Topic: Official 2008 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread

[Yoshidious]

Speaking of the Bills, how will David Gerrad's performance be against them?  I've got to start him or Tony Romo (against PHI this Sun) for my Fantasy Team.  My intuition tells me Romo will have the bigger game, as he knows their defense pretty well by now.

I am a Bills fan so take this for what it's worth: Looking at how Garrard struggled in Tennessee last week (he threw two picks in that game whereas he threw three during the entirety of the 2007 regular season), it seems like the problems with the interior offensive line are affecting his productivity. Also, don't forget that the Bills traded for former Jags DT Marcus Stroud this year, so you can bet he will be fired up to take advantage of their backup linemen and wreak havoc on his old team. Last week the Bills defense sacked Hasselbeck 5 times and hurried him many more, so the signs are pointing towards a relatively tough day for Garrard--either that or maybe he'll just hand-off the ball for the whole game, and either way is not great for fantasy owners. 

So I would recommend going with your intuition and starting Romo for this week. Even with the addition of Asante Samuel I don't see the Eagles secondary shutting down the Dallas passing attack.

[Ian Sane]

As much of a jerk as it makes me, especially being a Browns fan and having had it happen to me, I am fully in favor of the Bills moving to Toronto because it would make us a Cleveland market.

I'm against the move because if the Bills moved to Toronto that would almost surely kill off the Argos and likely the Tiger-Cats as well and thus possibly kill off the CFL completely.  It might be a bush league but it allows me to see pro football for cheap and without travelling to Seattle.  Plus unlike the Canucks the Lions are a Vancouver sports team that has actually won the big one, and does so somewhat frequently too.

But if say the NFL wanted to put in team in Vancouver then that's a completely different scenario.  CFWhat?

[NWR_insanolord]

As much of a jerk as it makes me, especially being a Browns fan and having had it happen to me, I am fully in favor of the Bills moving to Toronto because it would make us a Cleveland market.

I'm against the move because if the Bills moved to Toronto that would almost surely kill off the Argos and likely the Tiger-Cats as well and thus possibly kill off the CFL completely.  It might be a bush league but it allows me to see pro football for cheap and without travelling to Seattle.  Plus unlike the Canucks the Lions are a Vancouver sports team that has actually won the big one, and does so somewhat frequently too.

But if say the NFL wanted to put in team in Vancouver then that's a completely different scenario.  CFWhat?

The problem with Canadian teams is that, apart from the Bills and Toronto, there's no way it could happen without expansion teams and 32 teams is the perfect size for the league. I'd absolutely hate any expansion until they got to 36 teams (back to 3 divisions per conference, six teams each), which, considering Goodell's talk of expanding into Europe, isn't completely out of the question.

[DAaaMan64]

I always come in and close this thread just os that stupid NEW symbol will go away.

[Ian Sane]

The problem with Canadian teams is that, apart from the Bills and Toronto, there's no way it could happen without expansion teams and 32 teams is the perfect size for the league. I'd absolutely hate any expansion until they got to 36 teams (back to 3 divisions per conference, six teams each), which, considering Goodell's talk of expanding into Europe, isn't completely out of the question.

Expanding the NFL into Europe?  Where the hell besides the US and Canada does anyone play or watch "gridiron" football?  Of the four major North American sports football is by far the least popular worldwide.  European expansion for any of the big four is very ambitious, especially involving the huge transportation costs and time zone differences.  I think NFL should fill up all the possible North American markets first before even thinking of Europe.  And it might be smart to let the NBA or NHL take the risk and prove the concept first.

[NWR_insanolord]

The transportation and time zone issues are a lot less of a problem in football than they are in basketball and hockey due to only playing one game a week, but I'm certain the NBA will be in Europe long before the other leagues. Expanding with 4 teams, 3 Canadian and one to LA, could work, though.

[D_Average]

Speaking of the Bills, how will David Gerrad's performance be against them?  I've got to start him or Tony Romo (against PHI this Sun) for my Fantasy Team.  My intuition tells me Romo will have the bigger game, as he knows their defense pretty well by now.

I am a Bills fan so take this for what it's worth: Looking at how Garrard struggled in Tennessee last week (he threw two picks in that game whereas he threw three during the entirety of the 2007 regular season), it seems like the problems with the interior offensive line are affecting his productivity. Also, don't forget that the Bills traded for former Jags DT Marcus Stroud this year, so you can bet he will be fired up to take advantage of their backup linemen and wreak havoc on his old team. Last week the Bills defense sacked Hasselbeck 5 times and hurried him many more, so the signs are pointing towards a relatively tough day for Garrard--either that or maybe he'll just hand-off the ball for the whole game, and either way is not great for fantasy owners. 

So I would recommend going with your intuition and starting Romo for this week. Even with the addition of Asante Samuel I don't see the Eagles secondary shutting down the Dallas passing attack.

Way to break it down, that sounds like a hell of a day for Garrad!  I think I'll definitely go with Romo as he rung up some big points last week!

Where do you get all of your NFL pointers from?  Do you get the NFL Network out there?  Do you do an NFL podcast in your spare time?  Do you have to go through a lot of hoops to see televised games?

[NWR_Lindy]

Greg is just an NFLoholic, that's all.  The guy follows other people's teams more closely than I follow my Falcons.

Speaking of which, I was very pleased to see Jeff Garcia put on the bench this week.  Griese isn't bad, but it's always nice to play against a backup instead of a starter.  Matt Ryan is going to have a hard time against the Bucs defense, though...hopefully Derrick Brooks is out as well.

[D_Average]

Greg is just an NFLoholic, that's all.  The guy follows other people's teams more closely than I follow my Falcons.

Speaking of which, I was very pleased to see Jeff Garcia put on the bench this week.  Griese isn't bad, but it's always nice to play against a backup instead of a starter.  Matt Ryan is going to have a hard time against the Bucs defense, though...hopefully Derrick Brooks is out as well.

You definitely have a good shot against Griese.  The best adjective I can think of to describe him is "bland".  I was happy to see the Bears cut him.  As long as the Falcons cover their men decently well, they should be able to stop the big play.  Be warned though, he came through in the clutch two times last year for walk off wins after big passes (one of them to my main man HESTER!).

[Pale]

The Bills should forget about Toronto and move the stadium out to Batavia, NY.  That would make it halfway between Buffalo and Rochester right on the NYS thruway, taking full advantage of both markets for ticket purchases.

Also, if the suckiness does happen and Toronto steals the Bills, I want to steal the freaking Raptors.

[NWR_Lindy]

Dude, you can have the Raptors.  I hate that franchise.

I'm sure Tampa will go deep on the Falcons CBs, but they held their own against Williams and Johnson last week though.  I'm more worried about Ryan getting picked off by that Tampa Bay D, which has typically eaten Falcons QBs alive in the past.

[NWR_insanolord]

Is it too much to ask for a Week 2 performance out of Derek Anderson like his Week 2 performance last year?

[NWR_Neal]

I'm a little late to the party, but Go Pack Go!
Despite the fact that they almost blew it, I really enjoyed looking at the final statistics for this game. This team is very solid.

[NWR_insanolord]

Romeo Crennel has no idea how to manage clock. Complete misuse of time outs at the end of both halves cost the Browns that game.

[Pale]

God, looking at the Bills' sechdule, they better win 10 games this year...

Still to go:
San Fran
Arizona
Oakland
Miami x2
Kansas City

That's six more wins right there.  And I hope to god we can at least split with the Bradyless Patriots this year.

[D_Average]

Romeo Crennel has no idea how to manage clock. Complete misuse of time outs at the end of both halves cost the Browns that game.

Your a correct sir.  I rarely watch the Browns, but I caught last nights game and I was SHOCKED how badly he managed the clock.  On top of that, he didn't have the balls to go for it on 4th and 7 with 2 and a minute and a half left on the clock, down by a touchdown. 

[NWR_Lindy]

Great quote from Bill Simmons on ESPN.com: "Romeo Crennel stopped making the Art Shell face, and actually turned into Art Shell."  LOL

Please, somebody just fire Romeo Crennel, Marv Lewis, Rod Marinelli, and Matt Millen.  They make the league look bad.

[D_Average]

Great quote from Bill Simmons on ESPN.com: "Romeo Crennel stopped making the Art Shell face, and actually turned into Art Shell."  LOL

Please, somebody just fire Romeo Crennel, Marv Lewis, Rod Marinelli, and Matt Millen.  They make the league look bad.

No kidding, not only did Rome Crennel look like a pile of hot garbage last night, but he was about as helpful as one too.  What a disgrace to human beings everywhere.

[NWR_insanolord]

Romeo Crennel has no idea how to manage clock. Complete misuse of time outs at the end of both halves cost the Browns that game.

Your a correct sir.  I rarely watch the Browns, but I caught last nights game and I was SHOCKED how badly he managed the clock.  On top of that, he didn't have the balls to go for it on 4th and 7 with 2 and a minute and a half left on the clock, down by a touchdown. 

It had taken them 6 minutes to move the ball as far as they had on that drive and he decided to give the ball up with half that much time left in the game. It didn't help that Braylon Edwards dropped a pass (again!) on 3rd & 7 that would have given the Browns a first down. I had no problem with Crennel up until this, he may not have been the best coach in the league but the team had steadily improved over the course of his being there, but if he's going to make stupid mistakes like that I think it's time for a change.

[nickmitch]

This week has left me upset.  The Saints (almost literally) dropped the ball right at the end.

[NWR_Lindy]

Matt Ryan looked terrible at the start of the Bucs game, but he hung in there and almost brought them back in the second half.  Man did he take a beating, though...the Bucs were laying a lot of after-the-play cheap shots on him too.

[D_Average]

Matt Ryan looked terrible at the start of the Bucs game, but he hung in there and almost brought them back in the second half.  Man did he take a beating, though...the Bucs were laying a lot of after-the-play cheap shots on him too.

If they try to do that to ole "Neckbeard" this Sunday, Olin Kreutz will bite their arms off and spit them back in John Gruden's face!

[Yoshidious]

If they try to do that to ole "Neckbeard" this Sunday, Olin Kreutz will bite their arms off and spit them back in John Gruden's face!

Not if Fred Mller's jaw gets in the way first (sorry, couldn't help myself since Miller is back with the Bears now )

I do give the Panthers credit for coming back, but the Bears gave that game away on Sunday--or more specifically Greg Olsen gave the game away; 2 receptions for the game, 2 fumbles: one that took the Bears out of scoring position, the other putting the Panthers immediately in scoring position. How's that for batting 1.000? Unbelievably bad. Here's a great stat that shows how badly the Panthers were dominated early in the game: in the first half, they had more penalty yards assessed against them than total offensive yards (47)--they literally went backwards for half a game. 

The Philly v Dallas game last night was great fun to watch, but it leaves me very sceptical of Dallas' status as the clear frontrunner in the NFC. Playing at home, Dallas' defense scarcely did a better job of stopping the Eagles offense (still without their two nominal starting receivers) than did the abysmal Rams on the road. That is not remotely in the neighbourhood of championship-calibre D, and if they don't improve between now and the end of the season, they could be set up for another post-season disappointment. How they play against the potent-looking GB offense next Sunday night will be fascinating.

[vudu]

Did the Bears win?

[D_Average]

If they try to do that to ole "Neckbeard" this Sunday, Olin Kreutz will bite their arms off and spit them back in John Gruden's face!

Not if Fred Mller's jaw gets in the way first (sorry, couldn't help myself since Miller is back with the Bears now )

I do give the Panthers credit for coming back, but the Bears gave that game away on Sunday--or more specifically Greg Olsen gave the game away; 2 receptions for the game, 2 fumbles: one that took the Bears out of scoring position, the other putting the Panthers immediately in scoring position. How's that for batting 1.000? Unbelievably bad. Here's a great stat that shows how badly the Panthers were dominated early in the game: in the first half, they had more penalty yards assessed against them than total offensive yards (47)--they literally went backwards for half a game. 

The Philly v Dallas game last night was great fun to watch, but it leaves me very sceptical of Dallas' status as the clear frontrunner in the NFC. Playing at home, Dallas' defense scarcely did a better job of stopping the Eagles offense (still without their two nominal starting receivers) than did the abysmal Rams on the road. That is not remotely in the neighbourhood of championship-calibre D, and if they don't improve between now and the end of the season, they could be set up for another post-season disappointment. How they play against the potent-looking GB offense next Sunday night will be fascinating.

Yeah, I was shocked by Olsen's fumbles, I really wanted to see him get more involved this year like the Bronco's use Tony Sheffler.  I would also blame the loss on special teams blocking from the back side (3 flags), and Orton's inability to throw the ball remotely accurate over 15 yards.  A real shame as Da Bears had this one in the bag in the 3rd quarter.

I totally agree about last nights game, tons of fireworks, but each teams D leaves a lot of questions in terms of going deep in the playoffs.

How about DeSean Jackson letting Leon Lett off the hook!!?  (Oops, probably shouldn't have brought that game up around Greg)