NFL 2012

[K9]

The Jets' path to the playoffs seems to rely on the Steelers, Colts, and Bengals all losing heavily in the next few weeks, which seems improbable.

[Paelos]

I really like what the Colts have going on.

[K9]

Who doesn't want to see Colts-Broncos in the playoffs?

[Tannhauser]

Bob Costas would go in all guns blazing if that happened.  Shoot, I bet he'd be fired up to pull the trigger on an explosive broadcast of that caliber.

[Paelos]

Bob Costas would go in all guns blazing if that happened.  Shoot, I bet he'd be fired up to pull the trigger on an explosive broadcast of that caliber.

 

[Cyrrex]

As for Tebow, they should have just made him a goddamn halfback. We KNOW he can run the ball. Everything else is debatable.

This.  Dude is on a team with a terrible QB and virtually no effective passing game.  He can run.  Get him in the backfield as an HB/FB, as a TE or even a WR in motion for at least 50% of your snaps.  Give him the ball and let him run it at least 10 times a game.  Every so often, let him have a throwing option...he has no head for the QB position and his mechanics stink, but he could still be a real threat to throw in the right situations, and you have to make sure the defense knows he might throw it every time he touches the ball.  In the right hands, this is one dangerous weapon.  Wildcat 2.0.

But I totally understand why Rex doesn't put him in as QB.  First, because he is likely to perform poorer.  And if he actually outperforms Sanchez?  That is worst case scenario.  Lose/lose.

[sickrubik]

SpeedWolf came back from tour and restocked their online site, so I snagged one of these. <3

[Paelos]

Apparently one of the Cowboys NT killed one of the practice squad guys this morning while he was driving drunk. 

So, he's going to jail. Oh and the kicker? He'd already had a previous DUI 3 years ago. My guess is this one will stick. It's a fucking awful week for the NFL.

[Nevermore]

Now the Bucs are up to 4 very close last second losses. 

[01101010]

Go Browns...

[Tannhauser]

Hmm I wonder in what spectacular fashion the Lions will lose tonight?  Last second pick six?  Safety?  The Goodyear Blimp crashing into Ford Field?  Hey Detroit, do me a favor and get blown out right off the bat so I don't have to stay up and watch the Packers smother you in the nursing home.

Also, a Browns fan with faint hope.  Adorable!

[Paelos]

Wow Arizona is taking shitty to terrifying new levels in the NFL.

[Paelos]

Oh and Dallas is above .500, and the Falcons shit the bed against the lowly Panthers and Cam 

[Chimpy]

Ahhh man I just live defensive linemen getting to run in touchdowns.

[ghost]

Wow Arizona is taking shitty to terrifying new levels in the NFL.

It's really amazing that they beat the Patriots in New England earlier in the year. 

[sickrubik]

Wow Arizona is taking shitty to terrifying new levels in the NFL.

It's really amazing that they beat the Patriots in New England earlier in the year. 

Cardinals started strong. 4-0. Injuries are somewhat to blame to a certain extent, but they haven't been exactly "high powered" this season, and suffer from not having a good QB.

This is an epic collapse.

[Shannow]

Wow Arizona is taking shitty to terrifying new levels in the NFL.

It's really amazing that they beat the Patriots in New England earlier in the year. 

And if the Pats miss a first round bye by one game ...

[sickrubik]

Wow Arizona is taking shitty to terrifying new levels in the NFL.

It's really amazing that they beat the Patriots in New England earlier in the year. 

And if the Pats miss a first round bye by one game ...

They would be doing as the patriots do?

[HaemishM]

I'm glad I didn't watch a lot of games yesterday. Any non-Seattle fans forced to watch that mockery of a game ought to be paid reparations. 58-0? Seriously? Fuck's sake, it ought to have been obvious weeks ago that neither Lindley or Skelton knew what the fuck they were doing at QB. Surely there's SOMEBODY not signed by a team out there that could be better than this. Kerry Collins, Duante Culpepper, Jon Kitna, Kurt Warner, Donovan McNabb? Shit, McNabb couldn't do this bad if he tried. Kevin Kolb is obviously never going to be injury proof enough to be a starter, especially not behind that line. Time to cut bait on all three and start again.

LOL STEELERS. You lost to the fucking CHARGERS, AT HOME, in a 1:00 GAME. You should have been able to ride the Laz-y-Boy to victory. Instead, you only make it close when it's out of reach. And you don't even have the excuse that the Rapist was injured. If they even make the playoffs, I expect a first-round exit.

HOLY FUCKBALLS, GIANTS. Thanks for waking up only AFTER I bench Eli in my fantasy leagues. And thanks Ravens for fucking me in the JV League by damaging RG3's knee. At least I have Eli, though I'm sure he'll go into a late season tailspin now that I have to play him again.

Some epic collapses yesterday. Atlanta, Balitmore, fucking Buffalo, LOL CHICAGO and yet the goddamn Jets won. Sanchez looked like dogshit, but at least he didn't lose them the game. They are STILL in the playoff hunt, if for no other reason than the fucking Steelers and Bengals can't close.

And speaking of collapses, LOLLIONS. I got really worried there when the Packers couldn't stop the running game early. But then they did. And they got their own running game going. Having Alex Green rush so well against the Lions' front 7 was really encouraging. If the Packers win that division, based on how bad the Bears played, you can blame it solely on the Bears' offensive line. Cutler gets hit too much and they pull him for Campbell to make sure he doesn't get fucking killed. If Cutler goes down again this year, the Bears are sunk and they STILL might be sunk with him.

Is it just me or has O Line play in general gotten MUCH shittier this year? Lots of teams that just cannot seem to block for shit and getting their QB's killed.

[01101010]

I'm glad I didn't watch a lot of games yesterday. Any non-Seattle fans forced to watch that mockery of a game ought to be paid reparations. 58-0? Seriously? Fuck's sake, it ought to have been obvious weeks ago that neither Lindley or Skelton knew what the fuck they were doing at QB. Surely there's SOMEBODY not signed by a team out there that could be better than this. Kerry Collins, Duante Culpepper, Jon Kitna, Kurt Warner, Donovan McNabb? Shit, McNabb couldn't do this bad if he tried. Kevin Kolb is obviously never going to be injury proof enough to be a starter, especially not behind that line. Time to cut bait on all three and start again.

 

[sickrubik]

Is it just me or has O Line play in general gotten MUCH shittier this year? Lots of teams that just cannot seem to block for shit and getting their QB's killed.

I think it's more the athleticism of the DEs/LBs. People Like Watt and Von Miller are much faster and dominating than in recent years. Also, lots of young and fast CBs/Safetys keeping coverage tight. Just think the game is a little different.

Just taking a brief look briefly at the stats, and they seem more or less consistent with last year at least, in terms of sacks. Some spikes... Rodgers is leading with 42.

Edit: Cam Cameron fired by Ravens. Lawl.

[Shannow]

Vince Young wants to QB for Arizona. Could it be any worse??

[Rasix]

Ouch.  Spoilered for the squeamish.

That Cardinals game... I fell asleep in the first half. I'm really glad I did.

[HaemishM]

OWWWWWWWWWWWW GODDAMNIT A KNEE IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BEND THAT WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   

Oh yeah, I forgot Vince Young said he wanted to QB for the Cards. Sad to say, he'd be an improvement. 

[Paelos]

As for O line regression, I don't think the defensive talent has changed up front all that much. I think that NFL GMs are putting less emphasis on line players, and more emphasis (if not too much) on skill players. Teams that have what they consider to be awesome QBs are more likely to spend picks on getting him weapons and defense than protecting him with lineman.

So let's take a look at the teams we know have had franchise QBs. Brees, Rodgers, Brady, Manning (in Indy).

Brees gets there in 2006. So I looked at their first round picks from 2007-2012. They went WR, DT, CB, CB, RB, Forfeited.
Pats realize what they have in Brady after 2003 and the SB. I start there from 2004-2012. They go TE, G, RB, S, Forfeited, S, CB, OT, LB.
Manning gets to Indy in 1998 as the #1, so I start in 1999. They go RB, LB, WR, DE, TE, SS, CB, RB, WR, Traded, RB, DE.
Rodgers started in 2008, so we look at 2009-2012. They go DT, OT, OT, LB.  

So of those teams with the best QBs, only the Pats and Packers addressed the offensive line in the first round of the draft.

[sickrubik]

Cardinals are like dead last in O-Line rankings... no QB is going to be an improvement.

[sickrubik]

As for O line regression, I don't think the defensive talent has changed up front all that much. I think that NFL GMs are putting less emphasis on line players, and more emphasis (if not too much) on skill players. Teams that have what they consider to be awesome QBs are more likely to spend picks on getting him weapons and defense than protecting him with lineman.

So let's take a look at the teams we know have had franchise QBs. Brees, Rodgers, Brady, Manning (in Indy).

Brees gets there in 2006. So I looked at their first round picks from 2007-2012. They went WR, DT, CB, CB, RB, Forfeited.
Pats realize what they have in Brady after 2003 and the SB. I start there from 2004-2012. They go TE, G, RB, S, Forfeited, S, CB, OT, LB.
Manning gets to Indy in 1998 as the #1, so I start in 1999. They go RB, LB, WR, DE, TE, SS, CB, RB, WR, Traded, RB, DE.
Rodgers started in 2008, so we look at 2009-2012. They go DT, OT, OT, LB.  

So of those teams with the best QBs, only the Pats and Packers addressed the offensive line in the first round of the draft.

I am terrified at the contact negotions for Clady that will be happening for the Broncos after the season.

[Nebu]

As a side topic, I thought you'd enjoy this article I came across.

The 32 Worst First Round Picks in NFL History

Some interesting and obscure tidbits in this one.

[JWIV]

Time to find out just how much the monobrow QB sucks and how much was Cam Cameron's inability to call the occasional screen or slant pass or his habit of forgetting that he has Ray Rice on his team. 

http://kissingsuzykolber.uproxx.com/2012/12/jim-caldwell-will-now-be-calling-plays-for-the-ravens-offense.html

[Paelos]

I'm sure it will be fine.

[sickrubik]

Keep in mind tha the next game up is the Broncos, and this could very well be the fight for the second seed. I think that probably played into this a bit.

[HaemishM]

It isn't like Cameron hasn't had years to get that shit straight. But even with a great running game and then Boldin, the team has never been able to have a good, consistent offense. Flacco's road troubles really highlight that SOMETHING had to change. Will Caldwell help? Don't know, since I couldn't really tell how much of his coaching success was inheriting Tony Dungy's team and Peyton Manning or true acumen. Last season would point to he won't really help much considering how bad the Colts offense was without Manning.

[Segoris]

As fun as it was to laugh at the 2011 Colts, and while I agree he probably won't help much if he can't get Flacco playing at the level in which Flacco wants to be paid for, I don't put it squarely blame the 2011 season on him and the lack of Manning. They also had no running game and very little defense (iirc they set some record for allowing yards or allowing completions or something?)...it was a shitty season with lots of personnel  issues for the Colts that were exposed when teams don't have to completely focus on ways to attempt preventing Manning from tearing apart your defense.

Though, it will be interesting to see if Caldwell can take advantage of using something he's not used to having (a running back) and missing something he was pampered with (a future hall of fame QB)

[Shannow]

As for O line regression, I don't think the defensive talent has changed up front all that much. I think that NFL GMs are putting less emphasis on line players, and more emphasis (if not too much) on skill players. Teams that have what they consider to be awesome QBs are more likely to spend picks on getting him weapons and defense than protecting him with lineman.

So let's take a look at the teams we know have had franchise QBs. Brees, Rodgers, Brady, Manning (in Indy).

Brees gets there in 2006. So I looked at their first round picks from 2007-2012. They went WR, DT, CB, CB, RB, Forfeited.
Pats realize what they have in Brady after 2003 and the SB. I start there from 2004-2012. They go TE, G, RB, S, Forfeited, S, CB, OT, LB.
Manning gets to Indy in 1998 as the #1, so I start in 1999. They go RB, LB, WR, DE, TE, SS, CB, RB, WR, Traded, RB, DE.
Rodgers started in 2008, so we look at 2009-2012. They go DT, OT, OT, LB.  

So of those teams with the best QBs, only the Pats and Packers addressed the offensive line in the first round of the draft.

This is what has always driven me nuts about the mouthbreathers here in New England that each April demand that the Pats draft a game changing WR. How many times does a good WR touch the ball in a game (so actually perform his primary job of catching passes), maybe 8-10 times a game? How many times does a O-line player have to perform his job in the game? Every. single. offensive. snap. So in terms of pure efficiency you're better off spending your 1st round picks on O-lineman anyway. Brady's best receiving weapons over the last 11 years? Branch (2nd round) Welker (a traded 2nd round pick) Moss (traded 4th round pick) Gronk (2nd round) Givens (7th round) etc etc. I understand that you have to have a good to great QB (and go ahead spend a first round pick on him, you might as well, cause without one you are probably fucked anyway)...but if he can't stay upright and you can't have some sembelance of a running game forget it.

It's not rocket science but it amuses me no end that it's not only the mouth breathers in NE who drool for a 1st round WR talent it's also the national media and all the supposed football 'experts'....Yeah hows the Detroit Lions doing? How I despise ESPN.

[HaemishM]

To be honest, the WR position is one that is VERY overrated. They call it a skill position but can you think of 10 WR that are game-changers? Off the top of my head, I'd label Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, Wes Welker, Brandon Marshall and maybe Andre Johnson. Both Fitzgerald and Marshall and Andre Johnson from last year's playoffs are examples of WR not being enough of a factor to overcome having a shitty QB. I would have rated Boldin but he went to Baltimore and immediately fell off the fucking radar. Calvin Johnson may be the only real BEAST on that list but his numbers are skewed by the Lions' almost complete lack of a running game or any receiver around him being worth a fuck. Welker is more of a possession receiver whose biggest impact is just actually catching most of the balls thrown his way (caught 69.2% of balls thrown his way this year - next closest is Dez Bryant with 68% on 30 less targets). A lot of the other top guys I consider so good because of who is throwing to them (like all the Packers' wideouts) as much as anything.

O line is much more important but it isn't sexy. It's more important than RB or WR or TE and about on par with QB and most defensive positions. Good teams have won with mediocre QB that they protected. Teams like the Bears have won based on great individual performances (Cutler/Forte/Marshall) or defense or both. And the Bears D has won with turnovers, which when they dry up, leaves the defense high and dry.