2012 NFL Playoffs

[4/5]

Next week is just prelude to Brady-Manning III.

[Green Habit]

Next week is just prelude to Brady-Manning III XIV.

[epilogue]

Much more excited to watch the NFC match-ups next week.

[dkfan9]

Hoping for a 49ers-Ravens Super Bowl. I'd love for Ray Lewis' career to end with a showdown with the next gen of ILB all stars (Willis and Bowman).

[Green Habit]

Hoping for a 49ers-Ravens Super Bowl. I'd love for Ray Lewis' career to end with a showdown with the next gen of ILB all stars (Willis and Bowman).

Most people would call that the Harbaugh Bowl, though.

[TBAMTS]

Hoping for anything but a New England-Green Bay Super Bowl, even though it would proabably be a great game.

[dkfan9]

Hoping for a 49ers-Ravens Super Bowl. I'd love for Ray Lewis' career to end with a showdown with the next gen of ILB all stars (Willis and Bowman).

Most people would call that the Harbaugh Bowl, though.

Yeah, though I think the Lewis retirement would help play up his angle at the expense of too much focus on the Harbaughs.

[dkfan9]

Sort of an aside, but your Harbaugh Bowl comment brought to mind something I've been playing with in my head the last few weeks: I think this generation of coaches is far superior to the last generation of good coaches (the late 90s gen). I guess two specific examples I can think of offhand are Jim Harbaugh vs. Steve Mariucci and Mike McCarthy vs. Mike Holmgren.

[TBAMTS]

Sort of an aside, but your Harbaugh Bowl comment brought to mind something I've been playing with in my head the last few weeks: I think this generation of coaches is far superior to the last generation of good coaches (the late 90s gen). I guess two specific examples I can think of offhand are Jim Harbaugh vs. Steve Mariucci and Mike McCarthy vs. Mike Holmgren.

While I won't dispute Harbaugh vs. Mariucci, I think McCarthy has a ways to go to supplant Holgren. 12 playoff apprearances, 3 Super Bowls, 2 losing seasons with 2 different teams in 17 seasons is pretty damn good.

[Green Habit]

Sort of an aside, but your Harbaugh Bowl comment brought to mind something I've been playing with in my head the last few weeks: I think this generation of coaches is far superior to the last generation of good coaches (the late 90s gen). I guess two specific examples I can think of offhand are Jim Harbaugh vs. Steve Mariucci and Mike McCarthy vs. Mike Holmgren.

I can understand why you might disagree as a 49ers fan, but I don't think Mooch was that bad. With the exception of the Young/Garcia transition period he had double digit win seasons otherwise. So far, Harbaugh is one half game short of where Mooch was after two seasons.

But to your bigger question, I compared last year's head coaching slate to that of the most prominent coaches of the late 90s. Setting aside the coaches that coached in both eras (Carroll, Coughlin, Fisher, Gailey, Reid, Shanahan, and Turner), I came up with this:

Good/great coaches of the late 90s
Billick
Cowher
Dungy
Gruden
Holmgren
Parcells
Reeves
Schottenheimer
Vermeil

You could also throw Ditka in here with a major asterisk, and I think Mooch is on the fringe, as well.

Good/great coaches today
Belichick
Jim Harbaugh
John Harbaugh
Kubiak
McCarthy
Payton
Tomlin

If the Broncos win it all this year I could add Fox to this list. There are also the ones just getting their feet wet like Philbin and Schiano that we can't really tell about yet.

[Orpheus]

Last weeks games were more of a warm-up, but hopefully these will all be really good. I'm just hoping the Texans don't get rolled like they did the first time. I was really impressed with the way Seattle came back and kind of disgusted with how RGIII's injury was handled.

[Wes C. Addle]

ALL THINGS RUSSELL WILSON!!!!!!!

[Mecca]

Last weeks games were more of a warm-up, but hopefully these will all be really good. I'm just hoping the Texans don't get rolled like they did the first time. I was really impressed with the way Seattle came back and kind of disgusted with how RGIII's injury was handled.

he should have used the knee brace that batman used

[Biff Pocoroba]

I'd definitely add Mike Smith to Green's list of good/great coaches. I fully get the playoff thing (boy do I get the playoff thing) but in his five years as headcoach the Falcons are 56-24 in the regular season, one game behind New England for best record in that stretch. Pre Smith this team was one of the historical dregs of the league and '07 was near rock bottom*. Credit goes to a much improved front office but you don't average 11 wins a year without a heckuva coach.


*1989 was actually worse

[Dr. Van Nostrand]

ALL THINGS RUSSELL WILSON!!!!!!!

really hoping its a good game against the Falcons, and if the Defense can hold Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and Roddy White in check, then Russell can get another Playoff Win

[Green Habit]

I'd definitely add Mike Smith to Green's list of good/great coaches. I fully get the playoff thing (boy do I get the playoff thing) but in his five years as headcoach the Falcons are 56-24 in the regular season, one game behind New England for best record in that stretch. Pre Smith this team was one of the historical dregs of the league and '07 was near rock bottom*. Credit goes to a much improved front office but you don't average 11 wins a year without a heckuva coach.

*1989 was actually worse

You're right, Smith should belong there, especially if I'm putting Kubiak in there.

[epilogue]

ALL THINGS RUSSELL WILSON!!!!!!!

really hoping its a good game against the Falcons, and if the Defense can hold Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and Roddy White in check, then Russell can get another Playoff Win

I'll be officially routing for the Falcons, because I really want Tony G to get at least one playoff win under his belt. But the best part about the game is that, I'll be happy no matte who wins. I've always kinda liked Seattle and I really like Russell Wilson, so far.

That'll be a fun game.

[Biff Pocoroba]

More concerned with Lynch than Russell Wilson. The defense is the healthiest it's been in months though.
Falcons cannot settle for field goals down close and if they do jump out early they cannot let Seattle hang around. They've done both a few times this season.

[lennytheweedwhacker]

Lynch is my favorite rb to watch.

[Dr. Van Nostrand]

I'd definitely add Mike Smith to Green's list of good/great coaches. I fully get the playoff thing (boy do I get the playoff thing) but in his five years as headcoach the Falcons are 56-24 in the regular season, one game behind New England for best record in that stretch. Pre Smith this team was one of the historical dregs of the league and '07 was near rock bottom*. Credit goes to a much improved front office but you don't average 11 wins a year without a heckuva coach.


*1989 was actually worse

If they do go 1 and done in the playoffs, is it on mike smith or on tne players? they are definitely drasticly better then they wete before smith got there, but is it dumb bad luck that they struggle in the playoffs or does the blame go to smith or the core of players that have been there the whole time with smith?