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National Football League

Page 286 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
Re:

movingtarget said:
Giants were very disappointing. Couldn't get the offense going. Beckham Jnr had an off day. Green Bay is looking good but I'm still not convinced they can win the Super Bowl.
I would say the Pack is Back!

This is one hot ball club right now. This was a team that people forget was 4-6 at one point and McCarthy was on the hotseat. Since then they've run off seven in a row. Don't think Jerry Jones is a little nervous right now?
 
Re:

movingtarget said:
Giants were very disappointing. Couldn't get the offense going. Beckham Jnr had an off day. Green Bay is looking good but I'm still not convinced they can win the Super Bowl.
I only watched the first half because of time difference and I had to wake up early today, but in that half their offense was actually pretty bad. They threw two td's in th last few minutes of q3 but that doesn't resemble their actual performance. Looking at the result I guess their offense became stronger in the 2nd half but still I think this first half wasn't very convincing and if another defense can stop rodgers like that for a whole game even the obligatory hail mary won't be enough.
 
Well, Rodgers definitely improved over the course of the game. It was extremely impressive the way the Packer passing game was completely stifled in the first quarter, got lucky (to a degree) on the hail mary to be ahead at the half, then even after not getting the 4th and 1, still improved. By the 4th quarter Rodgers was shredding their secondary almost at will. Night and day from the 1st quarter. I can't recall too many games where I've seen a QB do this. The real problem though was the Giants offense. Not just the dropped balls, but inability to string much of anything together.

I agree with the others, that this doesn't mean Green Bay will waltz right through Dallas. They may put up 30+ points on the Dallas defense, but Dallas offense is a much stronger machine than the Giants, and I can easily see them putting up 30+ points on the Packers.

In case you hadn't heard, Jordy Nelson's injuries are not good. It looks like two broken broken ribs, a partly collapsed lung, and a lacerated spleen. Mike McCarthy is giving a conference at 2:30, and will likely address it then, but I can't see him back until maybe the Super Bowl at the soonest. Having said that, the Packers have proven they can win without him. This also shows why the NFL is coming down hard on hits by players leading with the crown of their helmet.

In other games, I like Seattle's chances against Atlanta, though if Atlanta gets moving on offense, they can score.

New England will easily beat Houston by double digits.

The most interesting game is Pittsburgh at Kansas City. They played in week 4 and the Steelers blew them out 43-14 (up 36-0 at one point), but this was a week after the Steelers were blown out by the Eagles, 34-3. A week later the Chiefs dominated the Raiders, in Oakland. I think all of these games should be dismissed. The first Pitt-KC game was fairly close at almost all the numbers, yards, time of possession, more, except the scoreboard, and I fully expect this to be a close contest.

Early picks are, for me: Dallas, Seattle, New England, and Pittsburgh.
 
Will this be De Javue for Seattle in Atlanta? In Seattle's first playoff run of the Carroll-Wilson era in 2012 Seattle lost 30-28 in a last minute field goal after a young LOB defense could not hold Matty Ice down. Will that give Seattle a motivational edge? Not in my opinion. Keep in mind, this coming divisonal game is the first playoff game for Atlanta SINCE 2012 when a sparky Kaep-lead SF team knocked Atlanta out 28-24 in the NFC championship. Not only that, but the coming game between Seattle in Atlanta is a rematch of their game earlier this season in Seattle when the Seahawks narrowly won 26-24 in an officiating-marred contest. And Atlanta remembers, based on this accounting in their Dirty Bird Daily (http://bloggingdirty.com/2017/01/08/dirty-bird-daily-atlanta-falcons-vs-seattle-seahawks-rematch-nfl-playoffs/) and this ESPN report (http://www.espn.com/blog/nfcsouth/post/_/id/66885/loss-at-seattle-still-doesnt-sit-well-with-falcons-coach-dan-quinn). Seattle is probably going to be the underdogs this time.

I will say this, if the game comes down to a field goal contest I predict a Seattle loss based on all the long snapper and kicker (Hauschka) issues they have had this year, including the fact that rookie snapper Frese was placed on IR after the final regular season game vs SF (when he launched a snap way over punter Jon Ryan's head and out if the end zone for a safety) and the replacement snapper has now played one game for Seattle. Frese should have been gone long ago, but now is not an ideal situation.

I also think the Pitt-KC game will be a good one. Not heard recent news about Roethlisberger in a boot, other than it is probably just minor and he is expected to be able to play.

Brandon Marshall is calling for a coaches union to help coaches health by THIS: LIMITING WORK HOURS PUT IN BY COACHES. The idea is a nice gesture, but won't work. Coaches will just work out of their homes.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...coaches-need-a-union-to-protect-their-health/
 
Re:

Alpe d'Huez said:
I wasn't entirely kidding when I said the Giants could win the SB. If you look at who they will likely play, almost every matchup favors them. First, they play Green Bay, and we discussed why earlier. They have also beaten the Packers twice in Lambeau on their way to SB runs, including the year the Packers were 15-1. Then, they'll likely go to Atlanta, where I think they match up even better than they do against Green Bay, for the same reason. Presuming the Giants win that game, they go to Dallas, whom they beat twice this season. Then, the most likely team they'd play in the Super Bowl is New England, who they beat twice under similar circumstances. Having said that, this is not thinking objectively, it's 2017, not 2007 or 2011.

As to Cook, if there's one positive, it's that there's almost zero film on him in the NFL. Some very conservative play last week with almost no prep. Who knows what Oakland will try to do with him. An equally big loss, as I noted, was Donald Penn is out. He was one of two OT's with 400 or more pass blocks and just one sack allowed all season. Remarkable, actually.

Bleacher Report gave picks from their 12 experts. They are as follows.

Houston 7-5 over Oakland.
Seattle 12-0 over Detroit.
Pittsburgh 12-0 over Miami.
Green Bay 9-3 over New York.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2684952-bleacher-reports-expert-consensus-wild-card-picks
This is why I love the NFL, teams can go from being capable of winning the Super Bowl to looking like the Cleveland Browns scrimmage team in the blink of an eye....

I'm not picking on what you said Alpe, I enjoy reading your commentary in this thread. That statement just jumped out at me this morning after watching the Pack completely dismantle the Giants in the second half yesterday. The NFL playoffs is the greatest single elimination tournament held in the US IMO because the matchups can vary wildly with no real predictable endings. Nobody thought the Giants would get beat as bad as they did and many thought they would beat the Packers, but on any given Sunday......... :)
 
Re:

Alpe d'Huez said:
Well, Rodgers definitely improved over the course of the game. It was extremely impressive the way the Packer passing game was completely stifled in the first quarter, got lucky (to a degree) on the hail mary to be ahead at the half, then even after not getting the 4th and 1, still improved. By the 4th quarter Rodgers was shredding their secondary almost at will. Night and day from the 1st quarter. I can't recall too many games where I've seen a QB do this. The real problem though was the Giants offense. Not just the dropped balls, but inability to string much of anything together.

I agree with the others, that this doesn't mean Green Bay will waltz right through Dallas. They may put up 30+ points on the Dallas defense, but Dallas offense is a much stronger machine than the Giants, and I can easily see them putting up 30+ points on the Packers.

In case you hadn't heard, Jordy Nelson's injuries are not good. It looks like two broken broken ribs, a partly collapsed lung, and a lacerated spleen. Mike McCarthy is giving a conference at 2:30, and will likely address it then, but I can't see him back until maybe the Super Bowl at the soonest. Having said that, the Packers have proven they can win without him. This also shows why the NFL is coming down hard on hits by players leading with the crown of their helmet.

In other games, I like Seattle's chances against Atlanta, though if Atlanta gets moving on offense, they can score.

New England will easily beat Houston by double digits.

The most interesting game is Pittsburgh at Kansas City. They played in week 4 and the Steelers blew them out 43-14 (up 36-0 at one point), but this was a week after the Steelers were blown out by the Eagles, 34-3. A week later the Chiefs dominated the Raiders, in Oakland. I think all of these games should be dismissed. The first Pitt-KC game was fairly close at almost all the numbers, yards, time of possession, more, except the scoreboard, and I fully expect this to be a close contest.

Early picks are, for me: Dallas, Seattle, New England, and Pittsburgh.

The Falcons defense will be the key next week. I don't think they will have trouble scoring against Seattle. Their offense has been firing all season. If they can keep the mistakes to a minimum I see the Falcons winning. The Seahawks have looked hot and cold in a badly performing conference with the Niners, Cardinals and Rams. To me it seems that Seattle has gone a step backwards this year and it could be enough to cost them next week. The in fighting is never a good look either.

Dallas and Green Bay should be a good game and a tight one. Rodgers and his O Line have been impressive. Narrow win to the Cowboys as I think that across both teams the Cowboys are a little stronger. Don't see the Texans having a shot against the Patriots at this stage. The Kansas game could be very interesting and entertaining. The Pittsburgh offense has been looking very good but I think Kansas may take it in a close one.
 
Re: Re:

Irondan said:
I'm not picking on what you said Alpe, I enjoy reading your commentary in this thread. That statement just jumped out at me this morning after watching the Pack completely dismantle the Giants in the second half yesterday.
No offense taken. After all, the Giants did look like they could win the SB in their game against Green Bay...for one quarter. :eek:

Historically, this coming weekend has produced some of the best games of the season. Usually three out of four of them are about as good of football as you're going to see. In order of watchability, if you're only going to watch one game, make it Green Bay-Dallas. There's every indication you'll see a lot of offense with big plays, and will be exciting to watch, even if it's not close late. Plus, two storied franchises. The game I'd rank next is Pittsburgh-KC. As I mentioned earlier, throw out the blowout in week 4, everything tells me this game should be very closely fought, both teams are well balanced, and have a lot of weapons, and very experienced coaches and players. Next would be Seattle-Atlanta, this one is also harder to predict to me, I said I liked Seattle's chances and think Atlanta is a little bit overrated, but they don't stink, are at home, rested. Lots of factors in this game. If you're going to skip one game, make it Houston-New England. The Pats may struggle to move the ball into the end zone a lot, but I don't see the Texan offense getting anywhere. And if they get more than 8 points behind (very likely) they're doomed.
 
Falcons are the favorites going against the Seahawks, but as i've said before, this is a preferred (I am guessing) matchup for the Hawks than either the Packers or Cowboys or for that matter the Giants, so them being on the other side of the bracket is good for them, despite not having home field. If Atlanta comes out firing the first quarter or so, it's going to be hard for Seattle. They need to slow things down and run the ball. I also think Graham will be a key player in this game. Also, if their defense plays well early on, and is able to pressure Matt Ryan and force the Atlanta offense into rushing and making some errors, then they have a very good chance. That's what the Hawks were doing two, three years ago when they made back to back SB runs.

On current form, I like the Packers over the Cowboys. Rodgers is just on fire now and I am not sure the Cowboys defense is going to be able to cope with him. They've been solid for most of the year, but Rodgers is on a roll. We'll see how Prescott performs in this big match up. It helps Dallas they are at home, but I'd give the Packers more of a chance on the road than I would the Cowboys if they were in Green Bay.

I think in the AFC it'll be NE vs KC in the championship. The Texans have little to no chance and the Steelers aren't convincing to me. This might be the year that KC breaks through. They have to go through NE to make the SB, but they may be just the team in the AFC to beat NE.
 
Fun with numbers:

The Patriots point differential this year was +191, most in the league. Second was Atlanta at +134. Houston was -49.

The Patriots were 11-1 with Tom Brady at QB, the lone loss coming in week 9 after a bye, to Seattle at home.

Green Bay has a net of +44, however, in their winning streak to end the season, they've been +73.

On December 11, Green Bay beat Seattle 38-10 in Lambeau, counting for the biggest amount of those points. I wonder if they'll play in a week and a half? If so, it would be in Seattle.

Out of the 8 teams left, the team that gave up the least points on defense was...? New England, at just 250, best in the NFL. (Houston was 328, however they did give up the least yards, showing how anemic their offense is. NE was 8th)

Atlanta scored the most points this year, at 540. New England was third, at 441.
 
BullsFan22 said:
Falcons are the favorites going against the Seahawks, but as i've said before, this is a preferred (I am guessing) matchup for the Hawks than either the Packers or Cowboys or for that matter the Giants, so them being on the other side of the bracket is good for them, despite not having home field. If Atlanta comes out firing the first quarter or so, it's going to be hard for Seattle. They need to slow things down and run the ball. I also think Graham will be a key player in this game. Also, if their defense plays well early on, and is able to pressure Matt Ryan and force the Atlanta offense into rushing and making some errors, then they have a very good chance. That's what the Hawks were doing two, three years ago when they made back to back SB runs.

On current form, I like the Packers over the Cowboys. Rodgers is just on fire now and I am not sure the Cowboys defense is going to be able to cope with him. They've been solid for most of the year, but Rodgers is on a roll. We'll see how Prescott performs in this big match up. It helps Dallas they are at home, but I'd give the Packers more of a chance on the road than I would the Cowboys if they were in Green Bay.

I think in the AFC it'll be NE vs KC in the championship. The Texans have little to no chance and the Steelers aren't convincing to me. This might be the year that KC breaks through. They have to go through NE to make the SB, but they may be just the team in the AFC to beat NE.

I agree about Kansas. Rodgers is back to his best and just has so much time to throw it seems so Green Bay will be a big danger plus how will Prescott deal with the pressure ? So far this season he and Elliott have not had many mediocre games but this be be a big test. I agree that Seattle would prefer this match up but I get the feeling that the Falcons offense will get the job done. Most people seem to give the Texans little chance. Some really interesting games this week and only one mismatch it seems.
 
Normally I don't care or follow the coaching carousel. But the Rams selection of Redskins OC Sean McVay for their new HC was interesting. McVay is a 30-year-old and youngest HC in NFL history. I just wonder how he can possibly work out with such a short amount of experience. He's a reported workaholic, which might propel him to success, but for how long? How long will he be able to keep that pace?

Regardless, his grandfather John was a top executive for the 9ers for 19 years having worked with Bill Walsh to put together Superbowl runs, and father Tim was a former college player. Sean played QB in high school and then WR in college (Miami of Ohio). So Sean has been exposed to football his entire life, and likely knows a lot about hard work.

Here is a look at McVay's resume:
- 2008, one year out of college, starts NFL coaching career as assistant WR coach with Tampa Bay (Jon Gruden was the Bucs HC, and Kevin Demoff was in the Bucs front office). Gruden has continued to support McVay. And Demoff, now as Chief Operating Officer of the Rams, oversaw the Rams coaching search this month. Demoff must have been impressed.
- 2009, WR/quality control coach for the Florida Tuskers (United Football League)
- 2010 (age 24), joins Washington as assistant TE coach
- 2011 to 2013 (age 27), Washington TE coach
- 2014 to 2016 (age 30), Washington OC

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...atest-contract-details-comments-and-reaction#
 
on3m@n@rmy said:
Normally I don't care or follow the coaching carousel. But the Rams selection of Redskins OC Sean McVay for their new HC was interesting. McVay is a 30-year-old and youngest HC in NFL history. I just wonder how he can possibly work out with such a short amount of experience. He's a reported workaholic, which might propel him to success, but for how long? How long will he be able to keep that pace?

Regardless, his grandfather John was a top executive for the 9ers for 19 years having worked with Bill Walsh to put together Superbowl runs, and father Tim was a former college player. Sean played QB in high school and then WR in college (Miami of Ohio). So Sean has been exposed to football his entire life, and likely knows a lot about hard work.

Here is a look at McVay's resume:
- 2008, one year out of college, starts NFL coaching career as assistant WR coach with Tampa Bay (Jon Gruden was the Bucs HC, and Kevin Demoff was in the Bucs front office). Gruden has continued to support McVay. And Demoff, now as Chief Operating Officer of the Rams, oversaw the Rams coaching search this month. Demoff must have been impressed.
- 2009, WR/quality control coach for the Florida Tuskers (United Football League)
- 2010 (age 24), joins Washington as assistant TE coach
- 2011 to 2013 (age 27), Washington TE coach
- 2014 to 2016 (age 30), Washington OC

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...atest-contract-details-comments-and-reaction#

I was hoping the Niners would sign him but that would be too daring for them. Both the Rams and Niners have big troubles with their offense although the Niners have big issues with their roster as well. McVay reportedly did wonders with Kirk Cousins. Josh McDaniels will be favorite for the 49ers job now. Denver and the Jags and the Bills have also pretty much decided on their coaches but formal announcements haven't been made yet at least for the Denver job.

On another note it seems that the Chargers are going to LA which could be interesting as many people reckon LA can't support two teams as a fanbase. Still talk about the Raiders going to Las Vegas.
 
New Coaches


HIRED


Los Angeles Rams

» The Rams have hired former Redskins offensive coordinator Sean McVay as their next head coach, the team announced.

Buffalo Bills

» The Bills have hired Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott as their next head coach, the team announced. Panthers linebackers coach Al Holcombe is likely joining McDermott in Buffalo as their defensive coordinator, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported. Secondary coach Steve Wilks is likely to be promoted to defensive coordinator in Carolina, Rapoport added.
Denver Broncos

» The Broncos have named Dolphins defensive coordinator Vance Joseph as their next head coach. General manager John Elway tweeted a photo with he and Joseph to announce the hiring. Linebackers coach Matt Burke will replace Joseph in Miami as defensive coordinator.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars hired interim head coach Doug Marrone as their new full-time head coach on Monday. The team also hired Tom Coughlin as executive vice president and extended general manager Dave Cadwell's contract. Both Coughlin and Caldwell are under contract through 2019.
 
BullsFan22 said:
Falcons are the favorites going against the Seahawks, but as i've said before, this is a preferred (I am guessing) matchup for the Hawks than either the Packers or Cowboys or for that matter the Giants, so them being on the other side of the bracket is good for them, despite not having home field. If Atlanta comes out firing the first quarter or so, it's going to be hard for Seattle. They need to slow things down and run the ball. I also think Graham will be a key player in this game. Also, if their defense plays well early on, and is able to pressure Matt Ryan and force the Atlanta offense into rushing and making some errors, then they have a very good chance. That's what the Hawks were doing two, three years ago when they made back to back SB runs.
Yeah, ya know, the game this week can possibly be much different from the game these two teams played October 16 in Seattle. Offensively, Atlanta does everything well. But defensively Seattle will have to stop the run and force Atlanta into some third and long situations. On October 16 Seattle was without Kam Chancellor (SS) and Mike Morgan (SAM). The presence of Kam for this week will be huge for Seattle to defend the run, and the same goes for Morgan, who as the SAM does not have to do too much, but primarily Morgan is good at containing and defending the perimeter. And he is pretty good at underneath outside coverage. Morgan's replacements are not nearly as good at either of those. Then if Seattle can get Atlanta into some 3rd and longs, then they need to step up the pass rush. Two SEA defenders who can help, besides the usual Bennett/Avril combination, are DE/DTs Frank Clark and Cass Marsh. Those two can spell Bennett and Avril, or line up inside. But it not just who, but how. SEA will need to do some line stunting and use some blitz packages to get pressure on Ryan. Ryan will pick them apart if SEA gets conservative and does not try some of those things to get pressure on Ryan.

For Seattle, the other factor different from the October 16 game is the RB position. SEA was without Rawls and Prosise. Instead there was CJ Spiller and Michael, both not with the team now. Defensively, Atlanta is kind of in the middle of the NFL pack, so if SEA can block as well as they did last week (which was not anywhere near great) then SEA has a chance.
 
Re:

movingtarget said:
New Coaches

HIRED

Los Angeles Rams

» The Rams have hired former Redskins offensive coordinator Sean McVay as their next head coach, the team announced.
Can looks be deceiving?
1484152013195.jpg
 
on3m@n@rmy said:
BullsFan22 said:
Falcons are the favorites going against the Seahawks, but as i've said before, this is a preferred (I am guessing) matchup for the Hawks than either the Packers or Cowboys or for that matter the Giants, so them being on the other side of the bracket is good for them, despite not having home field. If Atlanta comes out firing the first quarter or so, it's going to be hard for Seattle. They need to slow things down and run the ball. I also think Graham will be a key player in this game. Also, if their defense plays well early on, and is able to pressure Matt Ryan and force the Atlanta offense into rushing and making some errors, then they have a very good chance. That's what the Hawks were doing two, three years ago when they made back to back SB runs.
Yeah, ya know, the game this week can possibly be much different from the game these two teams played October 16 in Seattle. Offensively, Atlanta does everything well. But defensively Seattle will have to stop the run and force Atlanta into some third and long situations. On October 16 Seattle was without Kam Chancellor (SS) and Mike Morgan (SAM). The presence of Kam for this week will be huge for Seattle to defend the run, and the same goes for Morgan, who as the SAM does not have to do too much, but primarily Morgan is good at containing and defending the perimeter. And he is pretty good at underneath outside coverage. Morgan's replacements are not nearly as good at either of those. Then if Seattle can get Atlanta into some 3rd and longs, then they need to step up the pass rush. Two SEA defenders who can help, besides the usual Bennett/Avril combination, are DE/DTs Frank Clark and Cass Marsh. Those two can spell Bennett and Avril, or line up inside. But it not just who, but how. SEA will need to do some line stunting and use some blitz packages to get pressure on Ryan. Ryan will pick them apart if SEA gets conservative and does not try some of those things to get pressure on Ryan.

For Seattle, the other factor different from the October 16 game is the RB position. SEA was without Rawls and Prosise. Instead there was CJ Spiller and Michael, both not with the team now. Defensively, Atlanta is kind of in the middle of the NFL pack, so if SEA can block as well as they did last week (which was not anywhere near great) then SEA has a chance.


This is a type of game where Earl Thomas's absence will be felt. Seattle is still one of the top defenses in the league, but without him there, it's been noticeable. Even with him, they are not quite as good as they were 2-4 years ago. A positive is that Wilson said his legs feel 'great.' He'll need those legs this weekend. The OL is suspect and he won't have much time so he should be expecting a lot of pressure.
 
on3m@n@rmy said:
movingtarget said:
On another note it seems that the Chargers are going to LA which could be interesting as many people reckon LA can't support two teams as a fanbase. Still talk about the Raiders going to Las Vegas.
I LIKE THE NEW CHARGERS LOGO:
170112154818-la-chargers-logo-780x439.jpg


BUT SOMEBODY HAS BEEN UP TO NO GOOD:
lame2.jpg
This whole thing is plain egregious; 55 years of tradition in SD, and all is lost because these Billionaire owners can't figure out how to finance a stadium without having to prey on the taxpayers for financial support of these ridiculous mega-stadiums. :( And now a strong possibility of the Raiders moving to Sin City, again, because rich kid Davis doesn't want to keep in them Oakland without taxpayers help to finance a stadium. And these owners now all seem to want keep up with the Jones' (no pun attended) when it comes to these playland mega-stadiums. And fans are getting wimpy too...they want these retractable roof super-stadiums so they don't get too cold, too wet, too hot, etc, etc, etc. Next they're going to want reclining "extra-large" leather seats and escalators along side their seating row so they don't have to walk too far to get their fattening snacks and sugar-laden drinks...pathetic. Next thing you know they'll build amusemement parks attached to the mega-stadiums and make it one big happy family fun-center...rainbows & marshmellows.

Greedy owners, spoiled management, wimpy fans...not the same product anymore :(
 
Nomad said:
Next they're going to want reclining leather seats and escalators along side their seating row so they don't have to walk too far to get their fattening snacks and sugar-laden drinks...pathetic.

no walking, they'll have drones deliver their food and drink

So 2 Blue/Yellow, Yellow/Blue teams in LA?

Will the Chargers re-brand?

I have a feeling Atlanta flinches this week.
 
Nomad said:
on3m@n@rmy said:
movingtarget said:
On another note it seems that the Chargers are going to LA which could be interesting as many people reckon LA can't support two teams as a fanbase. Still talk about the Raiders going to Las Vegas.
I LIKE THE NEW CHARGERS LOGO:
170112154818-la-chargers-logo-780x439.jpg


BUT SOMEBODY HAS BEEN UP TO NO GOOD:
lame2.jpg
This whole thing is plain egregious; 55 years of tradition in SD, and all is lost because these Billionaire owners can't figure out how to finance a stadium without having to prey on the taxpayers for financial support of these ridiculous mega-stadiums. :( And now a strong possibility of the Raiders moving to Sin City, again, because rich kid Davis doesn't want to keep in them Oakland without taxpayers help to finance a stadium. And these owners now all seem to want keep up with the Jones' (no pun attended) when it comes to these playland mega-stadiums. And fans are getting wimpy too...they want these retractable roof super-stadiums so they don't get too cold, too wet, too hot, etc, etc, etc. Next they're going to want reclining "extra-large" leather seats and escalators along side their seating row so they don't have to walk too far to get their fattening snacks and sugar-laden drinks...pathetic. Next thing you know they'll build amusemement parks attached to the mega-stadiums and make it one big happy family fun-center...rainbows & marshmellows.

Greedy owners, spoiled management, wimpy fans...not the same product anymore :(

At one stage there was talk about the 49ers sharing Levi stadium with the Raiders until their new stadium was built. That seems to be off the table now but the 49ers owners seemed okay with it even though the 49ers fans weren't ! I don't think any fans like to see their team move unless it's nearby, many 49ers fans hated the move from San Fran to Santa Clara. San Diego's owners are just plain stupid.

What was kinda funny about the whole Rams situation was that the coach had been given a contract extension even though the team had been having a poor season, the shiny new stadium had been announced, everything was positive about the future and then Jeff Fisher was sacked the following week after he and the owners and GM had been praising each other in press conferences !
 
BullsFan22 said:
This is a type of game where Earl Thomas's absence will be felt. Seattle is still one of the top defenses in the league, but without him there, it's been noticeable. Even with him, they are not quite as good as they were 2-4 years ago. A positive is that Wilson said his legs feel 'great.' He'll need those legs this weekend. The OL is suspect and he won't have much time so he should be expecting a lot of pressure.
For sure there's no replacing Earl. But if there's a silver lining about Earl being out, it's that Earl has missed so many games the defense will have adjusted to it as much as possible.

On the other hand, as for what might be expected, I don't think Atlanta will drop so many passes as Detroit did against Seattle last week. Atlanta's offense will definately make it tougher on Seattle in just about every way.