The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year - NFL Football [Archive]

Franklinnoble

09-04-2003, 12:14 PM

My prediction for my beloved Redskins:

Best Case Scenario:

Patrick Ramsey lights it up after having a full year to learn Spurrier's offense, with new weapons at WR and a solid new OL in front of him. Trung Canidate turns out to be a pretty decent NFL RB and a legitimate pass-catching threat.

The defense florishes as Arrington is turned loose and wreaks havok on opposing QB's. Fred Smoot finally matures into the sort of "shut down" CB everyone hoped he could be. Champ Bailey plays his ass off in a contract year. Redskins make the playoffs.

Worse Case Scenario:

Laveranues Coles gets shellacked by a former Jets teammate in the opener and is out for the year. Ramsey still makes young QB mistakes. Canidate turns out to be a genuine bust. Spurrier's offense sputters, Danny Wuerffel gets re-signed, and I have to go beat myself into a season-long coma to avoid the agony of watching any longer.

The defense is weak up the middle due to attrition at DT. Teams run all over the 'Skins at will. Arrington continues to look confused on the field, playing for his fourth defensive coordinator. Bailey is uninspired knowing that he's going to get franchised next season, Smoot isn't as good as he's supposed to be. Redskins finish 5-11.

***

Ever since Joe Gibbs left the team, I've learned to expect the worst, and hope that they do just a little better than that. I'm guessing the most I can hope for is a 9-7 finish and the 'Skins backing into a wild card spot... but I figure they'll probably go 8-8, and end up having to shop for a decent DT and RB in the offseason.

Franklinnoble

09-04-2003, 12:16 PM

Originally posted by TheLionKing
I was thinking of starting this same thread, with the same title.... we should overtake the hockey thread by about the middle of week 3 :) ....

That's the idea, but I don't underestimate the hockey freaks on this board... that thread is about as formidable as the old thread-killer thread was...

scooper

09-04-2003, 12:41 PM

It's about damn time. To me, there are two sports season, football season and the off season. You'd think I was a southerner.

Honolulu_Blue

09-04-2003, 01:15 PM

Originally posted by Franklinnoble
That's the idea, but I don't underestimate the hockey freaks on this board...

:cool: Yes. It's best not to underestimate us. :cool:

I'd be more than willing to chip in to this second-rate knock-off. I'll add a few thoughts every now and then about the beloved Warriors in the Honolulu Blue & Silver. Just to make it a legit "Most Wonderful Time" thread and all.

On that note...

The Lions. They are not going to be very good, yet again, this year.

The offense:
Stewart was no gamebreaker. No superstar. But he was steady. Without Stew in the line-up last year the Lions couldn't move the ball on the ground at all. This year could be different as we have three brand-new backs, but not too different. Losing Stew will, once again, put enormous pressure on the shoulders of young Joey Ballgame. Enormous pressure. He will get no help from his wideouts either. Rogers is a rookie and prone to drops. Schroeder can't go over the middle and is prone to drops. Hakim is still hurt. Scotty Anderson is a pre-season all-star and a regular season benchwarmer. Mikael Ricks seems to suffer from a varied state of injuries

The defense:
The unit has improved slightly. Well, the front seven has at least. Luther Ellis has been a 340 lbs. cheerleader posing as a defensive lineman for the last few years. Injuries have taken their toll. So, Big Daddy is an improvement. Shaun Rogers looks to be improved too. Getting Edwards back healthy should make the D-Line decent. Earl Holmes is servicable at middle-linebacker. The Lions need Barrett Green to have the break-through year everyone expects and Bailey. Well, I love Boss. But he will struggle at times this year. THe secondary is still a joke. Losing Cash really hurt. Otis Smith is 37? 38? He's not the answer. Goodman looked horrible in the pre-season. Bly didn't play a down.

All in all, six wins seems about right, which would be one more win than the last two years combined. That's progress. I guess.

FrogMan

09-04-2003, 01:24 PM

Originally posted by scooper
It's about damn time. To me, there are two sports season, football season and the off season. You'd think I was a southerner.

Dude, think about it, I live about 15 minutes from Quebec City and what you said about football season and off season, that's me! My coworkers look at me like I'm a carnivale animal. I can't control myself about football and the freaking idiots around here don't understand anything else than hockey :D (not putting down the hockey fans, been one for the first 25 years of my life, I've simply moved on since the Nordiques left town, but the people around here still live and breath hockey and can't talk about anything else).

I guess you could qualify me as a northern southerner :D

FM

albionmoonlight

09-04-2003, 01:48 PM

Saints:

Good News:

Brooks continues to mature. He is showing no signs of the injury that hurt him at the end of last season. He is ready to take over the leadership role of the QB. He has the physical tools of a McNabb, and will finally put it all together this year. Deuce has come out and said that he can be a 2,000 yard back (though, in fairness, everyone says that in the preseason). He has a rare blend of size and speed. He can run inside and outside. He has the talent of a first overall pick, and only slipped out of the top five in the draft due to injury concerns. Joe Horn is a pro bowl receiver. Donte' Stallworth is a legitimate 4.2 speedster who averaged a touchdown per start last year and has a year under his belt. Jerome Pathon, by all accounts, had the best camp of his life and was able to fight off Donte' for the #2 receiver spot. Ernie Conwell is a leader, and a winner, and an upgrade over David Sloan. The 6 skill players on offense are the best collection of athletes in Saints' history.

On defense, the Saints were very proactive in the off season. Overweight and out of shape Norman Hand was shipped off. Grady Jackson is now playing like a man possessed. Tebucky Jones has LB size and CB speed at safety. Darren Howard is a 10+ sack guy at one end, and Charles Grant is a first round pick who should flourish this year at the other end spot with his first full time starting gig. Dale Carter will finally be on the field for the whole year, and he has shown flashes of his probowl ability in practice. Ashley Ambrose and Fred Thomas are a great 1-2 punch as the #2 and #3 corner (Fred Thomas was Dr. Z's all pro last year). Finally, the Saints have finally gotten rid of the locker room cancers and are focused on winning this year with no distractions. In addition, they have shown that they can beat the Bucs, have spent all offseason planning on how the beat the Falcons, and are still ahead of the Panthers. Oh--and they got to train inside this year, making it a training camp with little wasted effort.

Bad News: Stallworth is already showing signs of his lingering hamstring problem. The team has NO backup running back. Joe Horn is getting up in age. Brooks did not look very accurate in limited preseason action. The defense is young, young, young and will make mistakes. There is no pass rush to speak of outside of Grant and Howard. Getting rid of talented LTs year after year (Roaf and Turley) will bite us in the ass. 2nd round pick Jon Stichcomb (sp?) is looking like a bust already, hurting our OL depth. The Saints have faded the last two Decembers, and will have to fight the psychological demons (and the media questions) if they lose a couple of games late.

Prediction: I honestly have no idea. Talent to go 13-3, but they could go 6-10, too, if the rudders come off the ship.

Butter

09-04-2003, 01:49 PM

My team: the Bengals.

Our offense: :rolleyes:

Our defense: :mad:

Prediction for finish: :(

scooper

09-04-2003, 02:06 PM

Originally posted by Butter_of_69
My team: the Bengals.

Our offense: :rolleyes:

Our defense: :mad:

Prediction for finish: :(

I know it's just preseason, but all indications are you can turn that defensive frown upside down. Now if only they can handle a snap on a field goal. :mad:

Butter

09-04-2003, 02:11 PM

Maybe. I know they cut Foley, Wilson, Spearman, and Thompson and that alone makes me very skeptical. Speed is good, but slightly less speed and talent is better.

Primal

09-04-2003, 02:15 PM

The Cardinals have mathematically disqualified from the playoffs.... No wonder I drink so much on Sundays... have to numb the pain.

Franklinnoble

09-04-2003, 02:21 PM

The Cardinals ownership can't even properly kneecap their own team. At the very least, they could have arranged to let Plummer and Boston go with some compensation.

Primal

09-04-2003, 02:26 PM

Originally posted by Franklinnoble
The Cardinals ownership can't even properly kneecap their own team. At the very least, they could have arranged to let Plummer and Boston go with some compensation.

I can't wait to watch Plummer play with Denver. Hopefully it will give the Card owers a wakeup call. Doubt it, but it never hurts to have a little hope.

Franklinnoble

09-04-2003, 02:37 PM

Originally posted by Primal
I can't wait to watch Plummer play with Denver. Hopefully it will give the Card owers a wakeup call. Doubt it, but it never hurts to have a little hope.

I really hope Plummer does well in Denver - I really enjoyed watching him play at Arizona State.

Hyde

09-04-2003, 02:39 PM

Britney naked!!......oh well, I'll just have to settle for a good game of football....Nah...Britney naked!!!

scooper

09-04-2003, 03:16 PM

Originally posted by Butter_of_69
Maybe. I know they cut Foley, Wilson, Spearman, and Thompson and that alone makes me very skeptical. Speed is good, but slightly less speed and talent is better.

I don't know why that would make you skeptical. Those guys weren't cut because of speed, it was production. Wilson has had one good season since 1997. One. He is a typical bust. Thompson is another bust. He can't/won't hit or tackle and simply doesn't pick up the defense. Foley had great potential but can't get healthy. At this point, I'd trade Abdullah for Foley and I don't think Foley has any more talent.

Frankly, I like the fact that draft position and seniority no longer guarnantee a roster spot.

GrantDawg

09-04-2003, 03:32 PM

Originally posted by TheLionKing
I was thinking of starting this same thread, with the same title.... we should overtake the hockey thread by about the middle of week 3 :) ....

Here's hoping for a good game tonight and who knows what Britney will do :D

Not going to happen, because football discussion will be broken down into hundreds of threads with thousands of posts. Hockey can easily be regulated to a handfull of threads with a few hundred posts.

tucker342

09-04-2003, 04:54 PM

It's about time, this offseason seemed to last forever....

Franklinnoble

09-04-2003, 05:01 PM

Originally posted by GrantDawg
Not going to happen, because football discussion will be broken down into hundreds of threads with thousands of posts. Hockey can easily be regulated to a handfull of threads with a few hundred posts.

I think if this thread had the benefit of being stickied for its first month or two, it would easily surpass the hockey thread.

Neuqua

09-04-2003, 05:33 PM

Looks like the Bears are gonna be pretty bad this year but as long as I can watch Urlacher and Brown in that secondary I should be good this season.

I'm also rooting for Jake in Denver, for no real reason whatsoever I've been a fan of his since he beat Dallas in the playoffs :)

Oh, and I'm a semi-Redskins fan and so tonight I'll atleast be watching the game.

Sharpieman

09-04-2003, 05:34 PM

The Niners:

The Good News: Jeff Garcia and TO are going to light it up with the more aggresive offensive style that Erickson said he's going to unleash this year. Watch out for Tai Streets to become a solid reciever and Cedric Wilson and Brandon Lloyd to battle for the the 3rd spot. Garrison Hearst and Kevin Barlow will split time at RB but look for Barlow to take over the job late in the season. Fred Beasley may be the best blocking FB in all of football. The offensive line is intact and with the addition of Kwame Harris the most underrated line in the league will be deep. The linebacking corp is the best kept secret in football, Julian Peterson looks to build on last seasons 96 tackles, and Derek Smith looks to have another season with over 100 tackles. Saleem Rasheed is coming off injures as well is Jamie Winborn, who both have great speed and are hard hitters. And of course Jeff Ulbrich hopes to build on his 80+ tackle season last year. In the Secondary, Zach Bronson is back after suffering from injures last year, and Tony Parrish comes off a Pro bowl season with a 3rd best 7 interceptions in the NFC. The Defensive line will be solid, Andre Carter is coming off a 12.5 sack season and Anthony Adams has looked sharp.

Now for the Bad News: For the first 3 or 4 games of the season, Mike "Toast me" Rumph will have to start at cornerback because of Jason Websters injuries, Rumph was horrible last year but the Niners think he got better. The Defensive backfield may be in big trouble because there is little to no depth at cornerback. This puts pressure on the offense to come up big. Tight End Eric Johnson is out for 12 weeks because of a dirty hit. And Jed Weaver will have to become an option for Garcia. Garica has started all games his last 3 seasons, but is fighting a little back injury that may hamper his preformance. If he goes down, the Niners are in big trouble, Tim Rattay is still unproven and so is Ken Dorsey. The defensive line is also a concern because Bryant Young is not getting younger, and must improve on his career low 2 sacks last season. Anthony Adams and John Engleberger must step up to put pressure off of the DBs and Andre Carter. Kicker Jeff Chandler had a pretty bad preseason and hasn't proved himself to be a reliable kicker, Bill LaFleur averaged under 37 yards for his punts, and the Niners are going to need him to improve that number early in the season without Jason Webster in the lineup.

The Big Picture: The Niners are going to have to battle Seattle and the Rams for a playoff spot, which won't be an easy task. A hefty schedule awaits them that includes, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh and road games in Philadelphia and Green Bay. My prediction is that they will NOT make the playoffs, and either go 9-7 or 8-8. As I've said every year since 1994, there's always next year.

Raiders Joke of the Day: How many Raiders fans does it take to change a lightbulb?
Four, one to change the bulb and three to talk about how good the old one was.

Bonegavel

09-04-2003, 06:06 PM

As much as I hate the threads that won't go away (much like taco), I'm glad to see this one as opposed to the Hockey thread. Hockey is tolerable, but no sport can compare to Football, IMHO.

TLK

09-04-2003, 07:42 PM

It's like this game tonight has an almost Super Bowl like atmosphere.... The NFL knows how to make something special...
I'll be interested to see how this game does rating wise, compared to Monday night games....

Schmidty

09-04-2003, 07:47 PM

Originally posted by TheLionKing
It's like this game tonight has an almost Super Bowl like atmosphere.... The NFL knows how to make something special...
I'll be interested to see how this game does rating wise, compared to Monday night games....

I would think it will have much higher ratings as opposed to a run of the mill Monday night game. People have been waiting almost 8 months for tonight.

ice4277

09-04-2003, 08:15 PM

game on :D

ISiddiqui

09-04-2003, 08:35 PM

How did Sowell drop that pass?! You just can't do this in this league!

ISiddiqui

09-04-2003, 08:37 PM

Jets O'Line is looking very impressive.

TLK

09-04-2003, 10:55 PM

Hell of a game.... nice way to start the year off..... I don't know, but I'm actually happy for Daniel Snyder....

I think even the lowest mascot on this board could of done better play-calling than the Jets.... none the less, excellent way to start the year off....

Sharpieman

09-05-2003, 12:24 AM

Damn Jets, I had them to win this game for my football pool. Oh well it was my bad. The Redskins offence looks better, I think its cause Steve is actually running the ball more. I can't wait for this Sunday, The Church of Niners will be in session.

Franklinnoble

09-05-2003, 10:26 AM

Redskins looked much improved - and I think they get better as their offense has more time to gel... especially along the O-line. Ramsey looks like the real deal, and Coles is just what the doctor ordered.

Their defense still scares me... too soft up the middle... but, damn, Arrington is a MONSTER. All you Urlacher fans can sit down now... there's no debate - LaVar is the best LB in the game right now.

On another note, who's the new sideline bimbo for MNF? Gawd, she sucks... totally screwed the pooch during her post game interview with Ramsey. She ought to be fired...

cuervo72

09-05-2003, 10:47 AM

Originally posted by Franklinnoble

On another note, who's the new sideline bimbo for MNF? Gawd, she sucks... totally screwed the pooch during her post game interview with Ramsey. She ought to be fired...

Lisa Guerrero. I'm sure she was hired in part because of a babe factor, but while attractive I don't find her too hot. If anything, she reminded me a bit of Marie Osmond (pre plastic surgery Marie Osmond, that is).

Edit: I wasn't paying too much attention, but I did think I heard her referring to Coles as his (Ramsey's) former teammate or something.....

Franklinnoble

09-05-2003, 11:16 AM

Originally posted by cuervo72
Lisa Guerrero. I'm sure she was hired in part because of a babe factor, but while attractive I don't find her too hot. If anything, she reminded me a bit of Marie Osmond (pre plastic surgery Marie Osmond, that is).

Edit: I wasn't paying too much attention, but I did think I heard her referring to Coles as his (Ramsey's) former teammate or something.....

Yeah... she was just terrible. If it were some new guy doing the sideline reports and interviews, he'd be fired... but I'll bet they keep her around for a while anyway, just because she's almost intended to be an idiotic piece of eye candy.

TLK

09-05-2003, 06:13 PM

Originally posted by Schmidty
I would think it will have much higher ratings as opposed to a run of the mill Monday night game. People have been waiting almost 8 months for tonight.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NFL opener draws well on ABC

September 5, 2003
NEW YORK (AP) -- The NFL's Thursday night season opener drew higher ratings for ABC than last year's Monday night games.

The Washington Redskins' 16-13 win over the New York Jets drew a 12.9 rating and a 22 share, and was seen in 19.2 million homes. ABC's Monday night games averaged 17.1 million homes for an 11.4 rating last season.

The rating is the percentage of all homes with TVs, whether or not they are in use. The share is the percentage of televisions in use tuned to a program.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bad-example

09-05-2003, 06:26 PM

Sucks to see the Foreskins win. As the team with the most fucked up name in the history of sports, I always root against them...even when they play New York or the Cowboys!

Franklinnoble

09-05-2003, 06:46 PM

Originally posted by Bad-example
Sucks to see my Foreskin with such a nasty rash. As the guy with the most fucked up assortment of venereal disease in the history of mankind, I always have to pay for transvestite sex just to get off ..even when I'm in New York!

Bad-example

09-05-2003, 07:00 PM

Nothing like a low rent Fritzing to make you appreciate the real thing. :rolleyes:

Franklinnoble

09-15-2003, 11:42 AM

The Washington Redskins are 2-0.

That hasn't happened since 1991... not that I expect them to win the Super Bowl this year, but good teams beat the teams that they're supposed to beat. If the Jets had Chad Pennington, Washington probably would have lost. If the Falcons had Michael Vick, he doesn't get sacked in the end zone for the safety, and the margin of victory in a 33-31 win.

You know what? I don't care. I'll take close wins against banged up teams over ulcer-generating stupid losses against mediocre ballclubs.

Now pardon me while I bask in our undefeated season for the next few days, until we have to play the Giants... ;)

Travis

09-15-2003, 12:13 PM

Hey! The Seahawks are 2-0 too! Too bad the last time they did this, they stumbled on towards an 8-8 season and missed the playoffs.

But this year will be different, really!

sigh, that almost came out with some serious homer fanness, but I just wasn't up to it.

scooper

09-15-2003, 12:16 PM

I think the three way Rams, Niner, Seahawks race is going to be a fun, high scoring affair.

Travis

09-15-2003, 12:19 PM

heh, he said three way...

Now, I'm hoping it's not the Hawks, but I have a sneaky feeling one of those teams is going to be a middle of the pack also ran this year. I want to say it'll come down to Seattle and St. Louis vying for the division, with the other picking up a wild card, but more than likely it'll come down to which team picks up the most injuries (and the Niners certainly had a tidy scare with TO and Garcia this weekend).

Franklinnoble

09-16-2003, 03:16 PM

Originally posted by Franklinnoble
The Washington Redskins are 2-0.

That hasn't happened since 1991... not that I expect them to win the Super Bowl this year, but good teams beat the teams that they're supposed to beat. If the Jets had Chad Pennington, Washington probably would have lost. If the Falcons had Michael Vick, he doesn't get sacked in the end zone for the safety, and the margin of victory in a 33-31 win.

You know what? I don't care. I'll take close wins against banged up teams over ulcer-generating stupid losses against mediocre ballclubs.

Now pardon me while I bask in our undefeated season for the next few days, until we have to play the Giants... ;)

In light of the Giants' loss at home to Dallas (who lost at home to the Falcons, who lost at home to the Redskins), I'm beginning to harbor delusions that the Redskins could actually win against New York on Sunday.

As far as the NFC East is concerned, all bets are off. The Eagles look pathetic, and Donovan McNabb seems to be doing his best to make sure that football fans in Pennsylvania don't forget what Kordell Stewart looked like. The Cowboys are potentially dangerous. If Carter can throw straight on a regular basis, he has two all-pro caliber WR's to hit, with Terry Glenn and Joey Galloway. And the Dallas defense looks pretty solid. The Giants were supposed to be the best in the division, but they presented a very soft secondary against Dallas and an inability to consistently do anything right on offense.

And then there's Washington. Their OL needs to do a better job protecting Ramsey, who needs to continue to improve (he was nearly mistake-free in Atlanta). Coles and Gardner look like a solid WR tandem, and while the defensive tackles are suspect, the DE's are solid, and I challenge you to find a better group of linebackers and defensive backs in the NFL.

If Washington beats New York on Sunday, I will formally request that Tony Kornheiser take The Bandwagon out of the garage and start tuning it up...

Franklinnoble

09-22-2003, 10:59 AM

Did anybody else watch the Redskins-Giants game on Sunday?

The Redskins committed a team-record 17 penalties for 142 yards, and looked pretty bad at halftime, down 21-3.

I'm not sure how to feel about their comeback. On the one hand, Ramsey looks like a stud, and the fourth quarter was probably the most exciting football the Redskins have played in 10 years. On the other hand, they could have played with fewer mistakes and won a critical game at home against a tough divisional rival. I don't care for moral victories... so I guess I'm just pissed off at the wasted effort.

Honolulu_Blue

09-22-2003, 12:01 PM

Dude, give it up. There is only one true "Most Wonderful Time of the Year." ;)

There's plenty of other football threads around. Want to be part of something special, start talking hockey.

Franklinnoble

09-22-2003, 12:47 PM

Originally posted by Honolulu_Blue
Dude, give it up. There is only one true "Most Wonderful Time of the Year." ;)

There's plenty of other football threads around. Want to be part of something special, start talking hockey.

1. Most people who live in the contiguous 48 United States and are avid readers of a board that exists for the sake of a computerized American football simulator look forward to football season a lot more than they look forward to the NHL playoffs.
2. The hockey thread that this “mimics” only reached its current degree of enormity because it was stickied for months. That doesn’t make it any better, or more relevant; it just makes it the beneficiary of selective board moderation.
3. If I want this to be my personal soap box for ranting about the Washington Redskins every week, and you don’t like it, don’t read it. Go back to your little hockey thread killer thread. ;)

JeeberD

09-22-2003, 12:52 PM

Maybe we should get SD to merge all the NFL related threads into this one. Then it might resemble the single NHL thread that continues to stick around... ;)

cuervo72

09-22-2003, 12:56 PM

And what are you guys posting there for still? It's NOT playoff season anymore!!!

Honolulu_Blue

09-22-2003, 01:42 PM

Originally posted by Franklinnoble
1. Most people who live in the contiguous 48 United States and are avid readers of a board that exists for the sake of a computerized American football simulator look forward to football season a lot more than they look forward to the NHL playoffs.
2. The hockey thread that this “mimics” only reached its current degree of enormity because it was stickied for months. That doesn’t make it any better, or more relevant; it just makes it the beneficiary of selective board moderation.
3. If I want this to be my personal soap box for ranting about the Washington Redskins every week, and you don’t like it, don’t read it. Go back to your little hockey thread killer thread. ;)

Well, allow me to retort:

1. I only live in Brussels. It's a temporary thing. I am red-blooded American just like you and the rest of the avid readers of this board who live in the contiguous 48 United States. I love football. I played football. I have listened to the crap-ass Detroit Football Lions' radio web-casts for the past three years. The worst thing is, however, that I've been forced to listen to the opposing team's play-by-play all of this time (some legal thing). I've been subjected to a 6-29 record while listening to homer-wahoo chortling and mocking my pain after each and every play.

2. The hockey thread was stickied for a few months, but I reckon the bulk of the posting happened post-stickiedness. To be honest, you have to look to bbor. He was one of the biggest thread-killer thread guys and he's a huge hockey fan. We just happened to luck out with the latter. (Note: The former was quite unfortunate and we at the "PH:MWTOTY" thread have strived to keep the thread interesting and relevant).

3. I hate the Redskins. I have hated them even before the Snyder Era. (It's much easier to hate them now though). This is mainly because my beforementioned beloved Lions have never, ever won in D.C. Ever. The one time the Lions ever made it to the NFC Championship game they were crushed, beaten and humilaited something like 41-10 in Washington. It was sad. :( The Lions win one play-off game in 40+ years and follow it up getting spanked like that. It's an old wound, but still fresh. That being said, I appreciate lovel fandom and soapboxness. Please! Post away! I will come back here every now and then and help this lil' fella along in quest for greatness.

I am both kind and benevolent.

:D

Honolulu_Blue

09-22-2003, 01:45 PM

Originally posted by JeeberD
Maybe we should get SD to merge all the NFL related threads into this one. Then it might resemble the single NHL thread that continues to stick around... ;)

One stick is weak. You can snap it easily with your fingers. However, when you gather many sticks together. Strong they become.

I think I mixing and massarcing a few metaphors there, but you get the basic idea.

Franklinnoble

09-22-2003, 02:16 PM

Originally posted by Honolulu_Blue
Well, allow me to retort:

1. I only live in Brussels. It's a temporary thing. I am red-blooded American just like you and the rest of the avid readers of this board who live in the contiguous 48 United States. I love football. I played football. I have listened to the crap-ass Detroit Football Lions' radio web-casts for the past three years. The worst thing is, however, that I've been forced to listen to the opposing team's play-by-play all of this time (some legal thing). I've been subjected to a 6-29 record while listening to homer-wahoo chortling and mocking my pain after each and every play.

2. The hockey thread was stickied for a few months, but I reckon the bulk of the posting happened post-stickiedness. To be honest, you have to look to bbor. He was one of the biggest thread-killer thread guys and he's a huge hockey fan. We just happened to luck out with the latter. (Note: The former was quite unfortunate and we at the "PH:MWTOTY" thread have strived to keep the thread interesting and relevant).

3. I hate the Redskins. I have hated them even before the Snyder Era. (It's much easier to hate them now though). This is mainly because my beforementioned beloved Lions have never, ever won in D.C. Ever. The one time the Lions ever made it to the NFC Championship game they were crushed, beaten and humilaited something like 41-10 in Washington. It was sad. :( The Lions win one play-off game in 40+ years and follow it up getting spanked like that. It's an old wound, but still fresh. That being said, I appreciate lovel fandom and soapboxness. Please! Post away! I will come back here every now and then and help this lil' fella along in quest for greatness.

I am both kind and benevolent.

:D

The Lions record in Washington is a bit of an anomaly, but I'll grant you that it would be terribly aggravating, as a Lions fan.

Oh, and I'm not much of a Snyder fan, either. I think he's defecated on too much tradition in Washington, but, hey, I'm never going to be able to bring myself to root for another team.

I sort of feel the same way about the Oakland Raiders. The Redskins don't really play them that often, but I'll never forget Super Bowl XVIII. Ever.

Thank you for your kind and benevolent retort - I've always felt that there's no reason why rivals can't be gentlemen. :D

Franklinnoble

09-29-2003, 12:15 PM

Four weeks into the season, and my beloved Redskins are a respectable 3-1. If it weren't for a rash of stupid penalties, they might be undefeated...

That said, they've won their three games by a total of 8 points. They're not dominating anybody, but at least they're winning the close ones, rather than losing them. I don't know how much longer they can squeak by like this. Here's their remaining schedule:

10/5 at Philadelphia 4:15 p.m.
10/12 Tampa Bay 1 p.m.
10/19 at Buffalo 1 p.m.
10/26 - BYE-
11/2 at Dallas 1 p.m.
11/9 Seattle 1 p.m.
11/16 at Carolina 1 p.m.
11/23 at Miami 8:30 p.m.
11/30 New Orleans 4:05 p.m.
12/7 at New York Giants 1 p.m.
12/14 Dallas 1 p.m.
12/21 at Chicago 1 p.m.
12/27 Philadelphia 8:30 p.m.

Brutal. They play at Philly next week, and it looks like the Eagles just suddenly remembered how to play like the team that went to the NFC title game last year. Then Spurrier's offense gets its biggest test ever at home against Tampa Bay, then it's off to Buffalo before the bye week. 2-1 over the next three weeks would make me very, very happy.

Returning from the bye week at Dallas is no picnic, and of the remaining teams on the schedule, at this point, only Chicago and maybe New Orleans look like pushovers.