NFL Football Thread

Elfdart · Post by **Elfdart** » 2006-10-04 10:00am

Tsyroc wrote:So is everyone off of the Cardinals as the sleaper choice of the year bandwagon yet?

That no O-line thing is killing them. I'm also kind of wishing that they'd drafted Vince Young instead of Leinart (not that Young was still around by their choice) but at least young looks like he could survive running for his life when the protection craps out.

But Young is a terrible passer. Yeah, I'm off the bandwagon. I thought Dennis Green would do something with that line, but that didn't pan out. The Cardinals are going to go through every QB on the roster by the end of the season.

Elfdart · Post by **Elfdart** » 2006-10-04 10:01am

Darth Garden Gnome wrote:The Lions got over a big hurdle today. Losing to the Rams proved to be a tough loss, but they came through in the end. It was really close. The St. Louis defense tried to give them a win, but the Lions hung on to the loss. Thank goodness! My dream of 0-16 is still alive.

Become a Raider fan and your wish might come true. Picking #1 won't do the Lions or Raitards much good since Al Davis and Matt Millen will be making the pick.

Tsyroc · Post by **Tsyroc** » 2006-10-04 10:18am

Elfdart wrote: But Young is a terrible passer. Yeah, I'm off the bandwagon. I thought Dennis Green would do something with that line, but that didn't pan out. The Cardinals are going to go through every QB on the roster by the end of the season.

True about Young. I guess I'm just not sold on how great Leinart must be because of his time at USC. I'm hopeful because of how Carson Palmer turned out but even if Leinart turns out to be a decent NFL quarterback he's still playing for the Cardinals.

I'll be interested to see how great Edgerin James' attitude is by the end of the year. Obviously the Colts miss him but it looks like (performance wise) he's missing the Colts too. So far his situation is a good example of how running the ball is a team activity and that no mater how good the back is he can only do so much on his own. Unless he's Barry Sanders and then he just needs people to get in the way a little so not everyone on the defense is coming at him full speed at the same time.

Darth Garden Gnome · Post by **Darth Garden Gnome** » 2006-10-04 10:27am

Elfdart wrote:Become a Raider fan and your wish might come true. Picking #1 won't do the Lions or Raitards much good since Al Davis and Matt Millen will be making the pick.

Had the Lions not beaten Arizona (by a last second FG no less) during the season, they would have had the third overall pick of the draft. Mario Williams and Reggie Bush come off the boads, but I wonder how Milen would've fucked us over on that one. Could he have screwed up picking Young? D'Brick? Leinart?

I'm sort of glad and sort of pissed that I'll never know.

Tsyroc · Post by **Tsyroc** » 2006-10-04 10:29am

Doesn't Millen usually go for wide recievers with his early picks?

Elfdart · Post by **Elfdart** » 2006-10-04 05:36pm

Tsyroc wrote:True about Young. I guess I'm just not sold on how great Leinart must be because of his time at USC. I'm hopeful because of how Carson Palmer turned out but even if Leinart turns out to be a decent NFL quarterback he's still playing for the Cardinals.

Leinart played in a system at USC that isn't much different from Rowen's offense with the Cardinals. They use the same numbered passing tree and timing-based system (AKA Air Coryell). Arm strength doesn't enter into it. That's why Mike Martz has turned such marginal physical talents into first rate QBs. John Kitna is quietly having a great season (third in passing yardage).

I'll be interested to see how great Edgerin James' attitude is by the end of the year. Obviously the Colts miss him but it looks like (performance wise) he's missing the Colts too. So far his situation is a good example of how running the ball is a team activity and that no mater how good the back is he can only do so much on his own. Unless he's Barry Sanders and then he just needs people to get in the way a little so not everyone on the defense is coming at him full speed at the same time.

That line is below average. Certainly not good enough to keep Warner from getting more concussions or fumbling. O-lines can't be built or patched up in a season or two. It takes maybe three years to refurbish a line unless Jim Hanifan (retired) or Hudson Houck is coaching it.

Tsyroc wrote:Doesn't Millen usually go for wide recievers with his early picks?

And bad ones, too. Mike Williams is only on the roster for salary cap reasons, or he would have been shown the door when Charles Rogers was. Detroit's second leading receiver (by only three catches) is Joe Furrey, who was converted from Safety.

Darth Garden Gnome wrote:Had the Lions not beaten Arizona (by a last second FG no less) during the season, they would have had the third overall pick of the draft. Mario Williams and Reggie Bush come off the boads, but I wonder how Milen would've fucked us over on that one. Could he have screwed up picking Young? D'Brick? Leinart?

I'm sort of glad and sort of pissed that I'll never know.

He would have traded it to the Bengals for jailbird Chris Henry. Or not -Henry is a fairly good player when he's not having his mugshot taken. Millen prefers wideouts who can't play.

Master of Ossus · Post by **Master of Ossus** » 2006-10-04 07:26pm

Tsyroc wrote:I'll be interested to see how great Edgerin James' attitude is by the end of the year. Obviously the Colts miss him but it looks like (performance wise) he's missing the Colts too. So far his situation is a good example of how running the ball is a team activity and that no mater how good the back is he can only do so much on his own. Unless he's Barry Sanders and then he just needs people to get in the way a little so not everyone on the defense is coming at him full speed at the same time.

I don't think Edgerrin James is a great player, though, and I never have. He's a good running back who catches passes. His rushing is worse than that of (say) Dominick Davis, although he catches better and he's pretty good at picking up blitzers. That's all there is to his game. He's not going to save a team or turn one around.

Tsyroc · Post by **Tsyroc** » 2006-10-05 09:21am

Master of Ossus wrote: I don't think Edgerrin James is a great player, though, and I never have. He's a good running back who catches passes. His rushing is worse than that of (say) Dominick Davis, although he catches better and he's pretty good at picking up blitzers. That's all there is to his game. He's not going to save a team or turn one around.

I was never sold on him being a great back but I assumed he'd do better than the previous guys the Cards have had, which he may be doing. It's always funny when the Cards draft people who don't do shit in Arizona but when the leave the turn into a good starter or sometimes even a pro-bowler.

It always seemed to me that the Cards generally went with the wrong type of back for the team they had. As in they usually went for smaller guys who racked up the yards in college or somewhere else where they had a good to dominant O-line. James is at least bigger than the usual guy they pick up and he's not as far along the washed up phase of his career as Emmitt Smith was when he came to Arizona but neither of those guys is/was really the type of runner who generates a lot of his own yardage without a lot of blocking help.

Elfdart · Post by **Elfdart** » 2006-10-05 05:49pm

Blitz pickup is the most important thing a running back does by far. But Arizona's OL is so bad that teams don't really need to blitz to get to the QB. So the Cardinals' offense is like the Chuck & Duck: a bunch of short passes and fumbles as the QB takes a beating trying to find an open man when his line can't protect him that long.

Havok · Post by **Havok** » 2006-10-07 04:42pm

The should put those guys (The Cardinals line) shoulder to shoulder and just say "Go". Why they are trying to use the "stretch" run is beyond me. No zone blocking, no cut blocks, just run straight and push everything out of Edge's way.

I will be attending the Niner/Raider game tommorow so I will be able to give a fisrt hand account of the craptacularness of which ever team looses. Maybe they will somehow both loose.

Arrow · Post by **Arrow** » 2006-10-07 08:08pm

Fuck! Dallas at Philly tomorrow. Can both teams lose that game? I guess I have to cheer for Dallas (I can't believe I said that) - it will keep the division close. And I'll take the Redskins by a touchdown over New York. As for the rest of the NFL, who cares - only the NFC East matters!

Elfdart · Post by **Elfdart** » 2006-10-07 11:27pm

havokeff wrote:The should put those guys (The Cardinals line) shoulder to shoulder and just say "Go". Why they are trying to use the "stretch" run is beyond me. No zone blocking, no cut blocks, just run straight and push everything out of Edge's way.

I will be attending the Niner/Raider game tommorow so I will be able to give a fisrt hand account of the craptacularness of which ever team looses. Maybe they will somehow both loose.

The loser of that game should be expelled from the league.

Last week was shitty and not just because of Martyball. I swear he's choked more than Darth Vader.

Bears > Bills
Panthers > Browns
Lions > Vikings -No, I haven't been drinking and the doctor told me my cough medicine shouldn't impair me in any way.
Patriots > Dolphins -Boy do the Dolphins suck. Their line is terrible and Culpepper was obviously rushed back into action too soon.
Rams > Packers -If the Packers were a horse they would on their way to a restaurant in Paris since they make glue with synthetics nowadays.
Saints > Buccaneers
Colts > Titians -Funny how the only effort shown by a Tennessee player so far this year got the guy a 5-game suspension. On the other hand, he tried to stomp his opponent in the face with cleats (30 stitches

) and succeeded. Has any player on that team tried and succeeded at anything else?

Redskins > Giants -the Giants are a crap team with an inept coaching staff. Tom Coughlin's big shtick is being a no-bullshit coach (Parcells Lite) and he let a wanker like Jeremy Shockey mouth off to him. I think he's finished in New York.

The Chiefs will promptly bury the Cardinals in a laugher.
Jaguars > Jets

49ers > Raiders -see above
Cowboys > Eagles -the Cowboys match up better against them than probably any other team
Chargers > Steelers -the Chargers will take out some Martyball-induced frustration on the Steelers when they limp into town. I hope the Chargers wear their AFL uniforms, but then every AFL team should wear their old-style uniforms because they're so much cooler looking.
Broncos > Ravens -Unlike the coach of another AFC West team, Mike Shanahan plays to win -not to avoid losing. Sixteen points will not be enough for the Ravens.

Havok · Post by **Havok** » 2006-10-08 08:52am

SUN, OCT 8

Miami at New England Patriots

Tampa Bay at New Orleans Saints

Washington at NY Giants Redskins

Detroit at Minnesota Vikings

Cleveland at Carolina Panthers

Buffalo at Chicago Bears

St. Louis at Green Bay Packers

Tennessee at Indianapolis Colts

NY Jets at Jacksonville Jaguars

Oakland at San Francisco 49ers

Kansas City at Arizona Cardinals

Dallas at Philadelphia Cowboys

Pittsburgh at San Diego Chargers

MON, OCT 9

Baltimore at Denver Ravens

· Bye: Atlanta, Cincinnati, Seattle, Houston

Master of Ossus · Post by **Master of Ossus** » 2006-10-08 09:27pm

Woo! The Niners beat the accursed yet hapless Raiders. We win the Battle of the Bay.

Kudos to the Cards and especially Leinart for nearly pulling it off, this week. Also, are the Bears for real or what?

Straha · Post by **Straha** » 2006-10-08 09:43pm

Sooo.....

I couldn't get the game out here in bumblefuck nowhere, but...

41 points?

71 Passing Yards?

What happened?

Darth Fanboy · Post by **Darth Fanboy** » 2006-10-08 09:51pm

Master of Ossus wrote:Woo! The Niners beat the accursed yet hapless Raiders. We win the Battle of the Bay.

Kudos to the Cards and especially Leinart for nearly pulling it off, this week. Also, are the Bears for real or what?

Exactly the top two things I was thinking after this. The Raiders meltdown was horrible, I think they gave up 4 INTs in the second half, plus that ridiculous backwards pass nobody picked up on when it was still a live ball.

Will the Bears make the Playoffs? That question has already been answered, especially with their 5 wins totalling more than the rest of their division combined. (Vikings 3, Packers 1, Lions 0). The question is how far, and I will say that not only will they make it to the Super Bowl, but they will win 14 games easily.

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2006-10-08 10:04pm

Hilarity - the Bucs lose again.

Arrow · Post by **Arrow** » 2006-10-08 10:08pm

Fucking Reskins. Every-fucking-time they visit the Meadowlands, they choke. What is it? Something in the New Jeresy water? We damn well better beat the Titans next week...

Darth Fanboy · Post by **Darth Fanboy** » 2006-10-08 10:17pm

Seems that the no huddle offense is starting to catch on.

This is a pretty odd move. I don't think I like it. If the NFL wants to get rid of "competitive advantages" They might as well have LAdanian Tomlinson play with ten pound weights glued to his shoes or have a few offensive linemen go on Jenny Craig. It's not the NFL's job to coddle defenses that can't cope because they're over-specialized.

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2006-10-08 10:34pm

So, yeah. That was awesome.

Falkenhayn · Post by **Falkenhayn** » 2006-10-08 10:42pm

I watched until the third quarter of the Bills Game. That was all that flesh and blood could stand.

Otherwise, Pats won, Miami lost, life as usual in the AFC East.

Darth Garden Gnome · Post by **Darth Garden Gnome** » 2006-10-08 11:28pm

I laughed.

It was just such a Lions moment.

Leading by a TD in the start of the 4th quarter. Defensive tackle comes through the line COMPLETELY UNBLOCKED and crushes Kitna before he even takes two steps. The ball is jarred from his hands and lands right on the goal line, right into the waiting arms of an incoming Viking. I wasn't even mad; I was just sort of waiting for it, and when it finally came it was just so typical that all I could do was smile--like clockwork, the Lions meltdown in a close game is inevitable.

Needless to say, we were beaten.

Kyle · Post by **Kyle** » 2006-10-08 11:32pm

phongn wrote:Hilarity - the Bucs lose again.

Sorry to tell you its gonna happen again next week. My Bengals will be in town, and I'll be flying down with some friends to watch the game. New tradition we started last year, we're trying to go to at least one away game per year. This time we're not making the mistake of waiting till the end the season and watching a meaningless game as we get blown out because almost none of our starters play any meaningful time. (in Kansas City)

Haminal10 · Post by **Haminal10** » 2006-10-08 11:48pm

Horray Chargers!

If the Raven's win tomorrow, the Steelers will be in a nice 3 1/2 game hole. Life is good!

Infidel7 · Post by **Infidel7** » 2006-10-09 12:05am

Why did I ever become a Browns fan? The first sign of masochism is...