Community Forums => General Chat => Topic started by: NWR_Lindy on February 28, 2010, 06:54:13 PM
Title: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: NWR_Lindy on February 28, 2010, 06:54:13 PM
The NFL combine is coming up. T.O. is a free agent. Most importantly, the Atlanta Falcons won their draft coin toss and will pick 19th overall.
2010...because who needs a salary cap?
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: BeautifulShy on February 28, 2010, 11:16:30 PM
I haven't been watching the news closely about this upcoming season but is there not going to be a salary cap?
If this is the case than basically every player will be up for grabs and everybody basically can make All-Star teams.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: Stogi on February 28, 2010, 11:17:44 PM
That's bullshit. That's one of the main reason I like the NFL. Otherwise it'll become like faggy Pro Baseball.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: NWR_Lindy on March 07, 2010, 07:00:28 PM
I watched baseball until the late 90's when the Yankees started winning every year. Then once the Yankees' farm system dried up, they started flat out buying teams, and then Boston started buying teams as well, and then I stopped watching the sport entirely.
In terms of football, good to see Atlanta signing Dunta (pronounced Dontay) Robinson. Their secondary was AWFUL last year. I'm not sure who they're going after in the draft, but they really need a DE who will actually do something (Jamal Anderson is a total bust). Safety should be OK with Moore coming back from injury. and they'll have Peria Jerry back at DT as well. But John Abraham suddenly looks old and they have no pass rush.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: kraken613 on March 07, 2010, 07:10:48 PM
I never really watched much football. I am a baseball person, lived in Boston when I was little.
You go around the field and there is a lot more homegrown talent in the Red Sox starting lineup than the Yankees. And this years off-season for the Red Sox was filled with a lot of free agent stop gaps for the prospects to catch up.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: jasper33 on March 08, 2010, 12:12:06 PM
Football season ended a month ago and I already can't wait for another season. I was disappointed because I am a Colts fan, so as they say better luck next year. The Ravens have improved their offense with Anquan Boldin and Stallworth. The Jets improved their defense with Cromartie, now the top defense just got better. Colts resigned Brackett, and the Chargers decided to keep Sproles for another year. The Saints are losing several to free agency, but they still will be very tough to beat. I read this morning Tebow is working out for Seattle and Buffalo, should be interesting. The Bears should be tougher this year too with their pickups. Minnesota will be solid, and even more solid with Favre, if he returns again. Should be another exciting year.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: NWR_insanolord on March 08, 2010, 01:06:20 PM
I'm already a fan of the new Holmgren regime in Cleveland since he did the obvious, but important, thing in locking up Josh Cribbs, the best special teams player to ever play the game.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: D_Average on March 08, 2010, 11:05:49 PM
Yeah, the Baseball no salary cap has indeed ruined the game for me too. The NFL's Competition Committee has done wonders for the league over the years, and the MLB and even NBA would be wise to make similar adjustments to their leagues.
Can't wait for the new season though. The Bears pretty much have another trip to the Super Bowl locked down with the signings of Peppers, Taylor, and Manumaleuna. Yaaaa Baby!!!!!
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: NWR_Neal on March 08, 2010, 11:39:12 PM
The Packers lost Aaron Kampman, and I still think they're going to be great next year. Kampman's a great player, but he was just lost in the Packers' new 3-4 defense.
The NFC North should be a lot of fun next year, with or without that purple-hearted son of a bitch. I don't think the Bears bought themselves a Super Bowl, but I think they're buying themselves some competitiveness, especially since they've been hovering around mediocrity since they made the Super Bowl.
And the Lions will still suck...
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: Pale on March 09, 2010, 08:27:34 AM
Go Bills!
.....
.....
............
:-/
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: iDraTion on March 10, 2010, 02:43:28 PM
So the thing that I hear could really screw up the league this year and years to come is the fact that they've removed revenue sharing from the NFL. Same thing they did with baseball that screwed it over. Teams with more income start to buy teams and players and the sport goes to sh*t. I think the removal of salary caps is something that goes along with it, but it's really a terrible thing. I think that's why the Bills started playing games in Toronto to try and lessen the blow of that. Wasn't there some debacle this year when the commissioner started talking about it and got shut up real quick because it was supposed to be an under-the-table deal that no one would know about before they implemented it?
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: NWR_Lindy on March 10, 2010, 08:48:27 PM
I'm already a fan of the new Holmgren regime in Cleveland since he did the obvious, but important, thing in locking up Josh Cribbs, the best special teams player to ever play the game.
Lombardi trophy confirmed
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: NWR_insanolord on March 10, 2010, 09:10:55 PM
I take back every nice thing I said about Holmgren if he's actually considering bringing in Jake Delhomme, as he is rumored to be.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: D_Average on March 12, 2010, 03:31:06 PM
Jake Delhomme. LOL.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: NWR_insanolord on March 14, 2010, 11:55:29 PM
In what may be a new record for me, Holmgren's had the job for less than two months and I'm already calling for his head.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: D_Average on April 15, 2010, 09:19:22 PM
Is this Ben Worthlessburger driving anyone else nuts? All the talk is he must be suspended. For what? For rape? If so, that's a light punishment, and utterly pathetic. Or are they punishing him for giving the appearance of rape? Well, that just doesn't make sense. Anyone can be accused of rape. If I was Rooney, the owner of the Steelers I'd ship his a$$ out. The Steelers are arguably the best franchise in NFL history with the most Lombardi trophies, and that is bigger than Ben. The dude is a sleezeball and the evidence from the last two years points to him abusing women.
One thing I do look forward to, you know some linebackers are going to completely drill this dude once the season starts. Perhaps then, justice will be served.
On a lighter note. I'm so happy for Brandon Marshall. He is a true superstar, and I can't wait to watch him play with Miami. Josh McDaniels really screwed him over and now he finally gets the money and team he deserves. Its just a shame the Bears couldn't reunite him with Cutler.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: NWR_Lindy on April 16, 2010, 12:38:31 AM
Roethlisberger is a douche, plain and simple.
Falcons are nice and quiet these days. I love it. No Neon Deion, no Jerry Glanville, none of that garbage. Just a War Room that was ranked 6th overall in the league by ESPN.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: NWR_insanolord on April 16, 2010, 12:46:47 AM
I can't wait to see how the Browns manage to blow the draft. They have eleven picks, so you'd think they'd have to take somebody worthwhile, if only by accident, but I have complete faith that they will fail massively, like they always do.
I'm already pissed at them for getting rid of Quinn without giving him a real chance (12 starts is not nearly enough of a chance for him to prove himself) and for a has-been (Delhomme) and a never-will-be (Seneca Wallace), but I will be exponentially more pissed if they turn around and take Clausen, another Charlie Weis Notre Dame QB.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: NWR_Lindy on April 16, 2010, 01:00:31 AM
Yeah, I feel like Quinn never got a chance to prove that he could do anything. I don't feel that he was shipped out for any particularly reason aside from "we didn't draft him and he wasn't 'our guy', and we wanted 'our guy'".
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: ShyGuy on April 20, 2010, 02:33:05 AM
You are all taking a week off for this? seriously?
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: D_Average on April 26, 2010, 07:56:49 PM
How did everyone feel about their teams draft? I'd give the Bears a 3/10. Our first pick was a guy to replace the great Alex Brown that we just let go, and then we took some QB when we've already got 3, one of them being the best ever, and our back up from CO, Caleb Haney can hold his own. What a waste. We should have stocked our O line.
As for my local team the Broncos. I'm happy and annoyed they took Tebow. He gets on my nerves, and I think he'll be a bust, but it'll at least make the year interesting considering they got rid of all their best players.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: NWR_insanolord on April 26, 2010, 09:05:50 PM
The Browns got the QB I wanted them to get, and as a complete steal at 21st in the third round. They really improved the secondary with a corner in the first round and a safety in the second, and improved an already pretty good O line. I think Holmgren did pretty well.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: D_Average on April 26, 2010, 09:48:59 PM
The Browns got the QB I wanted them to get, and as a complete steal at 21st in the third round. They really improved the secondary with a corner in the first round and a safety in the second, and improved an already pretty good O line. I think Holmgren did pretty well.
I concur
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: Manthony Chopkins on April 28, 2010, 01:24:17 AM
I was surprised that Bulaga fell all they way to 23, but I'm glad the Packers picked him up. Offensive line is a big priority for the Pack. Especially, at the tackle position where Clifton and Tauscher getting up there in age.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: BeautifulShy on April 29, 2010, 03:47:52 PM
Well my Eagles have traded McNabb over to Washington. Vick is still there and Kevin Kolb is there also they got a rookie QB in the draft. So it looks like Eagles are going young this year. We shall see what comes of this.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: Stogi on April 29, 2010, 05:04:10 PM
Saints had the luxury of picking 32nd everytime. It was sweet.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: D_Average on April 30, 2010, 02:10:05 AM
Well my Eagles have traded McNabb over to Washington. Vick is still there and Kevin Kolb is there also they got a rookie QB in the draft. So it looks like Eagles are going young this year. We shall see what comes of this.
A lot of people in the media think the Eagles are crazy. I'd agree. McNabb isn't the reason they haven't won a super bowl. Hey may not be the greatest QB, but he's still way better than most. Give that team with McNabb some solid defense and some receivers and then you're talking Super Bowl run. Maybe throw in a new running back too. Then again, I suppose the same could be said for Cutler and the Bears. Just get some solid D and receivers. One thing is for sure, QB's get to much blame. When a receiver doesn't run his route right, nobody can tell.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: NWR_insanolord on April 30, 2010, 02:18:00 AM
As they always say, if you listen to the fans, you'll end up sitting with the fans. The Eagles' front office should be updating their resumes.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: BeautifulShy on April 30, 2010, 02:19:47 AM
Well my Eagles have traded McNabb over to Washington. Vick is still there and Kevin Kolb is there also they got a rookie QB in the draft. So it looks like Eagles are going young this year. We shall see what comes of this.
A lot of people in the media think the Eagles are crazy. I'd agree. McNabb isn't the reason they haven't won a super bowl. He may not be the greatest QB, but he's still way better than most. Give that team with McNabb some solid defense and some receivers and then you're talking Super Bowl run. Maybe throw in a new running back too. Then again, I suppose the same could be said for Cutler and the Bears. Just get some solid D and receivers. One thing is for sure, QB's get to much blame. When a receiver doesn't run his route right, nobody can tell.
They do have decent receivers with speed. Jason Avant comes to mind but most of the receivers are young. The D is a problem. There was some defensive coverages messed up in the Dallas Cowboy game last year that didn't help. Brian Westbrook was cut from the team. He had some injures last year and wasn't doing that good.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: D_Average on May 01, 2010, 01:22:34 AM
Yeah, that was a huge blow with the Westbrook injury. He was fun to watch. And of course, a huge weapon, that enabled the other WR weapons to get open a bit easier.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: BeautifulShy on May 01, 2010, 01:41:08 AM
Well the Eagles have lots of choices for Running Back. Got 2 RB in the draft.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: BeautifulShy on January 09, 2011, 04:12:14 AM
So yeah the playoffs are underway. There has been an upset already.Seahawks have beaten the Saints,the defending Champs. My other team the Eagles will take on the Packers later today. I like the Eagles chances this year.
Any thoughts on a Super Bowl matchup?
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: MaryJane on January 09, 2011, 11:54:18 AM
I'm hoping that it comes down to Eagles vs Patriots or Jets, with the Eagles winning it all.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: BranDonk Kong on January 09, 2011, 12:10:18 PM
Seahawks over Saints wasn't an upset if you ask me (Saints are overrated), but Jets over Colts was (Jets are overrated too). The Colts played like **** last night, but then again, basically their entire starting roster is injured. My prediction is Patriots vs Seahawks, but the Pats will completely destroy them.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: TJ Spyke on January 09, 2011, 12:14:09 PM
It was a shock that a 7-9 team even made the playoffs. I do think it was a big upset over the Saints, but the Saints were terrible in the game (especially defense). I don't see them getting past the Falcons or Bears.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: BeautifulShy on January 09, 2011, 08:43:57 PM
Well sadly the Eagles are out now. My other team the Seahawks are a long shot to win it.I'll post who I think will be the Superbowl match up in a little while.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: BranDonk Kong on January 09, 2011, 11:20:04 PM
Sure, the Seahawks' record is horrible, but I truly believe the Saints are overrated. They did really well last year, but this year they did not. Lets not forget that it was only 5 years ago that the Seahawks went to the Super Bowl (where poor officiating completely robbed them), they might not be the same team, but Hasselbeck is just as good as he was then, if not better. Marshawn Lynch just needs to go into Beast Mode and plow through anyone and everyone that gets in his way like he did yesterday.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: MaryJane on January 10, 2011, 08:58:58 AM
Who exactly overrated the Saints? NONE of the major analysts out there (ESPN, CBS, FOX, NFL Network) had them returning to the Super Bowl beyond the season's midway point. And they finished the season 11-5 and had like an 8 game winning streak or something. They just had too many injuries, and they probably assumed they were going to walk all over the Seahawks like everyone else did, which is always a mistake in the NFL.
With the Eagles out, I think it's almost certain the AFC team will win and that'll be between the Jets and Patriots with the Ravens having an outside chance. The Falcons or Packers will likely be the NFC team, with the Bears having an outside chance. Bears vs Ravens would be an interesting (though possibly boring) Super Bowl matchup but Packers vs Pats would probably be the most exciting.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: NWR_insanolord on January 10, 2011, 01:45:04 PM
I'm happy as long as the Ravens and Steelers both lose.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: Ian Sane on January 10, 2011, 02:22:37 PM
Being from Vancouver the Seahawks are more or less the de facto local NFL team. I followed them for the beginning of the season but found myself switching to a different game a lot of times as they got blown out. With the NFC West being so horrible though I always figured they had a good shot at making the playoffs. They would be exploiting a loophole in how the playoff teams are selected to do so, but I figured they had a chance. I was happy they won that "must win" game against St. Louis but I figured they would get creamed in the playoffs. I was fine with that. It's Pete Carroll's first season as coach and the team is rebuilding so getting a playoff berth seemed like a nice way to end the season and a good starting point for improvement over the next few years.
As we got closer to the game my brother was saying to me "wouldn't it be cool if Seattle won?" He doesn't follow sports but he is a ****-disturber. He thinks people take sports too seriously so he likes sports results that **** with people. In the Olympics he wants Canada to lose because he knows it will upset some many people around him for what he sees as silly reasons. With Seattle having a losing record he figured that them beating the defending Superbowl champs would piss off a lot of football fans. Still he got me excited for the game. It seemed like an ideal situation since it's the local team but I also had zero expectations so I would not be bummed out of they lost like I would be if they were a contender.
That was such a fun game to watch. When Lynch was doing his big run I was just yelling "GO! GO!" at the screen and I screamed when he got into the end zone. The last time I reacted like that to a football game was the famous NY Giants Superbowl helmet catch. I watch a lot of NFL games where I don't really care who wins, I just like to enjoy a good game. The Seahawks are the only team I instinctively cheer for which changes the dynamic a lot. I legitimately wanted the Seahawks to win, not even because they were underdogs, but because I see them as MY team. And that just made it such a great moment!
Now they'll probably get creamed... or will they? They beat the Bears in Chicago already once this season. You never know... :)
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: MaryJane on March 12, 2011, 11:19:17 AM
This lockout crap sucks...
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: rlse9 on March 13, 2011, 05:06:43 PM
The owners are greedy and the players are greedy. Both sides are out of touch with reality and their bickering sounds ridiculous in an economy where so many people are struggling and there are so many other bad things going on in the world. I really wish they'd just shut up, get an agreement done behind closed doors, and move on because I enjoy watching football but the business of it makes me sick.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: TJ Spyke on March 13, 2011, 05:40:48 PM
At least Roger Goodell and Jeff Pash (NFL lead counsel) have voluntarily reduced their salaries to $1 during the lockout. Apparently the two sides were close to a deal when the players decided to walk out and decertify their union (which a lot of people think they did on purpose since it allows individual players to sue the league rather than working as one group, they did the same thing when they striked in 1987). If it comes down to it, I would support the league using replacement players again. It's hard to feel sorry for either side, but I would rather see NFL games with replacement players than no football at all. It seems like every time a CBA deal with athletes or people in film/TV expires, they strike or threaten to strike. Several good TV shows got canceled when the Writer's Guild of America decided to strike a few years ago. I am a supporter of unions, but the athletic and entertainment unions always look greedy in these situations.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: NWR_insanolord on March 14, 2011, 05:52:12 AM
They can't use replacement players even if they wanted to. The league agreed not to do that ever again after the strike in the late 80s. Also, this is a lockout, not a strike. The owners are the ones opting out of the CBA, not the players.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: MaryJane on March 14, 2011, 11:41:50 AM
The lockout is in response to the union's decertification, but if they did not decertify when they did, they would have had to wait six months to do it.
A lot of people frame this as billionaires vs. millionaires, and say both sides are greedy, but it's only superstar players who makes millions a year. Most players "only" make a couple hundred thousand a year. Yes, that's still a lot, but there's no league without the players.
The NFL with replacement players will be like the XFL and we all know how well that worked out. The XFL's rules and marketing hurt it as well, but you need good players to make a good sport. Look at basketball, it's more popular than ever this season because of the return of powerhouse teams like the Lakers, Celtics, and Heat. How many less Colts fan will there be without Peyton Manning? Probably as drastic a reduction in Bulls fans when Michael Jordan retired.
The league is the players, and these owners simply inherited or bought the hard work of the original owners who were actually taking a risk by investing in the NFL. Nowadays, owning an NFL team is pretty much a golden ticket, and it is so because of the players. The $9billion in TV revenue that they're arguing over, by right should belong to the players. No one turns to the game on Sunday to see the owners sitting in their luxury box. Yes owners build their teams, but they do so by hiring a competent GM and coach to whom they turn over the reigns, except for Jerry Jones and that hasn't really worked too well.
The players give fans hope that their team will win the championship, players are the ones who visit community schools, and tell kids who are getting bullied that they're brave. Yes they're not perfect, no one is, but the I say again that the league exists because of the players, and the players better the community often with just their presence, and more often with much more.
The owner of the Saints may be the one exception as fans down there know his name as readily as they know Reggie Bush and Drew Brees.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: TJ Spyke on March 14, 2011, 12:49:56 PM
They can't use replacement players even if they wanted to. The league agreed not to do that ever again after the strike in the late 80s. Also, this is a lockout, not a strike. The owners are the ones opting out of the CBA, not the players.
Just because they agreed to not do it again doesn't mean they legally can't.
If the top players really cared about salaries of their fellow players like they claim, maybe those like Tom Brady can lower their demands. Does he really need $18 million a year? I am not saying that he should make the same as a 3rd string defensive tackle or anything like that, but it's hard to feel sorry for the top players (although at least they are not claiming that they need more than $10 million a year to feed their family, like Allen Iverson did).
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: Ian Sane on March 14, 2011, 03:10:57 PM
I remember the NHL lockout. For a fan that was hell, to go a whole year without hockey. I don't want to go through that with the NFL as well.
With the NHL lockout is seemed easy to side with the owners. They were requesting a salary cap which is something we fans can stand to benefit from in theory. We had seen the negative effects first hand where a handful of richer teams were signing all the free agents while some of the smaller market teams would consistently lose their stars. We, the fans, could observe it. We didn't care about the NHL owners but we cared about our teams and we knew that having a salary cap would prevent richer teams from buying championships and we were in favour of that. The MLB owners could probably win the fan support on the same issue. We see the Yankees buy all of the free agents, know that a salary cap would prevent it, and thus would side in favour of that which would be siding with the owners. At the heart of it these sports labour work stoppages come across as bickering between millionaires (even if that isn't always the case). We the fans suffer in that our favourite league isn't playing while the rich try to get richer. It makes the whole thing look very isolated from the average fan.
With this NFL stoppage I side with the players. In this case the NFL already has a salary cap and they have the ability to more or less FIRE any player at a moment's notice. In the NHL teams can get cap trouble by overpaying on guaranteed contracts. With no guaranteed contracts it seems like the owners have a pretty sweet deal and hold much of the power. The guaranteed contracts of the NHL balance out the cap on salaries. It appears that both sides take concessions. But with the NFL the power seems to all be with the owners. The employees are restricted on their salaries but have no security like NHL players have. You get injured on the job and you're fired. And in this situation where the owners have so much power THEY are the ones locking the players out? There is no way I could side with them.
It doesn't help that Roger Goodell has been appearing on TV and telling ME what I think. They go on and on about this 18 game schedule. They tell us that it's because we hate paying for pre-season games that they're going to do us a favour and replace two of those pre-season games with regular season games. What we really want is less pre-season games, period. Switching over does us no favours. A season ticket holder still has to buy 10 games. And we as fans know that football is a punishing sport and that injuries can derail a whole season. While we enjoy each game, there is always that risk of losing a star player. Two more games means two more games of risk. It's not even about the health and safety of the players. Even from a selfish point of view it isn't worth the risk of seeing my team's star get knocked out in game 17. Teams that have their playoff spot locked up rest their starters and as a fan I'm not even that bothered by it. I want to see the stars in the playoffs and would not want to see them get hurt in a meaningless game. It seems that dislike of the 18 game schedule is nearly unanimous. I have never met a fan who wants it. And yet the NFL has the GALL to constantly TELL us how much of a favour they're doing for us in offering it and how they are answering our requests. Nothing turns me off more then when you tell me "this is what you wanted" when I didn't want it. I can't stand that sort of condescending arrogance. Roger Goodell is telling me that I'm stupid every time he spouts off about that crap on TV.
So we're going to lose games or maybe even a whole season and the only real "benefit" for us fans is an 18 game schedule we don't even want? That's insulting. There is no way I will side with the owners on this.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: NWR_insanolord on March 14, 2011, 03:21:44 PM
The NHL lockout sucked when we were going through it, but looking back I think it was good for the league in the long run. A lot of positive changes came out of it, and without it they wouldn't have been able to rig the draft so the Penguins would get Crosby, keeping them from having to relocate.
I don't think the NFL has anything to gain from this, though, and it has a lot to lose.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: TJ Spyke on March 14, 2011, 03:23:46 PM
I think most fans actually like the idea of 18 games, at least in polls I have seen in the past. That doesn't even seem to be the main issue, the main issue is money sharing. Right now the teams get $1 billion off the top, and then the rest starts to get divided between the owners and the players. Both sides have agree to increase how much the owners get, they just can't agree on how much more owners should get.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: Stogi on March 14, 2011, 05:22:04 PM
I kinda hope they don't resolve this.
I love American Football. LOVE IT. Nothin's better then getting drunk with your friends and BBQ some hot wings, while watching the big game. But with none being played, then real Football will get the spot light. Then people will see the real joy of a commercial-less contest with plenty of chanting and booze.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: MaryJane on March 14, 2011, 06:26:00 PM
Americans are too self-centered to really enjoy soccer. We didn' invent it, and we can't destroy the rest of the world at it like we can with baseball and basketball. That's also the reason hockey isn't bigger than it is.
In theory fans want more games because it means more football, but once you explain the reality of more injuries any reasonable person (who isn't making billions off the game) would back away from 18 games. If I were the NFLPA I would just make a new league. The owners don't always own the stadiums the teams play in, and without the NFL, the stadiums would be open to rent on Sundays. The league could be set up so that all revenue is divided amongst the players by position, stats, and starters vs. bench players. Anyway, I hope this thing resolves itself one way or the other.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: TJ Spyke on March 14, 2011, 06:48:18 PM
The players couldn't start their own league as almost all of the players are under contract. Not to mention they would not be able to afford it. They would need to buy uniforms and equipment, try to get deals for stadiums to play in (even when the team doesn't own the stadium, they often have contracts that give them some say over it), try and get TV deals (which they probably would not be able to get ESPN, NBC, FOX, or CBS), have money for themselves and other players, try and recruit other players, etc. Suffice it to say, the NFLPA couldn't set up their own league even if they wanted to.
I think their should be a salary cap per player as well, something like QB's can make no more than $10 million a year. Regardless of what happens, I agree with MJ and hope it gets resolved one way or another.
Soccer is boring most of the time, that is why I think many Americans don't like it. Hockey is fun to watch in person, not so much on TV.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: Ian Sane on March 14, 2011, 07:03:05 PM
Quote
If I were the NFLPA I would just make a new league. The owners don't always own the stadiums the teams play in, and without the NFL, the stadiums would be open to rent on Sundays. The league could be set up so that all revenue is divided amongst the players by position, stats, and starters vs. bench players.
That is pipe dream. Even though they're a union the NFLPA doesn't want to divide revenue by position and stats and stuff. Professional athletes like being able to negotiate their own salary. It allows some huge underachievers to get rich by taking advantage of a dumb GM.
I think there is also a certain balancing act between what the fans like. The fans aren't really fans of specific players but fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys. Players come and go while fans will stick with their team. You create a new team in Chicago, it doesn't really matter because it's not DA BEARS. There is a history behind all of the teams (well most of them anyway). There also is some prestige in being the champions of the NFL, the top football league in the world since 1920. But the other part of the balance is that the NFL needs to attract the absolute best players. A Superbowl winning team of replacement players wouldn't mean squat either. I think we want both the prestige of the league and its franchises and the top players in the world.
Regarding soccer, I find the biggest obstacle is that it feels very European. This isn't a xenophobic thing, it's just a cultural thing. You visit Europe and everything seems off. It's not necessarily wrong it just does not feel right. Canada and America are both similar enough that the differences between the cultures are like fun quirks. As a result all sorts of little things about soccer feel wrong. The tolerance of flopping is of course a big issue but there are also little things like how the clock counts up instead of down. The clock never stops, even when someone is injured and then the ref calls for some amount of extra time to make up for it. That whole loosey goosey set up just does not roll in the US and Canada. Our culture demands a bit more structure. The clock rolls in football but there are very specific rules about when it goes and when it stops. The immediate question is "what if the ref just made up whatever BS he wanted?" No such question in the big four American sports leagues. In soccer someone scores with their hands and if the ref misses it, too bad. Compare that to in hockey where any questionable goal is reviewed and the NFL has had replay for years. They also decide championships based on shootouts. This does not fly in America. The NHL is the only league with a shootout and it is only in the regular season.
The whole league culture is just generally different too. In soccer there all sorts of tournaments and domestic leagues and such. In North America you are either the champions or you are losers. That is just how it goes. Also in soccer they use leagues that use promotion and relegation. That is too different from here where the league's teams are fixed and drafts are used to distribute the new players. I think for soccer to be popular in the US and Canada it would need to change many small details and it certainly could not adhere to FIFA's rules (all our leagues use their own rules). It also would need to attract the BEST talent in the world, like our other leagues do, and MLS is not even close to that yet.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: NWR_insanolord on March 14, 2011, 08:33:35 PM
I became a pretty big soccer fan because of last year's World Cup (and, as an aside, am hugely excited for the start of the MLS season tomorrow night. GO SOUNDERS!), but thinking America would start paying attention to soccer because of the loss of football is crazy. Even if we lost the whole season, as well as the whole NBA season (there's a chance of a lockout there as well next year), America would go for hockey a lot quicker than soccer simply because the NHL is the highest level of competition. Also, it's somewhat hard to follow the EPL in America. I tried to this year, but I can't find a reliable way to watch most games besides the handful on ESPN3 and FSC. You'd also have to ignore college football and basketball, which could never face something like this.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: MaryJane on March 14, 2011, 10:21:55 PM
A player controlled league could happen, and it would start by the players retiring. Just like a team can cut a player at any time, a player can leave at any time by retiring. It would also take the millionaire superstar players to invest in the league, and risk alienating fans with 32 new teams.
With the state of things, how hard pressed would fans be to make the jump to the new league? The NFL and the PFL (PlayersFL) would fight over college players, and if the PFL won over incoming rookies where would that leave the NFL? Sure for the first seasons the PFL would have to rent college stadiums, and arenas but it would boil down to do you want to see good football, or do you want to see the D league Pittsburg Steelers? There are a lot of football players out there in the European NFL, arena football and the CFL, but the reason there in those leagues is because they can't make the NFL, and for me it's the level of competition that makes it exciting. College football is a little more exciting live (imho) than the NFL, but the excitement comes from the students who have no disillusions about being part of the team, and that doesn't translate to T.V. I garuntee you that ESPN would show PFL games, they show arena, and the other two leagues when they do something spectacular, and a PFL would have tons of highlights.
Of course, this is just a pipe dream, but it could work. It would maybe need some outside investors to get started and who would become the 'league' setting rules, validating contracts, dividing revenue, and taking some for themselves as well, but maybe there are enough crazy billionaires like Mark Cuban to do something like that. If I was Mark Cuban I would be calling every other billionaire that's ever tried to own an NFL team, and offer the NFL players a new league with revenue sharing on a slightly higher scale than what the NFL has, in that it would include the players.
And I disagree with a salary cap. Players should get the money they earn the team because the team wouldn't earn it without them.
Title: Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread
Post by: RagnaBlade on March 15, 2011, 10:04:45 AM
I don't know how I would live if there wasn't any football! I really hope that this all gets resolved.
