NFL Thread

[Peeze]

Oh fantastic, Greg Jennings is now a Viking.

 

[M@v]

OH WOW. THE STEELERS SIGNED absolutely no one besides a legit backup qb, which is more than we usually do in free agency.

#draftbuilders.

 

[Isatis]

I will never, ever get used to Reed being with another team ;_;

 

[M@v]

I sure can. Don't have to face him twice a year anymore :D
Also, 2nd best Exodus in the history of mankind is the Exodus from Baltimore

 

[Terywj [태리]]

Win Superbowl? Proceed to lose all cornerstone players HUEHUE.

 

[theeboredone]

Kinda bummed the 49ers let go of Goldson and didn't get anyone in FA (Reed). Hopefully they pick up someone good in the draft.

 

[Coolwhip]

I'm guessing the bears will take Te'o this upcoming draft.
The era of Te'o will begin for the monsters of the midway.

I however still believe that the bears will bring back urlacher, at the bears price.

#DaBears

 

[M@v]

I want the Steelers to sign Ahmad Bradshaw. For those that don't know, Bradshaw has visited the Steelers and had a physical with them. They are apparently still in touch.

I know we usually never use free agency other than the occasional backup (like Green Bay, we rely heavily on building via the draft), but I actually feel this would be a great move for once.

-He's fairly young
-He's proven himself in New York
-His biggest potential drawback, injury, would be addressed by doing a 2 back system with him and Johnathan Dwyer. I feel Dwyer is a low end starting RB in this league, so pairing him with Bradshaw in maybe a 60-40/65-35 Bradshaw/Dwyer ratio will give them both plenty of action. At the same time though, it wont put the entire load on bradshaw and should help reduce the chance of injury. If one of them goes down we roll with the other + Isaac Redman.

This running back class is weak, with only 1 potential first rounder out of Alabama. I'd rather us use that 1st rounder on Safety/Corner/Best available than another dire need. Steelers have a great history of finding good receivers deep in drafts, so I don't know if we need to commit our 1st round to a WR (A lot of people have us linked to Cordarrelle Patterson out of Tennesee, one of the top wr's in the draft.)


TL:DR Sign bradshaw, avoid having to use the 1st/2nd round pick on a rb in a weak rb class, and use it for a another position need, like safety/corner, MAYBE wide receiver, but use caution if you do.

 

[SharkAttack]

Big news for Lions fans

http://t.foxsports.msn.com/lions-kicker-hanson-42-retiring-1

I'm going to miss Jason Hanson. He's the only field goal kicker I've ever known in Detroit. He's been then forever. It's a bummer his franchise has not won a playoff game since he's been there. I remember I went to a game in 1998 against Denver, and then the next game I went to was in 2009 against Arizona, and when I saw his name on the program guide it was like "That's amazing I get to see Jason Hanson still play and I haven't been to a game in 10 years and 360 days."

Aside from missing the OT FG kick against Houston on Thanksgiving, Hanson still had it in him. This retirement is surprising to me while at the same time not so surprising due to age.

 

[M@v]

Schedule's out boys and girls.
http://www.nfl.com/schedules
You can filter it for your team only as well.


I wonder if Raven tastes like Turkey. I'm looking forward to seeing if it does

 

[SharkAttack]

I haven't really taken in the schedule as a whole yet. I basically just looked at the Lions schedule since they are my favorite team. I will admit that I like their chances of contending for a playoff spot just by looking at it so far despite last year's 4-12 record, along with a culture of losing.

It's interesting to note how many games there are this season where players are going back to stadiums to play against their former teams (G. Jennings vs. Green Bay, E. Reed vs. Baltimore, P. Manning vs. Colts, heck, even Andy Reid is going back to Philadelphia to coach against Philadelphia.

 

[Peeze]

I can't see vikes etter than 8-8 at most. More like 6-10, unless AP goes beastly again this year

 

[theeboredone]

Lmao at Ravens playing on the road, because the Orioles refuse to move a home game.

 

[M@v]

I am here to share with you this tale of legend:
http://www.sbnation.com/2013/5/1/4282368/tim-tebow-cfl

Its long, real long, but this is as epic as Dmbrandon's tale of Inui.

 

[mood4food77]

tebow is one stubborn SOB, he needs to accept the fact he can't be a QB if he wants to play

yea he won games in denver but he seems to forget how friggen awesome his defense was in those games

outside of the playoff win against pittsburgh....that's some serious WTF

 

[Berserker Swordsman]

yea he won games in denver but the world seems to forget how friggen awesome his defense was in those games

Fix'd. Though it's much easier to have an amazing defense when the offense primarily carries the ball and eats up clock. Honestly, when the Broncos were in front, they were at least a top 3 team. Unfortunately, not every offense they faced was going to let them get on top and stay there (Detroit, GB, NE that year).

 

[theeboredone]

I give so much credit to the Broncos D that year. They had their fail moments, but under Tebow, they did lead the league in 3 and outs. Talk about getting no rest, and just hoping Tebow comes alive in the 4th.

 

[Berserker Swordsman]

2 weeeekkkkssss!!!

 

[SharkAttack]

It's extremely early to start making playoff predictions, but I'm doing so now anyways. I'm anxious to start talking FOOTBALL! I made these predictions primarily based on player talent on teams, franchise history's, strength of schedule, and then some just pure gut feelings. I'm always bad at predictions anyways, but I figured it would be nice to lay this out now before I forget.

[COLLAPSE=2013 NFL Season Playoff Predictions] AFC:
1.) Denver Broncos
2.) Pittsburgh Steelers
3.) Houston Texans
4.) New England Patriots
5.) Cincinnati Bengals
6.) Buffalo Bills

NFC:
1.) San Fransisco 49ers
2.) Atlanta Falcons
3.) Chicago Bears
4.) Washington Redskins
5.) Seattle Seahawks
6.) Detroit Lions

Playoff Matches:
1st Round AFC:
Houston over Buffalo
Bengals over Patriots

1st Round NFC:
Lions over Redskins
Seahawks over Bears

2nd (Divisional) Round AFC:
Steelers over Texans
Broncos over Bengals

2nd (Divisional) Round NFC:
49ers over Lions
Seahawks over Falcons

AFC Championship:
Steelers over Broncos

NFC Championship:
49ers over Seahawks

Superbowl
49ers over Steelers
[/COLLAPSE]

 

[Berserker Swordsman]

Er, you must have switched seeds in an edit or something, because you have the wrong NFC wild card matchups down. The Lions would play the Bears and the Seahawks would have a rematch with the Redskins according to your current seeding.

I'll preface the rest of my post by saying that I haven't looked in-depth at schedules, so that may be a factor I'm missing here.

That aside, Steelers as 2nd seed? I can't see them taking the division over the Bengals or Ravens. I can also see the Colts getting better than they were last year (not record-wise, but as a team), so I'd shoe them in as a wild card there, not the Bills who have too many question marks all over their team. And I still think everyone's underestimating how good the Patriots are/can be. That doesn't mean they go 14-2 or better, but I don't see what stops them from being a top 2 seed again just because they're having a roster shakeup. Taking franchise history alone should put them in front of the Texans, at least.

NFC side, I'll let your Lions at 6th seed slide since they're your team. =P But the Packers are nowhere to be seen on that list. Did you just forget about them, or are you predicting some monumental collapse after they made the playoffs with a tough schedule last year (almost with a bye)? It's actually kinda funny though that you put the Seahawks' road to the Super Bowl exactly the same as last year though, that would be some weird stuff.

WHERE'S THE DOLPHINS HYPE #MVTANNEHILL

 

[Smooth Criminal]

...when did the Bengals get such good prospects? I've been seriously out of the loop with the draft/preseason.

Smooth Criminal

 

[M@v]

Holy crap, that might be the most optimistic projection for the Steelers I've seen outside of Pittsburgh. Everyone has labeled them dead meat after we went 8-8 last year. Forget about the fact that 4 of those losses were from single dumb decisions (2 ben picks, a long field goal that shouldn't of been attempted, and losing to a last second field goal), and also forget the fact the last time we missed the playoffs back to back was 1999-2000. Oh, also forget our worst record since then was 6-10. We're thoroughly screwed



Real talk though we reaaallllly need to start drafting better. Our drafting in the Mike Tomlin era has been....below average....to be kind. NO ONE from the 2008 draft is even with the team anymore, so that was basically a wasted draft. Really hope the 2013 class turns out as well as I think it will.

 

[SharkAttack]

I'm going to explain my picks. Just doing the AFC for now because I don't have time for the NFC until later. My explanations are likely to be horrible and be filled with holes, but mehh, I enjoy making season picks. I should wait until after the pre-season due to potential injuries like Michael Vick in 2003 when he broke his leg, however I just want to do these now for the heck of it. I also always do this in July, but I've never before done an analysis. In 2011-2012 season I predicted Packers vs. Ravens (actual Giants vs. Patriots), and for the 2012-2013 season predicted Bears vs. Texans (actual Ravens vs. 49ers). I think for the 2010-2011 season I predicted Jets vs. Cowboys (actual Packers vs. Steelers).

[COLLAPSE=1. Denver Broncos] The Denver Broncos likely have angry and motivated psych after their playoff collapse, the Broncos have a lot to play for. Their schedule is one of the easiest as well with a good balance of home and road games. They will win the opener against Baltimore, win in New York against the Gaints, then steamroll the Raiders and Eagles to go 4-0. I can see wins against Dallas, Jacksonville and Indy for a 7-0 start, and even a home win vs. the Redskins to go 8-0 into the bye week. After the bye Denver goes 9-0 after beating San Diego, barely beat KC to go 10-0, and then lose back to back road games to New England and KC to go 10-2. Denver then wins out to go 14-2, but if they lose a game I declared a win, such as in Indy, then the Broncos go 13-3 still with Homefield advantage. Denver then takes on the Bengals inside an energetic Mile High Stadium. The Broncos will go up early and the Bengals by a score of 13-0, and then the two teams will trade scores back in fourth, but Denver holds onto basically a 13 point margin the whole game. Broncos win 27-17. Denver then hosts the Steelers in the AFC Championship game. The Steelers offense is fluid early and will go up 14-0. Denver then answers with a touchdown, only to then be answered with a field goal in return. The score is 17-7 at the half. The Steelers then go up 20-7 before the Broncos make it 20-10 going into the 4th Qtr. The Steelers then kick a FG with 9:27 left. Denver scores a TD with 4:37 left to only trail 23-17. The Steelers do a good job managing the clock before Denver gets the ball back and is on a drive at 22 yard line. Denver is driving and the crowd is getting hyped, but then a costly turnover by a Bronco other than Manning costs Denver the game.[/COLLAPSE]

[COLLAPSE=2. Pittsburgh Steelers] I'm a believer in good team history, and Pittsburgh is good year after year in general. 2013 seems bleak, and I might be giving them way more credit than anything being a #2 seed then going to the Superbowl, but I believer their schedule favors them well, and with a well run organization anything can happen. The Steelers will win their home opener against the Titans, and then eek out a road win on Monday Night football against the Bengals to start 2-0. I'm not sure how they will do at home against Chicago, but a win is probable to start 3-0 and surprise people. Pittsburgh then goes to London to play the Vikings. Minnesota has a very brutal schedule to start the season, let alone losing a true homegame by playing in London. The Vikings might be beat up, and last season might not translate well to this one. Steelers will go 4-0. The Steelers then have the Jets next, and New York in my opinion will be garbage, like 2-14 or 3-13 type of season. The Steelers go 5-0 and then have a tough game against the Ravens. Baltimore could likely win this very tight divisional game, and I will give it to them, so Pit goes 6-1. The Steelers then go to Foxborough and lose to go 6-2. The Steelers then get home wins against the Bills and Lions followed by a road win in Cleveland to be 9-2. The confidence continues to flow, and the Steelers win on Thanksgiving. The Steelers will only lose to Green Bay in Lambeau and close out 13-3. The Steelers then win against the Texans in a very tight Divisional Round Game by a score of 31-24. In the AFC Championship the Steelers offense gets in a grove early, and the defense hangs on to knock out Denver 23-17. I'm calling for someone other than Manning to mess this game up, such as a running back fumbling the ball, or a receiver bobbling an attempted catch that gets picked off, or not caught when it should have been.

The Steelers make it to the Superbowl to take on the San Francisco 49ers. This game is highly anticipated. I'm not going to do a whole analysis on this. I'm just going to say the 49ers win 33-24.[/COLLAPSE]

[COLLAPSE= 3.) Houston Texans] The Houston Texans were a good team last year by basically having the best record in the league until struggling down the stretch in December. The Texans will go 2-0 with wins in San Diego and at home vs. Tennessee. I'm calling 3-0 with a win in Baltimore followed by losses to the Seahawks and 49ers. The Texans then beat St. Louis and KC and go 5-2 into the bye week. Their next game is at home against Indy and could be either a win or loss. I'll call for a win to go 6-2. Houston then rolls through Arizona, Oakland and Jacksonville to go 9-2. Houston then barely wins at home to New England and then destroys the Jags to go 11-2. Houston then falls to the Colts to go 11-3, and then lose a critical game on December 22nd to Denver that could have potentially put them for a bye in the 1st round of the playoffs. Houston then is locked into the 3 seed and rests their starters against Tennessee to close the season. Texans go 11-5. In the Wildcard Round the Texans whip on the Bills, who just got bye to make the playoffs by a score of 33-10. Houston then goes to Hinz Field and will fare well in a close game vs. the Steelers. Pittsburgh will find a way to win this tight game with a late Rothlisburger comeback and end the Texans season in heartbreak. Steelers win 31-24.[/COLLAPSE]

[COLLAPSE=4. New England Patriots] The Patriots will win the AFC East. New England is a great team year after year, however this year they will fall back quite a bit. The Patriots could snag the #1 seed, or #2 seed, but their offense could lack receivers with a potential for Gronk to be hurt and of course the arrest of Hernandez. The Patriots have a somewhat challenging schedule. New England could easily start 3-0, I got a feeling Buffalo upsets New England in week 1 like Arizona did last year to the Patriots in week 2. This game is in Buffalo and a divisional game. New England then plays the Jets at home and will win, followed by a tough home win against Tampa Bay in week 3 to go 2-1. Going into Atlanta and Cincinnati will be a very tough challenge with the potential to lose both and be 2-3, but I think New England will somehow take 1 of the 2 games, and the Bengals game is the one I will call for no apparent reason. New England then is back home against the Saints and will win, followed by a win against the Jets gets two home games against Miami and Pittsburgh, which they will win and be 7-2 at their bye week. After the bye things get tougher for the Patriots, but somehow Brady and Bellichick will get through it alright. Patriots lose against Carolina, then they will win at home to Denver in a thrilling game in Foxborough to be 8-3. New England then wins against Cleveland to go 9-3, then lose to Houston and be 9-4. The next two games are on the road vs. Miami and Baltimore. New England loses to Miami and Baltimore and goes 9-6. New England then finishes with a win against Buffalo to be 10-6. Because the Patriots struggled down the stretch, they will lose at home to a highly motivated Bengals team in the Wildcard Round. Sports reporters will then question the Patriots dynasty. Patriots lose 31-17.[/COLLAPSE]

[COLLAPSE=5. Cincinnati Bengals] The Bengals are a talented team. They have made the playoffs 3 out of the last 4 years, however unfortunately they've been ousted in the 1st round all 3 times for their sake. The Bengals have a brutal schedule and that is why they are a 5th seed. They start on the road against the Bears, which could be a win or a loss. I'm going to give the Bears the win and the Bengals start 0-1. Then they lose a close one at home to the Steelers to go 0-2. The Bengals bounce back to win at home against the Packers in week 3, followed by a win in Cleveland to go 2-2 before losing at home to New England. Cincinnati is now 2-3 and have 4 road games out of 5 coming up (at Bills, at Lions, vs. Jets, at Mia, at Bal) I'm calling for two road losses with the potential for 3. The Bengals will win their homegame vs. the Jets. If the Bengals lose 3 road games, they are 4-6. I'm going to call for losses in Buffalo, Detroit and Miami and then pulling off a desperate win in Baltimore. The schedule then gets easier for the Bengals as they will beat the Browns and be 5-6 going into the bye. The bye will refresh Cincinnati, and the Bengals will then defeat the Chargers on the road and the Colts at home to finally have a winning record for the first time all season at 7-6. The Bengals then lose a very close, amazing game to Pittsburgh on an epic Sunday Night Football game on December 15th to go 7-7. This loss will spark them for the rest of the regular season, as they figure out what they need to do to become hot. The Bengals win out at home to annihilate the Vikings and then win a respectable game against the Ravens to finish 9-7. The Bengals then take momentum into the playoffs and beat the Patriots in New England to finally get over the WildCard Round hump. Unfortunately, the Broncos will end the Bengals season in a much anticipated Bengals/Broncos Divisional Round game. It will be close, but not sensational. Broncos win 27-17. [/COLLAPSE]

[COLLAPSE=6. Buffalo Bills] This pick is basically a throw up in the air pick to choose a 6 seed. I liked the Bills schedule based on them getting off to a good start, but then a dwindling finish that crawls them into the playoffs. I looked at the schedules of other teams as well, and teams like San Diego, Baltimore, and Miami will be in the hunt, but I just threw in the Bills for a surprise. Buffalo is about 6-10 each year......ehh, I just have them going in at 8-8. The Colts and Vikings made a splash last year that not many people expected, so I'll make a splash with the Bills. Basically, the Bills start off 3-0 after defeating the Patriots and Panthers at home, and then the Jets on the road. The Bills then lose to the Ravens at home, then beat the Browns and on the road and Bengals at home to go 5-1. This is a surprise as they lead the division, but then Buffalo just starts to crumble and barely hold on for the most part. Buffalo loses 4 games in a row (at Mia, at NO, vs. KC, at PIT) to go 5-5. The Bills then beat the Jets on the road to be 6-5. Buffalo then loses after their bye to Atlanta in a close game. Buffalo then wins 2 out of 3 against all the Florida teams to be 8-7 and then close out losing to New England at 8-8. Fortunately for Buffalo, the Bengals beat the Ravens in Week 17 to give them the last playoff spot. Then in the WildCard Round the Bills get schallacked by the Texans 33-10. [/COLLAPSE]

Well, here are my crazy AFC picks. I will admit that I really don't believe that between all the other AFC Teams who are likely in the Playoff Hunt (Bal, SD, Mia, Ind, Ten, maybe KC) that all will go 8-8 or below. Oh well, I'm just going to roll with it. I'm locked in and not changing anything. In 2004 the NFC had two 8-8 teams in the playoffs (Vikings, Rams) I think something similar happened in 1999 as well, but the NFL wasn't under the current divisional format. It's just a 6th seed anyways, however the Steelers as a 6th seed in the 2005/2006 season and the Packers as a 6th seed in the 2010/2011 won the Superbowl, so I really shouldn't bash it.

On the NFC side, thanks Berserker Swordsman for the heads-up on my seeding error. It was suppose to be Washington in the 3 seed and Chicago in the 4 seed.

 

[M@v]

We are more likely than not going to lose to the patriots at foxbourough too.

Although we've done better vs them recently, throughout big ben's career, Tom Brady's been his kryponite.


Also, Steelers home schedule is easy imo; its our road schedule that scares me.

Sept. 16 at Cincinnati Bengals, 8:40 p.m.
Sept. 29 at Minnesota Vikings (Wembley Stadium, London), 1 p.m.
Oct. 13 at New York Jets, 1 p.m.
Oct. 27 at Oakland Raiders, 4:05 p.m.
Nov. 3 at New England Patriots, 4:25 p.m.
Nov. 24 at Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m.
Nov. 28 at Baltimore Ravens, 8:30 p.m.
Dec. 22 at Green Bay Packers, 4:25 p.m.


-2 primetimes vs the good division rivals
-At new england AND lambeau
-Going to london to face the M2K of the NFL, AP, although the vikings are at the disadvantage here since they are travelling too plus they give up the home game, not us.
-Oakland is terrible, but the Steelers seem to have some sort of mental block when we play in the black hole.


The bright side? Jets lolololololol

 

[Corona]

Fantasy Football anyone?

 

[Corona]

I still have a few spots open on yahoo if anybody is interested

 

[M@v]

I'm always looking for fantasy leagues

 

[Corona]

http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/league/wmb508

password is "football"

 

[Reizilla]

No SWF league this year?

 

[theeboredone]

Tried it last year and it failed. Miserably.

 

[SharkAttack]

Kickalicious made two Field Goals in the Lions first Pre-Season game. I don't know how much of a chance he has to be Detroit's starting FG kicker, but it is cool that he made two FG's from 49 and 50 yards in his first NFL experience. If it wasn't for Youtube, he would have never been known.

 

[Fenrir VII]

I'd join, if a SWF league started... Mav, you want to start one?

 

[SharkAttack]

Going to two Lions games this season. Cowboys vs. Lions on Oct 27 and Bucs vs. Lions on November 24th. Hopefully all three teams will be in some sort of playoff mix. I would hate to see a 3-7 Tampa team against a 2-8 Lions team. No matter what the records are it will be fun if there are outstanding plays.

 

[Berserker Swordsman]

Nice. I would like to go to an Eagles game, but there's a better probability of being able to once I graduate lol.

 

[Meccs]

After the last couple games I'm actually liking the new staff's playcalling. I know it's preseason, but I've been happy with what I've seen so far-I was pretty worried about it before. Vick and Foles both looked good yesterday.

 

[Berserker Swordsman]

Eh, I'll reserve my judgment until after a couple of weeks. Vick should start period (preseason only proved that, should have been set before then). Sound defense and whether or not Chip Kelly can properly make adjustments when things aren't going as planned are what I want to see.

 

[theeboredone]

Lol Foles. Will always be a backup QB.

 

[M@v]

I'll make the fantasy league if people have interest. ESPN work? MESSAGE BACK OR PM ME BY NEXT SUNDAY AT MIDNIGHT SO WE KNOW WHERE WE ARE AT!
for now I'll assume:
-Me
-Fenrir
-Reizilla
-Bored?

If we don't get enough, not going to make it obviously.

 

[Berserker Swordsman]

How many people do we need again? 8?

 

[Corona]

I already have 8 people in my league, just need 4 or 6 more! PM me to join! (Yahoo)