2011-2012 NFL Season Thread

[Enigma869]

BreakingNews

Sports: Colts fire Jim Caldwell after 2-14 season - Pro Football Talk http://bit.ly/xjiqNo

29 minutes ago

Long overdue. I can't believe that anyone who sat in a room with this fucker for even 5 minutes came away thinking that he was head coach material.

[YoungJRNY]

Steelers still in shambles. Just little over a week after Coach Kirby Wilson was caught in a fire in his home, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin's father just passed away unexpectedly. Sympathies to Tomlin and his family.

[Enigma869]

Nothing like Ed Reed calling out his QB before a big game. Great stuff.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/rave ... 9437.story

[AR]

Nothing like Ed Reed calling out his QB before a big game. Great stuff.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/rave ... 9437.story

I wasn't thrilled about that.

[YoungJRNY]

Eli Manning is really elevating his game right now and his receivers are beasts, I keep waiting for the G-Men to collapse but they seem to be getting stronger and stronger.

Peaking at the right time. You could just see it brewing in N.Y. It's very hard to stop a football team when simply EVERYTHING is clicking for them at the moment, especially measuring up to arguably the best offense/team in the league that was Green Bay, ON THE ROAD. Denver and Pittsburgh entered the post-season on a low note, it was only fitting those two teams met first. It was the Steelers that bounced early but that next week, it showed what kind of state Denver was in entering the post-season. With the Giants, you just feel the best is YET to come and that's scary.

[Enigma869]

Interesting that Ray Lewis (of all people) picked Tom Brady as the number one player in the NFL.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUyQ_HsO4ZE

[conversationpc]

BreakingNews

Sports: Colts fire Jim Caldwell after 2-14 season - Pro Football Talk http://bit.ly/xjiqNo

29 minutes ago

Long overdue. I can't believe that anyone who sat in a room with this fucker for even 5 minutes came away thinking that he was head coach material.

I'm under the impression the only reason they hired him was because he had the support of the players AND Tony Dungy. Other than that, they should've done their homework early on and things may have turned out differently.

[Enigma869]

Tebow Declines Invitation To Join CBS Broadcast Team...

Smart move. Guy needs to get away from the publicity machine and figure out how to throw a football!

[Enigma869]

Rob Lowe tweets that Peyton Manning is done and not returning to the NFL. Apparently, he and Jim Irsay are close friends.




http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutd ... 16613.html

[Ehwmatt]

Rob Lowe tweets that Peyton Manning is done and not returning to the NFL. Apparently, he and Jim Irsay are close friends.




http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutd ... 16613.html

I don't buy that anything has happened/been decided yet. But I do think, of course, that Peyton's retiring is a probable outcome. Perhaps the Colts have arranged to buy his contract out at a generous sum instead of unceremoniously cutting him before his roster bonus is due? That might help dissuade the PR disaster that cutting even a crippled Peyton Manning would trigger, especially if Luck goes on to have a Cam Newton-esque rookie year.

[conversationpc]

Rob Lowe tweets that Peyton Manning is done and not returning to the NFL. Apparently, he and Jim Irsay are close friends.




http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutd ... 16613.html

I don't buy that anything has happened/been decided yet. But I do think, of course, that Peyton's retiring is a probable outcome. Perhaps the Colts have arranged to buy his contract out at a generous sum instead of unceremoniously cutting him before his roster bonus is due? That might help dissuade the PR disaster that cutting even a crippled Peyton Manning would trigger, especially if Luck goes on to have a Cam Newton-esque rookie year.

I've been thinking for a while now that there's a good possibility, considering how everything has gone down, that he's not coming back at all.

[YoungJRNY]

Just like a Grandma without their morning newspaper or morning coffee, I'm already going through football withdrawl. I have a fucking problem. Is it Sunday yet? Holy shit.

[mikemarrs]

Just like a Grandma without their morning newspaper or morning coffee, I'm already going through football withdrawl. I have a fucking problem. Is it Sunday yet? Holy shit.

Same here.I'm already counting down the days until the draft and then i'll look forward to free agency/training camp/preseason/regular season

[YoungJRNY]

Flaccid Fucko has been in the media lately. Not good. The Pats, AGAIN, are silent assassin's in the media. Brady is going to be going WILD Sunday. Distractions, distractions in Ravens camp.

Someone tattled to the Ravens about Joe Flacco riding a skateboard




By Chris Chase | Shutdown Corner – 4 hours ago

It's a story straight out of suburbia: A nosy neighbor sees someone riding around on a skateboard and makes a call to an authority figure in an attempt to stop such rebellious behavior. The one key difference in the following tale: The someone on the skateboard was Joe Flacco and the authority figure the neighbor called was the Baltimore Ravens.

The quarterback, who will face the New England Patriots in Sunday's AFC championship game, recounted the story on Wednesday to "NFL Total Access." Our friends at NFL.com have the transcription:

"I'd never been on a skateboard in my life, so I was literally riding it about 10 feet down my driveway just to see if I could stand on it and stay upright. One of my neighbors must have called in looking for [general manager] Ozzie Newsome and left a voicemail on his secretary's phone saying, 'Hey, man, you got to let Joe Flacco know we're trying to win the Super Bowl around here! He's at home riding a skateboard. Somebody's got to let him know what the deal is.'"

Little known fact: The neighbor was Ed Reed.

Kidding, but aren't you starting to get an idea of why the future Hall of Famer called out his quarterback to the press this week? All you need to know about Flacco's decision-making abilities can be gleaned from this story and from that horseshoe mustache.

Who tries skateboarding four days before the biggest game of his career? (For that matter, what 27-year-old man skateboards?) Pavarotti doesn't try sword swallowing the week before singing at The Met, you know?

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutd ... 50965.html

[Enigma869]

I'm not a Flacco fan, but this is a non-story. The Ravens aren't beating the Patriots, or anyone else because of Joe Flacco. Hell, Flacco wasn't good enough to beat out Tyler Fucking Palko at Pitt so took the pussy way out, and transferred to Delaware. The Ravens are built on defense and will go as far as that unit takes them. I respect the hell out of Ed Reed and Ray Lewis. Ray Lewis is probably the second best linebacker I've seen play behind Lawrence Taylor, and Ed Reed is probably the greatest Safety to ever play the game (yes, he's that good). This game all comes down to the Ravens' ability to get to Brady. If Brady has time to throw the ball and doesn't turn the ball over, the Ravens simply aren't good enough to win. If they get to Brady and pick the ball off, they could win by two TD's. Flacco will probably put up some numbers, given how pathetic the Patriots defense has been all season, but I just don't see Flacco being the difference in this game.

[YoungJRNY]

I'm not a Flacco fan, but this is a non-story. The Ravens aren't beating the Patriots, or anyone else because of Joe Flacco. Hell, Flacco wasn't good enough to beat out Tyler Fucking Palko at Pitt so took the pussy way out, and transferred to Delaware. The Ravens are built on defense and will go as far as that unit takes them. I respect the hell out of Ed Reed and Ray Lewis. Ray Lewis is probably the second best linebacker I've seen play behind Lawrence Taylor, and Ed Reed is probably the greatest Safety to ever play the game (yes, he's that good). This game all comes down to the Ravens' ability to get to Brady. If Brady has time to throw the ball and doesn't turn the ball over, the Ravens simply aren't good enough to win. If they get to Brady and pick the ball off, they could win by two TD's. Flacco will probably put up some numbers, given how pathetic the Patriots defense has been all season, but I just don't see Flacco being the difference in this game.

I agree with everything you just said. But these little stories, before the AFC Championship game is not good for Baltimore, especially heading to New England where you just don't hear much from. Earlier in the week, Harbaugh, Flacco, Reed & Ray Lewis had to come out and publicly go out of their way and state that Reeds comments weren't that big of a deal (uhhuh.) Just not good timing for these silly things to be happening.

[S2M]

NE - 41
Ravens - 17

And I'm being nice. Baltimore won't score a TD unless they force a turnover on the north side of the 50. The hoodie will load the box, and make Flacco beat him. Whomever makes the better halftime adjustments will ultimately win this game. Belichick's the master, and Harbaugh will make a few errors in judgment. Look for who isn't doubled in a NE jersey to have a CAREER day.

[Seven Wishes2]

Unfortunately, I see Baltimore winning this one by 7.

Look for a Forty-Whiners vs. Jailbirds Super Bowl. I, for one, will NOT watch that.

[AR]

NE - 41
Ravens - 17

And I'm being nice. Baltimore won't score a TD unless they force a turnover on the north side of the 50. The hoodie will load the box, and make Flacco beat him. Whomever makes the better halftime adjustments will ultimately win this game. Belichick's the master, and Harbaugh will make a few errors in judgment. Look for who isn't doubled in a NE jersey to have a CAREER day.

I have $100 says NE doesn't score 40. $75 that they don't score 35 and $50 that they don't score 30.
I will be happy to swap paypal addresses via PM.

[S2M]

Unfortunately, I see Baltimore winning this one by 7.

Look for a Forty-Whiners vs. Jailbirds Super Bowl. I, for one, will NOT watch that.

BORING....sounds like LSU v. 'Bama 1

No one wants a defensive SB...

[Enigma869]

But these little stories, before the AFC Championship game is not good for Baltimore, especially heading to New England where you just don't hear much from.

Belichick sets the standard and simply NEVER allows the nonense. Hell, he benched Wes Welker when Welker decided he thought it was funny to hint at Rex Ryan's foot fetish before a game last year. He simply doesn't want to deal with knucklehead behavior and understands that nothing good ever comes out of it. Sort of like when Freddie Mitchell predicted the Eagles would beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl and a Steelers player (his name escapes me) predicted a win for a Steelers right before Brady when out and toyed with them. I've never been a fan of athletes running their mouths. Do your talking on the field...where it belongs!

[Enigma869]

I have $100 says NE doesn't score 40. $75 that they don't score 35 and $50 that they don't score 30.
I will be happy to swap paypal addresses via PM.

Points scored aren't relevant. You just have to score one more point than your opponent to win. I will say that I don't see a low scoring game being favorable to New England's chances in this game the same way I don't think Baltimore has any shot of winning a high scoring game. Let's hear your prediction on the game, Ed. Who wins, and by how much?

[AR]

I have $100 says NE doesn't score 40. $75 that they don't score 35 and $50 that they don't score 30.
I will be happy to swap paypal addresses via PM.

Points scored aren't relevant. You just have to score one more point than your opponent to win. I will say that I don't see a low scoring game being favorable to New England's chances in this game the same way I don't think Baltimore has any shot of winning a high scoring game. Let's hear your prediction on the game, Ed. Who wins, and by how much?

I don't think Baltimore has a shot at winning a high scoring game either. In fact they really need to score early and never fall behind by more than 7.

Stuffing the box could really burn the Patriots. In years past the Ravens only had possession receivers and now have Torrie Smith as a legitimate vertical threat. By the same token in past meetings the Patriots did not have all world players at TE and it will be interesting to see if the Ravens linebackers can account for then.

I don't make W/L predictions and it's obvious who I'm rooting for. I will predict neither team breaks 30 points.

[Don]

I'm gonna pick the Ravens at 26-23. Brady is due for a bad game so maybe this week will be it or at least a case of the dropsies by his recievers. I think New England will score one defensive touch down or at least be put in great field position because of a Flacco turnover but it still won't be enough.

I think the Giants' Defense will get to Smith and Eli will make things happen with his rollouts to get NY past the 49ers. 17-6

[Rick]

I'm gonna pick the Ravens at 26-23. Brady is due for a bad game so maybe this week will be it or at least a case of the dropsies by his recievers. I think New England will score one defensive touch down or at least be put in great field position because of a Flacco turnover but it still won't be enough.

I think the Giants' Defense will get to Smith and Eli will make things happen with his rollouts to get NY past the 49ers. 17-6

That would be a great Superbowl. It would be completely indicative of this season, where nothing made a bit of sense.

[slucero]

"defense wins games"..... imma go with that...

[Enigma869]

"defense wins games"

If that's the case, we're looking forward to a Baltimore versus San Francisco Super Bowl.

[Rick]

"defense wins games"

If that's the case, we're looking forward to a Baltimore versus San Francisco Super Bowl.

Hopefully.

[YoungJRNY]

But these little stories, before the AFC Championship game is not good for Baltimore, especially heading to New England where you just don't hear much from.

Sort of like when Freddie Mitchell predicted the Eagles would beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl and a Steelers player (his name escapes me) predicted a win for a Steelers right before Brady when out and toyed with them. I've never been a fan of athletes running their mouths. Do your talking on the field...where it belongs!

FS Anthony Smith. Haven't heard from him since and possibly out of the league. He was filling in for an injured Ryan Clark I believe during that span and had his shot only because he was a HUGE hitter. As soon as he said those comments, veterans like James Farrior pulled the kid aside and had a talk with him because they KNEW what was coming. Nobody, including Tomlin, liked those antics from a bigmouth young kid who didn't know who he was going up against. As soon as he said it, I knew we were toast.

Here's an article about that moment and how it was perceived:

Smith's Wednesday comments, which included his saying the Bengals have better wide receivers than the Patriots, were not welcome by all of the Steelers.

"I told him, 'You can't really do stuff like that. You gotta really think about the stuff you say,' " veteran strong safety Tyrone Carter said.

Tomlin also talked to Smith.

Asked what Tomlin told him, Smith said, "Just write your own checks. Don't write checks for the whole team."

Tomlin seemed a little perturbed with the stir Smith had created, but he shrugged off what the second-year player said.

"Guarantees aren't worth the paper that they're written on," Tomlin said after practice yesterday. "I think any time you have a big game, you'll find some young guy in the corner of the locker room willing to guarantee a victory. In this business, it's not about what we say, it's about what we do."

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... 41561.html

[Ehwmatt]

"defense wins games"

If that's the case, we're looking forward to a Baltimore versus San Francisco Super Bowl.

Hopefully.

Ugh. I can't imagine a more boring game to watch. I definitely want to see the Pats get back to the big game. Either of the NFC opponents would be exciting, but I sure like watching the Giants when they are on because they do everything well, something that can't be said for any of the other 3 teams.