The NFC West deserves a playoff team

Yes, it’s a sad division when the leaders have a record of 6-7 and one team is a game behind them with a record of 5-8.  There has been a lot of talk once again about not letting a team that finishes with a record under .500 into the playoffs.  Regardless of winning their division.  I don’t like it, but what’s the point of having divisions?  It creates rivalries and you know that I like rivalries.  Those die hard fans of those teams won’t have anything to cheer for if they know their team has no shot at the playoffs.  The best idea to help offset the problem is to re-seed the playoff teams.  Yes, you win the division you’re in, but you don’t get to host a playoff game.  That seems a bit harsh, but who’s to say you can’t make it to the Super Bowl or even win it by playing all your playoff games on the road?  It’s been done before.  Does the NFC West deserve to have a representative in the playoffs this year?  Absolutely.  I’m not saying that because I’m a 49ers fan.  I’m saying it for the Rams and Seahawks fans as well.  Do away with the divisions if you want to exclude them.  That’s the only I see that working going forward.

The flaw with the NY Jets

What it boils down to is one word for the Jets, leadership.  Who is the leader?  Rex Ryan?  The head coach is supposed to be the head coach, not the leader.  I hope it wasn’t supposed to be Mark Sanchez.  That’s not working.  I haven’t heard a peep out of anyone on the defense since the season started.  Darrelle Revis talking trash to Randy Moss doesn’t count.  LaDainian Tomlinson is staying low key like his days in San Diego.  Braylon Edwards is making things worse by talking to the media.  I don’t see a leader.  Burying a football after getting blown out on national television by the arch rival New England Patriots?  Being frank, what the hell was the point of that?  It didn’t work against the Miami Dolphins.  The answer became apparent after that Jets strength and conditioning coach stuck his knee out tripping a Miami Dolphins player.  Where ever their leadership was had disappeared during that game and the week before too.  Talking a lot works when you have the right players to push the right buttons when you go into a losing trend.  Where are those players for the Jets?  The coaches are supposed to coach the players, not trip…err…ugh…play for them.  Unfortunately it might be too late for them.  The AFC is a lot better then they thought it would be.

Brett Favre’s streak ends

So now that it’s over, I’m supposed to ramble on about how impressive the streak is and how it will go down as one of the most hallowed and difficult accomplishments in sports.  I’m not going to do that, but I will admit that it’s an impressive streak.  How can you not say that it is?  297 consecutive starts as a quarterback in the NFL.  Pretty damn impressive.  I can’t say that I have as much respect for the man behind the streak as I did when he retired the first time as a Green Bay Packer.  It was strange to see him playing one year for the New York Jets.  He got his wish playing for the Minnesota Vikings and stuck it to the Green Bay Packers last year in both games.  He nearly made it to the Super Bowl, but he reverted back to the “Ol’ Gunslinger” mentality and his last pass was to be an interception.  The streak has now freed him and really the NFL too.  Why even bother covering the Vikings anymore?  Their season is over.  Favre’s career is over (we hope).  What else does he have to play for?  No one will probably come close to that 297 number.  Peyton Manning still has a ways to go and I don’t see him playing til his hair color changes.  Favre should have gone out last year on a high note, but his pride was too big and the Vikings too desperate to let him walk.  It was a disaster in the making and his reputation took a hit with a “sexting” scandal.  The streak has ended and maybe, just maybe, so will the Brett Favre coverage.