NFC North / NFL Thread 2017-18

[ATL MU Warrior]

Why is Chicos allowed to come back to ruin thread after thread after thread when he has been repeatedly banned?

[tower912]

Chico's throws out the bait and we respond like Asian carp.  A smaller version of society at large.   I am, for the nth time, done with him.

[MerrittsMustache]

The big question is who is worse.  Cutler or Glennon.

Cutler is head and shoulders better than Glennon. It's not even close.

[forgetful]

Cutler is head and shoulders better than Glennon. It's not even close.

That was my thought as well, I was curious how many Bears fans wish they had him back, at least for 1 year.

[GGGG]

That was my thought as well, I was curious how many Bears fans wish they had him back, at least for 1 year.

I doubt many.  Moving on is a good thing and Trubisky is their future.

It's not like the Bears are going anywhere this year.

[MerrittsMustache]

That was my thought as well, I was curious how many Bears fans wish they had him back, at least for 1 year.

In most cases, it would have made sense to keep the veteran, incumbent QB around for a season while the rookie learns. However, it was time for Cutler to go. Aside from the fact that he was coming back from injury, the coaches and front office basically tried to used him as the scapegoat for the team's recent struggles. They didn't want him back and he wasn't interested in coming back. If nothing else, they could have brought Brian Hoyer back as a stop-gap for one-third of what they owe Glennon.

[mu_hilltopper]

Chicos is allowed back because it's good for Scoop's ratings.

Wait .. Chicos is back?

[GB Warrior]

I doubt many.  Moving on is a good thing and Trubisky is their future.

It's not like the Bears are going anywhere this year.

"It's happening " per Adam Schefter.

[MerrittsMustache]

"It's happening " per Adam Schefter.

I believe he meant...

[GGGG]

I believe he meant...

No.  Mitch Trubisky being elevated to starting quarterback is against Scoop's guidelines for use of the Ron Paul .gif.

[Archies Bat]

No.  Mitch Trubisky being elevated to starting quarterback is against Scoop's guidelines for use of the Ron Paul .gif.

What do you expect when Marquette focusses recruiting from Chicago as opposed to the Northeast?

[GGGG]

What do you expect when Marquette focusses recruiting from Chicago as opposed to the Northeast?

That made me laugh.

[DegenerateDish]

Chiefs were -7, and total was 48.

[MU82]

wadesworld after I crowed about the Panthers following their Week 2 win over Buffalo: Good defense or not, the Bills stink, the 49ers stink, and the Saints stink. Even with a fairly easy schedule, the Panthers are in the 8-8/9-7 territory.

Pakuni after Week 2: Hard to say how good the Bills' defense is when you consider they've matched up against two of the most inept offenses in the league. Next two games are against Denver and Atlanta, so we'll see. The Panthers don't need to apologize for their schedule, but fans probably shouldn't be crowing over a 2-0 mark given the quality of their opponents.

OK, wades and Pakuni, we now have the benefit of time ...

The Bills do not stink. They are 3-1, with wins over the Broncos and at Atlanta since our discussion. Two pretty quality wins. They play good D and they have some good skill players on offense. They aren't future champions, IMHO, but they definitely do not "stink."

The Panthers played poorly in losing at home to the Saints (who also do not "stink"), but they played superbly in winning at New England. Cam outplayed Brady, Rivera outcoached Belichick, and the teams put on one of the more entertaining games of this NFL season.

I obviously was being a fanboi when I proclaimed the Panthers future champions, but they are a good team. Not great yet, not until Cam is 100% back from his offseason shoulder surgery (he showed yesterday that he's damn close), but good. Very good front 7 on defense, and a lot of good offensive players even without Olsen.

(Just added: Panthers found out their very good safety and a team leader, Kurt Coleman, will have to miss a month with a sprained MCL. It is the position at which they have the least depth, so this definitely hurts.)

On a semi-related note, the Patriots are a team we should be questioning. That is one horrible defense - hard to believe it's Belichick's. Not much of a pass rush, mediocre LBs, and a porous defensive backfield (although with such a crappy rush, they probably don't have much chance). Brady is still great, of course - although he missed two wide-open receivers yesterday, one for a TD. But he's already been hit a lot this season. The Panthers pounded him. He's 40. How much of that can he take?

I'm still trying to figure out what Belichick was saving his time-outs for at the end of yesterday's game. The Panthers were just grinding down the clock to set up the game-winning kick, and Belichick let them. Why not call those 3 time-outs and put pressure on them to actually make plays? If you stop them and either they make or miss the FG, you then can give the ball to Brady with 40-50 seconds left. Instead, the Panthers kicked the winner on the game's last play.

Maybe Belichick thought he could carry over the time-outs to next week - ha!

Lots of undisciplined penalties for a Belichick team, too. Two critical hands-to-face penalties and a senseless defensive holding on a running play. Those are the kinds of mistakes a crappily coached team makes.

Not saying Belichick suddenly sucks. Just saying neither he nor his team have been up to snuff this season. Maybe he needs to start cheating again.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Chiefs were -7, and total was 48.

[JWags85]

Chiefs were -7, and total was 48.

[wadesworld]

wadesworld after I crowed about the Panthers following their Week 2 win over Buffalo: Good defense or not, the Bills stink, the 49ers stink, and the Saints stink. Even with a fairly easy schedule, the Panthers are in the 8-8/9-7 territory.

Pakuni after Week 2: Hard to say how good the Bills' defense is when you consider they've matched up against two of the most inept offenses in the league. Next two games are against Denver and Atlanta, so we'll see. The Panthers don't need to apologize for their schedule, but fans probably shouldn't be crowing over a 2-0 mark given the quality of their opponents.

OK, wades and Pakuni, we now have the benefit of time ...

The Bills do not stink. They are 3-1, with wins over the Broncos and at Atlanta since our discussion. Two pretty quality wins. They play good D and they have some good skill players on offense. They aren't future champions, IMHO, but they definitely do not "stink."

The Panthers played poorly in losing at home to the Saints (who also do not "stink"), but they played superbly in winning at New England. Cam outplayed Brady, Rivera outcoached Belichick, and the teams put on one of the more entertaining games of this NFL season.

I obviously was being a fanboi when I proclaimed the Panthers future champions, but they are a good team. Not great yet, not until Cam is 100% back from his offseason shoulder surgery (he showed yesterday that he's damn close), but good. Very good front 7 on defense, and a lot of good offensive players even without Olsen.

(Just added: Panthers found out their very good safety and a team leader, Kurt Coleman, will have to miss a month with a sprained MCL. It is the position at which they have the least depth, so this definitely hurts.)

On a semi-related note, the Patriots are a team we should be questioning. That is one horrible defense - hard to believe it's Belichick's. Not much of a pass rush, mediocre LBs, and a porous defensive backfield (although with such a crappy rush, they probably don't have much chance). Brady is still great, of course - although he missed two wide-open receivers yesterday, one for a TD. But he's already been hit a lot this season. The Panthers pounded him. He's 40. How much of that can he take?

I'm still trying to figure out what Belichick was saving his time-outs for at the end of yesterday's game. The Panthers were just grinding down the clock to set up the game-winning kick, and Belichick let them. Why not call those 3 time-outs and put pressure on them to actually make plays? If you stop them and either they make or miss the FG, you then can give the ball to Brady with 40-50 seconds left. Instead, the Panthers kicked the winner on the game's last play.

Maybe Belichick thought he could carry over the time-outs to next week - ha!

Lots of undisciplined penalties for a Belichick team, too. Two critical hands-to-face penalties and a senseless defensive holding on a running play. Those are the kinds of mistakes a crappily coached team makes.

Not saying Belichick suddenly sucks. Just saying neither he nor his team have been up to snuff this season. Maybe he needs to start cheating again.

I didn’t read this whole thing. But I’d be willing to wager the Pats will be in the Playoffs and the Bills and Panthers will be at home watching them.

[rocket surgeon]

Andy Reid stopped the clock with 8 seconds instead of 2-3.  Nobody has EVER muffed a snap, recovered it, called a TO and rekicked it in under 10 seconds.  That methodology is bonkers.

Also, the end of game lateral play was so half-assed and weak.  I hate that play call to begin with, but that wasn't even chaos, it was just eh.

i loved it!  after KC picked up the loose ball-i'll bet vegas took one on the chops-in the last 2 seconds, it went from 'skins covering to chiefs winning outright and me winning a little more than milk money for the week!!
what looked like such an insignificant end of the game play was very very significant as they covered the -7(i took the night before) AND the -7 1/2 i took right before game time$$$

[tower912]

i loved it!  after KC picked up the loose ball-i'll bet vegas took one on the chops-in the last 2 seconds, it went from 'skins covering to chiefs winning outright and me winning a little more than milk money for the week!!
what looked like such an insignificant end of the game play was very very significant as they covered the -7(i took the night before) AND the -7 1/2 i took right before game time$$$

Yes, Vegas has certainly taken one in the chops. 

[MU82]

I didn’t read this whole thing. But I’d be willing to wager the Pats will be in the Playoffs and the Bills and Panthers will be at home watching them.

I'm up for a friendly bet.

Let's leave the Bills out of this because I don't give 1.5 shytes about them. (That's right. I actually give LESS than 2 shytes!)

I say the Panthers will make the playoffs and the Pats will miss them; you take the opposite - Pats in, Panthers out. Either of us has to be right on BOTH to win the bet. So if both teams make or miss playoffs, neither of us wins.

Maybe an Andy Jackson just to make it interesting?

[MU82]

WARNING: This will not please Smuggles, Banny McBannerson and others desperately trying to push a narrative about player protests being the NFL's death knell ...


https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2017/10/02/fox-sees-big-jump-ratings-week-4-nfl-coverage/724246001/

The kneeling-related boycott of the NFL hasn’t fully materialized.

Fox’s NFL coverage netted a 12.6 rating and 26 share, a 14% increase over its Week 4 coverage a year ago. The network broadcast one game nationally on Sunday and the ratings were about 20% better than CBS’ singleheader coverage in Week 4 of 2016.

Fox had the top-rated NFL broadcast of the weekend and its best singleheader telecast since 2015, the network announced on Monday.

About a third of the country saw the Los Angeles Rams’ 35-30 upset of Dallas Cowboys with the rest of the country seeing regional coverage, including the Carolina Panthers’ victory over the New England Patriots.

Excluding Week 1, where both viewership and the ability to gather ratings were impacted by Hurricane Irma, Fox reported its ratings had increased 1% over a year ago.

The rating for NBC’s Sunday Night Football was unchanged from last year’s Week 4 game. The Seattle Seahawks’ blowout victory over the Indianapolis Colts resulted in a 11.0 rating and 19 share.

A 14% INCREASE for Fox. Seems compelling games still draw viewers. Who knew? And despite a blowout, NBC still matched its Sunday Night rating of Week 4 last season.

Boycotts rarely have lasting effect. Remember all those baseball fans who said they'd NEVER come back after steroids, or the strike, or (fill in the blank)?

[Pakuni]

wadesworld after I crowed about the Panthers following their Week 2 win over Buffalo: Good defense or not, the Bills stink, the 49ers stink, and the Saints stink. Even with a fairly easy schedule, the Panthers are in the 8-8/9-7 territory.

Pakuni after Week 2: Hard to say how good the Bills' defense is when you consider they've matched up against two of the most inept offenses in the league. Next two games are against Denver and Atlanta, so we'll see. The Panthers don't need to apologize for their schedule, but fans probably shouldn't be crowing over a 2-0 mark given the quality of their opponents.

I'll stand by what I said. I'm not drinking the Bills or Panthers kool-aid just yet.

[GGGG]

"It's happening " per Adam Schefter.

This made me laugh.

https://deadspin.com/bad-quarterback-performance-of-the-week-mike-glennon-m-1819106400

[barfolomew]

Maybe an Andy Jackson just to make it interesting?

Nice try.
It's Herbie Jackson.

[Vander Blue Man Group]

Almost screwed me out of a fantasy football win as well. I gotta quit fantasy after this year. I get way too angry about it.

Luckily I had built up enough of a lead where it didn't matter but I scrambled to check my matchup as soon as that happened as I had Hunt going for me last night.  I'm sure it screwed a lot of people and I think it impacted the Vegas line as well. 

I take fantasy too seriously as well but quitting is just not going to happen.