NFL 2012 - Drive to Glory

[Sheep]

^ On his radio show, Jay Cutler talked about how Lovie was a "player's coach" and the players' friend.

I think Lovie was maybe too mellow and too much of a player's coach. Kinda the other extreme from Singletary or Ditka.

IMO this is exactly the problem--the players have become too complacent under Lovie. The NFL is a business. The head coach is not your "friend" and should never be considered as such on a successful team. These guys are getting paid millions to play football and win, not spend time with their BFFs.

http://espn.go.com/chicago/nfl/story/_/id/8795815/chicago-bears-fire-lovie-smith-missing-playoffs

Bears receiver Devin Hester was so emotional after hearing the news that he talked about retiring.

"I don't even know if I want to play again," Hester said. "That's been something on my mind for two years."

To that, I say "good riddance". He's become completely useless as a player both on offense and special teams when they've tried to force his two functioning brain cells to learn pass routes.

 

[tighr]

I hope a lot of not-former head coaches get chances. I'm sick of the same guys getting regurgitated around the league.

Chuck Pagano/Bruce Arians was a nice change of pace this past season.

I'd say the same about Jim Caldwell, but the man was a figurehead, and as a Colts fan, I knew that from the day he was hired. The fact that he took that team to the Super Bowl all while standing on the sidelines with that blank look on his face just told me he didn't know what he was doing. Peyton Manning liked him, but being liked by the players isn't a necessarily a recipe for success.

 

[Thestral]

Whisenhunt got screwed, IMO. Give him a quarterback - any quarterback - worth the title and he'd have done a lot better. This is the guy that took the Chargers from joke to Superbowl contenders after all. The NFC West has somehow become a nightmare division in the last year though... definitely no longer a joke.

ETA: Cardinals, obviously. Jesus Christ, what a terrible mistype.

Also, Scott Pioli still has a job?! Seriously?

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

I hope a lot of not-former head coaches get chances. I'm sick of the same guys getting regurgitated around the league.

Chuck Pagano/Bruce Arians was a nice change of pace this past season.

I'd say the same about Jim Caldwell, but the man was a figurehead, and as a Colts fan, I knew that from the day he was hired. The fact that he took that team to the Super Bowl all while standing on the sidelines with that blank look on his face just told me he didn't know what he was doing. Peyton Manning liked him, but being liked by the players isn't a necessarily a recipe for success.

Arians' name is already being thrown out there as a replacement for some fired coaches.

Depending on how much of Indy's success this year was him and how much was him executing Pagano's plan will play out I suppose.

 

[Starbreaker]

Since the legalization of marijuana passed, Seattle and Denver are 15-1.

 

[1001001]

Since the legalization of marijuana passed, Seattle and Denver are 15-1.

They could meet in the Smoka Bowl.

 

[SmoothieX]

The official towel of the Smoka Bowl.

 

[Trekker4747]

Well, I was disappointed Romeo was fired as our head coach, but given how this season went I'm not surprised. I think he had "potential" but at the same time I don't think was hard-edged enough to be a head coach. Pioli should have been out on his ass too, but he's been extremely neutered by the owners so he's on very thin ice, the coach they're currently looking at also seems to have a GM along with it so Pioli may be on even thinner ice than he thinks.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

You know you're getting Andy Reid, right?

 

[Starbreaker]

I hate that I'll be at work during these games tonight. I'll have the radio on, though.

Bengals 24
Texans 20

Packers 27
Vikings 13

 

[Venardhi]

Honestly not sure who I'm rooting for this weekend.

I think the Texans will take the Bengals though, and I doubt the Vikings will manage a repeat of last week.

Tomorrow is a harder call, but I'm gonna go with Baltimore and Washington just for the hell of it.

 

[tighr]

I'm rooting for Houston and Indy, but mostly because that's the only way Indy gets to play Denver. That'd be a great storyline.

I'd love for the Colts to succeed this season, but I'm cheering for Peyton.

I feel like the salary cap combined with the rise of Fantasy Football has made people become more fans of players than actual teams these days.

 

[Roger Wilco]

I'm rooting for Texans, Seahawks and Ravens. The only game that's difficult for me is Packers-Vikings since I kind of like both teams (in fact I like all of the NFC North, strange as that may be).

 

[tighr]

Wow, this game is horrible. New England is absolutely going to crush Houston next week.

 

[Roger Wilco]

Pretty convincing win for Houston though. It never looked like the Bengals could make that second touchdown they needed to me.

They'll need one hell of a gameplan against the Patriots for sure though...

 

[SmoothieX]

Wow, this game is horrible. New England is absolutely going to crush Houston next week.

That's the spirit!

Go Pats!! Don't overlook the Jets beatdown in 2010 followed by the playoff crotch punch though. Any given Sunday...

 

[tighr]

Wow, this game is horrible. New England is absolutely going to crush Houston next week.

That's the spirit!

I'm sorry, what I actually meant to say was "anyone in the playoffs could absolutely crush Houston next week", but since they're going to draw New England, it seemed like a foregone conclusion. That practically gives NE two bye weeks as far as I'm concerned. Pains me to say it, I hate NE with a passion and nothing would make me happier than to see them lose next week.

 

[Use of Time]

So is this the good karma returning to Green Bay after that horrible blown call early in the year. I was looking forward to this game but after watching a few series of Joe Webb, I think they might as well consider this a bye week for GB.

Oh, and reading above, my take on the Pats is that I don't hate them but for non-fans I think most people have had their fill. Do I root against them? Yes. Do I respect them? Yes.

 

[Pegaritaville]

I was worried when the Vikings announced that Webb would be starting instead of Ponder, but I forgot what a crappy passer Webb is. Made it a lot easier for the Packers knowing they didn't have to worry about a passing attack.

 

[SmoothieX]

They were going to worry about a passing attack if Ponder was in there?

Two disappointing game yesterday to the casual fan. Houston-Cincy was lackluster (though it did determine who will be coming to NE next week, so as a Pats fan there's that. I hope they play as badly next week.) And the night game was a one-sider.