NFL 2018

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

So... in news relating to other teams...

The Saints beat the Browns, but not exactly comfortably. And, um, it's the Browns. A win is a win in this league though. But still, the Browns gave us a game. Not exactly brushing shoulders off after that win...

Jesus H Christ, HRD!  

That's two weeks in a row your Saints almost lost. When are we going to see that Defense from last season?

But the Saints did lose their week one game---to Tampa who also manhandled the Eagles.

Meantime the Browns play tomorrow night. Hosting the Jets. After the Jets obliterated the Lions on the road the first Monday night I gave up on this game. But the Jets were then trounced by the Dolphin in New Jersey (which is not New York). So which Jets team will show up? The Browns, God bless them, are aching for a win. They came close twice against two teams who aren't playing especially well. What the Browns really need is a new coach because this one is unstoppably mediocre.

davidalan wrote:

But the Saints did lose their week one game---to Tampa who also manhandled the Eagles...

You know BA, I'd forgotten about their game-one loss.

davidalan wrote:

...Meantime the Browns play tomorrow night. Hosting the Jets. After the Jets obliterated the Lions on the road the first Monday night I gave up on this game. But the Jets were then trounced by the Dolphin in New Jersey (which is not New York). So which Jets team will show up? The Browns, God bless them, are aching for a win. They came close twice against two teams who aren't playing especially well. What the Browns really need is a new coach because this one is unstoppably mediocre.

I plan on picking the Browns in that game.    

Davidalan, are they favored?

Favored? I doubt it. If they were playing a high school team maybe. The Browns defense will do well enough, but the offense will probably be coached into a loss.

davidalan wrote:

Favored? I doubt it...

Yeah, the Browns are a 3-point favorite according to our Pick'ems spread.

Which is less than the home turf spread bonus, but only barely.

A new era? Already? Well, injury will do that. Nonetheless, the new QB and a very active defense ensure a win in the second half, where the Browns have tended to fail. Once the Browns hit 21 pts the defense totally owned the Jets. So now the Browns are 1-1-1. And in my opinion they have a reasonable chance to win next week in Oakland who will be 0-3 after a visit to Miami.

As somebody who rooted for the Saints back when their fans were pioneering brown paper headwear, it's awesome to see somebody rooting for the Browns these days.

davidalan wrote:

A new era? Already? Well, injury will do that. Nonetheless, the new QB and a very active defense ensure a win in the second half, where the Browns have tended to fail. Once the Browns hit 21 pts the defense totally owned the Jets. So now the Browns are 1-1-1. And in my opinion they have a reasonable chance to win next week in Oakland who will be 0-3 after a visit to Miami.

I heard Davidalan's chants all the way here in SoCal, throughout the 2nd-quarter.

"Baker! "Baker! "Baker! "Baker! "Baker! ..."      

Congrats buddy!

No that was for Tom Baker returning to Dr. Who.

sorry HRD that didn't happen. it was wishful thinking. unless reruns count as traveling by tardis.

meanwhile it was fun to watch highlights from the browns and jets earlier today.

Injury compelled Jackson to put in Mayfield; now it's Mayfield's job to lose. Wild.

Peggy Sawyer wrote:

Injury compelled Jackson to put in Mayfield; now it's Mayfield's job to lose. Wild.

Peggy, did you hear Jackson holding off on naming Mayfield the new starting QB? It wouldn't surprise me for him to use the "Concussion Protocol", to hold off for another week.

It's okay, BA, i think the new actress will be great, plus there was a "lost" Tom Baker episode "found" recently.

Hodgepodge wrote:

Peggy, did you hear Jackson holding off on naming Mayfield the new starting QB? It wouldn't surprise me for him to use the "Concussion Protocol", to hold off for another week.

I don't know what it is about Jackson; he seems to be one of those coaches who doesn't want the perception that the fans influence him, however much his team loses. But he can use the concussion protocol as an excuse to continue with Mayfield, and if Mayfield wins another, that's that. Jackson would lose his job if he went back to Taylor after that, a job he's held on to by his fingertips thus far.

...and as predicted, my Broncos staging their suck game....

Big road win for the Saints this week. And yes their defense gave up a lot of points, but it also got a couple key stops when it was desperately needed.

Detroit Lions 26 New England Patriots 10

Now this is an upset.

Gronk shouldn't have spoken so disparagingly about the Lions. I wouldn't want to play there either but dude keep your mouth shut! It just makes the other team mad!

Good for the Lions though. My homestate team. Let's see how they do in Dallas next week.

New England must beat Miami next week or kiss the season goodbye.

Well, the Pats do their best when it's kiss-the-season-or-goodbye time. Every year it seems like they're about to ride into the sunset at some point. I'll admit they looked tired and faded these last two weeks. In my opinion, it's the loss of too many crucial players. There have been seasons like this. 2009 was one--it was just too much of a housecleaning. I do think when (if) Gordon gets on the field and Edelman returns, we will get some confidence back on offense, and we'll be competitive at the least. Don't count the old guard out yet--I mean, look at what Tiger Woods just did.

The real upset was Bills-Vikings. That was the NFL of today--a very parity-based, anything-can-happen game where a young QB is let off the leash and just decimates a completely unprepared, overconfident opponent. Trap games are real, and that was one.

The Saints game was what we've come to expect. Tons of points and (in this case) a narrow victory over a team that just can't seem to finish the tight ones.

Can't believe Mahomes is for real.

Can't believe the Texans, for whom Watson was one of these young phenoms before his injury last year, are 0-3.

Hopefully the Clay Matthews roughing-the-passer penalty that so infuriated GB will force the league to review its excessive and impossible criteria for legitimately playing defense in today's game.

So sad to see Jimmy G go down to a knee injury.

And lastly, Hodge's team crapped in the hay again. Week 3 wasn't a total loss.

Well Matthew's penalty - thoughts? I get the League's rule in terms of wanting to keep injuries from QBs, however Matthew is correct - if you are tackling face on, unless you can manage to Captain Kirk body roll over the QB, you're gonna land on him. Not to mention the term 'part of your body weight' is really vague and each ref will interpret it differently. So now what, tacklers don't sack, they just get to run up and PUSH the QB over? This makes sacks a lot tougher, tacklers having to adapt their approaches - basically come from the side, but stepping to the side to do that gives the QB more time to throw, and eliminates the strategy of the tackler blocking the QB's line of sight with their body.

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2018/09/24/green-bay-packers-clay-matthews-blasts-nfl-after-controversial-penalty-think-theyre-getting-soft.html

Mark my words, the Bills are gonna whip Green Bay next week.

Pretty sure my Broncs will continue this streak and lose to KC. Bills yeah will likely get fired up and wreck GB. Plus Matthews will be all paranoid about tackling.

Zaphod wrote:

Well Matthew's penalty - thoughts? I get the League's rule in terms of wanting to keep injuries from QBs, however Matthew is correct - if you are tackling face on, unless you can manage to Captain Kirk body roll over the QB, you're gonna land on him. Not to mention the term 'part of your body weight' is really vague and each ref will interpret it differently. So now what, tacklers don't sack, they just get to run up and PUSH the QB over? This makes sacks a lot tougher, tacklers having to adapt their approaches - basically come from the side, but stepping to the side to do that gives the QB more time to throw, and eliminates the strategy of the tackler blocking the QB's line of sight with their body.

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2018/09/24/green-bay-packers-clay-matthews-blasts-nfl-after-controversial-penalty-think-theyre-getting-soft.html

That sounds like a fair assessment. You didn't get all that from a Fox News piece, did you?

Big John wrote:

Mark my words, the Bills are gonna whip Green Bay next week.

*marks*

________

The Saints travel to New Joisey to face Los Gigantes next. Classic trap game. Peyton and Brees have largely avoided falling for traps during their stint together. I know the Giants are a lot better than last year's record, and they'll finish the year with more wins than they have now. Hopefully the Saints show that they're the better team.

lol Nah, my assertions there, which typically have at least 1-2 errors. Even my lacking brain can see the pitfalls of tackling tactics. If they are going to restrain the sackers, they should likewise restrain the QB - you get 3 seconds to throw, otherwise loss of down.

davidalan wrote:

Detroit Lions 26 New England Patriots 10

Now this is an upset...

Peggy Sawyer wrote:

...The real upset was Bills-Vikings...

Both of these were definitely upsets.

Curious Peggy, did Gordon play? And, if he did, how many catches did he have?

Peggy Sawyer wrote:

...The Saints game was what we've come to expect. Tons of points and (in this case) a narrow victory over a team that just can't seem to finish the tight ones.

Can't believe Mahomes is for real.

Can't believe the Texans, for whom Watson was one of these young phenoms before his injury last year, are 0-3.

...So sad to see Jimmy G go down to a knee injury.

And lastly, Hodge's team crapped in the hay again. Week 3 wasn't a total loss.

Yeah, I've also come to expect a nail-bitter when it comes to the Saints games. Thank God, they won this one.

I saw a couple of highlights of that KC/49ers game and Peggy, this kid's got an arm.

There was one play, where he got flushed out of the pocket, started scrambling and threw a missile to his player in the endzone. If the guy would've missed it, "IT" would've killed him.

I missed on that Texans game. Everyone was so high on Watson, what in the HELL happened?

And down goes Jimmy G. Gone for the season. And so goes the 49ers season.

Peggy, I've come to the realization that the Dallas Cowboys aren't a very good team.

I admire Cynthia Frelund, okay, she's got a great pair of legs, but it was hard excepting her prediction of a 7-9 record for the 'Boys. Not any more.

At their best, they're an 8-8 team. So let it be written. So let it be done.

Oh, Hodge! I found something for you today. I'll, um, just leave it here...

Quote :

Dak Prescott over his last 13 games:

2,396 Pass Yds

10 Pass TD

11 INT

Brock Osweiler over his last 13 games:

2,326 Pass Yards

11 Pass TD

12 INT pic.twitter.com/UMTsK4r37a

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) September 25, 2018

Lions vs Cowboys this weekend. Who will prevail?

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

Oh, Hodge! I found something for you today. I'll, um, just leave it here...

Quote :

Dak Prescott over his last 13 games:

2,396 Pass Yds

10 Pass TD

11 INT

Brock Osweiler over his last 13 games:

2,326 Pass Yards

11 Pass TD

12 INT pic.twitter.com/UMTsK4r37a

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) September 25, 2018

Man, I wish I could get this lil note to Mrs. Mo. Lets see where you'd sleep then. Mr. Funnyman!  

davidalan wrote:

Lions vs Cowboys this weekend. Who will prevail?

The way things have been going (loose-one, win-one), we should win this one.

Prescott is just lost without Dez Bryant to throw to. Brady is more experienced and can adjust better, but he is feeling Julian Edelman's absence of late. Edelman will be back by week 5. Jerry Jones should recognize his mistake and get Bryant back, if Dez is willing.

Haven't looked at the coming week's matchups yet, but calling the Lions-Boys and Vikings-Rams games accurately should be a boon to anyone playing the pick 'ems. Both are complete toss-ups.

ETA: Gordon didn't see the field vs Detroit, Hodge. Hopefully he'll be suited up and ready to play Sunday.

Big John wrote:

Mark my words, the Bills are gonna whip Green Bay next week.

ummm

Under the radar of Baker Mayfield, Josh Rosen got his first start and looked really good. Don't know why the media is more focused on Mayfield. Maybe it's that the Browns 2.0 have been a horrible team since they began play in Nineteen Ninety-Whatever. News flash...Aside from a brief few years when the QB was some guy who had already won a Super Bowl with the Rams the Cardinals entire history going back to their days in Chicago is bad football. Warner retired after losing Super Bowl XLI over a decade ago and since the Cards have had Carson Palmer for six injury-plagued seasons after Matt Leinart proved to be a bust.

I think Rosen might have the goods to make it in the NFL. Nice accuracy, poise under pressure, decision making. But he's going to have a tough rookie season because the team around him is solidly mediocre.

Even though it wasn't quite as upset-filled this week as the three previous, it still seemed like a weird weekend. I guess I'm just not used to seeing teams like the Bears and Browns put up 40+ points. Every game seemed like either a back-and-forth, defense-free contest, or a blowout. I'm glad NE-Mia was one of the latter. That looked like the Pats I'm accustomed to seeing. If the defense continues playing like that, and Edelman comes back Thursday in anything resembling his old form, watch out. (BTW, Josh Gordon did play in a limited capacity and looked just fine.)

I don't know how others feel about the spot review that gave the Raiders life against the Browns when the game might have ended, but the Raiders used their opportunity awfully impressively, getting eight points when they needed them to tie, force overtime, and ultimately win.

I think it's curious that commentators are chastising Frank Reich of the Colts for trying to convert a fourth down and win in OT rather than settling for a FG to tie (a decision that failed) but celebrating Mike Vrabel of the Titans for doing essentially the same thing (and succeeding). It seems that a coach's call is gutsy when it works, and reckless when it doesn't. I will say, I do like the new 10-minute overtime length. The real possibility of ties puts a new element into strategy. It's the only new rule this year that I like; everything else just seems like more ways to decrease the effectiveness of defenses. In no other time could rookie or unproven QBs be putting up the numbers they are this year. If player safety demands tougher defensive rules, compensate by getting rid of the current version of illegal contact, which was introduced to the modern game by Bill Polian because he couldn't stand how the Pats manhandled his Colts back in the '03 AFC championship game. At least there were fewer controversial roughing the passer calls this week.

Other thoughts:

Atlanta can't finish, surprise.

The Giants are perpetually awful; sorry, but time for Eli to wrap it up.

The Chargers are pretenders; they won, but just barely, against a 49er team with a completely raw QB.

Now that teams have to take Buffalo seriously, there are going to be far more games like the one in GB than the one in Min.

Looked like the up-and-down, but more down, Lions in their game against Dallas. They will flirt with success but come up just shy as usual. Dallas is still a question mark, but congrats Hodge on a Sunday you don't have to stick your head in the sand.

I think Philly will be fine, but still not sold on Jacksonville or Tennessee.

The Steelers without LeVeon Bell just can't pull themselves together (don't know why; an RB with his stutter-stop style, however productive, isn't what I would want for the price he demands). I heard yesterday they were thinking of trading him to Seattle for Earl Thomas; with Thomas' injury today, that won't happen. Pittsburgh was getting a lot of love before the season; now they are in crisis mode. Maybe they'd just better sign the guy.

Can't comment on Josh Rosen; one of the few games I saw none of.

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

Big John wrote:

Mark my words, the Bills are gonna whip Green Bay next week.

*marks*

When it comes to football, you should never mark my words.

I never said how i marked them. For the record, i gave them a "U" for Unlikely To Materialize.

Saints looked sold against a pretty crappy Giants team. Avoiding the trap again.

Nice to see Fitzy showing his true colors for Tampa. Between that, Atlanta melting down again, and the Panthers taking an early week off, Nawlins is all alone in first place for the moment. :)

I wish Cleveland could have pulled out the win. But I think this is mainly a confidence year. Where the team looks to improve so that it can be better next year. This was the game though they almost had to win because the next four (hosting the Ravens and The Chargers and on the road to Tampa and Pittsburgh) don't look very winnable to me. The Browns may be competitive in those games, but...

The Lions loss was more expected but I'm glad they showed up.

The Steelers are in deep trouble. But I still think they can beat the Browns if that's any consolation. At least they play the Falcons next week.

Chicago? Where did they come from?

11/19/18

Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Rams

Monday Night

Maybe it'll be a great game. Maybe neither team will stumble horribly as they did last year. Or maybe they will. You never know.

Right now both teams are 4-0

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

...Between that, Atlanta melting down again... :)

You know HRD, I've picked the Falcons every game so far, and I'm 1-3. They're not as good as I thought.  

davidalan wrote:

I wish Cleveland could have pulled out the win. But I think this is mainly a confidence year. Where the team looks to improve so that it can be better next year. This was the game though they almost had to win because the next four (hosting the Ravens and The Chargers and on the road to Tampa and Pittsburgh) don't look very winnable to me. The Browns may be competitive in those games, but...

As you say Davidalan, this is a learning year. And, you have to admit, they look pretty good so far.

Haven't they been competitive in every game so far? I just hope they keep Baker under Center throughout this season so he'll have major experience.

davidalan wrote:

11/19/18

Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Rams

Monday Night

Maybe it'll be a great game. Maybe neither team will stumble horribly as they did last year. Or maybe they will. You never know.

Right now both teams are 4-0

What a MNF game!

That Mahomes is the real deal. That pass he made with his left-arm was something to behold.

Mahomes is scary real, but he came along at a time when defenses are slower off the mark for fear of phantom penalties. Linebackers are thinking instead of acting spontaneously, making them slower, and in turn making this a great time to be a young quarterback.

I know that Atlanta has had a couple late game farts, but they're still a dangerous team. I wouldn't call them a gimme for the Steelers, BA. I'll grant that Pittsburgh should be favored to win at home, but they won't win if they try to mail it in.

As for the Browns, i haven't actually seen any of their games yet this year, but from what i have seen, they look like a team with more to look forward to long-term than they've had in a long time, maybe even since coming back into existence as an expansion.

That MNF matchup IS hot stuff. the last two remaining unbeatens this year, head-to-head. Could be a real barn burner, i just know ESPN is licking their chops for the ratings that will garner.

The Bucs should never have caught Fitzy Fever, they should've brought Winston back right away. Ryan did this same act in NY many years ago and the longer Tampa keeps putting him out there, the worse he will play, and he's already starting to damage the team. As a Saints fan, i'm cool with it, but i'm surprised that the front office and coaching staff in Tampa don't know better.

Guess I'm going to head home.

I refuse to watch TNF (Colts vs. Patriots). The Colts come into the game with no receiver to speak of, with T.Y. out this game. I Don't even think they've got a running game.

Damn New England Patriots!  

Damn Peggy Sawyer!

And dayum, the Pats are sure starting to look like their old selves again.

Next up, KC. Time to find out what Mahomes is really made of.

The Colts came out of the gate playing well, but NE made adjustments, displaying superior physical ability and conditioning and vastly superior coaching. I didn't think either team really looked as impressive as way back when this was the matchup of the best two teams in the NFL. It was a good enough game though, i managed to stay awake even after it was effectively over about midway through the 4th.

It's a good thing for the Pats that they get extra time to prep for the Chiefs, they'll need it.

I didn't want to waste a lot of my TV time watching a forgone conclusion. So, the majority of the time I was watching my Dodgers beat-up on the Braves.

I guess I'm glad TB-12 got his 500 TD during the game. Okay, he probably deserves it.

Really looking forward to MNF game Redskins vs. Saints. Hopefully, HRD's Defense decides to play in the game.

Plus, I heard Ingram is back from suspension. That should help the running game of New Orleans.

Hey, the Saints' defense showed up when they were needed last week in Atlanta, getting two big stops in the 4th quarter that led to an OT win.

But yeah, it'd be nice to see them show up for more than that.

ugh, bronco flameout continues

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

Hey, the Saints' defense showed up when they were needed last week in Atlanta, getting two big stops in the 4th quarter that led to an OT win...

They sure showed up in last night's game. Although, Brees put them under pressure early and often.

Speaking of Brees, He put on a show last night. 26-29; 300+ yrds; 3TDs; 0INTS. Where does this put Brees in the GOAT conversation? Oh Peggy!

Zaphod wrote:

ugh, bronco flameout continues

Zaphod, in your opinion, is Keenum still the answer?

It was nice to see the Saints flat-out own a game, and against a decent if not great team, too. Nawlins now tied with Cincy for third best record in the NFL.

The defense played much more consistently than they have earlier in the year. I would point out that the Falcons are a 4th quarter offense as much as any other team in the league, so i felt good walking out of that win.

Hodge, for what my homer opinion may be worth, i feel like Brees has passed Brett Farve on the great QB list. He's getting close to Unitas and Elway. JMO

Oh, and Hodge, on behalf of the New Orleans Saints, you're welcome. Thanks to their beating of the 'Skins, your 'Boys are only a half game out of first place behind a .500 team, instead of 1 1/2 back of a winning team.

Hodgepodge wrote:

Speaking of Brees, He put on a show last night. 26-29; 300+ yrds; 3TDs; 0INTS. Where does this put Brees in the GOAT conversation? Oh Peggy!

I used to watch him when he started out with the Chargers; wasn't a fan then, and haven't become a fan since. Can't deny he puts up numbers, but don't titles have something to do with GOAT consideration??