2020 NFL Thread v. Tom Brady aging better than Mila Kunis

[Stadler]

That onside kick that froze Falcons also froze me. The ball looked like a fidget spinner and I actually had time to yell to my wife - "are we actually going to recover this"?

In all my years of watching football, I have never seen a game like this.

BTW, the players need at least 2 preseason games.

That cost me a perfect 16-0, and also really pissed me off. They had five yards to recover the damn thing and just stood there watching it. And adding insult to injury I had to hear every damn commentator talk about how fantastic an onside kick that was. If you score an empty net goal right in front of the crease you don't get to call it a fantastic shot, and that's basically what happened here.

HA!   Al Michaels and Chris Collinsworth both had a woody over the kick; Michaels kept mentioning Zuerlein like he converted a 99-yard field goal.    At that point I hadn't seen it then they replayed it and I was like "Wha?"  It was a simple squib and everyone was looking at it like it was hypnotic.  Must've been the spin.   

[Stadler]

As a Pat's fan I feel encouraged after this loss.  There were so many unknowns with Cam's play since he's been so inactive with injuries the last 2 years.  Add the unknown at the receivers and I feel optimistic.

I never realized how BIG that guy is.   He stood a full head over Russell after the game (I know Russell is no giant, but still).

[King Postwhore]

I remember shaking Jerry Remy's hand walking to the roof box seats I was heading to.  He was taller than my brother and I.  We walked away shocked at the revelation.

So Cam must be a giant. 

[Cool Chris]

It was a simple squib and everyone was looking at it like it was hypnotic. 

I heard multiple people on sports talk radio use that very term, hypnotic, to describe that kick.

[dparrott]

DA RRRRRAIIIIIDAAAAHHHSSS!  A lot of new guys looking good!  Love the new stadium. 

[Stadler]

130 yards in penalties, including the "game winner", but still, The Raiders looked pretty good.

RANT:  What IS it with announcers?   My god, I long for the day of Pat Summerall and his dry observations.  Jim Nance creams his jeans every week it seems, though, and it may be wishful thinking, but I got the sense this week that Tony Romo was sort of... not embarrassed by it, but not willing to go along either.  I think they did the Chiefs this week, so the handjob was for the usual suspects, but this past week, Al Michaels and Chris Collinsworth (who I like) were so abuzz over Zuerlein and his kick you'd think he kicked the Middle East into peace.   Then Steve Levy was veritably apoplectic in his praise of Rob Groncalez - I'm sorry, I meant Darren Waller - speaking of him as if he single-handedly beat COVID.    I want to watch football, not be swamped breathless with hyperbole.  These are football players; some have good games, some do not.  I can SEE Darren Waller having a good game and do not need to be told that; what I need is insight and information I do not have access to in my living room, sitting on my couch.   Like why Drew Brees looked like he was going to collapse at one point there (I don't know if it's age, and the lack of real training camp, or he is hurt, but he did NOT look... stable for lack of a better word last night.)   

[hunnus2000]

That onside kick that froze Falcons also froze me. The ball looked like a fidget spinner and I actually had time to yell to my wife - "are we actually going to recover this"?

In all my years of watching football, I have never seen a game like this.

BTW, the players need at least 2 preseason games.

That cost me a perfect 16-0, and also really pissed me off. They had five yards to recover the damn thing and just stood there watching it. And adding insult to injury I had to hear every damn commentator talk about how fantastic an onside kick that was. If you score an empty net goal right in front of the crease you don't get to call it a fantastic shot, and that's basically what happened here.

Where I come from, we have "Overreaction Mondays" and "Upon Further Review Tuesdays" and I was going to post yesterday basically agreeing with you. I didn't get around to it but 'Upon Further Review", that was a perfectly executed onside kick. Zuerlein said he practiced that kick about 50 times in training camp and the special teams unit only practiced it about 6 times. In fact, when Zuerlein was with the Rams, they tried it only for the ball to go straight out of bounds.
But the real genius was Zuerlein kicked the ball towards the Cowboys sideline avoiding the Falcons coaches influencing the players. What I don't know is if the Cowboys coaches influenced the Falcons players by shouting 'don't touch it'. This was nothing like an empty net goal.

[El Barto]

That onside kick that froze Falcons also froze me. The ball looked like a fidget spinner and I actually had time to yell to my wife - "are we actually going to recover this"?

In all my years of watching football, I have never seen a game like this.

BTW, the players need at least 2 preseason games.

That cost me a perfect 16-0, and also really pissed me off. They had five yards to recover the damn thing and just stood there watching it. And adding insult to injury I had to hear every damn commentator talk about how fantastic an onside kick that was. If you score an empty net goal right in front of the crease you don't get to call it a fantastic shot, and that's basically what happened here.

Where I come from, we have "Overreaction Mondays" and "Upon Further Review Tuesdays" and I was going to post yesterday basically agreeing with you. I didn't get around to it but 'Upon Further Review", that was a perfectly executed onside kick. Zuerlein said he practiced that kick about 50 times in training camp and the special teams unit only practiced it about 6 times. In fact, when Zuerlein was with the Rams, they tried it only for the ball to go straight out of bounds.
But the real genius was Zuerlein kicked the ball towards the Cowboys sideline avoiding the Falcons coaches influencing the players. What I don't know is if the Cowboys coaches influenced the Falcons players by shouting 'don't touch it'. This was nothing like an empty net goal.

DIVE ON THE DAMN BALL! If you need people to tell you that during the play you shouldn't be on the kick team.

If you score an empty net goal right in front of the crease you don't get to call it a fantastic shot, and that's basically what happened here.

Bud did you see how straight it was? And what velocity!

[Dublagent66]

Barto is right.  The receiving team can recover the ball before it goes 10 yards.  They obviously didn't know the rule. 

[TAC]

Is it possible they thought that there was no way it was going to go 10 yards?

[King Postwhore]

Is it possible they thought that there was no way it was going to go 10 yards?

Yes but they have to realize that the other team can pounce on it like they did at 10 yards so grab it early.

[Dublagent66]

Is it possible they thought that there was no way it was going to go 10 yards?

From a receiving standpoint it doesn't matter.  That's where misunderstanding of the rule comes in.  If the ball only goes 9 yards, it would stay there until the receiving team takes possession.

[Stadler]

Other than muffing the play, there is no downside - especially at that point in the game - of pouncing on the football.  Even if you don't know the rules, I'm not sure what you think the worst is that would happen.  A rekick?

[El Barto]

I think they were afraid of it. The way it was spinning they were worried they might muff it. Doesn't matter, though. You've still got to get it before 10 yards. That's what you're paid for.

[cramx3]

Other than muffing the play, there is no downside - especially at that point in the game - of pouncing on the football.  Even if you don't know the rules, I'm not sure what you think the worst is that would happen.  A rekick?

I actually didn't see this play, but if that football is bouncing funny it's pretty common for the person to drop on it to not be able to hold onto it.  Not defending them just thinking of a reason why someone wouldn't immediately jump on it when it hadn't yet gone 10 yards.  This sounded like a total bonehead play from them all around though.

[bosk1]

I actually didn't see this play...

At any given moment, you have 3 Falcons within striking distance.  Only thing I can figure is that maybe having so many guys bunched up hurt them, because each thought the other guys was going to dive on it.  But that doesn't excuse it either.  Whatever the rationale, they just failed to do what they were supposed to do. 

[El Barto]

Other than muffing the play, there is no downside - especially at that point in the game - of pouncing on the football.  Even if you don't know the rules, I'm not sure what you think the worst is that would happen.  A rekick?

I actually didn't see this play, but if that football is bouncing funny it's pretty common for the person to drop on it to not be able to hold onto it.  Not defending them just thinking of a reason why someone wouldn't immediately jump on it when it hadn't yet gone 10 yards.  This sounded like a total bonehead play from them all around though.

No bounce at all. A very fast spin, though. It was spinning like a top, and slowly breaking towards the cowboys standing 10 yards off. Three falcons were standing right by it, and actually backing away rather than simply diving on it.

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

[cramx3]

  yea that ball is spinning very weirdly and makes me wonder if they didn't want to pounce on it because they'd lose it and give it away.  Who knows what was really going through their head.

Whatever the rationale, they just failed to do what they were supposed to do. 

Yup, makes me wonder though if there was a preseason if they'd make the same mental mistake.

[pg1067]

Wow...I just watched that play.  There are at least three Falcons players (17, 81 and 87) who, if they haven't already been released, are lucky to have jobs right now.

The appropriate analogy here is not an empty net goal right in front of the crease.  The right analogy is a slow dump in from the other side of center ice with three defensive players back who just assume it won't go on net and think it will go for icing.

[dparrott]

I actually didn't see this play...

At any given moment, you have 3 Falcons within striking distance.  Only thing I can figure is that maybe having so many guys bunched up hurt them, because each thought the other guys was going to dive on it.  But that doesn't excuse it either.  Whatever the rationale, they just failed to do what they were supposed to do.

Like a baseball falling in the middle of three players...

[hunnus2000]

Well today is Move On Wednesday so time to focus on the Seahawks but the last thing I will say about the Falcons and that onside kick is that they didn't even block anybody. I mean, sure the return team can fall on the ball at any time but they can also engage the defenders at any time and not a single Cowboy was touched. The Falcons special teams are poorly coached at least for that one play.

Also, the Cowboys were only down 20 - 0 after the first quarter. The Falcons only scored 19 the rest of the game. That's pretty telling because either the Cowboys D really locked things down or the Falcons offense is not that good. some say the Cowboys didn't deserve to win that game and I thought the same thing at first but now I am changing my tune.

[El Barto]

Well today is Move On Wednesday so time to focus on the Seahawks but the last thing I will say about the Falcons and that onside kick is that they didn't even block anybody. I mean, sure the return team can fall on the ball at any time but they can also engage the defenders at any time and not a single Cowboy was touched. The Falcons special teams are poorly coached at least for that one play.

Also, the Cowboys were only down 20 - 0 after the first quarter. The Falcons only scored 19 the rest of the game. That's pretty telling because either the Cowboys D really locked things down or the Falcons offense is not that good. some say the Cowboys didn't deserve to win that game and I thought the same thing at first but now I am changing my tune.

Atlanta just didn't have any means of stopping Zeke Elliot. Every time he ran he was getting 5+ yards. I picked Atlanta because Dallas' O line was completely decimated (they were starting players at positions they'd never played before), and they had no middle linebackers (which is generally a death sentence for Dallas). During the first quarter Atlanta blitzed heavily with great success. Zeke took away their ability to exploit their O line beyond that. On the opposite side, Atlanta wasn't able to take advantage of that gaping whole in the middle. Ridley and Julio Jones kept them in the game for a while, but they couldn't keep up, and the rest is history.

[hefdaddy42]

RIP Gayle Sayers.  One of the best ever to lace them up.

[hunnus2000]

RIP Gayle Sayers.  One of the best ever to lace them up.

Raise your hand if you cried like a baby at the end of Brian's Song. I know I did.

[hefdaddy42]

RIP Gayle Sayers.  One of the best ever to lace them up.

Raise your hand if you cried like a baby at the end of Brian's Song. I know I did.

*raises hand*

[T-ski]

The Chargers team doctor accidentally punctured Tyrod Taylor’s lung while injecting pain meds into him for cracked ribs just prior to kickoff.

Yikes..

[Dublagent66]

They can't afford a better team doctor than that? 

[King Postwhore]

They can't afford a better team doctor than that? 

[TheCountOfNYC]

They can't afford a better team doctor than that? 

This is Dean Spanos we're talking about. He's never seen a corner he wouldn't cut or a dollar he wouldn't save. The worst owner in the league and it's not even close.

[Stadler]

Obviously I feel bad for Tyrod, but there are a wealth of jokes there.   

[hunnus2000]

The Chargers team doctor accidentally punctured Tyrod Taylor’s lung while injecting pain meds into him for cracked ribs just prior to kickoff.

Yikes..

Fo Reel?

I mean, your not a Russian troll are you?

What the hell are they thinking starting a QB with cracked ribs?   

[Stadler]

The Chargers team doctor accidentally punctured Tyrod Taylor’s lung while injecting pain meds into him for cracked ribs just prior to kickoff.

Yikes..

Fo Reel?

I mean, your not a Russian troll are you?

What the hell are they thinking starting a QB with cracked ribs?   

Tom Brady and Ben Rothlisberger both just said "Bitch, please." in unison.   

[hefdaddy42]

Lots of QBs have played with cracked ribs. Get a shot, wear a flak jacket, get to work.

[hunnus2000]

I know but I have always questioned the effectiveness a player with an injury like that. But I did find out that this is a common procedure where the risk of puncturing a lung is high but is rare for it to happen. They also have to do it right before the game because the medicine they use wears off after 3 to 4 hours. Crazy.......

[Dream Team]

I made an offhand comment about this a couple days ago, but just wanted to add: with less time to learn his new offense and significantly inferior weapons (unanimously), after 2 weeks Cam is 14th in passer rating and Brady is 29th. I find this fascinating because it crushes all the excuses the Brady-slurpers could have. Of course 2 games is a small sample size so we'll see how it plays out. If Brady improves it should make the NFC South an interesting battle as 2 over-the-hill QBs duke it out for the division (unless Atlanta somehow gets their act together and challenges them).