2019 NFL Regular Season Thread

[Sommerswerd]

Like I said, the experience is certainly great, but for the actual seeing the game part...TV wins. Of course that gap has closed with the giant screens in the stadiums now, but it's still a gap.

You are correct, of course with one caveat...

The actual, far and away, #1, hands-down, undisputed, superior viewing experience of the game in any sport is:

Being the coach of one of the teams It doesn't get any better than that in terms of seeing the game (besides actually playing in the game of course).

A somewhat unfair comparison... but every bit worth the time/effort if you ever have the opportunity.

On another note, I will just go ahead and add that as much as I wanted New England to win, I'm enjoying basking in the "sole -undefeated-team" spot GOOOOO 49ers!!!

 

[rah]

If you can still bask after the next 5 games it will be even more special.

 

[Light Cleric]

I just hope Drew comes out of our game against them unscathed unlike '13

 

[Sommerswerd]

If you can still bask after the next 5 games it will be even more special.

That's gonna be a tall order given the upcoming opponents and locations... That's why i'm getting in my basking while the basking is good

 

[rah]

Well that's why I said it would be even more special.

 

[Serutan]

Tim, in case a)you haven't seen it and/or b) need a laugh

 

[Sommerswerd]

Tim, in case a)you haven't seen it and/or b) need a laugh

That's hilarious... I was sure it would have been Jacksonville... but I guess they will be shipped to Mexico.

 

[caketastydelish]

I also thought the Jags. Then again, my understanding is at least the Jags have a fan base in Jacksonville, at least to the extent that the majority of the audience supports the home team.

If the Chargers are the only team in the NFL where the same cannot be said, then they are by far the most logical choice for a relocation.

If everyone in the United Kingdom (or in Europe for that matter) has no other local teams, it shouldn’t be terribly hard for the Chargers to generate a fan base. London alone has a population of almost nine million (even more than NYC), meaning that even if only a small fraction of them became Chargers fans, they could still have a respectable fan base.

Personally I think they should change
the name to the Monarchs or Royals and then put them in the same division as the Patriots, but that’s just wishful thinking I guess.

 

[caketastydelish]

Something random: 49ers vs Seahawks should be an interesting matchup. Kyler Murray was reasonably effective against that defense, and Wilson is a legit MVP candidate unlike Murray. Personally, I don’t think it will be enough considering how I predicted in our pick ‘em contest, but the hawks just might be the best opponent the 49ers have faced this season.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Tim, in case a)you haven't seen it and/or b) need a laugh

a) I hadn't

and

b) though I didn't particularly need one, that was a good one

So, thanks!

My immediate response is "not far enough." Antarctica and appeal to the penguin population maybe. London, I give it five seasons and they send them back.

 

[caketastydelish]

Why do you seriously think that? The NFL has been pushing for a London team years and for good reason - it would almost certainly be legit.

Edit: do you realize wembley stadium usually sells out NFL games in spite of the UK not even having a team?

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Why do you seriously think that? The NFL has been pushing for a London team years and for good reason - it would almost certainly be legit.

Edit: do you realize wembley stadium usually sells out NFL games in spite of the UK not even having a team?

Sure. But if they were stuck with the Chargers on the regular they would long for the good old days when they had a rotation of interesting teams instead of a steady diet of sad sack.

 

[caketastydelish]

The Chargers are not a particularly bad team. Which is especially notable considering the lack home field advantage. A team that almost never makes the playoffs being your home team I can see as “uninteresting” but not the Chargers. And as for “then why does no one in LA like them?” argument:
1) La is already a Raider town, a specific rival of the Chargers. London wouldn’t have that problem.
2) when they’re literally the only team in your country/continent to cheer for, it’s not even like you have a choice.
3) I already they should rebrand the team for marketing purposes to make them more viable for commercial success in the UK.

To top it off the Chargers are actually a fairly talented team. They’re underperforming this season. That said, losing Derwin James must have been devastating. I bet you next season they’ll be right back in the playoffs.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

The Chargers are not a particularly bad team. Which is especially notable considering the lack home field advantage. A team that almost never makes the playoffs being your home team I can see as “uninteresting” but not the Chargers. And as for “then why does no one in LA like them?” argument:
1) La is already a Raider town, a specific rival of the Chargers. London wouldn’t have that problem.
2) when they’re literally the only team in your country/continent to cheer for, it’s not even like you have a choice.
3) I already they should rebrand the team for marketing purposes to make them more viable for commercial success in the UK.

To top it off the Chargers are actually a fairly talented team. They’re underperforming this season. That said, losing Derwin James must have been devastating. I bet you next season they’ll be right back in the playoffs.

The Chargers are always finding some new way to "underperform." The most notable thing the Chargers have ever accomplished was figuring out how to lead the league in offense, lead the league in defense, both at the same time, and still be 0-4. They didn't have fans to speak of in San Diego, the excuses you are citing for why they have none in LA are actually the reasons I posted a long time ago myself for why they shouldn't have moved to LA in the first place, and nothing changes the reality that no matter how "talented" they might be they always find a way to disappoint.

 

[caketastydelish]

They were a solid playoff team just a year ago. I’d be surprised if they’re not right back in there next year.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

They were a solid playoff team just a year ago. I’d be surprised if they’re not right back in there next year.

"A solid playoff team" can still be a disappointment, and the Chargers are masters of the genre. 14-2 with home field throughout, lose in first game, fire the coach because he "can't win the big one" and launch several season run of futility. I don't think anyone else has ever done such a catastrophic job with a great team as that. And that's typical Chargers, not a unique one off mistake.

 

[Sommerswerd]

Sure. But if they were stuck with the Chargers on the regular they would long for the good old days when they had a rotation of interesting teams instead of a steady diet of sad sack.

I think exactly this. A non-negligible possibility is that the reason the NFL sells out in London is because at this point it is still such a special spectacle that they get to see only a couple times a year. The fact that it is so rare, coupled with the fact that they get to see different teams every year makes every single game a must-see, once in a lifetime experience. Its easy to get sell-out crowds when you are offering something like that.

But once they have a team that they can go see every year, week in, week out, that special treat factor wears off. Its no longer a matter of being a once in a lifetime chance to go see that peculiar game the Yanks are crazy for... its now just another London team in a bevy of London teams... and if they suck there's plenty of other things to go see. It goes from being Cirque Du Soleil to... well... a Chargers game

 

[Serutan]

My immediate response is "not far enough." Antarctica and appeal to the penguin population maybe. .

Heh. That makes me think of the Jan. 1982 AFC Championship game in Cincinnati. I was in Lexington, KY in identical weather. Brrrrr.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Heh. That makes me think of the Jan. 1982 AFC Championship game in Cincinnati. I was in Lexington, KY in identical weather. Brrrrr.

Not to make things worse, but I was at the beach.

 

[Serutan]

Not to make things worse, but I was at the beach.

You didn't - I like cactus and canyons better than beaches. And the passage of time has caused that particular event to morph into a "war story". Although I can't help wondering how long those two shirtless drunks the TV cameras found were in the hospital afterwards...