So with the Playoffs starting in a few hours, I had one last chance to gather my thoughts on the completed regular season and also offer a few predictions for the Playoffs. Here's a ranking of all the non-Playoff teams first:
(32) Detroit - finished 0-16 but in no way one of the worst teams of all time. In fact, they may not even be the worst team for this year (see #31). Detroit faced the most difficult schedule in the league.
(31) St. Louis - if Rams played Lions right now, Lions would win by at least a TD
(30) Cleveland - why is Scott Pioli considering this job when Denver is also on the radar??? Meddlesome ownership situation + unsettled QB situation + unfriendly cap situation makes this a less than desirable job
(29) Kansas City - so Shanahan gets fired and Herm keeps his job? That's fair. On the brighter side, Thigpen looked very good as the starting QB this year... I'm not sure this will preclude the Chiefs from drafting Stafford or Bradford, but it should. Thigpen's a starter in this league.
(28) Cincinnati - worst offense in NFL this season
(27) Seattle - curious to see how Jim Mora Jr will do next year. Seattle will have top-5 pick in draft
(26) Oakland - played very well down the stretch. Played hard schedule this year. Russell needs good WRs
(25) Buffalo - played easiest schedule in the league this year by far... and still wasn't very good. Needs to address QB position
(24) Jacksonville - most disappointing team done in by poor personnel decisions in offseason; Garrard is still the answer - he seems to be the type who plays to the level of his teammates. Thus he'll get better when his teammates (and o-line) get better.
(23) San Francisco - Shaun Hill looked good as QB; Singletary took 3 seconds to fire Mike Martz after the season ended.
(22) Denver - this team should not have been in the Playoffs, SD was way better. Horrible defense. Curious to see if Bill Parcells becomes free agent and takes over GM role next month. Either way, the defense needs a Parcellsian transformation - become bigger, stronger, tougher
(21) Chicago - decent team, will probably make another playoff push next year
(20) Houston - great offense, bad defense. Becoming Denver 2.0, which explains recent firings on defensive side of ball.
(19) NY Jets - easy schedule this year, but ultimately done in by Favre's recklessness... which is the exact reason Ted Thompson did not want him back in Green Bay. Thompson was correct in going with Rodgers.
(18) Green Bay - speaking of...
(16t) New England - another team that wasn't as good as record indicated, which is a testament to Bill Belichick. Decimated by injuries this year, which was somewhat expected given age of roster. Miami was better than NE and deserved to be in Playoffs.
(16t) Washington - equal grade to NE. Interested to see offseason (as always in Wash). Not sure Jim Zorn will be back. Redskins must change strategy and devote more resources to draft and development - they will NEVER win Super Bowl via free agency.
(15) Tampa Bay - appropriate they missed Playoffs as they were slipping bad at end of season. Raheem Morris will be an excellent Defensive Coordinator, but may take a couple years.
(14) New Orleans - not that they didn't have their chances, but this team was on cusp of being a top-10 team all season. Still 1-2 players and a good defensive coach away from competing for Super Bowl.
(13) Dallas - wow, where to begin. Screw it, just turn on ESPN - the Cowboys are still the only thing they're talking about. The Eagles were better than the Cowboys this year.
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(12) Arizona - Curious team as they basically took entire month off before Playoffs. On almost all occasions, that's the wrong strategy, but you never know since they were never playing at a really high level at any point this year. One dimensional, with decent matchup against Atlanta's suspect defense.
(11) Indianapolis - I know, I know... blasphemy. But only the Baltimore game did they without a doubt show they were the better team, and that was 3 months ago. I won't be surprised if they make a Super Bowl run sine Peyton is best player in playoff field, but based on the regular season, I think they lose to the Chargers.
(10) Miami - I love this team because it shows how far smart roster management and solid fundamentals can take a team. It's too bad they have to play the buzzsaw Ravens.
(9) San Diego - were really much better than record indicated, which is an indictment on Norv Turner. Kinda the anti-Patriots. LT may not play tonight which isn't necessarily a bad thing since he's not 100% anyways, and this will force SD to use Darren Sproles more... who always seems to play big in big games. Rivers was a top-3 QB this year. Defense has been better since Ron Rivera took over. Expect to be a shootout tonight with Colts with winner being a real threat to win Super Bowl.
(8) Tennessee - not big on the Titans' chances. Next to Buffalo, they played the easiest schedule this year and they're not entirely healthy. Fisher's the best coach left in the Playoffs, but I have sneaky suspicion this may be a one-and-done year in Nashville.
(7) Minnesota - alot of people sleeping on the Vikings. A complete toss-up playing at home vs the Eagles. Adrian Peterson is best offensive player in Playoffs not named Peyton Manning, and Minnesota may be able to ride him to the next round. Tarvaris Jackson has been better than people have given him credit for, but still woefully inexperienced in big games. The Metrodome is one of the few remaining definitive home field advantages.
(6) Philadelphia - loved that this team made the playoffs as they've been a top team all year despite record. Still too inconsistent to put together 4 road wins to win a Super Bowl, but could make Conference Championship.
(5) Atlanta - darkhorse Super Bowl team because they are so balanced on offense, but inexperienced at all positions that they could lose in 1st round. Ryan's the real deal. Defense is still suspect.
(3t) Pittsburgh - Ben Roethlisberger took way too many sacks this year (his fault, not o-line) and it finally caught up to him last week when he suffered a concussion. Very mediocre offense that will ultimately be their undoing against tenacious defenses like Tennessee, Baltimore, or San Diego. It's too bad since Pittsburgh defense is best since 2000 Ravens.
(3t) Baltimore - love, love, love, love the Ravens. Don't love the fact they have a rookie QB and Head Coach, but this is the toughest team in the league. Don't underestimate Joe Flacco being from I-AA - he's used to the week-to-week playoff formats. This team wins games it should, is getting better as the season goes on, is well coached, and imposes their will against every opponent. Three road games is a tall order, but they are built to win in January. Ed Reed is best defensive player in the league and the real leader of Ravens defense.
(2) NY Giants - excellent team and well prepared for second Super Bowl run. I don't like how they have no go-to WR now that Plax is gone - he single-handedly won their playoff game last year in Green Bay - but they still have enough running to win championship. Good pass rush which is a necessity in playoffs, and Eli has been playing smart all season.
(1) Carolina - Best team in the league, by a smidge over the Giants. DeAngelo Williams has arrived as an superstar - finally I might add - even though no one has realized it yet. Steve Smith is the best offensive playmaker in the playoffs. Defense is not spectacular, but very balanced. Team of veterans that wants to win now.
PREDICTIONS:
Wildcard
Atlanta over Arizona
San Diego over Indianapolis
Baltimore over Miami
Philadelphia over Minnesota (in overtime)
Divisional Round
Carolina over Atlanta
NY Giants over Philadelphia
Baltimore over Tennessee
Pittsburgh over San Diego
Conference Championship
Carolina over NY Giants
Baltimore over Pittsburgh (in an instant classic)
Super Bowl
Carolina over Baltimore
1 comment:
Wow! Nice insight, Seebs. You should really consider a GM job when you get tired of the oil biz.
Just a thought...(I saw this on a bumper sticker)If you ain't oilfield, you ain't s*%t!
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