NFL Thread - Playoffs?!

[Jowy]

ya blew it cleveland

peyton manning all over my TV

good job chicago. :)

buffalo bills will never win a superbowl in my lifetime

how'd your team do? let's be respectful with this thread.

[Sephex]

good job chicago. :)


While we were playing against a team a team with a lot of rookies/team that is rebuilding, it was still surreal and awesome to see the Bears have a real offense. Cutler came equipped with a laser arm today.

[Agent Proto]

I heard RG3 played well against the Saints. I'm going to hear a lot about this on the local radios.

[Raistlin]

I don't really have a team thanks to fantasy football. I suppose I like New Orleans and Baltimore more than most other teams, and I have a big soft spot for the 49ers because I grew up with Steve Young and Jerry Rice. New Orleans bombed and the 49ers looked great (outside of that one defensive series where they played the awful prevent defense, but then they went back to blitzing and it was all good). I expect Baltimore to do well, as Ray Rice is just a beast.

Buffalo is a joke. How do you even manage to make Sanchez look like an all-star? And with Fred Jackson out, they're really screwed.

[Jowy]

i got made fun of in third grade because my mom bought me a buffalo bills starter jacket :aimcry:

maybe when they officially move to Toronto they might rebuild into a decent team

[Raistlin]

I'm skeptical. You don't remain that bad for that long without the problem being something more than just bad players.

[Jowy]

hey, sometimes a front-office reorganization is the best thing that can happen to a team

[NeoCracker]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V44Kj9FfBMg

[Alpha2099]

Peyton Manning ruined my evening.

Brandon Weeden seems quick to join Tim Couch and Brady Quinn as first-round Cleveland QB busts.

The Seahawks were granted a fourth timeout thanks to the bumbling refs...and still lost.

The Packers-Niners game was great except for all the horrible calls and missed calls.

Basically, these replacement refs showed just how bad they can be. We didn't think much of it in the preseason, but now that these games count, their incompetence is out in full force.

[Sephex]

This was still the funniest moment of week one so far:

http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1348847/jimmy_spit_medium.gif

[Bunny]

Wrong.

Rob Ryan.

[Sephex]

Wrong.

Rob Ryan.

"I hope no kids could read lips last night."~Mike and Mike in the Morning, Thursday morning

[Raistlin]

This was still the funniest moment of week one so far:

I (http://cdn.ksk.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/gronkderp1.gif) must (http://cdn.ksk.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/davisdunk1.gif) strongly (http://cdn.ksk.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/skelolton.gif) disagree (http://cdn.ksk.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/staffsho1.gif).

[Agent Proto]

http://i.imgur.com/L5awg.jpg

[NeoCracker]

http://i.imgur.com/L5awg.jpg

...Oh god.

[Sephex]

This was still the funniest moment of week one so far:

I (http://cdn.ksk.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/gronkderp1.gif) must (http://cdn.ksk.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/davisdunk1.gif) strongly (http://cdn.ksk.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/skelolton.gif) disagree (http://cdn.ksk.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/staffsho1.gif).

Sir, those were all great moments, but something about Jim Harbaugh losing it always makes me laugh to the point of tears. His reaction was like if Ren and Stimpy would play it in a football themed episode.

[escobert]

good job chicago. :)


While we were playing against a team a team with a lot of rookies/team that is rebuilding, it was still surreal and awesome to see the Bears have a real offense. Cutler came equipped with a laser arm today.

seriously. after those two first drives I was like omfg no is smurfing Sexy Rexy back!?

But then everything was amazingness.

Now Oakland pretty much needs to get shut out or held to one touchdown for me to win my fantasy game. I'm winning by a huge margin of like 1.5 points ><

[Jowy]

did someone say sexy rexy

<Img src=http://aravan.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/im-goin-deep-fan-club.jpg>

[Sephex]

did someone say sexy rexy

<Img src=http://aravan.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/im-goin-deep-fan-club.jpg>

Every time. Every time I laugh.

[Raistlin]

did someone say sexy rexy

You see that kid in wheelchair sitting in the end zone bleachers? I’m gonna nail him right between the fucking eyes with a Sexy Rexy fastball. Why? Because I can.

[Jowy]

Two hundred and ten pounds of twisted steel and sex appeal!

[Pheesh]

Arghh, frustrating game to watch as a Rams fan. Even when we were leading it never felt like we had a handle on that game, and when there was 2 minutes of play time left for Detroit to work with I could just feel it was going to end with a field goal attempt at the very least.

I think there's some promising signs, our secondary seems much improved even though I think toward the end of the game it showed how badly they were outmatched against a team that demands respect from their receiver/s; our OLB's are noticeably better also.

As far as offense goes... I don't think this game is representative of what they could accomplish. Jackson was completely shut out of the game by the Lion's D-Line, but I don't see any reason why he couldn't still be an effective weapon this year, despite age creeping up on him (basically if he's healthy for the majority of the season I'll be happy). Receivers are still lacking, Amendola is a competent slot receiver and Gibson had some moments, but overall this area is still a big problem. Bradford still feels like a victim of his environment, our O-Line was completely outmatched today, and also the aforementioned receiver problem. That said, there were some plain misfired passes in the game that had me pulling my hair out (that under thrown pass to Givens in particular).

Also injuries, please don't let them keep piling up.

[Jowy]

"and the bears settle for a field goal"

[escobert]

That was the worst game ever. EVER. I fucking hate the Bears :mad2:

[Sephex]

Well, at least I have an excuse to post silly Bears pics:

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s26/Sephex/1327861361383.jpg

And as far as how the actual game went:

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s26/Sephex/1260948840976.jpg

[Bunny]

Oh Cutler.

Those post-game interviews.

[Raistlin]

That entire awful game can be summarized by this play (http://cdn.ksk.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/rodgersderp.gif). The Bears obviously came out worse, but the Packers offensive juggernaut has not looked particularly unstoppable lately.

EDIT: Also: Cutler: 8.6 passer rating; Tim Masthay: 158.3.

[Sephex]

Oh Cutler.

Those post-game interviews.

To be fair, all QBs lose it on the sidelines. Hell, Rodgers blew up at one of his guys at the end of the game when it was clear they were going to win. Not excusing Cutler for shoving Webb (I admit that I want to do it too), but I think everyone is making a big deal out of nothing as usual.


That entire awful game can be summarized by this play (http://cdn.ksk.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/rodgersderp.gif). The Bears obviously came out worse, but the Packers offensive juggernaut has not looked particularly unstoppable lately.

Laughed so damn hard at that. It looked like a video game glitch.

[Bunny]

Oh Cutler.

Those post-game interviews.

To be fair, all QBs lose it on the sidelines. Hell, Rodgers blew up at one of his guys at the end of the game when it was clear they were going to win. Not excusing Cutler for shoving Webb (I admit that I want to do it too), but I think everyone is making a big deal out of nothing as usual.

It was honestly less about his on-field showing and more about his attitude off the field. I did not like him during his time in Denver and think he's a bad quarterback and player.

[Sephex]

Oh Cutler.

Those post-game interviews.

To be fair, all QBs lose it on the sidelines. Hell, Rodgers blew up at one of his guys at the end of the game when it was clear they were going to win. Not excusing Cutler for shoving Webb (I admit that I want to do it too), but I think everyone is making a big deal out of nothing as usual.

It was honestly less about his on-field showing and more about his attitude off the field. I did not like him during his time in Denver and think he's a bad quarterback and player.

If he keeps his attitude in check, I think he can be a great QB. I am actually glad the Bears were showed up by the Packers doing bad (for them) because this is a wake up call that they seem to need every damn season.

[Balzac]

Well the Cowboys won, that's something. But the Steelers were shockingly bad :/

[Pheesh]

G3kHiMg2TvM

Some day...

[Jowy]

simple work "win or lose" poll:

Arizona 1
New England 34

Tampa Bay 0
NY Giants 35

I bet against the Steelers and I stand by that guess.

[Raistlin]

simple work "win or lose" poll:

Arizona 1
New England 34

Tampa Bay 0
NY Giants 35

I bet against the Steelers and I stand by that guess.

Is that the number of points you have them scoring? O_o

And the Steelers are facing the Jets that don't have Revis, which cripples their defense. And the Jets do have Sanchez, which cripples their offense.

[Bunny]

And the Steelers are facing the Jets that don't have Revis, which cripples their defense. And the Jets do have Sanchez, which cripples their offense.

Don't worry, if Sanchez fails I'm sure Tebow can save them.

[Jowy]

no, just overall winner. only did scores for monday. i just gave my five bucks and e-mailed a spreadsheet.

[Raistlin]

Suck it, New England.

[Jowy]

almost fell off the couch when i saw that field goal attempt

[Sephex]

Tom Brady proceeded to beat the kicker to death after the game.

[Shorty]

Sad that I missed the Niners game tonight but helllll yeah they pulled through!

sorry to break up the sausagefest going on in here

[Raistlin]

The 49ers look good. Alex Smith still sucks, but he is at least borderline competent behind a good line and with good running backs and receivers. And of course an awesome defense.

Also, despite the week one hype: Flacco is still not that good.

[Jowy]

flacco will always be above-average tier

[Pheesh]

These replacement officials are killing me. Glad to see the Rams pull through in the end though.

[Bunny]

What the fuck Manning.

What the fuck refs.

What the fuck.

[Raistlin]

That game was the worst I've seen from the replacement refs. In some cases the criticism is a bit unfair because they're being held under a microscope, but that game was a train wreck. Near the end of the first half, the refs gave the Broncos 11 yards instead of 5 for a defensive hold on the Falcons. The refs were getting challenges for penalties because they were missing obvious facts (though the 12 men on the field call was right and Fox is just an idiot).

Manning was also hilariously horrific. I was going against him in the fantasy league and he had a whopping -4 points after the first quarter.

[Del Murder]

Great game between Oakland and Pittsburgh today. I guess the Raiders were waiting for me to actually have time to watch to win a game.

[Raistlin]

McFadden sure picked a strange week to have a good running day. And he's now survived three whole weeks without a serious injury! I think that's a record for him.

[Del Murder]

He needs to be leading the league in rushing before he gets his injury so he has a way to go.

[Bunny]

So how many points was Jamaal Charles worth this week?

[Del Murder]

37. And I played the team with him. :eep: I was torched by Reggie Bush last week too. Fortunately I have great receivers, Foster, and RG3.

[pederloo]

I'm the league manager of my league and the owners pushed me to change it to ppr. I already know I'm gonna regret it :(

[charliepanayi]

Ravens :)
Patriots :D

[Raistlin]

Speaking of injury prone players (http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/blog/eye-on-football/20353138/austin-collie-suffers-season-ending-patellar-tendon-injury), Austin Collie played in his first game this season, which means he was already due for an injury. After just one catch, he's out for the season.

Also yesterday was amazing, because not only did the Patriots lose again, but we got another great pissed Belichick moment (http://cdn.ksk.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bbref.gif). I look forward to the huge fine he'll get for grabbing a ref.



http://cdn.ksk.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bradydoink1.gif


I'm the league manager of my league and the owners pushed me to change it to ppr. I already know I'm gonna regret it :(

EoFF's league is 0.5 PPR, which I like. But it definitely requires you to think a bit differently about RBs and even some WRs. It's a big reason why I drafted Reggie Bush and Darren Sproles where I did, because their receptions can be an extra 3-4 points/game each.

[Bunny]

Weren't the refs supposed to get better?

[charliepanayi]

So...how about those replacement officials huh.

[Raistlin]

The refs are painfully out of their depth, and the NFL shows no signs of giving a crap. Steve Young is right that the NFL won't care until it costs them money. So I've been urging people to stop going to games and buying NFL merchandise, but we're all too addicted for many people to even do that much.

[edczxcvbnm]

The problem with not going to games is that you already spent the money on tickets. They already have your money so you might as well go. To make matters worse, so many teams have moved towards the licensed seat model so those people will keep buying season tickets or else they basically threw all that initial money down the drain.

The loss will have to come from people not watching on TV thus lower TV revenue. The networks under contract could sue as a result due to the Leagues negligence to put the best product on the field. That likely will not happen but if ratings do start to go down it will not come back easily which means less money on the next contract.

The only other way is to not buy merch and at this point it is probably the most effective way as everything else is a long term play.

As a Packer fan, I am disappointed but at this point the only thing I can do is not watch and not buy anything. Done and done.

[Raistlin]

The problem with not going to games is that you already spent the money on tickets. They already have your money so you might as well go.

I meant that in the context of don't buy more tickets. :p


The loss will have to come from people not watching on TV thus lower TV revenue. The networks under contract could sue as a result due to the Leagues negligence to put the best product on the field. That likely will not happen but if ratings do start to go down it will not come back easily which means less money on the next contract.

The only other way is to not buy merch and at this point it is probably the most effective way as everything else is a long term play.

The not watching thing is probably not going to happen for most people, but not buying merchandise is definitely feasible.

Anyway, further hilarity has ensued. Now a New Jersey State Senator has introduced legislation to ban the NFL in New Jersey until it has real officials (http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/09/sen_president_sweeny_moves_to.html), citing player safety concerns. Also the Lingerie Football League is now claiming that it fired some of the officials now being scab refs for the NFL due to incompetence (http://deadspin.com/5946112/).

In response to the Seattle MNF hail mary debacle, the NFL released a statement today (http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000066164/article/nfl-supports-decision-to-not-overturn-seahawks-touchdown) that defended the official's call about double possession, but also notably says that a blatant offensive pass interference by Seattle's Tate (who "caught" the hail mary pass) should have been called and would have ended the game there. Just enough to both admit to clear error on the part of the scab refs while also defending them and further pissing off fans.

You can't say the NFL isn't entertaining.

[Del Murder]

The Raiders only had like 2 penalties on Sunday so I'm just enjoying the ride while it lasts.

[escobert]

GO PACKERS! :bigsmile:

Offense is looking even better this year!

[Bunny]

The real refs will return for tomorrow night's game.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000066725/article/nfl-referees-reach-agreement-refs-back-on-field-thursday?module=HP11_breaking_news

[escobert]

Boo Hiss

[Jowy]

i hope we all learned a valuable lesson with this

labour disputes never end well. give people the fucking money they ask for or suffer the consequences by dealing with union scabs that'll produce inferior results.

[Raistlin]

I am glad to have the officials back for the integrity of the game, but now I need a new scandal to entertain me.

Over/under on time it takes for everyone to go back to hating the real officials: first game played by that person's home team.

[Jowy]

browns/ravens

cleveland is full of abandoned warehouses and broken dreams. nobody in maryland can drive a car correctly.

i'll wait until sunday before the bitching comes out in full force.

[Del Murder]

I don't even need another game from my team to know that the Raiders are screwed by the refs coming back.

[Raistlin]

Last night's game was the first in franchise history that Baltimore fans did not want to murder the refs. So I was wrong, the honeymoon lasted more than one game. I expect things will be back to normal soon, though.

Also, Flacco is Sex Cannon 2.0 but with a better offense. There were a number of "fuck it, I'm going deep" moments last night.

[escobert]

But Flacco doesn't have a stupid grin 24/7, get but raped by a packer and basically single handily lose a super bowl (yet).

[escobert]

Double post but, I had to post this quote.
"Tony Romo saw last weeks Monday night game and thought interceptions counted as touchdowns."

[Raistlin]

Owning Romo in fantasy last year was sometimes painful, as I was torn between celebrating and hating his occasional meltdowns. Now I can just enjoy them.

[Sephex]

As a Bears fan I was slightly happy with this game.

[Jowy]

based bears

i'll never see that again this year :aimsad:

[Jowy]

Sunday bump:

nice comeback Indy, you guys needed that win. I'd be watching da bearssssss now but my local fox affiliate is showing Barclay's Premier League. :aimcry:

[Raistlin]

Yeah that Indy win was great. Especially the 13/212/1 game that Reggie Wayne had (got him in the 7th round in fantasy, and so far he's been the steal of the draft). The Packers are just sucking it up this year.

I was watching Baltimore/KC earlier, and Baltimore, despite winning, really struggled at times. Flacco really just launches it when he has no idea what else to do, or when he gets frustrated. Now I have the over-hyped Denver/NE game.

[escobert]

4 pick 6's in two weeks for the Bears D. Who says Defense is dead?

[Jowy]

duuuuuuuuude the bears aren't fucking around and i love it.

[Bunny]

621 yards for the 49ers. 303 for Smith and 318 for the run game. First team in history to have 300 on both the ground and in the air. That is just incredible to me.

Also Broncos/NE meh.

[charliepanayi]

Yeah, though SF were playing Buffalo.

[Jiro]

apparently I get these games so fuck yeah I can finally get into the nfl. watching San Diego vs New Orleans (maybe?) right now.

[Sephex]

4 pick 6's in two weeks for the Bears D. Who says Defense is dead?

I have a friend that keeps complaining that the Bears D keeps bailing out the Bears O. First, it's not a simple as that. Second, most teams that actually went on to win a Superbowl won because of a great defense, so I am not sure what his problem is.

[Raistlin]

621 yards for the 49ers. 303 for Smith and 318 for the run game. First team in history to have 300 on both the ground and in the air. That is just incredible to me.

The Buffalo defense is really bad. They gave up 40+ points to Mark Sanchez, of all people. Apparently money can't buy everything.


apparently I get these games so smurf yeah I can finally get into the nfl. watching San Diego vs New Orleans (maybe?) right now.

Excellent! Drew Brees for New Orleans is one of the most exciting quarterbacks in the league. I think he threw for something like 4 TDs that game.

[Bunny]

I don't think the fact that they were playing against a horrible defense lessens the accomplishment that much.

[Raistlin]

Oh, I wasn't trying to imply that it did, especially for the 49ers running game. There have been a lot of terrible defenses over the years, and still no team managed that feat. That was just a commentary on the sad state of Buffalo this year.

[Bunny]

That was more directed at Charliepanayi than you, but both works. Buffalo is a really bad team, and has been for quite a bit of time, but I'm really impressed with the turnaround that the 49ers have had since Harbaugh took over at head coach.

[Raistlin]

Yeah, I agree. I have a soft spot for the 9ers because I grew up as fans of Jerry Rice and Steve Young, so I love to see them doing well. I'm still skeptical of how far they can go with Alex Smith at the helm, but the rest of that team is a powerhouse.

[escobert]

I had really high hopes for the Bills. My boss earlier in the summer asked me who I thought was going to be a dark horse team and I picked the Bills. Guess I was wrong n that one. Although they may get their D together and play spoiler later in the season.

[charliepanayi]

The comment was meant in jest somewhat, I'm just poking fun at Buffalo's continued ineptitude. Obviously SF are in good form at the moment.

[Pheesh]

Watched my first game of NFL in an American bar tonight. So much more entertaining when you can watch a game with a room full of people who are also interested (no one watches it in Australia except me and my friends). It helped that there was a die hard Texans fan running around the bar giving people hi-fives.

Can't even imagine how good it's going to be to see my first live game next week!

[Jiro]

Brees threw some pretty smurfing great passes in that game. I was incredibly surprised to see them get back in the game though, really. They looked completely out at the half, unable to get any conversions but then the pendulum swung and it was SD who couldn't do a goddamn thing right.

[Shorty]

I love how into American football you are, Philip.

[Raistlin]

Brees threw some pretty smurfing great passes in that game. I was incredibly surprised to see them get back in the game though, really. They looked completely out at the half, unable to get any conversions but then the pendulum swung and it was SD who couldn't do a goddamn thing right.

There's a reason he's called Breesus.

[Jinx]

Just want to come in here to say that it's not Week One anymore, and it hasn't been for awhile.

Okay, taking my vagina and leaving now. :)

[Jowy]

<img src=http://americanroosters.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/istock_000002150297-girl-sprayed-with-hose.jpg>

I'd buy Drew Brees a beer. He seems nice!

[Raistlin]

For those newcomers to the NFL, I want to introduce you to Kissing Suzy Kolber (http://kissingsuzykolber.uproxx.com/), an NFL humor blog (though admittedly less funny now that BDD, the author of such amazing gems as this (http://kissingsuzykolber.uproxx.com/2010/10/tony-dungy-would-like-to-remind-you%E2%80%A6-it-gets-worse.html) and this (http://kissingsuzykolber.uproxx.com/2006/11/f-k-it-im-throwing-it-downfield.html) (NSFW language), no longer regularly contributes).


Can't even imagine how good it's going to be to see my first live game next week!

Live games are awesome, but they're so expensive that I've only been to a few. What game are you going to see?

[escobert]

I think the real news here in the NFL is the freaking Vikings. WTF!? who on earth thought they'd even win this many games in the entire season!? I know I didn't. And, now they've broken into the top 10 of ESPN's power rankings. http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcnorth/post/_/id/47555/if-the-vikings-look-like-a-duck

[Pheesh]

For those newcomers to the NFL, I want to introduce you to Kissing Suzy Kolber (http://kissingsuzykolber.uproxx.com/), an NFL humor blog (though admittedly less funny now that BDD, the author of such amazing gems as this (http://kissingsuzykolber.uproxx.com/2010/10/tony-dungy-would-like-to-remind-you%E2%80%A6-it-gets-worse.html) and this (http://kissingsuzykolber.uproxx.com/2006/11/f-k-it-im-throwing-it-downfield.html) (NSFW language), no longer regularly contributes).


Can't even imagine how good it's going to be to see my first live game next week!


Live games are awesome, but they're so expensive that I've only been to a few. What game are you going to see?

I'll be seeing Broncos @ Chargers next week, a Trojans game the week after, and Bears @ 49ers with Shorty in November :jess: Both the NFL games are MNF as well, so that should make it all the more awesome.

[escobert]

For those newcomers to the NFL, I want to introduce you to Kissing Suzy Kolber (http://kissingsuzykolber.uproxx.com/), an NFL humor blog (though admittedly less funny now that BDD, the author of such amazing gems as this (http://kissingsuzykolber.uproxx.com/2010/10/tony-dungy-would-like-to-remind-you%E2%80%A6-it-gets-worse.html) and this (http://kissingsuzykolber.uproxx.com/2006/11/f-k-it-im-throwing-it-downfield.html) (NSFW language), no longer regularly contributes).


Can't even imagine how good it's going to be to see my first live game next week!


Live games are awesome, but they're so expensive that I've only been to a few. What game are you going to see?

I'll be seeing Broncos @ Chargers next week, a Trojans game the week after, and Bears @ 49ers with Shorty in November :jess: Both the NFL games are MNF as well, so that should make it all the more awesome.


wtf you get to go see a Bears game!? I've been a fan my entire life and never had an opportunity :(

[Jowy]

not only that but with a GIRL

jealous!

[Pheesh]

For those newcomers to the NFL, I want to introduce you to Kissing Suzy Kolber (http://kissingsuzykolber.uproxx.com/), an NFL humor blog (though admittedly less funny now that BDD, the author of such amazing gems as this (http://kissingsuzykolber.uproxx.com/2010/10/tony-dungy-would-like-to-remind-you%E2%80%A6-it-gets-worse.html) and this (http://kissingsuzykolber.uproxx.com/2006/11/f-k-it-im-throwing-it-downfield.html) (NSFW language), no longer regularly contributes).


Can't even imagine how good it's going to be to see my first live game next week!


Live games are awesome, but they're so expensive that I've only been to a few. What game are you going to see?

I'll be seeing Broncos @ Chargers next week, a Trojans game the week after, and Bears @ 49ers with Shorty in November :jess: Both the NFL games are MNF as well, so that should make it all the more awesome.


wtf you get to go see a Bears game!? I've been a fan my entire life and never had an opportunity :(

Yeah, and I absolutely hate Jay Cutler as well >_> I want to see him get sacked by Willis :bigsmile:

[escobert]

For those newcomers to the NFL, I want to introduce you to Kissing Suzy Kolber (http://kissingsuzykolber.uproxx.com/), an NFL humor blog (though admittedly less funny now that BDD, the author of such amazing gems as this (http://kissingsuzykolber.uproxx.com/2010/10/tony-dungy-would-like-to-remind-you%E2%80%A6-it-gets-worse.html) and this (http://kissingsuzykolber.uproxx.com/2006/11/f-k-it-im-throwing-it-downfield.html) (NSFW language), no longer regularly contributes).


Can't even imagine how good it's going to be to see my first live game next week!


Live games are awesome, but they're so expensive that I've only been to a few. What game are you going to see?

I'll be seeing Broncos @ Chargers next week, a Trojans game the week after, and Bears @ 49ers with Shorty in November :jess: Both the NFL games are MNF as well, so that should make it all the more awesome.


wtf you get to go see a Bears game!? I've been a fan my entire life and never had an opportunity :(

Yeah, and I absolutely hate Jay Cutler as well >_> I want to see him get sacked by Willis :bigsmile:


bad bad bad

But I do have the Niners D on my fantasy team.

[Jowy]

why does everyone hate jay cutler so much...dude gets to have sex with kristin cavalleri sometimes so that's justified but still! focus your dislike towards michael vick or aaron rodgers

[Sephex]

why does everyone hate jay cutler so much...dude gets to have sex with kristin cavalleri sometimes so that's justified but still! focus your dislike towards michael vick or aaron rodgers

Everyone hates him because he doesn't get along with the sports media, so they do their best to highlight the worst aspects about him at all times.

Jay gets in a minor disagreement with the offensive coordinator and walks off? He has a poor attitude.

Tom Brady gets in a shouting match with his offensive coordinator and screams at his defense when they're up by 40 or something? Those things happen at the sidelines. Good job! WHAT A LEADER!! WHAT A COMPETITOR!!!

[escobert]

why does everyone hate jay cutler so much...dude gets to have sex with kristin cavalleri sometimes so that's justified but still! focus your dislike towards michael vick or aaron rodgers

And Tom Brady.

[Jowy]

tom brady's on a whole other level of "being a dick".

[Jiro]

Commentators got excited when Tebow came on the field against the Texans. Tebow was huge while I was in the US so I got excited too. Didn't help them win but I had to laugh at the fact he was purely there to run.

[escobert]

Is he still on the punt team? I wanna see him lay someone out.

[Bunny]

why does everyone hate jay cutler so much...dude gets to have sex with kristin cavalleri sometimes so that's justified but still! focus your dislike towards michael vick or aaron rodgers


I dislike him from his time in Denver and the overall attitude he portrays towards the media. I don't know the guy on a personal level, so the only insight I get from him as a person is the way he responds and acts during interviews, which is very poorly. If he changed his attitude just a little bit and portrayed the likable guy that everyone says he is, maybe that would change. Also he's a mediocre quarterback at best.

Nobody likes Tom Brady except die hard Patriots fans even though he's been described as one of the nicest guys in football by several non-teammates. The same can't really be said for Cutler as far as I know.

[escobert]

Yes Cutler throws interceptions but so did Brett Favre. I'm not saying Cutler is Favre but the dude can throw a friggen football better than most QB's in the league and he moves well. Does he make bad decisions? Yes but almost all QBs do. Shit didn't we see manning throw 3 INTs this year in a game? Oh no his neck is still hurt so that doesn't count right?

[Raistlin]

Jay Cutler is an asshole.


I'll be seeing Broncos @ Chargers next week, a Trojans game the week after, and Bears @ 49ers with Shorty in November Both the NFL games are MNF as well, so that should make it all the more awesome.

That's great. One divisional game and another with the 49ers, who I like. I am jealous.

[escobert]

Driver says Lions' Ndamukong Suh sideswiped his car, didn't stop | Detroit Lions | Detroit Free Press | freep.com (http://www.freep.com/article/20121011/SPORTS01/121011093/detroit-lions-ndamukong-suh-traffic-accident)

what a freaking loser.

How is Cutler an asshole? Because he doesn't play nice with the Media? I wouldn't either. I've watched and listend to the Jay Cutler radio show and I'd have to say he most defiantly not an asshole.

Brady and Manning do that same trout on the sidelines but hey it's ok their MVPs and super bowl winners. Has Cutler had "bad body language" while on the field sometimes? Yeah he does. I would too when my receivers drop easy catches and my line can't block a 4th grader.

[Raistlin]

Brady and Peyton Manning are also assholes. You shouldn't put words in my mouth or make assumptions about how I think about other people. You're also so obviously a homer in this thread. :p You should ask yourself what you would think of Cutler if he wasn't playing for the Bears.

It's not just how he portrays himself on the media. Even on the sideline, he acts like a whiny, petulant child. Only the latest example (http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1223425/cutlerjerk.gif).

[Jowy]

i made a noticeable scene when i clicked that link at work and proceeded to choke to death on my water.

thanks wesley!

[charliepanayi]

Nice win for the Giants there. They seem to play better against the stronger teams and then screw up against the less fancied ones.

[Raistlin]

Loved the New England loss yesterday. It's always a good day when the Pats lose.


i made a noticeable scene when i clicked that link at work and proceeded to choke to death on my water.

thanks wesley!

You're quite welcome. :p

[Sephex]

So how bout them Chargers?

[charliepanayi]

So there's only two teams in the AFC with a winning record at the moment.

[Pheesh]

http://db.tt/0VPyORkY

Taken right after Harris's pick-6, my favourite part is the dejected Chargers fans in the background that are headed for the doors.

[Raistlin]

Unfortunately I missed much of the Monday night game, but apparently it included some great Rivers failure moments, including some

http://cdn.ksk.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/effoffnorv.gif

You're dismissed, Norv.

[Bunny]

I'm kinda upset that I missed that game.

[Jowy]

:skull::skull::skull::skull:IN' BEARS TEARING IT UP

i am ignoring your cutler bashing!

[Raistlin]

I like the Ravens due to my mancrush on Ray Rice, but seeing Flacco screw up the Houston game was oddly satisfying. He's a decidedly mediocre quarterback who likes to delude himself that he's "elite," and he has absolutely no one fooled except himself and, apparently, the Ravens offensive coordinator.

[Jowy]

I love that you're on the internet at midnight talking about football, I really do. I didn't want to be the only one.

I don't understand all of the Baltimore disdain. They are alright by me!

[Sephex]

Bears.

[Bunny]

What the fuck was Stafford doing in that game?

Props to Cutler for getting up after that sack from Suh. I did like how when he was running of the field he went by Suh, who tried to do something but was completely shut down.

[Raistlin]

Stafford has been terrible all year. It's rather depressing after he had such a great last season.

[Cuchulainn]

Do Cutler & Rivers still hate eachother?

[Sephex]

Personal victory for me this week. In my company football pool, I won and also picked all the games correctly.

Cuch: The sports media tried to hype up Cutler and Rivers hating each other when their teams played against each other last year, but nothing happened between the two.

[escobert]

It was different when they were division rivals.

Go Bears. F U Lions.

[Jowy]

look at those atrocious steelers jerseys!

[Bunny]

Ahahaahahahahahah Chargers.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Jets.

[Sephex]

Wow. So the Bears should have lost. It's like they suddenly went, "OH! WE'RE IN A FOOTBALL GAME!" Then they pulled it off!

[Del Murder]

How did the Chargers lose 6-7 to the Browns? Anyone who paid money to go see that game should demand a refund.

[Bunny]

The Chargers are only slightly less of a joke than the Raiders and Chiefs.

[Del Murder]

Less of a joke?? The Raiders almost beat the Falcons a few weeks ago!

[Bunny]

And then almost lost to the Jaguars a week later.

[charliepanayi]

I was going to make a joke about Tony Romo being the biggest joke of all, but right now it's the Giants who are the joke! :mad2:

[Del Murder]

And then almost lost to the Jaguars a week later.
Well, the Raiders gameplan was predicated on stopping Gabbert and MJD, so them going down early really threw a wrench in their plans. :D

[Ouch!]

Just had to swing by to say that I had the best football experience of my life today. Started with free breakfast at the bar where the Dolphins fan group meets to watch the game every Sunday, followed by a chartered bus ride over to the stadium where our group of over two hundred Dolphins fans attracted the attention of Dolphins owner Stephen Ross who rolled up with his police escort, Dolphins President Mike Dee, a handful of Dolphins cheerleaders and (unfortunately) part-owner Fergie to hang out and do photo ops with the fans (until he got hit in the head by a burger flung by a disgruntled Jets fan). Follow that up with an absolutely brutal rout of Gang Green, and making it home before the MTA shuts down in preparation for Hurricane Sandy? Great day.

Apparently our "Let's Go Dolphins" chants could be heard on TV.

[Raistlin]

I didn't get to watch any football this weekend thanks to the hurricane, but San Diego losing is hilarious. The fact that Norv Turner still has a job is a miracle that should be recognized by the Catholic Church.

[Bunny]

And then almost lost to the Jaguars a week later.
Well, the Raiders gameplan was predicated on stopping Gabbert and MJD, so them going down early really threw a wrench in their plans. :D

The AFC West game plan seems to be "hope the other team sucks less." Minus the Broncos, whose game plan is "hope the other team sucks in the second half."

[Del Murder]

Well I'd rather be the least crappy team in a division than the least awesome. :D

AFC in general is pretty bad outside of Houston. It would be cool to see the Texans win it all this year.

[charliepanayi]

Being poor against the Steelers, fair enough. Being ripped apart by the Bungles, now that's embarrassing.

Houston v Chicago should be fun tonight.

[Denmark]

wtf are the giants doing with themselves

[Raistlin]

The Giants just wouldn't be the Giants if they didn't have these massive blowups when they're heavily favored. Or they've realized that they have no chance in the playoffs unless they barely squeak in at the end of the regular season.

[charliepanayi]

They do have a rotten record in November under Coughlin I think.

[Bolivar]

They do have a rotten record in November under Coughlin I think.

Yes and he's been getting pressed on that. Giants were also 6-2 last season and then went on a 4 game losing streak that forced them to essentially start the consecutive-elimination-game mentality of the playoffs a few weeks early. It looks like they're well on their way to repeating that, but I'm not sure if they can hold out again. Sucks too because we really could've used these wins in New Jersey/NY.

[Sephex]

And with this Bear loss, I am reminded of why I hate talking sports with other Bear fans. Apparently, out second loss of the season means we are in last place and Cutler getting a concussions means he'll never play again.

I prefer to look at the game in a more positive light. Cutler will probably be back, and we only lost by six using our back up QB for half of the game. Plus, if I were a Texan fan, while I would feel GREAT about the win, but still be worried about my team since they also played like crap.

But nope. Here in Chicago the fans prefer to take every ****ing loss like we are a 0 and 16 team.

[Raistlin]

The refs missed an obvious, albeit inconsequential, fumble in the Denver-Carolina game (http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000094174/article/nfl-trindon-holliday-td-for-denver-broncos-a-mistake), as well as screwed up the clock the 49ers-Rams game (which may have been very consequential, as the game ended in a tie). Give us the scabs back!

Secondly, how stupid do you have to be for you to toss the ball in celebration before you're even in the endzone?

[Jowy]

the trick to liking a chicago sports team is to never throw in the towel like the rest of the bandwagoners do. i'm feeling confident that my bears will at least hit the playoffs. nobody's perfect, everyone loses at some point. making it to the super bowl will be even better, but I can only keep my fingers crossed for so long.

i want the steelers to fail at everything throughout the entire year. fucking yinzers.

[Bunny]

the trick to liking a chicago sports team is to never throw in the towel like the rest of the bandwagoners do. i'm feeling confident that my bears will at least hit the playoffs. nobody's perfect, everyone loses at some point. making it to the super bowl will be even better, but I can only keep my fingers crossed for so long.

How much do you think losing Cutler in the second half effected the Bears chance at winning that game? Also, what were your overall thoughts on Turnover Bowl 2012?


Secondly, how stupid do you have to be for you to toss the ball in celebration before you're even in the endzone?


More importantly, how incompetent do you have to be at your job to miss something so glaringly obvious as that shit? They even reviewed the play (since it was a score) to make sure he didn't step out of bounds but they missed that? Give me a break.

[Raistlin]

Secondly, how stupid do you have to be for you to toss the ball in celebration before you're even in the endzone?


More importantly, how incompetent do you have to be at your job to miss something so glaringly obvious as that trout? They even reviewed the play (since it was a score) to make sure he didn't step out of bounds but they missed that? Give me a break.

Yeah, it was really obvious. I can only assume the reviewing ref didn't even bother watching the whole replay, but it seems like making sure the person actually crossed the line with the ball would be standard procedure.

Also the Chiefs have apparently found something that they're better at than football*: synchronized dancing (http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1726933/chefswag.gif) (and earning celebration penalties to extend an opponent's drive).


*This would necessarily include pretty much everything

[Jowy]

Guaranteed $200 tomorrow when the Steelers crash and burn in an hour. :aimsun:

It's been a good day. Then I get to watch my Bears decimate the 49ers tomorrow night!

[Raistlin]

I don't know about any of those two happening. :p The Ravens are sucking it up on the road as usual, and their only saving grace is that the Steelers have to resort to Byron Leftwich.

[Bunny]

What the fuck was that Leftwich rushing TD all about, Ravens? Was the defense taking a quick nap?

[Raistlin]

Baltimore's defense has slowly been getting worse and worse over the years as it's aged, but it has reached a tipping point and become outright bad. According to the NFL's website, it's ranked in the mid-20s, among the worst in the league, in yards given up (both rushing and passing), though still somehow manages to be 9th in points allowed.

[Raistlin]

I expected Chicago's offense to be bad... but this is awful.

[escobert]

omfg I hate the Bears.

[Bunny]

Nice job, Schwartz. Maybe you should take another look at the rule book and take some anger management courses so you don't cost your team another victory.

[escobert]

He's not the first coach to have that happen to them this year. It is a new rule and all.. Still stupid lions shoot themselves in the foot as always.

[Denmark]

rofl the jets are funny

[Sephex]

>Jets
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s26/Sephex/cagelaugh.gif

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s26/Sephex/brady-1.jpg

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s26/Sephex/tebow.png

-m3kbwm0C4k

[Bunny]

He's not the first coach to have that happen to them this year. It is a new rule and all.. Still stupid lions shoot themselves in the foot as always.

That is entirely true and also one of the better reasons why it shouldn't have even happened. It's a stupid rule, but the fault lies completely on Schwartz's lack of composure in a situation when the head coach of an NFL team needs to have it in abundance.

[charliepanayi]

To be fair he did admit total responsibility for it quickly.

Apparently the Patriots held the ball for 2:14 in the second quarter of their match - and scored 35 points.

[charliepanayi]

http://cdn3.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/3754073/stillbetterthancassel.0_cinema_400.0.gif

[Raistlin]

Yeah the whole "if you try to challenge an automatically reviewed play, we're not going to review it out of spite" rule is mind bogglingly stupid and petty. The 15 yard unsportsmanlike penalty is sufficient.

And oh, Sanchez. You are so terrible, and everyone knows it except you and Rex Ryan.


That is entirely true and also one of the better reasons why it shouldn't have even happened. It's a stupid rule, but the fault lies completely on Schwartz's lack of composure in a situation when the head coach of an NFL team needs to have it in abundance.

Do you realize who you're asking for composure from? (http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d8232bfe9/article/bad-blood-schwartz-harbaugh-have-words-after-49ers-win) That's a tough challenge for the Lions generally.

[Jowy]

the entirety of southwestern pennsylvania is presently madder than hell.

[charliepanayi]

That's much more like it from the Giants.

[Bunny]

So, thoughts on the whole Suh-Schaub nuts thing? Should Suh's dirty past dictate what he faces in the future or should he be given the benefit of the doubt about the whole situation?

[Bolivar]

I don't know, but he would have to have had secret mountain ninja training somewhere in a dark corner of his past in order to have intentionally kicked him in the nuts.

[escobert]

But there's way too many incidents involving him hurting/illegally hitting people, not to mention his off field traffic mishaps every few months. I hate him. Probably has a lot to do with being a Bears fanboy but, I know I wouldn't want him on the Bears. He has no class or self restraint that I can see. Schaub was asked today if he would ever want Suh on his team and he said "You don't want a player like that. The stuff that he stands for and the type of player he is, that's not Houston Texan-worthy. That's not what we're about as a football team, as individuals, collectively as a group, we're not that type of person."

I agree with Schaub.

[Bolivar]

Whether he has self-restraint is debatable, but class? I've heard he puts his fame and wealth to use more than most players when it comes to charitable works and such.

I will admit, last Thanksgiving was a pretty low moment for him and the Lions, but I just can't really see it with this incident.

[Bunny]

Cowboys fans have requested that Obama remove Jerry Jones from the Cowboys organization.

This strikes me as hilarious.

[Raistlin]

I'm only surprised that Redskins fans haven't yet tried the same thing for Dan Snyder.

[Futan]

Iggles cut Babin... wut

[escobert]

Lots of good games today! can't wait :D GO BEARS!

[Jowy]

Denver/Baltimore or New York/Atlanta. I don't want to watch either. :aimsad:

[Balzac]

Cowboys vs Steelers in an hour. Hope the Cowboys win so I can rub it in Skt's face!

[Jowy]

Oh, they won alright.

[Balzac]

They did indeed, that was a great game :D

[escobert]

And Megatron breaks the record! actually 3 and ties another! Damn he's freaking amazing. Too bad he's played for the worst franchise for the last 25+ years


Broke Rice's record of 1,848 yards in a single season
Broke the record for consecutive 100-yard games
Set a record with his fourth consecutive 10-catch game
Tied Michael Irvin's record of 11 100-yard games in a season

[Jowy]

And after today, Extra Casual Fridays at my office are now over with.

[Raistlin]

Megatron is an absolute beast. How has he only managed 5 TDs? It looks like he's on his 8th consecutive 100+ yard game, and looking to extend it. Yikes. The Lions have been a mess this year, but it doesn't look like anything can stop Calvin Johnson.

Speaking of beastly WRs, it looks like Brandon Marshall, my WR pick in EoFF's fantasy league in the 3rd round of the draft, ended up only 2 fantasy points on the year behind Megatron for the best WR in the league. 113/1466/11 in 16 games was way above what I expected. I was a little worried about him at the start the season, but he was great.

[escobert]

Megatron and Dez Bryant kicked ass for me this year but, my 3rd WR/QB and TE killed me :(

[charliepanayi]

So...

AFC:
Cincinnati (6) @ Houston (3)
Indianapolis (5) @ Baltimore (4)

Byes: Denver (1), New England (2)

NFC:
Minnesota (6) @ Green Bay (3)
Seattle (5) @ Washington (4)

Byes: Atlanta (1), San Francisco (2)

What do we think?

[Raistlin]

Adrian Peterson, after recovering from major knee surgery, ends up only nine yards shy of the all time single-season rushing record. Megatron also finished only 30-something yards shy of 2000 receiving yards. It's a shame they didn't reach their respective marks, but both still had incredible seasons.

[escobert]

I hate the fucking Packers :mad2:

[charliepanayi]

I'd say next weekend:

Houston (faltering fast but backing the Bungles in the playoffs is usually a bad idea. Houston will lose to NE even if they win this one anyway)
Indianapolis (Luck can help them beat the flaky Ravens)
Green Bay (home advantage, and not sure Minnesota can repeat last night)
Washington (RG3 and Seattle aren't as strong away from home)

[escobert]

I hate the fucking Packers :mad2:

Now I really hate the Packers. If they had won not only would be the Bears be in but Lovie probably would have kept his job. wtf Bears.

[Bunny]

Should Lovie have kept his job? I mean really?

[Raistlin]

Now I really hate the Packers. If they had won not only would be the Bears be in but Lovie probably would have kept his job.

... Are you really upset about the latter? You either secretly hate the Bears or you just love very confused older black men.

[Bunny]

In all fairness, who doesn't hate the Bears though? Even just a little bit.

[escobert]

How on earth is tearing apart a team and rebuilding it after a 10-6 season anywhere near a good idea? "ok we missed the playoffs by one game.. better start from scratch!"

[Sephex]

How on earth is tearing apart a team and rebuilding it after a 10-6 season anywhere near a good idea? "ok we missed the playoffs by one game.. better start from scratch!"

I am in the middle on that. While we had another decent season, it was the way we got to 10-6 which probably caused the Bears organization to say enough is enough. I am not a Lovie hater, but I think he's been on the down slide and makes a lot of poor decisions during game time. I think the Bears can do better if they ACTUALLY SPEND SOME MONEY. That's the part that worries me about this whole thing.

[escobert]

Yeah I feel like they should go after Jake Long in FA. I agree Lovie was HORRIBLE with game changing decisions and making halftime adjustments. they seemed very "this is our game plan and we're sticking to it" which doesn't ever work when you're losing and people are getting hurt. But the players loved him and I think generally the fans did too. I dunno just gonna be weird not seeing him out there since he;s really the only coach I've known. Always been a Bears fan but, didn't pay much attention when I was younger (and they sucked ass hardcore).

[charliepanayi]

Grim stuff so far. Whoever wins this game will get destroyed next weekend if they play this badly.

EDIT: Bungles lose playoff match, big surprise. New England must be licking their lips about their game with Houston.

[Ouch!]

I wouldn't pay Jake Long big money, and I'm a Dolphins fan. Despite being an absolute beast his first two seasons, injuries have plagued him for the last two, and since his torn biceps at the end of the 2011 season, he has not been the monster that we was. Profootball focus has him ranked pretty low. He's going to be demanding a bigger price tag than he's worth at this point, methinks.

[charliepanayi]

Curse you Colts, messing up my predictions.

[Raistlin]

No big surprises so far, with Houston and Baltimore winning. Baltimore didn't exactly look great, though, with two fumbles by the normally sturdy Ray Rice and Flacco having trouble with Indy's defense for much of the game. The Colts were competitive for most of the game, which is not a great sign for the Ravens. I expect them to be killed by Denver.

[charliepanayi]

I think Baltimore have a better chance against Denver (though I'd pick the latter to win) than Houston do against New England.

[chionos]

This might just be Denver's year though. The Manning hype overshadows the fact that they're a good team anyway, have been getting better the last few years and only really lacked a decent QB.

But altogether, I'll just be happy for NE to lose at some point. That's all that matters now.

[Raistlin]

But altogether, I'll just be happy for NE to lose at some point. That's all that matters now.

*high five*

[Bunny]

I cannot stress how much I want a Broncos-Seahawks Super Bowl.

It is entirely within the abilities of the Broncos to make it that far, but I am not entirely convinced that the Seahawks have what it takes to overcome the challenges ahead of them. It would be great to see though.

[Ouch!]

But altogether, I'll just be happy for NE to lose at some point. That's all that matters now.
I can't agree with this more enthusiastically.

[Raistlin]

I cannot stress how much I want a Broncos-Seahawks Super Bowl.

It is entirely within the abilities of the Broncos to make it that far, but I am not entirely convinced that the Seahawks have what it takes to overcome the challenges ahead of them. It would be great to see though.

I'm rooting for Broncos-49ers, personally, but I don't have anything against any NFC team in this year's playoff. And the AFC team I root for the strongest is always whoever's playing the Patriots.

[Del Murder]

I'm hoping Oakland still has a chance.

[charliepanayi]

RG3 should have been taken off far sooner in the game last night.

I can definitely see another Manning v Brady AFC Championship game now. Green Bay v SF is hard to call at the moment, but I'd take SF to maybe edge it. I've been saying all season that Atlanta aren't all that and will be one and done in the playoffs, and I think Seattle will beat them. In the last two years the Giants and Packers showed what happens when you go into the playoffs with a lot of momentum, so perhaps Seattle will follow suit? If they do get past Atlanta a trip to SF or Green Bay will be very tough though.

[Ouch!]

Doctors confirmed a complete tear of not only RG3's LCL but also his ACL. He will be out minimum 6-8 months (which sounds pretty aggressive to me). This is the second time he has torn his ACL. 13% of people who tear the ACL a second time will go on to tear it a third, and the surgery to repair it has a much higher failure rate the second time.

I fully expect RG3 to come back and play again. Medical technology will get him patched up, but when he returns he will unlikely be the dynamic player that he was his rookie year. RG3's ability to run masked other shortcomings by forcing defenses to compensate for that. He's certainly got better tools than any other mobile quarterback to precede him, but I doubt his ability to distinguish himself as elite without that facet of his game. Shame, he was fun to watch.

[escobert]

But altogether, I'll just be happy for NE to lose at some point. That's all that matters now.
I can't agree with this more enthusiastically.

I think everyone outside of New England would be happy. And there's a lot of us here in New England that would be VERY happy if the pats lost.

Also hoping the friggen Packers lose this weekend.

[Ouch!]

And after confirmation of a full ACL tear, they're back to saying it's only a partial. I hate sports reporting some most all the time.

[Del Murder]

My predictions:

New England
Denver
Seattle
Green Bay

Both home teams in the AFC and both road teams in the NFC!

Super Bowl prediction:

Denver over Green Bay

[Ouch!]

I have the same expectations this week, although I'm going with Seattle over Green Bay. I couldn't quite justify this position, since I'm inclined to believe Green Bay is the best in the NFC right now, but I have this inescapable feeling that the Seahawks will make it to the Super Bowl.

[escobert]

I hope Golden Tate pushes a packer for a touchdown again to win the game. Oh god that would be amazing.

[Del Murder]

A rematch of that early season debacle would be fun to watch.

[escobert]

A rematch of that early season debacle would be fun to watch.
Only if the pack loses again.

Of course they've been doing a pretty good job of ruining my season as usual :(

[charliepanayi]

Well the first five minutes of this game has already been more entertaining than all four games last weekend.

[chionos]

I expected this game to be close, but I didn't expect this much scoring so early. Good game, though.

[Jowy]

BONUS FOOTBALL

[Ouch!]

Holy shit, this game...

[Raistlin]

That was the most boneheaded play I can ever recall seeing a safety make. Wow. Talk about a gift.

The only times Baltimore's offense has managed to score points tonight is on the big deep plays when the safeties blow the deep coverage. After the second time, there's just no excuse, especially with under a minute left.

I like Baltimore (well, I like Ray Rice; my dislike of Flacco continues to grow), and I'm not Manning fan, but I'm hoping Denver wins because I think they have the best shot of beating the Patriots.

[escobert]

Go Donkeys!

I hate me some Flacco.

[Ouch!]

Well, that was unexpected.

[Del Murder]

Both my predictions were wrong, but I don't have a problem with that.

A good day to be a Harbaugh. Speaking of which, here's my impression of Jim Harbaugh at every press conference or interview for the next week:

:smug:

[charliepanayi]

Denver - oh dear. And I was about to make a comment about Baltimore being the Arsenal of the NFL as well. Can't fault Flacco yesterday, will have to see if he can do it again next weekend though, especially if they go to New England.

[escobert]

Was not expecting the 49ers to do that to the Packers. Loved it!

[chionos]

Was not expecting the 49ers to do that to the Packers. Loved it!

Yup, same here.

[escobert]

Seahawks are pooping out. GRUNGE CAN'T LOSE TO SOUTHERN RAP!

[charliepanayi]

Come on Seattle! You can still turn this around!

[Ouch!]

Best weekend of football ever? Best weekend of football ever.

[charliepanayi]

Oh crap :(

[escobert]

Boo Hiss!

C'mon Texans!

[charliepanayi]

Why do people persist in icing the kicker, it always seems to backfire.

[escobert]

The Bears kicker has always said he loves it. Gives him a warm up kick.

[Pant Leg Eater from the Bad World]

Seattle's lost devastated me. I got in my rack and cried while listening to Taylor Swift. After a good cry I went to the gym to regain my manliness.

In all seriousness though, seriously amazing football was played this weekend. I had faith in Seattle even at the start of the second half. I have no doubts that they are a class A team and will do great things in the years to come. I only wish that time out had never been called. For cereal, that shit never works.

[Bunny]

Well this entire weekend was an utter disappointment.

I understand that Manning's cold weather rating is pretty subpar and there were some concerns about his passing in the weather before Sunday but that game was just ridiculous. What happened to one of the best defenses in the NFL? In the AFC? Aside from the Broncos losing, I guess it was a good enough game anyway.

The Seahawks game was entertaining as all hell. Even though they lost, they are an incredibly promising team, assuming that Wilson isn't a one-and-done type of QB. I don't understand why Carroll called a timeout there, since icing the kicker is one of the worst techniques you could believe in, though I read that there was some rule confusion on the whole "practice kick" thing. Oh well, even with the loss the game was good. I'm happy for Gonzalez and, to a significantly less degree, Flacco. I'm still not convinced he's an "elite QB," whatever that means.

The 49ers-Packers game was the one game I didn't really pay much attention to, since I'm fine with either team winning. Kaepernick running for 180 yards or whatever is kind of ridiculous and I hope he continues to dominate since the 49ers need a good QB that isn't Smith.

I figured the Patriots would demolish the Texans and they didn't disappoint. They certainly proved that they are one of the best, if not the best, team currently in the NFL and I'm not really sure there can be any denying it, even if you despise them.

[Del Murder]

If the games were entertaining then how was the weekend a disappointment?

The Seattle-Atlanta game was really poorly managed. How do you let time run out at the half on your opponents' 15 yard line? And that icing timeout was stupid. There was also a point when they went for it on 4th & 2 in the first quarter when they had 0 points and were only down by 13. You have to get the points on the board in that situation. But Mike Smith also made some dumb calls by leaving 8 seconds on the clock after the field goal and also electing to kick one of the worst squibs I've ever seen. That one may have just been the kicker's fault.

[Bunny]

Because I wanted the Broncos and Seahawks to win. They didn't, thus it was a disappointment.

[charliepanayi]

I wanted New England to win yesterday really because I really wanted a Baltimore v New England rematch next weekend. I'm still confident with my original prediction of a New England v San Francisco Superbowl anyway.

[Laddy]

I showed my dad the "Tom Brady is an asshole" posts.

I'm pretty sure he's weeping about now. :)

[Raistlin]

I was so disappointed that Seattle lost. I still felt like they could win it going into the half, and they didn't fail to make the game exciting. If it wasn't for inexcusably awful coaching and on-field performance, the game should have been 20-6 at halftime.

Otherwise, I'm happy the 49ers won, and showed that they could kick ass. I hope they keep doing it; I would love to see them win a Super Bowl.

Laddy: if your father is a Tom Brady fan, he deserves to weep.

[escobert]

ESPN just reported:

"Bears will meet again with Seahawks OC Darrell Bevell and Montreal HC Marc Trestman, first 2 candidates to be identified as Bears finalists."

I'm really hoping they go for Trestman.

[The Captain]

Very tasty matchups we have here. I am still shocked, SHOCKED that the Ravens went in to Denver and beat the Broncos. However, after seeing this video, I think I may understand how much motivation the Ravens have:

Ray Lewis visits Elon Football Team. Inspirational Speech - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiSFdLh5xLQ) (Notice the thunder and lightning as if this was some hollywood movie).

Ironically, I think the Ravens are the WORST matchup for the Pats. Say what you want about Flacco, he can throw a deep ball and Torrey Smith can catch it. That makes them dangerous against a Pats D that has a big tendency to give up big plays, especially in the playoffs. I think if Baltimore is smart and runs the ball a lot, mixing in some deep throws, they can exact some revenge on last year's game that they should have won but for a dropped TD.

Ravens 24 Pats 21

Boy, I thought Seattle was going to pull that game out but in the end they ran out of time and Ryan made some big plays when it mattered. Question is, are the Falcons going to letdown now that they got the playoff monkey off their shoulder? Playing at home will help but boy this 49ers team looks stacked. I don't love the Falcons defense, so it will be on Matty Ice and company to win this game outright. I think they put up points but have no answer for the latest duel QB Mr. Kaepernick.

49ers 31 Falcons 21

It looks like a brothers duel to the death in the Super Bowl!

Take care all.

[DarkBahamut]

Oh boy, I'm a die-hard 49er fan. But I might be one of the few ones who is modest enough to not boast about our last victory. Playoffs is a big deal, and Atlanta has finally burst through their barrier around Matt Ryan. Anyone else agree?

[Bunny]

Oh boy, I'm a die-hard 49er fan. But I might be one of the few ones who is modest enough to not boast about our last victory. Playoffs is a big deal, and Atlanta has finally burst through their barrier around Matt Ryan. Anyone else agree?

Give me a break.

The Falcons won one playoff game and even then it was just barely and with a significant amount of help from Pete Carroll's horrible coaching decision. They haven't burst through anything until they can do it successfully multiple times without squeaking by.

[escobert]

Bears got Trestman!

I've very happy with this.

[Jowy]

I assume Del Murder updated the title to keep it relevant! Thanks!

[Raistlin]

I agree with Bunny. The 49ers were much more impressive than Atlanta, who did everything in their power to give the game up to the Seahawks (who were just kind enough to give the game back). I think Atlanta has overall been given too little credit, but I expect the 49ers to be justified favorites.

[escobert]

"THE NFL : A Bad Lip Reading" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zce-QT7MGSE)

[charliepanayi]

Manti Te'o girlfriend hoax: NFL player claims Lennay Kekua was real | Sport | guardian.co.uk (http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2013/jan/17/manti-teo-girlfriend-hoax-notre-dame)

This is pretty crazy.

[Raistlin]

I was just discussing that at work today. What a bizarre story. I don't even know what to think.

[Ouch!]

I think after last week, I've fallen into the trap of underestimating the Falcons.