Football Thoughts - week 14

[Cobra Mgr]

Combining NFL w/NCAA since college is now into bowl season.........


......I thought the Army-Navy game was overblown when I was younger. But I've grown to appreciate it as I've gotten older & the game of football has changed. You want the romanticized version of the gridiron? This is the game you circle on your calendar. It's not a patriotic thing for me. It is the pure amateurism. Your whole season grade coming down to that one game vs your biggest rival. The game plans based on execution & precision, not a talent gap. Zero spread formations. Actual huddles. Tradition. School pride. Snow. It's something you don't get the entire year.........


.......The vitriol between Philly & Cowboy fans has never become more evident to me than after Carson Wentz injury. The smug glee coming from Dallas fans has enlightened me on just how much bitter hate is between these 2 fan bases. It might be the closest the NFL gets to the animosity among college's most storied annual clashes. I always knew how much Eagle fans hated the Cowboys. Most fan bases don't like the 'Pokes. And playing in the same division pumps the volume considerably. But I always looked at it as li'l bro trying to irk his older sibling. Seeing the Dallas fans' reaction made me see how important each other's misery is to the other. The feelings of contempt I see are mutual......


......I've always given a mild quiet nod to the Seahawks for their social awareness. I'm not right or left wing by any stretch of the imagination. But I have always appreciated it when people who visibly have it all can still see the struggle of the unfortunate and speak up. Too many in this world have the "I got minez" attitude.

But that social consciousness becomes worthless when you behave like a thug. The folks that potentially could be won over to your cause are lost when they see you diving at legs in the victory formation. When they see you trying to climbing into the stands to fight strangers in public. When they hear you blame everybody else instead of taking responsibility for your obvious bad behavior. Your words no longer carry the honesty needed to get flexible ears to turn their direction towards what you say. And it taints the message when folks with proper decorum repeat or agree with what you say.

The Seahawks need to clean up their act. Either shape up or do those who work with you off the field a favor and shut up........


.......The Panthers have to be the only NFL team whose 2 min offense is the wishbone (More on that later.)..........


.....What happened to Jeff Hostetler?.......


........I can't see the Steelers taking out the Patriots. Pittsburgh makes too many mental mistakes. They are fortunate the AFC is such a mess that there are few teams who can take advantage of them. But that is Bill Belicheck's forte. He and Tom Brady are experts at taking your small slip-ups & turning them into game changing miscues............


........The NFC playoff race looks to be very interesting down the stretch. Panthers are going to regret that inexplicable loss to the Bears. They could be in 1st place right now. Instead, they are in a dogfight w/a group of teams that could credibly land in the postseason. Seattle still has a game with the Rams & winable games vs Dallas & the Cards. Rams can virtually clinch the West if they beat Seattle since they finish the year @ home vs SF. GB is expected to have Double Check back, but they sandwich a home game w/Minnesota w/road games @ Carolina & still in it Detroit. The Lions finish w/CIncy & Chicago before playing the Packers. The Falcons close out w/games vs each divisional rival. The playoffs could truly begin when Carolina visits Atlanta the final week of the season. That might a be loser starts scouting contest.

My projections based on ESPN's Playoff Machine....1.Philly/NE 2. Pitt/Minny 3.NO/Jax 4.Sea/KC 5. LAR/Balt 6.Car/Tenn .....10 win Atl loses out on the playoffs because of a loss @ NO during week 16. Nine win Tenn beats out 9 win LAR due to tiebreakers.........


.......Everyone says the NFC is now "in play" due to Carson Wentz injury. I never thought Philly was the team to beat, even though they had earned the right to be called such. Making the playoffs is one thing. Winning in the playoffs is another. I would fear the Seahawks, Panthers & Falcons more so than the Eagles, Vikes & Rams. I think having experienced leaders who have played deep into January is invaluable. Philadelphia doesn't have that. But now that the Eagles have lost Wentz, I don't diminish their chances either. I think Foles is a capable backup. We've forgotten in 2013 he threw 27 TD's against 2 INT's.The Eagles are already blessed with a good running game (How does that trade for Ajayi look now?). I don't believe the Eagles will miss a beat w/Foles during the regular season. During the playoffs, the problem will be the same even if Wentz was available: A lack of veteran leaders who have been there before......


.......Hundley did his job. GB is still in it and now Aaron Rogers is back. That narrow win in Chicago may have not moved the meter. The OT win vs TB may not have seemed like much. Needing a 4th quarter comeback to beat Cleveland in OT may have seemed embarrassing. But the Packers are one game behind in the playoff race. Name the team that wants to play Aaron Rogers w/their playoff positioning/lives on the line?.......


.....Wonder what Viking fans think of safety Andrew Sendejo. I don't know much about him. Maybe he just had a bad game yesterday. Take a look at the 1st TD of the day. Vikes have 10 men @ the LOS on 3rd & 1. The lone man deep is Sendejo. Stewart breaks through the line. Where is Sendejo? Following Cam Newton for some reason. I know Cam is a threat to run (we'll come back to that), but who cares if he doesn't have the ball? Besides, his fellow DB is there to make the play. Sendejo is too far out of position by the time he realizes Stewart is headed for paydirt.

Cut to late in the 4th. Call is a simple zone read (Doesn't every team deep in their own territory try an option run w/2:00 left in a tied game?). Lineman targets the back.Cam keeps it as he is supposed to do. All the Panthers hit their blocks. It is up to Sendejo to hold this to a modest gain. Instead, Cam puts Sendejo into the highlight reel. A hard juke to his right & Cam breaks his ankles like a Hardaway crossover. The run sets up the winning score for the Panthers after a Viking comeback.

Two plays. Two huge momentum changing, game changing plays. If Sendejo makes them, the results likely would have been different. Can't put the whole blame on him. Cam might have faked a HOF safety on that run. Maybe his assignment was Cam on that 3rd & 2. But it sure looks like he was at the center of the loss.

[TribeFanInNC]

I enjoy Army-Navy when the game is good. The passion is so awesome. They get geeked about every play. Saturday was good watching.

I was 100% expecting the Panthers to blow that game. We got good Cam and bad Cam almost back to back. Man though, he juked that one guy completely out of his shorts near the line. I'm amazed someone can do that to a professional football player.

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by TribeFanInNC

I enjoy Army-Navy when the game is good. The passion is so awesome. They get geeked about every play. Saturday was good watching.

I was 100% expecting the Panthers to blow that game. We got good Cam and bad Cam almost back to back. Man though, he juked that one guy completely out of his shorts near the line. I'm amazed someone can do that to a professional football player.

I knew the Panthers were going to let Minny back in it. That ultra conservative coaching staff treats a lead like soccer teams treat a 1 goal advantage. You don't go into a stall game with more than a half to play. But Mike Shula thinks he's Dean Smith & starts calling for the 4 Corners.

[Ragnar]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

.......The vitriol between Philly & Cowboy fans has never become more evident to me than after Carson Wentz injury. The smug glee coming from Dallas fans has enlightened me on just how much bitter hate is between these 2 fan bases. It might be the closest the NFL gets to the animosity among college's most storied annual clashes. I always knew how much Eagle fans hated the Cowboys. Most fan bases don't like the 'Pokes. And playing in the same division pumps the volume considerably. But I always looked at it as li'l bro trying to irk his older sibling. Seeing the Dallas fans' reaction made me see how important each other's misery is to the other. The feelings of contempt I see are mutual......

As a Cowboys I just want to say a few things regarding this. If I could pay 1000 dollars to take his injury away I would do it. I hate to see any player get that injury. I knew he was going to be injured eventually because he played reckless, It's a shame it had to be that injury.

Secondly, the feelings of contempt are not mutual, Cowboys fans are reacting. Cowboys fans do not hate the Eagles as much as the Giants or Washington because they were never good long enough to build any true rivalry. For one season in the early 80s and a few years in the early nineties (when they were beat down) does not make a rivalry.

Cowboys fans are simply reacting to a fan base that is delusional. It's amazing how much smack a fan base can talk when their team hasn't won an NFL title since 1960. Before that I think they were wearing leather helmets and kept blacks out of the league.

Mock the Cardinals or something. But before talking smack about a team that won 5 super bowls and appeared in 8, some of which right through the Eagles, actually accomplish something.

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by Ragnar

As a Cowboys I just want to say a few things regarding this. If I could pay 1000 dollars to take his injury away I would do it. I hate to see any player get that injury. I knew he was going to be injured eventually because he played reckless, It's a shame it had to be that injury.

Secondly, the feelings of contempt are not mutual, Cowboys fans are reacting. Cowboys fans do not hate the Eagles as much as the Giants or Washington because they were never good long enough to build any true rivalry. For one season in the early 80s and a few years in the early nineties (when they were beat down) does not make a rivalry.

Cowboys fans are simply reacting to a fan base that is delusional. It's amazing how much smack a fan base can talk when their team hasn't won an NFL title since 1960. Before that I think they were wearing leather helmets and kept blacks out of the league.

Mock the Cardinals or something. But before talking smack about a team that won 5 super bowls and appeared in 8, some of which right through the Eagles, actually accomplish something.

My thought wasn't meant to be a generalization of all Dallas fans. I can see how it came off that way though. I don't believe all Dallas fans are like that. Nor are Philly fans.

I was just stunned how quick & plentiful the comments were from the Dallas contingent when Wentz got hurt. I would compare it to the current state of the UNC/NCSt rivalry. Tar Heel fans didn't like the Wolfpack. But it wasn't a bitter hate. It was normal rivalry hatred. I knew a lot of Tar Heel fans who would actually pull for NCSt when UNC wasn't involved, including myself. It was much more acidic on the other side. Then it got real personal during the NCAA investigations. State fans taking active rolls in digging up dirt to embarrass the Heels & jumping in our faces. Now I can tell you many Tar Heel fans don't have an ounce of goodwill towards the Wolfpeckers, including myself. Every bit of misfortune NCSux goes through has become a cause for celebration for some.

That's the way the Cowboys/Eagles rivalry looks from my vantage point on the internet.

[Cobra Mgr]

I need to watch New England more often. I've watched only 3 Patriot games this year & they lost each one. I haven't seen a defense make Brady look so ordinary in a long time.