The Official NFL Thread, Part Two

[kellyahern]

Philly fans like to boo. Quite a lot apparently.

 

[phillyfan26]

We have 1000s of reasons to.

I am shocked that they haven't taken advantage of our front seven enough. It sucks.

 

[zoney!]

I'm sure.

 

[DaveC]

Lito Sheppard is my hero.

What a pick!

I smell wild card...

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

i smell rotten cheese steak.

you just can't figure carolina out... they could go against a team that should beat the crap out of them and win, then the next week play a team that they should beat the crap out of and lose. talk about jeckyl and hyde

 

[Hewson]

The Eagles must've watched this film in preparation:


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100828/


And we all know which one they got at he end of the game...bad Jake.

 

[phanan]

How ironic would it be if the New York team that makes the playoffs ends up being the Jets instead of the Giants...

Just last week, despite their soft schedule, I wouldn't have picked the Jets to make it, but with both KC and Denver losing and having tough games ahead, it could happen.

Who would've thunk.

 

[phillyfan26]

Wow. I can't believe the Eagles won. Quite the game. Garcia really played pretty well all things considered. The defense didn't do half bad either, considering the past couple of weeks.

Nice, small surprise by the Eagles.

 

[Screwtape2]

This last stretch of games looks to be great. However, I think we could be looking at some *terrible playoff games especially in the second round.

* Blowouts, sloppy play and boring games.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

How ironic would it be if the New York team that makes the playoffs ends up being the Jets instead of the Giants...

Just last week, despite their soft schedule, I wouldn't have picked the Jets to make it, but with both KC and Denver losing and having tough games ahead, it could happen.

Who would've thunk.

and then all the jet fans spend the entire off-season gettingl pumped up about how great their team is, about how chad pennington having an arm like a guy with no arms doesn't matter, and how mangini's a mangenius...




... and then the NFL comes in and smacks them across the face with a tougher schedule due to their wins this year, the jets slip from playoff team to 4 wins, and mangenius gets the can, only to end up taking over some other franchise 3 years later and carrying them to a super bowl.

it's the jet way.

 

[phanan]

That sounds about right.

 

[DaveC]

They're showing the Top 10 Herm Edwards press conference moments on TSN's Sportscentre tonight. I just watched it and it was one of the most frightening and hilarious things I've ever seen on TV.

I'm now convinced the man is on drugs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMk5sMHj58I

 

[Hewson]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imFAR8ypw2c&mode=related&search=

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

whenever i do my herm "you play to win the game" impersonation it somehow turns into a bill cosby impersonation.

 

[Chizip]

i dont know which is most fun to impersonate

"you play to win the game"

"we're talking about practice, not a game, not a game, practice"

"playooooffs, dont talk about playoffs, you kidding me, playoffs? i just hope we can win a game"

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

i believe the proper diction there is "we talkin' 'bout PRAC-tice"

 

[phanan]

The playoffs one is the best.

 

[phillyfan26]

i believe the proper diction there is "we talkin' 'bout PRAC-tice"

That and saying, "not the game. not the game. we ain't talking about the game - not the game." about 84 times.




In an unrelated note, Terry Bradshaw just described the Bengals as a couple of guys going out to drink beers a couple times a week.

 

[Chizip]

The Giants are not done, they still are tied for a Wild Card spot. If they beat the Panthers next week they are in the drivers seat.

Given DaveC's previous predicitons, I think the Giants are in good shape for a Superbowl run now.

as i was saying...

basically whenever DaveC predicts something, the opposite almost inevitably happens. i need to start making wagers based on this.

 

[phillyfan26]

basically whenever DaveC predicts something, the opposite almost inevitably happens. i need to start making wagers based on this.

Apparently I should be excited about the Eagles stretch run too, according to DaveC.

 

[Screwtape2]

Going for the record while being up by 21 with four minutes left, that's great sportsmanship LT.

 

[randhail]

Going for the record while being up by 21 with four minutes left, that's great sportsmanship LT.

Denver's D could have stopped him. LT's also one of the classiest guys in the league - he hardly celebrates whenever he scores a touchdown. The record is still the record any way he did it (unless Brett Favre was somehow involved taking a dive).

 

[toscano]

Going for the record while being up by 21 with four minutes left, that's great sportsmanship LT.

Shanahan spent a lot of time congratuling him afterwards, I didn't see that Denver had stopped playing yet

 

[phanan]

Going for the record while being up by 21 with four minutes left, that's great sportsmanship LT.

There were four minutes left in the game. They can't just kneel down - there was too much time left. In those cases, you just run the ball.

There's no issue here.

 

[Hewson]

A couple of things from yesterday;

1. The worst roughing the passer call ever (and there's been a lot of bad ones this season): Pats/Dolphins, late 2nd quarter. Harrington drops back, is rushed and throws, as he's throwing Vince Wilfork is knocked to the ground by a Dolphin O-Lineman. After releasing the ball, Harrington is in a backpedal, and trips over Wilfork's rather large head (Wilfork is face down on the ground). 15 yard penalty...you've got to be kidding me. Now it had no real bearing on the game's outcome, but c'mon.

B. Mike Shanahan...you have a punter on your roster, use him.
Trailing by 11 with about 11 minutes left, he goes for a 4th and 3 on his own 46 or so. Then next drive, down 14 with 7 minutes left he goes for it on 4th down from his own 20.

Now Denevr was up against it for sure and likely would have lost anyway...but you gotta punt in both those situatrions, let your D try and get you the ball back and then execute. Way too much time left and the wrong part of the field to go for it. He killed any chamce the Broncos had for a comeback.

Thirdly: Jags out rush the Colts 375 yards to 34!!
Wasn't Dungy supposedly a defensiVe genius when he was D Coordinator with the Vikings? Wow.

Quatorce: How did I not have N.O.'s Mike Karney on my fantasy teams?

 

[phanan]

A couple of things from yesterday;

1. The worst roughing the passer call ever (and there's been a lot of bad ones this season): Pats/Dolphins, late 2nd quarter. Harrington drops back, is rushed and throws, as he's throwing Vince Wilfork is knocked to the ground by a Dolphin O-Lineman. After releasing the ball, Harrington is in a backpedal, and trips over Wilfork's rather large head (Wilfork is face down on the ground). 15 yard penalty...you've got to be kidding me. Now it had no real bearing on the game's outcome, but c'mon.

The rushing the passer calls this year have been atrocious. The NFL is going to have to do something about it, because it's getting out of hand. I understand the need to protect the quarterback, but this is ridiculous.

This Patriots team is baffling. I just don't get a sense of urgency with them, especially with Belichick. I know he never says anything, but at least in the past, you could get a feeling when he's really unhappy. This year seems...different, in some way. He almost looks tired and disinterested. You have to wonder if he's thinking about walking away soon...

 

[DaveC]

He always retires after one season in franchise mode in Madden '07...maybe EA knows something we don't?

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

A couple of things from yesterday;

1. The worst roughing the passer call ever (and there's been a lot of bad ones this season): Pats/Dolphins, late 2nd quarter. Harrington drops back, is rushed and throws, as he's throwing Vince Wilfork is knocked to the ground by a Dolphin O-Lineman. After releasing the ball, Harrington is in a backpedal, and trips over Wilfork's rather large head (Wilfork is face down on the ground). 15 yard penalty...you've got to be kidding me. Now it had no real bearing on the game's outcome, but c'mon.

the giants had a penalty earlier in the year... bears game i think... where a DL, i forget who, was rushing the QB, was blocked, his hand came down and grazed the side of the QB's helmet... 15 yard personal foul penalty. with all that bullshit, you can't really blame kiwunuka for letting vince young go after he thought his forward progress was stopped.

Quatorce: How did I not have N.O.'s Mike Karney on my fantasy teams?

i got him in my money league


back to vince young... i have to admit, i was not a big vince young fan coming out of college. but i have to give credit where credit is due... and that credit goes right to... jeff fisher, for making young become a pocket QB first and not allowing him to rely soley on his legs, which is pretty much the same thing he did with steve mcnair, and what andy reid did with donovan mcnabb.

the problem with vick is that he can't stay in the damned pocket... his early NFL coaches allowed him to rely on his legs over his arm, and now that's what he is... a run first QB. young has taken off earlier than anyone could have expected, but he's not doing it with his legs... he's staying in the pocket until the very last second, and using his running ability only to scramble on a broken play, like yesterday's game winning run. his progress in such a short time has been very surprising, to me at least.

seems like the wonderlic failed again... but that said, i still get a chuckle at the fact that he spent 4 years in college and can barely speak.

 

[Hewson]

I remember hearing that McNair had to be given diction lessons when drafted by the Oilers cause the other players had trouble understanding him calling plays.
Fisher must like that type of talent to mold.

And the other difference between Vick and Vince is size. Vince is huge. Not as fast as Vick obviously, but should be a lot more durable, and to date appears to be a lot more coachable.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

I remember hearing that McNair had to be given diction lessons when drafted by the Oilers cause the other players had trouble understanding him calling plays.
Fisher must like that type of talent to mold.

And the other difference between Vick and Vince is size. Vince is huge. Not as fast as Vick obviously, but should be a lot more durable, and to date appears to be a lot more coachable.

agreed... i just love when coaches take these uber-athletes and force them to conform to a real system, as opposed to trying to just ride their athleticism as far as it'll go... it's why i enjoy watching john thompson the third run the princeton offense at georgetown. (even if it's only been mildly succesful to date)