Another Must Win Opponent (1 Viewer)

Guitarzan

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I know it comes with the territory and all but it seems like more times than I can remember in year's past that our opponents have do or die must win games when they have played us this year. This year has been that way since week 2 it seems. Outside of that Skins anomole, I can't really think of a team we've played that wasn't "desparate". Now comes this one with Strahan coming back from injury to his body and his pride after his media intimidation debacle- you know he's gonna want to prove that the team can't win without him/ always does with him kinda thing. It's Tiki's last home game- no doubt he'll be pumped. You got the team playing for it's playoff lives. Krikey that bites.

I hope our team comes to win it for the coach/pay back for last year but most importantly- to get back in the groove and prove that last week was indeed an anomole.
 
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Our O won't play that bad again. Our D will have it's hands full as always. S.T.'s needs to be better and not give up good field position all the time.

We'll win this one. Our O won't tank 2 weeks in a row. Too good for that.
 
I don't buy into the 'must win desperate teams' we've supposedly faced all year. Yes, we've faced some teams who were coming off losses or changing staff or starters and could have been considered desperate for a win, but this is the NFL and every week counts and every team is technically desperate for the win every week. This week's game is the first team, IMHO, that is truly desperate for a win, because they are on the bubble for the playoffs at 7-7, which is do-or-die time, win or go home.

I'm not trying to take anything away from your assessment of the competition, just putting in my .02.
 
I don't buy into the 'must win desperate teams' we've supposedly faced all year. Yes, we've faced some teams who were coming off losses or changing staff or starters and could have been considered desperate for a win, but this is the NFL and every week counts and every team is technically desperate for the win every week. This week's game is the first team, IMHO, that is truly desperate for a win, because they are on the bubble for the playoffs at 7-7, which is do-or-die time, win or go home.

I'm not trying to take anything away from your assessment of the competition, just putting in my .02.

Point well taken but look at the Carolina 0-2 to start the season Desparate, Baltimore lost 2 straight and was hurting real bad for a win... Pittsburgh desparate, Cincy desparate to keep up, San Fran playoff bubble, Dallas fighting us for the #2 seed, Heck even Washington (with Gibbs on the verge of his most losses in a season) had a desparate quality to their status- but I left them out. This has been that way all year. It was either highly touted teams that were pre-season favorites trying to prove that the losses that had been piling up were not indicative of their team talent or former playoff teams trying to right the ship before it got too late. Philly and the second Bucs was about the only games that haven't fit that desription in one way or the other.

I'm buying it.
 
All are must wins. If not, the whole year is meaningless.

I wouldn't worry too much about Tiki or their running game. Tiki will get his yards. It's not that I have given up on our run D, it's just that I think our O will be on to the point that the run game will be taken from them early enough.
 
All are must wins. If not, the whole year is meaningless.

I wouldn't worry too much about Tiki or their running game. Tiki will get his yards. It's not that I have given up on our run D, it's just that I think our O will be on to the point that the run game will be taken from them early enough.

I agree. From where I stand the next game is the most important one of the year. From the other side is what I'm pointing out. We caught a lot of teams that were trying to right the ship rather than keep the roll going.
 
With only 16 games on the schedule, I think you're always "desperate" to an extent.
First, you're desperate to win as many games during the regular season as possible, to earn a playoff spot.
Once you earn that spot, you're desperate to get a solid position in the playoffs, i.e. homefield and a BYE.
Once you start playing in the post season, you're desperate to win because there is no next week, if you lose. JMHO.

There are two extremes that I can think of where an NFL team may not be "desperate" - The Bears are 12-2, and have clinched the division, homefield throughout, and a BYE, with two games left. Even if they drop the next two, they have the BYE to correct mistakes.
Or, the Raiders, who are 2-12, and will end up with a top 3 pick in the draft. I'm not sure they're even playing for pride anymore.
 
I know it comes with the territory and all but it seems like more times than I can remember in year's past that our opponents have do or die must win games when they have played us this year. This year has been that way since week 2 it seems. Outside of that Skins anomole, I can't really think of a team we've played that wasn't "desparate". Now comes this one with Strahan coming back from injury to his body and his pride after his media intimidation debacle- you know he's gonna want to prove that the team can't win without him/ always does with him kinda thing. It's Tiki's last home game- no doubt he'll be pumped. You got the team playing for it's playoff lives. Krikey that bites.

I hope our team comes to win it for the coach/pay back for last year but most importantly- to get back in the groove and prove that last week was indeed an anomole.

One man does not a team make. Strahan is just one spoke in the wheel. I don't see a huge difference in their team, whether he is in the lineup or not. But you are right, the Saints better bring it.
 
One man does not a team make. Strahan is just one spoke in the wheel. I don't see a huge difference in their team, whether he is in the lineup or not. But you are right, the Saints better bring it.

don't forget Tiki AND the reason I brought up Plaxico was that he can hurt you when he ain't busy crying not to mention Shockey...which I didn't
 
Strahan isn't gonna play much at all, if at all. You can bank on that. Hes already been "downgraded" to questionable. What a surprise.

As for Tiki, let him get his yards. It won't matter if you keep so much pressure on Eli that he wilts and starts throwing more INT's then his father did.
 
Point well taken but look at the Carolina 0-2 to start the season Desparate, Baltimore lost 2 straight and was hurting real bad for a win... Pittsburgh desparate, Cincy desparate to keep up, San Fran playoff bubble, Dallas fighting us for the #2 seed, Heck even Washington (with Gibbs on the verge of his most losses in a season) had a desparate quality to their status- but I left them out. This has been that way all year. It was either highly touted teams that were pre-season favorites trying to prove that the losses that had been piling up were not indicative of their team talent or former playoff teams trying to right the ship before it got too late. Philly and the second Bucs was about the only games that haven't fit that desription in one way or the other.

I'm buying it.

I see your points, but I think you're buying into the media's hype surrounding those teams at that time, let me elaborate,

Carolina, at 1-2 when we played them were portrayed by the media as 'desperate' for wins because they were almost unanimously picked for the SuperBowl by the "experts". 1-3 is a really bad start but still early enough to recover from. "How can our top pick start so badly?"

Baltimore, Yes they had lost two straight, but again, were hyped as 'desperate' because they had just fired their Offensive Coordinator and that usually spells inconsistency in the middle of the season. This was media hype that came close to the Carolina situation and was a really good story. "What's the team gonna do now that they've switched coordinators midstream?"

Pittsburgh, SuperBowl champion having the worst Super Hangover to date, again the media jumped on this team's story too. "Biggest Super Slump of all time, what happened to Big Ben?"

Cincy and Washington, lost some games and that's sets the hamsters running in the press rooms when you're talking teams that were previously in the playoffs last year and solid preseason picks for getting back there this year. High expectations usually are followed by high pressure.

San Fran, was and is still (albeit barely) on the playoff bubble, there's still a chance they could win the division, so the media hypes it up. "A team trying to keep it's playoff hopes alive"

Dallas, is always desperate for a win, bunch of bandwagon &%#@'s. "What do you mean my Cowboys didn't win the SuperBowl again?" Makes me want to puke! (Sorry about that people, and yes, I purposefully didn't bold the word dallas)

So really, every team has got something to fight for every week, and that makes for good ratings, the more hype the bigger the story, no matter what the outcome. "Team X, who was picked to win the SuperBowl this year, just kept their playoff hopes alive or bounced back from a losing streak or had it's playoffs hopes crushed or whatever."

But, I do see your point.
 

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