NFL 2013 (Divisional Round) or defending Peyton's Place

[Jabronius Maximus]

So Keenan Allen gets the PFWA offensive ROY, and Eddie Lacy gets the overall ROY. How does this work?

I think it's the first year for the overall ROY award given by the PFWA; it was just O and D rookie awards before. I would think it's like the MVP vs offensive POY or something like that, but I don't see the need for yet another rookie award :dunno:

Edit: and lookie here now, it's the Insuffera-Bowl!

Strange that they didn't mention Carroll's gum chomping in that story, I thought that was a golden opportunity

Oh and Chris Chase sucks. I just thought the title he gave to the 49ers-Hawks game was pretty cool.

[Jace, Extat]

The awards show is on?

[Fez]

Some pretty damning reporting here about the lead attorneys for the retired NFL players, and now some of the other players' attorneys have come out strongly against the deal now saying they'll recommend that their clients reject the settlement even if it ultimately approved.

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

Edit: and lookie here now, it's the Insuffera-Bowl!

Eh...

http://s1336.photobucket.com/user/Lumpy67/media/HatersgonHate_zps9b291f2a.jpg.html

[Jabronius Maximus]

Eh...

http://s1336.photobucket.com/user/Lumpy67/media/HatersgonHate_zps9b291f2a.jpg.html

Meh, it's Chris Chase, what did you expect? He says Harbaugh 'wears turtlenecks tucked into pleated khakhis.' ZING

[Jace, Extat]

Glad that settlement is being shut down. I'm not fully knowledgeable on everything involved, but it seemed pretty clear that the former players were getting shat on.

Lions are fucked. Caldwell is about as useful as a head coach who doesn't understand the game.

Broncs are my favorites. Both spiritually, and ecumenically.

Russell must be great vs San Fran. No more restricted offense, no more playing it safe, unleash him. And then we will see.

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

Russell must be great vs San Fran. No more restricted offense, no more playing it safe, unleash him. And then we will see.

That would probably give the Niners their best chance at winning. I have a feeling that this game will hinge on a big turnover. I see both offenses going conservative until they absolutely can't afford to be.

[Littlefingers In The Air]

I'm on the opposite side of the fence regarding the 'Hawks actually. I think the 49ers will play conservatively and expect the 'Hawks to do the same. Wilson will unexpectedly come out slinging and catch the Niners off guard, and the Niners won't be able to force the battle of attrition they'd like to.

[DanteGabriel]

On a side note, Belichick is the best coach as he has a very high floor. Look at the job he did this year and the year Brady was injured. Obviously 5 SB appearances with 3 wins also means that he has the highest of ceilings.

Bellicheck's ceiling, on the other hand, would be somewhere around Jupiter. I think he is the best coach in the NFL. Just look what he was able to do with the team this year and all of the injuries/problems they had.

Do you guys think Belichick deserves Coach of the Year? I understand people are probably ready to give it to Andy Reid based on a 9-win improvement over last year, but he had a roster full of all-stars, a QB position upgraded to consistent competency, and his team basically just beat the teams they were supposed to beat and came up famously small in games that really mattered.

Are the Coach of the Year votes tabulated before the playoffs? Because watching Andy Reid's team give up a 28 point lead to the Colts and then watching Belichick's team throttle that same team should inform that process.

EDIT: Corrected Chiefs' win improvement over last year. Somehow I thought they'd finished 13-3...

[Mexal]

Do you guys think Belichick deserves Coach of the Year? I understand people are probably ready to give it to Andy Reid based on an 11-win improvement over last year, but he had a roster full of all-stars, a QB position upgraded to consistent competency, and his team basically just beat the teams they were supposed to beat and came up famously small in games that really mattered.

I do think this is one of his better coaching years and does deserve the award. I'd hate to see him get it just cause he's evil, but it is deserved.

ETA: Mike Glennon on playing in Seattle. Good stuff.

[Independent George]

I root against the Pats, but I don't have a single bad thing to say about Belichick as a coach. The man is the NFL's most important football mind since Walsh.

[Mexal]

Mike Zimmer hired as HC of the Vikings. Good for him. Couldn't have happened to a better coach. Well deserved. I hope it works out for him and that he gets given the time to have a chance at success.

Anyone know the last time a team lost their OC and DC to Head Coaching jobs in the same season? Closest I can remember is the 2005 Pats but Weis went to ND, not to a NFL HC job. Any others?

ETA: Just saw the answer to my above question. Bengals are 3rd team since 1990 to have both coordinators leave for HC jobs. '06 Chargers and '94 49ers being the other two.

[Rockroi]

Do you guys think Belichick deserves Coach of the Year? I understand people are probably ready to give it to Andy Reid based on a 9-win improvement over last year, but he had a roster full of all-stars, a QB position upgraded to consistent competency, and his team basically just beat the teams they were supposed to beat and came up famously small in games that really mattered.

Are the Coach of the Year votes tabulated before the playoffs? Because watching Andy Reid's team give up a 28 point lead to the Colts and then watching Belichick's team throttle that same team should inform that process.

EDIT: Corrected Chiefs' win improvement over last year. Somehow I thought they'd finished 13-3...

Before we begin, IIRC, all the votes for Coach of the Year, Rookie of the Year, MVP etc are turned in before the playoffs start. So you really cannot use the playoffs at all. Which, I think is bullshit because, well, playoffs are coached too.

I feel like every year when we discuss Coach of the Year (CoY) we have a version of this exact discussion- that Belichick has done so much with X or Y- whether that discussion is "Can you believe what Belichick did that against the Rams with a rookie QB?" or "Going back-to-back Superbowls is really hard" or "Taking the Pats to a 16-0 record" or "Getting to the AFC Championship with that list of no-names and injuries is incredible."

And to each one of those, I agree. If you were to corner any football fan and ask them "What three seasons did Belichick win CoY" you may not get a correct answer. He won CoY in 2003, 2007 and 2010. And I think he should have won in each of those years. But if you told me "Belichick was CoY in 2001, 2004, and 2011" I would probably say that that sounded about right. (I think what trips people up is 2010- the only year listed here where the Pats did NOT make it to the Superbowl... which just sounds fucked). The guy is incredible in doing what he does with what he has.

Take a random year- 2005. The Pats made it to the second round of the playoffs despite missing their best defensive player for half the season (Bruschi was recovering from his stroke ... again, that's a sentence that actually happened; tell me what incredible problems Bill Cowher had to deal with in 2005? Wow, really- because Belichick's best player almost died from a stroke because of a fucking hole in his heart... unless Coher was rescuing babies from a burning hospital, I don't want to hear it) and losing their best DB in the off-season (Ty Law).

Since 2001 the Pats have had the best record, every season, in the AFC East. Even though that includes two seasons where the Pats did not make the playoffs and one season where Bernard Pollard Happened. Yes- for a whole season, the legue believed that Matt Cassell was a very good QB. I can't tell you how miraculous that was.

2013 is no exception in the "How did we do that?" The Pats have not been healthy all season- its started with the loss of Aaron Hernandez to the Dark Side, not having GRonk for the first half of the season then not having him again after a few games; no legit deep threat, loss of the RT, and an avalanche of injuries on the defense, losing Wilfork, Tommy Kelly, Jerrard Mayo and then at the end of the year, Brandon Spikes. Add in nagging injuries to Danny Amendola and Aquib Talib and you can see the bind we were in. Well, on Sunday the Pats will be 60 minutes of football from the Superbowl (and, sadly, that's as close as I think they will get). And its because Belichick can teach guys like Joe Velano, Chris Jones, Marcus Cannon, Lagarrett Blount, Sealver Siliga, and Kenbrell Thompkins how to play football here.

How many of those guys were cast offs, undrafted rookies, or no-names?

Who else could do that?

Yes, I know- as a Brady fanboi I completely agree that having a high caliber QB goes a long way (not many QBs could have engineered those comebacks against the Saints, TExans, Browns and Broncos). And, yes, Belichick has made his fair share of head-scratching decisions (why are you fucking with rushing the kicker when the Jets were goading you into doing just that?). I understand that.

But what Belichcik does year in and year out is a testament to how football should be done. Its not luck, its not some sort of gimmick and it sure as fuck is not having the best payers at every position (that's the Broncos' offense); its all about doing the little things. Preparation, scouting, training, game plans, drilling players on assignments, making players know their roles, etc. While others make excuses (weather, injuries, bad calls by the refs, bad luck, etc) Belichick does as much as he can to put his guys in the best position to win. And nobody has done it longer than him.

On Sunday, two teams will line up to play in the AFC Championship game. And the story will be Brady v. Manning. But another story will be how both these teams had to overcome "adversity." And while I respect John Fox's heart problems, the Broncos' injury problems cannot hold a candle to the Pats' (von Miller included- and when you cheat like him, sorry, but I don't count that as "adversity"). The Patriots did far more this season with far less. And its due to one guy more or less, and that's Darth Hoodie.

Though... I'd never give the guy General Manager of the Year for obvious reasons....

[Rhom]

I root against the Pats, but I don't have a single bad thing to say about Belichick as a coach. The man is the NFL's most important football mind since Walsh.

Hrmmm... I need to challenge this a bit. I agree that Belichick is the best coach in the modern game. However, how would you argue that he's "the most important football mind since Walsh?"

What has Belichick done that would even compare to the mainstreaming of the West Coast offense and its various off-shoots? In 20 years, what aspects of Belichick's "football mind" will still resonate in the game the way Walsh does?

In my opinion, Belichick is singularly spectacular at getting a team organized and ready to play; and he has shown an amazing ability to adapt his approach based on the make up of his team. Indeed, that might be his best contribution to posterity; don't insist on square pegs in round holes! But I don't know that there's anything unique about his approach to the game, I just think he's better at it than anyone else.

[Howdyphillip]

That is great news for the Vikings... I am really glad Zimmer is getting his shot. It is ridiculously long overdue. I wonder if this will breath new life in Jared Allen's career also.

The Bengals just took a bug step backwards though. Any word on who will replace him?

[Rockroi]

Hrmmm... I need to challenge this a bit. I agree that Belichick is the best coach in the modern game. However, how would you argue that he's "the most important football mind since Walsh?"

What has Belichick done that would even compare to the mainstreaming of the West Coast offense and its various off-shoots? In 20 years, what aspects of Belichick's "football mind" will still resonate in the game the way Walsh does?

Well, just to point out- what IG said would still be technically correct insofar as Belichick may not have done anything as revolutionary as the West Coast offense, IG never said he did; he said that nobody has been better SINCE Walsh, thus indicating that what Walsh did was more impressive.

I think Belichcik did something far more impressive, though, and that was managing a team in the salary cap era, something Walsh never had to do. Belichcik brought forth a number of smaller innovations that other teams have tried to emulate (with varying degrees of success) including the bubble screen, limited substitutions and higher-tempo offenses, etc.

[Mexal]

That is great news for the Vikings... I am really glad Zimmer is getting his shot. It is ridiculously long overdue. I wonder if this will breath new life in Jared Allen's career also.

The Bengals just took a bug step backwards though. Any word on who will replace him?

I think Allen is gone. He's getting old and is a FA next season.

Word is Paul Guenther, the current LB coach and molder of Vontaze Burfict, is the front runner for the promotion. I think it's a good, solid hire of an up and coming coach. It'll also provide continuity in the system as Guenther has spent 6 years under Zimmer and Guenther is very familiar with the players strengths and weaknesses. I think we'll be ok and honestly, I'm curious what wrinkles he's able to conjure up.

[White Walker Texas Ranger]

I think adaptability is key to Belichik's success as a head coach. He started out as a defensive coach who favored a 3-4 system with space eating linemen and outside linebackers who spend as much time setting the edge and dropping back in coverage as they do rushing the passer. He's now running some hybrid system that I can't even describe in large part to to changes in personnel. He went from a run first conservative offense to bombs away spread to two tight ends spread back to power running. He adopted and dropped a no huddle when it suited him. He's not ideologically fixated on any type of offense, defense, or overall team philosophy (besides an iron-curtain in front of the press.)

I think that's even why he was good retread head coach. He was capable of looking at what he did wrong in Cleveland and changing it in his next job rather than stubbornly stick to what didn't work last time.

[Independent George]

What has Belichick done that would even compare to the mainstreaming of the West Coast offense and its various off-shoots? In 20 years, what aspects of Belichick's "football mind" will still resonate in the game the way Walsh does?

He mainstreamed game theory in the NFL - not just for in-game calls, but also in organization, scouting, and roster/cap management. And he somehow did it without ever bringing attention to the fact that he was doing so.

[Rockroi]

I think adaptability is key to Belichik's success as a head coach. He started out as a defensive coach who favored a 3-4 system with space eating linemen and outside linebackers who spend as much time setting the edge and dropping back in coverage as they do rushing the passer. He's now running some hybrid system that I can't even describe in large part to to changes in personnel. He went from a run first conservative offense to bombs away spread to two tight ends spread back to power running. He adopted and dropped a no huddle when it suited him. He's not ideologically fixated on any type of offense, defense, or overall team philosophy (besides an iron-curtain in front of the press.)

I think that's even why he was good retread head coach. He was capable of looking at what he did wrong in Cleveland and changing it in his next job rather than stubbornly stick to what didn't work last time.

Excellent point on all counts.

I also think Belichick was able to eliminate bad habits he has picked up over the years.

Case-in-point would be his time with Cleveland v. Giants. When Belichick was the Def. cor of the Giants, one of his many tasks was keeping an eye on Lawrence Taylor off the field. And basically, LT was an insane physical and mental specimen when it came to defense (horrendous understatement)- he could outline whole defenses in his head and he could execute any physical demand put on him. Off the field, Taylor was a young, rich man in New York so he drank, snorted, smoked and ingested every type of drug imaginable on top of drinking and having every woman he wanted. He got into significant trouble with the police. But no matter what- come Sunday, LT was ready to play. He executed nearly flawlessly all the time.

Belichick made concessions to LT and one of them was allowing LT to do whatever he wanted so long as LT was there at 1pm on Sunday.

When Belichcik went to Cleveland he brought this same attitude to his players- he allowed them to do whatever they wanted outside the facilities so long as they showed up to play on Sunday. Well, that didn't work because none of thoise ass-clowns were LT. While LT was special, those guys were not. When Belichick came to New England he scraped the mentality that players could just "turn it on" on Sunday and demanded that players be held accountable for their actions all the time (even when giving really bad foot-based cliches prior to a playoff game). That type of learning- and not being married to even a discipline scheme - is another thing that makes Belichick the best coach around.