NFL Thread - 2009-10

[Theo Mays]

Man Chad Pennington is one of my favorites. Started following him the minute the Jets drafted him (Not sure why considering I'm a Vikings fan). It really sucks to see him go down. He had a FANTASTIC season last year and was key in the Dolphins turnaround. Now to go down with an injury. I'm not surprised, I am disappointed however. I was really hoping Chad had finally turned the injury corner and was healthy. The Phins are done IMO. Henne (who I'm assuming takes the role with Pat White taking wildcat) doesn't really awe me and I've never been impressed with him. White isn't a starting NFL QB IMO, he is a gimmicky guy. I see them running a good amount of wildcat though. They definitely need Henne/White or the run game to step up if they wanna stand a chance.

EDIT-X makes a good point. Pennington is a FA at the end of the year. Some team will definitely hook him up with a deal. Maybe the Vikes give him a go when/if Favre "retires"

 

[NSL]

EDIT-X makes a good point. Pennington is a FA at the end of the year. Some team will definitely hook him up with a deal. Maybe the Vikes give him a go when/if Favre "retires"

His best bet for next year is to not go somewhere looking to be a starter. Sign on with a team that could be having QB issues, and either compete for the job, or sit as a back-up until he's needed. Teams like Jacksonville, St. Louis, and Washington could all be good fits under those circumstances. Hell, Tampa loves QBs, and who cares if they just drafted 2. They'd give him a shot.

 

[CMCoke42381]

The Ken Griffey JR of the NFL sad to say. I feel bad for Pennington & a Miami Team that just got back to starting to be competitive again. Well it's no doubt only between NE and The Jets now in the AFC East.

 

[CMCoke42381]

Yeah well on your 4th Season as a Starter there are expectations, I dont care how many different coordinators we have had "yeah I know it's pathetic we have shitty ownership" But when your team becomes all same old song and dance it get's under your skin after a while. This team defines inconsistency and it's fucking aggravating when it's like that for years and years.

 

[NSL]

Has John Fox seen enough yet? Jake Delhomme is not the answer. He gave the ball over...I lost count...But a lot of times, and got sacked, and made horrible decisions. The season is over for them. They can't come back in that division, and need to turn to Moore before the Bucs pass them out of the cellar.

Here's to hoping they get a QB in the draft with a big arm that can make some plays.

 

[Big Sexy]

It might not seem like it now, but this is actually a good thing for the Dolphins. They were never going to make it past the first round of the playoffs with Pennington as their starter. They probably weren't even going to make the playoffs at all this year.

Chad Henne was a second round pick last year and he has the talent to be a great NFL quarterback. This year they won't win many games, but Henne will be able to learn and grow as their quarterback of the future. If Henne progresses well and then the Dolphins can add a number one receiver in the off season then they have a chance to be a pretty good team next year.

 

[Christian Battlez]

I feel for Pennington too and with him already having a weak arm before his three rotator cuff injuries he doesn't look to have much of a chance of finding a home next year. If Henne/White can't step up before the trade deadline then Garcia anyone? Philly will not need four qb's and will probably trade him. Miami could be the team to take a chance on him. Garcia lead three different teams to the playoffs and has experience with different kinds of offenses he has also played against pretty much every team in the league during his career since he's been in practically every division at some point. Cleveland,Detroit,Oakland,Philly,Tampa,San Fran. He's just missing the AFC South and East. Garcia could be an option if Henne and White aren't.

 

[jmt225]

Very, very unfortunate.

Like X mentioned, Chad Pennington is a true class act of this sport. You can't say that for many in professional football, and it's a shame to see someone like that have such terrible shoulder problems on his throwing arm. And from what I understand, this could be it for him. Sucks.

I remember when he was a free agent, I badly wanted the Saints to get him to be Brees' back-up. It was rumored for a while, and had it happened... he would still be in league. But he showed last year that he's no back-up. No, he is a fucking starter in the NFL. And a damn good one at that. Without all his injuries, I really believe he could have had a fantastic career.

But no matter what the doctor says, I do think Pennington can come back from this. He has before, and if he feels he can do it, then I know he will. If not, then he's definitely going to make a fantastic coach someone either in the NFL or college. His days in this sport are definitely not over...

 

[People's Champ]

I believe Fox's job is tied to the success of J.D. And right now he just is not playing well. This was a huge game for a desperate team and yet they just played sloppy. If Jake continues to struggle then he should be benched, but imo that would also be the end of John Fox.

 

[People's Champ]

Yeah well on your 4th Season as a Starter there are expectations, I dont care how many different coordinators we have had "yeah I know it's pathetic we have shitty ownership" But when your team becomes all same old song and dance it get's under your skin after a while. This team defines inconsistency and it's fucking aggravating when it's like that for years and years.

You are on freakin point. This team spends so much freakin money and gets nowhere. Its rediculous. Campbell is a starter and there are just certain things you should be able to do when you've been a starter for this long. He needs to step up. But then again he is a reflection of this organization.

 

[NSL]

Being a moderate Chiefs fan, I noticed today that they traded away Thigpen to the 'Fins. I'm not sure how this pans out. Thigpen was a great player last year, but still struggled to a 1-10 record as a starter. With 2600 yds, 18 TDs, and 12 INTs, it's easy to blame the supporting cast for his failures.

But, in Miami, he's kind of out of place. Pat White was drafted for the sole purpose of running the Wildcat. Henne has been named the starter, and has the arm that can offer a change up from what Pennington brought to the table. So, Thigpen falls into Henne's role by default. He'll be the emergency QB, so that Henne can start, White can run the Wildcat, and he'll be there to make sure nothing goes completely wrong.

 

[NSL]

Detroit Lions @ Chicago Bears - The Lions are coming off their biggest win in possibly 2 decades, but the Bears are starting to roll under new QB Jay Cutler. Matt Forte should be able to get his game going, and the Lions are facing too much pressure to follow up win #1 in a hostile environment. Bears 23-12

Seattle Seahawks @ Indianapolis Colts - Seattle hasn't been as bad as it may seem (They do have the 10th Off and 11th Def), but they have trouble putting it all together for wins. Indianapolis however, does not. Peyton shined in primetime last week, and will continue padding his stats here. Colts 34-17

Cincinnati Bengals @ Cleveland Browns - The Browns are in a close competition with the Rams for worst team in the league, and with a new starting QB this week, things are looking worse than they have since their return. Cincinnati, however, could be 3-0, and is coming off a huge win that could give them momentum through the season. Bengals 38-6

Oakland Raiders @ Houston Texans - One of these teams will find the elixir to turn around their season in this game. Either Oakland's offense will take advantage of the Texans atrocious D, or the Texans D will dominate the Raiders O. Either way, this game could be more fun to watch than that Monday night atrocity that was the Panthers and Cowboys. Texans 41-31

Tennesee Titans @ Jacksonville Jaguars - Collins and his young group of receivers should be able to pick up their game here, and at the same time Mo-JoDrew may have a tough time running against the 2nd ranked D against the run. It'll come down to whether or not Garrard can get the job done through the air. Titans 20-14

New York Giants @ Kansas City Chiefs - Last week, the Giants shut down the Bucs, and they have the potential of doing it again here. The Chiefs however, had their best game of the season against the Ravens, so the Giants need to be careful not to fall into a trap. Giants 40-16

Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots - This will most likely end up the game of the weekend, and could be a preview of what we can expect in January. Flacco & Co. are on a roll, as are Brady & Co. Ravens 26-21

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Washington Redskins - *Insert facepalm icon here* The Buccaneers and Redskins are coming off what will be the worst games of each of their seasons, and need a win to earn a little respect among their fans, and save some jobs in the process. Someone has to win, right? Redskins 13-8

Buffalo Bills @ Miami Dolphins - You can throw away anything the Dolphins had acheived until now, and basically start over. With Pennington, they had a chance to compete. With Henne, they're starting their rebuild. The Wildcat probably won't be enough to remain competitive here. Look for the Bills to shut up T.O., and get him involved early. Bills 33-10

New York Jets @ New Orleans Saints - I think I made a mistake. Mark this down as the game of the weekend. The Jets get a chance to prove they're for real, and the Saints defense gets a chance to show that last week was no fluke. I'm thinking this game is decided with who plays better when the Jets have the ball. Saints 19-17

Dallas Cowboys @ Denver Broncos - Dallas is going to have to correct some of their mistakes, because Denver will not give them as many opportunities to steal the win. Denver's defense has played over their heads, and there's a chance they come to earth here. Most people miss that Orton has 0 INTs, and I don't think he'll throw any here. Broncos 24-17

St. Louis Rams @ San Francisco 49ers - I already covered how awful the Rams are, so I won't beat a dead horse. The Niners are looking to bounce back from the last second upset by the Vikes, and should find an easy road to victory here. 49ers 37-9

San Diego Chargers @ Pittsburgh Steelers - Both teams have had a lot of trouble running the ball, so it will come down to which QB can lead his team best. While Ben may be the better game mananger of the two, I'll take Rivers in a game where both guys will need to drop back 30-35 times. Chargers 28-20

Green Bay Packers @ Minnesota Vikings - The Packers are going to be hungry to get after Favre, and it could be they're undoing. The defense is good if they don't play into the head games, and can force a few turnovers. The Vikings defense is solid, and at home, Favre won't be playing against an angry crowd. Vikings 22-13

 

[X]

Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots - This will most likely end up the game of the weekend, and could be a preview of what we can expect in January. Flacco & Co. are on a roll, as are Brady & Co. Ravens 26-21

Baltimore is going to give my Pats one hell of a game this week. This will definitely be our toughest game yet, the Ravens might just be the best team in the entire NFL right now. I'm an optimistic chap though, so I'll keep the faith in my Pats. Brady looked a lot better in our last game, a lot more confident in the pocket then he has been recently. Hopefully he can shake some of that rust off. He's still got all of the skills that brought him so far, he just seems a tad bit more cautious in the pocket then he used to be. Our line isn't helping matters either. It's weird, I don't think we've actually allowed a sack on Brady yet (maybe one), yet it's really more because of Brady than it is our line. Brady is constantly being pressured, and he has to let go of the ball quickly (luckily he's great at that). Our line needs to give him more time, let him relax in the pocket, and he'll start putting up the numbers he's known for.

Gonna be on hell of a game this weekend between my Pats and the Ravens, possibly the game of the week as you said NSL. I can't go against my Pats, so I'll go with a prediction of Patriots 20-17

 

[Nev]

Detroit Lions @ Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears

Lovie Smith's defense should do a good job limiting the Lions explosive offense. Lions defense can't keep them in the game for shit.

Seattle Seahawks @ Indianapolis Colts
Colts

Should be a close game.

Cincinnati Bengals @ Cleveland Browns
Bengals

You would think that the Browns learned the lesson from last year. Their offense will continue to struggle and struggle. Not to mention they have an awful defense, god damn, lol.

Oakland Raiders @ Houston Texans -
Texans
Should be a shootout. The Texans have the worst defense in the NFL right now, but the Raiders have one of the most struggling offenses in the NFL. Texans outscore Raiders by a couple of points.

Tennesee Titans @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Titans

Very, VERY, tough call. Titans win in a very close game.

New York Giants @ Kansas City Chiefs
Giants

NY's defense is on fire & the offense is doing OK. Matt Cassel will not have a pass happy day against New York, and Larry Johnson isn't a game changing playmaker, in my opinion.

Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots

Patriots

Very close call. I just want to see how well this Ravens offense really plays against an elite defense. The Ravens offense will be exposed. Their good, not great. A game dominated by field goals and 3 & outs, but the Patriots should generate more points. The Ravens defense gave up a lot of points against the Chiefs.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Washington Redskins

Redskins

Come back game for the 'Skins. The Bucs statistically has the worst defense in the NFL. Not to mention their offense isn't really stable at the moment.

Buffalo Bills @ Miami Dolphins -

Bills

No, not because of Pennington. The Bills' defense isn't exactly terrible. They can keep Miami on check and score some points.

New York Jets @ New Orleans Saints

Jets

This is the game where the New Orleans offense finally becomes exposed. They are not a playoff team nor will ever win a super bowl. Their offense is hot every single year, but can never finish. If they can score well against Rex Ryan's defense, then maybe I am wrong. This is the game where they are tested. (Instead of throwing 6 TD's against the worst team in the NFL)


Dallas Cowboys @ Denver Broncos

Broncos

Upset win. Broncos' have been playing some weak teams, but I think their defense is actually pretty decent! And Josh's system should be able to outscore the Cowboys in a tight, tight race.

St. Louis Rams @ San Francisco 49ers

49ers

San Diego Chargers @ Pittsburgh Steelers

A very tight game. Down to the wire. 2004 draft class QB's go one-on-one. I'll go with Pittsburgh. This game is decided on the QBs.

Green Bay Packers @ Minnesota Vikings

Vikings

Do not be fooled by the hype. This game is not decided on Favre vs Rodgers. This game is decided on how the Packers offense does against one of the best defenses in the NFL over this year and last. The Vikings will be all over that mediocre offensive line, Rodgers will be out of sync most the game, and the Vikings will dominate. Favre's stats won't be any special.

That's it.

 

[NSL]

Let me ask this first: Does anyone here watch First Take on ESPN2?

If you do, then you saw today that Kordell Stewart says he is a better QB right now than JaMarcus Russell. I'm hesitant to agree, and for so many differing reasons. First, he probably has a more accurate arm. He's probably in better shape, and is also a smarter player than Russell is, or could ever be. Given his experience, I'd think he is the better decision maker as well.

I'm not saying it's time for Slash to suit up and take the field, but I do think it says a lot about where Russell is in his development...

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

I think the Patriots/Ravens game is going to be best out of the bunch this week. The Ravens along with the Giants are the two best teams in the NFL and Baltimore is a surprising 2nd in the NFL in scoring. Flacco seems to have cemented himself as their franchise quarterback and their defense will harrass Brady all day long. I don't think Baltimore has forgotten their Monday Night game against them two years ago so they will be out for revenge. I see Baltimore winning this 24-23.

 

[X]

Great win for the Pats today over the Ravens, 27-21. I was really impressed with us on both sides of the ball, we continued to mix the run in to success, and Brady looked cool and calm as ever in the pocket, driving us down the field without much effort. Our defense was especially impressive though, particularly in the first half. For all of the new faces on our defense, they have been playing damn well so far this season. Brandon Meriweather is going to be a stud.

Let's see if ESPN and the rest of the country starts remembering that we're the fucking Patriots now.

 

[NSL]

This is a tough week for me to judge. A lot of guys had big games, but they were mostly in blowouts, where blowouts were expected. If it wasn't that, it was a game that didn't really matter (BUF/MIA or JAX/TEN). With that said, here's my pick.

Looking at all the stats, and how all the games played out, it came down to 2 people for me. Ultimately, only 1 person can win it, and I'm giving it to Tom Brady. He was facing a very tough defense, and managed to still put up his big numbers while also connecting with a number of different targets. The Patriots needed this win to keep pace with the Jets (whether they win or lost), and to avoid falling back towards the Bills and Dolphins.

My honorable mention goes to Darren Sharper. The entire Saints defense was constantly battering Sanchez and getting in his head. I really could have picked a number of people, most notable Charles Grant, but Sharper's "pick six" was perhaps the play of the game.

 

[Theo Mays]

Darren Sharper was one of the guys I had in mind for the MVP. Week ain't over yet, so the Vikes, Pack, Steelers, or Bolts could bust out a quality candidate as well. My pick however is going to none other than Kyle Orton. How the Broncos are 4-0 baffles me. I honestly didn't expect much from them. Orton played good football today against Dallas and was pretty key in the victory. Brandon Marshall is another good pick from the Broncs.

 

[Stormtrooper]

The MVP for Week 4 has to be Mark Sanchez. Mark Sanchez single handedly outscored the Jets 14-10, because of a terrible passing play in the Red Zone, and because of a fumble in his own end zone (not to mention 2 picks in the 4th quarter, sealing a Saints win). Oh wait, Mark Sanchez PLAYS for the Jets, not against them.....

Seriously, I am surprised Peyton Manning isn't getting any love for the Week 4 MVP. Here is his line: 31/41 for 353 Yards; 2 TDs (1 INT); 107.1 rating. Are the Seahawks a great team? Not really, no. But still, Manning followed up a great week 3 with a great week 4, and statistically you would be hard pressed to find a player who played a better game this week (so far).

 

[Big Sexy]

Great win for the Pats today over the Ravens, 27-21. I was really impressed with us on both sides of the ball, we continued to mix the run in to success, and Brady looked cool and calm as ever in the pocket, driving us down the field without much effort. Our defense was especially impressive though, particularly in the first half. For all of the new faces on our defense, they have been playing damn well so far this season. Brandon Meriweather is going to be a stud.

Let's see if ESPN and the rest of the country starts remembering that we're the fucking Patriots now.

I agree the Pats played well and were very impressive, but the refs needed to let the defense play. The roughing the passer call on Brady was ridiculous. I'm not saying that cost the Ravens the game, but it certainly didn't help their cause. Take the skirts off the quarterbacks, they're big boys.

 

[X]

I agree the Pats played well and were very impressive, but the refs needed to let the defense play. The roughing the passer call on Brady was ridiculous. I'm not saying that cost the Ravens the game, but it certainly didn't help their cause. Take the skirts off the quarterbacks, they're big boys.

Yeah there was one or two calls that weren't very good, but the Ravens just didn't have much discipline on defense today, they were committing penalty after penalty after penalty. No complaints from me though obviously, it helped us out greatly.

 

[Stormtrooper]

Three weeks in a row now Pittsburgh has either blown a lead in the 4th quarter, or came ridiculously close to blowing a mammoth lead. Is it too early to call them overrated?

What an atrocious game for the Steelers. How can they just LET the Chargers get within 1 score after a 28 point lead?

 

[BooCocky]

Why? Because Polamalu makes a big difference. The middle of our field is so vulnerable with him out. The tight ends get set on undersized linebackers. One game shows it all. When they played the Titans and he was in they couldn't do a damn thing, once he went out, they started completing passes with ease. Luckily they have Big Ben behind center. He is coming into a zone. He practically had like 4 incompletions the entire game. He threw two touchdowns, and they show faith in him on third downs. The man really is an elite Quarterback.

Finally Mendenhall showed us something. He is explosive and a patient runner and I was thrilled when Reed made that kick. Polamalu should be back next week and our defense will be elite once again. I can't wait because they'll need him with the showdown in Minnesota...

 

[Theo Mays]

Peyton definitely deserves mentioning. I usually don't mention him because it is usually a given that Peyton is up for MVP of a certain week, he is just that good. Guy is an absolute beast.