OT: NFL Postseason

[intlzncster]

Lol the Chiefs.

The Chiefs have won a ton in a row, and that does mean something in the NFL. That said, they've played only one legit (playoff) club in the past 9 games or so (Broncos).

They are one of the most balanced teams, but they aren't really good at anything.

And Andy Reid.

 

[champs99and04]

I know Andy Reid's teams have a tendency to implode, and Alex Smith is underwhelming, but the Chiefs should be the favorite in the AFC. Steelers fans were actually rooting against them yesterday so that Tomlin would be fired. That's how bad they are. Cincy is limping without Dalton, and unless the Manning of yesterday's second half is going to show up consistently, they are on Cincy's level. The Patriots' problems are well documented. Unless Vollmer and Edelman return healthy, it's not going to happen. The Packers look done to me. Seattle, Arizona, Carolina look like the 3 favorites to win the Super Bowl with the Chiefs being the 4th.

The Steelers are bad? They won six of their last eight, four of their six losses were by one score or fewer (and one of the others was sans Roethlisberger) and their offense is putting up some ridiculous numbers.

 

[champs99and04]

The NFL is the best and most popular sport in the word for a reason... lots of story lines and exciting television. Playoffs will be no different.

Enjoy the NFL now while it's at its peak, because I think the sport will begin to change dramatically over the next 10 years as concerns over player health/brain injury become more prevalent. Kids are already starting to be steered away from football and towards other sports. I think the player population and rules changes will effect the game in the years to come.

Do you really think the NFL is at it's peak right now? IMO, the quality of play is down this year.

 

[champs99and04]

The Chiefs have won a ton in a row, and that does mean something in the NFL. That said, they've played only one legit (playoff) club in the past 9 games or so (Broncos).

They are one of the most balanced teams, but they aren't really good at anything.

And Andy Reid.

Their defense is very good. Hali and Houston are probably the best pass rushing duo in the league.

 

[Bonehead]

Die hard Vikes fan. Now that I have that out of the way...

I think Seattle is just clicking right now and will be hard to beat. They look hungry to get back. They are fierce.
I was leaning towards a rematch with Pats until the last couple of weeks but I think Pitt in AFC - either way the NFC has the far better teams in my eyes.

 

[intlzncster]

Their defense is very good. Hali and Houston are probably the best pass rushing duo in the league.

Is that a result of who they've played though? I don't have an answer to that mind you.

I'd put Ware and Miller up against those guys. Also, Sheard/Jones would be in the mix when healthy -> remember, they play a disciplined gap-style defense, but if they were allowed to pin their ears back and let loose every play, they'd put up some big numbers.

 

[intlzncster]

The Steelers are bad? They won six of their last eight, four of their six losses were by one score or fewer (and one of the others was sans Roethlisberger) and their offense is putting up some ridiculous numbers.

Not to mention, they've the best wide out in the league. Apologies to Beckham fans, but nobody does as much as Antonio Brown. He's the most versatile WR out there.

I'm not sold on their young D at this point, but they are a very dangerous team.

 

[aceboon]

The NFL is the best and most popular sport in the word for a reason... lots of story lines and exciting television. Playoffs will be no different.

Enjoy the NFL now while it's at its peak, because I think the sport will begin to change dramatically over the next 10 years as concerns over player health/brain injury become more prevalent. Kids are already starting to be steered away from football and towards other sports. I think the player population and rules changes will effect the game in the years to come.

You feel that this is the NFL at its peak? I'm 31 and this feels like the worst product the NFL has ever put out. I know the NFL is king and that won't be changing soon but the game is awful right now.

 

[intlzncster]

You feel that this is the NFL at its peak? I'm 31 and this feels like the worst product the NFL has ever put out. I know the NFL is king and that won't be changing soon but the game is awful right now.

I don't know about the worst, as there have been other bad years that might stack up, but it hasn't been great across the board. I don't have the numbers, but it feels like there has been a lot of significant injuries this year (might be because I'm a Pats fan and biased about that).

The changing of the rules have definitely impacted the game as well. It's a much different product than 5 or 10 years ago. It's really true that d backs can barely play any D. The OPI emphasis is garbage, and there's too much subjectivity (both ways) in the d backfield.

I also think we are in a transition period for quarterbacks (which in today's game takes on added significance). The great quarterbacks from 5+ years ago are old and on the downswing; only Brady has really kept up his play. And many of the young guys haven't hit their primes yet. Only Newton and Wilson are entering or at their prime. Everyone else (Luck included) isn't quite there yet.

Footballs so popular because Americans like to watch people beating the living snot out of each other. That and it's so ingrained (especially in the south): high school -> college -> pro. There's nothing like it in terms of fan support at all three levels.

 

[Rico444]

Every single guy is going to be back for the Pats in their first game. I've heard Edelman could have played against Miami, but they deemed the extra rest as a better investment. There's a lot of guys on the roster that need to heal, including a number that played yesterday. Both McCourty and Chung didn't look right. Nink either. Amendola probably could have handled a full load yesterday, but they pushed him back early last time, so better to be conservative again. I've no idea on Jones' injury, nor the extent of Vollmer's.

The only injury I worry about is Brady's. No idea the extent of the sprain.

As a Cowboys fan, I wouldn't be too confident of Edelman's return. He may come back, but Dez came back in a similar time frame and was never fully healthy all season. It seems like these foot injuries take a long time to fully heal to the point where the player is 100%.

 

[upstater]

Not to mention, they've the best wide out in the league. Apologies to Beckham fans, but nobody does as much as Antonio Brown. He's the most versatile WR out there.

I'm not sold on their young D at this point, but they are a very dangerous team.

I just feel the Bengals are going to handle them. Ben just has a tendency to implode. He tries to do too much. I see Adam Jones, Burfict and Nelson terrorizing him. They are going to put Nelson and a CB on Brown. They'll cause INTs.

And the Steelers D won't be able to handle AJGreen.

I wouldn't take Pittsburgh in this game with anything less than +6.

I really really hope I'm wrong. I will be rooting for the Steelers. I want to see them go into Denver rather than Kansas City who always seems to wilt on big stages. I don't want to see Alex Smith in Denver though I admit I would be intrigued by watching Hali and Houston get after that Denver offensive line.

 

[intlzncster]

As a Cowboys fan, I wouldn't be too confident of Edelman's return. He may come back, but Dez came back in a similar time frame and was never fully healthy all season. It seems like these foot injuries take a long time to fully heal to the point where the player is 100%.

They had Dez come back too early though. Edelman's gonna have too extra weeks off. Also, who knows how well each player heals? Edelman at 80% is still quicker than most DBs. Getting Amendola back to full strength will help tremendously as well. He's not been right for a month now.

 

[UChusky916]

You feel that this is the NFL at its peak? I'm 31 and this feels like the worst product the NFL has ever put out. I know the NFL is king and that won't be changing soon but the game is awful right now.

Should clarify... peak popularity. There's no arguing it's more popular than it's ever been.

 

[intlzncster]

I just feel the Bengals are going to handle them. Ben just has a tendency to implode. He tries to do too much. I see Adam Jones, Burfict and Nelson terrorizing him. They are going to put Nelson and a CB on Brown. They'll cause INTs.

And the Steelers D won't be able to handle AJGreen.

I wouldn't take Pittsburgh in this game with anything less than +6.

I really really hope I'm wrong. I will be rooting for the Steelers. I want to see them go into Denver rather than Kansas City who always seems to wilt on big stages. I don't want to see Alex Smith in Denver though I admit I would be intrigued by watching Hali and Houston get after that Denver offensive line.

I don't know if this will happen, but I could see the Bengals giving a less than 100% Dalton the start, having him underperform for a variety of reasons, and the Steelers rolling. I see the Steelers beating the Broncos in Denver (where Manning will wilt). I know the Broncos D is rated damn near the top of every defensive category, but I don't rate them as highly as everyone else. They are particularly vulnerable to fast/quick receivers like Brown, and good tight ends (like Gronk).

We'll see, one thing I do know, is that there are some great matchups this year. So wide open. It's exciting.

 

[Rico444]

They had Dez come back too early though. Edelman's gonna have too extra weeks off. Also, who knows how well each player heals? Edelman at 80% is still quicker than most DBs. Getting Amendola back to full strength will help tremendously as well. He's not been right for a month now.

All I'm saying is, don't be shocked if he doesn't plug back in and go back to being as great as he was without skipping a beat. Dez being on the team still helped, but he was clearly not 100%.

 

[polycom]

The NFL is the best

This is an opinion.

The NFL is the most popular sport in the word for a reason

This isn't true, the NFL is barely top 10.

 

[upstater]

All I'm saying is, don't be shocked if he doesn't plug back in and go back to being as great as he was without skipping a beat. Dez being on the team still helped, but he was clearly not 100%.

I'm more concerned about practice time and Brady getting in synch with him. Brady's high ankle sprain is going to keep him out of practice.

 

[Mots010]

I don't know if this will happen, but I could see the Bengals giving a less than 100% Dalton the start, having him underperform for a variety of reasons, and the Steelers rolling. I see the Steelers beating the Broncos in Denver (where Manning will wilt). I know the Broncos D is rated damn near the top of every defensive category, but I don't rate them as highly as everyone else. They are particularly vulnerable to fast/quick receivers like Brown, and good tight ends (like Gronk).

We'll see, one thing I do know, is that there are some great matchups this year. So wide open. It's exciting.

Denver's D is thin at safety right now. It lacked depth to start and injuries have made it worse. Keep an eye on that Darian Stewart hamstring injury. If he's not healthy, street FA's will see big time.

 

[aceboon]

This is an opinion.



This isn't true, the NFL is barely top 10.

yea this too, NFL is king in the US but the rest of the world doesn't give a damn.

 

[intlzncster]

All I'm saying is, don't be shocked if he doesn't plug back in and go back to being as great as he was without skipping a beat. Dez being on the team still helped, but he was clearly not 100%.

True. Unfortunately for the Pats, they've got a number of guys you could say that about. Still can't believe they are in the position they are, given all the injuries this year. It's one of BB's best and most underrated coaching and roster building jobs.

 

[intlzncster]

I'm more concerned about practice time and Brady getting in synch with him. Brady's high ankle sprain is going to keep him out of practice.

Somewhat mitigating that is the fact that these guys are so on the same page, that I think they'll be right back in it. That said, I'm worried about Brady's ankle. That really hurt him (and one of the least talked about factors) in the 2007 Super Bowl. He was in a walking boot in the lead up to that game. Affects mechanics and movement in the pocket.

I'm most worried about the O line. Even fully healthy (minus Solder), it is not great. Good enough? Probably. But not great. Vollmer's health is of paramount concern.

 

[intlzncster]

Denver's D is thin at safety right now. It lacked depth to start and injuries have made it worse. Keep an eye on that Darian Stewart hamstring injury. If he's not healthy, street FA's will see big time.

If the Pats and Broncos play, assuming Pats health, all Brady needs is one weak link on D and he'll exploit it all day.

 

[upstater]

Somewhat mitigating that is the fact that these guys are so on the same page, that I think they'll be right back in it. That said, I'm worried about Brady's ankle. That really hurt him (and one of the least talked about factors) in the 2007 Super Bowl. He was in a walking boot in the lead up to that game. Affects mechanics and movement in the pocket.

I'm most worried about the O line. Even fully healthy (minus Solder), it is not great. Good enough? Probably. But not great. Vollmer's health is of paramount concern.

Also remember Brady suffered the injury early against San Diego in the AFCCG. I was there. As Brady announced to the crowd after the game, "I sucked."

 

[upstater]

If the Pats and Broncos play, assuming Pats health, all Brady needs is one weak link on D and he'll exploit it all day.

Denver plays the Patriots all wrong. They have the D to crush the Patriots, but blitzing Brady is usually just dumb if Vollmer and Edelman are back. The Patriot will exploit you if you try that. I'm much more scared of sound Ds with good CBs, and Denver has the horses to keep the Patriots in front of them. They don't even need to be aggressive, but that is Denver's mentality. They won't change, they won't gameplan for the Patriots.

 

[aceboon]

Somewhat mitigating that is the fact that these guys are so on the same page, that I think they'll be right back in it. That said, I'm worried about Brady's ankle. That really hurt him (and one of the least talked about factors) in the 2007 Super Bowl. He was in a walking boot in the lead up to that game. Affects mechanics and movement in the pocket.

I'm most worried about the O line. Even fully healthy (minus Solder), it is not great. Good enough? Probably. But not great. Vollmer's health is of paramount concern.

If Belicheck was going to roll that stripped down gameplan against the Dolphins that basically didn't even bother utilizing Gronk, Amendola, and even Martin in the passing game, then it made no sense at all to play Brady in the finale. Hopefully the 2 weeks is enough to recover because he didn't look good leaving the podium after the postgame presser.

 

[intlzncster]

Denver plays the Patriots all wrong. They have the D to crush the Patriots, but blitzing Brady is usually just dumb if Vollmer and Edelman are back. The Patriot will exploit you if you try that. I'm much more scared of sound Ds with good CBs, and Denver has the horses to keep the Patriots in front of them. They don't even need to be aggressive, but that is Denver's mentality. They won't change, they won't gameplan for the Patriots.

That's true. Two things there though. The Broncos D thrives on pass rushers pinning their ears back and getting to the quarterback, while the D backs cover for enough time. Brady's quick (and accurate) release, coupled with small quick receivers who get open quickly, mitigates damn near any pass rush.

Another problem w Denver's D is they do not have a linebacker who can (somewhat) cover Gronk. They have to waste a lot of resources to keep him in check.

 

[Bryan Lord]

No love for my panthers? And yes I've been a fan since their innagural season in 95.

 

[intlzncster]

If Belicheck was going to roll that stripped down gameplan against the Dolphins that basically didn't even bother utilizing Gronk, Edelman, and even Martin in the passing game, then it made no sense at all to play Brady in the finale. Hopefully the 2 weeks is enough to recover because he didn't look good leaving the podium after the postgame presser.

Yeah, that gameplan is going in the trash. I have no idea what was up with that, other than they were missing their top two receivers, injuries across the O line, and integrating a new running back who hasn't played all year into the fold. play Garoppolo in that case.

And you are spot on, he looked like sh_t at the presser. Brady would be trying to mask that all he could (to not tip his hand), and he could barely stand. Need to get some of those Manning pills. I kid, I kid.

 

[intlzncster]

No love for my panthers? And yes I've been a fan since their innagural season in 95.

You must be happy as a clam this year, after the previous years. They've as good a chance as any. One big knock on them is that they just don't have many weapons on offense outside of Olsen. Cam makes up for much of this, but in the playoffs, points are much harder to come by, as these defenses are all good, and there's been a full year of tape to scheme against these guys.

There's going to be some terrific football played in the NFC playoffs. The football fan in me is hoping for a Panthers/Seattle matchup. The Patriots fan in me is hoping for a Washington/Minnesota championship game. Unless the Pats don't make it to the Superbowl. If not, then go anyone but Seattle/Green Bay/Broncos/Steelers.

 

[aceboon]

Yeah, that gameplan is going in the trash. I have no ing idea what was up with that, other than they were missing their top two receivers, injuries across the O line, and integrating a new running back who hasn't played all year into the fold.

And you are spot on, he looked like sh_t at the presser. Brady would be trying to mask that all he could (to not tip his hand), and he could barely stand. Need to get some of those Manning pills. I kid, I kid.

Looks like they were trying to protect Brady/Amendola(I got him and Edelman mixed up in my previous post)/Gronk/Martin from injury, they basically did very little in going to Gronk down the middle to protect his legs and had him more involved in blocking. If they were going to go to those measures then I would rather have had TB off the field entirely.