Well the Mets are getting off on the right foot in 2010. I’m sure they’re not worried though. I mean, they do have Jason Bay. Seriously though, nice job by Beltran and the Mets organization to wait three months after the season ended to get this surgery done.
And in other New York sports news, we have this from the Onion: http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/tom_coughlin_scores_2. Not sure if I’ve ever seen a team not named the Mets finish a season as badly as the G-Men did.
Now that we have turned the calendar on a new decade (I know, not technically, but in the sports world, the 00’s are over and the 10’s have begun), it’s kind of fun to look back on the last 10 years. I am going to try and periodically throw out a post that remembers a sports season or so. Since we’re in the middle of the NFL playoffs, I figured where better to start than the first NFL season of the decade. In these (at least the NFL ones), I think I’m going to focus less on the Super Bowl and more on the playoffs leading up to it because most of us remember the Super Bowl, but may have forgotten the interesting drama that took place to get us there.
One interesting note is that I had forgotten how recent the four division setup was, as 2000 still had three divisions in each conference. There were 31 teams (no Houston yet), and the AFC Central actually had 6 teams. The odd number of teams led to some strange scheduling, like the Eagles having a bye week in Week 16. Also, the playoffs started a week earlier than they do now (the season started the week before Labor Day until 2001), so there were playoff games on New Year’s Eve. And, the Saturday playoff format was the same as Sunday, with two afternoon games; the primetime playoff games did not start until 2001 also.
NFC Regular Season
On Thanksgiving Day, when the Minnesota Vikings beat the Detroit Lions 24-17, it looked like the Vikes (who were now 11-2 and 2.5 games ahead of anyone else in the NFC) were going to cruise to the NFC’s top-seed and home-field advantage. But, they lost their final three games, including a 31-10 drubbing in Week 17 to the Indianapolis Colts, to finish at 11-5, while the New York Giants won their last five games to win the NFC East by one game and the secure the NFC’s #1 seed. The Vikings did still get the bye and the #2 seed.
The Eagles lost 15-13 in Week 14 to the Titans, which ended up costing them the division title and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Birds finished 11-5 and took the NFC’s #1 wild card. The big shocker was out West, where “The Greatest Show on Turf,” the defending Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams, were beat out for the division title by the Aaron Brooks-led New Orleans Saints. Both teams were 10-6 and made the playoffs, but the Saints won the division via tiebreaker. The third wild card was the Tampa Bay Bucs, who finished 10-6, just edging out their 9-7 division rivals in Green Bay and Detroit.
The worst teams in the NFC were the 3-13 Arizona Cardinals and the 4-12 Atlanta Falcons, who were both outscored by more than 150 points by their opponents on the season. The Cards were especially bad, as they scored few points and gave up more points than any other team in the NFC.
Wow, another incredibly talented Eagles team fails to bring us a title. Maybe it’s time to blow it up. Think about it.
HEAD COACH:
QUARTERBACK:
This is the sign of a good head coach and a good quarterback who just can’t win “the big one,” right? I mean come on, look at those numbers–and they have not won a Super Bowl in ELEVEN SEASONS??? Enough is enough, right…?
Oh, and in case you were wondering, the statistics referenced above are for the first 11 seasons in the careers of head coach Bill Cowher and quarterback John Elway. Who did you think I was talking about?
Since this is basically what I do for a living (no, not with the NFL playoffs, unfortunately), I decided to practice my trade and figure out the different scenarios and what would happen to the Challenge, depending on future results. Here is what I came up with (the numbers in parentheses are the chances, out of 16, that that winner would win given the named Super Bowl champion):
If Indianapolis wins the Super Bowl:
Potential Winners: Josh (7), Doogan (6), Scott (1), Josh/Doogan (1), Josh/Scott (1)
If New Orleans wins Super Bowl:
Potential Winners: Waters (14), Josh (1), Waters/Josh (1)
If San Diego wins Super Bowl:
Potential Winners: Waters (4), Bry (4), Doogan (4), Scott (3), Alexi (1)
If Minnesota wins Super Bowl:
Potential Winners: Alexi (9), Scott (2), O’Neill (2), O’Neill/Alexi (1), O’Neill/Josh (1), O’Neill/Scott/Josh (1)
If Dallas wins Super Bowl:
Potential Winners: Bry (10), Doogan (3), Josh (2), Doogan/Josh (1)
If Arizona wins Super Bowl:
Potential Winners: Doogan (10), Waters (4), Doogan/Waters (2)
If New York wins the Super Bowl:
Potential Winners: Josh (10), Waters (3), Bry (2), Josh/Waters (1)
If Baltimore wins Super Bowl:
Potential Winners: Waters (16)
One round in the books, and the BSB NFL Playoff Challenge is off and running. I know that the fans of the Cardinals and Packers may think that that one amazing play by the Arizona defense had major ramifications for their teams, but the real ramifications came down on this BSB Challenge. There were absolutely humongous swings of fortune in this challenge because of the Arizona victory. In fact, that game coupled with the big swing in the Baltimore – New England game, may prove to be the difference-maker for the whole Challenge. Anyway, here are our standings after the Wild Card Round. We will preview the Divisional Round later in the week. [NOTE: when listing the teams lost below, a * indicates a “most trusted” team and a ^ indicates a “least trusted” team]
LEADERS:
Waters – 24
Bry – 23
Doogan – 21
Josh – 20
Ina – 17
David – 17
Scott – 16
O’Neill – 15
Alexi – 11
POINTS LOST:
Josh – 19
Waters – 20
Scott – 21
David – 22
Doogan – 22
O’Neill – 22
Bry – 24
Alexi – 26
Ina – 27
1). Waters. (24 points, +4 differential)
Waters rode the big 8-spot he gave to Baltimore to an early lead in the Challenge. He did lose, however, two of his “most trusted” teams in Cincinnati and Green Bay, but 4 other people also had the Pack at 9, and Waters had Arizona at 5, so that loss doesn’t hurt him nearly as much as it does for others. He also had the Pats and Eagles as “least trusted,” so those losses were gains for Waters. All in all, a VERY solid first-round for Waters, who is in a pretty good position moving forward.
Jets over Cincy* = -2
Dallas over Philly^ = +4
B’more* over NE^ = +6
Zona over GB* = – 4
Points Lost: 20
Teams Lost: GB (9), Cincy (6), Philly (3), NE (2)
2). Bry. (23 points, -1 differential)
A decent performance for Bry could have been devastating for the competition if Green Bay had beaten Arizona. That loss brings him right back to the pack. Bry did lose 24 of his points, though, as he had both Dallas and Philly as a “most trusted” team, so we’ll see if there are enough points out there to get him to the top.
Jets* over Cincy: +1
Dallas* over Philly*: +2
B’more over NE: +3
Zona over GB*: -7
Points Lost: 24
Teams Lost: GB* (9), Philly* (8), Cincy (4), NE (3)
3). Doogan. (21 points, -1 differential)
Doogan got the one thing that he really needed if he is going to win this thing, and that is a Cardinals victory. He is the only one that made points with that win, and his 7 for Arizona is much higher than anyone else has them, so if they can keep rolling, they might take him to a victory. In fact, if New England had been able to knock off Baltimore, Doogan would have had a monstrous first round and would be the one everyone was chasing. But, the loss of the 9-spot New England is tough and makes the Cardinals run even more important for Doogan’s chances in the Challenge.
Jets over Cincy = -1
Dallas* over Philly = +4
B’more over NE* = -6
Zona* over GB^ = +2
Points Lost: 22
Teams Lost: NE (9), Philly (6), GB (5), Cincy (2)
4), Josh. (20 points, +1 differential)
Though currently sitting in 4th place, Josh is actually in a very good spot here, as other than the leader, Waters, he is the only one who actually had a positive weekend, as he gained more points than he lost. The Baltimore win did hurt him moving forward, as he lost his 8-team in New England, but the Jets win was huge for him. Josh has his top ranked teams all playing in separate games this week (and is one of only two entries that didn’t lose a 9 this week), so he is primed to possibly take command of this Challenge.
Jets* over Cincy^ = +4
Dallas* over Philly = +6
B’more over NE = -6
Zona over GB = -3
Points Lost: 19
Teams Lost: NE (8), GB (6), Philly (4), Cincy (1)
5t). Ina. (17 points, -10 differential)
There is good news and bad news for Ina. She did well and is well within striking distance of the leaders, but her margin for error has severely shrunk, as she lost some pretty important teams this weekend. If Ina doesn’t recover to win this Challenge, she may look back at Wild Card Sunday as the day that did her in. Losing Green Bay was tough, but New England was even tougher.
Jets^ over Cincy = -4
Dallas* over Philly = +4
B’more over NE* = -5
Zona over GB = -5
Points Lost: 27
Teams Lost: NE (9), GB (7), Philly (6), Cincy (5)
5t). David. (17 points, -5 differential)
David’s fortunes, like several entries, took a big hit Sunday night, when the Cards knocked off Green Bay. Other than that, David didn’t take any real big hits, and the Jets beating Cincy definitely helped him a good amount. David is in a decent position moving forward, but he has a little ground to make up.
Jets* over Cincy^ = +4
Dallas over Philly* = -1
B’more over NE = -2
Zona over GB* = -6
Points Lost: 22
Teams Lost: GB (9), Philly (8), NE (4), Cincy (1)
7). Scott. (16 points, -5 differential)
Despite having three of the four games go against him and currently sitting in 7th place, Scott in actually still in a pretty nice position. He lost his 7, his 6, and his 5, but he is the only entry left that still has its top 5 ranked teams still alive. Josh lost his 8, and everyone else lost their 9s, but Scott still has all of his top 5 teams still alive, so he’s poised to make a move.
Jets^ over Cincy = -2
Dallas over Philly = +2
B’more over NE = -4
Zona over GB^ = -1
Points Lost: 21
Teams Lost: Philly (7), NE (6), GB (5), Cincy (3)
8). O’Neill. (15 points, -7 differential)
It wasn’t good, but certainly could have been worse for O’Neill. He definitely minimized his losses in the Saturday games, which allowed him to take the big hits on Sunday and hold on to an outside shot at a comeback. Though the losses by New England and Green Bay make it so he is going to need everything to fall his way from here on out.
Jets* over Cincy = +3
Dallas over Philly = +2
B’more over NE = -4
Zona^ over GB* = -8
Points Lost: 22
Teams Lost: GB (9), NE (7), Philly (4), Cincy (2)
9). Alexi. (11 points, -15 differential)
Certainly a tough weekend for Alexi. The wins were by his 1, 2, 3, and 5 teams, so he was only 1 point better than the lowest possible score. The one silver lining is that he saved his real big-ticket teams for the second weekend, so he still has some points to throw around, but this weekend will be hard to recover from for one of the more accomplished BSB Challenge participants.
Jets over Cincy = -2
Dallas^ over Philly = -2
B’more^ over NE = -5
Zona over GB* = -6
Points Lost: 26
Teams Lost: GB (9), Philly (7), NE (6), Cincy (4)
As of Playoff Eve, the First Annual BSB NFL Playoff Challenge officially has 7 contestants. [Editor’s Note: two more entries were added Saturday morning. They have been added to this preview at the bottom and will be included in all updates moving forward. Also, quick addendum to the scoring. I forgot to mention the fact that the Conference Championship Games will have 2x points and the Super Bowl will be 4x points. The best possible scores have been updated below.] The following are the official entries. In addition to the actual picks, I listed the teams to which the person gave the most points of any of the competitors (“most trust in”) and those to which they gave the least (“least trust in”). In other words, any team on a competitor’s “most trusted” list means that no one has that team listed higher on their list. I also calculated each competitor’s best possible total score at the end and their best possible score for this round. And, finally, I looked at what the biggest “swing game” of the week would be for each person, which I just defined as the game with the biggest differential between the points given to the teams. Yes, I have no life…
INA:
SD 12, Indy 11, Dallas 10, NE 9, NO 8, GB 7, Philly 6, Cincy 5, B’more 4, Minn 3, Zona 2, Jets 1
Most Trust In: SD, Dallas, NE
Least Trust In: Jets
Best Possible Total Score: 164
Best Possible Wild Card Score: 31
Worst Possible Wild Card Score: 13
Biggest Swing Game: NE (9) vs. B’more (4)
Thoughts: Ina has a lot of points in the top 3 AFC teams (12, 11, and 9), so she should get a lot of points from the AFC. She also has the highest “best possible” for this round, as she has some big points in her Wild Card teams.
DOOGAN:
Indy 12, SD 11, Dallas 10, NE 9, NO 8, Zona 7, Philly 6, GB 5, Minn 4, B’more 3, Cincy 2, Jets 1
Most Trust In: Indy, Dallas, NE, Zona
Least Trust In: Jets, GB
Best Possible Total Score: 161
Best Possible Wild Card Score: 29
Worst Possible Wild Card Score: 14
Biggest Swing Game: NE (9) vs. B’more (3)
Thoughts: Doogan, like Ina, has a lot of points in the top 3 AFC teams. But, it looks like Doogan’s fate may be decided by the Arizona Cardinals, as he put them at 7, while no one else had them higher than 4.
DAVID:
Indy 12, NO 11, SD 10, GB 9, Philly 8, Dallas 7, Minn 6, Jets 5, NE 4, Zona 3, B’more 2, Cincy 1
Most Trust In: Indy, GB, Philly, Jets
Least Trust In: Cincy
Best Possible Total Score: 162
Best Possible Wild Card Score: 26
Worst Possible Wild Card Score: 13
Biggest Swing Game: GB (9) vs. Zona (3)
Thoughts: David is trusting in the top seeds, as his 12 and 11 teams are the two #1 seeds, and his 10 is with #2 SD. His fate will probably be decided next week, as we see if the top teams can win at home. Interestingly, in a group of mostly Philly fans, David is one of only two entries that have the Eagles ranked higher than Dallas (the only other one is a non-Eagles fan).
JOSH:
Indy 12, NO 11, Dallas 10, SD 9, NE 8, Minn 7, GB 6, Jets 5, Philly 4, Zona 3, B’more 2, Cincy 1
Most Trust In: Indy, Dallas, Jets
Least Trust In: Cincy, SD
Best Possible Total Score: 165
Best Possible Wild Card Score: 29
Worst Possible Wild Card Score: 10
Biggest Swing Games: Dallas (10) vs. Philly (4); NE (8) vs. B’more (2)
Thoughts: Josh played the Wild Card Round strategically, as he has wide gaps in all four games this weekend. In fact, if he gets all four of these games right, he will still have his top 8 ranked teams still left.
SCOTT:
Indy 12, SD 11, NO 10, Dallas 9, Minn 8, Philly 7, NE 6, GB 5, Zona 4, Cincy 3, B’more 2, Jets 1
Most Trust In: Indy
Least Trust In: Jets, GB
Best Possible Score: 157
Best Possible Wild Card Score: 23
Worst Possible Wild Card Score: 14
Biggest Swing Game: NE (6) vs. B’more (2)
Thoughts: Scott, like David, has a lot of trust in the big boys, who play next week. He has very few points wrapped up in the wild cards, so his fate will be determined more next week than this one.
ALEXI:
NO 12, SD 11, Minn 10, GB 9, Indy 8, Philly 7, NE 6, Dallas 5, Cincy 4, Zona 3, Jets 2, B’more 1
Most Trust In: NO, Minn, GB
Least Trust In: B’more, Dallas, Indy
Best Possible Score: 161
Best Possible Wild Card Score: 26
Worst Possible Wild Card Score: 11
Biggest Swing Game: GB (9) vs. Zona (3)
Thoughts: Alexi is the other entry that has the Eagles ranked higher than Dallas. But, Alexi is a Ravens fan and is the only one to give the Ravens a 1. Maybe he knows something that we don’t. Alexi’s fate will almost certainly be determined by the Colts. He has them at 8, and no one else has them even lower than 11.
BRY:
SD 12, Indy 11, Dallas 10, GB 9, Philly 8, NO 7, B’more 6, Jets 5, Cincy 4, NE 3, Zona 2, Minn 1
Most Trust In: SD, Dallas, GB, Philly, Jets
Least Trust In: Minn, NO
Best Possible Score: 164
Best Possible Wild Card Score: 30
Worst Possible Wild Card Score: 17
Biggest Swing Game: GB (9) vs. Zona (2)
Thoughts: Bry is putting a lot of eggs in NFC teams that did not get the bye, as he has the lowest values assigned to both New Orleans and Minnesota–who got the 1. He also has a lot more confidence in Baltimore and a lot less confidence in New England than anyone else.
Well, here we go. We’ll update the standings some time next week and maybe give a “Challenge Preview” for the Divisional Round.
LATE ENTRIES (that were submitted prior to any of the games being played):
O’NEILL:
Indy 12, NO 11, SD 10, GB 9, Minn 8, NE 7, Dallas 6, Jets 5, Philly 4, B’more 3, Cincy 2, Zona 1
Most Trust In: Indy, GB, Jets
Least Trust In: Zona
Best Possible Score: 163
Best Possible Wild Card Score: 27
Worst Possible Wild Card Score: 10
Biggest Swing Game: GB (9) vs. Zona (1)
WATERS:
NO 12, SD 11, Indy 10, GB 9, B’more 8, Dallas 7, Cincy 6, Zona 5, Jets 4, Philly 3, NE 2, Minn 1
Most Trust In: NO, GB, B’more, Cincy
Least Trust In: Minn, NE, Philly
Best Possible Score: 164
Best Possible Wild Card Score: 30
Worst Possible Wild Card Score: 14
Biggest Swing Game: B’more (8) vs. NE (2)
As we finish up our week long Playoff Top Twelve, we hit the coaches. This ranking is done based mostly upon the answer to the question: “Who do you trust most in a playoff game?” I have tried to encompass my thoughts on the coaches’ experience, preparation/gameplan ability, in-game scheme adjustments, motivational ability, and late-game decision-making (e.g. clock management, 4th down decisions, etc.).
This Year’s Top Twelve Playoff Coaches
12). Brad Childress – Minnesota. (1 organization, 4 seasons, 36-28 regular season, 2 division titles, 0-1 playoffs) I kind of like Brad Childress…kind of. But, he is a pretty bad head coach. He makes terrible in-game decisions, doesn’t seem to formulate any sort of inventive gameplan, and never seems like he ever has control of his team. The way he handled the Favre thing this year from the day he left practice to personally pick him up at the airport to the day it came out that Favre wouldn’t let him bench him several times this year just shows how weak he is. The Vikings are immensely talented this year, but they seem like a bit of a long-shot, to me, to win the Super Bowl because I just cannot trust Childress to get anything done from the sidelines (other than win a Tony Kornheiser look-a-like contest). The Vikes would be better off with any other playoff coach calling their signals.
11). Marvin Lewis – Cincinnati. (1 organization, 7 seasons, 56-55-1 regular season, 2 division titles, 0-1 playoffs) I never thought all that highly of Marvin Lewis, but he has impressed me this year, with the way he has kept his team together through some off-the-field issues. And, it is also impressive that he won 10 games and a tough division with a marginally talented squad. However, I can’t give him a pass for the awful failures in 5 of his previous 6 seasons as Bengals head coach. And, because of that, he still needs to prove something before I can say that I have any trust in him in the playoffs.
10). Norv Turner – San Diego. (3 organizations, 12 seasons, 90-98-1 regular season, 4 division titles, 4-3 playoffs, 1 AFC Championship Game appearance) Everyone rips on Norv. And, rightfully so, in many, many ways. Let us be honest, the guy is not a very good coach. His gameday decisions are questionable at best, ludicrous at worst. His preparation for a season is dreadful–just look at how San Diego always starts the year. But, somehow, at least in this his third team, he gets the Chargers playing well in December and January. But, then again, let’s look at some of the talent that good ole Norv has to play with out there in sunny SoCal. My distrust of Norv is only exceeded by my trust for the talent on his team, so when Norv hoists the Lombardi Trophy this year, don’t think it is because of his brilliant coaching.
9). Rex Ryan – N.Y. Jets. (1 organization, 1 season, 9-7 regular season, 1 wild card, 0-0 playoffs) Ryan falls here at #9 because I have absolutely no idea what to think of him as a head coach. So, he’s a zero. I see the first three guys as negatives, and the next 8 as positives. Plus, I am impressed with Ryan’s ability to make the playoffs with a rookie QB and an incompetent set of receivers. He has built an amazing defense up there, so I like the direction in which he is taking the Jets, and I kind of have to root for him, as the son of the great Buddy, so #9 sounds about right.
8). Wade Phillips – Dallas. (5 organizations, 10 seasons, 81-54 regular season, 2 division titles, 3 wild cards, 0-4 playoffs) Personally, I think Wade gets too much flack for his coaching. Everywhere the guy has been, he has won…in the regular season. Then, I think about the teams that he has had and the fact that he has still never won a playoff game, and I think–maybe everyone’s right about Wade. Well, I’m giving Wade one more chance. If the Eagles go in there and beat Dallas on Saturday, then I will officially join the “Wade sucks” bandwagon. Let’s hope that happens.
7). Ken Whisenhunt – Arizona. (1 organization, 3 seasons, 27-21 regular season, 2 division titles, 3-1 playoffs, 1 NFC Championship Game appearance, 1 Super Bowl appearance) I guess it’s impressive that Whisenhunt has taken a notoriously awful franchise and turned them into a winner, almost overnight. So, that’s good. And, I do think that he seems to have a good sense of his team and a really good understanding of the game of football (which is surprisingly lost on WAY too many of the 32 head coaches in this league). However, there is just something about the last three Cardinals teams with Whisenhunt at the helm that irks me. It’s the inconsistency. One week, they look unbeatable, and the next, they look like the old Cardinals. Now, granted, last year the “unbeatableness” came at just the right time, so I guess if that happens again this year, you have to say that Whisenhunt knows when to hit the pedal, but I’m going to wait for that to happen before proclaiming him a great, trustable coach.
6). Mike McCarthy – Green Bay (1 organization, 4 seasons, 38-26 regular season, 1 division title, 1 wild card, 1-1 playoffs, 1 NFC Championship Game appearance) I guess McCarthy is one of those coaches that you don’t really think about, but you’d have to consider pretty solid, right? He’s been in Green Bay for 4 years. The first one was just miserable because Favre looked completely washed up. Then, the next year, they won 13 games and went to OT in the NFC Championship Game. Then, last year, again Favre derailed the season, with all those distractions and the breaking in of a new quarterback. And, then this year, they look like a powerhouse again. I never think of McCarthy as a really good coach, but I guess he’s kind of on his way to becoming one, right? Either way, I think he does a good job, and I would trust him to coach my team in a playoff game.
5). Jim Caldwell – Indianapolis. (1 organization, 1 season, 14-2 regular season, 1 division title, 0-0 playoffs) This one is tough. The reason Wade Phillips, and his .600 winning percentage is all the way down at #8 is because he hasn’t won a playoff game. Well, Caldwell hasn’t either, so it’s hard to make a case that you can really “trust” him in the playoffs yet. However, I think that he is a no-brainer selection for Coach of the Year this year, and I think it’s probably time we start taking just a little of the mounds and mounds of praise we give to Peyton Manning for this season and give some over to the coach. I’m not going to get into what I think about his decision to rest people and whatnot, but let’s just remember that this man has still never lost a game in which he played his starters–EVER. So, until he, well, loses, I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt. I probably could have ranked him even higher, but he is, after all, still a rookie.
4). John Harbaugh – Baltimore. (1 organization, 2 seasons, 20-12 regular season, 2 wild cards, 2-1 playoffs, 1 AFC Championship Game appearance) If you told me, two years ago before he was hired to be the successor to Brian Billick, that I would rank John Harbaugh as the 4th best coach in the 2010 playoffs, I would have said you were crazy, unless the list was limited to the best special teams coaches. But, no, Harbaugh has done a phenomenal job in both of his 2 seasons at the helm in Baltimore. He inspires the team; he trusts them; and, he gameplans around the weaknesses to take full advantage of their strengths. He has made the playoffs two years in a row with an inexperienced quarterback, in a tough division. And, last year, they were only a play or two away from going to the Super Bowl. Yes, this guy can flat-out coach.
3). Sean Payton – New Orleans. (1 organization, 4 seasons, 38-26 regular season, 2 division titles, 1-1 playoffs, 1 NFC Championship Game appearance) I have, in the past, been accused of being way too high on Sean Payton, so maybe this is just another example of that, but I think he is a fantastic coach. I know that he missed the playoffs in two of his first three seasons in New Orleans, but let’s not forget that it is the SAINTS. His offensive gameplans gave me nightmares when he was with the Giants, and he has brought that ability to New Orleans with him. Plus, he seems like a guy that the players trust and respect to the fullest. Except for the two playoff coaches with a generation of playoff experience and success, Payton is the best coach in this year’s playoffs, in my opinion.
2). Andy Reid – Philadelphia. (1 organization, 11 seasons, 108-67-1 regular season, 5 division titles, 3 wild cards, 10-7 playoffs, 5 NFC Championship Game appearances, 1 Super Bowl appearance) Say what you will about his clock management or his run-pass balance or his tendency to lay an egg against a really bad team once a year or even his inability to win a title with a load of talent. Please say it. We’ve all heard it all, and yet, Andy Reid is back again with the Eagles at 11-5 and a team that nobody really wants to face in the playoffs. Yes, they blew a chance at the #2 seed and maybe even the NFC Championship Game at home, but this team is still rolling. And, they are rolling despite having all of their healthy offensive weapons, save the quarterback, under 24 years old. They are still rolling despite having several disastrous injuries on the offensive line and a complete patchwork of a linebacking corps. They are still rolling despite the offseason personnel decision to get rid of their only emotional leader on the defensive side of the ball. Yes, Reid drives me absolutely nuts on Sundays. He makes terrible game-day decisions and STILL does not understand anything about a 2-minute drill. He may be the worst NFL coach on Sundays. But, I would argue that he is one the best of all-time from Monday to Saturday. The guy is amazing at gameplanning and scheming. He is phenomenal at handling his players and working them so incredibly hard in August, before giving them loads and loads of rest in November, so that they are ALWAYS peaking in December and January. With maybe one exception, there is no one that I would rather have calling the shots for my team from Monday to Saturday than Andy Reid. And, I think that that makes up for his glaring weaknesses on game day.
1). Bill Belichick – New England. (2 organizations, 15 seasons, 148-92 regular season, 7 division titles, 15-4 playoffs, 4 AFC Championship Game appearances, 4 Super Bowl appearances, 3 Super Bowl titles) This was the easiest choice of the week. 3 Super Bowl titles for a team that was a laughingstock before he got there. I don’t like Belichick. I think he’s arrogant; I think he’s self-absorbed; I think he’s mean-spirited. But, he is one hell of a football coach. And, there is no doubt that he is the best in these playoffs, and he’s almost inarguably the best of my generation.
What are the chances that the Eagles gameplan was at least a little “vanilla” last Sunday, knowing that they might be playing the Cowboys again in the playoffs this week?
If you know anything about BSB, you know that we like to play stupid little games. Well, we came up with another one. It’s a little challenge for the NFL Playoffs, and anyone is welcome to join, if they so please.
Here’s the deal:
Feel free to join us in the Challenge, if you want. You can post your picks on the comment here or email me or Doogan. We will update the standings after each round.
All week long, we’ve been running a special NFL Playoff Top Twelve “marathon.” We did the quarterbacks, running backs, and receivers, but today we’re going to switch over to the other side of the ball and do defense. Unfortunately, I am nowhere near knowledgeable enough (nor would I probably have the time to try) to break down by defensive positions, so today’s Top Twelve is going to be defensive units, as a whole. And, let me be honest, this was very difficult. It has been an interesting season in that there really aren’t any dominant defenses at all. But, all the playoff teams, as to be expected because, well, they made the playoffs, have decent defenses. So, I found it incredibly difficult to actually rank these units. But, I gave it a shot. Oh, and like I’ve said before, I do not like the way the NFL “ranks” its defense (by yards allowed), so, rightly or wrongly, I put very little stock into the official rankings when making these decisions.
This Year’s Top Twelve Playoff Defenses
12). New Orleans. (NFL defensive rankings: 25th overall, 26th pass, 21st rush; 21.3 PPG) Now, this is a bit strange because I actually kind of think that the New Orleans defense is pretty solid–definitely solid enough to win a Super Bowl. And, even though it’s clear that this not exactly the “Year of the Defense,” I guess there are some pretty decent defenses in the playoffs because I have to say that I trust every one of the other 11 teams to get a stop more than I trust the Saints defense, which, as I said, I think is pretty good. They have shown some signs of taking on water, though, recently. I do, however, think that LB Jonathan Vilma and CB Jabari Greer are two of the more underrated players in the league at their positions. But, a defense that was predicated on big plays by a 34-year old safety (Darren Sharper–as great as he has been all year) may not exactly be peaking after 17 weeks. Fortunately for fans of the Saints, it’s not their defense that is going to carry them–this side of the ball only has to be adequate.
11). Arizona. (NFL defensive rankings: 20th overall, 23rd pass, 17th rush; 20.3 PPG) Maybe Arizona should have been #12, but I couldn’t do it. I mentioned yesterday my fondness for Fitzgerald and Boldin. Well, that is nothing compared to how incredible I think Karlos Dansby and Adrian Wilson are. They are two of the best defensive players I have seen, at their respective positions, and this defense is led by their toughness and leadership. On the down side, they have a mediocre pass rush, led by Dockett and Campbell, and their best cornerback, Dominique Rogers-Cromartie, was hurt last week and may not be 100% this week. Like the Saints, this team is predicated upon their potent offense, so the defense only really has to be adequate, but we will see if it can be.
10). San Diego. (NFL defensive rankings: 16th overall, 11th pass, 20th rush; 20.0 PPG) Again, the Chargers at #10 shows you the depth in the playoff defenses because this is not a bad defense. It is not, however, the dominant defenses that the Chargers have had before. The whole strength of this defense is in its linebacking corps. A 3-4 defense that has four of the best linebackers in the game today. Everyone knows about Shawne Merriman (who had a bit of a down year, actually), and most people know about the other Shaun, Shaun Phillips. But, very few people talk about Stephen Cooper (over 100 tackles) and my personal favorite player on this defense, Brandon Siler. Siler is an absolute beast. He shuts down tight ends (and even wide receivers, at times) and then he stands up even the biggest running backs at the line. The Chargers also have a decent (but probably overrated) pair of corners in Cromartie and Jammer. But, their problems this year have come at the line of scrimmage, where their down linemen have, at times, been dominated. It is a good defense, but not a great one, and it may be their downfall this year in a big spot.
9). New England. (NFL defensive rankings: 11th overall, 12th pass, 13th rush; 17.8 PPG) The first time I drafted out this order, I actually had the Patriots dead last on this list. But, then I thought about it and moved them ahead of New Orleans. Then, I thought more and moved them ahead of Arizona. Then, I thought for a long time and decided that I trusted them more than San Diego, as well. I’m not sure why, from a talent standpoint, but I guess it probably comes down to Belichick and how much I believe that he will “find a way.” Because, from a talent standpoint, this may be the worst New England defense of the Belichick Era. Jerod Mayo is a phenomenal player. Vincent Wilfork is a dominant nose tackle. Brandon Merriweather has become a decent NFL safety. Tully Banta-Cain is a marginally good pass rusher, and Leigh Bodden is a serviceable corner. The rest of the defense is just a bunch of guys. The secondary struggles mightily to cover anyone one-on-one (especially Wilhite). The pass rush is almost non-existent, and there is no emotional leader a la Teddy Bruschi or Mike Vrabel. But, Belichick is a mastermind, and he’ll figure something out. I moved them as high as their lack of talent would possibly let me.
8). Indianapolis. (NFL defensive rankings: 18th overall, 14th pass, 24th rush; 19.2 PPG) Again, this is a team that isn’t going to win the Super Bowl because of its defense either way…but then again, that’s what we thought in 2005 also, which is exactly what did happen. But, still, this team wins because of Peyton Manning throwing the ball to Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark, not a tackle by Melvin Bullet or a sack by former Temple Owl, Raheem Brock. However, there is some real strength in this defense. Their defensive ends, Freeney and Mathis, are probably the best 1-2 pass rushers in the league. Clint Session has become a pretty sturdy Sam-backer alongside the solid veteran Mike-backer Gary Brackett. And, Antoine Bethea has turned himself into a borderline Pro Bowler at free safety. So, there are good things all across this defense, and though they are going to win or lose with their offense, this defense is capable of winning a big playoff game 17-13 or something like that.
7). Philadelphia. (NFL defensive rankings: 12th overall, 17th pass, 9th rush; 21.1 PPG) And, then come the Birds. Don’t get me wrong, I really like Sean McDermott, and I think he’s done a decent job in his first go-round as DC. But, this team sorely misses the late, great Jim Johnson. McDermott has inherited the preparation and gameplanning ability from his mentor, but he is not doing quite the same job (and who could) at making in-game or halftime adjustments as JJ did. Then again, that might be a bit early to say because this team has had an absolute revolving door at linebacker. Hell, Jeremiah Trotter is still playing. And, the recent Dallas performance notwithstanding, let us really think about just how good this defense is. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better set of cornerbacks or D-tackles anywhere in the league. Trent Cole is probably the most underrated d-lineman of our generation. Then, they have the ability to rotate a host of other pass rushers like Juqua Parker/Thomas/Parker, Darren Howard, Jason Babin, and Victor Abiamiri, so there are always fresh pass rushers. The safety spot has been a roller coaster, but you probably know how high I am on Quintell Mikell. So, all in all, I am pretty confidence about this defense heading into the playoffs–maybe overconfident, but we’ll find out.
6). Baltimore. (NFL defensive rankings: 3rd overall, 8th pass, 5th rush; 16.3 PPG) No matter what the “rankings” may say, this is not the Baltimore defense that dominated most of this decade. It is still a top-notch defense (with studs like Haloti Ngata and Terrell Suggs), capable of shutting down anyone in the league, but there are also some problems. The secondary has been dreadful, at times, this year. The days of pass deflections and interceptions by Chris McAllister and Samari Rolle have given way to pass interference penalties and missed tackles by Chris Carr and Dominique Foxworth. Ed Reed is still a good safety, but he’s not even close to one of the most dangerous defensive players in the league, like he was just a year ago. There is one thing, however, that hasn’t changed for a decade…Ray Lewis. There are few athletes about whom my feelings have changed so dramatically as those for Ray Lewis. You can consider me one of the biggest fans of Ray Lewis–on and off the field. Not only is he a phenomenal football player, but he is one of the most emotional, charasmatic leaders of any athlete I have watched. And, furthermore, he is one of the most cerebral, intellectual, thoughtful, compassionate players between the lines and outside of them. He is the reason that this defense is still, at times, dominant. He had 134 tackles, but beyond that, he makes everyone on this defense MUCH better because he is a tireless studier of film and a quick-thinking general on the field. This defense is Ray’s defense, and because of that, I would ride with them any day. But, with the problems in the secondary and with the outside rushers, this is as high as I can possibly rank them.
5). Minnesota. (NFL defensive rankings: 6th overall, 19th pass, 2nd rush; 19.5 PPG) This defense is very good, but there are issues here, as well. (See the trend? I speak highly of the defenses ranked at the bottom and talk about the weaknesses of the defenses towards the top. That just goes to show you that, unlike most other seasons, the difference between these “good” defenses and the “bad” defenses” is really not all that great this year.) Let us start with where they shine–on the line of scrimmage. The game of football is won in the trenches. I have always believed that, and I probably always will. And, this D-line dominates week in and week out. The Williams Wall is awesome. Jared Allen is awesome (and hysterical). And, Ray Edwards is usually the forgotten guy, but he is very good on the other end. Everything starts with the pressure on the QB and, more importantly, with a complete stuff of the opposing rushing attack. Then they have a decent shut-down corner in Antoine Winfield, and a very good strong-side backer in Chad Greenway. Their safeties are just average. The problems come in with the other two linebacker positions. Four weeks ago, this may have been the best defense in the league, but their middle-linebacker (and maybe their best defensive player), E.J. Henderson broke his femur in Week 13. They have been really struggling to find a replacement, and it has had a trickle-down effect on the whole defense, who had embarrassing performances against the Panthers and Bears, before apparently getting back on track against the debacle that they call a football team from New York in Week 17. It’s hard to say whether they have found a way to perform without their star middle-linebacker, but it’s not hard to say that they sure have the talent to overcome a loss, even as big as Henderson.
4). Cincinnati. (NFL defensive rankings: 4th overall, 6th pass, 7th rush; 18.2 PPG) Maybe I’m too high on this defense because I LOVE them -2.5 at home against the Jets on Saturday. Or…maybe I’m too low on them because it’s hard to imagine a team that starts Dahani Jones having a good defense. Either way, I have a lot of faith in this Cincy defense. I keep saying that the game is won in the trenches, but there is a way to give your trenches an advantage over their trenches–take away the quarterback’s options. That is how Cincinnati has won this year. They have two complete shut-down corners in Leon Hall and Johnathan Joseph, so very rarely to do ever see an opposing quarterback feel comfortable throwing the ball in the pocket. That allows their pass rushers (who are just average now that Antwan Odom is lost for the season) to get some real pressure on the quarterback and win the battle of the trenches. The linebacking corps is solid with a rotation of Keith Rivers, Brandon Johnson, and, well, Jones. The big question here is whether or not rookie Rey Maualuga will be 100% on Saturday. Maybe they are hanging by a thread here, depending so much on their corners, but I do believe in the Bengals, for some weird reason (money), so let’s see what they can do.
3). Green Bay. (NFL defensive rankings: 2nd overall, 5th pass, 1st rush; 18.6 PPG). It is weird how these things get figured out, but it happened in Green Bay when they lost their best defensive player for the season. The Packers struggled to adapt to Dom Capers’ 3-4 defense for the first part of the season, but then their star DE/OLB Aaron Kampman went down with an injury, and everything seemed to click. It’s not incredibly surprising, considering those who know these things always said that Kampman just was not suited for a 3-4 scheme, but it’s still strange to see a team lose their most talented defensive player and get much better on defense. Either way, this team is rolling right now on that side of the ball. Charles Woodson will probably be the NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Nick Barnett is fast becoming one of the best ILBs in the game, their safeties (Bigby and Collins) have been playing at a very high level, and youngsters Clay Matthews and A.J. Hawk fit perfectly into the 3-4 scheme. Even formerly troubled rookie, B.J. Raji is starting to really contribute at nose tackle. Oh, and did I mention Al Harris is on IR–that can only help, unless of course you enjoy pass interference penalties and personal fouls in the worst possible situations.
2). Dallas. (NFL defensive rankings: 9th overall, 20th pass, 4th rush; 15.6 PPG) Another guy who I cannot ever seem to think about objectively is DaMarcus Ware. Since the moment he stepped into the league, I have thought he was one of the best players I have ever seen, and no one can convince me otherwise. But, now, I think that this Dallas defense is, for the first time in Ware’s career, perfectly built around him. They have a budding star in nose tackle Jay Ratliff and two absolutely terrific corners in Terence Newman and Mike Jenkins. And, they have built an unbelievable set of 3-4 linebackers, with Ware and Anthony Spencer on the outside and, on the inside, wily veteran Pro Bowler Keith Brooking and young up-and-comer Bradie James. And, for all the flack that Wade Phillips gets as a head coach, he sure can coordinate a defense. This defense is fantastic and is probably the reason that I think, if they can get past the Eagles on Saturday (a BIG if), might win the whole thing.
1). N.Y. Jets. (NFL defensive rankings: 1st overall, 1st pass, 8th rush; 14.8 PPG) I would probably rank this team #1 on defense for the mere fact that their head coach is related to Buddy Ryan. But, I don’t need to rely on stupid, childish loyalties because this team’s defense is that good. First of all, we have to mention Darrelle Revis. Two-thirds of the Earth is covered by water, the rest is covered by Darrelle Revis. He may be the best shut-down corner that I have seen since Deion Sanders. He simply takes your best receiver out of the game. And, as we all know here in Philly, that other guy (Lito Sheppard) is pretty good himself. Throw in some solid safeties, Kerry Rhodes and Jim Leonhard, and you’ve got yourself the game’s best secondary. Add in a solid pass rush, led by the DEs Shaun Ellis and Marques Douglas and a pass rushing linebacker in Calvin Pace, and you simply cannot throw the ball effectively on the Jets. Period. So, you have to run it effectively, which is where the solid inside linebackering tandem of Bart Scott (“Hot Sauce”) and David Harris (127 tackles) come into play. This defense is stacked and is scary for any playoff opponent–and it has to be because their offense is questionable, with a rookie QB.
