National Football League

[Amsterhammer]

ATL @ NO - amazing how the Falcons will go 6-0 without being all that good. Saints can already kiss this season off.

 

[52520Andrew]

Nice win by the Saints there

 

[movingtarget]

Baltimore have not had the blow out losses the 49ers have had and have lost most of their games in the last quarter. Both teams will be desperate for a win and both teams have injury problems. The ingredients are there for a good game.

 

[Amsterhammer]

ATL @ NO - good start...
WSH @ NYJ - Skins could sneak this, but I won't pick them.
ARI @ PIT - Cards should just be too good.
KC @ MIN - Vikings must win, surely?
CIN @ BUF - Looks an away banker.
CHI @ DET - I'm actually going for the Bears
DEN @ CLE - Looks like another away banker.
HOU @ JAX - I'll punt on a home win, with little faith, and even less interest.
MIA @ TEN - Both disappointing, maybe a home squeak.
CAR @ SEA - Tough one to pick, Hawks have disappointed, but have that home advantage. Go Panthers.
SD @ GB - Banker of the day.
BAL @ SF - Who can suck less on the day? Who knows?
NE @ IND - Can't see the Pats losing here.
NYG @ PHI - Torture...toss up. Iggles at home.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

I actually think Atlanta losing may have been good for them, keeping them grounded in a sense, plus considering their schedule.

If you look at the Patriots, one astounding stat sticks out, they have nearly doubled up games in points. Teams that do that tend to do things like win Super Bowls. There is another team who has done that as well, Arizona, but they have a whopping 11 team ints so far, and have started many drives deep in opponents sides of the field.

I have to wonder if Johnny Manzeil will be with the Browns next season after his latest "mishap".

I'm not going to pick games this week, but think there's a chance Buffalo upsets Cincy at home. They were so sloppy against the Giants, and still almost beat them.

I'm also curious to see how Detroit's offense plays this week.

Denver is likely to eek out another win to go 6-0, but they are miles from the level of New England, or Green Bay.

Carolina is unbeaten playing against a struggling Seattle team. I think Seattle turns a corner and wins here, but if the Panthers do, they are for real.

Finally, I like the Giants to surge into first with a win over Philly. Both teams are playing better, in a weak division, where mistake free playing means wins (ouch), and an 8-8 team may take the division.

Hey, wouldn't that be something if the Patriots went 16-0, the Giants went 7-9, and they met in the Super Boel again? Maybe not.

 

[jmdirt]

Re:

I actually think Atlanta losing may have been good for them, keeping them grounded in a sense, plus considering their schedule.

If you look at the Patriots, one astounding stat sticks out, they have nearly doubled up games in points. Teams that do that tend to do things like win Super Bowls. There is another team who has done that as well, Arizona, but they have a whopping 11 team ints so far, and have started many drives deep in opponents sides of the field.

I have to wonder if Johnny Manzeil will be with the Browns next season after his latest "mishap".

I'm not going to pick games this week, but think there's a chance Buffalo upsets Cincy at home. They were so sloppy against the Giants, and still almost beat them.

I'm also curious to see how Detroit's offense plays this week.

Denver is likely to eek out another win to go 6-0, but they are miles from the level of New England, or Green Bay.

Carolina is unbeaten playing against a struggling Seattle team. I think Seattle turns a corner and wins here, but if the Panthers do, they are for real.

Finally, I like the Giants to surge into first with a win over Philly. Both teams are playing better, in a weak division, where mistake free playing means wins (ouch), and an 8-8 team may take the division.

Hey, wouldn't that be something if the Patriots went 16-0, the Giants went 7-9, and they met in the Super Boel again? Maybe not.

I wonder if he will even be in the league next year. Who wants him? Trouble and more trouble, and not that great on the field.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Good point. The league is built on performance, not potential. The most logical guess is they release him, he goes somewhere else (Houston?), underperforms and eventually gets into trouble there as well, and after falling to third string fades away and fails to make a team.

EJ Manuel gets the start for the Bills. Much less likely chance they upset the Bengals, whose defense has to be looking for picks.

 

[Billie]

Putting money on the pats ofcourse. Line could've been Colts + 35 and I would've still taken the Pats.

Also like the Vikes at home against the Chiefs. Sucks that Charles is done for the year

 

[Pricey_sky]

In heaven right now, 2 80-yard drives in the 4th Q, the last coming in the final 2 minutes to win the game. Panthers owed the Hawks that after last season and go 5-0!

 

[movingtarget]

Flacco was very hot and cold against the 49ers. Kaep had the better game and the 49ers did enough to win but not convincingly. Baltimore had a poor first half. Seahawks and 49ers should be a good one on Thursday night. Lots of feeling between those teams.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Re:

In heaven right now, 2 80-yard drives in the 4th Q, the last coming in the final 2 minutes to win the game. Panthers owed the Hawks that after last season and go 5-0!

Hats of to Carolina, though I'm still stinging. Noteworthy is the fact SEA has outscored opponents in the first 3 quarters of play, but have given up the lead in the 4th quarter by a negative (-) 23 before the game today. So after today, make that about a -40 (sigh). Tell you what though, win or lose, I really love watching stud MLB Luke Kuechly! And as good as SEA MLB Bobby Wagner is (who was out today), still wish SEA had Kuechly (sorry BWagz).

As far as what is wrong with SEA:
- OLine still stinks, and today featured another starter at center (Pat Lewis, who does not play with leverage consistently). SEA OL stinking is nothing new, but it creates problems for the entire offense. Some will say, best defense is a good offense, and if SEA gets a few first downs in the final minutes they could have won.
- Defensive front 7 just is not getting enough QB pressures and is got pushed off the line today. I'd say CAR gave them a beat-down.
- Defensive secondary is not the Legion of Boom any more and is blowing coverages rather consistently. That last CAR TD was a good example of that, with FS Earl Thomas and CB Richard Sherman looking and pointing fingers at each other as if to say, "I thought you had him".
- Defensively, what is the difference between SEA this year and the past 2 years? Couple of things:
1. Mainly, it is becoming apparent the new DC Chris Richard is not the same as former DC Dan Quin, who took the HC job at Atlanta. Preparation and game planning is everything. But if the DC does not prepare his guys well enough, you will see blown coverage like that last CAR TD.
2. GREED - Paying all those big bucks to other players has weakened the team at CB (lost Byron Maxwell and replaced by Cary Williams, whose getting targeted and burned) and DL (losing DT McDonald and replaced by lesser low salary cap hit players). This has also affected the offense, losing C Unger in the Graham trade, and losing Guard Carpenter). This is not the first time you have seen this here. I give FOXXY credit for pointing that out, or actually predicting that would happen, even tho he's not here anymore).

Greed in and surrounding the NFL is really growing at a sickening pace. How many adverts do we now see on all networks for Fantasy League betting? Way too much. I'm not even going to mention their names. Already weaned myself down to one NFL game/week and watching more college and HS now. HS on Thursday (frosh) and Friday (varsity) nights.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Fantastic win for the Panthers, who showed me they are for real. They won't go 16-0, but they aren't going to go 7-8-1 either. I'll stop saying things like "Panthers quietly go to 4-0" "...5-0"

Turns out our old buddy Foxxy may have been right about the Seahawks when he predicted an early demise and head to the cellar. They aren't bad, they're still fairly tough, but they are almost done at 2-4. Jimmy Johnson said last week after the complaining about money, hold outs, TV commercials, and the star QB showing up on red carpet with a hussy on his arm, it wasn't the same hard working team from a couple years ago. I'm inclined to agree.

 

[jmdirt]

WTF was Indy thinking?! That stupid formation didn't fool anyone, and then bozo snapped it!

Officials shouldn't make a call on a fumble until/unless A) they see who has the ball once the pile is removed, B) there is clear possession of the ball before the pile happens. The officials on the field blew the call, but the booth had a chance to make the correct call, yet somehow they blew it too. The Pat clearly doesn't have possession, the ball squirts out from under his legs, and the Colt clearly gains and maintains possession. There were several angles of replay that clearly show that. That's a game changing F up by the stripes.

 

[52520Andrew]

The Ravens believe it or not are on a fast track to a top 5 draft pick. The defense has just been an absolute mess there and they have no real fire this year. Hate to say it but things could get ugly next week in Arizona as the Cardinals will have a bad taste in their mouth after losing in Pittsburgh.

Big win for the Panthers though against Seattle, that was a big hump for them to get over.

 

[leftover pie]

Re:

WTF was Indy thinking?! That stupid formation didn't fool anyone, and then bozo snapped it!

I saw that too, silly to snap it they had no chance, a delay of game would have been a great outcome.

Trying to be way too cute.

 

[52520Andrew]

Eagles and Giants both trying to lose the game tonight

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Right after I was tossing some praise at the Giants, even Eli, they completely lay an egg, looking like the Giants of the last two years, maybe worse. What an awful performance. Not that the Eagles and Bradford deserve a lot of credit. Many of his throws are still off, they can't seem to run the ball worth much, but their OL did protect, and their defense played consistent, and made some big key plays.

Michael Vick says he could play next week, but after Landry Jones solid performance against Arizona, why would the Steelers put Vick back in? Big Ben due back in about two weeks or so.

Pete Carroll is saying the season is far from over (I agree), and the Seahwaks could be 6-0. That part is a head scratcher. They gave up some big, long drives, and blew some key plays against the Panthers. And if you look at each game, and recall the game against the Lions, where they could have actually lost had it not been for a mis-call by the referees late, they'd actually be 1-5. Even if they get playing better, and I question how much better they can get, they really are on the outside looking in. Can they really go 8-2 the rest of the season? That would take them to just 10-6, a record that doesn't guarantee a playoff spot.

 

[jmdirt]

Re:

Right after I was tossing some praise at the Giants, even Eli, they completely lay an egg, looking like the Giants of the last two years, maybe worse. What an awful performance. Not that the Eagles and Bradford deserve a lot of credit. Many of his throws are still off, they can't seem to run the ball worth much, but their OL did protect, and their defense played consistent, and made some big key plays.

Michael Vick says he could play next week, but after Landry Jones solid performance against Arizona, why would the Steelers put Vick back in? Big Ben due back in about two weeks or so.

Pete Carroll is saying the season is far from over (I agree), and the Seahwaks could be 6-0. That part is a head scratcher. They gave up some big, long drives, and blew some key plays against the Panthers. And if you look at each game, and recall the game against the Lions, where they could have actually lost had it not been for a mis-call by the referees late, they'd actually be 1-5. Even if they get playing better, and I question how much better they can get, they really are on the outside looking in. Can they really go 8-2 the rest of the season? That would take them to just 10-6, a record that doesn't guarantee a playoff spot.

The NFL is a slop fest thins year so its realistic that they could be a 10 win team if they pull a few pieces together (your could says that about several teams). They really aren't that far off: get Lynch going again, get LBs and DBs back to Boom level=10 wins.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

I'm sure you have heard about the finger pointing going on this week in Seattle over who blew the coverage on the final Carolina TD to the Carolina TE. Was it Thomas, Sherman, or a late or dual call from the sideline? At least we know which sideline the defensive call came from, right?
So in Seattle the Legion of Boom this week is the Legion of Whom.

 

[jmdirt]

Re:

I'm sure you have heard about the finger pointing going on this week in Seattle over who blew the coverage on the final Carolina TD to the Carolina TE. Was it Thomas, Sherman, or a late or dual call from the sideline? At least we know which sideline the defensive call came from, right?
So in Seattle the Legion of Boom this week is the Legion of Whom.

IMO that was Sherman's bad. Even if the call from the sideline is confusing, the "best" cover guy in the league should know what to do/who to cover in that situation. If he wasn't covering that route/Olsen, what/who was he covering?

 

[Zam_Olyas]

While i think foxxy was bonkers/lunatic on most of his views but he knows his ze american futbol and this thread needs him back. pronto.

 

[infeXio]

Re: Re:

I'm sure you have heard about the finger pointing going on this week in Seattle over who blew the coverage on the final Carolina TD to the Carolina TE. Was it Thomas, Sherman, or a late or dual call from the sideline? At least we know which sideline the defensive call came from, right?
So in Seattle the Legion of Boom this week is the Legion of Whom.

IMO that was Sherman's bad. Even if the call from the sideline is confusing, the "best" cover guy in the league should know what to do/who to cover in that situation. If he wasn't covering that route/Olsen, what/who was he covering?

Depends which scheme Seattle were supposed to run. Sherman usually has help over the top from Earl Thomas in their zone coverage, and probably expected him to be there. Nonetheless, it just made them look silly, despite the apparent miscommunication between different parts of the defense.
I can't pretend I didn't enjoy Panthers winning that game, though

 

[jmdirt]

Re:

While i think foxxy was bonkers/lunatic on most of his views but he knows his ze american futbol and this thread needs him back. pronto.

He knew football, but was also a massive Google finger making it look like he knew way more than he did. His scolding of everyone got old.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Well, he went with the nuclear option, and won't be coming back. I liked his zeal, but as you say, Googling through a bunch of stats and making bold opinions can make one look smarter than they are. I didn't buy the Eagle's hype either, but thought they could be decent. He was predicting 0-16 even. You may also recall he said Andrew Luck would bust.

Meanwhile, this week looks to have some dud matchups. The most curious game may be tomorrow's game of Seattle at San Francisco, with both teams struggling. Jets at Patriots could be decent.

But a lot of other meh games. Just look at the schedule, and you'll see.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

I'm a Seattle fan, but even so I view tomorrow's game as one of those MEH games and won't be watching, instead planning on watching a HS freshman game. I actually have been enjoying that more than watching NFL. Parents, family, friends at frosh games are often distributed throughout the seating, and so if I want to find out about a player on another team I just go ask. It's pretty easy to tell who to ask. They are the ones calling out the player names or jersey #'s. Last week's surprise freshman from the visitors was 6'3" and 250 pounds, not fat, with a huge trunk (really thick legs and low center of gravity). A Hispanic dude named Dante, who obviously matured as Hispanics do... early, might be worth keeping an eye on.

Might have been fun to see the nuclear blast.