Wellness

[gardenman]

It happened at least once before. The Raiders traded Jon Gruden to Tampa Bay. I think there was also compensation when Belichick left the Jets to go to the Patriots.

[AuntG]

I know people who went to the Packer game and I bet they are going crazy right now. Oh, and I wouldn't compensate anyone for Belichick--can't stand him.

[Spurt]

On 11/30/2014 teganslaw said:

That turned out well for the Colts. 49-27. The Colts turned the ball over twice in the beginning, but Washington only scored three points off it. Colt McCoy played quite well (he had over 300 yards), but the team just didn't protect him much. They did have some good drives, and there were a few times the game was close.The Colts defense came through when needed, though.

Vontae Davis went out with a concussion. I don't know how long he'll be out. That's when the Redskins seemed to capitalize. Vontae's replacement, Josh Gordon, didn't do as good a job in covering. DeSean Jackson was hurt. I think it was his right leg; I don't know the extent of the injury. He had an impressive game day before he went down.

Luck is 4,000 yard so far this season. That is amazing!

LOL on Jacksonville winning. The Jaguars came back from 21 points down,and that is something they don't do.

Off to watch NE-Green Bay.

Hey TEGAN....CONGRATS on the COLTS win!!!! Very impressive drives by Andrew.

Well at least Colt McCoy got the offense going and did a pretty good job.....our offensive line is a bit of mess and unfortunately Colt does not play defense which looked pathetic....can someone teach our defense how to tackle....SHEESH!!!! Of course I did not see the entire game only the bits and pieces they showed on Red Zone....and the highlights from the post game shows....the Spurs were also playing so I was really flipping between NFL/and the Spur's game....

LOL....my poor DS it seems her team is destined to be tied for last place with my team....she had to run and errand and called me to check on the score....and this was when the Giants were ahead....but then she was so disappointed when she got home and found out the score and said losing to the Jags has got to be the lowest of lows....If we keep Colt in at QB we might have found a team we can beat....

CONGRATS TO ALL THE OTHER WINNERS TOO!!!!!

SHELTIE MOM---HOW BOUT THEM BILLS!

[Spurt]

On 11/29/2014 gardenman said:

I kind of laugh at the thought of Pete Carroll straightening out a player. Herm Edwards, Andy Reid and some others might take a guy to rehab him, but Pete Carroll, probably not. He'll more tolerate the guy and hope to exploit his physical skills. If he becomes too big of a pain he'll cut him loose. I don't think there will be any straightening out from Pete Carroll.

I think the big issue for Ray Rice was the drop-off in his performance lately. If he was the Ray Rice of two or three years ago, a few teams would take a chance on him, but he was only averaging something like 3 yards a carry at the end there and you can get that kind of performance out of just about anyone. Adrian Peterson won't lack for suitors when he becomes available because he's still productive, but Ray Rice's productivity had dropped off and as a rule when a running back loses his edge, he doesn't get it back. The Saints were willing to part with Darren Sproles because they thought he would be losing his edge. Teams just don't hang onto older running backs. An older running back with lots of baggage who's not as effective as he was, might just as well retire. He'll be lucky to get a tryout contract with a team for training camp next year. Running backs get old quickly in the NFL and running is something that translates pretty easily from the college game to the pro game.

I'm 3-0 on my picks so far this week. I'm a little worried about my pick of the Jaguars though. I still don't have a good feeling either way on that game. I'm hoping the Jags pull it out for me.

Hey GARDENMAN....You did outstanding in your picks this week!!!

I think Pete Carroll has his hands full with with Richard Sherman and Lynch ....

And I think teams are leary of Rice because it might jeopardize some of their big sponsors

[gardenman]

SPURT. It was a good week with the picks. I got the Chiefs game wrong, but that was pretty much a toss-up. I was hoping the home field advantage would swing the game their way, but it wasn't to be.

I don't think teams worry all that much about sponsors any more. Mike Vick was arguably the most toxic player to try and rejoin the league and despite endless protests by some, the team didn't seem to lose any significant sponsors. There are plenty of domestic abusers already playing in the league, so I suspect Ray Rice will be able to join a team pretty easily. How effective he'll be is the bigger question. He's gotten more press attention than the others, but there are plenty of bad guys gainfully employed around the league. He seems like he wants to cherry pick a team best suited for him and I'm not sure who that team will be. I don't see a bidding war breaking out for him. He's likely to be stuck with a veteran's minimum contract with some prove-it clauses thrown in to reward him if he excels/behaves.

Marshawn Lynch is now talking about retiring after this season. Sure, that won't be a distraction to the team at all. I've got a feeling the Seahawks won't make the Super Bowl this time around.

[teganslaw]

Washington had some blown coverage; they were trying to stop Hilton, which left TE Fleener wide open. There might have been another touchdown, but Fleener dropped an easy pass. The problem for the opposing team is that Luck recognizes these mistakes and capitalizes on them. Too many open gaps were left for Luck to throw those touchdowns. They had no pressure on Luck, and didn't score from the mistakes he did make.

I thought that Kansas City would rally from last week's loss. They seemed flat, and this was a must win game for them.

Arizona is missing Palmer. I'm wondering how far they'll get to the playoffs because Seattle is improving and could sneak in first place. They're more of a concern than San Francisco.

The Colts go to Cleveland next week. Will Manziel be the starting quarterback? The media is probably anticipating that game already.

[gardenman]

Yeah, Manziel mania will reign this week if he gets the start.

The Cards strike me as a team that's going to fall a bit and likely miss the playoffs. They've got the Chiefs, Rams, Seahawks, and Niners coming up and there's not an easy game in that bunch. I wouldn't be shocked to see them lose all four. With the playoff picture now in place, you pretty much have to get to eleven wins to make the playoffs and I'm not sure I can find two wins in that mix for the Cards. The Cards will need some outside help to sneak into the playoffs. They're going to need the Eagles to beat the Seahawks this week and the Cowboys next week, to keep them close to those two. They'll need the Lions to get taken down a peg or two also. If things break right for them they could sneak in with just one more win, but they'll need help for that to happen. I don't think they'd make it at 9-7. The Cards will need at least one more win and likely two to be safe. It won't be easy for them. The good news is they control their own destiny. The bad news is they aren't playing all that well right now.