Countdown to the Super Bowl: 9 days
Posted By Admin on January 27, 2012
We’re just nine days from the Super Bowl. Single digits, everybody! Are you excited yet? 
NFL.com Blogs
Sterling Moore and Split-Play WPA
Posted By Admin on January 26, 2012
Sterling Moore posted a stellar +0.47 +WPA in Sunday's AFC championship game. That's very good — only Patrick Willis (+0.52) and teammate Dane Fletcher (+0.49) beat that mark for defenders on championship weekend. After all, Moore made arguably the defensive play of the weekend when he knocked what would have been the go-ahead touchdown pass out of Lee Evans's hands with mere seconds to go.
But most of Moore's +WPA actually comes from his contributions on the following play, the failed third down pass targeted for Dennis Pitta which set up the fateful fourth down on which Billy Cundiff kicked the Ravens out of the playoffs. The Ravens were still in excellent shape on that third down, and the failure to convert or score a touchdown took their win probability down from 83% to 43%, giving Moore a +0.40 WPA on the play. That leaves just +0.07 for his other successful play, the strip of Evans in the end zone.
That seems intuitively way too low, and that intuition is correct. Although technically the entire play from snap to throw to almost-catch to strip just cost the Ravens 7% of a win, if Evans holds on to the ball and Moore doesn't strip it, Baltimore's ticket to the Super Bowl is all but punched. But with the way the data is fed into our system, it's impossible to give out separate credit for different aspects of plays.
But let's say for a second it was possible. How would each aspect of that play have played out in the eyes of WPA?
Countdown to the Super Bowl: 10 days
Posted By Admin on January 26, 2012
We’re 10 days from the Super Bowl and here is your question of the day: What is the greatest catch in Super Bowl history? 
NFL.com Blogs
Friday, It’s So Fetch! Vol. 33
Posted By Admin on January 25, 2012
Fetch Friday is running a little late today but for a good reason, we’ve got a podcast for you folks. With the BCS Championship Game coming on Monday we decided to get one of our favorite guests on the show, Russ Mitchell again folks! Russ is from the fine folks over at the College Football News and if you don’t know he is a big time SEC guy. Perfect to talk over the SEC heavyweight match up between the Bayou Bengals and the Crimson Tide.
Russ and I get into the game from a couple angles, starting with the fact that this BCS game is sitting smack dab in middle of the NFL’s build up to wild card weekend. College is fighting with the league for the build up to the culmination of their season and that’s a tough row to hoe. Then Mitchell and I get into why LSU is the prohibitive favorite in this rematch of the two juggernauts. We also get into what Alabama must do to win this game and that includes a little Eddie Lacy. Some key players who could have huge games to wrap up and you’re all set for Monday.
If the widget doesn’t work then be sure to download the podcast here. See as the game is in NOLA here’s a little tune for you. I was going to go with some Weezy F. Baby or maybe some Master P but you know, kids are listening and all.
Now we can get to something that has been talked around plenty but might as well be discussed here as it is near and dear to my heart. The lost art of tackling and how the disease that is bad tackling has grossly become and epidemic in the college football world.
ITB Podcast: ESPN’s Charles Arbuckle Talks BBVA Compass Bowl
Posted By Admin on January 25, 2012
We’ve got a great guest on the show this evening to talk about Saturday’s BBVA Compass Bowl down in Birmingham, Alabama, someone who will be there talking about all the action, ESPN’s own Charles Arbuckle. The analyst joins us to discuss a game that is quite interesting given the circumstances in which both teams enter the game. For SMU we have a team entering who thought they were about to lose their head coach to Arizona State. In Pitt we have the team that ultimately did lose their coach to the Sun Devils.
Should be an interesting contest as both teams are down their best player; Pitt’s Ray Graham and SMU’s Zach Line, and are fighting to finish off the season on a positive note. For SMU they’re looking to get their second bowl win since 1984 and continue to build on the success that June Jones has brought them. Meanwhile Pitt, with new coach Paul Chryst set to take over after the game, is in a familiar space and the guys on the field know they have to fight for one another to be successful after the adversity this program has faced in the last 13 months.
To listen to the show click here or subscribe to one of the methods listed below.
If you want the podcast you must subscribe to the Feedburner, but if you want to subscribe to the blog please use the RSS Feed. This is for iTunes to be able to archive the shows. You can also search for “In The Bleachers”on iTunes and subscribe to the podcast that way.
Blackberry users like your fearless leader can paste this link into the “Add Podcast Channel” option when you download the Blackberry Podcast App.
Got a question? Email it in to InTheBleachers @ GMAIL (dot) COM
Yes, we’re on the Google+ so find “+Michael Felder” on there and we’ll get you in the ITB Circle!
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ITB Podcast: ESPN’s Charles Arbuckle Talks BCS Championship Game
Posted By Admin on January 24, 2012
Today we’ve got the BCS Championship Game as the capper to our season and it is shaping up to be an absolute slugfest. We’ve got Bama and LSU. The Tide and the Tigers. Alabama and the Bayou Bengals. I broke the game down on Fetch Friday with Russ Mitchell and highly recommend that show as you get ready for the game. Today we’ve got another BCS Breakdown with ESPN’s Charles Arbuckle. Arbuckle is an analyst for the WWL so we get a chance to talk the game from a number of angles.
Charles and I get into the rematch idea one last time before we kickoff a little discussion on what each team can do to win this ball game. Saban vs Miles. Bama’s defense vs the option and a quarterback run threat will be the biggest keys to the game and that should tell your story. For Bama to win they need to get good effort from their punters, some tremendous play from not just Trent Richardson but Marquis Maze and Eddie Lacy as well. On the LSU side expect their defense to play strong and dare the Tide to throw the ball. All in all we’re looking at a game that should be another classic as the nation’s two best teams take the field.
Oh and if you all didn’t know Charles Arbuckle is a former UCLA tight end so I take the time to wrap up the podcast by talking about his thoughts on the new hire for the Bruins. We talk Jim Mora and what the new coach can do to help bring some success back to the school. He offers some great insight as someone close to the program that ultimately wants UCLA to get back to winning ball games and competing in the Pac-12.
To listen to the show click here or subscribe to one of the methods listed below.
If you want the podcast you must subscribe to the Feedburner, but if you want to subscribe to the blog please use the RSS Feed. This is for iTunes to be able to archive the shows. You can also search for “In The Bleachers”on iTunes and subscribe to the podcast that way.
Blackberry users like your fearless leader can paste this link into the “Add Podcast Channel” option when you download the Blackberry Podcast App.
Got a question? Email it in to InTheBleachers @ GMAIL (dot) COM
Yes, we’re on the Google+ so find “+Michael Felder” on there and we’ll get you in the ITB Circle!
Hit us up on Twitter @InTheBleachers!
Giants don’t want fans getting hopes up for tickets
Posted By Admin on January 24, 2012
Less than one hour after earning a trip to the Super Bowl with Sunday’s thrilling 20-17 overtime victory in San Francisco, the New York Giants started delivering some bad news to many of their season ticket holders.
NFL.com Blogs
The Coaches Show: Championship Sunday analysis
Posted By Admin on January 23, 2012
Listen in to “The Coaches Podcast” as Brian Billick and Dennis Green break down Championship Sunday and Super Bowl XLVI. The coaches have the inside scoop on how the Patriots and Giants will be preparing for America’s biggest game. Hear why Coach Billick thinks Eli Manning could surpass his brother’s legacy with a second Super Bowl win. Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. Filed under: The Coaches Show Tagged: Brian Billick, Dennis Green
NFL.com Blogs
Gunner Kiel De-Commits From LSU: Gives Idiots A Reason To Be Idiots
Posted By Admin on January 23, 2012
Yesterday the nation’s number one quarterback recruit, Gunner Kiel from Indiana, reportedly decided that Louisiana State University was not the place for him, instead he would stay closer to home and go to Notre Dame. If you’ve followed Kiel at all you know he originally intended to stay close to home by committing to Indiana, going to play with his brother even, but that didn’t last for long as he switched to college football power LSU. We’ve come almost full circle as he returns home to play his ball.
So a teenager has committed to three places, has yet to actually enroll so there’s a chance he could change his mind again and spurned one of the nation’s more consistent winners in the last decade. You know what that means right?
It means get crazy if you’re a fan of anyone and everyone. LSU fan go ham on Gunner Kiel. College football fan in general do your worst about a teenager because that’s what makes you a big man. Basically say whatever you want to say about a kid, because he isn’t certain about where he wants to spend the next three to five years of his life.
Our bloguin colleague The Subway Domer took the time to write a bang up post about talking to recruits and why every fan should just leave the entirely alone. Truly a great cause, a fantastic point is made and as we travel into the offseason that is definitely one of the main focuses that we should all have to help make college football a bit better.
But honestly, I’m willing to go one step further. Not just in trying to stop folks from talking to recruits but rather rallying for civility and humanity when dealing with recruits in general. Don’t be that guy people. Kids change their minds. In today’s atmosphere of school’s over offering, coaching changes and intense battles prospects, are being goaded into commitments and then opt out when they feel uncomfortable.
NFC Championship Game
Posted By Admin on January 22, 2012
Join ANS for live coverage of the NYG-SF game tonight with the live WP graph, analysis and commentary.
