2022-2023 NFL Season

[Uncle Rico]

This is dead on.  Its disappointing but its also straight in line with the precedent that the NFL has set forever.  And also why I find it hard to gin up the same level of negative feelings and outrage for the LIV Tour as some do.  Not that I embrace it, I just kind of shrug.  I think...

1) sportwashing is overblown, IMO,  because I find it hard to believe that people would ever have their feelings significantly changed about a country's reputation cause they owned a soccer club or a golf tour.

2) Professional sports is overrun with unsavory activity and detestable characters, whether athletes, governing bodies, or ownership.  And its not a uniquely American thing.  Look at European soccer.  Look at scandals and ownership in top level cricket.  The list goes on and on.  Love of sport, and the money that comes with it, trumps all.

There's probably a correlation between where we are as a society (local, nationally, worldly) based on fan behavior but that's above my pay grade

[Jockey]

Yep.

I also don't understand what makes the NFL think having the owners issue statements like this is a good idea.

https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1560301469030653954?s=20&t=l2QgKTOm83f9SWMp65_-QQ

Everyone knows they aren't going to invest significant time or money into that. Why even say something that ridiculous?

Pretty straight forward.

We are against sexually assaulting women except if it helps us win games and make us more money. But, otherwise, we're with all you little ladies.

[Hards Alumni]

I'm not sure which ESPN writing you're referring to. In the instance I reference, Rodgers went off in public. Everyone saw the video, which spoke for itself.

The media does eat that stuff up because it's so much juicier than usual QB-speak or coach-speak, but stuff like that is almost always better handled face-to-face and in private.

It is basically a meme that if ESPN publishes a story about Rodgers it will have a negative slant.

[Jockey]

It is basically a meme that if ESPN publishes a story about Rodgers it will have a negative slant.

Most players - when they want to get some info out in public - talk to one of the 'insiders' at ESPN. Rodgers doesn't.

[Uncle Rico]

Most players - when they want to get some info out in public - talk to one of the 'insiders' at ESPN. Rodgers doesn't.

No, he has his agent leak news to Schefter so he has plausible deniability.

He also sat down and talked at length to Kevin Van Valkenburg before the playoffs last year in a piece done for ESPN

[wadesworld]

No, he has his agent leak news to Schefter so he has plausible deniability.

He also sat down and talked at length to Kevin Van Valkenburg before the playoffs last year in a piece done for ESPN

He just goes on Pat Macafee and says whatever he wants.

[Uncle Rico]

He just goes on Pat Macafee and says whatever he wants.

That, too, but the negotiating stuff comes from the agent

[MU82]

Welp, that garbage from Watson might have been the worst "apology" ever. What a douchenozzle.

[forgetful]

Pretty straight forward.

We are against sexually assaulting women except if it helps us win games and make us more money. But, otherwise, we're with all you little ladies.

Same thing can be said for everything.

"We are against PEDs, except when a major athlete with huge sponsor contracts pops and the sponsors tell us we are not allowed to report the positive test and take action."

[The Sultan]

This was an entertaining read - top 10 saddest QB competitions.

https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/8/18/23307940/ranking-nfl-quarterback-battles-baker-mayfield-sam-darnold-drew-lock-geno-smith-panthers-seahawks

[MU82]

This was an entertaining read - top 10 saddest QB competitions.

https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/8/18/23307940/ranking-nfl-quarterback-battles-baker-mayfield-sam-darnold-drew-lock-geno-smith-panthers-seahawks

That was fun ... and notable to me in that 3 of the 10 dreadful battles belonged to the Panthers, all in the last 20 years.

I actually moved to Charlotte just before the 2010 season and decided I'd root for the team. I somehow found it in me to watch every effen Jimmy Clausen start. I guess I'm a glutton for punishment, but by Week 10 I was all-in on the Tank For Cam train.

That this writer thinks this season's Mayfield-Darnold situation will actually be worse than that -- "I've got a feeling this is going to be an all-timer" -- ugh ... but I really don't see how it could possibly be true.

Ever the optimist, I'm telling myself that Mayfield will play as well as he did when he was healthy in 2020, and that will give the Panthers a chance to vastly exceed expectations. But sure ... he could suck, get benched, Darnold could be even worse, and I'll have another 5-win season to "celebrate."

[Uncle Rico]

That was fun ... and notable to me in that 3 of the 10 dreadful battles belonged to the Panthers, all in the last 20 years.

I actually moved to Charlotte just before the 2010 season and decided I'd root for the team. I somehow found it in me to watch every effen Jimmy Clausen start. I guess I'm a glutton for punishment, but by Week 10 I was all-in on the Tank For Cam train.

That this writer thinks this season's Mayfield-Darnold situation will actually be worse than that -- "I've got a feeling this is going to be an all-timer" -- ugh ... but I really don't see how it could possibly be true.

Ever the optimist, I'm telling myself that Mayfield will play as well as he did when he was healthy in 2020, and that will give the Panthers a chance to vastly exceed expectations. But sure ... he could suck, get benched, Darnold could be even worse, and I'll have another 5-win season to "celebrate."

Not having the '87 Packers listed is a slap in the face of terrible QB play

[Billy Hoyle]

This is dead on.  Its disappointing but its also straight in line with the precedent that the NFL has set forever.  And also why I find it hard to gin up the same level of negative feelings and outrage for the LIV Tour as some do.  Not that I embrace it, I just kind of shrug.  I think...

1) sportwashing is overblown, IMO,  because I find it hard to believe that people would ever have their feelings significantly changed about a country's reputation cause they owned a soccer club or a golf tour.

2) Professional sports is overrun with unsavory activity and detestable characters, whether athletes, governing bodies, or ownership.  And its not a uniquely American thing.  Look at European soccer.  Look at scandals and ownership in top level cricket.  The list goes on and on.  Love of sport, and the money that comes with it, trumps all.

I knew a lot of people who said they'd never watch the NFL again after Michael Vick came back. A few weeks later, I'm at a bar watching games with them. Plenty of people claim to have boycotted due to Kaepernick, and yet ratings continue to climb. Now, the 1994 baseball strike, that turned people off for a long time.

[Uncle Rico]

I knew a lot of people who said they'd never watch the NFL again after Michael Vick came back. A few weeks later, I'm at a bar watching games with them. Plenty of people claim to have boycotted due to Kaepernick, and yet ratings continue to climb. Now, the 1994 baseball strike, that turned people off for a long time.

"Greed" turns off sports fans more than criminal activity

[Billy Hoyle]

"Greed" turns off sports fans more than criminal activity

definitely.  People could have accepted a strike, but not cancelation of the World Series, which even war couldn't cancel.

My dad didn't watch baseball for 12 years after that. It wasn't until the Tigers made the 2006 ALCS against the Yankees that he was drawn back in.

[Pakuni]

This was an entertaining read - top 10 saddest QB competitions.

https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/8/18/23307940/ranking-nfl-quarterback-battles-baker-mayfield-sam-darnold-drew-lock-geno-smith-panthers-seahawks

Notable miss:

2006 Raiders - Andrew Walter vs Aaron Brooks vs Marques Tuiasosopo

[The Sultan]

definitely.  People could have accepted a strike, but not cancelation of the World Series, which even war couldn't cancel.

My dad didn't watch baseball for 12 years after that. It wasn't until the Tigers made the 2006 ALCS against the Yankees that he was drawn back in.

The World Series ratings in 1995 were higher than in 1993.  They were in decline before 1994, and after a blip up, declined after 1995.  World Series ratings aren't the sole indicator of baseball's popularity.  Per game attendance took about a decade to recover after that, but 1995 attendance was still better than you saw in the mid to late 1980s.

So IDK. I think by and large baseball would be in the same place today without the 1994 strike.

[Uncle Rico]

The World Series ratings in 1995 were higher than in 1993.  They were in decline before 1994, and after a blip up, declined after 1995.  World Series ratings aren't the sole indicator of baseball's popularity.  Per game attendance took about a decade to recover after that, but 1995 attendance was still better than you saw in the mid to late 1980s.

So IDK. I think by and large baseball would be in the same place today without the 1994 strike.

I think that's true.  I do believe there were more actual people quitting baseball than quit the NFL, however.  Whether that number is significant, I don't know. 

'95 did have the Indians component to the World Series and I would guess having it back caught more eyeballs.

The rise in attendance also probably had to do with the new stadiums opening across baseball.  Cleveland had a strong attendance run in that time frame.  Expanded playoffs almost certainly made an attendance impact as well as more teams were in contention

[WhiteTrash]

I knew a lot of people who said they'd never watch the NFL again after Michael Vick came back. A few weeks later, I'm at a bar watching games with them. Plenty of people claim to have boycotted due to Kaepernick, and yet ratings continue to climb. Now, the 1994 baseball strike, that turned people off for a long time.

Not sure where ratings are at now for the NFL and it's been a few years since the Kap and related protests, but the NFL took a material hit to ratings (10%-15%) for a couple of years. I never saw that it was a direct correlation from Kap to lower ratings, but it happened at the same time. I dare say the ratings hit was a motivation for owners to not give Kap another shot.

People have short/selective memories for good products or people. Nike and Apple can pay crap wages in poor conditions overseas and we all still gobble up the products. (just two of many companies)

[Jockey]

I knew a lot of people who said they'd never watch the NFL again after Michael Vick came back. A few weeks later, I'm at a bar watching games with them. Plenty of people claim to have boycotted due to Kaepernick, and yet ratings continue to climb. Now, the 1994 baseball strike, that turned people off for a long time.

There is no comparison between Vick and Watson. Vick admitted his guilt, did his time, and apologized.

Watson has denied his guilt. Watson served no time for his crimes - in fact, he denies he committed any crime. Watson has refused to apologize.
The League and the Browns are so positive that Watson is a sexual predator and remains a threat to society that he is banned from hiring a masseuse.

[Dish]

I know most people don't, but I find value in the preseason. Small sample size for sure, but I saw absolutely nothing from Seattle last night. Bad body language, penalties, lack of talent, odd coaching. They're sitting at +750 (FD) for fewest wins, and I'm probably going to take action on it.

I think Houston will be competent, the Jags should be better. The Falcons could give the Seahawks a run (the two teams play each other in week 3).

I'll probably write up a post next week on stuff I like for this coming year, but this one really stands out to me.

[Hards Alumni]

I know most people don't, but I find value in the preseason. Small sample size for sure, but I saw absolutely nothing from Seattle last night. Bad body language, penalties, lack of talent, odd coaching. They're sitting at +750 (FD) for fewest wins, and I'm probably going to take action on it.

I think Houston will be competent, the Jags should be better. The Falcons could give the Seahawks a run (the two teams play each other in week 3).

I'll probably write up a post next week on stuff I like for this coming year, but this one really stands out to me.

It'll be between them and the Bears.

[Dish]

Tom Brady missing two weeks of training camp to go film The Masked Singer is a great conspiracy theory.

[MU82]

In the least-shocking story of the preseason, the Panthers have named Baker Mayfield their starting QB.

https://www.panthers.com/news/baker-mayfield-starter-analysis-opportunity-starter-panthers-quarterback?utm_source=email&utm_medium=email_news&utm_campaign=starting_qb_2022&utm_content=08-22&utm_term=subscriber_news

You don't make that trade if you're not gonna start him. Mayfield, the coach and the GM all have a lot on the line.

He was pretty darn good in 2020, pretty darn bad last season. Obviously, I'm hoping for the return of the former.

[JWags85]

Tom Brady missing two weeks of training camp to go film The Masked Singer is a great conspiracy theory.

I like the theory that he needed time off to have his facial fillers adjusted.  Which totally tracks.