NFL 2018

[Diablo25]

Boxing is such a great sport. It definitely has its flaws...Promoters, too many sanctioning bodies, etc. but, at its best, a legit title fight in any weight class can be as entertaining as any sporting event. Back in the 80’s and 90’s might heart would be beating out of my chest before and during a title fight.

On a slightly similar note, I sent Paul a quick video the other day as I passed Muhammad Ali’s camp (I live like 5 minutes from it) coming home from a buddies. I knew Paul would get his nuts in a rumble if I sent it to him and he loved it. Hahaha.

[wco81]

It's hard for me to watch NFL football at all anymore. Has nothing to do with players kneeling or anything like that. I can't stand all of the rules that even refs can't comprehend and replay after every fumble, interception, touchdown, sneeze, fart, you name it. There's no flow to the game anymore and it makes it very difficult for me to watch. Bring back the late 80's to mid-90's era and I'll be on the couch all day long.

They are ruining the game yes.

I would love to go back to the mid late 70s myself.

It was a war.

You'd have a better chance of seeing the opening premier of Blazing Saddles 2 before that happens. Too many players citing brain injuries to go back to the 70's rule of play. I remember watching Jack Tatum with his clothesline tackles and Deacon Jones smacking the side of the OL helmet when the ball was snapped. Bradshaw a couple of years ago said you won't recognize the NFL in 10-15 yrs. There's even talk of eliminating kickoffs in the near future. What made the NFL popular in the past won't work today ergo, the NFL has got a huge problem.

There were other issues besides brain trauma back then. They played on rock hard artificial turf. Linemen were broken down, had difficulty walking after their careers.

Now of course the big issue is brain trauma. Will the talent pipeline dwindle appreciably as parents bar their sons from playing football?

Current players only know about making big hits leading with the helmet. Probably playing that way since they were about 9 years old.

Game is still very popular though. Heard that the HoF game still had high ratings, probably outdrawing any other sporting event.

[Danimal]

Edit: sorry ignore

[Rodster]

There were other issues besides brain trauma back then. They played on rock hard artificial turf. Linemen were broken down, had difficulty walking after their careers.

Now of course the big issue is brain trauma. Will the talent pipeline dwindle appreciably as parents bar their sons from playing football?

Current players only know about making big hits leading with the helmet. Probably playing that way since they were about 9 years old.

Game is still very popular though. Heard that the HoF game still had high ratings, probably outdrawing any other sporting event.

Sure no disagreement there and from what I remember those astro turf fields where basically laid on top of concrete. But as I mentioned earlier the NFL has serious issues to consider moving forward as to how they keep fans engaged while balancing the games safety issues. Will fans disconnect from the game if the NFL were to eliminate kickoffs and punts? Would fans react negatively if the 3 and 4 point stance were removed and lineman on both sides of the ball were now required to stand before the ball was snapped? These are some of the rules the NFL has/is considering.

Then you have the global appeal of soccer and the expansion in the US along with the MLS. There's also the growing popularity of the NBA and non-stop action. I switched from watching baseball to football because at the time football was a faster game and had more action. Now with all the TV timeouts, huddles etc and I compare that to the NBA or Soccer, I now view the NFL as I once did with baseball.

The biggest problem the NFL has is perception and right now it ain't good with former players claiming all kinds of debilitating health issues. I was reading the other day a story about Jim Kiick who's now 72 and how he suffers from dementia which he claims is football related. Then you have famous athletes like Lebron James who said he wouldn't let his kids play football as well as former NFL players saying the same thing.

All of this is just creating a chisel effect and even though it's small now it all adds up. So who's to say another sport in another 10-20 yrs won't leapfrog the NFL in popularity?

[pk500]

Now of course the big issue is brain trauma. Will the talent pipeline dwindle appreciably as parents bar their sons from playing football?

It's already happening in our school district. Our JV soccer program will need to make cuts for the first time this year, while there may not be enough kids to field a JV football team for the first time in a very long time. Marcellus only may have modified and varsity football.

Football won't die. It won't become horse racing or boxing, pre-eminent American sports of 60 years ago that now occupy niches.

The NFL probably will remain the No. 1 sport in America for decades. But it won't enjoy the same gap over other sports in 50 years that it does now. Not a chance.

[Aristo]

I disagree. Football has issues, and I suspect there will be a straw the breaks the camel's back event that will take the NFL down. It's weathering al to of issues right now, but the tone of people watching has changed. Other than boxing, is there another American sport in which t he greatest of its athletes will publicly admit they won't let their own children play the sport?

Now we have conservatives and liberals fighting over what happens around football, with boycotts from each side. Story after story comes out that makes it harder to defend my interest in the league to my wife. The Maryland thing is a horror show, not just because of what happened there, but with the knowledge that is far more the norm than an outlier.

[Diablo25]

Watched the 2nd episode of Hard Knocks last night. I really like Baker Mayfield. As a player he looks legit and I just like the way he is carrying himself.

Im also impressed with Tyrod Taylor. Should be interesting how he plays in the Cleveland offense as compared to Buffalo.

The kid Callaway is a train wreck waiting to happen. Did he really think the front office wasn’t going to find out about his “traffic stop”? Its only a matter of time with that dude. If/When Dez signs with Cleveland that kid will implode.

I am rooting for TE Devin Cajuste. Seems like a great guy.

[pk500]

Agree on all, Bill. But I want more Carl Nassib next week!

[Diablo25]

Agree on all, Bill. But I want more Carl Nassib next week!

Definitely. I want that dude managing my 401K

[Danimal]

Callaway is a kid, pretty much all of us tried to get away with something when we were that young. I hope they add Dez Bryant he will train wreck this team. Mayfield at least learned something in a week, question is was coming in early just for the camera's or for his actual growth?

[pk500]

One more deduction from this week's episode of "Hard Knocks:" I'm not sure I want Corey Coleman on my Bills. What a listless player.

Oh, one more: I would laugh my ass off at Gregg Williams if he was my coach. What a ranting, raving Neanderthal. The Browns' defensive players will tune him out by Week 5.

[Diablo25]

One more deduction from this week's episode of "Hard Knocks:" I'm not sure I want Corey Coleman on my Bills. What a listless player.

Oh, one more: I would laugh my ass off at Gregg Williams if he was my coach. What a ranting, raving Neanderthal. The Browns' defensive players will tune him out by Week 5.

Love Williams. He is pure entertainment. Wasn’t he a coach on another team that did Hard Knocks?

[Danimal]

Love Williams. He is pure entertainment. Wasn’t he a coach on another team that did Hard Knocks?

Dudes been on ever Hard Knocks, don't you remember bounty gate?

[pk500]

Like SI wrote this morning, maybe Tyrod Taylor should be coaching the Browns instead of Hue Jackson.

Kind of mind-boggling that Jackson is being paid seven figures to coach an NFL team, but it takes his quarterback to suggest taping of practice so he can show his players' lazy habits to them.

[wco81]

This show ruins reputation get coaches fired.

Couple of years ago it was Fisher.

Jackson could be this years casualty.

[Rodster]

This show ruins reputation get coaches fired.

Couple of years ago it was Fisher.

Jackson could be this years casualty.

XXXIV must be a big fan of this show, then.

[Diablo25]

This show ruins reputation get coaches fired.

Couple of years ago it was Fisher.

Jackson could be this years casualty.

XXXIV must be a big fan of this show, then.

It didn’t take Hard Knocks to see Fisher was a joke.

[wco81]

Well he said on the show that they were not a .500 team and they did worse that season.

[pk500]

Before "Hard Knocks" this year, I was willing to give Browns' ownership the benefit of the doubt about keeping Jackson despite his 1-31 record. I thought maybe the guy truly has his sh*t together, and the team is on the verge of a resurgence.

After watching the first two episodes of "Hard Knocks," my opinion has shifted to the Browns' ownership being total morons. Jackson seems like a good human being, but he doesn't strike me one bit as a competent head coach.

[Rodster]

Before "Hard Knocks" this year, I was willing to give Browns' ownership the benefit of the doubt about keeping Jackson despite his 1-31 record. I thought maybe the guy truly has his sh*t together, and the team is on the verge of a resurgence.

After watching the first two episodes of "Hard Knocks," my opinion has shifted to the Browns' ownership being total morons. Jackson seems like a good human being, but he doesn't strike me one bit as a competent head coach.

As Bill Parcells used to say, "your record says who you are". You would think after a dismal coaching record he would've gotten the bounce so yeah they are total morons. They have even managed to eclipse NY Knicks owner James Dolan for incompetence.

[Diablo25]

Before "Hard Knocks" this year, I was willing to give Browns' ownership the benefit of the doubt about keeping Jackson despite his 1-31 record. I thought maybe the guy truly has his sh*t together, and the team is on the verge of a resurgence.

After watching the first two episodes of "Hard Knocks," my opinion has shifted to the Browns' ownership being total morons. Jackson seems like a good human being, but he doesn't strike me one bit as a competent head coach.

I’m getting a similar vibe. He’s a bit too laid back for my taste. One moment he’s chirping at his players and the next he’s acting like one of them. Players seem too comfortable around him. Maybe I am way off. We shall see.

[Rodster]

If you're a Jets fan, you gotta like what you've seen so far from Sam Darnold. Granted he's playing against vanilla defenses and mostly backups but so far the way he's reading the field, going thru his progressions and finding open receivers looks encouraging.

[Danimal]

If you're a Jets fan, you gotta like what you've seen so far from Sam Darnold. Granted he's playing against vanilla defenses and mostly backups but so far the way he's reading the field, going thru his progressions and finding open receivers looks encouraging.

Wasn't he like 8-14 with an INT last night? Standards are low in New York it seems.

[Rodster]

If you're a Jets fan, you gotta like what you've seen so far from Sam Darnold. Granted he's playing against vanilla defenses and mostly backups but so far the way he's reading the field, going thru his progressions and finding open receivers looks encouraging.

Wasn't he like 8-14 with an INT last night? Standards are low in New York it seems.

Rookie mistakes but if you watched the game he consistently moved the ball and last week he played pretty good. The Jets have done worse.

[Danimal]

I actually did watch the game, I'm one of the few idiots who watches every pre-season game I can. I'm not saying he is bad but if we went by pre-season every 2nd and 3rd string QB in the league should be heading to Canton. If you ask me Bridgewater looked the best out there and I don't even think he is that good. Be interesting to see who starts the first game.