NFL Thread

[DoctorAtomic]

I agree that it isn't good for the league. I also kind of hope it does blow up in the league's face. The product is poor, officials can't actually call a game without stopping to check every 45 seconds, and organizations treat players like garbage.

[mojoween]

Ok but I can still see humor, and this is funny -

[galaxygirl76]

I'm actually ok with this because now I can ignore them both without extra effort. 

Edited September 7, 2019 by galaxygirl76

[JTMacc99]

I’m having a really hard time believing that Brown will fall in line with the Patriots culture the way that so many have before. 

He is not Randy Moss.

He is off the charts nuts, several screws loose, many fries short of a Happy Meal. 

I could not care less about the Patriots, but I will throw in my two cents that this will be a rare and uncharacteristic bad move by them. The dude doesn’t seem capable of buying into a team with a strong set of rules and expectations. 

[DoctorAtomic]

Unless he was playing a long game and is totally faking it.

[Crs97]

The Patriots once again come up smelling like sewage.

[xaxat]

On 9/5/2019 at 12:47 PM, Popples said:

You must be absolutely sick of popcorn by now.

1 hour ago, JTMacc99 said:

I’m having a really hard time believing that Brown will fall in line with the Patriots culture the way that so many have before. 

He is not Randy Moss.

That's my guess as well. Brown is not in "Holy Crap, my career is almost over and this might be my last/best chance at a Super Bowl." he's in "I am God's gift to the NFL." mode.

Several Steeler beat writers have said that Roethlisberger would occasionally force passes to get Brown his touches in an effort to placate him. Brady is not going to do that. I can't wait for the game where Brady decides to concentrate on a single covered Josh Gordon over a double covered AB.

Internet! Someone please give me a Raiders' AB highlight video set to Sarah McLachlan's "I will Remember You."

Edited September 8, 2019 by xaxat

[DoctorAtomic]

AB could be in the 'this is the best chance I have for a ring' mode too.

[AimingforYoko]

That happened so fast, you almost want to think that it was a plan. I don't know if I'd give Brown that much credit. 

I would absolutely give Bellichek that much credit.

[xaxat]

1 minute ago, DoctorAtomic said:

AB could be in the 'this is the best chance I have for a ring' mode too.

No. Two years ago he was on a 13-3 Steelers team and was a headache. Last year he sat out a game the Steelers had to win in order to make the playoffs. He's missed walk throughs for playoff games.

Unless Rosenhaus gave him a serious Come to Jesus speech, I think he's still that guy who doesn't really care about winning. He didn't change in the hours between being released and signing with the Pats.

[Fukui San]

I mean there's a nontrivial chance the Pats will cut him by week 5 or so. That's definitely a possibility.

Belichick is the only person in the league with the credibility to say to Brown "Do it my way or your ass is out of here." No one else has his job security, track record, and willingness to follow through. He benched Malcolm Butler in the Super Bowl for reasons no one understands and many say it cost him the game, but it's barely a blip on Belichick's resume.

[galaxygirl76]

28 minutes ago, AimingforYoko said:

That happened so fast, you almost want to think that it was a plan. I don't know if I'd give Brown that much credit. 

I would absolutely give Bellichek that much credit.

On Reddit someone posted that when he went to the Raiders, the Patriots had a better offer but the Steelers didn't want him to go there. It's a long con but I wouldn't rule it out.

[xaxat]

4 minutes ago, galaxygirl76 said:

On Reddit someone posted that when he went to the Raiders, the Patriots had a better offer but the Steelers didn't want him to go there. It's a long con but I wouldn't rule it out.

They might have. We know the Bills did. But Brown wanted a new contract that had a lot of guaranteed money. That's a contract the Pats wouldn't have given him and, like the potential Bills trade, I think AB would have vetoed it.

He pissed away twenty million in guaranteed money because he couldn't pretend to be a part of a team.

[Dejana]

2 hours ago, JTMacc99 said:

I’m having a really hard time believing that Brown will fall in line with the Patriots culture the way that so many have before. 

He is not Randy Moss.

He is off the charts nuts, several screws loose, many fries short of a Happy Meal. 

I could not care less about the Patriots, but I will throw in my two cents that this will be a rare and uncharacteristic bad move by them. The dude doesn’t seem capable of buying into a team with a strong set of rules and expectations. 

1 hour ago, DoctorAtomic said:

Unless he was playing a long game and is totally faking it.

There are a couple of options:

A) AB really wanted to be on the Pats all along, but the Steelers never would have agreed to trade him there. Once Brown was on a bad team, he had to take drastic action to get himself released and in a way where anyone *ahem* was free to sign him. He will surprisingly clean up his act.

B) If Antonio Brown does things The Patriot Way, Brady has an great receiver to work with. If not, Chess Master Belichick can still pump AB for relatively recent insider info about the rival Steelers while he's there, and the team will still be good without him.  If he burns through New England, too, he probably won't end up on a third team this season, so the Pats won't have to face off against him no matter what.

Edited September 8, 2019 by Dejana

[stealinghome]

1 hour ago, Fukui San said:

I mean there's a nontrivial chance the Pats will cut him by week 5 or so. That's definitely a possibility.

I’ll be a little more optimistic—I’m giving it until Week 6. 

[Fukui San]

18 minutes ago, stealinghome said:

I’ll be a little more optimistic—I’m giving it until Week 6. 

Six games is what Albert Haynesworth got before Belichick sent him packing! So that's the standard.

Edit: They get Ben Watson back from suspension in Week 5 and N'Keal Harry is eligible to return from IR after 8 games, so those are two natural points where someone would have to leave anyway if Brown isn't being a good citizen.

Edited September 8, 2019 by Fukui San

[Irlandesa]

On 9/5/2019 at 10:56 PM, Crs97 said:

Did someone forget to tell the Packers and Bears that preseason is over?

I feel like this is the way it is every year where most of the games in the first week or two (and almost all of the Thursday Night games) look like preseason games..especially since the off season programs have been shortened and more teams are not playing their major stars during most (or even all) of the preseason to avoid losing players to injury during games that don't matter.

On 9/5/2019 at 11:58 PM, roamyn said:

If you find 10 punts for each side exciting....

On the other hand, I actually do appreciate a defensive game as long as it's not a keystone cops game* since I find TD after TD after TD as boring as many find a low scoring game.

*Who am I kidding?  As long as it's not my team bumbling all over the field, I can like sloppy butt fumble games.

On 9/6/2019 at 12:49 PM, DoctorAtomic said:

You'd think maybe Luck would just retire, then unretire and be an FA. 

Favre tried to retire his way to the Vikings but he had to play for a year with the Jets before he managed to make that happen. I think Luck would need to sit out at least a season before he could look for another team.  Or maybe even the length of his current contract.

As for Luck, while it would have been better to retire earlier in the year, he might not have realized he was actually done until August.  In the spring, he might be used to feeling injured and done but usually finds his competitive spirit the closer they get to the season.  This year, it didn't happen. I don't think his mental state can be completely divorced from his injuries. 

3 hours ago, Fukui San said:

Former teammate LeGarrette Blount shared his playbook with him. 

I call it: “The Underground Railroad to Freedom”

How many players can we think of who did something similar only to end up with the Patriots?  Martellus Bennett did something similar when he was with the Packers.  With him, it was having a self-diagnosed season ending injury when Rodgers ended up injured (that somehow went away once the packers released him and he re-signed with the Patriots.)

[Magog]

13 hours ago, Dejana said:

I’m having a really hard time believing that Brown will fall in line with the Patriots culture the way that so many have before. 

He is not Randy Moss.

He is off the charts nuts, several screws loose, many fries short of a Happy Meal. 

I could not care less about the Patriots, but I will throw in my two cents that this will be a rare and uncharacteristic bad move by them. The dude doesn’t seem capable of buying into a team with a strong set of rules and expectations. 

I will be shocked if Antonio Brown is with the Patriots when January comes around. I hope that Antonio Brown's time with the Patriots (whenever that last) is as successful as Randy Moss's time with the Patriots. Hopefully, without the Super Bowl appearance because I can't stomach having to put up with that jerk & that team during the 2 week Super Bowl hype. Frankly, I'm wondering when he is going to start up with his Social Media antics with the Patriots. Because he doesn't know a damn thing about humility. BTW, is this fool even playing tonight?

Well since my NFL vacation ends at 1 pm today, I really hope that the Cowboys lose today. That will put a smile on my face.

Edited September 8, 2019 by Magog

[stealinghome]

28 minutes ago, Magog said:

BTW, is this fool even playing tonight?

No—I was reading somewhere that technically Brown can’t sign until Monday, so he can’t suit up tonight. He’ll be eligible for Week 2 though.

[Calvada]

I sure hope they have a mandatory pysch eval as part of the contract.  

[meowmommy]

Jay Glaser is reporting this morning that every NFL exec he's talked to thinks the Patriot signing was orchestrated ahead of time.  If that can be proven, it'll make Deflategate look like a mere blip on the radar.

[Jx223]

Dish Network is having a free preview of the NFL Red Zone channel (for those who don't have the channel already) this Sunday and next Sunday.

Edited September 8, 2019 by Jx223

[Bort]

56 minutes ago, meowmommy said:

Jay Glaser is reporting this morning that every NFL exec he's talked to thinks the Patriot signing was orchestrated ahead of time.  If that can be proven, it'll make Deflategate look like a mere blip on the radar.

If that’s the case, I would bet the Patriots anticipated suspicion. I doubt there is a paper trail. 

[roamyn]

I’m so nervous.  I can’t help it, I’m a native Clevelander.

[AimingforYoko]

Antonio Brown: Crazy like a fox?
Brown sought advice from social media experts to force his release from Raiders.

1 hour ago, meowmommy said:

Jay Glaser is reporting this morning that every NFL exec he's talked to thinks the Patriot signing was orchestrated ahead of time.  If that can be proven, it'll make Deflategate look like a mere blip on the radar.

24 minutes ago, kariyaki said:

If that’s the case, I would bet the Patriots anticipated suspicion. I doubt there is a paper trail. 

Yeah, you have to remember, the Patriots are professional cheaters.

[meowmommy]

35 minutes ago, kariyaki said:

If that’s the case, I would bet the Patriots anticipated suspicion. I doubt there is a paper trail. 

Yes, but the other party involved is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, is he?

[Ohwell]

I don't care what shenanigans may or may not have occurred with the Patriots signing Antonio Brown.  I just want him to drive them absolutely batshit crazy with his antics.  They deserve it and him. 

[merylinkid]

Oh that Eric Weddle injury is gruesome.   I know head injuries bleed a lot but that looks like a car crash, not just a knee to the head.   Hope he is okay.

[Crs97]

And once again we start the season with the refs screwing over the Browns.  Apparently the defense is allowed to hold OBJ, but he isn’t allowed to get free.  And the Browns continue to get to Mariota, but they should expect a flag every time.

[AimingforYoko]

Lamar Jackson is making his coach look like a genius right now for picking him over Joe 'Elite' Flacco.

One caveat: he's facing the Dolphins. If the NFL played by EPL rules, they'd be a lock for relegation.

[xaxat]

There's no mercy rule in the NFL, right?

[Crs97]

Interesting that the network isn’t even showing us the replay so that we can see the called penalty.  

[doodlebug]

1 hour ago, Crs97 said:

And once again we start the season with the refs screwing over the Browns.  Apparently the defense is allowed to hold OBJ, but he isn’t allowed to get free.  And the Browns continue to get to Mariota, but they should expect a flag every time.

The Indians are beating the Twins over on STO.  I switch over there when I get too pissed about the Browns' game/

[Crs97]

Don’t get me wrong:  many of these penalties are deserved, but many are nit-picky with no corresponding calls on the other side.  This is just awful on all levels.

[Jx223]

I am very disappointed with the way that the Browns played today. That was a ridiculous amount of penalties they incurred today, (On the telecast it said the most since 1951). Starting to rack up those penalties early on took them out of rhythm and when they tried to build some momentum. They helped make it much easier for the Titans to move down the field and score. 

The multiple ejections also hurt and the changes on the offensive line. This is a game they should have won. Hopefully, the Browns will settle down and come out much more disciplined next week when they play the Jets and also going forward.

I am also disappointed that the Panther lost.

Also, I am glad that Lamar Jackson played very well today. He looked very impressive (With his five passing TD's and perfect passing ratings) and so did the rookie Hollywood Brown. I hope Lamar continues to play well. The Dolphins OTOH, looked pretty bad, thought they have had a lot of turnover and are rebuilding.

While it wasn't the best looking game, the Bills did do a nice job at the end narrowly stealing that win against the Jets. 

And I hope that Eric Weddle ends up being okay. That was a very rough looking head injury. 

[roamyn]

OMFG... Here we go again.  Nothing ever works out for the Browns.

[bosawks]

It was probably smart of the Eagles coaches to tell the players at halftime that it was no longer preseason.....

[mojoween]

Fuck Dallas.

[Jx223]

Overall, the Cowboys played very well today. Particularly the offense. Kellen Moore did an excellent job calling plays today, The offense looked revitalized. Dak had one of his best games (With almost 400 yards/4TDs,/perfect passing rating) multiple receivers had 100 yards, and at least five different players scored touchdown. And I think that Randall Cobb is providing a nice spark to the team.  

It was nice to see the offense opened up and plays spread around for the players. 

Edited September 8, 2019 by Jx223

[xaxat]

I wonder how many commentators who ripped Dak for believing he is worth 30 million a year are going to pretend it never happened.

Edited September 8, 2019 by xaxat

[Jx223]

Kyler Murrary was really shaky today throughout the Cardinals/Lions game, especially in the 1st half. He did look better in the 2nd half and OT. I would have liked to have seen him lead the Cardinals back for the win, but a tie is better than losing.  I hope he continues to grow and improve as a QB.

[Silver Raven]

Are the Dolphins really that bad?

[DoctorAtomic]

I guess the Pats didn't feel like being rusty in week 1.

[AimingforYoko]

Good thing the Pats picked up AB, their offense is looking very anemic. And obviously losing the top 2 skill position players hasn't hurt Pittsburgh at all.

[xaxat]

Well, at least I don't have to stay up to watch the end.

[Fukui San]

59 minutes ago, DoctorAtomic said:

I guess the Pats didn't feel like being rusty in week 1.

Scary thought: This IS the Pats being rusty.

Fun fact: The Patriots play the Dolphins next week.

[Minneapple]

3 minutes ago, Fukui San said:

Fun fact: The Patriots play the Dolphins next week.

They should have a running clock for the whole game.

[Dejana]

2 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

Are the Dolphins really that bad?

5 minutes ago, Fukui San said:

Scary thought: This IS the Pats being rusty.

Fun fact: The Patriots play the Dolphins next week.

2 minutes ago, Minneapple said:

They should have a running clock for the whole game.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/09/08/early-mutiny-in-miami/

[stealinghome]

I wonder if the backups might get a lot of PT next week. Then again, the Pats got burned by the Miami Miracle last year, so maybe they’ll pedal to the metal it all the way. They usually seem to struggle in the Florida heat in September.

[Fukui San]

My Onion headline writer's room pitch: NFL Issues Memo to Players Stating That They Can't ALL Play for the Patriots