After five months without football, it feels great to see a live NFL game again even if it is preseason. Despite the games being played at half speed, having minimal game planning, and the starters playing only a few series, there’s a lot to be taken from them that show what to expect in the near future. Unfortunately, many journalists and so-called ”experts” have misinformed the public by spewing their propaganda or at least over exaggerated the performances. Today, I will be dissecting their observations in an effort to see whether or not they are true. This week, I will analyze three myths I heard several times in the aftermath of preseason week one. (more…)
Posts Tagged ‘broncos’
Finding the Truth Behind the Lies: Analyzing the Myths From Preseason Week One
Posted in NFL Preseason, tagged Andrew, Ashwin Anbu, broncos, colts, football, intotheendzone.com, Luck, Manning, myths, nfl, Peyton, preseason, shrederdude 63, steelers on August 15, 2012 | 2 Comments »
The Playoff Picture: How Several Scenarios Could Change The Outcome Of The Season
Posted in NFL Post Season, NFL Regular Season, tagged 49ers, afc, Ashwin Anbu, bengals, broncos, chiefs, cowboys, falcons, football, giants, jets, nfc, nfl, packers, patriots, playoffs, raiders, ravens, shrederdude, shrederdude63, steelers, texans, titans on December 27, 2011 | 2 Comments »
Hello everyone, and welcome back to Into The Endzone. Shrederdude63 is back. With the season winding down, several teams have already made the playoffs. For others, they’re guaranteed a spot on the couch following Week 17. As of now, here are the standings if the season ended today:
AFC Playoff Picture:
1. New England Patriots (12-3) – Y
2. Baltimore Ravens (11-4) – X
3. Houston Texans (10-5) – Y
4. Denver Broncos (8-7)
Wildcard Teams:
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (11-4) – X
6. Cincinnati Bengals (9-6)
In The Hunt
Oakland Raiders (8-7)
Tennessee Titans (8-7)
New York Jets (8-7)
NFC Playoff Picture:
1. Green Bay Packers (14-1) – Z
2. San Francisco 49ers (12-3) – Y
3. New Orleans Saints (12-3) – Y
4. New York Giants (8-7)
Wildcard Teams
5. Detroit Lions (10-5) – X
6. Atlanta Falcons (9-6) – X
In the Hunt
Dallas Cowboys (8-7)
Z = Clinched Home-field Advantage Y = Clinched Division X = Clinched Playoff Berth
How The Rankings Could Change:
I’m going to start with the AFC, since next week could change the entire positioning. The New England Patriots are the top seed, and clinch home-field advantage if they win the season finale vs Buffalo. Due to tiebreakers, the Pats need the Ravens and the Steelers to lose in order to keep the top spot if they lose the game at home vs the Bills. The lowest the Patriots could be is the second seed, since they already have clinched a first round bye.
The Ravens have already clinched a spot in the playoffs, so they will play following Week 17. The question is when. If the Ravens win against the Bengals, they win the division and get a first round bye. If the Patriots lose, the Ravens get home-field advantage as well. But if the Ravens lose and the Steelers win, the Ravens drop from the second seed to the fifth, lose the bye, and venture on a harder road to the Super Bowl.
The Texans have the division title and No.3 seed. Even if they win their Week 17 game, they can not get a bye. They are guaranteed their spot. They should rest their starters in Week 17.
The Denver Broncos have not wrapped up a playoff berth yet. The only reason they are the No. 4 seed instead of the Raiders is because of strength of schedule. In order to clinch their division, they must defeat the Chiefs in Mile High Stadium or the Raiders lose at the hands of the Chargers. They can be no other seed; it’s either No.4 or at home.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have already wrapped up a playoff berth. They can only go up. If the Steelers win and the Bengals miraculously win against the Ravens, they get the division, first round bye, and No.2 seed. If the Patriots lose on top of that, the Steelers have home-field advantage. The Steelers can not get knocked down to the sixth seed, so its either enter the playoffs as a fifth, second, or first seeded team.
The Bengals have not clinched the playoffs. A win versus the Ravens will get them into the playoffs. In the first post Palmer season, the Bengals are playing better then they have in years. They most certainly will give their all versus Baltimore.
The Oakland Raiders is the best team in the hunt. In order for them to capture the division spot from the Broncos, they need a win vs San Diego and a loss by the Broncos vs a Kyle Orton led Chiefs. In order for them to achieve the sixth seed, the Raiders need to win, the Broncos lose and either/both a Titans loss and/or a Jets win.
The New York Jets will have to be very lucky if they are to get into the playoffs this year. They need a win, a Titans loss, and a Raiders loss. No other way.
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For the Packers, they have already got the top seed locked up. They can rest their starters.
T he 49ers have clinched their division. In order to lock up the No. 2 seed, they need to either win or the Saints lose due to having a better conference record. The lowest the San Francisco 49ers can go is the No.3 seed.
The Saints have locked up their division. They can have the No.3 spot at lowest, but a win and a 49ers loss will get them the first round bye.
The New York Giants are the current division leaders due to a victory against Dallas in a head-to-head matchup earlier in the season. They will clinch the division and the No.4 spot if they beat Dallas in their second head-to-head matchup next week.
The Lions have locked up a wildcard spot. They maintain the No. 5 seed if they beat the Packers or if the Falcons lose to Tampa Bay.
The Falcons clinched a wildcard spot. To get the fifth seed however, they need a win and a Lions loss.
The Dallas Cowboys are on the outside looking in. Their only chance of making the playoffs is if they can somehow walk out of New York with the W.
The playoffs are approaching. Here’s how I see the season ending:
AFC:
1. New England Patriots
2. Baltimore Ravens
3. Houston Texans
4. Denver Broncos
5. Pittsburgh Steelers
6. Oakland Raiders
NFC:
1. Green Bay Packers
2. San Francisco 49ers
3. New Orleans Saints
4. New York Giants
5. Atlanta Falcons
6. Detroit Lions
Conclusion:
Looking at my predictions, Green Bay automatically gets the top spot. I feel the Ravens will beat the 49ers because they have a chance at the division crown for the first time in more than 3 years. They will not blow it. Because of this, the Bengals will not clinch the playoffs due to not having as good of a conference record compared to the teams in the hunt. I feel the Broncos, Giants, and San Francisco 49ers will win, along with the Falcons. I will be putting Keys To The W post for the Giants-Cowboys game, Bengals- Ravens game, Broncos-49ers game, so my prediction may change over the next few days. But until then, here’s what I think. Comments, questions, feedback? Type it in the comments, and I will respond. This is Shrederdude63 signing off. ~
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Week Two Recap: Expect The Unexpected
Posted in NFL Regular Season, tagged bills, broncos, browns, chargers, colts, endzone, into, nfl, patriots, raiders, ravens, redskins, roethlisberger, steelers, the, titans on September 23, 2011 | 4 Comments »
Hey everybody, welcome back. After a tiring week, I’m back and better than ever. And now, with no further interruptions, I am pleased to Bring you the week two recap.
Steelers Vs Seahawks
The Steelers were looking for redemption. The Seahawks were looking for the same. In what was supposed to be an easy win for the Steelers, the Steelers delivered. A week after the Steelers offense looked confused and uncertain of how to play the game, they came out and flat-out dominated. A week after looking slow, and old, the Steelers D rebounded; the Seattle Seahawks only entered the redzone once, and it was at the end of the game. They didn’t even score on that possession, as James Harrison slammed Jackson to the turf for a fourth down sack.
Really, that’s all that matters. The Steelers dominated all phases of the game. Rashard Mendenhall looked like Barry Sanders. Ben Roethlisberger looked like Dan Fouts. The Steelers D looked like….. well, like they did when they were younger. Even special teams ace Antonio Brown looked good. A week after looking like their best days were behind them, the Steelers responded with a shut out. Truth be told, the Steelers will have to do much more than this to have a chance come playoff time in my mind. They played Seattle, and admittedly they aren’t the best team. They may have beaten Seattle in the playoffs last year, but I think that had more to do with the Saints having a bad game.
Areas To Improve: Give Roethlisberger time, which did not happen against the Ravens, and the Steelers offense will be one of the best. This means to fix any lingering offensive line problems. Their good at center, with Pouncey excelling as leader to that line. The rest of the line…. I’d rather not say. Good news however is that Gilbert has looked good at tackle and was promised first crack at starting RT. To be honest, I think the Steelers should approach a different route. Instead of Gilbert at Right tackle, move him to LT, which he played at Florida. Then resign Flozell Adams and cut Scott. Scott is mediocre, except when he plays against elite players. Then, he sucks. Look no further than his last two starts against the Ravens. Terrell Suggs looked like LT. If you’re still unconvinced, look at his play in the Super Bowl. Flozell has a good history at tackle, and the reason that the Cowboys cut him was because he was deaf in one ear. The ear most important to a LT: their right. The Cowboys were also set at RT, so Flozell had to go. Last year, Flozell was a beast at his new position at RT.
The Second thing to work on his the pass defense. I know this is unoriginal, but to make up for it. A way to fix it. I know I’m gonna get a lot of heat for this. But I think the Steelers should return to their roots . If you haven’t got it yet, I am referring to returning to the 4-3 defense the Steelers ran in the ’70s. Before you say anything, hear me out. In the 1970s, the Steelers were not like everybody today thinks they were. They were not a runstuffing team, but they were excellent against the pass. They would give up 100 yard games many times over the course of a season. They would however, stop the pass consistently. The Steelers had a less than a 100 yards per game average for years when the team was in it’s prime. For those of you that argue that it was a different era, and that passing was not utilized like it is now, look at this. In a span of one season, the Steelers would play the Raider (led by Stabler), the Dolphins (led by Griese), the Cowboys (led by Staubach), and the Oilers (they had that guy named Jim and Moon). That’s a lot of QBs, especially since they each led an elite team that for the most part, relied on them. All these guys easily could make a case for Canton. The ones that are in I do not need to talk about.
Anyway, the Steelers should convert. If they do, they would have 5 LBs on the field. Have you ever noticed that the Steelers always draft a DE for OLB??? If you move Harrison and Woodley to DE, and put Hampton and Smith at DT, you have the best defensive line in football, especially if you see the depth (Hood and Cameron) behind them. At LB, you put Timmons at MLB. At SLB and WLB, you can put Farrior and Foote on first and second down, and Carter and Sylvester on passing. This tremendously helps defend the short and medium passing game. For the deep air assault, make Troy and Clark switch safety spots. Troy is the reason we don’t have 400 yard passers weekly, and inorder to become better, FS is key. In key situations, he can play SS. Ryan Clark is a good safety, but he’s terrible in coverage. Take away his big hits, he’s not the best. However, his play suits that of a SS.
With these changes, I feel the Steelers will be able to perform at their best.
For the Seahawks,I think the problem is at QB. I think their backup Charlie is better than Jackson. I also feel that they have no No.2 WR. Sidney Rice has been injured for awhile now. Their are a lot of WR waiting for phone calls. I feel that the Seahawks should sign one or trade for one. I know this isn’t a lot of ways to improve, but the Seahawks are just a couple of years removed from a deadly offense. The offense and the Seahawks current defense, should be enough to take control of the NFC West for a few years.
Ravens Vs Titans
This game would have been more enjoyable if the Ravens weren’t on my fantasy team. Luckily I was able to still win, but I was still sad that the Ravens defense was terrible. A week after a blowout win to the Steelers, the Ravens looked like a middle school football team playing a highschool one. If you let the Titans score 26 points on you, I don’t know what to say. I actually look at it like this: the Titans might be the AFC South Champs. With the Colts spiraling downhill, and the Texans being inconsistent, the Titans might return to playoff dominance.
Areas To Improve:
I actually don’t see anything for either team to improve at the moment. Maybe next week, I will find a weakness, but for now, their is not a big one.
Bears Vs Saints
A week after I claimed that the Bears would move under the radar and make the playoffs, the Saints trashed the Bears. Hard. So thanks Chicago. Thanks a lot. But moving along, I see that the Chicago’s only weakness is at offense. I know your all looking at me with an eyebrow raised thinking, your talking about a team that gave up 30 points, and you say that the only weakeness is offense? Yep, I feel that the lack of offensive power cost the. Im not pointing a finger at Cutler for the loss, but it’s moment like these when a QB has to step up and score more than 13 points, but he didn’t get any help.
Areas To Improve:
For Chicago, it’s WR. Not having an elite WR hurts, and for a team looking to make it to the Big Dance, a tall WR that requires double coverage would be appreciated.
For the Saints, its defense. While it was not noticable last week in the Saints last two games, they’ve allowed 60+ points. For the team to gte anywhere, they need a defense. Defense wins Championships.
Falcons Vs Eagles
What was expected to be a great game, was indeed a great game. The Falcons played great. Matt Ryan was making all the right reads, and his best play came on a nice 14 yard strike. The Eagles played great, and ultimately would have won if Michael Vick had played all four quarters. That’s not to say Kafia did bad. Infact, he played pretty well if you keep in mind the circumsatnces. My prediction was right. It all came down to which team generated more pressure. It’s clear Atlanta narrowily won that department and the game.
Bills Vs Raiders:
Wow what a game. It literally came to the last second. I swear, I was at the edge of my seat for the whole game. The Raiders played great, and if they won, and nobody could say they didn’t deserve it. Yet Ryan Fitzpatrick and Co. had a different plan. Instead of letting the Raiders walk away with a blowout victory, they came back and exposed a Raider secondary. On the last play of the game for the Bill, Ryan threw his 3rd TD pass of the day on a six yard pass in the middle of the field. The game was absolutely brilliant.
Green Bay Vs Carolina
Cam Newton played great. For rookie, he played amazing against a defense that won a Super Bowl. Anyone that leads a team to 26 points against a really good defense has to be amazing. The only downpart was that he was unable to replicate his performance for 60 minutes, allowing the lethal offense that the Packer possess to catch up. In the end, this game was a great game to watch. Cam Newton is definitely not a bust, that’s for sure. I actually am starting to be a believer in him.
Areas Needed To Improve:
For both teams, it’s their pass defense. For two consecutive weeks, they have been dominated by the oppositions offense. Both times, their offense was what kept them in the game. In order for these two teams to compete, they will need to improve their pass D.
Now for the rest of the games I will be telling the score with a few notes on the game:
Lions 48 Chiefs 3
A week after being trounced by the Bills, the Chiefs came out last week and played flat. Megatron, Stafford, and a punishing defense were able to shutdown an offense that dominated much of last season. Is this the end for Kanas City, or more of a sign that the Lions aren’t pretender?
Jets 32 Jaguars 3
The Jets manhandled the Jaguars. Luke McCown ws baited into mulitple picks and the Jets won thanks to a turnover happy defense.
Browns 27 Colts 19
What was supposed to be an easy win for the Colts a month ago was not good for Colts fan. Colt McCoy looked sharp, leaving many Indy fans wondering who will replaced the famed Manning. Cheer up Colts fans. Andrew Luck looks like a real possibility.
Redskins 22 Cardinals 19
How the Reskins managed to win this one I don’t know. They were not able to stop a ferocious aerial attack, led by Kolb and Fitzgerald.
Bucs 24 Vikes 20
McNabb was terrible ‘Nuff said
Boys 27 49ers 24
Playing with a broken rib and a punctured lung, Romo had just enough in him to throw a 77 yard completion. This play was able to set up a easy 19 yard fieldgoal. When you think Romo, you don’t think tough. I don’t atleast. But it is nice to see a guy with a punctured lung go out their to throw a 77 yard. Of course, most of it was YAC, but still…
Patriots 35 Bolts 21
Tom Brady was on fire. A week after throwing 500 yards, Brady had similar success against a weak Chargers defense. Brady looks like he did bakc in 2007, and is making many fantasy owner (me included) happy. The only downside of the game was Brady’s close call.
Im not gonna talk about the last three, unless it gets requested. Have a good night everybody and this is shrederdude63 signing off.
PS: I got a facebook for the blog. Check it out.
