The 2009-2010 NFL Season: General News & Discussion Thread

[Punk.of.Ages]

Damn, it's hard to be a Bucs fan this year...

At least it was the Giants this week.

[Glory's Sun]

fucking dolphins.

I knew they wouldn't be as good as last season, but this is getting ridiculous. scrap that wildcat shit. please.

[Esoteric]

Bucs suck. Yesterday was absolutely horrible.

[Rekna]

Nice throw Favre!

[cameroncrazy822]

Originally Posted by djtestudo

How 'bout dem Ravens, hon?

Hell to the yeah brah... the Ravens are for real... and we'll prove next week against the PATS!

[FuglyStick]

Originally Posted by cameroncrazy822

Hell to the yeah brah... the Ravens are for real... and we'll prove next week against the PATS!

The Pats are a mere shadow of their powerhouse days, although the win against a surging Atlanta team was impressive.

[jaymoney]

who would have thunk it the jets are 3-0. I belive this mark san-chise kid is for real and if hes going thru growing pains he is going to be scary when he gets experience . J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets

---------- Post added at 11:14 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:09 AM ----------

Last years dolphins were a fluke they were lucky pennington didn't get hurt that guy is always on the DL he played maybe 2 16 game seasons for the jets is 6 years not surprising that hes hurt again if he could stay healthy he would have been a solid QB if he had a great arm he would have been an elite QB get it to many if

[The_Jazz]

The Jets will find a way to start choking. It's institutional with that team. I'd love for them to do well, but I have no hope.

If the Bears could start a game with a defense scheme that's rooted in 21st Century football theory, that'd be great. I'm kind of tired watching linebackers positioned to cover the option on teams with decent O-line and a competent running back.

Thank you Buffalo for running my all-time favorite play - the fake field goal - and running it perfectly. Not much is better.

I might actually watch next Monday night's game against my better judgement now that Favre has "taken control". Not that I have any love for either the Vikings or the Packers, but I'd LOVE to watch that guy put the career interception record farther out of reach. It will be a game where I root for the trainers.

[Jetée]

Originally Posted by The_Jazz

The Jets will find a way to start choking. It's institutional with that team. I'd love for them to do well, but I have no hope.

If the Bears could start a game with a defense scheme that's rooted in 21st Century football theory, that'd be great. I'm kind of tired watching linebackers positioned to cover the option on teams with decent O-line and a competent running back.

Thank you Buffalo for running my all-time favorite play - the fake field goal - and running it perfectly. Not much is better.

I might actually watch next Monday night's game against my better judgement now that Favre has "taken control". Not that I have any love for either the Vikings or the Packers, but I'd LOVE to watch that guy put the career interception record farther out of reach. It will be a game where I root for the trainers.

I like the Jets this year if only for the reason that Rex Ryan has reinvigorated what was already a near top-10 defense last year; and, he is intent on giving the ball more to a true potent playmaker in Leon Washington. And, so far, I like what I've seen from all aspects of their aerial arsenal, even if it is lead by rookie Sanchez, a QB "not yet ready for the pro level".


I love defense; had I watched football in the 80s instead of wondering the hell this crap on the radio was and studying economics for the third time, I might've adopted Chicago as a lifelong team I'd root for... I don't know what to think of the 21st century Bears, though, 'cause I haven't seen that much of them. I hear that Johnny Knox is now "the man" in returns, so I guess I can look forward to what once was an electric special teams in Chicago.


You should have also seen the gem that was week 1's misdirect field-goal touchdown, courtesy of Wash. at NYG. Other than this one play, the Washington offense has been quite forgettable and highly regrettable.

Watch it here The_Jazz; very cheer-worthy, at least in my opinion: NFL Videos: WK 1 Can't-Miss Play: Redskins' fake FG


To note: I "officially" adopted Green Bay as a team that I will follow for the past & next eight years. I just like their offense at this point, their defense is improving, in particular, their secondary, is still among the elite around the NFL, and their uniforms just look fast. I can't quite explain it, but it makes them seem to move even quicker off the step with that color scheme aiding them. It's alright that I don't know where Green Bay is actually situated in Wisconsin. I'll find out eventually. Plus, I think both teams that will be playing next Monday Night possess upwards of 5 of the notable 7 good receivers present in the division.

[spooky1]

Originally Posted by djtestudo

How 'bout dem Ravens, hon?

I'm loving the Ravens, too! I wish they would broadcast more of their games down here in the DC area.

[jaymoney]

who saw that cowboys game they have become a team that can run the ball or are they trying to hide the fact that letting go of T.O with out a suitable replacment was a mistake say what ya want about T.O but he really opened up the field for Romo

[dksuddeth]

Originally Posted by jaymoney

who saw that cowboys game they have become a team that can run the ball or are they trying to hide the fact that letting go of T.O with out a suitable replacment was a mistake say what ya want about T.O but he really opened up the field for Romo

barber, jones, and choice. whats not to like about the run game with them? if Romo can just get his head out of the celebrity QB mode and settle down to real football, he might actually win a playoff game soon.

[FuglyStick]

Originally Posted by jaymoney

who saw that cowboys game they have become a team that can run the ball or are they trying to hide the fact that letting go of T.O with out a suitable replacment was a mistake say what ya want about T.O but he really opened up the field for Romo

Dallas does have a solid ground game, and a win is a win, but seriously, the Panthers are pansies. Dallas still has a ways to go to be more than a better than average team.

[Glory's Sun]

Pennington to have shoulder surgery this week..

[Jetée]

I don't really like to get team-specific, because only a certain percentage of people care wildly for the Seattle Seahawks or the Houston Texans, and if it's not the 5% of the audience I'm targeting who also happen to be a hometown fan, then I'm essentially just talking to myself here.

So, I try to get more discussions started by looking at the league in a general scope and hitting the intriguing matchups along the way, and then people can chime in to give us their take. Like so:

What a week we've got coming up.

I haven't even been to bed yet, and I can't wait 'til Sunday. The looming highlights of Week 4:

• Baltimore (3-0) at New England (2-1). Why shouldn't Tom Brady face every young quarterback of the future. Trent Edwards, Mark Sanchez, Matt Ryan and now Joe Flacco.

• New York Jets (3-0) at New Orleans (3-0). Because this is FOX's doubleheader week, and this game is a CBS game, it won't go to much of the country. A pity. These might be the two most intriguing teams in the league after three weeks.

• (Sunday night) San Diego (2-1) at Pittsburgh (1-2). Did you see Mike Tomlin's post-game presser from Cincinnati? He's mad as heck, and he's not gonna take it anymore, from the looks of it.

• (Monday night) Green Bay (2-1) at Minnesota (3-0). The big storyline: Ryan Longwell tries to exact revenge on the Packers, who allowed him to leave the team he loved. Or something like that.

(^^ funniest thing I've read all day)

[jaymoney]

Originally Posted by Jetée

I don't really like to get team-specific, because only a certain percentage of people care wildly for the Seattle Seahawks or the Houston Texans, and if it's not the 5% of the audience I'm targeting who also happen to be a hometown fan, then I'm essentially just talking to myself here.

So, I try to get more discussions started by looking at the league in a general scope and hitting the intriguing matchups along the way, and then people can chime in to give us their take. Like so:

What a week we've got coming up.

I haven't even been to bed yet, and I can't wait 'til Sunday. The looming highlights of Week 4:

• Baltimore (3-0) at New England (2-1). Why shouldn't Tom Brady face every young quarterback of the future. Trent Edwards, Mark Sanchez, Matt Ryan and now Joe Flacco.

• New York Jets (3-0) at New Orleans (3-0). Because this is FOX's doubleheader week, and this game is a CBS game, it won't go to much of the country. A pity. These might be the two most intriguing teams in the league after three weeks.

• (Sunday night) San Diego (2-1) at Pittsburgh (1-2). Did you see Mike Tomlin's post-game presser from Cincinnati? He's mad as heck, and he's not gonna take it anymore, from the looks of it.

• (Monday night) Green Bay (2-1) at Minnesota (3-0). The big storyline: Ryan Longwell tries to exact revenge on the Packers, who allowed him to leave the team he loved. Or something like that.

(^^ funniest thing I've read all day)

I don't think the the big story is is ryan longwell as much as it is farve trying to stick it to the packers

As for jets saints that game will be interesting to watch let's see is brees can pick apart that jet secondary while prunning away from a gang green blitz my prediction jets 31 saints 24

Pittsburg should be 2-2 after week 4 is complete

[dksuddeth]

denver (3-0) vs dallas (2-1) will give denver the opportunity to show it's a serious team finally.

[Rekna]

Originally Posted by jaymoney

I don't think the the big story is is ryan longwell as much as it is farve trying to stick to the packers

As for jets saints that game will be interesting to watch let's see is brees can pick apart that jet secondary while prunning away from a gang green blitz my prediction jets 31 saints 24

Pittsburg should be 2-2 after week 4 is complete

I'm pretty sure the longwell comment was a joke...

[jaymoney]

Originally Posted by Rekna

I'm pretty sure the longwell comment was a joke...

now that you mention you are right lol duh

[Punk.of.Ages]

The Redskins....

We lost to the fucking Redskins!

[Jetée]

Originally Posted by Punk.of.Ages

The Redskins....

We lost to the fucking Redskins!

Hey, c'mon now. The Redskins aren't that bad, but think of the ramifications.

The Redskins are still expected to contend in their division (however unlikely) and needed this win (however ugly it was) more than the Bucs. And this is coming from a St. Pete native. The Bucs, while now my "team 1B", are in shambles with the league's worst QB carousel (15 different starting QBs in the last 5 years), no offensive coordinator, banged up running backs laid askew (get it? B.J. Askew?) and a once-vaunted defense now ranked 31st in the league.

Our head coach (Zorn) is obviously way over his head, but had he lost this one, there was a seious chance he'd be gone come Monday morning. It's more the organization than anything else, but our defense is just underwhelming when it supposedly upgraded itself to the tune of $150 million in the offseason.

It's a wasteland, everywhere.

By the way, Punk: how does a Utahan become a a Buccaneers fan? Are you a transplant, or is there something else?

[Plan9]

Go Jets!

That is all.

[FuglyStick]

Originally Posted by Crompsin

Go Jets!

That is all.

Fuck the Jets ( )

Go Giants!

[Punk.of.Ages]

Originally Posted by Jetée

Hey, c'mon now. The Redskins aren't that bad, but think of the ramifications.

The Redskins are still expected to contend in their division (however unlikely) and needed this win (however ugly it was) more than the Bucs. And this is coming from a St. Pete native. The Bucs, while now my "team 1B", are in shambles with the league's worst QB carousel (15 different starting QBs in the last 5 years), no offensive coordinator, banged up running backs laid askew (get it? B.J. Askew?) and a once-vaunted defense now ranked 31st in the league.

Our head coach (Zorn) is obviously way over his head, but had he lost this one, there was a seious chance he'd be gone come Monday morning. It's more the organization than anything else, but our defense is just underwhelming when it supposedly upgraded itself to the tune of $150 million in the offseason.

It's a wasteland, everywhere.

By the way, Punk: how does a Utahan become a a Buccaneers fan? Are you a transplant, or is there something else?

Yeah, we're just losing to everybody this year. I thought we had the game with Washington (y'know, the team that ended Detroit's losing streak...) in the bag.
_______

I started as a Denver fan. That's what most Utahns are. Somewhere along the line my dad converted me to a Bucs fan. I'm not sure where he got it from, but he's been with them all of his life.

[Jetée]

Ah, I see. Family ties does tend to sway where our cheers go. I still hold out hope that for the Bucs to have a successful season this year, all they need is six wins. (I said this back in May)


Moving on...

According to my sources (my eyes and the morning paper), these are the five worst scoring offenses in the league 1/4 of the season into the year.

5. Washington Redskins - At this point in the season, the 'Skins are averaging 14 pts/gm, or just two TDs every 6 quarters (this number gets even lower when dating back to last season)... they are only ranked this high because they have a .500 record.

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - With "Laser-armed" Leftwich, the Buccaneers were averaging around 20 pts/gm, up until he actually became a statue against the Giants, and garnered less than 100 total yards of offense. Now, the Bucs haven't scored as many points thru 4 games as the Packers have in their last two (54 to 60).

3. Cleveland Browns - congratulations to them and Derek Anderson; they've scored their first offensive touchdown in their last nine games. Let's hope this sudden streak of firepower doesn't end with a tally of one.

2. Oakland Raiders - It's a sad state of affairs in Raider Nation when your most consistent player is the kicker. The Janikowskis have scored 21 points in 4 games so far... anyone else donning the silver and black, only 18.

1. St. Louis Rams - been shut out in half of the games they've played this year. If that doesn't say it all. Perhaps, if you compare that in four games St. Louis cannot score as many points as in a single Lions' game's losing effort (either game in week 1 or week 4), then this organization could quite possibly threaten the Lions now broken losing streak.


- honorable mention - Carolina Panthers - total points scored thru three games - 37 - total turnovers - 11 - total wins thus far because of this - 0 - what a total mess

[laconic1]

The Broncos looked pretty bad for most of the first quarter against Dallas. A couple of three and outs on offense, a couple of long drives for the Cowboys with way too many 20-25 yard plays given up. It looked like the Cowboys were going to blow the Broncos out, but luckily Denver's defense came alive, and the offense came around as well. I'm still not totally sold on Kyle Orton, but he hasn't turned the ball over yet, and he keeps putting up decent numbers. I was shocked when I looked at his final numbers, considering how he just seemed off most of the game he put up really good numbers today. I don't really agree with the decision to go for it on 4th down in field goal range halfway through the 4th quarter when the Broncos were trailing by 3, but it is quickly becoming evident that McDaniels is not the McDumbass that a lot of Broncos fans were making him out to be during all the offseason drama.

[Glory's Sun]

the 'Phins finally get a win. it's about fucking time!

oh..and while I HATE Baltimore, that last roughing the passer call was a joke. I've never agreed more with Ray Lewis.

[The_Jazz]

A few notes: the '09 Lions are much better than the '08 Lions. They will win a couple more games. Stafford is going to be a big-time quarterback, provided he stays healthy and learns to put a little more air under a few of his throws (he's always tended to throw flat passes, which is a little easier to get away with in the SEC than the NFL). Assuming they can get a mild upgrade at the end of the season, they will be a team to be taken seriously in '10. They're just not there yet.

Is it better to be lucky or good in the NFL? I think it's a moot point when the outcome is a win. The Bears have definitely exploited some lucky breaks, but they're 3-1 headed into a bye week. The bye week couldn't have come much sooner with a few of the injuries on both sides of the ball.

Peyton Manning may be quietly putting together the best season by any quarterback ever. If you watched him on Sunday, he reinforced his side of the argument that he understands the game better than anyone else involved in it.

The '08 Lions are about to be eclisped by the '09 Rams as the worst team in the history of the NFL. That includes a lot of the 70's "Aints".

Brady Quinn looked very courageous carrying that clipboard yesterday.

How bad is the Raiders season about to get? Not only are they sucking almost as badly as the Rams, but they're about to lose their head coach for an extended period. Cable is probably going to get arrested for punching his assistant Randy Hanson, breaking Hanson's jaw. Even better, the real culprit is probably Al Davis since Hanson was suspected of being Davis' spy on the coaching staff and sewing dissention among the staf. It's getting to the point that the NFL needs to force Davis to sell, even though it means basically firing a Hall of Fame owner. Sad really.

[yournamehere]

The Steelers are gonna give me heart attack this season. They came pretty damn close to blowing a 28-0 lead in the 4th quarter last night. Thankfully, we've got Detroit & Cleveland coming up the next two weeks. I hope I don't have to come back here in two weeks and eat those words!

Polamalu is supposed to be healthy next week - I almost hope they rest him for Detroit - so the defense should settle down some and put some games away earlier. What a 4th quarter disaster they've been without him!

It was good to see Rashard Mendenhall step up, too. Shows what a motivator Mike Tomlin can be.

[Jetée]

Originally Posted by guccilvr

the 'Phins finally get a win. it's about fucking time!

oh..and while I HATE Baltimore, that last roughing the passer call was a joke. I've never agreed more with Ray Lewis.

If there was ever a time to badger the admins for an iframe feature to be implemented in the TFP, this is my veiled attempt to endorse it.

The Baltimore Ravens do not care for your stupid NFL officials!
by Doug Farrar

After their 27-21 loss to the Patriots, several Baltimore Ravens defenders had negative reviews for Ron Winter's officiating crew. Specifically, linebacker Ray Lewis and safety Ed Reed were unhappy about two personal fouls called against Baltimore. On third-and-9 with 3:35 left in the first quarter and the ball at the Baltimore 37, tackle Naloti Ngata was flagged for roughing the passer on a play that looked more like Ngata was trying to deflect Brady's pass before it was thrown by raising his arms. As Ngata's left arm came down, it grazed the right side of Brady's facemask. Brady went down as if he'd been hit by a brick (nice method acting there), and there was laundry on the field. The second roughing call, with 5:16 left in the first half and the ball at the Baltimore 43, came on second-and-11. Endbacker Terrell Suggs beat his man up the middle and pressured Brady just as he threw. Right after the throw, Suggs appeared to go low, but to Brady's right, in an effort to go away from his knees. It looked to me as if Suggs was trying to avoid hitting Brady in or near the face with his shoulder or helmet, which would have brought a flag as well. The Pats scored on both drives with those personal fouls.

Of course, the new "Brady Rule" promises stiffer penalties for defenders who approach quarterbacks below the knees, and when you do it to Tom Brady, it's double trouble. The rule is supposed to penalize defenders who dive at a quarterback's knees without being blocked or fouled on that direction, but the NFL also leaves this up to the discretion of the officials.

The Ravens were not impressed with the interpretation. "Without totally going off the wall here, it is embarrassing to the game," linebacker Ray Lewis said. "Brady is good enough to make his own plays, let him make the play. When you have two great teams that are going at it, let them go at it. Both of their touchdown drives had personal fouls that kept drives alive. Did that win or lose the game? No, but it got them 14 points."

Reed was more distressed by some of the spots the Ravens received -- most specifically, two in the fourth quarter. "You hate to come into a game where you have to play against a team and the officials," Reed said. "Like I said, nothing to take away from their team, nothing to take away from the officials. We have to help each other out in a way to where it's near as perfect as we can be. Like I said, it's a game of inches. We have too much going on with this game, from where it's come to in 2009, 2010, to say we can't be a little bit more precise with things."

The NFL isn't going to change their rules about quarterback protection, nor will they change the rules about criticizing officiating in a public forum. The Ravens may be expecting apologies this week, but they'll most likely get some hefty fines instead. I'll just add that while I think some officiating crews tend to be made up of bumbling dolts, Winter's crews have been better than average in the games I've seen over the last few years. Roughing the passer is made up of some tough interpretive calls, and I think the refs are behind the 8-ball in this case.

[Glory's Sun]

I can understand the whole "don't touch the QB on the helmet thing". I mean there's been enough concussions sustained by QB's that it makes sense, but that last one, where Suggs barely touched Brady's leg was just ridiculous. And the whole penalty on the Baltimore "bench" for unsportsmanlike was a joke too. Hard for me to really comment much more because frankly, I hate both teams.

Also, can someone tell me what the whole point in Baltimore's coach (having a brain fart atm) calling a TO with 30 seconds in the first half was all about? Seems kinda pointless to me.

I was also hoping for another Pittsburgh meltdown. I almost got my wish. Oh well, at least Miami finally won a game and the Jets lost.

oh, and Jazz, yes.. Peyton is proving he's probably going to end his career as the best QB of all time if he keeps this up. Dude is so damn smart it's hard to believe he played for the Vols.

[Jetée]

By Doug Farrar

Originally Posted by The_Jazz

Peyton Manning may be quietly putting together the best season by any quarterback ever. If you watched him on Sunday, he reinforced his side of the argument that he understands the game better than anyone else involved in it.

Originally Posted by guccilvr

oh, and Jazz, yes.. Peyton is proving he's probably going to end his career as the best QB of all time if he keeps this up. Dude is so damn smart it's hard to believe he played for the Vols

Opponent respect for Peyton Manning has grown to the extent that teams facing the future Hall-of-Famer now feel uncomfortable speaking in his presence! Well, at least the Seahawks will keep quiet when they face the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday. Seattle head coach Jim Mora and defensive coordinator Gus Bradley have implemented a series of silent adjustments for their players, because of Manning's ability to discern changes to enemy defenses based on vocal calls. Instead of calling the defensive plays into the helmet of defensive captain Lofa Tatupu, who would ordinarily call them out to everyone, Seattle's defensive staff will give the play to Tatupu, who will signal his teammates. According to Eric Williams of the Tacoma News Tribune, the Seahawks' defenders will all wear cheat sheets on their wrists, giving them the signals that way.

"Peyton is a guy who will hear (signals) and he'll pick up on it," Mora told the media this week. "We don't want to give him a pre-snap read, and we certainly don't want to tell him, ‘Hey, Peyton, we're going to play this coverage.' We're going to try to be silent and nonverbal in our communication."

Mora said that the Seahawks will have a full arsenal of calls, but I wonder if the attempt to fool Manning will backfire on the Seahawks. They'll have enough to deal with just keeping the Colts' offense under wraps, much less deciphering their own signal flares and Morse codes and whatnot. Especially since no quarterback is better at keeping the pre-snap adjustments going to the verrrrrrry last millisecond -- I have a feeling the Seahawks will be spending too much time zigging as Peyton zags, leading to a Seahawks slaughter.

[FuglyStick]

Peyton Manning knows the game better than 90% of the working head coaches.

[yournamehere]

Originally Posted by guccilvr

oh..and while I HATE Baltimore, that last roughing the passer call was a joke.

Agreed. Of course, just catch a pass that hits you on the numbers, and it doesn't matter anymore.

/Hardest thing in the world was to root for the Patriots yesterday . . . . but we do what we must, as distasteful as it sometimes gets.

[Redlemon]

Hey Ravens... there's a rulebook, try reading it. Contact the QB helmet, flag. Contact the QB knees, flag. The Patriots were flagged for roughing the passer in earlier games this year, it seems they managed to make the adjustments and bring your QB down properly.

Hope Eli Manning's foot heals up quickly.

[Glory's Sun]

The thing about the knee rule is it's up to the ref's interpretation. Being that Suggs barely touched Brady, it shouldn't have been a flag.

[Redlemon]

I can't find the rule itself, but the summary says "The clarification specifically prohibits a defender on the ground who hasn't been blocked or fouled directly into the quarterback from lunging or diving at the quarterback's lower legs". And Brady needed to jump backwards, and still was hit in the legs; if he hadn't moved...

Here's the video of the knees hit:

YouTube - Suggs Cheap Shot on Brady

YouTube - Suggs Cheap Shot on Brady

[Glory's Sun]

oh please. If anything Suggs was falling down and it even looks like he was trying to not hit Brady. If Suggs wanted to hit Brady, he would have done it, and it looks like he wanted to go ribs on Brady but saw he would be too late and tried to go to the ground without doing any damage. If Brady hadn't have moved he would have been hit in the thigh pads, which last I checked are there for a reason.

Brady needs to quit wearing a skirt. It's bad when even ex-player/coach commentators say the same exact thing.. he needs to wear pants for a change.

With the Brady rule and the Hines Ward rules, football is almost as bad as hockey now.

"Hey I play football! I'm a man!" "Oh god! YOU HIT ME!!!!!!!!!!!!! FOUL!!!!!!!!!!!"

---------- Post added at 10:31 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:21 AM ----------

oh..and I'm pretty sure the rule reads that it has to be a forcible lunge. If that's forcible, then this rule is going to help destroy the league.

Fuck the Ravens and Fuck the Pats.

[Tully Mars]

Originally Posted by guccilvr

Fuck the Ravens and Fuck the Pats.

See this right here is why I hate you. I'm always having to read between the lines and decode what you're trying to say. Just say how you feel and stop being so fucking vague.

[FuglyStick]

Originally Posted by Tully Mars

See this right here is why I hate you. I'm always having to read between the lines and decode what you're trying to say. Just say how you feel and stop being so fucking vague.