NFL Playoffs 2014-15 (and a few observations from the 2014 regular season)

[Sir Harry]

Well folks, another NFL regular season has gone into the books....and unfortunately for 20 teams, it was the end of their seasons as a whole.....Some thoughts on the regular season

1. Five teams in this year's playoff field did not make the playoffs last year
2. Six of the eight division winners also won last year. The Bengals, who won their division last year, still made it as a wildcard, and the Eagles, who won their division last year, missed out this year despite winning 10 games
3. The 49ers and Saints to me were the two most disappointing teams this season.
4. The Chargers and Falcons only had to WIN their games (with no outside help) to make the playoffs and they both laid total eggs yesterday.
5. Four teams will have new coaches next season (at least at the time I'm typing this)

So, is your favorite team in this year's playoff field? Who do you think will win it all? Any upsets that you think will happen this weekend?...Your thoughts on the upcoming playoffs and/or the regular season that just ended?

[buddha]

I'm thinking Packers vs. Patriots in the Super Bowl.
The Seahawks are not the team they were last year and I would have said that they're the only team that can beat the Pack but I can't base that on this year's performance.
I don't think there's anybody in the AFC that can knock off New England.
I'm thinking Packers over the Patriots in a close and hard fought Super Bowl.

On the Suh situation: Having watched the Green Bay/Detroit game and seeing the Suh fiasco I think that in the absence of his record of dirty plays it would have been difficult to pin a suspension on him for that incident. Like if J. J. Watt had stepped on somebody in the same situation it would have been overlooked. The league office has said that the suspension has nothing to do with his record but I have my doubts. I don't think it's any kind of conspiracy against him or the Lions but I think that they should have just said that based on his record that they "assumed" that the stepping on of Rodgers' leg was probably intentional. I don't know that Detroit has a legit shot against Dallas without the threat of Suh's pass rush.

I know of some of the coaching changes going on but the only one I've been paying attention to is the Bears firing Emery and Trestman. That's because I have always been a Bears fan and I am hoping that they can use the strategy of using a head-hunter to steer them onto a GM and head coach that will make some positive changes for the future. That being said if they don't get somebody to pull Cutler's head out of his a$$ in the next 2 years they're stuck with him. He has a high degree of talent but his attitude is seriously lacking. Herm Gilliam said that the simple fact is that the Bears are mistaken in looking to Cutler to be a leader but that is ass backward thinking. The best Bears team, and maybe the best of all time, was quarterbacked by a guy named Jim McMahon who had nowhere near the throwing skills that Cutler has. The difference is that McMahon was a leader and the Bears would have followed him right into Hell if that was what he needed to do. So Jay either has to be made into a leader (is that even possible?) or the whole idea has to be scrapped and the Bears just have to accept eating his guarantees for the next 2 years and go after a new QB. I have some difficulty with the idea that Cutler can't play in the NFL because of 2013's Bears offense being second in the league in productivity only to the Broncos. But his attitude has been apparent since the beginning and there's no way that he should have been given the contract he got particularly in light of how well McCown moved the team in Cutler's absence. The defense has always been a trademark of the Bears and they need to get back on track in that regard. Other teams may have looked at the Bears' offense as less than threatening over the years but the "D" always made them nervous.

Hopefully the new GM and coaching staff will be able to make the turnaround happen within the next couple of years but Cutler's guarantees and the effect they have on the salary cap might make that iffy. Fingers crossed.

[TheHeadShaver]

Die Hard Steelers fan for years here!

[Tyler]

Let's go Cowboys!

[Sir Harry]

Let's go Cowboys!

With a little "help"....

[Sir Harry]

I'ts been a while since I commented on this thread but I will try not to be lengthy.

Wildcard Round:

Panthers/Cardinals....It pained me to watch a team that I like struggle mightily against the Panthers with no decent replacement at QB.....If Lindley is on any roster next season, I may grow my hair out...

Steelers/Ravens: Bell was sorely missed in this game.....Big Ben's turnovers and/or concussion didn't help here, either

Bengals/Colts.....Marvin Lewis is now the modern-day Jim Mora....Once again, poor quarterback play shows up at the most inopportune time.

Lions/Cowboys....Sadly, this game will be known for a blown call more than the scintillating finish......But again, good teams overcome bad calls, and I will leave it at that.

Divisional Round:
Ravens/Patriots....When you have a good team by the throat, never let up...I had a feeling when Baltimore scored the go-ahead field goal, that the Patriots would respond with a touchdown to win

Panthers/Seahawks.....The Panthers kept it close and made it interesting....they may have had a better shot if the game was in Charlotte, but once again, Seattle found a way to put the game away.

Cowboys/Packers...Once again, a game remembered more for officiating more than competitiveness.....Once again, the Cowboys could have gotten a shot after the overturned catch, but couldn't get a defensive stop when it mattered most

Colts/Broncos.....I think my friends spent more time making up new Nationwide commerical jingles after this game than talking about the Colts being a team on the rise...Even if this is Manning's last game, you can't deny his greatness, even if he leaves a lot to be desired in the playoffs.

So which Super Bowl Matchup do you want to see on Feb. 1st? This would be my pecking order

1. Patriots/Packers....Rodgers would try to win a ring for the second time against a QB that has won at least two previous rings.

2. Colts/Seahawks.....Luck vs. Wilson....would make for a nice "Young Guns" showdown especially with both of them being drafted in the same year (I guess many thought RG3 would be in this spot instead of Wilson)

3. Patriots/Seahawks.....Would be nice to see a rematch of a 2012 game that had an exciting finish when the Seahawks scored two late touchdowns to erase a 13-point deficit.

4. Colts/Packers.....Well, if nothing else, a lot of points will be scored....

[Tyler]

How about this NFC championship game?

[Sir Harry]

Wow, just wow.....I don't know whether to praise the Seahawks for overcoming adversity or to bash the Packers for failing to finish...Epic game, though.