SportsCrack

NFL 2007 NIT SUPER BOWL (w/ What if Sports)

At last, we’re here. For all three of you that are looking forward to this, the NFL’s 2007 NIT Tournament’s Super Bowl has finally arrived. Call me crazy, but the match up isn’t half bad. The two number one seeds in either conference, the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns are geared up for the game that will make one of them the best team that didn’t make the playoffs. If you’ve ever been left out of anything, this game is definitely for you.

The game was going to be played in Hawaii, because… well, Hawaii’s awesome. Then I realized the Pro Bowl stadium was not available as an option, so I picked Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Call it a pre actual Super Bowl under card, if you will.

THE 1st EVER NFL 2007 NIT SUPER BOWL

CLEVELAND BROWNS VS PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

1st Quarter

The 2007 NIT Super Bowl got off to a quick start with the Eagles going 88 yards on their opening possession to score a quick TD to go up 7-0. Cleveland answered right back after a great Joshua Cribbs kick return – with Jamal Lewis taking one 38 yards to the house for a TD. A successful extra point tied the score up at 7.

After forcing the Eagles into a four and out, Derek Anderson took advantage of the change in possession and led his team 72 yards for another TD. The 1 st quarter would end with the Browns on top 14-7.

2nd Quarter

The Browns defense continued to impress, allowing a bit of yardage on the Eagles next possession, but not enough for the Eagles to convert it into points. Already having scored two TDs on two possessions, the Browns continued the trend, this time with a FG.

Lock down defense on both sides would assure no more scoring in the first half. The Browns go into halftime up 17-7.

Halftime

The Halftime show included a fan field goal kicking contest (he missed) as well as a great performance by Kanye West, Chamillionaire and Shakira. Also, everyone was given a free personal size pizza courtesy of Uno’s.

3rd Quarter

Good defensive play on both sides of the ball continued into the 3 rd quarter. However, the Browns held the Eagles to zero points for the 2 nd consecutive quarter while Cleveland tacked on another field goal to their score.

The score was 20-7 going into the final quarter.

4th Quarter

The Eagles wasted no time in the 4 th quarter, scoring a quick TD 2 minutes in. The Browns answered RIGHT back however, going 71 yards to counter the Eagles TD. The 2 point conversion failed however. With 9 minutes to go the score was 26-14 and the Eagles looked to be on the ropes.

After a quick first down, the Eagles would have to punt. The defense would answer the call however and get them the ball back. McNabb would take care of the rest and with 4:31 to go in the game, the Eagles would make it 26-21.

With only 2 timeouts, the Eagles couldn’t stop the Browns rushing attack who successfully gained three first downs to put this one away.

The Cleveland Browns win the 2007 NFL NIT Tournament 26-21!

Player of the game: Jamal Lewis 22 rushes 105 yards 2 TDs (And for anyone interested, Derek Anderson didn't have nearly as good a game as last week -- 18/28 246 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT)

NFL 2007 NIT Championship Round (w/ What if Sports)

Here we are, on the cusp of the NIT Super Bowl with a Final Four match up of some teams who by all accounts, didn’t have too bad of a year. True, they didn’t make the actual playoffs, but this is a great sign of things to come. Our first match up is the AFC NIT Championship game between the Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns.

Both teams had surprisingly good years, even though their seasons did not end in an actual playoff bid. Derek Anderson gave the Browns a quandary that many teams would kill for: leave the reigns for the promising breakout quarterback or hand them over to an even more promising young QB in waiting. No matter which direction the Browns organization chooses, they have a strong foundation on all three sides of the ball to build on and I fully expect them to be a contender for years to come.

The Texans, who were the laughingstock of the league when they drafted Mario Williams over Reggie Bush, are now the ones that are laughing. Williams has proved to be an elite defensive talent who will be the benchmark for that defense for many, many years. A strong defensive showing as well as a great year from newly acquired QB Matt Schaub almost landed the Texans a spot in the playoffs. However, they play in perhaps the toughest division in football in the AFC South and look to only get better in the years to come.

As always the games were simulated with the excellent http://whatifsports.com and weather averages obtained using the equally excellent http://weather.com.

(2) Houston @ (1) Cleveland (20 degrees, flurries, light winds)

Although it was a relatively competitive game at the end of the 1 st quarter, it was then that the Cleveland Browns decided to turn on the jets. The Browns scored three unanswered touchdowns in the 2 nd quarter to make it 28-3 and it was a deficit the Texans would never come even close to recovering from.

Derek Anderson was spectacular with nearly 300 yards, 5 TDs and only one incomplete pass. Although Jamal Lewis didn’t have the best game in the world with only 55 yards, Joshua Cribbs took a 60 yard reverse to the house early in the 3 rd quarter to put the Browns up by 32 points.

In the end, the Texans just didn’t appear to even want to be in the game and the final score showed it. The Browns cruise to the NIT Super Bowl 49-20.

Player of the game: Derek Anderson 21/22 284 yards, 5 TDs, 0 INT

On the NFC side of the league the Arizona Cardinals are set to face the Philadelphia Eagles. Arizona, the only underdog seed to advance in the NIT playoffs had a mediocre but promising season. Although young QB Matt Leinart did nothing to wow the fans, the team still has a solid running game and defense to build upon.

The Eagles were arguably the best 8-8 team of the entire year. They showed flashes of brilliance all year long but were too inconsistent in the end to clinch a playoff bid.

(3) Arizona @ (1) Philadelphia (25 degrees, clear skies)

This game remained very competitive through the first half, with the score deadlocked at 7 at the half way mark. It was then that Brian Westbrook did what he has done many times this season: Win the game himself.

A quick 10 points at the start of the 3 rd quarter, thanks in part to Mr. Westbrook put the Eagles up 17-7. The Cardinals did respond early in the 4 th with a field goal, but the Eagles would answer back with a Brian Westbrook TD. Another field goal for the Iggles would put them up 27-10 which would end up being the final score.

Player of the game: Brian Westbrook 21 attempts 94 yards, 2 TD – 5 receptions 51 yards

So there you have it. It’s Browns/Eagles in the 2007 NFL NIT Super Bowl. Which probably deserved to get into the playoffs? Maybe they both did, but we will definitvely know who was the best team that got left out of the playoffs in a few short days. Stay tuned!

NFL 2007 NIT Divisional Round (w/ What if Sports)

Well, the Wild Card round is in the books of the NFL NIT Tournament, with the favorites sweeping the board. Only 8 teams remain, battling it out for the coveted title of ‘Best team that didn’t make the actual playoffs!’

Simulations have been done with the excellent http://whatifsports.com as well as taking some weather averages from the equally excellent http://weather.com – and I used some dice to factor in precipitation. But enough talk! Time for zee games:

(3) Buffalo @ (2) Houston (55 degrees, clear skies)

Houston continues the favorites undefeated run in the NFL NIT 2007 tournament, winning this one 25-22 after being down by a touchdown with less than three minutes remaining. The Texans tacked on a 2 point conversion just to be safe and be up by a field goal, but the Bills never got downfield to do so. The Texans D held Buffalo to a four and out and player of the game Ron Dayne took care of the rest, sending Houston to the AFC NIT Championship game.

Player of the game: Ron Dayne 14 attempts 100 yards, 1 TD

(4) Carolina @ (1) Philadelphia (30 degrees, moderate snow, moderate winds)

Although the game was all tied at the end of the 1^st quarter, the Eagles defense would make sure the Panthers did not score any points after that. Vinny Testaverde did nothing to help his team’s chances with 3 interceptions and Deshaun Foster fumbled in the third quarter, as the Panthers were driving inside Eagle territory. Two Donovan McNabb to Brian Westbrook TD’s in the second half would finalize this one 21-7 and send the Eagles onto the NFC NIT Championship game.

Player of the game: Donovan McNabb 23/34 284 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INT

(4) Cincinnati @ (1) Cleveland (25 degrees, clear skies)

In what seemingly has become an NFL NIT trend, this game also went right down to the wire as well as going in favor of the favorite. Derek Anderson showed poise in the pocket as well as cool under pressure, driving his team 78 yards with less than two minutes to go in the game. A 19 yard teardrop to Braylon Edwards made it 26-23 Browns with 32 seconds left. That score would also be the final one, with the Bengals unable to mount a substantial drive or even an attempted field goal.

Player of the game: Derek Anderson 16/23 189 yards 1 TD, 0 INT

(3) Arizona @ (2) Minnesota (Dome, but the weather outside is frightful!)

The Arizona Cardinals ended the underdogs losing streak in the NIT playoffs, with yet another down to the wire finish. Down by a TD at the start of the 4^th quarter, Edgerrin James took the team on his back and accounted for 63 of the game tying 76 yard TD drive. The Cardinals D answered the call, forcing the Vikings into a three and out, followed by Kurt Warner driving the offense just far enough for Neil Rackers to kick a 26 yard go ahead field goal. A Tavaris Jackson interception gave the Cardinals hope and although they did not score again, they ran out enough of the clock and stopped the Vikings offense yet again to come away with the victory 20-17.

Player of the game: Edgerrin James 23 attempts 114 yards, 1 TD

NFL NIT Championship Matchups

(3) Arizona @ (1) Philadelphia

(2) Houston @ (1) Cleveland

Arizona is obviously the story of the tournament so far. Will they continue their Cinderella run or will they be knocked off by my un-simulated prediction, Philadelphia? In the AFC, will Cleveland prove that they could have had a better run than Tennessee in the actual playoffs, or will Houston continue their surprising season and show they are a force to be reckoned with next year?

Stay tuned!

2007 NFL NIT Tournament (w/ What if Sports)

For anyone who read the previous iteration of this idea I had, you know I took the 6 best teams in each conference that didn’t make the playoffs and pitted them against each other in a runner’s up NIT style tournament. Unfortunately, I did this a week or so before being informed about the fantastic What if Sports. In version 1.0, I picked all the games myself – and as we all know, I have a tendency to be a bit daft at times. So, without further ado here is what would have REALLY happened in the 2007 NFL NIT Tournament.

First off, let’s take a look at the seeds:

AFC

1.) Cleveland

2.) Houston

3.) Buffalo

4.) Cincinnati

5.) Denver

6.) Baltimore

NFC

1.) Philadelphia

2.) Minnesota

3.) Arizona

4.) Carolina

5.) Detroit

6.) Chicago

The first part of this series will detail the Wild Card games. As stated before, all games will be simulated using http://whatifsports.com and normal NFL playoff seeding/home field advantage rules. Standing injuries from the end of the season and who was starting will be taken into account (e.g.: unfortunately for the Ravens, Troy Smith will be leading them at QB through the tournament). Also, I took a look at the average temperature in the given home cities during January and rolled dice for precipitation (1, 3, meant there was precipitation with 1 being light, 3 moderate and factored in wind with the given precipitation… I’m a dork, I know this).

(6) Baltimore @ (3) Buffalo (25 degrees, clear skies)

The first game of the NFL NIT playoffs proved to be a thrilling one, with overtime needed to decide a victor. With less than six minutes to go in the 4^th quarter and Troy Smith bowing out of the game with an injury, Kyle Boller led his team 53 yards for a touchdown as well as the 2 point conversion to tie it at 21. Baltimore’s defense couldn’t hold Buffalo in overtime though, allowing a 29 yarder by Ryan Lindell to catapult the Bills into the NIT Divisional round with a 24-21 victory.

Player of the game: Trent Edwards 20/29 298 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT

(5) Detroit @ (4) Carolina (40 degrees, clear skies)

Although this game got off to a slow start in the first half the second half could go down as perhaps the best in the NFL NIT history. Down 10-6 at the half, Carolina stormed right out the gate, quickly making it 13-10. Each team would go back and forth scoring on each consecutive drive. At the 1:30 minute mark, Detroit was up 31-10. Veteran Vinny Testaverde (filling in for an injured Matt Moore) would have none of that – marching the team down field and allowing John Casey to knock through a 42 yarder to send the Panthers into the next round.

Player of the game: Vinny Testaverde 19/28 267 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INT

(6) Chicago @ (3) Arizona (70 degrees, clear skies)

Although they were only up 10-3 at halftime, the Cardinals wasted no time in the second half cushioning their lead. Two unanswered touchdowns and a field goal later, the score was 27-3 and although the Bears mounted somewhat of a comeback, scoring 10 more points of their own, they were never really in it. Both Kurt Warner and Edgerrin James had great days and it seemed they could score at will. The Cardinals won this one without too much difficulty 30-13.

Player of the game: Anquan Boldin 8 receptions 165 yards, 2 TDs

(5) Denver @ (4) Cincinnati (25 degrees, flurries, light wind)

Although rallying to within 3 points after being down by 18 with less than eight minutes left, the Denver Broncos just couldn’t get the ball back at the end of the game to tie it up. Cincinnati appeared to have the game in hand 31-13 at the eight minute mark of the fourth quarter, trying to cruise through the rest of the game. The Bengals almost let the Broncos back in it, although in the end, they were too much for Mike Shanahan’s team. The Bengals complete the Wild Card round favorites sweep 31-28.

Player of the game: Carson Palmer 21/35 289 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT

NFL NIT Divisional Round Matchups:

(4) Cincinnati @ (1) Cleveland

(3) Buffalo @ (2) Houston

(4) Carolina @ (1) Philadelphia

(3) Arizona @ (2) Minnesota

Stay tuned!

A Patriot Fans Manifesto

Instead of pretending to be fair and balanced like Fox News, I am instead going to write in the henceforth ‘Pats-person.’ It is similar to first person and third person, except that I will in no way hide my undying allegiance to the most hated team in sports.

It was a mere seven years ago the Patriots were the underdog darling of the entire country. Since then, it’s been quite a journey. Back then they were the team that no one gave a chance to and were a general feel good story (except in St. Louis of course).

After a year off the Patriots were in the Super Bowl yet again, this time against the Carolina Panthers. Suddenly, the word ‘dynasty’ was being thrown around and although the underdog tag could no longer be applied to them, they were still respected by the majority of NFL fans.

The very next year, 2004, the Patriots were yet AGAIN in the Super Bowl. The Philadelphia Eagles were the next victim and around this time people were starting to see the Patriots a bit too much. Almost like ‘Hey, it was cute at first guys, now you’re annoying – cut it out!’

Two years and two gut-wrenching playoff losses later, we arrive at the beginning of the 2007 season. The Patriots had added a plethora of weapons including but not limited to Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Adalius Thomas. Then, during Week 1, the shit hit the fan.

It went by many names, the favorite appearing to be Spy Gate. The Patriots were caught red handed taping the defensive signals against the New York Jets. I’m not going to get into how Eric Mangina is a snitch and all that because it would go nowhere. You either agree with what he did or you don’t. Personally, I think it’s a bit more widespread than everyone made it seem, but oh well. The damage had been done. The ‘Patriot darlings’ were suddenly labeled as cheaters and everything they had accomplished up until then came under question.

Explaining the feelings upon hearing this, as a Patriots fan since childhood would be too difficult. The only thing I can equate it to is if the star player on your team was caught using steroids, but even then it’s like comparing apples and bananas. If you live in an NFL city that was once considered a dynasty, imagine Spy Gate happening to them right at the peak of their greatness. It sucks, let me tell you.

It didn’t necessarily suck because I believed it was such a horrible thing to do. Again, I think that every single NFL team in the league does what they need to do to gain a competitive advantage. It sucked because the New England Patriots had become the New York Yankees/Dallas Cowboys/Place a Successful Disliked Team Here, all rolled into one. Pretend that that team killed your dog and you’d have the general consensus of the new look New England Patriots.

However as the Patriots began to tally win after win each week, I began to feel less and less ashamed of what the Patriots had done. After all, they didn’t even get to use the ‘cheating intel’ from Week 1. Every win that they added to their record was legit and I became less and less concerned that I was rooting for the criminal of the NFL.

Now, as we stand on the precipice of NFL history, it just boggles me how in a mere seven years the Patriots went from darling underdogs to hated villains. It’s interesting to say the least. With success comes jealousy and with jealousy comes hatred. I’m sure there will be a lot of articles covering the Giants/Pats Super Bowl in the upcoming days. I’m sure that many of them will spew anti-Patriot content and that’s okay. I don’t really expect non-Patriots fans to side with them and am pretty sure that 45 ½ out of the 50 states (Vermont might be half and half) will be rooting against the Pats in the Super Bowl. I mean, if I wasn’t a Patriots fan, I sure as hell would.

Due to the success of the season it was easy to shrug off attacks by suggesting jealousy or ignorance. But if you thought Boston area sports fans were obnoxious before? Just think of how bad we’re going to be when we get to give it all back to you when we win the Super Bowl in two weeks.

Championship Round Quick Picks

Real quick:

Pats 41 Chargers 28

L.T. whines after the game and uses the word 'class' at least 3 times. Also, Rivers gets into an argument with at least two fans in the crowd because he still thinks he's in Pee-Wee football.



Giants 31 Packers 30

Major upset in what will be a much better game than people think.

Miami Dolphins Year in Review

It was an eventful year for the Miami Dolphins, albeit a year that did not include much wins (one to be exact). Although next year does show some promise after the hiring of Bill Parcells as the ‘executive VP of football operations’ coupled with the first pick in the NFL Draft.

The Dolphins season started just like everyone else’s: with hope and a clean slate. With Trent Green under center, a confident Ronnie Brown in the backfield and an elderly promising defense, Dolphins fans were excited for the upcoming season.

The excitement continued even after a 16-13 OT loss to the Washington Redskins in Week 1. Over the next 7 weeks however, the Dolphins would rack up 7 more losses. They would lose Trent Green for the season after a Week 5 concussion (which gave the reigns to Cleo Lemon) as well as Ronnie Brown for the year in Week 7. Up until then, Brown had been running like a madman, piling up 602 yards on 119 rushes and 4 touchdowns. Going into the Week 9 bye, the Dolphins were 0-8 and had lost their starting quarterback and running back to year ending injuries.

It was perhaps at this time, as in Madden, that fans realized that even if they unrealistically won out the rest of their season, they would be 8-8 and would likely still miss the playoffs. The mood in Miami was dismal and the team members did not look happy. The depression would continue through Week 14, where the Dolphins stood at 0-13. During the 5 games since the bye week, the Dolphins had played in some close games (13-10 loss to the Bills in Week 10), some bad games (40-13 ass kicking by the Jets in Week 13) and the ugly (a 3-0 loss to the Steelers in Week 12, where we saw what was perhaps the worst playing conditions in the history of the NFL). The Dolphins were 3 losses away from being an immortal laughing stock in NFL history.

But then, something crazy happened. The Dolphins won a Week 15 game against the Ravens (surprise, surprise) and ended the entire nation’s dream of the defeated Dolphins ending the undefeated Patriots season in Week 16, which would have effectively imploded the universe. Still, the Dolphins organization as a whole was ecstatic that instead of being known as the ‘first team to go 0-16’ they would instead just be known as ‘that horrible 1-15 Dolphins team from 2007.’ The 2007 Dolphins were definitely a half glass full type team, that’s for sure. Even if they lost their remaining two games (which they did) they still won at least one game. Motivational coaches everywhere smiled to themselves.

The Dolphins ended the 2007 season 1-15 and once the good feelings of at least winning one game wore off, they realized they were still going to suck just as much next year. Then, something even crazier happened. Bill Parcells decided he was bored on NFL Sunday Countdown and wanted to get back into the NFL somehow. Parcells chose the Dolphins over the Falcons and Miami fans rejoiced. Perhaps they would not suck so much next year. Almost immediately, the new executive VP of football operations began to clean house, firing GM Randy Mueller and head coach Cam Cameron.

Dolphins 2007 Team Leaders

PASSING

Cleo Lemon: 173/309, 1773 yards, 5.74 yards per attempt, 6 TD, 6 INT

RUSHING

Ronnie Brown: 119 carries, 602 yards, 4 TD, 0 fumbles

RECEIVING

Marty Booker: 50 receptions, 556 yards, 1 TD

DEFENSE

Channing Crowder: 77 total tackles (60 solo), 1 sack (Jason Allen led the team in interceptions with 3)

Parcells would eventually bring in former Cowboys underling Tony Sparano as the new head coach a few weeks later. Considering the state of the team minutes after their season ended at 1-15, Dolphins fans have to at least feel good that the team is now on the right track with Parcells at the helm. Known for his keen eye for talent and no nonsense approach to the game, the team should look and play completely different next year, and for the better.

Who will the Dolphins take at #1? Will they trade down? Perhaps the only position the Dolphins don’t need to upgrade is running back, but with Darren McFadden available it would surprise no one if the Fins take him, considering his talent. LSU DT Glenn Dorsey is generally regarded as the best senior prospect in the entire draft and the Dolphins may very well take him. There are a bunch of different positions available with the number one pick, so it’s anyone’s guess as to which direction the team will go. But one thing is for sure, with Parcells steering them, they’ll be headed in the right direction.

Wannabe GM: San Francisco 49ers QB Situation

I’ve decided to pretend that I’m a GM of various ailing NFL teams and describe exactly what I would do to turn the franchise around. Think of it as a guideline for these teams to follow so they won’t suck as much next year.

The first edition: The San Francisco 49ers. The topic: The horrid QB situation they’re faced with.

As we all know, the San Francisco 49ers had a QB carousel this season. Four different quarterbacks lined up under center in 2007: Alex Smith, Trent Dilfer, Shaun Hill and Chris Weinke. Call me crazy but that’s a lot of quarterbacks, especially if for the most part, they all didn’t show us much skill at all (except Shaun Hill). Firstly, let’s take a look at each QB’s stats (and their full names!):

Trent Farris Dilfer: 113 completions with 219 attempts for 1166 yards (51.6 completion %), 7 TD, 12 INT, 5.32 yards per attempt and a 55.1 QB rating. Trent played in 7 games.

Alexander D. Smith: 94 completions with 193 attempts for 914 yards (48.7 completion %), 2 TD, 4 INT, 4.74 yards per attempt and a 57.2 QB rating. Alex played in 6 games (and one play in a seventh).

Shaun Hill (Couldn’t find a middle name or initial): 54 completions with 79 attempts for 501 yards (68.4 completion %), 5 TD, 1 INT, 6.34 yards per attempt and a 101.3 QB rating. Shaun played in 3 games.

Christopher Jon Weinke: 13 completions with 22 attempts for 104 yards (59.1 completion %), 1 TD, 0 INT, 4.73 yards per attempt and a 86.2 QB rating. Chris played in 1 game… and I’m not entirely sure why.

To be fair, it’s hard to compare Shaun and Chris to Trent and Alex due to the varying degree of games played. It's like comparing apples and pebbles, but, we’re going to do it anyway.

Take a long look at that list. Soak in all of the statistics. If you owned an NFL team, which QB on that list would you want running your offense? What’s that? None of them? If I absolutely had to pick one QB on the list it would be Shaun Hill, but those are stats for three games. THREE games!

Trying to give Alex Smith the benefit of the doubt(which is difficult, he nearly ruined my fantasy team this year), since he is the franchise quarterback after all, I took a look at his previous two years statistics.

2005 (rookie year): 84 completions with 165 attempts for 875 yards (50.9 completion %), 1 TD, 11 INT, 5.30 yards per attempt and a 40.8 QB rating. Alex played in 9 games his rookie year.

2006: 257 completions with 442 attempts for 2890 yards (58.1 completion %), 16 TD, 16 INT, 6.54 yards per attempt and a 74.8 QB rating. Alex played in all 16 games in 2006.

Smith’s 2007 season was riddled by injuries but even so, the games he did play in were not of franchise QB caliber. You could say his 2007 was an off year and he could improve on both his 2006 and 2007 campaigns with a great 2008. I would have to disagree – the 49ers have waited three years on this kid, it’s time to look elsewhere. Not let him go entirely, but look elsewhere.

Heading back to the Shaun Hill front (the only other on-team option – that’s right, I’m not considering Weinke and Dilfer as options) I took a quick look at his career statistics. What I found was… nothing. In his six years in the NFL, all of Shaun Hill’s career stats came in 2007 (save for two rushes when he was with the Vikings for a whopping -2 yards).

So the question that stands before us? Are three quality starts enough to base a whole 2008 season on? Of course not, so that is why the 49ers must take a QB in the upcoming draft. The Niners have the 30^th overall pick in the first round (acquired from Indianapolis) and by all accounts, they are going to take a WR with their first pick. Why shouldn’t they? Their WR situation is more sordid than the QB one. They do have the 7^th pick in the 2^nd round, however. So here are some quarterback’s that will most likely be available.

• Colt Brennan (Hawaii)

• John David Booty (USC)

• Chad Henne (Michigan)

• Dennis Dixon (Oregon)

These are all promising picks, not to mention a bunch of other sleepers that we’ll learn about at the NFL Combine. If I had to choose though, it would either be Brennan or Dixon – with a lean towards Dixon. I think the 49ers offense would benefit greatly from an agile quarterback considering that even if they get a great WR in the first round, they still won’t have an all start cast at wide out.

Hopefully the 49ers will pick a quality QB this time and sure, he’s going to have his learning curve. But coupled with a rookie WR, a rejuvenated Frank Gore and a few tweaks on defense, the San Francisco 49ers could very well return to their former juggernaut status of yore.

San Francisco 49ers Year in Review

The 2007 NFL football season has been great. Although I can’t remember a football season that I didn’t enjoy, this year was so chock full of headlines and interesting stories, it would take days to cover them all. Throw in my first full season of NFL Sunday Ticket, and you’ve got yourself a good time. Anyway, I’ve taken it upon myself to pick a few random NFL teams, and take a look at their season as well as a look ahead to what’s in store for them next year. We’ve all been talking about the playoff teams so much; I’ve felt the need to write about some of the non-playoff teams. Call it a swan song of football before I jump into writing about basketball, if you will. Anyway, today’s team: The San Francisco 49ers.

The San Francisco 49ers started out the 2007 season as the trendy sleeper pick of the pre-season. They were coming off an improved 2006 performance and signed many key free agents including CB Nate Clements and WR Ashley Lelie. Frank Gore was coming off a fantastic year (1695 rushing yards, 8 TD’s) and Alex Smith appeared to be maturing into the starting QB role after an equally impressive 2^nd year in the NFL (2890 passing yards, 16 TD’s 74.8 QB rating).

The 49ers started out 2007 with an impressive come from behind victory over the Arizona Cardinals in the second Monday Night Game of the evening. Although the offense was stagnant for the most part, many were optimistic about it all, concluding that the Niners could come from behind and win close ball games. Not to mention, it was a divisional victory and who complains about divisional victories, right?

The optimism continued in Week 2 as the 49ers squeaked out another close win in St. Louis 17-16. Alex Smith again had a mediocre showing, but Frank Gore rushed for a respectable 80 yards and 2 touchdowns. The 2-0 49ers could easily have been 0-2, but they were not – and there defense was playing fantastic. 49er fans were beginning to think that all of the preseason hype was beginning to look legit and they did indeed have a playoff caliber team.

However, it was at this time boys and girls that the wheels began to fall off the 49er bandwagon. They dropped six straight leaving them at 2-6 and looking at a Monday Night match up against their division rival, The Seattle Seahawks. During this nationally televised game, the 49ers were shutout 24-0, in one of their poorest showings in franchise history. They would not win again until Week 12, an overtime thriller against the Arizona Cardinals. But by then, it was too late.

During the final five weeks of the season, the 49ers would go 2-3, beating the Cincinnati Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They finished the season 5-11 and are generally regarded as the biggest disappointment of the entire season, when taking into account pre-season predictions. After last years run at the NFC West title, the 49ers were outclassed by the front running Seattle Seahawks in both games this year, being outscored 47-3.

There is a lot to look forward to next year, though. Patrick Willis, the 49ers first round draft pick won defensive rookie of the year honors. Frank Gore, while not having his best of years in 2007, is still relatively young and can only get better. While the defense isn’t anything to write home about, you’d be a fool to think it can’t be tweaked a bit and be a top 10 unit.

2007 Team Leaders

Passing

T. Dilfer - 113 completions, 219 attempts, 1166 yards, 7 TD, 12 INT

Rushing

F. Gore - 260 carries, 1102 yards, 4.2 average, 5 TD

Receiving

A. Battle – 50 receptions, 600 yards, 12.0 average, 5 TD

Defense

P. Willis – 135 solo tackles, 39 assisted tackles, 4 sacks

One of the big questions going into the off season for the 49ers is what to do at the quarterback position. Will they stick with Alex Smith? Perhaps they will give Shaun Hill a chance? This is a topic in and of itself (one in which I will be writing about next) but you can’t rule out the 49ers taking a QB in the draft, either. Alex Smith has appeared to hit a stopgap talent wise, but he could still get better. It is however, a major concern that the organization will have to address for the team to live up to its true potential.

One of the most glaring needs for the 49ers is of course, the wide receiver position. Darrel Jackson is in no way a #1 receiver and Ashley Lelie did not live up to expectations at all in 2007. This could again be because of the inconsistency at the QB position (the team started 4 different QB’s during the season) or the 49ers could need better receivers. I believe it is a mixture of both.

If the 49ers focus on a promising younger receiver, possibly a quarterback and depth on defense in the draft, they have a realistic shot at accomplishing next year what they were supposed to this year. We’ll all just have to wait and see.

Playoff Interview Special: Green Bay Packers

As you all know, I've been interviewing fans of particular playoff teams over the past week or so. This editions interviewee is Alex Holowczak, a very respected member of the http://armchairgm.com community.

Football Crack (FC) Be honest: Did you want Brett Favre to retire at the conclusion of last year’s season?

Alex: I wanted Brett Favre to play on, because I thought that Favre was better than Rodgers. I still think he is better than Rodgers. I do think he should retire at the end of this season, though. 2007 was his last hurrah, and it would be great if he got to another Super Bowl.

(FC) I ended up taking Priest Holmes with my last free agent pickup in my fantasy league (I know, I know) although I almost took Ryan Grant. Do you think he’s for real? What do you think he’ll do next season?

Alex: I honestly don't know. I think next year will be more of an indication. Everyone thought Larry Johnson was unbelievable when he started out, but he dipped in form in his second real year. I certainly believe he is Green Bay's Number 1 at RB. Brandon Jackson was horrible, although Deshawn Wynn was good too. I would wait until next season before passing judgement. Of course, he could just be benefiting from a good O-line.

(FC) What do you drink, if anything during Packer games?

Alex: I drink Fruit Juice - I usually watch them on NFL.com with the scrolling scoreboard. I can't really pop down the road to Lambeau Field.

(FC) Out of the rookies that played this season, who is your Green Bay Packer Rookie of the Year?

Alex: James Jones. He could be potentially a great NFL reciever. I've also been hugely impressed with Mason Crosby though, but I suppose I'd have to go with Jones because kickers always get overlooked. Both are on my keeper league, and I'm glad to have them!

(FC) Do you own a pair of Wrangler jeans?

Alex: Do I own Wrangler jeans? As it happens, no. But then, I don't own any jeans...

(FC) What’s your prediction for the Packers/Seahawks game?

Alex: I think the Packers are too good for the Seahawks, especially at Lambeau Field. I think we are stronger on both sides of the ball, and I would like to think we can beat Seattle. I also hope we win, because SSreporters was very cocky in the Seahawks-Redskins game, so I'd like it to be the Packers that end the Seahawks dreams.

(FC) What about your prediction for the year? Do you think they can beat the Patriots?

Alex: Can we beat the Patriots? No. But I think Indianapolis can if they get the chance too. I think Green Bay can beat Indianapolis, but not New England. I can't see us beating Dallas though in Dallas. So I think our challenge may end in Dallas if we have to go there.

(FC) I’m going to be honest: at the beginning of the season when the Packers started off hot, I kept predicting week after week that they would eventually fall off and suck for the rest of the season. Yes, I’m retarded, I know. What was the general Packers fan consensus going into this season? Were you surprised that they were doing so well?

Alex: I think 2006 was a good rebuilding year. 8-8 with an inexperienced squad was a good achievement. 2007 just built on it. Last year's players were all 1 year more experienced, and I think it helped a lot. They got to grips with the gameplan more than they did last year. Brett Favre said the team was hugely talented, and it seems like he was right. I personally didn't think we'd do this well, maybe make the playoffs, but they've exceeded my expectations. I thought the Pack would do well because the schedule was fairly easy to them, especially compared to our division rivals.

(FC) How did you become a fan of the Packers?

Alex: Madden 2000, I picked a random team, and it was the Packers.

(FC) How do you watch Packers games since you live in the U.K.?

Alex: I watch most on NFL.com. In the regular season, we get Sunday and Monday night games live, so if the Pack play then, I'll record them and watch the following evening. The evening games start at 3am ish. The 1pm ET starts are 6pm here, so they are easy enough to track on NFL.com. The Super Bowl will be live, so I would watch that if the Pack were in it. But even that would finish at nigh on 3am. And I have to be up at 5:30.

(FC) Who is the MVP of the 2007-08 Green Bay Packers?

Alex: Brett Favre, without a shadow of a doubt. He's been exceptional.

(FC) This has absolutely nothing to do with sports, I’m sorry, but whenever I talk to someone who is from the U.K. I ask them this. What is your favorite U.K. candy bar? What about your favorite American candy bar? Have you had that chocolate bar with the little air bubbles in it?

Alex: Little air bubbles in it? I can remember "Aeros", if that's what you mean. They're nice, I must admit. To be fair, if you say the phrase "candy bar" to anyone in Britain, you're liabel to have "stupid Yank", or phrases to that extent thrown back at you. On similar lines, it's a good job you don't have to spell favourite in front of them! But my favourite sweets... Well, I live in the Black Country, it's an old industrial heartland. If you google maps it, and look at the UK, type in Dudley, West Midlands, and I live about a mile away from that. Fairly near to Birmingham. The Black Country is famous for having traditional confectioners, and they produce a lot of good "sweets". Hard-boiled, mainly. I'm thinking of "Strawberries and Cream", "Blackcurrent and Raspberries", "Pear drops", "cola bites", and other such things along those lines. Favourite American "candy"? I don't really know which confectioners are American. Also, Birmingham is the home of "Cadbury", who are the most famous chocolate manufacturers over here. Unless "Rowntrees" are American, because Fruit Gums, or Fruit Pastilles are quite popular. Haribo, are they American? They sell well, too.

Aero chocolate = Delicious

(FC) What would the motto be for the Packers 2007-08 season off the top of your head? Real quick!

Alex: Brett Favre's last hurrah.

(FC) Excellent answers Alex, thank you for your time!

NFL Runners-Up Playoff Tournament

This whole thing in no way exists, obviously; I just got the idea because I was getting bored by all the current NFL playoff teams. Not bored in the sense that I don’t want to talk about them, think about them or write about them anymore – I just missed some of the other teams, I guess. So, in the interests of… I don’t know, anyone who cares I guess, let us take a look at the NFL runners up tournament.

The NFL NIT tournament is constructed the same way the normal playoff system is. The number 1 and 2 seeds in each conference get a bye week, 3 plays 6, 4 plays 5 – why am I explaining this, you all get the idea, right?

Since some divisions had two or even three teams that made the playoffs, there will be no ‘division’ winners getting the 3 and 4 seeds since well, that just doesn’t seem right. So, all of the seeds will be determined strictly by their records and tiebreakers will be handled in typical NFL fashion, turning to records against that particular opponent, conference records and all that other good stuff. Also, this whole thing can gauge how much your team sucks, because if they don’t make this tournament, than well, they didn’t have a very good year. Sorry.

After the seeds and games are out of the way, I’m going to pick who I think would win. Yes there will be an upsets – just like in real football! Thus, you may or may not agree with who I think would win any given game. If not, I’m sorry and just say so in the comments -- you can even call me names, I have a pretty thick skin. I made up the scores, too because well, it only seemed right.

Anyway, enough bull-ish rules let’s begin!

First off, the seeds:

AFC

1. Cleveland
2. Houston
3. Buffalo
4. Cincinnati
5. Denver
6. Baltimore

NFC

1. Philadelphia
2. Minnesota
3. Arizona
4. Carolina
5. New Orleans
6. Detroit

Wild Card Round

Baltimore @ Buffalo – Buffalo wins 27-6. Baltimore lost 9 of their last 10 games. In short: They suck.

Detroit @ Arizona – Arizona wins 23-17. This would actually be a pretty good match up. However, Detroit didn’t have a great second half of the season whereas Arizona was consistent throughout.

Denver @ Cincinnati – Cincinnati wins 21-17. Another pretty good match up. However, Denver was 2-6 away from Mile High and as much as Cincinnati underachieved this year, I think they would pull out a win at home.

New Orleans @ Carolina – New Orleans wins 30-16. I’m sorry, but unless Jake Delhomme is QB, I can’t take Carolina too seriously. Even then it's a stretch, especially with David Carr’s white gloves somewhere in the stadium.

All in all nothing too big happens, unless you count the Saints beating the Panthers in Carolina a big event and I do not.

Divisional Playoffs

Cincinnati @ Cleveland – Cleveland wins 34-27. Yes, Cincinnati beat Cleveland in Week 16, but I doubt it would happen again, especially in a ‘playoff.’

New Orleans @ Philadelphia – Philadelphia wins 27-20. If Reggie Bush were healthy, I might have taken New Orleans, but he’s not… so I won’t.

Buffalo @ Houston – Houston wins 27-17. I have nothing logical to say for this one except that if they actually played, I think Houston would win.

Arizona @ Minnesota – Minnesota wins 30-20. Jackson/Peterson/Taylor > Warner/Edge.

Again, nothing too big happens, really.

Conference Championships

Houston @ Cleveland – Cleveland wins 26-17. Cleveland beat Houston during Week 12. They would also do so here, I think.

Minnesota @ Philadelphia – Philadelphia wins 23-20. Philly actually beat Minnesota in Week 8 and I consider them a better team. I did think for a while about this one, though.

No surprises, unless you think Houston would have beat Cleveland. I did not though, so there you go.

Runner Up Super Bowl

Philadelphia @ Cleveland (in Hawaii) – Philadelphia wins 27-24 in OT. This one could have gone either way, but I think Joe Johnson’s blitzing schemes would confuse Derick Anderson enough for the Eagles to win by a field goal in OT.

THE NFL RUNNERS-UP TOURNAMENT WINNER: PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

NFL Divisional Round Preview: Part 1

The NFL Divisional Playoffs, one of the best weekends of the year. Two days chock full of pure football goodness. Not to mention, after it’s all over – we still have next week’s conference championships! This preview will have two parts: Part 1 will deal with Saturday’s games, while Part 2 will deal with, yup; you guessed it – Sunday’s games.

Seattle Seahawks @ Green Bay Packers (Saturday 4:30 EST on FOX)

This is of course the first playoff rematch since the “We’re going to get the ball and we’re going to score” comment by Matt Hasselbeck in 2003. As we all know, Al Harris ended that game with a pick-six.

This time around the Packers are the NFC North champions, one of the hottest teams in the league and have the number two offense in the NFL. The Seahawks are the champions of a weak NFC West, but are coming off an emotional win in the wild card round and have some key veteran playoff experience.

As with most games, there are going to be many keys to this match up. One of which is Ryan Grant and if the playoff pressures will get to him. I’ve since been convinced that he’s a good running back (especially after taking Priest Holmes over him for my final FA pickup thus extending my fantasy losing streak) and I think he’ll continue his fantastic season in this game.

Another key is going to be whether or not Deion Branch plays. By all accounts, he should, but the question is going to be how healthy will he be on Saturday?

Also, don’t forget: This game is being played on the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field. Sorry Seahawks fans, but I’m going to have to take the Pack in this one. Get rid of that Shaun Alexander character and you should do much better next year.

Prediction: Green Bay 30 Seattle 24

Jacksonville Jaguars @ New England Patriots (Saturday 8:00 EST on CBS)

This is another playoff rematch game. The last time the Jags and Pats met in the playoffs was during a Wild Card match up in 2005. It wasn’t much of a game, though, with the Patriots spanking the Jaguars 28-3 in Foxboro.

This time around the rosters are quite different. The Patriots have proved that they can have a functional rushing game when they need too, while the Jaguars rely on their 149.4 yards rushing average per game to make the game more manageable for quarterback David Garrard.

Like last week’s game, the success of Jacksonville’s rushing attack will be key on two fronts: One, they’ll win the time of possession battle (keeping the ball away from the explosive New England offense) and two, take a bit of pressure off of David Garrard who in his first playoff start last week, threw an uncharacteristic two interceptions.

A lot of people are predicting a Jacksonville upset, but I’m afraid I can’t do the same, although it should be a great game.

Prediction: New England 31 Jacksonville 24

10 most intriguing stories of the NFL Playoffs Divisional Round

I’ve always liked the divisional playoffs more than the championship round. This is probably because there are two more games in the divisional round and hey, the more football the better right?

Luckily for all of us, there are some great storylines in the upcoming divisional playoffs. So, in typical Football Crack fashion, we’re going to do a Top 10. Because everybody loves Top 10’s, right? Right? Hello?

10.) The Patriots ongoing quest for 19-0. I know, I know. It’s been beaten to death. But the storyline is there and I had to include it here.

9.) The ongoing Cinderella season from Brett Favre. Admit it; you were part of the 99% of people who didn’t live in Wisconsin who thought he should retire last year.

8.) The opportunity for Peyton Manning to right the ship after his last six interception game against the Chargers. I’m saying he’ll have two interceptions max in this game.

7.) Jaguar Paul Spicer and the aftermath from his “Patriots should be barred from the playoffs” comment after Spygate. The Patriots are saying they don’t need bulletin board material, but you have to wonder.

6.) Another opportunity for Philip Rivers to prove how much he sucks on national television. He had a pretty good game last week, yes, but just wait.

5.) The opportunity for an Eli/Peyton Super Bowl. The likelihood of this happening is probably hovering around 5% but it’s still there.

4.) The ongoing scrutiny of Eli Manning. I have to agree with Michael Strahan when he says that no one in the world is under as much scrutiny as Eli Manning. He plays in New York, and he’s a Manning. Nothing short of a Super Bowl win or to a lesser extent an NFC Championship game appearance will get people off his back.

3.) Tony Romo’s Mexican vacation. Apparently, this past week instead of staying in Dallas and not doing anything at all, Tony Romo went down south with Jessica Simpson. If the Cowboys lose, watch out.

2.) The opportunity for another L.T. post game meltdown. I can’t wait.

1.) “We’re going to get the ball and we’re going to score” Matt Hasselbeck at the beginning of OT during the last Packers/Seahawks playoff game. Al Harris then picked him off for a TD. Will Hasselbeck finally get revenge? Put on NFL Network right now, it’s probably on.

A college football Final Four?

Well here we are again, another national title game, another cornucopia of arguments on why the BCS sucks so much. Everywhere I look, and on every channel I turn it’s all I hear.

“We need a four team playoff!”

“We need to have a championship game plus one!”

Those were paraphrased, of course. But you know what I haven’t heard, at all? Not anywhere?

“The BCS system is fantastic. The two best teams in the country are definitely playing tonight, no doubt!”

Nope, didn’t hear that. In fact, just reading that out loud sounds absolutely ludicrous. The BCS has become a joke, unfortunately and it astonishes me to no end that they haven’t changed it yet.

On a positive note I did read earlier on ESPN.com that they have began to talk about a Final Four, or at least a championship game plus one. (A la, if LSU wins tonight they would pick either USC or Georgia to play them in the real championship game… which I think is retarded compared to a Final Four).

John Swofford, the incoming BCS chairman said the following:

“A lot of people look at it and say ... maybe it would be better if more than two teams had the opportunity to play for the national championship.”

You think? Finally, someone who understands what the fans want. But seriously, how did it take this long? How awesome would a college football championship Final Four be? Think of how much more exciting the college season would be! As it is now, if a team loses in the regular season, most fans are left thinking, “Off to the Meineke Car Care Bowl we go!”

At least with the playoff system, four teams would have a chance at the title and this would most definitely cut down on the teams whining about not being included, if only because some of them will now be included.

So let’s all hope that this thing is put through. As it stands, only the Big Ten and Pac-10 are opposed to this whole thing, although I don’t know why. But let’s all hope that common sense prevails for once and they give the fans something that should have been put in place years ago.

As for tonight, I'll take LSU over OSU 27-21

Playoff Interview Special: Washington Redskins

You all know the drill: I'm interviewing a fan of each Wild Card team in anticipation of the playoffs. Well, it's the same deal here except that I'm actually interviewing someone who was beneficial in me beginning to write about sports. I've visited his sports blog daily for the past year and a half and it is an honor to get his answers to my questions about his favorite NFL team: The Washington Redskins. Who is the interviewee you ask? Chris Chase (http://www.chrischase.com). Go read it, it's fantastic.



Football Crack (FC): What was your favorite moment from the Redskins regular season?

Chris: On Christmas Eve morning I was walking around a Best Buy in Columbia, MD, aimlessly looking for some last-minute gifts when I overheard two employees discussing the Redskins. One was explaining to the other how the Redskins now controlled their own destiny and would likely make the playoffs as the second Wild Card team if they beat a Dallas team that had nothing to play for. This was, of course, not news to me as I had played out that same exact scenario in my head for weeks. But, for some reason, hearing it from a stranger in a random location near Ravens-country made it more real. And that made me happy.

FC: Least favorite?

Chris: The second defensive play of the Buffalo game, after the Redskins played with ten men on the first one. It was at that point that Sean Taylor's murder, and the fact that life and football would be moving on, was most evident.

FC: As much as I love Sean Taylor and would like to focus many questions of this interview on him, I'm only going to ask one question about him: What is your favorite Sean-Tay moment of all time?

Chris: Week 2, Monday night, 2005. After outlasting the Bears in week 1, the 'Skins were down 13-0 to the Cowboys with 3:56 remaining. Two fourth-down conversions and Brunell-to-Moss bombs later, they were up 14-13, but with plenty of time remaining on the clock. A long kickoff return by Tyson Thompson set-up the Cowboys in good field position. A few plays later, they were on the edge of field goal range when Drew Bledsoe threw to Patrick Crayton on a 3rd and 4. Crayton caught the ball right at the marker and appeared set to move the chains and, likely, get the Cowboys into range for the game-winning field goal.

But, out of nowhere, SeanTay laid his helment in Crayton's chest and the ball flew backwards seven yards. It was an incomplete pass. The Redskins went on to win. That's the forgotten play of that memorable game, but it was just as important as the two TD bombs.

FC: I remember watching that hilarious Clinton Portis hot dog clip on your site a month or two back. What was your favorite quirky Clinton Portis moment this season?

Chris: His outfit after the Cowboys game; hands down.

FC: Out of all the Redskins rookies that have played this year, who would you give the Redskins Rookie of the Year award to?

Chris: Laron Landry is the obvious answer here, but I'm going to go with Lorenzo Alexander, a do-everything 300-pounder who went undrafted out of Cal. Alexander plays offense, defense and special teams and does each very well. He's an unheralded guy, one you won't likely hear about much, but he's a player.

FC: What do you drink, if anything, during Redskins games?

Chris: I've cut back on the gameday drinking in recent years because I like remembering what happened the next day. But I usually drink three or four of either Sierra Nevada or Sam Seasonal.

FC: What's your prediction for the Skins/Hawks game?

Chris: I'm really superstitious and I've vowed not to pick any 'Skins games this year. Let's just say that I'm not all that impressed with Seattle and their weak resume. However, I am afraid of that 24-3 home record over the past three seasons, the 'Skins kicking game and the cross-country flight.

FC: Building on the last question, what are your predictions for the year?

Chris: Quiet as it's kept, the Redskins have been in every single game they've played this year with the exception of the Pats game. They dominated the Packers at Lambeau, but turned the ball over too many times. They had Dallas on the ropes in Big D, but couldn't defend T.O. without Sean Taylor (who was injured for that game). There's no reason they can't keep their winning streak going and make a deep run into the playoffs. But that's a conversation, hopefully, for another day.

FC: Jason Campbell or Todd Collins: Who is the Redskins QB of the future?

Chris: Campbell is the quarterback of the future; but Collins is the now. The only way Campbell should not have a lock on the starting gig next year is if Collins is sublime in the playoffs.

FC: Who is the MVP of the 2007-08 Washington Redskins?

Chris: If we're talking abstractly, Joe Gibbs is the MVP. People who don't follow the 'Skins like to make jokes about how Gibbs is senile, mainly based on the misunderstood timeout error. And it's true, Gibbs' clock management hasn't been the best this season. Much of this has to do with his young quarterback, but either way it's still a valid point. But nobody else could have rallied this team after Sean Taylor's death; not Dungy, not Shanahan and certainly not that cheating prick Bill Belichick.

On the players side, my vote goes to Shawn Springs who has managed to stay healthy and has returned to shutdown corner form this season. Now that I've said that, he's going to give up two deep TD passes tomorrow. Dammit.

FC: Is there a Redskins fan nickname for the team or the offense/defense? A la the Steel Curtain, Purple People Eaters, etc.

Chris: Nothing too clever, unfortunately.

FC: What parts of the team as a whole does the organization need to focus on in the upcoming draft?

Chris: D-Line; without a doubt. This means the team will draft another safety.

FC: Just how many coaches are there on the actual coaching staff?

Chris: Does Joe Bugel's hair count as a coach? Cause that hair is awesome.

FC: When Jason Campbell went down, did Redskin Nation have a collective heart attack?

Chris: When Todd Collins completely looked lost on his first series, that's when everyone freaked out. When he hit Todd Yoder for a TD pass as the first half came to an end in that Chicago game, we breathed a sigh of tempered-relief.

FC: If you had to think of a motto for this year off the top of your head, what would it be? Real quick!

Chris: It's their density... I mean, destiny.

FC: Well, that's it for the questions. Insightful and humorous as always, Chris -- thank you for the interview!

Playoff preview: Jaguars @ Steelers

Well, here we are. The best time of the year: The NFL Playoffs. Over the next couple of days I will be previewing the AFC and NFC Wild Card games to get even more amped up. In typical Football Crack fashion, I will be previewing the games in a offense vs defense and vice versa, coaching match ups and when warranted, special teams. As well as anything else that comes to mind.

Next up: The Saturday night game -- Jaguars @ Steelers

Main storyline: This has to be that these two teams played each other less than 3 weeks ago. The Jaguars won the game, which was in Pittsburgh as well, 29-22.

When the Steelers have the ball

Steelers offense: Originally I thought the biggest problem for this unit would be the absence of Willie Parker. After interviewing a Steelers fan however, I am convinced it is the Steelers offensive line woes.

Left tackle Max Starx is out for the season, leaving many to call on Steely McBeam to jump into the mix and protect Big Ben. No matter who fills in for Starx though, they are going to need to protect Big Ben well because I don't see Najeh Davenport doing too much against the vaunted Jaguars 4-3 defense. Although it's not what it used to be, they are still ranked 11th against the rush this season.

Jaguars defense: While they only allowed Big Ben to 147 yards passing in the previous engagement, they did give up 3 TD's and 100 yards even to Willie Parker. While I don't expect Davenport to put up nearly as much (I'm saying... ehh 60 yards) they do need to contain the pass since the Steelers most likely will be focusing a bit more on the pass in this matchup.

How well the Jaguars defend the pass is going to be key in this game, as well as how much they control the time of possession with there rushing offense.

Edge: Steelers

When the Jaguars have the ball

Jaguars offense: While the Jaguars offense is clearly on fire (they scored the most points in the league for the second half of the season - even more than the Patriots) you have to wonder how much the field conditions are going to come into play here.

I'm expecting the Jaguars to run the ball straight at the Steelers with the Freddie T/Mojo combo and leave it to Garrard to minimize his mistakes and complete some passes when he needs to. With the field conditions though, will they have to pass more than they'd like?

Steelers defense: What's there to say? The Steelers have the best defense in the league. However, that still doesn't explain the 421 yards the Steel Curtain let up in the last contest which was in the snow AND at home.

The Steelers D will need Polamalu at his best for this game and there are some concerns after he missed his second straight practice on Thursday. He is set to suit up for practice today but it's still a major concern.

Edge: Jaguars

Coaching

Coaching: While Mike Tomlin's inexperience in the playoffs isn't a concern per se, Jack del Rio only has one playoff game under his belt (the loss to the Patriots back in 2005). It's a bit hard to compare coaches in this way but you have to give it to Del Rio due to his overall coaching experience.

Edge: Jaguars

On the special teams front, it appears Alan Rossum is out for this game and he returned one kick for a TD. Jones-Drew on the other hand returned one as well and he's always a threat to do so. I wouldn't say the Jaguars have an edge for this, but it's interesting to take into account none the less.

The Steelers home field advantage is obviously a factor, even though it was not in the previous match up. I don't expect the Steel Curtain to give up nearly as much yards as they did last time, but I don't think they'll come out of Heinz Field with a W, unfortunately.

Prediction: Jaguars 20 Steelers 17

Playoff Interview Special: Jacksonville Jaguars

In anticipation of the upcoming NFL playoffs, I've taken the liberty to find a fan from each team in the Wild Card round and ask them some questions about them. Next up: The Jacksonville Jaguars.


For this interview I got TWO different Jaguars fans. First up is Jamile, a Jaguars fan who answered his teams calling on the ESPN.com NFL message boards. (Handle: DuvalJag904)

Football Crack (FC): What ever happened to Jack del Rio’s suits? Did he realize he and Mike Nolan were the only ones wearing them? Did the fans enjoy it?

Jamile: I think he wore it once this year for the Monday night game against the Colts. But this time he only wore a shirt and tie, I guess the jacket was too hot. I'm pretty sure he knew he and Nolan were the only coaches wearing it but he didn't care, he's all about being and looking like a professional. Yea, the fans enjoyed it, it got us on ESPN didn't it? Haha!

FC: Is there a Jaguars fan nickname for the Fred Taylor/M.J.D. duo? Something like Thunder and Lightning? Maurice Jones Taylor? I’m aware that those nicknames suck… there just examples, but I’ve always wondered this.

Jamile: Nope, no nicknames. We call Fred: Freddie T and we call MJD: Mojo, Superman, Bowling Ball, and Pinball. I think ESPN did a special on the Mayne Event about all of his nicknames.

FC: Before David Garrard got the starting job what was the fan reaction to him? Did you guys want him to start over Byron Leftwich?

Jamile: Fans were highly in favor of Garrard or any other quarterback except for Leftwich for that matter. You have to think about it, Leftwich was the 7th pick in the draft, so a lot was expected from him but he never delivered because of all his injuries. Whenever Garrard got in the game he always performed well until last season when he single-handily lost the last three games of the season causing us to miss the playoffs. But this preseason the coaches saw him progressing while Leftwich stayed the same, and we all know what happened after that.

FC: What was your favorite moment of the regular season?

Jamile: Beating the Steelers in Jacksonburgh, I mean Pittsburgh, in there weather conditions and at there game, which is running the ball, stopping the run and physically dominating the other team. It was fun to see the "loyal" Steeler fans leaving Heinz Field with almost a whole quarter left to play.

FC: What about the worst moment?

Jamile: Losing to the Colts on Monday Night, when David Garrard got hurt… I knew it was over.

FC: What's your prediction for the Jags/Steelers game?

Jamile: Of course, the Jaguars: 34-21. The Steelers will play their hardest and they will get a lot of help from their fans but still won't be enough. They have too many injuries with no depth to replace the injured players and we are just more talented than they are, its that simple. If you stop our running game, we have the luxury this year of passing the ball with Garrard.

FC: What do you drink, if anything, during a Jaguars game?

Jamile: 2 Elevens, their pretty popular down south. Its like a very strong beer. One can will have you feeling good. I plan on drinking a couple this week!

FC: If you had to think of a motto for this year, off the top of your head -- what would it be? Real quick!

Jamile: Get the job done!

FC: Who is your choice for the MVP of the Jaguars for the 2007-08 season?

Jamile: Fred Taylor, he is the face of the franchise. At 31, he's still the best player on our team, we wouldn't be in the playoffs without Freddie T!


FC: And the big question: What's your prediction for the year?

Jamile: I think we will beat the Steelers and give the Patriots a run for their money. Our running game eats up a lot of clock and that’s the best defense to the best offense of all time.

FC: Of course you'll give the Pats a run for their money, but your not going to win, haha! Thanks for the interview, Jamile. Great job!

_______________________________________________


Next up, another die-hard Jaguars fan: Robert (Handle: Leeway04).

FC: Is there a nickname for the Jaguars team as a whole and/or the offense/defense this year? A la, Pittsburgh's Steel Curtain, and Minnesota's Purple People Eaters?

Robert: Teal Curtain. The Duval Wall.

FC: Jacksonville had a lot of draft picks in the past draft. Out of the one's that played, who is your Jaguars Rookie of the Year?


FC: Put Fred Taylor in a time machine and send him back in time to whatever age MJD is (early 20's). Put them side by side. You can only keep one on the team... who is it and why?

Robert: Freddie....Better all-purpose back and while MJD is a great utility player, that's exactly what he is...a utility player (good for kickoffs and certain scenarios)...he isn't an every down back.

FC: As a fan, who are your biggest rivals? Still the Colts/Titans, or is it the Bucs cause they live so close?

Robert: 5 years ago? The Titans due to the 99 season... but now? The Colts...they stand between us and the division title every year.

FC: Good stuff, Robert. And that's it! Stay tuned for the two remaining Saturday playoff teams tomorrow (Redskins and Seahawks)!