The New NFL Thread

[Daeric]

The Wembly game is just worth it to then see the football pundits on Match of the Day then complain about how the American Football game ruined the pitch ala last year and England losing to Crotia, clearly it was the Giants Dolphins fault! :bs:

Just hoping the weather holds up for the game, through its supposed to be wet again this week and I can't remember if Wembly has a roof or not.

[Bronn Stone]

[quote name='SirRots' post='1561708' date='Oct 20 2008, 11.17']Just hoping the weather holds up for the game, through its supposed to be wet again this week and I can't remember if Wembley has a roof or not.[/quote]

The wiki page says it has one, but that it only covers the fans and not the full pitch. Which is not good for American Football (not that it was built with American Football in mind).

You can play our game in the rain on real turf. It just sucks.

[Daeric]

Was just trying to remember the roof because of the Giants Miama match last year, the pitche looked quiet wet through not as bad as the Steelers Dolphins match.

[DanteGabriel]

Chris Mortensen reporting on the ESPN pre-MNF show that Mike Nolan is out as the Niners' coach. Mike Singletary to be elevated in his place.

I feel bad for Nolan. Saddled with an inept personnel department and a bust of a quarterback. Maybe someone like Parcells or Belichick could have whipped this organization into shape, but I am convinced that the Niners will never be consistently competitive as long as Those Fucking Yorks own the team. Bring back Eddie D, for fuck's sake.

[Bronn Stone]

[quote name='DanteGabriel' post='1562139' date='Oct 20 2008, 17.05']I feel bad for Nolan. Saddled with an inept personnel department and a bust of a quarterback. Maybe someone like Parcells or Belichick could have whipped this organization into shape, but I am convinced that the Niners will never be consistently competitive as long as Those Fucking Yorks own the team. Bring back Eddie D, for fuck's sake.[/quote]

Practically bankrupted himself and well on the way to bankrupting his family before his sister jumped in and shut him down. Had to resort to criminal influence peddling and bribery deals to sustain the pyramid scheme that was his finances.

Makes me laugh my head off every time 49er fans call for his return. The Yorks are spending plenty of money to be a competitive NFL franchise. If the only way you can win is to find an owner willing to lose $10M/yr, then you are in for a long haul.

The 49ers were screwed the day they got the #1 overall draft pick in 2004. There was no player worthy of #1 overall money. The franchise was down and their fanbase impatient in the extreme, and the 49ers were forced to spend a boatload of money on a guy who probably wasn't going to be any good.

[Lord O' Bones]

[quote name='DanteGabriel' post='1562139' date='Oct 20 2008, 17.05']Chris Mortensen reporting on the ESPN pre-MNF show that Mike Nolan is out as the Niners' coach. Mike Singletary to be elevated in his place.[/quote]
Hallefuckingleiua!

[quote]I feel bad for Nolan. Saddled with an inept personnel department and a bust of a quarterback. Maybe someone like Parcells or Belichick could have whipped this organization into shape, but I am convinced that the Niners will never be consistently competitive as long as Those Fucking Yorks own the team. Bring back Eddie D, for fuck's sake.[/quote]
We all want Eddie back. But it'll never happen. And Nolan had his chance and blew it on his own IMO.

[Lord O' Bones]

[quote name='Bronn Stone' post='1562153' date='Oct 20 2008, 17.23']Makes me laugh my head off every time 49er fans call for his return. The Yorks are spending plenty of money to be a competitive NFL franchise. If the only way you can win is to find an owner willing to lose $10M/yr, then you are in for a long haul.[/quote]
There was never a doubt that he wanted to win. With the Yorks, we just don't get that feeling. That has a lot to do with the reality and timing of the salary cap era, obviously. But also the inexplicable things like firing Mooch when your replacement is [i]Dennis Erickson!?[/i]

A least I believe Singletary to be an upgrade, and it should be a seemless transition. And Mike* was going to be the head coach [i]somewhere[/i] next year.

[quote]The 49ers were screwed the day they got the #1 overall draft pick in 2004. There was no player worthy of #1 overall money. The franchise was down and their fanbase impatient in the extreme, and the 49ers were forced to spend a boatload of money on a guy who probably wasn't going to be any good.[/quote]
So true.

Edit: *Singletary.

[Bronn Stone]

I don't think Nolan really got a fair shot.

But I also don't think he'd have succeeded with one. Best for all involved that he move on.

[Jaime L]

Cassell is [i]really[/i] hard to watch. Think not starting at all in college or the pros has stunted any kind of development of pocket presence. It's stunning going from a QB with the best pocket presence in the league to the one with, maybe, the worst. Get any pressure on him at all and it appears he makes the wrong decision more times than not...which often is pulling it down and trying to run against hopeless situations. The feeling I'm struck by is all the things we take for granted of our QBs...all those years of experience where they honed the skills we just expect them to have. Cassell has most of 'em, the physical gifts...the ability to pass in rhythm when given the chance. It's just the innate things...the decision making. Like putting a laymen back there. It's like having a Lamborghini of an offense being driven by a student driver. Sorry Pats fans. Least his greatest flaw is something that can be overcome through experience and repetition.

At least Sammy Morris looks damn good. And the Broncos run defense looks damn bad.

ETA: Holy crap the Broncos are melting down.

[quote name='DanteGabriel' post='1562139' date='Oct 20 2008, 20.05']Chris Mortensen reporting on the ESPN pre-MNF show that Mike Nolan is out as the Niners' coach. Mike Singletary to be elevated in his place.[/quote]

It does seem like a surprisingly sudden firing. Especially considering they were playing the defending champs.

I am curious to see what Singletary does.

[CelticBrennus]

Jesus, two personal fouls on the Bronco's D on two successive plays? One a 3rd and 17 on the Pats 5 yard line?

Who would have thought the Pats would be doing this well against the Bronco's? Even I thought the Pats were going to get their heads handed to them tonight.

[DanteGabriel]

[quote name='CelticBrennus' post='1562218' date='Oct 20 2008, 21.52']Who would have thought the Pats would be doing this well against the Bronco's? Even I thought the Pats were going to get their heads handed to them tonight.[/quote]
I suspect that would have happened had Cutler not banged his hand on Wilfork's helmet.

Well, that and Hall's fumbles.

[Jaime L]

[quote name='DanteGabriel' post='1562222' date='Oct 20 2008, 21.54']I suspect that would have happened had Cutler not banged his hand on Wilfork's helmet.[/quote]

Even if Cutler were 100%, it's not apparent to me that the Broncos defense has a prayer of stopping Sammy Morris.

[Starkess]

Hurray! While I was cautiously optimistic of a Pats victory tonight (c'mon, the Broncos defense sucks SO bad), I wasn't expecting this. What a happy present on a Monday night! Cassel is getting some of the experience he needs so badly, which can only help, because he DOES have talent, it's just a matter of being able to use it. Unfortunately next week might not be the cream puff I'd anticipated. Still, I'm hoping to see some of the pre-last-2-games Rams next weekend, because Cassel needs all the help he can get before facing the Colts (assuming they'll be having an "on day" which goodness knows is a risky assumption). Plus the Bills coming up...ay. The Pats are in a precarious position now, but they needed this win tonight to even keep them there!

[Week]

Crazy game. Broncos just never got anything started because of V Whizzy's helmet and the fumblitis card played by Belichick once Andre Hall came into the game. I never ever would have thought the game was going to go that way, and I'm certainly glad it did. Although it was definitely garbage time and a garbage D, maybe Benjarvis is what Maroney never was. We may find out next week because I think the only healthy RBs will be him and Faulk.

[dalThor]

[quote name='Rockroi' post='1561413' date='Oct 20 2008, 17.08']Thoughts on the week:

-The Bengals suck. Lions are worse.[/quote]

Glad to see my Lions meeting expectations. I suspect they'll win just enough games by the end of the season to keep themselves away from the first pick next draft (again)...

[Trebla]

Words I thought I'd never thought I'd say...The Patrioys give me hope. :stunned:

Not that I think my beloved Cowboys can win it all anymore, No. But that they might not totally implode because of superior talent.

You'll notice I didnt mention great coaching. I'll spot the Pats that one. Throw the GREAT Jason Garrett on the pyre with Wade Phillips and ask how with that many talented players the offense has completely tanked since the Green Bay game?

[Rockroi]

I will refer to this one as the Jason Bay Game (I will explain below).

The Pats dominated a game where certain breaks went their way (losing Cutler, losing Champ Bailey) and they capitalized. It seemed like everything they did worked, most notably Sammy Morris and a rejuvinated D-line presence. I also continue to be upbeat about Jerrard Mayo and Merriweather as both played well. we should remember that without Cutler, the Broncos were lost, and I would defy ANY team to lose to the Broncos without Cutler. It would be hard. Maybe the Lions and Bengals could do it; not sure.

Horrible watching Rodney Harrison having his sixth annual season-ending injury. It will likely end his season, which is a shame for somebody who is the leader of the team.

I really loved watching an honets to God RUNNING GAME again! The ability to shove the ball down the D's throat was fun! And did anyone else know Dre Bly was still alive? I thought he was like the co-chair of the veterans committee on pentions or something. Anyway, Moss looked great... but also... NOTE that unlike TO, the complete and TOTAL abscense of a Moss explotion after week 3 when he was basically the forgotten man on the team. In other words, I think Moss' transformation is legit (famous. last. words).

But I want to refer to this one as the "Jason Bay Game."

On sunday night, prior to the ninth inning, the Boston Red Sox lost the AL Championship Game. It happened in the 8th when JD Drew struck out to end the inning with 2 runners on. I turned to my borther and we talked about the seemingly doomed ninth inning. I said, "Well, there is no questions that Bay will get on base*, thus giving us false hope before the bottom of the line up goes 0-3 and we lose the game." Sure enough, they went 0-3; Sox lose, Sox lose!

I call this the Jason Bay Game because we beat a team that had no D to speak of and we elliminated their most potent offensive weapon out of the blocks (Cutler was hurt on the first snap). Hence, I do not know what beating the Broncos DOES for the Pats other than give us false hope. Okay, fine we beat a relatively overblown Broncos team. At home. After they lost their best DB. And their QB. Nice. But help me out here, Cassel was STILL sacked 6 times! He is WORTHLESS in the pocket; he gets flustered by stiff breeze. Our D looked good, but do we REALLY think we solved the problems that plagued us against the Dolphins? Or the Chargers? Really?

I think that this game may have given us all a flase sense of security in our overmatched QB and our withering D. While I am very happy to see the output and the great win, there is still far far more work to be done.


*In all candor, I said he would "get a hit." He didn't; he walked. But the result was the exact same.

[DanteGabriel]

I'm not taking too much confidence out of the win over Denver. Cutler didn't have his long-range touch and was prevented from torching the Pats' still-suspect secondary. The re-appearance of the running game is nice, but I don't think they'd be able to handle, say, the Pittsburgh front line the way they threw around Denver's light line. And woe to the Pats if they fall behind a score or two on the Colts and don't have the luxury of handing it off to Sammy Morris over and over.

Sad to say, but I'm not even sure the Pats make the playoffs this year.

[Rockroi]

[quote]Sad to say, but I'm not even sure the Pats make the playoffs this year.[/quote]

Lets continue the "Jason Bay"/Boston Red Sox analogy.

If the Patriots are the Red Sox, the Bills are the Tampa Bay [s]Devil [/s]Rays. I think there is a subconcious hope here amongst Pats fasn that the Bills (who are impressive so far this season) will turn into wax dolls once they play the Pats; that they will revert back to the tackling dummies we have known and owned over the last 6 seasons. Hence, they are the Rays- a team the BoSox faithful truly believed would wilt under pressure (NOPE!).

If the Bills are legit (and I think they are) I am very uncertain at the Pats' playoff chances. Then again, if they could upset the Colts, they would bury that team and the COLTS would not make the wildcard (Colts are out of the AFC South race if they lose to the Titans next week). Very interesting....

[DanteGabriel]

I admit I am kind of excited to see the old powers, the Pats and Colts, faltering a bit. It's exciting to see the Titans and the Bills (especially QBed by a Stanford kid) doing so well. If the Pats aren't going to do it this year, I'll root for the Titans in the playoffs and feel happy about it. Jeff Fisher deserves to get his.

This, of course, is with the caveat that Brady comes back healthy next year, all the pieces stay in place, and they get some youth and playmaking in the linebackers and secondary so the Pats can win the Super Bowl next year. :P

By the way, a bit of fun trashtalk about the Cowboys from Joe Banner, Pres of the Eagles:

[quote]Joe Banner took a few shots at the already reeling Dallas Cowboys today when he told the Eagles' web site he would would not have traded three draft picks in 2009, including a first- and third-rounder, to the Detroit Lions for wide receiver Roy Williams. "I mean, they paid a lot,'' said Banner, who confirmed the Eagles (3-3) did attempt to trade for Kansas City Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez prior to the Oct. 14 deadline. "Time will tell. I wouldn't pay that much for a player like that.''

[b]"Our goal is to win a Super Bowl, forget win a playoff game, which is something they are still working on,'' Banner said.[/b][/quote]
[url="http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/74812"]http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/74812[/url]

Oh, snap Joe Banner!