New York Jets vs. Cincinnati Bengals @ 4:30 on NBC:
This week Roger Goodell confronted the recent issue of successful teams benching their players late in the season so they can rest them up for the playoffs. This was brought on by the shared outrage by the media and fans over the Colts not going for 16-0. He stated that he was "angry" and has promised to look at ways to fix it when the Competition Committee meets in the offseason. It has been reported that the league will consider providing incentives to playoff teams that choose to use starters, such as receiving an extra draft pick. Also the teams that continue this practice would be punished by losing draft picks.
It's great to see that the commissioner is actually listening to the fans, but is this really the best idea they have? Giving draft picks to the best teams for doing what their paid to do is absurd. First of all, the draft is meant to help the teams that struggled the most in the previous season, not help the rich get richer. Secondly, how would you enforce this? Any team could place all their key starters on the injured list as probable, and continue to pull them after one drive. Lastly, would the punishment of losing a draft pick actually scare teams enough that they would end up risking a serious injury and their Super Bowl chances? I think not.
In any league, the last week of the season is going to leave you with a good amount of terrible games. The bad teams don't have a reason to win late (apart from playing spoilers), and have more reason to lose to better their draft position. The good teams locked into the playoffs, have no real incentive to risk injury. It would be nice to see things change, if only for a better slate of games to watch. But after week or two of the playoffs, does anyone really care? Jets 17, Bengals 10.
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys @ 8:00 on NBC:
All of the teams in the NFC have 10 wins or more, and none of them are a clear favorite to win their conference championship. The Saints and Vikings are at home this week due to their great play over the season, but they both failed to finish the regular season with the same precision that got them that bye week. The other teams in the NFC bring a lot of talent, but also bring as many questions. Will the Eagles be able to stop the power game of the Cowboys? Can anyone slow down Desean Jackson? Can the Cardinals win without Boldin? Can Wade Phillips and Tony Romo win a game in the playoffs? Will the Packers be able to overcome the injuries to their defense? What this means is that none of us should be surprised with any of the outcomes and we should just enjoy the great football we are about to witness. Cowboys 24, Eagles 21.
Sunday Games
Baltimore Ravens vs. New England Patriots @ 1:00 on CBS:
If you watched any of the playoff preview shows, you will know that Julian Edelman is trying to replace Wes Welker, after the latter was placed on IR. According to these shows, Edelman is the only hope the Patriots have to fill the big shoes left by the loss of their leading receiver. Now I'm not downplaying either of their talents. And I'm definitely not ignoring the fact, that without Welker the Ravens will be able to put all of their focus on Randy Moss. But this is the Patriots and they have won with average receivers before, so this should be nothing new. As a matter of fact, it might just be what they needed most. Knowing that the man that caught 123 balls isn't there to bail them out on 3rd and long, it will certainly force them to play more conservatively. Most likely by running the ball more, with Laurence Maroney and Fred Taylor in the backfield, it's something they probably should have been doing all season long. Ravens 14, New England 21.
Green Bay Packers vs. Arizona Cardinals @ 4:40 on FOX:
The biggest factor for this game is the health of Charles Woodson. If healthy, the Cardinals may be in trouble. With him on Fitzgerald and Boldin almost a lock to miss the game, Kurt Warner will have to look to someone else to make plays. This will end up forcing them to run the ball, and turn this game into a defensive battle. However, if his shoulder slows him down at all, the games final score may resemble a college basketball game. The former plays in the Packers favor, due to their balanced offense. The latter will turn this game wide open and plays to the favor of the home team, the Cardinals. With last weeks blowout win still in the minds of the Cardinal defense, I think the edge goes to Green Bay. Packers 35, Cardinals 28.
2 comments:
Personally, I think it's a huge mistake for the League to do anything about teams deciding to bench their starters or not. I just don't think that's a road the League should go down. Who a team plays is up to that team's coaches, ownership, and players. If other teams don't want to be affected later by benched players, then don't let a team like the Colts get off to such a good start. If they don't want to chase 16-0, they don't have to.
January 9, 2010 at 10:59 AMI think him addressing the situation is about as far as it will go. I should have made it more clear, that I really don't care either way. The only time it affects me is if I'm in the fantasy playoffs or I'm watching the games at home. In both scenarios I only care for that day and it's only for selfish reasons. The first being because I want my starters to play to better my chances at winning. The second because I want to watch good teams play. As I said, after a week or two of the playoffs no one will care.
January 9, 2010 at 11:07 AMPost a Comment