National Football League

[on3m@n@rmy]

Panthers and Chiefs are likable teams. Chiefs always have been. But if you come to Seattle you might want to bring your earplugs. JK. But really, I have been there yelling at the top of my lungs but still not able to hear my own self over the noise, and have lost my voice for nearly an entire week. The nose can be penetrating. Every seat is a good seat. Even the nosebleed seats, which is where I generally end up. I usually get my tickets from Razorgator (http://www.razorgator.com/tickets/sports/football/nfl/seattle-seahawks-tickets/), which I have not seen on their website this year so far.

 

[palmerq]

Panthers and Chiefs are likable teams. Chiefs always have been. But if you come to Seattle you might want to bring your earplugs. JK. But really, I have been there yelling at the top of my lungs but still not able to hear my own self over the noise, and have lost my voice for nearly an entire week. The nose can be penetrating. Every seat is a good seat. Even the nosebleed seats, which is where I generally end up. I usually get my tickets from Razorgator (http://www.razorgator.com/tickets/sports/football/nfl/seattle-seahawks-tickets/), which I have not seen on their website this year so far.

cool thanks! i am in canada currently on a work visa so my only issue is crossing the border then getting back in :S i have been to a cfl game, it was fun, I think a real nfl game would be great

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

cool thanks! i am in canada currently on a work visa so my only issue is crossing the border then getting back in :S i have been to a cfl game, it was fun, I think a real nfl game would be great

If you do go to Seattle and you drive it (instead of taking a bus or train in to the stadium... yeup, trains drop off right at the stadium), then PM me. I've got driving in and out of there down to a science, and it would get you out of there in fractions of the time it takes people who try to park close to the stadium. I got maps and directions.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

But if you come to Seattle you might want to bring your earplugs.

It's the loudest sports venue of that size I've ever been to. Experts agree. Maybe some college basketball games in packed arenas have been louder at times, but as far as stadiums go, Seattle is it, and I've seen maybe a dozen games there. It's especially loud on the lower level towards the corners, under the upper deck, the south slightly more than the north. That and the Hawk's Nest. Sit near either and you'll have ringing in your ears for a few days. It's freakin' loud there. The place is so loud that some people thought the Seahawks were piping in crowd noise through the speakers. But it's not so. The design of the stadium, and some very rabid, loud fans upholding a tradition make the place very loud.

The thing about Seattle though is that there aren't many bad seats. I sat in the upper deck corner twice - theoretically the worst seats in any stadium, and both were decent seats. One was a game against Atlanta with Vick and most of the TD's were in the end zone near me and I had great views.

I recommend getting an upper deck seat, low down if you can. It's somewhat less loud, and still a good view. If you have some extra cash, try to get an upper deck seat in the loge, those are quite nice. Charter seats in the first 10 rows can often be found, but those are too close to the field, you want to be up more. And get there 2-3 hours early. Yes, up to three hours. Make sure you walk through the tailgate area and mingle before the game. You won't regret it. Lots of fun and food there. I like to get into the stadium an hour early. This allows me to get an idea of where things are, where the restroom is, where concessions are, and get food before kickoff.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Looks like the suspensions against Saints players involved in Bountygate has been overturned. Link here.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Jeez Alpe. You been there a dozen times and only twice been in the upper deck nosebleed seats? You lucky dog. It's about the other way around for me... Hawks next 2x, south endzone 1x, second deck 1x, and the rest all upper deck. I agree, the down low seats of the upper deck are really good seats. They are just hard to get through Razorgator or Ticketmaster.

 

[palmerq]

driving would be cool, my problem is I am not sure how long i am allowed to drive in canada for i have had 3 different answers, 3 months 6 months or the length of the permit :S but maybe the immigration people dont care much about that :S it would be nice to take my car and refuel in america...

how much does a ticket usually cost, i guess itmight be pretty pricey ?

If you do go to Seattle and you drive it (instead of taking a bus or train in to the stadium... yeup, trains drop off right at the stadium), then PM me. I've got driving in and out of there down to a science, and it would get you out of there in fractions of the time it takes people who try to park close to the stadium. I got maps and directions.

 

[gregod]

vikings punter chris kluwe has been in the news recently.

link 1 is his writing on football. his opinion of the replacement refs is pretty funny.

link 2 is his letter to a politician who spoke out against another nfl player who supported gay marriage. it is hilarious.

I can assure you that gay people getting married will have zero effect on your life. They won't come into your house and steal your children. They won't magically turn you into a lustful cockmonster.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

how much does a ticket usually cost, i guess itmight be pretty pricey ?

you can find some as cheap as about $75 per ticket through a city chamber of commerce, who get special deals. Usually low priced tickets like that sometimes come in pairs, so you might have to buy 2, 4, or 6, etc. that you split up among friends. Within the last 2 years I have not found them that cheap on Ticketmaster or Razorgator. I paid between $100 and $120. But I was just on Razorgator looking at the Seattle-Dallas game on Sept 16... the cheapest on Razorgator is $128 in the upper deck corner. Similar locations around the stadium were about $156 to $160. Hawks Nest tickets (north end zone, which are great seats) are about $200. Then prices go up from there for the better seats. So that gives you some idea. The CHawks website has ticket packages too, but I did not try Ticketmaster there.

 

[palmerq]

thats not too bad, i will just have to work a saturday and then i can buy a ticket... my aim is to get to the vikings game in november i should save more than enough money by then

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Jeez Alpe. You been there a dozen times and only twice been in the upper deck nosebleed seats? You lucky dog..

Uh, it's not like I was in club seats! Mostly in the corners on the lower level. Sat once in charter, I think row K, which is about the lowest you would want.

Meanwhile, with Bountygate the panel could find no link between payment or proposal and rougher pay. I think about six months ago I wrote that I still hadn't seen any specific video showing players playing dirty in those games. Some rough hits, yes. But specific dirty play, I never saw anyone conclusively show it. And that's must be what the panel concluded.

One thing is for sure, I don't know how much Vilma will play tomorrow, but the Saints are going to be fired up tomorrow! And since this game is in NO, this is bad news for RGIII and the Skins.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

vikings punter Chris Kluwe has been in the news recently..

Finally got around to reading. Holy crap this guy kicks (punts) ass! Very amusing, and sharp.

 

[palmerq]

rg3 seems to have started well 11/12 passes for 182 yards and 2 touchdowns before half time :S 25 rushing yards too... i might have to start this fellow instead of romo next week, or are new orleans pretty bad?

 

[Nastyy]

What the heck are Saints doing?? Playing like college boys out there. D especially very very bad.

 

[Amsterhammer]

This seems like an appropriate time to decloak and resume posting!

Good evening, fellow handegg fans.

Robert Griffin III shines in NFL debut

NEW ORLEANS -- Robert Griffin III began his NFL career by connecting on 19 of 26 passes for 320 yards and two touchdowns, and the Washington Redskins handed the New Orleans Saints a 40-32 loss in their first game since the "bounty" scandal that overshadowed the Saints' offseason.

Griffin completed his first eight passes, including an 88-yard touchdown pass to Pierre Garcon, tying for the second-longest scoring pass by a quarterback making his NFL debut.

Rookie running back Alfred Morris rushed for 96 yards and two touchdowns. Aldrick Robinson, making his NFL debut, had a touchdown catch among four receptions for 52 yards.

Drew Brees uncharacteristically struggled with accuracy, completing only 46 percent of his throws with two interceptions. But his 339 yards passing and three TDs kept the Saints in the game until his last desperate pass was picked off by Reed Doughty near the Redskins' goal line.

The final score doesn't really do the game justice. It wasn't that close. The Skins totally dominated the first half and had way more possession, thereby keeping Brees off the field for extended periods.

This was the Skin's first starting rookie QB since 1960. His 88 yd TD pass was the longest by a rookie starter since at least 1940. The Skins scored 40 pts in a game for the first time since 05, and did that in NOLA!!! In honor of RG3's number, we scored 10 pts in each period. The Skins played the best football any Skins fan could recall since sometime last century. Skins fans saw the most exciting, and self-assured QB since way back last century!!

Alfred Morris is a potential monster, remember that name!

Even controversial decisions went for us!

I pinched myself repeatedly because I could hardly believe my eyes. I am SO ****ing stoked for the rest of the season!

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

rg3 seems to have started well 11/12 passes for 182 yards and 2 touchdowns before half time :S 25 rushing yards too... i might have to start this fellow instead of romo next week, or are new orleans pretty bad?

It was a great game for RG3, and NO is not a bad team. IMO the real game winner was Shanahan, who out-game planned NO. Explained... The weak spot of the Skins is the OL. They even have Ty Polumbus, a CHawk castoff, starting at RT. So pass protection for RG3 was going to be important. What did Shanahan do? A lot of short, quick developing pass plays mixed in with the run (they should nickname Morris 'BAM' Morris). Then once in a while test the defense deep to keep them off balance. It worked great. Not much pressure on RG3 most of the day. It was 3rd quarter before NO got any kind of pressure. By then the damage was done.

Give RG3 credit for executing well. He only made a couple of rookie mistakes, but neither of them hurt the Skins. One mistake even ended up in a big yardage pass completion for a 1st down (he had the RB wide open in the left flat, but RG3 was rolling out that way too and his shoulders were not square. He could have tossed the short dump off to the RB that would have gone for at least 5 yards, but instead stopped and threw back to the right ACROSS the field - a NO NO - to the wide open WR). The other was an incompletion.

One major result of the great game plan? Amsterhammer called it. It kept a potent NO offense on the sidelines. But Amster, you have got to come up with a better alternate name for American Football than Hand Egg!

 

[palmerq]

interesting start from rg3, he would have won me a tiny amount more points that romo did in the fantasy league but it doesnt matter much... it will be interesting to see if other teams work out his weaknesses(i have no idea what they are :S) and slow him down.. i will stick with romo for next weeks games too i think

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Any more questions about Peyton Manning? Rating in the win over the Steelers was something like 129. It was fun in the last quarter watching Peyton and the Steelers defense (mainly Polamalu) play a game of chess. And it was a great, close, see-saw game.

Of all the 5 rookie QBs starting today, RG3 was ROD... Rookie Of the Day. The other 4 rookie QBs did not far so well, even though some did some nice things. 4 INTs by Luck made me cringe when I saw that.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Uh, it's not like I was in club seats! Mostly in the corners on the lower level. Sat once in charter, I think row K, which is about the lowest you would want.

Sorry. I just assumed, since you are a media guy, that you had scored some nice box office seats or something.

 

[Caruut]

RG3 looked potent out there. He is rapid, that's for sure. Some of his decisions on the fly panned out really well - it'll be interesting to see whether that's beginners luck or he can consistently make the right calls under pressure.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Sorry. I just assumed, since you are a media guy, that you had scored some nice box office seats or something.

Hahhahha! Now that's funny!

Awesome debut for RGIII. He looked like a seasoned pro out there. And the Skins looked good overall. Smart coaching, solid playing.

The Eagles looked terrible. Vick especially. I won't repeat what I've said about him. Weeden looked worse, but the Browns offense even worse overall. Poor blocking, receivers running poor routes, everything, and yet, they should have won! Tannehill not much better in Miami. Luck more yardage, but four picks, ouch.

Kevin Kolb back from the depths of despair! Seattle OL same as last year, can't stop the pass rush. Wilson hot/cold, but the second best rookie starter today.

SF quite impressive over Green Bay, who picked up right where they left off last year with weak defense. David Akers 63 yard FG!!!

Cam Newton flat, but let's give credit to TB. Also credit to Chi, Min, and Atl for good wins. Jets come alive! But Bills were just terrible.

Peyton looked like the same Peyton! Pitt ran out of gas though.

NE and Brady quietly dismantled Tenn.

Some sketchy refereeing, and Seattle-Arizona nearly botched the game.

 

[Nastyy]

Guys don't get carried away with Redskins and RG3. Saints were terrible and there ain't no way around it. When was the last time they played so bad defensively? Coaching problems were evident.

Also they're receivers were lackluster which effectively nulled their offense.

 

[Amsterhammer]

Guys don't get carried away with Redskins and RG3. Saints were terrible and there ain't no way around it. When was the last time they played so bad defensively? Coaching problems were evident.

Also they're receivers were lackluster which effectively nulled their offense.

Yes, us poor, used to eternal disappointments Skins fans are going to get carried away, and I'll tell you why. In a nutshell, many younger Skins fans (not me) have never seen a QB with this class, and the rest of us honestly can't recall when we last enjoyed a game so much, or felt such pride watching a Skins team. It's been a very, very long time, so we're ready to believe that RG3 is the man to lead us out of the wilderness and on to bigger and greater things than we've seen since some time last century!

Even Brees put his arm around RG3 after the game and told him that he was proud of him, a very nice gesture that he didn't have to make (maybe because they're both Texans?)

A few quotes from the WP -

“He’s a sight for sore eyes,” veteran linebacker London Fletcher told reporters, speaking for everyone who has witnessed the Redskins’ parade of mediocrity at quarterback these last however-many years.

On its surface, Griffin’s assignment in Week 1 was the toughest imaginable for an NFL debut: Go on the road, to one of the loudest, most intimidating environments in the league, to face a team that had won 13 games in 2011. In recent weeks, the Redskins’ coaches had begun lobbying subtly for a lowering of expectations for Griffin, pointing out the historical struggles of great quarterbacks like Peyton Manning, whose team went 3-13 as a rookie, or Troy Aikman, who went 0-11.

Rookie quarterbacks are supposed to be jittery, quick-triggered and mistake-prone. Indianapolis’s Andrew Luck, the No. 1 pick of this year’s draft (Griffin was No. 2), threw three interceptions Sunday in his debut, a 20-point loss to Chicago. Miami’s Ryan Tannehill and Cleveland’s Brandon Weeden, both first-round picks, combined for seven interceptions in their debuts Sunday.

Griffin led the Redskins to scores on each of their first four drives, including an 88-yard touchdown strike to receiver Pierre Garcon that Griffin watched unfold from the Superdome floor, having been knocked down by a vicious hit from Saints safety Malcom Jenkins. As Garcon broke free near midfield and won a sprint to the end zone, Griffin raised both index fingers to the sky.

And what about the ball? It made its way to the Redskins’ bench, where it was placed in safekeeping until after the game – whereupon it was returned to the man who had sent it into the sky, the man who would still be cradling it 45 minutes later, in the bowels of the Superdome.

Griffin had his trophy, the Redskins had their victory, and at last long Washington, by all appearances, had a quarterback in whom it was safe to believe.

But all you really had to do to understand Sunday’s import was trust your eyes, because what your eyes told you was this: The Redskins simply have not witnessed anything like this game in a long, long time, and have never witnessed anyone like Griffin – fast and agile and smart, with an arm like a rocket-launcher -- in roughly forever.

If Washington was already gripped by RGIII fever, the anticipation building all summer for the debut of the most heavily hyped rookie quarterback in franchise history, what will become of the region now – after Griffin led the Redskins to a season-opening upset victory that felt like the start of some new era?

Remember that only Green Bay at Lambeau scored 40 pts against the Saints last year, and that the Skins hadn't scored 40 in a game since 05! Remember also that we've been subjected to years of the likes of Beck, Grossman, McNabb, Campbell, et al

That's why the bolded bits are the crunchers for me - it really did look like football we haven't seen in decades, a QB who literally made your jaw drop on his first game, and the feeling that whatever happens this season numbers wise (I'll take anything around .500) this truly was the beginning of a new era for the Skins! I shall boldly predict that we will not finish last in the NFC East!

And, keep your eyes on Alfred Morris, that boy has the potential to be a monster in the old-fashioned, driving fullback a la Riggins mold. It takes hordes of tacklers to get him down, and he regularly churns out that extra yard. If he stays healthy, he can become a star!

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

I would agree with all that. I'm not ready to hand the kid the MVP award or anything like that. And he's still going to make rookie mistakes and have ups and downs this year. And the Saints played poorly. But overall RGIII deserves the praise he's getting. He clearly outplayed all the other rookie QB's this week, and had a great game. Yes, just one game. But he showed great poise and leadership to a team that badly needs it, and that gives them the first real hope for the future they've had in many years.

Bengals vs. Ravens and Chargers vs. Raiders tonight.

 

[fatandfast]

Go Chargers!!