2017 NFC playoffs

rass · Post by **rass** » Mon Jan 02, 2017 2:15 pm

I hope there is college football on WFAN right now because the phones are gonna need extra fire-proofing to deal with the takes:

Rex · Post by **Rex** » Mon Jan 02, 2017 7:37 pm

Lemme guess...8 minute rant, followed by first caller wanting to break down Jets-Bills and Trubisky in the Sun Bowl?

LewP · Post by **LewP** » Mon Jan 02, 2017 11:08 pm

So, Dan Graziano over at ESPN has a great article on the breakdown of the NFC playoffs:

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/1839 ... -advantage

I know there is a way to shorten the link, I just forgot how to do it. My apologies.

Post by **brian** » Tue Jan 03, 2017 11:21 am

Mortgage the house and take the Giants +5 against Green Bay. I'm going to bet them on the ML, but that many points is just stealing and covers possibilities like GB getting some home cooking with the calls.

(Lots of reasons here, but start with -- McCarthy is not a good playoff coach, GB overrated in general and NYG are underrated in general, the NYG pass rush should obliterate that GB offensive line).

Post by **brian** » Thu Jan 05, 2017 5:08 pm

Randy Gregory suspended. Again.

LewP · Post by **LewP** » Fri Jan 06, 2017 5:43 am

Time to turn this clown loose. He's certainly worn his welcome out in Dallas. #Buffoon

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Fri Jan 06, 2017 8:59 am

brian wrote:Mortgage the house and take the Giants +5 against Green Bay. I'm going to bet them on the ML, but that many points is just stealing and covers possibilities like GB getting some home cooking with the calls.

(Lots of reasons here, but start with -- McCarthy is not a good playoff coach, GB overrated in general and NYG are underrated in general, the NYG pass rush should obliterate that GB offensive line).

Not mortgaging the house, but loaded up nicely on the Giants. Avoiding the Seahawks game as if it was the CFL.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Fri Jan 06, 2017 9:00 am

Packers by 18.

Joe K · Post by **Joe K** » Fri Jan 06, 2017 9:45 am

Pruitt wrote:
brian wrote:Mortgage the house and take the Giants +5 against Green Bay. I'm going to bet them on the ML, but that many points is just stealing and covers possibilities like GB getting some home cooking with the calls.

(Lots of reasons here, but start with -- McCarthy is not a good playoff coach, GB overrated in general and NYG are underrated in general, the NYG pass rush should obliterate that GB offensive line).
Not mortgaging the house, but loaded up nicely on the Giants. Avoiding the Seahawks game as if it was the CFL.

I wouldn't bet my electric bill, let alone mortgage, on the Giants to cover that spread. In fact, if I had to bet either side, I'd take Green Bay. The Giants have a very good defense but other than Beckham, I just don't think their offense is any good. They're 29th in rushing yards, 30th in yards/carry, 17th in passing yards, 24th in yards/attempt, and 20th in QB rating. The way Rodgers is currently playing, there's just no way I'd back an offense that bad against him in a road playoff game.

Gunpowder · Post by **Gunpowder** » Fri Jan 06, 2017 9:59 am

Is the Giants pass rush really all that good? It's just Olivier Vernon and some guys. Mordecai Brown hasn't been all that great this year.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Fri Jan 06, 2017 10:01 am

Gunpowder wrote:Is the Giants pass rush really all that good? It's just Olivier Vernon and some guys. Mordecai Brown hasn't been all that great this year.

JPP has been pretty decent, too.

Post by **brian** » Fri Jan 06, 2017 10:51 am

The bigger point is that the GB offensive line is garbage. And they might even be down a guy or two after injuries on Sunday.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Fri Jan 06, 2017 11:33 am

brian wrote:The bigger point is that the GB offensive line is garbage. And they might even be down a guy or two after injuries on Sunday.

They can't run block. But, they can pass block. Detroit only had one sack on Monday.

Post by **brian** » Fri Jan 06, 2017 11:52 am

sancarlos wrote:
brian wrote:The bigger point is that the GB offensive line is garbage. And they might even be down a guy or two after injuries on Sunday.
They can't run block. But, they can pass block. Detroit only had one sack on Monday.

That was all Rodgers. Lions should have had five or six sacks where they got to him in two or three seconds. His elusiveness and some bad luck contributed to that.

Joe K · Post by **Joe K** » Fri Jan 06, 2017 11:56 am

Also, Rodgers had one of his worst games of the season against the Giants and the Packers still won by 7 because the Giants offense couldnt do anything. Betting on New York to cover this weekend places way more faith in Eli than I have. Sure, he has the two great playoff runs but he's also had some really bad postseason performances in other years.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Fri Jan 06, 2017 12:00 pm

You'd be really bad at NY sports talk radio. When you discuss Eli's playoff performances, you talk about "during the two runs" or "if he wins the first one" and pretend those were the only playoffs he's ever been in and thus is pretty much a lock. Francesa had a stat yesterday along the lines of "in playoff games he wins, he hasn't thrown a 2nd half pick" or something like that, as if there isn't reverse causation.

rass · Post by **rass** » Fri Jan 06, 2017 12:12 pm

Rex · Post by **Rex** » Fri Jan 06, 2017 12:18 pm

The Giants have reverted to a sort of 1970s style ball which I think would work better at home than on the road. There aren't many examples of defense-only teams that make a run without at least some home field advantage. But who better to MAGA than Eli.

They're kind of like the 2011 Niners, with an even crazier Vernon Davis.

Joe K · Post by **Joe K** » Fri Jan 06, 2017 12:33 pm

Rex wrote:The Giants have reverted to a sort of 1970s style ball which I think would work better at home than on the road. There aren't many examples of defense-only teams that make a run without at least some home field advantage. But who better to MAGA than Eli.

They're kind of like the 2011 Niners, with an even crazier Vernon Davis.

Yeah, Eli has a lower QB rating this year than Andy Dalton, Colin Kaepernick, Tyrod Taylor, Philip Rivers and Carson Palmer -- all of whose teams were considered to be major disappointments. I think that's more relevant than the fact that he played well (and also benefited from lucky catches and dropped INTs) in some playoff games 5 and 9 years ago.

Rex · Post by **Rex** » Fri Jan 06, 2017 1:07 pm

Eli has has a poor season--his arm strength appears to be down, and he's throwing away a lot of balls early to avoid sacks. Arguably the last part is not a negative, but it's not a positive either, and it affects the statistical picture. (Side note: Eli was sacked fewer times than any other QB with 16 starts, and it's not because of his offensive line.) The general approach of the team since its bye week has been to avoid turnovers, sacks and offensive penalties, and since the OL is really lacking, that leads to a lot of possessions that are run-run-throw away-punt.

Post by **brian** » Fri Jan 06, 2017 1:50 pm

Lions are gonna break the NFL record for consecutive postseason losses. Good times. Take that, Bengals!

DC47 · Post by **DC47** » Fri Jan 06, 2017 2:11 pm

How can it be that they don't own that record? I'm sure they own the one for fewest play-off wins per year.

Gunpowder · Post by **Gunpowder** » Fri Jan 06, 2017 3:53 pm

Rex wrote:The Giants have reverted to a sort of 1970s style ball which I think would work better at home than on the road. There aren't many examples of defense-only teams that make a run without at least some home field advantage. But who better to MAGA than Eli.

They're kind of like the 2011 Niners, with an even crazier Vernon Davis.

I've never seen a defense as bad ass as the 2011 Niners. Maybe 2000 Baltimore but I don't remember them all that well.

That Niners defense was ferocious. They were running into each other trying to intercept Eli floaters. Anyone who credits him for just winning that game (not saying yinz guys have) didn't watch it.

Joe K · Post by **Joe K** » Fri Jan 06, 2017 4:09 pm

Gunpowder wrote:
Rex wrote:The Giants have reverted to a sort of 1970s style ball which I think would work better at home than on the road. There aren't many examples of defense-only teams that make a run without at least some home field advantage. But who better to MAGA than Eli.

They're kind of like the 2011 Niners, with an even crazier Vernon Davis.

I've never seen a defense as bad ass as the 2011 Niners. Maybe 2000 Baltimore but I don't remember them all that well.

That Niners defense was ferocious. They were running into each other trying to intercept Eli floaters. Anyone who credits him for just winning that game (not saying yinz guys have) didn't watch it.

2000 Baltimore and 2002 Tampa defenses were better. Maybe even 2015 Denver. SF's defense in 2011 gave up 30+ points to NO in the divisional round. Baltimore and Tampa shut everyone down and Denver last year was pretty damn good too. But you're right about Eli clutching his way into having multiple SF defenders collide with each other when either could've intercepted his bad passes. I recall that happening at least twice in that game.

DSafetyGuy · Post by **DSafetyGuy** » Fri Jan 06, 2017 4:11 pm

brian wrote:
sancarlos wrote:
brian wrote:The bigger point is that the GB offensive line is garbage. And they might even be down a guy or two after injuries on Sunday.
They can't run block. But, they can pass block. Detroit only had one sack on Monday.
That was all Rodgers. Lions should have had five or six sacks where they got to him in two or three seconds. His elusiveness and some bad luck contributed to that.

This week, the Football Outsiders' "Off the Charts" podcast took issue with Collinsworth and the statistical company he owns for him propping up the Packers' offensive line on NBC's broadcast based on their stats.

Gunpowder · Post by **Gunpowder** » Fri Jan 06, 2017 4:15 pm

Joe K wrote:
Gunpowder wrote:
Rex wrote:The Giants have reverted to a sort of 1970s style ball which I think would work better at home than on the road. There aren't many examples of defense-only teams that make a run without at least some home field advantage. But who better to MAGA than Eli.

They're kind of like the 2011 Niners, with an even crazier Vernon Davis.

I've never seen a defense as bad ass as the 2011 Niners. Maybe 2000 Baltimore but I don't remember them all that well.

That Niners defense was ferocious. They were running into each other trying to intercept Eli floaters. Anyone who credits him for just winning that game (not saying yinz guys have) didn't watch it.
2000 Baltimore and 2002 Tampa defenses were better. Maybe even 2015 Denver. SF's defense in 2011 gave up 30+ points to NO in the divisional round. Baltimore and Tampa shut everyone down and Denver last year was pretty damn good too. But you're right about Eli clutching his way into having multiple SF defenders collide with each other when either could've intercepted his bad passes. I recall that happening at least twice in that game.

I'm not disputing that those defenses may have been better, but Roethlisberger torched Denver twice and put 28 on them in a half last year. It happens.

Also a different era than even 10 years ago.

EDIT: Man the 2002 Bucs were pretty damn great statistically. Didn't realize they were that good.

Joe K · Post by **Joe K** » Fri Jan 06, 2017 4:36 pm

Gunpowder wrote:
Joe K wrote:
Gunpowder wrote:
Rex wrote:The Giants have reverted to a sort of 1970s style ball which I think would work better at home than on the road. There aren't many examples of defense-only teams that make a run without at least some home field advantage. But who better to MAGA than Eli.

They're kind of like the 2011 Niners, with an even crazier Vernon Davis.

I've never seen a defense as bad ass as the 2011 Niners. Maybe 2000 Baltimore but I don't remember them all that well.

That Niners defense was ferocious. They were running into each other trying to intercept Eli floaters. Anyone who credits him for just winning that game (not saying yinz guys have) didn't watch it.
2000 Baltimore and 2002 Tampa defenses were better. Maybe even 2015 Denver. SF's defense in 2011 gave up 30+ points to NO in the divisional round. Baltimore and Tampa shut everyone down and Denver last year was pretty damn good too. But you're right about Eli clutching his way into having multiple SF defenders collide with each other when either could've intercepted his bad passes. I recall that happening at least twice in that game.

I'm not disputing that those defenses may have been better, but Roethlisberger torched Denver twice and put 28 on them in a half last year. It happens.

Also a different era than even 10 years ago.

EDIT: Man the 2002 Bucs were pretty damn great statistically. Didn't realize they were that good.

According to Wikipedia, the 2002 Bucs held opposing QBs to a QB Rating of 48.4. That's unbelievable.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Fri Jan 06, 2017 5:39 pm

Rex · Post by **Rex** » Fri Jan 06, 2017 8:56 pm

Eli's fine. He's had a bad season but that won't matter at all with a few wins here. He was the true league MVP in the 2011 season, and I feel sorry for anyone who does not realize that.

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Sat Jan 07, 2017 9:04 pm

Receiver gloves. Man, have they come a long way. That catch was utterly ridiculous.

Post by **brian** » Sat Jan 07, 2017 10:17 pm

While facemasking the defender no less.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Sat Jan 07, 2017 10:23 pm

No one deserves to win this game.

Post by **brian** » Sat Jan 07, 2017 10:45 pm

No matter the spread I would/will fade the Seahawks next week. They're garbage

DC47 · Post by **DC47** » Sun Jan 08, 2017 12:32 am

brian wrote:While facemasking the defender no less.

He pointed out the advances in gloves. In the old days, the receiver couldn't have one-handed a defender's mask like that.

DC47 · Post by **DC47** » Sun Jan 08, 2017 12:35 am

brian wrote:No matter the spread I would/will fade the Seahawks next week. They're garbage

I don't know. It took a pretty strong team to get past the Lions tonight. Those were two mighty fine field goals. You don't see that every time out.

LewP · Post by **LewP** » Sun Jan 08, 2017 5:02 am

Finish the Fight. Hungry.

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Sun Jan 08, 2017 8:21 am

Is it my imagination, or do the Seahawks get every single call?

Joe K · Post by **Joe K** » Sun Jan 08, 2017 8:38 am

Pruitt wrote:Is it my imagination, or do the Seahawks get every single call?

They're one of my least favorite teams, so I'm admittedly biased, but it sure seems like there have been a number of blatant officiating mistakes in the Seahawks' favor over the past few years during their home games. Ones that immediately come to mind include the "Fail Mary," the ruling that Navorro Bowman fumbled on the NFC Championship Game play where he destroyed his knee, the multiple blown calls in this year's Bills game, etc.

Rex · Post by **Rex** » Sun Jan 08, 2017 9:26 am

And as we'll be hearing a lot about this week, the play this year where Sherman interfered with Julio Jones...

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Sun Jan 08, 2017 10:33 am

But Jerloma's old friend IsitStinky would point out that the Seahawks were hurt by a couple bad calls in that Super Bowl against Pittsburgh.