Why are you bringing a knife to a gunfight?
If there has been one thing that I have learned about this NFL season as it begins to wind down , with but one game to go on the sixteen week schedule . It has been that a number of teams came into the year, with a great deal of high aspirations, as well as being ill-prepared. That was clearly the case, with teams such as the Atlanta Falcons , Buffalo Bills , Dallas Cowboys , New York Jets , Houston Texans , the ‘ always putrid’ Oakland Raiders , Washington Redskins , Tampa Bay Buccaneers , Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings . A great deal of what fans have witnessed this season , has been extremely poor coaching , highly overrated players, but above all, a watering down of an NFL product that has become so bland .
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Slideshow.
In a season that has provided few memorable highlights , Denver Broncos’ quarterback Peyton Manning remains on a quest to rewrite the history books. This year was no exception with the player, as he surpassed the mark for touchdown passes in a season and could very well come within close proximity for breaking the single season yardage mark for passing yards. Such as been the play of the four-time league MVP , that it seems asinine to suggest that there has been another player in the league in 2013, who is even remotely close to be seen as a legitimate challenger in stopping Manning from winning what would be an unprecedented fifth league MVP award.
The Denver Broncos, having secured their postseason berth, in winning the AFC West with considerable ease , as the challenge from Kansas City Chiefs , simply petered out , after the Chiefs’ loss to the Indianapolis Colts . Peyton Manning and the Broncos, simply wrapped up the division, with their 37-13 rout of the now determinedly incompetent Houston Texans. Mindful of that must now be expected of what now must be expected of the team, as they are likely to be viewed as the AFC’s top ranked contender for the Superbowl . Anything short of an appearance in the league’s showcase event will undoubtedly be seen as a tremendous disappointment not only for the players but also for the organization , led by owner Pat Bowlen and Head of Football Operations John Elway . The former Broncos’ great has a fashioned a team in his own guise, that was simply reminiscent of his playing days and his having led this particular franchise to back to back Superbowl appearances and victories .
The Broncos’ final game of the season , will be against the Oakland Raiders at the Oakland Alameda County Stadium ( O Coliseum) , in Oakland , California . Having gained 5211 passing yards for the season, along with fifty-one touchdown passes , Peyton Manning needs only 266 yards to erase Drew Brees’ mark of 5476 yards from 2011 . I believe that Manning will be able to break that mark with ease , against a Raiders’ secondary that simply has been ineffective all season long !
Disappointment of the fans, cannot be made up for, by the blatant stupidity of a coach , general manager or an NFL team owner . Nowhere has this been more well-chronicled and demonstrated than with the respective seasons of the Atlanta Falcons , Dallas Cowboys And Washington Redskins . As to this idiocy , façade that has been rationalized and far too often subscribed to by analysts and fans alike, that shrewd businessmen make for great professional sports’ owners . Well , it has been abundantly clear that this season Arthur Blank , Jerry Jones and Dan Snyder are and have been about as dumb as they come , in terms of their collective custodianship of the franchises they own. Collectively, these three individuals have a combined wealth exceeding $8.5 billion , but the collective and singular IQ of a comatose and neurologically challenged traffic accident victim. . The three teams combined, are 17-30 over the course of this season and one could surmise that the respective records of all three , is a true reflection of where each franchise ought to be . Mike Smith , head coach of the Atlanta Falcons and his staff , have a team that seemingly does not possess the heart or will to succeed , much less eke out a win of any sort . All of this from a franchise that last season was seen as a legitimate contender within the NFC for the Superbowl, only for the Falcons to once again fall short of their target , while an overpaid and over-hyped quarterback in Matt Ryan continues to flounder and disappoint .
A 4-10 season sums up the trials and tribulations of the Atlanta Falcons’ year and their task will not get any easier when they are the guests of the San Francisco 49ers , tonight in an NFC game of utmost importance for both teams . The Forty Niners , who will be seeking secure themselves a high seeding within the NFC, for the postseason, having failed to make a successful defense of their 2012 NFC West divisional title . It is highly unlikely that the Falcons will be able to stop the Forty Niners at any point during this game , given Atlanta’s own predilection to just self-implode at the most inopportune of moments , with a defense that simply is bereft of talent along with a less than potent offense .
I guess, if there were several words, that could be used the describe the Washington Redskins’ season . Then the adjectives. one would be looking for would be an unmitigated disaster , wherein Mike Shanahan and his coaching staff have simply become lost in the idiocy , whereby there seems to be rhyme or reasoning behind many of the in game decisions being made by the head coach. With what, now appears to be a simmering and soured relationship between Shanahan and last season’s number two overall pick from the 2012 NFL Draft . It has to be said, that Robert Griffin III and his head coach have now reached “the point of no return” , as to their relationship and the cordiality between the two. Dan Snyder, the franchise’s flamboyant and outgoing owner, has presided over a decade of under-achievement, coaching and managerial stupidity. Never mind, the fact , that GM Bruce Allen continues to remain silent on the ever-widening chasm within the organization and the very fact this season has become one of the worst in recent franchise history, beyond the excuses being made concerning Griffin’s form and health in 2013.
As if to further emphasize, how inept the Redskins have now become . In a contest between two struggling divisional teams , Washington faltered against divisional rivals the Dallas Cowboys in a rather uninspiring game , where the Cowboys themselves showed , that , were they to make the postseason , they are likely to be summarily dismissed by their wildcard round opponent . It would not be outrageous to suggest that this season in particular the NFC East is simply devoid of inspirational play , much less a team that could be thought as a threat to anyone within the NFL. As to the bloviate morons, calling the coaching mindset of Philadelphia Eagles’ head coach Chip Kelly as being outstanding , clearly, those who have fallen into that trap, are just as devoid of intelligence as the members of the US House and Senate !
The more I continue to hear Jerry Jones try to sing the praises of the Dallas Cowboys each season , the more I believe him , devoid of reality and anything he purports to be his knowledge of late, in assembling a championship caliber team . That clearly, has not been the case, with the franchise in close to a decade, in spite of the numerous coaching changes made during that time-span. The fait-accompli, now appears to be Jones’ unbridled passion for head coach Jason Garrett , who in many respects has been as clueless as the Cowboys’ owner on a wide variety of issues as it relates to the coaching of the team and his actually being able to communicate with his players on a competitive level . The Dallas Cowboys lack leadership both on and off the field of play. With no one willing to challenge the authority of Jerry Jones , and his never-ending micromanaging every facet of the franchise , from their personnel decisions even the play calling in some instances . It easy to understand why, in recent seasons, the franchise has become more known as a theater of comedic errors , than for being a competitive NFL team. I could continue to lambast Tony Romo , who from season to season , simply shows us that at best , he is nothing more than a good regular season quarterback. A championship caliber quarterback, he clearly is not , and only an idiot would countenance anything along those lines .
It’s no use having a highly explosive offense in today’s NFL , when your defense is simply unable to keep you in a tightly contested game or where the coaching acumen of the staff in recent weeks has continually come into question . Over the past five weeks to see the Detroit Lions’ fall from grace , where the team itself seemed on the verge of perhaps tying up the NFC North . Head coach Jim Schwartz is now trying to suggest that he doesn’t see the team’s failing in that time-frame a failure , but merely the players losing direction and focus. My question, is there a damn difference between failure , losing focus, losing three straight and four of your last five games ? Schwartz is either an idiot, seeking to blow smoke up everyone’s ass or the very same coach who in having succeeded Rod Marinelli’s hapless 0-16 , 2008 roster , then proceeded to chalk up a 2-14 record , in his first full season as head coach in 2009.
With the makeup of this team on offense in particular , with quarterback Matt Stafford , wide receivers Calvin Johnson , Nate Burleson , running backs Joique Bell and Reggie Bush . It is hard to comprehend how this roster can simply fall apart in the way that it has done , until you realize that the defense remains susceptible and as inept as any other in the NFL that seems insistent in not exhibiting that trait of being a competent secondary. Schwartz, often a rambunctious individual, likes not to be pointed out of his flaws and that of his coaching staff , concerning the Lions’ play. Yet somehow, his demeanor during these post-game interviews and all too abrupt behavior , beyond being a sign of weakness has never been met with a fine of any sort , when he has sought to respond to the convened press with a flurry of expletives .
The Chicago Bears now appear to be in the driver’s seat within the NFC North as they lead the division with an 8-7 , followed by the Green Bay Packers (7-7-1) , Lions (7-8) , and lastly the anemic Minnesota Vikings (4-10-1). Detroit’s three-point loss to the New York Giants this past Sunday at Ford Field in Detroit , Michigan , may well have sealed the team’s fate and their now minute chance of making the postseason . Their final game of the season, against the Minnesota Vikings will go a long in way in quite possibly determining the fate of Jim Schwartz and his coaching staff. . Team EVP Tom Lewand and GM Martin Mayhew beyond having to gauge this roster and making the decisions as to how they enter next season , will have to address what now appears to be the fans’ growing discontent with the team, the head coach , and Schwartz’s long-term future with the franchise.
I do not know if you can describe the bravado now being shown by Rex Ryan as “true grit” , or someone who now realizes that the writing is now on the wall , in terms of his tenure as the head coach of the New York Jets . An indifferent season , a rookie quarterback in Geno Smith who was thrown in at the deep end, and whose performances , while admirable in some cases , underscores the fact that the player was simply not ready for the NFL. The options for the Jets at the position were indeed limited , with the coaching staff and front office having very little faith in former incumbent starter , Mark Sanchez. Needless to say, with Sanchez surprisingly, remaining on the roster , you kind of get the feeling that the franchise is likely to return to something old, while something new gets placed on the sidelines , while he learns the nuances of the game and the position as a whole. Throughout much of this season , Smith’s weaknesses were exhibited repeatedly in several games , and a great deal of that responsibility has to be borne by Rex Ryan and quarterbacks’ coach David Lee .
Rex Ryan’s fate and future, does not now lie in his own hands, but in the hands of GM John Idzik , who is likely to deliberate in great depth, with team owner Woody Johnson , as to the beleaguered head coach’s tenure and whether or not he remains the Jets’ most viable option moving forward .
If the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins were meant to be seen as serious challengers to the New England Patriots , as Bill Belichick and his players sought to make a successful defense of their AFC East title. Then this season, has to be seen as a profound disappointment for the Jets as well as the Dolphins. Neither team seemed to be able to sustain a worthwhile challenge throughout the year and questions are likely to be asked about Joe Philbin and the staff, albeit , that there were growing signs in the maturity and in the play of Ryan Tannehill . Unfortunately, the season for Miami will be more renowned for the fact that Richie Incognito’s infamous off-field antics , the franchise’s handling of the situation and the blatant apathy and stupidity of the fans who somehow feel that racially sensitive and sexually derogatory remarks somehow belong in the workplace and can be easily excused by hiding behind the idiom of “freedom of expression” . How fucking pathetic do you have to be, to countenance such behavior ?
The Miami Dolphins will play host to the New York Jets in their final games of the season, when the two teams meet at Landshark Stadium , in Miami this upcoming Sunday , in what is sure to be a competitive divisional contest. New England meanwhile, having secured the AFC East , will now seek to close out their season on a competitive high when they face the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro , Massachusetts, while also seeking to reinforce their status as a legitimate contender within the AFC as the number two seed and a contender for the Superbowl .
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Picture gallery .
With but a week to go, in the NFL regular season , I believe that this has simply reiterated, that while the league remains extremely popular , the coaching and the play of the teams have now tedious and monstrously boring for a wide variety of reasons , that while too numerous to mention , can essentially be summed up by stating that the league hierarchy has made the game far too generic and without creativity . What if anything do you believe to be has been the most exciting event to take place during the year within the NFL ? By all means, leave a comment on this and anything else you believe pertinent to the subject matter.
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Picture and slideshow gallery details below .
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(1) Peyton Manning (18) of the Denver Broncos drops back to pass during the first half of the game against the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium on December 22, 2013 in Houston, Texas. Getty Images North America / Scott Halleran …
(2) Eric Decker (87) of the Denver Broncos runs with the ball against the Houston Texans during the first half of the game against the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium on December 22, 2013 in Houston, Texas. Getty Images / Scott Halleran …
(3) New Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning holds up his Broncos jersey as team owner Pat Bowlen , left, and John Elway, vice president of football operations, look on during an NFL football news conference at the Broncos headquarters in Englewood, Colo., on Tuesday, March 20, 2012. The player was acquired by the Broncos in March of 2012 , having spent the majority of his career with the Indianapolis Colts. AP Photo/David Zalubowski ….
(4) Kirk Cousins(12) of the Washington Redskins chats with Robert Griffin III after throwing a 4th quarter interception against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome on December 15, 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia. The continued souring relationship between the head coach and Robert Griffin III now seems that with a growing certainty Mike Shanahan is likely to be relieved of his duties during the off-season . Should that be the case, then the franchise would have to honor the final year of his contract , paying Shanahan the remaining $7 million due in 2014. Getty Images / Scott Cunningham …
(5) Aug 21, 2011; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) with head coach Jason Garrett during a timeout against the San Diego Chargers at Cowboys Stadium. Matthew Emmons US PRESSWIRE …
(6) Head Coach Jim Schwartz of the Detroit Lions disagrees with a call against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium on December 16, 2012 in Glendale, Arizona. Arizona won 38-10 . The loss was the Lions’ most lopsided defeat of the season , with fans now questioning the competitiveness and lack of coaching acumen being shown by Schwartz and his staff. In 2013, the Detroit Lions have been losers of four of their last five games , yet it has been the coaching staff looking elsewhere for faults , much to the chagrin of the front office . Jim Schwartz has sought to apportion blame elsewhere questioning the officiating , but never the fact that his teams have either been ill-prepared or simply complacent. Getty Images / Norm Hall …
(7) Head coach Rex Ryan of the New York Jets and quarterback Geno Smith (7) of the New York Jets walk off together at the end of the game against the Cleveland Browns at MetLife Stadium on December 22, 2013 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Jets would defeat the Browns 24-13 in the AFC contest . Getty Images / Ron Antonelli
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tophatal ………. 2013/12/23
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Tophatal's Blog 
Well the Niners too care of business as the last regular season game was played at Candlestick Park , home to both the NFL franchise the San Francisco 49ers as well as their MLB counterparts the San Francisco Giants .
From my own perspective this NFL season has simply been one monstrous bore , with teams simply nowhere as good as many were led to believe . Even what appears to be a dominant Denver Broncos’ team has some issues which are likely to be exposed if they’re matched against an equally tenacious team or a quarterback who’s capable of picking their defense apart , as was the case with both Tom Brady and Andrew Luck during this season .
NFL week seventeen schedule
NFL standings
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Team stats and player stats to date .
Lions’ coach Jim Schwartz is a putz ! Likewise, the same can be said of Rex Ryan and Jason Garrett . The Cowboys are not deserving of making the postseason , as that team is overrated on both sides of the damn ball . They are merely a fantasy geeks’ assurance , gaining points in terms of the performances of some the players and that is simply it .
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tophatal ……………….
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For the late visitors to the site …… Have a Merry Christmas & Prosperous New Year to you and yours in terms of the immediate family !
Santa’s helpers getting in , some much needed play time .
tophatal ………………………
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Is it “parity” that has screwed the NFL, along with butthead owners?? Some constants still exist:
Steelers, Packers, Patriots and the Ravens. Newcomers from another old team, the Bengals.
Dunno much, but Steelers season ruined by injuries and rookies having to learn the complex defense of Coach LeBeau…….same with Green Bay’s offense, no Rogers. GB still got a D thoogh
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al clements
Parity in the NFL is very much like an urban legend . In the league , there are either good teams , bad teams and dare I say it , simply the vast majority of coaches who are overpaid and simply mediocre ? The teams’ records and play this season is a simple reflection of that very fact !
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Slippery when oiled up and just as wet .
tophatal ……….
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Now the thing is working……Wouldn’t it e funny if KC went all the way….after the Eagles fired Reid??
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al clements
We know the Chiefs are likely to make the postseason and so too are the Eagles if they get pass the Cowboys this weekend . Those two teams meeting Chiefs and Philly in a Superbowl , would have more plot twists than a John Grisham novel .
🙂 … 😦
tophatal …………..
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The Eagles have a chance to beat Dallas in Jerry’s world but the schmucks could blow it and lose. For the most part the NFL was has hard to watch. 49ers Falcons came was bad. This is the product that is on the field . it will get worse not better. See a real from Dick Butkus on how to tackle. Eagles had a very good season. I for one did not expect the schmucks to win nine games
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bobby gee
If the Eagles screw up in that game against the Cowboys , then they will only have themselves to blame , nobody else .
< The NFC East is simply a damn awful division ! It doesn’t take a PhD to realize that fact at all . Records of the teams within the division and as a whole simply personifies the continued mediocrity that has been display , all season long .
tophatal ……….
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This is why I am not holding my breath for an Eagles win
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bobby gee
The contests between the two teams have tended to be fairly competitive and that has most definitely been the case over the past four or five seasons . With so much at stake in this game it will be interesting to see how both teams acquit themselves .
Rumors are now swirling that Penn State are interested in gauging Mike Munchak’s interest in the coaching position . I wasn’t even aware that the program had any intent to fire their head coach ?
tophatal ………
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I heard that too.
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bobby gee
If Bill O’Brien is fired by Penn State or chooses to accept the vacant Texans’ position , then what does that tell you about the continued mismanagement and going incompetency within the school and program in the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky ‘scandal’ that was so poorly handled by the institution and clearly showed the f##king apathy of members of the public at large as well as with PSU’s alumni ? .
Courtesy of NFL.com
Stranger and stranger by the minute .
tophatal …………….
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Who knows what is eally going on. The truth has yett o come out.
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Bill O’Brien is obviously intrigued about making a return to the NFL and it appears that the vacant .. Houston Texans’ job is now up for grabs with both he and Lovie Smith apparently being the front-runners , but I do believe that Robert McNair , the team’s owner and GM Rick Smith are prepared until after the end of the postseason before making a concrete decision as to who should succeed Gary Kubiak on a permanent basis !
The Nittany Lions were 7-5 overall this past season and played well at times but a number of their losses came by way of complacency and lack of commitment on the part of the players at crucial points during a game .
tophatal ……….
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then go for it
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bobby
It sure as hell leaves a nasty taste with regard to the Penn State program and the fact that there were signs that things were improving both on and off the field .
As established as the football program just happens to be , the stain and lack of oversight and the unwillingness of Joe Paterno to kick Jerry Sandusky to the curb still leaves a lot of unanswered questions as well as the legacy of Penn State forever being tarnished . That is one fact that cannot be overlooked or denied or simply glossed over with apathy and the downright stupidity of their alumni .
tophatal …………………
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read some stuff on what happened at The Milton Hershey school for boys. The same players are involved
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We’ll see who are among the first head coaches fired, Al. I agree with you that Schwartz’s days in Detroit are numbered. The Shanahan situation is a little more tenuous. Smith in Atlanta? Probably. Coughlin? That team really gave up on him but at least he has a history to stand on. So what’s the over/under on the number of coaches that are fired within the next week?
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Chris Humpherys
Jim Schwartz’s continued buffoonery , incompetence , has grated on the nerves of the fans and the Lions’ front office this season . And for me , Matt Stafford is simply proving that beyond being able to throw the ball , there isn’t a great deal to his game . He lacks leadership ability , as too are the rest of the members of the Detroit Lions’ roster .
In the case of the Giants , their issues lay with the damn stupidity of that entire front office over the past four seasons in terms of the trades and their draft picks . Eli Manning as a quarterback has come back to earth and can’t be seen as an elite quarterback within the NFL based on his current play or over his last twenty games .
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tophatal ………..
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bobby gee
That case itself was mishandled by then Attorney General and former Penn State Trustee Tom Corbett , who himself as the governor of the state has proven to be a bumbling as#hole ! So nothing at all actually surprises me, when it comes to jurisprudence within the state of Pennsylvania !
tophatal …………
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