Romomentum: Can the Dallas Cowboys Contend This Postseason?

We have all heard the headlines about the Dallas Cowboys’ struggles in December and going into the postseason, and we all remember Tony Romo’s botched snap that ousted the team from the playoffs.

Tony Romo is a guy that is easy to love and easy to hate.

On one hand, he is the pretty boy that dates hot celebrity women, so it’s easy for guys to hate him for his glamorous life off the field. 

But as a sports fan, it’s hard not to like this guy.  He is a leader, does and says all the right things, and, with the exception of Terrell Owens, most people would agree that he is a great teammate. 

For these reasons, Cowboys fans want this guy to succeed and remain the face of their franchise.

They also want him to bring another championship home to adorn their new billion-dollar facility.  No one wants this worse than the guy that paid for that stadium, Jerry Jones.

Could this be the year?

I believe it is. 

This season, Tony Romo has been the picture of consistency.

Since Week 12 against Oakland, Romo has led the Cowboys to a 4-2 record and has had an average passer rating of 106.9. 

He has also averaged 309 yards per game in this stretch and quieted doubters that said he could not win in December.

Sunday’s absolute destruction of the Philadelphia Eagles 24-0 showed that Romo and his Cowboys are ready for the playoffs.

Unfortunately for Dallas, they have to play that same Eagle team this week, and beating the same team twice is a tough thing to do in the National Football League.

The Eagles will undoubtedly come back to Jerry World with a chip on their shoulders, but unless they can get more pressure on Romo, the results may be the same. 

Philadelphia’s lack of pressure on Romo allowed the Dallas quarterback to throw for 311 yards, two touchdowns, and a passer rating of 106.4.

Look for Romo and the Cowboys to come out slinging again this weekend, and look for them to ride this momentum deep into the playoffs, maybe even to Miami.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Sanchez’s Unimpressive Rookie Season Fogs Up a Bright Future For Jets

History will remember Mark Sanchez as the rookie quarterback who led the Jets to the playoffs for the first time in three years.

 

However, had they faced the Colts a couple months earlier, or any of their Wild Card competition done their jobs down the stretch, he would be remembered in a much different light: the only quarterback of a team that didn’t make the playoffs with a number one rush offense and best overall defense.

 

After the Jets flip-flopped draft slots with the head coach that had been run out of town, it appeared Mark Sanchez had landed a dream job. The quarterback who played his ball in Hollywood would go across the country to a team that boasted the AFC’s leading rusher from the previous season and a talented defense that was inherited by a defensive mastermind.

 

Not many quarterbacks selected in the top five find themselves in that type of situation. Couple that with the fact that the quarterback taken four slots ahead of him was starting for a team that hadn’t won in over a year, and Sanchez had plenty to be thankful for.

 

Following an off-season full of promises and declarations from the head man and his ball players, Sanchez and the Jets cruised to a smooth start, winning their first three. Although not the focal point of the hot start, Sanchez was throwing the ball efficiently, compiling four touchdowns to just two interceptions.

 

That’s when things started to become crazy for the rookie. After a hiccup for the Jets defense at Miami, Sanchez self-destructed for the first time in New Orleans.

 

Against a pass defense that has proven to be soft over the past two months, he gave the Saints fourteen points with a pick six thrown in the red zone, and a costly fumble in the end zone on a play in which the ball should have been out of his hands much sooner.

 

Of course, mistakes such as those are to be expected early in a quarterback’s rookie season.

 

The problem is the mistakes remained prominent throughout the next three months. And the only reason the problems appeared to have been addressed is because of a corny color system instituted by a desperate coach following a five game losing streak.

 

But the reality is Sanchez hasn’t had the opportunities to make mistakes. Despite unequivocally having the league’s most dominant rushing attack, Sanchez played so poorly the last three months that his coach did anything to avoid putting the ball in the kid’s hands in games 15 and 16, one of which in a dome against a backup defense.

 

It’s gotten to the point where a wide receiver playing quarterback attracts more respect from a defense than a three-step drop by Sanchez.

 

Last night, Cris Collinsworth astutely pointed out that there was no quarterback in the league touched less than Sanchez. His defense is ranked number one in the league, and his team has rarely trailed by more than a touchdown during the course of the season. Yet he has still thrown 20 picks and played poorly enough to provoke his coach to move forward without Sanchez being an important part of the game plan.

 

Imagine if the Lions had a change of heart on draft day and deemed Sanchez their man going forward? I don’t think thirty interceptions would be out of the question. Seriously.

 

It’s not the mistakes that should have the Jets pessimistic about his 2009 performance, but other aspects of the game. Many correlate great quarterbacks with having the “it” factor, a label is likely associated with the quarterback’s ability to take over a game or lead a miraculous comeback.

 

Has Sanchez done anything to show that he has “it?” In only one game this year has he had to drive the Jets to a touchdown or they would lose, and it came at home against the Dolphins. He actually was playing well that day, and they managed to move the ball inside the red zone. But he was unable to complete the drive, and ultimately turned the ball over on downs.

 

Another instance in which the Jets needed Sanchez to lead a comeback was against the Falcons just a few weeks ago. It would have been an unspectacular comeback had he even pulled it off. A minute and a half left, two time outs, a suspect secondary, and about fifty yards to get into field goal range.

 

Still, he throws a ball right into the gut of the Falcons defensive back before he can accumulate one first down.

 

His immaturity is open for criticism, too. His demeanor following personal failure has already been reprimanded, which is a problem in itself. But everything else about him reeks of childishness.

 

Eating the hot dog on the sidelines has been ridiculed enough so I won’t go into further detail regarding that one. Even though I still don’t get what was going through his mind when he did it. A stomachache? C’mon man.

 

I’ve noticed that after the majority of his completions this season he’s run up to the receiver on the other end to give him a hi-five. Apologists would call that leadership, but I don’t think professionals look highly on that type of behavior.

 

Actually, if you look back to the second Bills game, Sanchez ran all the way down the field to meet with Braylon Edwards after his awful drop to console him. The Jets were unable to get the next snap off before the play clock expired and took a five-yard penalty.

 

This observation is petty, but trivial criticisms of New York quarterbacks are all part of it. After a nine-yard pass (nine yards!) to Dustin Keller on Sunday night, Sanchez ran up to Keller and did a pound it then explode with his tight end. Seriously? I thought that stuff stopped being cool after high school graduation.

 

Listen, I understand that he’s a rookie quarterback. And an unusually younger one at that. But in a quarterback driven league, it may not matter how well the Jets can run the ball. The AFC still goes through the likes of Rivers, Brady, and Manning, and Sanchez will have to step up his game if the Jets want to supplant them down the road.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

NFL Pre-Season Week Five: Why NFL Week 17 Is Now the Fifth Preseason Game

For many years we have watched the NFL season go through its 17 week progression, and seemingly every year a hot button issue will come up that causes a bit of controversy.  It has been widely known that week 17 in the NFL was a hit or miss scenario in terms of starters playing or sitting depending on the teams situation.

The controversy was amped up this year when the Colts sat their starters in week 16, giving up on the chance to have an undefeated record.  Now many articles have written about whether the Colts were right wrong, that issue is in the past and they will be judged on what happens to them in the playoffs.

Week 17 in the NFL has become preseason week five, were we get to see the dust taken off of players like Billy Volek, Curtis Painter, and J.T. O’Sullivan.  It’s the preseason all over again, and sure you have some teams that don’t roll out the backups because they do have something to play for.  There are several reasons why this is bad for the NFL, and Roger Goodell knows full well that this is a problem he needs to address.

This week during the Steelers vs. Dolphins game Goodell was interviewed, and said that he wants the competition committee to look at this issue and see if they can come up with a solution.  He is even floating incentives like extra draft picks for teams to play their starters, as he does not believe he can punish teams for doing it and I agree with him in that regard.

The reason this is a big issue stems from the fact that preseason games are labeled just that: preseason.  So when a fan attends the game they expect to see Charlie Whitehurst, Mark Brunell, and Brian Hoyer in the game.  But they pay full price for expensive tickets to see an NFL regular season game, and they show up and see all the backups playing and the stars on the sideline with their arms folded.

I know that many will say the fans should know it’s week 17 and there is a chance the starters will not play, but what about people who may be Redskins fans that live in San Diego and they purchased tickets for the week 17 game at the beginning of the season.  They wait all year too see Phillip Rivers and company come to Houston so they can see them play, and they show up and get Billy Volek instead.

This is against the whole spirit of competition, and the fact that season ticket holders are getting ripped off for a game that season.  With the cost of tickets and PSL’s (personal seat licenses) added on top of that, should the team not put their best on the field every game? 

Many will point to the Wes Welker injury from this past Sunday, and say that’s why you rest your starters to avoid injury.  That reasoning does not hold much weight, injuries are part of the game, and part of the reason we love the NFL so much.  I wonder how many times over the last 20 seasons anyone can name players who were seriously injured in a meaningless week 17 game?  I would gather to say it is less than the number who did not get injured, so the odds are that players will not get hurt.

It is impossible to predict when injuries are going to happen both on and off the field, but those players are paid to be on the field and take all the risks that come with it.  Teams hardly spend time developing backups anymore it seems, they rely so much on their starters that when one of them goes down the team is finished.

Then you have the NY Jets situation where they Colts and Bengals put up less than stellar efforts and put them in the playoffs after even their own coach declared them dead.  During the Colts vs. Jets game you could see the fans wanted them to go for perfection, and the Buffalo game this week was a joke as Colts starters were drinking Coffee on the sidelines.

I think a possible solution to this problem is to schedule all division games over the last nine weeks of the season, that way the division races would be in doubt until later in the year.  Sure teams could still go 14-0 and do the same thing, but most of the time the playoff picture does not start to shape up until most of the division races have concluded.

It will be interesting to see what the competition committee comes up with, but I doubt it will be anything substantial that will solve this problem.  With the NFL talking about expanding to 18 games the problem will only get worse, as coaches will have to find a way to get their players through more grueling weeks of games without much of a break.

Maybe I am in the minority that sees this as a problem, but watching the final week of the season is always potluck and with regional telecasts you can’t choose to watch the “good” game unless you have Direct TV.  If I spend time and money to watch an NFL game I want to see NFL football, and not a watered down game where one team could care less if they win or lose.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

NFC Power Rankings: Final Regular Season Rankings

1. Saints (13-3)

They earned a bye week, but they basically took off the last two weeks of the season. Don’t be surprised if the Saints start off rusty in their first playoff game, especially since they have a history of starting games off slowly. They are still the favorite to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, but the margin is much much closer than originally thought. (Last Week: 1)

2. Vikings (12-4)

The Vikings absolutely dominated the Giants, which is a good sign, even though the Giants had become a pushover by the end of the season. Favre was hitting his receivers and letting them make plays. As long as Favre and Adrian Peterson are healthy, this team has a great shot to make the Super Bowl. Antoine Winfield needs to get fully healthy. (5)

3. Packers (11-5)

If not for the freak Roethlisberger touchdown as time expired in Week 16, this team would be heading into the playoffs on an eight game winning streak. Even with the loss, they are one of the hottest teams in the land and I would not want to face them this coming week. (3)

4. Cowboys (11-5)

With the big win against the Eagles, the Cowboys have successfully shaken off their post-November struggles, finishing the season 3-2. The last time they faced an NFC East team they had swept in the regular season was against the Giants in 2007, and we all remember what happened there. (6)

5. Eagles (11-5)

With all of their offensive players back healthy, the Eagles laid an egg in Cowboy Stadium. Fortunately, they get a chance to wash away their sins with a rematch this week. Expect a much closer game. (2)

6. Cardinals (10-6)

Did the Cardinals limp their way into the playoffs again, or did they strategically bomb knowing they would face the Packers again this week? Either way, I wouldn’t look too much into their late-season swoon, as they basically did the same thing last season. (4)

7. Panthers (8-8)

DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart became the first duo to each rush for 1,100 yards in a season. With a healthy Steve Smith next season, this team is ready to become one of the forces in the NFC once again. They’ll go as far as new QB Matt Moore can take them. (7)

8. Falcons (9-7)

The only NFC team with a winning record not in the playoffs. The Falcons finished the season strong and I expect them to be in the hunt again next year. Fans have to be happy with the way they competed down the stretch, but they can’t help but be bitter that a couple of key injuries are what kept them out of the playoffs. (9)

 

9. 49ers (8-8)

Congratulations to Vernon Davis for tying Antonio Gates’ record of 13 receiving touchdowns for a tight end. He combines with Michael Crabtree to form a dynamic young receiving duo. (10)

 

10. Giants (8-8)

Could they beat a Pop Warner team right now? Depends if that Pop Warner team is headed for the playoffs. The Giants were 2-7 against playoff teams and 6-1 against non-playoff teams. (8)

11. Bears (7-9)

Jay Cutler finished the season strong (eight touchdowns, one interception in last two games), giving fans reason to be optimistic. With an improved Cutler and a healthy Brian Urlacher, the Bears could help make the NFC North one of football’s best divisions next season. (11)

12. Redskins (4-12)

The Jim Zorn era is over, but as long as Daniel Snyder continues his ADD ownership style, things won’t get much better. The organization needs some stability. (12)

13. Seahawks (5-11)

By losing four straight to end the season, the Seahawks have given themselves another top 10 pick in the upcoming draft. This might be the offseason that they decide to rebuild, and they’ll have to think long and hard about going in a different direction at quarterback. (13)

14. Buccaneers (3-13)

They have a couple of good young pieces, but this roster is a long way away from competing again. (14)

15. Lions (2-14)

It turned out that the only thing keeping the 2009 Rams from duplicating the 2008 Lions’ winless season was the 2009 Lions. (15)

 

16. Rams (1-15)

The most cliche way to end an end-of-season power rankings is to simply say, “the St. Louis Rams are now on the clock.” And that’s just fine with me. (16)

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Houston Texans’ First Winning Season: Reason To Celebrate?

Before we get started, let me ask you to excuse my lack of writing recently.  I started a new job and had my wisdom teeth pulled. 

These were both very positive changes in my life, but didn’t leave me much time to write about our beloved Houston Texans.

With that being said, let’s get back to business. 

Should we celebrate the team’s first winning season? 

Absolutely, we should!  This is a team who has never been more than 8-8.  One game above that, while it ends short of the playoffs, is a 9-7 season worth celebrating. 

In the spirit of the New Year and the team’s (relative) success, let’s take a moment to look at the positives that came out of this season.

Matt Schaub was able to play a full season and led the NFL in passing yards.  This is (hopefully) a major development for Schaub.  He is emerging as a leader for this young team and his stats certainly back up a claim that is among the elite in the game.

Andre Johnson continues to amaze.  If Andre isn’t the best receiver in the NFL, he’s on a very short list.  I suppose cases could be made for Larry Fitzgerald or Randy Moss, but I’m partial to AJ.

Arian Foster emerged late in the season as a viable option in the backfield.  Is he a franchise back?  No.  He could be part of an effective rotation with Steve Slaton, however.  More on Slaton later.

The team was able to survive the loss of Owen Daniels.  Joel Dreessen stepped up, as did Kevin Walter, Jacoby Jones and David Anderson.  Daniels should be locked up long term but the Texans proved they can move the ball without him.  He certainly makes them better, but his absence is not crippling.

On the other side of the ball, rookie Brian Cushing showed why he was taken so early in the draft.  I don’t need to list his stats to prove his worth to the team.  He brings an attitude and toughness to a team that needs more of both. Simply put, if he’s not Defensive Rookie of the Year, the award becomes as big a joke as the Heisman Trophy to me.

DeMeco Ryans was re-energized by Cushing’s emergence.  Along with Zac Diles, the Texans have a trio of young and talented linebackers to lead the defense well into the next decade.

Bernard Pollard, claimed on waivers, was nothing short of a miracle.  He also brought toughness and tenacity to the Texans.  Without a doubt, Pollard is the best safety the Texans have ever had.  He must be locked up for the future.

Finally, Gary Kubiak demonstrated he deserves another season at the helm for the Texans.  I’m still not convinced he’s the best coach for the team, but he deserves another year to show what he can do. 

His offensive scheming is top notch (in the first half at least and unless he takes his foot off the gas).  He still makes errors in time management and challenges, but I’m no longer at the forefront of the “Fire Gary Kubiak” chant.  He can and must do better and should be allowed another season to show his mettle.

While there was plenty to be happy about, there were some, well, less than stellar developments this season.

Kicker Kris Brown, a life long Texan, is simply lost.  He led the NFL in missed kicks and is no longer reliable.  Hell, he even shanked a PAT in Week 17’s victory over New England.  A replacement kicker must be brought in.  I don’t have to tell you about missed opportunities in the kicking game.

Running backs Chris Brown and Ryan Moats are not NFL caliber players.  If somebody tells you differently, immediately question their knowledge of football.  Sure, they’ve shown flashes (brief flashes), but they cannot be counted on to hang onto the ball and score touchdowns.  This is not debatable.

Dunta Robinson is a shell of the player he once was.  He used to be aggressive in run support and as close to a lock down corner could exist in today’s NFL.  Today, he flails at run support and can’t cover any decent receivers. 

It’s too bad.  Dunta was once the heart and soul of the defense.  Now, he’s the appendix.  He brings nothing to the table and must be removed.  It’s honestly sad but true.

On defense, a top notch corner must be brought in to shore up the pass defense and a space eating defensive tackle must be acquired to help in the running game in the off season.  On the other side of the ball, more talent and size in the interior offensive line and at running back must be found.  

Finally, the most important lesson that the Texans must learn is to take care of business. 

They can’t lose five out of eight home games. They can’t lose four division games in a row. 

They can’t show up flat. They have to play four quarters.

My grandfather always told me that the best help is self help.  While his intention was to teach me to be self-motivated, the Texans must take lesson to heart.

The Texans can’t place blame on the Bengals for keeping them out of the playoffs. 

Take care of business and don’t rely on anyone else to help you get to the dance.  That’s what the most important lesson must be. 

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Steelers/Week 17: End of Season, End of Era?

Here’s my take on the Steelers’ 27-24 victory against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday afternoon:

1. Rejoice, Steelers World, you can tell your grandkids that you witnessed the biggest letdown season in franchise history!

Well, name a bigger one then.

In 2006, the Steelers tanked as the defending Super Bowl champions, but this season ranks worse than that one. A lot worse.

The ‘06 team opened the season with a lame-duck head coach (Bill Cowher) and a quarterback (Ben Roethlisberger) with physical issues. The ’09 team started the season with no such problems, unless you count Big Ben’s legal controversy, which appeared to have no effect on the field.

Not only that, but this team had a bunch of Twinkies and Ho Hos on its schedule.

The 1995, 2001 and 2004 teams are on the short list, but for as many hearts as they broke, at least they advanced to the postseason. What did this one accomplish except a lot of anger and frustration and lousy football?  

I mean, this season was so godawful that Steelers World was forced to root for the Oakland Raiders on the final day of the regular season.

Yuck.

2. Sorry, but I don’t see any quick fixes here, either.  Like the ‘Burgh itself, the Steelers organization is slow and methodical, not quick and aggressive, salary cap or no salary cap.

This is an ancient team whose best days are behind it. I’ll be surprised if it finishes better than 8-8 next season.

3. I hold general manager Kevin Colbert responsible for this nightmare of a season.

Colbert also brought back the same nucleus for a year ago. Bad idea. Championship teams don’t repeat with the same guys nowadays, especially ones that have a bunch of 30-somethings on their rosters.

If course, the one guy he should have brought back, cornerback Bryant McFadden, he allowed to walk out the free-agent door.  

4. I hold Mike Tomlin responsible for what happened this season.

When a plane is on autopilot like the Steelers were last season, it’s easy to navigate. But when it hits turbulence, it takes experience and know-how to steer clear of trouble. Clearly, Tomlin didn’t have the experience and know-how to handle the kind of problems that confronted his team this season.

The head coach talked a good game, anyway.

5. I hold the players responsible for what happened this season.

This team had too many fat cats at the start of the season. (Yeah, that includes you, LaMarr Woodley.) There’s no excuse to lack motivation, especially when you’re the defending champs.

6. Can’t say enough good things about Roethlisberger, the one guy who held up his part of the deal throughout the season. When he drove the team to a late field goal despite a limp right arm, I thought that John Wayne had made a comeback.

Forget talent level. If everyone displayed the grit and determination that Big Ben did this season, then this team would be headed to the playoffs right now.

7. Why anyone outside of family, friends and opponents would want linebacker James Farrior and cornerback Deshea Townsend on the field in obvious pass situations beats the hell out of me. They killed the defense on third down time after time after time.

I mean, if you’re gonna get toasted, better to get toasted with young guys who at least will gain experience from it.

8. The company line was that Willie Parker had lost a step because of injuries, but in what may have been his final game in black and gold, Fast Willie put up 91 yards in 12 carries and didn’t look slow to me.

Parker and Tomlin had a personality clash, but ego shouldn’t interfere with the best interests of the team. Parker should have touched the ball a half-dozen times every game. Minimum.

9. I understand the urgency to get Rashard Mendenhall more involved, but the kid was handed the third-down job even though he wasn’t ready for it.

In the last two games, Mendenhall dropped one sure TD pass and botched another because he wasn’t aware of the sideline.

Meanwhile, the guy who would have been ideal for the role sat and watched the entire season. Stefan Logan is his name.

10. Congrats to shoulda-been Steelers head coach Ken Whisenhunt, who guided the Arizona Cardinals to the playoffs for the second time in as many seasons.

History says that one of the Super Bowl teams fail to make the playoffs the next year, but who would have thunk that the Steelers would be it?

(For the final Steelers grades and analysis, see Paul Ladewski’s story in Bleacher Report on Tuesday.)

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Denver Broncos Season Recap: Josh McDaniels Should Be Working at McDonalds

At first glance, it looked like Josh McDaniels really didn’t need Jay Cutler after the Broncos started the season at 6-0.

However, now we know McDaniels is 100% responsible for the Broncos’ tumble out of the playoff race. The Broncos’ record over the last 10 games was a miserable 2-8.

How could so much change so quickly in the Mile High City?

It’s simple. McDaniels was overconfident in his ability to beat any team at any time. He was quoted saying that his team could always find a way to beat any team.

But then McDaniels’ offense began to show signs of weakness. McDaniels’ weird decision to sit Orton for the start of a big game against San Diego and then insert him into the lineup after Chris Simms spotted the Chargers a 10-0 lead was indicative of the questionable offensive decisions that cost the Broncos a playoff berth.

 

Defensive Coordinator Mike Nolan was the real reason for the tremendous start to the season. He took a gutty group of veterans in the secondary and mixed them with a lot of youth and talent in a new 3-4 defense to confuse opposing offenses.

McDaniels got way too much credit too early for their good start and now his reputation in Denver is being questioned, again. Jay Cutler was spot on in his displeasure of McDaniels attempting to trade him. It was obvious McDaniels wanted his way regardless of his decisions’ effect on the team.

Cutler was one of the most coveted young quarterbacks in the league heading into this season. Mike Shanahan had worked with Cutler and the Vandy product was finally beginning to really understand the West Coast offense before Shanahan was canned by owner Pat Bowlen. 

Cutler was a Pro Bowl quarterback during the 2008 season. But McDaniels wanted Matt Cassel on his team because of their working relationship in New England, and he knew that Bill Belichick was going to trade him.

It was a very childish move on McDaniels’ part to attempt to trade a talented quarterback such as Cutler as soon as he was hired as head coach. A new coach should be looking to earn the respect and work with his Pro-Bowl quarterback, not going behind his back and talking with his former organization.

After this past week in which he suspended his best two pass catchers on the team, I officially believe his ego has cost Denver this season.  Other coaches in this league deal with giant locker-room egos and figure out a way to talk things out without a suspension.

In this case, McDaniels suspended Brandon Marshall and Tony Scheffler because they were not in the same mind set that he was. Marshall was injured and McDaniels pretty much called him soft in an interview with the Denver Post. As a result, Marshall was benched, which was a huge factor in the Broncos season-ending loss to Kansas City.

The Scheffler suspension was reportedly for “attitude reasons”. Tony Scheffler has long been a great threat as a tight end for Denver and was also one of Jay Cutler’s best friends. It is not surprising that he was the other person suspended for the game. He has probably been heated with the coach since the whole Cutler fiasco and it spiraled out of control after the Philadelphia loss. Scheffler has been lost in McDaniels offense and has not had nearly the amount of chances he saw in Shanahan’s schemes.

In the end, it looks like Pat Bowlen got brainwashed by McDaniels in his interview to become coach of the Broncos.

And if you thought the backlash in Denver was bad when they traded away Cutler, wait for the next couple years.

With McDaniels at the helm, these suspensions and locker room scuffles are just going to get worse. This team has collapsed three straight seasons now and that doesn’t look like it’s changing any time soon. Losing to Oakland, San Diego, and Kansas City at home was so embarrassing for Broncos fans and their owner that they really are questioning this coach.

Today, they literally got stomped by a three-win Chiefs team in a must-win, playoff type game. If that isn’t a sign that they should cut this cord immediately than I will never know what is.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

The Five Biggest Surprises of the 2009 NFL Season

With the 2009 NFL regular season ending, I have composed a list of the five biggest surprises this season- both positive and negative. There were certainly more than five surprises this season, I simply selected the five that I thought stood out the most. Let me know what you think. It has been a tremendous regular season and I look forward to what the playoffs have in store.

Begin Slideshow

Beating a Team Three Times in One Season: Easier Done Than Said

All week, you will hear the self-proclaimed experts tell you it is difficult to beat a team three times in one season.

They will sit in their fancy studios and use that logic to explain why the Eagles are going to beat Dallas next weekend.

Clearly, these pundits of prognostication do not have access to the Internet. If they did, they could do some research and realize that since the NFL merger in 1970, the team that won the previous two meetings against its divisional rival has a 12-7 record.

This situation occurred last year when the Pittsburgh Steelers faced the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship.

The Steelers got the best of their divisional foe twice in the regular season by a combined seven points. With a trip to the Super Bowl on the line, the Steelers completed the trifecta and won 23-14.

Yet for some reason, everyone is going to talk about the difficulty of beating a team three times in one year.

Why is it so difficult to complete the sweep? Take last year, for example.

Pittsburgh proved twice they were the better team. They proved it at their place and on the road. So why did people think things were going to be different in the third meeting? The better team typically wins in the NFL, and the 12-7 record that accompanies this situation proves that to be the case.

Imagine if the Minnesota Vikings had to play the Detroit Lions for a third time this year. Would people be talking about the daunting task of Minnesota knocking off an inferior opponent for a third time?

I know, I know. These are playoff teams, and the Lions are the furthest thing from that. But that’s not the point. The point is that if you beat an opponent twice, you have proven your opponent to be inferior. 

Dallas showed everyone they are the better team in both meetings against the Eagles. The Cowboys beat the Eagles 20-16 in Philadelphia on Sunday Night Football at the Linc. They got the best of the Birds once again in the regular season finale 24-0 in Jerry World.

The only interesting piece of information being left out so far is the fact that Dallas has been in this spot twice, and they lost both times.

Back in 1998, when the Arizona Cardinals were in the NFC East, Dallas won both encounters and then they lost at home in the playoffs.

In 2007, the Cowboys tried to complete the three-game sweep against the New York Giants and, once again, they failed at home.

Somehow, teams outside of Dallas have a .706 winning percentage when attempting to beat a team for the third time in one season, yet the Cowboys are 0-2.

That stat puts you right back at the beginning, but it definitely sheds some light on anyone who tries to predict next week’s winner.

It should remind you that when someone says, “The Eagles are going to win because it is too tough to beat a team three times in one year,” make sure you ignore everything else they are saying.

To base a prediction on a game based on something a person believes to be true, even though we now know it is not, shows a lack of research and diminishes one’s credibility.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Falcons-Buccaneers: Tampa Bay Fails To Launch in Season Finale

Surely it was a bit much to ask.

With good tidings and cheer, could it all come to a robust end for the Buccaneers? Could they possibly finish with three straight wins?

The Atlanta Falcons said “NO” with an exclamation point.

There was little firepower from the Buccaneers in chilly Raymond James Stadium on Sunday. Almost none came in the first 30 minutes that sent them stumbling to a 20-10 season-ending loss to the Falcons.

There was no carryover from the marvelous play in New Orleans a week ago.

Sure, it started out right for those Bucs. An Atlanta fumble on the opening kickoff led to a field goal and a 3-0 lead, but that was the extent of the good news in that first half.

Thirty minutes and 52 total yards of offense later, the Bucs trailed 10-3 at the half.

This team showed it has made huge improvements from the season’s first half. Instead of getting blown out, Raheem Morris’ guys worked themselves back into the mix and tied it up with less than 12 minutes left in the game.

Then it was an old problem that resurfaced and doomed the outcome.

You saw the problem as he ran all over the defense in the second half. The problem was Jason Snelling, who had a career day in the process. He ran over and through Raheem’s defense for 147 yards on 25 carries.

It was the Falcons dominating the final 10 minutes to end any hopes of a fourth win.

So these Bucs are done.

They are 3-13, and now the real questions will come.

This interesting, agonizing season will lead to an even more interesting offseason.

Will Morris be the head coach of this team in 2010?

Will Mark Dominik still have a job?

Which players can pack their bags and head elsewhere?

It will all unfold in this new year. And goodness knows 2009 was one rough ride for the Buccaneers. 

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

« Previous Page — Next Page »

NFL Sport Channel Latest

• Just How Far Would You Go?
• Sorry Rex, But It Isn’t Happening
• Super Bowl Predictions: Five Stat-Free Reasons Why the Eagles Will Reach The Super Bowl
• Seahawks Attempt to Turn Corner With Heavy Pursuit of Pete Carroll
• Bill Cowher Unlikely to Coach in 2010