Chiefs have probably earned Romeo Crennel the full-time head-coaching job in Kansas City. They didn’t get help from Oakland to play spoiler again Sunday, but they nearly ended Denver’s season with another spoiler effort, putting another dent into the side of the #TebowTime bandwagon. Pretty amazing that the Chiefs finished 7-9 and one game out of first place in the AFC West despite myriad injuries and the drama that came with firing their head coach in the middle of the season. I know it was just the Broncos today, but that defense really is very good. They held their opponents to 16 or fewer points in five of their last six games, limiting the Bears and Broncos to just two total field goals on the road in December/January. They played hard for Crennel, who deserves a shot to take the reins with guys like Jamaal Charles, Eric Berry, Matt Cassel and Tony Moeaki healthy in 2012.
The AFC playoff field really sucks. The Patriots are terribly slow starters with a wretched defense. The Ravens are unpredictable and shaky on offense. The Steelers are banged up and nearly lost to the Browns Sunday. And those are the good teams. Get ready for an AFC wild-card weekend featuring quarterbacks T.J. Yates, Tim Tebow and Andy Dalton. Combined playoff starts: zero, obviously. Denver and Houston have each lost three straight and Cincinnati went 3-5 during the second half of the season. Talk about limping into the playoffs. Would have been cool to see Oakland or San Diego or Kansas City in there instead.
Hue Jackson failed, period. If Al Davis didn’t let Tom Cable survive an 8-8 season that was filled with progress and promise, does anyone believe Davis would let Jackson stay on after another 8-8 season, this one filled with costly errors and penalties and highlighted by a franchise-changing trade that has yet to pay off and likely never will? Next year will obviously be do or die for Jackson and Carson Palmer, who will be linked by their success and/or failure over the next calendar year. One year after merely leading the league in penalties, Oakland broke the NFL record for most penalties and penalty yards in a season Sunday against San Diego. Injuries played a role this year, and the Davis family is surely encouraged and delighted by the fact the team sold out all of its home games in 2011, but if the Raiders don’t make the playoffs in 2012, Jackson’s time should be up after just two seasons.
Thoughts from the late games: The AFC playoff field really sucks
Posted by Brad Gagnon under Commentary on Jan 01, 2012
Chiefs have probably earned Romeo Crennel the full-time head-coaching job in Kansas City. They didn’t get help from Oakland to play spoiler again Sunday, but they nearly ended Denver’s season with another spoiler effort, putting another dent into the side of the #TebowTime bandwagon. Pretty amazing that the Chiefs finished 7-9 and one game out of first place in the AFC West despite myriad injuries and the drama that came with firing their head coach in the middle of the season. I know it was just the Broncos today, but that defense really is very good. They held their opponents to 16 or fewer points in five of their last six games, limiting the Bears and Broncos to just two total field goals on the road in December/January. They played hard for Crennel, who deserves a shot to take the reins with guys like Jamaal Charles, Eric Berry, Matt Cassel and Tony Moeaki healthy in 2012.
The AFC playoff field really sucks. The Patriots are terribly slow starters with a wretched defense. The Ravens are unpredictable and shaky on offense. The Steelers are banged up and nearly lost to the Browns Sunday. And those are the good teams. Get ready for an AFC wild-card weekend featuring quarterbacks T.J. Yates, Tim Tebow and Andy Dalton. Combined playoff starts: zero, obviously. Denver and Houston have each lost three straight and Cincinnati went 3-5 during the second half of the season. Talk about limping into the playoffs. Would have been cool to see Oakland or San Diego or Kansas City in there instead.
Hue Jackson failed, period. If Al Davis didn’t let Tom Cable survive an 8-8 season that was filled with progress and promise, does anyone believe Davis would let Jackson stay on after another 8-8 season, this one filled with costly errors and penalties and highlighted by a franchise-changing trade that has yet to pay off and likely never will? Next year will obviously be do or die for Jackson and Carson Palmer, who will be linked by their success and/or failure over the next calendar year. One year after merely leading the league in penalties, Oakland broke the NFL record for most penalties and penalty yards in a season Sunday against San Diego. Injuries played a role this year, and the Davis family is surely encouraged and delighted by the fact the team sold out all of its home games in 2011, but if the Raiders don’t make the playoffs in 2012, Jackson’s time should be up after just two seasons.