NFL Thread

[ebk57]

Well, how about that...

[Popples]

Excellent day of football.

[Sew Sumi]

Buh bye Brady! It'll be nice watching a Super Bowl without NE in it.

[Bastet]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

I just disturbed not only my cat, but probably all animals for three houses, and I do apologize for that.  But.  HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

[Court]

I can now rest easy knowing the Pats won't win another Super Bowl. These announcers have just slobbered all over Brady the entire game. How about actually announce the game? Give the Titans some credit?

Edited January 5, 2020 by Court

[mojoween]

I NEED A CIGARETTE

[Irlandesa]

Forgive me for interrupting your playoff football with other football:

16 hours ago, merylinkid said:

Say what you will about Jerry but the job is stable.   You can move your family and have some hope of a stable life for them.   You won't be one and done.   Even Chan Gailey stuck around for a while.    

I have mixed feelings on the Cowboys job.  I hate the Cowboys and in the past, I couldn't see why anyone would want to work for Jerry Jones.  However, he is less trigger happy with coaches than other owners and I do think there is talent on that team. So for this year, at least, I've been leaning towards it being a good job.

But then he does shit like interview potential new coaches while he hasn't officially fired his current coach.  I guess maybe he told Garrett he could enter into competition with these other potential coaches (Mike McCarthy and Marvin Lewis interviewed today) but it's still bizarre as heck.

10 hours ago, meowmommy said:

Is expecting players to follow rules really any different than enforcing a dress code in a standard place of business?  And even more so because the athletes are so much in the public eye and the teams have an image they want to project.  Now, what that dress code should include is certainly open to discussion, as well as what the penalties for an infraction should be.  I'm not sure sitting someone down for not wearing a tie is helpful to anyone.

The thing is, the NFL already has a dress code related to the players' jobs.  Players have rules about what they can and can't wear on the field for team/NFL branding purposes as well as player safety purposes.  There are established penalties, which I believe are part of the labor agreement, that apply to everyone who plays in the NFL. 

The whole tie thing appears to be coach specific. It's not required of all other QBs in the league.  It sounds like he was punished for his outfit on the bus which no one really sees except for the brief moment they walk into the stadium.

And I do think it's silly to be picky about that.  Being to a meeting on time?  Sure because a player might miss something or cause the meeting to be delayed but something like not wearing a tie goes back to those belittling rules we discussed on the previous page.

Return to Actual Football Talk:

This has been quite the Playoff Saturday.  The Texans and Bills going back and forth in the fourth quarter was fun to watch.

And now the Patriots and the Titans were locked into a 1 point game for the longest time when it looked for a bit as if the Patriots were going to run away with it but then the Titans tightened things up.

I had to laugh maniacally at how upset Bill Bellicheck got when the Titans were playing games with the delay of game/false start/delay of game penalties which essentially took a whole minute off of the clock.  Didn't Bill do something similar earlier this season just to show how smart he was?  I love that it was used against him.

The guy who caught the interception made a mistake in scoring.  It gave the Patriots time.  I don't know why the kick returner for the Patriots didn't try to get out of bounds after he established possession of the ball.  You gotta think you'd have a better chance with Tom trying to throw a hail mary rather than trying to recreate what they did at the end of the Miami game.

Edited January 5, 2020 by Irlandesa

[Jx223]

Great game by the Titans. That was a nice win by them, especially on the road in that environment. I had a feeling they were going to win this game. Derrick Henry had a great performance tonight on his birthday and did a really nice job of helping them keep this game under control. I also thought it was amusing how Mike Vrabel used the same loophole that Bill used to run time off the clock. And Bill was getting mad about that,, lol.

I am glad we will have a new Super Bowl winner this year. I wonder who it will end up being. 

Edited January 5, 2020 by Jx223

[Popples]

5 minutes ago, mojoween said:

I NEED A CIGARETTE

It was good for you too, huh?

[twoods]

He was probably pissed he missed the pick 6 in the first Half so wanted it at the end of the game. Good for the Titans for letting us enjoy the SB for once not having to deal with the Pats. 

[AimingforYoko]

♫Ding Dong, the witch is dead! Which old witch? The Wicked Witch!♪

This might finally be the end of the run. It's only been 20 years.

[meowmommy]

6 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

The guy who caught the interception made a mistake in scoring.  It gave the Patriots time.

I'm sure he was caught up in the excitement of getting the ball, and wasn't thinking about strategy.  But his coaches sure were, weren't they?  That business with the delay of game/false start was beautiful, and even more that they borrowed it from Bill.

5 minutes ago, Jx223 said:

I am glad we will have a new Super Bowl winner this year. I wonder who it will end up being.

I don't like the Ravens and I don't like the Iggles, but anyone else would be ok, preferably KC.

10 minutes ago, mojoween said:

I NEED A CIGARETTE

Bet you don't even smoke, do you?

[Bastet]

8 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

I had to laugh maniacally at how upset Bill Bellicheck got when the Titans were playing games with the delay of game/false start/delay of game penalties which essentially took a whole minute off of the clock.

Indeed.  While my greatest laugh of the day came from the Patriots' loss, watching Belichick lose his shit over an opposing coach pulling a Belichick was a very close second.  That was when my cat first gave me the "even for football season, you're acting crazy" side eye.

[PepSinger]

I couldn’t be more thrilled that the Patriots lost. I love Derrick Henry (Bama fan), and I’m glad he had a great game on his birthday. I don’t know who to root for next week because I love both Henry and Ingram!

[mojoween]

6 minutes ago, meowmommy said:

Bet you don't even smoke, do you?

I surely do not!  That pick six definitely enticed me to start though.
This is the first time since 2002 the AFC will not be represented in the Super Bowl by Brady, Roethlisberger, Flacco or P. Manning.  And if Baltimore doesn’t make it, it will be the first totally different team since like 2000, maybe?  I think Oakland was the last team that was not New England, Indy, Denver, Pittsburgh or Baltimore.

[Jx223]

It's interesting that the Patriots loss against Miami really did help change the course of these playoffs. For the Patriots and other teams. And may have altered the Patriots future beyond these playoffs. 

And now it's been two weeks in a row that Bill Belichick got beat by his protégés (Brian Flores and now Mike Vrabel.)

[emma675]

Wow, what a great day of football! I feel like tomorrow isn't going to come close to today's excitement. 

[DrSpaceman73]

Glad the pats lost.  They just weren't that good down the stretch on offense in particular. 

I really can't see Brady leaving the Pats and I don't think he will retire, but we will see.  I HOPE it happens because I really want to see what BB looks like without Brady and Brady looks like without BB if even for 1-2 years, but I would still put the odds on him being back on NE next year. 

I think Baltimore is the team to beat, and I am not even a big fan of them.  Jackson though is just unreal.  Amazing player this year

That play by Watson, gets hit by two people and throws a pass to win the game, unbelievable.  I'd say that is half on him though and half on the Bills players for not tackling. 

ANd I know this is cliché and its said year after year, but even more so and this year especially, the refs really sucked tonight.  First there is that overturned TD call, which, sorry, if he did not fair catch the ball or down it, that's a live ball. 

Even beyond that though, there were THREE different spotting calls in the two games today, that I saw at least, that were just blatantly bad, meaning they were at least half a yard to a yard ahead of where the ball should have been and they resulted in first downs not earned.  One they even reviewed and STILL didn't get it right.  That is what is infuriating the most.  You have a replay system, you review a call and its still just obviously wrong.  you know what, if you have replay and are still missing as many calls as they do, you might as well just get rid of it, let calls stand.  Far too often they review and still miss obvious things.  I truly in baffled how a ten billion dollar behemoth with cameras plastered all over the field, refs on the field, refs reviewing plays in the booth, HIdef TV, etc can still be SO BAD at making correct calls.  ANd I have no one to even root for in these playoffs, so its not like my team is being screwed personally.  They were just bad all around, have been all season. 

[twoods]

I’m glad the Titans kept running in the second half, unlike the Bills who forgot they were dominating the running game in the first half and kept throwing it. I’m sure Tannehill is glad he’s out of Miami.

[Fukui San]

10 minutes ago, Jx223 said:

It's interesting that the Patriots loss against Miami really did help change the course of these playoffs. For the Patriots and other teams. And may have altered the Patriots future beyond these playoffs. 

And now it's been two weeks in a row that Bill Belichick got beat by his protégés (Brian Flores and now Mike Vrabel.)

I mean, they just weren't good enough this year. Even if they beat the Dolphins I sadly have to conclude they wouldn't have gotten past KC or Baltimore.

[Lamb18]

In preparation for the Vikings game tomorrow I rewatched the Vikings vs. New Orleans playoff game from Jan 2018.

Congratulations Houston and Titans! (I feel like Houston should still be Oilers.)

[DrSpaceman73]

14 minutes ago, mojoween said:

I surely do not!  That pick six definitely enticed me to start though.
This is the first time since 2002 the AFC will not be represented in the Super Bowl by Brady, Roethlisberger, Flacco or P. Manning.  And if Baltimore doesn’t make it, it will be the first totally different team since like 2000, maybe?  I think Oakland was the last team that was not New England, Indy, Denver, Pittsburgh or Baltimore.

Yes Oakland was the last team not of that list to make it.  2002. 

Houston, Tenn (and the Oilers never made it, so in regard to both the teams and those cities, doesn't change things) have never made it to the SB and KC has not been to the SB since way back in the 70s. 

The NFC playoffs in contrast is full of pretty recent powers, outside of Minnesota.  ANd I don't think they stand a chance. 

[Silver Raven]

3 minutes ago, Fukui San said:

I mean, they just weren't good enough this year. Even if they beat the Dolphins I sadly have to conclude they wouldn't have gotten past KC or Baltimore.

I don't think anybody is going to get past Baltimore.

[BlackberryJam]

Call me petty, but I want Brady’s career to end with a pick six.

[Crs97]

Watching Belichick scream at the refs because Tennessee was running down the clock with penalties gave me such a warm feeling.  I am impressed the ref stayed professional and didn’t just start laughing in his face.  Hypocrite.  I hope every reporter brought that up in the postgame interview.

[lurkerbee]

5 minutes ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

Yes Oakland was the last team not of that list to make it.  2002. 

Houston, Tenn (and the Oilers never made it, so in regard to both the teams and those cities, doesn't change things) have never made it to the SB and KC has not been to the SB since way back in the 70s. 

The Titans played the Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV.

Edited January 5, 2020 by lurkerbee

[DrSpaceman73]

2 minutes ago, lurkerbee said:

The Titans played the Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV.

Youre right forgot about that one. 

So 20 years since last appearance.  Still pretty long

[Bastet]

20 minutes ago, emma675 said:

Wow, what a great day of football! I feel like tomorrow isn't going to come close to today's excitement. 

Same, and I'm an NFC fan - the idea that I'll wind up far more jazzed about Wild Card weekend (which I love; there are ways in which it's my favorite round of the playoffs) on the AFC side than NFC is a bit foreign, but today's games have created a lot to live up to.

For all my issues with the NFL, the playoffs always remind me why I still love the game so damn much.

[Irlandesa]

23 minutes ago, emma675 said:

Wow, what a great day of football! I feel like tomorrow isn't going to come close to today's excitement. 

That's usually how it is.  If there's a really good day, the next day tends to be more blowouts. 

5 minutes ago, BlackberryJam said:

Call me petty, but I want Brady’s career to end with a pick six.

Maybe it's because he was in his own end zone but that throw really felt pathetic as if he already felt defeated. It was just a terrible throw.

[Calvada]

54 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

The guy who caught the interception made a mistake in scoring.  It gave the Patriots time.  I don't know why kick returner for the Patriots didn't try to get out of bounds after he established possession of the ball.  You gotta think you'd have a better chance with Tom trying to throw a hail mary rather than trying to recreate what they did at the end of the Miami game.

 

44 minutes ago, meowmommy said:

I'm sure he was caught up in the excitement of getting the ball, and wasn't thinking about strategy.  But his coaches sure were, weren't they?  That business with the delay of game/false start was beautiful, and even more that they borrowed it from Bill.

This happens a lot.  The year the Packers won the SB with Rodgers they had a game-sealing pick by Tramon Williams in the WC game against the Eagles.  Tramon ran out of the end zone celebrating with his teammates, thinking he was down in the end zone but he wasn't.  For a terror-stricken second or two I thought one of the Eagles would knock it out of his hand and they'd have the ball inside the 10.  And then in the NFC championship game BJ Raji made the great INT and then ran toward the end zone holding the ball up in the air.  Again, I nearly have a stroke as one of the Bears knocked it out of his hand but fortunately a second after he crossed into the end zone.  Then Sam Shields made the game-sealing pick and inexplicably ran up the field as the entire Packer sideline (and ME!) were screaming at him to go down.   

I found the discussion after the game about Brady being competitive & not going out this way & definitely he'll be back, to be very humorous.  Do they think it's a given that if he comes back he'll end next season with a SB win?  Hey guys, one player cannot dictate the circumstances of his team's record and if Brady wanted to leave as a SB champion, he should have retired last year.  Only 2 QBs have retired after winning a SB (right?  Am I missing someone?  Just Elway and Manning?) so the odds are Brady's last game in whatever is his last season will be a loss.  Hmm, unless he signs with the Broncos.  Maybe that's the way to do it.   

The Patriots have a lot of issues to address, as this game demonstrated, things like their run defense and why their offense didn't score in the second half. I agree that even if they had won tonight they wouldn't get past either KC or Baltimore.  

Edited January 5, 2020 by Calvada
clarity is a good thing

[Irlandesa]

8 minutes ago, Calvada said:

I found the discussion after the game about Brady being competitive & not going out this way & definitely he'll be back, to be very humorous.  Do they think it's a given that if he comes back he'll end next season with a SB win? 

I can't speak specifically to Brady who has won plenty of these but I do think it can change the mental arithmetic of whether or not to retire.  For instance, had the Packers won the SuperBowl after the 2007 season, I think Favre might have actually retired instead of changing his mind.

 

[NUguy514]

I can now turn all my attention toward cursing the Ravens.  I don't think I'm that powerful, but one never knows!

[kathyk2]

I think Brady will retire before next season starts he'll be 43 and he's struggled the past few weeks. I think the Patriots missed Gronk lately he caught everything thrown to him and he was a great blocker for the running backs. I don't hate any of the remaining teams but I won't root for Baltimore if Ray Lewis shows up.

[bmasters9]

I'm going to be honest right now: whereas before I boycotted the Super Bowl because the Patriots were in, this time it's definitely getting my eyes! Why? Because the Patriots are out!

Boy, is that ever a great 39th birthday present!

[Was-MArsenault]

Let me just say this:

It's time that someone else got a chance instead of the Patriots.

[merylinkid]

3 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

Again it is about discipline.  I thought Newton looked ridiculous in several interviews.  He is there to represent the team, not a circus.  I wouldn't require him to wear a tie, but I would want him to dress in a manner that wouldn't embarrass the team.

But Cam was never suspended for THOSE outfits.   He was suspended at a time the team was struggling for wearing a turtleneck.   Which is stupid.   Same with the ping pong table.   The players played during down time during the week.   They weren't playing on Sunday during the game.    Lots of teams have table games in the locker room and they still manage to win.   It's about discipline in things that actually matter to playing the game.   If it doesn't matter to the game itself, you are just being a petty tyrant.   

Back to actual games.   I saw a stat that the Texans comeback was the 12th biggest comeback in playoff history.   On that list, Buffalo's comeback against Houston (oilers) in 1992.    I found that fitting.

I wish the Titans hadn't scored on the pick six too.   But only because can you imagine Brady and Belichek's reactions if they lost by one point?    Unbelievable.   Brady might be saying he won't retire now.   But once the disappointment of losing is over and he really re-evaluates his play and the toll on his body, he may retire.   A Bills played announced his retirement right after the game.   He knew he was done after 14 years.

[xaxat]

12 hours ago, mojoween said:

I found the playoffs commercial.  So well done.  The music alone gets me pumped to watch all the football.

 

All it's missing is a shot of a crazy drunk member of Bills Mafia jumping off his truck onto a card table.

To late now, I guess.

 

[roamyn]

10 hours ago, NUguy514 said:

I can now turn all my attention toward cursing the Ravens.  I don't think I'm that powerful, but one never knows!

I’m torn.  They’re an AFC North team and I want to root for them (esp since the Modell’s have nothing to do w/them anymore), but KC is my 2nd favorite team.

We turned the game off at the beginning of the 4th Qtr, so we missed the pick six at the end of the game.  I’m so bummed I missed that.

[basiltherat]

Hallelujah, I'm waitin' for pigs to start flying, because the NE Cheaters are d-e-d!  Romo and the Other Dude could not stop the SlobberFest over Brady EVEN AFTER HE LOST!!  Give the Titans some credit, because next week they may be Lamar-ized  Poor TB (ha!) couldn't perform because Romo was firmly attached to his undercarriage.

Future for Cheaters:  Bill and Tom take over running the team, and McDaniels is new coach.  They tank for a year and draft Trevor Lawrence.

We in Chicago are sure looking forward to the Should Have Been Bowl between Mahomes and Watson, either of which we should have had instead of The Biscuit!

[TVbitch]

Texans/Bills was not necessarily a well-played game, but it was certainly an exciting game. I have not been so tense since... well... the end of Seahawks/49ers! Watson was lucky they made a "tackle sandwich" out of him on the last play. It kept him upright! I don't think either team gets past the next round. 

Okay I hate Brady/Pats as much as anyone, but last night the look on his face at the end was really complex, and I had an unexpected moment of compassion for him. ... ... CALM DOWN, it was just a MOMENT!! Kind of like when Darth Vader displayed a tiny bit of humanity and you can't help yourself but feel it! 

[AimingforYoko]

5 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

I am rooting for the Vikings to get to the SB.

I am reminded of a riddle:

Q: Why do the Vikings hate cereal? A: Because they choke anytime they get near a bowl.

[meowmommy]

6 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

If that is the best that ESPN can do, then they really do suck.

Tirico and Jaworski were the only decent announcers they've ever had on their A team.  The rest have been hideous atrocities like Tony Kornheiser and Jason Witten.

49 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

Okay I hate Brady/Pats as much as anyone, but last night the look on his face at the end was really complex, and I had an unexpected moment of compassion for him. ... ... CALM DOWN, it was just a MOMENT!! 

As a Giants fan, I have no idea why I also felt sorry for him, but I did.  I always feel empathy for multimillionaire star athletes with multiple league championships and supermodel spouses, who have a bad day, I guess.  

That pick-six might be the worst thing his detractors could hope for.  He might come back just to make that not his legacy.  Is Jarrett Stidham really the future of the Pats?

[Moose135]

1 minute ago, meowmommy said:

As a Giants fan, I have no idea why I also felt sorry for him, but I did.

As a Giants fan, I never had the level of hatred for the Pats that some do. After all, every time they played in the SB, the G-men won.

[blueray]

I have to admit I was very happy to see the patriots lose (they cheat and I don't like them). It was kind of a powerful moment when Brady just stood there in the rain not sure what to do and then just walked off the field. It may have finally showed the end of their dominance and possibly his career.

[Fukui San]

I mean, the gold standard of a Hall of Fame QB going out the wrong way has to be Dan Marino. I forgot about it until recently, but it's absolutely brutal.

Brady would have a long way to go to match that.

That game ended Jimmy Johnson's career, too.

I have to say that if I were forced to bet on an outcome for next year, I'd guess that Belichick will be coaching in New England and Brady is playing somewhere else, and playing better than this year. Like both will be in the 9-11 win range.

[Growsonwalls]

I'm just bummed that after two seasons I still can't tell the McCourty twins apart. They have to be the most identical identical twins ever. I think one is slightly shorter than the other but I just cannot figure out whether it's J or D.

 

[Calvada]

Buck & Aikman raving over Taysom Hill is a knife to the heart of every Packers fan.  We still cannot believe they let him get away.  Any Pack fan will tell you the fact that Ted Thompson had lost the ability to realize all the ways Hill could contribute to the team clearly demonstrated that it was beyond time for Ted to retire.  

[Lamb18]

Vikings/NO game is going well so far. I was concerned about Thielen after is early flubs but he got over it and is playing just fine. Diggs has not had a ball yet. I wonder if they're saving him for the final play. Cook is doing great!

[Irlandesa]

8 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

Good, remove the ping pong table.  Professional football is a sport, but it is also a job.  All teams need discipline and professionalism.

Except this "job" is a place where players are expected to spend a lot of time there. They're expected to study there, work out there, eat there and they're usually expected to sleep together in a hotel the night before a game even if it's a home game.  When a place of employment expects an employee to dedicate so much of their lives to their job, providing a ping pong table is nothing.

There are many of employers who want long hours for their employees who do the same.

Honestly, if a coach feels the need to suspend a player for wearing a turtleneck or take away the ping pong table in order to achieve "discipline", they're an absolutely awful leader.

7 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

He could be interviewing people in an effort to calm down the fans and the media.  I am not convinced that Garrett will lose his job.

Are fans about to storm the stadium or something?

[mojoween]

Kirk Cousins’s cadence at the line of scrimmage sounds like he is being routinely stabbed to death.