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National Football League

Page 161 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
The Rose Bowl is a lot like that.

NFL.com reports that Jon Gruden says "I'm not even thinking about coaching". I don't recall who said it, but some experienced NFL player/coach/exec once stated that if you fire your coach, it would be a very wise idea to have in mind who you want to replace him, and know your chances on that. Looks like the Raiders may have (once again) failed to do their homework. They have, for now, named Sporano as the interim coach. I have to wonder how Hue Jackson feels? He went 8-8 with first Jason Campbell, then Carson Palmer at QB in 2011, and was promptly fired by the team.

Speaking of Palmer, he is still out, and Drew Stanton will again get the call for the Cardinals.

It looks like Terry Bridgewater will be playing tonight. But I'll take GB.
 
I was right this week!:D

Okay for this week I will for Elimination add: the Rams and the Rednecks

For this weeks looser I'm going for the Cardinals.


So that means for reverse survival: Giants, Bears*, Steelers*, Titans, Cardinals

Elimination: Raiders,jaguars, Titans, Chiefs, Texans, Bucs, Rams, Rednecks
 
MIN @ GB - Bridgwater may play, but Rodgers and Pack look good, and at home.

CHI@CAR - Both teams need a bounce.
CLE@TEN - Titans hurting at QB, elsewhere.
STL@PHI - Eagles back on track.
ATL@NYG - Both teams uneven, went with home
TB@NO - Saints will finish 8-8. Winning all home games.
TEX@DAL - First place Cowboys win at home
BUF@DET - I like the Lions, and Buffalo going with Orton. Hmmm.
BAL@IND - Baltimore has played well against tough competition. But..
PIT@JAX - Home won't win this game.
ARI@DEN - Cardinals finally lose. But will compete.
KC@SF - KC's will hang, but SF has better players overall.
NYJ@SD - Jets will play better, but SD D, and Rivers for real.
CIN@NE - Patriots will be dangerous here, but Bengals too good.

SEA@WAS - Skins a mess, Seahawks still great.

For Survival Football™. I pick NY Jets (to add to Indy, KC, Minn & Tenn)

For Elimination Football® Wash & Buffalo, to add to NYG, Cle, Jax, StL , TB, Mia
 
Jun 22, 2009
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Just in under the wire.

MIN @ GB

Elimination Football:

Alpe -
Foxxy -
Amsterhammer - Washington, Dallas, N.Y. Giants, Sandy Eggo, Oakland, Jax, Tampa Bay, Houston
On3m@nmy -
Glenn -
Hitch -
Tricycle -
Merckx -
Oldman -
Leftover Pie
Chewy -
Sciocco -
Pricey Sky -
Tonebear -

For Survival Football, you must pick a team you think will lose this weekend. You cannot select them again for the rest of the season. Here are last week's picks. Please help fill in the blank if you picked and I missed it.

Alpe -
Foxxy -
Glenn -
Amsterhammer - (missed pick) Sandy Eggo, (one strike), Oakland, Tampa Bay
On3m@nmy -
Hitch -
Tricycle -
Merckx -
Oldman -
Leftover Pie -
Chewy -
 
Dec 7, 2010
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Amsterhammer said:
Just in under the wire.

MIN @ GB

Elimination Football:

Alpe -
Foxxy -
Amsterhammer - Washington, Dallas, N.Y. Giants, Sandy Eggo, Oakland, Jax, Tampa Bay, Houston
On3m@nmy -
Glenn -
Hitch -
Tricycle -
Merckx -
Oldman -
Leftover Pie
Chewy -
Sciocco -
Pricey Sky -
Tonebear -

For Survival Football, you must pick a team you think will lose this weekend. You cannot select them again for the rest of the season. Here are last week's picks. Please help fill in the blank if you picked and I missed it.

Alpe -
Foxxy -
Glenn -
Amsterhammer - (missed pick) Sandy Eggo, (one strike), Oakland, Tampa Bay
On3m@nmy -
Hitch -
Tricycle -
Merckx -
Oldman -
Leftover Pie -
Chewy -

I can't keep up anymore. I will quit making any picks for the elimination and survival stuff. I'm no good at it for sure.
 
Yep. Ponder made his share of mistakes and did not play well, except in garbage time. But it was not all his fault either. That MIN OLine played poorly. Including first rounder LT Kalil who got schooled by quick guys with moves. MIN OLine might as well have been a mirage at times and Ponder got swamped. And too many turnovers.
 
on3m@n@rmy said:
Yep. Ponder made his share of mistakes and did not play well, except in garbage time. But it was not all his fault either. That MIN OLine played poorly. Including first rounder LT Kalil who got schooled by quick guys with moves. MIN OLine might as well have been a mirage at times and Ponder got swamped. And too many turnovers.

The MIN line is probably more focused on run blocking. I only saw the first half, but it looked like MIN couldn't get enough pressure on Rodgers, and cover his receivers at the same time. When they couldn't even stop Lacy their only hope would have been to win in a shootout, and/or keep Rodgers off the field with long drives.

Ponder really never had a chance IMHO.
 
Steve Gorman had an NFL guest on his show yesterday talking about the Raiders and Marc Davis were maybe hoping that by drafting Derek Carr (whom Gruden had high praise for post-draft) and canning Dennis Allen, he could talk Gruden into coming back to Oakland. But it seems highly unlikely, even with a #1 draft pick coming up.

My main concern is that Carr is going to just be thrown to the wolves and either his psyche or his body will break down from the perpetual losing.

Speaking of my hapless Raiders, Rich Gannon took some serious pot-shots at the team, calling the entire organization and embarrassment with people just collecting checks, and saying the sign on the front of the door should say "Commitment to Mediocrity". Ouch!
 
That's a tough 5-plus minute rant by Gannon. Generally don't like to see negatives tossed out like that publicly, but the players prolly need it, or a swift kick in the jazz. Over the past 4 or so years I've heard actual (not heresay) comments from Raider players or ex-players that some players have a bad attitude, bad work ethic, are just going through the motions and are discouraged because of a variety of reasons... including constant changes in the coaching staff and system changes that come with it. 8 different head coaches since 2002. RLY? So owner Marc Davis has to take some of the blame. But I get Cannon's point totally. Players just got to give it their best shot, no matter the cards they're dealt by Davis.
 
Jun 15, 2009
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1st time since long I take a stance for the players:
In brutal sports like true football (AF, Footy that is :)) morale plays a major role. Players go trou motions if they see it´s not worth it to risk injury (especially when playing for the Raiders; there is always a 2nd chance on the FA market a couple of seasons later).
Green got so far in his book, saying that players are merely acting in blow-outs or when the season is going downhill.
That´s why pre season predictions (outside of the Mannings and QB arm strength in general OFC ;)) mostly fail. On talent level players differ by 1-2 % from best to worst team. That makes the Texans going 0-14 after starting 2-0 and giving the champs of SEA the toughest competition last season... one year later they are back on track. Or, after a big blow-out, teams seem to play on a complete different level the next game (see TB this year, GB after their DET game last year)...
 
Morale is a factor for sure. And in the case of the Raiders, I think the owner is partly to blame for a lack of morale. One reason given by a player for not trying hard two learn a new coaches system is they assume the new coach is only going to be there a year or two, so some - not all - don't want to put out the effort when they are going to have to forget all that and start over by learning a new coaches system in a couple of years. That was the criticism of a player, who then in the Raiders organization, did not buy into the lack of effort by those players. Still, that is no excuse for lack of effort. Players have got to put their best foot forward. Can an owner do things differently to improve morale? Sure. But if nothing else and I was a Raider player, I'd be working my tail off to make myself more marketable so I have more options to go to a better organization in FA.
 
Jun 22, 2009
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MIN @ GB - Everybody got this one right.
CHI @ CAR - Cam not in gear yet, Da Bears should take this.
CLE @ TEN - Browns should be better.
STL @ PHI - I loathe the Iggles.
ATL @ NYG - Giants suck, but Atlanta sucks worse now.
TB @ NO - Got to be a home banker.
HOU @ DAL - It's a sad day when the Cowgirls look like a serious banker.
BUF @ DET - Must be another home banker, surely?
BAL @ IND - Colts obviously favorites, but I'll go with my second team because they have extra fire when playing 'Colts'.
PIT @ JAX - An away banker, surely?
ARI @ DEN - Pretty much of a home good thing, maybe not a banker?
KC @ SF - Niners should be too good at home despite many problems.
NYJ @ SD - Jesus, Bolts are a banker.
CIN @ NE - Brady may bounce back, but Bengals are on the up.
SEA @ WSH - a banker if there ever was one.
 
Jun 15, 2009
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What a look. Not like your average QB, but more like a 70s OL-Man with a german name like Steinkühler. :)

Never realized Fitzpatrick looks that tough...

0ap3000000405243.jpg
 
FoxxyBrown1111 said:
What a look. Not like your average QB, but more like a 70s OL-Man with a german name like Steinkühler. :)

Foxxy, you amaze me. How did you learn so much about American football living in Germany all this time? I can understand how you would be familiar with recent history, it’s all on the internet, but games thirty or forty years ago? Surely you couldn’t see them on TV in Europe in the pre-cable era? I swear, if you hadn’t told us, I would have assumed you were an American.

To be picky, Steinkuhler played in the 80s, not 70s. I remember him mostly because in the national championship game, Nebraska called a rare center-eligible play, and he scored a critical TD that kept the Huskers in the game, though they later lost, because they went for two after the tying TD, playing for a win instead of a tie. If they had kicked the extra point, they would have preserved their undefeated season, and would have been voted national champions, but because their coach had the balls to go for the win, they not only lost their undefeated season--fair enough--but the national championship. Idiot voters.

Can’t believe I have another strike against me. How in the world did Buffalo beat the Lions in Detroit? I was on record saying I didn’t trust them, but at home, against a weak team? Not a happy Sunday in Detroit, Tigers just swept in the LDS, I guess time for people there to turn to the NHL.

Wow, midway through the 4th quarter, the Jets were held to just 65 yards and four first downs. How much longer is Ryan going to hang on to his job?
 
do you get an extra point for loser-bowl if the team you picked to lose scores a doughnut?

I think you should, jets stunk it up big time today, chargers just sliced through them, showed them no respect.

geno couldn't get anything going, vick wasn't that much better.
 
Merckx index said:
Foxxy, you amaze me. How did you learn so much about American football living in Germany all this time? I can understand how you would be familiar with recent history, it’s all on the internet, but games thirty or forty years ago? Surely you couldn’t see them on TV in Europe in the pre-cable era? I swear, if you hadn’t told us, I would have assumed you were an American.

To be picky, Steinkuhler played in the 80s, not 70s. I remember him mostly because in the national championship game, Nebraska called a rare center-eligible play, and he scored a critical TD that kept the Huskers in the game, though they later lost, because they went for two after the tying TD, playing for a win instead of a tie. If they had kicked the extra point, they would have preserved their undefeated season, and would have been voted national champions, but because their coach had the balls to go for the win, they not only lost their undefeated season--fair enough--but the national championship. Idiot voters.

Can’t believe I have another strike against me. How in the world did Buffalo beat the Lions in Detroit? I was on record saying I didn’t trust them, but at home, against a weak team? Not a happy Sunday in Detroit, Tigers just swept in the LDS, I guess time for people there to turn to the NHL.

Wow, midway through the 4th quarter, the Jets were held to just 65 yards and four first downs. How much longer is Ryan going to hang on to his job?

Detroit's kicker, soon to be ex-kicker missed all his three fieldgoals of between 47 and 50 yards. The first two FGs were missed in the third quarter. The third in the 4th quarter with 26 seconds left would have been a game winner had he hit it. But no. An incredible catch by Watkins and a 58 yard FG gave the bills the victory.

Calvin Johnson got injured in the 3d qt. So did Bush. The remaining RB was promoted from the practice squad last week.

As for the Jets, poor Geno, has to survive a horrible offensive line with no one to throw to and the Jets fans yelling for his backup.
 
Jun 15, 2009
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I used Steinkühler as general example for those great german named OLers of the 70s to the 90s... Thanks for your compliment. :)
RC Thielemann, Dobler, Zimmerman, Steinkuhler as of the 80s Oilers, Hilgenberg, Grimm, Otto of the Raiders, and so many others... even today it seems every NFL OL has at least one "german" in it.
There must be a area around Milwaukee where german origins with great surnames produce OLers since decades... ;)
But the greatest name didn´t make the OL:
Karl Mecklenburg. Even tough a LB, one of the greatest names so i mentioned him now, the name sounds like a small city of Brandenburg.
I only started watching football from the mid 80s, my mom even bought us a NTSC compatible TV so that I could watch NFL games live on AFN, plus I read a lot, and watched those great docus of Sabol. Got really hooked... Same with Baseball BTW.

Merckx index said:
Foxxy, you amaze me. How did you learn so much about American football living in Germany all this time? I can understand how you would be familiar with recent history, it’s all on the internet, but games thirty or forty years ago? Surely you couldn’t see them on TV in Europe in the pre-cable era? I swear, if you hadn’t told us, I would have assumed you were an American.

To be picky, Steinkuhler played in the 80s, not 70s. I remember him mostly because in the national championship game...
 
leftover pie said:
do you get an extra point for loser-bowl if the team you picked to lose scores a doughnut?
.

Loser-bowl. lol. Sounds like what Foxxy might call a Giants vs Broncos Championship.

On this theme, anyone who picked the Bengals should get an extra point. They were even more pathetic than the Jets. Absolutely disgraceful performance. Disgraceful defense bowled over in 3 moves. Disgraceful offence. Disgraceful special teams.

Worse than that, unlike the jets they are supposed to be a good team. And unlike the jets they ruined everyone's Sunday night entertainment. 14 zip a few minutes into the game and that was as close as it got.
 

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