2015 NFL Season-Now with Playoff Talk

[dfwabel]

So will Matt Stafford get a pass for tonight's performance because he came into the game with sore ribs? Nationally, he never gets called out for being performance.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

Next SNF game: Cowboys @ Saints

Romo isn't playing and the Saints are garbage. This should totally be a great game!

The Cowboys will have been on SNF or got the top Fox game (or in one case the top CBS game) EVERY WEEK when WEEK 9 comes around

It's absurd, isn't it? It reminds me of the Madden era when the late game was in Green Bay every week. But Madden at least didn't want to travel. What's Aikman's excuse?

[HedleyLamarr]

Getting to schmooze with his former boss on Saturday nights.

[fouhy12]

Next SNF game: Cowboys @ Saints

Romo isn't playing and the Saints are garbage. This should totally be a great game!

The Cowboys will have been on SNF or got the top Fox game (or in one case the top CBS game) EVERY WEEK when WEEK 9 comes around

It makes sense when you consider that 1) the Cowboys are (or were) a Super Bowl favorite, 2) they draw huge ratings, and 3) they play in a division with other big markets and historic rivalries. With these reasons in mind, every game there makes sense.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

I'd have rather seen Saints/Panthers in that spot today because it would be different.

Next week, Giants/Bills would be a better SNF game.

Week 5; that's probably the best of CBS' options.

Week 7 has a lot of garbage. Vikings/Lions would be something different, but neither team is any good. Saints/Colts would be good though.

Hawks/Cowboys probably makes the most sense for week 8.

I get so bored with the Cowboys, especially since these particular Cowboys of the Romo era haven't won anything.

[Sport]

Thoughts on Bengals-Ravens:

- The Bengals won and that's great, but that game was annoying. They were in complete control in the first half, Tyler Eifert gets Calvin Johnsoned on 4th down and I just knew Baltimore was going to come back after that.

- I like the resolve to come back twice, Andy Dalton made some great throws and was very poised.

- AJ Green is awesome.

- Marvin Jones is awesome.

- It is weird to me that the Bengals are so quick to bench Jeremy Hill.

- the Bengals' linebacker/secondary tackling is officially an issue and they need to correct it asap.

- Can't wait until Steve Smith Sr. retires.

- that game was the NFL rulebook at its worst. It felt like there was a penalty on every single play. It's almost like you can never trust that a play will ever actually stand and youre looking at the scorebug for the yellow flag graphic instead of enjoying what your team just did.

- 3-0 feels great, watching the Ravens squirm at 0-3 is also great. I'm enjoying this.

[Seadragon76]

26-0 feels nice. But, man... Come on Chicago. Couldn't you put up a better fight then that?

[JayMac]

26-0 feels nice. But, man... Come on Chicago. Couldn't you put up a better fight then that?

Clausen is horrible. Forte got banged up. Jeffery is hurt. So I really didn't think they could put up much more of a fight than they did. The Hawks offense still concerns me a lot. They were only starting to move the ball at the end because the Bears D was gassed.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

- that game was the NFL rulebook at its worst. It felt like there was a penalty on every single play. It's almost like you can never trust that a play will ever actually stand and youre looking at the scorebug for the yellow flag graphic instead of enjoying what your team just did.

It's not just one game. I watched Philadelphia score a touchdown against the Jets -- a straight pass to Ryan Matthews -- and my first instinct was to look for a flag. It's gotten really absurd. No play ever feels final. It's the offense, defense, and then the refs.

Maybe in the future, the refs get to have three holding calls per game. And there's also quite a bit of "illegal formation" going on these days too; more than I remember in seasons past.

[GriffinM6]

26-0 feels nice. But, man... Come on Chicago. Couldn't you put up a better fight then that?

Clausen is horrible. Forte got banged up. Jeffery is hurt. So I really didn't think they could put up much more of a fight than they did. The Hawks offense still concerns me a lot. They were only starting to move the ball at the end because the Bears D was gassed.

The Bears might as well start David Fales. Let the guy get some experience.

[TheOldRoman]

1. This thread's title is just awful. I hate it. Give it a normal name. Enough of this faux-admiral bullcrap. Not even remotely close to funny.

2. The Bears are just awful. I hate them. Give them 0-16 via forfeits. Enough of this faux-competitive bullcrap. Not even remotely close to mediocre.

I agree on the first part. On the second, they fired the GM and Coach for a reason last year. It'll take some time. But they started the season facing the three best teams in the NFC. And not only was Cutler out today, but they were missing their top two receivers with their #3 hobbled. And the Seahawks clearly have their heads up their asses, but the Bears defense played decently. The special teams coverage has given up 17 points the last 6 quarters, so that's obviously not good. Now that they're through the hardest part of the schedule (which I believe is the hardest in the entire NFL this year), things should look up somewhat. I'm hopeful they'll get 5-6 wins, but look respectable by the end of the season. Either way, this year is nothing to get too worked up about because you shouldn't have expected much to begin with.

[BBTV]

- that game was the NFL rulebook at its worst. It felt like there was a penalty on every single play. It's almost like you can never trust that a play will ever actually stand and youre looking at the scorebug for the yellow flag graphic instead of enjoying what your team just did.

It's not just one game. I watched Philadelphia score a touchdown against the Jets -- a straight pass to Ryan Matthews -- and my first instinct was to look for a flag. It's gotten really absurd. No play ever feels final. It's the offense, defense, and then the refs.

Maybe in the future, the refs get to have three holding calls per game. And there's also quite a bit of "illegal formation" going on these days too; more than I remember in seasons past.

I don't always even instantly react negatively to a big play by the other team until like 10 seconds after because I just assume a flag will wipe it out and the Eagles will get away with one.

I know a lot of people from other countries who try to get in to American football but just can't understand all of the rules and why they change depending on the time on the clock and all the technicalities.

[The_Admiral]

I agree on the first part. On the second, they fired the GM and Coach for a reason last year. It'll take some time. But they started the season facing the three best teams in the NFC. And not only was Cutler out today, but they were missing their top two receivers with their #3 hobbled. And the Seahawks clearly have their heads up their asses, but the Bears defense played decently. The special teams coverage has given up 17 points the last 6 quarters, so that's obviously not good. Now that they're through the hardest part of the schedule (which I believe is the hardest in the entire NFL this year), things should look up somewhat. I'm hopeful they'll get 5-6 wins, but look respectable by the end of the season. Either way, this year is nothing to get too worked up about because you shouldn't have expected much to begin with.

I'm not sure John Fox was the right choice for a team that basically has to start all over (to the extent that NFL teams do so -- no Cubs/76ers rebuilds here).

The Bears are going to be screwed as long as they can't scout or draft. Year after year, this team basically takes the first round of the draft off.

[TheOldRoman]

White's injury is certainly discouraging, but he's widely viewed as one of the top talents of the draft. It's year one of Ryan Pace, so hopefully he'll do better than the clowns before him. I think the thing that killed Angelo and Emery was not whiffing on 1st round picks (although it sure hurt). It's whiffing on the entirety of the draft outside of maybe a second of third rounder any given year. Over the last eight years, they've gotten Matt Forte, Alshon Jeffrey, Kyle Long and maybe Kevin White as impact players. That's a horribly low number, but even worse is them missing on everything else, taking a safety ten seasons in a row with none of them being a respectable player, and routinely having guys drafted as high as the 3rd round cut before the end of their first training camp.

Even without more impact players, the team would have made the playoffs at least twice more over the last decade if it had decent depth. But instead, we had no impact draftees, no depth, and just a few aging veterans and free agents on a patchwork team that that might have made it to a Super Bowl any given year if everybody could have stayed healthy.

[JayMac]

It's not just one game. I watched Philadelphia score a touchdown against the Jets -- a straight pass to Ryan Matthews -- and my first instinct was to look for a flag. It's gotten really absurd. No play ever feels final. It's the offense, defense, and then the refs.

Maybe in the future, the refs get to have three holding calls per game. And there's also quite a bit of "illegal formation" going on these days too; more than I remember in seasons past.

I agree with this wholeheartedly. The refs play way too much into a game than they should. I'm always looking for a flag, especially when there is a great defensive play. There was a play in the Eagles game where Sproles was virtually body slammed. Is it a penalty? Probably. However, I have no idea what the defensive end was supposed to do. If he didn't wrap him up, Sproles would've broken the tackle and gone for a big gain. Defenses are so handcuffed.

[Seadragon76]

26-0 feels nice. But, man... Come on Chicago. Couldn't you put up a better fight then that?

Clausen is horrible. Forte got banged up. Jeffery is hurt. So I really didn't think they could put up much more of a fight than they did. The Hawks offense still concerns me a lot. They were only starting to move the ball at the end because the Bears D was gassed.

Still... Seattle had some injury issues as well. Lynch is hurt. I just think the Bears could of put up a better fight then what happened yesterday.

As for Seattle's offense: Yes, there are some issues... but you know what jmac? This team makes it's bones through defense and even though the Bears were pretty much throwing out a JV squad yesterday, pitching a shutout in the NFL isn't as easy as one thinks. Now, if they can shut the Lions out next Monday night, you know things will be just fine.

[JayMac]

I really do think they are starting to hit a stride, despite my concern for the offense. Out of the next 5 games, only the games at Cincinnati and at Dallas worry me the tiniest bit. However, I think they can win both of them. Worst case scenario, they are 4-4 halfway through or best case, they are 6-2.

[TheOldRoman]

The Bears traded Jared Allen to the Panthers.

I'm sure Allen will start trying again and dominate, just as Julius Peppers did. Peppers played like a lazy sack of crap in 2013; looking like a 40 year-old. After signing with Green Bay he started caring again and giving effort.

[BlackBolt3]

The Bears traded Jared Allen to the Panthers.

I'm sure Allen will start trying again and dominate, just as Julius Peppers did. Peppers played like a lazy sack of crap in 2013; looking like a 40 year-old. After signing with Green Bay he started caring again and giving effort.

For a late round pick? I'll take the trade. There's not much to lose here for the Panthers.

LIL EDIT: It seems like Carolina has become the Bears South over the last few years, getting Olsen, Tillman, and now Allen. Rivera used to be a coach there too.

[3243]

jmac11281, I agree wholeheartedly with you about defenses being handcuffed. It's cheapening the sport.

On the other hand, it feels great to have a Raider team that is actually above .500 for one of the few times since 2002. I know it's only 2-1, with our wins coming against a Baltimore team that looks like it has become too old, and a still-rebuilding Cleveland team, but it's a start.