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2005 NFL Season
- Thread starter Cfg5
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So you're contending that the loss is because the Panthers played like crap, not because the Bears 'D' limited an offense that averages almost 28 points a game to 3?clayj said:
Ha. The Panthers played like crap because the Bears forced them to.
Granted, the Bears don't have a high-powered offense, in general, but when you limit opponents to an average of 11 points a game, you don't need one.
The Bears' D is plenty tough... let's call it a combination of their D and our O sometimes being REALLY bad (e.g., vs. the Lions earlier this season).emw said:
I can't believe the way Washington played. First quarter looked tight, but it was pretty downhill from there. Brunell and the wideouts just look out of synch. He was horrible throwing deep. Throwing underneath, to Cooley for example, worked well but they got away from it in the 2nd half. Which I didn't understand, I mean why stop doing what works (underneath) and keep forcing what isn't anywhere close to working (going deep). Portis looked good... until he coughed it up twice. Then there was Cooley's fumble outta bounds and Brunell losing the ball on the last play of the game. 4 fumbles, three lost. Ya can't win games like that. Oakland made some good adjustments at half time 'cause the 2nd half Washington couldn't get to Collins at all. I'm not gonna linger on the 2nd botched goal line call in 2wks 'cause the 'Skins did enough to beat themselves, but they've been getting some questionable calls go against them this season. But turnovers is the big killer. 'Skins are -13 on turnovers and it's just amazing they can keep the games close. Eliminate the turnovers and Washington would be 7-3, IMO.
Falcons lost (yay). Bears are more legit now than they were last week. Steelers can't wait to get Ben back. Cincy still hasn't beat a winning team and the Colts are headed for their first real challenge of the year (assuming Ben doesn't have too much rust on him). McNabb is done for the season and I'm sure Philly wishes it could just fast forward to next year.
Lethal
Falcons lost (yay). Bears are more legit now than they were last week. Steelers can't wait to get Ben back. Cincy still hasn't beat a winning team and the Colts are headed for their first real challenge of the year (assuming Ben doesn't have too much rust on him). McNabb is done for the season and I'm sure Philly wishes it could just fast forward to next year.
Lethal
Burgh
Tommy Maddox didn't lose the game for us...
He didn't throw any picks..and is still physically intact....
That being said, the O-line was some other team...it wasn't the burgh..Tre Essex was starting for the first time on the line..maybe that's why..just sad.
Baltimore always plays the burgh very well, but I saw a loss coming. Twice this year the Burgh goes to O.T (with Tommy) Twice we win the coin toss, Twice we have to punt AND we stop the opposing team and get the ball back..and Twice we follow the defensive stop up with a turnover..losing by a field goal. Odd.
Indi will be interesting. I'm not sure what to think about this game. I think the Burgh has a really good chance if we can keep it close, and if Ben can play. But a complete blow out with Indi winning by multiple touchdows is not out of the question.
luckily there are still many games to go. I love football season.
Tommy Maddox didn't lose the game for us...
He didn't throw any picks..and is still physically intact....
That being said, the O-line was some other team...it wasn't the burgh..Tre Essex was starting for the first time on the line..maybe that's why..just sad.
Baltimore always plays the burgh very well, but I saw a loss coming. Twice this year the Burgh goes to O.T (with Tommy) Twice we win the coin toss, Twice we have to punt AND we stop the opposing team and get the ball back..and Twice we follow the defensive stop up with a turnover..losing by a field goal. Odd.
Indi will be interesting. I'm not sure what to think about this game. I think the Burgh has a really good chance if we can keep it close, and if Ben can play. But a complete blow out with Indi winning by multiple touchdows is not out of the question.
luckily there are still many games to go. I love football season.
The pick was a freak play - Hines Ward was held, he tried to make the catch anyway and it carommed off his foot way up into the air, the defender made a great play to catch it.LethalWolfe said:
The fumble was debatable (but probably correct) - his arm was coming forward - but Pittsburgh couldn't challenge because they were out of timeouts.
They would've won the game with Roethlisberger, but Maddox wasn't really the reason they lost. They lost because the O-line laid an egg. Maddox was constantly under pressure, and he's no scrambler - and the running game couldn't get on track. Also, the officiating was simply awful. They bought a comical acting job by Kyle Boller for a 15-yard penalty, and seemed to forget how to call pass interference. But you have to still win those games, and they didn't. Hopefully the line can get it together quick, or it's going to be a long game against Indy.
Actually it will be interesting to see what happens against Peyton. I'm not sure how he's going to react to the Steelers constantly changing defense with calling plays at the line. I predict a few false starts and delays of game. Of course, the Steelers will probably have a bunch of false starts too trying to block Freeney. I think the real key though is whether Pittsburgh can run. If they can't, it's over. If they can, it'll be a classic close game that people will talk about for the rest of the season....
Dave
I'm just still having a tough time buying the Seahawks. I think they'll get home field, and probably win the first round, but lose in the NFC championship game. They just don't have any experience as a team with high-pressure games. Although, none of the good NFC teams this year really have much playoff experience, except Atlanta, and there's another team that doesn't seem capable of really doing much in January.yellow said:
In the AFC, it's going to be the Colts or the Steelers, or possibly the Patriots (gasp) for the same reason. Denver won't have the legs.
Dave
I just think the Sqwaks are the sleeper NFC team. I was shocked that they were 7-2. The NFC is so weak this year (again) and what strong teams did exist are now destroyed by injury. It's going to be another NFC playoffs with 8-8 teams as the top seed in their division. Ugh.
There's no way the Pats are going to the SB. And I'm a Pats fan.
There's no way the Pats are going to the SB. And I'm a Pats fan.
Dave00 said:
They will just have to do what the Bengals did this week. Freeney didn't have one tackle. Of course they still let the colts put 45 points on the board, but they did get rid of Freeney.
xli_ne said:
Freeney was also a non-factor in the New England game.
How about another angle on the unbeaten Colts story. Should Dungy rest the starters the last couple of games, even if it means a loss, to keep them fresh for the playoffs? How important is the record in relation to a ring?
Lethal
Showdown!
I am looking for a Denver vs. Indy showdown in the AFC Championship game. I think they are the two best teams in the AFC. As for the NFC, I can't see one team that really has it together. The Seahawks look good, but I think they will fold like a house of cards when they get someone pressuring them. Dallas looks good as of late, and the Bears don't look bad. Overall the NFC looks weak and will get crushed by the AFC.
Superbowl Prediction: Indianapolis vs Dallas... Indianapolis Wins
I am looking for a Denver vs. Indy showdown in the AFC Championship game. I think they are the two best teams in the AFC. As for the NFC, I can't see one team that really has it together. The Seahawks look good, but I think they will fold like a house of cards when they get someone pressuring them. Dallas looks good as of late, and the Bears don't look bad. Overall the NFC looks weak and will get crushed by the AFC.
Superbowl Prediction: Indianapolis vs Dallas... Indianapolis Wins
Damn, what is with all this NFC hatin' on here. I have a feeling most of you don't follow football a lot and just say that the NFC is weak because you hear it on tv. Just because it doesn't have on clear cut dominant team doesn't mean it's a bad conference. The Seahawks, Bears, Cowboys, Bucs, Panthers, and Giants are all just as good as all of the winning teams (minus indy) in the AFC.
Cfg5 said:
What are the current stats on AFC beating NFC teams when they play? I seem to recall that they were weighted quite strongly towards the AFC this year - of the ones youv'e listed, I'd put the Seahawks in with the top of the AFC, the others would probably still sit below Denver, San Diego.
The Buccs are not a good team; they've been darned lucky with a couple of calls in the final minute. That Pollard TD that was overturned was appalling. I saw them lose to San Francisco a few weeks ago and they looked dreadful.
I saw the Giants play too - they did beat SF but again, didn't look all that impressive in doing so. I suspect Eli can be rattled by a good D and some pressure on him.
The Bears defense is excellent but their offense is stuck in first gear most of the time. Orton is doing a great job for a rookie QB but part of their success is due to excellent field position by their defense - an important part of the game, sure - but if they ever go down by a couple of scores, I don't think they'll be able to pull it back.
The Cowboys are a good team although I wonder with Bledsoe's stats dropping whether other teams are doing a better job of preparing to face them. Again the Seahawks are a good team; they let SF back into the game on Sunday but I suspect that was more to do with their attitude thinking they've won the game. I do believe that they are under-rated and Shaun Alexander really doesn't get the kudos he deserves. If he played in NYC, he'd be revered and pushed much more highly.
Any thoughts on how they did it? The thing that concerns me is that the Steelers have an injury on the left side of the line and the replacement is a rookie, Trai Essex. I think they basically have to find a way to run the ball effectively. I think they can actually do it if they can get Parker to the outside - I don't think the Colts are fast enough to keep up with him.xli_ne said:
Dave
I think any NFL player would much rather have a ring than an unbeaten season. The issue of resting starters, however, is that once you let up, it's hard to get that edge back. I don't think Belichick rests his starters for "meaningless" games, for instance, and look what he's done. I don't think you'd play someone hurt and risk further injury; but I don't think you'd hold key players out if they're healthy. Besides, the Colts only have a 2-game lead on home-field advantage, which can evaporate quickly.LethalWolfe said:
Dave
Dave00 said:
They have a good o-line and Palmer has good pocket presence, Freeney isn't superman.
Dave00 said:
I'm talking the 2nd half of the last game or two (assuming they have home field locked up). It would look kinda foolish if Peyton, Edge or Harrison gets hurt in the 3rd or 4rth quarter of a meaningless game.
As far as resting players goes, like lots of coaching things, different strokes for different folks. Holmgren gave the Packers a week off during the season they won the Super Bowl, and he recently did it again w/Seattle. And coaches routinely bench starters if there is garbage time at the end of a game.
Lethal
Yikes, I'd hate to be the Giants placekicker. 3 missed potential gamewinning kicks. Granted, the second was a real long one, but it seemed to get in his head - the last one was very makeable. Also, I've never understood this policy of getting into field goal range, and then sitting on it without taking a shot or two at getting closer or even scoring the touchdown. I bet if you went with percentages, you'd have a higher likelihood of scoring than turning it over. Especially when play-action is going to have such a huge bite on it...
Dave
Dave
So Mooch is the first coaching casualty of the season; and my short-term affair with the Lions is over as a result.
I'm slightly surprised by this firing since I can't quite see how Millen has kept his job. He hired both Morningwheg and Mooch and now, having fired them, still has his job with a 5 year extension. He's the one who drafted Harrington and those 3 first-round receivers while neglecting the O-line (one of the reasons that Harrington and the receivers have struggled) after all...
I'll add that I don't think Dick Jauron, as interim coach, is the answer either; he seems better as a co-ordinator than a head coach.
I'm slightly surprised by this firing since I can't quite see how Millen has kept his job. He hired both Morningwheg and Mooch and now, having fired them, still has his job with a 5 year extension. He's the one who drafted Harrington and those 3 first-round receivers while neglecting the O-line (one of the reasons that Harrington and the receivers have struggled) after all...
I'll add that I don't think Dick Jauron, as interim coach, is the answer either; he seems better as a co-ordinator than a head coach.
Applespider said:
I think Jauron could be a decent head coach provided that he could find a good offensive coordinator to compliment him (i.e. not John Shoop).
That being said, I'm glad he's not in Chicago anymore.
Go Bears
