2021-2022 NFL Thread

[unclevlad]

And the Vikes let them have a play inside the 10, which JUST missed.

 

Yeah, I was composing a prediction that Zimmer might get fired if they lost this.  And I think it still says more about the gross flaws of the Vikes than anything else.  29-0 and 2 plays away...Steelers still would've needed a 2 point conversion...from a tie????  And that's with a potential DPOY, TJ Watt, out hurt for the entire second half.  

 

Postgame, Dalvin Cook's initial comment, "we're asking ourselves how we keep ending up in this position."  Bad coaching, Dalvin.

 

Steelers are probably on the brink.  I think 9-7-1 probably won't get in.  If so, they now have to win out.  Vikes are still technically in contention, but good gosh, they don't deserve to be.  Not like anyone can do more than guess blindly who'll get those last couple NFC spots.  At FiveThirtyEight, the top 5...Cards, Packers (gag), Bucs, and Boys are well over 90%, Rams are 89%.  After that, it's wishy-washy...Niners 61, WFT 51, Vikes 35, Eagles 35, Saints 13.  Note:  that DOES include tonight.  Steelers are shown at 9%.

 

EDIT:  kept it on NFL Network because I've been too lazy to switch the channel.  During their post-game, Steve Smith took issue with the playoff expansion, saying it rewards mediocrity.  Which is true.  A good playoff structure advances between 1/4 and 1/3 of the teams.  With so few games, 1/4 of the teams would be tight, and scheduling imbalances would be too significant.  6 teams is mostly the 1/3...it was ok.  But that 7th team is absolutely gonna be totally mediocre MOST years.  (Gtanted:  the NBA is worse.  And the FBS........???  Joke.)  

Making the playoffs hasn't necessarily meant anything for quite a while...those 8-8 wild cards, those "least bad in an awful division" like the Cowboys last year.  Conversely, NOT making the playoffs, especially for, let's say, 2, 3 years running...that's gonna get coaches and GMs fired because, like not making a bowl game, it's a sign that you're Really Not Good.

[Pariah]

Stunned. 33 is too damn young.

 

Former Broncos star Demaryius Thomas dies at 33

[Enforcer84]

4 hours ago, Pariah said:

Stunned. 33 is too damn young.

 

Former Broncos star Demaryius Thomas dies at 33

How tragic. A family member thinks it was a seizure. 

[death tribble]

15 hours ago, unclevlad said:

Steelers are probably on the brink.  I think 9-7-1 probably won't get in.  If so, they now have to win out.  Vikes are still technically in contention, but good gosh, they don't deserve to be.  Not like anyone can do more than guess blindly who'll get those last couple NFC spots.  At FiveThirtyEight, the top 5...Cards, Packers (gag), Bucs, and Boys are well over 90%, Rams are 89%.  After that, it's wishy-washy...Niners 61, WFT 51, Vikes 35, Eagles 35, Saints 13.  Note:  that DOES include tonight.  Steelers are shown at 9%.

 

EDIT:  kept it on NFL Network because I've been too lazy to switch the channel.  During their post-game, Steve Smith took issue with the playoff expansion, saying it rewards mediocrity.  Which is true.  A good playoff structure advances between 1/4 and 1/3 of the teams.  With so few games, 1/4 of the teams would be tight, and scheduling imbalances would be too significant.  6 teams is mostly the 1/3...it was ok.  But that 7th team is absolutely gonna be totally mediocre MOST years.  (Gtanted:  the NBA is worse.  And the FBS........???  Joke.)  

Making the playoffs hasn't necessarily meant anything for quite a while...those 8-8 wild cards, those "least bad in an awful division" like the Cowboys last year.  Conversely, NOT making the playoffs, especially for, let's say, 2, 3 years running...that's gonna get coaches and GMs fired because, like not making a bowl game, it's a sign that you're Really Not Good.

I recall a time before the play off expansion when the NFC Central as was has the leading teams as 7-9 for the season. Some times teams have bad seasons and yes it can be the entire division.

But I wish the Vikings did not do this to me.

[Old Man]

15 hours ago, unclevlad said:

Steelers are probably on the brink.  I think 9-7-1 probably won't get in.  If so, they now have to win out.  Vikes are still technically in contention, but good gosh, they don't deserve to be.  Not like anyone can do more than guess blindly who'll get those last couple NFC spots.  At FiveThirtyEight, the top 5...Cards, Packers (gag), Bucs, and Boys are well over 90%, Rams are 89%.  After that, it's wishy-washy...Niners 61, WFT 51, Vikes 35, Eagles 35, Saints 13.  Note:  that DOES include tonight.  Steelers are shown at 9%.

 

FBO had the Steelers at 19% going into last night.  I'd be surprised if they're as high as 9% now.

 

FBO top 5 playoff odds:

ARI 100%

TB 100%

GB 99.9%

NE 99.7%

DAL 99.4%

 

Speaking of (gag), the most likely SB scenario is the Tom Brady Revenge Bowl, NE-TB with NE favored to win.

[unclevlad]

What's also interesting is the top SB winner percentages are NE, then Bucs and Cards, then notably lower, Cowboys and Packers.  THEN KC and Buffalo.  

 

What that suggests to me is, the top of the NFC has much better depth.  Their individual chances are lower because they'll knock each other off.  On the flips side, tho, the first round in the AFC is going to be tougher than in the NFC.  The 2 and 3 seeds in the NFC should have a relatively easy time of it.

 

In less pleasant news, Demaryius Thomas was found dead yesterday.  No official cause, but it is believed to be medically related.  USA Today says he was found in the shower, and mentions a seizure issue.  That makes me think stroke or cardiac arrest, but an autopsy will be performed.  Only 33 too.

[unclevlad]

https://www.nfl.com/news/tension-boiling-over-between-coach-urban-meyer-jaguars-players-staff

 

Shad Khan has been very slow to fire coaches, but the situation described here is broken, and the heart of the problem is Meyer.  He may have no real choice.  The recent stuff suggests it's already well past time to fire him.

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

 

Not that any of this is unexpected, really. 

[Pariah]

It looks like the Broncos have a memorial for Demaryius Thomas planned for today's game.

 

Which I can't watch, because CBS is giving us stupid Tom Brady and the Bills.

[unclevlad]

It'll be on YouTube soon enough, if it's more than a helmet sticker I know they're already doing.

 

So Mikey McCarthy guaranteed a win.  Yeah, that's usually pretty foolish, right?

 

Opening drive for a FG.  Good drive.

DOUBLE-tipped pass gets caught by the lineman doing the second tip, and returned 35 yards to the Washington 12.  TD pass to Cooper followed soon thereafter.

Heinecke gets slammed on a strip-sack, the fumble's picked up for a scoop and score.

 

Cowboys 18-0 end of the first period.  McCarthy might get away with it...........

 

EDIT:  oh, and ya know how we figured the Raiders would have a REAL hard time with all the adverse circumstances.....well, that looks to be coming true with a vengeance today.  Offense has 70 yards on 21 plays and 2 TOs;  Kansas City offense has 11 receptions for 170.  28-0, 5 minutes left in the first, and KC has the ball again and is moving.

[unclevlad]

Urban Meyer is turning Trevor Lawrence into David Carr.  5.5 YPA, 3 sacks, 4 picks.  Probably shortening his career by 3-4 games for every game he's forced to play under Meyer, due to the hits........  8 futile rushing attempts for 8 yards...what's below "not respecting" the running game?  Dismissing, I guess.  Defensive stats were fine;  held em to well under 300 net yards.

 

 

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

Hmmm...

 

Spoiler

 

[unclevlad]

NBC is picking...interesting break music.  One before this was Annie Lennox, Would You Lie to Me?  Next was Under Pressure.

 

We still have only 4 teams, now, eliminated.  Only 5 more are given less than a 10% shot...Seahawk and Raiders could be termed remote;  Bears, Giants, and Carolina are "so you're saying there's a chance!"  And no more than that.  Even the Steelers are still given 10%...because both Baltimore and Cincy both lost.  *8* teams within 1 game, altho one of em is the Raiders who are in freefall.

[Cygnia]

Browns nearly Browned it.

[unclevlad]

That kind of week.  Browns and Cowboys came close to blowing big leads;  Niners and Bucs *did*.  Niners, especially...the Bengals had the lead in OT, but the Niners slammed it downfield to score the TD to win.  Bucs let the Bills tie them but the OT never went the Bills' way.

 

And none of em can use the TNF excuse.

[Pariah]

The folks at Mile High (I refuse to call it by the stupid corporate name) played a video in remembrance of Demaryius Thomas before today's game against the Lions. The Broncos then came out on their first offensive play with only 10 players. They stood in formation and just waited for the clock to run out. Detroit joined in paying their respects by declining the resulting delay of game penalty.

 

Denver dominated Detroit in every facet of the game and won handily to remain in the playoff discussion, but I think that's probably the least important issue for this team this week.

[Pariah]

The 108th Grey Cup was a fantastic game tonight. The contest was a rematch of the 2019 game (the CFL cancelled the entire 2020 season due to plague) between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, with the game coincidentally being played in Hamilton, Ontario. Hamilton held an early 10-3 lead; Winnipeg fought back to make it 14-13. The Bombers took a late lead at 25-22, but the TiCats tied it with under a minute to sent it to overtime. Winnipeg scored a touchdown (with a two point conversion) on their first OT possession. Hamilton was driving to tie when a pass was tipped and then caught by the third Winnipeg defender to touch it. That ended the game. The Blue Bombers won their second consecutive Grey Cup 33-25.

[unclevlad]

On 12/12/2021 at 10:10 PM, Pariah said:

The folks at Mile High (I refuse to call it by the stupid corporate name) played a video in remembrance of Demaryius Thomas before today's game against the Lions. The Broncos then came out on their first offensive play with only 10 players. They stood in formation and just waited for the clock to run out. Detroit joined in paying their respects by declining the resulting delay of game penalty.

 

Love it when teams agree to do this.  I remember Lauren Hill's story from a few years ago.  She had terminal brain cancer, but wanted to play one game.  That was in serious doubt, so the NCAA and both schools agreed to move the game up 2 weeks...to start the season...and to move it from the other team's home court to, eventually, the Cintas Center in Cincy...to accommodate the crowd.  IIRC, Hill scored on an uncontested layup;  the other team was given one in return.

 

But you definitely don't see it very often in any pro sport.

 

In less favorable news, 75 players tested positive yesterday and today.  IIRC, also, 7 teams have had the enhanced protocols...NO in-person meetings...kick in.  UGH.  If there are any wild-looking scores this weekend...first thing to look at is, how many players are missing from the teams.  

 

Ouch.  From NFL.com power rankings:

 

Quote

I don’t know if there’s a case quite like Urban Meyer’s in NFL history. A college coach with a legendary résumé makes the jump to the pros on a massive contract and immediately floods the entire organization with a tsunami of toxicity. Sure, we’ve seen esteemed college coaches flop in the league plenty of times before, but Meyer’s case is shaping up as the masterpiece of this particular genre -- the Mona Lisa of malfeasance. 

 

And...

 

Quote

The Steelers are like a zombie that doesn't know it's dead yet. They take hits, they appear to no longer be amongst the living, and yet, they ... just ... keep ... coming.

 

[Old Man]

Urban Meyer fired at least 14 weeks too late. 

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

[Grailknight]

1 hour ago, Logan.1179 said:

 

Don't hold back, tell us how you really feel about this.🙂

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

I have no illusions that we're suddenly going to start winning games, but...

 

[Pariah]

On 5/5/2021 at 9:27 PM, unclevlad said:

Well, if the Jags don't win, there will be one, and only one, person to take the blame.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/31394234/jacksonville-jaguars-fire-four-long-staff-members-part-overhaul-coach-urban-meyer-source-says

 

Urban Meyer's replaced most of the prior on-field-related staff.  27 (!!!) assistant coaches, too!!!  To me it screams "this is my fiefdom and I am lord absolute!!" which...we'll see how that plays, eh?  

 

Well, now we know.

[unclevlad]

Hey, the Jags can try to focus on football rather than an in-house circus.

 

Hopefully that's the last we hear from Meyer, but...probably not.  He might be too toxic to put back on-air next year, but after that, it's likely to have faded.  But he wasn't very good on TV, that I saw.

[Pariah]

Maybe he'll just move back to Ohio and try to revive his dance career.

 

What?