Nfl 2011

[piebaldpython]

I see the IGGLES went and signed WR Steve Smith to a 1 yr deal. This team is getting more interesting every day.

 

[Eric]

I see the IGGLES went and signed WR Steve Smith to a 1 yr deal. This team is getting more interesting every day.

Hmm. Maclin insurance or DJack insurance? My money's on the former. This will indeed be interesting.

 

[R_of_G]

Hmm. Maclin insurance or DJack insurance? My money's on the former. This will indeed be interesting.

Reports are undecided as to whether or not they'll need Smith insurance. The Giants didn't think he'd be back from his knee injury until the second half of the season. Eagles doctors seem to think he'll be back sooner than that. If he can play like he did before he can be a solid contributor for the Eagles.

 

[R_of_G]

As a hater of the New England Patriots, I was very pleased with the Lions' performance this past weekend.

The Jets exposed the weakness of their pass protection in the playoffs last year. I was glad to see the Lions show that it hasn't gotten much better.

As great as Brady is, he doesn't perform that well under constant pressure. Good to know for a fan of another AFC East team.

The Bucs didn't look great but they beat Miami and seem to be getting the offense in gear a bit more. LeGarrette Blount looks ready to be a dominant force rushing the ball.

Jets/Giants tonight. Last year in the pre-season game we put a beating on Eli Manning and knocked him out of the game. Let's see if they can do it two years in a row.

 

[Beerman]

I only got to see the Tampa/Miami game but after Bush's good performance last week, he stunk this week. 5 carries, minus 1 yards? Wow.
The Lions really have no where to go but up. In fact, many see their performance this year to match the rebound of the city of Detroit. Whatever it takes to get them out of the dirt.

 

[R_of_G]

I only got to see the Tampa/Miami game but after Bush's good performance last week, he stunk this week. 5 carries, minus 1 yards? Wow.
The Lions really have no where to go but up. In fact, many see their performance this year to match the rebound of the city of Detroit. Whatever it takes to get them out of the dirt.

I look at that opening match between the Bucs and Lions as a preview of what's to come in the NFC in the next few years. Both teams seem to be progressing at about the same rate. The Bucs could still use a few pieces on the defensive side.

 

[piebaldpython]

I'm looking forward to the playing of REAL games. I try to not put much stock into pre-season success/failure.........I try. lol

Let's get to games that COUNT.....then we can prognosticate and/or armchair QB all we want. lol

Like I said previously at some point....Phils in the WS; IGGLES in the SB.

I have the opportunity in my job to talk to people all over the country......and so it gladdens my heart greatly to know that some people in Texas (esp DFW) love the IGGLES more than those panty-waist Cowboys.

And so the FIRST shot is fired...........ahaha.

 

[R_of_G]

It's always seemed to me that the worse the Jets record in the pre-season the better it is in the regular season. I tend not to look at the results of the pre-season games as much as just the play in general to see if they're working on things I perceived previously as weaknesses. Win or lose means nothing to me because the games don't count.

That said, tonight is Jets/Giants and that always counts, although this season we do actually play the Giants in the regular season as well. Those are the games I miss going to since I moved. The Bucs have some good rivalries but nothing like one with a team that shares your stadium. Nobody likes a jerky roommate.

 

[marnold]

As a hater of the New England Patriots, I was very pleased with the Lions' performance this past weekend.

The Jets exposed the weakness of their pass protection in the playoffs last year. I was glad to see the Lions show that it hasn't gotten much better.

I keep saying to myself, "It's only the pre-season. It's only the pre-season. It's only the pre-season." Having said that, it's hard not to get all tingly at the prospect of what a healthy Stafford can do. They still don't have a running game (but neither did the Packers last year and look where it got them). After hearing that you got a Revis jersey, I really want a Suh jersey now. He's a gentleman off the field and the destroyer of worlds on it.

 

[R_of_G]

What impressed me the most about the Lions performance was who they're doing it without. If that line is already this dominating without Vandenbosch and Fairley, when they're healthy it's going to be unstoppable. You can't double team all four of them and all four of those guys can beat one on one protection on any given play. QBs that face the Lions better be prepared to run for their lives.

Also, Stafford needs to stay healthy so Megatron has a big year because he's the #1 WR on my fantasy team this year.

 

[marnold]

What impressed me the most about the Lions performance was who they're doing it without. If that line is already this dominating without Vandenbosch and Fairley, when they're healthy it's going to be unstoppable. You can't double team all four of them and all four of those guys can beat one on one protection on any given play. QBs that face the Lions better be prepared to run for their lives.

I'm too young to clearly remember the Lions' Fearsome Foursome in the late 60s/early 70s, so this is the best line I've ever seen them have. We've had great defensive players in my time like Jerry Ball and Al "Bubba" Baker, but this group has the potential to be terrifying. The good thing about them being so good is that if Fairley wants to have an attitude problem, he can just ride the pine. The good news is that he apparently has been the model student while he's been injured. Vanden Bosch has been a great captain/example in that regard. No one will out-work him and he will make sure everyone is giving 100%. Then there's Suh.

I'm also really liking former Buc Maurice Stovall. Big target as a fourth or fifth WR and great on special teams.

 

[R_of_G]

The good thing about them being so good is that if Fairley wants to have an attitude problem, he can just ride the pine. The good news is that he apparently has been the model student while he's been injured. Vanden Bosch has been a great captain/example in that regard. No one will out-work him and he will make sure everyone is giving 100%.

I'd like to see that Fairley's draft day experience made an impact on him. He was once talked about as a number one overall pick but his attitude played a large role in his perceived value drop. Though he didn't drop completely out of the draft like LeGarrette Blount I think it's a good comparison. Blount was considered the top one or two RBs in his draft until he punched that BSU player in the face and freaked out on the crowd afterward. He saw the Bucs as a shot to redeem himself and show other teams what they missed. Fairely, once healed, has a chance to do the same. And like you said, if not, you have three other guys there who can more than fill the role.

Then there's Suh.

I'm not sure I've ever seen anything quite like Suh. Even Sapp took a year to get going. Suh still looks like a man playing amongst boys.

I'm also really liking former Buc Maurice Stovall. Big target as a fourth or fifth WR and great on special teams.

I was sad to see Stovall go. He's been a consistent contributor for the Bucs in a lot of key situations. I'm glad to see him doing well with another team.

One more football note, Vernon Gholston was released by the Bears today. Shocking, I know.

I try not to be gleeful when someone fails, but Vernon had it coming. After being the worst pick in Jets history and not producing after 3 seasons he had the audacity to tell the media that Rex didn't give him a fair chance. By my count, he had at least one full season more fair chance than I'd have given him. He was awful under Mangini's system. He was awful year one under Ryan. They even moved him back to DE when he complained that he couldn't play OLB and he still failed for an entire season. Now he can't make the Bears either. How long until the Raiders sign him?

 

[Eric]

So I guess Fairley would be playing DT if he was healthy? Is that correct? I guess the fourth guy you two are talking about would be this Cliff Avril character, huh? As someone who has not paid much attention to the Lions, I only know the three that have been mentioned in this thread (Suh, Vanden Bosch, and Fairley). This might just be an inaccurate perception, but it seems like Vanden Bosch has been dinged up for his entire career. I know he had a bunch of 16-game seasons in there, but I'm just used to seeing his name on the injury report. If I was an overly cynical man, I'd say that's unsurprising considering that he comes from 'roid central, known as the University of Nebraska in other circles.

I'm ready for real games to start, though I don't know why, since I don't have a TV on which to watch any of the games. I guess it's more interesting to me than discussing a backup's performance against defenses he'll never see in the regular season.

In local news, I think Todd Herremans at right tackle is actually the best thing the Eagles could do for their crappy O-line. Herremans should have been moved there a long time ago.

 

[R_of_G]

So I guess Fairley would be playing DT if he was healthy? Is that correct? I guess the fourth guy you two are talking about would be this Cliff Avril character, huh?

The fourth I was talking about is Corey Williams who absolutely dominated the Patriots O-line the other night.

 

[R_of_G]

Reports are Eagles signed Vick to an extension 6 years/100 million (40 million guaranteed).

Time will tell if it's a good football decision. I can't be objective about Mike Vick.

 

[Eric]

Reports are Eagles signed Vick to an extension 6 years/100 million (40 million guaranteed).

Time will tell if it's a good football decision. I can't be objective about Mike Vick.

Hmm. Yeah, I have my doubts about whether he can survive and/or take it to the next level (meaning continue to be effective after teams start to figure out this latest version of him as a player). Then again, I had serious doubts about him last year too and he proved me wrong, so hopefully it's for the best.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Seahawks are making some big changes. Looks like a rebuild year, with maybe a bright spot here or there to me.

 

[R_of_G]

Seahawks are making some big changes. Looks like a rebuild year, with maybe a bright spot here or there to me.

I'm still puzzled by the decision to sign and start Tarvaris Jackson at QB. Not only do I think it's a bad decision in and of itself, but it also signals to me that Whitehurst isn't the guy either. If he can't beat out Tarvaris Jackson for a starting job he's not going to be an NFL starter any time soon.

 

[piebaldpython]

Reports are Eagles signed Vick to an extension 6 years/100 million (40 million guaranteed).

Time will tell if it's a good football decision. I can't be objective about Mike Vick.

Well, he made some really bad decisions, paid his dues, his time and his penalty as it was handed down to him. He SEEMS to understand that he got a chance to make something POSITIVE of himself and also as someone that young 'uns idolize or want to be like. He's become a leader and his coaches and teammates respect him (I think). Obviously, Lurie thinks he straightened out or he wouldn't have dumped all that money in his lap. Of course it's all clear.........it's time to WIN the SB and the onus is on Vick to make it happen. Should be an interesting year.

 

[Beerman]

Here's a popular guy. Chris Johnson wants 'fake' fans to STFU.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/08/31/chris-johnson-wants-fake-fans-to-shut-up/

 

[Eric]

Well, he made some really bad decisions, paid his dues, his time and his penalty as it was handed down to him. He SEEMS to understand that he got a chance to make something POSITIVE of himself and also as someone that young 'uns idolize or want to be like. He's become a leader and his coaches and teammates respect him (I think). Obviously, Lurie thinks he straightened out or he wouldn't have dumped all that money in his lap. Of course it's all clear.........it's time to WIN the SB and the onus is on Vick to make it happen. Should be an interesting year.

Moral issues aside, I'm concerned about him staying healthy given the o-line and his style of play and, more importantly, whether he can keep up his performance. I'm worried that teams figured out how to limit his production late in the season last year, so he will have to show that he can take the next step and maintain his productivity.

 

[R_of_G]

Well, he made some really bad decisions, paid his dues, his time and his penalty as it was handed down to him. He SEEMS to understand that he got a chance to make something POSITIVE of himself and also as someone that young 'uns idolize or want to be like. He's become a leader and his coaches and teammates respect him (I think). Obviously, Lurie thinks he straightened out or he wouldn't have dumped all that money in his lap. Of course it's all clear.........it's time to WIN the SB and the onus is on Vick to make it happen. Should be an interesting year.

Like I said, in time we'll see if the Eagles get what they paid for. I can only speak to what Vick does on the field. If they get six years of the way he played most of last year than it will seem like a great football decision.

I try very hard with the subject of Mike Vick to separate my thoughts of him as a player from my thoughts of him as a man. I can admit that I feel too strongly about what he did in the past to be objective about analyzing how much he's redeemed himself as a person, but I also know that's not really my decision to make. If Mr. Lurie doesn't have the same issues with Vick that I do it's certainly his right, he owns the Eagles.

Here's a popular guy. Chris Johnson wants 'fake' fans to STFU.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/08/31/chris-johnson-wants-fake-fans-to-shut-up/

Aside from the always ill-advised language suggesting Johnson thinks he's better than regular folks, what actually bothered me the most about his tweet was that he made one of my pet peeve mistakes, saying "I can care less" when he clearly meant he "couldn't" care less. If you can care less than it's not as meaningless as you say it is.

 

[R_of_G]

I'm very saddened by the passing of LeeRoy Selmon, a man who is a legend here in Tampa.

I'm too young to have seen much of Selmon's playing career but my father assures me he was one of the all-time great defensive linemen to play the game. He's widely acknowledged in this town to be the greatest Buccaneer to ever play.

I'd read several opinion pieces that place him at the top of the list of all time Oklahoma Sooners as well. My dad took some time to ponder that one and couldn't come up with another name he was comfortable placing in front of Selmon on that list either.

To me, and other University of South Florida alumni, he means even more than that. LeeRoy Selmon was the driving force behind the establishment of a football program at USF. His tireless efforts to build a better program allow us to compete with UF, FSU and Miami for recruits. Selmon took a program that began as a Div I-AA also-ran operating out of a trailer on campus, to a team that plays in bowl games every year and competes for division titles in a BCS conference, in a decade and a half.

If not for Selmon, we'd not be in a place to recruit kids that can go into Tallahassee and beat FSU like we did two seasons ago, or go into South Bend and beat Notre Dame as we did this weekend.

A few seasons ago when USF managed to get ranked as high as #2 in the country, we here inTampa all knew they were overrated, but we also knew that overrated or not, the Bulls were no longer some obscure team that played in the same state as some other big name schools.

USF players are now being drafted, many in the early rounds, every season and many of them are making solid NFL players.

They may not win or ever even compete for a national title, but the very fact that there even is USF Bulls football at the level it exists is testimony to what LeeRoy Selmon meant to the USF community.

This picture from his Bucs' days says it all for me. Selmon was truly a giant among men.

RIP LeeRoy

 

[Commodore 64]

Hey, I have the 2nd pick of our fantasy draft. It's tomorrow, 2PM EST. WHo should I pick? I always let the computer do it, so to manually pick would be crazee.

 

[R_of_G]

Hey, I have the 2nd pick of our fantasy draft. It's tomorrow, 2PM EST. WHo should I pick? I always let the computer do it, so to manually pick would be crazee.

In the first round it's advised to go for a running back. Peterson is obviously a wise choice. Chris Johnson and Arian Foster are usually ranked right behind him but each might be off to a slow start this year. I took Jamaal Charles #3 overall in my draft. Ray Rice is another top fantasy RB as he gets a lot of yards and a lot of goal line carries.

 

[Beerman]

Since the NFL kicks off it's regular season tonite, and I'm biased cuz I'm a Saints fan, let's put in our best guess at the score tonite.
I'll start with a surprise...I think the Saints will lose (it hurts to say that) but I think our D is still lacking. Though I am hoping the whipping we got last season from the Seahawks is still fresh in their minds and the coaches made them watch that game endlessly.
27-21 Green Bay:thwap
I have the utmost respect and love for the Packers and Rodgers and hope I'm wrong. Many see this as a possible 41-35 type game but I don't. I think there will be more running by both teams tonite.
I am used to being wrong and I can live with being wrong.

 

[marnold]

I do know this, it is a beautiful day here in NE Wisconsin. I live 30 miles from Green Bay and will not go as much as one inch closer. It's going to be a zoo. Green Bay is a good team, but I also think they are a bit overrated. After they lost to the Lions 7-3 it looked like the wheels were coming off. If Detroit hadn't beaten Tampa and the Eagles pulled it out against the Giants, the Pack would have been at home for the playoffs. They peaked at the right time. I'm sure Payton and co. will be using this game as a measuring stick. I'm just hoping for a shootout because Drew Brees is my fantasy team's QB. Go Fightin' Wombats!

I also saw that they are going to show the Chicago game up here on Sunday and not the Lions. Grrr.

 

[R_of_G]

Well, since I picked the Saints to win the Super Bowl this year, I suppose I may as well start with them winning tonight.
I'll call it New Orleans 27 Green Bay 21.

In case anyone cares, my playoff picks for this year...

AFC
Division Winners: Jets, Steelers, Texans, Chargers
Wildcard: Patriots, Chiefs

NFC
Division Winners: Eagles, Packers, Saints, Rams
Wildcard: Falcons, Bucs

SB: New Orleans over San Diego

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Ok, it is really more NFL 1977, but see new avatar pic, and see if you can name the people in the photo.

Here it is bigger so you can see.

 

[R_of_G]

Ok, it is really more NFL 1977, but see new avatar pic, and see if you can name the people in the photo.

Here it is bigger so you can see.

I believe the one to the far left is Steve Largent. The guy in front appears to be Jim Zorn. Not sure on the other two yet.

Can't change my avatar, but if I could in light of your new one, I'd go with these guys...

The one furthest left is my all-time favorite player.