SB Nation User Blog: rhys

Rooting Guide + Playoff Picture: 12/13

rhys — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 17:08:25 -0000

This week finds the Packers in a fairly comfortable playoff niché, locked into second place spot in the NFC Wild Card, and having won 4 straight games. Here are the current Wild Card standings:

1. Philadelphia Eagles 8-4 (7-2 in conference)

2. Green Bay Packers 8-4 (6-3 in conference)

3. NY Giants 7-5 (5-3 in conference)

For those astute readers who are wondering about tiebreaking procedures and why the Eagles are currently behind the Cowboys, look no farther than this passage, copied from expert Joe Ferreira:

Dallas is the NFC East Division winner over Philadelphia based on head to head (1-0).
Philadelphia earns the No. 5 seed over Green Bay based on conference record (7-2 to the Packers' 6-3).

This is a very good website for checking out the total playoff picture.

Now here's how a Packers fan should root today to improve our playoff hopes:

1. The Falcons are at home to take on the unbeaten New Orleans Saints. Root for the Saints. The Falcons are already practically dead in the water at 6-6, but a loss would put them at 6-7, and, realistically, completely out of it.

2. The Bengals are at home against the hated Vikings. Why the heck not, root Bengals. A Vikings loss combined with a Packers win would make the former 10-3, and the latter 9-4. It'll never happen, but it would be awesome to win the division.

3. The Cowboys are at home against the Chargers. Root Cowboys. Honestly, I'd rather play the "Amazing Disappearing Offense" than the Eagles in the first round of the playoffs, and the best way to ensure that is the Cowboys wining the overrated NFC East. The Eagles are less dangerous to us as a fellow wild card team. However...

4. The Eagles are in the Meadowlands to take on the Giants tonight. In a tough one, I'm going to have to root for the Giants. Even thought it would be nice to knock the G-Men out of the race (7-6), I still don't see them as a major threat at 8-5. An Eagles loss allows a hopefully victorious Packers team to move up to the # 5 spot (wild card leaders), and that is some nice insurance to have. All that being said, this is two NFC East teams beating up on each other, neither outcome would be bad for the Pack.

5. I really don't need to say this, but, the Packers need to take care of business in Chicago. Go Pack go!

OT: Open "SF Panorama" Discussion Thread

rhys — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 22:48:44 -0000

OT: Open "SF Panorama" Discussion Thread

I'm aware this was already brought up briefly before by multiphasic on Natto's post. It's A 320-page broadsheet, full-color "newspaper" from McSweeny's - the distinguished literary journal run by author Dave Eggers. Since I know a handful of people here are actual journalists/graphic designers, and most of us are wannabes, I thought people might want to talk about it. By the way, it features writing from Eggers, Stephen King, Michael Chabon, Roddy Doyle, Daniel Alarcón, and comics from Art Spiegelman. I'm waiting on my copy to come here in Boston.

Rooting Guide + Playoff Picture: 12/6

rhys — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 17:31:14 -0000

It's Sunday morning, and so this weekly feature returns. The current NFC Wild Card standings (drumroll please...)

1. Philadelphia Eagles 7-4 (6-2 in conference)

2. Green Bay Packers 7-4 (6-3 in conference)

3. NY Giants 6-5 (4-3, or .571 in conference)

4. Atlanta Falcons 6-5 (5-4 or .555 in conference)

You can ignore pretty much everyone else except the 49'ers, who, in recent weeks on this blog, have been cited as possible threats to the Cardinals in the NFC West. If the season ends, say, with both the Cards and 49'ers at 10-6 or 9-7, this could complicate things. Overall, though, it looks pretty good for the Pack.

Here's how you should root this week:

1. The Eagles are in Atlanta to take on the Falcons. In a tough one, I'm going to have to recommend rooting for the Eagles. An Eagles win would make Atlanta 6-6, and all but out of the picture with both Michael Turner and Matt Ryan seriously injured. This is a good thing. It also makes the Eagles 8-4, and will maintain their current first place standing in the WC race, as the Packers are playing an AFC team. Even if they win, they will still be trailing in the conference record tiebreaker, you see. Oh well. There are other weeks to try to take that top spot.

2. The Giants are at home to take on the Cowboys. Cowboys all the way in this one. A win would make them 9-3, making them de-facto favorites for the NFC East title. The Giants would be 6-6, having lost 6 of their last 7, and practically out of the playoff picture, much like the hypothetical Falcons.

3. The Vikings are in Arizona to take on the Cards. Root for the Cards. A win (as Brandon already explained) would make them more likely to rest their starters against us in Week 17. We want them to run away with the divison, on that note....

4. The 49'ers are in Seattle to take on the Seahawks. It'll never happen, but root for Matt Hasslebeck's crew. This, coupled with a Cards win, would effectively end the NFC West "race."

5. Packers need to win. Obviously.

If all this happens, we'll be sitting quite pretty. Now, so to not set myself up for disappointment, I'll point out that a loss to the Ravens would not be the end of the world. It doesn't effect our conference record, which is the primary tiebreaker, and our remaining schedule is fairly soft. That said, I think it would be a big win, and we should come out prepared to win this game on extra rest/planning against the inconsistent and banged-up Ravens.

The Eagles are really our only threat in this race, and I'm feeling pretty good. Now watch me get burned when the Packers flame out and lose three in a row.

Abbreviated Rooting Guide + Playoff Picture: 11/29

rhys — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 17:06:11 -0000

I'm going to make this brief, because dishingoutdimes' " The Playoff Hunt - Where We Stand After Turkey Day" kind of usurped me.

It was obviously a good thing that the Packers won, and also a good thing that the NY Giants lost.

Here are the NFC Wild Card standings as of now:

1. Green Bay Packers (7-4), (6-3 in conference)

2. Philadelphia Eagles (6-4), (5-2 in conference)

3. NY Giants (6-5), (4-3 in conference)

4. Atlanta Falcons (5-5), (4-4 in conference)

It'd be nice to see the Falcons and Eagles both lose this Sunday, creating a solid one-game cushion for the Packers to sit on. Think of it as Ravens/Steelers insurance.

I'm assuming the 8-3 Cowboys will run away with the NFC East title.

With that in mind...

1. The Falcons are at home against the Buccaneers @ 12 pm. central. Root for the Bucs. We can hope that the Falcons get the Packers treatment in this game, minus the 3-game surge directly following the dispiriting loss.

2. The Eagles are at home against the Redskins @ 12 pm central. Root for the Redskins. It's looking like the Eagles are going to be the Packers likely Wild Card companion, but, even so, a Eagles loss can only be good for the Packers playoff aspirations.

The Packers close the season with a big home game against the Ravens, a road game against the Bears, another road game against the Steelers, home for a spat against the Seahawks, and close out the season in Glendale against the Cardinals (who will hopefully be resting their starters).

Overall, I think 10-6 will probably clinch a wild card spot for the Packers (3-2 in final 5 games) and certainly 11-5 (4-1 in final 5) will do it.

Go Pack Go!

Rooting Guide + Playoff Picture: 11/22

rhys — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:20:30 -0000

I'm proud to present to you the second installment of this weekly feature. So now, with no further ado, here is the current NFC wild card race:

1. Atlanta Falcons (5-4)

1. New York Giants (5-4)

1. Green Bay Packers (5-4)

1. Philadelphia Eagles (5-4)

(Bears, 49'ers @ 4-5, Panthers @ 4-6)

Wow, what a pile-up! We have seven teams between 4-6 and 5-4 in the NFC, leaving the race practically wide open. The division leaders in the NFC are a combined 29-7, so I don't think many of the Wild Card teams will be catching them.

What we want, as Packers fans, is some clarity: seeing the Packers and one other team pull away from the rest of the field convincingly over the next few weeks. We have games against the 49'ers and Lions in the next 5 days, so it'll be important to win both of them, and also to have some strategic losses by other teams. Let's begin....

1a. The Panthers already helped the Pack by losing this Thursday to the Dolphins, dropping them to 4-6, and all but eliminating them from the playoffs. Always root for the AFC in a NFC/AFC matchup.

1b. The Redskins are in Dallas (technically Irvine) to play the Cowboys @ 12 pm central. Root for the Cowboys. The loss would drop the Redskins firmly to the basement at 3-7, and boost the Cowboys to 7-3, making them clearer NFC East leaders.

2. The Falcons are at the Meadowlands to play the NY Giants @ 12 pm central. This is a tough one, as both teams are currently tied with the Packers for the Wild Card lead. Root for a freak snowstorm to render the field unplayable. And, well, if that doesn't happen (I was 4/4 last week, after all), I guess you should root for the Falcons. The loss would put the Giants in a official tailspin, dropping them to 5-5 after starting 5-0. I don't think many teams have made it to the playoffs after losing 5 straight games. Assuming that gets rid of the Giants, we can root for the Falcons to lose every other week.

3. The Eagles travel to Soldier Field to take on the Bears on Sunday Night Football. Again, another very tough one. While an Eagles loss would be good for the Packers, a Bears win would push them to quasi-contender status @ 5-5. Hmmm. I would still root for the Bears. Based on what I've seen from them (cough, 17 INT's, cough) this year, I really don't see much to worry about, and the Packers still have a game left against them this year, controlling their own fate. The Eagles and their explosive offense worry me, so a loss for them is ultimately good.

4. The Packers must beat the 49'ers this afternoon. Playoff teams win these kind of games, and we need to build on the great game last week. It's time to step up, guys.

5. A list of games that have very little importance but are still worth noting:

Cards vs. Rams (3:05): Root for the Cards.

Seahawks vs. Vikings (12): Root Vikings, I guess.

Saints vs. Buccaneers (12): Root Saints.

Here's your NFC Playoff picture if eveything goes right today:

1. Packers (6-4)

1. Falcons (6-4)

2. NY Giants (5-5)

2. Philadelphia Eagles (5-5)

2. Chicago Bears (5-5)

(49'ers, Panthers @ 4-6)

Looks pretty good to me. Here's hoping we have a repeat of last week's performance.

Poll

Which NFC Wild Card contender scares you the most?

Atlanta Falcons

59 votes

NY Giants

143 votes

Philadelphia Eagles

239 votes

San Francisco 49'ers

7 votes

Chicago Bears (haha)

5 votes

453 votes | Poll has closed

Rooting Guide: 11/15

rhys — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:17:15 -0000

I am pleased to present you with the first installment of this weekly feature, which will take a look at the Packers (fading) playoff hopes, and who you should root for to make the postseason more likely.

This week, the Packers come into a crucial game with the Cowboys at home on a 2-game loosing streak (and with a 4-4 overall record), with painful losses to the Vikings and Buccaneers. Their wins have been against the woeful Bears, Browns, Lions and Rams. It doesn't look good.

As far as their playoff hopes, here's the NFC Wild Card standings as of now (top 2 finishers get into playoffs):

1. Philadelphia Eagles (5-3)

2. Atlanta Falcons (5-3)

3. NY Giants (5-4)

4. Green Bay Packers (4-4)

Also Rans: Chicago Bears (4-5), San Francisco 49'ers (4-5), Carolina Panthers (3-5), Seattle Seahawks (3-5).

Really, not too bad. They are one game off the lead, with a few bad/OK teams lurking behind them. I'm just assuming the division is out of hand, given the Vikings are 7-1 and we have no games left with them.

Now, here's what Packers fans want to have happen this weekend.

1. The Cardinals are playing the Seahawks (3 pm. Central). Root for the Cards. An Arizona win would put them into a secure division lead, (they'd be 6-3, the Seahawks would be 3-6), whereas a loss would muddle the NFC West picture (the Cards would be 5-4, the Seahawks would be 4-5). It would be nice to have a clear winner out west, and have the Seahawks, a bad team who are lurking, done away with.

2. The San Diego Chargers are playing the Philadelphia Eagles (3 pm. Central). Root for the Chargers. In fact, this one is pretty easy. Any time an AFC team is playing an NFC team, always root for the AFC team (a win in the AFC does not effect the Packers at all). This would make Philly 5-4, bringing them down to the same hypothetical record as the Packers after a win over Dallas this weekend, which brings me to my next point...

3. Root for Green Bay. Duh.

4. Carolina is playing Atlanta (12 pm. Central). Root for the Panthers. A Carolina win would also bring the 5-3 Falcons down a notch to the Packers level, and although it would boost the Panthers to a 4-5 lurking status, having the current leader brought down a peg is always a good thing.

The 5-4 NY Giants have a bye this week.

So, if all these these things happen they way they should this weekend: here's your NFC wild card race:

1. Falcons (5-4)

1. Eagles (5-4)

1. Packers (5-4)

1. Giants (5-4)

(49'ers, Bears, Panthers lurking @ 4-5)

That looks pretty darn good. A four-way tie, and two relatively easy games for the Pack in the next two weeks (49'ers, Lions).

Of course, it's completely irrational to suspect things will work out this perfectly, as the Falcons, Eagles and Cowboys are all favored to win.

Here's to hoping.

Further Evidence The Rockies Are Giant A-Holes...

rhys — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 02:12:44 -0000

Further Evidence The Rockies Are Giant A-Holes...

Get your Kleenex ready, folks...

LOLCATS Make It Into TIME Magazine

rhys — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 04:23:51 -0000

LOLCATS Make It Into TIME Magazine

Interesting profile on the interesting websites of aspiring mogul Ben Huh.

Open Opposition Thread

rhys — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 01:17:43 -0000

Open Opposition Thread

Colorado up 2-1 in the 8th right now
Dodgers vs. Cubs starts at 7:10 PDT

LOL Deceptive Headline

rhys — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:29:11 -0000

LOL Deceptive Headline

On ESPN front page it said:

"Giants, Eli, agree to 6 year, 97.5 million extension"

Talk about overreacting to a good game...