2018 NFL Thread - The Dynasty

[Samsara]

Eh, I guess it shows how great Eli has not been when a season where he is 18th in passer rating and 27th in QBR is one of his best statistical seasons.

I looked at yards per completion, yards, and TD-INT. His overall rating is 95.8, the best of his career, and 11.6 higher than his career average. Add a bad O Line to that mix, and yeah, I'd say he is having a great year.

Again, the Giants won two SBs with Eli at QB. Giants fans should be grateful, instead of wishing the guy would be replaced. But don't worry, those fans will get their wish, and probably regret it. At least in the short term.

[mikeyd23]

So thinking ahead to how the NE-Pitt game might play out. So far Ben has probably had a slightly better season than Brady; more yards, more touchdowns, higher QBR (and yes, 5 more picks). He's had less support from the running game as NE has more rushing yards and higher yards per attempt. Lately the Steelers' D and the special teams have been very shitty so I assume Ben will be asked to win the game mostly by himself again. Such is life under Tomlin.

For the drinking game:
Take a drink every time Tomlin is shown looking clueless on the sideline
Take a drink every time Tomlin misuses a timeout or a challenge
Take a drink every time AB is mugged without a flag (and in the interest of fairness, insert Gronk in here if you wish )
Take a drink every time a Steeler receiver drops a TD pass or a long gainer
Take a drink every time a controversial call goes against the home team
Take a drink every time a Patriot receiver is wide open due to blown coverage

But in all seriousness, just hoping for a good game.

Blackout drunk by halftime.

[Stadler]

So thinking ahead to how the NE-Pitt game might play out. So far Ben has probably had a slightly better season than Brady; more yards, more touchdowns, higher QBR (and yes, 5 more picks). He's had less support from the running game as NE has more rushing yards and higher yards per attempt. Lately the Steelers' D and the special teams have been very shitty so I assume Ben will be asked to win the game mostly by himself again. Such is life under Tomlin.

For the drinking game:
Take a drink every time Tomlin is shown looking clueless on the sideline
Take a drink every time Tomlin misuses a timeout or a challenge
Take a drink every time AB is mugged without a flag (and in the interest of fairness, insert Gronk in here if you wish )
Take a drink every time a Steeler receiver drops a TD pass or a long gainer
Take a drink every time a controversial call goes against the home team
Take a drink every time a Patriot receiver is wide open due to blown coverage

But in all seriousness, just hoping for a good game.

Blackout drunk by halftime.

Add in "Take a drink every time the New England secondary blows a tackle." and I might even be vomiting in the clothes hamper. 

[Samsara]

Man, I seriously don't want to relive college 20 years later. At least then it'd be a few hours, instead of a few minutes, before I'm puking my guts out. 

[Dublagent66]

Big game tonight boys!

Yeah, as much as we bitch that TNF always sucks, I'm not sure having the game of the week on Thursday is a good thing. Most of the Sunday schedule kind of blows.

What makes it a good thing is everyone gets to see it.  Unlike the Sunday schedule when your shitty local team is always televised and you're held hostage from watching a better game (unless of course you pay extra for NFL Sunday Ticket).  In my case that would be the Arizona Canaries...errr...Cardinals. 

Isn't TNF a cable-only kind of thing?

Originally yes, but then it was simulcasted on CBS.  Now Fox has a 5 year contract.

[KevShmev]

Eh, I guess it shows how great Eli has not been when a season where he is 18th in passer rating and 27th in QBR is one of his best statistical seasons.

I looked at yards per completion, yards, and TD-INT. His overall rating is 95.8, the best of his career, and 11.6 higher than his career average. Add a bad O Line to that mix, and yeah, I'd say he is having a great year.

Again, the Giants won two SBs with Eli at QB. Giants fans should be grateful, instead of wishing the guy would be replaced. But don't worry, those fans will get their wish, and probably regret it. At least in the short term.

I am not a Giants fan, but regarding those improved numbers, you have to remember that passing numbers are off the charts this year thanks to various rule changes, which is why there are literally 22 quarterbacks with a passer rating of 90+.  Eli's 95.8 might be the best of his career, but it is still only the 19th best this year.  I cannot imagine any standard where I would call the season Eli Manning is having to be "great," unless the standards are really that low now.

[El Barto]

This morning the injury situation was looking pretty favorable for the chargers. Now things have flipped with Gordon out and KC has Hill and Berry both playing. That's a damn shame. SD might still eek one out, but I have to pick KC now. Wouldn't be terribly bothered if I'm wrong, though. 

[KevShmev]

Chiefs can just just trot out Priest Holmes and they'll be okay. 

And the Chargers can bring in Dan Fouts out of the pen.

Just ask Stephen A. Smith:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TO4Ij1WtISA

 

[TheCountOfNYC]

Go Chargers!!!!!

[Rattlehead]

That was awesome!! What a win for Rivers and the Chargers.

[Dream Team]

Lol the refs totally gifted that to LA. Pathetic. League is practically unwatchable.

[Stadler]

Boo.  Yah.  I went with SC as a lark and a hope, and it pays off.

I don't like Philip Rivers, but I don't like Patrick Mahomes more.   He's getting too big for his britches with the left-handed throws and the pointing after every flag... you have to win the big games, and at home, with home field advantage on the line, and your closest competitor (for the playoffs) in town, you have to win.  He did not. 

By the way, these officials ought to hang their heads in shame.  That was a late '80's Ozzy concert of a football game by those officials.  HORRIBLE, and even Troy Aikman felt obligated to point it out.   

[El Barto]

That was 55 minutes of boring football, and a great final 5.

Lol the refs totally gifted that to LA. Pathetic. League is practically unwatchable.

The refs are truly awful this year, and this game was no exception, but the bad calls went both ways tonight. They were just as instrumental in keeping KC ahead for most of the game.

[Rattlehead]

The bad calls went both ways... there were a few hits to the head by Chief defenders in the 4th quarter alone that should’ve been flagged.

[KevShmev]

Yep, the Chargers were getting rooked on the majority of the calls.

Epic comeback!

[Stadler]

That was 55 minutes of boring football, and a great final 5.

Lol the refs totally gifted that to LA. Pathetic. League is practically unwatchable.

The refs are truly awful this year, and this game was no exception, but the bad calls went both ways tonight. They were just as instrumental in keeping KC ahead for most of the game.

No doubt, both ways, but it makes it so... unpredictable and takes the ball out of the hands (metaphorically) of the players.  I'd rather watch Benjamin and Hill run the football, than some old guy marking off 10 yard bursts.

[El Barto]

That was 55 minutes of boring football, and a great final 5.

Lol the refs totally gifted that to LA. Pathetic. League is practically unwatchable.

The refs are truly awful this year, and this game was no exception, but the bad calls went both ways tonight. They were just as instrumental in keeping KC ahead for most of the game.

No doubt, both ways, but it makes it so... unpredictable and takes the ball out of the hands (metaphorically) of the players.  I'd rather watch Benjamin and Hill run the football, than some old guy marking off 10 yard bursts.

It certainly sucks, and I don't understand why it's so bad this year. It's not any confusion about the new rules. They're just missing calls left and right, every game. 

[TheCountOfNYC]

An hour later and I’m still shaking. Even though the Jets are definitely my number one, the Chargers are my number two, but unfortunately I don’t get to see much of them due to other teams taking broadcasting priority in my area (like local division rivals New England, Miami, Dallas, and Philadelphia as well as teams with wide reaching fanbases like Pittsburgh and Green Bay). The only times I really get to watch their games is when they have a primetime game or happen to be playing one of the aforementioned teams. Still, I follow every one of their games, and have been a big supporter of them since as long as I’ve loved football. For years, they were the team that was always good but never good enough, then instead of getting better, they somehow got worse. They left their city and got stuck in a soccer stadium with a quarter of the capacity of most NFL stadiums. Yet this year feels different than the past. They have a coaching staff who encourage guts instead of apathy. They have a quarterback playing like a man possessed, going out there every week and proving all of the doubters who say he shouldn’t make the Hall of Fame wrong. And they have a locker room full of players who fight for every yard, every point, every game. Tonight was the night that the whole world saw what every person who supports the Chargers already knew this year: this team is for real.

[dparrott]

Come on all-LA super bowl!!!  It's gonna take a few miracles, but it's not impossible at this point!

[PowerSlave]

I have a theory about the poor refs, and the evolution of the game in recent years coupled with the new rules that seem to favor the offenses does play a huge part in it.

A) The athleticism of the players has taken leaps and bounds in the last 40 (or so) years. I remember when a WR would have 4.4 speed in the combine, and it would be a huge talking point. In recent years we've seen players knocking a couple of tenths off of that in the combine workouts. We've also seen them getting much bigger and stronger. Watch a highlight reel of Joe Green playing in the 70's. He looks absolutely huge in comparison to the rest of the players on the field. These days he would be under-sized.

Some of the linemen (either side of the ball) that are 6' 5" and 330 lbs.+ can run in the 4 second bracket.

B) The rules have been opened up to promote more scoring. The "freakish" nature and athletic potential of the players has been unleashed by these rules where speed has been rewarded like no other time in the sport. Sure, it's always been a part of the equation, but I can't remember a time when I've seen so many blown coverages by defensive secondaries on all teams. Game awareness and decision making by defenders has been out stripped by the increasing speed of the game that has been catered to by those making the rules changes.

C) What is the average age of an NFL ref?

Speed, reflexes and senses all get dulled by age. You've got (for the most part) a bunch of old men running around a large field trying to monitor and keep up with a bunch of young men who probably jog faster than any of those old men could sprint while they were in their prime.

Put all of those factors together and you have a recipe for failure...

[Stadler]

An hour later and I’m still shaking. Even though the Jets are definitely my number one, the Chargers are my number two, but unfortunately I don’t get to see much of them due to other teams taking broadcasting priority in my area (like local division rivals New England, Miami, Dallas, and Philadelphia as well as teams with wide reaching fanbases like Pittsburgh and Green Bay). The only times I really get to watch their games is when they have a primetime game or happen to be playing one of the aforementioned teams. Still, I follow every one of their games, and have been a big supporter of them since as long as I’ve loved football. For years, they were the team that was always good but never good enough, then instead of getting better, they somehow got worse. They left their city and got stuck in a soccer stadium with a quarter of the capacity of most NFL stadiums. Yet this year feels different than the past. They have a coaching staff who encourage guts instead of apathy. They have a quarterback playing like a man possessed, going out there every week and proving all of the doubters who say he shouldn’t make the Hall of Fame wrong. And they have a locker room full of players who fight for every yard, every point, every game. Tonight was the night that the whole world saw what every person who supports the Chargers already knew this year: this team is for real.

Let's not get too ahead of ourselves, though.    0:25 seconds left and no timeouts and Philip Rivers is gumming at the refs about the missed "helmet to the head" penalty, and ran off almost 0:20 seconds if memory serves (I think the next play started with 0:08 on the clock).  He was right, but that's not the time to make your case.  It worked out but to me it was a sign that they are a good team playing well, but aren't a juggernaut just  yet.   I think that game - while a nail-biter for sure - says as much about the Chiefs as it does the Chargers. 

Bold prediction:  neither of these teams is in the Super Bowl for the AFC.   

[KevShmev]

  0:25 seconds left and no timeouts and Philip Rivers is gumming at the refs about the missed "helmet to the head" penalty, and ran off almost 0:20 seconds if memory serves (I think the next play started with 0:08 on the clock).  He was right, but that's not the time to make your case.   

This is not correct.  They had a timeout left and I believe they lost maybe 7-8 seconds (I'd have to re-watch it, but it was not close to 20). I agree that Rivers should have called timeout right away instead of asking for the call (which was a horrible miss by the officials), but let's get the facts straight.

[King Postwhore]

An hour later and I’m still shaking. Even though the Jets are definitely my number one, the Chargers are my number two, but unfortunately I don’t get to see much of them due to other teams taking broadcasting priority in my area (like local division rivals New England, Miami, Dallas, and Philadelphia as well as teams with wide reaching fanbases like Pittsburgh and Green Bay). The only times I really get to watch their games is when they have a primetime game or happen to be playing one of the aforementioned teams. Still, I follow every one of their games, and have been a big supporter of them since as long as I’ve loved football. For years, they were the team that was always good but never good enough, then instead of getting better, they somehow got worse. They left their city and got stuck in a soccer stadium with a quarter of the capacity of most NFL stadiums. Yet this year feels different than the past. They have a coaching staff who encourage guts instead of apathy. They have a quarterback playing like a man possessed, going out there every week and proving all of the doubters who say he shouldn’t make the Hall of Fame wrong. And they have a locker room full of players who fight for every yard, every point, every game. Tonight was the night that the whole world saw what every person who supports the Chargers already knew this year: this team is for real.

Let's not get too ahead of ourselves, though.    0:25 seconds left and no timeouts and Philip Rivers is gumming at the refs about the missed "helmet to the head" penalty, and ran off almost 0:20 seconds if memory serves (I think the next play started with 0:08 on the clock).  He was right, but that's not the time to make your case.  It worked out but to me it was a sign that they are a good team playing well, but aren't a juggernaut just  yet.   I think that game - while a nail-biter for sure - says as much about the Chiefs as it does the Chargers. 

Bold prediction:  neither of these teams is in the Super Bowl for the AFC.

IDK Stadler.  The Bolts seem to be very resilient.

[Samsara]

re: The refs

The referees need to be full-time. Honestly, I know its just 16 regular season games, 4 pre-season games, and the playoffs, but the speed of NFL football, the complexity of the rules, and the overall complexity of the game requires people who are refereeing it to be completely focused on it on a year-round basis. They would get better. A LOT better, if they weren't all working regular jobs every week.

[Stadler]

  0:25 seconds left and no timeouts and Philip Rivers is gumming at the refs about the missed "helmet to the head" penalty, and ran off almost 0:20 seconds if memory serves (I think the next play started with 0:08 on the clock).  He was right, but that's not the time to make your case.   

This is not correct.  They had a timeout left and I believe they lost maybe 7-8 seconds (I'd have to re-watch it, but it was not close to 20). I agree that Rivers should have called timeout right away instead of asking for the call (which was a horrible miss by the officials), but let's get the facts straight.

IF MEMORY SERVES.              You're right, I didn't have all the facts exactly correct:   they did have a time out (and burned it at 0:13) but the play started at 0:34, the play ended around 0:24, 0:22 left, and the timeout was called at 0:13.   In any even the point was, focus on the game, forget about the nonsense.     

[busty sinclair]

Chargers fan here and i was at arrowhead last night! What a freaking huge win and one of the best games i've ever seen live! Chiefs fans were so pissed!

[bosk1]

Here's what I have:

AFC:
1.  Texans (13-3)
2.  Pats (13-3)
3.  Chargers (13-3)
4.  Ravens (10-6)
5.  Chiefs (12-4)
6.  Steelers (9-6-1)

NFC:
1.  Saints (14-2)
2.  Rams (14-2)
3.  Bears (12-4)
4.  Cowboys (11-5)
5.  Vikings (9-6-1)
6.  Seahawks (9-7)

But some games are such a tossup, and these races are so close.  A couple of games going differently could completely alter that picture.  But the interesting thing is, if these go down basically how I mapped them out going into week 17, pretty much NOBODY can rest their starters except maybe the Bears and Cowboys. 

9 days later, and I'm already off.  Here's what I have now, based on how last week went:

AFC:
1.  Chargers (13-3)
2.  Pats (12-4)
3.  Texans (12-4)
4.  Steelers (8-7-1 -- note:  this could easily go to the Ravens if they win one more game than I projected; they are SO unpredictable!)
5.  Chiefs (12-4)
6.  Titans (10-6 -- note:  I'm really not sure about the Colts, who could also easily get this spot)

NFC:
1.  Saints (14-2)
2.  Rams (14-2)
3.  Bears (12-4)
4.  Cowboys (11-5)
5.  Seahawks (10-6)
6.  Vikings (8-7-1)

NFC is actually basically the same, but flipping the 5 and 6.  AFC is really hard to predict, even though 2 teams have now clinched, and the Pats and (probably) Texans may as well have. 

[Architeuthis]

Chargers fan here and i was at arrowhead last night! What a freaking huge win and one of the best games i've ever seen live! Chiefs fans were so pissed!

I watched it on TV,  that was an awesome game!  I was kind of pulling for KC, but I had a change of heart about mid 4th qtr..

[Rattlehead]

Chargers fan here and i was at arrowhead last night! What a freaking huge win and one of the best games i've ever seen live! Chiefs fans were so pissed!

That's awesome... as a Denver fan, I can't say I've been in that position many times to root for the Chargers like I did last night (although the last game of the season back in 2011 when they beat Oakland to send Denver into the playoffs does come to mind). I think that was easily one of the most exciting finishes to a game this season.

I think it would be really cool to see Rivers win a SB this year. I have a ton of respect for the guy as a QB and I feel like he is under appreciated by many fans. As long as KC or NE doesn't win this year, I'll be happy 

[dparrott]

I'm a Raiders fan in LA and feel very conflicted.  The Chargers have always been an enemy and I hate the team branding.  But having two NFL playoff teams here is awesome considering we had NOTHING for 2 decades.

[Rattlehead]

Darnold really looks like he could be special. I don't think this team is too far away from being a playoff contender, especially if they manage to land Le'Veon Bell in the off season. He's my favorite QB out of this draft and I think he'll go on to be the best of his class... I wish Elway had found a way to draft him in Denver (no disrespect meant to Bradley Chubb, who will also go down as one of the best players from this draft IMO) 

[Dublagent66]

Damn!  Browns dodged a bullet there.  The situation called for a FG.  Good thing their defense stepped up.

[KevShmev]

Vance Joseph sucks.

Case Keenum sucks.

And if he keeps either, John Elway should be shown the door.

[Rattlehead]

I was tricked into thinking Joseph was improving as a coach and deserved another year with this team after the 3 game win streak against LA, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. Then they proceeded to allow over 200 yards receiving to George Kittle in one half of football (refusing to make a single adjustment until the 2nd half) and lost to a bottom 5 team in SF, then lost to Cleveland at home who tried to give the game away in the end.

I still think this team has a fairly bright future ahead of them (after such a solid draft), but only if they get rid of this coaching staff. I think we'll be stuck with Keenum for another season... I'm not big on him either, but he's lost several TEs and WRs this season and the team is clearly not good enough to overcome it. Keenum was always a guy that needed a good supporting cast on offense to succeed and now he has a bunch of rookie and practice squad receivers with a patchwork offensive line. It's just too easy for other teams to shut the running game down now and dare Keenum to beat them with his arm, because everyone knows he can't with such an inexperienced receiving corps.

[Dream Team]

Gutless conservative coaching rampant this week. Miami punts from the Minnesota 40 while down 21-0 while playing for a PLAYOFF SPOT.  Just one of many examples.