2016 season NFL Playoffs Thread

[Omegasupreme]

, not quite amigo, I think they're a good team, not 90's dominate but capable of beating anyone. I actually think they're quite capable of winning it all but they're not so good that they can't be beat. The point I made above was about why the team seems to historically come up small when they have a host of advantages we can point to in advance on paper and whether I'm just conveniently remembering the times it went bad but forgetting the times things went well. Hopefully those advantages showup this weekend and result in a W.

Not historically, but in the Jason Garrett era, a solid collection of talent and momentum is meaningless. He has entirely insulated himself this post-season by saying that the "past or future do not matter" but just do your best in the now. Yup. Sounds about right. Zeke runs for 12 yards against Minnesota then immediately gets taken out of the game for a 5 WR. No thinking about avoiding the stupid of the past and no need to gameplan sequences of logical strategies for the future.

What an idiot.

At some point some historian is going to analyze this year in Garrett's tenure and discover the following:

The ironic thing about this year is the unconventional plays that Garrett was opposed to designing and calling are causing victories, the conventional coaching practice of running the ball to control, preserve and solidify a lead is causing victories, and the less the team is exposed to the failing elements of Garrett's Laissez-Faire play design and Neo-Luddite coaching (only wants the Coryell pass system and thinks that no other more modern schemes will work) the more chances the team has to win.

 

[LAZARUS_LOGAN]

"Bad" year for Dez: 50 catches, just under 800 yds (right at 16.0 per reception), 8 tds.

Missed what, 3 1/2 or 4 games? Also hardly played in the last game.

The 15.9 yds per reception were a career high, and he had the highest % of receptions for first downs in his career as well.

Take into an account that the offense is more run-based, those are damn good numbers all things considered, and Dez has been playing quite well the past few weeks (not counting the last game of the season).

 

[Midswat]

I'm really pulling for KC this weekend. I hate Pittsburgh and New England, and I'd like for Reid to get back to the game because FU Donovan McNabb.

 

[ThoughtExperiment]

So are we going to recycle this finish the fight theme every year we make the playoffs?

 

[Midswat]

I haven't watched a single video of those. I assume that's what you're referring to.

They seem like cheesy propoganda films.

 

[peplaw06]

There are #FinishTheFight billboards all over DFW. I'm sure that will inspire the team.

 

[Midswat]

So cheesy.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Top 5 Secondaries this Season
(Via @PFF)
1. Cowboys
2. Giants
3. Patriots
4. Broncos
5. Seahawks

PFF said 8 players in our secondary with at least 100 snaps earned average or above-average overall coverage grades.

Ranking all 32 NFL secondaries this season | PFF

 

[Midswat]

Why I think we lose this weekend:

Look at our schedule. We've played shit QBs. Only QBs worth a shit was Rodgers and Roethlisberger.

Rodgers was in a funk when we played them. How he's playing now is MVP level. Hasn't been that way all year.

Roethlisberger moved almost at will against us and last time he walked off the field was a TD pass with almost no time left. Hung 30 on us.

My fear is we likely get in a shoot out. In such a game, Garrett might panic and abandon our power run game. Or one of our rookies makes a costly mistake.

But we will be pressured all game long to score score score. Packers just put 38 on a defense much much better than ours.

I think winning the coin flip and scoring a TD first will be critical for this team.


Nevertheless, based on the above, is say there is virtually zero chance we beat Rodgers, Ryan, and Brady to win ring #6.

 

[English Cowboy]

Why I think we lose this weekend:

Look at our schedule. We've played shit QBs. Only QBs worth a shit was Rodgers and Roethlisberger.

Rodgers was in a funk when we played them. How he's playing now is MVP level. Hasn't been that way all year.

Roethlisberger moved almost at will against us and last time he walked off the field was a TD pass with almost no time left. Hung 30 on us.

My fear is we likely get in a shoot out. In such a game, Garrett might panic and abandon our power run game. Or one of our rookies makes a costly mistake.

But we will be pressured all game long to score score score. Packers just put 38 on a defense much much better than ours.

I think winning the coin flip and scoring a TD first will be critical for this team.


Nevertheless, based on the above, is say there is virtually zero chance we beat Rodgers, Ryan, and Brady to win ring #6.

 

[English Cowboy]

My only concern is the 3 week break from competitive football. Garrett's teams always look undercooked in every week 1 game, or any game after a bye week. I hope he's had the team practicing and preparing with some intensity, but with Garrett I always have my doubts.

 

[Midswat]

I'm the one in gold shaking reality into you homers.

 

[yimyammer]

My only concern is the 3 week break from competitive football. Garrett's teams always look undercooked in every week 1 game, or any game after a bye week. I hope he's had the team practicing and preparing with some intensity, but with Garrett I always have my doubts.

rewatch the GB game from earlier this year (its on NFL Network mañana), Rogers had all day in the pocket and was missing wide open receivers, he's not missing many lately.

That scares me against our D, in fact, everything rides on Rogers as he is the only way GB can win this game imo**

** the rookies could also spit the bit and turn the ball over like a sieve

 

[English Cowboy]

rewatch the GB game from earlier this year (its on NFL Network mañana), Rogers had all day in the pocket and was missing wide open receivers, he's not missing many lately.

That scares me against our D, in fact, everything rides on Rogers as he is the only way GB can win this game imo**

** the rookies could also spit the bit and turn the ball over like a sieve

I don't expect our DL to get much change out of their OL in the pass rush. Which is why I think we'll see Marinelli employ the 3-2-6 formation that helped turn the game vs Detroit. We'll throw in some blitzes (Scandrick, Lee, Durant) but essentially we'll dare them to run the ball. If they want to pass there should be a few INT opportunities, regardless of how good Rodgers is playing.

 

[ThoughtExperiment]

I don't expect our DL to get much change out of their OL in the pass rush. Which is why I think we'll see Marinelli employ the 3-2-6 formation that helped turn the game vs Detroit. We'll throw in some blitzes (Scandrick, Lee, Durant) but essentially we'll dare them to run the ball. If they want to pass there should be a few INT opportunities, regardless of how good Rodgers is playing.

That's what I would do. I wouldn't even rush that many. Just drop a ton into coverage and try to limit them to FGs while our O scores TDs. If he has enough time he can still find people of course, but you should at least be able to make the tackle.

 

[Doomsday]

My only concern is the 3 week break from competitive football. Garrett's teams always look undercooked in every week 1 game, or any game after a bye week. I hope he's had the team practicing and preparing with some intensity, but with Garrett I always have my doubts.

They're OVERcooked, if anything. During bye weeks he has allllll that time to put a bunch of bullshit into their heads that means nothing at all, on the field. And it takes them about three quarters of getting hit in the mouth, to fucking wake up.

 

[Bushmaster78FS]

I'm depressed reading comments here. First seed, one and done is just terrible.

 

[Midswat]

I'm depressed reading comments here. First seed, one and done is just terrible.

I used to be a sunshine pumping glass half full homer.

I don't remember exactly when.... I think maybe the Giants game where Dez had a finger out of bounds.... that season, those three win and in failure seasons... I changed. Deep down I still love this this team, and I'd be stoked to get to the Super Bowl obviously. But also deep down I have this hatred for Garrett for his incompetence, and an even deeper hatred for Jerry. Neither of them "deserve" the credit they'd receive for a SB win.

It's really hard to explain how I feel or why I feel about this team, the way that I do. Trust me, I've tried. I have a lot of friends who have talked to me during the football season and couldn't figure out why I wasn't more excited like I had been in years past.

 

[NoMoRedJ]

I used to be a sunshine pumping glass half full homer.

I don't remember exactly when.... I think maybe the Giants game where Dez had a finger out of bounds.... that season, those three win and in failure seasons... I changed. Deep down I still love this this team, and I'd be stoked to get to the Super Bowl obviously. But also deep down I have this hatred for Garrett for his incompetence, and an even deeper hatred for Jerry. Neither of them "deserve" the credit they'd receive for a SB win.

It's really hard to explain how I feel or why I feel about this team, the way that I do. Trust me, I've tried. I have a lot of friends who have talked to me during the football season and couldn't figure out why I wasn't more excited like I had been in years past.

Garrett is worse than Jerry IMO. My dislike for Garrett is stronger. And you are right neither deserves a Super Bowl win. I'll take one in spite of those guys anyway. Seeing Garrett act as if he had anything to do with it will take away some of the enjoyment but we're stuck with the clapping ginger puppet just like we are with Jerry.

 

[dbair1967]

Someone who didn't know better could read some of the commentary here and conclude we were actually 3-13 and a total train wreck this year.