A Steep Road Ahead

[BINGO]

First of all, I don't like the idea playing the super bowl in New York next year. The weather in February is frigid. I don't think our players are built to play in that type of weather, which is why I thought it was a blessing when the Vikings had defeated the Packers earlier this year which then gave us the second seed (preventing us from playing in a cold weather climate in Green Bay). Other than a handfuld of players such as Manningham, Kaepernick, Justin, and perhaps a few others, I don't think anyone in our roster is equipped to play in inclement weather. Thank you Culliver for wasting our opportunity to get our ring this year.

 

[BINGO]

Commentary
Early Super Bowl favorites for 2013
History working against Ravens and 49ers; here are five teams to watch
Originally Published: February 4, 2013
By John Clayton | ESPN.com

Recent history says it's going to be difficult for the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers to make it back to the Super Bowl.

No team has made a repeat appearance in the big game since the New England Patriots after the 2004 season.

With change being in the air, here are the five teams that have the best chance to be in the Super Bowl next season:


1. Denver Broncos: Signing Peyton Manning put the Broncos in the Super Bowl hunt on an annual basis. He's in the AFC West, a winnable division, and the schedule is favorable. The Broncos won all six AFC West games in 2012, and they have a good chance of doing that again in 2013.

Even better, the Broncos have the league's easiest schedule next season. They play teams that had a combined record of 110-146 in 2012. The Broncos were able to parlay an easy 2012 schedule into the AFC's No. 1 seed. They thought the key to the season was being able to stay ahead of the Patriots in the battle for home-field advantage. Coach John Fox succeeded with that goal. What the Broncos didn't expect was opening the playoffs against a team -- the Ravens -- that turned out to be a team of destiny. Bovada established the Broncos as a 7-1 favorite to win Super Bowl XLVIII.

2. New England Patriots: The Patriots have been in seven of the past 12 AFC title games, and there is no reason to think they won't be there again. The AFC East is once again set up for the Patriots to go 6-0 in divisional play, as they did in 2012. Though their overall 2013 schedule isn't as easy as 2012, it's far from daunting. They play a .508 schedule, which is the 13th toughest, but overall, they play only six teams that had a .500 record or better in 2012.

Regardless of the schedule, no one will know how good the Patriots are until the playoffs. For years, the Patriots have meandered successfully through easy schedules and an easy division to be a top seed. Only the playoffs will tell if the Patriots are Super Bowl-worthy or have holes.

The problems have been on defense. Once again, coach Bill Belichick can use the regular season to tinker with the defense and let the playoffs determine if those experiments were successful. Bovada established the Patriots at 15-2.

3. Green Bay Packers: Once again, the Packers will be the favorites to win the NFC North, particularly with the coaching change in Chicago. The baffling part about this team is why it has fallen short in the playoffs the past two seasons. This year, defensive coordinator Dom Capers didn't have the right plan to handle the 49ers' read-option and Colin Kaepernick.

The Packers have drafted well to help out the defense, but reinforcements are needed. It also will be interesting to see if the offense will drop, with the expected loss of Greg Jennings to free agency and Donald Driver's retirement. The Packers also have to determine if they want to keep tight end Jermichael Finley, who is being paid as a franchise-caliber tight end but not playing at that level. Bovada has Green Bay at 10-1.

The emergence of Russell Wilson has the Seahawks in position to thrive in 2013.

4. Seattle Seahawks: Thanks to the drafting of Russell Wilson at quarterback and how coach Pete Carroll rebuilt the defense, the Seahawks are ready to challenge the 49ers -- who have owned the NFC West the past two seasons -- for the division title.

Now, the Seahawks are ready. The schedule betrayed them in 2012 and cost them a chance to win the division. The NFL gave the Seahawks three division road games early in the season. Wilson, a rookie who took only a third of the snaps in the preseason, wasn't able to pull those early games into victories. As a result, the Seahawks started the season in an 0-3 hole in the NFC West.

They scrambled to finish the season within a half-game of the 49ers. In 2013, you figure the Seahawks will get a fairer distribution of NFC West games and have a better chance of going 4-2 or 5-1 in the division. The Seattle-San Francisco rivalry is growing. Bovada has the Seahawks as the No. 6 favorite at 12-1.

5. Atlanta Falcons: Now that the Falcons have won a playoff game for the first time under coach Mike Smith and and QB Matt Ryan, maybe they can take that next step and get to a Super Bowl.

It won't be easy. Sean Payton is back in charge of the New Orleans Saints after a one-year suspension. They should be playoff-bound. Plus, the Falcons won't have the benefit of having the league's easiest schedule, as they did in 2012. The Falcons play a .504 schedule in 2013, which should put them in position to win 10 or 11 games.

Maybe the loss in the NFC Championship Game will toughen the Falcons. They haven't taken advantage of two top seeds in the past three years. It's not out of the question for the Saints to win the division and the Falcons to make it as a wild card. As we've seen from the Giants, Ravens, Packers, Steelers and others, Super Bowls can be won the tough way as wild cards. The Falcons have to find a way to do that, which they can. Bovada has them at 18-1.

John Clayton
NFL senior writer

 

[mufasa76]

Commentary
Early Super Bowl favorites for 2013
History working against Ravens and 49ers; here are five teams to watch
Originally Published: February 4, 2013
By John Clayton | ESPN.com

Recent history says it's going to be difficult for the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers to make it back to the Super Bowl.

No team has made a repeat appearance in the big game since the New England Patriots after the 2004 season.

With change being in the air, here are the five teams that have the best chance to be in the Super Bowl next season:


1. Denver Broncos: Signing Peyton Manning put the Broncos in the Super Bowl hunt on an annual basis. He's in the AFC West, a winnable division, and the schedule is favorable. The Broncos won all six AFC West games in 2012, and they have a good chance of doing that again in 2013.

Even better, the Broncos have the league's easiest schedule next season. They play teams that had a combined record of 110-146 in 2012. The Broncos were able to parlay an easy 2012 schedule into the AFC's No. 1 seed. They thought the key to the season was being able to stay ahead of the Patriots in the battle for home-field advantage. Coach John Fox succeeded with that goal. What the Broncos didn't expect was opening the playoffs against a team -- the Ravens -- that turned out to be a team of destiny. Bovada established the Broncos as a 7-1 favorite to win Super Bowl XLVIII.

2. New England Patriots: The Patriots have been in seven of the past 12 AFC title games, and there is no reason to think they won't be there again. The AFC East is once again set up for the Patriots to go 6-0 in divisional play, as they did in 2012. Though their overall 2013 schedule isn't as easy as 2012, it's far from daunting. They play a .508 schedule, which is the 13th toughest, but overall, they play only six teams that had a .500 record or better in 2012.

Regardless of the schedule, no one will know how good the Patriots are until the playoffs. For years, the Patriots have meandered successfully through easy schedules and an easy division to be a top seed. Only the playoffs will tell if the Patriots are Super Bowl-worthy or have holes.

The problems have been on defense. Once again, coach Bill Belichick can use the regular season to tinker with the defense and let the playoffs determine if those experiments were successful. Bovada established the Patriots at 15-2.

3. Green Bay Packers: Once again, the Packers will be the favorites to win the NFC North, particularly with the coaching change in Chicago. The baffling part about this team is why it has fallen short in the playoffs the past two seasons. This year, defensive coordinator Dom Capers didn't have the right plan to handle the 49ers' read-option and Colin Kaepernick.

The Packers have drafted well to help out the defense, but reinforcements are needed. It also will be interesting to see if the offense will drop, with the expected loss of Greg Jennings to free agency and Donald Driver's retirement. The Packers also have to determine if they want to keep tight end Jermichael Finley, who is being paid as a franchise-caliber tight end but not playing at that level. Bovada has Green Bay at 10-1.

The emergence of Russell Wilson has the Seahawks in position to thrive in 2013.

4. Seattle Seahawks: Thanks to the drafting of Russell Wilson at quarterback and how coach Pete Carroll rebuilt the defense, the Seahawks are ready to challenge the 49ers -- who have owned the NFC West the past two seasons -- for the division title.

Now, the Seahawks are ready. The schedule betrayed them in 2012 and cost them a chance to win the division. The NFL gave the Seahawks three division road games early in the season. Wilson, a rookie who took only a third of the snaps in the preseason, wasn't able to pull those early games into victories. As a result, the Seahawks started the season in an 0-3 hole in the NFC West.

They scrambled to finish the season within a half-game of the 49ers. In 2013, you figure the Seahawks will get a fairer distribution of NFC West games and have a better chance of going 4-2 or 5-1 in the division. The Seattle-San Francisco rivalry is growing. Bovada has the Seahawks as the No. 6 favorite at 12-1.

5. Atlanta Falcons: Now that the Falcons have won a playoff game for the first time under coach Mike Smith and and QB Matt Ryan, maybe they can take that next step and get to a Super Bowl.

It won't be easy. Sean Payton is back in charge of the New Orleans Saints after a one-year suspension. They should be playoff-bound. Plus, the Falcons won't have the benefit of having the league's easiest schedule, as they did in 2012. The Falcons play a .504 schedule in 2013, which should put them in position to win 10 or 11 games.

Maybe the loss in the NFC Championship Game will toughen the Falcons. They haven't taken advantage of two top seeds in the past three years. It's not out of the question for the Saints to win the division and the Falcons to make it as a wild card. As we've seen from the Giants, Ravens, Packers, Steelers and others, Super Bowls can be won the tough way as wild cards. The Falcons have to find a way to do that, which they can. Bovada has them at 18-1.

John Clayton
NFL senior writer

The only team i will worry about is the seahawks in the NFC -For the AFC i doubt Denver will be there cos Cincy will emerge as a team to beat...oh and lets not forget Goma Pyles team, Houston that is...lol

my 2 cents..

 

[TobyTyler]

First of all, I don't like the idea playing the super bowl in New York next year. The weather in February is frigid. I don't think our players are built to play in that type of weather, which is why I thought it was a blessing when the Vikings had defeated the Packers earlier this year which then gave us the second seed (preventing us from playing in a cold weather climate in Green Bay). Other than a handfuld of players such as Manningham, Kaepernick, Justin, and perhaps a few others, I don't think anyone in our roster is equipped to play in inclement weather. Thank you Culliver for wasting our opportunity to get our ring this year.

Let's not put this all on Culliver. The pass rush was non existent and they gave up a special teams TD which is simply inexcusable.

 

[TobyTyler]

The only team i will worry about is the seahawks in the NFC -For the AFC i doubt Denver will be there cos Cincy will emerge as a team to beat...oh and lets not forget Goma Pyles team, Houston that is...lol

my 2 cents..

I think the Rams may have something to say about who wins the division next year as well.

 

[BINGO]

Let's not put this all on Culliver. The pass rush was non existent and they gave up a special teams TD which is simply inexcusable.

Are you kidding me, he single-handedly won the super bowl for the Ravens. He's going to Disney World with Joe Flacco.

 

[TobyTyler]

Are you kidding me, he single-handedly won the super bowl for the Ravens. He's going to Disney World with Joe Flacco.

He had a tough game. He seemed to play tentatively on a lot of those prayers that Flacco threw up. He was standing there waiting to make the tackle instead of playing the ball. Not having a passs rush really affects the secondary.

 

[BINGO]

He had a tough game. He seemed to play tentatively on a lot of those prayers that Flacco threw up. He was standing there waiting to make the tackle instead of playing the ball. Not having a passs rush really affects the secondary.

Sounds like the excuses people use to make for Alex Smith - always had a perceived legitimate excuse as to why he was limited as a player. Divine intervention on behalf of Flacco caused Culliver to fail to react as a corner should when the ball is in the air. Brilliant!

 

[h0ckeysk83r]

I agree about the Super Bowl in NY. I understand the market is big but what if it snows like crazy that day.

 

[I_am_1z]

He had a tough game. He seemed to play tentatively on a lot of those prayers that Flacco threw up. He was standing there waiting to make the tackle instead of playing the ball. Not having a passs rush really affects the secondary.

So when Flacco rolls out and throws up a prayer it's the pass rushers fault that Culliver choses to stand around and do nothing over swatting the ball down

 

[TobyTyler]

Sounds like the excuses people use to make for Alex Smith - always had a perceived legitimate excuse as to why he was limited as a player. Divine intervention on behalf of Flacco caused Culliver to fail to react as a corner should when the ball is in the air. Brilliant!

Might be about time to stop whining. You are starting to sound ridiculous.

 

[TobyTyler]

So when Flacco rolls out and throws up a prayer it's the pass rushers fault that Culliver choses to stand around and do nothing over swatting the ball down

No, but clearly it is their fault for not using disciplined rush routes and preventing him from getting outside. The rushers failed to corral him on several occasions. Our wide guys just seem to rush willy nlly with no scheme. Culver got burned but DBs work in conjunction wth the pass rush and our pass rush was terrrible.

 

[spacedoodoopistol]

Recent history says it's going to be difficult for the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers to make it back to the Super Bowl.

No team has made a repeat appearance in the big game since the New England Patriots after the 2004 season.

This logic is *almost* as bad as Bill Barnwell saying the Niners will regress because every other 13-3 team did so. There is some logic if youi want to say teams will get complacent if they win an SB, or maybe worn-down if they lose an SB, but other than that to say "change in the air" and just write them out of the top-5 altogether seems silly. Any legit list has the Niners in top-5 for next season.

 

[maniax]

I agree about the Super Bowl in NY. I understand the market is big but what if it snows like crazy that day.

If anything the bad weather should limit the big plays, and the big plays is what hurt us in the ATL game and in the Superbowl this year.

The busted coverage on the desperation heave to Jacoby Jones
The kick return by Jacoby Jones
The busted coverage on Julio Jones

Our drives were more of the consistent run the ball, pass 20 yards at at time down the field.

 

[threelittleturds]

No, but clearly it is their fault for not using disciplined rush routes and preventing him from getting outside. The rushers failed to corral him on several occasions. Our wide guys just seem to rush willy nlly with no scheme. Culver got burned but DBs work in conjunction wth the pass rush and our pass rush was terrrible.

I don't understand how people can put the blame 100% on Culliver for those bombs to Jacoby Jones and Boldin... obviously he was the last guy who completely fucked up and gave up the pass... but before that the pass rush inexcusably missed sacks and let Flacco escape to lob up those prayers. Flacco isn't the slowest QB, but there is no acceptable reason for the failed pass rush to turn him into the most elusive QB in SB history.

Culliver played like a guy who shouldn't even be in the NFL with how badly he reacted to those passes, but it's just silly for anyone to ignore that the pass rush failed the team before Culliver did on those plays.

 

[TobyTyler]

I don't understand how people can put the blame 100% on Culliver for those bombs to Jacoby Jones and Boldin... obviously he was the last guy who completely fucked up and gave up the pass... but before that the pass rush inexcusably missed sacks and let Flacco escape to lob up those prayers. Flacco isn't the slowest QB, but there is no acceptable reason for the failed pass rush to turn him into the most elusive QB in SB history.

Culliver played like a guy who shouldn't even be in the NFL with how badly he reacted to those passes, but it's just silly for anyone to ignore that the pass rush failed the team before Culliver did on those plays.

Yep. Exactly.

 

[BINGO]

Might be about time to stop whining. You are starting to sound ridiculous.

It is you that is clueless and in a state of sever denial. Anyone watching the superbowl realized what the simple game plan for the Ravens was, which was to target #29. If my so called whining didn't fall into deaf ears we would have been world champions today. It's idiots like you who refuse to acknowledge our achilles heel by placing blame or fault to others (i.e. pass rush) when it is not warranted.

 

[TobyTyler]

It is you that is clueless and in a state of sever denial. Anyone watching the superbowl realized what the simple game plan for the Ravens was, which was to target #29. If my so called whining didn't fall into deaf ears we would have been world champions today. It's idiots like you who refuse to acknowledge our achilles heel by placing blame or fault to others (i.e. pass rush) when it is not warranted.

Our DBs' performance should improve once the pass rush comes back when both of the Smiths get healthy. My suggestion to you remains though; stop whining. It just makes you look like a fool.

 

[Tubbs1518]

No one on this board looks like a fool more than TobyTyler. No one. Culiver was horrid, the pass rush had nothing to do with him getting beat deep by Jones by 10 yards or him not touching Jones down or him letting Boldin catch that ball instead of him knocking it down or him holding Smith on the Ravens last drive. Culliver shouldn't start again. He stinks.

 

[Tubbs1518]

I agree about the Super Bowl in NY. I understand the market is big but what if it snows like crazy that day.

Good, I hope it snows like crazy. The weather and elements are a part of football all year long, why shouldn't they be a part of the Super Bowl? I hope they start playing in cold weather cities more often.