History in Seattle's way; NFC preview

History in Seattle's way; NFC preview
The 2013 NFL season ended with the Seattle Seahawks crushing Denver in the Super Bowl. But will they even reach the playoffs this season?

Recent precedent says no. The two prior Super Bowl victors, the Ravens and Giants, failed to reach the postseason the following year. Those two clubs were a bined 17-

15 in the seasons following their confetti shower after the final contest. Fifteen of the 48 Super Bowl winners -- nearly a third of those to hoist the Lombardi Trophy

-- didn't make the playoffs the next year.

TMQ CHEAT SHEET


  Gregg Easterbrook on …

    Unified Field Theory of Creep
    'The Last Ship'
    Wasteful Spending on Bodyguards
    Song of the Summer
    Unified Field Theory of Creep #2
    Notre Dame's uniforms
    Jax Tax
    Katy Perry, Super Bowl
    Adults Who Cheat
    Stat That Must Mean Something
    Salary Cap Rotisserie League

Football involves so many moving parts that injuries, free-agent departures and other issues can significantly change teams from one season to the next. More than

that, the 16-game season means a break here or a bounce there can be the difference between a playoff run and January on the couch. MLB teams play 162 regular-season

contests, and NBA teams play 82; in that many the impact of luck washes out, and the best teams earn the postseason invites. Just one of the NBA's 68 title teams, the

1998 Chicago Bulls, failed to reach the next postseason. Then baseball and basketball play five- or seven-game postseason series. Luck might determine the victor in

any one game; after seven games, the best team almost always wins.

Since football's relatively small number of regular-season contests are followed by a postseason knockout round, practically anything can happen. For the Ravens in

their Super Bowl year, two long, fluky, last-second gains at San Diego and Denver were the difference between a magnificent season and also-ran status. For the Giants

in their Super Bowl year, every bounce of the ball went their way in the NFC title contest at San Francisco, and then again in the Super Bowl versus New England.

Lady Luck smiled on the Seahawks in 2013 and perhaps will again this year -- but don't count on it.

Conventional wisdom holds that first- and second-round draft selections are the essence of football success. Yet the Seahawks won the Super Bowl the past season with

the league's second-lowest total of games played by first- and second-round selections; only Miami had fewer 2013 games by first- or second-round picks.

Seattle got fine performances from mid-round and late-round selections, while seven of the top 10 teams for games by high draft picks failed to make the playoffs.

A little-known guy who goes all-out can be a better NFL performer than a highly drafted star, and Seattle had little-known guys going all out in 2013. This was best

exemplified by seventh-round draft selection Malcolm Smith's winning the Super Bowl's MVP trophy, while Peyton Manning (No. 1 overall pick in 1998) and Champ Bailey

(seventh overall in 1999) had their heads in their hands. Here are the most games played by first- and second-round choices in the 2013 season:

wholesale lingerie Wholesale Halloween Costumes Sexy Halloween Costumes Online

Fashion Long Sleeve Leopard Print One-piece Sexy Teddy Swimwear YH7062

Fashion Long Sleeve Leopard Print One-piece Sexy Teddy Swimwear YH7062

Coquettish Halter Sexy Bra Flower Pattern Clubwear Dresses YH6051

Coquettish Halter Sexy Bra Flower Pattern Clubwear Dresses YH6051
wholesale clubwear wholesale sexy costumes

Get masks for the halloween party

Get masks for the halloween party

Halloween is the holiday celebrated in many countries of the world on the 31st of October. This celebration is greatly loved by people, especially by children, although grown-ups can also have some fun on this memorable day. Speaking about the origin of the word Halloween it’s important to mention that it has been used since the Catholic Church times. It is a kind of spin-off of the holiday of All Saints, sometimes called All Day pits. Although Halloween season is extremely short, it’s always a funny time of the year when children and adults wear different scaring Halloween costumes and organize a joyful Halloween party. It can be a traditional Halloween costume party, a horror film festival, a Pumpkin Carving Party, or a full blown Halloween Block Party. The style of the party is determined by your own wish and also financial opportunities. However, most of Halloween parties aren’t difficult to organize in terms of planning and expenses. People don’t spend much money on these parties. Thus, one can make a wonderful Haunted House Halloween without need to use the service of the bank. You’ll only need to buy several types of decorations. Combine your money and creativity, and you’ll certainly have success. But remember that every Halloween party should include some scaring, bloody or gruesome items. You can use several of four cheap ideas while buying the necessary ingredients.

One of the advantages of Halloween masks is that they hide your real face. There’re different kinds of masks. Some of them hide the entire face and head, while others hide just a portion. In addition, there’re masks which can even change the shape of your face in such a way that is will become very difficult to recognize. Usually, it’s made with the help of simple face paint.

Another advantage of Halloween masks is the easiness of their usage. For painting your face you’ll need to spend much time and have enough patience, and even an artistic talent in order to receive the necessary effect. But a Halloween mask can be simply slipped on and you’re ready to surprise and impress your friends.

Another important advantage of Halloween masks is that they are mostly rather cheap. You’ll only need to wear a multi-colored costume and slip on a mask, and you immediately become the character your mask represents. You can also emphasize your image with other accessories. Some people prefer to combine Halloween masks with their everyday clothing in order to surprise their co-workers, for instance. In this way, they instantly become a cat or a zombie doctor, or any other unusual idea.