2012 NFL Season Thread

[rams80]

People (and the NFL itself) take the NFL way too seriously. Huge big brother pictures of a suspended coach, over the top coverage of every minute detail of every play, otherwise normal folks freaking out over fantasy football? All indicative of something way too overblown and overdone. Anyone else feel this way?

Yes.

But how does that affect your fantasy team?

[sportstar1212]

Well it's funny. That they're the first defending Super Bowl champ to lose opening night.

1st team since the '99 Denver Broncos. I did research on that.

I took it to mean he was speaking of the Thursday night opener hosted by the previous year's champs. That's only been in place since 2004. It was on Wednesday this year so as not to conflict with a speech at the convention tonight.

As for Payton, sorry I restarted that debate. CS85 is right. I actually did the Kirk nod when I read his post then looked at his avatar and went "D'oh!"

@ Cujo, I know you're impressed by how the Saints are keeping Payton's spirit around at their practice facility.

[/good-natured tweak]

When I first looked at it, I thought McKayla Maroney

[CDixonDesign]

SportsCenter ‏@SportsCenter

BREAKING NEWS: @Saints players win their appeal (via @AdamSchefter). More details to follow on #SportsCenter (ESPNews).

Followed by this gem:

Jonathan Vilma @JonVilma51

Victory is mine!!!! -stewie griffin

[rams80]

SportsCenter ‏@SportsCenter

BREAKING NEWS: @Saints players win their appeal (via @AdamSchefter). More details to follow on #SportsCenter (ESPNews).

Followed by this gem:

Jonathan Vilma @JonVilma51

Victory is mine!!!! -stewie griffin

Congratulations Jon. You won the right to have your leg stomped when the crappy replacement refs aren't looking.

[Cujo]

What Rams80 said.

Vilma bitched his way out of New York, and has just done the same with this suspension. What a !

[BlueSky]

What Rams80 said.

Vilma bitched his way out of New York, and has just done the same with this suspension. What a !

Hey, what's your mailing address and size? I have an extra Saints t-shirt I can send you.

Maybe the court got it right. Wait, no, that couldn't be, could it? I mean, they've seen the evidence and we've seen what the NFL wanted us to see, so the league has to be the ones telling the whole truth.

Yeah, that adds up.

Ironically, unless Lofton's ankle starts acting up, Vilma's coming back to sit the bench. Also creates an awkward situation for the Saints, who will have to cut somebody who thought he made the team.

[NEW.ERA]

A lot of anger floating around. Rightfully so!

[Lights Out]

LOL at Goodell. After how he hastily destroyed the Spygate evidence, I'm not really sure how anyone could ever trust him to make a fair judgment call on anything.

[DarkJourney]

Bill Simmons must be on crack. Seahawks in the Super Bowl?

Ok he might be kidding us around but still.

[dfwabel]

Bill Simmons must be on crack. Seahawks in the Super Bowl?

Ok he might be kidding us around but still.

Listen to his podcast(s) with Michael Lombardi. Simmons buys into Lombardi's assessment of the team as a team who is as physical as the 49ers, Bruce Irvin will have an advantage as an edge rusher, and they have had good drafts since Carroll has been there. Lombardi (I'm paraphrasing him) said that SEA could go 6-2 or 7-1 at CenturyLink Field and just have to play .500 ball on the road to make the playoffs.

[pmoehrin]

I was always under the impression the Saints were being punished more for covering up the bounty system and refusing to end it then anything else. Which I was fine with. If your going to stonewall people's who's job it is to enforce the rules you should have the book thrown at you.

But as I've said a few times I wouldn't be shocked if all 32 NFL teams did some variation of this. Its just part of the locker culture that rarely gets out in the media but anyone who knows anything about the inner workings of the NFL knows exists. And I didn't see the point in going after the players. They're not the one who have to answer to league officials over something like this. So I'm glad the players suspensions got overturned and I think how the suspensions are now is how they should be.

[DarkJourney]

Bill Simmons must be on crack. Seahawks in the Super Bowl?

Ok he might be kidding us around but still.

Listen to his podcast(s) with Michael Lombardi. Simmons buys into Lombardi's assessment of the team as a team who is as physical as the 49ers, Bruce Irvin will have an advantage as an edge rusher, and they have had good drafts since Carroll has been there. Lombardi (I'm paraphrasing him) said that SEA could go 6-2 or 7-1 at CenturyLink Field and just have to play .500 ball on the road to make the playoffs.

Russell Wilson might be good but not now and I still don't buy into Matt Flynn.

[BlueSky]

I was always under the impression the Saints were being punished more for covering up the bounty system and refusing to end it then anything else. Which I was fine with. If your going to stonewall people's who's job it is to enforce the rules you should have the book thrown at you.

But as I've said a few times I wouldn't be shocked if all 32 NFL teams did some variation of this. Its just part of the locker culture that rarely gets out in the media but anyone who knows anything about the inner workings of the NFL knows exists. And I didn't see the point in going after the players. They're not the one who have to answer to league officials over something like this. So I'm glad the players suspensions got overturned and I think how the suspensions are now is how they should be.

Well, I agree with all of this so maybe the bolding wasn't necessary but those were especially good points. And yes, I just said I agreed with Payton being suspended, but it's tough to know whether the time he got was excessive when we don't have all the facts so I'll leave it at that.

[The_Admiral]

I don't think the Bears have a bounty system, unless they get paid under the table to give up lots of yards and still be called an "elite defense," in which case cha-ching.

[dfwabel]

What Rams80 said.

Vilma bitched his way out of New York, and has just done the same with this suspension. What a !

Hey, what's your mailing address and size? I have an extra Saints t-shirt I can send you.

Maybe the court got it right. Wait, no, that couldn't be, could it? I mean, they've seen the evidence and we've seen what the NFL wanted us to see, so the league has to be the ones telling the whole truth.

Yeah, that adds up.

Ironically, unless Lofton's ankle starts acting up, Vilma's coming back to sit the bench. Also creates an awkward situation for the Saints, who will have to cut somebody who thought he made the team.

Will Smith immediately counts against the roster. Vilma has a special exemption so they do not have to cut a player to add him. The Browns have an identical exemption for Fujita.

As for the appeals panel, they did not overturn the suspensions due to lack of evidence. They overturned because the CBA states Goodell lacked the authority and jurisdiction to suspend them how he did. According to Yahoo!, the panel did indicate that there was evidence of pay-to-injure.

[BlueSky]

What Rams80 said.

Vilma bitched his way out of New York, and has just done the same with this suspension. What a !

Hey, what's your mailing address and size? I have an extra Saints t-shirt I can send you.

Maybe the court got it right. Wait, no, that couldn't be, could it? I mean, they've seen the evidence and we've seen what the NFL wanted us to see, so the league has to be the ones telling the whole truth.

Yeah, that adds up.

Ironically, unless Lofton's ankle starts acting up, Vilma's coming back to sit the bench. Also creates an awkward situation for the Saints, who will have to cut somebody who thought he made the team.

Will Smith immediately counts against the roster. Vilma has a special exemption so they do not have to cut a player to add him. The Browns have an identical exemption for Fujita.

As for the appeals panel, they did not overturn the suspensions due to lack of evidence. They overturned because the CBA states Goodell lacked the authority and jurisdiction to suspend them how he did. According to Yahoo!, the panel did indicate that there was evidence of pay-to-injure.

Heard that after I'd posted.

[dfwabel]

Comments of Jerry Jones from Thursday.

[NEW.ERA]

Maryland politician asks Ravens to "inhibit" Ayanbadejo's same-sex marriage support

Here's what the Ravens should write back:

Dear Mr Burns,

Kindly go f*** yourself with a rake.

Love,

The Baltimore Ravens

Did you get that idea from The Big Lead?

RexKramerDangerSeeker Says:

September 6th, 2012 at 5:19 PM

Dear Delegate Burns,

Kindly go yourself.

Sincerely,

Steven Biscotti

I have never read The Big Lead before in my life much less The Big Lead's comments section. So, no. It's not like it's that clever a response so it's not surprising someone else thought similarly. In this case though, I don't think delegate Burns deserves a clever response.

How about this?

Dear Mr. Burns,

Mind your own :censored:ing business.

Love,

The Baltimore Ravens

A response like that, on official Ravens letterhead, would make me instantly stop hating that football team so much.

Also, I take it Delegate Burns isn't a hockey fan where many players across the league have endorsed equality in same-sex marriages and the participation of openly gay players.

I give you Mr. Chris Kluwe. Who's hilarious, and is probably one of the most vocal players in the NFL and he's a Punter.

Dear Emmett C. Burns Jr.,

I find it inconceivable that you are an elected official of Maryland's state government. Your vitriolic hatred and bigotry make me ashamed and disgusted to think that you are in any way responsible for shaping policy at any level. The views you espouse neglect to consider several fundamental key points, which I will outline in great detail (you may want to hire an intern to help you with the longer words):

1. As I suspect you have not read the Constitution, I would like to remind you that the very first, the VERY FIRST Amendment in this founding document deals with the freedom of speech, particularly the abridgment of said freedom. By using your position as an elected official (when referring to your constituents so as to implicitly threaten the Ravens organization) to state that the Ravens should "inhibit such expressions from your employees," more specifically Brendon Ayanbadejo, not only are you clearly violating the First Amendment, you also come across as a narcissistic fromunda stain. What on earth would possess you to be so mind-boggingly stupid? It baffles me that a man such as yourself, a man who relies on that same First Amendment to pursue your own religious studies without fear of persecution from the state, could somehow justify stifling another person's right to speech. To call that hypocritical would be to do a disservice to the word. Mind:censored:ing obscenely hypocritical starts to approach it a little bit.

2. "Many of your fans are opposed to such a view and feel it has no place in a sport that is strictly for pride, entertainment, and excitement." Holy :censored:ing :censored:balls. Did you seriously just say that, as someone who's "deeply involved in government task forces on the legacy of slavery in Maryland"? Have you not heard of Kenny Washington? Jackie Robinson? As recently as 1962 the NFL still had segregation, which was only done away with by brave athletes and coaches daring to speak their mind and do the right thing, and you're going to say that political views have "no place in a sport"? I can't even begin to fathom the cognitive dissonance that must be coursing through your rapidly addled mind right now; the mental gymnastics your brain has to tortuously contort itself through to make such a preposterous statement are surely worthy of an Olympic gold medal (the Russian judge gives you a 10 for "beautiful oppressionism").

3. This is more a personal quibble of mine, but why do you hate freedom? Why do you hate the fact that other people want a chance to live their lives and be happy, even though they may believe in something different than you, or act different than you? How does gay marriage, in any way shape or form, affect your life? If gay marriage becomes legal, are you worried that all of a sudden you'll start thinking about penis? "Oh . Gay marriage just passed. Gotta get me some of that hot dong action!" Will all of your friends suddenly turn gay and refuse to come to your Sunday Ticket grill-outs? (Unlikely, since gay people enjoy watching football too.)

I can assure you that gay people getting married will have zero effect on your life. They won't come into your house and steal your children. They won't magically turn you into a lustful cockmonster. They won't even overthrow the government in an orgy of hedonistic debauchery because all of a sudden they have the same legal rights as the other 90 percent of our population?rights like Social Security benefits, child care tax credits, Family and Medical Leave to take care of loved ones, and COBRA healthcare for spouses and children. You know what having these rights will make gays? Full-fledged American citizens just like everyone else, with the freedom to pursue happiness and all that entails. Do the civil-rights struggles of the past 200 years mean absolutely nothing to you?

In closing, I would like to say that I hope this letter, in some small way, causes you to reflect upon the magnitude of the colossal foot in mouth cluster:censored: you so brazenly unleashed on a man whose only crime was speaking out for something he believed in. Best of luck in the next election; I'm fairly certain you might need it.

Sincerely,

Chris Kluwe

P.S. I've also been vocal as hell about the issue of gay marriage so you can take your "I know of no other NFL player who has done what Mr. Ayanbadejo is doing" and shove it in your close-minded, totally lacking in empathy piehole and choke on it. .

Link.

[Lights Out]

Chris Kluwe has officially become one of my favorite athletes, period. That's :censored:ing brilliant.

[The_Admiral]

9.5/10, use of "fromunda stain" and "lustful cockmonster" undermined the gravity of his otherwise strong work.