Football Today -- Not many 10-win teams miss the playoffs; Lions player wants to punch out his fans
12:45 PM Tue, Dec 09, 2008 | Permalink
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If the Patriots went 11-5 and did not make the playoffs (perhaps due to one of the scenarios we outlined yesterday), they would be the first team since 1990, when the playoffs were expanded to six teams per conference, to miss the playoffs with that many wins. In fact, since 1990, there have only been five teams with 10 wins that have missed the playoffs: the 2007 Cleveland Browns, the 2005 Kansas City Chiefs, the 2003 Miami Dolphins, the 1991 Philadelphia Eagles and the 1991 San Francisco 49ers. The fact that this season could see multiple teams with double-digit victories miss out on the playoffs for the first time in 17 years hardly seems to qualify as a reason to expand the playoffs any further, especially when you consider that both 1991 and 2008 have been distinguished by their abundance of very bad teams. If the Patriots do go 11-5, those 11 wins would include victories over the Rams, the Seahawks, the Raiders and the Chiefs -- all teams that might have a reasonable chance of losing to the University of Florida right now. When the NFL contains more parody -- as it usually does -- you have the risk of teams with 8-8 records qualifying for the playoffs based on wild-card tiebreakers. But when as many teams stink as they do in 2008, you will get teams like New England (and possibly Miami, too) compiling very good records but staying home in January. And there's nothing that needs to be done about it. THE IMPACT OF LOSING TEDY: Mike Reiss wrote on Boston.com today about what the Patriots would miss if Tedy Bruschi was out for the season, as The Boston Herald reports today is probably the case. It's a llittle surprising to me that Bruschi, in addition to being the veteran presence that we all know he is, remains the second-leading tackler on the team, behind youngster Jerod Mayo. We'll have more on this topic right here from Shalise Manza Young -- including the possibility of the Pats switching to a 4-3 alignment -- when we post her audio PatsTalk feature this afternoon. NO ONE TO BLAME BUT THEMSELVES: The Jets could also win 10 and miss the playoffs this season, and if that happens, Eric Mangini feels that they will have to look at themselves in the mirror to find the answer why (New York Daily News). AN IMPRESSIVE SHOW: The Carolina Panthers made me a believer in their running game last night by trampling the formidable Tampa Bay defense for 299 rushing yards (a mind-boggling 8.1 yards-per-carry average) and four rushing touchdowns (Charlotte Observer). The Bucs had allowed just one rushing touchdown in the 12 games before last night. Especially impressive is DeAngelo Williams, who has a terrific combination of speed and power. Carolina's problem entering the postseason would appear to be the passing game, where Jake Delhomme has been very inconsistent this season. NOT TO BE FORGOTTEN: And how about the performance (in a losing cause) of 37-year-old Antonio Bryant, who had 200 yards of receiving on nine catches and two touchdowns for the Bucs, with this one being the most memorable: WOUNDED ANIMALS: Those would be the Detroit Lions, and as wounded animals will do, some players are starting to lash out. Center Dominic Raiola said yesterday that he wishes he could punch out some of his team's fans, who not surprisingly have occasionally been unkind to their 0-13 team (Detroit Free Press). HIS TIME MIGHT BE UP: Daunte Culpepper hasn't been able to get the Lions into the winner's circle yet, and he may have lost his chance: Culpepper had an MRI on his injured shoulder yesterday, and his status is unclear (Detroit Free Press). LIONS OFFICIALLY GIVE UP ON SEASON: ESPN is reporting that Detroit has terminated the three-year, $8.5-million contract of cornerback Brian Kelly and will go with younger, cheaper corners for the rest of the way. TOUGHNESS NOT THE ISSUE: Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips said that contrary to the way it might have sounded, owner Jerry Jones was not questioning the manhood of running back Marion Barber, who sat out last week's game against Pittsburgh with a dislocated toe. He also said sitting Barber was a team decision (Fort Worth Star-Telegram). TIME TO LIFT THE MASK: Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas Morning News says we'll know soon enough who the Cowboys really are, but I have a hunch that whatever they are, it isn't a playoff team. With games coming up against the Giants, the Ravens and the Eagles, Dallas will have to demonstrate a lot more consistency and poise than they have shown to this point in the season if they are to continue on in January. It won't help the Cowboys if they lose the services of either of their starting safeties -- Ken Hamlin and Keith Davis -- both of whom were hurt in the loss to the Steelers (Dallas Morning News). SORE, VERY SORE: Tom Coughlin's comments about Brandon Jacobs yesterday didn't make it sound like Jacobs would be ready to play in Dallas this week (New York Times). TWO BIG HIRES COMING IN CLEVELAND? Marty Schottenheimer threw some cold water on the idea that he would return to Cleveland to coach the Browns, but left open the possibility that he would join the front office -- especially if his old friend, Bill Cowher, got hired as the new coach (Cleveland Plain Dealer). WHY BOTHER? Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis says there is nothing to indicate that quarterback Carson Palmer, who has not played since Oct. 5, needs surgery to fix his throwing elbow. Lewis says he hopes that Palmer will be able to play again this season for the 1-11-1 Bengals, but you have to wonder why Palmer would want to do such a thing if it entailed any kind of risk at all (Cincinnati Enquirer). THE SCRAP HEAP GROWS: Peyton Hillis, who tore his hamstring against Kansas City on Sunday, is the fourth Broncos running back this season to be placed on injured reserve (Denver Post). A NEW BENEFIT FOR PLAYERS: The NFL and the NFL players union have agreed to a plan to help cover Medicare costs of retired players older than 65 (projo.com). 
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Love the pun in the first item!
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The 2007 Cleveland Browns won ten games and missed the playoffs. The 2007 Titans lost in a wild card game to the Chargers.
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