2012 NFL Season Thread

[tBBP]

Anyone else beginning to think the Texans might be the AFC's version of the Falcons?

The Texans have actually won a playoff game

And their loss was a 20-13 game in Baltimore. Not exactly the shellackings the Packers (48-21) and Giants (24-2) levied on the Falcons the past two years.

Besides, New England is lethal this time of year. Something like 20-0 in the 2nd half of the last 2.5 seasons, with a turnover differential over +50. If anything, I think the bye week in the playoffs quells some of their momentum. They hung 42 on a highly rated defense last night with no Gronkowski. And, unfortunately, it appears their pass defense has improved substantially since Talib came to town.

--

Ronde Barber might retire after this season. If he's "two big years" away, then he's not going to Canton. He's not even a CB anymore, which should say something given the Bucs defense is #32 against the pass. The only QB's the Bucs have shut down this year have been Cam Newton (in week 1), Brady Quinn, and Christian Ponder.

Even with as steady and productive as he's been over the course of his Bucs career not even I would rate Ronde as HoF-worthy. I think it's more to do with the fact that while he has been productive, he never was really dominant, if that makes any sense, in that he alone could change how offenses game-planned against the Buccaneers' defensive secondary, not like how OCs would scheme around a Darelle Revis or a Charles Woodson (who I could probably make a decent HoF pitch for) or a Darrell Green or a Deion Sanders—I guess phrased another way, he never really was seen as a "shut-down" corner at any point in his career.

I mean...one could make an argument for him based on the numbers—after all, I did do just that for Paul Gruber, and Ronde has put up somethe good ones—but numbers don't tell the whole story sometimes. I still think he just misses the Hall.

[Kramerica Industries]

Ronde's greatest appeal was being the #1 corner on a dominant defense that won a championship, being a 20 INT/20 sack guy, and the last remaining member of the championship team. Guy is a consummate professional.

But he's not a Hall of Fame corner. I couldn't make that argument either.

[rams80]

Can I call Josh Brent a coward?

WTF IS WRONG WITH ILLINOIS ATHLETES?!

[dfwabel]

Can I call Josh Brent a coward?

If that's a true account, we all should. Loudly.

Disturbing to say the least.

FWIW, Brent's attorney spoke this afternoon via a press release.

Her statement was opposite to that of the Irving Police who stated that when they arrived, Brent was removing Brown from the vehicle as well as that the officers put out the small fire on site. I think she is looking for her moment. She went to the media before talking to law enforcement.

She admitted to police today that she was drinking herself Friday night as part of her birthday. She mentioned emergency equipment used which the squad cars do not have. I figure she was to make a "bystander claim" as part of an insurance scam for emotional distress upon seeing a death.

[tBBP]

Ronde's greatest appeal was being the #1 corner on a dominant defense that won a championship, being a 20 INT/20 sack guy, and the last remaining member of the championship team. Guy is a consummate professional.

But he's not a Hall of Fame corner. I couldn't make that argument either.

Bingo. And ultimately, like my cuzz before him, Mike Alstott before him and Paul Gruber before him, that that will be his lasting legacy. I don't know if he has any aspirations on coaching, but part of me would love to see him stick around and join TB's defensive coaching staff. Lord knows he's either seen or played every nuance of the Tampa-2 known to mankind. I'm positive he could teach it if he wanted.

[BlueSky]

Can I call Josh Brent a coward?

If that's a true account, we all should. Loudly.

Disturbing to say the least.

FWIW, Brent's attorney spoke this afternoon via a press release.

Her statement was opposite to that of the Irving Police who stated that when they arrived, Brent was removing Brown from the vehicle as well as that the officers put out the small fire on site. I think she is looking for her moment. She went to the media before talking to law enforcement.

She admitted to police today that she was drinking herself Friday night as part of her birthday. She mentioned emergency equipment used which the squad cars do not have. I figure she was to make a "bystander claim" as part of an insurance scam for emotional distress upon seeing a death.

How is that "opposite" of what she said? In her account, she's already gotten out of her vehicle, determined someone else has called for help, spoken to Brent, gone back to her car and returned with her cell phone by the time Brent pulled Brown from the car. That's consistent, not opposite, to Irving PD arriving on scene as the rescue occurred.

Here's what another witness, Pam Johnson, had to say. While McWilliams' statement may not be 100% accurate, it sure seems like the essence of it, i.e. the delay to rescue Brown, is correct:

===

Johnson said she called 911 after driving up on Brent's overturned Mercedes in the eastbound service road of Highway 114 near Cistercian Road early Saturday morning. 911 operators said someone else had already reported it, Johnson told WFAA.

Then Brent came around from behind his crashed vehicle, and Johnson said she asked him whether anyone else remained in the overturned car, which had just caught fire.

"'Yes, but he won't get out,'" Johnson said Brent told her.

"Well, get him out," Stacee McWilliams said she replied to Brent. She walked up to the scene after the crash.

Johnson said that was the first time she first time she ever saw McWilliams.

"'Is he going to pull him out or let him burn up?'" Johnson said McWilliams then asked her.

===

Full Story

[CS85]

NFL.com twitter guy Ian Rapaport saying NFL considering 14-16 team playoffs.

[illwauk]

NFL.com twitter guy Ian Rapaport saying NFL considering 14-16 team playoffs.

WHY?!

At this point, I can't even promise I'll still be a NFL fan if the Packers start sucking. Goodell has made following the NFL feel more routine than something I genuinely enjoy. He doesn't even care about football, only being a cog up Corporate America's a$$.

[Still MIGHTY]

NFL.com twitter guy Ian Rapaport saying NFL considering 14-16 team playoffs.

God's sake...

For kicks, here would be the playoffs right now if it was 16 teams.

AFC

1. Houston vs 8. NY Jets

2. New England vs 7. Cinccinatti

3. Denver vs 6. Pittsburgh

4. Baltimore vs 5. Indianapolis

NFC

1. Atlanta vs 8. Dallas

2. San Francisco vs 7. Washington

3. Green Bay vs 6. Chicago

4. NY Giants vs 5. Seattle

Eh.

And it adds just one week of playoffs, but there's no byes, obviously. I think the only way you do this is with 16. How would 14 even work? You can't have everyone play the first week, because you'd end up with 7 the next. Would the top seeds get two-round byes?

As for the why? Cha-Ching. It's all about the dollar.

[Cujo]

Memo to Roger Goodell:

STOP RUINING FOOTBALL!!!

[Eye]

You allow half the league into the playoffs and you're getting into NHL territory.

[NEW.ERA]

How about a best of 3.....

[Lights Out]

NFL.com twitter guy Ian Rapaport saying NFL considering 14-16 team playoffs.

Goodell needs to go, he has clearly lost his mind. Plus with each new proposal he has to add more games and travel time, he reveals that all his talk about "player safety" is really just a transparent attempt to dodge lawsuits.

[ninersdd]

NFL.com twitter guy Ian Rapaport saying NFL considering 14-16 team playoffs.

God's sake...

For kicks, here would be the playoffs right now if it was 16 teams.

AFC

1. Houston vs 8. NY Jets

2. New England vs 7. Cinccinatti

3. Denver vs 6. Pittsburgh

4. Baltimore vs 5. Indianapolis

NFC

1. Atlanta vs 8. Dallas

2. San Francisco vs 7. Washington

3. Green Bay vs 6. Chicago

4. NY Giants vs 5. Seattle

Eh.

And it adds just one week of playoffs, but there's no byes, obviously. I think the only way you do this is with 16. How would 14 even work? You can't have everyone play the first week, because you'd end up with 7 the next. Would the top seeds get two-round byes?

As for the why? Cha-Ching. It's all about the dollar.

It would be where the 1 seeds would get the byes, and it would be 2v7, 3v6, and 4v5 for the first weekend. Then it would be back to normal where you would have 8 teams left for the 2nd weekend of the playoffs.

[rainmaker17]

NFL.com twitter guy Ian Rapaport saying NFL considering 14-16 team playoffs.

WHY?!

At this point, I can't even promise I'll still be a NFL fan if the Packers start sucking. Goodell has made following the NFL feel more routine than something I genuinely enjoy. He doesn't even care about football, only being a cog up Corporate America's a$$.

People forget Tagliabue was a corporate a-hole too. Goodell is making him look like a prince.

You allow half the league into the playoffs and you're getting into NHL territory.

Or NBA, if we're being fair.

[tBBP]

16-team playoff = teh suck.

But you know what, here's a novel idea: let's use the playoff system certain fans of certain FBS conferences propose...take the 12 teams with the best records, regardless of division OR conference, seed them 1-12 by record, give the top four first-round byes and then go from there! Yeah...that'll make every regular-season game REALLY count! Neato!!!!!

(Sound like a stupid idea? Yeah..it's about as stupid an idea for a college football playoff as well—to me, anyway. Maybe now it'll add some perspective though, after applying it to the above scenario.)

[BrySmalls]

16-team playoff = teh suck.

But you know what, here's a novel idea: let's use the playoff system certain fans of certain FBS conferences propose...take the 12 teams with the best records, regardless of division OR conference, seed them 1-12 by record, give the top four first-round byes and then go from there! Yeah...that'll make every regular-season game REALLY count! Neato!!!!!

(Sound like a stupid idea? Yeah..it's about as stupid an idea for a college football playoff as well—to me, anyway. Maybe now it'll add some perspective though, after applying it to the above scenario.)

I like the idea of seeding the teams 1-12 based on overall records since it is a playoffs system similar to what the NHL used from the 1974-75 season until the 1980-81 season.

[NJTank]

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd Goodell is even talking expansion adding teams in LA and Jolly ol' London

[Kramerica Industries]

16-team playoff = teh suck.

But you know what, here's a novel idea: let's use the playoff system certain fans of certain FBS conferences propose...take the 12 teams with the best records, regardless of division OR conference, seed them 1-12 by record, give the top four first-round byes and then go from there! Yeah...that'll make every regular-season game REALLY count! Neato!!!!!

(Sound like a stupid idea? Yeah..it's about as stupid an idea for a college football playoff as well—to me, anyway. Maybe now it'll add some perspective though, after applying it to the above scenario.)

In my defense, since I have proposed that exact idea - there is a huge difference between a 32-team NFL, and a 120-team FBS.

[rams80]

16-team playoff = teh suck.

But you know what, here's a novel idea: let's use the playoff system certain fans of certain FBS conferences propose...take the 12 teams with the best records, regardless of division OR conference, seed them 1-12 by record, give the top four first-round byes and then go from there! Yeah...that'll make every regular-season game REALLY count! Neato!!!!!

(Sound like a stupid idea? Yeah..it's about as stupid an idea for a college football playoff as well—to me, anyway. Maybe now it'll add some perspective though, after applying it to the above scenario.)

Unbalanced schedule rules that out. Personally I'm fine with letting all the division winners in-you play enough games in your division and you don't excessively reward the lucky bastards who got to play the AFC West this year.