January 21, 2010 by
Paul Preibisius |
49ers,
atlanta,
Bears,
Broncos,
carolina,
chicago,
Denver,
Dolphins,
falcons,
Football,
Giants,
houston,
Jacksonville,
Jaguars,
Miami,
New York,
NFL,
Panthers,
pittsburgh,
Playoffs,
san francisco,
Steelers,
tennessee,
Texans,
Titans
With several teams falling just short of the playoffs this year, it begs the question, what of these teams can find a way to secure the two or three extra wins necessary to take themselves into the playoffs. This mid-range covers all 7-9 and 8-8 teams, as well as the 9-7’s that fell short of a wildcard berth.
Chicago Bears
The Bear narrowly avoided entrance to the first list by way of back to back wins to close out the year. A preseason darling for a deep postseason run, Chicago lands itself as one of the biggest disappointments of the year.
Why They Can: Defensive emotional leader Brian Urlacher was gone for the year. With him back the team will have more fire and swagger. Jay Cutler may be turnover prone, but he can air the [...]
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January 19, 2010 by
Paul Preibisius |
championship,
Colts,
Indianapolis,
Jets,
minnesota,
new orleans,
New York,
NFL,
Playoffs,
Saints,
Super Bowl,
Vikings
Now that the NFL’s final four has been set, an array of interesting storylines emerge. Each team has its own story, own reason for making the super bowl interesting. Here’s a look at the stories going on beyond the facts and figures.
Indianapolis
Holding the top record in the NFL at 14-2. Indianapolis has probably the most pressure of any team in this round. The Colts have (by far) the most recent super bowl victory or even just appearance of any of the four teams involved. They have an MVP quarterback and a superior record.
So why the concern and pressure? First of all, they shook some, but not all of the concern regarding the team’s concept of benching starters to prevent injury and rest them up. They came out strong and soundly defeated the [...]
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When the Chargers went to face the Jets, they were a hot team looking to advance to face an opponent they had historically fared quite well against. Something happened in between the start of the playoffs and that date with Indianapolis however. The Jets.
Vincent Jackson, expected to be shut down by Darrell Revis had seven catches for 111 yards. Phillip Rivers put up nearly 300 yards. Mark Sanchez was held to being perfectly average, with just 100 yards on 12 of 23 passing with a TD and a pick. Thomas Jones was even stuff for less than three yards a carry and the attacking Jets defense only managed two sacks.
On paper most of what the Chargers wanted to happen would have seemed to. But in a game of inches, the team was buried on three plays.
The first goes to Nate [...]
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Dear Loyal Bills' Fans,
Please allow me to apologize for another long, frustrating, boring, uneventful and non-playoff season. Adding to the last eight years of a playoff drought, I regretfully add this past season as our ninth season without post-season play.
Yes, I agree with you that we have done very little at retaining great players, drafting well and sticking with a coach. We also have a very hard time maintaining an offensive scheme, maintaining quarterbacks and running backs and following [...]
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The second round of the NFL playoffs have now been decided. In the AFC midseason monster Cincinnati and perennial powerhouse New England were both roughed up at home by their wildcard opponents. Coming out of the fifth seed, the victorious New York Jets are now the team San Diego will face in the divisional round.
New York topped the Bengals 24-14 in Cincinnati to advance to the divisional round of a playoffs they nearly missed. The Jets slipped to 4-6 by week 11, suffering a 1-6 skid after looking strong in by opening the year with a three game winning streak that included a statement match against division rival New England.
The Jets once more caught fire to closed the year with five wins in six games. The run included a match against Indianapolis where the Colts lead the [...]
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