The 2010 NFL Mid-Season Playoff Push Debate… Texans Still Hunting

November 11, 2010

Read the opposing arguments from Optimist Prime and Loyal Homer.

The Houston Texans kicked off the 2010 NFL season in remarkable fashion when they shocked the Indianapolis Colts.

That start did not surprise many people, though, as many picked the Texans to continue with the progress they have made in recent years en route to their first ever playoff appearance.

After turning in the first winning record in franchise history last season the Texans entered into 2010 with high hopes. They brought back the league’s most promising aerial combination in quarterback Matt Schaub (who led the NFL in passing yards in 2009) and wide receiver Andre Johnson (who racked up over 200 more receiving yards than anyone else in the entire league last season). The team is now poised to challenge the Indianapolis Colts’ stranglehold over the AFC South.

More recently, however, after jumping out to an early 3-1 record, the Texans have experienced a bit of a reversal in fortune by losing three of the last four games. They currently find themselves a game behind both the Tennessee Titans and the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC South standings, and considering their recent struggles, look like more like the Texans of previous seasons than the team we saw during the early weeks of 2010.

But don’t let that fool you into thinking this is the same old Houston Texans team that has blown its chances at the playoffs.

The primary reason the Texans will continue on in the postseason hunt is the astonishing performance of running back Arian Foster. In a season where everyone expected Chris Johnson or Adrian Peterson to run away with the rushing title, Foster has come out of nowhere to dominate on the ground. Halfway through the season he leads the NFL both in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. He has single-handedly carried the Texans to this point in the season.

Although Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson have not been able to find a rhythm yet that matches pre-season expectations, it is only a matter of time before they start to light it up in the air. Once that happens, the rest of the NFL better watch out, because an offense that features the league’s top run game, and complements it with what could be the top passing game, becomes the best offense in the league.

Obviously the Texans have an uphill climb ahead of them. Once more, they find themselves chasing Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts in their division. Their defense has not done them any favors, either, as it allows more yards than any other team in the league. But unlike any other season since the Texans joined the league, there is no team that has dominated the AFC South. All four teams have shown flashes of brilliance, and all four have also turned in very forgettable performances.

In a toss-up division, with the potential of developing into the league’s most potent offense, there will be more than enough to keep the Texans in the hunt late into December.

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Posted by Bleacher Fan

The 2010 NFL Mid-Season Playoff Push Debate… Bad Division Equals Playoff Rams

November 11, 2010

Read the opposing arguments from Bleacher Fan and Loyal Homer.

You can call it parity or you can call it mediocrity, but the fact of the matter is that a sizable portion of the NFL can still harbor playoff dreams halfway through this 2010 season. In fact, if you decide that every team with a 3-5 record or better can semi-legitimately harbor a playoff dream, that leaves 25 teams “in the playoff race.” Removing teams with less than four wins takes that count down to 22 teams in the race. The writers here at The Sports Debates were tasked with picking a dark horse out of that field and deciphering which unconventional “hot” team is prepared to make a playoff push. I have therefore gone with an unconventional choice – the St. Louis Rams.

Yup, the Rams. While they haven’t been the greatest show on turf in some time, and they have recently languished at or near the bottom of the league, the 2010 edition of the St. Louis Rams is a legitimately interesting football team and one to watch down the stretch. You may be asking, “Optimist Prime, when did you start smoking crack?” Rest assured that I am not under the influence of any legal or illegal drug at the time of this writing. Also, please note that I am not arguing that the Rams are the best vaguely .500 team left. What I am arguing is that the Rams have a nice combination of A) a young team playing for enthusiastic coach and B) the easiest path to the playoffs by winning the worst division in football, the NFC West.

The Rams currently lead the NFC West at 4-4. An astute NFL observer would likely point out that the Seahawks are actually tied with the Rams at 4-4 and the Arizona Cardinals are only a game back. This is correct, but I believe these teams are not likely to threaten the Rams because of one fairly obscure stat – points for versus points against. The Rams have 140 points for and 141 points against so far this season. That sounds pretty bad, right? Sure, it does, but keep in mind we’re talking about the NFC West here. The Seahawks have scored 51 points less than they’ve given up and the Cardinals have scored 68 points less than they’ve given up so far this year. This tells me that the Rams are keeping games close while their divisional foes, in general, are not. When you’re playing a game that involves an oblong ball, close games are good – strange things happen.

Beyond their record and scoring margin, another thing the Rams have going for them is an inspired coach doing a bang-up job leading his charges. Check out this post from Rams blog Turf Show Times. While admitting the talent deficiency of the squad, the writer (and, by a quick gander around the Interwebs, many Rams fans) notes the heart and passion that goes into what the Rams are producing on Sundays. Anybody who has watched the rest of the division put up stinkers like last Sunday’s 41-7 shellacking that the Giants put on the Seahawks, or Arizona’s two losses by 30 or more points, knows that heart and determination and adequate coaching may be all a team needs to capture the NFC West crown.

I realize that I have used this space arguing more for the lousiness of the NFC West than the quality of the Rams. But it seems to me that it is the best way to win the argument. Taking nothing away from the team, which really does have the easiest road to the playoffs, it is fair to note that it’s easier to make a charge into the playoffs if you’re playing lousy teams on the way. Go Rams!

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Posted by Optimist Prime

The 2010 Mid-Season NFL Coach to Go First Debate… Fire Childress Chant Picks Up Steam

November 4, 2010

Read the opposing arguments from Babe Ruthless and Loyal Homer.

It was not hard to hear. And it wasn’t one of those chants you hear from a crowd that is tough to figure out what is being chanted. It was abundantly clear to all those in attendance that the crowd on the Minnesota Vikings’ home turn was yelling “Fire Brad Childress… Fire Brad Childress!” The thing is, the crowd was spitting this refrain after a win over the Lions, the team’s first win of the 2010 season.

Many coaches are on finding their respective seats getting hotter and hotter. But, Brad Childress is the proud owner of the hottest seat around right now. No NFL team had higher expectations coming into the season, and no team has done a worse job of fulfilling those expectations.

Fans agree. There is a Fire Brad Childress Internet petition you can sign. If that is too much action for you, feel free and enjoy a video compilation or funny Childress poses that are clear proof he must be fired. Read reports of tiffs between Childress and the player his entire career is now tethered securely to… reports that pre-date game one of the season. Join the Fire Brad Childress Facebook group, retweet some pithy remarks from firechilly.com, or Twitter’s “firechildress,” or givechildresstheboot.com. Here’s a picture of Childress with a bright red X over his face.

Usually when fans are getting this loud about firing a coach it is tougher for the front office to ignore. Childress has not delivered an NFC Championship or Super Bowl in his tenure, and he has made a host of questionable and dubious decisions, including enabling Brett Favre’s indecision and tying his team’s success dubiously to Favre’s right arm (and ankle, elbow, fingers, thumb, legs, etc.).

Just this week Childress decided to release his new prized receiver and offensive savior, Randy Moss, rather than listen to possible insights from a player who dressed in the opponents uniform a short week before playing them. Hmmm, it seems like a pretty bad idea to ignore the advice of a veteran, let alone one that can willingly help identify tendencies of an opponent.

Childress’ bad decisions really are too numerous to mention. First, the decision to beg Favre to come back and play for him is ridiculous and many levels. He let Favre skip camp and hold his entire team hostage. Then, as the season dawned, the group played predictably bad and unorganized. Second, Childress has not been effective at keeping talented players to stay in Minnesota. Center Matt Birk – who is one of the better players at his position in the league – loved playing in Minnesota, but not for Brad Childress. These are not small, insignificant decisions. These are decisions as a head coach that dramatically impact the talent of the team and the mental health of the locker room.

The consequences of these decisions – and many more- are now becoming very evident. A case for firing Childress is clear, but why fire Childress before the end of the season – and before coaches like Wade Phillips and Mike Singletary, who are being highlighted by my esteemed colleagues?

The Vikings stand only to lose more and more the longer Childress is coach. The team is not a playoff team this season, is far back in the standings, and is struggle to mesh the varying talents of a patchwork team after a desperation move to trade for Randy Moss… a decision for the present that has a cost for the future.

While some Childress apologists may be reading this and screaming at their computer screens right now that Brett Favre is the issue, consider that Favre is not the team’s running game. One of the primary issues with the lackluster Vikings offense – the side of the ball Childress professes to be a guru on – is the inconsistency of the running game. The real issues on the offensive side of the ball appear to be undetermined, and that responsibility can be laid at the feet of the self-professed offensive guru/head coach.

Listen, it’s a bad economy still. Jobs are tough to come by. But Childress probably has some pennies stocked away somewhere. And Vikings cans can’t wait for him to need them.

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Posted by Sports Geek

The 2010 Mid-Season NFL Coach to Go First Debate… Down and Out in Dallas

November 4, 2010

Read the opposing arguments from Sports Geek and Loyal Homer.

Wade Phillips has lost all semblance of control over the Dallas Cowboys. To allow him to coach one more game is an insult to both the players and fans in Dallas.

His continuing ineptitude at the helm causes more damage and scarring to the culture of an utterly defeated team. The 35-17 drubbing at the hands of the pedestrian Jacksonville Jaguars is proof enough. The Jags are currently ranked last in the AFC South with a 4-4 record, but last Sunday they looked like they were a conference powerhouse playing against the Cowboys.

Dallas’ usually vaunted defense allowed David Garrard to utterly embarrass the Cowboys and at home at Cowboy Stadium, no less. Garrard completed 17-21 attempts for 260 yards and four touchdowns. Keep in mind those stats are not coming from Drew Brees, Tom Brady, or Peyton Manning… but David Garrard. The Cowboys allowed him to go 10-10 in the first half. The worst part is the ‘Boys weren’t any more effective at stuffing the run either. Maurice Jones Drew ran wild on the Cowboys for 135 yards on 27 touches, which means he was averaging five yards a carry. There is no way anyone can be convinced that Phillips’ Cowboys haven’t completely given up when they are allowing the equivalent of a first down on every other carry throughout a game.

Things got even uglier when the Cowboys had possession of the ball. Whether backup quarterback Jon Kitna was tossing interceptions or Marion Barber was getting stuffed on the goal line, the only thing the Cowboys had to offer was highlight reel blunders. Phillips’ incompetence was on full display last week and that cannot be allowed to continue. Rich Eissen made the sad but fair assessment that even, “The Texas Ranger have more wins in October than the Dallas Cowboys.”

While firing Wade Phillips mid-season is not a miracle solution that will somehow magically catapult the Cowboys from the cellar of the NFC East into playoff contention, it is a declaration to the players, fans, and the rest of the league that Dallas is committed to competing.

Dallas must fire Wade Phillips on general principle alone. The Cowboys, after all, have a reputation to maintain.

Dallas has built a rich legacy which suffers every week Phillips is allowed to continue with his charade of leadership. The Cowboys are now in the elite company of teams like the 0-7 Buffalo Bills, who are last in the AFC, and 1-6 Carolina Panthers, who are tied with the Cowboys for the dubious honors of being the worst team in the NFC.

It is absolutely shocking that Jerry Jones has allowed for this to continue for as long as it has. Watching “America’s Team” be humiliated by a host of underwhelming opponents (yes, I mean you Washington Redskins and Chicago Bears) is slowly eroding the legacy that the Cowboys have fought to establish all these years. Jones should, and with any common sense will, make a stand and show that he is committed to winning starting right now. Anything less would be second best, and we know that won’t fly for long in Texas.

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Posted by Babe Ruthless

The 2010 Mid-Season NFL Coach to Go First Debate… The Niners Want A Winner… And It’s Not Singletary

November 4, 2010

Read the opposing arguments from Babe Ruthless and Sports Geek.

As is the case seemingly every season, there are a lot of coaches on the hot seat in the NFL. My two colleagues are taking two high profile coaches today, and those guys are definitely on the hot seat. But so is San Francisco head coach Mike Singletary.

One of Singletary’s first “rants” as a head coach two years ago was directed at tight end Vernon Davis. In his very FIRST game back in October of 2008, Singletary went off in the now famous tirade, demanding that he wanted winners. He also stated that, “He would rather play with ten people and just get penalized all the way until we gotta do something else rather than play with 11 when right now that person is not sold out to be a part of this team.” Well, Mike, let me tell you. I like you… I like the old school mentality you have, and the intensity you always seem to have in your voice. But, you don’t have winners right now , Mike. Sometimes, it looks like the players on the 49ers have thrown in the towel. And despite the win last week over another disappointing team, the Denver Broncos, I believe that Mike Singletary should be the first coach to be given the boot!

In roughly two and a half years as a head coach, Singletary’s record stands at 15-18. On the surface that really isn’t all that bad. But keep in mind that the NFL is a “Win Now” league. And this season many, Loyal Homer not included, expected the 49ers to compete for a division title. That just hasn’t happened as Singletary and his boys currently sit at 2-6. What’s really disturbing about some of their losses is the way they have finished games. The Saints beat the Niners on a walk off field goal in week two. They had the Falcons beaten in week four, but thanks to a bonehead play by Nate Clements, the Falcons got an extra possession and eventually won the game. And how do you lose to Carolina, who was winless at the time? Have any of you seen Carolina play? Yikes! (That’s for you, Babe Ruthless).

A year ago, who would have thought that of the two Bay Area coaches, Mike Singletary’s seat would be hotter than Tom Cable’s. Wrap your head around that! But that’s exactly what has happened. And the thing is, the 49ers have talent. Maybe not at the quarterback position, but look at running back (Frank Gore), tight end (Vernon Davis), wide receiver (Michael Crabtree), and the linebacker position (Patrick Willis). The young pieces are there to build around. They just need a coach. Mike Singletary isn’t that guy, unfortunately. He’s an assistant coach playing the role of a head coach. He’s in over his head and it’s time for him to go… now!

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Posted by Loyal Homer

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