SportsNation Blog Archives
Baltimore Ravens
At first, Ed Reed said that he wasn't 100 percent committed to playing next season. Now he's changing it up, stating that his goal is to play this season and possibly beyond. Reed has had injury issues since around 2009 or so, but has still played at a high level ever since. He is one of the best safeties in the NFL, but how much longer will that be true?
Reed's career future?
Throwing in Ed Reed's general direction over the course of his career has rarely worked out for anyone but the Ravens.
Should he hang it up?
Reed's health is an ongoing concern for both him and his team, but should it force him to retire?
Reed or Suggs?
The Ravens are already out one Terrell Suggs for next season; would Ed Reed be a bigger loss?
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, responding to a question about cheating in the NFL, said that the Patriots' three titles ''have been stained'' due to the Spygate scandal. Later, he amended his statement to say that he was referring to popular perception of the titles, and that he believed the Patriots earned their Super Bowls. Do you see the Patriots' titles as tainted?
- KyleBron834854: "I don't see this as a shot to Belichick. It's the truth. I am a loyal Patriots fan, but when you cheat it does change things. We just don't know how long it was going on, it may or may not have affected those titles, but we'll never know. "
- thesemenarecowards: "All Harbaugh is saying is "it isn't worth it" because everyone will always hold it against you after you get caught. He is right."
- NYG109190: "Hey Harbaugh, instead of whining about cheating 5 years ago, why don't you just beat the Pats? Like the Giants have . . . twice. "
- EKUWilliams: "John Harbaugh says it and its set in stone, just cause he says so. There were a lot of guys who worked hard for those teams, sacrificed a lot. To say that a human beings accomplishments are stained is selfish and inconsiderate. Really this is an opinion a humble better person would know to keep to themselves and in their clubhouse. "
- tritonsarmy: "Got to be honest guys maybe they would or wouldn't have won those championships. But ask your self, if it wasn't an advantage to it why were they doing it? And why was it against the rules? "
- Lamar5255: "Hogwash. Every team cheats. The Pats and Saints just got caught. Harbaugh is just jealous."
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Joe Flacco has had his share of detractors, but he's striking back, saying he believes he's the best quarterback in the league. Is he out of his mind?
- timmylyy: "i know youre supposed to confident in your skills, but theres a line between being confident and being delusional."
- mycentstoo: "April fools day was 2 days ago Joe..."
- dwetzel115: "I think Flacco is a Good QB but no where near a top 5. If he gets the contract he wants then he will be making more than Eli, Rivers, Brady,and Roethlisberger. He is not better than any of them and I am a Ravens fan."
- JDO13: "If he blurted out anything else, his mental toughness would be questioned. Now, he has too much confidence. His answer was set up for failure no matter what. "
- JamesMack1: "Flacco put the Ravens in position to win in the AFC title game, but he also had an interception and a failed 4th down conversion late in that game."
- coachedfootball: "What do you expect him to say..."Yeah, I'm average"? I would want my practice squad QB thinking he was the best in the league! Gotta have confidence"
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Are the Giants on a playoff run?
The Giants had the league's No. 32 rushing offense this season but piled up 172 yards last week.
Vote: Five questions for Giants at Packers
Do you trust Eli Manning?
Eli Manning threw 16 interceptions in the regular season and has had a pick-prone career. The Packers rely on turnovers to cover the league's worst pass defense.
Who has better targets?
It's tough to know who is Manning's No. 1 target, but is the combination of Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks better than Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson?
Will not-so-frozen tundra matter?
The field itself won't be frozen in Green Bay, but will cold temperatures hurt one offense more than the other?
Ray Rice or Arian Foster?
Ray Rice edged Arian Foster in rushing yards, 1,364-1,224, but Foster led in yards per game.
Vote: Five questions for Texans at Ravens
Is T.J. Yates the QB for the job?
A week ago, 49 percent of SN thought Jake Delhomme gave the Texans the best chance to win. Did T.J. Yates convert skeptics?
Does what happened in October matter?
That's Matt Schaub getting hit in a Week 6 loss against the Ravens. Schaub won't be out there this week, but does that result still matter?
Last home game for two legends?
It won't be if the Ravens and Broncos both win, but that scenario aside, will Ray Lewis or Ed Reed return next season?
Does Joe Flacco get a fair shake?
Joe Flacco wants to make it clear he doesn't care either way ... but he feels like he's unfairly held to the standards of those on pass-happy teams. With a 44-20 career record, is he right?
A milestone that merits more attention?
There have been a lot of NFL quarterbacks. Until Flacco, a starter from his first game, there hadn't been one who made the playoffs in each of his first four seasons.
Is Flacco getting better?
"Joe's been overwhelmingly good, and he's only going to get better." -- John Harbaugh. Does a career-low 57.6 completion percentage this season say otherwise?
Joe Flacco or Tim Tebow?
If there's a quarterback who gets a lot of credit without a lot of passing stats, it's Tim Tebow. Would you rather have him next season?
Can the Ravens win with Flacco?
Steelers LB LaMarr Woodley memorably suggested the Ravens would never win it all with Flacco at quarterback. What's your take?
The remaining postseason quarterbacks are an eclectic bunch that includes former MVPs, four Super Bowl winners, a couple of veterans seeking validation and a rookie southpaw who wasn't supposed to have the tools to be an NFL success.
To cast your vote click on a candidate's photo. You must rank at least FIVE players.
NFL playoff quarterbacks
Tom Brady
Tom Brady
Playoff record: 14-5
Drew Brees
Drew Brees
Playoff record: 5-3
Joe Flacco
Joe Flacco
Playoff record: 4-3
Eli Manning
Eli Manning
Playoff record: 5-3
Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers
Playoff record: 4-1
Alex Smith
Alex Smith
Playoff record: 0-0
Tim Tebow
Tim Tebow
Playoff record: 1-0
T.J. Yates
T.J. Yates
Playoff record: 1-0
Last team standing?
SportsNation is picking the Patriots (65%), Ravens (75%), Packers (67%) and Saints (66%) to advance to the conference finals.
How would you rank the remaining NFL playoff teams?
The Broncos showed their resiliency with a hard-fought, overtime win against the Steelers behind Tim Tebow's season-high 316 passing yards. Meanwhile, the Texans won their first playoff game in franchise history riding on the shoulders of wide receiver Andre Johnson and rookie quarterback T.J. Yates.
Over in the NFC, the Saints put up 45 points on the Lions as Drew Brees threw for 466 yards, placing him second only to Bernie Kosar for most passing yards in a playoff game. The Giants dominated the Falcons through the air and on the ground while Big Blue's defense held Atlanta's offense scoreless.
With the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds back in action, which team do you think is the favorite to win the Super Bowl?
Cast your vote now! You must submit at least FIVE for your votes to count!
NFL divisional playoff teams
49ers
49ers
Regular season: 13-3
Broncos
Broncos
Regular season: 8-8
Wild-card: defeated Pittsburgh 29-23 OT
Giants
Giants
Regular season: 9-7
Wild-card: defeated Altlanta 24-2
Packers
Packers
Regular season: 15-1
Patriots
Patriots
Regular season: 13-3
Ravens
Ravens
Regular season: 12-4
Saints
Saints
Regular season: 13-3
Wild-card: defeated Detroit 45-28
Texans
Texans
Regular season: 9-6
Wild-card: defeated Bengals 31-10
It's no surprise that the Ravens, fresh off a comeback against the Cardinals, and the Steelers, having dispatched the Patriots, meet with AFC North lead on the line. It's considerably more surprising that the winner might have to share those bragging rights with the Bengals. After a 34-12 win against the Seahawks, the Bengals are making it a three-way race in the division.
- "The next three weeks will determine how the Bengals do this year. Murderer's row. At Tennessee, vs. Pittsburgh, at Baltimore. I've been pulling for them just because they've been underdogs all these years, but this is bringing back painful memories of 2009, when no one took them seriously and they ransacked the division. Andy Dalton's got to be in serious consideration to beat out Cam Newton for ROY." -- SN commenter RavensSuperbowl44
- "Look out, NFL. The Cincinnati Bengals are for real. One of the top defenses in the league and an underrated offense led by the best rookie combo ever!" -- SN commenter BengalNation365
What is the playoff picture?
With just two wild cards available for the conference, it's not easy for one division to send three teams to the playoffs.
Will the division make or break Bengals?
The Bengals are off to a strong start, but they play half of their final eight games against the Steelers and Ravens.
Andy Dalton or Joe Flacco?
Dalton threw two touchdowns and two picks against the Seahawks, while Flacco totaled 336 yards but no touchdowns against the Cardinals.
Is there a race for rookie honors?
Cam Newton keeps piling up statistics but isn't getting many wins. Does either half of a rookie combo in Cincinnati deserve the nod as top newcomer?
Do you know what percentage of SportsNation thought the Ravens would beat the Jaguars on Monday night? A very, very high percentage. Unfortunately for your predictive skills, fate and Joe Flacco intervened heavily in last night's frustrating 12-7 loss. The Ravens' defense did its job, but Flacco's anemic 137-yard performance kept the Ravens' offense off the board until the fourth quarter. Baltimore is still 4-2, but seven points isn't going to get it done in the playoffs.
- "The Ravens can't be taken seriously after this game." -- SN commenter bizzo.james
- "Not jumping on Flacco ... but he's only had two good games this season. One against the Steelers and the other against the hapless Rams. His other games are well below average." -- SN commenter 43steelblitz43
Is Flacco the answer?
Joe Flacco has only completed 52 percent of his passes this season, and six of his eight touchdowns came in just two of six games.
Offensive woes?
The Ravens' offense hasn't been terrible this season, but seven points against the unimpressive Jaguars could be a real warning sign going forward.
The first game of the NFL season kicks off in a little more than 24 hours, and we'd be lying if we said we weren't at least a little excited. Pro football can be a messy affair at times -- see the entire labor battle during the offseason -- but it's a glorious sport at its heart. Most every team's fan base has something to look forward to this weekend, although Colts fans may be dreading a future without Peyton Manning after the news that he'll miss at least his first game with a neck injury.
- Rank: Is Peyton Manning still in the MVP race? | Which are football's best teams?
- Vote: Which teams are the favorite to win each division?
Best game?
There are a lot of good matchups in Week 1 of the NFL's 2011 regular season. Steelers-Ravens, for example, could be a preview of a future AFC playoff game.
Colts without Manning?
Peyton Manning is out for an undetermined amount of time. This could be a prime opportunity for other teams to break Indianapolis' stranglehold on the AFC South.
AFC East
The Patriots responded to their 14-2 record last season by signing or trading for several marquee names. Are they good enough to beat the Jets?
AFC North
The Steelers fell just short of winning the Super Bowl last season, as their vaunted defense wasn't able to stop Aaron Rodgers and the Packers.
AFC South
Peyton Manning took a pay cut in order for the Colts to keep some of their key players, but is it enough for Indianapolis to win the AFC South?
AFC West
There's a brewing quarterback controversy in Denver, with Kyle Orton delaying the seemingly inevitable succession of Tim Tebow to the starting job. Can the Broncos compete with Orton?
NFC East
The Eagles made a number of humongous moves this offseason, including trading Kevin Kolb and signing Nnamdi Asomugha. Are they the team to beat in the NFC East?
NFC North
Aaron Rodgers led the Packers on an incredible run to a Super Bowl title last year. Are they the favorites in the NFC North once again?
NFC South
The Saints looked to make another deep run at a Super Bowl, but were stunned by the lowly Seahawks. Are they still an elite team?
NFC West
Speaking of the Seahawks, they won the NFC West despite a 7-9 record. Will they sneak into the playoffs once more?
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