This little playoff thing that the NCAA does now is so much better than the idiotic BCS. That's a good thing. But, it would be so much better if eight teams were included in the playoffs. This isn't to avoid the bellyaching of the teams ranked outside of the top four as there will be bellyaching from the teams outside of the top eight. A larger sampling size is simply better and eight is a manageable sample size. Anything bigger probably isn't manageable for football.
Here's the picks.
Orange Bowl
#4 Oklahoma vs #1 Clemson
Pick: Clemson
It seems strange that the #1 team winning would be a mild upset. So much for rankings. Or betting lines. Probably the latter. Clemson will have to play much better than they did against North Carolina in the ACC Championship to win this game.
Cotton Bowl
#3 Michigan St. vs #2 Alabama
Pick: Michigan St.
This could be a fantastic, hard-fought game. At least, I'm hoping that it is. While I think that Alabama is the better team I'm going with the team that has the better quarterback.
Today's Appetizer:
Peach Bowl
#18 Houston vs #9 Florida St.
Pick: Houston
Florida St. has by far the better athletes/players but Houston is a very good football team.
There it is. Be safe tonight.
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Throwback Thursday: Packers-Vikings
The Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings will play for the NFC North division title this Sunday night. The Packers have taken the division each of the past four seasons and eight times in the past 13 years. It's no stretch to say that the path to the NFC North title has run through Green Bay in recent years. That was pretty much the case in the 1960s as well. The Vince Lombardi days. There was no NFC North in those days. There was no NFC in those days. The path to any sort of title ran through Green Bay throughout most of the 1960s.
The Packers-Vikings rivalry has been one of the league's best despite the recent one-sided nature of it. The Packers 10-1-1 record against the Vikings since 2010 is really the difference in the all-time series record. 59-49-2 in Green Bay's favor. It's been a closely contested rivalry since the Vikings joined the NFL in 1961 with each team having stretches of dominance.
1964 was one of only two seasons between 1961 and 1967 in which the Green Bay Packers didn't win the NFL title. They weren't bad in 1964. They just weren't up to their usual greatness during that run of championships. They finished tied for second in the Western Conference. They were tied for second with the Minnesota Vikings. 1964 was the Vikings first winning season. The two rivals fittingly split their two games that year. Each winning in their opponents stadium. The Vikings won a 24-23 thriller in the first game. This was also the Vikings first win ever over the Packers. That's big. The second game was more like the first six in the rivalry. The Packers cruised to a 42-13 win.
Here's an article from the October 6, 1964 edition of the Milwaukee Sentinel bemoaning that first Packers-Vikings game. The one that got away.
Packer-Vikings Tilt Was Last Word In Customer Football
Lloyd Larson
"Everybody in the joint knows he's going to pass, so how could he get away with it?" one of thousands of dejected Packer fans was heard muttering as he elbowed his way out of the Green Bay stadium Sunday after the hard to take 24-23 loss to the Vikings.
That's right. Everybody in the joint, including the Packers, knew it had to be a pass. With less than a minute to play, fourth down and 22 to go from his own 36, Fran Tarkenton had to go for it in a big way. The only big way was through the air.
The other part of the muttering brings to mind the time a leading pro golfer was asked a similar how come question after taking 13 assorted swipes at the ball on one hole. "It was simple," concluded the star suddenly turned duffer after giving a blow-by-blow account of his nightmarish experience that knocked him out of the running for top money.
In the case of the Packers, the explanation is equally simple-just as simple as the memory of it is painful. He, meaning Tarkenton, took the snap from center and kept on running around behind the line until he found a teammate open. Said teammate, Gordon Smith, fielded the long pitch cleanly for the big gainer, an absolute must, and the Packers had their heads in a noose from which there was no escape.
Everybody Had To Improvise
They talk of customer golf. Well, Sunday's thriller was the ultimate in customer football, that is for those who were able to look at the game objectively. It may not have been the greatest game ever played in total. But for excitement and nail-biting suspense, it must rank with the best.
Every time the Vikings had the ball, especially when Tarkenton chose to pass instead of handing off to Bill Brown or Tom Michel, it reminded me a little of a kids' pickup game. Organized confusion set in the moment the elusive quarterback went into his scampering act and eligible receivers fanned out in all directions.
Defenders and receivers had to follow suit as Tarkenton improvised. Secondary assignments and pass patterns went down the drain. That was a sight to behold.
Now and then, it even looked like Tarkenton was training for the Olympics. He was sprinter. hurdler, and steeplechaser rolled into one. But he refused to stay on course. And that presented the Packers with a problem they could not solve.
Nobody writes game accounts like that anymore.
I've always gotten a kick out of others trying to describe the unique manner in which Fran Tarkenton played quarterback. It was a real treat to watch. Opposing defenses didn't think it was much of a treat. More often than not neither did his own coach, Norm Van Brocklin. Although Van Brocklin was pretty happy about it on this particular 1964 day. He got his first win over Vince Lombardi.
The Vikings got their first win over the Packers in 1964. It would be really great if their 50th win over the Packers comes this Sunday.
Skol Vikings!
The Packers-Vikings rivalry has been one of the league's best despite the recent one-sided nature of it. The Packers 10-1-1 record against the Vikings since 2010 is really the difference in the all-time series record. 59-49-2 in Green Bay's favor. It's been a closely contested rivalry since the Vikings joined the NFL in 1961 with each team having stretches of dominance.
1964 was one of only two seasons between 1961 and 1967 in which the Green Bay Packers didn't win the NFL title. They weren't bad in 1964. They just weren't up to their usual greatness during that run of championships. They finished tied for second in the Western Conference. They were tied for second with the Minnesota Vikings. 1964 was the Vikings first winning season. The two rivals fittingly split their two games that year. Each winning in their opponents stadium. The Vikings won a 24-23 thriller in the first game. This was also the Vikings first win ever over the Packers. That's big. The second game was more like the first six in the rivalry. The Packers cruised to a 42-13 win.
Here's an article from the October 6, 1964 edition of the Milwaukee Sentinel bemoaning that first Packers-Vikings game. The one that got away.
*
Packer-Vikings Tilt Was Last Word In Customer Football
Lloyd Larson
"Everybody in the joint knows he's going to pass, so how could he get away with it?" one of thousands of dejected Packer fans was heard muttering as he elbowed his way out of the Green Bay stadium Sunday after the hard to take 24-23 loss to the Vikings.
That's right. Everybody in the joint, including the Packers, knew it had to be a pass. With less than a minute to play, fourth down and 22 to go from his own 36, Fran Tarkenton had to go for it in a big way. The only big way was through the air.
The other part of the muttering brings to mind the time a leading pro golfer was asked a similar how come question after taking 13 assorted swipes at the ball on one hole. "It was simple," concluded the star suddenly turned duffer after giving a blow-by-blow account of his nightmarish experience that knocked him out of the running for top money.
In the case of the Packers, the explanation is equally simple-just as simple as the memory of it is painful. He, meaning Tarkenton, took the snap from center and kept on running around behind the line until he found a teammate open. Said teammate, Gordon Smith, fielded the long pitch cleanly for the big gainer, an absolute must, and the Packers had their heads in a noose from which there was no escape.
Everybody Had To Improvise
They talk of customer golf. Well, Sunday's thriller was the ultimate in customer football, that is for those who were able to look at the game objectively. It may not have been the greatest game ever played in total. But for excitement and nail-biting suspense, it must rank with the best.
Every time the Vikings had the ball, especially when Tarkenton chose to pass instead of handing off to Bill Brown or Tom Michel, it reminded me a little of a kids' pickup game. Organized confusion set in the moment the elusive quarterback went into his scampering act and eligible receivers fanned out in all directions.
Defenders and receivers had to follow suit as Tarkenton improvised. Secondary assignments and pass patterns went down the drain. That was a sight to behold.
Now and then, it even looked like Tarkenton was training for the Olympics. He was sprinter. hurdler, and steeplechaser rolled into one. But he refused to stay on course. And that presented the Packers with a problem they could not solve.
*
Nobody writes game accounts like that anymore.
I've always gotten a kick out of others trying to describe the unique manner in which Fran Tarkenton played quarterback. It was a real treat to watch. Opposing defenses didn't think it was much of a treat. More often than not neither did his own coach, Norm Van Brocklin. Although Van Brocklin was pretty happy about it on this particular 1964 day. He got his first win over Vince Lombardi.
The Vikings got their first win over the Packers in 1964. It would be really great if their 50th win over the Packers comes this Sunday.
Skol Vikings!
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Silly Fans
Silly media too.
It sure is great that fans and the media don't make the important decisions, actually any decisions, for the teams that they follow and cover.
Every NFL team enters a season with the same goal. Coaches and players say as much every year. Win the division. It's the only thing that guarantees a playoff berth. The ultimate goal always starts with that first goal. Win the division and the Super Bowl is possible. It's as simple as that.
The Minnesota Vikings are currently the #5 seed in the NFC Playoff picture. Their final game is in Lambeau against the Green Bay Packers for the NFC North title. If the Vikings win that game they are the division champs and the #3 seed in the playoffs. They would achieve the goal that was set well before this season even started. It also brings about a first round home game against the Seattle Seahawks.
There's a lot of Vikings fans that don't want their team to host the Seahawks. That's based partly on the fact that the Seahawks have played in the last two Super Bowls, winning the first one. It's based mostly on the fact that the Seahawks took apart the Vikings in Minnesota just a few weeks ago, 38-7. It was a game that really wasn't that close. A lot of Vikings fans are scared of the Seahawks. They'd rather give up the division title and lose to the Packers on Sunday. That would put the Vikings on the road for the first round of the playoffs. Their destination would be dependent on how the scary Seahawks do against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. If the Seahawks defeat the Cardinals the Vikings would travel, again, to Green Bay and a rematch with the Packers. If the Cardinals defeat the Seahawks the Vikings would travel to Washington and a first round playoff date with the Redskins.
Folks in the media have thrown out similar scenarios to manipulate playoff matchups. I've seen Packers beat writers pose the unthinkable and suggest that their team might be better off losing to the Vikings this Sunday. The biggest problem with these playoff manipulations involve competing in an NFL regular season game with less than maximum effort. Throwing a game is a better way of putting it. It's a good thing that the fans and the media that favor this chicken-shit football aren't making the actual decisions. I'd have to reconsider my loyalties if the team that I followed dodged certain opponents. A team has to beat the best if they want to be the best.
A division title means something. It also means a home playoff game. That's big. It's bigger than playing a supposed lesser team on the road. Every team that makes the playoffs is a threat. Even if that team doesn't show it on paper. There are playoff upsets every year. There are even upsets of the truly shocking variety on occasion. With the inconsistency that the Seahawks have played with this season I'm not so sure that a Vikings win over them in Minnesota would be considered much of an upset. That's not really the point here. The point here is the dodging of that game. Dodging a game by throwing another is a silly idea. The Packers have ruled the NFC North for what seems like forever. It would be pretty sweet to take that title from them in their own home.
It sure is great that fans and the media don't make the important decisions, actually any decisions, for the teams that they follow and cover.
Every NFL team enters a season with the same goal. Coaches and players say as much every year. Win the division. It's the only thing that guarantees a playoff berth. The ultimate goal always starts with that first goal. Win the division and the Super Bowl is possible. It's as simple as that.
The Minnesota Vikings are currently the #5 seed in the NFC Playoff picture. Their final game is in Lambeau against the Green Bay Packers for the NFC North title. If the Vikings win that game they are the division champs and the #3 seed in the playoffs. They would achieve the goal that was set well before this season even started. It also brings about a first round home game against the Seattle Seahawks.
There's a lot of Vikings fans that don't want their team to host the Seahawks. That's based partly on the fact that the Seahawks have played in the last two Super Bowls, winning the first one. It's based mostly on the fact that the Seahawks took apart the Vikings in Minnesota just a few weeks ago, 38-7. It was a game that really wasn't that close. A lot of Vikings fans are scared of the Seahawks. They'd rather give up the division title and lose to the Packers on Sunday. That would put the Vikings on the road for the first round of the playoffs. Their destination would be dependent on how the scary Seahawks do against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. If the Seahawks defeat the Cardinals the Vikings would travel, again, to Green Bay and a rematch with the Packers. If the Cardinals defeat the Seahawks the Vikings would travel to Washington and a first round playoff date with the Redskins.
Folks in the media have thrown out similar scenarios to manipulate playoff matchups. I've seen Packers beat writers pose the unthinkable and suggest that their team might be better off losing to the Vikings this Sunday. The biggest problem with these playoff manipulations involve competing in an NFL regular season game with less than maximum effort. Throwing a game is a better way of putting it. It's a good thing that the fans and the media that favor this chicken-shit football aren't making the actual decisions. I'd have to reconsider my loyalties if the team that I followed dodged certain opponents. A team has to beat the best if they want to be the best.
A division title means something. It also means a home playoff game. That's big. It's bigger than playing a supposed lesser team on the road. Every team that makes the playoffs is a threat. Even if that team doesn't show it on paper. There are playoff upsets every year. There are even upsets of the truly shocking variety on occasion. With the inconsistency that the Seahawks have played with this season I'm not so sure that a Vikings win over them in Minnesota would be considered much of an upset. That's not really the point here. The point here is the dodging of that game. Dodging a game by throwing another is a silly idea. The Packers have ruled the NFC North for what seems like forever. It would be pretty sweet to take that title from them in their own home.
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
A Look At The NFL Standings Through Week 16
With a week remaining ten of the twelve NFL playoff spots are filled. All six of the NFC playoff teams are set. Only the seeding of those teams remains. Four of the six AFC playoff teams are set. Here's a look at the NFL standings through Week 16.
The AFC teams that are in:
New England Patriots
Denver Broncos
Cincinnati Bengals
Kansas City Chiefs
The Houston Texans can take the AFC South title with a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
The New York Jets can grab the remaining AFC playoff spot with a win over the Buffalo Bills or a Pittsburgh Steelers loss.
The Indianapolis Colts are still alive for the AFC South title but they need a whole host of things to break their way. The most significant being their own win over the Tennessee Titans and a Texans loss to the Jaguars. After that the Colts have to pray. A lot.
The NFC playoff picture is set:
Carolina Panthers
Arizona Cardinals
Green Bay Packers
Washington Redskins
Minnesota Vikings
Seattle Seahawks
The Vikings-Packers game will determine the NFC North title and the #3 seed.
That's a fairly basic look at the NFL playoff situation.
At the other end of things, the Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, San Diego Chargers, Dallas Cowboys, and San Francisco 49ers are in the running for the top pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
One more week and then NFL playoff fun.
NFL
Standings
#
|
NFC East
|
W
|
L
|
T
|
PCT
|
PF
|
PA
|
HOME
|
ROAD
|
STRK
| |
1
|
8
|
7
|
0
|
.533
|
354
|
356
|
6-0-2
|
2-0-5
|
W3
| ||
2
|
6
|
9
|
0
|
.400
|
342
|
400
|
3-0-5
|
3-0-4
|
L2
| ||
3
|
6
|
9
|
0
|
.400
|
390
|
407
|
3-0-4
|
3-0-5
|
L2
| ||
4
|
4
|
11
|
0
|
.267
|
252
|
340
|
1-0-6
|
3-0-5
|
L3
| ||
#
|
NFC West
|
W
|
L
|
T
|
PCT
|
PF
|
PA
|
HOME
|
ROAD
|
STRK
| |
1
|
13
|
2
|
0
|
.867
|
483
|
277
|
6-0-1
|
7-0-1
|
W9
| ||
2
|
9
|
6
|
0
|
.600
|
387
|
271
|
5-0-3
|
4-0-3
|
L1
| ||
3
|
7
|
8
|
0
|
.467
|
264
|
311
|
5-0-3
|
2-0-5
|
W3
| ||
4
|
4
|
11
|
0
|
.267
|
219
|
371
|
3-0-4
|
1-0-7
|
L3
| ||
#
|
NFC North
|
W
|
L
|
T
|
PCT
|
PF
|
PA
|
HOME
|
ROAD
|
STRK
| |
1
|
10
|
5
|
0
|
.667
|
355
|
303
|
5-0-2
|
5-0-3
|
L1
| ||
2
|
10
|
5
|
0
|
.667
|
345
|
289
|
6-0-2
|
4-0-3
|
W2
| ||
3
|
6
|
9
|
0
|
.400
|
334
|
380
|
4-0-4
|
2-0-5
|
W2
| ||
4
|
6
|
9
|
0
|
.400
|
315
|
373
|
1-0-6
|
5-0-3
|
W1
| ||
The AFC teams that are in:
New England Patriots
Denver Broncos
Cincinnati Bengals
Kansas City Chiefs
The Houston Texans can take the AFC South title with a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
The New York Jets can grab the remaining AFC playoff spot with a win over the Buffalo Bills or a Pittsburgh Steelers loss.
The Indianapolis Colts are still alive for the AFC South title but they need a whole host of things to break their way. The most significant being their own win over the Tennessee Titans and a Texans loss to the Jaguars. After that the Colts have to pray. A lot.
The NFC playoff picture is set:
Carolina Panthers
Arizona Cardinals
Green Bay Packers
Washington Redskins
Minnesota Vikings
Seattle Seahawks
The Vikings-Packers game will determine the NFC North title and the #3 seed.
That's a fairly basic look at the NFL playoff situation.
At the other end of things, the Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, San Diego Chargers, Dallas Cowboys, and San Francisco 49ers are in the running for the top pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
One more week and then NFL playoff fun.
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