NFL Power Poll
The records define NFL teams. It's simple, as Dennis Green reminded us, and teams are who we thought they are more times than not.
That's because wins do not lie from September through December.
Now those wins are washed, a means to an end to get into the dance. They are punched like a ticket and the reset button is collectively pushed. With the playoffs on the horizon, the march through the fall becomes a mad dash to survival. Advancing is all that counts. And that simple yet at times impossible goal in almost every matchup comes down to which quarterback you trust.
Forget winning a Super Bowl, look at the guys who have started behind center in every Super Bowl in the last decade.
Peyton Manning.
Cam Newton.
Russell Wilson.
Tom Brady.
Eli Manning.
Aaron Rodgers.
Ben Roethlisberger.
Drew Brees.
Kurt Warner.
(Yes, there was the outlier year that the Harbaugh brothers lifted the skill sets of Joe Flacco and Colin Kaepernick, but that feels like a fluke, no?)
There's a real chance, barring injury for some of the younger guys, that other than the Flacco-Kaepernick year, every starting quarterback in the last nine Super Bowls will be a Hall of Famer. That's not a coincidence. So, as you gauge who can go the distance, that's our starting point.
1. New England (14-2; 7-to-5 odds to win the Super Bowl according to Westgate Las Vegas Superbook). Hall of Famer at QB? Check. Hall of Famer on the sideline calling the shots? Check. That's how you get to be an almost even-money pick to win it all.
2. Dallas (13-3; 7-to-2). Home-field advantage is a big edge for two reasons. The first is obvious, especially for a rookie quarterback. The other reason - and this helps Atlanta too - is that teams do not have to go to Seattle or Green Bay to get to the Super Bowl. That is huge.
3. Atlanta (11-5; 10-to-1). Offensively the Falcons have the pieces to go the distance. Defensively, the Falcons are still young. Matt Ryan put himself into the MVP discussion with a consistently brilliant regular season. (Dude has thrown for more than 200 yards in 55 consecutive games, which is an NFL record.) His career numbers are much better than you may think - he's already in the top 25 all-time in passing yards and TDs - but can you be a Hall of Fame QB in today's game without getting to a Super Bowl? Probably, but Ryan certainly would like to add that accomplishment too.
4. Pittsburgh (11-5; 8-to-1). Pittsburgh has the best chance to beat New England. We can all agree on that, right? In an AFC field that is quarterbacked by guys named McGloin/Cook, Osweiler, Matt Moore and Alex Smith, only Roethlisberger causes the Pats any pause. That said, if/when the Steelers topple the Dolphins this weekend, Pittsburgh would go to Kansas City. And know this: Andy Reid is 19-2 all-time in the regular season and the playoffs following a bye week. Just a little FYI for you.
5. Green Bay (10-6; 8-to-1). Hottest team in the league with the a quarterback who is absolutely shredding people. Simply put, that's how these things can work out this time of year.
Powerless
28. Los Angeles (4-12). The Rams are coachless and first-round-pick-less. Other than that, how did that first year in La-La Land turn out?
29. Chicago (3-13). The Bears are officially the first team to openly tank, a la the Philadelphia 76ers. Well, that's at least how it looked.
30. Jacksonville (3-13). OK, the Jags ran off Gus Bradley - finally - and now have to decide on who is next. They actually interview Tom Coughlin, which would be such a baseball manager retread hire. Of course, Coughlin coached the Jags during the high-point of the franchise as the team made the AFC title game. That said, Mark Brunnel is not walking through the door any time soon.
31. San Francisco (2-14). Hey, at least the 49ers are wiping the entire slate clean. The big question for a lot of college football fans is what happens with Chip Kelly? Does he move now? Does a big-time school make moves to open up a spot for him? There are not a lot of jobs open right now, but don't you just know a few places - Oregon, Houston and Baylor come to mind - are wondering why this couldn't have happened a month ago.
32. Cleveland (1-15). It's a pretty Browns-type of thing for Cleveland to have the top pick in the single worst quarterback class in roughly a decade, right?
FILE - In this Nov. 22, 2014, file photo, Minnesota head coach Jerry Kill, right, celebrates with fans after a 28-24 win over Nebraska in an NCAA college football game in Lincoln, Neb. The epileptic seizures that hounded Kill have subsided, and the Minnesota coach has been making headlines this season for the success the Gophers have enjoyed on the field. They're headed for a New Year's Day bowl game, the program's first in 53 years. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File) Minnesota's sticky mess
Been a roller coaster year for the Minnesota Gophers football program.
They won nine games - Minnesota has only one season since 1905 with more victories - and beat Washington State in their bowl. By any measure it was one of the best seasons in school history.
Off the field, though, was not as rosy. The administration suspended 10 players for the bowl game as the school and authorities investigate sexual assault charges and a Title IX claim.
When informed of the suspensions, the other players on the team announced they were boycotting the postseason. That lasted for about 48 hours when the players agreed to get back on the field after meeting with the president and the AD.
When the boycott was first announced, head coach Tracy Claeys said he fully supported his players, tweeting: "Have never been more proud of our kids. I respect their rights & support their effort to make a better world!"
That support was viewed by a lot of victims' rights groups and a large chunk of the faculty on campus as inappropriate. Tuesday, Claeys was fired by the school, and as you would expect there are some harsh feelings within the program.
Wow. Gone. Like that after one of the best seasons in school history.
Gang, we have said this before, and we feel pretty sure we'll ask it again: The threats of boycotts and sitting out by college teams has got to be the thing that worries head coaches of power programs the most, right?
Tennessee offensive coordinator Mike DeBordNew OC in K-town
Mike DeBord left UT, heading back home to be the offensive coordinator for Indiana.
OK, a few things here.
One, that's a bad look for UT. A guy leaving - and likely taking a pay cut - for a lateral move at a weaker program. Put it this way, if the top assistant for the IU basketball team left to be the top assistant on UT's team, that would be somewhat strange, no?
(Yes, we get the closer to home thing and that's all fine. Still looks a little peculiar if you ask us.)
Two, why did DeBord catch so much heat? The offense was certainly not the problem this year after averaging more than 443 yards per game and better than 36 points a game. And remember, we heckled this hire as much as anyone.
So now it's on Butch Jones to replace a guy he hand-picked a few years ago. And it could turn out to be a really good thing. (Anyone have Lane Kiffin's number? Kidding. Only kidding.)
There are a couple of sticking points though: Will Butch promote one of his offensive assistants? If not will that cause more defections?
Also, how much control of this offense do you think Butch is going to surrender? By all accounts, while DeBord had the title, the offense was almost entirely Butch's.
Plus, in a really, Really, REALLY big year for Jones and this staff, how much will the transition affect the process? Interesting times for sure.
This and that
- Golf fans should be hopeful for the next chapter of the sport. New PGA commissioner Jay Monahan told the Wall Street Journal that he like to rearrange the schedule with the thought of having the season end on Labor Day so golf does not compete with college football and the NFL. That's a bright idea, and it could mean the PGA Championship being moved to May and the Players being moved to March before the Masters. As we like to say about putts inside 2 feet - That's good.
- Seattle signed Devin Hester to return kicks for the playoffs. So there's that.
- Some NFL incentives that caught our eye this weekend: Minnesota defensive back Marcus Sherels lost out on a $100,000 bonus for leading the NFL in punt-return average when Tyreek Hill took back a punt 95 yards in the final game of the regular season. Also of note, Adam Vinatieri missed a field Sunday and that dropped his season percentage under 90 percent, which cost him a $500K incentive. Rams tight end Lance Kendricks had a $250,000 bonus in his contract if he finished with 500 or more receiving yards. Kendricks' final total was 499.
- North Carolina topped Clemson in hoops on Tuesday. It happens, UNC is something like 12 billion and 1 against Clemson in basketball. What's 'This and That' worthy from that game was Clemson coach Brad Brownell giving Roy Williams an earful afterward. Here are the details.
- Speaking of basketball, Tennessee lost at home to Arkansas on Tuesday. Here is TFP ace sports columnist Mark Wiedmer's take on the game.
- Hey, it's Pacman. Adam Jones was arrested on four charges - one of which is a felony. In other news, water is wet.
- It has to be some pretty big doings in hockey to catch our attention. We think 16 consecutive wins - the mark the Columbus Blue Jackets notched last night - qualifies.
Today's question
Kris Bryant, the Cubs clogging star, is among the many folks celebrating a birthday today. He's 25 today. Life's got to be pretty good for Bryant right about now after the Cubs won the World Series last fall.
Side note: The first baby born in Chicago in 2017 was named Wrigley, according to the Chicago Tribune. That feels right.
Also, Sir Isaac Newton was born today back in 1643. Smart guy that Newton.
In fact, let's do a Rushmore of knighted folks. Sir Isaac Newton. Maybe a Sir Alec Guinness. Even a Sir Mix-a-Lot, although his title may not have been given by The Queen. (Although Baby Got Back. Wait, how did we get here?)
Go, and enjoy the day.