# NFL Week 16
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-16/606937
**Category:** The Game Room
**Created:** [December 21, 2011, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-16/606937 "2011-12-21T10:55:38Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2011, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-16/606937/1 "2011-12-21T10:55:38Z")
Thursday
HOU @ IND
Saturday early
MIA @ NE
JAC @ TEN
NYG @ NYJ
TB @ CAR
CLE @ BAL
ARI @ CIN
MIN @ WAS
DEN @ BUF
STL @ PIT
OAK @ KC
Saturday late
SD @ DET
PHI @ DAL
SF @ SEA
SNF/MNF
CHI @ GB
ATL @ NO
I thought the last two weeks of the new schedule were supposed to be divisional games? And there are a lot of divisional games this week, but not all. Is it only the last week I’m thinking of?
Why doesn’t the NFL have a few games on Christmas like they do on Thanksgiving? I’d like another football holiday…
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### Author:  [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2011, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-16/606937/2 "2011-12-21T13:31:52Z")
The final week is all divisional games – week 16 has more than most weeks, but not 100% divisional.
And Packers/Bears is being played on Christmas night (edit: which I just noticed you already alluded to). I have a feeling the league would take a lot of flack if they tried putting games on earlier in the day.
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### Author:  [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2011, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-16/606937/3 "2011-12-21T14:25:53Z")
The NBA has 5 games on Christmas, not that I care. I’m going to be at my in-laws this weekend who are not sports people so I’m unlikely to see any of the games this week.
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### Author:  [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2011, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-16/606937/4 "2011-12-21T14:27:27Z")
Plus that’s traditionally a big day for the NBA, especially this year.
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### Author:  [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2011, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-16/606937/5 "2011-12-21T16:17:44Z")
Reports are that Josh McCown will be the starter for the Bears on Xmas Night against the Pack. I’m not filled with confidence there but it’s not like things can get any worse.
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### Author:  [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2011, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-16/606937/6 "2011-12-21T16:46:04Z")
> [@Omniscient](#):
>
> Reports are that Josh McCown will be the starter for the Bears on Xmas Night against the Pack. I’m not filled with confidence there but it’s not like things can get any worse.
Well, when your choices are getting kicked in the balls or dying a horrible fiery death while also being stung by scorpions and eaten by crocodiles, you choose getting kicked in the balls.
Of course, Lovie Smith could maybe have thought about trying out some vets like Favre or McNabb earlier (who couldn’t possibly have been worse than Hanie), but it’s much too late for that now. Even the Texans tried out and signed some veterans, even though they stuck with a rookie 3rd stringer.
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### Author:  [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2011, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-16/606937/7 "2011-12-21T17:09:31Z")
Personally I’d rather throw Enderle to the wolves and see if he’s got any mettle. Worked for Yates and plenty of other rookies in recent years, and he’s been in this system longer than McCown his previous run with Martz notwithstanding.
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### Author:  [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2011, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-16/606937/8 "2011-12-21T17:39:48Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#):
>
> Of course, Lovie Smith could maybe have thought about trying out some vets like Favre or McNabb earlier (who couldn’t possibly have been worse than Hanie), but it’s much too late for that now.
He probably didn’t want to encourage Favre’s play-one-season-for-every-team-in-the-league retirement tour.
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### Author:  [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2011, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-16/606937/9 "2011-12-21T17:52:16Z")
I can’t wait to go cheer on my Bengals with 29,999 of my closest fan friends at Paul Brown stadium against the Cardinals. Big game for both teams.
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### Author:  [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2011, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-16/606937/10 "2011-12-21T18:03:12Z")
> [@Omniscient](#):
>
> Personally I’d rather throw Enderle to the wolves and see if he’s got any mettle. Worked for Yates and plenty of other rookies in recent years, and he’s been in this system longer than McCown his previous run with Martz notwithstanding.
Yeah, but it’s also NOT worked in a lot of cases, too. Blaine Gabbert comes to mind. The Cardinals last season, too. Throwing an inexperienced QB in the deep end can work, but you want an insurance policy and/or be willing to toss the rest of the season in the trash.
Houston signed Kellen Clemens (before releasing him), Jeff Garcia, and Jake Delhomme, in case of injury (good idea, as Leinart went down) or if Yates didn’t work out. In their case, the rookie worked out, but I have few doubts those veterans could have made perfectly good caretakers otherwise.
It wouldn’t have been a horrible idea for the Bears to get a veteran to run the scout team, at least, and maybe give the rookie a few pointers.
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### Author:  [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2011, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-16/606937/11 "2011-12-21T19:52:14Z")
I am going to go out on a limb here and say that a hobbled Big Ben give the greatest ass-kicking by a one-legged man ever against the pathetic remains of what used to be the St. Louis Rams.
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### Author:  [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2011, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-16/606937/12 "2011-12-21T19:56:06Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#):
>
> Yeah, but it’s also NOT worked in a lot of cases, too. Blaine Gabbert comes to mind. The Cardinals last season, too. Throwing an inexperienced QB in the deep end can work, but you want an insurance policy and/or be willing to toss the rest of the season in the trash.
We’re there. And Martz is almost certainly gone next year. Getting some film on Enderle is something of a priority at this point.
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### Author:  [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2011, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-16/606937/13 "2011-12-21T20:09:27Z")
> [@Omniscient](#):
>
> We’re there. And Martz is almost certainly gone next year. Getting some film on Enderle is something of a priority at this point.
Agreed now that it’s Week 16.
But they really should have looked at some veteran QBs a few weeks earlier when they were still in the wild card hunt. I know they put a waiver wire bid on Orton, but they didn’t do much more than that. That’s a major front office and/or coaching gaffe.
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### Author:  [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2011, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-16/606937/14 "2011-12-21T20:31:43Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#):
>
> Agreed now that it’s Week 16.
>
> But they really should have looked at some veteran QBs a few weeks earlier when they were still in the wild card hunt. I know they put a waiver wire bid on Orton, but they didn’t do much more than that. That’s a major front office and/or coaching gaffe.
Nah, the gaffe happened back in August. They should have had a better option than Hanie and Enderle at the start of the season. They should have traded for Orton before the deadline, the Broncos probably would have settled for a 6th round pick. The issue is the lack of foresight. Martz was apparently correct about Hanie all along. We fans and media bashed him for the Todd Collins decision last year (rightfully so, but for the wrong reasons) and Hanie duped us with a strong 2nd half in the NFC title game. Martz knew better to his credit, but he wasn’t able to get Angelo to help him out. They let the Dan Lefevour gaffe poison their decision making with Enderle. Having one developmental project QB is smart, having 2 isn’t when you’re expecting to compete for a playoff bid. You need to enter the season with a C- veteran to hold down the fort.
McNabb was AWFUL. Favre is a joke. Garcia, Delhomme and Clemons are out of work for a reason. As bad as Hanie was, he at least had a shred of potential, those guys have proven themselves to be train wrecks.
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### Author:  [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2011, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-16/606937/15 "2011-12-21T21:23:06Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#):
>
> I can’t wait to go cheer on my Bengals with 29,999 of my closest fan friends at Paul Brown stadium against the Cardinals. Big game for both teams.
That was a masterpiece of bitterness.
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### Author:  [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2011, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-16/606937/16 "2011-12-22T02:37:30Z")
> [@Death\_of\_Rats](#):
>
> I am going to go out on a limb here and say that a hobbled Big Ben give the greatest ass-kicking by a one-legged man ever against the pathetic remains of what used to be the St. Louis Rams.
Spagnuolo will be gone on January 2, if for no other reason than that he hired McDaniels who has destroyed Bradford’s progress.
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### Author:  [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2011, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-16/606937/17 "2011-12-22T03:20:27Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#):
>
> Houston signed Kellen Clemens (before releasing him), Jeff Garcia, and Jake Delhomme, in case of injury (good idea, as Leinart went down) or if Yates didn’t work out. In their case, the rookie worked out, but I have few doubts those veterans could have made perfectly good caretakers otherwise.
>
> It wouldn’t have been a horrible idea for the Bears to get a veteran to run the scout team, at least, and maybe give the rookie a few pointers.
Its hard to not believe that a huge part of Yates’ success is the fact that they probably have the best running back tandem in the NFL (along with a very good defense)…something that likely would have mitigated Hanie’s performance had Forte not succumbed to injury.
> [@Omniscient](#):
>
> Nah, the gaffe happened back in August. They should have had a better option than Hanie and Enderle at the start of the season. They should have traded for Orton before the deadline, the Broncos probably would have settled for a 6th round pick. The issue is the lack of foresight. Martz was apparently correct about Hanie all along. We fans and media bashed him for the Todd Collins decision last year (rightfully so, but for the wrong reasons) and Hanie duped us with a strong 2nd half in the NFC title game. Martz knew better to his credit, but he wasn’t able to get Angelo to help him out. They let the Dan Lefevour gaffe poison their decision making with Enderle. Having one developmental project QB is smart, having 2 isn’t when you’re expecting to compete for a playoff bid. You need to enter the season with a C- veteran to hold down the fort.
>
> McNabb was AWFUL. Favre is a joke. Garcia, Delhomme and Clemons are out of work for a reason. As bad as Hanie was, he at least had a shred of potential, those guys have proven themselves to be train wrecks.
This QB lack of foresight you mention…hasn’t this been a recurring theme for the Bears for…ever?
> [@Drain\_Bead](#):
>
> That was a masterpiece of bitterness.
I am so tickled someone noticed. My team has legit playoff chances and the games are all blacked out. Funny. Bengals fans are still morosely clinging to the negativity associated with the “dark era” from about 1992-2003, blithely ignoring the fact that the team has been about .500 or so since then. And this in the era of parity and “what have you done for me lately”. Under Marvin Lewis they have at least been mostly competitive and at times really fun to watch (like most of this season, and in 2005, 2006 and again in 2009) but nobody in this backwater town wants to support the team anymore because its always “Mike Brown is teh suxxors!!!1111”. Buncha nancies.
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### Author:  [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2011, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-16/606937/18 "2011-12-22T03:34:27Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#):
>
> This QB lack of foresight you mention…hasn’t this been a recurring theme for the Bears for…ever?
No no no. The Bears have never had the foresight to get a starting QB. I’m talking about backups, completely different.
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### Author:  [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2011, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-16/606937/19 "2011-12-22T03:52:38Z")
> [@Omniscient](#):
>
> No no no. The Bears have never had the foresight to get a starting QB. I’m talking about backups, completely different.
Couldn’t the same lack of foresight in drafting a quality starter also bleed over into having a quality backup QB? Why have the Bears been so horrible at QB, starter or otherwise, for so damn long? And why can they not ever seem to get a really good wideout? Maybe you guys should hire Matt Millen.
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### Author:  [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2011, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-week-16/606937/20 "2011-12-22T04:55:17Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#):
>
> Its hard to not believe that a huge part of Yates’ success is the fact that they probably have the best running back tandem in the NFL (along with a very good defense)…something that likely would have mitigated Hanie’s performance had Forte not succumbed to injury.
To be sure, this is true. But it’s also true that the way the Panthers beat Yates last week wasn’t by blitzing and pressuring. They played a soft zone and dared him to pass. When he faced pressure (not a bad tactic against inexperienced QBs), he tended to stand tall and deliver strikes, even without Andre Johnson.
I haven’t seen any real sign from Hanie that he can pass the darn ball at a high level.
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