Week 4 NFL thread

[Captain_Kirk]

Just get the feeling Tampa bay is going to go into full train wreck mode week by week, where Bucs fans will be looking back longingly at the Raheem Morris regime as the salad days.

 

[93Devil]

Didn't Bledsoe step in for a hurt Brady to beat Pittsburgh during that first Super Bowl run?

 

[BurnsWhenIPee]

I don't think there's any way Schiano makes it through the season. He may not even reach the halfway point the way that franchise is circling the drain. He seems determined to have an adversarial relationship with everyone around him, especially players brought in by the current GM before Schiano arrived.

And I have no sympathy for Tampa Bay, either. From all the reports that Schiano was a raging prick at Rutgers, it can't be a surprise that he'd go to the pros and become easy to work with during the tough times.

 

[MileHigh]

Didn't Bledsoe step in for a hurt Brady to beat Pittsburgh during that first Super Bowl run?

Yes. I was there and Steelers fans were SURE they were going to win after that happened. Alas ...

 

[exmediahack]

Thursday night's game should be a good one.

I've been saying this for, oh, 15 years and have rarely been proven correct.

 

[exmediahack]

I don't think there's any way Schiano makes it through the season. He may not even reach the halfway point the way that franchise is circling the drain. He seems determined to have an adversarial relationship with everyone around him, especially players brought in by the current GM before Schiano arrived.

And I have no sympathy for Tampa Bay, either. From all the reports that Schiano was a raging prick at Rutgers, it can't be a surprise that he'd go to the pros and become easy to work with during the tough times.

No sympathy for Tampa Bay.

Someone remind me why they fired Jon Gruden again?

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Thursday night's game should be a good one.

I've been saying this for, oh, 15 years and have rarely been proven correct.

Did you watch both games last year?

 

[exmediahack]

I

Thursday night's game should be a good one.

I've been saying this for, oh, 15 years and have rarely been proven correct.

Did you watch both games last year?

I did watch them -- they were classic battles.

Except they were on Sundays. Worst thing the NFL can do is have these two teams play on Thursday.

Thursday games are almost always turds. Even the close ones have a feel of fatigued players all throughout.

Look at this track record:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NFL_Network_Thursday_Night_Football_results_%282006%E2%80%93present%29

Oy.

 

[heyabbott]

I don't think there's any way Schiano makes it through the season. He may not even reach the halfway point the way that franchise is circling the drain. He seems determined to have an adversarial relationship with everyone around him, especially players brought in by the current GM before Schiano arrived.

And I have no sympathy for Tampa Bay, either. From all the reports that Schiano was a raging prick at Rutgers, it can't be a surprise that he'd go to the pros and become easy to work with during the tough times.

No sympathy for Tampa Bay.

Someone remind me why they fired Jon Gruden again?

He could only coach Saint Dungy's players

 

[DanOregon]

Schiano's job is in Glennon's hands. If he performs well and they win six to eight games, he comes back.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I don't think there's any way Schiano makes it through the season. He may not even reach the halfway point the way that franchise is circling the drain. He seems determined to have an adversarial relationship with everyone around him, especially players brought in by the current GM before Schiano arrived.

And I have no sympathy for Tampa Bay, either. From all the reports that Schiano was a raging prick at Rutgers, it can't be a surprise that he'd go to the pros and become easy to work with during the tough times.

No sympathy for Tampa Bay.

Someone remind me why they fired Jon Gruden again?

That was one of the craziest things to see ever. Gruden went nuts after they won the Super Bowl. He just began thinking he could do no wrong, and when a team trades multiple No. 1 picks to get you and you win a title your first year there, that's what can happen...

I think he's legitimately a very good coach, but he was a classic example of a coach going crazy when he gets too much or wants too much power.

 

[outofplace]

Was Rapethisberger that much of an upgrade over Tommy Maddox? Elliot Maddox? Lester Maddox?

I remember, I think it was Faneca, who practically attacked a reporter when he asked him how he felt about a rookie as a starting QB.

Yes, it was Faneca. If I remember it correctly, part of the problem was the phrasing of the question, as if Faneca might be excited about the prospect of the rookie getting the start. Sure, a fan might be, but I doubt that's going to fire a veteran teammate up.

 

[outofplace]

Didn't Bledsoe step in for a hurt Brady to beat Pittsburgh during that first Super Bowl run?

Yes. I was there and Steelers fans were SURE they were going to win after that happened. Alas ...

A very good example of why you have to be careful about giving quarterbacks too much credit for a team victory. Bledsoe completed 10 of 21 passes for 102 yards and one touchdown, the Patriots' only offensive score once he entered the game. They managed a field goal while Brady was in there.

New England won that game on defense and with special teams that scored two touchdowns, one on a blocked field goal and the other on a punt return. To say Bledsoe beat anybody that day is a bit of a stretch.

 

[Jake_Taylor]

Schiano's job is in Glennon's hands. If he performs well and they win six to eight games, he comes back.

He must have saw how well that worked for Tom O'Brien.

 

[Mark2010]

Schiano's job is in Glennon's hands. If he performs well and they win six to eight games, he comes back.

Probably. I don't think Schiano ever wanted Josh Freeman as his starting QB long-term anyway and this gives him a reason to make a switch. Coach-QB arguments happen all the time, at just about every level. If the coach doesn't get to decide who he does and doesn't want to play, what's the point in being the coach?

 

[Mark2010]

I don't think there's any way Schiano makes it through the season. He may not even reach the halfway point the way that franchise is circling the drain. He seems determined to have an adversarial relationship with everyone around him, especially players brought in by the current GM before Schiano arrived.

And I have no sympathy for Tampa Bay, either. From all the reports that Schiano was a raging prick at Rutgers, it can't be a surprise that he'd go to the pros and become easy to work with during the tough times.

No sympathy for Tampa Bay.

Someone remind me why they fired Jon Gruden again?

That was one of the craziest things to see ever. Gruden went nuts after they won the Super Bowl. He just began thinking he could do no wrong, and when a team trades multiple No. 1 picks to get you and you win a title your first year there, that's what can happen...

I think he's legitimately a very good coach, but he was a classic example of a coach going crazy when he gets too much or wants too much power.

Yeah, I agree. Gruden got the GM canned and at the first sign of something other than invisibility, the owners got tired of the attitude. With as much turnover as the NFL has, I'm surprised someone hasn't taken a flyer on him... unless he's one of the guys that wants complete control over the entire organization.

 

[Morris816]

"Bucs named Glennon starting QB" is just another way of saying "Schiano's job in jeopardy."

I had thought Rex Ryan would be the first coach to lose his job during the season but now it looks like Schiano will be the one. Especially when reports suggest that Schiano made the switch only after a conversation with GM Mark Dominik, which would indicate Dominik told him, "Start Glennon or else."

So if the Bucs miss the playoffs again, does Dominik try to trade up in the NFL draft or does he throw money in Jay Cutler's direction?

 

[Mark2010]

Tight race between Ryan and Schiano as to who gets fired first. Those two might not be the only candidates, either.

As for Freeman, the club took a shot on him in 2009. So he's had four years --- including 19 games plus two preseasons under Schiano --- to show what he can do. Is that an ample audition period? Doesn't seem like a quick hook to me.

Who are some other starting QBs facing make or break years? Mark Sanchez? Blaine Gabbert? Christian Ponder? Michael Vick? The Lions and Rams threw so much money at Stafford and Bradford, respectively, that they are stuck with them for the foreseeable future, come what may.

As for Cutler, he's not bad, but I wouldn't break the bank to acquire him. Very much middle of the pack QB, IMO.

 

[qtlaw]

Gabbert's opportunity is gone. He's circling the drain right now. I said when he was going into the draft, guy throws out of the spread and only gets 16 TDs in college? Way overrated.

BTW, heard Greg Cosell on the radio say that no one in the NFL would take Smith over Kaep.

 

[BurnsWhenIPee]

"Bucs named Glennon starting QB" is just another way of saying "Schiano's job in jeopardy."

I had thought Rex Ryan would be the first coach to lose his job during the season but now it looks like Schiano will be the one. Especially when reports suggest that Schiano made the switch only after a conversation with GM Mark Dominik, which would indicate Dominik told him, "Start Glennon or else."

So if the Bucs miss the playoffs again, does Dominik try to trade up in the NFL draft or does he throw money in Jay Cutler's direction?

I thought Schiano was trying to distance himself from Freeman earlier this year, basically saying "Hey, I'm not the one who drafted him" while putting the focus on the GM for that failure?

I don't know if it's accurate, but I found the reports on Profootballtalk.com after Sunday's game pretty interesting, saying that Schiano didn't accompany the team back to Florida on Sunday night, staying in Boston because of a family emergency, but he was back for his Monday afternoon press conference in Tampa. One could surmise that a change was expected to be made then, by one side or the other, but everyone held off (for now, at least).