How to Make the Wienerboard a Better Place, Chapter 2: If you're going to make a smart-ass remark, make sure you know why you're saying it.
Originally posted by BigVitoMarkI don't see all the love for Bill Belichick...yes, he's got his team playing incredibly well right now, but this is more or less the same team that won the Super Bowl two years ago. You've gotta expect a solid season at the very least from them.
If Cincinnati stays strong through the end of the year, it has to go to them. They didn't look good against Baltimore last week, but if they can bounce back and finish strong, Marvin Lewis is your man. That team was the punchline to a bad joke for how many seasons now, yet almost overnight they're a legit contender for a division title? Amazing. If they crap out and finish below .500, though, maybe it's not so automatic.
Three weeks ago I would have said Bill Parcells is right there with Lewis, but the Cowboys have come back to earth in a big way the last couple of weeks. Looks like they were just playing over their heads early this year as opposed to being a legitimately strong team.
Dom Capers? Nah. He's got a competitive team in that the Texans are in a lot of games, but they were in a lot of games last year as well. They were a team that didn't win much but never really got blown out either. They're still at that point, which tells me they haven't made all that much progress this year. A serviceable job from Capers, but nothing outstanding.
At this point, I say give it to Lewis, but there are still three weeks worth of games left. How teams on the bubble finish says as much about a coach as how much he gets out of them over the first 16 weeks.
Well, Cincy's win today puts them at 8-6 (!), so no losing season for them this year. And the Cowboys were really being recognized as overachievers much of the year... it was obvious that they weren't THAT good. Look for them to get a RB that's actually any good in the offseason. The reasoning for Belichick is that they had a shitload of injuries, but hey, most of those guys came back, no?
Bill Belichick beats out Marvin Lewis by the bare skin of his teeth, that's how close it is. The buzzword for Coach of the Year is the man who does the most with the least. New England has had injury problems up the wazzoo all year, especially on defense, and yet they kept winning. It's amazing to me that New England has played only one bad game all year long - and they had an excuse for it (the season opener in Buffalo coming off the Milloy brouhaha).
KC better hope they stumble... because there's no way they'll win in Foxboro, especially with the way KC's D has been struggling.
If the WWF decided to use a Super Mario Brothers gimmick...
"Mah gawd, King! Garrison Cade just bounced a fireball toward Rene Dupree!" "And look, Mark Jindrak just jumped on top of Conway's head! I think he's out cold, JR!" "What're they up to now..where did that huge pipe come from?!" "They're going down in the pipe! They're..they're gone!" --Mike Sweetser
"Oh my god, JR. Cade just shrunk after he was hit by that chair!" "Here comes RVD, King. What's that he has in that bag?" "Are those Mushrooms, JR?" "Cade's eating the Mushrooms. BAH GAWD, KING! Cade just grew twice his size!" --Mr. Tuesday
What has gone largely unnoticed and unmentioned is the absence of the Chiefs' starting middle linebacker, Mike Maslowski. I believe he was injured in the Buffalo game, had the bye week, played hurt in the Browns and Bengal games, and has missed the last four games. He set a team record for tackles playing out of position at OLB, and moved to his more natural position of MLB this year. I think getting him back will help out a ton.
Originally posted by WhitebaconWhat has gone largely unnoticed and unmentioned is the absence of the Chiefs' starting middle linebacker, Mike Maslowski. I believe he was injured in the Buffalo game, had the bye week, played hurt in the Browns and Bengal games, and has missed the last four games. He set a team record for tackles playing out of position at OLB, and moved to his more natural position of MLB this year. I think getting him back will help out a ton.
Agreed. How can a team with only two loses that kicked butt last weekend get so little respect. He has gone far by getting the most out of a defense with average talent. As long as they pound Holmesand get him at least 20 carries, they are a real threat. However, what has happened with the Pats and Bengals is more amazing. If the Bengals make the playoffs, I think Lewis gets the nod. If they don't Belichick should win.
Marvin all the way. Yes, I'm a Bengals fan and have been for years, but the not only is it turning around the worst team of the past decade, but in doing so in his first year as a head coach.
Belichick is an outstanding coach, but winning a Superbowl 2 years ago already demonstrated that. To me, this sort of a "out of nowhere" surge pushes Marvin to the top spot for me.
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Let's see: 1. If you want to beat the Eagles it would help if your offense could score a touchdown. 2. Your run defense is about as strong as a wet tissue. 3. Your special teams could use some work.