The Official NFL Thread, Part Two

[randhail]

I can't wait for the Giants' locker room to explode this week.

 

[MrBrau1]

Yep. It's job-loss time in Jersey.

Tom needs to go. So does Plaxico. Then Eli.

Tiki is getting out at the right time.

 

[phillyfan26]

Amazingly, the Eagles have a shot at the playoffs, even after they lose to Indy tonight (I say this as Indy scores their first TD).

 

[phillyfan26]

Eagles-Colts

Long pass with a great catch falling out of bounds. Peyton decides to run up the field so that the Eagles have no time to check the replay for a challenge. Andy Reid, who doesn't have the football knowledge to have ever done this himself or even imagine the scenario, make the funniest looking "Damn it!" face I've ever seen.

Andy must never have known this is possible, cause the Eagles have never done it.

And they've now blown their second timeout missing the challenge.

Some people still think he's a good coach?

UPDATE

"People say the Colts don't have a great defense. But that right there [Eagles WR Pass that was INT] is a desperate play, and the Colts get ahead of you, and make you make a desperate play."

- John Madden

 

[tpsreports2424]

Eagles better pull something off...

Grossman is an idiot for rushing so fricken fast..

 

[The OOTS]

I can't wait for the Giants' locker room to explode this week.

Me too.

 

[tpsreports2424]

that was one depressing game..

 

[zoney!]

I still think Andy Reid is a good coach.

I was looking at the Eagles roster tonight...and they have lost a LOT of players year over year. And a lot of talent.

Fun game to watch...if you are from Indy! We even got to watch some Eagles fans get escorted out by security!

Keep it classy, Philly!

 

[MrPryck2U]

Several Giants players jaked it in the 2nd half. Burress comes to mind and the dude from Uganda that let go of Vince Young when he had him sacked.

 

[speedracer]

Michael Irvin is a nutcase.

Good game between the Bears and Pats. A couple of early turnovers on both sides, a blocked FG, a partially blocked punt, a long FG, lots of balls touching the ground...

Plenty to watch, that's for sure.

On the plus side, Brian Urlacher got owned by one of the two or three slowest QBs on Earth.

 

[phillyfan26]

I still think Andy Reid is a good coach.

I was looking at the Eagles roster tonight...and they have lost a LOT of players year over year. And a lot of talent.

Just means he was a bad GM too, I suppose.

 

[Hewson]

On the plus side, Brian Urlacher got owned by one of the two or three slowest QBs on Earth.

He's never gonna live that one down..faked out of your jock by Tom "cement shoes" Brady.

 

[Numb1075]

That Giant game was a debacle. It was in one word: Pathetic and disgraceful

 

[stammer476]

Let the Jay Cutler era begin.

 

[toscano]

That Giant game was a debacle. It was in one word: Pathetic and disgraceful

Any doubt who got the better of the Rivers/Manning deal ?

Or the Vick/Tomloinson deal for that matter ?

 

[zonelistener]

Just means he was a bad GM too, I suppose.

Salary cap.

Every NFL team gets there due now.

I like it that way.

 

[phanan]

Every NFL team gets there due now.

Except the Patriots, of course.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Headache must have had a heart attack.

it was more of a "well that's just great" sense of apathy as opposed to the object throwing fit

Put a fork in the Giants.

They're done.

Bring back Dave Brown.

Yep. It's job-loss time in Jersey.

Tom needs to go. So does Plaxico. Then Eli.

Tiki is getting out at the right time.

everyone's done until the next week... the pats have been done about 4 times so far this season. the steelers were done last year.

the giants are a game out of first in their division... they win sunday, they take over first place because of the tie breakers with dallas.

if plaxico burress is off this team at season's end, i will not shed a tear. if he runs out that route on the first INT (a play that never should have been called, btw... 21 point lead, 4th quarter, run the damn ball, kill the clock) then pacman jonesn ever intercepts that ball, let alone plax's lazy attempt (again) to tackle jones after the INT. for every great play he makes he makes one equally bad if not worse play, and he is eli's biggest problem right now.

if tom coughlni is gone at season's end, i will also not shed a tear.

i have no love lost for tiki barber, either. every time something doesn't go his way, he's the first person to sell everyone but himself under the bus. people complained more about what jeremy shockey said earlier this year because, well, people look for reasons to not like shockey because of his personality. barber, however, is the choir boy... who doesn't love tiki? but when you really look at it... shockey is a guy who's firey and doesn't always think things through before acting. tiki barber, however, is as calm and cool as it gets. everything he does is scripted, calculated, thought out ahead of time. so in reality, what's worse? the hot head bashing the coach right after the game? or the guy who thinks everything out before commenting bashing the coach 2 days after the game ends?

Any doubt who got the better of the Rivers/Manning deal ?

Or the Vick/Tomloinson deal for that matter ?

the chargers clearly got the better deal with LT vs. Vick. the jury is in, the verdict has been handed down... Tomlinson is one of the greatest runningbacks of all time. Vick is a pretty good running back, too. Problem is he's a damned shitty quarterback.

now on to Eli...

we've seen moments of greatness from eli... every so often it appears as if he's taken the next step, only to fall back 2 steps the next week. i can not blame him one iota for yesterday's colapse. the first INT was 100% not his fault. the second one was, but it was in a situation where he never should have been in to begin with. up until that first INT, which was completely plaxico burress' fault (many of eli's INT's end up because of plax fucking up), eli was doing a very good job of game management.

philip rivers has yet to play a full season, and he has the best running back in football next to him. tiki is a great runner, yes. but even he doesn't compare to the multi-thread that is Ladanian Tomlinson. No one does. To steal a quote from the Tuna, let's hold off on the anointing oils. Half a succesful season does not a great quarterback make.

they may be leaning towards rivers at the moment, but the jury is certainly still out on that one.



the first 3 weeks of the season, the giants were a team that was "done." they looked like dogshit. then they win 6 in a row, and after destroying the falcons in atlanta and the cowboys in dallas, everyone's anointing them as the best team in the NFC... then the bears game happens, the injuries pile up, eli hits a bad stretch, and all of a sudden they're done again.

who knows... maybe they are. maybe the ship is sinking and they're headed for a disasterous rest of the season.

or maybe everyone gets healthy heading down the stretch, the offense straightens things out and the giants head into the playoffs on a high, ala what the steelers did last year.

it's a marathon... not a sprint.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Except the Patriots, of course.

the pats have been victims of the cap as well. they've been able to handle it better, but one would have to think that if they were able to keep all the guys they've lost over the past few years, they would have won another super bowl or two on top of the three they already have.

 

[phanan]

True, but as you say, they've handled the cap better. To lose as much people as they have and be one of the upper-echelon teams still, they really haven't gotten their due yet. With the young players getting mixed in with the veterans, and more on the way (two first round picks coming up), I could easily see them win at least one more Super Bowl before the Belichick/Brady era is over.

 

[phanan]

Speaking of the Patriots, I have become quite baffled as to why they don't utilize Laurence Maroney more. Only 17 offensive touches last night (13 rushes). You can hear the excitement in the crowd every time he gets the ball. They really need to bring his rushes up to about 20-25 per game.

 

[Hewson]

As stated, all the Giants must do to regain first place in the NFC East is beat Dallas Sunday in the swamps of Jersey. SO while yesterday's loss can crush a team's psyche, a good team with character could put it bvehind them and focus on the upcoming game, we'll know in 6 days.
The G-men still hold down one of the 2 wild card slots at this time regardless. The NFC is loaded with mediocrity and in 2 weeks the Giants may again be touted as the team to beat, or could be an also ran. Interesting that Dallas is favored in the Meadowlands. Is Tony Romo that good? Is replacing a benched Drew Bledsoe just an automatic vaulting to SuperBowl MVP?
Methinks Dallas goes down Sunday and the Giants end up winning the East. (then get ousted in the wild card round as Eli plays out the Manning family lore of playoff failure yet again)

 

[Hewson]

Speaking of the Patriots, I have become quite baffled as to why they don't utilize Laurence Maroney more. Only 17 offensive touches last night (13 rushes). You can hear the excitement in the crowd every time he gets the ball. They really need to bring his rushes up to about 20-25 per game.

I am guessing its a concerted effort to keep his touches low so as to keep him fresh into December and more importantly January and hopefully February.
Rookies in the NFL have 20 games to play before the playoffs, about 8 more than they've ever played before and it takes its toll on many late in the season.

Having both Dillon and Maroney affords the Pats the luxury of keeping both with fresh legs for the stretch and playoffs.

 

[zoney!]

Except the Patriots, of course.

And, minus the playoff fiasco, the Colts.

The Colts and Pats both have a solid coaching staff AND GM who understands the system and can spot talent.

The Colt's GM, Polian, wanted to draft Maroney. The Pats picked him, leaving the Colts Addai. Both have been pretty succesful this season.

The Pats need to use Maroney more.

 

[phanan]

I am guessing its a concerted effort to keep his touches low so as to keep him fresh into December and more importantly January and hopefully February.
Rookies in the NFL have 20 games to play before the playoffs, about 8 more than they've ever played before and it takes its toll on many late in the season.

Having both Dillon and Maroney affords the Pats the luxury of keeping both with fresh legs for the stretch and playoffs.

I would agree with that, but I don't know if a few more rushes at pivotal moments in each game would make that much of a difference come January.

And I agree that the Giants, who were my NFC pick for the Super Bowl, will win this Sunday and ultimately still win the East, despite this horrendous stretch for them.

I recall a couple of years ago a Patriots team rolling to a 15-1 season when they made a little trip to Miami, had the game well in hand with about five minutes to go, and proceeded to lose 29-28.

They came out of it ok, though. The Giants will, too.

 

[MrPryck2U]

Despite, the shitty 2nd half against the Titans, the Giants are still in the playoff hunt. But, if they don't make it, this is the game that shows when the Giants gave up on the season. I'm not sure if the coach is to blame for players not finishing plays. After the Giants game, Burress was seen smiling. There shouldn't be any smiles when you lose like the Giants lost on Sunday.

 

[phillyfan26]

Salary cap.

Every NFL team gets there due now.

I like it that way.

The Eagles had a love for keeping $15-20 million under the cap to save money. Of course, that means sacrificing a decent set of receivers D-linemen or linebackers, but hey, Jeff Lurie is $15 million richer. Way to go team!

 

[Screwtape2]

Speaking of the Patriots, I have become quite baffled as to why they don't utilize Laurence Maroney more. Only 17 offensive touches last night (13 rushes). You can hear the excitement in the crowd every time he gets the ball. They really need to bring his rushes up to about 20-25 per game.

I think it is the same thing as what Indy had been doing with Joseph Addai. Maroney and Addai both played in systems with two running backs so overworking them during the season dosen't help them in the playoffs. They will be fresh legs when it really matters. I do agree with you that the transition should start now.

 

[randhail]

The Eagles had a love for keeping $15-20 million under the cap to save money. Of course, that means sacrificing a decent set of receivers D-linemen or linebackers, but hey, Jeff Lurie is $15 million richer. Way to go team!

It didn't stop them from giving Jevon Kearse an insane contract.

 

[zoney!]

Anyone want to start a pool on Denny Green? I thought he would have been done as of this morning.