NFL

[Jimmy Higgins]

Never been a fan of the OT rule for TD wins on first possession. Punch to the gut for Bills fans there. KC just can score like crazy at times.

 

[blastula]

That had to be the best divisional round ever, each game super competitive, and the next one better than the last. I was enjoying what I thought was looking to be a dream rout by Rams, turning into a nightmare collapse, then back to a fantasy recovery and win. Stafford played good, depending on who's fault the blown snap turnover was. Akers was the main problem, two turnovers costing 14 points. Can't afford any of that against SF.

But the last game was the best. Thought it was over several times before it was.

Never been a fan of the OT rule for TD wins on first possession. Punch to the gut for Bills fans there. KC just can score like crazy at times.

Yeah, this game will hopefully spur a rule change, should have changed after KC lost to NE like that. In today's game, scoring on do-or-die drives has gotten too common.

AB weighs in.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Personally, I think the Chiefs v Bills was the Super Bowl. I think those two teams were the best before the game, and after, it cemented that idea.

Regarding KC and NE, fuck that... NE should have been up 21-0 at halftime, if not for one mistake. KC wants to win, they should have played two halves of football.

Personally, the Super Bowl when the Pats defeated the Falcons in OT, it seemed very unfair. I've never liked sudden death in the playoffs. Go to sudden death if a second OT quarter is needed.

As far as AB, he does realize he quit, they didn't fire him... right?

I'd say the Chiefs have to be the odds on favorites and by a long shot. Tampa or Green Bay would have cred, but really, I just don't see the remaining teams in the same league. But that is why the games are played.

 

[hurtinbuckaroo]

Quote of the week:

“Rooting for the Bills is like being a transplant patient and the liver you waited for was delivered to the hospital cafeteria.”

And bye to Brady and Rodgers.

 

[hurtinbuckaroo]

Personally, I think the Chiefs v Bills was the Super Bowl. I think those two teams were the best before the game, and after, it cemented that idea.

Regarding KC and NE, fuck that... NE should have been up 21-0 at halftime, if not for one mistake. KC wants to win, they should have played two halves of football.

Personally, the Super Bowl when the Pats defeated the Falcons in OT, it seemed very unfair. I've never liked sudden death in the playoffs. Go to sudden death if a second OT quarter is needed.

As far as AB, he does realize he quit, they didn't fire him... right?

I'd say the Chiefs have to be the odds on favorites and by a long shot. Tampa or Green Bay would have cred, but really, I just don't see the remaining teams in the same league. But that is why the games are played.

I think the Rams pass rush could make Mahomes very unhappy.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

It is possible. KC is weird because at times they look completely unstoppable... yet, they didn't blow out Buffalo's defense yesterday... until they did.

 

[blastula]

Personally, I think the Chiefs v Bills was the Super Bowl. I think those two teams were the best before the game, and after, it cemented that idea.

I won't count out Cincy yet, they did just beat them a few weeks ago, but tend to agree. Think Bills were overall better though, would win a 7 game series.

Regarding KC and NE, fuck that... NE should have been up 21-0 at halftime, if not for one mistake. KC wants to win, they should have played two halves of football.

Eh, the scoreboard doesn't care when or how you score your points. In this game, Chiefs were lucky Bills kicked it out of the end zone with 13 seconds left.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Interesting article on why the existing rules for OT are sound. Interesting as in not well thought out, in my opinion.

Of the 11 playoff games that have gone to overtime since the change went into effect in 2010, the team that won the coin toss went down and scored the requisite touchdown on that first possession seven times.

That's better than 50 percent, but it also shows there were some teams whose defenses made a stop.

Yes... in those 11 games, the coin toss winner won 10 of them. 70 percent were won by the coin toss winner in the only drive of the OT, which is significantly more than "half". So in the 4 remaining games where the coin toss winner didn't win in the opening drive... they were 3-1, which is 75%.

Clearly, winning the toss means a lot. How much does it mean? Bill Belichick pushed the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI to not get to the coin toss!

If the rule is changed and both teams get a shot in overtime, then what? If Allen and the Bills offense had gotten another chance and they scored a touchdown, do you try to go for 2 points and the win? Or kick the extra point and keep it going? If Mahomes gets a second OT chance and scores, is Allen required to get a second chance?

All of that sounds like it's creeping toward the college overtime rule, and absolutely no one wants that.

Talk about strawman arguments. It is really simple, First OT plays to normal regulation rules with bonus timeouts and the second OT (if there is no winner) is a straight continuation of the first OT and it becomes sudden death.

Articles comes off as a ridiculous web board poster creating ridiculous hypotheticals... well, if we let Buffalo have a chance, why don't we just award them both the win.

 

[TSwizzle]

Two pretty good games today. The Bengals edge out the Chiefs and will meet the Rams in the Super Bowl. The Rams beat the 49ers but were not particularly dominant.

I think the Rams will ultimately win the Super Bowl but it will be close.

 

[Harry Bosch]

Two pretty good games today. The Bengals edge out the Chiefs and will meet the Rams in the Super Bowl. The Rams beat the 49ers but were not particularly dominant.

I think the Rams will ultimately win the Super Bowl but it will be close.

I missed the first game. Was skiing. Then skied into the parking lot. A guy had a big screen showing the Rams games outside his motorhome. Invited us over to watch. Was great to watch the game on a big screen at a ski resort with beer! I thought that the 49ers had a great run, played well. Rams were better. I'm picking Rams in the SB.

 

[hurtinbuckaroo]

I think the Rams’ defensive line will create havoc. The Bengals’ offensive line is their weak spot.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Gotta go with the Bengals because they beat the best team in the NFL. I'm so certain of this prediction I won't wager any money on it.

 

[TSwizzle]

I missed the first game. Was skiing. Then skied into the parking lot. A guy had a big screen showing the Rams games outside his motorhome. Invited us over to watch. Was great to watch the game on a big screen at a ski resort with beer! I thought that the 49ers had a great run, played well. Rams were better. I'm picking Rams in the SB.

Nice. When McVey burned through his timeouts I was very nervous and I thought Shanahan made a bad call on 4th and 2 (or was it 1), trying to get LA offside in midfield. Should have gone for it in my opinion. If it had worked, it would have maintained the drive and possibly scored. If it didn't, it was giving up field position roughly midfield, not horrible. But I guess Shanahan feared Stafford but if you want to win, you have to make these types of plays.

 

[blastula]

Another beautiful scary win for the Rams. Well there was some ugliness getting there, but in the end a beauty.

Should be a good SB, as I've wrongly said many times before.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Another beautiful scary win for the Rams. Well there was some ugliness getting there, but in the end a beauty.

Should be a good SB, as I've wrongly said many times before.

Growing up, good Super Bowls were very rare. Often a blow out. The last 20 years though haven't had many snoozers, unless one wasn't a Patriots or Rams fan in LIII.

 

[blastula]

So it happened,



That's right, the real Matthew Stafford has forced Brady to retire.

But not without drama, as you might gather if you swipe through Brady's entire statement, since he mentions and thanks everyone in his life by name, including his gardener and dentist, but never names anybody from the Patriots or says anything about them directly. He says a whole lot about the Bucs, he loves everything about Tampa Bay, but says nothing about the Pats. The only glancing referencing to New England is the cover photo which is taken from his game against NE this season. This all has some people, if you can refer to Patriots fans as people, upset. Meanwhile, non-fans of the Patriots have finally found something to celebrate about Brady, that he hates the Patriots too.

My sympathies to any Patriots fans here, however unlikely that might be.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I'll get over it... quickly. The six Super Bowl Titles aren't going anywhere. I'm happy he got his payday. The success in New England would have been impossible without him (among others) taking pay cuts and what not.

Super Bowl LI and the sickening feeling that engulfed the abdomens of tens of millions of Americans as the Patriots clawed back to even, will forever be my favorite sporting moment.

 

[Tharmas]

So it's officially the Washington Commanders. I liked "the Washington Football Team" better.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Change is tough. Commanders works though, as a tough football team name. And was much better than the second option, The Colanders.

 

[hurtinbuckaroo]

So it's officially the Washington Commanders. I liked "the Washington Football Team" better.

I wanted The Aristocrats.

 

[LoAmmo]

Change is tough. Commanders works though, as a tough football team name. And was much better than the second option, The Colanders.

Oh, I dunno. Colanders at least symbolically reflected their porous defense.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Meanwhile, some disturbing information out of Cleveland and Miami about matching fixing... sorry, I mean... encouraging losing by paying coaches more money to lose. For long, there was the open secret about letting a team tank for a better draft pick (like has that ever been successful?!).

But paying coaches to lose is a bit worse, as it implies the games they played were effectively fixed. So a team like the Patriots or Bills is benefitting while the AFC North is struggling against each other. If these accusations can be backed up, I'm not certain where this leads. Do the owners just say 'That's part of the game' or do they get really angry?

 

[hurtinbuckaroo]

Meanwhile, some disturbing information out of Cleveland and Miami about matching fixing... sorry, I mean... encouraging losing by paying coaches more money to lose. For long, there was the open secret about letting a team tank for a better draft pick (like has that ever been successful?!).

But paying coaches to lose is a bit worse, as it implies the games they played were effectively fixed. So a team like the Patriots or Bills is benefitting while the AFC North is struggling against each other. If these accusations can be backed up, I'm not certain where this leads. Do the owners just say 'That's part of the game' or do they get really angry?

I think that’s when the FBI gets interested.

 

[blastula]

Well maybe they also have texts from Belichick congratulating Flores on his $100k/loss offer.

 

[LoAmmo]

I live in the Cleveland suburbs, so, long-suffering Browns fan here, and, for their part, the Browns adamantly say Hue Jackson is full of shit. Which I believe.

 

[LoAmmo]

Well, imagine that. Hue Jackson's story has changed to, "uhhh, okay, so, I was never offered money by the Browns to lose games, but my situation was kinda like Brian Flores', but also, yeah, completely different." What a maroon, as Bugs Bunny would say.

Probably the Browns got in his ear and said, retract your bullshit, pronto, or we'll sue the shit of you.
Now he's backpedalling faster than a rookie corner trying to cover Jerry Rice.

 

[blastula]

Jackson is being a bit squirrelly, saying that the evidence "will come to light at the right time" instead of providing it now.

Been reading Flores's lawsuit, and it has a long section on the NFL's history with race going back to its beginning, and it's very damning, with allegations like this,

55. It is widely known by even casual NFL fans that it took until at least the 1980s— approximately 40 years after integration—for teams to genuinely accept Black players at the quarterback position (i.e. Warren Moon and Randall Cunningham).7

56. It took 43 years for the first Black Head Coach to be hired (Art Shell).

57. It took 54 years for an NFL team to hire a Black General Manager (Ozzie Newsome). 58. Now, 76 years following integration, there has never been a Black Commissioner and there has never been a Black majority owner of an NFL team.

112. Moreover, since 1978, only 16 winning teams have fired their head coach (3%). Even though Black men only held a small fraction of the Head Coach positions during that time, an astounding 25% (four of the 16) of the Head Coaches fired after a winning season were Black. This statistic is even more remarkable given that there have only ever been 17 Black Head Coaches who have coached a full season, and four of them (23.5%) were fired after a winning season. In contrast, only 6.9% of white coaches were fired after a winning season (12 out of 174). Thus, Black Head Coaches are 3.5 times more likely to be fired even when successful.

116. At the time the Rooney Rule was instituted, almost twenty years ago, there were three Black Head Coaches. There is now only one. That marks a complete lack of improvement, and in fact, a move backwards in the wrong direction.

Also, tidbits like this,

51... In fact, though the NFL had integrated 23 years earlier, when Washington’s owner, Mr. Marshall, died in 1969, he abhorrently stipulated that his estate be used to establish the Redskins Foundation, on the condition that it was barred from spending money for “any purpose which supports or employs the principle of racial integration in any form.”

Very telling to me is the disparity between the number of blacks in OC and DC positions.

119. Racial disparities also exist in the hiring and retention at Coordinator positions as well. Offensive and Defensive Coordinators are significantly over-represented by white candidates and under-represented by Black candidates. These positions are very often filled by a pool of former players, approximately 70% of whom are Black.

120. Currently, there are only four Black Offensive Coordinators in the 32-team League (12.5 percent), and 11 Black Defensive Coordinators (34 percent).

On the $100K/loss claim, Flores doesn't have text messages, but he does name a potential witness,

133.... Then, when the Dolphins started winning games, due in no small part to Mr. Flores’ coaching, Mr. Flores was told by the team’s General Manager, Chris Grier, that “Steve” was “mad” that Mr. Flores’ success in winning games that year was “compromising [the team’s] draft position.”

It also gives examples of several black coaches who have been curiously fired or passed over for jobs.

Hope something good comes of this and he's not just blackballed and forgotten.

 

[Elixir]

Who will win the Superbowl?
I'm betting on Uncle Vlad.
But only if he does the smart thing, and snarfs up Ukraine while the 'Murkins are preoccupied.

Failing that, I'll root for the Bungles because ... AFC. And Rams don't belong in LA, regardless. They're a Cleveland team, and therefore deserve to lose.

 

[ZiprHead]

I'm just happy Matt Stafford gets to a Super Bowl. He's deserved it for a long time but he was weighed down by playing for the Lions.

 

[blastula]

I hear that's a popular sentiment in Michigan, Zip, if not not much anywhere else. Denver fans are not rooting for Rams because of Miller, the way Lions fans be for Stafford.

Suffering and support: Lions fans supporting Rams QB with 'Detroit Rams' gear

The Lions are working on three decades without a playoff win. They're watching their former franchise QB playing for a Super Bowl. While still supporting Matthew Stafford, they've got new shirts.

www.espn.com

FYI, I am rooting for the Rams very hard with my LA Rams gear on, and not the St. Louis Rams, which doesn't count. The LA Rams do actually belong in this club:



I won't make a prediction because this season defies it. No great teams, a lot of parity in the league, close games all year and even more so in the playoffs. Could have gone either way in many games like by a coin flip, and in fact it did.

But I've enjoyed the season. When Stafford is on point, it's fun to watch. Love the addition of Miller. And OBJ really does have great hands, he's made a difference after losing Woods.

I don't think the Rams D line will rattle Burrow, sacks don't bother him, and he is a very smart scrambler, picks his spots well. One thing that weirdly worries me is Rams playing with the lead. McVay has a reputation as a dynamic offensive coach, but when they are in front, he gets way too conservative, going to all runs, when their running game isn't good enough to ice a game like that. They lost to SF that way in the last week of season and nearly lost to TB that way too. So, I kind of hope it's a close game. At least, please score more than a field goal this time.

Go Rams!

 

[Elixir]

Ticky-tack holding call gives Rams the victory.
Shameless.

 

[repoman]

I had to be somewhere away from a TV during part of the game and listened to ESPN radio coverage.

It was shocking that it was this casual talk show and not a standard play by play broadcast.

 

[repoman]

This is the ticky tack call probably will the taken down soon

 

[hyzer]

My takeaways: the NFL has given up calling off-sides when the defense linemen are over the line on nearly every play, if you want to stop helmet on helmet for receivers the NFL has to adopt immediate ejection and next game suspension, the NFL turns such a blind eye to the hand-play and push-offs between d-backs and receivers that blatant face mask grabs are missed. Finally, you could say that the Bengals were only in the game because of that missed call, only to loose the game due to being called on penalties on three nearly successive plays.

 

[TSwizzle]

A pretty good Super Bowl I must say. Staged in Los Angeles at a brand spanking new state of the art stadium with the LA Rams competing on a beautiful February day. The sun was out and it was a climate emergency mid 70 degrees. The game itself was pretty good if you were a Rams fan, getting the win in the end thanks to Kupp and Donald for some hard work in the fourth quarter in a game that could have gone either way. Bengals maybe a tad unlucky but the teams were pretty evenly matched. Burrow was excellent and it was a joy to watch that lad play, I'd heard a lot about him but that's the first time I've seen him play.

The half time show was pretty darned good and I'm not a big hip hop fan but the choice of music was spot on. Snoop and Dre are LA icons and know how to please the LA crowd. Without a doubt one of the more memorable shows.

 

[repoman]

With footbal over it is now time for curling for a few more days

 

[blastula]

Ticky-tack holding call gives Rams the victory.
Shameless.

You can't be serious, that call was on 3rd down. What really won the game was the LA defense. Other than that facemask aided TD catch for 75 yards, Bengals went nowhere in second half, they were held to only 4 first downs. They were at the 31 after the tipped interception, but could only get a field goal. And after that fateful 16 play 79 yard TD drive, the Bengals still had 1:25 and 2 timeouts to just kick a field goal, but Aaron Donald said not today.

Never was worried, my Rams shirt went undefeated this year.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Ticky-tack holding call gives Rams the victory.
Shameless.

You can't be serious, that call was on 3rd down. What really won the game was the LA defense.

I thought it was Sony Michel's performance. We need to step back and ask is that two-time Super Bowl Champion (in just four years) the best running back ever in the league? Clearly, the only possible answer is YES!!! The guy has never lost a Super Bowl that he and The Rams were playing in. You can't argue against stats like that!

Other than that facemask aided TD catch for 75 yards, Bengals went nowhere in second half, they were held to only 4 first downs. They were at the 31 after the tipped interception, but could only get a field goal. And after that fateful 16 play 79 yard TD drive, the Bengals still had 1:25 and 2 timeouts to just kick a field goal, but Aaron Donald said not today.

Oh here we go again with the "The team who scores the most is the better team." You know, there is more to sports than scoring.

 

[blastula]

Seriously Michel earned this other ring, he was a big contributor since early in the season when their starter went out, who was filling in for another starter.

So anyway, Jimmy, you are more than welcome to call them your New England Rams.

 

[Elixir]

Ticky-tack holding call gives Rams the victory.
Shameless.

You can't be serious, that call was on 3rd down. What really won the game was the LA defense. Other than that facemask aided TD catch for 75 yards, Bengals went nowhere in second half, they were held to only 4 first downs.

All true, alas.
Yet, the Bengals (I can't even believe I was rooting for them) were ahead and prolly woulda won had that not been called. No doubt they got away with murder with that facemask tho.

They were at the 31 after the tipped interception, but could only get a field goal. And after that fateful 16 play 79 yard TD drive, the Bengals still had 1:25 and 2 timeouts to just kick a field goal, but Aaron Donald said not today.

Never was worried, my Rams shirt went undefeated this year.

It was a good game even though both teams were like my 10th and 11th choices to win the Big One.
Congratulations to your shirt.

 

[Elixir]

Seriously Michel earned this other ring,

I was happy for Von Miller too. He definitely deserved another ring. And Stafford - can you even imagine spending that much time sucking eggs, then getting a first real chance so late in a career?

 

[blastula]

Yeah, Stafford's alright. Hope he has several more years in him. The defense didn't get on track until Miller got there. Also good for Whitworth for keeping coming back for so long and performing at a high level.

Likewise, was nice to see all those many halftime performers reliving their glory days.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Yeah, Stafford's alright. Hope he has several more years in him. The defense didn't get on track until Miller got there. Also good for Whitworth for keeping coming back for so long and performing at a high level.

Likewise, was nice to see all those many halftime performers reliving their glory days.

I suppose it was decent to recognize that African Americans watch football too. Maybe some, not quite as old performers would have been better.

 

[hurtinbuckaroo]

I was hoping Eric Weddle would get a ring. Coming out of retirement near the end of the season to not only be in the starting lineup, but to relay the defensive calls. Smartest guy on the field. He paid a price, tearing a pectoral muscle in the first quarter, but put on a harness and finished the game.

 

[TSwizzle]

Matt Stafford seems a bit of a jerk;

A female photographer shooting the Rams' Super Bowl celebration in Los Angeles on Wednesday says she suffered a fractured spine falling from the team's stage in front of quarterback Matthew Stafford, who abruptly turned his back on her rather than offering any help.
NFL photographer Kelly Smiley was seen on video walking backwards and then falling off the stage outside the LA Memorial Coliseum, where the post-parade rally was held on Wednesday afternoon. Although she fell off screen, a group of concerned onlookers that included Stafford's wife, Kelly, were seen rushing to Smiley's attention.

Daily Mail

 

[blastula]

Ugh, he was likely hammered, but not a good look, very George Costanza energy, when he runs away from the kitchen fire.

 

[skepticalbip]

Ticky-tack holding call gives Rams the victory.
Shameless.

You can't be serious, that call was on 3rd down. What really won the game was the LA defense. Other than that facemask aided TD catch for 75 yards, Bengals went nowhere in second half, they were held to only 4 first downs. They were at the 31 after the tipped interception, but could only get a field goal. And after that fateful 16 play 79 yard TD drive, the Bengals still had 1:25 and 2 timeouts to just kick a field goal, but Aaron Donald said not today.

Never was worried, my Rams shirt went undefeated this year.

No, that wasn't it. What won the game is the Rams scored more points than the Bengals.

 

[skepticalbip]

Matt Stafford seems a bit of a jerk;

A female photographer shooting the Rams' Super Bowl celebration in Los Angeles on Wednesday says she suffered a fractured spine falling from the team's stage in front of quarterback Matthew Stafford, who abruptly turned his back on her rather than offering any help.
NFL photographer Kelly Smiley was seen on video walking backwards and then falling off the stage outside the LA Memorial Coliseum, where the post-parade rally was held on Wednesday afternoon. Although she fell off screen, a group of concerned onlookers that included Stafford's wife, Kelly, were seen rushing to Smiley's attention.

Daily Mail

The video of that incident made the difference between men and women fairly obvious. Men laugh anytime someone falls. Women worry if they are OK. Look at any comedy compellation and they will show people either falling or being hit in the gonads. Men enjoy those compellations, women not so much.

I don't think Stafford immediately knew the photographer was injured but his immediate reaction was to turn and laugh at the fall. His wife showed immediate concern.

 

[blastula]

This story has had a couple of updates or turns.

Matthew Stafford, Rams to pay for NFL photographer's medical bills after brutal fall off stage during parade

A photographer was taken to the hospital on Wednesday after falling off the main stage at the Rams' Super Bowl parade

www.cbssports.com

And then, of course this old chestnut,

Photographer who fractured spine in front of Matthew Stafford deletes Twitter page after racist tweets surface

UPDATE: Welp, apparently Kelly Smiley, who was the photographer who fell off the stage and fractured her spine during the Los Angeles Rams Super Bowl Parade, has a history of posting racist messages on Twitter. As soon as the racist tweets surfaced, Smiley quickly deleted her Twitter account...

detroitsportsnation.com

The tweets were from when she was in college. People need to learn to delete all their childhood social media before joining the professional world.

 

[blastula]

I was hoping Eric Weddle would get a ring. Coming out of retirement near the end of the season to not only be in the starting lineup, but to relay the defensive calls. Smartest guy on the field. He paid a price, tearing a pectoral muscle in the first quarter, but put on a harness and finished the game.