2008 NFL Season Thread- The Road to Super Bowl XLIII

[FSTargetDrone]

Green Bay beats Chicago 37-3.

The Eagles' last 2 punts have been hideous.

Still a tie game with 56 seconds to go in the 4th.

[Qwerty 42]

Tie game in Ohio with 5:30 to play. The game in Cincinnati's court.

Aaaaaand overtime. Eagles win the toss, elect to receive and Cincinnati forces them into the wind. Here we go.

[FSTargetDrone]

Aaaaaand overtime. Eagles win the toss, elect to receive and Cincinnati forces them into the wind. Here we go.

I tell you now, I will not be surprised if the Eagles cough this up.

[CarsonPalmer]

The Giants stomp the Ravens into submission. 9-1, baby!

[FSTargetDrone]

The play clock in the Eagles/Bengals game just broke. What a mess.

[FSTargetDrone]

The Eagles/Bengals game ends in a TIE, 13-13. It is the first tie in the NFL since 2002.

Someone want to explain to me how Ties in the NFL, being so rare, should ever happen?

[Qwerty 42]

Tie game in Ohio with 5:30 to play. The game in Cincinnati's court.

Aaaaaand overtime. Eagles win the toss, elect to receive and Cincinnati forces them into the wind. Here we go.

A tie? Against Cincinnati? Well, forget January.

[Havok]

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

A tie! *snort* HAHAHA! With the BENGALS!! 13 to 13?

That just has to suck so bad.

[The Spartan]

Well, there goes the game. The Colts just scored, making it 30-20, and I'm thinking they've got their rhythm. And that's bad news for the Texans.

Screw this, I'm going to go get something to eat.

And I wasn't wrong.

[starslayer]

Sweet shit, the Rams suck. They're getting massacred by the 9ers 35-3 at the half. And where the hell has Hill been all this time? He's been great for the first half of this game.

[Havok]

So... Can we play the Rams and the Lions every week please?

As far as Hill... SUPPOSEDLY, he, along with Alex Smith, weren't picking up Martz's offense fast enough, and since I.N.T. O'Fumblin had an entire year to learn the offense the year before in Detroit he was pegged as the starter. Personally I think it was a load of BS and O'Fumblin was going to be Martz's new pet project and that he was hoping he would get him back into coaching prominence.

Hill was very good in his two games last year that he started and won and it was thought that he would push Smith, if not supplant him as the starter.

[Master of Ossus]

At least they're giving Hill a chance. I always thought he was their best option at QB, despite getting paid... what? 1/100th of what Smith's contract is worth? I still think they should be feeding Gore the ball more often, but credit the Niners for beating the crap out of an even shittier team when they get the chance.

Elsewhere in the league, who the fuck is Xavier Adibi? I know that Houston still lost, but I've never heard of the guy and he had thirteen tackles (!) today against Indianapolis.

[RedImperator]

The Eagles/Bengals game ends in a TIE, 13-13. It is the first tie in the NFL since 2002.

Someone want to explain to me how Ties in the NFL, being so rare, should ever happen?

Jesus Christ, this team is lame.

[Master of Ossus]

Wow. After another late loss, this time to the Steelers, I don't know if the Chargers are going to make the playoffs. Turner should be feeling the heat, about now.

[Havok]

Firing Marty Schotehiemer was the dumbest thing the Chargers ever did. Hey may not have won playoff games, but you sure as hell wouldn't be worrying about MAKING the playoff with this team. And just the amount of talent probably would have overcome his "jinx" and possibly would have netted you a SB victory.

[Havok]

OH WOW.

Philly, I figured out your problem. Your players are fucking stupid.

In post game press conferences Donovan McNabb admitted that he didn't even know that ties were in the rules. AND Brian Dawkins quoted Talledega Nights to express how he felt about the tie.

Know I want to find all the post game footage to see what other pearls of wisdom the Eagles players dropped on us.

[RedImperator]

To be fair, it's really fucking lame that NFL games can end in a tie. College football handles OT so much better than the NFL it's not even funny.

[Falkenhayn]

Elsewhere in the league, who the fuck is Xavier Adibi? I know that Houston still lost, but I've never heard of the guy and he had thirteen tackles (!) today against Indianapolis.

He's an undersized rookie OLB from Virginia Tech.

[Havok]

To be fair, it's really fucking lame that NFL games can end in a tie. College football handles OT so much better than the NFL it's not even funny.

I hate college overtime. The only thing the NFL needs to do to fix their overtime is eliminate the tie. If the game doesn't end in the 5th quarter, go to a sixth and so fourth. Someone will score eventually, even if by accident.
Today's game shows once again, that the argument that NFL overtime isn't fair because only one team gets the ball is bullshit. Clearly the defense has equal opportunity to stop the offense as the offense has to score.

[FSTargetDrone]

OH WOW.

Philly, I figured out your problem. Your players are fucking stupid.

In post game press conferences Donovan McNabb admitted that he didn't even know that ties were in the rules. AND Brian Dawkins quoted Talledega Nights to express how he felt about the tie.

Know I want to find all the post game footage to see what other pearls of wisdom the Eagles players dropped on us.

Wait until tomorrow's press conference from Reid. That should be a joy.

It's inconceivable that McNNabb didn't know the rules. At the very least, Reid should have told his players something like, "Okay men, we're in OT now. Remember, we must score in this OT or we lose or come away with a tie.

To be fair, it's really fucking lame that NFL games can end in a tie. College football handles OT so much better than the NFL it's not even funny.

There should be no ties. No professional sport with adults playing should end in a tie, barring unsual circumstances. Baseball plays 162 regular season games and ties don't happen much at all. When they do, it's because of something extraordinary, like running out of players or crazy playing conditions. A single baseball game is far less important than a single football game as far as a season goes.

With so few games in football and each being so important, it simply shouldn't happen. And because they happen so rarely in football, why have it happen at all? It's not like hockey.

Edit:

To be fair, it's really fucking lame that NFL games can end in a tie. College football handles OT so much better than the NFL it's not even funny.

I hate college overtime. The only thing the NFL needs to do to fix their overtime is eliminate the tie. If the game doesn't end in the 5th quarter, go to a sixth and so fourth. Someone will score eventually, even if by accident.
Today's game shows once again, that the argument that NFL overtime isn't fair because only one team gets the ball is bullshit. Clearly the defense has equal opportunity to stop the offense as the offense has to score.

Agreed. I was composing this when you posted, so I didn't want to sound like I was parroting for the sake of it

[Qwerty 42]

I'm rather partial to the proposal that dictates that the team that had the ball at the end of quarter four keeps it in the same spot at the start of quarter five, to eliminate the complaints about "the team winning the toss winning the game."

[FSTargetDrone]

By the way... Who knew?

Or should I ask, who else didn't know?

Posted on Sun, Nov. 16, 2008

Eagles settle for tie with lowly Bengals

By Bob Brookover

INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

CINCINNATI - As Shayne Graham's 47-yard field-goal attempt slipped outside the right upright with seven seconds left in overtime today, Eagles safety Quintin Mikell celebrated by throwing his arms in the air.

He was ready to play the second overtime.

"To be honest, I didn't know there wasn't going to be another overtime," Mikell said. "I didn't know it was going to be a tie. I was kind of happy. I thought we were going to get another overtime. After I realized it was a tie, I was pretty ticked off. I felt we should have come in and won this game. That's a team we should have beat. We didn't come out ready to play, all across the board, so it's a loss to me."

Mikell was not the only Eagles player who didn't understand that once Donovan McNabb's 60-yard desperation pass fell incomplete and time expired at the end of overtime, their team was doomed to the dubious distinction of having played to a 13-13 tie with the wretched Cincinnati Bengals at blustery Paul Brown Stadium.

"I've never been in a tie before, but I know it's not a win," Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "I don't know how this works in the standings. I know it's not good enough. We need wins and this is not a win."

A week after sounding confident about the direction his football team was headed following a five-point home loss to the New York Giants, Reid was far more subdued when asked if he still thinks he has the makings of a good team.

"I feel like I'm sure, but I'm not proving it to you, I know," Reid said. "But I do feel like I'm sure. We just have to do it. I could stand up here and answer your questions and talk about it, but that's not doing anybody any good."

The way the Eagles played on offense today was not even close to good enough.

"If it's not one thing it's another," Eagles offensive tackle Jon Runyan said. "That's the thing: It's not consistent problems. It's something we're still searching for."

The list of offensive problems was already long, and it grew some more on this day.

"We have to be able to pitch and catch a little better," Reid said.

McNabb, who like Mikell was not aware that a game could end in a tie, threw three interceptions, and all three came with the Eagles in field-goal range. He also lost a fumble that the Bengals recovered at the Eagles' 1-yard line in the second quarter.

The inept home team turned that opportunity into a four-play drive that resulted in a loss of a yard and a field goal. Yes, the Bengals tried their best to lose this game and just couldn't do it. They played exactly the way you'd expect a 1-8 football team to play.

And the Eagles (5-4-1) played exactly like the Bengals.

For the third straight week, McNabb and the offense did not get the memo telling them it's OK to have positive plays on offense in the first quarter, prompting an interesting answer from Runyan about whether the Eagles are playing with the proper amount of urgency.

"Well, apparently not," he said. "Much like last week, we started slowly, and you can't have that. It's really getting frustrating. You've got to make a play. You don't even have to score. You can just play field position, but we're giving the ball right back to them."

At the end of the opening quarter, the Eagles had minus-3 yards of offense. The Eagles' offense finished the game almost as poorly, managing just two first downs in overtime. The Eagles followed up the second first down with penalties on two straight plays, leaving them in a first-and-25 situation.

Critical drops by receivers, batted-down balls by defensive linemen and the continuing struggle to convert in short-yardage situations also weighed down the Eagles' offense. The Eagles had three third-and-1 plays against the Bengals and converted none of them.

Instead of trying to run the football, Reid and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg attempted to pass on the third-and-1 plays. Nothing worked.

McNabb pinned much of the blame on himself for the tie that felt like a loss, but he also indicated that he still believes the Eagles can salvage the season.

"It's important on our side of the ball to be consistent and eliminate turnovers and put ourselves in position to score," the quarterback said. "Today I just didn't do it. I was being careless with the ball, just trying to be aggressive, and it obviously led to turnovers.

"It's not how you start, it's how you finish. In this game, you're going to go through some dry times, and unfortunately, that's what we did this game."

In the second quarter, Bengals linebacker Brandon Johnson came up with the first of McNabb's three interceptions at the 16-yard line and returned it 35 yards to the Eagles' 49. That play set up Cincinnati's only touchdown, a 26-yard pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick to T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who got behind cornerback Joselio Hanson.

That was the only touchdown allowed by the Eagles' defense, and the players on that side of the ball had reason to feel good about their performance. The defense sacked Fitzpatrick eight times - two each by Trent Cole and Darren Howard - and allowed 282 total yards (56 rushing) in five quarters.

"We didn't do enough because the bottom line is it ended in a tie," Mikell said. "I [left] the middle [open] on that touchdown they had, and I should have been there for [Hanson] and I wasn't there. If they don't get that touchdown, we win the game."

True, but the list of problems for the Eagles right now is a lot longer on the offensive side of the football than it is on defense.

The perfect example came in the fourth quarter. By that point, the Eagles had closed a 10-point deficit to three with a 4-yard touchdown pass from McNabb to L.J. Smith in the third quarter.

On the Eagles' second possession of the final quarter, McNabb led them from their own 23-yard line to the Cincinnati 9. In the midst of the 13-play drive, they converted a fourth-and-1 play with a quarterback sneak by McNabb.

But when faced with a second fourth-and-1 situation a few minutes later, Reid sent David Akers out to kick the game-tying field goal.

Akers made the 27-yard kick and no one scored again.

"I've never been a part of a tie," McNabb said. "I never even knew that was in the rule book. It's part of the rules and we have to go with it. I was looking forward to getting the opportunity to get out there and try to drive to win the game. But, unfortunately, with the rules, we settled with a tie."

Again I ask, why didn't the coach make it perfectly clear to the team about the rules? Madness.

(Edit: Got rid of huge text. It's annoying)

[Master of Ossus]

Wait until tomorrow's press conference from Reid. That should be a joy.

It's inconceivable that McNNabb didn't know the rules. At the very least, Reid should have told his players something like, "Okay men, we're in OT now. Remember, we must score in this OT or we lose or come away with a tie.

Seriously. It's not as if the last tie was ancient history--many of their players were in the League, last time it happened, and others were still watching them play every Sunday. How can none of them know the rule?

There should be no ties. No professional sport with adults playing should end in a tie, barring unsual circumstances. Baseball plays 162 regular season games and ties don't happen much at all. When they do, it's because of something extraordinary, like running out of players or crazy playing conditions. A single baseball game is far less important than a single football game as far as a season goes.

I think that only the All-Star game ended in a tie because there are limits as to how many innings each pitcher can throw, and both sides had used their quotas. It doesn't happen in the regular season or playoffs.

With so few games in football and each being so important, it simply shouldn't happen. And because they happen so rarely in football, why have it happen at all? It's not like hockey.

There are no ties in hockey. That's what OT and shoot-outs are for.

Personally, I found the game today hilarious. I'm glad that ties exist in the NFL if only for this reason.

Unfortunately for the Eagles, their poor play cost them. The tie just lets the Giants get further ahead of them.

[Havok]

Dude. There are SO ties in the NHL.

[CarsonPalmer]

[quote="havokeff"]Dude. There are SO ties in the NHL.[/quote]

No there aren't, not anymore. Every game that's tied at the end of OT goes to a shootout.