Tho official 2009-10 NFL Regular Season Thread

[MikeVic]

That's beyond stupid. Don't they have to be forced to change that? What idiot designed a football stadium and didn't think about various aspects of the game??

[M GO BLUE!!!]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

That's beyond stupid. Don't they have to be forced to change that? What idiot designed a football stadium and didn't think about various aspects of the game??

Jerry Jones.

[k0ruptr]

LMAO just reading it like that is awesome. Yep old Jerry... hahahahha

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

That's beyond stupid. Don't they have to be forced to change that? What idiot designed a football stadium and didn't think about various aspects of the game??

you'd think the league would force them to do something about it, but somehow i doubt it will happen. if it was some owner other than Jerry Jones maybe...

[Big Fo]

Jerry Jones blames the punter:

"That's not the point. How high is high if somebody just wants to sit there and kick straight up?

"If you look at how you punt the football, unless you're trying to hit the scoreboard, you punt the ball to get downfield. You certainly want to get some hangtime, but you punt the ball to get downfield, and you sure don't punt the ball down the middle. You punt it off to the side."

[kcchief19]

Based on what I've seen and read, I think Jones is probably right -- the Titans were trying to intentionally hit the scoreboard, whether it was to make a point or just stick it to Jones and the Cowboys for some reason. During warmups Hentrich was apparently trying to drill the scoreboard on purposed and pissing Jones off.

First time I saw the screens I thought they were a little low. But seeing the video, I don't think that anymore. Those screens are WAY up there.

From what I've heard, the Cowboys did a lot of homework on this issue. They determined that a 5.0-second hangtime punt could hit the scoreboard, but figured no one would punt that high and short on kicks from their own half of the field. Plus, it's only going to reach the scoreboard on kicks from certain angles.

I say we give it time and see what happens. Not sure if a ball hitting the scored is a park rule or an NFL rule, but if happens it's just a rekick. If it happens once or twice a season, I don't think it's that big of of a deal. If people are hitting this week in and week out, they should move them.

[k0ruptr]

Lions looking good preseason! Down 20-0 to the browns after 1 quarter, lol.

[Jas_lov]

Who else is looking good in preseason? The Bills. 3 turnovers in the first 17 minutes of the game, 21-0 Packers. LOL! I really hope the return of Cullen Jenkins, the change to a more aggressive scheme, and the additions to the D through the draft put the Packers D back up in the top half of the league. Rodgers and the offense is going to be really good this year. The NFC North will definitely be a fun division to watch.

[Suburban Rhythm]

Someone who really is looking good in the preason

Dennis Dixon is really grasping the offense. The Steelers will still use Batch as the backup heading into the year, but have to feel good about how Dixon has looked. Sure, he's facing 2nd teamers, but he's also working with 2nd teamers, and has run the offense really well two straight weeks.

[Eaglesfan27]

Chase Daniels has also looked good in preseason, at least today he has. I wonder if he will do enough to get kept ahead of Colt Brennan this season.

[Vegas Vic]

As someone who didn't think that Chase Daniel had the tools to make an NFL roster, I have to admit that I'm very impressed by his play tonight.

[M GO BLUE!!!]

Hmmm... If nobody punts in Cowboyz Stadium, do ya think Jerry could put in a BIGGER screen?

And why in the hell did they replicate the stupid hole in the roof from Texas Stadium?

[RainMaker]

Cutler and the Bears looked real good tonight. I still don't understand the insistence of turning Hester into a receiver. He is horrible. Now they don't even use him on returns.

[JeeberD]

Originally Posted by kcchief19

Based on what I've seen and read, I think Jones is probably right -- the Titans were trying to intentionally hit the scoreboard, whether it was to make a point or just stick it to Jones and the Cowboys for some reason. During warmups Hentrich was apparently trying to drill the scoreboard on purposed and pissing Jones off.

First time I saw the screens I thought they were a little low. But seeing the video, I don't think that anymore. Those screens are WAY up there.

From what I've heard, the Cowboys did a lot of homework on this issue. They determined that a 5.0-second hangtime punt could hit the scoreboard, but figured no one would punt that high and short on kicks from their own half of the field. Plus, it's only going to reach the scoreboard on kicks from certain angles.

I say we give it time and see what happens. Not sure if a ball hitting the scored is a park rule or an NFL rule, but if happens it's just a rekick. If it happens once or twice a season, I don't think it's that big of of a deal. If people are hitting this week in and week out, they should move them.

Thank you. Finally, someone with some sense and not overreacting. OMGZ ALL DA PUNTZ IS GUNNA HIT DA JIMBOTRON! LOL!!1!!

And for what it's worth, someone on the Rockets board posted a pic yesterday that a friend supposedly took at Cowboys Stadium of them raising the screen...

Originally Posted by M GO BLUE!!!

And why in the hell did they replicate the stupid hole in the roof from Texas Stadium?

Probably because it's iconic...

[fantom1979]

Originally Posted by M GO BLUE!!!

And why in the hell did they replicate the stupid hole in the roof from Texas Stadium?

So God can watch his beloved Cowboys.... (I believe that is a quote from Jerry Jones).

[fantom1979]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP)—The video boards at the new Cowboys Stadium were the center of attention at the building’s first football game, and that wasn’t always a good thing.


While fans were in awe of the world’s largest high-definition screens— roughly 60 yards wide, 25 yards high and as clear as any 52-incher—punters for the Tennessee Titans used it for target practice before and during the preseason home opener Friday night and had little trouble hitting it.
Tennessee backup A.J. Trapasso conked it during the third quarter, forcing a do-over once the officials realized what happened. Then Trapasso nearly hit it again, prompting questions about whether the team needs to make the first major change to its $1.15 billion building.


“It is an issue,” said Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher, who happens to be the co-chair of the NFL’s competition committee, a group that could force the Cowboys to take action if they don’t do it on their own. “Something has to get worked out.”
The league is already on the case.


“We are aware of it and will continue to monitor it,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Saturday.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones helped set the height at 90 feet above the field— 5 feet above the league minimum—even though tests using the team’s punter, Mat McBriar(notes), showed he could clear 100 feet. The reasoning behind cutting it close was that during the tests, McBriar was trying to boot it that high, but a regular punt has a lower arc and is usually kicked toward a sideline, not right down the middle.
“I’m not worried about it,” Jones said. “I’m very comfortable that our height on our scoreboard is OK.”


The board has to go up to fit the stage for a U2 concert on Oct. 12. The Cowboys could leave it at that new height or they could use that opportunity to put in a system that would let them raise and lower it whenever they want. However, that would add to the price tag of a stadium that’s already nearly double its originally projected cost of $650 million.


They also might not want to make any changes based on one preseason game.
Dallas will practice at the stadium Thursday night, then play the San Francisco 49ers there Saturday night. Three weeks will pass before the regular-season home opener Sept. 20 against the New York Giants, which might be enough time to make a change.
The Cowboys play at home again the following week, but then won’t use the stadium until Oct. 25. So that’s another time when a change could be made—and will have to be anyway for U2.


Trapasso acknowledged it takes a really good kick to nail the underside of the boards, then noted that most NFL punters have the leg strength to do it. He hit it for the first time on his third warm-up kick, when he wasn’t completely loose.
“It’s nothing that is going to happen every time, but it’s there,” Trapasso said. “I don’t know how much further up it can go, but it’s in the way. … It does not matter where you kick it from, it is just right there in the middle of the field. It’s always something that you’re going to be thinking about.”
Officials were slow to react to Trapasso’s ricocheted kick because they were watching the action on the field. Fisher immediately threw his challenge flag, but it was worked out without needing to check a monitor.


The teams then went through all the hitting and running one more time, which Trapasso said can take a toll. He added that a punter wanting to avoid that might take a little something off his kick or angle it differently; either way, it’s a compromise he doesn’t like.
“I’d consider it a big issue if I had to kick here every week,” he said.


Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said after the game he thought the Titans were trying to hit the video boards—certainly during warmups and probably during the game. He essentially said to let them keep trying because it might throw them out of whack. On Saturday, he reiterated the team’s stance that “it isn’t a factor” when a team aims a punt toward a sideline, like most teams do.


As for the giant TV screen, Phillips said he hardly looked up at it during the game.
“You don’t see it if you’re on the field,” he said. “You really have to look up.”
Cowboys receiver Patrick Crayton(notes) also is the team’s primary punt returner because he has good hands, but he muffed his first try in the new stadium. He said the board wasn’t to blame.
“It’s a little different,” he said. “You’ve got to get adjusted to it.”


There was one other glitch with the screens Friday night: Programmers forgot to include down and distance in the graphics. They scrambled to add it during the game and expect to have it resolved by the next game.

Gigantic video boards a target at Cowboys Stadium - NFL - Yahoo! Sports

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Vegas Vic

As someone who didn't think that Chase Daniel had the tools to make an NFL roster, I have to admit that I'm very impressed by his play tonight.

As someone who knew he had the skills, I'm glad the rest of the world has finally come around to it. He's a very smart QB and does a great job of taking what the defense gives him.

By the way, that first touchdown pass was something that Chase has had plenty of practice on. He threw that same pass numerous times to Chase Coffman. He's great at getting that fade pass in the corner nice and high, something that some NFL QB's struggle with at times.

Also, judging from the post-game news conference, it appears we now have a whole new segment of reporters that have to learn it's Daniel, not Daniels.

[JPhillips]

Apparently the Bengals are going to hold firm against the slotting system. Mike Brown has reportedly told Smith's agent the ship has sailed on slotting and won't offer a deal even equal to Heyward-Bey's. Whatever happens, it looks like the first round pick won't be a factor this season.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by JeeberD

Thank you. Finally, someone with some sense and not overreacting. OMGZ ALL DA PUNTZ IS GUNNA HIT DA JIMBOTRON! LOL!!1!!

Peter King has a quote from Bill Polian in today's MMQB where Polian says the same company wanted to put the same video board up in Indy's new stadium, so they tested it out by putting a metal beam 90' off the floor and having their punters try to hit. When they hit with ease most of the time, Indy opted for video screens on the sides.

Methinks Jerry is going to have trouble getting this one past the competition committee...

[JeeberD]

The NFL apparently already signed off on it...

*shrug*

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by JeeberD

The NFL apparently already signed off on it...

*shrug*

Jeebs, I get that you want to defend the guy and your team, but it should be impossible to hit the scoreboard if someone is trying to or not.

[molson]

I wonder if a punter intentionaly and repeatedly hitting the scoreboard to give his defense a rest would be flagged for delay of game.

[Logan]

I see no reason why it would be.

[JAG]

You gotta love preseason where we devote this much time to discuss how high a scoreboard is hung. I guess it's a nice break from Vick / Favre.

Originally Posted by gstelmack

Peter King has a quote from Bill Polian in today's MMQB where Polian says the same company wanted to put the same video board up in Indy's new stadium, so they tested it out by putting a metal beam 90' off the floor and having their punters try to hit. When they hit with ease most of the time, Indy opted for video screens on the sides.

Methinks Jerry is going to have trouble getting this one past the competition committee...

I wonder why Polian didn't bring this vital issue up with the competition committee seeing as he's a member and all.

But seriously, why is this a big deal? There's room to raise the scoreboard, so raise it 15-20 feet and be done with this. The only reason Jerry is putting up a big stink about moving it is because 1. He loves the publicity and 2. He probably wants the NFL to foot the $2 million bill for moving it and frankly he's right considering it's within current NFL guidelines.

[Coffee Warlord]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Cutler and the Bears looked real good tonight. I still don't understand the insistence of turning Hester into a receiver. He is horrible. Now they don't even use him on returns.

He's not HORRIBLE, but he was an infinitely better weapon as a dedicated returner / decoy receiver. I just don't think he has the instincts / smarts to be a top not wideout.

[JeeberD]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Jeebs, I get that you want to defend the guy and your team, but it should be impossible to hit the scoreboard if someone is trying to or not.

So you don't think an NBA player could hit a scoreboard if he was trying to?

[MikeVic]

Originally Posted by JeeberD

So you don't think an NBA player could hit a scoreboard if he was trying to?

If there was a scoreboard hanging over the edge of the 3pt line and it got in the way of someone's shot, then yes that'd be a problem too.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by JeeberD

So you don't think an NBA player could hit a scoreboard if he was trying to?

that's comparing apples to oranges. different games with different rules and the ball's flight path is vastly different.

[molson]

Originally Posted by JeeberD

So you don't think an NBA player could hit a scoreboard if he was trying to?

I'm pretty sure that both the shot clock and overhead scoreboard are out of bounds in a basketball. If you throw the ball and hit one of those, its a turnover.

Should there be a similar Cowboy stadium house rule? If a punt his the scoreboard the other team gets it at the 50 or something? That doesn't seem fair.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by molson

I'm pretty sure that both the shot clock and overhead scoreboard are out of bounds in a basketball. If you throw the ball and hit one of those, its a turnover.

Should there be a similar Cowboy stadium house rule? If a punt his the scoreboard the other team gets it at the 50 or something? That doesn't seem fair.

they may end up doing that, but if they do i have a feeling it won't be the 50...it'll be like...the 20. which still doesn't seem fair to those teams that have excellent coverage units.

i suspect it'll just get raised. jerry just likes the publicity. he knows it'll be on all the network news shows and shit.

[Logan]

Source: San Diego Chargers QB Phillips Rivers gets 6-year extension - ESPN

$38-39 million guaranteed.

[Logan]

Seattle signs Edge.

[Eaglesfan27]

Nice TD pass by Sanchez.

[Swaggs]

I don't really care about the scoreboard, but it makes me think about how the differences in baseball parks are considered "charming," but anything outside the norm in the NBA or NFL gets picked apart.

[DeToxRox]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

I don't really care about the scoreboard, but it makes me think about how the differences in baseball parks are considered "charming," but anything outside the norm in the NBA or NFL gets picked apart.

Baseball is different then any other sport because each park's playing field is different. It's not like that in any other sport which is part of what makes baseball so unique.

[Big Fo]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

I don't really care about the scoreboard, but it makes me think about how the differences in baseball parks are considered "charming," but anything outside the norm in the NBA or NFL gets picked apart.

That hill in Houston's centerfield is more embarrassing than charming imo, same deal with the ease of hitting homeruns to right field in the new Yankee stadium.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

That hill in Houston's centerfield is more embarrassing than charming imo, same deal with the ease of hitting homeruns to right field in the new Yankee stadium.

+1
+1

[Logan]

And also, I find the huge scoreboard in new Yankee Stadium to be ridiculously distracting when trying to actually watch the game if its anywhere in your line of vision.

I read that the new Dallas scoreboard is big enough so that with the distance it is from the upper deck, it will be as if people were watching a 50" plasma from 12 feet away. Call me crazy, but I'd rather actually watch on my plasma than be forced into staring at a screen because I can't see what's going on below me, especially taking into account how shitty the atmosphere is at pro football games and the cost of tickets there.

Speaking of, there was some word that guys were having trouble tracking punted balls because they were getting lost in the smaller video screens that face the endzones.

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by Logan

And also, I find the huge scoreboard in new Yankee Stadium to be ridiculously distracting when trying to actually watch the game if its anywhere in your line of vision.

I read that the new Dallas scoreboard is big enough so that with the distance it is from the upper deck, it will be as if people were watching a 50" plasma from 12 feet away. Call me crazy, but I'd rather actually watch on my plasma than be forced into staring at a screen because I can't see what's going on below me, especially taking into account how shitty the atmosphere is at pro football games and the cost of tickets there.

Speaking of, there was some word that guys were having trouble tracking punted balls because they were getting lost in the smaller video screens that face the endzones.

I was thinking something similar when I saw some of the pics of the Cowboys video board. It looks like it would cut out your view of a large chunk of the other side of the stadium. Isn't part of the fun of going to a live game to sort of take in all the action in the stands and the 'feel' of the stadium with all the people everywhere etc? I have to think that video board would detract from the live experience after you get over the initial ooh's and awe's of it.

[gstelmack]

But without the big giant video board how would they get advertisers to pay an arm and a leg for the privilege of advertising on it?

Live sporting events are just not what they once were...

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

But without the big giant video board how would they get advertisers to pay an arm and a leg for the privilege of advertising on it?

Live sporting events are just not what they once were...

I can't beleive that that didn't occur to me. People at Cowboys games are going to be forced to sit through more commercials than people watching at home.

I'm not sure why the smart play for fans isn't to attend minor league games (or HS or smaller college games if you are into football) and watch major league games on TV.

I enjoyed the season I was in N.O. and had Saints season tickets. But had I stayed, I probably would not have renewed. You have a better sense of how corporate everything is when you are there watching it live.

[DaddyTorgo]

yeah...in most cases I actually enjoying watching the stuff on TV more then going. Now if I end up with season tickets to Fenway maybe my tune will change, but watching at home on the HD tv and being able to eat your own food and drink your own food and wear what you want and not be subject to the weather extremes of sports like football is really nice.

[Logan]

Football games in general are just horrible to attend. Too long, too many TV timeouts, too much standing around doing nothing. College ends up being fun because of the bands, student sections, the cheers, etc but it tests my patience every now and then.

[DaddyTorgo]

i went to a Pats game in December a couple years back (when they played the Lions). It was bitter-ass fucking cold. Sure it was fun to be there and all, but honestly...I don't see the appeal. It was almost unbearably cold (and my dad and brother were a whole section above me in the grandstands right on the edge so they were getting wind-whipped the whole game...at least i was down in the bowl (3 separate seats...props to who was it on here who sent me one of them?). Add to that that quite often it was difficult to see the ball and although it was cool to watch coverage and see stuff you don't see on TV, it wasn't an experience I'm all that likely to repeat.

I kind of enjoy that on TV, even if i'm not seeing the field from sideline-to-sideline on every play at least the cameras will follow the ball, so i have an idea if it's a running play or a play-action, or who made the tackle, etc.

[stevew]

I like to be able to see the whole field of play. At some point, hopefully they'll have the "A22" view available on TV(sub station or whatever), and then there reallly would not be any point in going to the game.

[Pumpy Tudors]

With the exception of one Pitt football game two or three years ago, I've only been to Division II games since 2005. There's always action happening:

- A mascot costume that gets used so rarely, the person inside can't figure out how to walk around in it
- The third-string players trying to get the attention of every adult female who walks by. I think I saw one sophomore linebacker accidentally make a pass at his grandmother
- Half the crowd playing "guess the visiting school's nickname" by trying to figure out the abstract decal on their helmets
- Standing in line at the concession stand puts you right in the line of fire for placekicks toward the north end zone
- Some fool trying to walk down metal steps in the rain ends up slipping, landing on his back, and literally bouncing down the steps on his ass all the way to ground level (that fool was me during Seton Hill's game against Shepherd last year)
- The closest you get to a TV timeout is when all the fans and players pause to watch the police chase a guy on foot who had just stolen a broken TV from the nearby repair shop

Like the NCAA's slogan goes: I chose Division II.

[Lathum]

It's absurd if the fans can't see the whole field from every seat in a brand new stadium.

[JAG]

Originally Posted by Logan

Football games in general are just horrible to attend. Too long, too many TV timeouts, too much standing around doing nothing.

Add to that not being able to see what's going on a good bit of the time (depends on seating and stadium I suppose).

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

I'm not sure why the smart play for fans isn't to attend minor league games (or HS or smaller college games if you are into football) and watch major league games on TV.

The best stadium experience by far that I've had was the first few years of the Chicago Fire's existence, hanging out with the crazy fans who stood all game, did chants, heckled opponents, played instruments, tried to rally the rest of the crowd, etc... It was a lot of fun and they were highly successful as well which added to the fun. The only negative is it was so good that it killed any interest I have in paying for any other live sporting events.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

All these posts about gameday experience and not a word about tailgating. I went to three NFL games in three different stadiums on the east coast while I lived out there. NFL Gameday is just not the same without the BBQ smoke-filled air surrounding Arrowhead Stadium. We're ridiculously spoiled in KC. You hear it from every commentator at Arrowhead, but you don't know why it's the greatest tailgating location in the league until you actually experience it.

Of course, it's not much fun watching a two win team for three hours after that, but at least you're fat and happy.

[Logan]

My posts about it didn't bring it up cause I was trying to make the distinction between the college and pro experience. They both have tailgating, but there's not a few thousand 18-21 year old girls at a Giants/Jets tailgate.

I know some guys who have an RV that they bring to Eagles games. Completely decked out in the colors and logos, full grill...and a huge plasma on the exterior. They tailgate before the game and continue the tailgate throughout the game...that's the best way to do it, IMO.