2011 NFL Playoffs Wild Card Sunday Live Blog

(Ed. Note: Apologies for getting this up late. I had it scheduled to post in the morning, but it never published.)

Pre-Season Week 3 Schedule And CBS Announce Pairings For 2010

I do not know if I can stomach 2 more broadcasts of Don Tollefson, Hugh Douglas, and Charlie Casserly speaking of the Eagles like Rod Dibble speaks of the Washington Nationals. Where is Tony Siragusa when you actually need him?

Thursday, August 26

St. Louis Rams vs. New England Patriots 7:30
Indianapolis Colts vs. Green Bay Packers 8:00 (ESPN - Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Jon Gruden, SR: Michele Tafoya)

Friday, August 27

Atlanta Falcons vs. Miami Dolphins 7:00
Washington Redskins vs. New York Jets 7:00
San Diego Chargers vs. New Orleans Saints 8:00 (CBS - Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf)
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Kansas City Chiefs 8:00

Saturday, August 28

Cleveland Browns vs. Detroit Lions 5:00 (NFL Network)
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Buffalo Bills 6:30
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7:30
New York Giants vs. Baltimore Ravens 7:30
Dallas Cowboys vs. Houston Texans 8:00 (CBS - Gus Johnson and Phil Simms)
Seattle Seahawks vs. Minnesota Vikings 8:00
Tennessee Titans vs. Carolina Panthers 8:00
Arizona Cardinals vs. Chicago Bears 8:30
San Francisco 49ers vs. Oakland Raiders 9:00

Sunday, August 29

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Denver Broncos 8:00 (Fox - Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, SR: Pam Oliver)

Gus Johnson calling a nationally televised pre-season game for CBS? Nice touch.

Aspeaking of which, here is the depth chart of announce pairings CBS will be using this season:

Jim Nantz and Phil Simms
Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf
Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts
Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots
Gus Johnson and Steve Tasker
Bill Macatee and Rich Gannon
Don Criqui and Steve Beuerlein
Spero Dedes and Randy Cross

Essentially Ian Eagle is taking over for Dick Enberg and Spero Dedes is coming into fill the physical void of Dick Enberg retiring from football. Personally I've always been a fan of Ian Eagle's work and I am glad to see that he has been given this promotion by CBS.

My Week 3 Reaction

What an exciting Week 3. And while Vick's return was everything but eventful (0 for 2 passing and 1 carry for 7 yards), some promise was shown. He did not make any big mistakes, and I really like that last number. His only carry was a scramble and it went for 7 yards. Just his presence on the field is enough for defenses to scramble and panic, even if all he does is hand it off. Aspeaking of handing it off, how about Shady McCoy! The Eagles have found themselves a pure running back for the first time since Duce Staley. And as far as the Chiefs go, they all but gave up on life in that one. Even though they ran a couple of trick plays, the players on the field showed one thing and that is they did not care about that game. Constantly they were handing it off on 3rd and long and throwing short passes that was just depressing to watch. If I were a Chiefs fan, I'd be ashamed of my team after that one. For more thoughts, check out my vlog entry below!



What I need to start doing is let it overrun a minute and publish the video like that and if there is a few seconds of dead air of me not doing anything then so be it. Basically all I talked about in the last minute was the Bengals beating the Steelers and how incredible it was. It appears as if I'm hosting the blog next week so I will definitley see you there! I'll get the schedule and links to the maps up as soon as the506 makes them available.

Week 3 Live Blog

.......was over here at Keith's Sports Journal.

Sorry I could not get it up earlier, but basically, I forgot to put up the link this morning.

For those looking for the Sunday Night Football live blog, it's over here at AA and 12StepDrop

My Week 3 Picks

I was busy hanging out tonight so I did this rather hastily without much rehearsal so prepare for some more awkwardness as well as another awkward early cutoff. I must be doing something wrong, now if only I could figure out what....



And for those too lazy or in a rush and don't have time and/or don't remember everything I said in that video, here ya go!

Philadelphia
Green Bay
Minnesota
Tennessee
Atlanta
Houston
New York Giants
Detroit
Baltimore
Chicago
New Orleans
San Diego
Denver
Pittsburgh
Indianapolis
Dallas

I'm heading to the BU Football game tomorrow at noon, so I won't be around until 3-3:30 or so for the KSJ open thread and the Pammies. We're ranked #4 in the nation and we are taking on CW Post at home at BU's very own Redman Stadium, so I'm pumped about that.

Andy Reid Vs. The Media, Part 282

It's one of the reasons why we all love and love to hate Andy Reid. His dealings with the media are comical at best and downright atrocious at worse. Well, here's another instance of a classic non-callout callout on the part of Andy Reid, this time directed toward Peter King of Sports Illustrated. Via the Philly Inquirer

there was a report by sportswriter Peter King at halftime of the Sunday night game that he was doubtful for Week 3 against the Chiefs. King said he had spoken to Reid.

"I don't know where that report came from," Reid said. "I thought I was reporting here. There's a chance [McNabb plays]. I can't tell you that he can take a hit today. I don't feel that way about it right now."

Ah, good stuff! I also doubt that McNabb is going to play as well, but I'm pretty sure that Andy Reid is trying to do every little thing possible to keep the Chiefs off-balance. And it's not that I necessarily blame him, I just think that until McNabb walks out and takes snaps on the practice field, there's not a person in the league that is going to buy what Reid is trying to sell.

2009 NFL Preview: Kansas City Chiefs

By 49er16:

Out of all the teams in the NFL, the Kansas City Chiefs underwent the most change in the offseason.

It started with the firing of longtime GM Carl Peterson. It will be the first time in 20 years the Chiefs go into a season without Peterson. The Chiefs then went out and hired long time Patriots VP of Player Personnel Scott Pioli. Pioli was actually seen as the biggest free agent in the NFL last season. Pioli has learned the tricks of the trade from Bill Belichick and from his father-in-law Bill Parcells. Pioli filtered with the Cleveland Browns before he excepted the Chiefs offer.

The Chiefs also fired Herm Edwards during the off season and hired hot headed Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Todd Haley. Haley will forever be remembered as the guy who stood up to both Terrell Owens and Anquan Bolden while standing on the sideline. And with the firing of offensive coordinator Chan Gailey last week, Haley will test his offensive playcalling skills as a head coach.

Other Offseason Moves: The Chiefs also made two huge off season moves which pertains to their offense. The Chiefs traded longtime Tight End Tony Gonzalez to Atlanta. Gonzalez was the face of the franchise for 10 years and will be extremely hard to replace. Especially for new quarterback Matt Cassel.

Cassel came out of nowhere last year while with New England replacing the injured Tom Brady. Cassel almost lead the Patriots to the playoffs, despite not starting a game since high school. In the off season Pioli traded for Cassel then proceeded to give his new quarterback a $60 million dollar contract. Both Pioli and Cassel have a lot riding on this move. Cassel must prove that he is worth the money and that his numbers weren't a product of the New England system. Pioli must prove with this move that he can live outside of Bilchick's and Parcells' shadow.

Shotty Offensive Line: Kansas City is solid on the left side of their offensive line on the left side. Brian Waters is a Pro Bowler and Branden Albert should improve in his second year. It's the right side that is held together with duct tape and bailing wire. Right now Mike Goff and Damion McIntosh are penciled in to start on the right side. And throughout the preseason neither one did a spectacular job. Cassel will need better protection from the right side this season to succeed.

Receivers: With Gonzalez's departure also goes one-third of all of Kansas City's receptions. Brad Cottam will have the first crack at replacing Gonzalez. Cottam has great hands and is a steady blocker. Also more will be expected from third-year receiver Dwayne Bowe.

Bowe showed improvement in his second season last year with the Chiefs. Bowe was benched earlier in the preseason to hopefully motivate him. The plan seemed to work as Bowe had a strong ending to his preseason. The Chiefs also brought in veteran Bobby Engram to be the part time slot receiver. Devard Darling, Mark Bradley, and Terrance Copper round out the rest of the receivers.

Who's the Pass Rusher?: Since trading Jarred Allen the Chiefs haven't had a reliable pass rusher. The Chiefs last year only had a total of 10 sacks. Tamba Hali struggled last season without Allen only recording three sacks. A move to linebacker should help Hali improve his pass rush skills. Also first round pick Tyson Jackson is looked at as the perfect building block for the 3-4 defense. Jackson is viewed as the player on the line who will be able to get pressure on the quarterback. Also look for former Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel to also get pressure on the quarterback.

Schedule: No one did Kansas City any favors with their schedule. In the first three weeks they have to travel to both Baltimore and Philadelphia and then play back-to-back home games against the Giants and Dallas before they finally have their bye week. Then after the bye week their toughest road game is at San Diego but Pittsburgh does come to town. The Chiefs have one of the toughest schedules in the league.

Video: Derrick Thomas was finally inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year. Thomas was tragically killed from injuries from a car wreck. Thomas though was one of the best pass rushers of all-time.



Prediction: 5-11, 2nd AFC West. They are good enough to be the second best team in the AFC. But that's not saying much. There is just to much rebuilding for this team to compete for a playoff spot this season. A patchwork offensive line, lack of pass rush, and a week receiving corps. Expect Jason Whitlock to have a big year ripping Pioli and Haley a new one this season for the Kansas City Star.

P.S. from me: Only one more to go! I promise you it that the Denver Broncos' preview will be up before 8:00 ET tonight and with that one, we would have previewed all 32 NFL teams. Missed yours? Click on the "2009 NFL Preview" tag at the bottom of the post and scroll through until you find the one your team.

Somebody Hand Jay Cutler A Bottle And A Binky

I'm sure that most of you have heard this by this point, but Jay Cutler was almost traded to the Broncos and to say the least, the Bronco QB is not at all that happy. This is his response from the Denver Post.

"My understanding at this point is they're trying to trade me," Cutler said this afternoon. "We'll see where I end up at. I liked it here, I liked playing with these guys but obviously they're not going to let me have that opportunity."

[....]

"I'm upset. I mean I'm really shocked at this point," he said. "I could see why they want Cassel. I don't know if they think I can't run the system or I don't have the skills for it. I just don't get it. Or if they don't think they can sign me with my next contract. I just don't know what it is. I've heard I'm still on the trading block."

[...]

If Cutler is not traded, and he stays with the Broncos, can his situation be mended? Cutler took a long pause before answering.

"Anything can be mended," he said. "I'll always play with the guys we've got. I love playing for those guys. Obviously, Josh and I's relationship has taken a few steps backward. I don't play for the coaches anyway, I play for teammates. As long as we keep the guys we've got I'll go out there and play. I love those guys."

Cutler said he had spoken with teammates Brandon Marshall, Brandon Stokley, Tony Scheffler and Casey Wiegmann, among others, about his trade.

"I know they love playing for me and I love playing for them," Cutler said. "There's going to be a lot of problems if they try to trade me. Well, they've already tried to trade me, but if they trade me for sure."

Aww, poor Jay-Jay Cutty Wutty is upset because he was nearwy twaded by dose mean, nasty, Bwoncos.

Okay, so what exactly then was this big trade all about? Well, it's a complicated matter. NFL-Network's Adam Schefter has more.

While New England and Kansas City were agreeing to Saturday’s trade of Cassel to the Chiefs for the draft’s 34th overall pick, there were more teams in the mix. Detroit, Tampa and Denver were involved in trade talks of their own also tied to Cassel, according to sources in the respective NFL cities.

Tampa approached Denver to try to make a three-way trade that would have sent Cassel to the Broncos and quarterback Jay Cutler to the Buccaneers. The Broncos entertained the notion and pondered it but ultimately decided against it.

Also, the Lions approached the Broncos about a trade for Cutler, trying to dangle Cassel as bait. Once again, Denver debated the deal and opted against it apparently. What made it a moot point was that while all Tampa, Detroit and Denver engaged in trade talks with New Engalnd, the Patriots went ahead and dealt Cassel to the Chiefs.

The Broncos firmly maintain that they never intended to trade Cutler, that they were approached to make the trades. But, as of Saturday afternoon, Cutler was angry to hear that his name had been floated in any trade conversations.

Now the Chiefs have Cassel, the Broncos still have Cutler and the Lions and Buccaneers continue their search for quarterbacks in one of the wilder and more complex behind-the-scene dramas the NFL has seen in any recent offseason.

That's an article that should start with the words "Warning: May cause severe headache".

But in all seriousness, there are trade talks with almost all players and almost all teams, and very few of them ever come to fruition. Look at Donovan McNabb. There have been trade rumors and discussions regarding him for the past few years now and look where he still is and look at how he's handled the situation. How many hissy fits as he thrown over his career over trade rumors?

And before you call me a hypocrite for crying over Dawkins and yet here I am making fun of Cutler, remember this, Cutler is a multi-millionaire professional, I'm an unpaid hapless blogger who lives in my mother's basement.

Update: It appears as if our buddy Jay Cutler is a hypocrite. For according to SI's Peter King, Cutler wanted to be traded out of Denver. According to Peter King

I heard one other interesting thing Sunday: Cutler asked for a trade shortly after the Broncos lost offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates -- Cutler's confidant -- to USC after the season. So maybe both sides need to go into marriage counseling here.

Marriage counseling? Seriously Peter?

But getting to the meat and potatoes of this story, it appears as if Jay Cutler only wants to be traded when it is a benefit to him, not right after the Denver Broncos hit the non-Albert Haynesworth jackpot during free agency. Typical prima donna quarterback. Jay Cutler, I take no shame whatsoever in calling you a selfish, hypocritical douche bag!

Jay Cutler upset with Broncos after trade talks (The Score Report)
King: Cutler had already asked to be traded (The Score Report)

Friday Fun With The Arizona Cardinals

It seems as if the Cardinals are dominating the NFL headlines this Friday, even though the Super Bowl is over. I was initially going to post these as two separate items, but seeing as they are closely related, I'll condense them to one post. First off, we've got Kurt Warner talking trash to the Steelers, 5 days after the Super Bowl. From Yahoo.com.

""I think dynasty is such a hard word in this day and age because when you think of dynasty, you think of dominance over everybody else," Warner said. "Maybe dynasty in games won or titles won, but I think there's just great parity around this league."

As an example of the balance in the NFL today, Warner pointed to the start of the playoffs where he said no one had any idea who would be in the Super Bowl.

And many, if not everyone outside of Arizona, counted the Cardinals out.

"Yeah, they separated themselves and won the games and won the championship, but I look at dynasty different now," Warner said. "I don't know if there are any dynasties, or I think it's hard to come by.

"I think if they're going to be one, they're going to have to dominate a little bit more over the next couple years. But you can't take anything away from what they've done over the course of the last few and how well they played."

Sounds a bit like sour grapes for me. While they don't always win, the Steelers are almost always perennial contenders in the AFC and they are always in that playoff and AFC Championship picture. Do remember, this is a team that once made the playoffs with Tommy Maddox at quarterback. And while they don't have the most overall championships of any NFL team dating back to the pre-Super Bowl era (Green Bay Packers - 9), they still have had three coaches since 1969, and all three of them have won a Super Bowl.

And now for the more impactful news out of Arizona. It appears that offensive coordinator Tood Haley will not be returning to the desert next year. Instead, he has found a new home and a new job. May I introduce to you the new head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs! According to the sources at FoxSports.com

The Kansas City Chiefs' long road to finding a head coach has just about come to a close.

The Chiefs offered the position to Cardinals offensive coordinator Todd Haley and he has accepted, FOXSports.com has learned. They are now trying to work out terms of a contract agreement.

Haley interviewed for the position earlier this week and a Cardinals player at the Pro Bowl told FOXSports.com Haley was scheduled to arrive in Honolulu for the Pro Bowl Thursday as a guest of Cardinals wideout Larry Fitzgerald, but canceled at the last moment because of the Kansas City job.

That's definitley a huge blow to the Cardinals. He seemed like he was loved (in a non-creepy way, of course) by everyone in the locker room and the Cardinal offense will definitley miss his leadership. Best of luck to him in his new home, Kansas City, and he may need that luck as well. Todd Haley, meet your starting quarterback, Tyler Thigpen!

Unless AA has something up, I'll be live-blogging the Pro Bowl on Sunday. And yes, I know it's the Pro Bowl and few people care, but whenever Andy Reid is coaching a Pro Bowl, it's always guaranteed to be entertaining and worth the watch, even for non-Eagle fans. Reid is 1-2 in the Pro Bowl, with the one win coming in his latest attempt in 2004, where the NFC was down 25 and came back to win by a score of 55-52.

Warner hesitates to call Steelers a dynasty (Yahoo!)
Sources: Cards assistant tabbed to coach Chiefs (Fox Sports)