2010 NFL season

[Griever]

p.s. Griever, don't worry about the Star. Since I equally hate the Cowboys, I don't want to look at that garbage. I'd offer to slap a Charger Bolt, but I'm in mourning due to their sucktasticness this year.

That is mighty merciful of you. Maybe we can try making a new bet next year to make up for it.

[Lyion]

I'm still holding out hope the Bolts do a turnaround this year.

I think the Redskins aren't that far from being a really good team. I don't think they'll do it with Beck or Grossman, though. Maybe Shanahan can trade for Tebow in the offseason.

[Arlos]

I think Shanahan has seriously lost his fastball. That or he's let his ego run riot for years now. Didn't he give himself the title of "Maximum Leader" at one point? That's some serious ego right there. I'm really not sure how good a coach he is any more, none of his teams have done jack shit since Elway retired.

-Arlos

[Phlegm]

Both Detroit and Buffalo are falling back now. I hope Denver run the table and make the playoff.

[Lyion]

I think Jahvid Best is hugely underappreciated. He's a homerun hitter RB, of which there are few in the NFL. The Lions really miss him.

I'm amazed the Bronco's beat the Jet's with their current O. I love Tebow, but I didn't expect him to succeed. Especially with his terrible WR corps, and John "Woody Hayes' Fox. Then again, I expected Cam Newton to flop, too. I think the NFL needs to re-evaluate QBs and offenses.

[Arlos]

Thanksgiving should be awesome.

Lions/Packers. Can the Lions ruin the perfect season? Do the Lions preserve any chance of taking the division, or do they cement themselves as a wildcard at best?

Cowpatties/Dolphins. Well, gotta be one crappy game on any given day, I guess.

49ers/Ravens. The Har-bowl. 49ers are 9-1, Ravens are 7-3. One of the only 2 tough games remaining on the 9ers schedule. 9ers are 4-0 on the road, Ravens are 5-0 at home. 49ers STILL haven't allowed a rushing TD this season. This should be an amazing game. Basically no outcome from this game would surprise me, unless it's like a 62-55 track meet or something completely off the wall. Hell, with the 2 defenses involved, I could see it ending as a 0-0 tie.

-Arlos

[vonkaar]

So I'm starting to rethink my stance on the Niners / Packers just a bit. Yes, Green Bay has a ridiculously potent offense and they are REALLY strong in several other key areas, but holy shit their defense has holes. The tackling is most obvious. I've watched both games the past two weeks and often their linebackers and secondary look like their arms are made of wet noodles. They are middle of the league in rush defense, total scoring and sacks; and the worst in pass defense and total yards.

San Francisco, on the other hand, is right up there with the best in all defensive categories. It's pretty amazing how they've turned around. And this isn't a 2000 Ravens squad that wins on defense alone. Alex Smith is providing excellent Quarterbacking lately and I'm totally envious of his decision making abilities when compared to my Tony 'throw into quadruple coverage' Romo.
To me, this is a George Foreman / Mohammed Ali discussion. Green Bay beats the piss out of you early on and that's pretty much it. There isn't much else to their game. San Francisco has a much more complete game and if they can stick with Green Bay for 12 rounds, I mean four quarters, I think that they can win it. I'm REALLY interested in this matchup.

To Lyion, who earlier said about Aaron Rodgers playing at possibly the highest quarterback level ever played (paraphrased)...

I'd say that Kurt Warner's Greatest Show on Turf from 99 to 01 equals this, though he had better talent around him. But I think that Steve Young in the mid nineties was superior. Teams knew exactly what to expect from him, they knew exactly what he was going to do and it didn't make any difference. He still did it. He was so ridiculously effective against every single defense and was the only quarterback of that generation that wasn't shutdown by the "Deion Factor". Deion even said that Steve was the hardest QB to read because he was so aware of everything, you couldn't anticipate anything with him. Plus, he was a leftie which screws everything up anyway. He only became a starter in his 8th season and played for 8 years after. In those eight years he won 6 passing titles (4 consecutive, both NFL records) and two MVPs. Six of his eight seasons he had a passer rating over 100 (NFL record). In Super Bowl 29, he passed for 6 touchdowns (SB record) and became the only player to lead the game in both passing AND rushing yards. Dude freaking caught his own pass three times, once for a touchdown. He was as dominant as you can be at the QB position... and I think that the 'scare' factor was worse back then.

I actually posted all of that in the pre-season on another forum. Someone was talking about Michael Vick and how intimidating he is. Something about how he 'scares' teams more than any QB in recent memory. Funny how that one worked out =p.

[Arlos]

For years, despite having very good RBs on the roster, the local media widely commented on the fact that Steve Young, if he wasn't the QB, would be far and away the best RB on the team too.

I mean hell, watch this: (look at that downfield blocking, too!)




I won't argue that Rodgers is playing amazing football at the moment, but best EVER? I think Montana, Young, Elway and Marino might well have some quibbles there. (and I don't even LIKE Elway)

49ers D is playing the best it has since the days of Ronnie Lott, no question. (that was a secret of those 49er teams, actually. Montana and the offense got all the attention, but they frequently had a REALLY good D as well). Yesterday showed that we can dominate teams we are supposed to, even when the offense is having a bad day. Annoying as the misfires were, the fact we still utterly dominated Arizona was a good sign, IMHO.

49ers vs Packers could be VERY interesting. If it's in GB, I pretty solidly give GB the edge in that one, especially in January. Admittedly, though, those conditions favor running teams and teams that can stop the run, and the 49ers are manifestly excellent at both (especially stopping the run. STILL no rushing TDs allowed this year.) So, it might not be THAT decisive, when it comes right down to it.

Lets just agree that it'll be an awesome game and leave it at that. rofl.

-Arlos

[Jay]

So I'm starting to rethink my stance on the Niners / Packers just a bit. Yes, Green Bay has a ridiculously potent offense and they are REALLY strong in several other key areas, but holy shit their defense has holes. The tackling is most obvious. I've watched both games the past two weeks and often their linebackers and secondary look like their arms are made of wet noodles. They are middle of the league in rush defense, total scoring and sacks; and the worst in pass defense and total yards.

San Francisco, on the other hand, is right up there with the best in all defensive categories. It's pretty amazing how they've turned around. And this isn't a 2000 Ravens squad that wins on defense alone. Alex Smith is providing excellent Quarterbacking lately and I'm totally envious of his decision making abilities when compared to my Tony 'throw into quadruple coverage' Romo.
To me, this is a George Foreman / Mohammed Ali discussion. Green Bay beats the piss out of you early on and that's pretty much it. There isn't much else to their game. San Francisco has a much more complete game and if they can stick with Green Bay for 12 rounds, I mean four quarters, I think that they can win it. I'm REALLY interested in this matchup.

To Lyion, who earlier said about Aaron Rodgers playing at possibly the highest quarterback level ever played (paraphrased)...

I'd say that Kurt Warner's Greatest Show on Turf from 99 to 01 equals this, though he had better talent around him. But I think that Steve Young in the mid nineties was superior. Teams knew exactly what to expect from him, they knew exactly what he was going to do and it didn't make any difference. He still did it. He was so ridiculously effective against every single defense and was the only quarterback of that generation that wasn't shutdown by the "Deion Factor". Deion even said that Steve was the hardest QB to read because he was so aware of everything, you couldn't anticipate anything with him. Plus, he was a leftie which screws everything up anyway. He only became a starter in his 8th season and played for 8 years after. In those eight years he won 6 passing titles (4 consecutive, both NFL records) and two MVPs. Six of his eight seasons he had a passer rating over 100 (NFL record). In Super Bowl 29, he passed for 6 touchdowns (SB record) and became the only player to lead the game in both passing AND rushing yards. Dude freaking caught his own pass three times, once for a touchdown. He was as dominant as you can be at the QB position... and I think that the 'scare' factor was worse back then.

I actually posted all of that in the pre-season on another forum. Someone was talking about Michael Vick and how intimidating he is. Something about how he 'scares' teams more than any QB in recent memory. Funny how that one worked out =p.

While Smith isn't as awful as Romo in this instance, he's still awful. He's got a high QB rating and less than a handful of picks this year because he's focusing on the only semi decent aspects of his game, which are short to mid range passes and scrambling. He hasn't really tried to be a big playmaker and has been playing it safe which is EXACTLY what he needs to do and he's doing that job well. I'll still never admit the 9ers won a single game because of him. Put ANY QB into Harbaugh's system and they can do the same or more.

[leah]

i don't really have a whole lot of hope for the lions being the team to derail the packers train, but hoo boy would that make for an exciting thanksgiving game!

[Lyion]

Thanksgiving should be awesome.

Really, best Turkey day games I've seen in a long time. Maybe ever. Even the 'fins are hugely underrated and playing good ball now.

Vonk, I think San Fran is a well coached team. However, I expect Rogers to hang 30 on them. The big question is how Smith will do in a shootout. The big equalizer will be if they play in Lambaugh in the dead of winter in nasty weather. I actually feel that's a huge plus for San Fran.

Warner's greatest show on turf was good and I remember it vividly, but he was nowhere near as scary as Rogers. What Warner had in spades was his accuracy. However, go watch some tape and you'll *never* see Warner running full speed out of the pocket and throw a laser 45 yards down field on a dime the way Rogers does. A lot of the damage done by them was due to Marshall Faulk being just a complete beast, and the Martz bizarre schemes. Warner had a lot of negatives that Rogers does not, a la Fumbleitis, sometime poor pocket presence, and he was nowhere near as mobile as Rogers.

I'm a big Kurt Warner fan and feel the dude was very under-respected. He was an excellent QB. Part of me wonders if the Giants had stuck with Warner instead of throwing a few years away with Eli how better their team would've been. Warner really deserved better from St Louis, and New York.

Steve Young is a great comparison. He was more mobile, but didn't have near the arm strength or accuracy on the run.

Really, I'm just talking one season. Warner and Young each have a single Super Bowl, as does Rogers. The trick for Rogers is if he can sustain his play a la Manning and Brady.

[vonkaar]

Well, historically the scariest thing that Rodgers has going for him is his nearly 10:1 TD to INT ratio. If he keeps this up it'll clearly be the best year a QB ever had. 70% accuracy, perfect QB rating, big yards, high TD count, 10-0 team record... all that's been done before. He's at 9.3:1 TD:INT right now and that's so historically out of this world it's like he's playing a different game than his competition. Young, Montana, Elway, Marino, Manning, Brady and Warner never had a year close to that (Brady's best=6.25:1, Manning's=4.9:1, Montana's=3.25:1, Warner's = 3.1:1, etc).

Another scary stat. Rodgers has thrown 329 passes and has 31 touchdowns. That means 9.4% of his passes go into the end-zone. That's good for 11th of all time, and 5 of those ahead of him were freak statistical performances from non-HoF QBs.

And... holy shit man, he's only 27 years old.

Also, why is Leah rooting for Detroit? Is it all because of Ndamukong Suh? Dirtiest player in the league...

[leah]

Also, why is Leah rooting for Detroit? Is it all because of Ndamukong Suh? Dirtiest player in the league...

zomg i have already addressed this, lol. josh's family have been detroit fans for decades so i kind of married into it. well, "married." whatever. i've never watched/cared about NFL prior to attending family functions with him and they're such huge lions fans that it wore off on me. i will say that it made it a little bit more exciting to watch such a familiar face (suh), regardless of said allegations of dirtiness.

[Lyion]

Also, why is Leah rooting for Detroit? Is it all because of Ndamukong Suh? Dirtiest player in the league...

Maybe Nebraska women are drawn to local alpha guys?

[Arlos]

I so can't wait for tomorrow.... Breakfast and one great game, lunch and another, then set the DVR, have entirely too much turkey and trimmings for dinner, then watch best game of the week, the Harbowl.

/GLEE

-Arlos

[Arlos]

OK, that was one of the most idiotic and selfish screw-your-own-team moves I've ever seen in a football game by Suh. How can you DO that? Soon as I saw that, I said Game Over.

-Arlos

[leah]

ya that was pretty bad. and he could've handled it much better in the after-game presser, too--if he had accepted some responsibility he would probably be in a lot less hot water than he's likely to be now, but to defend his actions and claim ignorance is unacceptable. i feel like he's really different now that he's in the NFL, it's kind of a bummer. he seemed to be really level-headed and awesome when he played for the huskers! ah well. lions put up a good fight regardless.

[vonkaar]

Dude is just bad...

beast on the field but holy roid rage

[leah]

ya, it's kind of frustrating. he's a really good guy off the field; my mom was telling stories about how he came to visit residents a couple of times at one of her memory care facilities and that he was a really nice, sweet guy... but on the field he's an animal. i still like him, of course, but i do wish he'd chill the F out.

[vonkaar]

Well, let's hope he can figure all of this out and get back to football. He's too young and talented to let these issues ruin him.

[Phlegm]

Suh really need anger management. He smacked a curb, then took out a light pole, a drinking fountain, and a tree today.

From Associated Press:

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Police in Oregon say Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh crashed his car into a tree in downtown Portland, but was not injured.

Police say Suh was not impaired and was cooperative with officers following the accident at about 1:15 a.m. Saturday. Suh lost control of the 1970 Chevrolet Coupe he was driving, which then hit a curb, light pole, drinking fountain and tree. His vehicle was towed from the scene.

Suh had two passengers in the vehicle. They were not injured.

Suh is a graduate of Portland's Grant High School. He was the NFL's 2010 defensive rookie of the year. On Tuesday, the league suspended him for two games for stomping the arm of Packers guard Evan Dietrich-Smit

[leah]

HA. that's pretty impressive. glad he's not hurt, but homeboy needs some better driving skillz.

[Spazz]

Suh lost control of the 1970 Chevrolet Coupe he was driving, which then hit a curb, light pole, drinking fountain and tree

How do you get into an accident like that without being wasted.

[Phlegm]

Suh lost control of the 1970 Chevrolet Coupe he was driving, which then hit a curb, light pole, drinking fountain and tree

How do you get into an accident like that without being wasted.

May be it wasn't an accident. Maybe... just maybe he was trying to run over some guy on the sidewalk and missed.

[Kaemon]

Or maybe it was because he underestimated the size and handeling of the car and lost control of his car and not his anger...