Official NFL thread 2023-2024

[jazzpiano88]

The Lions comeback over the Bears was destiny.   It could not have happened otherwise.    As a result, the Bears are moving to Venezuela.

 

 

[Geoff Grace]

Carolina Panthers fire head coach Frank Reich

Not surprising, considering that Reich's record with the team was 1-10. He is the first coach in the Super Bowl era to be fired in the middle of back-to-back seasons. (Reich was fired in the middle of the season last year from the Colts.)

Best,

Geoff

[GovernorSilver]

Congrats, Geoff on the Packers win over the Lions and the Broncos win over the Browns.

 

I thought the Ravens were going to blow out the Chargers, but I didn't account for a dip in the Raven's motivation on the road vs. a lackluster opponent.  Still the difference in coaching and talent was stark.  Ravens have playmakers all over the place, in all 3 phases, and built solid from the inside out.   Herbert continues to be hamstrung by substandard protection and having only 2 reliable weapons in Allen and Ekeler.

[Geoff Grace]

Thanks, GovernorSilver. My condolences on the Chargers' loss to the Ravens.

 

Even though the Packers, Rams, and Broncos have spent most of the season with more losses than wins, all three managed to win this week! The Packers' win over the Lions was particularly sweet because it was the least expected (by me, anyway). With Green Bay and LA at 5-6 and Denver at 6-5, all three teams are actually in the hunt for a playoff spot. If any of them get that far, I'll be happy.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[jazzpiano88]

I did hear that Mark Davis has finally fired his grandmother after the snickers bubbled up to him regarding his haircut.

[ProfD]

16 hours ago, Geoff Grace said:

Not surprising, considering that Reich's record with the team was 1-10.

The downside to working in a business where media hype plays a huge role in decision-making nowadays. 

 

Former HC Frank Reich was seen as someone who could help QB Bryce Young in his development at the pro level. Nevermind that Reich crashed and burned when QB Andrew Luck suddenly retired. 

 

The Panthers should have promoted interim HC Steve Wilks since he led the team to a 6-6 record after taking over from fired HC Matt Rhule last season. 

 

Meanwhile, rookie HC DeMeco Ryans and rookie QB CJ Stroud are giving the Houston Texans new life. Surely, this factored into Panthers owner Dave Tepper's decision to fire HC Reich as well.

 

IMO, unless the situation is toxic (Urban Meyer, Nathaniel Hackett, Josh McDaniel), a HC should be given 5 years to make a difference with a football team. 

 

The Panthers will probably make Lions OC Ben Johnson their next HC. He'll be a rookie in that position too.

 

If hired, let's see if Ben Johnson or whoever the next HC may be is given time to make the Panthers team better. They have several holes to fill in that o-line and a lack of playmakers to help their young QB ( no pun intended).😎

[Geoff Grace]

I’m obviously not a doctor, but this seems crazy…

Jets' Aaron Rodgers cleared to practice 11 weeks after surgery

Best,

Geoff

[ProfD]

18 hours ago, Geoff Grace said:

I’m obviously not a doctor, but this seems crazy…

Jets' Aaron Rodgers cleared to practice 11 weeks after surgery

Yesterday, I listened to football talking heads discuss whether QB Aaron Rodgers should or should not play again this season. 

 

Obviously, the Jets aren't going anywhere with or without QB AR's services this season.

 

The thought is that QB Rodgers being at practice or on the sidelines or up in the sky-box is some kind of team motivation.

 

Yet, knowing QB AR is a part of the team clearly hasn't helped QBs Zach Wilson or Tim Boyle.😁

 

It's comical that certain football players have turned a man's sport into a melodrama. 🤣😎

[jazzpiano88]

On 11/17/2023 at 8:39 PM, bill5 said:

We're a little over half-way in the season, what do people think happens? 

 

IMO it's Ravens or Chiefs vs Eagles or 49ers. Cowboys maybe, but it would be an upset to make it, I still don't believe in them to go that far. Likewise the Fins and Lions. Anyone else making it to the SB would IMO be a major upset. 

 

The niners blowout in PHI (42-19) , despite a slow start was pretty amazing.

Hurts looked like a young Kaepernick.    Just destroyed and concussed.   Not sure if Swift will play another season.

 

Niners Chiefs it is.

 

I wasn't aware the PHI employed a Mafia head of security deployed on the sideline for their games.   It was good that New York NFL put the kabosh on that mid-game and had him forcibly removed from the stadium.   Hopefully the guy is prosecuted and banned from the sport.

[ProfD]

1 hour ago, jazzpiano88 said:

 

The niners blowout in PHI (42-19)...

Those teama will meet avain for the NFC championship. I believe it will be a more competitive game. 

 

1 hour ago, jazzpiano88 said:

Not sure if Swift will play another season.

Seems Swift was able to leave thr game under his own power. He'll be back.

1 hour ago, jazzpiano88 said:

I wasn't aware the PHI employed a Mafia head of security deployed on the sideline for their games.

Philly head of security got into it with a 49ers defensive player who got himself ejected from the game for an unnecessary hit out of bounds.😎

[jazzpiano88]

17 minutes ago, ProfD said:

1 hour ago, jazzpiano88 said:

 

The niners blowout in PHI (42-19)...

Those teama will meet avain for the NFC championship. I believe it will be a more competitive game. 

 

 

They may or may not meet again.  If so, I believe it will be a less competitive game. 

[GovernorSilver]

wut?

 

The Packers beat the Chiefs???  27-19??? m Looks like the Lambeau magic is back.   Congrats Geoff!

[Geoff Grace]

Thanks, GovernorSilver. The Packers led the whole game. It's a shame that there was a no call on pass interference on the final Kansas City drive. The Chiefs likely would have scored a touchdown and possibly could have made a two-point conversion to tie the game at the end of regulation (although they failed to do so earlier in the game). As a result, the Packers' victory is tainted by a missed call.

 

Nonetheless, Green Bay's performance from start to finish was a strong indication that they're beginning to gel into a relevant team again. Not bad for the youngest team in the league.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[Geoff Grace]

On 9/1/2023 at 1:01 PM, Geoff Grace said:

So in short, I’m hoping that all three of my favorite teams will finish with six or more wins.

 

Mission accomplished. The Packers, Rams, and Broncos are 6-6 today. Any additional wins will be gravy.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[ProfD]

Great win for the Packers.

 

As QB Patrick Mahomes said during post-game press conference, outcome of the game shouldn't come down to refs call or no call.

 

The Chiefs had opportunities to win the game. Their magic has been missing all season long.

 

The Chiefs may not be going back to the Super Bowl this season. They need to find better WRs to complement the playmakers they have already.😎

 

[Geoff Grace]

By the way, the Packers played themselves into the playoff picture tonight. If the postseason started next week, Green Bay would be the #7 seed NFC wild card team.

Looking at their schedule ahead, it seems that they have a good shot to actually make the playoffs when it’s all said and done. Not a single one of their future opponents currently has a winning record:

12/11/23: Giants (4-8)
12/17/23: Buccaneers (5-7)
12/24/23: Panthers (1-11)
12/31/23: Vikings (6-6)
1/7/24: Bears (4-8)

Best,

Geoff

[Geoff Grace]

As for the Niners, I think they're the team to beat this year. If they can stay healthy, I wouldn't be surprised to see them win it all.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[octa]

For years I've been wondering: Why is PI not reviewable? It's extremely difficult to make an accurate call in real-time with just the human eye. And PI calls have affected the outcome of countless games. 

 

Lately I'm thinking we need to have a ref raise a flag, similar to offsides in soccer, and then New York or wherever can confirm if PI actually did occur. If this is a pain, do it just in the 4th quarter, or at least the last 5 minutes of the game. 

 

That said, not too long before the missed PI call, they penalized the Packers for hitting Mahomes out-of-bounds, when he was clearly inbounds. (non-reviewable too) 

[GovernorSilver]

Before the game, this sports pundit argued Brock Purdy is not a franchise QB, and Jalen Hurts IS one, based on how the two wear their hats.  

 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0SUVOtuL4o/?igshid=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng%3D%3D

[GovernorSilver]

Unexpectedly entertaining MNF game between the Jaguars and the left-for-dead Bengals.

 

With Joe Burrow lost for the season, the Bengals decided to let QB Jake Browning throw the ball more, and he delivered.

 

Some bad luck on the Jaguars side with Trevor Lawrence exiting the game with an injury.  Bobby Beathard's grandson CJ took over and completed a deep shot that would have set up 1st and goal in OT, but his OL got caught holding.  Then Zac Taylor did his Martyball impression to set up the winning FG.

[El Lobo]

18 hours ago, GovernorSilver said:

Before the game, this sports pundit argued Brock Purdy is not a franchise QB, and Jalen Hurts IS one, based on how the two wear their hats.  

 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0SUVOtuL4o/?igshid=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng%3D%3D

Thanks for that. Very funny. What an idjit. 

[Outkaster]

True they were on fire the other night. 

[surfergirl]

The Chargers are up 3 in the CBS power rankings after that offensive explosion against the the mighty Patriots.

[jazzpiano88]

On 12/4/2023 at 4:49 PM, GovernorSilver said:

Before the game, this sports pundit argued Brock Purdy is not a franchise QB, and Jalen Hurts IS one, based on how the two wear their hats.  

 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0SUVOtuL4o/?igshid=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng%3D%3D

 

Yeah, that has gotten a lot of scorn.

 

I thought Stephen A. Smith hit the nail on the head that the rematch de legitimized the Eagles NFC title last season.

 

His point was that the championship wasn't all that meaningful when they beat a team without a QB on the field.   And now that they did play them, well the result speaks for itself.   

 

I agree, that championship should have an asterisk.

 

 

[GovernorSilver]

4 hours ago, surfergirl said:

The Chargers are up 3 in the CBS power rankings after that offensive explosion against the the mighty Patriots.

 

My guess is it's more to do with other teams sinking.  The Commanders and Saints for example were both ranked higher than the Chargers the previous week.  Now both are lower.

[Geoff Grace]

Certainly, last year's NFC Championship game would have more competitive if San Francisco had a quarterback. It's possible they could have even won the game.

 

Nonetheless, injuries play a role in almost every game; and teams change from week to week, let alone season to season. This season's Niners decisive victory last weekend was impressive, but it's a stretch to say that eleven months ago the outcome would have clearly been the same for last season's team if only Brock Purdy hadn't been injured.

 

If they were to start assigning asterisks to every victory that came over an injured opponent, there would be more games with asterisks than without. I realize that playing in a championship game with no quarterback at all is an exceptional circumstance; but injuries are a part of the game, and sometimes even a huge part of the game.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[jazzpiano88]

I don’t think we’re talking about simple injuries.  This was a once in a lifetime event where there wasn’t a QB, and then the victor proceeded to act like they had walked on water to achieve the win.  

[ProfD]

8 hours ago, Geoff Grace said:

Nonetheless, injuries play a role in almost every game; and teams change from week to week, let alone season to season.

Absolutely. 

 

Just recently the Bengals, Steelers and Jaguars were dealt a blow with their starting QB being injured.

 

The reason I would not asterisk the Eagles NFC championship win last year is because their defense was playing lights out before QB Brock Purdy was injured.

 

IOW, even *if* QB Purdy had played the whole game, it would have been tougher day in the office than he had last Sunday. 

 

Luckily for the 49ers, the Philly defense has lost a step since last season. 

 

If the 49ers-Eagles meet again for the NFC championship, I believe it will be more competitive than last Sunday. 

 

It would be hilarious if Philly purposefully held back in that game thinking about a future match-up.😉

 

Otherwise, any given Sunday applies to every NFL game. 

 

Nobody really believed the Chiefs would lose to the Packers. It happened.  Congrats brotha Geoff.😁😎

 

 

[Geoff Grace]

Thanks, ProfD.

 

Yeah, even I didn't believe the Chiefs would lose to the Packers. I was aware that Green Bay was beginning to gel, but I didn't think they had come far enough or were consistent enough on offense to win that game. (Their defense has been playing well all season, though.)

 

I agree with your point about the Eagles' defense in last season's NFC Championship game compared to this season. The Niners couldn't protect Purdy, and he got injured in that game. Not so last weekend.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[jazzpiano88]

Me:  George Kittle is half Antelope if you saw the dirt being kicked up off his feet on change of directions today.

 

Terry: "Purdy is so much like Joe Montana and Steve Young and so accurate!. His passing from inside 60 yds where he just loops it in.  It's a fun thing to watch"

 

Howie: "He's not Montana, but Montana-ish.  Surgical.   It's so special watching his anticipation throws.