Official NFL 2021-2022 Thread

[Geoff Grace]

Tomorrow is the Pro Bowl, set this time in Las Vegas at high noon (3:00 pm, EST):

 

NFL Pro Bowl 2022: Las Vegas on display as stars align for league showcase

 

I miss the Hawaii days, but I still enjoy the event regardless of location.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[Geoff Grace]

I hadn't realized that they were going to play two-hand touch football today. As a party for some of the best in the game, it was a slightly enjoyable event; but as a game, it fell far short of exciting, as it was clear that hey were just going through the motions. I only watched half-heartedly, off and on, for less than half of the event.

 

I completely understand why they don't want to risk the safety of football's best players in a meaningless game, but I'd rather watch an awards ceremony than this type of football.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[ProfD]

4 hours ago, Geoff Grace said:

I hadn't realized that they were going to play two-hand touch football today. As a party for some of the best in the game...

 

I completely understand why they don't want to risk the safety of football's best players in a meaningless game...

The Pro Bowl has becomes a minimum contact exhibition game. It allows the best players to have fun on a paid vacation. 😁😎

[GovernorSilver]

Herbert won offensive MVP, so I checked out his highlights.   It's all short passes to receivers who got gentle contact at best.  I guess he got MVP because he threw 2 TDs.  

 

Defensive MVP Maxx Crosby openly stated he didn't want to hurt anyone, so he focused on technique.

 

Darius Leonard highlight vid says it all.  Blocking technique is all pattycake.  Nobody wanted to tackle.   Pro Bowl has always been known to be touch football-ish, but wow they took it further.

 

 

 

[GovernorSilver]

Leak says Texans to hire Lovie Smith

 

Dolphins hire Mike McDaniel

 

The McDaniel hire is interesting in that he never played football himself, but was on the Niners staff that innovated in the use of Deebo Samuels as a hybrid back/WR.  He identifies as multiracial

[Geoff Grace]

Lovie Smith was really overdue for another HC spot. I'm glad to see him hired again, and I'm glad the Packers don't have to face him twice per year.

 

Here's another story Packers fans (and Raiders fans) will care about:

 

Source: Green Bay Packers to hire Rich Bisaccia to fix special teams

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[MikeT156]

So Geoff, where do you think Rogers is going to play next season. He got a lot of bad marks for losing the last two seasons in the playoffs. Several Sports shows said he did not play well enough to win against San Fran.

 

I wonder if he will leave Green Bay.

 

 

Mike T.

[Geoff Grace]

5 hours ago, MikeT156 said:

So Geoff, where do you think Rogers is going to play next season. He got a lot of bad marks for losing the last two seasons in the playoffs. Several Sports shows said he did not play well enough to win against San Fran.

 

I wonder if he will leave Green Bay.

 

 

Mike T.

 

I wish I knew, Mike. Your guess is as good as mine. People in talk shows are in the business of having opinions. Sometimes, they're right. Other times, not so much.

 

I have a hunch that he'll stay in Green Bay, but that may just be wishful thinking.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[ProfD]

15 hours ago, Geoff Grace said:

Here's another story Packers fans (and Raiders fans) will care about:

Source: Green Bay Packers to hire Rich Bisaccia to fix special teams.

It will be interesting to see how much the Packers improve in that regard by hiring a new special teams coordinator. I don't believe he can stop punt blocks or missed FGs. 😄

 

Unless the Packers are uncommitted to winning, I do not believe they will allow Aaron Rodgers or Devante Adams to take their talents to another team.😁 😎

 

 

[El Lobo]

Is there a Big Football Game coming up this weekend? 

[Docbop]

14 minutes ago, El Lobo said:

Is there a Big Football Game coming up this weekend? 

I don't know, but I hearing some buzz about Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar are doing a concert on TV Sunday.  I'll be checkin that out. 

[Geoff Grace]

On 2/8/2022 at 8:25 AM, ProfD said:

It will be interesting to see how much the Packers improve in that regard by hiring a new special teams coordinator. I don't believe he can stop punt blocks or missed FGs. 😄

 

Can you imagine if he got on the field and tried?!? Oh man, that would not be pretty!

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[El Lobo]

6 hours ago, Docbop said:

I don't know, but I hearing some buzz about Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar are doing a concert on TV Sunday.  I'll be checkin that out. 

okay. i'll look for that. thanks.

[ProfD]

7 hours ago, El Lobo said:

Is there a Big Football Game coming up this weekend? 

Yep. Anything I need to do of importance has to get done by Saturday night. Nevermind that the game doesn't kick off until around 6 p.m. Sunday.😁😎

[MikeT156]

On 2/8/2022 at 6:27 AM, Geoff Grace said:

 

I wish I knew, Mike. Your guess is as good as mine. People in talk shows are in the business of having opinions. Sometimes, they're right. Other times, not so much.

 

I have a hunch that he'll stay in Green Bay, but that may just be wishful thinking.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

Hey Geoff

 

Rogers carries some of the blame for Green Bay Losing again this season without getting to the big game. Why? His annual salary is 46 million dollars. The 2021 Salary Cap was 182.5 MILLION if I am not mistake. Other QBs like Tom Brady took a LOT LESS money. Brady had no choice in New England, Hoody is a known CHEAPSKATE. However when Brady went to Tampa Bay he took a PAY CUT in order for the Front Office to sign their players in hopes of a REPEAT. Injuries took their toll and they couldn't get Past LA.

 

Of Course Brady is married to Gisele, whose net worth is TWICE as much as Tom Brady. Very few NFL players end up with enough money to live a good life after they retire, get injured, or cannot find other work. That is unless they are BIG MOUTH Two Face Antonio Brown who is suing TB. That man deserves to be in Prison.

 

Mike T.

[MikeT156]

I watched a video on youtube on how the Bengals FOOLED KC in the second half of their playoff game and forced Mahomes into TWO turnovers. Apparently Andy Reid was fooled two years in a row, can't blame injuries this season. The Bengals knew what play they were going to run and got some FREE points.

 

Joe Burrow Invites Special Person From His Past To Super Bowl

By Jason Hall

Feb 9, 2022

 

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow may be the most discussed name in football heading into Super Bowl LVI, but he hasn't forgotten where he came from. Nathan White, who was Burrow's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Athens High School, where he now serves as the team's head coach, told USA TODAY that the his former player called him last weekend to invite him and his wive to the Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.“Joe called Sunday and said he had a couple tickets, so my wife and I are going to go," White said. "We’re excited.”White spoke with ESPN's Michele Steele as part of a feature on Burrow, an Ohio native, and the importance of leading a team in his home state to football's biggest game. "(White) was sitting around the house yesterday. He looks at his cell phone - he sees it's Joe Burrow calling," Steele said in her report as transposed by USA TODAY. "And he's excited just to check in with one of his former guys. And Burrow tells him, 'Hey Coach, I don't know if you're busy next weekend. But I've got a couple extra tickets to the Super Bowl for you and your wife if you want to go.' And the coach said - as you can imagine - 'I think I can make that work.'

 

The going rate for going to the SB is about 9 grand each. Joe Burrow didn't forget his high school Offensive Coordinator and QB coach who apparently helped Joe develop, Mr. White is now the head coach at that school. Stories like this one shows there ARE some good people in the NFL, despite the actions of some others that show the world there are a bunch of selfish idiots on the NFL.

 

 

Mike T,

 

 

[GovernorSilver]

I also watched a video analyzing how the Bengals beat the Chiefs, but probably by a different person.  His take was that the Bengals took away the Chiefs outside routes on offense.  I'm not sure it was that simple, because if you just take away the outside receivers, Kelce can feast all day in the middle of the field.  OTOH, you take away outside receivers AND pressure Mahommes consistently, then you can get somewhere - which is what the Bengals did.

 

That game-killing INT in OT though was all Mahommes, imo.  He forced the ball into double-coverage and the ball bounced off the receiver straight into the Bengal DB's hands.  Now, you can get away with throwing into double coverage if you've got a cannon arm like Mahommes and aim with the accuracy to squeeze the ball into the tight window,  but there's no accounting for bad luck like that.

 

also on a related note, my buddies texted me wanting to talk about why Joe Burrow is getting so much love in the press and if he's that good of a player  😁.  One of them is an MLB fan and not really into football.  I explained he's always had a high profile since he won the NCAA championship, setting a truckload of passing records with LSU on the way, and earning the top overall draft pick; and he's led a Bengals team from 2-14 to a Super Bowl appearance in just one year - everyone loves a rags to riches story.  And yeah, he's pretty good 😃  - somebody compared him to Joe Montana, which may sound a bit much, but like Montana, he makes up for not having elite arm strength by just making the right play, time after time.   And he's greatly assisted by having JaMarr Chase, who has both great hands and blazing speed and has that near-telepathic connection with Burrow from playing with him at LSU.

[Joe Muscara]

The Texans finally hired a new HC. They were between a few guys including Brian Flores and Josh McCown (who has never been a coach in his life), and suddenly, out of nowhere, DC Lovie Smith was in the running and announced the next day.

 

The Texans got lucky. All signs say McCown was their top choice until the last minute. Why? No one can explain that, except to say the franchise is a disaster. Hopefully Lovie will get real support from the organization. He's been there long enough he should know what he's getting into.

[Geoff Grace]

15 hours ago, MikeT156 said:

Hey Geoff

 

Rogers carries some of the blame for Green Bay Losing again this season without getting to the big game. Why? His annual salary is 46 million dollars. The 2021 Salary Cap was 182.5 MILLION if I am not mistake. Other QBs like Tom Brady took a LOT LESS money.

 

Hey Mike, there's no doubt that Rodgers is being paid a premium for his services with Green Bay. The question I wonder about is, if he took a salary cut, what would Green Bay do with that extra money if they had it? Would they spend it on other players or hold onto it?

 

Past evidence shows me that they're tight-fisted when it comes to free agents, preferring to add players through the draft, saving money with entry-level salaries and then letting many players go when they reach free agent status. As the Packers don't have billionaire owners, I don't know how deep their pockets are (although they are currently over the salary cap). I can't recall them ever going all-in, the way the Buccaneers did last year or the Rams did this year. But you're right—if Rodgers took a pay cut, then it would free up money for Green Bay to use as they pleased.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[MikeT156]

An example of what you pointed out is that cheapskate HOODY in New England. Brady use to complain that he took less money but New England never spent it on players that could make a difference. Hoody always TRADED good players BEFORE they were too old to be worth anything in a trade.

 

Rogers has always complained that he didn't have enough play makers. In Last years's loss to Tampa Bay, when the game was on the line, Rogers threw a pass towards Adams who was in or in front of the End Zone. TB knew where Rogers was going with the ball BEFORE the ball was snapped and had Adams double covered. They defended the pass that Roger threw and Green Bay lost the game. This year against San Fran, their defense kept the score low, intercepted Rogers for a touch down. So GB was eliminated again. Adams is a free agent now and Rogers said he is not interested in being a part in a rebuild.

 

Drop back 10 and punt.

 

Mike T.

[KenElevenShadows]

This Super Bowl is going to be a hot one. We have a heat wave going here in Los Angeles. I am hoping the Rams win. I root for them second after the Bears, although they're a distant second. Anyway, I don't think this will be an easy win for the Rams. They're a good solid team, but sometimes rather inconsistent. But it'd be really cool to see them win, and a lot of fun for our city. 

[MAJUSCULE]

Do you think the heat will be an issue for Joe Brr?  

[elsongs]

7 hours ago, KenElevenShadows said:

This Super Bowl is going to be a hot one. We have a heat wave going here in Los Angeles. I am hoping the Rams win. I root for them second after the Bears, although they're a distant second. Anyway, I don't think this will be an easy win for the Rams. They're a good solid team, but sometimes rather inconsistent. But it'd be really cool to see them win, and a lot of fun for our city. 

It's definitely warmer than usual for February. This is normally our rainy season. But you know...climate change. SoFi Stadium is under a permanent canopy though and it's not like the sun will be beating down on the field or anything. So I don't think the players will notice anything different other than playing a day game (last year's SB started 6:30pm local time in Tampa). 

Speaking of Rams and Bears, did you know Sean McVay already has as many playoff wins as Ditka? 

I'm an L.A. native and I'm pulling for the Rams of course. I was neutral during The Dark Era (1996-2016) of no NFL in L.A. (I'm a USC alum so I didn't care about the NFL during that time, I just rooted for USC Trojans football). But this is not the same L.A. Rams that left in 1995. Stan Kroenke might be vilified in St. Louis but he's doing all the right things here in Los Angeles, doing what a major-market team is expected to do. He definitely wants the franchise to be up on the same echelon in this town as the Dodgers and Lakers, and a W on Sunday will be a huge step in that direction. There's a small but very vocal cadre of Raiders fans who still claim L.A. is a Raiders town. But the reality is, all the L.A.-based Raiders fans are aging Boomers and Gen-Xers who are not growing in number. The kids/youth are excited about the Rams, and 20-30 years from now, those will be the ones buying the Season Tickets at SoFi. I'm even hearing some of those Raiders fans starting to soften up ("Well, the Rams are my favorite NFC team...").

As for the game, I anticipate a not-very-high scoring game (but definitely a higher score than the last time the Rams were in the SB, lol) based on defense, with Aaron Donald and company being relentless. Offense-wise, I expect Stafford, Kupp and OBJ to rise to the occasion. 

I'll also be watching the Halftime Show. I'm quite sure "California Love" will be the finale.

WHOSE HOUSE?!?!



 

[o0Ampy0o]

Does anyone know whether the NFL app will broadcast the Super Bowl for free? (I am off the cable money pit).

 

They are currently running an 8-hour pregame but they could cut to pay only at kickoff. There are buttons for "Watch" and "Listen" but the Watch currently links to the pregame show.

 

I do not see the NFL app listed where I have looked, just NBC and Peacock apps.

 

I want to have it set up in advance if I must pay.

 

OK I found the answer: "...both the Yahoo! Sports and NFL apps will be streaming the game completely free of cost."

[Geoff Grace]

The big day has arrived!

 

Rooting for the Rams to finally win their first Super Bowl as a Los Angeles team.

 

 

GO RAMS!!!

 
Best,
 
Geoff

[Docbop]

I'm ready....  Go team!

 

[GovernorSilver]

That's weird that the Rams are designated as the Visiting team in what is normally their home stadium

[Geoff Grace]

YES!!! FINALLY, THE LA RAMS ARE SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS!!!

 

YES!!!

 

SO HAPPY!!!!

 

My condolences to Bengals fans. They shut down the Rams running game, and they were tough opponents the whole way.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[GovernorSilver]

That was a really good, hard fought game.

 

Congrats Geoff and other Rams fans.  Donald should get MVP - his play slowed down Burrow and the Bengals just enough.

[Geoff Grace]

Thanks, GovernorSilver!

 

Did I mention that I'm happy?

 

GO RAMS!!!  

 

Best,

 

Geoff