The NFL thread #8

[Lord O' Bones]

49ers: Still in it.

Donovan McNabb: Not good.

Jason Campbell: Good.

WTF?

[Darkostar]

Jaime, I'd guess he was a camera guy trying to get a better angle.

[arrowfan]

It does make me wonder about the timing. I assume they would've picked up the signs of a potential collapse before a game was played but why was a guy inside as it happened? Also not sure why they were videotaping - maybe they did know it could bust at any moment?

I'd say for sure they knew it was unsafe and had a possibility of collapse. They calculate the rate of snowfall, weight, and match it to what the roof can support adjusted for by age. Pretty wild footage! Also, they film it for the engineers/architects for review.

[Week]

And while it might have had zero impact on the game as a whole, the refs also blew that call on the Knox "fumble" Sitting on the defender's foot? What footage were they looking at?

That is absolutely what happened. You can clearly not only see that he comes down on McCourty's foot but the ball is also on its way out. He didn't have sufficient control even if he was down.

Wish the Pats had pulled Brady sooner, no need for him to take any punishment that game.

[Starkess]

Ha! I go to check scores, and not only did the Pats apparently dominate the Bears, but the Jets lost to Miami! And now the Pats are the first time this year to clinch a playoff spot. :D Couldn't ask for more!! *happydance* (Actually, I could ask to actually WATCH the games, but our TVDTS [TV Direct-to-Sailors] that is supposed to make us feel like we're not completely isolated from the world has been broken for months...)

And the Cards won too, and while I could care less about them, they're my hubs' 2nd team, so that's always good. I'll keep my fingers crossed for Balteemore on Monday, too. I personally can't stand them, but he gets so grumpy when they lose! (To be fair, I sulk when the Pats lose, so I can't really say much!)

[Rockroi]

Let me just encapsulate all this for you: the BEST part of coming to post here after the absolute domination of the Bears has GOT to be reading all the pre-game predictions (and then the very good-sport "well-guess-I-was-wrong" after-game thoughts) here on the boards. Lets recap what was said here once people figured out it was snowing:

NE at CHI. As I wrote before, I think Bears will win this game. I hope I'm wrong. No matter what this is the game to watch. See how the Pats perform against a solid defense, and how the Bears will perform against a playoff team late in the season. CHI 24 NE 21

Best part: if you add up the two scores here, it's pretty close to the combined score of both teams. except for the whole "one-team-did-all-the-scoring" part (and the wrong winner).

2. There was an interesting debate the other day on The Score, where the one host contended that football is a game that needs to be played in a dome. That the elements shouldn't be a factor when you're dealing with the kinds of talent you have in the NFL. Weather prevents you from getting everything you can out of these guys was the argument.

Patriots would beg to differ.

But for football, do you really want to pay good money to go to a game where Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning ends up being a 9-7 contest because swirling snow and single digit temperatures prevents either from preforming the way they're capable of?

Okay, fine: Tom Brady would beg to differ.

CHI-NE may be decided as much by weather as by the teams - especially if the wind hampers the passing game. Sure, the Bears lose the value of Jay Cutler but the Patriots lose the value of Tom Brady. Hardly a fair trade. Maybe things won't be that bad, but it isn't worth the risk.

I think its safe to say that things weren't that bad. At all.

Earlier in the week, I speculated on what break the Bears were going to get this week to continue their improbable run...and given what are supposed to be the weather conditions up there today something could still happen there...

Oh... something happened here... what it was was EXACTLY clear...

It's football. Adapt. Overcome. It's what their supposed to be able to do. The weather gives no advantage to either team, unless that team is shitty. If your running game is good, it will still be good. If not, throw the ball, because your receivers know where they're going and the defenders do not. Play fucking football.

Okay ... ONE OF YOU said something accurate...

OMG - look at the field in Chicago!!!! YES!!!! Soooooo cool. Oh thank you, thank you.

YOU'RE WELCOME!

The question is who's tougher? New Englanders or Chicagoans?

How many guesses do we get?

No bad weather gives an advantage to the shittier team, it equalizes things. It'll kill your run game if you have a fast, shifty back. It'll kill your passing game if you depend on good routes or timing. The only it doesn't affect your game is if you do nothing but run a replaceable back for three yards a carry. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not see two teams exchange three and outs until some player in a key position at a key time slips in the mud. Bad weather takes precision and speed out of the game and replaces it with whose linemen are heavier and weather it's the receiver or corner who happens to slip in the mud. It makes football shitty and boring

Or you can just say, "Fuck it, I'm going deep."

You know, the Patriots seem to be moving the ball pretty well on their own. Don't know why the refs seem inclined to help them by ignoring all the holds by Pats o-linemen going on out there.

Yeah, that was it: not the fact that Brady had a 113.4 rating, 2Tds, 67% completion %, 0 INTs; certainly not the fact that the D held the Bears to 42 TOTAL PLAYS; not that Cutler (who was playing all-world before this) went with 0TDs, 2 INTs, and a QB rating of 32.9 (how he even got to 30 is beyond me; do you get point sfor completing passes to the other team?). Forget the fact that the Bears were one of the best ranked defenses in the NFL before tonight; that the Pats were playing on the road, on a short week, were a "pass-first" team that should have had a LOT of difficulty; forget that the Bears were all "pumped" by Lovie's supposed amazing pre-game speech etc; forget that the Pats turned the ball over 0 times, the Bears 4 times. Forget all that. It was the lack of holding calls. Yes. That was it. I mean the Bears failed more completely than the Metrodome's roof.

So, let's review what was said above. Did any of you ever see the "Great Muppet Caper"? The Muppet film done in the spirit of a 1970's English spy/hesit movie? Staring Charles Grogan? Well, in one of the more interesting cameo's, Peter Faulk sits next to Kermit and seeing him with a glass slipper says that he know's Kermit's entire story. He then tells this tale that goes on for mostly 5 minutes. When he is done, Kermit says "You know its amazing, you were 100% wrong; I mean nothing you said was even remotely accurate."

Reading the predictions of this game on these boards... no offense folks... but ... yeah ... it was amazing...

Other games:

-I just want to say to the Jets and their fan(s)... way to come back from the Pats loss and show the whole league your true colors. Way to show us all what you are really made of; way to show us all your true spirit of fight and determination. I just want to point out that over the last two games the Jets have scored 9 total points, and Sanchez has thrown 0 TDs and 4 INTs, and with passing rating days of 27.8 and 45.3. He has thrown at least one INT in each of the last 8 games. I'm not saying this was all predictable or anything... And I think we are all excited to see what Rex Ryan will bury this week.

- Even with 5 downs you couldn't close the deal, Washington?

-I am really happy for the Bills.

-And way to keep it going, Jags, against a suddenly resurgent Raiders team. All aspects of the Jags team working well.

-I honestly feel bad for Aaron Rodgers and I hope he is fine. I supported him fully when the Packers made him their guy over that fake from Mississippi (who even God himself is working with, it seems); I don't want to see him hurt. If he can play next week, great; if not he should sit. And I am also happy for the Lions and their ability to finally win a game.

-I would not wish the complete loss of talent and respectability that has befallen Carson Palmer on ANYONE! That guy was THE QB to beat one week; a complete shell the next. And that whole team is in a free-fall. I believe they are worse than the Panthers right now. And I think Troy P. is great.

-Holy shit the Seahawks suck. 5 Turnovers. 8 penalties for 75 yards. And they lose to the 49'ers. Wow.

-Holy shit the Broncos suck. 6 Turnovers. 7 penalties for 68 yards. And they lose to the Cardinals. Wow.

-I think that the appendicitis that befell Matt Cassell makes a VERY GOOD case that he is the MVP of the league. Look what happened to the Chiefs without him.

I think he is the only real other choice ... you know, besides the third best QB in the league....

[Mya Stone]

Psst...Rock.

I'm a native New Englander. I only needed one guess, and it wasn't a guess, it was a truth bomb.

We're tougher. :P

[Trebla]

The Cowboys may not hold onto this one out but it's been worth it to watch them kick Vick's ass. :D

[Jaime L]

Reading the predictions of this game on these boards... no offense folks... but ... yeah ... it was amazing...

Were there really that many predictions that the Bears would win? I missed the pregame stuff but the only people I saw predicting the Bears would win during the week were Bears fans.

-I just want to say to the Jets and their fan(s)... way to come back from the Pats loss and show the whole league your true colors. Way to show us all what you are really made of; way to show us all your true spirit of fight and determination. I just want to point out that over the last two games the Jets have scored 9 total points, and Sanchez has thrown 0 TDs and 4 INTs, and with passing rating days of 27.8 and 45.3. He has thrown at least one INT in each of the last 8 games. I'm not saying this was all predictable or anything... And I think we are all excited to see what Rex Ryan will bury this week.

Ryan thought about benching him.

Interesting to watch Sanchez' stats, especially INTs, creep back towards last year. Felt like he turned the corner and now is regressing.

- Even with 5 downs you couldn't close the deal, Washington?

Ugh, it wasn't 5 downs. They called a first down on the field on Armstorng's catch that the scoreboard guy never updated.

-And way to keep it going, Jags, against a suddenly resurgent Raiders team. All aspects of the Jags team working well.

Except, y'know, defense.

Every AFC playoff contender is rooting for the Jags to make the playoffs as much as they're rooting for the chance to get to play them in the first round.

-I think that the appendicitis that befell Matt Cassell makes a VERY GOOD case that he is the MVP of the league. Look what happened to the Chiefs without him.

Well, also consider they started Brodie Croyle, the only QB I know who is 0-10 in games he's started. Think even Andrew Walter won a game or two in his time in the league.

[Trebla]

I rooted for the Pats in this game. Rock, thank you for making me want to hate them again! :thumbsup:

[Mya Stone]

I, personally, think that DeSean just collapsed into the end zone due to exhaustion.

And then he, you know, spiked the ball.

:lol:

[Rockroi]

Were there really that many predictions that the Bears would win? I missed the pregame stuff but the only people I saw predicting the Bears would win during the week were Bears fans.

Not at all. This was not some attempt to make it seem like the Pats are being disrespected or anything; it was simply looking at the predictions of people saying "well, its snowing so that may even the game up a little more than it otherwise would be." And the reality of that being incorrect. In no way was I saying that this was unreasonable: much like your post, Jaime, its almost like the Pats ignore what us mere mortals must live with: things like weather, violence and "gravity."

Ryan thought about benching him.

His mom thought about benching him.

Ugh, it wasn't 5 downs. They called a first down on the field on Armstorng's catch that the scoreboard guy never updated.

It looked an awful lot like he was short and that they didn't update the scoreboard, giving the Bucs the sense that they did not need to challenge, etc.

I rooted for the Pats in this game. Rock, thank you for making me want to hate them again!

Anytime!