Jeff Fisher, Longest Tenured Coach No Longer

The Tennessee Titans announced that Jeff Fisher would no longer be coaching the team. This comes as a bit of a shock. Just last month, in a battle of wills, it seemed that Fisher had won out to remain in Tennessee instead of embattled former number three pick Vince Young. Owner Bud Adams decided differently on Thursday night. There have been reports that the possible final straw was the push that Fisher made for his son to be given a position with the Titans, though Adams had made it a policy to not hire family members within the organization.

Fisher was the longest tenured coach in the NFL, but he longevity with Tennessee did not get him a pass in Adams' mind. Having had disagreements in the past, and with the team finishing below .500, Adams decided a new direction is necessary.

Having been the head coach since 1994, Fisher had been coaching the team since before they came to Tennessee, back when they were the Houston Oilers. His career record as the Titans head man was 147-126, though in his 17 seasons the team was over .500 only six times. Fisher did lead them to Super Bowl XXXIV, in a narrow defeat at the hands of Kurt Warner and the St. Louis Rams, in one of the better and closer Super Bowls. Unfortunately, Fisher had recorded 11 losing seasons, and losing streaks of five games in a season at some point in five of the last seven seasons.

The question is where to next? Could it be a hire within with someone like Mike Munchak. Or will they go outside the organization and bring in someone like a Perry Fewell or Russ Grimm. The other questions hanging out there, does this change the future of Vince Young? Many had thought that it was either Fisher or Young, now with Fisher gone do the Titans backpedal and hold onto Young? That should be an interesting debate inside Titans camp, especially with Adams' public approval of Young.

The Knee Injury Heard 'Round The World

So how many people were coming out and attacking Jay Cutler during Sunday's game? Simple, a lot. Former players, current players, sportswriters, casual fans, everyone had their own opinion, and many were not in favor of Cutler. He was certainly trending on Twitter.

There were a lot of things being said: 'He is not that hurt, why is he still on the sideline,' 'He has been standing the whole time, how hurt can he be?' 'he has no heart, he is just scared to play out there,' 'he is a wimp, how can he not go back in now, he can't be hurt that bad, he just can't take it,' and finally 'if I was on the Bears I would not be able to stand it, he better not come in the locker room. I would be playing no matter what.'

Maybe some of those are fair to say, maybe not, but the way it was a storm of criticism it was certainly as much the talk of the two teams making it to the Super Bowl. So, with Monday came the MRI that everyone was waiting for, and the results...a sprained MCL (which can also be referred to as a torn MCL, not everyone understands that and has jumped on his back that much more with the word sprain being used).

Now I am a Cutler fan, and I for one was not thrilled with everyone calling him out and jumping on his back having no facts of which to back what they were saying up with. What I will say about Cutler is that he has gotten abused in his football career, and always stood back up and been in that huddle the next play. At Vanderbilt, in the vaunted SEC, they had by far the worst team most of his career, and he got manhandled. He won SEC player of the year as a senior and he never just sat out against teams like Florida, let alone in the NFC Championship game. Last year and this year with the Bears, he was getting clobbered, sacked a record amount of times early on, but he was still getting up and competing, in games that were not the NFC Championship game.

So why would he then say I can't do this anymore, knowing the storm that he was walking into? He had to truly have something wrong, and then we also find out that doctor's and coaches are making these decisions. Then on Monday the reports that he has a torn MCL and it is a grade II, which typically lends itself to a three to four week minimum recovery time. So to call him out I think is unfair, and unprofessional.

The worst part in all of this, the Bears defense is getting no credit for keeping that team in the game with shutting down the new quarterback darling and hottest player/offense in the NFL.

Lastly, I love all of those who had comments, for the most part, now taking steps back and trying to change their words and what they said, or how they were aimed. I wish that people would now take the criticism that they deserve, rather than say they never questioned the injury, but how he was acting. The fact that they try to insult the intelligence of people is almost a joke, because those who have seen and read those comments know exactly what was being said. To step back now and try and say otherwise is a joke, and they look like cowards and fools. You said it, accept it and say you were wrong and should not have jumped the gun. This is the beauty of a network like Twitter, people can give knee jerk reactions, and now they should feel the effects of doing the wrong thing, not try and lie their way out of it. Sad really.

Green Bay Back To The Super Bowl, Led By Defense

The game's first drive started out the way that all the "experts" said that it would, Aaron Rodgers finding Greg Jennings a couple of times for big gains, well timed and blocked run plays, and a touchdown for the Packers, 7-0. That was supposed to happen for most of the game, just Rodgers and Packers domination. Then it was 14-0 as the Packers were moving the ball, and it seemed like this one was going to be like last week in Atlanta. Then the Bears defense started playing, and Brian Urlacher would not let this game get away from them.

From that point on Aaron Rodgers was intercepted twice, and the Bears defense did not give up any more points. The Packers were still able to move the ball a little bit, but the Bears and their defense were not going to let this game be lost by them. They took the Packers best hit and said 'oh no, we are still here.' Problem is the offense for the Bears could not do the same, and that's because the Packers defense had something to say about this game too.

Jay Cutler left the game early in the third quarter because of an injury to his knee that will get an MRI, but before that he was not exactly effective. He threw for only 80 yards and was picked off once, for a nice quarterback rating of about 30. Todd Collins came in for a couple of drives, only to be taken out because of terrible play, and in comes Caleb Hanie.

Hanie was able to get the job done to a certain extent though, leading both of the touchdown drives for the Bears, making it a game again. The Packers defense was not going to lose this game to the third string quarterback though after how they had manhandled the first two. In between those two touchdowns Hanie did throw another touchdown, only it was taken in by 337 pound defensive tackle B.J. Raji on a Packer interception. The game winner as it turned out.

That was not the only play made by the Packers though, rookie Sam Shields also picked off Hanie on their final drive attempt to cement the win, and the Packers their fifth trip to Super Bowl Sunday. The Packers took a knee and that was all she wrote.

This was a defensive game through and through, and both of them played extremely well. The Bears were able to take the Packers punches early and then completely shut down the hottest team and offense in the NFL, and do it rather convincingly. The Packers were the defense that made the plays for the win though, as that pick six was what won this game for Green Bay, and what sets up a date with the Pittsburgh Steelers in a Super Bowl that will be rich in tradition.

The efforts of Brian Urlacher can not go unmentioned though, as he was everywhere on the field, and did everything possible to get his team the win. If he could have played quarterback he might have. Urlacher not only intercepted Aaron Rodgers on a huge play in the red zone, bu he had 10 tackles, nine of which were solo, a pass deflection, and a sack in the first half that forced the Packers out of field goal range and had to punt. He was a beast on the field, and it is a shame that he had to walk off the field without a win.

Packers Versus Bears, take 182

The Packers visit the Bears on Sunday, making this the NFL record 182nd meeting between the two. So these two teams might know a little bit about each other. This year in their two games they split, with each team winning at home in one score games. So who will be heading to the Super Bowl then, the red hot team in the Packers, or the stout defensive juggernaut at home?

The Bears have Soldier Field on their side, so their is a tiny victory before the game even starts. The biggest key for the Bears today will be pass protection though. The Bears may try to run the ball, show a lot of run early to keep them honest, but the Packers and everyone watching know the Bears with Jay Cutler and Mike Martz want to pass the ball. The offensive line has progressed immensely this year, but today they need to keep Cutler upright in order to win. Give Cutler time and he will make the throws necessary to give the Bears a chance to win.

Secondly, just like the Bears will try to do, the Packers will want to try and run the ball for balance, and the Bears must shut James Starks and that running game down. If they are able to do what they did all year then they should be able to eliminate the balance from the Packers offense. Knowledge is power with a defense as good as the Bears, and if you give them a solid game plan to execute they will almost always do it well. They need to pressure Aaron Rodgers, and that first step might be stopping the running game.

The Packers are as hot a team as there is, and they will be hitting on all cylinders presumably the way they are going. In order for them to win, they have to rely on games from a pair of players on each side of the ball. On the defensive side it is those two that you would look to if you are a Packers fan in Charles Woodson and Clay Matthews. The two are two of the most elite pass rushers at their positions, and if they can get to Cutler early then this game could be under the Packers control throughout.

On offense the Packers will get what is expected from Rodgers, Greg Jennings and Donald Driver. The two that will make or break this game for that offense are James Jones and Jordy Nelson. These two are going to find themselves open and getting balls thrown to them, if they can make plays and move the ball then the Packers will be in good shape. The more balls they catch early, the more open Jennings and Driver may be later in the game. Their offense is already great, if these two have solid games they will be hard to stop, even for the Bears.

This game should be a close, hard fought grudge match between two teams that do not like each other. It really is a matter of are you going with the Bears defense or the Packers offense. My head says to go with the Packers, but my heart says the Bears will step up at Soldier Field. The heart just might win out this time.

Head Prediction Packers 21 Bears 13
Heart Prediction Bears 20 Packers 14

Football Has Three Facets, Who Has Best Special Teams

Everyone says that you have to win all three facets of the football game to win, you have to win special teams so that you can control the field position. These teams seem to be the haves and the have nots when it comes to special teams though. They are well equipped, or they have their problems in terms of special teams.

1. Chicago Bears

The Bears could be put number one in this ranking for one guy alone, the NFL career leader in return touchdowns, Devin Hester. He is the most dangerous player in the league, and he can always return a kick, no matter the coverage and the placement. He is a one man wrecking crew, and you simply should not kick it to him.

They also are a good coverage team on their own kicks, and they have maybe the best kicker remaining in the playoffs in Robbie Gould. Gould is among the best kickers in the NFL, and this year he went 25-30 kicking, and has made nearly 86% of his kicks in his career. This year he went three of four from over 50 yards as well, so he has the distance. He has only missed two kicks in the second half of the season on top of it, and throughout his career he has hit game winning field goals for the Bears, and at Soldier Field.

2. New York Jets

The Jets have a pretty good return game of their own, and they are able to throw numerous returners back there that can really get a great return, and even numerous guys scoring a touchdown for them.

Brad Smith is the main return guy, when healthy, and he is a feared return man throughout the league. He has returned three kicks in the last two years, including two this year, with a return average of over 28 yards. When Smith isn't in there they can then throw one of the fastest players in the NFL into the return game with Antonio Cromartie, who really was a big part in the win over the Indianapolis Colts, with his big kickoff return on the game winning drive for the Jets. Then they can throw Santonio Holmes out there, or Jerricho Cotchery, both of which that have kickoff returns in their careers.

Their punter, Steve Weatherford, averaged over 42 yards per punt this year and was able to get 42 punts inside the 20, with only four touchbacks, in a solid campaign. Then Nick Folk is a solid kicker, who will be remembered for that game winning kick against the Colts in that Wild Card match up to help get the Jets this far.

3. Green Bay Packers

The Packers return game is solid, with Jordy Nelson as a more than serviceable return man, but they are not exactly anything to write home about. The key for the Packers in the return games is to just make sure that they cover their own kicks well. They are a team that relies heavily on their offense to move the ball, and their defense to stop it.

Mason Crosby however is one of the better kickers in the NFL, with a big leg, which is why the Packers find themselves in the top three. While he had a slow year going only 22-28, his long was a 56 yarder, and he can kick it with anyone from distance. Though one of his misses did come against Chicago this year, his only missed field goal against the NFC North division this year.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers do not have the return game that they once had. They had Holmes returning kicks for them and they were dangerous. Back when Antwan Randle-El was there in his first stint, he was one of the better return men in the league. He has now gotten older and his dangerousness has left him a little bit. Like the Packers the Steelers more rely on their ability to cover their kicks, rather than returning them.

The kicking game is not up to par with the other three teams as well. Heinz Field took Jeff Reed and spit him out, leading them to bring in a new kicker after releasing their long time starter, in the middle of the year. Their kicking game has been fine, with Shaun Suisham coming in and going 14-15 this year, but the confidence can only go so far in a player who was brought in mid-year.

When it comes to these teams the Bears with Hester and Gould, and then the Jets and their plethora of return men, they are heads and shoulders above the others. In these conference championships those should definitely be advantages for those two.

Defense Is Said To Win Championships

It's the famous cliche, defense wins championships. This season makes it not seem so cliche though, given that the four teams still playing all have some of the top defenses, if not arguably the four top defenses, in the NFL. The Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers, New York Jets and Chicago Bears all dominated at one point or another the defensive landscape this year. They were all able to shut teams down and really get them to where they are now. Which defense is the best though?

1. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers are the king of kings when it comes to the defensive side of the ball. Their rankings are great, their schemes and coaches are great, and they simply have great players in their positions.

Their coaching staff consists of the youngest coach to ever win a Super Bowl, and a former defensive backs coach, so they got that going for them. The actual defensive coordinator though, he was just inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this past August. Dick LeBeau is one of the greatest defensive minds that the NFL has ever seen, and he is the man behind the madness of the Steelers defense, an amazing advantage to have with their schemes.

In Troy Polamalu they have arguably the best safety in the league, and one of the all time great safeties to ever play the position. He is everywhere on the field, and seemingly able to diagnose every single play, and able to meet the ball. Their rest of the secondary is great, but outshined by the linebacker unit that has one of the elite linebackers in James Harrison. This defense is full of play makers and elite talent, including pass rusher Lamarr Woodley who has recorded double digit sacks in each of the last three seasons, after only four as a rookie.

Finally, to name them the number one all you have to do is look at their rankings in the NFL. In total yards per game defense the Steelers were number one at an amazing only 126 per game, 91 passing yards against per game which was tops in the NFL, and came in second by a yard with only 35 rushing yards per game. They also led the league only allowing an average of 14.5 points a game. Every which way you look at this defense they are the best defense remaining, simply because they were the best defense in the league. The next three spots are the tough ones to choose.

2. Chicago Bears

Who had the Chicago Bears winning the NFC North and making it to the NFC Championship game this year? Yeah I doubt there were too many predicting that, but the reason they are where they are is because of that defense that they have. As much of a team defense that you will find, they play spectacularly off of one another. Whether it be the secondary playing as one, or Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs attacking from the linebacker positions, and then you have an incredibly strong and disciplined defensive line with Julius Peppers, who is a top five defensive end.

The Bears are also led by Lovie Smith, who was a standout defensive coordinator before head coach of the Bears, and Rod Marinelli was in the same position, a top defensive coordinator that got a head coaching opportunity. When that did not workout he finds himself back in a comfortable spot doing what he is great at.

The Bears are an incredible team defense, their rankings rival that of the Steelers this year, as they finished fourth in points per game at a shade under 18, as well as total defense, while edging out the Steelers for fewest rushing yards allowed per game. And when you want to look at a game they played, week 17 against the red hot offense from the Packers they only allowed 10 points in a must win at Green Bay for the Packers, showing them nothing but base defense.

3. New York Jets

The New York Jets are easily one of the most feared defenses in the league, earning them respect from all teams. They have a solid defensive line headed by Shaun Ellis. A linebacking core that Bart Scott anchors, creating one of the most lethal blitzing defenses and run stoppers. Then their secondary is headlined by two of the best cover corners in the NFL. They are a team built around their solid defense.

Rex Ryan is the third head coach we have talked about, and the third who comes from a strong defensive coordinator background. As a defensive coordinator he was able to develop the Baltimore Ravens into the best defense in the NFL, and the work he put in there, along with their personnel, has allowed them to remain a top five defense with his departure a couple of years ago. Talk about lineage as well, his brother his currently one of the better defensive coordinators in the NFL currently, and their father Buddy Ryan is known as one of the best defensive coordinators in NFL history. It is no wonder the defense is so strong for the Jets with him at the helm.

While the Jets have good stats among the NFL leaders in point allowed per game finishing sixth, seventh in yards per game, and sixth in rushing yards per game. They were easily a top 10, numbers wise top 6 defense.

The thing that makes them such a good defense is their secondary, mainly their cornerbacks. Having Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie on the outside is what makes this defense ranked number three of the four remaining teams. Revis is widely considered the best cornerback in the NFL, with some going as far lately to put him in the best ever talks, and Cromartie is on the short list of cover corners you would want on your team.

In the playoffs Revis and company have shut down two of the top offenses in the NFL, holding the Colts and Patriots to only 37 total points. Revis held Pro Bowl wide receiver to only one catch in the Wild Card match up. Revis has the ability to shut down a receiver he is covering completely, making them the number three defense.

4. Green Bay Packers

The Packers defense is good enough to be the number two defense on this list, but with Revis being able to almost single handedly shut down half the field to go along with the Jets pass rush, and the performance in their base defense, to go along with their statistical output over the whole season, by the Bears against the Packers in week 17, the Packers find themselves at number four.

Then again statistically speaking the Packers were among the top five in rushing yards per game allowed, total yards per game allowed, sacks, and interceptions. They are statistically more impressive than the Jets, and equal to the Bears. Dom Capers is also one of the better defensive minds in the NFL, and a great read of talent.

With the stats that they have you can assume their personnel is amongst the best in the league. With Clay Matthews and Charles Woodson on the defense they have last year's defensive player of the year, and probably this year's defensive player of the year. Matthews finished fourth in the league in sacks, to go along with his 60 tackles. Woodson is all over the field, one of the most lethal blitzing cornerbacks in the league, and a great cover corner. Those two, along with Pro Bowl snub Tramon Williams, put the Packers into the upper echelon of the NFL defenses.

The common factor that all of these teams have are elite players at their positions, but also incredible defensive minds. The abilities of these coaches and staffs to use their abilities to the upmost of their potential is what have these defenses playing so well, and these teams in their conference championships.

It's A Passing League, Who Has the Best Receiving Corp?

The most solid part of the passing game is obviously the quarterbacks, but The Four Corners of Sports already ranked the remaining quarterbacks, and you can read that here. The passing game we are going to talk about is all about the routes, the hands, the speed, elusiveness that the receivers bring to the game. This ranking will include the complete passing game, the receivers, running backs and tight ends.

1. New York Jets

This might be surprising to people, but the Jets definitely have the best overall passing game. Now if Mark Sanchez was factored into this then there would be differences, both because of his rank amongst the remaining quarterbacks, and just their overall skills. The other passing games don't have the depth of talent that the Jets does though.

Just look at the receivers that the Jets have in Santonio Holmes, Braylon Edwards and Jerricho Cotchery. A few years ago Cotchery was the number one receiver in a decent passing game for the Jets, and since then they have added two Pro Bowl receivers to the mix. Holmes has won two Super Bowls, and was the MVP in the second of the two with his unforgettable late game-winning catch. Then when you look at Edwards he has had a touchdown in two of his last three playoff games, in addition to the huge catch on the game winning drive against the Colts in the Wild Card round this year. Edwards and Cotchery both rank in the top five in yards this postseason, both passing the 100 yard mark so far.

Not only do the Jets have those receivers, but also one of the best, if not the best, receiving running backs of the last decade in LaDanian Tomlinson, who was able to score the first touchdown of the game against the Patriots on Sunday with a very smooth over the should catch in the second quarter. On top of that Dustin Keller might not be the best overall tight end remaining, but he is arguably the most skilled tight end left in the passing game. Just another target for Sanchez to find on the field.

The Jets have the total package, tight end, running back, and three receivers that can get it done, and get it done when it matters. They are deserving of the number one passing game in terms of receivers.

2. Green Bay Packers

With the Packers passing game, due to injuries, they are receiver heavy. The receivers they have though is more than enough to put them into the number two slot in this ranking. Aaron Rodgers is amazing, but he doesn't lack any talent when it comes to his receivers.

Greg Jennings is on a short list when you are talking about the best receivers in the NFL right now. He is a superb at route running, and is very quick in his cuts, giving him opportunities to lose the defense before he even unleashes his great speed. During the regular season he had nearly 1,300 yards and found himself tied with Calvin Johnson for second in the league with 12 receiving touchdowns.

This postseason Donald Driver has stepped up his game, coming off a bit of a down year for him. In the playoffs though he has caught the third most yards, and has had four catches over 20 yards already. He is constantly a safety valve for Rodgers, and continues to maintain his speed and route running skills. He was surpassed this year, in terms of yards only, by James Jones. The young speedster gives the passing game another element on the outside, and might have given them a better chance of getting bumped up to the top spot if it weren't for his suspect hands at times.

The tight end position was strong to start the year for the Packers, but with injuries they are not getting the same production from there, and the running backs are only check downs for the most part, though Brandon Jackson was able to score a very important screen pass touchdown against the Eagles.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers

This year was a breakout year for Mike Wallace, and he alone puts them in the third spot. Unfortunately in these rankings the rest of the cast was not enough to move them up further. Their lack of real diversity is what keeps them in this third spot.

Mike Wallace is that home run threat that teams are looking for, the DeSean Jackson type of receiver. Wallace was able to finish fifth in the league in yards, with over 1,250 of them, and came in second on yard per catch average only to Jackson, by those with over 20 catches. With his 10 touchdowns Wallace is Roethlisberger's biggest threat, and he will have to deal with that in these playoffs, as he will probably see Darrelle Revis across from him Sunday.

Hines Ward is still a very productive number two receiver, and he will do a lot in the blocking game, but he is losing some of that speed he once had. He will give them looks over the middle and screens, but not quite what he used to. The team will rely on the young guys to step up, the way that Emmanuel Sanders did last week against the Ravens when he had four receptions for 54 yards. Heath Miller is also an option for the Steelers, he had a touchdown reception against the Ravens, and though he is more of a blocking tight end Roethlisberger is able to trust Miller when he throws his way.

The Steelers have maybe the most explosive receiver left, though the Bears receivers might have something to say about that, in Wallace, and a plethora of possession receivers to go with the blossoming young guys.

4. Chicago Bears

The Bears have a group of receivers that could be among the most explosive and dangerous in the league, they just do not seem to make the progressions that a James Jones and Mike Wallace do, and seem to stick in their roles they have had over the years. Devin Hester and Johhny Knox could be two of the most feared receivers on the outside, but they just have not reached that level yet, and that is why they find themselves in the fourth spot of these rankings.

They have two of the best receiving running backs in Matt Forte and Chester Taylor. They are both wonderful options out of the backfield for Jay Cutler, and both have thrived in the offense. Forte had three receiving touchdowns on the year, including a game in which he caught over 150 yards. He also had seven games that he averaged double digit yards per catch. Taylor was not used nearly as much as he has been in the pass, but before the Bears was the third down back for the Vikings because of his ability to catch out of the backfield.

Greg Olsen at tight end is extremely talented and can take over a game. Last week against the Seattle Seahawks he had three catches for 118 yards and a touchdown, including a touchdown on Cutler's first pass attempt to give the Bears a quick 7-0 lead.

The Bears have talent on the outside, a good tight end and very capable running backs. If those two receivers on the outside were to develop, this time next year the Bears would be finding themselves higher up on a list like this.