NFL Thread

[Carey]

1 minute ago, Calvada said:

If I could sync up the radio with the tv broadcast for the Super Bowl, I'd listen to Kevin Harlan on the national radio broadcast. 

I think I did this for one of the last Super Bowls.  Probably the Brady/Mahomes one since I didn't go anywhere.  The year before and after I had to tune into the broadcast.  The same thing may happen this year since I plan to be at another SB party.  If not, I'll synch Harlan/Warner for the broadcast

[twoods]

Eagles-Niners should be a good game next week. Bengals game is probably going to be a blowout if Mahomes isn’t playing.

[Magog]

Guess what Jerry Jones. HA HA HA HA HA!!!

[ebk57]

OMG my heart...

 

Whew

[meowmommy]

Boom!  So much for the hook and lateral.

Buh-bye, Dall-ass!

[mojoween]

I actually don’t want Philly OR San Fran to go to the Super Bowl.  But you know who is not going?

Dallas HAHAHAHAHAHA.  They outlasted the Giants by less than 24 hours, and for that I am giddy.

[Bastet]

I don't even like the 49ers, but that sound you hear - wherever in the country you are - is me still cackling at how that ended.

I'll have to root for them next week, too, as I hate the Eagles, but with nowhere near the intensity I hate the Cowboys, so it won't be as grand if they win that one.  This was a thing of beauty.  All those formation shenanigans and it went NOWHERE.  I'm gonna watch that again.  And again.

Edited January 23, 2023 by Bastet

[merylinkid]

Greg Olsen says you gotta save your tineouts and clock management is so important.  Right after Dallas used their last time out.  

Can we please enter the Sean Payton sweepstakes now?  Or Eric Bienemy?

[meowmommy]

3 minutes ago, twoods said:

Bengals game is probably going to be a blowout if Mahomes isn’t playing.

Works for me.  I wanna see Cincy get a third bite at the SF apple.

[DrSpaceman73]

Dallas awful in last three minutes on offense. 

Dak first went near int, missed pass he should have completed for a big gain then sack. 

Get the ball back....almost a safety, wr should have stopped the clock going forward out of bounds, should have stopped the clock by dak, Wr makes an easy mistake for incomplete pass and last play not even a chance to lateral. 

Just ugly

Edited January 23, 2023 by DrSpaceman73

[Bastet]

3 minutes ago, mojoween said:

I actually don’t want Philly OR San Fran to go to the Super Bowl.  But you know who is not going?

Dallas HAHAHAHAHAHA.  They outlasted the Giants by less than 24 hours, and for that I am giddy.

That gets a hearty AMEN out of this atheist.

[Carey]

There's only ONE reason I would've been okay for Dallas in a Super Bowl.  To see what Jerry Jones looks like in the present moment of a Cowboys Super Bowl loss

[mojoween]

San Fran gets the least amount of rest and has to fly cross country.  Will be interesting to see how they come out.

[Carey]

2 minutes ago, mojoween said:

San Fran gets the least amount of rest and has to fly cross country.  Will be interesting to see how they come out.

What comes around goes around.  Dallas played on a short week over a rested Niners team.  Though SF should've been off this week (damn NFL!)

[merylinkid]

If a day makes a difference  at this point in the season, you don't deserve to be there.  Someone ALWAYS gets an extra day unless they play all the games on the same day.

[AimingforYoko]

Lotta chalk this round, only road team to win was Cincy and I consider that only a mild upset.

[kathyk24]

The best thing about the Cowboys loss is that Skip Bayless won't be on my Twitter feed. I think Philadelphia will beat SF they looked better last night. I will never bet against Joe Burrow that was a beat down.

[xaxat]

Over the years, my active dislike of athletes/teams has declined. It's not worth my time and/or effort.

But boy, my schadenfreude for Jerry Jones still remains strong.

[twoods]

I was actually rooting for Dallas since I detest the Niners because their team is pretty likable. It’s just their damn owner that sucks.

[Carey]

12 minutes ago, kathyk24 said:

The best thing about the Cowboys loss is that Skip Bayless won't be on my Twitter feed. I think Philadelphia will beat SF they looked better last night. I will never bet against Joe Burrow that was a beat down.

Unlike the AFC Championship game, I'll wait until the end of the week/weekend to pick the NFC Championship game.  I can see either team winning.  The Niners were tested tonight, and they will be tested in a much more difficult situation at Lincoln Financial.  If Purdy survives then I can't "site" luck for his perseverence.  That's Philadelphia.  I still won't say it's Brady 2.5 but you beat the best team against all odds and that's a plus.  At least for 2022

[Salacious Kitty]

36 minutes ago, kathyk24 said:

The best thing about the Cowboys loss is that Skip Bayless won't be on my Twitter feed. I think Philadelphia will beat SF they looked better last night. I will never bet against Joe Burrow that was a beat down.

He popped up in mine: NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! 

😂

[BlueSkies]

Josh Allen wasn’t the reason the Bills lost but I’m reading the Bills fans boards and he’s still getting a pass.

 

Josh could learn a thing or two from Joe B….  He seems to go about his business more quieter.   

[Irlandesa]

4 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

My question is when would the Chiefs have to disclose that?

I think the official call can be made on game day but injury reports will come out daily starting Wednesday I believe.  Everyone will know if he's practicing or not. 

Every time I've heard of a player getting a high ankle sprain, they've missed weeks.  Maybe it'll be different because it's the playoffs but I guess I'll be backing the Bengals in the playoffs.

1 hour ago, meowmommy said:

Do we even know if Tom Brady is any good at color commentary?  They've tried quarterbacks before who were complete duds, all the way back to Johnny Unitas and Sonny Jurgensen.

I think Romo was the first QB to go directly into the lead position and now everyone feels like they have to offer that to land a big gun.  Frankly, I don't understand why they are willing to pay big money when people are going to watch the games regardless of who comments on them.

At least NBC, who hired Brees to replace Chris Collinsworth, tried Brees out on some college and supplemental games to see how it went before deciding to replace Collinsworth only to realize after a year that maybe Drew wasn't right for this after all.

They should start Brady out on the smaller games but poor Greg Olsen is likely going to get the short end of the stick.

1 hour ago, mojoween said:

Mmmmmmmmm…not sure that is yet proven.  Even people who were googly-eyed over him when he first started are turning on him.

I think all color commentators eventually get hated.  A refreshing voice suddenly becomes annoying.

But I think people who are turning on him don't think their original opinions about him were wrong.  I think they still think he was quite enjoyable in his first and second seasons.  I think they think he has taken a step back.  There is spec as to why that is but things I've heard include CBS told him to stop predicting plays or he doesn't put in the tape review necessary to stay on top of the changes in the game.  (I read an article in relation to this that said Cris puts in about at least ten hours a week of studying the tape. )

[Danielg342]

Someone asked a while ago why people use "we" when talking about their sports teams, and I can't help but feel today is a great example of that.

I've never played a down for the Buffalo Bills and I probably never will (I am a few years younger than Tom Brady but I am, for sure, not built like him). I'll also never receive a dime if Buffalo had won the Super Bowl...heck, I'd probably give them a few (or a lot of) dimes buying stuff had they have won.

So having all these feelings for the Bills as an organization- or, heck, fandom in general- is a bit of an irony because, aside from the emotional benefits, sports teams don't exactly give a lot back to their fans.

Even on the emotional front, they usually leave you disappointed most of the time. To an outsider, like my mother was, fandom just doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

...but...

Feelings are irrational. You can't explain them. All you know is that your favourite team becomes a part of who you are, like your favourite colour or your favourite hairdo (and there have been studies that have shown this type of connection). Thus I know that, even against my better judgement, as the Bills go, I go.

...and Sunday was about as bad as you could get.

Perhaps I should have seen it coming. Buffalo has no running game other than Josh Allen's awkward dashes. They have no pass rush because the guy they brought in to shore that up, Von Miller, was hurt for this game. They also had a patchwork secondary that was an injury away from forcing the team to have open tryouts.

Knowing this, I had a hard time believing (Bill-eveing?) the hype.

Yet, somehow, deep down inside I wanted to believe the hype. I wanted to believe that what others saw, that the team was better than what my eyes and my logic said.

We'd never won the Super Bowl before. More to the point, we are viewed as the "poster child" of Super Bowl futility with those four straight losses (which I witnessed with my own eyes), even though I think that achievement ought to be celebrated as one of sports' greater achievements.

No one else, not even the dynastic New England Patriots, have come close, and who knows if we'll ever see such an achievement ever again.

...but, it is what it is, and I can't tell you how badly I wanted a Bills win this year. I know, every other team's fans say the same thing about their team, but I think there's a special kind of frustration when, not only are you facing the prospect of another year without a title, you face that prospect despite being told you have a very good, if not the best chance of winning that title that has eluded you for so long.

Losing sucks, but losing when you are "not supposed to" sucks even more.

I think what hurts more about losing in this situation is wondering if you'll come back to this same height- or more- next season. We have our predictions but sports has shown that you never ever really know. Championship windows tend to only last for a few seasons, and the Bills have been championship contenders for the past three seasons.

A fourth straight season as a championship contender doesn't appear out of the question. Rationally, knowing the Bills situation, their situation isn't as dire as some other teams, so being great for another season looks likely.

Then again, I was sure we could have been to that fifth straight Super Bowl. I even recall The Toronto Star article that said just that.

...and the Bills finished 7-9 that year, starting a stretch where the team won only one playoff game between then and 2020.

So yeah, losing today stings for me, as much as, rationally, it probably shouldn't. Because sports is cruel and unpredictable, and who knows if I'll ever feel the same highs I did this year again.

Anyway, I don't know how interesting that rant was but if I'm a little absent from these parts, this will probably be why.

[Lamb18]

I agree with @Danielg342 with a couple of extra thoughts. 

I use "we" quite a bit when posting about the Vikings here. For one thing, the Vikingsbplayers, coaches, other staff, radio announcers, ticketholders and followers of the team are all part of a large Vikings community that love the team and the game. I belong to that community. So I use "we."

Second, there is a geographical component. I didn't play on my high school football team but I certainly said "we" when talking about them. Same with college. Well, the Vikings are the team for my state and they represent the state in which I was born and live to the sports world. Similar to how the high school and college teams represented the schools I attended. You could say the Vikings represent the upper Midwest except for fans who cheer for the Packers. So I use "we" in that sense.

And why not? It doesn't break any laws!

[Kip Hackman]

1 hour ago, Danielg342 said:

I've never played a down for the Buffalo Bills and I probably never will

[mojoween]

Herm Edwards - there have been more popes than there have been coaches for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

I don’t know why that tickled me, but it did.

[meowmommy]

18 minutes ago, mojoween said:

Herm Edwards - there have been more popes than there have been coaches for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

I don’t know why that tickled me, but it did.

Well, considering there have been 266 popes, it's not really a meaningful comparison.  Now if he said that Cleveland has had more coaches than there've been popes, I'd be impressed.

[Magog]

Awwww..... Jerry Jones was sick to his stomach last night because of the Cowboys losing last night. I'm certain that poor little Jerry Jones slept very well last night. I know I did. 

As for the Cowboys, HA HA HA HA!! And this song was made by ESPN several years ago about the Cowboys & it is still relevant as ever today & forever. 

ESPN - Mediocre Team In Big D

Edited January 23, 2023 by Magog

[TVbitch]

Between the Bengals and Niners, I might actually have a team to root  for in the SB!

"Just happy to get through, everyone did their job, we'll be ready for next" -every single time. Purdy needs to go to George Kittle's on-field interview masterclass.

PS. I can't see Tony Romo without remembering that Jessica Simpson dumped him for John Mayer. 

[meowmommy]

19 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

I can't see Tony Romo without remembering that Jessica Simpson dumped him

Oh, sure, remind us that every damn time Dall-ass was on in Romo's day, the network had to run about a hundred honey shots of Jessica Simpson.  Thanks so much.

Which reminds me, I missed the hundred shots of Jerruh crying in his crypt.  If they'd won, our eyes would have been bleeding from all the angles of that dessicated skeleton they'd have shown. 

[Chit Chat]

51 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

Purdy needs to go to George Kittle's on-field interview masterclass.

I loved seeing Kittle toss the ball over to the legend, Jerry Rice!  It was great to see the former SF players at the game.  That had to be a lot of pressure on the current players knowing these guys were right there critiquing your every move!

[SuprSuprElevated]

57 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

Between the Bengals and Niners, I might actually have a team to root  for in the SB!

"Just happy to get through, everyone did their job, we'll be ready for next" -every single time. Purdy needs to go to George Kittle's on-field interview masterclass.

PS. I can't see Tony Romo without remembering that Jessica Simpson dumped him for John Mayer. 

And he's all the better for it imo.

[bluegirl147]

2 hours ago, Lamb18 said:

I belong to that community. So I use "we."

As a member of Steeler nation I completely agree.

1 hour ago, TVbitch said:

Between the Bengals and Niners, I might actually have a team to root  for in the SB!

That is the matchup I'm rooting for.  I know some of my fellow Steeler fans don't like either one of those teams because Cincy is a divisional rival and they don't want SF to get a six Lombardi to tie us.  But out of our division Cincy is the one I dislike the least.  And how can you not like their QB?  And speaking of QBs how can you not root for Purdy?  Goes from being Mr Irrelevant coming out of the draft to now one game away from the SB.

1 hour ago, Magog said:

Awwww..... Jerry Jones was sick to his stomach last night because of the Cowboys losing last night. I'm certain that poor little Jerry Jones slept very well last night. I know I did. 

To paraphrase Ice Cube yesterday was a good day.

50 minutes ago, meowmommy said:

Oh, sure, remind us that every damn time Dall-ass was on in Romo's day, the network had to run about a hundred honey shots of Jessica Simpson. 

Didn't  he also date Carrie Underwood?  I seem to remember some shots of her as well.

 

[Johannah]

I don't know what was more satisfying:  the Cowboys losing or Skip Bayless crying about his broken heart.

Oh, wait, I know.  Skip.  I don't know any of the Cowboy players enough to dislike them, but find their fans (some), owner and the media's fawning over them to be highly aggravating.

I wanted the Bills to win (sometimes I pick teams just because I like the area and I like upstate New York - and snow), but since they are out, I'm fine with anyone winning.  Would prefer Bengals/Eagles Superbowl, but I'm not going to be too disappointed with whatever outcome we get.

[Carey]

43 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

That is the matchup I'm rooting for.  I know some of my fellow Steeler fans don't like either one of those teams because Cincy is a divisional rival and they don't want SF to get a six Lombardi to tie us.  But out of our division Cincy is the one I dislike the least.  And how can you not like their QB?  And speaking of QBs how can you not root for Purdy?  Goes from being Mr Irrelevant coming out of the draft to now one game away from the SB.

I'm not rooting for this matchup.  I'm not rooting against it either.  I'm rooting for a great Sunday in terms of on-field product.  I want to see a great game (both title games).  Nothing like the nonsense from the Eagles & Giants.  Buffalo got handled, but unlike many other teams, they were still in it until time ran out.  

Though I'll have to laugh at a Bengals/Niners Superbowl.  FWIW, I did consider Cincinnati this year (along with the Niners, Chargers, Bills, and Bucs).  They just sorta reminded me of Baltimore a decade prior when they were real close but you knew they would overcome and win it all the next year.

Speaking of a decade ago, it was a similar thing.  Niners getting to SIX vs Ray Lewis riding off into the sunset.  That year was sorta annoying since New England could've ended things even though it meant Belichick tying (and eventually passing) Noll for most SB titles as a HC.  Instead, they let Ray win, and then they ended up winning another Lombardi (and 2 more after passing > running).

The only thing that sucks is the reality of the NFL version of LSU in the Steelers division vs Purdy doing something Ben (and even Flacco & Sanchez) couldn't do.  Win as a rookie.  Jimmy G actually won as a rookie but he didn't start in 2014.

Having said all of that, San Francisco vs Cincinnati (would be a great game).  For me, this is like 4 years ago when New England tied Pittsburgh.  Me and a lot of other people weren't mad at all.  The fact is, the Steelers are so far behind & have a ton of issues.  Plus, they have a history of being behind the Niners & the Dallas Cowboys, so it wasn't a big deal.  It's up to Pittsburgh to get better.  The other thing is, like the Patriots, the Bengals have had success against the Black N Gold on their way to success.  So if a team is going to run the league, at least they beat my team as part of that.

And ITA; there's nothing to hate Joe Burrow for based on what I've seen from the guy.  The guy's hilarious.  FWIW, if he was this good and part of my team, I'd be enjoying it pretty much all the time

58 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

Didn't  he also date Carrie Underwood?  I seem to remember some shots of her as well.

Yep.  I often think of that song "Before He Cheats" & I think NBC (or FOX) played that in one of their outros during a Cowboys game

[bluegirl147]

3 minutes ago, Carey said:

And ITA; there's nothing to hate Joe Burrow for based on what I've seen from the guy.  The guy's hilarious.  FWIW, if he was this good and part of my team, I'd be enjoying it pretty much all the time

He does  have some great responses.  And he plays good football.  They came so close to winning it all last year and I think this year they might actually do it.  And one big reason I like him is he still just a football player.  When they become celebrities it's a real turn off for me.  

6 minutes ago, Carey said:

The fact is, the Steelers are so far behind & have a ton of issues.  Plus, they have a history of being behind the Niners & the Dallas Cowboys, so it wasn't a big deal.  It's up to Pittsburgh to get better.

When the Steelers won SB XL it felt like such a relief.  I grew up hearing One for Thumb so to finally get it was like oh thank god.  It was like getting a monkey off our back.  So then to go back and win another SB three years later I was like I will never complain again about them not making it to the SB.  And I haven't.  With that being said I do think they can make another run for it.  There are missing pieces but I have faith within the next few years they might be able to pull it all together.  Especially if they finally cut Matt Canada loose. 

[mojoween]

If the Bengals make the Super Bowl I don’t think there is any iteration where they would be able to wear black jerseys, and that is just sad.

[Carey]

Yeah I believe the NFC gets first choice.  I don't think that non-white jinx is in play anymore.  I think Philadelphia or San Francisco are totally going for their home jerseys for the Big Game

[Black Knight]

3 hours ago, meowmommy said:

Well, considering there have been 266 popes, it's not really a meaningful comparison. 

I thought Edwards meant over the window of time of the Steelers' existence. Popes go back nearly 2000 years while the NFL goes back fewer than a hundred years, so it wouldn't make any sense as a comparison otherwise. But when looked at for the window of time of the Steelers' existence, it's quite meaningful considering that popes generally serve until their deaths while NFL coaching positions can be turnstile-like.

I will be rooting for an Eagles-Bengals Super Bowl!

[roamyn]

4 hours ago, meowmommy said:

Now if he said that Cleveland has had more coaches than there've been popes, I'd be impressed.

Nah, we’ve had more QBs than there’ve been popes.

[blueray]

I also struggle not to say "we" when describing the Bills. But that was a hard game to watch. My family gave up after the third quarter :(. I was to young to remember us going to the super bowls. So in my life time the only time we were good is the past few years. I really did want to win this year or at least make it to the game.

But the team just wasn't there yesterday. It was pretty much everyone on the team that struggled. Hopefully next year.

[Chit Chat]

20 hours ago, Carey said:

TB12 should be apart of the top team; it would be dumb not to have him there, but why does Olsen have to get demoted. 

I hate seeing guys demoted before the new hires prove themselves.  Seems like most of the sports shows are getting too bloated with so-called football experts! TB will have to prove himself.  Remember when Montana tried his hand at broadcasting?  It just wasn't his thing!  I think that TB has a more outgoing personality than him, so he might do just fine, but I hope they don't push somebody else out just to accommodate him.

Also, for all the criticism Collinsworth gets, I'll stand up for him!  Most sports fans think that just because an announcer gets excited by seeing a good play by an opposing team, they think the announcer is "in the tank" for that team.  I've listened to him for all the years he's been in broadcasting, and he just loves to see a good play.  I'd rather him be animated than be a turd on a log and just sit there!  He & his high school football team played ours back in the day.  I followed him in the news from college to the NFL, so I admire what he's accomplished.  YMMV.  

[Crashcourse]

Collinsworth has a gravelly voice that I just can't stand to listen to.

[rcc]

1 minute ago, Crashcourse said:

Collinsworth has a gravelly voice that I just can't stand to listen to.

Romo too. Don't like either one.

 

[mojoween]

Now OBVS it’s a team game, but this is neat.  Also, all 8 divisional game QB’s are reportedly Manning Academy graduates. 

 

[Chit Chat]

43 minutes ago, Crashcourse said:

Collinsworth has a gravelly voice that I just can't stand to listen to.

I understand.  There are people's voices that bug me too!  I guess I'm used to his voice since I've been listening to him since he got into broadcasting.  One of his sons does the play-by-play for college football, and they sound identical!  

42 minutes ago, mojoween said:

Now OBVS it’s a team game, but this is neat.  Also, all 8 divisional game QB’s are reportedly Manning Academy graduates. 

It's pretty cool to see these young guys having this kind of success.  We're seeing a changing of the guard in the NFL!  As a rival to Bama, Joe Burrow (LSU) was pretty awesome, and I have a lot of respect for what he & his team accomplished when he was there.  Jalen still has the utmost respect from Bama fans.  If anybody isn't familiar with comedian FunnyMaine, he sums up how we feel about Jalen (go to the 3 minute mark).  Go'on Jalen!!  He's a class act, and I wish him much success (and his ex-Bama teammates who are on the team!) 

[Carey]

1 hour ago, Crashcourse said:

Collinsworth has a gravelly voice that I just can't stand to listen to.

Would you swap Cris for Dungy?

[mojoween]

I’ll always have fondness for Cris because when Super Bowl XXIII ended, I cried, then took my Velcro referee, pulled him apart and attached his legs to the arm sockets, his arms to the legs, his head to his ass and hung the whole dealio by his whistle string to the back of a dining chair.  My referee doll was named Jerry Markbreit and I will be forever sad that he was lost in a move.

[Carey]

Saturday's Jacksonville / Kansas City game resulted in 37 Million viewers (highest viewership since 2015)

Looks like that's a record for an NBC divisional round game.  The Baltimore / New England game generated 34 Million.  To be clear that's the number for a Saturday afternoon game.  The Ravens/Patriots game was in the same slot (first of four games & first of the two Saturday games around 4:30 PM EST).

FYI: The 2015 game from the 2014 NFL season was NBC's first divisional round game in nearly 20 years (since the 1997 season) so maybe 37 Million for a day game isn't a record.  So the record total in viewership is based off of the totals since the return of the NFL on NBC