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Thread: Fantasy Nation NFL Season

  
  1. #61
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    Re: Fantasy Nation NFL Season

    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!

  2. #62
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    Re: Fantasy Nation NFL Season

    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.

  3. #63
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    Re: Fantasy Nation NFL Season

    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?

  4. #64
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    Re: Fantasy Nation NFL Season

    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 46o. 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 39o. 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 21o 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 45o 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 36o 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!

  5. #65
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    Re: Fantasy Nation NFL Season

    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.

  6. #66
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    Re: Fantasy Nation NFL Season

    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.

  7. #67
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    Re: Fantasy Nation NFL Season

    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.

  8. #68
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    Re: Fantasy Nation NFL Season

    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!

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