BLACK MONDAY/WILD CARD WEEKEND

Well, that didn’t take long…

The ink was not even dry on the 2012 regular season before there were wholesale firings and sweeping changes with the NFL coaching/GM carousel.

The Jets fired GM Mike Tannenbaum

The Eagles fired Andy Reid

The Chiefs fired Romeo Crennel and GM Scott Pioli

The Bills fired Chan Gailey

The Bears fired Lovie Smith

The Browns fired GM Tom Heckert and Coach Pat Shurmur

The Chargers fired GM AJ Smith and Coach Norv Turner

The Cardinals fired GM Rod Graves and Coach Ken Whisenhunt

Jacksonville fired GM Gene Smith

That is a staggering amount of talent that was shown the door on Monday. Talk about a bloodletting; Monday’s events are reminiscent of Michael Corleone’s settling all the family business in “The Godfather”. Maybe it’ll be a case of musical chairs when all is said and done because there are too few qualified individuals to fill that number of openings from the outside. Many of those fired will probably be hired as coordinators elsewhere as most of them have outstanding resumes as OC’s and DC’s elsewhere. The teams that made these moves on Monday probably have a good idea about the qualified pool of candidates and you can best bet that there will be a mad rush to locate and sign the best candidates. Teams will also have to comply with the “Rooney Rule” in interviewing minority candidates. Let’s hope that minority candidates are given a fair shake in the interviewing process and not used for sham interviews that were regularly used in the past.

Andy Reid landed on his feet in less than a week as the new Coach of the Chiefs…while rumors swirled that Oregon’s Chip Kelly (fresh off of a big win over K-State in the Fiesta Bowl) would interview with the Bills, Eagles and the Browns. Stay tuned.

And so we move on from Black Monday to the opening round of the tournament. There are four interesting games this weekend that ought to be full of surprises.

At Houston

-4.5

Cincinnati

43.5

 

The Texans had the #1 seed in their grasp and let it slip away with poor play in the closing weeks. Does this necessarily mean that they’re one and done? No. They have playoff experience and are a whole lot more effective at home than on the road. The Bengals played really well coming down the stretch and deserved this Wild Card shot. In the final analysis, you’d have to figure that come crunch time talent wins out.

Projected Final Score: Houston 27, Cincinnati 20

At Green Bay

-8

Minnesota

46

In Week 17, the Vikings prevailed 37-34 over the Pack on a last-second field goal to squeeze their way into the tournament. This week is going to be a different story as the Vikes travel to the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field to face Aaron Rodgers & Co. The Vikes earned this shot but trying to beat the Packers on their home turf in the playoffs is a nigh impossible challenge. Both offenses were at peak performance last week while both defenses were the pits. But that game was played in the comforts of indoors. Besides, Christian Ponder has not exactly been a model of consistency this year. He has played well on occasion but has also played horribly.

Projected Final Score: Green Bay 31, Minnesota 21

At Ravens

-6.5

Indianapolis

46.5

Indianapolis returns to its ancestral home to face a Ravens team that staggered to the finish line in the AFC North. One of the great story lines of 2012 is how Indy rallied around Coach Pagano and transformed themselves from a 2-12 doormat to post an 11-5 record. Sure, a lot of that was emotion and determination but a lot of it was also the outstanding play of Andrew Luck, who played like a seasoned pro in his rookie campaign. The Ravens’ defense may be bruised and battered, but all hands are on deck. To be successful on Sunday, the Ravens need a heavy dose of ground and pound with Ray Rice. It may not be pretty, but the Ravens should be able to capitalize on a mediocre defense.

Projected Final Score: Ravens 27, Indianapolis 20

Seattle

-3

At Washington

45.5

The Seahawks got a wee bit of a scare last week at home from the Rams but escaped to find a place in the playoffs. In Weeks 14-16, they were about as dominant a football team as it gets outscoring their opponents by almost 100 points. While that was a noteworthy accomplishment, it counts for nothing now. This will be a great matchup between two of the terrific rookie quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Robert Griffin III. Last Sunday night, the Redskins were faced with a winner-take-all scenario in their game with Dallas and RGIII got the better of Tony Romo and the Cowboys 28-18 to win the NFC East and secure a home playoff spot. Both of these teams are on emotional highs and it will be very interesting to see how well RGIII can compete against a sophisticated defense like Seattle’s. No less a story line will be Russell’s effectiveness. Both of these young guns are fearless and it should be a lot of fun watching them duke it out.

Projected Final Score: Seattle 24, Washington 20