Woo hoo! Tuesday!!
Ravens' road to playoffs clear: Better earn home field Sunday - NFL - CBSSports.com News, Rumors, Scores, Stats, Fantasy Advice
Now that the Cincinnati Bengals are urging fans to show up for Sunday's game, I suggest the Baltimore Ravens respond with a similar message -- only aim it at their players. Because if they don't show up on the road again, the Ravens' chances of reaching the Super Bowl are in serious jeopardy. They might be anyway. Baltimore hasn't exactly looked overwhelming in its past four starts. All I know is that this team is better off in the playoffs -- much better off -- at home where it can't lose, and it gets there only with a victory Sunday in Cincinnati.
Week 16 thoughts: Vikings put Peterson in harm's way for no reason - NFL - CBSSports.com News, Rumors, Scores, Stats, Fantasy Advice
6. St Loius -- The Rams have one game left with San Francisco, and if they lose (which I think will happen), and if the Colts beat Jacksonville, they will have the first pick in the draft. If the Rams fire Steve Spagnuolo it would be unfortunate. I believe the Rams could be next year's Bengals. This will be the best job in the NFL as far as openings go, except for possibly of the San Diego job being available. I would not trade Sam Bradford. He played well a year ago. He just needs some help at wide receiver and a speed back. If their injured tackles, Roger Saffold and Jason Smith, come back, and they re-sign Brandon Lloyd to go along with Lance Kendricks (TE) and Greg Scales (WR), this offense will look completely different. With the first pick in the draft and Andrew Luck as a trade option, this becomes a great trade opportunity to build this football team.
There isn't one thing that I have outlined here that would not happen if Steve Spagnuolo is the head coach next year. On defense you have two good ends in Chris Long and rookie Robert Quinn, a middle linebacker in James Laurinaitis and some good young secondary talent when healthy. If Spagnuolo is let go he will have his pick of jobs as a defensive coordinator. The tragic part of this is if Spagnuolo had stayed in New York, he would have been the heir apparent to Tom Coughlin when he retires. Spagnuolo was advised not to take the Rams job because the team was going to be sold. I hope he doesn't regret taking the job.
Advanced NFL Stats: The Importance of Playoff Seeding
This is the time of the year for joy and family and gifts--all that good stuff. But more importantly, it’s also the time for teams to jockey for playoff seeds. I get the sense that the conventional wisdom is that yes, seeds are somewhat important, but the notion that ‘just get in the playoffs and anything can happen’ is the dominant view. But as we'll see, seeding is critically important.
Advanced NFL Stats: How Important is Opponent Starting Field Position?
Earlier this season, I wrote a post about how San Francisco did an excellent job limiting their opponent's starting field position. After a similar dominant performance against Pittsburgh in Week 15, I decided to revisit this topic. This year, the 49ers lead all teams in average starting field position for their opponents; their opponents, on average, start at their own 24.4 yardline. The next best teams? New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers. In fact, this year, there is a 0.73 correlation between win percentage and average opponent starting field position.
FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | Audibles at the Line: Week 16
Each Sunday, the FO staff sends around e-mails about the games that each of us are watching. We share information about the games that the rest of the group might not be watching, ask questions, and keep everyone else informed about which games they might want to tune into (if they can).
Re-Focused: Rams @ Steelers, Week 16 | ProFootballFocus.com
Without Ben Roethlisberger I thought maybe the St Louis Rams could spread a little Christmas cheer to their fans by causing an upset against the Pittsburgh Steelers. I was wrong to even contemplate it.
Re-Focused: Cardinals @ Bengals, Week 16 | ProFootballFocus.com
At half time the Cincinnati Bengals were coasting. A 20 point lead and a further field goal in the third quarter stretched it to 23. Mission accomplished; a comfortable victory to keep their playoff hopes alive and end the Arizona Cardinals playoff hopes. In the end the Bengals did win out, but a mini fourth quarter collapse put their ability to control their own destiny, in the playoff race, in doubt. But for the most untimely trip of the season, they would likely have been headed to an overtime period with a Cardinals team that has shown itself capable of pulling off the biggest plays in overtime periods to put away their opponent. The Bengals flirted with disaster in the fourth but their win, combined with a New York Jets loss, sees a sixth seed in an AFC North dominated playoffs within their grasp.
Larry Fitzgerald's father takes shots at Early Doucet | National Football Post
WR's brother once ragged on Kurt Warner publicly
Analyzing the 2011-12 FBS head coaching changes | National Football Post
Many programs across the country are looking for fresh starts.
Week 16 NFL Rewind | National Football Post
Rodgers lights up the Bears, Lions are playoff bound, Brady, Tebow's INTs, the Jets and more.
NFL.com Blogs " Blog Archive Rams could make run at Fisher "
The names of Titans coach Jeff Fisher and former Steelers coach Bill Cowher are the first to come up on the hot list of candidates to replace coaches on the hot seat.
NFL.com news: Saints WR Colston scheduled to become free agent in 2012
Signing franchise quarterback Drew Brees will no doubt be the priority for the New Orleans Saints once their chase of another Super Bowl title comes to an end. But the Saints will have other priority players to lock up.
NFL.com news: Jets players still have confidence in struggling offense
The New York Jets are on life support, and the process has already begun in finding out who's to blame.
Seahawks 17, Niners 19 – The Aftermath
Sorry I am a day late getting this out to you. Been kinda busy around here. More on that in a bit. Anyway, it was a pretty decent game against the San Francisco 49ers. Seattle took a quick lead with a TD on their opening drive, held that lead throughout the first half, lost the lead in the third, retook it in the 4th, and lost it again. All in all the Seahawks did decent. Obviously not good enough to win but decent. Here are a few of the highlights for me:
Dave Krieg's Strike Beard: Seahawks Top 10 Regular Season Finales
The Seahawks go into Glendale on New Year's Day striving to level their record at 8-8, which would provide the team (and us Twelves) a pleasant conclusion to a hope-building season. In our franchise history, Seattle is a maddeningly inconclusive/mediocre 18-17 in regular season finales. Here's the Top 10 wins that either sent us into the offseason on a rousing high note, or in some cases rocketed us headlong into the postseason- Enjoy!
Tarvaris Jackson: The Christmas Socks of the Seahawks " The Matchups Zone
When I was growing up, we called pairs of socks we got for Christmas "Ooh, Socks!" It was said with an exacted amount of faux enthusiasm, like Ashton Kutcher apologizing for cheating on his old wife with a younger woman. Did we like the socks? Not really. But they were one of those practical presents that are necessary for the coming year. And so, they were "Ooh, Socks!"
Seattle Seahawks, road warriors? | HeraldNet.com - Seahawks blog
OK, OK, so finishing the season with a .500 road record hardly counts as dominance, but if the Seahawks can win at Arizona, they'd finish the year with a 4-4 mark away from CenturyLink Field, something they haven't done since 2006. Since that year, Seattle has gone 3-5, 2-6, 1-7 and 2-6 on the road.
Carroll optimistic about Seahawks' future prospects - Blog - MyNorthwest.com
Saturday's 19-17 loss to the NFC West champion San Francisco 49ers may have ended the Seahawks season, but head coach Pete Carroll sounded more than optimistic about the future of his young team. "I'm most proud that we've found our way to win football games -- we've found our style," coach Carroll told the "Brock & Salk Show" on Monday. "In that, we've done it in a fashion that we're really fired up about. A formula that will give us a chance to be a championship football team."
Carroll won’t empty bench for Arizona game | Seahawks Insider
If you’re looking for guys on the end of the roster like third team quarterback Josh Portis, offensive lineman Jarriel King and safety Jeron Johnson to get more playing time this week with Seattle officially out of the playoffs, you might have to wait to see those guys again next preseason. "We don’t plan on changing," Seattle head coach Pete Carroll said. "We want to see if we can finishing this thing off right and get a win there. It’s going to be very difficult. Arizona’s playing great football right now. But we’re going for it. We’re not shifting gear or changing. We’re not going to try and learn a whole bunch in one game of new things. We’re going to try and continue to finish this year out the way we’ve set a pace here now."
Seahawks Blog | Three things we learned: 49ers 19, Seahawks 17 | Seattle Times Newspaper
The turnaround in Seattle's running game is for real. When the Bears stymied the Seahawks ground game in Week 14, you had to wonder whether Seattle's rushing success in the second-half of the season was at least partly due to circumstance. Yes, Seattle had run the ball well against Dallas and Baltimore -- two well-regarded run defenses -- but the Seahawks had also faced the Rams (twice) and the Eagles. On Saturday, the Seahawks became the first team to rush for a touchdown against San Francisco this year, and Marshawn Lynch became the first player in 25 months to gain 100 yards on the ground against the 49ers. Consider that Seattle did all that without three starters on the offensive line, it's a validation of the progress Seattle has made on the ground.
Seahawks Blog | Seahawks' Ben Obomanu, Marshawn Lynch battling injuries | Seattle Times Newspaper
Wide receiver Ben Obomanu suffered a sprained knee during Saturday's game against San Francisco, and running back Marshawn Lynch had a sore ankle, according to coach Pete Carroll.
A finale with finality
Yes, the Seahawks were eliminated from the playoff chase with Saturday's loss to the 49ers. But no, Pete Carroll is not altering his play-to-win-and-only-to-win plans for Sunday's finale against the Cardinals.
Seahawks.com Blog | Monday in Hawkville "
FOCUS ON The Pro Bowl. The Seahawks have not had any players voted to the NFL’s all-star game since 2008, when left tackle Walter Jones and linebacker Julian Peterson were named to the NFC squad.
Silver linings: Seahawks vs. 49ers - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The facts: The Seattle Seahawks fell to 7-8 with a 19-17 home defeat to the San Francisco 49ers.
2012 NFL draft order as Week 16 nears end - NFC West Blog - ESPN - While the San Francisco 49ers fans sweat over playoff seeding, those following the other NFC West teams have 2012 NFL draft order to consider heading into Week 17.
Courtney Upshaw game tape vs Ole Miss & Tennessee " Seahawks Draft Blog - I mocked Courtney Upshaw (DE/OLB) to the Seahawks in this week’s mock draft but I’m still trying to work out whether he fits Seattle’s scheme and desires with a high first round pick. If he’s limited to the LEO, is that a position they believe can be filled without the need for top-end investment (see: Chris Clemons)? Would they consider using more orthodox 3-4 looks to accommodate a player like Upshaw? He’s not the lean, fluid pass rusher I’d associate with the LEO, so can his ability to generate leverage and shed blocks negate some of the issues? I’m still working on Upshaw and trying to work out where he fits in the 2012 draft. More importantly, I’m trying to work out whether he fits in Seattle.