Official NFL Thread: 2014-2015 Season

[South Pender]

For thos who are watching the Seahawks-Chargers game right now, who else is surprised that the NFL with its great technologies didn't correctly review and overturn Percy Harvin 51-yard touchdown - unlike last night's Lions-Blue Bombers game in which a video review correctly overturned whether the ball carrier stepped out of bounds.

I missed the actual call but the announcers were going on/on about it. Apparently Harvin's TD shouldn't have been like you stated, he stepped out of bounds........

Video review may have caught and overturned a call but it DID NOT follow the process I thought gets followed. There have been close calls at the goal-line THAT DID NOT GET REVIEWED. If every close call gets reviewed then THERE WILL be changes in terms of more scoring that was NOT RULED A SCORING PLAY ON THE FIELD.

That review in the Bomber/Lions game should have been upto either coach to challenge. If Benevides wants the single point and loss of yards, LET HIM THROW the flag. IMO, it would have made sense for O'Shea to toss a flag hoping his guy had stepped out.

I think the Central Command for the NFL is a lot more challenging than the CFL. There could be, in theory, a few challenges going on at the same time due to the full slate of games. I"ve watched that one 'replay show' on NFL network (maybe NFL REPLAY?) where they go off of time and different games will have scoring plays in different cities AT PRETTY MUCH THE EXACT SAME TIME.

Rivers and the Chargers did an awesome job on that Seahawks D, IMO. Gates was amazing, making catches with a Seahawk or two HANGING OFF OF HIM.

Late in the game, I'm surprised they didn't go for it on 4 &2. The Chargers were full value for this win, IMO. THe Hawks will have to adapt and get people scared about their defence again......

Yeah, agree,the Chargers were great today. I'd give the game ball to their offensive line for an outstanding job in protecting Philip Rivers. This is all the more impressive when we realize that their starting center was out with an injury. The vaunted Seahawks defense looked very poor. It had me wondering whether these guys were believing all the hype about how great they were. If so, this just may be the wake-up call that the team needs to get back to outstanding football. Certainly, a single loss is no big deal, and, if it gets the team focused and playing up to expectations, it will be a good thing long-term.

Kudos to Mike McCoy and the Chargers' coaching staff for an outstanding game plan--and to the players for executing it so well. Dan Quinn needs to sit down with the Seahawks' defense and figure out a way to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Today, there was none, and, with a QB of Rivers' quality, that's an invitation to be picked apart. Rivers is an interesting player. His throwing mechanics are really odd, but he does have great accuracy, and today, he was just great.

[notahomer]

The Bears were able to beat the 49ers. I have trouble watching 49er games simply because I'm not a big Kaepernick fan. I frequently get baffled at how he gets credit for being such a wonderful QB. At times he is still gets things done but this was one of those games where he was partly responsible for FOUR turnovers, IIRC. Three INTS and a fumble. Amazingly, I have to give him some credit because in spite of his troubles he did ALMOST bring the 49ers back into a late scoring TD.

Marshall looked awesome especially for an injured player. Cutler really looked rather ordinary until he got SMASHED in the sternum late in the first half.

Saw the post game interview and Coach H. seemed like he was more than a little choked at the outcome....

Some weird similarities but big differences between the NFL/CFL this week. Both had scoring review issues, us a 1 point unasked for review, the NFL with a clearly missed out of bounds call on a return TD. How did they review that scoring play when an obvious mistake crept in? I guess there are still some bugs to be worked out of both systems......

[notahomer]

I think the Washington team is doing well, thankyou very much. RG3 gets a badly dislocated ankle and may be lost for quite awhile. Desean Jackson also is under the weather. So these two characters sit together in the dressing room and cheer on their room-mates....

But it really does sound like a well designed lockerroom in terms of social balance. Griffins replacement, Cousins?

Makes it clear, THIS IS ROBERT's Team! I'm just here to play and do my best! And Griffins comments were remarkably similar about Cousins......

[notahomer]

Another weird game, IMO, for the Monday Nighter.

Yesterdays Sunday nighter looked like an easy win for the 49ers opening up their new digs in SanFran. In a game of two halves, the Bears fought back and WON.....

TOnights Monday nighter followed a similar script, IMO. The Colts got out to a big lead. Partway through the 3rd quarter the Colts led the Eagles 20-6. Game over and time to start planning a new way for the Eagles, I guess...? But alas, Foles the forgotten QB did well enough to lead his team to the win again. This guy JUST ISN"T GOOD ENOUGH according to so many sources but this team looks pretty good on offense, IMO.

Admiteddly the Eagles did benefit from some missed calls (non-call on a PI), phantom call (horse collar that wasn't) but they also benefitted from some good playcalls that led to them tying the game late at 27 ALL. Then on the last drive the BACKUP qb WHO can never start in this league, did a steady job of leading his team into field goal range and wham, Eagles become the first team to trail by 14 or more points in the second half of both games to start the season 2-0. Where, when and how these stats get dug up is intriguing.

Will it matter that the Eagles got behind and then WON their first two gamees of the year? Probably not. The Washington team and Eagles look like they'll be battling the way for this years NFC EAST crown. The Cowboys may be in there but probably dragging behind and this, if it keeps going will be the end of the line for Coughlin's tenure as Head Coach of the Giants.... He and Eli had the off-season to do a re-boot and IMO, their NEW offence needs to be booted.
__________________________________________________________________________

Whats GOING ON!?!?! Its been almost 5 days since a MAJOR domestic NFL scandal!?!?! I realize Petersen's issues are different and his intentions were probably good. This was the way he was brought up etc.... Listening to one of his statements, it seems obvious that he recognizes that there are BETTER ways to do what he was intending to do, BE A GOOD PARENT. Motives mean a lot to me. I will forgive your methods if I understand and respect your MOTIVES. I truly DO NOT know Petersen's motives but what he's shared sounds reasonable.

Beating your wife in an elevator just doesn't stand the method/motive test, IMO. Will be interesting to see how all of these domestic type events play out.

It makes me wonder how these issues would have been dealt with in the NFL of the 60's, 70's, 80's and even 90's. IMO, I wonder if ANY of these scandals are that big a deal in those decades? Maybe, maybe not. Its a moot point since we live in 2014 but IMO, many of these issues just were not considered 'football' in prior decades. Another example of what I mean. A current football player is pretty much expected (as he should be, IMO) by his wife to attend the birth of any children he's fathered. In the recent past, one NFL player got some flack for doing exactly that. And a decade or two ago, would a player be given time off and a week/two off to help with this? I don't think so, but whaddya I know.....?

[notahomer]

This has been 10 days from HELL from a PR perspective for the NFL.

I have to admit, upon reflection Petersen's troubles sound/seem a lot different NOW than when I posted about them earlier this week.

I read one book by Republican stategist F. Lutz on controlling the message and the Vikings have OBVIOUSLY read Lutz's books AND/OR hired him to give them PR advice.

Gems like weapons of mass destruction and climate change are the kind of reframing work Professor Lutz is known for.

I watched a brief press conference and EVERY SINGLE VIKINGS representative kept chanting the mantra for this issue "We wanted to make things right". Didn't matter what the question was, the content, the ideas EVERYTHING BOILED BACK TO the Vikings want to make things right.

Bottom line, they hoped this issue would have gone away with little to no difficulties. Thats probably how other things have gone in the past. But too many things have changed in todays scheme of things. Some sponsors said "NO WAY". Some fans said NO WAY. Politicians like the state governor said NO WAY.

The Minnesota Vikings are in a sticky situation in so many ways at this junction too. Relying on public support/money to rebuild a new football palace for them to play in. Petersen was suppossed to be a big part of getting a lot of that funding/support done for this stadium.

In the future, at least in the short term, I see the NFL moving towards just getting all the dirty laundry out right away. Certain forms of media (tabloids, daily celebrities 'news') benefit from the slow dribble of information. Its almost like organizations like TMZ, for e.g. see the fire starting to slow on a contreversy and they whip out another log of information that not only gets the fire burning again, but perhaps even hotter/brighter than it was before.....

Just come clean, don't leave any skeletons that you think won't get found. They will get found and just make the process of rebuilding you and your organizations reputation that much more challenging.

[South Pender]

Good points, nota. Below is Mike Florio`s take on the Peterson mess. It seems to me that it wasn`t until the Minnesota Governor and Senator (Al Franken) raised hell, and the team lost an important sponsor (Radisson Hotels) that the Vikings`suits decided to `do the right thing` or `make things right.` This is disappointing--that these guys can`t see the morally right thing to do and do it without hesitation no matter what the economic consequences. It now looks as if Peterson has a court date on October 8 at which time his case will be heard. This means he will miss at least three more games--and maybe more, if the case drags on.

All of a sudden there seems to be a flurry of domestic violence accusations, and the NFL may have more bad PR for a while. Looks as if Greg Hardy of the Panthers will be put on this exempt list too--another domestic violence case.

Here is Florio on the Peterson case:

Vikings owner: “We made a mistake and we needed to get this right”
Posted by Michael David Smith on September 17, 2014, 12:13 PM EDT

Vikings owner Zygi Wilf admitted today that his team screwed up when it reinstated running back Adrian Peterson on Monday, saying today that he realizes now that a player who is under indictment on a child abuse charge should not be playing.

“We made a mistake and we needed to get this right,” Wilf said. “We embrace our role in the community and the responsibilities that go with it. It is important to always listen to our fans, the community and our sponsors. Our goal is to always make a decision we feel is right for the Minnesota Vikings. And to be clear, we have a strong stance regarding the protection and welfare of children, and we want to be sure we get this right. Adrian will be away from the team and focused on his personal situation. We will support Adrian during this legal and personal process, but we firmly believe this is the right decision.”

After Wilf made that statement, his brother and co-owner Mark Wilf took questions from reporters, and he echoed his brother’s statements.

“Our focus is to get things right,” he said. “We support Adrian on the personal level. He has to get his personal life in order and get things right.”

The Vikings have been widely criticized for initially planning to play Peterson, who has admitted that he injured his son by beating him with a stick. But the Vikings say they take the welfare of children seriously.

“We have a longstanding record of being very supportive of children and youth and it’s something we take very seriously,” Mark Wilf said.

The Vikings only changed their minds after losing at least one sponsor and being strongly criticized by the governor of Minnesota, but the Vikings claim they made the decision to put Peterson on an exempt list and hold him out while his legal matter is ongoing simply because they concluded that it’s the right thing to do. They may never come up with a satisfactory answer for why they delayed in doing the right thing. But their message today is that they believe they’re doing the right thing now.

[notahomer]

I watched both press conferences (Mondays and todays). One of the 'benefits' of NFL network being included in my free with the rent cable package......

It is sad that it really took some complaints from people who matter FINANCIALLY/POLITICALLY in order to get the Vikings to move on this. Their 'want to make things right' mantra SUCKED, IMO. It probably worked but it seemed contrived, IMO.

One question the GM just refused to admit was asked, other than repeating the mantra about making it right? WILL PETERSEN PLAY in A VIKINGS jersey again? Commentary by outsiders and I'd agree: NO WAY. its cost them too much trouble at this point. Kinda like the Falcons COULD NEVER be a landing place for Michael Vick. That ship has sailed FOREVER. Another chance in the NFL? Who knows, Dallas and Jerry Jones was a popular topic as they apparently had some interaction over this offseason that Jones still might be getting in trouble over.

The difficulty the Panthers, Ravens, VIkings 49ers and NFL all have with these issues is two fold, at least. The actual domestic issues themselves, (spousal abuse/assault/ child abuse etc...) but also how the teams/league are punishing/handling them. It used to be the 'its before the courts, everyone deserves their day in court' let these things go away. Thats NOT WORKING anymore and I can't say I am dissappointed.

In the future I hope the NFL, NFLPA, NFL teams and NFL players handle things differently. There are so many positive family stories and excellent efforts being done by wonderful players and people connected to the NFL. Those stories are getting told still. Like Sean Payton buying a jersey of an oppossing teams player simply because proceeds from that jersey are going to the daughters healthcare......

[South Pender]

Yeah, you're absolutely right about the two facets of these deplorable events. The NFL and its teams need to decide on what they will tolerate in their players--quite apart from what the courts decide. If Peterson is found not guilty in a Texas court, does this mean that teams should welcome (or at least employ) a guy who beat his 4-year-old children within an inch of the kid's life? Open abrasions, lacerations, possible damage to his testicles. I think the NFL needs to move urgently now on what will be tolerated, and, in my opinion at least, they should set the bar reasonably high--higher perhaps than what the courts might judge as not constituting a criminal offense. Really what do they have to lose? A few extremely talented players not playing pro ball. As long as the standard is applied fairly, so that no team feels that it was singled out, then it should be acceptable. In the short term, the Vikings (and perhaps the Panthers and 49ers) will be royally choked about losing some real difference-makers, but the long-term health of the league and the sport will benefit them too.

[notahomer]

Yeah, you're absolutely right about the two facets of these deplorable events. The NFL and its teams need to decide on what they will tolerate in their players--quite apart from what the courts decide. If Peterson is found not guilty in a Texas court, does this mean that teams should welcome (or at least employ) a guy who beat his 4-year-old children within an inch of the kid's life? Open abrasions, lacerations, possible damage to his testicles. I think the NFL needs to move urgently now on what will be tolerated, and, in my opinion at least, they should set the bar reasonably high--higher perhaps than what the courts might judge as not constituting a criminal offense. Really what do they have to lose? A few extremely talented players not playing pro ball. As long as the standard is applied fairly, so that no team feels that it was singled out, then it should be acceptable. In the short term, the Vikings (and perhaps the Panthers and 49ers) will be royally choked about losing some real difference-makers, but the long-term health of the league and the sport will benefit them too.

Good points South P. I have purposely NOT gone digging for any evidence (I have heard its out there) regarding photos of what Petersen did to his son.

Our league certainly has these things pop up from time to time too. Like the bar fight some Riders were involved in.

At one point I was pretty upset at BigBen, wonder what he's thinking about the current climate in the NFL around these kinds of things considering some of the questions about his off-field behaviour?

Like I said, there are positive things the NFL and its people are involved in. I really like the Still story....

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/footb ... -1.1936243

[TheLionKing]

PHOENIX -- Arizona Cardinals running back Jonathan Dwyer was arrested Wednesday on aggravated assault charges in connection with two altercations at his home in July involving a woman and an 18-month-old child, the latest in a string of such cases involving NFL players.

The Cardinals said they became aware of the situation on Wednesday and are co-operating with the investigation. Dwyer has been deactivated from all team activities. The NFL said the case will be reviewed under the league's personal-conduct policy.

One of the counts was "aggravated assault causing a fracture" against the 27-year-old victim on July 21.

Neighbours heard a fight and called police, who showed up at the residence. Police Sgt. Trent Crump said Dwyer hid in the bathroom until police left. The next day, Crump said Dwyer snatched the woman's cellphone and threw it from the second floor of their home to prevent her from calling police about another dispute.

The woman came forward last week, providing police with information about her injuries and text messages that indicated Dwyer "was going to harm himself because of what had been going on," police said.

The NFL has been rocked by domestic violence issues ever since a videotape surfaced that showed former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice knocking out his then-fiancee in an Atlantic City elevator. Then Minnesota Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson was indicted on child-abuse charges.

Critics have been calling on NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to step down after Rice only received a two-game suspension for the attack before the video emerged.

Dwyer, 25, signed with the Cardinals earlier this year and was their second-string running back after spending the last four years with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

[South Pender]

PHOENIX -- Arizona Cardinals running back Jonathan Dwyer was arrested Wednesday on aggravated assault charges in connection with two altercations at his home in July involving a woman and an 18-month-old child, the latest in a string of such cases involving NFL players.

The Cardinals said they became aware of the situation on Wednesday and are co-operating with the investigation. Dwyer has been deactivated from all team activities. The NFL said the case will be reviewed under the league's personal-conduct policy.

One of the counts was "aggravated assault causing a fracture" against the 27-year-old victim on July 21.

Neighbours heard a fight and called police, who showed up at the residence. Police Sgt. Trent Crump said Dwyer hid in the bathroom until police left. The next day, Crump said Dwyer snatched the woman's cellphone and threw it from the second floor of their home to prevent her from calling police about another dispute.

The woman came forward last week, providing police with information about her injuries and text messages that indicated Dwyer "was going to harm himself because of what had been going on," police said.

The NFL has been rocked by domestic violence issues ever since a videotape surfaced that showed former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice knocking out his then-fiancee in an Atlantic City elevator. Then Minnesota Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson was indicted on child-abuse charges.

Critics have been calling on NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to step down after Rice only received a two-game suspension for the attack before the video emerged.

Dwyer, 25, signed with the Cardinals earlier this year and was their second-string running back after spending the last four years with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

It never rains, but it pours....

We now have Rice, Greg Hardy (Panthers), Ray McDonald (49ers), and now Dwyer accused of domestic violence. Rice, Hardy, and Dwyer have been dealt with by either the league or the team, but McDonald is still playing (for now). What new names are we going to hear about? Lord, let it not be Marshawn Lynch....

[sj-roc]

The NFL at this point probably wishes their league was full of Michael Sams — guys who go about their jobs without, you know, creating a distraction. Especially since it was reported in Pro Football Talk just after Dallas put him on their PR (and already posted here in another thread) that they actively pushed teams to sign him.

From Yahoo: Remember When Michael Sam Was Supposed To Be A Distraction For The Dallas Cowboys?

Remember When Michael Sam Was Supposed To Be A Distraction For The Dallas Cowboys?
By Tom Ryle

The great distraction that was supposed to come to Dallas with Michael Sam has all but vanished as the NFL is swamped with bad news.

As any long time reader here at BTB knows, I am loathe to point out when the esteemed members of the media who cover and comment on the Dallas Cowboys are totally, completely, ridiculously wrong. But it is hard to not notice that they were a teensy bit off on the dire predictions they made about a certain player signed to the Cowboys' practice squad.

Remember Michael Sam? He was briefly the hottest story in the NFL as the first openly gay player to be drafted. After he failed to make the roster or be signed to the practice squad with the St. Louis Rams, the Cowboys' next opponent, there was some hand wringing about him being out of the league before Jerry Jones and his staff decided to bring him to join the Dallas practice squad. The team downplayed it, but the move made sense for a franchise looking for talent at rushing from the edge.

Maybe the Sam story would continue to attract attention in a normal year, but this is not a normal season for the NFL. Shortly after Sam arrived in Dallas, the sky fell in on the league. The full video of the Ray Rice assault on his then-fiance broke. Combined with the Greg Hardy and Ray McDonald situations, the NFL found itself engulfed in a firestorm of criticism following the incoherent and inconsistent way things were handled by the teams and the league. Then the Adrian Peterson child abuse indictment crashed in on top of that. With the foolish attempts by teams to find ways to get these players back on the field despite the tidal wave of negative coverage and growing public opinion that they should not be seen playing on national TV, at least until these issues are resolved legally, almost no one seems to be paying attention to the Sam story.

All the predictions about the huge distraction Sam would be in the harsh media glare seem quaint now. (Think for a moment: Were you even sure he was still with the team?) The Sam story seems totally insignificant when compared with professional athletes that brutally render the woman they supposedly love unconscious with a blow to the head, or a grown man whipping a child with a piece of a tree and leaving open wounds. The decision to bring Sam to Dallas has turned out be a very smart one, with a lot of benefits for all parties.

The publicity for the Cowboys has been almost all positive, especially in the media.

According to the limited reports, Sam has been doing well. Said reports consist mostly of a daily question answered by Bryan Broaddus on Twitter, who repeats time after time that the team thinks Sam is doing a good job.

Sam, who was praised by Jeff Fisher, head coach of the Rams, as having NFL caliber talent (just not enough to get onto the admittedly deep D line in St. Louis) gets to work out and train with an NFL staff rather that sit and wait for a call while trying to stay in shape on his own. This greatly increases his chances of being signed by a team in need of a DE or 3-4 OLB.

He gives Dallas a low-cost fallback plan should injury strike, or the team just wants to go with a different option if some of the current defensive ends on the 53 don't pan out. I think a late season call up with the Cowboys is his most likely (although far from certain) path to playing on Sundays. But keep in mind that Kenneth Boatright is also on the practice squad, and may be ahead of Sam in the eyes of the coaches.

Even if Sam does not break through this season, he has the opportunity to convince the coaches to bring him back next season to try again with the Cowboys. Meanwhile, even though it is just with the practice squad, he is getting to make his living as a professional football player. His dream remains very much alive while the Cowboys get what appears to be good value for giving him a shot.

Without all the distractions.

[TheLionKing]

Another day, another black eye for the league

http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/john ... ing-091814

[KnowItAll]

Another day, another black eye for the league

http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/john ... ing-091814

this has nothing to do with the league.

[Robbie]

Thursday night football after 3 quarters:

Tampa Bay - 0
Atlanta - 56



That makes a bigger cakewalk compared to the Super Bowl XLVIII score.

I don't think it will surpass the biggest lopsided score record in college football though of 222-0 in 1916.