Most Popular Authentic NFL Jerseys From the 2009-2010 Playoffs

Playoffs? These five 2011 also-rans have a good shot at getting there

With a healthy Jay Cutler, the Bears should challenge the Lions and Packers in the NFC North. (Getty Images)

Every year for the past 16 seasons there have been at least five teams to make surprise appearances in the playoffs -- which is another way of saying at least five teams that made it to January that weren't there the year before.

Houston was one of those clubs in 2011. So was Detroit. Neither had been on the postseason radar since 1999, or the Lions' last playoff appearance, yet both overcame considerable setbacks to make it to the postseason.

So the question is: Which five make it this season? Well, I have five candidates, though I include one disclaimer: To qualify for this list, you can't have had a winning record in 2011. That eliminates someone like Tennessee, which was 9-7 but left out in the cold, but it does allow any of the eight teams that finished .500.

The Bills made strong offseason moves, including the additions of linebacker Mario Williams and defensive end Mark Anderson, but none is stronger than naming Dave Wannstedt as defensive coordinator. With Wannstedt in charge, the club goes to a 4-3 that should improve on its next-to-last-place standing in sacks and No. 19 ranking in pass defense. Williams and Anderson will squeeze the pocket, while first-round draft pick Stephon Gilmore should step immediately as a starter at cornerback. Adding Nigel Bradham and Tank Carder brings depth at linebacker, while versatile Cordy Glenn was a second-round steal who should be in the mix at left tackle. All the moves are aimed at improving in the AFC East, and you don't gain ground unless you figure out how to overcome Tom Brady who, it just so happens, is 18-2 against Buffalo. With the defensive additions the Bills just made, I like their chances of finishing second in the AFC East and producing their first winning season since 2004.

Another reason for hope: Running back Fred Jackson is back. Not only that, he just signed a two-year extension. Good. He deserves it. Jackson is one of the league's most underrated running backs, on schedule last year to produce more than 1,500 yards rushing before he was hurt in the 10th game. When he's right, so are the Bills, and when he wasn't they turned to C.J. Spiller last season. Smart. Spiller and the Bills each found out how valuable he can be. Look for him to get more touches this season.

One possible area of concern: Look at the first nine games. They're brutal. With the exceptions of Kansas City (7-9) and Cleveland (4-12), there's not an opponent with a losing record. Worse, there are four (including New England twice) that won divisions, including two that were in conference championship games and one -- New England again -- that reached the Super Bowl. I know, Buffalo ties for the 29th most difficult schedule out there, with opponents producing a .473 winning percentage, but the Bills must survive a treacherous early run that helped bury St. Louis a year ago.

The Bears were on their way to making the playoffs last season when they lost quarterback Jay Cutler and running back Matt Forte. Suddenly, the team that won seven of its first 10 games won only one of its last six. Having Cutler and Forte back improves Chicago's chances of getting back on track, but the Bears did the smart thing and signed safety nets for both positions to minimize the risk of another collapse. So Jason Campbell sits behind Cutler, Michael Bush sits behind Forte and the Bears sit behind Green Bay and Detroit. Only not for long. With those additions, plus the acquisition of a legitimate receiving threat in Brandon Marshall, Chicago has an offense that could squeeze Green Bay's 32nd-ranked pass defense and push Detroit to the side. All I know is what I saw from Cutler last season is the first time I've liked anything about the guy. He finally started playing like a quarterback instead of acting like a diva who makes bad decisions and worse throws. Maybe, just maybe, he finally gets it ... and it's about time. He and Marshall combined for a lot of receptions in Denver. They should again.

Another reason for hope: The Bears have one of the game's premier pass rushers in Julius Peppers, but needed a bookend on the other side ... and new GM Phil Emery may have found one in first-round draft pick Shea McClellin, who made a zillion plays at Boise State and was one of the draft's premier edge rushers.

One possible area of concern: I was surprised Chicago didn't use one of its six draft picks on an offensive lineman. The Bears allowed 49 sacks last season, and only four teams had more. I don't know, maybe that's an admission that the Bears believe in tackle Gabe Carimi or that offensive coordinator Mike Tice has a plan we don't know about to keep defenses off Cutler.

Just a hunch, but there will be dozens of preseason publications that put the Eagles -- not the New York Giants -- at the top of the NFC East, and there's a reason: These guys never, ever, ever go more than one season without making the playoffs. Not under Andy Reid they don't, and Reid -- like San Diego's Norv Turner -- is under orders to get this team in gear again ... or else. I say he does because there were a couple of nagging problems with last year's Eagles that should be corrected. First of all, the Eagles stunk against the run. At least they did early, with opponents finding holes the size of the Schuykill to run through. That exposed Philadelphia's unprotected and underwhelming linebackers, and it wound up sinking the club -- with Philadelphia blowing five fourth-quarter leads. The Eagles added tackle Fletcher Cox in the draft and acquired tackling machine DeMeco Ryans, and suddenly a weakness doesn't look like a weakness anymore.

But let's be fair here. The defense wasn't entirely to blame. The Eagles' offense scored exactly one field goal in the fourth quarters of those five games, and I can tell you why in one word: Turnovers. Philadelphia committed more (38) than anyone but Tampa Bay. Reid will have quarterback Michael Vick run less and take fewer chances ... and that's precisely what happened in the final four games when the Eagles didn't lose. It's that team I believe you're going to see this season, and it's that team that should push the Giants.

Another reason for hope: Philadelphia got smart this year, returning to a practice of rewarding its own players rather than spending gazillions on unrestricted free agents. They extended Todd Herremans and Trent Cole and DeSean Jackson and are talking about a similar move with star running back LeSean McCoy. That should make for a happy locker room, which is a stark contrast from last season.

One possible area of concern: Vick turns 32 this summer and looked, well, ordinary too often last season. He's also prone to injuries, failing to play in all 16 games in any season since 2006. Something must be done to protect the guy, and this just in: The Eagles just lost their best pass blocker in left tackle Jason Peters. Free-agent Demetress Bell, who replaced Peters in Buffalo, is supposed to step in for him again, and while he's talented he's also an injury waiting to happen. Then, of course, there's a real question of: How far can Philadelphia actually go with the guy? I guess we're about to find out.

The Chargers failed to make the playoffs the past two seasons, and coach Norv Turner is on notice to win or else. So there's a sense of urgency there hasn't been before, and I don't know if that makes a difference, but I know what will -- the moves San Diego made in the offseason. The club desperately needed defensive playmakers and found three at the top of the draft, including first-round pick Melvin Ingram -- and, yeah, I know about his short arms. Big deal. The guy made a ton of plays at South Carolina and was a top-10 talent. As general manager A.J. Smith put it, "I think Melvin will have the same problem Tyrannosaurus Rex had millions of years ago." T. Rex disappeared. Ingram shouldn't. He's a versatile athlete who pressures the pocket, critical to San Diego when you're a team chasing Peyton Manning. I love the addition of run-stopper Jarret Johnson on the other side, a guy who was a vastly underrated fixture in Baltimore for nine years. Bolstering the defense, changing defensive coordinators and adding weapons to a passing game that too often disappointed should keep Turner in business.

Another reason for hope: In Eddie Royal, Roscoe Parrish and Michael Spurlock the Chargers suddenly are deep in return specialists who can go the distance. Parrish and Royal are punt-returners, which is good considering the Chargers ranked 22nd in that category a year ago.

One possible area of concern: The Chargers typically have tortoise-like starts, and they'll be challenged again with their first six games -- where only one opponent, Kansas City (7-9), had a losing record last season. Included are three playoff clubs, and the Chiefs game is at Arrowhead Stadium, where the Chargers haven't won the past two seasons. But there's another stretch that's equally dicey, and it starts Nov. 18 vs. Denver in Denver, then follows with Baltimore, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh -- all playoff teams. The Chargers had one of the league's easiest schedules last season and did nothing with it. This itinerary, the NFL's sixth-most difficult, has traps everywhere.

There are few teams building more momentum that Seattle, which quietly put together a defense that could rival San Francisco for intensity, ferocity and opportune play. OK, so the Seahawks lost linebacker David Hawthorne, their leading tackler the past three seasons. They acquired linebacker Barrett Ruud and defensive lineman Jason Jones, retained defensive lineman Red Bryant and added Bruce Irvin, a first-round pick who has a ton of issues but whom scouts describe as the best edge pass rusher in the draft.

Seattle is chasing San Francisco in the NFC West, and the last time they met -- late last season -- they fell just short, losing by two points after quarterback Tarvaris Jackson fumbled with a little more than a minute left. Those Seahawks played great defense but didn't have enough offense. These Seahawks think they fixed the problem with the acquisition of quarterback Matt Flynn, and maybe they're right. Flynn has only two NFL starts, but he was marvelous in both. I don't know, but this looks like a carbon copy of the 49ers' blueprint, a club that can hammer you with defense and put just enough points on the board -- largely thanks to its running game. It worked for San Francisco. Why not here?

Another reason for hope: Four of Seattle's first five opponents didn't produce a winning record last season, and the fifth -- Green Bay -- the Seahawks draw at home. So at least there's a chance for a fast start. Now, look at the second-half of the schedule. Only one opponent -- San Francisco -- had a winning record, and again there's good news: Seattle draws the 49ers at home.

One possible area of concern: Flynn. As I said, he has a resume of two starts, and while they were terrific it's still only two. The Seahawks are the same club that gambled on Charlie Whitehurst two years ago, and you see how that turned out. This is supposed to be a low-risk move because general manager John Schneider knows Flynn from their days together in Green Bay, and I get that. But I also get that the last two moves Seattle made on quarterbacks blew up, with the club forced to go out and sign Flynn as the remedy.

View the original article here

Tomlinson might call it quits if Jets fail to make playoffs

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- This could be the end for LaDainian Tomlinson.

The Jets running back is a free agent after this season, and he acknowledged that the regular-season finale Sunday at Miami could be the last game of his career if New York does not make the playoffs.

"There's definitely the thought that this possibly could be because you never know how things shake out," Tomlinson said Thursday. "For me, it just depends on the situation. I've said that before. I would love to keep playing, but if the situation is not right, then I won't. And this possibly could be my last game."

Tomlinson signed a two-year deal with the Jets in 2010 after nine record-breaking seasons with the San Diego Chargers. When asked if he would hypothetically accept the veterans' minimum salary to return to the Jets, Tomlinson smiled and made it clear he would want more.

"I've got kids, man," he said with a laugh. "I mean, I don't know. It would be hard for me to do that. It's never been about the money for me. It really hasn't. But at some point, you have to close that chapter if it just doesn't line up. So I'm just going to wait and see what happens."

That means the 32-year-old Tomlinson would be willing to play elsewhere in 2012, but will talk to his family and agent in the offseason before deciding on what he wants to do.

"I'm open to anything," he said. "It doesn't have to be here. It could be another place. I'm just open to playing football."

Tomlinson would want to play only for a team that has a shot at a championship - the reason he chose Rex Ryan and the Jets nearly two years ago.

"Speaking off the top of my head, obviously, I've played this game a long time," he said. "I don't want to go to someone that's going to lose every week. That's not going to be fun."

Tomlinson will enter the regular-season finale needing 35 yards rushing to pass Jerome Bettis for fifth place on the NFL's career list. He has 224 yards rushing this season after taking a backseat to Shonn Greene for the starting job, but has been an effective third-down back with 38 catches for 426 yards.

"If it is my last game, I've enjoyed 11 years of playing football, playing a kids' game," Tomlinson said. "Two great organizations. Obviously being here the last couple of years, I've really enjoyed my time here. The fans have been great. My teammates have been great, the coaching staff. There's really nothing I can complain about. Really."

View the original article here

Denver castoff Orton standing between Broncos and playoffs

Orton was No. 1 through camp and the first five games of the season with Tebow his understudy. (US Presswire)

Too bad the Kansas City Chiefs lost last weekend. Had they won, we'd probably see the Chiefs-Broncos on Sunday night instead of Dallas-New York, and, yes, there's a compelling reason beyond Tim Tebow to tune in.

Would Kyle Orton please step forward?

Talk about a perfect end to an imperfect season. The guy is supposed to be dealt to Miami before the season ... but isn't. So he stays with the Broncos where he's supposed to make them respectable ... but doesn't. Then he's benched and put on waivers, with the Bears supposed to pick him up ... only they don't. Kansas City beats them to Orton and sits him behind Tyler Palko until the Chiefs change coaches.

That's when they change quarterbacks, Orton steps in and -- voila! -- here we are: Orton vs. Tebow ... in Denver, no less, where Orton spent the last two-and-a-half seasons.

Tell me Orton would switch places with anyone this week because he wouldn't. Where Denver determined what happened to him once, he can now determine what happens to the Broncos once and for all.

If they lose, and Oakland beats San Diego, the Raiders win the AFC West. If they lose, and the Raiders lose, the Broncos win the division. But if Denver wins, it doesn't matter what happens in Oakland. The Broncos go to the playoffs.

I can't imagine Orton gives a rip about Oakland, but I guarantee his emotions run higher regarding his former team.

Beating Denver in the season finale would be Orton's way of giving Denver the ol' Rex Ryan. Granted, Kansas City couldn't stop Tebow ... or anyone else for that matter ... when Denver went to Arrowhead Stadium earlier this season. That was over six weeks ago when Tebow completed two passes -- one of which was a 56-yard touchdown -- in the Broncos' 17-10 victory.

But that can happen when you run for 244 yards, which the Broncos did that afternoon, and they're going to have to run for another 244 to hold off Orton and the Chiefs. Granted, Orton's no Len Dawson. But the guy has something to prove, and never underestimate the power of determination.

That's not all. Kansas City has nothing to lose, and neither does Orton. So the Chiefs will be loose, and that counts for something, too. I look for gadget plays, fumble-rooskies, unexpected calls, gambles, you name it, to pull the upset. I imagine Denver will be looking for them, too, because there's one team with a division title at stake, and it's not Kansas City.

The pressure, then, is not on Orton. It's on his former backup, Tebow, to deliver another victory. He's done it again and again this season, with critics starting to pile on after the Broncos were wasted the past two games, including a 40-14 blowout in Buffalo where Tebow was intercepted four times.

But the Broncos aren't designed to overcome turnovers, and they committed seven in the past two games. You can talk all you want about the Denver defense, but all I know is that after Tebow brought Denver within three last week, the Bills scored on their next three possessions.

So the defense isn't what it used to be, and it used to be pretty solid. That means Tebow must dial up more big plays, and good luck against Kansas City. The Chiefs shut down Aaron Rodgers, for crying out loud, and haven't allowed more than 16 points in four of their past five starts.

I know, Tebow and the Broncos' running game shredded them last month. My guess is that Kansas City knows what's coming this time. But that's not all: Now the Chiefs have someone who can exploit the holes in Denver's defense. It wasn't going to happen with Palko; it could with someone familiar with the Broncos.

Meaning it could with Orton.

"This is a game we need and must take," running back Willis McGahee said. "A must-take game. We need to go into that game and play lights-out football."

Somebody does. The Broncos are on their heels and in danger of blowing another playoff shot, just as they did in the final games of 2006, 2008 and 2009. They insist that won't happen again, only look what they're up against. It's not just the Chiefs; it's Kyle Frickin' Orton.

He gave the Broncos two decent years of service, only to have the Broncos abandon him. That means he has something to prove, and he proved it in the Chiefs' 19-14 upset of then-unbeaten Green Bay.

So he can still win. But can he win a big game? There haven't been many on Kansas City's schedule, but this one qualifies ... not because of what it means to the Chiefs but because of what it means to Denver.

And Kyle Orton.

View the original article here

Ravens' road to playoffs clear: Better earn home field Sunday

Haloti Ngata and the Ravens' tough D tends to spring leaks only on the road. (US Presswire)

Now that the Cincinnati Bengals are urging fans to show up for Sunday's game, I suggest the Baltimore Ravens respond with a similar message -- only aim it at their players. Because if they don't show up on the road again, the Ravens' chances of reaching the Super Bowl are in serious jeopardy.

They might be anyway. Baltimore hasn't exactly looked overwhelming in its past four starts. All I know is that this team is better off in the playoffs -- much better off -- at home where it can't lose, and it gets there only with a victory Sunday in Cincinnati.

Look, road games can be tough for anyone, but they're especially tough for Baltimore. All the Ravens' defeats this season have been there, with the club 3-4, including three of its past five. But it's not just that it struggles on the road; it's whom it struggles against.

It lost to Tennessee. It lost to Jacksonville. It lost to Seattle. It lost to San Diego. Three of those teams have losing records, and all but Tennessee are out of the playoff picture.

The Ravens, meanwhile, can clinch the AFC North if they beat Cincinnati, and while it's a critical game for the Bengals -- with a victory putting them in the playoffs -- it's at least as critical for Baltimore. The playoffs aren't the Ravens' goal; the Super Bowl is. We already know they're one of the AFC's heavyweights; what we don't know is how far they can go into January.

We will Sunday.

Basically, it comes down to this: The Ravens have a chance to make it to Indianapolis if they can clinch the first-round bye and be home for the divisional round of the playoffs. As I said, they're 8-0 at M&T Bank Stadium, outscoring opponents 219-119. They won 18 of their past 19 there, including the past 10, and are 27-5 over the past four seasons. Only New England (27-4) has a better home record during that time.

So when we talk about home-field advantages, it's places like Baltimore we have in mind.

Now look what happens on the road: The Ravens barely outscore opponents (135-131). But throw out a 37-7 shredding of St. Louis, and the margin becomes 124-98, in favor of the home team. The Ravens' three lowest point totals are on the road. Their worst defensive showing was a 34-14 hammering in San Diego on Dec. 18. After closing to 22-17 in Seattle in mid-November, their defense couldn't make a stop in the last six minutes -- with Seattle running off 12 plays for 72 yards to close out the victory.

And that's a concern.

It's the Ravens' vaunted defense that seems to wilt on the road. It has 25 takeaways this season, but only seven are on the road. It has 47 sacks, but only 14 on the road. Opposing quarterbacks complete 51 percent of their passes in Baltimore, with six touchdowns and 11 interceptions. But send the Ravens on the road, and suddenly the percentage jumps to 59, with quarterbacks throwing for five TDs and only four interceptions.

Three times Baltimore allowed more than 400 yards, with two of those games on the road. And the third? Ah, that's where this gets interesting. It was Cincinnati, and it was at M&T Bank Stadium, with the Bengals piling up 483 yards -- the most the Ravens surrendered in any game this season.

Yeah, I know, the Ravens won at Pittsburgh. But that's the only opponent with a winning record they've beaten away from home. The others are Cleveland and St. Louis, a combined 6-24.

In Baltimore, the Ravens outscore opponents by an average of almost 13 points per start. They beat San Francisco there. They beat Houston there. They beat Pittsburgh there. They beat Cincinnati there. I think you get the idea. The Ravens are simply a different -- and better -- club at home.

If they lose Sunday, they qualify as the AFC's No. 5 seed, and, sure, they can win in Denver or Oakland. Hey, all they've done in John Harbaugh's tenure as head coach is play road playoff games, and they're 4-3 there -- winning at least once in every season.

But they're no slam dunk, as they proved with that dreadful performance in San Diego. Maybe they win once in the playoffs, but are you going to tell me they can go 3-0 on the road? No way. Not this season.

So the playoffs start now, Baltimore. I know your team is in, but it better be in as the division champion, which means it better show up Sunday in Cincinnati.

It was after the loss in San Diego that Ravens' linebacker Terrell Suggs said that "championship teams get on a roll and keep playing. They peak. They don't take a step back." Now, more than ever, the Ravens must heed that advice. Otherwise, they're back where they don't want to be.

View the original article here

Pushing for playoffs, Bengals lobby fans to show up Sunday

CINCINNATI -- One victory away from an unexpected playoff spot, the Cincinnati Bengals are already immersed in their biggest challenge of the week.

No, it's not getting ready for Baltimore. It's trying to get somebody to come and watch.

The Bengals (9-6) drew another less-than-capacity crowd for their 23-16 win over Arizona on Saturday that secured only their third winning record in the last 21 years. With a victory on Sunday over Baltimore, they would clinch the final AFC wild-card berth for a chance to win their first playoff game since the 1990 season.

Big moment. Will there be another small crowd?

Only 41,273 fans showed up on a sunny, 38-degree afternoon to watch the breakthrough victory Saturday. Paul Brown Stadium was more than one-third empty, and that's been the norm all season. Players buoyed by the chance to make the playoffs wasted no time lobbying for an audience.

"I just want to thank the fans who were out there today," defensive tackle Domata Peko said. "We really felt you guys out there, and that helped us out big time. I really want to encourage all of the Cincinnati fans to come out and cheer us on as we try to make the playoffs."

The franchise's two decades of futility have brought about the strange situation: a team begging for fans as it closes in on the playoffs.

There's a lot of bad history behind it.

The Bengals went 4-12 last season, when coach Marvin Lewis essentially played out his contract while looking for an indication the front office was fully committed to winning. After two days of talks, he agreed to return even though owner Mike Brown said publicly that there would be no significant changes.

Franchise quarterback Carson Palmer then insisted he would sit out rather than play another season in Cincinnati. The Bengals eventually satisfied his request for a trade, sending him to Oakland during the season.

Although the Bengals got a first-round pick and a conditional second-rounder, for fans it confirmed the notion that the franchise is hopeless.

Also, Paul Brown Stadium has been an ongoing point of contention as the region struggles to recover from the recession. Hamilton County voters approved a sales tax hike in 1996, and the Bengals signed a 30-year lease that gives them a lot of control over the facility and much of its revenues. The stadium came in way over budget -- bad for taxpayers -- and cost roughly $450 million when it opened in 2000.

Fans bristle that the family continues to get enormous benefits from the taxpayer-financed stadium while the team remains one of the league's least successful. On Friday, the family increased its control of the team by purchasing shares from one of the original franchise partners for more than $100 million. Forbes magazine reported that the Brown family paid in cash for the shares, estimated at 30 percent of the team. Forbes estimates that the team is worth $875 million.

The longstanding resentments showed in the team's ticket sales this season. The Bengals have sold out only one of their seven home games, when the Steelers brought thousands of fans. They've drawn the smallest crowds in the 65,500-seat stadium's history, including an all-time low of 41,142 for a win over Buffalo.

A measure of how bad it's been: The University of Cincinnati outdrew the Bengals for one of its games at Paul Brown Stadium. Fans have showed their disapproval by refusing to buy Bengals tickets.

Will it continue for one more week?

When the game ended Saturday, the Bengals flashed an offer on the scoreboard to try to drum up business for the final game. Season ticket holders will be allowed to buy one ticket and get another free for Baltimore, a sign the game was nowhere near a sellout.

Then, the lobbying began.

"The crowd really affected the game with the noise, and I'm sure they'll be anxious to get here next Sunday as we play for something special," Lewis said.

Even quarterback Andy Dalton, who is steadfastly reserved in his comments, decided to stump for public support.

"It's going to be a big week, and we're going to need everyone to come out and support us," Dalton said. "Everyone in Cincinnati needs to come out for this big game."

Bengals players have avoided talking about the small crowds during the season, not wanting to alienate their small fan base. The win Saturday made them lose their inhibitions.

"I'm just happy for the team and the city of Cincinnati," cornerback Adam Jones said. "The fans did a great job getting behind us, and we need all of you this week. We need the fans this week. Who Dey! Please come support us.

"I'm Adam Jones, and I approved this message."

View the original article here