NFL Discussion Forumtable: 2007

[Red Baron 0]

Words don't really put how good Faulk was into perspective. Players like that are not to be described, as descriptions only take away from what they did on the field.

 

 

Agree. He was one of the best PLAYERS to play football. Maybe not the greatest running back or greatest recieving running back, but one of the better all around players.

 

I agree. You can throw an out pass to Faulk and he'd make 15 yards from it. He was a threat anytime on the field.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Well I consider a true rookie QB to be someone that is meant to be their franchise quarterback. Sometimes when you have no one around to challenge you, you come in right away like the Manning or Carr examples. However lately it does seem like teams have taken more precautions to protect the quarterbacks by getting veterans to teach them how to play and to start initially so the rookies could sit and learn the offenses more. I know it's not a huge difference in between QBs who started early and QBs who started late, but as the years go on, it's also because teams have filled their rosters with decent QBs that there's starting to be a logjam at those positions throughout the NFL. John Beck was drafted onto a roster that would have had Daunte Culpepper and Trent Green. Drew Stanton is coming in Detroit despite Detroit having just drafted a quarterback a few years ago (Dan Orlovsky) and the Detroit coaches being high on Jon Kitna. From all accounts, JaMarcus Russell is going to sit for a while when Josh McCown starts for Oakland. Tennessee tried to have Kerry Collins come in to keep Vince Young on the bench, but obviously he was so horrible that they decided to just go ahead and use Vince Young, figuring he couldn't be any worse than what Collins was doing for them. Matt Leinart also was expected to sit for a good while as Kurt Warner started, and he lasted 6 weeks, which I suppose is long enough for a star rookie quarterback in some circles, to sit and learn before going out to play, and Warner's horrible play helped usher that thinking in Arizona. How one would think it's still a case of QBs being rushed into play is just silly, because the trend is apparent. As for Brady Quinn, he is supposedly going to hold out. That's going to lose him some time in which he has to learn offenses and rapport with his teammates. Add that to the fact Derek Anderson has been said MANY times by Cleveland papers to be the starter this year, it's just blind "Cleveland sucks LOL" bias to think they would rush Quinn into play.

[Guest •]

He's holding out? God, is this guy King of the Douchebags or what.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

He wants #3 pick money instead of #22 pick money, or something like that.

[Red Baron 0]

Brady Quinn is on his way to becoming like Ryan Leaf.

 

I hope this happens.

[Guest •]

Leinart has been vocal in the media about his fondness for his son. He frequently speaks about his need to balance his time so he can be there for Cole. Cameron and Leinart, who dated during Leinart's time at USC, broke up in 2006.

 

Cameron wants to shield her son from the tabloids, entertainment magazines and other sensational media.

 

"It's kind of hard for me as the mom — I'm with Cole probably 99.9 percent of the time — to open a magazine or read a newspaper article with Matt saying, Oh, I love being a dad. I love changing diapers. I love doing this. I'm like, Wait, what?' " said Cameron, who added, "I don't know how to word how he is about this, but it's been hard when I'm doing all the work, but he gets all the credit for it."

 

The Arizona Cardinals quarterback and former USC star "comes and goes whenever he wants," Cameron said.

 

Cameron says she and Leinart have Cole's best intentions in mind, but co-parenting is a challenge with two unique individuals.

 

"I don't want to sit here and bad-mouth his lifestyle, but it is hard because we are different people. He likes that Hollywood stuff and I don't like that and raising a kid together, you have to work together as parents, but we're so different," Cameron said.

 

"It's hard, but I have to raise Cole to be a strong, secure kid so he knows what's right and wrong, what's good and bad and what really matters in life, which isn't what's going on in Hollywood or who's dating who. That's not what it's all about, and I think he'll know that being raised by me."

Maybe Leinart is King of the Douchebags.

[LaParkaMarka 0]

That looks like a PR move by Brynn.

 

From TMZ through PFT:

 

LEINART BEING PURSUED FOR 30 LARGE PER MONTH

 

As a follow up to Tuesday afternoon's story that the mother of Matt Leinart's child is complaining about his lack of involvement in the diapers-and-drool duties, TMZ.com (we read it only for the Sudokus) reports that Brynn Cameron is looking to force Leinart to cough up more than $30,000 per month for child support.

 

$30,000 per month!

 

That's $360,000 a year. What the hell is she feeding the kid? Unicorn?

 

Anyway, now we understand why she's complaining about Leinart. We only hope that Brian Urlacher doesn't conclude that she's turning the kid into a pussy.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

It's hard to take a side one way or the other when we hardly know these people outside of what we read, but that woman that Leinart knocked up always came off as money hungry. The whole pregnancy and aftermath indicated that she knew this was an easy way to get a buck. Just my two cents.

[Guest •]

Yeah, bitch just wants some money.

 

Speaking of bitches wanting money, Lance Briggs took the $7.2 million, and he'll be a Bear for 2007 and report to training camp on time. Well fucking played, Jerry Angelo. Does this alleviate any concerns about the Bears regressing and being less hungry?

[Nate 0]

Yeah, bitch just wants some money.

 

where's Kayne West when we need him

[Guest •]

He doesn't care about USC students.

 

But yeah, guys, Chicago's defense appears to be largely intact, and Tommie Harris will be back on the line as well, which is a huge step up. What do you guys think the Bears should do at running back? I liked Cedric Benson in that "three-quarters back" role he had last year, in which he handled short-yardage situations like a fullback might, but wasn't quite as bulky as a fullback, but he'll pretty much have to get most of the touches. I liked what I saw from The First Adrian Peterson too, and maybejustmaybe Garrett Wolfe can bring something to the table as well.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

I think Benson and Peterson are more than capable of handling the running game for Chicago. Thomas Jones did a fine job as the lead back the past couple of seasons, but he's replaceable.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

You forget to mention the Bears signed Tillman to an extension too. I'm very happy. The only question mark left is quarterback but I think Rex Grossman will be fine. With the bizarro Grossman last year they made the Super Bowl. He'll be more consistent... and if its anything average or better, we'll be in good hands.

[Guest •]

Aaaand don't forget Archuleta at safety!

 

tampa bays hungryer tho

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Now Czech, don't forget that they lost the Super Bowl last year. Apparently there's a written in stone rule that says that such a team cannot return to the playoffs the following year, lest the entire league crumble*.

 

 

*According to the analysts here at TSM.

[The Niggardly King 0]

Niners #1 in the NFC this year, Bears probably #2.

[Guest •]

Now Czech, don't forget that they lost the Super Bowl last year. Apparently there's a written in stone rule that says that such a team cannot return to the playoffs the following year

Except last year, when it happened. And they did it without Steve Hutchinson, too. Steve Hutchinson! 49ers are takin' the West, though.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

If Niners win the West AND get the #1 seed while regressing in coaching, then as cheech would say, I'll eat my hat.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Aaaand don't forget Archuleta at safety!

 

tampa bays hungryer tho

Now Czech, don't forget that they lost the Super Bowl last year. Apparently there's a written in stone rule that says that such a team cannot return to the playoffs the following year, lest the entire league crumble*.

 

 

*According to the analysts here at TSM.

 

I hate using this smiley, but really..

 

 

This team, with very similar pieces intact for the past couple years has gone 13-3, 11-5, and 5-11 the past three seasons. Believe in Sexy Rexy all you want, but I'm just feeling like they regress a bit this year.

 

It's still way too early to even assume anything, so anything at this point is pure speculation. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong, but at least I'll admit it. Teams don't very often repeat their past successes in today's NFL.

[Guest Vitamin X]

By the way, this was the article I was referencing to regarding teams that lost the Super Bowl in the past 13 years.

 

Little remedy for Super Bowl hangover

By Nate Davis, USA TODAY

The Buffalo Bills reached an unprecedented four consecutive Super Bowls spanning the 1990-93 seasons, though they didn't manage to win any of them. But ever since the '93 Bills lost Super Bowl XXVIII, Super Sunday's loser has met with little success the following season. Of those 13 teams, seven missed the playoffs while just three won a playoff game in the subsequent campaign; none advanced beyond the divisional round of the playoffs. A look at each of the Super Bowl hangovers for the "Unlucky 13":

 

•1994 Bills: Franchise suffered as NFL's newly implemented salary cap forced it to jettison starters and depth in order to retain star players. QB Jim Kelly missed last two games because of injury as the team ended the season in 2-6 tailspin.

 

•1995 Chargers (reached playoffs): Weathered 4-7 start, winning final five games to reach postseason. RB Natrone Means, whose battering style helped fuel the '94 Super Bowl run, missed final half with groin injury. Team became reliant on QB Stan Humphries, who threw four interceptions in wild-card loss to Colts.

 

•1996 Steelers (won playoff game): Jerome Bettis' arrival revived rushing attack previously anchored by Bam Morris and Erric Pegram. Passing game sputtered as Neil O'Donnell skipped town to join Jets and Mike Tomczak struggled in his stead. Injuries forced 40 different starters into lineup.

 

•1997 Patriots (won playoff game): Bill Parcells left to pick out groceries with Jets. Otherwise, largely unchanged cast played well under new coach Pete Carroll. Pats fell in Pittsburgh during the divisional playoffs after hosting and beating Steelers in same round the previous year.

 

•1998 Packers (made playoffs): Brett Favre was finally knocked off his MVP pedestal but was still league's top QB. Dorsey Levens and Robert Brooks saw their production plummet due to injuries, but offense hardly suffered. Green Bay's real problem was the 25-yard TD laser Steve Young fired to Terrell Owens in final seconds of wild-card game, giving 49ers 30-27 victory.

 

•1999 Falcons: RB Jamal Anderson broke down in second game after toting ball then-NFL-record 410 times in 1998. Team's run defense fell off map, too, after being NFL's second-best unit in 1998. Unable to run ball offensively or stop it defensively, Atlanta predictably struggled, winning five games, a nine-game drop-off.

 

•2000 Titans (reached playoffs): It's hardly a stretch to say these Titans were superior to their Super Bowl predecessors. Coming off a wild-card season, they had best record in league. Steve McNair and Eddie George were better and second-ranked defense helped win final three regular-season games by a combined score of 90-3. But Ravens had a defense that was just a bit better, a fact that Ray Lewis and Co. proved in Nashville in playoffs.

 

•2001 Giants: Team basically returned intact, but season became a sidebar as Giants struggled to play under veil of Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. On field, rushing and scoring defense regressed.

 

•2002 Rams: St. Louis stumbled to 0-5 start and never recovered. Reigning MVP Kurt Warner lost his magic touch amid injury-marred season. Marshall Faulk was no longer superhuman, either, as injuries also dogged him.

 

•2003 Raiders: In sudden fall from grace, Raiders morphed from 11-game winners to 12-game losers. QB Rich Gannon, the MVP in 2002, lasted seven games before being felled by shoulder injury. A veteran team in 2002, Oakland just looked and played like an old squad in 2003.

 

•2004 Panthers: After 1-7 start, Carolina nearly salvaged playoff berth before being eliminated in Week 17. WR Steve Smith broke his leg in opener. RBs Stephen Davis and DeShaun Foster and DT Kris Jenkins quickly joined Smith on sidelines.

 

•2005 Eagles: Club suffered stunning meltdown that began with Terrell Owens' contract gripes, which became training camp spectacle. T.O. valiantly played in Super Bowl XXXIX after rehabbing broken leg but became such a distraction in 2005 that team suspended and deactivated him for final nine games. Pro Bowlers Donovan McNabb, Brian Westbrook, Lito Sheppard and Tra Thomas all landed on injured reserve as Eagles limped to six-win season.

 

•2006 Seahawks (won playoff game): Seattle admitted mistake when it unnecessarily let All-Pro left guard Steve Hutchinson leave via free agency. The team's strength for years, the offensive line subsequently struggled due to lack of chemistry and, later, multiple injuries. QB Matt Hasselbeck and 2005 MVP Shaun Alexander also missed several games due to injury. Despite that, team became first Super Bowl loser in six years to return to playoffs.

 

It's not something written in stone, and I got it wrong where I said they don't make the playoffs the following year, but the majority did (doubtful the Bears will be among that, but who knows at this point). Just something to consider..

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

The written in stone thing was a joke, btw. Most NFL teams are wildly inconsistent from year to year because of scheduling, injuries, salary cap and coaching changes. I don't think losing the Super Bowl is any sort of predictor for future success (or lack thereof).

 

The NFC still looks like a wasteland. At least Chicago, Philly and Seattle have talented front offices who put together quality teams every year. I'll pick any of those teams to make the playoffs over teams that are "hungry" or destined to breakout.

[Guest •]

In all fairness to the 2004 Bears, that was the year that Grossman got hurt and they had to trot out luminaries such as Chad Hutchinson, Craig Krenzel, and Jonathan Quinn. I can't hold Lovie's first year against him. That was a transitional year even without the numerous injured quarterbacks. But how do you see regression coming from incremental improvement over Lovie's three years, in which the front office and coaching staff have become more streamlined and effective than they've been in years? They took a gamble on Lance Briggs taking the franchise tag and it worked. I couldn't believe the news when I heard it today. This is an organization that's acting like it's out to win, a huge departure from those awful Michael McCaskey/Dave Wannstedt years. I'm hardly even used to it. I'm not saying that this means the Bears will win the Super Bowl in 2007, by any means, but I don't see regression on the table. They do have a tougher schedule this year, having to play Denver, San Diego, and the Booyah Hype Division, but it won't be something they cannot overcome.

[The Niggardly King 0]

I just can't see the Bears making it to the NFC championship. They'll be the strong #2 that feels the upset by the Steve Smiths.

[JaMarcus Russell's #1 Caucasian Fan 0]

To change things up from Roundtable Bears Talk,

 

Which NFL coach is on the hot seat to start the season

 

NFC

 

Tom Coughlin- He should have been fired last season for second half meltdown. The players hate him, management hates him. I thinks he gets his pink slip midway through the season.

 

Joe Gibbs- Once proud coach, now regulated to the cellar. Its a damn shame what has happened in DC, but I think Gibbs leaves Parcells style citing wanted to be with family.

 

Wade Phillips- Got the job to groom Jason Garret. Not really on hot seat, but really a lame duck.

 

John Fox- If he doesnt improve from last season, I think Fox might be on the block come 2008

 

AFC

 

Jack Del Rio- I believe Jaguars are looking for him to relieve them of the inconsistancy problem they have. I think if he doesnt deliever, the Jags will give his pink slip and go in another direction

 

Jeff Fisher- Great coach, reminds me of Bill Cowher in a way. Came real close, but never won the big one. Gotta wonder how long the Titans keep him around.Like Phillips and Fox, his job is safe this year, but next year if Titans are still terrible he might be given the pink slip.

 

Mike Shanahan- I hate hate hate this guy (Diehard Raider fan in me). Hasnt done a damn since Elway. No excuse why they missed the playoffs lasst year. If the Bronocos repeat their performance from last year, he has to go.

 

Norv Turner- He is always on the hot seat. No reason this team should not miss the playoffs. If he messes this up, hes done this year.

 

 

[JJ Johnson 0]

•2000 Titans (reached playoffs): It's hardly a stretch to say these Titans were superior to their Super Bowl predecessors. Coming off a wild-card season, they had best record in league.

 

Am I the only one really, really tired of everyone pretending the Titans didn't go 13-3 in 1999, the same record they had in 2000? People always try to make it sound like they limped into the playoffs. They luck out against Buffalo, crush Indianapolis and Jacksonville, and lose by a yard in the Super Bowl and all of a sudden they're the team whose luck ran out. It's ridiculous.

 

Anyway, does anybody know who's playing behind Romo? It's probably Drew Henson, but I can still hope.

[Vern Gagne 0]

Brad Johnson is the Cowboys backup.

 

 

[Mike wanna be 0]

I'd hate to see John Fox on the block.

 

I think he's got more than a few years left before he goes on the hot seat, considering that he let Henning go at OC and decided to try something new with Davidson, plus the fact that he took Seifert's 1-15 team in 2003 and has since brought them to two NFC title games and a Super Bowl, plus the fact that 7-9 is the worst they've been under him. He needs a particularly bad season (5-11 or worse, I'd say) with relatively few injuries for him to be in danger any time soon.

[Guest]

I don't think that Del Rio is going to be turned loose unless the team falls flat on its face and goes 4-12.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

It's amazing how biased some here are for teams they like/against teams they hate.

 

With that being said, the Bills go undefeated blowing out the 49'ers in the Super Bowl by 79.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Still Fly, most of the guys you named are NOT on the "hot seat". Mike Shanahan? What the heck, man? Jeff Fisher? The guy who coached a team that was basically VY and a defense to a 8-8 record? Wade Phillips? Jason Garrett is going to need more than one year as a coordinator. If Cowboys win with Phillips, he stays.