Now that the regular season has determined who the 6 team are that will vie for  the coveted Lombardi trophy, let’s take a look at the Saturday’s Wild Card match ups of the first round of these 2013 playoffs.

Game 1 Bengals vs Texans. The Texans have gone into a slid losing the last 2 games of the year and losing the #1 seed and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Psychologically, it has to have an adverse affect on this football team. You want to be peaking at this time of the year, not looking for answers.

The Bengals defensively present some problems for the Texans as one of the leagues better units. They lead the league in sacks and can generate pressure with just their front 4 as well as Mike Zimmer’s sophisticated blitz package. The  main factor for the Texans will be if they can get Arian Foster going. If they can the pressure on Matt Schaub will be minimal and he will be able to manage the game, if not the Texans will lose this game. Matt Schaub in my opinion is the lynch pin, he can make all of the throws, but he becomes very average when he has to carry the team throwing it 40 plus times. 

The Bengals offense can present some issues with their run game with BenJarvis green-Ellis and Andy Dalton has enough good receivers (AJ Green & co) to utilize play-action passing. The Texans defense has struggled, teams have beat them with balance and Marvin Lewis knows they cannot allow JJ Watt and that Texans defense to tee off on Dalton. The Bengals will make the Texans one dimensional to take the win, 24-14.

Game 2,  Vikings vs Packers, it is hard enough to play a team twice in one season, let alone a third time. They know each other extremely well and know what the dynamics are of winning and losing this match up. The Packers need to limit Adrian Peterson and that’s a tall order; he’s rushed for 409 yds on 55 carries and 3 TD’s in the 2 previous games. If they can make the Vikings one dimensional Christian Ponder will struggle.

Aaron Rodgers has the full compliment of his receiving corp available, the Packers will post points. A running game will make the Packers indefensible, but they’ve struggled to find a rushing attack all season, the Vikings consistently pressured Rodgers last week. Some tweaks and adjustments are forthcoming for the Packer offense and the Vikings secondary is beat up, Rodgers will look to take advantage of the Vikings young replacements. They will be groomed and coached to expect to see the previous Packers tendencies, but McCarthy and Rodgers adjustments will make a huge difference. Packers win 32-14.

Seth Joyner

As the NFL coaching carousel turns, and with the college bowl season wrapping up, vacancies should start to fill up very quickly.

The Kansas City Chief’s and Andy Reid have agreed that he will be their next head coach. The interview early on seem to have gone well enough for Reid to cancel other interviews with the Arizona Cardinals and potentially the San Diego Chargers.

Andy Reid is the type of coach who like to do things his way. The fact that the Chiefs are willing to give Reid control and power over player personnel matters was the deciding factor. Ultimately a head coach knows the type of players that fit their offensive and defensive systems. I liken a head coach to a chef, a he never sends someone else to shop for the ingredients he will use to cook, he does all the shopping, because he knows what’s necessary to create his dishes. Likewise head coaches like to evaluate and bring in the type of players they feel will give them the best chance to succeed.

Andy’s success as a head coach is unquestionable, 9 playoff appearances in 14 seasons, 5 trips to the NFC Championship game and 1 trip to the Super Bowl validates his ability to be a good coach in the NFL.

What I question is why the Chiefs, beyond control. They are a team that has great talent, but most of it is on the defensive side of the ball, with 5 Pro Bowlers on that side of the ball. But on the offensive side they are abysmal at best, with major questions at the QB, OL and WR position. Although Reid has worked wonders with a variety of QB’s in the past, his options at the moment are limited at best with Matt Cassel and Brady Quinn, and this years draft is thin as far as QB’s go. So you have to ask, is this a total rebuild in KC, in a league that demands that head coaches to win now? The Chiefs are a prime candidate for a rebuild for their long term benefit, at least on the offensive side of the ball. Is this what KC and Reid has agreed to? He was successful in turning the Philadelphia Eagles around and providing organizational stability, will he be given the time, resources and players to do the same in Kansas City is the big the question moving forward.

With the proper staff defensively, this team can be good, they were built by Romeo Crennel and if he is good at any facet of coaching it is at defensive football. But the problems with this football team is clearly offensive production and this will be Reid’s challenge. What moves will he make and how much will he uses RB Jamaal Charles given his desire to pass, and lastly how will he improve the QB and WR positions. With the 1st pick in this years NFL draft, that’s a great place to start.

Seth Joyner

This debate was extremely interesting to say the least, to hear from current coaches, former players collegiate as well as professional, conference commissioners and broadcasters was quite insightful.

I don’t think that much was really resolved, but the first step in resolution is always conversation. As a former collegiate and professional football player I could relate to all sides of the argument.

I’m of the opinion that the coaches and colleges face many problems and issues, but at the end of the day things always boil down to the all mighty dollar. The argument with regards to education is thoroughly agreed upon, but the reason we encourage kids to go to college and get a degree is for the future betterment of themselves to be good people and beneficial to society. And yet the prize is always to make money in the end.

All of their goals and hopes point to money, that’s what is assumed a good education will provide for the person who attains it. For the lion share of collegiate athletes, turning pro and getting a handsome contract is the fulfillment of going through four years of college. We do live in a new world as it pertains to collegiate sports, and as old school as some of the panelists claim to be, the old world of college sports they knew has drastically changed forever and no longer exists.

The money has grown immensely and the marketing of star players has contributed to that growth. The players now realize their worth to universities and their revenues, and rightfully want a share, legally or illegally. Why should the universities and the BCS make millions, if not billions while the players who create the wealth, live in virtual poverty. I realize that it is a difficult problem to solve, but a scholarship-ed athlete according to NCAA rules is not allowed to work, so how are they to attain money for the basic needs of life? As long as there are alum who will offer them the money, they will take it.

I can remember being a college athlete and never having money for a thing. I took deodorant and soap from the locker room for my needs at the dorm. Yes we got room and board, paid tuition and 3 square meal per day, at 7 AM, 12 PM and 7 PM, by 9 PM I was hungry again. I was 17 yrs old with no option or money for a snack or additional meals between that 12 hour window until breakfast. And while the coaches and those who oppose paying these college kids are sitting at home in their cushy million dollar homes, with refrigerators fill to the brim, I was starving in my 10 x 10 dorm room.

Much talk has gone on about the cost of attendance, and while that would be a start, some schools would be at a greater advantage than others. $2000-$3000 per year, divided by 40 weeks, comes out to $75 per week or $10 per day. Hardly enough to make a difference or stop a kid from accepting money from a willing alum.

Clearly something needs to be done, it is an issue that will not go away and has come to a head in college athletics. I’m not saying that we should make these kids millionaires in college. But a sufficient stipend that allows them to take care of their basic needs, go see a movie or take a young lady or gentleman out on a date would go a long way in rectifying this problem.

Seth Joyner