NFL 2018 Season Thread

[Arles]

Originally Posted by thehitcat

Your Team Cheats - The Definitive Guide to NFL Cheating

Enjoy!

Clearly a Pats fanboy site. NE is below average cheaters, but the Jets, Broncos, Steelers and Giants are elite cheaters!

Pretty entertaining though. Green Bay has more "camera" awards for some recruiting issue from 1921 than the Pats get for Spygate (2007) and deflategate combined. Looks legit to me...

[miked]

Wasn't KC busted a few years ago for pumping noise in to opposing benches so they couldn't hear? I mean, tons of players are busted for PEDs, do we call the teams cheaters when they have a player who was on PEDs? If GB wins, do we call them cheaters because Aaron Jones was suspend for PEDs? I'm not even a Pats fan (I'm a fucking Jets fan) and you people are just over the top.

Basically, the Pats have gotten caught more lately than other teams, but it is quite clear that all teams will push in gray areas and cheat until they are caught. Y'all are some salty fools.

I mean, Mark Ingram was busted this year too. I guess the Saints are cheaters (though weren't they caught paying players bonuses to injure people). Some pretty selective outrage.

[panerd]

Originally Posted by miked

Wasn't KC busted a few years ago for pumping noise in to opposing benches so they couldn't hear? I mean, tons of players are busted for PEDs, do we call the teams cheaters when they have a player who was on PEDs? If GB wins, do we call them cheaters because Aaron Jones was suspend for PEDs? I'm not even a Pats fan (I'm a fucking Jets fan) and you people are just over the top.

Basically, the Pats have gotten caught more lately than other teams, but it is quite clear that all teams will push in gray areas and cheat until they are caught. Y'all are some salty fools.

I mean, Mark Ingram was busted this year too. I guess the Saints are cheaters (though weren't they caught paying players bonuses to injure people). Some pretty selective outrage.

Mine is based on their fans only. Brady texted the "deflator" and destroyed his phone but they will sit and talk some nonsense about the science of air inflation. Could care less really about the Pats but if they want to claim innocence then be prepared to hear about it.

[albionmoonlight]

Super Bowl got a 26.1 rating in New Orleans, the lowest in New Orleans history and the lowest of any market this year.

[albionmoonlight]

dola:

Front page of the NOLA paper this morning:

[lungs]

I didn't have any dog in the Super Bowl fight. But I do get enjoyment over watching people's heads explode when the Patriots win. And 65 year old white guys complaining that Conway Twitty isn't the halftime show. And farmers' heads exploding when Budweiser poo poo's corn syrup. And dairy farmers crying about that chunk milk commercial from Mint Mobile.

Do people watch the Super Bowl just to trigger themselves?

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by lungs

I didn't have any dog in the Super Bowl fight. But I do get enjoyment over watching people's heads explode when the Patriots win. And 65 year old white guys complaining that Conway Twitty isn't the halftime show. And farmers' heads exploding when Budweiser poo poo's corn syrup. And dairy farmers crying about that chunk milk commercial from Mint Mobile.

Do people watch the Super Bowl just to trigger themselves?

Someone will remember better than I will, but a few years ago there was a commercial saying some kind of produce was boring, and the growers of said produce sued who made the commercial. I am probably screwing up the details.

[Edward64]

Let's talk commercials. Which ones did you guys like best?

[stevew]

I think the NFL should adopt the mlb roids=no playoffs rule

[larrymcg421]

I still don't get why Patriots fans are so sensitive. I'm so sorry you have to deal with all the jabs against your 6 time Superbowl winning team.

[thehitcat]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Let's talk commercials. Which ones did you guys like best?

The Jason Bateman/Hyundai Elevator add was my favorite by a long way. And you?

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by thehitcat

The Jason Bateman/Hyundai Elevator add was my favorite by a long way. And you?

I liked the GOT Bud Light. I've read the Amazon one was received well but prefer the Bud Light.

[lungs]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Someone will remember better than I will, but a few years ago there was a commercial saying some kind of produce was boring, and the growers of said produce sued who made the commercial. I am probably screwing up the details.

Hmm, I can't find anything like this in my searches. But I did see several dairy farmers on Facebook suggesting that a lawsuit should be filed against Mint Mobile for Slander. I guess that's why they are farmers and not lawyers.

[Carman Bulldog]

I think it's pretty obvious that anything to do with the Patriots gets blown up into a much bigger deal than it actually was (ie. Spygate, the Deflategate witchhunt, etc.).

Let me throw this scenario out there as evidence...

A media network receives information from a source that Tom Brady has had HGH shipped to his house. Lawyers for Brady then try to convince the network that the source is lying. After that doesn't work, Brady's lawyers then confirm that the shipment did go to his house but was actually for Gisele, who had been prescribed the drug by a doctor. In checking with medical experts, they advise that HGH is not an approved treatment for Gisele's condition. Oh yeah, and after learning about the source's allegations, Brady also sent a pair of goons over to the source's parents house for... reasons, causing them enough concern to call 911.

So, does everyone believe Brady when he says it wasn't for him?

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by molson

Yes Sir.

It was an interesting Super Bowl party this year - the hate was very subdued (I'm a long way from New England), there were more people just enjoying the insanity of this Patriots run.

On the way home (got my girlfriend to drive - that was my personal Super Bowl championship!), I was just thinking about how crazy this whole run has been for Boston sports generally - I became aware of Boston sports in '86, just barely missed out on appreciating the last Larry Bird championship that year; and then, through those sports-crazy childhood years, I never did get a home town championship between '86 and 2000, when I graduated college.....A single championship would have meant SO much to me in those years, but it didn't happen.

But since adulthood, those 19 years, the Boston teams have pulled off 12 championships (and my alma mater, Syracuse, added another in '03 to make it 13). Those 13 championships in adulthood don't mean close to as much as ONE would have meant in my childhood, but, every time, it still does connect me to that past time in my life when this shit really mattered. People like to try to tell me how miserable they think I'll be when the Patriots' run ends, but, truthfully, it's all gravy now, they could go 0-16 next year and every year afterwards, and they've still given me so much more then I ever possibly could have comprehended...And I'm 40 now anyway - but Brady is a crazy throwback to those prior times and that prior way of thinking about sports - his rookie year was when I graduated from college!....Larry Bird is still my favorite athlete, but Brady is #2 and David Ortiz is #3.

I'm pretty sure Bucc said something similar in the last couple years too. That's how I feel about the Bison and their NCAA run.

[Thomkal]

Bengals officially name Zac Taylor (Rams QB coach) as their new head coach

[Groundhog]

I can't think of another time when arguably 3 of the top 5 plays in an NFL game (let alone Superbowl) came from either the punter or the special teams coverage on punts.

[albionmoonlight]

Belichick’s reaction to the roof being open right before kickoff is fantastic (via NFL Mic’d Up) pic.twitter.com/ar4X96Bu1z

— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) February 7, 2019

Why he's the best ever. EVERY detail matters.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by Kodos

So Spygate wasn't real?

Spygate was real, but not what people believe. It wasn't even illegal to film other teams, the Patriots just did it from outside the proscribed area teams were allowed to film from, and they certainly didn't film the Rams Super Bowl walkthrough as people like Bill Polian continue to claim. And the Patriots were punished and docked a 1st round pick for what other people thought they were doing rather than what the NFL found.

Deflategate was a witch hunt and a (poorly executed) sting operation from the start that would have been laughed out of any court of law.

Originally Posted by panerd

Mine is based on their fans only. Brady texted the "deflator" and destroyed his phone but they will sit and talk some nonsense about the science of air inflation. Could care less really about the Pats but if they want to claim innocence then be prepared to hear about it.

Balls losing air pressure when they are taken outside in cold weather is science, not nonsense. Balls will obviously lose pressure once they're outside in colder weather, which is why the NFL didn't end up releasing their measurements the next year after claiming they would. Brady was triggered by an October game vs the Jets where the balls were over the NFL PSI maximum (max 15.5, balls were over 16 after the game) and wanted balls at the lowest allowable PSI (12.5) going forward. Should it be any more illegal for a team to put balls out it knew would go below the threshold after being tested than it was to run formations with four down linemen and ineligible receivers in the slot? I don't think so. Should the NFL have had tighter controls on what PSI balls left the locker room? I don't think it really mattered because I don't think anything between 10-17 PSI matters much (certainly not in that game), but in this litigious world, sure, a tighter range than 12.5-15.5 makes sense.

And just like Spygate, the Patriots were punished and docked a 1st round pick for what people thought they were doing instead of anything that they were doing. And because they were successful - when multiple other NFL teams have been caught even on camera doing illegal things with footballs, none lose a single pick let alone a 1st rounder.

Call it a persecution complex, say I'm being a sore winner, fine, but people who actually think the Patriots or Brady were doing something worthy of punishment during deflategate are either ignorant, trolling, or employed by Roger Goodell.

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Because if there's one thing Boston fans can agree on it's the admiration for the greatness of the New York Yankees.

20th century Yankees were great. 21st century Yankees not so much, though it's setting up to be a great next few years in the rivalry.

Originally Posted by Carman Bulldog

I think it's pretty obvious that anything to do with the Patriots gets blown up into a much bigger deal than it actually was (ie. Spygate, the Deflategate witchhunt, etc.).

Let me throw this scenario out there as evidence...

A media network receives information from a source that Tom Brady has had HGH shipped to his house. Lawyers for Brady then try to convince the network that the source is lying. After that doesn't work, Brady's lawyers then confirm that the shipment did go to his house but was actually for Gisele, who had been prescribed the drug by a doctor. In checking with medical experts, they advise that HGH is not an approved treatment for Gisele's condition. Oh yeah, and after learning about the source's allegations, Brady also sent a pair of goons over to the source's parents house for... reasons, causing them enough concern to call 911.

So, does everyone believe Brady when he says it wasn't for him?

Is this before or after this hypothetical Brady also teabags a trainer and gets the University of Michigan sued for millions of dollars?

[Brian Swartz]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Can any unbiased person really question whether the Patriots cheated multiple times in different manners along the way?

They are obviously great. The fact that they have been caught cheating repeatedly takes off some of the luster.

I root for the Patriots (and in other sports, others who are often hated like LeBron) precisely because of the irrational level of animus directed their way. I was neutral on them several years ago. Have they cheated? Clearly, yes. Have the cheated more than others in the NFL, at a different level than they have? I've seen nothing to convince me of that. I don't hold Brady/Belichik/etc. up as models of ethics for society at large, but let's just say that I think BountyGate (as one example) is about a hundred times worse than everything the Patriots have been found to have done combined. It's clear to me that the cheating isn't why they are hated, at least primarily.

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

media people like Max Kellerman should be ashamed when they're proven wrong year after year.

Why? As I understand it, his main argument his year has basically been 'Brady isn't what he used to be.' Isn't that true? A year ago Brady was still great, MVP-caliber ... this year he was above-average as starting QBs go. Fantastic against the Chargers who were dumb enough to play into his hands with their game plan and steadfastly refuse to change it, but wobbly for sure at times against KC and the Rams. The Patriots did have their worst regular-season record since 2009, Brady his worst statistical year since at least 2013, and going into the playoffs I'm among those who thought they didn't have enough weapons (questions about Gronk health, offense improved with Gordon and then he was gone again, etc.) I'm not here to carry water for the guy who makes his living as the counter-punching to Steven A's blowhard alpha thing, but I would think noticing these things and pointing them out is sort of what guys like Kellerman are supposed to do.

[spleen1015]

It is pretty clear that pretty much every one cheats. The thing with the Patriots is the way they handle it. Deflategate for example. Brady destroyed his phone to hide evidence.

Sports are like politics. There's so much money involved, everyone's going to be dirty to get more.

[Thomkal]

Browns take a chance on Kareem Hunt

[Lathum]

Good landing spot for him.

First time he rips off a 65 yard TD run everyone will forget about what happened.

[cartman]

Rumors that Flacco is going to Denver

[Ryche]

More band aid QBs, yay. About the only positive is have 0 dollars committed to a QB after next season.

[albionmoonlight]

I really thought Flacco was going to Oakland. Gruden loves his non-superstar veteran QBs (Brad Johnson, Rich Gannon, etc.). Figured the Raiders would trade Carr.

[Honolulu_Blue]

If I was a Broncos fan, I would not be excited at the prospect of Joe Flacco as my starting QB next year.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

If I was a Broncos fan, I would not be excited at the prospect of Joe Flacco as my starting QB next year.

Given Elway's history with QBs since Manning I think Bronco fans are very prepared for disappointment.

[bhlloy]

Originally Posted by Ryche

More band aid QBs, yay. About the only positive is have 0 dollars committed to a QB after next season.

Yeah, I think this is the big takeaway. Other than a mid round pick and eating into the chances that they can add some difference makers in FA this year, I’m not sure if there is a huge amount of risk for the Broncos here. Keenum isn’t good and Flacco is almost certainly not good as well, but if you want to take a shot in the dark on a QB who at least has been good enough to win a SB in his career before, why the hell not? And I really hate Joe Flacco, FWIW.

I think the more disturbing thing for Broncos fans is the likelihood that Elway still thinks he can piecemeal his way to success without really investing in a QB, but in a vacuum it’s a defensible move.

[molson]

Bovada moved the Broncos from 100-1 to 125-1 to win it all after the trade.

[stevew]

Hopefully this finally gets Elway fired.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Carman Bulldog

Inside the Cleveland Browns front office, where hope and history collide

I've heard great things about this article but I haven't personally read it yet. I thought a few others here would enjoy this long form take on the dysfunction of the Browns.

That turned out to be one of the more expensive articles anyone has written in a while.

Pilot Flying J Pulls ESPN Deal After Story On Browns' Culture

Deal was worth low-to-mid 7 figures a year (and had at least 2 more years to run) and including presenting sponsor status for the Saturday morning "SEC Nation" show.

[Galaril]

Originally Posted by stevew

Hopefully this finally gets Elway fired.

Agreed!!!

[CU Tiger]

i think somehow the Broncos and the Ravens both got worse today

[Galaril]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

i think somehow the Broncos and the Ravens both got worse today

Oh I think the Broncos got worse losing a 4th round pick and now having two QBs that can't play for shit.

[Scarecrow]

Originally Posted by Galaril

Oh I think the Broncos got worse losing a 4th round pick and now having two QBs that can't play for shit.

Just wait for when the Broncos get their 3rd QB that can't play for shit with 1(10) [cough]Drew Lock[/cough]

[Galaril]

Originally Posted by Scarecrow

Just wait for when the Broncos get their 3rd QB that can't play for shit with 1(10) [cough]Drew Lock[/cough]

Yes I know. I am hopeful they will trade back and accumulate more picks in the late first and early 2nd. But Flaaco yuck . He is actually worse than Keenum statistically. Plus, he is not as mobile as he once was and unless the Broncos fix there crappy Oline he is going to get killed. Keenum at least can run around a little. Also, I remember Flacco had refused to mentor L.Jackson which though I get it that was bad optics. The Broncos will be bringing some to be a rookie under him so that is a concern.

[albionmoonlight]

So we've seen this from the Broncos' perspective.

I'm more interested in the Ravens. This is a full commitment to the Lamar Jackson era. How do we see that going? It seems impossible to run the exact same offense as last year. With an offseason to gameplan against it, defenses will be ready for it.

But one still has to think that it will be the most run-heavy offense in the league even if they open it up a bit with a year for Jackson to work on his passing. There's something to be said for zigging when everyone else zags. Teams may know what is coming against the Ravens, but if they are built to stop the pass, then there is only so much they can do.

It makes the backup QB situation interesting. The Ravens cannot, I would think, get generic backup QB [X]. They need someone who can run the Lamar Jackson offense. Tyrod? Taysom Hill (if the Saints are willing to part with him)?

[QuikSand]

The Ravens were already fully committed to Jackson as the centerpiece of the offense. This makes it clear to the world, but it has been clear locally since mid-season.

Tyrod Taylor would be re-welcomed to Baltimore like a conquering hero. I think that is a real possibility. They also seem to have emanated a lot of good locker room buzz from RGIII last year, enough to keep him on the 53-man all season with no plan whatsoever to use him. If they think he could be the "could play in a pinch" guy, they may feel they are all set.

The Ravens are, however, in a "try to compete right now" mode, and that comes with a variety of pressures, especially on the offensive side of the ball. I am not well versed enough to know their cap space situation, but IMO they have some work to do in order to field a credible offense around Jackson for next year.

[albionmoonlight]

Totally forgot RGIII was already on the roster. That does make getting a Tyrod-type something nice but not critical. The best move may be trying to get Tyrod for a mid-round pick (maybe the Flacco pick just to be all symbolic about it) and keep all three of them. If your offense has the QB getting hit as a runner by design, you can justify 3 roster spots for the position, I think.

[muns]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

It makes the backup QB situation interesting. The Ravens cannot, I would think, get generic backup QB [X]. They need someone who can run the Lamar Jackson offense. Tyrod? Taysom Hill (if the Saints are willing to part with him)?

The other problem that they have is a PR problem which factors into this. A lot of the season ticket holders dumped their seats in 2017 when the players knelt in London, which then translated into an attendance problem for them that has been ongoing. Pretty sure an executive sent out a letter asking people to show up to the playoff game this past season and there were plenty of tickets avaliable to the game right before kickoff. Then they laid an egg, and the entire stadium starting booing Lamar Jackson and was chanting Joe Flacco's name. It was so bad players started yelling at fans to shut up.

As you have already pointed it out, running the kind of offense that they are going to run is going to be interesting as teams have now seen it, and will defend it. When they go through the lulls like they did in the playoffs they cant have a named backup because the same crap will happen again. Lamar took the boo's and chanting joe's name in stride the first time, i dont see that continuing if he keeps getting booed. By not having a decent back up, that will help solve that problem. I agree with Qucik, that Tyrod would be a king from a fan perspective if he came back, but with him on the bench, the fans expectations would be around when Lamar struggles. I find the dynamics at play with the Ravens to be fascinating moving forward.

[stevew]

Tyrod is a FA. And I fucking hate the Ravens and cant believe that Flacco didnt go in. Harbaugh has always been a great coach. Not trying something different was baffling

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by Galaril

Oh I think the Broncos got worse losing a 4th round pick and now having two QBs that can't play for shit.

Yet I still think they got the best QB Baltimore had

[Galaril]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

Yet I still think they got the best QB Baltimore had

LOL I don't

[stevew]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

That turned out to be one of the more expensive articles anyone has written in a while.

Pilot Flying J Pulls ESPN Deal After Story On Browns' Culture

Deal was worth low-to-mid 7 figures a year (and had at least 2 more years to run) and including presenting sponsor status for the Saturday morning "SEC Nation" show.

I mean obviously this is expensive but won’t someone like Camping World, Chick Fil A or Dicks sporting goods just buy all this time now?

[Lathum]

Collusion case for Kaep settles. Some reporter on twitter saying nfl execs speculating it’s between 60-80 million. Not surprising.

[NobodyHere]

If true then Kap got more money by not playing and still gets to keep a relatively healthy brain.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by stevew

I mean obviously this is expensive but won’t someone like Camping World, Chick Fil A or Dicks sporting goods just buy all this time now?

Not necessarily. Sponsorship dollars are arguably tighter than they've been in my career. Truth is, they're hard to quantify in terms of ROI and most live sports is really just a vanity buy anyway. As - generally speaking - the demographics of decision makers move them toward being less sports-oriented the number of being willing to indulge in vanity buys slowly declines.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

still gets to keep a relatively healthy brain.

Bwahahahaha.

Considering he might have the most diseased mind in the history of sports, maybe the better play here would be to take his undeserved money & buy a brain transplant.

[Kodos]

Yes. Someone who displays civil disobedience is clearly worse than a guy like Aaron Hernandez.