N.f.l. 2012 (1 Viewer)

[jazzeum]

George,

I don't think the Jets will even win the game on Sunday. Before we move on, a few last points about Saturday's game:

1. They emphasized Sanchez' weaknesses and not his strengths. If he can't pass downfield, why ask him to do that. I know the Giants' secondary was inviting but their strength is running the ball, with an occasional pass. Giants basically couldn't stop the run. As badly as they played, with 5 minutes to go they had the ball. What do they do? Three passes. Really stupid.

You should never ask a person to do something he's not capable of doing.

2. Giants lacked passion this year. Jets supplied it. They covered up the Giants' SB trophies because they were the visiting team. How stupid can you be. All the talk was just dumb. Keep it inside.

All in all, not a team that deserved to win the game.

They will either win big on Sunday or lose big. No in between.

Next year, Rex will be on the hot seat and he better keep his trap shut.

 

[Warrior]

Giants lacked passion this year. Jets supplied it. They covered up the Giants' SB trophies because they were the visiting team. How stupid can you be. All the talk was just dumb. Keep it inside.

Next year, Rex will be on the hot seat and he better keep his trap shut.

The problem with a coach like Ryan is he has a short shelf life; oh sure, he's a riot during press conferences, a quote machine, plus his predictions and bravado play great to the fans and so on and so forth, plus when you back it up with back to back trips to the AFCCG, the fans REALLY love it.

But when things go south like they did this year, the act gets really old.

Really fast.

Look at Belichick; he's like dry white toast during his press conferences, he's boring, he provides no bulletin board material, he's not funny, all he does is coach the team.

Like you said, next year he needs to just shut up and coach; if they don't make the playoffs this year or next year, he will be gone...................

 

[jazzeum]

I don't think he will be gone even if he misses the playoff this year and next because the owner (who seems like a bland individual, not that I know him) loves him and his personality. Plus, he does have talent as a HC. Defensively, they've gotten better this year, probably due to Rex. However, I don't think he's exercising enough control over the offense and in order to be a successful HC he needs to do that.

 

[Louis Badolato]

The Patriots haven't won a playoff game since the 2008 AFCCG, followed by that gag job vs the Giants in the 2008 Super Bowl and you win in the playoffs with defense, which they simply do not have this year, their defense is just God awful, it's the offense that has bailed them out.

We'll see how it shakes out sooner than later......

This year, there are several teams in the playoffs with suspect defenses: the Patriots, the Packers, the Saints, the Cowboys or Giants, and the Broncos or Raiders.

Then there are several teams with strong defenses, but less than stellar offenses: the Ravens, the Steelers, the 49ers, and the Texans.

With the rule changes, I tend to believe that the offenses will have the advantage over the defenses. I would not be surprised if the NFC Championship game was Saints at Packers and the AFC Championship game was the Steelers at the Patriots.

If it ends up Saints or Packers vs Patriots, it could be the highest scoring superbowl of all time.

 

[wayne556517]

While I agree with your points Brad, I think also, you should take into account that 3 of their road games (Atlanta, St. Louis & Minnesota) were in domes, and three others (Jacksonville, Carolina, Tampa Bay) were early season-good weather and, in 2 cases, artificial turf (i.e. the functional equivalent of a dome).

The Saints have yet to play a bad weather/windy out door game this season, particularly on natural grass, which is what they will be facing in both Green Bay and San Fransisco in mid-January. They lose a good portion of their offensive advantage (speed on turf and the ability to throw the ball deep down the field with pin-point accuracy) under these conditions, and against teams like the 49ers and Packers who are used to natural grass and adverse weather conditions, they are going to have a very difficult time. Historically, no dome team has ever won an NFC or AFC Championship on the road. I'm not saying the Saints are not good enough to overcome these factors, its just something to think about.

Thanks Louis you have me thinking.

 

[wayne556517]

The problem with a coach like Ryan is he has a short shelf life; oh sure, he's a riot during press conferences, a quote machine, plus his predictions and bravado play great to the fans and so on and so forth, plus when you back it up with back to back trips to the AFCCG, the fans REALLY love it.

But when things go south like they did this year, the act gets really old.

Really fast.

Look at Belichick; he's like dry white toast during his press conferences, he's boring, he provides no bulletin board material, he's not funny, all he does is coach the team.

Like you said, next year he needs to just shut up and coach; if they don't make the playoffs this year or next year, he will be gone...................

Classic

 

[mikemiller1955]

5,087...5,084...broke...but barely...wonder how Marino feels about that...

 

[lancer]

5,087...5,084...broke...but barely...wonder how Marino feels about that...

It is a great record to break, but Brees is also very close to John Unitas' all time record streak of "consecutive games with a TD pass" record which has stood for 51 years, a long time in a professional sport and especially impressive in today's pass happy/friendly NFL. Unitas set his record from 1956 thru 1960. Brees now has the second longest streak, after shooting up Atlanta, at 42 games, with one game left this year. This puts Brees on pace to tie the record in the 4th game next season and set the new record in the 5th game. As Unitas is my all-time favorite sports hero, I find this streak to be, along with Joe D's 56 game hit streak, the most impressive in professional sports. Brees has done an unbelievable job to reach this point and I am very impressed. Having said that, I hope someone stops him short of Unitas. I like that record right where it is, thank you.:rolleyes2::wink2:^&grin -- Al

 

[Louis Badolato]

I don't think he will be gone even if he misses the playoff this year and next because the owner (who seems like a bland individual, not that I know him) loves him and his personality. Plus, he does have talent as a HC. Defensively, they've gotten better this year, probably due to Rex. However, I don't think he's exercising enough control over the offense and in order to be a successful HC he needs to do that.

Nothing is going to happen to either Rex or Sanchez, and frankly, nothing should. The Jets GM will (rightfully) make a sacrificial lamb of Schottenheimer, and probably promote the offensive guru they brought in as an advisor to offensive coordinator. The Jets need to bring in a top flight quarterback coach to get Sanchez's development moving in the right direction, and this off season, they need to cut two of their starters on the O-line and focus on bringing in big physical run blocking offensive linemen, and picking up a second quality rusher, preferably a physical one like Thomas Jones was for them in Sanchez's rookie season. The only offensive linemen on the Jets I would consider untouchable is the center, Nick Mangold. I don't know whether he is hurt or just stinks, but their left tackle D'Brickashaw Furgeson neither run nor pass-blocked effectively this season, and the guard on the left side also failed miserably to get the job done.

If the Jets return to the philosophy that got them to two AFC championship games, Sanchez, who no longer will need to be the focus of the offense, can return to developing and improve into a quality second tier NFL quarterback. Finally, the Jets need to draft, trade for or sign at least one, preferably two edge pass rushers. If the Jets could control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, and run effectively on offense while getting pressure on the quarterback on defense (i.e., obtain two offensive linemen, a running back, and two pass rushers), with the skill players they presently have on offense (Sanchez, Greene, Holmes, Burress) and the secondary they have (Revis, Cromartie, a healthy Jim Leonard), they should be a legitimate superbowl contender next year.

The Giants, on the other hand, have a very different set of needs. Assuming (1) they win Sunday night so Coughlin keeps his job and (2) the plethora of injured defenders get healthy for next season, the Giants need to do 3 things to become a legitimate superbowl contender: (1) Fire Perry Fewell, the defensive coordinator, who has been completely ineffective, and, if Steve Spagnuolo is fired by the Rams, bring him back as the Giants defensive coordinator. (2) Obtain a quality middle linebacker to both stuff the run and quarterback the defense. (3) Obtain a quality run blocking interior lineman and cut Baas, who has been a complete liability to the Giants running attack (with Baas as the starter, the Giants running attack is dead last in the league with 88 yards per game, in the 4 games with Booth as center and Petrus as the guard, the Giants have rushed for more than 100 yards per game).

 

[jazzeum]

Nothing is going to happen to either Rex or Sanchez, and frankly, nothing should. The Jets GM will (rightfully) make a sacrificial lamb of Schottenheimer, and probably promote the offensive guru they brought in as an advisor to offensive coordinator. The Jets need to bring in a top flight quarterback coach to get Sanchez's development moving in the right direction, and this off season, they need to cut two of their starters on the O-line and focus on bringing in big physical run blocking offensive linemen, and picking up a second quality rusher, preferably a physical one like Thomas Jones was for them in Sanchez's rookie season. The only offensive linemen on the Jets I would consider untouchable is the center, Nick Mangold. I don't know whether he is hurt or just stinks, but their left tackle D'Brickashaw Furgeson neither run nor pass-blocked effectively this season, and the guard on the left side also failed miserably to get the job done.

If the Jets return to the philosophy that got them to two AFC championship games, Sanchez, who no longer will need to be the focus of the offense, can return to developing and improve into a quality second tier NFL quarterback. Finally, the Jets need to draft, trade for or sign at least one, preferably two edge pass rushers. If the Jets could control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, and run effectively on offense while getting pressure on the quarterback on defense (i.e., obtain two offensive linemen, a running back, and two pass rushers), with the skill players they presently have on offense (Sanchez, Greene, Holmes, Burress) and the secondary they have (Revis, Cromartie, a healthy Jim Leonard), they should be a legitimate superbowl contender next year.

I think the fear of every Jets fan is that they may keep Schottenheimer and apparently not that long ago they signed to him an extension (don't ask me why). The offensive guru you refer to is Tom Moore, who developed Peyton at Indy. However, he retired. Whether he wants to come fulltime I do not know. Yes, Wayne Hunter, the right tackle needs to go. I think the right guard Brandon Moore is banged up. Slauson hasn't had a very good year. As far as Sanchez, the Times had an article today showing that after three years in the league, his and Eli's numbers were very comparable. However, at the end of that year Coughlin fired his OC and brought in a new one that helped his development. Sometimes it's not all that bad to have adversity or find out you're not as good as you thought you were: it's a great character builder.

As far as drafting, they need a safety or two (don't know if they want to resign Leonhard) in the worst way and a pass rusher, not to mention help at LB, as they are vulnerable to vertical passes. Their DT Sione Pouha has improved and Maybin helps at times on the pass rush but Wilkerson at DL has been inconsistent. One of the problems is that with their success in the playoffs in the last couple of years they are not getting good draft choices so they don't have a lot to pick from as far as a pass rusher. If I had the choice of drafting someone on the O line or D line, I'd go for the former.

 

[Louis Badolato]

It is a great record to break, but Brees is also very close to John Unitas' all time record streak of "consecutive games with a TD pass" record which has stood for 51 years, a long time in a professional sport and especially impressive in today's pass happy/friendly NFL. Unitas set his record from 1956 thru 1960. Brees now has the second longest streak, after shooting up Atlanta, at 42 games, with one game left this year. This puts Brees on pace to tie the record in the 4th game next season and set the new record in the 5th game. As Unitas is my all-time favorite sports hero, I find this streak to be, along with Joe D's 56 game hit streak, the most impressive in professional sports. Brees has done an unbelievable job to reach this point and I am very impressed. Having said that, I hope someone stops him short of Unitas. I like that record right where it is, thank you.:rolleyes2::wink2:^&grin -- Al

Al,

With the rule changes so completely favoring the offense, and particularly the passing offense, I really cannot consider anything that happens in today's league as breaking records or otherwise comparing to things that happened in the league pre-2000, much less in the 50's and 60's. Unitas set that record in a league where the offensive line had to block with their hands inside and their elbows out, and where defenders could have contact with receivers all the way down the field, and defensive backs like Night-Train Lane could legally knock a "defenseless" receiver unconcious if he was foolish enough to expose himself coming across the middle.

It is today's NFL, not the receivers, which is "defenseless" so for me at least, Brees' records will always have an asterix. But then again, for me the all time MLB home run king is Hank Aaron and the single season home run king is Roger Maris, so you know they way I look at sports today.

 

[lancer]

Al,

With the rule changes so completely favoring the offense, and particularly the passing offense, I really cannot consider anything that happens in today's league as breaking records or otherwise comparing to things that happened in the league pre-2000, much less in the 50's and 60's. Unitas set that record in a league where the offensive line had to block with their hands inside and their elbows out, and where defenders could have contact with receivers all the way down the field, and defensive backs like Night-Train Lane could legally knock a "defenseless" receiver unconcious if he was foolish enough to expose himself coming across the middle.

It is today's NFL, not the receivers, which is "defenseless" so for me at least, Brees' records will always have an asterix. But then again, for me the all time MLB home run king is Hank Aaron and the single season home run king is Roger Maris, so you know they way I look at sports today.

Sounds very similar to the way I look at them, too. Hank and Roger still rule, as does Johnny U. and I still believe Jimmy Brown is the best rusher I have ever seen. I miss the old days of the pre-merger NFL and AFL. -- Al

 

[Louis Badolato]

Sounds very similar to the way I look at them, too. Hank and Roger still rule, as does Johnny U. and I still believe Jimmy Brown is the best rusher I have ever seen. I miss the old days of the pre-merger NFL and AFL. -- Al

There is no question that Jim Brown was the greatest running back to ever carry the ball. For me, there are two golden ages of NFL football: the 50's with Jim Brown, Sam Huff, Johnny Unitas, Y.A. Tittle, etc., and the 80's with Jerry Rice, Lawrence Taylor, Dan Marino, Joe Montana, Walter Payton, etc. If we could return to football as played in those eras, the NFL would be great again. Today's NFL is closer to basketball than football in my eyes.

 

[lancer]

There is no question that Jim Brown was the greatest running back to ever carry the ball. For me, there are two golden ages of NFL football: the 50's with Jim Brown, Sam Huff, Johnny Unitas, Y.A. Tittle, etc., and the 80's with Jerry Rice, Lawrence Taylor, Dan Marino, Joe Montana, Walter Payton, etc. If we could return to football as played in those eras, the NFL would be great again. Today's NFL is closer to basketball than football in my eyes.

As well as the 50's and 60's, I also enjoyed the 80's a great deal. Fine decade for the Redskins and the John Riggens lead teams of Joe Gibbs. I loved the game when there was a decent balance between running, passing, and tough defense. I don't care much for today's pass heavy game where teams pass for 1 or 2 yards rather than try to run for it. There is a certain beauty in a well executed run offense that many of todays fans never see. I have never seen a more graceful or dangerous runner than Gale Sayers was, and there is almost no chance that a runner of such caliber could find a place in todays game, although I have to believe that such a second coming would be accomadated if it occurs. I also miss the old defensive struggles where monsters at MLB like Huff, Nobis, Butkus, Bednarik, and Nitschke ruled the football field. At least Ray Lewis and the Ravens kind of come close, but it's not the same. Oh well, maybe the circle will come back around before I croak.{sm3} -- Al

 

[Louis Badolato]

As well as the 50's and 60's, I also enjoyed the 80's a great deal. Fine decade for the Redskins and the John Riggens lead teams of Joe Gibbs. I loved the game when there was a decent balance between running, passing, and tough defense. I don't care much for today's pass heavy game where teams pass for 1 or 2 yards rather than try to run for it. There is a certain beauty in a well executed run offense that many of todays fans never see. I have never seen a more graceful or dangerous runner than Gayle Sayers was, and there is almost no chance that a runner of such caliber could find a place in todays game, although I have to believe that such a second coming would be accomadated if it occurs. I also miss the old defensive struggles where monsters at MLB like Huff, Nobis, Butkus, Bednarik, and Nitschke ruled the football field. At least Ray Lewis and the Ravens kind of come close, but it's not the same. Oh well, maybe the circle will come back around before I croak.{sm3} -- Al

In the 1980's, the Bears (Samurai Mike Singletary, Wilber Marshal, Richard Dent, William Perry, Dan Hampton, Dave Duerson), Giants (Lawrence Laylor, Harry Carson, Carl Banks, Pepper Johnson, Leonard Marshall, George Martin, Jim Burt), Eagles (Reggie White, Seth Joyner, Jerome Brown, Clyde Simmons, Andre Waters), and 49ers (Ronnie Lott, Jim Burt, Charles Haley, Bill Romanowski, Eric Wright, Keena Turner) Defenses harkened back to the great defenses of the 50's, and the defensive coordinators of these teams, Buddy Ryan (Bears), Bill Bellicek (Giants), Wade Phillips (Eagles), and George Seiffert (49ers) read like a who's who of defensive minded coaches. Sam Huff, Dick Butkus, Chuck Bednarik (maybe not Bednarik, he hated that modern players only play one side of the ball) and Ray Nitschke would not have minded playing shoulder to shoulder with Mike Singletary, Lawrence Taylor, Reggie White and Ronnie Lott. That's why the 50's and the 80's will always be my favorite NFL eras.

 

[jazzeum]

The scuttlebutt is that even if the Giants lose on Sunday, Coughlin will be back.

The one question is where will the Rams coach wind up. Giants and Eagles may want to hire him as DC, with the goal to eventually take over as HC.

To early to pick games, but I'm not liking Ravens in Cincy; they're 3-4 on the road. Not keen on Houston either. SD will probably mail it in and Norv will be on the unemployment line. Leaning to KC as the players try to get Romeo a job; how bad was Haley.

Leaning to Dallas. The game is being so hyped it will probably be a bust. Not much else going in the NFC. SF should be the number 2 seed. If so, probably one and done for Saints in playoffs.

 

[jrsteel]

There is no question that Jim Brown was the greatest running back to ever carry the ball. For me, there are two golden ages of NFL football: the 50's with Jim Brown, Sam Huff, Johnny Unitas, Y.A. Tittle, etc., and the 80's with Jerry Rice, Lawrence Taylor, Dan Marino, Joe Montana, Walter Payton, etc. If we could return to football as played in those eras, the NFL would be great again. Today's NFL is closer to basketball than football in my eyes.

We were just talking about this at work today. Those games with the Saints in a dome are not football to me. It's too easy to pass in the league today. It's too hard for anyone to play dominant defense anymore. Don't look for the league to change the rules to make it fairer for the defense either. It will keep getting worse. The NFL used to be run by football men like the Rooney's and the Mara's. It is now run by greedy corporate marketing men. All they care about are ratings and marketing the product. Remember when the Super Bowl was played in the afternoon in golden sunshine from the Rose Bowl or the Orange Bowl? Now they all have to be at night, usually in a stinking dome, for ratings. Even the Championship Games have to be played at night now. How can you schedule a Championship game at Green Bay in late January for an 8PM start? That Giants Packers game a few years ago should've been played in the afternoon. It shows you how much the NFL cares about the fans attending the game. Give me Steelers - Raiders games from the 1970's. That's football to me.

 

[jazzeum]

Good to see you posting again JR. It's been awhile.

My impression is that people always fondly recall bygone eras, even if those eras weren't as good as they thought they were. Sports is part of society and society is not static, as much as we may want to be. Early baseball was dominated by the dead ball era. When the Babe came along things changed. When the color line was broken things changed again.

As society grew and the post WW II westward expansion continued, franchises moved west and new ones were born, which also meant that football/baseball would be played in a variety of climates. That is why stadia such as the Astrodome developed. Of course it's about money. It always has been: Charles Comiskey (White Sox Scandal), Reserve clause, Unions, etc. The list goes on and on.

The latest concern is working conditions. We now see players leave on paternity leave, practices restricted to one a days and safer working conditions. This is just a reflection of what the society is at large. Change is a fact of life, both in our daily lives and in our entertainment.

 

[jazzeum]

Time to pick the games in the league where they play for pay.

Cowboys vs Giants. With Romo and Ware at less than 100 % and a terrible secondary, I like the Giants in this game. Cruz is the revelation of this season and will have a big game. Why he's not a Pro Bowl pick is beyond me. Giants are favored by 3. Take the Giants with the points.

Ravens at Bengals. Line is Ravens by 2.5. Ravens road record is below 500. Both teams ought to be motivated. Ravens could be number one seed but will wind up at 5. Bengals plus the points. Hope I'm wrong.

Chiefs at Broncos. Broncos are favored by 3.5. To ask a rookie QB to win the division is too much. Chiefs want to get Romeo the job. Chiefs plus 3.5.

 

[mikemiller1955]

Time to pick the games in the league where they play for pay.

Cowboys vs Giants. Giants are favored by 3. Take the Giants with the points.

I think you mean...take the Giants minus the points...