NFL Pro Bowl Draft Recap - part two

NFL Pro Bowl Draft Recap - part two
by Dan Salem and Todd Salem (1-24-14)

[Part one - The fake Pro Bowl Draft]



TODD:
The actual Pro Bowl draft took place Wednesday night, although it was taped in Hawaii so it wasn't night time. Instead, the players were nestled in a beach getaway, lounging underneath tents, waiting to be called. It was...kind of ridiculous.

When Jerry Rice or Deion Sanders made a selection, that player would make their way to the stage, receive a lei garland and get interviewed. I was surprised when I found out the actual picking process was going to be televised. I had assumed they would televise some sort of studio show where they announced all the selections and then discussed them. No sir. This was a three-hour barrage of uncomfortable interviews, awkward moments and boredom. Fortunately I suppose, there was a mini-draft held Tuesday where special teams players and interior linemen were peddled away to each side. So at least we were spared the punter interviews.

Of course, the draft itself is still a fascinating premise and, I suppose, that is only intensified by the players being there in person to feel slighted.

According to ESPN, Robert Mathis was in the "green room" for a long while and witnessed other players growing increasingly upset at not having been picked. We can only hope this will make for an actual good game on Sunday.

The other interesting wrinkle was the order players were selected. Apparently Team Deion selected Andrew Luck with its first pick on Wednesday. Then, it took Cam Newton with its second pick! Why, you ask? Well because the two coaching staffs of the teams are the Indianapolis staff and the Carolina staff respectively. Deion took Luck to work with his own people and then snatched Cam so he would be going against the Panthers coaches.

Overall though, the process seemed pretty innocuous. Each team grabbed some defensive guys early, as was my strategy. Although, because of injuries and Super Bowl commitments, a number of the top skill players are not playing in the Pro Bowl, so that may have steered the captains away from those positions at first.

Checking out the rosters, it seems that Team Rice is a bit better on paper. Of course, they don't play games on paper!! Although, it is the Pro Bowl, so maybe they should.


DAN:
I'm kind of disappointed in this whole draft charade. It had so much potential on paper! But like the actual Pro Bowl, this draft was nothing short of lack luster and drawn out.You know what needed to happen for the Pro Bowl Draft to be fun and interesting? The NFL needed to televise our version of a draft. We got it right!

First off, let them pick teams regardless of who is going to participate. Not having Peyton Manning or Tom Brady in the draft ruins half the fun. And how awesome would it have been for Jerry Rice to draft Tom Brady and then find out a day later, or at the end of the draft even, that he'd been replaced by Alex Smith? That is television gold. A complete missed opportunity.

Second, don't pick your full rosters on TV. They did do a pre-draft of the positions most fans don't care about. That's kind of alienating and unnecessary. Just draft a starting roster on camera and do your backups in rapid fire mode during a commercial break. Also, I know that the players are spending the week in Hawaii, but don't make them sit there. Most went through that hell once already, during the actual NFL Draft before their rookie seasons. The honor is in being selected to the Pro Bowl, but now you take that away by making them squirm on national TV because Deion Sanders snubbed you. No one likes to be last picked. Come on man!

The Pro Bowl Draft could be a perfect 90 minute television event. Show film of each guy as he's selected. Let the captains debate on camera who they are taking and then reveal the name like on 'Wheel of Fortune' or something. But making it like the actual NFL Draft? Seriously? Someone is getting fired over this. I'm calling it now.

[If you missed part one - Our own Fake Pro Bowl Draft]

NFL Pro Bowl Draft - part one

NFL Pro Bowl Draft - part one
by Dan Salem and Todd Salem (1-20-14)


The first ever NFL Pro Bowl Draft is taking place this Wednesday, January 22nd. There are no conference affiliations anymore. Two captains, Deion Sanders and Jerry Rice, will be selecting players, draft-style. We at Seesaw Sports wanted in on the fun and drafted our own teams. After flipping a fake coin to see who would pick first, Dan won. So without further ado...

Note: Our draft does not take into consideration who may or may not opt out of the actual Pro Bowl game. We're just trying to make the best teams for this game; that's all.



THE DRAFT:

1) With the first pick in the 2014 fake Pro Bowl draft, Dan selects quarterback Tom Brady.

TODD: Whoa! Upset City!

2) Todd selects Defensive End J.J. Watt.

DAN: Well, now you can wait on a quarterback I guess.
TODD: Yeah, that may be the flaw in this draft system.


3) Dan selects Wide Receiver Calvin Johnson.

TODD: Damn, I was hoping Megatron was going to be there at four.
DAN: That was a long shot at best.


4) Todd selects Wide Receiver Brandon Marshall.

5) Dan selects Tight End Jimmy Graham.

DAN: And that's how you know it's a passing league.
TODD: Which is why I am going to need to rush the passer.


6) Todd selects Defensive End Robert Quinn.

DAN: You are loading up on defense. Did you forget that this is the Pro Bowl?


7) Dan selects Wide Receiver A.J. Green.

8) Todd selects Running Back LeSean McCoy.

9) Dan selects Defensive Tackle Ndamukong Suh.

DAN: Since you jumped all over the outside pressure, I'm going mean and angry in the middle.
TODD: I want some more pass rushing. Brady is going to be on his back all day.


10) Todd selects Outside Linebacker Robert Mathis.

DAN: Good luck getting by my next pick.


11) Dan selects Center Ryan Kalil.

TODD: Interesting.


12) Todd selects Cornerback Patrick Peterson.

13) Dan selects Linebacker Patrick Willis.

DAN: I almost thought you stole my pick.
TODD: Now you're coming over to the defensive side.


14) Todd selects Tackle Joe Staley.

15) Dan selects Defensive Tackle Haloti Ngata.

DAN: Whoever your quarterback is will have fits all day now.
TODD: It's hard to pressure the QB up the middle. I'm not feeling great about Shady McCoy going crazy now though.


16) Todd selects Cornerback Richard Sherman.

17) Dan selects Outside Linebacker John Abraham.

TODD: John Abraham made the Pro Bowl? What year is this?
DAN: Ex-Jet still a Jet in my mind.


18) Todd selects Safety Earl Thomas.

TODD: I want an outside backer to run with Jimmy Graham and there just isn't one. I'll have to take a safety to do it instead.


19) Dan selects Fullback Mike Tolbert.

DAN: There are only two fullbacks to pick from, so I'm striking first.
TODD: By all means.


20) Todd selects Guard Logan Mankins.

21) Dan selects Cornerback Brandon Flowers.

TODD: VT Hokie in the house!
DAN: Woot!


22) Todd selects Quarterback Drew Brees.

TODD: Is this allowed, can I actually leave Peyton Manning on the board?
DAN: Where is this game being played; if it's not New Orleans...
TODD: Hawaii has nice weather.
DAN: If you don't take Manning, can I select him as my punter?
TODD: Sure, but then he'd have to punt.


23) Dan selects Defensive End Cameron Jordan.

24) Todd selects Defensive Tackle Gerald McCoy.

25) Dan selects Safety Eric Berry.

TODD: Damn, I waited too long for my strong safety.


26) Todd selects Outside Linebacker Justin Houston.

27) Dan selects Outside Linebacker Ahmad Brooks.

28) Todd selects Tackle Tyron Smith.

29) Dan selects Tackle Jason Peters.

TODD: You finally got Kalil some help up front.


30) Todd selects Kick Returner Dexter McCluster.

31) Dan selects Tackle Joe Thomas.

32) Todd selects Tight End Julius Thomas.

33) Dan selects Cornerback Darrelle Revis.

TODD: Another former Jet past his prime.
DAN: Agreed.

34) Todd selects Kicker Justin Tucker.

TODD: MVP! MVP! MVP!
DAN: Haha


35) Dan selects Running Back Adrian Peterson.

TODD: It seems funny to get him so late. It also seems foolish to take him over Jamaal Charles.
DAN: Only if Peterson isn't healthy. Otherwise, no way.


36) Todd selects Wide Receiver Josh Gordon.

TODD: Fantasy MVP! Hey, what would have happened if I took Antonio Brown right there at wide receiver? You'd be left without a return man option.
DAN: I would have gotten a free pick!
TODD: But you wouldn't have been able to return any kicks or punts. Special teams edge Team Todd!
DAN: I can throw Peyton Manning back there.


37) Dan selects Defensive End Greg Hardy.

38) Todd selects Defensive Tackle Dontari Poe.

39) Dan selects Safety Eric Weddle.

40) Todd selects Linebacker Luke Kuechly.

41) Dan selects Guard Jahri Evans.

42) Todd selects Safety Kam Chancellor.

TODD: Another Hokie in the Pro Bowl. Hey, I just realized I took three Seattle Seahawk defensive backs.
DAN: They must be good or something.


43) Dan selects Guard Mike Iupati.

44) Todd selects Guard Louis Vasquez.

45) Dan selects Punter Brandon Fields.

TODD: Damn, now I'm left with the punter no one had ever heard of.

DAN: MVP!


46) Todd selects Center Mike Pouncey.

TODD: Not many options left.

47) Dan selects Kicker Matt Prater.

48) Todd selects Fullback Marcel Reece.

49) Dan selects Kick Returner Antonio Brown.

50) Todd selects Punter Johnny Hekker.


TEAM SUMMARY:

POSITION               TODD'S TEAM           DAN'S TEAM

Quarterback                      Drew Brees                    Tom Brady

Running Back                   LeSean McCoy               Adrian Peterson

Tight End                          Julius Thomas                 Jimmy Graham

Wide Receiver                  Brandon Marshall            Calvin Johnson

Wide Receiver                  Josh Gordon                    AJ Green

Full Back                           Marcel Reece                  Mike Tolbert

Center                               Mike Pouncey                 Ryan Kalil

O-Guard                            Logan Mankins               Jahri Evans

O-Guard                            Mike Iupati                      Louis Vasquez

O-Tackle                           Joe Staley                       Jason Peters

O-Tackle                           Tyron Smith                    Joe Thomas

Def End                             JJ Watt                            Cameron Jordan

Def End                              Robert Quinn                  Greg Hardy

D-Tackle                            Gerald McCoy                 Ndamukong Suh

D-Tackle                            Dontari Poe                     Haloti Ngata

Linebacker                          Luke Kuechly                 Patrick Willis

Outside Linebacker            Robert Mathis                 John Abraham

Outside Linebacker            Justin Houston                Ahmad Brooks

Cornerback                         Patrick Peterson             Brandon Flowers

Cornerback                         Richard Sherman            Darrelle Revis

Safety                                  Earl Thomas                   Eric Berry

Safety                                  Kam Chancellor              Eric Weddle

Kick Returner                      Dexter McCluster            Antonio Brown

Kicker                                  Justin Tucker                  Matt Prater

Punter                                 Johnny Hekker                Brandon Fields

TODD:

That about wraps it up for us. Unfortunately we can't put our rosters on the field against each other, but that's probably for the best. My team would crush Dan's.

Now let's see what Deion and Jerry come up with, and what strategies they take in filling out the official NFL Pro Bowl rosters.

[Part two - Deion and Jerry's teams]

"They said what?" - Sports quotes game (Round two)

"They said what?" - Sports quotes game (Round two)
by Dan Salem and Todd Salem (1-17-14)

[Round one]


Its time for Round two of They said what?

The Rules:
Player one presents player two with a sports quote.

- The quote can be about sports
- The quote can be said by a famous sportsman
- The quote can be both about sports and said by a famous sportsman, but NEVER neither one

The quote is given, along with three hints as to who said it. These hints can be anything from when the quote was uttered to facts about the speaker.

Player two then responds with their guess as to who said it and a brief explanation surrounding their conclusion. A correct guess is worth one point for player two. An incorrect guess is worth one point for player one.



TODD:
I'm kicking up the difficulty level for round two.

"A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be."

Hint One - This man played professional hockey.
Hint Two - After his playing career, he became part-owner of a franchise for a time.
Hint Three - He is number five all-time in career shots taken in the NHL.


DAN:
Hockey feels like a low blow, but anything about hockey immediately leads me to The Great One, Mr. Wayne Gretzky. Hint one and Hint two don't invalidate that, however, Hint three gives me pause. Gretzky is THE Great One, surely he's higher than five all-time in shots taken. Also, this stat is only cool if we are talking about a defensive player, not a man who is best known for scoring goals.

My answer is Bobby Orr. Damn I hope he owned a team for a while.


TODD:
Nailed you! My plan worked perfectly! My third hint was to throw you off the scent of Wayne Gretzky because he is indeed the correct answer.

"A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be." (by Wayne Gretzky)


DAN:
Damn it! Here's your quote.

"The fewer rules a coach has, the fewer rules there are for players to break."

Hint One: This man won a Super Bowl.
Hint Two: This man is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Hint Three: This man is a legend both on and off the field.


TODD:
I don't know if this was payback or what, but yours seems especially tricky. It was said by a successful NFL head coach, so successful he's in the Hall of Fame. But the quote itself implies it was someone who wasn't a hard-ass or huge disciplinarian. I originally wanted to say Bill Parcells just because he's a good quote. But he was notoriously hard on his players I thought.

That leads me to go elsewhere for a guess, but who is a legend off the field as well? That makes me want to say Mike Ditka. That's who I'm going to go with; the coach of Daa Bears.


DAN:
Oh snap! That is an excellent guess, but fortunately for me its wrong. There are so many other hints that would have led you to our correct answer. Like this one: He has a well documented fear of flying.

Know it now? I'm sure you do. This quote was uttered by the one, the only, often imitated (mainly by Frank Caliendo) John Madden.

"The fewer rules a coach has, the fewer rules there are for players to break." (by John Madden)

That evens up the score at 2 points a piece, each of us getting one correct answer and one wrong. January is a tie, but let's carry the score into our next match in February/March and keep the competition going.

[If you missed Round one]

"They said what?" - Sports quotes game (Round one)

"They said what?" - Sports quotes game (Round one)
by Dan Salem and Todd Salem (1-13-14)



Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the wonderfully crafted game of They said what?

For those new to the game or in need of a refresher, we'll quickly run through the rules here at Seesaw Sports. Player one presents player two with a sports quote.

- The quote can be about sports
- The quote can be said by a famous sportsman
- The quote can be both about sports and said by a famous sportsman, but NEVER neither one

The quote is given, along with three hints as to who said it. These hints can be anything from when the quote was uttered to facts about the speaker.

Player two then responds with their guess as to who said it and a brief explanation surrounding their conclusion. A correct guess is worth one point for player two. An incorrect guess is worth one point for player one.

Okay, let's get ready to play round one of... They said what?



TODD:
As player one I'll kick things off with what I consider to be a medium difficulty quote.

"Show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser."

Hint One - Uttered by a famous head coach.
Hint Two - He was notoriously hard and expected perfection.
Hint Three - He coached in the NFL.


DAN:
Well, well, well. For our inaugural game of They said what? you picked an excellent quote, but unfortunately for you, this game is too easy for me.

Hint one pretty much gave it away. Vince Lombardi. Hint two solidified my answer. Vince Lombardi. And hint three tied a pretty pink bow on your gift wrapped point. Vince Lombardi.

"Show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser." (by Vince Lombardi)


TODD:
Yeah, Vince Lombardi is correct. That was too easy. I started off soft; don't get too cocky.


DAN:
My turn. Let's see how you like this quote.

"It's good sportsmanship to not pick up lost golf balls while they are still rolling."

Hint One - He did not play golf.
Hint Two - He is famous for his writing.
Hint Three - His famed name is not his given name.


TODD:
Challenging, but I think I know it. The fact that he talked about sports but did not play the sport in question gave me pause at first. I thought it might be a comedian. Once you said he was a writer, I was pretty sure I knew it. The existence of an alternate name sealed the deal.

"It's good sportsmanship to not pick up lost golf balls while they are still rolling," has to have been said by Mark Twain.


DAN:
Damn, thought I may have stumped you there. We're all tied up at one.


SCORE (after one round):
Player one (Todd) - 1 point
Player two (Dan) - 1 point

[Round two]

NFL Final Rankings: Its over now - Part two

NFL Final Rankings: Its over now - Part two
by Dan Salem and Todd Salem (1-3-14)

[Part one - Final NFL Power Rankings]



TODD:
I still think Miami was the sixth best team in the AFC. I hated Baltimore's offense all year. I hated San Diego's defense all year. I hated Pittsburgh all year. There was nothing about Miami that screamed hatred...other than their epic, late-season collapse I suppose. You could have talked me into putting the Dallas Cowboys ahead of them maybe, but I wasn't going to drop them below any of those other AFC wild card contenders.

But, oddly enough, the Dolphins actually stayed pretty consistent for us all year. The first set of power rankings we did, after week four, we both had them ranked in the teens. (You had them 12th, which technically isn't in the teens, but you get the point.) There were many other teams that took giants leaps from the first week of October until now.

Pittsburgh and Philadelphia were very, very low on our original rankings. They both took weeks, even months in the case of Pittsburgh, to get their acts together. Arizona jumped especially high as well. We both had them in the bottom ten of the league after four games.

Meanwhile, Detroit and Atlanta were a couple of the teams near the top that dropped dramatically through the final three fourths of the season. I loved Detroit for much of the season, and was still confident in Atlanta turning things around early on. What is it that makes this league so hard to predict, even mid-season? It is unfathomable in any other sport to have standings flip after a quarter of the season has already been played. Is it strictly the case of small sample size and nothing else? After all, four games is just four games, no matter how short the regular season is. Anyone can look amazing (or dreadful) in a string of four games. Cough cough... Geno Smith... cough.


DAN:
At least Geno Smith was a rookie... cough cough... Eli Manning his entire career... cough. Rookies often play up and down as they first surprise defenses, then get bombarded as everyone has "figured them out." The key barometer in my opinion is how they finish off the season. Does the rookie cave and continue to make mistakes, or does he right the ship, slow down and play solid football? Geno had zero turnovers in his final two games and led the league (along with Cam Newton) in rushing touchdowns. I see a lot more Cam Newton in him than I see Jay Cutler. As for the league at large, it was as up and down as Geno Smith was this season.

The Detroit Lions are probably my biggest surprise and disappointment of the season. I had them ranked 11th at the four game mark, then 10th after eight games, still at 15th after twelve games, and finally all the way down to 21st after the season's final weekend. Woah. Counter that with Arizona's rise from 30th up to 9th in my rankings and its no wonder the NFL is so damn popular every week of the season.

The four game mark is an obvious trap and no team is truly known after only a quarter of the season. With the exception of our elite quarterbacks, every other team is still getting its proverbial house in order. But at the halfway point? I was so wrong on the Eagles at 29th and the Titans at 14th its not even funny. But you know what is funny?

I had the top two teams in the league (both finishing at 13-3) in my top three power rankings the entire season! Both Denver and Seattle have been at the top of my rankings from week one through week seventeen. And both the Broncos and Seahawks sit atop their respective conferences. This league may surprise us, it may have parity, but the top was the top this season. It was actually straight forward. I'm leaning towards an outlier in regards to this season's top five predictability. Fact or Fiction?


TODD:
It will all depend on how they perform in the playoffs. That's the ultimate test of a power rank.

By the way, you should get that cough checked out.

[If you missed Part one - Final NFL Power Rankings]

Final NFL Power Rankings: We were right - Part one

Final NFL Power Rankings: We were right - Part one
by Dan Salem and Todd Salem (12-30-13)



The NFL season is over with the end reminding us of how things began. The Rankings may have changed all the way, but the top ten did not. Seesaw Sports has its Final NFL power rankings on Black Monday.

Recap: [1st Quarter Power Rankings]
Recap: [2nd Quarter Power Rankings]
Recap: [3rd Quarter Power Rankings]



Final Power Rankings:
[Numbers in parentheses equal difference in rank from Todd: i.e (+1) equals one spot higher]

TODD                                                     DAN
32. Washington Redskins                      Houston Texans (-1)
31. Houston Texans                               Washington Redskins (+1)
30. Oakland Raiders                              Jacksonville Jaguars (-1)
29. Jacksonville Jaguars                       Oakland Raiders (+1)
28. Atlanta Falcons                               Cleveland Browns (-1)
27. Cleveland Browns                           Atlanta Falcons (+1)
26. Buffalo Bills                                     Tennessee Titans (-3)
25. Minnesota Vikings                           Minnesota Vikings (0)
24. New York Giants                             Buffalo Bills (+2)
23. Tennessee Titans                            Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-1)
22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers                  New York Giants (+2)
21. St. Louis Rams                                Detroit Lions (-2)
20. New York Jets                                 St. Louis Rams (+1)
19. Detroit Lions                                    Miami Dolphins (-5)
18. Pittsburgh Steelers                          Baltimore Ravens (-2)
17. Dallas Cowboys                              Pittsburgh Steelers (+1)
16. Baltimore Ravens                           New York Jets (+4)
15. San Diego Chargers                       San Diego Chargers (0)
14. Miami Dolphins                               Dallas Cowboys (+3)
13. Chicago Bears                                Chicago Bears (0)
12. Indianapolis Colts                           Indianapolis Colts (0)
11. Philadelphia Eagles                        Philadelphia Eagles (0)
10. Arizona Cardinals                           Green Bay Packers (-1)
9. Green Bay Packers                           Arizona Cardinals (+1)
8. New Orleans Saints                          New Orleans Saints (0)
7. Cincinnati Bengals                            Cincinnati Bengals (0)
6. New England Patriots                       San Francisco 49ers (-3)
5. Kansas City Chiefs                           Kansas City Chiefs (0)
4. Carolina Panthers                             New England Patriots (+2)
3. San Francisco 49ers                         Seattle Seahawks (-1)
2. Seattle Seahawks                             Carolina Panthers (+2)
1. Denver Broncos                                Denver Broncos (0)




Comments from the Rankings: 

TODD:
Obviously getting into the playoffs is a team's top priority. Thus, the best sixteen teams should be the sixteen playoff teams. However, I don't believe that is actually the case. The Arizona Cardinals had a fantastic year. They are certainly better than the sixth seed from the AFC, if not the sixth seed from their own conference.

Also, all divisions are not created equal. I will take the Kansas City Chiefs over all but three division winners in football. In regards to San Francisco, I like them even more. I say they are a top three team even though they didn't win their division.

As for tiers to finish out the season, the top six teams are slightly ahead of the rest of the league. From there, tier two contains teams seven through seventeen. These were all playoff or borderline playoff teams, but, other than Indianapolis, no one in this group felt comfortable in their playoff admission before the season's final game.

Tier three are teams who can pull an upset but don't bring their A game consistently. That would be everyone from Pittsburgh to Cleveland. The bottom five teams are a step below. It is hard to fathom that the Houston Texans would be able to lose fourteen consecutive ballgames. It is also slightly hilarious that I would take them over Washington right now if the two teams played each other.

And oh yeah, Washington doesn't have its own 2014 first round draft pick. Whoops.


DAN:
Its pretty incredible how close our rankings are to one another, and yet that's not the story here. I'm staring at two teams in the top five that didn't even sniff the postseason last year. The Chiefs and Panthers epitomized the NFL and hope for teams ranked twenty two or lower.

I love your tiers, with a BIG exception in Tier two. Also, my bottom tier has way more than five teams.

We have the exact same teams in our bottom eleven, Tier four in my opinion, with a slightly different order that couldn't matter any less. Those teams suck and we all know it.

Tier three needs to be teams ranked twenty one to sixteen. All average teams with a big win at some point this season, but the playoffs were a long shot and its obvious why. I'm fine with the Cowboys in this tier, but not at the expense of boosting the Dolphins to an unreasonable level.

Teams ranked fifteen up to seven are in Tier two, but you can NOT put Miami in this discussion. This tier is playoff teams and playoff caliber teams. The Cowboys, with Tony Romo, and the Bears are both playoff teams in the AFC. Same with Arizona, who got robbed this season. No one else belongs.

We agree completely on our top Tier one teams, ranked seven and above. However, you're crazy if you think the Patriots aren't better than San Francisco. I get it, I do, you see those gaudy NFC victories that San Fran put up in the final month and look to New England who barely squeaked by Houston and even lost to Miami. Don't be fooled, that team was hurting, but the team that stands today with a first round bye is top five in the league.

[Part two - How the NFL changed]

NFL 3rd Quarter: Movers & Shakers - Part two

NFL 3rd Quarter: Movers & Shakers - Part two
by Dan Salem and Todd Salem (11-29-13)

[Part one - 12 weeks of Confusion]



TODD:
I would indeed take Cincinnati over Kansas City. Take a look at the Bengals again. They are undefeated at home and their only two losses since week four came in overtime. Meanwhile, KC has real problems scoring points against any defense other than San Diego. And, more importantly, their two best defensive players just went down: Tamba Hali and Justin Houston. Their strength was rushing the passer. Now that whole defense will suffer (as we saw against San Diego!)

The point of my tiers was not to separate playoff teams from non-playoff teams. It was to break the league into talent quadrants. New England is not on par with the top three teams, their win at Denver included. The weather was brutal and I don't trust NE's defense moving forward. Put it this way, there is a bigger gap between Seattle at three and New England at four than there is between the Pats at four and the Ravens at seventeen.

And Green Bay was my hardest rank. Where do you put them? If Rodgers comes back in two weeks, that is the best team in the NFC North and probably a top four team in the conference. Without him, they will miss the playoffs. Sooo, I split the difference.

But enough quibbling about individual differences. The real story here is the leaps some teams made since our halfway rankings.

After eight weeks, we both still had some hope left for the Falcons and our New York teams (I the Giants, you the Jets). Now, we've come to grips with the reality of their respective situations. Indianapolis is also sliding, after deciding that the best way to play football is to spot their opponent a double-digit lead each week. On the flip side, Tampa Bay, Baltimore and Pittsburgh seem like legitimate opponents now, whereas four weeks ago they were something closer to a bye week.

The real stories though are Philadelphia and St. Louis. In four weeks, Philadelphia jumped sixteen spots in my rankings and ten spots in your rankings. The Rams jumped eight for me and thirteen for you. Just remarkable the turnaround. I am still not sold on St. Louis doing anything, especially considering their division, but with that running game and pass rush, they are certainly formidable. And the Eagles are an offensive juggernaut with Nick Foles! Do you realize he has a 16:0 touchdown to interception ratio?? And they are first in the league in rushing.


DAN:
The Chargers are making a run. I'm calling it. And I completely agree on Green Bay. My gut, Rodgers won't be back in time for it to matter.

Who said I've come to grips about my Jets? Yes, yes they have been absolutely awful over the last two weeks, but that was on the road! They are a strong team at home and can make the playoffs finishing 9-7. I realize they have to go 4-1 down the stretch to pull this off, but whoever gets that final playoff spot in the AFC has to accomplish just that. A loss this week will end their season, just like with the Giants last weekend.

My head is spinning with the huge movement in our power rankings. Tampa Bay is now formidable! You can't ignore the Bucs and imagine this; Tampa Bay lost several very close games early in the season. We are talking on fluky penalties and such. They could actually be a playoff team, if luck were on their side and all. But the Eagles and Rams are legit contenders. I don't see how the Rams make the playoffs, with the 49ers, Cardinals and Panthers leading the wildcard pack. But the Eagles have a legit shot at beating Dallas for the division. And I believe Nick Foles' performance this season is enough to cement the success of Chip Kelly and his offense. Its so ironic that Foles dominates while Vick was so hot and cold before getting injured. Dallas has their hands full with the division now.

My biggest surprise after twelve weeks is the Arizona Cardinals. Carson Palmer is back! I had them in the bottom five after four weeks and now look at the Cardinals. Wow. How has the NFC West done it? That division is what I thought the NFC North was, with the Packers and Bears and Lions all looking good through eight weeks. If Arizona overtakes the 49ers for the final NFC wildcard spot, who gets fired?


TODD:
You're right; I did forget the Cardinals. If they would let Andre Ellington loose a little more and quit giving Rashard Mendenhall carries, who knows how potent they could be. Although I've been consistently higher on them than you were, I have still bumped them from 23rd to 15th to 10th as the season has progressed. 

Of course, you took it too far. The Cardinals are not the seventh best team in the NFL right now. You feeling more confident in them than in San Francisco is ridiculous. However, if the unlikely happens and they do overtake San Fran in the West, something has to change but it's more subtle than a firing. Jim Harbaugh is still one of the most respected coaches in the league. He ain't going anywhere. But I could see the 49ers bringing in a quarterback to challenge Kaepernick for that role next season, as well as bringing in a running back to eventually take over for Frank Gore. Big skill position shake-up if the 49ers finish behind the Cardinals! You heard it here first.

[If you missed Part one - 12 weeks of Confusion]

NFL 3rd Quarter: 12 weeks of Confusion - Part one

NFL 3rd Quarter: 12 weeks of Confusion - Part one

by Dan Salem and Todd Salem (11-25-13)

Twelve weeks of the NFL season have transpired, with lots of room for confusion. The top five and bottom five are evident, with a slop of mediocrity everywhere else. Its the perfect time for us at Seesaw Sports to update our power rankings. Both leagues have one playoff spot completely up for grabs, but does it even matter? Will that final team be this year's late season Cinderella, or will everyone's preseason picks play out come playoff time? With three quarters of the season complete, our NFL debate rages on.

Recap: [1st Quarter Power Rankings]

Recap: [2nd Quarter Power Rankings]

3rd Quarter Power Rankings:

[Numbers in parentheses equal difference in rank from Todd: i.e (+1) equals one spot higher]


TODD                                DAN

32. Houston                      Houston (0)               

31. Jacksonville                Jacksonville (0)                          

30. Atlanta                         Atlanta (0)             

29. Tampa Bay                  Minnesota (-2)                 

28. Washington                 Tampa Bay (+1)                

27. Minnesota                   Oakland (-3)                          

26. Cleveland                   Cleveland (0)                           

25. Buffalo                        Washington (+3)           

24. Oakland                      New York Giants (-1)                             

23. New York Giants         Buffalo (+2)                                          

22. New York Jets             New York Jets (0)

21. Miami                          Miami (0) 

20. St. Louis                      Tennessee (-1)

19. Tennessee                   Philadelphia (-6)

18. Chicago                       Pittsburgh (-2)

17. Baltimore                      Chicago (+1)

16. Pittsburgh                    Green Bay (-1)    

15. Green Bay                    Detroit (-4)

14. Indianapolis                  St. Louis (+6)         

13. Philadelphia                  Baltimore (+4) 

12. San Diego                     Cincinnati (-7)

11. Detroit                           Dallas (-2)

10. Arizona                         Indianapolis (+4)

9. Dallas                             San Diego (+3)

8. Kansas City                    San Francisco (-1)

7. San Francisco                 Arizona (+3)      

6. Carolina                          Carolina (0)

5. Cincinnati                        New Orleans (-3)

4. New England                   Kansas City (+4)    

3. Seattle                             Denver (-2)

2. New Orleans                   New England (+2)

1. Denver                            Seattle (+2)

Comments from the rankings:

TODD:
Somehow, as inexplicable as it is, the more games we get as evidence, the harder this list is to make.

Rather than the picture clearing up, it is becoming more muddled. Some teams have made giant leaps in my mind since the season's halfway mark. Others have plummeted just as far. Yet the most evident point here is the tiers that have developed. The top three teams are Tier A, the elites. Then teams four through 18 or 19 are in a large group together. How much really separates Cincinnati at five from Chicago at 18? In my mind, not much.

Tier C is everyone else through Tampa Bay. We have to give Atlanta, Jacksonville and Houston their own fourth tier though, for being just awful. The funny part is, how scary would the Texans or Falcons be next year if they end up with the first pick in the draft? That's the NFL for you!


DAN:
Things have certainly gotten more confusing, but I believe you are the one who is truly confused. Your tiers are headed in the right direction, but limiting the top to only three teams is stupid. To leave out New England from Tier A, who is getting better each week and just beat Denver, is crazy talk! Tier A is my top five teams. Putting Cincinnati ahead of the Chiefs is equally as ridiculous. But you'll notice I have them way down at twelve. They are barely better than Baltimore at this point.

I don't like putting Dallas at eleven, but I felt no potential division winner should be any lower. Although they are probably worse than the Bengals, Ravens and maybe even the Rams at this point.

If Tier A is my top five, then Tier B is slots six to nine. These two tiers are our playoff teams, our contenders and teams with a shot at making noise in the post season. After this its a wash. I like the four tier system, so Tier C is every team from ten to twenty six. There is not much separating the Browns from the Colts or Cowboys right now. And in Tier D we have our bottom four teams, which should be called Tier P for poop. They stink, are awful, and should be easy wins for any opponent. Right Green Bay? Minnesota and Tampa Bay are probably D+ or C- teams, but who cares. The fun is in my Tier B, which has a modest four teams as compared to your insane fifteen teams.

You can't honestly tell me that Carolina and New England are on par with Green Bay or the Eagles. No way! Unless Aaron Rodgers comes back, both those teams are finishing at 8-8 with the likes of the Jets and Rams (if they are lucky).

[Part two - Movers and Shakers]

 

"Hair one day, Gone tomorrow" - What ha... happened (November Part two)

"Hair one day, Gone tomorrow" - What ha... happened (November Part two)
by Dan Salem and Todd Salem (11-22-13)

[Part one - "Daddy's Little Girl"]



"What ha... happened," where we scour the internet for a crazy sports photo or GIF and someone must try to explain it. Seesaw Sports asks what ha... happened? Monday: Opening statement. Friday: Rebuttal.

Real photos. Real results. But what in the heck happened?



TODD:
Ha, backpacks. That's nothing.

I present to you the following:

Photo: I see your backpack and raise you a...

Title: "Hair one day, Gone tomorrow"

Description: There are many forms of hazing in sports. The wearing of girly items is just one such iteration. Costumes are occasionally involved. Duct tape and goal posts have been known to be a part of this. But what is worse than the hair-related hazing? It produces the double-whammy of making said player look like a complete fool, combined with only one possible cure for said foolery. The player has to shave their head completely. Damn!

Here we find some Titans players with a few choice hair cuts.

What ha... happened?


DAN:
You win, fair and square. Crappy haircut beats backpack.

The rookie's right of passage in the NFL has become no laughing matter thanks to the Miami Dolphins, yet now thanks to you it's once again funny! Phew, I missed the good old fashioned defacing of one's body for camaraderie. There are not nearly enough photos like this. Tim Tebow's head shave comes to mind, but he looked young. These players here are men. These men are apparently rookies, rookies with now butchered hair cuts.

I agree, these men must now shave their heads to avoid some sort of awkward Mohawk thing forming atop their bodies. Yet what exactly went down?

This one is a doozy. These Tennessee Titans players made the unfortunate mistake of meeting up with then second year pro Vince Young for a "Pizza Party." Gotcha! Everyone knows that football players love pizza, or any kind of food that is greasy. They arrived at what turned out to be an abandoned class room, expecting pizza. They were greeted by Mr. Young and an electric buzzer. Minutes later and their heads were forever tarnished.

That's what happened. Long live the Titans.

[If you missed Part one - "Daddy's little girl"]

Sports Injuries: NFL Upside down & Changing expectations - Part two

Sports Injuries: NFL Upside down & Changing expectations - Part two
by Dan Salem and Todd Salem (11-8-13)

[Part one - When stars fall]



DAN:
I was all ready to call this a coincidence, this rash of high profile NFL injuries in 2013. Then Aaron Rodgers went down on Monday Night Football. Sure, there are a ton of injuries every year in the NFL, but adding Rodgers' name to this season's list has pushed things off a cliff. Wow! Everything is working out for the underdog teams this season. I'm calling it now: Chiefs vs. Jets in the AFC Championship and Lions vs. Panthers in the NFC. Now THAT would be something.

Anyways, on the injury front itself, I think all of the injuries do mean something. But it has little to do with the game being played. There was a time when injuries were glorified, exciting and fun to watch. I'd say as recently as the late nineties when Madden football let you "knock a guy's head off", we as fans loved this stuff. A home plate collision in baseball was wonderful. It was the peak of in game excitement. In the NBA, two men crashing to the court brought cheers to the crowd. None of this is true any more. We don't want our stars, let alone any player, getting injured. No one should ever fall to the court, home plate collisions are feared, and anytime there's a big hit or a quarterback sack in the NFL, we are left holding our breath to see if the man can stand back up under his own free will. Sports fans have changed and now, left with nearly the same sport to watch, we don't enjoy things like we once did. Fantasy sports is just a small part of this change. Our society has moved dramatically away from violence and aggressive behavior being tolerated. We still enjoy it, when we know its fake. But sports are real life and no one wants to see anyone get hurt.

You mentioned putting numbers to the injuries. Can you please do this? If I start a Kickstarter fund to raise 2K bucks, is that enough to fund you over a month's worth of work? I SO want this information. ESPN has been keeping injury reports for some time now, so you can correlate that to team success based upon when stars fall. And then jump to the next season and see what transpired. This would revolutionize sports betting for the upcoming season. You'd know exactly which teams, that presumably sucked like the Red Sox did the year before, were bound to have a great year simply based on lack of injury. I actually see a board game in this information's future as well. You can draft a team of stars and then "injure" players on your opponent's team. Using real life wins and losses, you can reshape history!

Getting a bit further off topic, why are there no fun sports based board games? The closest we ever got were those silly trivia games that are impossible to play with a non sports fan. Fantasy sports is pick up a play. Can't we get a monopoly style game where everyone is an NFL General Manager or something. Come on Matel.


TODD:
I thought you laughed and mocked me for my Carolina Panthers NFC pick back in our 2013 predictions. Now who looks stupid?

You are right about the wussification of the American public though. 'JACKED UP' used to be a weekly segment on NFL studio shows, where commentators gleefully cheered at players receiving concussions. (Not literally but essentially.) There used to be a button in Madden video games called the 'hit stick' which was used to jack people up. I actually cannot confirm whether this still exists, as I have not bought an edition of Madden in a long while, but I feel like it probably does not. And now, every time anyone sees a big hit, you are exactly right, the first reaction is in concern for the decapitated and whether or not the play deserved to be penalized.

Very few, if any hits are ever celebrated nowadays. It seems awkward to do so. So I will patiently await my $2,000 grant to research the injury epidemic and make everyone aware of my findings in the near future. Until then, we will be forced to watch a Monday Night Football game between the legendary Packers and Bears where the starting quarterback battle is between Seneca Wallace and Josh McCown.

Also, this is 2013. What's a board game?


DAN:
I've come around on the Panthers. I always believed Cam Newton had it in him, but Carolina is playing defense and former contenders are dropping like flies. Also, its now 2013 and I'm all about Thursday Night and Sunday Night Football. What's this Monday Night Football you speak of? Kidding, kidding.

Board games are contraptions made of card board, processed trees, that consume hours of your life. They require you to have at least three to five friends or subservient family members and always lead to argument and unnecessary bragging. They are analogous to the play ground in middle school, yet everyone starts on even ground and the smart / lucky person wins. Strength is removed from the equation.

To wrap things up on the sports injury front, there is only one thing I know for certain. All of the major professional sports are getting safer and we are going to still feel, year after year, that there are a TON of injuries to our favorite players. This is the deal. The players make it when they continue to play a sport past their early twenties when their bodies no longer recover the same way. And we the fans make this deal when we decide to devote heart and soul, sweat and tears, to our team's success during the season.

Unless sports become a virtual endeavor with no actual, physical competition, there will be injuries and lots of them. From a fantasy sports perspective, this frickin sucks. Its bad enough to lose a fantasy football matchup by a fraction of a point (I've lost two weeks this year by 0.2 points). But when your star player is injured, or worse, they are playing through a minor injury that simply hampers his or her production, your team is pretty much screwed. They have spray on band aids now. I want spray on bone and ligament healing. Thank you science.

[If you missed Part one - When stars fall]