AGRI Biz

á All Denver and Jacksonville had to do was win to become virtual (though not mathematical) locks to secure the AFC wildcards.á In the NFC the Cowboys and Giants could solidified the NFC race with wins, yet instead watched Philadelphia leapfrog ahead to the division lead while the Cowboys and Giants appear to be fighting for that sixth seed now. In a weekend that could have been filled with coffin nails, hope ...

For every feel-good rise to playoff relevance (see Saints, New Orleans) there is some team from the year before that has taken a fall from grace (see Steelers, Pittsburgh).á But just why does a team with a strong history and good outlook suffer setbacks?á How does the luster fade so quickly?á It is surprisingly easy.á The first team to suffer a drastic turnaround is Tennessee.á Winning five of the last six has ...

Up until now, the biggest story of the 2009 NFL season has been the dueling undefeated's. Never before have two teams gone without a loss this deep into a season. Neither closes the season with only "cupcake" matchups, yet every game remaining looks very winnable for both. With a great opportunity to not only advance to 16-0, but follow that with a historic meeting of two 18-0 teams at the Super ...

In 2009 San Diego spent a seventh round draft pick on wide receiver Demetrius Byrd.á This was a player who they knew would not play in 2009, and might not ever play.á They took the chance because it was a late draft pick that went towards a late second-round quality player. Assuming health permits his return to the football field, this could potentially beáa great bargain for the team. Another player ...

Sometimes utter collapse can be better for a team than showing some reason for optimism, especially in the closing half of a season. Miami is a perfect example of this.á The 1ù15 debacle two years ago was the trigger for a thorough purge that rapidly charged the team back to respectability. After a division crown last year, they will most likely miss the playoffs this time around, with injuries and an ...

San Diego won its seventh game in a row en route to a 9-3 record, maintaining pace over the Cincinnati Bengals for the second seed (same records, Chargers hold the tie-breaker) and the Denver Broncos for the division (a one game edge). They also saw the New England Patriots drop two games back in the race for a bye, and Ladainian Tomlinson surpass Jim Brown for eighth on the all-time ...

Whether it is favorites for division winners, or simply who will likely make the playoffs at all, the seasonÆs three-quarter mark of twelve games elapsed has seen some clarity begin to take shape. Certain candidates essentially dropped from the race while others stepped up to add some foundation to formerly creaky positions. HereÆs how the games stacked up: á Cardinals Crush VikingsùThirteen points is a bit scant to call crushing, but it was ...

What had initially taken shape as an article triggered by a FoxSports injury report listing Eric Weddle, Luis Castillo, and Shawne Merriman all likely to miss next weekÆs game pondering the recent injury history of San Diego took an unexpected turn.á This year the injuries may mean something different for San Diego, or I should say in not meaning anything they mean a lot (does your head hurt yet?). All teams ...

On the heels of responding to a comment on an older article projecting the impact of the Chris Chambers loss for the Chargers (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/283860-what-losing-chambers-means-to-sd-if-anything ), I realized something quite interesting. Cutting the better player (Chris Chambers rather than Craig Davis) might just prove to be a move of accidental genius on the part of A.J. Smith. At present, the Denver Broncos are a game back of San Diego, with two fairly ...

After several weeks of big upsets and topsy turvy results, we finally had a weekend that really separated a lot of playoff wheat from chaff.á A few surprising results ensued, as always, yet the biggest factor is the number of teams taken out of the race. Cowboys beat RaidersùWith the Eagles taking a victory against the Redskins, Dallas used the victory to maintain a one game advantage with five games remaining. ...