As the season begins to wind down and the playoff race gets into full swing, I wanted to make a thread about everyone’s respective team and where they are. The point of this is to provide an honest, no bullshit assessment of your team. Try to stick to the format and most of all be critical; this means no super-optimistic homerism-- be realistic, be critical. Oh, and when talking about non-star players, try to include their position so we’ll have an idea who you’re talking about.
We’ll try it like this:
your team
your team’s current record
can they (mathematically) make the playoffs?
3a) if yes, what would they have to do in order to make the playoffs?
the good
the bad
future outlook
anything else you feel the need to share about your team
I’ll go ahead and start this with my team:
Redskins
5 - 6
Yes
3a) They would probably have to win out. At the very least they would probably have to win all of their remaining division games (2 vs. Giants, 1 @ Dallas) and one of the other 2 (Bucs, Jags) and then they would need some help. This scenario is highly unlikely.
Well, not much really. Donovan McNabb has had his moments and Santana Moss is having a pretty good season. Trent Williams(OT) was a good call and has done well against Pro-Bowl caliber defenders. Ryan Torain(RB) could be a good running back in this league if he can stay healthy. Anthony Armstrong(WR) is a decent receiver, but probably not a legit starter in the NFL, more like a speedy 3rd option. Brandon Banks(WR/PR) has threatened to score on almost kick return he makes. DeAngelo Hall(CB) had a brilliant game vs. the Bears. Laron Landry(SS) is a much better SS than FS. London Fletcher has put in another solid season. Fat Albert has actually put in some good work (when he felt like it;)). Graham Gano(K) seems to be a decent kicker. Scoring is up from years past, barely. Umm… Chris Cooley is still a good player.
Pretty much everything else. This is the oldest roster in the NFL. The defense has not had a smooth transition to the 3-4 to say the least. Players like Andre Carter(DE/LB) and Fat Albert(DT) just aren’t suited to play in the 3-4. The offensive line is old, thin, injury-plagued, and not very well suited to the zone blocking scheme that Shanahan likes to run. There are no reliable receivers behind Moss and he’s not the player he was a few years back. This team is just not built for what the Shanahans and Jim Haslett (defensive coordinator) wants them to do. They’ve tried to tailor the scheme to the players they have but they still can’t execute. They got a lot of lucky breaks early in the season and won (and lost) a lot of games by the skin of their teeth. Oh, and there was that embarrassment against the Eagles on Monday Night.
McNabb is obviously not the long-term answer at QB. Moss and Portis are probably past their usefulness and I don’t expect them to be back next year. This team needs to get a LOT younger at almost every position but they don’t have enough draft picks to replace most of these turkeys so they’ll probably be stuck with marginal players like Armstrong(WR) and Stephon Heyer(OT) for a while. This is a team(and fanbase) that perennially and very wrongly thinks they’re only a player or two away from the Superbowl every year based on absolutely nothing. They are going to continue to be shit for at least the next 3-4 years. What they need to do is trade away any players that are worth anything for as many draft picks as they can possibly get and just blow the team up.
Yes. Despite starting the season with five losses, they are only one game behind in a terrible division.
3a) if yes, what would they have to do in order to make the playoffs?
Technically, they control their own destiny because if they win all their remaining games, the worst they could be is tied with Seattle and/or St. Louis, but would have the tiebreaker in-hand with a 5-1 division record. (Three of their remaining five games are inside the division, including both Seattle and St. Louis.)
the good
It’s hard to say because there has been so little consistency. Patrick Willis is always good, and Takeo Spikes is having a resurgent year. The big story line is the emergence of Ravens castoff and former Heisman-winner [del]Willie Beamen[/del] Troy Smith as a spark, a playmaker, and a leader.
the bad
Everything else. Terrible, terrible coaching; so bad one bad coach, Singletary, had to fire an even worse coach, Jimmy Raye. They’ve been out-coached on numerous occasions and are among the league leaders in penalties. The stubborness in conservative playcalling spilled over to player playing time, particularly for rookies not yet ready, yet thrown out there anyway (Mays, Bowman, and, to a lesser extent, Anthony Davis).
Singletary can’t seem to make a decision without watching film. The defensive secondary is porous, while the whole defense can be too aggressive for their own good. The list goes on…
future outlook
It would be better for the future of the franchise to not make the playoffs, so it would be easy to fire Singletary. However, the uncertainty of 2011 comes at a horrible time for a coaching change.
Jim Harbaugh or Jon Gruden would be good fits here. I just hope a decent QB is still available at whatever draft spot they end up with.
anything else you feel the need to share about your team
I can sum up my honest assessment in a few sentences. The Broncos fucking suck, and McDaniels recently said he’s not concerned about losing his job, so the Broncos will probably continue to suck for a few more years.
3a) They’d have to win out, including wins in the last two weeks over Pittsburgh and Baltimore, and hope for the aforementioned to collapse down the stretch to win the division. For a wild card, one of the aforementioned would have to collapse, and Cleveland would have to make up 2 games in the standings on the other current 6-5 teams.
Running game looks outstanding. Peyton Hillis for Brady Quinn was the trade steal of the year. Left side of the O line is very good, especially in the run game. Lawrence Vickers is the best FB in the league and very underrated. TEs have been solid contributors. Colt McCoy could be a fixture at QB going forward; they’ve found someone who is accurate with the short and intermediate throws and mobile in the pocket. The offense, though not explosive, converts 3rd downs and has shown good execution with their trick plays.
Defense has been a bend-but-don’t-break group for the most part. TJ Ward and Joe Haden look like solid draft picks. Veteran LBs and cast-offs have played well.
Special teams, as usual, has been very good, though Cribbs hasn’t been given many opportunities to break off a big return. P Reggie Hodges leads the league in punts inside the 10 and had a 68 yard run on a fake punt.
Not much production from the WRs. Robiskie looks like a 3rd receiver at best. Hillis’s running style makes me pessimistic about his long term health prospects. Still not sold on Brian Daboll as the offensive coordinator, nor Mangini as the head coach.
Defense seems to forget how to tackle late in the game. Eric Wright has not been having a good year at CB, and the secondary overall has been weak against the pass. Shaun Rogers is getting paid a lot of money to be the backup for Ahtyba Rubin.
Not a very lucky team. Lots of close losses, an inability to finish strong, and a tendency to play down to their competition. The injury bug has bitten them quite a bit; all three QBs have suffered high ankle sprains, rookie RB Hardesty was lost for the year, Cribbs has been dinged a couple of times, and LB Scott Fujita is out.
Solid. I predicted before the season that they’d go 6-10 and they’re right on schedule. The big question is whether Mangini will be brought back. I’m leaning towards keeping him. For the first time since they’ve returned to the league, I feel like the Browns have a front office that know what it’s doing.
3a) Will likely need to win at least 3 (and maybe 4) out of their remaining 5 games, due to the logjam in the NFC at 7-4 or thereabouts. Winning the division would be ideal, but they’re now a game behind the Bears.
Rodgers continues to look great, even with several of his receivers injured. They’ve been getting the ball to Jennings more regularly in recent weeks. Several of the defensive players (Matthews, Woodson, Williams) are playing very well. Masthay (the rookie punter) has come along well recently.
Tons of injuries. No running game to speak of (Rodgers was, by far, the team’s leading rusher against the Falcons). With injuries to Finley and Lee, the tight end position has virtually disappeared. Defense hasn’t been able to shut down teams when they really need to (witness losing 4 games on last-second or OT field goals). They don’t seem to be able to cover tight ends at all. Special teams coverage has been spotty; we seem to give up a lot of yards on returns. Team seemed to be very undisciplined early in the season (a ton of penalties, lots of mistakes), though that may be improving of late.
Lots of good young players. Should continue to be a playoff team, at least, for the next few years.
Sooo glad that the soap opera that is Brett Favre is someone else’s problem now.
I don’t think so, but I haven’t checked. Even if it’s possible, it’s not happening.
They’re playing hard, and Ryan Fitzpatrick has been pretty good as the starting QB. Fred Jackson has been good, too. I still like Roscoe Parrish and a few other guys. They’ve only won twice, but since the bye, they’ve taken Baltimore, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh to overtime (by a FG each) and lost to Chicago by three. Those are all very good teams.
They’re 2-8, how much needs to be said? They lost their first six games, they have one of the worst records in the league, and while those competitive losses can be a good sign, this team has lost a lot of winnable games in the last few years and they have not pointed to improvement. C. J. Spiller has not done much so far.
Cloudy. I don’t think they’re going to LA, but it’s not impossible. And I don’t know what the team’s strategy is. I’m still not sure why they hired Chan Gailey instead of a hotshot coordinator.
I knew this team was going to be bad this year and it can’t get much worse. Paradoxically, if they leave Buffalo, I may be done with football.
There is no way the Cards will make the playoffs. The Cardinals, even in their good years, have always had a stinker game or two each season. However, they’ve getting their ass kicked on a regular basis. Derek Anderson should be a career backup and yet he’s still the starter after his dreadful performance last night.
The Good? Larod Stephens-Howling is great on special teams. Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston are attractive targets for the QB next year.
The bad? Just about everywhere. Beanie Wells is looking like a bust. Both him and Hightower have fumbling issues. An undrafted rookie QB as a potential starter? The stupid fucking penalties.
The future. Pretty good. The Cards are in serious need of a QB. I expect they’ll make a serious run at McNabb or Kolb. While Hightower and Wells haven’t been perfect, at least the Cards aren’t making the mistake of getting washed up RBs like Edge and Emmit Smith.
Anything else? I hope this team gets it back together. I really don’t want Arizona to be added to the list of teams that are regularly blacked out.
3) can they (mathematically) make the playoffs?
Certainly.
3a) if yes, what would they have to do in order to make the playoffs?
Winning one more game would probably do it. Winning two more would make it certain. And they get to play Buffalo.
4) the good
Sanchez is rapidly becoming an elite quarterback. Second lowest in points allowed.
5) the bad
The team has just squeaked by in several games with bad teams. Their record at home is so-so, and though they’re undefeated on the road, I doubt that will continue.
6) future outlook
Facing a tough stretch, with only Buffalo an easy game. Three of the teams are probably going to be in the playoffs. If they beat New England on the road next week, then it will probably be a lock, but that’s a tall order, since the Patriots are playing very well right now.
The Defending Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints
8-3
yes
3a) 2 more wins oughta get us at least a Wild Card slot. Need to beat Atlanta on the road, and have them lose 1 more than we do otherwise to win the division.
the good–Drew Brees. Colston. Jimmy Graham (TE), The entire running back committee. The Defense. Coaching staff. Management.
the bad–the offensive line has struggled, in part because everyone is trying to get to Brees. Injuries have been tough this year. Lots of DBs, Reggie Bush again, Shockey again, even Brees has had some knee problems.
future outlook–Realistically, some amount of downward slide seems likely. Last year was a dream season. Nobody stays on top forever, and the team is probably a Drew Brees heartbeat away from being another 8-8 or worse team next year.
anything else you feel the need to share about your team
1) your team
Philadelphia Eagles 2) your team’s current record
7-4. (3-2 at home) 3) can they (mathematically) make the playoffs?
They have a good shot right now. 3a) if yes, what would they have to do in order to make the playoffs?
They would have to win the division. They have an open road with only one team in competition (the Giants) and a win against them already. Still, they have one more against the Giants (in NY) and two against a rejuvenated Cowboys team. They also have Houston, who is scary, and Minnesota, who is also suddenly rejuvenated. So mostly, they have bad timing, but a good shot at the playoffs. 4) the good
(this season) Highly explosive players at every skill position. Probably the most explosive player at both WR and QB (Desean Jackson and Michael Vick, respectively). A defense that creates a lot of opponent mistakes and turnovers (leads the league in Turnover +/-). Accurate kicker. Coach who (usually) gameplans very well for an upcoming game (his record off the bye and in the first round of the playoffs speaks for itself). Their offensive line has improved despite so many injuries there that they’re starting 2 or 3 backups (and usually at their second position). 5) the bad
Very inconsistent offense that seems to have a hard time generating sustained drives (again) and doesn’t seem to respond well to adversity all the time. Vick has been great but the honeymoon is over and he’s starting to play much worse (being very careless with the ball suddenly). The defense can’t always get stops when they need to, and they take too many chances. Too many dumb penalties (though half of them are honestly bullshit. Colts game example A). Reid can’t manage during a game… at all. Their special teams units are a fucking disaster and have been for a long time. 6) future outlook
(this season)
They can play with absolutely anyone in the league when they’re on. Nobody has the weapons on offense that Philly does. So if they turn it on, they can unquestionably win it all. It isn’t likely that they can string together the three or four great games in a row they would need in the playoffs, and even getting to the playoffs is in question at this point. No other team has a higher upside with the very real potential of going 8-8 and missing the playoffs.
(beyond this season)
Nobody mixes draft day strategy with solid picks like the Eagles, they’re the best in the league. With their current core of players all under 26 (Jackson, Maclin, McCoy, Celek) they have a foundation that could lead to another decade of dominance in the NFC. I’m thrilled with how this team remade themselves without subjecting the fans to a “rebuilding period,” and for all his faults, Andy Reid deserves more credit than he gets. Not too much though, dude needs help with timeouts. 7) anything else you feel the need to share about your team
This team goes as Vick goes, and lately he hasn’t been going much of anywhere. He’s very slowly reverting back to old Vick; careless with the football, not looking to throw first as he moves out of the pocket, forcing passes because he knows his arm is a cannon, etc… People have learned how to gameplan against him, so so the offense has struggled. They also don’t play “smashmouth” football very well, so the weather getting worse could doom this team.
Yes. All but guaranteed, even in the tough AFC. To miss it they’d virtually have to lose out, and I can’t imagine that happening in light of their upcoming schedule.
3a) if yes, what would they have to do in order to make the playoffs?
If they beat Baltimore they’re a lead-pipe lock. If not they have the Bengals and Browns again as well as the hapless Panthers. One win out of those 3 ought to do it, and that’s somewhat pessimistic.
the good
The running game is good at getting tough yardage barring O-line sabotage (holding and the like), the receiving corps (Wallace is a phenom…Santonio who?), and the defense is its usual self against the run. Troy Polamalu is still clutch. They have a kicker that doesn’t make me cringe when he steps on the field anymore (wow, Jeff Reed went really sour these past two years, didn’t he?). Maurkice Pouncey is a hell of a rookie center.
the bad
The pass defense is frequently shaky, the offensive line overall is decimated by injuries and either lets them right by or holds the living hell out of them, and Maximum Roger and his Merry Men have a hard-on for James Harrison. They have a tendency to play down to their opponents (Cincy’s near-comeback, Buffalo last week, Miami) and depend too much on luck to close out teams that should be easily beaten.
future outlook
If they beat the Jets in a few weeks I see them possibly taking the whole thing. They feast on weak teams (Atlanta in Week 1 notwithstanding), that will be their big chance to show they can take one of the big boys. If not, well, they have a shot but I won’t be quite as optimistic about it. Regardless, they have as good a chance as any to go deep in the playoffs and take the trophy.
anything else you feel the need to share about your team
The number 7 just about sums it up.
You may not think that it’s an honest assessment, but it is.
The Giants do when healthy. Steve Smith and DeSean Jackson are a wash, Nicks is better than Macklin and Manningham is better than Avant. You probably have an argument that McCoy is better than Bradshaw; until he squares away his fumbling issues I can’t argue with you.
Now on to my honest assessment of the Giants: They’re a MASH unit. Both the starting center, backup center, starting LT and backup LT are out and have been out for weeks now, and this shows no sign of getting better in the near future.
Of the 6 WRs that started the season, only #3 and #6 are healthy enough to play, and this has been the case for a couple weeks now and looks to remain the case for the foreseeable future. (Smith, Nicks, Barden and Cruz are all out, the last two on IR.) They brought back the #7 from the final cutdown day before the season started (Derek Hagan) so at least he knows the playbook, but c’mon, their 3WR starting lineup now includes a guy who couldn’t even make the team? Oy.
Big Blue will likely make the playoffs, either as the division winner or a wildcard. (Ditto for the Eagles, btw.)
Playoffs? - Mathematically? I believe so, on the strength of their pathetic division. By any realm of logic? Not an effing chance.
How? - Someone kidnaps Josh McDaniels, ties him up, affixes braces to his eyelids a la Clockwork Orange and forces him to watch repeats of every single Bronco game he’s ever coached and news clippings of every off-season move he’s ever made, complete with nausea-inducing injections until the mere notion of setting foot anywhere near my team ever again is enough to make him jump out of a window. Then they replace our defense with T-1000 Terminator models and hire Chuck Norris as our coach who then strikes a deal with the city of Cleveland to beat Lebron James to a bloody pulp if they give us back Peyton Hillis.
The Good - Wait, I totally know this… c’mon there has to be something… They haven’t yet traded Dumervil, Champ, and every pick in the 2011 draft to Minnesota for Brett Favre? That’s kind of good, I guess.
The Bad - The distinct possibility that McDaniels will be allowed to prison-ram my team and its fans for at least another season while I curl up in the dark watching highlights from the 1999 season as I cry myself to sleep.
This is the oldest roster in the NFL. The defense has not had a smooth transition to the 3-4 to say the least. Players like Andre Carter(DE/LB) and Fat Albert(DT) just aren’t suited to play in the 3-4. The offensive line is old, thin, injury-plagued, and not very well suited to the zone blocking scheme that Shanahan likes to run. There are no reliable receivers behind Moss and he’s not the player he was a few years back. This team is just not built for what the Shanahans and Jim Haslett (defensive coordinator) wants them to do. They’ve tried to tailor the scheme to the players they have but they still can’t execute. They got a lot of lucky breaks early in the season and won (and lost) a lot of games by the skin of their teeth. Oh, and there was that embarrassment against the Eagles on Monday Night.