com/nfl-playoff-bracket-2017-1 Team kicking their own ass today? That would be the Washington Redskins? All they had to do was beat the Giants, who are already the #1 wild card team, and that would give the NFC East 3 teams in the tournament. Pretty big turnaround from last year when people begrudgingly gave Washington the division in a year when the East was not all that good. It was right there because the Giants offense wasn't what you'd call overwhelming but their defense was. Washington was one of the most prolific in the NFL in 2016 and the Giants hired gun defense shut them down. It also featured meltdowns by Redskins DB Josh Norman and uncharacteristic restraint shown by Odell Beckham Jr. The East featured 3 teams that finished above .500 and the 4th, the Philadelphia Eagles, finished 6-9 with rookie phenom Carson Wentz completing a decent 1st year. If Washington had won the game between Detroit and Green Bay would have meant the loser's season was over. As it was, because of the Redskins loss, both teams were getting in the playoffs. The only thing that needed to be decided was who would win the division and get a home playoff game and who would have to travel as the 2nd wild card to Seattle. On the AFC side I know I've been saying the playoff picture was all wrapped up but it really wasn't. The Patriots had to make clear who the #1 seed was in the conference but c'mon, did anyone doubt the Pats would win their 14th game of the season? Oakland had an outside chance of being the #1 seed but they needed to beat Denver and New England needed to lose to Miami. The odds of that happening were slim and none and, of course, it didn't happen. It was almost a foregone conclusion that Oakland was going to lose without David Carr but Belichick didn't assume anything and they went out and beat the crap out of Miami. That win served two purposes, 1) it clinched the #1 seed for the Patriots and 2) Miami is in the playoffs as a wild card and could actually face the Pats again. Now New England has beaten the Dolphins twice and the last win was a convincing 35-14 drubbing that will be stuck in the Dolphins heads if they do meet a 3rd time. The link to the bracket above will show who plays who next weekend. Cleveland lost a heartbreaker yet again yesterday when they took the Ben Roethlisberger-less, the La'Veon Bell-less and Antonio Brown-less Pittsburgh Steelers to overtime. The Browns scored the first points of the OT giving them a 24-21 lead. They should have won the game. They had first and goal at the Steeler's 2 yard line when whoever calls the plays decided a bubble screen to Alex Hawkins was a good idea. After Hawkins bobbed and weaved, ducked and dodged all of it going backwards and was finally tackled he had lost 14 yards giving the Browns 3rd and goal from the Steelers 16 yard line. That was the second down play, on first down RGIII tried to throw a fade to Randall Telfer. First of all a fade is the lowest percentage pass ever. It's like a short yardage hail Mary and it rarely works. On third down RGIII threw incomplete in the direction of Terrelle Pryor. I think Hue Jackson will be wondering what the hell he was thinking not trying to run the ball 3 times. Just as long as the Browns didn't use that bunch formation with 2 tight ends. That formation rarely works and the Browns line is not bad-assed enough to do it. Line up with a normal formation and make the defense respect the option to pass the ball. They wouldn't be able to stack the line to stop Isaiah Crowell or Duke Johnson--3 plays to gain 2 yards. In a league where macho behavior is the predominant characteristic three passes, 2 at the 2 yard line, was a wussy set of downs. Yeah, I'll bet Hue Jackson has nightmares about that sequence of plays this offseason. One thing good comes from this loss, Cleveland will get the first overall pick in the draft in April and the way the Browns have wheeled and dealed the last couple of years they could end up with a million picks in this draft. The coaches in the NFL have started to fall. Some because they got fired and one because he is concerned about his health. One year removed from winning his first Super Bowl as a head coach the Broncos Gary Kubiak has announced that he is retiring. The reason is because he has some health problems, namely stuff going on in his head that have caused him to have to go to the hospital on two occasions. The first time was when he was the coach at Houston when he collapsed at halftime as he was leaving the field. He was put in an ambulance right on the field and taken to the hospital. The second time was after a Broncos loss this past season. This second time was not as serious or scary but still he has a health issue and nobody can blame him for wanting to take care of himself. At 55 years of age he has plenty of years left to coach but his health could prevent him from living past 56 if he continues to coach. Kubiak is probably sick about having to retire given his history with the Broncos. He came into the NFL the same year as John Elway as a QB out of Texas A&M and he was Elway's backup for two Super Bowl losses in SB XXI and XXIV. He was an assistant under Mike Shanahan when the Broncos won their two Super Bowls in the 90's and he returned to Denver, after being fired in Houston and one year in Baltimore as the OC, in 2015 won his first Super Bowl as a head coach. The Genius is dead, long live the genius! Okay, Chip Kelly is not dead but he's not the coach of the 49ers any more either. After going a franchise worst 2-14 in his first, and last, season in the Bay Area the ownership had seen quite enough. Not only was Kelly fired but GM Trent Baelke was fired as well. Mike Greenberg on Mike and Mike said the firings were indicative of ownership that is clueless about how to run an NFL franchise. I wonder if the 49ers owner would like to swap franchises with Philadelphia? (Sorry, I'm just daydreaming) San Diego has fired their head man, Mike McCoy after he had his 2nd sub .500 record in the row. In his first two seasons McCoy's Chargers when 9-7 and went to the playoffs in his first season. The past two seasons San Diego has fallen way off going 4-12 and 5-11 in 2015 and 2016 respectively. Of course there are rumors of other head coaching changes but so far we are already looking at 6 openings but that list could grow. The most shocking story comes out of New Orleans where rumors are out there that Sean Peyton could be gone. He is rumored to be either released from his contract or traded to another team for whatever. There are a bunch of teams who would really love Peyton but what he means to the City of New Orleans could mean if the Saints let him go there could be a riot in the Big Easy. Here's a link to the NFL.com coaching tracker to give a recap of the openings and a look towards who could be next. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000767531/article/coaching-tracker-whos-on-the-hot-seat-whos-safe Quote
eagle eye Posted January 7, 2017 Author Posted January 7, 2017 They playoff begin today with the first game beginning at 3:30 this afternoon on KBMT Channel 12. This game is interesting because these teams played on November 21st on Monday Night Football in a game that was the first MNF game to be played outside the USA border. The game took place in Mexico City, a game in which the Raiders scored two fourth quarter TDs to come from a 20-13 deficit to win the game 27-20. The Raiders had Derek Carr at quarterback then but he has since suffered a broken leg and he is out for the rest of the season. Rookie Connor Cook will be leading the Raiders against the #1 defense in the NFL and it remains to be seen if he will be able to stand up under the heat of the Texans defense. My prediction: Houston wins by 7. Here's a look at the game from NFL.com http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000769703/article/afc-wild-card-primer-raiders-vs-texans-on-saturday In a game to begin at 7:15 tonight on NBC and featuring Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth and they will be calling the NFC Wild Card game between Detroit and Seattle in Seattle. The Lions have lost 3 straight games heading into tonight's game, all against playoff teams, and they are on the road where they have not been the most successful this season sporting a 3-5 record. They have been the masters of late game intrigue as they have either won or lost 10 games in the final 2 minutes. In their last three losses they have not been close enough for late game heroics as they were at least 2 scores down. A late TD by Detroit against Green Bay in the regular season finale to pull within 7 and they were driving for a tying TD late when a non-call of pass interference and an interception by the guy who committed the penalty cost the Lions a chance to tie the game and it eliminated any chance of the Lions winning the NFC North title. Seattle has not been as dominating this season but they are still dangerous. Their defense took a huge hit when S Earl Thomas suffered a broken leg late in the season. The Seahawks played tennis over the last seven games of the regular season alternating between a win and a loss from November 20 through the end of the season. The 'Hawks finished the season 10-5-1 and they were one of four teams who were involved in a tie. They were also in a division that could find their asses with both hands and help. The Cardinals fell off the table after reaching the NFC Championship in 2015 as they stumbled to a 7-8-1. The Rams stunk so bad their coach barely made it to December before he was fired. The Rams finished the season 4-12. The 49ers also sucked as Chip Kelly slogged through his first, and last, season as the Niners head coach. Kelly was fired at the end of the regular season along with the team's GM after a franchise worst 2-14 season record. The Seahawks could have gone 8-8 and fell right in line with the group and still won the division. IMO the NFC West was the worst division in the NFL. Even worse than the AFC South because when you look at the overall records the AFC South is better than the NFC West by overall record. The NFC West ended up with a 23-39-2 record while the AFC South was 29-35. The top 3 teams in the South were 9-7, 9-7 and 8-8 with Jacksonville ending up 3-13 and they got their coach fired to boot. What all this means is I think that Detroit is not expected to win on the road in one of the toughest stadiums for road teams to play in. It would be awesome if Detroit did win because they would have to go back to Dallas and play the Cowboys while the winner between the Packer and Giants tomorrow night would have to go to Atlanta. That's just a Cowboys fan daydreaming. In reality I think the Seahawks win by 4 on a possibly rainy and definitely cold night in Seattle. Here's a look at the Lions-Seahawks game from NFL.com. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000769791/article/nfc-wild-card-primer-lions-vs-seahawks-on-saturday While it's colder than crap outside( don't let the sunshine fool you--it's freaking cold!) the playoff games should be pretty hot even though the games don't look all that sexy. This is definitely the lower marquee weekend for Wild Card weekend. The early game features the Texans who we should all be rooting for and who, quite frankly, should win because the Raiders are starting a rook in his first ever start in his NFL career. It all depends on the play of Brock Osweiler. Tonight the Seahawks and Lions is interesting because of the potential for a Detroit win which should make Dallas' road to the NFC Championship much easier. Bundle up, grab a toddy and enjoy some football on a seriously cold day. Quote
eagle eye Posted January 8, 2017 Author Posted January 8, 2017 The Texans and the Seahawks to going to play next week and because we know that Detroit didn't win it means the Cowboys will play either the Packers or the Giants who play this afternoon. That also means the Seahawks will travel cross country to play the #2 seed Atlanta Falcons. The AFC side isn't quite that clear yet. It will all become clear after the Steelers and Dolphins play today with kickoff at 12:00 noon. If the Dolphins win they will face the Patriots next week while Houston will travel to Kansas City. If Pittsburgh wins Houston plays New England and the Steelers play the Chiefs. The 2nd NFC Wild Card game between the NY Giants and Green Bay Packers in Green Bay will begin at 3:40 this afternoon. In last night's game between Detroit and Seattle you would have been better off watching a rerun of the Big Bang Theory or trimming you toenails or have your wife nag you for 3 hours. It was about as entertaining as watching the Lions get their asses kicked by the Seahawks. It was pretty sad. For about a minute the Lions Zack Zenner gave the Lions hope but Seattle rallied and put the clamps on Zenner and anyone else who thought about trying to run on them. Matthew Stafford was vexed by the Seattle pass rush and way too many times when he did a pass off his receivers dropped the ball as if it was hot potato. To be honest, the final 26-6 score wasn't really even that close and the Seahawks sort of just put Detroit out of their misery. On the Seahawks side, Russell Wilson may have found a new BFF in WR Paul Richardson. Last night Richardson looked like the second coming of Jerry Rice as he made great catch after great catch. The best of the lot was a one handed grab in the end zone falling down while holding on to the defender's helmet. The play probably should have been disallowed because of offensive pass interference but the play stood and it was a SportsCenter moment for sure. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000771134/article/paul-richardson-makes-submission-for-catch-of-year The early game between Pittsburgh and Miami is previewed by NFL.com in the link below. If you think this is just a cake walk for the Steelers like last night's Seahawks game against the Lions you may want to rethink this one. Miami and Pittsburgh faced each other earlier this season in Week 6 in Miami with the Dolphins winning easily by a score of 30-15. Weather will be a factor today as the temperature at kickoff is forecast to be 17o F with a wind chill of 2o. The humidity will be a nose bleed low of 51% with the wind out of the WNW at 15 mph. The high during the game will likely be the 17o at kickoff. The Steelers are used to this weather but you wonder how the fellas from South Beach will hold up. The Wise Guys don't like Miami's chances as the betting line on the game is Steelers -11.5. Is this line inflated to try to get some action for Miami? Who knows but the line is usually pretty close. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000770158/article/afc-wild-card-primer-dolphins-vs-steelers-on-sunday The late game this afternoon will be in an equally hostile environment. The Packers host the Giants in Green Bay and the weather is not going to be anyone's friend today. The forecast for kickoff in Green Bay is 13o F with a wind chill of 2o F. The wind will be light at around 8 mph out of the SSW. The humidity will be low at 56%. Being from up north I can tell you when the humidity gets low like it's going to be in Green Bay and Pittsburgh the ball is damn near impossible to hang on to. Because of the cold the ball is harder than Chinese algebra and slick to boot because the low humidity takes the moisture out of the air and also any tackiness the ball would naturally have. The Packers are 5.5 point favorites to win the game according to the Wise Guys but you might not want to depend on that too much. Eli Manning, in his two Super Bowl winning seasons of 2007 and 2011, beat Green Bay in Green Bay both times. In 2007 they defeated the Packers in the NFC Championship game and in 2011 they beat them in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. Both games featured freezing temps with the 2007 game, which was played at night, the temps were below zero with the wind chill in the -10's. Who do the Cowboys want to play? Who knows because both of them will be formidable. Here's a preview of the game from NFL.com. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000770369/article/nfc-wild-card-primer-giants-vs-packers-on-sunday The injury list for the games today is 2 players long. > The Steelers TE Ladarius Webb will not play because he has not cleared the NFL concussion protocol. > The Packers FB Aaron Ripkowski is questionable because of a shoulder injury. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000770158/article/afc-wild-card-primer-dolphins-vs-steelers-on-sunday Quote
eagle eye Posted January 14, 2017 Author Posted January 14, 2017 Atlanta is up on Seattle at halftime 19-10. Right now it doesn't look good for the Seahawks. Lots of head coaching vacancies and few got filled this past week but an even bigger piece of news came out as the Chargers name will no longer be preceded by "San Diego". It was announced this week that the Bolts are moving up the coast to Los Angeles. In just two short years LA-LA Land had no NFL team calling LA home and now they have 2 NFL franchises. This comes after the Chargers ownership spend the last couple of years trying to extort the taxpayers of San Diego of enough tax dollars to build a new stadium for them and extensive threats that they would relocate if the people of San Diego didn't capitulate. Hello, NFL owners, how about doing what Jerry Jones did and foot about 80% of the construction cost yourself? NFL owners are gazillionairs right? They could afford it they just didn't get to be gazillionairs by picking up the check all the time. Never mind the fact that Jones is making money on AT&T Stadium hand over fist. The $900 MM Jones spent of his own money for Jerry World will likely all be recouped before they lower him into the ground and he's 70 something years old. That is the same thing Art Modell did in Cleveland. Couldn't get a bond issue passed to get the people of Cleveland to buy his rich old ass a new venue? No problem, we'll move to Baltimore where the folks there already made the mistake of not footing the bill for a Colts stadiums so they moved to Indianapolis. The Rams couldn't get a stadium built so they moved from LA to St Louis. The story goes full circle as the Rams moved back to LA last season when the deal for a new stadium became a reality. Good old Bud Adams tried his best extortion moves on Houston but the city wouldn't budge on the bond issue and good old bud moved the team to Tennessee. The deciding factor in Houston getting a new franchise was--you guessed it--the promise of a new stadium. One that dwarfs his next door neighbor, the Astrodome. The NFL has also given their blessing to the Raiders move to Las Vegas. The Las Vegas Raiders? Yeah, no, I'll never get used to that. Maybe the City of Oakland will finally give in and help the Davis family remnants build a new stadium in the bay area. After all, the 49ers got a new place, why not the Raiders? All I know is, when it comes to money, there are no such things as tradition and loyalty to the city that you called home for years upon years. You know the saying, when money talks everything else walks. Here's some new head coaches and their new job locations according to the head coach job tracker from NFL.com. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000767531/article/coaching-tracker-the-latest-on-interviews-moves I have to be honest, the Los Angeles Chargers just doesn't have the right ring to it. As you saw, the 49ers are the only team that hasn't hired their new coach. Even Jacksonville filled their job even though they didn't go far to find their man hiring interim coach Doug Marrone. The ownership at San Francisco is finding replacing a "Genius" isn't so easy after all especially when you have to replace his boss, the general manager. Pretty dysfunctional group. Almost as dysfunctional as the jokers in Buffalo. As you know the Broncos have had a major upheaval in their organization. Gary Kubiak retires because of concerns over his health and the Broncos have lost their defensive coordinator Wade Phillips to the Rams. The Rams hire at head coach is 15 year old Sean McVay meaning 115 year old Wade Phillips will be hold the record for age disparity on a coaching staff. Okay, okay, Wade Phillips isn't 115, he's 69 and Sean McVay isn't 15 he's 30 but you get my point. I reckon Phillips left Denver because they hired Miami's DC Vance Joseph as head coach instead of him. The Broncos may be waiting for the playoffs to be over with because Dallas OC Scott Linehan has been linked to the Broncos but that was as head coach and that ship has sailed. If Linehan goes to Denver then the rumors that Tony Romo is going to Denver will ramp up to white hot. I'll close by giving you the latest on the Seahawks-Falcons game. One minute left in the 3rd quarter and Atlanta is up 26-13 and they are driving. They are currently on the Seattle 22 with a 3rd and 15. Pass complete to the Seahawks 12 where it is 4th and 7. The quarter ends with Atlanta lining up for field goal to extend the lead to 29-13. We will find out if Bridge City's Matt Bryant can convert. Quote
eagle eye Posted January 24, 2017 Author Posted January 24, 2017 The AFC and NFC Championships played out yesterday and, for once, the teams I was rooting for actually won. In the early game the Falcons just picked the helpless Packers up by their feet and they spanked their unsuspecting bottoms. The final 44-21 score was not indicative of the game because it wasn’t even that close. There were only 3, possibly 4, possessions where the Falcons DIDN’T score points. The Packers had their chances early but they failed to capitalize on them. An attempted a field goal by Mason Crosby which would have been a record 24th straight postseason FG on the Packers first possession but it sailed wide right. On the Packers second possession they drove the field and it looked like FB Aaron Ripkowski was going to bull his way for about 20 yards and a score, or at least get the ball inside the 5 yard line but the ball was ripped out of his arms and the Falcons recovered in the end zone for a touchback. The Falcons responded to both of those missed opportunities with a touchdown and before you knew it the score was 21 zip and the route was on. Everything that went right for Green Bay against the Cowboys was the exact opposite against the Falcons. Dropped passes, Rodgers was intercepted twice, fumbles and the defense couldn’t stop the Falcons offense just steam rolled the Packers D. By halftime the Falcons had more plays of 20 yards or more than most teams record in a month. The Falcons have a good defense that put a lot of pressure on Aaron Rodgers, pressure the Cowboys were unable to generate the previous week. The way the Falcons offense dismantled the Packers defense it’s a sure bet that Falcon’s OC Kyle Shanahan will be on a short list of potential head coach candidates. As a matter of fact, he is the favorite to get the 49ers opening unless the Falcons front office can sweeten the financial pot enough to not lose him. On the AFC side the Patriots did what the Patriots do. On offense they just carve you up by taking whatever is left available to them and they just force you to stop them. The only real way to stop the Patriots is ferocious pass rush along with being able to shut down the Pats run game. Tom Brady is tougher than he’s given credit for and it takes a lot to rattle him. Their offensive line is so well coached that it is hard, even in years when the O-line wasn’t anything to write home about, for teams to get to Brady in a meaningful way. Don’t believe me? That line over the years has not only sustained Tom Brady’s success but made stars out of guys like Matt Cassel and Jimmy Garoppolo. Most people mistake hating the Patriots with simple jealousy because since the pairing of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady that team is almost unstoppable. Tom Brady misses the first 4 games of the season because he was suspended over the deflate-gate mess and the Patriots still went 3-1 with Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissette under center. When Brady came back in Week 5 the Patriots went 11-1 and ended up with the best record in the NFL and are now headed to a record 9th Super Bowl in franchise history, the 7th for the Belichick-Brady era. The 36-17 win by the Patriots over the Steelers was classic New England. They took away the Steelers best receiver for most of the game in Antonio Brown and the other main weapon the Steelers had was La’Veon Bell and he was done in the first quarter with a groin injury. The Steelers tried to play zone against the Patriots and Brady just carved them to pieces making an overnight star out of WR Chris Hogan who led the Pats with 180 yards and two TDs on nine catches. Julian Edelman added 118 yards and a score on 8 grabs. The Patriots didn’t rush for more than 65 yards in the game but they didn’t need to because they correctly identified the Steeler’s weakness in their secondary and exploited it to the fullest. IMO the two best teams in the NFL from each league are in the Super Bowl and that’s what you want if you a football purist. For those of us who like other teams we have to admit this is the truth. If you think about it you know I’m right. In two weeks will be a helluva Super Bowl with the over-under likely around 60 points. As a Cowboys fan I’m pissed that we lost to Green Bay especially the way we did but in all honesty I don’t think Dallas could’ve beaten Atlanta. The Falcons have the best (highest scoring) offense in the NFL AND they have a championship caliber defense which Dallas doesn’t have—yet. Quote
eagle eye Posted January 26, 2017 Author Posted January 26, 2017 As the world counts down the days until Super Bowl LI we have really nothing to talk about except extraneous crap. NFL.com has ranked the new head coaching hires and it’s boring as hell. They also have misquotes or quotes meant to look like one thing when it means something else. What do I mean? How about this, “Phillip Rivers Says the Pro Bowl will be his last game as a San Diego Charger”. Knowing people knew that Rivers said before the 2016 season when talk of the possibility the Chargers could move to LA that “…he would never play in Los Angeles.” NFL.com made it look like Rivers was making good on his threat by demanding a trade or retirement. What it really meant was the Pro Bowl would be the last time he and his teammates would be representing the SAN DIEGO Chargers because in 2017 they would become the LOS ANGELES Chargers and Rivers has already embraced the change. What’s real? Well the Pro Bowl is dusting off the Skill Challenge that has been on the shelf for the past 10 years and it should be a nice change of pace to the boring elements of the game to be played this Sunday. The skills challenge is being held today and will be broadcast on ESPN on Thursday night. The Senior Bowl IS a big deal and it will also be played this weekend, on Saturday. It is being held as it always is in Mobile Alabama and it’s the first official event on the road to the NFL draft this April. As a recap, the game is a showcase for the top senior college football talent in the country. Players are divided between a north and a south squad with the so-called Mason-Dixon Line as the dividing point. The 2 teams with the worst records in the 2016 NFL season whose coach was not fired at the conclusion of the season will coach the teams. This year that means the Chicago Bears’ John Fox (North) and the Cleveland Browns’ Hue Jackson (South) will have the honor. Many people feel the coaches in the game get an advantage over their 30 other counter parts because they get an up close and personal view of the players during the week of practice and the game itself. Below is a link from NFL.com from draft maven Mike Mayock giving us his top 5 players from Day 1 of the Senior Bowl practices. Also below that is a link to DallasCowboys.com’s David Helman’s Day 1 view with a fairly extensive list of players that caught his eye. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000778827/article/senior-bowl-mike-mayocks-day-1-practice-stars http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2017/01/24/senior-bowl-notebook-scouting-pass-rushers-other-early-standouts It may be time to break out On The Clock at fanspeak.com and start messing with your mock drafts. This year the website has added an option of voting on the top needs for the team you select to draft for or stick with the fanspeak option. Here’s a link to the On The Clock web page at fanspeak.com. http://fanspeak.com/ontheclock/ As a compliment to the On The Clock mock draft engine here is a link to CBSSports.com’s draft player preview which is a comprehensive ranking of players both as a group and by position so when you see a player or players available for you to pick in your mock draft you can learn about the them so you can make an informed decision. It’s pretty helpful and when the real draft comes around you will already be familiar with the players before the talking heads on ESPN or Fox or the NFL channel even start spewing us with their expertise. http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospectrankings/2017/all Quote
eagle eye Posted January 30, 2017 Author Posted January 30, 2017 The Pro Bowl is over and it turned out to be a decent game. There was also the championship game of the NFL FLAG Football Championships played vs players in the 15-16 age group. The finalists were the Virginia Extreme Redskins who squared off against the Ryan Football Dolphins from Miami. I took a bathroom break and I missed the end of the game which was played during halftime and I can’t even google who won. I do know that the Virginia Extreme Redskins were ahead of the Miami team 14-6 late in the 3rd quarter. The first half of the game was actually played prior to kickoff of the Pro Bowl and the 2nd half was completed at halftime. The Pro Bowl itself wasn’t as bad as in years past. The players looked like they were trying to win and maybe they weren’t going 110% but there was some hitting going on. The one guy who noticeably phoned it in was the NFC’s Jimmy Graham who had a simply horrendous game. Dropped passes including the pass that iced the game for the AFC late in the fourth quarter and a poor effort on a possible TD catch were the main reasons Jimmy Graham should give his Pro Bowl check to charity. Graham just plain sucked last night. In the ultimate let down play of the game Graham was doing a deep crossing pattern and when he was around the AFC 5 yard line when Washington’s Kirk Cousins hit Graham right in the hands and instead of a first and goal inside the 5 or even the game tying TD it became AFC ball when the AFC’s Lorenzo Alexander grabbed the ball after it caromed off Graham’s hands at the AFC goal line and he returned it to the AFC 22 where he lateralled to Aqib Talib who damn near took it to the house. He would have if Kirk Cousins had not hustled his behind off and he made a strip tackle of Talib at the NFC 8. The AFC was given credit for the recovery even though Dez Bryant had the ball. NFC head coach Jason Garrett was urging the refs to review the play and was disgusted when they ruled in favor of the AFC. The AFC won 20-13 in a fairly entertaining game which is saying something for any All Star game. The AFC QB trio of Alex Smith, Andy Dalton and Phillip Rivers were just better than the NFC trio of Dak Prescott, Drew Brees and Kirk Cousins. The NFC QB’s didn’t get a lot of help from their receivers though. The NFC receivers seemed to be just going through the motions while the AFC guys played with some spirit. Jimmy Graham was the worst, I swear, he should have stayed home for all the good he did the NFC last night. But enough about the exhibition game last night, I’m tired of it. The 49ers have filled half of their job openings by hiring their next GM. What a surprise hire it was! The 49ers tabbed former Tampa Bay and Denver safety John Lynch to be their new GM which comes roughly a week removed from Lynch making a phone call to the 49ers front office to let them know he was interested in the job. Lynch, who is a finalist for this year’s Pro Football Hall of Fame, last played in Denver for then head coach Mike Shanahan. It is widely accepted that the 49ers will announce Shanahan’s son Kyle as the new 49ers head coach. Lynch is said to have gotten a six year deal from San Francisco and it is also said to be the same length of contract they are going to give Kyle Shanahan when he becomes available after the Super Bowl this coming Sunday. Currently Shanahan is the OC for the Atlanta Falcons. The hiring of Lynch is even more surprising when you consider that, even though he was a great player, he has not one bit of front office experience. Both he and Kyle Shanahan are going to be first timers in their respective jobs. It seems like a big leap of faith by the 49ers front office especially considering the Niners have just hired their 4th head coach in the last 4 years. Other significant coaching hires this past weekend were Chris Ballard who was formerly the Kansas City Chiefs Director of Football Operations as the Indianapolis Colts new GM who replaced Ryan Grigson who was fired earlier this month. Grigson’s biggest mistake as GM was not acquiring any offensive line help and the result has been star QB Andrew Luck missing parts of the past two seasons due to injuries suffered as a result of a really terrible offensive line. You don’t keep your job very long if you don’t do anything to protect your 100 million dollar QB. Result? Grigson out, Ballard in. The Jets have a new OC in New York in the person of Joe Morton. The Jets old OC was Chan Gailey but he retired at the end of this past season. Morton has been an NFL coach for 13 years, all of it spent on the offensive side of the ball. He has been with the 49ers, the Raiders and most recently with the New Orleans Saints as their WR coach. His only experience as a coordinator was with the USC Trojans from 2009-2011 under Pete Carroll and Lane Kiffin. As NFL.com correctly points out, Morton’s first job will be to figure out who the hell will play QB for the Jets next season. That’s a question that many feel has gone unanswered since Chad Pennington was dealt to Miami in 2008. Super Bowl week officially began when the Atlanta Falcons arrived in Houston yesterday. The Patriots will arrive today and the media circus will begin in earnest. Quote
eagle eye Posted February 11, 2017 Author Posted February 11, 2017 The 2016 NFL season is over and the New England Patriots have won their 5th Super Bowl in 7 tries in the Brady-Belichick era which are all NFL records that may last until well past my demise. Tom Brady won the MVP of the Super Bowl for a record 4th time but he felt that RB James White deserved the award more seeing as how he set a record for pass receptions (14) and yards receiving by a RB (110) and he scored 3 TD's on the night including the game winner in overtime. Brady felt so strongly about it he would have given the truck given to the SB MVP the same way he gave the SB XLIX MVP truck to Malcolm Butler after he picked off Russell Wilson at the goal line to save the victory over the Seahawks. The problem was, they don't give a truck to the MVP anymore. No worries, White got a brand new Ford F150 courtesy of Mike Reiss of ESPN.com and it was given to him on the Conan O'Brian show. Everyone has harped on the choke job the Atlanta Falcons did to lose a record 25 point lead and ultimately lose the SB in overtime. For 2-1/2 quarters the Falcons could do no wrong and for the other 1-1/2 + quarters they could do nothing right. The one major mistake that I believe cost the Falcons the game was the sequence of plays after a brilliant throw by Matt Ryan and an even more brilliant catch by Julio Jones that gave the Falcons a 1st and 10 at the Patriots 22 with 4:47 left in the game. The Falcons ran the ball on 1st down for a -1 yard. The clock kept running. Atlanta then tried a pass but Matt Ryan was sacked for a -12 yard loss to the NE 35. The clock continued to run. On 3rd and 23 Atlanta again dropped back to pass and they gained 9 yards on a reception by Mohammed Sanu. Unfortunately, Jake Matthews was called for holding and it moved the ball back to the NE 45 making it 3rd and 33. It also took the Falcons out of field goal range. The other bad thing was the clock stopped on the penalty. On 3rd down a Ryan pass fell incomplete again stopping the clock. So, after a 1st and 10 at the Patriots 22 the Falcons lose 23 yards of field position, take themselves out of field goal range and only burn 1:17 of clock after the punt. The Falcons did still have an 8 point lead and the Patriots had to go 91 yards in 3:30 to score a TD AND get a 2 point conversion but at this point did anyone anywhere believe the Patriots weren't going to complete the comeback? What SHOULD have happened is Atlanta runs the ball two more times with the clock running the whole time. It's 4th and anywhere from 10 to 15 yards for a 1st down with one of the best field goal kickers in NFL history coming out to nail a 42-43 yard field goal to give the Falcons an 11 point lead with roughly 3 minutes left in the game. Even the most die-hard Patriots fans couldn't imagine that comeback. Kyle Shanahan messed up. Bill Belichick didn't out coach the Falcons staff, they panicked and didn't play smart football and it cost them a win in the freaking Super Bowl. Have a nice flight to San Francisco Kyle (you have to say that with the same disdain Cartman might use). Yes, Kyle now is the head coach in San Francisco. Sweet, another lame ass coach on a team I don't like!! Whoopee! Did anyone feel bad for Falcons owner Arthur Blank who was standing on the sideline anticipating a win as he watched his team and coaches gag their way to a loss. I kind of did. The biggest rumor heading into the NFL offseason is a biggie. The talk is Cleveland is going to make a run at New England's Jimmy Garoppolo. Seems right. Garoppolo has had all of 1-1/2 quarters of experience as an NFL QB and the Browns think he's the second coming of Tom Brady. At least the Browns didn't fire their head coach and GM at the end of the season. Maybe they are really going to be smart and give Hue Jackson and Paul DePodesta a couple of years to prove themselves. It's a big gamble when you consider DePodesta didn't have an iota of NFL experience when he was hired this time last year. He did have some experience in MLB as a player personnel guy and GM. Jonah Hill's character in "Money Ball" was based on Depodesta. The Browns Director of Football Operations is another guy with zip for experience as an NFL executive. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam hired a lawyer, Sasha Brown, and he gave him total control over the Browns roster. This move was widely panned and criticized at the time and considering their first season was a disaster record-wise you wonder how much crap the Browns fans can take. Cleveland has stockpiled a bunch of draft picks over the last two seasons and the fact they will be drafting high again they are at least capable of really upgrading the roster. Now under first year head coach, Hue Jackson, the Browns didn't embarrass themselves. Their final 1-15 record wasn't totally indicative of how they played. They had the lead in several games until late when they ended up losing. They had chances to win games but they shot themselves in the foot before they could complete the comeback. A break or two here and there and Cleveland could have won anywhere from 5 to 7 games total last year. It's just a predominantly young team that hasn't learned how to win yet. The Browns have a dynamic set of RBs in Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson, they have a good tandem of young receivers in Terrelle Pryor and Cory Coleman and they have a decent tight end in Gary Barnidge. They even have a couple of QB prospects in Cody Kessler and Josh Hogan. Both of these guys were successful PAC 12 QBs in college, Kessler at USC and Hogan at Stanford. They also have picked up some nice defensive players in the draft and they also got CB Traemon Williams from Green Bay and LB Jaime Collins from New England. The Browns need to get solid at QB. The Browns have RGIII right now but given his injury history the Browns would be better off hitching their wagon to either Kessler or Hogan. None of the Browns QBs are going to do worth a darn if the Browns don't upgrade their O-line. Shore that up and Cleveland could really surprise some people next season. It all starts now in the offseason and the first move should be a non-move, in other words, don't trade draft picks for an unproven QB in Jimmy Garoppolo. IMO this a very weak QB class this season so the Browns should build up their team. Give veteran guys like Joe Haden and Joe Thomas a little hope, they certainly deserve it after laboring their whole careers on bad teams in Cleveland. The Browns have 13 total picks in this coming draft including 2 in the 1st round, 2 in the second round and a pick in the 3rd. That means Cleveland has 5 picks in the top 70 picks of the draft. That is huge when you're building a franchise. If the Browns do as good a job this year as they appear to have done in 2016 this Browns team could shock some people with the turnaround they could have. With that I am closing the books on this 2016 NFL season thread. If you're a Cowboys or Texans fan this season didn't end at all like you would have liked but there is hope for better for both teams in 2017. It's been a slice, see you in the next thread. Quote
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