Fantasy Nation NFL Season

More players were lost for multiple games and likely the rest of the season yesterday forcing people to juggle fantasy lineups yet again.

 

> Cincy lost Andy Dalton for what is expected to be the rest of the regular season with a broken thumb he broke making a tackle after he threw a pick. The Bengals had selected former Alabama QB AJ McCarron last year and he came on yesterday and he showed some promise. He threw a couple of picks that help the Steelers beat the Bengals but he also did some things that showed promise as Cincy tries to close out the division title. Currently they are 2 games up on Pitt with 3 to play. Fantasy wise it shouldn't hurt the production of the surrounding players. AJ Green had a real nice fantasy day yesterday as did a couple of other players too.

 

> Cincy also lost TE Tyler Eifort to a concussion. There is no word on his availability this coming week but if it was enough to get him pulled out of the game yesterday in the first half it's likely bad enough for him to miss the next game as well. More on his status as it becomes available.

 

> Seattle will need a new RB because Thomas Rawls was lost for the rest of the season due to a broken ankle that included some significant ligament damage.

 

> Texans QB Brian Hoyer left the game last night with the Patriots because he had to go through the NFL concussion protocol. No word on his availability yet either. T J Yates will step in if needed.

 

> Carolina TE Greg Olsen left the game early yesterday with an apparent knee injury and it's not thought to be an issue. The Panthers just didn't knee to risk him because they were kicking the stuffing out of Atlanta actually shutting them out 38-0. Reports are Olsen will be fine.

 

> The Panthers were sort of struck with the injury bug as several players left the game with injuries. CB Bene Benwikere was the worst of the rash of injuries as he was carted off the field with a broken leg. RB Jonathan Stewart left with a foot injury and the Panthers kicker Graham Gano was checked for a concussion in the 3rd quarter.

 

> Seahawks S Kam Chancellor left in the 2nd half of the game against Baltimore with a tailbone injury and he did not return.

 

> Colts QB Matt Hasselbeck left in the 4th qtr of the Colts game with Jacksonville yesterday with a rib injury. Charlie Whitehurst is the next man up for Indy if Hasselbeck or Andrew Luck isn't available.

 

> Patriots RB LeGarrette Blount left the Texans game in the second half last night with a hip injury and he did not return. Brandon Bolden and James White combined to fill in for Blount.

 

> Buffalo TE Charles Clay left their game with Philly yesterday in the first half and did not return.

 

Is this the time we cue up U2's "Sunday, Bloody Sunday"?

More great news for fantasy owners.

 

> The Patriots can't buy a break at RB. LeGarrette Blount is on season ending IR because of a hip injury. Look for Brandon Bolden and James White to see more of a load going forward. This is not the time to see rosters depleted by injury.

 

> The Seahawks officially put RB Thomas Rawls on season ending IR and they added Bryce Brown to the active roster. As listed by the Seahawks depth chart Brown will be the starter with Freddie Jackson as the 3rd down back and backup to Brown.

 

> Panthers leading receiver, TE Greg Olsen, who came out of the shutout win over Atlanta last Sunday is okay and good to go. The Panthers just held him out of the game because they were blowing out the Falcons and saw no reason to expose Olsen to any more punishment. He should be good to go this week in New York against the Giants. (No offense but I don't want Carolina to go undefeated but I hope they beat the crap out of the Giants this week. Not so much for Dallas sake, I stuck a fork in them last Sunday about 6:30 PM, but I want to Eli's pouty face when Carolina puts a beat down on him and the rest of the Giants. BTW, I hope that Carolina goes for the undefeated season unlike the Colts a few years ago when they sat their starters in the season's last game. I thought that was a gutless move by Tony Dungy. Peyton Manning played some in that Week 17 game against Buffalo but he came out of the game with the chance still on the table to go undefeated. That was 2009 two years after the Patriots went 16-0 in 2007. Both teams lost in their respective Super Bowls ironically enough.)

 

> The Browns got Johnny Manziel back last week but they lost their 2nd leading receiver, Brian Hartline, to Tony Romo disease (broken collar bone) and has been placed on IR ending his season. Travis Benjamin seems to be the next man up to fill Hartline's shoes. Regardless of who takes Hartline's place the Browns task is not going to be easy as they travel to Seattle to face a red hot Seahawks team. Johnny Manziel is 2-2 as a starter in 2015 but I'm not giving him much of a chance to be anything other than 2-3 Sunday evening.

 

> Speaking of the Browns receivers, one huge disappointment has had to be Dwayne Bowe. For the last two seasons prior to this season Bowe played football like a man who was NOT on a mission. He was part of a WR corps that did not catch one single TD pass in 2014. This year Bowe has snagged only 3 passes this season and those all came in one game. Mostly Bowe has been a healthy scratch on game days. He's blaming a hamstring injury during training camp for his lack of production this season but the fact is he hasn't done squat in the NFL since 2012.

From the "That was a stupid thing to say." files; Cleveland head coach Mike Pettine saying that Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks, a guy who led the 'Hawks to back-to-back Super Bowls, is not an elite quarterback. This coming from a team tied for the worst record in the NFL and likely going to get their collective asses handed to them by a resurgent Seahawks team. Why would you screw your team over like this by providing bulletin board material for that other team to fire them up even more than they would have been? Maybe Pettine knows he's going to be fired and he's trying to hurry up the process by getting his team killed by a pissed off Seahawks team. Who knows.

 

Ryan Mallett was signed by the Baltimore Ravens this week. In an interview he said that being cut by the Texans was probably the best thing that could happen to him. It was a wake up call, he said, because he had issues where he was late for meetings and after he missed a flight to a game he was cut. He was also seen pouting on the sidelines in a game when he was benched in favor of Brian Hoyer. You wonder if he learned anything at but is giving lip service to being a different person because he is trying to show his regret at past behavior. In the interview he qualified his pouting on the sideline by saying there were reasons why he was pouting that he wouldn't go into. Sounds like he's making excuses for being a tool bag to me. Maybe he has changed but I sincerely doubt it. Anyway, I hope he is just his lousy QB self for a team I don't like anyway. Not really in the Christmas spirit here am I?

 

With a depleted WR corps because of injuries and bad play by the backups the Patriots have signed WR Leonard Hankerson to help the Patriots out until Julian Edelman comes back from a broken foot. Hankerson has been with the Redskins and he had been on the IR/Scheduled for return list when Washington cut him loose. Hankerson, if healthy, is a more dependable receiver than the current deep threat of the Patriots, Brandon LaFell, who can't seem to hold on to passes at times.

 

After losing Thomas Rawls for the season last week after he broke his ankle the Seahawks have signed a familiar face to their roster. Christine Michael, who spent most of the season in Dallas was signed yesterday. His familiarity with the system should make him a plug and play player and he could actually be the #1 guy when Seattle faces Cleveland at home this week.

 

Finally, NFL.com has announced an adjustment in the officiating procedures in the playoffs this season. From what I read (and linked below) the article just says the refs on the field will be able to talk to Dean Blandino, VP of Officiating at the NFL league office, but Blandino can't really do anything that is not reviewable by the instant replay rules so really it's just Blandino making gesture of oversight to the piss poor officiating that has been done this season. To me, Blandino is more a part of the problem than a solution. What I got out of the article was pretty much nothing will be different.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000603051/article/adjustment-to-officiating-procedures-for-playoffs

It's hard to believe it's Saturday. It's harder to believe it's only 6 days until Christmas (I am so not ready!). It's even harder to believe that the one league I made the playoffs in I was bounced by a collective sub par performance by at least 4 players on my roster. For a change it wasn't that I played the wrong guys on my roster, I just had a handful of players who under performed. It was a bad year for me in fantasy and it was mainly because I was slashed to pieces by injuries and the backups on my rosters just didn't perform. But, for those of you still in your playoff hunt here goes.

 

Tom Brady is listed as questionable with an illness but the NFL channel said that Brady will play against the Tennessee Titans at home. That goes for Gronk too, who missed Friday's practice for personal reasons. Both players will be playing Sunday. BTW, the Patriots and Broncos are duking it out for the #1 seed in the AFC so if you think anyone is sitting on their laurels forget it. That is great news for fantasy owners.

 

Speaking of the Broncos, it will be Brock Osweiler yet again under center. Peyton was at practice on Wednesday but he missed the rest of the week with a sore foot. The Broncos will be playing the Steelers in Pittsburgh which is another epic matchup of a high octane offense (Steelers) vs the #1 defense (Broncos). The last time Denver was in this sort of showdown game was against the Patriots just a few short weeks ago. The Broncos prevailed in that game winning 30-24 in overtime. That game also saw Gronk gone for a week because of a severe bone bruise in his leg. Denver was at home in that game but this time they have to travel to Pittsburgh which is not an easy place to play. CJ Anderson is questionable for the game meaning Ronnie Hillman is likely the main guy for Denver.

 

Is Cincinnati going to hold on to the AFC North with Andy Dalton out? That's the question as Cincy travels to San Francisco to play the 49ers. The Bengals are also without TE Tyler Eifort who is out with a concussion. Those are two big pieces of the puzzle for the Bengals and it still remains to be seen if AJ McCarron can keep the Bengals train rolling. He had a good game last week even though it was in a loss to hated rival Pittsburgh. Two picks thrown by McCarron were his undoing in that game. If you need a tight end to replace Eifort Jermaine Gresham could be your man.

 

The most important ho-hum game this week is between the Texans and Colts in Indy. At 6-7 neither team really strikes fear into anyone's heart. The Colts may or may not have primary backup Matt Hasselbeck which means the load could fall on Charlie Whitehurst. The Texans will depend on their primary backup TJ Yates. Houston is trying to break a losing streak of 13 games in Indy that stretches back to 2002. Tall order for a Houston team who is shaky at QB to begin with and with the best defensive player in the NFL in JJ Watt playing with a broken left hand. This game is for the right to get their record to .500 and take sole possession of the AFC South division lead. So, pretty good game here.

 

The Jacksonville Jaguars will be without RB TJ Yeldon this week because of a knee. Denard Robinson will fill in for Yates with Bernard Pierce getting some carries.

 

Carolina is still chasing a perfect season as they carry a 13-0 record into this week's game against the NY Giants. They will have to do it without RB Jonathan Stewart who suffered a sprained foot. Expectations are the Panthers will rely on a RB by committee approach with Mike Tolbert, Cameron Artis-Payne and Fozzy Whitaker splitting the load. It is not expected that any of these 3 will have any fantasy value.

 

Dallas will be without LB Rolando McClain this week due to a concussion and CB Mo Claiborne is doubtful tonight against the Jets. The loss of Claiborne is likely more impactful as it forces Dallas to rearrange their secondary which weakens the Cowboys at safety where rookie Byron Jones has been one of the bright spots in this season for Dallas. The Cowboys have a very slim hope for making the playoff so they need to win this game. The Jets have a big stake in getting a win too as they are currently the 6th seed, the 2nd wild card team, in the AFC playoff race. The Jets got good news as WR Jeremy Kerley with has been upgraded to probable for the game.

The blood has started to spill. Eagles "genius" head coach and director of player personnel has been fired. You knew that already. What is in question is whether or not it was because he pretty much dismantled a team with dynamic players and replaced them with questionable talent that certainly didn't perform up to the standards of the previous rosters. DeSean Jackson gone. LeSean McCoy gone. Jeremy Maclin gone. Trent Cole gone. And a host of other players assembled by the previous regime headed by Andy Reid. In was Ryan Mathews, hurt most of the time. In was DeMarco Murray who hasn't done squat. In was draft pick Nelson Aguilor who is 50-50 whether he'll drop a pass thrown to him and Miles Austin who isn't even on the team any more. Gone was QB Nick Foles in a trade for Sam Bradford that will cost the Eagles their 2nd round pick in 2016 (This year! BTW, Happy New Year!). Chip Kelly successfully dismantled the Eagles franchise in one season to the extent it will cripple the Eagles for the next 4-5 years. Kids, say, "Thank you Mr Kelly." Thank you Mr Kelly. For people like me who loathe the Eagles this is like the best belated Christmas present ever! Thank you Mr Kelly! Kelly is not the first head coach fired during the 2015 season. Way back on October 5th after beginning the season 1-3 Miami head man Joe Philbin was shown the door. Unfortunately, the interim coach, Dan Campbell, couldn't rally the troops and he will be done as head coach after Sunday. Down in Nashville the Titans fired head coach Ken Whisenhunt after the Titans began the season 1-6. Mike Mularkey was named interim coach and he will likely end up going 2-7 after the Titans get beat by Indianapolis on Sunday. This means he hasn't done enough to warrant being named head coach going forward so as it stands, from my point of view, is there are already 3 head coaching vacancies to be filled beginning around Monday afternoon.

 

For all of you wanting Jason Garrett's head on a platter, don't hold your breath because he ain't going anywhere despite the either 4-12 or 5-11 season the Cowboys suffered through this season. In fact the top 3 guys are probably safe with Garrett, OC Scott Linehan and DC Rod Marinelli coming back next season. I am no big fan of special teams coach Rich Bisaccia and I wouldn't be surprised to see him go.

 

As for on the field stuff....................

> Johnny Manziel will be out this week because of a concussion. I'm not sure he's shown enough to warrant the Browns belief he can be the QB of the future. The Browns have a lot more problems than who their 2016 QB will be. Either head coach Mike Pettine or GM Ray Farmer have been at odds over Manziel's behavior and you get the feeling one of these guys will have to go. One of the biggest problems in the Browns organization in the last 10 years has been the instability of the organization. It's almost become a joke and the Browns need to get a system in place and build from there because unless a miracle happens the Browns will stink for at least the next 5 years. Sorry Browns fans but that's what it looks like to me.

 

> The Seahawks were hoping Marshawn Lynch would be back for this week's finale against Arizona but that ain't happening. The 'Hawks are left with a RB by committee of Christine Michael, Bryce Brown and Fred Jackson. It's no secret why Seattle lost to the Rams last week--lack of a stud run game which is what the Seahawks offense is built around. Seattle may have a playoff spot wrapped up but I don't see them going very deep unless Lynch comes back and comes back strong.

 

> If you are in you fantasy league championship I'm sorry to have to tell you that Rams RB Todd Gurley is listed as doubtful this week against the 49ers. Now, doubtful is not out and he could still play but it's not likely the Rams will risk their future for one meaningless game.

 

> The Colts need a win Sunday over Tennessee and a loss by Houston to win the AFC South but that task has been made harder with the news that Matt Hasselbeck will be out because of a bad shoulder. Colts head coach Chuck Pagano is not sure who will start for Indy because Andrew Luck is still out and will not play and Charlie Whitehurst was put on IR after injuring his hamstring. So, Pagano has to decide between Stephen Morris, Ryan Lindley or Josh Freeman to start Sunday. Maybe the Titan can win. Oh, BTW, reports are that Chuck Pagano will be fired after the season. There is apparently a huge rift between him and the Colts GM.

 

> The Bengals will have TE Tyler Eifort back but the Falcons will be without Tevin Coleman.

I was prepared to assert that the Carolina Panthers weren't as good as their 14-1 record would suggest and given a look at both the Panthers and their closest rival in total wins, Arizona, I have to go with my original thinking. Carolina has scratched and clawed their way through a patty cake schedule to get where they are. The Panthers have only faced 5 opponents this year with a winning record and that could be reduced depe9-6nding on the outcomes of a couple of games. They have played three teams who are definitely going to the playoffs, the Packers, the Redskins and the Seahawks. They will have played a 4th in a division winner in either Houston or Indianapolis depending of the outcomes of their games today. The other +.500 team is Atlanta who ended the Panthers unbeaten streak last Sunday. BTW, Atlanta is not going to the playoffs. The Panthers will close out the season at home against Tampa Bay today with a record of 6-9. The Cardinals have played only 5 teams with winning records this season as well. By contrast however the teams they have played are better than the 5 Carolina has played. Panthers +.500 opponents are Seattle, Green Bay, Washington, Houston and Atlanta with records of 9-6, 10-5, 8-7, 8-7 and 8-7 respectively. As you can see the amount of +.500's could end up being just 2 by the end of the day. On the other hand the Cardinals +.500's are Pittsburgh, Seattle, Cincinnati, Minnesota and Green Bay with records of 9-6, 9-6, 11-4, 10-5 and 10-5 respectively. What's more Carolina is without starting RB Jonathan Stewart while Arizona has been riding rookie David Johnson and they just got Andre Ellington back a week or so ago. Carolinas receivers can't hold a candle to Arizona's and Carson Palmer is, overall, playing better than Cam Newton who is everyone's MVP so far. Both have really good defenses but Arizona's special teams is much better than Carolina's. If Arizona beats Seattle in the season finale today they will have beaten the 3 best NFC teams not named Carolina in 3 out of the last 4 weeks. The Cardinals have beaten every +.500 team on their schedule except Pittsburgh way back on October 18th in Week 6. That was the Cardinals last loss to date. I said that Arizona was far and away the most impressive team after their Week 3 smack down of the 49ers and just to prove me wrong they lost in Week 4 to the Rams. That was Todd Gurley's breakout performance as he gained 146 yds on only 19 totes. The Cardinals are a damn good team who have the talent and the team to go deep in the playoffs whereas Carolina is deficient at WR and missing their starting RB. I just don't believe Carolina is built to survive January football. Carolina will get a first round bye and they could win the divisional round game but I don't believe they are a Super Bowl team. I could be wrong but I don't think so.

 

Miami is one team who will get a new head coach but they added the general manager's job as a vacancy that needs to be filled. The Dolphins have fired Dennis Hickey and Dolphins Vice President of Football Operations, Mike Tannenbaum, will oversee the reorganization of the Dolphins front office and coaching staff. There is almost as much bleeder of staff members as there was in Detroit earlier this season when just about everyone but head coach Jim Caldwell was fired.

 

NFL.com is reporting that the Browns will fire both head coach Mike Pettine and GM Ray Farmer. The Browns have had 5 different head coaches since 2008 and almost as many GMs. It was thought that when Jimmy Haslam bought the Browns in 2012 but since he took over there have been 3 different head coaches. This franchise is a mess. To create stability Haslam will need to hire a coach and GM who get along or hire a guy to be head coach and GM so that, unless the guy goes all Jim Carrey and kicks his own ass, there should be some harmony in the front office. I sort of like the Browns and I wish they could return to some respectability before the fans in the Dog Pound lose interest in them.

 

All it takes is one bad season and you lose your job. The old Jerry Glanville statement, "You what NFL means don't, you? Not For Long...." Glanville said it to a ref after a bad call way back when he coached the Houston Oilers. The end of the quote is, "....when you make calls like that." But, the "not for long" is a perfect description of the job security of an NFL coach. My point here is that Indianapolis head coach, Chuck Pagano, is rumored to be getting fired. The guy survived cancer and inspired that team to go to the playoffs and he led the Colts to the AFC title game against the Patriots last season. This year he's had to deal with a plethora of injuries, including Andrew Luck, and has stumbled to a 7-8 record. The Colts could still make the playoffs by beating Tennessee coupled with a Houston loss to Jacksonville but he is said to be gone daddy by next week. Sheesh.

 

The Eagles have already interviewed a candidate to replace Chip Kelly. The candidate was current Eagles RB coach and former Eagles player Duce Staley. This is pretty much out of the blue and it may only be a way to satisfy the Rooney Rule of NFL teams having to at least interview minority candidates for the job.

 

Here's the injury list for Week 17 and I feel sorry for you if you are in your fantasy league championship because there seems to be slim pickings for NFL fantasy rosters.

Good luck -- you'll need it!

http://espn.go.com/blog/stephania-bell/post/_/id/3384/key-injury-updates-for-fantasy-football-week-17

The coaching/executive hammer has started to fall.

 

Tom Coughlin HC NY Giants stepped down after 12 season and two Super Bowls. Eli wept.

 

Jim Tomsala HC San Francisco 49ers was fired one year after Jim Harbaugh was fired and went to coach at Michigan. Tomasala lost his QB, half of the Super Bowl team under Harbaugh to injury, free agency and stupidity (yes, I'm talking to you Aldon Smith). After the firing Harbaugh tweeted "You reap what you sow." an obvious dig at the 49er front office.

 

Before the sun set in Cleveland yesterday both HC Mike Pettine and GM Ray Farmer were canned. Anybody want to be the HC in Cleveland. Pays well but the job security is crap.

 

As improbable as it may seem Saints coach Sean Payton may be traded for as little as a 2nd round draft pick. Despite being under contract until 2018 for a reported $24MM the Saints seem ready to listen to offers but a 2nd round draft pick seems to be the stalling point of these conversations with other teams. What is this world coming to when a guy who has inured himself as a favorite son of the Crescent City can be put on the trading block like that?

 

The Miami Dolphins already have a new GM. That man is Chris Grier who was the Dolphin Director of College Scouting prior to his hire as GM. It seems that interim head coach Dan Campbell will at least get an interview.

 

Cowboys fans should thank their luck stars today. Not just because the Cowboys 4-12 season of torture is over with but that the guy who is, at very least, the Cowboys Director of Player Personnel in every sense of the word except the title (the official title belongs to Jerrah's son Stephen Jones). That guy is Will McClay. You may not have heard of him unless you listen to Cowboys website podcasts and to Bryan Broaddus in particular but McClay has been the guy primarily responsible for the increase of talent of the Cowboys roster over the last several years. McClay was offered an opportunity to interview for the position of General Manager of the Detroit Lions and McClay turned the Lions down preferring to stay in Dallas. This is a good thing going forward. Being Assistant Director of Player Personnel is good enough for him---for now. There is no salary cap on coaches and staff so Jerrah has likely made sure that McClay has plenty of money and a bucket load of say-so as he works his magic with Stephen Jones and Director of Scouting Tom Ciskowski. McClay's first job in this 2016 offseason is to find a QB of the future to groom to take Tony Romo's place in a couple of years as well as bolstering the D-line and getting a top notch cornerback. A stud linebacker and a guy to take over for Jason Witten wouldn't hurt. Maybe you prefer a running back. Hmmm. thought a player personnel guy was as easy as being a fantasy football owner didn't you? Not hardly.

The Colts came to their senses and did not fire head coach Chuck Pagano. On the contrary, they gave him an extension! Pagano got a four year extension to his contract. The other part of this deal is a bit of a head scratcher. It is being reported that Pagano encouraged the Colts owner Jim Irsay to extend GM Ryan Grigson's deal thereby making the two a package deal. The thing that makes this an odd situation is that when describing the relationship between Grigson and Pagano as toxic. Others say that their relationship is just a case of two men passionate about their jobs. There is no question that the Colts suffered through a year that was played, for the most part, without star QB Andrew Luck. Despite this Pagano was able to lead his team to an 8-8 record with back up QBs including wins in the last two games of the season when the division was still up for grabs. This is certainly a better job than Jason Garrett did with Cowboys this season without Tony Romo.

The theme music for January in the NFL should be "Tumblin' Dice" by the Rolling Stones. The biggest news isn't necessarily coming out in the playoffs, it's coming from all head coaching and GM jobs that are being tossed around like a pair of Vegas dice.

Here's one I bet you didn't see coming. The Tampa Bay Bucs have fired head coach Lovie Smith after one year on the job. Yep, that's right. The same Lovie who led the Chicago Bears to the Super Bowl which they eventually lost to Peyton Manning's Indianapolis Colts. The thinking here is being reported as that Tampa wants to keep OC Dirk Koetter because he has developed a good relationship with the #1 pick in the 2014 draft Jameis Winston. There seems to have been some interest in Koetter in NFL circles so the Bucs management looked at the situation and deemed Koetter more valuable than Smith. In all likelihood the Bucs will go through the interview process to satisfy the "Rooney Rule" but Koetter looks like he could be the next head coach in Tampa.

 

Here's one you probably did see coming. The Saints front office announced that Sean Payton will be back on the sidelines for NOLA next season. This is no surprise and he and Drew Brees are still trying to get one more Super Bowl under their belts. Brees had better get some off season surgery done on his throwing shoulder because something is wrong in there and he was not able to throw like Drew Brees can throw.

 

The Brock Osweiler era in Denver is now on hold as the Broncos have announced that upstart QB Peyton Manning will be the starter when Denver plays again during the Divisional round of the playoffs. Also, Osweiler is out with a knee sprain. Yeah, right.

 

It's going to be old school cold in Minnesota this weekend. The high temperature Sunday is supposed to be 3⁰F. For the 60s and 70s Vikings that was normal but how is this new millennium bunch of norsemen going to act? Three frickin' degrees. I have to put on a sweater just thinking about that.

 

What is in the water when HOF caliber players just want to up and retire before they are past their prime. Barry Sanders did it and now Calvin Johnson is thinking about it. Or is it maybe Megatron want to sweeten his contract a little?

I have to make a slight correction to the post yesterday. Lovie Smith was coach of the Tampa Bay Bucs for the past two years instead of the just one year which I posted. Sorry. The main point was, Smith's firing was not seen coming even by NFL insiders. It didn't matter it Smith coached one or two years the fact that he got canned was the story. Who knows what the Bucs front office was thinking and we won't know because they didn't face the media to answer questions about the firing. They made their GM Jason Licht face the media with some lame excuses and there has been a revelation that Smith was fired by phone instead of face to face. The owner of the Bucs showed the class of college playa who breaks up with a girl on twitter. If you need some clarification, breaking up with a girl on twitter as is firing your head coach on the phone is totally classless. Man-up and face the unpleasant side of your life like you've got a pair.

 

Andy Dalton is being ruled out of this week's AFC wild card game between his Bengals and the Steelers because his thumb is just not ready to go. That means that Cincy will again rely on the arm of AJ McCarron to carry the team. The Steelers will be without RB DeAngelo Williams because of a foot injury. Taking Williams' place with be Fitzgerald Toussant (who?) with Jordan Todman backing him up. Fitzgerald Toussant is a 25 year guy out of Michigan who is in his 2nd season in the NFL. Todman is a 4th year pro out of UConn. He is more of a scat back type who is really a prototypical 3rd down back.

 

The 15 finalists for this years class for the Pro Football Hall of Fame have been announced with 3 new players added to the list of candidates Terrell Owens, Bret Favre and Alan Fanica. Here's the whole list from NFL.com.

 

http://www.nfl.com/halloffame/story/0ap3000000618896/article/brett-favre-terrell-owens-highlight-2016-hall-of-fame-finalists

Last night's game between the Steelers and Bengals was nasty which was how it was expected to be. Lots hard hits and a lot of bad blood. It was a surprisingly clean game despite all of this that is until a 2nd half hit on Bengals RB Giovanni Bernard by Steelers LB Ryan Shazier. Shazier speared Bernard with his helmet in the head knocking Bernard unconscious. If it was college Shazier would have been ejected for targeting Bernard's head. Instead, Shazier got credit for causing a fumble. The ball was on the Steelers 23 at the time ending the Bengals scoring threat. IMO opinion Shazier should have been flagged for helmet to helmet contact but they didn't and it may have led to an incident late in the game. On what turned out to be the game winning drive for the Steelers Big Ben threw a pass to Antonio Brown that was high.and catchable. Just as he came down from his jump Bengals LD Vontaze Burfect laid a shoulder to Brown's head knocking him unconscious. The refs flagged Burfect for a personal foul moving the ball into field goal range of about 51 yards with 22 seconds left in the game. In the ensuing discussion there were players and coaches from both sides on the field. Bengals CB Pacman Jones pushed Steelers coach Joey Porter getting a 2nd personal foul penalty giving the Steelers 15 more yards. After the 30 yards in penalties Pitt had the ball on Cincy's 17. Pitt didn't run another play. They kicked a 35 yard field goal with 18 seconds left in the game. That was it, ball game. Cincy failed to break their playoff 0 for 7 drought under Marvin Lewis causing some speculation his job could be in jeopardy.

You have to feel bad for AJ McCarron who engineered that drive that gave Cincy a 16-15 lead with just 1:38 left in the game. He did a nice job under a lot of pressure by the Steelers D all day. You have to feel even worse for Bengals RB Jeremy Hill. After the Bengals scored the go ahead TD Cincy' D got a pick off Big Ben by Vontaze Burfect and they had the ball at the Pitt 26. On the first play from scrimmage Hill ran for 6 yards but as he was going down Ryan Shazier stripped the ball and Pitt recovered at their own 9 where they began their game winning drive. The emotional meltdown by the Bengals likely cost Cincy the win but you know Jeremy Hill blames himself for the loss.

 

In today's NFC wild card game. Between Seattle and Minnesota the Seahawks will be without RB Marshawn Lynch who suffered a setback and was a last minute scratch before the 'Hawks left for frozen Minneapolis. Btw, did I mention the high temp for that game will be 1 degree? O-N-E. Holy crap!

I was listening to Collin Cowherd yesterday and he sort of pissed me off. His whole deal was that the wild card round of the playoffs ended up the way they should have. The teams with the best quarterback won, period. To support his argument he cited the game stats and even though the Steelers and the Seahawks really should have lost the line scores were better for them than they were for the Bengals and the Vikings. I heard Vikings callers come on and try to argue for their team but Cowherd leaned on his stat-line argument and, frankly, ripped the callers a new one because they didn't argue their point right. One caller came close saying that sometimes stats don't tell the who story but then he blew it by saying Minnesota dominated the Seahawks and led Cowherd right back to his stat-line argument. The caller was on the verge of a breakthrough then the homer came out in him and that was all she wrote. If I would have had any desire to jump in AND I was lucky enough to get through I would have turned Collin's stat argument against him. I would have said, "Hey Collin, let's turn the argument around a little bit. Despite the Seahawks dominating the Vikings stat wise and in time of possession they were only able to score one TD and that came on a busted play which was a combination of luck and Russell Wilson's athleticism and the defense having a slight breakdown because of the bad snap the Vikings were ideal position to win the game. For some reason, Blair Walsh yanked a chip shot field goal from the 26 yard line left of the goal posts as time ran out to lose the damn game. The previous caller was absolutely right, the Seahawks were damn lucky and Blair Walsh is probably the most hated man in Minnesota right now." I can't Cowherd arguing against that. It's a proven way to argue a point by using a guy's own stats against him. That same argument holds true in the Steeler-Bengals game. The Bengals did not go 12-4 this season and win the AFC North by being "built to lose" as Cowherd suggested yesterday. It is true that when Cincy plays in prime time or the playoffs they have not had success. It is a befuddling conundrum that most people could not explain. If it could be explained don't you think Marvin Lewis would have corrected that way before now? Darn tootin' he would. When that "loser" Vontaze Burfict intercepted the Ben Roethlisberger pass giving the Bengals the ball on the Pittsburgh 26 yard line with a mere 1:36 left in the game it should have been a forgone conclusion, Cincy was going to win the game. Even though Pittsburgh has all 3 time outs Cincinnati could have knelt on the ball 3 times and then run another 40 seconds off the clock. This would have left Pittsburgh with about 45 or 50 seconds left with no time outs and almost 75 yards to go. Or Cincy could have ran out the clock and kicked a field goal giving them a 4 point lead meaning the Steelers would have had to score a TD with that same 45-50 seconds left and probably about the same yardage to go for a TD. But, Cincy had their own Blair Walsh in RB Jeremy Hill. On first down after Burfict's INT Hill gained 6 yards but at the end he allowed Pittsburgh's Ryan Shazier to strip him of the ball. I don't care what everyone is saying about how stupid Burfict and Pacman Jones are for giving the Steelers 30 yards of field position (and they are) it would never have come about if Hill hung onto the ball. It may be that Walsh and Hill get together after the season and have a drink together followed by them kicking each other's ass over their failures in their respective games. Cowherd is wrong the best teams didn't all win this past weekend. In half the games the luckiest teams won.

 

Speaking of the Steelers, they will be going into the divisional round this week likely without WR Antonio Brown who suffered a concussion on the cheap shot delivered by Vontaze Burfict at the end of the game. Pacman said that Brown was faking the injury and should have "...won a Grammy for his performance.". Hey Pacman, a Grammy is an award for musicians and singers, actors win Oscars or Emmys. I'm just saying. Also, we still don't know the extent of the shoulder injury Big Ben suffered. He was back in the game for that last minute drive but his shoulder was not full go. So far no word on Big Ben's status and if you are a Steelers fan you would have to subscribe to the "no news is good news" line of thinking.

 

One last thing, Vontaze Burfict will be suspended 3 games for his hit on Antonio Brown. This is being reported by NFL.com's Chris Wesseling that Burfict will miss the first 3 games of the 2016 for the hit on Brown. Burfict's coach, Marvin Lewis, that Burfict didn't "go over the line" on Saturday night but he has to learn what the NFL is now and learn that he can't do those things. Lewis also said the both Burfict and Pacman Jones who had a personal foul on a ref he bumped trying to get to Steelers coach Joey Porter were remorseful to the point of tears because they knew they did wrong and understood how it cost their team. Now, Burfict is a dirty player and he's not likely to change but this may make him a little more mindful of situations. As for Pacman, he's a knucklehead and has been for a long time. That leopard is not changing his spots at this point in his career. What is disturbing is I have heard no noise about a fine or a suspension for Ryan Shazier who targeted Bengals RB Giovani Bernard on a helmet to helmet hit in the 4th quarter. The argument on the field was that Bernard had turned and had become a runner instead of a defenseless receiver but there have been too many flags thrown for helmet to helmet hits not to have one thrown on Shazier who blatantly lead with the crown of his helmet right into Bernard's ear hole. That's one reason I have always hated the Steelers. It seems they never get called on the crap they do but nobody can do that to them without a load of laundry being tossed on the ground. Eff the Steelers.

I sort of ignored the Divisional Round of the playoffs last week. I guess it was because the Texans were absolutely humbled in their playoff loss to Kansas City the week before. My heart just wasn't in it. As it turns out the games were all pretty good. Each one was decided by 7 points except the Green Bay-Arizona game which was decided by 6 in overtime. That game had the most exciting 2 minutes of the weekend as Green Bay trailed Arizona 20-13 when they began what turned out to be a game saving drive. At one point facing a 4th and 20 at their own 4, Aaron Rodgers made a nice play to pick up the first down on a pass to WR Jeff Janis for 60 yards getting the Packers all the way to the Arizona 36. 3 plays later with only 5 seconds left in regulation Aaron Rodgers put up a Hail Mary not so different than the one he put up against Detroit in Week 13 and danged if it didn't have the same end. This time Rodgers lofted a ball down the field and that same guy who made the 60 yard catch and run on 4th and 20, Jeff Janis, caught the ball between two defenders and hung on for the touchdown. Mason Crosby added the extra point and the game was headed to overtime with the Packers seeming with all the momentum. Even the coin flip for overtime was an event. The referee tossed up the coin and for some reason the coin never did flip. It stayed as flat as a pizza in flight. Aaron Rodgers noticed it and the ref had to flip the coin again. This time he didn't wait to ask Rodgers what he was going to call. He took the original call and flipped the coin. After the game Rodgers pointed out that when the ref showed everyone the coin prior to the flip it was heads up so Rodgers called tails. On the reflip the coin was tails up and Rodgers was prepared to call heads but he was never given the chance. Arizona took the ball and on the first play after the kickoff on 1st and ten from their own 20 Arizona's Carson Palmer went back to pass. The Packers were bringing pressure forcing Palmer to step up in the pocket and dodge to his right. At first Palmer ran into his own lineman followed by him drifting more to his right. Palmer spotted Larry Fitzgerald wide open on the left side of the field. Palmer hit Fitz and he took the ball down to the Packers 5 yard line weaving in and out of would be tacklers until he was finally downed by Casey Heywood. On first and goal Palmer tried to hit Fitz on a fade to the right corner of the end zone that Palmer probably just threw away because Fitz was well covered. On 2nd down with all movement going to the offenses right Palmer made a shovel pass to Fitz who was trailing the play and he scored easily giving the Cardinals the win with just 1:05 elapsed in overtime.

At the other end of the spectrum Carolina jumped out to a 31 zip halftime lead. Then they had to recover an on-side kick attempt by Seattle to preserve a 31-24 win. It was like Seattle came to life at halftime while Carolina fell plumb asleep. As such it was truly a tale of two halves. New England was better than KC as they usually are against any opponent in Foxborough with the Chiefs closing the score to 27-20 in the fourth but their comeback was not to be. The other game was a cold weather affair in Denver between the Broncos and Steelers. It was a hard fought game with Big Ben's shoulder not as bad as advertised the week prior and Martavis Bryant stepping up with Antonio Brown sidelined because of a concussion. (Faking, eh Pacman?) A lot of people felt as though if Brown had been able to play he would have been the difference in a Pittsburgh win. As it was, it was a late 4th quarter drive with Denver trailing 13-12 engineered by Peyton Manning that became the true difference in the game. The Broncos scored with only 3:00 minutes left in the game to make it 18-13 on a 1 yard TD run by CJ Anderson. After the 2-point conversion was good Denver led 20-13. The two teams traded field goals to make the score 23-16 when Pittsburgh closed to within 7 on a 2nd and 10 from the Steelers 29 with only 24 seconds left in the game. The thinking here was to get the field goal with time left on the clock in case the Steelers actually recovered the on-side kick. Unfortunately, for the Steelers they didn't even though they almost did. Denver ran the clock out to set up matchups to warm the NFL league office's heart. How's that, you ask? Both the AFC and NFC Championship games will feature the #1 and #2 seeds in each conference. Unlike the wild card weekend games where all the home teams lost, last weekend saw all 4 home teams win. Who knows what this week will bring.

In the NFC the Carolina Panthers host Arizona while the NFC will see Brady vs Manning XVII. That's right, these two men and their teams will face each other for the 17th time in their storied careers. It will be the 6 sixth time in the AFC Championship game. Brady holds the edge in the previous 5 meetings with a 4-1 record. Should be a good game. Both should be really good.

Looks like I'm interested again, doesn't it?

The conference championships are today but you already knew that. Both games will be similar in that both will be played outdoors and it will be cold. Let's take a quick look at both games weather wise.

 

Denver CO - Current conditions - Partly cloudy and 46^o. There is a chance of rain, turning to snow around 5 o'clock. Fortunately, the game starts at 1 PM MST (2 PM locally) so weather shouldn't be a big factor. The wind is out of the NNW at 10 mph making it feel like 39^o. It's really a pretty good day for football in the Mile High City. Both Denver and New England have seen much worse, in fact, the game between these two team in Week 12 when it was just a couple of days removed from a major snow storm in Colorado and at game time on Sunday Night Football the temp was 21^o with snow falling. This will seem like spring time compared to that.

 

Charlotte NC - The NFL threw a curve at this game because instead of being the late game in the afternoon it will begin at 6:30 EST that will make the game even colder than it would be in the afternoon. Current conditions in Charlotte are sunny and 45^o and precipitation in the forecast. You'd think that would be better than Denver but, again, the game starts after the sun goes down and the temp is going to drop line a turd in a well. The game time temp is forecast to be 36^o and the temp will be below freezing by game's end. There will be no wind to speak of so it will just be the cold and a determined opponent to worry about.

 

What about the matchups?

 

AFC - Denver has the advantage of being the home team and the advantage of having the stronger defense. Denver's offense is healthy and ready to go. The only fly in the ointment is whether or not Peyton Manning can get the job done. Everybody and their brother talking about this game gives New England the edge because they feel Manning is over the hill. The Patriots are healthy but they had trouble against the Chiefs last week and the Chiefs have a pretty good defense too. Still, it's Brady and he holds the head to head advantage over Manning in their previous 16 meetings. Denver fans will point out that Brandy is 2-5 in Denver. Pats fans will point out they are finally healthy on offense with their big three of Gronk, Edelman and Amendola all being available. They will also point out that when Denver beat NE in Week 12 the Pats didn't have either Edelman or Amendola and they lost Gronk during the game and it still took overtime for Denver to win. Denver will point out that the Broncos won with Brock Osweiler under center. This time they have Manning and then the conversation come full circle with the question of if Manning is, in fact, over the hill. The bottom line is, this game is against the #1 and #2 seeds in the AFC with the #1 seed hosting the game. It's just what the NFL would want to happen. 1 v 2 promises the distinct possibility of a heavy weight title fight. I was born in Colorado so my heart is with the Broncos plus, as a Cowboys fan, I'm jealous of the success the Pats have had over the last 15 years. So, GO BRONCOS!!! I hope Peyton has one more great game left in that arm.

 

NFC - Just like the AFC it's 1 v 2. It is a rarity for 1 v 2 to be featured in both conference championship games. If I take off on the heavy weight title fight analogy mentioned above I would say that the AFC game was a matchup of Evander Holyfield against himself. Belichick vs Kubiak, Brady vs Manning and teams incredibly similar. It's the offensive finesse with an occasional right to the jaw. In the NFC game I see it as two Mike Tysons against each other. Teams that don't trick you or finesse you so much as they want to just beat the living hell out of you. Arizona has more weapons than Carolina with Fitzgerald, Floyd and Brown easily topping the WRs for Carolina Funchess, Cotchery and Ginn Jr. Carolina has the edge at TE with Greg Olsen who is Cam Newton's go-to guy but I give the RB edge to Arizona and their new not-so-secret weapon David Johnson. If he stays healthy, that kid will be a star. It's not as far removed as you might think because the Panthers have Jonathan Stewart back and he rushed for 106 yards on just 19 carries in last week's win over Seattle. As for the defense, both teams owe a lot of their success to active, tough and physical defenses. This is the smash mouth part of the game. Which Tyson can land the more blows, or the one blow, that will be the difference in the game. I change my mind, this isn't Tyson v Tyson this is Ali vs Frazier and everything that entails. The Panthers are Ali because of Cam Newton. Newton will be the X-factor in the game. Arizona will need to stop him from running and keep him in the pocket while still getting pressure on him like Frazier wading into Ali trying to land that big left hook. Cam will be Ali, playing rope-a-dope, taunting the Cardinals when he makes a big play and still delivering enough blows that hurt to keep the peudo-Frazier Cardianls off balance. I think that Carolina is going to win. I don't know why, but I do. On the other hand I will be rooting for Arizona, I don't know why, but I will.

 

Both games will be pretty good games and will be a hoot to watch. If I go with my heart it will be Arizona vs Denver in Super Bowl 50 but it's just impossible not to believe it will be Carolina vs New England. Or some combination of the four. That is why this weekend is so special. A real like Top Gun with Maverick against Iceman in both conferences. Of course, Goose won't die and Mav and Ice won't end up on the same team against a bunch of MIGs so somebody will lose. Could be this afternoon and evening will be a case of "it's a shame all the teams can't win." scenario.

 

Denver and New England are about to begin. Enjoy the games and I'll see ya at the Super Bowl!

Manning showed 'em. He's not as over the hill as people thought and he's still got the arm strength to get the ball down the field. Last Sunday could very well have been the last meaningful game in the long standing rivalry of the Manning-Brady era. It might have been the second to last hurrah for Manning as rumors of his retirement following the Super Bowl fly all over the place. If the Broncos beat Carolina maybe Manning should go out a la John Elway with a Super Bowl ring. If he does win Peyton will tie his little brother Eli for SB wins and Peyton will have doubled Eli's appearances. Actually, just making the SB doubles Eli's appearances but the win would make the family bragging rights tip in Peyton's favor. As for the Broncos-Patriots showdown? The Denver defense, ranked #1 in the NFL reared his head and put its thumb on Brady and the Pats offense. Now, the Broncos have the ultimate challenge of stopping the #1 offense in the NFL. The immovable object against the irresistible force. Don't forget the Broncos have a better than average offense and Carolina has a better than average defense so this game is lining up to be the same type of war Arizona-Carolina was supposed to be.

 

The Carolina-Arizona game turned out about like these games often do, in a blowout. When it looks like the matchup is primed for a battle royal games often times in real life turn into a rout. That's what happened in Charlotte on Sunday evening. It was one of those games where everything Carolina did was right and everything Arizona did was wrong. 4 first half turnovers killed the Cardinals who ended up down by 17 by halftime. A total of 7 turnovers, 6 of which belonged to Carson Palmer, was way too much for the Cardinals to overcome. It was a totally uncharacteristic performance by Palmer who has been better than what he showed last Sunday in 2015. There was plenty of blame to go around though. The defense couldn't figure out how to play their own schemes and Carolina took advantage of almost every missed assignment the Cards made. Larry Fitzgerald, whose light generally shines brightest in the playoffs, suffered several dropped passes on critical downs that cost Arizona first downs and big plays. It just wasn't Arizona's day. Part of the blame was on the Carolina defense because they played an attacking, smothering defense and the Cards had no answers for the Carolina pressure.

 

This is the deal. Two evenly matched teams facing each other in SB 50 much like it was in Super Bowl 48 when SeattleC destroyed Denver on a night when Denver had no answer for the Seahawks D or an answer for the Seahawks O. You can bet your bottom dollar the Broncos remember THAT ass whoopin' and they don't want that to happen yet again. The wild card is Cam Newton. If Denver can't stop Cam Denver won't win, period. The Panthers went 15-1 because teams couldn't figure out how to stop the guy. The one game the Panthers lost was because the team had a day like Arizona did last Sunday. Stuff happens. Denver has to figure out a way to stop Newton, make him one dimensional, force him to be just a passer and they will have a chance. If not Carolina wins, maybe in a rout. Denver fans (I'm one) don't want to hear it but it's true. Cam is the X-factor.

 

Check out the Super Bowl 50 prediction thread and post your own prediction of how the game will play out.

It's hard to make predictions on things especially when the game seems such a clear cut slam dunk for one side, in this case Carolina. Heavy favorites seem to win more often than not in the bowl then again upsets do happen. In the previous 49 SB's the underdog has won 19 times with the favorite winning 26 times and according to the odds there have been 3 pushes (ties) and one pick 'em. So, it's not even unusual for the underdog to win as one might have expected. (Info from vegasinsider.com) If you are going to place a bet on something other than the outcome then the "over" bet has won 26 times while the under has prevailed 22 times and SB 1 did not bet the over/under or it was a push.

In the SB's since 2000 the favorite has only won 4 of the 16 games. In 2001 Baltimore (F) beat the Giants, 2006 Pittsburgh (F) beat Seattle, 2007 Indianapolis (F) beat Chicago and 2011 Green Bay (F) beat Pittsburgh. In 2000 the game between St Louis and Tennessee was a push.

Now, if by "favorite" you aren't necessarily talking about odds and your local bookie the 3 games that were pushes were all won by the favorite, they just didn't cover the spread. So, technically the last 49 SBs were won by the favorite 29 times with the 'dogs winning the same 19 games. You might interested to know that last year's SB 49 was the pick 'em game which came right down to the very last second before the controversial ending in which the New England Patriots prevailed over Seattle. As a matter of fact I will reiterate there has only been one pick 'em game in the 49 year history of the SB and it was last year.

In the SBs that Denver has been in, 1978 SB XII +6 to Dallas (loss to Dallas), 1987 SB XXI +9.5 to NY Giants (loss to Giants), 1988 SB XXII -3 over Washington (loss to Wash), 1990 SB XXIV +12 to San Fran (loss to 49ers), 1998 SB XXXII +11 to Green Bay (won over GB), 1999 SB XXXIII -7.5 to Atlanta (won over Atl), 2014 SB XLVIII -2.5 to Seattle (loss to Sea). This will be Denver's 8th SB. In their previous 7 their record is 2-5. As the favorite going into the game they are 1-2 and of course their record as an underdog is 1-3. Seems like the Broncos are a bit snake bit either way. The early line on SB 50 is Carolina -6 over Denver.

The feel good story of this SB would be that Peyton wins and walks away from the game a la his new boss John Elway. Going into SB XXXII Elway was 0-3 in SBs losing to the Giants, Redskins and 49ers in his previous attempts to get a ring. But, with the addition of Terrell Davis and viable running game Elway won back-to-back games and after SB XXXIII he retired. Many anticipate Manning will walk away after this game regardless of the outcome. I think it's safe to say Peyton is the sentimental favorite to win and if he does he will even his record in SB's to 2-2 which would tie little brother Eli in wins and he has already doubled Eli in SB appearances 4-2. Manning was 1-1 in SB's with his original team, the Indianapolis Colts and this will be his second SB with the Broncos. If Denver wins Manning will have won his first SB and his last with 2 losses in between. Another ironic aspect is Manning won SB XLI playing for one coach, Tony Dungy and losing with another coach, Jim Caldwell in SB XLIV. As a Bronco Manning lost his first SB with Denver under head coach John Fox in SB XLVIII. In SB 50 Manning will play for a different head coach, Gary Kubiak. Four SB's, four different head coaches. SB 50 will be the 4th SB in 10 years Manning has played in. In SB's 44 and 48 Manning's team wore their colored jerseys and both games were losses. In SB 41 the Colts wore their white jerseys and in SB 50 the Broncos will wear their white jerseys.

You can't argue with freaky stats like this so I'm going with the Broncos to beat Carolina by a TD.

I have another bold prediction, Cam Newton will suffer a high ankle sprain in the 2nd quarter and no be able to return to the game.

I have nothing left to say. Super Bowl 50 is mere hours away. The young and red hot Carolina Panthers bring their #1 ranked offense and really good defense to San Francisco to face Denver and their #1 ranked defense and the legend that is Peyton Manning. Will Cam Newton cap off a stellar year with a championship ring? He won the NFL MVP award last night and the Panthers will bring the best record in the NFL to the game. Denver is no slouch and can't be overlooked. If Wade Phillips can devise a way to stop Cam and the Panther's running game Denver has a shot to upset the Panthers. Defense wins championships and you need look no further than Peyton's little brother's team the New York Giants. Eli made a play or two in both of the Super Bowls they played in but it was the defense shutting down the Patriots high octane offense that was the difference in those games. If Peyton can take a page from the Book of Eli and just manage the game, make a play or two and don't turn the ball over Denver could shock the wise guys who think Carolina is a lock to win just like the Patriots-Giants games ended up. Heck, in one of those games the mighty Patriots were undefeated going into the game. Doesn't matter. Just like the old cliché, "On any given Sunday............" Broncos win, I just have a feeling.

That's it. The 2015 season is over and I must say that while I'm not overjoyed at the Broncos win I am pleased with the outcome of Super Bowl 50. I was rooting for the Broncos and, for a change, the team I was rooting for actually won. The thing that would have made it perfect is if it had been Dallas that won but Denver is a good substitute.

I was rooting for the Broncos for several reasons. 1) I was born in Colorado. 2) The first pro football game I ever saw in person was the Broncos and Oilers in Denver. 3) I wanted Peyton Manning to win especially if this is really the last roundup of his career. 4) There are a couple of guys with Cowboys ties that I was rooting for too. Like DeMarcus Ware and Wade Phillips. You can throw in former special teams coach Joe Decamillis as well. Wade's defense shut down the Panthers offense. Decamillis' special teams group did their job including the punt return by Jordan Norwood of 61 yards, the longest punt return in Super Bowl history, that led to a field goal. It was one of 3 field goals for the game kicked by Brandon McManus. Who says special teams don't matter? And Ware? All he and SB MVP Vonn Miller did was harass the crap out of Cam Newton all night and they were part of a unit that allowed the Panthers virtually nothing except one TD drive in the second quarter.

I have no problems with the Panthers. I don't hate Cam although he acted a bit tool-ish in the post game press conference. I don't have any problem with head coach Ron Rivera. In fact, the guy exuded class through the whole SB ordeal including the comments he made post game. Yeah, Ron Rivera earned a lot of respect yesterday. It's easy to be gracious when you win but to do it went you lose the biggest game of your coaching career is pretty special.

I predicted Broncos by 7 and it turned out it was Broncos by 14. It was still a good game and it just goes to show that a predominately defensive game can be fun to watch. The game was definitely closer than the final score would indicate. The difference was the fumble caused by Miller when he swatted the ball out of Cam's hand that was recovered at the Carolina 4 yard line. Barring a turnover, that was ballgame. Field goal, TD, it didn't matter. Denver was going up 2 scores with 3 minutes and change left in the game. The way Denver was playing defense Carolina just was not going to be able to come back and they didn't.

That's it for 2015 and that's it for me on this thread. See you next season!