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Chancetragedy wrote:

One major change I'd LOVE to see is make PI a tiered foul like flagrant 1 and 2 in the nba. Have flagrant 1 be 10 or 15 yards or whatever and flagrant 2 be spot foul if it's really aggregious. I'm sick of Ticky tack PI giving a team the ball 50 yards down field.

Problem here is in the way the rules are written. As if the penalty is a "slight" infringement, it usually gets the holding call, excepting of course, when the ball is actually in the air. I'd rather the Refs call this penalty more in favor of the defense... the offense already has enough advantages

Heck, a few years ago, there were actually two levels of Facemask penalties, and now we're stuck with just the 15 yard variety.

I actually figured this would be better for defenses. You can still have contact as long as it's not aggregious worse case scenario is 10 yards and a first down. If your absolutely just mugging the receiver then you get a spot foul. Maybe that's not the case and I have it all wrong in my head haha.

But mainly I agree there needs to be some contact allowed for defensive backs because it's just rediculous as it stands currently. And I'm sick and tired of QBs just throwing hail Mary's doing that stupid flag hand motion trying to just draw the PI instead of actually you know making a good play ;p

I'm not opposed to the idea of tiered PI as long as it's something that could be clearly defined. I wouldn't want the officials having to decide in a split-second between "a bump" vs. "a hard bump." Of course then you'll have DBs learn how to craftily stay within tier 1 and only give up 15 yards on what would have been a 40 yard completion.

Still, yes, there's nothing that feels cheaper than the PI call on a prayer of a deep ball. The Ravens in particular have made a living off of chucking it deep and hoping for the PI call.

Good god... Worst injury season. Brandon spikes to IR for the pats. So now we've lost wilfork, mayo, spikes, Gronk, vollmer to IR. And had amendola, vereen, talib, mccourty, and more miss significant time to injuries. Our only tall WR is banged up and might not play Saturday either lol. So we have our entire run defense on IR now basically. Thank god no one in the AFC has a power run game.

Chancetragedy wrote:
Good god... Worst injury season. Brandon spikes to IR for the pats. So now we've lost wilfork, mayo, spikes, Gronk, vollmer to IR. And had amendola, vereen, talib, mccourty, and more miss significant time to injuries. Our only tall WR is banged up and might not play Saturday either lol. So we have our entire run defense on IR now basically. Thank god no one in the AFC has a power run game.

It's OK, you still have the refs, and Tom Brady

Yuckyuckyuck ;p. I can't argue with the Brady thing. And I'm not even about to go into the refs thing. Because it just makes me look petty.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I will ask though what team this year has had worse injury luck? An argument "could" be made for the texans and that's about it.

I see the Colts made a Belichickian move and signed Deion Branch ahead of this weekends game.



Automatically Appended Next Post:

Chancetragedy wrote:
I will ask though what team this year has had worse injury luck? An argument "could" be made for the texans and that's about it.

The Bears lost all their DTs, and six defensive starters, including 4 pro-bowlers, for most of the year, as well as their starting QB for a significant stretch. Fortunately we had a capable backup QB, but our defense was a shambles, and it's no surprise it was the worst defense in the history of the franchise with who we lost. We were starting a DE at DT for most of the season (and it showed too - giving up 50+ pounds in the center of the d-line, no surprise that we were making every RB we faced look like Peterson.

 TheMeanDM wrote:
Seriously?!?

How the hell do you let the SF QB run all over hell ALL GAME LONG?!?

It's pretty obvious when he's going to run....and yet they couldn't stop him?!

Well...here's hoping the Panthers show up and shut them down.

I completely LOATHE the 49'ers.

Because the packers D Sucked this season, plain and simple. (Just like the Bears) the final game of the season was to see who was going to lose to the 9ers in the first round, so it is not like it mattered.

 Redbeard wrote:

Chancetragedy wrote:
I will ask though what team this year has had worse injury luck? An argument "could" be made for the texans and that's about it.

The Bears lost all their DTs, and six defensive starters, including 4 pro-bowlers, for most of the year, as well as their starting QB for a significant stretch. Fortunately we had a capable backup QB, but our defense was a shambles, and it's no surprise it was the worst defense in the history of the franchise with who we lost. We were starting a DE at DT for most of the season (and it showed too - giving up 50+ pounds in the center of the d-line, no surprise that we were making every RB we faced look like Peterson.

Exactly, the D was so banged up this season (And cutler too) it is crazy that they were still in it at the end, though, like I said above, the bears packers game was a playoff to see who was going to lose to the 9ers on wildcard weekend.

This week:
Saints over Seattle
Denver over San Diego
New England over Indy
San Fran over Carolina

Ok so the bears are about even then. Touché! Any other teams suffer losses like ours? It's crazy to think what the bears/pats/texans could be without missing all those pro-bowlers.

 DeathReaper wrote:


The Bears lost all their DTs, and six defensive starters, including 4 pro-bowlers, for most of the year, as well as their starting QB for a significant stretch. Fortunately we had a capable backup QB, but our defense was a shambles, and it's no surprise it was the worst defense in the history of the franchise with who we lost. We were starting a DE at DT for most of the season (and it showed too - giving up 50+ pounds in the center of the d-line, no surprise that we were making every RB we faced look like Peterson.

This week:
Saints over Seattle
Denver over San Diego
New England over Indy
San Fran over Carolina

Not to mention, they "lost" one of their key starters before the season even started in Brian Urlacher


And I will have to say, I am greatly displeased with your Saints/Seattle pick... I honestly don't think the Saints can deal with the 12th man, again

Urlacher didn't get a new contract because he went into the negotiations wanting a $12 million/2 Year contract after proving he had nearly no east/west movement left and was only going to play one down in three in Emery's mind

Urlacher's time was past. I saw him missing tackles in his last season that he would have made a year or two prior. Age and injuries take their toll, and the Bears are better moving forward than fooling themselves into believing that he was still that good.

The Steelers will be facing that soon, with Polamalu. I watched a couple of their late season games, where he tried to do stuff he did before and missed. One step too late means the back is already through the hole, and that blow-up play you were going to make turns into being out-of-position.

 DeathReaper wrote:

This week:
Saints over Seattle
Denver over San Diego
New England over Indy
San Fran over Carolina

I think these picks are spot on.

As TMQ says, this is the closest thing to sure-picks in gambling. Take all the home teams, as they've got a historically high winning percentage. They had the best records in the regular season, home field advantages, and they had an extra week of rest and prep, whereas the visitors all played tough games last week.

Since 2000, an average of 1 visitor wins this weekend.
I don't think it's Denver. I don't think it's Seattle either. That leaves NE vs Indy (Do you bet against Belichick/Brady at home?) or Carolina vs San Fran. I think Carolina is the home team that falls this time around.

 Redbeard wrote:


Since 2000, an average of 1 visitor wins this weekend.
I don't think it's Denver. I don't think it's Seattle either. That leaves NE vs Indy (Do you bet against Belichick/Brady at home?) or Carolina vs San Fran. I think Carolina is the home team that falls this time around.

The only thing I'd say to these picks is that after watching Indy, I think if it's a close game at the end, it'll be another wild one. That kid they have at QB, for all his faults and commentators over abundance of praise can have a strange way of making things happen. If you made me pick between the two, I think I still say NE wins, but if its close in the 4th quarter, I may have to just flip a coin for who I think wins.

Of course, if the weather stays as it is, and the Patriots host Indy at Castle Stark, I don't care who wins, more just who survives

 Redbeard wrote:
Urlacher's time was past. I saw him missing tackles in his last season that he would have made a year or two prior. Age and injuries take their toll, and the Bears are better moving forward than fooling themselves into believing that he was still that good.

The Steelers will be facing that soon, with Polamalu. I watched a couple of their late season games, where he tried to do stuff he did before and missed. One step too late means the back is already through the hole, and that blow-up play you were going to make turns into being out-of-position.

Ryan Clark is unofficially gone already...he had a much worse year than Polamalu. Polamalu was still a good player (if obviously diminished) this season, but not worth $10 million. They'll probably ask him to take a pay cut, and he might refuse. The trouble for the Steelers is that although they've got some younger talent at DL and LB, the secondary is old and perilously thin. They might end up biting the bullet and paying Polamalu for one more season.

There's going to be a lot of bloodletting in Pittsburgh this offseason, but it should mostly clear up their cap issues, which are formidable.

Hey Alf... do you see Cleveland trading their two first rounder for the Rams 2nd overall pick?

 whembly wrote:
Hey Alf... do you see Cleveland trading their two first rounder for the Rams 2nd overall pick?

Would probably be better for Cleveland to go after Vick when he gets cut from Philly...

My working theory/hypothesis is that there is so much residual/continual Bad Mojo around both Cleveland, and Mike Vick that they will cancel each other out, and the Browns will win a Super Bowl within a season, two at the most.

 whembly wrote:
Hey Alf... do you see Cleveland trading their two first rounder for the Rams 2nd overall pick?

No I don't, I see maybe getting rid of the Colts pick and a 2nd or 3rd rounder to move up in the draft, but honestly it doesn't matter, the Browns will continue to turn out garbage football no matter who is under center or in the front office.

 Alfndrate wrote:

 whembly wrote:
Hey Alf... do you see Cleveland trading their two first rounder for the Rams 2nd overall pick?

No I don't, I see maybe getting rid of the Colts pick and a 2nd or 3rd rounder to move up in the draft, but honestly it doesn't matter, the Browns will continue to turn out garbage football no matter who is under center or in the front office.

Bummer...

I'm just dreaming the RAMs having 3 first round picks in the same year.

I can see Vick being really appreciated by the guys from the dawg pound...

Browns need to trade their pick for a load of 2nd and subsequent rounds... They need an O-line. Three injured QBs in a season is an O-line problem, Vick is injury prone.. especially with a bad o-line. A decent OC wouldn't hurt either.

Vick is also a free agent this year, so if the Browns want him they just need to make the offer.

And Manziel is now on the list for the draft.

 helgrenze wrote:
Browns need to trade their pick for a load of 2nd and subsequent rounds... They need an O-line. Three injured QBs in a season is an O-line problem, Vick is injury prone.. especially with a bad o-line. A decent OC wouldn't hurt either.

Vick is also a free agent this year, so if the Browns want him they just need to make the offer.

And Manziel is now on the list for the draft.

I'd consider that 2 injured QBs as Hoyer wasn't injured in the pocket but from running. Unless you consider that play to be an early collapse of the pocket thus forcing a scramble. And I will say this, our right side was terrible and we were injured there most of the season so we had to deal with Mitchell Schwartz the open door of right tackles

Vick would probably be killed by the dawg pound

 helgrenze wrote:
Browns need to trade their pick for a load of 2nd and subsequent rounds... They need an O-line.

I'm thinking that you just described what the Texans will do with the #1 overall pick. Trade it and pull in additional O-Line and Line Backers.

The Browns need a real QB and not a Band-Aid. Vick is nothing more than a Band-Aid at this point...old, injury-prone and not that effective anyway.

I'd be shocked if Bridgewater isn't the #1 pick...and if 2 or 3 others don't go in the top half of round 1. The importance of QBs in the modern game means that they're going to get overdrafted. Which is good news of those of us with teams that have their QBs already.

If the Rams stay put, I think Clowney makes lots of sense. Fisher was the guy who drafted Jevon Kearse, and Clowney might provide the same kind of immediate impact.

 gorgon wrote:

If the Rams stay put, I think Clowney makes lots of sense. Fisher was the guy who drafted Jevon Kearse, and Clowney might provide the same kind of immediate impact.

We have Chris Long... don't get me wrong Clowney in rotation with Long is a nice upgrade, but it isn't needed.

I can see the RAMs trading to Atlanta as they desparately need a pass rusher of some sort.

I hope Spencer Lanning gets the boot and the Browns pick up Chris Kluwe, I would like more fresh Warmachine players in my local area

 whembly wrote:

We have Chris Long... don't get me wrong Clowney in rotation with Long is a nice upgrade, but it isn't needed.

Why would Clowney need to be on the same side as Long? sure it may kill overall stats, but that would make for one scary pass rush for sure.

 gorgon wrote:

 Redbeard wrote:
Urlacher's time was past. I saw him missing tackles in his last season that he would have made a year or two prior. Age and injuries take their toll, and the Bears are better moving forward than fooling themselves into believing that he was still that good.

The Steelers will be facing that soon, with Polamalu. I watched a couple of their late season games, where he tried to do stuff he did before and missed. One step too late means the back is already through the hole, and that blow-up play you were going to make turns into being out-of-position.

Ryan Clark is unofficially gone already...he had a much worse year than Polamalu. Polamalu was still a good player (if obviously diminished) this season, but not worth $10 million. They'll probably ask him to take a pay cut, and he might refuse. The trouble for the Steelers is that although they've got some younger talent at DL and LB, the secondary is old and perilously thin. They might end up biting the bullet and paying Polamalu for one more season.

There's going to be a lot of bloodletting in Pittsburgh this offseason, but it should mostly clear up their cap issues, which are formidable.

That's an informative post... do you have any insights on the Ravens cap situation? I know we're paying Flacco more than we can afford, but it felt like we cut everything else to the bone this season... I guess we're hoping young prospects will develop, but that really didn't pan out at receive this year (although there were glimpses of hope for the future).

 RiTides wrote:

That's an informative post... do you have any insights on the Ravens cap situation? I know we're paying Flacco more than we can afford, but it felt like we cut everything else to the bone this season... I guess we're hoping young prospects will develop, but that really didn't pan out at receive this year (although there were glimpses of hope for the future).

Ray Lewis has come out of retirement... Not to play MLB, but, in fact to play either Wide Receiver, or QB (putting Flacco on the bench). My sources weren't clear on which position it was though