NFL 2012

[WayAbvPar]

The Jets offense has below average options at every skill position. Their fucking CENTER is easily the best player. Sanchez isn't the only problem, but he certainly is the most visible. His receivers are garbage.

[Paelos]

Drew Magary from Deadspin gives the funniest angle on the Jets:

What the fuck does Mark Sanchez have to do to lose his job? Does he have to start tackling his own running back after handing the ball off? It's getting out of hand. He should send Tebow a gift certificate for not posing any real threat as a backup. I know we all like to make fun of Tebow for being a terrible quarterback, but at this point I'd happily replace Mark Sanchez with a life-sized Jell-O replica of Joe Namath. They may as well put Tebow out there full time so that I can experience the joy of bitching about Tebow being overcovered by ESPN and hearing anonymous Jets teammates make fun of him publicly for being awful.

By the way, I rooted my ass off for the Rams and Niners to tie last week. The NFL is the last place in major American sports when a game can end in a tie. It can't happen in college ball, or basketball, or baseball except when it's an All-Star game. They're a rare find if you don't happen to care about soccer. And the best part about a tie is that it's a damning indictment of both teams. A tie signals to the world that you had many chances to win the game and still found a way to not do it. It's almost more humiliating than a loss. There's nothing inspiring about a team that goes 8-7-1.

[ghost]

Randall Cobb is a complete badass.

[01101010]

It was almost a joy to watch Pat Shurmur's career in Cleveland end today... almost.

[Malakili]

Not a particularly great day of games, but perhaps it was just that I happened to get a crap selection. 

[Segoris]

I think it was crap viewing selection, and I suffered it too. Though, I think it was more just a week of bad matchups (who gives a shit about Mia vs Buf), oddities (Jags vs Hou in OT with both teams in the 30's for points....wtf?), and injuries (Pit vs Bal, though the only difference was which major players were playing while the score was about the same as always).

[Rasix]

Wasn't a great day to be sick and watching games all day.  The Cardinals game was one of the worst I've ever seen.

[HaemishM]

Yeah, I almost watched no games because the matchups were just fuckawful.

I watched Dallas v. Cleveland because I wanted to see if Weedon is a good player on a bad team or what. What I discovered is that Cleveland is NOT a bad team... but it IS a badly coached team. Their offensive line is decent. Trent Richardson is a beast. Their defensive line is pretty fucking tough. But their secondary is trash (their best corner was injured) and their wideouts wouldn't scare anyone. But the coaching? Holy shit, the coaching is goddamn criminal. They spent the first half DOMINATING Dallas, just absolutely shutting down everything the Cowboys tried on offense. Romo ran for his life most of the game. However, second half rolls around and the Dallas offensive scheme changed. For the ENTIRE REST OF THE GAME, Dallas used the same goddamn pass routes over and over. 7 yard curl out, completion. 7 yard curl out, completion. Instead of the defensive coordinator adjusting his coverage to be more press coverage or telling his corners to jump the VERY jumpable routes, he continually had his corners back and play pillow soft coverage. And Romo just DESTROYED them. Anytime it wasn't one of those routes, the Cleveland corners committed some of the dumbest, most idiotic pass interference fouls ever. One guy got flagged like 4 times for the same kind of shit. Hey dumbass, they are calling it tight. STOP RUNNING THROUGH YOUR WR'S BACK, FUCKFACE. And in the end, Cleveland still almost won it. One or two less penalties, and a little more adventurous playcalling in the 3rd quarter (or you know, a wideout that can get open), and it wouldn't even have been close. Or just, you know, ADJUSTING YOUR COVERAGE. It pissed me off because Dallas was dogshit most of the game. I actually think Dallas is a WORSE team - their offensive line is a fucking travesty.

Then I watched most of the San Diego/Denver game. Speaking of shittastic coaching, Norv Turner. HOW DOES HE STILL HAVE A JOB? For that matter, how does the Chargers GM? This team is so bereft of talent in the passing game and on the offensive line it's no wonder Rivers is throwing 18 INT's a game. The Broncos destroyed him. Their line can't block or just aren't trained on how to pick up blitzes or regular pass rush. They can't run for shit. If it weren't for a pick 6, the game wouldn't have been close. Meanwhile, Manning has shown that the Denver receivers are a decent set of pass catchers when they have someone who can complete more than 50% of their passes. Denver is going to be a tough out in the playoffs, especially if they get a home game.

Yes, Randall Cobb is a superstar in the making. That's why I won't really be sad to see Greg Jennings go after this year. Between him and James Jones learning how NOT to drop the ball, their wideout corp is 3 deep with guys who could easily be #1 or #2 on other teams.

Damn you Jets. Now we have another week of Sanchez being the starter. And holy shit, how does Sam Bradford AVERAGE 3.9 yards a pass play? That's terribad. Oh right, have a 51% completion rate.

I didn't watch the Pittsburgh/Ravens game because it's normally a defensive slog fest WITH the Rapist at QB. Without him? I didn't expect the Steelers to do much more than they did. How is Flacco so bad on the road? At least he didn't throw up a bunch of picks.

And speaking of picks, MATT RYAN? 3 INT's in the FIRST QUARTER? You better tighten that up because the playoffs are coming up soon.

[Trippy]

49ers quarterback Alex Smith ruled out for Monday night

Let the Colin Kaepernick era begin!

[Paelos]

The Cowboys only managed to put 9 men on the field for defense that led to the Browns taking the late lead in the 4th.

Speaking of WTF Coaching moves, that one wins.

[HaemishM]

49ers quarterback Alex Smith ruled out for Monday night

Let the Colin Kaepernick era begin!

Even though he only got me 6 points, I'm so glad I picked up Ryan Fitzpatrick for Eli's bye week instead of relying on Alex Smith against the Bears.

But holy shit, that's going to make watching tonight's game SUCK.

[01101010]

I don't get how the Browns could be that god damn awful in the coaching dept with those three heading up the OC, DC, and HC. Sadly, they are just that awful. Hope to start hearing the chants for 'the Chin' or Chucky grumbling from the North shore very soon. No way Jimmy keeps that coaching staff after that game in particular. Just please no Chip Kelly..

[WayAbvPar]

Chip Kelly needs to go to Philly. Their offensive stars are perfect for his system.

[cmlancas]

Chip Kelly needs to go to Philly. Their offensive stars are perfect for his system.

I think he has NFL aspirations but doesn't want to jump ship for a rebuilder.  I could see him in PHI or DAL (if he could put up with Jerry Jones's shit).

[Paelos]

If I were Kelly I'd go to New Orleans.

[Tannhauser]

Huh.  The Browns aren't too bad of a team.  They definitely have a nucleus of players to build on.  Get a new coach next year and I could see them as a .500 team.  Maybe even better. 

Atlanta, man I just don't know.  Ryan is really struggling right now.  They better fix their shit or they'll be 1 and out in the playoffs.

Detroit still finds a way to lose.  It's suddenly a tough as nails division, but to blow a lead at home is ungood.  They need a good secondary and a coach that doesn't make decisions via his Quija board.

[HaemishM]

Huh.  The Browns aren't too bad of a team.  They definitely have a nucleus of players to build on.  Get a new coach next year and I could see them as a .500 team.  Maybe even better. 

They could also use some wideouts.

Detroit still finds a way to lose.  It's suddenly a tough as nails division, but to blow a lead at home is ungood.  They need a good secondary and a coach that doesn't make decisions via his Quija board.

That's why I say it's criminal what the Lions did in the offseason. They made no moves to IMPROVE the squad in the areas where they were deficient - the defensive secondary and running back. It looks like Bell and LeShoure may work out but it's taken them 10 games to figure that out? And their secondary is just laughable. Green Bay had some of the same issues and though their running game hasn't much improved (though it was when Benson wasn't hurt), their defensive secondary and pass rush is light years ahead of where it was last year.

[Segoris]

But holy shit, that's going to make watching tonight's game SUCK.

Seems about the same is it would otherwise. It's still going to be a tough defensive game when both teams had their QBs who don't generally do well vs good defenses, putting in back ups probably won't change that. On the other hand, as a Bears fan with the Bears as their fantasy football defense in multiple leagues....I can't fucking wait for tonight

Detroit still finds a way to lose.  It's suddenly a tough as nails division

This is not a sudden development by any means. It was a tough division last year even with Minn's crappy record (and it was even tougher before Cutler and Forte got injured to make it a two-team division), but this year Minn has started winning games making it even better.

[Paelos]

Atlanta, man I just don't know.  Ryan is really struggling right now.  They better fix their shit or they'll be 1 and out in the playoffs.

I'm in the city, and even though I hate the Falcons, I can pinpoint that the problem has nothing to do with Ryan. The interior of their offensive line is complete and utter shit. Ryan's constantly having to hurry throws, and Atlanta has no run game because of it. They struggle so mightily on 3rd and short, or goal line offense, that it's become a running joke in broadcasts that when the Falcons have you at 3rd and 8, they are converting at a higher percentage.

The have probably the most complete wide receiver core in football, so that keeps the offense in gear when they play teams that lack secondaries. As an example, they would destroy a team like New England, but they would get their asses handed to them by a team like Chicago.

[Trippy]

Jay Cutler MVP?

[Fordel]

The Cowboys only managed to put 9 men on the field for defense that led to the Browns taking the late lead in the 4th.

Speaking of WTF Coaching moves, that one wins.

Is that just a jab at how bad the players were, or did they literally only have 9 players on the field?

[Trippy]

They literally had 9 men on the field when the teams went to line up for the play but managed to get the missing two onto the field before the snap. There seemed to be confusion, though, about coverages/roles.

[Fordel]

That's spectacular. 

[HaemishM]

But holy shit, that's going to make watching tonight's game SUCK.

Seems about the same is it would otherwise. It's still going to be a tough defensive game when both teams had their QBs who don't generally do well vs good defenses, putting in back ups probably won't change that. On the other hand, as a Bears fan with the Bears as their fantasy football defense in multiple leagues....I can't fucking wait for tonight

Heh... BWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

Holy shit, where was the vaunted Bears defense? I mean, I expected the offense would sputter but Jesus Wept. Their defense couldn't stop ANYTHING for most of the first half. The goddamn ROOKIE QB sliced them apart like they were standing still. It was fucking brutal and glorious to watch. Fuck the Bears.

But I really feel bad for Jason Campbell. He's not a BAD QB, but he sure as fuck made Jay Cutler look like an "elite" one. It wasn't his fault, of course. That goddamn Bears O line is a fucking crime. It has not improved ONE FUCKING IOTA since last year, and frankly, Cutler, Forte, Bush and Marshall are the ONLY things making that offense work. Yes, the 49ers may have one of the best pass rushes in the game, but there is no excuse for being an 8 win team and being that goddamn bad at pass blocking. This has been a problem since Mike Martz was the OC and it really hasn't improved much at fucking all. Both Green Bay and San Fran have absolutely destroyed the Bears offensive lines and if they think it's going to get any easier in the playoffs, they are delusional. He may be a douchebag, but Cutler has every reason to be pissed as hell at his O line. They may be the worst in football.

[Segoris]

Yeah, the offense was actually worse than expected and made a very good defense look like gods of the field. It definitely didn't help the defense when it seemed/felt like Chi D was on the field the entire half because the offense couldn't get crap going when playing with an offensive line that just lets guys run in untouched.

The defense was shit and just not characteristic to a point that the game was baffling to watch. Definitely doesn't bode well for the playoffs though, if they can hang on if they don't rebound well from this loss. Though, credit where credit is due - Kaepernick was a lot better than expected. He makes me hope he gets more playtime because SF is a different team with him behind the wheel. Even when playing bad I'd say the Bear's D is above average, and he was solid all night

From here.

Six minutes into the fourth quarter, Pro Bowl tight end Vernon Davis approached him on the sideline and bowed before Kaepernick.
"I respect him, I love him, I'm so proud of him at that moment," Davis would say. "The ball that he threw me (his last reception, when he didn't get first down), it was one of those balls that you see Tom Brady throw. Second window, right on the money. I was surprised. I didn't expect the ball to come. We've run that play quite a few times, and the tight end usually doesn't get the ball on that play. But he saw it and he just put it there."

[HaemishM]

Yeah, Kaepernick was fucking incredible. The touch on his passes was fantastic, he didn't get rattled when he felt pressure, he didn't get the happy feet I expected a "scrambling QB" to get. If Alex Smith is out for more than a week, that means Kaepernick gets to start against NEW ORLEANS. As bad as that Saints defense is, I smell a coming QB controversy in San Fran because he's probably going to light it the fuck up. After that it's St. Louis and then Miami, so they don't play a good defense again for another 2 games.

It's early days but if last night was any indication, Alex Smith will not be starting in San Fran next year.

[Ingmar]

I've known Kaep was going to be good since I watched him pick apart Cal a few years ago. Going into that game all we heard was they had this kind of Tebow-y guy who ran a lot, and then watching the game it was like laser guided 30 yard passes all over the place, his accuracy was insane and I couldn't believe he was so far under the radar.

[Paelos]

I remember being really impressed with Colin during his steak-breaker against Boise State back in 2010. I never though he was an NFL guy, but give the 49ers some credit, they traded up to get him in the 2nd round (although I have a feeling they were also eyeing Dalton).

[ghost]

Glad to see RG III blow the Cow People out of the water.  And happy Thanksgiving!   

[Trippy]

Jets

[Paelos]

Detroit got absolutely robbed by a ridiculous rule that will be changed because of it.

[ghost]

Fuck Detroit and the Jets.  

And yeah, that issue with Schwartz was fucking stupid.

[Nebu]

I literally laughed out loud during the first half of the New England game.  The Jets were playing like Tampa Bay during the year they came into the league.  All that was missing was the Benny Hill music.

[murdoc]

[Nebu]

That was TD number two of three in what, 52 seconds?