2021 NFL Off-Season Thread

[gunnar hendershow]

11 minutes ago, Buschie Kay said:

And despite all of the money going into it, so many newer stadiums lack any real charm - especially NFL ones.  MetLife Stadium looks so bland from the outside and the seats are incredibly cramped.  By my count I’ve only been in there five times since it opened (three Giants games, two WrestleManias), and the last Giants game was in 2013.  I have no real interest in seeing a game there again.

Yeah but have you seen how fancy the luxury boxes are there? Super fancy.

M&T Bank Stadium is devoid of personality as well and is only really rescued by the fact a good number of Ravens fans are complete and utter lunatics. I couldn't imagine how dull a game in the lower bowl must be though.

[Maxx]

Metlife looks like ass, the outside of the stadium looks like its got vinyl siding.  But I'd say Jerryworld, Allegiant in Vegas, and U.S. Bank in Minnesota all have their own distinct personality, especially from the outside.  Even the Falcons new stadium has Megatron's butthole, that's definitely a unique feature.

[The Buscher]

My dad's friend has had Giants season tickets (four seats) forever and his current seats now feel way higher up than they were at Giants Stadium.  Moreover last game I went to I realized just how many 70+ year old longtime season holders were sitting up there.  It was the three of us and his friend's son and the son is one of those guys who gets really hyped up, wants to get everyone standing and yelling for big plays, instinctively leaps out of his seat every time it looks like a huge pass play is developing, etc.  The old guys behind him had to keep reminding him they're not physically capable of standing up and sitting down over and over again and he has to stay seated.

[Krabby]

1 hour ago, Maxx said:

Metlife looks like ass, the outside of the stadium looks like its got vinyl siding.  But I'd say Jerryworld, Allegiant in Vegas, and U.S. Bank in Minnesota all have their own distinct personality, especially from the outside.  Even the Falcons new stadium has Megatron's butthole, that's definitely a unique feature.

U.S. Bank and Target Field are both really cool venues!

[gunnar hendershow]

I can actually vouch for having been to MetLife before that it really is an uninspiring stadium. Giant parking lot, ugly exterior, nothing inside that screams personality (owing to two teams occupying it). East Rutherford isn't exactly the world's most exciting place but they've made zero effort to spice it up. I guess that mall is supposed to be cool now that it finally opened.

At least Philadelphia has all its stadiums in one gigantic parking lot and Lincoln Financial Field is a pretty nice stadium overall. Just the idiocy of the upper bowl not being fully connected is annoying if you go up the wrong escalator trying to find your seats.

[The Buscher]

They'll flip the exterior lighting schemes to green or blue depending on who's playing and they'll change some of the interior signage in addition to end zones, covering up the Giants/Jets Ring of Honor depending on who's playing, etc. but yeah.  It's dreadfully boring.  Not that I wanted more billionaires foisting stadiums on taxpayers but I really wish the Jets could've gotten their West Side Stadium that was rumored in the mid 2000s.  Sketches don't always live up to reality but it looked like it could've been very cool, and then the Giants could've built a modernized Giants Stadium without having to cater to the Jets.

I was there for the final Giants game at the old stadium, and they got humiliated by Carolina 41-9 to get eliminated from the playoffs.  One of the worst live sporting event moments of my life.  Then the added insult of the Jets getting to play the final game there the next week.

Hilariously, deconstruction of the stadium started pretty much immediately after that game, even as the Jets and Ravens (the 5 and 6 seeds respectively) won in the first round meaning it was still possible the stadium would've been needed for the AFC Title game.

[gunnar hendershow]

Ravens were the 5 seed that year actually, which is why they demolished it right away. I have a vivid memory of this because the Ravens would've wound up hosting the conference title game had they not blown the lead to Pittsburgh.

[The Buscher]

Damn, I must have misremembered.  Suppose I can cross that off of the LOLJets list.  Only about 437 items left on that one.

[gunnar hendershow]

For what it's worth the Ravens would've lost that game since they only win at home in the playoffs when they're not the better team.

[Krabby]

@DFF @VerbalPuke

Spoiler

 

Starting the NFC North trash talk early

[The Buscher]

Yet another bridge burned by Le’Veon Bell as he says he would rather retire than ever play for Andy Reid again.

Let’s see.  You have to go back four years to find the last time he was a top tier back.  Sat out all of 2018 in a contract dispute.  Signed a huge contract in 2019 and underwhelmed.  Got himself released from a terrible team in 2020, signed with what was already the best offense in football and is mad he didn’t get the ball enough.

Not sure why anybody would sign a malcontent who won’t give you anything you couldn’t get from a league average backup.

[Lint]

18 hours ago, Buschie Kay said:

Yet another bridge burned by Le’Veon Bell as he says he would rather retire than ever play for Andy Reid again.

Thats all it really comes down to.  Andy Reid is a much beloved coach around the NFL.  Even Philadelphia still loves Andy, we just realize it was time he moved on.

[gunnar hendershow]

I was going to say that Andy Reid is basically loved by everyone in the league. It has to look bad to other GMs and coaches when you say that about Big Red of all people.

[Lineker]

 

[Lineker]

 

[The Buscher]

A lot in this Twitter thread but yeah, lots of incentives for players to get vaccinated (as if common sense wasn't reason enough).

[Lineker]

 

[The Buscher]

Haven't bought Madden in years and it would take a massive overhaul in franchise mode to make me go back to it.  That said it sounds like it's gonna be one of those things where last gen is another glorified roster update and any major upgrades are on current gen, so like most things in the gaming world I'll be left waiting until I can get PS5.

[Maxx]

Or it will be terrible like their first foray into next gen consoles usually is.  I don’t know if last years lame “next gen” version was enough to iron things out.

Or, it’ll just be the exact same fucking game because Madden doesn’t innovate at all, let alone enough to create something new that might not work.

And I’ll still buy it on release

 

[livid]

Cole Beasley seems like a very bright individual