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Shanoff’s Wake-Up Call: NFL Play-In Season

Dec 22, 2008, 1:42 PM UTC

Today’s Calls: Broncos vs. Chargers, Giants vs. Titans, Jets vs. Fins vs. Pats, Lions vs. History, Gartrell Johnson vs. DeAndre Brown, Minnesota Gophers vs. Stephen Curry, Celtics vs. Magic and More.â†µâ†µThe Opening Pitch: All NFL can fans can ask for is that Week 17 means something — that it is, to use a common Wake-Up Call phrase, “playoff-ish.”â†µ

â†µâ†µ(1) AFC West: The Ultimate Play-In. Because the Broncos are delivering one of the biggest regular-season chokes in NFL history, next week’s game vs. the Chargers is literally a “play-in” — winner takes the division; loser is out. (How can the hot Chargers — once 4-8 — NOT be up for this? It has also been tagged for a showcase on Sunday night in prime time, fitting for what is a playoff game in everything but name.)â†µ

â†µâ†µ(2) AFC East Mania: Schadenfavre! While Favre fans were celebrating his Pro Bowl bid from last week, he was busy throwing away the Jets’ control of their own destiny, losing to the lowly Seahawks in Seattle.â†µ

â†µâ†µIn the season finale, the Dolphins-Jets game is only a play-in if the Fins win; if the Pats beat the Bills and the Jets win, the Pats are in. The only way the Jets get in is by beating Miami, then hoping the Pats lose to the Bills (um, which they won’t).â†µ

â†µâ†µ(How wild will it be if/when the Pats don’t make the playoffs, even after winning 11 games? That hasn’t happened in nearly a quarter-century. Crazier still, the Pats would be a very popular pick to win the AFC. If that happens, maybe the Pats and Eagles should set up a “What If?” Bowl.)â†µ

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â†µ(3) NFC East/Wild Card: Just. One. Yard. When the Cowboys lost to the Ravens Saturday night, Eagles fans must have been thrilled; who would have guessed that their team — the NFC's hottest — would choke against the Redskins, held without a TD for the first time all season.â†µ

â†µâ†µNow, thanks to the Eagles being One Yard Short, the Cowboys control their own destiny — if they beat the Eagles, they’re in; if they lose, the spot is the Bucs’ to take (play at home vs. Oakland). And, suddenly, the Eagles need a TON of help. Again: What a difference one yard makes.â†µ

â†µâ†µ(I wouldn’t worry too much about the Vikings. Even though they play the Giants next week, with NFC home-field advantage locked up, do you really think the Giants are going to be playing anything but the B-team? Even if they lose, the Bears need to win tonight AND next week to jump Minnesota.)â†µ

â†µâ†µOtherwise, playoff seeding is entirely up for grabs — Division round home games are there to be had. Of course, if the 2007 Giants taught us anything, it was that home-field advantage is overrated. (Think the Chargers care?) That said. ...â†µ

â†µâ†µGiants win HFA: If people thought the Panthers had the most dominant rushing game in the NFC, the Giants wanted to offer a rebuttal — they rushed for 301 yards (the most for the team since ‘59) and they earned a tremendous win in OT, not only beating the next-best team in the NFC, but earning home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. What a difference a year makes, when the Giants had to go on the road all the way.â†µ

â†µâ†µMeanwhile, the Titans clinched AFC HFA, stifling the Steelers in a battle between the top two teams in the AFC. Tennessee obviously shook off last week’s loss; they had fallen off the radar as the team to beat in the AFC, and while they may not have the cachet of the Pats (if they make it) or the Chargers (if they make it), they have something those teams don’t — a locked-up playoff invite.â†µ

â†µâ†µThough I’m obsessed with teams still on the playoff bubble heading into Week 17, how about a brief nod to a team that took care of their business after 15 games: The Falcons, the most unlikely playoff team of the season and one of the great one-season turnaround stories of the decade. It is hard not to put Mike Smith at the top of the Coach of the Year list (and it is increasingly harder not to consider Matt Ryan for MVP, to go with his locked-up Rookie of the Year award).â†µ

â†µâ†µLions 0-16 Watch: 0-15! That, in and of itself, is history-making. No team has ever gone 0-15 before, although the entire season of ignominy can be wiped away with that single win next week. The difference between 1-15 and becoming the first 0-16 in league history is epic.â†µ

â†µâ†µThe Lions were worked over so severely yesterday by the Saints, it looks like they have already resigned themselves to the fate. (How bad did it get? Lions fans were openly cheering “Jo-ey! Jo-ey!” for Saints backup quarterback — and former Lions “franchise” QB — Joey Harrington.)â†µ

â†µâ†µLions fans got one piece of good news: They locked up the No. 1 overall pick of the 2009 NFL Draft. Now, before you say it, no: They won’t take WR Michael Crabtree. (I think.) No, they should look at how last season’s 1-15 team turned things around and take a franchise LT, Alabama’s Andre Smith.â†µ

â†µâ†µUm, then there’s the bad news: William Clay Ford Sr. announced yesterday that GM Martin Mayhew and COO Tom Lewand will both be back in 2009. Are you kidding me? After a season as historically bad as this one, it’s as appropriate a moment as any to clean house entirely.â†µ

â†µâ†µFantasy Studs (or, Who You Wish You Were Starting If You Were Playing For Your League Title This Week): QB Matt Cassel (345 yds, 3 TDs, 0 INTs). ... RB DeAngelo Williams (108 yards, 4 TDs) and RB Derrick Ward (215 yds) — and if you started Ward, a back-up, you DESERVE that fantasy championship. ... WR Visanthe Shiancoe (7 rec, 136 yds, 2 TD).â†µ

â†µâ†µTD Celebration of the Year: Wes Welker’s snow angel. Wow, that will be difficult to top. Watch it here.â†µ

â†µâ†µCFB Bowl Mania: The early schedule of bowl games are less notable for the teams involved than the chance for epic performances. So the New Mexico Bowl between Fresno State and Colorado State wasn’t on your East Coast biased radar? Should have been: CSU RB Gartrell Johnson put on a show — 285 yards rushing (second-most ever in a bowl, any bowl) and 90 yards receiving (for 375 total yards rushing and receiving, an FBS postseason record).â†µ

â†µâ†µMeanwhile, Southern Miss beat Troy last night in the New Orleans Bowl, but not before the game’s unfortunate highlight — a gruesome injury to Golden Eagles leading WR DeAndre Brown. See it here, but be warned — it’s graphic.â†µ

â†µâ†µMust-See: Spencer Hall at the magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl -- in video!â†µ

â†µâ†µCBB: What did we learn from a wild weekend of games?â†µ

â†µâ†µ(1) Did anyone see Minnesota coming?â†µ

â†µâ†µ(2) UConn proved itself worthy of No. 2.â†µ

â†µâ†µ(3) Tough road wins matter (Michigan State).â†µ

â†µâ†µ(4) It was so wrong to dismiss Duke.â†µ

â†µâ†µ(5) Jonny Flynn should be 1st-team All-American.â†µ

â†µâ†µ(6) Who’s this Stephen Curry again?â†µ

â†µâ†µNBA Instant History: The Celtics keep pace with history. Eighteen straight wins ties a franchise record. A 26-2 start ties the NBA record for the best start to a season by a team with two losses. And Rajon Rondo (26 pts — 18 pts in the 3rd) keeps making the case that it’s really a “Big Four.”â†µ

â†µâ†µMeanwhile, the weekend’s other big winner was the Magic. After beating the Spurs on Thursday night, they took out the best-in-West Lakers on Saturday in Orlando (despite Kobe’s season-high 41). Orlando is hot (four straight Ws, 8-2 in December) going into its Xmas Day tip-off vs. CP3 and the Hornets.â†µ

â†µâ†µA big Cavs win (clearly: Durant is no LeBron) is eclipsed by this ridiculous meme that LeBron might sign early with the Cavs, before his well-publicized 2010 opt-out for free agency.â†µ

â†µâ†µDon’t be fooled, Cleveland fans! He is playing you (and everyone else) to raise your hopes, yes, but mainly to manipulate the popular perception he’s gone. He’s still leaving; he’s simply managing the expectations better than he did a month ago.â†µ

â†µâ†µMLB Hot Stove: Teixeira Watch. Wait, so the Angels are now OUT of the bidding? This, after the Red Sox already say — or claimed — that they wouldn’t be a factor in the bidding. Does that mean that the Nationals are poised to out-bid everyone for him? Or were the Sox just bluffing?â†µ

â†µâ†µMeanwhile, are the Yankees going after Manny? (Or, perhaps, will they be a late entrant into the Teixeira bidding?) I still think that for maximum dramatic value, New York HAS to import Ramirez — it would become baseball’s biggest circus (even more than usual, by New York standards).â†µ

â†µâ†µ(Enjoy a good internet rumor? This one says Manny will sign today or tomorrow with the Yankees for $75M over three years.)â†µ

â†µâ†µCFB Coaching Carousel: What is the over-under on David Cutcliffe sticking around for the full two years through 2015? Given his success in a single year turning around one of the historically worst programs in college football, I wouldn’t go past 2010. ... Meanwhile, this whole Auburn-Iowa State hiring commute is making me dizzy.â†µ

â†µâ†µThe Last Word: Why (or how) is Mount Union still in Division III? With their 10th title, they are obviously not a D-3 program. Once you reach double-digits in national titles at the lower divisions, you should be forced to move up.â†µ

â†µâ†µDan Shanoff writes The Wake-Up Call every weekday morning for SportingNews.com and blogs daily at DanShanoff.com. Got any comments, questions or feedback? Email Dan at shanofftsn-[at]-gmail-[dot]-com. â†µ

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