Week 5 NFL thread

[outofplace]

Didn't Denver beat Cincinnati? And didn't Cincinnati beat the greatest team to ever put on helmets?

You don't go 4-0 by sucking. One win was lucky, but you also don't go 4-0 without luck. Denver has a very good defense. If they win this week, it should surprise no one; if they don't, it doesn't mean they weren't pretty good for the prior four weeks.

Actually, the Broncos did get lucky to beat Cincinnati, which still isn't very good. The Steelers have been mediocre at best so far and spent most of the second half with their helmets shoved up the wrong end of their own anatomies in the loss to the Bengals.

I stand by my comment. The Broncos haven't played anybody at the Patriots' level yet.

 

[YGBFKM]

They did just beat a team that is still considered one of the better teams in the league.

 

[Songbird]

I agree with something I heard on sports radio (gasp!) this week: Tennessee and Jeff Fisher will clean out the trick-play file for Indy. Got nothing to lose, and probably the only way the Titans can possibly win is with gimmicks.

The Titans can pull out the damn fumblerooski, and they'll still lose 42-0.

 

[YGBFKM]

I got the Titans winning that one.

 

[outofplace]

That may be true, but what level are the Patriots at? They've looked as mediocre as anyone at times this year.

They just beat the Ravens, a much better opponent than anybody the Broncos have faced so far this season. The Patriots will get better as Brady gets his bearings back. The guy missed a season. No way he was going to be back to his old self from day one.

 

[outofplace]

They did beat the Ravens, albeit with a bit of help via some shaky (if correct by stupid rule) calls.

So you don't want to allow for luck as part of why Denver is 4-0, but you do want to point to luck in the Patriots' victory over the Ravens? Doesn't quite work.

And that is part of playing the Ravens. They have issues with taking too many personal fouls. That has been part of that team's "personality" for a long time.

 

[Oz]

That may be true, but what level are the Patriots at? They've looked as mediocre as anyone at times this year.

They just beat the Ravens, a much better opponent than anybody the Broncos have faced so far this season. The Patriots will get better as Brady gets his bearings back. The guy missed a season. No way he was going to be back to his old self from day one.

Of course, two of the Ravens' victories this year have come against the Chiefs and Browns, who are among the worst in the league. And the Chargers actually racked up 474 yards of offense (but somehow only 251 against the Steelers on Sunday night) against the Ravens defense, showing some red flags there.

The Ravens are good, and they might still complain about the two Brady calls, but they are a couple bizarre Norv Turner awfully close to being like the Steelers -- 2-2 with some question marks. For all the talk about how the offense is the defense's equal, the Ravens have put up those numbers against three of the bottom nine teams in the NFL in both points and yards allowed.

Patriots-Broncos should be a good one. I'll go with the Broncos in what should be a good one.

 

[proudpittsburgher]

I got the Titans winning that one.

I don't know about that, but I give them a fighter's chance. and the only reason for that is not trick plays, rather they do the things well that indy has trouble with. If they can get any pressure on horseface, they have a chance. If not, then they'll lost 48-32.

 

[JC]

They did beat the Ravens, albeit with a bit of help via some shaky (if correct by stupid rule) calls.

So you don't want to allow for luck as part of why Denver is 4-0, but you do want to point to luck in the Patriots' victory over the Ravens? Doesn't quite work.

And that is part of playing the Ravens. They have issues with taking too many personal fouls. That has been part of that team's "personality" for a long time.

I wasn't discounting anything. And when you have double-murderers aggressive players on your defense, you're bound to get personal fouls called.

There is nothing more irritating when people refer to Lewis as a murderer. Who did he murder? Did he stab or shoot anyone? He was there and lied to police, definitely wrong but a far cry from murder.

 

[Simon_Cowbell]

Aren't the schedules done each season? Or was it the way it used to be?

They're based on a formula, whereby a team's finish in its division determines what teams it faces the next year within the conference. The NFC East hits the inter-conference lotto this year. Hence the Giants' back-to-backers against Oakland and KC.

Essentially, the second the season is over, everyone knows who they will play next year. They just don't know the dates and times.

14 of the 16 opponents and sites are known... right now.

 

[Oz]

Aren't the schedules done each season? Or was it the way it used to be?

They're based on a formula, whereby a team's finish in its division determines what teams it faces the next year within the conference. The NFC East hits the inter-conference lotto this year. Hence the Giants' back-to-backers against Oakland and KC.

Essentially, the second the season is over, everyone knows who they will play next year. They just don't know the dates and times.

14 of the 16 opponents and sites are known... right now.

Actually, they're not. When the NFL realigned in 2002, they creating the scheduling system for eight years, at which point they would re-evaluate how it works and either continue it or tweak it. This is the last of those eight years, so right now, the 2010 opponents are still up in the air until the NFL decides what to do. They could scramble the order of what divisions play who for the next eight-year cycle.

 

[Simon_Cowbell]

Aren't the schedules done each season? Or was it the way it used to be?

They're based on a formula, whereby a team's finish in its division determines what teams it faces the next year within the conference. The NFC East hits the inter-conference lotto this year. Hence the Giants' back-to-backers against Oakland and KC.

Essentially, the second the season is over, everyone knows who they will play next year. They just don't know the dates and times.

14 of the 16 opponents and sites are known... right now.

Actually, they're not. When the NFL realigned in 2002, they creating the scheduling system for eight years, at which point they would re-evaluate how it works and either continue it or tweak it. This is the last of those eight years, so right now, the 2010 opponents are still up in the air until the NFL decides what to do.

No.

 

[outofplace]

That may be true, but what level are the Patriots at? They've looked as mediocre as anyone at times this year.

They just beat the Ravens, a much better opponent than anybody the Broncos have faced so far this season. The Patriots will get better as Brady gets his bearings back. The guy missed a season. No way he was going to be back to his old self from day one.

Of course, two of the Ravens' victories this year have come against the Chiefs and Browns, who are among the worst in the league. And the Chargers actually racked up 474 yards of offense (but somehow only 251 against the Steelers on Sunday night) against the Ravens defense, showing some red flags there.

The Ravens are good, and they might still complain about the two Brady calls, but they are a couple bizarre Norv Turner awfully close to being like the Steelers -- 2-2 with some question marks. For all the talk about how the offense is the defense's equal, the Ravens have put up those numbers against three of the bottom nine teams in the NFL in both points and yards allowed.

Patriots-Broncos should be a good one. I'll go with the Broncos in what should be a good one.

It is early enough in the season that you have to consider what these teams were last year, too. The Ravens returned most of the starters from the team that was in the AFC Championship last year. They are vulnerable to the pass if the opponent can protect the quarterback. That is nothing new for them.

 

[Simon_Cowbell]

For instance, here is the Dolphins docket

Home
Patriots
Jets
Bills
Browns
Steelers
Bears
Lions
AFCN matching team

Away
Patriots
Jets
Bills
Ravens
Bengals
Packers
Vikings
AFCW matching team

 

[Oz]

For instance, here is the Dolphins docket

Home
Patriots
Jets
Bills
Browns
Steelers
Bears
Lions
AFCN matching team

Away
Patriots
Jets
Bills
Ravens
Bengals
Packers
Vikings
AFCW matching team

The NFL hasn't made it official that they will continue with the past eight-year cycle (which ends this season) in a new eight-year cycle (which starts next season). They could decide to scramble the division sequence during this period, so the Dolphins -- rather than facing the AFC North and NFC North -- could play the AFC West and the NFC South.

So no, 14 opponents for each team aren't confirmed yet, not until the NFL makes official what it will do with the next schedule cycle. For now, we only know of six games for the Dolphins, all in the AFC East.

 

[Simon_Cowbell]

Steelers 2010
home
Ravens
Bengals
Browns
Patriots
Jets
Falcons
Panthers
AFCW matching team

road
Ravens
Bengals
Browns
Dolphins
Bills
Saints
Buccaneers
AFCS matching team

 

[Simon_Cowbell]

For instance, here is the Dolphins docket

Home
Patriots
Jets
Bills
Browns
Steelers
Bears
Lions
AFCN matching team

Away
Patriots
Jets
Bills
Ravens
Bengals
Packers
Vikings
AFCW matching team

The NFL hasn't made it official that they will continue with the past eight-year cycle (which ends this season) in a new eight-year cycle (which starts next season). They could decide to scramble the division sequence during this period, so the Dolphins -- rather than facing the AFC North and NFC North -- could play the AFC West and the NFC South.

So no, 14 opponents for each team aren't confirmed yet, not until the NFL makes official what it will do with the next schedule cycle. For now, we only know of six games for the Dolphins, all in the AFC East.

You are ****ing wrong about 2010.

I proved it.

You can send my check in the mail.

You don't have the right sourcing... not my problem.

 

[JC]

They did beat the Ravens, albeit with a bit of help via some shaky (if correct by stupid rule) calls.

So you don't want to allow for luck as part of why Denver is 4-0, but you do want to point to luck in the Patriots' victory over the Ravens? Doesn't quite work.

And that is part of playing the Ravens. They have issues with taking too many personal fouls. That has been part of that team's "personality" for a long time.

I wasn't discounting anything. And when you have double-murderers aggressive players on your defense, you're bound to get personal fouls called.

There is nothing more irritating when people refer to Lewis as a murderer. Who did he murder? Did he stab or shoot anyone? He was there and lied to police, definitely wrong but a far cry from murder.

Just having a little fun with the strike-through function. Pretty sure Charles Manson didn't stab or shoot anyone, either. Just sayin'.

Christ. Nice analogy.

 

[Oz]

OK, I did find this on a Redskins schedule ...

"The NFL schedule format takes each team through a cycle of games against every team in the league.From 2002-09, every team played every other team at least twice, once home and once away.

"After the 2008 season, a decision was made to continue with the same schedule rotation for 2010."

... Didn't realize the NFL had made that decision already. And Simon, rather than you telling me, a link like the one I found would have been far more credible. Would have cut down my argument two posts ago.

 

[Simon_Cowbell]

... Didn't realize the NFL had made that decision already.

No ****.