Category Archives: Sports

Why The Patriots Losing the Super Bowl in 2012 Was Different Than in 2008

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Four years ago I explained Why I Was Glad To See The Patriots Lose Super Bowl 42, tracing much of my NFL fandom up to that point along the way. The article was the culmination of my path from being a fan of a particular team to becoming a fan of the game. There’s a great deal packed into a pretty expansive article, but the gist of it is this:

While I was a Dallas Cowboys fan from childhood, my NFL fandom really began in middle school, when I started to play football myself. Like all twelve year olds at the time, I was awed by rags-to-riches Kurt Warner and the St. Louis Rams’ “Greatest Show on Turf.” Accordingly, when the Patriots beat the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI, it irked me.

It seemed obvious to any kid at the time that the Rams were one of the best teams to ever take the field. Between the notorious Tuck Rule snowbowl against Oakland, and the Rams not playing like themselves for most of the Super Bowl, New England seemed undeserving somehow. It felt like these flukes allowed a pack of unwitting beneficiaries to deny a historically great team their vindication, and it began my distaste for the Pats.

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Why I Was Glad To See The Patriots Lose (Reposted from 2008)

 

In 2008, I wrote an article describing why I was pleased to see the 2007 New England Patriots lose Superbowl XLII to the New York Giants. The article not only described my joy at seeing the Pats denied, but traced much of the path of how I became a football fan. With the Patriots and the Giants meeting in the Superbowl again last night, I planned to write a follow up, analyzing the match up, the sentiments of a Pats-hater after another New England Superbowl loss, and the evolution of the game four years later. But I thought it would be interesting to revisit this article first and to take a look back at what it was like to see a team that almost had a perfect season fall just short.

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Eating Crows and I Told You So’s: Jason Garrett and The 2011 Dallas Cowboys in Review

 

Eight-and-eight, .500, out of playoff contention. These are your 2011 Dallas Cowboys. A team that had every opportunity, right to the very last game, to put naysayers like yours truly in their place. A team that had every chance to show they were ready to take the next step. It’s a bitter taste. It’s bitter to see a team with so much potential, so many times when it looked like they were coming into their own, to end their season in absolute mediocrity.

Four months ago, I wrote about why Jason Garrett, for all his talents, is the wrong man to lead the Dallas Cowboys to the promised land. I presented some criticisms and made a few predictions. Now, with a couple of weeks to digest the 2011 Cowboys season, it’s time to look back and see what was accurate, what missed the mark, and more importantly, what happened to the Dallas Cowboys this year.

 

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The New NBA: Preserving the Freedom of Free Agency

 

“I want my freedom. My goal is to control my own destiny. And as you’ve seen in my career, I’ve never been in a position to do that. I know some teams out there are saying, ‘Oh, Chauncey will be great in mentoring’ and I’m tired of that. I’ve got a few good years left to play, and I’m not trying to come in and sit on the bench, or be a mentor. I’m not going to be that guy. I want to go somewhere and win. I want to choose.” – Chauncey Billups

Welcome to the players’ revolution. The tide is changing in the NBA and across professional sports, and the result is players taking an increasing role in deciding where they go and who they play for. At the heart of this sea change is that central desire – to have that freedom to choose.

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Jason Garrett's Offense: Progress Without Paydirt

Many scoffed when I questioned Jason Garrett’s offense in my prior article, Five Reasons Jason Garrett is the Wrong Kind of Guy to be the Dallas Cowboys’ Head Coach. Many of the problems I have with Garrett’s offense, like difficulty holding a lead, difficulty withstanding a comeback, or failure to use the team’s offensive weapons to their highest potential, are difficult to quantify. Some issues, however, can be illumunited through looking at the numbers the offense has put up under Jason Garrett. To that end, I put together a chart with some key statistics from JG’s five years as the Cowboys’ Offensive Coordinator that shows one of the biggest problems with Garrett’s tenure as OC – that his offense can gain yards, but has trouble scoring points.

 

Each cell in the column contains the relevant statistic. The number in parentheses to the right of the statistic shows where that year’s Cowboys team ranked in the NFL in that particular category. Obviously the data for 2011 is incomplete at this point, and with nine games left to play, those numbers could change dramatically. Nevertheless, they demonstrate the problems the team has been having this year and how those problems are consistent with what has come before.

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The Top Five Terms Made Up By Yours Truly pt. 5: Applecarters


This is Part Five in our series of Five Terms Made Up By Yours Truly.
Check out Part One, Part Two, Part Three, and Part Four.



5. Applecarters

Definition – Individuals who inherently enjoy seeing the unexpected or unplanned happen, independently of the people or groups involved in these events.

The Story– The term “Applecarters” comes from an old expression. It refers to those who enjoying seeing what happens when something “upsets the apple cart.” In other words, these are folks who like to see the unusual or unanticipated occur. They want to see the contingencies that those in charge didn’t plan for or expect would come to pass. Basically, they enjoy it when things hit the fan.

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Five Reasons Jason Garrett is the Wrong Kind of Guy to be the Dallas Cowboys’ Head Coach

Today, I am thankful for football. We are on the cusp of what was one of the most fragile NFL seasons in decades. A mere two months ago, in the midst of the lockout, the very thought of seeing my Dallas Cowboys play seemed like wishful thinking, likely to be lost in an increasingly murky pit of dollars and cents. Yet here we stand today, a mere twenty-four hours before the first kickoff of the 2011 NFL season. With football once again a certainty, I am forced to break from my celebration and face an uncomfortable reality – Jason Garrett is the coach of the Dallas Cowboys.

Many of the Cowboys faithful like Garrett. He certainly has a surface-level appeal. He was Troy Aikman’s backup. He played during the Cowboys dynasty years. He talks the talk with his oft-repeated quips espousing the “The Cowboy Way” and the “Right Kind of Guy.” He even sprinkles in those little hard-nosed coach trademarks like punishing players for dress code violations.

Still, from the moment Wade Phillips’ firing proved inevitable, I feared that Jerry Jones would overlook the other quality coaches in the open market and promote someone from within, who is without. Here are five reasons that Jason Garrett is the Wrong Kind of Guy to be the Dallas Cowboys’ head coach.




5. The Quickly Closing Window

What has frustrated Cowboys fans over the past three years more than the team’s ineptitude in and of itself, is the feeling that most of the pieces needed to succeed are in place. There are still questions about Tony Romo, but he has at least proven himself a capable, above average quarterback. The Cowboys have had a receiving corps that other teams would kill for. The team has consistently had one of the most stacked backfields in the league. Dallas’ secondary has long been suspect, but the Boys have also been able to boast a talented linebacking corps and some punishing bodies on the defensive line. What’s more, the Cowboys have the best all-around tight end in the NFL in Jason Witten, plus one of the best LBs in the league in DeMarcus Ware. I never bought into the chatter that the Cowboys had the most talented roster in the NFL, but undeniably, there have been enough tools available to make Dallas a consistent contender. And there still are.

That said, the Wade Phillips regime, including Jason Garrett and his underachieving offense, absolutely squandered this talent through a combination of lack of discipline and occasionally baffling playcalls. During last season’s abysmal 6-10 outing, it became abundantly clear that it was time to wipe the slate clean. Dallas needed, and still needs, to welcome a new set of coaches who can bring in a better culture and use this group to their full potential. Before long, it will be too late and the Cowboys will have to rebuild the major pieces of the roster from scratch.

These are the prime years for important players like Tony Romo (left) and Jason Witten (right). It would be a shame to waste them on the growing pains of a first time head coach.

In spite of this ticking clock Jerry Jones put Jason Garrett, a first-time head coach, at the helm this year. Garrett’s never handled the duties of a head coach before. He’s never built a system from the ground up, never had to supervise both sides of the ball, never had to have the entire responsibility for the team fall on his shoulders. Succeeding as a head coach in the NFL is one of the most challenging tasks imaginable, and Garrett is likely to hit a few missteps along the way. His eight games last season were a nice warm up, but there is simply not enough time for a HC who has to learn the ropes, and this group of players does not have the time to wait.

It’s also the wrong time to gamble on an unproven guy. With accomplished coaches like Bill Cowher, among others, riding the coaching carousel, Jason Garrett is a gamble with surer bets available. There is simply too much at stake. These are prime years for guys like Tony Romo, Jason Witten, and DeMarcus Ware, with the downward slope in sight. There is simply too much talent at stake to risk it on a man who has never led a team before.

It’s a particularly risky bet given…

 

4. His 2010 Resume

Jason Garrett won this job on the supposed strength of his performance as interim head coach during the final eight games of the 2010 NFL season. More than his win-loss record, a passable 5-3, something else persuaded Jerry Jones to promote him. Garrett seemed able to turn a team that had all but given up in the first half of the season into one that played with more passion and focus, down the stretch. Both the record and the turnaround, however, are pretty suspect when placed in the proper context.

The 2010 Dallas Cowboys threw in the towel on last season pretty quickly. It became clear fairly early that the ‘Boys would not be contending for a playoff spot, and that Wade Phillips was a lame duck. In other words, the team had nothing to play for, and it showed. Lackadaisical effort, giving up on plays, and general apathy pervaded the team. I have to admit, it had a similar apathy -inducing effect on me as a fan. I would still watch every game, but week after week seeing of a disinterested team leads to a disinterested viewer. The team had hit rock bottom.

Suddenly, Wade Phillips is gone. Sure, Jason Garret got the nod from Jerry, but more importantly, the players received an official confirmation that they’re all auditioning for next year. All of a sudden, there’s an air of change and transition that’s able to get some spark out of the team. They finally have something to play for. The team responded, with more intensity, if not more skill, remaining competitive over the last eight games of the season.

Wade Phillips was fired halfway through the Cowboys 2010 season.

Now maybe some measure of this up-tempo response came from players who liked Garrett and played for his job. Nevertheless, I firmly believe that you could made damn near any assistant the interim coach and you would have seen the same sort of reaction from the team. It was the atmosphere of change and a clean break as well as the guys realizing they were suddenly being evaluated for the big sweep next year that turned things around, not Garrett in and of himself that prompted the turnaround. The coaching change was the jolt the team needed, not the specific new coach who came in. To boot, they were able to improve so much because they had fallen so far in the first half of the year.

To the point, for all the excitement and bluster about how the Cowboys finished the season, they went 5-3 down the stretch. That’s certainly not bad, and you can point to good showings and close losses against New Orleans and Arizona and Philly. But by that same token, you can also point to near misses against Washington, Indy, and again, Philly. The end result is pretty much the same team we’ve had the last few years – a pretty good, but not great one.

If the team had played this way the entire season, we would have seen the same sort of team that Cowboys fans have seen repeatedly during the Wade Phillips era. It’s a team that is talented but inconsistent, that stands up to big time opponents but has trouble closing the deal. It’s a team that’s right on the edge of playoff contention, but nowhere near reliable enough to warrant great expectations.

That is to say, Jason Garrett did not work any miracles. He did not prompt this team to play up to their potential, merely the slightly above average pace they’ve kept in recent years.  I expect he will field a decent team as head coach. Dallas will struggle, but they’ll have a shot until the end of the season. Unfortunately, that’s just the same old same old. Garrett managed to get the Cowboys back to where they were, and maybe that’s worth something, but he’s shown nothing to me that says he can get them any further than the regime he was half responsible for over the last four years.

That “same old, same old” mentality came through in…


3. The 2011 Draft

 

The 2009 NFL Draft was a trying time to be a Cowboys fan. After a year where a porous offensive line led to an untimely injury to Romo and the secondary had been torched time and time again, the areas of need were clear. Despite these pressing concerns, the Cowboys entered the draft short-handed.

The Cowboys had traded their first round pick, as part of a king’s ransom. for the suspect receiver Roy Williams. They did not address the offensive line until the third round, where they picked small-school tackle Robert Brewster with a plan to shift him to guard. Then, when it came to the secondary, Jerry and Wade didn’t even bother until the 5th round, where they took DeAngelo Smith with their sixth pick in the draft. The sixth round is when you’re hunting for special teamers and works-in-progress, not future fixtures on the team.

History does not look fondly on the Cowboys 2009 Draft. Roy Williams is gone after a grossly underachieving spell with the team. Dallas cut Robert Brewster before the start of business this year, with him having made meager, if any, contributions to the Cowboys’ line. DeAngelo Smith didn’t even make it out of camp the year he was drafted. The point of this history lesson is a simple one – the Cowboys have needed help on the offensive line and in the secondary for at least three drafts now, and Dallas’ war room has done little to address them.

Supposedly, the 2011 Draft was Jason Garrett’s show to run. One of the biggest concerns among the diehards is finding a coach who can stand up to Jerry Jones, particularly with respect to personnel moves. Garrett was purportedly in control on draft day. He certainly had Jerry in his ear, but the word is that JG, to the extent possible in a team with this owner, was calling the shots. In Garrett’s inaugural draft we ended up with what is, at best, a mixed bag.

Again, coming into this draft, the O-Line badly needed an overhaul. That’s been clear since the Arizona game in 2008 when the offensive line managed to allow both Tony Romo and Matt McBriar to be injured in the same game. It was just as clear in the 2010 playoffs when Minnesota’s D manhandled the Cowboys front. It was just as clear this year when the line did their best impression of turnstiles and let the Giants defense through to thwomp Romo yet again.

Tyron Smith was the Cowboys first pick of the 2011 NFL Draft.

This is the one area where Garrett proved his worth. His first pick in the draft was his best – USC tackle Tyron Smith. Garrett selected someone who will hopefully be a fixture for the future on the offensive line and who could give the beleaguered position group a shot in the arm. He followed this up by picking guard David Arkin in the fourth round. Arkin was a solid pick. You can find serviceable guard talent in the 4th round, and there’s something the Cowboys just love about four-year starters from small schools, especially on the line. At least Dallas was drafting at a position of need. Garrett even added lineman Bill Nagy in the 7th round for good measure. If there’s one thing to be said for Garrett’s draft, it’s that he paid attention to the line.

Unfortunately, that’s where the compliments end. With their second pick in the draft, the Cowboys selected LB Bruce Carter, who was coming off a torn-ACL. Carter comes from Jerry Jones’ good buddy Butch Davis’ program in North Carolina. At a time when the Cowboys badly needed help in the secondary, and when Brandon Harris of Miami and Rahim Moore of UCLA were still available, Garrett went with another injury-prone linebacker.

How many injury-prone LBs has Dallas drafted in the past few years? And what success they’ve had! As though the fact that Carter is coming off of an injury weren’t enough, he’s on record espousing his preference for McDonalds as his dinner of choice. Nothing shows maturity and conditioning in a linebacker more than statements like, “Almost every day. I usually get three double cheeseburgers, medium fries, large tea and a six-piece McNuggets. I don’t think eating healthy as far as eating salads and that stuff really works for me.”

And more unfortunate still, the worst was yet to come. In the third round, Garrett selected Oklahoma running back DeMarco Murray. Now don’t get me wrong. Despite my distaste for OU, Murray looks to be a quality back without any of the puzzling question marks that come with Bruce Carter. There’s just one big problem – running back is the position where the Cowboys have the absolute least need.

Despite having essentially no need for a RB, the Cowboys drafted DeMarco Murray in the third round.

At the time Garrett drafted Murray, the Cowboys had no fewer than three solid options at running back. Even if Garrett had already decided that Marion Barber was not long for this team, there is not a single reason to worry about a backfield of Felix Jones and Tashard Choice.

I cannot comprehend why Garrett has it out for Tashard Choice, but even if JG had no in him, Dallas needed help at approximately a million other positions on this team before they needed another running back. This need includes: another guard, another safety, another corner, another d-lineman. Hell, Garrett could have picked up players at all of those positions twice-over before the team reasonably ought to have been on the market for another RB.

Even worse, the word coming out of the second day of the draft was that the team may have been trying to trade up to take Mark Ingram in the first round. I didn’t get it then, and I don’t get it now. Running back is one of the most easily filled, plug-and-play positions in football. You never, never, spend money or waste draft picks on a running back unless you’re just positive that you’re getting Chris Johnson or Adrian Peterson. Almost every runner is up and down and loses tire on their treads pretty quickly. The amount of production you get out of a “great” RB versus a “servicable” RB is incredibly small compared to the talent gap between other positions.

Garrett proved this principle himself when undrafted free agent RB Phillip Tanner played his way onto the team with a stellar performance in the preseason. This loaded the Cowboys up with four running backs on the 53-man roster. Of all the picks in the draft, the Murray pick is the most bewildering. It not only goes against the principle of drafting for need, but goes against the principle of how to maximize the value of your draft capital.

What’s more, as in 2009, the Cowboys did not touch the secondary until the fifth round with the selection of CB Josh Thomas out of Buffalo. In a year where the entire defense, not just the secondary, had been suspect, Thomas was one of only two draft picks on the defensive side of the ball. He found himself cut in the move to the 53-man roster, meaning that the 2011 draft made only contribution to an ailing defense that ranked 23rd in the league for total defense last year – one injury-prone rookie linebacker. There were so many needs going into the 2011 Draft, and Jason Garrett barely addressed any of them outside of the offensive line.

And that problem was exacerbated by…

2. The Roster Churn

Despite the fact that the draft did not do much to help the Cowboys in their big areas of need, Garrett & Co. were not especially active in free agency or the trade market to help improve the roster. Part of that stems from the fact that they had a fair number of free agents on the line they needed to sign at home: Doug Free, Marcus Spears, Jason Hatcher, and Kyle Kosier, among others. Part of that stems from a hope that new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan and his scheming will bolster the defense. Part of that stems from the fact that there is a great deal of dead money of this team.

There was certainly a healthy dose of trimming the fat this year. Since July, the Cowboys have cut notable vets and contributors like Roy Williams, Marion Barber, Marc Colombo, Leonard Davis, Andre Gurode, and Montrae Holland. They also restructured the contracts of DeMarcus Ware and Miles Austin. While I applauded many of these moves, they beg the question – why didn’t we cut bait with more of these guys in the uncapped 2010 season?

One of the excuses for why the Cowboys have not been more active in free agency – failing to land big guys like Nnamdi Asomugha who signed with the Eagles and losing guys like Stephen Bowen to the Redskins, is that the Cowboys are scraping against the salary cap. The salary cap, mind you, is likely to remain the same for at least the next few years until the next big television contract. Garrett certainly had a say in prior years, and walked into this year with little maneuvering whatsoever to add depth and talent to the team.

This year, the Cowboys finally cut ties with expensive failed experiment Roy Willaims.

He’s also showed questionable management of the talent currently on the team. The Cowboys have had as many as five kickers on the roster through training camp. After David Buehler’s terribly inaccurate placekicking last season, the Cowboys desperately needed to find another solution. Unfortunately, despite the crowd of kickers in camp, that solution never materialized. The ‘Boys are carrying both Buehler and rookie Dan Bailey into the regular season. The likely arrangement is that Buehler will cover kickoffs and Bailey will cover placekicking. With five men auditioning, Garrett should have been able to find a reliable leg for the team. Instead, there are a pair of kickers taking up an extra roster spot that could help give more depth at a position like inside linebacker.

The Cowboys, of course, have only three ILBs on their final 53-man roster. There’s reliable stalwart Bradie James, the young Sean Lee, and the aging, fading, fired up veteran Keith Brooking. The phantom fourth member of this group is the aforementioned injured rookie Bruce Carter. If all three of these guys can stay healthy, the Cowboys should be alright, but that’s a very big if. Heaven forbid James or Lee have nagging injuries and Brooking has to play more ball. At the ripe old football age of thirty-five, does he still have what it takes physically to step in for more snaps? What is unproven Bruce Carter has to step in to carry the load? Maybe Garrett is putting his trust in Rob Ryan’s defensive mind to use the line or the secondary creatively in a jam, but he’s riding mighty thin at one of the most important positions on the defense.

Speaking of thin, it seems you cannot open the sports page each day without hearing that the Cowboys have jettisoned another offensive lineman. “The Youglies” as they have been dubbed (as in Young and Ugly) are taking over the O-Line. Only Kyle Kosier and Doug Free remain from last year’s line. Replacing the departed are rookies Tyron Smith and Bill Nagy, as well as youngin’ Phil Costa.

The offensive line has certainly needed an overhaul for ages, but this youth movement seems like too much too fast. In the past two months, the Cowboys have released the following lineman: starters Marc Colombo, Leonard Davis, and Andre Gurode, as well as backups Montrae Holland and Sam Young. The signing of former Redskins guard Derrick Dockery helps to ease the fears a little, but even he needs to learn the system in time for him to step in where necessary. Maybe Garrett and the Cowboys’ miracle-worker O-line coach Hudson Houck see enough in these Younglies to have them protecting Tony Romo. I cannot help but worry. All the offensive weapons that Garrett’s been stockpiling can only go so far if his quarterback barely has any time to move the ball.

Which leads me to…

 

1. His Offense

After the Cowboys traded Patrick Crayton to the San Diego Chargers, the capable receiver opened up about his time in Dallas. Crayton said that Jason Garrett was completely in charge of the offensive and that Wade Phillips had little if anything to do with it. Given Garrett’s status as the heir to the throne and Wade’s defensive focus, there’s little reason to doubt this assessment. That means that the Cowboys offensive struggles over the last few years, particularly in terms of playcalling, can be placed squarely on Jason Garrett’s shoulders.

To wit, it was not just the defense that stunk up the joint last season. The offense that putted and sputtered its way through the first half of 2010 can be directly attributed to Garrett. From complaints of an inability to strike a proper balance between the pass and the run, failure to stretch the field vertically, and neglecting to take advantage of the talented players in the Cowboys backfield, Garrett was dodging criticism of his offense all last year.

While JG’s guys rarely failed to put a few points on the board, they simply could not keep pace with the opposition, especially when it counted the most. When it came to punching it in on the goal line, capitalizing on favorable field position, or worst of all, having to play from behind in crunch time, the offense just could not get it done. While the players certainly underachieved, a great deal of that lack of success can be attributed to Garrett and his playbook.

As my friend Todd put it, “If I see another screen or swing pass for a zero-to-three yard gain, I’m going to throw up.” The imagination seems to have escaped from Jason Garrett’s play calling. The Cowboys found themselves in so many 3rd and long situations last year not just because of penalties or good defense, but because more times than I can count, the first two plays were “run up the gut” or “screen to the right” with little to show for either. Where is the spark and fire and creativity that made Jerry have to lockdown Garrett from potential suitors after his first year as offensive coordinator?

Jerry Jones had to pay Jason Garrett like a head coach after his first year as offensive coordinator to prevent him from leaving for the top job with another team.

Garrett’s offense has underachieved relative to its talent each year after that first promising 13-3 season. For all the opening bluster and fireworks in that initial promising year, the offense has been inconsistent at best since. With the opposition scoring big points, it’s easy to look at Wade Phillips’ defense as the culprits, but the big blunders during Wade’s regime tell a more even story.

In Dallas’ big divisional playoff loss to Minnesota, the offense could only manage a pitiful three points.  In the debacle that was the Cowboys’ 2008 season finale, the Eagles lit up the Dallas D to the tune of 44 points, but Garrett’s offense could only manage six points in response. Even in JG’s big first year, the Cowboys closed out the regular season losing two of their last three. Those two losses came against weakened division rivals, who managed to hold Garrett’s “explosive” offense to six points in each outing.

This isn’t a story of a porous defense that the offense cannot compensate for. It’s a story of big missteps on both sides of the ball. Blame Wade Phillips all you want for his defense giving up and falling down, but Jason Garrett’s offense has been nothing to crow about since 2007.


I sincerely hope that I am wrong about all of this. My fondest wish would be for Jason Garrett to prove me hopelessly misguided and lead the Cowboys to a new golden age of continued contention and success. I just have little reason to believe that someone who was a part of the culture of the last four years is going to bring the significant changes the team is going to need.

You can turn over a few coaches, bring in some new blood, and come up with a few new slogans, but at base, Jason Garrett is, in some measure, a continuation of the mediocrity of the Wade Phillips regime. He’s the same touch-and-go offense, the same puzzling personnel moves, the same failure to play up to potential. Promoting Jason Garrett was a half-measure, and the Dallas Cowboys need, and deserve, a bigger change than a half-measure. At the end of the day, Jason Garrett is just the wrong kind of guy for the Dallas Cowboys.

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The Andrew Preview: Superbowl XLV

Your Top Stories

Jeff Fisher is leaving the Tennessee Titans after sixteen years as the team's head coach.

1. Last Thursday, Jeff Fisher resigned from the Tennessee Titans after sixteen seasons as the team’s head coach. It was believed that Fisher and QB Vince Young could not coexist in the organization, but with Titans’ owner Bud Adams announcing that Young would not be back in Tennessee, it was widely expected that Fisher would return. Then, Fisher, who had been with the Titans since the team was located in Houston, surprised the league by announce he would not come back for the last year of his contract as Tennessee’s head coach. He will reportedly receive an 8 million dollar settlement buyout. Rumors suggest that part of the departure had to do with Fisher losing two valued assistants in Check Cecil who was fired and Jim Washburn who was hired by the Philadelphia Eagles. Fisher leaves the Titans with a 142-120 record in the regular season and a 5-6 record in the playoffs for the team under his tenure.

2. The Associated Press selected New England Patriots Coach Bill Belichick as the 2010 Coach of the Year. This is the third time that Belichick has won the award, having been voted the league’s best coach in 2007 and 2003 as well. With this third win, Belichick is behind only Don Shula, who won the award a record four times. Belichick received thirty out of fifty votes to win, with the second place finisher, Tampa Bay’s Raheem Morris, receiving 11 ½ votes. With a prolific offense and rebuilt defense, he managed to coach the Patriots to a league best 14-2 record this season, that included wins over the Steelers, Packers, Bears, and Jets.

3. Steelers LB James Harrison unleashed more criticism for the NFL in the lead up to the Super Bowl. On Tuesday, Harrison facetiously suggested that he could use pillows to soften his hits on ball-carriers. Then, on Wednesday before the Steelers’ practice, Harrison questioned the NFL’s commitment to player safety, and pointed to the owner’s push for an 18-game regular season as proof of his position. Harrison said that, “It’s not about player safety. It’s about making money.” Harrison noted that Steelers’ owner Dan Rooney had spoken out against the idea of an 18-game season and that “He’s the most respected voice, I believe. He came out and said it, exactly what it was, what it is.” He also said that the NFL’s efforts toward player safety were “a show.” Harrison was fined earlier in the season for his big hits on opposing players.

Registering For The Draft

Here is the current order for the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft.

1. Carolina (2-14)
2. Denver (4-12)
3. Buffalo (4-12)
4. Cincinnati (4-12)
5. Arizona (5-11)
6. Cleveland (5-11)
7. San Francisco (6-10)
8. Tennessee (6-10)
9. Dallas (6-10)
10. Washington (6-10)
11. Houston (6-10)
12. Minnesota (6-10)
13. Detroit (6-10)
14. St. Louis (7-9)
15. Miami (7-9)
16. Jacksonville (8-8)
17. New England (14-2) — from Oakland
18. San Diego (9-7)
19. New York Giants (10-6)
20. Tampa Bay (10-6)
21. Kansas City (10-6)
22. Indianapolis (10-6)
23. Philadelphia (10-6)
24. New Orleans (11-5)
25. Seattle (7-9)
26. Baltimore (12-4)
27. Atlanta (13-3)
28. New England (14-2)
29. Chicago (11-5)
30. New York Jets (11-5)
31. Green Bay (10-6)*
32. Pittsburgh (12-4)*

* Final draft position depends on the outcome of the Superbowl.
One Big Match Up

1. Pittsburgh vs. Green Bay, 6:30 P.M. EST on FOX, in Arlington, TX – Two of the most storied franchises in the history of the NFL will meet in football’s biggest game this year. The Packers trace their lineage back to 1919, and they have nine NFL Championships and three additional Super Bowl victories going into this year’s championship game. For their part, the Pittsburgh Steelers were founded in 1933 and have won a league-record six Super Bowls as a franchise.  Now, in Arlington, Texas, two of the oldest and most decorated teams in the league will match up with a chance to hoist the Lombardi Trophy as World Champions.

The Steelers take on the Packers in Arlington, Texas at Superbowl XLV.

The Pittsburgh Steelers pulled ahead to a big lead early in the 2011 AFC Championship game, and held firm against a late rally by the Jets to punch their ticket to Super Bowl XLV. Unlike the week prior against the Ravens where the team’s fortunes looked bleak at halftime, the Steelers went into the locker room at the halfway mark with a dominating 24-3 lead. The Jets mounted a furious comeback in the second half, but a goal line stand from James Harrison and the Pittsburgh D effectively shut down Rex Ryan’s team, and Pittsburgh secured the 24-19 victory over New York. One more win would give the Steelers their third Super Bowl in just six years, and it would put QB Ben Roethlisberger in elite company. Only four other quarterbacks in NFL history have won at least three superbowls: Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana, Troy Aikman, and Tom Brady. With Big Ben leading an offense that features standouts like Rashard Mendenhall and Heath Miller, and a defense that features blistering hitters like James Harrison and Troy Polamalu, expect Mike Tomlin’s boys to put up quite a fight on the NFL’s biggest stage.

Meanwhile, the Green Bay Packers have taken on and defeated division champions in every game they’ve played for the last four weeks. Their latest victim, a repeat customer, was the Chicago Bears who fell at home to the Packers 21-14. Aaron Rodgers threw for 244 yards, ran in a score, and even made a touchdown-saving tackle to send the Pack into the Super Bowl for the first time since 1998. With that strong performance, the Packers are currently three-point favorites for the Big Game and why not? Green Bay has not been down by more than a touchdown this entire season. With Aaron Rodgers under center and weapons like the explosive Greg Jennings catching passes and the workman-like James Starks getting the hard yards, the offense has been putting up big numbers. With a defense that boasts talents like lineman B.J. Raji, who returned an interception for a touchdown in the NFC Championship game and Cameron Wake who has been sacking quarterbacks all season, every offensive that has faced Mike McCarthy’s Green Bay squad has had their hands full. We have two stellar teams with long histories vying for the NFL Championship this Sunday. It should be a hell of a game.

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The Andrew Preview: NFL Conference Championship Playoffs

Your Top Stories

The Jets take on the Steelers this week, with a trip to the Superbowl on the line.

1. Raiders Offensive Coordinator Hue Jackson was promoted to head coach this week, filling the final head coaching vacancy in the NFL. Owner Al Davis introduced Jackson as his new coach on Tuesday, promising it was the start of a brighter future for the team. Davis made a statement that, “The fire in Hue will set a flame that will burn for a long time in the hearts and minds of the Raider football team and the Raider Nation.” Jackson was hired last year to take over the play calling duties from the Raiders’ former head coach, Tom Cable. Under Jackson, the offense doubled its scoring output from the prior season. Jackson was widely thought to be the leading candidate for the position, and this will be his first head coaching job at any level.

2. After a long flirtation that many thought was a fait accompli, the Dallas Cowboys officially announced today that Rob Ryan will become their new Defensive Coordinator. The son of NFL legend Buddy Ryan and twin brother of current Jets’ head coach Rex Ryan, Rob will coming to Dallas to coach the Cowboys’ defense next year. Ryan has been the DC in Cleveland for two years under Eric Mangini, but became free with the hiring of new head coach Pat Shurmur. He has been an NFL coach for thirteen seasons, including a five year stop in Oakland as the Raider’s defensive coordinator. In brother-related news, in addition to a Harbaugh bowl between the Ravens and 49ers, next season will also feature a Ryan bowl when the Jets take on the Cowboys.

3. It’s very rare that the top news organizations report take the time to report the absence of something, but when it comes to the 2011 New York Jets, you just have to throw the playbook out the window. Major news outlets are reporting that the Jets and fiery head coach Rex Ryan…are not talking trash about the Pittsburgh Steelers. Outspoken defensive back Antonio Cromartie, who had some choice words about the New England Patriots said, “We’ve moved on. We’re getting ready for Pittsburgh now.” Adding to the comparative love fest, Ryan said that he and Steelers’ coach Mike Tomlin were a lot alike, noting that both men were defensive coaches who received unique opportunities. Ryan added that Tomlin is one of his favorite coaches in the NFL. Will the Steelers reciprocate these veritable love letters from the Jets? Only time will tell.

Registering For The Draft

Here is the current order for the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft.

1. Carolina (2-14)
2. Denver (4-12)
3. Buffalo (4-12)
4. Cincinnati (4-12)
5. Arizona (5-11)
6. Cleveland (5-11)
7. San Francisco (6-10)
8. Tennessee (6-10)
9. Dallas (6-10)
10. Washington (6-10)
11. Houston (6-10)
12. Minnesota (6-10)
13. Detroit (6-10)
14. St. Louis (7-9)
15. Miami (7-9)
16. Jacksonville (8-8)
17. New England (14-2) — from Oakland
18. San Diego (9-7)
19. New York Giants (10-6)
20. Tampa Bay (10-6)
21. Kansas City (10-6)
22. Indianapolis (10-6)
23. Philadelphia (10-6)
24. New Orleans (11-5)
25. Seattle (7-9)
26. Baltimore (12-4)
27. Atlanta (13-3)
28. New England (14-2)
29. Green Bay (10-6)*
30. Chicago (11-5)*
31. New York Jets (11-5)*
32. Pittsburgh (12-4)*

* Final draft position depends on the outcome of the playoffs.

Two Big Match Ups

1. Green Bay at Chicago, 3 P.M. EST on FOX – The NFC Championship game will be all-North this year as the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears match up for the third time this season. The Green Bay Packers have essentially been competing in playoff games since Week Sixteen of the regular season. Fortunately, the team has been playing at a playoff level since that time as well. When they faced elimination from playoff contention, they delivered a beatdown of the New York Giants to the tune of 45-17. When they needed a victory to guarantee a playoff berth in Week Seventeen, they pulled out the hard-fought win. When they had to beat Michael Vick and the Eagles to advance to the next round of the postseason, they played a great game and got the W. And when they had to face their third division champion in as many weeks, the Packers responded by decimating the Falcons in front of the Atlanta faithful with a final score of 48-21. With the team firing on all cylinders for weeks now, the Packers are a tough out.

Still, Green Bay wasn’t the only team to win in a dominating fashion last week. While the Seahawks managed something of a comeback in garbage time, the Bears had a 28-3 lead at the start of the fourth quarter, and Seattle never really stood a chance as Chicago took absolute control of the game from the getgo. Having not played a truly meaningful football game in two weeks, the Bears shook of the rust and put in a stellar performance in their first playoff game in four years. Jay Cutler managed to score four touchdowns – two through the air and two on the grounds. With home field advantage on their side, the Bears are looking to stamp their ticket to Arlington in front of their home crowd. These teams have played twice this year. Chicago squeaked out a three-point victory in Week Three, and Green Bay picked up the duke by a touchdown in Week Seventeen. Still the Bears had nothing to play for in that game, though now they might wish that they’d taken that chance to knock out their upcoming sparring partner. With an NFC North rivalry and a pair of teams who’ve played each other close this season, expect a great game.

2. NY Jets at Pittsburgh, 6:30 P.M. EST on CBS – It didn’t look good for the Pittsburgh Steelers last week. Down 21-7 to Baltimore at the half, the Steelers walked into the locker room with what appeared to be thin hopes for beating the division rival Ravens. Baltimore had taken advantage of Pittsburgh’s miscues and pumped up their running game to build a two-touchdown lead going into halftime. Then, all of a sudden, Pittsburgh came back out in the second half and rallied in a big way. They scored three touchdowns and a field goal, holding Baltimore to just 28 yards of total offense in the second half, and slaying their divisional foes. Now, Big Ben will look to secure his third trip to the Superbowl in just six seasons. It was a physical game between two physical teams, and both sides got their shots in, but at the end of the game, Pittsburgh emerged victorious and are now one win away from Arlington.

The Jets, for their part, faced a tight game against a division rival of their own. New York and New England has been exchanging cross words the whole week, and it showed on the field with a fair chunk of penalties and lots of rough play. The Jets grounded at 14-2 Patriot team that looked nigh unstoppable, with a defense that sacked Tom Brady five times and intercepted him to boot. Mark Sanchez threw for three touchdowns, and the rushing tandem of Shonn Green and LaDanian Tomlinson managed to ice the game at the end. New England did manage to do some damage in the fourth corner, and threatened a comeback, but after two unsuccessful onside kicks and a questionable call on fourth and thirteen, it was too little too late. The Jets won 28-21. For all that jawing, for all the criticism, for all of the circus that’s surrounded the New York Jets this season, they’re one win away from the Superbowl. The Jets and the Steelers met in Week Fifteen, with New York walking away victorious, 22-17, but there’s much more at stake this time around. Again, expect a great game from two teams who have been playing some great football lately.

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The Andrew Preview: NFL Divisional Round Playoffs

Your Top Stories

The Steelers and the Ravens will face each other for the third time this season.

1. Six of the seven expected coaching vacancies this offseason have been filled. Both Leslie Frazier of the Vikings and Jason Garrett of the Cowboys managed to shed their “interim” tags at  the end of the regular season. From the college ranks, coveted Stanford Coach Jim Harbaugh signed a five year deal to coach the San Francisco 49ers. On the coordinator front, the San Diego Chargers’ Defensive Coordinator, Ron Rivera, agreed to become the coach of the Carolina Panthers, and the St. Louis Rams’ Offensive Coordinator, Pat Shurmur, will become the new head coach of the Cleveland Browns. Finally, former Carolina coach John Fox agreed to become the new head coach for the Denver Broncos. That leaves the Oakland Raiders as the only current head coaching vacancy in the league.

2. This week we have a pair of unpleasant off-the-field tidbits for you. First, former Giants’ linebacker Lawrence Taylor plead guilty to sexual misconduct and patronizing a prostitute this week. As part of his plea bargain, Taylor will serve six years probation and must register as a sex offender. Taylor caught with a sixteen-year-old prostitute in May after the girl’s uncle alerted police. Taylor asserts that he did not know the prostitute was underage and that she told him she was nineteen. In other crime tangentially related to football news, Brett Favre’s sister, Brandi Favre, was arrested on Tuesday as part of a methamphetamine bust in Mississippi. She is currently out on bail, and facing charges manufacturing methamphetamine and generating hazardous waste. Her next court appearance will be on February 8th.

3. The Steelers received a visit from a familiar face yesterday, as Bill Cowher returned to watch the team practice for the first time since resigning as Pittsburgh’s head coach in 2007. Cowher became an analyst for CBS, and it was in this capacity that he watched the Steelers practice for their game against the Baltimore Ravens this Saturday. During the visit, Cowher interviewed many of his former players, including Ben Roethlisberger, James Harrison, and Hines Ward. Cowher, who currently lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, was seen hugging and shaking hands with many of the Pittsburgh players during the trip.

The Playoff Picture

Your final standings/seedings:

AFC

1. New England Patriots (14-2)
2. Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4)
3. Indianapolis Colts (10-6)
4. Kansas City Chiefs (10-6)
5. Baltimore Ravens (12-4)
6. New York Jets at (11-5)

My apologies for the mixup two weeks ago. I did not realize that the Colts could jump to the third seed with a win and a Chiefs’ loss. That’s not bad for a team that was 6-6 a month ago, though that’ll be little consolation now. The AFC playoff picture was exactly what we thought it would be, aside from Indy’s switch with Kansas City.

NFC

1. Atlanta Falcons (13-3)
2. Chicago Bears (11-5)
3. Philadelphia Eagles (10-6)
4. Seattle Seahawks (7-9)
5. New Orleans Saints (11-5)
6. Green Bay Packers (10-6)

Again, pretty much what we expected from the NFC, with the only mild surprise being that the Seahawks managed to become the first sub-.500 team to not only make the postseason, but win a playoff game. It’s a bit notable that the three teams with nothing really to play for in Week Seventeen: Chicago, Philadelphia, and New Orleans, all lost in their final week of the regular season. We saw what that lack of momentum did for the Eagles and Saints; we’ll see if the Bears can do better.

Head of the Pack

Your final statistical leaders in:

Passing

1. Phillip Rivers (San Diego) –4710 yards
2. Peyton Manning (Indianapolis) – 4700 yards
3. Drew Brees (New Orleans) – 4620 yards

Phillip Rivers jumped from third to first in Week Seventeen to become the 2010 NFL Passing leader.

Rushing

1. Arian Foster (Houston) – 1616 yards
2. Jamal Charles (Kansas City) – 1467 yards
3. Michael Turner (Atlanta) – 1371

A little bit of a surprise here with Michael Turner jumping back into the top three in the final week of the season, but Arian Foster is the 2010 NFL Rushing Leader by a good 159 yards.

Receiving

1. Brandon Lloyd (Denver) – 1448 yards
2. Roddy White (Atlanta) – 1389 yards
3. Reggie Wayne (Indianapolis) – 1355 yards

There were no changes from Week Sixteen to Week Seventeen, and Brandon Lloyd is the 2010 Receiving Leader.

Sacks

1. DeMarcus Ware (Dallas) – 16.0
2. Tamba Hali (Kansas City) – 15.0
T-3. Cameron Wake (Miami) – 14.0
T-3. Clay Matthews (Green Bay) – 14.0

A bit of surprise here with DeMarcus Ware jumping ahead in the final week to become the 2010 Sack Leader, and with Tamba Hali pulling into second place.

Four Big Match Ups

1. Baltimore at Pittsburgh, Saturday, 4:30 P.M. EST on CBS – I have said all year that I’m not sure who the Pittsburgh Steelers have been this season. Most teams that make it to 12-4 either start rolling early and stumble at the end when there’s not much on the line, or perform consistently well with a few aberrant stumbles here and there. The Steelers, on the other hand, arrived at this record in a pretty unusual way. They started out strong, winning five of their first six games and seemed like they might even run away with the division. Then, the Steelers seemed to struggle a bit in the middle of the year, losing by double digits to New Orleans and New England. While they still managed to win at this time, they were just barely eking out victories over bad teams. Finally, they seemed to pick things up at the end, winning four of their last five games, and absolutely crushing the weaker squads in their division. If ever there’s a time to keep up that momentum, it’s now. Mike Tomlin and Big Ben are hoping to roll onto the field with the team that dominated at the beginning and end of the season, not the one that struggled in the middle. The Ravens, on the other hand, are looking to once and for all step out of the shadow of Pittsburgh in the AFC North. The two teams entered the postseason tied at 12-4, but the Steelers got the division and the bye, thanks to the tiebreaker, dropping the Ravens from a potential second seed down to the fifth seed. How did Baltimore respond? With a thirty-point beat down of the AFC West champion’s from Kansas City The Ravens looked like a team possessed as they absolutely manhandled the Chiefs. The Ravens will look to continue that type of play against their division rivals, and pave their way to the AFC Championship game. This game is my pick for the best matchup of the weekend.

2. Green Bay at Atlanta, Saturday, 8 P.M. EST on FOX – The Packers have won their last three games in a row, beating a playoff contender in the New York Giants, and a pair of division winners in the Chicago Bears and the Philadelphia Eagles. Now, they’ll try to defeat their third NFC division champ in a month and unseat the Atlanta Falcons. Aaron Rodgers on offense and Clay Matthews on defense have led these Packers into the playoffs and seem to have the momentum going into this game. That said, the Atlanta Falcons have won nine of their last ten games, will be setting up shop in the Georgia Dome, and have had an extra week to rest and prepare for their opponents. Matt Ryan and the Falcons have been far and away the top team in the NFC this year, and they’ll look to continue their great season all the way to the NFC Championship game. Expect a great fight between two great teams.

3. Seattle at Chicago, 1 P.M. EST on FOX – A great many of us thought, and some still think, that the Seattle Seahawks had no business making the playoffs. Even among those of us who thought they deserved the berth, most expected the high-powered New Orleans Saints to completely steamroll a Seattle team that couldn’t even manage a winning record. Well, in a weekend of upsets, Seattle pulled off the biggest of the weekend, and one of the biggest in NFL history, as they hung on to beat New Orleans 41-36. The Seahawks have pulled off a lot of firsts this year. They were the first sub-.500 team to make the playoffs and also the first sub-.500 teams to win a playoff game. Now, can they become the first sub-.500 team to make it to the NFC Championship game? Not if the Bears can help it.  Chicago is coming off a bye week. They’re rested, and looking to enter the game fired up against Seattle. With Jay Cutler, Julius Peppers, Brian Urlacher, and Devin Hester taking the field, expect the big names of Chicago to look to make an impact in the team’s first playoff game in four years. I expect this to be a much better game than the records portend, and the kick-return battle between Hester and Leon Washington should be worth the price of admission on its own.

4. NY Jets at New England, 4:30 P.M. EST on FOX – It’s Jets-Pats, baby. How much more is there to say? In our second divisional matchup of the weekend, two of the biggest teams from this season will square off for a third time. At the Meadowlands, the Jets got a huge two-touchdown victory over the Patriots in Week Two, and looked to have the fast track to the top of the AFC East. Then, in lucky Week Thirteen, the Pats returned the favor and then some, as they absolutely demolished New York in a 45-3 drubbing at home. Now the Jets will return to Foxboro with both teams’ seasons on the line. New York initially seemed to be reeling from that New England game, but then they appeared to have righted the ship at the end of the season, winning two of their last three match ups, including an important victory over the second-seeded Steelers. The Patriots, on the other hand, have won their last eight games in a row, and scored no fewer than thirty-one points in each outing. This matchup between the top seed and the sixth seed in the AFC has the potential to be a back and forth affair or a blowout. As fans of good football, let’s hope for the former.

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