2012 NFL Season Thread

[Cujo]

OMG NFL BREAKING NEWZ: Dallas-Washington gets flexed to SNF.

Good call, Kramerica!

[Kramerica Industries]

Yeah, that was pretty much a no-brainer for everyone, except me, until I realized the flaws of my logic.

Packers/Vikings still promises to be an excellent one. Packers can clinch the #2 and a bye, while the Vikings can clinch a totally unexpected playoff berth. And if the Vikings can whack the Texans in Houston, then they can beat the Packers at what will be a raucous Metrodome.

Meanwhile, the NY Giants are all but out because I think, at the very worst, Chicago will beat Detroit.

[Cujo]

Meanwhile, the NY Giants are all but out because I think, at the very worst, Chicago will beat Detroit.

Chicago over Detroit is anything but a lock. ....But at least you admit to your flawed logic.

[Kramerica Industries]

Certainly not, but the only receiver Matthew Stafford can throw the ball to is Megatron. Detroit's running game is horrific. And that team is one of the worst in the league at limiting turnovers, against a team that is the best in the NFL at forcing turnovers. Detroit can always rise up in an effort to ruin their rivals'* season - but I've kept my expectations of the Bears high all season, and I'm fully prepared to go down with that ship.

And the Bears should be somewhat thankful for the replacement refs at this point. If not for the Fail Mary game, Green Bay is clinching the #2 seed tonight, and Minnesota's chances of winning next week would go up by a large degree. As it is, Green Bay will still have plenty at stake. And that might be enough to lift the Bears over the top. As an NFL fan, I would prefer the Bears get in, just because I think the Bears have a better chance of doing something should they get there.

(cue CCSLC Bears fans telling me that I'm totally wrong)

*this reminds me - the NFL modifying their scheduling as to have divisional matchups in Week 17 has to be one of the best things they've done in a long time. Even teams with nothing to play for might be motivated by the chance to spoil their rivals' playoff chances. Such as Philly and Detroit next week.

[Sodboy13]

No, the best outcome is for the Bears to beat Detroit, finish 10-6, and get ruined for another 3 seasons with a contract extension for Lovie. That would truly be the greatest gift of all.

[rams80]

Well, so much for my dreams of knocking Seattle out of the playoffs next week.

[The_Admiral]

No, the best outcome is for the Bears to beat Detroit, finish 10-6, and get ruined for another 3 seasons with a contract extension for Lovie. That would truly be the greatest gift of all.

This will happen. Lovie just saved his job. Football organizations of self-styled honor and integrity don't fire coaches with winning seasons.

[dbadefense1990]

The NFL modifying their scheduling as to have divisional matchups in Week 17 has to be one of the best things they've done in a long time. Even teams with nothing to play for might be motivated by the chance to spoil their rivals' playoff chances. Such as Philly and Detroit next week.

Agree. It's seems like every year, there's at least one, perhaps two, divisions where it's a win-and-in game for Week 17, with no outside control factors. The NFL capitalized on this point, mandating the final week be only division games for the last three years now. And with all the randomness and parity of football these days, there had been a sense of a guarantee of a division-title showdown to end the season. Just give the matchup to NBC and they'll sauce it up to everyone's liking.

And I love it; no other teams control your destiny and no excuses from past performances. All it takes is one 60-minute game separating you from the postseason and the offseason. And against, in some cases, your bitter division rival. That's all needed to say.

[thespleenenator]

I'll just leave this here.

[Brendan]

Lucks QB rating and interceptions take him out of the running for the ROY. That makes it a two way competion between Griffin and Wilson. Right now I would give the edge to RG3 cause of his higher QB rating but if Wilson breaks Mannings record for TD passes by a rookie you have to give him the award.

[Kramerica Industries]

Griffin has been doing it all season - Wilson hasn't. And it doesn't matter whether Wilson was being held back because of the playcalling (which I believe he was) - you have to give it to the guy who has been stellar the entire season. What's remarkable is that all three have led their teams to the playoffs, and the only team of those three that anyone thought might go the playoffs, was the one that was planning on using Matt Flynn this season.

Speaking of RGIII, I can only hope this guy stays healthy, because holy hell can the guy throw some dimes. His TD pass to Santana Moss today was about the most perfect ball placement that a QB can possibly have. Literally a jaw-dropping touchdown catch, in my eyes.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap2000000115442/RG3-s-22-yard-TD-pass

[Rockstar Matt]

I can't believe the Cowboys have a chance to win the division. They are a resilient team and a bit lucky.

Still, they have to beat a red-hot Redskins team. If our defense were healthy, I'd really like our chances, but it's not. My heart is saying the Cowboys will win, but my brain is saying the Redskins will win.

[thespleenenator]

Lucks QB rating and interceptions take him out of the running for the ROY. That makes it a two way competion between Griffin and Wilson. Right now I would give the edge to RG3 cause of his higher QB rating but if Wilson breaks Mannings record for TD passes by a rookie you have to give him the award.

You clearly don't know the power of the ESPN hype machine.

[NEW.ERA]

No, but do Luck's record 7 game winning/tying drives mean absolutely nothing? And the fact that he's the major reason the Colts have gone from 2-14 to the playoffs and making Senor Manning being a little bit more forgotten. It's gonna be a tough call, all three Rookie QB's have been lights out, they'll all be great. If two lose out on the RoY. Oh well, it's just a Rookie of the Year award, that means really nothing.

Also, the NFL is so damn bi-polar. I think it's great that this league is full of a lot of "Good" teams, no one has set themselves apart from anyone else, no playoff team is safe. If I'll make one guarantee now. One of the SB representative's will be some team that will surprise us all, but in a year like this. Nothing should come as a surprise.

[thespleenenator]

No, but Luck's record 7 game winning/tying drives mean absolutely nothing. And the fact that he's the major reason the Colts have gone from 2-14 to the playoffs and making Senor Manning being a little bit more forgotten. It's gonna be a tough call, all three Rookie QB's have been lights out, they'll all be great. If two lose out on the RoY. Oh well, it's just a Rookie of the Year award, that means really nothing.

Also, the NFL is so damn bi-polar. I think it's great that this league is full of a lot of "Good" teams, no one has set themselves apart from anyone else, no playoff team is safe. If I'll make one guarantee now. One of the SB representative's will be some team that will surprise us all, but in a year like this. Nothing should come as a surprise.

He's completing less than 50% of his passes in his last 5 games. I don't care about wins and comebacks, that isn't ROTY caliber play.

[Eye]

Lucks QB rating and interceptions take him out of the running for the ROY. That makes it a two way competion between Griffin and Wilson. Right now I would give the edge to RG3 cause of his higher QB rating but if Wilson breaks Mannings record for TD passes by a rookie you have to give him the award.

QB Rating is one of the dumbest and most overrated stats around; most people couldn't even tell you how QB Rating is calculated without looking it up.

[HedleyLamarr]

Football is nowhere near as stat-driven as baseball is for fans. It's all about getting results. That's why wins and comebacks will be a factor when it comes to winning Rookie of the Year.

I think RG3 should win it, but it's going to be tough for voters to overlook the fact the Luck took the Colts from 2 wins to 10+ wins and a playoff berth this year, with the added pressure of being picked #1 overall and replacing a future Hall of Fame franchise QB, and with a coaching staff that was head coach-less for most of the season due to cancer.

[Cujo]

Lucks QB rating and interceptions take him out of the running for the ROY. That makes it a two way competion between Griffin and Wilson. Right now I would give the edge to RG3 cause of his higher QB rating but if Wilson breaks Mannings record for TD passes by a rookie you have to give him the award.

QB Rating is one of the dumbest and most overrated stats around; most people couldn't even tell you how QB Rating is calculated without looking it up.

ESPN's QBR (which is feel is a more accurate ratings system) has Andrew Luck ranked 13th, above the likes of Roethlisberger, Stafford and Dalton. http://espn.go.com/nfl/qbr

But in the end, the biggest quarterback stat is WINS.

[Eye]

Lucks QB rating and interceptions take him out of the running for the ROY. That makes it a two way competion between Griffin and Wilson. Right now I would give the edge to RG3 cause of his higher QB rating but if Wilson breaks Mannings record for TD passes by a rookie you have to give him the award.

QB Rating is one of the dumbest and most overrated stats around; most people couldn't even tell you how QB Rating is calculated without looking it up.

ESPN's QBR (which is feel is a more accurate ratings system) has Andrew Luck ranked 13th, above the likes of Roethlisberger, Stafford and Dalton. http://espn.go.com/nfl/qbr

But in the end, the biggest quarterback stat is WINS.

This is a dumb "stat" too though, Cujo. This conveys that Ryan Tannehill, Blaine Gabbert, Nick Foles, and Ryan Fitzpatrick are better QBs than P-Riv.

People should stop overanalyzing and making these unnecessarily complicated "stats". Just go by what you see out there, it's generally going to suggest who is better than who.

Edit: Also, it says Kaepernick is better than Brees, Eli Manning, Roethlisberger, and Flacco.

[Kramerica Industries]

QB Rating has always seemed like some fancy way to combine all the normal statistics. It's largely irrelevant. I mean, through both the eye test and the basic statistic test, I don't need QB Rating to try to tell me whether Tom Brady is a good QB or not. The high passing yards, touchdowns, completion percentage, and low turnovers will do that easily enough.

I appreciate what QBR represents, but I'm not about to take it as a reliable statistic. It's flawed, there's no way to calculate it, and there's a subjective element to it. In the case of Andrew Luck, who is in between two extremes here, the real truth lies in the middle. He will probably cut down on the INT's going forward, but he's probably not going to lead comeback efforts at the same rate he has this year.