2017-2018 NFL thread

[THE Bigzoman]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300...ract-extension

Looks like Marvin Lewis won't be extended this year. It's a make or break year for him in the Natti.

Now, i'm already starting to see Sports Reporters chime in about this. Here's the short version of why most of them think Lewis shouldn't be a lame duck coach:

Well, it could be worse.

I heard sports reporter (I don't know her name) on NFL Network compare firing Lewis to firing Hue Jackson when he was with Oakland. But there's a difference between firing a head coach with a .500 season record his first year and firing a head coach with a .500 overall record his 14th. How that could be missed in her analysis is beyond me.

But that's not what really grinds my gears about the Pro-Lewis Camp. They act like a team with a retarded amount of talent has NEVER progressed after firing their head coach. They live in an alternate reality where the Bucs never won the Super Bowl after replacing Dungy or the Broncos never won after firing Fox.

[Vetali]

The way it should be.

If thats the path to fame you gotta take.

Uh oh, sports are having crossovers!

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/...Cl9?li=BBnba9I

https://twitter.com/lil_eazy_ana_42/...48478165553152

my kinda sports crossover tbh

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300...ract-extension

Looks like Marvin Lewis won't be extended this year. It's a make or break year for him in the Natti.

Now, i'm already starting to see Sports Reporters chime in about this. Here's the short version of why most of them think Lewis shouldn't be a lame duck coach:

Well, it could be worse.

I heard sports reporter (I don't know her name) on NFL Network compare firing Lewis to firing Hue Jackson when he was with Oakland. But there's a difference between firing a head coach with a .500 season record his first year and firing a head coach with a .500 overall record his 14th. How that could be missed in her analysis is beyond me.

But that's not what really grinds my gears about the Pro-Lewis Camp. They act like a team with a retarded amount of talent has NEVER progressed after firing their head coach. They live in an alternate reality where the Bucs never won the Super Bowl after replacing Dungy or the Broncos never won after firing Fox.

Yeah I really don't get how some people could defend him at this point. Seems like every time hes on the block he has the "injuries killed our season" card in his hands.

[Pendulous]

Aaron Rodgers breaks up with Olivia Munn. Chicago bears take the opportunity to make fun of him with headlines like "Olivia Munn breaks up with boyfriend". Because, you know, they REALLY wanna get their asses kicked by him next season.

[xskarma]

About Marvin Lewis, I'm kind of neutral on him. I think it gets underestimated how hard it is to be at least competent and how hard it is to get a team to the playoffs for several years straight.

Those teams may have had talent, but players need to be actually taught and coached hwo to become a cohesive team and find consistent success. You could say that Hue Jackson and others have helped in that, but guess who they were being lead by and steered by and developed by.

Marvin Lewis may not have what it takes to win a Superbowl but for a lot of other coaches out there, young and old, they don't even GET to the playoffs and they don;t even get their team turned around from being bottom of the barrel teams.


Having a good coach is like having a good QB, it's nice to want one, but there's few out there that are surefire able to get you to a Superbowl. Marvin Lewis is not one of them, but he's certainly capable to get a team far enough to start the race.

To continue the comparison, Marvin Lewis is like Phillip Rivers. Gets a lot of flak for failing in the post season, but he's still one of the better people to do what he does, even if he's unlikely to ever win a Superbowl. But he's got enough success in his past that you can say "He just might win one".

[Pendulous]

To continue the comparison, Marvin Lewis is like Phillip Rivers. Gets a lot of flak for failing in the post season, but he's still one of the better people to do what he does, even if he's unlikely to ever win a Superbowl. But he's got enough success in his past that you can say "He just might win one".

Also a certain other quarterback that just retired...

[xskarma]

I've got an interesting question for you all: Does the quality of play in the NFL dramatically change year to year, with up and down years?

We know pretty much all athletes have good and bad years (and certainly when looked back on with some time to reflect). So it makes some sense to say that just as every athlete will have good and great and bad and mediocre years that it makes sense for the whole league to also fluctuate. But then, is it really? There's 320+ coaches working in the league and some 2000 signed players, you'd have to think that with such large numbers that for every athlete having a good year, there's athletes having bad years. Same thing with the coaches making game plans and such.

So I understand that over long periods the play in the league will change, but when comparing 1 year with the next or 2 years ago you'd have to think that there wouldn't be too big of a shift. On such short time spans you also have many of the same players and while players will have ups and downs as mentioned there's some basic level of competency each player has and while there will be variance it's still within certain limits.

Having said all that, it still seems a very widespread way of talking about football that for instance says this past year was bad and that the quality of play sucked. So is that true, do you think? Was the football last year markedly worse than in 2015 or in 2014?

Cause I can't help but think that we had largely the same players and that across so many players and coaches that the average performance will even out and that there's not really any huge swings in play quality. It seems logical.


Buuuuuuuuuuuut


The logical conclusion from that should be that the quality of play in the post season would also not change dramatically and that the playoff teams in a given year would match up to years near it fairly well, again due to many of the same players being there and the large number of players saying that the average performance will be largely the same. Makes sense, right?

Yet despite all that I can't help but think that the past post season was not as good as the one in 2014 when the Patriots won. Is that cause my logic fails in some way and there IS a marked difference year to year or is it a question of perception, cause the Ravens game in 2014 and the 2014 Superbowl were defined by very nice back and forth play by both teams that it just looks and feels better than the 2016 post season when we had fairly ugly games against the Texans and Falcons.

Based purely on feels I would say that the league in 2014 saw better play and that 2016 was "bad", but I can't also help but think that it's probably bullshit and that the quality of play in 2016 was not that different and that just cause the games themselves were ugly affairs we somehow conclude that the teams were worse, when in fact the Texans defense and the Falcons in general, were just really good teams that made it hard for the Patriots to show good play.


So, what do you all think?

Is it a perception problem cause games (especially in the post season) were blow outs that we perceive the teams in them being bad and thus the whole league being worse this year than say in 2014 when things were more even? Or is it just a reality that the overall quality of play fluctuates between seasons in the NFL to the degree that there's a noticeable difference and that good teams from 2016 wouldn't be able to compete with good teams from 2015 or 2014?

[Pendulous]

This year was just a weird anomaly. So many blowouts in the playoffs. The reason, I don't know. It doesn't detract, I think, from the quality of the season overall. I DO believe that it means that maybe the wrong teams made the playoffs. Then again, we had a potential playoff team(Titans) lose their quarterback, and another team make the playoffs (Raiders) lose their quarterback. In the NFC, the conference was very top-heavy. There were no real surprises when it came time for the Super Bowl.

But, as they say, it's not just the destination, it's also the journey.

[Vetali]

2012 was a really fun season after the replacement ref shit (that broncs vs ravens post season game). 2013 just really had lots of power houses with not many upsets. 2014 was a pretty good year despite the Ray Rice drama. IIRC there were lots of teams in playoff contention into week 17, plus the 3 way tie for first seed in the NFC. 2015 was a fall off, and 2016 just sucked ass.

hard for me to really remember before that because I didn't pay much attention to the NFL as a whole.

[Deleted]

I've got an interesting question for you all: Does the quality of play in the NFL dramatically change year to year, with up and down years?

Probably not. Does on the other hand the perception of the quality of play change maybe bot dramatically but substancially? For me yes, and it depends on two factors that influence but not determine the quality of the sports itself: referee-ing and injuries.

2008 sucked and it sucked b/c the best player wasn't playing. Last year was not quite as extreme, but the NFC would have been more fun for me if the Vikings had Peterson and Teddy.

That obviously is outside anybody's power to influence. Bad calls on the other hand should not happen to the extent the happened last year. I don't fucking mind if you need an extra league time out for instant replays to babysit your refs from the officiating HQ. Just avoid game deciding crap that we've seen too often the last ~five years.

[xskarma]

Probably not. Does on the other hand the perception of the quality of play change maybe bot dramatically but substancially? For me yes, and it depends on two factors that influence but not determine the quality of the sports itself: referee-ing and injuries.

2008 sucked and it sucked b/c the best player wasn't playing. Last year was not quite as extreme, but the NFC would have been more fun for me if the Vikings had Peterson and Teddy.

That obviously is outside anybody's power to influence. Bad calls on the other hand should not happen to the extent the happened last year. I don't fucking mind if you need an extra league time out for instant replays to babysit your refs from the officiating HQ. Just avoid game deciding crap that we've seen too often the last ~five years.

I'd forgotten about referees, I guess that does impact the game a lot. Definitely enough to swing perception, but maybe also to just bring down the play. Vetali bringing up 2013 reminded me of that. I don't think the actual play in 2013 was that much worse, but the games were terrible at the beginning cause you had no clue what would happen with the refs sometimes and there were so many blown calls.

[draynay]

I didn't pay much attention this years playoffs. Usually if its boring matchups I join in late because its a competitive and interesting game.

That didn't happen much this year. Nothing like the Cardinals/Packers game or the Patriots/Broncos. The Seahawks usually play highly entertaining playoff games but they were dull this year, for people that like numbers - 2014-15 they played 5 playoff games with a total point differential of 32 points, this year, 2 games, 36 point differential. Of course you can go back one more year and get a 35 point blowout, so things vary with time.

[Pendulous]

Probably not. Does on the other hand the perception of the quality of play change maybe bot dramatically but substancially? For me yes, and it depends on two factors that influence but not determine the quality of the sports itself: referee-ing and injuries.

2008 sucked and it sucked b/c the best player wasn't playing. Last year was not quite as extreme, but the NFC would have been more fun for me if the Vikings had Peterson and Teddy.

That obviously is outside anybody's power to influence. Bad calls on the other hand should not happen to the extent the happened last year. I don't fucking mind if you need an extra league time out for instant replays to babysit your refs from the officiating HQ. Just avoid game deciding crap that we've seen too often the last ~five years.

AJ Green, every skill player on the Chargers, Tony Romo (although it worked out), JJ Watt. I think it was mentioned multiple times during the year that it felt like way more stars got hurt, seriously hurt, this season than any other year.

- - - Updated - - -

Watching the Steelers/Cards Super Bowl, I just realized there was a very clear block in the back on Pittsburgh during the Harrison 100-yard TD interception return at the end of the first half.

[draynay]

I think it was mentioned multiple times during the year that it felt like way more stars got hurt, seriously hurt, this season than any other year.

I've heard that too many different years to take it seriously.

- - - Updated - - -

Even 2015 seemed worse for star injuries than 2016.

[apepi]

I disagree that you guys that 2016 sucked. The playsoffs were so good. Each team I feel like they each had a chance of getting in the Superbowl. Dallas, Green Bay, Pittsburgh, Chiefs and Houston all had a chance make it. 2015? We all knew the two teams were the Denver and Carolina. 2015 Was boring, this year we at least had competition.

[WskyDK]

Apparently Lynch has been in "private talks" with the Pats, in case the Raiders don't end up working out.

[ramayana1423]

I disagree that you guys that 2016 sucked. The playsoffs were so good. Each team I feel like they each had a chance of getting in the Superbowl. Dallas, Green Bay, Pittsburgh, Chiefs and Houston all had a chance make it. 2015? We all knew the two teams were the Denver and Carolina. 2015 Was boring, this year we at least had competition.

The only AFC team who could even sniff a chance to beat the Pats in the playoffs last year was Pittsburgh.

As for the season as a whole, it was pretty bad. There are only like 6 watchable teams now. Teams with crappy QBs are impossible to watch and even worse is the teams with a talented QB who have somehow put unconscionably bad teams around them (Colts, Saints, etc). If it wasn't for RedZone I'm not sure I could sit through most games on TV.

[Vetali]

Apparently Lynch has been in "private talks" with the Pats, in case the Raiders don't end up working out.

If he comes back, he will have to pay a fine for arm wrestling now too.

[apepi]

The only AFC team who could even sniff a chance to beat the Pats in the playoffs last year was Pittsburgh.

Well AFC was a bit weak, Chiefs could have gave Pats a run for their money. But the NFC? That was a toss up. Any team could have won(with the expectation of the Lions).

[xskarma]

Pre-season slate is out.



- - - Updated - - -

Patriots' preseason schedule:

Wk 1 (Aug 10-14): vs. Jags
Wk 2 (Aug 17-21): at Texans
Wk 3 (Aug 24-27): at Lions
Wk 4 (8/31-9/1); vs. NYG


Re-match with the Texans after the playoffs, supposedly we're also doing joint practices with them that week. We also play them regular season so this should be a fun match up.

Lions week 3, when most of the starters play and you get an idea of what the team thinks and who is likely going to stay on the roster and who is getting cut. Also usually the first good look at serious competition and hwo the team is doing, if they are in good shape. I think Lion's are a good opponent for that, play off team last year, look to have done some good work in the offseason, Stafford is a good QB to test our defense. I like this a lot.

Jags week 1 and Giants week 4 are whatever. Week 4 nobody important plays any significant minutes and week 1 is unlikely to see many minutes for the top shelf players as well, since it's usually used to see who is doing well in the back end of the roster when the pads come on and if they are worth more time in the rest of training camp.

All in all, not a bad schedule. Especially that Texans game will be juicy, cause I think the Texans will be fired up after last season. Those joint practices should be fun too. I still remember the Bears practices last year and how multiple times scuffles broke out and there was near fighting. Would not surprise me to see tension at the those Texans practices either.

[Vetali]

Yeah pretty much what I thought. Its just Lynch's agent trying to get the Raiders to pay up. I really think hes gonna stay retired at this point.