American Football

[kieran_vale]

Fuck me I shudder to think how many Ridley would have had if he played for someone else then.

Nice to see the focus slowly moving towards the actual football now. Seriously two weeks of Brady legacy talk or Sherman v Revis would have been just about preferable to this.

And just now on NFLN after a week it's good to see Kraft finally throw his weight behind BB and TFB. About time.

 

[kieran_vale]

Pats bit of media day now done. Was worth watching purely to see BB answer what his favourite stuffed toy is and also Gronk reading an excerpt from "A Gronking To Remember".

I hope Beast Mode does his usual "thanks for asking" routine now at every question during the Seattle part.

 

[kieran_vale]

Or "I'm just here so I won't get fined" over and over and over...

Great stuff Beast Mode, this is actually great to watch especially given how many of them had gone to his podium initially.

 

[RavenBish]

He's a fucking bellend. Just be a normal human being and act with some decency politeness. It's a contrived act that gets him more attention and he loves it, you can tell. The Seahawks are just cocks, I have no idea how anyone could possibly love them as a neutral. Sherman is a fucking cretin.

 

[Anon]

He's a fucking bellend. Just be a normal human being and act with some decency politeness. It's a contrived act that gets him more attention and he loves it, you can tell. The Seahawks are just cocks, I have no idea how anyone could possibly love them as a neutral. Sherman is a fucking cretin.

Completely agreed with you on Lynch, although I don't mind Sherman's schtick. He'll always be a cheat, but at least he's an interesting cheat.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

More power to Lynch. If the NFL were fining me 5 figures every time I broke wind in the wrong direction and then selling pictures of me doing it I wouldn't play the good little soldier during their circuses either.

As performance art in the face of dictats from idiot suits go it's not drawing doodles during meetings and then posting them on the internet, but hey!

 

[RavenBish]

More power to Lynch. If the NFL were fining me 5 figures every time I broke wind in the wrong direction and then selling pictures of me doing it I wouldn't play the good little soldier during their circuses either.

As performance art in the face of dictats from idiot suits go it's not drawing doodles during meetings and then posting them on the internet, but hey!

Never during a meeting Carel, that would be suicide. Meh, I don't really see it that way, today was 4 minutes of questions where reporters get nothing from you anyway, just be polite and answer the questions. I really don't see the whole thing about getting fined in the first place, it's something you have to do. At any job there comes the time where you have to do something you don't fancy and the world would be a shitty place if no-one had the common courtesy to just go along with it for 4 and a half minutes.

 

[Renegade]

I find it hard to believe he doesn't like the attention when he takes velvet ropes out of his boot after he parks his Lamborghini. I think he just enjoys acting like a bellend.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

^^ Well that's where we differ. Cos I think the world would be a much better place if we all said no to the petty impositions and pointless obligations that chip away our souls one miserable day at a time.

 

[RavenBish]

4 minutes with the media doesn't fit under that category though

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

It absolutely does. It's a farce. It's a circle jerk of the media covering themselves covering themselves covering themselves with an athlete at the event horizon of the black hole. It's channel 876 asking what your favourite puppet is. Nothing of value comes of it. Which might be alright if it were an amusing little sideshow that we could all have a wee chuckle about, but the NFL, quasi-fascistic (and avowedly "distraction" averse, lest we forget) empire of doom that it is, threatens a fine of half a chuffing milly (!) if you skip it.

Behaving in such a way as to communicate your contempt for the entire charade isn't being a bellend, it's the only sane response. And (short of ordering an anonymous Glitter Retribution to Goodell Towers) it's just about the only avenue of protest a player has left. You can tell me what to do at every turn, you can fine me via kangeroo court for every tiny transgression, you can make me unemployed at a moments notice, you can even tell me what headphones I'm allowed to wear. But today, for 5 minutes, I'm going to be disobedient in a harmless, inoffensive, yet high profile and symbolic fashion, and there's nothing the lot of you bastards can do it about.

GOOD.

 

[Kim Mitten]

I'm with Carel on Lynch and the media. The American sports writers are certainly, for the most part, head and shoulders above their English counterparts - but most of their questioning is the same inane drivel we get every year - why should Lynch, or anyone else for that matter, HAVE to turn up, it should be optional, or there should be a selection from the squad that answers questions - that includes everyone, not just the stars.
I'd say he likes the attention as to how he acts on the field, but then its rare to get the 'superstar' players that don't. Last 30 years I can really only think of Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson of the elite that have really, really shyed away from the media.

 

[Anon]

Lynch works by proxy for the NFL. NFL wants media access to promote their game, and sets the terms for their employees. Lynch is more than welcome to come out with his usual thing, but that doesn't mean he's somehow fighting the good fight on a greater moral ground, or that he's not being a knob.

 

[Anon]

On Deflategate, Kraft came out with some nonsense about the NFL having to apologise if nothing comes of it. As i thought, his statement doesn't add anything and was pointless - no point making a statement for sake of making a statement.

What exactly have the NFL got to apologise for? Investigating a broken rule? They've not accused anyone yet...

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

Lynch works by proxy for the NFL. NFL wants media access to promote their game, and sets the terms for their employees. Lynch is more than welcome to come out with his usual thing, but that doesn't mean he's somehow fighting the good fight on a greater moral ground, or that he's not being a knob.

Are you being obtuse? I know who he works for. That's precisely my point: that the terms that they set out are (often) inane and an imposition, and speak to an attitude of treating employees like chattel.

But fear not, cos when the Randian superheroes get a pebble in their shoe in their eye we've got Americans for Prosperity alumni like you and Ravenbish to come along and remind us that the chap wot put it there is a knob, a fucking bellend, he just loves the attention, why can't he wind his neck in, the world would be such a better place if we all just gritted our teeth and did what we were told...

 

[kieran_vale]

On Deflategate, Kraft came out with some nonsense about the NFL having to apologise if nothing comes of it. As i thought, his statement doesn't add anything and was pointless - no point making a statement for sake of making a statement.

What exactly have the NFL got to apologise for? Investigating a broken rule? They've not accused anyone yet...

There was a couple of major things it achieved. Firstly and most importantly it showed solidarity with the greatest Head Coach and Quarterback partnership in the history of the game. Secondly note the words about finding definitive proof. The onus is now on the NFL to provide evidence and not their usual low burden of proof as they know this will now be fought every step of the way not meekly accepted like we did over Spygate. And lets face it, given Goodell answers to the owners Kraft is probably not an enemy he wants to make one would suggest.

As for the NFL and what they have to apologise for. Try all these leaks that keep getting made to the media but as of yet it's notable nothing has been stated officially. We still don't know how many of the balls were actually deflated aside from one (now disputed) report from Mortensen. They should damn well apologise for that for a start.

On a side issue am loving the 24/7 NFL programming on Sky Sports 3, never would thought would have got this sort of coverage even say 3 years ago.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

I don't kno why they don't stick the Top 10s, Greatest Games etc on more regularly. They've obviously got the rights to them, and we used to get them a few years back. This year we've only had A Football Life on and for the 2 or 3 years before than it was America's Game being repeated over and over. It's not like they've got the sponsorship issues of Total Access. Makes no sense to me.

 

[Renegade]

You can't access the archives of NFL Top 10 on GamePass either. Pretty annoying, as I prefer these shows to the overly emotive documentaries we do have access to.

 

[Anon]

There was a couple of major things it achieved. Firstly and most importantly it showed solidarity with the greatest Head Coach and Quarterback partnership in the history of the game. Secondly note the words about finding definitive proof. The onus is now on the NFL to provide evidence and not their usual low burden of proof as they know this will now be fought every step of the way not meekly accepted like we did over Spygate. And lets face it, given Goodell answers to the owners Kraft is probably not an enemy he wants to make one would suggest.

As for the NFL and what they have to apologise for. Try all these leaks that keep getting made to the media but as of yet it's notable nothing has been stated officially. We still don't know how many of the balls were actually deflated aside from one (now disputed) report from Mortensen. They should damn well apologise for that for a start.

On a side issue am loving the 24/7 NFL programming on Sky Sports 3, never would thought would have got this sort of coverage even say 3 years ago.

Before the statement, I would have assumed Kraft was fully and unquestionably behind HC and QB until/unless event details surface. I wouldn't have thought a statement from him would be needed to allay Pats fans fears that he might be ready to throw them under the bus etc. Statement for statement sake, pointing fingers when nothing officially had even been pointed at them.

Leaks happen, always, from every org, and are almost impossible to stop. You think the NFL deliberately leaked info to create a storm of accusations against the Pats, and that they somehow wanted to create/embellish a controversy on top of everything that's happened... in the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl? They've - as of yet - done 100% nothing to apologise for.

 

[.V.]

https://medium.com/the-cauldron/an-open-letter-to-charles-barkley-co-cb5c4e64cf3

 

[Kim Mitten]

https://medium.com/the-cauldron/an-open-letter-to-charles-barkley-co-cb5c4e64cf3

His letter is actually a little bit sad for me, I work in mental health, and that reads like my patients at points in their life where they just can't work it out. They never had a 'problem' either, but just like Josh, kept taking drugs, when they stopped, kept hanging around with the same 'friends' who dragged them further down - couldn't keep their hands off a drink even though it would cost them a job. Until he can work out that he does have a problem just by behaving in this self destructive manner, then I fear he will never work it out. I wish him luck, and hope he can find some people to help him out, because he clearly can't help himself.

 

[Renegade]

Fair play to him, the media backlash over his and many other professional athletes extraneous activities is often hyperbolic and offensive to an absurd level. Refreshing to see someone reply to these hack social commentators, I think he articulated himself very well. He doesn't come across as an addict or a victim to me, just a bit of a fool that doesn't always think. It would be nice to see the NFL relax their ridiculously harsh policy on substance abuse, the guy is only 23 years old for fuck sake, get off his back.

 

[kieran_vale]

I feel for Josh Gordon in the sense that it seems this time it was failing an alcohol test which seems to be a new thing brought in as part of the new agreement with the NFL and NFLPA. I also agree with him about some of these media talking heads like Stephen A Smith etc. That said even knowing what the rules were and it could cost him millions of dollars he has still gone and made some daft decisions. Only hope he can sort himself out properly as like with Justin Blackmon it would be a real shame to see such a talented players career go down the toilet.

Have just seen the referees press conference ahead of the Super Bowl. The following link below is an exchange about the Pats ineligible receiver formation as apparently there is a new signal in place for it, this has all the potential of being a major clusterfuck given the refs and their own boss can't agree on it.

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/...ean_blandino_not_on_same_page_with_ineligible

In addition to that Blandino has now admitted they don't log the PSI levels of the footballs pre-game just either approve or disapprove them. So we will never know what the Pats balls actually were at game time. What a complete joke the NFL is.

 

[Destruction]

You can get 22/1 that Perry's tits fall out during the HT show.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

Kyler Murray stuck with A&M after all. BURN IT ALL DOWN.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

I'm off to watch to me bros for the weekend to watch the game. Y'all have fun.

 

[TomPNE94]

I'm off to watch to me bros for the weekend to watch the game. Y'all have fun.

what does this even mean??

 

[Craig]

We've got the box back an all ffs.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

You've edited my post there Tom. There's no way I typed that nonsense.

 

[Kim Mitten]

Teddy Bridgewater wins 'Rookie of the Year'. That's one of the poorest choices I can think of for a long long time. Watkins or Evans would have been a better choice, so would Carr, even Beckham Jr with missed games.