NFL - First Half Impressions
JHS5120
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The first half of the season is in the books. There have been a ton of surprises and a bunch of great story lines that can be talked about. Here are my first-half impressions.
- The Chip Kelly experiment is a failRomo can put up monster numbers (but struggles to win games).The Giants are only 2 games out of first with 8 games left in their season.The Chiefs are proving defense and good fundamentals win gamesBill Bellichek and Tom Brady can win with literally any surrounding playersMatt Stafford is awesome and only Calvin Johnson is awesomer.The Browns got a steal for Trent RichardsonGeno Smith is not a franchise quarterbackThe Jaguars will end their season without a win.
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"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." Dr. Seuss
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." Dr. Seuss
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<< <i>
The Chip Kelly experiment is a failRomo can put up monster numbers (but struggles to win games).The Giants are only 2 games out of first with 8 games left in their season.The Chiefs are proving defense and good fundamentals win gamesBill Bellichek and Tom Brady can win with literally any surrounding playersMatt Stafford is awesome and only Calvin Johnson is awesomer.The Browns got a steal for Trent RichardsonGeno Smith is not a franchise quarterbackThe Jaguars will end their season without a win.
>>Eagles high flying offense has 3 offensive points in last 2 games.
Romo doesn't play defense.
Stafford is nothing without Johnson. Megatron could make Tebow look good.
<< <i>Stafford is nothing without Johnson. Megatron could make Tebow look good. >>
Calvin Johnson could make a sack of potatos look good. Stafford is awesome regardless
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." Dr. Seuss
Agree with Sage about Romo/Stafford.
The Giants and Texans both contending for 'biggest disappointment'.
Seahawks/Broncos super bowl would be amazing.
Despite their winless record so far I think the Jags will win a game this year. They show flashes of brilliance from time to time and so far they've played good teams. I'd say they're the better team of the witness teams.
I agree the Texans are the biggest disappointment of the year. Most observers knew Matt Schaub was no elite QB but nobody thought he would be that awful. The Texans were literally three plays away from being 0-7 right now.
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<< <i>Most observers knew Matt Schaub was no elite QB but nobody thought he would be that awful. >>
I can't speak about National observers but locals have known since the NE MNF game last year.
<< <i>
<< <i>Most observers knew Matt Schaub was no elite QB but nobody thought he would be that awful. >>
I can't speak about National observers but locals have known since the NE MNF game last year. >>
Riiight.
There's that patented stown 20-20 hindsight rearing it's ugly head again.
<< <i>Rather than rely on google, espn, and deadspin, read some local papers and maybe, just maybe, you'll get a clue for once. >>
Yeah those local papers are full of keen, objective insight and top notch jounalism, and its always a good idea to get your data from ONE source as opposed to a variety. Good lord this is like shooting fish in a barrel!
Romo can put up monster numbers (but struggles to win games).
The Giants are only 2 games out of first with 8 games left in their season.
The Chiefs are proving defense and good fundamentals win games
Bill Bellichek and Tom Brady can win with literally any surrounding players
Matt Stafford is awesome and only Calvin Johnson is awesomer.
The Browns got a steal for Trent Richardson
Geno Smith is not a franchise quarterback
The Jaguars will end their season without a win.<<<
Good to see that "one more" person see's Romo for what he is!
He more than struggles......he sucks!
that RG3 was obviously not fully healthy to start the season like he said he was, and that the Redskins cant win a game unless he is completely healthy.
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<< <i>Vikings have been a huge disappointment as well. Made the playoffs last year and had THREE first round draft picks this year and they are a mess! >>
I forgot where I saw it, but before the season I read an article about teams from last year that won a lot of close games and teams that lost a lot of close games that could have swung either way and their fans shouldn't expect the same results this year. The 3 I remember that they said would suck this year and probably miss the playoffs were the Vikings, Giants and Colts. Pretty close so far. Only one I remember that they expected to improve was Carolina who has looked much better last 3 games.
<< <i>You could also add in there,
that RG3 was obviously not fully healthy to start the season like he said he was, and that the Redskins cant win a game unless he is completely healthy. >>
+1 on that
Was it desperation or even wishful thinking on the part of Mike & Kyle Shanahan, playing RG3 right off the bat? I'm surprised their defense has looked so awful; I thought that part of the team was supposed to be decent.
<< <i>Bill Bellichek and Tom Brady can win with literally any surrounding players >>
EDIT TO ADD: Tom Brady can also single-handedly make your fantasy football team lose on a weekly basis. Horrible...
I don't know what the answer to all of this is, but bigger, stronger and faster isn't going anywhere. What I do know, however, is that nothing pisses me off more and compels me to change the channel faster than watching a safety lay out a receiver legally and being penalized for doing so.
Perhaps the National Tewbeleaux League is on the horizon.
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Kansas City is playing great defense and is probably the surprise story of the season thus far.
<< <i>Seattle needs O-linemen. Experience not required.
Send resumes to:
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Renton, WA 98056 >>
Really? I guess the TWO MEN still out won't be good enough when they return....right?
Gah. Between the garbage of bandwagon fans ( not YOU, please understand) I hear on 710ESPN when I get a rare chance to listen, and all the nonsense on different boards, it's almost as if a) people forget that a pro bowler on the left and a VERY good tackle on the right are still out, and b) "fans" think this is the 2005 offensive line.
Geezus, sorry for venting, but COME ON. If you are a Seattle fan, you must understand the predicament this team is in and is STILL SEVEN AND FREAKIN' ONE. We as fans have been blessed, and no, Rice being out for the year isn't going to be a big deal.
<< <i>I don't know what the answer to all of this is, but bigger, stronger and faster isn't going anywhere. What I do know, however, is that nothing pisses me off more and compels me to change the channel faster than watching a safety lay out a receiver legally and being penalized for doing so. >>
Remember when fans looked down on kickers that flopped?
What use to be considered incidental contact is now a personal foul and a 15-yard penalty:
It has begun and will only get worse from here on out. Just say no to Sarcastaball.
There was NO justification for this hit, it was NOT incidental contact - it was a blatant cheap shot and well deserved of that 15 yard penalty. Don't sit there and suggest this play has any place in any sport, let alone football.
<< <i>I don't have any figures to back this up, but it sure seems like catastrophic injuries are more prevalent than ever before. And that's with all of the added "safety measures" that are rendering NFL games virtually unwatchable at times. You have to be awfully deft to be a d-back in the NFL nowadays. Soon the combine is going to consist not only of the 40, bench, vertical, broad, 3 cone, and shuttle................but also the ability to anticipate every inch of movement from a receiver while simultaneously running full steam toward each other and adjusting one's body in a nanosecond (if necessary) to avoid catching a modicum of said receiver's helmet.
I don't know what the answer to all of this is, but bigger, stronger and faster isn't going anywhere. What I do know, however, is that nothing pisses me off more and compels me to change the channel faster than watching a safety lay out a receiver legally and being penalized for doing so.
Perhaps the National Tewbeleaux League is on the horizon. >>
This was a great response. The NFL has been unwatchable for me for about 2-3 years now. Many factors go into this, but, primarily it's the ridiculous pass interference and perceived head shot penalties...also, many games taking 3.5 hours or more due to the 120 combined pass attempts doesn't help. Very boring sport for me these days...it sucks, I used to really enjoy the NFL.
<< <i>Wouldn't say it sucks, at least not yet, but I definitely don't have the same enthusiasm. It simply isn't the same sport when I last played it 20 years ago. >>
The families of Junior Seau, Dave Duerson, and countless others are thankful it's not the same game.
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<< <i>Wait, something thinks that Denver DE ramming his belly into Luck was incidental contact? Not exactly roughing the passer, but in no way was that NOT intentional. He changes his path to knock him down. Anyways... >>
This is getting in the way of stown's ill-conceived effort to try to make out today's football out to be somehow less 'manly' than it was back in the day. This play was definitely intentional, and anyone suggesting it wasn't is being willingly blind to facts.
<< <i>Wait, something thinks that Denver DE ramming his belly into Luck was incidental contact? Not exactly roughing the passer, but in no way was that NOT intentional. He changes his path to knock him down. Anyways... >>
That's not what I said, cnote.
Luck flopped and maybe 5, definitely 10, years ago would have been considered incidental contact. Just like with kickers, quarterbacks are now taught to oversell any type of contact with hopes to get a personal foul, comparable to soccer. If the defender lead with his head or struck Luck's head, then yes, totally justified 15-yard penalty for roughing the passer.
But ramming his belly into Luck? Think about that for a sec... Too much pearl clutching by keyboard warriors in a violent sport.
<< <i>I have no problem with rule changes to protect players, especially quarterbacks, as players today are much bigger and much faster than they were twenty years ago and by extension collisions are that much more violent. The sport imo is as poipular as ever and is even more so now than it was when I was a kid, due in part to marketing, but also to fantasy football and gambling, among other factors. Don't know if any of you guys have heard about what's happening to Jim McMahon as a result of concussions he sustained during his plaing career--his wife has to remind him 15 minutes after meeting someone what that person's name is, or what he said, as he is suffering from early onset Alzheimer's disease. Really sad story. >>
It is a sad story and is not a laughing matter. We (as in everyone from fans to NFL executives) know more about long term damage brain damage due to concussions today than we did 30 years ago. While rules can be imposed to make the game safer, it will never be safe. The play that Finley got injured was a clean hit, yet his career may be in jeopardy due to spinal bruising. No rule change or added protection would have prevented it.
It's an extremely violent sport and the players are well aware of the inherent risks. They take said risks for the opportunity of a huge payday (ie risk versus reward). I got blindsided, which ruined my knee, but I knew that was a possibility every time I put on the pads. I cherished those years and I'm still good friends with many of my teammates from 20+ years ago. It's a bond that I cannot eloquently put into words but even in hindsight, I'd do again without even thinking twice. And that was without getting one penny.
Long story short, if people are truly *that* concerned with player safety, then they should be a vocal advocate to completely ban the sport. Instead, they pick and choose what they believe to be important for "safety" to feel warm and fuzzy inside, even though they've never put on pads, and then sit back and enjoy the entertainment.
<< <i>I have no problem with rule changes to protect players, especially quarterbacks, as players today are much bigger and much faster than they were twenty years ago and by extension collisions are that much more violent. The sport imo is as poipular as ever and is even more so now than it was when I was a kid, due in part to marketing, but also to fantasy football and gambling, among other factors. Don't know if any of you guys have heard about what's happening to Jim McMahon as a result of concussions he sustained during his plaing career--his wife has to remind him 15 minutes after meeting someone what that person's name is, or what he said, as he is suffering from early onset Alzheimer's disease. Really sad story. >>
Hi Tim,
In regard to the popularity right now, you are correct, the NFL is still on the top of the mainstream sports heap (in the US), but I have to think that will slowly change over the course of the next 10-15 years. Of course, that is just my opinion. Popularity in sports is cyclical, I believe. In the early to mid-80s, the NFL was a dog compared to the NBA and MLB. As a parent with young kids and one that plays football, I can definitely see a drop off in registrations on a year by year basis. This is over the last five years and is obviously a minuscule sample size, but I have to think that in many areas across the U.S., interest and registrations are down from a decade ago.
Kids don't have a choice because it's simply not allowed, which makes wanting to participate less likely.
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Look, everyone agrees its a violent sport. Taking steps to get rid of headshots, especially in light of how quick and strong these players have become, is only trying to manage that risk. Sitting there and suggesting that its somehow less 'manly' or 'wussified' because guys aren't allowed to go head hunting or spear players is moronic, ignorant, and is proof you're not a fan of the game but a fan of the violence.
He injured himself. He tilted his head slightly, hit the receiver at an awkward angle and severely pinched a nerve in his neck.
This is an inherently barbaric sport. Absolutely nothing is going to come remotely close to mitigating that. Once again, I will postulate that there are more injuries now than ever before. If someone would like to provide the calculus and prove me wrong, by all means do so. I personally contend that the long-term effect of these added "safety measures" will be the gradual dilution of the product itself; the term defenseless will very soon apply to the guys on the other side of the ball. This has become a passing league in part because of the restrictions placed on the defense, and until the NFL sets aside its own self-interests (i.e. saving its financial backside from lawsuits that are unavoidable), the game is ultimately going to become a shell of its former self.
In my opinion, if a player intentionally leads with the crown of his helmet, he should definitely be flagged. But if he makes a clean play on the football that ultimately results in incidental helmet-to-helmet contact, you must let that go. If you don't, the end result is not only going to be more 400-yard days than ever before, but a historical number of ACLs being blown out due to the mid-to-lower half of bodies being targeted.
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<< <i>
<< <i>Wait, something thinks that Denver DE ramming his belly into Luck was incidental contact? Not exactly roughing the passer, but in no way was that NOT intentional. He changes his path to knock him down. Anyways... >>
That's not what I said, cnote.
Luck flopped and maybe 5, definitely 10, years ago would have been considered incidental contact. Just like with kickers, quarterbacks are now taught to oversell any type of contact with hopes to get a personal foul, comparable to soccer. If the defender lead with his head or struck Luck's head, then yes, totally justified 15-yard penalty for roughing the passer.
But ramming his belly into Luck? Think about that for a sec... Too much pearl clutching by keyboard warriors in a violent sport. >>
I got you on the flopping part- Luck's arms flail around like he's an ice skater that broke a nail.
But, I DO stand by my, albeit goofy sounding, comment of ramming of the belly (heh) into Luck.
<< <i>But, I DO stand by my, albeit goofy sounding, comment of ramming of the belly (heh) into Luck. >>
I should have elaborated (blame the lack of coffee) and said that wouldn't have been a penalty 10 years ago. Today, it's considered no different than any other personal foul, like clipping or a facemask. Back then, the ref would have laughed at his poor acting job.
And as side note for the record, no one has even remotely implied malicious hits to the helmet should be tolerated. Zero, not one, nobody, period.