In depth: Indianapolis Colts

by | Jan 10, 2012 | 2011 season, 2012 season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

It’s hard to stay completely up to date on every detail of each of the NFL’s 32 teams. So we’ve decided to try and reach out to the blogger community to help provide some insight.

Over the next few weeks we’re going to get in touch with someone who covers each team to get their thoughts on how the 2011 season went, how they see the draft and free agency playing out and what they expect and hope for in 2012.

The plan is to do a post every couple of days in the same order as the draft. As such, we start with the Indianapolis Colts.

Few teams went from penthouse to outhouse as quickly as Indianapolis did, thanks in large part to the neck injuries that afflicted Peyton Manning all season. So was this a one year aberration? Or are there deeper problems the Colts must address before they can think of being competitive again?

We asked Brett Mock, managing editor and head writer at The Colts Authority, for his thoughts on that and much more. Here’s what he had to say:

Zoneblitz: Peyton Manning’s injuries were obviously a large reason for the Colts’ struggles in 2011, but I was stunned by the level to which the team fell apart. What else factored in?

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NFL Best Bets 2011 season, Wild Card weekend

by | Jan 5, 2012 | 2011 season, NFL Gambling, NFL Random Thoughts

I opened last week’s betting post by saying week 17 was going to provide a difficult slate of games to predict, given the varying motivations teams had entering their games. That was the only guess I got right. After a sizzling hot six week stretch put me five games over .500, I ended the season with a 0-4 thud, dropping my record to 34-33-1. That isn’t going to satisfy bettors anywhere, though I can’t complain too much given how poorly I started out. I at least maintained enough of a bankroll to have something left for the playoffs.

My brother, on the other hand, needed a 3-1 week 17 to improve to 31-37 for the year, a mark so low he ran out of money for the rest of the season. So, while he participated in our straight-up picks on who would win the games, he’s sitting out the point spread segment for the playoffs. Here are my best guesses for what this week’s wild card weekend will have in store.
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NFL Picks, 2011 Wild Card playoffs

by | Jan 4, 2012 | 2011 season, NFL Picks, NFL Random Thoughts

Well, for the first time in several years we actually made it through a season making picks every week. And with a 12-4 record in week 17, I conquered my brother, who made some obviously grasping picks during the season’s final week in an effort to overtake my lead. His 10-6 record brought his season total to 169-87, three games behind my 172-84. For these efforts I win … bragging rights, I guess.

So, we’ve decided to take this show through the playoffs. The format will change a bit. We’re going to not only provide our pick for who will win the game but some meaningless thoughts about why, as well. So sit back and enjoy.  Or something. (more…)

Playoff Fantasy Football

by | Jan 4, 2012 | 2011 season, Fantasy Football

Was recently introduced to a style of playoff fantasy football that I had not seen before, and wanted to get some additional opinions on strategy from other readers.

Basically, you pick a full team (2 QB, 3 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 Kicker, 1 Def/ST, 1 Wild Card), but you must select one (and only one) from each team in the playoffs–and any person in the league can choose the same guy (ie, everyone would presumably want Drew Brees).

Let’s assume a standard scoring for this (6 pts/TD, 4 pts/passing TD, 1 pt/10 yards rushing/receiving, 1 pt/25 yards passing, etc).

Here’s the lineup I came up with:

Green Bay: Rodgers, QB
San Francisco: Gore, RB
New Orleans: Brees, QB
NY Giants: Cruz, WR
Atlanta: Gonzalez, TE
Detroit: C. Johnson, WR
New England: Brady, Wildcard
Baltimore: Rice, RB
Houston: Foster, RB
Denver: Prater, K
Pittsburgh: Defense/Special Teams
Cincinnati: AJ Green, WR

Let us know who you have in the comments…

Buyer Beware: Polian tenures come with ups and downs

by | Jan 3, 2012 | 2011 season, Business of Football, NFL Draft, NFL Random Thoughts

I was shocked when I heard news yesterday about Bill Polian—not that he had been fired, but that apparently Twitter was blowing up with Vikings fans & local sports media wanting to quickly make a move to bring him in as the voice of authority for the team.  Digging deeper showed that many other media & fan bases, including Chicago, Oakland, and even Dallas were clamoring over the opportunity to hire a “proven commodity” in Polian.

But they all seem to be overlooking one significant factor – Bill Polian’s track record is generally one of building teams that are great in the regular season, then failing in the playoffs, or ultimately in the big game itself. Essentially he is to football exactly what the local media uses in Minnesota ridicule the Minnesota Twins – regular season success followed by postseason failure.

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