NFL & College Football 2012/2013/2014 & beyond....

[never/ever]

It's bizarre, isn't it? It's also a tribute to the support cast- I mean, Chris Hogan, Danny Amendola and especially Jacob Edelman come up with the goods every time- Gronk's not even needed. And take Bell out of the game and double-team Brown and Pittsburgh is (almost) nowhere!

[Diamond Dog]

Brady absolutely owns Pittsburgh. Isn't he something crazy like 22-0 against them in his career?

Actually only 10-2.

[Six String]

This Green Bay/Atlanta game is not turning into much of a game.

Astonishing. Ryan is the lead rusher in the game! Falcons D looks much better than advertised. Jones is a marvel.

Yeah, that D of Atlanta's made a big difference. If GB could have done similarly it would have made it more interesting. Ryan was great.

[sloopjohnc]

This Green Bay/Atlanta game is not turning into much of a game.

Astonishing. Ryan is the lead rusher in the game! Falcons D looks much better than advertised. Jones is a marvel.

Yeah, that D of Atlanta's made a big difference. If GB could have done similarly it would have made it more interesting. Ryan was great.

And they start like four rookies on defense. One thing to remember, while Quinn doesn't have the legion of doom, he was D-Coordinator when Seahawks faced Pats. Pats also has good defense - should be interesting.

Last game, Pats ran 19 of an offensive formation, they'd only run 10 times the whole season.

[Six String]

Astonishing. Ryan is the lead rusher in the game! Falcons D looks much better than advertised. Jones is a marvel.

Yeah, that D of Atlanta's made a big difference. If GB could have done similarly it would have made it more interesting. Ryan was great.

And they start like four rookies on defense. One thing to remember, while Quinn doesn't have the legion of doom, he was D-Coordinator when Seahawks faced Pats. Pats also has good defense - should be interesting.

Last game, Pats ran 19 of an offensive formation, they'd only run 10 times the whole season.

I usually prefer the playoffs to the SB but this year the SB may be the better of the three games.

[sloopjohnc]

Yeah, that D of Atlanta's made a big difference. If GB could have done similarly it would have made it more interesting. Ryan was great.

And they start like four rookies on defense. One thing to remember, while Quinn doesn't have the legion of doom, he was D-Coordinator when Seahawks faced Pats. Pats also has good defense - should be interesting.

Last game, Pats ran 19 of an offensive formation, they'd only run 10 times the whole season.

I usually prefer the playoffs to the SB but this year the SB may be the better of the three games.

The last few have been pretty good.

[Diamond Dog]

Yeah besides the Seahawks/Broncos blowout (and last years Broncos/Carolinas dull match) the SB has been pretty spectacular over the past decade or so.

[sloopjohnc]

Watched some clips from the Pro Bowl dodgeball game they're holding. Pretty cool.

[Six String]

Yeah besides the Seahawks/Broncos blowout (and last years Broncos/Carolinas dull match) the SB has been pretty spectacular over the past decade or so.

I guess I still have last year's in my mind. There have been some good ones in recent years.

[never/ever]

First backpacks, now drones...
Not good.

[Diamond Dog]

Dronegate...

Anyway - I've a feeling it's going to be 31-24 to the Patriots.


I don't want it to be but..... whilst I can see the Pats stopping something in that Falcons offense enough to keep it in check, I fear the Patriots and Brady (and his supporting cast) may just dominate the Atlanta D and secure an early lead and not look back.

[Jumper K]

No Don Coryell in the HOF. Ignored again. A blooming travesty.

[Diamond Dog]

No Don Coryell in the HOF. Ignored again. A blooming travesty.

It's strange isn't it? Y'know what with how the game has progressed in the pass.... surely Coryell deserves the recognition a pioneer ought to have.

Of those on the list that didn't make it....John Lynch, Alan Faneca and Isaac Bruce could well be considered to have a stronger case than Terrell Davis, for instance or Brian Dawkins actually. I loved Davis and for two or three years he was magical but.... his overall stats aren't *that* incredible and he did have a very short career (not by his own choice, obviously). And he ran behind one of the great scheming O Lines in the games history too. Dawkins only played seven seasons too and I really can't see how he got selected in front of others.

Good to see Tomlinson get in first time though Frank - one of the great great running backs.

[sloopjohnc]

Dronegate...

Anyway - I've a feeling it's going to be 31-24 to the Patriots.


I don't want it to be but..... whilst I can see the Pats stopping something in that Falcons offense enough to keep it in check, I fear the Patriots and Brady (and his supporting cast) may just dominate the Atlanta D and secure an early lead and not look back.

This morning, watching pre-game shows already, they're talking about how the Patriots stopped the Rams - the greatest show on turf. The Falcons offensive stats are better than that team's though.

While the Pats have the history, Dan Quinn, the Falcons' coach has been there too, as the Seahawks D-Coordinator. They're defense reminds me of the '81 Niners, lots of young guys who bring it.

I'm thinking it may be Falcons by 6 or 7: 35-28, or 30-24.

[sloopjohnc]

No Don Coryell in the HOF. Ignored again. A blooming travesty.

It's strange isn't it? Y'know what with how the game has progressed in the pass.... surely Coryell deserves the recognition a pioneer ought to have.

Of those on the list that didn't make it....John Lynch, Alan Faneca and Isaac Bruce could well be considered to have a stronger case than Terrell Davis, for instance or Brian Dawkins actually. I loved Davis and for two or three years he was magical but.... his overall stats aren't *that* incredible and he did have a very short career (not by his own choice, obviously). And he ran behind one of the great scheming O Lines in the games history too. Dawkins only played seven seasons too and I really can't see how he got selected in front of others.

Good to see Tomlinson get in first time though Frank - one of the great great running backs.

Kurt Warner and Terrell Davis should'nt have gotten it, in my opinion. Warner had gaudy stats, but it was the systems that gave them to him. Davis, for why you stated.

Lynch should've gotten in - nine times in Pro Bowl. WTF?

I'm glad Easley got in - He was as good and hard hitting as Lott and was the gold standard at his position. I remember watching him play at UCLA and he was a stud there.

I'm fine with Andersen - but Joe Jacoby should've gotten in vs. Warner. He was one of the main "hogs" on those Redskins teams with Riggins in the backfield.

[Diamond Dog]

Kurt Warner and Terrell Davis should'nt have gotten it, in my opinion. Warner had gaudy stats, but it was the systems that gave them to him. Davis, for why you stated.

Lynch should've gotten in - nine times in Pro Bowl. WTF?

I'm glad Easley got in - He was as good and hard hitting as Lott and was the gold standard at his position. I remember watching him play at UCLA and he was a stud there.

I'm fine with Andersen - but Joe Jacoby should've gotten in vs. Warner. He was one of the main "hogs" on those Redskins teams with Riggins in the backfield.

Warner is borderline I agree - for me gets it because of The Rams but, more importantly, what he did with The Cardinals too. But I do see why others think not.

I'm not sure what Lynch has to do to get there - he was an absolute beast in a great career and certainly one of the best in that position that I can recall.

Maybe I was being harsh on Easley - I've had a look back again and you're probably right John.

You don't need to sell Jacoby to me! That was the first team I loved in the NFL and I've been a follower since the 82 team.... the O Line was one of the reasons I got to love the technical side of the game... and Riggins was my first NFL hero too.

[Diamond Dog]

Interesting stat - best offence for 'yards after the catch'? New England. Worse defence for 'yards after the catch'? Atlanta Falcons.

That might just be the most important difference tonight.

[sloopjohnc]

Interesting stat - best offence for 'yards after the catch'? New England. Worse defence for 'yards after the catch'? Atlanta Falcons.

That might just be the most important difference tonight.

I'd like to see that stat first half of season vs. second half for Falcons. Also, because the Falcons scored so much, other teams had to pass to catch up or stay with them. And they were playing lots of rookies - like I wrote, I'd like to see how they improved because they stopped Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers.

It's going to be shootout - if you look at offensive stats, Falcons and Pats were both in top three.

[Diamond Dog]

Well I'm not sure of the difference first to second half of the season.... but... if they were in front for most of the games in the second half of the season, you'd expect 'yards after the catch' to actually improve because you'd be taking less risks and less chance of leaving players one-on-one and giving away yards after the catch, wouldn't you?

As for Wilson and Rodgers... the Seahawks offence is very very ordinary. Their D wins the matches for them.

Stopping Rodgers was of course impressive - but I did get the distinct feeling that was one game too many for the Packers. They looked drained, top to bottom.

As I said John - I think it will be a good, close game. I just worry that the comparison of offence v offence and defence v defence is in New England's favour. And I believe the Pats D is more likely to hold up than the Atlanta D.

But I sincerely hope I'm wrong!

[Six String]

Me too!