NFL 08 Thread

[Chardok]

Jesus Tittyfucking Christ! Can that team ever catch a break?

Yeah, they get a nice morale boost every time the play the dolphins....

Honest to God Chardok, if its that bad, I'll meet you at the Ralph this December with a thermous of Hot Chocolate and Scotch. Take solace from the fact that when Tom Brady isn't walking on water, recklessly siring children, or tossing INTs in the last five minutes of games, he's getting warm hugs from Jason Taylor.

I apologize for my pessimism, but, you know....it's been since '83 that I've gotten a fix. Ya know? And since Don left it's been one "HEY LETS GET A CRUSTY OLD GUY AND HE'LL RESCUE THE FRANCHISE" After another.

I do not discount JT and Zach, or Chris Chambers, for that matter, but they cannot carry the team. Ohhh, for a "No-name" Offense...

[Elfdart]

Ten-plus years of bad drafting will do that to a team.

[thejester]

Oh. Yes. Ravens open with a great pre-season performance.

And, btw. Saveirio Rocca, you fucking suck. As an AFL footballer I hated you automatically. As a punter for Phillie I hate you just because.

Nah, I'm reserving it all for Anfony. Most overrated hack in Rules at the moment, hope he stays at the Pies for another few years to scupper their premiership ambitions, before going to the States, trying (and failing) to do what his brother did.

Oh, and BTW: there is only one AFL convert in the NFL...the Cat with the golden boot.

[Chardok]

Wow...umm...if last night's game was any sort of indicator....we may have an interesting season after all....

[That NOS Guy]

And, btw. Saveirio Rocca, you fucking suck. As an AFL footballer I hated you automatically. As a punter for Phillie I hate you just because.

I wasn't aware the Philadelphia Phillies had switched to football (Philly, the more you know)

Speaking of the Eagles why does this year feel like the main leg of a descent into ruin?

[Captain Kruger]

And, btw. Saveirio Rocca, you fucking suck. As an AFL footballer I hated you automatically. As a punter for Phillie I hate you just because.

I wasn't aware the Philadelphia Phillies had switched to football (Philly, the more you know)

Speaking of the Eagles why does this year feel like the main leg of a descent into ruin?

Well for starters, Jeff Garcia, the guy who almost single-handedly turned the season around, has gone bye-bye. No surprise there, but Donovan going a whole season uninjured and at the top of his game seems to be on a par with Jesus riding out of the sky on his white horse these days.

[Darth Fanboy]

Because the Eagles got to within spitting distance of giving that city comething to cheer about for the first time in years and failed HARD and the superstars started going at it. Teams rarely recover from that easily even if one or more involved parties leave town. Philly was lucky to get what they got last season thanks to Garcia, a former Pro Bowl QB for the 49ers, but they lost that luxury this year. McNabb is always going to be known for his Super Bowl Choke and being injured all the time. Wasted potential for a guy who really could have been a predominant player (and may still yet again but I doubt that).

[Knife]

Wow...umm...if last night's game was any sort of indicator....we may have an interesting season after all....

While I applaud Herm for actually spending some time and money on the defense, he's quickly broken up a fucking awesome offense. Though I don't know how much time Green realistically has left, he's one hell of a QB that quietly racks up some impressive stats.

So have fun with him.....while I get Coyle.

[Elfdart]

That's the fault of the GM. Peterson wants to return to the glory days of Martyball, where you can win a bunch of 16-13 regular season games, squeak by and get in the playoffs and maybe once per decade win a postseason game or two.

[weemadando]

Oh. Yes. Ravens open with a great pre-season performance.

And, btw. Saveirio Rocca, you fucking suck. As an AFL footballer I hated you automatically. As a punter for Phillie I hate you just because.

Then you must have loved it when that guy from the Ravens busted his chops.

I missed that, is it on the interwebs anywhere?

[thejester]

Oh the hilarity.

I'm not sure what's funnier: the pronounciation of Rocca, or the commentator getting all puffed-up and saying 'welcome to the NFL - a bit different from Aussie football', as if getting decked behind play doesn't happen all the time (see Jeff Farmer getting his shit ruined by Baker last night).

[weemadando]

Brilliant. That kind of play is why I goddamn love the Ravens.

[Medic]

*sigh* What can I say? This year is the year! It will be every year for the Chargers until injuries, free agency and random drift take away our "window" as a perennial powerhouse.

Rivers should be better, Tomlinson hopefully just the same, still got Neal, Derren Sproles can return kicks now, the WR core is as low on names as ever but we have 2 tall targets and one speedster, Gates Re: Tomlinson, the offensive line we didn't lose anyone.

Defensive line is the same.

Linebacker: we lost both Donnie Edwards and Randall Godfrey and will be starting 2 unknowns (I can look up their names later but feh) at inside linebacker in our 3-4. edit: BTW, the "Shawn Merriman Rule" states that you can't go to a pro bowl the same year you piss hot for steroids or other performance enhancers. Great legacy he's got going.

We lost Marlon McCree at strong safety but by and large we kept the core of our team and have just that much more experience.

Norv Turner's 2 previous stints as head coach have been under the Skins and Raiders, not exactly bullshit-free thanks to the 2 owners, so here's to hoping everything this year just "clicks" and we can, oh, at the very least WIN A PLAYOFF GAME THIS YEAR!

edit: How 'bout that Michael Vick, eh eh? Looks like Atlanta's suffering a bad case of violent intestinal evacuation as the thunderbolt comes flying out of their ass. Soooo worth trading down for Tomlinson. (like Elfdart pointed out though, the worst case of us screwing over other GM's definitely has been the New York football-Giants)

[Elfdart]

Oh the hilarity.

I'm not sure what's funnier: the pronounciation of Rocca, or the commentator getting all puffed-up and saying 'welcome to the NFL - a bit different from Aussie football', as if getting decked behind play doesn't happen all the time (see Jeff Farmer getting his shit ruined by Baker last night).

It's the helmet to the chops that's different.

By the way, the kick itself was amazing - almost 80 yards (from where he kicked it) in the air! Even more so because he was kicking out of his own endzone, where punters are told to get it out as quickly as possible (especially the Eagles, who were having problems on special teams) and not worry so much about distance or hang time. I am impressed as hell with this Rocca dude.

[Dark Flame]

B-R-A-D-Y!!! Derek Anderson sucks balls. On just one drive, inside the ten yard line, he uses two timeouts, the O-line gets 2 false starts, and he caps it by throwing an INT.

Brady Quinn comes in in the 4th quarter, throws for 2 TD's, no turnovers, and comes up a whisker short of being able to tie the game, from a deficit of 23-7 when he went in.

So Cleveland drops a hard one to Detroit, but showed some positive things.

On a semi-related note, the clean sweep of Cleveland sports versus Detroit sports is now gone.

[Havok]

Ha ha! Fuck the Raiders. Fuck them right in their asses!! I think that is like 4 in a row. We are the 49errrrs! We won't stop until we win the fight, 'cause we're the 49errrrss. We're DYNAMITE!!

Smith looked good again. The D was solid in the 1st hald, despite not having all three D-line starters. Man, when Gore gets back.... Stop me, but I'm starting to get optimistic.

[Elfdart]

B-R-A-D-Y!!! Derek Anderson sucks balls. On just one drive, inside the ten yard line, he uses two timeouts, the O-line gets 2 false starts, and he caps it by throwing an INT.

Brady Quinn comes in in the 4th quarter, throws for 2 TD's, no turnovers, and comes up a whisker short of being able to tie the game, from a deficit of 23-7 when he went in.

You do realize that Quinn was playing against guys who won't be playing pro football in two weeks, don't you?

[Havok]

B-R-A-D-Y!!! Derek Anderson sucks balls. On just one drive, inside the ten yard line, he uses two timeouts, the O-line gets 2 false starts, and he caps it by throwing an INT.

Brady Quinn comes in in the 4th quarter, throws for 2 TD's, no turnovers, and comes up a whisker short of being able to tie the game, from a deficit of 23-7 when he went in.

You do realize that Quinn was playing against guys who won't be playing pro football in two weeks, don't you?

He did that his whole college career. Notre Dame plays nobodys except Michigan and USC.

[Elfdart]

Rick Mirer Jr?

Even funnier is watching the Aussie football fans saying Rocca wasn't hit that hard compared to what he got in AFL games. I checked out the "chapman" and "hip and shoulder" videos...

...I've seen NBA tipoffs tougher than that.

Here I thought Muricans were the most scientifically illiterate people. Greater mass + greater speed = greater force. A few pieces of plastic and foam don't counteract the full force of someone who weighs 300 pounds (or more) ramming you helmet first at full speed.

[Dark Flame]

You do realize that Quinn was playing against guys who won't be playing pro football in two weeks, don't you?

Yup, I know, I'm just trying to be optimistic. And he still showed some good signs that he could be a decent QB. Maybe next week they'll give him more of a challenge.

[The Dark]

Rick Mirer Jr?

Even funnier is watching the Aussie football fans saying Rocca wasn't hit that hard compared to what he got in AFL games. I checked out the "chapman" and "hip and shoulder" videos...

...I've seen NBA tipoffs tougher than that.

Here I thought Muricans were the most scientifically illiterate people. Greater mass + greater speed = greater force. A few pieces of plastic and foam don't counteract the full force of someone who weighs 300 pounds (or more) ramming you helmet first at full speed.

Especially since it was coming under Rocca's helmet - it looks like he took that blow right on the chin.

The thing I like is that he didn't try to retaliate, he stayed in the play until it ended and then went and got his helmet and went off-field. What's going to make it difficult for the Eagles is that Dirk Johnson is younger, more experienced, and has almost as good a leg as Saverio.

Overall, I'm liking Philly this year. Moats isn't much of a loss - he'd have been the fourth-string running back at best. McDougle would've been nice to have, but we still have Reagor, Kearse, Abiamiri, and Thomas as solid DEs. They're also different enough to change play styles - Thomas is 250, Kearse 265, Abiamiri 267, and Reagor 285. The ends can be lined up for either speed or power, depending on the expected play (by comparison, the DTs range from 292 to 329). LJ Smith hurts a bit more, but with Schobel and Celek both playing well, the ends are still a threat as receivers. Curtis is dangerous playing the sideline routes, and with him, Avant, Baskett, and Brown, you've got four receivers each around 6' tall and with hot speed. A lot of teams are going to have to be concerned when Philly goes to single back formations, because the TEs are tough to cover with linebackers, and there's enough speed that you're going to have to keep a safety in zone. Hunt's showing he can keep low and ram through goal-line stands - he only had seven yards on six carries, but there were two touchdowns in there. As long as DMac stays healthy, I'm liking this season's prospects.

We've already got four rookies showing they're ready for the NFL - Hunt, Celek, Abiamiri, and Bradley. Barksdale is talented but iffy - he's a third corner behind Sheppard and Brown who will contribute, but I'd rather keep the older corners on the field more. Gaddis still needs some seasoning (especially with Dawkins and Considine at safety). Ilaoa's weight needs to come down about 10-15 pounds to improve his speed. Kolb probably will only play in late-game, way up situations if at all this season.

[Elfdart]

The only problem is, your best offensive player and best defender haven't put in a full season since -when?

That's a major hole to climb out of. A much bigger one is that Dallas finally got rid of that blowhard Bill Parcells and brought in a coach instead of a has-been.

[weemadando]

Fuck. Ravens go down by a point.

At least Eli Manning had an unforced fumble though. Now we just need a few forced fumbles.

[Darth Mortis]

Well, I'm a Browns fan by birthright I guess.

Quinn looked pretty good sunday against a 4th string defense playing prevent and giving up the slants and buttonhooks.

Anderson and Frye are garbage, so I expect a full blown QB issue from here on out.


Our defense does look good.

Oh yeah, Jet's fans, Jones has a knee issue, enjoy his six games this year

[Chardok]

Wow...umm...if last night's game was any sort of indicator....we may have an interesting season after all....

While I applaud Herm for actually spending some time and money on the defense, he's quickly broken up a fucking awesome offense. Though I don't know how much time Green realistically has left, he's one hell of a QB that quietly racks up some impressive stats.

So have fun with him.....while I get Coyle.

We will...seems like he synergizes pretty well, and when you've got a great defense, well, you can get away with a mediocre offense, eh? Can't wait to see who makes the cut....Wow...I'm...Optimistic?

At least my standards are low, right? I don't want a SB, just a .500+ season.