NFL 2014 Season

[Nepenthe]

Well, I guess a Ws a W, but that was still uglier than I expected and streaks were again ended...

 

At least we got this one out of it

[Keyrock]

Man, so everybody was worried about the Niners defense heading into the season, on account of them missing everybody, but their offense has been a real cause for concern.  In particular, second half offense.  The Niners have played 6 second half quarters so far this year.  They have scored a grand total of zero touchdowns in those 6 quarters.

 

In happier news, I did enjoy that comeback by the Cowboys/meltdown by the Rams.  The Boys had about as awful a quarter and a half as is physically possible.  After that, they got their **** together and the Rams decided they were going to outcowboy the Cowboys.

[Hurlshort]

The Niners offense was a cause for concern last year, so it wasn't as big of a deal.  It's the defense that has always made them a top team.  That being said, they sure are hard to root for right now.  So much drama around them.  I'm having more fun rooting for Derek Carr to have decent games for Oakland, even though his team stinks.

[Keyrock]

The most disappointing thing about the Niners' woes has been how quiet and calm (relatively speaking) Harbaugh has been.  If the Niners are going to lose then at least give me the pleasure of watching Harbaugh having a conniption fit.

[kgambit]

Well, I guess a Ws a W, but that was still uglier than I expected and streaks were again ended...

 

At least we got this one out of it

 

Wish they had made the clip longer - looks like he picked up the spare on that one. 

[Gromnir]

The Niners offense was a cause for concern last year, so it wasn't as big of a deal.  It's the defense that has always made them a top team.  That being said, they sure are hard to root for right now.  So much drama around them.  I'm having more fun rooting for Derek Carr to have decent games for Oakland, even though his team stinks.

were kinda surreal for a person who lives in nor cal and sees more raider and niners football than we might wish to observe the niners being the team that implodes in the second half as multiple opponent drives were extended due to costly personal foul calls. next game, harbaugh will direct his offense, without exception, to run on first and second down and then throw deep on 3rd. at that point we will be certain that an exorcist needs be called in to expel al davis' spectre from the niner's locker room.

 

HA! Good Fun!

[Enoch]

Well, that was fun.  And, as a Giants fan working in an office in DC, today should be almost as fun. 

 

I was having a tough time understanding why people were getting so hyped about Washington.  Sure, the offense looked good against Jacksonville and Philadelphia, but it doesn't take much to look good against that caliber of defense.  (Specifically, neither team has much of anything that can fairly be called a pass rush.)  With the injuries they've piled up and with a rookie head coach having to deal with a very short week of preparation, some drop-off should really have been expected. 

 

And, this should kill the "Cousins over Griffin!" nonsense for the time being.

 

 

Also:  Hey, the Giants have a Tight End who can play!  Larry Donnell can be the new beacon of hope to unheralded guys at the periphery of an NFL roster-- undrafted and unsigned in 2011, invited to Camp in 2012, on the practice squad for the 2012 season, the 3rd-string TE in 2013, and now piling up touchdowns as a starter. 

Edited September 26, 2014 by Enoch

[Volourn]

"And, this should kill the "Cousins over Griffin!" nonsense for the time being."

 

\I agree. People were being stupid. Even during Griffin' 'bad' season last eyar he had played decently. He also never threw more than 2 INTs in any game let alone 3 in one quarter. L0L And, that was against the Giants' horrible D, too.

 

 

Also, people need to shut up about Eli is horrible, on the downside of his career, or other stupid off. His interception is almost a typical INT for him. Makes the perfect pass, and the reciever loses it. That said, that should have been a TD, anyways.

 

Oh, well. Already better than last season.

 

 

ELI ELI ELI ELI ELI

[Nepenthe]

"And, this should kill the "Cousins over Griffin!" nonsense for the time being."

 

\I agree. People were being stupid. Even during Griffin' 'bad' season last eyar he had played decently. He also never threw more than 2 INTs in any game let alone 3 in one quarter. L0L And, that was against the Giants' horrible D, too.

 

 

Also, people need to shut up about Eli is horrible, on the downside of his career, or other stupid off. His interception is almost a typical INT for him. Makes the perfect pass, and the reciever loses it. That said, that should have been a TD, anyways.

 

Oh, well. Already better than last season.

 

 

ELI ELI ELI ELI ELI

The different playstyles between Cousins and Griffin don't make them comparable with a single metric. Neither does one bad gamemean conclusive proof... And, well, a player who can actually start is always better than one who can't...

[Volourn]

 Griffin is better.  That is FACT. Not based on one game. Based on fact.

[Keyrock]

Nice much needed win for the Niners.  They had some clock management/situational awareness issues, but the bottom line is they got the W in what was not quite a must win game, but a very important one.  As a bonus, they helped out my Cowboys by beating the Iggles.  Now let's see if the Boys can take advantage tonight against the Saints.

[Hurlshort]

Nice much needed win for the Niners.  They had some clock management/situational awareness issues, but the bottom line is they got the W in what was not quite a must win game, but a very important one.  As a bonus, they helped out my Cowboys by beating the Iggles.  Now let's see if the Boys can take advantage tonight against the Saints.

 

It did not look like it was going to turn out well at the start.  I guess the key is to be behind in the second half, not ahead.

[Keyrock]

 

Nice much needed win for the Niners.  They had some clock management/situational awareness issues, but the bottom line is they got the W in what was not quite a must win game, but a very important one.  As a bonus, they helped out my Cowboys by beating the Iggles.  Now let's see if the Boys can take advantage tonight against the Saints.

 

It did not look like it was going to turn out well at the start.  I guess the key is to be behind in the second half, not ahead.

 

The Iggles turning the ball over 4 times doesn't hurt either.

[ManifestedISO]

Who says PR doesn't work. That piece on Jason Witten before the game made me fall in love with the guy. And almost root for Dallas tonight. See, the league doesn't have systemic, endemic faults--as long as guys like Witten are pounding turf. Also, 3-1 feels good. As good as 75% of anything possibly can. 

[Keyrock]

Oh my goodness, this Cowboys/Saints game.  You guys, I love this so much!

 

[Nepenthe]

I saw bits and pieces of the second half while getting ready for work, and it looked pretty dire. Well, at this rate, the Saints're going to be able to draft an awesome corner in the top 5 next year!

[Keyrock]

The Saints' one saving grace is that they are playing in what looks to be a pretty weak division.  Meanwhile, the Cowboys have quietly assembled a rather good O line over the last few years.  They have occasional issues with pass blocking, but their run blocking has been exceptional, as exhibited by the Cowboys being the league's #1 rushing offense, and by a healthy margin.  

[Nepenthe]

The Saints' one saving grace is that they are playing in what looks to be a pretty weak division.  Meanwhile, the Cowboys have quietly assembled a rather good O line over the last few years.  They have occasional issues with pass blocking, but their run blocking has been exceptional, as exhibited by the Cowboys being the league's #1 rushing offense, and by a healthy margin.  

 

OTOH, when somebody called Josh Hill is you MVP two games straight, you really are hosed. Canal Street Chronicles MVP vote has one option for last night's game: "Nobody", which is true and unfair on poor Josh, who's at least working hard for his minimum wage.

 

The NFC-S collapse is interesting, it is (was) on paper, the second toughest division in the league after NFC-W. I actually had no idea the other teams were doing that badly, I've been on reduced football time for two weeks due to the bar exam and court today.

[Enoch]

The Saints' one saving grace is that they are playing in what looks to be a pretty weak division.  Meanwhile, the Cowboys have quietly assembled a rather good O line over the last few years.  They have occasional issues with pass blocking, but their run blocking has been exceptional, as exhibited by the Cowboys being the league's #1 rushing offense, and by a healthy margin.  

 

I wouldn't exactly call the Dallas OL acquisitions "quiet."  They spent 3 first-round draft choices on OL in only 4 years-- they damn well better be putting together one of the better lines in the League. 

 

The surprising thing about the Cowboys is that they've somehow managed to get better-than-historically-awful production out of their defense.  (Well, and that Murray hasn't snapped in half yet.)  Everybody knew that their offensive talent was very strong (if healthy); the storyline coming into the season was that they somehow had even less talent on defense than 2013's worst-in-the-League unit did. 

 

Anyhow, this shocking competence from Jerrah's boys was the only blemish on an otherwise pleasant football week. 

 

 

The NFC-S collapse is interesting, it is (was) on paper, the second toughest division in the league after NFC-W. I actually had no idea the other teams were doing that badly, I've been on reduced football time for two weeks due to the bar exam and court today.

 

Really?  I mean, the Saints' (lack of) performance is surprising, but I don't know who was expecting much out of the rest of the division.  TB is clearly in rebuild mode, with a new coach, seat-warmer QB, etc.  The Falcons were awful last year, and while the offense was expected to rebound with healthier WRs, they still had plenty of clear holes on defense.  (Fun Fact in advance of next week's ATL@NYG: The last time the Falcons won a game played outdoors was Nov. 25, 2012.)  And Carolina had known problems on the OL and defensive back-end. 

 

One of those teams is going to make the playoffs, but the early guess is that they aren't going to be hanging around for long.

[Keyrock]

The surprising thing about the Cowboys is that they've somehow managed to get better-than-historically-awful production out of their defense. 

Rod Marinelli, while an awful head coach, is a pretty good defensive coordinator.  The Cowboys D still isn't good, but they're much better than they have any right to be.

 

That fake punt attempt by the Saints was awful.  The thing about trick plays, like a fake punt, is that they rely almost completely on deception and surprise. Take away the surprise factor and you’re left with a crappy play with an exceedingly high probability of failure. No one was fooled on that play. I saw it coming, Al and Cris in the booth saw it coming, and the Cowboys most certainly saw it coming. Sean Payton must have recognized the Cowboys were in a formation guarding against the fake, I mean, I recognized the Cowboys were not in their usual punt formation and guarding against the fake. Couldn’t he have changed the play as soon as he saw the Cowboys line up in that formation and just punted for real? With the Cowboys not fooled, what were the odds of that play succeeding? 5%? 2%?

[Keyrock]

From last night's game, the Jerry Jones **** eatin' grin:

 

[Keyrock]

The Pats are getting MASSACRED tonight.  This may be the worst Patriot defeat since Charleston.

Edited September 30, 2014 by Keyrock

[Nepenthe]

Yeah, strange year so far. Will have to watch that one when I get home.

Really?  I mean, the Saints' (lack of) performance is surprising, but I don't know who was expecting much out of the rest of the division.  TB is clearly in rebuild mode, with a new coach, seat-warmer QB, etc.  The Falcons were awful last year, and while the offense was expected to rebound with healthier WRs, they still had plenty of clear holes on defense.  (Fun Fact in advance of next week's ATL@NYG: The last time the Falcons won a game played outdoors was Nov. 25, 2012.)  And Carolina had known problems on the OL and defensive back-end. 

 

One of those teams is going to make the playoffs, but the early guess is that they aren't going to be hanging around for long.

 

 

Carolina were pretty good last year, and while they had that wide receiver issue, in the ~2 games I've watched, Kelvin Benjamin and their other receivers haven't been the issue. They have an awesome defense. The Atlanta Failclowns had simply a really bad year after a really good one and were major rebound candidates. Saints mercilessly cut some of their old faithfuls to make cap space for Byrd and to move on from a lot of the guys who'd either been poor scheme fits (apparently Malcolm Jenkins) or had their glory days over (Moore) or approaching it (Sproles - I don't doubt the Saints front office knew he still had a good year in him, but I bet they counted on just the one when they traded him). Tampa is, indeed, in a clear rebuilding year, but it's starting to look like so are the saints.

 

Where the Saints plan seems to have backfired is their lack of no2 corner - their second round pick still probably has a brilliant future ahead of him, but to protect the most valuable asset of a cornerback, his self-confidence, they haven't activated him once during the season.

 

Seriously, Shayne Graham needs to go, everybody knew he was a liability already after last season and he proved it for the second week in a row. The linebackers, apart from Lofton, are dire, and the safeties are so busy making up for deficiencies at LB and CB you couldn't tell that you have two all-pro caliber guys there. At this point, I'd get whichever veteran kicker who hasn't killed himself over the past week and Pat Angerer on the team ASAP - if for no other reason, than to make the risk of jobs more immediate for those on the bubble...

 

In fact, there seems to be a general paralysis on the team, they've made no roster moves even though they were just barely able to even dress 47 guys. They have two guys on the active roster (Lorig and Ball) who haven't even played for most of preseason! I mean, even if they are projected for the bye week, that's not exactly going to smoothly integrate them... and Austin Johnson's been pretty good as FB. Looks like they've been so confident in their own ability, they've simply failed to adjust for injuries and deficiencies on some areas of the defense, at least until now.

[Nepenthe]

Soo, after having no defense or special teams in the first 4 games, the offense having gotten worse by the game, the Saints lost Jairus Byrd for the season after a practice injury.

 

In addition to the known quantities of a suspect cb2, kicker, inside linebackers and no kick returner, nose tackles and ALL linebackers have completely failed to deliver or even show up. I look forward to today's game in the same way I look forward to a dentist. The sooner it starts, the faster it'll be over

[Keyrock]

Woohoo!  The Cowboys are 4-1.  Sure, they'll still meltdown in December like always, but let me have this moment.