2019 NFL Regular Season Thread

[Timsup2nothin]

FWIW at this point my gut feeling is this is the Saints Super Bowl to lose.

Defensive coordinator better start spending a couple hours a week game planning for the Ravens. Not that I think the Ravens are that good, they are just really hard to prepare for so a head start just in case is prudent.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Meanwhile, in Cleveland, Browns fans are using helmets to crack open Mason Rudolph pinatas. Gotta love Cleveland.

 

[caketastydelish]

Defensive coordinator better start spending a couple hours a week game planning for the Ravens. Not that I think the Ravens are that good, they are just really hard to prepare for so a head start just in case is prudent.

The refs have blatantly screwed the Saints in recent years, and it's gotten to the point that even non-Saints fans have started to notice and are getting outraged. The NFL is a for-profit business so I think they'll have little choice but to overcompensate to correct this problem come playoff time, and the Super Bowl itself (if they get that far, which I think they will).

Add in the feel-good aspect that this is Drew Brees last year (if not close to it) so he gets to go out with a bang, similar to Peyton Manning and John Elway IIRC.

The Saints also have a really talented team so they won't need that much help to begin with.

 

[caketastydelish]

I actually agree with the commentators for tonight’s game when they said “Goff has been exposed this year”. Sure is too bad (from their perspective) that they signed him to such a monster contract. They will be stuck with him for a long time.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Wow. The Rams got BTFO here. The Ravens might be better than I thought, and it's not like I thought they weren't good.

 

[Light Cleric]

I can't think of many (any?) players I've actually tuned into games to watch but Lamar Jackson is definitely one, and he did not disappoint. Dude has an irl GameShark

if we got to the Super Bowl and had to play them it would scare the daylights out of me

 

[Sommerswerd]

The last time they went to the Superbowl they beat the 49ers and they didn't even have Lamar Jackson.

Meanwhile, in Cleveland, Browns fans are using helmets to crack open Mason Rudolph pinatas. Gotta love Cleveland.

The sports news finally started focusing on how Rudolph started the whole thing in the first place... too little... too late.

 

[rah]

We tuned in the second half of that beating and my wife just looked up and said "and the bears couldn't even beat this team" Sad.

 

[Light Cleric]

I've really got this conflict where I almost want to pull for the Ravens because

A) I love Mark Ingram and wish we could have kept him (rumors are his agent kinda got in our way)
B) Lamar is amazing and seems like a good dude
C) They're an AFC team we have no rivalry or history with so I'm detached from that
but most importantly
D) They could actually beat the Pats in the playoffs and send Brady back to his coffin

But as mentioned above that would mean we have to play them in the Super Bowl if we made it and I don't want to run into that buzzsaw,

the image of PJ Williams trying to tackle Lamar Jackson makes me feel like I need an adult

 

[caketastydelish]

Even if the Ravens don’t win the Super Bowl this year the Ravens (and Jackson himself) have a bright future ahead of them as long as Jackson is still on his rookie contract.

 

[Sommerswerd]

The funny thing about watching Lamar Jackson perform is that he reminds me of Kaepernick that year the 49ers went to the Superbowl... he was amazing that season.

 

[Serutan]

I've really got this conflict where I almost want to pull for the Ravens because

B) Lamar is amazing and seems like a good dude

At the time I said I liked his "not bad for a running back" crack. I like it better since he's been backing it up.

 

[rah]

The only thing in their way is the same thing for all the previous running QBs, Injury, (since he doesn't run cautiously like Wilson)

 

[Light Cleric]

Yeah the thing that terrifies me about Lamar is how drastically he's improved in his second year. He wants to throw first and run second, and when he could get a chunk of yardage scrambling he still keeps his vision downfield for a pass that could get even more. He looks so calm in the pocket too. And then sometimes, when he's out of options, he just does video game stuff like that near-TD the other night or against the Bengals (also the call, God bless Kevin Harlan). I know the video game thing sounds cliche but there's no other way to describe it.

 

[Sommerswerd]

The only thing in their way is the same thing for all the previous running QBs, Injury

and film... what eventually happens with running QBs at the NFL level, is that the opposing teams analyze film of their read-options, draws, bootlegs and outright scrambles to figure out how to shut them down... then they shut them down and force them to pass out of the pocket. At that point the ones who can't are exposed.

 

[rah]

Yeah, film helps but you still have to have someone to bring the guy down. With Lamar I think that it's harder than with most. He's that good.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

and film... what eventually happens with running QBs at the NFL level, is that the opposing teams analyze film of their read-options, draws, bootlegs and outright scrambles to figure out how to shut them down... then they shut them down and force them to pass out of the pocket. At that point the ones who can't are exposed.

Thing is that he doesn't seem like "one who can't." He made a number of really good throws against the Rams. As in right on time, right on target. He claims that last year he just had a really hard time adjusting to the NFL ball, but with an offseason to work on his grip he feels totally comfortable and can make whatever throws he has to make.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Meanwhile...if Buffalo takes advantage of their rare opportunity to be on national television by beating the stuffing, potatoes, and gravy out of the Cowpukes, will Jerry fire Garrett, or just stroke out in the owner's box?

 

[Serutan]

Meanwhile...if Buffalo takes advantage of their rare opportunity to be on national television by beating the stuffing, potatoes, and gravy out of the Cowpukes, will Jerry fire Garrett, or just stroke out in the owner's box?

My guess is that Jerry will not fire Garrett in season. But it will seal Garrett's fate at the end of the season barring a miracle SB run (Hint : Garrett seems good a short circuiting miracles). As you know I've always argued (I think correctly) that Jerry has kept him around because he likes his coach to be his lapdog - Garrett's greatest skill. But the looming presence of the Grim Reaper will I think change that equation and not in Garrett's favor.

 

[caketastydelish]

I only watched part of that game but the Cowboys supposedly have the best offensive line in the NFL but it looked pretty flimsy against the Patriots D. Haven’t seen any Cowboys games this year other than that one though.