Conference Championship Thoughts
the conference championship games (and most of the playoffs games to this point) re-emphasized for me that the three most impactful aspects to a football game are: 1) QB play, 1a) offensive line play, and 3) defensive pressure on the QB.
you don't *have* to have stud wideouts to win (e.g. darrell jackson), you don't *have* to have stud running backs to win (e.g. bettis and parker), but you do *have* to have good QB play.
are roethlisberger and hasselbeck actually better QBs than delhomme and plummer (probably true in the case of plummer) or did they just get better protection? did hasselbeck actually get over his propensity to make the critical mistake or did he just get better protection? did plummer actually get over his bad habits or did they just focus more on protecting him? (though i think yesterday's game gave us a pretty good idea).
chicken and the egg, i guess. even with good protection a bad QB cannot win games. once you get above a certain competency threshhold though, the offensive line is a big factor in determining the winner and the loser.
the eagles have the QB, a big, big question for next season is whether or not they can protect him.
pittsburgh at denver
- can we officially stop calling mike shanahan a genius now? what the heck kind of gameplan was that? after spending the whole season keeping jake out of trouble, shanahan builds the whole gameplan around plummer? broncos run on the first three plays, have success, then turn the game over to jake the snake with predictable results.
carolina at seattle
- interesting to see holmgren back in the superbowl, one year after everyone was speculating that paul allen would fire him. i hope andy takes a cue from his fat mentor and gives up GM duties to focus on coaching.
you don't *have* to have stud wideouts to win (e.g. darrell jackson), you don't *have* to have stud running backs to win (e.g. bettis and parker), but you do *have* to have good QB play.
are roethlisberger and hasselbeck actually better QBs than delhomme and plummer (probably true in the case of plummer) or did they just get better protection? did hasselbeck actually get over his propensity to make the critical mistake or did he just get better protection? did plummer actually get over his bad habits or did they just focus more on protecting him? (though i think yesterday's game gave us a pretty good idea).
chicken and the egg, i guess. even with good protection a bad QB cannot win games. once you get above a certain competency threshhold though, the offensive line is a big factor in determining the winner and the loser.
the eagles have the QB, a big, big question for next season is whether or not they can protect him.
pittsburgh at denver
- can we officially stop calling mike shanahan a genius now? what the heck kind of gameplan was that? after spending the whole season keeping jake out of trouble, shanahan builds the whole gameplan around plummer? broncos run on the first three plays, have success, then turn the game over to jake the snake with predictable results.
carolina at seattle
- interesting to see holmgren back in the superbowl, one year after everyone was speculating that paul allen would fire him. i hope andy takes a cue from his fat mentor and gives up GM duties to focus on coaching.
Labels: football
posted by The Mean Guy at 9:15 AM
6 Comments:
Seattle beat up on a TON of bad teams this year. They're a lock to miss the playoffs last year. That's why they're getting 4 points early on here vs. the AFC's 6th seed. It's all about peaking at the right time and I'm not sure how anyone beats PIT considering the roll that Big Ben was on. Looks like he might be the steal of that draft class.
I wanted to post this to get some feedback:
I have heard that Jaws wants Freddie Mitchell to play for the Soul....and I love the idea. Here's why....
....Freddie is not a bad receiver...he is a solid receiver with a huge ego, but not a "stud" go-to guy. But he thinks he is. He was cut by the Chiefs last year because apparently he had some knee cartilage problems. He was chased out of this town because of his mouth. His play was not #1st draft pick level, but he did contribute and in all honesty is better than McMullen and probably Lewis. Playing for the Soul may humble him and kind of soften the blow for his next step....returning to the Birds, that's right. Playing organized rough touch football with the Soul may be an okay career move with him, because frankly he may be out of options. If he is successful, like he should be he would get back into the good graces of this town and quite frankly may even open the door for the Birds. They could use him. We all know that they are not going to get Reggie Wayne....if they signed Freddie for a meager contract then picked up an adequate but not alleged top tier WR like a Brandon Lloyd that would be a rotation that is not filled with studs, but better than shitty. Adequate. It would allow them to upgrade at WR, but still let them invest money where it should go...offensive and defensive line. I don't know all of the rules with Arena Ball but I think that Freddie may have to play DB, too. Which he will not and should not do. We'll see, but I think I like what Jaws is thinking and doing.
Big Dog. Most of the time you, Phil and Pete talk way above my head in factual data with football. I have to say that today you're out of your skull. The only reason Jaws is thinking about Fredex is because he's a high visibility player who will bring in young ticket buyers. Yes, at AB level, he'll be an ok receiver, not a go to guy. They'll probably design one or two "flashy" plays around him, use it once a game and that's it. There's is no way the Birds will bring him back after what his mouth has unleased against the coaches and D-Mac.
- Joe
BTW - Shanahan is a tool. I thought he had the same look on his face a Kotite used to...
Joe
(Lol) come on, Joe I feel like PT Barnum. Trying to sell ice to the Eskimos....I guess a part of me would just love to see the humility of Freddie having to don the blue of the Soul.
In all honesty, I really hate the fact that we had to cut a #1 draft pick because he had a big mouth. I can honestly say that I don't think Freddie is that bad. If he came back with his tail between his legs and just shut the hell up I would be glad to take him back, especially at a small, incentive laden contract. Keep this in mind, he wasn't a cancer....he just was an average receiver who had a big mouth....I would personally take a chance on him if I didn't have to shell out much dough.
Joe, I am also honored that my cyber-babble is above your head...it makes me feel like I know what I'm talking about.
I always thought Freddie got a bad rap. He was decent at what he did - operate out of the slot.
That said, there's no freakin way he's coming back. This wasn't a Trot or Douglas who left for more money. This was a guy who left for . . . nothing! We don't really need that much stupidity on the team.
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