2017-18 NFL Season Thread

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Which team do you think will win Super Bowl LII?

Poll ended at Sun Jan 28, 2018 6:11 pm

New England Patriots
1
33%
Philadelphia Eagles
2
67%
 
Total votes: 3
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Robbie
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Well, the 2017 NFL regular season started last night with the Kansas City Chiefs upsetting the defending the Super Bowl Champions Patriots with their come-from-behind win with three unanswered touchdowns while shutting out Tom Brady and his usual explosive offence in the fourth quarter - which the Atlanta Falcons failed to do a few months ago.

The Seattle Seahawks have a few new faces, perhaps most notably at the placekicker position by not giving a new contract to Steven Hauschka and instead, signing the placekicker who gave the Seahawks a win over the Minnesota Vikings in the January 2016 playoff game - Blair Walsh :hypno: . I guess the Seahawks decided to give him another chance after the Vikings released him, and so far in four pre-season games he's been solid. I can't help but think the parallelism with the BC Lions in signing Paul McCallum. After missing a chip shot in the 2004 WDF, the Lions actually signed him two seasons later and it was the correct move as McCallum went on to be an all-star and won some CFL awards in his seasons as a LIon.
Last edited by Robbie on Sun Jan 21, 2018 6:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
祝加拿大加式足球聯賽不列颠哥伦比亚卑詩雄獅隊今年贏格雷杯冠軍。此外祝溫哥華加人隊贏總統獎座·卡雲斯·甘保杯·史丹利盃。還每年祝溫哥華白頭浪隊贏美國足球大联盟杯。不要忘記每年祝溫哥華巨人贏西部冰球聯盟冠軍。
改建後的卑詩體育館於二十十一年九月三十日重新對外開放,首場體育活動為同日舉行的加拿大足球聯賽賽事,由主場的卑詩雄獅隊以三十三比二十四擊敗愛民頓愛斯基摩人隊。
祝你龍年行大運。
恭喜西雅图海鹰直到第四十八屆超級盃最終四十三比八大勝曾拿下兩次超級盃冠軍的丹佛野馬拿下隊史第一個超級盃冠軍。
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Glad you started this thread, Robbie. Here are some thoughts on the Seahawks going into the 2017 season.

The team didn't really lose players in the off-season that will hurt them. And they added a number of players who should help them. Going into the 2017 season, the greatest needs were (a) the O-line, (b) one CB position--opposite Richard Sherman--and, to a lesser extent, (c) RB and (d) D line.

As for the O-line--by far the most glaring weakness on the Seahawks roster for the past three years--they don't appear to be much improved. They lost the guy they had pencilled-in at LT in the preseason, George Fant, and his replacement, Rees Odhiambo (3rd-rnd. pick in 2016) looked terrible in Game 1 against the Packers. (Not that Fant projected to be that stellar either.) Elsewhere on the O-line, they really have only one guy who is true NFL caliber--Justin Britt at C. Luke Joeckel, at LG, came in on a one-year prove-it deal, and looked bad against the Packers. On the right side, RT Germain Ifedi (1st-rnd. pick in 2016) got beat badly and RG Mark Glowinski also struggled. This is a poor O-line and will undoubtedly by the limiting factor in how far the 'Hawks go in 2017.

Pass protection was abysmal against the Packers, and the run game couldn't get untracked with the lousy blocking up front. In theory at least, the Seahawks have a decent stable of RBs--Thomas Rawls, Eddie Lacy (who looks slow), acquired from Green Bay, C. J. Prosise, who looks promising but seems to be injury-prone, and rookie (7th rnd. pick), Chris Carson, who, improbably appears to be the best of the bunch so far. The run game is essential to the 'Hawks' success if Russell Wilson is going to be able to mount any kind of passing attack.

The one CB position that needed filling is being shared by Jeremy Lane (who's been around for a while and has played nickel as well as CB) and rookie 3rd rnd. pick Shaquill Griffin, who has looked really good so far. He had to carry the load against the Packers when Lane was ejected for a phantom punch, and he held up pretty well while being repeatedly targeted by Aaron Rodgers. Last season's starter opposite Sherman, DeShawn Shead, is currently recovering from knee surgery, but could be back with the team by mid-season. So the Legion of Boom looks to be in good shape.

As for the rest of the defense, it's as solid as an NFL defense can be--maybe the best in the league. The Seahawks had drafted DT Malik McDowell in the 2nd rnd. this year, but he got himself injured in a car accident during the preseason and is out indefinitely for now. However, they swung a deal with the Jets for DT/DE Sheldon Richardson, who is just a beast at 3-tech, and his presence has bolstered an already-good D-line--making it possibly the best in the NFL. That, along with top-notch linebackers Bobby Wagner and K. J. Wright and the excellent secondary, make the defense really scary.

So the problem for the 'Hawks will be the offense, and, in particular, the O-line. O-line coach Tom Cable has enjoyed the reputation of being a master at building O-lines, but we haven't seen this in the past several years with the 'Hawks. I'm not sure whether opportunities still exist to bring in some guys who can play, but, if they have to go with (left to right): Odhiambo, Joeckel, Britt, Glowinski, and Ifedi, it is hard to see the run game flourishing or Russell Wilson staying upright.

It's obviously too early to start hanging the crepe, and I expect that Pete Carroll will get the players tuned up after a disappointing opening game. They have an easy one (at least one would think) against the 49ers this Sunday at the CLink.

Predictions regarding the Seahawks' season record have ranged from 9-7 to 13-3, with a likely NFC-West title and entry into the playoffs. As things stand, it's hard to see this edition of the team winning more than 10 games, in my opinion, and, although they'll likely make the playoffs, advancing very far beyond that looks problematic. On the other hand, maybe the O-line will show improvement and start playing at an NFL level. If that happens, the 'Hawks could go a long way. They do have playmakers at the offensive skill positions--an excellent receiving corps, great QB, and, at least potentially, good running backs.

It should be an interesting season....
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KnowItAll
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been a raiders fan since MF went there. hoping they finally have another good season.
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KnowItAll wrote:
Wed Sep 13, 2017 6:00 pm
been a raiders fan since MF went there. hoping they finally have another good season.
Yes, they should. A great young QB with good receivers, and now Beast Mode lugging the rock. All this and a good defense. It should come down to the Raiders or Chiefs winning the AFC-W.
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Robbie
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KnowItAll wrote:
Wed Sep 13, 2017 6:00 pm
been a raiders fan since MF went there. hoping they finally have another good season.
Notwithstanding cases where a team moves out of your own city, I wonder if a typical fan of a particular team will still be a fan for that team if they relocate to a different city.

If you were a Los Angeles Raiders fan, then are you now an Oakland Raiders fan?
If you were a St. Louis Rams fan, will you still be their fan when they re- relocated back to become the LA Rams?
How about San Diego Chargers fans? Are they now LA Chargers fans?

And I wonder if Quebec Nordiques fans have any affinity towards the Colorado Avalanche.
祝加拿大加式足球聯賽不列颠哥伦比亚卑詩雄獅隊今年贏格雷杯冠軍。此外祝溫哥華加人隊贏總統獎座·卡雲斯·甘保杯·史丹利盃。還每年祝溫哥華白頭浪隊贏美國足球大联盟杯。不要忘記每年祝溫哥華巨人贏西部冰球聯盟冠軍。
改建後的卑詩體育館於二十十一年九月三十日重新對外開放,首場體育活動為同日舉行的加拿大足球聯賽賽事,由主場的卑詩雄獅隊以三十三比二十四擊敗愛民頓愛斯基摩人隊。
祝你龍年行大運。
恭喜西雅图海鹰直到第四十八屆超級盃最終四十三比八大勝曾拿下兩次超級盃冠軍的丹佛野馬拿下隊史第一個超級盃冠軍。
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Robbie wrote:
Wed Sep 13, 2017 7:51 pm
KnowItAll wrote:
Wed Sep 13, 2017 6:00 pm
been a raiders fan since MF went there. hoping they finally have another good season.
Notwithstanding cases where a team moves out of your own city, I wonder if a typical fan of a particular team will still be a fan for that team if they relocate to a different city.

If you were a Los Angeles Raiders fan, then are you now an Oakland Raiders fan?
If you were a St. Louis Rams fan, will you still be their fan when they re- relocated back to become the LA Rams?
How about San Diego Chargers fans? Are they now LA Chargers fans?

And I wonder if Quebec Nordiques fans have any affinity towards the Colorado Avalanche.
That's a good question, Robbie, and one I've had too. I think that, in many cases (maybe most), it probably goes the other way, with the jilted fans angry with the team for moving. There's no question that fans of the Baltimore Colts were more than a little furious at Robert Irsay for moving the team out (reportedly in the middle of the night) to Indianapolis. Baltimore fans still get choked up when they see the horseshoe on the helmets of the Indianapolis players. And fans of the original Cleveland Browns went ballistic and threatened legal action when Art Modell pulled the team out and relocated in Baltimore. Fans now seem to realize that pro football is a business and that very little loyalty is felt by team owners towards the fans. It's hard to see them remaining loyal to a team that they used to have, but is now in a different city.
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KnowItAll
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Robbie wrote:
Wed Sep 13, 2017 7:51 pm
KnowItAll wrote:
Wed Sep 13, 2017 6:00 pm
been a raiders fan since MF went there. hoping they finally have another good season.
Notwithstanding cases where a team moves out of your own city, I wonder if a typical fan of a particular team will still be a fan for that team if they relocate to a different city.

If you were a Los Angeles Raiders fan, then are you now an Oakland Raiders fan?
If you were a St. Louis Rams fan, will you still be their fan when they re- relocated back to become the LA Rams?
How about San Diego Chargers fans? Are they now LA Chargers fans?

And I wonder if Quebec Nordiques fans have any affinity towards the Colorado Avalanche.
I guess for me it depends on if the team was still the same, ie same owner, uniforms, etc

also how far away they moved and continuity of players. It is possible I lose interest as players change but I don't thinks so with the raiders. For now, still a raiders fan.

As for the Rams situation, I would be more likely to change.
Every day that passes is one you can't get back
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Gridiron Ernie
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Robbie & guys, I'll chime in with my 2-cents worth -- based on my experiences with a couple NBA teams (as I can't think of a football example that affected me personally at all). And interestingly my reaction wasn't uniform to both changes/moves: i.e. the Vancouver Grizzlies becoming the Memphis franchise, and the Seattle Super Sonics becoming the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Because the first instance was more 'personal' to me, and the way it was done (Vancouver getting royally screwed -- with belated apologies from the league/commissioner) I initially loathed the mere existence of the Memphis Grizzlies. Even just hearing that term was an affront to me. I'd spit back the words at anyone that uttered them. Lol. Eventually of course I became indifferent as the team staff and roster with time became unrecognizable. Although, I still don't much care for the 'Grizzly' nickname waltzing wild and free around and about the state of Tennessee! To me it should have been a bona fide Vancouver and province trademark.

Anyhow, it wasn't near as personal with the Super Sonics morphing into the Thunder and I fairly quickly got over it, and I much enjoyed cheering on Russell Westbrook and company in the play-offs in recent years. But that's not to do with any leftover sense of allegiance attached to the team, but simply to do with the fact that back when Kevin Durant was still with them they were a top-notch team in a smaller state/city, i.e. not yet another California or New York sporting dynasty, and I tend to go for that.

Now, to be hypothetical (and perhaps hysterical) if our beloved Leos were ever to relocate to another province I would have to swear off Canadian Football altogether as I can't live in hate! Lol. However, if they for whatever bizarre reason -- you know -- after the aliens land and take over -- relocated to say Prince George (I'm looking at you Hambone!) I would be forgiving and follow them with my orange pom-poms in hand! Anyhow, thanks for posing the question Robbie.
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Reflections on yesterday's Seahawks' game. That was one ugly offensive performance. It's just astounding that they can only outscore the Niners by 3 points, 12-9. This is the team (Niners) that went 2-14 last season and are now stuck with a guy at QB, Brian Hoyer, who just wasn't good enough for a few other NFL teams. And a team with a suspect defense. This should have been a big, right-the-ship game for the Seahawks, and yet they looked pretty awful.

Sure the defense played fairly well (although letting Carlos Hyde loose for a 61-yard run isn't great defense), but the offense was just painful to watch. And it's not just the O-line, although they got beat a few times and Russell Wilson was hurried a lot. The whole offense just seemed to be off. All the dropped passes (two of which could have resulted in TDs) for one thing. My guess is that we may have seen the last of Tanner McEvoy who had two key drops. And a pretty mediocre day passing for Wilson, who put a few into the ground and airmailed some others. It's true that he got things going with his legs late in the game, but the passing game just doesn't seem to be there. Here we have Jimmy Graham--the multi-million dollar all-star tight end--catching one pass for one yard!

One bright spot was rookie 7th-rnd. RB Chris Carson racking up 93 yards on 20 carries. But Pete Carroll didn't even dress his million-dollar off-season pickup RB Eddie Lacy. What's with that--a healthy scratch with a guy who was supposed to be a big part of the answer in the running game?

Yesterday's game suggests to me that all is not well with the Seahawks. The offense is in trouble--just so many guys who didn't play well. They have now scored one TD in two games--one TD! I'm not sure what the cure is. Obviously, the O-line is a big part of the problem, and how that can get fixed is unclear. Frankly, I think they just need to replace a couple of guys, as I doubt that Tom Cable can coach this group into an acceptable NFL line, but that's going to be difficult at this point. Where do they find some guys who can play? However, the problems seem to go deeper than just the O-line. It will be an interesting practice week. Time, I think, for some tough love from Pete Carroll or something more drastic....

Edit. Can the 'Hawks get some O-line help in a trade for Eddie Lacy? It seems as though Chris Carson is Pete Carroll's choice for bell cow, and they do, after all, still have Thomas Rawls ready to step in. Eddie Lacy looked mediocre at best in the preseason, contributed next-to-nothing against the Packers, and was a healthy scratch yesterday against the 49ers. Is there a team in desperate need of a big, bruising RB that can send the Seahawks an O-lineman or two who can actually play?
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Robbie
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Blair Walsh been all right so far but missed the important TD covert which allowed the 49ers to tie just with a field goal if they got in range. Hopefully that will not be a bad omen which essentially costed his predecessor a contract extension.
祝加拿大加式足球聯賽不列颠哥伦比亚卑詩雄獅隊今年贏格雷杯冠軍。此外祝溫哥華加人隊贏總統獎座·卡雲斯·甘保杯·史丹利盃。還每年祝溫哥華白頭浪隊贏美國足球大联盟杯。不要忘記每年祝溫哥華巨人贏西部冰球聯盟冠軍。
改建後的卑詩體育館於二十十一年九月三十日重新對外開放,首場體育活動為同日舉行的加拿大足球聯賽賽事,由主場的卑詩雄獅隊以三十三比二十四擊敗愛民頓愛斯基摩人隊。
祝你龍年行大運。
恭喜西雅图海鹰直到第四十八屆超級盃最終四十三比八大勝曾拿下兩次超級盃冠軍的丹佛野馬拿下隊史第一個超級盃冠軍。
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KnowItAll
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sure enjoyed Detroit beating the giants.
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KnowItAll wrote:
Mon Sep 18, 2017 11:14 pm
sure enjoyed Detroit beating the giants.
Another case of a really lousy O-line preventing any offensive consistency. Looks as if the G-men have the same problem as the Seahawks. The Lions looked good. They could give the Packers a real run in the NFC-N this season.
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Toppy Vann
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Chris Shultz disappeared from the TSN panel last year and fans found out later he was off due to the death of his father.

Now he's disappeared again and I don't think resurfaced for NFL - or did I miss it?
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There's an interesting subplot developing around tomorrow's NFL games. In a rally in Alabama Friday night, Trump came down hard on NFL players protesting during the national anthem (by not standing) by saying, among other things,

"Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that son of a *beeotch* off the field right now. He is fired. He's fired!"

He has followed this up with his trademark tweets today. The reaction has been predictable, at least among the players, with the expected heavy backlash against Trump, from NBA players as well (Trump also uninvited the Golden State Warriors from their previous invitation to visit the White House, after some negative comments from their players). However, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has spoken out against Trump, as have two team owners (Giants, Dolphins) so far. More are expected to.

I expect to see a real uptick in players kneeling during the national anthem tomorrow and an avalanche of tweets over the next few hours.

We now return to our regular programming....
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Robbie
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Whenever there is a discussion about CFL vs. NFL, it looks like I like the CFL much better in that there is no unnecessary political issues. This week in the NFL the players are either kneeling or staying in their locker room during the national anthem.

In the CFL, all players Canadian or import will always stand and rise for the :canada: national anthem even if they do not like Justin Trudeau.
祝加拿大加式足球聯賽不列颠哥伦比亚卑詩雄獅隊今年贏格雷杯冠軍。此外祝溫哥華加人隊贏總統獎座·卡雲斯·甘保杯·史丹利盃。還每年祝溫哥華白頭浪隊贏美國足球大联盟杯。不要忘記每年祝溫哥華巨人贏西部冰球聯盟冠軍。
改建後的卑詩體育館於二十十一年九月三十日重新對外開放,首場體育活動為同日舉行的加拿大足球聯賽賽事,由主場的卑詩雄獅隊以三十三比二十四擊敗愛民頓愛斯基摩人隊。
祝你龍年行大運。
恭喜西雅图海鹰直到第四十八屆超級盃最終四十三比八大勝曾拿下兩次超級盃冠軍的丹佛野馬拿下隊史第一個超級盃冠軍。
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