Fourth & Forever: Previewing the AFC West

   Fourth & Forever: Previewing the AFC West

The AFC West is a unbalanced division. As it stands right now, the power rankings isn't kind to this division, as only one team eclipses the top five. That team is the power-house Denver Broncos. With a early-second round lost to the Super Bowl Champs Baltimore Ravens, the Broncos have added more weapons to their arsenal. The Broncos are sitting number two in the power rankings and with the New England Patriots and Ravens trying to fill holes with a variety of unproven players, this maybe the year of the Broncos. The other three teams in this division are fighting not to be last. The Oakland Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs, and the San Diego Chargers. All three are ranked near the bottom of the league. The Chargers are ranked 21st, followed by the Chiefs at 26th and the Raiders at 31st. All have up-graded and has the potential to move out of the bottom half of the rankings. This by far is the weakest division in the AFC, although with this being a sport with injuries popping up every day... one injury can make an under-the-radar team a playoff team.

The Denver Broncos, were embarrassed by the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday losing 40-10. For a team like the Broncos, who are considered a top tier team, offensively and defensively the team didn't show up. I know this is the pre-season, but a blow-out like that shouldn't happen.  We all-know what Peyton Manning can do and with him being in his second season with Denver, he will be more familiarized with the team and play-book. With the addition of Wes Welker, the Broncos have one of the best receiving cores in the league. With Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker on the outside, the holes should open up for the running back. Question is, who is going to lead the Broncos back-field? Willis McGahee is gone and Knowshon Moreno is inconsistent. So this makes  a crowded back-field with Ronnie Hillman and second round pick Montee Ball in the mix to start. They both had descent yardage on the carries they received on Saturday, but both showed why the door is wide open. Hillman had 34 yards on 13 carries, but lost a fumble. Ball had 28 yards on six carries, but he was over-powered on a blitz and caused Manning to get hit hard. Both have the ability to run, but are still raw when it comes to security. In the end Ball wins the job. He is a work-horse putting up all kinds of big numbers in Badger country. He has major upside and is a tough target to bring down. On defense the Broncos are considered one of the best. The aging Champ Bailey may have lost a step, but he still is a ball-hawk. They have a great defensive line, even after losing Elvis Dumervil to free-agency. They drafter defensive tackle Sylvester Williams, an athletic 320 pounder who can make tackles behind the line of scrimmage, having 13.5 tackles for a loss his last year at North Carolina. They also have defensive end Quanerus Smith a fifth rounder who had 12.5 sacks in his senior year at Western Kentucky. Derek Wolfe maybe out for awhile after a spine injury, but the Broncos have depth. They also added outside linebacker Shaun Phillips, who had 9.5 sacks last season with the Chargers. Plus linebacker Von Miller on the other side makes this a stingy defense. He just needs to be on the field and not on the sideline suspended.

The Oakland Raiders are the laughing stock of the NFL. Usually any team who has the Raiders on their schedule, should check it as a win. They are ranked 31st for a reason. Last year they had a quarterback who didn't care. A running back who runs nowhere and receivers who turns around and see the ball in intercepted. With little expectations coming in this season, the Raiders would be happy to finish at .500. With the addition of quarterback Matt Flynn, holes may open up for, " I carry the ball 30 times for 60 yards," Darren McFadden. Flynn brings athleticism to the pocket, accurate throws and has a big arm. This was a good trade for the Raiders, because Flynn learned from the best quarterback in the game. He was underneath Aaron Rodgers for four years before signing with the Seahawks in 2012. He then was traded to the Raiders, where he is finally expected to be the starting quarterback. This help McFadden find holes in between tackles. In the past quarterback Carson Palmer, wasn't a threat. He has skills, but is known for over-throwing his receivers or throwing to the opposing team. Matt Flynn changes that. Expect McFadden to average more than three yards a carry and a production of more than three total touchdowns. Only thing is he has never played a full season, because of injuries. That needs to change for this team to compete. Flynn has receivers Denarius Moore and Jacoby Ford. Not much to brag about, but Moore is the number one option. Having 600 yards receiving on 41 reception and five touchdown. Ford is not a reliable number two option. In three years he has three touchdowns. Mostly used as a kick returner, Ford will have to fill the shoes of departed Darrius Heyward-Bey, another disappointment. Expect a shaky passing attack. On defense the Raiders drafted cornerback D.J. Hayden, the 12th pick out of Houston is a ball-hawk. Having 127 tackles in two years is just the beginning. He suffered a gruesome life-threating injury in practice in 2012, which limited his season. If he comes back as the same player, he will help a torched secondary, which gave up 235 passing yards. Add him with two more ball-hawks, Charles Woodson and Tyvon Branch. Woodson can be used all over the field. I even seen him play linebacker in Green Bay once. This guy has great defensive skills winning the defensive player of the year in 2009. Branch is the same, a hard-hitting safety with a sense for where the football is thrown. Posting 200 tackles the last two seasons. I like this secondary, but the offense is just going to hurt them.

The Chiefs are breathing a little easier now that running back Jamaal Charles is back at practice after hurting his foot in practice earlier in the week. The Chiefs know, they go as far as Charles will carry them. He averages 5.8 yards per carry. The most for a running back with a minimum of 500 carries in history. Last year the Chiefs relied more on passing the ball than running the ball. At nearly 51 percent passing the Chiefs finished 2-14. Averaging under 14 points per game. With a back like Charles, the Chiefs should rely heavily on the run, which will open up the field for passing lanes. This starts with the quarterback. Last year Matt Cassel was calling the shots and he was really bad at it. Playing in only nine games last season. He had a quarterback rating of 66.7. Averaging 6.5 yards a pass and fumbling the ball nine times. That guy was terrible, so everybody and the coach was in the box stopping the run, because the quarterback couldn't do anything. This year the Chiefs brought in former Eagles coach Andy Reid and former 49ers quarterback Alex Smith. Reid is a hall of fame coach, who will bring his pass-happy offense to the team. This will create holes for Charles and it will make Charles be utilized in the passing game. With a quarterback like Smith, turnovers should be kept at bay. He is a good passer, but not a deep passer. He throws short to mid-range passes and he did it completing 70 percent of his passes. Charles and Smith will benefit from each other and they will benefit from second pick overall  all-American right tackle Eric Fisher. He will help in the run game and pass-protection. Receivers Dwayne Bowe, Jon Baldwin, and Donnie Avery will see a lot of action, as well as tight-end Anthony Fasano. The Chiefs added new defensive Coordinator Bob Sutton and he is keeping the 3-4 defensive scheme. His schemes bring a lot of pressure to the opposing quarterback. Its a lot movement up front a lot of shifting and the best perk about it is not everyone is going to be rushing the quarterback. Some rush and the others drop back, so it should keep everyone on their toes. Everything sounds good on paper, but it will take a year or two for players to get comfortable the schemes. I do expect the 26.6 opposing points to go down. Especially with veteran Derrick Johnson and Tamba Hali. Between both of them they had 176 tackles and nine sacks. But their secondary has got to create more turnovers. Between safety Kendrick Lewis, safety Eric Berry, cornerback Brandon Flowers and cornerback Sean Smith, they had a total of six picks. Not good, but I expect better with the pressure upfront.

The Chargers are a throw your hands up team in this division. You never know what you're going to get with them. They go as quarterback Phillip Rivers goes. Now entering his 10th season. Rivers has established himself as a quarterback who is inconsistent. The four time pro-bowler has thrown 53 touchdowns and 35 interceptions in the past two seasons. Mediocre numbers, but not the numbers the Chargers hoped for when they invested in Rivers with the fourth overall pick. Compared to former Charger quarterback Ryan Leaf numbers,( 14 touchdowns and 36 interceptions for career) Rivers was a blessing, but now at 31 he needs to lead his team to the Super Bowl. The cast around him are respecatable. Running back Ryan Matthews can be a solid back, but he is always hurt. Since he came into the league in 2010 he has never played a full season. What makes it worse is that he only had one touchdown as the starting running back last season. He needs to help Rivers with the ground game and touchdown production. Rivers and Matthews are the reason former GM A.J. Smith, and former coach Norv Turner were fired. Going in a new direction with new GM Tom Telesco and coach Mike McCoy; If Rivers and Matthews don't perform well. They should invest in a new duo and just start over. Rivers had a good receiver in Vincent Jackson and now a veteran who is just coming around in his eight season Malcolm Floyd (Bad Coaching). He has a aging tight end in Antonio Gates, who is getting less productive each year. The ship is sinking for this offense. I say rebuild the offense. On defense they drafted inside linebacker Manti Te'o, a solid pick-up, a good run stuffer and work ethics minus the hoax. They also picked up former defensive end Dwight Freeney and I don't know why. He has played 4-3 his whole career and now he is learning to play linebacker at the end of his career. That's not a good fit for the team. The best player on the defense is safety Eric Weddle.  Last season he had 97 tackles four tackles for loss, one sack, two force fumbles and three picks and one returned 52 yards for a touchdown. He is a beast in this secondary. A ball-hawk who does a little of everything. It also looks good that he has played every game for the past three seasons. The defense is solid, they only gave up 21.9 points a game and was fifth against the run, although the offense is still going to sink this team.

The Broncos should win this division. They have too much talent on offense and once they figure out who is going to be the featured back, this team will be scoring from every position. My concerns are with the defense. They looked extremely bad on Saturday against the Seahawks. Giving up 33 points by half-time. The defense is going to need to step us to be a contender, or Manning is going to be in shootouts. The defense should also prepare not to see Von Miller for at least four weeks due to substance abuse. The Raiders are just looking to rebound from a 4-12 record. The quarterback is different, the defense has added new pieces. I'm excited about this team, but I know it is a rebuilding process. I'm just looking to see if the presence of quarterback Matt Flynn is going to open up running lanes for Darren McFadden. I say 8-8. The Chiefs are another team who is going to open up eyes. Reliable quarterback Alex Smith, with new defensive schemes and a future hall of fame coach. This team will make big steps, but not leaps. The Chargers need to run the ball to open passing lanes for Phillip Rivers. They ran the ball 41 percent of the time and it should be equaled out. It doesn't help that the feature back is always hurt. I'm still scratching my head at the signing of Dwight Freeney, I'm not sure at 33 he has a lot left in the tank.  I won't be surprise if this team came in last place in this division.

FOURTH & FOREVER: AFC NORTH PREVIEW

Johnny J

Last year's Super Bowl champs found a sense of urgency in the playoffs. Losing four of the last five games heading into January, Ray Lewis chose to inform his team that this was going to be his last season in the NFL. So how does everybody want to go out? As a champion of all champions. The Ravens rode the back of Lewis and he brought the Lombardi Trophy to the AFC North. I can just imagine how the other teams in the AFC division feels:

"Out of all teams, why them?" 

It shouldn't be a great feeling for the other teams in the NFL to see someone else hold the trophy, especially out of the AFC North. Teams such as the Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Cincinnati Bengals are not real threats. Do the Browns have what it takes to make the playoffs behind second year quarterback, 29 year-old Brandon Weeden? This use to be the Steelers' division. Haven't heard from them since Wiz Khalifa's "Black and Yellow" song came out three years ago. They look old and slow. Maybe they know something I don't know. The Bengals look like a promising team this season after making the playoffs in back to back seasons. I could have sworn head coach, Marvin Lewis was always in the hot seat. It's hard to let go of a coach when his team gets good at the right moments. On another note, the Ravens will have the toughest road back to the playoffs after the solid championship team became depleted this offseason. Throw that on top of tight end Dennis Pitta being out for the season.

The Cleveland Browns started last years season 0-5. It was safe to say they weren't going to make the playoffs one month into the season. They finished 5-11 overall, winning only once on the road. As we all know, you have to win in those tough environmental places to even be considered a playoff team. Can they turn it around in one season? The answer is no. They remind me of a team who uses their best player until they run them in the ground. No, I'm not talking about running back Darren McFadden, but running back Trent Richardson. The Browns ran the ball 40 percent of the time, but in order to win I think they need to increase that to 60 percent. This should be a running team and not a throwing team. Weeden is a betting man. He likes to try and force the pigskin into his over-covered receivers. "I bet you I can squeeze the ball inside three people around my receiver." That sounds like something he would say. The result is a QB with a 3.18 INT thrown percentage on passing plays, which ranked 27th in the league. Instead of  huddling around Weeden, they should look for Richardson and ask him what he wants them to do. Being ranked 24th in rushes per game is just not going to cut it. Feed the man, until the defense stops him. Then bring in play-action or throw check-down passes. Do not let Weeden let it fly past 20 yards.

Steelers where you at? This defensive team needs to have an offensive balance. The Steelers let wide receiver Mike Wallace walk in free agency as well as running back Rashard Mendenhall. Can you name an offensive player on this team besides "Womanizer"/"I'm always hurt" QB Ben Roethlisberger? I never have seen this quarterback as a super bowl champ, but he is (two-time champion to be exact--Ed). This slow, hard to bring down, injury prone, I hired body guards to protect me from being a "Womanizer," quarterback is getting slower every year. Last year, the Steelers missed the playoffs ("Playoffs? Playoffs! I'm talking about playoffs!) with a disappointing 8-8 record. Big Ben missed three games; It's reasonable, but when you lose the games you play on top of the ones you don't play, then it becomes a problem. They have Antonio Brown as the number one receiver on the depth chart and Emmanuel Sanders as the second option. Nothing like over the top, big play WR Mike Wallace on board, or even old reliable Hines Ward. This offense is going to miss that big haymaker, knock-out punch. They drafted running back Le'Veon Bell out of Michigan State. He is a decent pick, but since I'm a Wisconsin Badger fan, he is no Montee Ball. Tight end Heath Miller is an "ok" tight end. He is a great check down, third down source to haul it in, but this is a athletic, tightend game now. He is slow. I could probably power walk faster than his burst of full-speed. I still like the defense minus linebacker James Harrison. Time to rely on senior citizen Lamar Woodley. Good secondary though in Troy Polamalu, Ike Clark, and Ryan Clark. Maybe they'll win nine games this season.

The Bengals have given Marvin Lewis so many chances; they should just sign the man to a long-term contract and put to rest all of the hot seat rumors. I wouldn't want him to coach the Packers, but he is decent. He just always finds a way to lose close games. Its almost like the opponents coach always finds a way to out-coach him. But I like this team in this division. They are young and talented, and I mean talented. They have a reliable quarterback in Andy Dalton, who seems to be learning the pro level of football each year. I think they call that "developing". I will have to check on that a little later to get the right terminology. Anyway, the Bengals put some good weapons around him. To go along with stand-out, top-tier receiver A.J. Green, they still have pro bowl tight end Jermaine Gresham and they drafted Tyler Eifert in the first round, just in case Gresham might eventually move on after producing two pro bowl years in 2011 and 2012.(Yes drafting a tightend like Gresham in the first round is insurance, partner). The Bengals also drafted running back Giovani Benard to back up Ben Jarvis Green-Ellis. That is a nice 1-2 punch at running back. Someone who rarely puts the ball on the ground and someone who has fresh legs. A nice 2 piece combo. In this 4-3 defense, the Bengals have a good front four, in Carlos Dunlap, Domato Peko, Geno Atkins and Michael Johnson. That is what you call a pass rush, run-stuffing force. Between all of them, they had 212 tackles, 45 tackles for loss and 32 sacks. Now you add James Harrison to that group; this will be a top five defense to go with a top 10 offense.

The Ravens are in the rebuilding stage on both sides of the ball. They lost eight starters from their Super Bowl team. Instead of paying some of the people who deserve the money, they decided to pay fourth-tier quarterback Joe Flacco $120.6 million. The guy who is usually 10-24 in completion to passing attempts ratio. But he got lucky and won the Super Bowl MVP. Go figure! So with Ed Reed going to the Houston Texans and "I didn't spray Deer-Antler on my injured arm last year," linebacker Ray Lewis retired, the defense definitely looks a lot different now. They also still have Ray Rice, who is also locked up long-term for the Ravens. So rebuilding shouldn't be so hard now on the offensive side, but wait, they lost Pitta to a season-ending injury and they signed Visanthe Shiancoe hoping he fills the void. They traded Anquan Boldin which make this offense kind of one-sided. They have great receiver in Torrey Smith and a so so- receiver in Jacoby Jones. If this was a dance contest, Jones would be the top guy, but it's not and he is not a good route runner. The reason why these receivers wont work is because they both do the same thing. They're both deep-threat, down-the-field receivers. You need a deep-threat receiver, an over the middle receiver, and one who gets off the block and can also be a great route runner. Jones is a punt return specialist. He doesn't run great routes. The defense can play two deep shells on them to stop the downfield completions. That's if Flacco has the accuracy that day to even give his receivers a shot. The defense is still decent with Elvis Dumervil and Chris Canty. They can get after the quarterback with Haloti Ngata, Ladarius Webb and Terell Suggs. I hope he is staying away from all basketball activities; We don't want another ACL injury. Oh they also drafted hard-hitting safety Matt Elam out of Florida. The defense is still good, but who is going to emerge as the voice of the defense now that Ray Ray called it quits? Of course, how can I forget...the coordinator.

With the Steelers, Bengals, and Ravens having a top 10 defense; This division winner is going to have to bring an offense for lunch. Unless these defenses are scoring defensive touchdowns, the offense needs to do more than take pictures for the media. The Browns are still rebuilding so I expect them to be around five wins again this year. This is going to be a three-headed race, in which I believe the Bengals will win this division. They have young talents on offense, who should put up some points with a nasty defense that will be top five. The Steelers will come in second. If Roethlisberger stays healthy and this offense can move the ball down the field they can claim second. Antonio Brown has a lot to prove with him being the top dawg now. Neither the Steelers or Ravens have an offense, but the Ravens are in worse shape than the Steelers because they are one-dimensional. Ray Ray gets the ball and then Flacco just lobs it up to Jones or Smith since they both are deep threat receivers. They will find out the hard way when they can't score touchdowns. A solid third place for them. Wow, I picked the Bengals. Boy have times changed from top to bottom in the AFC North. The Steelers and Ravens behind the Bengals in 2013. Like rapper Drake says, "Started from the bottom, now we here."

JOHNNY JAX TOP 5 SUPER BOWL XLVII PREDICTIONS

RAVENS v 49ERS! LET'S DO THIS!!!
(photo courtesy of Ed Mancia)

Johnny J

We asked Johnny J to come up with 5 Super Bowl Predictions for our gambling fans who like to make bets on the outcome of football games and are especially addicted to prop bets.  Here are his prophecies.  

1. The Baltimore Ravens will win 13-10, thanks to a late fumble, by Frank Gore. Gore will get hit by Mr. Banned-Substance-Himself (the Morphed, Half-Man-Half Deer, Ray Lewis--Ed) going up the middle in a 4-minute offense.

2. Jim Harbaugh, will continue to spit on anyone within a 10-foot radius of him and the refs. He will eventually run past his brother, by-passing any handshakes and immediately look for Jim Schwartz.

3. Ray Lewis, will be sobbing all over the field, with the media asking about the PEDs that accelerated his recovery from a triceps injury in time for the NFL Playoffs. His arm will be oozing from a gash that his teammate Ed Reed gave him (allegedly). Reed was not fined. Did I mention his arm was oozing needles, creams, sprays, and ointments (and so will his tear ducts--Ed)? Ray Lewis will continue to avoid answering those sorts of questions and will continue to sob as he points towards the sky, spewing out unintelligible, random things.

4. Joe Flacco will throw a touchdown pass to Torrey Smith. He will go 17-38 with 2 Ints and a fumble. He will continue to think he is elite and will no doubt, get elite-money. Ray Rice will cough up the football twice, losing one. He will still think he is immune to coughing up cold and phlegm, but not footballs.

5. That guy who made the locker room speech to the 49ers in the commercials, will be making that same speech after the game. "It's because I care Patrick [Willis]."  Jim Harbaugh will walk to the locker room spitting at reporters. He decides to throw his infamous red marker to the crowd. He will later ask the league to do a random drug test on Ray Lewis.

Put some money on this and run with it!  If you want to show some appreciation, please put money in my PayMyFriend account @makejohnnyjrich.  Good luck to you gambling fiends out there.

More NFL content is available, here. 

For more on this upcoming Super Bowl, click here. 

SPORTS FROM THE HIP: A Quick Look at the Sports Week That Was

The following is a collaborative effort as we look back at the week in sports. We only use one sentence or less, or your money back!

Pathological Hate

• Lance Armstrong--The former Tour de France cyclist admitted to doping on the Oprah Winfrey Show: What are your thoughts on Lance Armstrong?

The guy is a fraud. (Felipe M)
Straight Shooter! (Johnny J)
Made cycling sexy, the OWN watchable, and the BBWAA bummed out he didn't play baseball so they could prove a point. (Donny R)
He didn't care what he had to do to reach the top and thoroughly convinced he believes what he did isn't cheating. (Dan P.)
To just call him a cheater would be an insult to the Pete Roses of the world. (C. McLain)
He was still whooping others who admitted doping as well. (Josh C)

•  Manti Te'o--The Linebacker out of Notre Dame is mired in a scandal that dealt with his dead girlfriend...who wound up being not dead... and fake: What are your thoughts on Te'o?

He’s an attention whore. (Felipe M)

False award receiver (Johnny J)
He puts the BS in BCS. (Donny R)
 An idiot and will be a bust in the NFL. (Dan P.)
This story will be footnoted throughout his entire career. (C. McLain)

I still don’t know what to think/feel about this one. (Josh C)

• The Atlanta Falcons ended another post-season in major disappointment: What do the Falcons have to do to get over the hump?

Not a single clue. (Felipe M)

Brand Nubian: "Punks jump up to get beat down," (Johnny J)
If Coca-Cola brought the '96 Olympics to the ATL, they can buy them a better secondary. (Donny R)

Play 60 minutes and, unfortunately, replace Tony Gonzalez. (Dan P.)

Coaching change (C. McLain)

Falcons need to shore up their defense and running games. (Josh C)

• Tom Brady failed to get his team back into the Super Bowl. What do you think of Tom Brady's legacy now?

3-Time, Super Bowl Champ. (Felipe M)

Seventh round wonder! (Johnny J)
He won 3 Rings with a great receiving corps, couldn't wint with Moss, and once again he got some good WRs, but he still couldn't win the big game! (Donny R)
Give credit to the Ravens, but it really doesn’t tarnish Brady’s legacy (Dan P.)
Unchanged. (C. McLain)

Still one of the 3 greatest of all time. (Josh C)

• Former Washington Nationals' OF, Michael Morse, was dealt to the Seattle Mariners: What are your thoughts on Morse?

Cautiously, skeptical on how good he really is. (Felipe M)

Welcome to Triple A son. (Johnny J)
The only thing I know less about Michael Morse is Morse code. (Donny R)
Speechless the Nationals dealt Morse over LaRoche--still in shock. (Dan P.)
What’s the Morse code for Déjà vu? (C. McLain)

Morse can rake. (Josh C)

• Kevin Durant scored 52points in 50 minutes against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday. Your thoughts on KD?

Just call him, Kid Dynamite (KD)! (Felipe M)

Height always beats size! (Johnny J)
Imagine when this kid starts to play angry--scary! (Donny R)
Having one of the all-time best offensive seasons ever, yet he’s not even the best player in the league somehow (Dan P.)
Du·ran·tu·la-- Bite is believed to have deadly venom. (C. McLain)

Shocked that 52 is his career high--…..S….T……U…..D….. (Josh C)

• The Baltimore Ravens will return to the Super Bowl. What are your thoughts on the Ravens' performance this post-season?

Clutch! (Felipe M)

Riding on Ray Lewis' emotions! (Johnny J)
We get it social media, Ray Lewis may have killed a guy, but coverage isn't fair to the rest of the Ravens. (Donny R)
Joe Flacco is playing as well as he's been telling everyone he is (Dan P.)

Who knew that Ray Lewis’ dances were to the Super Bowl gods? (C. McLain)

Kudos to the Ravens this postseason for being able to close out games after limping into the playoffs. (Josh C)

• The SF 49ers return to the Super Bowl. What are your thoughts on the 49ers' performance this post-season?

Amazing teamwork. (Felipe M)

Thanks for shaking those pom-poms, Alex Smith. (Johnny J)
They have a shut down defense, are electric on offense--there's a lot to like on this team (Donny R)
At times they look like one of the best teams ever and other times they look like the Chicago Bears (Dan P.)
“Those who can, do... Those who can’t, teach” - Jim Harbaugh? (C. McLain)

Electric! (Josh C)


Part II is available here. 

Donny Rodriguez is part of the sketch comedy troupe, Wood Sugars and covers the Chicago Bulls for Gapers Block. Follow him on Twitter, here.

Dan Plotsky is one of the most knowledgeable fans out there and previously helped Pathological Hate contribute to The Curious Case of: Tyreke Evans.

Josh C. is a very opinionated sports fan and, currently, a very disgruntled Sacramento Kings' fan. 

2012 NFL DIVISIONAL ROUND: Ravens v. Broncos

Felipe M

The following is part of our continuing coverage of the 2012 NFL PLAYOFFS

Saturday's Divisional Round playoff game between the Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos might have been the greatest game I have ever seen.  This isn't hyperbole; this game was the epitome of exciting, NFL football. I understand that the 2011 NFL Playoffs alone had a couple of gems, but this game is going to be impossible to match.  Here are more thoughts of the game:

THE MYSTERIOUS BEARDED MAN: His name is Paul Kruger and he's had two great playoff games.  After getting off to a slow start to the 2012 season due to a back injury, Kruger finished the season strong to post decent numbers. However, a recent injury to starter Albert McClellan has given Kruger a chance to shine in these playoffs, as football fans get acclimated to the 4th year veteran out of Utah. In the two playoff victories for the Ravens, Kruger could be seen constantly pressuring and flying towards Quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck and disrupting their rhythm with his speed and motor.  So far, Kruger has been credited with 2.5 sacks and countless hurries and pressures on the QB. The Ravens will certainly need him to continue to play at a high level against the New England Patriots next week.

COLD TEMPS, THIN AIR, BOARD GAMES: Much hype was given to the weather in Denver as the pundits were going out of their way to mention Manning's record in outdoor, sub-freezing temperature games. Much more hype was given to the fact that he would be wearing gloves on both of his hands. All of that misguided gibberish was forgotten as fans from all over were treated to a classic performance from Manning.  The numbers do not support that last statement, but from an intangible standpoint, in vintage style, he was up to his old tricks, including, but not limited to:

• Getting his offense to the line of scrimmage quickly in order to give him time to see what the defense was setting up.
• Constantly going no-huddle and calling plays on the line of scrimmage (QBs who can virtually call their own plays for almost an entire game are slowly going the way of the dodo, let alone the ones who can actually do it while the defense is peeking from the other side).
• Undressing the Ravens' defense and making the necessary changes to the offense to offset the Ravens' play-calling.
• Especially when he would do quick, hard counts (Hurry! Hurry! set...) that the Ravens would often bite on, therefore showing which players on that team were about to blitz.
• Another instance was when performing a hard count, once again the Ravens' defense bit on it and showed their play. Manning noticed that legendary linebacker, Ray Lewis did not move. In a somewhat, unintentional nod to the hype surrounding this game between the so-called "chess match" between the Broncos' surgeon-like QB and the relentless, tackles-machine Lewis, Manning went up to his offensive line, pointed directly at Lewis, and exclaimed to his line "52 is the Mike! 52 is the Mike!" 
• (for those that don't know, Manning was informing his offense that with all the blitzes coming from the flanks, Lewis would stay at home in his inside linebacker position and convert into a traditional middle linebacker. If I'm wrong, please share your thoughts at the comments' section of this article). 
• The weird gyrations and hand gestures 
• Getting rid of the ball quickly and accurately (65% on a cold day like this against a ferocious defense like the Ravens, that's not too shabby!).
• Using a hybrid of no-huddle and hurry-up offense, combined with the thin air in Denver, Manning used the game plan and the environment to gas out the Ravens' defense.  By the time the Broncos had made the score 35-28 in their favor, the Ravens' defense looked completely exhausted and demoralized. 

Unfortunately for Manning, despite his efforts, he was still responsible for 3 turnovers and much blame has been bestowed upon him for the Broncos' loss.  Manning's legacy as one of the most cerebral, accurate, and complete Quarterbacks of all time has been considerably tainted by his shoddy playoff record. Despite winning one Super Bowl (with the Colts), he is repeatedly overshadowed by long-time rival and nemesis, Tom Brady and Manning is seen more as an accumulator of statistics and as a signal-caller that, more often than not, crumbles under pressure.

Nevertheless, as we say goodbye to one legendary defender in Ray Lewis, we as football fans must sit back and appreciate the small window we have of watching one of the greatest QBs the NFL has ever seen. It's no doubt that many of his passing records and accomplishments will be broken by the next generation of QBs, but his methodology, dedication to the craft of passing, and his unique, overall style of play will definitely be missed. 

LEWIS' LAST STAND: It was 35-28 with about 3 minutes left in the game when the drained Ravens' defense, seen collectively gasping for air and trying to find that last ounce of strength, were summoned to stop the Broncos', dualistically assembled, erroneous, but efficient offense and retrieve the ball back to their offense. 

After a Broncos' 1st down, the Ravens were forced to use their last timeout of the half. It looked bleak with the meticulous Manning in control looking for the kill. However, with Knowshon Moreno lost earlier in the game due to a knee injury, the Broncos' conservative answer to kill the game clock fell on the hands of super-sub, but much smaller Ronnie Hillman. Hillman did help the offense get a 1st down, but three consecutive runs up the middle were met by a wall of Ravens' defenders, led by the always reliable, run-stuffer, Ray Lewis. Lewis would get credit for 2 combined tackles on Hillman after the first down and that forced the Broncos to punt the ball back to the Ravens with about a minute left in the game. Perhaps the bigger, more explosive Moreno might have sealed the deal for the Broncos, but that's all moot.

Somehow, some way, Lewis and the Ravens found the will and way to stop the Broncos when all hope looked to be lost; when the defense looked broken; when it looked like it would be Lewis' last game of his illustrious career. 

$$$CHA-CHING$$$: Joe Flacco's camp was probably jumping for joy to see the, at times, inconsistent QB come through to pull off a victory from the jaws of defeat. No doubt that Flacco had a great game and came through in the clutch. With Flacco becoming a free agent after his contract runs out this season, Flacco's agent reminded the world that Flacco deserves to be mentioned as an elite QB and, therefore, should be paid like one. That was a big joke when the idea that Flacco should be considered "elite" came out last year, but after Saturday's game, there is no doubt that teams will be throwing a lot of money at the young QB in the offseason. 

SPEAKING OF LEGENDARY DEFENDERS: With Lewis retiring at the completion of the Ravens' season, Champ Bailey looked like his best days were behind him--at least against speed-burner, Torrey Smith. The 14th year Cornerback out of Georgia will no doubt be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but on Saturday, Bailey looked ordinary against Smith and the Ravens' passing attack. 

Throughout his career, Bailey was the quintessential, shut-down Corner. Opposing teams game-planned to NOT throw the ball at Bailey's way. However, credit needs to go to Flacco and Offensive Coordinator Jim Caldwell for their aggressive attack. Aggressive is the right word as Flacco was struggling under the conservative Cam Cameron and flourishing under Caldwell.

(this marks a reunion of sorts as Caldwell was playing against Peyton Manning. Caldwell was the head coach at Indianapolis when Manning was the QB there--but we're not playing that game today...)

It is amazing how Ray Lewis played impeccable defense, as expected, in his final year in what could've been his final game. Meanwhile, Bailey who is younger than Lewis, did not play up to his reputation and could be debatable that he single-handedly cost the Broncos the game by giving up big plays to the Ravens. Then again, it is safe to say that the entire Broncos' secondary played a big role in losing this game to the Ravens.

Johnny J mentioned at the conclusion of his article that he was a Division winner in our fantasy football league. For those wondering who won the Championship this year, I now show you, Exhibit A:

Exhibit A

2012 NFL PLAYOFFS: Random Wildcard Thoughts

Felipe M

The following are just some quick thoughts about the 2012 NFL Playoffs. Nothing too fancy:

Deja Vu?: The Cincinnati Bengals vs the Houston Texans. They played against each other last season as well. The Bengals have scored a combined 23 points. However, the Bengals' defense did make a case for being one of the game's elite as they proved why they finished the season as the #3 best defense team in terms of "weighted defense" in 2012. Unfortunately for them, Houston proved why their defense finished 5th in that same category and were able to shut the Bengals offense to 10 points. 

Like a Cincinnati Ignition: This is two years straight that the Bengals made it to the playoffs, but experienced a first-year exit. But it's really hard to comprehend what's going on in Cincinnati.  Growing up in the 1990s, the Bengals were a joke of a franchise that were being driven to the ground by owner Mike Brown. The 1st round busts that have been produced by the Bengals is very comical (David Klingler, Dan Wilkinson, Ki-Jana Carter anybody?). It was just expected that the "Bungles" would permanently be the worst team in the NFL!

The Curious Case of Marvin Lewis: Despite head coach Marvin Lewis constantly being on the hot seat (he is one game under .500 in Cincy), he somehow finds a way to get his team to rally.  Lewis was facing death's door last year when the Bengals traded former QB starter, Carson Palmer and went ahead and inserted, then rookie, Andy Dalton. And let's not forget that defensive coordinator, Mike Zimmer is one of the best in the business and credit goes to him for creating one of the best defenses in the NFL.  It's very hard not to imagine the Bengals taking another step forward next season. 

Thoughts Send me on a Carousel: Speaking of Lewis, he is a former defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens. Last season, that spot was filled in by Chuck Pagano who is now the current Indianapolis Colts' head coach. That spot was filled by Jim Caldwell in 2011 who was inserted as the offensive coordinator in Baltimore very late in the 2012 season as he replaced Cam Cameron where he coached future NFL player, Antwaan Randle El at Indiana University. The speedy receiver played for the Pittsburgh Steelers where Bruce Arians was his Wide Receivers' coach. Bruce Arians was the Colts' interim head coach this past season while Pagano was treated for Leukemia.

You want more?

Bruce Arians was the offensive coordinator under Butch Davis and the Cleveland Browns. Davis was the Defensive Coordinator in Dallas under Barry Switzer. Mike Zimmer was a fellow coach of Davis' under Switzer and eventually became the Cowboys' D-coordinator. Currently, Zimmer holds that same position in Cincinnati....under current head coach Marvin Lewis. How you like that?

Joe Webb still sucks: That is all.

Unintentional Play off the Night: This goes to Packers' LB Clay Matthews who was making his turn against the Vikings' left tackle, Matt Kalil as he was trying to chase down Webb. Kalil did a good job of keeping Matthews off Webb, but as it was a running theme all night long, Webb was holding on to the ball for too long and eventually would try to make plays with his legs. In this instance, Webb tried to do the same thing and run away from the pressure, but he still ended up tripping over Clay Matthews.  Even Matthews was surprised to see that he got credit for an "accidental" sack against the overmatched QB. He was so surprised that he didn't even bother doing his sack dance.

To Play or Not to Play: As much as I criticize Jay Cutler's performance in 2012, I will not deny his toughness. Unlike many fans in Chicago and around the nation, I thought he was wise to sit out in the 2010 NFC Championship game against the Packers. But I have seen Cutler refuse to sit out with concussion symptoms, I have seen him take a beating against defenses who look at the Bears' offensive line like it was lunch meat, and I have seen Cutler continue to get up and run the next play (assuming that the play got to him on time before having to burn another timeout). So this past weekend, we saw two Quarterbacks come into these playoffs with injuries that were severe enough to justify a move by their respective head coaches in the lineup.

One Christian Ponder was sat out at the last minute with an elbow injury. In came Joe Webb. The Packers scored 24 points against the Vikings and they never had a chance. The other was Robert Griffin III who had been dealing with an injured knee for the last few weeks or so.  He wanted to play in the playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks and went on to re-injure his right knee, not just once, but twice in one game. Results of an MRI today showed that Griffin has partial tears in knee ligaments and possible surgery is being discussed.

I'm not going to delve too much into this topic, but it's funny how fans all over the NFL have mixed views on Griffin's situation, although most think that coach Mike Shanahan should have taken him out of the game, but we all know fans would've second-guessed Shanahan for taking him out after the first time his knee buckled. Tough situation either way.

The fact is, however, that the onus is and should be on the players to know if they are healthy enough to play and be man enough to say "no" when they can't. Post game on the NFL NETWORK showed Deion Sanders, Marshall Faulk, and Michael Irvin all agreeing with Griffin's decision to stay in the game. It was HIS choice. He was the one that got the Redskins INTO the playoffs. Finally, Griffin is the team's BEST chance to win the game. In the post-game interview, Griffin repeated the sentiments of the three Hall-of-Famers. He wanted the challenge to play on one leg and he understood the consequences if he continued to play.

Lesson learned.

And finally, we bring it back to Ray Lewis' final home game in Baltimore. Enjoy!

2012 NFL PLAYOFFS: COLTS V. RAVENS--Welcome Back, Ray Lewis!

Johnny J

Ray Lewis played and danced in his final game at M&T Stadium with a win over the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Wild Card game. While I can sit here and talk about Ray's dance and how electrifying his moves were to pump up the fans, I need to add that I was hoping to see him chase Paul Rudd around the field. It didn't happen, but, regardless, the Ravens' defense welcomed their defensive coordinator of 2011, Chuck Pagano, back home. The welcome was so warm, that they beat his new team 24-9.

The middle linebacker played in his first game since tearing his triceps in mid-October. Lewis looked dominant with his robotic arm (Oh, wait... its just a harness that made Lewis appear as some sort of half-man, half-Transformer), leading the defense with 13 tackles.  The defense played vintage, Ravens' football that ranked in the top ten as opposed to ranking 22nd, in terms of "weighted defense." The Ravens entered play giving up a total of 350.9 yards per game (ranked 17th) and 122.8 being rushing yards (ranked 20th). That doesn't sound like the viciously, terrifying, hard-hitting Ravens' defense that we know.

But that's what happens when your future Hall-of-Fame linebacker misses 10 games (makes me want to create a dance at work--maybe it will get my team pumped-up to reach, what should be, attainable metrics and goals). Now that he's back, I guess Ed Reed doesn't need to go out of his way to make "illegal" hits on opposing receivers in an attempt to terrorize them (I can hear him now: "Me and my wallet thanks you for coming back, Ray!").

Lewis has been the face of the Ravens' franchise for years and now, in his 17th season, he is calling it quits. He couldn't have picked a better time to make the announcement--win or go home--so why not try to ride this emotional, do-or-die, "win one for the gipper," adrenaline rush all the way to the Super Bowl? (think Ray Bourque when he played for the Colorado Avalanche--Ed). 

This game had implications on both sides. Besides Ray Lewis announcing his retirement as soon as the Ravens' season was completed,Chuck Pagano returned to Baltimore as the head coach of the Colts. It was an emotional sight to see the Ravens' defense showing their old coach support and love.  Pagano coached his second game after coming back from his Leukemia treatment that forced him to miss the majority of the 2012 season. Pagano, along with offensive coordinator, Bruce Arians (who might be the Chicago Bears' coach in 2013?--Ed), revived a Colts' team that went from 2-14 last season to going 11-5 this season and making the playoffs as a 5th seed. 

A lot of the reason for their success is, while they went 2-14 last season, last year's struggles helped them obtain the number 1 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, in which they drafted Andrew Luck--who is pretty good (a lot better than "good"--Ed). I mean I drafted him in my fantasy league and sometimes even started him over Peyton Manning, which says a lot about the rookie's ability. In his first year, he threw for 4,374 yards breaking Cam Newton's record for a rookie. Newton threw for 4,051 yards (Hey, Cam--it looks like that kid really did warm up his arm!).

In his first playoff game, Luck threw for 288 yards and an interception (and it could have been 2 INTs if Ray Lewis' robotic hands could have cradled a tipped pass in the 2nd quarter--Ed). Luck had a hard time against the Ravens' defense only connecting on 28 of his 54 pass attempts. Reggie Wayne had 9 of those catches for 114 yards. Even though the Colts lost, they have a lot to look forward to as they try and build a team around Andrew Luck.

Pagano took over for Jim Caldwell last season who is the new offensive coordinator for the Ravens after Cam Cameron was fired late in the season. Caldwell was hired as the quarterbacks coach (Yeah I thought it was a joke when he was hired for that position as well--"Hey Flacco let me show you how to be like Curtis Painter and Kerry Collins."). No wonder Joe Flacco is garbage: his passing completions and attempts are far apart! He reminds me of Allen Iverson's shooting numbers: 9-25 from the field, but he did score 30 points because he shot the ball 25 times (Joe Flacco is the Allen Iverson of today's NFL? Unlike Iverson, Flacco can pass the ball.--Ed). Flacco was better today though, he was 12 for 23 for 282 yards and 2 touchdowns. Ray Rice finished with 2 fumbles to go along with 70 rushing yards.

If the Ravens want to help Lewis finish his career with a Super Bowl ring, they're going to have to go through Denver and their defense ranks 2nd in total yards and 4th in points allowed. In order for that to happen, they need a combination of Ray-Ray: Ray Lewis and Ray Rice. I'm not worried about Lewis doing his part, but with Rice suddenly being a fumbles machine, I think that puts a lot on Joe "Sacko"--err-- I mean Flacco. Hey, maybe Lewis can do his dance in the locker room for motivation.

For more on the 2012 NFL Wildcard Weekend, click here.

Please welcome our newest contributor, Johnny J.  Even though Johnny is one of "Chi-town's finest," he is a Green Bay Packers' fan, roots for the Detroit Red Wings, follows the Seattle Mariners, and--the biggest sin of all--he bleeds orange and blue as he cheers on the New York Knicks.  Feel free to say "hi" to him on the comments section.