National Football League

[infeXio]

Re:

I didn't expect the Jets to **** that up

So the Broncos can (and probably will) get first seed by beating the Chargers now

 

[Merckx index]

Though very little happened this Sunday in terms of teams making the playoffs (Steelers and Texans in, Jets and Indy out, with HOU a virtual certainty no matter what happened), the rankings shifted a lot. Before the games started a week ago, Denver wasn’t even assured of being in the postseason. Now they’re the no. 1 seed, and who knows who their starting QB will be.

The AFC looks wide open. NE is definitely vulnerable, but Cincy doesn't have its starting QB, and with Manning replacing Osweiller, the QB situation in Denver is unsettled, not what you want going into the postseason. Maybe KC, which has now won ten games in a row, and has a relatively easy WC game vs. HOU, can go deep?

And if not them, what about Pittsburgh, an offensive juggernaut. Is Roethlisberger underrated? He isn't exactly below the radar, but he's not usually considered one of the elite, either. But with three of the four usual suspects having poor to awful years--Manning, Rodgers and Brees--you could argue that right now, based on experience plus recent performance, Ben is the QB you want.

Or is it Wilson? SE dominated AZ, and Wilson finishes the season leading the NFL in QB rating, and third in rushing yards, behind Newton and the surprising Tyrod Taylor. Maybe the Cards figured they didn’t have much to play for, but if that’s the case, why did Carson play? SE has won its last three road game by nearly identical scores, 38-7, 35-6 and 36-6, two of them against playoff teams, and the third against Baltimore. While the Ravens finished 5-11, SE and KC were the only teams to beat them by more than one score.

Update: MN beats GB, and will host SE, while GB goes to Washington. The offensively lethargic Packers look like good news for Amster.

CAR’s position as no. 1 seed isn’t necessarily that advantageous. If SE beats MN, they will play CAR. AZ would get the winner of Washington-GB, which looks like a pretty easy win. Only if MN beats SE would CAR get the GB-Wash winner, and in either case, AZ won't have to play SE before the NFC championship game, assuming both teams get that far.

 

[The Hitch]

Re:

I didn't expect the Jets to **** that up

Really?

The Jets have been poor away all season. They scraped past the Cowboys, got blown out by the Raiders, lost convincingly to the Texans. This was precisely the kind of game they struggled with all season.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

And if not them, what about Pittsburgh, an offensive juggernaut. Is Roethlisberger underrated? He isn't exactly below the radar, but he's not usually considered one of the elite, either. But this season he's outperformed all the QBs that are usually rated ahead of him--Brady, Manning, Rodgers and Brees--except for Brady. Carson and Cam have had great seasons, presumably one of them will be MVP, but you could argue that right now, Ben is the best QB in the postseason.

Or is it Wilson? SE dominated AZ. Maybe the Cards figured they didn’t have much to play for, but if that’s the case, why did Carson play? SE will play at Washington if GB beats MN, otherwise at MN.

I'd give the nod to Cam over Wilson for MVP right now. Wilson has been on fire lately, but Cam deserves it for the team's success this season. Another question might be who'd you rather go into the postseason with as your starting QB, Cam, Ben, Carson or Wilson? A really good case could be made for each.

Other than that, boy, was I wrong on my guess on who'd win the SEA/ARI game. Hats off to Alpe for getting that pick right and for the right reason. To me the two biggest factors in that game:
1) Arizona played completely uninspired football. Especially after they found Carolina had won and there was nothing they could do to take the #1 seed.
2) Seattle's OLine made me look dumber by playing so well without LT Okung and RG Sweasy. But part of that credit has to go to OC Bevell, who pulled a rabbit out of the hat with masterful, unpredictable play calling that included plays to allow Wilson to get the ball out of his hand quickly (most of the time), and passing to set up the run (a reversal for Seattle). It might have been Bevell's best game planning effort of the season.

One takeaway from the SEA-ARI game, SEA RB Christine Michael made it clear he is a new man on a mission to complete for the starting RB position with Rawls after Lynch retires. He will be an interesting player to watch going forward.

 

[leftover pie]

So the 49ers and the Browns didn't waste much time in creating some coaching vacancies.

Couldn't even keep the powder dry until Monday.

 

[movingtarget]

Re:

So the 49ers and the Browns didn't waste much time in creating some coaching vacancies.

Couldn't even keep the powder dry until Monday.

It seems Tomsula was dead man walking. The first hints came a few days ago. They first told him two hours after their win. I think he knew. He was not his usual excitable self on the sideline. 49ers defense showed up and they also stopped a field goal attempt which would have won the game for the Rams. Entertaining game for a dead rubber but the Rams unusually after beating Seattle at home looked the more deflated of the teams plus Gurley was out. If the 49ers OC Geep Chryst survives it won't go down well with the fans. There is talk that the Saints coach Payton is a strong contender for the 49ers job and he is interested. Chip Kelly seems unlikely. The win drops the 49ers down the draft from firth to seventh pick. Kaep is expected to go which means that a young QB is probably on the way if they can get the one they want. Gabbert had his usual up and down game but did enough good things to to stay the current number one QB.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

The firings aren't done yet. The real ??? is Sean Payton. Depending on what channel you watch, or what link you follow, you'll hear he's loyal to New Orleans, or that he wants to move to SF/Miami.

As to the playoffs, that loss by New England was rather ugly. You could say the same about Arizona, but the Patriots were playing for HFA. This is the second week in a row they lost, and this loss was worse than the previous. It didn't look like they didn't care, and more like they couldn't play. How much of a difference will having Vollmer, Edelman, Chung and a few others back? Not much if they play like this. Rare are teams that back into the playoffs, teams that win it all.

The opposite to me was the way Seattle played. This cements what I noted last week that the loss to St. Louis was an anomaly.

The funny thing about the Jets, is that they just about had the game won. The last three drives when they needed only a FG, Fitzpatrick threw three picks. Including one in the end zone that was awful. Twice they lost to the Bills this season, by identical scores.

I still like Carolina, if I were betting I'd put money on them. But I have to agree with Merckx. I can definitely see Seattle taking care of business in Minnesota, and then giving Carolina a lot of trouble. On the flip side in the NFC, I like the Skins chances against the Packers. They've played more solid than people give them credit for. And despite this big loss, I think the Cardinals will play well coming up. In fact, I am fairly confident that the Super Bowl champion will come out of the NFC's top three teams: Carolina, Arizona and Seattle.

The AFC is really a crap shoot. I don't have faith in any team there to run the table. Denver has the top seed, but QB questions, and I think back a couple of weeks to how their offense couldn't move the ball, and their defense could only hold up for so long. I already mentioned NE. While the Steelers are a popular pick, I think they can be beaten if teams rush Ben enough, double up Brown, and the Steeler defense is very spotty. In fact, that loss to Baltimore was a template for that. The Bengals, heck, Andy Dalton just got his cast off. Can they even beat Pittsburgh, regardless of who their QB is? And while KC has won an impressive string of games, many of them were close, even against poor teams. Not much faith in Houston to even win one game.

Finally, and this would be it's own topic if it weren't so pathetic, Johnny Manziel didn't play on Sunday because he failed to show up for a mandatory meeting with the team physician Sunday morning. He never answered his phone either. In fact, the team didn't even know where he was all day. This is after posting an Instagram picture on Saturday night that he was with his dog in Ohio. Then was seen partying at a Las Vegas club, some 12 hours before game time. Supposedly he wants to play for the Cowboys. But why would Dallas even want him? Maybe they're more desperate than I realize. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam noted the team had the 2nd pick in the draft, implying they would pick a QB early in the draft, yet again.

 

[jmdirt]

A while back, I was one of the people saying that Chip and Kaep might be a good pairing (after Chip said that he liked QBs like Kaep). At that time, I typed that maybe Kaep could go to Phili next year, but as it turns out, Chip might be going to SF. The two might be a good match, but SF needs more than that. Chip might be able to bring out what Kaep is capable of, and Kaep might be able to do what Chip needs out of a QB.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

I'm still thinking Chip has to at least interview for the Tennesee job. I mean, if you're going to interview with a team that's rebuilding, wouldn't he rather coach Mariota?

SF announced that Trent Baalke will stay as GM. So you can rest assured more difficult times ahead for the team.

Tom Brady suffered a high ankle sprain on Sunday. Depending on the severity of the strain he could be okay if taped up in two weeks. Or, if it's bad, it's something that won't be fully healed by the end of the season.

In what has to be bad news for the Panthers, Charles Tillman suffered a torn ACL and will miss the rest of the season. This has to be a tougher loss than Bene Benwikere going down.

If early reports mean anything, AJ McCarron will start on Sunday for the Bengals.

While some may think this is premature, the Browns have apparently hired a stray kitten as it's head coach.

http://www.sportspickle.com/2014/01/browns-hire-adorable-stray-kitten-new-head-coach

(Okay, from last year, but still funny).

 

[jmdirt]

Re:

I'm still thinking Chip has to at least interview for the Tennesee job. I mean, if you're going to interview with a team that's rebuilding, wouldn't he rather coach Mariota?

SF announced that Trent Baalke will stay as GM. So you can rest assured more difficult times ahead for the team.

Tom Brady suffered a high ankle sprain on Sunday. Depending on the severity of the strain he could be okay if taped up in two weeks. Or, if it's bad, it's something that won't be fully healed by the end of the season.

In what has to be bad news for the Panthers, Charles Tillman suffered a torn ACL and will miss the rest of the season. This has to be a tougher loss than Bene Benwikere going down.

If early reports mean anything, AJ McCarron will start on Sunday for the Bengals.

While some may think this is premature, the Browns have apparently hired a stray kitten as it's head coach.

http://www.sportspickle.com/2014/01/browns-hire-adorable-stray-kitten-new-head-coach

(Okay, from last year, but still funny).

Based on what I have read, the first contact his camp made was SF.

 

[movingtarget]

Re:

The firings aren't done yet. The real ??? is Sean Payton. Depending on what channel you watch, or what link you follow, you'll hear he's loyal to New Orleans, or that he wants to move to SF/Miami.

As to the playoffs, that loss by New England was rather ugly. You could say the same about Arizona, but the Patriots were playing for HFA. This is the second week in a row they lost, and this loss was worse than the previous. It didn't look like they didn't care, and more like they couldn't play. How much of a difference will having Vollmer, Edelman, Chung and a few others back? Not much if they play like this. Rare are teams that back into the playoffs, teams that win it all.

The opposite to me was the way Seattle played. This cements what I noted last week that the loss to St. Louis was an anomaly.

The funny thing about the Jets, is that they just about had the game won. The last three drives when they needed only a FG, Fitzpatrick threw three picks. Including one in the end zone that was awful. Twice they lost to the Bills this season, by identical scores.

I still like Carolina, if I were betting I'd put money on them. But I have to agree with Merckx. I can definitely see Seattle taking care of business in Minnesota, and then giving Carolina a lot of trouble. On the flip side in the NFC, I like the Skins chances against the Packers. They've played more solid than people give them credit for. And despite this big loss, I think the Cardinals will play well coming up. In fact, I am fairly confident that the Super Bowl champion will come out of the NFC's top three teams: Carolina, Arizona and Seattle.

The AFC is really a crap shoot. I don't have faith in any team there to run the table. Denver has the top seed, but QB questions, and I think back a couple of weeks to how their offense couldn't move the ball, and their defense could only hold up for so long. I already mentioned NE. While the Steelers are a popular pick, I think they can be beaten if teams rush Ben enough, double up Brown, and the Steeler defense is very spotty. In fact, that loss to Baltimore was a template for that. The Bengals, heck, Andy Dalton just got his cast off. Can they even beat Pittsburgh, regardless of who their QB is? And while KC has won an impressive string of games, many of them were close, even against poor teams. Not much faith in Houston to even win one game.

Finally, and this would be it's own topic if it weren't so pathetic, Johnny Manziel didn't play on Sunday because he failed to show up for a mandatory meeting with the team physician Sunday morning. He never answered his phone either. In fact, the team didn't even know where he was all day. This is after posting an Instagram picture on Saturday night that he was with his dog in Ohio. Then was seen partying at a Las Vegas club, some 12 hours before game time. Supposedly he wants to play for the Cowboys. But why would Dallas even want him? Maybe they're more desperate than I realize. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam noted the team had the 2nd pick in the draft, implying they would pick a QB early in the draft, yet again.

Even after their loss to Seattle I still like the Cardinals for the Superbowl and Kansas have the momentum. Was never convinced by the Patriots this year. Seattle will cause some headaches of course. Payton has a daughter studying in California so the reports quote and that is supposed to be a big influence on his interest for the 49ers job. Manziel sounds like a self destruction job in the making. Kaep might need surgery on thumb ligaments which would mean a long lay off I would think. Might deter some interested teams.

 

[Merckx index]

Re:

There is talk that the Saints coach Payton is a strong contender for the 49ers job and he is interested. Chip Kelly seems unlikely.

I think Payton would be a good choice, about as good as the team could hope to get, but I’m surprised he would be interested, given how dysfunctional the ownership is. They dumped Harbaugh after he completely turned the team around and just missed winning a SB, lost Adam Gase because they demanded he keep Tomsula as DC, lost Fangio when they promoted Tomsula over him, then fired Tomsula after only one season. Tomsula never made any sense, but why choose someone if you’re not going to give him more than one year? In fact, the team was devastated by injuries and retirements, and I doubt Harbaugh himself could have made it a contender. He might have kept Kaep from going down in flames, though.

The best opening for a HC is probably NYG, now it's official that Coughlin has taken himself out. If I were a potential candidate, I’d steer clear of SF, Cleveland and Philly. SD might be promising, if they let go of McCoy. Indy would be tantalizing with Luck there, but as one writer put it, their owner is the NFL equivalent of the Affluenza kid.

The funny thing about the Jets, is that they just about had the game won. The last three drives when they needed only a FG, Fitzpatrick threw three picks. Including one in the end zone that was awful. Twice they lost to the Bills this season, by identical scores.

In fairness to Fitzpatrick, only the first pick was a bad pass (and even then it took a good defensive play; had the pick happened earlier in the game, and not in the EZ, people wouldn’t have made that much of it). The second pick, as I heard it, happened when he got hit just as he was releasing the ball, so not his fault that the pass was thus underthrown. And the third pick was I think the last play of the game, when any risk is worth forcing the ball into heavy coverage if that’s the only play you have.

Anyway, I was glad to see the Steelers make it to the postseason, I think they have a better chance of knocking off NE than the Jets, even if the latter just did so a couple of weeks ago. But the other teams got a big break with Pittsburgh playing Cincy. One of two major contenders is not going to get past the WC game.

I still like Carolina, if I were betting I'd put money on them.

Yeah, if I had to bet, I’d take Carolina to go all the way. When a team has gone undefeated for a long time, then loses near the end of the season, the trendy thing is to pass on them and move on to some hotter team. But Carolina’s record speaks for itself—consistently good play all year. Even that loss to Atlanta was to team that had underachieved most of the season. The only cautionary note is that Carolina’s opposition was pretty weak. I think Hitch pointed out that the Steelers had the toughest schedule, played and beat a lot of the other playoff teams, that’s something to keep in mind. But if Carolina loses, bank on it’s being a close, hard fought game.

One of the more interesting stories this season was that six teams started out unbeaten through five or more games. Except for CAR, all of them faded pretty badly.

AT: started 5-0, finished 3-8
GB: started 6-0, finished 4-6
DE: started 7-0, finished 5-4
CI: started 8-0, finished 4-4
NE: started 10-0, finished 2-4
CA: started 14-0, finished 1-1

 

[Amsterhammer]

 

[jmdirt]

On my drive to the Y some talking heads on the radio were talking about how Coughlin is exactly what CLE needs. HMM?...

 

[Billie]

Colts bring back Pagano and Grigson

 

[jmdirt]

As expected, Rams, Bolts, and Raiders have applied to relocate to LA. If St. L (city) actually pulls their package together, the Rams should stay and be the only NFL team in town. Oakland and San D haven't really shown intent to keep their teams. The Raiders probably won't lose as many ticket buyers as they will gain, but I think the bolts will lose more than they gain.

EDIT: San Antonio Raiders?! MMQB tossed that out...

 

[movingtarget]

Re:

Some interesting match ups I would probably say Kansas, Cincinatti, Seattle, Washington. Texans could push Kansas maybe but Green Bay have not impressed me too much this year. Seattle will hopefully go out early at least the Panthers and Cardinals fans will hope so. But I don't think they will.

 

[Billie]

Sucks for Oakland. I really like the Raiders there. Always a great atmosphere with the black hole and all the dressed up fans.

Chargers on the other hand there were many games this year where there were more travelling fans than home fans. This year when the Steelers and Raiders visited it took me half a game to realise this game was played in SD.

 

[The Hitch]

Re:

The firings aren't done yet. The real ??? is Sean Payton. Depending on what channel you watch, or what link you follow, you'll hear he's loyal to New Orleans, or that he wants to move to SF/Miami.

As to the playoffs, that loss by New England was rather ugly. You could say the same about Arizona, but the Patriots were playing for HFA. This is the second week in a row they lost, and this loss was worse than the previous. It didn't look like they didn't care, and more like they couldn't play. How much of a difference will having Vollmer, Edelman, Chung and a few others back? Not much if they play like this. Rare are teams that back into the playoffs, teams that win it all.

The opposite to me was the way Seattle played. This cements what I noted last week that the loss to St. Louis was an anomaly.

The funny thing about the Jets, is that they just about had the game won. The last three drives when they needed only a FG, Fitzpatrick threw three picks. Including one in the end zone that was awful. Twice they lost to the Bills this season, by identical scores.

I still like Carolina, if I were betting I'd put money on them. But I have to agree with Merckx. I can definitely see Seattle taking care of business in Minnesota, and then giving Carolina a lot of trouble. On the flip side in the NFC, I like the Skins chances against the Packers. They've played more solid than people give them credit for. And despite this big loss, I think the Cardinals will play well coming up. In fact, I am fairly confident that the Super Bowl champion will come out of the NFC's top three teams: Carolina, Arizona and Seattle.

The AFC is really a crap shoot. I don't have faith in any team there to run the table. Denver has the top seed, but QB questions, and I think back a couple of weeks to how their offense couldn't move the ball, and their defense could only hold up for so long. I already mentioned NE. While the Steelers are a popular pick, I think they can be beaten if teams rush Ben enough, double up Brown, and the Steeler defense is very spotty. In fact, that loss to Baltimore was a template for that. The Bengals, heck, Andy Dalton just got his cast off. Can they even beat Pittsburgh, regardless of who their QB is? And while KC has won an impressive string of games, many of them were close, even against poor teams. Not much faith in Houston to even win one game.

Finally, and this would be it's own topic if it weren't so pathetic, Johnny Manziel didn't play on Sunday because he failed to show up for a mandatory meeting with the team physician Sunday morning. He never answered his phone either. In fact, the team didn't even know where he was all day. This is after posting an Instagram picture on Saturday night that he was with his dog in Ohio. Then was seen partying at a Las Vegas club, some 12 hours before game time. Supposedly he wants to play for the Cowboys. But why would Dallas even want him? Maybe they're more desperate than I realize. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam noted the team had the 2nd pick in the draft, implying they would pick a QB early in the draft, yet again.

Lol what. Johnny was In las Vegas 12 hours before a home game in Cleveland?

 

[The Hitch]

Re: Re:

There is talk that the Saints coach Payton is a strong contender for the 49ers job and he is interested. Chip Kelly seems unlikely.

I think Payton would be a good choice, about as good as the team could hope to get, but I’m surprised he would be interested, given how dysfunctional the ownership is. They dumped Harbaugh after he completely turned the team around and just missed winning a SB, lost Adam Gase because they demanded he keep Tomsula as DC, lost Fangio when they promoted Tomsula over him, then fired Tomsula after only one season. Tomsula never made any sense, but why choose someone if you’re not going to give him more than one year? In fact, the team was devastated by injuries and retirements, and I doubt Harbaugh himself could have made it a contender. He might have kept Kaep from going down in flames, though.

The best opening for a HC is probably NYG, now it's official that Coughlin has taken himself out. If I were a potential candidate, I’d steer clear of SF, Cleveland and Philly. SD might be promising, if they let go of McCoy. Indy would be tantalizing with Luck there, but as one writer put it, their owner is the NFL equivalent of the Affluenza kid.

The funny thing about the Jets, is that they just about had the game won. The last three drives when they needed only a FG, Fitzpatrick threw three picks. Including one in the end zone that was awful. Twice they lost to the Bills this season, by identical scores.

In fairness to Fitzpatrick, only the first pick was a bad pass (and even then it took a good defensive play; had the pick happened earlier in the game, and not in the EZ, people wouldn’t have made that much of it). The second pick, as I heard it, happened when he got hit just as he was releasing the ball, so not his fault that the pass was thus underthrown. And the third pick was I think the last play of the game, when any risk is worth forcing the ball into heavy coverage if that’s the only play you have.

Anyway, I was glad to see the Steelers make it to the postseason, I think they have a better chance of knocking off NE than the Jets, even if the latter just did so a couple of weeks ago. But the other teams got a big break with Pittsburgh playing Cincy. One of two major contenders is not going to get past the WC game.

I still like Carolina, if I were betting I'd put money on them.

Yeah, if I had to bet, I’d take Carolina to go all the way. When a team has gone undefeated for a long time, then loses near the end of the season, the trendy thing is to pass on them and move on to some hotter team. But Carolina’s record speaks for itself—consistently good play all year. Even that loss to Atlanta was to team that had underachieved most of the season. The only cautionary note is that Carolina’s opposition was pretty weak. I think Hitch pointed out that the Steelers had the toughest schedule, played and beat a lot of the other playoff teams, that’s something to keep in mind. But if Carolina loses, bank on it’s being a close, hard fought game.

One of the more interesting stories this season was that six teams started out unbeaten through five or more games. Except for CAR, all of them faded pretty badly.

AT: started 5-0, finished 3-8
GB: started 6-0, finished 4-6
DE: started 7-0, finished 5-4
CI: started 8-0, finished 4-4
NE: started 10-0, finished 2-4
CA: started 14-0, finished 1-1

Yeah, and except for car, all of them lost 2 in a row to end their run.

 

[The Hitch]

Re:

A shame that Houston chiefs is first. I won't know who to cheer for since it's the second game that decides who plays who.

If Steelers win the Cincinnati game then I need chiefs to win so that new England get challenged at least a bit in the divisional round, but if Bengals win then i'll want Houston to pull it off to help ensure against Foxboro holding another championship game.

Thankfully in the Nfc we get the Seattle game first on Sunday so we know where we stand for the second one.

 

[The Hitch]

Re:

Sucks for Oakland. I really like the Raiders there. Always a great atmosphere with the black hole and all the dressed up fans.

Chargers on the other hand there were many games this year where there were more travelling fans than home fans. This year when the Steelers and Raiders visited it took me half a game to realise this game was played in SD.

Yeah. I don't care about the other 2 but really don't want to see raiders leave Oakland since that's a really passionate place and the Oakland raiders brand is really big around the world.

 

[red_flanders]

Re: Re:

Sucks for Oakland. I really like the Raiders there. Always a great atmosphere with the black hole and all the dressed up fans.

Chargers on the other hand there were many games this year where there were more travelling fans than home fans. This year when the Steelers and Raiders visited it took me half a game to realise this game was played in SD.

Yeah. I don't care about the other 2 but really don't want to see raiders leave Oakland since that's a really passionate place and the Oakland raiders brand is really big around the world.

I don't really want them to leave either, but even as a die-hard Raider fan since I was about 6 years old, I would rather see them get a stadium which allows them to compete financially than keep playing in that ***-hole in Oakland with an infield covering the field for up to half of the year. I say this as someone who lives within a 1/2 hour drive of the stadium and go to 1 or 2 games a year.

They're not getting a stadium in Oakland, that much is clear enough. I want to see the franchise grow. They have some momentum now and I'd like to see it continue.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

You all know how I feel about the Raiders. I don't need to repeat it.

Correct on Manziel being in Vegas on Saturday night. Plus lying about his whereabouts (again), and the no-show for Sunday's mandatory Dr. appointment, and no-show for the game.

As to Coughlin, he hinted he's not done coaching. Where does he go though? Cleveland? Why would he want that gig?

NFL.com says Tom Coughlin's next stop may be Canton, and those two SB wins seal it. Do they? Tom Flores won two SBs, he's not in. Then again, Flores is one of the many Raiders unfairly kept out of the HOF (some finally made it way late, some still waiting: Stabler, Branch, Christenson, Plunkett, etc.).

Talk is the Saints want a 2nd round draft pick in exchange for Payton, and that's just to even answer the phone.

I have no clue why Sean Payton would rather coach in SF than NO. Why Kelly would seek the job there has to do something with location and personnel I guess. To me Kaep still is a real wild card. If I were looking to build a superstar QB, I'd look to Mariota before Kaepernick.

Panthers DC Sean McDermott given the okay to interview for the Cleveland job.

Early thoughts on the games coming up in another post...

 

[Pricey_sky]

As a Panthers fan Id much rather face the winner of GB/Wasington but I can't see the Vikings beating Seattle.

At least we managed that big win in Seattle earlier in the season which should have lifted the hoodoo the Hawks seemed to have over us.