2017 NFL thread v. Patriots Dynasty

[KevShmev]

Kicking Dallas' ass is a lot of fun.

[Cool Chris]

Seattle looks pathetic for the 2nd week in a row.

[Destiny Of Chaos]

Seattle looks pathetic for the 2nd week in a row.

Couldn't happen to a nicer couple of guys (Sherman and Bennett)......

[KevShmev]

Seattle reminds me of Pittsburgh thus far: neither have looked good at all, but both have such a history of winning in the 21st century that many will overrate both.  Neither will be near the top when I bring back the power rankings this week. 

[black_biff_stadler]

Can the Saints get the rare 33rd spot?

[KevShmev]

I will consider it. 

[PowerSlave]

Seattle reminds me of Pittsburgh thus far: neither have looked good at all, but both have such a history of winning in the 21st century that many will overrate both.  Neither will be near the top when I bring back the power rankings this week. 

Our endless love affair continues. 

[KevShmev]

Haha. In the meantime, GB's D is still total trash.  They looked good last week, but that was more about how awful Seattle's o-ine is.

[dparrott]

I was going to brag about the Raiders, but they only played the Jets, so.....

[black_biff_stadler]

What do y'all think would spark a bigger outcry about the NFL being rigged?

1. The Browns winning consecutive Super Bowls?

2. A week where every single NFL game ended in a tie?

[Dream Team]

Todd Haley continues to be a terrible OC. He's got Bell, Brown, Bryant etc but there's no feinting or misdirection, it's all about having to win one-on-one matchups, he can't scheme guys open. I drool thinking of what Josh McDaniels could do with these dynamic playmakers. 

Already looking forward to Pit-Bal Week 4. Raven's D is legit, should be a great game.

[mikeyd23]

Todd Haley continues to be a terrible OC. He's got Bell, Brown, Bryant etc but there's no feinting or misdirection, it's all about having to win one-on-one matchups, he can't scheme guys open. I drool thinking of what Josh McDaniels could do with these dynamic playmakers. 

Already looking forward to Pit-Bal Week 4. Raven's D is legit, should be a great game.

Don't get me started on Haley. Dude tries to out think himself half the time. 

[cramx3]

Good to see the Eagles and Cowboys losing yesterday, gives the Giants a great opportunity tonight, except I have no faith in them being able to move the ball if Odell isn't playing. 

[Samsara]

J E T S SUCK SUCK SUCK.

I hate football season these days.

Signed,

A JETS fan so fed up with his team it is not even funny.

[kaos2900]

I said this last year and it's true again this year. The AFC West is the best division top to bottom.

KC- 2-0
Denver- 2-0
Oak- 2-0
SD- 0-2 off of two missed field goals.

[El Barto]

He that sups with the devil must have a long spoon.

https://www.star-telegram.com/sports/nfl/dallas-cowboys/article173888536.html

Goodell was reportedly close to an agreement on a five-year extension last month. But that was before an angry Jones, an unofficial seventh member of the NFL’s six-man compensation committee, interjected himself. Jones referred to himself as an “ombudsman” to the group.

Jones — who already felt the commissioner made too much money and told the owners as much during a closed-door meeting in March, per Pro Football Talk — is not happy about the NFL’s handling of 13-month investigation of Elliot for allegedly committing domestic violence against former girlfriend Tiffany Thompson.

Per a source, Jones was told there would be no suspension, which was at the root of his confidence that the NFL had no evidence and there would be no discipline.

So Jones’ disappointment and anger were palpable when Goodell announced a six-game suspension for Elliott on Aug. 11. It’s not so much that Elliot was suspended but that he was misled, resulting in a breach of trust.

[cramx3]

It sucks that Jones needed this to happen to his team before he stood up against Goodell, but sometimes it needs to hit home before you take action.  Goodell most certainly is not worth the money he is making IMO.  And given the slide in ratings, maybe he should take a cut.

[King Postwhore]

Too bad he was silent during Deflategate.  Their owners got greedy, wanted "their" guy to have the power now he's fumbled that power.  They should have a 3rd party as abitier.

[KevShmev]

The funny thing is, Goodell has done a good job as commish, but by being so hard on teams and players, he has pissed off fanbases and owners.

Has everyone noticed we are getting less commercials this year?  And sometimes, instead of going to a normal commercial like they would have had in the past, they now sometimes do a quick 20-second commercial while still keeping a shot of the game on the other side of the screen.  Much better, and you have to give Goodell credit for hearing the complaints about too many commercials and doing a little something about it.

[TAC]

The funny thing is, Goodell has done a good job as commish, but by being so hard on teams and players, he has pissed off fanbases and owners.

Has everyone noticed we are getting less commercials this year?  And sometimes, instead of going to a normal commercial like they would have had in the past, they now sometimes do a quick 20-second commercial while still keeping a shot of the game on the other side of the screen.  Much better, and you have to give Goodell credit for hearing the complaints about too many commercials and doing a little something about it.

Kev, are you posting from Goodell's ass?

He's looking at declining ratings, not responding to complaints. He's not doing you or me any favors.

[KevShmev]

Right, but a lot of commissioners would make changes without giving a lot of thought as to what fans actually want.  It's easy to say that anyone could have done that, but he has overseen an era that has seen football become the most popular sport in the US by an even widee margin than it was when he took over.  He has to get some credit for that, no?

[El Barto]

The funny thing is, Goodell has done a good job as commish, but by being so hard on teams and players, he has pissed off fanbases and owners.

Has everyone noticed we are getting less commercials this year?  And sometimes, instead of going to a normal commercial like they would have had in the past, they now sometimes do a quick 20-second commercial while still keeping a shot of the game on the other side of the screen.  Much better, and you have to give Goodell credit for hearing the complaints about too many commercials and doing a little something about it.

I recall that they announced in the offseason that they'd be rearranging them. There aren't any less, in fact there might be a couple of more, but they're lumping them together so there are fewer, but longer, breaks.

[KevShmev]

Hmmm, that makes sense. Either way, they seem less jarring when they happen. It was just an observation.

[El Barto]

Hmmm, that makes sense. Either way, they seem less jarring when they happen. It was just an observation.

I think they axed the double break separating the XP/KO and the KO/return to play. That alone would make a huge difference.

Interestingly, it confounded us a bit during the first week. Sometimes you're looking for that commercial break to run and do something in the kitchen or whatnot and it's not there. Also, some of the commercials were replaced with Michaels and Collinsworth yammering at each other, so not much improvement there. They also replayed the damned Carrie Underwood opening once in lieu of a commercial break. So they're still taking breaks, they're just not bombarding us with adverts all the time.

[TAC]

Right, but a lot of commissioners would make changes without giving a lot of thought as to what fans actually want.  It's easy to say that anyone could have done that, but he has overseen an era that has seen football become the most popular sport in the US by an even widee margin than it was when he took over.  He has to get some credit for that, no?

Football's competition committee has done some thing to try and generate interest, ie more offence.  It's more the onset of internet gambling and fantasy sports more than Goodell. And the NFL seems to have peaked don'tcha think? I think a lot of people are turned off by the bumbling of many issues...Rice, Brady, Elliott.

If you're going to give him credit for riding the proverbial wave, then how can you absolve him for the decline in interest over the last couple of years?

They also replayed the damned Carrie Underwood opening once in lieu of a commercial break. 

No issue there! Now that is good commishining.

[cramx3]

Yea the re-arranging of commercials has thrown me off a few times, but it does feel a bit better even if there is no actual difference.  Game flow feels better, even if it's a cut to the commentators instead of a break, you don't feel like you are really leaving the game.

[KevShmev]

The Return of the Power Rankings!!!!

Top 10
1. Kansas City - the emergence of Kareem Hunt makes their offense scary; wins at NE and against upcoming Philly very impressive
2. Atlanta - big win last night; no hangover yet from that crushing SB collapse
3. Oakland - their D will be a concern, but they will have a chance in every game with that QB and that offense
4. Denver - the "No Fly Zone" continues; Siemian looking good
5. Detroit - this team is quietly really good, again
6. New England - they have some major issues, but Belichick and Brady can usually mask most of them
7. Baltimore - D looking dominant again; will they have enough offense when their competition gets tough?
8. Pittsburgh - they look again like one of those teams that will win 11 games, yet you just know they won't make it to the Super Bowl
9. Green Bay - looks like another year of Rodgers carrying them to 10-12 wins, while the D is inconsistent once again
10. Dallas - I think they'll be okay, but the blueprint is now out there to slow down their O: stack the line and make their average receiving corps beat you

Trending Up
Miami - Cutler is as good as Tannehill, and this team has a lot of talent
Tampa Bay - still my dark horse team to make a deep playoff run
Philadelphia - this team is good in the trenches and has a really good young QB; a team to watch
Minnesota - if Bradford plays, with that D, they can beat almost anyone
Carolina - looking to bounce back after a disappointing 2016

Trending Down
NY Giants - their o-line is too bad for words
Cincinnati - Marvin Lewis probably should update his resume
LA Chargers - a dark horse pick by many, they're once again being done in by bad FG kicking
Arizona - Carson Palmer is done, and David Johnson is hurt; stick a fork in them
Buffalo - I think they will find a way to gut out 5-6 wins, but they are still a franchise in a vicious cycle of irrelevance

Bottom 5
28. Cleveland - D seems improved, but until they can, ya know, win a few games, they remain a laughingstock
29. New Orleans - such a poorly coached team; their D looks to be historically bad again
30. Chicago - might as well start the rookie QB
31. Indianapolis - take away Luck and this team is just plain awful
32. NY Jets - they appear to want that 1st pick

[SystematicThought]

On the Vikings:
Without Bradford, we look like a tire fire. That game was hard to watch and Zimmer being vague pisses me off

[TheCountOfNYC]

The Return of the Power Rankings!!!!

32. NY Jets - they appear to want that 1st pick

As does most of the fanbase. We know what rebuilding is, and if we can get that franchise changing player, well, if the team is not gonna make the playoffs (which they won't), then they might as well completely suck and have a better chance at a brighter future.

[Samsara]

The Return of the Power Rankings!!!!

32. NY Jets - they appear to want that 1st pick

As does most of the fanbase. We know what rebuilding is, and if we can get that franchise changing player, well, if the team is not gonna make the playoffs (which they won't), then they might as well completely suck and have a better chance at a brighter future.

I don't believe in tanking, and having the first pick means nothing if the GM screws up. But as a JETS diehard, I'm torn. I hate losing, but we suck ass. I had an opportunity to be in Oakland this past Sunday and passed on it, because I KNEW what was gonna happen. (I predicted 42-10, so I was off by 10 pts). But getting the first pick...a rookie QB with no one to throw to, no running game, and an OL that is like swiss cheese? Not gonna work.

The JETS need EVERYTHING, and tanking for the first pick isn't gonna help if they get a QB and the QB is running for his life.

[nobloodyname]

J E T S SUCK SUCK SUCK.

I hate football season these days.

Signed,

A JETS fan so fed up with his team it is not even funny.

Meh.

Come back when the Jets have been as bad as the Browns for as long as the Browns

Signed,

A British Browns fan who's been to Cleveland many times to see the Browns (including against the Steelers last week when the Browns actually really almost looked like a football team, no really, they did!).

[Dublagent66]

I'm thinking the Jets and Browns might be able to beat the Giants.   

[PowerSlave]

I'm thinking the Jets and Browns might be able to beat the Giants.   

I'm not sure about the jets, but the Browns do look like an improving team, and it wouldn't surprise me in the least if they give a lot of teams problems.

[RoeDent]

After 2 weeks, you might not be able to tell who will make the playoffs, but you can certainly tell who could be in for a long trudge this season. Cleveland, Cincinnati, NY Giants, NY Jets, Indianapolis, to name a few. It seems like there's going to be a lot of downright awful teams this year, and it's just a case of who's going to be the worst of a very bad bunch.

I'll never fully understand how the absence of just one player can make a team go from being at least half-decent to being downright abysmal.

[The Trooper]

The Return of the Power Rankings!!!!

32. NY Jets - they appear to want that 1st pick

As does most of the fanbase. We know what rebuilding is, and if we can get that franchise changing player, well, if the team is not gonna make the playoffs (which they won't), then they might as well completely suck and have a better chance at a brighter future.

Darnold is the obvious #1 pick. the dude is incredible. he may not even come out. fuck I would want to play for the Jets and take that toll on my body