National Football League

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Mar 11, 2009
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Great win for the Texans, Ryans, Stroud! The entire team, but Stroud is just an absolute star. Incredible. Texans getting just enough pressure on Flacco and that was huge also.

Browns lost more than just Chubb to injury. Missing several starters out for the season.
Why? So the fans can be kept warm & comfortable? Lol. Pro football is played in the winter time - and the elements unfortunately come with it. Check out that link I posted on the famous Ice Bowl. Those were some tough hombres back then.
I agree with you. His argument, which he brings up every winter, is that if all games were indoors we could see every player, and every team at their best, on an even field, so to speak. I've listed many counter arguments to this, and don't have the energy to do so again.
In my HS state championship game (December 1978 - Fairview field in Boulder), we played in the low teens with single digit windchills. It was tough - every hit I made hurt - but it was a blast. All we had was thermal underwear that we bought the night before from the old Woolworth's stores & our lineman wore bulky garden gloves. Lol
Good to know I'm not as old as you are. ;) I experienced similar,though no championship. I don't remember it being too cold on field, or in the stands as a fan, to play, sit the pine (which was my primary position :smile:. I had yet to discover the joy of the bicycle), or do anything else. Great memories.
 
Mar 11, 2009
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Wind doesn't look as bad as I expected in KC, and the field does look great. Bitter cold, but definitely not as horrible conditions as they made it sound.
 
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Apr 20, 2016
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Yep. Dolphins ready to get back on the plane and head back to sunny Florida.
Who knows what's wrong with the Finns. Did you see the Gunslinger threw 41 passes for almost 300 yds? Kelcy & Rice grabbing passes like it's 70 degrees out there. Lol. And Pacheco looked good - no sleeves! The cold was no big deal for the Chiefs. The Chiefs all the way to the championship game!
 
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Mar 11, 2009
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You're that confident they can waltz right into Buffalo and take them out? To me one team showed up today. Granted, KC played very good, no question about it. But the Dolphins were a shell of the team that played much of the season, in addition to being completely banged up. Almost from the first series they looked like they didn't want to be there, and played terrible. So, I'll tell you what was wrong with the Dolphins. The high temperature in Miami today was 83 degrees.

Let's see how the Chiefs do away from Arrowhead, where they are very comfortable.

Of course, if Pittsburgh beats Buffalo, the Chiefs will host the Texans.

Surprising good news for Baltimore is TE Mark Andrews has been back in practice, two months after he badly hurt his ankle. It was originally thought he'd probably miss the season. Even if he isn't back this weekend, I'm not sure anyone can beat the Ravens this year. Though one look in the rearview mirror to 2019...
 
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Dec 6, 2013
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Great win for the Texans, Ryans, Stroud! The entire team, but Stroud is just an absolute star. Incredible. Texans getting just enough pressure on Flacco and that was huge also.

Browns lost more than just Chubb to injury. Missing several starters out for the season.

I agree with you. His argument, which he brings up every winter, is that if all games were indoors we could see every player, and every team at their best, on an even field, so to speak. I've listed many counter arguments to this, and don't have the energy to do so again.

Good to know I'm not as old as you are. ;) I experienced similar,though no championship. I don't remember it being too cold on field, or in the stands as a fan, to play, sit the pine (which was my primary position :smile:. I had yet to discover the joy of the bicycle), or do anything else. Great memories.
As always, I don't understand why anyone wouldn't want to see every team at their best for the playoffs.

EDIT: Obviously I bring it up every winter because that 's when the weather can make it so that teams can't play their best. They play/practice one way for six months, but then in the most important time of the year have to become a different team. How is that a good thing?!

EDIT 2: Not that being old and having watched a massive amount of football makes me a guru, but I have been watching NFL football since 1976 (SEA's first season) (longer if you count a few years before that when dad had the games on and I sorta watched as a kid). I just don't enjoy watching one or both teams making it up as they go because what they've done all year won't work due to the weather.

I grew up in North Idaho so half of my HS games were played below freezing, one third in the snow, and plenty of rain too...on poorly maintained fields, with no nice base layer gear. That experience has zero to do with how I feel about watching professional football.
 
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Aug 5, 2009
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Browns flopped and Flacco has been turning the ball over a lot in between the big play throws.

Miami flopped and Kansas always looked in control. Kelce blew a TD with a cold drop as well. Tua once again showed his limits and Miami didn't offer much with adjustments.

Wondering now if the Cowboys and Bills will also flop. All the pressure is on the Cowboys and their coach and QB after recent flops in the playoffs. While the Bills have been up and down all season and the turnovers have become a signature with them, win or lose it seems. While the Eagles game could be anything ! One team from an easy division playing moderately well against another team that has taken a dive in form on both sides of the ball. Could be a dreary game if the mistakes start mounting up. Still have hopes for the Rams game to be the game of the round.
 
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Aug 13, 2011
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Dolphins defense absolutely kept them in the game with how depleted they are and they couldn’t get any pressure without rushing Mahomes. Chiefs looked good but I’d like to see them against a better defense. Chiefs defense played extremely well to stifle Dolphins offense. One of the bigger disappointments in the beginning was Tua throwing the ball into the dirt on an open receiver in 2nd and inches. Then get a penalty followed by an interception. It was terrible, no adjustments, no one wanted to be there, and they got their butt kicked and disappointed again. Honestly happy I was so busy at work that I couldn’t watch the 2nd quarter on.


Texans absolutely destroyed the Browns with the Flacco they didn’t want showing up appearing. Texans are very dangerous to every AFC team.
 
Jan 22, 2010
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I expect the Bills to win tomorrow.
That would send the Texans to Baltimore, and the Chiefs to Buffalo.
Both cities currently forecast to have freezing conditions next weekend.
But Baltimore won't be dreadfully cold.
 
Dec 6, 2013
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What about Mahomes helmet?

How often do the helmets get 'inspected'?
Was this the same helmet that he slammed into the bench a few weeks ago (maybe compromising it)?
Cold shouldn't affect modern plastics, but was that part of it?
Is that how they are designed to absorb/dissipate/deflect impact?

Why wasn't his backup helmet exactly the same as his main helmet?

I honestly haven't kept up with helmet tech so I'm not very familiar with any of the new helmets really, but his appears to be a hard plastic outer, with a slightly softer middle, and a soft/adjustable inner layer (maybe an air bladder/pods with foam type).


EDIT: Here is his helmet (at least I'm pretty sure):
 
Aug 13, 2011
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What about Mahomes helmet?

How often do the helmets get 'inspected'?
Was this the same helmet that he slammed into the bench a few weeks ago (maybe compromising it)?
Cold shouldn't affect modern plastics, but was that part of it?
Is that how they are designed to absorb/dissipate/deflect impact?

Why wasn't his backup helmet exactly the same as his main helmet?

I honestly haven't kept up with helmet tech so I'm not very familiar with any of the new helmets really, but his appears to be a hard plastic outer, with a slightly softer middle, and a soft/adjustable inner layer (maybe an air bladder/pods with foam type).


EDIT: Here is his helmet (at least I'm pretty sure):
Oh maybe it was his old one and that’s why it happened. I always thought they replaced them periodically like a bike helmet or car seat for example. Those are supposed to be replaced any time there’s an accident and I’d definitely qualify playing football as an accident. It’s a good thing it didn’t completely shatter.
 
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Mar 11, 2009
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As always, I don't understand why anyone wouldn't want to see every team at their best for the playoffs.
We could go around in circles on this, I'm sure.

My general thought is getting a team "at their best" is not as clear as such a statement makes it sound. For example, Miami certainly wasn't at their best yesterday. And they would not have been at their best even if they played in Miami, since they had a heap of players out. No one in their right mind would argue Cincinnati was at their best for a single game this season. I also believe poor officiating has caused far more damage than bad weather, but I blame the NFL for this, not the officials (mostly).

As to stadiums, the one thing I've never really understood though is why more stadiums are not built like the new Highmark they are building in Buffalo. One that is not enclosed, but has seats all around it, with a large awning covering many fans. Seattle's Lumina is like this (though somewhat open in one end, old-school), and even more so Dallas. This seems like a stadium that is the best of both worlds. Yes, it will be really cold if open air, and can snow, but such a design helps many fans, cuts quite a bit on the wind, which is what affects the passing game. I don't really care for retractable domes though, even if open air and not climate controlled. Partly because most of the time they are closed.

Renderings of Buffalo's new stadium going in:
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Why the heck Tennessee is putting in a dome, or retractable roof is beyond me. Maybe they are thinking ahead to the year 2041 when global warming makes games in October 85 degrees and muggy?
 
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Mar 11, 2009
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Browns flopped and Flacco has been turning the ball over a lot in between the big play throws.
Cleveland is going to have a real conundrum next year. Do they sign Flacco as a back-up, with DTR in the wings? One of them could end up on a practice squad, but it's almost always QBs in rookie contracts who do that. But not always. Someone will pay Joe, and I heard he has 5 kids and they loved watching dad play football. So who knows? But Cleveland's primary option is Watson, and he has been mostly hurt, suspended, or just not played well. Still, looking at his contract, it seems unless they are as foolish as Payton and the Broncos, they are going to have to try at least one more year with Watson before they can eat $50m or so to move on from him.
Wondering now if the Cowboys and Bills will also flop. All the pressure is on the Cowboys and their coach and QB after recent flops in the playoffs.
There are two factors that help Dallas. First is that they are at home, where they play much better. But second is that Green Bay's defense is not very good, and inexperienced. Dallas D has talent, but they are erratic. They've been burned on runs, and big plays. So I think GB will put up points. But Dallas will too, just likely less.
While the Bills have been up and down all season and the turnovers have become a signature with them, win or lose it seems.
The Steelers are missing their best player in TJ Watt. He's out. This game will be played in cold, nasty conditions. Not as cold as KC, but close. They moved the game to Monday merely to move the snow and clear the roads. Not because Monday will be that much warmer than today. Both teams should be used to this weather to some degree, having practiced in similar (unlike Miami). Both teams will rely on the run, and despite Allen's style of play, the Bills were much better at running the ball in the 2nd half of the season. The Bills are missing some players on defense, but the best player they lost was early, Tre White, who I honestly don't think fully recovered from tearing his ACL 23 months ago. The rest have filled in quite well. Von Miller is also half the player he was last year, but he did look better in their last game.

Agree on Detroit vs. Rams. That looks like the most intriguing game. Partly because it could be fairly high scoring, both teams can produce big plays, so it could be back and forth. Also, a 14 point lead in this game may not mean much unless it's late in 4Q.

I find it almost impossible to believe the Eagles will lose to Tampa. The Buccaneers are spunky, I like how Mayfield has matured, seems like a positive guy, less of an ego, less risky throws, less mistakes. But as hard as it is to flip a switch in the NFL, I just can't believe the Eagles will continue to play as terrible as the have when Tampa is really an average team, and the Eagles are loaded with talent, and mostly healthy.

And that's a key to the playoffs, isn't it? Who is most healthy may determine how far teams get as much as anything.

As to helmets, the one thing I do know is MIPS, which is used in cycling helmets, plus Giro's "spherical" feature were taken from NFL helmet technology. So I'm guessing an NFL helmet is in many ways designed to break down before a player gets a severe concussion. My guess is the cold as much as that helped break Mahomes helmet. As an aside to this, he said when they handed him his back-up helmet the thing was frozen solid! They hadn't warmed it up at all!
 
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