Hey everyone, just wanted to let you all know OS now has an official Discord that you can join right now. We’ve kicked around Discords for individual games in the past, but it felt like the right time to make it more of an official thing.
Steve and I have wanted to get this going for a bit because we obviously still hear from y’all who are unhappy with some stuff on the forums, plus when there are forum outages we still want to have a place for everyone to hang. My overarching goal for the longer term is to have both Discord and the forums ultimately work together. There are some logistical issues with the vBulletin forums that don’t allow things to sync right with Discord so there will be a little maneuvering as we try to get mods and forum members any proper roles/tags they need on the Discord, but we can work through that stuff easily enough as people join.
Our general goal is to give people more options to interact with OS community members, whether that’s Discord, the forums, this newsletter, or improved apps. If people want to stick more to the forums, that’s cool. If people want to stick more to the Discord, that’s also cool. In my perfect world, we do a lot of BSing and day-to-day chatting on the Discord about games and sports, and then more of the “in-depth” discussions or hefty things like long slider breakdowns or analysis of gameplay end up on the forums so that can act as a sort of “best of” area for anything OS community related. That said, you all will ultimately shape how the ecosystem shakes out, I just want to give you spaces you like so you can have a good time with other folks in the community.
The same general rules will apply on the Discord as they do on the forums, and we’ve brought most of the forum categories to the Discord as well so there should not be too much confusion as you navigate around.
With the Operation Sports and Discord announcement now out there, it’s also worth mentioning our OS premium newsletter, which quietly launched a couple of weeks ago. Built off the Not Just Another Roster Update newsletter, it offers a mix of retrospectives, guides, interviews and deeper dives into the sports gaming world—covering both current and classic titles.
The Jacksonville Jaguars snuck up on alot of people this year. Many people wrote the team off as an after thought after keeping Gabbert in as QB during the offseason. A last minute pickup of former Dolphin Chad Henne and a strong draft however has the Jaguars in the Playoffs for the first time since 2007. The Jaguars were hard to keep down, winning six games in the 4th quarter after trailing at the half. It's not really easy to call Henne accurate (51 comp%), but he was effective enough to make a strong compliment with arguarably the best running back in the league MJD.The 10-6 Jaguars will be a tough matchup for any team in the 2012 playoffs. They go up against the Oakland Raiders in the wildcard round, another suprise contender. 
The 2012 Pittsburg Steelers have their eyes set on another SuperBowl ring to add to their collection. Under Mike Tomlin the Steelers have amassed a strong 11-5 record.Rashard Mendenhall and Jonathan Dwyer made an impossing 1-2 punch at the running back position taking much needed pressure off QB Ben Roethlisbeger. Roethlisberger took advantage, compiling one of his better offensive seasons in his career.The Recieving core delievered down the depth chart with more than three reicevers collecting more than 700 yards (Brown,Wallace, Sanders). The defense lost a few steps as they aren't the defensive juggernaut they once were known to be, but it's clear the Steelers can mold with the time, and will be a strong matchup for the AFC Offensive Rookie of the Year Andrew Luck.
The Colts struck it gold with their #1 Overall pick in last years NFL Draft. Andrew Luck was everything he was advertised to be and more, leading the once pitiful Colts to an playoff berth much earlier than anyone expected. Luck and Co. turned it on late in the season tearing through opponets by way of scathing defense and timely scoring. The Colts have one of the best defensive players, and 2012 AFC Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Freeney leading the new look Colt defense. Robert Mathis and Antoine Bethea stepped it up big time this year, as well as last years standout Pat Angerer, who missed almost half the season with injury. The Colts go up against the Steelers in the wildcard round.
The perennial regular season underachievers. The New York Giants once again tip toe into the wildcard dispite having one of the more complete teams in all of football. Ranked 2nd in total offense and 9th in total defense, the Giants on paper should be a much higher seeded team. The peices and production is there; Manning, Bradshaw, Cruz, JPP. All had great seasons this year, and look to continue that success into their matchup against the Eagles. Last years Superbowl champions can not be counted out. They always find a way to turn it into the next gear when it really counts, espeically QB Eli Manning. Their first road block is the Division winning Eagles who beat the Giants in their last matchup in week 17..jpg)
The Buccaneers did everything they needed to do in the offseason to ensure a playoff berth in 2012. Playmaking wide reciever? check. impact running back? check. Pro-bowl tight end? check.The Buccaneers offseason moves payed big dividens on the field. Freeman took the next step in becoming a top tier QB in the National Football League. The addition of Vincent Jackson and Dallas Clark were big factors in Freemans development. Both put up strong numbers, giving Freeman and the offense two crutches to lean on in big situations. The mid season trade for Pierre Thomas was huge, adding a 1,300 yard rusher to the mix. Thomas was finally able to shine in Tampa Bay, putting career numbers across the board. The Buccaneers face the Falcons next.
The Falcons are the last wildcard team profiled and are many experts darkhorse team to reach the SuperBowl. The Falcons have the passing game and the running game to punish opposing defenses. Matt Ryan has weapons across the board. Roddy White, Julio Jones and Harry Douglas at the wideout position, Tony Gonzalez at tight end, Michael Turner and breakout player Jason Snelling at half back. It's very difficult for opposing defenses to plan for every threat at any given down. If the Falcons have any weakness its their weak pass defense that ranks near the bottem of the league. The 9-7 Falcons face the Buccaneers in the first round. The winner will go on to face the Packers.
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