NFL 2011, Part 2

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LemonMelon said:
There is not one truly great team in the entire conference. I can't believe I'm even saying that about a conference in a professional league, but it's true. The Pats, Ravens and Steelers are all periodically brilliant but all of them appear to be on the downturn, with obvious flaws.

And just look at the battle for 6th seed. The NFC has the Lions, Cowboys, and Falcons, all 6-4 and showing signs of either improvement or consistency, whereas the AFC has the Bengals and uh, the Titans and...who, the Jets? Bills? Chargers? None of these are playoff-caliber teams.
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The top 4 all are 7-3 (the Pats will be by tomorrow). I don't see a downturn yet there.
 
phanan said:
The top 4 all are 7-3 (the Pats will be by tomorrow). I don't see a downturn yet there.
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You don't think these are less dominant Patriots, Ravens, Steelers teams than we've seen over the past few years? I'd take the Packers and possibly 49ers over them. And with Cutler, the Bears were playing with more fire than any of them. Not sure how they will respond to his injury, however.
 
LemonMelon said:
You don't think these are less dominant Patriots, Ravens, Steelers teams than we've seen over the past few years? I'd take the Packers and possibly 49ers over them. And with Cutler, the Bears were playing with more fire than any of them. Not sure how they will respond to his injury, however.
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Not yet, no. The Steelers and Ravens are fairly the same, and the Patriots have been riding Brady for the last three years. Right now, they match up well with anyone not from Green Bay. I'm not sold on the 49ers yet.
 
I'm a great deal more disappointed by the Ravens than I am the Steelers, to be honest. It amazes me how ageless their defense appears to be, but equally amazing is how miserable their offense continues to be after all these years. Players just keep getting older with no signs of improvement.

The Steelers at least have a brilliant receiving corps to bank on. If they could shore up their line considerably, they would be unbeatable.

Not impressed by the Pats. They're a Brady or Welker injury from mediocrity. Last week's win over the Jets was by far the most impressive of the year for them, just because it proved they have talent on the bench.
 
Also, after scanning through some stats, it's pretty clear why the 49ers have been unstoppable: motherfucking +17 turnover margin. That's insane. You can't gameplan for that, and it's a sign of terrific coaching. Compare that to the Chargers' miserable turnover margin and it all starts to make sense.
 
LemonMelon said:
Also, after scanning through some stats, it's pretty clear why the 49ers have been unstoppable: motherfucking +17 turnover margin. That's insane. You can't gameplan for that, and it's a sign of terrific coaching. Compare that to the Chargers' miserable turnover margin and it all starts to make sense.
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well, I'd say it's a sign of some awfully good luck, too. Forcing turnovers is a skill, but whether or not your team recovers seems to be mostly random.

I can't tell you guys how much I would laugh if the Seahawks somehow squirmed their way into the 6th seed wildcard spot this year. Also, cry, because we need the draft pick, but still laugh.
 
The difference between +2 and -2 may possibly be determined by luck, but +17 isn't luck.

No need to cry, Mobvok, the Seahawks are totally fucked. :hug:
 
poke around here
NFL Football Stats - NFL Team Turnover Margin per Game on TeamRankings.com

and you'll see that while there are year-to-year examples of teams consistently winning the turnover margin, each year the best NFL teams tend to sit around a +1.0 margin, as opposed to the 49ers' current +1.7 per game rate. In other words, if the 49ers were merely accumulating them at the same rate as the historic top teams in TO margin, they'd have seven fewer takeaways at this point in the season.

I don't doubt that Harbaugh has done a good job, but I would really honestly be surprised to see this stratospheric level of TO success to be Harbaugh's signature calling card. Consistently hitting +1 to +1.7 would be quite an achievement.
 
Ah, I see. I think the more important stat here, though, isn't so much the takeaways they are accumulating as it is the miniscule 0.4 turnovers they're giving up per game, even lower than the Pack with Aaron Rodgers throwing the fewest interceptions in the history of ever. The 49ers' offense isn't explosive, so precision and TOP is essential, which they've had, largely because they are exceptionally good at rushing and stopping the rush (best in the league). I realize this is a passing league or whatever, but 9-1 has to be explained somehow. Few mistakes and a dependable running game are a good salve for a mediocre passing game. And, make no mistake, I don't believe Alex Smith has turned a corner. He is, was and always will be mediocre at the professional level.
 
The phrase "history of ever" implies exaggeration. :wink:

Just saying that he's contributing virtually nothing to their turnover count.
 
I'm simply stating that it is way too early to write off the AFC this year. Except for the Packers, every team has a glaring issue, and even Green Bay is a bit vulnerable with the defense they have. Rodgers has been so good this year that it is masking their D's deficiencies.

The 49ers are having a great year, but can you see them beating the Steelers or Patriots? I sure can't. Possibly the Ravens because their offense has sucked more often than not, but even that contest would be close because of the Ravens D (we'll get an idea this Thursday).

The Lions are decent, but haven't had much of a running game and Stafford always seems to be hurt. He's hanging in so far this year, but you never know. I think they'll put up a good fight against GB on Thursday though.

The Bears? Not sure what will happen with them now that Cutler is out.

Who knows what to think when it comes to the NFC East...I guess you have to say Dallas right now, but is anyone really comfortable with Romo going into the playoffs, despite how well he's been the last few weeks? I know I'm not. Just like Favre, he's one boneheaded play away from blowing up their season again.
 
Are the fans and teammates gonna question Jay Cutler's lack of toughness because he won't play due to his broken thumb?
 
i'm torn on whether or not this is a huge blow to the Bears. Heine looked impressive when he filled in against the Packers in the NFCCG, but he was also a QB that the Packers did not prepare for. the Bears also have a pretty modest schedule going forward. i still think they have a good chance of getting a wild card.

if anything, i think this is a bigger blow to the massive momentum they were building than their playoff chances.
 
Did i mention yesterday, another solid performance by Romo? Thought i would throw that out there before the calendar turns to December and we get the other version of Romo.
 
Oh nothing, just the fourth highest rated passer is all. Nothing to be ashamed of being right behind Brees, Brady, and Discount Double Check.
 
It'd be the most asinine, poorly written commercial of the year had Brian Fuckface Wilson not gone full chalupa. The "I'm a robot" thing is completely nonsensical. I want to stab that guy in the face with Rodgers' cleats.
 
That's also because State Farm and Taco Bell are horrible, horrible things. Taco Bell is my most hated food place in the country.

The only insurance company with remotely entertaining commercials is All State with Dean Winters. State Farm, Progressive and Geico all suck.
 
Taco Bell is a huge guilty pleasure for me. Scratch that. I don't even feel bad about it. But through the years they have consistently had the absolute worst ad campaigns, which is only made worse when you watch as much sports as we all do and have to see each spot every other commercial break.
 
An onside kick is the date rape drug of football.

Desperate, rarely works, gets you into trouble, but it's a hell of a lot of fun.
 
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