NFL updates/news

[Jibjabb]

somebody get aaron rodgers some toilet paper. cuz he is shitting all over that houston defense

[Vetali]

#1 defense in what regard? Id take Chicago's defense over them any day of the week. If its yards it certainly isnt #1 anymore after Brady threw for almost 400.

Funny cause every other defense I watch is boring as hell, especially in the secondary.

Ugh, I've not watched football since Mists came out, and by the sound of it all I missed was some pretty shitty New England games. Since when does NE lose games when they are 13 points up with 8 minutes to play? Gratz to the Hawks fans though, if anything your team deserves it for being consistently awesome at home.

Pats didn't play shitty. Though I do say it was the worst I've seen Tom Brady play. 2 intentional groundings. Also spitting on Bruce Irvin was classy. Seattle had bigger mistakes though. The botched punt, Tight End fumbling. Breno costing us another first down.

The last TD was really good though. They sold the bootleg to the D line, Sidney Rice ran a beast route and blew the secondary.

[Elbren]

So Green Bay is stomping Houston. This season is just nuts. The one team I assumed would take care of business at home against a mediocre defense, is pretty much imploding. I refuse to believe the Atlanta Falcons are the best team in the NFL.

Green Bay is doing a great job of keeping Arian Foster out of the game, but I think this is more a case of Houston just killing themselves with penalties. Seven so far ... not many yards on those penalties, but I think at least half of them resulted in a 1st down. Think at least two of them came on the same drive, one of which was on a field goal attempt, which gave GB 1st down and another shot at a touchdown (which they eventually got).

Thing is, Baltimore, Chicago, Green Bay, Houston and New England could beat anybody as long as they get in the playoffs. It really is any given Sunday in the NFL right now.

I love the Ravens, but man ... have they looked bad the past few weeks. If Greg Little isn't allergic to pigskin, we lose that game against the Browns. If Dan Bailey doesn't do a Billy Cundiff impersonation, I really think we lose that game to Dallas. (kick would have only tied it, but Ladarius Webb was already out for the game and Ray Lewis and Haloti Ngata may not have come back in for OT. Both ended the game sitting on the sidelines with various injuries/ailments)

Unfortunately, this team is living off of reputation right now.

Defense
- This team just cannot stop the run. Ngata is continually double and triple teamed and the other guys along the line just aren't doing enough to compensate for that.
- This team has zero pass rush.
- This secondary is way overrated. Webb is good, but he's almost never on the other teams top (or even second) receiver. Jimmy Smith was decent today, but he continually gets beat down field. Cary Williams has looked horrible up to this point. He turned down a 3 year deal this offseason .. I have to imagine he's regretting that right now. I love Benard Pollard at safety, but Ed Reed ... I know he's a question mark in regards to injury, but he almost refuses to hit people now. All he basically does now is sit back deep and wait for any chance at an interception.
- Harbaugh hinted that Webb may have a torn ACL. If so, that is a huge loss to this defense.

Offense
- more of Cam's schizophrenic offense. one second, it's high octane / moving down the field, the next, it looks like they have no idea what they're doing.

[Northy]

somebody get aaron rodgers some toilet paper. cuz he is shitting all over that houston defense

A good day indeed. I was wondering when the Packers offense would break out, but I didn't expect it to be against Houston.

[Elbren]

Ray Lewis' injury may be worse than I thought.

They just mentioned at the end of the GB/Houston game that it's a possible torn tricep muscle. If so, he's done for the season. Haloti Ngata's injury wasn't as serious, but he could still be looking at missing time.

That's your star DT possibly out for multiple games and your MLB and top CB possibly out for the season.

Man, that sucks.

[Neazy]

So the Ravens aren't perfect, I'll give you that. But you would give them at least a 50/50 shot at beating the Texans, Patriots and Steelers, and they're definitely better than everyone else in the AFC. Since those are the teams they're going to play on the way to the Super Bowl, they have as good a shot as anyone at making it.

NFC is a little sketchier. I could see someone like the Cards or Seahawks upsetting the Falcons and Bears. 49ers, Giants and Packers are the teams that seem disciplined enough to not lose to anyone other than each other.

[Vetali]

49ers game is a MUST win for Seattle to have any chance in this division.

Although, I have to say if this is Pete Carroll letting the offense "off the leash" I'm pretty happy with it. Russell really is making improvements game to game. One thing I will say is good about him is I can't throw in the towel trailing at the end of the game like I did with Tjack. We could never come back in the 4th quarter with him.

[Northern Goblin]

Ray Lewis might not be as big a loss to the Ravens as people are making out. The last couple of seasons he's physically not been the imposing monster he was in the turn of the century.

What he brings to the Ravens is co-ordination, leadership and organisation, he can still do that from the sideline.


Both the Falcons and the Ravens are going through the same issue at the moment, where they're slacking off reaching their potential. This is a Falcons team that's 6-0 and a Ravens team that beat the Patriots and have a near perfect record. Yet the Ravens are barely winning their games and the Falcons struggled against an Oakland team that killed itself with penalties. They need a wake up call if they're to retain form, but I still see them as the favourites to meet for the Superbowl.

[Elbren]

Ray Lewis might not be as big a loss to the Ravens as people are making out. The last couple of seasons he's physically not been the imposing monster he was in the turn of the century.

What he brings to the Ravens is co-ordination, leadership and organisation, he can still do that from the sideline.


Both the Falcons and the Ravens are going through the same issue at the moment, where they're slacking off reaching their potential. This is a Falcons team that's 6-0 and a Ravens team that beat the Patriots and have a near perfect record. Yet the Ravens are barely winning their games and the Falcons struggled against an Oakland team that killed itself with penalties. They need a wake up call if they're to retain form, but I still see them as the favourites to meet for the Superbowl.

The problem with losing Ray Lewis is that they're already without Terrell Suggs. Combine that with losing Jarrett Johnson in the offseason and our LB core is seriously thin. McClain can step in for Lewis at MLB, but that leaves Upshaw (rookie who has not impressed thus far) and Kruger (1st year starter) as the outside LB's with no one to back up any of the positions. Think there's a couple guys we keep for special teams but they've been rediculously bad in any kind of real playi g time (Ayenbadejo was the guy that let the ball go right between his legs on the on-side kick).

Just my opinion, but I think they're pretty much assured to bring in a FA LB this week. We still have two on the practice squad, but neither impressed this pre-season.

[conscript]

Just my opinion, but I think they're pretty much assured to bring in a FA LB this week. We still have two on the practice squad, but neither impressed this pre-season.

I think EJ Henderson and Gary Brackett are still available out there on the market. Probably could do worse than either of those guys if they are healthy.

[Vetali]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap100...content_stream

The only one I like out of that 10 is Pearl Jam. If they did the halftime show it would be the first one I've watched in yeeeeears.

[Pendulous]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap100...content_stream

The only one I like out of that 10 is Pearl Jam. If they did the halftime show it would be the first one I've watched in yeeeeears.

Well, see here's the problem. Pearl Jam would probably play mostly newer stuff (are they working on a new album?). I can see Green Day doing some older, better stuff, but then again, they have a lot of anti-American music stuff that would probably not fly over well for the Super Bowl. The rest I could not care less about. Getting sick of washed up 80's bands playing it, and most of the newer stuff only serves to appeal to different crowds. Then again, I have a friend who is older and is a legitimate football fan, but only college. He watches it for the commercials. Weird. Anyway, Coldplay is ok but doesn't seem like it would fit.

[buck008]

The other problem with losing a guy like Ray Lewis is his ability to read offenses and get his defense into position. Everyone talks about how quarterbacks do the same thing, but very few people mention the impact a defensive captain with that kind of ability has on a defense. Lewis is one of the best ever at it, and he can't do it from the sidelines. It's a big big loss if he can't come back.

[Vetali]

Well, see here's the problem. Pearl Jam would probably play mostly newer stuff (are they working on a new album). I can see Green Day doing some older, better stuff, but then again, they have a lot of anti-American music stuff that would probably not fly over well for the Super Bowl. The rest I could not care less about. Getting sick of washed up 80's bands playing it, and most of the newer stuff only serves to appeal to different crowds. Then again, I have a friend who is older and is a legitimate football fan, but only college. He watches it for the commercials. Weird. Anyway, Coldplay is ok but doesn't seem like it would fit.

Yeah. Pearl Jams newer stuff is meh. I love their older stuff.

The other problem with losing a guy like Ray Lewis is his ability to read offenses and get his defense into position. Everyone talks about how quarterbacks do the same thing, but very few people mention the impact a defensive captain with that kind of ability has on a defense. Lewis is one of the best ever at it, and he can't do it from the sidelines. It's a big big loss if he can't come back.

Exactly. Its a huge hit to an already injured defense. Its confirmed season ending too. People are already asking if hes going to retire.

[conscript]

Wow that list of people who could play at the Super Bowl should go die in the deepest depths of hell. No Doubt? Fucking No Doubt? Really? Did anyone see their performance opening night on NBC? They were freaking terrible. No Doubt isn't relevant now and was frankly never that relevant. A country artist would suck since country music is awful. Green Day would be okay, but you frankly can't put Billy Joe out there without having your finger on the sensor button repeatedly. Coldplay, yes please. Van Halen with DLR would be awesome. Jay-Z and Kanye would be great, but again, not the most family friendly show. Pearl Jam sucks ass now and similar to No Doubt hasn't mattered in years. Beiber would be meh and also the highest rated show ever. Justin Timberlake rules. I would love to see this, four years ago when FSLS was a big deal. Still one of my favorite albums in years, but if they were going to go new age it would be someone more relevant. I hate Bon Jovi.

My predictions for the Super Bowl show:
1. Mumford and Sons. Coming off the biggest album debut is years. Incredibly safe play.
2. Muse. Recent record release getting tons of play in the US. Just on SNL (like Mumford) and played at the Olympics. Safeish band. Who here seriously wouldn't want to see some big Super Bowl production of Madness? Plus they are just absolutely fucking fantastic live.
3. The Eagles. It has to happen eventually right? There aren't many major no risk bands from that era who haven't played yet.
4. Bob Seger. Same vein as the Eagles.
5. Lady Gaga. This is a check that should have been cashed two years ago when she was just completely blowing up. Would still be pretty great though.
Bonus: Gaslight Anthem. They aren't a big enough name, but they have that sound that the NFL would jump all over. Very Bruce Springsteen-esque sound, haven't ever heard them live in a concert type setting but I imagine they would be good.

I'd love to see Muse more than anything and they seem like a fantastic fit for the event. They have put on big, big shows in the past, their music fits the event, and they've played at Wembley and the Olympics. They would be just a great fit. Plus they are fucking fantastic live. If there is a better live band right now I haven't heard it.

[Bamboozled]

The blueprint on the Texans wasn't exactly a hard one to find. If you stop / manage Arian Foster and force Schaub to win games, the Texans are going to lose. It's that simple. That defense relies pretty heavily on JJ (S)Watt and leaves the secondary open to be ripped apart like Rodgers just did. The fact that the Packers' run game wasn't all that effective leads me to believe that the Texans are 5-1 right now because of the teams they played previously. To that point, the Texans beat teams with a combined record of 8-16 with poor run defenses which led to Foster making Schaub look very, very good. It's the same blueprint to beat the 49ers - you make an average quarterback throw to win, and he's going to lose. It's that simple.

Regarding Lewis, I'm on the fence on how devastating it's going to be for the Ravens. He's definitely not the same player that he was even last year, let alone a few years ago. He's not capable of making the sideline to sideline to plays and it's one of the main reasons why the Ravens' run defense has taken a big hit. However, he's the heart and soul of that defense and his motivation for that team can't be matched by anyone. That, combined with Webb who is also out for the season, and the Ravens have just shifted their focus to the offense and are going to rely on them to close games out.

[buck008]

Wow that list of people who could play at the Super Bowl should go die in the deepest depths of hell. No Doubt? Fucking No Doubt? Really? Did anyone see their performance opening night on NBC? They were freaking terrible. No Doubt isn't relevant now and was frankly never that relevant. A country artist would suck since country music is awful. Green Day would be okay, but you frankly can't put Billy Joe out there without having your finger on the sensor button repeatedly. Coldplay, yes please. Van Halen with DLR would be awesome. Jay-Z and Kanye would be great, but again, not the most family friendly show. Pearl Jam sucks ass now and similar to No Doubt hasn't mattered in years. Beiber would be meh and also the highest rated show ever. Justin Timberlake rules. I would love to see this, four years ago when FSLS was a big deal. Still one of my favorite albums in years, but if they were going to go new age it would be someone more relevant. I hate Bon Jovi.

My predictions for the Super Bowl show:
1. Mumford and Sons. Coming off the biggest album debut is years. Incredibly safe play.
2. Muse. Recent record release getting tons of play in the US. Just on SNL (like Mumford) and played at the Olympics. Safeish band. Who here seriously wouldn't want to see some big Super Bowl production of Madness? Plus they are just absolutely fucking fantastic live.
3. The Eagles. It has to happen eventually right? There aren't many major no risk bands from that era who haven't played yet.
4. Bob Seger. Same vein as the Eagles.
5. Lady Gaga. This is a check that should have been cashed two years ago when she was just completely blowing up. Would still be pretty great though.
Bonus: Gaslight Anthem. They aren't a big enough name, but they have that sound that the NFL would jump all over. Very Bruce Springsteen-esque sound, haven't ever heard them live in a concert type setting but I imagine they would be good.

I'd love to see Muse more than anything and they seem like a fantastic fit for the event. They have put on big, big shows in the past, their music fits the event, and they've played at Wembley and the Olympics. They would be just a great fit. Plus they are fucking fantastic live. If there is a better live band right now I haven't heard it.

I think if they wanted to go for a modern rock act, the safest bet is probably The Black Keys. Awesome music, style isn't wildly out of whack with the NFL, music has proven to be pretty marketable with the litany of commercials it appears in. I think Jay-Z should be a no brainer for the NFL though. He's older and not as controversial these days, speaks to a broader demographic, and could trot out Beyonce to keep the ladies entertained. It makes so much sense that there's no way the NFL would do it.

[Jibjabb]

Not sure if everyone has noticed this

If Denver beats San Diego today which could easily happen the AFC will have...
2
yes count em
2
teams with a winning record and thats it. Houston and Baltimore. Shows what a joke the conference has become lately. In head to head games between NFC-AFC the NFC has won 19 of the 28 games. Thats a pretty significant margin. Only 3 teams have a winning record against NFC opponents thus far and the list is somewhat surprising: Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and Indianapolis

As for the half time show it will be some dinosaur thats 30 years past their prime like it always is. Unless they want the Black Eyed Peas to show up again who are one of the worst live performers since all their music is autotuned basically.

[Vetali]

http://www.fieldgulls.com/2012/10/15...hawks-patriots

There is a good read if you wana get more into the NFC vs AFC.

So, hypothetically Seattles "tough" schedule could be an easy one. Especially their wins consisting of 3/4 NFC teams.

Back to the half time show thing, I think we all know that they will go with whatever is most popular. So something like Lady Gaga makes more sense over Pearl Jam. But they will probably get some wash up 70s-80s band like they seem to like doing. If its some shit like No Doubt I'm going to rage.

[conscript]

I think if they wanted to go for a modern rock act, the safest bet is probably The Black Keys. Awesome music, style isn't wildly out of whack with the NFL, music has proven to be pretty marketable with the litany of commercials it appears in. I think Jay-Z should be a no brainer for the NFL though. He's older and not as controversial these days, speaks to a broader demographic, and could trot out Beyonce to keep the ladies entertained. It makes so much sense that there's no way the NFL would do it.

OMG totally forgot about the Black Keys. Yes they would be amazing as well. Another absolutely excellent live band also.

I am fairly devastated by the Ray Lewis likely career ending injury. Ray is right there with Peyton Manning as my favorite player of my generation of football players. I fucking love Ray Lewis. I don't think there has been a better leader, a better guy who his teammates absolutely look up to, a better heart and soul of a team than Ray Lewis at least not since the 70s. Actually pretty sad about possibly never seeing #52 out there firing everyone up playing his heart out every single down. Dude is the best.

Thankfully Manning is back. Losing Lidstrom, Lewis, and Manning in the same year would suck major balls.