El Lobo Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 When the Chiefs and Chargers went into overtime, I had to go to the bathroom as OT started. From the bathroom I heard "touchdown!" for the Chiefs. But it was an entertaining game. Quote These are only my opinions, not supported by any actual knowledge, experience, or expertise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovernorSilver Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 Chargers would normally have Derwin James calling audibles for the defense to slow down Kelce, if not covering him personally. But his injury sidelined him for the 2nd half and OT. Getting used to playing without stars like James is part of the growing process for this mostly young Chargers team. Injuries in the NFL are a constant threat. The better teams like Patriots, Chiefs, etc. are better at adjusting to losing starters - short of the QB - than the rest. That said, Brendan Staley has done a good job so far changing the culture of this team, which has had a history of of timidly playing not to lose instead of playing to win, not gelling, etc. He's got his guys doing their best to fit into his system and playing more confidently against all takers instead of being afraid of certain foes. Some holdovers from the previous regime are fitting just fine like James, Bosa, Herbert, Ekeler, Allen, etc. while others like Kenneth Murray look like square pegs in round holes. Murray was a 1st-round pick right after Herbert, for ILB. But he's been outplayed by the ILB duo who now starts in front of him, so Staley is trying him at edge rusher, but he doesn't seem to be working out there either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfD Posted December 18, 2021 Share Posted December 18, 2021 The Chiefs/Chargers battle was a good one. I thought the Chargers would hold on to victory until I saw their defense was worn out. The Chiefs stepped on the gas during the championship rounds of a heavyweight fight. AFC defenses will give up points. The Chargers defense has been porous since Fouts was their QB. However, the Chargers have a bright future with their young head coach Brandon Staley and QB Justin and offensive weapons (Ekeler, Allen and Williams). Shore up that defense with a couple more pieces and they will be Super Bowl contenders. Quote PD "The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovernorSilver Posted December 18, 2021 Share Posted December 18, 2021 Chargers were ranked #1 in defense in 2010. But... their coach was Norv and special teams were so bad they went 9-7 and missed the playoffs. I stopped believing in NFL defense rankings after that, lol. Ranking defenses by yards allowed, instead of points allowed, makes so little sense. Today's good news for the Chargers is Donald Parham is recovering from the concussion he suffered very early in the Chief-Chargers game. I mean, a concussion is hardly a good thing to have, but the way he was shaking his hands and arms uncontrollably and gazing emptily while lying on the stretcher just looked like something more serious than a concussion. I thought all NFL stadiums are supposed to use nicer turf these days, but I guess not - his head hitting the turf apparently caused the concussion. Parham's early exit affected the red zone offense, as the Chargers rely on him as an extra target while the D focuses on Allen, Williams, and Ekeler. And of course worrying about him after being carted off was obviously distracting to them. I'd say what the Chargers were missing since the Fouts days, even more than shutdown D, was a head coach willing to test new ideas instead of just doing things the safe way all the time, and make sure the ideas fit the players. Kevin Killpride was the one HC before Staley who tried to innovate, but he had a reputation of looking down on his players as being too dumb to understand his genius. No patience for coaching or explaining anything. Thus, nobody understood his overly complicated system and looked lost all the time on game day. He tried to make Stan Humphries QB his run and shoot offense, and that got Stan knocked out of the game for good. He was soon replaced by Smiley Riley whose Mr. Rogers act soon had all the players except Junior and Rodney treating Charger camp like Club Med. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovernorSilver Posted December 20, 2021 Share Posted December 20, 2021 Congrats to Geoff on the Packers clinching the NFCN. Bucs losing 9-0 to the Saints... even Brady could not overcome the losses of so many playmakers. I'm sure he said lots of things less family friendly than "Let's goooo" Colts imposed their will on the Pats. Usually you want a star QB to fuel your Superbowl dreams but once in a while you get a SB winner like the Ravens who won with a strong rushing attack and a game-manager QB, who isn't asked to win by himself... like the 2021 Colts. Detroit forgot they're competing with Jax for the 1st pick in the draft. Kyler Murray had no chance with that awful OL performance against the Lions pass rush. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovernorSilver Posted December 20, 2021 Share Posted December 20, 2021 Not surprised that NFL has seen an uptick in COVID cases since it's part of a general surge, pushing the Raiders-Browns game back and so on. Chargers just lost Bosa, Ekeler, and their starting center Lindsey (ex-Packer) to COVID-19 list. Ekeler's been struggling with an ankle injury, which is why he played so little in the Chiefs game. He could use the break. They'll be playing the Texans next, so maybe they'll be ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CEB Posted December 20, 2021 Share Posted December 20, 2021 Bears Suck. That's all. Quote "It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne "A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!! So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Grace Posted December 20, 2021 Author Share Posted December 20, 2021 Congrats to Geoff on the Packers clinching the NFCN. Thanks, GovernorSilver. The Packers are looking every bit as good as last year, despite all of the injuries. Even so, I've got to give props to Baltimore. Tyler Huntley looked like a starting quarterback yesterday. Green Bay barely escaped the Ravens' late surge with a win. Best, Geoff Quote My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovernorSilver Posted December 24, 2021 Share Posted December 24, 2021 The last 5 seconds of the Titans-Niners game were the most entertaining of the entire game. UCF vs. Florida was more entertaining to watch. UCF is joining the Big 12 in a few years, but they played like they're already in it. San Diego State finished their season on a high note, defeating UTSA in the Frisco Bowl to earn a school record 12 wins. Their best player, punter Matt Araiza has a future in the NFL. Until the Frisco Bowl, none of their QBs or WRs had any hope of a professional football career due to SDSU's mediocre at best passing attack. That might change for WR Jesse Matthews (11 catches, 175 yds, 2 TD) and QB Lucas Johnson (333 yds, 3TD plus rush TD) - rarely threw over 220 yds). CFL at least should be a possibility for them now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAJUSCULE Posted December 24, 2021 Share Posted December 24, 2021 Yeah, Napier has some work ahead of him to re-establish the Gator Standard. Looking forward to it. Quote Eric Website Gear page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfD Posted December 24, 2021 Share Posted December 24, 2021 Not surprised that NFL has seen an uptick in COVID cases since it's part of a general surge... Teams have been good about next man up or bringing players up from practice squads. They're not complaining about opponents having an unfair advantage. However, I noticed that after the league had 100+ players test positive, the NFL decided to change the testing rules. Money talks. Quote PD "The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovernorSilver Posted December 24, 2021 Share Posted December 24, 2021 Not surprised that NFL has seen an uptick in COVID cases since it's part of a general surge... Teams have been good about next man up or bringing players up from practice squads. They're not complaining about opponents having an unfair advantage. However, I noticed that after the league had 100+ players test positive, the NFL decided to change the testing rules. Money talks. I haven't heard of teams complaining either. Just to be clear, I do not believe the Texans have an unfair advantage of the Chargers in their upcoming game. I also do not believe USU had an unfair advantage over SDSU as the former dismantled the latter in the MWC game despite SDSU missing over 20 players due to COVID, nor did SDSU have an advantage over UTSA in the Frisco Bowl. The program that prepares better for this sort of stuff deserves to win - if you didn't prepare well, that's on you, not COVID. I read that the Browns-Raiders game and one other was almost canceled because COVID took out so many of the Browns players and those of other teams. But you're right, money talks - no way NFL is going to say no to advertising dollars that come with broadcasting games. OTOH, all those starters out resulted in boring 15-10 type games. At this rate, we could see a Superbowl in which both participants field teams made up entirely of 2nd and 3rd string QBs and other backups. Viewership would be so low that advertisers demand refunds from the NFL. Only recently found out that Joey Bosa is an unvaccinated player, and he's not the only one. Says something about the power of the NFLPA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovernorSilver Posted December 26, 2021 Share Posted December 26, 2021 My boy Herbie and the Chargers got spanked pretty good in Houston. Both teams were missing notable players due to COVID, so it came down to who was more ready to play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bryce Posted December 27, 2021 Share Posted December 27, 2021 Bears Suck. That's all. Somebody forgot to tell the Seahawks. dB Quote ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CEB Posted December 27, 2021 Share Posted December 27, 2021 [video:youtube] Quote "It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne "A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!! So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfD Posted December 27, 2021 Share Posted December 27, 2021 WFT didn't get anywhere near a win against the Cowbums. In fact, WFT was summarily destroyed from the 1st quarter through last. The Cowbums scored TDs in every phase of the game. I thought WFT had committed to their running game during winning streak. Unfortunately, they abandoned it two weeks ago. I would not feel bad if little Danny fired the entire coaching staff tomorrow. If not, I hope the OC gets a HC opportunity elsewhere. HC Rivera and DC Del Rio need to decide how badly they want to continue coaching. I personally think they may have aged out of the program. Too bad the owner cannot be fired. WFT has been such a toxic organization, it will hard to attract talent whether it's coaches or players. I hope it doesn't take another decade to right the ship. Quote PD "The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovernorSilver Posted December 27, 2021 Share Posted December 27, 2021 This is where I respect and envy the Green Bay Packers - a team that is literally owned by the Green Bay community, not at the mercy of an owner who is some business magnate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovernorSilver Posted December 27, 2021 Share Posted December 27, 2021 Late to the party but just realized Kurt Warner got his own biopic. I remember when the Ram suddenly transformed from NFC doormat to the most feared offense in the league, when some dude nobody heard of got the starting QB job. Dennis Quaid as Dick Vermeil.... [video:youtube] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Lobo Posted December 27, 2021 Share Posted December 27, 2021 This is where I respect and envy the Green Bay Packers - a team that is literally owned by the Green Bay community, not at the mercy of an owner who is some business magnate.And this is why I've always loved the Packers. I've been to Green Bay. It's a tiny town with not much to recommend it except history as a meat packing town and an NFL team and stadium owned by the town itself. It can never be bought by someone else and moved to some other city. And the stadium is not domed. I love seeing teams play the Packers at home in January in the middle of a blizzard, where they have to come out after every play to remove the snow so you can see where the lines and down markers are. That's football! Old skool ... Quote These are only my opinions, not supported by any actual knowledge, experience, or expertise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Grace Posted December 29, 2021 Author Share Posted December 29, 2021 Sad news: NFL Hall of Fame coach, broadcasting icon John Madden dies at 85 He was a great coach and my favorite broadcaster. A life well lived. Best, Geoff Quote My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovernorSilver Posted January 2, 2022 Share Posted January 2, 2022 Antonio Brown just made the WTF move of the season. Ripped off his jersey, threw it to the stands, and ran off, and in the middle of the game too. There's been some memorable on-field meltdowns over the years like Randy Moss launching a water bottle, but this takes the cake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CEB Posted January 2, 2022 Share Posted January 2, 2022 Sad think to see AB go this route. He was a model teammate before Burfict gave AB brain damage. Quote "It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne "A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!! So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovernorSilver Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 Sad thinh to see AB go this route. He was a model teammate before Burfict gave AB brain damage. Oh wow. https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/nfl/bengals/2020/01/26/antonio-brown-never-recovered-vontaze-burfict-hit-per-dunlap/4585756002/ We can only hope he finds help, but given what CTE has done to other NFL players like Vincent Jackson, outlook is not good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfD Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 The NFL changed the FOX logo to Madden. That was a nice touch. Of course, memories of Madden will be ongoing remainder of this season. WFT played better this week than last but true to form this season. They gave up too many big plays to a mobile QB and turned the ball over at the worst time. Whatever is going on in the head of Antonio Brown (AB), I hope that he gets help before it becomes destructive. I know the Cowbums are in the playoffs. I hope they're eliminated immediately. Quote PD "The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovernorSilver Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 Chargers needed the Dolphins and Ravens to lose to stay alive for the playoffs. Dolphins were no match for the Titans. Ravens were done in by OBJ hauling in Stafford's pass for a 4th quarter comeback win. Chargers took care of their own business, having more healthy starters than the Broncos. Looks like Staley learned from the last time they played at home - they didn't go for it on 4th down in as much and took FG opportunities. It helps when you trust Hopkins as your kicker. Vizcaino was a bust and that was one of the reasons they went for it so much earlier in the season. Andre Roberts as a mid-season free agent pickup continues to pay dividends. Next they need to beat the Raiders to make the playoffs. They're not a Superbowl ready team but the experience would be great for Herbie and his young teammates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Grace Posted January 3, 2022 Author Share Posted January 3, 2022 The Packers have once again clinched the top seed in the NFC. Now, if they can just have a postseason that's as good as their regular season... Best, Geoff Quote My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfD Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 The Packers have once again clinched the top seed in the NFC. Now, if they can just have a postseason that's as good as their regular season... I believe the Packers will be representing the NFC in the Super Bowl this year. Quote PD "The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Grace Posted January 4, 2022 Author Share Posted January 4, 2022 The Packers have once again clinched the top seed in the NFC. Now, if they can just have a postseason that's as good as their regular season... I believe the Packers will be representing the NFC in the Super Bowl this year. I like the way you think, ProfD! Best, Geoff Quote My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Grace Posted January 4, 2022 Author Share Posted January 4, 2022 The fans gave Big Ben a touching sendoff tonight: Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger gets wish, ends potential last game at Heinz Field with win Best, Geoff Quote My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovernorSilver Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 There goes the last of a heck of a QB class: Big Ben, Philip Rivers, and Eli Manning Multiple Lombardis between Big Ben and Eli. If Rivers had gone to a better organization than the Chargers, who knows, but he set his share of passing records for them - Colts are apparently trying to call him out of retirement due to Wentz going on the COVID list. I could see a Bucs-Packers NFC championship Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.