2017 NFL Season

[felser]

  On 2/4/2019 at 4:21 PM, T.D. said:

Hoops borders on unwatchability due to the absurd amount of elapsed time required to play the last 2 minutes of a game.

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WORD !!!

[Coda]

I thought the two sisters did an excellent version of America the Beautiful.   I also liked Gladys Knight but at times I thought she was slightly ahead of the beat.  The half-time show was boring.

Yes Ghost, today is known as Truck Day in Boston.   It's when the Red Sox truck full of spring training gear leaves Boston for Florida.   

[Scott Dolan]

  On 2/4/2019 at 5:15 PM, Coda said:

I thought the two sisters did an excellent version of America the Beautiful.   I also liked Gladys Knight but at times I thought she was slightly ahead of the beat.  The half-time show was boring.

Yes Ghost, today is known as Truck Day in Boston.   It's when the Red Sox truck full of spring training gear leaves Boston for Florida.   

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She was slightly behind the beat at several points. I told my wife that her earpiece must have not been working. She did a great job nonetheless. 

[jazztrain]

  On 2/4/2019 at 5:15 PM, Coda said:

I thought the two sisters did an excellent version of America the Beautiful.   I also liked Gladys Knight but at times I thought she was slightly ahead of the beat.  The half-time show was boring.

Yes Ghost, today is known as Truck Day in Boston.   It's when the Red Sox truck full of spring training gear leaves Boston for Florida.   

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[ghost of miles]

  On 2/4/2019 at 5:28 PM, jazztrain said:

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If the Celtics somehow manage to get their act together, your neck of the woods could be seeing yet another championship title in several months.

[Coda]

This was a big Boston topic before last nights game:

[Dave James]

Bad game, worse commercials and halftime entertainment that will easily rank in the all-time bottom five.  Not a day the NFL will look back upon fondly. 

[Kevin Bresnahan]

Maybe not the NFL, but I will certainly look back upon it fondly.

[Scott Dolan]

  On 2/4/2019 at 6:29 PM, Dave James said:

Bad game, worse commercials and halftime entertainment that will easily rank in the all-time bottom five.  Not a day the NFL will look back upon fondly. 

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Sorry, that's a heap of horseshit. The game was technically amazing and incredibly well-played. Defense just happened to win the day, and thank goodness, since I thought it was officially dead. Just because most people that watch it aren't actual NFL fans, nor do they understand how the game operates, especially defensively, who cares? They can all fuck off, because this isn't their game.

Also, while I usually couldn't care less about Super Bowl commercials, I will admit that this years's crop was the best seen in many years. The T Mobile texting commercials were hilarious. Especially the eggplant parmesan spot. 

There have only been three great Super Bowl halftime shows in my lifetime. Michael Jackson, Prince, and Bruno Mars. The one last night I only saw bits and pieces of. But it certainly seemed as bad as most of the others. 

Edited February 4, 2019 by Scott Dolan

[Dave James]

  On 2/4/2019 at 7:01 PM, Scott Dolan said:

Sorry, that's a heap of horseshit. The game was technically amazing and incredibly well-played. Defense just happened to win the day, and thank goodness, since I thought it was officially dead. Just because most people that watch it aren't actual NFL fans, nor do they understand how the game operates, especially defensively, who cares? They can all fuck off, because this isn't their game.

Also, while I usually couldn't care less about Super Bowl commercials, I will admit that this years's crop was the best seen in many years. The T Mobile texting commercials were hilarious. Especially the eggplant parmesan spot. 

There have only been three great Super Bowl halftime shows in my lifetime. Michael Jackson, Prince, and Bruno Mars. The one last night I only saw bits and pieces of. But it certainly seemed as bad as most of the others. 

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You're certainly entitled to your opinion, but you're in a rather distinct minority.  Defenses can easily be made to seem extraordinary by a poorly imagined offenses.  Jared Goff looked no more or less than he'd been tasked to reiterate his rookie season when the term "bust" was applied to him more often than not.  He was a deer in the headlights.  When what are, at least in  theory, the two best teams the NFL has on offer, fans have every right to believe that a game balanced by offense and defense will ensue. This one missed by a country mile.

As to the commercials, you must have been watching a different game. There were a handful of decent ones, but the vast majority were unimaginative, careful not to offend and sleep-inducing.  Not a single one came within hailing distance of the best from prior years.  

As to the entertainment, here's the best characterization I've yet run across: 

"The whole show in fact seemed geared toward older millennials or millennial wannabes, from Sponge Bob to Big Boi to Adam Levine’s torso covered in tattoos that look like they came from a catalogue called “Tough Tattoos For Cool Boys Starter Kit."

 

[soulpope]

  On 2/5/2019 at 3:03 PM, Dave James said:

As to the entertainment, here's the best characterization I've yet run across: 

"The whole show in fact seemed geared toward older millennials or millennial wannabes, from Sponge Bob to Big Boi to Adam Levine’s torso covered in tattoos that look like they came from a catalogue called “Tough Tattoos For Cool Boys Starter Kit."

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 ....

[Scott Dolan]

My favorite line was a lady that posted under a picture of that dude with his shirt off that he looked like a piece of Silly Putty that had just been pulled off of a newspaper. 

And BTW, Dave. Tell me all about the unimaginative offenses of L.A., KC, and L.A. that made the Patriots defense look extraordinary. 

For clarity sake, those offenses ranked 11th, 1st, and 2nd in the NFL. 

Basically what you’re saying is what anyone unfamiliar with the game would say. You don’t understand defense and game planning, so therefore if the offense doesn’t score, it’s 100% on the offense, which is laughable nonsense. 

Edited February 5, 2019 by Scott Dolan

[jlhoots]

AP headline says "SUPER SNOOZER".

Oh & BTW, Edelman is a past PED user.

Edited February 5, 2019 by jlhoots

[JSngry]

Full disclosure - I am a past PEZ user.

[T.D.]

  On 2/5/2019 at 3:51 PM, jlhoots said:

...

Oh & BTW, Edelman is a past PED user.

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If you follow professional sports and get hung up on who uses/doesn't use PED, I think you're in for many letdowns.

[Spoken as a former follower of track/field and cycling . I strongly believe that PED use is widespread, especially in NFL and MLB, though the Olympic Games take sport chemistry to its highest level. I chuckle when anyone from the NFL or MLB gets nailed for doping - they must be real dumbasses given the "nod, wink" testing regimens.]

[Scott Dolan]

  On 2/5/2019 at 3:51 PM, jlhoots said:

AP headline says "SUPER SNOOZER".

Oh & BTW, Edelman is a past PED user.

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Yep, that settles it. The AP is the authority when it comes to football. 

And let’s not go down the other laughably amateur road of playing the “cheaters” card, OK? 

https://yourteamcheats.com/

[Kevin Bresnahan]

  On 2/5/2019 at 3:51 PM, jlhoots said:

Oh & BTW, Edelman is a past PED user.

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A "PED user"? That's rather simplifying what really happened. Did you know that they couldn't even identify what "PED" it was? They called it a PED because its chemical composition resembled another PED. Edelman supposedly doesn't even know what caused this result.

But you see, the NFL can suspend anyone for anything. They suspended him for 4 games for "PED use" because they can. Period. Because of Article 42 of their union contract with the league, there is nothing any player can do about it either. You can appeal to the person who issued the original suspension but the chances of getting it overturned are slim. Very slim. Even less than slim if you have a Patriots helmet on.

BTW - I don't think the next union contract negotiations are going to go well for the NFL owners. There is no way the players are going to allow Article 42 to stay in place. Outside arbitration, like what is used in every other professional sport, will remove former New York Jet staff member Roger Goodell's ability to ban any player simply "because".

[Scott Dolan]

  On 2/5/2019 at 5:28 PM, Kevin Bresnahan said:

A "PED user"? That's rather simplifying what really happened. Did you know that they couldn't even identify what "PED" it was? They called it a PED because its chemical composition resembled another PED. Edelman supposedly doesn't even know what caused this result.

But you see, the NFL can suspend anyone for anything. They suspended him for 4 games for "PED use" because they can. Period. Because of Article 42 of their union contract with the league, there is nothing any player can do about it either. You can appeal to the person who issued the original suspension but the chances of getting it overturned are slim. Very slim. Even less than slim if you have a Patriots helmet on.

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Yeah, Goodell being the prosecutor, judge, jury, and appeals judge doesn't lend itself to a very fair system. 

And let's not forget that Brady served a suspension last year for ONE of the 12 Patriots balls being below the legal minimum inflation. 

Absolutely ridiculous. 

[JSngry]

  On 2/5/2019 at 5:28 PM, Kevin Bresnahan said:

 They called it a PED because its chemical composition resembled another PED. Edelman supposedly doesn't even know what caused this result.

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Gee mom, it just followed me home, honest!

[Kevin Bresnahan]

  On 2/5/2019 at 5:35 PM, Scott Dolan said:

Yeah, Goodell being the prosecutor, judge, jury, and appeals judge doesn't lend itself to a very fair system. 

And let's not forget that Brady served a suspension last year for ONE of the 12 Patriots balls being below the legal minimum inflation. 

Absolutely ridiculous. 

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You got that last part wrong. There is no way to say that ANY ball was either properly inflated or deflated since THEY NEVER RECORDED THE STARTING PRESSURES.

Watch the Sports Illustrated story on line that shows the refs checking the air pressure of the balls before a game. Nothing written down. No care about accuracy. The check is cursory, and that's being generous.

Deflategate was made up by Mike Kesnil, the director of operations for the New York Jets for 20 years, son of the President of the New Jets, including the time when Bill Belichick resigned as their head coach and pissed off the entire Jets organization. Deflategate was a smear from the get-go.

[Brad]

I can’t believe we’re relitigsting deflate gate after all these years. To me it’s a dead issue and I’m not even a Pats fan. It’s over and done with and Brady served his sentence. . 

[Scott Dolan]

  On 2/5/2019 at 5:40 PM, Kevin Bresnahan said:

You got that last part wrong. There is no way to say that ANY ball was either properly inflated or deflated since THEY NEVER RECORDED THE STARTING PRESSURES.

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Please don't misunderstand me, I said one of twelve was below the legal minimum. Nothing more, nothing less. So the statement is actually correct. 

  On 2/5/2019 at 5:54 PM, Brad said:

I can’t believe we’re relitigsting deflate gate after all these years. To me it’s a dead issue and I’m not even a Pats fan. It’s over and done with and Brady served his sentence. . 

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As long as Belichick and Brady are in New England and winning, they will be known to most as cheaters, with Spygate and Deflategate being the reasons why. Because, you know...those two almost nonexistent scandals explains the nine Super Bowl appearances. 

It's telling that as a species we are usually very mistrusting or dismissive of excellence. 

[Dave James]

Interesting factoid.  While this was the lowest-scoring game in Super Bowl history, it was also the Patriots’ largest margin of victory.  

[Kevin Bresnahan]

  On 2/5/2019 at 6:34 PM, Dave James said:

Interesting factoid.  While this was the lowest-scoring game in Super Bowl history, it was also the Patriots’ largest margin of victory.  

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I know, too funny! Being a Pats fan, I know all too well how close their Super Bowl games have been. With the exception of their first two losses (pre-Belichick/Brady), they've been nail-biters to the end.

[JSngry]

  On 2/5/2019 at 6:04 PM, Scott Dolan said:

As long as Belichick and Brady are in New England and winning, they will be known to most as cheaters, with Spygate and Deflategate being the reasons why. Because, you know...those two almost nonexistent scandals explains the nine Super Bowl appearances. 

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I think of them as cheaters, sure ("almost nonexistent", exactly. Pro jobs, both!). But I also look at them as an organization that refuses to be out-prepared by an opponent, to not take advantage of every non-overt opportunity to secure a competitive edge outside of their clearly superior legit skill sets, individually and organizationally.

So, do I like them? Hell no. But do I respect the hell out of them? Hell yeah. It's professional sports, I'd be a sap to expect that everything and everybody was totally on the up-and-up every time, no different than any other aspect of American (and beyond) life.