[sek929]

There's no way TMZ found the video and the most powerful man in sports couldn't have. Any idea if he'll be arrested at this rate?

[The Final Dakar]

From speculation I heard, no double-jeapordy rules apply.

Off-topic, but the NCAA is sneaking through a complete repeal of their Penn State punishments today. Gross.

[akent35]

Originally Posted by sek929 

That can be said for any team that has a good QB. Most teams don't even have a good starting QB, Imagine how the Browns felt last season with their revolving set of QBs.

That said, mobile QBs are ticking time-bombs as far as injuries are concerned.

Could not agree more! And yes, I "cringe" sometimes when I see Wilson take off.

[sek929]

I was waiting for week 4 to end to come in here and post my impressions of the league so far, but last night's MNF matchup between the Chiefs and the Patriots has left me utterly drained. Last nights 41-14 trouncing was the worst I've seen the Patriots play since the 90s, including the season they didn't have Brady due to injury (still went 11-5)

The Patriots are abysmal this year, the only aggregate plays they've made for positive gains have been punts...and there have been a lot of punts. They lost to Miami, won against an Adrian Peterson-less Vikings, slogged their way to a marginal victory against the hapless Raiders and got utterly dominated by the first good team they faced. The AFC East is a toss up this year, maybe even the Bills will make the playoffs.

Brady, in his twilight years, is no longer a clutch QB that thrives on pressure...quite the opposite now. Without any semblance of an offensive line he has played like Geno Smith without the ability to scramble. Of course he's still the best QB the Pats have, and I still stand by the opinion that if he had Denver's offense nobody would be questioning his ability. Unfortunately he can no longer carry the team on his own. My prediction is 7-9 with a late season loss to a divisional foe to miss the playoffs, and rightfully so, this team does not belong in the playoffs.

I've watched a lot of football in the last few weeks, but I'll save my comments of other teams for when I'm less depressed about my own.

[abbaZaba]

I needed 8.5 points from Gostkowski last night to win my fantasy game. Through 3 weeks he had not scored less than 10 points. I could not dislike the 2014 Patriots more. And I felt dirty rooting for the Patriots to get it together last night.

[Shaddim]

I'm going to stand by my preseason prediction of GB and Denver in the Super Bowl, but only because I believe that Manning and Rodgers can get the most out of their teams late in the season.

[sek929]

Rodgers also suffers from a pretty porous O-line, the difference being his biggest plays come from when he is flushed from the pocket. Denver looks even better than last year, especially on D, the AFC should be a cakewalk for them. Eagles look very strong this year, just good enough to most likely blow it in the playoffs Cowboys-style.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by sek929 

Rodgers also suffers from a pretty porous O-line, the difference being his biggest plays come from when he is flushed from the pocket.

I'm actually semi-happy with the O-line's performance yesterday.
At least they didn't allow any sacks.

The Defense, however, was just horrible.
If it wasn't for the two interceptions, you would have to chalk them off as non-existent. Dom Capers needs to go, IMO.

-t

[sek929]

Week 5 started off with yet another terrible Thursday NIght Football game, in which what appears to be a high school team took on a laser-sharp Packers, I fell asleep on the couch sometime after the first half but Rodgers looked surgical from what I saw.

After a week of doubt and media circle-jerking over the untimely demise of the Patriots they actually came out at home with a purpose last night. I wouldn't say they looked great, competent more like it, and the Bengals proved yet again how well they collapse in the spotlight. The Pats had 114 yards in penalties and plenty of miscues on offense and defense yet the Bengals took advantage of exactly none of them. Next week's game at the Bills should be interesting, as I don't think the Pats are going to travel well this year, it was also nice to hear Gillette stadium loud as hell for once.

Peyton threw #503 on his inevitable march past Favre's TD record, and more astoundingly threw for 474(!) total yards in last nights game. He's a freak of nature really, his spine is basically one fused bone and yet he plays with such poise and precision still. MVP candidate once again, and that's just bonkers.

[sek929]

Oh yeah, tonight's MNF Seahawks vs Redskins should be a great game, 41-7

[sek929]

Week 13 has passed, except for tonight's game, so let's resurrect the thread basically nobody cares about!

The demise of the Patriots has been greatly exaggerated, but I did wait until yesterday's meetup to post because then I'd be the guy who went from "they're dooooomed" to "they can't be beat" in the course of three posts. The Patriots have congealed, ala T1000, into a killing machine. The defense looks outstanding this year, they might have lost to the Packers yesterday but they held Rodgers and co. out of the endzone on many occasions. Needless to say my prediction of 7-9 seems a bit wrong at this point, very very wrong. If they get home field advantage during the playoffs I see a trip to Arizona in their future, unless they play the damned Ravens.

A team I'd rather fellate with this post are the Packers. God-damn, the Packers. That defense got their shit together and it's scary now how dominant they are. I think it might help, just a bit, that they have the best quarterback playing the game today under center. Rodgers is my new boyfriend, he's amazing. He can play in the pocket with the big dogs, he can use his feet to extend plays and break down defenses, and when the shit really hits the fan he can run for the 1st down and break you that way. Impossible to pass rush and nearly impossible to defend downfield, which makes the Patriots' effort all the more impressive. If the defense can maintain their level of play Rodgers can easily get a trip to the SuperBowl. My ideal scenario would be (of course) a Patriots rematch of the Packers, in fact, I'd love that...only I'm pretty sure which QB I'd bet money on, and he isn't Brady.

Notable surprises:

•Bears eh? They top my list of the worst not because of how bad they are, more for how good they should be, embarrassing.
•Browns look like a football team this year
•Cardinals looked like they had a chance to play a SB at home, then Carson Palmer blew his knee out.
•What happened to the Panthers? They were contenders last year and this year they are utterly hopeless.
•The Jets got more dysfunctional, despite that being nearly impossible.
•Seattle got off to a rather uninspired first half of the year, but now, watch out.
•Technically any team in the NFC South can secure a playoff spot with a 6-10 record, which is hilarious.

[turtle777]

Very good game yesterday. The darned Pats red-zone defense was astonishing. Can't believe the Pack couldn't score a single TD from the red-zone. Sure, Adams shouldn't have dropped two passes, but still, great achievement.

In the end, home field advtange probably helped as well. In a Superbowl, this matchup could swing eitehr way.

-t

[abbaZaba]

Steelers are still gonna win it all

[sek929]

Originally Posted by sek929 

If they get home field advantage during the playoffs I see a trip to Arizona in their future, unless they play the damned Ravens.

Well, that prediction almost came true. The Ravens are among the very few teams that simply hate the Patriots, namely Brady himself. Once the Ravens stomped the Steelers I thought to myself "This is going to be a cage-fight." The Ravens jumped all over the Pats in the first quarter, just rammed their fists down our throats. Then the game was tied and Brady had the chance to gain the lead right before receiving the ball after halftime, he throws an awful INT and hands Baltimore another 7. After the second convincing comeback that features a lateral pass to WR Edelman who bombs it to a wide open Amendola the Ravens again gain the lead. This led to Bradys best throw of the night, a beautiful touch pass that lands directly in receiver LaFells lap in stride in the endzone. Flacco gets picked, but rare clock mismanagement allow for one more Hail Mary into the endzone, which was blissfully batted down. An instant classic, and the Ravens are a proper rivalry.

The Broncos game started with some spark but an obviously injured Manning was unable to take the team on his shoulders and out-score the Colts. He got really banged up in the final weeks of the season and it showed. He never really had much velocity on his throws but his touch on the ball was off. Peyton is the best touch passer that has ever graced the sport and it kind of bummed me out seeing him so dejected. I hope it wasn't his last game.

The most interesting thread of the weekend was "Did Dez catch that ball?" The answer seems to be no, because of reasons that are approaching the meta-physical at this point. Pretty soon scanning electron microscopes will be used to determine the exact nanosecond a ball is fumbled. In my book, he caught the damned balled and was down by contact at the 1yd line. The laws that relate to the indiscriminate process of "completing the catch" beg to differ and I just don't know anymore.

[Chongo]

Hey, there are Cardinals fans that are still talking about the Stealers TD.

[turtle777]

Good postseason so far. Great games. Except the Panthers game. LOL.

-t

[sek929]

While they didn't embarrass themselves, they had no business in that game.

[Jawbone54]

As a Cowboys fan, I'm probably going to be too bitter to watch anything else this postseason.

Stupid, stupid rule.

[Chongo]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

As a Cowboys fan, I'm probably going to be too bitter to watch anything else this postseason.

Stupid, stupid rule.

I'm sure Megatron agrees. He's been the victim of it more than once.

Calvin Johnson, not a TD - NFL Videos

[Cap'n Tightpants]

Well, at least this time it wasn't Romo's fault.

[OAW]

WTF ever happened to the ball crossing the plane of the goal line means it's a touchdown?

OAW

[Cap'n Tightpants]

Originally Posted by OAW 

WTF ever happened to the ball crossing the plane of the goal line means it's a touchdown?

WTF? Bryant didn't even cross the goal line in yesterday's game or did I miss something?

The head of NFL officials about the no-catch:

"Although the receiver is possessing the football, he must maintain possession of that football throughout the entire process of the catch," Steratore said in a pool report. "In our judgment he maintained possession but continued to fall and never had another act common to the game. We deemed that by our judgment to be the full process of the catch and at the time he lands and the ball hits the ground it comes loose as it hits the ground, which would make that incomplete. Although he re-possesses it, it does contact the ground when he reaches so the repossession is irrelevant because it was ruled an incomplete pass when he had the ball hit the ground."

Maybe the rule sucks, but they called it correctly.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Yes it sucks, but I guess the problem they are trying to avoid is having to determine whether what are now incomplete passes turn into fumbles. I suppose it's a valid question to ask whether that is a problem or not....but for sure it would result in similarly weird/painful situations - for example the receiver catches the ball and lands, the ball squirts out and is picked up by an opposing player who rumbles back the other way for 6 points....and then video review shows that the original receiver actually caught the ball, but lost it immediately after being down by contact.

Either way you need video review to make the call, and one team is going to feel cheated.

At the end of the day...what comes around, goes around, haha. After the Lions game, Cowboys fans have to put up and shut up.

[sek929]

Originally Posted by OAW 

WTF ever happened to the ball crossing the plane of the goal line means it's a touchdown?

OAW

The ball must be securely caught first for that to mean anything, when falling to the ground while trying to secure the ball the ground cannot cause a fumble, but it can cause an incompletion.

[sek929]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

As a Cowboys fan, I'm probably going to be too bitter to watch anything else this postseason.

Too bad, you're going to miss the insufferably smug Patriots hoist the Lombardi trophy for the 4th time

In reality the Seahawks terrify me, I could not bear a loss like the Broncos had last year.

[Chongo]

Overall ring XIV for the Cheeze Wiz Gang.

[OAW]

Originally Posted by sek929 

The ball must be securely caught first for that to mean anything, when falling to the ground while trying to secure the ball the ground cannot cause a fumble, but it can cause an incompletion.

As a former wide receiver the rules I played under were that the ball need not be tucked away to establish control .... it just had to be in your hands. Not bouncing around in one's hands but just held. The ball moved a bit when he hit the ground prior to the goal line but he didn't lose control of it. His hands never lost contact with the ball. Apparently, the rules were changed in the NFL in recent years. It's my understanding that under the college/high school rules that would have been ruled a pass completion and thus a touchdown.

Dez Bryant Heartbreak: It Was A Catch Just Not An NFL Catch

OAW

[boy8cookie]

Pre: Packer's fan here.

As soon as I saw the play, I knew it wasn't a catch by the rules of the NFL.



Pretty clear to me, he's going to the ground as he completes, ball hits the ground, he doesn't maintain control. Incomplete.

You can argue the rule, but you can't argue the call.

[OAW]

Originally Posted by boy8cookie 

Pre: Packer's fan here.

As soon as I saw the play, I knew it wasn't a catch by the rules of the NFL.



Pretty clear to me, he's going to the ground as he completes, ball hits the ground, he doesn't maintain control. Incomplete.

You can argue the rule, but you can't argue the call.

And these photos completely ignore the fact that Bryant caught the ball and took TWO STEPS in bounds before he ever hit the ground. It's a catch!!!

OAW

[Cap'n Tightpants]

Originally Posted by OAW 

And these photos completely ignore the fact that Bryant caught the ball and took TWO STEPS in bounds before he ever hit the ground. It's a catch!!!

OAW

If bryant was still in college. The amount of denial is unreal.

[Chongo]

Megatron is not impressed with Bryant's whining. The bottom line is the Dallas defense failed to forced a three and out and get the ball back to Romo. There was over four minutes left on the clock. Had Dallas scored, there would have been almost four minutes left on the clock for Rodgers to bring the Packers down to score a TD or field goal.

[exca1ibur]

Originally Posted by OAW 

And these photos completely ignore the fact that Bryant caught the ball and took TWO STEPS in bounds before he ever hit the ground. It's a catch!!!

OAW

Catch. Period.

[Chongo]

Too bad he went to the ground. That brought the Megatron rule into play. He lost contoll when the ball hit the ground.

[sek929]

He wasn't really taking steps if you watch it at game-speed. He was falling down the whole time after the initial catch, the extra reach for the goal line was not a smart move.

[turtle777]

GO PACKERS.

Off to a great start. Seahawks looking flustered.

-t

[sek929]

This is one hell of a game

[turtle777]

F$&@ the Packers. This is the most unnecessary loss ever.

-t

[Chongo]

💩💩💩💩

[sek929]

There was no reason for that 2 point conversion to work...yet here we are.

Thr Pats are utterly annihilating the Colts. Seahawks vs Patriots in Arizona it is.

[Cap'n Tightpants]

I dislike both teams going, don't even care who wins.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by sek929 

There was no reason for that 2 point conversion to work...yet here we are.

There also was no reason for %$^%&* Bostick tip the onsite kick ball up into the hands of the Seahawks.

And WTF did Burnett think that after the interception, he should just slide to the ground.

Russell Wilson intercepted by Green Bay Packers safety Morgan Burnett

WTF ?

So many freaking mistakes, it's unreal.

-t

[sek929]

How a team can turn the ball over a half dozen times and still win a game is beyond me.

The Colts looked completely outmatched tonight, which is how most people saw it going down. Seattle has some question marks relating to injuries to their defense, but this is shaping up to be one hell of a SB, far better than the embarrassment the Broncos suffered last year.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

There also was no reason for %$^%&* Bostick tip the onsite kick ball up into the hands of the Seahawks.

In fairness, that wasn't a tip of course. He just blew the catch...somehow. If he had tried to tip it then he'd be an idiot.....but sometimes shit happens that was just one of those times.

And WTF did Burnett think that after the interception, he should just slide to the ground.

I also didn't quite understand that when it happened. I didn't hear the announcers comment at the time but the room was pandemonium (they don't in your short clip, either). Other than to secure an actual turnover and not give it away, what's the rationale for not picking up more yardage there? Or is there one?

[Thorzdad]

I think the Packers mistook the 2-minute warning for the end of the game.

[Chongo]

Big question, why wasn't Rogers throwing at Sherman if he was palying hurt?

[starman]

Pats probed for ‘cheating’ in AFC championship | New York Post

[sek929]

LOL!

The balls are surrendered to the officiating crew two days before kickoff, not to mention easy to catch balls would have benefited the leagues highest scoring offense in the Colts and the Pats simply ran the ball down their throats.

It boggles my mind how much spin there is to paint the Pats as undeserving of their success. Love them or hate them, they've been the best team in football for 15 years and no amount of whining can change that.

[Cap'n Tightpants]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

And WTF did Burnett think that after the interception, he should just slide to the ground.

They were up by 12 w/ 5 minutes left, he was just making sure he didn't get stipped of the ball, costing them the game. In hindsight it wasn't a great idea, but it's what a lot of secondary coaches teach. "Don't overplay your position. Your job isn't to score, your job is to give our offense more opportunities to score."

[Snow-i]

Originally Posted by sek929 

LOL!

The balls are surrendered to the officiating crew two days before kickoff, not to mention easy to catch balls would have benefited the leagues highest scoring offense in the Colts and the Pats simply ran the ball down their throats.

It boggles my mind how much spin there is to paint the Pats as undeserving of their success. Love them or hate them, they've been the best team in football for 15 years and no amount of whining can change that.

Over the last 7 years, there's been a better team.

[starman]

Originally Posted by sek929 

LOL!

The balls are surrendered to the officiating crew two days before kickoff, not to mention easy to catch balls would have benefited the leagues highest scoring offense in the Colts and the Pats simply ran the ball down their throats.

It boggles my mind how much spin there is to paint the Pats as undeserving of their success. Love them or hate them, they've been the best team in football for 15 years and no amount of whining can change that.

And yet Eli shut them down. Twice.

And who was fined half a million dollars for cheating?