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NFL 2010-2011

Frayed Knot Dec 20 2010 07:12 PM

- Brett Favre off his death bad to start tonight ... and if you had 9 seconds into the game in the first "ultimate warrior" reference, come collect your prize - I love these talking heads drooling all over themselves about how great the return to outdoor football in Minnesota is when 1) THEY aren't sitting outside 2) Most if not all of them fail to mention that during those "good old days" ... a) the regular season was usually over by this date instead of still having two weeks left (although Minnny happens to be on the road for their final two) b) those games almost always were starting just after noon and not ending just before midnight - I'm getting a kick out of the NFC West where the winner is assured of having a record no better than 8-8 and one or the other (Seattle or StL) has to win out just to make it that far (they play each other the final week). I think San Fran (5-9) is even still alive. I'd love to see a 7-9 winner if for no other reason than that it serves as a warning to MLB not to go to a 8 teams x 4 division format. The problem with that is that the number of in-division games becomes a much lower pct of the whole season that the odds of a sub-.500 winner becomes much greater. Either that or you have to go to an absurdly unbalanced schedule.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Dec 29 2010 12:10 PM Re: NFL 2010-2011

Two things: -- The NFC West title game, between the Rams and the Seahawks, has been flexed to Sunday Night Football; this means the nation gets to watch a stunningly skill-free battle of attrition in HD! You have no idea how close we are to the dream of a 7-9 division champion... and that 7-9 division champion hosting a playoff game. KEEP 'HAWK HOPE ALIVE! -- Congratulations on making the Pro Bowl, Denver Broncos wideout Brandon Lloyd, and for your future career in Broncos Human Resources... and I mean that in the most professional way.

Frayed Knot Dec 29 2010 02:50 PM Re: NFL 2010-2011

The thing is that the NFL kind of painted themselves into a corner with this one. By trying to avoid one of those jokes of a game where a team makes the playoffs via an early game loss and then sit all their regulars during a late game, they try to schedule all of the games where a playoff spot is still on the line (there aren't many this year) at the same time. That a ton of ticket holders wind up having their plans all scuttled by having the kickoff times of up to a half-dozen games changed just days ahead of time pretty much suxx, but the NFL long ago demonstrated that they're more interested in their TV partners than their paying customers. So Seattle/St Louee turns out to be the one game this weekend that stands on its own and can't be affected by another contest. I'm not sure NBC even had a choice in this matter. I'm rooting hard for Seattle.

Gwreck Dec 29 2010 03:10 PM Re: NFL 2010-2011

In fairness, moving around the West Coast games is a lot less disruptive given the time difference. Game goes to 5:00 PM (rather than 1:00) which is not nearly as disruptive as a 1:00 East Coast game getting moved to the night spot.

Frayed Knot Dec 29 2010 03:44 PM Re: NFL 2010-2011

Sure, but that has nothing to do with why that particular game is the one being moved to the night slot.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Dec 29 2010 09:53 PM Re: NFL 2010-2011

The announcement's mandated to come 12 days ahead of gameday, so there's a little lead time.

Frayed Knot Dec 30 2010 06:37 AM Re: NFL 2010-2011

I'm reasonably sure that this week's time changes didn't come down until after last week's stuff was in the books - more like 6 days not 12. And it's not just the Sunday night deal but stuff like the Jints/Skins and others getting swapped from 1:00 to 4:00. Moving a game 3 hours with less than a week's notice is not insignificant when travel and other plans have been made around the original time. Folks around here get pissed off enough when ESPN turns a summer Sunday game into a night deal and that only comes twice, maybe three times, out of eighty-one and is usually done a month or more in advance. Plus moving from a 1PM to 4 PM start in either the north-east or upper mid-west essentially makes a day game into a night game, not a small factor when we're talking about December or January.

Ceetar Dec 30 2010 06:44 AM Re: NFL 2010-2011

10 days is not a whole lot of time really. And there is a whole ton of difference between a game ending at 4:30 and like midnight. What I don't understand is why they didn't 'unflex' the Eagles game the other day. they knew the storm was coming and it was orginally scheduled for 1 anyway. Just stubbornness, or was it all about hoping for just enough snow to draw ratings, but not enough to make it a disaster?

Frayed Knot Jan 02 2011 06:39 PM Re: NFL 2010-2011

1st Round Playoff Sked: Sat 4:30 -- Saints @ Seahawks/Rams Sat 8:00 -- Jets @ Colts Sun 1:00 -- Ravens @ Chiefs Sun 4:30 -- Packers @ Eagles Also, Farve officially announces his retirement. "It's time" he says. ESPN set to set up tents on his lawn starting in late June; late July if there's a labor action.

TransMonk Jan 03 2011 08:28 AM Re: NFL 2010-2011

My September prediction of a Packers/Jets Super Bowl is still alive. Although, I'm guessing they'll both be underdogs in the upcoming weekend. The Jets/Colts matchup looks to be the best game this week. I'm sure the story that the media is rooting for (now that Favre is retired) is an Eagle/Falcon NFC championship game with Vick going back into Atlanta.

Frayed Knot Jan 03 2011 08:34 AM Re: NFL 2010-2011

Not only did the Seahawks wind up winning their division at 7-9 [heh, heh] and get to host a 1st round playoff game, but did so while allowing 100 more points than they scored!! (OK, actually 97)

metirish Jan 03 2011 08:38 AM Re: NFL 2010-2011

Mangini fired.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jan 03 2011 08:42 AM Re: NFL 2010-2011

Well, yeah, that's to be expected. (When, on fourth-and-goal, down three TDs near the end of the half to a division rival, you kick a 19-yard-FG, I'm not quite sure what message you're trying to send.) TransMonk wrote: My September prediction of a Packers/Jets Super Bowl is still alive. Although, I'm guessing they'll both be underdogs in the upcoming weekend. The Jets/Colts matchup looks to be the best game this week. I'm sure the story that the media is rooting for (now that Favre is retired) is an Eagle/Falcon NFC championship game with Vick going back into Atlanta. If Kerry Collins could hold onto an f-ing snap, that would be a Ravens-Colts matchup (with the Jets heading to rib country to take on the flailing Chiefs in a MUCH easier matchup). Pack-Iggles should be fun, too-- it's maybe the worst possible matchup for Philly (including division winners), owing to the defensive footspeed the Packers trot out there. They can both pressure Vick and stay with him if he shakes free from the pocket, and they do both like no other team in the playoffs. The Iggles secondary's looked extremely vulnerable in recent weeks, too... so if he and Jennings (and Jones and lil' Jordy) continue to click, Aaron Rodgers could put up ridiculous numbers.

dgwphotography Jan 03 2011 09:10 AM Re: NFL 2010-2011

Frayed Knot wrote: Also, Farve officially announces his retirement. "It's time" he says. ESPN set to set up tents on his lawn starting in late June; late July if there's a labor action. I have a feeling he will pull a Clemens, and be someone's QB around the end of October/Early November...

TransMonk Jan 03 2011 09:19 AM Re: NFL 2010-2011

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Pack-Iggles should be fun, too-- it's maybe the worst possible matchup for Philly (including division winners), owing to the defensive footspeed the Packers trot out there. They can both pressure Vick and stay with him if he shakes free from the pocket, and they do both like no other team in the playoffs. The Iggles secondary's looked extremely vulnerable in recent weeks, too... so if he and Jennings (and Jones and lil' Jordy) continue to click, Aaron Rodgers could put up ridiculous numbers. Yeah, should be a really good game. Tough to call. Rodgers in a first round loss at Arizona last year threw for 4 TDs and ran for another. Fun, fun, fun. I really like playoff football.

seawolf17 Jan 03 2011 09:39 AM Re: NFL 2010-2011

dgwphotography wrote: Frayed Knot wrote: Also, Farve officially announces his retirement. "It's time" he says. ESPN set to set up tents on his lawn starting in late June; late July if there's a labor action. I have a feeling he will pull a Clemens, and be someone's QB around the end of October/Early November... "Oh, and Aaron Rodgers goes down hard on that hit... and I don't think he's getting up. But wait... that... that's Brett Favre's music!"

metirish Jan 03 2011 09:41 AM Re: NFL 2010-2011

I'm trying to remember, was Farve ever a "beloved" type football player before he went on all this retiring/not retiring shenanigans , because everyone apart from espn seems to hate the guy now.

TransMonk Jan 03 2011 09:53 AM Re: NFL 2010-2011

I live in Packer-land, and he was beloved here before he went to rival Minnesota. Packer fans hate him now, but I'm guessing in 5-10 years when all of this has blown over (and they realize how good he really was for so long in Green Bay), he'll begin to be welcomed back as one of the Packer greats. In 2007, it was really hard not to walk into a bar around here without seeing an old poster or picture of him hanging on the wall. He was the greatest thing around for a long time. Packer fans still feel betrayed, but Aaron Rodgers is helping to heal the wound...and the fact that Farve fell on his ass in Minnesota this year doesn't hurt.

SteveJRogers Jan 03 2011 02:19 PM Re: NFL 2010-2011

metirish wrote: I'm trying to remember, was Farve ever a "beloved" type football player before he went on all this retiring/not retiring shenanigans , because everyone apart from espn seems to hate the guy now. What Monk said. Before the drama queen act with the retiring he did have a label of being a media and fan favorite because of his "blue collar" act and his acting like a high schooler out there on the field after every big play.

TransMonk Jan 03 2011 05:12 PM Re: NFL 2010-2011

Just. Go. Away.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jan 08 2011 08:45 AM Re: NFL 2010-2011

Sent to a few million fans on Monday, and published on league pages Thursday and Friday, Commissioner Goodell's open letter to fans addresses the upcoming labor "crisis." And by "addresses," I mean, "blames the greed of players for." Surprisingly enough, there's nothing about record-breaking television contracts, or, say, PSLs or the price of parking. Also, he pretends to care about the players, then in the almost-literal next breath he pushes again for the 18-game schedule. With one of the most exciting regular seasons now completed and the playoffs about to begin, let me first thank you and all NFL fans for your incredible support. Many fans have been asking me where we stand on signing a new collective bargaining agreement with the players union. Let me update you and be clear at the outset: I know we can and will reach an agreement. My goal as Commissioner now is to help our teams and players find a solution that is fair to everyone and ensures that football becomes more popular, accessible, and fun. We want the next decade to be the best yet for our fans, and I’m ready to work day and night to make that happen. We've come a long way. Compare where we are today with 10 years ago. From player accountability to player safety, more and better television coverage, upgrading the in-stadium experience, innovations like the RedZone channel, the Draft in prime time and playing the Pro Bowl before the Super Bowl, we are focused on doing what’s best for the players, teams, and fans. My priority is and always will be the game and the fans who love our game. The NFL is great because fans care deeply about it. Economic conditions, however, have changed dramatically inside and outside the NFL since 2006 when we negotiated the last CBA. A 10 percent unemployment rate hurts us all. Fans have limited budgets and rightly want the most for their money. I get it. Yes, NFL players deserve to be paid well. Unfortunately, economic realities are forcing everyone to make tough choices and the NFL is no different. These are not easy negotiations, but the outcome can be positive. If both sides give a little, everyone, including fans, will get a lot and the game will improve through innovation. Even in difficult economic times, a new CBA presents us with the opportunity to secure the future of our game. You may ask how will the NFL look under this vision? A significant change would be to resolve fan complaints about preseason by modifying our 20-game format. Fans tell us they don’t like the quality of the preseason games, and we’re listening. An enhanced season of 18 regular season and two preseason games would not add a single game for the players collectively, but would give fans more meaningful, high-quality football. Our emphasis on player health and safety is absolutely essential to the future of our game. We are strictly enforcing rules that protect players from unnecessarily dangerous play, especially involving hits to the head. We are changing the “play through it” culture to a “player-first” culture to ensure that if a player has a head injury, he doesn’t play again until his health is certain. We are also addressing the potential wear-and-tear on players in the way they train in-season and off-season. It’s not just the health of players that concerns us. We must ensure the health of the league. That includes a new system that properly compensates proven veterans and retired players by shifting some of the outrageous sums paid to many unproven rookies. Earlier this year, Sports Illustrated published a list of the 50 highest-paid American athletes that included five 2009 NFL rookies. Every other athlete on the list was a proven veteran. In 2009, NFL clubs contracted $1.2 billion to 256 drafted rookies with $585 million guaranteed before they had stepped on an NFL field. Don’t get me wrong: top draft choices will continue to be highly paid. All we’re asking for is a return to common sense in paying our rookies. Other leagues have done this and we can too. These improvements and more will lead to better football, plain and simple. A forward looking CBA that is fair to players and clubs will lead to a great future for the NFL and our fans. My job is to represent the game — the fans, teams, players, coaches and business partners. Protecting the integrity of the game and ensuring it thrives is a responsibility I take very seriously. This is about more than a labor agreement. It’s about the future of the NFL. We have to improve and will be relentless in our quest. The commitment to our fans is to make the NFL experience even better in the years ahead. With a responsible CBA, we will fulfill that vision. Happy New Year and enjoy the playoffs. – Roger Goodell Responses? Oh. There. Are Some. (If nothing else, you'll want to read this one.)

Frayed Knot Jan 08 2011 09:44 AM Re: NFL 2010-2011

"Economic conditions, however, have changed dramatically inside and outside the NFL since 2006 when we negotiated the last CBA. A 10 percent unemployment rate hurts us all. Fans have limited budgets and rightly want the most for their money. I get it." -- That's why the NFL not only effectively charges a 25% markup over listed ticket prices by requiring purchase of [crossout]exhibition[/crossout] I mean 'pre-season' games and why we virtually invented the concept of PSLs in our tax-payer funded stadiums (they better be publicly funded or we'll move your team to Los Angeles) and why I continue to promote PSLs as "good investments". "a new system that properly compensates proven veterans and retired players by shifting some of the outrageous sums paid to many unproven rookies." -- Right, because the money we save by further rigging the draft system against those players who were developed and weeded out for us for free and who we salivate over for months leading up to the draft before telling them that haven't proven anything yet is going to immediately be given to other players ... yup, every penny of it and all of it guaranteed. Love that an ex-player (LWFS's link) called Goodell out on this so stridently and eloquently; I just have little confidence that any current player is going to do the same and I have ZERO confidence that any media member is going to do anything other than act as if their main purpose in life is to carry water for the owners.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jan 08 2011 10:10 PM Re: NFL 2010-2011

From the 'Hawks-Saints game, the game-sealer. I saw it live, and it's still jaw-dropping.

Kong76 Jan 09 2011 01:14 PM Re: NFL 2010-2011

I can't get tired of watching that stiff-arm highlight over and over. He totally dismissed him!

Edgy DC Jan 09 2011 01:45 PM Re: NFL 2010-2011

Wait, it probably says this somewhere, but... if they go to an 18-game season, everybody gets a 12.5% raise, right?

Frayed Knot Jan 09 2011 02:49 PM Re: NFL 2010-2011 Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jan 09 2011 06:04 PM

Edgy DC wrote: Wait, it probably says this somewhere, but... if they go to an 18-game season, everybody gets a 12.5% raise, right? My confidence in the Player's Association is such that I believe they'll ask for at least a 4% raise for the longer season and hold fast to that demand until finally settling for a mere 3% pay cut. Seriously though, you can tell where league mgmt thinking is here by the fact that they're trying to sell this change on the notion that they already play a 20-game schedule and all this change would do is make the current 4 + 16 situation into a 2 + 18 - ergo: same length and no pay raise needed. They haven't explicitly said that last part but have certainly implied it while instead floated ideas like their willingness to reduce the number of "optional" off-season training sessions in exchange for the players agreeing to the longer season - y'know, the ones that are optional as long unless you don't want to be black-balled from the team for not attending.

Edgy DC Jan 09 2011 03:08 PM Re: NFL 2010-2011

Yeah, that's pretty much how I'd expect it. I just don't know how ineffectual the DeMaurice Smith union is yet. Of course, ineffectual would be a step up from Upshaw era.

DocTee Jan 09 2011 03:22 PM Re: NFL 2010-2011

Raiders CB Nnamdi Asomugha now a free agent after failing to meet various incentive clauses. Ridiculous stats: QBs throwing in his direction had a 60.5 rating in 2010. He surrendered 13 completions (in 33 attempts) for 205 yards and no TD this year.

Frayed Knot Jan 09 2011 06:46 PM Re: NFL 2010-2011

2nd weekend sked: Saturday 4:30 -- Baltimore @ Pittsburgh Saturday 8:00 -- Green Bay @ Atlanta Sunday 1:00 -- Seattle @ Chicago Sunday 4:30 -- Jets @ New England

Ashie62 Jan 09 2011 10:08 PM Re: NFL 2010-2011

Frayed Knot wrote: 2nd weekend sked: Saturday 4:30 -- Baltimore @ Pittsburgh Saturday 8:00 -- Green Bay @ Atlanta Sunday 1:00 -- Seattle @ Chicago Sunday 4:30 -- Jets @ New England Pittsburgh Atlanta Chicago Jets

Frayed Knot Jan 22 2011 12:40 PM Re: NFL 2010-2011

Tomorrow's expected high temp in Chicago = 18 degrees. With a start time of 2:00 local time they'll probably at least begin the game during the "warmest" part of the day and have the first three quarters during daylight hours even if very few if any are actually sitting in the sun the way they might with a more traditional 1:00 (noon local) start. Expected high in Pittsburgh is a much balmier 19 degrees, but with a 6:30 PM start time meaning no daylight and possibly 8-10 degrees lower than that. But, hey, I'm sure the folks in the stands will appreciate that the extra TV money is worth their frostbite.