🏈🏈 The American Football Discussion Thread 🏈🏈

[DireWolfM14]

His wife cannot hide the black spots under her eyes with make up. She clearly is very tired from taking care of those kids hehehe.

I hope she has a nanny or 9.  That younger boy looks like he might need two nannies just to keep an eye on him alone.

Would Rivers have a better career if he did not play for the Chargers? I read his history and it appears his team did not utilize his prime properly.

Yes, and yes.  For decades the Chargers were based in a fairly small market that's blessed with great weather all year.  Not the prime environment to foster a lot of football fans, which doesn't help revenue.  They haven't really had much to brag about in the coaching department since Marty Schottenheimer.  The culture of the organization seems determined to put too much emphasis on the quarterback, without putting much effort into other positions.  I do believe Rivers would have done better on a different team.

The move to LA will likely help in the long run, but they need to start winning to attract some more fans. 

[tyKiwanuka]

One of my favourite "defensive" plays ever and a great little video about it (quality is a bit meh): Benjamin Watson tackle saving touchdown



It was the end of the third quarter in AFC divisonal round in 2005 and the Patriots were trailing 6-10 at that point. Ball was ruled out of bounce at the 1yd line. Belichick threw the red flag, but the decision was upheld. There was no conclusive evidence, if the ball went out of bounds through the endzone (I think it did), which would have resulted in the Patriots getting the ball back at their own 20yd line and would have made that play even more heroic.

Denver went on to win 27-13 in the end, but it was a great play and great effort by a TE in a place where breathing is an issue.

[bbc.reporter]

His wife cannot hide the black spots under her eyes with make up. She clearly is very tired from taking care of those kids hehehe.

I hope she has a nanny or 9.  That younger boy looks like he might need two nannies just to keep an eye on him alone.


 

Hehehe the older boy appears that he can also do something. Look at the picture, you do not know what he is doing with his left hand while his father is giving a weird smile again hehehee.

[tyKiwanuka]

Looks like we'll get a new playoff structure for NFL next season

• Seven teams from each conference will go to the PO.
• Regular season will be expanded to 17 games.
• Preseason will only be three weeks instead of four.
• Only one team from each conference will get a bye.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/28739375/more-playoff-teams-expected-new-nfl-cba-sources-say

[morvillz7z]

I assume these changes are already negotiated and only need to be officially included in the new CBA, correct?

• Regular season will be expanded to 17 games.
• Preseason will only be three weeks instead of four.

I like this one, i've never been a fan of prolonged preseason, it's like the XFL, it's football but not really. 
4th/5th stringers fighting for a roster spot, game speed is different, starters only get a few snaps here and there, some don't play at all.

It feels like all of these upcoming changes are first and foremost financially driven, rather than the NFL actually fixing issues with the game.

[tyKiwanuka]

I assume these changes are already negotiated and only need to be officially included in the new CBA, correct?

Yep. According to the article it still needs to be ratified, but should be a gimme. All involved parties seem to be fine with these changes.

It feels like all of these upcoming changes are first and foremost financially driven, rather than the NFL actually fixing issues with the game.

It's a financial win for everyone. Players on the bye-team would now get postseason pay for the bye (which they didn't get before) and overall players revenue share will increase from 47% to 48,5% (+5bln more).

[wheelz1200]

Looks like we'll get a new playoff structure for NFL next season

• Seven teams from each conference will go to the PO.
• Regular season will be expanded to 17 games.
• Preseason will only be three weeks instead of four.
• Only one team from each conference will get a bye.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/28739375/more-playoff-teams-expected-new-nfl-cba-sources-say

I actually like the current amount of teams in the playoffs adding 2 more doesnt seem like a lot but it starts to get watered down.  NBA could use a cutback too.  Regular season wins should matter more than just seeding.  If you arent good enough to be one of the top teams than you dont deserve to be in the playoffs.  As it stands now one out of every four teams in each conference make it, plus 2 more.  This coming from a giants fan too lol

[South Park]

Looks like we'll get a new playoff structure for NFL next season

• Seven teams from each conference will go to the PO.
• Regular season will be expanded to 17 games.
• Preseason will only be three weeks instead of four.
• Only one team from each conference will get a bye.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/28739375/more-playoff-teams-expected-new-nfl-cba-sources-say

I actually like the current amount of teams in the playoffs adding 2 more doesnt seem like a lot but it starts to get watered down.  NBA could use a cutback too.  Regular season wins should matter more than just seeding.  If you arent good enough to be one of the top teams than you dont deserve to be in the playoffs.  As it stands now one out of every four teams in each conference make it, plus 2 more.  This coming from a giants fan too lol

We talked a little bit about this during the previous thread and I expressed my dislike for a 17 games season, I do not like the idea, this will lead to stat inflation and positions like RBs will have an even shorter life span as they accumulate even more damage in a single season and this will devalue their position even more.

However, I like the idea of one more team in the playoffs and only one team getting a bye even less, this change even if it seems to not be as significant will make dynasties even harder and will add a random element to it, this also devalues the second seed to the point of almost making it pointless, one of the great advantages of being the first and second seed not only comes from resting for an additional week, using that week to study your rivals and getting home field advantage, your probabilities of reaching the SB are way higher as well since you only need to win two games instead of three, and now the second seed will only receive home field advantage under the new rules.

[DireWolfM14]

The ESPN article seems to suggest that there's support for adding one more team to the playoffs while limiting the bye week to the top seed.  That one I can see getting pushed through.  What owner doesn't want to increase the odds of his team getting in?  That seems like a no-brainer.  I like this proposal, myself.  As a fan, it would be cool to see more playoff games, they can be quite entertaining and tend to produce the best football.

There's been talk of reducing the number of preseason games and expanding the regular season for quit a while now.  To be honest, with all the fear about injuries and concussions, I thought it would never happen.  I was surprised by this news that the proposal has gotten this far.  It's still going to be debated, and I believe the owners' votes have to be unanimous, so it may not happen.

One of the reasons I find it surprising is due to scheduling issues.  How will each team's 17th opponent be determined?  Right now there's a symmetry to the scheduling path that I imagine would be hard to duplicate with a 17th game.  

Currently:

• Each team plays their division rivals twice.
• Each division is matched with two others, one AFC and one NFC (rotating annually.)
• And finally, each team is matched up with the two intra-conference teams that finished the previous season at the same table position within their respective division.

This system works great for the ever elusive "parity" that the NFL seems desperate to achieve.  As it stands each team's schedule consists of only two teams that their division rivals aren't playing against.  For example: this past season the teams of the NFC west played all the teams from the NFC south and AFC North.  The only teams the 49ers played that the Seahawks, the Rams, and the Cardinals didn't play are the Packers and the Redskins.  That means each team within a division plays twelve games against common opponents, which helps to assess a team's strengths within it's division, and can be used for tie breakers when needed.

I'd be curious to see the proposal for 17 games, and see how it recommends the 17th opponent be selected.

[bbc.reporter]

@DireWolfM14. The MLB also added 2 teams for the post season wild card rounds. I reckon american sports revenues might be going down hehehe. I like the decision, however.

[tyKiwanuka]

There are more and more reports speculating about Rivers being a Colt next season. Looks like they are done with Brissett, who only has a two year contract, and want to move on. I read about some connections from Colts coaching staff to Rivers (his former QB coach and some other guy that used to be with the Chargers iirc).
Rivers would have an above average O-Line to work with, so that is a plus, but not sure if it/he will be enough to get the Colts out of mediocrity. The AFC South used to be the worst division in the NFL for a long time, but it has gotten way better, even without having a top tier team (I don't think the Texans are top tier). Wide open division.


This report says Brady will enter free agency, but I am still not sold on that. Would be very weird to see him in another uniform and I think deep down inside he wants to stay in New England no matter what and retire a lifelong Patriot.

[DireWolfM14]

@DireWolfM14. The MLB also added 2 teams for the post season wild card rounds. I reckon american sports revenues might be going down hehehe. I like the decision, however.

I'm not a big fan of watching paint dry baseball, so I don't follow the MLB, that's news to me.  I've been to several Giants' games, and at least one A's game in my time.  Going to the ballpark to watch a game is a lot of fun, but other than that I can't seem to get into it.

To speak to your other point; I know the NFL has been losing viewership in the US for a couple of years now.  I'm sure it was a shock to the NFL, which seemed to enjoy nothing but growth for decades, regardless of what they did to fuck it up.  I'm not exactly sure what factors are contributing, but some speculate it was partially due to Kaepernick and his protest antics.  The league didn't want to alienate anyone so they just ignored the whole thing, hoping it would go away.  It caused many to regard the league office as being anit-American, and anti Law Enforcement.  Not the best way to gain popularity with their target demographic.

There are more and more reports speculating about Rivers being a Colt next season. Looks like they are done with Brissett, who only has a two year contract, and want to move on. I read about some connections from Colts coaching staff to Rivers (his former QB coach and some other guy that used to be with the Chargers iirc).
Rivers would have an above average O-Line to work with, so that is a plus, but not sure if it/he will be enough to get the Colts out of mediocrity. The AFC South used to be the worst division in the NFL for a long time, but it has gotten way better, even without having a top tier team (I don't think the Texans are top tier). Wide open division.

I think that would be a great fit for both the team and Rivers.  The Colts have a long history of picking smart quarterbacks who can be a coach while lining up under center.

This report says Brady will enter free agency, but I am still not sold on that. Would be very weird to see him in another uniform and I think deep down inside he wants to stay in New England no matter what and retire a lifelong Patriot.

I think you're absolutely right about that.  I agree that Tom Brady would like nothing more than to retire on a Sunday in early February while wearing a Pats uniform.  Alternately, Brady has never shied away from expressing his life-long love for the 49ers.  He's a bay area native, grew up a Niner's fan, and his family are still, to this day, steadfast Niner's fans.  True faithful.  I always thought that if Brady left NE the most appealing place for him to land would be SF.  I don't think that's in the cards, barring some strange turn of events, it's very unlikely to happen.

[tyKiwanuka]

Alternately, Brady has never shied away from expressing his life-long love for the 49ers.  He's a bay area native, grew up a Niner's fan, and his family are still, to this day, steadfast Niner's fans.  True faithful.  I always thought that if Brady left NE the most appealing place for him to land would be SF.  I don't think that's in the cards, barring some strange turn of events, it's very unlikely to happen.

Well, just imagine Brady would indeed go to the 49ers - would you like it or not ?

There were some reports every now and then linking him to the Giants. I thought about it and came to the conclusion that I wouldn't like it. Now the Giants on contrary to the 49ers are in rebuild mode (for ages already ) and I have the feeling that a signing of Brady would rather harm this whole process and progress and the Giants are no contenders for the time being anyway. They would have to start all over more or less and build a system around Brady, because I don't think he will (want to) fit into the existing scheme or the scheme they are trying to build. So assuming Brady has maybe 2-3 years left in him, he could possibly get them into the playoffs again, but not much more. You would be kind of wasting 2-3 years for a little short-term success and once he retires, you are starting from scratch again.

[tyKiwanuka]

Some impressive performance from OT Mekhi Becton at NFL Scouting Combine. 6'7'' (205cm) tall, 364 lbs (165kg) and ran a 5.11sec 40-yd dash Was done afterwards with a harmstring though

See the vid here, dude can run: https://twitter.com/PFF/status/1233502992747331585


I missed last weekends XFL games, but will have a look today again, lol. Looks like bookmakers have adjusted their o/u lines already with both todays game having low-ish lines around 39. Will take the over for the Wildcats@Guardians game and if it wins, the over for the Dragons@BattleHawks game afterwards. At some point the players should be more in sync and points should rain (wishful thinking here).

[DireWolfM14]

Well, just imagine Brady would indeed go to the 49ers - would you like it or not ?

Yes and no.  From a practical side, we already have a quarterback that's essentially a developing clone of Brady.  Both are the quintessential pocket passers, but one is far younger and likely has more years left to play.

On the other hand, I would like nothing more than to see the GOAT in a 49er's uniform.  Imagine if Shanahan was coaching Brady under center this past Superbowl, would his play calling have been so conservative?  I think both would have inspired the other to take a few more chances, and so it goes.  If it were to happen (which I believe is highly unlikely) I would think of it as couple of years while developing a promising draft pick.  But that strategy is risky, and I don't think Lynch or Shanahan want to go down that road.

~NFL Scouting Combine.~

Damn, that's a hard-core NFL fan there.

I missed last weekends XFL games, but will have a look today again, lol. Looks like bookmakers have adjusted their o/u lines already with both todays game having low-ish lines around 39. Will take the over for the Wildcats@Guardians game and if it wins, the over for the Dragons@BattleHawks game afterwards. At some point the players should be more in sync and points should rain (wishful thinking here).

I've playing the games while I do other stuff around the house, but I have to say they can be pretty entertaining.  There are some decent players in the league, it's almost like watching a college game.  Anything can happen at any time, and turn the game around.  So far I'm impressed with the XFL.

[tyKiwanuka]

I've playing the games while I do other stuff around the house, but I have to say they can be pretty entertaining.  There are some decent players in the league, it's almost like watching a college game.  Anything can happen at any time, and turn the game around.  So far I'm impressed with the XFL.

I am not yet giving up on the XFL, but todays game was horrible to watch and my bet of course lost. Metlife was more or less empty for todays spectacle, I would think there was maybe 5,000 people. They are used to bad football in that place, but this was something else today. And I don't know why it looks/feels so bad. Part of it is surely the missing atmosphere, but there is so few action happening on the field too. They were mostly battling for field position and I don't know, how many visits to redzone there were - maybe 2. All FG's had to be made from miles away and while Josh Johnson showed some good throws, this Perez QB from New York was just pathetic; it was the quite good and relentless running game that kept them alive and made them win as big-ish underdogs.

I might be totally wrong, but just by watching the games, I think the top College teams would have no problem beating these XFL teams.

I will skip the second game today, because I need a break

[tyKiwanuka]

I read some reports today, that spoke about a phone call between Belichick and Brady with no results at all and now I saw this tweet:


Source: https://twitter.com/ezlazar/status/1235288819987075073

It wouldn’t be the first time, the Patriots play some mind games, but I don’t see the benefit for the Patriots here. If he gets into negotiations with Titans/Raiders/49ers, it will just drive his price up for the Patriots to keep him. I think those three teams would be willing to pay him way more money, than the Patriots are willing to do.
And Belichick imo has a very good feel, when players are done. We have seen numerous players leaving the Patriots and never being as good again as they were with the Patriots. This might be due to the “Patriots System”, but also Belichick seeing certain players regressing, what other coaches might not see/realize.

[tyKiwanuka]

Time for XFL again

Houston should have no problems with Seattle, so not really interested in that one, but will watch nevertheless. If there is only few points scored come halftime, I will probably jump on the over. The New York at Dallas game is more interesting, too bad it's not the Giants and Cowboys. Dallas will miss Landry Jones for this one and that is why I will have a gamble on New York with small stakes. They were ok-ish last week and with Luis Perez at QB they looked way better offensively. They showed better balance and the running game was more productive due to being more efficient through the air. I expect to lose this bet, but odds are too high imo, lets see, 2.50-2.80 would be more reasonable.

[South Park]

I read some reports today, that spoke about a phone call between Belichick and Brady with no results at all and now I saw this tweet:

snip

It wouldn’t be the first time, the Patriots play some mind games, but I don’t see the benefit for the Patriots here. If he gets into negotiations with Titans/Raiders/49ers, it will just drive his price up for the Patriots to keep him. I think those three teams would be willing to pay him way more money, than the Patriots are willing to do.

I do not really think this is about money, Brady has been charging less than 15 million per season with the exception of last year in which he received a bonus of 8 millions, which is great but we know what he wants, he has been asking for a contract extension for years and NE has refused to give that to him, right now what we are seeing is a game of chicken in which NE believed Brady will never leave the organization no matter what and thinking they can do whatever they want with him, Brady is trying to give the opposite impression by putting his house up for sale, having public conversations with other coaches and owners and hitting free agency.

As a NE fan I know that we will have to eventually have to face the future without Brady but he is the image of the franchise and to let him walk away is probably never be forgotten or forgiven by the fans.

However the wants of Brady and Belichick run contrary to each other, Brady wants some help on the offence since last year was a complete disaster and I find hard to believe most QBs on the NFL could do better than Brady under those conditions, but Belichick knows he will have to move on from Brady and the next QB that takes over is not going to be as good so he is trying to build NE as they were at the beginning of the dynasty, he is trying to build a very strong defence and a running game so they do not depend on their QB play that much.

In my opinion it does not seem like there is a way to solve this and Brady will play for another team next season, Indianapolis or Tennessee will be good landing spots but if he gets to play for SF or Dallas the whole NFL will go crazy over the move.

And Belichick imo has a very good feel, when players are done. We have seen numerous players leaving the Patriots and never being as good again as they were with the Patriots. This might be due to the “Patriots System”, but also Belichick seeing certain players regressing, what other coaches might not see/realize.

It is clear some level of decline is present in Brady, he is 42 and will be 43 at the beginning of the regular season, however if you compare him to any other QB that got to play to his age he is still doing great and he can still pull of some of his magic when he needs it the most.

[DireWolfM14]

I agree with South Park, Brady has never particularly driven by the money.  Considering his success he could easily have gotten huge contracts over the years, but instead, he has opted to take pay-cuts to help keep the team competitive in other positions.  I think he's rather win Super Bowls than be the highest payed Quarterback of the week.  He also knows that his best chances of winning Super Bowls are with the Patriots.

And lets not forget that players earn a significant amount for every post season game they play (and more if they win,) and a huge sum for the Super Bowl.  If I'm not mistaken, the pay for extra games is in addition to the figure agreed upon in their contracts. 

Whatever games Brady or Belichick might be playing, I would venture to guess that a big payday isn't what Brady is after, or what the Patriots are trying to avoid.  I really believe that Brady would like to prove himself as the GOAT, and not have his entire carrier include the asterisk named Belichick.  The past week I've been seeing a lot speculation about Brady coming to the 9ers, but I really don't think there's much chance of that happening.  The 9ers need help, but it ain't in the quarterback position.  They can move away from Garoppolo without any salary cap hit, and make a decent deal to get Brady, but I really don't think that would be the right direction for the team to go.

Belichick would like to keep winning, and he's calculated about it.  His quarter back doesn't have to be named Brady remain in contention, but it wouldn't hurt.  Like any calculated coach ought to, he'll keep his emotions out of the decision, and do what's best for his team.  Right now his options are open, and there's no need to rush to a decision.

Time for XFL again

I'm sorry to say that I'm already over it.  The new season of Major League Soccer started up last weekend, and I'm anxious to see how LAFC does.  I'll keep watching the XLF games through out the week, but I'll be selective about them.  I haven't picked a team I'd like to root for, so that may be the reason for my indifference.