Playoff Push

That's true, I just wouldn't want to be in that position and I feel Gibbs' style is more suitable for a run.

I applaud your optimism and bringing reality to the situation Paintrain. We have as good a chance as anyone to make the playoffs. It's not a sure thing but there's no reason for panic. Did anyone really think we'd be in the hunt at this point? I like our chances as much as anyone elses.

Do you think Dallas or Atlanta is going 4-1 down the stretch or Minnesota is going 5-0? Otherwise it won't matter as long as we get to 10 wins. We will have tiebreaker advantages over all of them if we finish 10-6.

I'm confused Paintrain: from their schedule I figure Dallas probably goes 9-7 and misses the playoffs, and if by chance they do go 10-6 and we go 10-6 then sure we get the nod. But Carolina or Tampa is sure to get the 5th seed (the other takes the division), and ATL has a cakewalk schedule. I do think ATL is likely to go 4-1, with a loss to Tampa almost guaranteed. The only other team I could see beating them is Minn... really, Minn? No, I don't think so. ATL should take it to the Vikings. Hard to imagine ATL 11-5 after last year's disaster but I won't be surprised by it.

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First of all, anyone who has watched football for more than two weeks should know that it is nonsense to look at the remaining schedule and say, we'll win this one, they'll lose that one, so and so should go 2-3, etc. It never EVER works out that way. We'll likely lose a game we should win, win a game no one counted on, and everyone else will do the same. December is a time of insanity in the NFL

What Paintrain's analysis shows us is that we have as good a chance as anybody else. It'll be fun watching these games down the stretch with the playoffs seemingly on the line every week.

This weekend was my weekend to take our standings into consideration. 7-4 is not really bad if you think about the fact that we have a new coach/coach's, and a new offense. Usually when you do that it takes close to 2-3 yrs to be any kind of decent team. We all understand the learning curve.

Having said that 11-5 or 10-6 would be awsome. Making the play-offs is just the icing on the cake considering the Skins situation.

Also if I remember correctly someone said that our defense is not pass rush based but run stopping based. Everyone is wondering why we are not getting the pass rush or push and it's not designed that way. It's designed for run stopping. The CB's and S are supposed to be stopping the pass. before people start screaming for link...I thought I heard Blache state this in one of his pressers but it may have been simply announcers talking about our defense. So ....no link.

We haven't stopped the running game in the past 3 games. We are starting to look soft, especially on the edges. I miss Sean Taylor; in yesterday's game I noticed at least three plays where a big gain would have been prevented and possibly blownup in the backfield or at the LOS. Oh well, we cannot live in the past. I just hope that we sure things up this week against the Va Giants.

I want us to make the playoffs more than anyone, but if we continue to play like we did yesterday, we will get elimanated in the first round. We barely beat a 2-8 team. We need to put this into perspective. We are not playing very well right now.

Sure I am worried, this is ATL's remaining schedule:

@SD
@NO
TB
@MIN
STL

SD is not that good, NO and TB will be tough but not impossible, and the Viks and Rams aren't great.



Atlanta did lose to Denver at home I think they will lose both those road games

So once again we're dancing to the same "oh shit we have to make a playoff run" music that we have for the past two times that we did make the playoffs. And this is where games like vs. the Rams and Cowboys at home (winable games) come and bite us in the @ss. If we had won those two games, we'd be right behind the Giants and sitting well at 8-2, way ahead of all these other teams (except TB). Instead, we need to play for our lives for the next 5 games, barely holding on to the 6th seed.

Once again, I will gladly take my foot out of my mouth if the team proves me wrong, but nothing in the past three weeks tells me that this is a team that wants to go to the playoffs. And sadly, if we do, we'll be in the same situation as we've been before when we were bounced in the first or second round. Next week's game against the Giants we'll be the last true test of whether this team really has it in them to run the table and make the playoffs.

7-4 not bad. We're not an elite team right now. However, we're good enough to make it to the playoffs. We've got a good shot at it. We don't have to win 5 in a row like a couple years ago.

We'll see. If we can somehow get a win next week we'll be in excellent shape. Next week is one of those games we just need to win. Win ugly, win pretty...doesn't matter, just a win. We're due for a good home performance right?