NFL 2013

[Nebu]

Yeah, open air cold weather Superbowl is just fuck all stupid awesome. 

I agree.

[ghost]

Yeah, open air cold weather Superbowl is just fuck all stupid awesome. 

I agree.

No.

[HaemishM]

Too bad the Bears defense is utter shit. Should have given Urlacher another year to tutor some of these young linebackers. Of course, against the Cowboys, it doesn't matter because even if the running game is working, Garrett will ignore it completely for 2 quarters even when the passing game isn't working just because. Seriously, 1st and 4th quarter, Murray and Randle are making 10-12 yard gashes EVERY RUN. Why stop? Right, so you can let Trestman's offense shred your defense. Garrett is just a terrible coach - a decent OC who can create an effective passing game but he needs somebody to slap his hand and force good football on him.

Bill Callahan calls the offensive plays now.

But Garrett sets the tone, and likely can say to Callahan - hey, let's pass the ball. Either way, they are both shitty game coaches.

[Paelos]

They are both Jerry's buttpuppets.

[HaemishM]

Well, I always remember Callahan for what a train wreck he made of the Raiders. Takes over after Gruden and gets them to the Super Bowl to face Gruden's Bucs - who promptly hammer the shit out of the Raiders because Callahan didn't bother to change anything about the offensive scheme and Gruden had his entire playbook. Next year with almost the same personnel, Callahan's Raiders barely won any games and started the drop into irrelevance that the Raiders are still suffering from.

[Yegolev]

I reiterate what I said about the NFL completely disregarding defense this year.

I don't know about the entire NFL, but the Cowboys sure are disregarding it.

[Paelos]

There are 13 (THIRTEEN!?!?) teams this year giving up 25 points or more a game.

Let's just jump in a time machine for a second back to 2005, the first year after the big pass penalty changes.

There were only 4 teams over 25 points against per game back in 2005.
In 2006 there were 2.
2007 there were 5.
2008 there were 5.
2009 there were 6.
2010 there were 8.
2011 there were 8.
2012 there were 9.

And now, fucking 13 teams. It's gotten worse and worse and worse every single year, and this is blowing the cover off of the shitpile of bad defenses.

[HaemishM]

Some of the ESPN pundits have been talking about the collective bargaining agreement that was signed at the beginning of last season and how it mandates less contact drills in practice and training camp. They postulate this is why the tackling skills have gone to complete shit, as well as why there have been so many more injuries (less time preparing the body for the stresses of the game). I don't know if I buy it, but I can certainly testify that tackling skills have become utter and complete shit the last two seasons. Just an insane amount of missed tackles, bad arm tackles or tacklers taking insanely bad angles at tackling. And stats show that injuries ARE up this year by a dramatic amount despite the NFL trying to minimize high injury plays like kickoffs and mandating against particular types of hits because of safety issues.

[Paelos]

At this point, we're heading for arena football type scores.

[naum]

[Trippy]

Evernote link failure.

[Paelos]

That is not a cute baby pic for an avatar.

[naum]

That is not a cute baby pic for an avatar.

I think the "in prison" reference was triggered by this:



http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/12/08/darnell-dockett-steps-on-chris-williams-hand/

[Tannhauser]

I think one of the reasons is that defenses are going low now because the league has gotten so tough on upper body hits.  I mean, we don't want guys getting brain damage, but the area to hit an offensive player is two centimeters just left of his belly button now.

[Megrim]

What are the rules for that now? Can you still tackle people around the thighs and waist?

[01101010]

What are the rules for that now? Can you still tackle people around the thighs and waist?

Nope. The guy might duck and then it would be headshot. 

[Megrim]

Seriously?

[01101010]

Seriously?

Well the tackle would inevitably ride up into the helmet and they'd get fined! 

[Paelos]

You can still tackle everyone low except the QB.

[Sjofn]

I welcome the idea of Tundra Bowl 2014. Fuck all this "Super Bowl must be in tropical fucking weather." You want it in the Tropics, play the season in the summer. This is FOOTBALL RRRRRAAAAAGGGGGHHHH!!!

Fuck yeah. I hope it's cold as shit.

[K9]

Some of the ESPN pundits have been talking about the collective bargaining agreement that was signed at the beginning of last season and how it mandates less contact drills in practice and training camp. They postulate this is why the tackling skills have gone to complete shit, as well as why there have been so many more injuries (less time preparing the body for the stresses of the game). I don't know if I buy it, but I can certainly testify that tackling skills have become utter and complete shit the last two seasons. Just an insane amount of missed tackles, bad arm tackles or tacklers taking insanely bad angles at tackling. And stats show that injuries ARE up this year by a dramatic amount despite the NFL trying to minimize high injury plays like kickoffs and mandating against particular types of hits because of safety issues.

The stuff that keeps breaking is the stuff that you can't toughen up. You can't train ligaments like the ACL and MCL like  you can muscle; so I don't buy the "preparing the body for the stresses of the game" argument. It also seems that the majority of the season-ending injuries have been knee injuries, which would fit the the rules change forcing people to tackle lower moreso than any hypothesis about tackling skills or toughness.

[Yegolev]

There are ways to play and somewhat avoid injury, and I assume that these tactics are learned during practice.  I've known people who are accident-prone and typically this is because they are reckless rather than fragile, although I can't discount fragility.  I believe that Gronk gets injured so much because of his playstyle, for example.

[Bunk]

You can still tackle everyone low except the QB.

This year anyways. Its probably going to change as well with all the extra knee injuries occurring due to everyone trying to avoid headshot fines.

[Malakili]

Next year they'll just make a tackling strike zone like in baseball.  4 tackles outside the strikezone and the other team gets a walk (automatic first down).

[01101010]

Or, you know, they could actually make a tackle and not go for the ping pong hit. If your arms aren't wrapping up the ballcarrier, you ain't tackling. I have serious issue with defensive players that I see pull their arms down right before contact.

[HaemishM]

I love the guys that take a wrong angle and then just flap their arms uselessly at a guy running past them like this is touch football or some shit.

[Yegolev]

2015: National Flag Football League

Either that or there's a revolt and holding becomes legal.

[WayAbvPar]

Darnell Dockett has always been a cheapshotting piece of shit. That is a far more deliberate 'attempt to injure' than any of the defenseless receiver hits ever are. He really needs to be suspended.

[Nevermore]

This game of chicken between Shanahan and Snyder is hilarious.  I think the next step is for Snyder to burst into Shanahan's news conference and start hitting him with a folding chair. 

[HaemishM]

It is quite awesome. "Don't want to fire me? Fine, I'll bench your franchise first round draft pick QB!" I still think Shanahan is making the right football decision benching RGIII.

[WayAbvPar]

Another perfect spot for a murder/suicide to solve all kinds of problems. I don't hate Shanahan that much, but am wiling to sacrifice him in order to take Snyder out.

[sickrubik]

I love the guys that take a wrong angle and then just flap their arms uselessly at a guy running past them like this is touch football or some shit.

AKA, The Tackling of the Denver Broncos. *grumbles*

Another perfect spot for a murder/suicide to solve all kinds of problems. I don't hate Shanahan that much, but am wiling to sacrifice him in order to take Snyder out.

Why not? Shanahan is a piece of shit.

[WayAbvPar]

I think because he looks sort of like my old high school coach's Oompa Loompa brother.

[Ghambit]

There are ways to play and somewhat avoid injury, and I assume that these tactics are learned during practice.  I've known people who are accident-prone and typically this is because they are reckless rather than fragile, although I can't discount fragility.  I believe that Gronk gets injured so much because of his playstyle, for example.

Gronk got injured because he thought he could just mindlessly rumble down the field like a Sherman tank.  His tackler was right in front of him and went low with a shoulder tackle.  What does Gronk do?  Just keep running normally.  That's just stupid.  Keller's injury, however, should be finable and a penalty... a near complete blindside surprise tackle on a defenseless receiver to the knee no different then a chop-block or a crack-back really, both of which are penalties normally.

[Paelos]

Peyton's right, cold weather doesn't matter. Especially when they keep turning the ball over.