hifigator
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Post by hifigator on Sept 30, 2008 16:20:56 GMT -5
I was just kidding a bit with Buff, and I agree with you. As silly as it sounds on the surface, losing in 4 stragiht Super Bowls is an impressive feat. It is far harder to lose in four straight that to win two straight.
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SirSaxa
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Post by SirSaxa on Sept 30, 2008 17:12:30 GMT -5
two points I would not sell the patriots short as a playoff contender.. though I think their superbowl ambitions departed with Brady.
NY Giants.... no one really focuses on them again this year. But they keep winning. And the D looks great, despite losing Osi and Stra
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vcjack
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Post by vcjack on Oct 1, 2008 12:29:45 GMT -5
I think we know the real reason Lane Kiffin was fired
He brought too much garlic into work one day and it upsetted Count Davis
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RDF
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Post by RDF on Oct 1, 2008 12:51:01 GMT -5
I think we know the real reason Lane Kiffin was fired He brought too much garlic into work one day and it upsetted Count Davis ;D I admittedly watched the entire Al Davis press conference and had more laughs then watching any movie/television show in years. The man is so far gone--it's comical. What makes this priceless--the economy in the country is at an all time low, people can't get gas in certain parts of country, the gas prices are outrageous--and Davis talks as if we're all sitting around wondering "Hey--when will the Raidaahs get back on top"? The words/phrases that got me: "Misinformation" "Domination" "Dominate the Lockeroom" "Professional Liar" "Intimidate" "Dominant Players" "Great Talent"--man does he smoke some good stuff "Commitment to Excellence"--of sucking your blood The man has eye ball "Blisters" and when he smiles he scares people--but it was fascinating television. I played in HS against Lane Kiffin and know some of the same people--this will have to come up when I get chance to speak to them. I'd not be doing my duty as a citizen to not investigate what it's like to work in an environment that resembles " Weekend at Bernies".
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hifigator
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Post by hifigator on Oct 1, 2008 16:44:04 GMT -5
two points I would not sell the patriots short as a playoff contender.. though I think their superbowl ambitions departed with Brady. NY Giants.... no one really focuses on them again this year. But they keep winning. And the D looks great, despite losing Osi and Stra I agree totally. I have been following the Giants a lot more the past couple of seasons, since a good friend of mine moved back to town and he is a HUGE Giants fan. Even going into the season, they just weren't getting much pub. Heck, they are a very young team and came onstrong last season. Yet for some reason, even within their own division, all of the attention was on Dallas and Philly. Certainly they both look to be quality teams as well, but I just don't understand how a team like the defending Champion New York Giants can be flying under the radar. They've got pretty much all of the elements, and even with Strahan's retirement and the injury to Osi, they seem to just plug in new bodies and get it done week in and week out. Just last night he was going through their schedule and he's honestly thinking something like 13-3 or 14-2. I know there is a lot of football yet to be played, but as of right now, I would put them at the top of the list. Lastly, as others have alluded, I think that the NFC has now established itself as the stronger conference top to bottom.
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hoopsmccan
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Post by hoopsmccan on Oct 1, 2008 17:15:44 GMT -5
The Giants are flying under the radar a bit because everyone thinks that their title run was a complete fluke. Mainly because it was - and as a lifelong Giant fan, I don't really care.
The defense will be solid without Osi and Strahan, but I think it will have a hard time carrying the team when necessary. Last year the defense played good to great (after a terrible start), and then took over in the playoff run. The secondary is better this year, but it will have to be given that the pass rush has taken hits (they will still get their sacks, but it will be more scheme then one-on-one domination). Hopefully, Eli will continue his solid play and they will be a playoff team with just as good a shot as anyone. I'd be shocked at a 2 or 3 loss season though...I don't think any team is going to cruise through the NFC East like that.
hm
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hifigator
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Post by hifigator on Oct 2, 2008 10:52:55 GMT -5
The Giants are flying under the radar a bit because everyone thinks that their title run was a complete fluke. Mainly because it was - and as a lifelong Giant fan, I don't really care. The defense will be solid without Osi and Strahan, but I think it will have a hard time carrying the team when necessary. Last year the defense played good to great (after a terrible start), and then took over in the playoff run. The secondary is better this year, but it will have to be given that the pass rush has taken hits (they will still get their sacks, but it will be more scheme then one-on-one domination). Hopefully, Eli will continue his solid play and they will be a playoff team with just as good a shot as anyone. I'd be shocked at a 2 or 3 loss season though...I don't think any team is going to cruise through the NFC East like that. hm Why say you "complete fluke?" Basically the only "flukish" part that I see was that they started so poorly that they weren't presumed to be that good the whole year. If they had started how they finished but had a 3 game bump in the road in the middle of the season, then everyone would have had a different opinion of them. Spin it however you want, they went on the road and won at Tampa, Green Bay and then Dallas and then had to beat the team of the century in the New England Patriots. Any one of those games alone you could call a fluke, but with that impressive resume', I think it does them a disservice to call it a "fluke." Again, I am not a Giants fan, so I am honestly objective.
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SirSaxa
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Post by SirSaxa on Oct 2, 2008 23:38:18 GMT -5
Why say you "complete fluke?" Basically the only "flukish" part that I see was that they started so poorly that they weren't presumed to be that good the whole year. If they had started how they finished but had a 3 game bump in the road in the middle of the season, then everyone would have had a different opinion of them. Spin it however you want, they went on the road and won at Tampa, Green Bay and then Dallas and then had to beat the team of the century in the New England Patriots. Any one of those games alone you could call a fluke, but with that impressive resume', I think it does them a disservice to call it a "fluke." Again, I am not a Giants fan, so I am honestly objective. WOW... Hi Fi... this is a very notable day. Two of your posts in a row that I actually agree with. Maybe we should just avoid B&G board altogether! Completely agree that the Giants cannot be considered "flukes". Not after that late season stretch of 4 games or so, all on the road, all against Play off Teams favored over the Jints, and the final one over the undefeated "greatest team of all time". OK, you might say "the Play" -- the Eli escape to pass to David Tyree with the helmet assisted catch was a fluke, but was the Franco Harris immaculate reception a fluke too? THe Giants were in that game from the start to the final gun... they won it convincingly. They were absolutely overpowering on D, and much better than they've been given credit for on "O". Go Jints!
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Filo
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Post by Filo on Oct 3, 2008 8:27:09 GMT -5
As a diehard Giants fan, I think the season was somewhat flukey in that I never thought the Giants were going to be all that great and they surely didn't have the most talent out there. Plus, if they played the Pats 10 times last year, they probably would have won twice. But I hate that kind of analysis -- doesn't matter, since they won when it counts. It was an unbelievable season they put together. Total TEAM effort.
This year, I have no concerns with their offense. It is the defense that is going to make things a bit hairy. I just don't think they will be able to stop high-powered offenses, which will out a ton of pressure on the offense.
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hoyarooter
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Post by hoyarooter on Oct 3, 2008 12:13:25 GMT -5
"OK, you might say "the Play" -- the Eli escape to pass to David Tyree with the helmet assisted catch was a fluke, but was the Franco Harris immaculate reception a fluke too?"
Of course not! When something bad happens to the Raiders, it's justice!
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hoopsmccan
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Post by hoopsmccan on Oct 3, 2008 16:02:15 GMT -5
Why say you "complete fluke?" Basically the only "flukish" part that I see was that they started so poorly that they weren't presumed to be that good the whole year. If they had started how they finished but had a 3 game bump in the road in the middle of the season, then everyone would have had a different opinion of them. Spin it however you want, they went on the road and won at Tampa, Green Bay and then Dallas and then had to beat the team of the century in the New England Patriots. Any one of those games alone you could call a fluke, but with that impressive resume', I think it does them a disservice to call it a "fluke." Again, I am not a Giants fan, so I am honestly objective. I was just providing a reason why the Giants might have been somewhat overlooked at the start of the season. Fine, fluke is possibly not the perfect word - you pick one for a team that had a very inconsistent quarterback (20 interceptions to go with his 23 TDs) who previously crapped the bed in the playoffs, lost one its top receiving threats (the other gimping around) and beat very few good teams during the regular season (the vaunted defense got shelled by the playoff teams standing in their way in allowing 45, 35, 31 & 38 pts against Green Bay, Dallas, Dallas & NE, respectively). While starting off 0-2, they ended up 6-2 at the half way part (feasting on the NYJ, Atlanta, SF, Miami and two big division wins). That means their big (regular season) finish was 4-4. The notion that they just started off poorly and that is why people doubted them is not right. People doubted them because they did not look like a contender. Not in training camp. Not in the early part of the season. Not in the middle part. Not at the final part of the regular (they got beat by Washington at home with the playoffs possibly on the line and then looked ugly in a win at Buffalo)...leading to the NE game. In that game, they looked good, but yet again, they were not able to stop an elite offense. Eli playing really well, but still managed a costly pick. Still, that is possibly the one game all season where you could see that this team had potential and belonged in the playoffs..and it was a loss. Of course, we all know what happened. Everyone stepped up and in one-and-done playoff, anything can happen and happily it did.
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SirSaxa
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Post by SirSaxa on Oct 6, 2008 23:45:00 GMT -5
Reggie Bush really came to play today and looked like the superstar the Saints thought they were drafting.
Unfortunately, the team looked more like the old 'Aints!
Bummer. Exciting though.
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SirSaxa
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Post by SirSaxa on Oct 6, 2008 23:45:42 GMT -5
I really like Drew Brees too. He deserves a better team around him.
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FewFAC
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Post by FewFAC on Oct 8, 2008 1:20:19 GMT -5
Starting to get interesting, though I think the Eagles are as good as done. I don't think the Skins will make it, but I do think they'll knock the Eagles out of contention. I think the Panthers might sneak in, but won't win in the postseason simply because their offense can't keep up with the prolific NFC offenses.. Scared to think that the Cardinals might eek past the Seahawks out West, though there is still plenty of time for Seattle to get healthy at WR, especially with two starters returning this week, though I would have been far more encouraged had Hasselbeck been able to find his TE in their absence, which he wasn't.
My other contenders: Colts, Steelers: really trying to make it interesting. Both teams seem far out of focus and have escaped so far this season. Fact is these teams know how to win and have players who are experiencing letdowns because of their postseason focus. Look for both to come on strong.
Chargers, Patriots: I expect the Chargers to escape, despite Norv Turner, simply because they have too many exceptional pieces and the slow start can be attributed to their pre-season routine. I did mention at some point I expected a lot of old school AFC types of games with tons on offense and little defense, and I think the Chargers have already figured this out without necessarily executing, while the Patriots still haven't quite gotten it but will execute proficiently when they do.
I'm gonna stick with Buffalo because I think their total game matches up well within the AFC and Jacksonville is gonna be in a battle down the stretch with Tennessee and Denver, who I expect to make a very strong run at the end.
The NFC looks like it has superior teams, but I'm not convinced the baton has passed between conferences. Cowboys and Panthers look to position themselves well, and the Skins look to outpace the Eagles by season's end. However, the Giants continue to outperform and while a repeat seems highly unlikely, look for the Giants to derail many an NFC Superbowl hope. So maybe flop Cowboys and Giants for division and wildcard. Vikings will compete in NFC Central and the Bears will make a run. Aaron Rodgers will continue to be impressive as Green Bay continues to realize that it is actually in rebuilding mode and that rebuilding with Brett Favre would have been expensive, costly, detrimental to future long-term development and heartbreaking given the relatively late realization of these realities. Kudos to management for understanding its competitive landscape and moving.
Lots more offense, and surprises to come.
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TBird41
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Post by TBird41 on Oct 8, 2008 7:52:03 GMT -5
Vikings will compete in NFC Central and the Bears will make a run. Aaron Rodgers will continue to be impressive as Green Bay continues to realize that it is actually in rebuilding mode and that rebuilding with Brett Favre would have been expensive, costly, detrimental to future long-term development and heartbreaking given the relatively late realization of these realities. Kudos to management for understanding its competitive landscape and moving. Lots more offense, and surprises to come. I hate the Packers, but you can't argue that team is rebuilding. They lost like 3 players from last year's team, and they're still one of the youngest teams in the NFL. They've been having a lot of injury problems the last two weeks, which is the main reason they couldn't stop the Falcons.
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RDF
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Post by RDF on Oct 8, 2008 11:29:51 GMT -5
The Skins can win the NFC East---they'll be 7-1 going into their game with Steelers prior to their BYE--and that is a game they can win. Key for them-staying healthy and protecting the ball. They play an old school style--physical football and are just tougher then Dallas and only team I think is better then them is Giants--but Giants schedule is a lot tougher from here on out.
The "Cowgirls"--suck. I really think their season could fall apart if they lose to Arizona this weekend--which is going to be closer then most think. Dallas defense is TRASH. They can't get pressure--(ignore sacks--pressure is more important then sacks) their schedule is tougher as year progresses and they are a bad homefield team who doesn't put any team away--they let teams hang around and it'll cost you. I'm also tired of their whining/coverage when you consider they have not won a Playoff game in 12 years--and get covered like they haven't lost one in that time period.
Colts should be 0-4 and look like trash. Winning isn't enough to convince me you are a contender--it's how you play and I'd take Pats with Cassell over the Colts right now. Heck, I think Pats have a shot at winning AFC and when Brady went down I thought that was impossible. Does that speak well of AFC? You know that answer.
Vikings had one of those "progress delaying" wins. Childress is a dud--and the quicker they lose and he's fired--they can move on to getting better and becoming a contender. After they beat Detroit and Peterson runs for 300+ this weekend--they'll be 3-3 and you'll hear "Giants started 0-2...." stories out of Twin Cities. I like the Bears in that division.
I love how the Panthers play--it's tough and type of football that wins in January. Everyone is impressed by Giants offense right now--it's their defense that won the championship last year--and I look at teams who are physical, play great defense, and can run the football as teams who win championships. You have to be able to make plays in passing game--but if you can run the ball--big name backs or not--you'll win/have chance at making a run. Running game/defense travel no matter where you play--and that is where a clown team like Dallas falls short. They are SOFT, not mentally tough, and their defense sucks. Eagles can't run the football--it's why they lose. Skins can--Giants can, Panthers can, and after those teams it's a dropoff.
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TBird41
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Post by TBird41 on Oct 8, 2008 11:36:16 GMT -5
Vikings had one of those "progress delaying" wins. Childress is a dud--and the quicker they lose and he's fired--they can move on to getting better and becoming a contender. After they beat Detroit and Peterson runs for 300+ this weekend--they'll be 3-3 and you'll hear "Giants started 0-2...." stories out of Twin Cities. I like the Bears in that division. Agreed. Childress has enough talent that they'll keep the Purple in playoff contention for the next few years, but with a good coach and a quarterback (which the Vikings probably can't get before some of their stars start declining), this team would be a Super Bowl contender.
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HoyaFanNY
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Post by HoyaFanNY on Oct 8, 2008 13:17:53 GMT -5
the vikes are not consistent enough to win, even in that division. losing henderson for the season is a huge loss for the defense. both lines are underachieving so far. the play calling is shaky at best. while i trust him much more than jackson, i still don't see gus as anything more than a stop gap at QB and the WR's drop too many balls and don't make nearly enough big plays. of course, it would be nice to see berrian and rice actually play together.
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SirSaxa
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Post by SirSaxa on Oct 8, 2008 21:51:06 GMT -5
THe NY Football Giants strengths are the lines -- offense and defense, despite losing Strahan and Osi. But not a lot of depth on the Defensive line now. Any team that is really strong on both lines will have a successful season.
That is why I think NE will be good all year too, as long as Cassell can play decent.
Back to the G-Men, they also have a lot of depth at RB and WR, and they've got some great young DBs too. Ross and Phillips in particular.
Still, they won't go undefeated, will end the season around 12-4 is my guess.
At that point in the season, heading into the playoffs, we'll have to revisit, look at injuries and such, see how all the top teams are playing and make a prediction. I like the Giants. But I don't think they are so far ahead of everyone else we can predict the post season... not yet anyway.
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FewFAC
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Post by FewFAC on Oct 10, 2008 0:14:59 GMT -5
Vikings will compete in NFC Central and the Bears will make a run. Aaron Rodgers will continue to be impressive as Green Bay continues to realize that it is actually in rebuilding mode and that rebuilding with Brett Favre would have been expensive, costly, detrimental to future long-term development and heartbreaking given the relatively late realization of these realities. Kudos to management for understanding its competitive landscape and moving. Lots more offense, and surprises to come. I hate the Packers, but you can't argue that team is rebuilding. They lost like 3 players from last year's team, and they're still one of the youngest teams in the NFL. They've been having a lot of injury problems the last two weeks, which is the main reason they couldn't stop the Falcons. I'll agree to a degree re: the Vikings: a great coach could get them to the Super Bowl. I rally don't think, though, the Vikings are the coaches fault: there's no QB on the Vikings roster that could really get the ball downfield enough to open up the box for Peterson. That's just execution. As for the Packers, I think they've demonstrated for a few weeks that they can't stop anyone, and what I see is that Brett Favre the last couple of years has just outwilled that deficiency that management could not wrap it's head around as an issue, and Green Bay is just now beginning to realize it. I fully believe that Green Bay management realized it's golden shackles to Favre limited its ability to improve defensively where it's true limitations lay, and the extended soap opera further inhibited its ability to address such limitations. I also fully believe that Favre believed his abilities superceded any other liabilities the team had to such a degree he placed the team in an untenable position in free agency, and management, to its credit, refused to demonize Brett regardless of how selfish he acted because of the perceived PR hit. Green Bay could have forever destroyed the Brett Favre brand, and rightly so, and chose not to do so for marketing purposes, and demonstrated a much greater farsighted vision in doing so for what they've been given credit.
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