Dappa Dan

Looks like we were right. Saints getting beaten. KC somehow throwing it away against Giants.

KC Pats Eagles

Death, Taxes and the Pats.

One thing I feel is certain is that a team on either side of the draw will go bang and put together a really good December. And one of the higher ups will wobble. Most people will point to the Rams and Eagles, as they have the tough schedules.

I'm all over the shop when it comes to doing my picks. Like today. I can't make a choice. I only have 2 solids. Good work on the power rankings. I haven't got the Saints in as NFC's best just yet. Boy they've taken the league by storm though. It's certainly the popular view that they're the team to beat. I think Eagles 1 more win will hold them in good stead in the long run. I like the rest. Might swap Jax for KC... and a big one there is Seattle as the wild card. With Wilson runnign round like a headless chook and the defense all falling to bits... Green bay, Detroit and Dallas are now eyeing that 6th spot.

Rams are now warm favourites to take out NFC West. 2/3 of Seattle's big name guys out is massive.

Yeah this begs the question. I dunno if this is something that comes up every year... but when it comes to picking.. isn't it an advantage for people behind Clint to see his picks first?

It's the dome factor that worries me. I like the idea of Wentz playing in weather against a team that has a big time passing game. Wentz moves beautifully. And rainy days haven't stopped him at all. Theoretically, if Saints and Eagles were seeded 1 and 2 and played in the championship game... on one hand they could be playing in the snow at the linc... or in the dome in sunny NO. That could be the game right there. I think you'll put up 7. TBH I hope GB push. I want it to be interesting right up til the end. I keep doing ladder predictors and have lots of NFC teams on 13 or 14 wins, which is a bit boring.

Oh yeah. Man. We have a fun month coming up. There's like 6 must watch games. Eagles-Cowboys, Rams and about 4 teams... the big 6 or so competitors have games against one another that have huge ramifications on home field/wild card etc. It's wicked.

Yeah. Philly radio this week has gone from booking tickets to MInnesota for the Superbowl, to being scared of about 4 sides. Saints being the main one. The main worry is... what happens if you play them in a championship game IN New Orleans? Ouch.

I don't believe you. lol I know your heart is pumping every time you read that stuff. Must be nice. Noone ever cracked into Wentz for being a bust. The turnaround is twice as big for Goff.

Might be the most enigmatic in the league this year. They can do anything on a football field. Defend, run, run with the QB, catch out of the backfield, defend like beasts. Supertstar linebacker play. But they just don't have consistency. I have Cowboys in that area this year too. So NFC fans... who are your teams at this (sort of) halfway point. As crazy and wacky as the whole NFC has been, I'm just about ready to call it, after a quick playoff predictor. Eagles and Saints early pick for the bye. Both are far from sure things. Vikings 3rd seed easily winning the NFC North. GB will beat the Lions to have both teams 9-7 and missing playoffs. Rams 4th seed. Game against Seahawks week 15 decides it. Wild cards Panthers 11-5 and Seahawks 10-6. Cowboys could easily take week 17 against Eagles and will still miss out. Lions and Packers also winning seasons but miss out.

That is exactly what the ones I'm talking to are saying. You try to say to them that Zeke out is a downgrade and they won't hear it. It'll be interesting to see what Dak produces without a sparklingly good line. Keep him in the pocket and what kind of QB is he?

I had to have a look. The record is 7 in a game. That's fair going against the greatest O line in the world, if you ask cowboys fans.

How are you coping Gorg? Goff is the MVP darling this week. Articles titled "from bust to MVP"... and in 9 games...

A lot of people are saying that, yes, Reese is the problem. The superbowl wins are the insulator though. And I can't see that stopping, not when there's a sacrificial lamb right there in McAdoo.

I beat the NFL system/free agency/recruitment drum all the time... and not many listen. It's so hard to convince Aussies of the merits of something new. Especially if they have to give up on certain things... If we lost Hogan or Clarry to free agency without much compensation, I'd be filthy... but then... if it meant that overall no team in the league needs to fear being "down" for more than a couple of years. Then overall, the sport wins. I'm yet to come across someone who is completely down on the Jags enjoying success. And most fans I speak to really want to Browns to get better. Wouldn't it be nice if we didn't have teams like Gold Coast perenially disappointing and being easy beats? I'd love it if the longest premiership drought in all of footy was no more than 30 years.

Win next weekend as they're favoured to do... warmly... and they'll be at worst 4 games clear with 6 games left. I feel like I'm in some sort of dream. And the demons are supposed to be in finals next year too.

Cheers Falcons. Eagles now, I don't think will lose NFC East.

I love Jon Gruden in commentary too much. On McCarthy... it's interesting. The comparison might be Andy Reid. And not just on Girth. Reid was a long term coach, much beloved. Won Championship games. He had QB trouble in two seasons, went 8-8 and 4-12 in back to back years and was run out of town. Chip Kelly was and is hated there, but he was successful. And even with that, and the sudden rise of the Eagles, there's STILL commentary from the outside that Philly made a mistake booting Reid. The comparison is interesting though. Back to back losing seasons under McCarthy... what would happen then? The point is likely moot, because for that to happen Rodgers would need to get hurt again.

yeah I must admit. Even in my League with Packers fans, noone picks on him. Too much success in the last 10 years.

Depends. If they lose, say, 80% of their games without Rodgers... then that's enough for people to say, hey, this coach might not have the goods. Is that what you want though? McCarthy out new guy in? Chip Kelly is available? lol It'll be interesting with Peterson. I reckon you'll find he's toothless now. Against bad D lines he'll be fed the rock cos he has a name. Against good Ds he'll be given the rock to begin with, and won't do anything. I look elsewhere for good RBs... There's SOOO many good young ones. Did you see Kamara last week? wowee.

You know, it could be the making of Green Bay, all this injury stuff. If you find out what you look like sans Rodgers, you can maybe trade and draft in some good players. It's great having Rodgers, but for years now, it's hard to see where Green Bay are weak given they're always ahead. I've always thought Green Bay were one good WR too many. The great strength of guys like Brady and Rodgers is it doesn't really matter who they have at WR, Those guys will make them look good, then trade them away for important pieces. Then when they need someone, trade a fourth rounder for the next Randy Moss. And yeah I know the scuttlebutt and media attention was all about Peterson. I think I yawned a bit at him because of fantasy. He's sort of an afterthought there. You take him, but he's had two winning games and then a whole pile of absolute dreck outside that. And like I say, 21 carries behind that line, running into Seattle.... he was never going to break off more than one or two runs.

Yeah I see what you mean. I guess it comes down to how you rate Peterson. I never had him as being more than a 40-60 yard player against Seattle. And apart from a couple of surprisingly big games, he's done basically nothing all year. I also assumed Seattle would get out to a lead, forcing Arizona to pass more and more, leaving Peterson behind. I loved him as a player, but he's not what he was. Stanton really looked encouraging though. I was impressed with his pocket presence, and the sheer guts of the man against that D, which I still reckon might be the scariest in the game, if not the most productive. These injuries are much bigger news than I realised during the game. With all the other dominoes falling in the NFC, it's now becoming the most important factor in one side of the competition. When you think about how many of the serious teams have been hit, and who's been hit within those teams.

The lines weren't the difference. Seattle's O line got smashed by Arizona's. Arizona's O line got smashed by Seattle's D. The difference as usual was the QBs. Stanton played surprisingly well, but missed 3-4 open throws a starter would be expected to hit. Not wide open. But he was given time on them, or he stepped up in the pocket and just overthrew or chose the wrong angle. Wilson did his houdini/jedi thing and got Baldwin on a great play and that was the difference. Seattle would have lost a few fans today. That WAS weird. Commentary on the radio said he went to the tent and got kicked out cos the doctors said there wasn't head contact. It hit his jaw. How is that not head contact.