2013 NFL Football

[Fourputt]

These guys are killing me!

EDIT: Phew! They made it!

Of course, it took a miracle last weekend which included a narrow OT win over the Chiefs backups, so I don't know how they're gonna fare better next week, but hey ... It's a win.

Playoffs baby!!!! ;)

Yeah, I wouldn't get too excited about an OT win against the other team's second and third string.  I can't think that KC is exactly excited about going into the playoffs losing 4 of their last 6 games.

Denver flat out got it done today, doing everything they needed to do in the first half, and the starters got a rest in the second half.  Manning was surgical, slicing and dicing and doing pretty much anything he wanted.  With next week off, they have a chance to let some bumps and bruises heal up.

And this to Wade Phillips for his whining.  The TD record is not in doubt.  He'll be lucky to have a job next year.

[saevel25]

Joe Flacco scares you? He sucks. Seriously, seriously sucks.

Agreed, Flacco is totally over-rated. He road on the coat tails of Ray Lewis and a defense that has been in the top 15 for the past 5 years. Takes a bit of a burden off the QB when you only have to get more than 17 points to win a game. Don't get me wrong, he had a very good super bowl performance, but he is not an elite QB. He doesn't improve the people around him. I'd say if it wasn't for Anquan Boldin going all Chad Johnson on San Francisco in the super bowl, they might not have won that game. He made great catch after great catch, even on less than stellar throws by Flacco. An elite WR can make a QB look good.

[iacas]

Yeah, I wouldn't get too excited about an OT win against the other team's second and third string.  I can't think that KC is exactly excited about going into the playoffs losing 4 of their last 6 games.

They got the job done. They got into the playoffs in a must-win game. That's plenty exciting.

I think an NFC team wins the Super Bowl this year.

Agreed, Flacco is totally over-rated. He road on the coat tails of Ray Lewis and a defense that has been in the top 15 for the past 5 years. Takes a bit of a burden off the QB when you only have to get more than 17 points to win a game. Don't get me wrong, he had a very good super bowl performance, but he is not an elite QB. He doesn't improve the people around him. I'd say if it wasn't for Anquan Boldin going all Chad Johnson on San Francisco in the super bowl, they might not have won that game. He made great catch after great catch, even on less than stellar throws by Flacco. An elite WR can make a QB look good.

Seriously, Flacco sucks. Might not even be in the top half of starting QBs in the league.

[Phil McGleno]

Are the Broncos gonna win their first Super Bowl without cheating?-No. Sorry @Fourputt .

[Golfingdad]

See? I was right in congratulating them earlier. [LIST=1] [*] **** Andy Reid. And holy hell is he huge these days. [*] **** Succop. [*] **** the refs for not even reviewing the fumble in OT - for the spot OR when he fumbled. [*] **** the Steelers. Their 8-8 season means they won't do what they desperately need to do - clean house in many areas. [/LIST]

Lol to 1. Yay to 2. And for 4, you think missing the playoffs won't get them to make some changes? Bummer. Now, for 3 .. Yeah, that was, umm, odd. They showed one replay that showed nothing, then the ref said 1st down and that was (apparently) that. Obviously not complaining cuz it went for my team, but boy was I surprised that they didn't review that upstairs at all. --------- AFC is going to have a huge advantage, I think, in the Super Bowl if it's cold. Their entrant will have likely just played in Cincinnati and/or Denver and/or boston just prior to New York ... Whereas the NFC probably goes through Seattle or Carolina.

[jamo]

Joe Flacco scares you? He sucks. Seriously, seriously sucks.

Oh no, I'm not saying he's good, but he's one of the few QBs that has a winning record against the Brady/Belichick Patriots. I'm just glad they get to avoid that team in the playoffs for once. I should've just said the team scares me.

[iacas]

Lol to 1. Yay to 2. And for 4, you think missing the playoffs won't get them to make some changes? Bummer.

They're morons. Tomlin plays veterans over younger, more talented (and hungrier) players. Their defense is old. Worilds has a ridiculously stupid contract. LeBeau will be back… again. I think he went senile six or seven years ago.

Now, for 3 .. Yeah, that was, umm, odd. They showed one replay that showed nothing, then the ref said 1st down and that was (apparently) that. Obviously not complaining cuz it went for my team, but boy was I surprised that they didn't review that upstairs at all.

Yeah, I don't know how that isn't reviewed. I didn't hear a whistle. They couldn't even show it much on TV because the ref said "first down!" and they were on to the next play. No coach's challenges. Supposedly all would be reviewed by the booth, but they clearly didn't review that one.

AFC is going to have a huge advantage, I think, in the Super Bowl if it's cold. Their entrant will have likely just played in Cincinnati and/or Denver and/or boston just prior to New York ... Whereas the NFC probably goes through Seattle or Carolina.

Okay, but the NFC is a much better conference this year. The weather won't make up that much of a difference.

[Fourputt]

Are the Broncos gonna win their first Super Bowl without cheating?-No. Sorry @Fourputt.

And just who the hell pushed your buttons?  I haven't got a clue what you are talking about, and I don't think that you do either.

[Phil McGleno]

Broncos cheated-And won Super Bowls with a team they shouldn't have been able to afford. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28969-2004Sep17.html http://forums.plentyoffish.com/datingPosts9725859.aspx Still not as bad as the Cheatriots.-But the Broncos cheated too. But just like Cheatriots, it is fine if you end up winning in todays nFL. They just had to get Elway his rings. [quote name="Fourputt" url="/t/69880/2013-nfl-football/630#post_934002"] And just who the hell pushed your buttons?  I haven't got a clue what you are talking about, and I don't think that you do either. [/quote]

[JetFan1983]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iacas

Joe Flacco scares you? He sucks. Seriously, seriously sucks.

Agreed, Flacco is totally over-rated. He road on the coat tails of Ray Lewis and a defense that has been in the top 15 for the past 5 years. Takes a bit of a burden off the QB when you only have to get more than 17 points to win a game. Don't get me wrong, he had a very good super bowl performance, but he is not an elite QB. He doesn't improve the people around him. I'd say if it wasn't for Anquan Boldin going all Chad Johnson on San Francisco in the super bowl, they might not have won that game. He made great catch after great catch, even on less than stellar throws by Flacco. An elite WR can make a QB look good.

Flacco never should have gotten that massive contract, but he doesn't suck. Come on, guys! :-D He led them to a Super Bowl last year. Maybe Erik doesn't realize how spoiled he is to have his team win so many Super Bowls in his lifetime (says the bitter Jets fan hehe).

The Ravens let up 21.5 PPG last year and ranked 17th overall in total defense. Their run defense was bad last year letting up the 20th most yards per game on the ground to opposing running backs. Ray Lewis was playing on a torn biceps, and was a shell of his former self.

Flacco played unbelievable during their playoff run, albeit with some lucky breaks (Jacoby Jones).

2012 POSTSEASON SCHEDULE

RND

DATE

OPPONENT

RESULT

HI PASSING

HI RUSHING

HI RECEIVING

WILD

Sun, Jan 6

vs

Indianapolis

W

24-9

Flacco 282

Pierce 103

Boldin 145

DIV

Sat, Jan 12

@

Denver

W

38-35 2OT

Flacco 331

Rice 131

Smith 98

CONF

Sun, Jan 20

@

New England

W

28-13

Flacco 240

Pierce 52

Smith 69

SB

Sun, Feb 3

@

San Francisco

W

34-31

Flacco 287

Rice 59

Boldin 104

That's not exactly relying on the defense to hold teams to 17 ppg as you said. Again, I'm not saying he's an elite QB -- and he certainly never should have gotten that contract -- but come on, guys. You're going all wisguy on Flacco right now :-P... okay, maybe that was an extreme reference LOL.

I also disagree that Boldin is an elite WR. He's an excellent possession receiver, but he benefits from other players taking attention away from him, like Torrey Smith and Vernon Davis. He's still a very good football player who topped 1000 yards this year for the first time in four season, but he's far from elite.

Flacco got dealt a crappy hand this season. He lost Pitta in training camp, Boldin to free agency, and Ray Rice had an absolutely horrendous year. It's amazing they were even able to manage the 8-8 season that they did because of all the losses they suffered on both sides of the ball.

Baltimore won the Super Bowl last year in a total team effort. Special teams hooked them up when they needed it. The defense made the critical stops when they needed it. They made big catches when they needed it. They got the tough yards when they needed it. Their coaches made the brilliant calls when they needed it. No one unit or player did it all, even though Flacco did earn Super Bowl MVP honors.

Guys, I think we mostly agree that Flacco isn't elite and is overpaid, but come on. He doesn't suck!:-D His numbers were bad this year, yea, but in my opinion, that's more a product of the Baltimore system and his mediocre weapons.

[Golfingdad]

They're morons. Tomlin plays veterans over younger, more talented (and hungrier) players. Their defense is old. Worilds has a ridiculously stupid contract. LeBeau will be back… again. I think he went senile six or seven years ago. Yeah, I don't know how that isn't reviewed. I didn't hear a whistle. They couldn't even show it much on TV because the ref said "first down!" and they were on to the next play. No coach's challenges. Supposedly all would be reviewed by the booth, but they clearly didn't review that one.   Okay, but the NFC is a much better conference this year. The weather won't make up that much of a difference.

As much fun as it would be to pile on Andy Reid ... I think that he didn't even have the coaches challenge option in the overtime. I think the ref said all booth reviews in ot. .... It would have been interesting if kc managed a field goal on their ot possession, because the chargers would have had the ball back with 3-ish minutes left and knowing that they didn't need to win. I wonder if they would have just tried to run out the clock for the tie? ;) So is it Tomlin you'd like to see gone? Or the gm, or certain players, or a mish mash of all of the above?

[SloverUT]

They're morons. Tomlin plays veterans over younger, more talented (and hungrier) players. Their defense is old. Worilds has a ridiculously stupid contract. LeBeau will be back… again. I think he went senile six or seven years ago.

Yeah, I don't know how that isn't reviewed. I didn't hear a whistle. They couldn't even show it much on TV because the ref said "first down!" and they were on to the next play. No coach's challenges. Supposedly all would be reviewed by the booth, but they clearly didn't review that one.

Okay, but the NFC is a much better conference this year. The weather won't make up that much of a difference.

How do you figure the NFC is a much better conference this year?

The NFC won a total of 128 games this year.  The AFC won 126.

I think the conferences were fairly equal this year and I think the teams representing them are fairly equal as well.

Denver-Seattle (comparable).  One has the best offense in the NFL, the other one of the best defenses.

NE-Panthers (Comparable).  I think the advantage goes to Carolina on this one but it would have been close if NE hadn't lost their best receiver.  The panthers do have a great defense.

KC-49ers (Comparable)  Both of these teams have had really bright spots but also shown some real weaknesses.  I think KC has had a let down at the end because they knew they couldn't go any higher than the wild card.  Overall, I like the 49ers here and definitely think they'd win head to head.

Colts-Packers (Comparable)  I like the Colts here.  They've been hot here at the end and Luck has shown he can handle the pressure.  The real variable here is obviously how well Rodgers plays.

Bengals (Cowboys/Eagles)  I think this one definitely goes to the Bengals, especially if the Cowboys manage to beat the Eagles today.

San Diego-New Orleans:  This one definitely goes to New Orleans.

So I do agree the NFC has been better this year but I think its fairly close.  They had about the same amount of bottom feeders this year too and its made for some good football this season with no true overwhelming favorite.  I am a Manning fan and hope he gets one more ring, but I don't know what to expect.  Seattle has been really good this year but has shown they aren't as good on the road.   The biggest thing I think the NFC has going for it is its defenses.  Seattle, 49ers, and the Panthers all have top notch defenses, where as the Broncos, Patriots do not.

Most interesting to me will be to see if the newer guys can overcome the playoff experience of some of the vets.  We  have a good mixture of both this year.

[iacas]

Flacco never should have gotten that massive contract, but he doesn't suck. Come on, guys! :-D He led them to a Super Bowl last year.

I disagree that he "led" them to anything. He sucks. Look at his performance this year, when his defense wasn't giving him good field position consistently (or causing turnovers, or winning games for him). In a must-win game, look at how he performed today, throwing three INTs and managing to get, what, some field goals after four INTs by the Bengals QB?

Guys, I think we mostly agree that Flacco isn't elite and is overpaid, but come on. He doesn't suck!:-D His numbers were bad this year, yea, but in my opinion, that's more a product of the Baltimore system and his mediocre weapons.

He sucks. :)

As much fun as it would be to pile on Andy Reid ... I think that he didn't even have the coaches challenge option in the overtime. I think the ref said all booth reviews in ot. .... It would have been interesting if kc managed a field goal on their ot possession, because the chargers would have had the ball back with 3-ish minutes left and knowing that they didn't need to win. I wonder if they would have just tried to run out the clock for the tie? ;)

Probably.

Tomlin can stay, but only if he pulls his head out of his ass and plays the best PLAYERS, and motivates and prepares the guys properly. Too many stupid things he does. On a team riddled with O-Line injuries, he had ONE extra O-Lineman and the team almost had to try to force a TE to play an O-Line position twice this year. That's just one example. Favoring vets over higher skilled younger players (not even rookies) is another.

How do you figure the NFC is a much better conference this year?

The NFC won a total of 128 games this year.  The AFC won 126.

The AFC played a lot of games against the AFC. The NFC played a lot of teams in the NFC. That alone will tend to even things out (i.e. imagine half the teams in the NFC going 12-4 and half in the NFC going 4-12, while in the AFC every team goes 9-7 or 7-9 - which division is stronger despite exactly identical win totals, when you're talking about the playoff teams?).

As for the rest, it's my opinion. And since I don't even watch every Steelers game, it's not a terribly well informed one. :)

[SloverUT]

On a draft related note, the Texans will have the first pick in this years draft.  I know they are most likely going to pick a QB because of their issues this year, however..

Could you imagine if they picked Clowney and had him and J.J. Watt together?  That would be a fun defense to watch!

Also, on another interesting note, Demarius Thomas caught a TD pass from Manning today that allowed Manning to get his 55th TD (Standing record) and that also put him over the passing yards in a season, passing Brees.

How would you like to have that football? :)

[JetFan1983]

Eli Manning had a downright horrendous year, but has two Super Bowl wins (and MVPs). Would you say that he really sucks too?

Hehe, OK, fine, agree to disagree. I reserve the term "sucks" for guys like Geno Smith, Mark Sanchez, Josh Freeman, David Carr, Ryan Leaf, etc.

[iacas]

Eli Manning had a downright horrendous year, but has two Super Bowl wins (and MVPs). Would you say that he really sucks too?

He's over-rated. Doesn't suck, though. Got lucky to win that first SB with that lollipop pass that the dude caught against his helmet.

Suck = Bottom 20 starting QB in the league.

Hehe, OK, fine, agree to disagree. I reserve the term "sucks" for guys like Geno Smith, Mark Sanchez, Josh Freeman, David Carr, Ryan Leaf, etc.

I'm more liberal with doling out "sucks." :)

[Fourputt]

Broncos cheated-And won Super Bowls with a team they shouldn't have been able to afford.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28969-2004Sep17.html

http://forums.plentyoffish.com/datingPosts9725859.aspx

Still not as bad as the Cheatriots.-But the Broncos cheated too. But just like Cheatriots, it is fine if you end up winning in todays nFL. They just had to get Elway his rings.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fourputt

And just who the hell pushed your buttons?  I haven't got a clue what you are talking about, and I don't think that you do either.

Have you actually read that Post article you linked?  The issue was about maintaining a necessary cash flow while funding the new stadium in the mid-90's and had nothing to do with the Super Bowl years.  Not all owners have the obscene finances that Jerry Jones has available when it comes to such investments.  It may have involved some sort of violation of league finance rules around 1996-97, but it sure as hell wasn't cheating in any sense of what was happening on the field in 1998 and 1999.  The people responsible were also fired.  If the league actually thought that it affected the Super Bowl, don't you think that there would have been a lot more publicity about it?  The second article, which isn't really an article at all but a blog entry, is hardly believable when he takes his cue from a cartoon.

It makes you sound more like a whiner than anything else.  You are the first person I've ever heard even suggest that the Bronco SB wins were anything but proper.  The Post article didn't even hint at that.  Did your team get beat that you seem so upset by such a relatively minor money management issue?  As you said yourself, it doesn't compare to what Belichick did, and his spying pales next to the Saint's Bounty-gate.

[Golfingdad]

... If the league actually thought that it affected the Super Bowl, don't you think that there would have been a lot more publicity about it?  ...

Good point.  Common sense says that if there was a story involving a tainted Super Bowl, that wouldn't be a secret.  It would be a huuuuuuge story.