By: Larry Fitzgerald
Originally posted 1/5/2009
It took seventeen weeks to eliminate twenty teams. The top twelve teams in the NFL have survived and qualified for the Super Bowl XLIV Tournament its single elimination.
In the AFC Indianapolis 14-2 San Diego 13-3-NFC New Orleans 13-3 Minnesota 12-4 are heavy weights, they have earned byes this weekend. I must say that if you go back to my pre-season column September 9th 2009 at www.Larry-Fitzgerald.com : Fitz's 2009 NFL Preview!
You will see that I predicted Minnesota Vs San Diego in the 2010 Super Bowl in Miami. This has been a great season so far just look at the numbers some of these players put up. Drew Brees 34 TD passes, 70.6 completion percentage and Q B rating 109.6 all tops in the NFL.
Brett Farve had and outstanding season in purple 33 TD passes 68.4 completion percentage 107.2 Q B rating. Six quarterbacks had Q B ratings of 99.9 or better. Brees and Favre San Diego's Philip Rivers 104.4, Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers 103.2, Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger 100.5, and Indianapolis's Peyton Manning 99.9.
Of the twelve 2010 playoff teams just look at the quarterbacks? Brees, Favre,Rivers,Rodgers,Manning, New England Tom Brady, Arizona Kurt Warner, Philadelphia Donovan McNabb, Dallas Tony Romo, Baltimore Joe Flacco, Cincinnati's Carlson Palmer, and New York's Mark Sanchez.
Here are the records of the twelve 2010 playoff teams Vs other playoff teams. Indianapolis 3-1, New Orleans 3-1, San Diego 3-1, Minnesota 4-1, Dallas 3-2, New York Jets 3-2, Green Bay 3-3, Cincinnati 3-3, New England 2-3, Baltimore 1-6, Arizona 1-2, Philadelphia 0-4.
Two teams Indianapolis and New Orleans started the year with 14 and 13 straight wins respectively, flirting with perfect seasons. Two years ago the New England Patriots finished 18-1, losing their bid for a perfect season 17-14 in the final seconds of the Super Bowl to the New York Giants. I don't think we will ever see a team do what the 1972 Miami Dolphins did finishing a perfect 17-0.
The season is too long now the game is faster it's and endurance test each game is so physical and violent the players wear down. And the NFL owners are talking about going to an 18- game regular season schedule in 2011. Please.
The San Diego Chargers are the hottest team in the playoffs winners of
11 straight games. The New York Jets allowed the fewest points in the NFL 250, the Saints led the NFL in scoring with 510 points the Vikings were second with 470.
Tennessee's remarkable running back Chris Johnson became just the sixth player in league history to run for 2000 yards. He ran for 2006 yards and won the NFL rushing title by the largest margin in history 590 yards over runner-up St. Louis' Steven Jackson .Fifteen running backs ran for 1,000 yards or more.
Twenty three wide receivers had 1,000 yards or more led by Houston's Andre Johnson with 1569 yards. Six receivers had 100-receptions or more led by New England''s Wes Welker 123, Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald was seventh with 97. Fitz (tied) for the NFL lead in touchdown receptions among receivers for the second year in a row. He had a career best 13 touchdown receptions, as did New England's Randy Moss and San Francisco's Vernon Davis.
The Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7) will not defend their Super title they did not qualify for the playoffs. Only six teams that made the playoffs in 2009 made it again in 2010. Defending NFC Champion Arizona, Minnesota, Baltimore,Philadelphia, Indianapolis, and San Diego. The AFC had a 37-27 record Vs the NFC in 2009.
Reducing Men to Boys!
NBC Sports NFL Sunday Night in America has in many ways become comparable in popularity to watching the Monday Night Football game of the week.
It's not the only game on Sunday but NBC does and outstanding job with Al Michael's John Madden who retired last year and was replaced by Chris Collinsworth and Andrea Kremer on the sidelines bring something special to each broadcast.
The pre game show features host Bob Costas on sight and back at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York is Dan Patrick,Keith Olbermann legendary coach Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison.
I'm a big fan of the NFL obviously this is my business for 31 years.
I'm one of the few if any reporters that covers two NFL teams weekly the Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals.
Sunday night in the pre game show Patrick came back on after the commercial break with the next segment with Dungy and Harrison.
Patrick is one of the best in the business and has a solid reputation and is a good guy however he said "Ok Boys" facing and talking to Dungy and Harrison
"Who do you like in the game tonight." it may be cool to refer to your buddies as boys but never is it cool for a white man to call black men boys. Historically It's awkward insensitive and un settling.
This happened last Sunday before the New York Jets Vs Cincinnati game.
I'm hopeful and sure no harm was intended. But Patrick and others like him must be aware of our country's dark and shameful history.It also discredits Dungy and Harrison it makes them smaller.
I sent and email to Patrick who I've known for years and called Dungy.
I suggested that Patrick privately apologize to Dungy and Harrison who certainly are not boys. Dungy told me he did not remember it.
