2008 NFL Season

Chat about stuff other than Transformers.
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Blitzwing
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2008 NFL Season

Post by Blitzwing »

So yeah, a week in and the only thread we have is the Brett Favre one...

Lets make an all purpose thread. Who do you think will win it all this year? Who are you rooting for? Can the Patriots compete without Brady? Lets hear your thoughts...
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Vin Ghostal
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Post by Vin Ghostal »

The Patriots will still compete, and I still have them penciled in for a playoff spot, but this season's going to be extremely unpredictable. With the Chargers losing to the PANTHERS, the Colts getting dismantled by the BEARS, and Brady going down injured, the AFC doesn't look nearly as dominant as it has over the past 3-5 years. The Cowboys look fantastic, Philadelphia had a great opening outing against the Rams, and the Redskins will be better despite their poor opening effort against the Giants, who will be much weaker without Osi Umenyiora. Who knows? I've got the Giants, Cowboys, Eagles, Seahawks, Saints, and Packers from the NFC, and the Patriots, Bills, Steelers, Chargers, Colts, and Jaguars as my projected playoff teams, but who knows...it's wide open, unless you love the Rams or Raiders, in which case you should probably just end it all.
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Blitzwing
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Post by Blitzwing »

Vin Ghostal wrote:unless you love the Rams, in which case you should probably just end it all.
Yes... as a Rams fan, I am in for another rough season. It can't be as bad as last year though, can it?

I like Green Bay's new QB... I think they will still be a playoff team. Dallas looks like the team to beat in the NFC though. Philly, Chicago and New Orleans look like they've improved from last season.

As for the AFC, with the Pats losing Brady, I think it's now wide open. San Diego should get their act together after that loss to Carolina and come out on top in my opinion. Denver and Buffalo looked great last week, but we'll have to wait and see if they keep it up the whole season. Pittsburgh will probobly also be in the running again this year. And lets not forget Indy and Jacksonville, who should bounce back after those opening day losses.
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LKW
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Post by LKW »

So glad the season is here; thought about starting a thread last week – but it’s probably just as well I didn’t since so much has changed since then!

You never want a player to go down with an injury like that; but the absence of Tom Brady throws things WIDE open. Indy for once not out to an 8-0, 10-0, 12-0 kind of start and San Diego stumbling help, too.

So far, the NFC has gone a bit more to script – Dallas looking strong, the Giants reminding that they’re the Champs, Green Bay showing they’re not ready to fall off the map. The Eagles looked very good – I suspected they’d rebound this year; and with receivers breaking out to finally add to Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook, they at the least should challenge for a wild card spot. Eagles/Cowboys should be a great game tommorow night. New Orleans should be back to contending, and Seattle’s in trouble, with a plague of WR injuries, and the Cardinals actually appearing ready to threaten.

In the AFC, my Broncos were a huge question mark following last season’s weak defense and letting super-reliable K Jason Elam leave ( :mad: ). But, they looked great against the Raiders on Monday (but, it’s the Raiders). WR was a question with the greatest undrafted wideout in history, Rod Smith, finally having to officially retire and Javon Walker gone, but rookie Eddie Royal put up a 9 for 146 and a TD debut to show he’s ready to step right in beside Brandon Marshall, coming off a 102-catch season, with Brandon Stokely still manning the slot and free-agent acquisition Darrell Jackson also in the mix, with a long TD catch on Monday. With the OL, including rookie first round OLT Ryan Clady, blocking much better for Jay Cutler, who looks incredibly sharp with his diabetes now diagnosed and being treated, and the defense showing improvement, especially in a more consistent pass rush, we could be ready to challenge the Chargers for the division. OTOH, the Chargers could possibly slaughter us again today, as they did last season. Questions for Denver include the running game, which was effective game 1 but split time between three backs (well, I suppose it worked for the Giants), the run defense, which has a new coordinator, scheme, and some changes in personnel but may still be vulnerable, and the kicker and punter, who are both unproven. At the least, the Broncos should put up a better fight against the Chargers.

Elsewhere in the AFC – Indy should still be a playoff contender, but they’re in a pretty tough division – though Jacksonville has several injuries along the offensive line. I think the Jets are now most likely to win the East, with Buffalo a threat but still having some inconsistent quarterback play. You can’t just write off New England completely, I suppose, but you can’t lose a quarterback of that caliber and not be majorly hurt. (Dolphins look improved, too.) If Cleveland’s not careful, Pittsburgh may run away with the North; Cincy could recover, but even looked a shambles on offense. Jets, Colts, Steelers, Jags, Broncos, Chargers for the playoffs? Heck, NFC guesses, too: Giants, Eagles, Cowboys, Saints, Packers, Seahawks – maybe Cards, Bucs, Panthers… hm, Bears looked closer to their Super Bowl season… I see a few other possibles for the AFC – maybe any team in the South – but I guess, at this point, I see a more strong playoff competition in the NFC.

Anyway, good luck today, Broncos (both teams’ starting centers are out; we will be helped by Shawne Merriman finally taking needed surgery, but we had a bit of an injury bug last season, so I don’t feel that badly for them) – and yeah, NFL!
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Post by Chip1123 »

Colts won - Manning can win with 3 rookies on the offensive line and no running game, Broncos won cause of a blown call, Carolina comes from behind again, and the Cowboys survive Philly... and week 2 is over...
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ganon578
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Post by ganon578 »

Unfortunately, I am a Lions fan. Born and raised in Michigan, Sundays are days to watch the Lions. As of late, Sundays have become days to stab my eyes out. I may just have to boycott this season until a myriad of things happen:

1) Matt Millen is fired
2) Jon Kitna is NOT our starting QB
3) We actually make GOOD signings instead of lame ones (I'm looking at you, Rudi Johnson)
4) WC Ford gets his head out of his a$$

Moreover, I'm hoping that at least SOME of these things happen after that horrible implosion that happened against Green Bay. How a team comes back from being down 21-3 to take the lead 24-25 with approx. 5 min. left, and ends up losing 48-25 is completely unbelievable.
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another tf fan
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Post by another tf fan »

So as a Seahawks fan I can only hope that the re-signing of Koren Robinson isn't a terrible move.

Man we are in rough shape at reciever...

Oh well, we got the rams here this weekend and they are the only team more inept than us at this point of the season.

Seahawks 12, Rams 3 .... maybe...
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ganon578
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Post by ganon578 »

another tf fan wrote:So as a Seahawks fan I can only hope that the re-signing of Koren Robinson isn't a terrible move.

Man we are in rough shape at reciever...

Oh well, we got the rams here this weekend and they are the only team more inept than us at this point of the season.

Seahawks 12, Rams 3 .... maybe...
Seattle could easily thump Detroit. Bar none, worst team in the league.
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Blitzwing
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Post by Blitzwing »

another tf fan wrote:Oh well, we got the rams here this weekend and they are the only team more inept than us at this point of the season.

Seahawks 12, Rams 3 .... maybe...
I'm coming down to Seattle for the game this weekend with my Rams jersey, hat and hoodie. I really hope they can take advantage of Seattle's lack of recievers, or I'm in for a rough weekend.
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Post by another tf fan »

I hope it's a Faulk or Bruce Jersey.

No Points for a Josh Brown Jersey... you will most likely be beaten up...;)

And where the hell is Redman...he should be in here.
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Post by LKW »

Yeah… “Where… is the Redman?” [/channeling Jack Nicholson]

Oh, and the Seahawks also traded a draft pick for Keary Colbert (who made his mark with the Panthers) from my Broncos. He could have some potential – he was just stuck on a team with Marshall, Stokely, one-time ‘hawk Darrell Jackson, and Eddie Royal, busting out right out the gate as a rookie, leaving him buried on the depth chart. (I wonder if the Broncos re-signed Glenn Martinez to be the #5 WR? DenverBroncos.com doesn’t seem to send out any updates anymore…)

That was one hell of a crazy Broncos game last week. Yeah, Denver got lucky with that call – but San Diego got to overtime and eventually won a game last year, vs. Tennessee, thanks to a bad ref call, so I don’t feel that badly for them. (Plus, some of them have behaved like such asshats in the last year or two. Double bad karma coming back around?) Besides, the Chargers had chances to stop the touchdown – and Shanahan’s ballsy two-point attempt; and even if Cutler’s fumble hadn’t been blown incomplete, the Broncos had time and timeouts left. (Not that it should’ve come down to the end, anyway – we scored thirty one points in the first half…) But, yeah, Cutler needs to be much more careful with the ball – his earlier endzone INT was really stupid, too. He was rushed a bit more, but still hasn’t been sacked, iirc. The three-headed RB tandum still worked, though they should give Selvin Young more carries (oh, tip for any fantasy players – Michael Pittman is being brought in in every goal line [and short-yardage] sitch). Oh, and I neglected to mention the TEs last week – so, Tony Scheffler scores two TDs to remind me ;) The defense looks problematic, though – Week 2, the run D was pretty solid, but pass D exposed. With the offense running so high-powered – 40 points and over 460 yards a game – the Broncos should have another big game against a weak Saints pass D, and are a strong playoff contender – but if the defense doesn’t come together, it should be a second-straight shootout at Mile High, and the Chargers still might have the better shot at the division, or at the least greater success in the playoffs.

There’s a lot of hard games to call this week… I do think the Jets will be 1-2, and the Dolphins have a solid chance to upset the Patriots – who are doing quite a good job hanging in there so far. And if Green Bay beats Dallas at home…? Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler (650 yards and six TD passes, tops in the NFL so far, ESPN scroll just told me) appear to be threatening to break out as the next two star QBs in the league.
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Civ
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Post by Civ »

Yes! The Dolphins pounded the Patriots with Ronnie Brown. Hopefully, they can keep this up.
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Thanks, Zeeks! Great job! :up:
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Post by Vin Ghostal »

How 'bout those Dolphins?!? My boys came through in the clutch! The Dolphins always give the Patriots trouble (they were, after all, the last team to beat New England in the regular season before yesterday), but I never expected a 38-13 pounding! Oh, happy day!

Incidentally, the idea of the Patriots as a Super Bowl team is no longer plausible. Despite their early stumbles, the Colts and Chargers will pick this team apart, and don't get me started on what the Cowboys, Eagles, or Vikings would do to them...
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Post by Blitzwing »

Wow... what a bad weekend. Apart from the Rams getting completely destroyed, I also got kicked out of my Survival Fantasy League because I went with the Patriots this week. Serves me right for going with my second most hated team.

Now that the Rams are clearly in a "rebuilding faze" this year, I need to jump on a bandwagon. I'm thinking either the Eagles, Bills or Broncos. The Cards are also an interesting team this year with Warner at QB... they might even make the playoffs if they can manage to suck less than the Seahawks.
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Post by ganon578 »

Everyone better watch out! Lions are coming back now, Matt Millen is no longer team president!
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another tf fan
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Post by another tf fan »

... You Keep Hoping for that Lions team... Just keep hoping, Jon Kitna will die someday and then you might get a good team. (Coming from a Northwest Guy who saw Kitna's first NFL game at the Kingdome I wanted him to do well, but he is a below average quarterback on a terrible team.)

Root for the Bills, they are a good team that has excellent special teams and a division ripe for the picking.

The Cards (unfortunatly for me) are looking really good. And the 49ers are coming together well, seems our division got strong this year. Well, except for the Rams...uh... yeah, what can I say, they really are that bad.
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ganon578
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Post by ganon578 »

another tf fan wrote:... You Keep Hoping for that Lions team... Just keep hoping, Jon Kitna will die someday and then you might get a good team. (Coming from a Northwest Guy who saw Kitna's first NFL game at the Kingdome I wanted him to do well, but he is a below average quarterback on a terrible team.)

Root for the Bills, they are a good team that has excellent special teams and a division ripe for the picking.

The Cards (unfortunatly for me) are looking really good. And the 49ers are coming together well, seems our division got strong this year. Well, except for the Rams...uh... yeah, what can I say, they really are that bad.
My only hope now is that (according to SI.com) Jon Kitna has a sprained knee, and hopefully he won't play in 2 weeks (we're on a bye). If that happens and they put in Drew Stanton, I'm praying that he blows up for massive yardage & TD's (or at least puts on a really good game). That way Kitna can stay on the bench where he belongs and teach Stanton. Then all we would need is a defense.
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Blitzwing
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Post by Blitzwing »

Wow... we did so bad that they are going with Trent Green at QB against Buffalo this weekend. After watching Bulger's lackluster performance on Sunday, I guess this can only be a good thing.
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Post by another tf fan »

...and linehan goes down.

Good weekend for upsets.

Ohh Boy, if anyone here is a cards fan could Warner have had a worse game?
It's a bit of hyperbole, but 8 turnovers is a season, not a game. ouch.
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Post by another tf fan »

Oh man, The Hawks Looked awful.

I hope to god we can go 6-10, now.
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