NFL 2015

[Elfdart]

If not, I hear Marty Schottenheimer is tanned, rested and ready.

[Elfdart]

The Dolphins just fired their DC too. I don't doubt that these coaches sucked, but the track record of mid-season HC changes has not been good -especially when the new head coach is promoted from within. The only two cases I can think of where this worked out was when the Oilers canned Jack Pardee and promoted Jeff Fisher, and when the Patriots dumped Ron Meyer in favor of Raymond Berry.

So I guess what I'm saying is Chardok, enjoy your 2-14 season.

Update: The Fins have hired Al Saunders as an offensive "consultant", meaning he'll be doing game-planning while pretending not to do so -in order to coach while simultaneously collecting his pension as a retired coach. He's pretty good, so maybe this will improve things.

[Flagg]

Something is wrong with the Seahawks this season. I caught the last half of the game today while at the gym and the O-line was just letting the Lions nail Wilson at will. The defence, up until that big stop at the end didn't seem like anything special either. This was a game that the Seahawks probably deserved to lose and even with the win they're a 2-2 team.

The problem with the SeeCocks is that they buy into thier own hype when thier only big wins were a matter of luck, shitty calls by scabs not qualified to officiate the puppy-bowl, and home field advantage in a stadium designed with the help of aucoustic engineers to be incredibly fucking loud. But the luster is wearing off as cocky young shithead QB Wilson, who just does what his coach tells him, no matter how mind-bendingly fucking stupid it is (so either he can't recognize stupid play-calling or isn't confident enough to change the play, which makes him a shitty team leader not even the kicker will respect) and Marshawn Lynch isn't getting younger, is currently injured, and players in that position don't have especially long careers. Oh, and Pete Carrol has the coaching IQ of a particularly dumb rock.

[Ziggy Stardust]

The problem with the SeeCocks is that they buy into thier own hype when thier only big wins were a matter of luck, shitty calls by scabs not qualified to officiate the puppy-bowl,

Are you talking about just this season in particular, or in general?

[Thanas]

Our fucking defence is so bad that we can't even hold a lead in the fourth quarter against the fucking browns.

[Col. Crackpot]

Ravens D makes Josh McCown look like Joe Montana. Film at eleven.

Wow how the mighty have fallen.

[Elfdart]

Everyone has been making McCown look like Montana. He's playing well enough to make Manziel start drinking again.

[Flagg]

The problem with the SeeCocks is that they buy into thier own hype when thier only big wins were a matter of luck, shitty calls by scabs not qualified to officiate the puppy-bowl,

Are you talking about just this season in particular, or in general?

Pretty much the Wilson years.

[Guardsman Bass]

. . . .

What the hell was the Colts' play? Why were they even running it on their own 37 yard line on a 4th and 3 instead of punting it? Why did they go through with it after the defense refused to shift?

[RogueIce]

. . . .

What the hell was the Colts' play? Why were they even running it on their own 37 yard line on a 4th and 3 instead of punting it? Why did they go through with it after the defense refused to shift?

Clearly the Patriots cheated to make them run that play.

Somehow.

[Guardsman Bass]

I think I get what they were trying to do, now. They were hoping by doing the massive shift, they'd force the Patriots to commit an offsides penalty that would give them the first down. If they hadn't lined up all their folks wrong so that an illegal formation penalty would have wiped that out anyways, it might have worked - and if it didn't, they were supposed to immediately call a time-out rather than snap the ball.

[Thanas]

Another week, another crappy defensive performance. But now the offence starts to suck as well as Flacco constantly has to force balls into coverage as no receiver is ever open. And Steve Smith Sr continues to drop TD passes. 2 this game alone.

[Chardok]

Man, that Jarvis Landry play, guys, am I right?

Oh yeah, the rest of my 'phins did pretty good, too, I guess.

[Ziggy Stardust]

That loss must have been pretty DEFLATING for the Colts.

... I'll see myself out.

I think I get what they were trying to do, now. They were hoping by doing the massive shift, they'd force the Patriots to commit an offsides penalty that would give them the first down. If they hadn't lined up all their folks wrong so that an illegal formation penalty would have wiped that out anyways, it might have worked - and if it didn't, they were supposed to immediately call a time-out rather than snap the ball.

Not that I think it was a smart play, but the snap in that situation was definitely an error (thus Chuck Pagano shouting on the sideline, "Why did you snap the ball?!" immediately after). My understanding of the logic of the play is that it is twofold:

1) Only snap the ball if the defense overcompensates for the "swinging gate" motion and sends too many defenders to the band of lineman. Because in that situation they'll have the quarterback and a 190-pound wide receiver in the middle of the field against only two or three defenders, in which case it isn't that difficult to pick up short yardage.

2) If the numbers aren't in your favor as above, then don't snap the ball and, as you said, hope for an off-sides penalty. (I guess Colt Anderson has a killer hard count?)

Bonus, here's a similar play that also unfolded pretty poorly, this time for the Redskins back in 2009. The stakes weren't as high (they were down 24-0 in a meaningless week 15 matchup), but the results are equally hilarious, complete with a wonderful reaction by the broadcast crew.

EDIT: I think social media is going a little overboard calling this "the worst play-call in NFL history" and such hyperbole. Certainly, it wasn't a GREAT play. But it only ended in such disaster because of the player snapping when he wasn't supposed to, which isn't really a fault of the play-call in and of itself. It was a "Goliath play", the type of which Pagano was going for all game (they scored their first touchdown on a 4th-down play, after all). It's the sort of bold playcalling coaches SHOULD be doing when they are underdogs playing a superior team, as opposed to handing games away on the type of hyperconservative stupidity you see all the time (kicking field goals on 4th and 1 from the 5 yard line against mediocre defensive teams deserves a slap in the face, Jim Caldwell).

[RogueIce]

EDIT: I think social media is going a little overboard calling this "the worst play-call in NFL history" and such hyperbole.

Shouldn't that go to the Seahawks in the last Super Bowl?

[Ziggy Stardust]

In terms of its immediate stakes, that's a definite contender (much to my everlasting joy).

But, to be honest, I don't think anything will ever top this, at least in a vacuum. The Seahawks one is only worse because it lost them a potential SuperBowl win on the spot, whereas the wrong way run was in an early season game (that the team in question, the Vikings, ended up winning). But ... I mean watch that. It's hilarious.

[Flagg]

I give you... Probably the single worst call (initially called a Chicago INT, because it totally is, right? Well upon automatic review... TD LIONS!

This has to be Obama's fault!

[RogueIce]

In terms of its immediate stakes, that's a definite contender (much to my everlasting joy).

But, to be honest, I don't think anything will ever top this, at least in a vacuum. The Seahawks one is only worse because it lost them a potential SuperBowl win on the spot, whereas the wrong way run was in an early season game (that the team in question, the Vikings, ended up winning). But ... I mean watch that. It's hilarious.

True, it's pretty bad. But just to be pedantic, we were talking about the worst play-call and that example, while hilarious, was an on the field thing.

Although that 2009 Redskins one was pretty bad.

[Ziggy Stardust]

I give you... Probably the single worst call (initially called a Chicago INT, because it totally is, right? Well upon automatic review... TD LIONS!

This has to be Obama's fault!

What's so bad about it? I mean, it's a pretty goofy sequence of events, but ultimately Tate caught the ball and had control of it when he crossed the plane of the end zone. There's no way it could be an interception; if anything it would be a fumble, but by rule you can't fumble once you've entered the end zone because the touchdown has already been scored.

[Elfdart]

Getting PWNED by the Raiders at home...

Oh wait! The Chargers weren't really at home: most of the crowd was made up of RaiTards. Three decades of Spanos Fail will turn a lot of home games into road games!

[Thanas]

Well, given how you'll soon be located in Los Angelos....

[Havok]

Gawd... At least we all fucking suck this year.

[Thanas]

Hey Havok, nice to see you

But yeah, at this point I think we are legitimate contenders for the #1 pick.

[Flagg]

We? I'm a Packers fan. We're doing quite well.

[Col. Crackpot]

We? I'm a Packers fan. We're doing quite well.

In a perfect world the undefeated packers play the undefeated patriots and Don Shula finally has to shut the fuck up.