NFL Season 2009

greggsand · Post by **greggsand** » Sun Oct 11, 2009 8:12 pm

TheGamer2 wrote:Keith Olberman called it perfectly. The Broncos unis looked like the old San Diego Padres unis.

I thought they looked like a gang from "The Warriors" movie....

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Sun Oct 11, 2009 8:13 pm

49ers get exposed, especially their poor offense.

Patriots just not explosive. Talk of Moss losing a step. Denver has a good defense but Patriots aren't scoring easily like they did a couple of years ago. Or even the latter part of last season.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Sun Oct 11, 2009 8:35 pm

snaz16 wrote:Derek Andersen was 2 for 17 passing for 23 yds. and an int. and gets the win ? Wow.

I would take that

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Sun Oct 11, 2009 9:24 pm

When I turned on the Pats-Broncos game and saw the unis, I thought for a minute Sunday Ticket was broadcasting a D-III college game.

Nice win by Denver. The Pats are not the same threat they were two years ago, but that was a big win and I think it showed the Broncos have a formidable defense. Orton and the Broncos receivers looked really in synch, too. Plus five games in and Orton has one pick, and that was on an end-of-half heave in today's game.

As for craptacular teams, I think Tampa is below St. Louis by an extra kernel of corn or two. The Bucs are simply bereft of any talent on either side of the ball. At least the Rams have Stephen Jackson.

Looking at their schedules, 0-32 is possible this year. I think Tampa's a strong contender to go winless -- right now, I don't think they can beat anyone on their schedule. The Rams have a chance to grunt out a win or two, but even teams like the Lions and Texans are showing some life. The Rams look like they just want to get the beating over as quickly as possible.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Sun Oct 11, 2009 9:34 pm

wco81 wrote: Patriots just not explosive. Talk of Moss losing a step. Denver has a good defense but Patriots aren't scoring easily like they did a couple of years ago. Or even the latter part of last season.

But Brady did overthrow the football more than once too going his direction, especially when he had the secondary beaten during the 4th quarter of the game.

greggsand · Post by **greggsand** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 12:02 am

Definitely a bigger gap between the "haves & have nots" this year than in recent memory. There could be 6 teams with 2 or less wins this season. crazy.

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 9:19 am

greggsand wrote:Definitely a bigger gap between the "haves & have nots" this year than in recent memory. There could be 6 teams with 2 or less wins this season. crazy.

I had Mike and Mike on this morning and Greenberg said you could sentence felons to watch the Browns-Bills yesterday.

RobVarak · Post by **RobVarak** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 9:27 am

Brando70 wrote:
greggsand wrote:Definitely a bigger gap between the "haves & have nots" this year than in recent memory. There could be 6 teams with 2 or less wins this season. crazy.
I had Mike and Mike on this morning and Greenberg said you could sentence felons to watch the Browns-Bills yesterday.

Crazy, historic numbers in a number of games yesterday. Anderson lowest rated passer ever to win a game. Raiders with a historically low number of pass attempts in a big loss etc. Really just so many utterly awful teams this year.

lexbur · Post by **lexbur** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 10:01 am

Brando70 wrote: I had Mike and Mike on this morning and Greenberg said you could sentence felons to watch the Browns-Bills yesterday.

LOL!

Poor Browns, finally get a win but there's really nothing to celebrate. And if you think that game was ugly, wait until next week, Browns at Pittsburgh. Yikes, that's going to be gruesome, at least for Browns fans.

Zeppo · Post by **Zeppo** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 10:15 am

It's only Monday, but the s*** is already circling around the drain for Zorn in the Redskins world. Word now is that Shanahan is all but a lock to take the job, but then again he has been offered the job twice already, once during this offseason, once during the well documented Redskins private jet trip to Denver after the Lions game (The Danny claims someone was borrowing the jet; yeah right), and has turned it down each time.

What qualified coach in his right mind would want this job anyway? I mean as long as Snyderrato are still in charge. I love what Jimmy Johnson said in the pregame show Sunday; what the Skins need is a GM who can keep Snyder away from any decision making, but make him feel like he is calling the shots. Who can do that? Well, if Johnson himself says he couldn't do that, I don't know who could.

Of course, no one really believes that Zorn is to blame, despite his clear incompetence as a head coach. The GM who failed to fix the O-line in the offseason, despite publicly saying the O-line was the main reason for the 2-6 end to last season, that is who's to blame. Among other horrible decisions But hey, Snyderrato need a scapegoat. Remember, this team has the largest player payroll in the entire league.

If we don't win next week against the 0-6 Chiefs at home, expect Zorn to be gone. Otherwise, expect him to be fired in the bye week after the Eagles game in week 7.

I can't believe I'm saying it, but it's true: I miss Marty Shottenheimer! 8-3 in his last 11 games after starting 0-5, and BOOM! Fired.

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 10:52 am

Parcells is probably the only person who could make the Skins GM job work, and of course he's not available.

Drew Magary at Deadspin hit the nail on the head when he wrote about this: The Redskins are the Raiders with an owner who won't die any time soon. Snyder seems to lack any capacity for self-assessment when it comes to football management, so unless he sells the team or happens to get lucky, this franchise is f***ed for the foreseeable future.

Sorry, Zep. Having survived the Michael McCaskey era during the 1990s, I feel for you. It is unbearable when your team is losing primarily because of interference from the ownership.

lexbur · Post by **lexbur** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 10:58 am

RobVarak wrote:Really just so many utterly awful teams this year.

Yeah, for all of the MLB-bashing that goes on, because of their lack of salary cap, and all of the NFL praising that goes on, because of their salary cap and parity, why are there five or six NFL equivalents to the Washington Nationals in football this year? I thought stuff like this wasn't supposed to happen in the NFL.

As pathetic as the Tribe was this year, especially after their huge fire sale, I have more hope that they'll become a contender again quicker than the Browns. And it's supposed to be easier for NFL teams.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 11:06 am

Has Snyder been as meddling as in his first few years of ownership?

At least from outside DC, he seems to be keeping a lower profile than he used to.

But even if he meddles, at least he's putting money into his team, got a new stadium built. It's not out of the realm of possibility that he hires someone who knows what he's doing.

Contrast that with the Yorks out here, who've been a disaster with their tightfisted ways and ineptitude on getting a stadium built.

Or Warriors' owner Chris Cohan, another incompetent who's ruined the franchise, hired cronies who know nothing or kept around an overrated lout in Nelson.

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 11:32 am

The problem with the MLB is that it's mostly the same teams going to the playoffs every year. The NFL has more turnover at the top of the league which, in my opinion, is a better set of circumstances for the league. There are a few franchises that suck every year, but even the Bucs and Rams have been competitive in recent years. As bad as the Raiders are right now, they've been to a Super Bowl this decade. Look at Miami last year and the Bengals this year.

Since 2002, I think only Buffalo, Detroit, and Houston have not made the playoffs. Granted, some teams like Cleveland have one wild-card appearance, but usually every year there are a couple of teams that surprise compared to the previous season.

The cap is what keeps things competitive. However, it definitely does not keep teams from being terrible. In fact, it probably promotes that, because the NFL requires a level of fiscal management other sports don't. Poor salary management can quickly sink a team, and the heavy injury toll of football also creates a lot of roster turnover. This year, there's just a particularly brutal combination of bad ownership, surprising declines, and rebuilding that's created a larger underclass of NFL franchises than normal.

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 11:47 am

On the flip side there's also a lot of very good teams rather than just the 1 or 2 there usually is. With football every team has the same things to work with and it comes down to football decisions. In baseball you can't tell me the Yankees, Red Sox, and Cubs are on the same level as the Pirates, Royals, and Nationals. That doesn't guarantee success for the big spenders but more often than not the teams that spend money are the ones you see in the postseason. The occasional young talent combined with solid managing will get teams like the Twins and Marlins in the picture but the same teams suck every year in baseball.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 12:14 pm

Brando70 wrote:Parcells is probably the only person who could make the Skins GM job work, and of course he's not available.

Actually Parcells IS available if Snyder wants him. When the Dolphins owner, Wayne Huizenga sold the majority stake in the team earlier this year, it allowed Parcells to leave the Dolphins whenever he wanted, and still get all of his money. Basically Parcells is working for the Dolphins right now because he wants to and he can leave at any time because of the clause in his contract.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 12:23 pm

Brando70 wrote: The cap is what keeps things competitive. However, it definitely does not keep teams from being terrible. In fact, it probably promotes that, because the NFL requires a level of fiscal management other sports don't. Poor salary management can quickly sink a team, and the heavy injury toll of football also creates a lot of roster turnover. This year, there's just a particularly brutal combination of bad ownership, surprising declines, and rebuilding that's created a larger underclass of NFL franchises than normal.

Actually, with the lucrative TV contract and revenue sharing, NFL teams have more margin of error than MLB, NHL or NBA teams.

For years, some advocated a minimum payroll because some teams like the Bengals would be way under the salary cap.

What now seems to be happening is that there's some contention among owners about sharing of revenues generated at stadia -- PSLs, luxury boxes, naming rights, signage, etc. The richer clubs build new stadia and claim the additional revenues will give them a competitive advantage with respect to payroll.

Yet the owners are claiming the players are getting too much and want to negotiate a new CBA which would give the players a lower percentage of the revenues.

With these big stadia though, the franchise value of teams go way up and they can recoup any shortfall. The state of the economy may change that equation. Jerry Jones hasn't got the naming rights deal he was counting on.

The NBA salary cap is expected to decrease after this year. All these teams may face declines in attendance, the longer the economy is in the doldrums.

Zeppo · Post by **Zeppo** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 12:43 pm

wco81 wrote:Has Snyder been as meddling as in his first few years of ownership?

At least from outside DC, he seems to be keeping a lower profile than he used to.

But even if he meddles, at least he's putting money into his team, got a new stadium built. It's not out of the realm of possibility that he hires someone who knows what he's doing.

Snyder DID NOT get the stadium built. The old man, Jack Kent Cooke, got that thing built, and the only reason it is not in the actual District is because he knew he was going to die soon, and ten years of frustration with dealing with the dysfunctional DC City Council made it impossible. So he built it in Landover instead, so that he could actually get it done before he passed.

It was originally called Jack Kent Cooke Stadium. All the Snyder did after he bought the team and stadium was sell the naming rights to FedEx, add a bunch of seats including many with obstructed view that were sold as not having obstructed view, bought into Stub Hub so he could get a cut of a second sale of tickets, raised ticket prices to be the highest in the NFL and parking prices, banned food from being brought into the stadium, installed absurdly high seat licenses (although compared to the Giants and the Cowboys now, those seem low), and forced people interested in buying Club seats to make ten year contracts, and then sued them when they tried to get out of said contracts because of losing their jobs during the recent economic downturn.

And oh yeah, he also undercut Norv Turner after the man finally got the team to a Division title, fired Marty after reneging on his promise to give him full control, hired Jim Fassel before abruptly announcing the hiring of Stever Spurrier, and of course completely ignored the advice and wishes of Joe Gibbs by dismissing Gibbs's hand-picked replacements, Gregg Williams as Head Coach and Al Saunders as Offensive Coordinator.

Plus, he is desperate to build a new stadium so he can cram more luxury seats into the place, and thus make more money that is not subject to revenue sharing, and build it with a roof so he can make loads of cash on hosting a Super Bowl.

That's all! Not to mention putting Vinny Cerrato in as GM. . . .Or hiring Zorn as O Coordinator before finding a Head Coach and then giving him the job when it was clear no one else would take it. Except Jim Fassel who again was apparently told the job was his before finding out in the press they had hired Zorn.

Classy guy, that Snyder.

I do wish Leonsis were the man in charge. That man is class, through and through, and look at that! He's built a winning franchise, and made his fans feel welcome and happy!

And get this - paper bags are not allowed at FedEx Field - they get confiscated and people get ejected from the stadium for wearing them on their heads.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 6:40 pm

Man I don't have a good feeling about the Dolphins chances tonight. They split with the Jets last year and the Jets were borderline average. This is clearly not the same Jets team of last year or at least Rex Ryan doesn't have them playing that way. I'm feeling a blowout tonight in the Jets favor.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 6:46 pm

It'll be within 7 either way. You've got zero confidence in your team man. The games we've lost, it's not like we weren't in the games. One play here or there and it's a different season. Last year we got the breaks...this year, not so much. The team will be fine and we'll be competitive. They will not get blown out tonight. Phins are at home too...against another rookie QB who looked horrendous last week. Keep your head up. Dolphins by 4.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 6:50 pm

dbdynsty25 wrote: Dolphins by 4.

Sounds about right....yeah I think being at home will be the difference. Sanchez has looked good out of the gate but he is still a rookie playing in a hostile environment....
On the otherhand he might light it up

TheGamer2 · Post by **TheGamer2** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 6:51 pm

DB, what are you expecting from Ricky Williams tonight? Out of necessity, I picked him up for my fantasy team. From what you've seen this year, is he going to be worth keeping around.

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 6:53 pm

dbdynsty25 wrote:It'll be within 7 either way. You've got zero confidence in your team man. The games we've lost, it's not like we weren't in the games. One play here or there and it's a different season. Last year we got the breaks...this year, not so much. The team will be fine and we'll be competitive. They will not get blown out tonight. Phins are at home too...against another rookie QB who looked horrendous last week. Keep your head up. Dolphins by 4.

Didn't you once give me s*** for using terms like "we" and "us" when talking about sports teams I like? Interesting.

If it wasn't you, I apologize.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 6:58 pm

ScoopBrady wrote:
dbdynsty25 wrote:It'll be within 7 either way. You've got zero confidence in your team man. The games we've lost, it's not like we weren't in the games. One play here or there and it's a different season. Last year we got the breaks...this year, not so much. The team will be fine and we'll be competitive. They will not get blown out tonight. Phins are at home too...against another rookie QB who looked horrendous last week. Keep your head up. Dolphins by 4.
Didn't you once give me s*** for using terms like "we" and "us" when talking about sports teams I like? Interesting.

If it wasn't you, I apologize.

Ehh...probably was me. But I was referring to "we" as in Rod and I supporting a team, not the team and I.

There's a difference, I swear. At least there was when I was thinking about it.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 7:01 pm

TheGamer2 wrote:DB, what are you expecting from Ricky Williams tonight? Out of necessity, I picked him up for my fantasy team. From what you've seen this year, is he going to be worth keeping around.

Yes, we have been working on him lowering his shoulder more and not running out of bounds. I feel we've been doing a good job getting him ready for the year and he's been productive.

But really...he has been productive. He and Ronnie Brown are a ridiculous combo back there and they usually run for 200+. Given the fact that Pennington isn't around now, they will get even more opportunities in the red zone because they don't quite trust Henne's decision making. Ricky will get in the end zone plenty and run for 50-100 a week.