NFL 2010

[Brother None]

The CFL does actually sound like it has a few neat-o rules, especially the "try a field goal whenever you feel like it" rule.

 

[Cimmerian Nights]

Pffft, you can't even handle the CFL. You just sit there in awe, cause we have bigger balls. </old>

I'll tell you what I can't stand, my neighbor to the north, it's Gary Bettman and the Whaler-less, Neutral Zone Trap clinic known as the NHL. Can't we get rid of this douche and get some clubs back in real hockey cities like Winnipeg, Quebec and Hartford! The fact that he was Daniel Stern's protege in the NBA should be ample evidence enough to keep him as far away from the NHL as possible.

Totally off-topic, but started watching the Maurice Richard movie last night, my grandfather was Québécois and played semi-pro around the same time, so I was digging that whole era. They captured that period really well (I guess).

The CFL does actually sound like it has a few neat-o rules, especially the "try a field goal whenever you feel like it" rule.

All the other pro leagues have great, unique rules, even the XFL did. It's the level of competition that saps my interest.

Camp starts next weeeek though....

Not sure why I should be excited, Patriots are a mess. This team hasn't recovered from the David Tyree catch yet , shit go back even farther to the AFCC game they blew to the Colts, shameful. Fucking defense sucks. Pats are big and bad against weak teams, but haven't beaten a quality opponent in a big game in years.

 

[Brother None]

Tom Brady sure has a lot criticasters lately. Lots of pundits seem to think he's over the top, done.

Not sure what it's based on. He looked skittish but as good as any QB can coming back from those injuries. Still you never know, have to hit the wall at some point.

Thoughts?

 

[Cimmerian Nights]

Thoughts?

Random ones:

-We have not seen the clutch, big game Tom Brady for many years now.
-He was banged up bad last year (ribs, finger, shoulder) of course coming off a nasty knee surgery which has shown at least a 2 year turn around.
-Even at 100%, his best years are behind him IMO. 2007 isn't happening again.
-His championship years he played with a nasty D and power running game, now he plays a spread offense with which he's won nothing.
-He had his 2nd best statistical year last year.
-His team won 11 games with a kid who hadn't started a game since HS.
-He couldn't hit the long ball last year - lots of overthrows.
-He needs top shelf protection to be effective. He's about as mobile as Gibraltar.
-Pats have some nasty out of conf. foes this year, 7 playoff teams - GB, Indy, Chargers, Bengals, Ravens (very scary in '10 IMO), Jets, Vikings.
-He lost many games last year with a half-time lead (blame it on the D?)
-Turning soft from all that Brazilian supermodel trim? Where's the hunger and the leadership? Team's most outspoken leader is a 2-down NT?
-As fa r as contract extensions/negotiations: I don't think money is what motivates him to the degree it does others, his wife earns more than any football player, and Brady himself turns down nearly all endorsements - can you name one endorsements he does (compared to he of the gigantic forehead?)? It's not about money, it's getting his due from the org. He's also the team's union rep, so he can't cave on negotiations when he's supposed to be sticking up for 'the boys'.

I'm not saying he's done, but the Pat's front office is great at one thing: Letting players loose a year or two early (when they still have trade value) instead of holding on to them a year or two too long. I support that fully (assuming there's an as yet unknown Steve Young to Brady's Joe Montana). Some desperate team will let themselves be bent over because of Brady's 01-04 credentials. Exploit that for the good of the team.
After how they dealt Seymour (for a 1st) for having the audacity to request a raise, I don't think anyone is untouchable. They never came to terms with Vinatieri, with Branch, McGinest, Ty Law - those were all players that were as much a part of the SB years as Brady was at that time.

Don't renegotiate his contract, franchise his ass. Revisit things in a year or two.

The thing with Brady that's tough. At one point in time he was a perfect 10-0 in the post season with three successful SB campaigns. He had a perfect regular season. You knew that he had to float back down to earth at some point. Nobody can sustain that level (or was it the team around him inflating that?).

Who knows, the kid could be one more SB run away from GOAT talk.

 

[Guiltyofbeingtrite]

Does the defense still line up a yard off the line of scrimmage in CFL? That rule alone makes me cringe, but I can understand that more points = more fans.

 

[UniversalWolf]

I'm not saying he's done, but the Pat's front office is great at one thing: Letting players loose a year or two early (when they still have trade value) instead of holding on to them a year or two too long.

It sounds like you're not completely discounting all the Brady-to-San Francisco rumors that most people are completely discounting.

I paid close attention to Brady last year since I owned him in my money league (actually his poor fantasy performance week 15 cost me a spot in the championship), and I came to believe that his lack of performance was mostly due to lingering effects of the knee injury and missing a whole year. The Pats are definitely less than they were a few years ago, but I'm not sure the degree to which that affected Brady's personal performance. He also could be getting soft because of his luxurious lifestyle. What does he have left to motivate him when he's already got more of everything than anyone has a right to expect out of life? I think this year will reveal the truth. If he's not fully back now, he never will be - at least not with the Pats.

 

[Cimmerian Nights]

It sounds like you're not completely discounting all the Brady-to-San Francisco rumors that most people are completely discounting.

In life, unfortunately, all good things must end.

I think it's way too far out to speculate where, he still has 3-5 good years in NE IMO, maybe 1st QB for the L.A. Jaguars? I don't see what the Patriots (a pragmatic org.) would stand to gain by trading him to his home town. I want him to go to the team that will offer the most in return. Be it the Jets, whoever. Look how they did Richard Seymour and Deion Branch, cold but shrewd.

The thing with Brady - he doesn't deserve Peyton Manning money. Hell, I'm not sure they should pay him Eli Manning money. I don't want to see him get that money to the detriment of the rest of the team. He's had some stellar post-season games, way better than Manning could ever dream of. However
, is he more valuable to his team than Manning? I don't think so. A so-called HS QB, who never started a game in College or the Pros took over the team and threw for nearly 4K and won 11 games? Welker's production that year dipped by 1 catch and 10 yards, they lost the division on a tiebreaker. Colts aren't even a .500 team w/o Manning.

The Patriots without Brady are a lot better off than the Manningless Colts, the Moon-less Oilers, the Barry-less Lions etc. Why pay Manning, a saviorific 1st overall pick the same as a 6th rounder? Bottom line, I'd rather see him walk than the coach.

All this being said, Brady's a top 5 QB, so I'm not trying to front like joe schmoe could walk in and fill his shoes. But it's inevitable that he will have to go someday.
But I could care less if he ends his days like Unitas in SD, Namath in LA, Favre in NYJ or OJ in SF. Who remembers those stints?

 

[UniversalWolf]

The CFL does actually sound like it has a few neat-o rules, especially the "try a field goal whenever you feel like it" rule.

One of the things I miss about NFL Europe is how the league used it as a new rules testbed. They changed the push-out rule for receivers based on NFL Europe. Another good change was that incomplete passes only stopped the clock during the last two minutes of the first half and the last five minutes of the second half.

 

[Cimmerian Nights]

Following in Ocho-cinco's footsteps, Carson Palmer is changing his name to Sisyphus. What foul transgression could he have possibly committed against the football gods to warrant consignment to this Dante-esque circle of hell for QBs? (besides going to USC?)

 

[Guiltyofbeingtrite]

Didn't want to make a separate topic for this in another forum:

Anyone going to buy the latest Madden? I might, have had 360 for a bit and just bought ps3 so does anyone have insight on which console is better?

 

[Cimmerian Nights]

Last time I played Madden was on a Sega Genesis, couldn't tell ya. Was thinking of picking it up on Ebay for the DS my cousin-in-law (?) gave me, but I question how good it could be on a DS. I also notice they revamped Tecmo Bowl for the DS as "Tecmo Kickoff" and is supposedly pretty fun...

 

[UniversalWolf]

Madden is a joke. EA has no competition so they get by with releasing the same game over and over every year. Even so it's a third-rate effort. I refuse to pay any attention to it until the NFL dumps their shameful exclusivity agreement with EA.

What we need is a free, open-source football simulator.

I actually like the TO signing. TO doesn't become a problem for his team in the first year; he gets restless and discontented in the second year. Sure, it's a short-term deal, but I could see it working for 2010.

 

[Sander]

Didn't want to make a separate topic for this in another forum:

Anyone going to buy the latest Madden? I might, have had 360 for a bit and just bought ps3 so does anyone have insight on which console is better?

There's no real difference beyond personal preference for those cross-console titles.

Madden is a joke. EA has no competition so they get by with releasing the same game over and over every year.

Eh, that's how all those year-by-year sports games work, competition or no.

Though I must say that FIFA got a shitton better with the '09 installment.

 

[Brother None]

Eeeek
Hill's alleged victim girlfriend has now disappeared. She failed to show up for a court trial today, quit going to work, and has not returned repeated calls to police and prosecutors.

I do like how the media doesn't give a shit about Leroy Hill's series of marijuana suspension, domestic abuse and now criminal charges for tampering with witnesses aka "making your girlfriend disappear". If this was Broth they'd be full of outrage. Aaaahhhh, popular justice, so infallible.

EDIT: also I'm not sure how much faith I'd have in a football coach who simulates wet conditions like this:

 

[UniversalWolf]

Eeeek
Hill's alleged victim girlfriend has now disappeared. She failed to show up for a court trial today, quit going to work, and has not returned repeated calls to police and prosecutors.

Rae Carruth, part II maybe.

 

[Cimmerian Nights]

Wicked pissah indeed, Bill's marking his territory. My question would be what you're doing on Patriots.com, hoodie shopping for your boyfriend? :let the shit talking season begin muthafuckas:

 

[Brother None]

It's from KSK. I wouldn't visit Patriots.com without proper protection. I might be infected by your smugness.

 

[Cimmerian Nights]

I'm pumped, everybody's locked up except Mankins, apparently $7M/yr for a guard isn't enough, he'd rather be at the casting call for Deliverance remake. Going to be a fun year with games vs. Bengals, Vikings, Chargers, Packers, Ravens, Steelers, Colts, Bears, and of course Jets and 'Fins x2, and Lions on Thanksgiving :happy, happy, joy, joy:. That'll be some good football. Coach is back on the defensive side where his HOF ass belongs with all the rookies. I'm cleaning out my bong in anticipation.

What a rookie class league-wide too. Ton of fucking talent coming up, can't wait to see who steps up. NFL needed an infusion of new blood.

 

[Sander]

I'm stoked for the season. I can't help it, I'm being swept up in the offseason hype. Everyone's signed and in camp, they even signed Donald Penn to a longterm contract - finally. The key rookies (DTs Gerald McCoy, Brian Price and WRs Arrelious Benn and Mike Williams) are all impressing heavily in camp and OTAs so far, QB Josh Freeman has been in the facility nearly every day since January working out by himself and with receivers and he's supposedly made some major strides this offseason. There's not a hint of anything negative surrounding the team right now.

Still, even with the fairly easy schedule I can't see the team that went 3-13 last season do anything more than 7-9 this year.

Also grabbed the NFL.com Game Pass thingie. $280 for 6 months of NFL Network and every game and preseason game available live and also archived. Good stuff.

By the way, here's what Ronde Barber said about Penn and McCoy signing last-minute contracts:
"It's the same scenario every year. The day before camp everyone decides 'I kind of like Football.'"

 

[UniversalWolf]

...all impressing heavily in camp and OTAs...

As a general rule all high draft picks "impress" in camp and OTAs. It's universal PR-speak.

Did you ever get your fantasy money-league going? It could still be done, but it's getting to be crunch time.

I vote for Dallas as the most overrated team in preseason. I don't see anything different from last year that makes them any better on offense, and their defense is older and potentially worse.

The Packers might be somewhat overrated. I expect the offense to be as good or better than last year, but the defense could be worse. They also have a much tougher schedule this year compared to last - at least on paper.

My question about the Pats is, who's going to be running the ball?