NFL chat thread

[papsrus]

Tight one at the half.

[Aggie87]

Still thinking about Belichick's 4th and 2 decision last night.

I commented elsewhere about this, but maybe the actual decision to go for it wasn't that bad, if he truly didn't trust his defense to be able to stop Peyton Manning. If that's the case it wouldn't matter where the Colts got the ball.

But WHY didn't Belichick run a better play than that one?? Why throw a 2 yard pass on 4th and 2?? Why not throw a 5 yard pass? Why not throw something to Randy Moss 5-10 yds down the field, who likely could have outjumped anyone on the Colts' defense??

My gut still says they shoulda punted the ball away still, and force the Colts to earn the win the hard way.

[Noj]

The bigger mistake was calling the timeout on 1st down after the kickoff. How were they possibly not ready to go? That not only would have enabled them to challenge the spot, but it might have let the clock run long enough to be under 2 minutes in which case the play would have been reviewed anyway. I think the spot was home cookin', and technically if that guy hauls in the pass cleanly it's a first down.

Everyone I was with was saying it was an arrogant call, and likened it to Pete Carroll's tendencies with the USC Trojans. Teddy Bruschi and Hitman Harrison have both said they would have felt disrespected as defensive players that their coach wouldn't trust them to stop the Colts from driving the field. Then again, weren't they both on that team that couldn't stop the Giants from ruining the Pats' perfect season?

Edited November 17, 2009 by Noj

[Free For All]

It was a ballsy call and 8-9 times out of 10 they would make it, and Bill would have been a hero the next day. An unfortunate confluence of circumstances with the timing of the two minute warning and the questionable spot of the 4th down attempt and they blew it, and it was a fairly costly mistake looking ahead to the playoffs.

I do like to see folks take chances and make it interesting, but I think in this case the decision was ill-advised.

In other news, I also think Jones-Drew should have taken it into the end zone. Not his fault- he did as he was instructed by the coach and took a knee , but that was lame IMHO.

A couple cases of a lack of faith in the defense.

Edited November 17, 2009 by Free For All

[JSngry]

Bottom line, though - Colts needed 17, colts got 17.

Cowboys needed 17, Cowboys got a hoorahrahray from them the loves them like the coenablers they all are.

[Free For All]

Yeah, Peyton Manning taking the team down the field with short time on the clock is a thing of beauty.

[Aggie87]

Cowboys needed 17, Cowboys got a hoorahrahray from them the loves them like the coenablers they all are.

Not sure what that means, but they sure looked crappy yesterday. I blame that on coaching and playcalling. And a stupid play or two by Roy Williams. And a couple of very bad mistakes by the refs. Mainly they just looked crappy though.

[JSngry]

Cowboys play sexy football, Cowboys fans get hot over sexy football. They need each other and are more than happy to do it, this sexy football ritual, while somebody goes off and plays real football., just not the Cowboys, who know where their sexy gets licked with no questions asked, at least not ones that could stop the sexy.

[Free For All]

Sorry SS1, but the Browns are S A D.

[JSngry]

I feel sorry for little Gretchen.

[papsrus]

Yeesh. Who was the programing genius who thought that would be a good idea on a Monday night?

Good teams:

Indy, Pats, Vikes, Saints, Bengals, Steelers (I guess)

The rest of the league pretty much sucks. Arizona's OK, I guess. Lightning Bolts too, maybe. But c'mon. Dallas is 6-3 and leads the NFC East ... and they suck! Their "No. 1" receiver can't catch the ball. (pretty basic skill for a receiver). Denver's 6-3 and leads the AFC West ... and they suck! They just lost to Washington, who really suck!

About 15-16 teams (half the league!) are truly, truly BAD. Just flat out awful week after week after week. -- Tampa, Cleveland, Oakland, St. Louis, Seattle, Chicago, Carolina, Washington, Tennessee, Jacksonville, Buffalo, the Jets, Kansas City, Green Bay (yeah, they suck), the Giants (yeah, they suck too). Bad, bad football going on in this league.

But I love the Titans' owner repeatedly shooting the bird to Bills fans yesterday (caught on tape), as if he's got something to crow about. Good for a $250,000 fine. Nice. ... Wonder what's wrong with this league?

Edited November 17, 2009 by papsrus

[connoisseur series500]

Pats fans never give credit when they lose

The Colts are like 5/6 - 1 vs Pats in the last 6/7 meetings

Brady / Moss threw up big numbers last night and still didn't win

Peyton makes Reggie Wayne look small in the post game interview

Peyton has a 2 foot noggin

If they play again in the post season it will be in Indy with the same results

IMO

Why stop at the last six games, of which four straight were played in Indianapolis? Does it make a difference? Hell yeah! The Colts are built to play in domed stadiums.

Here are the last 12 games played between the two teams:

Sep. 30, 2001 Foxborough New England Patriots 44-13

Oct. 21, 2001 Indianapolis New England Patriots 38-17

Nov. 30, 2003 Indianapolis New England Patriots 38-34

Jan. 18, 2004 Foxborough New England Patriots 24-14

Sep. 9, 2004 Foxborough New England Patriots 27-24

Jan. 16, 2005 Foxborough New England Patriots 20-3

Nov. 7, 2005 Foxborough Indianapolis Colts 40-21

Nov. 5, 2006 Foxborough Indianapolis Colts 27-20

Jan. 21, 2007 Indianapolis Indianapolis Colts 38-34

Nov. 4, 2007 Indianapolis New England Patriots 24-20

Nov. 2, 2008 Indianapolis Indianapolis Colts 18-15

Nov. 15, 2009 Indianapolis Indianapolis Colts 35-34

The Colts have made in an even series over the last few years, benefitting from consistent matchups in their own stadium.

I give Peyton Manning all the credit in the world. Don't know where you get the idea that Pats fans "never give credit when they lose?" Or does that refer to me? Who knows. Tossed that one out, huh?

Manning is the better quarterback this year, but I think New England has the better team. It will be proven in the playoffs.

IMO

[connoisseur series500]

The Pats got hosed on that 4th down spot. Even after he gathered the ball he was over the first down marker.

Couldn't have happened to a nicer team.

I don't really care about that play or about Belichick's decision.

I'm pissed about Maroney's fumble at the goal line, which would have made it all irrelevant, and confirmed the blowout. You just don't cough up the ball in the endzone. Maroney will be gone next year. He would have been gone last night if Sammy Morris or Fred Taylor weren't injured.

Colts win by a miracle. It happens. I like the Pats' chances if they meet again in the playoffs.

Peyton Manning is having a super year. If Brady doesn't win another super bowl in the next couple of years, I would have to rank Peyton ahead of him in the alltime rankings, even though Brady's got more SB wins. But it's close.

[Soulstation1]

The best game of the week Baltimore @ Cleveland

We could get shut-out

Close 2nd NE vs Indy

We Suck!

[Big Wheel]

Teddy Bruschi and Hitman Harrison have both said they would have felt disrespected as defensive players that their coach wouldn't trust them to stop the Colts from driving the field.

Tons of people have been parroting some variation on this theme but if anything, I agree with those who say that this has it exactly backwards. It means that Belichick has MORE respect for his defense, not less, because he's willing to bet that they can hold their opponent to zero points not just when they have to drive 70 yards, but also when they have to go only 30 yards.

[Quincy]

Yeesh. Who was the programing genius who thought that would be a good idea on a Monday night?

Good teams:

Indy, Pats, Vikes, Saints, Bengals, Steelers (I guess)

The rest of the league pretty much sucks. Arizona's OK, I guess. Lightning Bolts too, maybe. But c'mon. Dallas is 6-3 and leads the NFC East ... and they suck!

I was just mentioning this to a friend after the Sunday night game. If you could wave a wand and heal Troy's knee for the rest of the season I'd just as soon see the 4 AFC teams above play each other and reduce the NFC to Vikes vs. Saints. I also thought maybe I wasn't giving the Chargers enough credit, but it's too hard to find another team to even it out. Having watched about 10 minutes of the Seahawks offense last Sunday followed by the Pats-Colts, I just don't want to watch bad football. And there's a lot of bad football being played, especially if you live where the networks insist on showing the Seahawks & 49ers every blasted week.

Edited November 17, 2009 by Quincy

[Aggie87]

The axe fell for Dick Jauron today after leading the Bills to a 3-6 record. I guess T.O.'s popcorn wasn't enough for the Bills.

[Aggie87]

And in Raiders news, former #1 overall draft pick Jamarcus Russell has been benched for the rest of the season, in favor of journeyman Bruce "Who?" Gradkowski.

[papsrus]

And in Raiders news, former #1 overall draft pick Jamarcus Russell has been benched for the rest of the season, in favor of journeyman Bruce "Who?" Gradkowski.

Gradkowski played for the Bucs a few years ago. Played college ball at Toledo. Hard-nosed guy. Not flashy. Kind of a game-management type. I didn't know he was still in the league. Nice to see him get an opportunity.

[Noj]

Jamarcus Russell.

Who? Oh, Mr. "47.7 Passer Rating." I hope he enjoys his money, he sure hasn't earned it. What a loser.

[GA Russell]

And in Raiders news, former #1 overall draft pick Jamarcus Russell has been benched for the rest of the season, in favor of journeyman Bruce "Who?" Gradkowski.

I don't want to bet a dead horse, but I have to think that the Raiders would be better off if they hadn't let Jeff Garcia go.

[Free For All]

I don't want to bet a dead horse,

I wouldn't either. Unless the options were win, place or glue.

[Noj]

From reports I read, Garcia requested to be let go and the Raiders obliged. I wish they had him too, I thought it was a perfect fit. He can make plays on the move. In this article, Garcia discusses Russell and the losing culture that currently infests the Raiders organization. The team has no fire or belief in itself whatsoever. So clear up the QB it's a case of guys just showing up to get paid and not playing to win. The "Commitment To Excellence" has become a "Commitment To Mediocrity."

Things will need to shake up, top to bottom--and that won't happen until Al Davis is no longer in charge. He has poisoned his own team and created a culture of losing that he can't correct.

Gotta feel sorry for a winner like Richard Seymour to be sent to NFL purgatory by the Pats. He tried to rally the troops but hasn't been heard from for a minute. I imagine he's figured out he can't right the ship himself.

[GA Russell]

Thanks for that link, Noj. I didn't know that Garcia had been let go by the Eagles. It doesn't surprise me, considering that they have McNabb, Vick and Kolb.

Garcia is 39 now, and maybe all the decent teams figure that he is too old to do it any more. I think his years with the Browns and the Lions showed that he can't resurrect a bad team all by himself.

On the other hand, there seems to be a real shortage of competent quarterbacking in the league this year, from what I hear on Sirius. I heard one guy yesterday suggest that Cassell was the only good quarterback playing on a bad team. All the other bad teams have bad quarterbacks. That was just one man's opinion.

But as I recall Garcia looked good when he was healthy last year with Tampa, and I would think that someone would consider him to be better than what they have now.

[Big Wheel]

Gotta feel sorry for a winner like Richard Seymour to be sent to NFL purgatory by the Pats. He tried to rally the troops but hasn't been heard from for a minute. I imagine he's figured out he can't right the ship himself.

I feel much more sympathy for Nnamdi Asomugha, the best cornerback in the league. By most accounts he's one of the best human beings in the league too, and he may finish his career with zero rings if he can't get dealt to another team.