NFL and College Football (American Football) Thread

[Samari]

[FDW]

Originally Posted by Last Sinner

New coach teams...Philadelphia, New York Jets, San Diego, Kansas City, Dallas, Buffalo, Tennessee, Arizona, Cleveland, Oakland, New Orleans.

The first five I'm going to agree with you absolutely on, the next four I would consider somewhat more questionable, New Orleans is technically right but needs a asterisk. Oakland on the other hand is completely wrong, for various reasons.

NFL playoff generator is up:

http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/machine

Here's what I got from it:

NFC Playoff Seeds:

No.1: San Francisco 13-2-1 (Alex Smith comes back and has a fun six weeks)
No.2: Green Bay 12-4 (Aaron Rodgers manages a strong finish)
No.3: Atlanta 12-4 (Matt Ryan not so much)
No.4: Washington 8-8 (Would be the underdog story of the year, but…)
No.5: Seattle 11-5 (The NFC West sending two teams to playoffs? WTF!)
No.6: Chicago 11-5 (The Bears are lucky just to have gotten, as the No.7 seed can attest)

(Other teams with .500 record or better: Tampa Bay 10-6, New Orleans 9-7, Minnesota 8-8, and New York Giants 8-8)

AFC Playoff Seeds:

No.1 Houston Texans 14-2 (They taste like "destiny")
No.2 Baltimore Ravens 14-2 (For once they don't The Steelers cock-blocking them from a home playoff game again)
No.3 New England Patriots 11-5 (This doesn't need to be explained)
No.4 Denver Broncos 11-5 (Rather boring if not…)
No.5 Indianapolis Colts 11-5 (…for the epic match between the QB and the QB that replaced him)
No.6 Oakland Raiders 8-8 (Said underdog team that our underdogged The Redskins by somehow getting into the playoffs despite being a burnt out corpse of a team, having tiebreakers over Cincinnati and Pittsburgh did wonders)

(Other teams with .500 records or better: Cincinnati 8-8, Pittsburg 8-8)

[Kyuu]

One more step closer towards Flag Football...

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...waist-in-2013/

[sky black swordman]

^ It seems to be going that way.

Originally Posted by Last Sinner

New coach teams...Philadelphia, New York Jets, San Diego, Kansas City, Dallas, Buffalo, Tennessee, Arizona, Cleveland, Oakland, New Orleans.

Woah 11 team !
I think the head coach of the Oakland Raiders will be givin a pass this year and maybe next year. If he can't do anything in those 2 years, they will fire him.
The first 5, I knew about and without a doubt will happen.

Originally Posted by FDW

AFC Playoff Seeds:

No.1 Houston Texans 14-2 (They taste like "destiny")
No.2 Baltimore Ravens 14-2 (For once they don't The Steelers cock-blocking them from a home playoff game again)
No.3 New England Patriots 11-5 (This doesn't need to be explained)
No.4 Denver Broncos 11-5 (Rather boring if not…)
No.5 Indianapolis Colts 11-5 (…for the epic match between the QB and the QB that replaced him)
No.6 Oakland Raiders 8-8 (Said underdog team that our underdogged The Redskins by somehow getting into the playoffs despite being a burnt out corpse of a team, having tiebreakers over Cincinnati and Pittsburgh did wonders)

(Other teams with .500 records or better: Cincinnati 8-8, Pittsburg 8-8)

Seriously?

[Samari]

I'd put my money on Buffalo, Cincinnati, or Pittsburgh making the playoffs before Oakland. The Raiders are flat out terrible and they're not going to get on some kind of win streak.

[FDW]

Originally Posted by Samari

I'd put my money on Buffalo, Cincinnati, or Pittsburgh making the playoffs before Oakland. The Raiders are flat out terrible and they're not going to get on some kind of win streak.

The Raiders aren't flat out terrible. The vast majority of their problems have been concentrated in their secondary, with the ground game and D-Line being lesser issues. The Receiving corp has had to deal with the injuries to Jacoby Ford and DHB's backsliding, but Denarius Moore's steady performance, and the emergence of Brad Meyers and Rod Streater in the Passing game means a net positive for the group. And since the bye, the D-Line has gotten somewhat better (though the horrifying secondary means that they still give up way too many big plays), and Marcell Reece has emerged as a frightening double option, he might turn out to be that option in ground game that The Raiders have been looking for all season.

And lastly, The Raiders have powder-puff schedule to finish off the season, consisting of Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver, Kansas City, Carolina, and San Diego. In my scenario, The Raiders got in because they held tiebreakers over Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, won every remaining game save for the one against Denver, and were lucky to see Pittsburgh AND Cincinnati fall to divisional rivals in the final week of the season. (Also, in trying to recreate the situation which got Oakland in, I found out that The Raiders apparently have a tiebreaker over The Bills but not The Titans. EDIT: Apparently The Raiders in my scenario got in because of a conference game record, which makes sense.)

[Samari]

Sorry FDW, it just sounds like you're making a bunch of excuses. Carson Palmer sucks and is a turnover machine at the worst time (I guess he's okay for Fantasy Football like Ryan Fitzpatrick is) and McFadden has been a ghost the entire season. And they don't have any superstars practically anywhere on both sides of the ball. Gamebreakers. Guys that have a knack for changing the tide of the game. I wouldn't be surprised if a good amount of them are simply mailing it in at this point. Even with the rest of their schedule being "easy" a lot of those teams may seem average like San Diego and Cincinnati, but they're still better than the Raiders. There is no evidence to suggest that they'll be going on some ridiculous win streak and lose only one more game the rest of the way. This is a team that has given up 135 points in their last three games. That's terrible.

[FDW]

Originally Posted by Samari

Sorry FDW, it just sounds like you're making a bunch of excuses. Carson Palmer sucks and is a turnover machine at the worst time (I guess he's okay for Fantasy Football like Ryan Fitzpatrick is) and McFadden has been a ghost the entire season. And they don't have any superstars practically anywhere on both sides of the ball. Gamebreakers. Guys that have a knack for changing the tide of the game. I wouldn't be surprised if a good amount of them are simply mailing it in at this point. Even with the rest of their schedule being "easy" a lot of those teams may seem average like San Diego and Cincinnati, but they're still better than the Raiders. There is no evidence to suggest that they'll be going on some ridiculous win streak and lose only one more game the rest of the way. This is a team that has given up 135 points in their last three games. That's terrible.

To let me counter, Carson Palmers problem's with interceptions this season speak more to the issues of the ground game forcing him to pass 40+ times a game more than anything else. McFadden's problems can be solidly be attributed to Greg Knapp forcing the Zone Run scheme on a RB not really suited for it. And I should point out that those last three games are completely different animals: The first started out as defensive struggle before before both offenses went hog wild in the second half (with the Raiders in it to the very end, and losing because of a good ground game from The Bucs), the second one was a pure blowout in the classical definition of the word, and the third was the result of key mistakes by Palmer in the first half, and sheer incompetence in the secondary in the second half. I don't deny that The Raiders have severe problems, and have a difficult road to the playoffs (If you look back at my picks, you'll see that I actually picked against them this week) which I don't really think they'll make, they still have a high floor compared to other teams.

[sky black swordman]

^ Agreed!

Off topic: USC lost it's last game.
I have to say in order for them to win next year, they need to get rid of that head coach.
He is a great recruiter, but that's all !!

[creb]

Not to make fun of USC fans, but if you think a change in coach can overcome players hyped up to be far more than what they are (I'll enjoy watching Barkley go early in the first round and be yet another USC quarterback bust)...well, I'll chalk up those delusions to having to deal with LA traffic and smog. Imo, USC had a truly good team 2003-2004. They've been skating on luck and hype since. Not that I think Kiffin is a good coach, but I'd consider him just one small cog in the mammoth problem in that program. I don't see them being national title relevant again for a long time, though the media will continue to pretend they are for several more years.

Anyways, I'd like to take the time to say I hate Notre Dame. Possibly more than how much I hate the current BCS system that is almost certainly going to put yet another SEC team in the national championship game.

That said, despite my intense hatred for Notre Dame, and how they get special rules no one else does, because they're such special little unicorns with fairy wings, I have to grudgingly admit that they play the closest thing to a man's schedule among any team with a realistic chance of winning it all (I don't count teams with no shot, who only schedule opponents because of the financial payouts).

So, hats off to them, for that. I've heard that the playoff system that will be implemented in 2014? is supposed to encourage teams with aspirations for the title game to take more risks in scheduling opposing teams. One can only hope. I really don't get why schools get to schedule at all. Should be computerized, using chess ranking rules, or something. Actually, I do know why the system is the way it is. And, the reasons are absurd.

The cynic in me won't believe it 'till I see it (less cupcakes, more close games). In fact, in a lot of ways, as much as I hate the current BCS system, I think the real fault has nothing to do with the BCS computers, but because we allow human input into the process. Ideally, total wins/losses should mean far less than who you won and lost to. Maybe the international chess federation and Blizzard entertainment need to take over the college football ranking system.

Lastly, it's not like my Badgers are ever great, but it's incredibly depressing to lose to Penn State. Hide my head in a hole levels of depression and shame.

[Samari]

I just never understood the appeal of college football. Just knowing that the NFL is the highest level you can get to, and a lot of those guys that play in college football are just going to have their day in the sun at that level and nothing more...just seems weird to me. I mean, does anyone really give a shit about Matt Leinart anymore? Or Vince Young? Or Chris Leak? Not only that, but if you have a superstar QB or RB, they'll be gone from your team in like three years and then it's on to the next guy.

[Dilla]

All the things you mentioned that makes college football unappealing to you is what make it appealing to others, like me. The idea of constantly changing rosters, especially at skill positions, is interesting.

Plus, alma mater pride. USC fans care about Matt Leinhart. Texas fans care about Vince Young. Florida fans care about Chris Leak.

Plus, knowing who a certain prospect is when he is drafted by your favorite team is useful. Being an armchair college scout in the offseason is fun.

[FDW]

Originally Posted by Samari

I just never understood the appeal of college football. Just knowing that the NFL is the highest level you can get to, and a lot of those guys that play in college football are just going to have their day in the sun at that level and nothing more...just seems weird to me. I mean, does anyone really give a shit about Matt Leinart anymore? Or Vince Young? Or Chris Leak? Not only that, but if you have a superstar QB or RB, they'll be gone from your team in like three years and then it's on to the next guy.

Well, College Football was important way before the Professional leagues gained prominence, and since them College ball has been the closest thing the NFL has had to a proper minor league. And at this point, I'd say that Matt Leinart and Vince Young still have shots at reviving their careers.

[creb]

If you didn't grow up in a town and/or go to school where fall Sundays turned the town a certain color, and 80-100k+ people descended on the college stadium, with all the requisite tailgating and barhopping/house parties, then I suppose I can understand why you have no idea why people can find themselves "in" to college football.

If it wasn't for fantasy football, I'd probably be far less emotionally invested in the NFL, as the NFL experience, as a fan, is far less gripping to me.

Also, Matt Leinart may have been a fantastic college qb, but I have seen absolutely nothing out of him that would indicate he'd ever make it as a starter in the NFL. I chalk it up to a combination of lack of motivation (he comes from money), and arm strength that was fine for the college level, but is mediocre for the NFL, combined with a psyche that is terrified of taking chances due to a lack of confidence after his rather unfortunate early years in the NFL.

As for Vince Young, he's just too stupid to make it as an NFL qb. He certainly has the athletic skills. I'm used to below average intelligence from my professional athletes, but I remember watching an interview with him, and it was gawd-awful painful to watch.

[Samari]

Different strokes for different folks. I was just curious. I grew up watching the 49ers who were pretty dominant my entire childhood up until I was about in high school and with Cal it was just "oh...whatever". Plus, I just like the highest level of competition. I could see getting into it if I actually went to one of those schools with a football team worth supporting.

I do get into the prospects coming into the NFL, but as far as what they did in college I almost ignore it. I also can't stand when people defend players in the NFL by using what they did in college to back up their argument.

[Samari]

Oakland already on their way to getting blown out.

[FDW]

Originally Posted by Samari

Oakland already on their way to getting blown out.

Damn, I thought it was going to be bad, but not this bad…

[sky black swordman]

Originally Posted by FDW

Damn, I thought it was going to be bad, but not this bad…

Not really when you take in to consideration the Refs screwed up and cost the Raiders an opportunity to make a comeback.

They are also party responsible for the brawl that happend after.

[FDW]

Originally Posted by sky black swordman

Not really when you take in to consideration the Refs screwed up and cost the Raiders an opportunity to make a comeback.

They are also party responsible for the brawl that happend after.

Yeah, I hope the NFL changes that rule in the offseason, like the challenge play that screwed over the Detroit Lions. Still, this shows that The Raiders badly need an overhaul to their secondary.

In other news, Kaep's win over The Saints makes me deeply uncomfortable.

[D2]

Bleh, all the injuries finally caught up to the Packers tonight. Dietricht-Smith and Newhouse were about as useful tonight as orange traffic cones.