NFL 2021 [Archive] - Off Camber Forums

WickerBill

12-03-21, 09:57 AM

It's December, and this thread is just starting. I have a theory: nrc usually starts it and it turns into a Bengals lament, but this year, they're a solid, fun team to watch, and he thinks that discussing them on OC might jinx them. :D

I've really enjoyed the season so far. Some highlights for me:

- My Broncos were the worst 3-0 team I had ever seen in my entire life. They are now 6-5, but they're way, way better than they were at 3-0.
- The Bengals are fun to watch!
- The Bengals should wear orange over black as their default uniform.
- I really want the Lions to win a game or two.
- It's fun to watch Urban Meyer and Trevor Lawrence have their Nick Saban/Brady Quinn reckonings in the pros.
- Like the Broncos, my hometown Colts are twice the team they were at the beginning of the year. However, they still have a QB who will casually throw left-handed pick 6s, so they aren't a SB contender.
- So it wasn't Jared Goff.... the Rams are as hit-and-miss as ever.
- Freakin' Patriots, man.
- I have zero idea who the best team in the AFC is. Chiefs? Maybe, but they seem exposed. Every week is a fascinating study in "well, I guess I was wrong."

SteveH

12-03-21, 12:25 PM

Thanks for not mentioning the Bears. Another trainwreck year.

TravelGal

12-03-21, 03:04 PM

Thanks for not mentioning the Bears. Another trainwreck year.

:(

Not talking about Chargers or Rams either. Their record does help to keep the prices down on StubHub, I notice. That's a good thing. I keep meaning to drive down to see the SoFi Stadium but haven't made it yet. The NFL clear bag policy put me off as I didn't feel like carrying a baggie with all my stuff for everyone to see.

I do miss the OffCamber Pool though. My record of firsts and lasts reminded me of my taking calculus in college, where I got as many 100's as I did 0's.

nrc

12-04-21, 02:39 AM

It's December, and this thread is just starting. I have a theory: nrc usually starts it and it turns into a Bengals lament, but this year, they're a solid, fun team to watch, and he thinks that discussing them on OC might jinx them. :D

Definitely. I'm still pinching myself that we have a QB who appears to be the genuine real deal in every respect. Yeah, there's stuff to nitpick (too many picks) but considering that he's coming back from a major injury and has only now played a full season of games, I'm over the moon.

The L'mar Chase pick appears to have been genius when it could have been a disaster. Joe Mixon is delivering on the field. The Oline is jelling. Trey Hendrickson is a relentless sack machine and has elevated the whole line. Opposite of what people claimed was the case in New Orleans.

Not fully sold on the coaching staff. No excuse for the letdown against the Jets and the Browns. But the last two games were impressive. We'll see if they've turned a corner.

Now that I've seen them in action, I'm loving the new costumes. Almost every combo is an improvement. Maybe not the orange over white. The orange on white strip on the leg is not ideal for that. My least favorite, black over black, is much improved with the strong orange leg stripe. It doesn't look like black long johns anymore.

Speaking of football costumes, can we ban football pants the look like bike shorts? Kickers are the worst for this but receivers are flirting with it. I though there was an NFL costume rule that pants had to cover the knees.

stroker

12-04-21, 08:22 AM

Thanks for not mentioning the Bears. Another trainwreck year.

I'm pulling for them to beat the Cardinals but I'm not holding my breath. I'd love to see the Lions beat the Vikings this weekend, too...

nrc

12-06-21, 03:14 AM

stroker

12-06-21, 08:01 AM

How about them Lions!

WickerBill

12-06-21, 08:12 AM

How about them Lions!

That genuinely made me happy.

Sorry Richard, as good as Burrow is and can be, you can't give up 41 points...

RaceGrrl

12-10-21, 02:18 PM

:(

Not talking about Chargers or Rams either. Their record does help to keep the prices down on StubHub, I notice. That's a good thing. I keep meaning to drive down to see the SoFi Stadium but haven't made it yet. The NFL clear bag policy put me off as I didn't feel like carrying a baggie with all my stuff for everyone to see.

I do miss the OffCamber Pool though. My record of firsts and lasts reminded me of my taking calculus in college, where I got as many 100's as I did 0's.

The clear bag policy at Paul Brown Stadium is pretty easy to deal with . You can take a wristlet or very small cross body bag with your ID, etc, and I just put that and my keys in a 12x12" clear bag along with our radio, binoculars and snacks. Never had an issue with it- so unless SoFi has super strict rules, it shouldn't be an issue.

RaceGrrl

12-10-21, 02:19 PM

I'm enjoying how much Pittsburgh stinks this year. I normally get so much crap at work from Steelers fans about the Bengals. The deafening silence from my coworkers is a refreshing change.

TravelGal

12-10-21, 09:11 PM

The clear bag policy at Paul Brown Stadium is pretty easy to deal with . You can take a wristlet or very small cross body bag with your ID, etc, and I just put that and my keys in a 12x12" clear bag along with our radio, binoculars and snacks. Never had an issue with it- so unless SoFi has super strict rules, it shouldn't be an issue.

I thought it all had to be in the one bag. Do you mean the radio, binoculars and snacks can be separate? Of you must not have very many snacks for a 12 x 12 bag. :)

RaceGrrl

12-10-21, 11:27 PM

I thought it all had to be in the one bag. Do you mean the radio, binoculars and snacks can be separate? Of you must not have very many snacks for a 12 x 12 bag. :)

It does need to be in the one bag- we just throw all the stuff in together. Lord help a security person who'd try to find anything in my regular purse! I don't take in many snacks- usually just a bag of peanuts and maybe some chocolate.

WickerBill

12-12-21, 10:35 PM

I'm really sorry, Richard. It was a joke. I didn't really think this thread would turn the Bengals to mush.

I'm sure they'll beat the tar out of Denver next week.

nrc

12-13-21, 01:03 AM

I'm really sorry, Richard. It was a joke. I didn't really think this thread would turn the Bengals to mush.

I'm sure they'll beat the tar out of Denver next week.

Oh but we still control our own destiny! I'm so sick of hearing that. :flaming:

Funny thing is that in the big scheme of things the game next week doesn't add up to much for the Bengals either way. They still probably have to win two out of their last three against the Ravens, Chiefs, and Browns to make the playoffs. The Ravens are obviously vulnerable, the Chiefs finally look like the Chiefs.

So if they're lucky it comes down to Cleveland in Cleveland in January. And the Bengals are the only team that Mayfield consistently plays well against.

This team needs rid of Zac Taylor. There's no excuse when you have this much talent and consistently play poorly against teams that you should beat.

nrc

12-19-21, 10:58 PM

I'm sure they'll beat the tar out of Denver next week.

That's what you get! :p

Actually not a tar beating at all. Denver has a pretty good defense.

Once again Taylor hands it off instead of giving Burrow an opportunity to make a first down and seal it. I don't get it. He made good decisions all game long. :irked:

It worked out, I suppose.

I hope Bridgewater is ok. That looked scary for a moment with the sternum rub. Slamming the side of the head into the ground must have knocked him out.

WickerBill

12-21-21, 08:43 PM

I'm not the biggest fan of Teddy Two Yards, but a) I didn't want to see him hurt, and b) his replacement is basically a poor reincarnation of Rex Grossman, so...

Yes, Broncos D will get its due next year when Aaron Rodgers is the QB and elevates us to the national stage again.

nrc

12-22-21, 01:08 AM

Yes, Broncos D will get its due next year when Aaron Rodgers is the QB and elevates us to the national stage again.

I would be thrilled to see that. Anywhere but Pittsburgh.

stroker

12-22-21, 08:21 AM

Aaron Rodgers isn't going anywhere, guys...

At least, I don't see it. My take is that all this off-field drama isn't because he wanted to leave, it's because he wanted to stay in Green Bay. He could have just kept quiet and been traded/left the Packers. I think he wants to stay.

WickerBill

12-22-21, 09:14 AM

stroker

12-23-21, 08:58 AM

Dude, please stop interrupting my dreams with your silly "truth" and "facts", I find them offputting. :gomer:

Where did I put those cymbals...?

TravelGal

12-23-21, 07:57 PM

Where did I put those cymbals...?

:rofl::rofl::rofl: Always good to see you posting, stroker.

stroker

12-24-21, 08:04 AM

:rofl::rofl::rofl: Always good to see you posting, stroker.

Ditto. :)

SteveH

12-29-21, 11:09 PM

Survey Reveals Saddest Fans in the NFL (https://www.lineups.com/articles/saddest-nfl-fans/)

TravelGal

12-30-21, 08:43 PM

Survey Reveals Saddest Fans in the NFL (https://www.lineups.com/articles/saddest-nfl-fans/)

At least one of the choices is not "favorite player got arrested." Or is that only baseball and basketball?

nrc

01-03-22, 12:26 AM

pfc_m_drake

01-03-22, 08:58 AM

I'm not much of an NFL fan these days, but I must have missed the memo that they now play 17 games in a season. I presume due to COVID or some such nonesense.

As to why I'm not much of an NFL fan these days...did I hear some story about some guy that ripped off his uniform halfway through a game and peaced-out because he was making too much money...

WickerBill

01-03-22, 10:42 AM

HA! Your evil plot to jinx the Bengals has failed, WB!

It's been an unbelievable two weeks at Paul Brown Stadium. Probably the best two weeks we've had at PBS since the early Marvin Lewis teams. Anything is possible at this point. :cool: :rofl:

Oh, and BTW. Could the NFL please ban cutting off your football pants like bike shorts. :yuck:

I think you have the QB-WR combo that you thought you had with Palmer and Johnson all those years ago.

They HAVE banned that but they don't enforce it. It looks like the Tour de France out there with some guys.

TravelGal

01-04-22, 01:37 PM

Gosh I'm a softie. I sat and cried last night watching Roethlisberger. What an ending. It was like watching Kobe Bryant's last game. Everything that could have honored him happened. I'm not even a Steelers fan I was totally choked up.

nrc

01-10-22, 04:01 AM

Seems pretty quiet over in Indy tonight.

I hate the Bengals getting swept by the Browns. They sat a lot of starters and quite a few more are on the COVID list. I can stand it as long as they come back with at Playoff win.

Looks like we get the Raiders on Saturday. Couldn't believe that Raiders/Chargers game. I was hoping for a tie to eliminate the Steelers. :gomer:

KaBoom21

01-10-22, 09:09 AM

Just Win Baby!

WickerBill

01-10-22, 09:22 AM

So, we should go ahead and start with the Colts.

This may all sound like I'm making excuses, but hear me out and remember I'm not a huge Colts fan, I'm a Broncos fan. More on that later.

They're not as good as everyone made them out to be mid-season. If you look at truly talented teams - let's say the Rams - Aaron Donald, Von Miller, Jalen Ramsey on D just as a start. On offense, Kupp, OBJ, Henderson/Michelle, Woods, and on and on. The Colts? Jonathan Taylor and Quentin Nelson on offense, an honestly sub-par WR contingent, a sub-par QB. On defense? Darius Leonard and a bunch of guys who work really hard.

Should they have lost to Jacksonville? Nope. Should they have beaten Buffalo at Buffalo? Nope. They're a decent team, but they're not a QB away from a Super Bowl... they're a QB and a superstar WR and a great pass rush away.

Can I be honest with y'all? My Broncos have better talent than the Colts. Don't have a Jonathan Taylor, but Gordon/Williams is a great tandem, Sutton / Jeudy / Patrick / Fant are a really wonderful, young receiving corps, and the D is ferocious, especially when the offense doesn't leave them on the field for 40 minutes a game.

In my dream scenario, the Colts overreact and get rid of Frank Reich, and the Broncos get him. Yes, they still need a QB, as do about 18-20 teams in the league, but at least our offense wouldn't waste all of those receivers with 4 yard outs.

WickerBill

01-10-22, 02:20 PM

Flores fired in Miami. :eek:

What?? Two consecutive winning seasons with a new QB, who missed games both years? Swept New England? What?

Several great coaches have had this happen to them and gone on to amazing careers with their next team. Belichick with Cleveland, Dungy with Tampa, Mike Shanahan with Oakland. Makes me wonder about Flores in Denver.

TravelGal

01-10-22, 05:39 PM

Makes me wonder about Flores in Denver.

My thought exactly. TV bigmouths were saying how hard it would be to fill the job in Denver. Now there is a viable alternative. As long as someone buys him a winter coat.

nrc

01-10-22, 10:59 PM

Wow on Flores. Stories say "power struggle." Must have rubbed someone the wrong way. Not good enough with Tua or something. Not sure coaching is the problem there.

I get that some people start calling for heads when you don't make the playoffs, but when you look at where they are and where they came from a few years ago, it was no small feat.

Indy, I agree. I was hoping for that matchup. :D

Good luck with your coaching search in Denver.

stroker

01-11-22, 07:49 AM

I thought it was interesting that prior to Monday, Cheesehead Nation thought firing Zimmer would be insane but the Vikings fans were calling for Regime Change no matter what.

nrc

01-11-22, 04:08 PM

I thought it was interesting that prior to Monday, Cheesehead Nation thought firing Zimmer would be insane but the Vikings fans were calling for Regime Change no matter what.

The whole country is infected with this Pats/Steelers mindset where if you're not winning Super Bowls you're NOTHING!! It's not enough to have a consistently good team that goes to the Playoffs and might make a run at any time.

I'm trying not to buy into that but I'd be lying if I said that breaking the Bengals playoff drought isn't a huge deal.

stroker

01-15-22, 11:33 PM

Go Bungles! :)

nrc

01-16-22, 04:14 AM

Who Dey, baby! :D

Pouring one out for dando and all my Bengal friends and loved ones who didn't get to be around to see the drought broken.

I'd love to be a fly on the wall in the NFL Officiating offices when they review this one.

WickerBill

01-17-22, 07:22 AM

I feel bad for the Niners, who now have to go play the Packers on a short week after the Packers bye week. That hardly seems okay.

Similarly, the winner of Cards/Rams tonight gets to go to Tampa on a short week.

stroker

01-18-22, 07:49 AM

It's almost as much schadenfreude fun watching Dallas lose as it is Minnesota and Chicago.

WickerBill

01-18-22, 09:38 AM

It's almost as much schadenfreude fun watching Dallas lose as it is Minnesota and Chicago.

Oh, I think it's way more - nobody in Chicago or Minnesota is saying "this is our year" every single year. :D

TravelGal

01-18-22, 12:11 PM

Oh, I think it's way more - nobody in Chicago or Minnesota is saying "this is our year" every single year. :D

:rofl::rofl:

stroker

01-19-22, 08:23 AM

Oh, I think it's way more - nobody in Chicago or Minnesota is saying "this is our year" every single year. :D

With Chicago it's, "Is this the QB we need?" and the answer's always negative. With Minnesota, it's "We now have the final piece of what we need for WORLD DOMINATION!" (e.g. Herschel Walker/Kirk Cousins/etc.) then it deflates. I won't even bother with Detroit....

The Elephant in the Room of the Cowboy's problems is Jerry Jones, IMHO. I think a similar argument could be made for Chicago, Detroit and Minnesota, actually...

TravelGal

01-19-22, 01:09 PM

With Chicago it's, "Is this the QB we need?" and the answer's always negative. With Minnesota, it's "We now have the final piece of what we need for WORLD DOMINATION!" (e.g. Herschel Walker/Kirk Cousins/etc.) then it deflates. I won't even bother with Detroit....

The Elephant in the Room of the Cowboy's problems is Jerry Jones, IMHO. I think a similar argument could be made for Chicago, Detroit and Minnesota, actually...

And San Diego, although they seem to be overcoming Spineless Spanos by finding a coach that might be able do something. Maybe not as much as they would like but something.

SteveH

01-19-22, 03:21 PM

With Chicago it's, "Is this the QB we need?" and the answer's always negative. With Minnesota, it's "We now have the final piece of what we need for WORLD DOMINATION!" (e.g. Herschel Walker/Kirk Cousins/etc.) then it deflates. I won't even bother with Detroit....

The Elephant in the Room of the Cowboy's problems is Jerry Jones, IMHO. I think a similar argument could be made for Chicago, Detroit and Minnesota, actually...

Ownership is very much the issue for the Bears. A parallel could be drawn to that of the Hulman/George dysfunction.

Al Czervik

01-19-22, 03:55 PM

Ownership is very much the issue for the Bears. A parallel could be drawn to that of the Hulman/George dysfunction.

Yup. Just watch how fast the team gets sold once Momma McCaskey kicks off.

SteveH

01-23-22, 12:21 AM

Two very good games today. Not really caring who wins helps but I have to admit feeling joy with the Bengals win.

SteveH

01-23-22, 11:00 PM

Somehow today’s game surpassed yesterday’s. An amazing weekend of football.

cameraman

01-23-22, 11:18 PM

The NFL overtime rules just suck. After all of that the Bills never got to touch the ball in OT. That's ridiculous.:shakehead:

cameraman

01-23-22, 11:41 PM

Two things can be true. The Bills lost the game with horrible clock management in the kickoff and poor defense - and the OT rules are trash.

SteveH

01-24-22, 12:20 AM

The NFL overtime rules just suck. After all of that the Bills never got to touch the ball in OT. That's ridiculous.:shakehead:

I agree with this 100%

Hard Driver

01-24-22, 12:26 PM

NFL Overtime rules definitely suck.

WickerBill

01-24-22, 12:59 PM

nrc

01-24-22, 03:43 PM

NFL overtime rules are fine in the regular season, IMO. I understand limiting field time for the athletes.

But in the playoffs, there need to be different rules. Turn off the game clock. Zero timeouts. No punting. Visiting team starts at the 50, does what they can do, then home team starts at the 50 and does what they can do. Winner determined if score is not equal after each home team possession.

I fully support your proposal because it would have the Chiefs/Bills game going until about Tuesday and leave them with about a dozen players to field next Sunday. :tony:

Yeah, sudden death sucks. Feeling like the game was determined by a coin flip sucks. But close games are determined by chance events all the time. Normally they're chance events that happen during play so it feels ok. Unless you're on the losing end. So instead of a coin flip, let's put both teams on the field and have a ball launcher launch the ball at some random location. Whoever gets the ball starts at that point. :D

TKGAngel

01-24-22, 08:05 PM

May the Bengals shove the ball down the Chiefs throat. And that's about where this Bills fan is at right now.

Emotions aside, Allen & Mahomes are going to treat the AFC to a lot of good games over the next few years.

SteveH

01-25-22, 10:10 AM

I subscribe to the Athletic. Highly recommend it if you want quality sports journalism which is missing from most newspapers these days. I get two emails each day from them. One lists all the stories in my feed (teams that I follow) the second is a quick recap of top stories. Today's contained this...

Let's fix NFL overtime

The debate did, in fact, last into Monday across the league. But it was focused on one thing: those damn overtime rules.

Just three years ago, it was the Kansas City Chiefs bemoaning the NFL’s extra period, after losing the coin toss before overtime in the 2019 AFC Championship Game against Tom Brady and the Patriots. Brady drove down and scored on the opening possession. Patrick Mahomes didn’t touch the ball, and New England pranced along to the Super Bowl.

The Chiefs wanted the rule changed after that season and, fortunately for their future selves, didn’t succeed. Despite the full circle, it’s clear we need to change the format. Let’s go through some options:

Easy fix: One possession per team. Simply guarantee that both teams have the ball in overtime, then make it sudden death after that. No one needs a big briefing on rule changes after this tweak.

Medium fix: Spot and choose. This was proposed by the Ravens recently. In this scenario, the team that wins the coin toss (Chiefs) would select the yard line of where to place the ball. The toss loser (Bills) would then decide whether to play offense or defense, depending on the ball placement and faith in its offense or defense.

It’s a little confusing but fun once you process the possibilities. Say the Chiefs put the ball on the 10-yard line. Does Buffalo have confidence in driving 90 yards for a game-winning touchdown, or faith in its defense that it could hold the Chiefs and get good field position on a punt?

Chaos fix: Silent yard auction. The auction concept has been around for more than a decade at this point, with myriad permutations. It even reached the halls of academia (NYU published a study, as did Cal).

I prefer the Cal edition, which proposes that each team submit a bid at the beginning of overtime on the yard line where it would like to start. The team with the closest bid to its own end zone wins and receives the ball first, at that yard line. Overtime is sudden death from there.

The auction system successfully eliminates the randomness of a coin toss while adding a fascinating layer of strategy. The closer you get to your own end zone, the more you compromise potential field position. The farther away you get, the higher the chance of the other team getting the ball first.

A fun wrinkle the researchers include: giving the ball to the team that bids closest to its own end zone, but making the yard line the average of the two bids. Interesting, but maybe a little complex.

pfc_m_drake

01-25-22, 08:24 PM

I'm from (near) Buffalo - as such, I am a lifelong Bills fan.
nrc will vouch for the fact that my location used to be 'WNY' which stood for Western New York (vs my current South Florida status).
I lived through the 4 Super Bowl losses...and mourned every one

All of that said - the Bills deserved to lose. These cries for revising the overtime rules...nonsense. I'm old-school. You lose the coin-toss in overtime and want to win the game...then play better defense. You're not entitled to jack. You lost the game - fair and square.

All of that said - I'm left wondering long all of this is sustainable> Multi-billion dollar football stadiums with leases funded by the taxpayers in an era of 10% inflation. Players that peace-out in the middle of a game (forfeiting millions of dollars in bonus money in the process)...ballers who make hundreds of millions of dollars during their career only to be penniless a year or two after their retirement. Where does it end?

Let the good times roll I guess...

nrc

01-25-22, 11:27 PM

I'm from (near) Buffalo - as such, I am a lifelong Bills fan.
nrc will vouch for the fact that my location used to be 'WNY' which stood for Western New York (vs my current South Florida status).
I lived through the 4 Super Bowl losses...and mourned every one

Marv Levy was cursed for whining about the Bengal's no-huddle offense and then adopting it himself. :D

Sorry to see the Bills out. Bengals and Bills fans have been small market buddies since Andy Dalton got them back into the playoffs a while back It would have been a great to meet in the AFC Championship. Pretty sure we've got the Bills mafia on our side in this one.

All of that said - I'm left wondering long all of this is sustainable> Multi-billion dollar football stadiums with leases funded by the taxpayers in an era of 10% inflation. Players that peace-out in the middle of a game (forfeiting millions of dollars in bonus money in the process)...ballers who make hundreds of millions of dollars during their career only to be penniless a year or two after their retirement. Where does it end?

Let the good times roll I guess...

I think the NFL got the message during the recent unpleasantness that they were alienating fans and they've shifted toward a more low-key strategy of paying hush money to all the right causes. How they'll deal with players going off the rails, I don't know. But they can afford to jettison some troublesome players if they're not too big. There's enough money involved that the media are usually willing to play along.

As for stadiums, they're just going to get more creative on how they hide the money. Looks like the Bills and the Redskins... err Football Team are next up at the trough. I don't see Buffalo pulling a Sacramento and Washington will find the money in the gubment sofa cushions.

Most other stadiums are current enough that you'll see a wave of fights over renovations rather than actual new stadiums, but it will be interesting.

pfc_m_drake

01-27-22, 08:32 PM

Marv Levy was cursed for whining about the Bengal's no-huddle offense and then adopting it himself. :D

Sorry to see the Bills out. Bengals and Bills fans have been small market buddies since Andy Dalton got them back into the playoffs a while back It would have been a great to meet in the AFC Championship. Pretty sure we've got the Bills mafia on our side in this one.

I think the NFL got the message during the recent unpleasantness that they were alienating fans and they've shifted toward a more low-key strategy of paying hush money to all the right causes. How they'll deal with players going off the rails, I don't know. But they can afford to jettison some troublesome players if they're not too big. There's enough money involved that the media are usually willing to play along.

As for stadiums, they're just going to get more creative on how they hide the money. Looks like the Bills and the Redskins... err Football Team are next up at the trough. I don't see Buffalo pulling a Sacramento and Washington will find the money in the gubment sofa cushions.

Most other stadiums are current enough that you'll see a wave of fights over renovations rather than actual new stadiums, but it will be interesting.
I'm not much of an (American) football fan these days, but I am a closet Cincinnati fan. I had a distant relative (Bruce Kozerski) who played Center for the Bangles back in the days they were going to the Super Bowl. Plus I always liked Boomer Esiason because he was left handed.

You are correct in that the Bills are next up in the New Stadium Lottery. I suspect they'll refurb the current establishment rather than build something new. Last time I followed, the Bills had this weird lease/lease-back agreement with the County (whereby the County paid the Bills to play in the Stadium...like I said, it was a weird arrangement).

I don't care so much about players who act like petulant children...but to be honest, I don't know that Western New York can afford the financial commitment it takes to play home to an NFL team these days. It would certainly be in their best interest to let the Bills go...but I know how deeply passionate the area is committed to the team. Even if it doesn't make financial sense, I suspect they'll commit simply out of pride and a sense of identity.

And seemingly everybody loves the NFL...so maybe I'm the one with the wrong perspective in this situation.

TKGAngel

01-28-22, 07:43 AM

You are correct in that the Bills are next up in the New Stadium Lottery. I suspect they'll refurb the current establishment rather than build something new. Last time I followed, the Bills had this weird lease/lease-back agreement with the County (whereby the County paid the Bills to play in the Stadium...like I said, it was a weird arrangement).

I don't care so much about players who act like petulant children...but to be honest, I don't know that Western New York can afford the financial commitment it takes to play home to an NFL team these days. It would certainly be in their best interest to let the Bills go...but I know how deeply passionate the area is committed to the team. Even if it doesn't make financial sense, I suspect they'll commit simply out of pride and a sense of identity.

And seemingly everybody loves the NFL...so maybe I'm the one with the wrong perspective in this situation.

The new Bills stadium is in negotiations. Estimated cost right now is at $1.4 billion, all public funded by the state and county. We won't mention that the current owner is #122 on the Forbes 400 list yet doesn't want to spend any of his own money on a new stadium. The NY Gov wants to have the deal done in time for the new state budget, which is due April 1. There's a minority faction that wants to have the stadium built in downtown Buffalo, but there's arguments against it because of infrastructure, displacement of residents/school/post office, etc. It's a bloody mess.

pfc_m_drake

01-28-22, 01:06 PM

The new Bills stadium is in negotiations. Estimated cost right now is at $1.4 billion, all public funded by the state and county. We won't mention that the current owner is #122 on the Forbes 400 list yet doesn't want to spend any of his own money on a new stadium. The NY Gov wants to have the deal done in time for the new state budget, which is due April 1. There's a minority faction that wants to have the stadium built in downtown Buffalo, but there's arguments against it because of infrastructure, displacement of residents/school/post office, etc. It's a bloody mess.
Thanks! I hadn't followed much since I left the WNY area for South Florida back in late 2009. I gave up my Bills Season tickets in the move...and my 10-year (at the time) seniority. I suspect what I was paying for my tickets at the time looks like an absolute steal compared to today.

I hope it all works out for Buffalo and the Fans. I'd hate to see anything happen to them - tey're much loved.

RaceGrrl

01-28-22, 01:56 PM

Well, how about that?
https://www.fox19.com/2022/01/27/bengals-become-americas-team-conference-championship-weekend/

TravelGal

01-28-22, 09:40 PM

Well, how about that?
https://www.fox19.com/2022/01/27/bengals-become-americas-team-conference-championship-weekend/

:mad: I'm rooting for the Chiefs but not sure I'll get the result in Abu Dhabi. :laugh:

pfc_m_drake

01-30-22, 07:17 PM

Well, how about that?
https://www.fox19.com/2022/01/27/bengals-become-americas-team-conference-championship-weekend/
So happy for the Bengals!

SteveH

01-30-22, 07:20 PM

Wow wow wow :thumbup:

stroker

01-30-22, 07:51 PM

Go Bungles! I can root for them against either the Rams or the 49er's!

WickerBill

01-30-22, 08:43 PM

Have the Chiefs ever played 4 consecutive quarters of good football with Mahomes? I think they could beat any other team by 30-40 if they could.

But they can't. Congrats nrc!

SteveH

01-30-22, 11:39 PM

Dr. Johnny Fever would approve

nrc

01-31-22, 12:36 AM

Wow. That was something other than else.

It's going to be really interesting to see if Burrow can continue this magic behind a tissue paper Oline with an even more daunting pass rush coming.

Is the third time the charm?

nrc

01-31-22, 02:39 PM

Funny how some in the media insist that the Chiefs just imploded. Seems like teams have been doing that against the Bengals on a regular basis lately. :rofl:

You have to love this SB matchup. Small market team full of fun, young, confident guys, vs the ultimate big market team full of high dollar free agents.

Meanwhile, Nathaniel Hackett? Somehow I missed that. What say you, WB?

WickerBill

01-31-22, 02:52 PM

Hackett is a reasonable choice. I think he won instead of Bienemy simply on the off chance Rodgers might leave GB, Hackett would be a draw.

Playing against Mahomes, Herbert, and even Carr 6x a year will be a repellant.

My guess is we'll end up with JimmyG, Hackett will make the Broncos a little better, but after 3 years our defense will be faltering and he'll be let go. Then he'll get his second HC job with the Jaguars, who will be loaded up and he'll take a veteran Lawrence-led team to the Super Bowl.

nrc

02-02-22, 02:31 AM

Broncos up for sale. Got any spare change, WB?

https://pro32.ap.org/article/denver-broncos-announce-they-are-officially-market

WickerBill

02-02-22, 09:21 AM

I have about $400 free, am I close?

They're going to end up selling for almost 2x the cost of the highest priced football team ever. And it's going to make people like the Krafts and Irsays have to contemplate cashing out and offshoring the money to avoid the death tax for their families.

If the Broncos go for $4B.... what are the Cowboys worth? Steelers?

nrc

02-02-22, 03:14 PM

Only $4B? Such a deal. You can't even get a decent stadium for that much these days.

Maybe Brian Flores will get it in a settlement. Gotta say, it's pretty funny that the NFL decided to pay lip service to "equity" and now they're being hoisted on their own petard. And lo and behold, we suddenly see them talking about this brand new concept, "equity opportunity." :rofl: It's a good thing they've got the billions to get all their media folks who should really be stuck doing local weather on board with that.

nrc

02-02-22, 06:06 PM

Washington Commanders. Lame.

SteveH

02-02-22, 06:41 PM

Washington Commanders. Lame.

As lame as Guardians.

nrc

02-02-22, 06:58 PM

The Washington Grifters would have been perfect.

The Washington Graft.
The Washington Lobby.
The Washington Insurrection.

Endless possibilities. But Commanders? So they're all Commanders? Do the Commanders have Captains? Does that make them Commander Captains?

And what's this I hear about pay for throwing games? Shouldn't that be a Federal investigation given the gambling implications?

SteveH

02-02-22, 09:52 PM

https://twitter.com/barstoolsports/status/1488896419314515974?s=20&t=ZG4txY7ZPSbtRHl3wWN3mg

cameraman

02-03-22, 01:36 AM

You have to know that the Commanders is going to get shortened to the Commies:rofl:

cameraman

02-03-22, 01:40 AM

And what's this I hear about pay for throwing games? Shouldn't that be a Federal investigation given the gambling implications?

If there's any solid evidence to that accusation the **** will really hit the fan. That's Federal Grand Jury and/or Congressional investigation territory.

stroker

02-03-22, 08:02 AM

So what happens to the price of the Nags if the Jags are up for sale at the same time?

WickerBill

02-03-22, 08:12 AM

So what happens to the price of the Nags if the Jags are up for sale at the same time?

I am gonna guess that the Broncos will have a messy war over the new owners, because the owner is dead and the team HAS to be sold now, whereas Shad Khan is by all accounts a) a reasonably good businessman and b) alive, and can therefore make his deal without giving up a minority stake in the team, etc.

Jags 3.1b, Broncos 4.3b.

WickerBill

02-03-22, 08:51 AM

nrc

02-03-22, 12:30 PM

Super Bowl uniform matchup appears to be

Bengals: Black over white (orange stripes)
Rams: White (NOT their horrible dishwater "bone" road unis, but their "alternate" ones that are actually white) over yellow

It could be worse. I think the Bengals (who are the home team and got to pick) should have stuck with the mono-white that got them through the playoffs, then the Rams would have been in blue over yellow, which is their best look by a hundred miles.

This has been your uniform minute

The Bengals did start the run in the Wildcard with this same combo. They broke the 31 year playoff drought in them so hopefully they'll bring that mojo to the SB. Also, I think it just makes sense when you're on the big stage to fully represent your team colors.

People always liked to mock the stripes but after the Bengals appeared in the Super Bowl in '89 Zubaz prints exploded in popularity and every team had stripes in their colors. With Joe Burrow hitting the scene there's no telling what kind of fashion havoc we'll be wrecking in the future. :D

RaceGrrl

02-03-22, 03:40 PM

The Bengals did start the run in the Wildcard with this same combo. They broke the 31 year playoff drought in them so hopefully they'll bring that mojo to the SB. Also, I think it just makes sense when you're on the big stage to fully represent your team colors.

People always liked to mock the stripes but after the Bengals appeared in the Super Bowl in '89 Zubaz prints exploded in popularity and every team had stripes in their colors. With Joe Burrow hitting the scene there's no telling what kind of fashion havoc we'll be wrecking in the future. :D

A true "make it work" moment!

nrc

02-14-22, 03:27 PM

Sad trombone.

Ah, well. Nobody expected the Bengals to make it this far this soon. They were competitive with the most star studded team that money can buy and they just didn't have enough magic left. We all knew it was a hope and a prayer that the Bengals Oline could hold up long enough for Burrow to work his magic.

The video shows that on that last 4th and 1, Ramsey fell down and Chase was going to be wide open for a TD. Against anyone else Burrow probably gets the extra second he needs to complete that. But once again, the Bengals make the SB only to be stopped by a future Hall of Famer getting his moment.

I hope I'll get to see them flip that script some day. Obviously job one now is keeping Burrow alive for it.

pfc_m_drake

02-14-22, 08:34 PM

As a former Bills fan, my heart aches for the Bengals.
:(

WickerBill

02-15-22, 07:42 AM

Former? What's the story there?

My opinion, that nrc probably won't like - the Bengals had no business being in the Super Bowl, no business playing the Rams to within 3 points, no business beating the Chiefs, no business beating the Titans. It just shows what belief in your quarterback and offense can do. They have cap money and should use 90% of it on the offensive line. Pretty sure the division is going to be a shambles except Cincinnati next season, so they can hopefully waltz into the playoffs and do some damage again. But right now, Burrow is on the Andrew Luck trajectory as far as getting hit and getting injured.

nrc

02-15-22, 10:30 PM

I dunno. Define, "no business." The Bengals weren't a proper championship contender without any obvious fatal flaws that you could circle on the game plan and say, "No way they win with THAT." They had no business beating the Chiefs but they did it twice in a month both away and at home.

What this tells you is that NFL rules are so skewed for offense that one of the best QBs with three of the best receivers and a pretty good running back and tight end can beat all but the craziest Dline mismatches in spite of an XFL quality Oline. Then it's just a question of whether your defense is good enough. If that's what you mean by "no business" then, yeah. But the NFL wants to emphasize star offensive players so that's what we've got.

Burrow is some kind of football mentat and he was able to find the open guy in less than two seconds and get it to them accurately a high enough percentage of the time to nearly go all the way. On that last play two guys were coming free. Against anyone but Arron Donald he may have had time to hit that for a TD. Unfortunately there are no trophies for being the most sacked quarterback ever to make it to the Super Bowl.

Obviously the Bengals have to do a major upgrade on the line to keep Burrow in one piece. The possibilities with another second or two in the pocket and a more consistent run game seem almost too good to contemplate at this point. The consequences of not doing it right make me ill to consider.

The question is if Burrow could do this for the Bengals, why couldn't Stafford do it for the Lions when he had Reggie Bush, Calvin Johnson, and Golden Tate?

WickerBill

02-16-22, 08:52 AM

The question is if Burrow could do this for the Bengals, why couldn't Stafford do it for the Lions when he had Reggie Bush, Calvin Johnson, and Golden Tate?

Or Andrew Luck with Reggie Wayne and TY Hilton?

Two fairly obvious answers and one less so:

1. Stafford ain't no Burrow. He's fine, and his arm is fantastic, but he is an INT machine and was also always missing games due to injury incurred from a terrible O line. Burrow is outstanding.
2. The rules have changed quite a bit toward offense from the days of Johnson and Bush.
3. (less obvious) Jauron, Marinelli, Schwartz. Cincinnati (and LA) have good coaching staffs. The Lions have had Mariucci and Caldwell, who both did well and weren't given enough time... but neither are super-high-caliber NFL head coaches. I think it makes an enormous difference.

Bengals have very good offensive skill players and they have IMO a very good coach. Defense, as you point out, is fine for our modern football times. There's not much missing, but so many times - Luck, Stafford,

WickerBill

02-16-22, 08:57 AM

By the way...

Burrow, Allen, Mahomes, Herbert, and down a level Murray, Jones, Jackson... who needs all those old guy QBs anymore anyway? The next ten years is gonna be just fine.

pfc_m_drake

02-16-22, 02:05 PM

Former? What's the story there?I'm generally down on pro-athletics these days. Kind of a long story but here goes: I'm a couple of years younger than Lance Armstrong. I'm a devout stationary biker. When Lance was winning his tours, I would be up at 4am riding my stationary bike timing myself along with the tour. I was about ~12% behind the Peloton. You can gain 1-2% through training/nutrition/etc. Come to find out, all these years later, the EPO benefit is worth ~10% to the average rider.

I was from a small town in bumble Western NY (hence the former Bills fan allegiance). I didn't even know what EPO was - let alone where I would have gotten any. In the aftermath I'm 'convinced' that I never got a shot because...well...everybody was doping...and there was no way a clean guy like me was going to crack into the top ranks.

Then you step back and take a look at the NFL Quarterback class of 1983. Many of them have kids with serious conditions. We can choose to believe that it's a 1-in-a-many-trillion chance of bad luck...or we can choose to believe that something else is at work.

And if you think things have changed these days - I have a bridge in Brooklyn that you might be interested in. The worst part: As discussed above, these multi-billion dollar stadiums housing the sports that today's juiced-up athletes are competing in are taxpayer financed. Awesome...

It's actually one of the reasons I like Auto Racing so much. The technology and safety aspects of the sport permeate every day life. Unlike today's NFL (as just one example) where in addition to taxation, $20 hot dogs and $30 beers seem to be the normal expectation for the pleasure of a few hours of entertainment. It just got to be too much for me, personally.

Sorry for the rant. Hopefully it was coherent at least.

nrc

02-17-22, 01:32 AM

Or Andrew Luck with Reggie Wayne and TY Hilton?

Two fairly obvious answers and one less so:

1. Stafford ain't no Burrow. He's fine, and his arm is fantastic, but he is an INT machine and was also always missing games due to injury incurred from a terrible O line. Burrow is outstanding.
2. The rules have changed quite a bit toward offense from the days of Johnson and Bush.
3. (less obvious) Jauron, Marinelli, Schwartz. Cincinnati (and LA) have good coaching staffs. The Lions have had Mariucci and Caldwell, who both did well and weren't given enough time... but neither are super-high-caliber NFL head coaches. I think it makes an enormous difference.

Bengals have very good offensive skill players and they have IMO a very good coach. Defense, as you point out, is fine for our modern football times. There's not much missing, but so many times - Luck, Stafford,

I agree with this. I just thought it would sound better if you said it. :D

pfc_m_drake

02-17-22, 06:40 AM

I'm generally down on pro-athletics these days. Kind of a long story but here goes: I'm a couple of years younger than Lance Armstrong. I'm a devout stationary biker. When Lance was winning his tours, I would be up at 4am riding my stationary bike timing myself along with the tour. I was about ~12% behind the Peloton. You can gain 1-2% through training/nutrition/etc. Come to find out, all these years later, the EPO benefit is worth ~10% to the average rider.

I was from a small town in bumble Western NY (hence the former Bills fan allegiance). I didn't even know what EPO was - let alone where I would have gotten any. In the aftermath I'm 'convinced' that I never got a shot because...well...everybody was doping...and there was no way a clean guy like me was going to crack into the top ranks.

Then you step back and take a look at the NFL Quarterback class of 1983. Many of them have kids with serious conditions. We can choose to believe that it's a 1-in-a-many-trillion chance of bad luck...or we can choose to believe that something else is at work.

And if you think things have changed these days - I have a bridge in Brooklyn that you might be interested in. The worst part: As discussed above, these multi-billion dollar stadiums housing the sports that today's juiced-up athletes are competing in are taxpayer financed. Awesome...

It's actually one of the reasons I like Auto Racing so much. The technology and safety aspects of the sport permeate every day life. Unlike today's NFL (as just one example) where in addition to taxation, $20 hot dogs and $30 beers seem to be the normal expectation for the pleasure of a few hours of entertainment. It just got to be too much for me, personally.

Sorry for the rant. Hopefully it was coherent at least.Just to follow up on this: Since, in the words of my friend Lance, extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof

https://adams-help.wada-ama.org/hc/en-us/articles/4407838190738-Why-has-athlete-access-to-ABP-blood-data-been-removed-

At its September 2021 meeting, WADA’s Executive Committee approved a change removing athletes’ real-time access permissions to their Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) hematological data in ADAMS. Evidence from the Operation Aderlass investigation revealed that some athletes were able to monitor this data in ADAMS, with the help of support personnel, in order to calibrate their doping strategy and avoid detection.

TL;DR When somebody asks me, 'Drake - has there been doping in The Tour since Armstrong was busted?' my answer is, 'Yes! Every single year.'