Welcome to 'After Further Review...', where we might have to go on IR with a sprained thumb after all the channel changing we did to keep up with the playoff picture, where we can’t figure out if that coal in the Patriots’ stocking was left by Santa or Karma, and where we think it’s appropriate that Tampa has most strip clubs per capita of anywhere in the US, because there was a whole lotta Bush on display there Sunday.

Week 17 may have fallen a couple of days after Christmas, but there were a couple of teams who woke up Sunday morning hoping for some better-late-than-never gifts. The Patriots needed a loss by either Baltimore or Miami -- coupled with their win -- to make the playoffs as a wild card or division winner, respectively. The Eagles needed a Tampa Bay loss and a loss by either Chicago or Minnesota -- coupled with their own win -- to make it as a wild card (some ties could've factored in, but we all those never happen). The Bucs, Bears, and Jets also needed to win and get help, but as we know by now, they couldn't hold up their end of the bargain (more on this later). The Pats and Eagles both won, but Santa wasn't nearly as kind to one as it was the other...

YES DONOVAN, THERE IS A SANTA CLAUS: The Eagles were exceptionally fortunate, getting everything on their Christmas list -- losses by the Bucs to Oakland and Bears at Houston, which set the stage for a play-in game at home against struggling rival, Dallas. This time the Good Eagles showed up -- Philly might be the most scizophrenic offense in football, capable of scoring 38 or three. They came out fast, and overcame an early Brian Westbrook fumble to lay a 44-6 whipping on Dallas they won’t soon forget.

We should’ve known from years of watching the NFL when the Eagles got that tie -- that tie Donovan McNabb didn’t even know was possible, that tie that polarized the league for a week or two, that one -- it would be the difference in their season. The difference between making the playoffs and having a puncher’s chance at that long-awaited title, or missing them, and most likely saying not-so-teary goodbyes to McNabb, Andy Reid, and an entire era. Of course, most of us probably would’ve thought that 1/2-game would cost them the last spot, not be the difference in getting them in. 

In that game against Cincy, they never really threatened to win. After tying the game late to force OT, the Eagles needed a missed Shayne Graham FG late in OT to escape with the tie. If that’s a loss, they’d stand at 9-7 -- the same as Chicago, Tampa, and Dallas, all of whom have the same or better conference records. That would've made for a mighty sticky tiebreaker situation.

So, I wonder what Donovan thinks of that rule, now?

BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR: The Pats were not nearly as lucky. They played the early game, and shut out Buffalo 13-0 in a monsoon which played havoc with kicks and passes and even bent goalposts. (it even prompted a quick kick by Matt Cassel). Then they had to sit back and pin their hopes on the Jags and Jets in the afternoon. Early on in Baltimore, Jacksonville hung tough, leading after a quarter 7-3. But soon it was clear the Ravens were prepared to take care of business, and by halftime they led 24-7. So the Patriots and their fans had to pin all their hopes and dreams for the 2008 season on the fading Jets and the disintegrating Brett Favre. I don't know who felt dirtier about the situation, Pats fans still pissed about Parcells and Mangini, or Jets fans, who hate the Pats for Belichick.

The Jets jumped out to a 6-0 lead after one quarter, but missed a huge opportunity when LB Eric Barton dropped a sure pick-6 when he undercut a route and QB Chad Pennington hit him between the numbers. Miami quickly stormed back with two TD's in the 2nd quarter -- the second coming on a pick-6 off of Favre by DL Phillip Merling. New York closed it to 14-9 on a FG at the end of the half, but missed a chance to do more damage when TE Dustin Keller dropped a Favre pass in the end zone on 3rd and goal. In the 2nd half, the Jets came out strong and took the lead, but soon both teams did what they do best. What Miami does best is play defense and control the ball -- 33:48 time of possession, only one turnover (more on that later). And what the Jets do best is collapse, usually with Favre playing a leading role (more on that in a moment).

The Dolphins won to complete their amazing revival, going from a team which lost its division by a record 15 games last year to a team which won it this year. As for the Pats, they'll just have to take their shiny 11-5 record and go home for the winter. I'm sure they won't be the least bit annoyed that the Chargers will be hosting a playoff game with their 8-8 record. In fact, I'll bet Bill Belichick is chuckling at the irony of the whole situation right now.

Continue reading this post »

Welcome to ‘After Further Review...’, where we think this will be the greatest Christmas Week 17 ever, where we realized this weekend that the Titans and Giants were who we thought they were, and where we were ready to help Mike Singletary choke Shaun Hill at 12:30 Sunday, and an hour later we were online ordering him a Jane Seymour Open Heart Necklace for Christmas.

All season, it appeared the Tennessee Titans would be the top seed in the AFC, and the New York Giants would be the top seed in the NFC. Then, during the last couple of weeks, things started get a little squirrely for the Titans and Giants. But in the end, the NFL season gave us what the famous screenwriting guru Robert McKee (immortalized in 'Adaptation.') always advises for storytelling -- give the audience what they expect, but not in the same they expect it. On Sunday, both teams took their place atop their respective conferences -- one with a little more grace than the other.

Without any further ado, ladies and gentlemen, your #1 conference seeds, starting with the AFC...

THE SUBSTITUTE: Man, the Titans sure are gonna miss Albert Haynesworth, huh? Yeah, that’s what a lot of people said. Hell, that what I said. And I’m a freaking football genius and stuff. But maybe we all need to take a step back and re-evaluate. Rookie Jason Jones, Haynesworth’s replacement on the D-line, recorded three and a half sacks and three forced fumbles as the Titans shut down the Steelers, beating them 31-14 to lock up the #1 seed in the AFC.

The Titans defense will get much of the credit because of their injuries (Haynesworth and fellow DT Kyle Vanden Bosch), and because they were facing Ben Roethlisberger and the red-hot Steelers, but Tennessee came out strong on offense as well. The Titans took an early 10-0 lead on a Pittsburgh D which came into the game on a record streak: They had tied the 1973 Rams for most consecutive games allowing less than 300 total yards at 14. The Titans ended that streak, racking up 323 total, and keeping the ‘73 Rams in the record book. (Somewhere Deacon Jones just pumped his fist and made a disparaging remark about players “these days”.)

It wasn’t a cake-walk for Tennessee, who took Pittsburgh’s best shot in the middle part of the game. The Steelers held the Titans scoreless for almost 28 minutes from the end of the 1st quarter until late in the 3rd, and use d that defensive surge to score 14 straight to take the lead 14-10. Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, who had two big fumbles early -- including one on the Tennessee goal line -- rebounded to throw for 331 yards and 2 TD’s (the first two 20+ yard TD passes the Titans had allowed all year. But the Titans used two Roethlisberger INT’s -- one a Pick-6 by CB Michael Griffin -- and a big game from Justin Gage (5 catches, 104 yards, TD) to ice the game. 

So the Titans clinch home field advantage through the playoffs, and won’t play another important game for three weeks. Sometimes, teams are afraid of having non-competitive games heading into the playoffs, but Tennessee has to be thrilled to know they’ll have time to get their big men healthy for the stretch drive.

One moment to bookmark: After the game on the sidelines, Titans RB LenDale White  was caught on camera throwing a Terrible Towel on the ground and stomping on it. Nice, LenDale! Way to flip the bird to that proud team you might still play in a few weeks with your entire season on the line! That openly disrespecting your future oppenent stuff always works!

GONE WITH THE WIND: For a minute there I doubted the Giants. I’d spent most of the season saying they were the best team in the league -- even when Tennessee was undefeated. I’m usually loathe to praise a New York team. I especially don’t like saying they are the best team in the sport. But it was so obvious, even I couldn’t deny it. But that all changed in the last couple of weeks.

I wasn’t overly concerned about Plaxico Burress being a distraction for the team, as I was about the Giants not having his services the rest of the season. With Brandon Jacobs also hurt, I started to wonder if they were as strong as that teamed that wowed me all season. Especially when they stumbled each of the last two weeks. 

I still picked them to win this week, but by the time they were down 21-10 in the 2nd quarter on Sunday night, their mojo seemed to be long gone. I was already thinking about the prospect of “Carolina Panthers, #1 seed”, and all the “Changing of the Guard”-type stories on ESPN this week. But no. The Giants still had one trick left up their sleeves, the same trick they’ve played every time things look bleak for them. They played The "Running Game” Card.

The Giants stormed back into the game behind two of their three-headed backfield, nicknamed “Earth, Wind and Fire”. Riding “Wind” down the field (Derrick Ward -- 15 rushes, 215 yards) and “Earth” into the end zone (Brandon Jacobs -- 24 carries, 87 yards, 3 TD’s), the Giants racked up their most rushing yards (301) in a game since 1959. New York used the first pass interference penalty against Carolina all season(!) to tie the game 28-28 with a TD and two-point conversion with just four minutes left.

Carolina drove down to the New York 33-yard line with just :09 remaining, and was able to attempt a 50-yard FG to win the game, and lock up home field advantage throughout the playoffs. John Kasay’s kick was headed straight down the middle, but the famously swirling Meadowlands winds (aptly gauged by sideline reporter Andrea Kremer just prior to the kick) swept the ball wide of the posts, and the game went to OT. There, they were swept away by another wind, Ward, who had two long runs to set up an easy plunge by Jacobs to ice the game and the #1 seed.

Now the Giants face that age-old dilemma: Whether or not to go all out in game you don’t need -- New York plays Minnesota next week in a game the Vikings need desperately to win their division. If last season -- when the Giants played their hearts out in the last week of the regular season against a New England team striving for perfection -- is any indication, Tom Coughlin won’t lie down for the Vikings.

Continue reading this post »

Welcome to 'Any Given Friday', where we love it when the NFL is on four days a week (even if our wife doesn't), where we can't remember so many big games between potential playoff teams in one week before (including head-to-head games for the #1 seed in each conference), and where we'd never call ourselves the worst blogger in America (at least, not as long as howtheyscored is still posting).

The league has several great choices for coach of the year -- it does every year. But what makes this year remarkable is that three of the very best candidates are rookie coaches -- Tony Sparano, John Harbaugh, and Mike Smith. These aren’t just coaches in their first year with new teams, but first time head coaches -- guys with no prior experience. All three have their teams at 9-5 and in the thick of the playoff hunt.

I've mentioned this before here, but the only season I can recall with three rookie coaches this successful was 1992, when Dennis Green took over the Vikings, Bill Cowher became the head man in Pittsburgh (both went 11-5), and Mike Holmgren grabbed the reins in Green Bay (9-7). Two of them went on to win Super Bowls (and lose Super Bowls) with those teams, and the other went to two conference championship games.

The only other virgin head coach this year (non-interim division), Jim Zorn, has Washington at a respectable 7-7 (though they did go 9-7 a year ago). He could've easily been in the discussion of the best rookie coach as well, if he hadn’t a) allowed the ‘Skins to fade badly down the stretch, b) needlessly benched and publicly criticized his best offensive player, and c) called himself “the worst coach in America”. This has only intensified rumors that Zorn might be one-and-done in D.C., a la Schottenheimer in 2001, and Daniel Snyder could be preparing to make Cowher an offer he can’t refuse. So, while Coach Zorn does his daily affirmation, Stuart Smalley-style, let’s narrow the discussion to The Big Three.

They come from different backgrounds -- offense, defense, and special teams. One (Smith) was a coordinator for five years at the pro level before being hired. The other two had never been coordinators at the pro level, Harbaugh never had at any level. The one common thread: They all changed their starting QB in the first year, either through trade or draft. So keep in mind, the GM’s for these teams should be getting a lot of credit as well. The question is, which of them has done the best job thus far. Before you answer, let’s take a closer look at the candidates:

Tony Sparano has completely turned around the 1-15 Dolphins, with a big (fat) helping hand from Bill Parcells. He’s relied on the running game (led by everybody’s favorite, the Wildcat formation) and a good defense (led by sackmaster Joey Porter). The acquisition of Pennington and health of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams gave him a good start, and he’s run with it. Sparano has led the biggest turnaround in terms of wins, but of course a lot of credit needs to go to Parcells. Bonus points for having a name resembling one famous TV character, and a face (and body) resembling another.

John Harbaugh has led his turnaround of 5-11 Baltimore with some help from rookie QB Joe Flacco, improved line play, and the Baltimore staple -- defense. They always had the defensive stars -- Ed Reed, Ray Lewis, Haloti Ngata -- but injuries and a hopeless offense took the sting out of their bite. Harbaugh has used Flacco’s ability to avoid big mistakes and a reliance on the running game to re-energize the D, and they’re playing as well as they have in years. But a lot of credit for that must go to defensive coordinator Rex Ryan. Bonus points for landing an NFL head coaching gig before Captain Comeback.

Mike Smith has done the seemingly impossible in Atlanta. Not just turning around the 4-12 Falcons, but making everybody forget about Michael Vick. A big assist goes to first-year GM Thomas Dmitrov for top pick Matt Ryan and free-agent acquisition Michael Turner. There was already talent there -- Roddy White, John Abraham, Jerious Norwood -- but those two changes more than anything appear to be responsible for the turnaround. Even so, the job Smith has done can’t be minimized -- given a choice of a franchise to take over this past off-season, I don’t think there were many who would’ve chosen Atlanta over Miami or Baltimore. Big, big bonus points for getting all up in Antonio Bryant’s grill. For that alone, he's got my vote. 

We'll take a look at all the weekend's games after the jump...

Continue reading this post »

Welcome to ‘After Further Review...’ where we treat any Frank Gore injury like a death in the family, where we believe every time Terrell Owens whines on the sidelines an angel gets its wings, and where we’re ready to bring you the odds, ends, and trends from this weekend's action in the NFL.

After an exciting Sunday, the playoff races have tightened up considerably. Suddenly, it’s that time of year when the picture comes into focus, and when you remember that down the stretch, a team’s most valuable player can sometimes be the NFL’s schedule-maker. With so many teams so close in the standings -- especially at the top of the AFC easy, where three teams are tied for first place -- often the best advantage a team can have is a weak remaining schedule.

If you looked at the Christmas wish lists of any coach in the playoff hunt right now, you’d be sure to find "A home game against the Lions, Bengals or Rams" right near the top. So let’s take a look at the closest races going right now for available playoff spots, and see how the games on their schedule stack up:

AFC EAST

Jets (8-5) -- Buffalo, at Seattle, Miami

Patriots (8-5) -- at Oakland, Arizona, at Buffalo

Dolphins (8-5) -- San Francisco, at Kansas City, at Jets

The Jets appear to have the easiest road, as Buffalo is struggling mightily, and Seattle is just bad. If they can take care of business, they’ll likely control their own destiny at home against Miami in Week 17. Two division wins would give them five, and win them any tie-breaker against either the Pats (1-1 head-to-head record) or Miami (1-0 head-to-head). Miami appears to have the second best chance, but probably needs to beat an improved Niner team and also win in Arrowhead, a tough road venue, in order to control their own destiny against the Jets. Because of the tie-breaker situation, New England must hope to win out and for the Jets to stumble. 

Also, because both Baltimore and Indy are at 9-4 (and with the Colts playing Detroit and Jacksonville the next two weeks), any stumble by these teams could not only cost them the division, but also eliminate them from Wild card contention.

AFC NORTH

Pittsburgh (10-3) -- at Baltimore, at Tennessee, Cleveland

Baltimore (9-4) -- Pittsburgh, at Dallas, Jacksonville

Obviously, the game next week goes a long way to determining the winner of the division. The Steelers hold not only a game lead, but also the tie-breaker -- they defeated the Ravens in OT 23-20 in Week 4. If the Steelers win, they would virtually clich the division. If the Ravens win, they would be tied in record, head-to-head, and division record, but the Steelers would still hold the tie-breaker based on a one-game lead in conference record. That means Baltimore would still need Pittsburgh to drop at least one of their remaining games to have a shot at the title. Seeing as one is the Titans, it’s still possible, but the Ravens must win next week.

NFC NORTH

Minneso ta (8-5) -- at Arizona, Atlanta, Giants

Chicago (7-6) -- New Orleans, Green Bay, at Houston

Minnesota has a game lead, but a much tougher schedule -- three teams in the midst of their own playoff hunts. Chicago doesn’t have it easy exactly, but none of the teams they will face are likely playoff entrants. However, Chicago needs to not only gain a game in the standings, but also to have Minnesota lose two conference games to even have a chance at the tie-breaker. Essentially, the Vikings need only to win two of their last three, or have the Bears lose either of their conference games to clicnch the division.

NFC WILD CARD #2

Dallas (8-5) -- Giants, Baltimore, at Philadelphia

Atlanta (8-5) -- Tampa, at Minnesota, St. Louis

Philadelphia (7-6-1) -- Cleveland, at Washington, Dallas

Assuming the loser between Tampa and Carolina takes the #1 Wild Card, there’s only one left for these teams. Dallas holds the tie-breaker over Atlanta based on a 1/2-game lead in conference record, but they also have the toughest schedule left. Atlanta’s isn’t exactly easy, however. Should it come down to the last week with the teams still tied, the Falcons would have the obvious advantage, but until then, it’s two likely playoff opponents for both. Still, the Cowboys have to be kicking themselves for letting their game today slip away from them.

Chicago, New Orleans and Washington are all 7-6 and still in it, but need help from each of the above teams.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY T.O. YOU: It was Terrell Owens’ 35th birthday on Sunday -- complaining on the sidelines, scoring a TD, and then more complaining on the sidelines. T.O. complained to coaches when he was shutout in the 1st half, but was much happier after halftime, when he caught three passes for 32 yards and the go-ahead TD to help the Cowboys take a 13-3 4th quarter lead. But after they blew the lead late and lost -- chiefly on two passes which went to Witten, and not him -- he was back to tantrum mode, or as I like to call it, "The Greg Knapp Zone". T.O. may not have gotten what he wanted for his birthday, but seeing him in misery as he walked off the field was definitely what I wanted for his birthday.

DIRRRRTY: The cheap shot of the year occurred in the Lions/Vikings game when Lions OL Gosder Cherilus cut Vikings DE Jared Allen on an ugly-looking play (about 15 seconds in). It’s the football equivalent of kicking a guy in the nuts (although some football players do that, too), but I’m not sure Allen has too much room to criticize. Still, he did charge Cherilus before being held back, and the tensions led to former Lion FB (and former 49er) Moran Norris being ejected for punching Vikings LB Napoleon Harris. Expect some more discussion about this throughout the week.

Continue reading this post »

For the third straight season the 49ers went into the Louisiana Superdome and walked away behind a rather embarrasing loss.  We spent all week pondering Reggie Bush and how the 49ers defense would contain him.  Of course, it appears that in concentrating on one player, the defense forgot about the rest of the offense.  Thanks to a pass rush that give him all day long to pass, Drew Brees absolutely picked apart the secondary with deep bombs, while Deuce McAllister made some key plays in the ground game.

The Good
As awful as this game was, there were definitely some bright spots.  Unfortunately they didn't do enough to overshadow the crap-tastic display of other parts.

Frank Gore - I remain baffled at the lack of touches for Gore considering how successful he was.  Gore touched the ball 18 times for 113 yards but he clearly did not touch the ball enough.  Whatever ratio they planned for Gore either wasn't enough or simply wasn't reached.

Arnaz Battle - Battle had his first career 100+ yard receiving day as he became the go-to guy for J.T. O'Sullivan.  Of course, when Battle has been the team's leading receiver in the past, the team has been pretty bad.  Just something to think about

Patrick Willis - Bamm Bamm was all over the field making plays and helping to contain Reggie Bush.  When he was involved in the pass rush, his athleticism showed as he almost snagged a sack.  I understand his role on the defense but sometimes it's interesting to see what he can do when he pins his ears back and goes for the QB

The Ugly
I'm skipping over the bad because really there was only ugly.  Deuce had a decent day but in reality, the 49ers did an ok job in stopping the run, holding the Saints to 3.3 yards per carry.  Of course when you're getting shredded through the air it really doesn't matter.

The pass defense - I was going to break this down between the secondary and the pass rush, but they were equally awful.  The defense garnered no sacks and it never really seemed like Drew Brees was concerned about being sacked.  Given this much time, it's no wonder the secondary got shredded on several deep balls.  At the same time, the receivers seemed to have absolutely no trouble getting behind the secondary. 

J.T. O'Sullivan - After looking sharp early on, things absolutely went in the crapper for JTO thanks to turnovers.  The fumble was a clear case of holding onto the ball too long.  The two interceptions in the red zone?  Wel those will absolutely kill a team, which they did too the 49ers.  Given the way the Saints were moving the ball I don't know if the 49ers necessarily would have won without the turnovers, but either way it doesn't really matter.  I certainly am not giving up on O'Sullivan as I think his turnovers are based on correctable mistakes.  He has a problem with staring down his receivers and holding onto the ball too long.  Both of those can be fixed in practice.  Of course he had a similar problem in week 1 and the first half of the Seahawks game, so maybe it takes a little more to fix that.

All in all, this was not a pretty game.  As people said, it's especially disappointing because it was a winnable game before all the turnovers.  The biggest issue, and one that I'll open up for discussion later in the week, is the pass rush.  As bad as the secondary was, I think more of the blame rests on the shoulders of the pass rush.

This Saints game was the first in a long stretch of tough ball games coming up.  The Patriots come to town next weekend looking to rebound from an ugly loss to the Dolphins last weekend.  Matt Cassel may or may not be a good QB, but if the 49ers continue to struggle in developing a pass rush, they could very well make him look like Tom Brady.  If the 49ers want to have any hope of a .500+ season, they likely need to split the next 4 games (vs. NE, vs. Philly, @ Giants, vs. Seattle).  There are numerous mistakes to be corrected, so hopefully they can get a good week of practice in.

I missed out on the discussion today but had a chance to go through it just now.  Thanks to everyone who took part as we finished with 554 comments from 32 people.  And yes I think howtheyscored is in the running for most vitriol per comment.  Of course, after a game like today the vitriol was quite high.

Continue reading this post »