NFL 2008

[alldaws1]

Actually Meacon I think that argument was more directed towards teams that could stop the run and had a half decent offense. With Grossman at the helm, the Bears do not have a half decent offense and they have one of the worst pass defenses in the league. It was good to see the Titans were able to win without a running game though, shows they do have some balance.

[Meacon Keaton]

Ah, see, I skimmed a lot of it, since there was so much Cowboy stuff thrown in, but it had sounded to me that people were saying the Titans' were so one dimensional that as soon as someone stopped the run, they'd go down. Still, damn good game by Kerry Collins.

[Cactus Drags]

I can't believe that with the talent the Bears have on defense, they can give up so much through the air. I guess it starts with coaching.

[Plankton]

Even against the 30th ranked pass defense, it's impressive for Collins to throw for 289 (nearly 100 more than his best game before this week). His completion percentage was also about 75%, much higher than his average. It's good momentum going into some of their more challenging games (Steelers and Colts) at the end of the season. I'm not sure if I quite see them as a Superbowl team, but the arguments against them are becoming less and less each week.

[Cactus Drags]

I love Peyton Manning's pouty sulks.

[naiwf]

But more importantly than that, Eli outplayed Big Ben. I don't know why people still think that he's an elite QB when he had one of the worst SB performances ever and tends to shit the bed quite often in big games.

Just change Eli to Peyton and it's basically the same exact thing we experienced 2 weeks ago. Big Ben threw SEVEN picks in 2 games against teams led by Mannings and four in the other 7 games. He now has a negative TD/INT ratio this year, and yet people still slurp on the guy regularly.

[JStarr]

But more importantly than that, Eli outplayed Big Ben. I don't know why people still think that he's an elite QB when he had one of the worst SB performances ever and tends to shit the bed quite often in big games.

Just change Eli to Peyton and it's basically the same exact thing we experienced 2 weeks ago. Big Ben threw SEVEN picks in 2 games against teams led by Mannings and four in the other 7 games. He now has a negative TD/INT ratio this year, and yet people still slurp on the guy regularly.

That shoulder has to be fucking with him more than he'll ever let on. He's turning into a Steve McNair-type, who'll keep going out there banged up to hell and putting up shitty games just to prove he's got big balls. A couple of great throws today, to be sure, but man, these picks and sacks have to be killing him physically and mentally.

In other news, it didn't work out for them, but kudos to Herm Edwards for showing Shanny balls in going for two. Tyler Thigpen's put up a couple of reasonable games these last two weeks. Shame they can't run worth a damn.

Edited November 10, 2008 by Sinistarr

[naiwf]

I'm glad the Chiefs failed on that conversion because another loss in the final minute might have cost Norv Turner his life.

The Steelers just gave the Colts a chance to make the postseason there. Had they held on when it was 20-17 the Colts would have been 2 games out with 7 to play, a tiebreaker down if they end up even with the Steelers and virtually no chance to win the division. Now, the Colts would get a tiebreak over Pittsburgh in the event Baltimore wins the division and that game could end up costing them a playoff spot.

[JStarr]

And naiwf, you and I are on very similar pages tonight. One of my best friends is a rabid Eagles fan, so I usually respect them, too...but tonight, they MUST get rolled by the Giants. Otherwise, I find myself needing huge games out of Hightower and Larry Fitz tomorrow to win in a fantasy league this week.

So, yeah, go Gints.

[HailtotheYo]

so i guess its all about how the bears are injured/excuse/excuse/excuse and not that the titans showed they can win without the run ....

or

the bears now fall in the 'not so good' category ....

[NobBe Nobbs]

And naiwf, you and I are on very similar pages tonight. One of my best friends is a rabid Eagles fan, so I usually respect them, too...but tonight, they MUST get rolled by the Giants. Otherwise, I find myself needing huge games out of Hightower and Larry Fitz tomorrow to win in a fantasy league this week.

So, yeah, go Gints.

Mark me down for a big Eagles loss. I'm down by ten points but have Eli and Plax still to play against nobody for the other team. It would have been less, but Bernard Berrian inexplicably went missing.

[naiwf]

so i guess its all about how the bears are injured/excuse/excuse/excuse and not that the titans showed they can win without the run ....

or

the bears now fall in the 'not so good' category ....

When Sexy Rexy plays the Bears are ALWAYS in the "not good at all" category. When you're waiting for the return of the neckbearded savior Kyle Orton, your team can't be that good

I'd also like to agree with those of you who want to see the Giants bludgeon the Eagles tonight.

[JStarr]

There really can't be any fronting on Kerry Collins today, though. The Bears said, "We're taking Johnson and White out of the game today, you need to beat us, old man." And so, he did. No team with corners like Vasher and Tillman should be giving up these yards to guys like Gage and Brandon Jones. I'll have to agree with Dragsy, the Bears so miss Ron Rivera.

And just so we're clear, anyone who'd like to post something like "GO, [iNSERT TEAM HERE]!!!1111!!!" without contributing anything to the discussion will likely get warned for whoring. Just to be clear.

[Lowerdeck]

So in my (former) work's fantasy league, my WR's got a combined five points. Wes Welker on the bench had double that. Ugh.

The Patriots are finally starting to get it together. Matt Cassel is not incompetent anymore. Somehow these RBs come out of nowhere and perform, like BenJarvis Green-Ellis getting 100 yards and a TD today. Defense held up to hold Buffalo to 10.

[JStarr]

So in my (former) work's fantasy league, my WR's got a combined five points. Wes Welker on the bench had double that. Ugh.

The Patriots are finally starting to get it together. Matt Cassel is not incompetent anymore. Somehow these RBs come out of nowhere and perform, like BenJarvis Green-Ellis getting 100 yards and a TD today. Defense held up to hold Buffalo to 10.

I'm less surprised about BJGE breaking out than I was about Sammy Morris actually being relevant. Funny, though, running back seems to be the one spot where the personnel department has really fucked up these last several years. Maroney's looking more and more like a colossal flop, and yet they still come out and salvage people like Morris and a low pick like Green-Ellis, plus having the foresight to hang on to Kevin Faulk. Say what we like about Belichick's scruples being thin enough to read the paper through, but the personnel department makes some very strong moves to keep that team rolling.

[alldaws1]

Dallas has very little chance at the division title so in the spirit of chasing a wildcard, go Giants I guess

Edited November 10, 2008 by AD

[Cactus Drags]

so i guess its all about how the bears are injured/excuse/excuse/excuse and not that the titans showed they can win without the run ....

or

the bears now fall in the 'not so good' category ....

1. Rex Grossman played.

2. Pass defense/rush was horrible. Kudos to Collins, but I could probably have at least thrown for 150 and a TD given that much time to throw. Chicago needed to get way more pressure form the front four and it just didn't happen.

From watching the game, I think that had Neckbeard been healthy, the Titans would be 8-1 right now. The Bears wouldn't have had so many 3-and-outs, keeping their offense, and thus the Titans defense on the field for longer. In fact, Chicago probably would've won with Grossman had special teams managed to muster some sort of spark.

I seriously hope Orton's back for the Packers. It's pretty obvious now that Rex just doesn't learn, he has the physical tools, but he just doesn't have the mindset, and you think he'd be doing his utmost to win games given that he's a free agent at the end of the year, but it's the exact same thing, rarely cecks down, doesn't look off his receivers, doesn't protect the ball. His awareness seems to be shot too, the timeout in the first quarter because the play clock ran down, he just seemed completely oblivious. Same with the slide for a yard loss later on, how does that help? I know the guy's not had as much development time as you'd think from a 5 year career given the injuries and all, but he really isn't helping himself.

[NobBe Nobbs]

What irritates me is that people are pointing towards Cassel and Green-Ellis and calling them evidence that Belichick is the greatest coach in professional sports. This is Green-Ellis' first big game, Cassel is currently 7-7 in touchdowns/interceptions and the defense has been misfiring spectacularly at times, so is it just me that is completely underwhelmed by all that fucking hype? For Christ's sake, they got torched by Miami earlier on. Where was this coaching genius then?

[JStarr]

Speaking as somebody who wants to get into player personnel for a career, I give little credit for a player's performance to a coach. I prefer instead to give it up to the GM/Director of Player Personnel/Janitor/whoever's in charge of actually drafting and signing people. It takes some skill to see who's actually going to fit into your coach's system before the coach even knows he exists. Example, Bill Polian is my fucking hero because he put together the Bills teams that went to the four straight Super Bowls, THEN came to Indy and resisted the hype surrounding Ryan Leaf.

If the coach is making those choices AND running practices/leading the team in games, more power to him...but even the best chef is gonna make a shitty dish if he's being given spoiled ingredients.

[HailtotheYo]

I was actually being a bit sarcastic in reference to the Bears. It still seems that everyone refuses to give the Titans their due but rather finds what the other team did wrong/didn't do/etc. I mean, heaven forbid that their stellar defense, very good special teams, and now proven much better than you thought offense is making any of those things happen.

Yes, Rexy played (and I've been on the Rex sucks bandwagon since day one) but I don't see the game much differently if Orton had played. Not because I don't see a big difference in Orton/Rex, because it's 100% difference. It's more of how the Titans play that makes me think that. It doesn't matter who is on the field with them, they just come out and punch you in the mouth.

Of course, Rexy got them to a Super Bowl if I remember correctly. (and let the "he didn't do shit/it was the defense" train roll)

I'm with J on the GM/DOP doing the stellar job. Sure, BB can coach whether anyone likes it or not. What allows him to show that ability is the man in charge of getting those BJGE's, Faulk's, etc that the Pats have been rolling out for like 10 years now. I mean these guys scowred all the way down to the "Scout Camp Pro Combine" (basically anyone with 100 bucks gets a tryout) and found David Patten. They know how/where to find football players.