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A word of warning to all those soon-to-be Super Bowl champions in


New England or Los Angeles: Don’t get too comfortable. You might be looking for a job fairly soon.The NFL’s inexorable trend of going younger and cheaper does not bypass the best teams in the league. In fact Irving Fryar Jerseys 2019 , it may help them stay as good as they are.An Associated Press analysis of Super Bowl champions over the past seven years revealed that title teams shed an average of 20.4 players off their 53-man rosters from the Super Bowl to Week 1 of the next season. That’s 38.5 percent. On average, the new players had 1.8 fewer years of experience than the players they replaced.The findings were in line with data analyzed by the AP that showed a steady trend downward in experience of all teams despite attempts in the 2006 and 2011 collective bargaining agreements to stem that tide. Average experience on opening-day rosters has dropped from 4.6 years to 4.3 since 2005 .“I mean, look, there’s a lot of turnover in the National Football League on every team in every year,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “It’s the National Football League. Teams turn over a lot of players and a lot of coaches every single year, every single team.”No team does it with quite the high-profile effectiveness as the Patriots, who have collected five Super Bowl titles since 2002, and will be going for No. 6 on Sunday against the Rams.New England’s five Super Bowl champions turned over an average of 19.2 players the season after they won their titles. The season after their 2015 win over the Seahawks, they brought in 24 new players — the biggest number among all the teams surveyed in this analysis.How does all this turn out? Not very well, except for the Patriots. Of the past seven Super Bowl teams, none has repeated. Two have returned to the Super Bowl to lose. Two have lost in the playoffs. Three didn’t even make the playoffs.The 2003-04 Patriots are the last team to repeat.Belichick’s famously unsentimental view of rosters, and the players who fill them, has led to some of the most awkward, unpopular and sometimes downright messy break-ups in recent memory.Coming off a season in which the Patriots lost the AFC title game, Belichick traded away linebacker Jamie Collins — to the then 0-8 Browns, no less — in the middle of the 2016 season. New England won the Super Bowl that year.Ty Law, Adam Vinatieri, Vince Wilfork, Richard Seymour. Lawyer Milloy, Jimmy Garoppolo, Wes Welker, Damien Woody. New England said goodbye to all of them when they still had gas left in the tank.They unexpectedly benched the cornerback who saved the 2015 Super Bowl, Malcolm Butler, at the Super Bowl three years later, then let him go via free agency. Drew Bledsoe got injured in 2001 and his days were numbered. He got traded to the Bills after a backup named Tom Brady stepped in and did fairly well.Through it all, Brady and Belichick have been the constant.“Some of it is perception, and some of it is reality,” said Eric Winston, the former NFL offensive lineman who is now the president of the players’ union. “Every NFL team, in certain areas, goes through maturations and goes through the process of, ‘How do we build a team?’ And then it changes. One year, it’s finding a few older free agents who can play. Another, everyone wants to get younger when the Seahawks win with an average age of” 26.4.The average experience on Seattle’s 2013 Super Bowl champions was 3.66 years, the lowest among the teams AP surveyed.Not surprising, then White James White Jerseys , that Seattle only turned over 15 players from that roster. Seattle returned to the Super Bowl the next season, but went into a rebuilding mode not long after, with many of the top contributors from the Super Bowl teams becoming too pricey. The team scrambled to put fresh talent around still-young quarterback, Russell Wilson, but has never returned to the Super Bowl.“Teams will try to find a younger, cheaper option even if the drop off in production isn’t there” from the player they’re cutting ties with, said Seahawks 11th-year offensive lineman Duane Brown. “If they’re not as productive but a little cheaper they’re willing to sacrifice it.”Even by jettisoning around one-third of their rosters, teams don’t always end up younger the next season. Of the 10 teams the AP analyzed — all seven title teams since 2011, along with the 2001, 2003 and 2004 Patriots — six actually got older. That’s because even with the turnover, essentially two-thirds of the roster stays and ages a year.That only amplifies the need to work hard at staying young.Jets offensive lineman Kelvin Beachum recalled conversations he’s had with assistant coach David Diaz-Infante, who played on the Broncos title teams in the late 90s.“He said, ‘Man, I remember when I was in my room, the youngest person in our room was 29,'” Beachum said. “That’s considered almost older than a geezer now.'” Shout it from the top of Mount Washington: It’s the Game of the Year! Perhaps the Game of the Decade!! Maybe the Game of the Millennium!!! Or, very possibly, a big dud. Until their flop in Miami on Monday night, the New England Patriots were playing as many thought they would heading into the season: like a powerhouse. And the Pittsburgh Steelers were squeezing past inferior foes , bringing into question whether they could slow the Foxborough freight train. The Dolphins did just that, one day after the Steelers needed another late rally to edge archrival Baltimore and clinch the AFC North. So while Sunday’s contest at Heinz Field will almost certainly decide the top seed in the AFC, it’s not exactly Ali-Frazier, two undefeated heavyweights facing off. ”It’s good to be in big games than be in ones nobody’s watching,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says. ”We better be appreciative of this spot and not resist it in any way. This is what we’ve been fighting for since March. Why would you fight that? It’s an awesome thing.” Forget their `A’ game, which the Steelers (11-2) seem to have misplaced for much of the past two months despite winning eight straight, with a half-dozen of them close (decided by one, three, three, three, five and six points. They will need their `AAA game’ against New England (10-3), which knows a loss eliminates it from topping the conference heading into the postseason. ”It’s all about us being prepared to play Pittsburgh,” Patriots safety Devin McCourty says, mimicking his coach. ”All the extra stuff comes with it, but it’s just if we worry about the playoffs, we’ll go down there and we’ll get killed, honestly.” The action got started Thursday night in a game with no playoff implications James White Jerseys 2019 , the Denver Broncos’ 25-13 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Brock Osweiler threw for two touchdowns and ran for another in relief of the injured Trevor Siemian, and C.J. Anderson rushed for 158 yards on 30 carries as Denver (5-9) won its second straight and handed the Colts (3-11) their fifth consecutive loss. Siemian injured his left shoulder in the first quarter and did not return. On Saturday night, Kansas City routed the turnover-prone Los Angeles Chargers 30-13 to seize control of the AFC West. Also Saturday, Detroit beat Chicago 20-10. Alex Smith threw for 231 yards and two touchdowns, and Kareem Hunt ran for 155 yards and a score for the Chiefs (8-6), whose eighth straight win over the visiting Chargers (7-7) all but sewed up the division and a spot in the playoffs. The only way Kansas City can squander it is by losing its last two games and the Chargers or Oakland Raiders winning out. In Detroit, Matthew Stafford threw two touchdown passes and avoided mistakes, allowing the Lions (8-6) to stay in the playoff picture. The Bears (4-10) have lost six of seven. Dallas (7-6) at Oakland (6-7) Oakland might need to win out for any shot at the postseason. Same for Dallas, chasing a wild card in the much-stronger NFC. With star RB Zeke Elliott suspended for one more game, the combination of Dak Prescott throwing to Jason Witten and Dez Bryant has been the focal point on offense. Prescott’s coming off his first 300-yard passing game of the season with a career-high 332 against the woeful Giants. After fizzling in KC, Oakland needs to rediscover its offense and get pressure on Prescott from Bruce Irvin and Khalil Mack. Los Angeles Rams (9-4) at Seattle (8-5) The Rams lost two of four in the midst of a very difficult stretch. Now, the key division matchup with the banged-up, penalty-prone Seahawks. Seattle, whose air of invincibility at home has been punctured with two losses in the past three, won the first meeting and would have the tiebreaker with a repeat. This easily could come down to Russell Wilson , making a late run for league MVP, lighting up the skies against Rams QB Jared Goff, one of the NFL’s most-improved players in 2017. LA is 3-0 after a loss; the Eagles beat the Rams last Sunday. Green Bay (7-6) at Carolina (9-4) Huge one for both sides, and this time the Packers head into it with Aaron Rodgers back at quarterback. Recovered from his broken collarbone – Green Bay stayed relevant without him, going 3-4 – Rodgers might have some rust. Still, was there ever any doubt he would replace Brett Hundley when his wing was healed? ”Hopefully it gives a lift to some of the guys but I’m not coming back to save this team,” Rodgers said. ”I’m coming back to play quarterback the way I know how to play it.” Rodgers will face a formidable defense that includes end Julius Peppers, who left Green Bay for a return to Carolina this season and has 5 + sacks in the past four games against his former team, and LB Luke Kuechly (100 tackles in six straight seasons.) New York Jets (5-8) at New Orleans (9-4) New Orleans owns the tiebreaker over Carolina thanks to a season sweep, and gets fortunate here. Josh McCown, having the best season of his lengthy, vagabond pro career, has a broken hand, so untested Bryce Petty gets the start. The Saints lost two of their past three, against top-level opponents, so they aren’t likely to fall into any traps. Their well-balanced and top-ranked offense could go wild against the inconsistent Jets, and no team has improved more on D than Nawlins. Atlanta (8-5) at Tampa Bay (4-9), Monday night While the Buccaneers spiral enough to put coach Dirk Koetter’s job security in question, it’s the defending NFC champ Falcons who have been maddeningly up and down. Get this: Atlanta is 4-3 in its new, billion dollar palace. That means the Monday night spotlight should be fine, especially for WR Julio Jones. He had a season-best 12 receptions for 253 yards and two TDs against the Bucs three weeks ago – his NFL-record third game with 250-plus yards receiving. No other receiver in league history has more than one. Cincinnati (5-8) at Minnesota (10-3) Vikings will secure NFC North crown for second time in three seasons by winning White Dont’a Hightower Jersey , and the Bengals have never won in five trips to Minnesota. Cincinnati didn’t even show up at home last Sunday in being routed by the Bears. Yes, the Bears. Minnesota’s defense had an off day at Carolina, but is formidable enough to win big. The combined record of teams the Vikings have lost to is 27-12. Combined record of teams the Bengals have beaten, counting the Browns twice, is 14-51. Vikings coach Mike Zimmer was the defensive coordinator for the Bengals under current coach Marvin Lewis from 2008-2013. And here’s a strange stat: Lewis has never lost to any former assistant, going 6-0-1. Philadelphia (11-2) at New York Giants (2-11) An Eagles victory and a Vikings loss makes Philly the place to go through in the NFC playoffs. Of course, Eagles fans mostly are looking at the bleak side: Carson Wentz, the superb young quarterback who has engineered much of this year’s turnaround, tore his left ACL at the Rams and is done for the season. Then again, Philly probably could suit up Ron Jaworski instead of Nick Foles and win this by letting its top-notch defense loose against the beleaguered Giants. The Eagles have won six of seven and 15 of the past 19 against the Giants. Houston (4-9) at Jacksonville (9-4) OK, take a deep breath and listen: Jacksonville clinches a playoff berth with a win. It can even get in with help in other cities despite a loss. Not only that, the Jaguars, with their terrific pass rush and strong ground game, have a shot at a first-round playoff bye. ”To be at the bottom and to finally fight our way, work our way and get back up, just to be in the position that we’re at now, it’s great and it shows you that we’ve finally started to earn the right to win,” linebacker Paul Posluszny says. ”Now we want more.” Houston might have been in position for more in 2017 had the injury bug not ravaged the roster. The Texans, already minus brilliant DE J.J. Watt and excellent LB Whitney Mercilus, are down to their third quarterback, T.J. Yates. Tennessee (8-5) at San Francisco (3-10) The Titans can’t afford a stumble against the suddenly competitive Niners. San Francisco lost its first nine, but now has won three of four. Jimmy Garoppolo is playing like he will fill that franchise QB role the Niners hoped he would when they dealt with New England to get him. Tennessee has a showdown in Music City in Week 17 with the Jaguars. The Titans can make that a winner-take-the-division matchup if they beat San Francisco and then the Rams in Nashville next week. Miami (6-7) at Buffalo (7-6) After stunning New England, the Dolphins go to a place they don’t much like, particularly in December. RB Kenyan Drake has emerged and receiver Jarvis Landry remains steady. The defense befuddled Brady last Monday night, and expected starter Tyrod Taylor is no Brady. Bills star LeSean McCoy probably has been doing a snow dance all week. He was dominant in last weekend’s 13-7 overtime win a blizzard against Indianapolis, the second time in his career the running back has dashed through the snow like that. Baltimore (7-6) at Cleveland (0-13) A sputtering offense came to life for the Ravens at Pittsburgh, where they should have won to make them a solid leader for a wild card. Even if that attack goes back to its previous ways, seeing Baltimore destroy much of its postseason chances in this one is unlikely. A 3-0 finish gets the Ravens in. A 3-0 finish would be miraculous for the Browns, the first team in NFL history to start 0-13 in consecutive seasons. Arizona (6-7) at Washington (5-8) Of interest here – wait, we’ll find something – is Cardinals RB Adrian Peterson, who needs one rushing TD to reach 100 and 37 yards to pass the great Jim Brown (12,312) on the career rushing list. But Peterson is battling a neck problem that could sideline him for the final three games. —