Official 2010 NFL Thread

[Jack Sawyer]

Ha, Revis Island got pillaged and plundered

[Lukie]

Since we don't really talk about football in this thread and mostly just talk about various NFL drama, awards, incidents, and complain about discipline levied on players that happen to play on our favorite teams, I figured this would be the perfect place to talk about Sal Alosi, the Jets strength coach who tripped Miami's gunner on a punt play. Excessively long sentences ftw.

Video for those who missed it: YouTube - Jets Assistant Coach Intentionally Trip Dolphins DB Nolan Carroll On Sidelines?

The first thing that immediately came to my mind when I watched it (and Florio of PFT has since mentioned) is what the hell is a LINE of jets coaches/staff doing right on the sideline during a punt where it's perfectly reasonable an opposing gunner may be running. Frankly, it looks planned.

The staff is watching and NONE of them attempt to move or even flinch really. What I find really interesting (in a bad sort of way) is not only does the first guy stick his knee out to trip, the second guy in the formation turns his shoulder almost as if to shoulder check the Miami player (but misses because the first guy was successful in tripping).

Looks like a personal foul and possibly a violation of the palpably unfair act to me. Thoughts?

[Roid_Rage]

Meh they already discussed this to death on SportsCenter, etc. NFL sent out a memo or w/e to all league front offices to start policing the sidelines better during the game, and Alosi has been fined $25k and suspended for remainder of season.

Also, Lions finally winning a game is nice. After all the Sam Bradford ball fondling I have to throw it out there that the Lions laid the whoopin' on him 44-6 a couple months ago.

[Lukie]

I personally find BSPN intolerable so clearly I have no idea what they said regarding this and probably wouldn't put much stock into what they said anyway.

[drmcboy]

how many nfl coaches are unaware that if you run the ball, the clock keeps running? I know Marvin Lewis is one, and I guess Harbaugh makes 2...

[Roid_Rage]

I personally find BSPN intolerable so clearly I have no idea what they said regarding this and probably wouldn't put much stock into what they said anyway.

Meh, I agree with you to a certain extent, but I think thats probably all thats going to happen regarding this.

[Roid_Rage]

On a side note, lolRavens

Edit: Of course, 45 seconds after I post this, Matt Schaub throws the pick 6 in OT.

[bigspenda73]

and that's why it's tough to be a Texans fan

[kmind]

FUCK

[drmcboy]

and that's why it's tough to be a Texans fan

you should come to vegas next year and we can decide if being a bengals fan is worse. I really wanted to adopt them when they came in the league but it did not stick.

[Illfavor]

I turned this game off at the start of the 4th. I mean if you see the Texans fail spectacularly once, you've seen them all amirite?

[ensign_lee]

FUCK

[bigred]

TOM BRADY

[Jack Sawyer]

Vickadelphia IMO

And that Desean Jackson guy is such a major league asshole

[lolzzz_321]

yay chiefs, plz win out

texans - later kubes, lol @ cushing and a smith fighting

ya, desean jackson is an ahole

[ensign_lee]

Yeah I thought at first that he was being smart by running out any seconds left on the clock, but then I watched it again was like "wait, there's not time left"

Would have been horrendous had the refs called the "failure to advance hte ball" thing and planted the ball at the 1 to end regulation.

[philly and the phanatics]

Yeah I thought at first that he was being smart by running out any seconds left on the clock, but then I watched it again was like "wait, there's not time left"

Would have been horrendous had the refs called the "failure to advance hte ball" thing and planted the ball at the 1 to end regulation.

he didnt know there wasnt any time left yet.

[BennyLaRue]

he didnt know there wasnt any time left yet.

I don't know man...looked like major league showboating to me.

[Roid_Rage]

I'd showboat like an asshole too if I just came back from being down that much and just ran back a punt to win the game.

[Illfavor]

I didn't get the impression he was showboating on the goaline...especially since he had just showboated once he was in the clear. Looked pretty obvious that he was checking for the clock.

Also, I really like this year in the NFL. The best teams all have legit holes and thaaaat means the playoffs should be awesome.

[Roid_Rage]

Falcons imo.

[PapalRage]

Vickadelphia IMO

And that Desean Jackson guy is such a sick playmaker

FYP. I LOVE IT that he is so cocky. Dude has scored like 14 50 yard+ tds in the last two seasons.

[Ragnar4]

Tim Tebow Versus the Houston Texans.
Aww yeah baby. here's hoping for many more come from behind gut it out wins from the Triple T. (the third T stands for "touchdown")

[lolzzz_321]

[bigred]

Tim Tebow Versus the Houston Texans.
Aww yeah baby. here's hoping for many more come from behind gut it out wins from the Triple T. (the third T stands for "touchdown")

How much of a loser do you feel like rooting for Tebow?

[ensign_lee]

ugh. FML. I give up.

Season from Hell, Texans. Season from hell.

[Lukie]

in fairness, no nfl fan outside of texas really expected houston to win more than 8 games...

better draft position imo

[bigspenda73]

in fairness, no nfl fan outside of texas really expected houston to win more than 8 games...

lol no they were picked by a lot of people to make the playoffs

[Lukie]

i was going to write 'no knowledgeable' nfl fan expected to texans to win more than 8 games, but i'm trying to work on not offending people or something.

how could anyone, at the start of the year, seriously pick anyone else but the colts to win the division? true there's the wild-card, but picking someone to get into the playoffs based on that is tricky business, especially in the top-heavy AFC.

[Lukie]

and besides, my intention was for it not to be so literal, and more based on many years of painful mediocrity for the texans

[bigspenda73]

you'd think a Browns fan would be a bit more humble

[Lukie]

i'm not sure what the browns have to do with this... they have stunk for a long time. what's your point?

since i'm a fan of a pretty bad team that means i shouldn't say somewhat-negative things about another team that i don't have any rooting interest for or against?

[a500lbgorilla]

how could anyone, at the start of the year, seriously pick anyone else but the colts to win the division? true there's the wild-card, but picking someone to get into the playoffs based on that is tricky business, especially in the top-heavy AFC.

16 games still isn't long enough to keep the second best team from beating out the very best team for the division.

It's not impossible to understand that some people predict the future without investing confidence in the probable.

[ensign_lee]

Lukie, I understand what you're trying to say. maybe my expectations shouldn't have been so high.

But seriously, with arguable the league's best WR, not-arguably the league's leading rusher, a great QB, and a top 5 offense, you can't seriously say that the Texans should have a max of 6 wins this season. Yes, it's a team game, but the Texans have much more talent than other 5 win teams. Which makes our record DISGUSTING.

[ensign_lee]

16 games still isn't long enough to keep the second best team from beating out the very best team for the division.

Also, this. And I believe we handed the Colts their asses in week 1.

[philly and the phanatics]

Lukie, I understand what you're trying to say. maybe my expectations shouldn't have been so high.

But seriously, with arguable the league's best WR, not-arguably the league's leading rusher, a great QB, and a top 5 offense, you can't seriously say that the Texans should have a max of 6 wins this season. Yes, it's a team game, but the Texans have much more talent than other 5 win teams. Which makes our record DISGUSTING.

vikings talent >>>>>> texans talent.....we are also a 5 win team...suck it up

[a500lbgorilla]

vikings talent >>>>>> texans talent.....we are also a 5 win team...suck it up

No team's talent is a full 6 greater-than-signs better than any other.

[bigspenda73]

Your talent is better than ours? Hardly think so, and if it is it's marginally better.

[Roid_Rage]

Lions ldo.

[Lukie]

Lukie, I understand what you're trying to say. maybe my expectations shouldn't have been so high.

But seriously, with arguable the league's best WR, not-arguably the league's leading rusher, a great QB, and a top 5 offense, you can't seriously say that the Texans should have a max of 6 wins this season. Yes, it's a team game, but the Texans have much more talent than other 5 win teams. Which makes our record DISGUSTING.

what about the pass defense? the texans are giving up 277+ yards a game through the air at a ridiculous 8.4 yards an attempt. that is historically bad, worse than any of the lions teams of recent memory for example and you probably have to go back well over a decade to find a comparable example.

in fairness, nobody could predict that the defense would fall apart like that, but you also couldn't predict for example the breakout year by Arian Foster. he looks to be something special.

also i pegged the texans to be an average 8-8ish team and definitely didn't see 5-10 coming.

[Lukie]

one more random point, i tend to be pretty slow in changing my predictions for teams. next year ill probably pick the patriots, steelers, colts, and chargers to win the AFC divisions, just like I always do. (this year i liked the ravens though because big ben was suspended 4-6 games)

i tend not to be fooled by several good games or 1 breakout season, success over multiple years is a much better indicator of the quality of a team even if things change quickly in the nfl.

[Ragnar4]

How much of a loser do you feel like rooting for Tebow?

Like as much of a loser as a guy that's been part of this site for 5 years and still can't beat 10nl.

[ensign_lee]

what about the pass defense? the texans are giving up 277+ yards a game through the air at a ridiculous 8.4 yards an attempt. that is historically bad, worse than any of the lions teams of recent memory for example and you probably have to go back well over a decade to find a comparable example.

in fairness, nobody could predict that the defense would fall apart like that, but you also couldn't predict for example the breakout year by Arian Foster. he looks to be something special.

also i pegged the texans to be an average 8-8ish team and definitely didn't see 5-10 coming.

The 8-8 thing? As did I. But now we're staring at 5-11.

And if that happens? We'll have finished the season on a 1-9 streak.

[bigspenda73]

Pass defense wasn't good or even solid but it was serviceable in 2009. It was 18th and we replaced the aging Dunta Robinson with a 1st round draft pick at corner. No one could have predicted these monumental struggles.

[Lukie]

here is an experiment that i have contemplated for the last several years but haven't done because i (surprisingly) have better things to do with my time:

step 1: register for a popular fan site/forums of every team in the NFL before the regular season begins (anytime during training camp or even preseason should do).

step 2: make a post/poll asking members to vote on what they think their team's record will be at the end of the regular season

step 3: average out each individual team result first, before then averaging each team out at the end (to prevent larger market teams or a team with a large following like the Redskins from having an 'advantage')

step 4: see what the 'average' fan thinks the teams record will be. i suspect it would be somewhere in the vicinity of 11-5. it absolutely would not be any worse than 10-6.

[Lukie]

Pass defense wasn't good or even solid but it was serviceable in 2009. It was 18th and we replaced the aging Dunta Robinson with a 1st round draft pick at corner. No one could have predicted these monumental struggles.

.

in fairness, nobody could predict that the defense would fall apart like that, but you also couldn't predict for example the breakout year by Arian Foster. he looks to be something special.

also i pegged the texans to be an average 8-8ish team and definitely didn't see 5-10 coming.

[bigspenda73]

On maybe like 15 teams

I doubt you'd get a lot of 10-6 from

DET
TB
STL
SEA
AZ
OAK
JAX
BUF
CLE

fans before this year

[bigspenda73]

so you thought a team that went 9-7 last year would regress based on nothing but a hunch?

[Lukie]

On maybe like 15 teams

I doubt you'd get a lot of 10-6 from

DET
TB
STL
SEA
AZ
OAK
JAX
BUF
CLE

fans before this year

even fans of the worst teams typically think 7-9 is doable at the worst, and you underestimate how many fans think their legitimitely good teams are 14+ win teams

[Lukie]

so you thought a team that went 9-7 last year would regress based on nothing but a hunch?

based more on the fact that i thought that indy and tennessee were better in their division alone, among other things.

here is the reality,

you are a texans fan and you thought the texans would be great.

i don't particularly like or dislike the texans and thought they would be average, despite their best-ever 9 win regular season last year

they turned out to be pretty bad.

what am i missing here? there are more interesting things to talk about anyway, like a sweet monday night game, the upcoming tuesday night game (!), and a lot of playoff implications on the line for week 17.

maybe the texans could grab a patrick peterson or something, even that is more interesting to talk about at this point. the texans have been irrelevant for weeks now.

[bigspenda73]

I never said they would be great just like you never predicted they'd suck.

It's easy to sit back here and go "ya I knew they'd suck" but yet you have zero concrete reasons as to why that was the case Week 1. But here we are in Week 17 and through ridiculous variance, some tough breaks, and overall lolness the Texans just have 5 wins.

They also held the lead (or were tied late) in the 4th in 6 of the games they lost. I'd expect a better appreciation of variance from those on a poker forum.

[Ragnar4]

They also held the lead (or were tied late) in the 4th in 6 of the games they lost. I'd expect a better appreciation of variance from those on a poker forum.

It really bugs me that you would levy luck in a game based on skill in which luck is a very small determiner, if there can be any luck at all.

More importantly a guy, such as yourself, who was considering becoming a Pro Golfer would have the audacity to blame any true pro sport on luck.

Where you might say: Well, it was lucky that Dawkins got his head in the way to deflect that pass when the Texans were driving the field with 2 minutes left to go in the Denver game. I would say that Dawkins got his arms up and left his feet, meaning he was skillfull enough to try to get in the way, and he had enough skill to do so successfully. Or perhaps that Schaub had a lack of moment of concentration, or didn't have the vision to recognize Dawkins as a threat, so the glancing pass was not because of Dawkins superior instinct on the play, but rather Schaub's lack of skill.

The Texans are losing close games in the 4th quarter, because that's what the Kubiak-->Shanahan-->Walsh tree does in close games without a super-stud QB. Get off to a fast start, score a bunch of points early, use the run to eat clock in the second half to nurse a 2-3 score lead, and pray to god that if they do come back, you can seal it with a last minute drive. The ZB Rushing Philosophy would rather out-score an opponent and use long ass drives than put a Defense on the field. This leads to the defense being a bunch of has-beens and duct-tape with one or two studs mixed in. The overall team philosophy has led to the 4th quarter leads blown, not luck.

[Lukie]

i'd equally expect better reading comprehension from someone with over 10,000 combined posts on text-based forums. do you keep missing where i say that i thought the texans would be about an average team? the texans had won 6, 8, 8, and 9 wins the previous 4 seasons; duplicating any of those results would not have surprised me one bit.

you do not understand how close most games in the nfl are. teams like the browns and lions and others have had countless games where they are tied or leading in the 4th quarter and could easily have won it with a few more favorable bounces. ask bob.

here is a stat for you, the texans have a -54 point differential, 4th worst in the AFC. the jaguars are similar but are sitting at 8-7. you could make a strong case that they are running well, but i digress. maybe the texans should have won a game or 2 more (are you even considering the close game(s) that they won?), but i doubt you could make a case that they should be a winning team right now based on their overall quality of play in 2010.

[Lukie]

i agree with ragnar's point but for a mostly different reason. mostly i think fans of the losing team blame variance/luck too much, but even moreso is that fans only consider one aspect of it, i.e. they win with superior play but lose with mistakes, bad bounces, and ref calls. an interception on defense is due to superior scheme or pressure but on offense it's a correctable mistake. lucky bounces and fortunate calls as part of wins are never mentioned but they are the reason teams lose, that sort of thing.

as long as someone mentioned poker, it's like how people complain incessantly about bad beats and cold decks yet i've never once heard a player say "wow, i really suck, but i won that tournament because i went on a SICK heater."

[ensign_lee]

i've never once heard a player say "wow, i really suck, but i won that tournament because i went on a SICK heater."

I'm pretty sure I've said that before lol. Maybe not 'won that tournament' but 'made that final table'

Also, forgot to mention,

pro bowl TE

pro bowl MLB
pro bowl LE
returning defensive rookie of the year

[Lukie]

I'm pretty sure I've said that before lol. Maybe not 'won that tournament' but 'made that final table'

Also, forgot to mention,

pro bowl TE

pro bowl MLB
pro bowl LE
returning defensive rookie of the year

how has cushing looked this year after getting busted using masking agents for steroids? serious question.



i was very surprised to see that happen.

[Lukie]

ok that might be a little bit of a low blow from me, but the point is that he has seen a pretty big dropoff in play from what i understand, and it was fairly predictable.

the texans do have some real talent in key places, yes, that is pretty much indisputable.

[ensign_lee]

For the record, he didnt't get busted for using steroids masking stuff. He got busted for using something you use when you are getting OFF of steroids.

So, really, the lesson here is if you go on steroids, STAY on steroids, amirite?

[bigspenda73]

no, it's if you go on steroids be content with your dick not working right when you go off them

Wuf could tell us exactly what that stuff does, but I'm pretty sure it has to do with the peen

[bigspenda73]

how has cushing looked this year after getting busted using masking agents for steroids? serious question.



i was very surprised to see that happen.

he did this after he got busted and was off the juice

YouTube - DeFrancosGym.com: Brian Cushing 64 inch Hurdle Jump!!!

[a500lbgorilla]

So the picture on the left is him after steriods transitioning to a picture of him after after-steriods?

[Lukie]

For the record, he didnt't get busted for using steroids masking stuff. He got busted for using something you use when you are getting OFF of steroids.

So, really, the lesson here is if you go on steroids, STAY on steroids, amirite?

ahh yeah, you're right

it's not the fact that he clearly used that bothers me, i honestly don't care much either way, it was the lame-ass medically implausable excuses he made afterward that was annoying and iirc he even dragged your pretty awesome owner into the whole mess as well.

[Lukie]

so here's a quick guess at what the playoff seeding might look like, dependant of course on tonight's game and week 17 games:

AFC

1. Patriots
2. Steelers
3. Chiefs (go UG!)
4. Colts
5. Ravens
6. Jets

NFC

1. Falcons
2. Eagles
3. Bears
4. Rams (lol)
5. Saints
6. Packers

2, 4, and 6 in the NFC are all up for grabs, the Bears have the head to head tiebraker over Philly and both have 4 losses, but they have to travel to Green Bay in week 17 and Philly has the Vikings and Cowboys.

Seattle can beat the Rams and get in at 7-9, but the 'Hawks are just terrible right now. The pecking order for the 6 seed as I understand it is GB, NYG, TB, with the Packers being win and in but facing Chicago.


Another reasonable look would be something like, Falcons, Bears, Eagles, Rams, Saints, G-men

[lolzzz_321]

go ug and triptanes*

[speedcake]

meh, not that I don't think the Bucs can beat NO in the dome (they did it last year and are vastly improved this year) but even if we do it'll be tough to get both the Giants and Green Bay results to go our way.

In the end we'll look at the very close losses to Detroit (lol at refs apologizing), Atlanta twice and Baltimore as games where we could have locked up a playoff spot.

if this team keeps improving it should be really fun to watch over the coming seasons.

[ensign_lee]

My money says no way the NFL let's a 7-9 team into the playoffs.

Rams for sure?

[Hawk]

As a Hawks fan, I can say there is very little chance that we win this week. We have been playing terrible. We've got to be one of the worst 6 win teams in recent history, especially recently. Hasselbeck, as bad as he's been lately, would give us a better chance, but he'll likely be out with a hurt butt (for real).

We've been very Jekyll & Hyde this year, so we could win, but lately it's been all Hyde so I'm not holding my breath.

[philly and the phanatics]

i know we sucked balls this year (vikings) ...but we had 7 pro bowlers last year alone, and if you add in pat williams/ Antoine winfield/ Percy Harvin who did not make the pro bowl last year but are consistent pro bowl players (well not harvin but you know he's sick as fuck), then clearly our expectations were a lot higher coming into this season. I am not saying we would even beat the texans this year, im just saying that on paper i would take our roster over yours any day.

[Ragnar4]

I hope the Hawks do make it into the post season, it would exacerbate a problem with the NFL's playoff system, and allow for arguments to manuver for a seeding system for the playoffs. The last 3 games would be meaningful (even in a 18 week season) for more than 50% of the teams, It would mean the best teams always made it into the post-season, and even if it was an all AFC or NFC playoff, the best teams made it.

[PapalRage]

how fucking terrible did the eagles look tonight? with the 3 seed locked up, i really hope reid rests our starters after watching vick have to run for his life all night. how the team once again seemed unprepared to handle a lot of DB blitzes for the 4th or 5th game in a row is beyond me.

[Lukie]

how fucking terrible did the eagles look tonight? with the 3 seed locked up, i really hope reid rests our starters after watching vick have to run for his life all night. how the team once again seemed unprepared to handle a lot of DB blitzes for the 4th or 5th game in a row is beyond me.

i didn't watch the game tonight unfortunately, but it seems like for a while now the eagles o-line has given up a LOT of pressure and are having trouble with their blitz pickups and what not.

for what it's worth, i know the browns traded jerome harrison to the eagles earlier this year, and he hasn't played that much, but he's another guy that didn't see the field much because he couldn't pass block. the ability to contribute in the passing game is very important for backs in reid's system.

[dthorne04]

banged up patchwork offensive line=vick takes a beating every week

pretty down on the chances of this team making it to the super bowl going the long road, they really needed the extra week off

[Lukie]

yeah, the bye week is always huge, but it's especially important because the NFC is pretty deep this year. beating the #6 seed (likely GB or NYG) at home is no gimmie. new orleans can at least take comfort in the fact that they will have an easy first round opponent, but still, winning 3 games on the road to get to the super bowl is a whole heck of a lot harder than winning 2 games at home.

anyway, the eagles are locked into the #3 seed. they should rest up next week.

[Lukie]

Here's my annual "The Rooney rule is a farce" post.

Both the Cowboys and Vikings came into the the season with very high expectations, both coming off division wins in 2009. Both underperformed miserably, and the head coach of both teams got fired roughly midway through the season.

Jason Garrett (who is white) became the interim head coach after 8 games with the Cowboys, and Leslie frazier (who is black) took over for the Vikings after 10 games. Both have done excellent jobs in relief, and lets say for argument's sake that ownership of both teams feels the same way and they each team wants to bring their coaches back.

The Vikings can simply choose to re-sign Frazier with no strings attached.

The Cowboys must interview a minority candidate, and frankly, Garrett has done such a great job that re-hiring him is a no brainer decision. So the Cowboys have to somehow line up an interview or face severe discipline/fines/etc.

How is this fair or even ethical? Since when did 'equal opportunity' translate into 'preferential treatment'? There are many examples of hypocritical double standards in the NFL but this has to be one of the worst ones.

[a500lbgorilla]