2016-17 NFL Playoffs

[SteveMax58]

Originally Posted by Jas_lov

That weekend trip to Miami really hurt the Giants. It became a distraction, the receivers dropped balls and they weren't prepared at all.

They've been dropping passes and generally sucking on offense all season long. Nothing new happened in that game, other than the Giants defense could ultimately not hold a QB like Rogers down to <20 points without some help from their offense sustaining drives.

Beckham is a talented young player that hasn't matured yet to manage his emotions adequately to perform when it matters most. He'll make an extraordinary play in a mundane game but drop a tough (and sometimes easy) pass when the game situation really needs it. He'll improve that over time but unfortunately, he's a kid that has to learn those lessons for himself.

I was happy overall with the way Eli played. Also thought the pass protection was much better than usual (which is usually atrocious). Once again terrible playcalling by the offense leads to 1st down runs that do nothing rather than abandoning the run altogether, so they end up playing with 1 or 2 downs to get a first down rather than 3.

Just looked like the same Giants team we saw most of the season. Anemic offense, good defense (until they were deflated late), and the better team won.

[Kodos]

I'll join those who said the hit on Moore should have been an ejection. And it is unbelievable that they sent him back in after one play off.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Looking forward to getting the Steelers and Big Ben in Arrowhead.

Home: 20 TD passes, 5 INTs
Road: 9 TD passes, 8 INTs

[Arles]

Originally Posted by Kodos

I'll join those who said the hit on Moore should have been an ejection. And it is unbelievable that they sent him back in after one play off.

I'm more aggravated that the penalties for decapitating your QB and then giving the player that did that a light shove after the play end up cancelling out. There should be a 5 yard "minor personal foul" for those situations (if one is even called on the push). I get the need for a PF if you swing at the offending player. But, you should have some allowances for a team that just saw its QB killed by an illegal hit and not just cancel out that penalty if they lightly shove the player.

[Logan]

Originally Posted by Arles

I'm more aggravated that the penalties for decapitating your QB and then giving the player that did that a light shove after the play end up cancelling out. There should be a 5 yard "minor personal foul" for those situations (if one is even called on the push). I get the need for a PF if you swing at the offending player. But, you should have some allowances for a team that just saw its QB killed by an illegal hit and not just cancel out that penalty if they lightly shove the player.

And it's not even just cancelling it out in yardage...it also became a 1st and 25 for the offense.

[AlexB]

To be fair it was 1st and 10 afterwards, just the line of scrimmage never changed position

[JPhillips]

I didn't understand how that worked. If the foul happened after the first down was achieved, how is it not first and twenty-five? They basically said they were applying both penalties rather than having them offset, but if that's true, how is the second penalty applied without it affecting any down and distance?

[Carman Bulldog]

Originally Posted by AlexB

To be fair it was 1st and 10 afterwards, just the line of scrimmage never changed position

I didn't understand how that worked. If the foul happened after the first down was achieved, how is it not first and twenty-five? They basically said they were applying both penalties rather than having them offset, but if that's true, how is the second penalty applied without it affecting any down and distance?

This is incorrect. It was 1st and 25. They originally announced it wrong but then corrected themselves and enforced it properly.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Lions' playoff history over the last SIXTY (60) seasons, a study of futility and failure:

Number of wins: 1
Number of wins on the road: 0
Number of seasons since last playoff win: 25
Current number of consecutive play-off games lost: 9

[AlexB]

Originally Posted by Carman Bulldog

This is incorrect. It was 1st and 25. They originally announced it wrong but then corrected themselves and enforced it properly.

Ah, I missed the correction in that case.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

Lions' playoff history over the last SIXTY (60) seasons, a study of futility and failure:

Number of wins: 1
Number of wins on the road: 0
Number of seasons since last playoff win: 25
Current number of consecutive play-off games lost: 9

Honest question: where do you stand on the state of the team? As an incredibly casual observer, I was mildly impressed with them this season, especially for losing a generational talent in Calvin Johnson.

[QuikSand]

A good source for Lions intel, from a guy with some serious insight:
Andrew Kato - Pride Of Detroit - Pride Of Detroit

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Update from Jamaal Charles about his injury.

THE HERE AND NOW - The Official Web Site of Jamaal Charles | www.jamaalcharles25.com

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

Honest question: where do you stand on the state of the team? As an incredibly casual observer, I was mildly impressed with them this season, especially for losing a generational talent in Calvin Johnson.

An excellent a complicated question. I'm almost 43 years old and have been a fan of this team since I was knew about football. So, everything I say here is going to be seen through a very specific lens of being a fan of a team that has never done anything right or well in his life time. Arguably, the Lions have had the greatest (or one of the top 5 greatest) running backs - Barry Sanders - and wide receivers - Calvin Johnson - and while I was awesome while they were here, they both retired rather early from the team and didn't really accomplish all that much. So, even the highlights are tainted.

With that being said...

The Pros:

1. Matthew Stafford. He played really well this season up until he hurt his finger. (Though you can also say, he played really well up until he finally started to play some real teams and tough competition). Stafford has been playing the best football of his career since Jim Bob Cooter (tee-hee) became the offensive coordinator. He cut down on mistakes, was more accurate, and has been an all around better player. He played like a top 10 QB in the league for most of the season. Given that he lost Calvin Johnson, it was impressive. I've always wanted him to do well, but wasn't sold until this year. He's never going to be Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, or that upper echelon of QBs, but he's probably in the next tier. So, overall, you have to feel good about the QB situation.

2. Bob Quinn. It's still way too early yet to really judge whether he'll actually be a competent GM, but he did all right the first year. All of his draft picks are still on the team and many of them contributed a lot this year. Their first three picks - Taylor Decker, A'Shawn Robinson, and Graham Glasgow - all started the majority of games this year and played well. They also got contributions from later round picks as well. The free agents signings of Marvin Jones and Anquan Boldin worked out well, as did some of the smaller free agent signings. So, there's some hope that Quinn isn't a complete idiot like most prior Lions' GMs. There's still time, yet, however for him to become Lionized.

3. Free agency. The Lions don't have that many core players becoming UFA's this year. Also, with Calvin Johnson's salary coming off the books, they'll have plenty of money to re-sign players they want to keep or go after other pieces.

Cons:

1. The Entire Defense. While the Lions' D had a nice string of games there for a while, they were largely against really bad teams and, I think, it was a mirage. They allowed opposing QBs to complete around 73% of passes. They didn't generate a ton of pressure on the QB and struggled against the run. A quick position breakdown:

DE: There's Ziggy Ansah and that's pretty much it. I think he's a great player who was really slowed by injury. After him, their best DE was Kerry Hyder JR. Exactly.

DT: Ngata played well, but is really old. After him, there is A'Shawn Robinson who improved as the season went on and then... not much else. A few years ago with Suh and Fairley starting, this was the team's strength. Not so much anymore.

LB: Levy was fantastic two years ago. An all-pro level player. Then he got hurt and appears disinterested in football. Without him playing well, this is a paper thin unit with no one player who can really impact a game.

DB: Darius Slay and Glover Quin are very good players. After that, there's really not much.

So, there is a lot of work to do to make this defense anything but horrible. It lacks both depth and play makers at key positions.

2. The Running Game. The Lions haven't been able to run the ball for a long, long time. They have done 45 or more games straight without having a single RB run for 100+ yards. Now, they did have 100 yards rushing the first two games of the season before Ameer Abdullah got hurt, so if he can stay healthy and hold onto the ball, he could be a difference maker. They still need help here. They need another back and figure out how to run block or something.

3. Jim Caldwell. I just don't think he's a good coach. His game management skills are abysmal.

Conclusion:

My overall outlook on this team is... negative, but not as negative as it normally is.

I still have faith in Quinn. I have newfound faith in Stafford. With those two pieces and the core of the team sticking around there is some hope. Still, I don't know how they fix this defense and they need play makers on both sides of the ball

They went 0-6 versus playoff teams this year. They trailed in the 4th quarter in all but one game this year. So, I don't think they are quite as good as their 9-7 records makes them appear to be.

Maybe if Stafford continues to play like he has, the receivers stop dropping so many passes, the young offensive line jells, Abdullah and Riddick come back and can stay healthy, and Quinn can do something to help make the defense at least okay, they may have a chance to be competitive.

It's hard to believe all of those things will happen. More likely, they'll end up going 4-12 or 6-10 or something like that.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Boy, the forecast for the Chiefs game just looks awful. Basically a mix of ice and rain from Friday all the way through Monday. Wouldn't be shocked if Pittsburgh ends up coming into KC a bit early just to avoid flying in bad weather.

[SteveMax58]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

Jim Bob Cooter

Not much to add but wanted to quote the best name in football.

[CrescentMoonie]

Of course the Steelers reinstated Porter days after his arrest.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by CrescentMoonie

Of course the Steelers reinstated Porter days after his arrest.

The flight does leave later today.

[stevew]

Someone has to gameplan on how to stop Tyreke Hill.

Maybe Porter can help the team create choke points at defense and they can punch at the ball?

[Julio Riddols]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Update from Jamaal Charles about his injury.

THE HERE AND NOW - The Official Web Site of Jamaal Charles | www.jamaalcharles25.com

Charles ought to just retire. He has a harder time staying healthy than McFadden did.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

KC/PIT game just got moved to a night game since the ice is supposed to end around 2:00 PM. Will still be a lot of rain, but much better road conditions for fans.

I just picked up four tickets for the game because the ticket prices were going up quick after the announcement. Going to be a rowdy night at Arrowhead!

[Julio Riddols]

That ATL offense is good. Good enough to win a super bowl. I don't know if there is a defense in the league that can hold them under 30 when they're on, and lately they have been ON.

[wustin]

Seattle's had a good 3-4 years but it's over man. They would still get blown out with Earl Thomas back.

[CrescentMoonie]

This is glorious. Watching Carroll's dirty college mentality lead his team to melt down is a blast.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Julio Riddols

That ATL offense is good. Good enough to win a super bowl. I don't know if there is a defense in the league that can hold them under 30 when they're on, and lately they have been ON.

Statistically one of the best offenses in NFL history. They're really good and this Seattle team's window is closing quickly.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by Atocep

Statistically one of the best offenses in NFL history. They're really good and this Seattle team's window is closing quickly.

The only difference between Seattle and Denver this year was Russell Wilson. The same problems plagued both teams. Inability to run the football, horrible offensive lines, horrible pass protection.

The correct call on Julio Jones the first time these teams played and the Seahawks may not have even made the playoffs. (note, I'm not saying Russell Wilson couldn't come back and win this game. He absolutely could)


The problem is. . . Thomas. That's just a major, major miss. They can't cover that weakness and ANY good offense will exploit it. The Falcons will murder it. That's what's happened tonight so far. The Falcons never feel like they are in panic mode. They know yards will be there in the middle of that defense if they need them to be.

[bhlloy]

I have no idea how that wasn't considered a catch to begin with. When the rules are too difficult for the referees to judge an obvious catch, maybe that is a sign they need to be changed

[AlexB]

Ball game

[miked]

Nothing like watching Seattle get worked.

[GrantDawg]

As a long suffering Falcon fan, I can't tell you how good this game feels. This offense has been spectacular all season, yet it has seemed to fly under the radar. I am not at all going to say this team will go to or win the superbowl. The defense can be pretty scary at times, and I'm really afraid of what Green Bay, Dallas, or New England can do to it. I will say, though, this offense will score on anyone. If you give Ryan too many possessions, you are going to pay.

[NobodyHere]

seattle dirty til the end

[Brian Swartz]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

I am not at all going to say this team will go to or win the superbowl. The defense can be pretty scary at times, and I'm really afraid of what Green Bay, Dallas, or New England can do to it. I will say, though, this offense will score on anyone. If you give Ryan too many possessions, you are going to pay.

I think they've got a reasonably good shot at the superbowl. I'd be surprised to see anybody beat the Patriots this year(though it certainly could happen), but I'm quite interested to see how the Packers tomorrow, and the Falcons next week if they don't manage it, work on defending Dallas. Not that it's all that earthshattering as it seems to be talked about a lot, but I haven't been that impressed with the Cowboys defense this year. How well they are able to control the ball and keep Rodgers/Ryan off the field is going to be fascinating I think because that's one thing Dallas is very well equipped to do with their line and Zeke.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Brian Swartz

I think they've got a reasonably good shot at the superbowl. I'd be surprised to see anybody beat the Patriots this year(though it certainly could happen), but I'm quite interested to see how the Packers tomorrow, and the Falcons next week if they don't manage it, work on defending Dallas. Not that it's all that earthshattering as it seems to be talked about a lot, but I haven't been that impressed with the Cowboys defense this year. How well they are able to control the ball and keep Rodgers/Ryan off the field is going to be fascinating I think because that's one thing Dallas is very well equipped to do with their line and Zeke.

That's where I'm at as well. I think the Falcons have a much better shot with Green Bay at home (though that will be a huge shoot-out game), than they do with a serious ball-control offense in Dallas on the road.

[Julio Riddols]

I think if Atlanta gets Dallas they will cruise, even in Dallas. I think Atlanta/Green Bay would be a really good game, potentially one of the better playoff match ups in a while.

In the AFC I think the only potential struggle for New England will be if they play Kansas City. A New England/Atlanta super bowl would give Belichick a chance to really flex his strategic muscles and would be quite a chess match.

[Julio Riddols]

Meanwhile, this Pats/Texans game should be over by halftime.

[Edward64]

Atlanta was great against Seattle. But as a long suffering, fair weather, Falcon's fan, I am used to them choking. Hoping to see them in the Superbowl against New England.

[QuikSand]

Is there any way, even in some sort of parallel universe scenario, that this series of Pepsi "this must be what it feels like" ads makes anyone want or buy Pepsi?

[wustin]

Ravage for Savage.

[Brian Swartz]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

Is there any way, even in some sort of parallel universe scenario, that this series of Pepsi "this must be what it feels like" ads makes anyone want or buy Pepsi?

The fact that you remember the ad makes it a success. 'Terrible' ads are almost as good as 'outstanding ' ads in this sense.

[CrescentMoonie]

That +750 flier on the Texans to win seems less ridiculous right now.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by wustin

Seattle's had a good 3-4 years but it's over man. They would still get blown out with Earl Thomas back.

I don't think you can say that... He just makes everyone better. I still love how Carroll blew that window by overpaying for Harvin & Graham & refusing to invest in the offensive line, but Earl Thomas is the biggest defensive difference maker in football still imo.

Originally Posted by CrescentMoonie

That +750 flier on the Texans to win seems less ridiculous right now.

Texans D-line looking good, but we're an uncharacteristic-2 on turnovers & still winning. I don't think we'll go -4 for the game...

Btw, average time per sack is a weird stat... I get what they're trying to reference, but doesn't it mostly mean you didn't get one of those hustle/coverage sacks? # of sacks (or hurries) that happened under X seconds would make more sense imo.

[Thomkal]

wow surprised HOU kept it close for this long.

[CrescentMoonie]

Phil Simms is to analysis as getting hit by a train is to living.

[CrescentMoonie]

Houston should abandon the pass.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by CrescentMoonie

Phil Simms is to analysis as getting hit by a train is to living.

There's a lot of that going around TV these days

[SirFozzie]

There we go....

[CrescentMoonie]

I took the flier on the individual bet, but thankfully all my parlays for the weekend games are on the Pats side of things.

[General Mike]

Officiating continues to be terrible.

[bhlloy]

If the Texans had a semi competent QB this really could have been a huge shock

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

I don't think you can say that... He just makes everyone better. I still love how Carroll blew that window by overpaying for Harvin & Graham & refusing to invest in the offensive line, but Earl Thomas is the biggest defensive difference maker in football still imo.

The core problem the Seahawks have is poor drafting after the monster drafts in '10, '11, and '12. Because of that they've had to pay to keep their core rather than letting a couple go to free up spending elsewhere. Well, that and the fact that Pete Carroll and John Schneider seem to believe Tom Cable walks on water when not coaching football.