Boltbits: Why the San Diego Chargers Can Win the Super Bowl

With San Diego’s newfound success, many people are polarizing in their opinions of the Chargers.

The first wave of new support is giving way to those looking to rebut the team’s chances.  How one feels will not ultimately decide the team’s fate—the team will take care of that all by themselves.

Yet looking through articles/reports that begin to try to attack the Chargers’ potential for success, a notion strikes through them all—the team’s chances are being criticized for the simple reason that those chances are so very prevalent. 

The team right now appears poised for a solid playoff run, not only because of the Chargers’ own merit, but also because of some declining merit around them.

San Diego is facing a playoff picture where no team is truly frightening. 

Last year’s Super Bowl Champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers, are not even in the playoffs.  Perennial threat New England has seen a decline in its defensive prowess to go along with the loss of leading wideout Wes Welker.  Early monster Cincinnati looks far more human now.

In past years, San Diego had gone in with similarly high expectations.  Before, however, they were one among three or four of the better teams just in the AFC.  They continually played well but were felled by teams that would eventually represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.

The separation between top and bottom is much closer than before. 

That advantage means there will not be a downright frightening team to face in the postseason.  The difference in opposition is one great swing in San Diego’s favor.

Another unheralded advantage would be momentum. 

San Diego’s history of solid Decembers has laid the foundation for criticism over the Chargers’ advantage as “the hot team” going into the playoffs.  What is not mentioned within that debate is the matter of scale.

Last year, San Diego was a 4-8 team that scrapped its way through four wins to squeak out a playoff berth thanks largely to the Denver Broncos’ first of two collapses.  They had to fight because they had no other choice; it was win or go home each week.

This year, the team spent most of December with a comfortable edge in its division. 

A brief flurry by Denver (with back-to-back wins against the Chiefs and Giants) quickly slipped back into the Broncos second-half skid.  San Diego was no longer winning by way of pressure; they were winning simply by outplaying opponents despite the opposing team often having more to play for.

That scale is also magnified by one number—11. That is the number of consecutive wins this team is taking into the playoffs. 

A four-game winning streak is a solid call for momentum (just look at the laudations given Dallas with its three wins to close the year), but it is something that happens fairly often in football.

Eleven consecutive games means much more. 

Instead of a cause for optimism, it makes a statement.  Added to that would be wins against a Dallas team fighting for its division, a Cincinnati team that still had hope for a second seed, a resurgent Titans team looking to claw into the playoffs, and an always dangerous Philadelphia Eagles team.

The Chargers have already proven the capacity to overcome injury, as witnessed by just about every member of the defensive front seven missing time to injury (starters and key backups) as well as playing hurt. 

They have fielded a round-robin along the offensive line because of injury, but they will field the healthiest group they have had all year with center Nick Hardwick returning and veteran John Runyan now up to speed. 

In the backfield, they may be a better team with starting fullback Jacob Hester listed as doubtful (though with the extra week, that could easily change) and Mike Tolbert starting in his place.

The Chargers’ running game has been a weak point; however, that has yet to effectively stall the team’s progress. 

Arizona proved in last year’s playoff run that a team with a last-place running game can lean on a great passing game to drive through its entire conference.  The Chargers’ running attack is no longer a major threat, but it is much more respected than the 2008 Cardinals’ rushing game.

Behind San Diego as the 32nd-ranked running team sits Indianapolis, considered the Chargers’ primary threat in the AFC.  Also in the bottom 10 are the Eagles and Cardinals, two highly respected offensive teams.

The team has also faced unfounded criticism over Norv Turner.  He is not a fiery leader, and he likely never will be.  He is a generally calm, measured man who approaches the game more intellectually than passionately.

Yet Turner has turned in significant wins in the playoffs for the Chargers already. 

In 2007, the Chargers defeated the Titans in the Wild Card round, only to stun Indianapolis by taking the divisional round game despite injuries to Ladainian Tomlinson, Philip Rivers, and Antonio Gates. 

In 2008, those same Chargers once again faced a favored Colts team in the playoffs and came away with the win.

With a host of weapons on offense that is at its most dangerous with the improvement along the offensive line, and a defense that looks to be its healthiest since week one, San Diego is in a great position.

It would be foolhardy to outright call the team for the Super Bowl. 

The playoffs are long, and anything can happen. 

Yet all the reasons detractors give for San Diego’s negligent chances are not going to arouse concern.  This is a team not only peaking at the proper time, but it is also doing so in a year where several others are suffering late setbacks.

This year, San Diego looks forward to a great position to make a run at the Super Bowl. 

They have internal and external advantages and will be a dangerous team to face.

 

To take a look at how San Diego’s first step toward the Super Bowl could play out :

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/321169-the-afc-wildcard-from-a-san-diego-chargers-perspective

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Pete Carroll to Sign with NFL’s Seattle Seahawks: Why Leave Now?

Pete Carroll has been tossed about as a potential head coaching candidate for NFL jobs across nearly his entire tenure at USC. Miami even followed him all the way to South America in an attempt to hire the coach with a 97-19 career record at USC. 

For the first time, the rumors of Pete Carroll’s NFL return seem more than vapors. He has not officially signed; however, the Seattle Seahawks have been reported to be very close to hiring Carroll to replace just-fired head coach Jim Mora. 

CEO Tom Leiweke spent the past week in Southern California. He fired Mora while in Los Angeles, and also spent the time in L.A. interviewing Carroll, with the two seeming very close to a deal.

Seattle has already let go of head coach Jim Mora, fired on the heels of a disappointing 5-11 year. The Seahawks closed the year with a four-game losing streak that ultimately sealed Mora’s fate. The program is still looking for a face after rumors of a Mike Holmgren return fell through as Cleveland brought the ex-Seahawks coach and GM on.

It would seem an ideal situation for the head coach who had frequently rebuffed NFL offers to remain in the powerhouse PAC-10 program. Owner Paul Allen has the deep pockets to give Carroll a significant boost to his solid $4 million a year USC contract, putting money on the table that no college program can keep pace with.

The Seahawks also would keep Carroll on the West Coast and close to water, two things he has expressed a desire to maintain. He would be granted a strong say in personnel matters as well, an alluring facet for any coach. Despite his deep pockets, Allen is considered an ideal owner to work for as well, since he tends to not over-insert himself into the finer points of running the team.

The biggest factor in dislodging Carroll from the ranks of college head coaching may have nothing to do with the team interested, and more to do with the situation USC football might be facing.

USC basketball just suffered a huge set of self-imposed sanctions in response to potential ill dealings with one-and-done player OJ Mayo. This may not be the end of sanctions faced as the program still has to face the NCAA and any sanctions the league itself might impose.

The team’s football program has reason to believe it may be facing similar disciplinary action in the near future. For years, an investigation into potential NCAA violations surrounding USC alum Reggie Bush had been stonewalled by the fact that the NCAA has no subpoena power, and thus are forced to use only testimony freely given.

A civil case against Bush has been given the go-ahead now; being an actual legal case, it can force Bush, Carroll, and any other possible individual involved to testify under oath. This gives the appearance that a ruling may very well be on the horizon that will affect USC’s football program.

He also is finally showing some frustration with USC athletic director Mike Garrett. He openly showed disregard for how Joe McKnight’s questionable situation was handled to close the year. Garrett also failed to show Carroll significant support after a down season in which the Trojans went 8-4.

The final straw could be a feeling of unfinished business. Head coaches are an inherently proud, driven bunch, and his 33-31 career as an NFL head coach might leave Carroll wishing to prove himself at the highest level.

With all of these factors, it finally appears this will be the year Carroll returns to professional football. Whether the move will benefit Seattle or not, it seems quite likely they will be giving the head coaching job (along with a strong personnel control component, if not outright GM-ship) to Pete Carroll of USC.

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Missed It by That Much: NFL Teams Falling Just Shy of the Playoffs

One of the great aspects to this year’s regular season was the number of teams with playoff aspirations late in the season.  Some were pipe dreams cobbled together by distant hope (Miami holding on despite injury), some were late surges that came up short (Tennessee), but several teams were a few bounces away.  Here’s a look at just why they are spending the postseason on the sidelines.

Houston stands as the narrowest miss.  With four 9-7 teams fighting amongst the AFC wildcard, tie-breaking procedure favored the New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens over Houston.  The Texans first winning season in history was thought over when they fell to 5-7, but late success coupled with several teams disappointing down the stretch put Houston back in the hunt.

The Texans were led by a high powered passing game that ranked best in the league at 290.9 yards a game.  They put up a solid 24.2 points per game behind quarterback Matt Schaub.  On defense the team ranked 13th, fueled by defensive rookie of the year Brian Cushing and monster defensive end Mario Williams.

Ultimately, the team’s downfall stemmed from playing in the AFC South.  The Texans were 1-5 in a division that boasted a combined 26-14 record (.650 winning percentage) outside their division.  The inability to finish either close game against Indianapolis especially hurt their chances. 

Jacksonville ended the year two games back at .500, but have to be entered into the discussion for holding onto an AFC wildcard slot until the final two weeks of the season. By week 13 the 7-5 Jaguars were a surprise team in a year where many teams had underwhelmed.

The Jaguars held a respectable 3-2 divisional record and an extremely strong 6-2 conference record that gave them good tie-breaking power over other teams if they could maintain.  With games against Miami and Cleveland during the final four, a split in that last quarter would have given them an 8-4 conference record that would have assured not only a playoff berth, but a fifth seed.

Instead Jacksonville dropped its last four games in a row, watching five other teams leapfrog over them in the AFC wildcard race to finish last in the AFC South.  Although Jacksonville played close matches against playoff teams (losing by three to Indianapolis and defeating New York) a modest early schedule including St. Louis, Kansas City, Seattle, Buffalo, masked the team’s overall quality, and the final fall sealed the team’s fate.

Denver, like Jacksonville, was a longtime wildcard holder that ended up not even amongst tie-breaker discussion to close the year.  They began the year with a scorching 6-0 record, only to finish the year 8-8 behind a disappointing loss to top ten drafting divisional foe Kansas City.

Denver’s revamped defense started the year hot.  They ended the year ranking a solid seventh in total yards allowed, but the drop-off from early in the year to the final 2-8 skid was significant.  Across the first six games they allowed 66 total points (or 11 points per game).  During the last ten games they gave up 264 points (for 26.4 points per game) that is more than double the points allowed early in the year.

When the defense was stonewalling teams Denver’s middle of the road (15th in the league in total offense) offense was enough to edge Denver over most teams.  When the defense gave way, the Kyle Orton-led Broncos lacked enough firepower to take up the slack.

The final AFC entry into this race, the Pittsburgh Steelers, put up a similar 9-7 record to the current wildcards, but stood behind the other teams in just about every tie breaking scenario.  The defending Super Bowl Champions looked strong early despite injury to star safety Try Polamalu.

They started the year 6-2 in a hotly contested AFC North that saw the upstart Cincinnati Bengals keeping pace.  In a head-to-head matchup to decide who would be the division leader, Cincinnati defeated Pittsburgh 18-12. 

That game would begin a five game losing streak that would be Pittsburgh’s undoing.  Across that streak they fell to Oakland, Kansas City, and Cleveland; three teams that ended the year a combined 14-34.  Beyond the embarrassment of losing to three top ten drafting teams, the losses also contributed to a 2-4 divisional and 6-6 conference record. 

Those two records rated the Steelers towards the bottom of any tie-breaker. To have gained entry into the postseason, Pittsburgh’s only chance would have been a 10-6 record or losses among the other 8-7 teams during the final week.  With Baltimore, New York, and Houston failing to cooperate, Pittsburgh once again will fail to make the playoffs following a Super Bowl victory.

The lone NFC team in this discussion, the Atlanta Falcons, had their hopes dashed much sooner than their AFC counterparts.  Once the New York Giants began their utter collapse Atlanta fell into place as the only real spoiler possibility within the NFC playoff race.

Early season optimism with the Falcons high powered offense leading the way to a 4-1 start quickly faltered as injury and missed opportunities took their toll.  The Falcons two primary cogs, workhorse back Michael Turner and budding star quarterback Matt Ryan missed a combined seven games (eight if you consider Ryan was out after attempting only three passes in Week 12).

The Falcons slipped to 6-7 with their stars out of the lineup before the return of Matt Ryan led to a three game surge to end the year with the team’s first back to back winning seasons.  The achievement was little consolation however to a Falcons deep eyeing a deep playoff run early in the year. 

Each of these teams had their hopes dashed as the year wound to a close.  In the AFC a tight race led each team to believe it might be able to eke out a wildcard berth in the final week.  In the NFC strong seasons by Green Bay and Philadelphia wrecked most team’s hopes of entering the playoffs, but Atlanta managed to turn a season that was potentially one healthy Michael Turner game away from altering their fates.

Every year playoff hopefuls strive and fail, but in this 2009 NFL season, many of these missed  by the smallest of margins.  As they look back over their season, each has to be wondering “What if?” over the few small changes that could have altered their playoff fates.

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NFL’s Big Three Not Looking So Mighty Going into the Playoffs

For the bulk of the 2009 NFL season, the league has been dominated by three teams. 

When Week 13 ended, the Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, and Indianapolis Colts were a combined 34-1. 

Other teams flirted with elite status. Denver started 6-0 and the New York Giants charged to a 5-0 start early in the year. Cincinnati fought to enter the conversation with a 7-2 record. Ultimately, each of these teams was an afterthought, fighting for the title of “next best” behind the three juggernauts.

Across the final stretches of the season that notion has changed considerably. 

The Colts, Vikings, and Saints have gone 5-8 since that span. 

The Colts’ two losses are more disheartening than concerning, being that they occurred after the team pulled its core starters for much of the final two games. The Vikings and Saints have some room to worry, however.

New Orleans had little to play for to close the year, but they were still not expecting three consecutive losses to end the regular season. The ballhawking defense of the Saints proved to be fairly mediocre when they couldn’t turn big plays, ending the year ranked 25th overall in yards allowed. That defense will be further tested by the injury to starting defensive end Charles Grant, a major blow to the team’s front line.

On offense, Drew Brees and his battery of receivers can still put a scare into any team they face. The vastly improved running game had suffered from inconsistency to close the year however, reducing the high powered Saints to a one-dimensional offense at times.

With injuries to the defense and trouble with the running game, New Orleans is suddenly looking much closer to the 8-8 team of last year, whose aerial assault could not overcome deficiencies across other aspects of their game. 

In order to succeed, the team will need to reestablish the Mike Bell/Pierre Thomas running attack, and return to the earlier defense that was outscoring some teams’ offenses.

Minnesota was picked by many to be the NFL’s best over the two undefeated teams through much of the year. The array of offensive weapons made the team downright scary while Jared Allen and the Williams wall put up an unstoppable defensive front.

As the season came closer and closer to an end, Minnesota looked vulnerable. 

Allen’s impressive sack total (14.5) loses some polish when considering 7.5 of those occurred in the pair of Packers games. Stretching along the other 14 games, Allen has a respectable, but less superhuman, seven sacks.

On offense, the team’s expected powerhouse running game behind Adrian Peterson looked far more ordinary than expected, ranking 13th in the NFL in team yardage, including the span where he averaged below four yards a carry in eight of the final 10 games (his only two big games coming against a league-worst Lions defense and a Giants team that simply gave up to end the year). 

Brett Favre picked up the slack for the team’s running game by putting up MVP-quality numbers across the entire season. The Vikings’ eighth overall passing offense did suffer some setbacks however, with Favre throwing more interceptions across the final five games (four) than in the first 11 (three). 

Favre will have the advantage of playing in a dome, but could still be a threat to force a pass at the wrong time. Even with a strong performance, there are concerns Brad Childress may be too stubborn to allow Favre the room to be the Hall of Fame leader he is.

Indianapolis does not have the obvious decline across their final games like New Orleans or Minnesota. They lost because they invested playing time in Curtis Painter in order to keep Peyton Manning healthy for the playoffs.

They now have a tremendous amount of pressure to succeed. The team is 7-8 in the playoffs during the Manning era, and nothing short of a title will assuage fans who feel they were denied a proper chance at going 16-0 in the regular season.

History may not be on their side either. Currently the Colts are 1-4 in the playoffs when Jim Sorgi closes the regular season. 

One year is a blip, two can be a coincidence, but four quick exits can be considered a trend. Granted, Painter ended the year, not Jim Sorgi, but the Colts are still a team whose playoff resume this decade is somewhat disappointing.

The lone year Indianapolis won the Super Bowl, Manning played the entire regular season trying to fight for higher seeding. The team was never allowed to let off the gas, and consequently scrapped their way to an NFL championship. They have not fared as well when resting starters.

Paired with all of this is a year where half of their 14 wins occurred by way of fourth quarter comebacks. The Colts may have refused to lose across those 14 games, but were by no means steamrolling their opposition every night.

These teams have all maintained their upper echelon status by holding onto first round byes, but after spending the year head and shoulders above all opposition, they are now essentially one of the pack. 

This opening is great for a playoff season where any one of the 12 teams could find itself hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy, but a rude awakening for three giants who had looked to tower above the rest of the league going into the playoffs.

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Is This NFL Playoffs the Year of the Wild Card?

Thanks to the NFL’s playoff format, with the top two seeds getting a bye in the first round, it is not uncommon for a wild-card team to advance deep into January.

Last year’s playoffs saw a 50-50 split with Philadelphia and Baltimore (No. 6 seeds) advancing. In 2007, the Giants and Jaguars also earned wild-card teams a .500 record.

This season, however, might just be the first year for all wild-card teams to advance.  No divisional team (especially within the third and fourth seeds) appears dominant at this point in the year, and several of the wild-card teams have a momentum advantage over their division-winning matchups.

As the wild-card team “most likely to succeed”, Green Bay faces an Arizona team that has been Jekyll and Hyde all year. Green Bay is possibly the most dangerous team in the NFC with New Orleans and Minnesota both showing cracks in the armor across the final quarter of the season.

The Packers boast the NFC’s top defense (and are the only top-five defense in the NFC) along with a powerful passing game led by Aaron Rodgers. Arizona has proven to be up for a challenge before, dominating Minnesota on both sides of the ball in Week 13, but overall they have a softer defense (20th overall) and a limited running game.

If Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald don’t have another transcendent playoffs, this team could easily bow out to a hot Packers team that has only lost one game across the entire second half of the year. That lone loss came by only one point to a resurgent Pittsburgh Steelers that could easily have made the playoffs had they sharpened their game a week earlier.

The Eagles have a slightly more daunting task as the NFC’s other wild-card game. The Dallas Cowboys swept Philly in the regular season and are riding a three-game winning streak entering into the playoffs.

Aside from momentum, what Dallas also has is pressure, having not won a playoff game since 1996. With obtrusive owner Jerry Jones eager to remind Cowboys players of their duty, this team could easily enter the playoffs tight and nervous. Philadelphia will have to strike early to get Dallas thinking of their troublesome history late in the year.

The Eagles are also looking to avenge the Week 17 drubbing that allowed Dallas to overtake them to win the division. Until that point, the Eagles had been the NFC East leader and were not thinking of themselves as a wild-card team at all. 

Andy Reid’s team has given McNabb the most offensive weapons he has ever had to work with, and the Eagles have spent much of the year as a trendy pick to upset Minnesota or New Orleans in the NFC Championship.

In the AFC, neither wild-card team put up the impressive 11-5 records of the NFC wild-cards, but both have momentum on their side going up against the third and fourth seeds—the Patriots and Bengals, respectively

New York fares as the most likely of the two AFC wild-card teams to see some postseason success. They hold the playoff tested formula of a strong running game and superior defense (first in the NFL by almost 30 yards per game). The weakness of rookie Mark Sanchez—and his 20 interceptions—is tempered by the playoff opponent they’ll face on Saturday.

Cincinnati comes into the playoffs playing its worst football of the year. A 7-2 start has cooled to a 10-6 overall record that included three losses in its last four games. It mimics New York in its physical defense and strong running game, but falls short of the Jets on both fronts.

The one chief advantage of Cincinnati, veteran quarterbacking from Carson Palmer, will be limited by a slowed Chad Johnson (injured but likely to play) and the tragic loss of deep threat wideout Chris Henry. Palmer has a strong past resumé, but essentially put up game manager numbers (barely over 3,000 yards in a pass-happy year) this season. 

If New York’s top ranked pass defense can keep the Bengals one dimensional, then the Jets should be able to come out of Cincinnati with an upset. If Week 17’s 37-0 drubbing was any indicator, the Jets should be able to handle the Bengals in the playoffs.

The final wild-card matchup is quite interesting. In Week 16, this would have weighed much stronger in New England’s favor. The Baltimore Ravens hold the sixth seed, but have not established any particular momentum entering the playoffs (winning against a 5-11 Raiders team in the season finale after falling to Pittsburgh the week before).

The Ravens, however, boast consistency, having not been dominant in any one area but playing the run game strong (both fifth in rushing offense and defense), while putting up respectable numbers in the passing game.

Their one defensive liability, defending the pass, will be helped considerably by the unexpected self-destruction of Wes Welker’s leg. This injury changes the entire dynamic of a Patriots offense that burned teams underneath and across the middle with Welker’s fearless receiving out of the slot.

New England is battle-tested and helmed by one of the best clutch players in Tom Brady, but also has to be disheartened by the loss of Welker, and nervous about an underwhelming defense that had been one of the Patriots’ greatest assets. 

The NFL has always prided itself on the ability for “anything can happen on any given Sunday” across the years.  This year could easily prove to be a prime example of this, where little really separates the four wild-card teams from their division-winning counterparts. 

With chinks in each division champ’s armor, it would not be at all surprising for all four of these wild-card teams to make it out of the opening round of the playoffs, and potentially drive all the way to a Super Bowl. The 2009 NFL season may just prove to be the “Year of the Wild Card.”

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Ladies and Gentlemen, Your 2009/10 NFL Playoffs

Now that the regular season has come to an end 12 teams are still alive, those that have made the NFL’s postseason. With several of the powerhouse teams skidding, the Super Bowl now looks to be anyone’s to take. Here’s a glimpse at those teams who will be fighting through the postseason in hopes of coming away with an NFLChampionship

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Could John Moores Force Chargers out of San Diego?

One of the primary goals for any owner of a professional sports team is to ensure their team has a new, polished stadium.  Football owners are no different, and for a long time San Diego owner Alex Spanos has sought a new stadium for the San Diego Chargers to play.

The desire was temporarily assuaged in 1997, when Jack Murphy Stadium was given extensive renovations. 

In addition to new seats, it also received a new name. Qualcomm Stadium was branded for the $18 million Qualcomm offered to the process.  The team had been seeking a new complex, but settled for the fix.

While the Chargers were seeking their stadium, the San Diego were also on the hunt, trying to get their own stadium built.  John Moores, having purchased the team in 1994, was looking for an angle to get his team a new ballpark.

Moores increased the team’s payroll soon into his tenure, working to rebuild a cellar-dwelling team ravaged by fire sales.  On the power of an increased relevance with a playoff-competitive team, Moores earned the approval by voters of a brand new facility in downtown San Diego.

Construction was began and halted multiple times due to environmental impact studies, lawsuits, and several other concerns.  The project ran over budget and past schedule, but was completed thanks to a $60 million  fee paid by Petco for naming right to the ballpark.

The park was a success in its inaugural year, seeing a rise in season and overall ticket sales.  Moores however began to trim the team’s payroll. 

The playoff-worthy product taking the field in the late 90’s had sold off several of its major stars, seen others retire, and remained quiet in free agency.

The team began a decline to the NL West cellar that it has failed to emerge from since.  Moores has presently sold the team to a different ownership group, who hopes to put some excitement back into the Padres.

In the meantime, San Diegans felt betrayed by a team promising to use the increased revenue the new park would generate to further improve a competitive ballclub.  Moores was perceived as a bait-and-switch artist, only willing to spend until he had the park approved.

Now the Chargers are once again seeking a new stadium for their own club.  The team announced that its present stadium plans would require public funds to get the complex built. 

“It’s almost certainly going to involve some sort of taxpayer money,” Chargers special counsel Mark Fabian stated.

That taxpayer money would most likely need to be put to ballot.  In a time of economic downturn, voters are likely to look to the San Diego Padres as reason to be leery of approving money for the team to build a new stadium. 

Should a measure fail on the ballot, the team would quite likely find its hopes for a new complex curtailed.

Caught between the Chargers wishes and the taxpayers caution is Los Angeles.  The city of L.A. has been seeking a new team for a long time, and has approved the building of a brand new stadium before they even have a team to play there, an approval made in the hopes of luring a current team to move itself.

Could San Diego elect to make the move if they don’t get a stadium in San Diego?  It is quite possible. 

Should the team choose to make that move, the greatest culprit behind a Los Angeles Chargers team would not be Alex Spanos or the San Diego City Council, but John Moores, owner of the San Diego Padres baseball team. 

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Denver Broncos Look to Make a Statement Before Even Taking the Field

Josh McDaniels wants to build a winning team in Denver.  Beyond that goal however, he has proven that he is a coach dedicated to building a winning mentality. 

With the Denver Broncos in a 2-7 rut following their early season winning streak, they find themselves on the outside of the playoff picture with one game to go.  The Broncos (8-7) will play a Kansas City team that has underwhelmed on the whole, but has proven capable of upsets over quality teams (having beaten a backsliding Steelers team in overtime in week 11).

For this critical game McDaniels elected to deactivate the team’s leading offensive weapon in Brandon Marshall.  He went a step further by making clear the move was not purely for health reasons, calling it “a coaching decision, not a medical issue.”

He elaborated by stating “our word for the week has been accountability. And we’re looking to put the 45 guys on the field on Sunday that want to play together, want to help us try to win and qualify for the playoffs, and anybody that showed any indifference to that, we’ll play without them.”

With their playoff life on the line, McDaniels elected to drill a point home to the rest of his team; anyone is expendable if they don’t show the proper fire and desire.  The chances of a second reconciliation in the offseason (after starting this year in a tumultuous fashion) are quite slim.

Marshall had complained of trouble with his hamstring, and maintained he would not have been able to go should McDaniels have left him active.  McDaniels disagreed. 

“There’s a number of players that are going to play on Sunday with things that are much more difficult to deal with than what he has,” he stated, taking care to drive the point home by making mention three separate times.

Marshall disagreed, but kept his comments milder than he had during the offseason, “I don’t think Coach ever played in the NFL, so for my hamstring to be feeling the way it felt, it’s tough for me to go out there and expect to play at a high level,” Marshall stated, “I’ve battled through a whole lot of injuries before. I played the whole year last year with a tear in my hip. So, I don’t think my toughness is in question here.”

One of Marshall’s major contentions during the offseason when making trade demands was how the team handled his prior injury.  He had claimed the extent of the injury was concealed from him, and that he was encouraged to play through the injury despite its severity.

When asked of McDaniels’ references to accountability, Marshall continued, “Well, accountability and injury is different, you know?”  He then added, “I pulled, well, I wouldn’t say I pulled my hamstring, it’s definitely not that bad, but it’s tough.”

Ultimately McDaniels contended that Marshall was putting self interests ahead of the team, possibly concerned with how a poor game might impact his value in the offseason at the expense of fighting to earn the team a playoff berth.

The 6-0 start behind a team thought to be beginning to rebuild was a signal to a changing culture.  McDaniels now has to fight the same second half woes that led to a collapse by Denver after an 8-4 start virtually assuring them the division collapsed into an 8-8 close that cost Mike Shanahan his job.

Will McDaniels’ far more hard-line approach ultimately benefit Denver?  That remains to be seen.  With a win Denver could earn themselves a playoff appearance, but in doing so they have likely just lost a pro-bowl wide receiver.

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Who Wins the AFC Wildcard? Lamarr Woodley Has an Idea

With the AFC wild card race coming down to a tightly contested final week, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Lamar Woodley feels that New England and Cincinnati might just try to set up the playoff matchups the way they want.

Woodley has predicted the Bengals and Patriots will “lay down” in week 17, allowing their opponents (the Houston Texans and New York Jets) to win in an effort to prevent Pittsburgh a chance at a playoff berth.

“All of them lay down,” Woodley stated, “No one wants to see Pittsburgh in it. That’s just how it is. Everybody knows we’re a dangerous team once we get into the playoffs, no matter how we played the whole year. Once we get into the playoffs, the Pittsburgh Steelers is a playoff team.

“Cincinnati is probably going to go into New York and lay down for the Jets,” Woodley went on, “and not play them hard just because they’re not going to want to see Pittsburgh in it.”

Lamar Woodley maintained that the Steelers held more integrity, emphasizing last year’s final game where Pittsburgh kept all of its starters in for a somewhat meaningless 31-0 victory over Cleveland. What was not mentioned was the concussion Ben Roethlisberger suffered, though it did not keep him from any playing time in the playoffs.

Most of the team disagreed, or at least shaded around such direct statements.

“To say Cincinnati doesn’t want to face us, that would kind of be a little dumb, being that they beat us twice this season,” Safety Ryan Clark said. “So I’m sure they have a lot of confidence if they do have to play us.”

Clark also pointed to the 2008 playoffs where the Steelers topped the Ravens twice, then played them in the AFC championship and won a third time. History just might favor Cincinnati on that front, after a pair of regular season wins against Pittsburgh this year.

The Bengals are struggling, but have plenty of reason to be confident against either AFC North opponent, as they went 6-0 in their division this year. New England has far less experience with the AFC North, facing only one team (Baltimore) but winning that game.

Star nose tackle Casey Hampton took a more moderated stance on the idea of resting starters, “Coaches have to do what’s best for their team,” said Hampton, when told of Woodley’s remarks. “Being healthy going into the playoffs, I think, is their main focus. If the game doesn’t mean anything, why risk getting hurt?”

Presently, Pittsburgh will need to focus on its own matchup, a tough fight with a 7-8 Miami Dolphins team that nearly made a run at New England’s division lead just a few weeks back. Even if they win, they will need a lot of help, holding few tie-breakers in the race for one of the two wild card seeds. Miami itself could possibly eke a sixth seed if all the 8-7 teams falter, that motivation despite an array of crippling injuries across the season make them a dangerous opponent.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Just What Is a Fan Entitled To?

Two incidents happened in the last week involving angry fans. 

The first came when the Indianapolis Colts elected to rest their core starters with roughly 20 minutes left in the game and a five-point advantage. 

The second was immediately following a Los Angeles Lakers defeat when they fell flat against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Colts fans have actually drafted a lawsuit asking for their money back as the Indianapolis Colts not only lost the game, but a bid at the first 19-0 season in the process. 

Lakers fans did not wait until the morning after. They rained foam fingers (from a promotional giveaway) down onto the court to express their distaste for what was perceived as a weak effort.

Lakers fans feel justified in throwing objects because of an inferior performance.  Colts fans feel justified in asking for their money back when a superior product was pulled. 

But what is a fan truly entitled to when they attend (or even simply watch on television)?

The most bare-bones answer would be that a fan attending a game is guaranteed the game will not be cancelled and that they are not put in harm’s way by attending the game. With this answer, all that is needed is a team on the field and a competent security detail.

It should be argued, however, that at minimum the team placed on the field that day/night puts a reasonable effort into playing, and an owner makes a reasonable attempt at trying to piece together a team capable of competing every night.

Both are reasonable assertions, and both weigh true in most leagues (I would contend that baseball owners of many teams don’t put a concerted effort into the second concept, especially with trade-deadline sell-offs).  Both of these fall short of what was expected by fans in Los Angeles and Indianapolis.

So where does the line fall? 

Laker fans don’t have much of a case. They are upset by the loss of course, and expressing displeasure is natural. That the team generally looks flat when it loses and seems to often lack interest doubles that. 

But a championship team blowing one-eighty-second of the regular season is ultimately trivial. The team fielded its starters, who put a reasonable effort (they were flat, but no one plays to lose) and came away empty-handed. 

That is not enough to justify an act somewhere between litter and vandalism (a bit sensational but not as big of a hyperbole as one might think).

The situation in Indianapolis is a bit trickier. Of course legally the fans suing for their tickets to be refunded have no grounds, and it would be a surprise if the case isn’t thrown out of court. But morally do they have some footing?

Fans, be it supporting in merchandise or ticket sales, have an interesting mandate.  They are paying for an entertainment product, and thus have some right to expect proper entertainment value. 

If Indianapolis were to win a Super Bowl, this would be irrelevant… mostly.  The question of 19-0 still presents itself. Could the team have made history?

On his radio show, Bill Polian contended that, “If fans were told at the start of the year that the team would be 14-1 they would be ecstatic.” 

That is a bit disingenuous. His assertion that this is what the fans want because it gives them the best chance at success runs contrary to a Colts fanbase that compelled Polian to end his radio show early because he grew tired of irate fans calling in.

To contend that “it was a decision because the team felt it was the best chance for success” is fine.  But when he attempted to speak for the fans, that was a mistake.  To state that 16-0 was never important tells that internal team priorities outweigh the wants of fans. That is a mistake. 

It all returns to the great lesson celebrities in all venues forget—you can think anything you want, just so long as you don’t say it. 

Polian can feel that way, but especially when history is not entirely in favor of his strategy (the Colts hold a 1-4 record in the playoffs when Jim Sorgi closes the regular season), don’t speak down to ticketholders about it.

So there lies the gray area. The debate over the actual strategy is a concept for another piece. The question over how justified fans are for being quite demonstrative in their displeasure is a tougher one to answer in some ways. 

Legally, Indianapolis is only obliged to ensure safety and make sure a game is actually played. Outside the bounds of legal rule, the Colts organization will have much to answer for if they are eliminated in the playoffs. 

Either way, barring the Lombardi Trophy, there will be questions, but a 17-2 Colts team will have far more than an 18-1 would have. 

Did the Colts do the right thing for the team? Perhaps. Did they do the right thing for their fans? Probably not.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

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