Wellness

[gardenman]

Happy New Year's everyone! We have four playoff games this weekend.

We start out with the Cardinals at the Panthers. The Cardinals are the better team but they're hurting badly at quarterback. The Panthers have come on pretty strong here at the end. I expect this to be a defensive battle. The Cards will be happy if their QB doesn't lose the game for them. I'm taking the Panthers in this one.

Up next is the Ravens at the Steelers. These are always fun games. I'm picking the Steelers simply because I trust Roethlisberger more in a big game than Joe Flacco right now. Momentum will play a big role in this game. If one team gets on a roll during the game this could get out of hand for either side.

Sunday finds the Bengals at the Colts. I'd love to see the Bengals finally win a playoff game after years of frustration, but the Colts look too tough to me. Andy Dalton has a ton of luggage on his back right now and pressure makes good diamonds, but generally doesn't improve quarterback play. I'm afraid the Bengals will have to wait another year to win that first playoff game.

And finally we have the Lions at the Cowboys. This will be a fun match-up to watch. The Lions defense is better while Romo is better than Stafford. Both teams have a dominating wide receiver who is a match-up nightmare. Home field is typically an advantage but the Cowboy crowd has been pretty mute this year. I'm picking the Cowboys, but whichever quarterback says, "The heck with this. I don't care if they double, triple, or quadruple cover my guy, he's getting the ball!" and throws it up to Dez or Megatron will win the game. Those two receivers can be so dominant that it's silly not to toss the ball up to them whenever you get the chance. Tell them all week that they're getting the ball and then get the ball to them. More often than not they'll make the play. You've just got to give them the chance.

Lots of crazy stuff going on around the league. Harry Gamble, the Eagles director of player personnel has quit/been fired depending on which media source one listens to. The local press is playing this up as a power struggle between our GM (Howie Roseman) and head coach (Chip Kelly) and that Howie won and Chip Kelly won't be staying long in Philly. I think they're over-thinking it a bit. We had a pretty bad draft last year and the one the year before wasn't great. Both years Tom Gamble was the guy in charge of personnel.

The Eagles keep records of what every scout, and person in the process thinks of the players coming out in the draft. I'm betting they weren't impressed with Gamble's recent record and that's why he's gone. You can't miss on too many draft picks in this league and hope to be successful. If Tom Gamble's projections were way off, then that's more likely the reason he's gone. If the new personnel guy brings in better players then everyone will be happy. Ultimately football is a team sport with everyone in the organization having to be at their best to make a great team. If you find a weakness, you've got to prune it off. Tom Gamble may be a great guy who everyone loves, but if his evaluations don't match up with reality, then he's got to go. That's what happened with Joe Banner who was one of the owner's best friends, so there's precedent in Philly for this type of move.

The Doug Marrone resignation will be interesting to watch unfold. Lots of people are saying he's going to the Jets, but the league doesn't like tampering and this reeks of tampering. (He just decided to move on with no idea the Jets would hire him? Not likely.) We'll have to see how this all unfolds, but Buffalo may just get a first round pick back in this draft (from the Jets) after trading their first round pick away for the wide receiver last year. Jumping up to six in the first round would be huge for the Bills. Both the Bills and Jets need a QB and Jameis Winston might just be hanging around then.

[teganslaw]

I have a feeling that Carolina will win this weekend. Despite their losing record, they've been playing well lately, and, unlike Arizona, have no quarterback issue.

Sunshine45, please do your best to help the Ravens win! Indy will try to take care of their part, but I don't want to head to New England. Gillette Stadium is like a cursed place for the Colts, and I have a feeling that Baltimore would have a better chance there than Indy. Of course, if the Bengals win, then the Colts don't have anything to worry about because they'll be heading home. No matter, the Ravens-Steelers game should be a good one.

I think I would take Dallas over Detroit, mostly because of Romo. He has been on fire, and I would trust him over Stafford in the playoffs. I wonder how much luck Detroit will have trying to cover Dez Bryant. Other teams haven't done too well in that respect.

[sunshine45]

goooooooooooooooooooooo RAVENS!!!!!!!!!!!!

teganslaw, i will do my best to get a ravens win....it would be sweet. i am already crossing everything i have to cross for luck. LOL

it will be a tough game.....VERY TOUGH. the weather is supposed to be cold and bad (looking like rain now) also and that wont help!

[gardenman]

Twitter madness has struck Philadelphia!!! A reporter tweeted that he was expecting "major" news out of the Eagles in the very near future and somehow everyone made that into Chip Kelly quitting and going back to coaching in college. "Sources" are now saying that Chip Kelly is staying put and has no intention of leaving Philly. There are about a million "major" announcements that could come from the Eagles (signing Jeremy Maclin, Brandon Graham, or one of the other free agents to a new deal, extending Nick Foles contract, hiring a new player personnel guy, etc.) but being Negadelphia the press assumed it had to be Chip Kelly leaving.

[Spurt]

Hello and HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!!!-May it be a good one.....

Well our QB went to watch Baylor play and it seems his alma mater ended up in the loss column just like his NFL team.....I think he jinxed em.....

GARDENMAN---Wow a lot of excitement going on in Philly.....you would think the Eagles had landed in last place in the NFC East....although they didn't make the playoffs, at least they are headed in the right direction....sure you need a bit of tweeking in the secondary, and you need a healthy Foles....but compare your team to mine!!!! I would take Gamble over Vinny Cerrato or Bruce Allen....a lot of people have said that Allen should be bumped up to President and handle team reunions, the team name, and press conferences in place of Snyder and hire a REAL GM.....

If I were the Eagles I'd extend Nick Foles's contract....I was not overly impressed with the QB play of the college QB prospects yesterday....

I was wondering if Jim Harbaugh's decision to go back to college may have a lot of coaches thinking about it....I guess it's the lesser of the two evils---in college dealing with recruiting and student's grades or dealing with idiot owners and GM's that don't know what they are doing, but hold you responsible as a coach when they are the ones that didn't give you the right talent to make your team successful...

Well Jim Haslett is gone....he wasn't given much to work with and that falls on Allen and the personnel folks. I was surprised to learn that Washington had one of the smallest personnel departments (scouting and such)....with all the money Snyder has been spending over the years, and having been unsuccessful, you would think he'd learn where the RIGHT PLACE is to put his money!!!

Please explain to me why Marrone is leaving a team with a lot of promise next year....I mean come on would anyone think the Jets is a good coaching job....of course there is the $$$$.

[Spurt]

For my playoff picks.....

Cards/Panthers---although my hear would like Bruce Arians and his team to win, I think they just won't be able to get past having to go with their third string QB. The Panthers have been playing well as of late and am going with the team with momentum---PANTHERS!!

Ravens/Steelers---Ravens have been inconsistent and not as strong defensively as past years. The Steelers reliable and important RB is injured so it looks like it will be up to Big Ben who has been playing well...but was that due to his running game, that is the question. But I'm going with the STEELERS!

Bengals/Colts--One of the commentators said the Colts Indy car is leaking oil with their recent injuries, and the offensive line is not doing a good job protecting Andrew Luck. Meanwhile the Bengals have a QB and a team that can't seem to win important games. I'm going with the COLTS and Andrew Luck!!!!

Lions/Cowboys-well Suh's suspension got appealed and good thing for the Lions. Murray and Dez seem to be on a roll, and Romo's play has been decent. But some are waiting for the other shoe to drop and Romo and the Cowboys particularly on defense return to their old form and old selves and lose this game. The Lions have tons of talent but seem to under perform and just don't seem to play up to expectations consistently. Jerry's Palace has not been much of a home field advantage......I think the COWBOYS will win, but somehow I wish they wouldn't .... And to think instead of Zack Martin, what if Jerry had used that Manziel draft card in his hand....oh what could've been!

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!!!

[Spurt]

On 1/1/2015 teganslaw said:

I have a feeling that Carolina will win this weekend. Despite their losing record, they've been playing well lately, and, unlike Arizona, have no quarterback issue.

Sunshine45, please do your best to help the Ravens win! Indy will try to take care of their part, but I don't want to head to New England. Gillette Stadium is like a cursed place for the Colts, and I have a feeling that Baltimore would have a better chance there than Indy. Of course, if the Bengals win, then the Colts don't have anything to worry about because they'll be heading home. No matter, the Ravens-Steelers game should be a good one.

I think I would take Dallas over Detroit, mostly because of Romo. He has been on fire, and I would trust him over Stafford in the playoffs. I wonder how much luck Detroit will have trying to cover Dez Bryant. Other teams haven't done too well in that respect.

Hey TEGAN --- HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU!!!!

Good Luck to your COLTS! So how is Reggie Wayne doing?

[gardenman]

SPURT. The crisis in Philly has now ended. Jeff Lurie has now given Chip Kelly full authority over personnel matters (a big bump in power) and Howie Roseman has been promoted to VP of football operations and is no longer involved in personnel decisions. I'm not sure who fired Tom Gamble or why, but everyone seems happy now. (Well, everyone but Tom Gamble anyway.) Chip's going to hire his own personnel director to oversee everything personnel wise, but all of the final decisions (who to sign as a free agent, who to draft, who to cut, etc.) will be Chip's to make.

The problem with coaching college ball and recruiting college kids isn't the kids, but their parents. The parents are always sure that their kid will be a star and they want the coach to guarantee it. Their kid may be a star at the local high school level, but chances are he won't be at the collegiate level. When junior isn't starting or performing well, the parents are furious and demanding an explanation from the coach. Dealing with the parents is why most college coaches want to join the pro ranks.

Jameis Winston didn't look all that impressive. Marcus Mariota looked pretty good though. Right now (literally as I type this) Brett Hundley is looking pretty good with the UCLA Bruins. I wouldn't be shocked to see Hundley move into the top ten of the draft if he has a decent off season. He could move up to number one with good post-season performances (Bowl games, combine, private workouts, etc.) especially if Mariota decides to go back to school for one more year like Matt Barkley did. A lot of teams need a quarterback and Hundley won't likely last to the second round, so if he's on your radar you've pretty much got to take him in the first round. If Mariota and Winston go first and second overall then there's a good chance that Hundley would go in the top five.

That Marrone decision is a tad odd, but he's now getting paid $4 million not to coach and could get even more if he's hired by someone else. Whoever hires him better be sure they never gave him any indication they might be interested in hiring him however. That whole thing reeks of tampering now and if the league can uncover any evidence it happened, the cost will be high.

[teganslaw]

SPURT, Reggie Wayne is listed as probable. He had limited practice, but says that he feels ready to play Sunday. The only two players out so far are the Center Shipley and Guard Thornton. In reference to the commentator saying the Indy car is leaking oil because of injuries: would that by chance be Lucas oil? Seriously, injuries have hurt this team. Their main concern is stopping the rookie Jeremy Hill.

There always seems to be drama surrounding the Eagles. That team could make it to the playoffs and still have critics. I have a question though: if Howie Roseman is now VP of football operations, and no longer involved in personnel, what exactly is his job? I'm not what that title indicates.

[gardenman]

According to the Eagle's press release Howie Roseman will still "oversee" contracts and the salary cap, along with managing the medical staff and some other auxiliary positions. It sure sounds like a big demotion for him, but he also got a contract extension through 2020 so that's not so bad.

I've always been a fan of the coach having a big say in who he coaches. A coach who doesn't believe in a player will often work to diminish that player to prove that his evaluation of the guy is right, whether it is or not. When it's the coach who picked the guy then he's going to do his best to be sure the guy performs as well as possible to prove that it was a good pick.

Football coaches can be a bit weird. I had a neighbor who loved football and who played in and excelled in peewee football, then was a star on the freshman team playing both the offensive and defensive line. He was widely regarded as the best player on the freshman team. Everyone thought he'd be a star on the high school level, but the high school coach had an old grudge with the kid's dad from back when they went to school together and refused to put him on the field. The kid worked his tail off, practiced hard, the other players all felt he should be playing, but the coach kept him on the bench all the way through high school and never let him on the field for even one play. The coach was a local legend so he was able to get away with it, but it was a dumb move. After his senior homecoming game when every other kid on the team got on the field the kid finally had enough and walked off the team. The coach referred to him as "Quitter" whenever he saw him after that. I was truly surprised the kid didn't snap and kill the coach. The coach didn't want him on the team and by God he wouldn't play him.

Similar stuff happens even in the pros. You'll see a guy who spent years on the bench with one team suddenly play great on a new team. If a coach isn't invested in a player he's less likely to do his best to get the most out of the kid.