Official NFL 2010-2011 Thread

[Geoff Grace]

I was a bit surprised how Seattle stomped San Fran. I was ready to pick the 49er's this week in the Survival Pool. the 49er's have owned the Sea Hawks lately and I didn't think they would get their acts together this soon.

It appears that both Mike Shanahan and Pete Carroll got their new squads' acts together right away. If I'd had a little more faith in the former head coach of my second favorite team and the former head coach of my summer school alma matter, I'd have two more wins in the Pick'em and still be alive in the Survival pool.

 

My third of three Pick'em losses came from having had too much faith in my second favorite team to jump out of the gate strong, as they have for several years running now. I hope this weak start leads to a strong finish--the opposite of previous years--but I fear that it just means the Broncos are weak.

 

Buy hey, at least the Packers are 1-0.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[Magpel]

Here's what I saw:

 

I saw Vick's second half performance and was impressed with his accuracy. I give Kolb four ighly pressured weeks to solidify his hold on the position.

 

I saw McNabb and thought he looked pretty great even though they didn't put up many points. It must be weird coming from Desean Jackson, Maclin, Celek, Avett, etc (i.e., the most promising, explosive receiving corps Donovan has ever enjoyed) to the 'Skins typically underpowered squad.

 

What I didn't see:

 

The Giants game! I had a daytime gig. I like the W, I like the run defense. I am worried about the O-line.

[GovernorSilver]

Hail to the Redskins. Despite the ending, this win starts the season and my week off right.

 

Congrats!

[meccajay]

Well it would be nice to feel giddy after a win, and think my Titans are going places, but up next we have the Steelers, Giants, Denver and Dallas.

 

Me thinks the Chris Johnson 100 yrd games streak comes to a bitter end next week. There are no cutback lanes or creases in the Steelers defense...period.

[BP3]

"The Handover in Landover" is what the press is calling the Dallas/Skins game.

 

The Skins defense looked pretty darn good. The offense needs some serious work but the line held up better than in recent years.

 

Next week isn't a walk in the park. The Texans look really good.

[ProfD]

"The Handover in Landover" is what the press is calling the Dallas/Skins game.

 

The Skins defense looked pretty darn good. The offense needs some serious work but the line held up better than in recent years.

 

Next week isn't a walk in the park. The Texans look really good.

 

Yeah, I got extra early looking for Dallas fans during my commute. I believe many of them were in route to an area airport to relocate or just took a sick day from work.

 

If there was no penalty on the final play, Romo would have been sacked and/or unable to make that last second throw. They would have lost either way.

 

The D does look good. But, they need to minimize mistakes leading to big plays at the most crucial points of the game.

 

IMO, the offense needs more time to gel. The WR corps is old but should be OK. If the O-line continues to hold and leads to a solid running game, that will open up the passing attack.

 

Special teams is a concern especially in the punting game. Bidwell has to do more leg lifts if he plans to make it through an entire season.

 

The overall team discipline is promising. Biggest problem I have with the Skins is zero killer instinct.

 

On both sides of the ball, they lack aggressiveness which leads to a rollercoaster ride in the last 2 minutes of the 4th quarter.

 

The Texans are a team on the rise. Solid offense. But, young Shanahan has been there.

 

I seriously doubt our defense is porous enough to give up 231 yards on the ground.

[antimatter]

The Dallas end of half fumble: it would never happen under Parcells.

 

If it did Tashard Choice would get the Terry Glenn treatment for a couple seasons.

 

What a play call. Schmoes

 

I mean...

How bout' them Cowboys!

[antimatter]

Here's what I saw:

 

The Giants game! I had a daytime gig. I like the W, I like the run defense. I am worried about the O-line.

 

Special teams weren't too special either. And a plethora of missed balls by the receiving corps.

But it's a win.

[Joe Muscara]

How many touchdowns did the 'skins offense score?

 

Good luck with the rest of the season, y'all.

 

Signed,

Don't call me a Cowboy fan

 

[meccajay]

Jets/Ravens baby!! Yeaaah!

 

You know, I must say I will miss Hard Knocks. Mostly because of the special teams coach, and my new found respect for Kris Jenkins.

[MikeT156]

As usual, I got eliminated for the Survival Pool in the first week. I wonder how much the "home field advantage" plays into a game in the first week of the season. How about the Seahawks handing the 49er's their buts in a toilet bowl? I wondered if betting on San Diego at Kansas City was going to be a "sure thing". San Diego was pretty good last year and usually beat KC easily. But KC made some changes and the Chargers got out-played.

 

 

Mike T.

[ProfD]

How many touchdowns did the 'skins offense score?

 

Good luck with the rest of the season, y'all.

 

Signed,

Don't call me a Cowboy fan

 

The Baltimore Ravens won a Super Bowl with very little offense.

 

Considering the Skins didn't score any TDs and still beat them makes it even better.

 

Seriously, I do believe the Skins offense will gel and start putting points on the board.

 

Speaking of those Ravens, it was a good game but they almost got me eliminated from the Survival pool.

 

Glad I didn't pick San Diego.

 

But, I give KC credit for showing up to play. That Jones/Charles RB tandem is going to be nice.

 

Also, it looks like Weis and Crennel are back in their natural positions.

[MikeT156]

I watched the Jets-Ravens "game" last night, or should I say the Jets debacle? The Jets were terrible. Sanchez was getting rid of the ball as soon as he could so he didn't get killed. The Ravens looked bigger physically than many of the Jets players and were probably more than a little intimidated. Rex Ryan may have to learn that talk is cheap.

 

 

Mike T.

[GovernorSilver]

My survival pool elimination was the equivalent of Rivers attempting a pass in the rain on 4th and long last night.

 

Cromartie the Jet looked like the same ol' Cro - a spectacular pick along with maddening mistakes.

 

The crowd noise, the rain, and who knows what other factors really threw Rivers off his usual game. I haven't see this many off-target passes from Rivers in one game. Gates was a beast as usual, but he can't win all by himself. WRs were frequently open due to Gates drawing double and triple coverage. VJ's absence was not a factor. Unfortunately, Rivers struggled to connect. He can't (and won't because it's his persona) blame McNeill's absence either because his protection was pretty decent.

 

VJ's holdout opened the door for Legedu Naanee. Despite Rivers' struggles, Naanee had 5 catches for over 100 yds and a TD.

[meccajay]

I watched the Jets-Ravens "game" last night, or should I say the Jets debacle? The Jets were terrible. Sanchez was getting rid of the ball as soon as he could so he didn't get killed. The Ravens looked bigger physically than many of the Jets players and were probably more than a little intimidated. Rex Ryan may have to learn that talk is cheap.

 

 

Mike T.

 

All that said and the Jets were only about two 1st downs away from a game winning kick. Yes San-chise played terribly, but how many on there schedule are going to bring that much D?

 

I will agree with you that Rex has put the biggest bulls-eye in history on a team that has not won a SB.

[ProfD]

My survival pool elimination was the equivalent of Rivers attempting a pass in the rain on 4th and long last night.

 

The crowd noise, the rain, and who knows what other factors really threw Rivers off his usual game.

KC punched SD in the mouth early with the long TD run and special teams TD. Still, Rivers almost pulled off the comeback win.

 

VJ could be after-thought if the young WRs continue stepping up to the plate and staying out of trouble. Gates is a monster.

[meccajay]

And speaking of the Jets, here's the Mexican "reporter" Ines Sainz who was suing the Jets for harrasment.

 

Here she is again working at the world cup. You can kind of see how she doesn't want the unwanted attention and cat-calls when in the locker room right?!

 

 

[antimatter]

More bad news for the Jets- Jenkins out for the season, again.

[MikeT156]

That lady has something following her, its her HUGE but. Yikes, there will be an extra fee for pulling a trailer on her car tags this year.

 

How come female sports people are allowed in men's dressing rooms but men reporters are not allowed in ladies dressing rooms? Isn't that discrimination?

 

 

 

Mike T.

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

Tuesday Morning (Keyboard) Cornerback

 

I thought we might liven up the season a little by doing a weekly recap of our various pools, as well as some commentary on the NFL season, teams, and players. Welcome to the Cornerback.

 

Pick 'Em Pool

In week one, we had the rare occasion of not one, not two, but three pushes on points! Saints/Vikes, Bucs/Browns, and Rams/Cards all ended up with exactly the predicted point spread, which means that either amazing coincidence occurred, or that the boys in Vegas are getting really good at assigning the spreads, or that the entire NFL is a massive conspiracy of cheaters. I tend to go with the first option, unless we see more weeks with this level of precision in spreads.

 

Our leader after week one is GovernorSilver with 10 points. He only lost three of the 16 games, which is a helluva showing for the start of a new season. Geoff Grace had a strong start, and was the only one of us ballsy enough to take Houston over Indy (I still don't know how he pulled that off), ending with 9 points. ProfD also ended with 9, with solid picks throughout. I (jeffk_nfl2010) had a terrible start, but then managed to kick into high gear toward the end for a respectable 8 points. Kanker, dB, richwhite9, and griffinator all came out with seven points, while Mid Life Crisis, saku, antimatter, and Jay had six. Our bottom barrel player this week was the usual football-knowledgeable Magpel, who got five points (and really got jacked on every one of the later games in the day). Better luck next time, Mags.

 

Our high-confidence teams didn't exactly help us 100%. Every one of us picked NO (which was a push on points), Miami (win), NYG (win), and SD (loss). Only Geoff picked Houston, so the rest of us got inexplicably screwed by choosing Indy. Only a couple of people took Cincy over NE (uh... guys? NE at home? Hello?). Just three of you took PIttsburgh over Atlanta (nice job), while just three of us took Oakland over Tennessee (D'OH!). As a whole, like most NFL seasons, the teams that were good last year remain that way; the teams that weren't, aren't. However, unexpected wins for teams like Houston and KC shows why they still play the games. Tough to tell if those losses by the Colts and Bolts are portents of things to come.

 

Survival Pool

Carnage! And not even the kind of carnage we often get when a high-confidence team goes belly-up (which is what would have happened had the Giants lost). Of the 17 initial participants, we lost 6 in week one, with 11 remaining. Oddly enough, it was dB himself who told me time and time again that since the pool almost never lasts very long, one should feel okay about picking some top-notch choices at the start, rather than saving them for later in the season. So what did he do? Took Dallas over Washington! I'd say that was by no means a "gimme", especially with a new season and new personnel involved on both teams. We lost kanker due to a common misperception that the Steelers are sht without Big Ben (they are, but not to the degree that many believe). Another inexplicable one is Geoff having chosen SF on the road in week one. Seattle, as wishy washy as they can be, are a strong home team with a good crowd.

 

You can't blame MikeT156 or Meccajay for having chosen San Diego... I considered taking them as well, and I'm surprised more of us didn't. But GovSilver taking a team that went 1-15 last year (over a team that went to the Super Bowl a couple years back) and hinging the whole Survival Pool on them? Had they won, it would have been a ballsy choice... but it wasn't to be.

 

So, that leaves ProfD, MidLifeCrisis, Mark Zeger, NoahZark, Antimatter, Jeff Klopmeyer, Magpel, Shaka40, BlackandWhite, TinderArts, and Griffinator as the remaining contestants in Survivor: Keyboard Corner. Best of luck to you all!

[kanker.]

We lost kanker due to a common misperception that the Steelers are sht without Big Ben (they are, but not to the degree that many believe).

With out Big Bonehead AND Leftwich. Thought it was a gimme....

[kanker.]

BTW - dig the recap

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

BTW - dig the recap

 

I enjoyed writing it.

[sakari lindhen]

Re: the jets game, LT actually ran well, with a fairly good burst through the hole. Too bad the lack of a passing game soon clogged the run game as well...but the game as a whole was definitely not pretty....

[richwhite9]

Patriots traded RB Boney Maroney to Denver to improve a 6th round pic to a 4th round pick. Josh McDaniels likes Maroney who is somewhat OK when healthy.

 

Jets DL Jenkins is out and the Pats are only giving up 2 points to the green slime. Jenkins was able to penetrate and harrass the Pats QBs (Brady and Cassel).

 

I expect the Pats will find a young RB. Fred Taylor looked like he rolled back the years but at 34 hss seen better days.

 

 

[meccajay]

Re: the jets game, LT actually ran well, with a fairly good burst through the hole. Too bad the lack of a passing game soon clogged the run game as well...but the game as a whole was definitely not pretty....

 

True.. Except for Ray Lewis levitating Keller at the end of th game!!! That hit was a thing of beauty!

 

One more iconic play for Ray-Ray's Canton highlight reel.

[Griffinator]

Patriots traded RB Boney Maroney to Denver to improve a 6th round pic to a 4th round pick. Josh McDaniels likes Maroney who is somewhat OK when healthy.

 

Jets DL Jenkins is out and the Pats are only giving up 2 points to the green slime. Jenkins was able to penetrate and harrass the Pats QBs (Brady and Cassel).

 

I expect the Pats will find a young RB. Fred Taylor looked like he rolled back the years but at 34 hss seen better days.

 

 

Man, Kevin Faulk looks equally as ageless.

 

They have a young RB in Ben-Jarvis "The Firm" Green-Ellis (yes, that's what they call him) - he has some growing to do, but with the guys in front of him, he'll learn all the important tricks by the time they're ready to call it a career.

[Griffinator]

One more iconic play for Ray-Ray's Canton highlight reel.

 

Will that get inserted before or after the footage of him gakking that drug dealer?

[richwhite9]

Headline of the day:

 

At 1-0, Chiefs Have First Winning Record in Years

 

>> it's hard to imagine everyone simply turned out the lights and fell asleep after the Chiefs' first Monday night victory in 10 years gave them a winning record (1-0) for the first time in almost three years. <<

 

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/09/14/sports/AP-FBN-Surprising-Chiefs.html?hp

[Bridog6996]

Patriots traded RB Boney Maroney to Denver to improve a 6th round pic to a 4th round pick. Josh McDaniels likes Maroney who is somewhat OK when healthy.

 

Jets DL Jenkins is out and the Pats are only giving up 2 points to the green slime. Jenkins was able to penetrate and harrass the Pats QBs (Brady and Cassel).

 

I expect the Pats will find a young RB. Fred Taylor looked like he rolled back the years but at 34 hss seen better days.

 

 

Man, Kevin Faulk looks equally as ageless.

 

They have a young RB in Ben-Jarvis "The Firm" Green-Ellis (yes, that's what they call him) - he has some growing to do, but with the guys in front of him, he'll learn all the important tricks by the time they're ready to call it a career.

 

Maroney is better than his numbers. His style of running just didn't quite mesh with the Pats' method of running by committee. He'll do well on a team where he can get 20 or so touches per game.