National Football League

[FoxxyBrown1111]

Who says running is dead in this league (or should be).

Yeah which idiot says this? .... (me? )

FG or not, props to Prater for breaking the record at 64 yards

That one was nice. I am not against kicking. Just hate those kicks on short 4th downs by afraid coaches. Now they had to go for it all the time (even Reid had too, when his 22 assistants finally got to him, telling it´s a higher chance to convert than kick a FG in the snow). It was fun all the way.

Looks like Gronk is out for the season with a torn ACL, so maybe the Pats will...

I think the same. We all know how bad NE offense looked w/o him the first couple of weeks...

So, are the Saints really that good at home? Or are the Seahawks really that good at home?

It´s a mix of everything. Since Y/PP is down 1 (!!) yard between home/dome and away/grass, my theory is that hi-octane-passing-dome teams have more trouble to display their strenghts away than for example average/bad offense (they $uck wherever they play anyway).
BTW, since forever the Y/R hovers around 4, no matter if indoors, cold, outside, turf, moon...

What was Dennis Allen thinking in Oakland?

What has he done?

I'm starting to think that Mike Shanahan, who made threats of walking out (did he?!), may be done in Washington.

I think so too. I expect his firing no later than tomorrow... Remeber the Shan discussion? He´s a 50/50 coach w/o Elway. Wayyy overated. And now he gave away the future of WAS...

Everyone remember when Eli was drafted, and such a hot pick by teams hoping to get the next Peyton Manning, that Eli and daddy refused to play in San Diego, so the Chargers traded him, and ended up with Rivers. Well, guess what, Eli has never beaten Rivers. And it was night and day watching them play each other yesterday.

Eli the INT king. The two time SB winner. He is the living proof that QBs get too much credit for winning and too much for losing. If we look at the numbers, we know that for example Kurt Warner is lightyears ahead of him, even tough having one ring less. BTW, the year they played with the same team, it was no match. KW beat him hard everywhere (Y/A 7.4 vs 5.3, Rate 87 vs 56, completion percentage 63 vs 48). When I made the QB/back-up stats I seldom saw such stark differences when both QBs had 200 or more pass-play-snaps. But they benched him b/c the mega investment had to play in favour of a allegedly washed up QB.

Thanks Merckx. The NYG are officially out.
Now only one undeserving team is still standing: The Baltimore Giants. Hope they get clobbered out of contention the next couple of weeks...

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Edit - Patriots reveal Gronk has torn both his ACL and MCL and will miss the rest of the season. This is a huge blow. Not just losing him, but the extent of his injury. Despite his rather large contract, the Pats are going to have to look to find a way to replace him. Regardless of how well, or even when he is able to come back.

Regarding the Raiders. Dennis Allen said he would get Terrell Pryor into the game, as Pryor is almost 100%, while starting McGloin. Well, he put Pryor into one series, when McGloin was finding his groove, and Pryor didn't do much. It was like a pre-season game. It then took McGloin until really the 4th quarter to get his groove back, and by then it was too late. The Raiders cannot survive with Pryor, McGloin and Wilson all on staff. I'm guessing IF they are confident in their OL by next training camp, they will dump Pryor, as McGloin and Wilson are similar pocket passers. McGloin more savvy, though Wilson with a better arm. IF they don't have faith in the OL and see a more read-option system, they'll trade McGloin, who looks like he might have a future in the NFL, and see how they can groom Wilson.

Presuming Shanahan survives this week. It would take a major turnaround to not get fired the black Monday after the season ends.

Now only one undeserving team is still standing: The Baltimore Giants. Hope they get clobbered out of contention the next couple of weeks...

You mean the Baltimore Ravens? Or NY Giants? Or Baltimore Colts?!

Funny enough, just last week NY Giants fans here were talking about the team still having a chance, and Eli leading them back, as they had won 5 of 6. You guys really miss something by not being in proximity to the NY media and blogosphere.

Speaking of Eli vs. Rivers. If you look at ESPN's total QB rating, while Rivers is 3rd, Eli is 32nd. If you prefer the traditional passer rating, Rivers is 4th, Eli is 33rd. But the NY media and bloggers still love him.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

Edit - Patriots reveal Gronk has torn both his ACL and MCL and will miss the rest of the season.

CEI i guess. Too bad.... I think this knee tackles are just an excuse by the players. If they would tackle properly there is no need to go for the knees. You still can hit people above the waist. I think it´s a mental thing. Players learned to fly head on (which was always against the rules, just didn´t got flagged for it), now they just aim lower. Hypocrisy. Defenders wanted to hit players to the ambulance in the past, they want it now. Football could have a future if the animals are sorted out and the rules get stricter. And I don´t care if some rednecks would call it "flag football" or "pu$sy ball". If for them football is only dumb hitting, they can go to WWF or MMA (or whatever that neanthals sport is called)... For now the points record still stands from the 1940s, the game is still decided in the trenches, it´s still a contact sport. So it´s enough room to make the rules better without football scores becoming basketball-like.

Regarding the Raiders...

OK, now i get your point...

You mean the Baltimore Ravens? Or NY Giants? Or Baltimore Colts?!
.

I mean the Ravens having Giants-like luck since that last minute bomb. I don´t wanna take anything away from the great hot-post-season-streak of Flacco. But it´s save to say w/o luck and the help of refs we wouldn´t talk of another wildcard superbowl team. And now it seems they can repeat... Omg.

Funny enough, just last week NY Giants fans here were talking about the team still having a chance, and Eli leading them back, as they had won 5 of 6. You guys really miss something by not being in proximity to the NY media and blogosphere.

Speaking of Eli vs. Rivers. If you look at ESPN's total QB rating, while Rivers is 3rd, Eli is 32nd. If you prefer the traditional passer rating, Rivers is 4th, Eli is 33rd. But the NY media and bloggers still love him.

Thanks god I am not living in NY. It´s enough masochism when I read the BS of Prisco and Easteregg each week. I would run mad if I would witness all that nonsense of NY sports talk.
I think that two undeserved superbowl rings (and his high pick status, and to a certain point his name) saved EMs career. Otherwise he would have been unmasked, speak that he´s just your average QB. One you can find in the 6th round or even at a practise squad. As I said the average NFL fan is blinded by the "too much credit for wins" issue.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Article just for you Foxxy, about the greatness of Eli, and him being the reason they won two SB's. Along with those two Superbowl MVP trophies he has.

Is it me, or is the following thought obvious: You hold the New England offense to 14, and 17 points and I'll give you a list of 20+ quarterbacks in the NFL that will win those Super Bowls.

But if you keep reading the NY media, there is always next year for him, a chance to get back to where he was and recover from this "off" year.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

Alpe you want to kill me?
What a load of crap.
The best part was this: "You don’t draft them to be good. You draft them to win championships.” And i thought you draft a good QB who then could lead you to a championship (if everything around clicks). Now I know you have to draft a bad QB who proved to be a winner (in other words who had good players around him, and he adds a little clutch & momentum in crunch time ). When does Tim Tebow sign with the NYG?
I better stop here. It´s too absurd.
But I don´t think Accorsi is an idiot. He just tried to find words to justify the mega deal for an average QB. I guess he knows very well that with Rivers he´d been better off. Assume the two luck SBs were possible with Rivers too + Rivers minus Norv + defense = at least one more SB in the same time...
And this journo buys this story. He didn´t understood that Coughlin and Accorsi just told him what he wanted to hear...

Alpe can´t you tell all those guys, there is a german who actually knows football. I would even come to NY and share my salary with you.

"Is it me, or is the following thought obvious: You hold the New England offense to 14, and 17 points and I'll give you a list of 20+ quarterbacks in the NFL that will win those Super Bowls."
I would go a little farther and at least double the number. The QBs just need enough reps, the same way a high draft pick is giving chances after chances to improve.
Let´s check the AFC South as an example and then project it to 32 teams;
HOU: Schaub-yes, Keenum-yes (he´ll handle the blitz better w/experience as all NFL talented QBs do)
IND: Luck-yes (i mean the name alone would fit to the NYG), Hasselbeck-yes (even got one already if the SB was with normal refs)
TEN-Fitzpatrick-yes (streaky as EM, but not worse, actually Fitz has a 77 Career rating in BUF/CIN, while EM with Burress, Toomer, Cruz, Nicks is only 4 1/2 points better. Yeah that´s worth 4 high draft picks vs an for-free-off-the-streets-QB costing at least 5 Mio less per year), Rusty Smith-no
TEN-Henne-yes, Gabbert-no, Stanzi-no

That´s 6 QBs capable of. Projected 48 QBs for the NFL.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

Read the story and then watch the play. It´s as if TJ Ward talks about a different play. And then he said "he prayed". What a low lifer.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap20...ward-hit-on-patriots-rob-gronkowski-was-legal

I would sue basterds like TJ Ward. Hey, it´s the USA. You can sue everybody. Go to court with the rule book, and you´ll have a good chance to win. Nowhere it´s written you dive headfirst not even pretending to do a clean tackle (which involves the arms, and the saying "see what you hit")...

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Alpe you want to kill me?
What a load of crap.
The best part was this: "You don’t draft them to be good. You draft them to win championships.” And i thought you draft a good QB who then could lead you to a championship (if everything around clicks). Now I know you have to draft a bad QB who proved to be a winner (in other words who had good players around him, and he adds a little clutch & momentum in crunch time )....
But I don´t think Accorsi is an idiot. He just tried to find words to justify the mega deal for an average QB.

Foxxy, I think either you did not read far enough in the article Alpe linked, or you lost something in the translation from Accorsi, who later said something like "your team is only as good as your QB. Get a good QB and you'll get a good team. Average QB, average team." But I agree Accoursi did not explain well. To me, when Accoursi said "You don't draft them to be good, you draft them to win championships", what I think he meant was you draft them to be great so that you can win championships. So does my translation make sense, or did I smell and go after a different pile of crap than you were talking about?

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Not only is Philly loving this MNF outcome, I am loving this Bear stomping of Dallas. A replay of Dallas December chokes is in progress, will end with Philly winning the NFCE. Bear backup QB beats Dallas $20M QB. TRIKE RIDER should be loving this too. Great blocking by Bear OL against banged up Dallas D.

 

[Merckx index]

Oh, man, just when you thought there was nothing more in sports that could be analyzed:

Studies have shown that several aspects of human performance peak in the late afternoon, and reach their low in the wee hours of the morning—according to the NFL paper’s authors, around 3 a.m. The researchers hypothesized that football teams playing closer to the peak of their circadian cycle would, on average, outperform those playing further from it. The paper looks at 40 years of NFL games between Pacific time zone teams and Eastern time zone teams—the San Francisco 49ers vs. the New York Giants or the Oakland Raiders against the New England Patriots. The theory was that in evening games the West Coast teams would outperform their East Coast opponents, who were three hours closer to their bedtimes and their 3 a.m. nadir…

In their results, published in the current issue of the journal SLEEP, the researchers found that, indeed, Pacific time zone teams playing Eastern time zone teams in evening games beat the spread more often as their opponents—twice as often, in fact. In afternoon games, on the other hand, when both teams were supposedly near their circadian apex, there was no advantage. Roger S. Smith, one of the authors and a clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School, says the effect was a strong one.

Maybe that's why the Saints looked so lost in Seattle.

You folks who bet on games might want to keep that in mind. Actually, I always thought west coast teams were at a disadvantage playing on the east coast, because the three hour time difference, added to travel time, effectively eliminates almost an entire day of practice. I thought it was particularly unfair when the 49ers played the Ravens two years ago on Thanksgiving, because with the very short week, the hours lost to travel and time zones became an even larger % of the total available.

Now only one undeserving team is still standing: The Baltimore Giants. Hope they get clobbered out of contention the next couple of weeks...

Took the words right out of my mouth, or keyboard. And if they met Indy in the WC game, they could win that, given how unpredictable the Colts are. Then they would go to Denver, just like last year...

Speaking of Manning, can you imagine how awesome the 49ers would be now had he picked them instead of Denver? The 49ers have a little better running game than Denver, and a much better defense. I think Crab, Davis and Boldin compare pretty favorably to Denver’s receivers. The 49ers with Manning would be Seattle on steroids (well, maybe what I should have said was, SF with Manning would make Seattle look as though they weren't using steroids). Even allowing for a postseason choke, their defense could carry them.

I was against the move, and glad when it didn't happen, because I thought with Alex Smith gone, the 49ers would have no QB when Manning retired after a few years. But as it turns out, Smith is gone, anyway, and the team would have kept Kaep to back up Manning.

By the way, Foxxy, the guy you call Easteregg used to write for Newsweek. Seems like a comedown to do sports analysis, but maybe he enjoys it more—or maybe he does both now? I believe Mrs. Egg is a reporter I’ve seen on Nightly Business Report.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

Foxxy, I think either you did not read far enough in the article Alpe linked, or you lost something in the translation from Accorsi, who later said something like "your team is only as good as your QB. Get a good QB and you'll get a good team. Average QB, average team." But I agree Accoursi did not explain well. To me, when Accoursi said "You don't draft them to be good, you draft them to win championships", what I think he meant was you draft them to be great so that you can win championships. So does my translation make sense, or did I smell and go after a different pile of crap than you were talking about?

I think your explanation is right.
TBH, i stopped after "You don’t draft them to be good. You draft them to win championships.” I should have finished. Of which I did now. Still full of crap. Even in context. After all Accorsi and Coughlin couldn´t be honest to say "we made a mistake, Rivers is the better and cheaper one (in context with the draft picks given up)".

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

Not only is Philly loving this MNF outcome, I am loving this Bear stomping of Dallas. A replay of Dallas December chokes is in progress, will end with Philly winning the NFCE. Bear backup QB beats Dallas $20M QB. TRIKE RIDER should be loving this too. Great blocking by Bear OL against banged up Dallas D.

And I just put 10 euro on PHI before the odds hit bottom. If Philly wins it all (not unlikely as we found out the past 10 seasons or so) I profit 290 euro. To secure the bet, i put another 5 euro on CAR (profit would be "only" 70 euro), just in case "defense wins championships" this year.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

Oh, man, just when you thought there was nothing more in sports that could be analyzed:
Maybe that's why the Saints looked so lost in Seattle.

I have read about it last week too, i think at "Grantland". I guess the advantage will be gone soon when Vegas calibrated their computers. But what is intact since at least 1978 is that big favos (14 or more spread) more often than not don´t cover the spread (even with the 10% Vegas comission, small profits over the long run are possible). I think that advantage will stand longer since the public overestimates favos. The concept of randomness hasn´t hit mainstream yet. Hope that never changes.
After all is said and done, I am eager for the first DEN playoff game. Can´t wait to bet against a 14-spread.

I think SF is ok with Kaep. He had a good portion that they almost made it last year winning it all. And this year their passing game is again T-10, even tough Easter thinks they are last.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Presuming Shanahan survives this week. It would take a major turnaround to not get fired the black Monday after the season ends.

Lack of direction, maybe. It appears at first glance that Shanny has no direction, does not know what to do or know which way to go with RGIII. This is from the outside looking in. No telling what's going on inside. Here's a real reach at an inside story that may be taking place, putting Shanny in a bad position and covering for RGIII: what would it look to us outsiders if RGIII privately told Shanny he has lost his confidence (in something... his body from hits, or his head, for example) and TOLD Shanny he needs some time off??? That might explain Shanny waffling from:
- giving RGIII max reps to develop him, to:
- maybe sitting RGIII the rest of season to protect him
Now, if the question I pose above is right, Shanny is taking the hits to protect his QB. And IF that's the case, Shanny would be confiding in the owner to get him on board, which should result in Shanny keeping his job.

But I don't think that is what is going on (e.g. I don't think RGIII would say he needs time off) and maybe time will tell. But it sure smells like lack of direction, and if so, it won't surprise if Shanny does not survive the week.

Oh, man, just when you thought there was nothing more in sports that could be analyzed:

You folks who bet on games might want to keep that in mind. Actually, I always thought west coast teams were at a disadvantage playing on the east coast, because the three hour time difference, added to travel time, effectively eliminates almost an entire day of practice.

Interesting read in the link. But about west coast teams traveling east, my understanding is not so much the lack of practice, but more that a 10:00 am game on the east coast is like a 7:00 am game to the body of a player on a west coast team. It's just hard to get the body up for what feels like a 7 am game. Some coaches will get the players up extra early to get those bodies moving and get the blood flowing so they are actually awake by game time.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

As I alluded to the other day, the only thing that makes sense for Washington is if they are planning on shopping Kirk Cousins, in order to trade him to a desperate team in the off season for a high draft pick - a pick they need since they gave them all up to get RG3, and they badly need OL help. Considering they play Atlanta, Dallas, and the Giants - three teams with weak defenses, shopping Cousins might be what's going on.

No possible way RG3 said "sit me, coach." Even if he did, it's the coach's call, not the player. If he said that and Shanny wanted him in there, it's his job to coax RG3 and build his confidence up to get him back.

As to that hit on Gronk, any time, ANY time the defender tucks his arms in and leaves his feet aiming his shoulders (or head) at a receiver, you run the risk of this happening. The body can just absorb more punishment than the head, or knees (or ankles, somewhat), so the NFL isn't so worried about defenders "launching", as that same defender may be able to smash into a receiver's chest, arms, etc.

The NFL may not have been affected by Dustin Keller getting taking out on a knee hit, but they might with Gronk hit the same ugly way. They are going to have to come up with some sort of fair rule swap of sorts. That is, penalize hits to the head, and the knees, in "exchange" for rescinding or altering the illegal contact rule that says DB's can't touch receivers after 5 yards. Perhaps making this 10 yards, or do what college does and allow contact after 5 yards, but only until the QB releases the ball (maybe harder to enforce). Or take a closer look at pass interference and how many yards to mark it off. If the NFL takes away knee hits, and all hits where the defenders leave their feet and tuck their arms in, we're going to end up with an all passing league with 55-51 games typical. I personally don't want that.

Agree on Baltimore. I like them overall as a team, but they do look like the Giants of this season. Peaking as they head into the playoffs as a wildcard. I'm sure they'd just love to go back into Denver on a cold Colorado evening...

The other team starting to look good in the AFC is Cincy. Solid on both sides of the ball, can run okay.

Philly must have loved that game last night. They're in the driver's seat in the NFC East, and look like they actually have a chance heading into the playoffs. And to think idiots wanted Chip Kelly fired after about week 4 and said he could never coach in the NFL.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Here's another bit of speculation about the Shanny situation in Wash I heard on ESPN this morning, that Shanny is doing his best to get fired deliberately so he can get the job in Houston. That's a real reach too, but it is being talked about. If he ends up in Houston, it will make people wonder even though we'd never know the truth.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Well, if the Texans are dumb enough to think Gary Kubiak and Wade Phillips were the answer to their problems, I can see them going after Shanahan. But while he did have a few decent years without Elway just after John retired, he's 48-60 in the last seven seasons. Is that really someone you seek out to lead you into the future?

Meanwhile, more strangeness out of Washington. the other day Shanahan says RG3 is 100%. Now, this morning the Redskins list RG3 as inactive, with Cousins starting and Grossman backing him up. Both Cousins and Grossman played fairly well in the pre-season, which now begs the question, what happens of Cousins (or Grossman) play very well and the Skins start winning. Then what?

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Well, if the Texans are dumb enough to think Gary Kubiak and Wade Phillips were the answer to their problems, I can see them going after Shanahan. But while he did have a few decent years without Elway just after John retired, he's 48-60 in the last seven seasons. Is that really someone you seek out to lead you into the future?

Excellent point. I was still blinded by the flash of light off Shanny's shining armour from his glory days in Denver and San Fran. Those are not the results I would want in someone to lead a team as the new head coach.

Meanwhile, more strangeness out of Washington. the other day Shanahan says RG3 is 100%. Now, this morning the Redskins list RG3 as inactive, with Cousins starting and Grossman backing him up. Both Cousins and Grossman played fairly well in the pre-season, which now begs the question, what happens of Cousins (or Grossman) play very well and the Skins start winning. Then what?

That's a real interesting question. But what a friggin' mess in the Skins camp! It was reported (HERE) that Shanny discussed the QB switch with Snyder.

Shanahan, whose job security has been a topic of widespread scrutiny, said Monday he spoke with Snyder that morning and that if he switched quarterbacks, he'd discuss it first with the owner.

I cannot imagine Snyder being happy with that. Without the reps, Griffin is not going to develop much the rest of the year, and if I was him I would not be happy (inside... without complaining) either. I don't think there is any way Shanny is going to survive this as the head coach in Washington. If I was Shanny, instead of sitting RGIII, I'd be lighting a fire under the pants of the OL coach and insist they do a better job of protecting the QB, much like Carroll in Seattle did after Wilson took a beating in 2 straight games with 3 starting OLinemen out with injuries. Cable was able to turn it around with some adjustments using rookie OLinemen.

 

[The Hitch]

Oh, man, just when you thought there was nothing more in sports that could be analyzed:



Maybe that's why the Saints looked so lost in Seattle.

You folks who bet on games might want to keep that in mind. Actually, I always thought west coast teams were at a disadvantage playing on the east coast, because the three hour time difference, added to travel time, effectively eliminates almost an entire day of practice. I thought it was particularly unfair when the 49ers played the Ravens two years ago on Thanksgiving, because with the very short week, the hours lost to travel and time zones became an even larger % of the total available.

On a non nfl level this interests me, a lot because I've read and heard that different people react differently to the night and day cycle and that studies show some people are far more high functioning at night, something to do with silence and the way blood runs through the body.

It interests me because I've always found I myself do everything better at night. if I have 15 hours to do an essay I find I write poorly between say 6 and 9 improve at around then and by 1 am I'm smashing out 2000 words an hour and correcting everything I wrote earlier with the ease of a teacher correcting a 5 year old.
I also find that when I watch an nfl game recording during the day it doesn't really interest me and I fast forward between plays, but if I pause and then continue at 1 am, nothing in the world will stop me from watching every minute to the finish.

I don't know if this impacts athletically but I've found I enjoy cycling more at night (other sports more difficult to assess since I don't play them at night)

So from personal experience I question if the study is wrongly assuming that everyones cycle peaks during the day.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Dudes, just cut the bull**** and get to the point.

I've got Denver, what do you have?

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Bull**** is better than this boring TNF matchup of SD@DEN. Denver. NDO (No Doubt about it. ... I was never good speller.)

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

All home teams*, especially DEN (like everybody else I guess).

(* except SF, SEA and NO)

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

So, Foxxy. You like Minn (without Peterson) over Philly? Detroit over Baltimore? Oakland over KC? Miami over NE? Tenn over Arizona? Pitt over Cincy?

While I like the way SD plays, and admire Rivers comeback of sorts, I'm going with Denver too. Neither team plays much defense, so I expect one of those 48-34 type scores.

I'm not going to pick every game, but do what I did last week, and comment on a few key games, which I'll try to do later today.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Crap. Alpe beat me to it. Ok, Alpe hits em with the left hook, I get the uppercut. Foxxyyyyyyyyy, your picks of all hommes this week is busted. No way the following hommes win:

[edit: ok.... Foxxy I saw after posting you actually got SEA, SF, and NO right. But that's it]
SEA @ NYG
SF @ TB
NO @ STL
KC @ OAK
ARI @ TEN
CIN @ PIT

Then, because of all the crap coming out of the Skins camp this week, Wash @ Atlanta Sunday will be interesting, especially if Kirk Cousins does really well for Wash (as Alpe mentioned earlier).
WSH @ ATL

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

I too find the Wash@ATL game interesting. The Falcons have actually had some decent drives and a few good games of late. Cousins is the wildcard here though. But one man doesn't make a team.

NE@MIA - I'm interested in seeing how Miami - now on a bit of a roll, winning 3 of 4, with a close loss to Carolina - does against the Gronk-less Patriots, in a game both teams need.

PHI@MIN - The Eagles are now 8-5 and have won 5 in a row. The last game they lost was against the Giants when both Vick and Foles were out and Barkley played. They play at Minnesota, home against the Bears, and at Dallas in a game that could determine it all.

CIN@PIT is another interesting matchup, as the Bengals are currently 9-4. After this they get Minnesota and Baltimore, both at home.

SEA@NYG - This isn't an interesting matchup, except the weather will be very cold and windy. Basically the same weather we'll likely see in Feb during the Superbowl. After this game, Seattle has Arizona and St.L, both at home. The Seahawks have never won more than 13 games in a season. Can they do it this year?

GB@DAL - This is interesting for one main reason: Though Aaron Rodgers has taken most of the snaps this week in practice, he's still not medically cleared to play. But the Packers need to win this game. After last week's bad loss to Chicago, the Cowboys do as well.

BAL@DET - This is an interesting game in that the Lions should win, and are favored. But they played poorly in last week's snow game, and the Ravens have won three in a row, and 4 of 5. They have the Patriots and at Cincy after this. If they can somehow run the table...

 

[Amsterhammer]

Quickly for tonight, I will of course go with DEN.

Yes, since I'm not depressed enough about my soccer team, I've got this wretched Shanny/RG3 business to depress me even further. Thanks for the updates, I have been following on Bleacher and ESPN and know what's been said is going on. A large number of fans would be delighted to see a new coach, certainly for next season. And he can take Kyle with him too. Griffin should have been benched weeks ago, bu there's far more wrong than just his play. The OL is awful, ST sucks big time. I won't be picking the Skins again, even against Atlanta.