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

[Glory's Sun]

Can I just laugh some more at the Cowboys?

[Tully Mars]

Yes, yes you may. I spent yesterday in McAllen, Tx, working my way home. After the game I went to the store to pick up a few last minute items before crossing the border. Every time I saw someone in a Cowboys shirt I asked "Hey, isn't the game on right now? Over!?! Who won?" I think one guy teared up. I asked another guy "so what was the score?" "It was a blow-out! They ran the score up... on PURPOSE! They only scored the last few times just to rub it in... BASTARDS!" Like the Cowboys have never done that before and their fans didn't love it when they did. One way SOB's, the main reason I hate Dallas... their freaking fans.

[laconic1]

Just saw that defensive coordinator Mike Nolan left the Broncos today after 1 season. The defense went from 29th last year to 7th this year in the league. Somehow I don't think he was the reason the Broncos missed the playoffs. Along with the O-line and Running Backs coaches leaving, and the discontent amongst some of the players I'm starting to think maybe McDumbass will be a good head coach someday but someday hasn't arrived yet.

[Redlemon]

Tully, you are now my hero.

[Glory's Sun]

Lets see,

$1 billion stadium- check
$90 pizzas for sale at stadium- check
$HUGE ASS JUMBOTRON- Check

yeah, the Cowboys are right to be upset about people showing off.. FOR SHAME!

[Jetée]

Did anyone else notice that both Conferences in the divisional playoffs each had one team from every single conference, for the first time I can recall in forever?

I just figured this out an hour ago.

[Tully Mars]

Originally Posted by Redlemon

Tully, you are now my hero.

One night in a LaQuinta Inn- 69.95
Trip to Wal-Mart- 32.97
Making Cowboy fans cry- PRICELESS

[Redlemon]

So, the Pro Bowl was moved up this year to be in the dead week before the Super Bowl. Theoretically, this was done to make the game more relevant.

Not only does this mean that none of the players in the Super Bowl can attend (theoretically, they should be some of the best players, right?), but the game is being broadcast at the same time as the Grammy awards. WTF?

Also, moving it out of Hawaii is kind of a slap as well. I thought going to Hawaii was part of the award for making it to the Pro Bowl.

[Rekna]

Yeah they messed up with the pro-bowl. They also messed up by having a divisional playoff game on Sunday at 11:00 am instead of during prime time because the didn't want to bump 60 minutes.... Pretty stupid if you ask me.

[Jetée]

For the 12+ plus years (on-and-off) of watching professional football, I've never once seen more than 3 minutes of an actually live Pro-Bowl.

Not saying it doesn't try to accomplish something, but in reality, to both the fans and a majority of the players, the game could not be more meaningless (only thing maybe more meaningless is the hype of some of the selections and the snubs).

[Rekna]

It's championship weekend and yet again there is no prime time game.... Do the networks not want the ratings?

[Glory's Sun]

And the Interception King screws up again!

Please, for the love of FSM, really.. REALLY retire now.

(no. I'm not a Favre fan)

[Redlemon]

Originally Posted by Rekna

It's championship weekend and yet again there is no prime time game.... Do the networks not want the ratings?

There are different time zones than the one you are in. And the second game started at the same time that the Super Bowl begins.

(Rooting for Saints.)

[BurntToast]

From ESPN

NEW YORK -- The NFL has drawn the most viewers for the divisional round of the playoffs in 16 years, with an average of 33 million per game.

The audiences for Arizona-New Orleans, Baltimore-Indianapolis, Dallas-Minnesota and New York Jets-San Diego were up 15 percent from 28.8 million viewers in 2008.

Sunday's Cowboys-Vikings game attracted 37.7 million viewers, the most-watched program on television since last February's Super Bowl

Jets-Chargers later Sunday drew 35.6 million, followed by the Saturday night game between the Ravens and Colts at 30.6 million. Cardinals-Saints brought an audience of 27.9 million.

I know this is from the divisional round of the playoffs but I don't think they care about prime time.

[MontanaXVI]

If Brett Favre doesn't come back always remember this.

His last pass as a Viking, Packer and Jet were all INT's and 2 of them cost his team a chance to go to the Superbowl.

I am not a Favre hater per say, I just get sick of hearing how great he is when his mistakes which were usually huge are overlooked.

[djtestudo]

Originally Posted by BurntToast

I know this is from the divisional round of the playoffs but I don't think they care about prime time.

On a Sunday in January the NFL is it's OWN prime time.

[BurntToast]

Originally Posted by djtestudo

On a Sunday in January the NFL is it's OWN prime time.

Yeah that was kinda my point

If it's on, people will watch.

[Redlemon]

*facepalm*

NFL: Commissioner Goodell a fan of Pro Bowl switch
Posted January 29, 2010 at midnight

LAUDERHILL, Fla. -- NFL commissioner Roger Goodell likes just about everything so far regarding the one-year test of having the Pro Bowl played one week before the Super Bowl.

Sometime soon, the league will decide if it wants to keep things that way.

"What we're seeing is a lot more attention on the Pro Bowl than we've ever had before," Goodell said. "And that in and of itself is a success."

Goodell arrived Thursday in South Florida -- the Pro Bowl will be played there Sunday, followed one week later by the Super Bowl -- and immediately went to work alongside some members of the NFL Players Association.

The Pro Bowl has traditionally been held the week following the Super Bowl. Sunday's game marks the first time in three decades the Pro Bowl is being played somewhere other than Honolulu, where it will return for 2011 and 2012.

"We knew that not having the Super Bowl players was something that was going to be a negative to doing this," Goodell said. "But everyone felt that there was a real chance to put this Pro Bowl on a higher platform and be a positive thing. We did that and I think it has worked for us. Super Bowl players will be on the biggest stage of all a week later."

Wait until he sees the dropoff in viewer numbers. I still think going against the Grammys was a bad idea. A quick bit of web research seems to find 14 Pro Bowl picks skipping for the Super Bowl, and another 15 for other reasons.

[Jetée]

Originally Posted by Redlemon

*facepalm*

Wait until he sees the dropoff in viewer numbers. I still think going against the Grammys was a bad idea. A quick bit of web research seems to find 14 Pro Bowl picks skipping for the Super Bowl, and another 15 for other reasons.

It's a total of 31 bowouts this year, 11 the season previous, and 12-15 that passed in 2007.

[hunnychile]

This Super Bowl will be a special one for me because The Colts are in it with Pierre Garcon, who was a terrific player at a little college in NE Ohio called Mount Union College. This was my Alma Mater too.

I'm proud of Pierre Garcon & the Colts! Nice to have a new team in the Super Bowl!
Garcon seems like a good guy and I'm glad he carries the flag of Haiti in his heart and family.

I've already donated for Haitian relief at my church and hope others watching the game feel moved to give a little, too, if at all possible.

One World...It's Our World.

Care and share a little....

[Punk.of.Ages]

So, I heard an interesting statistic recently....

In all of NFL history there is not one team that got beat by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the regular season and won the Super Bowl in the same season.

The Saints are fucked...

[Jetée]

Originally Posted by Punk.of.Ages

So, I heard an interesting statistic recently....

In all of NFL history there is not one team that got beat by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the regular season and won the Super Bowl in the same season.

The Saints are fucked...

The curse of the plunderers? (Bucco Bruce) I wonder who the hell uncovered this statistic?

Some stats are so meaningless and reliant on weird quirks of history ('Redskins Rule' anyone?) but it is really fun at times to see them still be "held up as truth" (too bad the Cowboys won in this year's playoffs; now a new streak of futility will have to begin).

Even though I didn't watch the 2006 NFL season at all, I think The Saints got hosed by bad weather and a lights-out Bears defense able to make good use of the conditions. If it were a neutral field in relatively good weather, then I'm sure we might have been saying around now, "Well, I wonder is going to win this rematch in Miami this time?".

[Cross-Over]

Originally Posted by Jetée

The curse of the plunderers? (Bucco Bruce) I wonder who the hell uncovered this statistic?

Some stats are so meaningless and reliant on weird quirks of history ('Redskins Rule' anyone?) but it is really fun at times to see them still be "held up as truth" (too bad the Cowboys won in this year's playoffs; now a new streak of futility will have to begin).

Even though I didn't watch the 2006 NFL season at all, I think The Saints got hosed by bad weather and a lights-out Bears defense able to make good use of the conditions. If it were a neutral field in relatively good weather, then I'm sure we might have been saying around now, "Well, I wonder is going to win this rematch in Miami this time?".

Perhaps hosed is not the word you are looking for. The Bears had the better record, and therefore earned home field advantage. By the way, 4 of the Saints 6 losses that year were at home, so perhaps a neutral field really wouldn't have mattered. The Bears had a really good football team.

[Jetée]

Originally Posted by Cross-Over

Perhaps hosed is not the word you are looking for. The Bears had the better record, and therefore earned home field advantage. By the way, 4 of the Saints 6 losses that year were at home, so perhaps a neutral field really wouldn't have mattered. The Bears had a really good football team.

Yeah, I really don't know what the right word for 'lucky streak' is. The NO Saints, mere months after the tragedy that befell the city after Hurricane Katrina, acquired a new identity with both Brees and Payton, and made it count by pulling off a clasic 'Cinderella Story' in sports, eventually reaching the NFC Championship. Again, I'l say that I saw not one entire football game of the entire 2006 season, (not even the SuperBowl) but I'm just the kind of guy that ponders whether or not a "what-if" scenario were to play out, then this current SuperBowl could even more intriguing than it already is; a veritable re-match of the SB 3 years ago in the same stadium by the same two starting QBs and the teams they offensively make 'go'.

Perhaps that is why I think the following season (the '07 campaign) the NFL regular season opener was Indianapolis hosting the New Orleans Saints was no mere quirk by the schedule makers, as it is a mindset that I believe was a SB scenario that Roger Goodell, among others, would have rather have seen play out than the eventual opponent actually was, the NFC Champion Bears.

[Tully Mars]

Oh to be in NO tonight.

Nice job, nice season Saints.

[Fremen]

Fantastic game!

Congrats, Saints!

[Grancey]

It would be so much fun to be on Bourbon Street right now. People in New Orleans know how to have a good time. I'm so happy for them, and I know how excited they all are. This will last a long, long time. Great game.

[bparker805]

Originally Posted by Punk.of.Ages

So, I heard an interesting statistic recently....

In all of NFL history there is not one team that got beat by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the regular season and won the Super Bowl in the same season.

The Saints are fucked...

So,we can put this one to bed, right?

Who DAT?!

[Punk.of.Ages]

That is indeed a dead statistic...

I see what you did there, Saints:

Lose on purpose just to take the only thing we had left after this shitty season!

Way to kick us while we're down...
____________

So, uh, is it okay for me to say Payton's an overrated, one hit wonder yet?

What a disappointing 4th quarter, man...

[Jetée]

Originally Posted by Punk.of.Ages

So, uh, is it okay for me to say Payton's an overrated, one hit wonder yet?

What a disappointing 4th quarter, man...

I don't think overrated, he is. Overexposed and over-idolized to an extent, yes indeed. He does have 4 MVP titles (although both this year and last year, I think Drew Brees was just as deserving, if not more) but for whatever reason, he finds it hard to find that 'Manning magic' in the postseason. Dude, 18 games in the postseason is enough for any one, two or three Hall-of-Fame players combined, but for Peyton to not even won more than half of those games (.500 record with last night's loss) shows that either he cannot translate his winning ways into the extra season, or that he finds it all too difficult to win the games by himself with little aid from his coaching staff, his running backs, and his defensive peers.

Super Bowls, like touchdowns and interceptions, are fluky things. All of the right things need to come into place for one of the above situations to occur, and making it to a Super Bowl is by far, one of the most trying obstacles for any team. Every game, every inch of effort, every yard/play deducted via penalty, every player on that field; they all count toward that 'perfect goal' of reaching the Super Bowl. From there, it just takes what has been a season-long rhythm and repeating it one final time for one full hour in order to achieve that one last win, that counts toward season-long supremeacy, and later on, towards a team legacy.

Peyton is still on another level when it comes to comparing quarterback play right now in the NFL; but like always, most arguments about this sort of deal boils down to whether you have a SB ring or not, and if you do, the more of them you possess, the 'higher pro-rating' that one player (usually QB) receives in terms of settling debates about which quarterback from whichever era is the best of all time.

[Tully Mars]

Manning played a pretty good game I'd say. He had one incpt. that seem to seal his teams fate but also had a pass dropped that hit the rec'ver right in the hands that may have turned things around. He's a damn good player, he and his team were just out played yesterday.

[Anormalguy]

I'm glad that the Saints won, especially contypovincingly so that there's no talk of a "fluke" victory.

The big question is, will we still see Peyton Manning in so many commercials? Seriously, is there anything that he won't hawk?


*******************************************************

Originally Posted by guccilvr

Can I just laugh some more at the Cowboys?

The hubristic assholes deserve to be laughed at !

[djtestudo]

Manning played a great game. He made one mistake, and his team ran into one that essentially made none.

I always find it funny when people use any kind of team record to judge an individual player, especially a quarterback. Football is just such a team game that unless you can show specific flaws in a player's play that lead to that record, it's completely irrelevant.

The Colts are a team that, historically, had a top offense but a poor defense. From 1999-2002, they averaged the 17th (actually 17.5)-ranked defense. Since 2003, they've averaged the 11th-ranked defense. Since 2003, the Colts have a 9-6 playoff record, as opposed to 0-3 over the previous stretch.

Super Bowls are even worse. The only thing one needs to know about Super Bowls is that Jim Plunkett, Ken Stabler, Jeff Hostetler, Mark Rypien, Doug Williams, Bob Griese, Trent Dilfer, Brad Johnson and Jim McMahon are a combined 11-1 and Jim Kelly, Dan Marino, Fran Tarkenton, Roger Staubach and John Elway are a combined 4-13.

It's depressing that an all-time great like Manning is having people just latching on to whatever flaw, real or perceived, they can find.

And yes, I know I am defending an Indianapolis Colt. I will now go light myself on fire.

[Frosstbyte]

I think your post simply points out what (most) people already know: offense wins games; defense wins championships. It's absolutely true that lousy qbs have won Super Bowls, but they did it on the strength of their D. The Colts have thrived for...forever on having an explosive offense and a good enough defense that the other team just can't keep up. That is not a strategy for consistent post-season success, and it didn't cut it against a Saints team that played a superb game.

People are latching on to Manning and picking on him because he's been such an idolized golden boy, and while he's a great quarterback, he has a real history of choking at big moments in big games. This was another instance on the list, and a particularly public and damning instance. I think it's pretty obvious why people love to hate Manning, but maybe that's just because I agree with them, heh.

[yournamehere]

If people have to dwell on one mistake, then I'd say he played a pretty good game.

Although . . . . even I could've jumped that route, it took so long to develop.

But let's not forget what everyone was thinking a few seconds before the pick six:

"Oh boy - here we go again - just a few minutes left in the game and Payton Manning is working his magic. The question is - will the Saints have enough time left after the Colts score to try a field goal, or are we going to Overtime?"

Oh yes you were.

[Punk.of.Ages]

Actually, I was thinking, "Oh great, the pressures on Manning in the 4th quarter. Watch for the interception..."

[Jetée]

It's probably close time to a new thread about the overlap in changing seasons, but I'll say this here:

nearly all the free agents acquisitions by my invested teams and those at large around the league, have, how can I say, well, been less than stellar.

I've never followed free agency or the weeks before the draft very much at all, and now I know why: It's mostly crap; as in it has no real substance but to irritate you upon hearing about it.

The only signings I feel will make a difference, in at least minor regards, would be Delhomme going to the Browns, Boldin to the Ravens, (which as much as I hate to admit it, but the Ravens are among the best in terms of front-office management for the majority of this past decade) and Joey Porter signing with the Cardinals (which lessens the blow I felt when Karlos Dansby floated into free agency, and was promptly signed).