2021 NFL Conference Championships

[HaywoodZarathustra]

There was another team that was robbed of a title or two by poor management, and that was the late seventies, early eighties Charger teams. They had one of the best offenses ever, but a defense that was little more than duck decoys. Of course, it didn't help any that Bill Walsh picked off like a vulture some of their best defenders, like Fred Dean and Big Hands Johnson, which promptly got him those early titles. The Charger offense also sometimes scored too quickly, giving their defense little time to rest, but the Raiders were the team winning Superbowls, as even though their offense was lesser, they also paid attention to defense.

 

[HaywoodZarathustra]

Coryell had a unique way of drawing up plays for his qb's, whether Fouts, Hart, or whomever. Receivers 1, 2, and 3 would run routes such that the qb didn't have to look all over the field to find them. They would end up in a line in shallow, mid, and deep and the qb's choice on whom to throw to was made easy, with the rb emergency option to the other side of the field.

 

[backrow]

This is gonna be a good game to watch. I really hope that Brady gets it, what a story that would be. If Gronk can get a symbolic score - he looks like he still has plenty of gas left in the tank and Brate, Miller contribute, I'd be ecstatic.

 

[Warhawk_46]

How great would it be for Brady and shrink to win another one? For Scotty Miller to come up big again with a key few catches?

And a shame Tampa doesn’t still have Beau Allen, Carl Nassib and Chris Conte still roaming that defense. Would make it all the more special.

 

[Leonardfan]

Fisher tore his achilles - he is out for the Super Bowl.

 

[Henrik the Swede]

Still have the feeling of an eerie emptiness in my chest where once a green and yellow heart did beat...

Nah, it's not really that bad. But very dissapointed. Woke up feeling pretty low though and it always take a few days to get fully back in the saddle.

Since I like to look at glasses as neither half-full or half-empty (they still have to be put in the dishwasher right?) I will, despite them being the ones that knocked out my Packers, root hard for the Bucs in the upcoming Super Bowl. That is the rational thing to do. Although Kelce and Sorensen are fantastic white players.
Miller has turned into one of my favourite WRs this season and the Tom Brady legend will be the strongest in football for centuries to come if he should win another one under these conditions.

 

[white is right]

McDermott's idiocy with the d-line has been frustrating and I have made mention of it more than once this season. Ed Oliver is going to get a very long leash due to his hype and draft status and Vernon Butler is McDermott's underachieving 1st round pet from when he was the d-coordinator in Carolina. Neither of them are good against the run and Oliver is not the dominant interior pass rusher the "experts" made him out to be. Trent Murphy will be gone after this season - he was a better all around player than Jerry Hughes and is a balanced DE who can get to the QB. Zimmer actually flashed more in his limited playing time this season than Oliver has and Phillips is a stout run defender.

The Bills run game is very average. Get a decent running back who can balance out the offense and rush for 1k yards to help out Allen. The Ravens, Browns, Chiefs all have good rushing attacks - it's an overlooked part of the modern game but it's obvious that it's necessary for success despite being a QB driven league. Allen's year three jump is a great achievement though considering what a pass heavy offense he played in without the benefit of a top running game. In the "old NFL" year 3 was when the QB made his jump and most obvious progression in the game so I think Allen will be a top echelon QB from here on out. He's fun to watch.

The Chiefs are an easy team to root against - nonwhite QB, Tyreek Hill - wife/kid beater, Frank Clark- woman beater, Willie Gay - assaulted white teammate in college, Tyrann Mathieu - idiot - Fat Bastard lettings malcontents onto the team/selling his soul out for wins, the lack of respect Sorenson gets when he is probably a top 10 DB in the league (he's a catch 22). Ironically they have an unheralded offensive line which is all white and very good. And I don't want to step on any toes - Kelce is a really good TE but he is also a wigger which is somewhat annoying. Give me Gronk any day of the week.

That's being generous the Bills all but gave up the running game as it was waste of a down. They need to draft a pounder or trade for one which shouldn't cost much as most teams don't see any value in that type of back anymore.

I just hope the Bills aren't the Los Angles Rams or Oakland Raiders of the 1970's and are blocked by a greater team in their conference from going to Super Bowls and end up losing multiple conference finals to these teams.

 

[Don Wassall]

The Bills did draft Zack Moss in the 3rd round in the '20 draft who's a pounder, but he had an injury marred rookie season, ending up with 481 yards on 112 carries for a decent 4.3 average to go with 4 TDs. Singletary is not a good running back so they do need another RB to replace him along with NFL level tackles. If they can't give Allen adequate protection it's unlikely they'll even get back to the conference championship game again.

 

[Tannehill17]

Agree completely. A lot of the narrative behind the draft boards is controlled by the talking heads in the MSM, and it creates an echo chamber and group concensus. Glad you notice the sumo trend. From what lurking I've done it seems like this isn't as talked about as I'd expect it to be.

I wish it were talked about more on this forum as well. The systematic push to phase out the white offensive lineman might not be as noticeable as the push to phase out white QB's, but I notice it just as much. Offensive line is my favorite position in football. I loved all the old school white linemen such as John Hannah, Joe DeLamelure (sp?), Bob Kuechenberg, Conrad Dobler, etc.. I'm a Dolphins fan and it frustrates me to no end to see my team draft sumo after sumo with no end in sight. It's no coincidence that Miami has had a bottom tier offensive line for at least the last 7-8 years or so. No one can ever seem to put the pieces of the puzzle together as to what the common denominator of these bad lines are.

 

[Don Wassall]

I wish it were talked about more on this forum as well. The systematic push to phase out the white offensive lineman might not be as noticeable as the push to phase out white QB's, but I notice it just as much. Offensive line is my favorite position in football. I loved all the old school white linemen such as John Hannah, Joe DeLamelure (sp?), Bob Kuechenberg, Conrad Dobler, etc.. I'm a Dolphins fan and it frustrates me to no end to see my team draft sumo after sumo with no end in sight. It's no coincidence that Miami has had a bottom tier offensive line for at least the last 7-8 years or so. No one can ever seem to put the pieces of the puzzle together as to what the common denominator of these bad lines are.

It hasn't been ignored at all. The endless struggles of Miami's sumo-dominated o-line has often been a topic of discussion. We discuss it heavily each year at the time of the Combine and the Draft and also during the pre-season and regular season as the poor play of over-drafted and over-rated black linemen is often mentioned. This one thread alone dates back to 2008 and has 521 posts as of today: http://www.castefootball.us/index.php?threads/sumo-watch.8299/

The "Recent Busts" thread has 398 posts and has no shortage of black o-linemen mentioned in it: http://www.castefootball.us/index.php?threads/recent-busts.15661/

 

[Snowplow]

I wish it were talked about more on this forum as well. The systematic push to phase out the white offensive lineman might not be as noticeable as the push to phase out white QB's, but I notice it just as much. Offensive line is my favorite position in football. I loved all the old school white linemen such as John Hannah, Joe DeLamelure (sp?), Bob Kuechenberg, Conrad Dobler, etc.. I'm a Dolphins fan and it frustrates me to no end to see my team draft sumo after sumo with no end in sight. It's no coincidence that Miami has had a bottom tier offensive line for at least the last 7-8 years or so. No one can ever seem to put the pieces of the puzzle together as to what the common denominator of these bad lines are.

For all the talk about looking for and supporting the castebusters, it's equally, if not more important to continue to support the players at the few positions still "friendly" to our guys. Seems like slowly but surely they are chipping away at those, too. QB, OL and TE. Also feels like LB was more white friendly just 10 years ago.

As for "not talking about it as much," IIRC the Saints were a somewhat liked team here because of Brees, Anzalone, Hendrickson, and of course Taysom Hill. But very few seemed to talk about how Sean Payton has been obsessed with sumos and seemingly always had a very sumo-heavy line. That's a deal-breaker for me (not to mention the terrible Saints DWF's who are clamoring for their black quarterback).

 

[Leonardfan]

For all the talk about looking for and supporting the castebusters, it's equally, if not more important to continue to support the players at the few positions still "friendly" to our guys. Seems like slowly but surely they are chipping away at those, too. QB, OL and TE. Also feels like LB was more white friendly just 10 years ago.

As for "not talking about it as much," IIRC the Saints were a somewhat liked team here because of Brees, Anzalone, Hendrickson, and of course Taysom Hill. But very few seemed to talk about how Sean Payton has been obsessed with sumos and seemingly always had a very sumo-heavy line. That's a deal-breaker for me (not to mention the terrible Saints DWF's who are clamoring for their black quarterback).

I do agree that the system is slowly chipping away at the remaining few positions where whites have numbers. I do think TE has actually improved when compared with 10-15 years ago. Jeremy Shockey was kind of the godfather of the white renaissance at TE - followed by Witten who is the best pure TE - better than Sharpe or Gonzalez considering the fact Witten was a dominant blocker along with great receiver. For whatever reason - since I was a teenager I just disliked black QBs and that has obviously been my point of emphasis here on the site. There are an incredible number of black 1st round OL that have been flat out awful - just thinking off the top of my head - James Carpenter, Ereck Flowers, Laken Tomlinson, Josh Garnett, Jonathan Martin (remember him @Tannehill17 ) - these are all proven busts that have occurred over the last 8 or 9 years. As the league continues on all of the coaches, scouts, "experts" all look for different ways to write off white athletes. As for linebackers I have noticed the past few years how length is somehow more important to the position. Just another way to play up the one physical attribute blacks have - arm length which if we did an in depth analysis probably is not as much of a difference maker as it is made out to be.

 

[Don Wassall]

For all the talk about looking for and supporting the castebusters, it's equally, if not more important to continue to support the players at the few positions still "friendly" to our guys. Seems like slowly but surely they are chipping away at those, too. QB, OL and TE. Also feels like LB was more white friendly just 10 years ago.

As for "not talking about it as much," IIRC the Saints were a somewhat liked team here because of Brees, Anzalone, Hendrickson, and of course Taysom Hill. But very few seemed to talk about how Sean Payton has been obsessed with sumos and seemingly always had a very sumo-heavy line. That's a deal-breaker for me (not to mention the terrible Saints DWF's who are clamoring for their black quarterback).

It's been mentioned many times. It's one of the primary reasons Payton and the Saints have never been a popular team here.

Offensive linemen are never going to be discussed as often as quarterbacks, receivers, running backs and defensive players, but the trend has been observed and commented upon literally thousands of times over the years. Whether it's been discussed "often enough" or not isn't relevant. It's obviously an area you're familiar with, so your observations in this area are welcome.

 

[Tannehill17]

It hasn't been ignored at all. The endless struggles of Miami's sumo-dominated o-line has often been a topic of discussion. We discuss it heavily each year at the time of the Combine and the Draft and also during the pre-season and regular season as the poor play of over-drafted and over-rated black linemen is often mentioned. This one thread alone dates back to 2008 and has 521 posts as of today: http://www.castefootball.us/index.php?threads/sumo-watch.8299/

The "Recent Busts" thread has 398 posts and has no shortage of black o-linemen mentioned in it: http://www.castefootball.us/index.php?threads/recent-busts.15661/

I guess what I mean is, I wish individual white offensive linemen were talked up on here as much as white skill position players. I realize that's probably hard to do since there is less statistical data when it comes to linemen, but as an offensive line guru, I like seeing our guys excel at the position.

 

[Tannehill17]

For whatever reason - since I was a teenager I just disliked black QBs and that has obviously been my point of emphasis here on the site.

LOL me too. In the old days black QB's typically came from HBCU's which was another reason to root against them.

 

[Snowplow]

It's been mentioned many times. It's one of the primary reasons Payton and the Saints have never been a popular team here.

Offensive linemen are never going to be discussed as often as quarterbacks, receivers, running backs and defensive players, but the trend has been observed and commented upon literally thousands of times over the years. Whether it's been discussed "often enough" or not isn't relevant. It's obviously an area you're familiar with, so your observations in this area are welcome.

I understand, just like good OL play and felt like it isn't as talked about. Happy to chime in!
Falcons have never been popular here as they've been solidly caste on defense and RB/WR, but I respect their philosophy on the offensive line. Had 8/9 a few years ago IIRC. This year they started 4 (all except LG). Drafted two good OL in the first round of the 2019 draft, which, in hindsight, is one of the better drafts of recent memory. Last year they drafted Matt Hennessy to be their future C over the DWF-favorite sumo Lloyd Cushenberry, who looked awful for Denver.
Colts have also been pretty caste on defense/skill players, but they've also been VERY good on O-line, and for that reason I've loved watching them play. All 5 starters this year were great, and when Castonzo was out the difference was HUGE. Hope they get a GOOD replacement for him since he retired. He was so underrated.

 

[Don Wassall]

Beasley epitomizes toughness:

Bills WR Cole Beasley said he broke his fibula at the end of the season.
It was listed as a "knee" injury on Buffalo's injury reports throughout the postseason. Beasley said it "hurt" in the Wild Card round against Indy but was "slightly less" painful in both the Divisional Round and Conference Championship. Though not a full break, it's possible the 31-year-old undergoes offseason surgery before returning for OTAs and minicamp.

 

[TomIron361]

Beasley epitomizes toughness:

Bills WR Cole Beasley said he broke his fibula at the end of the season.
It was listed as a "knee" injury on Buffalo's injury reports throughout the postseason. Beasley said it "hurt" in the Wild Card round against Indy but was "slightly less" painful in both the Divisional Round and Conference Championship. Though not a full break, it's possible the 31-year-old undergoes offseason surgery before returning for OTAs and minicamp.

I would say Beasley is what we used to refer to as the "Real McCoy."

 

[white is right]

The Bills did draft Zack Moss in the 3rd round in the '20 draft who's a pounder, but he had an injury marred rookie season, ending up with 481 yards on 112 carries for a decent 4.3 average to go with 4 TDs. Singletary is not a good running back so they do need another RB to replace him along with NFL level tackles. If they can't give Allen adequate protection it's unlikely they'll even get back to the conference championship game again.

Yes I forgot about Moss, if he stays off of the IR or on the training table with niggles he could be the solution. Nall could be a guy that the Bills need to be effective at running between the tackles, but Chicago "needs" him to be the wedge for special teams and for part time fullback, pass protection and the occasional outlet throw, anything but running the ball.

The Bills are locked into their left tackle who is paid better than an average starter but not truly elite left tackle money. I don't know what the right tackle is being paid.

The best thing about the game when it was obviously over was the guard and tackle willing to fight to protect their quarterback. Too many offensive linemen will point out fouls but not defend their quarterback.

 

[Extra Point]

Hey, white is right. Who is that picture of in your logo?

 

[white is right]

Hey, white is right. Who is that picture of in your logo?

The late Larry King when he was busted for embezzling money for his gambling debts to mob bookies in Miami.