National Football League

[infeXio]

-- By the way, that undrafted free agent offensive tackle from LSU, La'el Collins, he was the Cowboys starting LG vs the Eagles. A UFA O-Lineman. Starting. For the Cowboys. That's a pretty fortunate pick up for Dallas, who already had a great line. But unfortunately not great enough to protect Romo for that one play.

Granted, La'el Collins is an undrafted free agent, but labeling him as if he's some nobody entering the Cowboys O-line is a tad exaggerated - he was after all predicted to go fairly early in the first round of the draft, but was ultimately hindered by somehow getting involved in a murder case in the days leading up to the draft, which led teams to not wanting to draft him. Before that occured, though, he was a first round prediction in the draft, which would only add to the fellow first-rounders Tyron Smith, Zack Martin and Travis Frederick on that monster of an O-line they've assembled.

You misunderstood. Not what I was saying at all, though true I did not say it very well. Anyone who followed much of NCAA SEC FB or the 2015 NFL draft knows Collins is a stud and would have been a bona fide first round pick, and probably a top ten overall pick in the draft had it not been for his involvement in a police murder investigation down South that took him away from the draft and forced teams to pass on him at the draft. My point was that it is just amazingly lucky that Dallas had this star fall smack in their lap. That's what I meant by "That's a pretty fortunate pick up for Dallas".

Ah, my bad then! He is indeed a stud, and adding him to the already loaded O-line that Dallas have assembled over the course of a few years, is quite amazing, indeed!

On another note - how about the Patriots O-line with 3 rookies and their performance against the feared Bills D-line? Safe to say, I was pretty impressed by how well they managed.

 

[the delgados]

Can new England go 16-0 again. The game they just won was probably the second hardest one they'll have all year (broncos in Denver). The other hard away game they were supposed to face just became easy (Dallas in jerryworld) Only 6 of their remaining 14 are against winning teams from lasy season and that includes the pathetic Texans, colts, dysfunctional eagles, the bills team they just beat, and now qbless cowboys

NO! Maybe if I say it loud enough my wish that the Pats lose will become a reality.
I hate that team. Then again, who doesn't?
Last week's score actually looked flattering to the Bills. NE made an awesome defence look average at best.
Hopefully they won't be facing an undefeated opponent next time they play. But if so, no doubt the Bills will end the winning streak.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Who here thought the Jets and Falcons would be 2-0?

Who here thought the Seahawks, Ravens, Colts, Lions, Saints, Eagles and Texans would all be 0-2?

Terrific win for the Jets. They just pounded Andrew Luck, and capitalized on all Colts mistakes, and played good ball on their side. Both Revis and Cromaratie were vintage last night. After two games they are +34 in points and look like a solid, steady team, after years of turmoil. I see almost no way Geno Smith gets his job back when his jaw heals. Despite being slow, and not having much of an arm, this looks like Fitzpatrick's team.

Yes, the Jets are one of the teams that can beat New England. Will? I don't know. But New England sure looks like one of the only elite teams so far. And Brady is on pace to throw for something like 6,200 yards and 60 TDs!

Romo now out at least until week 11 according to the team. It looks like they aren't going to rush him back. As to Weeden, the Cowboys are going to have to draw up a lot of three step drop, read 1, 2 progression and pull the trigger, plays. Plus air the ball out deep. He has a very strong arm, stronger than Romo, and doing that can help stretch the field. The fact they have one of the best OL's in the NFL is going to help. But he can't sit back there and scan the field hoping to hit someone who gets open. As to their third QB, I would have to think Moore is the guy at this point. He's not very big, but when he has played in pre-season games, he was decent.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Can new England go 16-0 again. The game they just won was probably the second hardest one they'll have all year (broncos in Denver). The other hard away game they were supposed to face just became easy (Dallas in jerryworld) Only 6 of their remaining 14 are against winning teams from lasy season and that includes the pathetic Texans, colts, dysfunctional eagles, the bills team they just beat, and now qbless cowboys

NO! Maybe if I say it loud enough my wish that the Pats lose will become a reality.
I hate that team. Then again, who doesn't?
Last week's score actually looked flattering to the Bills. NE made an awesome defence look average at best.
Hopefully they won't be facing an undefeated opponent next time they play. But if so, no doubt the Bills will end the winning streak.

Agreed on whether they go, or any team go, 16-0 this year.
As for the question... only folks in NE.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

As to who'dathunk those teams would be 0-2 or 2-0, maybe not many (well actually, I really thought SEA would start out 0-2, and hoped for different).

Totally agree on the Jets win and their secondary. Actually, overall team defense was hot. Other teams better get ready by watching the film of that Jets game. With that secondary, looked to me like the Jets D.C. threw the kitchen sink at Luck with all those blitzes, and trusted his secondary to help pull it off! Future opposing offensive coordinators will need to be prepared for what the Jets can bring defensively.

 

[jmdirt]

Re:

Who here thought the Jets and Falcons would be 2-0?

Who here thought the Seahawks, Ravens, Colts, Lions, Saints, Eagles and Texans would all be 0-2?

Terrific win for the Jets. They just pounded Andrew Luck, and capitalized on all Colts mistakes, and played good ball on their side. Both Revis and Cromaratie were vintage last night. After two games they are +34 in points and look like a solid, steady team, after years of turmoil. I see almost no way Geno Smith gets his job back when his jaw heals. Despite being slow, and not having much of an arm, this looks like Fitzpatrick's team.

Yes, the Jets are one of the teams that can beat New England. Will? I don't know. But New England sure looks like one of the only elite teams so far. And Brady is on pace to throw for something like 6,200 yards and 60 TDs!

Romo now out at least until week 11 according to the team. It looks like they aren't going to rush him back. As to Weeden, the Cowboys are going to have to draw up a lot of three step drop, read 1, 2 progression and pull the trigger, plays. Plus air the ball out deep. He has a very strong arm, stronger than Romo, and doing that can help stretch the field. The fact they have one of the best OL's in the NFL is going to help. But he can't sit back there and scan the field hoping to hit someone who gets open. As to their third QB, I would have to think Moore is the guy at this point. He's not very big, but when he has played in pre-season games, he was decent.

Wait, did they sign a second QB? At this point Moore is #2. In other Dallas news, Witten might be out for a week (or more).

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

I was still counting Romo.

Having Witten out also, ouch!

 

[leftover pie]

Re:

Just as I predicted with the Eagles, and Bradford, and Chip Kelly's fancy system, you can't load up on position players and "potential", and then spin it all with psychobabble into success. I wrote numerous posts about this during the off season. About how Bradford was an average QB his entire career so far (when not hurt). About how RB's are not nearly as important as the linemen that block for them. About how complicated playbooks are not nearly as important as execution. I do think they'll get more in synch and improve, but I did once say they looked like a 6-10 team to me.

Could this be a problem with chip expecting a bit of razzle dazzle college style football to work in the gritty no-frills-league (NFL)?

I can imagine the talk back radio in Philadelphia going into meltdown following the second loss, I noticed on the coverage they started showing the owner (I think - the sound was turned down) a bit towards the end of the game, the media always stoking the fires of discontent - love it

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Don't forget, Philadelphia Eagle fans were the ones who booed Santa Claus.

It actually doesn't get as easy as it seems coming up either. They take on two very tough defenses going to the NY Jets, and then to Washington. While they still have some problems, Washington's defense is currently 1st overall, 2nd against the pass and 4th against the run.

Dallas has picked up Matt Cassell, as I predicted. He's something between Weeden and Romo, but does have a lot of experience. Speaking of Weeden, his old QB coach at Cleveland, Mark Whipple, says he got a raw deal when on the Browns and is not surprised he went 7 for 7 last week. Says the Cowboys will be fine with him. I just want to see them air it out, because he can throw darts downfield.

And it looks like Kam Chancellor is going to resolve things with Seattle, with both sides willing to compromise to get it done. Earl Thomas has said it's really Chancellor who leads the backfield, not him. And word has leaked out of Seattle that in the locker room he's the authoritative voice, often doing Pete Carroll's dirty work when players need to be put in line.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

WAS@NYG - While I have little faith in Eli, and the Skins defense is playing surprisingly well, I went with the home team.

Some interesting games this weekend. Atlanta at Dallas, both are 2-0. Bengals at the Ravens in a must win for Baltimore. Bills at Dolphins, with the winner taking a big step forward, and the loser taking a step back. Eagles at the Jets, in a must win for Philly.

 

[Billie]

Re:

Dallas has picked up Matt Cassell, as I predicted. He's something between Weeden and Romo, but does have a lot of experience. Speaking of Weeden, his old QB coach at Cleveland, Mark Whipple, says he got a raw deal when on the Browns and is not surprised he went 7 for 7 last week. Says the Cowboys will be fine with him. I just want to see them air it out, because he can throw darts downfield.

Teams do this way too little imo, especially with back up QB's.. Just take 5-8 deep shots a game where you throw it 50 yards hoping one of your receivers catches it or gets dpi. Worst case scenario it's an interception but then the result is not too different from punting. Really like how the Cardinals do it so many times

 

[Amsterhammer]

Re:

WAS@NYG - While I have little faith in Eli, and the Skins defense is playing surprisingly well, I went with the home team.

Some interesting games this weekend. Atlanta at Dallas, both are 2-0. Bengals at the Ravens in a must win for Baltimore. Bills at Dolphins, with the winner taking a big step forward, and the loser taking a step back. Eagles at the Jets, in a must win for Philly.

I dunno. I swear to God, I really don't know. Last week was such an unexpected shock (who picked us?) and yet bitter experience has taught us not to expect the same team to turn up two weeks running. Having said all that, the Giants are so poor that we shouldn't get blown out, especially in view of the defense (so far), so I'm going to pick the Skins.

WAS @ NYG

 

[leftover pie]

i'm rolling the dice on WSH. . . and I see they've started with having a punt blocked for a SAFETY...

hmm..

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Not that either team played that well, but the Giants made less mistakes, and were desperate for the win at home, and got it. Gruden was asked a few times after the game about QB and had to pointedly state that there is no controversy at the QB position there. Cousins is his QB. Though from what I saw, Kirk still has a ways to develop. Some nice throws and touches, coupled with missed receivers has to frustrate Washington fans.

The Browns take on the Raiders and all pro LT Joe Thomas compared Kalil Mack to Lawrence Taylor.

"I never played against L.T., so maybe I'm blowing smoke, but I've seen him play and dominate and to me they're comparable types. They're both 6-2, 250-ish, lift a house, run a 4.3, destroy people at will. Just look back to what Mack did in college. It's amazing he wasn't the No. 1 pick."

"I think if you talk to anybody across the league that's watched him play, they wouldn't think that's a big comparison to make. Size, speed, strength, power, you name it, he's got it."

Interesting comparison, though Mack seems to be developing into a man-child who can do all, he's not quite the insanely dominant pass rusher LT was. Well, yet at least.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Going with a lot of home teams this week.

CIN@BAL - Bengals are playing well, Ravens not, but Baltimore doesn't fall to 0-3, at home.
OAK@CLE - As much as I want to pick the Raiders, I'll take Cleveland at home.
NO@CAR - Brees or not. Panthers quietly go to 3-0.
ATL@DAL - This is a tough one to pick, but I like the Cowboys at home. Winner goes to 3-0.
TB@HOU - Texans are better than 0-3, and won't end up there. Miserable day for Winston.
IND@TEN - Colts don't go 0-3 either.
JAX@NE - Pats could play Garrapollo and still win easily.
SD@MIN - Both teams have talent, went with home team.
PHI@NYJ - Jets defense too much for Philly, in NY. Eagles drop to 0-3. Murmurs start.
PIT@STL - I like the Steelers overall. Experience. Deep offense. Defense will improve.
SF@ARI - Niners still tough, but Cards roll at home.
BUF@MIA - I like the Bills, but took Fins at home.
CHI@SEA - Seahawks need this, and won't go 0-3, winning easily.
DEN@DET - The Lions are better than 0-3, but that's where they'll end up.
KC@GB - Chiefs are solid, but Packers best team in NFL right now (or is it the Patriots?!).

 

[Amsterhammer]

WAS @ NYG - I let myself be suckered.
ATL @ DAL
IND @ TEN
OAK @ CLE
CIN @ BAL
JAX @ NE
NO @ CAR
PHI @ NYJ
TB @ HOU
SD @ MIN
PIT @ STL
SF @ ARI
BUF @ MIA
CHI @ SEA
DEN @ DET
KC @ GB

Indeed, a huge number of home teams look like winners.

 

[The Hitch]

Re:

Going with a lot of home teams this week.

CIN@BAL - Bengals are playing well, Ravens not, but Baltimore doesn't fall to 0-3, at home.
OAK@CLE - As much as I want to pick the Raiders, I'll take Cleveland at home.
NO@CAR - Brees or not. Panthers quietly go to 3-0.
ATL@DAL - This is a tough one to pick, but I like the Cowboys at home. Winner goes to 3-0.
TB@HOU - Texans are better than 0-3, and won't end up there. Miserable day for Winston.
IND@TEN - Colts don't go 0-3 either.
JAX@NE - Pats could play Garrapollo and still win easily.
SD@MIN - Both teams have talent, went with home team.
PHI@NYJ - Jets defense too much for Philly, in NY. Eagles drop to 0-3. Murmurs start.
PIT@STL - I like the Steelers overall. Experience. Deep offense. Defense will improve.
SF@ARI - Niners still tough, but Cards roll at home.
BUF@MIA - I like the Bills, but took Fins at home.
CHI@SEA - Seahawks need this, and won't go 0-3, winning easily.
DEN@DET - The Lions are better than 0-3, but that's where they'll end up.
KC@GB - Chiefs are solid, but Packers best team in NFL right now (or is it the Patriots?!).

I'll go against you on the AFC North clash (Bengals do well in Bmore and have all the pieces right now). Also picked CHargers over Vikes but that's a toss up.

 

[jmdirt]

The big concern was how Dallas would do without Romo, but Weeden played fine it was Big D's D that let them down.

 

[infeXio]

Kaepernick with two pick-6's in 2 minutes..

 

[red_flanders]

Trying to think the last time the Raiders had a winning record. Nice to see. Offense looks good. Defense looking better but secondary is bad.

 

[42x16ss]

Re:

Kaepernick with two pick-6's in 2 minutes..

He had a horrendous game, but not a lot of support either. The only real highlight for the 49ers was Jarryd Hayne's punt return leading up to the touchdown.

Do NOT kick to Hayne in space, he'll carve you up all day.

 

[red_flanders]

Re: Re:

Kaepernick with two pick-6's in 2 minutes..

He had a horrendous game, but not a lot of support either. The only real highlight for the 49ers was Jarryd Hayne's punt return leading up to the touchdown.

Do NOT kick to Hayne in space, he'll carve you up all day.

Or drop the ball.

He is fun to watch and I'm rooting for him, but let's not get carried away just yet. He's doing well so far with some not unexpected mistakes.

 

[52520Andrew]

Ravens 0-3, sigh...

 

[42x16ss]

Re: Re:

Kaepernick with two pick-6's in 2 minutes..

He had a horrendous game, but not a lot of support either. The only real highlight for the 49ers was Jarryd Hayne's punt return leading up to the touchdown.

Do NOT kick to Hayne in space, he'll carve you up all day.

Or drop the ball.

He is fun to watch and I'm rooting for him, but let's not get carried away just yet. He's doing well so far with some not unexpected mistakes.

What he did on the weekend is what he used to do week in, week out in Rugby League. And in the NFL he doesn't have to fight to stay in the field of play.

 

[red_flanders]

Re: Re:

Kaepernick with two pick-6's in 2 minutes..

He had a horrendous game, but not a lot of support either. The only real highlight for the 49ers was Jarryd Hayne's punt return leading up to the touchdown.

Do NOT kick to Hayne in space, he'll carve you up all day.

Or drop the ball.

He is fun to watch and I'm rooting for him, but let's not get carried away just yet. He's doing well so far with some not unexpected mistakes.

What he did on the weekend is what he used to do week in, week out in Rugby League.

I sure that's true.

Yesterday he had one really nice punt return that I saw. Did he do more? Last week he was uneven, with a big mistake and some nice runs. Not surprising, he's learning the game. Fun to watch. Seems to have potential.

And in the NFL he doesn't have to fight to stay in the field of play.

Not sure I follow.