NFL Discussion Forumtable

[The Man in Blak 0]

1. If the team only had six drives in a game, it's very likely that they would have lost, unless all of those drives were lengthy series that led to a score.

 

2. I think that, as a result of having more successful scoring drives than non-scoring ones, Indy's "average real time per drive" is higher than you'd think. Remember, there are plenty of drives that end up with a punt after a half dozen plays or less that bring the defense back out onto the field in a hurry.

 

Time of possession is kind of misapplied in football analysis (even I felt lazy and used it in my original post, even though the first down numbers support what I was saying). Big gaps in TOP between teams usually signify defensive dominance by one team, but most games don't have that big of a divide.

[MrRant 0]

ESPN Power Rankings

 

1 (1) Colts 9-0-0 Baby steps to a better defense. In the last two games, the Colts have allowed just 129.5 yards per game and 4 yards an attempt compared to 167.9 and 5.4 in the first seven games.

 

2 (3) Bears 8-1-0 Weird, didn't hear Plaxico Burress talking too much after the game. Now it seems pretty safe to say that the NFC's road to Super Bowl XLI will end up going through Chicago.

 

3 (5) Chargers 7-2-0 Obviously having LaDainian Tomlinson helps, but Philip Rivers is just flat-out good.

 

4 (2) Broncos 7-2-0 Jake Plummer still has to make Broncos fans nervous. Do you have any confidence that he can get you three or four wins in the playoffs without coughing up a game?

 

5 (7) Ravens 7-2-0 Ravens lurking outside the spotlight, but Steve McNair (aka Capt. Comeback) has Ravens believing anything is possible.

 

6 (4) Patriots 6-3-0 The Patriots seem to be making a mistake or two a game that they're just not good enough to overcome. Sunday's big one was Doug Gabriel's fumble deep in Jets territory. You can't fumble away chances to score points in the NFL.

 

7 (12) Seahawks 6-3-0 Seneca Wallace acquitted himself pretty well in place of Matt Hasselbeck. At the least he's proved that he's a legit NFL backup.

 

8 (6) Giants 6-3-0 The injuries just keep pilling up for the Giants. This week it's OT Luke Petitgout (broken leg), who was lost for the season. The Giants are still in good position to make the playoffs, but who knows what kind of shape they'll be in when they get there.

 

9 (8) Saints 6-3-0 Even in a loss, it's oh so obvious that Drew Brees is the best free-agent signing of the season. He's emerged as the Saints' leader and best player.

 

10 (15) Cowboys 5-4-0 So far, so good for Tony Romo. In three starts he's completing over 67 percent (68-101) of his passes and has throw five TDs and just one INT.

 

11 (16) Eagles 5-4-0 Two weeks ago the Eagles had lost three straight and were reeling, now, they're just one game behind the beat-up Giants and right back in it. Just another example of how up-and-down the NFL season can be.

 

12 (14) Panthers 5-4-0 The Panthers are sort of starting to look like the team everyone thought they would be in the preseason.

 

13 (11) Chiefs 5-4-0 Damon Huard or Trent Green? It's clear that it really doesn't matter that much if Larry Johnson and the ground game aren't up to speed.

 

14 (19) Jets 5-4-0 Very impressive performance by the Jets' defense. Tom Brady was under pressure all game and hardly ever had enough time to do what he wanted. Eric Mangini is moving to the top of any coach of the year discussions.

 

15 (9) Falcons 5-4-0 Warrick Dunn's words after the Cleveland loss should frighten Falcons' fans: "They played hard for 60 minutes. We played hard for a half. Unfortunately."

 

16 (10) Jaguars 5-4-0 Sideline fighting. Dumb penalties. Drops. Off-field issues. If "football is 10 percent physical. The rest is mental," as Ernest Wilford says, then the Jags may be in big, big trouble.

 

17 (13) Bengals 4-5-0 Bengals DT Bryan Robinson said he yelled "Do we need 50 points from our offense to win?" while on the sideline. One 49-41 loss later, the answer was apparently yes.

 

18 (17) Rams 4-5-0 Even at 4-5 and stuck in a four-game losing streak, the Rams are still in the NFC playoff hunt. Whether they can turn their season around will be a huge test for rookie coach Scott Linehan.

 

19 (24) Steelers 3-6-0 Just for comparison's sake: The 2005 Steelers averaged 25 points and surrendered just 16 per game through nine games. The '06 Steelers average 24 points but give up 23 a game. Discuss amongst yourselves now.

 

20 (22) Packers 4-5-0 Brett Favre sprinting to the end zone to toss Donald Driver over his shoulder and carry him around after an 82-yard TD pass is a snapshot of just how much fun Favre is having this year.

 

21 (25) Dolphins 3-6-0 They almost certainly dug too big a hole to make the playoffs, but the Dolphins are going to be a team that nobody wants to play in the second half.

 

22 (23) 49ers 4-5-0 Whatever the 49ers' defense changed the last two weeks, it's working. In their five previous games the 49ers gave up 188 points. In their last two games they've given up just 16.

 

23 (18) Vikings 4-5-0 This was supposed to be the easy part of the schedule. Instead Vikes stub their toe on San Francisco and Green Bay with Miami on deck.

 

24 (30) Browns 3-6-0 Winning one in a row has made Braylon Edwards cocky. "We're coming after their [BUTT]. You don't beat somebody 41-0 [in 2005] at their own house. We're coming for the Steelers. Point-blank, period."

 

25 (20) Redskins 3-6-0 Jason Campbell might not make the Redskins any better right now, but at some point he had to play.

 

26 (28) Texans 3-6-0 Six of Houston's 21 franchise wins have come against Jacksonville and this is the second time in the past three seasons the Texans have swept the Jags. Or, in other words, Jacksonville is Houston's red-headed stepchild.

 

27 (21) Bills 3-6-0 As they showed Sunday against the Colts, the Bills are a team that can't be taken lightly. They'll upset a playoff-bound team at some point over the next seven weeks.

 

28 (27) Buccaneers 2-7-0 Last night's game on MNF snapped a 25-month streak between appearances. That's nothing. The Bucs once went 15 years (1983-98) between MNF appearances.

 

29 (29) Titans 2-7-0 Vince Young keeps making plays (see TD pass to Bo Scaife as he's getting sacked by three Ravens) that makes you wonder if Tennessee didn't actually end up with the best player in the draft.

 

30 (26) Lions 2-7-0 We're still looking for something positive to say about the Lions after that effort against the 49ers. Can you check back with us next week?

 

31 (31) Raiders 2-7-0 OK, Andrew Walter might be right about the Raiders' offense, but when you've only started eight games, popping off might not be the best idea.

 

32 (32) Cardinals 1-8-0 We decided to try to find something positive for the Cardinals this week and this was the best we could do: Edgerrin James averaged over 4 yards per carry Sunday (15 carries for 68 yards) for the first time all season.

[Guest Felonies!]

The Patriots are switching to rubber-tire-turf just in time for the Bears game. So much for the elements, huh. I have this bad feeling that everybody is going to be on this stuff in five years except the Packers, who have sworn up and down that there will always be natural grass on Lambeau, so props to them for that. Seriously, though, that artificial surface at the Meadowlands looks like total shit. Since it's working double duty, the whole thing just looks grey now. It's like the NFL is going backwards: for a while there, everybody outdoors was ripping out the carpet and playing on grass, like the Eagles, Bengals, Ravens, Giants/Jets, and so on, but now they're all going to FieldTurf, which is better than carpet on concrete like the old Vet's turf, but it's not the same.

[JaMarcus Russell's #1 Caucasian Fan 0]

LT is the mvp. He is the second best running back of the last 20 years.

 

LT is good, but of the last 20 years is a bit of a strech for me. He hasnt passed Emmitt Smith, Barry Sanders, Marcus Allen, Eric Dickerson or even Curtis Martin yet. Lets see what he does in the next 5 years or so. Anyways being a die hard and suffering Raiders fan, I would give the MVP nod to LT. He has been tearing us apart since he came into the league in 01.

 

Come to think of it, who do think got the better of the deal in the 2001 Michael Vick sweeptakes, San Diego or Atlanta?

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

LT is the mvp. He is the second best running back of the last 20 years.

 

LT is good, but of the last 20 years is a bit of a strech for me. He hasnt passed Emmitt Smith, Barry Sanders, Marcus Allen, Eric Dickerson or even Curtis Martin yet. Lets see what he does in the next 5 years or so. Anyways being a die hard and suffering Raiders fan, I would give the MVP nod to LT. He has been tearing us apart since he came into the league in 01.

 

Come to think of it, who do think got the better of the deal in the 2001 Michael Vick sweeptakes, San Diego or Atlanta?

 

Emmitt Smith is one of the most overrated running backs ever. Seriously.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

San Diego, definitely. They got Tomlinson and Brees that draft, which was a real ballsy thing to do.

[snuffbox 0]

LT is better than all those guys 'cept Barry. Enjoy this opportunity to watch him play.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

LT is the mvp. He is the second best running back of the last 20 years.

 

LT is good, but of the last 20 years is a bit of a strech for me. He hasnt passed Emmitt Smith, Barry Sanders, Marcus Allen, Eric Dickerson or even Curtis Martin yet. Lets see what he does in the next 5 years or so. Anyways being a die hard and suffering Raiders fan, I would give the MVP nod to LT. He has been tearing us apart since he came into the league in 01.

 

Come to think of it, who do think got the better of the deal in the 2001 Michael Vick sweeptakes, San Diego or Atlanta?

 

Emmitt Smith is one of the most overrated running backs ever. Seriously.

 

The all time leader in rushing yards (the holy grail of NFL records) and one of the most integral components in a superbowl dynasty. Get real with that overrated nonsense.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Look at his line. A 5 year old would get the record behind that line. You get real. Now Barry Sanders, that man was amazing, considering his line was shitty, and was still able to come very close to the record while still in his prime.

[snuffbox 0]

Emmitt would still be chasing that record, probably as a backup in Oakland, if Barry Sanders hadnt retired.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

That's an awful lot of ifs and unfair contingencies, I think. I rate Barry Sanders higher, too, but to discredit Smith because he was on a great team is pretty ridiculous argument to make. Walter Payton had a good offensive line, too. So does Peyton Manning.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

I posed this situation elsewhere, so lets see what people here think:

 

Fix the Raiders in two seasons or less.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

He's good, I admit, but he's not as good as a lot of people credit him with. They just look at his record, "Oh there it is, he's the best ever!" just because he was fortunate enough to have management to put together a hell of a line for him. I mean really, some of those guys are Hall of Fame type linemen, most were perennial Pro Bowlers.

[naiwf 0]

Come to think of it, who do think got the better of the deal in the 2001 Michael Vick sweeptakes, San Diego or Atlanta?

 

The only people who think Atlanta got the better deal are relatives of Michael Vick, his agent, and fans of the Atlanta Falcons. It's not even close.

 

How you could make a list of the best backs of the last 20 years and include Curtis Martin and omit Marshall Faulk is beyond me. LT in his brief career has already surpassed Curtis Martin as a complete player even if he never plays another down.

 

Allen - 221 games - 3,022 carries, 12,243 yds, 4.1 YPC, 123 TD & 587 rec, 5411 yds, 21 TD

Dickerson - 146 games - 2,996 carries, 13,259 yds, 4.4 YPC, 90 TD & 281 rec, 2137 yds, 6 TD

Faulk - 176 games - 2,836 carries, 12,279 yds, 4.3 YPC, 100 TD & 767 rec, 6875 yds, 36 TD

Martin - 168 games - 3,518 carries, 14,101 yds, 4.0 YPC, 90 TD & 484 rec, 3329 yds, 10 TD

Sanders - 153 games - 3,062 carries, 15,269 yds, 5.0 YPC, 99 TD & 352 rec, 2921 yds, 10 TD

Smith - 226 games - 4,409 carries, 18,355 yds, 4.2 YPC, 164 TD & 515 rec, 3224 yds, 11 TD

 

LT - 88 games - 1,893 carries, 8,293 yds, 4.4 YPC, 88 TD & 386 rec, 2769 yds, 10 TD

 

Even if he only has 2 1/2 good seasons left he'll end up with at least 11,500 yards rushing, 4,000 receiving and 115 TDs. The only recent backs he hasn't proven to be better than already are probably Faulk, Sanders and Smith.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

I'm looking at his stats, superbowl rings, longevity, lack of injuries, impact as a player on the field and off, running style, and conditioning. He's top three that I've seen play at worst.

[JaMarcus Russell's #1 Caucasian Fan 0]

Fix the Raiders in Two years:

 

The first thing to do is hope that Al Davis dies. Al Davis is the MAIN reason why this team has not been competitive as they should have been in the last 20 years or so.

 

 

Fire Art Shell again. Art Shell is a Raider legend and i love him, but he isnt the coach to lead the Raiders back to glory. With Art gone, fire the whole coaching staff top to bottom. Next hire an under the radar college coach. He needs to be young and willing to make changes that pisses people off. Second, get rid of malcontents like Jerry Porter and Randy Moss. We fans want players to want to be Raiders. Next get a GM or somebody that can draft compentently. No more kickers or punters in the first round please. There is so much more but I think I at least got the top of the iceberg.

[JaMarcus Russell's #1 Caucasian Fan 0]

 

Come to think of it, who do think got the better of the deal in the 2001 Michael Vick sweeptakes, San Diego or Atlanta?

 

The only people who think Atlanta got the better deal are relatives of Michael Vick, his agent, and fans of the Atlanta Falcons. It's not even close.

 

How you could make a list of the best backs of the last 20 years and include Curtis Martin and omit Marshall Faulk is beyond me. LT in his brief career has already surpassed Curtis Martin as a complete player even if he never plays another down.

 

Allen - 221 games - 3,022 carries, 12,243 yds, 4.1 YPC, 123 TD & 587 rec, 5411 yds, 21 TD

Dickerson - 146 games - 2,996 carries, 13,259 yds, 4.4 YPC, 90 TD & 281 rec, 2137 yds, 6 TD

Faulk - 176 games - 2,836 carries, 12,279 yds, 4.3 YPC, 100 TD & 767 rec, 6875 yds, 36 TD

Martin - 168 games - 3,518 carries, 14,101 yds, 4.0 YPC, 90 TD & 484 rec, 3329 yds, 10 TD

Sanders - 153 games - 3,062 carries, 15,269 yds, 5.0 YPC, 99 TD & 352 rec, 2921 yds, 10 TD

Smith - 226 games - 4,409 carries, 18,355 yds, 4.2 YPC, 164 TD & 515 rec, 3224 yds, 11 TD

 

LT - 88 games - 1,893 carries, 8,293 yds, 4.4 YPC, 88 TD & 386 rec, 2769 yds, 10 TD

 

Even if he only has 2 1/2 good seasons left he'll end up with at least 11,500 yards rushing, 4,000 receiving and 115 TDs. The only recent backs he hasn't proven to be better than already are probably Faulk, Sanders and Smith.

 

Heh, i was doing this list so fast that i omitted Marshall. My bad

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

If I were the Raiders I'd flush almost the entire team. Moss, Porter, Sapp..anyone eating up cap room that isn't producing. Start over with a decent line and some young fast guys who are hungry. Marquee WRs can fetch decent draft picks and room to pick up essentials like lineman and defensive depth. Without those two things you have the Cardinals.

[JaMarcus Russell's #1 Caucasian Fan 0]

If I were the Raiders I'd flush almost the entire team. Moss, Porter, Sapp..anyone eating up cap room that isn't producing. Start over with a decent line and some young fast guys who are hungry. Marquee WRs can fetch decent draft picks and room to pick up essentials like lineman and defensive depth. Without those two things you have the Cardinals.

 

 

That would most def be a good start, but many of the Raiders problems start and end with the old man that runs the team and the spineless asskissers that make up the Front Office. They all need to go.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Worse coach on a winning team: Herm Edwards or Tom Coughlin?

[naiwf 0]

Worse coach on a winning team: Herm Edwards or Tom Coughlin?

 

Coughlin easily. Herm can't manage the clock. Tommy Boy can't manage the team.

[HarleyQuinn 0]

Hey, MIB.

 

I found the numbers for average (I assume) TOP per game.

San Diego Chargers lead with 32:50 in 9 games.

Indianapolis Colts are at 29:52 in 9 games.

Philadelphia Eagles are the worst time at 27:07 in 9 games.

 

Also you're pretty much dead on with the sucky defense is the reason the Colts D sucks. All my quick perusing of stats backed it up.

 

It is interesting that the Colts are 2nd to the Steelers in yards per play though on offense.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

The Colts killing the clock last week impressed me every bit as much as marching down the field and scoring at will has their other games. It was completely deliberate, methodical, and well-executed. I have no doubt in my mind they would've taken it down to the red zone and punched it in had that Buffalo kick not sailed WIDE RIGHT.

[MrRant 0]

NFL Network gets attention from Congress

[CanadianChris 0]

I saw that mentioned on TMQ today. I'll be interested to see how it turns out.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

I posed this situation elsewhere, so lets see what people here think:

 

Fix the Raiders in two seasons or less.

I'll answer. I guess I have the same solution.

 

Forget all the shitty QBs. Deal Randy Moss or Jerry Porter to the Falcons for Matt Schaub. He was Philip Rivers' equal in college and has shown tremendous potential in his limited time as a backup in Atlanta. Atlanta, always in need of a decent receiver, would probably jump on one of those guys. Trade the other one for a few decent bodies on the o-line or draft picks. Blow money on the best left tackle you can find.

 

Lamont Jordan is fine as a featured back. Not the best, but when he's not hurt and has a line, he'll handle the running game acceptably. I'd encourage them to get Calvin Johnson in the draft this year if possible, because he's going to be good enough to be a #1 or #2 receiver right out the gate.

 

Get rid of Shell. He's terrible. Hire a fiery young coordinator from one of the league's better teams, or go after someone like Jeff Fisher. Somebody with a pulse.

 

Murder everybody on Denver and San Diego's 2-deep.

[HarleyQuinn 0]

I posed this situation elsewhere, so lets see what people here think:

 

Fix the Raiders in two seasons or less.

 

Whee... here's my attempt.

 

Trade WR Jerry Porter to the Detroit Lions for G Rex Tucker. Trade QB Aaron Brooks to the Buffalo Bills for a 4th round draft pick.

 

Draft Picks by Round

1st: Offensive Tackle

2nd: Offensive Guard

3rd: Running Back

4th: Offensive Tackle

4th: Center

5th: Defensive Tackle

6th: Defensive End

7th: Tight End

 

They bolster their offensive line with G Rex Tucker and 4 rookies along with a much needed TE.

 

For Free Agency

- Sign QB Shaun King. Capable when he was a starter and can be the #3 QB for the Raiders.

- Sign TE Daniel Graham. Considered a top notch blocker in the NFL and can make catches at times as well. Will definitely help on the offensive line.

- Sign WR Shaun McDonald. Will be a solid #4 WR for the Raiders and can slide into the #3 role as well.

- Sign OG Eric Steinbach. Versatile player who's played at G, T, and C and can be revolved on the line if needed. Bolsters and adds depth.

- Sign CB Nick Harper. Willing tackler and able to help stop the run game. Adds depth for the secondary and can be a ballhawk at times.

- Sign DE Justin Smith. Very solid sack artist with the Bengals and the Raiders could definitely use the pass rush skills.

- Sign SS Tony Parrish and shift Schweigert to backup for depth. Parrish has shown he can tackle and be a ballhawk in the same season (2002 - 2004).

 

My team would look like this... Note: I don't know who on the Raiders would be RFA or UFA with the exception of Sands.

- QB: Andrew Walter, Marques Tuiasosopo, and Shaun King.

- RB: LaMont Jordan, Reshard Lee, Anthony Thomas (free agency. capable power running back, could be a solid depth pickup) and 1 Rookie. Justin Fargas and DeJuan Green would both be cut.

- FB: Patrick Pass (free agent signing, cheap and decent safety valve/blocker).

- WR: Randy Moss, Ronald Curry, Alvis Whitted, Shaun McDonald, and Johnnie Morant.

- TE: Daniel Graham, Courtney Anderson. Randal Williams and James Adkisson would both be cut.

- OT: Robert Gallery, Langston Walker, Chad Slaughter and 2 Rookies.

- OG: Eric Steinbach, Rex Tucker, Barry Sims, and 1 Rookie.

- C: Jake Grove and 1 Rookie.

- DE: Justin Smith, Lance Johnstone, Tyler Brayton, and Bryant McNeal.

- DT: Tommy Kelly, Warren Sapp, and 1 Rookie. Terdell Sands gets lost to free agency.

- LB: Darnell Bing, Thomas Howard, Grant Irons, Kirk Morrison, and Robert Thomas.

- CB: Nick Harper, Fabian Washington, Chris Carr, and Carlos Francis (move from WR to CB).

- S: Tony Parrish, Derrick Gibson, Michael Huff, and Stuart Schweigert.

 

That squad has 46 players on it, allowing for 7 more players to be added at sparse positions (CB, S, FB, and TE probably).

 

Also, fire Art Shell. Hire Bronco Mendenhall (BYU Head Coach) as the head coach and let him mold his own staff together.

[MFer 0]

To me, voting for Peyton for MVP is like voting for Barry Bonds in his prime. He puts up great stats every year and his team wins 12-14 games every year. It's just easy to vote for him every year. I also think that Peyton does have a good running game to back him up. The reason the stats don't look great is because of Rhodes' numbers. As Addai continues to get more carries, the rushing stats will look better. The Chargers are the only team in the league that can be down 21 and not change their gameplan, which would be to hand the ball off to LT. It's awfully hard to not vote for a guy who's likely to break the T.D. record. Another thing to keep in mind is that having co-MVP's is not unprecedented.

[Kinetic 0]

I have a proposal to streamline the NFL by getting rid of all the teams that nobody cares about. I would immediately eliminate Carolina, Tampa Bay, New Orleans, Detroit, Minnesota, the entire NFC West (SF would move, more on that later), Tennessee, Jacksonville, Houston, Baltimore, and Kansas City. Then:

 

1. Move all three California teams to Los Angeles. This super-gigantic market and media center can support it.

 

2. Move the Bills to New York City. See above.

 

3. The Falcons should be the only team in the South, because who really cares about those mouth-breathing rednecks? Rename them the Atlanta NASCARs. On that note, I'd keep the Dolphins but have them represent the entire state of Florida, having gotten rid of the other two teams that nobody cares about.

 

4. Let's cut the crap and just have the Patriots represent Boston and Boston alone. Nobody cares about the rest of New England.

 

5. Merge the Browns and the Bengals. They can represent all of the parts of the Midwest not already represented by teams that people actually care about.

 

That would leave us with the Giants, Jets, Bills, 49ers, Chargers, Raiders, Colts, Bears, Packers, Dolphins, NASCARs, Patriots, Midwesterners, Steelers, Cowboys, Redskins, Eagles, and Broncos. That's 18 teams, with the only small market being Green Bay, which has a rich history. What do you think?

[Slayer 0]

I would immediately eliminate Carolina, Tampa Bay, New Orleans

Wouldn't you break down crying if they killed all the teams so near and dear to your heart?