2012-2013 NFL Football Thread

[zioxide]

Damn, why do we have to go to Foxboro 2 years in a row?

I never could figure out how that works. I know each division plays a specific division in the other conference every year (next year AFCE vs NFCS) and then you play a team from each other division in your conference that's the same seed as you. That's why NE plays Denver next year, because we both won our respective divisions, but I couldn't tell you how the decide which is home and which is away.



just saw this from @Patriots twitter:

With a win Sunday, Tom Brady would set an all-time @NFL record for most postseason wins by QB.

 

[63dot]

just saw this from @Patriots twitter:

With a win Sunday, Tom Brady would set an all-time @NFL record for most postseason wins by QB.

If he goes all the way and wins Super Bowl, he will tie for most Super Bowls won and most Super Bowls played on top of having all time most wins in postseason.

Between now and the end, both Brady and Manning will either be adding to records they already hold or catching up with the other on a record. The hardest ones to catch and probably most memorable, similar to American sports record of a 100 point basketball game or batting .400+ in a season, is to approach the 71,000+ completed passing yards or over 500 TDs both by Favre. While I don't think those will easily be reached, Manning or Brady lasting longer than any of the critics think, and simultaneously being on teams without viable backups, can make those two big records get beaten.

I think with Tebow and the distraction around him gone and Manning and his great debut with the Broncos, he's safe for at least another couple of years. He did well this year and even if he blows the next year, he's still the best since Elway so that's why I think he can play into age 38 with Broncos.

Brady has also done well this year and has at least two more years with Pats, and assuming for both without major injury which both have faced, too.

With that much more time for both of these guys, Favre's two major records for a QB will have to be revisited at that time. Brady also got a start a year late as starter so he's that much less banged up overall than Manning and it would probably take Brady three years to catch Favre but that's plausible. When Steve Young and Troy Aikman were playing in the zone, it looked like all the records would fall but both their careers were cut short on top of not continuing what they were capable of. Warner looked like he could gather more records, too as well as a few others. In the end the records were still most with Favre and Marino.

Favre started good, and peaked to a level being on his own at the top, but when he started to falter, his lower output as both stats gatherer and winner was still better than most so that helped lead to those two records. He should have gotten another Super Bowl but that's all less important than his career yards and TDs. We will have to assume that Brady and Manning won't hit a wall like many other greats did after their mid-30s (and some during around age 30).

At least in the short run, Brady needs just one more postseason win for record which I think will happen but if it doesn't he always has next year, too and that's a likely bet with all things considered. That being said, I don't really think either guy is that selfish looking for HoF or records but want their teams to do well. Where others are happy with a ten win season, Brady and Manning are looking to at least get to conference championship and Super Bowl as are the fans.

 

[JoshMKB24]

I'm pretty nervous/excited for my 49ers vs the Packers.....I honestly believe whoever wins this will represent the NFC in the Super Bowl barring injury.

 

[Dandaman]

Was that confirmed before that last Super Bowl or did Elway announce some days or months after?

I don't think it was confirmed until after the Super Bowl. But, he did a similar lap around mile high stadium (like Ray Lewis just did in Baltimore) after his last playoff home game. At least for me, it was at that point I realized he wasn't coming back.

 

[JoshMKB24]

I don't think it was confirmed until after the Super Bowl. But, he did a similar lap around mile high stadium (like Ray Lewis just did in Baltimore) after his last playoff home game. At least for me, it was at that point I realized he wasn't coming back.

Yeah I think you're right. I think though everyone kind of assumed since it was the most dominant team and they were 14-2 and TD had gone over 2k yards that this was going to be his last ride.

PS - I was so super pumped when they beat the Packers the year prior There is not a single team I hate more than GB in any sport!

 

[ucfgrad93]

I never could figure out how that works. I know each division plays a specific division in the other conference every year (next year AFCE vs NFCS) and then you play a team from each other division in your conference that's the same seed as you. That's why NE plays Denver next year, because we both won our respective divisions, but I couldn't tell you how the decide which is home and which is away.

I don't mind playing the Patriots 2 years in a row, however, it should be played in Denver since we went to Foxborough this year.

 

[rhett7660]

And Rob Ryan is fired at Dallas:

http://espn.go.com/dallas/nfl/story/_/id/8826772/rob-ryan-fired-dallas-cowboys-defensive-coordinator

 

[mscriv]

And Rob Ryan is fired at Dallas:

http://espn.go.com/dallas/nfl/story/_/id/8826772/rob-ryan-fired-dallas-cowboys-defensive-coordinator

It will be interesting to see if Jerry makes any other moves. Ryan had four years here and didn't deliver so it's on to the next defensive coordinator.

 

[bigjnyc]

It will be interesting to see if Jerry makes any other moves. Ryan had four years here and didn't deliver so it's on to the next defensive coordinator.

When Jerry fired Wade he should have said "say aaah... I know I just fired you but umm...would you like to stay on as defensive coordinator by any chance?"

 

[63dot]

I don't mind playing the Patriots 2 years in a row, however, it should be played in Denver since we went to Foxborough this year.

You guys are better, that's why.

Not only Manning, or Manning with Broncos, but I can't think of an all time team more dangerous at home than the Broncos. Call it the air in the mile high city, or the crowd, or whatever, but it's a tough place to win. Foxboro is tough to win with Brady but only probably do to Brady but there's possibly a curse on teams coming to visit the Broncos.

My Niners were killing everybody in the 80s and got four Super Bowls but somehow just couldn't beat Denver at Denver. The only time Montana and Niners could stick it to Denver was in Super Bowl. While we were heavily favored to win in the '80s which we did in that rout of a SB, there was just something unnerving about not being able to beat Denver at Denver and basically never getting off the plane on a road game prepared to fight against them. We dropped balls, Montana just couldn't get his rhythm, but it just bugged me to no end. Elway was a local Stanford University and Bay Area hero for God's sake! My Raiders also didn't have a great time at Denver and if it wasn't a loss, we (49ers and Raiders) lost key players ruining our season. It's been blamed on high altitude and resulting lack of judgment and coordination but I think it was just a pride a team has for their city unlike anything in football. It's like a cult and my diehard 49ers friend briefly moved to Denver and came back a brainwashed disciple of Elway and Broncos and denied he ever liked 49ers or Raiders!

I know there are probably other hexed stadiums out there with suspiciously loyal crowds, but Denver and it's mile high atmosphere is bad voodoo for visitors. I don't care how well the team is that goes against Denver in Denver for AFC championship if Denver makes it, there's no love for playing in that friggin' city.

While Foxboro is scary, it's not as bad historically as Lambeau. Those two are bad, but you won't break your leg in two places or suffer from a concussion that will make you forget how you lost your virginity.

Maybe in football history teams have won there in Denver without fanfare and people didn't get injured, but any team I like just doesn't do well in Denver. I think part of the big push this year was for Denver to get 1st seed or New England to get 1st seed since those teams historically win big games at home more than anybody and without as many injuries as visiting teams.

On the NFC side, it's a great thing Green Bay and their cursed "what other people called frozen tundra" of Lambeau wasn't #1 seed. It's not always if Lambeau is cold, which it often is, but like Denver, there's bad mojo there for visitors while a certain fairy dust for home team.

Statistically, Denver (ESPN calling altitude adjustment) is still high among the dozens of teams as 5th hardest to win at, and not even talking about hex on my Niners or injury there, but Green Bay (nicknamed a legacy frozen in time) is 3rd (but really 1st in my book) because 2nd and 1st hardest stadiums to win at are new and not big enough in number of wins and losses for sample.

The toughest to win (just look at the scoreboard) at, though a newer stadium, is Ravens M&T Stadium.

 

[mscriv]

When Jerry fired Wade he should have said "say aaah... I know I just fired you but umm...would you like to stay on as defensive coordinator by any chance?"

Yes, he should have. Wade has taken his lumps as a head coach, but as a defensive coordinator he's one of the best out there.

 

[Peace]

Doesn't Denver play in a new stadium now ?

Seattle lost their kicker and signed Ryan Longwell to replace him. They also signed defensive end Patrick Chukwurah to replace their top pass rusher.

Not looking very well for Seattle now so I think it's gonna be Atlanta and Green Bay for the NFC.

 

[63dot]

Doesn't Denver play in a new stadium now ?

Seattle lost their kicker and signed Ryan Longwell to replace him. They also signed defensive end Patrick Chukwurah to replace their top pass rusher.

Not looking very well for Seattle now so I think it's gonna be Atlanta and Green Bay for the NFC.

I wish Denver had a place where the altitude was not so high (unfortunately the whole city is high up). Again, historically the two stadiums visitors fail at the most over many years are Denver and of course, the very cold Lambeau. When I started hearing so much about Denver's altitude, which was always on the back burner, I started looking it up to help explain strong home record regardless of what Denver team was there that year. It's not as if Denver always had Manning and Elway so I believe what they say about altitude rather than some "curse". There is always a scientific explanation to why regardless of team, the stadium posts a statistical outlier. We all know what happens to college boys who come from the mainland to play Hawaii and the first thing they encounter are tanned hardbodied bikini clad women, so if it's not the girls or weather, it's the altitude:

http://www.sportsscientists.com/2010/06/football-2010-impact-of-altitude.html

I think the Ravens are going to be winded there and Denver will have that advantage as well as probably being a better team. I don't expect Denver to falter unless they beat themselves. Whoever comes next will have to go to that dreaded mile high city and remarkable home record. The key for any sport, see link, is long term acclimatizing, but that's simply not possible for any visitors in the NFL schedule.

On the positive side SF doesn't have to go to Lambeau (the only other field with unusual historical losses year after year for visitor) and things are more equalized having the game be in mild San Francisco. Green Bay is better but SF will have the usual (for the rest of the stadiums) slight advantage of home turf.

A torturous thing for visiting teams would be for Green Bay and Denver to get 1st seed nearly every year which isn't outside of the realm of possibility with Manning and Rodgers at QB.

 

[Peace]

This is weird.

Do you guys know who Nate Silver is ? I don't want to instill the PRSI mindset into this thread but this really caught my eye.

Nate Silver's mechanism picks the Patriots and the Seahawks in the Super Bowl.

 

[MacDawg]

On my way back home to ATL and currently sitting in Sea-Tac giving the Seattle fans hell about the game
Rise Up Falcons

Should be an exciting game
I expect it to be close, back and forth and to have several momentum changing plays
Will be surprised if it isn't one of the more entertaining games

 

[63dot]

This is weird.

Do you guys know who Nate Silver is ? I don't want to instill the PRSI mindset into this thread but this really caught my eye.



YouTube: video

I have watched the stuff he does and he called it pretty close for McCain-Obama in 2008 and Romney-Obama in 2012 down to a few points.

I like how Silver mentions the sabermetric style of coaching in NE and how they look at the whole game, while lesser minds may just look at Brady. Coaching is key and there's no doubt all of the NY Giants and staff know NE and how to beat them, but others don't and without the Giants there in postseason, NE has best chance of remaining teams. I hope SF has NE's number, too and it wasn't just a fluke. Seattle has hot weapons but their style won't be that effective, like he says, if coaches figure it out, namely their explosive QB.

He does talk about sports and others who are into statistics. Sports fans will look at QBs and their performance without much regard to anybody else, or hitters in baseball or pitchers and number of wins and get a "hunch" on that. The stats people will look at what matters like a football team's defense, injuries, and in baseball a batter's on base percentage and a pitcher's era (all boring stuff that's hard for math challenged people to comprehend and talk about).

Hindsight is 20-20 and if you can pick early enough, a simple $100 bet can pretty much yield you enough to get a house, or very nice car. Call the winner and point spread and put your money down on team but of all the teams it's hard to have picked Seattle mid-season and almost impossible at beginning of season. ESPN gets the calls pretty accurate and the pre-season picks were San Francisco and Baltimore, and now into second week in playoff season they are still alive.

Being who NE, SF, and Baltimore are and have been it's not a big stretch to say any one of those three will make it into Super Bowl 2013, but Seattle sneaked up on a lot of us expect maybe diehard Seattle fans who saw a team rebuilding into the big threat they are right now. SF took out the Pats in Foxboro, but Seattle whitewashed SF, so if it's Seattle vs New England, I give it to Seattle. Throughout season New England posted more wins and won division but Seattle will be on a high momentum and have posted wins over superior teams.

With all the sabermetrics out there, it's very hard to factor in injury and it's the only place in the interview where Silver didn't have an answer. SF's injured Smith on defense is so talked about around here, and that x-factor could be the difference between a GB win or loss. Aaron Rodgers, unlike an RGIII or Brady, can take quite a few solid hits and keep on going, and he's not thrown out of sync with interceptions. I think that Smith being out or injured will hurt SF quite a bit but it will take more than hits, good coverage, and hard hitting to completely stop Rodgers.

 

[zioxide]

You guys are better, that's why.

Not only Manning, or Manning with Broncos, but I can't think of an all time team more dangerous at home than the Broncos. Call it the air in the mile high city, or the crowd, or whatever, but it's a tough place to win. Foxboro is tough to win with Brady but only probably do to Brady but there's possibly a curse on teams coming to visit the Broncos.

It's most definitely the altitude. Every time. I've been out to Colorado (Denver and Fort Collins) to visit friends 3 times in the past couple of years. The difference between there and sea level is extremely noticeable, and you notice it as soon as you step off the plane into the jetway.

It took at least a few days when I was out there to get acclimated to the altitude and thinner air, and I wasn't doing much physical activity other than those 12/16oz curls . We did climb a couple of mountains and I can definitely attest that the altitude has a major effect on your body. It's a huge advantage for teams that train and play there year round and without a doubt the best home field advantage in all of sports.

While Foxboro is scary, it's not as bad historically as Lambeau. Those two are bad, but you won't break your leg in two places or suffer from a concussion that will make you forget how you lost your virginity.

Foxboro would be better if there were more diehards and less pink hats. Alas, with the ridiculous ticket prices, many diehards can't afford to go, and the tickets get scooped up by the yuppie pink hats who just want the experience of going to a game.

The crowd at Foxboro has been called out numerous times by numerous players as to being pretty weak, and it's weird because the Bruins and Celtics definitely don't have that problem.

Being who NE, SF, and Baltimore are and have been it's not a big stretch to say any one of those three will make it into Super Bowl 2013, but Seattle sneaked up on a lot of us expect maybe diehard Seattle fans who saw a team rebuilding into the big threat they are right now. SF took out the Pats in Foxboro, but Seattle whitewashed SF, so if it's Seattle vs New England, I give it to Seattle. Throughout season New England posted more wins and won division but Seattle will be on a high momentum.

I wouldn't mind seeing that. Seattle beat the Patriots back in October so if it does come down to the Seahawks and the Patriots in the Super Bowl, I like the Patriots chances. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I can't remember Tom Brady EVER losing to the same team twice in one season.

 

[63dot]

It's most definitely the altitude. Every time. I've been out to Colorado (Denver and Fort Collins) to visit friends 3 times in the past couple of years. The difference between there and sea level is extremely noticeable, and you notice it as soon as you step off the plane into the jetway.

It took at least a few days when I was out there to get acclimated to the altitude and thinner air, and I wasn't doing much physical activity other than those 12/16oz curls . We did climb a couple of mountains and I can definitely attest that the altitude has a major effect on your body. It's a huge advantage for teams that train and play there year round and without a doubt the best home field advantage in all of sports.



Foxboro would be better if there were more diehards and less pink hats. Alas, with the ridiculous ticket prices, many diehards can't afford to go, and the tickets get scooped up by the yuppie pink hats who just want the experience of going to a game.

The crowd at Foxboro has been called out numerous times by numerous players as to being pretty weak, and it's weird because the Bruins and Celtics definitely don't have that problem.



I wouldn't mind seeing that. Seattle beat the Patriots back in October so if it does come down to the Seahawks and the Patriots in the Super Bowl, I like the Patriots chances. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I can't remember Tom Brady EVER losing to the same team twice in one season.

I love it, Pink hats! I think, correct me if I am wrong, we have plenty of them in San Francisco (fly by night fans of both Niners who are finally good again and Giants who are also finally good again).

I remember hiking in the Sierra with my boy scout troop and the scout master, an experienced high altitude climber, told us that being at base camp about 6,000 feet up was tough and we should not run around.

Yeah, right we thought. We played our regular game of touch football and within ten minutes, we were winded. While nobody was strong enough to play long enough to start vomiting with altitude sickness, we were all feeling like we played football for three hours and everything anybody said or did was very funny. It was like being stoned and extremely tired at the same time. We were up there hiking for two weeks reaching 10,000 feet but mostly closer to base camp at over a mile high. Nobody ever got used to it because the getting used to that high with physical activity just takes too long. I agree with you, not just in football, but all of sports, Denver has the best built in home field advantage.

I guess maybe we were just kids from a sea level town, but all of us were affected this way after ten minutes of a little light touch football at the mile high base camp.

I don't know how anybody did the Olympics in Mexico City other than realizing its height and training only at high altitude for a very long time before the games. In the NFL, being in a different city each week in a very short season, there's no way to train for mile high altitude. I wonder if altitude is as bad a 3,000 feet or even 1,000 feet above sea level?

 

[Apple OC]

And Rob Ryan is fired at Dallas:

http://espn.go.com/dallas/nfl/story/_/id/8826772/rob-ryan-fired-dallas-cowboys-defensive-coordinator

I am glad Ryan is gone ... hope Romo is next.

winners I see this weekend?
Denver
San Fran.
Atlanta
Houston

 

[63dot]

I am glad Ryan is gone ... hope Romo is next.

winners I see this weekend?
Denver
San Fran.
Atlanta
Houston

That's about as good a guess as anybody else. I will go with that as long as San Francisco doesn't have to face Seattle!

I would rather face all four AFC teams back to back than go in against the chest beating Seattle. I don't like braggarts but I think, somehow, Seattle has our number and in playoff football that's all that matters. Maybe being in same division, they practiced their defense facing a foe who was to practice a lot like 2011-12 version of dominate 13-1 San Francisco.

The Giants did well knowing exactly how NE would react and many years ago, the unstoppable Raiders got beat by a largely ignored Tampa Bay because former Raider's coach turned Tampa Bay coach practiced their team and made changes to specifically stopping Rich Gannon and the Raider's flashy four wide receiver style. Tampa Bay didn't go for flashy football, but instead played a boring, predictable, but solid defense and ended up winning the big game.

Kaepernick and the 49ers are exciting to watch, and Kap likes to run big like former Niner Steve Young, but he can't do squat against a Seattle who sees this style of play coming and readjusts effectively. I just hope you are right and Seattle is out of it before conference championships.

 

[Peace]

Didn't Harbaugh and Pete Carroll both coach at USC ?

May be why Seattle has San Francisco's number.

I'm picking these four :

Patriots
Broncos
Falcons
Packers

[edit] I will add if Seattle can get past Atlanta with the injuries Seattle has right now Nate Silver's prediction of a Patriots-Seahawks Superbowl will come true. If Atlanta can't stop a Seattle team that has a couple of serious injuries there isn't anybody that can stop them.

[/edit]

 

[JoshMKB24]

I'm originally from California but have been living in Wisconsin for awhile now. I pray so hard that my 49ers can pull this out vs Green Bay

 

[MacNut]

I am glad Ryan is gone ... hope Romo is next.

winners I see this weekend?
Denver
San Fran.
Atlanta
Houston

So they drop Romo and get who? I hear Tebow is available.

 

[Apple OC]

So they drop Romo and get who? I hear Tebow is available.

anybody except Romo ... the guy is the biggest choker in pro sports ... ever.

 

[MacNut]

anybody except Romo ... the guy is the biggest choker in pro sports ... ever.

The biggest problem with the Cowboys is their owner. Jerry Jones has made that team a joke.