NFL chat 2018/19 season

[forestfan]

The 1972 Dolphins can break out the champagne, they had a somewhat longer wait than last season when I think nobody even started 4-0.

At the other end of the scale, Buffalo’s QBs have combined for 3 TDs and 16 INTs (including 3 pick-sixes) this season

[blahblah]

I gave up at h-t, but the Rams made the second interesting for a while.

Pats vs KC and Rams vs Saints for the SB? As if

[forestfan]

What a statement win by the Steelers, with Big Ben throwing a perfect passer rating game in a 50-pointer...for all the Chiefs’ brilliance, I think we’re heading towards the traditional NE-PIT AFC championship game.

NFC, as usual, put somewhere between six and eight names into a hat...

[TheTon]

What a statement win by the Steelers, with Big Ben throwing a perfect passer rating game in a 50-pointer...for all the Chiefs’ brilliance, I think we’re heading towards the traditional NE-PIT AFC championship game.

NFC, as usual, put somewhere between six and eight names into a hat...

Agreed, huge statement. BB’s numbers were eye watering...22/25 328y 5 TD’s 0 INT’s

Just incredible. And against a very good Carolina team that have won 5 in the last 6

[forestfan]

Buffalo to field their fourth starting QB of the season... can Matt Barkley improve the TD to pick six ratio?

I wonder what the record is for most starting QBs in a season?

[TheTon]

Buffalo to field their fourth starting QB of the season... can Matt Barkley improve the TD to pick six ratio?

I wonder what the record is for most starting QBs in a season?

Decent start lol

[forestfan]

Buffalo to field their fourth starting QB of the season... can Matt Barkley improve the TD to pick six ratio?

I wonder what the record is for most starting QBs in a season?

Decent start lol

I think they will be ditching the other three after that!

A strange week, plenty of blowouts, the Pats losing to the Shite'uns (who must be the randomest team in the NFL, alongside the Lions...)

Saints looking dominant, few in the game would begrudge Drew Brees a second ring.

[Mo Bot]

Buffalo to field their fourth starting QB of the season... can Matt Barkley improve the TD to pick six ratio?

I wonder what the record is for most starting QBs in a season?

Decent start lol

I think they will be ditching the other three after that!

A strange week, plenty of blowouts, the Pats losing to the Shite'uns (who must be the randomest team in the NFL, alongside the Lions...)

Saints looking dominant, few in the game would begrudge Drew Brees a second ring.

The randomest team in the NFL - Bengals
Saints looking dominant - against the Bengals
Me - unhappy Bengals fan

I’m sure there will be some more sackings soon. Bengals, Jags, Ravens, Lions disappointing

[forestfan]

Relatively few teams change HC during the season, I suppose little point when the season is lost anyway and consolation wins under a caretaker just eff up your draft position.

It does amaze me how Marvin Lewis keeps going for year after year of mediocrity... John Harbaugh is living off past glories as well. The Lions have a new coach anyway don’t they, they seem to be playing for next season trading the likes of Golden Tate away, I doubt they will pull the trigger. Jax paying the price for sticking with Bortles, but they were AFC runners-up last year...

[Mo Bot]

Bengals have enough winnable games to get to 10-6 (Chargers and Steelers being the certain losses) but will likely lose another few to keep in their 6-10 to 9-7 buffer. Lewis is just not good enough, same as Dalton.

Jags looked like world beaters in the first few weeks but have completely blown up

[forestfan]

Teams do tend to get stuck in that pattern of mediocrity, constantly picking in the middle of round 1, when "rip it up and start again" can be a better option...

One of the NFL pundits a number of years ago defined the Dalton Scale, placing him at the middle point of starting QB play, i.e. anyone worse than him is a problem and anyone better than him is a solution. It still holds up now. Teams do struggle to move on from average starters (see also Tannehill, Flacco etc.) for fear of something worse (i.e. the revolving door under center of Cleveland/Buffalo/Jets etc.), but you're going nowhere fast in either case.

[Mo Bot]

I googled the Dalton scale. Interesting stuff. The argument is still there though that Alex Smith is the true median benchmark. From a Bengals perspective they have seemed to sort out the offense somewhat this season but the D has seriously regressed.

I hate to say it but the Steelers are looking good to quietly sneak through the AFC. The NFC is wide open with many good teams in there.

[forestfan]

NFC is always wide open, though the Rams and Saints look pretty nailed on for first round byes now.

Steelers perhaps AFC favourites now, though it looks like the road to the Super Bowl will go through Kansas City. I can really only see 5 playoff-worthy teams in the AFC at the moment.

[forestfan]

I think Alex Smith’s a bit better than median, anyway - two teams have perhaps harshly discarded him for a more glamorous option, it didn’t pay off long term in SF even if it does in KC. Any team without a viable starter would snap him up on a long term contract instantly given the chance, which I’m not so sure is true of Dalton.

[Mo Bot]

Of course the Bengals fire their Defensive coordinator after shipping 51 in 3 quarters

[TheTon]

Could be season over for Phillie after that loss to Dallas last night.

Tough run in but tough for Washington as well. Could go right to the final week

[forestfan]

Poor old Pickerman put out of his misery... at least it’s not too far from Buffalo to Canada

When a journeyman backup off the street can come in and do much better you know your time’s up, still, he will be disappointed not to have had a chance to face that craptastic Jets defence. Do the Pats pay their divisional rivals to maintain their level of suckage year after year?

[forestfan]

Hang on, my American spelling of “defence” got censored... surely Yankisms are allowed on this thread?

[Mo Bot]

Hang on, my American spelling of “defence” got censored... surely Yankisms are allowed on this thread?

Yet "suckage" and "craptastic" got through.

[forestfan]

Le’Veon Bell to sit out the season, as expected. Effectively not wanting to risk a long term contract with a new team for one year’s salary and the risk of injury.

The franchise tag system is complicated and perhaps needs a rethink, as others may be tempted to follow his example. The Steelers can tag him a third time but by the rules that would have to be at the QB rate, so surely that would cost them too much to just do out of spite? Will owners collude against him a la Kaepernick, or is he too valuable a commodity (teams will only make a stand if a player isn’t a clear difference maker...)

[blahblah]

Wasn't the consensus\idea that he would play for them this season with a spanking new Contract signed?

I started reading up on NFL player Contracts, when the British Eagle broke, and they seem rather smelly ie they don't get paid if injured? By the time I got to Tagging I decided that I was lost in a parallel universe governed by geeks and jobsworths. However, it did remind me of a holiday encounter with some Republican (Bush at the time) supporters who railed against Govt intervention and were rather vehement in their erm..... but then they explained that your couldn't smoke in your own house if it was semi-detached ie if it had an adjoining wall. They seemed to like the idea of the NHS and other stuff though English Pool seems to have a similar attitude to having far too many, and freaking stupid rules.

re your middle Draft picking perpetuating mediocrity idea, I am not so sure but I'll have to read up on the Dalton Scale as it sounds interesting. I coincidentally watched the Youtube of the '05 Draft, and some bod (ie pundit) predicted Rodgers to GB at 24th. Now has the advantage of 20\20 re justifying\mocking the 49'ers going for Smith as first pick, but he did get the 24th pick correct way back then. (It seems that there was something suspect in Rodgers take back, which meant he would struggle to throw the ball down field with distance; and that while Rodgers was deemed more NFL ready, Smith would be better long term.) His drift re 1st then 24th was based on cash and the QB's Franchises had, but I think the Rookie Salary Grades (we loop back to Socialism?) have changed since then. The main thing that struck me while watching it was the higher the Draft Pick the better the Franchise: so instead of the pressure and shit, that he obviously got at the time, he should have been Brady must have the record for Rings drafted as late as he was? It does lend itself to the fallacical (I so want that to be a word as in fallacy\phallus , lol) line "it's not what you've got, but what you do with it". Maybe I'll try and dig out the list of QB's with rings during the barren International weekend.

Looping back to the middle Draft, it depends where the holes are in a Franchise and as per the '05 Draft there was no need\cash for one?

If you have a QB on his last legs, do you go for a RB with your early 1st Round Draft Pick (as you are shit) and pay a WR a record amount, or get a young QB and either get a RB in 2nd Round or let the young QB flunk a little and get the RB next year?

(Rhetorically) the Pats haven't had early 1st draft picks, but are still the Franchise to beat?

[TheTon]

So the battle for the post season spots in the NFC is getting tight. Seattle somehow managed to come through against Green Bay last night, despite AR throwing two 50y+ receptions. It keeps Seattle firmly in the wildcard picture, with the Rams looking to lock up the west.

Some big divisional games coming up, with the North looking like the toughest to call. Minnesota @ Chicago on Sunday is huge, and a win for the Bears could really put them in the driving seat. I fancy the Vikings to nick a win there though to make it even tighter.

In the East, no one is catching Drew Brees and Carolina are best placed for a WC. Their run-in isn’t too bad, with a home divisional game against Atlanta in the penultimate week, followed by a trip to New Orleans who may well be resting players ahead of the post season

In the East, Washington are in the box seat, but their inconsistency is concerning. They could easily lose the next 3 to Houston, Dallas and Phillie then it’s wide open again.

Post season predictions for the NFC anyone?

Winners: Rams, Saints, +2

WC: Two from Redskins, Cowboys, Eagles, Bears, Vikings, Packers, Seahawks, Panthers, Falcons

[TheTon]

In the AFC it looks again as if the East are going to hand the title to New England, despite the shock loss to Tennessee last week

The North are similarly rolling over as Cincinnati and Baltimore battle it out this weekend for a shot at a wildcard behind Pittsburgh. The HC change in Cleveland could have a real impact on how that division now plays out and I wouldn’t be surprised if none of them pick up a back door into the post season (although I will just tip Balti to make it)

The West looks done but LAC are not going to let the Chiefs stroll home. Either way they’ll most likely have two representatives in the post season as both Denver and Oakland will have one eye on the draft and next season

Finally probably the toughest one to call, the South. Houston are in the box seat, but there’s a big divisional clash between Indianapolis and Tennessee this weekend. The Colts have won 3 on the bounce and the O-line is racking up points in impressive fashion. The next 3 for the Colts are home to Tennessee and Miami, then a trip to Jacksonville, so not inconceivable they could be topping that division before a huge clash in Houston in week 14!!

AFC post season predictions?

Winners: Steelers, Chiefs, Patriots +1

Wildcard: Chargers, +1 from Colts, Texans, Titans, Ravens, Bengals, Dolphins

[forestfan]

Peterman might be history, but step forward Blaine Gabbert for this week’s comedy QB play... perfect pass to an opposition lineman standing right in front of him from the Shite’uns backup

[TheTon]

Horrific looking injury for Alex Smith. Season over for him and probably Washington

[TheTon]

Lemar Jackson struggling in his first start as QB for Baltimore.

Incidentally I think that’s the first time ever that 5 rookie QB’s have started in their first season

[TheTon]

This could be a huge week for Dallas. If they can hold on against Atlanta, Phillie will probably lose to NO and Alex Smith our for Washington...


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[Mo Bot]

As average as Smith is, that was a horrible looking injury.

Fully expect Baltimore to turn it around. Big Ben might have a blind spot for the Jags. He was humiliated by them last year.

[TheTon]

Might have spoken too soon. Fair play to Washington, coming back and taking the lead - doing it for Smith!


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[forestfan]

Might have spoken too soon. Fair play to Washington, coming back and taking the lead - doing it for Smith!

33 years to the day from Smith’s predecessor Joe Theismann suffering his own horror leg break - and he was in the crowd as well...

Anyway, they couldn’t quite hold on. Poor as Smith’s season in Washington had been, there’s no way Colt McCoy takes a team to the post-season (Sylvester or Tony would have as much chance!) The door is open for Dallas or Philly, and even the 3-7 Giants aren’t out of it