Restoring The Roar (Still): A Detroit Lions Franchise

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Divisonal Round Results

New England picks off McCarron 3 times, keep Cinderalla run alive

New England Patriots at Oakland Raiders
Jan 15, 2017 1 2 3 4 F NWE (9-8) 0 10 10 0 20 OAK (11-5) 3 7 7 0 17 Top Performers PASS: NE: R.Mallett-17/38, 150 yds, 3 int - RUSH: NE: B.Dunn- 22 rush, 78 yds - REC: OAK: B.Butler- 3 rec, 43 yds -	Team Stats Comparison NWE OAK First Downs 3rd Down Efficiency 4th Down Efficiency Total Yards Passing Yards Rushing Yards Penalties-Penalty Yards Turnovers Time of Possession

Hot Packers iced by Matty Ice himself, Rodgers throws for 237 in loss

Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons
Jan 15, 2017 1 2 3 4 F GNB (11-6) 13 0 3 3 19 ATL (12-4) 7 10 3 0 20 Top Performers PASS: GB: A.Rodgers- 21/32, 237 yds - RUSH: ATL: S.Ridley- 18 rush, 68 yds, TD - REC: GB: J.Matthews: 7 rec, 135 yds-	Team Stats Comparison GNB ATL First Downs 3rd Down Efficiency 4th Down Efficiency Total Yards Passing Yards Rushing Yards Penalties-Penalty Yards Turnovers Time of Possession

Late defensive stand proves to be the difference, Broncos-Ravens IV fits its billing as a great game

Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens
Jan 16, 2017 1 2 3 4 F DEN (11-6) 3 7 7 0 17 BAL (12-4) 0 16 0 15 31 Top Performers PASS: BAL: J.Flacco- 16/31, 203 yds, TD, 2 int - RUSH: BAL: R.Rice- 32 rush, 115 yds, TD - REC: BAL: S.Holmes- 5 rec, 72 yds -	Team Stats Comparison DEN BAL First Downs 3rd Down Efficiency 4th Down Efficiency Total Yards Passing Yards Rushing Yards Penalties-Penalty Yards Turnovers Time of Possession

Eagles have hot 2nd quarter, never look back in easy win

Arizona Cardinals at Philadelphia Eagles
Jan 16, 2017 1 2 3 4 F ARI (9-8) 3 0 3 7 13 PHI (12-4) 7 17 0 3 27 Top Performers PASS: ARI: M.Leal- 26/42, 245 yds, TD, int - RUSH: PHI: L.McCoy- 26 rush, 72 yds - REC: ARI: L.Fitzgerald- 7 rec, 73 yds, TD -	Team Stats Comparison ARI PHI First Downs 3rd Down Efficiency 4th Down Efficiency Total Yards Passing Yards Rushing Yards Penalties-Penalty Yards Turnovers Time of Possession

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Pat Kirwan here ready to break down the 6 best topics from the NFL Divisonal Round. Trust me, there are always plenty of topics to talk about in the NFL, but this column limits me to 6. So, let's get started.

A.J. McCarron May Need A New Girlfriend
Sure, A.J. McCarron had the best year of his career, throwing for 18 TD's to 12 int's, but he unraveled in his first career playoff start, throwing for only 150 yards and 3 interceptions. Now why do I bring up Katherine Webb? Because before the game Sports Illustrated tweeted a picture of her in no other than Ryan Mallett's jersey, the New England Patriots QB. Better win next year A.J., or you could be single.

Aaron Rodgers Needs Help
That's right, one of the best in the league can't do it alone. Since 2013, the only skill players to still be on the team that were on the 2013 team are Aaron Rodgers, Eddie Lacy, and Johnathan Franklin. The only trustworthy receiver Rodgers has is 3rd year pro Jordan Matthews, who is one of the best in the league. He was also the only receiver to show up in Atlanta as well. If Green Bay ever wants a chance to knock Baltimore off, they better get a reciever.

Don't Talk About The Best
Broncos-Ravens IV is what everyone was talking about during the week. Denver was already prepared to go to New England, as they bought plane tickets early. Well, after Sunday afternoon's dogfight, Ravens fans were buying tickets to see their Ravens compete in their 5th consecutive AFC Title game, while the Broncos were wondering how to get refunds for their 53 wasted plane tickets. The Broncos definently learned not to talk about the Ravens after that game.

Is this the Eagles' year?
After flying past the competition this year, Philly continued their soaring ways with an easy 27-13 win over the Cardinals. Chip Kelly's Eagles are finally doing what he did with the Oregon Ducks: flat out dominating teams. It may have taken 4 years for Kelly to build a mini-Oregon in the Eagles, but if the Eagles get to the Super Bowl, they have the best shot to knock off the 4 time defending champion Ravens. The question is: How far will QB Jordan Lynch take them?

Is Joe Flacco The Best QB of All Time?
We all know no matter what, Joe Flacco will be a first ballot Hall of Famer, but this question still comes up about Flacco: Is he the greatest of all time? I say yes. Even though he didn't play amazing against the Broncos (203 yds, TD, 2 int), he led the go ahead drive and ran for a crucial first down on 2nd and 15. Flacco may not light up the statsheet, but he makes clutch plays when they are needed and the guy has FOUR Super Bowl rings. Joe Flacco HAS to be the greatest QB of All Time.

No Gossip News This Week
Besides the whole thing with Katherine Webb wearing a Pats jersey, there isn't much to gossip about this week. Maybe there aren't six things to talk about this week. Oh well.

Come back for next week where I give my thoughts on the Confrence Titles and the NFL Honors.

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Conference Championship Game Previews

Matchup Preview *|* January 23, 2017
	@
New England Patriots (10-8, Away)		Baltimore Ravens (13-4, Home)

Matchup Preview *|* January 23, 2017
	@
Atlanta Falcons (13-4, Away)		Philadelphia Eagles (14-3, Home)

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Taking a break for the night. I know there hasn't been much Lions stuff so far, but at the offseason there will be a hurricane of articles lol.

I see the views have gone up, so any feedback so far?

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What The Lions 2017 Offseason Plans Should Be

By: Mike Anthony, NFL.com Writer

After a dissapointing 5-11 season from the Detroit Lions a year after going 13-3 and getting the Number 1 seed, the Lions have decisions to make. They have their new head coach, but they don't have a new GM. Does this mean owner Melvin Schriber is taking over the GM role? Time will tell. Here are three things Detroit needs to do to be sucessful.

The first thing the Lions need to fix is their personel. New coach Bob Stoops is instilling his spread offense that he had at Oklahoma, but Detroit still has pro style players. As we saw with the Eagles, its taken them four years to really get clicking, and it took the Browns three to get it working. The Lions first need to find their QB so they don't miss out on the great QB's of the 2018 class. If Caleb Henderson can't cut it, Michigan QB Marcus Doughty probably can. Usually I would say build the rest of the team first, but Detroit now doesn't have that luxury. Henderson has one more year to prove he's the face of the franchise.

The second thing Detroit needs to start doing this offseason is finding skill position players who work well in the spread. The Eagles have DeSean Jackson and T.Y. Hilton on the outside while the Browns have Demaryius Thomas and Jaxon Shipley. What are these receiver's similarities? They are burners. The Lions, however, have Megatron and Brandon Coleman on the outside. These guys aren't known for their speed but are known for winning jump balls. That's gonna have to change if they want to start in Detroit. In fact, the Lions only have one receiver under 6'3" (Julian Edelman), meaning its gonna take some time to get their offense on all cylinders.

The final thing the Lions need to accomplish is building a GREAT defense. I didn't say good, but GREAT. The Lions had an average defense last year, but in key situations they couldn't stop teams. And when the offense is having an off day, without a great defense the Lions will be toast in those games. The Lions need to get more pressure on the QB, so the old, past his prime Jason Jones needs to lose his starting role. Trust me, a great defense cures EVERYTHING.

If the Lions want to make the playoffs in the near future, they should seriously consider my moves. And remember, don't burn books, read them.

Mike Anthony is an NFL.com writer. To contact him, tweet him at MyAntFarm_NFL.

[skyler97]

This thread will have the Belltown guys in it, right?

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Quote: Originally Posted by skyler97

This thread will have the Belltown guys in it, right?

Yep, as soon as you get to the NFL.

[NewscasterNews4]

ESPN Announces Its Buying Out Of Thursday Night Football, And The New Commentary Team

By: Sheldon Thompson, ESPN NFL Writer

In a breaking news story, ESPN just bought out Thursday Night Football. If that was a shocker to you, just wait till you hear who the new commentary team is. No, they didn't steal anyone from their College Football commentary teams, instead they chose popular YouTubers MrHurriicane and KYR Sp33dy. It is an unlikely duo as it doesn't include a former player in it, so no one can really be a color commentator. However, ESPN sees it differently. This was the statement they released:

"ESPN is very happy with the commentary team for Thursday Night Football. We do not settle for anyone below our high standards, and that is not the case here. We are already looking forward to 2017 and our first season of TNF (Thursday Night Football)."

MrHurriicane (top) and KYR Sp33dy (bottom) are the newest duo of commentators to enter sports broadcasting.

The first Thursday Night Game ESPN will officially broadcast is Week 2 of the 2017 season.

Sheldon Thompson is an ESPN NFL writer. To contact him, email him at [email protected].