Isn’t that cooler than just saying NFL Week 16? Admit it. You didn’t think I knew words like that. Now might be a good time to do fun with NFL Math where we discuss the various playoff permutations (see another big “P” word! – I got a million of them [Rodan thinking - "and you're going to try to use them all, aren't you? Next year I'm giving this column to Song-and-Dance Man"]) . So here we go –
A little Christmas cheer for the gentlemen…
AFC
Houston, New England and Denver have clinched divisions; Houston clinches first-round bye with either a win OR a loss by Denver or the Pats. Houston clinches home-field with win and Denver and Pats loss.
Denver clinches a bye with a win AND a Pats loss.
Ravens clinch division with win or with a tie AND Bengals loss. Will face wild card no matter what. Question is – who?
Colts clinch a spot with a win OR Steeler or Bengal loss
Bengals clinch playoff spot with win.
I think. There are a couple of good pretzel logics in the hunt by they involved this team wins plus a loss and a tie and this team gets lost on the interstate and doesn’t make it to the stadium. Many will be disappointed.
NFC
Falcons and Packers have clinched their divisions.
Atlanta has clinched the No. 1 seed with their win over Detroit last night. And mega congrats to Megatron for his ”phantasmical” capture of the single season receiving record from Jerry Rice. Still – 26 years is a long time for a record!
49ers clinch division with win and first-round bye with Packers loss
Giants clinch playoff spot with 1) NYG win + CHI loss + MIN loss + DAL loss + WAS loss or tie OR 2) NYG win + CHI loss + MIN loss + WAS loss + DAL tie
You may want to grab a beer for this next one:
Seahawks clinch spot with (are you ready?) 1) SEA win OR 2) CHI loss + MIN loss + DAL loss or tie + WAS tie; 3) SEA tie + NYG loss + CHI loss or tie OR 4) SEA tie + NYG loss + MIN loss or tie OR 5) SEA tie + CHI loss or tie + MIN loss or tie OR 6) SEA tie + DAL loss + WAS loss + CHI loss or tie OR 7) SEA tie + DAL loss + WAS loss + MIN loss or tie OR 8) CHI loss + MIN loss + WAS loss (I blocked and copied that from the NFL website – let those overpaid sports writers do all the work)
Here are the matchups this week. As you can see from the above, several of these have real playoff repercussions (okay, not a “p” word but pretty good, huh? [Rodan - "I swear, whoever gave her that word-a-day calendar is gonna pay!" (looks accusingly at Speranza and M)]
Raiders @ Panthers
Saints @ Cowboys
Titans @ Packers
Vikings @ Texans
Patriots @ Jaguars
Colts @ Chiefs
Bills @ Dolphins
Chargers @ Jets
Redskins @ Eagles
Bengals @ Steelers
Rams @ Buccaneers
Browns @ Broncos
Bears @ Cardinals
Giants @ Ravens
49ers @ Seattle (I can only imagine the sobriety checkpoints going up around town tonight)
And Merry Christmas to all and to all at least one great touchdown pass thrown by your favorite quarterback.
**CW addition:**
It’s the 40th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception.
A split-second‘s worth of improvisational genius by Franco Harris turned around a game that was lost, a franchise that had gone nowhere for 40 years and the consciousness of a city just beginning to undergo seismic upheaval.
But for years, Harris never realized what it meant when he transformed an all-but-certain Terry Bradshaw incompletion 40 years ago Sunday into what is universally regarded as the greatest play in NFL history.
Even if that pass had ricocheted harmlessly off the Tartan Turf at Three Rivers Stadium and not into his outstretched hands just below the knees, Harris would have been a Hall of Famer and the greatest running back in Steelers history.
The Steelers probably would have won four Super Bowls in six years, still the greatest run in pro football history. And Pittsburgh‘s transformation from a big-shouldered city built upon heavy industry into one with a good head on its shoulders guiding an economy based upon health care, higher education, computer wizardry and banking would have taken place.
Franco Harris made the Immaculate Reception, but the Immaculate Reception, he said, did not make him.
“At the time, that play didn‘t hold any significance to me, none whatsoever,” Harris said. “It didn‘t even enter my mind. … I tell people that we really didn‘t reflect on it during that decade. It just wasn‘t at the top of your mind because we were doing so many other great things that it wasn‘t really part of much conversation.”
But anyone who saw the Immaculate Reception almost instantly recognized that they witnessed something astonishing. The late Steve Sabol, head of NFL Films, once said there wasn‘t another play like it in his library of hundreds of thousands of plays.
Physics tests performed at Carnegie Mellon University more than a decade ago and an unearthed NBC-TV video of the game — which shows the deflection more clearly than the much-viewed NFL Films version — point clearly to Tatum as the man who created the ricochet.
Many who were there said they never heard a noise like that in Three Rivers‘ 40-year-old history — the pent-up release of four decades of Steelers futility and frustration. The Steelers won, 13-7, and after assembling what is considered the greatest draft class in NFL history two years later, they began their Super Bowl run
If Tatum wasn’t such a head hunter and just broke up the pass, the game is over and the Raiders win. Too bad though. He, and the ‘Criminal Element’ Raiders, got exactly what they deserved.
another Cowboy game, another heart attack
Thank Goodness the Loi-ins already lost….
jeeze…cheap call against da stillers.
@ coldwarrior:
Most excellent addition to the thread, CW — however, needed more “P” words.
coldwarrior wrote:
Can there really be a “Cheap Call” against da stiller???
doriangrey wrote:
Nice. A Heavy Metal Christmas Carol.
“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” is probably my favorite Christmas Carol.
Thanks Dorian.
doriangrey wrote:
And don’t give me none of that “shut up and play Guitar” crap, I already did that and none of ya’ll even cared…
The Osprey wrote:
doriangrey wrote:
yes.
and this one was very cheap.
@ doriangrey:
i sure did. me and the girls are watching it now.
coldwarrior wrote:
It’s da Stillers… They should start the game with 12 penalty flags thrown against them before the first play even takes place…
@ doriangrey:
I cared. No one cared that I cared. I’m currently conducting a psychological experiment where I watch multiple performances of differnt interpretations of “A Christmas Carol” to determine which is most artistically pleasing and worth waiting for.
I’m very disappointed that no one thought to show “Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol” to allow it entry for consideration.
Dallas goes ahead. Commercial for preachy Matt Damon movie designed to demonize energy companies (must be a memo from Obama). Will it make any money? Probably not. But will every award known to man.
Wow! Dez Bryant is looking good today. He may be a maniacal thug who occasionally beats up his mom and stiffs jewelry stores for hundred$ of thousand$, but man… can he catch that ball!
Carolina Girl wrote:
that play was a prognostication of the pummeling that the pittsburgh players would perpetuate on the league
coldwarrior wrote:
P-tui
doriangrey wrote:
they do
the mel blount rule
the hines ward rule
steelers play hard and the league makes rules against them. godel has a real hate for the black and gold.
@ huckfunn:
A true hero for the youth of America…
Carolina Girl wrote:
my favorite
Mike C. wrote:
A genuine roll model.
@ coldwarrior:
The Oakland Raiders can sympathize — the “Tuck Rule.”
Carolina Girl wrote:
anything to get whiny brady the victory.
@ coldwarrior:
Blount was the most ruthless players I’ve ever seen…generally, that’s a decent rule, but too ticky tacky at times…then it’s interference from that spot…in college it’s 15 yards, as it should be….that’s the biggest impact of the Blount Rule…field position
the Dallas-NO game is gonna get real interesting…two very potent offenses…I always keep my defib pack handy
@ heysoos:
i like 10 or 15 yards. that would be ok
enjoy your new hell
coldwarrior wrote:
it really should be…you add 30yrds or whatever from the line of scrimmage is way out of proportion for a harmless bump trying to keep your balance…and it happens in every single game
coldwarrior wrote:
I see a military take over in their near future.
brookly red wrote:
might be the only thing that saves the antiquities. the rest of that rat hole can rot for all i care
coldwarrior wrote:
no argument here.
@ brookly red:
@ coldwarrior:
They’ll fight over how to properly sing/chant The Muslim National Anthem™….
Well Done Harry!
Macker wrote:
I’ll say one thing about Egyptians, they sure do like to protest…either the MB will impose draconian measures or Egypt will tear itself apart…I vote for the latter
coldwarrior wrote:
Mine too!
coldwarrior wrote:
Stupid rule, IMO.
The rules and the refs are slowly taking the oxygen out of the game.
heysoos wrote:
I don’t think it is either/or I think both, one leading to the other… lets see them start with gun control
@ brookly red:
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Mohammedan Brotherhood blew up the Great Pyramids right after they impose their Sharia on the rest of the population….
Macker wrote:
I expect to see an influx of Coptics coming to the US soon.
brookly red wrote:
That is if Obama will let them in. I could see him claiming that they aren’t legitimate refugees, seeing as how they are fleeing his favorite religion.
@ brookly red:
the orthodox churches round here are trying to sponsor some families
@ doriangrey:
Tthe sock hanging out of the drawer is a nice touch. BTW I’m at work and can’t watch the vid.
@ Carolina Girl:
Are you suggesting he’s a bit perturbed?
@ Iron Fist:
@ coldwarrior:
@ coldwarrior:
OK, here’s the ticket, if anybody asks we say that they are Mexicans.
Damn but Houston is being humiliated at home by the Vikes.
Iron Fist wrote:
but illegals up from Mexico are…this admin just makes shit up, there is no consistency in policy
Crossing my fingers for the Redskins….
Carolina Girl wrote:
me too, the Cowboys have been terrible the second half…fumble, dropped passes
pretty good documentary
@ Carolina Girl:
I like the animated British one with the voice of Alistair Sim as Scrooge.
The Ghosts in that one can be a bit frightening for the wee ones though.
I’m a fan of the George C. Scott one as well.
Oh please -- Saints defense -- all I want for Christmas is NO OVERTIME.
@ coldwarrior:
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2012/12/23/white-house-petition-created-deport-piers-morgan-attacking-second-ame
@ brookly red:
i would never expect a subject to understand the rights and responsibilities of a citizen
Carolina Girl wrote:
OT!
unbelievable…Cowboys tie the game…
I tell you these guys are gonna kill me yet
Cornel West: ‘Coward’ Obama Doesn’t Care When ‘Black Folk’ Get Shot, Only When ‘Vanilla’ Children Do.
and the professor is correct on that one.
horay! steelers lose.
we werent going to go far in the playoffs anyway. get some higher draft picks out of this very very rare losing season
coldwarrior wrote:
well to be fair O does not regard human life in racial terms only on his ability to control it.
coldwarrior wrote:
Ben will be back…that means a lot…one of my all time favorite QBs
but I hate the Steelers
brookly red wrote:
very astute observation
coldwarrior wrote:
I thought we explained it to them once… maybe we need to do it again
coldwarrior wrote:
I’m not sure that Obama actually “cares” about either. Suburban white kids dying are more useful for his purposes, though.
@ brookly red:
Piss Morgan is an asshole using dead children for ratings -- just like he used the shooting victims in Colorado earlier this year. Piss never debates the issue -- people give him facts and he ridicules them and calls them idiots. Ted Nugent schooled him but good -- at one point telling to “shut his limey trap for a second.”
Carolina Girl wrote:
deporting him would be a hoot
Carolina Girl wrote:
uncle ted is a straight shooter
@ brookly red:
Then again, the Обама supporters would likely go for some sort of “slush“….
Okay Haysoos -- here we go. We’ll share a cup of Xmas cheer when this game is over!
lobo91 wrote:
well sure, because the hood dwellers sure dont care about the violence. its part of their culture. and since they cant be bothered the only way to wee wee in the punch is to do it when the krakaz get murdered in the burbs.
Carolina Girl wrote:
What else would you expect from someone who works for the Caliphate News Network?
@ Carolina Girl:
Checka U E-mail!
Anti-government facebook posts get military vet detained.
http://smartgirlpolitics.ning.com/profiles/blogs/outcry-after-military-veteran-detained-for-anti-government
Heads up.
@ brookly red:
Morgan thinks he’ll make himself and his show on this issue. He’s wrong. Other than the uber libturds, he’s pissing people off -- American’s are NOT in favor of tighter gun control and they REALLY resent assholes from other countries -- especially smug self-righteous POS’s from oountries that have “gun control” and an 89% increase in gun crime.
I just wanna die…I’m dead
Carolina Girl wrote:
yenta-fada wrote:
Raub’s supporters characterized the detention as an arrest, complaining he was handcuffed and whisked away in a police cruiser without being served a warrant or read his rights. But authorities say it wasn’t an arrest because Raub doesn’t face criminal charges.
huh? looks like an arrest to me. so do they get to hold him for 7 days like the brits used to do in ireland?
heysoos wrote:
did yer boyz lose?
@ brookly red:
Can we deport Lawrence O’Donnell, too?
I know that it’s pretty difficult for a public figure to win a libel or slander case, but it might be worth his time to pursue one here. This is ridiculous.
@ coldwarrior:
Seems like we’re talking about “laws” here. Move along…nothing to see.
coldwarrior wrote:
They did. But, tomorrow will be another day… next year.
@ Macker:
Mack -- can you resend to home? Can’t access the office email today.
coldwarrior wrote:
yeah, but they went down swingin…it takes a lot out me…
I swear, I get too deep in
heysoos wrote:
can I have his watch?
@ Carolina Girl:
Done!
@ yenta-fada:
After Selznick’s search for “Scarlett” and his casting of Vivien Leigh, Southerners were heard to remark -- better an English girl than a Yankee.” I think filmmakers in this country don’t hold a high opinion of OUR actors, unless it’s that despicable prick Sean Penn.
lobo91 wrote:
I don’t know, a foreign national publicly attempting to subvert our constitutional law? And he is not even with the UN? I think we need to make an example of this butt plug.
brookly red wrote:
Wanna come to Toronto and stay with us for the zombie apocalypse? You seem to have the requisite skill set.
@ Macker:
Just got it. Big hugs and a thumbs up to ya, Mackie!
coldwarrior wrote:
sounds like a kidnapping to me…
Carolina Girl wrote:
There are a lot of good actors out there. Seems to me it’s about WHO you know. Why should Hollywood be different than Washington or Wall Street?
yenta-fada wrote:
I agree, all three are fake, made up and can contort into whatever suits them
yenta-fada wrote:
I am qualified to be a Canadian? I don’t know if I should be insulted or not
@ yenta-fada:
Hey I’m thinking about getting my Enhanced Driver’s License tomorrow….
@ brookly red:
The Men Behind The Wire
(P McGuigan)
Armoured cars and tanks and guns
Came to take away our sons
But every man must stand behind
The men behind the wire
Armoured cars and tanks and guns
Came to take away our sons
But every man must stand behind
The men behind the wire
In the little streets of Belfast
In the dark of early morn
British soldiers came arunning
Breaking little homes with scorn
Hear the sobs of crying children
Dragging fathers from their beds
Watch the scene as helpless mothers
Watch the blood fall from their heads
Armoured cars and tanks and guns
Came to take away our sons
But every man must stand behind
The men behind the wire
Armoured cars and tanks and guns
Came to take away our sons
But every man must stand behind
The men behind the wire
Not for them a judge or jury
Or indeed a crime at all
Being Irish means they’re guilty
So they’re guilty one and all
‘Round the world the truth will echo
Cromwell’s men are here again
England’s name again is sullied
In the eyes of honest men
Armoured cars and tanks and guns
Came to take away our sons
But every man must stand behind
The men behind the wire
Armoured cars and tanks and guns
Came to take away our sons
But every man must stand behind
The men behind the wire
Proudly march behind our banner
Proudly march behind our men
We will have them free to help us
Build a nation once again
On the people, step together
Proudly marching on our way
Never fear or never falter
Till the boys come home to stay
Armoured cars and tanks and guns
Came to take away our sons
But every man must stand behind
The men behind the wire
Armoured cars and tanks and guns
Came to take away our sons
But every man must stand behind
The men behind the wire
Macker wrote:
Is that something that allows you to drive a truck?
well, first they come for the guns, then they burn churches….
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/12/23/2-alarm-fire-damages-brooklyn-church-just-ahead-of-christmas/
seems like history does repeat it self.
@ brookly red:
It’s harder to get into Canada if you have skills. It’s been that way for decades. If you lose your skills and change your name to Mohammed, you might have a chance. It is NOT an insult. *yankee*
yenta-fada wrote:
no it gives you privileges that you pay for… so much for equal protection.
coldwarrior wrote:
I always did like him.
Buckeye Abroad wrote:
he’s more of a man than his dad could ever dream of being
@ brookly red:
driving is a privilege not a right.
@ coldwarrior:
Indeed. I was going to quip, “I wonder how his old man feels about it”, but I think Harry doesn’t give a rats.
Did you ever make it up to south Armagh when you were on the sod?
coldwarrior wrote:
no driving is a right, being able to afford a car is a privilege, get it right or obamaphones will turn in to obamamobiels real quick… and yes the will be Volts.
Buckeye Abroad wrote:
all over, even went to the falls and shankill roads, and occupied derry
@ brookly red:
driving is not a right.
and it is not right to drive a volt
heh…15month olds and spaghetti…
bath time!
coldwarrior wrote:
sure it is, same as property ownership… now can you afford to do either is the question
coldwarrior wrote:
bath time is the best…my daughter used to spend an hour in the tub…go for a swim, wash her hair, order dinner for two, serve it using all these tub utensils, everything smothered in soap foam…I’m not sure my son even cared to be clean, he disregarded tub time altogether…kids
@ coldwarrior:
I have the Wolftones CD. Goes great with liquor.
the Ravens just got mugged…refs stole a cool TD from them
@ 76 coldwarrior: That’s insane. The shrinks and the arresting leaders all need to be canned and have sued to no tomorrow.
Michelle Malkn routinely gets worse threats than this and she bears it in good grace.
The facebook badge never likes to load. Replace with text link.
@ 48 heysoos: Romo looks like a winner to me this year. If they can make the playoffs and get over the yips they can go all the way I think.
heysoos wrote:
refs better watch it or they’ll get shanked by ray-ray
NYG are done.
@ darkwords:
the aclu should be all over this
RIX wrote:
pints of guinness have been clobbered by me in the presence of the wolf tones.
@ 116 coldwarrior: I guess I DO need to go out and buy a gun.
Vikings upset the Texans in Houston today and could make the playoffs this year following a 3-13 season in 2011!
@ coldwarrior:
all over, even went to the falls and shankill roads, and occupied derry
Same. I was dating a girl not far from Crossmeglan for a couple of months and met some interesting people during my weekends up there.
darkwords wrote:
might come in handy
tunnelrat wrote:
quite a turn around
@ Buckeye Abroad:
i had a ball up there. the brit army pulled me over and gave me a hard time. its was a hoot.
coldwarrior wrote:
That is a good evening, I do it myself.
Buckeye Abroad wrote:
mine was from kinsale
coldwarrior wrote:
Doppelgängr-ing bastard! Same here
I was driving up on a Friday night and took a back road I knew to the border right before sundown. British paras had a checkpoint and I had a hard time explaining the german plated Ford, Ohio driver license and no passport on me.
@ coldwarrior:
mine was from kinsale
Been there several times--most recently 2009. Lovely place. I always fancied Donegal myself or at least anything north of Galway.
Buckeye Abroad wrote:
irish plated mercedes, pa and international license, american passport with an irish national with german work permits.
the kosbies (kings own scottish borderers) pulled over. we had just played rugby against them a few months ago before they left berlin for belfast/n ireland.
i told the soldier about it and he got someone who was on their rugby team to come over and check me out. we recognized each other instantly as the yanks and the kosbies got along famously in berlin. we were free to go after that.
Buckeye Abroad wrote:
donegal and galway are just insanely beautiful. a post card everywhere you look.
many many months and months spent in kinsale/cork
@ coldwarrior:
i told the soldier about it and he got someone who was on their rugby team to come over and check me out. we recognized each other instantly as the yanks and the kosbies got along famously in berlin. we were free to go after that.
F’cking brilliant.
The paras basically asked me, “what the hell I was doing here” and told them I was seeing a girl over the ways. They asked, “what do you think of this place?” I told them it was disneyland. They laughed and sent me on my way.
New reality show to preview in the near future:
Klingons v Morlocks. Who we gonna pull for?
@ Buckeye Abroad:
disney land
This is from the Wall Street Journal. Obama really gets away with things.
@ huckfunn:
jposts website is so hard to read, its soooooo busy.
RIX wrote:
until the spineless punks that lead our congress stand up and be men nothing will change. we are led buy wimps.
@ coldwarrior:
many many months and months spent in kinsale/cork
Ah.
Dated a lass from Carlow once as well-- there is a reason why the N7-N9 went around it.
@ coldwarrior:
We are in serious trouble.
Time to throw some dead animal on the grill. See ya.
@ Buckeye Abroad:
Getting late and I need to cook a turkey tomorrow. Night all.
@ Buckeye Abroad:
i have to work tomorrow and christmas day.
coldwarrior wrote:
I agree. It’s crazy. Try this. Put one hand over your bad eye and try reading with your good eye. If that fails, update yer cheaters. I love this medical banter.
I hope today’s Saints win will prove therapeutic for Lily.
@ coldwarrior:
Sorry to hear that. As tomorrow is “catholic Christmas” as the wife says, I have to cook and I’ll do mass on the 25th. She cooks on the 7th and we all do Orthodox mass together.
The Osprey wrote:
yes, thanks for sharing that with everyone Dorian. I was sitting in the theatre waiting for The Hobbit to start when I saw you had posted that. I’ll have you know i whipped out my headphones to listen to it right then.
coldwarrior wrote:
please you offend spineless punks, we are led by neutered dogs not worthy of their kibble. Crash it, burn it, own it. Have faith in God and let the chips fall.
Oh crap.
Bumr50 wrote:
Bumr50 wrote:
at least… “what does that get me?” That get you the scorn of the taxpayer. Fuck the GOP I won’t send them one thin dime.
OK.
I agree that the GOP most definitely could BE “cooler.”
But I’m pretty sure that anybody or anything that actually IS “cool” doesn’t go around saying that it thinks it needs to be “cooler.”
Right?
Or maybe I’M not cool…
Just thinking aloud on a dead thread.
@ brookly red:
It’s like watching the slowest train wreck ever.
I’m not sure if these are death throes or growing pains with the GOP.
You may be witnessing the start of the revolution…
@ Bumr50:
PJ O’Rourke made being Republican and conservative cool for my generation. We need the equivalent for the kids coming up.
Romney didn’t want to run for president, son says
well thanks a lot asshole
@ Carolina Girl:
Nothing against McCarthy, but I don’t think that we can “create” a rock star like the left did with Soetoro.
I’ve heard the man,thought he made sense, but most definitely didn’t think “rock star,” but hey, people watch reality TV for their music these days so maybe it would work…
lobo91 wrote:
He doesn’t care about kids -- or about human life at any stage.