NFL Playoffs 2011-2012

[jon abbey]

someone beat New England, please.

[jon abbey]

I just heard on the radio that the Cowboys have won a total of one playoff game since 1996. good job, GM Jerry!

[The G Man]

Ravens have made the playoffs four years in a row, eight of the last 12. Not once in those 12 years did they have a premier QB. Flacco actually regressed this season. Fans here are unhappy with OC Cam Cameron.

[Captain Hate]

Ravens have made the playoffs four years in a row, eight of the last 12. Not once in those 12 years did they have a premier QB. Flacco actually regressed this season. Fans here are unhappy with OC Cam Cameron.

Unhappy is pretty mild compared to what I've seen on some of their game threads. Flacco is woefully inconsistent and far below what I thought he'd deliver after last season. The inability to get a consistently good QB through Billick and Harbaugh is one of the strangest anomalies I can think of. Maybe a new OC can resolve that.

[The G Man]

Ravens have made the playoffs four years in a row, eight of the last 12. Not once in those 12 years did they have a premier QB. Flacco actually regressed this season. Fans here are unhappy with OC Cam Cameron.

Unhappy is pretty mild compared to what I've seen on some of their game threads. Flacco is woefully inconsistent and far below what I thought he'd deliver after last season. The inability to get a consistently good QB through Billick and Harbaugh is one of the strangest anomalies I can think of. Maybe a new OC can resolve that.

Yeah, Flacco's crappy year was a big surprise to me but he did play decently over the last six games after a horrid start.

[Enforcer]

I just heard on the radio that the Cowboys have won a total of one playoff game since 1996. good job, GM Jerry!

Only 40 more years without another and they'll have matched the Lions.

[Harold Baines]

I just heard on the radio that the Cowboys have won a total of one playoff game since 1996. good job, GM Jerry!

Only 40 more years without another and they'll have matched the Lions.

Maybe your boys can shock the world!

[Captain Hate]

Marvin might be worse with challenges than Tater-East. Btw is this the most boring playoff game any of you have seen? It seems like a late season match-up between 2 teams that won't be in the playoffs. That I'm watching it must be some sort of accomplishment for Goodell.

[jon abbey]

yeah, like I said a few weeks ago, there are only 6-7 deserving playoff teams this year, and these two (Houston w/out Schaub/Leinart/Williams) aren't among them.

that being said, that pick by the DE for a TD was awesome. I love when you see a play in the first half and while you're watching it, you know it will almost certainly end up deciding the game.

[Captain Hate]

I like Tom Hammonds' announcing voice but God he says some dumbfuck things that normal prep should eliminate: Matt Schoob?? I think it's time for young Borat to get some national exposure.

[Captain Hate]

Megatron beast mode engaged.

[jon abbey]

is he the best receiver in the league or Fitzgerald? Johnson had close to 500 yards in his last two games, right? that's just mindboggling.

[Steve Reynolds]

If the Pats and Saints play in the Super Bowl does either team punt?

but Detroit dropped 2 easy interceptions and had another one that could have been made.

Calvin Johnson is the best receiver I have seen since Jerry Rice, I think

[Captain Hate]

is he the best receiver in the league or Fitzgerald?

I'd hate to have to choose other than there's no wrong answer. Megatron might have slightly more size; other than that it's Beast A versus Beast B.

[Mo Noyz]

is he the best receiver in the league or Fitzgerald?

I don't even consider it close. Megatron is on a whole other level right now. Andre Johnson, when fully healthy, is closer to him than Fitz, IMO.

[The G Man]

Marvin might be worse with challenges than Tater-East. Btw is this the most boring playoff game any of you have seen? It seems like a late season match-up between 2 teams that won't be in the playoffs. That I'm watching it must be some sort of accomplishment for Goodell.

His first challenge was plain stupid. It's early in the game and the difference between third and tiny and 1st and 10 is small compared to the difference between results in typical challenges. Mayock pointed out that ball position challenges are seldom successful. I can't seeing ever making a ball position challenge on second down and 1 in the second quarter. Even if he wins it, the Bengals were over 50% to have made the 1st down anyway and Lewis will be out of challenges if his next one is a loser.

[The G Man]

is he the best receiver in the league or Fitzgerald? Johnson had close to 500 yards in his last two games, right? that's just mindboggling.

The two Johnsons and Fitz are all phenomenal receivers. Calvin certainly had the best QB of the three to hook up with this year. I'm not sure how one chooses among them. If anybody wants to describe their pluses and minuses relative to each other, rather than just assert "{} is the best!", the rest of us would probably find it interesting.

[walto]

Watched both games yesterday, and as a fair weather, playoff watching fan, knowing basically nothing about the league for at least 20 years, I have to say that Houston seemed like the only one of the four teams that was even engaged on the defensive side of the ball. Jesus, games are boring when teams just march up and down the field as if there were nobody else around. So let me ask you mavens: can you now be a winning team in the NFL with no defense at all? What the fuck? Is it rules changes or something?

BTW, in the course of long years, I'd forgotten what a funny word "scrimmage" is. I think it was originally a misuse or mispronunciation of "skirmish" (which is itself kind of funny):

Skirmish - c.1300, from O.Fr. escarmouche "skirmish," from It. scaramuccia, probably from a Gmc. source (cf. O.H.G. skirmen "to protect, defend"), influenced in M.E. by a separate verb skirmysshen "to brandish a weapon," from O.Fr. eskirmiss-, stem of eskirmir "to fence," from Frankish *skirmjan, from the same Gmc. source. The verb is attested from c.1470.

[Mo Noyz]

Rule changes, the lack of enforcement of the holding rule on offensive linemen, the advent of the ridiculous "hitting a defenseless receiver" penalty, and completely arbitrary suspensions and fines levied for a variety of subjective calls have all conspired to turn this game into a version of basketball with helmets and pads.

[Mo Noyz]

is he the best receiver in the league or Fitzgerald?

I don't even consider it close. Megatron is on a whole other level right now. Andre Johnson, when fully healthy, is closer to him than Fitz, IMO.

You know? I think you've got to put Welker in that discussion as well.

He's a little gnat compared to the other three, but no less dangerous.