2015-16 NFC North/NFL thread

[JWags85]

Panthers 19-0.

18-1*

[MU82]

18-1*

Yeah, I suppose they could rest a bunch of guys in their regular-season finale and lose to a determined Tampa team before they then go 3-0 in a playoff run capped by the Super Bowl triumph. I'd be OK with that.

[JWags85]

Yeah, I suppose they could rest a bunch of guys in their regular-season finale and lose to a determined Tampa team before they then go 3-0 in a playoff run capped by the Super Bowl triumph. I'd be OK with that.

Sorry I was referring to this

http://deadspin.com/the-best-and-dumbest-meme-is-unfolding-on-the-panthers-1740596866

Which is equal parts hilarious and stupid

[MU82]

Sorry I was referring to this

http://deadspin.com/the-best-and-dumbest-meme-is-unfolding-on-the-panthers-1740596866

Which is equal parts hilarious and stupid

More equally stupid, methinks.

[wadesworld]

Theodore loves to take sacks in moments that he absolutely cannot take a sack.

[wadesworld]

Theodore loves to take sacks in moments that he absolutely cannot take a sack.

And by "Theodore loves to take sacks in moments that he absolutely cannot take a sack," I mean, "Theodore LOVES to take sacks in moments he absolutely cannot take a sack!"

[DegenerateDish]

I love Mike Zimmer, but that was not his finest hour.

[MU82]

I love Mike Zimmer, but that was not his finest hour.

I don't know much about Mike Zimmer, and I don't watch many Vikings games anymore, but I was amazed he (or the O.C.) had Bridgewater attempt a conventional dropback pass on that play.

There were 3 things the Vikes couldn't afford: a sack, a turnover or a receiver catching the ball and staying inbounds. So either you try an extremely quick sideline pass, you roll Bridgewater out with instructions to throw it away at the first hint of trouble or you say screw it and kick the FG right there.

[MerrittsMustache]

I don't know much about Mike Zimmer, and I don't watch many Vikings games anymore, but I was amazed he (or the O.C.) had Bridgewater attempt a conventional dropback pass on that play.

There were 3 things the Vikes couldn't afford: a sack, a turnover or a receiver catching the ball and staying inbounds. So either you try an extremely quick sideline pass, you roll Bridgewater out with instructions to throw it away at the first hint of trouble or you say screw it and kick the FG right there.

I'd even take "extremely quick sideline pass" out of the equation. Best case, you make a 48-yard FG into a 43-yarder for a kicker who's 6-7 from 40-49 on the season. Not worth the risk, IMO.

Roll him out and hope for a blown coverage and a gift TD for the win, or (more likely) he chucks it out of bounds and a few more seconds tick off the clock.

[MU B2002]

Seahawks get an early Christmas gift...

Twitter Tracker

Jeff ZrebiecVerified account ‏@jeffzrebiecsun  4h4 hours ago
Matt Schaub remains out of practice for Ravens, further increasing likelihood that Jimmy Clausen starts Sunday vs. Seattle.

[MerrittsMustache]

Seahawks get an early Christmas gift...

Twitter Tracker

Could he become the first QB to get shutout in two games for two different teams against the same opponent?

We could witness history!

[GooooMarquette]

I don't know much about Mike Zimmer, and I don't watch many Vikings games anymore, but I was amazed he (or the O.C.) had Bridgewater attempt a conventional dropback pass on that play.

There were 3 things the Vikes couldn't afford: a sack, a turnover or a receiver catching the ball and staying inbounds. So either you try an extremely quick sideline pass, you roll Bridgewater out with instructions to throw it away at the first hint of trouble or you say screw it and kick the FG right there.

The cool thing about the Vikings is that you can count on them for those total bonehead moves every once in a while.  Sometimes it's a terrible play call, other times inexcusable penalties, and others questionable execution.  And they get bonus entertainment points for having them at key moments in important games.  There was last night, of course, but two others merit special mention:

1.  In Favre's first season with them, they got to the NFC Championship game against New Orleans.  They were tied late and driving for a late game-winning FG.  They had 3rd and 10 at the 33 (FG range in the dome) when they got flagged for having 12 men on the field (oof!).  Mistake #1.  Then on 3rd and 15 on the 38 (still the fringe of FG range) and with timeouts left so they could run a conservative play, they called a rollout pass.  Debatable, but mistake #2.  And on the rollout, Favre had endless green in front of him...but instead threw a pass...which was intercepted.  Mistake #3.  NO won the coin toss and got a game-winning FG before MN ever saw the ball again.

2.  In Randy Moss' rookie year, they had one of the best offenses in NFL history and hosted Atlanta in the NFC Championship game.  The game was tied late, and the Vikings' high-powered offense got the ball with a chance to win.  But in a move that not even the Onion could have predicted, Dennis Green told Randall Cunningham to take a knee.  Seriously.  We never got to see what the Vikings offense might have done on that last drive (did I mention they were one of the best ever?).  Instead, Green chose to take the 50-50 shot of a coin toss.  Atlanta won the coin toss and got a game-winning FG before the MN offense ever saw the ball again.  And did I mention that this offense was one of the best ever?

Every team lays a big one every once in a while, but the Vikings' tendency to do it repeatedly in key moments is unprecedented.

[naginiF]

The cool thing about the Vikings is that you can count on them for those total bonehead moves every once in a while.  Sometimes it's a terrible play call, other times inexcusable penalties, and others questionable execution.  And they get bonus entertainment points for having them at key moments in important games.  There was last night, of course, but two others merit special mention:

1.  In Favre's first season with them, they got to the NFC Championship game against New Orleans.  They were tied late and driving for a late game-winning FG.  They had 3rd and 10 at the 33 (FG range in the dome) when they got flagged for having 12 men on the field (oof!).  Mistake #1.  Then on 3rd and 15 on the 38 (still the fringe of FG range) and with timeouts left so they could run a conservative play, they called a rollout pass.  Debatable, but mistake #2.  And on the rollout, Favre had endless green in front of him...but instead threw a pass...which was intercepted.  Mistake #3.  NO won the coin toss and got a game-winning FG before MN ever saw the ball again.

2.  In Randy Moss' rookie year, they had one of the best offenses in NFL history and hosted Atlanta in the NFC Championship game.  The game was tied late, and the Vikings' high-powered offense got the ball with a chance to win.  But in a move that not even the Onion could have predicted, Dennis Green told Randall Cunningham to take a knee.  Seriously.  We never got to see what the Vikings offense might have done on that last drive (did I mention they were one of the best ever?).  Instead, Green chose to take the 50-50 shot of a coin toss.  Atlanta won the coin toss and got a game-winning FG before the MN offense ever saw the ball again.  And did I mention that this offense was one of the best ever?

Every team lays a big one every once in a while, but the Vikings' tendency to do it repeatedly in key moments is unprecedented.

Hey, thanks for going into excruciating detail around two very painful moments in Vikings history while not mentioning the name Gary Anderson *Damnit!*.  However, as a life long Vikings fan you're selling it short by just going back to 1998 and ignoring half a century of "wait? what the hell just happened?".  Our angst goes back a generation and must be recognized.

It's also why every Packer's fan that either a) ignores everything that happened between '69 - '95 or b) wasn't a fan before '95 angers us.  Decades of futility that everyone forgets.  Would I trade 4 SB losses and 5 NFC Championship losses for a couple of rings over that time?  In a heartbeat!  But let's not pretend there wasn't a VERY long time in the basement Clarice.

On 'b'...... i know i'm hyper sensitive to this but if you lived outside of Wisconsin in the '90's you would have to acknowledge the number of Wal-Mart fans that came out. 

[GooooMarquette]

Hey, thanks for going into excruciating detail around two very painful moments in Vikings history while not mentioning the name Gary Anderson *Damnit!*.  However, as a life long Vikings fan you're selling it short by just going back to 1998 and ignoring half a century of "wait? what the hell just happened?".  Our angst goes back a generation and must be recognized.

It's also why every Packer's fan that either a) ignores everything that happened between '69 - '95 or b) wasn't a fan before '95 angers us.  Decades of futility that everyone forgets.  Would I trade 4 SB losses and 5 NFC Championship losses for a couple of rings over that time?  In a heartbeat!  But let's not pretend there wasn't a VERY long time in the basement Clarice.

On 'b'...... i know i'm hyper sensitive to this but if you lived outside of Wisconsin in the '90's you would have to acknowledge the number of Wal-Mart fans that came out.

I don't ignore everything that happened from '69-'95.  The Vikings were good, and the Packers weren't.  Story of my childhood.  Still, both teams had the same number of rings during that span.

And for what it's worth...the Packers had a LONG waiting list for tickets way before they ever started getting back to Super Bowls.  On the other hand, in 1999 (the year after the Vikings were a knee away from the Super Bowl), season tickets were readily available.  A friend moved to Minneapolis that year, called the box office, and had tix from day 1.  The fans sound like real die hards....

[naginiF]

I don't ignore everything that happened from '69-'95.  The Vikings were good, and the Packers weren't.  Story of my childhood.  Still, both teams had the same number of rings during that span.

And for what it's worth...the Packers had a LONG waiting list for tickets way before they ever started getting back to Super Bowls.  On the other hand, in 1999 (the year after the Vikings were a knee away from the Super Bowl), season tickets were readily available.  A friend moved to Minneapolis that year, called the box office, and had tix from day 1.  The fans sound like real die hards....

Hence my "if you lived outside of Wisconsin" vs. a direct game attendance comparison.  No question that residents of WI are more connection to their team.

[Anti-Dentite]

I don't ignore everything that happened from '69-'95.  The Vikings were good, and the Packers weren't.  Story of my childhood.  Still, both teams had the same number of rings during that span.

And for what it's worth...the Packers had a LONG waiting list for tickets way before they ever started getting back to Super Bowls.  On the other hand, in 1999 (the year after the Vikings were a knee away from the Super Bowl), season tickets were readily available.  A friend moved to Minneapolis that year, called the box office, and had tix from day 1.  The fans sound like real die hards....

Oh, I remember. "Big Cat" Williams is still chasing Sir Francis in my nightmares.

[wadesworld]

Mac back to calling plays.

[MerrittsMustache]

TV Question.

Since I moved to Milwaukee in the late 90s for school, we've always gotten the Bears games on TV when they played at a different time or on a different channel than the Packers. This season, for some reason, that is no longer the case. Last week, we got the Vikings-Seahawks game at noon (which was later switched to the Bears since Minny was getting blown out) and this week, we got no game on Fox at noon instead of Bears-Vikings.

What gives? When did that change? Does anyone know what the new "rules" are? I had assumed that the Bears were the #2 "local" team here so that's why we got their games when GB wasn't on at the same time.

[GGGG]

TV Question.

Since I moved to Milwaukee in the late 90s for school, we've always gotten the Bears games on TV when they played at a different time or on a different channel than the Packers. This season, for some reason, that is no longer the case. Last week, we got the Vikings-Seahawks game at noon (which was later switched to the Bears since Minny was getting blown out) and this week, we got no game on Fox at noon instead of Bears-Vikings.

What gives? When did that change? Does anyone know what the new "rules" are? I had assumed that the Bears were the #2 "local" team here so that's why we got their games when GB wasn't on at the same time.

There was no Bear game yesterday because CBS had the double header.  The GB/Oakland game was a regional broadcast, but instead of showing it at noon, it was at 3:00.

I think last week the Milwaukee affiliate wanted the Vikings v. Seahawks game because it looked like a better game on paper and had more impact on the Packers.

[MerrittsMustache]

There was no Bear game yesterday because CBS had the double header.  The GB/Oakland game was a regional broadcast, but instead of showing it at noon, it was at 3:00.

I think last week the Milwaukee affiliate wanted the Vikings v. Seahawks game because it looked like a better game on paper and had more impact on the Packers.

Thanks. I thought that there had been situations where we still got the Bears despite CBS having the double-header and when there were other "better" games, but maybe I'm simply "misremembering."

[brandx]

TV Question.

Since I moved to Milwaukee in the late 90s for school, we've always gotten the Bears games on TV when they played at a different time or on a different channel than the Packers. This season, for some reason, that is no longer the case. Last week, we got the Vikings-Seahawks game at noon (which was later switched to the Bears since Minny was getting blown out) and this week, we got no game on Fox at noon instead of Bears-Vikings.

What gives? When did that change? Does anyone know what the new "rules" are? I had assumed that the Bears were the #2 "local" team here so that's why we got their games when GB wasn't on at the same time.

I don't know who does Milwaukee cable - TWC, I think - but I watched the Bear game on channel 13 yesterday in Racine - on TWC. 13 is the Chicago Fox affiliate.

[CTWarrior]

I don't know who does Milwaukee cable - TWC, I think - but I watched the Bear game on channel 13 yesterday in Racine - on TWC. 13 is the Chicago Fox affiliate.

Game of the week was the strange Denver-Pittsburgh game.  I have never seen receivers more wide open on every play then Denver's were in the first half.  Outside a fumble after a 10 yard run on their first possession they moved the ball at will for a touchdown on all four of their other possessions.  Somehow those same receivers were blanketed in the second half and Denver couldn't even get first downs.  That's why I'll never understand football totally.  What could they have changed in 12 minutes at halftime for such a complete turnaround? 

[Jay Bee]

SKOL VIKINGS, we are the best.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Game of the week was the strange Denver-Pittsburgh game.  I have never seen receivers more wide open on every play then Denver's were in the first half.  Outside a fumble after a 10 yard run on their first possession they moved the ball at will for a touchdown on all four of their other possessions.  Somehow those same receivers were blanketed in the second half and Denver couldn't even get first downs.  That's why I'll never understand football totally.  What could they have changed in 12 minutes at halftime for such a complete turnaround?

Dunno, but shoutout to Trevor Siemian for getting his first NFL action. Did you see the quality of the kneel down at the end of the half?

[GGGG]

Charles Woodson announces his retirement. Fantastic player when with the Packers. Sure hall of famer with his name up at Lambeau.