NFL 2010

[skeptik]

What do you expect when the Steelers players are in the Super Bowl? The Pro Bowl is stupid anyway for a multitude of reasons, including but not limited to:

- having a roster much smaller than a typical NFL roster
- obligating coaches and players to run a 4-3 defensive scheme regardless of how many pro bowlers are come out of a 3-4 system
- completely disallow blitzing of any kind
- limit coverage variation
- disallow man coverage up to the defensive 5 yard line
- disallow shifting on the offensive side of the ball

 

[PhlegethonVeins]

I wasn't aware people even watch the pro bowl. Such a waste, short of being put on the list as a pro bowler.

 

[Krigloch the Furious]

yeah, who gives a shit about the pro bowl

 

[Alteredmindeath]

The pro-bowl is just for football nuts, and it keeps the people in Hawaii happy since they live in the middle of nowhere. The rules of the Pro-bowl are gay but they have to keep key players in good condition for the Superbowl.

 

[Alteredmindeath]

2011 PB lineup...
AFC OFFENSE

Quarterbacks
* Tom Brady, New England
Philip Rivers, San Diego
Peyton Manning, Indianapolis

Running Backs
* Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville
Arian Foster, Houston
Jamaal Charles, Kansas City

Fullback
* Vonta Leach, Houston

Wide Receivers
* Andre Johnson, Houston
* Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis
Brandon Lloyd, Denver
Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City

Tight Ends
* Antonio Gates, San Diego
Marcedes Lewis, Jacksonville

Centers
* Nick Mangold, N.Y. Jets
Maurkice Pouncey, Pittsburgh

Guards
* Kris Dielman, San Diego
* Logan Mankins, New England
Brian Waters, Kansas City

Tackles
* Jake Long, Miami
* Joe Thomas, Cleveland
D'Brickashaw Ferguson, N.Y. Jets

AFC DEFENSE

Defensive Ends
* Dwight Freeney, Indianapolis
* Robert Mathis, Indianapolis
Jason Babin, Tennessee

Interior Linemen
* Haloti Ngata, Baltimore
* Vince Wilfork, New England
Richard Seymour, Oakland

Inside-Middle Linebackers
* Ray Lewis, Baltimore
Jerod Mayo, New England

Outside Linebackers
* James Harrison, Pittsburgh
* Cameron Wake, Miami
Terrell Suggs, Baltimore

Cornerbacks
* Nnamdi Asomugha, Oakland
* Darrelle Revis, N.Y. Jets
Devin McCourty, New England

Strong Safety
* Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh

Free Safeties
* Ed Reed, Baltimore
Brandon Meriweather, New England

AFC SPECIALISTS

Punter
Shane Lechler, Oakland

Kick-return Specialist
Marc Mariani, Tennessee

Place-kicker
Billy Cundiff, Baltimore

Special-teamer
Montell Owens, Jacksonville


NFC OFFENSE

Quarterbacks
* Michael Vick, Philadelphia
Matt Ryan, Atlanta
Drew Brees, New Orleans

Running Backs
* Michael Turner, Atlanta
Adrian Peterson, Minnesota
Steven Jackson, St. Louis

Fullback
* Ovie Mughelli, Atlanta

Wide Receivers
* Roddy White, Atlanta
* Calvin Johnson, Detroit
DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia
Greg Jennings, Green Bay

Tight Ends
* Jason Witten, Dallas
Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta

Centers
* Andre Gurode, Dallas
Shaun O'Hara, N.Y. Giants

Guards
* Jahri Evans, New Orleans
*Chris Snee, N.Y. Giants
Carl Nicks, New Orleans

Tackles
* Jason Peters, Philadelphia
* Jordan Gross, Carolina
Chad Clifton, Green Bay

NFC DEFENSE

Defensive Ends
* Julius Peppers, Chicago
* John Abraham, Atlanta
Justin Tuck, N.Y. Giants

Interior Linemen
* Ndamukong Suh, Detroit
* Jay Ratliff, Dallas
Justin Smith, San Francisco

Inside-Middle Linebackers
* Patrick Willis, San Francisco
Brian Urlacher, Chicago

Outside Linebackers
* Clay Matthews, Green Bay
* DeMarcus Ware, Dallas
Lance Briggs, Chicago

Cornerbacks
* Asante Samuel, Philadelphia
* Charles Woodson, Green Bay
DeAngelo Hall, Washington

Strong Safety
* Adrian Wilson, Arizona

Free Safeties
* Nick Collins, Green Bay
Antrel Rolle, N.Y. Giants

NFC SPECIALISTS

Punter
Mat McBriar, Dallas

Kick-return Specialist
Devin Hester, Chicago

Place-kicker
David Akers, Philadelphia

Special-teamer
Eric Weems, Atlanta

 

[The Ozzman]

Bob Bratkowski fired as Bengals offensive coordinator:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=6077031

CINCINNATI -- The Bengals fired longtime offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski on Monday, the first change in their coaching staff following a 4-12 season that is still reverberating through the franchise.

The move came two weeks after quarterback Carson Palmer asked to be traded because of the franchise's futility. The Bengals have only two winning records in the last 20 years.

"I want to thank Bob for his role in helping us win two division championships," coach Marvin Lewis said. "But after reviewing our season in depth, we've decided it's best for the team to make this change at this time."

Bratkowski has been the offensive coordinator since 2001, two years before Lewis took over as coach. The Bengals reached the playoffs in 2005 with a balanced offense that featured Palmer and a core of young receivers. Knee and elbow injuries limited Palmer over the next few years.

The Bengals made it back to the playoffs in 2009 after switching to a run-based offense that Lewis preferred. Their inability to throw the ball successfully in the playoffs prompted yet another philosophical switch -- Cincinnati signed receiver Terrell Owens at the start of training camp last July to team with receiver Chad Ochocinco.

The Bengals threw the ball a lot more and won a lot less, dropping 10 straight games. Owens complained about the coaching and said he wasn't getting the ball thrown his way enough. Running back Cedric Benson said the team made a mistake by going away from the run-first philosophy that got it to the playoffs in 2009.

The season ended with Lewis unsure whether he wanted to stay -- his contract was up. After two days of discussions with owner Mike Brown, Lewis decided to stick around despite no significant changes in how the franchise operates.

After Lewis agreed to return, Palmer told Brown he wanted out. Brown said he's not inclined to trade the franchise quarterback.

The coaching staff was intact when it directed the North in the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., last week. The South beat the North 24-10 on Saturday.

Brown keeps assistant coaches even when he changes head coaches. Bratkowski was one of three offensive assistants with more tenure than Lewis: Paul Alexander has been offensive line coach for the last 16 years, and Jim Anderson has been running backs coach for 27 years.

Brown praised Bratkowski in a statement but added that "the time is right for us to make a change."

Cincinnati finished in the top 10 in rushing when it made the playoffs in 2009, but had the 26th-ranked passing game. That led the Bengals to draft tight end Jermaine Gresham and receiver Jordan Shipley and sign Owens, looking to throw the ball more effectively.

The passing game improved to 13th in the league last season, but the running game fell to 27th as the Bengals often found themselves throwing the ball to try to catch up.

Now all they need to do is hire a GM

 

[King Richard]

And not be the Bengals.

 

[muzmaze]

Bratkowski since 01'...how the hell did he last that long? I'm guessing Josh Mcdaniels lands there as the OC?

For the first time in my life I did watch about 3 minutes of the worthless Pro Bowl...be it only the Hawaiian dancers shaking thier asses at halftime. They really are beautiful people!

...

no...these dancers silly!
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leLfa2FTin8&feature=related[/ame]

 

[Alteredmindeath]

Bob Bratkowski fired as Bengals offensive coordinator:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=6077031



Now all they need to do is hire a GM

Not good enough.

 

[The Ozzman]

It's certainly a step in the right direction

 

[skeptik]

A small step...

Troy Polamalu was named the AP Defensive Player of the Year. I firmly believe that the most deserving player won the award.

 

[Jimmy... Dead.]

Can't argue with the pick, although I would have picked Clay Matthews.

 

[skeptik]

James Harrison had a better season than Clay Matthews. So did Julius Peppers and Justin Tuck. They also meant more to their teams.

 

[Mort Divine]

Did you see how awful the Packers defense played when Matthews wasn't on the field? Check the Washington and Miami games.

DPotY should've been Cam Wake though.

 

[skeptik]

The only reason you never see the Steelers suffer without Harrison is because he never misses time. He just plays through injuries.

And Cam Wake? I don't think so. Clay Matthews was more deserving (rightfully) of the award than Cam Wake. Sure, he had 14 sacks. Okay. But he only had 57 tackles. Even Clay Matthews had more than that, though not by much. In comparison, Harrison had 100 tackles, which is insane for a 3-4 outside linebacker, especially when considering the Steelers ILBs combined for over 250 tackles on the year. To put in perspective how high a number that is, the 3-4 OLB with the second most tackles is Matt Roth on the Browns, with 86, a 3-4 with a weak front 3. Third was Jarret Johnson of the Ravens with 73. Likewise, Cam Wake and Matthews each had 2 forced fumbles. Harrison had 6 (Osi Umenyiora had fucking TEN, jesus christ). Harrison also had 2 interceptions in comparison to one for Matthews (off of a deflection) and none for Wake. He also had 7 passes defensed, which, again, is high for 3-4 outside linebackers, also surprisingly Matthews also had 5. Wake had 4, but he's still a very one-dimensional, rush the passer OLB, although his run stuffing has improved throughout the course of the year and he will certainly continue to round out into a more complete player. The only category in which Harrison was "deficient" was in sacks, with a "mere" 10.5, his third consecutive season with at least 10 sacks. I seriously can't imagine how you could place Wake over Matthews or Harrison.

 

[Mort Divine]

I don't think tackles are always a great way to judge a player (because if that were the case then Willis would win it every year.

I mostly just think the award should be given to the player who not only puts up good stats, but who also makes a meaningful contribution to his teams defense.

Matthews obviously is the heart of the Packers defense. Harrison and Polamalu are both very imporant players to their team.

But Cam Wake is pretty much the only player on that team that is even remotely any good defensively outside of their CBs, so when teams are able to focus on taking him away and he still puts up good stats it seems a bit more impressive to me.

 

[King Richard]

The pro-bowl is just for football nuts, and it keeps the people in Hawaii happy since they live in the middle of nowhere. The rules of the Pro-bowl are gay but they have to keep key players in good condition for the Superbowl.

I have to admit, I'm a football nut and I watched the PB. Mostly to see Peyton Manning throw an interception on a pass intended for Reggie Wayne, but also because I enjoy the aerial shots of Hawaii. It calms me to think about later this year when I move there instead of the shitty weather in Indiana.

A small step...

Troy Polamalu was named the AP Defensive Player of the Year. I firmly believe that the most deserving player won the award.

You could make an argument for either Mathews or Polamalu. I don't think either one of them had a spectacular year imo, but it's whatever. I can't wait for Bob Sanders to get healthy and see if he can earn that award again. droooolll

 

[Jimmy... Dead.]

They also meant more to their teams.

No. This is exactly why I would have picked Matthews. He was the opposing offensive focus all year. I watched him get around and blocked by 2-3 different guys every play.

Stats don't mean everything.

 

[skeptik]

I don't think tackles are always a great way to judge a player (because if that were the case then Willis would win it every year.

I mostly just think the award should be given to the player who not only puts up good stats, but who also makes a meaningful contribution to his teams defense.

Matthews obviously is the heart of the Packers defense. Harrison and Polamalu are both very imporant players to their team.

But Cam Wake is pretty much the only player on that team that is even remotely any good defensively outside of their CBs, so when teams are able to focus on taking him away and he still puts up good stats it seems a bit more impressive to me.

Tackles/stats obviously don't mean everything, and if you recall my posting history you know that I'm the first person to say that. But when you have a 3-4 outside linebacker recording 100 tackles, that is a phenomenal number and indicates that his ability to get to the ball is well above par. People playing that position should not be recording those numbers. The 3-4 is positioned in such a way that traffic is intended to flow to the ILBs. Patrick Willis, btw, is an ILB. He also had his worst season this year so far. He should have won it last year, however, if his team didn't suck so much. Lawrence Timmons had a better year than him, yet he got no credit whatsoever.

I also disagree that Matthews is the heart of the Packers defense. The Packers have way too good of a defense for any individual player to be the heart, but even if they did, I would probably favor Woodson for that categorization, especially when they let him move around in the nickel. But the Packers have one of the best 3-4 defensive lines in the league, easily, with Raji, Pickett, and Jenkins, and one of the best secondaries as well. They're too stout of a defense and don't treat any one particular player especially, with the main exception being Woodson shifting in the nickel (although yes they do move Matthews around some to create favorable matchups, but then again so do the Ravens with Suggs (and Ngata for that matter)). Honestly, not many players have anything even approximating the freedom that Polamalu has. He doesn't call defenses, he just makes his own reads and makes sure Ryan Clark covers where he's leaving an opening.

As for Wake, teams didn't really know shit about him at the beginning of the year. He was an unknown commodity that had to be learned. Maybe your position of his importance is out of proportion because by far his best game of the year was against the Packers, where he had 3 sacks and spent more time in the backfield than the runningbacks.

Also, I seem to recall seeing Randy Starks in Hawaii...the Dolphins have an excellent linebacking corps. with Dansby and Crowder clouding up the middle, and Koa Misi showed a lot of promise this year as well. Soliai and Langford are not bad either...hell, to be honest, the Dolphins have a pretty damn good defense on paper, in terms of personnel.

So yeah, I disagree with you on two counts: Cam Wake is just one part of a pretty good defense, and teams didn't really wake up to him until after that Packers game. There's no way that he was the best defensive player in the league or the most valuable to his team.

No. This is exactly why I would have picked Matthews. He was the opposing offensive focus all year. I watched him get around and blocked by 2-3 different guys every play.

Stats don't mean everything.

Matthews didn't start getting consistently double teamed until the late part of the season. He even reaffirmed this yesterday in his press interview. If you really want to argue from the point of view of who has to be accounted for in pre-game planning and on a play-to-play basis, there's no way Polamalu loses that argument to Matthews, or Harrison for that matter, and that's with having a viable pass rusher on the other side of him as well.

Edit: Well that was longer than I realized.

TL;DR version: Nuh uh!

 

[Mort Divine]

Cam Wake is just one part of a pretty good defense, and teams didn't really wake up to him until after that Packers game.

Your entire post makes sense but I cringed after reading this line. Probably unintentional but still