American Football

[Martino Knockavelli]

Scandrick
Bryant
Romo
Lee
Dunbar

Smith, Witten and Frederick better keep an eye out for black cats, cos if you're irreplaceable and a Cowboy, you're getting injured.

 

[Anon]

Hoping my RB troubles are over from next week with Gurley and Foster's returns. Thought I had a nailed-on win this week but it looks like being very close...

 

[Kim Mitten]

another decision as to whether to stay up and watch tonight. I see Lynch is not expected to play, not that, that will matter, can't see anything but a Seattle win. Golden Tate reckons opposition players and coaches are calling out the Lions plays on the field - he thinks they are cheating, sorry Golden it's just how conservative and obvious Lombardi's scheme is, the number 1 reason that no matter how well the D plays (and it has played decent in 2 out of the 3 games) currently this team just won't be winning against the decent to middling teams.
As I've said before thank god for Chicago, if this squad manages to lose even to them then I'll really start despairing. Although it may get Lombardi the chop, so....

 

[TheHatter]

Hoping my RB troubles are over from next week with Gurley and Foster's returns. Thought I had a nailed-on win this week but it looks like being very close...

If it's me you're playing then I thought so too after seeing Brown and Smith combine for a whole 6 points on Thursday night to be honest.

 

[Kim Mitten]

Philbin gone in Miami, no surprise there, was a surprise they kept him on after last season. The defensive co-ordinator should go with him, how that D-Line is playing at such a level of ineptness is anyones guess.

 

[kieran_vale]

Had to happen really. Not exactly the most inspiring of coaches and never got them above the level of mediocre. Don't think it's going to change any time soon. That O-Line is absolutely hopeless and has been for a long time. With so much invested on their defensive front not as though they can do much to fix it either.

 

[Anon]

I have a lot of time for Philbin, has been through some tough stuff in his personal life and many of the coaches and players at the Packers had good things to say. That said, I didn't think the Dolphins were going to be a great fit, seemed at the time his demeanour would be better off at a smaller market team.

Can understand why he did last that long though. They were never a truly bad football team under him, 7-9 in his first season with a raw rookie QB and two 8-8s afterwards in a division playing the Patriots twice a year. Problem seemed to be there was no sign of improvement - though it can be argued that given the arrival of Suh etc the improvement should have been defensively ... which wasn't Philbin's side. Also, does that roster really smack of a playoff team being held down by Philbin? Not convinced, but not convinced Philbin will improve them either. HC purgatory.

If it's me you're playing then I thought so too after seeing Brown and Smith combine for a whole 6 points on Thursday night to be honest.

Yeah, before Thursday I looked at the line-ups and thought it would be close but couldn't believe my luck with Brown's low score, thought I had it nailed. As it is, Green Bay's defence off the waiver has really kept me in it, reckon it will be a close-run thing tonight. Even if they lose I need a competitive performance from Detroit and Megatron, and Graham to not rack it up.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

Miami must be pretty low down the pecking order as far as intensity of markets go. If he's not a fit there then the pickings are pretty slim.

I agree that (as usual in the NFL) firing him is a bit of Titanic deck chair re-arranging in the face of much deeper organisational/roster type problems, but he's been there 3 and a bit seasons now, and it's hard to see what he's bringing to the organisation, and Tannehill is going backwards.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

Great moment in MNF history just occurred. Gruden and Tirico yukking it up over footage of the former playing catch with a fish at the market, followed by abrupt transition to sombre oh dear faces when they belatedly realised Tyrunn Walker had gruesomely snapped his ankle in half on the previous play.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

Thoughts and prayers, Kim Mitten.

 

[Anon]

Well that Calvin fumble/ref decision cost me dear. 2 games in a row where I've lost by less than a point

Bad times for the Lions, Ngata and Ebron injured too.

 

[Kim Mitten]

ARHHHHHH - well I didn't watch it all, so caught up with the rest. The Seahawks like getting calls against NFC North don't they!! Defence was great, such a shame we have no offense yet some of the best players on O in the whole of the NFL. They looked utterly lost that side of the ball, and quite frankly I think it's got to the stage where they don't want to play for Lombardi, it's not just his calls there seems a lack of effort as well. I think it's more depressing when the HC is arguably one of the best offensive co-oridnators of the past 20 years, just get ride of Lombardi and call the plays yourself Caldwell.
Hoping this season is now just tanked, make sure they are top 5-10 in the draft. Get rid of Lombardi and all the offense coaches and start again. Oh and also pray Teryl Austin doesn't get a HC job.

 

[Bobbin']

Thankfully I was out all day Sunday so missed another classic Texans performance.

4 games in and we're back to Hoyer and a trip to Indy on Thursday night where we have never won so it keeps getting better.

On the plus side, fantasy is going well and have just racked up my third consecutive most satisfying player trophy.

 

[Anon]

Makes you wonder if they should have, or at least tried to (if they didn't) keep Fitzpatrick; not that he's a lot better than Mallet or Hoyer, but still a tad better. On another note I can't believe Fitzpatrick is only 32, feels like he's at least 2-3 years older to me.

---

Glad two of my ELEVEN waiver wire targets came through. Desperate times, as is my hawking of Frank Gore at every opportunity...

 

[kieran_vale]

Well that Calvin fumble/ref decision cost me dear. 2 games in a row where I've lost by less than a point

Bad times for the Lions, Ngata and Ebron injured too.

Looks like it ain't cost you in the end Jimbob. Think there must have been a stat correction on the fumble as you're showing as winning that now.

Only undefeated team left in fantasy though may struggle this week.

 

[TheHatter]

Ah gutted, didn't know they could take back a win like that, was a close run thing that. The unbeaten team should be fine for next week though, I've got 2 Cleveland Browns and a Buc in my starting line up.

 

[Anon]

Ah gutted, didn't know they could take back a win like that, was a close run thing that. The unbeaten team should be fine for next week though, I've got 2 Cleveland Browns and a Buc in my starting line up.

Wow, can't believe that. Massive bonus.

Looking at the points I don't think mine changed, but maybe you dropped a couple of points, Hatter? I don't think my points for Megatron changed...

 

[Bobbin']

Makes you wonder if they should have, or at least tried to (if they didn't) keep Fitzpatrick; not that he's a lot better than Mallet or Hoyer, but still a tad better. On another note I can't believe Fitzpatrick is only 32, feels like he's at least 2-3 years older to me.

---

Glad two of my ELEVEN waiver wire targets came through. Desperate times, as is my hawking of Frank Gore at every opportunity...

I genuinely think we would be a lot better off had we just kept Fitzpatrick.

Hoyer is just crap. Mallett has supposedly got potential, I haven't really seen it yet, he dawdles too long, panics in the pocket and I fail to see how his 'big arm' is an asset as no-one can catch what he's throwing at them!

Surely we will do absolutely everything to address the QB position next year.

 

[TheHatter]

Wow, can't believe that. Massive bonus.

Looking at the points I don't think mine changed, but maybe you dropped a couple of points, Hatter? I don't think my points for Megatron changed...

Yeah I had 71 and it's dropped down a couple, not sure where they've disappeared from tbh.

 

[Anon]

Looks like the two were dropped from the Seahawks D. Our game center recap page lists Seahawks with 9, but on the box score view it says 7...

 

[.V.]

http://dailysnark.com/fox-sports-katie-nolan-calls-greg-hardy-guns-blazing-remark/

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

I'm not sure why everyone insists on leading with the "guns blazing" bit. That's like going with "MAN BREAKS LEG" for a story about a fully laden jet-liner flying into a mountain.

 

[kieran_vale]

Aye, not sure what the big deal is with that. Seems a very tenuous link to be honest. Could do without the whole comments about Brady's wife that he made I have to admit. The Cowboys probably could do with maybe coaching him media wise to just do a Belichick on them and say very little.

Looks like Luck is sitting tonights game again. If the Texans can't win tonight with the Colts having a banged up Matt Hasselbeck under centre then I can see them being a very strong shout for the #1 draft pick. As big a fan of BO'B as I am I think he needs to look at how he's handled business since the off season especially when it came to the QB position.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

Well, I should be clear, I do think it's a big deal. He was found guilty of doing something extremely unpleasant, but wangled his way out of it thanks to the vicissitudes of the appeals system and his bank account. Since then he has demonstrated (publicly, at least) precisely zero understanding that he did anything wrong, much less any sense of contrition about the whole affair, of which his survey of opponents' boffable arm-candy is the latest evidence.

All of that should be being talked about. So should the incident as another symptom of Komissar Iron Fist Goodell's unerring ability to shit into his own hat at every turn when it comes to disciplinary matters. And so should the Cowboys' willingness to abandon whatever Netherlands-ish sliver of moral high ground remains in this open sewer of a league in favour of picking up a cheap pass rusher.

So she's right. (and it's good that a major NFL rights holder is giving its bods the leeway to say it too, tho less edifying that even 'serious' sports comment has to come marinaded in pre-emptive snark now... "Hi Cowboys fans"...).

But, in the face of this Everest of shit, it seems a little odd to me that one would choose to begin by decrying the careless use of a common idiom. Particularly since a never-not-topical image of violence is implicit in the idiom whoever is using it.

 

[RavenBish]

This Greg Hardy thing aside, Katie Nolan is proper shite int she? Not sure if we've discussed her on here before, so I thought I'd give my long-awaited contribution to this serious topic.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

Anyone who launches a career by pointing out that Rick Reilly is an enormous ninny can't be _all_ bad.

What sports #hottake-ers employed by major networks are actually good?

- Bomani Jones
- Dan Lebatard (kinda)

???

>>>>

- Scott Van Pelt
- Michael Smith (except for that time he thought Flecha flying into the barbed wire fence was hilarious)
- Jackie McMullan

This is the official LIST. I will edit onto it if I think of any more.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

Hasselbeck ILL. (NFLN pre-game is making out like he just emerged from 18 hours of chemotherapy or summat).

This game is going to be shitacular.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

Game summary:

Colts = Bad
Texans = Bad
Mallet = Team Mate of the Year

> Hoyer actually did a decent job tonight. And then he iced the game with about as bad an INT as you'll see all year. Just a brainless floater downfield to no-one when they had a chance to tie the game. GJGE.

 

[Bobbin']

 

[Anon]

I'm a bit more forgiving of O'Brien when it comes to the quarterback position switches. Yeah he's flip-flopped, but that's cos the QBs are both gash. Gashness breeds indecision...