American Football

[huggybear]

No, I am not on anyone's bandwagon. I was just having fun with Old Man River.

Anyway, I don't cheer for any single team now. I just enjoy watching a good play, good match up and good game.

Although, I could see myself rooting for the Lions this season. Always been a sucker for an underdog.

Yes, I became a fan when the Raiders moved down to L.A.

If you remember we didn't have the team in the city by then.

It would been nice to have a better stadium than the Coliseum but that was the hand the old man picked.

If they were still in L.A. I would still go to every game no matter how lousy it is to catch a game in the Coliseum.

"If you remember we didn't have the team in the city by then."

That's right, because they were still in Oakland.

"If they were still in L.A. I would still go to every game no matter how lousy it is to catch a game in the Coliseum."

Then you must be a huge USC fan. And hey, there you go, you can bandwagon while they are winners and bow out when they are not.

Root for the Lions? You should leave the crack to the more experienced boyz outside the Coliseum......

[huggybear]

No, I am not on anyone's bandwagon. I was just having fun with Old Man River.

Anyway, I don't cheer for any single team now. I just enjoy watching a good play, good match up and good game.

Although, I could see myself rooting for the Lions this season. Always been a sucker for an underdog.

Yes, I became a fan when the Raiders moved down to L.A.

If you remember we didn't have the team in the city by then.

It would been nice to have a better stadium than the Coliseum but that was the hand the old man picked.

If they were still in L.A. I would still go to every game no matter how lousy it is to catch a game in the Coliseum.

"If you remember we didn't have the team in the city by then."

That's right, because they were still in Oakland.

"If they were still in L.A. I would still go to every game no matter how lousy it is to catch a game in the Coliseum."

Then you must be a huge USC fan. And hey, there you go, you can bandwagon while they are winners and bow out when they are not.

Root for the Lions? You should leave the crack to the more experienced boyz outside the Coliseum......

I posted here again mainly just to get the thread back at the top..............

The draft: Does anyone else think the lowly Lions should trade that top spot for a bunch of picks? I mean, yeah, that QB is good, but they have so many holes...........why not get a bunch of big linemen instead?

[Calico]

Quantum physics in one sentence. "Anything that can happen will happen; if not here then in some other alternate reality." Do you realize what that means? Somewhere Bubby Brister won a Super Bowl.

[patsfangr]

The draft: Does anyone else think the lowly Lions should trade that top spot for a bunch of picks? I mean, yeah, that QB is good, but they have so many holes...........why not get a bunch of big linemen instead?

If I running the team, I'd definitely TRY to trade down for more picks. However, from what I've been reading, it will be tough to get good value in return this year. Most teams at the top are trying to trade down, and not finding many takers. The cost of high picks is just becoming prohibitive; especially since the "gurus" are saying that the top 10-15 players this year are not as talented as that group usually is.

I'm really looking forward to the "all nighter" to watch those first two rounds, since my Patriots have 3 picks in Round 2. They may be doing some moving, one way or the other, depending upon how things fall against their board.

[Groongthep]

Now that the Bears have a top notch QB in Jay Cutler they are a shoe-in to take the NFC North. I know that's not saying much as the rest of the division, especially Detroit, is pretty weak but I look for them to be able to compete with any team in either conference this year.

I do feel for the Detroit fans though. If any city ever needed a winner it would have to be them. With a winless team last year and half the city out of work due to the auto industry lay-offs they could really use something to cheer them up. Unfortunately, it looks like another painful year for Motown.

Edited April 12, 2009 by Groongthep

[BigSnake]

Sometime if you are lucky you can catch a Game via the Supersport Channel, UBC and True Use to have this service, I think one them still claim that they do but their service SUCKED trust me, your changes of better getting live play update on Yahoo or foxsport on the internet.

[patsfangr]

Now that the Bears have a top notch QB in Jay Cutler they are a shoe-in to take the NFC North. I know that's not saying much as the rest of the division, especially Detroit, is pretty weak but I look for them to be able to compete with any team in either conference this year.

I do feel for the Detroit fans though. If any city ever needed a winner it would have to be them. With a winless team last year and half the city out of work due to the auto industry lay-offs they could really use something to cheer them up. Unfortunately, it looks like another painful year for Motown.

Detroit produced Eminem; so I'm not sure they deserve a winner! As for those out of work UAW folks from the auto industry, I have no pity for them. They can thank their union for driving the industry to the brink of extinction.

I do agree with you on the Bears. Having lived in Chicago for a couple of years (and loving the city and its' people), I'm happy to them FINALLY get a real NFL caliber QB! How long has it been? With Cutler taking the snaps, and a great running game from Forte, they should definitely now have enough offense to complement their always tough D, and that should make them one of the toughest teams in the league.

[Groongthep]

Now that the Bears have a top notch QB in Jay Cutler they are a shoe-in to take the NFC North. I know that's not saying much as the rest of the division, especially Detroit, is pretty weak but I look for them to be able to compete with any team in either conference this year.

I do feel for the Detroit fans though. If any city ever needed a winner it would have to be them. With a winless team last year and half the city out of work due to the auto industry lay-offs they could really use something to cheer them up. Unfortunately, it looks like another painful year for Motown.

Detroit produced Eminem; so I'm not sure they deserve a winner! As for those out of work UAW folks from the auto industry, I have no pity for them. They can thank their union for driving the industry to the brink of extinction.

I do agree with you on the Bears. Having lived in Chicago for a couple of years (and loving the city and its' people), I'm happy to them FINALLY get a real NFL caliber QB! How long has it been? With Cutler taking the snaps, and a great running game from Forte, they should definitely now have enough offense to complement their always tough D, and that should make them one of the toughest teams in the league.

I appreciate your posts and comments patsfangr; you have always been the most avid promoter of the thread and a level headed contributor, but let's agree to leave the social, political and partisan anecdotes on the other threads. They have nothing to do with football and will only lead to the same antagonistic back and forth b#llsh#t that we see there. Football gives us all a break from that tiresome nonsense. Go Bears.

Edited April 12, 2009 by Groongthep

[patsfangr]

Now that the Bears have a top notch QB in Jay Cutler they are a shoe-in to take the NFC North. I know that's not saying much as the rest of the division, especially Detroit, is pretty weak but I look for them to be able to compete with any team in either conference this year.

I do feel for the Detroit fans though. If any city ever needed a winner it would have to be them. With a winless team last year and half the city out of work due to the auto industry lay-offs they could really use something to cheer them up. Unfortunately, it looks like another painful year for Motown.

Detroit produced Eminem; so I'm not sure they deserve a winner! As for those out of work UAW folks from the auto industry, I have no pity for them. They can thank their union for driving the industry to the brink of extinction.

I do agree with you on the Bears. Having lived in Chicago for a couple of years (and loving the city and its' people), I'm happy to them FINALLY get a real NFL caliber QB! How long has it been? With Cutler taking the snaps, and a great running game from Forte, they should definitely now have enough offense to complement their always tough D, and that should make them one of the toughest teams in the league.

I appreciate your posts and comments patsfangr; you have always been the most avid promoter of the thread and a level headed contributor, but let's agree to leave the social, political and partisan anecdotes on the other threads. They have nothing to do with football and will only lead to the same antagonistic back and forth b#llsh#t that we see there. Football gives us all a break from that tiresome nonsense. Go Bears.

I agree. ... But YOU opened that can of worms, Groonthep.

[Groongthep]

I agree. ... But YOU opened that can of worms, Groonthep.

All I said was that the people of Detroit could use a winner because their team really sucks and they have a lot of people out of work due to the downturn in the auto industry. I said nothing about labor unions either for or againt them. One cannot deny however that many, (and maybe the majority) of football fans are working class people like myself who owe our living wages and favorable working conditions to those organizations.

Eminem is a pop entertainer and I could care less about him or any other teen celebrity.

Anyway, I'll drop the subject and stick to football on this thread.

Edited April 13, 2009 by Groongthep

[huggybear]

Now that the Bears have a top notch QB in Jay Cutler they are a shoe-in to take the NFC North.

I disagree and would be more than happy to lay a little wager.

Minnesota has one of the top three RB's in the league with Petersen, and a pretty quiet transaction that went down was their picking up QB Rosenfels. This guys a player.

Also, with a full year under his belt as starter and no Favree antics Aaron Rodgers is poised for a big year.

Who's Cutler going to throw to? Maybe I'll go walk on, I'm pretty fast with good hands........

Shoe-in? Not.

[Groongthep]

Now that the Bears have a top notch QB in Jay Cutler they are a shoe-in to take the NFC North.

Who's Cutler going to throw to? Maybe I'll go walk on, I'm pretty fast with good hands........

Shoe-in? Not.

I watched nearly every Bears game last year and observed Devon Hester improve steadily as a receiver as the season progressed. He can easily outrun most defenders in the NFC North (and most of the entire NFL as well) and with a QB like Cutler who can get him the ball he will be a real threat in 2009. While defenders drop back to prevent the big pass plays to Hester it will leave that many less defenders to stop the running attack of Forte who has proved himself in his rookie year to be of potential star quality.

I'll admit that "shoe-in" was probably too strong of a statement as nothing is really ever a shoe-in in the NFL, but betting on Minnesota to win the North over the Bears would be simply foolish. I would be a thief to take your bet.

I was thoroughly chastised last year for predicting that the NFC East was overrated and that the Cardinals would do well. I was right on both accounts. (Posts #1390 and #1498). You were picking the Chargers to win the Superbowl (Post #1112) and they barely made the playoffs at all. We'll see how this year turns out.

[huggybear]

Now that the Bears have a top notch QB in Jay Cutler they are a shoe-in to take the NFC North.

Who's Cutler going to throw to? Maybe I'll go walk on, I'm pretty fast with good hands........

Shoe-in? Not.

You were picking the Chargers to win the Superbowl (Post #1112) and they barely made the playoffs at all. We'll see how this year turns out.

Injury bug plays a big part in the NFL, last two seasons Tomlinson has gone down in a critical part of the season, the playoffs.

Nice of you to pat yourself on the back, but your prognostications mean nothing if you don't have a little dough on the line...........lips are a flappin but nothing to back it up.

I'm in Vegas the first two weekends of NFL football every year. Last year on the first weekend took the Eagles to make the Super Bowl at 8-1. Close, but no cigar, but at least I'm not just blowing smoke.

[Groongthep]

Nice of you to pat yourself on the back, but your prognostications mean nothing if you don't have a little dough on the line...........lips are a flappin but nothing to back it up.

I'm in Vegas the first two weekends of NFL football every year. Last year on the first weekend took the Eagles to make the Super Bowl at 8-1. Close, but no cigar, but at least I'm not just blowing smoke.

You are correct huggybear, I was trash talkin' but that's half the fun of this whole annonymous forum thing. If I started betting a lot of money I admit I'd be scared sh1tless that I'd lose and it wouldn't be any fun anymore.

I don't know where I'll be at the beginning of the season but if I happen to be anywhere near Vegas I'll send you a PM and we'll make some small wagers.

It's still too early to make a comprehensive list of picks for 2009, but around July I'll post my picks here. In the meantime I'll continue to keep my lips a flappin' just to keep you guys riled up. I might as well pat my own back when I'm right because someone else will be surely be telling me how stupid I am when I'm wrong.

PS: Will your Raiders continue to wear the silver and black this year or will they be wearing pink tutus with Hello Kitty underwear as rumored?

[patsfangr]

You are correct huggybear, I was trash talkin' but that's half the fun of this whole annonymous forum thing. If I started betting a lot of money I admit I'd be scared sh1tless that I'd lose and it wouldn't be any fun anymore.

I don't know where I'll be at the beginning of the season but if I happen to be anywhere near Vegas I'll send you a PM and we'll make some small wagers.

It's still too early to make a comprehensive list of picks for 2009, but around July I'll post my picks here. In the meantime I'll continue to keep my lips a flappin' just to keep you guys riled up. :jerk: I might as well pat my own back when I'm right because someone else will be surely be telling me how stupid I am when I'm wrong.

PS: Will your Raiders continue to wear the silver and black this year or will they be wearing pink tutus with Hello Kitty underwear as rumored?

Hey, sometimes it's good to be wrong, Groongthep. Back in 2000, I was among many Patriots fans who SCREAMED in protest at the idea of hiring the PROVEN FAILURE, Bill Belicheck, as our Head Coach. "He's a great DC", I allowed, "But he has no idea how to handle people as a Head Coach. He proved that in Cleveland!"

Umm ... I was a bit off with that position! And, of course, I have been leaping with joy over my error during the past 8 seasons, which have produced 4 SB appearances, with 3 Lombardi Trophies!!

My only regret is that he's ended my long time habit of "studying" the pool of players coming into the Draft, and making my "expert" suggestions and predictions. I, and most Pats fans, learned years ago that we have no freaking idea what he's going to do ; and that, when he does the inexplicable, it usually works!

So now, I just sit back with the rest of the Pats fans, and quietly murmur, "In Bill We Trust"; as we watch him build another SB contender, year after year. All we can do now is ... and him!

[BigSnake]

If you are lucky you might catch a game or two once in awhile via cable or the supersport channel, don't count on it, like I said IF

[huggybear]

Nice of you to pat yourself on the back, but your prognostications mean nothing if you don't have a little dough on the line...........lips are a flappin but nothing to back it up.

I'm in Vegas the first two weekends of NFL football every year. Last year on the first weekend took the Eagles to make the Super Bowl at 8-1. Close, but no cigar, but at least I'm not just blowing smoke.

PS: Will your Raiders continue to wear the silver and black this year or will they be wearing pink tutus with Hello Kitty underwear as rumored?

Where does that come from?

Are you looking at yourself in the mirror again?

[patsfangr]

PS: Will your Raiders continue to wear the silver and black this year or will they be wearing pink tutus with Hello Kitty underwear as rumored?

Where does that come from?

Are you looking at yourself in the mirror again?

I don't know about the players; but it's a safe bet that a lot of their fans will be wearing handcuffs!

[jfchandler]

Nobody's mentioned Jeff Garcia coming to the Silver and Black, and giving JaMarcus a run for his money, or at least, an insurance policy if he fails to deliver.... GO RAIDERS.....

[Groongthep]

Where does that come from?

Are you looking at yourself in the mirror again?

Actually,...Yes,... I bought a pair of Hello Kitty baloney sweezers from the concession stand at the Oakland Coliseum last fall. dam_n things ride up the crack of my ass when I raise one cheek to fart though.

PS: Will your Raiders continue to wear the silver and black this year or will they be wearing pink tutus with Hello Kitty underwear as rumored?

Where does that come from?

Are you looking at yourself in the mirror again?

I don't know about the players; but it's a safe bet that a lot of their fans will be wearing handcuffs!

Patsfangr knows the story. There are usually more felons at a Raiders home game than there are in San Quentin.

[Groongthep]

On a more serious note I just heard the sad news that John Madden is retiring from football announcing. He is an American icon and will be sadly missed. I don't know what Thanksgivings in the States will be without him. I wish him all the best in his retirement.

John Madden was one Raider

who never wore Hello Kitty

underwear.

NEW YORK (AP) _ John Madden is calling it quits.

NBC said Thursday that the burly ex-coach who has been one pro

football's top broadcast analysts has decided to retire. The

73-year-old Madden has been working for the past three seasons on

NBC's Sunday night NFL game. His last telecast was the Super Bowl

between Arizona and Pittsburgh.

Since he left coaching in 1979, the former Oakland Raiders coach

has worked as an analyst for all four broadcast networks. His

``Madden NFL Football'' is the top-selling sports video game of all

time.

Madden is reluctant to fly and often traveled to games in a

specially-equipped bus. He said in a statement that he still loves

all aspects of the job, ``but I know this is the right time.''

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[patsfangr]

On a more serious note I just heard the sad news that John Madden is retiring from football announcing. He is an American icon and will be sadly missed. I don't know what Thanksgivings in the States will be without him. I wish him all the best in his retirement.

John Madden was one Raider

who never wore Hello Kitty

underwear.

NEW YORK (AP) _ John Madden is calling it quits.

NBC said Thursday that the burly ex-coach who has been one pro

football's top broadcast analysts has decided to retire. The

73-year-old Madden has been working for the past three seasons on

NBC's Sunday night NFL game. His last telecast was the Super Bowl

between Arizona and Pittsburgh.

Since he left coaching in 1979, the former Oakland Raiders coach

has worked as an analyst for all four broadcast networks. His

``Madden NFL Football'' is the top-selling sports video game of all

time.

Madden is reluctant to fly and often traveled to games in a

specially-equipped bus. He said in a statement that he still loves

all aspects of the job, ``but I know this is the right time.''

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

I agree that Madden was great throughout most of his career. He was a breath of fresh air with his unique style and personality. But, to be honest, the novelty did grow old in the past few years, as did his accuracy in announcing. He clearly was not working as hard at it, in terms of pre-game "homework", as he used to. It is time for him to go. I take nothing away from those early years, however. I loved the younger John Madden; and I, too, wish him the very best, and thank him for so many hundreds of hours of entertainment!

[huggybear]

On a more serious note I just heard the sad news that John Madden is retiring from football announcing. He is an American icon and will be sadly missed. I don't know what Thanksgivings in the States will be without him. I wish him all the best in his retirement.

John Madden was one Raider

who never wore Hello Kitty

underwear.

.....and actually played football, unlike some of the goofballs knocking teams and players on this forum.

[Groongthep]

John Madden was one Raider

who never wore Hello Kitty

underwear.

.....and actually played football, unlike some of the goofballs knocking teams and players on this forum.

Lighten up huggybear, it was a joke.

[huggybear]

John Madden was one Raider

who never wore Hello Kitty

underwear.

.....and actually played football, unlike some of the goofballs knocking teams and players on this forum.

Lighten up huggybear, it was a joke.

Understood that it was your attempt at humor.

But if you maybe had been through double-days, machine gun hitting drills,etc., to only win a couple games you might understand how insulting your "joke" is.

These guys are the best, at the pinnacle of the sport they play, have some respect.

[patsfangr]

Understood that it was your attempt at humor.

But if you maybe had been through double-days, machine gun hitting drills,etc., to only win a couple games you might understand how insulting your "joke" is.

These guys are the best, at the pinnacle of the sport they play, have some respect.

Oh boy! I will try to put this as gently as I can, Huggy. You are w-a-a-a-a-y to "politically correct" for me on this one!

IMO, EVERY player who makes it onto an NFL roster is a STUD! They are absolutely, as you said, at the pinnacle of the sport they play. Further, that sport is certainly near the top in the physical demands it imposes on players.

Now, that said, a joke is a joke. A clearly outrageous exaggeration, as Groongthep made with "Hello Kitty" thing, will be taken as nothing MORE than a joke by anyone who sees it. There is, IMO, no justification at all for getting all pissy about a joke of that type. The "jokes" that were made about Bill Belichick during the endless "video gate" fiasco were infinitely more insulting and vicious than this playful stuff from Groongthep.

I am so sick and tired of the PC crap that seems to be taking over the world these days! Lighten up! We're talking about the NFL here; not national security! Can't we exchange in a little playful "smack", which this was, without blowing up?

[huggybear]

Understood that it was your attempt at humor.

But if you maybe had been through double-days, machine gun hitting drills,etc., to only win a couple games you might understand how insulting your "joke" is.

These guys are the best, at the pinnacle of the sport they play, have some respect.

Oh boy! I will try to put this as gently as I can, Huggy. You are w-a-a-a-a-y to "politically correct" for me on this one!

IMO, EVERY player who makes it onto an NFL roster is a STUD! They are absolutely, as you said, at the pinnacle of the sport they play. Further, that sport is certainly near the top in the physical demands it imposes on players.

Now, that said, a joke is a joke. A clearly outrageous exaggeration, as Groongthep made with "Hello Kitty" thing, will be taken as nothing MORE than a joke by anyone who sees it. There is, IMO, no justification at all for getting all pissy about a joke of that type. The "jokes" that were made about Bill Belichick during the endless "video gate" fiasco were infinitely more insulting and vicious than this playful stuff from Groongthep.

I am so sick and tired of the PC crap that seems to be taking over the world these days! Lighten up! We're talking about the NFL here; not national security! Can't we exchange in a little playful "smack", which this was, without blowing up?

I'm not blowing up, just thought the "smack" or "joke" was lame.

[patsfangr]

I'm not blowing up, just thought the "smack" or "joke" was lame.

OK. That's new news. It read more like anger than "artistic criticism". But I'm glad it was not. We can all get back to football, since we are now LESS THAN 2 WEEKS from the Draft!!

Will anybody be tuned in to either a "stream" of ESPN or NFL Network, or the NFL.com coverage, when it begins at about 03:00? I'm actually much less interested in the entire Draft this year than I was in the past. The longer I'm away from watching NCAA football, the less "opinionated" I am about the players available. Back in the USA, I was locked into every minute of it on both days.

For the last couple of years here, I've been logged into one Patriots fan group or another; after putting together my own "Draft Board" from various web sites. This year, however, I haven't done that. I haven't got a clue about the players coming out. My only interest is in the general sense of having my own opinions about what the Patriots need, by position. So, since they have 4 choices on Day One (R1 at 23, and 3 picks in R2), I'll be interested to see what maneuvers, if any they may make; and what positions they fill.

That may or may not be enough motivation for me to lose sleep, and watch it from the beginning. Right now, I'm thinking "not". I'll likely get up at about 05:00 or so; and start watching then. It's very unlikely that there will be any Patriots acitivity before that; and since, as I said, I don't know a thing about the Draft class, I won't really gain much from watching the early picks.

How about you guys? What's the interest and "involvement" level among you?

[Old Man River]

Understood that it was your attempt at humor.

But if you maybe had been through double-days, machine gun hitting drills,etc., to only win a couple games you might understand how insulting your "joke" is.

These guys are the best, at the pinnacle of the sport they play, have some respect.

Oh boy! I will try to put this as gently as I can, Huggy. You are w-a-a-a-a-y to "politically correct" for me on this one!

IMO, EVERY player who makes it onto an NFL roster is a STUD! They are absolutely, as you said, at the pinnacle of the sport they play. Further, that sport is certainly near the top in the physical demands it imposes on players.

Now, that said, a joke is a joke. A clearly outrageous exaggeration, as Groongthep made with "Hello Kitty" thing, will be taken as nothing MORE than a joke by anyone who sees it. There is, IMO, no justification at all for getting all pissy about a joke of that type. The "jokes" that were made about Bill Belichick during the endless "video gate" fiasco were infinitely more insulting and vicious than this playful stuff from Groongthep.

I am so sick and tired of the PC crap that seems to be taking over the world these days! Lighten up! We're talking about the NFL here; not national security! Can't we exchange in a little playful "smack", which this was, without blowing up?

Patsfangr, I see your new avatar reflects the kind of season the Pats will have this year.

[huggybear]

I'm not blowing up, just thought the "smack" or "joke" was lame.

OK. That's new news. It read more like anger than "artistic criticism". But I'm glad it was not. We can all get back to football, since we are now LESS THAN 2 WEEKS from the Draft!!

How about you guys? What's the interest and "involvement" level among you?

I think the interest level comes with what team selects what player. That's interesting. As far as involved, I'm not at all.

I'd like to see the Chargers take Malueaga (probably mispelled that) as I think he'll be another Seau. I'd like to see the Lions trade that #1, best build the lines. Overall I think the skill positions in this years draft is a little weak, but linebackers and lineman, there seems to be some strength.