NFL 2012 [American Football Content]

[NWBasser]

On the upside; the officials gave Seattle an extra time out.

But the look of total confusion on their faces while they tried to sort it out didn't lend much confidence in their abilities.

In that game, it seemed that they called every penalty that they possibly could and it made for something of a miserable game to watch.

 

[R_of_G]

It got to the point where I was waiting for one of the officials to call a penalty from some other sport.

"Defense, number ninety-four. Two minutes for hooking!"

 

[marnold]

It got to the point where I was waiting for one of the officials to call a penalty from some other sport.

"Defense, number ninety-four. Two minutes for hooking!"

I'm just hoping for another "Giving him the business like this" call.

 

[Tig]

The most informed replacement official I've seen was the woman from a few weeks ago (can't remember which game). The other ref's kept going to her for the technical details and rules.

We've seen them try too hard, calling infractions where none existed, then completely miss something just feet in front of them.
"Yo, Ref... One more eye and you'd be a cyclops!"

 

[R_of_G]

I'm just hoping for another "Giving him the business like this" call.

Ha! Awesome.

That was the Jets' Marty Lyons (if I'm not mistaken) against Buffalo's Jim Kelly. That was the single greatest vocalized penalty call in NFL history.

 

[marnold]

 

[piebaldpython]

Well the jury is in and.......most pundits roundly criticized Andy Reid for his pathethic play-calling against the Browns last weekend. McCoy was running up a storm and then magically disappeared for the 2nd half. Really? Seriously? Honestly, it's a miracle that we win games with that idiot at the controls. Good grief.

Of course, you guys hear this same plaint from me EVERY year for probably the past 4-5 years and yet......it never changes. We are never going to be rid of him........and oh yeah, no friggin' discipline either. We racked up another boat-load of penalty yards. AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!

 

[R_of_G]

I'll tell you this PBP, while I'm no Eagles' fan, the day they finally fire Andy Reid I will be very happy for you. You know, if we're still alive when that actually happens.

 

[piebaldpython]

No lol intended here.....but......uh.....with his family tragedy this summer, that's a guarantee for this season and probably next..........you know.......brain-dead stupidity exacerbated by grief.

 

[Tig]

Watching the Eagles is becoming more difficult each season, as Reid blunders calls and wastes the talent at hand.

Also, every time we watch the 49'ers, Mrs. Tig goes outside and pounds her skull against the sidewalk after watching David Akers (the one who got away) nail awesome field goals.

 

[piebaldpython]

I'm glad for Akers because he was a good guy and good for the community........sad for us whilst he kicks for the Niners. Isn't it time for Reid to go on one of those Mormon missionary treks to God-only-knows-where?

 

[R_of_G]

Ugh. It was a great and then heartbreaking day to be a Bucs' fan. They gave the Giants all they could handle and more for the first half of that game.

The defense, though a bit shaky up the middle against the run, was looking good against the pass, forcing Eli to make several mistakes leading directly to three scores for the Bucs.

Then for some reason they changed defensive strategies in the second half and let the Giants right back into it. It didn't help that Aquib Talib had the worst game of his pro career getting torched by Victor Cruz time and time again, and then getting burned by Nicks on the big pass that set up the winning score. Not to mention, had the regular officials been working Talib would have been flagged for about half a dozen defensive holding/pass interference calls the scab officials missed. In a word, his game today was terrible.

On the bright side, Josh Freeman is making major strides forward and the two defensive rookies, Barron and David, continue to impress me with consistent fundamentally sound play.

The core of a good young defense is beginning to emerge. It needs serious help on the corners. Wright is good but not great (though his pick-6 runback today is likely the best play we'll see all day). Talib is inconsistent at best, and, well, today at worst.

So 1-1 after two weeks. Should have been 2-0 if they could have kept their foot on the gas, but the other way to look at it is that this team that was 4-12 last year were in the game with the Super Bowl champ Giants for the full four quarters. It's progress. I'll take it.

How'd your team do?

 

[Tig]

Way to go, Seahawks! Any win over Dallas is a good win. :AOK

The Texans gave it to the Jaguars, but I was at the Astros game with my family so I didn't see it. (Astros rally to win the 3rd of a 4 game series over the Phillies)

Looks like the Steelers will take the Jets...

 

[piebaldpython]

Iggles with 2 wins....each by 1 point. Oh boy.......the heart-attack Iggles are playing with our hearts. And if they keep winning, we'll never get rid of Reid. lol I'll take the wins and put up with the big oaf.

Somebody please explain to me why the NFL can't loosen up the purse strings a little and get the REAL refs signed. This is just stupid and the NFL Owners and Goodell are being idiots. Honestly, grow the frig up and act like MEN. Give the refs what they are due and be done with this nonsense.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Way to go Seahawks! Convincing win in the home opener! Lynch got going, and Wilson settled down and did well. Tate pulled a few passes in. Seems to me front line and pass protection, breaking holes open, and having receivers that hold on to the ball will be the longer run keys.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Somebody please explain to me why the NFL can't loosen up the purse strings a little and get the REAL refs signed. This is just stupid and the NFL Owners and Goodell are being idiots. Honestly, grow the frig up and act like MEN. Give the refs what they are due and be done with this nonsense.

Can you say "pissing contest"? Why is it that any negotiation in pro sports seems to be handled this way? Another thing about pro sports that teaches such "good" lessons.

 

[piebaldpython]

Wouldn't be surprised if Goodell is ticked because a judge ruled that his suspensions of the Saints for Bounty-gate wasn't right. ahaha

 

[R_of_G]

The longer this goes on, the more the people that thought the "how much worse than the regular refs can they be?" jokes were clever will see just how much of a difference there really is.

I will not complain about the officiating costing the Bucs anything, because I've always argued that if you execute on every down, no single call should mean that much one way or the other, but there were some rather interesting interpretations of the rules at play yesterday.

 

[NWBasser]

Yippee.

The 'Hawks put a beating on the Cowboys yesterday. I missed the game while hiking with my son, but listened on the radio on the way home and it all sounded very good.

Nice to get Lynch up and going again.

 

[Tig]

:rockya :dude

 

[R_of_G]

So apparently the Bucs are the villains of the NFL now. I guess after the Saints they had to keep it in the NFC South?

There seems to be much controversy over the Bucs' defensive players playing out the last down of the game despite knowing the Giants would take a knee and run out the clock.

I've heard a lot about the "unwritten" rule that you don't do that, and I've heard a lot of people question Coach Schiano's class. I couldn't disagree more strongly.

The game is 60 minutes long, period.

The rule book does not prohibit a defensive team from playing with 100% effort on 100% of the plays. The NFL made it clear yesterday there was no rules violation in what the Bucs did.

Whether or not it was likely, it was entirely possible that Eli and his center would mishandle the snap and by recovering the fumble the Bucs could conceivably have forced OT. Instead they should what, give up because two seconds is the same as zero seconds?

I don't buy into any "unwritten" rule that says a team has to concede victory to their opponent until the clock reads 0:00. It's the same nonsense that says you don't bunt when a pitcher has a no-hitter going as if its the opposing teams obligation to maintain the guy' no-hitter.

It would seem from the montage of ESPN "experts" that my opinion is certainly in the minority, but I would also add that the one ESPN analyst who seems to agree with me is Ron Jaworski, and given that I respect his analysis significantly more than Cris Carter, Keyshawn Johnson and Antonio Pierce combined, I'll take it. The rest of them are suggesting quitting is ok. It's not.

 

[piebaldpython]

R_of_G..........I see your point and it is well-made with a good amount of validity to it.

That said.....In the interview that I saw......Schiano made NO mention of "hoping to miraculously dislodge the ball and recover" in his explanantion. He just said that the other coaches should know from his Rutgers days that he's no-holds barred in how his teams play. That's a crappy explanation in my book.

And the "unwritten" rules re the end of the football game and not bunting in the midst of a no-hitter are just not analagous.

But, he had every "right" to fire away on the last play of the game....no argument there...and the opposition should always "defend themselves at all times" (like in boxing). What Schiano did though......was a breach of ettiquette.....a "gentleman's agreement" between coaches as a way of avoiding any needless-senseless-idiotic injuries to players. The other teams have now been warned.

The Iggles have profitted from other teams (Giants most notably) of screwing up the last play of a game.

So, all the other teams will "kneel down" at the end of the game except when they play the Bucs.....notice has been served.

 

[R_of_G]

That said.....In the interview that I saw......Schiano made NO mention of "hoping to miraculously dislodge the ball and recover" in his explanantion. He just said that the other coaches should know from his Rutgers days that he's no-holds barred in how his teams play. That's a crappy explanation in my book.

Part of the problem is that they're airing a quick byte of Schiano's comments, so perhaps you didn't catch him saying the following:

"We crowd the ball -- it's like a sneak defense and you try to knock it loose. Watch Rutgers, they would know if they watched us that's what we did at the end of the game." - Greg Schiano [Source: http://espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/sto...ccaneers-greg-schiano-cheap-shot-eli-manning]

In those two sentences it's pretty clear he thought it possible for his defense to get the ball, and that he was referencing the four times his Rutgers' defenses successfully executed such a play under his reign as coach there.

But, he had every "right" to fire away on the last play of the game....no argument there...and the opposition should always "defend themselves at all times" (like in boxing). What Schiano did though......was a breach of ettiquette.....a "gentleman's agreement" between coaches as a way of avoiding any needless-senseless-idiotic injuries to players. The other teams have now been warned.

See, but that's the issue I have. If the Giants were up by more than a single score, yes, I'd be opposed to what the Bucs did because the clock prohibits them from completing a single play that would result in enough points to force overtime.

However, as long as a team still has a probability higher than 0.0% of winning a game, I have more of an issue with them being told to just give up than I do with them playing one more down at full speed. If Manning had been hurt, the only thing needless,senseless, or idiotic about such an injury is that his teammates decided to play one less play than the opponents.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

I have no problem with a "no retreat, no surrender" approach to football. It is after all, a combative sport. I like to see a clean, hard hitting game. All the way through.

 

[R_of_G]

Maybe I'm overcompensating because my former favorite team stopped playing hard 2 seconds into most games instead of with 2 seconds remaining?

 

[piebaldpython]

OK.......I agree with you......that no matter how remote the chance, if you're within a TD, you have every right to try to force a fumble and maybe a penalty that allows for one more play. I guess it was the shock of seeing "something other than what is the norm" that threw me a bit.

 

[R_of_G]

OK.......I agree with you......that no matter how remote the chance, if you're within a TD, you have every right to try to force a fumble and maybe a penalty that allows for one more play. I guess it was the shock of seeing "something other than what is the norm" that threw me a bit.

The score differential is the key to my take on that play. If the Bucs trailed by more than 8, I'd likely still have appreciated the "play hard every play" mentality, but would also get the anger from the Giants because the game would have already been decided at that point.

 

[marnold]

I think that people largely overreacted to the play, but it was still bush league. If they were so interested in playing 60 minutes, they shouldn't have stopped playing defense in the last quarter.

 

[R_of_G]

I think that people largely overreacted to the play, but it was still bush league. If they were so interested in playing 60 minutes, they shouldn't have stopped playing defense in the last quarter.

The difference of course being that the fourth quarter play, as poor as it was, wasn't the result of a lack of effort. Aquib Talib was certainly trying to cover Cruz and Nicks. He's just not good enough, and it showed. They didn't lose because they stopped trying.

 

[NWBasser]

Up next: The Seahawks versus Green Bay.

This will be very interesting to see. The Seahawks are built on a pound it and grind it offense versus the fast passing game of the Packers.

I don't see the 'Hawks hanging on in a passing shootout, especially with the mediocre receiving corp that they have. This will put a lot of pressure on the defense to shut down the Packers' passing attack.

It will be a contrast of the old grind-it-out paradigm versus the newer move-it-fast style of play.

What do you guys think will happen?