NFL: Why I Love the NFL

I love sports. No, I love everything about sports. The competitive fire, the passion brought to each and every game. Hearing the crowd get off their seats on a 3-2 count in the bottom of the ninth. The air sucked out of the arena when a big shot goes in the basket (come back, NBA). The speed and shock-power supplied by a slapshot goal in hockey. I love sports. I was thinking the other day though, why do I love football so much more than any other sport? 

I thought it could be the season length, that a teams entire season could be won or lost on a week to week basis. It’s nice to watch a baseball or basketball game every couple of nights, but when Sunday rolls around there’s only one thing I want to do. 

Maybe I love football because it’s the last true team game. In baseball, basketball, and hockey, one player can take control and lead his team to the championship (see James, Lebron in Cleveland). Football is like a fine tuned machine, all the parts need to be working together and in sync for the end product to be successful. An offensive lineman misses a block, the play can be blown. A cornerback doesn’t receive proper safety help, it’s a touchdown. 

Hell, maybe it’s the warm blooded man inside me that loves the hard hits and brutality that football brings. A lights-out hit on a clueless running back, a stiff arm to the face of a 280-pound linebacker. Seeing a quarterback make a block, ever. For all the things that football brings to me, it’s none of the above that makes me love it so much. It’s the parity of the game.

In baseball and basketball, we know at the start of the season that teams like the Yankees or Celtics will be in the hunt come playoff time. In baseball, the more money you spend the more games you’ll win. Basketball has become more about star-power than role players. With football, any team at any time can reel off a victory. 

Look at last week, for example. The mighty Baltimore Ravens traveled to Seattle to play a horrible Seahawks team. The Ravens were coming off a huge divisional victory against the Steelers on Sunday Night Football. Everyone and their mother thought that Baltimore would roll over the Seahawks and move on to the next game. What happened? Joe Flacco and Ray Rice got outplayed by Tarvaris Jackson and Marshawn Lynch. The Seahawks win, and now we question whether or not Baltimore is the best team in the AFC or not. 

Each and every year, and sometimes each and every week, a team that should not be winning does just that. This past summer the 49ers hired Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh to replace the fired Mike Singletary. The lockout prevented Harbaugh to even speak to any of his players before the first week in August. The 49ers were a bad team last year and looked to be even worse this year. Rookie head coach? A “bust” at quarterback? A running back who was looking for a new contract? The 49ers weren’t supposed to be good, and what happens? They’re 8-1 going into week 11 and stand in prime position to land a first round bye in the playoffs. That’s why I love the NFL. 

Last year, the Green Bay Packers were plagued by the injury bug. From tight end Jermichael Finley to pro bowl tackle Mark Tauscher, the Packers lost several key players for the season. They finished 10-6, barely making it into the playoffs. They weren’t supposed to beat the Eagles in Philadelphia. They sure as hell weren’t supposed to beat the 14-2 Atlanta Falcons or the 13-3 Chicago Bears on the road either. But they did. Aaron Rodgers emerged as a super bowl MVP and one of the best quarterback’s in the league. But it wasn’t supposed to happen, they weren’t supposed to be good. 

• 2001, the New England Patriots make it to the Super Bowl to face the mighty St. Louis Rams and the Greatest Show on Turf. New England had a former 6th-round draft pick at quarterback, they weren’t supposed to win. 

• The Arizona Cardinals went 9-7 in 2008, they were supposed to be blown out in the first round of the playoffs. They made it all the way to the Super Bowl and nearly won. 

• The 2010 Seattle Seahawks were never supposed to win a playoff game, especially not against the defending champion New Orleans Saints. They did. 

And who could forget the greatest example of parity in recent memory, the 2007 New York Giants. The Giants made it into the playoffs through the wild card. They beat the Buccaneers in Tampa. They beat the Cowboys in Dallas. They traveled to the Frozen Tundra and defeated Brett Favre in negative degree weather. If that wasn’t enough, they went on to face the 18-0 New England Patriots. The team some had dubbed the greatest of all time. No chance the Giants were going to win that game. Not against Randy Moss, Tom Brady, and Bill Belichick. David Tyree was never supposed to make the helmet catch, and Eli Manning was not supposed to elude four defenders in the backfield. But it all happened, the Giants won and the ’07 Patriots would forever be known as the team that went 18-1. 

Every year, something like this happens. There are no experts when it comes to predicting an NFL season. Often it doesn’t even matter if you were the best team in the regular season. Watching a team come together late in the season, fight to enter the playoffs, and continue to win against teams they’re supposed to lose to. That’s why I love the NFL, a place where anything can happen. 

NFL: NFC Contender/Pretender

By Jared Epstein

As we near the end of the season, 2011 has been a wild rollercoaster ride in the NFC. The Lions and 49ers finally decide to show up this season surprising everyone they can actually have winning records in the 21^st century.  The Giants looking great including a magnificent win against Brady and the Pats and yet losing to the Redskins and Seahawks. Green Bay is turning out to be one of the best teams in history, not losing a game since week 16 of last season. With the “dream team” Eagles choking, it gives teams like Dallas a chance to take advantage of an easy schedule. In the midst of all the controversy in the NFC, it’s time to separate the men from the boys. Lets take a closer look into the NFC and choose who’s a contender and who’s a pretender.

Green Bay Packers (9-0; 1^st place in NFC North):  The defending Super Bowl champs are the best team in the NFL, hands down.  They dominate every game they play whether it’s home or away and have scored a minimum of 24 points in every game.  There are no words to describe them except for perfection, at least so far.  In upcoming weeks, the only games I see them having little trouble with are: the Lions, Bears, and Giants but don’t be surprised if they end up going to the playoffs still unbeaten the way Rodgers is handling the ball.

Verdict: Contender

San Francisco 49ers (8-1; 1^st place in NFC West):  San Fran has come out this year fired up and tired of losing. The last time the Niners have finished a season with a winning record was 2002 going 10-6. With a great running back in Frank Gore, Alex Smith starting to wake up, and a number 1 ranked defense in opponent rushing yards, the question isn’t will they win the division, but how far in the playoffs will they go? With the second place teams in their division, Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks, at 3-6, there’s no doubt they will be in the post-season this year.

Verdict: Contender

New Orleans Saints (7-3; 1^st place in NFC South):  After a huge overtime win against Atlanta last week, the Saints stand alone in first with a two game lead. With six games left in the regular season and a bye week, the Saints play three struggling teams in Tennessee, Minnesota, and Carolina. Plus, the strong teams they play such as the Lions, Giants, and Falcons are all home games so they can have the “who dat” nation loud and right behind them. The Falcons can look real good at times but I see the Drew Brees and the Saints taking 1^st in the division with ease.

Verdict: Contender

New York Giants (6-3; 1^st place in NFC East):  Big blue has surprised everyone this season with being in 1^st place in the eastern conference after week 10. With both the defense and offense bombarded with injuries at the beginning of the year and the “dream team” Eagles in the same division, the season wasn’t going to be easy. Luckily, the Eagles are starting to look like the Heat by blowing five 4^th quarter leads and with Dallas playing up and down certain weeks, the Giants have taken advantage of the division.  On another note, the G-men have the toughest schedule in football ahead of them by playing the undefeated Packers, Saints, Cowboys twice, Eagles and the Jets.  If they can pull out five wins, they will be safe for making the playoffs but that will be an extremely difficult task to pull off.

Verdict: Contender

Chicago Bears (6-3; tied for 2^nd place in NFC North):  With the perfect Packers in the NFC North, 1^st place is out of the question so it’s wild card or nothing for these Bears. After losing to Detroit in week 5, Chicago has battled back and joined 2^nd place after defeating the Lions last week. With Jay Cutler not getting sacked as much as earlier in the season, teams still kicking to Devin Hester, and Matt Forte playing without an off button, the Bears are a team to be taken seriously, especially with a rather easy schedule for the remainder of the season.

Verdict: Contender

Dallas Cowboys (5-4; 2^nd place in NFC East):  This season there are two different Cowboy teams. One team that comes up short on big plays and the other is a dominant force to be reckoned with. With a fairly easy schedule playing the Redskins, Dolphins, Cardinals, and Buccaneers, the Cowboys look good for being playoff bound.  Now that Dallas is getting Dez Bryant move involved in the offense while Miles Austin is out, people can really see how dangerous Bryant is. As long as the defense can keep their future opponents from getting into the end zone too much, look for the Cowboys to be in the playoff picture and possibly get in as 1^st place from the NFC East.

Verdict: Contender

Detroit Lions (6-3; tied for 2^nd place in NFC North):  Let me start by saying bravo to the Detroit Lions. The Lions haven’t had a winning season since 2000 and only 3 years ago in 2008 they succeeded by being the worst team going 0-16. After a red hot 5-0 start this season with the help of the monstrous Calvin Johnson, the Lions have seemed to cool off by going 1-3 in their last four games. This Lions team has proved they can give a tough fight but with the Packers taking first place in the division and the Bears on a roll going 4-1 in their last five games, the road to the playoffs will not be easy. Also, Detroit still has to play the invincible Packers twice, the Saints in New Orleans, a score happy Charger team, and what can be an explosive Raider team at times. I take my hat off to these ferocious Lions and the season isn’t over yet but I see the Lions coming up short to the Bears for the wild card spot, leaving them watching football in January instead of playing themselves.

Verdict: Pretender

Atlanta Falcons (5-4; 2^nd place in NFC South):  Atlanta has had a mediocre start compared to last season finishing first in the division with a 13-3 record. Also, the Matt Ryan and Roddy White connection hasn’t been as strong as usual but fortunately for Atlanta, Michael Turner is still contributing big numbers. Despite getting big plays from rookie Julio Jones, look for the Falcons to perform like Turner on the 4^th and short run against the Saints in overtime- just short.  First place isn’t going to happen in the division at this point due to the Saints fairly easy record so the only hope they have is the wildcard.  Having said that, they will have to compete for that spot with a strong looking Cowboy team and possibly a solid 4^th quarter comeback Giants team depending on how the NFC East turns out.  Don’t get me wrong, the Falcons have a good chance with 6 games left in the season but I pick Atlanta to come up one or two games short of a wild card spot.

Verdict: Pretender

Predictions:

NFC North- Green Bay Packers (1 seed)

NFC West- San Francisco 49ers (2 seed)

NFC South- New Orleans Saints (3 seed)

NFC East- New York Giants (4 seed)

Wild Card- Dallas Cowboys (5 seed)

Wild Card- Chicago Bears (6 seed)

Wild Card Round- New Orleans over Chicago; New York over Dallas

Divisional Round- Green Bay over New York; New Orleans over San Francisco

Championship Round- Green Bay over New Orleans 

NFL: Who Will be Elite in 2016?

Let’s turn back the clock for just a second to 2006. Vince Young had just won Rookie of the Year quarterbacking the Tennessee Titans. Chad Pennington was the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year. Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers hadn’t even thought of the word “retirement” yet. Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady were all entering the prime of their careers. In 2011, Vince Young is a backup on the Eagles, Pennington and Favre are out of football and the above trio of quarterbacks are entering their twilight years (while still playing lights out in the cases of Brady and Brees). Five years from now, what will the NFL look like? Who will dominate their positions, and who will be lost in the wind? We take a look, breaking down which quarterback, running back, wide receiver, cornerback, linebacker, and head coach will be at the top of their positions in half a decade. 

Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers (32 years old in 2016)

In five years, Rodgers will be the two years younger than Tom Brady is now. Rodgers, in my opinion, is already at the top of his position, and logic says he still will be in five years. It’s insanely scary to think that Rodgers will be still in the prime of his career five years down the road, being that he already is showing signs of being an all-time great, maybe even better than Favre was. It’s only going to get better from here to watch. 

Others to Watch: Cam Newton, Ben Roethlisberger, Matt Ryan, Matt Stafford, Phillip Rivers

Running Back: Adrian Peterson (31 years old in 2016)

This was a bit of a tough one. In the NFL, running back’s have a low shelf life. I thought of going to a younger player like LeSean McCoy, DaMarco Murray, or Chris Johnson here. However, Johnson is showing signs of already declining, and McCoy and Murray are too unproven for me to say they’ll be elite in five years. Peterson will be 31 at the start of the 2016 season, which is usually the beginning of the end for running backs. The way Peterson runs, it could come for him much earlier. However, his skills are far and above superior to almost every running back in the league. I expect him to keep it up and be the best in the league five years from now. 

Others to Watch: LeSean McCoy, Jamaal Charles, Arian Foster, Darren McFadden

Wide Receiver: Calvin Johnson (31 years old in 2016)

Believe it or not, I was very close to going with Dez Bryant here. I went with Johnson, however. Johnson is already among the top-5 wide receivers in the league, and he gets to play the next five years with a presumably healthy Matt Stafford on a good young Detroit Lions team. Johnson should be able to get better and better each year, and while Larry Fitzgerald and Andre Johnson will still be among the best, I think Johnson will be putting up crazy numbers if Stafford can stay healthy enough to throw him the ball. 

Others to Watch: Dez Bryant, Larry Fitzgerald, Greg Jennings, Andre Johnson

Cornerback: Darrelle Revis (31 years old in 2016)

I know, I know, I picked another player who is already the best at his position. Revis will be 31 come 2016, and I see no signs of him slowing down. Looking at other corners around the league now, Charles Woodson (35) and Champ Bailey (33) are still playing at a high level. In five years, we could be watching Revis Island continue to bring in new tourists, on his way to a potential Hall of Fame career. 

Others to Watch: Nnamdi Asomougha, Devin McCourty, Brandon Flowers

Linebacker: Von Miller (27 years old in 2016)

Linebacker was the one of the easiest positions for me to pick. Right now, as a rookie, Miller is putting together a stellar campaign. I know that guys like Patrick Willis, Clay Matthews, and David Harris will still be relatively young in five years. However, Miller will still be much younger then those three. Miller is currently the star on a good Denver defense, and I suspect him to be among the top defensive players in five seasons. 

Others to Watch: Clay Matthews, Patrick Willis, Navarro Bowman, Mario Williams

Head Coach: Jim Harbaugh 

I love the job that Harbaugh has done with the 49ers, taking a team that was supposed to be among the league’s worst this year and turning them into a playoff team after a lockout-shortened summer is beyond impressive. In five years, Harbaugh could be considered among the league’s best head coaches. Packers coach Mike McCarthy has a good shot as well, being able to coach a team with Aaron Rodgers at the helm. I went with Harbaugh here instead, I love his intensity and the way players respond to him. They respect him, and that is vital in the NFL. 

Others to Watch: Mike McCarthy, Rex Ryan, Jason Garrett, Sean Payton

While those guys may be at the top of their positions in five years, there are some other players that could be interesting to think about in five years. Will Tom Brady, who will be 39 years old, and coach Bill Belichick still be in football? What about Stanford product Andrew Luck, will he be the heir apparent to Peyton Manning in Indianapolis? Will Rex Ryan finally win a super bowl? Or will Aaron Rodgers have reeled off another two or three in the process? Only time will tell. 

NFL: Week 11 Power Rankings

1. Green Bay Packers (9-0): Another victory for Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. The Packers find themselves one win away from their regular season total of 2010. The Packers should continue to win handily, at least until facing off against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving and the New York Giants after that. 

Last Week: #1

2. San Francisco 49ers (8-1): The 49ers victory over the Giants on Sunday was probably the biggest test they’ve had all season. San Francisco’s defense held Eli Manning in check throughout the game, and Alex Smith did enough to help the offense as Frank Gore was unable to do nothing against the Giants defense. Sunday proved it, the 49ers are the second best team in the NFC.

Last Week: #2

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-3): The Steelers managed to jump back into first place of the AFC North after defeating the Bengals on Sunday. The Steelers were helped by the Jekyll & Hyde Ravens losing to the Seahawks. As of right now, the Steelers look like the best team in the AFC, but the way the conference has worked out this year, there’s no telling how they’ll look next week. 

Last Week: #5

4. New England Patriots (6-3): The Patriots do what they always do when the division is on the line, they win. Tom Brady and the New England no-huddle offense proved to be too much for the Jets defense. Looking at the Patriots schedule, they could run the table and be in the hunt for the #1 seed going into the playoffs. 

Last Week: #6

5. New Orleans Saints (7-3): Who knows what would have happened if Mike Smith had just decided to punt on fourth down in OT on their own 30-yard-line. We all know what transpired, Michael Turner got stuffed behind the line and the Saints kicked a field goal to take the victory. Now, the Saints are in the drivers seat in the NFC South. 

Last Week: #7

6. Baltimore Ravens (6-3): Who are the Ravens? I mean seriously, they look dominant against the Steelers one week, then on Sunday Baltimore loses to Seattle. It’s been the story of the Ravens season, inconsistent and a wishy-washy identity. The Ravens should make the playoffs, but who knows how Baltimore will play against the Bengals twice in the next seven weeks. 

Last Week: #3

7. New York Giants (6-3): The Giants had a chance to tie the game up on Sunday in San Francisco, but an Eli Manning batted-down pass at the line of scrimmage halted all of that. Now, the Giants are still in the division lead, but they have two December match-ups against the Cowboys and a Christmas Eve game with the Jets that could decide their playoff hopes. 

Last Week: #4

8. Houston Texans (7-3): This morning I had the Texans much higher than #8, but with the injury to Matt Schaub, the Texans are in a lot of trouble. Houston will have to turn to Matt Leinart for the foreseeable future, and with the Titans still in the thick of things in the AFC South, the Texans playoff hopes are now questionable. 

Last Week: #10

9. New York Jets (5-4): The Jets had a chance to control their own destiny and finally knock the Patriots off of the Division lead. Instead, the Jets came out totally soft and unprepared and lost to New England. The Jets will once again have to fight their way into the playoffs. The schedule is soft, with games against the Giants and Philadelphia as the only tough match-ups. 

Last Week: #8

10. Dallas Cowboys (5-4): Dallas and Tony Romo looked like a playoff team on Sunday against Buffalo. December will make or break the Cowboys playoff hopes, with two crucial games against the Giants. If DaMarco Murray continues to run like a wild-man, the Cowboys could end up being a very, very scary playoff team. 

Last Week: Not Ranked

NFL: AFC Contender/Pretender

AFC: Contender/Pretender 

As we get to the last seven weeks of games, we’ve seen teams in the AFC look elite one week to horrible the next. Look at the Ravens, who after beating division rival Pittsburgh last Sunday lost to the Seahawks yesterday. Pittsburgh has gone from good to bad to great to good. The Jets lost three games in a row at the beginning of the season. Buffalo and Cincinnati came out of the gate looking like actual football teams. The Patriots look mortal. With such a logjam in the conference, it’s time to clear up the AFC playoff picture...its time to decide whose a contender, and whose a pretender. 

Baltimore Ravens (6-3; tied for 2nd place in AFC North): Baltimore is one of the most confusing teams I’ve ever watched. In some games, such as against the Jets and Steelers, they look like the best team in the league. Then, when they play teams like Arizona and Seattle, they barely win or lose. That’s a good sign for Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, but the Ravens have too good of a defense to falter late in the year. I don’t know if it will be out of the division or wild card, but Baltimore should be a team that plays deep into the winter. 

Verdict: CONTENDER

Buffalo Bills (5-4; tied for 2nd place in the AFC East): It may be too soon, but you have to wonder if the Bills are re-thinking that $50 million extension they handed Ryan Fitzpatrick earlier this year. In the past two weeks, Fitzpatrick and the Bills have been held to poor performances against the Jets and Cowboys. Fitzpatrick completes a high percentage of his passes, but his arm is weak and he’s starting to make poor decisions with his throws. The Bills still have two games against the Patriots and Jets, along wit match ups with scrappy teams like Denver, San Diego, and Miami. They could be right back in the thick of things with victories over New England and New York, but I get the feeling that the slipper is coming off of this cinderella team. 

Verdict: PRETENDER

Cincinnati Bengals (6-3; tied for 2nd place in AFC North): Yesterday, for the first time all season, Andy Dalton looked like a rookie quarterback. Dalton threw two interceptions and struggled against the Pittsburgh defense. The Bengals got off to a hot start with he benefit of playing poor teams like Cleveland, Jacksonville, and Indianapolis. Over the next seven weeks, Dalton and the Bengals will have to play the Ravens (twice), the Steelers, and the Texans before meeting up with St. Louis and Arizona. I can see the Bengals getting to 9 wins, but it takes 10 to get into the playoffs from the AFC in this day and age. If they can steal a game from Pittsburgh or Baltimore, they might sneak in. I don’t see it. 

Verdict: PRETENDER

Denver Broncos (4-5; tied for 2nd in AFC West): I’m going to get this out of the way right now, the Broncos are not as good as Cincinnati or Buffalo, but they might have a better chance at making the playoffs. Currently, Denver has the tie-breaker over Oakland and Kansas City. To me, it looks like no one really wants to win the division. The Chargers are playing like they never win, Oakland is as bipolar as any team, and Kansas City stinks. Denver, however, is a team with a great defense and a “quarterback” who can run it like no other. As history tells us, a strong defense and a good running game leads to victories. Somehow, someway, the Broncos keep winning. I don’t think they’re good, but they play in a division that can help them out. 

Verdict: CONTENDER

Houston Texans (7-3; 1st place in the AFC South): It looks as though the Texans have already locked up the South, currently standing 2.5 games ahead of the Tennessee Titans. However, the Texans still have to play games against Atlanta and the Titans, so a late season collapse is not out of the question. For all the talk focused on the Ravens, Patriots, and Steelers being the AFC elite, the texans have quietly put together a strong season. Should they stay the course and make the playoffs, they’ll be a scary team to face. 

Verdict: CONTENDER

New England Patriots (6-3; 1st place in the AFC East): For as vulnerable as the Patriots have looked this season, they seemed to have turned it around after defeating the Jets last night. Now in soul possession of first place in the East, don’t look for New England to lose any ground in the coming weeks. When all is said and done, the Patriots will more than likely enter the playoffs with a first round bye and a top seed out of the AFC.

Verdict: CONTENDER

New York Jets (5-4; tied for 2nd place in the AFC East): The Jets had a chance to take first place in the East last night and squandered it. Corner man Donald Strickland got exposed by Rob Gronkowski all night. Now the Jets will have to compete with Buffalo, Cincinnati, and either Pittsburgh or Baltimore for a wild card seed. They hold a tie breaker over Buffalo, but still have to play the Giants, Eagles, and Bills in the next seven weeks. Knowledge says they can afford to lose two more games this season if they want to make the playoffs, but with that schedule it will be no easy feat. 

Verdict: CONTENDER

Oakland Raiders (5-4; 1st place in the AFC West): I thought for sure that the Raiders would have fallen out of contention by now, considering Darren McFadden being injury-riddled and Carson Palmer being...well...Carson Palmer. However, the Raiders looked excellent Thursday night against the Chargers, with Palmer looking like he’s developing quite the chemistry with his receivers. With the Raiders in the division drivers seat, all they will have to do is hold off the Fighting Tebows of Denver to make the playoffs. 

Verdict: CONTENDER

Pittsburgh Steelers (7-3; 1st place in the AFC North): If you were going to tell me that after 10 weeks the Steelers would have lost to Houston and the Ravens (twice) and still be in first place in the division, I would have called you crazy. For as weird as the Ravens have been this year, the Steelers have been weirder. Just like the Ravens, Pittsburgh can look dominant one week and porous the next. I think they have the experience and ability to make it into the playoffs out of the crowded North, but there is no telling who will win the division. 

Verdict: CONTENDER

Tennessee Titans (5-4; 2nd place in the AFC South): Oh, what could have been for the Titans this year. With Peyton Manning out and the Colts playing awfully, the Titans had a legit shot to steal the division. Then, Kenny Britt was lost for the season due to a torn ACL. Chris Johnson only just got his first 100-yard rushing day (and first touchdown) of the season yesterday. The Titans are only 2.5 games back of Houston, but it may be a little too much too late for Tennessee. 

Verdict: PRETENDER

PREDICTIONS:

AFC East- New England Patriots (1 seed)

AFC North- Pittsburgh Steelers (3 seed)

AFC South- Houston Texans (2 seed)

AFC West- Oakland Raiders (4 seed)

Wild Card- Baltimore Ravens (5 seed)

Wild Card- New York Jets (6 seed)

Wild Card Round- Pittsburgh over New York; Baltimore over Oakland

Divisional Round- Baltimore over New England; Pittsburgh over Houston

Championship Round- Pittsburgh over Baltimore 

NFL: Biggest Busts of 2011

By Jared Epstein

At the beginning of each NFL season, the players, coaches, and fans all have certain expectations for different players.  Here are the biggest busts of the 2011 season after week 9…

5) To start this list of colossal crashes, we must venture into the depths of Indianapolis. The stock of the all and mighty Colts has completely plummeted. Over the past 11 years, the Colts have dominated, only have one losing season in 2001 with a record of 6-10 placing fourth in the division. Every other year, they finished with three 10-win seasons, four 12-win seasons, one 13-win season, and two 14-win seasons. Also, in their division, they’ve placed 1^st seven times, 2^nd three times, and 4^th just once.  Heading into the 2011 season, people weren’t expecting the usual 12-win season as previous years due to their hero Peyton Manning having to be a spectator from the sidelines because of neck surgery during the off-season. However, they still had veteran players such as Dwight Freeney, Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark and Joseph Addai along with young explosive players like Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie to give some hope.  With the Texans getting stronger every year, 1^st place in the division was out of the question but perhaps they could fight for a wild card spot. After 9 weeks through the season the Colts are 0-9 with a hefty side of humiliation. Their passing yards are 28^th, rushing yards 23^rd, opposing passing yards are at 24^th and the opposing rushing yards are 31^st, a disgrace to the Colts franchise name. The Colts have had a mediocre schedule but some of their 9 losses were flat out embarrassing. Losing to the Browns and Chiefs is always embarrassing in this day and age but the way they lost to the Saints in week 7 was the worst display of football I’ve ever seen. Losing 62-7 is just pathetic. I might as well have been watching a pop-warner game the way that defense played. Peyton Manning is and will always be high on the list of greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game but does one player really have that big of an effect on a whole TEAM? Last time I checked football was a team sport, which consists of contributions from MANY players on the team. The quarterback is one, if not the most, important position to fill on the team but when you have talent surrounding you, it’s easy to make a QB look good, look at Mark Sanchez in New York or Joe Flacco in Baltimore. This season is long gone for the Colts and I don’t see them getting more than two wins if they even get that many. Colts fans just hope they lose every game at this point so you get that nice draft pick for next year.  

4) Coming in at #4 on major meltdowns is Donovan McNabb. Throughout MccNabb’s career, he is though of as the hard working QB with a great arm and a great set of legs to scramble with for the smash-mouth Eagles (even though Eagles fans always treated him like shit). He brought the Eagles to five conference championship games and reached only one championship game, Super Bowl XXXIX against the Patriots, which he lost to despite a close 24-21 finish. After being traded to the Vikings from the Redskins this season, there were high hopes for Viking fans. McNabb would be surrounded by top rusher, Adrian Peterson, which would open up the passing game, and would have decent targets in Malcolm Jenkins, Percy Harvin, and Visanthe Shiancoe. Although McNabb has a completion percentage of 60.3%, which isn’t so bad, he only averaged 152.2 yards per game. McNabb went 1-5 before being replaced at the starting spot to rookie Christian Ponder but not before being man handled by the Bears in week 6. McNabb’s had a great chance to make everyone forget that pathetic year with the Redskins but instead he’s showing everyone he’s at the end of his career and will never make it to the Super Bowl again. Say goodbye to Donovan McNabb because it’s only going down hill from here.

      

3) Getting to #3, we must head to New England for the one and only Chad Ochocinco (which should actually be Ochenta y Cinco, not eight five you idiot. Who even changes there last name to an incorrectly spelt number but that’s a whole different topic). Ochocinco, although a cocky asshole, has proven to put up great numbers while on the Bengals year after year besides the last three with Cincinnati but they were dealing with Carson Palmer problems and just an overall poor team. With the Patriots getting rid of Randy Moss last season, the only thing they were missing from their offense was the deep ball threat.  Standing in at 6”1 with 10 years of experience in the league and having one of the leagues best QBs throwing to you, there were big plans for 85.  Unfortunately, Ochocinco’s numbers are less than stellar picking up only nine catches out of 21 targets, 136 yards, only one catch for more than 20 yards and has the big goose egg for touchdowns. How a former elite wide receiver gets stats like these when Tom Brady is throwing to them, I will never know why. Especially when a 5”9 Wes Welker is averaging 120 YDS/G and Ochocinco (6”1) is getting an average of 17 YDS/G. I don’t know how much longer it’s going to take for 85 to learn this offense (let me give you a hint Ocho, it’s a passing offense) but maybe the Pats should of kept Haynesworth and given ole’ Chad the goodbye boot because this performance so far is terrible. 

  

2) Coming in hot at #2 is Peyton Hillis, last years breakout player. Hillis was a no name the first two years on the Broncos so his third year he was shipped to Cleveland to be a Brown. After being a ghost of a running back, he made a completely new name for himself on the Browns. He had 270 rushes that went for 1,177 yards and 11 touchdowns.  It was such a break out year; he was awarded the cover of Madden 12, which is reserved for only the best of players.  But was it a mistake to accept the cover?  So far this year, Hillis has been plagued with injuries and has only played in 4 games with 60 rushes for 211 yards and just two touchdowns. Hillis, who once had such a promising future, is now being asked questions like, what is his value since the injuries? Can he go back to that break out season or did he just somehow get lucky? Unfortunately for the Browns, they’re sucking as bad as Hillis. This season is long gone for Hillis but Madden curse or not, he better get his shit together or else he will be as forgotten as Tony Mandarich drafted at #2 overall by the Packers in 1989.

1) The past 3 years, Chris Johnson has been in an elite group of running backs with other great names as Adrian Peterson, Arian Foster and Michael Turner, the best of the best. 2008-2010 seasons, CJ has passed 1,000 rushing yards and in 2009 he racked up 2,006 yards. However this year has been a little different for the featured running back with 121 touches and getting only 366 yards and only one touchdown. He’s putting up a pathetic 3 yards per carry and has played all games, yet has one less touchdown than Peyton Hillis at 2 TDs and he has only played in 4 games. With Hasslebeck looking as good as his early Seahawk days, this is not the time for CJ to put up such weak numbers as these. Due to the fact that the Titans biggest receiving target, Kenny Britt, is out for the season, the question on everyone’s mind is, when are we going to see the real Chris Johnson come out and play? If your still not getting how bad CJ is performing, the Titans are ranked 32^nd in rushing yards. The Titans are 2 games behind the rolling 6-3 Texans but one can only hope CJ will turn this horrible slump around to possibly take 1^st place and as we’ve seen before, once Johnson starts going, it’s hard to stop him.

Jared Epstein is a contributing writer for The Jockstrap. He'll be around to drop knowledge on the NFL, NBA, and MLB; hopefully not about the Mets. 

NFL: AFC Changing of the Guard?

For the last decade, there have been three teams in the AFC that have been the perennial contenders in the playoffs and their divisions. The New England Patriots have had a stranglehold over the AFC East since 2001. Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts have won seven division titles in the last nine seasons. The Pittsburgh Steelers have been battling it out with the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North, capturing the division five times on their way to two Super Bowl victories in the last decade. Out west, the division has been fairly shared, with the San Diego Chargers most recently being the dominant team of the four (Denver, Oakland, and Kansas City the others). 

While the Colts, Steelers, and Patriots have been the powerhouses of the AFC, they have always looked down at the “little brothers” in their respected divisions. The Patriots have dominated the New York Jets (more so than Miami and Buffalo) in the division ever since Mo Lewis knocked out Drew Bledsoe in 2001. Baltimore, while winning the Super Bowl in 2000, have always been second fiddle in the AFC North to the Steelers. Down south, the Houston Texans have yet to make the playoffs in their history, forever being overshadowed by Manning and the Colts. 

2011 has brought about a bit of a change in the conference. As we stand in the midst of week 10, the Texans, Ravens, and Jets are all in either sole possession or tied for first place in their divisions. The Colts, without Manning for the year, are steamrolling to the number one pick in April. Pittsburgh is still one of the best teams in the league, but two of their three losses have come at the hands of Baltimore. Could it be that the old days of the AFC dominance by the holy trinity is over? Let us take a division by division look, analyzing the new and old of each. 

In the AFC South, Houston has had the talent to make a playoff run for several years now. The final piece has seemed to be the arrival of defensive coordinator Wade Phillips and the rejuvenated Texans secondary. Matt Schaub, Arian Foster, and Ben Tate are successfully shouldering the load on offense while injured superstar Andre Johnson has sat out. It remains to be seen whether or not Houston is taking over the South. Without having to face a Manning-led Colts team, Houston is coasting to the division title. We’ve seen this year that the Colts are awful without Manning, so it could be that Houston is on the up-swing in the South, easily the most complete team among three rebuilding franchises in the Colts, Jaguars, and Titans. 

The AFC North is much different than the South. Baltimore and Pittsburgh have consistently been the two major players in the division in recent memory. However, it seemed to always end with the Steelers in first place and Baltimore having to settle for a wild card entrance to the playoffs. Now, we see Baltimore apparently getting the Pittsburgh monkey off of their backs. The Ravens offense may be younger than that of the Steelers, but it is questionable how much time Ed Reed and Ray Lewis have left in their careers for the Ravens defense. The Steelers have Troy Polamalu locked up for the rest of his career, along with a young superstar in Lamarr Woodley at linebacker. Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown, Rashard Mendenhall and Ben Roethlisberger are all still in their twenties for the Steelers offense. I’m not ready to say that this season is a changing of the guard in the North, but all signs point to it being the Ravens year. In the next two or three seasons we could see momentum switch back to the slightly younger Steelers squad, or we could see the Ravens and Joe Flacco create their own monopoly on the division. Either way would not shock me. 

Which brings us to the AFC East. For years, Tom Brady and Bill Belicheck have ruled over the division like kings. Even in the Brady-less 2008 season, the Patriots came within a single game of capturing the division. The Bills appear to be on an up-swing of sorts, with young talent like Ryan Fitzpatrick and Fred Jackson leading the charge. However, I’ve always viewed this division as a two team race between the Jets and the Patriots. I have always said that no division lead is safe in the East as long as Brady is the starting quarterback for the Patriots, but this season the team has not looked as God-like as past years. They’ve currently dropped two games in a row and stand tied for first place with the Jets and Bills at 5-3. Comparing the two teams, the Jets and Patriots are both very young in spots and very old in others. On New England’s offense, Brady and the offensive line are starting to show their age. On defense, the Patriots have one of the youngest units in the league. The youth on D may explain why the Patriots have the 31st overall defense in football, but you have to figure that as the players mature the team will get better in coming years. In New York, Rex Ryan has young players on both offense and defense. Darrelle Revis and David Harris are just hitting their primes, while Antonio Cromartie, Kyle Wilson, Mohammad Wilkerson and Kendrick Ellis are all young cornerstones for the defense. On the other hand, Bart Scott and Calvin Pace are both slow and old, while Plaxico Burress is attempting his comeback at 31. On offense, the Jets are still developing third year starter Mark Sanchez, supplying him with “youth” in Dustin Keller, Nick Mangold, D’brickashaw Ferguson, Shonn Greene, and Santonio Holmes. Both teams are “ready to win now” and built for the future. The race for the AFC East could be decided this Sunday night when these two teams square off on NBC. This division is the closest to call in terms of the changing of the guard. In New York I see youth and bravado, but with New England it’s impossible to look past the greatest quarterback-coach combo in NFL history and presume that they could ever fall off. 

One thing is definite, this season has seen the “little brothers” of the AFC make strong statements in their divisions. Whether or not this is a precursor for a shift in the conference landscape remains to be seen. My advice? Let’s not all worry about who is falling off and who is rising, let’s enjoy these division races for the next seven weeks before the playoffs start and all logic gets thrown out of the window. 

NFL: Week Ten Power Rankings

1. Green Bay Packers (8-0): Many thought that the Chargers would be the team that finally knocked the Packers down and gave them their first loss. Those people must have forgotten that Aaron Rodgers is a superhuman. Rodgers threw as many touchdowns (four) as incompletions against the Chargers. The defense allowed four passing touchdowns by Philip Rivers (three to Vincent Jackson), but they can afford to give up points as long as Rodgers is leading the offense. 

Last Week: #1

2. San Francisco 49ers (7-1): Another east coast road trip, another victory for the 49ers. It seems the most obvious trend for the 49ers 2011 season is “defying the odds”. Whether it be a rookie head coach, a quarterback who has always been considered a bust, or playing four games on the east coast, San Francisco is defying all odds. What has to be the sweetest part, they could clinch the NFC West by Thanksgiving. 

Last Week: #3

3. Baltimore Ravens (6-2): Late Sunday night, I started to put my power rankings together and I had the Ravens below the Steelers, then Torrey Smith made that catch with eight seconds remaining. The Ravens seem to have the biggest monkey off their back’s, not being able to beat the Steelers. Sweeping the series has put Baltimore in the drivers seat in the AFC North, and finds them as the best team in the AFC. 

Last Week: #5

4. New York Giants (6-2): What a great game on Sunday at Foxborough. Eli Manning may have shown that you can’t spell “Elite” without E-L-I. I’m not ready to jump the shark and call Manning elite, but he proved that he can do what it takes in crunch time to lead his team to victory. With Philadelphia’s loss last night, the Giants are in prime position to win the division. It will all depend on how New York performs against Green Bay, the Jets, San Francisco, and New Orleans in the coming weeks. 

Last Week: #6

5. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3): Tough loss for the Steelers. Just when it was looking like they were the team that went to the Super Bowl last year, Pittsburgh dropped a crucial game against Baltimore. They are only one game back in the division, but it will be important for them to bounce back next week and not lose any more ground to the Ravens. 

Last Week: #2

6. New England Patriots (5-3): Could it be that the Patriots aren’t as good as we all thought? I’m not ready to say that, not as long as #12 is still under center. However, New England showed Sunday that they can lose any game if it comes down to the defense in crunch time. The Patriots can play close games all they want, but the only way they’ll win is if it’s Brady and the offense going for the win, not the defense trying to hold it. 

Last Week: #4

7. New Orleans Saints (6-3): It just seemed all too predictable that the Saints and Drew Brees would bounce back against Tampa Bay after losing to the Rams last week. Brees is on pace to put up some crazy numbers this season, but the most exciting thing about the Saints is the division race between them and the Falcons as the season continues. 

Last Week: #7

8. New York Jets (5-3): The defense in green on Sunday in Buffalo was one that could win championships. The Jets and Rex Ryan completely dumbfounded the Bills offense, making Fred Jackson and Ryan Fitzpatrick completely irrelevant. Funny to think that three weeks ago the season looked lost to Gang Green, and now they can be in sole possession of first place with a victory over the Patriots this Sunday night. It should be a great one in New Jersey, so be sure to tune in. 

Last Week: #10

9. Detroit Lions (6-2): A bye week for the Lions this week (which really hurt my fantasy team. The schedule is soft for the time being, with Green Bay on Thanksgiving as the marquee matchup in the month of November. 

Last Week: #8

10. Houston Texans (6-3): I went back and forth between the Texans, Falcons, and Bengals for the number 10 spot in this weeks rankings. I went with the Texans because A) the Falcons dominated the Colts (big whoop), the Bengals smell more like a pretender than a contender this year, and B) the Texans are winning without their best player. Andre Johnson should be coming back this week, but the job that Arian Foster and Ben Tate have done shouldering the load on offense is very, very impressive. The Texans should make the playoffs out of the AFC South, and they’ll be a team to fear come January. 

Last Week: Not Ranked

NFL: "Elite" Quarterbacks

“Elite” is a term that is thrown around way too often in the NFL. This past week John Clayton of ESPN called Joe Flacco an elite quarterback. Last season analysts were already calling Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman elite. This is the preverbal “rock bottom” of throwing around the word elite to any NFL quarterback that has a good season. Both Freeman and Flacco had great seasons last year, with Freeman throwing for 25 touchdowns to just 6 interceptions. Flacco threw for 25 and 10 while leading the Ravens to the playoffs before losing in the divisional round. Through his career, Flacco has a 4-3 playoff record with a 60.7 completion percentage and 86.4 quarterback rating. Freeman, on the other hand, has never made it to the playoffs and boasts a 59.5 completion percentage and a 79.8 quarterback rating. 

To call these two elite at this stage in their careers is just wrong. Focusing on Flacco, he has without a doubt been the strongest quarterback the Ravens have had in their current history of having a dominant defense. Flacco does have a decent playoff record for a fourth year quarterback, but much of that can be attributed to the Ravens all-world defense. New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez is said to be the weakest link on the Jets team. The Jets have a similar team structure to the Ravens; a team with a strong defense and emphasis on the running game. Through two and a half seasons, Sanchez has a 4-2 playoff record with a 72.9 quarterback rating and 54.7 completion percentage. Sanchez has thrown for less touchdowns and more interceptions than Flacco has, but the stats are not all that different. Factor in a difference 6% in completions and a 14 point difference in quarterback rating, the two players aren’t far off from each other. 

Using the same comparison as Flacco, Freeman has similar stats to Sanchez as well. Freeman and Sanchez both entered the league in 2009. With fewer games played, Freeman has thrown for three less interceptions and one more touchdown. Both players have 7,000 yards passing to their credit and a 6 yard average per attempt pass. Freeman has never led the Bucs to the playoffs, the closest being last season when they went 10-6 and missed the wild card by one game. 

The point of this is, if analysts are going to call guys like Flacco and Freeman elite, then using the same stats (playoffs, career qb rating, career passing stats), average quarterbacks like Sanchez and even Matt Cassel should be in the conversation as well. Which brings me to my point, none of those four players are elite. The purpose of the Sanchez comparisons were not to push that he is an elite quarterback. At this stage in his career, Sanchez is an average quarterback whose strongest skill is being a game manager. Looking at the stats and playoff records, guys like Freeman and Flacco cannot be called elite if they have similar resumes to game managers and decent quarterbacks like Sanchez and Cassel. 

In my eyes, being an “elite” quarterback puts you in the pantheon of NFL starters. They are the guys who when you see their team on the schedule, you cringe and think that they will beat you. Nobody looks at a game against the Ravens or Bucs and says, “Flacco/Freeman is going to beat us in that game”. The elite title should be reserved for quarterbacks who are the best players on their team, players who have been deep into the playoffs and remained the last man standing. Players who throughout their career have put up big numbers and big win totals. Not guys like Flacco, who one week could throw for 300+ yards and a few scores then the next week throw for 8 yards in an entire half (Jacksonville game). Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, and Ben Roethlisberger. Those guys have won games single handidly. They take their teams to the playoffs year in and year out and have been the last man standing in February. Phillip Rivers could become elite. Eli Manning is right there, too. But right now, as we sit in week 9 of the 2011 season, the “elite” quarterback list starts and ends with those five names. Maybe in two, three, four years Flacco and Freeman could leap into the conversation, but to call them elite at this stage and with their current career stats is defacing the title all together. 

NFL: Week Nine Power Rankings

1. Green Bay Packers (7-0): The bye week did nothing to knock the Packers off of the number one spot. If anything, the off week and extra time to rest and get the offensive line healthy will only make the Packers better from here on out. Beware though, most teams this season have come out flat after the bye week, most likely due to the new CBA stating players get four days off during the bye week. 

Last Week: #1

2. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2): Pittsburgh’s victory over the Patriots launched them up four spots to the number two ranking. Big Ben and the Steelers offense looked great, utilizing Heath Miller and the tight ends to expose the Patriots depleted secondary. Crucial matchup this week against the Ravens, a rivalry game that could decide the division. 

Last Week: #6

3. San Francisco 49ers (6-1): The 49ers are six wins away from clinching the division. If they do get to 12 wins, they could be heading to a first round bye. Not enough words can be said about the job that Jim Harbaugh has done with this team and the offense. On defense, rookie Aldon Smith is making a strong Rookie of the Year campaign. 

Last Week: #5

4. New England Patriots (5-2): I have the Patriots higher than the Ravens by a hair. The Patriots schedule gets tough from here on out, with a home game against the Giants this week before playing the Jets in week 10, a game that could decide first place in the AFC East. 

Last Week: #2

5. Baltimore Ravens (5-2): Ravens. Steelers. Tied for first place in the division, playing eachother this Monday night. Does it get any better than that? The Ravens did not play well against Arizona on Sunday, and even though Joe Flacco led them back in the second half, I still don’t believe he’s the type of player that can lead this team deep into the playoffs. 

Last Week: #4

6. New York Giants (5-2): That was almost a huge letdown for the Giants if they had lost on Sunday against Miami before playing New England this week. Eli Manning did a great job in the comeback effort, but it will be detremental to the Giants for them to put the Miami game behind them and look to air it out against the Patriots defense. 

Last Week: #7

7. New Orleans Saints (5-3): One week the Saints look like the second best team in the league. Last week against the Rams, they looked horrible. Steven Jackson ran the Saints defense into the ground, and Drew Brees had his worst game of the season. With Atlanta getting hot, the Saints have to be looking over their shoulder in the division. 

Last Week: #3

8. Detroit Lions (5-2): Good losing streak ending game against Denver for the Lions. Matt Stafford and Calvin Johnson connected for 125 yards and a touchdown, a combination that needs to be consistent if the Lions want to make the playoffs this year. 

Last Week: #8

9. Buffalo Bills (5-2): Buffalo completely demolished the Redskins Sunday in Toronto, racking up 9 sacks in the process. Ryan Fitzpatrick got banged up but remained in the game. Huge divisional matchup with the Jets this week, a game that could make or break the Bills postseason run. 

Last Week: Not Ranked

10. New York Jets (4-3): A bye week for the Jets this week, with a huge game against Buffalo on the horizon this week. The Jets absolutey need to be able to run the ball against a poor Buffalo defense. If they do that and manage to take Fred Jackson out of the game, they should win. Look out for Bills wide receiver David Nelson against Antonio Cromartie this week as the prime matchup. 

Last Week: #10

NFL: 2011 Midseason Awards

The 2011 NFL season is flying by right before our eyes. It seems like just yesterday we were in the midst of the lockout, wondering if we would even be able to watch football this year in the pros. But enough of the sentimental thoughts, its time to give out The Jockstrap’s midseason awards. The winners could easily change by week 17, but this is a list of players who have preformed well enough in the first eight weeks of the season to capture the coveted AP awards. 

NFL MVP: Aaron Rodgers (2,372 yards; 20 tds; 3 ints; 71.5 cmp%)

This one is a bit of a no brainer. Rodgers has been the most dominant player in the league thus far while leading the defending champs to a 7-0 record. He’s on pace to challenge Dan Marino’s passing yard record and to break Drew Brees’ record for completion percentage in a single season. 

Still in the Hunt: Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Calvin Johnson

Offensive Player of the Year: Calvin Johnson (679 yards; 10 tds; 41 rec)

It’s rare for the MVP to win the OPTY award in the same season, so I’m giving this award to the Lions all-world wideout Calvin Johnson. The play of Matt Stafford has been important to the Lions success this year, but how many times have we seen Johnson take over the game. The comeback victory over the Cowboys was all because of Johnson, who can win any jump-ball in the endzone no matter whose guarding him. 

Still in the Hunt: Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Fred Jackson

Defensive Player of the Year: Darrelle Revis (4 ints; 20 tackles; 10 catches allowed)

In my mind, Revis should have won the award in ’09 when he had one of the best seasons for a corner in recent memory. Instead, the award went to Charles Woodson, who had the “sexy stat” with 9 interceptions. This season, the term “Revis Island” has never been more relevant. He has allowed only 10 catches while shutting down receivers like Brandon Marshall, Vincent Jackson, and Wes Welker. Oh yeah, quarterbacks have a QB rating of 2.9 when passing against Revis. #Dominance. 

Still in the Hunt: DeMarcus Ware, Jared Allen, Charles Woodson, Ndamukong Suh

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Cam Newton (2,369 yards rushing/passing; 15 tds r/p)

Another no brainer. Cam has taken the league by storm, easily the most exciting player to watch in the league right now. The only way he doesn’t win the award is if AJ Green and the Bengals continue to play well and make the playoffs. 

Still in the Hunt: AJ Green, Andy Dalton

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Von Miller (26 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles)

This may be the most intriguing award race of them all. Miller has been a force for the Denver defense, and lone bright spot of the team. Along with Miller, Arizona’s stud cornerback/return man Patrick Peterson and San Francisco linebacker Aldon Smith are both in the race. Smith could get the nod at the end of the season, seeing as San Francisco is the only team of the three that will likely make the playoffs. 

Coach of the Year: Jim Harbaugh (6-1 record)

I got Harbaugh here by a nose to Jim Schwartz of the Lions. What Harbaugh has done, taking a team that was expected by many (including me) to be the worst team in the league and making them a frontrunner to get a bye in the playoffs, is extraordinary. Harbaugh has taken Alex Smith and actually turned him into an NFL quality quarterback. More impressive has been his ability to get the respect of the players that he didn’t even get to meet until early August. A rookie head coach performing like this after a long lockout? Unheard of. 

Still in the Hunt: Jim Schwartz, Bill Belicheck, Mike Tomlin, Marvin Lewis