NFL Thread

[merylinkid]

The NFLPA agreed in the last CBA to let Goodell be the final decisionmaker on discipline.   If they wanted a neutral arbitrater they should have pushed for it.   But they focused on fewer OTAs rather than that.   Now they want to litigate that decision.   Tough noogies.

 

As for Adrian Peterson, Dr. Spaceman you are darn right.   Peterson never once acknowledged beating a child bloody was wrong.   That is part of the reason -- as clearly stated in the disciplinary letter -- why he was suspended for the rest of the season.   Goodell doesn't know if he won't do it again.   Until he can be sure of that, Peterson ain't playing.    Which hello, easy out here.   Just acknowledge you know what you did was wrong and you will find better ways to discipline your kids.   But noooo, he has to be the victim instead.

[DrSpaceman]

The NFLPA agreed in the last CBA to let Goodell be the final decisionmaker on discipline.   If they wanted a neutral arbitrater they should have pushed for it.   But they focused on fewer OTAs rather than that.   Now they want to litigate that decision.   Tough noogies.

 

As for Adrian Peterson, Dr. Spaceman you are darn right.   Peterson never once acknowledged beating a child bloody was wrong.   That is part of the reason -- as clearly stated in the disciplinary letter -- why he was suspended for the rest of the season.   Goodell doesn't know if he won't do it again.   Until he can be sure of that, Peterson ain't playing.    Which hello, easy out here.   Just acknowledge you know what you did was wrong and you will find better ways to discipline your kids.   But noooo, he has to be the victim instead.

 

Its true that the NFLPA did not really focus on the discpline issue in the last CBA, but they could still change it if they wanted.  I view it as more Goodell just wanting less control over it than anything.  Why take on all the decision making and criticism himself?  Delegate it to someone.  Maybe he truly just does like the power and does not want to give it up, but if I were him, I would WANT someone else or some other group put in charge so he doesn't have to be the lightning rod for every one of these decisions.  The CEO of most companies is not the one making the disciplinary decisions himself for every single employee.  They let someone else handle it. 

[yourpointis]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000430508/article/semifinalists-for-pro-football-hall-of-fames-2015-class

 

Semifinalist For Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2015 Class

 

Morten Andersen
Steve Atwater
Jerome Bettis
Tim Brown
Isaac Bruce*
Don Coryell
Roger Craig
Terrell Davis
Tony Dungy
Kevin Greene
Charles Haley
Marvin Harrison
Torry Holt*
Joe Jacoby
Edgerrin James*
Jimmy Johnson
Mike Kenn
Ty Law*
John Lynch
Kevin Mawae*
Karl Mecklenburg
Orlando Pace*
Junior Seau*
Will Shields
Kurt Warner*
Darren Woodson

 

* First year eligibility

 

Edited November 20, 2014 by yourpointis

[mojoween]

Phil Simms is not on that list. What the frak.

(I have had multiple attempts to dissuade me of the notion that he is a HOF QB. It's not gonna happen.)

[DrSpaceman]

Big WR class.

Marvin Harrison should be in, though I doubt he makes it before Tim Brown since Brown has been eligible longer.

Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce as well are good candidates. The WR classes are going to get deep soon.

Kurt Warner should make it, but probably not first ballot.

Jimmy Johnson, seriously? He had a short period of good years with the Cowboys and then not much else. He was mediocre in Miami. A coach needs at least a good decade of consistent winning to be in the HOF, can't believe he even made the cut.

[ktwo]

A lot of those guys would be shoo-ins for the Hall of Good, not so much for the Hall of Fame. Don Coryell, Marvin Harrison, Tim Brown and John Lynch should get in. And the Terrell Davis "A Football Life" got me on his side, so if that was its purpose, well done. Kurt Warner, Tony Dungy, Jimmy Johnson, Edgerrin James, Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce - no one jumps out at me as amazing or the dominant coach/player of his era.

[mojoween]

The Raiders might not be good but they come to play. Entertaining game for once.

[Jx223]

I am happy for Oakland that they got their first win of the season tonight. It might end up being their only win, but at least they now won't go the entire season winless and they broke their losing streak of 16 games. I also like Derek Carr, he seems mature, and poised and I like what I have seen of his leadership abilities so far.

[Fukui San]

Celebrating a sack 20 yards offside while their opponents are hurrying up to try and win the game is the most Raiders thing ever.

[twoods]

Thank goodness Tuck was smart enough to call a timeout, and then chastised those idiots. Good win for the Raiders. Maybe they can get another game or two to make their fans happy.

It's a "cool" 75 degrees out here, yet 6 feet of snow in Buffalo? Yikes! Hope everyone stays safe. Wonder how the turnout will be in Detroit.

[mojoween]

Well there is six feet of snow but it's around 20 degrees so it's not bone-chilling. A warm coat is plenty.

I knew the Raiders weren't going to get credit. It's all about what Kansas City losing did for their playoff chances and how wonderful this is for New England. Poor Raiders.

One of the things I heard this morning is how the rain at the beginning of the game had an impact on the running game and how good it was for Oakland.

Um. Of all of the teams in the NFL, wouldn't the Chiefs be the MOST likely to benefit from an emphasis on the run? Can't the Raiders get any damn credit?

Edited November 21, 2014 by mojoween

[Magog]

 

I am happy for Oakland that they got their first win of the season tonight. It might end up being their only win, but at least they now won't go the entire season winless and they broke their losing streak of 16 games. I also like Derek Carr, he seems mature, and poised and I like what I have seen of his leadership abilities so far.

 

I'm not happy that the Raiders won last night. I'm very sad that they won't become the 2nd team to reach 0-16. I was hoping that it would happen so that it would give their brainless owner (Mark Davis) a wake up call. Its like he doesn't know what the hell is he doing running that team. He cares more about getting a spanking a new stadium than trying to bring the Raiders back to respectability. He is such an idiot & he's just as smart as Jerry Jones & Daniel Snyder.

 

I don't like the Raiders at all, but I love their fans very much. They seem very passionate & (unlike the Cowboys) very classy (even when their team is bad) & they certainly deserve better than what they got for the past 11 seasons. I wonder why ESPN hasn't ripped on Mark Davis yet like they do to Jerry Jones & Daniel Snyder.

[Bastet]

I was a Raiders fan when they were in Los Angeles, and continued to root for them after the move back to Oakland, but in recent years it had reached the point where I didn’t subject myself to games.  Last night, though, I decided to watch the matchup with KC.  What a terrific win for them!

 

When they scored with about a minute and a half left, I feared KC would wind up with a last-second victory, and when the clowns were too busy celebrating a third-down sack to get back to the line for fourth down, I thought it was going to be just another night as a Raiders fan.  I was so pleased to see them finish it instead.

[DrSpaceman]

The Raiders fans are certainly passionate but I don't believe classy would apply. They have a reputation as far as I know as one of the meanest fan bases in the league. Dallas fans are more just pleasantly clueless and delusional, much like college Notre Dame fans.

Win or lose they are all about their team though, will give them that.

[Danny Franks]

Fans who buy into their own gimmick and believe they're more important than other fans annoy me, no matter what colours they wear. The Raiders are bad, but so are the Packers, Steelers, Browns and Seahawks fans, and that clot, Fireman Ed. No, none of you are the attraction here, guys, none of you are revered and treasured assets to the game of football. Stop puffing out your chests about how you're so much better than other fans who just go to cheer their teams without a silly gimmick. I don't care about your Terrible Towels, or your Black Hole, or your Dawg Pound, or your self-professed "Twelfth Man" status, or that you pretend to own the team yourselves.

 

I don't care that the Raiders won a game, but I'm glad that Derek Carr did. He's done well this season, and he deserves at least one victorious moment in this garbage fire of a season. But then I see Tony Sparano wearing shades in the locker room when addressing his players, and I just sigh.

[Bastet]

Am I mixing him up with another coach, because I thought Sparano was the guy for whom shades are a medical necessity?

 

[Double checked and I had it right.]

 

As the result of a long-ago serious injury, his eyes are terribly sensitive to light.

Edited November 21, 2014 by Bastet

[Danny Franks]

Alright, I'll let him off then. But still, wearing them indoors is a necessity?

[Bastet]

Well, in his office, he keeps the lights off.  Since the players would like to have the lights on the locker room - and the media outlets would like to shine their lights as well while covering the locker room - he simply dons sunglasses to keep his eyes from being irritated by the light.

[loriro]

The Raiders fans are certainly passionate but I don't believe classy would apply. They have a reputation as far as I know as one of the meanest fan bases in the league.

 

Granted I'm only an "n" of 1, so the generalizability is suspect, but having been to a Raider game in Oakland as a fan of the visiting team, I have to say they were great. I've been to a good number of stadiums (13 or 14) to see my favorite team play and by far, the trip to Oakland was one of the most enjoyable from a "home team fan experience" perspective. (along with Denver and Chicago actually.  Least impressive fan base I've been around just from the standpoint of how I was treated:  Atlanta. And I'll say, I'm always very careful to not disrespect the home fans. I'll cheer for my team (loudly LOL), sure. But visiting fans who come into a home team's stadium and mouth off to the home team fans are not cool at all IMO, and frankly asking for trouble.)

Edited November 22, 2014 by loriro

[DrSpaceman]

Glad you have a good time at the game, but seriously, Raiders fans are known for violence. A raiders fan stabbed a chargers fan in 2003 in the stands.

2011 preseason game with SF there were fights between raiders-49ers fans.

I have been to games in Indy, Carolina, Tenn, Jax, Atalnta as both home and away fan, never had any problems at all. Only saw one near fight, that was at the Colts-Broncos game last year in Indy, just a drunk guy yelling at someone, it didn't amount to much and was over quickly.

[wingster55]

Get Mike Smith the fuck out of Atlanta.

[ktwo]

Why is a game between two NFC teams (Redskins-49ers) on CBS instead of Fox?

[Dejana]

Why is a game between two NFC teams (Redskins-49ers) on CBS instead of Fox?

 

It's a new NFL provision that began this season:

 

The "cross flex" mechanism will serve a similar purpose. Select games can be flexed between CBS and FOX. In the past, a game with two NFC teams had to be on FOX and a game with two AFC teams had to be on CBS. Now, the league can theoretically move an all-NFC game to CBS or an all-AFC game to FOX in select cases. This will help balance out the television schedule, especially in a week where one network has all the most intriguing games.

 

Who knew?

Edited November 23, 2014 by Dejana

[ktwo]

Thanks, Dejana! I thought it might have to do with the rescheduling/moving of the Jets-Bills game - I had no idea the networks could swap games like this.

[BabyVegas]

I have to give the Cardinals props. They might be using their backup quarterback, but they're still showing up full-out every time. On a different note, it doesn't look like Juron Brown ever had control of that would-be touchdown. I thought it hit him in the chest, a little low, and he never really got his hands on it, so it was less of a drop and more of am incomplete.

But can we talk about the DeSean Shead/Cooper Helfet combo pack? Ouch on Shead getting kicked in the face and ouch on Helfet NOPE-ing Housler to the ground. I wouldn't want to take a hit from any NFL player, but watching Chancellor flying tackle a Cardinal to the ground and Helfet bring Housler down, I feel like the LOB is picking up the momentum it needs.

[Rick Kitchen]

Why do the 49ers only bother to show up the last five minutes of a game?

[mojoween]

I knew about flex scheduling because the stupid Bills were shuffled to FOX a few times this year, screwing me out of seeing the Giants. I HATE CROSSFLEX.

I saw a lot of calls for Mike Smiths head on Twitter. How did his poor clock management screw the Falcons?

[DrSpaceman]

Holy moly........That catch by ODell beckham Jr was one of the best I have ever seen. One handed falling backwards one the sideline fighting off the defender who interfered with him. I care little about the Giants but really love watching that kid.

This year's rookie WR class is just unreal. A bunch of them were picked first three rounds and many have been successful as rookies. Just off the top of my head Beckham, Cooks, Kelvin Benjamin, Sammy Watkins and one not getting much attention but appears to be a legitimate future replacement for Wayne in Indy, Moncrief. He was a 3rd round pick I believe, way down the list behind other guys.

[wingster55]

I saw a lot of calls for Mike Smiths head on Twitter. How did his poor clock management screw the Falcons?

 

Instead of running out the clock (as much as he could) he called a time out with a minute left when they were in field goal range. The ineptitude...it burns.

[merylinkid]

And then called a long pass play -- which has been a problem for a long time for the Falcons.   You run the ball in that situation to get a few yards closer and to burn time.   They left 44 seconds on the clock for Cleveland.   All Hoyer had to do was get them in field goal range.   Which he did, burning time and kicked it with 4 seconds left on the clock.   

[DrSpaceman]

Yeah I don't get the coaching decisions by Atlanta at the end at all. Complete failure for so many reasons

No need for the time out. At 3rd and 2, why not run it at least and make the other team take a time out, or try and short throw, a high percentage throw, run the clock and try to get the first down and bleed the clock more?

Never impressed with Mike Smith. He should be gone after this year.

Love the new, and prior, Rob Lowe DirecTV commercials.

[Jx223]

Holy moly........That catch by ODell beckham Jr was one of the best I have ever seen. One handed falling backwards one the sideline fighting off the defender who interfered with him. I care little about the Giants but really love watching that kid.

This year's rookie WR class is just unreal. A bunch of them were picked first three rounds and many have been successful as rookies. Just off the top of my head Beckham, Cooks, Kelvin Benjamin, Sammy Watkins and one not getting much attention but appears to be a legitimate future replacement for Wayne in Indy, Moncrief. He was a 3rd round pick I believe, way down the list behind other guys.

That was one heck of a catch by Odell. It was awesome. :)   I agree about this year's rookie WR class. They are a very talented group of young men. I also think that another rookie WR Martavis Bryant of the Steelers has been doing some nice things on the field as well.

Edited November 24, 2014 by Jx223

[merylinkid]

OMG, OMG, OMG the Cowboys won.   They actually didn't fall apart in the 4th quarter.   And it's not like Eli had an especially bad night.    THanksgiving is going to be epic with the fight for first in the East.

[Bastet]

I hate everyone.

[nowandlater]

Why are no AFC teams playing on Thanksgiving?

[mojoween]

ODB's catch was spectacular but meaningless. Sigh.

[Danny Franks]

Holy moly........That catch by ODell beckham Jr was one of the best I have ever seen. One handed falling backwards one the sideline fighting off the defender who interfered with him. I care little about the Giants but really love watching that kid.

This year's rookie WR class is just unreal. A bunch of them were picked first three rounds and many have been successful as rookies. Just off the top of my head Beckham, Cooks, Kelvin Benjamin, Sammy Watkins and one not getting much attention but appears to be a legitimate future replacement for Wayne in Indy, Moncrief. He was a 3rd round pick I believe, way down the list behind other guys.

 

I still maintain that Odell Beckham Jr will end up being the cream of this year's wide receiver crop. Yes, there have been plenty of guys who have made big impacts this season, not least Benjamin and Evans, but I just think Beckham is a real gamechanger, and ideally suited to the Giants' offense. Of course, a lot depends on how well Eli plays.

 

The Colts have such a good receiving corps, which is why I always side-eye the 'OMG, Luck is teh awesome!' chatter. Reggie Wayne, Dwayne Allen, TY Hilton, Coby Fleener, Hakeem Nicks and now Donte Moncrieff. If Luck wasn't putting up ridiculous numbers with those guys, I'd be worried.

 

Ravens at Saints tonight. And the Ravens need to win to stay in the chase, after the Falcons and Texans both choked away their games against the Browns and Bengals yesterday. Time for Flacco and the offense to show up, from the start, because if they can't sustain drives and keep Brees from establishing a rhythm, it'll be a long night.

[nowandlater]

6 more days until....

 

[DrSpaceman]

I still maintain that Odell Beckham Jr will end up being the cream of this year's wide receiver crop. Yes, there have been plenty of guys who have made big impacts this season, not least Benjamin and Evans, but I just think Beckham is a real gamechanger, and ideally suited to the Giants' offense. Of course, a lot depends on how well Eli plays.

 

The Colts have such a good receiving corps, which is why I always side-eye the 'OMG, Luck is teh awesome!' chatter. Reggie Wayne, Dwayne Allen, TY Hilton, Coby Fleener, Hakeem Nicks and now Donte Moncrieff. If Luck wasn't putting up ridiculous numbers with those guys, I'd be worried.

 

Ravens at Saints tonight. And the Ravens need to win to stay in the chase, after the Falcons and Texans both choked away their games against the Browns and Bengals yesterday. Time for Flacco and the offense to show up, from the start, because if they can't sustain drives and keep Brees from establishing a rhythm, it'll be a long night.

 

Reggie has been hurt much of the last two years, as has Allen all of last year.  Nicks has been a huge disappointment.  Fleener is hit and miss, he is an OK tight end but no great.   Played great against NE but has otherwise been less than impressive this season. And Moncrief has potential but hasn't been used a huge amoun this season.  TY has really been the only consistent target the last two years who has not been injured. 

[topanga]

 

I still maintain that Odell Beckham Jr will end up being the cream of this year's wide receiver crop. Yes, there have been plenty of guys who have made big impacts this season, not least Benjamin and Evans, but I just think Beckham is a real gamechanger, and ideally suited to the Giants' offense. Of course, a lot depends on how well Eli plays.

Yes, he is very talented. I didn't cheer for his catch in real time because I'm a Cowboys fan, and the 'Boys were letting themselves get embarrassed by the lowly Giants during that entire first half. Also, how did the refs ignore the contact between Beckham and Carr prior to the catch, which should have resulted in off-setting pass interference calls, thereby negating the catch.  But since the Cowboys won, I could watch replays of the catch over and over, and I was able to appreciate what an athletic, smart, and focused play it was. Not just the catch itself, but his ability not to backpetal and end up landing out of bounds.

 

What impressed me even more was Beckham's post-game interview. It was certainly a lesson in not judging a book by its cover. Based on Beckham's red hair, his on-field arrogance (which is just part of the game, I know), and the stereotype of the prima-donna wide receiver, I expected him to be loud, arrogant, and brash off the field. But he was the exact opposite. He acknowledged that he made a difficult catch but added that it meant little to him because they lost the game. And he was calm, thoughtful, and well-spoken.* The young man surprised me!

 

*I'm such a hypocrite. I hate it when members of the media call a black athlete "well-spoken." As if they'd just spotted a unicorn. No one calls Tom Brady or Jason Whitten well-spoken. No one calls Andrew Luck well-spoken (I guess they wouldn't--he sounds like he just swallowed a football).

[yourpointis]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000433839/article/eric-berrys-season-over-will-visit-lymphoma-specialist

 

 

Eric Berry's season over; will visit lymphoma specialist

Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry's season is over after doctors found a mass on the right side of his chest.

Chiefs trainer Rick Burkholder announced the news Monday, saying that Berry will visit a lymphoma specialist to determine a final diagnosis. The Chiefs said the 'leading consideration' is that he has lymphoma. Berry was placed on the non-football illness list Monday.

"I am truly thankful for all of the support from family, friends, coaches, teammates and the entire Chiefs kingdom. At first I was in shock with the diagnosis on Saturday and did not even want to miss a game, but I understand that right now I have to concentrate on a new opponent," Berry said in a statement. "I have great confidence in the doctors and the plan they are going to put in place for me to win this fight. ... I am so thankful and appreciative of being a part of this franchise and playing in front of the best fans in the NFL. I will be back!"

Burkholder says Berry didn't complain about anything before the team faced the Oakland Raiders last Thursday. He had a physical before the season and checked out fine. Coach Andy Reid said that Berry was able to address the team on Monday about his condition, and "feel their love and support."

Berry, 25, has made the Pro Bowl three times in his previous four seasons. The Chiefs expressed optimism about Berry's future prognosis, but cautioned it was early in the process.

[ktwo]

Why are no AFC teams playing on Thanksgiving?

It's always been harder to schedule the AFC on Thanksgiving because Detroit and Dallas both have to play and they only play four AFC games apiece. But it looks like in recent years they've been trying to schedule better matchups, and inter-conference games usually aren't as much of a draw. For the night game, who knows?

[mojoween]

Odell Beckham is a good looking man. Hair and all. He would make some company nice money if they hired him for advertising.

This crew calling the Bills/Jets, is this CBS's H crew or what? The production values are...sketchy, and Steve Tasker is reporting from somewhere, but I thought he was a color commentator. I don't watch a lot of CBS games so beyond Phil and Jim I don't know many of their announcers. Oh, I think I answered my own question, I'm assuming guys who called yesterday weren't available tonight? But wouldn't there already have been a team in place for this game if it were played yesterday? Or maybe this is that team and the Bills and Jets were going to get CBS's H team.

This is a lot of speculation on my part for a game that doesn't mean a whole lot, Buffalo has a lot of climbing to do if they are going to have a chance at the playoffs.

[merylinkid]

Bills-Jets was always going to get the H team.   However, as Phil and Jim noted on Thursday night, they are in Detroit to cover the Thanksgiving game.   They could have called this one.   

[nowandlater]

Bills-Jets was always going to get the H team.   However, as Phil and Jim noted on Thursday night, they are in Detroit to cover the Thanksgiving game.   They could have called this one.   

 

 

4 days ago, they were in Oakland calling the Raiders-Chiefs game.

 

Then they did the Dolphins-Broncos.

 

Give them a break...

 

They couldn't have called tonight's game because they would need a few days to watch tape/familiarize themselves with all the players/interview coaches.

 

That's why they are in Detroit 3 days before the game. It takes time to prep.

 

Yesterday, Broncos undrafted 3rd-string RB C.J. Anderson rushed for 167 yards and a TD as he filled in as the starter. And as luck would have it, Jim Nantz was prepared to tell the story of Anderson's special bond with Marshawn Lynch (both are ex-Cal RBs from Oakland) and how Lynch texts him encouragement. That kind of preparation takes time.

Edited November 25, 2014 by nowandlater

[Ohwell]

Odell Beckham is a good looking man. Hair and all. He would make some company nice money if they hired him for advertising.

Odell Beckham, Jr., thank you. :)  I love that name.  And yes, he is a good-looking man.

[DrSpaceman]

If only Buffalo could play all their games in Detroit.......and against the Jets.

[Danny Franks]

*I'm such a hypocrite. I hate it when members of the media call a black athlete "well-spoken." As if they'd just spotted a unicorn. No one calls Tom Brady or Jason Whitten well-spoken. No one calls Andrew Luck well-spoken (I guess they wouldn't--he sounds like he just swallowed a football).

 

Heh. Thing is, it's difficult to avoid saying this sometimes. Because you do have players who talk like Chris Johnson, and I sit there barely understanding a mush-mouthed word that he says. And if you're familiar with British soccer players, the idea of a professional sportsman being able to string a coherent sentence together is always going to be novel to you.

 

Odell Beckham is a good looking man. Hair and all. He would make some company nice money if they hired him for advertising.

 

 

The Giants could make a fortune using him and Victor Cruz in all their marketing. If only they had a photogenic, charismatic QB to go along with them, instead of this guy:

 

 

In news only Ravens fans care about, they beat the Saints in New Orleans last night, to keep pace in the AFC North. My team's own charismatic QB (seriously though, Joe Flacco does have plenty of personality, it's just too dry for ESPN bobbleheads to understand) played well enough, and is still on course for his best season yet. Justin Forsett continues to be this year's renaissance man, and he is surely going to get a sizeable contract somewhere next year.

 

Terrell Suggs hit the 100 sacks landmark, and Elvis Dumervil is still on course to break the Ravens' single season sacks record.

[wingster55]

In news only Ravens fans care about, they beat the Saints in New Orleans last night,

 

And because of it the Falcons are remarkably in first place in the NFC South.

[AimingforYoko]

AFC North: First division with all teams at least three games over .500.

NFC South: First division with all teams at least three games under .500.

The through line, of course, is that's said divisions play each other this season. Guess who's winning that battle?