2008 NFL Season Thread- The Road to Super Bowl XLIII

[Dark Flame]

So the Niners are going to try something new at Offensive coordinator this year... NO ONE!!

I thought they were still going after Chudzinski...?

In other news I am posting from my new Ipod Touch!

[Falkenhayn]

In other news today, the Jests introduced Rex Ryan, LT has "no intention" of leaving SD, and the Steelers will be wearing white in the SB. Oh, and Tom Brady's knee is "doing fine"; there was loose talk of him being on PUP for the start of next season.

Oh, and with our absolutely atrocious DE play, initial mock drafts have the bills taking a TE at 11. *Crosses Fingers for Orakpo*.

Fun Fact: Jason Peters allowed 11.5 sacks this year, and was voted into the Pro Bowl. Anybody need a LT?

[Qwerty 42]

And Dallas to try something new:

Posted 25 minutes ago
Irvin hosting reality TV show to win roster spot on Cowboys

Associated Press

DALLAS -- The first time Michael Irvin watched "American Idol," he loved the concept of giving undiscovered singers the chance to become stars. Now Irvin is doing the same for NFL wannabes.

The Hall of Fame receiver is launching a reality TV show in which 12 "football neophytes" will compete for an impressive grand prize: a spot on the Dallas Cowboys' training camp roster.

"I don't know if you can walk upon any group of guys that wouldn't say they dreamed of playing in the NFL when they were playing in their front yard," Irvin told The Associated Press on Thursday. "So we're going to take a group of guys from their front yard, dwindle them to one and give that guy the opportunity of a lifetime."

The Cowboys confirmed that one of their 80 roster spots will go to the show's winner. The NFL did not immediately return a call.

The show, which doesn't yet have a title, will air this spring on Spike. It is being produced by the same company that's behind "The Biggest Loser" and many other reality TV hits.

Contestants are still being selected. They likely will need a football background -- just not too much. They also must be the right age, size and condition to handle an NFL training camp. The Cowboys open camp in late July in San Antonio.

"We want someone who will have a real opportunity to make the team," Irvin said. He also indicated the better the back story, the better an applicant's chance of making the show.

"You could've played college ball and had to give up for some reason," he said. "You know how many stories are out there of players who for some reason or another had to walk away from the game. ... We want to find those guys."

Irvin will be the host and he expects to have guest appearances from friends like Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Deion Sanders and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Judges will include Jones and former players and coaches.

The show will pit six receivers and six defensive backs. As for how they will compete, all Irvin would say is, "Tune in and watch. It'll be groundbreaking in so many ways."

The winner's biggest payoff will be the fulfillment of playing for the Cowboys. While the rookie minimum is about $300,000, that's only if he makes the team. The salary in training camp is closer to $1,000 a week for an undrafted rookie.

Irvin said this is about far more than money. It's the chance to catch passes from Tony Romo or to line up opposite Terrell Owens.

"What young man do you know that's not going to read (about this show), then head straight to the gym and say, 'I'm going to get ready,'?" Irvin said. "That's how this will inspire people."

Considering the Cowboys are coming off a disappointing season filled with all sorts of turmoil, adding a player more likely to be profiled in "People" than "Sports Illustrated" seems risky. It could be perceived as just another sideshow, like the cameras from HBO's "Hard Knocks" that tracked the team in training camp last year.

Yet Irvin, who hosts a local radio show that spends a lot of time analyzing the Cowboys, dismissed that notion.

"I don't see how you can make this a negative for the Dallas Cowboys," he said. "We all talk of doing good things for the community, for people, giving people opportunities. Jerry has stepped up and said, 'OK, let's do it."'

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press

[Dark Flame]

Wow. I guess we should've seen this one coming, but it's still surprising. The Cowboys roster will now literally be a reality TV show. That's a new low..

[Havok]

LOL It's been a reality show for years.

So the Niners are going to interview Dan Reeves for the OC position... huh. Also, the Chiefs fired Edwards, which I think is a very bad move.

[Elfdart]

LOL It's been a reality show for years.

So the Niners are going to interview Dan Reeves for the OC position... huh. Also, the Chiefs fired Edwards, which I think is a very bad move.

Didn't he have to retire because of an ailing heart?

[Havok]

Thought so. I don't think that the Falcons fired him after getting them to the SB, but I would have to check. It just seems like an odd choice, although his record as a head coach is pretty hard to argue against, despite the 4 SB losses.

[Havok]

Oh that crazy Adam Schefter. He thinks the Niners may be setting up as the return franchise and future work release program for Micheal Vick.

Link

Adam Schefter
Are 49ers angling for Vick?

The 49ers are being secretive about their offensive plans, but it’s not hard to connect the dots in this case.

The 49ers are interviewing former Falcons head coach Dan Reeves today for their offensive coordinator vacancy. Reeves was Atlanta’s head coach in 2001, when the team traded for the No. 1 overall draft pick to use on QB Michael Vick.

One day earlier, the 49ers interviewed Ravens quarterbacks coach Hue Jackson, who used to coach Vick in Atlanta. And San Francisco also has expressed some interest in former Falcons wide receivers coach Mike Johnson, who coached quarterbacks in Baltimore and also knows Vick well.

So, some of the candidates the 49ers have begun to focus on all have connections to Vick, who could be back in the NFL as early as this summer after being released from federal prison.

No team has a greater need for a quarterback than the 49ers, but this isn’t to say they will pursue him. But the coaches they’re pursuing now all know and have worked with Vick.

And if that’s not enough of a conspiracy theory, then consider this: On Thursday, the 49ers signed former Falcons CB Jimmy Williams, Vick’s college teammate who lives in Hampton, Va., the next town over from where Vick has a house.

Might all just be coincidence. But might not.

I can't say, I would be displeased with a harder throwing, more athletic QB than Steve Young. This is one of those things that can be a great comeback story or a huge PR disaster and quite honestly, I don't think the current owners and front office will be able to handle this well. This is something Eddie D and Policy would have been able to pull off, or the current management of New England, but not York and McCloughan. They don't have the chops for it.

[CmdrWilkens]

Wow. I guess we should've seen this one coming, but it's still surprising. The Cowboys roster will now literally be a reality TV show. That's a new low..

Seriously though the Eagles already did this and we got a freakin Mark Whalberg movie out of it.

[Master of Ossus]

I can actually see the Niners making a move for Vick. Before his ginormous dog-fighting scandal, Vick was the most exciting player in football, and the Niners could certainly use some measure of excitement in their games. He was also a pretty darn good QB, and the Niners could use one of those, too, and especially if we can get him for cheap and without trading away all of our desperately-needed draft picks.

[Darth Fanboy]

I will burn my 49ers T Shirt if we sign Vick.

[Havok]

Well, I'm all for second chances. He made some mistakes, some BIG FUCKING mistakes, and he did the time and punishment that our system deemed necessary to atone for that. So now he gets a clean slate with me, but with a giant asterisk next to his name. He gets zero leeway as far as his off the field behavior, and that includes right on down to keeping his finger under control when he is on the sidelines getting called a murderer.

But this is San Francisco. If we can accept the Church of Satan with out any problems, Mick Vick can at least get a second chance here.

[Elfdart]

Sorry Hav, no Chudzinski for you!

[Darth Fanboy]

But this is San Francisco. If we can accept the Church of Satan with out any problems, Mick Vick can at least get a second chance here.

You don't think the left leaning animal rights people of SF will be just as loud if not louder about Vick than any other city?

[Havok]

Sorry Hav, no Chudzinski for you!

DAMN YOU! Quite snaking all our coaches you son of a bitch!

But this is San Francisco. If we can accept the Church of Satan with out any problems, Mick Vick can at least get a second chance here.

You don't think the left leaning animal rights people of SF will be just as loud if not louder about Vick than any other city?

Oh I'm sure they will be up in arms. Luckily, the people actually IN San Francisco aren't quite as bad as the people in Berkeley, which is where the Bay Area gets most of it's rep from.

Frankly, I think that after a few mini/training camp protests, it will die down, assuming it actually happens.

[Qwerty 42]

So around the league:

NFL Blogger Gil Brandt claims to have spoken to Norv Turner and Dean Spanos and Spanos indicated that Tomlinson will stay in San Diego.

Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson is undergoing treatment for melanoma. I wish him well.

Both Hines Ward and Anquan Boldin look to suit up Sunday.

[Elfdart]

Sorry Hav, no Chudzinski for you!

DAMN YOU! Quite snaking all our coaches you son of a bitch!

You took Manusky away from us, so bite me!

[Qwerty 42]

Hall of Fame inductees were just announced:

Bob Hayes
Randall McDaniel
Bruce Smith
Derrick Thomas
Ralph Wilson
Rod Woodson

And, I believe, the winner of the Man of the Year award is announced this evening as well. Finalists are Minnesota center Matt Birk, Philadelphia free safety Brian Dawkins, and Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner.

Oh, right: Pittsburgh vs. Arizona

[Elfdart]

I'm taking the Steelers, but have every reason to believe I will hate myself Monday morning for doing so. Picking against Kurt Warner in big games is something I prefer to avoid.

Bob Hayes should have been in the Hall of Fame almost thirty years ago. Along with Lance Alworth, he was the reason teams started playing zone defense. He averaged 20 yards a catch and a TD every five times he handled the ball. Too bad he died seven years before being inducted. The others are all worthy additions to the Hall, and I'm glad to see defensive players get their due two years in a row.

[jegs2]

Go Cards!

[CarsonPalmer]

Can we get this to XLII pages in time for Super Bowl XLII?

[weemadando]

Yes we can.

My pick for the day:

Cards d. Steelers
17-13.

Realistic pick?

Zebras d. Cards
540 penalty yds - 0.

[weemadando]

FUCK YOU Channel 10 - you run a direct feed of the NFL all season long so we get the US commentary and everything else and now you cut in and are running "The Ben Graham hour of power" in the lead-up to the Superbowl... With fucking DAVE HUGHES? FUUUUUCK.

I just fucking well hope that they actually pick up the real feed for the game itself.

Oh - and if anyone is going to be a sad fucker sitting at home during this I'll check XBL occassionally and might start up a party room so we can all go VOIP from our couches.

[thejester]

Hahaha gold line from the Channel Ten team - "It's ten minutes until the start of the game...let's focus on Ben Graham for a little bit." As if they've talked about anything else!

EDIT: Jesus Christ, way to butcher a national anthem.

[weemadando]

PLEASE CHANNEL 10 - TALK ABOUT THE OTHER 100 GUYS IN THE SUPERBOWL, EVEN JUST FOR 5 FUCKING SECONDS.