NFL Thread

[wofford29]

This is getting surreal. Four losses all on the very last play of the game.

 

[SixMillionDollarMan Guy]

What a nice final drive engineered by Geno Smith.

 

[BadMoon]

This is getting surreal. Four losses all on the very last play of the game.

I feel you man. That was the Eagles last year.

 

[wofford29]

Julio Jones probably done for the season. The hits keep on coming. We need to thank Tony for his service and trade him back to KC so he can have one last shot and retire there.

 

[DinoDB1975]

Despite the government shutdown (or maybe in spite of it), I had tons of work yesterday and haven’t had a chance to chime in on last weekend’s game, namely the offensive explosion between the Broncos and the Cowboys.

As I was watching the game, despite his bravura performance, in the back of my mind, I just knew Romo would throw an interception near the end of the game. And he did. But despite losing the game, as a Cowboys fan I was okay with it (well, maybe okay is too strong a word…I accepted it). Of course, winning the game and handing the Bronco’s their first loss as well as being alone in first place in the NFC East would have been better, but the Cowboys will go as far as Romo takes them (yes, I know that seems like an obvious statement, that a team’s success will hinge on the QB play, but for the Cowboys, I think this is truer than for other teams). And as a Cowboys fan, we have to take the good and the bad. The perception is there is a lot more bad: obviously this last Denver game is the most recent example, but you can also point out last year’s season ending loss to the Redskins, the Seattle playoff game, and the 2007 NFC divisional playoff game against the Giants (I have to add that Patrick Crayton dropped a key third down pass late in the fourth quarter that would have likely cemented the win for Dallas).

But there’s the good, too: going into New Orleans in 2009 and knocking off the then undefeated Saints; going on the road to Giants Stadium in the season opener last year and winning; gutting out and playing with a punctured lung in an OT victory in San Francisco two years ago.

But perception being what it is, the good will always outweigh the bad.

I have to agree with what el81295 wrote. Sure the Cowboys seem loaded in their skill positions: Jason Witten is going to be a Hall of Famer, Dez Bryant is a stud at wide receiver, rookie WR Terrance Williams seems to be a good pick, and when healthy, and on the field, Miles Austin is another weapon. If only Dallas had a consistent running game. DeMarco Murray has to tools to be a top RB, and if only Dallas could play St. Louis every week, they would be.

But defensively, the Cowboys are an embarrassment. I love that DeMarcus Ware is on the Cowboys, and the fact that he leads the league in total sacks since he was drafted in 2005 is a testament to his production…BUT it seems like in every big game there is, he’s a non-factor. The last time he was a factor in a big game was in the aforementioned victory in 2009 in New Orleans where he strip-sacked Drew Brees twice.

If Romo had a good defense and a solid ground game to support him, or even better coaching, perception of him might be different. In 2011, Romo and the Cowboys went to New England and had the lead by three points late in the fourth quarter. They had the ball, and played conservatively on their last series, trying to kill the clock. NE’s defense held, and Tom Brady got the ball back with two minutes left, and of course NE scored a TD to win. This was essentially the same situation last Sunday. Dallas’ best chance was in the hands of Romo…unfortunately, it slipped away.

Anyways, sorry for my long-winded post.

 

[karamazov80]

I think you hit on an important point. When Brady gets the ball with 2 minutes to go, you just assume he's going to score and win. When Romo is in that position, you assume he'll screw up and lose. That's a big problem for a QB IMO.

 

[SixMillionDollarMan Guy]

You gotta wonder how much time Falcons' coach Mike Smith has left. He's on the hot seat.

 

[Tornadoflame]

You gotta wonder how much time Falcons' coach Mike Smith has left. He's on the hot seat.

I'm not sure if this can put Mike Smith on the hot seat. The year before last it was Mularkey that held them back. This year it's injuries and guys playing hurt. Next year should determine his future.

 

[Grenouille]

Julio Jones probably done for the season. The hits keep on coming. We need to thank Tony for his service and trade him back to KC so he can have one last shot and retire there.

This would be an interesting development if all parties are willing. The Chiefs would get a big upgrade over Fasano and McGrath. I'm not sure about writing off the Falcons yet, but they definitely don't have an easy schedule the rest of the way.

You gotta wonder how much time Falcons' coach Mike Smith has left. He's on the hot seat.

At the very least give him until the end of the season. Speaking of underachieving coaches, how has Gary Kubiak gone without scrutiny this year? You can't blame everything on Schaub.

 

[SixMillionDollarMan Guy]

I'm not sure if this can put Mike Smith on the hot seat. The year before last it was Mularkey that held them back. This year it's injuries and guys playing hurt. Next year should determine his future.

1. It was his decision to hire Mularkey.

2. Bottom line is that he's had talented teams that have failed in the playoffs.

3. His in-game coaching decisions leaves a lot to be desired. And yes, I would have taken the FG to be down by 7 at the end of the first half.

 

[karamazov80]

I'm not sure if this can put Mike Smith on the hot seat. The year before last it was Mularkey that held them back. This year it's injuries and guys playing hurt. Next year should determine his future.

I don't agree. As Wofford said, they were in all their losses this year, losing them at the very end of the game. Sure, maybe they would have had more sizable leads so those situations didn't occur without injuries, but a good team with good leadership wins those games. I place a big part of that on coaching, for not getting the players psychologically prepared to step on their opponents' throats and close games out (be it on offense or defense). They were a couple of feet away from beating the Saints, but couldn't get it done. Last night, they were a couple of feet away from scoring at the end of the 1st half (or in range for a chip shot field goal), and just had to stop the Jets 2 minute offense at the very end--either one would have won them the game--but they couldn't do either.

 

[Tornadoflame]

If Mike Smith is in the Hot Seat then you gotta add
Mike Tomlin
Tom Coughlin
Mike Shanahan
Gary Kubiak
Leslie Frazier
They are all in the same boat.

 

[SixMillionDollarMan Guy]

If Mike Smith is in the Hot Seat then you gotta add
Mike Tomlin
Tom Coughlin
Mike Shanahan
Gary Kubiak
Leslie Frazier
They are all in the same boat.

Nope, I disagree with the first three. Tomlin, Coughlin and Shanahan have built in clout with Super Bowl rings.

I'll agree on Kubiak. If Frazier with the Vikings finishes worse than 6-10 then he's in trouble.

 

[karamazov80]

But from what I gather, those other teams (putting Kubiak aside maybe) aren't even in games most of the time, so it's easier to see how injuries are creating serious problems, particularly when you've got guys with the kinds of pedigree that Tomlin and Coughlin have recently with teams looking so bad. Smith's teams have had chances to win and fail to seal the deal. Add in the fact that they have consistently choked on the biggest stage over the last few years in the playoffs, and I think it's pretty clear that a fear of bright lights is affecting this team's ability to win. They aren't a bad team this year, in the sense that they are being competitive throughout their games. They are bad in the sense that they don't know how to close and win IMO.

 

[Grenouille]

I'm going to guess that after the season is over the Maras will sit down with Coughlin and have a talk. Soon afterward the announcement of his "retirement" will come out.

 

[SixMillionDollarMan Guy]

I'm going to guess that after the season is over the Maras will sit down with Coughlin and have a talk. Soon afterward the announcement of his "retirement" will come out.

Btw, suddenly New England at the Jets in two weeks looks more interesting, especially if the Pats lose to the Saints this Sunday.

 

[Grenouille]

Btw, suddenly New England at the Jets in two weeks looks more interesting, especially if the Pats lose to the Saints this Sunday.

I'm picking the Saints to win this weekend. Graham is a match up nightmare for the Pats LBs. I'm not worried about the Jets. They're doing a good job of making sure they have a mid-round pick instead of top 10.

 

[SixMillionDollarMan Guy]

I'm picking the Saints to win this weekend. Graham is a match up nightmare for the Pats LBs. I'm not worried about the Jets. They're doing a good job of making sure they have a mid-round pick instead of top 10.

So even if the Jets rise from bumbling status....in effect, they're still bumbling.

 

[Sweet Rabbit]

Pacman Jones not guilty

 

[Tornadoflame]

Hopefully we can make a trade for Josh Gordon before Atlanta does.
Crabtree/Boldin/Manningham/Gordon/Baldwin/Patton
Can't wait til November gets here.