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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The Sportmeisters Top 10 Games of the Decade: Game No.1

Game No. 1 – New York Giants vs. New England Patriots – Super Bowl XLII

Even though the 00’s are finished, Sportmeisters Derek and Ryan have decided to present their top 10 games of the past decade. Today, they finish their discussion with the best game from 2000-2009. What follows is a transcript of their discussion.

Sportmeister Derek: Ryan, today we finish up our countdown, and even though we’re in 2010, it’s hard not to look back at this amazing game from the 00’s.

Sportmeister Ryan: Absolutely Derek, and as we start the new decade, let’s look back one last time at our consensus number one pick for the best game from 2000-2009; Super Bowl XLII between the New York Giants and New England Patriots.

SD: Let’s start with Week 17 of the 2007 NFL season. In a game that had no playoff implications, the 15-0 New England Patriots and the 10-5 New York Giants met in Giants Stadium.

SR: In what has become custom for many teams, fans of both were expecting them to rest their starters, but to everyone’s surprise, the two teams played a thrilling game, risking injuries on both sides, as we saw the New England Patriots become the first 16-0 team since 1972, winning 38-35. It definitely gave some momentum to both teams heading into the playoffs.

SD: New York would have to go on the road in their playoff games, starting with the NFC Wild Card, where they beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24-14. That followed with a road game against the Dallas Cowboys.

SR: Dallas had already beaten New York twice this season, so many were expecting the trifecta to be pulled off by Dallas.

SD: In what would become a recurring theme for the Giants, they defeated Dallas in the NFC Divisional Round 21-17. On the other side, the New England Patriots handily took down the Jacksonville Jaguars 31-20.

SR: The Patriots game saw Tom Brady go 26-of-28 (92.9%), breaking the record for best completion percentage, set by former New York Giant QB Phil Simms.

SD: In the NFC Conference Championship, New York traveled to the frozen tundra of Green Bay, and in a game worthy of its own recognition, Eli Manning and Co. got the best of Brett Favre in his final game as a Packer, winning 23-20 in overtime.

SR: The Patriots didn’t play their best in the AFC Championship Game, but they did what was necessary in a 21-12 win, becoming the first team to go 18-0, and heading into the Super Bowl, they had a legitimate shot at becoming the second undefeated team in NFL history.

SD: New England had one of the best offenses around, led by Tom Brady’s NFL-record 50 touchdown passes, 23 of those to newly acquired WR Randy Moss.

SR: After the week 17 showdown, many expected New England to win again. Even Las Vegas set the line at 14 points. Clearly, all the attention was on New England.

SD: New York received the ball to start Super Bowl XLII, and ran the longest drive in Super Bowl history, a 16-play, 77-yard drive that ended with a Lawrence Tynes 32-yard field goal to put New York up 3-0.

SR: That long drive set the tone, as New England was only able to get one drive off, making the two drives the fewest in Super Bowl history. At the same time, with the number of commercials and such in the Super Bowl, it’s hard to keep the flow of a game going.

SD: New England would take the lead in the second quarter, 7-3, on a one yard Laurence Maroney run.

SR: For the Patriots, who were so offensive-minded, the low-scoring affair had to be in their mind. New York was getting a ton of pressure, led by Justin Tuck, who had two sacks and a forced fumble in the first half alone.

SD: That pressure New York brought, completely wrecked an offense used to scoring at will. The third quarter ended without a score, bringing the Patriots 15 minutes to history, leading 7-3.

SR: New England took a few fourth-quarter chances, even catching New York with too many men on the field at one point. They didn’t convert, but it was easy to see the Patriots were doing whatever they could to attempt to put the game out of reach.

SD: New York would start the fourth quarter on their own 20, and a seven-play, 80-yard drive culminated in a five-yard touchdown pass from Manning to David Tyree, putting the Giants up 10-7 with 11:05 to go in the game.

SR: Tyree, who we will mention later, couldn’t catch a ball in practice, but came up big when necessary. Some players just shine with the spotlight on.

SD: A couple defensive stops from both teams kept the score the same until New England took over with under eight minutes to play. Using that fourth-quarter magic New England is best for, Tom Brady marched them down the field, eating up 5:12 over the 80-yard drive, which ended, how else, from Brady to Moss.

SR: New England had a few games during the season that required those last minute heroics, and this was another one of those moments. New England is up 14-10, with 2:39 to go before 19-0.

SD: Eli Manning would march the Giants to a third and five from the New York 44 with 1:15 remaining, and history happened.

SR: Before we get there, New England had a chance to end the game when the second down pass was just missed being intercepted by Asante Samuel.

SD: Nevertheless, New York had the ball, and Manning took the snap, sitting in the pocket, when Jarvis Green, among other Patriots, collapsed on Manning, but couldn’t sack him. Manning was able to spin out, right himself, and fire a 32-yard pass that was caught by Tyree, who put the ball against his head to keep control of it.

SR: That play was magic for a number of reasons. Manning getting out of the pressure and getting the throw off. Tyree with the catch, while being manhandled by Rodney Harrison. At that exact moment, New York had the entire momentum.

SD: Four plays later, and it was Manning to Plaxico Burress from 13 yards out, giving New York the 17-14 lead with 35 seconds left.

SR: Running a four-wide set, Burress went on a slant-and-go, getting Ellis Hobbs, who single covered Burress, to bite, leaving him wide open.

SD: New England would have enough time to take a shot, but another sack, this one by Jay Alford, and a few incompletions ended the greatest Super Bowl in history.

SR: New York pulled off the perfect upset, using every bit of luck, magic, and skill to win, once again sealing the 1972 Dolphins perfect season.

SD: This game had it all and that is why we have named it our number one game of the decade. Any questions or concerns, feel free to email us at Derek@Sportmeisters.com or Ryan@Sportmeisters.com .

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The NFL Needs to Reach a New CBA Agreement, Set a Rookie Salary Cap

The NFL should have learned a lesson from the most recent NHL lockout, and the multiple lockouts other major sports have been hit with. If and when a league halts play due to money grubbing…what does that say to the average fan?

“We’re not making enough money. Profits are only up 5 percent this year. We need to make x millions more, lets fight the players in negotiations, and push for more dollars to stay in our bank accounts. If they won’t bend, we’ll shut down for the next season so we get our way.”

Whether that’s the thought process of owners during a lockout or not, it’s irrelevant. The “court of public opinion” way that the sports loving public tends to view lockouts is not very open-minded.

As a fan, if a league I watch frequently stops playing because of dollar disputes, it says to me that money is bigger than the game.

The NFL, and any other professional sports league is indeed a business, but a special type.

I doubt many people would stop buying Barbies if Mattel refused to give employees a certain benefits package, and stoppage of the product occurred temporarily, but then resumed a year or two later.

Sports though, are different.

People still remember the baseball strike, one which led to the cancellation of the season and the World Series. The World freakin’ Series, people.

Needless to say, baseball fans and purists alike stopped running through the turnstiles all across the country, and baseball was left with a black eye.

Steroids saved the sport, but still, the strike and the lockout left many fans disgruntled with the players and owners.

The NFL is approaching a crossroads. Many veterans have spoken out about the need for a rookie player contract cap, and it is reasonable to push for one.

Lets consider a few things.

Rookies making more than Pro Bowl-established veteran players is ridiculous.

No wonder the veterans are barking up the tree of the NFL about the issue. When a top pick is drafted No. 1 overall, and gets about $50 million for his contract (usually about $20 million-$25 million bonus guaranteed) it sends the wrong message.

That hypothetical player will receive $25 million up front and hasn’t played a down in the NFL yet. It sends the message of reward before work.

Sure, the players coming out of college worked their tails off to get to the NFL, but it is not the same as handing an established NFL vet that same $25 million-$50 million. They have probably 4-5 or more years of great play, while rookies have yet to step on a football field.

It’s one of the few things that bothers me about the NFL.

One of the other things that bothers me, is the potential of an uncapped year or more in the NFL.

It would destroy the level playing field that the NFL generates parity from. How else could little Green Bay compete with New England, New York, Dallas, Detroit, Washington, etc.?

An uncapped season would be horrible for the NFL as a whole.

The NFL would crown Dallas, New England, and Washington nearly every year, because their owners have the money to throw at Free Agents and they would be almost unstoppable.

Not to look into a crystal ball, but it isn’t like one needs one to know an uncapped season or, more than one, would be devastating.

However, there is a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel that is the question of the outcome of player vs. owner CBA negotiations. 

The MLB and NBA’s cap systems, if they were to mix, would be perfect.

The MLB gives teams compensation for the loss of free agents who leave for another team. The NBA locks rookie salaries. 

If the NFL could reach a “happy medium” of the two, that would benefit both parties.

NFL franchises locking themselves down to a quarterback for guaranteed big contracts who swing and miss (see Leaf, Ryan) kill their ability to manage the cap, unless they have a master of a general manager who can navigate the rocky financial waters that lie ahead.

Caps on rookie contracts prevent overspending by teams, promote giving money to veterans who have proven their ability on the field, and would save franchises money in the short and long term, almost immediately.

I would propose a cap change of this type:

For rookies, cap first-round picks with a salary to reach no higher than $20 million over no more than four years.

This would allow for financial recovery for teams who pick poorly so that they do not slump for a decade with an overpaid, under-skilled player, and would also set up players to get more money in the long run.

For example, a rookie in 2012: (the earliest anything like this could go into effect)

No. 1 overall pick, quarterback. Guaranteed contract capped at $20 million, four years.

Let’s say this player has great success, and earns a considerable raise at the end of his contract.

The player would no longer have a rookie cap, having played out said contract, so they could sign for as much as any team is willing to offer them.

For hypothetical purposes, and to move this article to my next point (compensation for free agents) lets say they leave their drafted team, enter free agency, and get a nice raise.

What would happen to the team which drafted the player? Should they have to go through a dry patch with spotty play just because their market was too small, or another team offered more? No.

In the MLB’s free agency, if a player leaves his team, and is signed by another team, depending on their positional rank, the team the player left is given a compensatory draft pick, often in the first three rounds.

The NFL could apply a similar tactic.

Lets get back to our hypothetical quarterback who’s now raking in big bucks from a top team. He was obviously a top target free agent, which would indicate that replacing him will be a task not easily done.

The NFL could do what the MLB does, and compensate the teams that free agents leave with additional draft picks in certain rounds.

If the player is a top three player according to the signings of his position in free agency, (if 10 quarterbacks are signed to teams and he’s the No. 2 most paid or signed No. 2) give his previous team a pick to compensate the loss so that they can fill his void on the team accordingly.

Or, what the NFL could do is simply assign a team’s draft pick to a free agent signing. A player like Tom Brady leaving New England for example, would demand at least a first-round compensation in this system, given his rank at his position, and his importance to his team.

If the NFL could implement this type of compensation and rookie contract caps in a new collective bargaining agreement with the players, it would be a great addition to an already sturdy product, on and off the field. The NFL and its players would be better for it.

I do not believe there will be a strike or an uncapped season in the near future, as both parties should understand the importance of keeping the sport favorable in the eyes of fans and advertisers, and that they realize the damage it would do to the league.

However, there is a chance of a CBA not being reached, and while the lockout is a possibility, I think there would be a better chance of an uncapped season.

In the end, the NFL has to decide, would it like to suffer the fall the NHL has taken, or would it like to concretely establish its dominance over the long term with a reasonable agreement between both parties and secure the stability of the sport?

I think the correct choice is the obvious one. Do the right thing, NFL. Reach an agreement in the near future to prevent a messy battle of player vs. owner.

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Josh McDaniels: Denver’s Arrogant Ruler with an Iron Fist

Josh McDaniels is an interesting man.

At first look, the young head coach seems pleasant—he smiles at press conferences and speaks to the media in a straight-forward fashion—a far cry from his old boss Bill Belichick’s passive-aggressive approach.

McDaniels is obviously intense; a character trait that he’s showcased numerous times on the sidelines in his first year as the Broncos’ head man. After beating his ex-boss and ex-team in the New England Patriots, McDaniels ran down the sideline pumping his fist in excitement. During Denver’s Thanksgiving game the head coach passionately berated his players with a curse-word laden tirade—a tactic that arguably worked and hyped up the players who eventually pulled off the win.

But Josh McDaniels doesn’t always get the approval of all his players, something that if left unchecked could result in a perennial problem down the road.

From Day One of the McDaniels’ regime he’s made it known that he’s in charge and the Broncos are going to do everything his way. He hired Brian Xanders as GM and the two handed out double digit pink slips to former Denver players. He made it known that he thought Matt Cassell would be a better fit than Jay Cutler and ended up trading arguably the best player the Broncos had when he took over.

Then there was his month-long dispute with Brandon Marshall that got so ugly the receiver was showing his displeasure with the coach in skipping practices or showing up to show off his new found ball-batting skills.

But everything seemed resolved, or at least kept quiet for almost the entirety of the regular season, until now.

Marshall, who injured a hamstring in practice, is being benched by McDaniels. “He’ll be deactivated from the game Sunday. That’ll be a coaching decision,” explained the head coach at Friday’s presser.

When asked why the star receiver will be deactivated, McDaniels dodged the question saying, “Our word for the week has been accountability. We’re lookin’ to put the 45 guys on the field that want to play together, want to help us try to win and qualify for the playoffs and we talked about it as a group this Wednesday that’s what’s going to happen this week. Anybody that showed any indifference to that we’ll play without them and we’ll play well anyway.”

“We’re building a team. And if you have players that aren’t going to put that ahead of everything else then that can be detrimental to your club.”

“We’re all accountable to give our very best effort to Pat Bowlen, to this organization, to this city, to all the people that support us.”

“We’re playing Sunday with the guys that want to play, that want to be accountable to each other and want to help us accomplish what we want to accomplish.”

He repeated the last stanza around five times during the press conference when asked about any further details about Marshall, and when asked about why pass-catching tight end Tony Scheffler will be benched as well.

So the real question is this: What happened?

Scheffler was hurt when he heard the news of McDaniels shopping him in the offseason and he’s likely quite upset with the lack of opportunities to be effective within the offense. Really, Scheffler has a legitimate gripe as he’s only caught 31 passes and two touchdowns this season.

But McDaniels also has a point; football is a team game and selfish players have no place on his team.

As for Marshall, I’ve heard from multiple sources that the player said something out of line to the coach, although what exactly was said is unknown as of now.

And as McDaniels is making another stand while knocking the starters down a notch with his iron fist, he’s starting to leave a sour taste in the mouths of some fans.

Marshall and Scheffler are arguably the two best pass-catchers the Broncos have, and with Eddie Royal likely a no-play due to injury, Denver’s pass attack will be mediocre at best.

To think that “the offense won’t change,” as McDaniels said, is ludicrous, borderline arrogant and if the Broncos can’t produce points he will be questioned all offseason.

Besides that, McDaniels is showing that he may have a problem connecting and earning the respect of his players.

Could it be that McDaniels is too callous because he’s so driven toward the goal of winning a Super Bowl? Or could it be that McDaniels’ ego and desire for ultimate power are turning people against him?

Only time will tell, but if McDaniels can’t adapt and work on his interpersonal skills, he will be the one missing games after being shown the door by Mr. Bowlen.

 

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Oakland Raiders: Life After Al Davis

This article may be a bit insensitive, but so is being forced to look at Al Davis’ picture on E-Harmony. Ooooohhhh. Yeah! I said it.

So I’ve been thinking when Al Davis gives up the team (a.k.a dies), who will be the next owner of the Oakland Raiders? So I’ve comprised a list of the top candidates:

1) Mark Davis . He’s the son of Al Davis. Now I know what you are thinking right now. Al Davis has a son? And more importantly who would-whoops I digressed a bit. But he has never really been a part of the Raiders. His only affiliation with the team is his father. 

2) Mark Cuban . Cuban already owns an NBA team (Dallas Mavericks). He has shown interest in the Cubs (didn’t win them). But what does he have to do with football?

a) He’s rich, b) He’s worth more than the Raiders, and c) Did I already mention he’s rich?

But you gotta admit, you’d like Cuban. He’s proactive and provocative (not a tongue twister). I’d like to see him try to stay calm in the owner’s box. So, what’s not to like about him?

3) George W. Bush . Just making sure you were paying attention. 

4) Mike Shanahan . This would be so wrong on so many levels. Can’t you just see Shanahan at the press conference thinking, “Yeah, suck it Al.” Well, he’d say something like that. And if this happens Al Davis will know. Trust me on that. Between you and me they don’t particularly care for each other. Keep that on the down low. 

5) Rush Limbaugh . In my humble opinion, he’s stupid and arrogant. Now that’s where the positives end. Here are the negatives:

a) He would be the worst owner in professional sports B) He’s not very likable. Wait a sec. Are we sure Al Davis only had 1 son? And I digress again. Where was I? Ahhh C) He almost died already. Okay, well the list can go on and on. I don’t want to waste your time…anymore than I am with this article. Badah-bing!

So those are my top 5 candidates for the job with a little humor in there. Oh, and for all of those Al Davis purists out there, sorry about this. (Luckily, there aren’t any of those left)

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The 10 Best Fantasy PPR Running Backs for 2010

The 2009 Fantasy Football season has come, or is about to come, to an unfortunate end. Fantasy owners everywhere will soon come to the grim realization that the next fantasy football season is 6-8 months away. I too have encountered this unwelcoming truth and am attempting to remedy the situation.
There is no better way to say goodbye to the 2009 season than by looking forward to the promising 2010 season, however far away it may be.
I am an avid supporter of PPR (point per receptions) leagues and have compiled a list of my top ten PPR running backs for the 2010 fantasy football season. Enjoy.

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New York Giants’ Game Plan For The 2010 NFL Draft

This season did not end well for the New York Giants. After a hot 5-0 start against mediocre teams, the Giants have won just three of their last ten games, are eliminated from playoff contention, and are entering a meaningless game with Minnesota on Sunday.

This may be a bit preemptive since the season has not officially ended for Big Blue, but it’s all we have right now.

The following is my take on the top three needs General Manager Jerry Reese should address this coming April in the NFL draft. Of course, these needs may also be met in the off season, but I don’t think any one player would make the difference, unless it is someone like Champ Bailey (like that’ll ever happen).

Which leads me into the first priority for the New York Giants’ staff: find a legitimate cover corner to compliment Corey Webster.

I know most of you will disagree with me because of the talent the Giants have drafted at that position the last couple years, but Aaron Ross’ hamstring injury and the poor late play of Terrell Thomas in the passing game (he is a pretty good tackler and great in run support) have made me think this is still a need.

Bruce Johnson started the season off overachieving, but played horrible down the stretch. With Ross and Webster out against Carolina, the backups made first year QB Matt Moore look like Peyton Manning.

Since they already have some talent at the CB position and are just looking to solidify the depth in the secondary, I can’t justify taking one in the first round. Second round would be ideal, since you can almost always get a steal if you play your cards right.

Crezdon Butler out of Clemson comes to mind. He saw significant playing time all four years at Clemson, and started in every game since he was a sophomore.

The biggest issue with the Giants’ secondary this year was nothing they could control, however. When Kenny Philips went down, the Giants were doomed. If you need any indication of what a play-making safety does for a team, just look at the Denver Broncos.

Brian Dawkins came in and transformed that defense from embarrassing to dominant.

Which is my next point. If Kenny Philips cannot come back from his patella femoral arthritis 100 percent, the Giants need to have a backup plan.

Guys like Tennessee’s Eric Berry and USC’s Taylor Mays look nice, but are not realistic options, since they are most likely first round picks.

Someone who just played very well today in the Rose Bowl for Ohio State is Safety Anderson Russell . He is a big body and is great in run defense, and would be a better backup option than C.C. Brown (who are we kidding, he’s gone next year).

Something I would not be surprised to see at all is Jerry Reese going after the guys in the trenches hard this draft. Both lines are getting old in football years and both suffered injuries to some capacity.

I feel like the first round selection is almost certainly going to be an offensive or defensive lineman, and seeing as how the defensive line played so poorly of late, Reese will probably lean in that direction.

How awesome would it be to see Alabama’s Terrence Cody dominate Texas in the National Championship game, then end up suiting up in Blue come September.

Cody is the 3rd rated defensive tackle by most respected draft experts, and will almost certainly give the Giants a leg up in the NFC East next year. He is 6’4″, 365 lbs (supposedly, most think he’s closer to 380)….’nuff said.

If he were to go in another direction and draft an offensive lineman, a guard is the likely pick. Since they took Will Beatty in last year’s draft and he seems to be the replacement for Kareem Mackenzie, the Giants will need to solidify the inside with a better guard than Kevin Boothe.

Mike Iupati from Idaho is someone who really impressed me in the Humanitarian bowl against Bowling Green. That is the beauty of Bowl season in College Football; you get to see NFL prospects that you never get to see on a day-to-day basis.

Iupati allowed only five quarterback pressures and 0 sacks as a Senior in 807 snaps. He is the No. 1 OG according to… well… everyone.

Obviously there are other needs that should be addressed come April, but these were fresh on my mind. Jerry Reese has proven himself to be one of the premier drafting GM’s—expect nothing less this year.

The 2010 New York Giants have no reason to expect anything less than to win the NFC East, which was the goal coming into this season. As long as everyone comes back healthy, that goal will not change.

P.S. For those of you who read me, I apologize for my recent absence.

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NFL Week 17 Predictions

There was no wrap-up this week, so here are recaps of Week 16’s most important games:

Where were the Dolphins during the first half of their game against Houston? How can you come out as flat as they did, at home, in an elimination game? Going down 27-0 as early as they did is almost impossible to come back from and as a result, they’ll be reduced to the spoiler role this week against the Steelers.

The Patriots finally looked like themselves last week in their dismantling of the overachieving Jags. Tom Brady was just about perfect and the defense shut Jacksonville down. This is the New England team most thought they would see earlier on in the season.

One loss to the Cowboys is nothing to worry about. However, losing a 17-point lead to the Bucs at home is. Regardless of how things go this week, the Saints have a lot to work on before their first playoff game. Blowing such a big lead to a bad team is inexcusable.

Before the season, most thought that if the Giants didn’t make the playoffs, it would be due to their lack of a No. 1 receiver. What those people didn’t expect was how bad Big Blue’s defense has been. Matt Moore & Co. made the Giants look foolish all game long.

The Ravens let a golden opportunity slip through their hands. They had two or three chances to knock the Steelers out of the playoffs, but they couldn’t do it. Going to Oakland and winning shouldn’t be that difficult, but the Eagles and Bengals thought the same thing.

The Steelers are probably the most dangerous 8-7 team in the AFC, but they need help. Their fate lies in how much New England and Cincinnati value the three seed.

I have never liked the philosophy of resting all of your players with nothing to play for with more than a week left. The Colts did that in 2005 and lost their first playoff game, partly due to their timing-based offense finding its rhythm too late.

Jim Caldwell pulling his starters in the second half will probably end up giving his team two-and-a-half weeks without playing a meaningful game. How does that help? Yes, it ensures that no one gets injured, but the only guy that truly matters is Peyton Manning and he’s started over 100 straight games. It was just ridiculous and put poor Curtis Painter in one of the most horrible positions I can remember watching.

Caldwell’s decision really helped the Jets, though. The Jets were not going to win if the Colts’ starters had stayed in, so they caught a huge break.

Top 12 Teams (Last week’s ranking)

1. San Diego Chargers (2)
2. Indianapolis Colts (1)
3. Philadelphia Eagles (4)
4. Dallas Cowboys (6)
5. New Orleans Saints (3)
6. Arizona Cardinals (7)
7. Minnesota Vikings (5)
8. New England Patriots (8)
9. Green Bay Packers (10)
10. Cincinnati Bengals (9)
11. Pittsburgh Steelers (NR)
12. Tennessee Titans (11)

Week 17 Picks

Last week’s record: 10-6

Overall record: 159-81

Lock of the Week: 12-for-16

Indianapolis (14-1) @ Buffalo (5-10): Indy will rest its starters simply because if they don’t, Caldwell and Bill Polian look like complete idiots. This game means nothing right now, but this week off will haunt the Colts.

Buffalo wins, 19-13

Jacksonville (7-8) @ Cleveland (4-11): This game may decide Eric Mangini’s future. If it were up to me, he’d be gone regardless of the outcome of this game, but the Browns have had a great December. However, the Jags know that they still have a very slim chance to get into the playoffs with a win.

Jacksonville wins, 23-18

Philadelphia (11-4) @ Dallas (10-5): The Cowboys’ defense has been great the last two weeks. They will need to play at that same level to beat Philly again. Although, the Eagles almost blew it last week, they’ve been on fire for a while and the Cowboys will not be able to stop what they’re doing. Expect the close battle these two teams usually provide.

Philly wins, 30-27

Kansas City (3-12) @ Denver (8-7): Brandon Marshall’s benching changes the entire complexion of this game. Eddie Royal missed last week’s game, so what is Denver (particularly Kyle Orton) going to do to get points. The Chiefs have played well against Dallas and Pittsburgh, so they can beat a depleted Denver squad.

Kansas City wins, 19-17

Chicago (6-9) @ Detroit (2-13): Detroit’s season started off pretty well considering their expectations, but everything has fallen apart. The starting quarterback has been a revolving door and as a result, the team is playing bad football. The Bears aren’t the best team, but they’re definitely better than their counterparts.

Chicago wins, 26-10

Baltimore (8-7) @ Oakland (5-10): This season, the Raiders have beaten Cincinnati, Philly, Pittsburgh, and Denver. Can they do it again? Maybe, but I would bet against it. The Ravens let one slip through their hands last week and they won’t let that happen again.

Baltimore wins, 30-20

San Francisco (7-8) @ St. Louis (1-14): In terms of what this means on a league-wide basis, this is only important for the draft: Niners win and Rams have the first pick. However, for the Niners, this may go a long way in letting them know if Alex Smith will be their quarterback next year.

San Francisco wins, 26-12 (Lock of the Week)

Pittsburgh (8-7) @ Miami (7-8): If the Dolphins play like they did last week, the Steelers will make quick work of them. If not, this will come down to which team makes more plays in the fourth quarter. That basically translates to Ben Roethlisberger vs. Chad Henne, which is a pretty easy choice.

Pittsburgh wins, 30-17

New York Giants (8-7) @ Minnesota (11-4): The Vikings are this close to letting a first round bye slip from their grasp. The first step to regaining it is beating the Giants. Doesn’t sound very difficult, but the Vikes were very inconsistent in December. Regardless, they should still be able to push the Giants around a little bit.

Minnesota wins, 28-14

Green Bay (10-5) @ Arizona (10-5): This will probably be a weird game because it will probably happen again in the wild card round, which would mean that neither team wants to let the other see everything in their playbook. This will end up being a battle of JV squads, so I’ll go with the home team.

Arizona wins, 22-14

Washington (4-11) @ San Diego (12-3): I have no idea how San Diego is approaching this game, but if the ‘Skins play how they’ve been playing the last couple of weeks, it won’t matter.

San Diego wins, 19-10

Tennessee (7-8) @ Seattle (5-10): This one is all about Chris Johnson. He should get to 2,000 yards without a problem, as he needs only 128 yards in this game, but he unless he goes crazy—which isn’t out of the realm of possibility against Seattle—he won’t catch Eric Dickerson. Nonetheless, he and the Titans have had a great season.

Tennessee wins, 33-13

Atlanta (8-7) @ Tampa Bay (3-12): The Falcons are out of the playoffs, but this game means a lot because if they win, the Falcons will finally have back-to-back winning seasons. They will finally get it in a competitive game.

Atlanta wins, 23-16

New Orleans (13-2) @ Carolina (7-8): Believe it or not, the Panthers will be the hottest team in this game. New Orleans has a lot to sort out before their first playoff game in two weeks and Carolina will not make it easy for them. However, I don’t see the Saints going into the postseason on a three-game skid.

New Orleans wins, 26-20

New England (10-5) @ Houston (8-7): According to Tom Brady, he will play, but for how long? If he plays for at least three quarters, the Pats win. If not, Houston has a chance, but they are such an inconsistent team, that you never really know with them.

New England wins, 30-24

Cincinnati (10-5) @ New York Jets (8-7): This game falls into the same category as the New England-Houston game. Chad Ochocinco wants to play, but the decision is ultimately Marvin Lewis’. The Bengals are the superior team, but it all depends on who the Bengals put on the field. Nonetheless, I don’t have confidence that Mark Sanchez can get the job done.

Cincinnati wins, 21-16

Playoff Picture

First, let me give you the playoff picture the way I saw it just before the season started, beginning with the AFC:

1. Pittsburgh Steelers
2. New England Patriots
3. San Diego Chargers
4. Indianapolis Colts
5. Baltimore Ravens
6. Tennessee Titans

Here is how the AFC will look if the games go the way I think they will:

1. Indianapolis Colts
2. San Diego Chargers
3. New England Patriots
4. Cincinnati Bengals
5. Baltimore Ravens
6. Pittsburgh Steelers

Here is the NFC at the beginning of the year:

1. Minnesota Vikings
2. Atlanta Falcons
3. Philadelphia Eagles
4. Arizona Cardinals
5. New York Giants
6. Green Bay Packers

Here’s how I think it’ll look after Week 17:

1. New Orleans Saints
2. Philadelphia Eagles
3. Minnesota Vikings
4. Arizona Cardinals
5. Green Bay Packers
6. Dallas Cowboys

This either shows that I have no idea what I’m talking about or that parity is alive and well in the NFL. I’ll go with the latter.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Oakland Raiders And The Blame Game: Cable, Davis or Russell?

When looking around the media these last few weeks, there has been a lot of blaming going on. A lot of what ifs, if onlys, and a share of maybes, that do nobody any good.

If only we pulled JaMarcus Russell. If only we have Gruden back. If only Al Davis fell off the planet. The list goes on.

Some blame it on previous events, such as the constant switching of coaches, for limiting the development of players. How do they want to remedy this situation? Of course! Replace the coaches again!

The history, or at least the ugly part of it has the Raiders struggling through the last six and a half years. The Raiders would put out a good effort that would fall short, win a random game here or there, and get blown out in other games.

Sometimes it was due to the defense falling apart against the run. Sometimes the team would simply give up, leading to ugly scores. Other times, players would be brought in, former Pro-Bowlers, who struggled to regain their form. Other times, those players would only play when they felt like they wanted to, truly ripping off the fans.

But this last season, we had to endure a quarterback who regressed, a former first round pick go down injured in running back Darren McFadden and a joke of a first round pick in Darrius Heyward-Bey.

Tom Cable’s own circus with the media, first with the incident at Napa and then ESPN’s own slime-a-thon airing, had to be a distraction. Sure he tried to show a solid front, concentrating on the game, but if your former loves for the last 20 years were paraded by the media, do you think you could ignore the world and go about working?

As it was, the Raiders had some games that had the Raider Nation licking their lips, wanting more. A close game against the Chargers, lost due to a prevent defense, gave us hope. A win, when everyone thought we were lost, against the Chiefs gave us what we hoped would be a breakout by Russell.

Then the wheels fell off, with three straight losses, scoring only 16 points total.

Oakland’s defense, irked by a comment from a Giants player, would catch the Eagles flat-footed, as Oakland would rout the Eagles 13-9 in Oakland…then the Raiders would get shut out the next week in front of Raider Nation, 38-0 against the Jets.

It turned into a normal pattern, as the Raiders would find games to win against good opponents, like the Bengals and Broncos, but lose to teams like the Chiefs, Browns and Redskins.

It now leaves Oakland, at 5-10, facing a good opponent on Sunday; facing the Ravens who want a playoff berth at home.

So, who shoulders the blame for this season going so badly?

Does Davis, with his record of bad picks. He failed to land a good defensive project, instead settling on Darrius Heyward-Bey? For that matter, was it his mistake in signing Cable, when someone else may have been more qualified for the job?

Was it Cable’s fault, for opening a can of worms in training camp, knocking a coach out of his chair, then allowing his dirty laundry to be thrown around the league, distracting the team? Did he fail to properly adjust Russell to the league, make poor choices in coaching and poor selections in filling out his coaching roster?

Are the players to blame, for not performing to standards? Russell’s own failures are not to be denied, as some like to link him to Ryan Leaf’s history of goof ups. Others would blame the likes of McFadden for not becoming the breakaway back we thought he would be.

Or blaming Heyward-Bey, since his own actions took away a major option for passing, for any quarterback. Questions remain; what would the Raiders have looked like, if Chaz Schilens had played more this year, or had Louis Murphy been used as the go-to option, instead of the butterfingered Bey?

What if Robert Gallery hadn’t had gotten hurt twice? What if Cornell Green actually blocked on the line, instead of holding people?

Most importantly, even if blame is placed, will it produce what is truly needed for this team: change?

Getting rid of Cable, simply reverts the team back to square one. Someone coming in, would need time to get the team situated to his coaching style. He would want to bring in his own coaches, people he is comfortable with. So again, there is another wasted season of development.

Getting rid of some deadweight players, does stand some scrutiny, as some contracts are laughable. Javon Walker for example, is being paid to be a cheerleader, instead of being on the turf running patterns. Russell, for his draft status still generates money, be it from the bench or being sacked. Some shakeups could happen that would help the team. But for this to happen, a key situation has to be resolved.

That situation is Al Davis….he needs to let this team evolve. He needs to let the players who are no longer functioning go and get the help Cable needs for next year to be better.

Getting rid of Tom Cable….would destroy any progress made. If anything, send him a skilled playcaller to work with him…and help the Raiders move forward into this new decade.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

New York Giants All-Decade Team

The New York Giant franchise saw a lot of ups and down between 2000 and 2009. The Giants compiled a record of 80 – 64, excluding this year. They started off the decade with an embarrassing loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl 35. New York had losing seasons in 3 out of its next 4 years before turning it around. That included a win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 42. Here is my take on who were the best players at each position for the Giants over the past 10 years.

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