NFL 2022

[Lint]

Damar Hamlin is awake and holding hands with family, his agent tells CNN

[Pooker]

That is amazing.

[The Buscher]

Two ideas NFL are said to be considering right now, and it's possible they could do only one or both:

1 - Playing the AFC Title game on a neutral field only if 2 of the Bills/Bengals/Chiefs make it

2 - Expanding the field to 8 teams per conference so nobody gets the benefit of a bye week

#1 at least sounds somewhat reasonable.  #2 feels like eye-rolling NFL, hey let's just take this bad situation and turn it into an extra pay day.

[Krabby]

Again, you don't need to replace Yahtzee with Twilight Imperium - just call the game a tie and let the standings chips fall where they may

[LL!]

16 minutes ago, Krabby said:

Again, you don't need to replace Yahtzee with Twilight Imperium - just call the game a tie and let the standings chips fall where they may

Maybe they should play Yahtzee for it. 

[livid]

 

[gunnar hendershow]

2 hours ago, Justin Buschlander said:

Two ideas NFL are said to be considering right now, and it's possible they could do only one or both:

1 - Playing the AFC Title game on a neutral field only if 2 of the Bills/Bengals/Chiefs make it

2 - Expanding the field to 8 teams per conference so nobody gets the benefit of a bye week

#1 at least sounds somewhat reasonable.  #2 feels like eye-rolling NFL, hey let's just take this bad situation and turn it into an extra pay day.

#1 will also be eye-rolling NFL when they go "wow that worked out well, let's have the conference title games always be at a neutral site".

#2 would also make the SNF a win-or-go-home game for both teams.

[GhostMachine]

So what are they going to do for #2? Get rid of Wildcards, and just take the top 2 teams from each division? That would suck, because right now the #2 teams in most divisions are either 8-8 or 7-9. Right now, the only #2 teams with winning records are the Cowboys and Chargers. Its bad enough that the leaders of both South divisions are 8-8...

Let me make option #1 even more dumb, just for the heck of it:

Hold both title games in a stadium from the other conference, but in a state that neither team in the game is from, and at a stadium for a team that missed the playoffs. Example: Bills vs. Bengals held in Atlanta, Vikings vs. 49ers held in Houston.

 

[The Buscher]

 

[Lint]

1 hour ago, Justin Buschlander said:

 

So, if the Beers beat Detroit and Denver beats Atlanta in the American Southwestern Division East Northern, then Milwaukee goes to the Denslow Cup, unless Baltimore can upset Buffalo and Charlotte ties Toronto, then Oakland would play LA and Pittsburgh in a blind choice round robin. And if no clear winner emerges from all of this, a two-man sack race will be held on consecutive Sundays until a champion can be crowned.

[Krabby]

1 hour ago, Justin Buschlander said:

 

[Twist]

2 hours ago, Lint said:

So, if the Beers beat Detroit and Denver beats Atlanta in the American Southwestern Division East Northern, then Milwaukee goes to the Denslow Cup, unless Baltimore can upset Buffalo and Charlotte ties Toronto, then Oakland would play LA and Pittsburgh in a blind choice round robin. And if no clear winner emerges from all of this, a two-man sack race will be held on consecutive Sundays until a champion can be crowned.

Now you’re just stealing ideas from Congress.

[The Buscher]

In a typical season, being 4 games under .500 at any point is pretty much a season-ender.  That there are now potentially 2 teams in that situation that could make the playoffs is just so wild.

I feel like the Packers were a team you could never totally feel comfortable ruling out because of Rodgers (even though he isn't the main reason they're in this position)...but the Steelers doing what they're doing with a rookie QB amongst a bunch of other issues is pretty remarkable.

Mike Tomlin is just awesome.

[gunnar hendershow]

5 minutes ago, Justin Buschlander said:

In a typical season, being 4 games under .500 at any point is pretty much a season-ender.  That there are now potentially 2 teams in that situation that could make the playoffs is just so wild.

I feel like the Packers were a team you could never totally feel comfortable ruling out because of Rodgers (even though he isn't the main reason they're in this position)...but the Steelers doing what they're doing with a rookie QB amongst a bunch of other issues is pretty remarkable.

Mike Tomlin is just awesome.

The TJ Watt return has been the biggest catalyst. They were dead in the water when he was hurt, but having him coming off the edge has made that entire defense better. 

[Maxx]

Hamlin had his breathing tube removed and has been talking with Bills players and friends.

[The Buscher]

Whether the Bills are in the Super Bowl or not, their medical staff needs to be invited to be recognized on-field before the game, and they should receive the largest sustained ovation in league history.

[Lint]

 

[Chris2K]

1 hour ago, damhausen said:

The TJ Watt return has been the biggest catalyst. They were dead in the water when he was hurt, but having him coming off the edge has made that entire defense better. 

This is very much it, and the presence of Watt and a stronger defence makes Pickett's job in learning as a rookie QB so much easier. The fact that Watt isn't a pro bowl starter is baffling.

1 hour ago, Justin Buschlander said:

Mike Tomlin is just awesome.

This is just as important as well. I don't think there's a coach in the league that players are willing to play for more. So many players have said they just want to win to protect his record of never having a losing season. 

I'm just happy we haven't rolled over and given up like so many teams would do after the start we had and losing Watt to injury.

[Lineker]

23 minutes ago, Justin Buschlander said:

Whether the Bills are in the Super Bowl or not, their medical staff needs to be invited to be recognized on-field before the game, and they should receive the largest sustained ovation in league history.

Agreed. Sport in general has come a long way since the Muamba incident.

[The Buscher]

12 minutes ago, Chris2K said:

This is just as important as well. I don't think there's a coach in the league that players are willing to play for more. So many players have said they just want to win to protect his record of never having a losing season. 

The Steelers having just three head coaches over a 54 season span remains ridiculous to think about.  Two Hall of Famers and another who will surely be there not long after he retires.

Speaking of which, Tomlin himself is only 50 and he's 16th all time in wins.  Guy should have that job as long as he wants.