NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

Well, all good things must come to an end.

No, this isn't about the Seahawks.  I'm using this week's offering of my usual Wednesday column for SGN's NFLGridironGab and SeahawksGab to let you all, my faithful readers, know that I won't be coming back after the current season as I am about to embark on my next adventure in the media world.

Over the past two years it's been a blast covering the Seahawks for you.  Not only because I love the team, but also because I was able to be a part of the process of the evolving Sports Gab Network and get you all what it is that you want when you want it. 

During the past two seasons, SeahawksGab has truly taken off with the weekly column, the Tuesday Two Deep and the preview, halftime and postgame stories.

I ultimately just want to thank Senior Editor Matt Loede for taking a chance in July 2009 on a young journalism student attending Syracuse University from the Seattle area and, shortly thereafter, for giving me relatively full reign of the SeahawksGab ship.  I also want to thank you, my faithful readers, for coming back week after week and game after game over the past two seasons to get your Seahawks coverage and, most importantly, for taking an active role by voting in the poll questions and making your opinions heard in the comments section of my pieces.

Without you, the reader, I wouldn't be here and, because of that, I'm so very thankful for your passion for the Seattle Seahawks.

If you guys still want to get my up-to-the-minute thoughts and the news I could break on the Seahawks, other sports teams or just anything and if you'd like to continue to talk with me about all those things, please feel free to follow me or continue to follow me on Twitter (http://twitter.com/DevonHeinen).  As long as there's a platform, I'll be chirping away for any and all that want to be a part of it.

Thank you all so much, happy holidays and New Year! 

Devon Heinen
Editor, Beat Writer, and Columnist
SGN's NFLGridironGab and SeahawksGab
http://twitter.com/DevonHeinen

Judging by the amount of comments we got during and after the game, I take it you guys are angry. And rightfully so. It was a piss poor performance. All they needed to do was win. And they didn't. Now, they're still in it. A win on Sunday and a Packers loss does it. A tall order, sure. A win is not guaranteed now. Neither is a Packers loss. Once you can't control your destiny, things become tough. But, let's not get too down. This is still a 9 win team, maybe 10. Not all is lost.

-Still, it wasn't a great performance. 6 turnovers. 4 picks by Eli. Inopportune fumbles. Not getting the first down. No run game. Just a bad showing. Can't have that happen. Look, I know Smith is out. But, Nicks and Manningham are more than able. So is Kevin Boss. This offense still has talent. Didn't look like it though

-Hey, Kevin Boss: Fall on the ball! Not that hard!

-Defense. Oh defense. Weren't they ranked as the 2nd best defense in the league? Cause I don't see it. Maybe I'm missing something. These players, I don't know, they just seem to not "get it". Take a look at the Thomas unnecessary roughness. I mean, that's just a stupid play. Just so stupid.

-This team used to be so aggressive. In fact, it was only a few weeks ago that they were aggressive. Now? They're laying back. Not pressing on receivers. Not getting the same consistent pass rush they were getting. Linebackers aren't making plays. When was the last time you heard Keith Bulluck's name mentioned? Kenny Phillips hasn't been much of a factor of late. Just, I don't know. It's frustrating and a bit hard to put into words.

-You look at the talent on this team. And then you look at the cockiness. And you look at guys like Antrel Rolle. Talented guys. Who talk a lot. Maybe I'm old school. Maybe I'm old fashioned. But I think you shut up, you play the game, you out work the other team, and you make plays when you need to. You can't be cocky. Dancing when you have big leads. It's just not the right way to go about it.

-Lot of you are calling for Coughlin to be fired. Calling for Cowher to hired. And I get the frustration. I get it. We have Super Bowl expectations and when they aren't reached, you blame the coach. And I don't know if I want Coughlin to be fired. I like the guy. He has a ring. Is Cowher the right choice? I don't know. Personally, I want a guy like Mike Tomlin or Raheem Morris. Young, brash, smart and focused on the defensive side of the ball. Cowher is a defensive guy. But he does run a 3-4. And that transition can be painful. And, despite all of you calling for Coughlin to be fired, I get the sense he stays.

-All I'm saying is: Let's not jump into the coaching speculation, only with Cowher. First, let's see what happens with Coughlin. If he does get fired, there are going to be a lot of candidates. Is Cowher the best one? I don't know.

-How many of you think that the Giants are going to lose?

-Let's hope for the best  this week. Maybe we sneak into the playoffs, and we figure things out and make a run. Or not. But let's get too down. Until the season is officially over, there's still hope. Albeit slim.

After being officially eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday, the talks are bound to begin on Head Coach Jeff Fisher.

Tennessee has now lost seven of their last eight after starting the season 5-2. The Titans have seen the complete opposite end of the spectrum from last year, where they started the season 0-6 and finished strong.

So, is this streak of losses due to coaching?

Short answer : Yes, Long Answer : Coaches looking to control all aspects of their organization are becoming a thing of the past.

Many coaches are on the hot seat this time of the year, and many of them have Super Bowl resumes.

Let’s look at three separate coaching situations, Mike Shanahan of the Redskins, Tom Coughlin of the Giants, and Jeff Fisher of the Titans.

Mike Shanahan : 151-107, 2 Super Bowl Rings, 4 Division Championships

Why he has failed : Shanahan’s best two players, Albert Hayneworth and Donovan McNabb, are not on the field. Trouble started in training camp with Haynesworth when he was unwilling to play the nose tackle in Shanahan’s 3-4 scheme. Haynesworth wanted to be free to make plays in the backfield rather than clogging up the middle of the defense for his linebackers. And personally, I can’t blame him. When you are an NFL coach, you must adapt to your players strengths and find a way to scheme around them. And if they are unwilling to play in that scheme, don’t sign them. Look at the Pittsburgh Steelers and Troy Polamalu for example. Polamalu shines when he is able to read the field and react to what is in front of him. How good would that hair be if it sat back in a cover two scheme and was unable to make a read on run plays?

Tom Coughlin : 132-107, 1 Super Bowl, 5 Division Championships

Why he has failed : A consistent lack of consistency. Like the Titans, the Giants have played streaky football by starting seasons strong and flopping late into the season. After being outscored 77-24 in the past six quarters of play, Coughlin’s job security is falling harder than the snow in Philadelphia. The Giant collapse against the Philadelphia Eagles has started this downward spiral, and I don’t believe Coughlin has the pull to tie this team together in time to face who else, Mike Shanahan and the Washington Redskins.

Jeff Fisher : 142-118, 1 Conference Championship, 4 Division Championships

Why he has failed : Division in the locker room. After Vince Young was placed on Injured Reserve, the Titans have gone 1-5, and have seen their scoring average drop from 28.1 points per game to 15.8 points per game. Another example of being unable to work with the players that will best help your team win. Obviously there will be discussion on whether Young is the quarterback for this team, it is hard to argue with a 13 point difference and a 5-4 record vs. 1-5. The problems in the locker room has since been noted by tight end Bo Scaife, who said “I think (coach) Jeff (Fisher) has probably given that impression to him,” Scaife said. “That is between him and Coach Fish and no one knows what is going on between them two. But if people knew the real story they might understand the situation a little better.” Fisher is the head coach, and always must be the bigger person in these situations. More important than your personal pride is the ability to bring a team together and find a way to win football games. Fisher has obviously not done this. Oh, and lets not forget to mention the signing of wide receiver Randy Moss, who has five receptions for 62 yards since joining the Titans.

The day of the dictator coach is over. The NFL is run by players and GM’s. A coach’s role is now to gameplan, scheme, and to insure the cohesiveness of the team. Look at the Kansas City Chiefs as an example. Rather than looking for the highest name head coach, they found the best GM, Scott Pioli. Pioli put his head coach Todd Haley in the correct position to win football games by putting faith in his team and his quarterback.

Jclombardi announces Packers have 5 players going to NFL Pro Bowl.

The five Packers on the NFL NFC Pro Bowl team are wide receiver Greg Jennings, offensive lineman Chad Clifton, safety Nick Collins, cornerback Charles Woodson and linebacker Clay Matthews.

Alternates: QB Aaron Rodgers, CB Tramon Williams, WR Donald Driver, LB A.J. Hawk, NT B.J. Raji, and G Josh Sitton.

There were no Buccaneers voted to play in this year’s Pro Bowl. I think this could be due to five different factors:

1. Injuries and depth chart. Aqib Talib likely would have been in. If Blount had been starting the whole year, he would have gotten the nod.

2. Strong competition at QB. The NFC has a lot of good ones this year and Freeman’s best performance happened after the voting.

3. Lack of visibility among fans. They were rarely broadcast in a lot of markets.

4. Lack of respect. Maybe some coaches and players were unimpressed by them.

5. Team concept. They gel well together with few stars.

I do think you could make a case that Mike Williams was snubbed for the more well-known Desean Jackson – whose return TD might have been called off if the refs had noticed players already on the field before he reached the end zone.

I think they are equal on the explosive scale and I think Williams draws more double teams. Desean bested his yards per reception of last year with a league-leading 22.8. However, that means he has fewer first downs than most receivers. He makes a big impact, but has been neutralized in several games.

Desean has 8 total TDs despite missing two games. Mike Williams has 10 TDs in an offense that throws less. I’m not sure where Jackson was when people voted, but he’s 5th in the NFC in receiving yards, Williams is 9th. Jackson has 32 first down grabs, Williams has 42.

Ah yes it's that time of year again.  Christmas has come and gone once more.  Next week we'll be ringing in 2011 and another NFL season will become a distant memory for all but 12 teams.

So with one week to go in the 2010 regular season, and the fact that the first snow storm of winter has and currently to continues to batter the Northeast, there's no better time like the present to mull over the interesting and ironic possibilities of the potential playoff contests we could see in the playoffs.  I figured, hey, there's the 12 Days of Christmas so why not feature 12 games worth the price of admission.

NOTE:  As it stands right now I am not factoring in what could or might happen in any of next week's games.  No whacky scenarios here or crazy mathematics.  If the playoffs were to begin tomorrow, St. Louis, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Green Bay, New Orleans and Chicago would represent the NFC.  From the AFC, we'd have New England, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, New York Jets, Kansas City and Indianapolis.

12.  Kansas City vs. New England. No better way to kick things off with a game that would feature some familiar faces interwoven.  Matt Cassel, former backup to Tom Brady during his tenure with the Patriots, gets his chance to square off against arguably the league's best quarterback and head coach.  The Chiefs sport some old New England faces:  GM Scott Pioli, coordinators Charlie Weis Romeo Crennel as well as head coach Todd Haley have either coached in New England and/or spent time coaching under Bill Belichick.  Something tells me Belichick would have a nicely devised game plan for defensing Cassel should the two teams cross paths.

11. Atlanta vs. Chicago. As it stands now, these are your top two seeds in the NFC with Atlanta hanging on to the No.1 seed and Chicago boasting the No.2 seed.  Both teams are undefeated in conference and division play.  Jay Cutler and offensive coordinator Mike Martz have the Bears' offense downright scary right now.  Atlanta features one of the game's brightest young quarterbacks in Matt Ryan and one of the best trios in football:  QB Matt Ryan, RB Michael Turner and WR Roddy White.  The Falcons have won their last two meetings with the Bears in the regular season, picking up close victories in 2008 and 2009.  Ryan versus Cutler.  There could be fireworks

10.  Green Bay vs. Philadelphia.  They met in Philly on opening weekend and it was the first game for the Eagles with a new starting quarterback.  In the offseason, the Eagles traded longtime quarterback Donovan McNabb to Washington and turned the keys to the offense over to Kevin Kolb.  Kolb's debut, however, lasted only a half thanks to a nasty tackle at the hands of Green Bay's defensive man beast, LB Clay Matthews.  With Kolb out of the game with a concussion, the Eagles turned to Michael Vick and Vick took full advantage of his chance, throwing and rushing for over 100 yards, becoming just the third quarterback in Eagles history to do so since 1960.   Despite trailing 20-3 and 27-10 last in the game, Vick's heroics couldn't save the Eagles as the Pack hung on for a 27-20 victory.  Green Bay got lucky to escape Philalephia once with a close win.  Could they do it again, this time with Vick firmly under center and in the driver's seat in Philly?

9.  Baltimore vs. Pittsburgh. Yes I know somewhere Ron Jaworski and Steve Young are cringing at the notion of another grind out it, 3 yards in a cloud of dust 13-10 win.  But let's face it, we saw it in the late 90's and early on this decade with Tennessee and Baltimore.  Playoff football thrives on two teams that simply loathe one another.  AFC North division rivals, the hatred is there and it doesn't take long for either side to conjure up bad and nasty feelings for the other.

8.  New Orleans vs. Philadelphia. It's hard to believe that the reigning Super Bowl  champion has been forgotten somewhat, just lying in the weeds and considered to be underrated in 2010 but that's life in the big city this season for New Orleans, given the emergence of NFC foes Atlanta, Chicago and Philadelphia.  With a lot of football left in the tank (be sure to tune in Monday night for what could be the MNF game of the year between Atlanta and New Orleans), I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if these were the last two teams standing in the NFC.  Vick leading the Eagles against Brees and the Saints would make for some good drama.  The Eagles would be ramped up to avenge their 2006 playoff loss down in New Orleans, while the Saints are aiming to make back-to-back Super Bowl appearances.  The Saints are still the champs until somebody tells differently and while there is more than a few roads to travel down to get to the Super Bowl, wouldn't it be nice if Philadelphia's road just happened to go through New Orleans?

7.  Indianapolis vs. New England. I won't insult your intelligence.  Brady against Manning one more time in the postseason.  What else is there left to say?  Two the game's greatest quarterbacks ever.  Period.  Get your butt on a couch, a rock, a bar stool and sit back and enjoy the ride.

6.  Atlanta vs. Baltimore.  They met once earlier this season on Thursday night and there was no shortage of controversy.  The Falcons pulled out a win in the final moments of the game when WR Roddy White had a questionable push off on Ravens CB Josh Wilson not called.  Atlanta won the game, while Baltimore left the dirty south with a bad taste in their mouth.  We have Atlanta head coach Mike Smith coaching against his former team.  The two best QBs from the class of 2008, Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco, squaring off on the biggest stage in all of sports.  The game's best middle linebacker for more than a decade, Ravens MLB Ray Lewis, trying to solidify his hall of fame resume with his second ring.

5.  Pittsburgh vs. Chicago. Call me a little nostalgic, but these two teams have so much history and have been two of the NFL's oldest and most storied franchises in the league.  The Steel Curtain clashes against the Monsters of the Midway.  Big Ben versus Jay Cutler.  Bears coach Lovie Smith getting his second crack at becoming a Super Bowl winning head coach.  Standing in his path across the field would be Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, who would have the Steelers back in the big game for the second time in three seasons.

4.  Baltimore vs. Philadelphia. Student versus teacher:  Andy Reid against John Harbaugh.  Michael Vick staring across the line of scrimmage at Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs.  DeSean Jackson's speed matched up against one of the game's great safeties, Baltimore's Ed Reed.  High powered Philly offense going up against the immovable Ravens defensive unit.  Sign me up.

3.  Atlanta vs. Philadelphia.  Oh, baby can you imagine the ratings?  Can you imagine the week long coverage leading up to this one?  Better yet, can you picture what the scene would be like if this game were to be played in Atlanta?  The two teams clashed earlier this season, but the Eagles were without Michael Vick due to Vick's injured ribs and lost WR DeSean Jackson during the game to a concussion.  Kevin Kolb filled in quite well, throwing 3 touchdowns and finishing with a QB rating of 133.6.  Jeremy Maclin torched Atlanta's secondary for 159 receiving yards and two touchdowns.  Philly raced out to an early 21-0 lead and didn't look back.  But make no mistake about it, this second meeting would be all about Vick facing the franchise and the fanbase he embarrassed and left high and dry.  The new Atlanta franchise signal caller, Matt Ryan, against the old franchise player, Michael Vick.  America loves a redemption story, but what kind of reception would Vick get in his return to the Georgia Dome?

2.  Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia. Bragging rights in the Keystone State hang in the balance.  If there's any defensive coordinator in the NFL that can put together a game plan to contain, slow and stop Eagles QB Michael Vick, it's Pittsburgh defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau.  The Steelers boast a plethora of defensive talent designed to deal with Vick.  Both quarterbacks, Vick and Ben Roethlisberger bring some past off the field baggage but both have used 2010 to write an ongoing redemption saga.  If you like speed, take your pick:  Eagles receiver duo of DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin and Pittsburgh's tandem of Mike Wallace and Emmanuel Sanders.  This would be the first time since Super Bowl XXIX (San Francisco vs. San Diego) in 1995 that would feature two teams from the same state facing each other in the Super Bowl.

1.  New England vs. Philadelphia. A rematch from 2005 when the Patriots defeated the Eagles 24-21 to win their second straight Super Bowl title and their third championship in four years.  Some of the faces and names have changed from five years back, but this one would generate probably the biggest and sexiest Super Bowl matchup from a ratings perspective.  Snagging the limelight of course would be the quarterback matchup of Tom Brady against Michael Vick.  Vick getting to his first Super Bowl, while ironically, Brady leading New England back to the Super Bowl for the first time since they defeated the Eagles in the big game.  In Brady and Vick, you have the leading candidates for the MVP race this season.  How unique would it be that Vick, the guy who Donovan McNabb helped bring to Philadelphia, ends up leading the Eagles to their first Super Bowl title instead of McNabb?

Vikings QB Brett Favre will not take the field Tuesday night in Philly for the game against the Eagles, as the team has ruled him out for the game after a concussion last week in a loss to the Bears.

NFL Network’s Jason LaCanfora reported that Favre has not recovered from his concussion, and he’s not even bothering to take the test before the game.

Rookie Joe Webb will draw the start, with Tarvaris Jackson on IR.

Jeremy Beal, OLB, Oklahoma, 6′3 261

Position Ranking: #3

Strengths: Jeremy Beal is a good athlete for his overall size and shows versatility as a stand-up linebacker and also as a down lineman as a defensive end. Has a very good lower body to play with a strong base; flashes good power and strength. Can contain the edge in run support on outside runs and is a sure tackler with the ballcarrier in front of him. Shows good quickness on inside stunt manuevers to catch interior lineman off balance and push the pocket. Very effective on inside loops.

Shows double moves in pass rush when releasing outside to quickly work back inside and be disruptive. Very good foot quickness. Has the closing burst teams want in a pass rusher. Used frequently in pass coverage and shows good awareness when playing zone. Has the length, awareness, and quickness to break on intended pass targets to disrupt the short passing game. Not tentative, and will throw his body around. Gets hands up quickly to bat throws down at the line of scrimmage. Has been extremely productive in a top conference, producing over 25 sacks in three seasons.

Needs Improvement: Pass rush moves are very basic, needs to develop more variety. Not always aggressive fighting through double teams. Though his overall size is good, his body is somewhat soft and his upper body strength will need to improve to disengage effectively from strong, long-armed offensive tackles at the next level. High release from a 3-point stance neutralizes his lower body power at times. He was often tied up in the run game, allowing lineman to get inside leverage and draw him away from the ball carrier. Doesn’t have elite initial quickness to get off the ball and explode past offensive tackles.

Bottom Line: Beal’s versatility makes him a very attractive prospect to many teams. He has the ability to play both inside and out as a linebacker in a 3-4 alignment and shows the athleticism to be an effective pass rusher as a defensive end in a 4-3 alignment. I feel his best fit would be as a rush or inside linebacker in a 3-4. His coverage skills are good and he has the size to play the run strong inside.

Most of Beal’s production came as a result of being a better athlete than his opponents at the collegiate level, which won’t be the case in the NFL. He’ll need to develop more variety with his pass rush and also be more consistent with his bend and technique to be a productive pass rusher. He has light feet and moves like he’s 30 pounds less than he really is. Jeremy Beal has a high ceiling and pro bowl potential if he continues to develop his game and add to his raw talents.

Draft Projection: 2nd round