NFL 08 Thread

Chardok · Post by **Chardok** » 2007-09-04 01:00am

Well, at least the 'phins are back in true championship form! Whee!! Here's to another glorious 3-13 season!

Darth Fanboy · Post by **Darth Fanboy** » 2007-09-04 01:18am

The Dark wrote:In modern NFL history, there have been two #1 picks that didn't sign - Bo Jackson and Tom Cousineau. One dropped to the sixth round, the other had his rights traded for a draft pick. Russell wasn't even the best quarterback at the combine, and there will be this year's graduates. He'll sign, or he'll drop. Egos don't do well when they come from an unproven player.

Neither of those two were Quarterbacks, niether of those two have the expected potential (emphasis on the term "expected") that JaMarcus Rusell has. There are also more teams now than there were then, and there is always going to be a chronic shortage of high level talent at the QB position. Also, Bo JAckson by the time he was drafted for the NFL had signed to a professional Baseball contract, which contributed more to his stock dropping. What team would not hesitate at least a bit to sign an athlete who is making the same physical commitment to another sport as well. It's almost like dating a girl who already has a boyfriend.

I am not saying that he is going to be the rookie that saves a franchise like Peyton Manning was years ago, but there is no strong reason his stock would drop nearly that far, especially if there aren't many strong QBs in the 2008 draft.

Havok · Post by **Havok** » 2007-09-04 02:04pm

Qwerty 42 wrote:Cold Hard Football Facts just finished their season predictions for the NFC. Their playoff teams are:

1. Chicago (14-2)
2. Philadelphia (11-5)
3. Seattle/ San Francisco (10-6)
4. New Orleans/ Carolina (9-7)
5. Seattle/ San Francisco (10-6)
6. New Orleans/ Carolina/ Dallas (9-7)

They've started with the AFC and have Jacksonville winning the South, with the Colts going 10-6.

Of course, preseason speculation is useless.

There is no fucking way Chicago is going to win 14 games. They barley won 13 games last season. The rest of that list is plausible though I have the Saints at 10 or 11 wins.

Darth Fanboy · Post by **Darth Fanboy** » 2007-09-04 03:04pm

-Ignoramus Preseason Prediction #1:

I'll take Chicago, Philly, New Orleans, and Seattle to all win their respective divisions. Seattle being the only one of those teams under ten wins with none of those teams winning more than 13. San Fran and Dallas will take the other two playoff spots. San Francisco and Seattle possibly have the same record but the Niners will be beaten out by Seattle on a Tiebreaker.

-Ignoramus Preseason Prediction #2:

Chargers will win 13 games and have or tie for the best record in the NFL, Ravens, Colts, and Pats will all win their divisions with the Steelers and Jets taking the wild card slots. Colts will not reach AFC Title round.

-Ignoramus Preseason Prediction #3:

If Dallas wins into second round of the playoffs then Wade Phillips is coach of the year unless San Diego reaches AFC Title game, then Norv Turner is coach of the year.

-Ignoramus Preseason Prediction #3:

Detroit will be a serious contender until Week 16

-No Brainer Preseason Prediction #1:

The following teams will suck and suck hard, Browns, Texans, Raiders, Dolphins.

-No Brainer Preseason Prediction #2:

I will continue to hate Brett Favre as the most overrated QB in NFL history.

Havok · Post by **Havok** » 2007-09-04 06:49pm

Since we are making predictions....

AFC East
1. Patriots
2. Buffalo
3. Miami
4. Jets

AFC North
1. Ravens
2. Bengals
3. Steelers
4. Browns

AFC South
1. Colts
2. Titans
3. Jaguars
4. Texans

AFC West
1. Broncos
2. Chargers
3. Chiefs
4. Raiders

Havok · Post by **Havok** » 2007-09-04 07:15pm

NFC East
1. Giants
2. Eagles
3. Redskins
4. Cowboys

NFC North
1. Bears
2. Vikings
3. Packers
4. Lions

NFC South
1. Saints
2. Panthers
3. Falcons
4. Buccaneers

NFC West
1. Rams
2. 49ers
3. Cardinals
4. Seahawks

Dark Flame · Post by **Dark Flame** » 2007-09-04 07:18pm

-No Brainer Preseason Prediction #1:

The following teams will suck and suck hard, Browns, Texans, Raiders, Dolphins.

I take offense to that! I think (ok, maybe hope is a better word) that the Browns might be able to pull off 7-8 wins. We don't deserve to be lumped in with the Raitards or the Dolphins-who-suck-at-draft-picks. At least we appear to be on the way up instead of falling steadily downwards like the aforementioned.

And the Steelers? I doubt that they will have a playoff year, I highly doubt that. Unless of course they somehow manage to get the easiest schedule in the league, but in the AFC North, I don't see that happening.

Qwerty 42 · Post by **Qwerty 42** » 2007-09-04 07:47pm

CHFF put out their AFC predictions as well:

1. New England/ Jacksonville (12-4)
2. New England/ Jacksonville (12-4)
3. San Diego/ Baltimore/ Denver (11-5)
4. San Diego/ Baltimore/ Denver (11-5)
5. San Diego/ Denver (11-5)
6. Indianapolis/ Pittsburgh (10-6)

Master of Ossus · Post by **Master of Ossus** » 2007-09-04 09:22pm

Bold picks, havekoff, to put the Jets below the Bills and Miami, and to move Seattle from first to last place in their division.

CmdrWilkens · Post by **CmdrWilkens** » 2007-09-04 09:52pm

The funny thing with the NFC East is that there is no wrong pcik. Every team has glaring weaknesses and every team has glimmers of potential runs to the postseason. I personally would go Philly, Wash, NY, Dallas but the difference between first and last is likely between 10-6 and 7-9. All are .500 teams but one will end up nudging above the rest and its pure luck if you chose which amongst the four will do so.

Block · Post by **Block** » 2007-09-04 09:55pm

CmdrWilkens wrote:The funny thing with the NFC East is that there is no wrong pcik. Every team has glaring weaknesses and every team has glimmers of potential runs to the postseason. I personally would go Philly, Wash, NY, Dallas but the difference between first and last is likely between 10-6 and 7-9. All are .500 teams but one will end up nudging above the rest and its pure luck if you chose which amongst the four will do so.

C'Mon Greg. Washington probably goes 5-11 again, Campbell has shown zero signs of life, Dockery was the best run blocker last year and last but not least it's now a 750 page playbook. They didn't learn more than 50 of those last year

Elfdart · Post by **Elfdart** » 2007-09-04 10:39pm

Here are my picks for the season:

AFC

West
Chargers
Broncos
Chiefs
Raitards

South
Colts
Jaguars
Titans
Texans

North
Ravens
Bengals
Steelers
Browns

East
Patriots
Jets
Bills
Dolphins (Hey Chardok, tell Huzienga thanks a heap for taking Cam Cameron off our hands! Motherfucker only gave Tomlinson the ball nine goddamned times vs New England. Enjoy!)

NFC

West
49ers
Seahawks
Rams
Cardinals

South
Panthers
Saints
Buccaneers
Falcons

North
Bears
Lions (Yeah, I laughed too -until I saw the other teams in this shitty division)
Packers
Vikings

East
Cowboys
Eagles
Redskins
Giants

Flagg · Post by **Flagg** » 2007-09-04 11:03pm

Elfdart wrote:Here are my picks for the season:

South
Panthers
Saints
Buccaneers
Falcons

Fuuuuuuck yooouuuuuu!

Seriousely though, from the Superbowl to this? Shit Gruden, what the fuck?

Knife · Post by **Knife** » 2007-09-05 02:01am

I really don't know about the AFC west. Denver and San Diego will be fighting each other pretty hard, but Kansas might have their shit together this year. Holmes is back, along with Johnston for a real good ground game, thought the receiving corps. is pretty slim.

Fucking Herm actually put some money into the Defense too, which is a shocker. He actually did it last year, so lets see how much they've gelled together. I doubt KC will win the top spot, but Denver has been getting the good side of being in a mediocre Conference the last couple years, though SD will be tough.

I'll call SD top, then KC then the Denver Donkeys with the Raiders last in the AFC west.

Darth Fanboy · Post by **Darth Fanboy** » 2007-09-05 06:57pm

Dark Flame wrote:
I take offense to that! I think (ok, maybe hope is a better word) that the Browns might be able to pull off 7-8 wins. We don't deserve to be lumped in with the Raitards or the Dolphins-who-suck-at-draft-picks. At least we appear to be on the way up instead of falling steadily downwards like the aforementioned.

All of Cleveland's hopes are pegged on an overrated College QB who never won a big game in his career. They are terrible compared to the other three teams in their division.

However, they will win more than Miami, Oakland, and Houston (possibly even two or three of those teams combined) simply by virtue of having ALL THREE of those teams on their schedule.

And the Steelers? I doubt that they will have a playoff year, I highly doubt that. Unless of course they somehow manage to get the easiest schedule in the league, but in the AFC North, I don't see that happening.

Steelers, despite their troubles, nearly made the playoffs last season after a horrible start and now that Big Ben is healthy there is no reason they can't get in with 9-10 wins. Heinz Field is not a place any teams wants to play at, and they'll be healthier.

edit:
fixed tags

Chardok · Post by **Chardok** » 2007-09-05 07:16pm

Elfdart wrote:Dolphins (Hey Chardok, tell Huzienga thanks a heap for taking Cam Cameron off our hands! Motherfucker only gave Tomlinson the ball nine goddamned times vs New England. Enjoy!)

I hate you so very much right now. Can you feel the weight of my hatred upon you? You should. Because it's there.

Darth Fanboy · Post by **Darth Fanboy** » 2007-09-05 07:42pm

Chardok wrote: I hate you so very much right now. Can you feel the weight of my hatred upon you? You should. Because it's there.

You're only bitter because the Dolphins haven't won a meaningful game since that one in the 1990s where Dan Marino was rescued just prior to kickoff.

Oh wait that was Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Guess it's even further back, whoops.

Medic · Post by **Medic** » 2007-09-05 08:04pm

Pfft, fuck predicting season win tallies and this or that division title. There's only one prediction worth making and that's that the Chargers will win the Super Bowl.

Okay, so that's me praying out loud but I might as well aim high, right?

NeoGoomba · Post by **NeoGoomba** » 2007-09-05 08:08pm

Darth Fanboy wrote:
You're only bitter because the Dolphins haven't won a meaningful game since that one in the 1990s where Dan Marino was rescued just prior to kickoff.

Oh wait that was Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Guess it's even further back, whoops.

Wow...thats just...damn...

The Dark · Post by **The Dark** » 2007-09-05 08:24pm

CmdrWilkens wrote:The funny thing with the NFC East is that there is no wrong pcik. Every team has glaring weaknesses and every team has glimmers of potential runs to the postseason. I personally would go Philly, Wash, NY, Dallas but the difference between first and last is likely between 10-6 and 7-9. All are .500 teams but one will end up nudging above the rest and its pure luck if you chose which amongst the four will do so.

I'm going to put my own vote here. This is contingent on no major injuries among any of the teams:

Philly
NY Giants
Dallas
Washington

Reasoning: Philadelphia is far more dangerous than they appeared in the preseason. The first team played very little, and it was almost entirely shaking down the new guys to see who's worth keeping. McNabb looks healthy, and last year he was playing better than Peyton Manning before his injury. The backfield has returned to being the Three-Headed Monster. If Buckhalter were on another team, he'd be competing as a starter. Westbrook is in the top 10 of all running backs. Hunt is scary for a rookie. The offensive line will be solid with Thomas coming back in at guard. Any defensive line where The Freak is considered a weak link is powerful. The linebackers are relatively young, but fast and smart. The one weakness is the short defensive backs - both Sheppard and Brown are under 5'10", but both are scrappy, and Sheppard is dangerous around the ball.

New York is looking fairly strong, even without Tiki. Brandon Jacobs is going to be tough. He's bigger than half the linebackers in the league. I think Eli Manning probably is better than he's given credit for - statistically, he's been better year-for-year than Peyton (i.e. his first year was better than Peyton's first, et cetera). I still don't like how he looks stunned upon exiting the field, but that may just be his personality. Umeniyora is a solid DE, and if Strahan's in decent shape, he'll still be a threat. Their weaknesses will be against the pass and with the pass - their receivers are aging and slowing, and their secondary is (IMO) shaky.

Dallas I expect to be slightly worse this year. Romo's no longer a surprise player, and teams have him more figured out than last year (I'd be saying the same thing about Philly if they had gone with Garcia). A lot will depend on if TO can behave for more than a year at a time. The cutting of Aaron Glenn seems to have made a couple players unhappy with management, which is never good. Other than TO, I don't like the receiving corps, and if he gets hurt, the Cowboys will have a rough time. The defense is competent but not brilliant, which seems to be the overall assessment to lay on this team.

I expect Washington to drive Papa Joe into permanent retirement this year. The offense is weak and injury-prone. I don't expect Portis to be healthy all year, and I don't think Betts can handle being the sole primary back. Santana Moss is the only worthwhile receiver - Randle El and Thrash are both becoming too slow, and Bodiford and Lloyd are Skins only because nobody better's available. Sean Taylor's dangerous, but that's due to the fact that he roams away from his position and has had a decent secondary to cover for his freelancing. I don't think he has that this year, and I expect Washington to give up a lot of big plays. This team is the diametric opposite of Dallas - a stolid offense, and a spectacular defense (both spectacularly good and spectacularly bad). If they're not in the basement in the East, it'll be because someone else will have had massive injuries.

Havok · Post by **Havok** » 2007-09-05 09:39pm

Master of Ossus wrote:Bold picks, havekoff, to put the Jets below the Bills and Miami, and to move Seattle from first to last place in their division.

Well, I think the Mangenius was a flash in the pan that and I have a feeling Pennington is not going to play the whole season. They don't have a dominating run game and have a suspect defense. The Bills and patriots are going to sweep them and the Dolphins will split with them.

I also think the Dolphins are going to be OK this year. Well, at least better than everyone else thinks they are going to be.

As for the Seahawks... Age has caught up with them. While they have been trying to maintain a Super Bowl caliber squad that can't win the Super Bowl, the rest of the NFC west has been getting younger, faster and stronger.

My surprise prediction for this season will be the Rams, Cardinals and 49ers making the playoffs

LMSx · Post by **LMSx** » 2007-09-05 10:12pm

havokeff wrote:
Master of Ossus wrote:Bold picks, havekoff, to put the Jets below the Bills and Miami, and to move Seattle from first to last place in their division.
Well, I think the Mangenius was a flash in the pan that and I have a feeling Pennington is not going to play the whole season. They don't have a dominating run game and have a suspect defense. The Bills and patriots are going to sweep them and the Dolphins will split with them.

I also think the Dolphins are going to be OK this year. Well, at least better than everyone else thinks they are going to be.

As for the Seahawks... Age has caught up with them. While they have been trying to maintain a Super Bowl caliber squad that can't win the Super Bowl, the rest of the NFC west has been getting younger, faster and stronger.

My surprise prediction for this season will be the Rams, Cardinals and 49ers making the playoffs

Oooh I'm going to be remembering this post.

O-line turnover, star QB and RB are gone for multiple games, no rush defense, and they were still only 30 seconds away from defeating San Diego last year and being 10-6. Suffice to say, I have a higher opinion of the 'Hawks this season.

So, jumping on the Arizona/SF "potential" bandwagon? They've been very busy in the preseason the last couple years.....

The Dark · Post by **The Dark** » 2007-09-05 11:06pm

LMSx wrote:So, jumping on the Arizona/SF "potential" bandwagon? They've been very busy in the preseason the last couple years.....

I know this wasn't directed to me, but...

I do like Arizona. Next year. I think this year will be the hump of the learning curve and the integration of the team. I think they'll be solid, somewhere around 7-9 or 8-8, but a wild card at best and eliminated early if they make the playoffs.

Dark Flame · Post by **Dark Flame** » 2007-09-06 12:04am

Darth Fanboy wrote: All of Cleveland's hopes are pegged on an overrated College QB who never won a big game in his career. They are terrible compared to the other three teams in their division.

I wouldn't say all. With a completely new O-line (compared to the previous few years' shitty one), a running back with more in the tank than Droughns, and a TE and WR finding their places in the NFL, they have a shot. I personally don't want Brady playing all year, I think it's best to let him sit for a year and watch. However, I suspect that he will be starting after our week 7 bye week.

However, they will win more than Miami, Oakland, and Houston (possibly even two or three of those teams combined) simply by virtue of having ALL THREE of those teams on their schedule.

We also play the Steelers, Bengals and Ravens twice each. As well as a game with New England, San Francisco, and Seattle. Not the toughest schedule around, but it's not a push-over either.

Steelers, despite their troubles, nearly made the playoffs last season after a horrible start and now that Big Ben is healthy there is no reason they can't get in with 9-10 wins. Heinz Field is not a place any teams wants to play at, and they'll be healthier.

Maybe it's just another forlorn hope, but I really don't see what the hype about them is. I don't see what's going to make them into a playoff team. Big Ben is overrated, IMO. They are good, but not quite that good.

Elfdart · Post by **Elfdart** » 2007-09-06 02:23am

Flagg wrote:
Elfdart wrote:Here are my picks for the season:

South
Panthers
Saints
Buccaneers
Falcons
Fuuuuuuck yooouuuuuu!

Seriousely though, from the Superbowl to this? Shit Gruden, what the fuck?

It's called lack of an offensive line. Oh, and the defense isn't what it used to be. While I'm at it, your car's a piece of shit, plus you're ugly and your mother dresses you funny! Tampa will go 7-9 at best.

Chardok wrote:
Elfdart wrote:Dolphins (Hey Chardok, tell Huzienga thanks a heap for taking Cam Cameron off our hands! Motherfucker only gave Tomlinson the ball nine goddamned times vs New England. Enjoy!)
I hate you so very much right now. Can you feel the weight of my hatred upon you? You should. Because it's there.

Another Florida team without an offensive line. I guess the humidity down there makes people think blocking is for those other teams. On a happier note, I noticed the media guide published every year by the Dolphins lists the team's greatest games. The 1982 playoff game against the Chargers was #1 -and the Chargers won that game 41-38! Remember Kellen Winslow (the real one, not Jr), Dolphin fans?

13 catches, 166 yards, a TD, and best of all, he blocked two Dolphin field goals that would have won the game for Miami... <football fapping>
Beeeeeeyotch!

So relax Phin-Fans, and be sure to watch NFL Network when they replay that classic in their Greatest Games series!