2012-2013 NFL Football Thread

Moyank24 said:

I'm just trying to understand how long momentum takes to kick in....It's like saying there was a blackout in the 3rd inning of a baseball game, but because you scored 5 runs in the 5th, it's because of momentum!

We can agree to disagree...

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I'm with you on this one. The Niners coming back has been their MO for awhile (and proved to be their doom). I expected them to do something in the second half. I could argue the rest helped the older Ravens defense just as much.

The Niners were in a lose-lose proposition once that blackout started. Either way, people would say they somehow benefitted from it. Meanwhile, the truth is the Niners headsets were out almost through the duration of it, while the Ravens headsets worked fine. I doubt there was a lot of high level communication going on in a game they prepared for for two weeks. They got a breather, and a moment to collect themselves. But so did the Ravens.

In the end, it doesn't matter, you still have to make the plays. The Ravens simply made more. But anyone expecting that first half dominance by Baltimore to carry through the entire game doesn't watch enough football, imo. It almost never unfolds like that.

Queen of Spades said:

And for Gronk to stop partying like he just found out he has 3 months to live.

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Gronk is awesome hahaha. As long as he gets all his partying done in time for camp to start, more power to him.

Wish I was a rich 23 year old athlete like him.

zioxide said:

Gronk is awesome hahaha. As long as he gets all his partying done in time for camp to start, more power to him.

Wish I was a rich 23 year old athlete like him.

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You and me both. Girls, girls, girls, girls.

Queen of Spades said:

...



Their defense gave up 468 yards. Hardly dominant. And they didn't really contain Kaepernick's running, which is why it was a head scratcher they didn't try him in the red zone on that last drive.

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exactly... why didn't they...? drove me nuts.

Moyank24 said:

I'm just trying to understand how long momentum takes to kick in....It's like saying there was a blackout in the 3rd inning of a baseball game, but because you scored 5 runs in the 5th, it's because of momentum!

We can agree to disagree...

Click to expand...

Queen of Spades said:

I'm with you on this one. The Niners coming back has been their MO for awhile (and proved to be their doom). I expected them to do something in the second half. I could argue the rest helped the older Ravens defense just as much.

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Let me explain a little more what I'm talking about when I say momentum. I'm not speaking about build up like momentum in physics, but more of the mental aspect of sports. It's like the shooter in basketball whose shot is off. Some players have the mental toughness to deal with that while others just slip further and further into anxiety and frustration which negatively affects their performance. This is especially true in games that have a clock. The clock is always a factor when your down on the scoreboard and not performing well.

The Ravens basically whooped up on the 49ers during the first half and then come out and deliver what could have been a death blow by opening the 2nd half with a 108 yard kickoff return. This exact point is where mental toughness meets that "sinking feeling" in the stomach and the nagging self doubt that destroys confidence. So much of sports is about the battle for the mind and not just who has more athletic ability. And, it's at this exact point that the blackout occurred. An unintended variable interrupted and allowed the 49ers players to relax their minds for a little while. They were able to distract themselves from any negative thoughts that might have been at the tipping point and focus on something else thereby calming their thoughts and refocusing their energy.

That's what I mean by a momentum shift. I don't think anyone would argue that the blackout only served to help the 49ers. It really did nothing for the Ravens and in fact most likely had a negative impact in distracting their already focused minds.

Queen of Spades said:

You and me both. Girls, girls, girls, girls.

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The whiners were out in full force today though. Most of them just jealous because their lives are probably boring as **** and they wish they could be rich and out partying and enjoying life like Gronk does.

Just further reinforced why I don't ever listen to the morons on EEI, 98.5, or ESPN.

The funniest thing is the guys at barstool, who are huge morons and usually totally wrong about everything, were spot on about the Gronk partying. haha

Queen of Spades said:

I'm with you on this one. The Niners coming back has been their MO for awhile (and proved to be their doom).

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Right after I read your post, I went downtown and met with a Boston guy who gets the east coast sports channels out west and he follows most east coast teams and he had no issue with the Ravens winning which he totally expected.

Like you and he, and others say, coming back from behind doesn't always work and what the Ravens said he saw this year was their ability to stop anybody in their red zone. They protect it better than any team in his opinion. He knew Kap was good, but then again inexperienced and really no match for a defense which really knows how to stick it to opponents near the goal line. Apparently it wasn't just the Niners who fell victim to the Ravens this year. As much as they weren't his team, the Baltimore announcers made it a theme that it was all about fighting for Ray and his last year and he's some sort of local icon there.

Like some announcers were saying, taking out the Niners O so close to the goal line in that drive was the perfect story book ending for a guy like Lewis. Had this been my team, and in that context with last SB being so many years ago, I guess this would have been a perfect ending.

As a 49er fan I thought it as a good game. It drove me nuts sometimes but still a good game. The lights going out was just icing on the cake. I kept telling folks the Niners are a second half team. I was right. I also kept saying Kaepernick(sp?) should put the game ball in his own hands but sadly he never really did.


Well done Ravens.

pachyderm said:

As a 49er fan I thought it as a good game. It drove me nuts sometimes but still a good game. The lights going out was just icing on the cake. I kept telling folks the Niners are a second half team. I was right. I also kept saying Kaepernick(sp?) should put the game ball in his own hands but sadly he never really did.

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He just needs more experience. He's quick, smart, and has a cannon arm. He'll be a good player as long as he stays healthy. 49ers should be a top team again next year.