AskAway Posts

Before you know it the Super Bowl will be here and this year’s NFL champion will be crowned.  So, who has the best chance of taking this down?  Let’s take a look at the Vegas favorites to see what they think.

New England Patriots (+180): Tom Brady might be playing the best football of his decorated career, and New England’s third-ranked scoring offense can carve up opponents through the air or bludgeon them on the ground. Throw in the fact that Bill Belichick can come up with schemes to confuse any offense, and the Patriots are the most complete team in the playoffs. New England had the best record in the NFL for a reason, and Brady and company are the safest and smartest bet if you are going with one of the frontrunners.

Dallas Cowboys (+450): Led by star rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott and the NFL’s best offensive line, the Cowboys grabbed the top seed in the NFC. Home-field advantage and a first-round bye certainly count for something, but it is worth noting that no rookie quarterback has ever led a team to a Super Bowl title. How Prescott handles the pressure remains to be seen, and the road to Super Bowl 51 is much tougher in the NFC than in the AFC. If I’m betting on a favorite, it isn’t going to be the Cowboys.

Green Bay Packers (+700): The Packers and Aaron Rodgers are red hot entering the playoffs. Green Bay has won six straight, and Rodgers has 15 touchdowns and no interceptions in that span. Yes, Green Bay’s secondary is a MASH unit, but the Packers are 10-1 when allowing 30 points or less. If the defense can just be mediocre, Rodgers and company will do the rest. I’d rather bet the Packers than the Cowboys at their current odds.

Pittsburgh Steelers (+800): Believe it or not, the Steelers will have Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell on the same field for a playoff game for the first time ever this postseason. It’s easy to fall in love with Pittsburgh because of all the offensive firepower, but the defense is average, especially in the secondary, and Roethlisberger has struggled on the road, tossing nine touchdowns and eight interceptions. The Steelers will be on the road after wild-card weekend, and I think they are a little overvalued at their current odds.

Kansas City Chiefs (+900): Kansas City tends to get overlooked because quarterback Alex Smith is just a game manager, but the Chiefs have some playmakers on offense this year. Travis Kelce has become the best tight end in the game, and do-it-all speedster Tyreek Hill can turn any touch into a touchdown. Kansas City also boasts one of the most opportunistic defenses, and the Chiefs led the NFL in non-offensive touchdowns. They should be well rested after a first-round bye, and Arrowhead Stadium provides one of the better home-field advantages. If I’m betting on an AFC team that isn’t the New England Patriots, it’s going to be the Chiefs.

Atlanta Falcons (+900): Quarterback Matt Ryan should win the MVP this season, and the Falcons’ top-scoring offense is loaded with weapons and hasn’t been stopped all year. The concern is a beatable defense that ranked 27th in points allowed, and it is hard to win shootouts every week in the playoffs. Don’t fall in love with the Falcons.

New York Giants (+1200): It’s impossible to forget Eli Manning’s two previous Super Bowl runs, but don’t bank on a third. Yes, New York’s defense has been one of the best in the league the last couple of months, but this offense doesn’t scare anyone. In fact, the Giants haven’t scored more than 28 points in a game all year.

Seattle Seahawks (+1400): Anyone waiting for the Seahawks to flip a switch and make a Super Bowl run is going to be waiting a while. The vaunted defense isn’t the same without Earl Thomas, and Seattle’s power running game has disappeared behind a patchwork offensive line that features a converted basketball player at left tackle. Russell Wilson can only carry this team so far.

Houston Texans (+6600): The Texans have a good chance of advancing out of wild-card weekend because of a friendly matchup, but this is not a good team, at least on the offensive side of the ball. Brock Osweiler has been a $72-million mistake under center, and despite a stout defense, Houston won’t be able to keep pace with the true AFC contenders.

Miami Dolphins (+7500): Miami caught a bad break when it lost starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill, but the Dolphins are solid in the trenches on both sides of the ball. They also own a win against their wild-card opponent, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Don’t get me wrong, I expect a first-round exit for the Dolphins. However, I’d much rather throw a few bucks at Miami than Houston, Oakland or Detroit if I’m taking a flier on an underdog.

Oakland Raiders (+7500): As if losing Derek Carr to a broken leg wasn’t devastating enough, the Raiders also lost backup Matt McGloin and missed out on a division crown and a first-round bye despite going 12-4. The Raiders now have to open the playoffs on the road with third-stringer Connor Cook under center. The Raiders are going to be one and done in the playoffs.

Detroit Lions (+7500): The Lions are limping into the playoffs on a three-game losing streak, Matthew Stafford hasn’t been the same quarterback since injuring his finger, and Detroit can’t run the ball. The Lions open the playoffs on the road against Seattle, and the Seahawks rarely lose at home. Don’t waste your money.

Yes. Andrew Luck has not been given everything he needs to succeed on the Colts, and he has been treated like a savior from the day he arrived in Indianapolis. The Colts got rid of Peyton Manning, fired everyone and brought in Ryan Grigson as general manager. This article explains how Andrew Luck could see the best years of his career wasted as the Colts are not drafting or signing properly.

#1: Ryan Grigson Is Not The Genius Here

Ryan Grigson made the easiest draft pick ever. He was hired to hand in a card with Andrew Luck’s name on it, but anyone could have done that. Everything he has done after a single draft pick has been terrible for the team. He has not put enough pieces around Luck, and he has not built up the defense. He is not a fan of the team’s past, and he does not realize how the old Colts were built under Bill Polian.

#2: Peyton Manning Used To Stink

Peyton Manning threw 29 interceptions his rookie season. His second season was not much better. Peyton Manning was not himself until his third season, and he was nearly 30 before he was the great player he became. The team had many great years under Manning, but he was not asked to save them. The team suffered through a few bad years while the rest of the team was built around Manning.

#3: No Receivers

Peyton Manning is capable of making the reader into a great receiver. He learned over the first few years of his career how to make receivers better, and he practiced with them to that end. He instituted a system that he ran by himself from the huddle. He is one of the best offensive coordinators in history because he called the right game most of the time. He showed late in his career he could go away from his ailing arm, and he won a Super Bowl in Denver doing so. Andrew Luck has no receivers, and he is not capable of developing them.

#4: Bob Sanders Is Not There

Bob Sanders may seem to be an odd name to bring up at a time like this, but Bob Sanders is the reason the Colts won their Super Bowl. He was the defensive glue that held the team together, but Ryan Grigson has chosen no one like Bob Sanders. The defense is a patchwork of players are not playing as a unit, and they do not have a stopper who can do anything. The Colts must find their new Bob Sanders if they wish to succeed.

#5: Their Division Rivals Improved

The AFC South is no longer a joke. The Colts ran all over the division for years, but the Texans have youth, the Titans have a young quarterback and the Jaguars have a strong offense. There is nowhere to hide in the division, and the Colts will lose games they once won because they are simply not prepared to compete. They did not assess the situation, and they are now behind the eight ball where talent is concerned.

The Colts are simply not a fan of their own work. They fired Bill Polian in favor of a man who is incapable of putting together a proper NFL team, and they are wasting Andrew Luck’s best years doing nothing. Bill Polian built the Bills of the 80s and 90s, but his system was thrown away so that Andrew Luck could be drafted. He has been done a disservice as every year the Colts get farther from the promised land.

Football is an American past time that is enjoyed by the millions every season. Everyone has a favorite team, or perhaps even a favorite player. Football players start up at a young age, joining school football teams as soon as they can and going on into college. If they are lucky, and good enough, they eventually have the opportunity to join the NFL, competing against other teams all over the United States for the Super Bowl trophy. Football wasn’t always played this way, however, and the history is quite fascinating.

A Brief History

The version of American football that we enjoy today wasn’t always around. The American way of playing this past time can be tracked all the way back to the early to mid 19th century. They originated in the United Kingdom, or Britain as they were referred to back then. However, back then, football could be compared to the game of soccer that they named rugby football, with participants kicking a ball to a set up goal or sometimes even being shuffled over something that would pass as a line at that time in public schools all throughout the English country.

It wasn’t until the game hit the United States that it was changed to how it is today. Walter Camp, a scholar and graduate from both Hopkins School and even more well known Yale University, changed the rules, and has been dubbed as the, “Father of American Football.” The first prolate spheroid footballs were actually made from the inflated bladder of the pig. With such an interesting history, it is no wonder why so many people are interested in playing and watching the sport.

There have been many players that have passed through the NFL (National Football League.) There have been some, however, that will forever be remembered as the most important and successful players in the history of American football. Here is just a short list of the most influential football players of all time.

5.Tom Brady

Tom Brady is an amazing story of how someone who has achieved riches in the world of football. A native of the state of Michigan, Brady has known what it is like to start from nothing and finish with everything. At the age of 37, Brady has been able to win over four Lombardi trophies and 3 different awards for the Super Bowl MVP. His stats are as impressive as any other quarterback that has been in the world of professional football. In the year of 2007, he had an unmatched 4,800 yards in the air and more than 50 different touchdowns, earning his spot on this list.

4. Dick Butkus

Dick Butkus was an intense linebacker, earning his spot on this list. He stood at over 6 feet tall and weighs over an amazing 230 pounds. He had a tendency to show his intimating personality in the games by releasing blood-curdling shrieks. Anyone would be unsettled by this, or may think that Butkus wasn’t taking his job in the NFL seriously, but his success would disprove this notion in an instant. He became a legend for his team, the Chicago Bears, and acted as an enforcer of the football law on the field, putting any misbehaving players in their place. Someone like this earns a spot of their own on this list.

3. Walter Payton

Walter Payton really belongs on his own list as well. He was quite the hard worker. At the shorter height in the NFL at 5 foot 10 inches and only around 200 pounds, he had’t been known to be the toughest looking of player. However, the results speak for themselves, and boy he brought some interestingly amazing results. Nicknamed Sweetness by the Chicago Bears, his team for over 12 years, he actually led the number of carries in the entire NFL for four consecutive years! By the end of his career, he racked up the number of yards that he had rushed to over 16,000 and had achieved well over 145 touchdowns.

2. Joe Montana

Joe “Cool” Montana was known for his cool attitude to the world of football. His silent confidence shown through based on his performance, as he has won over four different Lombardi awards and three Super Bowl MVP awards. He has been iconic in the twenty third annual Super Bowl, in which he made a famous play that allowed them to win the game, leading his team and passing the game-winning shot to his teammate, John Taylor. He was doubted at one point, as many teams debated whether he was strong enough or tall enough to be a professional football player, but he proved based on his success that he didn’t need to be extremely strong or taller than most to become a legend.

1. Jerry Rice

Jerry Rice is what can be considered the greatest wide receiver of all time, unarguably. He has been known to have the best and quickest hands in all of the NFL. He had the most accurate routes that he’d select to make a run across the field. He had it all that made him such an iconic player. He was nicknamed the San Francisco Treat, and had proven why he belonged on the NFL, and this list. He had racked up an astonishing 22,800 yards of running over the span of his career. He had the opportunity to score at every throw that he made, which he almost always did. He is the perfect NFL player, and will be a prime example for many to strive for for many years to come.