2014 NFL Season Thread

[Unocal]

For one night, it was great to be a Bills fan. Wish they got another touchdown so Jets could lose another 45-3 Monday nighter

[Rockstar Matt]

I can't help but to feel a little bit bad for the Browns. The one year they're actually decent, with a 7-4 record no less, they are still in last place in the division.

P.S. Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you, the NFC South, where the 2-9 Buccaneers are only two games out of hosting a playoff game!

[Sport]

Maybe the NFL outta put in a rule that if a division champion is below .500 then they forfeit their playoff spot. It happens so rarely that it's probably not necessary, but we're looking at a 6-10 team hosting a playoff game fercryingoutloud. It wouldn't hurt to make such a rule.

[Still MIGHTY]

So a week after being fined for not talking to the media, Marshawn Lynch took questions from reporters in the locker room after the Arizona game and responded to just about every questions with "...yeah"

Thanks for your time, Marshawn.

I don't know why the NFL is so hell bent on making these guys talk to media. It's painfully obvious he doesn't want to talk to them, and when he does he has nothing to say. Who does this serve?

I agree. This is one thing I just can't care about and I don't know that many fans do either. I think the outrage comes from the fact that the people who are reporting the story are the ones who are outraged and nothing offends goober sports journalists more than an athlete not talking to them.

I really don't need to know what Marshawn Lynch thought about that Field Goal Regatta from yesterday.

Maybe I care because I'm aspiring to be one of those goober sports journalists, but it's part of the job. You don't want to talk to the media Marshawn? Don't be a pro athlete, or at least don't be a notable one. Honestly, it's not hard to just answer the questions. It's at the most five minutes of your time. Just give some boilerplate answers and go home. It actually makes everyone's job harder when he either doesn't answer or does what he did yesterday.

And you're right, you probably didn't need to hear from Marshawn at all after that game. 39 yards rushing, 43 receiving, 0 TDs. Not a banner game. I guarantee the only reason anyone went over to talk to him was because of last week's fine.

If I was a Seahawks reporter, I wouldn't even bother with him at this point. You know he doesn't want to talk. You know if he does, he's going to be a terrible quote. Anybody that went with anything from that is just a glorified gossip columnist. Talk about the win, talk about the defense, talk about keeping playoff hopes alive. The only thing that he was worth is maybe a fluff humor column or something.

I'm willing to accept that I may be a part of a small minority, but whenever I hear a pro athlete isn't talking to the media I couldn't shrug any harder. Is that guy talking really going to bring some insight that I couldn't have heard from another player or guessed on my own? Besides, I'm interested in hearing maybe 5% of professional athletes talk and the guy who refuses to do interviews is never in that group.

And sports journalists are, on the usual, goobers.

The problem is that fans usually want to see quotes from the star players or at the very least the skill players. That means the starting quarterback always, then probably a receiver, the starting running back, and whomever the top defensive player is. Marshawn Lynch happens to be the starting running back for the Seahawks ,and, on top of that, he's brought a lot of attention on himself in other ways. Whether he likes it or not, the media is going to want to ask him questions.

Yeah, there are a lot of jock-sniffing goobers in the profession. I prefer to treat them like people, high-profile people that get to be criticized and analyzed in a public forum because of their high profile, but other people nonetheless.

---

Also, you, NFC South.... but it is hilarious.

So remaining skeds:

Saints - @ Pittsburgh, vs Carolina, @ Chicago, vs Atlanta, @ Tampa Bay

Falcons - vs Arizona, @ Green Bay, vs Pittsburgh, @ New Orleans, vs Carolina.

There's no way either team gets to .500. It's 6-10 or 7-9. And oh how badly I want it to be 6-10. (Hell, shoot for 5-11! I'm not ruling that out at all. NO loses to PIT/CHI/ATL. ATL loses to ARZ/GB/PIT. All quite possible.)

[Cosmic]

So bizarre to see a 2-9 team on the "In the Hunt" graphic.

[Still MIGHTY]

So bizarre to see a 2-9 team on the "In the Hunt" graphic.

Just for fun, Tampa Bay finishes with vs Bengals, @ Lions, @ Panthers, vs Packers, vs Saints.

I guess both the Bengals and Lions are both capable of a derp. Maybe the Saints could be too in that last game (but they'll have everything to play for). In theory, they could beat the Panthers too. I could see them falling backwards into 4-12, but not 5-11.

[BlackBolt3]

Let's see the Panther's schedule:

@ Minnesota

@ New Orleans

vs.Tampa Bay

vs. Cleveland

@ Atlanta

Considerably the easiest schedule left in the division. Let's see how they don't win another game.

[rams80]

Maybe the NFL outta put in a rule that if a division champion is below .500 then they forfeit their playoff spot. It happens so rarely that it's probably not necessary, but we're looking at a 6-10 team hosting a playoff game fercryingoutloud. It wouldn't hurt to make such a rule.

Natch. I'm fine with division winners not only getting playoff spots but getting home games. It leaves each team in control of their destiny.

[JayMac]

Eric Berry was put on the non football injury list, ending his season. He possibly has lymphoma. That's such a shame if true.

http://6abc.com/sports/nfl-player-believed-to-have-lymphoma/409549/

[hbgoo1975]

The NFC South lost this week, which means that the Panthers won by forfeit.

[DarkJourney]

I have this feeling Seattle is going to rip my Niners this Thursday ending their playoff hopes.

[GFB]

Eric Berry was put on the non football injury list, ending his season. He possibly has lymphoma. That's such a shame if true.

http://6abc.com/sports/nfl-player-believed-to-have-lymphoma/409549/

That's awful. I've always liked Eric Berry as a player... Prayers to him and his family.

[ninersdd]

Adam Schefter tweeted out per a team source, that Colt McCoy will start for Washington. Damn how low has RG3 sunk to. That Seattle playoff game may have sent his and the Redskins near future up in flames.

[hbgoo1975]

Colt McCoy is a better quarterback than Griffin. He proved that the last two times they won.

[CS85]

It's sad how much that guy's star has fallen into the non-salvageable refuse pile of NFL quarterbacks. That being said, I enjoy watching the Redskins make fools of themselves.

[OnWis97]

Is Cousins injured or did McCoy just climb above him on the depth chart (Sorry but I don't follow the NFL closely when the Vikings stink)?

[OnWis97]

I could see New Orleans winning out. They go to Pittsburgh next. If they can win that one, they may finish 9-7. I predict they win the division at 8-8.

[Saint Zephyr III]

I could see New Orleans winning out. They go to Pittsburgh next. If they can win that one, they may finish 9-7. I predict they win the division at 8-8.

One would hope but at this point it'd be unlikely to even get 8-8. All the Saints have to do to get the division is beat the rest of their division (and fortunately two of those are at home). But 7-9 sounds right if only because I want the possible anomaly of a 7-9 Saints team going against a #5 seed Seahawks. IT HAS TO HAPPEN.

[DS729]

Adam Schefter tweeted out per a team source, that Colt McCoy will start for Washington. Damn how low has RG3 sunk to. That Seattle playoff game may have sent his and the Redskins near future up in flames.

That's a little bit of an understatement. But yeah. Shanahan. Dan Snyder. the whole damn team. Really sad to think that guy was the rookie of the year in a stellar QB class, yet he's fallen so far, especially considering Wilson's won a Super Bowl, and Luck's been stellar in Indy. Really wish we could get that deal back.

Is Cousins injured or did McCoy just climb above him on the depth chart (Sorry but I don't follow the NFL closely when the Vikings stink)?

Cousins had two good games against Jacksonville and Philly, followed it up with 4 turnovers at home against the Giants in a Thursday Night beatdown, and was pretty mediocre after that. After two picks against the Titans, McCoy was a saving grace. Hell, he won games, there's got to be something said for that.

[Lee Noire]

So a week after being fined for not talking to the media, Marshawn Lynch took questions from reporters in the locker room after the Arizona game and responded to just about every questions with "...yeah"

Thanks for your time, Marshawn.

I don't know why the NFL is so hell bent on making these guys talk to media. It's painfully obvious he doesn't want to talk to them, and when he does he has nothing to say. Who does this serve?

I agree. This is one thing I just can't care about and I don't know that many fans do either. I think the outrage comes from the fact that the people who are reporting the story are the ones who are outraged and nothing offends goober sports journalists more than an athlete not talking to them.

I really don't need to know what Marshawn Lynch thought about that Field Goal Regatta from yesterday.

Maybe I care because I'm aspiring to be one of those goober sports journalists, but it's part of the job. You don't want to talk to the media Marshawn? Don't be a pro athlete, or at least don't be a notable one. Honestly, it's not hard to just answer the questions. It's at the most five minutes of your time. Just give some boilerplate answers and go home. It actually makes everyone's job harder when he either doesn't answer or does what he did yesterday.

And you're right, you probably didn't need to hear from Marshawn at all after that game. 39 yards rushing, 43 receiving, 0 TDs. Not a banner game. I guarantee the only reason anyone went over to talk to him was because of last week's fine.

If I was a Seahawks reporter, I wouldn't even bother with him at this point. You know he doesn't want to talk. You know if he does, he's going to be a terrible quote. Anybody that went with anything from that is just a glorified gossip columnist. Talk about the win, talk about the defense, talk about keeping playoff hopes alive. The only thing that he was worth is maybe a fluff humor column or something.

I don't think that is fair. Don't play a pro sport if you don't want to do something that really doesn't benefit you or your team? So I ask again, why is this even a requirement? Why should a guy be fined because he didn't want to contribute to some reporters story? Sure, it's only five minutes of his time, but why should he owe that to a reporter? That's all I'm saying.