National Football League

[leftover pie]

Not yet, at least per how Hitch defined the rules. In Survival Football, you now have 1 strike against you. But you can't pick Miami again this season.

that's my understanding, i'm on a score of 0, but I can't pick the Titans again.

now with hitch's survival football™, is it the total score over the whole season? or is it the longest streak you can put together?

The other tournament, Elimination Football, begins after tonight's games, and you have to pick two teams that won't win the Superbowl before next week's games.

This I am still a bit confused by, I'm not sure on how to pick 2 teams that won't win the superbowl before next weeks' games.

 

[leftover pie]

Oh and in other news, I caught a fair bit of the Lions v Giants game, from what I saw it wasn't pretty for Giants fans.

Without the Lions giving away so many penalties the Giants would have been scoreless and almost first-downless for the entire first half.

Eli looked tentative and like he didn't really understand what was going on, Tom Coughlin, would he be feeling the pressure?

For some reason the Eli & Tom combo reminded me a little of these guys:

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Elimination Football®

This I am still a bit confused by, I'm not sure on how to pick 2 teams that won't win the superbowl before next weeks' games.

It's very easy. I'll make my prediction now. I think in this year's Superbowl, held on February 1st, 2015, two teams that will NOT get there are Cleveland, and the New York Giants. They are now eliminated from my pool of teams.

After next week's games, I will pick two more teams, and so on. By the end of the season, entering the playoffs, I will have eliminated all but two teams.

 

[Amsterhammer]

My two teams that will NOT play in the SB are -

Washington Redskins

Dallas Cowboys

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

TMZ released the full video of Ray Rice belting his now-wife. It ain’t pretty. Several NFL players are calling for him to be permanently banned from the league. And it doesn’t say much for the woman that she would marry him after this incident, let alone come to his defense. Sounds like a classic enabler.

If one didn't assume that before, you certainly would now. She made an Instagram rant, blaming the media. I imagine this may be hard to read for some people, especially some women. Here's a link.

It doesn't take some white guy on a message board (me) to validate this, but it's a very classic case of women who are beaten having long-lasting problems, and returning to those that harm them, or if not that same person, similar persons. I'm not sure how many here saw the Tonya & Nancy 30 for 30 on ESPN, but Tonya Harding was the perfect example. Physically and emotionally abused by her mother, she ended up marrying a guy who beat her and abused her, then even after she left him, she ended up going back go him, and he picked up right where he left off. Janay Rice seems like a very similar person. To hear what she writes, to put in big bold letters "THIS IS OUR LIFE!" then blame the media and public, and then give a Blblical quote. It's just disturbing, and sad.

If I were Ray McDonald, I'd be moving as fast as I could to enter into all sorts of help programs, and volunteer to fall on any sword the 49ers, NFL, or even women's groups offer.

 

[Oldman]

I'd like to say he's done, but then I heard Ray Lewis weigh in on the matter as the host of Monday Night Football. This only matters to the likes of Goddell because the smoking gun was found. And good on TMZ for finding it.

TMZ claims the NFL never requested it or viewed it. Also we have the victim slamming the NFL for "ratings" and lamenting they are ruining the career he worked so hard for. While this Instagram is possibly real if it is there is a much deeper problem and it is only about money.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

Elimination: ... I can´t wait. ... Here are my picks after week 1 before they play; I have to pick now; As said (1) Denver, (2) Oakland.

Stays. And it´s official since week 1 is past us.

This week I´ll go with Indy...

Perfect.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

w-1 predictions:
All home teams (yes, incl. Miami beating ne)...

= 10/16 (4/7 vs Alpe)

gb vs sea

with a bullet. The rest to follow.

i'll go first - i won't be around for game time as i'll be out at a concert. I realize that my skins are not favorites today, but i'm going to punt on a fit 3bob surprising everyone by doing his thing.

no @ atl
min @ stl
cle @ pit
jax @ phi
oak @ nyj
cin @ bal
buf @ chi
wsh @ hou
ten @ kc
ne @ mia
car @ tb
sf @ dal
ind @ den
nyg @ det
sd @ ari

= 9/16 (5/7 vs Alpe)

min @ stl - shaun hill leads rams to win at home!
Oak @ nyj - derek carr, here's your chance. But i expect a 2013 geno smith-like performance from him (ie, rookie mistakes).
Cin @ bal - this could be a terrific game. The bengals are still good, but the ravens look improved from last year.
sf @ dal - i would not be surprised if dallas wins, but this could be a really good game.
Ind @ den - the broncos will be very up for this one, and win 44-38.
Nyg @ det - the lions impressed me with their depth and hustle in the pre-season. The giants were 4-0, but eli played terrible. So...
Sd @ ari - this looks like a terrific match-up of two teams on the rise. I went with home team.

= 5/7

Em has three kinds of games (1) lucky ones (2) bad ones (3) ugly ones. And a steroid neck in a baby body. Just disgusting. A freak...

Didn´t see the game. So what was it? (2) or (3)?

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Glad I was 5 of 7. I'm going to keep picking that way, just games I'm intersted in, for fun. But boy was I wrong on St. Louis! Won't be picking them again soon!

As to Eli, he looked completely lost on about half the plays. His timing was off, like he wasn't sure what the plays actually were. He did throw some solid mid-level throws and a nice TD toss, but the picks he tossed were his fault, though one was an amazing int by DeAndre Levy that should have been an incomplete pass (very poor throw, either way), and it really should have been three int's. I found these stats on your favorite player:

During the Lions game he was 3-for-10 with a touchdown and an interception when under pressure. Even when not pressured, he completed just 13-of-25 passes for 118 yards and two interceptions against four or fewer pass rushers.

Eli now has 47 multi-interception games since he entered the NFL in 2004. That's tops in the league (though he has likely played as many if not more games than other QBs).

Not to pick on one guy, Tom Brady completed an even lower % of passes, but he threw the ball a whopping 56 times, with no interceptions. But Tom rarely completed long balls. His average was only 4.4 yards. He wasn't tossing floaters like PM, but he did not have much accuracy on long balls (which PM's floaters often do, amazingly enough).

Matthew Stafford deserves some real credit though. He looked like an MVP against the Giants. Numerous crisp throws right on target, and in total command of the Lions offense.

Topping him though was Matt Ryan, who was 31 of 43, for a staggering 448 yards. That's over 10 yards per pass. Though Stafford was higher, Ryan was playing a key game against a (reportedly) very good defense.

Here are ESPN's QBR ratings, for the stat nuts. Stafford is off the charts. Kaep played very well against a crap defense. Carson Palmer played well against a good defense in a tough game.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

I think Kaepernick is the best suited to this opportunity because he can move well and can risk a hit without getting knocked out to buy time.

Yes. I think the same. He has the best chance to beat that D: Strong arm, so he could try (if allowed to) the 50/50 longer passes. He can run when the pressure and/or coverage leaves him with no other option, and his passes are accurate, even though I would like to see him throwing some soft touch passes when they are needed.

he completed just 13-of-25 passes for 118 yards and two interceptions against four or fewer pass rushers.

LOL...

I called for his release when the chance was there (so the NYG could have saved the big bonus that was due; still they could drop him inside the season, if they had the guts, to save the astronomical paychecks he receives per week), while the NY media still talked him into being a good/great QB. They are all clueless (the coach, the media, and the scouts who evaluated him pre draft).
A guy like him, you can get in the 6th round or undrafted for 1/10 of money. Give that anonymus random QB the same year-in-year-out new chance, and he´ll have at least the same "success" as the little siz.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

TMZ released the full video

Wow, another gold digging whore going with a rich man (as this peace of shit issue with the then (?) Clippers owner, next to others). What a low lifer. Doing everything for money and diamonds, even marry a guy after being beaten unconscious. Unbelievable.

I guess Rice career is over (even once his ban gets lifted). Soon the Ravens will find out that any other RB that can run fast forward & cut is as good as him. As it is with most RBs. They are interchangable, except some true magnificent specimen (Bo Jackson, Gale Sayers, Walter Payton, or Barry Sanders* come to mind).

* ... and even those guys couldn´t bring their teams ongoing success, unless they fielded a efficient passing attack.

 

[leftover pie]

Elimination Football®

It's very easy. I'll make my prediction now. I think in this year's Superbowl, held on February 1st, 2015, two teams that will NOT get there are Cleveland, and the New York Giants. They are now eliminated from my pool of teams.

After next week's games, I will pick two more teams, and so on. By the end of the season, entering the playoffs, I will have eliminated all but two teams.

ok ok .. I get yah I get yah.


ok for Alpe's Elimination Football®

I predict (boldly):

New York Giants
Washington


My round 2 hitch's pick the loser comp prediction (current score 0):

San Diego Chargers

 

[Merckx index]

Foxxy, show some love to little bro. At least he didn’t win those two SBs at age 40+ on one leg with a punctured lung.

To me, one of the most interesting facets of the Rice case, not discussed at all as far as I can see, is what distinguishes domestic violence from other forms of assault, and how punishment is or should be affected by the difference. It seems to me that there are two key aspects of DV that distinguish it as a special class of assault: 1) that the perpetrator and victim have an intimate relationship; and 2) that usually (though not always) the perpetrator is male and the victim is female.

Let’s consider how each of these characteristics affects how it’s viewed. First, imagine the situation if the first criterion was not fulfilled, i.e., Rice and Palmer were not lovers or significant others or even close friends. For example, they might have encountered each other when one or both was with a partner, got into an argument, then a fight, and Rice clocked her. It would be assault, but not DV.

How would this affect the punishment? From a legal point of view, Rice would probably be in much more trouble than he actually is. Palmer came to his defense, refused to press charges, because she wanted to protect their relationship. If there had been no prior relationship at all, she likely would have pressed charges, and maybe sued for damages.

OTOH, Rice might have fared better with the NFL in this scenario. He would have been suspended, and if he went to jail, he might have lost a lot of playing time. Other players would have severely criticized him for hitting a woman. But given that it wasn't DV, if the injuries were not severe, I'm not so sure the team would have fired him. Since they didn't know each other, this would be a one-time shot, whereas in an intimate relationship, the two see each other constantly, and there is the presumption that the anger and conflict will return.

Now imagine a scenario which doesn’t satisfy the second criterion. In this case, the perp and victim are intimate, but not of opposite sex. IOW, a gay relationship. Suppose, e.g., Michael Sam and his partner got into a fight, and Sam knocked him unconscious. This fits the definition of domestic violence, but legally, Sam would be in a much stronger position than Rice was. Sam could argue that he didn’t throw the first punch, that he was only trying to defend himself, that his partner was as much or more responsible for what happened. All these points might have been true for Rice as well, but they don’t help him because a woman is considered physically at a disadvantage and less capable of defending herself.

But conversely, Sam in this situation I think would be in worse shape with the NFL than if he knocked out a woman he was not intimate with. Because in this case it was DV, a substantial suspension would be almost mandatory. If Sam’s partner fared worse in the end, Sam would have to bear responsibility for this. At the very least, it would be very interesting to see how a case like this proceeded.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

Week 2 loser:
KC Chiefs

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

Foxxy, show some love to little bro. At least he didn’t win those two SBs at age 40+ on one leg with a punctured lung.

LOL. A good one.

Palmer came to his defense, refused to press charges, because she wanted to protect her ATM.

Corrected for you.
She´ll be gone soon, since the NFL paychecks stop floating in.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

I agree with Foxxy on the Ravens replacing Rice with another RB. Unless you have a Barry Sanders or Walter Payton type RB, 98% of them are interchangeable, and it has more to do with your offensive line, and overall offensive attack. Ray Rice is not much different from Chris Johnson. Take a look at who holds the individual Superbowl rushing record. Anyone remember the Denver Broncos from the late 90's? They had numerous excellent RBs. How was that possible? Well, it happened because they had an excellent run blocking offense.

Today's RB, and those in the near future who are more valuable are going to be the Jamaal Charles, Reggie Bush type, who catch almost as many passes as they run. It takes a certain offense to have a pure running back make a difference. Even a bruiser like Marshawn Lynch catches passes, and is reportedly a very good blocker. Frank Gore is reportedly one of the best blocking RB's in the league. Jim McMahon used to say Walter Payton was an incredible blocker. But Payton was one of a kind. A do everything back. Run hard, run with moves, run fast, catch passes, block, perfect teammate. All of it at the highest level. That's extraordinarily rare, in any sport.

In some quick updates, Aaron Rodgers noticed after the Packers loss to the Seahawks he hadn't even thrown Richard Sherman's direction once the entire game. He met him at mid-field after the game and said directly to Sherman, "I hope you get some work this year!" They apparently both laughed about it.

Keeping with the Seahawks, here's a very good analysis on Bleacher Report on why Percy Harvin is such an excellent WR. Having a dangerous RB and a smart and dynamic QB doesn't hurt either.

Roger Goddell is now saying he never saw the video in the elevator. He assumed there was, but didn't get access to it. I'll repeat what I wrote yesterday. So what? What exactly did he think happened in the elevator to where they both walked in, and he dragged her out unconscious? Then the police arrested him for assault? Did he think "gosh, maybe she slipped"?

Second, how is it that TMZ, by all accounts a tabloid online rag, is able to get a hold of the video to post to the world, and yet the NFL can't even get a private viewing of it, even if they couldn't get their own copy???

This is just a pathetic, horrible response by Goddell and the NFL. It's inexcusable.

 

[Semper Fidelis]

I like the way we can call someone a gold digging Whore. I'm going to use this line as much as possible from now on.

 

[Oldman]

LOL. A good one.



Corrected for you.
She´ll be gone soon, since the NFL paychecks stop floating in.

He reportedly gets to "keep" $25 mil. If her prenup settlement didn't include prior contract as community property the battle will begin soon. it will also be interesting to see the ebb and flow of support from teammates. Some are "standing strong" with him now...

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

He reportedly gets to "keep" $25 mil. If her prenup settlement didn't include prior contract as community property the battle will begin soon. it will also be interesting to see the ebb and flow of support from teammates. Some are "standing strong" with him now...

I guess Rice was dumb enough to not make a prenup. OTOH, I assume this hooker used the beating to screw him like "Even after what you have done to me, I still want to marry you, because I love you soo much , but after this night, never dare to think about a prenup".
A woman with no self esteem getting mega rich out of a single night. A jackpot. Sure. But still a low lifer.
A woman with class would have left him instantly...

 

[Merckx index]

Jim McMahon used to say Walter Payton was an incredible blocker. But Payton was one of a kind. A do everything back. Run hard, run with moves, run fast, catch passes, block, perfect teammate. All of it at the highest level. That's extraordinarily rare, in any sport.

I recall some analyst arguing that Sweetness was the best player in NFL history, because he could do everything. Including something you didn’t mention, Alpe, throw a pass. In their mid 80s heyday, the Bears had a play in which Payton started a sweep, attracting all the secondary of course, then stopped and passed downfield. It was pretty effective, though when they tried it in the 1984 title game, the 49ers weren’t fooled.

In some quick updates, Aaron Rodgers noticed after the Packers loss to the Seahawks he hadn't even thrown Richard Sherman's direction once the entire game. He met him at mid-field after the game and said directly to Sherman, "I hope you get some work this year!" They apparently both laughed about it.

For GB, it really was no laughing matter,and certainly not something that Rodgers became aware of only at the end of the game. That was a huge story following the game, and fits well with Foxxy’s view of McCarthy as a coward. It seems pretty clear he ordered Rodgers not to throw to Sherman’s side of the field, which was fine with SE, as it meant they only had to be concerned about one half of field. The irony is that a lot of people think that Thomas is the real star of that secondary.

This is just a pathetic, horrible response by Goddell and the NFL. It's inexcusable.

What is remarkable is that this event happened back in February . The initial video was out along with the story that Rice had knocked her out (see my post 3365 upthread--nobody here seemed to care much at the time), and way back then Rice was getting all kinds of support from his teammates and fans, assuring us it was no big deal. And when the preseason started, Rice wasn’t banned from playing, and he got a big hand from the Ravens fans. So Goodell sure isn’t the only one who looks really bad. An awful lot of fans also seemed incapable of putting two and two together before the full video came out.

When Rice’s two week suspension was announced, one media guy, can’t remember his name, suggested that the incident might have been avoided if Palmer hadn’t provoked Rice. He stirred up a sh!tstorm of outrage among people who inferred that he was suggesting it was her fault, and was suspended for his remarks. I’m not going to defend him, but I think what he was getting at is that there is a distinction to be made among different forms of DV. The traditional kind, one we’ve all heard about if not actually witnessed, is perpetrated by a man who gets drunk and comes home and beats his wife, for no reason at all except he’s mad at the world, doesn’t like his life, and she’s the most available and vulnerable outlet for his rage. Any woman in that position is well advised to GTF out, immediately.

I don’t think Rice is in that mold. It seems more likely that each of them has a history of verbally abusing the other, with the fight escalating until someone throws a punch, and it might just as easily be Palmer as Rice who throws the first one (notice in the full video she hits him first, outside the elevator, though we don’t know what happened before that). That doesn’t let Rice off the hook, but if they’re going to try to stay together, the counseling and therapy has to be directed as much to her as to him. And if they do split up, she is still going to need counseling as much as he will. I don’t think pointing that out is in any way dismissing the seriousness of what Rice did.

Edit: Things are getting worse for Goodell. The police dept. is claiming they sent the full video to someone in the NFL offices back in April, and have a tape of someone confirming that she received it and saying "It's terrible." But Goodell still claims he knows nothing about this.

Moreover, Rice's lawyer had a copy of the full video, the Ravens knew that, and never asked to see it. And the Ravens' GM Ozzie Newsome said that when the Ravens finally did see the full video, it depicted exactly what Rice had told them had happened. So beyond what Alpe said about not really needing the video to know what happened, it seems the Ravens were acting all along on a view of the events that was exactly as confirmed by the video.

 

[The Hitch]

Just watched the mnf games. Nyg lions was ok, stafford did good things Megatron his things.

But that bolts cardinals game ess great. Exactly what mnf football should be. I didn't think that was the best choice for an mnf game at first but it worked a treat.great defense first half offense second. Tense to the end. Arizona offense under palmer looked very good. Defense not as good but they are missing some players.

 

[The Hitch]

LOL. PM putting on his usual regular season show...
Even in Germany the press joked about him last February. Saying he is the best RS QB ever would be like calling someone like Klose the best "Vorrunden-Spieler" of a WC. They had their fun, no doubt (me too BTW).

Oh come on. Manning is actually one of the best ever at his sport and most people would have him in the top 20 ever NFL players if not top 10 and has been recognized as the best in his sport on several occasions.

Klose was a slightly above average player at his sport who never came close to being ranked at the top who played on absolutely stacked teams that gave him the ball and that always got through to the end stages.

If Manning had 1/10th of the quality Klose has had in world cup squads, he would have won 10 superbowls by now.

 

[Semper Fidelis]

Oh come on. Manning is actually one of the best ever at his sport and most people would have him in the top 20 ever NFL players if not top 10 and has been recognized as the best in his sport on several occasions.

Klose was a slightly above average player at his sport who never came close to being ranked at the top who played on absolutely stacked teams that gave him the ball and that always got through to the end stages.

If Manning had 1/10th of the quality Klose has had in world cup squads, he would have won 10 superbowls by now.

Hitch don't interfere with fox and his obsession with Payton Manning. He obviously followed Payton his entire career to be this focused on one NFL QB.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

And Eli. Don't forget Eli.

Good thing Cooper never made it in the NFL!

 

[Amsterhammer]

Hitch don't interfere with fox and his obsession with Payton Manning. He obviously followed Payton his entire career to be this focused on one NFL QB.

Yup, I think it's fair to say that Foxxy has a 'thing' about Peyton.