NFL 2014 - Official Thread

Training camp is well under way. Everyone knows where Mongrel and I place our interest. I am assuming that Zo going to be a Seahawks (and Niners?) fan. Not sure about his AFC affiliation, but it's probably something like the Patriots or Broncos. Broncos are a good regular season bet, but until proven otherwise, I am betting against Peyton Manning in the playoffs.

I think it's a toss up who will have a better record this year. Bengals or Eagles. Both should have relatively tough schedules as division winners, though the Bengals probably have a tougher in-division schedule. Eagles have the better coaching staff. Bengals likely have a more talented team, but that is debatable.

If I was betting, I'd say the Bengals win a max of 9 games. Anything over 10 or less than 7 would be surprising.

Other people chime in with their rooting interests.

Eagles went 10 and 6 last year and lost the first playoff game to the Saints. It appears that they have gotten better this off season and should be competitive again. The other three teams in the NFC East don't look much better than last year.

The Bengals's division rivals should be interesting. Hopefully the Browns will trot out Johnny Football and there's two wins for you. The Steelers are pretty old and I didn't see much done to fix that. The Ravens had a new OC in Gary Kubiak who burnt out at Houston. They also had at least five players who got in trouble with John Law in the off season including their star running back who evidently went all Sonny Liston on his baby-mamma in a hotel/casino in Atlantic City. The hallway surveillance video showed Ray dragging the lifeless carcass of said BM out of the elevator so that the automatic door would close. What we did not see has the coupe-de-grace-- the haymaker-- the left hook that sent her into La La Land. These distractions may prove to be costly for the 2014 season.\

All in all, its about time that the real games begin. I am so freakin' ready for some football.

I never discount the Steelers. I believe they went 6-2 or something over the last 8 weeks to get to .500. Plus, they just seem to have the Bengals number. I get the feeling that the whole Bengals organization gets a tight butt-hole when they see the Black and Yellow.
I really don't think the Ravens will miss Ray Rice and his declining yards per attempt. A few years ago, he was probably the second best RB in the game. But Harbaugh is a good coach. Good coaches beat the Bengals.
Yes, the Browns are still the Browns. I like what they are trying to do, even with JFF as a possible QB. They are a long-suffering and pathetic franchise, something I can relate to so they have my sympathy.

You've got to figure the Skins will be better than last year, but probably worse than 2 years ago. Probably something like 6 wins. I would never fear the Cowboys. Giants will probably bounce back a little, but I also wouldn't be too concerned about them. Eagles have got to be the prohibitive favorites in the NFCE.

Ready to see how my Viqueens do this year.

Shitcanned the head coach and the oc. Musgrave, the oc, had the imagination of a turnip and his whole playbook consisted of 4x6 recipe card. Norv Turner should be able to open up the offense instead of running Peterson every play. The defensive sieve, I mean secondary, has been upgraded. The linebackers are questionable and the d line should be better.

The big question is gonna be the qb.

Hoping for a .500 season at the least. If not, college bball starts later in the year and if the vikes suck, will switch to watching big ten hoops. When the gophers take a dump, will switch to next years baseball and when the Twins again fail to do anything, I'll be ready for next years football.

Basically, I'm a homer and don't give two shits about any other teams.

Norv Turner is a loser as head coach but should drastically improve the offense. I forgot who your head coach was. Its always good to shit-can one every few years.

I'm not finding any attention span at all for the NFL season yet. I respect but don't understand all this interest in the draft, preseason, rotisseries, fiancé beatings, league discipline even though it is forced down my throat during workouts at the gym.

It could be my almost annual Super Bowl success but it might be a while before I'm able to fake interest again.

I have noticed the pathetically inferior AFC is routinely propped up by the media because let's face it…..the NFL is a big p#ssy every sports broadcaster or writer tries to fuck the living shit out of.

So the Bengals forgo the final year on Andy Dalton's rookie deal and decide to pay him almost $20M per year for 6 years. Hmm. I'm not surprised, just disappointed. I wish the Bengals had the balls to make him play the last year of his rookie deal and GTFO if he chokes again. I don't even think he needs to get shitcanned if they lose a playoff game, Dalton just can't be the primary reason why they lose the playoff game which he has been for three years in a row.

Last year the Raven's Flacco got his Big Contract for about the same 120 million for 6 years. This was the season after they won the SB. So last year they go 8 and 8. Probably wasn't Flacco's fault just it it wasn't Dalton's. Make Mario Andretti drive a Yugo in the 500 and he ain't gonna win no way.

I'm a 49'er fan so I'll be hoping they can get past the last playoff game and make the superbowl like they should have for the last 2 years. What an exciting team to watch. I feel sorry for you Midwest guys. Browns, Bengals, Steelers, Colts, Ram's and all those other boring teams. Are the Colts still a team? See what I mean?

Just joshing. The 49ers went years being horrible after the Montana/Young era.

I hope the Seahawks don't play well this year. It's just wrong for Seattle to ever win a Super Bowl. I don't think I've watched a pre-season game for over 20 years. I don't know how anyone finds interest in the pre-season. I wouldn't go to a game for free. In fact, i wouldn't go to a game if you paid me $20. I might do it for $40 and free food/parking.

Why is this thread in the golf folder?

Speaking of football, I was just listening to a concussion medical report. They are finding out some pretty interesting stuff. One scientist said the cognitive affects are still measurable 2 months after being concussed. It's going to be interesting to see what they discover and how it affects all contact sports. Football may never be the same.

Preseason games are pretty bad in person. I would never pay for one, though I was forced to when I had season tickets. I still go to a couple games a year and enjoy them, but they are truly an all day affair. People act like unbelievable jackasses at NFL games.

Poe, although you are right about the concussion thing, the NFL is printing money. They've already bought off the veterans. The only way the NFL gets in trouble is if the lower levels like college, high school, and peewee get sued for concussion damages. College could probably take the hit, but if high schools have to pay crazy insurance to keep football, you may see schools dropping it.

Speaking of concussions, how good can it be for the millions of children who play soccer and head the ball like the big guys and girls? Talk about dumbing down America.

Mongrel wrote:Speaking of concussions, how good can it be for the millions of children who play soccer and head the ball like the big guys and girls? Talk about dumbing down America.

I saw something about this, maybe on Outside the Lines. Girls soccer was second to football for having the most concussions for high school sports.
I would probably be happier if my boy chooses to play a sport other than football, though I wouldn't try to stop him from playing. Plus, genetics aren't in his favor for football or basketball.

Mongrel wrote:Speaking of concussions, how good can it be for the millions of children who play soccer and head the ball like the big guys and girls? Talk about dumbing down America.

Most concussions in soccer are head to head, or head to another body part. I've never gotten a concussion from heading a ball. I'll had 3 concussion in my life. One was from a fall out of a tree about 4 years old. Another playing smear the queer when I was 12. The last was playing soccer and clashed heads with another player.

The numbers on concussions are all over the place. But every report I've read shows football almost double the head injuries as soccer. Between football and soccer you have hockey and lacrosse. The highest risk, cycling. Probably not organized racing, but the there are more concussions in cycling than the top 2 or 3 other sports combined.

I'm just pointing out that this concussion issue is going to change sports. Football and hockey are at the top of the list. It appears that repeated concussions are the main problem. But what is really being discussed is how much time does a patient need to recover because it's believed the repeated concussions in close duration causes permanent damage. 20+ years ago you just dusted yourself off and got back into the game. Now states have laws about concussions and return play. The question is going to become, how long before a concussed athlete can return to play? If it's more than a few days, it's going to change professional and collegiate sports.

As long as the fans HB referred to are allowed to reproduce, there will be a steady supply of concussion victims. Since this is a golf discussion forum we should take pride in the fact that it's the only concussion free sport, save for Elins with 5 irons and accidents with Escalades.

It's all overblown though...I've had concussions close together in ski racing. The other thing is I've had concussions in ski racing that weren't that far apart. You lose a week of training and it's almost like starting from scratch.

The Ahi here is great this year.

The majority of people just don't care. So many fans criticize the current rules changes designed to increase player safety (read, make it easier for skill positions of offense to put up points). The players themselves don't like the rules.

The fans want to be entertained by the most violent version of the game. You could tell every single rookie that he has a >50% of developing mental problems in his 40's or 50's, and a much greater probability of having debilitating arthritis even sooner. They would all agree to play.

I also want to be entertained, but I want these players to go into their careers knowing they're gambling their future health so a bunch of fans can have something to get excited over.

When I was a freshman in high school I played running back (first string for 6 games) and on one play collided at full speed head on with another player. I will never forget how bad that felt, how my head was ringing and how bad of a head ache I had for the rest of the day. The manufacturer of the helmet was Rydell and I later used a helmet from Bike. This one you could inflate with a pump to fit your head correctly and add additional cushioning. Regardless, it still hurt when colliding.

The ironic thing about helmet technology is the better it gets the more likely players are to feel safer in colliding head on at full speed. In the 50's they wore leather helmets and no one in their right mind was going to fly through the air at full speed and collide with another guy's head.

Lorenzzo wrote:As long as the fans HB referred to are allowed to reproduce, there will be a steady supply of concussion victims.  Since this is a golf discussion forum we should take pride in the fact that it's the only concussion free sport, save for Elins with 5 irons and accidents with Escalades.

It's all overblown though...I've had concussions close together in ski racing.  The other thing is I've had concussions in ski racing that weren't that far apart. You lose a week of training and it's almost like starting from scratch.

The Ahi here is great this year.

Do you use spinners or worms to catch the Ahi?

FamousDavis wrote:When I was a freshman in high school I played running back (first string for 6 games) and on one play collided at full speed head on with another player.  I will never forget how bad that felt, how my head was ringing and how bad of a head ache I had for the rest of the day.  The manufacturer of the helmet was Rydell and I later used a helmet from Bike.   This one you could inflate with a pump to fit your head correctly and add additional cushioning.  Regardless, it still hurt when colliding.  

The ironic thing about helmet technology is the better it gets the more likely players are to feel safer in colliding head on at full speed.  In the 50's they wore leather helmets and no one in their right mind was going to fly through the air at full speed and collide with another guy's head.  

Not just the helmet, it's all the pads. You try to tackle someone head down without shoulder ma'pads and your likely to break your collar bone.

Leather helmets were added because players were fracturing their skulls. But that was from the early turn of the century until the introduction of plastic helmets in the mid 40's. By the 50's every player was wearing a plastic helmet.

Mongrel wrote:

Lorenzzo wrote:As long as the fans HB referred to are allowed to reproduce, there will be a steady supply of concussion victims.  Since this is a golf discussion forum we should take pride in the fact that it's the only concussion free sport, save for Elins with 5 irons and accidents with Escalades.

It's all overblown though...I've had concussions close together in ski racing.  The other thing is I've had concussions in ski racing that weren't that far apart. You lose a week of training and it's almost like starting from scratch.

The Ahi here is great this year.

Do you use spinners or worms to catch the Ahi?

I'd guess a yuppie food stamps, maybe two.

Zo, do they make a hawaiian to english translation guide for the fish varieties you see at the market. Nothing has an english name. It's confusing to us mainlanders.

Poe4soul wrote:

Mongrel wrote:

Lorenzzo wrote:As long as the fans HB referred to are allowed to reproduce, there will be a steady supply of concussion victims.  Since this is a golf discussion forum we should take pride in the fact that it's the only concussion free sport, save for Elins with 5 irons and accidents with Escalades.

It's all overblown though...I've had concussions close together in ski racing.  The other thing is I've had concussions in ski racing that weren't that far apart. You lose a week of training and it's almost like starting from scratch.

The Ahi here is great this year.

Do you use spinners or worms to catch the Ahi?

I'd guess a yuppie food stamps, maybe two.

Zo, do they make a hawaiian to english translation guide for the fish varieties you see at the market.  Nothing has an english name. It's confusing to us mainlanders.

Let me help you with that:

Ahi = Red maguro tuna

Butterfish = Northern Cod

Opah = Opah

Ono = Wahoo

Mahi Mahi = Dorado

Poke = Diced Ahi mixed with oil & spice

Baitfish for angling, M

Back here in the urban east, the indigenous have vernacular terms for the fish they eat.

Lake Trouts = Whiting

Steak Fish = Hake

Diesel Fish = These little fish (pointing to what they want at the seafood counter at the market)

Typo above.

Opah = Oprah

Oprah was in town here in Baltimore last night. The local newspaper and TV stations had to post pix of her eating Chesapeake Bay Blue crabs at a restaurant down by the Harbor with her "long time companion" Stedman. He is her beard. I used to work with her in the late '70's. She was a big as a house and could not stop eating.

You didn't see it in the news but she got arrested at Chicago O'Hare for possession of contraband. Fifty pounds of crack.

Lorenzzo wrote:Typo above.

Opah = Oprah

Watching the news last night it sounds like your in for some bad weather. Stay safe.