NFL 2019 Season Thread

[thesloppy]

Yusss. Nice job, Titans!

[Kodos]

A perfect ending! Interception for TD to cap his career in New England!

[jbergey22]

Did the Brady retiring just come out of no where? Last articles I read about it he was playing another 3-5 years. Now suddenly its the talk of the first weekend of the playoffs?

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by Carman Bulldog

That clock runoff on the punt was critical. How many coaches would even have the situational awareness to pull that off?

Belichick made it a point of emphasis in an earlier game this year. Probably made the awareness level pretty high. I think he used a blowout game against the Giants to showcase the stupidity of the rule.

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

He Belichicked Belichick and Belichick wasn't happy.

That was grrrrrrrr-eat!

[bronconick]

He was playing a lot younger when he said he was going to play to 45. He's playing like a 42 year old now.

[spleen1015]

Edelman dropping that pass for a 1st down may have cost them the game.

[Atocep]

I feel like I went back in time and watched a game from the late 80s/early 90s.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by bronconick

He was playing a lot younger when he said he was going to play to 45. He's playing like a 42 year old now.

I mean his PFF grade was still over 80(12th in the league). He dropped off a bit, no doubt, but his top receiving threats were a possession slot receiver and a running back. His outside WRs and TEs were poor and really werent much of a threat. They were so desperate they traded a fairly high pick for Sanu. I still saw some very good throws today in which the receivers just couldnt get any separation.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by Atocep

I feel like I went back in time and watched a game from the late 80s/early 90s.

Felt the same. Titans had a brilliant game plan and I never realized how good Henry is. Pats wanted nothing to do with him towards the end of the game.

[SirFozzie]

Congrats to the Titans. They played like the Patriots of the beginning of the dynasty where they would just relentlessly grind and grind and make plays when they needed to. And speaking of the Pats dynasty, I think you can officially call it over. Belichick doesn't trust Brady to make the key play anymore. (seriously, why punt with <5 on the clock?)

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by DirkGildun

After listening to the 3 ESPN Monday Night Football idiots (Tessitore, McFarland, and Perry) do the Bills-Titans playoff game today, I've come to the conclusion that the networks showing NFL games should offer an alternate audio feed -- just the sounds coming from the stadium (the crowd noise, the stadium announcer, the referee, etc.).

Years ago, when NBC televised AFC games, they tried this with a late-season Jets-Dolphins game. It was great! With HD or 4K TV now, it would be just like being there.

They’d never let us miss the promos.

[MizzouRah]

Henry carried me all season in fantasy football, well done today against that NE defense!

[Thomkal]

I'm just glad that the first two games ended up being close finishes-hope the two today are the same though I have my doubts.

[Carman Bulldog]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

I'm just glad that the first two games ended up being close finishes-hope the two today are the same though I have my doubts.

In my opinion, the Saints are the best team playing on Wild Card weekend in a long time. It's going to be a challenge for the Vikings.

I have no idea what to expect from Seahawks-Eagles.

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by Carman Bulldog

In my opinion, the Saints are the best team playing on Wild Card weekend in a long time. It's going to be a challenge for the Vikings.

I have no idea what to expect from Seahawks-Eagles.

Three hours of crap then a last-minute drive capped by amazing TD pass from Russell Wilson.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

Three hours of crap then a last-minute drive capped by amazing TD pass from Russell Wilson.

Probably right.

I'll be at the Borgata towards the end of the game. One of my best friends plays in a pretty well knows cover band called The Amish Outlaws and they are playing there. Going to drive down and back with him. There should be tons of Eagles fans there, should be a pretty fun atmosphere.

[Butter]

I don't understand why McDaniels is getting all this play as a potential candidate. He failed once, backed out of another job, and if anything this year showed that Brady and other talent were doing their fair share of propping up McDaniels.

[Atocep]

If Vikings hold on it would be the first year since '02 without one of Brees, Brady, or Roethlisberger in an AFC or NFC Championship game.

[JPhillips]

Not a good weekend for old QBs.

[Carman Bulldog]

That's a terrible, terrible spot.

Edit: Didn't matter as it was still a first down.

[kingfc22]

Phew! He’s down.

[kingfc22]

Peyton does know that you don’t get points for saving time outs.

[tarcone]

Damn I should have bet the -8 and Vikings. Of course had I done that, NO would have won by 10.

[bhlloy]

Has everyone in the NFL forgotten how to coach in the last two weeks? Payton has called a terrible game but he gets away with it. More bonus playoff football.

[tarcone]

The Saints and pass interference. Too bad.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

Plenty of playoff games end up with a margin of 2 or more touchdowns. Saints have plenty of motivation on their side to lay a beating. Are the Vikings 17-28 points worse than the Saints in a normal game, no.

Vikings have injured linebackers, Cook is nursing a few different injuries and the Saints are sick of hearing about the Minnesota miracle. As much as Id love to be wrong(and I am a lot when it comes to the Vikings) I believe this will be an ass kicking.

I am assuming you are loving being wrong

[Butter]

Originally Posted by tarcone

The Saints and pass interference. Too bad.

Name a more iconic duo

[albionmoonlight]

I was confident going in. But the Vikings had a great plan, and the Saints made some bad mistakes. Good win for them, and sucks for the Saints.

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by tarcone

The Saints and pass interference. Too bad.

Pass Interference when guys are hand fighting is necessarily a judgment call. 9 times out of 10, that push off isn't called, so I am fine with it not being called (or changed on review) here.

People comparing it to the Rams no-call last year, which was the most egregious and significant officiating mistake in the history of team sports*, are comparing apples to oranges (or are just some media talking heads making a lazy analogy).

Indeed, the problem with the No Call was never the nature of the call (pass interference); it was that the refs made an inexcusable blunder. So the league's solution--let them review pass interference but not anything else--was always solving the wrong problem (and distracting the public from the fundamental decline in officiating quality). The league's solution should have been an open and unalloyed acknowledgement of the error, and apology, and a commitment to better training.

*I'm not counting games that were deliberately fixed, like the 1972 USA/USSR Olympics

[Carman Bulldog]

Originally Posted by tarcone

The Saints and pass interference. Too bad.

What are you going to do there, call both OPI and DPI? The defender was grabbing at the guys arm and the guy was pushing him away. Standard hand fighting that happens on every jump ball.

If Saints fans really want to blame their wild card round loss on a non-call, their bigger issue should have been with the non-call last week in the 49ers vs. Seahawks game that left them playing this weekend to begin with.

As it is, I think I may have been too high on the Saints, and perhaps underestimated the Vikings. I thought the Saints were arguably among the Super Bowl favourites. They sure didn't look like it in this game. Meanwhile, the Vikings are a significantly better team with both Cook and Thielen relatively healthy.

Glad to see Cousins not wear the goat horns, although I'm disappointed we are not getting a third Seahawks vs. 49ers game (at least next week).

[Carman Bulldog]

DOLA: Love how JJ saves the Garrett firing announcement for the middle of the Eagles game. Just has to try and steal some of the spotlight.

[EagleFan]

Painful game to watch.

Side note, how didn't Clowney get a penalty on that shot to the head against Wentz? He targeted with the crown of his helmet to the back of his head.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by EagleFan

Painful game to watch.

Side note, how didn't Clowney get a penalty on that shot to the head against Wentz? He targeted with the crown of his helmet to the back of his head.

What's absurd is the lead ref said the contact was incidental. You watch the video it's clear he purposely lead with the helmet and even steered the top of his helmet directly at Wentz's head as he was going down.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by Lathum

I am assuming you are loving being wrong

Haha! Yup. Zimmer played the underdog role up and I think it helped the defense play super motivated. I figured the opposite would happen. The Vikings come out flat a lot in these situations and I figured the Saints would have a huge motivational edge.

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

Haha! Yup. Zimmer played the underdog role up and I think it helped the defense play super motivated. I figured the opposite would happen. The Vikings come out flat a lot in these situations and I figured the Saints would have a huge motivational edge.

Zim's a really good coach.

He's not a self-promoter, and he isn't a boy genius, so he doesn't get the buzz of some of the others out there. But he's damn good at his job.

[spleen1015]

Pretty interesting tweet.

How many of the year's 100 most-watched shows were sports?

2019 - 93

2009 - 44

1999 - 21

— Michael Mulvihill (@mulvihill79) January 3, 2020

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

Pretty interesting tweet.

How many of the year's 100 most-watched shows were sports?

2019 - 93

2009 - 44

1999 - 21

— Michael Mulvihill (@mulvihill79) January 3, 2020

People don't want to hear it but I stand by my stance that fantasy and gambling have a lot to do with this. I would assume the biggest driver is Netflix, streaming, etc...

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Lathum

I would assume the biggest driver is Netflix, streaming, etc...

The general decline of scripted series fits here too.

Less prominent but at least a minor factor is the migration of men away from television in general (i mean, shows that drew from both genders at a good clip naturally have a higher chance of producing bigger audiences)

[jbergey22]

The Cowboys hire Mike McCarthy as their new coach. You would think the Cowboys could have gotten a lot better head coach. I am not even sure that McCarthy is an upgrade over Garrett. Way to botch that up Jones family.

[spleen1015]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

The general decline of scripted series fits here too.

Less prominent but at least a minor factor is the migration of men away from television in general (i mean, shows that drew from both genders at a good clip naturally have a higher chance of producing bigger audiences)

By decline, do you mean less are being made or the ones being made aren't any good? Or both?

I think streaming has a lot to do with it. I can't remember the last time I watched something live on tv that wasn't a live event of some sort, ie sports or awards show.

PS - Can't believe the Cowboys hired McCarthy either.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

By decline, do you mean less are being made or the ones being made aren't any good? Or both?

I think streaming has a lot to do with it. I can't remember the last time I watched something live on tv that wasn't a live event of some sort, ie sports or awards show.

PS - Can't believe the Cowboys hired McCarthy either.

That's a good point. If "most watched" doesn't include shows that were recorded on a DVR and watched later, this makes total sense. Between streaming and DVRs - there is very little, if anything I watch "live."

I used to watch "The Walking Dead" live with friends. I typically watched "Game of Thrones" live. But beyond those two shows, I really don't watch anything live except for sports.

[Arles]

McCarthy ran a really good system with Green Bay early on - he just got stale as their players changed. I think his biggest negative is not realizing when players change/get older. He kept thinking their WR/TE could beat everyone off the ball without scheming - and it caught up with Green Bay. With Zeke, Cooper and Gallup - the Cowboys may have the talent to run his scheme. A lot is going to ride on how accurate Dak can be. Ironically enough, the one player McCarthy was the most flexible with in terms of role on GB was Cobb (who's now in Dallas). It will be interesting to see how he does, but if he does a full reset and evaluates the Cowboys on how they are right now - he could be a good fit for them.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by Arles

McCarthy ran a really good system with Green Bay early on - he just got stale as their players changed. I think his biggest negative is not realizing when players change/get older. He kept thinking their WR/TE could beat everyone off the ball without scheming - and it caught up with Green Bay. With Zeke, Cooper and Gallup - the Cowboys may have the talent to run his scheme. A lot is going to ride on how accurate Dak can be. Ironically enough, the one player McCarthy was the most flexible with in terms of role on GB was Cobb (who's now in Dallas). It will be interesting to see how he does, but if he does a full reset and evaluates the Cowboys on how they are right now - he could be a good fit for them.

You would know a lot more about his abilities as coach but I look at 10 wins being the floor with a QB at the level of Aaron Rodgers. This year with a below normal Rodgers they won 13. McCarthy was able to accomplish the below the floor 4 times. They had a back in Aaron Jones that people knew was a great back splitting carries since his rookie year. I just thought he seemed clueless on how to build a consistent winner.

[tyketime]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

Zim's a really good coach.
He's not a self-promoter, and he isn't a boy genius, so he doesn't get the buzz of some of the others out there. But he's damn good at his job.

As a life-long suffering Vikings fan, I'm not so sure I agree with this. Yes, he's the best coach the Vikings have had in a quite some time. But I categorize him more in the "old school" approach which I don't think is keeping up with the newer dynamics in the league. Even yesterday, I thought many of the play calls were predictable. And then up 20-10, as any other Vikings fan can attest, I knew he would go conservative. Sure enough, he was willing to go 3-n-out, punt, and play the field possession game. Instead of doing what had worked the whole game, they played that damn prevent defense nonsense. Brees shredded the defense and all of a sudden, the game changed. If not for the Brees fumble deep in Vikings territory, it sure looked like another "play not to lose and lose anyway" approach.

It has rarely, if ever, been in the franchise DNA, but I would love to see the Vikings get a true innovative coach that plays in a more dynamic style on both offense and defense.

[molson]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

That's a good point. If "most watched" doesn't include shows that were recorded on a DVR and watched later, this makes total sense. Between streaming and DVRs - there is very little, if anything I watch "live."

I used to watch "The Walking Dead" live with friends. I typically watched "Game of Thrones" live. But beyond those two shows, I really don't watch anything live except for sports.

I can't even watch live sports anymore. It just takes SO long. I make an half-ass effort when I know some friends are going to be texting me during the game. My compromise is that I start a game 45 minutes late and catchup, to at least cut back on the total commitment time.

But ya, otherwise, I've been ruined by DVR. I was at a friends house watching the Vikings game live yesterday and it's just so hard to stay focused.

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by molson

I can't even watch live sports anymore. It just takes SO long. I make an half-ass effort when I know some friends are going to be texting me during the game. My compromise is that I start a game 45 minutes late and catchup, to at least cut back on the total commitment time.

But ya, otherwise, I've been ruined by DVR. I was at a friends house watching the Vikings game live yesterday and it's just so hard to stay focused.

Yeah, with sports, I always at least let the game get ahead of me before tuning in. Just so many commercials. I don't have the free time to waste watching ads.

[NobodyHere]

Originally Posted by molson

I can't even watch live sports anymore. It just takes SO long. I make an half-ass effort when I know some friends are going to be texting me during the game. My compromise is that I start a game 45 minutes late and catchup, to at least cut back on the total commitment time.

But ya, otherwise, I've been ruined by DVR. I was at a friends house watching the Vikings game live yesterday and it's just so hard to stay focused.

Have you thought about being a Brown's fan? Their games are usually over in 15 minutes.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

Have you thought about being a Brown's fan? Their games are usually over in 15 minutes.

[Arles]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

You would know a lot more about his abilities as coach but I look at 10 wins being the floor with a QB at the level of Aaron Rodgers. This year with a below normal Rodgers they won 13.

From 2009 to 2016, they won 11, 10, 15, 11, 8 (AR hurt), 12, 10 and 10. They made the playoffs every year - but the talent really tapered off after 2012. Ted Thompson was a solid GM, but he really hurt the team his last 3-4 years. He went all-in on draft picks (no FAs or trades) and very few of them panned out. In just two seasons, Gutekunst has massively upgraded the defense with Z Smith, Preston Smith, Amos, Jaire Alexander, Tramon and Savage. We also drafted one of their better OL this year in Jenkins. The 2017 defense had washed up/oft injured guys like Perry, Clay, House, Daniels and Jake Ryan. McCarthy loved those guys, but they weren't any good by then. Again, Mike's big issue is not seeing that guys are done and that's where the GM needs to replace them and take the decision out of his hands.

McCarthy was able to accomplish the below the floor 4 times. They had a back in Aaron Jones that people knew was a great back splitting carries since his rookie year. I just thought he seemed clueless on how to build a consistent winner.

Jones was 5th round pick in 2017. While he had talent, he really struggled picking up the system and almost got Hundley killed twice in preseason with pass protection gaffs. With Montgomery and Jamaal Williams being much more reliable, McCarthy didn't play Jones a ton. I think it was understandable early, but by week 4 it was clear Jones was the better back. Again, given how he had struggled in camp, I think Mike just was really hesitant to trust him. I think he would have been the clear starter in 2018 had he not been suspended.