Sports

[gardenman]

Dang it! Andy Reid cost me my perfect pick record in the playoffs! I like Andy as a coach, but there were some odd, at best, decisions made in that game. Early on the Chiefs had a linebacker in man to man coverage on Antonio Brown? Seriously? Elite cornerbacks can't cover Antonio Brown man to man and Andy put a inebacker on him? There may just be a teensy flaw in that defensive gameplan. Oh well, kudos to the Steelers for getting the win, but I'm not sure how well they'll match up against the Patriots. I kind of think the Patriots will take that game. If the Steelers are to compete, they've got to follow the Texans blueprint and get pressure up the middle on Brady.

On the NFC side we'll have the Falcons taking on the Packers. How the heck do you defend Aaron Rodgers? He's kind of impossible to defend when he's playing at this level. He doesn't have a great supporting cast. His starting runningback started out the season as a reserve wide receiver. His receivers tend to fall into the "okay" category. Yet, somehow, game after game, Rodgers wills them to victory by making seemingly impossible throws.Third and twenty with less than thirty seconds left to play? No problem. He'll just toss the ball 38 years down the field to a reserve tight end who's just barely able to get both feet down after making the catch. Game over!

When it comes to ranking quarterbacks, I think Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers are currently the best. Tom Brady is a masterful technician/surgeon dissecting a defense. Aaron Rodgers is more a masterful magician. He does the impossible and you watch him and say, "How did he do that?" Who's better? I find Aaron Rodgers scarier of the two, so he'd get my vote. Brady will beat you, but he does so by taking advantage of your weaknesses that he exploits. In theory you can hide your weaknesses from Brady and beat him. Rodgers could care less about your strengths or weaknesses, he just beats you in impossible ways. He'll throw a laser into double coverage and get the completion. How do you defend that? You just can't. 

[LonestarBabs]

UGH. Chiefs did some stupid things to squander the opportunity. Stupid stupid stupid.

Ok, time to change out of my Dooney & Burke KC Chiefs East West Tote and pack it away for another year.

[teganslaw]

Keep Aaron Rodgers off the field  as much as possible. Atlanta could use up clock time and hold on to the ball, while trying to score touchdowns. If Rodgers doesn't have the ball he can't score.

Probably easier said than done, but Atlanta's defense has improved. I think this could be a close game.

I' m impressed with Dak Prescott. He held his own against an amazing veteran quarterback. I don't think any team could have won beaten the Packers; things just went their way. Dak and Ezekiel are the future of the Cowboys.

I wouldn't count the Steelers out; I think they could match up well against NE.

Kansas City made some mistakes, which you can't do in the playoffs. Otherwise, they had a great season.

In Colts news, Gruden turned down a coaching job with Indy; he wants to stay in broadcasting. Peyton Manning was offered an executive position, but declined. Not sure if Manning will eventually change his mind, but it seems that he isn't ready to take on such a responsibility. He enjoys his retirement and most likely wants to spend the time with his family. Being an executive in Indy would take up too much of his time right now.

[JillyMarie]

Mr. Kelce should be fined and sent home to bed without any supper. IT WAS. A HOLD !

My opinion.

[Lipstickdiva]

Mr. Kelce is a joke.  Talk about an ignorant comment. The ref felt sorry for Harrison because he fell on the ground?  ROFLOL  Do you know how many times he's on the ground during a game?

Ever watch Kelce's reality show?  I saw about 10 minutes when it came on after something I had been watching.  He comes across as a total d-bag.

Anyhow, the Steelers better step it up because they aren't going to beat NE with field goals. The offense in the red zone was dreadful. 

[Spurt]

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@teganslaw wrote:

Keep Aaron Rodgers off the field  as much as possible. Atlanta could use up clock time and hold on to the ball, while trying to score touchdowns. If Rodgers doesn't have the ball he can't score.

Probably easier said than done, but Atlanta's defense has improved. I think this could be a close game.

I' m impressed with Dak Prescott. He held his own against an amazing veteran quarterback. I don't think any team could have won beaten the Packers; things just went their way. Dak and Ezekiel are the future of the Cowboys.

I wouldn't count the Steelers out; I think they could match up well against NE.

Kansas City made some mistakes, which you can't do in the playoffs. Otherwise, they had a great season.

In Colts news, Gruden turned down a coaching job with Indy; he wants to stay in broadcasting. Peyton Manning was offered an executive position, but declined. Not sure if Manning will eventually change his mind, but it seems that he isn't ready to take on such a responsibility. He enjoys his retirement and most likely wants to spend the time with his family. Being an executive in Indy would take up too much of his time right now.

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@teganslaw

Yep, a GM job would be a 24/7 job for sure..... I bet Peyton wouldn't mind a job as a "team consultant"......that's what Joe Gibbs did (not sure he still does it, his eldest son had health problems and I think Joe had to take control of the Racing Team)---he just gave his opinion on potential draft picks etc ....I could invision Peyton doing something like that.....something requiring not a lot of time.....

@teganslaw@gardenman

It will be interesting to see what the Cowboys do with Romo since it seems Dak IS their starter.......but with Jerry Jones as owner, sometimes the obvious isn't necessarily so......logically it seems Jerry would consult Romo and try to trade him to a team that Romo would want to play for.....but he may also try to keep Romo and cap strap the team...(but never under estimate Mr. Jones)....

Two great games Sunday,,,looking forward to next week.....

BTW the Redskins are interviewing Rob Ryan for the DC job....OY!!!!

[gardenman]

@Spurt The Ryan's are good defensive coordinators if they've got the right players. That's the limiting factor however. They need smart, quick thinking players who are all on the same page. That's the challenge. When Buddy was the Eagles' head coach it took a couple of years to get the players up to speed, but then it was a dominant defense. The problem is things break down badly if a starter (especially the safeties or middle linebacker) gets injured. You don't just plug in anybody and have the defense continue on without a hiccup.

The league is moving more and more to simple defenses that while not especially effective are less prone to the big mistake and it's easy to plug in a replacement should someone get injured. You count on the offense making a mistake while you force them to make a long drive.