NFL - Are You Ready For Some Football?!! - PLAYOFFS

[Lord Avalon]

All Your Coach are Belong to Us

Expiring contracts are another factor.

Excerpt from the Miami Herald "Cowboys-to-Dolphins moves continue"

In the next week, contracts will expire for three Cowboys assistant coaches who have been linked to the Dolphins: linebackers coach Paul Pasqualoni, defensive backs coach Todd Bowles and defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers. Pasqualoni reportedly is the front-runner to become the Dolphins' defensive coordinator, and Bowles has been mentioned as a possibility to become Miami's assistant head coach.

[SlowwHand]

[Ben Kenobi]

Just for Slowwy.

[rah]

Getting ready to hear about the "FROZEN TUNDRA" again. We should have a pool to see how many times they say it during the broadcast. I'll bet we hear it within 30 seconds of the start of the broadcast.

[Will9]

Originally posted by rah
Getting ready to hear about the "FROZEN TUNDRA" again. We should have a pool to see how many times they say it during the broadcast.

42 times

[Ming]

Nahhh.... there would never go that overboard...

30 times.

[snoopy369]

Would be an interesting drinking game ... perhaps a dangerous one though

[Ben Kenobi]

I'd go for it, take a sip everytime they say it.

Anything more then that tho.

[Koyaanisqatsi]

Depends, is Berman going to be calling the game?

Oh, and here we go again. Wed: Ryan O'Callahan, flu. Thu: Matt Light, flu. I think Kraft needs to add a CDC clinic to the plans for his stadium megamall.

[SlowwHand]

So how about this for an over/under? 36.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Something rankled me on another forum. People are saying, without any real argument that Tom Brady had the best regular season of any QB in history. It seems to be to display a lack of history (even recent history!). I mean, yes, no team has gone 16-0, but it was referring more to Brady's statistical accomplishments (and besides, defense also plays a big role in 16-0 anyway).

Lost in all the talk about Brady's TD record is that he didn't set the all time single season passer rating record. Brady finished with 117.2, which is 2nd all time... to Peyton Manning's brilliant 2004, where he had 121.1. And while Brady book Manning's 2004 TD record, he also had more attempts. In terms of TD%, Brady 2007 is at 8.7% (19th all time), while Manning 2004 is at 9.9% (6th all time).

In addition in the adjusted yards per pass attempt (which counts sacks and all sorts of good stuff), Manning's 2004 is #1 at 9.25. Brady's 2007 is great at 8.56 (6th all time), but still falls short.

I wonder why people are so quick to forget Manning's season.. maybe it's because he didn't win the Superbowl, but people are focusing on Brady's regular season numbers, even if he does win the SB, they'll talk about them.

In addition, while Moss set the TD record with 23 recieving TDs, people forget that Jerry Rice set the record of 22 in a strike shortened year. 12 games, which is just absurd.

I dunno, it just set me off.

[Lord Avalon]

Well, the end result is often what is looked at, not the comparative averages.

For example, to me 1000-yd rusher doesn't mean what it used to, because now there are two more games to get to that mark. I want to see 1143 yds.

[Tuberski]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
In addition, while Moss set the TD record with 23 recieving TDs, people forget that Jerry Rice set the record of 22 in a strike shortened year. 12 games, which is just absurd.

I dunno, it just set me off.

Not really, it seems like it was muttered under the breath every time the record was mentioned.

ACK!

[Jaguar]

Well, that doesn't bother me as much as the inconsistency between the way Culpepper's 2004 and Brady's 2007 is treated.

Culpepper set the all-time record for yards of total offense by a quarterback, with 40something touchdowns, but the season is quickly dismissed because, quote, "he had a really good offensive line and he had Randy Moss for half a season."

I wonder when Brady's season will begin to attract similar (and better-founded) criticism for those exact same reasons.

It will probably be the season that Moss leaves, and Brady stops having Cinderella seasons and turns back into a pumpkin. You know, the guy who throws about 25 TDs a season and everyone has to pretend he's awesome.

[Lord Avalon]

(Sorry) State of the Lions

I found this amusing:

FALSE HOPE: Lions can blame Martz, but no one would win with that roster

January 18, 2008

BY MICHAEL ROSENBERG
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST

Did you hear the great news? Matt Millen has brought in all the offensive players the Lions need.

OK, so it's not so much "news" as it is "what the Lions are saying." Every January, we write about what the Lions are saying, possibly because the Lions are never actually doing anything in January.

Two years ago, the Lions were talking about Rod Marinelli and Mike Martz. Last year, the talk was new defensive coordinator Joe Barry.

This time, the Lions are selling two reasons for hope. One is that Martz is gone. That's how good Mike Martz is, ladies and gentlemen: He can fix the Lions by showing up or by leaving.

The other reason is that Millen already has brought in all the required offensive talent. Who knew? It was here the whole time, under Martz's nose.

New offensive coordinator Jim Colletto sounds like a man who thinks he can win without any new starters. Receivers Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson are obviously locks to start.

Colletto and passing game coordinator Kippy Brown hinted at a competition at quarterback, but that was just coach-speak -- the usual "there is competition at every position" silliness. Nobody else on the roster is ready to start. So unless Millen pulls a free-agency rabbit out of his helmet, Jon Kitna is the man.

Colletto also said he is happy with all five of his offensive linemen, from left to right: Jeff Backus, Edwin Mulitalo, Dominic Raiola, Stephen Peterman and Damien Woody.

Woody is a free agent, but Colletto wants him back. Never mind that Woody was an underachieving, overeating guard for most of his time here (though, for what it's worth, an incredibly likable guy). Never mind that Woody's promising late-season stint at right tackle came while he was playing for a new contract.

And never mind that the Lions have a long, storied history of falling for players who play well in a few games at the end of their contracts -- think Cory Redding and Kalimba Edwards, who failed to earn their sizable paychecks after they signed new deals.

And never mind the absurdity of bringing back all five players -- including four veterans -- from a mediocre line. Guess what? Coach Rod Marinelli said the Lions have "a good offensive line." They just didn't play so well, and guess why? Yup! It was Martz's fault!

Colletto also likes running back T.J. Duckett. He likes Shaun McDonald and Mike Furrey. He likes Marinelli. He likes you. He likes me. He likes sunrises over the lake and a nice cup of tea.

What's not to like? Well, there are these mildly annoying facts: The Lions were 19th in the NFL in yards per game and 16th in points. But, well, all together, everybody:

THAT WAS MARTZ'S FAULT.

The Lions have half of a good idea here. Admittedly, that's an upgrade over most of their ideas.

Marinelli is wise to want continuity. He is smart to go for a coordinator with a philosophy similar to his own. If Martz and Marinelli were a pitcher and a catcher, Marinelli would have been calling for curveballs and Martz would have been hitting a 3-wood.

But the Lions need better players, too. Yes, they should rebuild their defense, especially the secondary. But to assume that a line of Backus, Mulitalo, Raiola, Peterman and Woody can anchor a truly balanced offense, without a great running back or great quarterback, well, sorry. I just don't buy that.

In a possibly unintentional dig at Martz, Colletto kept saying the game was really "simple." Offense is indeed simple sometimes. So is punting.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080118/COL22/801180402/1049/SPORTS01