NFL 2013

[HaemishM]

I'm actually pretty positive that at least half the playoff teams are utter shit this year.

[Mithas]

Who needs a defense?

@AndrewSiciliano
Defense is optional with the 4 teams fighting for NFC North & East titles: Bears (29th), Packers (26th), Eagles (30th), Cowboys (32nd)

[Paelos]

Top Five Defenses in Points Against: Carolina, Seattle, SF, KC, New Orleans

Total Wins - 55

Top Five Offenses in Points: Denver, Philly, Chicago, Dallas, NE

Total Wins - 48


But yeah, who needs defense? 

[HaemishM]

You also have to take into account that 2 of those top 5 offenses (Dallas and Chicago) also have two of the worst fucking defenses ever seen in the history of man. And both Denver and NE are pretty suspect at times too. Philly's defense has been decent at best, downright awful most days.

So yes, defense is good.

[Malakili]

I actually think it's somewhat the opposite of how it used to be.  Defense is well suited to winning a lot of games in the regular season. A solid consistent defensive will win you a lot of games.  But in the playoffs, when you are "win or go home" I just feel like it's way too easy to get hosed by some calls on your defensive backs or any of the other rules designed to make it rough on defensive players.

Do you want to rely on not having a string of PI or illegal contact, or an unlucky defenseless player/helmet to helmet call for 3-4 games in a row?  The margin for error is small in the playoffs, and all told I'd rather be able to consistently put some points on the board, it leaves less to chance in the current environment.

[Paelos]

Baltimore created a weird outlier last year in that they won a Super Bowl doing absolutely nothing great on either side of the ball. They were dead average on offense yards, defense yards, points, sacks, etc.

The only things they had in their favor were turnover margin and kicking. If that's the model that can win a Super Bowl in a bizarre year, then there's one team that absolutely fits the mold this season:

The Indianapolis Colts.

[Trippy]

Flacco had the hot hand during their playoff run with 11 TD passes and no picks.

[Paelos]

No doubt, but there's no predictor on that. That's my point.

It wasn't one thing they did well, it was a QB getting hot at the right time, and Denver absolutely tripping over their own dick.

[Tannhauser]

Hope I'm not stating the obvious, but I'd put money on a average team with few turnovers than a great team with a lot.

Turnovers KILL you.  Time and again we see their effects.  Nothing drives me crazier. 

[Paelos]

Hope I'm not stating the obvious, but I'd put money on a average team with few turnovers than a great team with a lot.

Turnovers KILL you.  Time and again we see their effects.  Nothing drives me crazier. 

Then you'd want to bet Indy and not Denver. In the NFC, you'd take Carolina or Seattle, but not New Orleans.

[sickrubik]

Yup. I love Denver, but the mistakes on turnovers (which have thankfully gotten way better as the season progressed) and defense have me not convinced we'll do much in the post-season.

It's more of a sign that there isn't any single statistic that you can point to.

[Ingmar]

Guessing the Eagles punter is going to be really, really bored tomorrow.

[sickrubik]

In case you missed the PLAY OF THE DAY.

[Paelos]

Look out whoever plays the Packers.

[Trippy]

That would be the Niners since the Seahawks won.

[sickrubik]

Niners AT Packers even.

The Broncos will face Chargers, Chiefs or Colts. In order of preference: 1. Chiefs, 2. Colts, 3. Chargers.

Edit: Indeed, Random Raiders Fan, Indeed.

[Paelos]

That would be the Niners since the Seahawks won.

Maybe this time they'll remember Colin can run. 

[Trippy]

Doesn't need to if he's throwing for 400+ yards

[Ingmar]

That would be the Niners since the Seahawks won.

Maybe this time they'll remember Colin can run. 

The 49ers barely remember that this season.

[Trippy]

And yet he still managed to rush for 500 yards.

[Paelos]

I really wish the Cowboys would just lose a game, and not decide to fucking rip out hearts in the last second of every meaningful game.

[Rasix]

Kyle Orton.  You had to know something bad was going to happen.

[Sjofn]

The Cowboys disappointing their fans in such soul crushing ways warms my heart almost as much as when the Eagles do it to THEIR fans. Please, please, please let the Eagles lose in some similarly wonderful fashion in their playoff game, football gods.


Eli staying in when he rolled his ankle in order to throw one last pick for the road made me all, "Oh, you big lug!" for some reason. You pad your worst-season-ever stats, Eli. You pad the shit out of them!

[Malakili]

Good games yesterday.  In what has otherwise been a pretty ho hum season I'm glad the scheduling of division games late at least paid off.

[01101010]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000305869/article/rob-chudzinski-fired-by-cleveland-browns

Good God my team is just horrible. I mean what place does this after only one season and with no qb?

[K9]

Factory of Sadness

[Mithas]

Saw something today that said part of the reason Chud was fired was because the team told him to cut somebody to set an example and he told them no.

Also, Frazier is out in MN.

[Surlyboi]

Shanahan is out in D.C.

Rex got to keep his job with the Jets, which he kind of deserved, considering he took the team to .500 while wearing fucking clownshoes. Now if they can actually hire some goddamn talent in the off-season, they might be competitive next year. At least I have the solace of knowing they had a better season than the giants and rubbing that in the face of one of my Big Blue friends who boldly predicted after their first win this season that the Giants would end up with a better record than the Jets.

[Paelos]

Yes we can all take solace in the fact the Giants were terrible.

[Sjofn]

Went 7-3 in their last 10 games though, and you were all still a little baffled they wouldn't go away for a while, but never really dragged their own fans (at least not the ones I know) into hoping for anything, and got to crush another fan base's dreams, so all and all, not the worst season. 

[K9]

Rex deserved to keep his job, he's worked miracles with that clown car.

[Mithas]

Schwartz out in Detroit. Something needed to be done there. That team has no excuse for not winning that crappy division.

[WayAbvPar]

Niners AT Packers even.

The Broncos will face Chargers, Chiefs or Colts. In order of preference: 1. Chiefs, 2. Colts, 3. Chargers.

Edit: Indeed, Random Raiders Fan, Indeed.

My favorite part of this is the luck of utterly undeserved smugness.

[Tannhauser]

Schwartz out in Detroit. Something needed to be done there. That team has no excuse for not winning that crappy division.

THANK GOD.  I was his biggest fan, after his success with the Titans and instilling an aggressive spirit at the Lions.  But he's a fucking tard of a Head Coach.  They went from division leader to out of the playoffs in like two games.  The Lions have talent, now they need discipline.  This firing keeps me a Lions and NFL fan. 

Rex Ryan deserves another season.  He's kind of a goober, but overall an excellent coach.

Shanahan needs to retire.  I don't want to see his monkey-faced scowl on the sidelines any more.

[Zetleft]

Surprising no one Schiano and the GM are out in Tampa.  Unfortunately Garrett hasn't been fired yet neither has Kiffin, and he REALLY needs to go and die or something.