If you thought Eric Mangini’s firing by the New York Jets was a surprise, then you must have been shocked by the news that the Denver Broncos had shown long-time head coach Mike Shanahan the door. Shanahan was cut loose yesterday following an epic collapse by the Broncos that resulted in the team missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season. While this firing certainly comes as a surprise to most, the writing was on the wall was there if one was inclined to look closely enough. Shanahan had won only one playoff game in the past 10 years. It’s hard to look past the two Super Bowls he won with John Elway, but when one really sits down and thinks about it, they realize how long ago that truly was. That, combined with the historic collapse this season, was enough to unseat a guy who looked to have the job until he decided to move on.
Former Steelers coach Bill Cowher is probably the leading candidate to replace Shanahan. Cowher wants control of the personnel decisions and there is currently no general manager in place in Denver. This has to be one of the more attractive positions in the entire NFL, and not just out of the available ones. Denver has a quality owner that is committed to winning, a loyal fan base and an emerging star quarterback. However, the defense was atrocious this year and will need some major work.
To get NFL Tickets, go to Stubhub.com.
So far, three coaches have been ousted with more possibly getting kicked to the curb in the next few days. The New York Jets have parted ways with Eric Mangini, the Cleveland Browns have let Romeo Crennel go and the Detroit Lions fired Rod Marinelli. Tom Cable of the Oakland Raiders will not continue as head coach, but will return to the team in some other capacity. Mangini is the biggest surprise out of the aforementioned departed head coaches, though the potential for the move was well-documented going into Sunday’s matchup with Miami. Crennel coached the most underachieving team in the league, and Marinelli, well; we all know what happened in Detroit this season.
Mangini experienced two winning seasons in his three years as head coach in New York, but the Jets’ poor play down the stretch this season is what ultimately did him in.
Sources say that the Jets are interested in Bill Cowher, pretty much every team with a vacancy is, but recent reports have Cowher only considering positions that would give him complete control of the team and personnel. Cowher has earned the right to make these kinds of demands and he’s by far the most desirable coaching candidate out there. Another coach on the hot seat is Buffalo’s Dick Jauron, whose fate should be decided by tomorrow. Somehow, Wade Philips appears to be staying on in Dallas.
To get NFL Tickets, go to Stubhub.com.
After yesterday’s final regular season games, the playoff seeds are now set. In the AFC, the Tennessee Titans and Pittsburgh Steelers receive byes. The 12-4 Indianapolis Colts will travel to San Diego to face an 8-8 Chargers team that miraculously made the playoffs after trouncing the Denver Broncos at home yesterday. These two teams met at Qualcomm Stadium earlier this season, where the Colts squeaked out a 23-20 victory. These are probably the two hottest teams in the league right now. The Baltimore Ravens will head to Miami to face a Dolphins club that won 10 more games in the regular season than they did a year ago. The Ravens beat the Dolphins in their lone regular season meeting this year thanks to their ability to shut down the wildcat offense.
In the NFC, the Falcons will head to the desert to face the Arizona Cardinals. The Falcons have had such an amazing turnaround this season that they don’t even need a playoff win, but they can definitely take down the one-dimensional Cardinals if they avoid giving up big plays to Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. Finally, the Eagles will travel to Minnesota in a matchup between two teams that clinched their playoff spots yesterday. The Eagles are hot right now and could very well take down the Vikings at home. The Giants and Panthers are on byes.
To get NFL Tickets, go to Stubhub.com.
Week 17 doesn’t usually bring with it a lot of excitement, but this year is an exception. Three division titles have yet to be claimed and a couple of wild card spots are still up for grabs. The AFC East has been tight all season, and it remains that way going into the final week. With a win over the Jets, the Dolphins will win the division. Should the Dolphins lose, then the Patriots would claim the division with a win in Buffalo. Should the Jets beat the Dolphins and the Patriots lose to the Bills, then New York would get the honors.
The Vikings can wrap up the NFC North with a win this week. Should they lose and the Bears win, though, Chicago will be roaring into the playoffs. The Chargers and Broncos will face off in a game that will decide the AFC West, just great drama even though an 8-8 team could make the playoffs as a result. The Ravens control their own destiny in the AFC for the final wild card slot, while the Cowboys can claim the sixth seed in the NFC with a win. It should be a great weekend of football. This will be the last post until Monday. Happy Holidays everyone!
To get NFL Tickets, go to Stubhub.com.
The two teams that most NFL pundits have considered to be the best in the league through the season have confirmed such a notion by wrapping up the number one seeds in their respective conferences, thus gaining home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Both the New York Giants and Tennessee Titans faced off with their biggest in-conference challenger yesterday and came away with a victory. The Titans dominated the fourth quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers to clinch the top seed in the AFC with a 31-14 victory at home. The Titans got solid production out of their running game and their defense, as has been the case all season long, but quarterback Kerry Collins shined in this one. The 35-year-old signal caller completed 20 of his 29 pass attempts for 216 yards and a touchdown in the victory.
While the Titans’ win came rather easily, the New York Giants found themselves in a hard-fought, seesaw game with the red hot Carolina Panthers. Thanks to a magnificent effort from running back Derrick Ward (15 carries, 215 yards in the game) in the second half and overtime, the Giants were able to secure the number one seed in the NFC with a 34-28 final score.
To get NFL Tickets, go to Stubhub.com.
Nine weeks ago the Colts were washed up. Peyton Manning wasn’t all that great without the old Marvin Harrison, the run defense was back to its woeful ways and the offensive line was decimated. Fast forward to the present and the Colts are hottest team in the league, winners of nine straight and proud owners of a playoff spot after last night’s win over Jacksonville. Peyton Manning should win the MVP this season, seriously. Think about it; Marvin Harrison is not what he used to be, the offensive line has been banged up all year, Joe Addai has been injured on and off all season and there has been little to no running game. Yet Manning has posted quarterback rating of almost 100 and has picked up the pieces of what looked like a lost season just two months ago.
The Colts have the look of that team that is hot enough to run through the playoffs, even if they have to do it on the road. The Steelers got hot at the right time three years ago, the Colts did it two years ago and the Giants did it last year. Indianapolis looks like that team that keeps catching breaks, ala the Keiwan Ratliff pick-six to win last night’s game, and is also making timely plays (As pointed out by ESPN.com’s Bill Simmons). Find me one team that wants to play the Colts in the playoffs.
To get NFL Tickets, go to Stubhub.com.
Yesterday we took a look at which players were named to the AFC’s Pro Bowl roster at the skill positions, so today let’s examine the same in the NFC. Matt Ryan was left off the team, as this blogger expected, but he’s got Pro Bowls in his future, no doubt. Kurt Warner was named the starter with Drew Brees and Eli Manning also getting the nod. There were so many good running backs to choose from in the NFC, but the three that made the team, Adrian Peterson, Michael Turner and Clinton Portis, could not be snubbed. DeAngelo Williams is having a truly phenomenal season, but just not a good enough one to bump one of those three guys off the squad.
Warner will have his two wide receivers on the field as starters in Hawaii as both Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald were named to the starting lineup. These guys really have been the two best receivers in the league this season. What a passing attack those Cardinals have. Roddy White and Steve Smith rounded out the wide receiver selections. I would have given the nod to Calvin Johnson, who has produced week in and week out on a winless team, but Smith is almost uncoverable and has posted great numbers despite missing two games, so no gripes here. Jason Witten and Chris Cooley were rather obvious selections for tight end.
To get NFL Tickets, go to Stubhub.com.
After this blogger gave his selections for the skill positions in the Pro Bowl in yesterday’s post, let’s take a look at who really made it in the AFC. Peyton Manning will start at quarterback, while Brett Favre and Jay Cutler also made the team. Thomas Jones was rightfully named the starter at running back for the AFC, while Chris Johnson and Ronnie Brown also received the nod. As written yesterday, this blogger would have named Steve Slaton to the team over Brown, but Brown has been a big part of the Dolphins’ resurgence this season and is as deserving as anyone.
Andre Johnson and Brandon Marshall were named the starters at the wide receiver position. Johnson was a no brainer and he and Marshall are probably the most dominant and difficult to cover pass catchers in the conference. Wes Welker and Reggie Wayne also made the team. I have no problem with either of these guys, though I would have given Randy Moss the nod over Wayne because he lost his quarterback for the season in week one. Tony Gonzalez, who is having a really good season under the radar, will start at tight end. He’s been the best tight end in the league this season and it’s good to see him get his due when most people consider him to be past his prime. Antonio Gates also made the team at the tight end position. Tomorrow, we’ll take a look at the NFC skill positions.
To get NFL Tickets, go to Stubhub.com.
The list of players that made the Pro Bowl this season will be released today and, as always, there are bound to be some questionable omissions. There always seem to be a few snubs among the positions that most fans care about, that is, the skill positions. In the AFC, there are five quarterbacks that you could make a case for, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Ben Roethlisberger, Jay Cutler and Kerry Collins. This blogger would give the nod to Manning, Favre and Cutler. As far as NFC signal callers go, one player out of the four most deserving, Drew Brees, Kurt Warner, Eli Manning and Matt Ryan, will be left off the team. In this case, as great as Matt Ryan has been in his rookie year, he’s the guy to snub. If Tony Romo hadn’t gotten hurt, this decision would be even more difficult.
This blogger would select Adrian Peterson, Michael Turner and Clinton Portis as the running backs in the NFC with apologies going to Matt Forte and DeAngelo Williams. For backs in the AFC, I’d have to go with Thomas Jones, Chris Johnson and Steve Slaton. LaDainian Tomlinson does not deserve a reputation vote this season, in my opinion. For the wide receiver position, this blogger would select Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald, Roddy White and Calvin Johnson, with apologies going out to Greg Jennings, Steve Smith and Antonio Bryant. In the AFC, my wide receivers are Andre Johnson, Brandon Marshall, Wes Welker and Randy Moss. Tight ends would be Jason Witten and Chris Cooley in the NFC and Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates in the AFC.
To get NFL Tickets, go to Stubhub.com.
The Dallas Cowboys put their feuding aside last night and made a strong push for the playoffs with a win over the New York Giants. New York has already clinched the NFC East division, but Dallas, at 9-5, is in good position to extend their year beyond the regular season. The most impressive thing about the Cowboys’ win over the G-Men is probably the fact that running back Marion Barber did not play in the contest. Barber’s relentless running style could have potentially counteracted the Giants’ hardnosed defense, but it was Tashard Choice who gashed the New York defensive unit last night.
Choice received a mere nine carries in the game, but made the most of them. The back who started the year third on the Cowboys depth chart rushed for 91 yards and a touchdown while adding 52 more through the air on four catches. The Dallas defense played superbly in this game, forcing quarterback Eli Manning into two inceptions and a completion percentage barely above 50. The Giants were without the bruising Brandon Jacobs, and the Cowboys were able to contain Derrick Ward. Dallas certainly has some lock room issues to overcome, but this is a team that has the talent to make a deep run into the postseason.
To get NFL Tickets, go to Stubhub.com.
