2011 NFL Playoffs Thread

[transplant99]

I was listening to a Mike McCarthy presser from earlier today and he said that Packers starters missed 206 games this season due to injury. Absurd number.

[Cheerio]

Originally Posted by transplant99

I was listening to a Mike McCarthy presser from earlier today and he said that Packers starters missed 206 games this season due to injury. Absurd number.

Especially in only a 17 game season! Wow!

[browna]

Interesting that Ivory is out this week. Pete Carroll said he was the difference in the game SEA played earlier in the year, as he ran all over them, and SEA didn't really game plan for him.

Weather could be a great equalizer. Can SEA cover...maybe. Can they win? Doubtful, but would rather play a dome team in NO then GB given the way the Packers are playing.

Again, I don't buy any of this talk for reseeding or schedule changes. A lot of it is coming out of NY simply because the Giants were out. Its happened once in the NFL, and 34 years since St. Louis Blues were the last team to win a division with a losing record.

No apologies from this Seattle fan. Team is in the middle of rebuilding, with what could be a record for transactions in a year. But hung in there, win the clutch game when it matters, beat good teams like Chicago and San Diego (at the time), and win 4 of 6 in the division. Sure, had the second easiest schedule in the league, after winning 9 games the past two seasons combined, but just because Singeltary run the 49'ers into the ground and few people thought the Cardinals were a decent team without Warner, doesn't change winning the division and that should earn you an advantage in any league, in this case, earning a home playoff date. Making the playoffs is a bonus for a team in transition, and there are no false pretenses from the players that they are an elite team or anything like that...but the confidence this will give the franchise going forward will hopefully help them take the next step when they get more stability into next year.

They will have to be better next year, SEA has a tougher schedule next year (teams already announced) and making the playoffs drop them 13 spots at least in the draft.

[transplant99]

Again, I don't buy any of this talk for reseeding or schedule changes. A lot of it is coming out of NY simply because the Giants were out. Its happened once in the NFL, and 34 years since St. Louis Blues were the last team to win a division with a losing record.

Its not about just the Seahawks though...its every single game this weekend, the team with the better record or head to head advantage is travelling. It really doesn't amke any sense and it would in a lot of scenarios make the final weekends games a whole lot more meaningful. And this is nothing new, they have been talking about this for years. I am not of the opinion that Seattle should not be in the playoffs...they won their division and earned that spot. They should not, however, be hosting the game to a team that not only beat them once already but finished 4 games better.

[flames_1987]

Indy isn't going to blow out the Jets, they don't have the firepower right now to blow out many teams right now. But I do believe the Colts can get the running game going against this team and slug it out with the Jets. 23-20 Colts

[PIMking]

I do find it comical that a raider fan makes a sig about domination when his team is sledding for the winter...

[burn_baby_burn]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I don't recall ever seeing a team have as easy a schedule as KC did this year.

1972 Dolphins come to mind. Opponents winning percentage was 0.357. I do believe that that still is the easiest schedule in NFL history. Also the 1999 St. Louis Rams had an easy schedule as well. If memory serves, it is the 2nd easiest schedule in NFL history. Although I don't recall the opponents winning percentage.

[burn_baby_burn]

Originally Posted by PIMking

I do find it comical that a raider fan makes a sig about domination when his team is sledding for the winter...

The Chiefs went 4-12 last season. However, the beat down of the Denver Broncos in Denver in the final game of the season last year. Made me feel like a Super Bowl Champion. Although in the Raiders case, they didn't knock the Chiefs out of the playoffs on Sunday. Still, 6-0 in the division is something to be really proud off. On the other hand, I would be embarrassed that the team missed the playoffs after sweeping the division. Typical Raiders though. Their worst enemy is themselves.

Long live Al Davis!

[Sylvanfan]

The other thing for people who complain about easy schedules, say the NFL allowed 8 playoff teams in each Conference just like the NHL or NBA. The Buccaneers and Giants would make it in the NFC, as would the Seahawks with their 7-9 record. So in the NFC, only 7 out of 16 teams were above .500. The AFC is the same way where 7 teams finished above .500 and than Jacksonville and the Raiders were 8-8.

So for all of you whining about a team beating up on teams without winning records...guess what, half the league is made of teams that posted a losing record and many teams with winning records, had those records because they beat the teams they should.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

The other thing for people who complain about easy schedules, say the NFL allowed 8 playoff teams in each Conference just like the NHL or NBA. The Buccaneers and Giants would make it in the NFC, as would the Seahawks with their 7-9 record. So in the NFC, only 7 out of 16 teams were above .500. The AFC is the same way where 7 teams finished above .500 and than Jacksonville and the Raiders were 8-8.

So for all of you whining about a team beating up on teams without winning records...guess what, half the league is made of teams that posted a losing record and many teams with winning records, had those records because they beat the teams they should.

To take that a step further....I dont believe there is such a thing as an "easy" schedule in the NFL. Its a tough hard bruising business and indeed league, and there are very few "easy" games. Every week we see upsets, that should tell you something.

Yes some teams have easier schedules than others, but none of them are easy.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by troutman

More than re-seeding, I think the NFL has to look at the unbalanced schedules. Every year a few teams sneak into the playoffs due to weak schedules, and better teams miss the playoffs because of brutal schedules.

Teams with good records are punished, and weak teams are rewarded.

I don't know how you can make a 16 game schedule in a 32 team league fair. If you play everyone in your conference once and be assigned a division in the other conference, that would make for 19 games.
Then you could just forget division winners and just take the top 6 in each conference.

[Montana Moe]

Pierre Thomas on IR as well, Saints are going to be the Drew Brees show this weekend...

[burn_baby_burn]

Originally Posted by transplant99

To take that a step further....I dint believe there is such a thing as an "easy" schedule in the NFL. Its a tough hard bruising business and indeed league, and there are very few "easy" games. Every week we see upsets, that should tell you something.

Yes some teams have easier schedules than others, but none of them are easy.

Every year at this time people are going to complain about how one or two playoff teams had "easy" schedules. Two years ago it was the Cardinals that everyone was whining about. Yet they came damn close to winning the Super Bowl.

When we talk about differences in schedule. We are talking a swing from opponents winning percentage of like 0.450 to 0.575 (or something close to that affect). It shouldn't make that much of a difference either way.

[OILFAN #81]

KC had 3 pro bowl players this year. 2 of them (Bowe and Waters) missed practice on Thursday and are questionable for this weekend's playoff game:

http://www.tsn.ca/nfl/story/?id=348172

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by OILFAN #81

KC had 3 pro bowl players this year. 2 of them (Bowe and Waters) missed practice on Thursday and are questionable for this weekend's playoff game:

http://www.tsn.ca/nfl/story/?id=348172

I was curious why the Chiefs signed Kevin Curtis yesterday....insurance in case Bowe cant go.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

I don't know how you can make a 16 game schedule in a 32 team league fair. If you play everyone in your conference once and be assigned a division in the other conference, that would make for 19 games.
Then you could just forget division winners and just take the top 6 in each conference.

I agree there is not much wiggle room. However, why do the Colts and Pats have to play each other every year? The NFL likes the ratings.

[burn_baby_burn]

Originally Posted by troutman

I agree there is not much wiggle room. However, why do the Colts and Pats have to play each other every year? The NFL likes the ratings.

Because they play in the same conference and both win their division every year. Or if that scenario doesn't take place they are guaranteed to play each other every three years. That is the only reason. The NFL doesn't just schedule marquee match ups for ratings. They have a set system for scheduling games.

[burn_baby_burn]

Originally Posted by OILFAN #81

KC had 3 pro bowl players this year. 2 of them (Bowe and Waters) missed practice on Thursday and are questionable for this weekend's playoff game:

http://www.tsn.ca/nfl/story/?id=348172

Bowe has an illness. Waters is assumed to have an illness yet there wasn't much clarification as to what yesterday.

[habernac]

hilarious article on the new playoff OT rule:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2...6&sportCat=nfl

[Sainters7]

Originally Posted by Montana Moe

Pierre Thomas on IR as well, Saints are going to be the Drew Brees show this weekend...

Unbelieveable news between Ivory and PT the past 2 days, man has our run game been decimated this year. Look at our RB depth chart:

1. Pierre Thomas - IR
2. Reggie Bush - Healthy but missed most of regular season due to injury
3. Lynell Hamilton - IR
4. Chris Ivory - IR
5. Julius Jones
6. PJ Hill - IR
7. Ladell Betts - IR

I'm not trying to go into the dance with such negative vibes, but basically not having a run game when you're going on the road in the playoffs is a huge blow to your playoff hopes. If we beat Seattle, I'd much rather go to the Georgia Dome in the divisionals than snowy Soldier Field. That's where you need a strong run game. Colour me very concerned..