There’s a lot of pissed off Cowboys fans here trying to cope with the fact that out long time rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers are in the Super Bowl playing here in Dallas at Cowboys Stadium. Which will pretty much make the Packers the favorites to win SB XLV on Sunday Feb 6th? As a true blue Cowboys fan, I’m not too happy about it but it’s just something I just have to accept and watch it.
This will make the Steelers 8th Super Bowl appearance (NFL Record) and already have the record for most SB wins with 6. The Cowboys faced the Steelers 3 times and have a 1-2 record vs. them in SB play. No matter how many years ago we faced them. The Cowboys feel that we should have a winning record and have the most Super Bowls. Plus the fact that hearing talk that the Steelers are now “America’s Team is adding more fuel to the fire.
It’s going to be a long week here in Dallas. As the Steelers are already here and starting to wave the terrible towels. I know as a Cowboys fan, there are a lot of mad, shocked fans here that which this was just a dream and not reality. Only to wish that WE were playing in SB XLV vs. the Steelers. But as usual right now, we have to wait till next year.
Since I'm new to blogging, I'm trying to come up with ideas for regular features like the pros have. So far, I've come up with the idea for a weekly recap of the goings-on in the NFL, especially as it pertains to the Browns. It's a brilliant idea, I know. Completely original. It's going to be a groundbreaking idea that historians will look back on with great interest. I know all that. Anyways, let's get to the important stuff. A lot of this stuff isn't exactly breaking news anymore, but it is relevant to our favorite team.
To start off on a good note, Alex Mack is going to the Pro Bowl! He's taking the spot of injured Maurkice Pouncey of Pittsburgh.
The downside to that is that the Steelers are returning to the Super Bowl. Ick. If you were living in a cave yesterday and haven't seen the highlights of the AFC Championship showdown between the Jets and Steelers, here are the relevant highlights for you:
Yes, that is what it appears to be. I'm sure Ben was very adamant when he said "No!", but if he said yes earlier...
Okay, I've got that off my chest. I feel much better. One of the most important plays of the game was, in my eyes, the 19 yard fumble return by William Gay for a touchdown with less than a minute left in the half. At the time, I was just waiting for the Sanchez meltdown to begin. They were down 17 to nothing with about a minute and a half left in the first half and Sanchez looked bad. You could almost see the Steelers licking their chops. I was pleading with Rex Ryan for him to just have Sanchez kneel out the half and regain control in the locker room for the inevitable comeback attempt. But it wasn't to be. He gets hit, fumbles the ball, and the Steelers begin the rout. I really thought the game was over right then and there, and the defense was just gonna pound Sanchez into the dirt. To his credit, they had a great comeback attempt that just fell short, with that touchdown accounting for the final margin.
What does that mean for the Browns? First of all, it means Alex Mack is a Pro Bowler. It also means that next season might be the Steelers' down year (much like the season after their last Super Bowl) because they seem to get a little cocky and lazy after they have a great season. Hopefully that will open the door for the Browns to move up in the division.
In other divisional news, "sources" are saying that Carson Palmer has demanded a trade and threatened to retire if he doesn't get it. My first impression was to wonder what sort of leverage he thinks he has. A massive contract and terrible play on the field do not lend themselves well to trade demands. As I expected, the Bengals are saying that they won't trade him. Unless they want to start Jordan Palmer next year in hopes of tanking for Andrew Luck at #1 overall in 2012, they'll have to find somebody else to play quarterback. They have the #4 pick this year, so a franchise quarterback prospect is definitely a possibility. Hopefully for us that will mean one less team is thinking about taking A.J. Green ahead of us. It also means, hopefully, that Cincinatti is not going to have a good season again for a while.
As expected, Dick Jauron has officially been named the defensive coordinator of the Browns. That means that the switch back to a 4-3 is official, and hopefully I wasn't way off base last Friday when I forecasted how I thought that might go. The search for an offensive coordinator has not, however, yielded results. Candidates Bill Musgrave and Mike McCoy have both turned down the job to go to Minnesota and to remain in Denver, respectively. New coach Pat Shurmur is not discouraged, however. He remains confident that the Browns "will find some top-notch guys to join us."
For more information about Jauron and the search for an OC, here you go: http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2011/01/cleveland_browns_will_hire_dic.html
In NFC news, Jay Cutler has become a polarizing figure for not returning to the NFC Championship game after sustaining what we now know is an MCL tear. I've never had to play any sport with an injury before, so I can't say that he could have or should have returned to the game. Playing hurt is one thing, but playing injured is another thing. Lovie Smith and Brian Urlacher have both defended Cutler publicly. Urlacher is known as a very tough guy, so his defense of Cutler's toughness is pretty convincing to me. It's no secret that Cutler is not a very likable guy, so his attitude may be seen by many as a lack of toughness when he did not return to the game.
If there's any more relevant Browns news, interesting tidbits, ideas for features and names, or anything whatsoever, feel free to use the comments or tweet me @legoman0721.
This past week I've been covering the defensive shakeup in Philadelphia, and it's been a busy week for a team that's out of the playoffs. Defensive coordinators have been moving all around the league this week, but none have yet come to Philly. The Eagles have wasted little time hiring a replacement for their recently fired defensive line coach Rory Segrest. Jim Washburn, the defensive line coach for the Tennessee Titans, is the Birds' newest acquisition in this tumultuous offseason. The new coach promises to bring some much needed invigoration to the defensive line which may have been lacking in intensity this past season.
The Eagles were reported to have talked to Dean Pees, of the Baltimore Ravens, however Ravens head coach John Harbaugh stated that Pees has not been interviewing in Philadelphia.
With many defensive coordinator-candidates quickly being spoken for, and Jim Mora taking the year off from coaching, it seems to be coming down to candidates Bill Davis and Dick Jauron, though last night respected Eagles writer Les Bowen issued this cryptic tweet:
This has helped keep up the talk of a possible interview with the Jets' current defensive coordinator (and Philly native), Mike Pettine. While Pettine has denied the rumors of an interview when the Jets end their postseason, he has made some interesting remarks about wanting the head coaching job for his hometown team. With Andy Reid's contract up in 2013, you can bet these statements will be examined and dissected for a possible regime change.
If both the rumor and Pettine's denial are true, there is still a plethora of talent in the postseason coaching staffs. Hall of Famer Dick LeBeau would be an incredible addition to the coaching staff, despite rumors of his possible retirement. Bringing LeBeau in would also cement the rumor of the Eagles moving to a 3-4 defense. John Mitchell, the Steelers' defensive line coach would also be an ideal, but extremely unlikely candidate. A more likely name coming from the postseason is Packers defensive line coach Mike Trgovac. His name has been brought up as a good possibility to replace the ousted Sean McDermott, and it would not be his first go-around in Philly. Trgovac was Ray Rhodes' defensive line coach during Rhodes' entire tenure during the '90s. The other big names in the postseason are the Bears' Rod Marinelli, of the 2008 Detroit Lions head coaching fame (they went 0-16 that year), and the Packers' Dom Capers, though reports say he's staying put.
Although the Eagles still don't have a defensive coordinator, the fact that they were able to snatch up Washburn and the idea of courting a postseason defensive coach leaves many fans feeling hopeful, if not wary. We'll be following the developments and hope to bring you an updated situation Saturday night.
Update: Another unofficial name to toss into the hat would be the recently fired Chuck Cecil, former Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator. And you thought it couldn't get any crazier.
Coach Mike Tomlin had a question and answer on the Baltimore Ravens yesterday, and had this to say this about Ray Rice
"He’s got ridiculous lateral quickness. He can stick his foot in the ground and change direction at full speed. Not only is he a talented runner, but he has 60-plus catches over the course of the season. We have to do a good job defending him in the check-down game, the screen game, and he also does a real nice job running the wheel-route out of the backfield."
Though the Packers have had A LOT of takeaways this year, the Falcons however they are very hard to get takeaways from. With a sure handed Michael Turner and a quarterback with a very high IQ the Packers must find a way to get the Dirty Birds to cough up the ball. The reason for the the success of the Falcons have been just that.
Ten players, or impact players, to look forward to in the Seahawks and Bears game would include:
Matt Hasseback, Matt Forte, Devin Hester, Marshawn Lynch, Julious Peepers, David Hawthorne, Brian Urlacher, Mike Williams, Leon Washington and Chris Williams. Bleacher Report has the explanation on why these players are going to impact the game.
Here is a video of some big plays this past regular season
