2008 NFL Season Thread- The Road to Super Bowl XLIII

[Elfdart]

Did the KC guy fumble the ball when he landed? It looked to me like he made the catch in the air and never even had the chance to get down to the ground before it got knocked out

It looks like he either dropped it or Tim Dobbins knocked it loose before he hit the ground, but you're still supposed to catch it and curl up around it whether you grab the ball in the air or on the ground.

[Darth Fanboy]

but you're still supposed to catch it and curl up around it whether you grab the ball in the air or on the ground.

Yeah, I just thought it got punched out before he got to the ground though and one of the Chargers punched it out from below so he didn't have much of an opportunity to protect the ball. That was a very good onside kick.

Has a team ever finished a regular season with a 100% onside kick success rate?

[Havok]

Seeing that replay ED, he didn't have much of a choice.

As to the fucking Steelers... That was BULL SHIT pro Steelers bias on that call. Regardless of the rules, and IIRC they do indeed state that the ball must break the plane to score a touchdown, the fact of the matter is that the ruling on the field was "down at the one inch line" and unless there is CONCLUSIVE evidence to the contrary, the field ruling stands. There certainly wasn't conclusive evidence that the ball broke the plane. The booth had no business over turning that call.

This doesn't excuse the Ravens for giving up that last drive, but it absolutely takes away the chance that that play gave the Ravens of forcing a field goal or going for it on 4th down.

The Niner game was absolutely maddening. Almost 40 minutes of possession time and no touchdown. And god DAMNIT!! I was screaming for the Niners to grab Porter when he was released. Two fucking plays beat us today. I do think that the improvement the offense has shown since Singletary took over though, has cemented him as the head coach for the years to come. I drive myself nuts thinking of what this season could have been, with how weak the NFC West is, if Hill and not O'Fumblin, had started the first 6 games.

San Di-fucking-ego. You guys are like Jason and Freddy combined. You just will not die. I will be rooting against the Broncos for the remainder of the season. And NFLNetwork put up a graphic... you guys have lost 6 games this year, in the last TWENTY FOUR SECONDS. That is fucking ridiculous.

And despite the maybe contract extension, Dick Juroun got himself fired today. That was a bonehead fucking call.

I'm coming out right now and calling a Carolina Indianapolis Superbowl. Any other predictions?

Edit: 5 at 24 seconds and under and 1 at 36 seconds.

[Darth Fanboy]

Steelers/Panthers

[Qwerty 42]

The two teams with the best playoff quarterbacks in their conference will advance this year, I figure. They being Roethlisberger and Delhomme, I'm thinking we'll see Pittsburgh and Carolina.

[The Spartan]

Oh my fucking god! We beat the Titans. This is huge. Not only because we beat the Titans, but because we now have a legitimate shot at a winning season. I was pegging us as 8-8 at best. But after this win, and the win we'll get next week (sorry Hav, the Raiders are going to lose) all we have left is the Bears and we have a decent shot at beating them.

It's going to happen, it's going to happen, it's...

[Elfdart]

but you're still supposed to catch it and curl up around it whether you grab the ball in the air or on the ground.

Yeah, I just thought it got punched out before he got to the ground though and one of the Chargers punched it out from below so he didn't have much of an opportunity to protect the ball. That was a very good onside kick.

I always preferred kicking it up in the air to making it skip along the ground in the hope that one of the ends hits the turf and the ball randomly pops up. In the latter case the ball often never pops up or the defender simply falls on it.

Has a team ever finished a regular season with a 100% onside kick success rate?

I'd imagine so. They used to be so rare that you'd have a team try it once, get the ball and have a 100% success rate.

Seeing that replay ED, he didn't have much of a choice.

After watching the replay again, you're right. Dobbins got his hat right on the ball while Bowe was in mid-air.

[Bilbo]

Yeah it was a pro Steelers bias that got the Steelers driving on every play late in the 4th quarter, and not the fact that the Raven's let the game get away by not generation enough offense of their own.

The Ravens did not score a touchdown, they did not stop the Steeler's from driving late, and they barely passed 200 total yards. There's no reason to be screaming about the referees for one play. This was not a game that was stolen from Baltimore nor one that they "deserved" to win.

addendum:

Did the KC guy fumble the ball when he landed? It looked to me like he made the catch in the air and never even had the chance to get down to the ground before it got knocked out

Not stolen? Giving Pittsburg a touchdown instead of 4th and goal on the 1 isnt stealing? If the call had been correct then either Pittsburg would have had to go for it or sent the game into overtime with a fieldgoal.

The Ravens generated more offense than the Steelers did up to the point when they were given a free touchdown.

[Darth Fanboy]

Not stolen? Giving Pittsburg a touchdown instead of 4th and goal on the 1 isnt stealing? If the call had been correct then either Pittsburg would have had to go for it or sent the game into overtime with a fieldgoal.


First of all it hasn't been called Pittsburg since 1911.

"That didn't win or lose the game for us."

The fact is that even the Ravens are coming out and saying that the Steelers made the plays they had to make while the pro-Ravens fans immediately start screeching "REFEREE BIAS" in a game where each team took the same number of penalties, and each team did not perform well on offense. Baltimore lost, nothing is going to change that. From the side angle, it looks to me like the very tip of the ball breaks the plane just as Holmes catches it

The Ravens generated more offense than the Steelers did up to the point when they were given a free touchdown.

While whether or not they were given a "free touchdown" is debatable, the fact of the matter is that the Steelers drove their way down the field late in the game and the Ravens did no such thing. Up until that drive neither of the two teams could have said that they honestly deserved to win that game more than the other team.

And if that call holds up, it more than likely goes to Overtime, and not only had the Steelers gained the momentum but they also already beat the Ravens in Overtime once this year. The Steeler offense isn't great but they are especially clutch this year. Sorry Raven fans, don't make too much whine out of the sour grapes because Baltimore can still make the playoffs on their own accord without looking for too much help in these last two weeks.

[Havok]

Oh my fucking god! We beat the Titans. This is huge. Not only because we beat the Titans, but because we now have a legitimate shot at a winning season. I was pegging us as 8-8 at best. But after this win, and the win we'll get next week (sorry Hav, the Raiders are going to lose) all we have left is the Bears and we have a decent shot at beating them.

It's going to happen, it's going to happen, it's...

Don't you "sorry" me! I'm not a Raiders fan more than I root for them because they are my home town team and it pisses off pretty much every other team fans when I do it. Especially those San Diego guys.
I have considered jumping on officially though as they are now officially the worst team in officially the worst stretch of losing in the history of the league.

[Darth Fanboy]

Jamarcus Russell to the Niners for Alex Smith straight up

[The Spartan]

Don't you "sorry" me! I'm not a Raiders fan more than I root for them because they are my home town team and it pisses off pretty much every other team fans when I do it. Especially those San Diego guys.
I have considered jumping on officially though as they are now officially the worst team in officially the worst stretch of losing in the history of the league.

Yeah, well... we're still going to beat them.

[erik_t]

Don't you "sorry" me! I'm not a Raiders fan more than I root for them because they are my home town team and it pisses off pretty much every other team fans when I do it. Especially those San Diego guys.
I have considered jumping on officially though as they are now officially the worst team in officially the worst stretch of losing in the history of the league.

In your dreams. The Lions are taking their shot at HISTORY!

[CmdrWilkens]

While whether or not they were given a "free touchdown" is debatable, the fact of the matter is that the Steelers drove their way down the field late in the game and the Ravens did no such thing. Up until that drive neither of the two teams could have said that they honestly deserved to win that game more than the other team.

And if that call holds up, it more than likely goes to Overtime, and not only had the Steelers gained the momentum but they also already beat the Ravens in Overtime once this year. The Steeler offense isn't great but they are especially clutch this year. Sorry Raven fans, don't make too much whine out of the sour grapes because Baltimore can still make the playoffs on their own accord without looking for too much help in these last two weeks.

Couple thoughts: First I absolutely agree that the Ravens have only themselves to blame for giving up that much yardage that late in the game...BUT given that they had already once before made the call that there wasn't enough evidence to overturn (the 1st down replay challenge) the proper officiating call would have been to accept the call on the field.

[The Spartan]

Don't you "sorry" me! I'm not a Raiders fan more than I root for them because they are my home town team and it pisses off pretty much every other team fans when I do it. Especially those San Diego guys.
I have considered jumping on officially though as they are now officially the worst team in officially the worst stretch of losing in the history of the league.

In your dreams. The Lions are taking their shot at HISTORY!

And they might just pull it off. I'm skeptical that they'll beat New Orleans and, while they might have a shot at Green Bay... actually you know what, I'm going to go out on a limb and call it: The 2008 Detroit Lions will be the first perfectly awful team.

[erik_t]

The first perfectly 16-awful team, yes. It would be a fitting end and tribute to the Millen Era.

[Darth Fanboy]

Couple thoughts: First I absolutely agree that the Ravens have only themselves to blame for giving up that much yardage that late in the game...BUT given that they had already once before made the call that there wasn't enough evidence to overturn (the 1st down replay challenge) the proper officiating call would have been to accept the call on the field.

The phrase "enough evidence to overturn" is fairly subjective. The officials reviewing the play certainly felt as if there was enough evidence, and that's how the rule works. I haven't heard anything about the Ravens wanting that call reviewed, I have yet to read any complaints from the team itself.


Oh fuck this game tonight has been just bad, I've been tuning in during commercials (watching hockey mostly) and aside from that interception ran back for a touchdown the Browns have just been bad, and the announcers are looking for any excuse to bring up Jaworski's past with the Eagles and to talk about anything other than the game they are covering. I know Cleveland is bad, but does every other sentence have to make us think they are the Detroit Lions of the AFC?

[Qwerty 42]

The Eagles win, clinching a winning record and moving to half a game back on all three teams in the NFC wildcard logjam.

[Havok]

Jamarcus Russell to the Niners for Alex Smith straight up

I'm so confused... who exactly do you hate?

[Elfdart]

Jamarcus Russell to the Niners for Alex Smith straight up

I'm so confused... who exactly do you hate?

Maybe he thinks Russell can be converted to a pulling guard.

[Darth Fanboy]

My reasoning is that if we're going to have a QB throw interceptions all the time, they might as well be 40 yards down the field instead of 4.

I'm actually wondering who will be availiable to pick up this offseason, I like the idea of getting Matt Cassell personally.

[Havok]

My wish list is Carson Palmer who I think is done with Cincinnati, (And he might just bring Ocho Cinco with him) Shawn Hill getting better and Micheal Vick. Yeah yeah, he killed dogs, he is a monster, he is still going to be a good quarterback and he may well be awesome in the current system as he will be able to scramble away from the slower D-lineman and have tons of room to run with the LBs and DBs so far back in coverage covering Martz's ridiculously long WR patterns. Cassel may or may not be good out of the New England system, not just the offensive system.

More importantly, I think we need to grab every O-Lineman, wide receiver and safety we can. There is also the draft to look to, but I haven't started getting up on my college players yet.

[Qwerty 42]

Pro Bowl rosters got confirmed.

AFC:

PITTSBURGH:

OLB James Harrison (starter)
ILB James Farrior
SS Troy Polamalu (starter)

BALTIMORE:

FB Le'Ron McClain (starter)
OLB Terrell Suggs
ILB Ray Lewis (starter)
FS Ed Reed (starter)
ST Brendon Ayanbadejo (starter)

CLEVELAND:

OT Joe Thomas (starter)
DT Shaun Rogers

CINCINNATI:

None

TENNESSEE:

RB Chris Johnson
OT Michael Roos
C Kevin Mawae (starter)
DT Albert Haynesworth (starter)
CB Cortland Finnegan (starter)
SS Chris Hope

INDIANAPOLIS:

QB Peyton Manning (starter)
WR Reggie Wayne
DE Dwight Freeney (starter)
DE Robert Mathis

HOUSTON:

WR Andre Johnson (starter)
DE Mario Williams (starter)

JACKSONVILLE:

None

NEW YORK JETS:

QB Brett Favre
RB Thomas Jones (starter)
G Alan Faneca (starter)
C Nick Mangold
DT Kris Jenkins (starter)
CB Darrelle Revis
KR Leon Washington (starter)

NEW ENGLAND:

WR Wes Welker
K Stephen Gostkowski (starter)

MIAMI:

RB Ronnie Brown
OLB Joey Porter (starter)

BUFFALO:

OT Jason Peters (starter)

DENVER:

QB Jay Cutler
WR Brandon Marshall (starter)

SAN DIEGO:

TE Antonio Gates
G Kris Dielman (starter)

OAKLAND:

CB Nnamdi Asomugha (starter)
P Shane Lechler (starter)

KANSAS CITY:

TE Tony Gonzalez (starter)
G Brian Waters

NFC:

MINNESOTA:

RB Adrian Peterson (starter)
G Steve Hutchinson (starter)
DE Jared Allen
DT Kevin Williams (starter)
DT Pat Williams
CB Antoine Winfield (starter)

CHICAGO:

OLB Lance Briggs (starter)

GREEN BAY:

CB Charles Woodson (starter)
FS Nick Collins (starter)

DETROIT:

None

CAROLINA:

WR Steve Smith
OT Jordan Gross (starter)
DE Julius Peppers (starter)
ILB Jon Beason

TAMPA BAY:

OLB Derrick Brooks
KR Clifton Smith (starter)

ATLANTA:

RB Michael Turner
WR Roddy White

NEW ORLEANS:

QB Drew Brees

NEW YORK GIANTS:

QB Eli Manning
G Chris Snee (starter)
C Shaun O'Hara
DE Justin Tuck (starter)
P Jeff Feagles (starter)
K John Carney (starter)

DALLAS:

TE Jason Witten (starter)
G Leonard Davis
C Andre Gurode (starter)
DT Jay Ratliff (starter)
OLB DeMarcus Ware (starter)

PHILADELPHIA:

CB Asante Samuel
FS Brian Dawkins

WASHINGTON:

RB Clinton Portis
FB Mike Sellers (starter)
TE Chris Cooley
OT Chris Samuels

ARIZONA:

QB Kurt Warner (starter)
WR Larry Fitzgerald (starter)
WR Anquan Boldin (starter)
SS Adrian Wilson (starter)
ST Sean Morey (starter)

SAN FRANCISCO:

ILB Patrick Willis (starter)

SEATTLE:

OT Walter Jones (starter)

ST. LOUIS:

None

[Darth Fanboy]

The Pro Bowl is the biggest snoozer of any all star game in any professional sport. Is there that much of a financial advantage to playing it even or is it just a nice way to reward good players by giving them an excuse to go to Hawaii?

[Chardok]

Okay, we're 9-5 so I can die now, I have lived long enough to see a .500+ season. the phins have surpassed all my expectations this year, and I as happy as a pig in slop. People at work are all "Yeah, but they'll never make it in the playoffs" and I get to go "Pfft - .500, baby"! We are in the hunt and I see a wildcard slot in our future. Who knows....