The Coaching Carousel

There will be 11 teams next year with new head coaches. At least. That will be the most in NFL History. Two Super Bowl Winning Coaches were Fired. Two Coaches with Rings Retired and seven other coaching positions were vacated.

 Mike Nolan was fired on October 20th by the 49ers. He had a little over 3 seasons as the Head Coach there and won less than 1/3 of his games. DC and Hall-of-Fame Linebacker Mike Singletary was given the interim job. Singletary led the 49ers to a winning record in the second half of the season. Singletary was given a four year contract after the season.

Nolan has already gotten a new job, as the defensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos. I think there is actually a decent chance that he gets another shot at being the top guy for somebody if he does a good job there. He was respected for the effort he put in in the bay and he has a high-profile position now.

I think Singletary gets one year to turn the 49ers all the way around. That may not be fair, but with several Hall-of-Fame caliber coaches with ties to the 49ers being available next year Singletary might have to do something special to keep his job.

St. Louis was another team that made a change mid-season. Scott Linehan took over a team that was really not that bad and turned them into something much worse, winning just 11 games in over two years. He was replaced by Jim Haslett who went just 2-10 as interim coach, but did have the support of the team. St. Louis decided, however, to go with former Giants DC Steve Spagnuolo who had been a hot candidate for a job all season long.

Linehan has signed on to be the new Offensive Coordinator in Detroit. He acquires some talent, though he certainly had that in St. Louis, and a Pro Bowl QB.

Spagnuolo takes over a team with a lot of question marks. The defensive ones are obvious and they are the ones that he will focus on first. Spagnuolo is great at creating schemes to pressure the QB and was brought in to make Chris Long worthy of his top 5 draft pick. On offense, Bulger is aging, Holt is leaving and Jackson is unhealthy. I look for Spags to push for a QB with their first pick.

The least surprising coaching dismissal of the off-season was certainly Rod Marinelli. After leading the Lions to the first 0-16 season in NFL History there was little hope of keeping his job. Marinelli was replaced by Jim Schwartz, who spent the last seven years with Tennessee and was the Defensive Coordinator of the second best defense in the league this year.

Marinelli actually gained respect throughout the league for the way he kept the Lions fighting no matter how bad things got. And they got bad. Immediately after his dismissal he became a candidate for a number of jobs in the league and settled in as the defensive line coach in Chicago.

Schwartz has perhaps the easiest job in the league this year. Win a game and you’ve improved, win 4 or 5 and you’re up for Coach of the Year. People in Detroit are hoping that Schwartz has the stroke to bring Albert Haynesworth with him. While that is unlikely his time in Tennessee suggests he should make Detroit a much more stable place to play and perhaps along with OC Scott Linehan turn around the eternally struggling Lions.

Romeo Crennell won 24 games in four seasons in Cleveland. This year was the toughest for Romeo because there were actually expectations for the Browns this year. He was replaced by another Belichek disciple in former Jets coach Eric Mangini.

Crennel is unlikely to receive another opportunity as a Head Coach. Things never really got turned around in Clevleland and this season certainly made last year’s 10-6 record look like a fluke. There was some possibility he could end up the DC in Cleveland, though the more likely scenarios are that he ends up back in New England or takes a year off and gets a DC position next year.

A somewhat surprising hiring, given that most considered his stint in New York to be a disappointment and he is viewed as a younger, whiter Romeo Crennel my many. The real question is what did the Browns see to convince them he was the right man for their job? Another question is who does Mangini make the starting QB? The office will certainly want Quinn, who will likely get the job, but the comparisons of Quinn to Pennington are undeniable and Mangini did not like Chad.

Mangini, of course, leaves the Jets. I’m not sure if he left them better or worse than when he got there. The firing seemed premature and was a little bit of a knee jerk reaction to the New York media. The new big guy in New York is a Big Guy. Rex Ryan, the former Ravens DC and son of Buddy Ryan.

Two years after being dubbed the Mangenius, Eric was Man-Gone. Obviously Mangini was tied to the Brett Favre experiment and dubbed at least partially responsible for it’s failure. Mangini landed on his feet much quicker than most.

Ryan has been a hot prospect for a Head Coach job for a couple of years after working his way up through the Ravens Defensive Coaching System. He finally gets his shot in the Big Apple. He is a cordial and likable interview which will go a long way in New York. He will have to make a decision on Brett Favre sooner than later whether he wants to admit it or not. This team was not far off, though they are aging in some key areas. He inherits a very good offensive line, a good young defense and Thomas Jones at HB, which are all positives.

After five years in New York and two years in Kansas City, Herman Edwards finally ran out of excuses. His quarterback was always hurt, his team was always young and they never signed the right Free Agents. All of that may be true, but so is his 54-74 record as a head coach. And yet, it took seven years for somebody to fire him. It may take just as long to replace him as the Chiefs can not seem to get over the fact that Mike Shanahan has no interest in coaching there right now. They have now began targeting Bill Cowher, apparently confused as to their current standing within the league. More likely options are Cardinals OC Todd Haley, Dolphins DC Paul Pasquireli and Chan Gailey.

Big Herm may well get another chance at a head coaching gig. He is a respectable guy with a lot of experience so his name is bound to come up. Personally, I’d like to see him get Gene Upshaw’s job. I think he would be a great guy to work with young players and help them understand their responsibilities to the game.

I’d go with Todd Haley. The Chiefs have some pieces in place on both sides of the ball and a good young coach is the perfect fit for them right now.

The Oakland Raiders will hire another head coach this offseason. Their sixth in a decade.  Lane Kiffin was unsurprisingly fired after going 5-15 in twenty games and replaced by Tom Cable who won 4 of 12 the rest of the way. Al Davis is now trying to find somebody to take the job. The usual suspects don’t apply here because none of them will work for Davis. It will also be hard to get a hot coordinator to take on this as their first coaching job.

Kiffin looks to go the Pete Carroll route. Though not entirely successful in the NFL he was able to use that experience to shoot himself into a high profile and highly sought after college job, as the new Head Coach of the University of Tennessee.

My pick to be the new Raider coach is Jim Fassel. He wants a job just bad enough to take this one. Al Saunders is another guy who could take this job.

Future Hall of Famer Mike Holmgren announced his intentions to step down from the position before this season and have Special Teams Coordinator Jim Mora Jr. take his post. He could not have imagined his final season would go the way it did, and it was a shame. In ten seasons Holmgren won five division titles and an NFC Title with Seattle. Mora Jr. is the former head Coach of the Atlanta Falcons.

Holmgren led two teams, Seattle and Green Bay, to the Super Bowl, winning Super Bowl XXXI with the Packers. He already has a street named after him in Green Bay and could well get the same treatment in Seattle if they ever run out of dead rock stars. Holmgren will likely take a year or two off, depending on how long it takes for the job in San Francisco to open up.

Mora Jr. gets another chance at Head Coach after spending three years in Atlanta and accumulating a winning record. If Mora has matured any and can keep from saying stupid things in interviews he could be a good head coach. He takes over a team with a closing window and aging players. The draft will be very important for Seattle this year.

On January 12th Tony Dungy retired after more than three decades in the NFL as a player, assistant and head coach. He spent 13 seasons as a Head Coach, seven in Indianapolis. Dungy won more than 75% of his games coached in Indianapolis and led the Colts to a victory in Super Bowl XLI. He will be replaced by Colts QB Coach Jim Caldwell.

Tony Dungy may just be the guy who can actually walk away from the game. He is already an ordained minister and would like to focus time on pastoral activities. After the suicide of his son a couple of years ago, he has put a renewed emphasis on his family life as well. I could easily see Dungy being able to stay out of the limelight, but hope that he eventually finds a way to work with the league. The NFL can always use a guy like Tony Dungy.

Jim Caldwell has no NFL Coaching or Coordinating experience. He spent eight years as the Head Coach of Wake Forest, but went just 26-63. You have to wonder if he got this job more because of his relationships with Dungy and Manning and less because of actual credentials. That said, he inherits a team managed by Peyton Manning so that side of the ball should be fine. Losing DC Ron Meeks is a big deal. Indianapolis has all of it’s cap tied up in four or five players so the defense is made up largely of guys that nobody else wants. While they’re never a top 5 defense, Meeks always made them good enough.

Jon Gruden was the most successful coach in Tampa history, winning 57 games in seven years and Super Bowl XXXVII. A collapse in which Tampa Bay lost it’s last four games and missed the playoffs cost him his job however. Tampa Bay promoted Raheem Morris to the head coaching job. Some think this was a reactionary move to keep Morris from taking a job elsewhere.

Gruden will likely get a head coaching job somewhere soon. The question is whether that will be in the NFL or College. He won’t take the Oakland job this season and does not appear to be a candidate in KC. Next year will bring more possibilities, but he will be in contention with other Super Bowl winning coaches for all of those jobs. My prediction is that in 2010, Jon Gruden is the Head Coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Morris was a candidate for several jobs in the off-season before being promoted by the Bucs. He was their secondary coach this year and helped them to the number one pass-defense ranking. The Bucs see him as being in the Mike Tomlin vain, and he is already popular amongst the team.

Certainly, the most surprising coaching change comes from the Mile High City, where Mike Shanahan was let go after 14 years, 146 wins and two Super Bowl rings with the Broncos. While this change came much more amicably than the one he had in Oakland it was still jarring none the less. Josh McDaniels will look to fill his very big shoes. McDaniels had been a defensive and offensive assistant for the Patriots, including being their offensive coordinator this year.

Shanahan was the greatest coach in franchise history. If he had stayed just that he may well still be there today. Mike Shanahan was not a great GM. He was downright bad at picking defensive players. D.J. Williams and Elvis Dumervil are the only ones he’s drafted in the last five years that have made any real impact. Still, the X’s and O’s of the Mastermind will be dearly missed and hard to replace. I look for Shanahan to be the Head Coach of the Dallas Cowboys in 2010, if not sooner.

He’s very similar to Shanahan in some ways. He’s an offensive guy who comes to Denver from a dynasty-like team. He’s got a lot of offensive parts already in place, though who will be the running back is up for debate. He runs a much different offense than Shanny, with less bells and whistles and more straight-forward approach. On defense he and Nolan will run a 3-4, a drastic change for Denver, but one that would seem to benefit their current personnel. He will be expected to win very soon.

Raider Hater Going Forward36

Here is the State of The Nation.

This being Super Bowl week, that is what we will focus on. Here is the schedule for the week.

Tuesday: A look at all of the coaching moves made thus far in the offseason.

Wednesday: A Look at my top 50-26 of my All-Time Super Bowl Moments.

Thursday: 25-1 of my All-Time Super Bowl Moments.

Friday: A preview of Super Bowl XLIII

Saturday: Thoughts on the Hall of FAme Class of 2009.

Going forward this is the plan for the off season.

Mondays: A Breakdown of the Key Off-Season Moves of the Week.

Tuesdays: Top 50 Players at Each Position Continues with The Hater Countdown Series.

Wednesdays: A Raider Hater Editorial.

Thursdays: Draft News.

Fridays: Random Thoughts.

This will carry us through the Draft in April and we’ll figure out where to go from there. So tune in tomorrow for my look at the 11 coaching vacancies, their replacements and the two jobs still available.

Raider Hater Update

Beginning on Monday of next week, the Raider Hater Website will return on a full-time basis. Computer problems have really limited my ability to post in recent weeks. It sucks that it happened at the time of year with so much to report but life is life. I will introduce a new format on Monday, with a different theme for each day. I’m excited about the new beginning and I hope the readers enjoy it.

Shanahan Owes Raiders Money Too?

By Garrett Barnes

Mike Shanahan a former Broncos and Raiders coach has had rumors surrounding him and the Raiders for years that the Raiders owe him money. And that’s true.  To be precise, they owe him $157,625, plus roughly 15 years of interest.  (In some jurisdictons, the pre-judgment interest rate would push the total amount due over $400,000.)

I know it just kind of makes you happy seeing this. Al Davis must just be suffering now that he is still paying one of his most sworn enemies. But what isn’t known (or at least hasn’t been reported) is that the Shanahan owes the Raiders money, too.

He actually owes the team $125,000 dollars. Though the amount isn’t technically due to be paid until 2025, it’s believed that his debt to the team is one of the reasons for his decision to never file a legal action aimed at compelling the franchise to pay what is owed to him.

So here is what confuses me. Why wouldn’t Shanahan just call it even and erase the $125,000 dollars that they owe him. There might be some legal problem with doing that but from what I am reading it would be perfectly okay to forgive the loan and reform the debt that the Raiders owe Shanahan. 

Though it’s unclear whether Shanahan has refrained from pushing the matter because of that specific angle, the fact remains that, for whatever reason, he hasn’t filed suit to recover the money owed to him which you would usually expect in a situation from this. 

It’s possible according to ProFootballTalk that he has opted instead to simply use the situation as a tool for generating good P.R. for himself, and further bad P.R. for a franchise that has seen plenty of it over the years, and in plenty of cases justifiably.

Either way, the Raiders are yet again stupid and apparently forgotten that it is sorta kinda totally illegal to not pay back a debt like this to Mike Shanahan. 

Top 50 Quarterbacks of the Past 25 Years: The Best

John Elway- Denver Broncos

John Elway was the number one overall pick of the Baltimore Colts in the 1983 NFL Draft. Because of the uncertainty surrounding that franchise Elway announced prior to the draft that he would not play for the Colts and would instead play for the New York Yankees, who also drafted him, if he was not traded. Baltimore did trade him to the Denver Broncos for two players and a first round pick in 1984.

Elway struggled in his ten starts in 1983, throwing twice as many interceptions as touchdowns and accumulating a 4-6 record. Things would improve drastically in 1984 when Elway led the Broncos to a 12-2 record and a playoff berth. Elway threw 18 touchdowns that season, the most by any QB under Dan Reeves up to that point. In his first playoff game Elway threw two touchdowns against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the Broncos fell 24-17. In 1985, the Broncos went 11-5, but missed the playoffs. Elway threw for 3,800 yards. Elway accumulated these yards not by throwing screens and slants to Roger Craig and Jerry Rice, but by throwing the ball downfield to an underwhelming group of receivers.

Elway made his first Pro-Bowl in 1986 when he threw for 3,400 yards and 19 touchdowns. He also led the Broncos back to the playoffs after another 11-5 season. After defeating the New England Patriots in the divisional round of the playoffs, Denver had to travel to Cleveland for the AFC Championship Game. This would be the first NFL Game I ever watched. It would also be the game that would take John Elway from being a hot prospect to an elite QB. With 5:02 remaining and trailing by seven, the Broncos got the ball back on their own two yard line. What would follow is still the most famous “Drive” in NFL History. Elway accounted for all 98 of the yards, with six pass completions and 5 runs. Denver tied the game with :37 remaining and won in overtime, leading to the team’s first Super Bowl appearance in nine years. Denver lost to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXI 39-20, though Elway did throw for 304 yards and accounted for 2 touchdowns.

Elway was the NFL MVP of a strike-shortened 1987 NFL Season. He led the Broncos to an 8-3-1 record and to a second straight Super Bowl. The Broncos were handled easily 42-10 by the heavily favored Redskins. Elway threw three interceptions in the game, though that was as much a result of him taking chances once the team trailed 35-10 as it was anything else.

After a disappointing 1988 season, Elway would return to the Pro Bowl and the Super Bowl following the 1989 season. Denver was once again embarassed on the big stage, falling to the San Francisco 49ers 55-10 in the worst drubbing in Super Bowl History. Elway did not play well at all, though he did score the Broncos only touchdown.

At this point in his career Elway was amongst the most respected QB’s within the league. Outside of his peers though, Elway was the punchline of jokes. Every comedian, late-night talk show host and sitcom had a joke about futility that surrounded John Elway. Little attention was paid to the fact that as a team the Broncos had no place in the Super Bowl. Find me another team that played in three Super Bowls in four years and will end up with just 2 Hall-of-Famers. Elway took a team that would be 6-10 every year without him to three Super Bowls. Elway was asked after the third loss if he ever wanted to go to the Super Bowl again? Elways response was that he wanted to go every year, even if they kept on losing.

From 1990 to 1994 under Dan Reeves and Wade Phillips the Broncos were a fairly mediocre team. Though they made the AFC Championship Game in 1991 and lost by only 3 points to the Buffalo Bills. Elway would make three Pro-Bowls in that five year period and win the NFL MVP Award for a second time in 1993. That year he threw for over 4,000 yards and 25 touchdowns.

In 1995 Elway’s former Quarterbacks Coach Mike Shanahan was hired as the new coach of the Denver Broncos. In that first year Elway threw for nearly 4,000 yards and 25 touchdowns. In 1996 he led the Broncos to the best record in the NFL and threw 26 more touchdowns. The Broncos were upset in the playoffs by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

In 1997 Elway and the Broncos would go 12-4 and make the playoffs for a second straight year. After defeating the Jaguars, Chiefs and Steelers in the playoffs the stage was set for a match-up between Elway’s Broncos and Brett Favre’s Packers. In one of the greatest Super Bowl Games ever played Elway finally led the Broncos to a Super Bowl Victory, 31-24. Though Elway spent most of the game handing off to Terrell Davis, the two defining moments of that game involve him. Elways “Helicopter Run” on 3rd and 6 in the fourth quarter that set up a game-tying touchdown. The other was of course Broncos owner Pat Bowlen saying what all Broncos Fans were thinking, “This One’s for John.”

The Broncos would start the 1998 season 13-0. After finishing with a 14-2 record the Broncos would storm through the playoffs, culminating with a second straight Super Bowl win over the Atlanta Falcons 34-19. This time Elway carried much of the load and won the game’s MVP Honor. Elway would retire following the season.

Why number 1?

• Elway won 148 regular season games and was 14-8 in the playoffs. Of the QB’s with at least 100 wins, he has the best winning percentage.
• Elway is the only QB to start five Super Bowls. He won two of them.
• He is the sixth leading rushing QB in NFL History and the only one to throw for more than 34,000 yards. He is also one of only two players to rush for a TD in four Super Bowls.
• He holds the NFL Record with 47 career fourth quarter comebacks.
• Elway is the only member of either the 50,000 yard or 300 touchdown pass club to win multiple Super Bowls.
• Elway is the only player to throw for at least 3,000 yards and rush for at least 200 in seven straight seasons.
• He was selected to nine Pro Bowls.

Most of all, there’s no yeah, but…for Elway. His accomplishments came despite the fact that he never played with a Hall-0f-Fame Wide Receiver or Running Back. When he finally did have a running back, he won two Super Bowls. He did most of this despite the fact that he had a coach who held him back and tried to make him fit what he thought an offense should look like, instead of letting him just do what he did best. Until he would let him loose in the fourth quarter.

He has the stats, he has two rings, he’s in the Hall of Fame and he is universally respected by his peers. Though it’s not important to the countdown, he is also a brilliant businessman.

Want me to say something bad? He’s a republican.

Baltimore Ravens 9-5 @ Dallas Cowboys 9-5

Announcers: Bob Papa, Deion Sanders and Marshall Faulk a.k.a. Train Wreck

Storylines: Two teams who control their own destiny. A loss for either team would mean they would need a win and/or major help in week 17 to earn a wild-card bid. This is also the final game at Texas Stadium.

The Key to a Ravens Victory: Baltimore can’t abandon the run game. It could be tough going early against a very motivated Dallas defense, but the Ravens need to continue pounding away at them and hopefully get Willis McGahee involved late in the game to provide a possible home run threat.

The Key to a Cowboys Victory: Dallas needs to blitz Joe Flacco. He played very poorly last week against Pittsburgh, in the face of constant pressure. Baltimore can’t score a lot of points with their pedestrian run game so the key is to not let them score any through the air. If they force Flacco into another awful game, 17 points would be enough to win.

Pick: Cowboys. The emotional high of the game, a prime-time game for the final time in Texas Stadium, mixed with the experience difference in the two QB’s gives Dallas the edge. Look for the Cowboys to settle for short passes and set up a couple of deep ones later. I just haven’t seen that Flacco is able to win a “playoff caliber” game yet.

Pittsburgh Steelers (11-3) @ Tennessee Titans (12-2)

Announcers: Jim Nantz and Phil Simms

Storylines: This game will go a long way towards deciding not only the favorite in the AFC, but also home-field advantage.

The Key to a Steelers Victory: Pittsburgh needs to take advantage of Kerry Collins mistakes. They will do a good job against the run, which means Collins will have to throw the ball 25+ times. Pittsburgh needs to turn some of them into interceptions and give a suspect offense a short field to work with.

The Key to a Titans Victory: With Albert Haynesworth out, can they continue to dominate at the line? The Steelers don’t have a great O-line or run game, which is why they always have to win in the last couple of minutes. They are not able to sustain a flow on offense. The Titans can’t let them create one here.

Pick: Steelers. I’m not a huge Pittsburgh believer yet, but with Tennessee missing it’s best defensive player in a game that seems destined to be an under 24 total, you have to go with the Steel Curtain 2008.

Cincinnati Bengals (2-11-1) @ Cleveland Browns (4-10)

Announcers: Kevin Harlan and Rich Gannon

Storylines: Just the pride and the chance to beat an in-state rival. Also a loss here, and Pittsburgh next week, could land the Browns in last place in a year when many thought they could make the playoffs.

The Key to a Bengals Victory: Ryan Fitzpatrick needs to be able to get the ball downfield to T.J., while avoiding a defense that is tied for first in the league in interceptions.

The Key to a Browns Victory: The Browns need to score touchdowns, something which they haven’t done in four weeks on offense. With nothing to lose they should play as aggressively as possible and take a lot of shots at the end zone.

Pick: Is there a third team to choose from? No? Then Bengals.

San Francisco 49ers (5-9) @ St. Louis Rams (2-12)

Announcers: Sam Rosen and Tim Ryan (who’d they piss off)

Storylines: The 49ers face the Rams and the Redskins the next two weeks and are winners of 3 out of the last 5. Finishing 7-9 would be good momentum going into next year. The Rams just try not to get anybody injured. They also welcome back Isaac Bruce to St. Louis.

The Key to a 49ers Victory: San Francisco needs to be much better in the red zone this week. They were very good on offense last week, until they got into scoring distance, settling for 3 field goals. They need to be better than that against a team giving up more than 4 touchdowns per game.

The Key to a Rams Victory: St. Louis needs to figure out a way to create turnovers on defense. The 49ers will give up the ball sometimes and if the Rams can give their struggling offense easier drives, they at least have a chance.

Pick: 49ers. San Fran is playing decent football lately and decent should be more than enough to beat the Rams.

San Diego Chargers (6-8) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-5)

Announcers: Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf

Storylines: Once more the Chargers are a loss away from elimination. A win leaves the door open for a possible playoff position. Tampa Bay has loss two in a row in their division, but still have a great shot to make the playoffs if they can win here.

The Key to a Charger Victory: Philip Rivers needs to continue to get the ball downfield to Vincent Jackson and Malcolm Floyd. Tomlinson is not what he once was and teams try to take Gates out of the picture. That has often times, like last week in KC, left WR’s wide open downfield. Steve Smith and Roddy White both had good games against the Bucs defense the last two weeks.

The Key to a Bucs Victory: Tampa needs to disrupt the passing motion of Philip Rivers. Like many QB’s he is at his best once he gets into a rhythm. If they make him move or hurry his passes, he will make mistakes.

Pick: Buccaneers. I think either Garcia or Griese would be able to make throws against the San Diego defense. The Chargers have played poorly on the road this year and now must travel all the way to the East Coast.

Miami Dolphins (9-5) @ Kansas City Chiefs (2-12)

Announcers: Dick Enberg and Randy Cross

Storylines: After winning one game last year, a win in Arrowhead would put Miami one week away from a match-up with the Jets, with the AFC East Title likely being on the line.

The Key to a Dolphins Victory: Miami needs to have Ronnie Brown involved in the game plan, both running the ball and receiving. He has lost carries in recent weeks to Ricky Williams, but he is their best shot at an explosive play.

The Key to a Chiefs Victory: Kansas City had just six sacks in their first twelve games. But they had three last week against San Diego. If they can put the same kind of pressure on Chad Pennington they could get the chance to blow another late lead.

Pick: Dolphins. Chad Pennington will make the playoffs this year. Herman Edwards Will Not.

New Orleans Saints (7-7) @ Detroit Lions (0-14)

Announcers: Ron Pitts and Tony Boselli

Storylines: The Lions try to avoid becoming the first 0-15 team in NFL History. They get their last best shot at a win this year against the Captains of Mediocrity, the Saints.

The Key to a Saints Victory: Pierre Thomas needs to outnumber Reggie Bush’s carries by a 2-1 margin. He is a pure running back and is their most productive out of the backfield. Get Reggie the ball in the open field, but his chances to prove he can be a 3 down back are running out.

The Key to a Lions Victory: Take your shots at Calvin Johnson. He is the lone bright spot in a hapless season. If they can get him the ball deep early, they will have an opportunity to hand the ball off to the promising rookie, Kevin Smith.

Pick: Lions. If anybody’s going to lose to Detroit, it’s the Saints.

Arizona Cardinals (8-6) @ New England Patriots (9-5)

Announcers: Kenny Albert and Daryl Johnston

Storylines: The Cardinals spot is set. The Patriots could well fall out of the playoff race with a loss.

The Key to a Cardinals Victory: Kurt Warner needs to protect the football. Arizona is 0-4 on the East Coast and a big reason for that is that Warner averages 2 interceptions per game. Opportunities will be there against a less than stellar Patriots DB group, but he needs to be patient and wait for the best shots. Until they’re there, underneath stuff to Boldin and Fitz can be just as effective.

The Key to a Patriots Victory: New England ran for 277 yards against Oakland last week and Arizona’s run defense isn’t much better. That kind of output on the ground sets up Matt Cassel to be very effective. They need to run Sammy Morris early, mix in Lamont Jordan and get Kevin Faulk touches with screens an draws.

Pick: Cardinals. Call me crazy, but I think Warner and the two Pro Bowl Receivers get it done in Foxboro.

Houston Texans (7-7) @ Oakland Raiders (3-11)

Announcers: Bill Macatee and Steve Beurlein

Storylines: The Texans look to go .500 for the second consecutive year under Gary Kubiak, and possibly better.

The Key to a Texans Victory: Get the Ball to Andre Johnson. The Raiders have a talented secondary, but have been beaten for big plays all year. Johnson is one of the most talented receivers in the game and the Texans are a much better team when the offense runs through him.

The Key to a Raiders Victory: Maybe beating the Broncos really was the Raiders Super Bowl. They haven’t played a game since then. There best chance is by finding some way to create a spark and some points. Whether that be on special teams, defense or gadget plays.

Pick: Texans. Houston is playing terrific football and though a trip to the Abyss is not easy, it should be no problem for a Mike Shanahan protege.

New York Jets (9-5) @ Seattle Seahawks (3-11)

Announcers: GUS JOHNSON! and Steve Tasker

Storylines: The Jets need to keep winning in order to win the East. That means Brett Favre needs to once again get the better of his old coach, Mike Holmgren.

The Key to a Jets Victory: The Jets need to play well on the defensive line. That unit was excelling during the Jets winning streak, but has really fell off over the past three weeks.

The Key to a Seahawks Victory: Seneca Wallace must be careful with the football. Wallace has just one pick in six games, but he has three fumbles. Stripping the ball is something the Jets excel at, see last week against Buffalo. Wallace and Seattle can not give Favre and the Jets easy points.

Pick: Seahawks. Seattle is 0-3 against East Coast teams in Qwest Field. New York is 0-3 on the West Coast. Something has to give. I have been completely underwhelmed by the Jets over the past month and think Seattle could steal this one from them.

Atlanta Falcons (9-5) @ Minnesota Vikings (8-6)

Announcers: Dick Stockton and Brian Baldinger

Storylines: Atlanta needs a win to stay alive. A Vikings win gives them the NFC North Title. Don’t expect Minnesota to call on Gary Anderson to attempt a game-winning field goal.

The Key to a Falcons Victory: Atlanta needs to be able to take advantage of the missing Pat Williams. Minnesota will still be very capable against the run, but Atlanta needs to continue to pound with Michael Turner if they are going to have a chance to win.

The Key to a Vikings Victory: They need to exploit the mobility of Tarvaris Jackson. They need to find John Abraham before the snap and roll away from him with keepers and bootlegs.

Pick: Vikings. I think Minnesota has it figured out right now and will be able to get the job done at home against what should be a very game Atlanta Team. As long as Peterson outruns Turner, they should win this game.

Philadelphia Eagles (8-5-1) @ Washington Redskins (7-7)

Announcers: Joe Buck and Troy Aikman

Storylines: An elimination game in the NFC East.

The Key to an Eagles Victory: If Donovan McNabb can avoid the mistakes he made last week, the Eagles will have an excellent chance.

The Key to a Redskins Victory: The Redskins need to show something different. They are vanilla on offense and predictable. If they could come out with a no-huddle or a spread offense, they might catch the Eagles.

Pick: Redskins. I do realize it seems kind of out there given the different directions these two teams have gone in, but I think Campbell and the Skins have a good feel for what to expect from Philadelphia and will have answers for it.

Buffalo Bills (7-7) @ Denver Broncos (8-6)

Announcers: Ian Eagle and Solomon Wilcots

Storyline: If the Broncos win, they’re in.

The Key to a Bills Victory: Buffalo needs to feed the ball to Marshawn Lynch and hope their defense is successful against the Broncos. If Lynch has less than 20 carries in this game, it will be a Bronco Blowout.

The Key to a Broncos Victory: Keep Jay Cutler Standing. Jay should have success against the Bills defense, as long as he’s not sacked three times, as he was last week.

Pick: Broncos. If they don’t win this game, they have no right to be in the playoffs. No matter what the Chargers do.

Carolina Panthers (11-3) @ New York Giants (11-3)

Announcers: Al Michaels and John Madden

Storyline: Winner gets home-field advantage throught the NFC playoffs.

The Key to a Panthers Victory: Carolina needs to balance their offense, running the ball enough that the Giants can’t pin their ears back, but taking enough shots downfield to give Steve Smith an opportunity to dominate.

The Key to a Giants Victory: The Giants need to ride the arm of Eli Manning. There is always debate about how good Eli really is. This is the kind of game where he needs to prove he’s elite.

Pick: Panthers. I think they’re the best team in football right now and their style is built to travel.

Green Bay Packers (5-9) @ Chicago Bears (8-6)

Announcers: Mike Tirico and Ron Jaworski

Storyline: The oldest rivalry in football. A Viking win on Sunday would render this game meaningless. If they lose though, the Bears would need to win to stay alive.

The Key to a Packers Victory: Green Bay needs to play a west coast style of offense and get the ball into their wide receivers hands as quick as possible.

The Key to a Bears Victory: Chicago needs to score early and force Green Bay to become desperate.

Pick: Bears. I never pick a sweep in this series.

Looking Back at Week 15

Chicago Bears 27

New Orleans Saints 24

Bears: Chicago remains one game behind Minnesota in the NFC North. They did so despite a less than stellar performance from their defense. Special teams were a key as Daniel Manning compiled 135 return yards. That was more than the Bears had on 28 offensive plays. One concern for Chicago was that they seemed to be trying to prove they could win by throwing the ball. Matt Forte rushed just 11 times. You can’t get into a shootout mentality if you don’t have to.

Saints: While mathematically alive, the Saints probably saw their playoff hopes go up in flames with the overtime loss. Two key pass interference calls, including the one in overtime, covered over 70 yards and set up 10 Chicago points. The Saints will say they were a few plays away from being 10-3, but their inconsistency put them in their current position. They also need to stop trying to make Reggie Bush a great back and just accept that they have a very good back in Pierre Thomas.

Atlanta Falcons 13

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 10

Falcons: Atlanta proved they are able to win even when their QB plays poorly. A big part of that was the 152 yards that Michael Turner had on the ground. He has become one of the two or three biggest acquisitions from last off-season. Another reason was John Abraham, who had three sacks. He now has 15.5 on the season, silencing critics who were calling him a flop in Atlanta.

Bucs:  I talked a little bit about it last week and we saw it again against Atlanta. This team’s age is showing. Garcia missed last week and may miss this one. Derrick Brooks will probably miss his first game in 13 years this Sunday. The defense looks slow against the run and Joey Galloway has been a non-factor this season. Their schedule is favorable, but there is a real chance that they could miss the playoffs.

Cincinnati Bengals 20

Washington Redskins 13

Bengals: This game wasn’t even as close as the score indicates. The Bengals dominated from the opening whistle. Ryan Fitzpatrick played easily his best game of the season, accounting for 2 touchdowns and no turnovers and mixing it up well amongst his receivers. Cedric Benson had 163 yards from scrimmage and the defense held Clinton Portis to just over 3 yards per carry.

Redskins: I said it months ago and several of our loyal readers owe me an apology. The Redskins aren’t just now blowing up, they were never that good. All it took was for the rest of the league to realize that Jason Campbell can’t beat them and they can play man on man with an 8 man box. Like the Bucs they are clearly slowing down. Might be because they are a collection of parts (Taylor, Fletcher, Hall, Springs, Carter) rather than a well coordinated team. Such is the Redskin Way.

Houston Texans 13

Tennessee Titans 12

Texans: Don’t the Texans wish they could replay September. This has been a very good team over the past two months, on both sides of the ball. They throw the ball well, especially to Andre Johnson, they’ve found their RB and they have some dynamic playmakers on defense. Here’s hoping they can finally turn it into something meaningful next year. Steve Slaton is one of only two running backs to go over 100 yards against the Titans and he’s done it twice.

Titans: It’s not time to jump off the bandwagon yet, but there are some problems on this team. The game plan against them has been let Collins beat us for a while now. We saw on Sunday what happens when Collins doesn’t play well. They were 2-13 on third down. The longer-term question for the Titans is which Collins shows up in the playoffs.

Jacksonville Jaguars 20

Green Bay Packers 16

Jaguars: David Garrard had his best game of the season, throwing for 238 yards and two touchdowns. Had he been able to play that well all season, the Jaguars might not be a huge disappointment.

Packers: Speaking of huge disappointments. I never totally bought into the Packers, but who could have thought they’d lose six out of seven and end up a below .500 football team?

Miami Dolphins 14

San Francisco 49ers 9

Dolphins: Does any team win uglier than the Dolphins? Of course after a 15 loss season last year, I don’t think they’re complaining. The Dolphins defense has been amazing since Thanksgiving. They haven’t given up a TD in three weeks. Chad Pennington continued to play very well and has been the most effective Dolphin QB in nearly a decade. Miami has two road games to finish the season, but winning both would likely make them a playoff team.

49ers: The 49ers dominated this game. They had the ball for 17 more minutes than Miami. But they could not turn their 60 more yards of offense into points. I think a 5-9 team can take some positives out of the fact that they had no turnovers and committed just 4 penalties, but they are clearly a couple of playmakers away.

Seattle Seahawks 23

St. Louis Rams 20

Seahawks: Seneca Wallace is a free-agent after the season. He’s played well enough in the last 3 weeks that he may get some good offers. Mike Holmgren got his 160th win, two of the three he got this year came at the expense of the Rams.

Rams: They took a 17-7 lead into halftime, but as is the case with most bad teams they couldn’t finish. They can not wait for this season to be over and should be one of the more interesting teams to watch in the off-season.

New York Jets 31

Buffalo Bills 27

Jets: Talk about an early Christmas present. Despite doing everything they possibly could to lose this game, the Bills just wouldn’t let them. For every mistake the Jets made, and there were plenty, the Bills would make 2. Culminating with a JP Losman fumble inside their own 20, on 2nd and 5, with two minutes left in the game, returned by Abram Elam for a TD.

Bills: What the hell are they doing throwing in that situation? They had run for 187 yards in the game. Losman had already thrown two interceptions. It may well end up being the play that cost Dick Jauron his job. 

Indianapolis Colts 31

Detroit Lions 21

Colts: Indianapolis did a great job of taking the Lions seriously. They formulated a game-plan to take advantage of the Lions weaknesses at linebackers, getting the ball to Dallas Clark 12 times for 142 yards. They also ran the ball 27 times, showing 0nce again they are a far more balanced team than they were earlier this year. All that said, in the seven game win streak, six of them are against teams with a losing record. Even those often weren’t very impressive. I question how they’ll do in New England, New York, Denver or even San Diego.

Lions: I don’t think they’re quitting, you have to credit Rod Marinelli for that. They have their running back of the future and Dan Orlovsky played well. I’m sure they’re looking at a QB with that number one pick, but their real deficiencies are on defense.

San Diego Chargers 22

Kansas City Chiefs 21

Chargers: Well, San Diego felt robbed after the week 2 loss to Denver, Kansas City has more than made up for it. For the second straight game against San Diego, the Chiefs snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. How do you not catch that onside kick, if you’re the team’s number one receiver. More importantly how do you give up a 40+ yard pass play on the next play? The Chargers are now VERY much alive in the playoffs. It’s still a bit of a longshot, but with the Bucs injuries San Diego can beat them and is there anybody willing to guarantee a Bronco win in Mile High against Buffalo?

Chiefs: F-ing Chiefs

 Minnesota Vikings 35

Arizona Cardinals 14

Vikings: Minnesota is that team playing their best football at the right time. They have a great defense and a great running game. If they could get Tarvaris Jackson to play for the rest of the season like he did on Sunday, they’d be a real danger. The potential loss for the season of Pat Williams is obviously a major concern.

Cardinals: We’re seeing what often happens to teams that aren’t used to the spotlight. The good news for Arizona is they have a couple more meaningless games to get used to it. They have to figure out some way to get production out of the running game and play more consistenlty on defense. Arizona ran the ball just 7 times and none of the carries belonged to Edgerrin James.

Pittsburgh Steelers 13

Baltimore Ravens 9

Steelers: First of all, I think it was a touchdown. Secondly I have no idea how they could have overturned the initial call of short of the end zone. That being said, phenomenal drive orchestrated by Ben Roethlisberger. There are still a ton of questions about the Steelers, but they are 11-3 and headed possibly for home field advantage. They are also a team that I hope Denver gets to play in the playoffs, because I think we could beat them. I’ll explain why if the situation arises.

Ravens: They looked a lot like the Ravens of the past few years. Great defense, bad quarterback and an inconsistent run game. The playoff road is much tougher for the Ravens now, the weight lies on the shoulders of Joe Flacco.

New England Patriots 49

Oakland Raiders 28

Patriots: I didn’t learn anything new about New England in this game. They’re still tied for first. They still can put up points against bad defenses and their defense is still bad enough to give up 28 points to the Raiders. If you’re a QB and your dad dies you definitely want to play the Raiders that weekend.

Raiders: Did anybody think they could actually be worse than last year?

Carolina Panthers 30

Denver Broncos 10

Panthers: Best team in football today. They’re the kind of team that could lose that title pretty easily, but they were clearly the best team on the field on Sunday. The duo at RB is as good as anybody in the league, the defense is threatening and Steve Smith is starting to dominate. Who’d want to play them right now?

Broncos: I think their was a clear effect on the Broncos when they learned that the Chiefs had blown it. They were very good at the start of the game on offense, every other drive looked flat. They were never aggressive in the second half and the team looked to already be looking forward to Buffalo. They better get it done against the Bills. If not they will lose in San Diego and it will be one of the biggest collapses in NFL History.

Dallas Cowboys 20

New York Giants 8

Cowboys: I know the attention is on the offense, but give a lot of credit to the Cowboy defense. They have really been getting it done lately, even against Pittsburgh. In this game they gave up just 218 total yards and accumulated 7 sacks against an offensive line with three pro-bowlers on it.

Giants: Something is wrong with this team. Maybe it’s the missing parts, maybe it’s distraction, I don’t know. Whatever it is, they seem to be doing the opposite of last year. They are hitting their first pitfall at exactly the wrong time.

Philadelphia Eagles 30

Cleveland Browns 10

Alright this game sucked, so let me just comment on the announce team. I thought there could be nothing worse than Kornheiser, until I met giddy Jaworski. Could he have been any more excited about how well the Eagles were playing? You could just picture him in the booth rocking in his chair, with a huge grin and rubbing his hands together. It’s pretty well known that Jaws is one of the most bias announcers around, for Philadelphia and Kansas City, thanks in large part to his relationships with Dick Vermeil and now Herman Edwards. This was disgusting though. The Eagles made some huge mistakes in this game and Jaws had an excuse every time. He refused to even acknowledge that Andy Reid may throw the ball too often and could not accept even the notion that McNabb may not be back next year.

Week 15 Preview

Don’t you love December football?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-4) @ Atlanta Falcons (8-5)

Announcers: Dick Stockton and Brian Baldinger

Storylines: Two teams in the ultra-competitive NFC South look to bounce back from divisional losses and solidify some playoff standing.

The Bucs Should Win If: Monday was a fluke instead of a sign of the times. Tampa has to play exponentially better against the run than they did on Monday. They can not let Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood repeat the Panthers success against them, especially in what will be a rowdy Georgia Dome.

The Falcons Should Win If: Roddy White is able to capitalize on a Tampa defense that may attempt to overcompensate against the run. The Buc defense will not be embarrassed twice in a row. So Atlanta will need some big plays to pull out the win.

Pick: Falcons. Matt Ryan and the Falcons offense are improving by the week. Tampa Bay on the other hand seemed to be showing signs of slowing down last week.

Washington Redskins (7-6) @ Cincinnati Bengals (1-11-1)

Announcers: Kenny Albert and Daryl Johnston

Storylines: The ‘Skins hope to take advantage of the first break in their schedule in quite some time to maintain some level of relevence. It is a must win game for them.

 The Redskins Should Win If: Two guys with ties to Miami get their game going. Former Hurricane Clinton Portis needs to be the center of attention on Sunday to take some of the pressure of a struggling Jason Campbell. Former Dolphin Jason Taylor needs to give Daniel Snyder some return on his investment and start playing up to his Hall-of-Fame credentials.

The Bengals Should Win If: T.J. Houshmanzadeh gets double digit catches. The Bengals can not beat the Redskins by playing conservatively. They will have to take shots downfield at their best playmaker.

Pick: Redskins. Nobody in the league needs a win any more than the Redskins this week. Not only to maintain playoff possibilities, but for the confidence of Jim Zorn and to make Clinton Portis happy for a week.

Tennessee Titans (12-1) @ Houston Texans (6-7)

Announcers: GUS JOHNSON!!! and Steve Tasker

Storylines: The Titans can lock up home-field advantage with a win over a team that they have traditionally dominated. It may not be as easy as it looks though.

The Titans Should Win If: Chris Johnson outrushes Steve Slaton. The Titans have struggled only when they are unable to be explosive on the ground. Chris Johnson should have plenty of opportunities this week, he can’t let this be a game where he doesn’t show up.

The Texans Should Win If: Matt Schaub is able to pick apart the 3rd ranked pass-defense in the league. It isn’t an easy task, but Schaub has played well over the past month and if Houston has any run game it will make his job a lot easier.

Pick: Texans. Yeah, going for the upset here. Houston is eliminated from the playoffs, which makes this their Super Bowl. They have played well which guarantees a great crowd and we know divisional games are where anything can happen.

Green Bay Packers (5-8) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (4-9)

Announcers: Ron Pitts and Tony Boselli

Storylines: Arguably the two most disappointing teams in the league. Green Bay still has a glimmer of playoff hope, that disappears with a loss here. The Jaguars hope to finish strong and maintain some sense of dignity.

The Packers Should Win If: Aaron Rodgers throws three touchdowns. The Packers best hope appears to be that this somehow becomes a shoot-out. They have a terrible run defense and have struggled to move the ball themselves for much of the season.

The Jaguars Should Win If: They can avoid falling two scores behind. Jacksonville can’t overcome adversity with their offense. They need to be able to run the ball and not put the game on David Garrard’s shoulders. Especially with his best receiver, Matt Jones, finally being suspended.

Pick: Jaguars. Look for MJD to have a big game here and put the Pack out of their misery.

San Francisco 49ers (5-8) @ Miami Dolphins (8-5)

Announcers: Sam Rosen and Tim Ryan

Storylines: The Dolphins have been hot and can get one step closer to one of the best turnarounds in league history by knocking off the 49ers at home. The 49ers have played well in the past couple of weeks and look to add another big road victory to Mike Singletary’s resume.

The 49ers Should Win If: They keep Shaun Hill’s Jersey Clean. Hill has been very good since replacing JTO as starting QB. If given time he can make some plays against the Dolphins secondary.

The Dolphins Should Win If: Chad Pennington outplays Hill. Chad has quietly had his best season this year and if he can continue to complete 66% of his passes and avoid turnovers we may be watching the Dolphins play in January.

Pick: 49ers. Miami has been walking a tight rope for the past few weeks, eeking out victories over teams they’re supposed to be much better than. San Francisco is playing just well enough at this point to make the Dolphins regret a poor performance.

Seattle Seahawks (2-11) @ St. Louis Rams (2-11)

Announcers: Matt Vasgersian and JC Pearson

Storlines: Ummm….

The Seahawks Should Win If: Seneca Wallace and the Seattle Offense gets into a rhythm. They were there for 3 quarters last week and once they fell apart in the fourth, they were done.

The Rams Should Win If: Marc Bulger takes advantage of the worst pass defense in the league and actually, you know, connects on some plays downfield.

Pick: Rams. They’re at home.

Buffalo Bills (6-7) @ New York Jets (8-5)

Announcers: Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf

Storylines: Both teams have hurt their chances with their recent slides, the Bills worse than the Jets. Both teams should play this one as an elimination game.

The Bills Should Win If: Somehow they’re able to get the ball deep to Lee Evans. The Jets have given up nearly 300 yards passing per game over the past month. The Bills will have to stretch the field, not just accept the underneath stuff and settle for a field goal on the scoreboard.

The Jets Should Win If: Brett Favre plays like he was prior to the Denver game. He hasn’t thrown a touchdown in two weeks and the offense has become anemic. They may not need many big plays to win the game, but they will to get back into a flow headed towards the playoffs.

Pick: Jets. Aside from the loss to Denver, the Jets defense has played well in the past two months. I don’t think the Bills offense will be able to score enough points to beat a Brett Favre who is backed into a corner.

San Diego Chargers (5-8) @ Kansas City Chiefs (2-10)

Announcers: Ian Eagle and Solomon Wilcots

Storylines: You know the refrain by now. A Chargers loss means they’re done, a win may keep their slim hopes alive. Just ask the Talking Heads, they’ll tell you all the reasons the Chargers are still the favorites to win the West.

The Chargers Should Win If: LaDainian Tomlinson rushes for 100 yards. I know they’ve won games without LT coming up big, but not many of them. He only had 78 yards in their win earlier this season over KC, but many argue that was a game they were lucky to win.

The Chiefs Should Win If: Tyler Thigpen is able to make throws to Dwayne Bowe and Tony Gonzales. The Chargers are susceptible in the pass game and KC has had success when these two guys are focus points of the offense.

Pick: Chargers. I really want to go the other way and a Chief win wouldn’t shock me, because I actually don’t think the Chargers are much better than them right now. San Diego played motivated last week and had 10 days to get ready for the Chiefs.

Detroit Lions (0-13) @ Indianapolis Colts (9-4)

Announcers: Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick

Storylines: The Colts look to hold off their wild-card competition. The Lions are still looking for that elusive win.

The Lions Should Win If: {crickets}… alright, if the Lions QB can avoid turnovers and Kevin Smith is able to dominate the game, they have a puncher’s chance.

The Colts Should Win If: Hell is Hot. It will be even easier if their talented defensive ends are able to force Orlovsky or Stanton into 3 or 4 interceptions.

Pick: Colts. The Colt defense has been playing really well recently. The offense is still off a step, but that shouldn’t matter much in this game. They are also way too smart to overlook anybody.

Minnesota Vikings (8-5) @ Arizona Cardinals (8-5)

Announcers: Joe Buck and Troy Aikman

Storylines: The only meeting of the week between two division leaders. The Cardinals spot is secure, the same can not be said for the Vikings thanks to Chicago’s win on Thursday.

The Vikings Should Win If: They are able to hit Kurt Warner early. With little hope of getting a first-round bye, the Cardinals have little to play for. Fear of losing their franchise QB could turn them conservative in a hurry.

The Cardinals Should Win If: They are able to force Tarvaris Jackson to attempt more passes than Kurt Warner.

Pick: Vikings. Adrian Peterson should have a good game against the Cardinals defense and be able to protect the young QB. I know the Cards will play hard, I just think teams have a tendency to play too vanilla when they know they have more important games down the line.

New England Patriots (8-5) @ Oakland Raiders (3-10)

Announcers: Kevin Harlan and Rich Gannon

Storylines: The Patriots have been on the West Coast all weekend to avoid having to make the trip on consecutive weeks. They didn’t play all that well in Seattle last week, so we’ll see how this strategy works out. They would not make the playoffs as of now, a loss obviously can only hurt their chances.

The Patriots Should Win If: Their potpourri of linebackers plays well. They have young guys (Jerod Mayo and Pierre Woods) and not so young (Mike Vrabel and Junior Seau) starting. They looked confused last week and hope to have worked out all the kinks during the week.

The Raiders Should Win If: Zach Miller has a big day. He is the player most apt to take advantage of the previously mentioned linebacker problems. John Carlson had a nice week for Seattle in their near win, the Raiders should target him no less than 10 times.

Pick: Patriots. There are obvious traps here, but with Oakland running such a generic offense, the Patriots defense should actually find it fairly easy to adapt to.

Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3) @ Baltimore Ravens (9-4)

Announcers: Jim Nantz and Phil Simms

Storylines: The two best defenses in football, for first place in the AFC North. A loss could take the Ravens out of the current playoff picture.

The Steelers Should Win If: They are able to get to Joe Flacco. This will be the biggest game of his career and he is playing the best pass-rushing linebackers in the league in Harrison and Woodley. He will need to accept the occasional sack and not make a poor decision.

The Ravens Should Win If: Ed Reed is the safety making plays instead of Troy Polomalu. The Ravens are certainly scoring more than they have in recent weeks, but that has as much to do with their defense as offense. They will have to find ways to give Flacco and maybe Matt Stover, as short of fields as possible.

Pick: Ravens. The biggest game in Baltimore in years and a team that defensively, feeds off that fire better than any.  I think they will force more mistakes and win a very good game.

Denver Broncos (8-5) @ Carolina Panthers (10-3)

Announcers: Dick Enberg and Randy Cross

Storylines: The Panthers can clinch a playoff spot with a win and some help. They can at least create some real seperation with the Saints already losing and the Bucs and Falcons playing each other. The Broncos clinch the AFC West with a win and if the Ravens beat the Steelers, the Broncos join the conversation for a bye.

The Panthers Should Win If: They are able to do what everybody thinks they will do. Run for 200 yards on one of the worst defenses in the league.

The Broncos Should Win If: The Panthers don’t turn all of those yards into touchdowns. Jay Cutler has been playing very well and will put up points on any defense. The Panthers can’t just outgain the Broncos, they have to outscore them.

Pick: Broncos. They have been very good on the road this year and the Panthers are just the kind of team to have a letdown after a great week. We saw on Monday that their are shots to be had downfield against Carolina and Cutler and Marshall, Royal are more equipped to exploit it than even Garcia and Bryant were.

NewYork Giants (11-2) @ Dallas Cowboys (8-5)

Announcers: Al Michaels and John Madden

Storylines: A bunch of off-field crap and what should be a great game with playoff implications for both teams.

The Cowboys Should Win If: They are able to get at Manning consistently. The Passing game was off last week and one of the keys for Dallas is to keep them out of rhythm. Especially since Brandon Jacobs isn’t playing, the Giants will be much easier to make one-dimensional.

The Giants Should Win If: Their receivers step up and play much better than last week. They can’t drop balls and run poor routes. They play a much softer secondary this week and they all, especially Hixon, need to take advantage of that.

Pick: Cowboys. I think Jacobs not playing is huge. They don’t have the power back in short yardage situations that they need which could result in a much less relaxed offensive unit.

Cleveland Browns (4-9) @ Philadelphia Eagles (7-6-1)

Announcers: Mike Tirico and Ron Jaworski

The Browns Should Win If: They are able to find ways to get the ball in Josh Cribbs hands. He is the player most capable of an explosive play right now on the Browns roster.

The Eagles Should Win If: They stick to last week’s game plan and get the ball into Brian Westbrook’s hands 30 times.

Pick: Eagles. I don’t know if Andy Reid can keep running the ball, but it might not matter against the Browns.

Looking Back at Week 14

San Diego Chargers 34                                

Oakland Raiders 7

Chargers: The Chargers keep hopes of a playoff berth alive with this win. All it took was a win over the Raiders for every talking head to jump back on the bandwagon again. The Raiders were able to make plays downfield and take advantage of Raiders mistakes. Their linebackers played very well. The Chargers have won 11 in a row in December. The last team to beat them? The Broncos.

Raiders: The Raiders fall to 2-7 under interim head coach Tom Cable, all but assuring he will not be back with the team next year. The Raiders were able to score wins over the Jets and Broncos, both of which might be ploayoff teams, but were never able to build any consistency.

Chicago Bears 23

Jacksonville Jaguars 10

Bears: The Bears got good QB play from Kyle Orton and big plays from Greg Olsen and Devin Hester. That combined with the fact that Matt Forte had his sixth straight 100+ yard game from scrimmage offer a glimpse of what the Bears wish their offense could be every week. The D and Special Teams are not as dominant as they once were, but they still make big plays and create points. The Bears remain just one out of first and still have a great shot at the division title.

Jaguars: Jacksonville suffers it’s fourth consecutive loss and things are getting worse. I think Jack Del Rio is safe because of all of the offensive line injuries, but their will have to be some changes made in the off-season to get this once promising franchise back on the right page.

Minnesota Vikings 20

Detroit Lions 16

Vikings: The Vikings were certainly lucky to maintain the Williams Wall this week as they came very close to doing the impossible, losing to the Lions. On offense, the team actually got better when Gus Frerotte went down and Travaris Jackson came in. The much-maligned Jackson went 8-10 and threw a touchdown. He was also very good at handing the ball off to Adrian Peterson, who finished with 105 rushing yards.

Lions: Time is running out for Detroit. They’re down to three games to avoid history and none of them look winnable. On one hand I love Marinelli going for it on fourth down for the entire first half as they had nothing to lose. On the other hand, why run it right at the Williams’ both times? Daunte Culpepper got hurt at the end of the game and now the Lions may have to try to get that win with Dan Orlovsky at QB.

Houston Texans 24

Green Bay Packers 21

Texans: At some point, if the Texans are ever going to be competitive they are going to have to get more consistent. They won their third in a row but still look to finish the season under .500. They look going into next season as they have terrific playmakers on both sides of the ball. But, we thought that this year didn’t we?

Packers: Green Bay can not figure out a way to win close games. They are 0-5 in games decided by four points or less. Thus is probably the biggest difference between last year’s Packers and this year’s version. Unlucky? Inexperienced? Hard to say, but whatever it is the Packers will have to figure out a way to fix it in the off-season as it looks over this year.

Indianapolis Colts 35

Cincinnati Bengals 3

Colts: There is no hotter team in the league right now than the Colts. They have won six straight and are playing well on both sides of the ball. They still haven’t even hit their stride. What’s going to happen if they ever get it going full tilt? They could be the most dangerous team in the playoffs.

Bengals: Cincinnati is a really bad team. They are 0-7 on the road and are unsure whether to play Ryan Fitzpatrick or Jordan Palmer at QB. That is not a decision you want to make. Is Carson Palmer getting healthy really all it’s going to take?

New Orleans Saints 29

Atlanta Falcons 25

Saints: New Orleans maintains a little hope, moving to 7-6. Drew Brees completed his first fourth quarter comeback as a Saint, of course it was only from one point down. New Orleans actually plays okay defense and they have a ton of offensive weapons. Which makes you wonder, is Sean Payton any good? Well, he can be. Though if the Saints had failed on their fourth-down attempt in the red-zone late in the game I think most would answer in the negative.

Falcons: I don’t think you would take much negative out of this game when it comes to the Falcons. Unfortunately, it might have really hurt their playoff chances. Because it was a divisional loss they went fromthe sixth-seed to out of the playoffs. The future is still bright however, as the defense is improving and on offense they can both run and throw.

Philadelphia Eagles 20

New York Giants 14

Eagles: What do the Eagles look like when Brian Westbrook gets almost 40 touches? Like a team that can beat the Conference’s best in their own house. Too bad it took so long for Andy Reid to figure it all out. The Eagles are still mathematically alive in the playoffs, but as has been their trend the past couple of years they digged a deep hole that will be hard to get out of.

Giants: New York lost in the Meadowlands for the first time this season and looked terrible in doing so. For the entire week leading up to the game, every talking head told us that the Giants were too mature and well-led to be distracted by the Plax Situation. So of course right afterwards the same “experts” told us that was why they lost. I don’t know if that’s the case or not, but they better shake off whatever it was because their year is not going to get any easier.

Tennessee Titans 28

Cleveland Browns 9

Titans: Tennessee clinched the AFC South for the first time in six years and did it in typical Titan-fashion. Businesslike. Chris Johnson ran for 136 yards and LenDale White ran for 99. The Titans defense was also terrific giving up just 185 yards of offense. They’re not sexy and nobody will pick them, but they are the clear favorite to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.

Browns: Cleveland has lost five of their last six games and have not scored a TD in six weeks. Rumors swirled right after the game that Romeo Crennel would be fired at the end of the year and the Browns would attempt to get Marty Schottenheimer back. Also, look for Bernie Kosar to be the new backup, Earnest Byner to replace Jamal Lewis and Webster Slaughter to catch way more balls next year than Braylon Edwards.

Miami Dolphins 16

Buffalo Bills 3

Dolphins: The Dolphins have won six out of seven and this one was just as ugly as most of them. But a win is a win and eight wins is seven more than they had last year. Chad Pennington may be the biggest reason for the turnaround as his efficiency fits a “Parcells” offense perfectly. He has thrown for more yards this season than Brett Favre. Miami is a serious playoff contender with a great defense and an offense that doesn’t beat itself.

Bills: J.P. Losman did not provide the spark that the Bills were hoping for. I don’t know what happened to this team’s offense, but Trent Edwards went from MVP Candidate to being very unsure whether he’ll be the starting QB next season.

San Francisco 49ers 24

New York Jets 14

49ers: This game should be enough to earn Mike Singletary a permanent position. They not only beat a pretty good Jets team, they dominated them. If they have their coach and Shaun Hill is as good as he’s looked in limited action we can all go into next year pretending they’re going to be better again.

Jets: IF the Jets make the playoffs, they better hope they don’t have to head west to say Denver. They’ve been horrible out west, losing to San Diego, Oakland and now the Niners. Don’t count the Jets out though. They do still have a hall of fame QB, a sometimes solid defense and a good run game. What they are missing is something intangible. It’s up to Coach Mangini to figure that out.

New England Patriots 24

Seattle Seahawks 21

Patriots: The game was a microcosm for the New England Season. They weren’t great, but in the end they figured it out and came out on top. They also lost a couple more key players in Vince Wilfork and Tedy Bruschi. The Patriots may have to win their last three in order to make the playoffs. They are all winnable games, but with their injuries it’s easy to imagine them slipping as they almost did here.

Seahawks: Seattle has lost six straight and five in a row at home. Not how they wanted to send Mike Holmgren out of Seattle. They have already lost more games than they ever did in the Holmgren Era and will struggle to win another this year.

Arizona Cardinals 34

St. Louis Rams 10

Cardinals: Arizona wins a division title for the first time in 33 years and will make their first playoff appearance in a decade. They will host their first playoff game in 61 years.  They certainly have the offense to contend once they get there and if their defense can contribute 14 points as it did here they could be very dangerous.

Rams: St. Louis will not have Jim Haslett back next year. Torry Holt has already said he’s not interested in playing there next year.  Marc Bulger figures to be expendable. Who else will be gone? Ladies and Gentlemen, Meet the Mid-West Raiders. Super Bowl to joke in less than a decade.

Pittsburgh Steelers 20

Dallas Cowboys 13

Steelers: How good is the Steelers defense? They haven’t given up 300 yards of offense all year, the 88 yards Tashard Choice had on Sunday was the most they’ve given up on the ground all year, they’ve given up 50 points in their last four games and they are beating good teams with no offense at all. They had 3 sacks and forced 4 turnovers. I don’t know if they can win in the playoffs without an offense, but they’ll get there.

Cowboys: They had it. Romo had a big win in December. They had a game won in freezing temperatures. They were going to live up to the hype. Then reality punched them in the face and returned a third Tony Romo pick for a game-winning touchdown. Jerry Jones may or may not question Marion Barber’s toughness, but I question the toughness of the whole team.

Denver Broncos 24

Kansas City Chiefs 17

Broncos: I saw in the most recent Power Rankings that the Broncos were ranked behind Dallas, the Jets, Atlanta and Tampa Bay. This is a team that is going to shock people in the playoffs. When Cutler is on I really don’t believe there is a defense in the league that can stop him. He made passes on Sunday that were incredible and only he could make. Yeah, he threw a pick-six, but that’s what you get with a gunslinger. We’ll get a stronger sense of just how good the Broncos can be this Sunday against Carolina, but their upside is extraordinary. They will of course have to go forward with their sixth different starting Half-Back this week.

Chiefs: The Chiefs didn’t play bad, they’re just not talented enough to win. Herman Edwars is likely safe for the next two years at least, but when are they going to get better.

Baltimore Ravens 24

Washington Redskins 10

Ravens: They looked a lot like the Ravens of old. Stifling defense, an okay run game and not much out of the QB. I thought Flacco played poorly, but the defense and Ed Reed in particular certainly were able to hide him. The Ravens have the Steelers and Cowboys in the next two weeks and have to win at least one to stay in the hunt.

Redskins: Anybody still want to argue with me about the Redskins being a bit of a farce? They are unable to make plays downfield and Jason Campbell is very inconsistent. Teams began putting eight in the box on them about a month into the season and we’ve seen the impact of that on Portis and the team as a whole.

Carolina Panthers 38

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23

Panthers: Probably the most impressive win of the week. Did anybody think Carolina would put up over 200 yards rushing on the Bucs? As long as they can move the ball like that on the ground they are going to dominate. Some flaws were also exposed. Jake Delhomme has taken a big step back in the past month and is making horrible decisions. His only success in the passing game comes from chucking up prayer balls to Steve Smith. They are also vulnerable on pass defense as evidenced by Antonio Bryant’s success.

Buccaneers: I think some of the age was showing on Tampa in this game, especially on defense. They are often called a young team and maybe that’s true as a whole, but they are aged at some key spots. QB, RB, WR, DL, LB, CB…they’re all pretty old. They looked much slower than Carolina in this game.

Top 50 Quarterbacks of the Past 25 Years: Number 2

Brett Favre- Green Bay Packers and New York Jets

Brett Favre was drafted in the second round of the 1991 Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. Coach Jerry Glanville was not in favor of the pick and said he would never start Brett Favre, unless a plane crash took out the rest of his QB’s. Prior to the 1992 season Favre was traded to the Green Bay Packers for a first-round pick. He threw just 4 passes as a Falcon and half of them were intercepted.

Favre replaced an injured Don Majikowski during the third game of the 1992 season and used as a template for what we would get from him for the next 15 years. Although he fumbled four times and threw some terrible passes, he led the game winning drive at the end and looked spectacular in doing so. He would start the next week and every week for the next 16 years and counting. Favre would make the Pro Bowl in 1992, throwing 18 touchdowns in 13 starts. In ’93 and ’94 Favre would lead the Packers to the playoffs in back to back seasons for the first time since Vince Lombardi was the Head Coach. He made the Pro Bowl in ’93 despite throwing more interceptions than touchdowns. Surprisingly though he missed it in ’94 when he threw 33 touchdowns to just 14 picks. So I guess it evened out.

In 1995 Favre led the Packers to their best season in three decades. He led the league with 4,413 yards passing and 38 touchdowns. He had a career high 99.5 QB Rating. Favre beat Steve Young and the 49ers in the divisional round of the playoffs before losing to the Cowboys in the NFC Championship Game. Brett Favre was named MVP of the NFL that year. He was named MVP again in 1996. Favre threw for 3,800 yards and 39 touchdowns and led Green Bay to their first Super Bowl in 29 years. In Super Bowl XXXI, against the New England Patriots, Favre threw for 245 yards and two touchdowns in a victorious effort. Favre led the Packers back to the Super Bowl in 1997, again leading the league with 35 touchdowns. Favre threw for 256 yards and 3 touchdowns in Super Bowl XXXII, but fell to John Elway and the Denver Broncos, in arguably the best QB match-up in Super Bowl History.

Favre and the Packers would continue to be successful over the next few years. They did not have a losing season in Favre’s first 13 as their starter. In those seasons though Brett went just 3-5 in the playoffs and led the league in touchdown passes just once, in 2003. Brett would continue to have great statistics, mostly due to the fact that he never missed a game. The team however never accomplished as much as was thought they would.

In the 3 year period between 2003 and 2005 Brett Favre lost his father to cancer, his brother in law was killed in an ATV accident, his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer and his family’s home was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Still Favre played on. It did seem to weigh on him as he threw 29 interceptions in 2005 and in 2006 threw 18 touchdowns and 18 picks.

In 2007 Brett had a resurgent season. He threw for over 4,000 yards and 28 touchdowns in leading the Packers back to the NFC Championship Game. He threw an interception in overtime of that game that eventually led to a game-winning kick for the Giants. Many believed that was how his career would end. However, in the off-season after much drama, Favre was traded to the New York Jets. 12 games into his Jet career Brett has had a clear impact. He has better than doubled their win total from last year.

Brett Favre is number 2 on this list because it is absolutely impossible to ignore his personal achievements. Brett is the only 3 time MVP. He is a nine time Pro-Bowler and a 7 time All-Pro. Brett has the most wins by a QB, the most career passing yards and the most career touchdowns. He is the greatest statistical QB in the History of the Game. And unlike Marino, who held that honor before him, Brett has a ring.

Why not Number 1? All of those records are due to the one record of longest consecutive start streak. That’s not a bad thing. I’m just saying that maybe if some of the other guys with big numbers, like Marino and Elway, had been able to avoid injury over the years they would have the numbers. Marino would certainly have every record if he had played in the 27 more games that Favre had when he broke the records in 2007. Elway played in 35 less games than Favre, mostly because he played one less season. Favre’s total wins are certainly impressive, however his winning percentage are below that of Elway, Young and Aikman. Then there is his playoff career, especially post-Holmgren.

Favre is 12-10 in his career in the playoffs, but just 3-5 since Holmgren left. Favre had only one 300 yard passing game in the playoffs in the decade since Holmgren went to Seattle. He had a six interception performance against St. Louis, a 4 pick day against the Vikings and lost to Michael Vick in the Snow in Lambeau. 

These are the Favre negatives. There are also the interceptions and poor decision making. But, the positives far outweigh them. He is a proven winner for a decade and a half and holds every major passing mark. To not have him in the top two would be ridiculous. Many would even say number one. How can you beat his numbers?

By being the only guy in the 300 TD Club with multiple Super Bowl Rings. Being the only guy in the 50,000 yard club with multiple Super Bowl Rings.

Being the Only Guy to Start 5 Super Bowls At QB. Being the template for what an NFL Quarterback is Supposed To be. Being…