National Football League

[Alpe d'Huez]

So let me ask you: For what Power Rankings then?

Teams most likely to win in the weeks coming, factored against the teams they are playing, and their chances of winning through to the Superbowl.

This is why I wouldn't have Carolina at #4. Sure, they beat Atlanta. And the hapless Chargers. And they'll likely beat the pathetic Raiders and maybe the imploding Saints. Yes, they have a talented roster. But they're going to finish the season 7-9 if they win out. They lost to Tampa Bay twice, and to Kansas City three weeks ago. Kansas City!

The ANS rankings have NE at 7, below Carolina and Houston, who they completely demolished.

I think you're too stat-fixated for me Foxxy.

Moving on from that and to backup Quarterbacks. Talk today that Alex Smith could actually win both the passing title for QB rating, and completion percentage. He just needs to throw another seven passes to qualify. Wouldn't that be peculiar if they play him some of week 17 against Arizona and he does it?

Talk about either Smith or Michael Vick going to the Jets next year. I think Vick would be more fitting, especially if Rex is still there. That would be a perfect fit. Plus, let's pretend Tebow is still there. Rex, Vick and Tim on the same team. Comedy gold. But some team will still think that Vick is the future of football and hire him because of that (mis)perception. They will then lose many games.

Smith on the other hand may be able to pick and choose between a few teams. Not the way Manning did, but perhaps better than the way Matt Flynn did. He'll get some offers, and go where he thinks he has the best chance of playing, and winning.

I can only wonder where Sanchez will be sucking his millions from.

Speaking over overpaid players, wonder where Chris Johnson is going to end up. A few flashy runs, barely over 1,000 yards, and a boat anchor to Tennessee's future with Jake Locker.

 

[Pazuzu]

For the upset of the week I'm picking Detroit over Atlanta. This seems like one of those games where Atlanta could have a bit of a let down after a big victory last week. And Detroit - a team with some talented individuals - will be playing loose as they've go nothing to lose. We'll see.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

Teams most likely to win in the weeks coming, factored against the teams they are playing

That is exactly what Brians model does. A perfect description. So no foo-foo.

That CAR (which BTW is the only "outlier" if you want to see it like that) can´t go to the post season b/c of some unlucky loses in close games isn´t the fault of the model. Some bounces the other way (and better, speak more aggresive, play calling of course) and may CAR would have squezzed in like the NYG "always" do. After that, they had the same chance as the 07/11 NYG to go all the way.

This is why I wouldn't have Carolina at #4. Sure, they beat Atlanta. And the hapless Chargers. And they'll likely beat the pathetic Raiders and maybe the imploding Saints. Yes, they have a talented roster. But they're going to finish the season 7-9 if they win out. They lost to Tampa Bay twice, and to Kansas City three weeks ago. Kansas City!

And still Brian was the only one with the guts to pick CAR over ATL (and got trashed of course) and SD...
I agree # 4 seems too high. But OTOH, NYG on # 4 last year also seemed too high, and yet Brian saw it coming (that the NYG go deep in the PO´s).
The KC loss indeed is crazy. OTOH, big favourites (14+ points) lose 25+ % of that games. So it´s not that unlikely.
Anyway, how did CAR lose? First KC was pumped up b/c of the tragedy. 2nd KC had homefield (a big factor in the NFL as everybody knows). But still that can´t excuse CAR to lose to a far worse team.
Now playcalling. How in the world can CAR only throw 10 times in the 1st half vs. one of the worst Pass-D? Then the D couldn´t stop KC from sustaining long drives at the end of each half, denying any chance for CAR to comeback or score last in the 1st half. Such things happen...

The ANS rankings have NE at 7, below Carolina and Houston, who they completely demolished.

That´s the problem here. Brian doesn´t factor in coaching. Besides fielding very bad pass defenses the last couple of years, NE manages to win the games in style. How they do it? No one knows. It´s discussed lengthly in other sites.
Anyway, the bad Pass-D is the reason for NE´s low ranking.

I think you're too stat-fixated for me Foxxy.

That might be true. But only b/c i can´t see all games, i have to trust quality numbers.
But playoffs i saw all games the past 25+ years, so i have a pretty good picture of, for example, which QB´s choke year-in-year-out and which play the same under pressure like they do during the RS. Then i don´t have to look at the quality numbers (and when i do, they just confirm what i saw with my own eyes).
BTW, how you think Prisco etc. do their rankings? Of course they go by (wrong) numbers and/or W-L record. They simply can´t watch 16 games each week...

Moving on from that and to backup Quarterbacks. Talk today that Alex Smith could actually win both the passing title for QB rating, and completion percentage. He just needs to throw another seven passes to qualify. Wouldn't that be peculiar if they play him some of week 17 against Arizona and he does it?

Talk about either Smith or Michael Vick going to the Jets next year. I think Vick would be more fitting, especially if Rex is still there. That would be a perfect fit. Plus, let's pretend Tebow is still there. Rex, Vick and Tim on the same team. Comedy gold. But some team will still think that Vick is the future of football and hire him because of that (mis)perception. They will then lose many games.

Smith on the other hand may be able to pick and choose between a few teams. Not the way Manning did, but perhaps better than the way Matt Flynn did. He'll get some offers, and go where he thinks he has the best chance of playing, and winning.

I can only wonder where Sanchez will be sucking his millions from.

Speaking over overpaid players, wonder where Chris Johnson is going to end up. A few flashy runs, barely over 1,000 yards, and a boat anchor to Tennessee's future with Jake Locker.

I´d love it if Smith gets the 7 throws. It just shows that starters and backups are very close talent-wise (remember what Brock said about NFL talent) and highly depend on the talent around them. It just confirms everything i preach. And it will be seen forever in the record books. It will not be forgotten. So yeah, get the records Smith.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

But only b/c i can´t see all games, i have to trust quality numbers.

I don't know if this is even available in Germany, but on my iPad I signed up for the NFL Rewind. This allows you to watch every game of the season on demand. Plus you can watch a condensed version (just the plays) which takes about a half hour. Plus they have coaches films of very wide shots, if you want to do your own analysis. Even with that, I still haven't watched every game. No way.

...remember what Brock said about NFL talent

I'm impressed you remember! I'll never forget it. He held his fingers up with about a 1 inch gap between them and said that was the difference between the best and worst in the NFL.

Alex Smith very well could get the record, and I hope he does too. He likely won't play this weekend, but very well could play a half, or three quarters against Arizona in week 17. He's been a great team player for years, and even when benched this year, he didn't complain much. He finally started to play near his potential this year, and got benched when hurt. I feel for the guy. The only negatives I'd say about him is that he lacks the energy or urgency that Kaepernick has, and Kaep's arm is stronger. Alex has also been prone to folding when behind. Witness the loss to the Giants which was just flat. He threw 3 picks and after each one his performance got worse. While he played well in the two games after that, I still think it was the second half of that Giants game that stuck in Harbaugh's mind, and why he went with Kaep. I think if the 49ers weren't in a "SB or nothing" mindset, Smith would still be starting. For his sake I hope he doesn't end up playing for the Jets. KC, Arizona, Jax, probably Minnesota, Buffalo, all are going to be looking for a new QB. Alex will rise to the top of the selection pool.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

So i have more in common with Cipollini and Alex Higgins... Anyway everybody has its weaknesses. I am not proud of it.

Nothing to be shamed of either. It's one of those things that just... is. I use to smoke too and my best friend, who was a chain smoker then, helped me stop.

Moving on... Ok, statsaholics & sportsaholics. Where is the most likely team Sanchez will land, now that the Jets are shopping him? (Fox Sports Link). Any good fits? If Jets were hoping Sanch put up good numbers in the remaining games to make him more marketable, it really backfired. Now that they clinched not being in playoffs, no more reason to keep starting him. It is almost going to have to be somewhere with a good OLine that needs a QB, or maybe a backup QB. But there is a lot of cash just to bring him on (see link). I just don't know what would be a good fit.

In addition, rumor is Jets may be interested in Vick (same link). I think that would be a mistake for Vick (Jets OL not very good).

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Yes, I wrote about Vick yesterday. As overhyped as Vick is, he's a better QB than Sanchez, and making less money. Even if the Jets absorb part of Sanchez contract, do the Eagles really want to pay Mark 4-5 mil to sit on the bench behind Foles next year? Then IF Nick has a bad patch of games, put Mark in there and expect him to resurrect the team? That sounds like a disaster.

This is the problem with guaranteed contracts, for any player. A stir was created when Seattle signed Matt Flynn to $26m for four years, and then made him second string behind Wilson. But while he's getting $6m this year (with a bonus), only $2m per year is guaranteed. This allows Seattle three options. Keep him and pay him (still less than Sanchez), trade him, or actually cut him if they needed to without taking a huge cap hit.

As to Vick and a weak OL, that means little. As much as Vick tried to be a pocket passer, it was shown in many game films he doesn't have quick decision making ability to see 2nd, or 3rd receivers. He gets rushed into throws, or up and runs too quickly, and because he's not a consistently accurate passer (and can't hold onto the ball) that results into a lot of turnovers. Maybe with the Giants OL he could throw better, but I wouldn't count on it.

Both Vick and Sanchez are damaged goods as I see it. Vick overhyped, and too prone to injury as well. And Sanchez was never going to be great, but it looks like he also wasn't coached or developed properly, and his psyche is maybe shot. I wouldn't trade for either of these QB's no matter what. While it may not be as bad as what the Raiders gave up to get Carson Palmer (a 1st round and 2nd round pick), which will set them back for years, following the JaMarcus Russell debacle.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

I am trou with the AFC "QB-Records" since 1980. It was very hard. Not to pile up the numbers, but to find out who the true starter was and who not. It´s not that easy to say the opening day starter is the true starting QB.
Sometimes the true starter was injured in the pre season and never played in the given season (like Friesz for SD in 1992), sometimes he only came back healed in the middle of the season (like for example Pennington in 2003), sometimes he missed the first few games b/c of violating NFL rules (like Roethlisberger in 2010).
It was especially hard going back in time to the eighties, since there is not that much information available in the interwebs. Anyway, it was fun to go back in time reading old stories like this one (omg, QB´s got really killed back then)...
I just wonder how those NFL sites come up with the correct stats, since i doubt that NFL headquarters hand them over the original opening day rosters with injury reports of say 1982.

Anyway, here are the raw numbers (regular season only):
I looked at all teams who were starting at least two different QB´s in a season (i did not count the QB-Records of the replacement players in 1987, since they played different teams & players than the OD-Starters had to face, so it would have "spoiled" the numbers)
True Starters; 1.318 wins, 1.424 loses, 3 ties = .481 winning percentage
Backups; 752 wins, 958 loses, 2 ties = .440 winning percentage
Now one could wonder why the Wng.-Pct. does not add up to .500
It´s because the 16-games-starters are not included. That means OTOH that teams with a single starter have a Wng.-Pct. above .500, meaning continuity seems to be the deciding factor for quality QB-Play. It makes sense since more practise makes more perfect. Plus, it seems that teams change QB´s more often in losing seasons. So, of course, not all QB-Changes were due to injury...

Over a 16 game season that translates into 7.7 wins for the starters, and 7.0 wins for the backups. So far a starter is worth 0.7 wins above their replacements.

I also looked at Y/PP stats. The method was to look at which QB had a higher number, the true starter or the No. 2 on the depth chart.
I excluded all QB-Seasons when the backup had less than 60 pass plays (thus eliminating meaningless week 16 games). Still a small sample size of lets say 75 pass plays compared to a starters 400+ may also misslead. OTOH over that long period of time outliers should/do even out.
So here are the numbers;
In 130 QB seasons the true starter had a higher Y/PP, in 117 seasons the backup had. Translating into a "Winning-Pct." of .526 (= 8.4 "wins" for the starter, 7.6 "wins" for the backup = 0.8 more "wins" for the starter, confirming the above numbers).

Conclusion: I guess the NFC stats will bring about the same numbers. Starting QB´s have the edge over the replacements, mainly due to more practise and better talent. But they are way overrated when hailed in the press. Sure, outstanding QB´s may have an higher edge (i´ll make those detailed stats in the off season), but the real recipe for sucsess is continuity, like it is for OL-Play. A study found out that not high picks make the difference, but the longer an OL plays together in the same formation...

 

[Pazuzu]

Both Vick and Sanchez are damaged goods as I see it. Vick overhyped, and too prone to injury as well. And Sanchez was never going to be great, but it looks like he also wasn't coached or developed properly, and his psyche is maybe shot. I wouldn't trade for either of these QB's no matter what.

Some tosser suggested that Green Bay might be a nice fit for Sanchez: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/sanche...FjYWFlBHBzdGNhdANuZmwEcHQDc3RvcnlwYWdl;_ylv=3

If I were Ted Thompson I wouldn't touch Sanchez with a ten foot pole.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

I am trou with the AFC "QB-Records" since 1980.

Anyway, here are the raw numbers (regular season only):
True Starters; 1.318 wins, 1.424 loses, 3 ties = .481 winning percentage
Backups; 752 wins, 958 loses, 2 ties = .440 winning percentage

Over a 16 game season that translates into 7.7 wins for the starters, and 7.0 wins for the backups. So far a starter is worth 0.7 wins above their replacements.

I also looked at Y/PP stats.... So here are the numbers;
In 130 QB seasons the true starter had a higher Y/PP, in 117 seasons the backup had. Translating into a "Winning-Pct." of .526 (= 8.4 "wins" for the starter, 7.6 "wins" for the backup = 0.8 more "wins" for the starter, confirming the above numbers).

Conclusion: I guess the NFC stats will bring about the same numbers. Starting QB´s have the edge over the replacements, mainly due to more practise and better talent. But they are way overrated when hailed in the press. Sure, outstanding QB´s may have an higher edge (i´ll make those detailed stats in the off season), but the real recipe for sucsess is continuity, like it is for OL-Play. A study found out that not high picks make the difference, but the longer an OL plays together in the same formation...

Interesting numbers. Question for you. Seeing as how starting QBs on losing teams would offset the numbers by starters on winning teams, what would the results look like if you tossed out starting & backup QB data from all losing teams (say with at or below a 50 winning percentage)? In other words, just compile the data for starting/backup QBs from winning teams (those having final records > 50%). Doing that tho I'm not sure there would be enough data from backups.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Week 16, here we go.

Atl at Det - Despite the revenge killing of the Giants, I still think Atlanta is somewhat of a paper tiger, but should win here.
Oak at Car - While I think Foxxy has Carolina too high, they have talent, and Oakland is done, maybe for 5 years.
Buf at Mia - Fins started good, but now sub average. Bills poor defense will help Miami win.
Cinn at Pitt - While I like the way the Bengals are playing, in Pittsburgh, the Steelers win games like this.
NE at Jax - Lock of the week. But may not be a blowout. NE sometimes plays down to competition.
Indy at KC - Luck has struggled of late with too many picks, but KC so dysfunctional.
NO at DAL - Saints imploding, but Brees still great. Cowboys must win.
Wash at Philly - RG3 or Cousins, Skins rolling and win as Foles gets experience.
St.L at TB - The Bucs swoon of late has been ugly. Rams have some talent and are well coached.
SD at Jets - Chargers schitzo, poorly coached. McElroy gives Jets tiny spark.
Tenn at GB - Packers continue to win while few notice.
Minn at Hou - Real test for Hou rush D, but Texans clearly better team.
Cle at Den - While Browns and Weeden have played better, that's not enough. Broncos win easy.
Chi at Ari - Despite their struggles, Bears better team, and must win. Only Cutler's ego could screw this game up.
NYG at Bal - Two teams soundly beaten last week. I'm sticking with NY.
SF at Sea - Here's the big one. Two red hot, physical teams on a roll. Seattle hasn't lost at home all year and noise will be a factor. But I just think the 49ers have more tools, and can slow down Lynch enough to win one of those 16-10 games.

 

[Amsterhammer]

My picks:

ATL 24, DET 23
OAK 13, CAR 24
BUF 20, MIA 24
CIN 17, PIT 23
NE 27, JAX 20
IND 20, KC 17
NO 24, DAL 28
WAS 24, PHI 20
SL 16, TB 17
SD 17, NYJ 21
TEN 17, GB 24
MIN 17, HOU 27
CLE 13, DEN 30
CHI 17, ARZ 13
NYG 24, BAL 27
SF 20, SEA 24

There look to be at least six absolute locks this week. I am heartened by the fact that Foxxy has picked them too (even though I've seen a bad attack of the stats in the last pages).

One of them will almost certainly bust - but which one?

ATL @ DET - Falcons to roll on, almost, kind of, another semi-lock

NO @ DAL - I don't (want to) believe in the Cowgirl resurrection
TEN @ GB - Lock # 1
IND @ KC - Lock # 2
BUF @ MIA - Pretty close to another lock, a semi-lock
SD @ NYJ - A who cares game between two awful teams. I have come to hate them both. Jets on a toss up.
WSH @ PHI - According to the experts, this is another strong semi-lock. I expect the beloved patriot messiah to return and do the business.
CIN @ PIT - Ben's lost 'it' since he came back, I'll punt on the Bengals
STL @ TB - Really hard to pick, nothing to play for, Rams by a whisker
OAK @ CAR - Lock # 3
NE @ JAC - Lock # 4
MIN @ HOU - Lock # 5 (despite more ridiculous All Day yardage)
CLE @ DEN - Lock # 6
CHI @ ARI - Normally, this should be a lock, but with these Bears?
NYG @ BAL - Another real hard one. The Ravens need this badly, so do the Giants. I badly want and need the sad Ravens of recent weeks to turn the corner and recapture the flame. Let Ray Rice run!
SF @ SEA - I'm staying with the Hawks and Wilson's very impressive home form. Could easily go the other way too.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Coming down to the last 2 regular games besides the AP/Eric Dickerson race for the single season rushing record, there are some records (Link) at stake.
- Jerry Rice's most yards gained in single season (1848 yds, SF, 1995)
-- being chased by Megatron Calvin Johnson (1667 yds, DET)
-- Megatron needs just 91 YPG, while averaging 120 YPG/season, 139 yds last 5 games
-- could be close b/c megaT has not done so well against better pass defenses (e.g. Sea, SF, Chi). And the play ATL and CHI in the final 2.
MegaT breaking this record could be close.

- Michael Strahan's single season sack record (22.5 sacks/game, NYG, 2001)
-- being chased by JJ Watt (HOU, now at 19 sacks), play MIN & INDY in final 2
-- and by Aldon Smith (SF, also at 19 sacks), play SEA & ARI in final 2
Both these guys could break the record, and in fact, the record could be broken twice or more.

AP's getting all the attention, so thought I'd spread the love around.

Finally, my picks vs. yours for easy compare:
GAME..................Alpe.......Amster........Me
Atl at Det..............Atl...........Atl..............Atl
Oak at Car...........Car.........Car...........Car
Buf at Mia.............Mia.........Mia............Mia
Cin at Pitt.............Pitt.........Cin............Pitt (Pitt top D)
NE at Jax .............NE..........NE...........NE
Indy at KC ...........Indy........Indy...........Indy
NO”D” at DAL ….DAL.........NO...........DAL (as in NO has no Defense)
Wash at Phil….Wash.......Wash........Wash
St.L at TB ...........St.L.........St.L..........St.L
SD at Jets ...........SD..........Jets.........Jets (Mac is back sounds good)
Tenn at GB ...........GB..........GB...........GB
Min at Hou ...........Hou.........Hou..........Hou
Cle at Den ...........Den.........Den.........Den
Chi at Ari..............Chi..........Chi...........Chi
NYG at Not Ballin....NYG.......Bal..........NYG
SF at Sea.............SF..........SEA.........SEA (ofc)
(sorry Foxxy & others tardy with picks)

 

[cineteq]

Final four. Like NE and DEN in the American, and SF and GB in the National.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

This week's thoughts in a nutshell:

Ray Lewis has been practicing, but as of an hour ago was not even on their injury report. While not the physical player he was a decade ago, he's their unquestionable leader, and like having a DC on the field. Their slide started when he got hurt. Suggs listed at full practice.

RGIII had full participation in practice and should start. Michael Lombardi at NFL.com thinks Kyle Shanehan and Kirk Cousins could head to a new team together next year. An interesting thought.

As to Sanchez, it looks like the Jets are going to try to shop him, and Tebow both. Tim will be easy to deal, Mark, very difficult. My gut still tells me Tebow needs to go to Jacksonville, as he's from Florida and that will sell a lot of tickets, even if he's not the starter.

Look for Terrell Pryor to see more playing time for Oakland. Recall he was a two threat QB in college about as big as Newton or Foles. He lacks pocket presence though and needs to play to learn. If he plays well, what do the Raiders do with Palmer?

SF DE Justin Smith did not participate in practice all week for SF. But Sidney Rice didn't practice for Sea either, though he played last week. Smith sitting could be a bigger deal than people realize.

Bleacher Report has their odds for ROY, and none other than Russell Wilson sits at the top. I have to agree. He exceeded all expectations, and makes Pete Carroll look like a genius with developing players (he is). Seattle's Bobby Wagner also was on their list. This doesn't even include Bruce Irvin who has 8 sacks in limited play as a pass rush specialist. Anyone here remember when pundits were criticizing Seattle's draft? Whose laughing now.

The Packers continue to heal. Clay Matthews no longer on the injury report and 100%. O linemen Sitton and Van Roten now appear at or near full strength so Evan Dietrich-Smith will now be moving to center putting veteran Jeff Saturday to the bench. Charles Woodson may play this week but more likely next. Jordy Nelson and James Starks still did not practice. Nelson could see time next week though. Starks is out this week, and likely next but ready for the playoffs. I don't know if fans realize how stacked this team is with talent, and how deep they are. 10-4 with a lot of backups and young players. If the Packers can get back to full strength by playoff time, look out!

Vick says he'll happily play elsewhere, but he's not a backup. He's probably right. Despite his flaws, someone will take a chance on him.

 

[Amsterhammer]

Thanks for that report, Alpe. I fully expected RG3 to play. I have to say, it's literally been decades since I've been able to be so excited so late in the season. Whatever happens, the Skins have already exceeded most expectations, certainly mine, and we can look to the future with more optimism than we've had for a very, very, long time.

I will take anything from here on as a bonus, though I do now expect them to win the division...and that's the killer with teams like the Skins and my soccer team, West Ham - always flatter to deceive - they can surprise the hell out of you, and then just when you admit to yourself that they may actually be turning into a good team, they smack you in the teeth by losing to a worse team. Just sayin'...

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

He lacks pocket presence though ...

Vick says he'll happily play elsewhere, but he's not a backup. He's probably right. Despite his flaws, someone will take a chance on him.

What actually is "pocket presence"? Doesn´t all NFL-QB´s have it?

I know we see it different, but i still think Vick is a very good QB. I´d like to see him in NY....

I fully expected RG3 to play. I have to say, it's literally been decades since I've been able to be so excited so late in the season.

I am so excited that i found a team in 2012 to cheer for. The Skins! Wow, couldn´t care less about them before this season.
Martz left CHI, so they were done for me. Norv the Smurf killed the (not so long ago) most talented team until a point where i gave up on them (AFIR, it was two years ago when losing to the NYJ, and Norv got a contract extension ).
Kurt Warner left the scence after the bounty players killed him...
Really, i was left emty... and then came RG3

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

I would refer to pocket presence is knowing when to move around in it as it changes, while keeping the (passing) play alive. Ben Roethlesberger is probably the best in the NFL at this. Brady, Brees, somewhat Aaron Rogers, and we're now seeing RG3, are very good at this as well.

In the pre-season Pryor had the problem of stepping back in the pocket, and not being able to quickly adjust. But he's big, has a fairly strong arm, and he's fast. His passing is somewhat erratic, but he definitely has the right attitude. He took flack in college for the OSU memorabilia thing, but has an excellent attitude since then. He just needs to play and get reps. I mean, he's probably 90% as good as Carson Palmer, right?

I think less of Vick than you do, but I see his point about wanting to start. If I were in NY I'd rather give a shot at Vick than another year of Sanchez.

It looks like Ray Lewis will suit up and probably play on Sunday. The Ravens were 5-1 with him, and 4-4 without.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

I
In the pre-season Pryor had the problem of stepping back in the pocket, and not being able to quickly adjust. But he's big, has a fairly strong arm, and he's fast. His passing is somewhat erratic, but he definitely has the right attitude. He took flack in college for the OSU memorabilia thing, but has an excellent attitude since then. He just needs to play and get reps. I mean, he's probably 90% as good as Carson Palmer, right?

Absolutely. At least 90%...

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

I think with Pryor it's an issue of playing. Palmer hasn't played that bad, so are the Raiders going to bail on him just to get Pryor reps? But that's the only way for Pryor to develop and see what he has is for him to play.

Good NFL.com article on six teams desperate for a win this weekend. The teams are SF, CHI, MN, NYG, both Pitt and Cincy. Good article.

 

[veganrob]

Megatron

Calvin breaks Jerry Rice's yardage mark last night. Will get 2k next week. He is truly an amazing athlete, in as class of his own. Also a classy and humble guy, works hard all the time. No diva.
Too bad he is all we have in the "D" worth watching righ now.

 

[Amsterhammer]

Ok, so the Skins win was ugly, but it's been an all round great day for me!

If the Hawks keep the lead I'll finish on 14-2.

Happy holidays, guys.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

Unbelieveable but true, the NYG are still alive...

Happy holidays to everybody, too.

 

[ChrisE]

Full blown meltdown on Houston sports talk radio this morning. Was lucky enough to catch some of it on the way to pick up some last minute gifts.

Texan fanboy has gone from booking hotel rooms in NO 6 weeks ago to their offense getting outrushed by Christian Ponder lol.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

A few games really stood out to me this weekend, both of which I picked wrong.

First, who wants to play Seattle now? But some questions arose from last night's game more than the answer that yes, the Seahawks really are that good, and in some ways actually managed to beat the 49ers up, taking both Davis and Manningham out. But can the 49ers come from behind, no matter who the QB is? Also, it's Justin, not Alden Smith who the 49ers need. The wrong time of the year for the 49ers to have these problems.

Green Bay's beating of Tennessee wasn't that surprising, but the way they demolished them perhaps was. As I alluded to in recent posts, the Packers are getting healthy and peaking at the right time.

I would have thought the loss to the 49ers would have been a wake up call to the Patriots. I was wrong. Playing well in the 4Q helped, but this doesn't look like a SB team.

Houston holding AP to low yardage, but still losing handily to Minnesota was something. I am starting to think the Colts can beat them next week. Props to them, btw, and to Andrew Luck breaking the rookie passing yardage record. Who thought they would go 11-5, or 10-6 even.

Denver keeps on rolling, but let's see what happens playoff time. I can however see them beating Houston.

The pasting the Ravens gave to the Giants was no where near as close as the 33-14 score would have you believe. It was over early, and the Ravens just pummeled them. If there were concerns in Baltimore, they may be gone. Two weeks in a row, and three of four the Giants have been demolished... But get this. The Giants play Philly next week and can get in with some possible help. So, imagine the Giants squeaking out a win over Philly and eeking into the playoffs as a WC. They travel to SF and beat the injured 49ers again, then go to GB, and then Atlanta, and a few ball bounces their way, they win again. Then in the SB they play non other than the Patriots and become the first 8-8 team to win a SB. Imagine that?

 

[ChrisE]

Houston will lose in Indy next week mark my words, unless Indy takes it easy due to their playoff seeding being set (I think).