With the Bengals season over, I will no longer post weekly. There are no longer any Powerless teams left to cover this season. However, I will post every month or so or if some unearthly event happens like Tebow winning the SB...but other than that I will be checking back in after the SB and leading up to the draft as I will keep my eyes on this year's Powerless and keep an eye towards the future Powerless. Enjoy it St. Louis because it is tough to repeat as the most Powerless football team in the world.
Thanks for reading and the support and I'll get with you guys in a few weeks or so.
Cheers! and God bless you all!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
No Defeat Like Playoff Defeat
I decided to keep the Keys to Defeat going for the NFL Playoffs because no defeat is quite as crushing as a playoff loss. I guess it is the finality, the do or die, the struggle of the wills to survive against the necessary skills to back it up, that I love so much. I will be focusing on the lower echelon playoff teams, of course, but eventually all but one of the final 12 will eventually suffer that painful loss (some quicker than others). Before getting into the playoffs, I want to wrap up the 2011 season and do the final Powerless Rankings.
I guess "Diggin in that hind parts" was not on the Bengals agenda Sunday.
Momentum means everything in the playoffs and the Bengals go in with none of that in Houston this Saturday. The Texans aren't exactly lighting up the League like they once were either and are now showing signs that they have a 3rd string rookie QB running the show. This is what makes the game very loseable for the Texans. The theory of a Bengals win (even stumbling and bumbling their way in and playing on the road in a hostile environment goes like this): The Bengals are near perfect (fact checkers!) agaisnt teams with losing records. Although Houston has a winning record, Yates is 2-3 as a starter. I project Houston would have had a losing record however if Yates had started from the beginning of the season and this should make the Bengals feel at home.
Now, if you ask me, if Jake Delhomme makes the start, all bets are off. Delhomme is the wily sort of veteran QB that by his experience, terrorize the Bengals secondary. Either way, I am tired of hearing about the Bengals Defense being top 10, they have been trending downward the second half of the season and need to step up and apply some pressure and put up a little resistance to Foster, I mean, can they not let him rush for 2 bucks (200 yards)?
Final Powerless Rankings
(Band! Fire up the tune they play when they crown Miss America! Or just hum it as you read this). This is what it all comes down to. This is what teams have not worked hard to achieve. Many gave it nothing they had, and left everything in the locker room. This is your final Powerless Rankings for the 2011 season and after the the top 2 teams being set for so long in there, the last month of the season provided for some extra excitement as everything got all topsy turvy. Without further adieu...
1. St. Louis (At the end of the day, the Rams held out and finished the season just weak enough to barely edge out the Bucs as our most Powerless team of 2011. It looked like they turn the corner a couple of months ago with wins against New Orleans and Cleveland within 3 weeks of each other, they wronged the ship and rolled off 7 straight defeats to end the season).
2. Tampa Bay (They did everything wrong they could have done. In the end, it still wasn't enough to beat out the Rams. Not even 10 straight defeats could do it, even though they lost some of those games in spectacular fashion in blazes of defeat that have only been surpassed by the Saints drubbing of the Colts that fateful Monday night. Raheem lost his job and rightfully so not finding a way to motivate a team that started off 4-2. The Bucs started in the stratosphere, but eventually flamed out as they re-entered the earth's atmosphere and plummeted many miles down to the bottom of the sea floor dropping 10 straight games. I almost conceded #1 to them on the strength of momentum alone, but could not deny the Rams after their lack of hard work. It seems that some of those early Buc victories now have come back to haunt them).
3. Indy (What can I say about Indy? They had the title wrapped up with 3 to play, all they had to do was lose 2 out of 3, but out of nowhere they decided to compete. What a wacky finish that has confused the entire scheme of this year's NFL draft as well. Momentum counts in the Powerless Rankings and Indy played themselves out of the #1 spot just as much as the blazing defeats of St. Louis and Tampa hurled them past Indy).
4. Minnesota (The Vikes actually played hard this year and were in most games they played. Unlike the top 3 their blowout losses were limited in number and a bounce here or there could have easily netted them a couple more victories. But alas, when you drop 13 games, regardless of how close, you are bound to end up earning a spot in the bottom 5).
5. Cleveland (The Browns finally were able to overtake Jacksonville for the final spot and debut at #5 in the Powerless Rankings! Had there been another month in the season, I am sure that Cleveland could have worked there way further towards the bottom. After some early disapointing victories,the Browns finally found their stride and ended off the season losing 6 straight to surpass Jacksonville).
The NBA Gets One Thing Right
I am not going to rail against the NFL Playoffs like I would the BCS, there is no comparision because the NFL has a playoff system. That being said, I don't like all division winners getting in. I think the NBA playoffs is great because they take the top 8 records from each conference and do not base anything on divisoin. The whole point is if you have a weak division, you can get the division champion in and possibly take a spot from a better team. I just think that playoffs should be your best teams and go on records. I pretty much talk about this every year and it is one of my best ideas to improve the NFL, but will Goodell listen? Noooooo...
Lets compare the current NFL Playoff seedings with what a top record in each conference seeding would look like (Only seedings change, but 1 and 2 still get bye and then home game etc. All tie breakers still same and in effect):
AFC Current Seedings
1. New Engalnd
2. Baltimore
3. Houston
4. Denver
5. Pitt
6. Cincy
AFC Seedings under "NBA Type" Scenario
1. New England
2. Baltimore
3. Pitt
4. Houston
5. Tennessee
6. Cincy
Notes: Nobody from AFC West makes the cut, because they don't deserve it. With their best record being 8-8, it is not fair that Denver gets to dance while Tennessee with a better record stays home. The 6 would still play at the 3 and the 5 at the 4. So you have Cincy at Pitt and Tennessee at Houston in Wild Card weekend. Wild Card should just mean let the 3-6 seeds duke it out to see who gets the privelege of going to get beat at the 1 or 2. It is simply not right that Pitt at 12-4 has to play an away game against the 8-8 Broncos.
NFC Current Seedings
1. Green Bay
2. San Fran
3. New Orleans
4. New York
5. Atlanta
6. Detroit
NFC Seedings under "NBA Type" Scenario
1. Green Bay
2. San Fran (same tie break scenario)
3. New Orleans
4. Atlanta (same tie break scenario)
5. Detroit
6. New York Giants
Notes: Only change here (BUT IT IS A BIG ONE) is that New York slides below Atlanta and Detroit. Again, why should the Giants at 9-7 host a game when Atlanta finished up 10-6? In this case, you get NYG at New Orleans to lose and a dream match up of Detroit at Atlanta in the dome. I don't know about you but I just like the way the best record seedings feel. Divisions are good for scheduling and geography and to develop rivalries, but if you win a weak division as a weaker team, you should not be rewarded in the playoffs with an empty title of "division winner."
Teams That May Have Been Better Off at Home
Consider this a sort of Playoff Powerless Team Preview as I will look at some of the Powerless teams playing this weekend to see who will go home and wish they stayed home. I will not be ranking them:
Broncos - Pitt is going to beat the stew out of the Broncos. Really (as I noted above), the Broncos are not a playoff team and they may regret making the field of 12 at some point right around the 3rd quarter.
Cincinnati - Even though they could very well win the first game, they are Defeated against their playoff brethren at 0-6 or 0-7 vs. this year's field (Fact checkers!) Even if they win, they are facing a playoff massacre in New England where the Vegas would probably put the line at Pats favored by 36 points...It would be so ugly...I can't even imagine, I almost want to see that just to see how many records the Pats would break in a single playoff game.
Houston - Even though they could very well win the first game, with Yates at the QB spot, they are not a true contender. Even if they win, they are facing a playoff massacre in New England where the Vegas would probably put the line at Pats favored by 36 points...It would be so ugly...I can't even imagine, I almost want to see that just to see how many records the Pats would break in a single playoff game. (Yep, I copied and pasted it).
Giants - Although they do belong in the playoffs, they will probably be a one and done. They get a home game vs. Atlanta, but they can not rush the ball. I don't think Eli can win on his arm alone in the playoffs and Atlanta visiting could get ugly. The thing that may save the Giants is if it gets very cold, but temps are expected to be in the 40's and 50's this weekend...sooooo. Even if the G-Men manage to win against a better Atlanta team, they more than likely would have to visit GB and face a thrashing at the hands of the Lombardis.
Well guys, go forth and enjoy Wild Card Weekend! I will be back next week to look at how some of our Powerless Playoff Teams fared and to look forward to the following weekend of Playoff action. This truly is the most wonderful time of the year, the NFL Playoffs! Enjoy!
I guess "Diggin in that hind parts" was not on the Bengals agenda Sunday.
Momentum means everything in the playoffs and the Bengals go in with none of that in Houston this Saturday. The Texans aren't exactly lighting up the League like they once were either and are now showing signs that they have a 3rd string rookie QB running the show. This is what makes the game very loseable for the Texans. The theory of a Bengals win (even stumbling and bumbling their way in and playing on the road in a hostile environment goes like this): The Bengals are near perfect (fact checkers!) agaisnt teams with losing records. Although Houston has a winning record, Yates is 2-3 as a starter. I project Houston would have had a losing record however if Yates had started from the beginning of the season and this should make the Bengals feel at home.
Now, if you ask me, if Jake Delhomme makes the start, all bets are off. Delhomme is the wily sort of veteran QB that by his experience, terrorize the Bengals secondary. Either way, I am tired of hearing about the Bengals Defense being top 10, they have been trending downward the second half of the season and need to step up and apply some pressure and put up a little resistance to Foster, I mean, can they not let him rush for 2 bucks (200 yards)?
Final Powerless Rankings
(Band! Fire up the tune they play when they crown Miss America! Or just hum it as you read this). This is what it all comes down to. This is what teams have not worked hard to achieve. Many gave it nothing they had, and left everything in the locker room. This is your final Powerless Rankings for the 2011 season and after the the top 2 teams being set for so long in there, the last month of the season provided for some extra excitement as everything got all topsy turvy. Without further adieu...
2. Tampa Bay (They did everything wrong they could have done. In the end, it still wasn't enough to beat out the Rams. Not even 10 straight defeats could do it, even though they lost some of those games in spectacular fashion in blazes of defeat that have only been surpassed by the Saints drubbing of the Colts that fateful Monday night. Raheem lost his job and rightfully so not finding a way to motivate a team that started off 4-2. The Bucs started in the stratosphere, but eventually flamed out as they re-entered the earth's atmosphere and plummeted many miles down to the bottom of the sea floor dropping 10 straight games. I almost conceded #1 to them on the strength of momentum alone, but could not deny the Rams after their lack of hard work. It seems that some of those early Buc victories now have come back to haunt them).
3. Indy (What can I say about Indy? They had the title wrapped up with 3 to play, all they had to do was lose 2 out of 3, but out of nowhere they decided to compete. What a wacky finish that has confused the entire scheme of this year's NFL draft as well. Momentum counts in the Powerless Rankings and Indy played themselves out of the #1 spot just as much as the blazing defeats of St. Louis and Tampa hurled them past Indy).
4. Minnesota (The Vikes actually played hard this year and were in most games they played. Unlike the top 3 their blowout losses were limited in number and a bounce here or there could have easily netted them a couple more victories. But alas, when you drop 13 games, regardless of how close, you are bound to end up earning a spot in the bottom 5).
5. Cleveland (The Browns finally were able to overtake Jacksonville for the final spot and debut at #5 in the Powerless Rankings! Had there been another month in the season, I am sure that Cleveland could have worked there way further towards the bottom. After some early disapointing victories,the Browns finally found their stride and ended off the season losing 6 straight to surpass Jacksonville).
The NBA Gets One Thing Right
I am not going to rail against the NFL Playoffs like I would the BCS, there is no comparision because the NFL has a playoff system. That being said, I don't like all division winners getting in. I think the NBA playoffs is great because they take the top 8 records from each conference and do not base anything on divisoin. The whole point is if you have a weak division, you can get the division champion in and possibly take a spot from a better team. I just think that playoffs should be your best teams and go on records. I pretty much talk about this every year and it is one of my best ideas to improve the NFL, but will Goodell listen? Noooooo...Lets compare the current NFL Playoff seedings with what a top record in each conference seeding would look like (Only seedings change, but 1 and 2 still get bye and then home game etc. All tie breakers still same and in effect):
AFC Current Seedings
1. New Engalnd
2. Baltimore
3. Houston
4. Denver5. Pitt
6. Cincy
AFC Seedings under "NBA Type" Scenario
1. New England
2. Baltimore
3. Pitt
4. Houston
5. Tennessee
6. Cincy
Notes: Nobody from AFC West makes the cut, because they don't deserve it. With their best record being 8-8, it is not fair that Denver gets to dance while Tennessee with a better record stays home. The 6 would still play at the 3 and the 5 at the 4. So you have Cincy at Pitt and Tennessee at Houston in Wild Card weekend. Wild Card should just mean let the 3-6 seeds duke it out to see who gets the privelege of going to get beat at the 1 or 2. It is simply not right that Pitt at 12-4 has to play an away game against the 8-8 Broncos.
NFC Current Seedings
1. Green Bay
2. San Fran3. New Orleans
4. New York
5. Atlanta
6. Detroit
NFC Seedings under "NBA Type" Scenario
1. Green Bay
2. San Fran (same tie break scenario)
3. New Orleans
4. Atlanta (same tie break scenario)
5. Detroit
6. New York Giants
Notes: Only change here (BUT IT IS A BIG ONE) is that New York slides below Atlanta and Detroit. Again, why should the Giants at 9-7 host a game when Atlanta finished up 10-6? In this case, you get NYG at New Orleans to lose and a dream match up of Detroit at Atlanta in the dome. I don't know about you but I just like the way the best record seedings feel. Divisions are good for scheduling and geography and to develop rivalries, but if you win a weak division as a weaker team, you should not be rewarded in the playoffs with an empty title of "division winner."
Teams That May Have Been Better Off at Home
Consider this a sort of Playoff Powerless Team Preview as I will look at some of the Powerless teams playing this weekend to see who will go home and wish they stayed home. I will not be ranking them:
Broncos - Pitt is going to beat the stew out of the Broncos. Really (as I noted above), the Broncos are not a playoff team and they may regret making the field of 12 at some point right around the 3rd quarter.Cincinnati - Even though they could very well win the first game, they are Defeated against their playoff brethren at 0-6 or 0-7 vs. this year's field (Fact checkers!) Even if they win, they are facing a playoff massacre in New England where the Vegas would probably put the line at Pats favored by 36 points...It would be so ugly...I can't even imagine, I almost want to see that just to see how many records the Pats would break in a single playoff game.
Houston - Even though they could very well win the first game, with Yates at the QB spot, they are not a true contender. Even if they win, they are facing a playoff massacre in New England where the Vegas would probably put the line at Pats favored by 36 points...It would be so ugly...I can't even imagine, I almost want to see that just to see how many records the Pats would break in a single playoff game. (Yep, I copied and pasted it).
Giants - Although they do belong in the playoffs, they will probably be a one and done. They get a home game vs. Atlanta, but they can not rush the ball. I don't think Eli can win on his arm alone in the playoffs and Atlanta visiting could get ugly. The thing that may save the Giants is if it gets very cold, but temps are expected to be in the 40's and 50's this weekend...sooooo. Even if the G-Men manage to win against a better Atlanta team, they more than likely would have to visit GB and face a thrashing at the hands of the Lombardis.
Well guys, go forth and enjoy Wild Card Weekend! I will be back next week to look at how some of our Powerless Playoff Teams fared and to look forward to the following weekend of Playoff action. This truly is the most wonderful time of the year, the NFL Playoffs! Enjoy!
And as per usual, thanks for reading
Happy New Year and God bless!
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