Thursday Night Unwatchable Football

Chris Schisler

After securing a heavily priced partnership with the NFL Network, CBS may be worried about their product. Thursday Night Football has lacked the drama and competition that make the NFL so compelling. In the first 4 TNF games the victors outscored the losers 163-50 (This includes the opener televised on NBC). Thursday has always provided a sloppier and less pleasing version of NFL football. The young 2014 season has provided some pretty unwatchable football on Thursday’s and the games have reached an all time low. This week the Green Bay Packers dominated the Vikings 42-10. It was just another example of TNF’s poor watchability.

2013 saw 7 of 15 TNF games decided by a touchdown or less. This season there are 17 TNF games (Including the kick off game). Almost every game is between division rivals. In theory this makes for easier travel, more familiar opponents and closer games. The goal of the scheduling was clearly to reduce the disadvantage for the road team, on a short week. The problem is of the 5 games played on a Thursday Night the home teams are 4-1. Even more problematic road teams are averaging only 16.2 points while home teams average 33.4 points. The outlier is the Giants winning in Washington 45-14.

There are two problems with Thursday Night Football. The first problem is that it puts both teams (but especially) the road team in an unfair short week. The NFL work week is very structured and organized. A game on Thursday Night throws everything out of sync. The teams have less time to game plan and practice. Maybe more importantly the teams have less time to recover from the previous Sunday. There is so much work that goes into a football game and cutting the week three days shorter is unfair.

The second problem is that there are too many TNF games. This thins out the Thursday schedule. When every team gets to play on TNF you’re gonna get some clunkers. The problem is that we have seen nothing but unpleasing blowouts (The Ravens 26-6 beating of the Steelers was pleasing). Thursday night football should be a reward for excellence. There should be fewer games and only premier battles.

Here is the thing that makes TNF work: people watch. We are so in love with the NFL we turn it on every week. The NFL should probably cut back on TNF. This would make sense but they will probably expand it. They love money and thats all that matters to them.

NFL Predictions: Week 1

Chris Schisler

Green Bay Packers vs Seahawks
Pick: Seahawks
Reason: The Seahawks are very tough at home. Its going to be a brutal environment for the Packers with Seattle’s excitement from last year. The Seahawks defense will get to Aaron Rodgers and stifle the prolific Packer offense.

Bengals vs Ravens
Pick: Ravens
Reason: The Ravens are the better team and they are at home. Joe Flacco will have a fast start in the Kubiak offense, to out duel Andy Dalton.

Bills vs Bears
Pick: Bears
Reason: The Bears will start the season with some good old home cooking. Jay Cutler has plenty of weapons; the offense should stretch out this very strong Bills defense.

Steelers vs Browns
Pick: Steelers
Reason: In an ugly game, only one team here has a quarterback. Ben Roethlisberger will lift the Steelers barely past Cleveland.

Redskins vs Texans
Pick: Texans
Reason: The Texans will rely on their defense and running game to beat Washington. I think RG3 will struggle early and often in this game.

Jaguars vs Eagles
Pick: Eagles.
Reason: I think this could be a decent game, but the Eagles have way too much fire power for the Jags.

Titans vs Chiefs
Pick: Titans
Reason: The Titans got better this offseason and I think they will be tough to handle. I think Bishop Sankey will have an impressive debut to help Tennessee pull off the upset on the road.

Patriots vs Dolphins
Pick: Patriots
Reason: I will pick the Patriots in this game until given a reason not to.

Vikings vs Rams
Pick: Rams
Reason: The Rams have the best defensive line in football. I think the defense manages to limit Adrian Peterson’s big plays. Matt Cassell will struggle. The Rams will run the ball well at home to win the defensive battle.

Saints vs Falcons
Pick: Saints
Reason: The Falcons defense looks incredibly suspect to me. The Saints offense looks incredibly explosive.

Raiders vs Jets
Pick: Jets
Reason: Its a tough first test for Oakland’s rookie QB, Derrick Carr. The Jets defense is good and its run by a defensive mastermind. The Jets will force a couple turnovers and lean on their rushing game to win their opener.

Panthers vs Buccaneers
Pick: Buccaneers
Reason: With 3 6’5″ targets against a suspect secondary Josh McCown will lead Tampa Bay past the Panthers.

49ers vs Cowboys
Pick: 49ers
Reason: The 49ers are simply the better football team. All the defense has to do is stop the Cowboys a couple of times because Dallas is not stopping the 49ers offense. The 49ers will dominate in time of possession and will force a key turnover or two on defense.

Colts vs Broncos
Pick: Broncos
Reason: The Broncos are tough to beat in Denver. Give me Peyton Manning in this shootout.

Giants vs Lions
Pick: Lions
Reason: I think Matthew Stafford put up a lot of points in front of a pumped, up Monday Night home crowd. I think this one will be embarrassing for the Giants.

Chargers vs Cardinals
Pick: Chargers
Reason: Phillip Rivers will be the difference in this very good battle.

Top 10 Games Of Week (College & Pro)

Between Division 1 (FBS) College Football and the NFL there are 90 football games from Thursday to Sunday. This is a quick preview for the Top 10 games to watch; exclusively for #CommonSenseNation:

1.) Green Bay Packers vs Seattle Seahawks (NFL Kickoff Game)
Thursday 8:30 TV: NBC
The NFL kickoff game could be a preview of the NFC Championship game. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense go against Richard Sherman and the Legion of Boom. Its great offense vs great defense to start the season.

2.) No. 8 Michigan State vs No. 3 Oregon
Saturday 6:30 TV: Fox
This is by far the most important game of the week in college football. Both teams have National Championship aspirations. In the first year of the 4 team playoff, this early season game could not have bigger implications.

3.) Indianapolis Colts vs Denver Broncos
SNF 8:20 TV: NBC
This could be a real shootout between Peyton Manning and the man who replaced him in Indianapolis, Andrew Luck. The star power on both sides makes for a remarkable beginning of Sunday Night Football.

4.) Cincinnati Bengals vs Baltimore Ravens
Sunday 1:00 TV: CBS
I will be at this game, rooting on the Ravens. This is a great way to start the season as the two favorites in the AFC North do battle.

5.) Maryland vs USF
Saturday 3:30 TV: CBS Sports Network
The Terps look to go 2-0 against the teams they should beat. Last week Maryland was dominant but had issues in the passing game. It will be interesting to see if they can get these issues ironed out against a decent South Florida team.

6.) No. 15 USC vs No. 11 Stanford
Saturday 3:30 TV: ABC
This is a great Pac 12 matchup. The Trojans are trying to reclaim their place as a College Football power as they battle the always tough Stanford Cardinal.

7.) San Diego Chargers vs Arizona Cardinals
Monday Night Football 10:20 TV: ESPN
The second game of ESPN’s Monday night double header will be a great battle. The Chargers had a great offseason and figure to be a strong team. The Cardinals have a strong defense and are trying to send a statement as they open their season on National television.

8.) New England Patriots vs Miami Dolphins
Sunday 1:00 TV: CBS
The Patriots always get a tough game when they travel to play Miami. Start off your season with this AFC East rivalry.

9.) Virginia Tech vs No. 5 Ohio State
Saturday 8:00 TV: ESPN
Navy played the Buckeyes tight. You heard it here first, the Buckeyes are ripe for picking, on national TV. This is my upset special of the week, as I am picking Virginia Tech to beat Ohio State.

10.) Michigan vs Notre Dame
Saturday 730 TV: NBC
Emotions should run high as this is the last foreseeable game of this epic rivalry. Its stupid scheduling politics ending this rivalry so enjoy it on Saturday.

Why Do Teams Struggle After Winning The Super Bowl

Chris Schisler

The Seattle Seahawks have some daunting odds to repeat according to recent history. The past 5 Super Bowl champions failed to win a playoff game the in the following season. The National Football League has not seen a repeat since the Patriots won Super Bowls XXXVIII and XXXIX. Winning a championship in the NFL is hard, winning back to back Super Bowls is almost impossible. Why do Super Bowl champions seem to struggle so much a year later? Here are 3 possible reasons for this phenomenon:

1.) Can’t Keep The Band Together

Winning the big game comes with big pay days. Chances are a Super Bowl winning team will lose a few key pieces. Look at the Ravens. As free agency began after their second Super Bowl victory they lost players seemingly by the second. Ozzie Newsome made it quite clear the Ravens were in it for the long haul. The intent was to not mortgage a bright future for one more crack at glory. Much of the Super Bowl victory is to do with a team finding a perfect chemistry. When you lose key players like Baltimore did to retirement and free agency, its hard to find that magic again.

2.) The Best Team Is Not Always The Super Bowl Winner

In both of the Giants Super Bowl wins against the Patriots, New York was probably the lesser team. Both Super Bowl XLII and XLVI were a result of a magical run after just making the playoffs. They matched up well against the Patriots and stepped up to the moment. In 2007 the Patriots entered the Super Bowl undefeated; their offensive firepower was historic. The point of this story is the best team does not always win the Super Bowl. Sometimes magical Super Bowl runs happen when a team overachieves. If a team over achieved to win it all the following year they are more likely to regress from the Super Bowl caliber standard they have set.

3.) Momentum Can Work Against You

The Green Bay Packers won Super Bowl XLV in convincing fashion against the Pittsburgh Steelers. They looked poised to repeat as they went 15-1 in the regular season following their championship. The Packers seemed nearly immortal, Aaron Rodgers was unstoppable. This is what many believed and it’s hard to think the Pack didn’t believe it as well. They had been challenged very few times in the 2011 regular season. The Giants however whooped them in the 2011 divisional playoff game. Winning covers up faults a team has. Eventually faults will be exposed.

3 Notes on Packers @ Ravens

1.) Its a good week for the Ravens to have an explosion of offensive production. They need points against the mighty Aaron Rodgers, and the Packers defense is not good. Eugene Monroe will get his first start at left tackle & is a major upgrade to McKinnie. Jacoby Jones and Marlon Brown will be back in action. The Ravens were shorthanded last week at receiver but got big performances from Torrey Smith and Tandon Doss. Clay Matthews will not play. The Packers are short their best player, on the road when its all coming together for the Ravens.

2.) Rodgers will have his fun, but so will Terrell Suggs. Suggs is playing like a defensive player of the year, leading the Ravens in sacks, with 7. The front seven has dominated better offensive lines. Rodgers and his weapons will make some plays but expect the Ravens front seven to make more.

3.) This is a big moment for the Ravens quarterback. The Ravens are going to need points to win this game. Flacco needs to step up and deliver in a potential shootout. Joe is clutch & plays best in the big moments of big games.

Prediction: Ravens 34- 24

Packers Possibilities

The Green Bay Packers are known for their high powered offense which is orchestrated by Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers. is one of the best quarterbacks of this generation. As long as number 12 is under center the Packers are a playoff bound team. There is a lot of uncertainty to the 2013 Green Bay Packers. Chief concerns include a lousy offensive line and a defense hoping to redeem themselves for a lackluster 2012. The Pack will always be a tough out because of Rodgers, but are they a Super Bowl caliber team?

The offensive line was awful at times in 2012. Rodgers got hit way too many times. In an offense that was so dependent on the arial assault sacks were too often drive killers. Now it should be mentioned that Rodgers will get that offense rolling any way. In the Playoffs however their inability to pass protect could be exposed. San Francisco, Seattle, Washington and New York (Giants) are potentially bad match ups for the Pack. Again Rodgers can beat any of these teams. The problem is these teams defensive fronts can pummel the offensive line of the Packers.

The Packers know they have to run the ball more. Running the ball will make their offense more dimensional. It will allow them to keep that offense on the field more to help out the defense. It will also help reduce the risk of injury to Rodgers behind a suspect line, if he does not have to throw it 50-60 times a game. This is why the Packers drafted Jonathan Franklin and Eddie Lacey. Both runningbacks have a combination of speed and power. Lacey reminds me of Jerome Bettis, Franklin reminds me of Ray Rice. Both runningbacks can catch out of the backfield. Both are good in the screen game, which is a must have ability forMike McCarthy’s backs.

The defense was horrible last season. They were not gap sound which led to teams running it well against them. Adding Dantone Jones from UCLA will improve the run defense some. The Packers still need pass rush opposite of outside backer Clay Matthews. Defensive coordinator Dom Capers likes to do a lot of crazy things on defense, and is an idol of mine. That said, he does not have the defensive players to go with his creativity in zone blitzing.

The Packers are the clear frontrunners in the NFC North. Rogers will give them a shot at the Super Bowl. That being said, there are flaws to the Packers team that could be exposed in the playoffs. San Francisco and Seattle are more complete teams who matchup well vs. the Packers. The Packers are Super Bowl contenders because of Aaron Rodgers but as a team the Packers are not Super Bowl Caliber.