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notahomer
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South Pender wrote:Think I'd like Sherman a lot more if he'd just do his job, let his play do the talking, and keep his mouth shut. But I guess if you've had some hair forcibly removed, you might expect to be cut some slack for sounding off!
I hear you. I prefer the mouthing off a lot of the other Seahawks D DOES, IOW, NONE. They let their play do the talking. That being said, I still would like to see more of the Reciever crap called too. I have always respected Garcon but he lost a little of mine with that. Admittedly I didn't see anything that may have caused him to de-lock Sherman. Sherman is no angel, I'm betting. All I'm saying is that if tickytack smacks by DB's are called then the physical reciever has to be held to account too.
South Pender wrote: In an interview with Pro Football Talk today, Tony Dungy compared Russell Wilson to Joe Montana (see the following video):

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... e-montana/
Good piece, South P, thanks for posting. I enjoy hearing/watching what Dungy has to say.....
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One other thing in terms of the Seahawks... Okay, okay, I can't keep it to just one :wink:

Keep hearing again about how Seahawks coaching is PROCESS instead of the usual GOAL or OUTCOME orientation. IOW, instead of having a goal of WINNING A SUPERBOWL, the Seahawks focus on things like tackling, teamwork, leadership all the little steps in the PROCESS that lead to a team thereby getting the OUTCOME everybody wants....

Wilson is a purrfect example of the process at work too. Keep refining the process, building upon what he does well, tweaking the things he struggles with and WHAM, he's become as close to that inner circle of QB's without being part of it.....
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The Seahawks are certainly WELL COACHED and prepared to play. For e.g. there have been a few times players have made some questionable plays in Lions uniforms this year that really come down to coaching (Logan/Schmitt for e.g.). The Washington team tried to fool the Seahawks with a trick kickoff.....NO GO, special teamer just collects the kick and falls to the ground. Later in the same game, I'm screaming at Carroll for not having faith in his offence on a 4inches but I should have known better. Instead, those Seahawks (led by punter Ryan) take a snap and fake the field goal going for a big gain.

What I am trying to say is the Seahawks are polished in those facets of the game. Being tricked? Didn't happen. Being the trickster? Worked it to perfection. Yes the players deserve credit for EXECUTING the plays but again it comes back to the coaches teaching and supporting their players to succeed. And again, back to my circular logic, I think much of their smoothness in executing/defending trick plays was due to their well oiled PROCESS coaching.......

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http://www.theprovince.com/sports/footb ... story.html

First league NFL meetings since the Rice video fallout. Lots to discuss including sale of Bills. Surprised that Los Angeles is such a big topic. Does somebody want to move an existing team there? I know its weird to not have a team in that market.....
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notahomer wrote:First league NFL meetings since the Rice video fallout. Lots to discuss including sale of Bills. Surprised that Los Angeles is such a big topic. Does somebody want to move an existing team there? I know its weird to not have a team in that market.....
Right, league meetings starting. You know, Roger Goodell's credibility is so low at this point, what with the inconsistency in punishments, cover-ups, apparent lies, etc. I wonder whether the owners really still have faith in him. And about LA, I don't know. They can't very well just add a 33rd team. So, I guess an existing team would have to move there. Any guesses? Oakland? St. Louis?
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So, for a boring Wednesday, let's have some Week 6 NFL power rankings:

1. SB Nation: http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2014/10/7/6 ... ngs-week-6

2. Bleacher Report:

3. Fox sports: http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/dono ... ngs-100714

4. SI.com: http://www.si.com/nfl/2014/10/08/nfl-po ... o-chargers

5. ESPN: http://espn.go.com/nfl/powerrankings/_/year/2014/week/6

6. NFL.com (Elliot Harrison): http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300000 ... -no-1-spot

7. Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/spor ... tens-fall/

8. Pro Football Talk (NBC Sports): http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... ankings-5/

Close to half of these listings have the Chargers at No. 1 (the rest have the Seahawks there). The Chargers have really been the surprise team so far, with Philip Rivers having a tremendous year.
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NFL Week 6 picks:

1. Bleacher Report: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2223 ... redictions

2. CBS Sports: http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-foo ... -cardinals

3. SB Nation: http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2014/10/8/6 ... os-bengals

4. Sporting News: http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2 ... innie-iyer

5. Pro Football Talk: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... x-picks-5/

6. ESPN: http://espn.go.com/nfl/picks

7. NFL Pickwatch: http://nflpickwatch.com/ (this one contains 129 picks by a wide variety of NFL fans and writers)

Note: in the last set of picks, there are some members of nfl pickwatch (many not "experts," but just interested fans, I suspect) who haven't yet made their picks. This is indicated by "no pick." In the next day or so, however, these will be filled in to complete the picks.

Also, the No. 1 picker among these 129 is Nate Silver, getting 71% of his picks right so far. I think this is the same guy who predicted--with uncanny accuracy--the results of the 2012 US presidential election. He seems to have a system that really works (if being 71% right can be seen as "working").
Last edited by South Pender on Thu Oct 09, 2014 9:15 am, edited 2 times in total.
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notahomer
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South Pender wrote:....... You know, Roger Goodell's credibility is so low at this point, what with the inconsistency in punishments, cover-ups, apparent lies, etc. I wonder whether the owners really still have faith in him. And about LA, I don't know. They can't very well just add a 33rd team. So, I guess an existing team would have to move there. Any guesses? Oakland? St. Louis?..................

Well, I think he was speaking on behalf of a joint culture when those errors were made. It would be easy to stand up now and say "he screwed up" but it only would have meant something, IMO, when said PRIOR to the video hitting the street. That is why Coach H. comes out of this smelling like a rose, IMO. When asked about Rice when the story broke months agao Coach said right away "CUT HIM :thdn: ) and was outvoted. The great thing with something like this from the Owners perspective is you let Goodell try to navigate the minefield. If he does well and looks great doing it, you look awesome too. He doesn't do well and looks awful doing it, you fire him because he needed a chance to 'get things right' but he didn't :wink:

I wonder if Oakland might be the team again? IIRC, the current Oakland stadium is actually closer in terms of distance and time travelled for many who used to frequent the 49ers games at Candlestick. The 49ers new digs are apparently quite a distance. Oakland has wanted a new stadium for awhile but THERE IS NO WAY, IMO, Davis is going to get one.
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Saw one of those QUICK replays of the 49er game. They executed a good fake punt too. It just seems that in both leagues (CFL and NFL) there are teams that do this kinda stuff well (fakes, onside kicks etc...) and those that look stupid. IMO, the Lions have looked RIPE for the picking quite a few times and THIS IS NOT ON THE PLAYERS, IMO. It just seems that when these types of plays get 'executed' they have more of an impact on MO than some other plays do..........
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notahomer wrote:Well, I think he was speaking on behalf of a joint culture when those errors were made.
Very true, nota. You're right in pointing out that the owners too would like to see all this bad stuff swept under the rug, and that Goodell is merely doing their bidding. For this reason, I think his job is probably safe. Goodell will continue to absorb most of the blame for league-wide decisions (largely voted on by the owners, who will remain in the background) that turn out badly. He'll be the point man for all of this going forward, and he and the league and owners will lurch along continuing to make mistakes in favor of keeping profits high. Until fans stop going to games and TV ratings drop (which I don't think will happen at this point anyway), nothing of real substance will likely happen. Maybe I'm too pessimistic about this....
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Since I`ll be away all weekend and will probably miss all the games (visiting one`s grandsons requires attendance at their games! :wink: ), I`m posting the Week 6 NFL previews today. Here they are:

1. Thursday, October 9; 5:30 PDT:


Colts at Texans: http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201410090 ... ab=preview; Odds: Colts by 2.5

2. Sunday, October 12; 10:00 a.m. PDT:

Broncos at Jets
: http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201410120 ... ab=preview; Broncos by 9.5

Steelers at Browns: http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201410120 ... ab=preview; Browns by 2 (Imagine that!)

Jaguars at Titans: http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201410120 ... ab=preview; Titans by 5.5

Bears at Falcons: http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201410120 ... ab=preview; Falcons by 3

Packers at Dolphins: http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201410120 ... ab=preview; Packers by 3.5

Lions at Vikings: http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201410120 ... ab=preview; Lions by 1.5

Panthers at Bengals: http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201410120 ... ab=preview; Bengals by 6.5

Patriots at Bills: http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201410120 ... ab=preview; Patriots by 3

Ravens at Buccaneers
: http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201410120 ... ab=preview; Ravens by 3

3. Sunday, October 12; 1:05 or 1:25 PDT:

Chargers at Raiders: http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201410120 ... ab=preview; Chargers by 7

Cowboys at Seahawks: http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201410121 ... ab=preview; Seahawks by 8

Washington at Cardinals: http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201410121 ... ab=preview; Cardinals by 3.5

4. Sunday, October 12; 5:30 PDT:


Giants at Eagles: http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201410121 ... ab=preview; Eagles by 3

5. Monday, October 13; 5:30 PDT:

49ers at Rams
: http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201410130 ... ab=preview; 49ers by 3.5
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Missed most of the Thursday Nighter and it ended up a close one. The Texans seem to be one of those NFL teams. The Falcons are another good example of what I mean. Having great or awesome seasons and then SPLAT! With the Falcons it was long time TightEnd Gonzalez whom even came back figuring they were close but NOPE. THe Texans have some real stars but seem even further away than their awesome season a few years back....
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The Cowboys/Seahawks is my obvious choice for what I want to see........
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Lots of weird endings, IMO.....

Cowboys won their game solidly. Seahawks made it close but this is due to the other stuff (blocked punt, fumbled punt return by a Cowboy and bobbled snap by Romo).

Aikman was a bit of a homer, IMO. Can't blame him I guess. Maybe its not that he's a homer but instead anti-defence, as an ex Offensive star? It just seemed that when the Cowboys got flagged it was marginal call at best, in his opinion. I don't mind the way Aikman works a game and even though it seemed he had some favouritism towards Dallas, it wasn't OVERTHETOP ala Michael Irvin.

I think both these teams struggled when they went away from running the ball. IMO, the way to beat the Seahawks is to run the ball, keep that ball in your offences hands. Dallas did an awesome job of blocking downfield for either the running back and/or checkdown reciever. The usual SPOTLESS Seahawk tackling was a little lacking today. I don't doubt it will be a point of emphasis for the coaches this week. Part of it was tackling but more often than not the Cowboy blocking that helped spring the guy for the first down.
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Okay now its the Giants/Eagles job to break a Sunday Night FUNK. One team has dominated most of these matchups so far this season. Its an NFC East battle and the Cowboys spent the afternoon kicking the butts of the defending champs, so lets hope the Sunday Night battle is just that...... :popcorn:
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:dizzy: Sunday Night football? :thdn: Eagles win in a laugher. DOn't mind the broadcast crew, the pregame show etc... and up until this season (with some exceptions of course), the game itself. These 'Nighter' games are meant to be a place for players to get the national stage. Usually you are on TV but there are lots of other games going on at the same time.
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Monday Night is a divisional game but I wouldn't be surprised to see the 49ers lay a beat down on. They need to and the fact Seattle has already lost TWO (so has San Fran) including one at home, is an opportunity neither team can afford to pass up, methinks its the 49ers who grab that win....
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Gosh, the NFC East has lost a little of its reputation and it hasn't exactly gotten it back just yet. At one time all FOUR or at least THREE/Four teams would be considered possible division winners. Then the past few years (okay TWO) I wondered if the division winner was even worthy of the playoffs. IMO, this season TWO strong contenders in the NFC East (eagles/cowboys). I'm pulling for the eagles (just because I hate Jones Cowboys) but Dallas looks solid. WIll be an interesting race down the line, I'm sure. Sure hope their 'Nighter' games are worth watching..... :popcorn:
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http://www.theprovince.com/sports/footb ... story.html

Ex-Bears GM Jerry Angelo admits he (and other NFL execs) just turned a blind eye to domestic violence. IMO, it makes some sense to explore where and how bad things were. But it is far more important, IMO, to fix these things now instead of finding people to hold accountable. The issue is clearly a front burner one now and hopefully will NEVER be dealt with like it was.
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Well I can put aside the fact the Thursday/Sunday/Monday Night games have been snoozefests, for a game anyways.....

By the score, it would seem it was a snoozefest as the 49ers easily beat the Rams by 14 points. I'd like to update an old sports cliche....'thats why they play the games'. Well, 'thats why they watch the games'. You don't necessarily get a lot out of looking at a score and/or watching a highlight pack on TV. The local news sports highlights often do NOT do a Lions game justice and even the various sports networks RECAPS are often lacking in terms of key plays/stories/issues.
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So, the Rams started Austin Davis and quickly got out to a 14-0 lead. Near halftime the 49ers still trailed by eleven (14-3) but Kaepernick was able to complete a long TD pass to narrow the gap. There IS NO WAY Kaepernick should have been able to complete that pass.

So, instead of having a big lead going into halftime, the Rams led by four. The second half was all 49ers but the Rams still were within a touchdown until Davis tossed a pickSIX late.

One big problem, IMO, was a phantom call of offensive pass interference on the Rams. Snuffed out a big gain and solid drive. Without that call at that point (Rams were still up 14-0, IIRC) maybe the 49ers would have been in even deeper. I know pass interference is always a debatable thing but of all the times to call one on an offensive player? :dizzy:
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I freely admit, I'm NOT a Kaepernick fan but he played well. I will never have the LOVE-IN many announcers seem to have with Kaepernick though. Last night was probably, IMO, one of the best games I've seen him play AND he still make BIG MISTAKES, IMO. Not as many as usual. Kaepernick is, IMO, a below average passer with an awesome stable of recievers and SOLID run game and he uses those assets to his big strength HIS MOBILITY. Does he deserve to start? Of course. I just don't see him getting that elite money based on the body of work done so far (yes, I know, a Superbowl appearance, 2 NFC Championship games).
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IMO, the 49ers time is NOW. Frank Gore is nearing the end of his fine career. Rumours keep bubbling away about problems in the lockerroom. Is this their long term Coach? Results say HELL YEAH but the chatter continues. So much money is invested in Kaepernick, you'd have to wonder how the other pieces get paid for.
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Great to get the news, nota. As I mentioned last week, I was away for the Thanksgiving weekend and missed all the games (but I discovered my inner child by playing with my two grandsons :wink: ). I gather the Seahawks were completely dominated by the Cowboys, who definitely seem to be for real in 2014. I wonder whether it's s Super Bowl hangover thing. I know they were without two guys on offense that are pretty important: centre Max Unger and TE Zach Miller. Those guys missing probably had a significant effect on the running game. But it sounds as if the defense didn't play well either. Losing Bobby Wagner and Byron Maxwell sure didn't help, but it doesn't sound as if the front four were able to corral Tony Romo. Definitely not the end of the world for the 'Hawks, but they will need to fix things in a hurry. Weaknesses were obviously exposed, and, in a way, it's a lot better to find these (and fix them) early in the schedule than heading into the playoffs. We'll see whether Pete Carroll and his two coordinators can diagnose the problems and provide the appropriate therapy. You'd have to expect a stronger game from them next Sunday in St. Louis.
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At one point in time I would be putting my safety in jeopardy by opening a post with a slag of Casey Printers but here it goes :wink:

One of the big problems, IMO, with the Seahawks game Sunday was the strong start they had. So, how does that tie into Mr. CP? Well some of us (I'll admit I was one of a few :wink: ) openly wished he would NOT be quite so successful at times. He'd score quick and almost leave TOO MUCH time.

IOW, Seattle got out to a fast start. Cowboys then really slowed things down. When an offence doesn't get much play time, maybe they get away from things. The Seattle offence LOST a possession (good thing, but still they need snaps too) because the Hawks special teams blockedpunt/returned a Touchdown.

I don't know what the final stats were but I heard Lynch got four carries. If that number is true I remember EACH CARRY. There is no way this Seahawks defence is going to do well when the offence does little.
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IMO, the Seahawks are built around BALANCE and that truly is BALANCE in a way different from other teams. What I mean is a team may be strong on a facet (offence/defence/specials) and it helps the other weaker siblings. However, the Seahawks usually well balanced amongst the three and also within. IOW, offence seems to do a good job of holding up its END of things AND they also do a good job of BALANCING run/pass/QBoptions. All of these things were UNBALANCED last game, except the SPECIAL TEAMS, IMO. Without the special teams this game would have been OVER earlier.
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So, next week they'll face what I saw was a plucky Rams team. Their newish QB could struggle against the Seahawks D. The Seahawks will definately HAVE TO go with a stronger dose of Lynch. As mentioned in one of the CFL threads, I lean more towards they are running because they are winning (versus the old you run to set up the pass) but the Seahawks are different here. They are more of the older style whereby doses of Lynch open up everything else for them.....
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Is Texas big enough for Jerry Jones' ego ?
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