Tag: 2011 NFL Playoffs (Page 13 of 13)

What’s gone wrong for Vick and the Eagles?

Philadelphia Eagles Michael Vick throws a pass in the fourth quarter against the New York Giants at New Meadowlands Stadium in week 15 of the NFL in East Rutherford, New Jersey on December 19, 2010. The Eagles defeated the Giants 38-31. UPI /John Angelillo

Three weeks ago the football world was buzzing about the electrifying Eagles, who are led by their electrifying quarterback, who pumps more electricity into a stadium than an electric generator.

But lately the high-flying Eagles have been grounded. After scoring 28 points in 7:28 to shock the Giants in Week 15, they’ve managed just 27 points in the past eight quarters against doormats like the Vikings and Cowboys.

Suddenly, Andy Reid’s squad looks rather vulnerable.

What happened? For starters, Michael Vick traded in his Superman cape for one of Batman’s yellow Speedos. (What?) After not throwing an interception in over 200 attempts, he’s thrown at least one pick in his last five starts and six in total. Granted, the Eagles still went 3-2 over that span and he has thrown 10 touchdowns to go along with those six picks, but he clearly isn’t the same invincible player he was earlier this season.

And really, that was to be expected. Nobody outside of Tom Brady could sustain the numbers that Vick was putting up earlier in the year. The law of averages were bound to catch up with him, which they eventually did. The bigger problem is that he’s taking too many hits and he’s failing to diagnose where opponents are blitzing.

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Seahawks prove that there’s a need for the NFL to re-seed

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll looks up at the game clock in the fourth quarter of their game against the New York Giants on Sunday November 7, 2010 at Qwest Field in Seattle. The Giants beat the Seahawks 41-8. (UPI /Jim Bryant)

Throughout the NFL season, I’ve participated in the Washington Post’s NFL panel, “The League.” This week, I was asked for my take on the Seahawks and whether or not they’re the worst team in NFL history to make the playoffs.

Are the 2010-11 version of the Seattle Seahawks the worst playoff team in NFL history? Yes, considering they’re the only team to make the playoffs with a losing record. But that’s not the NFL’s biggest problem when it comes to its current playoff structure.

The Seahawks won’t be the only host team with a worse record than their opponent this weekend. Look at the schedule: The 10-6 Colts are hosting the 11-5 Jets, the 10-6 Chiefs are hosting the 12-4 Ravens and yes, the 7-9 Seahawks are hosting the 11-5 Saints.

I have no problem with the four division winners making the playoffs. “>Do I think it’s elephant dung that the 10-win Giants and Bucs didn’t make the playoffs and the 7-9 Seahawks did? Absolutely. This is the first time since 1991 that a pair of 10-6 teams will miss the playoffs, all while a 7-9 team gets in. That’s not fair but sorry, that’s just the luck of the draw.

But for the love of football man, can we get Roger Goodell to re-seed the playoffs after the regular season?

Seattle has proved that just because a team wins its lousy division doesn’t mean it earned the right to host a playoff game. The NFL wants to reward the four teams that win their division, which is fine – I’m on board with that. But it’s ridiculous that a team like the Ravens (a legit Super Bowl contender) will be on the road this weekend when the Seahawks play at home.

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This isn’t going to make Giants or Bucs fans any happier…

Seattle Seahawks’ head coach Pete Carroll makes a point to his quarterback Charlie Whitehurst in the third quarter of the NFL’s Western Division Championship game on Sunday January 2, 2011 at Qwest Field in Seattle. The Seahawks beat the Rams 16-6. (UPI /Jim Bryant)

Jeff Sagarin publishes computer rankings for many different sports, including the NFL. Here is where he has the 12 playoff teams (plus the Bucs and G-Men) ranked this season.

1. New England (33.34)
2. Green Bay (30.64)
3. Pittsburgh (30.17)
4. Baltimore (26.30)
5. Atlanta (25.80)
6. NY Jets (25.19)

8. Philadelphia (23.91)
9. Chicago (23.79)
10. NY Giants (23.30)
11. Indianapolis (23.01)
12. New Orleans (22.89)

15. Tampa Bay (20.24)

18. Kansas City (19.06)

30. Seattle (11.55)

Next to each team name you’ll find Sagarin’s ‘pure points’ in parenthesis. Typically, oddsmakers will use the difference between each team’s number as a starting point when setting the line for the game.

Sagarin’s model says there are only two teams worse than Seattle this season: Arizona and Carolina.

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