The AFC Bracket [Final Four]…

AFC Final FourLast week I asked you to help me choose my second favorite team.  Since the New Orleans Saints take number one in the NFC, I made a bracket of eight AFC teams I’d be willing to support for at least the next season.  It was tough settling on the top eight, and I could have easily swapped out a few.

But here we are.  The final four have been chosen.  Miami squeaked it out over Jacksonville, while Pittsburgh, Tennessee, and Kansas City dominated their first round opponents.  (Honestly, this might be the first time Kansas City has dominated anybody in a pretty long time, right?)

So each AFC division has its representative.  East versus South; North versus West.  Vote now in the comments.  Who makes the final throwdown?  The title game goes live on Thursday, April 9, 2009.

April 7, 2009 - 12:52 AM

casey zachary - miami and KC

Because KC is my name

April 7, 2009 - 5:37 AM

Earl - E – A- G – L – E – S EAGLES!!!

April 7, 2009 - 6:08 AM

Gibby - Titans vs. Chiefs

April 7, 2009 - 8:34 AM

amy - titans and the steelers

April 7, 2009 - 11:50 AM

Micah Fries - Gotta go with the Titans, first. Anyone who doesn’t like Jeff Fisher must not love football guys. Fisher is a football guy – not flashy, no-nonsense, hard nosed, man of character who just wins. Besides, who wants to root for a team with teal and orange as their colors? Not to mention a mascot who seems to be more comfortable around Flipper than hitting Tom Brady as he releases a pass?

The Chiefs on the other side. Sure Pittsburgh has great history, championships and classic uniforms, but KC has all of those too (albeit less championships as Pittsburgh) – what Pittsburgh doesn’t have, however, is a sweet city like KC has – especially since downtown has been renovated. The new Power and Light District combined with the Truman Sports Complex with the Royals and Chiefs playing beside each other, just makes for a classic place to tailgate and enjoy a game.

Titans vs. Chiefs it is…

April 7, 2009 - 11:52 AM

Kevin Bussey - Chiefs

April 7, 2009 - 4:23 PM

Joe Kennedy - Great, guys. I’d like to remind you that your pick doesn’t count if you don’t fill out the whole bracket. Not that it seems to matter right now. Chiefs and Titans are a couple votes from running away with it (much to my dismay).

April 7, 2009 - 10:13 PM

John Stickley - Chiefs all the way… for all of the reasons I gave in the first round and more!

To follow the rules, I’ll vote for Miami too. I like the Titans more (Jeff Fisher has done a fine job in his fifteen years there), but there’s no way I can vote for a team that has uprooted itself and switched cities in the not-so-distant past. History and tradition are just too important. (Note that I give a pass to the Chiefs on that issue because they only played in Dallas for four years, and moved not for a better stadium deal, but because the Dallas market couldn’t support two teams. Moving to KC helped to grow the AFL and eventually the NFL, helping to make professional football what it is today. Can you imagine the NFL without a Kansas City franchise?)

BTW, Joe, doesn’t the shock / spite factor have to play into your decision somehow? If you’re that upset with the Broncos about their recent moves, switching allegiance to the Chiefs surely sends a strong message! :)

April 7, 2009 - 10:58 PM

Joe Kennedy - John, the spite factor is in effect, but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to stay in-division. I already hate the Raiders, and even though I like LT, I’m not big on the Chargers. Kansas City has the same New England ties that Denver does, and if Cassel turns out good, then I’d be forced to admit that Josh McDaniels (that lying, cheating punk of a coach) was on to something. That’s not going to happen- I’m still convinced Cutler is twice the QB Cassel will ever be.

That said… for at least one season, I’ll go with whoever is voted in. Really, I’m waiting for the draft to see who improves and/or drafts the guys I like. I think long-term I’ll settle in on the Dolphins… but right now they’re a work in progress. It depends on whether I like their next QB (I like him, but Pennington isn’t a long-term solution), head coach (Sparano is fine)… I already like their star running back Ronnie Brown… so we’ll see about that. They can wait, if they don’t win this contest.

For a while, I had it all in Denver. Good coach, good QB… and I was excited when they brought in Mike Nolan to coach the D. I was even willing to accept McDaniels- until he ran off Cutler and lied about it the whole time. They replaced a proven dictatorship with a Bellichick clone-led dictatorship (when was the last time a NE clone did well in the pros?). No way.