MR N’s #NFL AFC South 2015 Preview‏ #football #NFLPreseason

Indianapolis Colts – The Colts have been moving slowly forward each year, advancing one further round and then losing badly to New England.  This may be Super Bowl or bust for Indy.  They have their own personal dragon to slay and it is the Pats.  They get a shot in October to take them down.  The Colts have Andrew Luck, arguably the finest QB in the game not named Russell Wilson, and strong depth and talent at RB, WR and TE.  The O line isn’t spectacular but they get the job done.  The Special teams are spectacular and that leaves the D.  The D is what has killed their playoff hopes each and every year.  They need Mathis to be healthy and their new additions, like Trent Cole, to gel and their secondary to cover and their linebackers to do a better job of stopping the run.  They have an easy schedule.  If all the defense ifs come true this team could be 14-2 and home field throughout the playoffs and on the way to Super Bowl 50.  If they can’t beat New England and the D falters badly they might even be 11-5 and just barely win the division.  I think 12-4, win the division and face potentially another January showdown in New England.  Can Indy get over the hump this year?  I am not 100% sure than can.

Houston Texans – The Texans are a team that rode a powerful D to a good but not good enough 9-7 record last year.  They have been rewarded with a pretty easy schedule but more on that later.  The Texans are still looking for a QB and it will be either Mallet or Hoyer.  Coach O’Brien knows them both well and the best one will lead the squad.  They have fragile Arian Foster but excellent insurance in Alfred Blue.  They have new #1 WR Hopkins and Cecil Shorts is a good pickup at #2.  The Tight End is a black hole and needs to accomplish something, or anything, or something.  The D is a force.  JJ Watt is the best player in the NFL and his game will be enhanced by veteran Vince Wilfork who will be a force in the middle all the while tutoring young Nix.  If, and it’s a huge IF, Clowney can be healthy and the force he was thought he would be then this D will be lights out.  They have decent LB and Safety and solid Corners.  To me the whole success or failure of the season will come down to a Thursday night when they host the Indianapolis Colts in Houston on CBS.  Houston has to find a way to slay the dragon or they will be perennially the #2 in their division.  If they can beat Indy at home and roll through their schedule, they could be 12-4 and win the division.  If they can’t beat Indy and Clowney is a bust and QB doesn’t work then they could be 9-7.  I think it will be almost a great year and they will go 11-5.

Jacksonville Jaguars – Well the Jags have nowhere to go but up so they land a franchise Linebacker in the draft who will make their D a real force and he promptly blows out his knee and is done for the year.  So is any shot the D had of making strides in 2015.  The owner wants more out of his GM and Head Coach than 3 wins. He will be disappointed and perhaps O-line Coach Doug Marrone will have another coaching gig he can quit on in 2016.  This team revolves around franchise QB Blake Bortles.  They have good RB and good WR and if their new TE formerly Denver Orange Julius is healthy he could be a difference maker.  The special teams are good.  The D has issues on the line, at linebacker and even in the secondary.  If the D can get some traction and the O grows then this team could be an amazing 8-8. I just don’t see it.  The schedule isn’t a killer to most teams but it is to this one.  I see a repeat 3-13 and then a new HC and GM in 2016 and watch them improve with Fowler jr. on D then. Go London Jaguars in 2016!

Tennessee Titans – The Titans landed Mariota and he will eventually turn this team around.  They have a better line but still some weaknesses there, they have issues at WR, a decent TE and could have a running attack if Sankey can improve on his rookie campaign while Cobb gets off to a quick start in the NFL.  The D will have Dick LeBeau overlooking them but they need a lot of help at both D line and Linebacker.  The Corners and Safeties are a work in progress.  The Special teams are decent.  This team is probably going to be leaps and bounds better in 2016 but right now, I don’t actually see a win on their schedule.  Their ‘easiest’ game is the Jets but they have to go to New York to play it.  They host Buffalo and Miami but those teams are better than this one.  I fear the Coach and GM will be fired with a 2-14 repeat or worse.  That is a shame as give them a growing year and watch this team be ready to contend in 2016.  Worse case is 0-16, best case is maybe 5-11.  I will be generous and say 2-14 again.  Ugh.

There it is, as always I enjoy any thoughts, comments, arguments or agreements!

MR N’s #NFL Conference Championship Power Poll‏ #NFLPlayoffs #Superbowl

 

1. Seattle Seahawks (1) – The Seahawks did something I hadn’t seen since they played Dallas during the regular season.  They played like total crap at home for nearly 45 minutes.  Sparkless offense, poor defense, bad coverage, poor tackling and turnovers.  If you ever need to know how not to play winning playoff football, watch the first three quarters of the game.  Then the 4^thquarter came and Seattle’s O came alive and they ripped up the standard poor GB D to get the game to OT and then ripped the poor excuse of GB D to win the game.  For the most part they played like they didn’t deserve to be in the game and then they played like a force.  They need to bring their A game to Arizona.  Play like that again and you will lose the Super Bowl.  Not sure now which Seahawk team will show up for the Super Bowl.

2. New England Patriots (2) – The Pats are Super Bowl bound for the 6^th time under Brady.  They are a very tough matchup at home.  Unfortunately for New England the Super Bowl is in Arizona.  They game planned well and are who they are.  I firmly believe that win or lose Brady and Belicheck should walk away from the game.  Go out on top.  As for the game let me quote my Week 11 power poll “As for the game, they ripped the currently sappy Colts apart.  Great win.”

3. Green Bay Packers (4) – The Packers came out strong and played their standard game plan and totally dominated the game from the first whistle til into the 4^th quarter.  Failure to convert in the red zone early would in the end be very critical.  The two bad picks Rodgers tossed were critical too.  The Packer D and Special teams playing like crap in the 4^th quarter and OT were very critical.  In the end the Packers simply took Aaron Rodgers advice and relaxed all the 4^th quarter.  They then relaxed in OT and now they can R-E-L-A-X all off season as they are defeated and done.

4. Indianapolis Colts (3) – They played the same way they did in Week 10 in New England, here is what I said then: “The Colts seem to have been a mirage.  They now just fold when faced with a modicum of D.  Luck is no longer able to carry this team out of the holes it falls in.  If they don’t do a major head shake and get it together…they may yet lose the division to the suddenly hard charging Houston Texans.  It is make or break time for Indy.” – well they managed to win the Division and they won two playoff games which is a nice step forward but they never gave their head a shake when they needed to and they indeed folded.  I think the Colts are moving forward nicely and next year I think they may make the Super Bowl.

5. Dallas Cowboys

6. Denver Broncos –The Broncos seem to be about to hire Gary Kubiak as their new Head Coach.  Kubiak was never very effective in Houston and he seems to be getting this job as he was Elway’s backup.  Good luck Denver.

7. Carolina Panthers

8. Baltimore Ravens

9. Pittsburgh Steelers

10. Detroit Lions

11. Arizona Cardinals – Must be galling to the Cardinals that their home locker room will house the Seattle Seahawks.  If they could only have had some O in the playoffs the Cards could have had the dream.

12. Cincinnati Bengals

13. Houston Texans

14. Kansas City Chiefs

15. Buffalo Bills – Rex Ryan has guaranteed playoffs next year for Buffalo.  I don’t think that is a crazy promise as the Bills are close and Ryan may be the guy who brings them to the promised land.

16. San Diego Chargers

17. Atlanta Falcons – no coach yet as the other candidates are all landing someplace.  Will they get anyone or is Dimitroff turning off all the candidates with his ‘style’?

18. Miami Dolphins

19. New York Giants

20. Oakland Raiders – Jack Del Rio is their coach.  He has never won much more than the wood chopping contest in a locker room.  Can he bring the playoffs to Oakland?  It will depend on how he handles the existing core talent.

21. Philadelphia Eagles

22. Jacksonville Jaguars

23. San Francisco 49ers – They hired Jim Tomsula as their new coach.  He had been an interim coach for one game years ago and has been something like their O line coach for years.  He is a ‘safe’ hire but I don’t know if this puts the closer to the playoffs than they were with Harbaugh.

24. New Orleans Saints

25. Minnesota Vikings

26. New York Jets – They hired Todd Bowles.  I think there are a million juries out on how good a move this will be.  Bowles is touted for the quality of the D he Co-ordinated in ‘Zona.  That could be or he was just blessed with great players.  We will have to see how good a coach he is.

27. St. Louis Rams

28. Cleveland Browns

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

30. Tennessee Titans

31. Chicago Bears – The Bears hired John Fox as their coach.  An inspired choice to help turn around a D that is in terrible shape.  He gets D’s back on their feet and that is the number one job for him here.  The Cutler issue will have to be dealt with quickly and it will be interesting to see if that hot mess is still the Chicago QB come August.

32. Washington Redskins

There you have it, as always I am happy to get any thoughts, comments, arguments or agreements.  I will be happy to accept money, preferably tens and twenties!

 MR N the BEARS Fan

MR N’s #NFL AFC South Preseason Preview‏

 

NFL Preview 2014
Division: AFC South
Team: Indianapolis Colts
Coach: Chuck Pagano
QB: Andrew Luck

Offensive outlook: Luck can lead this team to many victories, if he gets any sort of effort out of Richardson this offensive could be special.

Defensive outlook: The Colts have quietly built a decent little D on this team and they can take the ball away with the best of them and when Mathis isn’t suspended they can pressure a QB. Good enough D for a team with this O, but they need to improve too.

Schedule projection: This schedule is laid out nicely for them. Without much effort they will cruise to a 13-3 record and should be battling for home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

 

Division: AFC South
Team: Houston Texans
Coach: Bill O’Brien
QB: Ryan Fitzpatrick????

Offensive outlook: In word, ugh. They might be better served with Case Keenum firing the ball. Fitzy is flashy but he’s 2 TD, 3 INT. The running game rests with an older and brittler Arian Foster and their only decent wideout is pushing AARP admission and doesn’t want to play there. They have no TE to speak of. Not many points here.

Defensive outlook: I was so confident that with Watt and #1 pick Clowney as book end DE’s they would be an unstoppable pass rush. I see Houston is intending to put Clowney on outside linebacker (he he was a DE in college) and that makes me question why they drafted him if they aren’t going to use him opposite JJ Watt…Cushing is the Webster dictionary definition of injury prone. Their secondary is still weaker. They have to be better but they can’t win games for this team.

Schedule projection: I am staggered by how badly this team appears to be going into training camp. Unless a lot falls into place and their O makes an impact and their D is stalwart they could get another high pick because 4-12 isn’t out of the question. 6 wins would be amazing for this mess of a team.

 

Division: AFC South
Team: Tennessee Titans
Coach: Ken Whisenhunt
QB: Jake Locker or a cast of unknowns

Offensive outlook: I like Locker and if he could be healthy he could be a good QB. They have one time (long ago) prospect Charlie Whitehurst and ‘mr. I wanna drive my draft stock so low it hits bottom’ Mettenberger (He adds to his highly questionable behaviour file by being out at a Nashville bar on a Saturday night and getting punched in the face…he should be living like a monk after all the crap he has pulled off). If Locker can’t start with this group, he can’t start. A HUGE amount resides on Bishop Sankey being a rookie force at RB and they have little or no receiving talent.

Defensive outlook: A powerful D from front 7 through the DBs. This is a D that can keep the score low and give Tennessee a chance to steal a few.

Schedule projection: A schedule that isn’t that hard for this team and 7-9 is likely but 6-10 could happen. I don’t see 8-8 in the cards.

 

Division: AFC South
Team: Jacksonville Jaguars
Coach: Gus Bradley
QB: Blake Bortles (Chad Henne if they are crazy)

Offensive outlook: Bortles is the once in a decade franchise QB so they would be smart to give him the reigns and let him go. They are expecting a lot from Toby Gerhart who is stepping out from behind AP’s shadow in Minnesota. They have a foursome of young talented wideouts ((now, yet again one of them is getting suspended and that will hurt this O))and a vet TE. The line has some strength. Not as bad a team as one would think and they could score points as they come together.

Defensive outlook: A much better front 7 than secondary. They are a solid run stopping team but until the secondary improves they will be beatable by the pass. A work in progress.

Schedule projection: Going to be an uphill battle for this young team and they will have growing pains with this schedule. If they stumble 3-13 is possible. I see them outperforming Houston and 5-11 is likely. Winning 6 would be huge for them.

 

AFC South projected:

Indianapolis Colts 13-3
Tennessee Titans 7-9
Jacksonville Jaguars 5-11
Houston Texans 4-12

 

There you have it, no preview next week as I will be off on vacation.  AFC West to come first week in August!

MR N the BEARS Fan

MR N’s #NFL Week 7 Power Poll‏

1. Kansas City Chiefs (2) – Played a kind of mistake filled under performing game but man that D is stellar.

 

2. Green Bay Packers (3) – Played another solid game despite being riddled with injuries on O and D. A great team effort.

 

3. Indianapolis Colts (8) – Played a solid game, took advantage of a creative defensive game plan and Andrew Luck showed how amazing a young QB he is to totally take over a game and win a game that was not as close as the final score. A brilliant win. They sit here because they have soundly beaten SEA, SF and DEN.

 

4. Seattle Seahawks (4) – The Hawks started slow on a short week but used the simple system of a hard run game and smothering D to get a nice road win and now they can get healthy on the mini-bye and that works well for a team with the week 12 bye.

 

5. San Francisco 49ers (5) – Kaepernick looked brilliant (finally…been a long time since he has!) and he led his team to a brilliant win.

 

6. New Orleans Saints (6) – On the bye…a team that seems to be capable of being a force in the NFC and battling for the right to shiver in NY in February. It will be all on them to do this…only they can stop themselves.

 

7. Denver Broncos (1) – Finally their D got exposed and it cost them a game. Champ Bailey does more harm playing for them then he does hurt. The secondary has holes and Peyton is still uncomfortable facing pressure. Now there is a gameplan to beat them.

 

8. Cincinnati Bengals (9) – Dalton to Green was a solid effort early. They were in a battle to the end and they pulled out a clutch win.

 

9. San Diego Chargers (10) – Steady early and it was an excellent road win with solid D and excellent running offense. The team is on a roll going into their bye.

 

10. New England Patriots (6) – Excellent team effort early. The Pats let the game get away from them and then a bad OT penalty ended their chance. Down they went.

 

11. Dallas Cowboys (13) – Sluggish start. Kind of went through the motions on Offense and used good D to win a game in the NFC Least.

 

12. Miami Dolphins (11) – Came out flat. They got their O working but their D was unable to make the key stops when they had to and an opportunity to come off their bye on the right note was lost.

 

13. Detroit Lions (12) – Stafford was just staring down his receiver so much early he is a pick six waiting to happen. They battled but the D couldn’t make the key stops and down they went again.

 

14. Buffalo Bills (19) – Excellent 1st half. Good D, efficient and gutsy running game. A key, late golden turnover gave them the late lead and a great Defensive stop gave them a nice win!

 

15. Carolina Panthers (23) – Terrific 1st Half production. Another great effort. That is 2 in a row. Well done.

 

16. Baltimore Ravens (15) – Were outplayed, out hustled and outdone by an older team who wanted it more. Harbaugh says they need to find a way to win these games…I say how about giving the ball to Ray Rice more than 15 stinking times in a key division game????

 

17. Washington Redskins (20) – RGIII on his game. The Skin D was shredded but RGIII drove his improving O to a great come from behind win.

 

18. Pittsburgh Steelers (24) – Played their best effort of the year with total heart and won a tough division game and it was a great win.

 

19. Chicago BEARS (14) – Cutler injury took away the excitement of early Special Team and D scoring. The BEARS O was as impressive as their injury riddled D was not.

 

20. New York Jets (27) – Geno Smith was more good than bad early. He did lead the Jets to an excellent come from behind win. A solid team win.

 

21. Tennessee Titans (16) – Bringing an 85% Locker back early didn’t actually help. They have the basis of a good team and they are going to get better. It may not be achievable to reach their potential this season now but look out in 2014 for the Titans.

 

22. Cleveland Browns (17) – Played alright but Weeden is his own worst enemy and he makes mistakes that just kill his team’s chances.

 

23. Atlanta Falcons (28) – Decent production from the Offense in the first half. The Falcons took a nice lead and then didn’t let their second half prevent defense prevent them from winning a game.

 

24. St. Louis Rams (20) – D battled on the road but the O was unable to overcome a stout Panther D.

 

25. Houston Texans (25) – Rookie Case Keenum was amazing in his NFL debut (Matt Schaub…the bus is now boarding and your seat on the one way out of town is waiting for you). Houston played a very good game on the road and only just lost.

 

26. Oakland Raiders (26) – on their bye. A team that has shown moments of offensive glory and rarer moments of good D. They are nearly ready to be competitive. Let’s see if the Silver and Black can build on this framework going forward.

 

27. Arizona Cardinals (18) – Gotta give them credit they managed to battle for 20 or 25 minutes but they just couldn’t match up for 60 against a demonstrably better team that overwhelmed them.

 

28. Philadelphia Eagles (21) – Foles looked bad and then got hurt. The Philly O was non existent while the D was just ok. A bad effort.

 

29. New York Giants (32) – Any other team would have beaten that team playing that way on Monday night. They won the game but NO they are not back and that is that.

 

30. Jacksonville Jaguars (31) – Got pushed around early. Another fair effort but it appears they left their all on the field against Denver. Their limited O just couldn’t keep up with the workman like Chargers.

 

31. Minnesota Vikings (29) – Defense did all it could do but there was no OFF at all. I don’t believe any D can force a 3 and out 45 straight times. The O has to at least get field goals. They have 6 days to not embarrass themselves at home hosting GB in prime time. Good luck.

 

32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (30) – Poor effort early. They brought it close late with good work by Glennon. He is looking like a real NFL QB and they seem to have made a good call to turn the franchise over to him now. The D? it sucks.

 

There you have it! As always I love every thought, comment, argument or agreement! I would also take cash…preferably tens and twenties!

MR N’s #NFL Week 6 Power Poll‏

1. Denver Broncos (1) – Played as good as they had to. Was close for a short time but they won going away.

 

2. Kansas City Chiefs (3) – Poor offense to start the game. Great D, good special teams and just enough offense…The KC recipe for undefeated success.

 

3. Green Bay Packers (5) – Defense good early. Rodgers just barely able to get it done. A tough team win.

 

4. Seattle Seahawks (6) – Had a tough game at home. They had to battle to win. Not a great win but a win nonetheless.

 

5. San Francisco 49ers (7) – Gave Arizona a shot early but then they got some decent D…a good catch or two, some good runs and it was a win.

6. New England Patriots (8) – Played badly enough to lose. Aaron Dropson has gotta be the biggest case of stonehands in the history of the NFL. Someone buy that kid some stickem because he is abominable. They amazingly had a gutsy come from behind win that was one for the ages but not one they get much credit for. Any decent team woulda put them away after that last Brady pick.

 

7. New Orleans Saints (2) – Played well on the road until the last 2 minutes. In the end their ‘vaunted’ offense (heck I have vaunted them this year) couldn’t get 10 yards to win the game and then the D couldn’t make a stop.

 

8. Indianapolis Colts (4) – What can be said…they faced some powder blues, it was a road game, it was Luck’s first prime time game for Monday night…The Colts basically stunk out the joint. They now face Denver…play better guys or else.

 

9. Cincinnati Bengals (10) – Solid game played by all aspects of the team in the first half. A late second half collapse lead to OT but they managed to pull out a pretty unimpressive win.

 

10. San Diego Chargers (12) – Rocked the Colts all night. Strong offense, solid D and awesome powder blues. Let’s see them do it again!

 

11. Miami Dolphins (9) – on the bye. They now hopefully are getting healthy and figuring out the ‘what’ that was lately wrong and going back to the ‘right’ of the first three games…or this stay in a top 1/3 spot is very short term and they face a lengthy fall with another loss.

 

12. Detroit Lions (14) – Good D, poor O. Second half Offense was suddenly good and the team won it going away.

 

13. Dallas Cowboys (17) – Good Offense but D is now suffering severely from injuries and the team is still just not that good.

 

14. Chicago BEARS (19) – D limited by injuries, shredded by running game. Some effective turnovers created by the D and Cutler was excellent and it was a nice short week win.

 

15. Baltimore Ravens (11) – D good early. The team simply can’t score enough to win.

 

16. Tennessee Titans (13) – Gave their all on the road. Simply are not good enough without Locker. A good try.

 

17. Cleveland Browns (16) – Got it done early. The Cleveland D let them down and although it was a fair try by the OFF it wasn’t enough.

18. Arizona Cardinals (15) – The game was winnable but they let SF pull away. Palmer is just way too Palmer-like to give them a chance to win on the road.

 

19. Buffalo Bills (20) – Poor decisions on and off the field. Great effort but they came up just short.

 

20. St. Louis Rams (25) – Jumped to a nice lead, the Offense roared and the D put up points too. A very impressive total team road win by blowout. Well done.

 

21. Washington Redskins (21) – RGIII showed more finally but sadly he still can’t play D for the Skins…neither can the Skins D. That is their issue. They would have fallen some this week but there are just too many bad teams. They have to take a number and play worse. Maybe next week against the BEARS?

 

22. Philadelphia (27) – D struggled as usual. A great game by Foles led to an inspired offense that put up the needed points and got them a good win. Now the question in Philly will be how long will a hammy keep out Vick? Perhaps he is being Wally Pipped by Foles now.

 

23. Carolina Panthers (30) – Blew away a flat team. Their second great game this year. Caaaaaam was terrific. A great win but we really need to see some consistency from the Panthers. Who is this team?

 

24. Pittsburgh Steelers (29) – They seem awfully old, however, Big Ben got it going, completed an impressive percentage of his passes. His accuracy coupled with decent D play got them a nice win as they schooled another rookie QB.

 

25. Houston Texans (18) – Offense issues (hint…they suck), D troubles (um…where is that pro-bowl shutdown D?). The team collapsed. They are barely a shadow of last year’s Texan team.

26. Oakland Raiders (21) – Battled well, early, on the road in a loud stadium. A second half pick sealed it, another Golden turnover that killed any shot in a very energetic KC homefield.

 

27. New York Jets (23) – gave a good effort early but Geno turned in another ‘rookie’ QB effort. D got pushed around. It was ugly.

 

28. Atlanta Falcons (28) – It should only be able to get better now. They will be hard pressed to do any worse after their bye. The injury to Julio Jones tho probably won’t help them.

 

29. Minnesota Vikings (24) – Amazingly flat. Cassel and the rest of offense was bad, the D showed no focus. Outside tragedy was supposed to unite the team and let them gel. It didn’t. It was ugly, they got thrashed and I think I hear Freeman’s cell ringing…anyone wanna trade for Ponder?

30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (26) – Offense was well led by their rookie QB but the D was incapable of making any stops. They are rapidly returning to their part of the ‘Bay of Pigs’ era.

 

31. Jacksonville Jaguars (31) – Played as well as they could. Made mistakes but Blackmon was great, their D was ok. Another game effort by a team who is showing signs of life.

 

32. New York Giants (32) – Run offense was strong. D can’t cover fast, tall or competent Wide Receivers. Eli’s picks are pure gold. 0-6. They defeat themselves.

 

There you have it, as always I appreciate any thoughts, comments, arguments and agreements. I am just chuffed when someone reads this! I also will take cash…preferably tens and twenties!

 

MR N

MR N’s NFL Week 3 Power Poll‏

1. Denver Broncos (1) – Workmanlike, Never in doubt, Manning led Offense was machine like but we did see there may be Left Tackle issues in the future and the D still can be beat…speedy linebackers and smallish D line only dominate certain specific Offenses like the Raiders.

2. Seattle Seahawks (2) – A very impressive effort against a crap team. They could have easily mailed it in but instead blew them away in an impressive fashion.

3. New Orleans Saints (5) – Brees led a good O. It was a really solid win by a very dangerous team.

4. Chicago BEARS (6) – The offense had trouble producing any passing yards. The D either got torched or got turnovers and lucky bounces played no small roll in a blowout win.

5. Miami Dolphins (8) – After a slow start the Fish D tightened and Tannehill drove to a late come from behind lead and they got a great win. Another big test to show how real they are comes in week 4.

6. Indianapolis Colts (13) – Really terrific play on OFF and and a surprisingly good DEF effort. A great win. After the steal deal of the century, this team has no where to go but up and is rapidly becoming Denver’s biggest competition for the AFC crown.

7. New England Patriots (14) – Brady got it done early. A solid win in what was their best total effort of the year!

8. Green Bay Packers (3) – Rodgers was uncharacteristically struggling early but had a lead. It is completely mind boggling how a team that is supposed to THAT good can get 4 turnovers, in a row, and still lose.

9. Kansas City Chiefs (9) – They are 3 and 0. But, I fear it is a hollow 3-0. The offense is stumbling and only productive against bad D’s. The D has holes and the coaching makes hard to follow calls. Lucky for the mass turnovers which they could barely turn into points. They looked terrible and won going away.

10. Cincinnati Bengals (11) – Turnovers are Gold. They were bad but somehow pulled out a win. Ugly play for most of the game but an impressive win.

11. Baltimore Ravens (12) – Special teams and D carried the team for the first half. Ray Lewis’ number retiring and his impassioned half time speech inspired the Off into the best drive of the year. There should be a spot for Lewis on the coaching staff. He has a mojo that rubs off on a team that’s not very good most of the time.

12. Houston Texans (4) – OFF out of sync early. The Offense was completely stifled by a stout Raven D and that was that. They need to figure out how to score points or they will be looking up at both Indy and Tennessee.

13. Dallas Cowboys (16) – Tore up a bad D early. A solid game by the OFF and DEF gave them a nice win.

14. San Francisco 49ers (7) – They were completely overwhelmed, beat down and humiliated. A Poor offensive showing, a badly beaten D. Serious questions now exist about the viability of this team this season.

15. San Diego Chargers (15) – Mistakes hurt them early. The Bolts battled but after a tough effort, second in a row on the road, they lost a close one.

16. Atlanta Falcons (10) – Led early but their D blew the lead and once more Matt Ryan could NOT win a game that was in his hands to win.

17. Tennessee Titans (21) – They battled, they took advantage of luck and Locker led them to a superb come from behind win. Very well done.

18. Detroit Lions (22) – Mistakes, errors and bad judgement on D…same old Lions early. The Lions offense was able to do enough to overcome their D issues and get them a win.

19. St. Louis Rams (17) – A team whose D sucks. The O was down so quick they had to over commit to the pass and it was ugly. They have a chance to show what they’ve got in PrimeTime on Thursday night.

20. Arizona Cardinals (19) – Palmer leads a good OFF but the holes in the D were exploited and they couldn’t recover against a great Offense.

21. Buffalo Bills (20) – Were kept in the Game by NYJ penalties and mistakes. In the end Manuel couldn’t make the plays needed to give his team a shot. A rookie QB is allowed a game or two like this one.

22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (18) – No answer to the Patriot passing game. The D was ripped by the ground attack and tore up by Brady. The Offense was whacked by the Pat D. It is overdue time for a change at QB as Freeman slips off into obscurity.

23. Carolina Panthers (31) – Panthers played dominantly early, in the middle and late. The D looked perfect and the O was on point. It is very hard to figure just how good of a win this was as it may have just been that they played a really, really bad team.

24. Oakland Raiders (23) – Pryor showed that his talent is for real. There were a number of positives the Raiders can take from this loss. Denver’s team is built in a way to be Oakland’s kryptonite but that doesn’t mean this team isn’t on the right track finally.

25. New York Jets (29) – Often in control with a good D and some solid O. Geno Smith may have maturity issues and off the field issues but he throws the best deep ball in the AFC East. They nearly self destructed with penalties but they got a win.

26. Cleveland Browns (28) – Unbelievable how Hoyer played so well. Hoyer looked solid and Cleveland made good calls and got a nice win.

27. Washington Redskins (25) – RGIII good in the pocket early. The skins got the rush working. RGIII did all he could in the shape he currently is in but he cannot play D and evidently neither can his defense.

28. Minnesota Vikings (24) – Booed at home and deservedly so. Ok, it is official, they are circling the bowl…next time the game is on the line and you are inside the 5 yard line…here is a hint…RUN AP. Play calling was impossible to understand in 4th Q.

29. Philadelphia Eagles (26) – A gimmicky team, in the end defined by it’s parts. Turnovers are gold and Mike Vick is Midas in a green shirt. Hard to figure if the D is any good as the KC offense looked really bad.

30. New York Giants (27) – Giants struggled badly on the road. This was the worst game played by them in decades. Horrible. Can’t throw, can’t run, can’t block, can’t tackle, can’t cover. Not a mirage, a bad team.

31. Pittsburgh Steelers (30) – The old group showed more ability on OFF than they had all year. Turnovers = Gold = Loss. Got thumped but played better than they have all year.

32. Jacksonville Jaguars (32) – That was their best effort yet but they have so little talent that it meant they would lose by well over 20 points. Other teams fighting for the last place spot so the Jags really have to suck again to lock down 32.

There you have it! As always I love all thoughts, comments, arguments or agreements. Any opinion is valid and valued! As always I will also except Cash…a job offer from Fox Sports…ok cash…preferably 10’s and 20’s.

BREAKING NEWS: Trent Richardson Traded to the Colts

The Cleveland Browns…that team is the most embarrassing franchise in history. They won’t win a fricking thing for years and years. A team with no direction cannot be successful. Indy however, just got way better. I guess you can understand Cleveland’s thinking…what good is a franchise power back? I mean he’s a star…he can’t fit in Cleveland…they are picking up Willis McGahee…yeah there’s a star.

 

The Colts may now be the 2nd best team in the AFC. Pittsburgh and Baltimore are now dancing in the streets.

 

There is no explanation that Cleveland can shovel that will make this palatable to their fans or anyone with a brain. I suggest that the NFL take control of the Cleveland franchise. They obviously are not competent to operate a team. See who they are putting in for Weeden? Old Senator Hoyer. I have never seen a team do this before (aside from the odd Marlin’s baseball fire sale) and hope to never see it again.

 

What is that sound? Cleveland season ticket holders tearing up tickets.

 

Mr. N

MR N’s #NFL Week 2 Power Poll‏

1. Denver Broncos (1) – A balanced offense, solid with their rush, pass, special teams and with the D getting turnovers. Brilliant.

 

2. Seattle Seahawks (3) – The D is the story. They stand alone as the best in the NFL and that is the ultimate home field advantage. They need to get the O untracked and need to not let a sandwich game surprise them next week.

3. Green Bay Packers (6) – Rodgers nearly perfect in the first half. Never in doubt, completely destroyed the Skins.

 

4. Houston Texans (4) – Seemed to just go through the motions in the first half. A touch classless both on Offense and by the coach but they pulled out an ugly win.

 

5. New Orleans Saints (5) – Confounding. It was so much closer and in doubt then this sloppy game should have been. They won but it was a headscratcher.

 

6. Chicago BEARS (7) – Solid offense, but turnovers are gold and that put the Bears in a hole. The BEARS did show some amazing heart to pull out another dramatic come from behind win. The offensive line play is incredible and the best Chicago has had in more than a decade.

7. San Francisco 49ers (2) – Can’t be totally condemned for losing in their personal house of horror. They aren’t as bad as they look in Seattle but they better win every other game because if playoff road runs through Seattle it could be ugly for SF.

 

8. Miami Dolphins (10) – Really battled and were solid in the first half. The Dolphins got the offense going and showed some poise that South Florida hasn’t had in a while to win a nice game on the road.

 

9. Kansas City Chiefs (14) – Had early D issues and offensive struggles but a great effort late with excellent coaching got them a gutty solid performance and home win.

 

10. Atlanta Falcons (12) – Super 1st half, excellent on O & D. Took a huge lead and prevent defensed themselves into a one possession win.

 

11. Cincinnati Bengals (11) – This team need to find itself fast. Right now their QB looks overmatched and their vaunted D looks overrated.

 

12. Baltimore Ravens (13) – Struggled early on all areas except the D which looked good. An ugly win. A team that is not even half as good as most people think they are.

13. Indianapolis Colts (8) – Good O, holes all over in the D. The Colts D issues could be the undoing of what is a fun story in the NFL. They will not reach the success they want with a D like that. Also, using timeouts to freeze a kicker then have the kicker beat that team is lovely to watch. Freezing a kicker is something Lombardi or Halas would NEVER have done. #classless

 

14. New England Patriots (9) – A team that has an identity…a false one linked to past glory. That glory is a distant memory. Poor Offense, Spotty D…this is more like the Pats of 1992. This is a very BAD 2-0. The drops just look so unprofessional.

 

15. San Diego Chargers (19) – Really well played 1st half. A brilliant east coast road game win. A team that is playing much harder than they have for years – probably since the days of Marty ball.

 

16. Dallas Cowboys (15) – Romo and Dez were afire early. Funny though how people still talk about Dallas like it is 1993 and not 2013. They got beat. They are not good. It was said earlier today that KC ‘wasn’t in the same class as Dallas’. Right, Dallas lost to KC, they aren’t the same class. Dallas hasn’t been a great team since about 1996. When will this image disappear?

17. St. Louis Rams (16) – D punished early, O not able to get it going in first half. The D let the team fall into too deep a hole and the O tried but couldn’t climb out of it.

 

18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (17) – The defense played very well. The team did all it could to lose the game with innumerable penalties and in the end they lost.

 

19. Arizona Cardinals (27) – A very well played game. Overcame golden turnovers to show the heart of lions (pun intended) to grab a win.

 

20. Buffalo Bills (25) – Ok D early but no O. EJ Manuel is finally the franchise QB Buffalo has been searching for since Jim Kelly. He led the team on a brilliant final drive for the win. Outstanding!

21. Tennessee Titans (21) – Played a very tough first half. They scored a ton but mistakes on special teams really cost them a winnable game.

 

22. Detroit Lions (20) – Same old Lions. Offense scores in bunches, team gets penalties in bunches, team loses.

 

23. Oakland Raiders (28) – Pryor is great! Who knew the Raiders had their own version of a ‘RGIII’ spread QB? Super offense and the D is doing enough. A great win!

 

24. Minnesota Vikings (24) – Most of their scores came on defense or special teams. The Vikings had the game won and put away but turnovers, which are gold, and mistakes, penalties and mental errors cost them a victory and has put this team in a deep 0-2 hole.

25. Washington Redskins (18) – Got schooled in Lambeau right from the start. A team that has huge D issues that unless fixed will negate any and all offensive ability from RGIII and the Offense.

 

26. Philadelphia Eagles (26) – Offense was on fire again early. While it is great they can score the question is can their D stop anyone?

 

27. New York Giants (22) – The Giants are in terrible shape. No O line, poor rush, Eli throws picks all over the place, D shredded. Ugly.

 

28. Cleveland Browns (28) – Abysmal offense in the first half, D played decently. Half a team so far. Solid D but the Offense does nothing.

 

29. New York Jets (29) – Geno Smith plays with poise, more poise than I ever thought that young man had. His rookie mistakes eventually cost them a winnable game at a divisional foe but his young energy put them in position to win. He, Powell and Ivory are about the only offensive talent on this talent-poor team. They stand 1-1 and lost a close one to a QB’s 3 picks. Because this is Geno Smith’s team it shows promise and hope. If that was the record with #ButtFumble #BarretteWearing Sanchize then this team would be circling the bowl.

 

30. Pittsburgh Steelers (30) – Kept being called veterans all night on tv…that means old. Offense has no ability and the D has lost about every step a D can lose and still collect weekly paychecks. Bad.

 

31. Carolina Panthers (31) – Caaaaaam still not good. Good D early. The Panthers showed a distinct lack of heart to be winners. The D just couldn’t make the stop they needed to make, again.

 

32. Jacksonville Jaguars (32) – There was a hint of offensive life but not nearly enough. 2/3 of their points came against prevent defense.

 

Well there you have it, early, short and sweet! As always I appreciate all comments, thoughts, arguments and agreements…I also would enjoy cash or a job offer from ESPN…ok cash…10’s and 20’s please.

MR N

Mr. N’s Final Power Polls for 2012

A look back at my thoughts on the 12 playoff teams of last year as their seasons ended, one week at a time.

 

After Super Bowl 2012

1. Baltimore Ravens (2)- Came out strong and calm and took a huge lead.  D Collapsed, then there was a late FG, a badly missed call that went in their favor and they win the Super Bowl!

2. San Francisco (1) – Terrible and undisciplined 1st half.  Strong out of the darkness, poor play calling and one missed call by the refs and down they went.  They didn’t play well enough in the first half to deserve the win.  The fault lays completely with their defense which was exposed again.  The Rep of the SF D is better than the D.

After Conference Championship Weekend 2012

3. Atlanta (3) – They showed their offensive flare in the first half and their defensive incompetence pretty much for the last 45 minutes.  They are bad, they were a terrible first seed and they are finally gone. 

4. New England (2) – Turnovers are gold.  An offense that can’t score at home in a Conference Championship game is Platinum.  They have had bad D all year and it showed it’s colours when it counted.  They didn’t deserve the SuperBowl and they didn’t get to it.

After Divisional Championship Weekend 2012

5. Seattle (2) – D was flat and played poorly.  Russ Wilson did all he could to win the game and the D did all it could to lose it.

6. Green Bay (3) – I said that if they played as poorly in the playoffs as they did in Week 17 they would go home.  They did and they are.

7. Denver (1) – D played horribly, turnovers are gold.  Undisciplined play, highly questionable decision to kneel with 31 secs left and 2 time outs in a tie game.  Ugly finish.  Went just as far with Tim Tebow at QB interestingly enough.

8. Houston (6) – Were in it for 30 minutes.  They were totally destroyed in the last 30.  They just can’t play with the big boys.

After Wild Card Weekend 2012

9. Washington (2) – Had a quick start then nothing.  D was exposed and they were overmatched, outplayed, outcoached.  Down the went.  A good season.  They need to upgrade on D and get some receivers and an O lineman or two.  That’s all!

10. Indianapolis (6) – Were steamrolled.  Luck couldn’t do it one more time.  A good year and a team that played beyond their means this season.  They will only get better.

11. Minnesota (8) – Webb being in didn’t help.  Neither did not tackling, not throwing, stopping the run game.  It was ugly and a sad way for the year to end.  They need to continue to build, this team has hope but some serious holes.

12. Cincinnati (10) – Never showed up.  Played scared.  Poor play calls, bad clock management.  Bye.  A team that struggles with itself more than it’s opponents and they need to figure that out.