General NFL discussion thread

[Gordie]

Then root for the other 52 guys on the Steelers!


The Tiki

Didn't the Steelers go 3-1 without Ben? It's called a team.
I never feel I'm supporting rape while watching the Steelers.

[thefreakytiki]

These two weeks between games are killing me.  I have already experienced the emotional roller coaster of believing the Steelers don't have a chance to feeling they will absolutely win their seventh title to thinking it's a pretty even matchup.  I can't take it any more.

I was delighted to discover that my boss actually gave me the night off to watch the game.  Woot!


Th Tiki

[thefreakytiki]

Finally a voice of reason...

Dan Rooney Not In Favor of 18 Regular Season Games

January 21st, 2011
Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney was in Pittsburgh Friday afternoon and commented on the current state of NFL labor negotiations and expansion to 18 regular season games. Judy Battista of the New York Times tweeted:

Steelers chairman Dan Rooney has arrived from Ireland. Weighs in on labor. Still doesn’t like 18 games. “I would rather not have the money.”

Rooney expressed his concern about the lack of progress in negotiations with a small group of reporters, but also noted the league’s continued success.

“The games this year couldn’t be better. The ratings are high. So why would you step back?”

Regarding a lockout, Rooney said “We should not let the disruption of next season happen,” and added, “The players, of course, want to play, and that’s what should happen.”

Rooney, a Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee in 2000 and current United States Ambassador to Ireland, has been instrumental in labor negotiations for over three decades. He is considered in league circles as the key piece that brokered the 1976, 1982 and 1993 Collective Bargaining Agreements.

Players across the league are opposed to the 18-game expansion. The current 16 game season already exposes players to repeated opportunities for injury, and lengthening the season would only increase injury potential and likely shorten the average NFL player’s career. 

“The 10-year guys you won’t see any more, except for your quarterbacks. The running backs, you’re really going to see a short lifetime span. The season’s just too long,” said Pittsburgh wide receiver Hines Ward in a September interview. The future health of the league and its players may be in jeopardy.


Too bad he isn't taking part in the negotiations.


The Tiki

[Wood]

Kudos to Troy Polamalu for winning DPOY...he's now a little bit closer to being in Ed Reed's stratosphere.

[zack kruse]

Finally a voice of reason...

Dan Rooney Not In Favor of 18 Regular Season Games

Good for him. I hope that they don't expand the season. 16 games plus pre-season and post season is plenty and there's no sense in risking players wellbeing for two extra weeks of play.

[Wood]

I'm a football fan. Of course I want 18 games instead of 16. And this idea that 18 games will "cause more injuries" is kind of ridiculous. Where's the scientific proof that 16 is optimal? I can hear these same lamentations when we went from 14 to 16. The simple fact is right now we have four preseason games, and that's absurd. Meanwhile season ticket holders (like myself) already PAY for 10 games a year, 8 regular season and 2 preseason. So the NFL ownership is advocating going from 20 games (16 that count, 4 that don't except in the wallets) to 20 games (18 that count and 2 that don't).

And it's not like 18 games doesn't bring other changes. It will also allow for roster expansion, a larger practice squad and likely new rules for IR and PUP.

[Christopher Stark]

From what I've heard, the players are against it partially for injuries but also partially for money.  They feel they are working 2 extra weeks and should get compensated for it.

If that is actually the case, that's ridiculous.

I'm with Wood though.  I'm a hockey season ticketholder and have to pay for 3 preseason games.  No one gives a crap about them and from football attendance, I see the same goes for them.  If you are making me pay a premium for non-premium games, of course there is going to be backlash.

[kinetic]

Their complaining about 18 games??
Tell those wusses to come down here and play in the NRL (National Rugby League).
Pre- season + 26 games + finals + representative games (4 max) + International games (4-6games)
A top-level player, in one of the top teams, can expect to play, providing he stays healthy the entire season, somewhere in the vicinity of 35 games over the year.
All with no helmets and very minimal padding. Damn NFL pansies.




I keed, I keed.
I love the NFL. I would love to see a couple of NFL players give Rugby League a go. They would do really well I reckon. Once they learnt the rules. And how to pass. And how to tackle without a helmet and pads  

[zack kruse]

I'm a football fan. Of course I want 18 games instead of 16. And this idea that 18 games will "cause more injuries" is kind of ridiculous. Where's the scientific proof that 16 is optimal? I can hear these same lamentations when we went from 14 to 16. The simple fact is right now we have four preseason games, and that's absurd. Meanwhile season ticket holders (like myself) already PAY for 10 games a year, 8 regular season and 2 preseason. So the NFL ownership is advocating going from 20 games (16 that count, 4 that don't except in the wallets) to 20 games (18 that count and 2 that don't).

And it's not like 18 games doesn't bring other changes. It will also allow for roster expansion, a larger practice squad and likely new rules for IR and PUP.

I'm a fan too and I'm 100% cool with not having an extra two games a year (I also don't have a financial stake with season tickets). I'm fine with the 16 game season. If they change, fine, but it doesn't personally affect me in the least. Really, I do think they should dump two pre-season games anyway.

I don't know what the injury statistics are since they switched to a 16-game season¹, so I don't know what evidence there is to say that 16 is optimal OR sub-optimal. If they're down or flat, then okay. Maybe 18 is cool. If they're up, from the 14 game schedule, then I think there's plenty of room for discussion.

I'm also never one for anecdotal evidence but if what at least appears to be a large portion of players, past and present, are saying adding another two regular season games is a bad idea...maybe they have a point. The key there, I think, is past players speaking out against it--they presumably have little to no significant financial stake.

They can do whatever, but 16 games is plenty for me and leaves me wanting more for next season, instead of starting to feel burned out before the playoffs hit.

¹I did a quick Google search, found nothing important and quickly gave up.

[zack kruse]

Okay, here's an article/study from 2009 that seems to support what Wood is saying.

http://www.advancednflstats.com/2009/06/injury-rates-and-extended-season.html

As always, I will go where the evidence leads me and if this data is reliable, I guess an 18 game season could/would work...

[Jeremy G]

I'm fine with 16 games. 18 wouldn't kill me.

Hey Wood, I see the Eagles are going to franchise Vick and let Kolb go. What's up with that?

Maybe the Skins can get us another Eagles QB. Hopefully better than the last one though.


When are we going to make some Superbowl predictions? I'll start. Green Bay 31 to 21.

GB Superbowl Chizzamps!!!!

[Wood]

I'm fine with 16 games. 18 wouldn't kill me.

Hey Wood, I see the Eagles are going to franchise Vick and let Kolb go. What's up with that?

Maybe the Skins can get us another Eagles QB. Hopefully better than the last one though.


When are we going to make some Superbowl predictions? I'll start. Green Bay 31 to 21.

GB Superbowl Chizzamps!!!!

Just because "reports" say we're looking to trade Kolb doesn't mean it will happen. Remember two things:

1) Kolb is under contract for $1.4 million this year, an absolute steal for a backup QB much less one that was supposed to be our starter and someone who the coaches thought highly enough to trade McNabb for

2) Until we have a new CBA, nobody is trading players for draft picks

Now if we get a CBA quickly, I do think they'll CONSIDER trading Kolb, but it will be at a very high price.

If we're resolved to keep Vick (and unfortunately it seems we are), then franchising him is the best idea. It locks him up for another year without committing to him long term. Let's see if Vick can do what he did in 2010 again next year b/c he played WAY above any level he had played previously. If he's awesome again next year then we have a nice problem on our hands in that we have to lock him up to a long-term deal with a wealth of evidence in support of that. If he gets hurt or struggles, we have saved ourselves a lot of financial obligation and can move forward.

[dademan]

This one is for you, Chris!

[Rustyautoparts (Russ Otto)]

This one is for you, Chris!

 

[Jeremy G]

NFLPA Super Bowl ad.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/Jl9BpUgYljQ&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/Jl9BpUgYljQ&rel=1</a>

www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/31/ben-roethlisberger-teammates-defense-goodell_n_816289.html

Article on Big Ben, and how Peter King of Sports Illustrated blew a story. Bad journalism.

[Wood]

NFLPA Super Bowl ad.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/Jl9BpUgYljQ&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/Jl9BpUgYljQ&rel=1</a>

www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/31/ben-roethlisberger-teammates-defense-goodell_n_816289.html

Article on Big Ben, and how Peter King of Sports Illustrated blew a story. Bad journalism.

Peter owned up to the mistake this morning on the radio. I applauded him for how forthright he was about the gaffe. Basically Goodell DID say that 20 players had not-so-nice things to say about Ben, but Peter's mistake was assuming Goodell meant 20 "Steelers" rather than 20 NFL players.

King made no excuses and said it's bad journalism (his words, not mine) to have used the parenthetical "Steelers" without double checking on Goodell's intentions.

[Jeremy G]

Peter owned up to the mistake this morning on the radio. I applauded him for how forthright he was about the gaffe. Basically Goodell DID say that 20 players had not-so-nice things to say about Ben, but Peter's mistake was assuming Goodell meant 20 "Steelers" rather than 20 NFL players.

King made no excuses and said it's bad journalism (his words, not mine) to have used the parenthetical "Steelers" without double checking on Goodell's intentions.

Good for him. When it comes to reporting on the NFL,two guys I respect are Peter King and John Clayton.

[Wood]

Good for him. When it comes to reporting on the NFL,two guys I respect are Peter King and John Clayton.

Little aside...I was actually the opening act for Clayton at an ESPN Pittsburgh fantasy football convention a few years ago. Got to chill with him in the speaker lounge and he was a righteously cool dude. At the time, he was paired up with Sean Salisbury and he was quite candid about his feelings on the matter.

[Jeremy G]

Little aside...I was actually the opening act for Clayton at an ESPN Pittsburgh fantasy football convention a few years ago. Got to chill with him in the speaker lounge and he was a righteously cool dude. At the time, he was paired up with Sean Salisbury and he was quite candid about his feelings on the matter.

I have a lot of respect for Clayton. He knows football. Salisbury on the other hand, I think he is a dick.
He has always tried to bully Clayton on the air. He must think he is still in the locker room.

[BillyZ]

Good for him. When it comes to reporting on the NFL,two guys I respect are Peter King and John Clayton.

I totally agree.  

I also agree Salisbury was a bit of a tool but one guy I have absolutely no respect for when it comes to covering the NFL is Mark Kriegel.