Historic Championship Sunday for NFL misses opportunity

A historic championship Sunday for the NFL could have even been more epic and legendary than it was. How much did the NFL miss on their chance? I believe they missed out severely. The Saints got the really bad end of officiating in their game and the AFC Championship was so great, but it could have even been better!!

The AFC and NFC championship games both were historic in their own right. Overtime games that had clutch coaching, plays, and performances. Unfortunately, both games could have been more special and epic. There is little argument that NFL is king when it comes to playoff games and its product. Personally, I cannot shake the feeling that it fell short despite nail-biting dramatic finishes. The fans and audience were given legendary plays and performances that will be talked about for years to come. Stories that will be discussed with parents down to their children and the upcoming generations that did NJ of witness the historic Sunday.

It goes without saying the Saints and Rams game left many with a sinking feeling about what was missed and really would have clinched a Super Bowl berth for the Saints. This was a call to all watching that was obvious and even the head of NFL officiating admitted such to the Saints coach, Sean Payton after the game. It would have allowed the Saints to kick a field-goal with very little time on the clock for the Rams to tie the game and go into overtime. Yes, like all games, there are other chances or plays to be made, but in the playoffs, it is usually one play or one missed play that makes the difference in winning and losing.

Yeah. That was pass interference. pic.twitter.com/niV9z2rnJi

— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) January 20, 2019

"A tough pill to swallow," Drew Bress described afterward. One can only imagine the Saints had this game taken from them to a certain degree. The Rams won in overtime 23-20.

The Patriots and Chiefs game easily described as unbelievable. The game gained momentum as less time remained on the game clock and turned into heavyweights exchanging blow after blow. It was really remarkable to watch. Sadly, we witnessed a game that left one wanting for more and wondering was that the right way for such an epic ending to conclude? I was personally disappointed. The Patriots won 37-31.

The star in the NFL this season and throughout the sports world was not even given a chance to respond to the great Tom Brady. Patrick Mahomes is no doubt a superstar in the making and has done things we have not seen at the quarterback position. Especially so early in a career. He set records, is the likely league MVP for an outstanding jaw-dropping season for the Chiefs. Sadly, the potential for maybe the greatest playoff finish to ever go down was not realized.

From where I am looking, a huge opportunity for the league was missed because the NFL has applied a pretty short-sighted overtime rule. It took years for them to change the rule and when they finally did, they misapplied it to only allow the opponent to match an FG and not a touchdown. With the way the league favors offense due to its rules currently, it is naive to think the team winning the coin toss could very well end the game without the opponent getting to touch the ball. How come college has applied their overtime rules accordingly since the inception of overtime in their sport?

Not to take anything from the road performance by the Patriots and what they accomplished. They did what they need to do to pull out a very tough win on the road. Just as the Rams did what they needed to do to win in as tough of an environment for a road team as well. The Rams coach pulled the string on a 57-yard field-goal that I do not believe many other coaches would have attempted. If that kick was missed by arguably the most clutch player of the day, Greg Zuerlein, the Saints essentially have to complete one or two throws and they likely win with a field goal. It was gutsy and credit goes to McVay.

Sadly I will always remember this great championship Sunday as bittersweet in many ways because it could have been better. A missed call like that is unforgettable and how I feel for Saints fans. I cannot imagine the grief, anger, and hard to accept emotions they are experiencing. I said all year the Chiefs will get stung by their defense if they cannot blow teams out and that is what happened on Sunday. It will be interesting how the Chiefs approach one more season before some serious paydays for some of their roster come around and the reality of having to replace some talent setsin. That said, they have the most crucial piece in football to win championships and that is an amazing talent at the quarterback position.

.@robertmays explains how the missed Nickell Robey-Coleman call—which swung the NFC championship game—means the league has no choice but to make pass interference reviewablehttps://t.co/aDSkmhelTw

— The Ringer (@ringer) January 22, 2019

We now will hope that the Super Bowl is just as close as the Rams square off against the Patriots. A lot of storylines come to mind. The young budding Rams squad versus the dynasty and experience of the Patriots. It will be fun to analyze and drum up a preduiction over the next two weeks.

NFL Conference Championship Round Preview

This Sunday pits the top two seeds from the NFC and AFC against one another. It is an ideal circumstance for the NFL as it really leaves the four most dominant and consistent clubs throughout the season. An added bonus, the games are rematches of regular season matchups that were two of the more memorable games of the season.

The New Orleans Saints carry the number one seed and bragging rights a they host the Los Angeles Rams at 3 p.m. EST. In their first meeting of the season in New Orleans, the Saints won 45-35 against the Rams. The Saints won with defense to advance to this week and the Rams won with their running game and run defense to get here. Both teams have prolific offenses that scored a lot of points this season. There are so many variables that this mathchup can come down to. One major difference is that the Rams have an All-Pro cornerback that is playing this time around in Aqib Talib. The Rams are minus some of their offensive lineman and budding star, slot receiver Cooper Kupp.

On the other side, the Saints are without one of their biggest defensive lineman contributors Sheldon Rankins who went down in the diviisional round last week. The Saints have speedy WR Ted Ginn Jr. back into the fold after missing much of the season. He may not dominate but he does have to be accounted for because of the one of two potential deep shots that Brees will hit opponent with.

The Rams ran all over the Cowboys defense last week, a reinactment of when the Colts shutout the Cowboys in the regular season and ran the ball to dominate the game. It should be noted that the Rams are different animal in Los Angeles. They struggled on the road this year at times. Marcus Peters was beat several times last week and is known for playing out of position trying to make a big play. Emotions will hurt players in games like this and I believe the cool-headed Drew Brees will take full advantage if Peters tries to jump a route or read his eyes. 

The Mercedez-Benz Superdome will be rocking for the home team. This game comes down to which team has more success in the run game. That can be interpreted two ways and it means both of them in reality. Which team has more success stopping the run and running the ball? Special teams will be fun to watch in this game and potential trick plays. Also fourth down conversions will be the most important factor in the outcome, is my prediction. 

This game pivots two teams that are very hungry after disappointing losses in the divisional round in last years playoffs. Ultimately being at home for the Saints will give them just enough to win this game. Although I would not be surprised if the Rams are able to control the line of scrimmage and pull this game out. We know what we will see from Aaron Donald, but if Ndomukon Suh can reek havoc in the run game like he did against the Cowboys. If this were in Los Angeles, this game would go to the Rams.

The Kansas City Chiefs host the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game at 6:40 p.m. EST. The two clubs earlier matchup was your prototypical PAc-12 late night college shootout with the Patriots prevailing 43-40 in what basically came down to whomever had the last possession was going to win. The Patriots wisely used the last precious moments on the clock in their final drive to not allow the Chiefs a realistic chance to score afterwards.

The biggest caveat in this game is that it is in Kansas City and in much colder temperatures that is expeted to be around 20 degrees. The Patriots have their worst road record since 2009. Many pundits have dismissed the Patriots this year which is a surprise considering they have five championships under Bill Belichick and Tom Brady to go with eight Super Bowl appearances. The times they have failed to advance though have been on the road in the playoffs.

Andy Reid, the Chiefs head coach is notorious for being highly successful in the regular season but coming up short in the playoffs. He hosted four straight conference title games while the coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and he did not win until the fourth one. Eventually losing to Belichick and Brady in the Super Bowl. The Eagles had a chance to win at the end but came up short as the Patriots brought home their third Lombardi in four years.

The Chiefs have the season's likely MVP in Patrick Mahomes who threw for 50 touchdowns this season to lead the NFL. In what has not been a flashy passing season for Brady and Patriots, they have shifted back to a run-heavy time of possession offense while the majority of the NFL offenses have shifted to the new spread RPO (run-pass option) college prototype schemes. It is the blueprint that Mahomes played to perfection in college and in his first year as the Chiefs starting QB.

The Chiefs weakness has been their defense all season as they have relied on having the lead and allowing their edge rushers to just worry about rushing the opposing QB to create turnovers and sacks. The Chiefs have not been forced to slow down the run in a tight game really all season.

The more things change and alter in NFL offenses with the spread, three wideout sets and nickel defenses all the field about 70 percent of the time, the more things stay the same. Defense, running the ball, and controlling the line of scrimmage win the games that matter late in the season. 

It is almost as if Bill Belichick knew this after their win against the Chiefs as he has relied heavily on controlling games with the run and shortening the games. The Patriots defense is not loaded with speed or really playmakers aside from Trey Flowers and Stephon Gilmore. Belichick is masterful at putting his players attributes in the right scheme and in a position to do what is expected of them. Mahomes can make plays that amaze but he also can force the ball into bad spots if the game is tight. Tom Brady looked right last week in a drubbing of the Los Angeles Chargers and to those close to the team said that he was quietly dealing with a bad knee and last week he ran across the field for the first time in more than a month in warm ups.

Julian Edelman looked like the Edelman that was so dominant two years ago in the Super Bowl comeback win for the Patriots over the Falcons. Health is a big factor and home field advantage is also one. This game is tough to call but I will give the nod to experience and how fresh an older club in the Patriots looked after the bye week. They will run the ball on the Chiefs and control just enough of this game.

Werder shares grim outlook on Myles Jack

+SPORTS CR3W H/T +NBC Sports Pro Football Talk:

+ESPN's Werder shares grim outlook on #Jack's knee #UCLA #Bruins #2016NFLDraft http://goo.gl/XTuKZW

+ESPN's Ed Werder reports from one medical source in the +NFL who said +UCLA Bruins LB Myles Jack's knee is "more troubling in some ways" than +Notre Dame Athletics LB Jaylon Smith's.

Apparently this medical professional believes Smith's knee will heal with time, while Jack's will get worse with time. The Myles Jack story line really is incredible, as on the field he is practically a unanimous top 10 selection. Jack could be selected in the second round, but no one knows at this moment.

#NFL med source tells me Myles Jack knee more troubling in some ways than Jaylon Smith. While Smith's heals in time, Jack's deteriorates

— Ed Werder (@Edwerderespn) April 29, 2016

What will this jersey resonate in a few weeks, few years, even a 'decade?!'

myCR3W® Inc. Sports CR3W

Gotta give it to the man!

Wilfork is pretty f****n funny! Houston Texans DL, former Patriot, former Hurricane in college. #HardKnocks

Tebow Time in Philly?!

Tebow Time? +Philadelphia Eagles trade third QB Matt Barkley to +Arizona Cardinals
+Yahoo Sports

Cardinals trade a conditional late pick to Eagles for Matt Barkely. #Scoopage

— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) September 4, 2015

The #Redskins visor game has been strong during OTAs

Courtesy of +Washington Redskins Official G+ page (AP) Hawgs In Visors 

Gary Kubiak sees NFL Teams signing two-point Specialists (Pro Football Talk)

Posted by Michael David Smith on Pro Football Talk of NBC Sports 

+Getty Images

Does the +NFL's new rule moving extra point kicks back 13 yards make much of a difference to how teams assemble their rosters?

It does according to Denver Broncos coach Gary Kubiak, who sees NFL teams signing players specifically for their ability to score on two-point conversions.

“I think there [are] going to be two-point specialists from the standpoint of how you go about doing it. Coaching, those are things that you work on,” Kubiak said, via +Lindsay H. Jones of +USA TODAY Sports. “You probably practice those things during camp. It’s not very much and, all of a sudden, it becomes part of the game. That’s a big part of practice. It’s going to change the way you go about doing things. I know that.”

The player most often named as a potential two-point specialist is Tim Tebow, whose presence on the +Philadelphia Eagles' roster has some thinking that Chip Kelly must have some two-point conversion tricks up his sleeve.

Continue to read full article, here...

Gus Bradley just want one thing from All-Pro TE and Free Agent Signing, Julius Thomas, of the Jacksonville Jaguars

BELICHICK NEVER BELIEVED TOM BRADY REGARDING DEFLATEGATE (Per Sources)

Belichick never believed Brady's Deflategate story, says Boston reporter

By CHRIS CHASE

All through the Deflategate process, one in which many voices were shouting many different things, there was one group that was conspicuously quiet: NFL quarterbacks, past and present.

Oh, a few would do a demonstration on PSI for television cameras or give a perfunctory quote about their own preference for an ideal football, but no one at all came rushing to Brady’s defense. There were two inferences to make from this: First, everybody was doing the same exact thing, so they hoped Brady’s saga would end quickly so they could get back to tailoring footballs to their specificities. Or, as Boston Herald writer Ron Borges told a Boston sports program this week, nobody besides Don Yee lept to Brady’s defense because no one believed his story, including Bill Belichick. 

#Belichick never believed #Brady’s #Deflategate story, says #Boston reporter #NFL #Wolverines +@FTW 

BELICHICK NEVER BELIEVED TOM BRADY REGARDING DEFLATEGATE (Per Sources)

Belichick never believed Brady's Deflategate story, says Boston reporter

By CHRIS CHASE May 22, 2015 9:32 am ET

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(Getty Images)
All through the Deflategate process, one in which many voices were shouting many different things, there was one group that was conspicuously quiet: NFL quarterbacks, past and present.

Oh, a few would do a demonstration on PSI for television cameras or give a perfunctory quote about their own preference for an ideal football, but no one at all came rushing to Brady’s defense. There were two inferences to make from this: First, everybody was doing the same exact thing, so they hoped Brady’s saga would end quickly so they could get back to tailoring footballs to their specificities. Or, as Boston Herald writer Ron Borges told a Boston sports program this week, nobody besides Don Yee lept to Brady’s defense because no one believed his story, including Bill Belichick. 

#Belichick never believed #Brady’s #Deflategate story, says #Boston reporter #NFL #Wolverines +@FTW 

$40 Million + per year as base salary, hmmm, Goodell? So sick of the SPIN from the Commissioner and the Patriots

Roger Goodell said he has not had a chance to study the NFLPA's official request to recuse himself from Brady appeal.

— Bob Glauber (@BobGlauber) May 20, 2015

+SPORTS CR3W finds it extremely difficult to believe that a man of his stature, position, wisdom, overwhelming ego, has not procured every aspect of this appeal. If he has not, which he claims, than once again, +Roger Goodell gives us even more desire than previously held for the return of a man we trusted and truly respected, the former +NFL commissioner, Paul Tagliablue, or a man cut from the same cloth as him. 

Andy Lyons, +Getty Images

NFL is what it is today because of two great hall of fame caliber commissioners that preceded Goodell. Haven't trusted Goodell because of they way he 'covered up' Spygate and then brought a hammer down on the +New Orleans Saints and Sean Payton for Bountygate that didn't even make one player in the league cry foul, and former players. Even players that were named as ones targeted by the Saints players such as Brett Favre. 

Suffice it to say, deflategate, spygate, and recording defensive coordinators signals during games had a much different and opposite outcry from current, past (even the greatest to play) and surefire, future Hall of Famers. How can the casual and potential fan of the great game of football and the NFL trust this guy? The +New England Patriots and Goodell have had several incidents of distrust and cover ups that just carries on... This is not trial court nor litigation. This is a sports game that American boys and girls grow up loving, and now polls show that a mere 61% look at one of the faces of this league and sport as a role model. To put it lightly, that is embarrassing for this caliber and juggernaut of a league and operation and in our opinion, completely UNACCEPTABLE!

------- Article Published Below ---- H/T +The Denver Post

Owner Robert Kraft took a step back Tuesday, viewing the Patriots’ drama through a wider lens. After initially contesting the findings of Deflategate, Kraft said from the owners spring meeting that he would “reluctantly accept” commissioner Roger Goodell’s discipline of the team and not appeal the discipline.

This represents a stark reversal for Kraft. Kraft insisted the Wells’ report was flawed and that quarterback Tom Brady told him the truth when he said he did nothing against the rules regarding the use of deflated footballs in the AFC Championship game.

Kraft insisted Tuesday that he didn’t want the “rhetoric to continue,” noting it was not good for the league. He didn’t say whether he will advise Brady to drop the appeal of his four-game suspension. The NFL Players Association announced that Kraft’s decision will not impact Brady’s position. The Patriots received a record-breaking $1-million fine and lost a number one draft pick in 2016 and a fourth-round selection in 2017.

“Mr. Kraft is a brilliant businessman,” said former offensive lineman Damien Woody. “This was good for business.” Continue to read story from the The Denver Post

Oakland Raiders to relocate out of California?? (Via Ian Rappaport - NFL Network)

The Oakland Raiders might relocate to...Texas? (via @RapSheet): http://t.co/L0WSxYCuL0 pic.twitter.com/czTijwtfn3

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) May 22, 2015

NFL Owners vote to have PAT moved back amongst a couple minor changes for the "Point(s) After Touchdown"

SAN FRANCISCO -- As expected, +NFL owners on Tuesday voted 30-2 to approve a change in the rule governing extra points after touchdowns.

The owners considered three proposals but ultimately approved a rule change endorsed by the competition committee. The new rule pushes the kick back to the 15-yard line and leaves the two-point conversion at the 2-yard line.

It also makes the play "live," meaning the defense could return a blocked kick or a turnover on a two-point play for two points.

The +New England Patriots proposed snapping the ball from the 15 for a one-point kick or placing the ball at the 2-yard line for a two-point try. According to the Patriots' proposal, a team's choice was not final and was subject to change following a timeout or penalty.

The +Philadelphia Eagles proposed snapping from the 15 for the kick but moving the ball to the 1 for a two-point conversion. The Eagles also wanted the defense to be able to score points if it returned a turnover on the two-point conversion to the other end zone.

+Houston Texans general manager Rick Smith pointed to the high rate of success of extra points as a reason for the change.

+Washington Redskins and Oakland were the only teams to vote no. The rule change will be reviewed after one year.

Click here for the remainder of the story: H/T +BRONCOS CR3W +ESPN Eric Williams of +ABC6NEWS in Philadelphia

While many are happy that the NFL extra point has been altered, some are still having issues. One of those people is former kicker Jay Feely, who played 14 seasons in the league. After the rule was announced, which is taking the extra-point snap from the 2-yard line to the 15-yard line, Feely went on Twitter and blasted the NFL. Click here for remainder of story on +FanSided

What did the NFL really accomplish? It's still nearly automatic (90%vs 99%) but greater risk of injury to Oline https://t.co/PgEpxEE3CT

— Jay Feely (@jayfeely) May 19, 2015

Another PK, Connor Barth, who is currently on the +Denver Broncos roster is not a fan of the rule change either. He was not emphasizing the injury or risk of injury aspect in an interview with +The Denver Post. Barth was focused on the fact that if they are aiming to make PAT's more difficult and a bit more uncertain, that the +NFL should make the FG posts thinner whereas pushing them back to a 32 yard kick won't affect the 99% success rate much. 

+SPORTS CR3W actually finds this enlightenment much more practical and sensible. We speculate the issue with this concept is that it means the NFL stadiums would have to provide alternative field goal posts as well as installing the new ones. Which probably made the +NCAA push back as they would eventually be forced to looking into changing hundreds of fields, not to mention the thousands of high school fields down the road. Still with all things considered, makes one wonder if any PK's practice on narrower FG posts? One that we will seek to find the answer from previous or current NFL place kickers.

Last season, Barth was perfect from the 20-yard PAT distance (15-of-15) and from 30-39 yards out (5-of-5). In his career, he has hit 100 percent of his PATs (149-of-149) and 88.6 percent (31-of-35) of his 30- to 39-yard field goals.

Barth, who says he's "kind of old school," sees no reason to change a game that is so popular.

"It'll probably change the percentages a little bit, but we're all pretty good kickers, and I still think we'll be in the high 90 percent range on extra points from the 15," he said. "I think they're just trying to find something to change."



Barth, who prides himself on his accuracy more than his power, sees a silver lining, however.

RELATED: NFL players have mixed reactions to new PAT rules

"It would weed out the strong-legged kickers who aren't accurate," he said. "It would make our value go up."

Robert Kraft says Tom Brady told him that he had Zero Involvement in the 11 of 12 Deflated balls during AFC Championship game

+New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft continues to lash out against the +NFL for its Deflategate punishment because he has unwavering trust in his quarterback.

Kraft, who’s already in San Francisco for the NFL Spring Meeting -- where he’ll be face-to-face with commissioner Roger Goodell and the other 31 team owners -- told the MMQB.com’s +Peter King that he believes Patriots quarterback Tom Brady had no knowledge of deflated footballs.

“Yes. Because we had the discussion: 'If you did it, let’s just deal with it and take our hit and move on,'” Kraft said. “I’ve known Tommy 16 years, almost half his life. He’s a man, and he’s always been honest with me, and I trust him. I believed what he told me. He has never lied to me, and I have found no hard or conclusive evidence to the contrary.”

Click for Rest of the story by +Doug Kyed from NESN.com

Greg Hardy gets into altercation with Cowboys teammate

Oregon Sends Marcus one last thank you, goodbye message (Mariota)

One of the True Greats

myCR3W® Inc. Sports CR3W®

$Two Billion nearly signed thus far by NFL teams in 2015 Off Season

This year will go down as having one of the wildest +@NFL free-agent periods in recent history, with 153 total signings.

As The Post’s Mike Klis reported earlier this week, at least six teams were forced to spend big bucks to avoid a penalty because of the collective bargaining agreement.

The CBA that was agreed upon by the league and players in 2011 requires teams to reach a minimum salary-cap threshold (89 percent of cash spent) from 2013-16. Which meant the Jaguars, Raiders, Titans, Eagles, Browns and Jets had to hand out big contracts to players who may not have received such hefty paychecks.

But as surprising as some of those deals may have been, the total figures provided by the NFL Players’ Association for the 2015 free-agent period so far are more astounding. To wit:

$1,802,821,620: Total contract value of the 153 free-agent signings
$788,491,999: Total guaranteed money in the 153 free-agent signings
97: Unrestricted free agents who signed with new teams (guaranteed: $644,104,999; total value: $1,413,501,620)
56: Unrestricted free agents who re-signed with current teams (guaranteed: $144,387,000; total value: $389,320,000)

The four teams that spent the least from 2013-14: Oakland (80.16 percent), New York Jets (80.97 percent), Jacksonville (82.24 percent) and New England (82.82 percent). Those four teams have collectively accounted for the following in this year’s free-agent period so far:

30 percent: of guaranteed money
27 percent: of total contracts
24 percent: of first-year cash
All figures are through March 24.

Brees trade rumors laid to rest

Saints refute Drew Brees trade rumors.

By Aileen Graef NEW ORLEANS, March 24 (UPI) -- Saints general manager Mickey Loomis responded to rumors the team was trading quarterback Drew Brees,...

Source: http://google.com/newsstand/s/CBIwjoTG8iA