2022-23 NFL Season Discussion Thread

[thehef]

Originally Posted by Ragnar

Here's my opinion of what will happen. The Bills/Patriots game is in Buffalo. When the Bills walk on to that field the fans will erupt. I feel sorry for the Patriots if that happens.

Hard to say. The Bills destroying the Pats due to a wave of emotion could certainly happen. Sometimes, though, the team that comes out with all of that emotion is unable to sustain it, burns themselves out by going all out initially, and then is just drained after it wears off... That said, although both teams are playing for something (Pats to get into the playoffs; Bills for seeding), the game is in Buffalo and the Bills are clearly the better team...

[pilight]

History doesn't help much here. When Chuck Hughes died on the field his team was at home and they were on the road the next two weeks. Plus it was midseason rather than at the end.

[thehef]

NFL replay just now blew another one... Well, not exactly "just now" blew...

NFL channel is replaying the Week 14 clash betw Jax & Tenn. Near the end of the 1st half, Lawrence throws to a receiver who - after the DB slightly tips the ball - catches it and questionably gets two feet down in the endzone. Upon review, here's what happened:

- receiver "catches" ball
- gets one foot down
- receiver shuffles ball in hands, getting control
- receiver barely gets second foot down

It was ruled incomplete on the field... Based upon the shuffle of the ball, which can clearly be seen on the replay, this should be an incomplete pass. Don't see how those guys could've missed that. They must've been exclusively focused on the guys' feet, as if they hadn't done this kind of job before...

[BaseballMan]

Originally Posted by thehef

I just don't get why Brady would want to go there. True, the Bucs hadn't seen much success prior to Brady's arrival, but the Raiders pretty carry the stench of decades-long failure, caused primarily by ineptitude coming from the top... At least with Tampa, there was the sense that Arians had the team on the right track. Can that be said about McDaniel? And Brady will be 46 next season, whereas when he went to Tampa, he was merely a spry 43

I'd think he'd want to go to a team that seems like they have most of what they need to contend except for a QB. I wouldn't say that - by a longshot - of the Raidahs...

Some of the media is acting like its a given but i do agree that Brady might choose to go elsewhere or the Raiders go with someone else.
I would not share the Raiders short. They do have offensive weapons and
how can you overlook Arians first season with the Bucs when they finished 7-9 and not give McDaniels the benefit of the doubt for his first year?
Plus a lot of the losses were games the Raiders could have won.
Heck they even had a chance against the Chiefs earlier in the season.

The offensive line was better than a lot of people thought they would be.
Maybe they get some more pieces with Brady.
Yeah the defense was not that good but some of that was on Carr making bad decisions and going 3 and out or a turnover.

I like Carr but if he was terrible this year. It was like he went to Adams when he shouldn't have and didn't when he should.
I do have to give him a little slack for not having Waller and Renfrow most of the season.
The Raiders never figured out if they should build a team around him or have him adjust to the team. So i kinda Give McDaniels some lack cause he had to try it with Carr. Now he can have the qb he wants.

I do believe if Brady or Jimmy G had been qb the Raiders would probably not have lost a lot of those close games.

[Ragnar]

Originally Posted by BaseballMan

how can you overlook Arians first season with the Bucs when they finished 7-9 and not give McDaniels the benefit of the doubt for his first year?

McDaniels is just a retread. He started off good when he coached the Broncos, but managed to crap the bed to finish the season. Then continued to do so the following season before being dismissed. He's just picking up where he left off. Some coaches just don't transition well from coordinator to coach.

Arians had Winston at QB. With a quarterback that throws that many interceptions, .500 is probably the best you can hope for. It doesn't matter how talented the team is.

[damientheomen3]

The Bears lost and the Texans won today, giving Chicago the first overall pick and taking the Texans out of the running for having their selection of quarterbacks in the upcoming draft. Meanwhile, Chicago is positioned to take in an absolute HAUL for that first overall pick unless they go with the slim chance of deciding to move on from Justin Fields in favor of (presumably) Bryce Young. A relatively uninteresting and pretty weak looking draft class just had a **** load of drama infused into it and I for one am here for that.

I hate to talk bad about a team pushing to win a game, obviously that's not at all in the interest of the existing players or the coaching staff, but the Texans pretty severely hurt their options with that win. I'm sure at the very least general manager Nick Caserio is livid behind closed doors. And of course draft takes pretty quickly come out in the wash once the players start playing out the games, as much as it'll seem obvious Bryce Young is gonna be the best quarterback in the class over the next couple months I'm fully aware that odds are highly favorable for the top pick to not actually end up being the best player in the class.

[Cobra Mgr]

If you want to know what the NFC is like, witness 3 teams (Phil, Dal & Sea) playing 3 teams w/nothing to gain & they struggle to finish the deal. Eagles playing Giants' subs, Seattle vs a QB that got cut (from the Panthers for goodness sake) & Dal against a QB who had never played a snap.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

... Eagles playing Giants' subs ...

I'm at a loss here.

On the one hand, the Giants position as number 6 seed in the playoffs would not have been affected by today's game with the Eagles, win or lose. So, they scratched Barkley and Jones and some other starters. Basically, they accepted the likely possibility of a loss, and instead of the chance to be 10-6-1, they settled for 9-7-1.

No big deal, right? Good move, right? Who cares, besides me, whether their 2022 regular season record was 10-6 or the less impressive 9-7?

The Eagles had something to play for, and their quarterback Hurts came back from an injury to get the victory and clinch the No. 1 seed for his team. But even so,

Hurts wasn't asked to do much against New York's B-team — with the Giants' No. 6 seed already secured, they rested the bulk of their starting lineup — and he won without the explosive plays, the head-first rushes on fourth down, the scrambles that turn into 20-yard gains, the type of breakout plays that had defined his season. They weren't needed.

This was reflected in the final score, 22-16, which probably would have been more like the 48-22 of a few weeks ago when they met in New York, had the Eagles been more motivated. Basically, it seems, they coasted to victory.

All of which leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Why in the heck would I have wanted to watch this game, much less go to it, knowing that neither team felt the need to put out much of an effort? What a farce.

I got news for the dumbass Giants. They should have tried to win the game which *may* have been possible if they played their regulars, played hard, and caught the Eagles off-guard.

Why? Because they don't have the talent to go very far in the playoffs. A 10-6-1 record looks a hell of a lot better than 9-7-1 and would be a source of pride to build on for next season. Now, when they get bounced by the Vikings, it will just be the same old mediocre Giants, playoff pretenders.

Wow, this really leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

[Déjà Bru]

I will say something else while I have my dander up. This moronic, fanatical drive for a championship at all costs, something that has cropped up in recent decades and is only getting worse as a reflection of our spoiled society, is crap.

Even just making the playoffs is not enough any more (although failing to get there is an even worse sin). If you don't come home with a trophy, then the entire season is a failure. All the work, dedication, sacrifice, and emotion during the season, seemingly wasted.

14 teams are going to the NFL playoffs. 13 of them will be deemed "losers." Ever reflect on that? I tell you something: My morale would suck if I played and lost in the NFC Championship game after a great season, and "disappointed" writers and fans thought of me as a "loser."

What crap. You know something? With all the futility that the Giants have gone through in recent years, I would have liked to have had that 10-6 record. I would have thought of them as winners, regardless of what happens in Minnesota.

But no, we couldn't play all out for that distinction because 10-6 is meaningless in today's sports environment once the regular season is over. Besides the money, I don't know what the vast majority of these guys play for under these conditions.

[Cobra Mgr]

Glad GB lost. That dirty hit by #90 & then the shove of a trainer by #7 who was on the field because of that hit by #90...............They didn't deserve to win.

[damientheomen3]

Originally Posted by damientheomen3

The Bears lost and the Texans won today, giving Chicago the first overall pick and taking the Texans out of the running for having their selection of quarterbacks in the upcoming draft. Meanwhile, Chicago is positioned to take in an absolute HAUL for that first overall pick unless they go with the slim chance of deciding to move on from Justin Fields in favor of (presumably) Bryce Young. A relatively uninteresting and pretty weak looking draft class just had a **** load of drama infused into it and I for one am here for that.

I hate to talk bad about a team pushing to win a game, obviously that's not at all in the interest of the existing players or the coaching staff, but the Texans pretty severely hurt their options with that win. I'm sure at the very least general manager Nick Caserio is livid behind closed doors. And of course draft takes pretty quickly come out in the wash once the players start playing out the games, as much as it'll seem obvious Bryce Young is gonna be the best quarterback in the class over the next couple months I'm fully aware that odds are highly favorable for the top pick to not actually end up being the best player in the class.

Aaaaaand the Texans have now fired Lovie Smith, making it back to back seasons they hired a clear placeholder coach and promptly dumped him after one year. This one feels particularly egregious given how competitive Houston was in a lot of their losses.

To be clear, I don't think this was any form of retaliation for winning and hurting their draft pick, I believe this was always the plan for the team. They were stuck in a holding pattern with the worst roster in the league for two seasons because of how poorly the team has been mismanaged since Cal McNair elevated to owner. I'd imagine they feel they can finally be a desirable landing spot for legitimate coaching candidates because they should still land a top level quarterback prospect; I hope with every fiber of my being that they're wrong and have to keep sifting through retreads and passed-over candidates, would be good karma for the farce they've been with Cal running the show.

(and yes I was lame and quoted myself, sue me )

[Syd Thrift]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

Glad GB lost. That dirty hit by #90 & then the shove of a trainer by #7 who was on the field because of that hit by #90...............They didn't deserve to win.

You had me at “glad GB lost”.

[monkeyman576]

To next Texans coach: Take job at your own peril.

Glad the Seahawks got in, very happy for Geno Smith, even though he didn't have a great game. He earned a right to start next year and we can focus our draft picks on defense, maybe even trade down. Let's make a super bowl run! I don't think the NFC is very top heavy this year.

[CONN CHRIS]

While I am a Dallas fan, I'll be pulling for Seattle in this too. Geno Smith is writing a great story.

[Ragnar]

Originally Posted by damientheomen3

Aaaaaand the Texans have now fired Lovie Smith, making it back to back seasons they hired a clear placeholder coach and promptly dumped him after one year. This one feels particularly egregious given how competitive Houston was in a lot of their losses.

To be clear, I don't think this was any form of retaliation for winning and hurting their draft pick, I believe this was always the plan for the team. They were stuck in a holding pattern with the worst roster in the league for two seasons because of how poorly the team has been mismanaged since Cal McNair elevated to owner. I'd imagine they feel they can finally be a desirable landing spot for legitimate coaching candidates because they should still land a top level quarterback prospect; I hope with every fiber of my being that they're wrong and have to keep sifting through retreads and passed-over candidates, would be good karma for the farce they've been with Cal running the show.

(and yes I was lame and quoted myself, sue me )

I absolutely believe it was due to losing the first overall pick. One drive, that's all you had to do and Houston gets Bryce Young. Run the ball on every down and get the #1 overall.

I understand coaches and players don't play to lose. But this was so simple. Going on a game winning drive that meant nothing, cost Houston everything.

[Ragnar]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

I'm at a loss here.

On the one hand, the Giants position as number 6 seed in the playoffs would not have been affected by today's game with the Eagles, win or lose. So, they scratched Barkley and Jones and some other starters. Basically, they accepted the likely possibility of a loss, and instead of the chance to be 10-6-1, they settled for 9-7-1.

No big deal, right? Good move, right? Who cares, besides me, whether their 2022 regular season record was 10-6 or the less impressive 9-7?

The Eagles had something to play for, and their quarterback Hurts came back from an injury to get the victory and clinch the No. 1 seed for his team. But even so,
This was reflected in the final score, 22-16, which probably would have been more like the 48-22 of a few weeks ago when they met in New York, had the Eagles been more motivated. Basically, it seems, they coasted to victory.

All of which leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Why in the heck would I have wanted to watch this game, much less go to it, knowing that neither team felt the need to put out much of an effort? What a farce.

I got news for the dumbass Giants. They should have tried to win the game which *may* have been possible if they played their regulars, played hard, and caught the Eagles off-guard.

Why? Because they don't have the talent to go very far in the playoffs. A 10-6-1 record looks a hell of a lot better than 9-7-1 and would be a source of pride to build on for next season. Now, when they get bounced by the Vikings, it will just be the same old mediocre Giants, playoff pretenders.

Wow, this really leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I agree 100% and I'm not a Giants fan. But a win could go a long way to give the Giants confidence to believe they could win in the playoffs. They're not good enough to take weeks off.

For those that agree that the Giants shouldn't have risked players for nothing, don't understand the benefit of believing you can and should win. Simply hoping, or giving your best shot isn't the same.

[damientheomen3]

Originally Posted by Ragnar

I absolutely believe it was due to losing the first overall pick. One drive, that's all you had to do and Houston gets Bryce Young. Run the ball on every down and get the #1 overall.

I understand coaches and players don't play to lose. But this was so simple. Going on a game winning drive that meant nothing, cost Houston everything.

I think they would've pushed for a head coach that brings an offensive scheme with them even if they got the first overall pick, otherwise if your young quarterback plays well your offensive coordinator is probably gonna get a head job elsewhere and you have to install another new offense. Not saying it's right but it's how most teams have operated the past few years.

As a Jets fan, I wanna throw my hat in the Seahawks corner as well. I hated the LOB-era Seahawks for how much they talked and how insufferable a lot of the fanbase was at that time but I can't not respect this team getting to the postseason given what everybody thought about them going into the year, and I'm very happy to see Geno Smith have success as well.

[thehef]

Originally Posted by Ragnar

I absolutely believe it was due to losing the first overall pick. One drive, that's all you had to do and Houston gets Bryce Young. Run the ball on every down and get the #1 overall.

I understand coaches and players don't play to lose. But this was so simple. Going on a game winning drive that meant nothing, cost Houston everything.

Yep. But who makes that call - to not try to win on that final drive? Does Lovie Smith say, "OK, fellas, I know you've given it all you've got for 56 minutes today, but we're going to run the clock out settle for close loss so we can get the number one pick."?

In Smith's case, he had to know that he was not hired with the idea that he'd be sticking around (unless he did something miraculous with the roster). So I can't see why he'd go along with a plan to not try to win that game, regardless of whether he was a) told outright to lose, b) indirectly nudged to lose, or c) merely assumed the obvious that the front office would appreciate the loss. Zero incentive for him to try to do anything other than try to win. And given that he's probably hoping for a defensive coordinator gig next year, a final-game win under those circumstances looks better on the resume... and travels well amongst the players around the league...

And if the goal is to draft a QB, is there much difference between the supposed top two guys (Young & Stroud)? IMO, you could roll the dice on which one you pick, and then roll the dice again as far as how each will turn out as an NFL QB... making the diff between the #1 and 2 picks basically negligible...

[Syd Thrift]

Plus of course the Bears could always keep the pick and draft a defender...

[thehef]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

I will say something else while I have my dander up. This moronic, fanatical drive for a championship at all costs, something that has cropped up in recent decades and is only getting worse as a reflection of our spoiled society, is crap.

Even just making the playoffs is not enough any more (although failing to get there is an even worse sin). If you don't come home with a trophy, then the entire season is a failure. All the work, dedication, sacrifice, and emotion during the season, seemingly wasted.

14 teams are going to the NFL playoffs. 13 of them will be deemed "losers." Ever reflect on that? I tell you something: My morale would suck if I played and lost in the NFC Championship game after a great season, and "disappointed" writers and fans thought of me as a "loser."

What crap. You know something? With all the futility that the Giants have gone through in recent years, I would have liked to have had that 10-6 record. I would have thought of them as winners, regardless of what happens in Minnesota.

But no, we couldn't play all out for that distinction because 10-6 is meaningless in today's sports environment once the regular season is over. Besides the money, I don't know what the vast majority of these guys play for under these conditions.

Not that I disagree, but on the flip side you have the Detroit Lions, surely disappointed to find out an hour before game time that they were eliminated from the playoffs, but who still went all out to win in order to a) cap their strong finish to the season with another win, b) finish above .500, and c) K.O. a hated division rival on the road. And after winning the game, they acted like they had just won a title. Well almost

Given the realities of what you wrote above, the Lions efforts and reactions were refreshing.