NFL 2012 Divisional Week Thread

This is a good read on Tony Gonzalez. It's also a good example of why Joe Posnanski is the greatest sportswriter of all time.

I miss him so much as a columnist at the KC Star. When he and Whitlock were both at the Star at the same time, it was pretty incredible.

Broncos
Packers
Patriots
Seahawks

Broncos
49ers
Patriots
Seahawks

Broncos
49ers
Seahawks
Patriots

Monte Kiffen the new DC in Big D.

Bears possibly pursuing Marc Trestman as new head coach. Not one of my favorite coaches, at least as an offensive coordinator. He's been head coaching up in Canada, maybe he's better at the big cheese job than running the offense.

Kush15 wrote:
*Legion* wrote:
No disrespect whatsoever to *Legion*, but the games start tomorrow (!) and we need a day for pick'ems, so I will take up the mantle for this week. Just for this week, you hear me? I'm not as good at the football analysis, though.

I'd have more time for football analysis if someone else did the stupid pick'ems. Damn Rat Boy.

If you want, I could run the pickems next year if you want to run the analytical side of things. Heck, maybe we'll just create a group in CBSSport.com or Yahoo.com and roll from there.

I was thinking of using a spreadsheet or something to track wins, instead of making that list in the opening topic. The spreadsheet would be easier to re-rank after each week, and would look a lot better. Ideas for next year, I suppose.

Jayhawker wrote:

It's also a good example of why Joe Posnanski is the greatest sportswriter of all time.

Bill Nack, Gary Smith and Frank Deford would argue that Posnanski isn't even the best writer to work at SI, much less the best of all time.

Posnanski's a helluva writer, and I'm sure his Gonzalez piece is pretty good. But his obsession with baseball stats is maddening, and his role as Paterno's biographer soured me on him for a long time.

You're lucky to have had Whitlock and Posnanski at the KC Star back in the day. Talk about a sports section that punched way above its weight class.

Ravens at Broncos
Packers at 49ers
Texans at Patriots
Seahawks at Falcons

Jaguars lazily fulfilling Rooney Rule by interviewing defensive coordinator Mel Tucker.

Everyone knows Caldwell is going to offer the job to Greg Roman as soon as the 49ers season is over.

I hope Tucker makes enough of an impression to keep his defensive coordinator job. Roman can bring in all the offensive side guys he wants (and hopefully talk Jerry Sullivan into staying - Sullivan came out of retirement for Mularkey, though, so I'm not too hopeful), but Tucker is a good coach and it would be nice to not chase off any more good coordinators.

Folks in Charlotte think Norv Turner will end up in Cleveland with Chud and his (Turner's) son, who worked under Chudzinski the past couple of years.

Hue Jackson might be up for Chudzinski's old job as OC. Either that or Mike Shula, who's Cam's QB coach.

Enix wrote:

You're lucky to have had Whitlock and Posnanski at the KC Star back in the day. Talk about a sports section that punched way above its weight class.

I think that is impossible with Whitlock.

LeapingGnome wrote:
Enix wrote:

You're lucky to have had Whitlock and Posnanski at the KC Star back in the day. Talk about a sports section that punched way above its weight class.

I think that is impossible with Whitlock.

You said it for me.

So, any talk about the HOF candidates? I'd like to see a comparison of Strahan and Sapp specifically.

Packers.

Rodgers isn't going to give the ball away.

Woodson, Matthews and co are going to take the ball away.

Whatever does happen hopefully we get a good game. Need more epic teams playing to their potential and less who can poop their pants the least games.

edit:

Ravens at Broncos
Packers at 49ers
Texans at Patriots
Seahawks at Falcons

Wah wah the 49ers didn't draft me. :p

Good thing Rodgers is a fan, he'll be happy when the 49ers win tonight.

Monte Kiffin is not that damn good. When the hell will NFL front offices stop living 20 years in the past?

garion333 wrote:
LeapingGnome wrote:
Enix wrote:

You're lucky to have had Whitlock and Posnanski at the KC Star back in the day. Talk about a sports section that punched way above its weight class.

I think that is impossible with Whitlock.

You said it for me.

Sheesh. Me and the lousy metaphors.

But, yeah, back in the day, Whitlock's KC stuff was really, really good. He (and Posnanski, to some extent) haven't done as well on a national stage.

Anyhoo, one hour till kickoff and I've still cooking stuff. Wonder how the apricot bars will do in the microwave?

I feel like all the great QBs take every slight they've ever received and thirst upon them when they're too tired to keep on practicing.

Ravens at Broncos
Packers at 49ers
Texans at Patriots
Seahawks at Falcons

Man I love the Bronco jerseys.

Ravens at Broncos
Packers at 49ers
Texans at Patriots
Seahawks at Falcons

Some bad, bad calls in this Broncos game.

I wonder who special teams player of the week is gonna be...

*Legion* wrote:

I wonder who special teams player of the week is gonna be...

Seriously...is this a playoff record?

Looks like the record is 3 for a regular season game:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...

For playoffs, this might be a record, but there isn't an entry for both teams on wikipedia or NFL.com.

TheGameguru wrote:
*Legion* wrote:

I wonder who special teams player of the week is gonna be...

Seriously...is this a playoff record?

Well, one was a punt return and one a kickoff, so statistically they're two different kinds of returns.

However, he is the only player to ever have one of each in a playoff game.

And better yet, both returns were the longest in history of their respective types - 90 yard punt return and 104 yard kickoff return.

*Legion* wrote:
TheGameguru wrote:
*Legion* wrote:

I wonder who special teams player of the week is gonna be...

Seriously...is this a playoff record?

Well, one was a punt return and one a kickoff, so statistically they're two different kinds of returns.

However, he is the only player to ever have one of each in a playoff game.

And better yet, both returns were the longest in history of their respective types - 90 yard punt return and 104 yard kickoff return.

That was my point...I can't recall a single player having both a Punt and a Kick return for TD's in the same playoff game

Lol again the non Tom Brady tuck rule comes into play...how was Tom Brady's somehow less of a fumble than that??

Strange call, that.