Comments on: NFL Open Thread: Wildcard Playoffs

By: technopeasant

technopeasant — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:11:33 +0000

I just read Peter King’s take on that he believes the ‘overtime format’ is flawed. I agree completely. Here’s why: two teams battle for 60 minutes exchanging possessions, causing turnovers, and taking advantage of better field position through penalties and the game in regulation still ends up in a tie. One team must win and the other team must lose. The overtime session will determine this. Currently the flip of a coin determines who gets the ball first. In addition the team that scores first wins the game. To give one team a clear advantage in overtime is a travesty since neither team was ‘qualified’ in regulation to win the game outright. With this in mind here are my proposals to change the overtime format:

1)make the winner have to score 6 points in OT to win the game (a TD or 2 FG); what this would do is prevent a cheap pass interference penalty deciding the game by one team kicking a field goal; it would make the team with the ball have to march the length of the field to win, but still motivate them to kick a field goal to get closer to winning-but more importantly would give the opponent the opportunity to have the ball (if you notice very few OT games are decided by a TD); in addition I would award 3 points for a safety in OT so that that the team that caused the safety would only need a FG to win the game.

2)another proposal is to go to the basketball format of a 7 minute OT where the team that scores the most points wins; with 3 timeouts and a 2 minute warning it would be rare where one team could monopolize the posssession of the ball.

3)on the coin flip go to a ‘hockey shootout’ concept of 3 players from each side calling the flip where if the visiting team is wrong on the flip then all the home team has to do is get its flip correct; if the visiting team is right then the visiting team must get its flip right to continue more flips and so on; at least one flip of a coin wouldn’t determine the season for one team or another.

4)Reward the team with the most TD’s in giving it the ball first; if tied then the fewest turnovers; if tied then the QB with the higher passer rating-at least give the ball to a team based on an accomplishment rather than by strict chance.

5)prevent teams from kicking a field goal to win the game if they do not get to the 15 yard line of the opposition; this would prevent a long field goal from winning the game

By: RightOFLeft

RightOFLeft — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:56:48 +0000

Y-not on January 5, 2009 at 6:28 PM

No chance at Fitzgerald, but Boldin is out of Arizona after this year, and he’s probably the better overall receiver.

By: Y-not

Y-not — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 23:28:32 +0000

technopeasant on January 5, 2009 at 7:19 AM

I think he may retire, but I’m not sure firing him is warranted, nor is it necessarily the best move unless Peyton is on board with the idea. The Colts are more of a system team most and the system is definitely Peyton and Dungy.

Harrison needs to go (they should have replaced him last year with a big bruising receiver — any chance they could kidnap Larry Fitzgerald?) and they need to start planning for the future by picking up a good young QB in the draft (one with a brain, not one of those kids who relies on his legs)… but, mostly, they need to work on their defense. I think they need to pick up a big linebacker, at the minimum.

By: oakpack

oakpack — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 21:19:30 +0000

BWAAAHAHAHAHAHA

By: joey24007

joey24007 — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:01:54 +0000

Peterson seems to have that problem that handful of running backs have: … if you pop him early in the game, it knocks him off of his stride for at least a quarter …

By: philly_PA

philly_PA — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:36:36 +0000

The Eagles you can never count them out, when they look all burned out they suddenly and surprisingly rise like a Phoenix.
Go Birds :)…Superbowl ?…Yes We Can :)
.

By: sabbott

sabbott — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:27:51 +0000

Tavares Jackson is not one of the best 32 QB’s in the NFL. He is barely a backup.

technopeasant on January 5, 2009 at 7:26 AM

He wasn’t even good enough to play Div I football…but that didn’t stop our head coach from moving UP in the draft to take him! And then after he showed last year that he wasn’t NFL material, Chilie made him the starter this year…until he benched him because he sucked…but then he made him the starter again…and then he sucked again… But hey…we made the playoffs! We’re suppose to be happy about that up here! One and done…

By: Geochelone

Geochelone — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 12:36:42 +0000

Here is my prediction; Sproles.

By: technopeasant

technopeasant — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 12:26:21 +0000

Tavares Jackson is not one of the best 32 QB’s in the NFL. He is barely a backup.

By: technopeasant

technopeasant — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 12:24:18 +0000

One of the interesting nuggets offered by many commentators is that momentum in the NFL doesn’t exist. May I offer another in this age of Obama: the chance that the Chargers and the Cardinals will face each other in the Super Bowl went up appreciably with the election of The One. It’s just a gut feeling. No way an 8-8 team should face a 9-7 in the SB, but there was no way that Obama should have been elected either.

By: orlandocajun

orlandocajun — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 12:23:29 +0000

As much as I’ve always hated the Eagles, I was pulling for them yesterday. I was just imagining how many of the morons in the bleachers voted for Franken. Those people are losers and now so is their team. When you elect a former wrestler as governor and a mentally disabled former comedian as a Senator, you know that you have serious issues with the water supply in your state. I’m hoping that Franken successfully annexes Minnesota into Canada.

By: technopeasant

technopeasant — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 12:19:16 +0000

I have just read Bob Kravitz’s column at the Indianapolis Star calling for Dungy to resign as head coach of the Colts (as he has hinted at for several years) citing years of good regular seasons but futility in the playoffs (except the Super Bowl year in 2006). There are two ways to view a column of this type: first is to view the writer as a bitter representative of the Colts’ fan base who feel the need to strike out somewhere, anywhere and second is to analyze the message to see if it has any validity. Here is my take. The more vehement one wants to shoot the messenger the more on the mark his column is. Why is Sarah Palin hated so much by the MSM and the nutroots and Huffington Post? And to the argument itself. The Colts have lost to same team two years in a row, a team perceived to be inferior to the Colts and hamstrung by injuries: in 2007 to a second-string SD QB (Volek) and in 2008 a second-string SD running back (Sproles). Part of being a successful coach is taking advantage of and exploiting an opponent’s weakness-to bury an opponent that is in a vulnerable position. Dungy failed big time to do this two years in a row and for this alone he should go. Football is a rough-and-tumble game and that is made a mockery of when the coach doesn’t develop game plans and schemes that complement the nature of the game and doesn’t seek the destruction of the opponent.

By: patrick neid

patrick neid — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 07:54:23 +0000

Thank god Minnesota lost. Now we don’t have to see Franken at half time next week telling us what his plans are for Minnesota in the Senate.

By: joey24007

joey24007 — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 04:59:59 +0000

the NFC is terrible

and Jackson got pwned on that interception return

By: MNDavenotPC

MNDavenotPC — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 03:20:32 +0000

My Eagles won, and the Giants have tasted defeat in the meadowlands already by my Eagles. I was glad to see the Vikings lose, but not because I’d be so retarded in trying to connect politics with a team. I am not a native MN so perhaps that is why I’m a virulent Conservative. But look in your own respective state’s mirrors, you all have crosses to bear politically… clean your own houses. Fly Eagles, Fly!

By: jp

jp — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 02:36:32 +0000

Mibrilane on January 4, 2009 at 4:08 PM

Carolina is a much different team now than they were then. the Offense is about as good as they get right now, only chance I see for the Cardinals would be their Receivers having a good game against the panthers weak Secondary and outscoring the Panthers in a shoot out

By: RightOFLeft

RightOFLeft — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 02:27:19 +0000

Mibrilane on January 4, 2009 at 4:02 PM

Every time I read about those earthquakes in Yellowstone I think to myself, “yes! The Cards have a shot.”

By: irongrampa

irongrampa — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 02:26:21 +0000

One nice thing here, it was great to see the Falcons in the playoffs, after that debacle with Vick.

Not an atlanta fan, just glad to see them pull it together so well. They’ll be a factor next year, for sure.

By: wepeople

wepeople — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 02:16:21 +0000

I predict the Dolphins and Vikings will win today.SoulGlo

Not while my Ravens are still alive and kicking. What stocks do you recommend this week?

By: fogw

fogw — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 02:12:57 +0000

Did the Cowboys win this weekend?

Oh ……. nevermind.

Go Iggles!

By: SlimyBill

SlimyBill — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 02:04:17 +0000

And…

KILL THE GIANTS!!!!

RWLA on January 4, 2009 at 8:40 PM

uberDittoes!!!

By: SlimyBill

SlimyBill — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 02:04:01 +0000

All I can say is……

FLY EAGLES FLY!!! ON THE ROAD TO VICTORY!!! FLY EAGLES FLY!! SCORE A TOUCHDOWN 1,2,3! (1-2-3!!) HIT ‘EM LOW, HIT ‘EM HIGH, AND WATCH OUR EAGLES FLY!! FLY EAGLES FLY, ON THE ROAD TO VICTORYYY!!!!

E A G L E S EAGLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RWLA on January 4, 2009 at 8:39 PM

Dittoes.

By: RWLA

RWLA — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 01:40:30 +0000

And…

KILL THE GIANTS!!!!

By: RWLA

RWLA — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 01:39:52 +0000

All I can say is……

FLY EAGLES FLY!!! ON THE ROAD TO VICTORY!!! FLY EAGLES FLY!! SCORE A TOUCHDOWN 1,2,3! (1-2-3!!) HIT ‘EM LOW, HIT ‘EM HIGH, AND WATCH OUR EAGLES FLY!! FLY EAGLES FLY, ON THE ROAD TO VICTORYYY!!!!

E A G L E S EAGLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By: JayVee

JayVee — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 01:30:58 +0000

NoDonkey:

This IS a playoff system.