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

Any and all NFL talk is welcome here.

I know this thread is about 4-5 months late, considering all the stories that have already occurred in the meantime, during the draft and offseason acquisitions, more controversies to shake a stick at, and even a tragic end to a legend or two, but now is as good a time is as any.

So, who else feels that last night's season opener and AFC defensive clash among the Steelers and Titans was the perfect game to start the NFL's season? It was so good, I couldn't believe it, and it could easily be the best kickoff game in the last five years, maybe even this decade.

Which team is your team(s)? Who are your surprise teams for this year? Who improves, and who will ultimately disappoint yet again. Show off your know-how and intuitions.

go packers! that is all.

goddamn 'phins! that was a horrible display from them yesterday.

It was indeed a wonderful game. Big steelers fan here and by the end of that game it was one of those that you could not be mad over losing if it happened. Sadly it was a loss in a way with Troy being hurt.

I still have folks out here talking shit to me about last seasons game (rigged, blah blah) people of Phoenix do not let things go.

Should be a good season overall.

Really sucks for Philly with the broken ribs on Donovan.

Bears are in trouble. They just lost Pisa Tinoisamoa and Brian Urlacher. With Urlacher out for the season.

Both the Packers and the Bears played like crap last night.

first, who did Green Bay have playing Defense for them, because they looked nothing like the packer D from last year.

second, did anyone really expect Cutler to lift the Bears to division champs?

Third, what a wild Bronco finish.

it's going to be an exciting year.

Packers just switched from a 4-3 to a 3-4. It might pay off big but one game against a faltering cutler doesn't give them legitimacy yet. From the bits I watched last night it seemed more that both offenses were playing like crap instead of defenses playing great.

It's funny. I watched this game with a bunch of hardcore Packer fans and was more then a little amused at their take on the game. Bears played like shit and the Packers just kept getting bad calls and bad breaks. I agree with you, both teams played a pretty awful game.

I also think the Bears are in a pretty screwed position without Urlacher for the entire year.

Here is one for the highlight reals


Man AP is a beast. Despite what he claims LT has nothing on AP currently (though they were close in his prime).

Go Niners! 20-16 Win over Arizona to start the season! I love it! Offense looks questionable, but the defense has definitely improved in the off-season.

Woohoo! Brady is back!
(wipes sweat off brow from last 5 minutes of gametime.)

Pats got very lucky with that comeback.

Both games tonight, very enjoyable!

What a awesome first week all in all.

Totally. But Brady finally got comfortable at the end of the game, and that's what should carry forward into the rest of the season. It's a good thing that the first game was against the Bills, so that the Pats could get away with a bad start.

2009 NFL Week 1 Box Scores
 

I'm calling the Chargers-Raiders game a tie, because they got jobbed on that overturned TD.

I think ever since last season, the referees have exercised more power and game-changing abilities than ever before; from the early in the season Ed Hochuli call (SD v. Den), to the Super Bowl (which the Cards got housed in 'cause of the zebras) to this past Monday night in both features, on the Murphy TD for Oakland, and the newly-instituted "Brady rule 1.2" when Edwards was sacked, yet it was incorrectly called as "roughing the passer; lunging at the legs". I could also go in depth at how many touchdowns were recalled in the Det @ NO tilt (3 at least, in total) unfairly.

It's unbelievable how much the game has changed in the course of what seems only two seasons, in that it now takes overcoming both the opposing team, the schedule, the away from home crowd, and as it is, even the referees, in order to eventually secure a victory. It's scary.

I'm going to say it now, because I probably won't be able to the rest of the season:

My Jets are undefeated!


That aside, Matt Stafford sucks.

The NFL disagrees with you.

---------- Post added at 05:47 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:42 AM ----------

I see it as the Bills getting stupid at the end. Why try to run the kick off back at all? Fall down and protect the ball and eat the clock. Poor ball and clock management cost the Bills that game.

While it was a dumb move, this is unacceptable:

No kidding, fans can be stupid beyond belief.

That just isn't right.

(unless it happens to one of the Cowgirls, then I'm totally cool with it)

I'm a Denver fan, and I hate saying it but it looks like it is going to be a long year. The defense actually looked good until the last drive but the offense was pitiful. I'd be willing to trade Orton for just about anybody in the league. Or maybe talk Jake Plummer out of retirement. Heck, John Elway is 49 years old, get him out there, even at that age and after 10 years of retirement I wouldn't be surprised to see an improvement over Orton.

The defensive coordinator is at fault for that cincy score by being conservative and letting palmer have some relief from the pressure.

and I realize that alot of people think Kyle Orton sucks, but that just makes them plain wrong. Orton had zero turnovers and is currently the #6 QB in the league for rating. Now, if you want to blame missed blocks and O line penalties on Orton, fine, but that's not very smart. If you want to blame dropped passes on Orton, that's less smart. If you want to acknowledge that the entire offense needs to step it up, including Orton, then you are most likely right.

It's only week 1 and you've got the #6 QB in the league, yet you're ready to cut him from the roster. Does that sound smart to you?

I wonder why the entire Fox NFL panel has them as the sole NFC representative for this season's Super Bowl? It was quite curious to not hear a single disagreement nor explanation as to why they all felt the same way.

LOL Bills

The Bucs already lost...

and I lost five bucks over it....

Hopefully, this isn't a primer for the whole season.

Ok I made it sound like Kyle sucks worse than he does but to call him the #6 QB in the league? Better than Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, and Philip Rivers? There is more to a QB than just passer rating, and a lot of Ortons decision making isn't very good, such as taking the sack that knocked them out of field goal range late in the game instead of throwing the ball away. Besides, if Stokley wasn't in position to catch the fluke last touchdown pass and it had just fallen incomplete then Ortons passer rating for the game drops to 72.9, which would be 23rd in the league.

I get what you're saying but all QBs make mistakes at times. The point I was making is that alot of people think Kyle just plain sucks but that is so far from the truth. He's not a superstar, but he's not a basement dweller either. Even last year at the start of week 6, he was the #2 QB in the NFL for TD passes, 2 less than Favre. The sack, yes he probably should have thrown the ball away but the way the Bengals line had been beating the O line, it was probably a better decision to protect against a turnover than to risk attempting a pass.

Kyle Orton is a QB who can get the Broncos to the playoffs as long as the rest of the team does their part, which includes avoiding stupid penalties and not dropping easy passes.

They did pretty well considering we've got a new coach. I was really impressed with how Cadillac was running. I think him and Ward are going to be a nice duo for our run game. Now if only Leftwich would stop overthrowing those deep passes....

I love seeing the Ravens with an offense this year. I think I'll have some fun watching the games, and not cringe every time the offense has the ball.

Price tag for new stadium: $1 billion +
Attendance for inaugural game: 105,000 +

Having the New York Giants come in and wreck the house warming party: priceless

Excuse me, but where the fuck did those Jets come from?

Last year. Didn't you see? They had an above average defense then, and now with Rex Ryan, (who was the same defensive coordinator who fronted a vaunted defense to lead another rookie to the AFC Championship Game, so would it be impossible to duplicate it w/ Sanchez?) they have a great formula for success. And Darrelle Revis is probably one of the top-3 cover corners in football today.

absolutely horrid time management by the 'phins. They could and should have won last night.

also, it's time to give up on Ted Ginn.

I had that joy even last year, but what I have liked about the Ravens offense even when it sucked was being able to have very few turnovers, and make sure the other team had poor field positioning.

I just want next week to see the raven defense as it should be.

It boggles my mind how many coaches don't know how to manage the clock. Pennington is to blame too, but ultimately it is the head coach that needs to have a plan for late in the game that has been communicated to his offense.

Ginn Jr. needs to catch that ball. He had two hands on the ball and he blew the game.

The Dolphins D played well overall, but those two blown assignments on defense went for 140 yards or so and two touchdowns.

To be fair, the 'phins are still are few players out from having a good defense..

they need even more on offense, but with the Big Tuna swimming around that should change. I totally agree with you about the time management.. especially when Sporano and Pennington are considered two of the smartest guys in the league and they completely stutter the last 3 minutes away. It's almost like they were surprised to have a chance to win and couldn't figure out what to do.. and wtf was up with the play calls? Running the ball with 1:00 and change when you need serious yardage? I don't get it. Sure they ran the ball well, but they just needed side out routes or fuck even a quick slant and go would have sufficed.

Ted Ginn Jr. hasn't proven anything since he's been around. He's been given so many chances and he could have washed all of the past problems away with a grab. It wasn't a difficult catch and the cover back didn't affect the position of Ginn at all so he should have come down with it. He's like the Tony Romo of wide outs. He can't do shit when it really matters.

Please Parcells, get us a REAL (3 would be nice) wide out.

Plus, love him or hate him, Peyton Manning can read a defense better than any quarterback in the NFL, and will eat you alive if you make a mistake.

I originally posted this last month as a preseason "look-back" to last year, but I wanted to hear a few takes on the matter here. Seeing as how many people think that the Dolphins blew the game and moreover, their season, in week 2, here's my article that analyzes last season's greatest team collapses (regular season), in order of significance, expectations, player/coaching hype, overall win-loss record at their height, and (non-)impact on the playoff picture because of their "down-the-stretch" ineptitude.

The list is as follows (minimal bias):


1. The Redskins - Before being embarrassed by Pitt. on Monday Night, The 'Skins held an impressive 6-2 record, Clinton Portis was the league's leading rusher at the halfway mark, and some (ok, only Ron Jaworski) thought that Jason Campbell was in the MVP discussion; what had followed was that the team's O-line eventually collapsed under old bones, Clinton Portis got winded and run into the ground too soon, and JC started throwing INT and getting sacked unmercifully (you could also say they had no viable downfield threat other than S. Moss, 'cause the rookie WRs were no help at all) ... what became of this was an eventual final tally of an 8-8 record, and it opened the doorway to another NFC East wildcard incumbent (to be discussed later on the list more fully).

2. TB Buccaneers - While I wrote the above, wikipedia does a better job describing what ultimately happened to the Bucs in 2008: The Bucs got off to a great start in 2008, with a 9–3 record going into the final month of the season, tied for first place in the division, with a chance at the top seed in the conference. On December 2, it was announced that defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin would be leaving the team after the season's end, for the same job at the University of Tennessee, serving under his son Lane Kiffin, who had just been named the new head coach at the school. After the announcement, the Buccaneers would lose the final four games of the season to finish 9–7 for the second consecutive season. Unlike 2007, it was not enough to secure the division championship, nor a playoff appearance.

3. Dallas Cowboys - The Dallas Cowboys entered the 2008 NFL season with high expectations. With a lot of returning talent on both sides of the ball, many predicted the Cowboys would make a run to the Super Bowl. They started strong, they had such pro-bowl stars as Tony Romo, Terrell Owens, Jason Witten, & Marion Barber, yet they had mixed results of "streakiness" throughout the season - they won their first 3 games, then went on to lose the next 4 of 6 games entering their bye; some of this can be attributed to Romo's hurt hand, but after he came back, rallying yet another 3-win streak, the Cowboys lost their final 3 of 4 games, especially in a disheartening 44-6 loss within the final week of the regular season to Philadelphia, which would have ultimately resulted in the victor claiming a playoff wildcard berth. For "America's Team", Dallas has not had positive end-of-the-season success in the past five years.

4. Denver Broncos - In what was arguably 2008's weakest NFL division, it seemed as though the Denver Broncos were the one shining spot. They were high-flying, gun-slinging, points-racking, and were overall, one of the more highly-potent offenses in the entire league; the problem was, the Broncos had absolutely no semblance of what could be called a "defense", Champ Bailey was not himself, and the hurt RB-carousel of 5-8 different starting running backs did not aid their efforts at all. Yet, despite the surrounding problems, the Broncos held a four-game lead in the AFC West division entering the homestretch of the season. Even with this crutch, it could not save the ultimate fate of Denver, who ended up just shy of the playoffs yet again, due to a final season re-match against San Diego, and the overall results of their campaign was a mediocre 8-8 record.

5. New York Jets - Though they did improve upon their 4-12 record from the year before, 9-7 wasn’t the year the Jets envisioned upon bringing Favre into town. After a series of wins and losses to start the season, the Jets appeared to have turned the corner in week 8 as they began a five game winning streak that included a victory over their long time rival, the New England Patriots. Unfortunately, the Jets (and notably an elder Favre) then fell apart, losing four of five down the stretch and missing the playoffs. The hype for the team's showing after the Patriots smashing (it was a lucky win anyway) was so strong, fervent, and ridiculous for a period of two weeks afterwards, that there were National(!) headlines that deemed them the next successor to the SuperBowl, aptly entitling the "would-be" contest the "Subway" Super Bowl - yecgh.

6. Buffalo Bills - Buffalo Bills quarterback Trent Edwards has been somewhat of an enigma the past couple seasons. There have been times when he’s absolutely brilliant (who has seen this?) , and other times when he looked completely lost on the field. Part of the reason for this is because the Bills have typically only had two options on offense in that they could either run the ball or throw to wide receiver Lee Evans. Perhaps this is the reason that they ranked in the bottom quarter of the league in total yards gained per game (24th overall). The Buffalo Bills finished the season last year 7-9, which happened to be the exact same record they had in 2007. However, after notching a 5-1 start, the 7-9 record posted in 2008 can be seen as nothing other than a disappointment.

7. Green Bay - After going 13-3 and going to the NFC Title Game in 2007, the Packers looked to establish a new identity in 2008, as a changing of the guard occurred with Brett Favre giving way to Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers played very well his first year starting for the Packers, and in comparison, posted nearly identical statistics as the freshly traded Brett Favre had his final year with the Packers. The team as a whole, however, could not finish their contests and lost 7 games by 4 or less points; in what seemed to be a good showing starting 2-0, then 4-3 entering their bye, the Packers ended up winning only two more games, resulting in a 6–10 record overall. The reason for the team's poor record was attributed mostly to the numerous injuries on defense that regularly kept six or seven starters off the field at various times throughout the year, yet refused to mention Favre or Ryan Grant's struggles.


Honorable Mention:
The Patriots - The New England Patriots had high hopes heading into the 2008 season. They were coming off a 2007 season in which they completed the first ever 16-0 regular season in NFL history, but lost the Super Bowl to the New York Giants. In the season opener, quarterback Tom Brady, the NFL's MVP in 2007, suffered a knee injury and missed the remainder of the season. Backup quarterback Matt Cassel replaced Brady. Cassel's start in Week 2 was his first start in a game since high school, and he led the Patriots to a win, which extended the Pats' regular season winning streak record to 21 games before an embarassing loss the next week ended the streak (v. Miami). Although Cassel had a steep learning curve to overcome, he finally hit his stride around mid-season, and at the end of it all, the unheralded backup led the team to an 11-5 record, and due to unfortunate tie-breaking circumstances/ranking, the team failed to reach the playoffs.



What do you guys think? Do you agree, would you switch a few of the rankings, or did I leave off any deserving (flailing) team?

Who's your premature team this season that has virtually no chance in your opinion to recover from a .500 start or an 0-2 record?

How 'bout dem Ravens, hon? :hyper:

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

At least it was the Giants this week.

fucking dolphins.

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

Bucs suck. Yesterday was absolutely horrible.

Nice throw Favre!

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.

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 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.

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

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.

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.

Pennington to have shoulder surgery this week..

Peter King's "Monday Morning QB"
 

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

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

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

now that you mention you are right lol duh

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. :no:

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

Go Jets!

That is all.

Fuck the Jets ( :) )

Go Giants!

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

great article in response to the missed call
 

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.


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.

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. ;)

Seahawks gave Manning the silent treatment
 

By Doug Farrar

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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:

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.

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.

:lol:

Ray Lewis, Ed Reed of Baltimore Ravens won't be fined for remarks - ESPN

No one on the Ravens is getting fined for their comments. Which I simply cannot believe, as a Ravens fan. I guess that means we know where the league stands...

they know Brady is a pussy? :lol:

Dude, the Bengals season has been unreal thus far. Cedric Benson, as many Chicago fans may know, was a laughing stock of a running back for more than two years as a starter; next, he lands in Cincy last year, does nothing but look awful gaining 3 yards per carry; but with an improved O-line, he has turned heads with his tough, grind-it-out running style, and perhaps changed minds, as he is now the top rusher in the league after a quarter of the season. It may not seem like much after 5 weeks into this early season, but again, this is Cedric Benson! And also to ponder: he gained 120 yards on the ground against the Ravens today, and wore down Pittsburgh's vaunted defense weeks earlier. These are two consensus top-5 defenses returning from last year, and yet he, still is productive against them. He is like a focused lawnmower or something.

Also, Carson Palmer may not be putting up huge stats, but he has executed and delivered in all 4 victories thus far with successive game-winning drives. That is the quality and trait of an elite quarterback in which each game you are in, you always have a chance to capitilize with a comeback win. He is making the most of what he has, and it shows; he has rejuvenated his rapport with Chad Ochocinco, and he is making great strides with fellow team receivers in Caldwell and Henry.

Here's his take: Bengals QB Carson Palmer said Wednesday he isn't playing up to his capabilities. He's completing 57.7 percent of his attempts for six TDs and five INTs. "Not good enough," he said. "Not good enough to win a championship. I can't give myself a letter grade, but I haven't played up to my own expectations." Coach Marvin Lewis had a different take on Palmer's subpar performance against the Browns (23 of 44 for two TDs and an INT while the offense didn't gain a first down for 37 minutes). "I think he's playing better and better each week. His decision-making was as good as it's been this year."

Setting aside the Broncos undefeated streak for a moment, this outcome for Cincinnati and within the league is the real feel-good team of the year. Also, they are truly just one "immaculate deflection" away from being an undefeated team. Besides winning close, all 5 games that the Bengals have participated in have been decided within the last 25 seconds of the game, both wins and losses. This is an incredible team. In my opinion, this is perhaps one of the most exciting teams to watch in the NFL this season, hands-down.


Here's the article, via CBSSports:

In a duel for first place in the AFC North, the Bengals found another way to win a close game. Carson Palmer threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Andre Caldwell with 22 seconds left to cap an 80-yard drive, and the Bengals escaped with a 17-14 victory over the Ravens on Sunday. All five of Cincinnati's games this season have been decided by seven points for fewer. It appeared as if the Bengals (4-1) were destined to come out on the short end of this one until Palmer masterfully directed the final drive -- with the help of three yellow flags. An illegal contact penalty against the Ravens' Chris Carr and an unnecessary roughness call against Ray Lewis preceded the topper, a pass interference penalty against Frank Walker on third and 16 from the Baltimore 30. On the next play, Palmer found Caldwell over the middle for the winning score. Palmer finished the game going 18 for 31 passing for 271 yards. The Caldwell score was Palmer's lone TD pass of the game. He was also interecepted by Ed Reed who took the pick to the house.

And yet another: First-place Bengals pull upset special in Baltimore

I'd like to thank the Raiders for giving the Giants a bye this week.

What are you talking about? All three AFC West teams that played today forced their respective games into overtime.

The only exception is that the Oakland Raiders declared they were shot at 14:32 in the first quarter when they were tied with the New York Giants at 0-0; as soon as the first score was up, the game was over. But on a technicality, it was an immediate sudden-death that just happened to go on for a brutal 58 more minutes, with mininal stats and an opposing touchdown mixed in. They were basically a turnstile of a team.

Moving on:

The Chiefs forced the overtime; the least they could have done was capitalize on it.

Just like the Broncos, the new "America's Team".

Raiders i predict 0-16 so any team on there scheldule will be awarded a second bye week. Or they should be labeled the nfl's practice squad

If I told you to go fuck yourself, would you take it personally? :lol: ;)

Seriously though, that was a brutal game for the Ravens, and I give Cincy all the credit in the world for beating us. They are legit, even if I don't believe they are really as good as Baltimore.

At least there's no refs to blame today (although they did royally screw up a spot by five yards early on which affected a drive, the Ravens had SO many more chances it was irrelevant).

Alright, I take back everything bad I've said about Kyle Orton. 5 games in and the only interception he has is a meaningless interception on a hail mary to end the half. And he led 90 and 98 yard drives for touchdowns against New England. 5-0, I know I did not see the Broncos doing that. Although they do have a miserable schedule coming up, San Diego twice, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, NY Giants, and Indianapolis. They should win at Washington, and against Oakland and Kansas City at home. They could still be 8-8 team at the end of the season. Still they have won more games so far than many people thought they would win all year.

the SD games are wins without a doubt. SD will choke 2nd half and Orton will just pick em apart. Pitt could be really tough and I think that will be the first loss. I still can't predict between Denver and Giants. that game is just way too close. for the colts, unless joseph addai has a total breakout game, I don't see manning scoring enough points against the broncos to overcome a relentless 2nd half assault.

Orton could have had this kind of playability in chicago if it weren't for the ineptness of Ron Turner.

That and he didn't really have anywhere near the quality of receivers to throw to the last few years.

NFL Week 5 Scores
 

Worst team in the NFL, how do I define thee?

I see 2 (Rams and Raiders) that could be mortal locks in any other year - including last year. I could make a case for a third (Bucs). It's entirely possible that neither the Rams nor the Raiders could win a game. I don't think they play each other this year, so.....

The Bucs are probably more of a case of bad luck than anything else, but, man do they suck.

Ja'Marcus Russell - the next Todd Marinovich or the next Trent Green? You be the judge. I don't see any reason for any loftier expectations than that.

The Raiders beat the Chiefs this year, so at worst, they will go 1-15.

Really? The Chief have shown competence and ability to move the ball in non-garbage time. The Raiders, not so much. Even the Rams moved the ball better on Sunday than the Raiders (although a lot of those yards came after the decision was glaringly apparent). The Chiefs lost on a 4th quarter drive. The Raiders haven't even been close in the 4th quarter all season.

I think that the Raiders lose both games unless there's some sort of quantum shift in the organization.

I must be interpreting what you are saying incorrectly. It sounds like you really do think the Raiders are going to go winless this year, even though they already won a game against the Chiefs 13-10 in week 2. Plus the Raiders gave the Chargers all they wanted in week 1. The Raiders are a disaster without doubt, but they won't be winless this year.

I hope you are right about this, but the Broncos usually struggle against the Giants (The Giants were the team to end the Broncos perfect season in '98) and I don't know if they ever won a game in Indy, I do know they got blown out a lot in Indy, even before the Manning era. Maybe the new stadium there will change the Broncos luck.

Sorry - that should read "the next game" instead of "both". That will be the Raiders only win. The Rams won't win one. The Chiefs will win at least one, probably another one (San Diego, Buffalo or Cleveland are the likely candidates, but they could get overlooked by Denver at the end of the season).

And Tampa will win at least two (Miami and one of their two last games against Atlanta and New Orleans. If one of those has locked a playoff bearth, the game will be a scrimage.).

The Raiders didn't look awful their first two games. Hell, in that Monday night game Russell came back into the game after getting knocked out for a series, on 4th and 15, and threw a 50-yard in-stride strike to Louis Murphy in the end zone like it was a ten-yard slant. By the way, if anyone wants to know why he's going to keep getting chances even if he never turns it around for the Raiders (and it doesn't look good), that play is why.

They look worse than last years' Lions right now, though. I can't see them winning another game.

question of the week segment (I may try this for a few weeks, maybe it works)
 

For those of you fortunate enough to have seen it:

'The Battle of the Purples' (Vikings host the The Ravens, week 6 of the 2009 season):
your thoughts of the game? Was it everything you hoped for and more? considering both of these teams were playoff teams just last season, and both still look right in the thick of making it back there again this year, did it make it more special? Who do you think had the best quarterback play throughout the game? What ultimately surprised you about the game?
And a final ponderance: Had this been a Super Bowl game, where would it rank for you, hypothetically, of all the past permformances you've seen in your lifetime?

I was working Sunday and wasn't paying much attention as the Ravens fell behind, but I managed to arrive home right as the comeback started and watch to the end.

From what I saw and what I have read and heard I don't think there's any doubt about Joe Flacco anymore. He's for real.

0-7 here we come. The Patriots are going to destroy the Bucs. :|