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Aggies7's Blog

NFL Week 1 Stuck

Posted on September 5, 2012 at 11:24 AM.

(11)

This will be a weekly NFL blog with 5 questions answered by 3 regular OS posters.

The three contributors are:
wwharton
N51_rob
Aggies7

1) Predict your division winners and two wild card spots for each conference.

wwharton:

NFC West: San Francisco
NFC East: Philadelphia
NFC South: New Orleans
NFC North: Green Bay
NFC Wildcards: Chicago/Detroit
AFC West: Denver
AFC East: New England
AFC South: Houston
AFC North: Baltimore
AFC Wild Cards: Pittsburgh/Buffalo

N51_rob:

NFC West: San Francisco
NFC East: Philadelphia
NFC South: Atlanta
NFC North: Green Bay
NFC Wildcards: Carolina/Chicago
AFC West: Denver
AFC East: New England
AFC South: Houston
AFC North: Baltimore
AFC Wildcards: Kansas City/Pittsburgh

Aggies7:

NFC West: San Francisco
NFC East: Dallas
NFC South: New Orleans
NFC North: Green Bay
NFC Wildcards: New York/Chicago
AFC West: San Diego
AFC East: New England
AFC South: Houston
AFC North: Baltimore
AFC Wildcards: Denver/Pittsburgh

2) Predict the MVP/Offensive Rookie of the Year/Defensive Rookie of the Year

wwharton:

MVP: Drew Brees
OROY: Andrew Luck
DROY: Dont'a Hightower

N51_rob:

MVP: Calvin Johnson
OROY: Robert Griffin III
DROY: Luke Kuechly

Aggies7:

MVP: Tom Brady
OROY: Andrew Luck
DROY: Morris Claiborne

3) Name some coaches around the league you believe are on the hot seat.

wwharton:

Andy Reid: Specific words from the owner that you're on the hot seat is about as sure a sign as there could be. I think the team will rally around him and he'll be fine. I also think he should be fine considering the amazing things he's done with different rosters and QBs over the years.

Jason Garrett: The real problem in big D is the GM (owner Jerry Jones) and his apparent lack of concern for improving the offensive line. But Jerry excels at PR and that means big names at skill positions. That also means finding someone to point the finger at when things don't go as hoped... which they haven't for a very, very long time. Garrett has been the yes man, and if the Cowboys don't go far in the playoffs, he will be the fall guy.

Ken Whisenhunt: The NFL is a passing league now, but the Cardinals have been reaching to label a franchise QB. The team has done a great job at grabbing offensive weapons, as Ryan Williams should make his presence felt this year while Floyd's breakout campaign is probably a year (or a new QB) away. They are also slowly but surely putting together a respectable defense. But all of the pieces will not come together this year, and the biggest problem will be at the most criticized position. The outcry may be too much for Whisenhunt to keep a hold of his job.

Rex Ryan: I still love ya, big fella. But I think it may be the end of the road. Ryan has the perfect personality for the once underdog NY team. Even signing media hog Brett Favre couldn't make New Yorkers pay attention to the Jets. In comes Ryan talking a big game and coaching a team appearing ready to back it up. Unfortunately it never happened, and now the team is a shell of itself. The defense should be an improvement over last year, but far worse than that of Ryan's first year in NY... or any of his Ravens teams in Baltimore. Ryan would love to buck the NFL trend of leaning on star passers, and continue his success of spreading talent around the defense, while controlling the clock on offense with an old school running attack and mistake free passing game. His defense just isn't good enough to shoulder that load, and the offense should prove to be the worse in the NFL. The addition of Tebow, while ignoring glaring other needs, is making the world question whether or not Ryan has a clue what he's doing. If I'm choosing between Ryan and the world, I'd say the world wins.

Mike Smith: Smith's name doesn't deserve to be on this list, but he entered the job on fire. Since his first year as head coach the Falcons have seemed to draft well and grab the pieces to elevate them to the group of elite teams. However, post season failure has kept them from reaching that goal. I expect the Falcons to be a bubble playoff team this year, and to have an early exit if they do manage to get in. Smith deserves better, but if I'm right the organization will have to change their approach and that almost always starts with the head coach.

N51_rob:
Andy Reid: When your own owner tells you that you are on the hot seat, you basically are on the hot seat. That said, what Reid has done in Philly is nothing short of amazing. That team/organization was nothing when he get there. He had some great successes with them, but Philly is a pressure cooker and nothing last forever.

Norv Turner: How this guy still has a job. I swear he must have compromising photos of everyone in the chargers organization. Simple fact remains he inherited a 14-2 team that had super bowl aspirations and 2007 and here we are in 2005 and not only has the QB regressed the team would be pleased with a wild card birth.

Ken Whisenhunt: Nothing has gone right in Arizona since Kurt Warner retired. Whisenhunt is 40-40 entering the season and while Skelton beat out Kevin Kolb, there still is no QB in Arizona. While the defense looks to be ready for prime time and Ryan Williams should help the running game this is a passing league and I still have no clue where Skelton played his college ball.

Rex Ryan: If you are gonna talk the talk, you better be able to walk the walk. Rex has yet to deliver on his super bowl promises. That said. Rex is on the hot seat for another reason. He has no idea what he is doing with the offense. As the NFL transitions to a passing league and the rules start to favor the passing attack Rex (and to a degree Mike Tanebaum) have decided to go against the grain and try to develop a grind it out power running attack, while leaving their �franchise� QB with no weapons on the outside and the New York media pressure on him while Tim Tebow waits in the wings to come in and run what, the wishbone? If this year goes up in flames so will Rex Ryan�s stint in New York.

Pat Shurmer: Pretty simple new ownership everyone is on the hotseat. Not a lot has gone right in Cleveland and now Shurmer has gone from Colt McCoy to Branden Weeden at QB. Sensing a theme? If you can�t throw the ball in the NFL today, you are on borrowed time. Weeden is 28 years old his �learning curve� is steep and then even worse than that his time to learn is almost none. I saw this with Chris Wienke and I have an idea how it�s gonna end.

John Harbaugh: No he is not really on the hot seat, but the core of the defense is getting older and while the offense may be ready to be the �face� of the organization. Last year was the Ravens year. The defense was stellar, Flacco was brilliant in New England, if only Lee �9 route� Evans, or Billy Loldiff did what they were paid for I�m almost certain Baltimore beats New York. No Harbaugh is not on the hot seat, but their window with this nucleus is getting smaller.

Aggies7:

Andy Reid: This has to be the most obvious choice for the simple reason, the owner comes out publically and states that you either improve or your done. And to me I don�t see the Eagles improving this year. I don�t expect Vick to stay healthy and I understand Foles looked nothing short of great in the preseason, but he isn�t ready to step in if Vick were to have a lengthy injury.

John Fox: This maybe a surprise to some, but I really feel John Elway has made it clear with the Peyton Manning signing. It is a win now attitude and Denver and anything short of a Division Title could spell the end for John Fox in Denver. I really only expect Peyton Manning to last for a max of 3 years and John Elway is not going to settle for mediocre with an experienced quarterback like Manning there.

Jason Garrett: This one is very similar to the Andy Reid hot seat. Jerry Jones is getting impatient and wants to see results now and have been very public about this issue this off season. The lost of Jason Witten during the preseason was a huge blow to this team. I really don�t expect him to be back until at least week 4. A spleen injury is nothing to mess around with and the last thing the Cowboys need is to lose him for the whole season trying to rush him back. And for me a slow start in big D could mean a quick departure of Jason Garrett

Norv Turner: This is one I say every year�.barring a Super Bowl Norv Turner will be fired at the end of the season. And every year I sit back and scratch my head when he survives another off season. The reason Norv is last on my list is simple. I have them winning the division and think this could be the year they make a Super Bowl run. If Phillip Rivers gets hot and they can survive until Ryan Matthews returns this could be a very dangerous team down the stretch. But if that doesn�t happen this has to be the year Norv is finally ran out of San Diego.

4) What is your feelings on the Replacement Referee situation.

wwharton:

The "in" thing to do has been to berate officials since, what seems like the beginning of time. I have always maintained that the criticism goes too far when anyone demands the current group is replaced. In short, to the dismay of my need for quality NFL games, this is most definitely my "I told you so" moment.

Officials are human. In today's world of seemingly realistic video games, high definition televisions, endless camera angles, and instantly available video replays to anyone who knows how to type youtube into a web browser, there is an unrealistic expectation of perfection... and humans are anything but perfect. NFL is big business and it'd be foolish to assume that if there were better options available to call these games, they wouldn't already be hired. In short, the current officials are the best in the business. Correction, the officials sitting on their couches laughing at all of the blown calls, missed spots and quick or nonexistent whistles during this year's preseason are the best in the business. The current officials are the bargaining chip needed to expose the NFL's greed and, hopefully, show the fans that they need to cut the real zebras a little slack. The job's a bit harder than it may look.

N51_rob:

Please excuse my French but **** these guys (and gal). They are awful. I�ve seen better officiating at high school games. While I don�t fault the replacements for taking the jobs that were available. They are in the deep end of the pool and sinking quickly, and in front of everyone. They are literally diluting the on field product week by week before our very eyes. The Refs union is literally sitting back and watching their position strengthen week by week.

While we are on the officials, why doesn�t the NFL use the NCAA replay system? One official in the booth reviews the plays. Why do we need to have the head ref run to a special location on the field just to watch a replay when there is a guy that decided if TD�s are good scores? The NFL should just adapt the NCAA system. One official who is looking at all replays and can just buzz the head referee to let him know what needs to be changed.

Aggies7:

I have heard people talking about this situation will lead to more player injuries. I don�t buy that, when is the last time you saw a ref jump in between two players to stop a collision�.never. So when it comes to the injury aspect I do not agree.

My biggest issue will be slowing the game down. These guys take forever to get a call right and I hate that for the sport. They cant take 45 seconds to 1 minute to figure out every penalty, that will extend games almost 30 minutes longer. The slow down really takes away from the fast paced nature of the NFL. This could be detrimental to a team trying to run a hurry up offense.

Do I want the NFL to just pay the Refs their money and get them back yes�but for the time being no matter the amount of time it takes to make a call on the field, I really don�t care as long as it�s the right call. I do not want to see games determined by a bad call because the NFL wont come off of the money to pay the regular refs.

5) This will always be the Pick�em section, which will be scored 1 point for each correct pick.

Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants
Washington Redskins at New Orleans Saints
San Francisco at Green Bay Packers
Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens
Indianapolis Colts at Chicago Bears

wwharton:

Giants
Saints
Packers
Ravens
Bears

N51_rob:

Giants
Redskins
49ers
Ravens
Bears

Aggies7:

Giants
Saints
Packers
Ravens
Colts

Comments

# 1 wwharton @ Sep 5

Aggies7, I agree that the talk of potential injuries due to the replacement refs has been overblown. However, they do have a point that you haven't considered (at least in your summary). My biggest issue with the replacement refs is not blowing the whistle fast enough to end a play. Players are taught to play to the whistle... defenders ALWAYS do it. Offensive players can tend to forget that unwritten rule on occasion. I can see an injury happening when a guy thinks he's tackled but gets cracked because a ref didn't blow the whistle soon enough. I also expect all Hell to break loose if/when that happens.

N51rob, you know I'll be behind the Burgundy and Gold on Sunday but you deserve 2 points if they can pull off this upset.

# 2 Steve_OS @ Sep 5

None picking the Cowboys. I should ban all of you.

# 3 wwharton @ Sep 5

Ha ha, Steve their time will come.

Arrow, they'll win a good 5 or 6 games but I don't think this will be one of them. Can't wait to see Luck in a real game though.

# 4 Aggies7 @ Sep 6

Well Steve no need to ban us. We all look like idiots. Nothing like starting week 1 with everyone losing.

Arrow - Just think people are under estimating Luck. I don't expect a great year but I think he will surprise some folks and pull out some upsets. The only thing that scared me about that pick....Cutler to Marshall.

# 5 Aggies7 @ Sep 6

Finally watching the full Giants vs Cowboys game. Some quick observations I saw were:

Giants:

-In ability to score from inside the 5 after the Boley INT was critical
- Cruz has a bunch of drops which shocked me, but he was not the only one dropping passes from Manning
- I can't blame Manning for this loss due to my last point
- On final Giants drive they did a great job moving the ball and converting 2 fourth downs
- Too bad they could not stop the Cowboys on that final drive would have been fun to watch Manning have a shot

Cowboys:

-The horsecollar tackle from Tyron Smith was my play of the game. It prevented the easy TD
-Ogletree had a huge game with the two touchdown receptions and over 100 yards...hope some of you had him for fantasy football
-If Demarco Murray stays healthy the Cowboys are going to be dangerous
-Romo played one of the better games I have seen him play in awhile to include the big third down conversion with just over 2 minutes to go in the game..minus the Boley INT
-Have to hand it to Rob Ryan he called a great game on defense, but I think he was a little too aggressive on the Giants final drive.
-The Cowboys must fix the penalty issues, way to many false starts.

Replacement Refs:

-Other than the two missed defensive holding penalties on the Cowboys, I was actually pretty impressed with the way they called the game. They had a few more hiccups but nothing that really shocked me.

And to close out I just want to say RIP Art Modell. Sad day for the Baltimore community.

# 6 N51_rob @ Sep 6

Typical NFC East game. Ogletree had a great game, becuse he has been nowhere on tape, very easy to see how coverage bring rolled to Dez at times and Miles others allowed him to run free in the secondary. Maybe the Giants will stop abusing Prince now. Justin Tryon looked awful in that game.

Much better finish to that game from Romo then lasy year in the same stadium. Romo also did a fantastic job of avoiding pressure just enough to give his guys more time to seperate. That said, the Cowboys oline looked very suspect against New York, and while there are not a lot of Olines that look good agianst them, it won't get easier within the division.

# 7 wwharton @ Sep 6

R.I.P. Mr. Modell. Hopefully even fans in Cleveland can find a moment to remember all the good he did for the NFL.

Wilson sure did hop in the dog house quickly yesterday. I think he'll be able to help the Giants in the redzone once he's allowed to get carries again. I don't really think the game said anything about the Giants. Aggies7 is the only one of us that even has them reaching the playoffs again this year. They have a very talented but inconsistent team. I think Cruz will tighten his hands up. The Cowboys are inconsistent too. Romo looked great but had two INTs dropped on horrible decisions. They showed they have the talent to compete with anyone though.

# 8 Aggies7 @ Sep 7

Yea I have them picked for the playoffs and will stand by that for the simple reason that Giants find a way to win in December. I have said from the start this first game of the year was much more important for the Cowboys than the Giants. I really felt this game was a must win for the Cowboys. It sounds crazy but as I stated before the Giants find ways to fix issues mid season and start winning. The Cowboys on the hand seem to struggle late in the year and I believe need a great start to the season.