Smuts' NFL Thread

[mancunianfox]

13 hours ago, lildave3 said:

Chargers have completely gutted their offence (including my all time favourite player) and it looks like the game plan is to run, run, run and throw in a few runs. Excited for the coaching to be better, and the year can’t go as badly as last year hopefully. But ultimately when your hopes are pinned on a rookie called Ladd McConkey to be the new Keenan, it’s hard to be too optimistic! 

Didn't Herbert pick up an injury in pre season too? I think going from Staley to Harbaugh is a massive upgrade though and should be worth a few wins. Dicker is really good too.

 

Problem for Chargers is the same for my Broncos - The Chiefs still look in total control of the division.

 

Broncos have had a bit of a youth movement largely which is needed because we are paying Russell Wilson $40m not to be on the team. Rookie QB Bo Nix looks a good fit in Payton's system and has had a great camp and pre-season. Jonah Ellis looks like a good pass rusher too. I am still worried about our defence, especially at linebacker and safety and we don't have many blue chip players outside of Surtain. This year is a transition year and we just want to see something good from the young players even if we don't win that much - we have had so many bad or average drafts that a rebuild was badly needed.

[lildave3]

23 minutes ago, mancunianfox said:

Didn't Herbert pick up an injury in pre season too? I think going from Staley to Harbaugh is a massive upgrade though and should be worth a few wins. Dicker is really good too.

 

Problem for Chargers is the same for my Broncos - The Chiefs still look in total control of the division.

 

Broncos have had a bit of a youth movement largely which is needed because we are paying Russell Wilson $40m not to be on the team. Rookie QB Bo Nix looks a good fit in Payton's system and has had a great camp and pre-season. Jonah Ellis looks like a good pass rusher too. I am still worried about our defence, especially at linebacker and safety and we don't have many blue chip players outside of Surtain. This year is a transition year and we just want to see something good from the young players even if we don't win that much - we have had so many bad or average drafts that a rebuild was badly needed.

He did yeah although supposedly nothing to be concerned about and he’s already back. 
 

Yup, fighting for second place at best really. Fingers crossed you have a terrible year 😂👍🏼

[Lineker's Lugs]

On 28/08/2024 at 13:57, Golden Fox said:

2024 roll call...

 

With the 53 man rosters set and the season starting on Thursday night, who's here for another year & how's your team shaping up?

 

 

We should have our usual strong 49er contingent with myself, @Lako42, @Lillehamring decked out in the red and gold, and looking to go one better than that painful OT defeat that ended last year.

 

Team hasn't lost much from last year and with a good rookie class and Purdy having had a full offseason (unlike last year where he spent the off-season recovering from arm surgery) should be stronger. Biggest concerns remain the strength of the offensive line which don't look to be a priority for the team, and the hold outs (ins?) of Trent Williams and Brandon Aiyuk.

 

Hold outs have been the story of the last couple of off-seasons with first Deebo Samual and then Nick Bosa holding out and missing training camp and having down years as a result. I think Trent Williams gets done quickly, and with his experience, missing training camp won't be a massive factor but Aiyuk is the bigger story. He was the leading receiver last year, but my feeling is that I could do a good job catching if the defence was worrying about McCaffrey, Samuel and Kittle, so he is probably valuing himself a bit too high. I think he'll miss some games, and it will either hurt the team or give other receivers the chance to step up.

 

So a 4th straight NFC Championship appearance wouldn't be a surprise and anything could happen from there.

 

But my biggest hope for the season is that the Chiefs crater and miss the play offs and I don't have to put up with bl**dy Mahomes or Taylor Swift smirking on my screen.

I don't really have a particular team - being a neutral is much more relaxing!

 

That said, I've had a bit of a soft spot for the Seahawks since the old Nicky Horne/Gary Imlach Channel 4 days.  I think they are locked into a cycle of mediocrity though - they really need to tank and get a franchise QB because Geno Smith ain't it.

 

At this point I'm most interested in the Lions, 49ers, Jets and Bears this season, but that will doubtless evolve as the weeks unfold.

 

Agree about the Chiefs.  I watched the Netflix Quarterback show a few weeks ago in the hope I'd get to like Mahomes a bit given he's going to be around for years.  But I disliked him even more by the end!

 

 

[Golden Fox]

23 hours ago, SouthStandUpperTier said:

LRZ is apparently going to be claimed off waivers by the Jacksonville Jaguars to be part of their practice squad.

This has now happened. Gives him a chance to learn more of the game and possibly get some game time. Makes sense in a lot of ways if the Jags are trying to build their fanbase on this side of the pond, but I can't seem to get excited about either LRZ or the Jags. Reminds me a bit of Jarryd Hayne - an Australian who did get on the field and had a couple of big plays, but was never going to become an every day contributor and didn't stick around long. It was a good story and had a lot of column inches, but never really amounted to any tangible production.

 

On 28/08/2024 at 13:57, Golden Fox said:

the season starting on Thursday night

I don't know if I'm coming or going (and NFL.com's scorebug shows the day but doesn't actually have dates) - season starts in another week!

 

23 hours ago, lildave3 said:

Excited for the coaching to be better

Really interested to see how Harbaugh does. He took over a train wreck of a 49ers team, and gave us an incredible 3 years. A different outcome of a play here or there and they could have won Superbowl XLVII and had another couple of Superbowl appearances. But there were plenty of stories about his intensity, treating players like college kids, being a hard taskmasker and wanting everything done his way. It was unsustainable and it all fell apart in the 4th year. Harbaugh will have matured since then (although even more ingrained in college mentality and more used to everything being done his way) and the NFL has evolved, so I can see the Chargers' season going either way. But I'm hoping he does well, and it won't be boring. (Meanwhile Brandon Staley will be part of the 49ers braintrust for this year!) 

 

2 hours ago, Lineker's Lugs said:

 

That said, I've had a bit of a soft spot for the Seahawks

Something about Pete Carroll has always really got up my nose. As has that shade of lime green! But he's now gone, so a new era in Seattle. Might take a year or 2 for them to forge a new identity, but I'll dislike them a bit less going forwards!

[SouthStandUpperTier]

10 hours ago, Golden Fox said:

Makes sense in a lot of ways if the Jags are trying to build their fanbase on this side of the pond, but I can't seem to get excited about either LRZ or the Jags.

Maybe I'm being overly cynical, but I can't help thinking that the NFL are just using him for a bit of cheap publicity and PR over here. Well at least he's getting $12,500 per week for the privilege.

[ajthefox]

15 hours ago, Golden Fox said:

This has now happened. Gives him a chance to learn more of the game and possibly get some game time. Makes sense in a lot of ways if the Jags are trying to build their fanbase on this side of the pond, but I can't seem to get excited about either LRZ or the Jags. Reminds me a bit of Jarryd Hayne - an Australian who did get on the field and had a couple of big plays, but was never going to become an every day contributor and didn't stick around long. It was a good story and had a lot of column inches, but never really amounted to any tangible production.

 

I don't know if I'm coming or going (and NFL.com's scorebug shows the day but doesn't actually have dates) - season starts in another week!

 

Really interested to see how Harbaugh does. He took over a train wreck of a 49ers team, and gave us an incredible 3 years. A different outcome of a play here or there and they could have won Superbowl XLVII and had another couple of Superbowl appearances. But there were plenty of stories about his intensity, treating players like college kids, being a hard taskmasker and wanting everything done his way. It was unsustainable and it all fell apart in the 4th year. Harbaugh will have matured since then (although even more ingrained in college mentality and more used to everything being done his way) and the NFL has evolved, so I can see the Chargers' season going either way. But I'm hoping he does well, and it won't be boring. (Meanwhile Brandon Staley will be part of the 49ers braintrust for this year!) 

 

Something about Pete Carroll has always really got up my nose. As has that shade of lime green! But he's now gone, so a new era in Seattle. Might take a year or 2 for them to forge a new identity, but I'll dislike them a bit less going forwards!

It is going to be really interesting to see how the Chargers progress, getting Roman on board as OC will obviously improve their running game but Roman never really got the passing game going particularly well with Lamar so I do wonder how Herbert will fare.

 

I think the Seahawks will improve this year. I have a lot of faith in Macdonald to succeed, he took our defence and took it to another level very quickly, did well with Jim at Michigan and although I've very little knowledge of Seattle's D I've no doubt he will get them in better shape pretty quickly. Their top 3 WRs are up there as one of the better combos and Walker is a solid back so they have a pretty good core on the offence even if Geno has a middle of the pack QB season.

[SouthStandUpperTier]

Thankfully sounds like Pearsall should recover. But this is grim. 

 

https://www.espn.co.uk/nfl/story/_/id/41075430/49ers-ricky-pearsall-shot-robbery-attempt-suspect-arrested

[Golden Fox]

10 hours ago, SouthStandUpperTier said:

Thankfully sounds like Pearsall should recover. But this is grim. 

 

https://www.espn.co.uk/nfl/story/_/id/41075430/49ers-ricky-pearsall-shot-robbery-attempt-suspect-arrested

The reports said he was shot in the chest, but he did not require surgery and he has already been released, so must have just been a graze.

 

Apparently, there were 2 shots fired and the attacker also ended up in hospital where he was arrested. All this in the middle of the afternoon near Union Square - a touristy area of San Francisco.

[Golden Fox]

On 01/09/2024 at 22:55, Golden Fox said:

The reports said he was shot in the chest, but he did not require surgery and he has already been released, so must have just been a graze.

 

Apparently, there were 2 shots fired and the attacker also ended up in hospital where he was arrested. All this in the middle of the afternoon near Union Square - a touristy area of San Francisco.

It wasn't just a graze: The bullet went all the way through him and out out his back. It missed organs, & ribs & didn't seriously damage any nerves anything serious, so pretty miraculous. He's been back at the team facility already and is confident of playing this season!

[spacemunky]

This new "dynamic" kickoff is weird.

[spacemunky]

Great opening game between two of the best.

[Lako42]

Wasn't impressed with Jacksons throwing. 

[Pliskin]

9 hours ago, Lako42 said:

Wasn't impressed with Jacksons throwing. 

You need to be as he’s my pick for my fantasy team…….

[spacemunky]

My niece is a Packers fan, so we'll be watching the game tonight.

 

Had the NFL ever played a game in South America before? 

[The Bear]

1 minute ago, spacemunky said:

My niece is a Packers fan, so we'll be watching the game tonight.

 

Had the NFL ever played a game in South America before? 

Mexico, but I guess that's classed as Central America. 

[CheeseHead]

27 minutes ago, spacemunky said:

My niece is a Packers fan, so we'll be watching the game tonight.

 

Had the NFL ever played a game in South America before? 

Tempted to stay up late and watch it. Fully expect the Pack to win it all this year 

[spacemunky]

31 minutes ago, CheeseHead said:

Tempted to stay up late and watch it. Fully expect the Pack to win it all this year 

Better than most expected last season and with such a young team, ya never know.

[KingsX]

I was a Browns STH until just before the team was moved.  Nowadays I am disgusted not just with my hometown club, but with the NFL at large.  A great sport, but owned and controlled to the Nth degree by pathologically acquisitive control freaks.  The slightest look under the hood, and you run from the stench.

 

Remind you of anything?

 

Of course, as an addict I still watch it … some.  Especially if the Packers are playing.

 

Here we have a League founder club, in a tiny provincial town playing in the same stadium since the 1950s, OWNED BY ITS FANS, not by a billionaire.  We’ll never see another Leicester City.  But every time the Pack challenge for a title, it may be as close as we’ll get in this diminished age for "sport".

 

As English football goes down the tubes in a more and more NFL-like fashion … for the life of me … I’m SHOCKED that a majority of English footy fans don’t favor the Packers.

 

[spacemunky]

Hope Love is okay.

[Bert]

6 hours ago, KingsX said:

I was a Browns STH until just before the team was moved.  Nowadays I am disgusted not just with my hometown club, but with the NFL at large.  A great sport, but owned and controlled to the Nth degree by pathologically acquisitive control freaks.  The slightest look under the hood, and you run from the stench.

 

Remind you of anything?

 

Of course, as an addict I still watch it … some.  Especially if the Packers are playing.

 

Here we have a League founder club, in a tiny provincial town playing in the same stadium since the 1950s, OWNED BY ITS FANS, not by a billionaire.  We’ll never see another Leicester City.  But every time the Pack challenge for a title, it may be as close as we’ll get in this diminished age for "sport".

 

As English football goes down the tubes in a more and more NFL-like fashion … for the life of me … I’m SHOCKED that a majority of English footy fans don’t favor the Packers.

 

I would say generally a lot of English fans will choose different teams for a number of reasons. Could’ve been the first game they watched a certain team was playing. A jersey colour. A name. An individual. Even a logo. 

[KingsX]

17 hours ago, Bert said:

I would say generally a lot of English fans will choose different teams for a number of reasons. Could’ve been the first game they watched a certain team was playing. A jersey colour. A name. An individual. Even a logo. 

 

Point taken, it's probably similar to how Americans choose English football clubs (or football clubs choose us) ... not necessarily conscious decision making.  I ended up with City because my name was on the front and back of my favorite player's shirt.  Not because I'd researched the history.

 

It does seem to me a considered decision would lead to the Packers. 

[NJFox]

22 minutes ago, KingsX said:

 

Point taken, it's probably similar to how Americans choose English football clubs (or football clubs choose us) ... not necessarily conscious decision making.  I ended up with City because my name was on the front and back of my favorite player's shirt.  Not because I'd researched the history.

 

It does seem to me a considered decision would lead to the Packers. 

This is accurate. My American sports fandom is easily focused around my local teams, who I’m supported since I was a child. I found my way to supporting Leicester because every friend had chosen a Big Six team, and I couldn’t bring myself to do that. However, NFL fandom is far more nationalized/non-regional than any other sport. You’ll find Packers and Cowboys fans in all areas of the US, and several close friends are obsessive supporters of historically losing teams that aren’t within a thousand miles of their home. 

 

Little did I know, the emotional torment of supporting teams with only 1 or 2 league titles in their entire history pairs well with my choice in English football. Never a dull moment!

Edited 8 September by NJFox

[SouthStandUpperTier]

13 hours ago, KingsX said:

It does seem to me a considered decision would lead to the Packers.

People just don't think about it that deeply. At least I didn't when I was 7, which is when I first watched NFL on Channel 4 in 1985. I'm not going to change my team now, even if they have become a parody version of what they used to be (they are visiting your neck of the woods today incase you need a clue).

[purpleronnie]

NFL Redzone Baby!!!!

 

 

 

[Golden Fox]

On 07/09/2024 at 02:07, KingsX said:

I was a Browns STH until just before the team was moved.  Nowadays I am disgusted not just with my hometown club, but with the NFL at large.  A great sport, but owned and controlled to the Nth degree by pathologically acquisitive control freaks.  The slightest look under the hood, and you run from the stench.

 

Remind you of anything?

 

Of course, as an addict I still watch it … some.  Especially if the Packers are playing.

 

Here we have a League founder club, in a tiny provincial town playing in the same stadium since the 1950s, OWNED BY ITS FANS, not by a billionaire.  We’ll never see another Leicester City.  But every time the Pack challenge for a title, it may be as close as we’ll get in this diminished age for "sport".

 

As English football goes down the tubes in a more and more NFL-like fashion … for the life of me … I’m SHOCKED that a majority of English footy fans don’t favor the Packers.

 

I disagree to some extent.

 

I am a big proponent for the little guy over the big guy. Would rather buy from smaller companies rather than big ones, and local food rather than chains. I have spent most my life working for family firms, and a few years ago, I did move to a FTSE 100 co, but couldn't get on with the ethos so now work for a family firm again.

 

But sport is an escape from life, and the moment I start worrying over the owner is the moment it start detracting from the point of it. 

 

I mean, the 49ers now f**king run Leeds United. How messed up is that as a fan? But I've rationalised that by deciding not to let their decisions affect the teams I have followed for years. Changing allegiances based on what owners do is equally ridiculous. 

 

I get it... most my time in the States has been summer in the Bay Area, so a big Giants/A's rivalry, so what Jon Fisher has done to the Athletics is criminal, and if the owner takes your team away, you don't have a choice. And thats not even going into the owners getting handouts for stadiums, but me supporting a team or not isn't going to change any of that. 

 

The Packers are an exception, but I don't know how it works in practice. I'm sure you have the haves and the have nots and waits of decades for season tickets, so Im sure there are likely plenty of Wisconceners who feel frozen out.

 

So on with the season - and he may be in a different uniform, but hope the Niners smash the Packers' Aaron Rodgers on Monday night!