The Separation Of Powers In The AFC.

The Separation Of Powers In The AFC.

A difference season, same old names at the top of the race to the super bowl in the AFC. With all due respect to the Houston Texans ( go ing on their third starting QB, the Oakland Raiders, coming out of a vary weak AFC west division ) the same old names ( New England Patriots, Pittsburg Steelers, and Baltimore Ravens ) pop up as the only real relevant teams that will represent the AFC in super bowl 46. Taking nothing away from the Cincinnati Bengals ( just to young a year or two away, or the Tennessee Titans they don't have enough to get there, and the New York Jets coach Rex Ryan can't talk this team into the title game this season ) you will see one of theses mainstays in this year's world championship game.

This season's AFC has had it's share of surprising teams. Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, oh and yes the Tebow led Denver Broncos. All great story's however by the end of the season this will be nothing more than a good read. It is aways said the cream rises to the top. And like always the Patriots, Steelers, and Ravens seem to be the same teams in the mix at the end of the season vying from home field advantage and that prize trip to the super bowl.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

Three NFL Teams that grew up Sunday?

Three NFL Teams that grew up Sunday?

Three teams took big boy steps in the NFL Sunday to show the rest of the league they will not be over looked this season. The Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, and the Oakland Raiders won games after spotting their opponents double digits leads. Without any recent history of winning anyone's of theses teams could have roll over and just laid a giant egg and no one would have been surprised at all. But this is a difference season and theses three teams have a difference look to them.

How easy could it have been for the Lions knowing their history in Minnesota ( 13 years of losing in the dome ) falling behind 20 to 0 at halftime to say to themselves here won go again And call it a day. But this Detroit Lions team has a stud at quarterback ( Matthew Stafford ) and weapons to come back on any team in the NFL.

Facing the best QB in football ( Tom Brady ) and spotting him a 21-0 lead who would have blame the Bills if they packed it in and started thinking to their next game knowing nobody expected them to be in the game anyway. However the Buffalo Bills have proved already in this young season they can score a lot of points, and let's face it New England's defense is not very good. The Bill's took advantage of 4 Brady int's and manhandled the Pat's secondary with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing darts all over the field to snap a 15 game losing steak to the New England Patriots.

After losing a heart breaking shootout in week 2 to the above Buffalo Bills and falling behind by 10 to the New York Jets and their supposedly great defense, the old Oakland Raiders might have seen this as a sign of bad things to come and just gave up. But this is a new Raider team with a new head coach ( Huge Jackson ) and a running attack that open holes in that vaulted Jet's D my grandmother could have run thought. The Raiders showed sign last season they might be turning a corner and heading in the right direction ( by beating every team in their division in all six meetings )
but with no change at quarterback and a coaching move in the after going 8 & 8 it's hard to know how this team might react to a game like Sunday's'

I wrote in an earlier post that I didn't see any surprise teams coming out of this 2011 season, but I can now say I am happy to be wrong. I thought the lockout would put young teams behind the eight ball with little or no time to prepare for the coming season. But theses three young teams with no recent history of winning, pasted a huge test Sunday by coming back to win games that in their recent pasted would have been unthinkable.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

The Pittsburg Steelers seem to be the class of AFC.

The Pittsburg Steelers seem to be the class of AFC.

Let's see great QB check, great coach check, very very good offense check, great defense check, the Pittsburg Steelers have the look of a team that will be very hard to dethrone as AFC champion's. There isn't another team in the AFC that can match the Steelers in all phases of the game. I am a die hard Packer fan and I'm here to tell you the Steelers have been the best team in the NFL in the super bowl era. And before Dallas Cowboys fans get up in arms over their team getting no respect in the super bowl era, remember Dallas hasn't seen a super bowl in 15 seasons.

Again this season the Steelers will be fielding a super bowl caliber team that will have to be reckon with in the AFC. While there are a few teams in the AFC that I believe will give the Steelers a run for their money, ( New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, and just maybe the San Diego Chargers ) however not one of theses teams are as well rounded as the Steelers. The Steelers have become the standard by which other teams in the AFC measure themselves and again this season it will be no deference.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

" Embrace the Greatness " Trying to repeat

Embrace the Greatness " Trying to repeat

As another NFL season approaches and the short list of teams are talk about as being favorite to win the super bowl, it leave's me wondering why some coaches, players, and fans in the NFL shy away from the through of being consider one of the favorite to win it all. I'm not asking them to walk around pounding their chest telling everyone who will listen how great they are. What I am saying why not embrace the fact that your team is very good and people are talking about it.

bring this up because last season as the Green Bay Packers were marching toward their forth super bowl win, some fans I talk too had a very hard time with all the praise being given to the Packers as they were making their run. They saw it as bulletin board material for the other team. I've been an NFL football fan for over forty years and I'm here to tell fans there is no secret in the NFL as to who the best teams are.

I go back to the the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburg Steelers of the 70's, the San Francisco 49er of the 80's, the Dallas Cowboys of the 90's, and the New England Patriots of the 2000's, all great teams with targets on their backs year in and year out. Instead of shying away from the limelight of greatness, they embrace it and said we pretty good, if you think your better come and get us. I would take being the hunted over being the hunter any day of the week, it mean's people want what you have.


So Packers fans as Green Bay go's into the 2011 season trying to repeat at the top of everyone's the short list of teams who will win this year's super bowl, don't fear it embrace it, because super bowl championships are hard to come by. Would you want it any other way?

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

So much to do, so little time

So much to do, so little time

With the end of the NFL lockout here it's time to turn our attention to which teams in the league have done their homework and are best prepared to take on one of the biggest test in NFL history. How can you squeeze four months of work into two or three weeks ( signing your own free agents, rookie free agent signing, signing drafted rookies, and trying to sign free agents that might help your team ) not to mention getting players into camp and ready to start the 2011 season. This is a huge mountain to climb and not even the best teams in the league can be fully expected to know how to handle something this league never seen before.

There is going to be a lot of mistakes made over the next few weeks, as teams find time is not on their side with only 14 days between reporting to training camp and their first preseason game. A lot of teams will be force to sign veteran players they might think twice about just to fill rosters spot. With the lockout all but destroying this year's rookies class chances of being any help this coming season, Christmas has come early for a lot a veteran players who might find it hard to make any roster next season. So fans will get a sense of which teams in the NFL made the most of the unwanted time off the lockout gave them.

In my opinion there is only a hand full of teams in the NFL with the ability to withstand the free-for-all that's going to take place over the next two or three weeks. The Green Bay Packers, Pittsburg Steelers, New England patriots, and the Baltimore Ravens. Theses four teams have very solid systems in place and with so much to do and little time to get it done they seem to be miles in front of the other teams in the league. With rosters coming back basically in tack, they can come out running. It's not that they don't have decision to make, however their's are minor compared to other teams looking at free agency to shape their rosters for the coming season. NFL football is back!! So let's see how many teams can pass a test that may never be seen in sports again.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

Is anyone thinking about the Coaches in this lockout situation?

Is anyone thinking about the Coaches in this lockout situation?

With NFL fans having to stand and watch like innocence bystanders while the Owners and Players treat theses CBA negotiation like drivers in a car accident fighting over who going to take responsibility for the wreck. Fans must not forget there are head Coaches and their assistant Coaches standing there right beside them on the side of the road, watching with the same anticipation of how this might end and when might they get back to the business of running their teams.

Caught in the middle of this tug-of-war, with a chest containing a billion dollars going to the winner; you have to ask yourself how is this affecting the coaches around the NFL who can't take a side in this argument. With their pay checks being tried directly to both sides of the fight, how can they do anything but sit back and hope for the best. Knowing this CBA deal will get done and regardless of which side claims victory they must stay neutral with any hope of being able to do their jobs. To voice an opinion one way or another could be a career Ender.


p> In my opinion this has to be the toughest position to be in regardless of your standing in the coaching community. From the more establish coaches in the league ( Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots Mike McCarthy of the Green Bay Packers and Mike Tomlin Of the Pittsburgh Steelers ) to the not so establish ( Jim Harbaugh of the San Francisco 49ers Jason Garrett of the Dallas Cowboys and Mike Munchak of the Tennessee Titans ) Having to take the position that silent's is bliss.

Let us not forget that while the Owners and Players sit at the negotiating table trying to decide how the cash is going to be spit; Coaches along with their assistants are still on the job planing for the draft and how they can help not only Ownership but also their Players make a smooth transition back to the game of football. And all this knowing there's a possibility Their paychecks may take a hit if this lockout go's into late summer. I for one would have a very difficult time concentrating on the job at hand, knowing there's a chance I might not get paid for the hours I'm putting in. ( and not really being in a position to voice my opinion )


As we fans who can voice our displeasure with the lockout on talk radio or in blogs like mine to relieve our frustration regarding this whole lockout mess. Let us not forget, there's a groups of coaches standing silently on the sideline hope-ing when it's over, the damages is minimal so they can get back to to the jobs of trying to win football games.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com