As always I will be providing commentary throughout all four of the wild card games on Twitter. You can read my Tweets on the right rail of this page or by logging onto Twitter and following me there.
Divisional Round Weekend Games Thread
As always I will be providing commentary throughout all four of the wild card games on Twitter. You can read my Tweets on the right rail of this page or by logging onto Twitter and following me there.
All season I have done a feature on Twitter called the Around the League Tweets (with various fake sponsors) and five times this season I mentioned how excited I’d be to bet against Andy Dalton in a playoff game. And what did I do? Not only did I not gamble against Dalton but I picked the Bengals to win! My quest for a perfect postseason died on Wild Card Weekend. I deserved the opening 3-1. On to the next round…
Line: Seahawks -8
Analysis: Thought Rob Ryan’s performance in Philadelphia was one of the most impressive defensive game plans we’ve seen in the NFL all season long but that won’t be enough to compensate for NOLA’s offensive struggles on the road. Seattle beat the Eagles in Philadelphia by relying on Mark Ingram and the ground game – an element the Seahawks will certainly take away with their front. That leaves Drew Brees to win the game through the air and he’s not the same player on the road.
Side note: Is it strange that I would give the Seahawks no shot if this game were in New Orleans? That doesn’t feel like the mark of a Super Bowl champion. I’ll worry about that next week.
Final Score: Seattle 24, New Orleans 13
Presented without comment…
The top four defenses in the NFC in terms of yards allowed per game: Seattle, Carolina, New Orleans, San Francisco.
The top four defenses in the NFC in terms of points allowed per game: Seattle, Carolina, San Francisco, New Orleans
The four teams still alive in the NFC title race: Seattle, Carolina, San Francisco, New Orleans.
Okay, I guess I should make a comment…
Here are the details for the Bears quarterback, via Aaron Wilson at National Football Post:
In 2014, Cutler has a $22.5 million base salary and salary-cap figure with $2.5 million of his base salary deferred until March 30, 2014 in addition to another $2.5 million paid out over the 2015 regular season.
In 2015, Cutler has a $15.5 million base salary guaranteed and salary-cap figure.
In 2016, Cutler has a $16 million base salary and salary-cap figure.
In 2017, Cutler is due a $12.5 million nonguaranteed base salary and a $15 million salary-cap figure.
He has $2.5 million in per-game roster bonus paid out for $156,250 for every game he’s active.
In 2018, he has a $13.5 million nonguaranteed base salary with a $16 million salary-cap figure.
That includes the same $2.5 million per-game roster bonus.
In 2019, he has a $17.5 million nonguaranteed base salary with a $20 million salary-cap figure. It has the same $2.5 million per-game roster bonus.
In 2020, Cutler has a $19.2 million base salary plus $2.5 million per-game roster bonus.
As always I will be providing commentary throughout all four of the wild card games on Twitter. You can read my Tweets on the right rail of this page or by logging onto Twitter and following me there.
All point spreads provided below were listed on BETUS.com as of Wednesday afternoon.
Line: Indianapolis -2.5
Analysis: I’m going with a three-pronged approach to this.
Final Score: Indianapolis 30, Kansas City 23
Phil Emery opened the Bears season-ending press conference by announcing three contract extensions: Jay Cutler, Tim Jennings and Matt Slauson. The Bears have now inked their three most important potential unrestricted free agents.
The 2013 calendar year brought many glad tidings for the Chicago Bears. A new coach. A new offensive line. The first great Bears offense of the modern era. Now Phil Emery and the organization embark upon their most important off-season in many a moon as they attempt to rebuild the defense into a competitive unit for 2014.
Here are the Bears 2014 opponents:
Green Bay, Detroit, Minnesota, Dallas, Tampa Bay, New Orleans, Miami, Buffalo
Green Bay, Detroit, Minnesota (outdoors at University of Minnesota), Carolina, Atlanta, San Francisco, New York Jets, New England
Their two quarterbacks threw for 4,450 yards and 32 touchdowns. Their star tailback accumulated just a squidge below 2,000 yards from scrimmage. Their wide receivers established themselves as the best starting duo in the sport. Their offensive line was fourth best in sacks allowed and provided support for the league’s second-leading rusher. (And they did this with a pair of rookies on the right side.) The finished the second 9th in total yards per game and 2nd in points scored – only trailing the insane juggernaut that is Peyton Manning’s Denver Broncos.
While most fans are unable to see the sport of football with any appropriate context, let me provide some. Marc Trestman is a first year head coach with a first year staff. One year was all it took for Trest to establish one of the league’s most prolific offenses right here in the city of Chicago.
These things only get better. Playbooks expand. Offensive lines grow more comfortable. Quarterbacks operate with a developing fluency. Fans around these parts may not understand this concept because Chicago has not – since George Halas roamed the sideline – operated with any discernible offensive system. (I could make a serious argument the T Formation of song was the last time the Bears operated uniquely on offense.) I would expect Matt Slauson and Jay Cutler to be re-signed prior to the start of the league year. I would expect Josh McCown signed, sealed and delivered rather quickly after the league year begins. The 2014 Bears offense should be expected to improve upon 2013’s landmark production.
