NFL Thread

[JTMacc99]

Maintaining a grass field in Met Life stadium has a 0.0% chance of being a safer than the current field turf. 

Grass would be torn apart by the number of games and other events held there. They messed around with trays in the past, and it just got torn up. Players would be slipping and stepping in holes and then the weather gets nasty in late fall into winter which would make it even worse. 

The latest and greatest artificial turf IS the safest option for Met Life. The only way to get a nice safe grass field for the Jets and Giants would be to have one stadium for each team and a third stadium for all of the other games and events. 

[Black Knight]

MetLife is hosting the World Cup, and FIFA requires grass turf. Funny how they can do it for the World Cup, but not for the NFL. It's a matter of will.

5 hours ago, mojoween said:

I love how any one of 51 other players could bust their Achilles and it’s like “🤷🏻‍♀️ what are you gonna do” but Aaron Rodgers does it and suddenly the Players Association is storming every stadium with pitchforks demanding “grass fields now!”.

The players' advocacy for grass fields and eliminating turf has been ongoing for years. They're more aware than anyone of the higher rate of injuries on turf since it can happen to any one of them, and most of them are not making generational wealth, unlike someone like Rodgers who is set for life even if he never plays another down, so the vast majority of the players are especially motivated to advocate for grass. We're just hearing more about it due to Rodgers being so high profile, since the media and general public don't much care about the players who aren't stars and it doesn't particularly mess up a team to have an average player go down.

But Rodgers to the Jets was supposed to put them in the conversation for a Super Bowl, and the NFL expected high ratings for the primetime games the Jets were consequently assigned, and that's all blown up now. This is when the league and teams might finally be motivated to care, so of course the players are using their bullhorns.

[JTMacc99]

1 hour ago, Black Knight said:

MetLife is hosting the World Cup, and FIFA requires grass turf. Funny how they can do it for the World Cup, but not for the NFL. It's a matter of will.

I saw that David Bakhtiari post on social media about how the stadiums can switch for the World Cup, so it's feasible, and the NFL clearly cares more about soccer players than them. 

It's a piss-poor analogy. I mean, I get it. He's upset for his good friend Rogers, so of course he's looking to place blame on someone or something. However, one situation is NOT AT ALL like the other.

It's a matter of logistics. The world cup will run from June through mid-July. During that period of time, they'll have maybe one game a week, one SOCCER game a week played on the field. There were SEVEN games at Giants stadium during the 1994 world cup, and the field held up okay. To my recollection, they didn't schedule any football games, concerts, or Monster Truck events when they were trying to keep that grass in good shape for the event.

Grass can't hold up to a regular year at MetLife. 

Here are 41 events that will happen in MetLife stadium in 2023:

(It looks like there are also multiple high school football games during the fall, but it's difficult for me to find a good list. I would assume at least 4 more football games can be added to the list, but it might be materially more.)

• 04/22 Supercross
• 05/13 Monster Jam
• 05/26 Taylor Swift
• 05/27 Taylor Swift
• 05/28 Taylor Swift
• 06/10 Ed Sheeran
• 06/11 Ed Sheeran
• 07/06 TWICE
• 07/29 Beyonce
• 07/30 Beyonce
• 08/04 Metallica
• 08/06 Metallica
• 08/11 Blackpink
• 08/12 Blackpink
• 08/15 Guns N' Roses
• 08/18 Giants
• 08/19 Jets
• 08/26 Giants/Jets
• 08/30 Springsteen
• 09/01 Springsteen
• 09/03 Springsteen (He's getting old. When I saw him in 1986 he did 8 straight nights.)
• 09/07 Karol G's "Manana Sera Bonito" tour
• 09/08 Karol G's "Manana Sera Bonito" tour
• 09/10 Giants
• 09/11 Jets
• 09/16 College Football
• 09/24 Jets
• 10/01 Jets
• 10/02 Giants
• 10/15 Jets
• 10/22 Giants
• 10/29 Giants
• 11/06 Jets
• 11/24 Jets
• 11/26 Giants
• 12/03 Jets
• 12/10 Jets
• 12/11 Giants
• 12/24 Jets
• 12/31 Giants
• 01/07 Giants 

 

[Carey]

For Thursday Night Football, I have Eagles winning over Minnesota, 36-7 which would address the former covering that 5.5 but as a result, missing the over 48.5

Despite an interest in the field of play someday, as mentioned, there's never going to be a perfect solution.  BTW, the opposite is the case at the former Heinz Field.  Injuries are part of the game and people are still going to go down.  Nobody does a TB12 diet

[twoods]

The Vikings need to take care of the ball more if they want to win games. I’m surprised they only lost by a TD.

[Irlandesa]

8 hours ago, JTMacc99 said:

Grass can't hold up to a regular year at MetLife.

I don't know who mentioned the Real Madrid stadium (Santiago Bernabeu)--maybe it was Bakh in one of his interviews on the subject--but their system is basically layers of underground, temperature controlled, grass pitches.  They get removed/moved down whenever another event happens on the pitch.  So there's a real grass pitch every time but it can be used for other events as well. 

I believe there are a few stadiums that do this including one of the stadiums the NFL uses in London.

If stadium costs are getting into the billions, which they are, there's no reason not to be innovative because allegedly the high cost of the stadiums is the reason they do so many other non-football events.

[twoods]

The hate towards Alexander Mattison on social media is absolutely disgusting. When will these armchair assholes get what they deserve? You can be upset but wishing someone would kill themselves? Ugh. And others made mistakes as well. It’s a freaking game- get a life.

[roamyn]

The Eagles need to clean up that Defense and OL.  How many times can Jalen get hit before the headlines read ‘Hurts Hurt’?  And those GA Bulldogs are giving up a lot of points.

And shame to all those cowards hiding behind faceless names going aft Mattison.

[Black Knight]

On 9/14/2023 at 9:05 PM, Irlandesa said:

If stadium costs are getting into the billions, which they are, there's no reason not to be innovative because allegedly the high cost of the stadiums is the reason they do so many other non-football events.

Indeed, especially since MetLife last had grass in 2002. It's over twenty years later, technology and techniques have advanced. Plus it's a two-team stadium in the #1 media market, so you've got not one but two uber-rich ownership groups who can split the cost.

Lambeau has grass, and the Buffalo Bills' new stadium is going to have grass.

[Carey]

Unlike most (or several) people, I actually do not hate the owners.  They treat the NFL like a business, and at least several of them have other interests in life.  Criticism aside, they've done a great job over the past 17 years more or less.  Really Roger and company have, but collectively, it's never been better.  Though I might've preferred the old days; change is inevitable, and IMO, the changes have been okay at worst.

Having said that, I'm not a fan of how they're getting richer but somehow "cannot afford" to enhance their venues.  At least have a discussion on it.  Western Pennsylvania has & is going through this currently.  In 2022, they changed the name of the stadium; the reasoning was that the previous name offered less than the current name, and they needed to upgrade stuff.  That's fair enough, but where are the upgrades?

On a certain level, it's not a big deal, but when safety is an issue in addition to staying modern & current, it's probably a great idea to upgrade & tweak some things.  As opposed to not doing that before the locals pay tax money for a new stadium just over a quarter century apart.

 

Week 2 Picks: Jacksonville, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago, Green Bay, Indianapolis, New York, San Francisco, Dallas, Denver, New England, Carolina, Cleveland

 

BTW, looks like MetLife Stadium has only been around for over a decade.  Not 2 decades yet.  I had to look it up since I guess I would not have been shocked that it's been 20 years when I didn't think so.  But it has been a minute since Woody yelled at Roger for the Giants getting that legacy benefit for being the first team to take a snap over the Jets.  Looks like something that occurred in 2010, a year or two after AT&T Stadium became a thing

[JTMacc99]

10 hours ago, Black Knight said:

Lambeau has grass, and the Buffalo Bills' new stadium is going to have grass.

Lambeau field has 8-9 football games a year with maybe two more if they get a top seed and make it to lose the NFC championship game at home. They stopped holding high school games because it damages the field creating dangerous conditions for the NFL games, and they very occasionally work in a college game. They also very occasionally hold a one off event. 

Same with Soldier Field and the Browns Stadium (except for the playoff games) although Chicago will host a few concerts in the summer. I’m assuming this holds true for all of the cold weather grass stadiums.

They can have a grass field because it’s feasible to have a grass field. Unlike MetLife. 
 

There is no current technology or innovation that is feasible to have a grass field in a northern climate stadium that holds 20+ football games where the grass would be superior and safer than the current field turf. Which by the way, is nowhere near as unsafe as it’s being made out to be per the sports medicine professionals I’ve heard talking about it this week. It’s materially better than previous artificial turf.
 

Hell, look at how bad Arizona screwed up the grass for the Super Bowl last year, and they cultivated that field for ONE game in perfect growing conditions. 
 

You need to have separate stadiums for the Jets, the Giants, split up the concerts and farm out the other football games to the baseball stadiums. (Hopefully they do that 20 years from now when we’re due for a new stadium.)

[Carey]

An Aaron Rodgers Return Is A Possibility

More doubtful than probable, but throughout the week I did think of Rod Woodson returning in the Super Bowl he sorta got robbed from the previous year back 28 years ago.  In "real time" the 2009 HOF member and defensive great was about a decade younger so that (along with several other reasons) is why I'd put it at 1%.

I will give Seattle more than a one percent chance at a road win in Detroit, but no more than 5%.  I have the under since I don't think they can both combine for 47.5, but it can be a great game and they can get close to it.  I have to go with Detroit to cover but I may have considered Seattle if it was a 7.5 spread

[mojoween]

When Peyton Manning was playing and in eleventy gazillion commercials, I didn’t care.  I loved them all, mostly because the ad agencies went for humor 99% of the time.  And Peyton is quite charming.

I am BEYOND tired of Josh Allen’s face every commercial break, no matter what I am watching.  National ads, local ads, it does not matter, there he is.  He is so damned earnest it doesn’t make me interested in whatever he is trying to sell me.  And why do they have to say his first AND last name every time?

[Crs97]

21 minutes ago, mojoween said:

And why do they have to say his first AND last name every time?

That is a requirement for every QB, and it drives me crazy.  Considering you will say his name on every play, please accept I’m smart enough not to be confused if you start just using his first or last name.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Carey said:

An Aaron Rodgers Return Is A Possibility

More doubtful than probable, but throughout the week I did think of Rod Woodson returning in the Super Bowl he sorta got robbed from the previous year back 28 years ago.  In "real time" the 2009 HOF member and defensive great was about a decade younger so that (along with several other reasons) is why I'd put it at 1%.

 

There must be dolphins around him a lot right now.

[Carey]

Here comes Detroit!  Still a ton of time, but definitely a loss for me regardless of that outcome.

Aaron is a great athlete, but a unique character.  That's for sure! 

[Magog]

Even though Aaron Rodgers is done for the season with the Achilles injury (he can try to put a happy face on this all he wants), I still consider Jets - Cowboys game to be another game to root for neither team.

Edited September 17, 2023 by Magog

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, Carey said:

Here comes Detroit!  Still a ton of time, but definitely a loss for me regardless of that outcome.

Aaron is a great athlete, but a unique character.  That's for sure! 

Disappointing. As a lifelong fan, it’s hard not to react “same old Lions.” 

[Carey]

8 minutes ago, Magog said:

Even though Aaron Rodgers is done for the season with the Achilles injury (he can try to put a happy face on this all he wants), I still consider Jets - Cowboys game to be another game to root for neither team.

You and me both.  Though it's a great game and I needed something to root for.  For instance, Dallas covering that 8.5 and the under playing out.

Plus, I'd love low scoring for SNF 38 or less and the Pats winning outright

[AimingforYoko]

Best line ever from a ref? (Previous winner, "Giving him the business" Ben Dreith)

 

[BlueSkies]

A combination of a Bills team wanting to bounce back today and an extremely disappointing effort by the Raiders in that game 

[Magog]

In a surprise to nobody, the Chargers found another way to throw a winnable game away. This time, they just lost to the Titans in Overtime 27-24. Patrick Mahomes (😒) & the Chiefs have nothing to worry about in the AFC West. Especially those choking sorry sucky Chargers.

Edited September 17, 2023 by Magog

[BlueSkies]

1 hour ago, mojoween said:

When Peyton Manning was playing and in eleventy gazillion commercials, I didn’t care.  I loved them all, mostly because the ad agencies went for humor 99% of the time.  And Peyton is quite charming.

I am BEYOND tired of Josh Allen’s face every commercial break, no matter what I am watching.  National ads, local ads, it does not matter, there he is.  He is so damned earnest it doesn’t make me interested in whatever he is trying to sell me.  And why do they have to say his first AND last name every time?

I always liked Buffalo but something about Josh Allen really turns me off and irks me 

[twoods]

Same old Chargers. Wonder how long until they fire the coach if they keep this up.

[mojoween]

I remember, back two weeks ago before the season started, a feeling of hope.  I long for those days.

[Carey]

37 minutes ago, twoods said:

Same old Chargers. Wonder how long until they fire the coach if they keep this up.

Whenever they fire him, it'll be that moment in real time plus at least 8 months too late

[mojoween]

0-57 in six quarters and all receivers have alligator arms I CAN’T STAND IT

[Fukui San]

This is how I expected the Giants to play last year. 

[Guest]

A quick look at my Facebook feed shows the Lions starter pack has been sold out. It contains 4 items:

1) initial burst of hope

2) loss leading to reality 

3) “but the refs!!!!” Tshirt

4) alcohol to deal with it all 

😉

[Fukui San]

1 minute ago, deaja said:

A quick look at my Facebook feed shows the Lions starter pack has been sold out. It contains 4 items:

1) initial burst of hope

2) loss leading to reality 

3) “but the refs!!!!” Tshirt

4) alcohol to deal with it all 

😉

Early retirement of star player due to utter lack of hope, optional?

[mojoween]

17 minutes ago, mojoween said:

0-57 in six quarters and all receivers have alligator arms I CAN’T STAND IT

0-60!

I question the judgment of every single person in the crowd wearing an 8 jersey.

[Salacious Kitty]

7 minutes ago, mojoween said:

0-60!

I question the judgment of every single person in the crowd wearing an 8 jersey.

Yikes on bikes. Problems on both sides of the ball. Same goes for my sad sack Raiders. 

[Carey]

The good news is the second MNF game tomorrow is your "hold me beer" moment for the Giants.  Not just the G-MEN, both 1989 teams.  As for Vegas, they've actually won a game this season

[Carey]

This just in: All 32 teams have NFL points in the 2023 season!

[mojoween]

28 minutes ago, Carey said:

This just in: All 32 teams have NFL points in the 2023 season!

It’s not a shutout!  

I hope after halftime a producer pulled Gronk aside and said “it’s SAY-quon, not suh-QUON”.

[AimingforYoko]

Damn, what the hell did Daboll say to the Giants at halftime?

[Salacious Kitty]

Apparently, I am a good luck charm for the GMen. Tied it up! 

[mojoween]

8 minutes ago, AimingforYoko said:

Damn, what the hell did Daboll say to the Giants at halftime?

“If you don’t act like you’ve ever stepped foot on a football field before, I am holding every one of your game checks!”

Well.  That’s what *I* would have said, anyways.

[DrSpaceman73]

NY football giants were outscored 60-0 in the first six quarters and have had a lead for about 20 seconds out of 120 minutes. 

 

But they're 1-1 just like a bunch of other teams. 

[mojoween]

“That’s why they play two halves, baby” she drawls, smoke rings blowing languidly overhead

[DrSpaceman73]

Then the bad news....

 

Barkley hurt and Thursday game vs 49ers

[mojoween]

I refuse to believe it’s anything but a stinger and he is going to be FINE.

Calling Denver vs. Washington must have broken the poor play-by-play guy.  He was reading what’s coming up (that said onscreen 60 Minutes, Yellowstone and Big Brother) and said 60 Minutes, Yellowstone and “an all-new Big Bang Theory”.

[SuprSuprElevated]

3 hours ago, AimingforYoko said:

Best line ever from a ref? (Previous winner, "Giving him the business" Ben Dreith)

 

So awesome. So the refs completely get their significance, if by some chance, you had doubts.

[SuprSuprElevated]

1 hour ago, mojoween said:

It’s not a shutout!  

I hope after halftime a producer pulled Gronk aside and said “it’s SAY-quon, not suh-QUON”.

Not sure who should win the Former Player/Current Broadcasting Moron Award, if not Gronk. Dumb as a stump I suspect.

<steps aside to avoid the onslaught of advertisers making it rain all over Gronk>

Edited September 17, 2023 by SuprSuprElevated

[Carey]

 

[Salacious Kitty]

Holy hail Mary! Pity about the 2 point conversion. 

 

Edited September 17, 2023 by Salacious Kitty

[AimingforYoko]

Holy Shit, the end of that Washington-Denver game.

[mojoween]

When does Denver start to turn on Russell Wilson?

NFC East went 4-0 this weekend, and NO ONE saw that coming after halftime of two of those games.

[Carey]

11 minutes ago, mojoween said:

When does Denver start to turn on Russell Wilson?

I think they've already turned on him

[DrSpaceman73]

16 minutes ago, Salacious Kitty said:

Holy hail Mary! Pity about the 2 point conversion. 

 

That was pass int

And I don't care about either team