Official NFL 2010-2011 Thread

[Dan South]

So with two alleged sexual deviants involved in the AFC title game (Rapelithsberger and the toe sucker), is Ryan going to say this one is personal too?

 

Oh, man! I laughed out loud for a full minute when I read your post.

[MikeT156]

I doubt the Steelers will humiliate the Jets. Don't forget, the Jets won last time they came to Pittsburgh.

 

The Steelers are not going to have an easy time with the Jets. They played great Defense today. Brady had a tough time finding any receivers open. The guys were saying that the only way to beat NE was to put Brady on his back and then keep him on the sideline.

 

Games like these are just another reason I DON'T GAMBLE!

 

 

 

Mike T.

[Magpel]

Congrats on the weekend sweep in the Pickem man

 

 

Heh heh. Thanks, but I did pick Pats to win, Jets to cover.

 

That was a richly rewarding game--not quite as good as an NYG playoff win, but not not so far off.

 

The "answer" drive culminating in Holmes' exceptional catch was the best part.

 

 

[antimatter]

Bart Scott Gives an Interview Worthy of Pro Wrestling

 

"All we hear about is their defense - They can't stop a nosebleed!"

 

Good times for Gang Green and Big Bad Bart.

[Griffinator]

I don't know who was on the field today, but it didn't look like the Patriots.

 

Exactly what I was thinking.

 

I'm so disgusted with that performance by the offense I don't even know what to say. I quit watching when they gakked up that huge pass play right after closing to within 3.

[eric]

One of my facebook friends posted this last week (she's from NE and a huge Pats fan).

 

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs049.snc6/167951_1759442422086_1119780938_32042996_7861519_n.jpg

 

It evoked a number of comments, none of which suggested anything other than what the picture states. Today's game was a true shocker! I had predicted at least 50 points for Mr. Brady. Sorry I only got to watch the final quarter as I was on NAMM and SoCal duties.

[Geoff Grace]

I missed both games, but I had a great day at NAMM!

 

Three of the final four teams are ancient NFL franchises. Classic!

 

My condolences to our New England fans--Scott, Bridog6996, and Rich--and steadyb. Congrats to Ken and antimatter.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[Geoff Grace]

GB is really the only matchup that scares me out of the remaining group. Much like Indy, they have a QB and receiving corps that are diverse and can beat you in a dozen different ways.

 

I'd see heavy ball control-oriented offense (short passing, lot of running) and a LOT of contain-oriented blitzing being the keys to beating them.

This is the best I've felt about the Packers' chances since the year they lost to the Broncos in the Super Bowl. Granted, they got this close at the end of Brett Favre's last season; but I like their outlook better this year than I did against the 18-0 Patriots. I thought that New England team was invincible, but the Giants proved me wrong.

 

But even with Favre at the helm, Green Bay was the youngest team in the NFL that year. Now, they've got a good blend of youth and maturity and a great quarterback in his prime.

 

GB fans aren't missing Brett this year. There was bleeding there for a bit the last two years. If you asked GB fans ( and some polls did) if GB should have signed Brett to a 2-year contract after 2007 in general they would say yes.

 

What a difference a year makes. 2008 was a long, long time ago and 2009/2010 are great years under a new QB with a bright future.

It takes time to build up a QB. GB was right, and it took until now for them to really show it. If they have kept Brett, they may have had another decent season or two with him, but where would they be now? Even worse, they'd be starting from scratch next season (assuming Brett's career had the same or similar trajectory it did over the past few seasons). Nothing against Brett, but I'm glad to see that GB took a path for the future and not the moment.

I have to acknowledge that Rodgers is better than I dared hope. After all, I can only remember a great quarterback succeeding a great quarterback in the NFL once before--when Steve Young followed Joe Montana. The Packers are really lucky to have had lightning strike twice!

 

That said, the "what if" game is always a murky one. Would Favre had incurred the injury he had with the Jets if he'd stayed with the Packers? What if he'd stayed and played as well for the Packers as he did for the Vikings during the following season? With and without the Packers, Favre made it to the NFL championship two of three years. It's not out of the realm of possibility that the Packers might now be defending champions instead of promising contenders if he'd stayed. If so, what would that be worth?

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[MikeT156]

by Geoff Grace:

 

I have to acknowledge that Rodgers is better than I dared hope. After all, I can only remember a great quarterback succeeding a great quarterback in the NFL once before--when Steve Young followed Joe Montana. The Packers are really lucky to have had lightning strike twice!

 

I was listening to some of the sports commentators over the weekend, most of which are former players and former coaches.

 

Phil Simms said that he had watched Rogers early in his career and he didn't think he had the skills to be an NFL QB. At some point down the road, he had an opportunity to be at a Packer practice and he said that "He didn't know what Rogers had done" to improve his mechanics the way he did since the last time he had seen him close up, but that he looked like another John Elway. (Paraphrasing, of course)

 

This morning on Mike and Mike they had Mike Ditka on and he said the "Rogers performance was the greatest individual playoff performance he had ever seen" in his 50 years of being associated with the game.

 

Quite a statement. Not everyone agreed with the level of the compliment that Mike gave Rogers, but there's no doubt that Rogers is "very impressive". I am hoping the Pack will make it to the SB. Whoever they play is going to have their hands full. But it will be a good game, which is all that really matters.

 

 

Cheers,

 

 

 

Mike T.

[Magpel]

Hey, guess what currently active QB is tied for most postseason road wins in NFL history. That'd be Mark Sanchez.

 

There are some strangely skewed stats from that game. For example, the Pats appeared statistically to dominate time of possession. But most of that was from a strangely protracted late 4th quarter drive, the TOP length of which was entirely to the Jets advantage.

 

I don't know about you, but I thought Brady was rattled all day. He was throwing behind receivers, he cowered and went down unnecessarily several times under pressure.

 

But mostly, it was the Jets coverage.

[MikeT156]

Yeah, we all know what Harry Truman said about statistics. The only important statistic is the final score.

 

As I posted above, the only way to beat NE is to put Brady on his back and then on the sideline. He is one QB that will kill you if you let him stand back there and make throws. I don't know that he was rattled. I think that the Jets were throwing blitzes at him and he didn't know where they would be coming from or when they were coming. So the Jets disrupted his game. You're right though, the Jets were covering his receivers like a blanket.

 

Who would have thunk it?

 

 

 

Mike T.

[Magpel]

Well, it's an interesting thing. The final impression is that Brady was under fire all day, and the Jets did sack him 5 times, once quite brutally.

 

But it also seemed that there were many plays on which Brady had all day to throw, and the Jets coverage was airtight. The new "Brady rules" technique appears to actually to keep him from shuffling in the pocket and rolling out in his own rather un-athletic way, and I thought the Jets did a lot of that--a very controlled patient rush, the main point of which was to keep the outside sealed and to keep him from stepping up, and he DID look somewhat rattled.

 

Also, heard an interesting stat this morning. On 60 dropbacks, The Jets blitzed a grand total of 6 times.

[MikeT156]

That's interesting, the Jets front 4 did a good job of disrupting things pretty well without sending a whole lot of extra bodies all the time.

 

I'm still shocked at what I saw yesterday. I sat in the Legion with a number of Steelers fans that were all hoping the Jets would win. Not that the Jets are going to be easy to play, but the Patriots would easily have put 40 points up on the Steelers. The Jets defense is a lot better. Also, Troy was not right on Saturday. He was a non-factor. I hope he heals up better this week 'cause we'ere gonna need him!

 

 

Cheers,

 

 

Mike T.

[GovernorSilver]

I'm still shocked at what I saw yesterday. I sat in the Legion with a number of Steelers fans that were all hoping the Jets would win. Not that the Jets are going to be easy to play, but the Patriots would easily have put 40 points up on the Steelers.

 

The Jets see the Pats twice a year every year, so they have a lot more familiarity than the Steelers with the Pats offense.

 

There was nothing wrong with the Pats D, scheme or personel-wise. They just failed to execute on plays such as the big catch-and-run by Crotchery.

[ProfD]

I don't believe excessive end zone celebrations are necessary. I appreciate the humble, score and hand the ball to the ref move.

 

Still, I don't think the refs should be so quick to throw the flag for taking a nap or doing a back flip after a TD.

 

I know why the rules are in place but some celebrations are warranted especially when a team pulls off an upset.

 

Of course, that doesn't mean Rex should be running down the sideline. That looked so funny it deserved a flag.

 

[Joe Muscara]

What bothers me more than end zone celebrations is the showboating after a good play. It's one thing to pump a fist or something like "yes!!!" but I think it's another when some guys act like they just won the game when they made a good tackle or catch.

[Magpel]

What bothered ME was that, had Shonn Green fallen down on the 5 yard line, the Jets were three kneel downs away form certain victory. Instead we had to endure a wil finish with a second nearly successful onside kick. He shoulda pulled a Westrbook...

[theGman]

Thoughts on the weekend: It's nice to see how average Brady performs when he is under pressure. I wonder how many other medium grade NFL qb's would shine behind the Pats great (usually) offensive line.

 

I was thinking that a good way for the players to show off after a TD is to have a basketball rim facing the rear on the goalposts; they are also 10" tall, just like basketball. Then, let the scorer do his best dunk, no penalty. Whoopie whoo...another dunk. Wow.

 

I heard something on TV that the Packers lost all their games this year by a total of something like 20 points. That's really an impressive stat. Didn't realize how good they probably are.

 

Notice that all the final 4 cities represented are old NFL cities? I know the Jets are newer, but it's still a NY team.

 

 

 

[kanker.]

What bothers me more than end zone celebrations is the showboating after a good play. It's one thing to pump a fist or something like "yes!!!" but I think it's another when some guys act like they just won the game when they made a good tackle or catch.

What bothers me, and it's something that may even have started here in Indy (it's certainly a problem here), is the begging for a pass interference call by every receiver after even the slightest contact on an incomplete pass. Begging for a flag should be a 15 yard unsportsmanlike IMO

 

One other thing, since I'm bitching. I can interfere with a pass on the 1, and the ball is placed on the 1, but a personal foul within 30 yards of the end zone is half the distance. Considering the typically violent or at least excessive nature of a personal foul, shouldn't it *always* be penalized to the max? 15 yards regardless of field position, and if you can't enforce the full 15, then the ball is spotted at the 1.

[Joe Muscara]

Speaking of unsportsmanlike, I think if a ref is pushing two guys apart, and one of those guys comes right back, that should be *at least* a penalty.

 

Yeah, the "looking for interference" behavior is a lot like the flops in bball. It sucks when players play more to the refs instead of playing their game.

[MikeT156]

by Prof D:

 

Of course, that doesn't mean Rex should be running down the sideline. That looked so funny it deserved a flag

 

I thought I was gonna lose it when I saw Rex "The Flex" Ryan trying to run down the sideline. Its like he had a load of crap in his pants. Its a good thing he didn't have the "big one" right there.

 

Hilarious!

 

 

Mike T.

[antimatter]

If the Jets get passed Pittsburgh (and I think they will), the way they played against NE is the same way they'll play Green Bay (sorry Bears- I still can't forget the Giants 10 sacks earlier this year). The Jets dressed 11 secondary guys for the Pats game, and all of them played. Coverage got them pressure and sacks. Of course, Aaron Rodgers is a great runner, so there's that extra factor to contend with.

 

But you know what will screw the Jets up if they beat Big Ben? The two weeks off between games. It will me a momentum killer for them. Maybe.

:idk

[kanker.]

See, this is why I am not a huge Nantz or Simms fan. At the end of this video they critique Ryan's running style, and neither one of them suggests that it could be a foot problem....

 

CLONK

[MikeT156]

I was listening to a blurb on ESPN radio. Apparently some Patriot players were upset with some NY Jet players that were flipping the bird to Patriot fans after the game. Deon Branch called it "classless".

 

Payback is a bitch, isn't it.

 

Remember a few years ago when the Patriots beat the Chargers at San Diego and did some kind of Victory Dance on the Chargers 50 yard line and made a spectacle of themselves? I don't know if they flipped the fans the bird, but I know that LT made a public statement afterward that the Patriots were classless in the manner they conducted themselves on their field after the game. Apparently some NE fans called LT a cry baby and was spitting sour grapes, etc etc.

 

Yeah, losing on your home field sucks. Flipping the fans the bird is not cool. However, when you get a taste of your own medicine, you gotta suck it up.

 

If the Jets flip Steelers fans the bird if they win, they might not like the results.

 

Everyone needs to take a deep breathe and CHILL.

 

 

Mike T.

[Bridog6996]

Celebrating a victory like the Pats did in San Diego and giving fans the bird like the Jets did are two totally different scenarios. Doing a victory dance is a cocky move, sure. Giving the other team's fans the finger is a straight-up asshole move. Not on the same level IMO.

 

That's assuming it's true. I didn't see either event take place.

[MikeT156]

Bridog6996:

 

Deon Branch of the Patriots was the one that said that some Jets players were flipping NE fans the bird, so he wouldn't shake hands with Jets players. (I understand at least one of the Jets players said that Branch shook his hand). I can't blame Branch for being upset. I'm sure the Patriot players are disappointed. They had such a great season; they embarrassed a number of teams that are still in the playoffs.

 

At the beginning of the season I don't believe the Patriots were "suppose" to be all that good. They have a lot of extra draft picks coming this year, so they are only going to get better. New England will be back and they will probably have a better Defense after the draft this year.

 

Even though Jets players said they felt "disrespected" and were angry that nobody gave them a chance to win (including me-I gave them NO chance) that still doesn't justify flipping NE fans the bird. PROFESSIONAL players should let their talking be done on the field. I don't like it when the Steelers have idiots on their roster and act like assholes on top of it. Same applies to other teams IMO.

 

 

Cheers,

 

 

Mike T.

[Griffinator]

Bridog6996:

 

Deon Branch of the Patriots was the one that said that some Jets players were flipping NE fans the bird, so he wouldn't shake hands with Jets players. (I understand at least one of the Jets players said that Branch shook his hand). I can't blame Branch for being upset. I'm sure the Patriot players are disappointed. They had such a great season; they embarrassed a number of teams that are still in the playoffs.

 

At the beginning of the season I don't believe the Patriots were "suppose" to be all that good. They have a lot of extra draft picks coming this year, so they are only going to get better. New England will be back and they will probably have a better Defense after the draft this year.

 

Yeah, this was supposed to be a "rebuilding" year for the Pats. The only thing that makes me worry is that next year they're going to have to "rebuild" the O-Line, as depth across that position was a serious issue for them down the stretch, and is what undid them against the Jets.

 

Not only that, but Tom Terrific isn't getting any younger...

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

Welcome to the Divisional Round Playoff edition of the Tuesday Morning (Keyboard) Cornerback!

 

First, Im very happy to report that unlike nearly all of the previous 20 years, I was able to watch some football over the NAMM weekend. Most of my NAMM duties were done early on Sunday morning, so I headed back home and was able to watch the entire Jets/Pats game (more on that below) in the comfort of my own home. Before we delve into the details, lets see where were at in the final stages of the Pick Em Pool.

 

Incredibly, Magpel beats the odds and picked all four games correctly in the divisional round. No one else came close. Even with an 8.5 point advantage, only three of us (Magpel, antimatter, and dB) took the Jets over the Pats. I dont know that any of them were expecting the outright win.

 

The rest of us were split between 2 points (Mid Life Crisis, kanker, antimatter, ProfD, and myself) and 1-point weeks (Geoff Grace, dB, richwhite9, and griffinator), except poor saku who managed to pick all four wrong choices. GovernorSilver didnt place a bet.

 

So, with only three games remaining in the entire season, the standing are as such:

 

ProfD (138)

kanker (136)

antimatter (135)

Geoff Grace (134)

Mid Life Crisis (127)

jeffk_nfl2010 (125)

richwhite9 (124)

dB (122)

Magpel (119)

griffinator (118)

saku (114)

GovernorSilver (111)

 

This battle to the finish is not done yet! While its looking like ProfD has it wrapped up, the top three contenders could all still prevail. Plus, I have a perverse desire to pass MLC in the final.

 

 

Divisional Round Musings

 

NFC: I was not at all surprised by Green Bays thrashing of Atlanta. The Packers have been coming on super strong around the end of the season and the Wild Card round, while Atlanta was constantly one of those teams that seemed better on paper than when they play the game. I was actually surprised that the Falcons were considered the favorite in that game, albeit by a small margin. Aaron Rogers will soon start being mentioned in those lists that include Brady, Manning, and Brees.

 

I was a little less enamored of the Seahawks performance against the Bears. I must have been influenced by SteadyB (or by my own excitement at last weeks performance against the Saints) when I picked them to stay within 10 points of Chicago. Theyve never been a great road team, and the true reason for their 7-9 regular season record was apparent on Saturday. Best of luck next year, Seahawks. Youll need it.

 

Next weekend, we have an excellent matchup between the Packers and Bears, and the current favorite is Green Bay (-2.5) on the road. I dont think I can disagree with that.

 

AFC: I cant say I was surprised that the Steelers beat the Ravens. Despite the turnovers on their part, Baltimore also coughed up the ball a lot, and just didnt show up in the second half. Roethlisberger played like a champion; Flacco played like a guy whos still finding his playoff legs. All in all, neither teams play was very encouraging, and I cant say I have a ton of confidence going into next weekends conference championships for the Steelers.

 

The game I actually saw from start to finish was completely awesome... if you dislike the Pats as I do. Actually, I dont like either New England nor the NY Jets, but one must prioritize ones hate, and I always like an underdog. That having been said, I assumed the Patriots would kill the Jets, and was pleasantly shocked at the outcome of the game. The Jets outplayed and outcoached the supposedly undefeatable Pats all game long. The Jets had the whole NO ONE BELIEVED IN US! chip on their shoulder going in, and they made it work for them. Huge credit to Revis and Cromartie for not allowing Brady any clear targets for most of the game. More credit to Sanchez for doing all the right stuff. An amazing performance, and one I was grateful to have witnessed.

 

Next weekend, we have the Jets versus the Steelers in the AFC championship, and Im really having trouble picking a winner here. Of course, the real winners are... us! Lets enjoy the remainder of the season, whats left of it, and Ill be back next week with a special pre-Super Bowl article of TM(K)C!

[MikeT156]

Scott: I think Brady will be around for awhile. Recently he said he wants to play into his forties. That's one player that you can't replace.

 

What I can't figure out is why the Steelers are a 3 1/2 point favorite against the Jets in the AFC Championship game this weekend. The Steelers lost by 5 points to the Jets at Heinz Field not too long ago. I don't get it.

 

Whoever wins is going to have their hands full with the Packers. They're lookin' great and are peaking at the right time. I can only hope for a great Super Bowl at this point.

 

 

Cheers,

 

 

Mike T.

[Dan South]

Scott: I think Brady will be around for awhile.

 

You're probably right. I hear that there's a painting in his house that ages a little bit each year. ;-)

 

 

What I can't figure out is why the Steelers are a 3 1/2 point favorite against the Jets in the AFC Championship game this weekend. The Steelers lost by 5 points to the Jets at Heinz Field not too long ago. I don't get it.

 

My understanding is that home field advantage is worth three points on the line, so for the home team to be up by 3.5 is basically a push. If I recall correctly, the Jets didn't move the ball well against the Steelers. They had a pick deep in Steeler territory and scored on that cheesy bootleg because Troy wasn't back there being Troy. Otherwise, the Steelers outplayed them. This game will probably come down to a key turnover or a critical injury. I can't see either team dominating the other.

 

 

Whoever wins is going to have their hands full with the Packers.

 

The Packers look like this year's "team of destiny," i.e. like last year's Saints. But it's been a very strange year. At Thanksgiving, a Giants/Patriots Super Bowl rematch looked likely. Anything can happen.

 

That said, how utterly SWEET would it be for the Steelers to win Ring Number Seven in Jerry Jones' brand spakin' new stadium? Holy Cow!