National Football League

[on3m@n@rmy]

Agreed on all points, Alpe. At least there was a silver lining in the outcome of the Seattle-Green Bay game... it must have stirred the league's pot, or kicked the hornets nest in their backyard.

 

[Amsterhammer]

Just like everyone thought, the fiasco in Seattle became the nation's no.1 talking point, so the NFL simply had to act. Thank **** for that! So,....

YAAY!!! WHOOPEE!!! Let's play some proper handegg.

Browns at Ravens - Ravens all the way
Patriots at Bills - The Bills bubble will burst
49ers at Jets - Niners to bounce back
Seahawks at Rams - Seahawks 'luck' to hold
Panthers at Falcons - Falcons on a roll and at home
Vikings at Lions - Lions to bounce back
Chargers at Chiefs - Chiefs to have the edge at home
Titans at Texans - Texans on a roll, Titans in a slump, possible surprise, but I don't believe it - yet
Bengals at Jaguars - Bengals to edge it?
Raiders at Broncos - Peyton to do the business.
Dolphins at Cardinals - Cardinals to stay unbeaten
Redskins at Buccaneers - Should be close but I've got to follow my Skins
Saints at Packers - Hard to imagine either losing again but Packers will be out to prove a point
Giants at Eagles - Eli to outshine the dog lover
Bears at Cowboys - I'd love to see the Bears take this one!

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

Are you serious? The real ref's make about 150k a year for a PART TIME JOB that starts in September and goes to the beginning of February. One day a week of work for that period and they get 150k? Let them suffer. They should have invested some of that money by now. It's a PART TIME JOB for god's sake. It's bad enough the players make millions to play a freaking game. We don't need the refs making more than they do already.

Wrong, wrong, wrong... As the guys who actually watched the games (i didn´t, since i am on strike) said here and everywhere, that the real refs do a much better job than those replacements. So it seems to be a rare talent to be a top official. And what do get rare talents paid? Of course, a hell lot of money. Especially in the USA. Further, the more you pay your top officials, the less vulnerable they are (to get involved with gamblers, the mob and other shady guys who try to undermine the little integretiy that´s left in the game).
As i said before; the real refs are the only top NFL personal that is underpaid. By far. Compare 150.000 to a million $ signing bonus for some obscure bench warmers. Now you see the context. If the money is there, share it fair.
Part-Time Job? Well, rules change every year. The rule book is thick, and i guess there is a lot preperation to do before each season which BTW starts in August, not September. Then, the guys have to know in every second of the game what the exact situation is. Is it a spot foul, can a fair catch kick occur, did the OL move beyond 5 yds on a screen and so on, and so on. It´s a stressful, difficult job.
The only reason they are not paid fair money is b/c the owners don´t care since they can´t sell tickets or shirts b/c of them. OTOH, everybody sees now how important they are...

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

after last week I should forget attempting this. Oh well... here goes nothing:

Browns at Ravens -
Patriots at Bills -
49ers at Jets -
Seahawks at Rams -
Panthers at Falcons -
Vikings at Lions - I may change my mind on this one
Chargers at Chiefs – toss up. Regular refs… visiting team can now win.
Titans at Texans -
Bengals at Jaguars -
Raiders at Broncos -
Dolphins at Cardinals -
Redskins at Buccaneers - tough call
Saints at Packers – bad Saints D vs. Pack O means lights out
Giants at Eagles – this could be close
Bears at Cowboys – could be close too

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

So now i have to consider to end my strike too?
Well, i won´t make it back this week, but then the next one...

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Browns at Ravens - Weeden back to week 1?
Patriots at Bills - Patriots must be focused
49ers at Jets - 49ers will be motivated
Seahawks at Rams - Tough call, but Wilson better than Branford(!)
Panthers at Falcons - Lock of the week?
Vikings at Lions - Home team
Chargers at Chiefs - Tough call here. Going with home team
Titans at Texans - Lock of the week?
Bengals at Jaguars - Solid win
Raiders at Broncos - Manning has to bounce back
Dolphins at Cardinals - Lock of the week? Miserable day for Tannehill
Redskins at Buccaneers - Skins just have more offense
Saints at Packers – Lock of the week?
Giants at Eagles – Vick will lose it, again. MOP (Most Overrated Player)
Bears at Cowboys – Boys could lose this.

Come on Foxxy, man up and make some picks. This took me all of five minutes.

 

[Rockets160]

Wrong, wrong, wrong... As the guys who actually watched the games (i didn´t, since i am on strike) said here and everywhere, that the real refs do a much better job than those replacements. So it seems to be a rare talent to be a top official. And what do get rare talents paid? Of course, a hell lot of money. Especially in the USA. Further, the more you pay your top officials, the less vulnerable they are (to get involved with gamblers, the mob and other shady guys who try to undermine the little integretiy that´s left in the game).
As i said before; the real refs are the only top NFL personal that is underpaid. By far. Compare 150.000 to a million $ signing bonus for some obscure bench warmers. Now you see the context. If the money is there, share it fair.
Part-Time Job? Well, rules change every year. The rule book is thick, and i guess there is a lot preperation to do before each season which BTW starts in August, not September. Then, the guys have to know in every second of the game what the exact situation is. Is it a spot foul, can a fair catch kick occur, did the OL move beyond 5 yds on a screen and so on, and so on. It´s a stressful, difficult job.
The only reason they are not paid fair money is b/c the owners don´t care since they can´t sell tickets or shirts b/c of them. OTOH, everybody sees now how important they are...

Minimum salary in the NFL is roughly 300k, for the bench warmer types, who work out everyday at the gym 365 days a year, then attend practice every day during the preseason and regular season. This 1 million signing bonus you speak of doesn't go to bench warmers About selling tickets and t-shirts and beer, I'm almost positive that attendance and TV ratings have not suffered because of the referees. Anyway, it will be nice to finally hear about something other than the replacement referees when discussing NFL.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Here's a good article from economists who say referees are worth every penny.

 

[User Guide]

Browns at Ravens - poor Weeden
Patriots at Bills - Patriots looked much better including welker in offense and the bills aint the ravens,40 burger
49ers at Jets - 49ers will confuse sanchize,3 int and 5 sacks
Seahawks at Rams - The London Rams O-line needs to start turning a corner,starts here
Panthers at Falcons - Falcons dont lose @home,stop all over panthers D,the D line cant keep anyone off the linebackers,200+ run yards
Vikings at Lions - Away win,just
Chargers at Chiefs - hmmmmm, arrowhead makes the difference
Titans at Texans - Defense just too good for the titans offense
Bengals at Jaguars -division winners make it 4-0
Raiders at Broncos - Manning and offense good enough to cover for their D which has some issues
Dolphins at Cardinals -its the dolphins
Redskins at Buccaneers - Bucs solid all round take a close one @home
Saints at Packers – Payton is really missed
Giants at Eagles – Giants smart enough to flush Vick too his right,where he gets eaten fumbles twice Giants win
Bears at Cowboys –hmmmmmmm,might change mind

 

[Merckx index]

Here's a good article from economists who say referees are worth every penny.

If referees deserve to be paid more than $150K per year, how much do teachers deserve to be paid? And people wonder why our educational system is so dysfunctional? Referees can make this much money because the NFL is awash in cash. People vote for what they really want with their pocketbooks, and as usual, we get what we deserve.

Whether the NFL will continue to be awash in cash as the concussion lawsuits proceed, though, is another question. Foxxy, did you know that McMahon is one of the more than two thousand or so former players suing the NFL? That he suffers from early stage dementia?

McMahon said he suffered four concussions while playing. He said after being slammed by the defense, team doctors generally would ask him how he felt and whether he could follow a finger with his eyes.

"They'd ask you questions, basic questions. Where are you, what day is it? Stuff like that. And if you were able to answer that and seem like you were OK, they would let you back in."

http://news.yahoo.com/ex-qb-jim-mcmahon-talks-early-stage-dementia-013425332--nfl.html

Meanwhile, the upsets will continue. No one should be surprised. Assume for simplicity that in every one of the sixteen games, one team was a 3-1 favorite to win. That would probably translate to about 7 points, a very solid bet, the kind you feel confident picking in a straight W vs. L choice. The odds that all the favorites would win in any given week would be about 100-1 against. Even if all sixteen games featured one team that was a 10-1 favorite to win, the odds are about 5-1 against. Add to that a) many, perhaps most, of the matchups feature teams where one is not favored by this much; and b) several games where one team is favored based on insufficient information (particularly likely early in the season, when we haven’t seen enough of teams to evaluate them accurately); and it’s understandable that picking even half the winners can be difficult.

The trick is figuring out which teams are due for a fall. I almost picked Minnesota to beat SF, if the game had been later in the season and the 49ers were undefeated or nearly so I probably would have (a la GB vs. KC last year), but I thought this early in the season they would not be over-confident. For this coming week, I wonder if the Falcons could be the big favorites to go down. The Panthers can have an awesome offense if Newton gets it together. And he’s under a lot of pressure now to have a big game.

Is Kelly Byrne Foxxy’s real name? Sure sounds like him:

“If (your QB) has nothing but a higher yards per attempt average than the other team’s quarterback, you win 80 percent of the time,’’ he says. The other team’s guy can have more yards, completions, touchdowns, whatever. If his YPA is less, you win, he loses. Eight games out of 10. After two weeks this year, the record is 27-5: 84.4 percent.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20120920/COL03/309200056/Doc-Why-NFL-loves-its-pocket-QBs

I guess you guys who are having trouble with your picks should try that.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

Here's a good article from economists who say referees are worth every penny.

Normally i write long posts, when you or someone else in the forum come up with one word that describes what i wanted to say.
Now it´s the other way around. The article is longer than my "ref posts", yet they say less than I: They forgot to mention the importance of higher salaries which cut the chance of having to deal with corrupted refs. Otherwise they agree with me or I with them.
Anyway, thanks for the link...

Foxxy, did you know that McMahon is one of the more than two thousand or so former players suing the NFL? That he suffers from early stage dementia?



http://news.yahoo.com/ex-qb-jim-mcmahon-talks-early-stage-dementia-013425332--nfl.html

...

Is Kelly Byrne Foxxy’s real name? Sure sounds like him:

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20120920/COL03/309200056/Doc-Why-NFL-loves-its-pocket-QBs

I guess you guys who are having trouble with your picks should try that.

Yes i heard of it last year. Big Mäc was my hero in the 80´s, so i keep updated... There was also a good article and interview on ESPN today, with much old pics. Problem is my loudspeakers are still broken. So i missed all important videos since July (about Armstrong for example), and this one. Funny part is he would change to baseball if he could go back in time. I am the other way around, I´d change from baseball to my first love football... Long live Da 85 Bears. The greatest & funniest team ever.

No, no. I am not Byrne. Actually i stumbled over the importance of passing effieciency (Y/PP) at the beginning of the 90´s. A time where no internet or CHFF existed. Anyway, of course Byrne is absolutely right. OTOH, sometimes CHFF is dead wrong on statistical issues. Advanced stats are the much better source for you all.

Edit: Of the half game i saw of this season, one thing is clear. RG3 has the best arm since Davey, and if looking at NFL "only", since Cunningham. Better than Vick, Newton or Elway. So if he can learn faster than what Cunningham needed 15 years to learn (dropping back regulary, and zipping the ball all over the field, short, long, outside, on the run, whatever), RG3 should be very successful in the near future. You could see it on TV. Brees´passes seemed to travel 50% slower than RG´s. Actually this great SB-QB looked like a poor kid in direct comparison...

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Annoying article in one regard. Once again, a black quarterback comes along and is compared to another black quarterback (or two in this case). I wrote about this in detail about 50 posts ago, if anyone wants to read back.

Since Foxxy is from Germany, I always assumed his name was something like Jan, or Erik. And his last name were something like Ulrich, or Zabel. I mean, you never know...

 

[Amsterhammer]

Since Foxxy is from Germany, I always assumed his name was something like Jan, or Erik. And his last name were something like Ulrich, or Zabel. I mean, you never know...

Funny, I always thought of Foxxy as a Fritz or Herbert.

................

Edit: Of the half game i saw of this season, one thing is clear. RG3 has the best arm since Davey, and if looking at NFL "only", since Cunningham. Better than Vick, Newton or Elway. So if he can learn faster than what Cunningham needed 15 years to learn (dropping back regulary, and zipping the ball all over the field, short, long, outside, on the run, whatever), RG3 should be very successful in the near future. You could see it on TV. Brees´passes seemed to travel 50% slower than RG´s. Actually this great SB-QB looked like a poor kid in direct comparison...

And I thought it was maybe my tinted glasses. Delighted to see that our real expert was also suitably impressed by RG3!

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Foxxy can be anyone he wants to so long as he does not call this game Hand Egg.

Nasty hit on Browns Josh Cribbs tonight in game vs Ravens. He walked off after being knocked out a few minutes. He was done for the night but hopefully he will be okay.

This is not his first wicked hit he has taken. He had another in 2010 complements of James Harrison.

 

[Amsterhammer]

Foxxy can be anyone he wants to so long as he does not call this game Hand Egg.

Uh, that was me. I posted a pic that I thought was amusing.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Uh, that was me. I posted a pic that I thought was amusing.

I know it was you Amsterhammer. That's why I posted the comment about hand egg right after your post. I gotta try and keep that hand egg thing to a minimum.

Very interesting deja vu finish to the game tonight. Browns nearly pulled off a last second win. The big difference tonight was watching and not really noticing the officials. What a difference the regulars made! They deserved the little act of appreciation they got from fans and players before the game started.

Little Trivia on the Ravens: anyone recognize the fans chant to the tune of "ohhhhh-oh-oh-oh-oh-ooooooh-oh"?
Seven Nation Army by the White Stripes.
Pretty good lyrics for a football game:
I'm Gonna fight 'em Off
A Seven Nation Army couldn't hold me back
They're Gonna Rip it off
Taking there Time right behind my back

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

Annoying article in one regard. Once again, a black quarterback comes along and is compared to another black quarterback (or two in this case). I wrote about this in detail about 50 posts ago, if anyone wants to read back.

Since Foxxy is from Germany, I always assumed his name was something like Jan, or Erik. And his last name were something like Ulrich, or Zabel. I mean, you never know...

Funny, I always thought of Foxxy as a Fritz or Herbert.

And I thought it was maybe my tinted glasses. Delighted to see that our real expert was also suitably impressed by RG3!

Pretty close, my Opa´s name was Fritz!

Yeah, RG3 is too good to be true. How can we see such a big difference in top of the top world class athletes on TV? (Normally the human eye couldn´t tell difference between NFL europe and NFL play, that close the top talent level normally is).

The last time we witnessed something like that was between 99-05 (which didn´t end good) and at the last two olympics (which certainly could end bad too).

Is RG3 someone like the bionic 6 million $ man? At least he´s Bo Jackson as QB (from an pure talent/athletic level). I am as impressed as seldom before... As hard throwing darts as Davey. A tremendous wrist snap like Jeff George. And as beautiful to watch as the tight spirals of Elway, Moon or Cunningham.
Beautiful.
This guy should be unstoppable. They should implement something like the old run and shoot in WAS...

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Decent game tonight. I too didn't notice the officials hardly at all. Which is probably the biggest compliment we could give them. Everything just seemed, normal.

Weeden actually played pretty well. He had some very nice throws, and few bone headed ones. Especially considering the defense he was playing against. I mean, they almost pulled off the win. I can also see why everyone is big on Richardson. He could have a great career, if he can stay healthy.

As to RGIII, if you'll recall, I believe I (ahem!) was the first one to draw attention to him on here. When I saw in college some of the deep field accuracy he had, and then heard him talk, I knew he would be a star. Some of his throws way down the field outside the hash marks that were right on the money were just eye popping to see. I still think he's better than Luck. Though unlike Foxxy I don't think Luck will bust, I think he'll have a good career. I just think RGIII is going to be better. To think we've barely seen what he can do. And yes, beautiful spirals. Beautiful watching him throw. The only negative is if the offense around him collapses. No QB can withstand that.

Does NFL Europe still exist?! Maybe it's now called Hand Egg over there?

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

I thought NFL Europe disbanded. But recently I have heard of players going over there. But I have no details.

The Commish apologized today for the replacements (Link), "I believe in accountability, not excuses. And I regret we were not able to secure an agreement sooner in the process and avoid the unfortunate distractions to the game. You deserve better."

Of the NFL's top 100 players of 2012 thus far (Link to last page of the countdown to #1... select PREV to view all #'s 2-100), here are the top 10:
1. Clay Matthews
2. Matt Ryan
3. Percy Harvin - and there's a lot other good going's on in Minn
4. Tim Jennings - Bear CB
5. Calvin Johnson
6. Jamaal Charles - Chiefs RB
7. Ryan Clady - Broncs LT
8. C.J. Spiller
9. Ben Roethlisberger
10. Marshal Yanda - Ravens G
Scroll through the list and you'll see some guys who should be higher.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Nice of Goddell to fess up. Like I said, you guys think he's bad, imagine Pat McQuaid running the NFL.

That top 100 players so far list was interesting. Clay Matthews was a beast two years ago. Maybe the best LB in the NFL. Last year, he dropped way off. Now, he's carrying a much improved Packers defense on his back again. But their offense is sputtering some.

Agree with Matt Ryan as well. He's the reason the Falcons are 3-0, and he's playing at Tom Brady's level. Matt Schaub and Arian Foster could be higher, especially considering how well Houston is playing. Kevin Kolb should be higher than 85 also, for the same reasons. I mean, he's below Carson Palmer (though Palmer has stepped up).

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

I think overall Goodell has done a good job. I recall what you said, and someone like McQuack... no way.

Was it me about that top 100, but Clay Matthews #1? I thought he was overall pretty quiet in the Seattle game except for a few plays here or there. I have not paid attention to him otherwise though. Ryan I agreed on. It was nice to see some linemen getting some attention instead of just skill position players.

 

[ChrisE]

Nice of Goddell to fess up. Like I said, you guys think he's bad, imagine Pat McQuaid running the NFL.

That top 100 players so far list was interesting. Clay Matthews was a beast two years ago. Maybe the best LB in the NFL. Last year, he dropped way off. Now, he's carrying a much improved Packers defense on his back again. But their offense is sputtering some.

Agree with Matt Ryan as well. He's the reason the Falcons are 3-0, and he's playing at Tom Brady's level. Matt Schaub and Arian Foster could be higher, especially considering how well Houston is playing. Kevin Kolb should be higher than 85 also, for the same reasons. I mean, he's below Carson Palmer (though Palmer has stepped up).

The link was painfully slow so I closed it, but the only interest I had was to see where those assclowns put JJ Watt. The fact he was not in the top 5 at a minimum shows their idiocy.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

You need a new computer ChrisE

LA (Los Angeles, not Lancie) City Counsel has approved a plan to build a new $1.5 Billion stadium downtown, and the city now claims they are ready to proceed building when an NFL team decides they would like to relocate. {LINK}.

The report in the link above did not say if there were any current NFL teams interested in relocating. I have not heard of any recent talk about an NFL team wanting to relocate. Maybe a few rumors a year or two ago about the Rams moving. It would actually make sense for the Rams to relocate back to LA, putting all NFC West teams back in the West Coast corridor. Anyone heard anything lately?

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

The Raiders are still looking to get a deal, but they have a strong fan base. Same thing in San Diego, but the situation there may be worse. The Raiders can play in Oakland, San Jose, Santa Clara (Silicon Valley) where there's plenty of money if those cities want to help build a stadium. San Diego doesn't have that, and they are in a bind. Recall the Chargers originally started in LA as well.

The Rams want a new stadium as well, and I agree they could move back. The point is that LA definitely needs a team. It's a huge city, and a good sports town.

I still think the NFL could expand and be successful. Adding 4+ teams is very possible: Los Angeles, San Antonio, Portland, Oklahoma City, etc.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

I managed to bounce back to 10-4 (so far) this week (Mortenson on ESPN 14-0!). Some comments on the week's games:

Houston looks like the best team in the NFL right now, and next week they get the Jets to go 5-0. The Texans have an excellent defense, and a decent offense with some good tools.

The way the 49ers demolished the Jets was something. What was I saying weeks, months ago about the contract the Jets gave Mark Sanchez paying him more than Aaron Rogers? And with Tim Tebow in the wings. The same Tebow who played poorly in the pre-season, there isn't much hope for them. Greg McElroy perhaps?

Falcons and Cardinals were ripe for a loss, and just maybe both should have lost. Fins o-line looked very good.

The Patriots showed a lot of resilience in beating the Bills like that. Ignoring the score when the Pats blew it out at the end, the fact that they ran the ball that well, and pass blocked that well against the Bills pass rush was impressive.

The legend of RGIII continues. What a gutsy win. But the Skins defense needs to step up if they're to improve this year.

I give up on the Chiefs. No defense, and Matt Cassell as average as many predicted. They are now -13 in turnovers. That's twice as much as the next worse team, Carolina at -6.

I wasn't that impressed with either the Giants or Eagles. Both had moments were they just lapsed into poor playing. Eli could not string together drives or key plays, and Vick, as I said, is overrated. Despite finally not tossing a pick, he's still 27th in passer rating, 25th in accuracy, 6 picks, 11 sacks (for a scrambling QB), 3 fumbles lost (leading the league). Why people keep thinking he's so talented just because he makes a great play every so often is beyond me. The faster they can develop Nick Foles, and the faster the coaching staff in Philly adapts (or gets fired) the better chance the Eagles have. As they have plenty of talented players.

As an aside, I have never, NEVER understood calling a time out to "freeze" the kicker a split second before the ball is snapped, essentially giving the kicker a mulligan, or free kick to test the placement, distance, wind, etc. before he has to make the real kick a moment later. Why Andy Reid did this is beyond me. He's as lucky as can be Tynes didn't kick it quite hard enough, because after having the first kick sail wide right, he perfectly adjusted.

QB Ratings are interesting to look at. Matt Ryan tops, Roethlisbger 2nd. Schaub, RGIII, Dalton round out the top 5. Brady is at 6, Alex Smith 7. Ponder 8, Kolb 9. Now, ask yourself, would you have put those names at the top of such a list before the season started? Peyton is 10, Rodgers 12 (and most sacked QB in NFL), Eli is 13, Brees is 19, Stafford 22, Luck 24, Vick 27, Sanchez 29, and Cutler at the bottom of 32.

Looking at the team stats, the Cowboys are still top at defense. Houston 2, Seattle 3, SF 4, and Chicago 5. Strangely, Baltimore is 23rd. New England is 20. Arizona 17. Green Bay is 10.

On Offense New England is top, followed by Baltimore, Wash, KC, Philly.

on3m@n@rmy - Living on the east coast sucks for football. I much preferred having the games start in the morning, and the last game (and MNF) end around 8 or 9pm. Here on the east coast the night game often ends at midnight. Consider yourself lucky where you live!