5.21.10 2:29 pm by Brian
Now to wrap up the discussion of “gauntlet” game scheduling for the 2010 NFL Regular Season, I move on to the National Football Conference’s 16 teams. As a recap of the prior story, I’ve repeated my opening few paragraphs. If you are familiar with what I’m working with here, feel free to hit the jump and read on.
To further explore that idea, I’m defining a “gauntlet” schedule as a series of at least three or more games in a row that are taxing to a team either because they have to face strong teams or because there is significant travel involved. A team can have a difficult schedule but avoid this “gauntlet” idea if the games against the tougher teams are further spread out across the season; by the same token, a team with an easier schedule who has to face good teams multiple weeks in a row can still face a “gauntlet.”
If a team does face such a “gauntlet” during their schedule, it is also important to note when it happens in the scope of a season. If a team has a series of tough games at the beginning of the season, then it’s problematic because they might stumble out of the gate and never recover. If the “gauntlet” comes at season’s end, there will be added pressure on building up a good record before those games so that the team can “absorb” losses if they have to. And “gauntlets” in the middle of the season are perhaps most problematic, because they can jostle teams into and out of playoff position with little time left to recover.
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5.17.10 5:30 pm by Brian
The regular season schedule for the upcoming NFL 2010 year has been out for over a month now, and I’ve already taken the opportunity to preview some of the bigger storyline games that fans can look forward to once the summer comes to a close. However, one thing that I have not yet addressed is the concept of “gauntlet” game scheduling and the effect that can have on a football team.
To further explore that idea, I’m defining a “gauntlet” schedule as a series of at least three or more games in a row that are taxing to a team either because they have to face strong teams or because there is significant travel involved. A team can have a difficult schedule but avoid this “gauntlet” idea if the games against the tougher teams are further spread out across the season; by the same token, a team with an easier schedule who has to face good teams multiple weeks in a row can still face a “gauntlet.”
If a team does face such a “gauntlet” during their schedule, it is also important to note when it happens in the scope of a season. If a team has a series of tough games at the beginning of the season, then it’s problematic because they might stumble out of the gate and never recover. If the “gauntlet” comes at season’s end, there will be added pressure on building up a good record before those games so that the team can “absorb” losses if they have to. And “gauntlets” in the middle of the season are perhaps most problematic, because they can jostle teams into and out of playoff position with little time left to recover.
In this story I have addressed the schedules of the 16 AFC teams for the upcoming season, picking out each team’s “gauntlet”—or set of “gauntlets”—that will factor into their hopes for success. Check back in the near-future for reports on the 16 NFC teams.
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4.22.10 2:23 pm by Alex
There are only a few hours between us and the always highly anticipated NFL Draft. For a Baltimore sports fan like myself, the Ravens’ day at the draft will be a well-needed distraction from the atrocity that is the 2010 Baltimore Orioles, and I’m sure many football fans from otherwise-struggling sports towns feel the same way. Since the end of the NFL season, every eligible player has been analyzed, examined, scouted and worked-out again and again. Draft experts like Mel Kiper and Todd McShay (or is it Todd Kiper and Mel McShay? From this point on, and in all The Sports Geeks posts in the future, they’ll be referred to as the McKipers to take care of any confusion), have been all over everyone’s TVs, computers and radios touting the players they like and arguing over the differences in their mock drafts. Speaking of which, I did a little comparison of these mock drafts vs. the actual results, and they’re pretty much useless once you get past the top 10.
Among the most disputed and featured discussions in the pre-draft frenzy is the quarterbacks. This year, the draft features 4 QBs that have been at the center of attention for the better part of their college careers. The quarterback’s of any draft class have their differences, but this is a particularly diverse group:
Sam Bradford, Oklahoma – Projected to be the first overall pick. 50 TDs, 8 INTs in 2008. Some injury concerns after missing most of 2009 season.
Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame – Arguably the most NFL-ready coming from an offensive system more closely related to that of most NFL teams. Possible arrogance/personality issues. Has had a few negative off-field incidents.
Colt McCoy, Texas – 4-year started at Texas. Heisman runner-up. Won more games than any NCAA QB Ever. But, took most snaps from shotgun. Arm strength concerns.
Tim Tebow, Florida - 3-year starter at Florida. 2 National Championships. 1 Heisman. Crazy stats, but all in non-NFL Urban Meyer offensive system. Next Alex Smith? Hopefully not.
All four of these guys will likely get drafted in the first few rounds, but chances are, more than one of them will end up on the bench or out of the league before too long, and the crazy part is, even with all the college statistic, 40 times and Wonderlic tests, there’s really no way to know which one will end up riding the pine, which one will never get a real chance, which one will have a 14-year career with 6 different teams, and which one will be a 9-time Pro Bowler and Hall of Fame candidate.
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4.20.10 6:59 pm by Brian
Although the final seconds ticked off the clock of Super Bowl XLIV over two months ago, there has hardly been a moment to rest and take a breather from news in the National Football League. The Saints’ triumphant victory was a feel-good story that had all of Louisiana in jubilation, and the offseason moves all over the league have kept football on the minds of sports fans everywhere.
After a number of delays—presumably to tweak the schedule match-ups with all of the offseason moves being made this NFL offseason—the 2010 regular season schedule has finally been released to eager fans. Finally, those die-hard fans can begin circling specific dates on the calendar to make their plans for game-viewing beginning in September.
Here at The Sports Geeks, we understand that not everyone can sift through the 256 regular season games to find the biggest stories of the upcoming season. To help out the casual NFL fan, I dived into the entire schedule to pick out some of the juicier storylines—along with the dates those games will be played—to provide a one-stop guide to the regular season’s most dramatic games. As with so many things, however, the NFL is subject to change; some games highlighted on this list may end up being snoozers if players are injured or teams are underperforming compared to the expectations currently held of them.
Obviously, divisional games are always big draws; playing six games a year against rival teams creates dramatic storylines, and the interactions between both players and fans makes for must-see games. However, for the sake of this list, those divisional match-ups have been avoided as much as possible to focus in on the other storylines present behind the games on the docket.
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3.31.10 1:13 pm by Brian
As part of my coverage of the National Football League here at The Sports Geeks, I will be making predictions at different times during the offseason as to who I think will end up on top of the eight divisions for the 2010 NFL Season. This article represents predictions made based on free agency transactions and trades before the start of April and the upcoming 2010 NFL Draft. The next set of predictions will come at some point after the 2010 NFL Draft, followed by a set of predictions before the NFL Preseason begins, and finally followed by my official predictions for the season, which will be out the first week of the season with the NFL’s Kickoff Week.
Despite the fact that the upcoming NFL season is uncapped, there have been about as many signings and trades as one would expect from any NFL offseason. That said, some big names have shifted around in the team landscape, including new Baltimore Ravens WR Anquan Boldin, new Chicago Bears DE Julius Peppers, new Cleveland Browns QB Jake Delhomme, and new New York Jets RB LaDainian Tomlinson.
It is early in the offseason to be considering how the regular season will play out—I’m unaware of anyone else making predictions this early—but using the moves that have been made so far in conjunction with the projected strength of schedule for each team (based on last season’s records), it is possible to begin making projections about how the season will play out.
Without further ado, here goes; note that these predictions are based on free-agency signings and trade transactions as of Wednesday, March 31st, 2010 and that the numbers in parentheses beside a team’s name represent their rank (out of 32) for strength of schedule–the higher the number, the easier the schedule based on last year’s records.
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