Slayer 0 Report post Posted January 3, 2006 Root for any team that I may find myself liking for some reason, and root against any team I hate... for the last decade I was always guaranteed interest in the playoffs by wanting to see Green Bay lose That's funny, since my comment could be also taken as a compliment of how good GB's been the last decade I wouldn't mind seeing Holmgren, Gibbs, or Gruden close to the top of the football world again. I definitely would like to see Gibbs win another SB. Even though I didn't get into football until the early 90's, I thought Gibbs was an excellent coach for his time and seemed to be underrated since he coached at the same time as Bill Walsh. I was worried his return might be a legacy killer, but that fortunately that was unfounded. Holmgren I'm apathetic about now that he's out of GB. I liked Gruden while he was in Oakland, but I still carry leftover divisional hatred for the Bucs so I don't like him at this point in time. You know who I want to see do well again? Mike Shanahan... so here's a question: if he wins another SB, will he make the HoF, or will he not escape the stigma of "he never would have won the first two without Elway"? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cabbageboy 0 Report post Posted January 3, 2006 Why on earth does everyone think that the Patriots are going to do SHIT? Look they are 10-6 this year, there's no way they are going all that far. Even if they get past Jacksonville they would then have to win at either Indy or Denver the next game and then beat the other team in tha AFC title game. There's like a 5% chance of all that happening. Furthermore, the Pats have the 2nd worse point differential of any team in the playoffs, +41 (the worst being Tampa Bay at +26). Christ, they aren't even really one of the top 6 teams IN THE AFC this year, as the Chiefs were also 10-6 and beat them head to head. Picking the Pats to go to the Super Bowl is like saying the Redkins would make the Super Bowl, which is actually way more feasible since they've already beaten both Seattle and Chicago. In case anyone's wondering here's the point differentials for all the teams in the playoffs, as in the total points scored - points allowed. Indianapolis: +192 Seattle: +181 Denver: +137 Carolina: +132 (this seemed a bit high since they crushed a Falcons team that didn't care in the finale) Pittsburgh: +131 NY Giants: +108 Jacksonville: +92 Cincinnati: +71 (surprising really but their defense sucks) Washington: +66 Chicago: +58 (offense sucks) New England: +41 Tampa Bay: +26 Does anyone have the point differential stats for the past few Super Bowl winners? It seems to me though that anyone under +100 need not apply. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slabinskia 0 Report post Posted January 3, 2006 Washington @ Tampa Bay TB won 36-35 the first time.I would be very surprised if there are 35 total points this time.The 6 seed rarely wins a game.I like Tampa 16-6 Jacksonville @ New England Tough choice.Everyone is sleeping on the jaguars.They can easily win this game.Having said that,I'll take the Pats 20-17 Carolina @ NYG Another tough one but the giants aren't that good.I'll take Carolina 13-7 Pittsburgh @ Cincy The steelers are on a win streak.The bengals are fading.Everyone is talking about the steelers defense and run game.That defense is very overrated imo.I see this one being like the steelers/browns playoff game several years ago.I'll take the Bengals 37-31 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Leelee Report post Posted January 3, 2006 I'll play the role of Bored today: 2004 NE: +177 2003 NE: +110 2002 TB: +150 2001 NE: +99 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dr. Tom 0 Report post Posted January 3, 2006 Washington at Tampa Bay: I hate the 'Skins, but they're on a roll and doing everything right. I'll take them by 6. Jacksonville at New England: Sorry, Jags fans. The Pats got healthy and got it together when it counted. And you're not going to go in there and beat Brady in the cold. NE by a TD. Carolina at NY Giants: I'll go with the home team here, though Carolina could make it interesting by actually showing up to play. Giants by 3. Pittsburgh at Cincy: Sorry, Marvin, but after that dogshit effort this past weekend, there's no way your team handles Pittsburgh. Steelers by 10. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Slayer 0 Report post Posted January 3, 2006 Playing the role of Bored even further, SB champions with less than 100 point differentials: 88 49ers: +75 87 Redskins: +94 82 Redskins: +62 80 Raiders: +58 70 Colts: +87 On the other side, the '99 Rams had an almost +300 point differential. Just felt like pointing that out Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cabbageboy 0 Report post Posted January 3, 2006 Slayer, your stats are misleading however...I just wasted half an hour on NFL.com looking this stuff up. The 1987 Redskins only played 15 games due to a strike or something, so with that extra game if they simply won by 1 TD they are above 100. The 1982 Redskins also had a strike year where only 9 games were played. And the 1970 Colts played 14 back then I'm pretty sure. So really in full 16 game seasons it's narrowed down to the 1980 Raiders, 1988 Niners, and 2001 Patriots. I should point out that the Pats in 2001 most certainly would have gotten above +100 had Brady started the whole year, but with Bledsoe they got their asses kicked a couple of times. Didn't they go 11-3 with Brady after that 0-2 Bledsoe start? I have no idea what happened with the 80 Raiders or the 88 Niners. Did Montana get hurt in 88 or something? The best teams to win the Super Bowl based on this stat are the 99 Rams (+284!), 91 Redskins (261), 85 Bears (+258), 84 Niners (+248), and 96 Packers (+246). The worst teams to make it would have to be the 79 Rams (+14!!!) and the 2003 Panthers (only +21 if you can believe it). The 86 Broncos with Elway and not much else were +51. Then there's perennial jobbers like the 85 Pats and 94 Chargers with +72 and +75 a piece. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sfaJack 0 Report post Posted January 4, 2006 Washington @ Tampa Bay: FUCK THE REDSKINS. Tampa by 7. Jacksonville @ New England: Starting Leftwich is a mistake. Pats by 14. Carolina @ NY Giants: Fuck the Giants up their overrated asses. Panthers by 3. Pittsburgh @ Cincinatti: As the Colts are going to find out next week, there is something to be said for losing your momentum going into the playoffs. Steelers by 4. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Slayer 0 Report post Posted January 4, 2006 Slayer, your stats are misleading however...I just wasted half an hour on NFL.com looking this stuff up. The 1987 Redskins only played 15 games due to a strike or something, so with that extra game if they simply won by 1 TD they are above 100. The 1982 Redskins also had a strike year where only 9 games were played. And the 1970 Colts played 14 back then I'm pretty sure. So really in full 16 game seasons it's narrowed down to the 1980 Raiders, 1988 Niners, and 2001 Patriots. While I will grant my mistake on the '82 season, I think the 1-2 game difference of the other seasons would not make a significant difference. After all, they could just as easily have lost those extra games as they lost. The worst teams to make it would have to be the 79 Rams (+14!!!) This makes sense as the 79 Rams have the worst record of any SB participant at 9-7 The worst record for SB champion is the aforementioned '88 49ers at 10-6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bored 0 Report post Posted January 4, 2006 The '79 Rams were probably the worst team ever to make it to the Super Bowl although they came within in a quarter of pulling off the greatest upset ever as they led the Steelers 19-17 after three. One thing about the '88 49ers is they were a completely different team the second half of the year and the postseason as Montana was in and out of the line-up and Steve Young wasn't the quarterback he'd become at that point (although did have that incredible game winning run against the Vikings). After a humiliating loss to the Cardinals to fall to 6-5 they won their next four games 128-51. They lost their regular season finale against the Rams 38-16 but they pulled all their regulars for that game as they couldn't improve their playoff spot. Then they got revenge on the Vikings 34-9 after being upset the previous year when they had a better team and then had one of the best performances I've ever seen when they crushed the Bears in Soldier Field 28-3. Their late season performance and playoff wins were impressive enough where they were actually heavy favorites over the Bengals even though Cincinnati was the best team in the NFL for most of the year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KingPK 0 Report post Posted January 4, 2006 Furthermore, the Pats have the 2nd worse point differential of any team in the playoffs, +41 (the worst being Tampa Bay at +26). Christ, they aren't even really one of the top 6 teams IN THE AFC this year, as the Chiefs were also 10-6 and beat them head to head. Picking the Pats to go to the Super Bowl is like saying the Redkins would make the Super Bowl, which is actually way more feasible since they've already beaten both Seattle and Chicago. Since the Indy game, their point differential has been double that (+81, +83 if you throw out the Miami game, which had backups play most of the time). The defense is MUCH better than they were two months ago, you can't deny that and the offense is among one of the best in the league (people seem to overlook this) and Corey Dillon hasn't even had that many big yardage games (though he did have 12 TDs). They can hang with any team in the playoffs this year, as there really isn't one "dominating" team in the whole field (the Colts probably peaked around November and Manning's been getting knocked around pretty good the last few games of the year) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UZI Suicide 0 Report post Posted January 4, 2006 Why on earth does everyone think that the Patriots are going to do SHIT? Look they are 10-6 this year, there's no way they are going all that far. Even if they get past Jacksonville they would then have to win at either Indy or Denver the next game and then beat the other team in tha AFC title game. There's like a 5% chance of all that happening. Furthermore, the Pats have the 2nd worse point differential of any team in the playoffs, +41 (the worst being Tampa Bay at +26). Christ, they aren't even really one of the top 6 teams IN THE AFC this year, as the Chiefs were also 10-6 and beat them head to head. Picking the Pats to go to the Super Bowl is like saying the Redkins would make the Super Bowl, which is actually way more feasible since they've already beaten both Seattle and Chicago. In case anyone's wondering here's the point differentials for all the teams in the playoffs, as in the total points scored - points allowed. Indianapolis: +192 Seattle: +181 Denver: +137 Carolina: +132 (this seemed a bit high since they crushed a Falcons team that didn't care in the finale) Pittsburgh: +131 NY Giants: +108 Jacksonville: +92 Cincinnati: +71 (surprising really but their defense sucks) Washington: +66 Chicago: +58 (offense sucks) New England: +41 Tampa Bay: +26 Does anyone have the point differential stats for the past few Super Bowl winners? It seems to me though that anyone under +100 need not apply. Because they have the heart of a champion, and tons of desire. Bill Belichick is the smartest person in the history of the world, and remember you can never count out Tom Brady!!! He will slice up defenses like a surgeon, because he gives it 110% and leaves it all out on the field. I wonder how many hits Tedy Bruschi will get against Jacksonville? I'm guessing around 100. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly Report post Posted January 4, 2006 I don't know if you actually can be a fan of a team while hoping they lose. I mean, wanting them to have more discipline is one thing, but why are actually wishing losses on your favorite team (when they're not in position for a good draft pick)? Are you saying that if the Giants win the SB that you'll be unhappy? And if so, how does that make you a fan? It's one thing to say "They don't deserve to win because of (insert item that needs improvement)," but it's another to say "I don't want them to succeed." The way the Astros hit in the WS this year, I didn't feel like they deserved to win those games, but I cheered for them through all of it. I'm not rooting against the Giants in any games but they don't deserve to win a championship. This is a young team with talent and I don't want their success to be disproportionate to their growth. Penalties and turnovers are mistakes. When you make alot of mistakes, you don't really deserve to win games. The only game that I wanted the Giants to lose this yeaer was the game wehre they completely underestimated the Vikings and had interceptions and punts returned for touchdowns on them. I was rooting for them but iin my hert I felt they deserved to lose because if they won that game, they would think they could play like shit and not prepare for teams and still expect to win. They were second in the league in penalties this season behind the Raiders. The Raiders have talent, but their recoird sucked. The Raiders have more incentive to improve than the Giants do right now because the Raiders lost a lot of games while the Giants didn't. As a case in point, they just fired their coach, Norv Turner. I don't want a team that competes, but doesn't win. I watched the with the Knicks throughout the 90's and it would pis me off that they could compete with goo dteams, but couldn't win championships. I want my team to have a solid foundation. Let's not forget how bad they sucked last season, they had the record to prove it. Unless they experience the consequences of their bad play, they are unlikely to assume that there are copnmsequences to their bad play. People don't appreciate things that come easy to them. I want the Gianst to get to the top and be able to stay at the top. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Czech Republic 0 Report post Posted January 4, 2006 I wonder how many hits Tedy Bruschi will get against Jacksonville? I'm guessing around 100. 105. He'll fly to Cincinnati during halftime to get three hits on the Bengals and two on the Steelers. go pats Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Czech Republic 0 Report post Posted January 4, 2006 I don't mean by plane. He's just gonna flap his arms. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cabbageboy 0 Report post Posted January 4, 2006 You know who the Patriots are eerily similar to this year? The 1996 Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys had won 3 titles in 4 years as well, but in 96 had some problems and finished 10-6. Their point differential was +36, which is almost dead up the same as the Patriots this year. I think they won a wildcard game and then went quietly in the next round against the Carolina Panthers. Sure, the Pats had a much better win differential in the 2nd half against the Jets and Bills of the world. The only playoff team they had was Tampa Bay, which I just showed is the weakest team in the playoffs with a +26 differential. The actual best team they played in the 2nd half was Kansas City, and they got beat pretty soundly. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nl5xsk1 0 Report post Posted January 4, 2006 The fact that one game can really sway a teams points for/points allowed standing shows how worthless that stat is. I mean, at one point didn't Green Bay have horrible won/loss record but a positive +/- because of that one huge win, when they won by 49? The fact of the matter is New England has historically not won or lost by huge margins. I'm actually surprised that their +/- was as high as it was for the Super Bowl runs. Yes, they finished 10-6, but I really doubt that they were trying to win the Miami game on Sunday. The media asked Cassell about that horrible 2-point conversion attempt (that missed the guy by like 6 feet) and he said that with the weather, being nervous, etc etc, he just couldn't make the pass. He was then asked how he made the TD pass just before that play, with complete accuracy & velocity ... he was quiet a second and then said, "my hands were sweaty". I really get the impression he was told to make it look good, but not too good. No reason to go to OT and risk a worst-case-scenario. Just getting to the playoffs was all that they wanted, not necessarily the #3 seed. You know what pisses me off about the sarcasm about Pats fans? The first thing is that it's true that there are a sickening number of New England fans that think that way and are loud and obnoxious about saying so. The second thing is that it drowns out the sane, normal fans who aren't idiots and assholes. (I like to think that I'm one of the latter. I fully admit bias, but I don't think that I'm a "Bruschi is teh greatest evah. Belichick should be on Mt Rushmore." kind of biased.) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cabbageboy 0 Report post Posted January 4, 2006 Well, point differential isn't necessarily a big deal when it comes to stuff like the Pats in 2001 having +99. One bounce of the ball or so could have gotten them above that magic +100 level. But a +41? If they actually got to the Super Bowl they'd be one of the worst teams to ever make it that far. I know what you mean to some extent though, like trying to say for instance the 1991 Redskins were better than the 1985 Bears since they had a +261 to the Bears +258. Or that the 99 Rams were the best team ever since they had a +284 by beating up on a crappy NFC West. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mike546 0 Report post Posted January 7, 2006 The story going around NY right now is the reason Eli's been so inacurate latley is due to his arm being dead. He threw 481 passes in 02, 441 in 03 and cidn't get much in his first year as a starter in NY. Hes thrown 557 passes this year, and his passes are being limited in practice. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hawk 34 0 Report post Posted January 7, 2006 I'll make my predictions before I forget... Washington 16 Tampa Bay 12 Jacksonville 7 New England 24 Carolina 23 New York 27 Pittsburgh 20 Cincinnati 24 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UZI Suicide 0 Report post Posted January 7, 2006 Tampa Bay 21, Washington 13 New England 28, Jacksonville 6 Carolina 24, New York 21 Pittsburgh 18, Cincinnati 15 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Czech Republic 0 Report post Posted January 7, 2006 Washington 20 Tampa 6 New England 24 Jacksonville 21 I'll do tomorrow later Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Smues Report post Posted January 7, 2006 I want Washington, Carolina, Jacksonville, and Cincinnati to win, but if I had to guess I'd predict Tampa, New York, New England, and Pittsburgh all win this weekend. Redskin game is finally about to start (1:15 listed start time my ass), if it's anywhere near as good as their first game was this season then this'll be a fun game. Tampa 35 Washington 33 New England 28 Jacksonville 9 New York 31 Carolina 28 Pittsburgh 27 Cincinnati 20 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Damaramu 0 Report post Posted January 7, 2006 Ugh......I don't want Christy Simms to win a playoff game but I don't want the Redskins to win one either. Damn....this game sucks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fökai 0 Report post Posted January 7, 2006 I'm pulling for the Redskins for Portis' sake. Do the same. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Smues Report post Posted January 7, 2006 TB fumble recovered by Washington, fumbled, recovered again by Washington and run back for a TD. If that's not overturned than awesome. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Smues Report post Posted January 7, 2006 Stand stand stand stand YAY the play is upheld, touchdown. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanadianChris 0 Report post Posted January 7, 2006 Washington up 14-0, and I'm not even sure they've had the ball yet (just tuned in). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Smues Report post Posted January 7, 2006 Umm there were 3 redskins on that ball and no bucs, how does that ref signal Tampa ball? They eventually signalled Redskin ball, but I saw at least one guy signalling for Tampa. Odd. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Failed Bridge 0 Report post Posted January 7, 2006 The Redskins are turning into a MASH Unit. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
