NFL Week 11: Bills throw a Tyrod

If the first pass gets caught, I can take a wild guess on how the rest of the afternoon is going to go.

I'm going to say....... four picks.

Because he sucks.

 

Man - I wouldn't want to be the one who had to tell Ken Norton Jr. he was dismissed as the Raiders DC.

 

At least they don't have to worry about telling his dad.

 

Why? He’s a terrible defensive coordinator.

It was most likely Del Rio or Reggie McKenzie anyway. They’d be alright.

 

He probably would made the one before half, had the Seahawks not gotten cute with the fake.
I had doubts about the Seahawks making the playoffs even with a healthy defense. They might be a wildcard team, if that, but they're not going anywhere.
Gruden made an excellent point on Monday about the Seahawk penalties: in the past they were good enough to overcome penalties and still win. They're simply not good enough now. The Legion of Boom is living more on reputation than recent on-field play.

 

Seeing the slow decline of teams like the Seahawks and the Packers, Ravens too - makes you really appreciate how the Patriots have remained so strong for so long given the draft disadvantages better teams face year after year. Sure the AFC East has meant six winnable games for the Pats, but they've played a first place schedule (meaning at least four of the previous year's division champs) the last eight years and 14 of the last 16, and turned over 99 percent of their roster in that time.

Also amazing - how the Browns have never been able to get off the mat despite having every draft advantage year after year. I think they would be wise to hire "Auto-pick" as their next GM or maybe do the world a favor and just go with Mel Kiper's BigBoard.

 

Dan, the reason the Pats remain on top is simple. Tom Brady. Give him to Rich Kotite he has multiple Super Bowls.

 

They went 10-5 with Matt Cassel! They wouldn't be as good without Brady, but I think they would still win the division with a 90+ QB.

 

No, that simply isn't true. It's not Brady. It's not Belichick. It's the combination of the two. They both seem to prepare better than anyone else. They adapt better than anyone else. They execute better than anyone else.

To say it has all been Brady would be to say it has been mostly the offense, which also isn't true. The Patriots have had some outstanding defenses during this run. Hell, it was the defense that really led the way during their first Super Bowl run. Well, that and the tuck rule. Brady barely even contributed in the AFC Championship game that year. He struggled and was knocked out with an injury. Drew Bledsoe was taking the snaps on the only offensive touchdown drive and the special teams contributed two touchdowns to win it.

 

Have the Packers really declined? They seemed like they were in fine shape to contend until Rodgers got hurt.

 

Their defense has been suspect the last few years.

 

I think they have been in decline for a while and Rodgers heroics masked their problems. They've had six different players elected starters to the Pro Bowl in the last eight years. They only have three left on the roster (Rodgers, Cobb and Matthews). Dix and Matthews are the only top picks in the last eight years to make a Pro Bowl. Datone Jones and Derock Sherod are the street. I also think their division has been pretty weak in that time as the coaching turnover (3 for the Bears, 2 for the Vikings, 2 for the Lions) is evidence of that.

I'm also a big believer in the wider notion that since the free agent era, most teams/GMs mostly think about winning a division title and where they fit in to that (in all sports). You often see a division getting very competitive very quickly, while other divisions decline because a GM won't feel the need to break the bank for a great player because they are already have the best roster in the division. Sometimes you'll see a team grab a player specifically for a potential post-season match-up or to thwart another top team from getting better.
The greatest teams are the exception. The 49ers and Cowboys of the 80s and 90s (yeah, they cheated the cap), the current Warriors, the Yankees (of course they have a bigger bank and won't come close to breaking it), the Lakers of varying eras, the Phillies Four Aces.
In the NFL I think this has led to mediocrity since most GMs can look at their roster and honestly say "we have a shot to make the playoffs provided we stay healthy."