Sizing up the NFC

I don't know what did it, but it appears to have happened about the time Sean was killed. Maybe it was ST's family addressing the team? Maybe, it was a season dedication to ST himself?
Maybe it's Todd Collins?
If you read Wilbon's latest work (posted on the WP) about Gibb's, maybe it is Joe2's ability to handle diversity, and solidify the squad?
Anyone can see the difference in them. They are re-made in the image of a Championship contender.
Is it not excellent??????
HTTR

Good point, if we shut down Minni then we should be able to handle the Pack. I guess it's worth pointing out that our defenes has tightened up a little since then too.

For some reason, I thought Oakland was a wild card team one year they went to the Super Bowl - I'm losing it.

Minnesota was a completely different kind of challenge than Green Bay would be. Did you notice the 8 men in the box on every play? Did you notice the 4-6 Buddy Ryan defense that we NEVER use? Read the article on London Fletcher's response to the Minnesota gameplan if you didnt catch all of that. My point being, Gregg Williams would implement a completely different game plan against Brett Favre.

Last i checked, we played Minnesota in a dome. Green Bay will be much, much colder. And Green Bay has proven that they can run the ball now, thus balancing out their earlier season lopsidedness.

There's just no correlation between a Brett Favre run offense, and a Tavaris Jackson run offense. 0.

Minnesota is not comparable to Green Bay in any way other than longitude and division.

I don't know what did it, but it appears to have happened about the time Sean was killed. Maybe it was ST's family addressing the team? Maybe, it was a season dedication to ST himself?
Maybe it's Todd Collins?
If you read Wilbon's latest work (posted on the WP) about Gibb's, maybe it is Joe2's ability to handle diversity, and solidify the squad?
Anyone can see the difference in them. They are re-made in the image of a Championship contender.
Is it not excellent??????
HTTR

It's called FAMILY!! They've realized that they are a FAMILY not a TEAM. From top to bottom that's what they are.

I hate to look past Dallas at this point, because if we don't win, we're probably not in, and then all this discussion will be for naught. But if we do get in, check out our chances in this NFC field:

Tampa Bay is 5-0 against the NFC South this year. They're 4-6 against everybody else. Kind of obvious that the biggest reason they're headed to the playoffs is their weak division. Plus, we totally had them on their field this year.

Seattle is 5-1 against the NFC West this year, but only 5-4 against everyone else. Again, only a solid team playing in a weak division.

The New York Giants are not the same team now that went on the six-game winning streak to jump out to a 6-2 start. We showed that by pounding them 22-10 in their house. Coughlin's career is starting to look like a poor-man's Marty Schottenheimer career. Strong regular season, wilts down the stretch and in the playoffs.

The Green Bay Packers are definitely a formidable team, and we'd have to play them in Lambeau where they hold a huge homefield advantage. But we almost beat them this season, in Green Bay. And we're built to be a cold-weather team. We can run, and we can stop the run now.

The Dallas Cowboys are the most complete team in the NFC, it seems to me. If Owens is healthy, our secondary would have its hands full. Last time we played them, Owens torched us for multiple big plays. Except now GW will have a chance to use his adjusted scheme, with Landry playing free safety. Against Dallas the first go-round, GW had not yet adjusted his secondary scheme and TO went off. I doubt he lets Owens do that again. And with these Dallas/Washington games, the teams both get up for the fight. Though a healthy Cowboys squad probably has us outmatched, we would give them a game, and I'd take our coaching staff in a battle of wits over the Dallas staff.

So we're not in the playoffs yet, but can't you see a scenario here in which we could be playing in the Super Bowl, with the way we're playing right now? One tough stat for us is the fact that since the NFL went to a 16-game schedule in 1978, only one team has won the Super Bowl with a 10-6 record during the regular season (1988 49ers, and they had someone named Montana). And we're not even 10-6, we're a 9-7 team if we beat Dallas on Sunday. Only one team has even made the Super Bowl with a 9-7 record (1979 LA Rams). They lost to the Steelers. So based on history, the odds of making it at 9-7 are long indeed.

But it has happened. Let's get in, and then dare to dream!

The most important thing is to get into "the tournament". Once the playoffs start, EVERYONE is 0-0.

Good points about 10-6 teams getting to the Super Bowl.
But it was just two years ago (ok call it 3 years by now) that a #6 seed in the AFC went on the road throughout the playoffs and eventually won the Super Bowl.....Pittsburgh Steelers.

And if the Redskins win this Sunday, they will coincidentally be the #6 seed as well.

I just keep going back to the origional posters first sentence. Lets just beat the cowboys!

Assuming we beat Dallas of course... I honestly think the Skins can play with anyone in the NFC right now.

Seattle is a bad draw for us.. they are 7-1 at home..but the best team they beat at home would be Tampa in the opener so thats a bit skewed


Id feel more comfortable going to Tampa again than seattle...

In 05 Portis throws a td pass in week 16 to Cooley.. in 07 Wk 16 he Throws another Td pass..

..and if Tampa won out and got the 3 seed we would have been matched up with them and would have more than likely gone to Seattle again (twighlight zone theme music plays)

Cant argue with those 05' vibe threads if we end up making it in...

I hate to look past Dallas at this point, because if we don't win, we're probably not in, and then all this discussion will be for naught. But if we do get in, check out our chances in this NFC field:

Tampa Bay is 5-0 against the NFC South this year. They're 4-6 against everybody else. Kind of obvious that the biggest reason they're headed to the playoffs is their weak division. Plus, we totally had them on their field this year.

Seattle is 5-1 against the NFC West this year, but only 5-4 against everyone else. Again, only a solid team playing in a weak division.

The New York Giants are not the same team now that went on the six-game winning streak to jump out to a 6-2 start. We showed that by pounding them 22-10 in their house. Coughlin's career is starting to look like a poor-man's Marty Schottenheimer career. Strong regular season, wilts down the stretch and in the playoffs.

The Green Bay Packers are definitely a formidable team, and we'd have to play them in Lambeau where they hold a huge homefield advantage. But we almost beat them this season, in Green Bay. And we're built to be a cold-weather team. We can run, and we can stop the run now.

The Dallas Cowboys are the most complete team in the NFC, it seems to me. If Owens is healthy, our secondary would have its hands full. Last time we played them, Owens torched us for multiple big plays. Except now GW will have a chance to use his adjusted scheme, with Landry playing free safety. Against Dallas the first go-round, GW had not yet adjusted his secondary scheme and TO went off. I doubt he lets Owens do that again. And with these Dallas/Washington games, the teams both get up for the fight. Though a healthy Cowboys squad probably has us outmatched, we would give them a game, and I'd take our coaching staff in a battle of wits over the Dallas staff.

So we're not in the playoffs yet, but can't you see a scenario here in which we could be playing in the Super Bowl, with the way we're playing right now? One tough stat for us is the fact that since the NFL went to a 16-game schedule in 1978, only one team has won the Super Bowl with a 10-6 record during the regular season (1988 49ers, and they had someone named Montana). And we're not even 10-6, we're a 9-7 team if we beat Dallas on Sunday. Only one team has even made the Super Bowl with a 9-7 record (1979 LA Rams). They lost to the Steelers. So based on history, the odds of making it at 9-7 are long indeed.

But it has happened. Let's get in, and then dare to dream!It's not like Tampa got six wins in their own division by 3 points or less or something. They blew their division out of the water, winning each game by at least 20 points. I wouldn't say we "had" them either. Turnovers aside, we played them pretty darn close, but it's not like we blew them out...or even won the game.

Seattle is totally unproven (FO has them ranked as the team who played the weakest schedule), but I think teams like Seattle and Tampa could totally flip the NFC on its side.

Lets say that we get in by beating Dallas, and then we go on and beat Seattle. That means Tampa goes to Green Bay and we go to Dallas. What if Garcia goes up there, picks his spots smartly on Al Harris, getting a few deep plays over the top to Galloway and Tampa takes care of their business. Then if we somehow manage to beat the Cowboys in the divisional round (I think we are going to need Campbell to have a chance), that we could be going to Tampa to play the NFC Championship.

I think that Tampa and Dallas are the two best NFC teams. However, Green Bay has the easiest road provided that we don't win our first round game. Right now, Green Bay is my pick as long as their road goes through Seattle first.

It's not like Tampa got six wins in their own division by 3 points or less or something. They blew their division out of the water, winning each game by at least 20 points. I wouldn't say we "had" them either. Turnovers aside, we played them pretty darn close, but it's not like we blew them out...or even won the game.

Seattle is totally unproven (FO has them ranked as the team who played the weakest schedule), but I think teams like Seattle and Tampa could totally flip the NFC on its side.

Lets say that we get in by beating Dallas, and then we go on and beat Seattle. That means Tampa goes to Green Bay and we go to Dallas. What if Garcia goes up there, picks his spots smartly on Al Harris, getting a few deep plays over the top to Galloway and Tampa takes care of their business. Then if we somehow manage to beat the Cowboys in the divisional round (I think we are going to need Campbell to have a chance), that we could be going to Tampa to play the NFC Championship.

I think that Tampa and Dallas are the two best NFC teams. However, Green Bay has the easiest road provided that we don't win our first round game. Right now, Green Bay is my pick as long as their road goes through Seattle first.

That's a pretty glowing review of TB, in my opinion. In their last three games, they lost to the mediocre Texans 28-14, blew out the hapless Falcons - who had totally given up with Petrino quitting - 37-3, and lost to the lowly 49ers 21-19 just last week. They're not peaking right now.

They have played pretty well at home this season, 6-1 at home, 3-5 on the road. And we'd have to go to Tampa if we faced them in the playoffs.

But I don't like the way they're playing heading into the playoff tournament. Their opponents' winning percentage this year has been 0.446, so they're hardly battle-tested. In fact, their 9 wins have come against teams whose combined winning percentage is an absolutely dismal 0.392 (that translates into a 6-10 record). They've only beaten two teams who are now above .500 (us and the Titans). I don't think very much of them.

Redskins vs. Cowboys in the NFC Championship game. How awesome would that be?