NFL Week 8

[CanadianChris 0]

Early

Tampa Bay at Dallas

Washington at Detroit

Buffalo at Miami

St. Louis at New England

San Diego at New Orleans @ Wembley Stadium

Kansas City at NY Jets

Atlanta at Philadelphia

Oakland at Baltimore

Arizona at Carolina

 

Late

Cleveland at Jacksonville

Cincinnati at Houston

NY Giants at Pittsburgh

Seattle at San Francisco

 

Football on Monday night

Indianapolis at Tennessee

 

Bye: Chicago, Denver, Green Bay, Minnesota

[Guest Tzar Lysergic]

Five Question Footlong

 

1. What kind of changes can we expect from Samurai Mike taking over as the head coach in San Francisco?

2. If Indy loses on Monday, are they in deep shit? Are they in deep shit already?

3. If Dallas loses this week, are they in deep shit? Are they in deep shit already?

4. Will British people (in general) ever give a fuck about the NFL? Can you defend the NFL wanting to play these games overseas?

5. What does St. Louis have to do to maintain momentum and keep winning games? What does New England have to do to knock the Rams back down a peg?

[megaadvice 0]

4. Will British people (in general) ever give a fuck about the NFL? Can you defend the NFL wanting to play these games overseas?

 

Short answer no. There is still a core group of middle class people in their late 30's - to late 50's who are intrested in the game from the mid 1980's when American football became the 'cool' thing for a few short years. However the interest among young people and the working class is almost zero. I know of maybe 2 people (I am in my early 20's) who could even name an NFL player let alone watch it.

 

If I tell anyone I like American football its always met with resistance and utterly stupid questions, furthermore, its seen as a very nerdy, geeky thing to like. Its almost like telling someone you like collecting stamps or model trains.

 

Of course there are numerous other reasons such as 'soccer' being so ingrained in the social heart of Britain that any other 'new version of football' is just going to be laughed down as not the real thing. Furthermore there is the fact that you cant go and watch a game every week at the stadium, which is an essential part of 'soccer' and of sport in general.

 

All of which is a shame of course as American football is a truley wonderful game .

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

1. One would assume an emphasis on defense, given that he's been an LBs coach in various capacity since 2003, but can you really remold a defense in the middle of a 2-5 season? I don't see much changing, except louder cheers and proclamations of "the 9ers are back, baby!" from the fanbase when they beat the Seahawks or something.

 

2. I still think Indy's in decent shape, even with a loss on Monday. It looks like 10 wins will be good for a spot in the AFC and they can get there. It wouldn't leave them much room for error, though.

 

3. They're already in modest shit, but losing on Monday would be massively damaging. They'd need to beat the Giants heading into the bye to have a chance, and I don't like those odds if Romo's still out, after seeing how terribly the team executed last week.

 

4. I doubt it. The other football's the equivalent of little league baseball or high school football in the U.S. Too much cultural investment already to make room for another big one, I think.

 

5. Give the ball to Steven Jackson 47 times a game. As for the Patriots, put saline in Steven Jackson's apple juice. Their defense looked much improved last night, and they should be able to push the Rams into the same kind of self-destruction they did for the Broncos.

[Zetterberg is God 0]

This is the beginning of a crucial three week stretch of divisional games for the Bills and it's a game they should win. The key will be to limit the damage that Ronnie Brown and the Wildcat offense can do as their offense besides that is pretty pedestrian.

[cabbageboy 0]

Here are predictions and I'll follow with another post with the questions:

 

Early

Tampa Bay at Dallas: I am utterly baffled as to how Dallas is favored by 7 or so in this game. I don't care if Romo is healthy or who they have, Tampa is going to beat that ass. Bucs by 10.

Washington at Detroit: Redskins struggle but usually get the job done. Detroit can't buy a win. Washington by 7. Something like 20-13.

Buffalo at Miami: First division test for the Bills and the Dolphins are now reeling a bit after a decent start. Bills by 8.

St. Louis at New England: Pats looked excellent stomping the Broncos, but have injuries now out the wazoo. Rams look solid now with Haslett, but I can't see them winning here. NE by 6.

San Diego at New Orleans @ Wembley Stadium: Who knows with this bizarre London game, but the Saints don't have Reggie Bush so the Chargers should win this handily. SD by 12.

Kansas City at NY Jets: Okay, the Jets just lost to the Raiders so they can't possibly afford a loss to the usually hopeless Chiefs. Jets by 10.

Atlanta at Philadelphia: This should be a fun game. Falcons could really impress with a road win here, but if Westbrook is healthy I think the Eagles hang on. Philly by 4.

Oakland at Baltimore: Raiders got a nice OT win over the Jets, but this year the stat of west coast teams going east is not good at all (0-9). Ravens by 14.

Arizona at Carolina: See the above stat. Cardinals are a good home team, but they aren't going to win this one in Carolina. Panthers by 13.

 

Late

Cleveland at Jacksonville: This actually should be a close game, since the Jags know nothing else. That said, I can't see the Browns winning this. Jags by 3.

Cincinnati at Houston: The Bengals really, really suck and it's only getting worse with Palmer ailing. Houston is getting on track after a rough start. Texans by 14.

NY Giants at Pittsburgh: Easily the game of the day. Steelers have already gone through some wars this year while the Giants have played mediocre teams for the most part. Steelers by 5.

Seattle at San Francisco: Niners just fired Nolan, so who knows how they react. I think they come out strong this time and smack the weak Seahawks. SF by 9.

 

Football on Monday night

Indianapolis at Tennessee: This is a flat out must win for the Colts. Will they win? I can't see it happening. Titans will lose a couple but not at home. Tennessee by 7.

 

[cabbageboy 0]

And now the questions:

 

1. What kind of changes can we expect from Samurai Mike taking over as the head coach in San Francisco? Eh, not a staggering amount but at least they should be fired up for a while. If nothing else he should focus more on the defense, but does he have the personnel?

2. If Indy loses on Monday, are they in deep shit? Are they in deep shit already? The Colts are in big time deep shit as it is. They have road games at Tenn, Pittsbugh, SD, and Jacksonville left. They look like an 8-8 team to me.

3. If Dallas loses this week, are they in deep shit? Are they in deep shit already? Dallas is in deeper shit than the Colts since they have injuries out the wazoo even moreso. I think Tampa will wax them this week and then they have road games at NYG and Washington, so they could be looking at 4-6 soon and then the wheels will come totally off.

4. Will British people (in general) ever give a fuck about the NFL? Can you defend the NFL wanting to play these games overseas? Nah, it's just not their sport. I can see the NFL trying this for a while but eventually reducing it to preseason games and not screwing a team out of a home game like they are doing this week with Saints/Chargers.

5. What does St. Louis have to do to maintain momentum and keep winning games? What does New England have to do to knock the Rams back down a peg? The Rams need to just keep playing like they give a crap. There was never much awful about them talent wise, but they obviously quit on Linehan. Protect Bulger, keep playing solid D, and give Jackson plenty of carries and they have a shot in NE, but I just think the Patriots will find some way to win that one.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

This is the beginning of a crucial three week stretch of divisional games for the Bills and it's a game they should win. The key will be to limit the damage that Ronnie Brown and the Wildcat offense can do as their offense besides that is pretty pedestrian.

I think the Ravens showed how to stop the Wildcat cold this weekend, Im willing to bet that the Wildcat wont be a big deal anymore.

[HarleyQuinn 0]

1. What kind of changes can we expect from Samurai Mike taking over as the head coach in San Francisco?

Not much, unfortunately. It's hard to rely on Frank Gore and the running game when your defense is letting you down and forcing the offense to throw it to come back from 14-7 and 17-10 scores in the 4th quarter where they can't afford to have two straight time killing drives that could culminate in just field goals. They have some decent talent on D (Patrick Willis, Justin Smith) but it's a matter of fitting the personnel with the scheme.

 

2. If Indy loses on Monday, are they in deep shit? Are they in deep shit already?

They're already in deep shit. They're at the point where they have to rely on the offense to score a lot to win comfortably and if the offense starts sputtering at all, their defense just isn't strong enough to shut down the opposing team (See the Jags game and Houston game for examples of poor D and comebacks needed).

 

3. If Dallas loses this week, are they in deep shit? Are they in deep shit already?

They have a lot of injuries but I'm not that worried once Romo comes back and gets a bit healthy. They added Roy Williams at WR and while their defense isn't the best in the league, it's still solid enough for playoff contention. I can see them finishing aroud 11-5 by the end of the year.

 

4. Will British people (in general) ever give a fuck about the NFL? Can you defend the NFL wanting to play these games overseas?

I can understand the reasoning behind in that they're trying to mass market the NFL (although one would think they'd hit Germany or other places since they were running the NFL Europe league) but I question why England of all places. It'd be like trying to sell rabid baseball fans on the game of softball as an equal if not better sport.

 

5. What does St. Louis have to do to maintain momentum and keep winning games? What does New England have to do to knock the Rams back down a peg?

St. Louis needs to keep up the defensive play. New Engand needs to keep creating turnovers on defense (Denver had two early drives in NE territory, folks and looked good doing it) but to be honest, the offense still doesn't seem enough for me if they go up against a talented offensive team like Indy (See the San Diego game). Denver's defense is absolutely atrocious and New England was able to score at will against a poor Kansas City team too. If St. Louis can run the ball with Jackson and balance the offense while not turning the ball over, I can see them winning 28-24 or 27-20.

[JaMarcus Russell's #1 Caucasian Fan 0]

Early

Tampa Bay at Dallas- Tampa is surprisingly good and the Cowboys are in freefall. I expect the Cowboys to continue to decline.

Washington at Detroit- I like Washington, but this looks like the classic trap game.

Buffalo at Miami- Buffalo plays their first AFC east game and doesn't dissapoint.

St. Louis at New England- New England looks good one week and shits the bed the other. The Rams have improved, but they are not beating the Pats

San Diego at New Orleans @ Wembley Stadium- This a huge game for both teams this week. If the Saints had Reggie Bush, I would have liked them to win. Drew Brees needs to come up huge or their cooked.

Kansas City at NY Jets- the Jets must be kicking themselves losing to the Raiders. I like them to bounce back beating the hapless Chiefs.

Atlanta at Philadelphia- I think Philly this one, inspired by the decline of the Cowboys

Oakland at Baltimore- In my heart I want the Raiders to win, but being superstitious, I will continue to pick against the Raiders this season. Hey it worked against the Jets! Anyways, The Raiders have a dogshit offense and the Ravens still have an elite defense, and I can't see a sudden offensive assualt. I just hope JaMarcus Russell has a good game. I pick the Ravens.

Arizona at Carolina- I like the Panthers to win to keep up with the Bucs. Even with a loss, the Cards are still in control of their division.

 

Late

Cleveland at Jacksonville- a tale of two dissapointing teams. I like the home team.

Cincinnati at Houston- The Bengals will get their first win of the season.

NY Giants at Pittsburgh- First big time game of the season. I think the Giants just have the better team, no knock on the Steelers.

Seattle at San Francisco- Seattle looks lifeless out there and the 49ers will get an inspired win for their new head coach.

 

Football on Monday night

Indianapolis at Tennessee - The Colts are going nowhere this year and Titans will look to extract a little revenge for the years the Colts pounded on them.

 

[Kinetic 0]

I'm probably going to be saying this all year, but this is a really huge game for the Bucs. The Carolina game was certainly more crucial in terms of standings, but this one is more important as far as perception is concerned. I think a lot of people still don't buy Tampa as a contender this year, and beating a really hyped Dallas team (even one that just got shellacked by St. Louis) at home will go a long way towards changing that. Nothing I've seen over the last few weeks suggests to me that Garcia is going to have any trouble picking Dallas's secondary apart, and I don't think they'll be able to move the ball on us with any sort of consistency. Bucs by 14.

[JaMarcus Russell's #1 Caucasian Fan 0]

1.What kind of changes can we expect from Samurai Mike taking over as the head coach in San Francisco?

 

I think the 49ers will be inspired by their new head coach, but this team is not very talented. So I say they will play hard, but won't make the playoffs even in a bad division.

 

2. If Indy loses on Monday, are they in deep shit? Are they in deep shit already?

 

Indy is already in dogshit. They have gotten old fast and teams have seemed to figure out the offense. The injuries to the Colts defense and O-line have also had a negative effect. It will be an unpleasant season for Colts fans this year.

 

3. If Dallas loses this week, are they in deep shit? Are they in deep shit already?

 

Dallas is the biggest dissapoint for sure this year. They remind me a little bit of the 02 Raiders. I think the bottom falls out this week and then will make a big run to end the season.

 

4. Will British people (in general) ever give a fuck about the NFL? Can you defend the NFL wanting to play these games overseas?

 

I don't know if the British people will ever give a care about American football, but the game is at it's peak here and its not really a bad idea to establish some roots in Britain, so I can see why the Commish is doing it. It's a global economy now, and the NBA markets the its games in all over the world, why wouldn't the NFL want to tap into a market, say like China? I see the NFL expanding this across Europe in the near future and this will not stop anytime soon.

 

5. What does St. Louis have to do to maintain momentum and keep winning games? What does New England have to do to knock the Rams back down a peg?

 

St. Louis just needs to continue to play hard every down and hope that some teams overlook them. New England, with their coach and veterans, will not overlook this game.

[2GOLD 0]

 

1. What kind of changes can we expect from Samurai Mike taking over as the head coach in San Francisco?

Players will start eating nails for breakfast, drinking gunpowder shakes for lunch and having a healthy meal of kill the goddamn quarterback for dinner. Other than that, not a damn thing. JT O'Sullivan throws too many late picks, the defensive secondary is a huge black hole where their hopes of winning fall into and the team is just a mess. They might be fired up and win this week, but next week they will fall back into the same routine. Honestly though, I'd LOVE to see them run into the playoffs now with Mike at the helm.

 

2. If Indy loses on Monday, are they in deep shit? Are they in deep shit already?

If the Pats were up to snuff and the Broncos could play defense, I'd say yes Indy is in trouble. The Colts just need to find a way to outlast Jacksonville, New England without Tom Brady, the GUNSLINGAS!, San Diego without an offensive line, and Baltimore with a rookie quarterback. I say Peyton drags them into the playoffs kicking and screaming then marches them into the title game.

 

3. If Dallas loses this week, are they in deep shit? Are they in deep shit already?H

Honestly, the Dallas defense is now an injury filled mess of bodies. Dallas is in a little bit deeper because they are in the super competitive NFC East. Dallas right now will have survive the NFC EAST, then beat out Tampa, Carolina, Chicago, and Green Bay. I think they can both make it but Dallas is dealing with a much taller problem with the way the NFC is this year.

 

4. Will British people (in general) ever give a fuck about the NFL? Can you defend the NFL wanting to play these games overseas?

I see why they are trying it but they need to realize it's just not interesting to many in the UK. If the Brits had a choice between the Saints vs Chargers or any soccer (football) game then they are taking their football. It's just how it is. It might develop an arena football style niche but that's it.

 

5. What does St. Louis have to do to maintain momentum and keep winning games? What does New England have to do to knock the Rams back down a peg?

Turn Steven Jackson into a pretzel. As for the Rams, don't allow Steven to be turned into a pretzel. Lots of play action passes if the ground is working, exploit the New England secondary. On defense, pressure Cassel and make him force some balls. If the Rams win here, I'd hate to say it but they might be back into the playoff picture by the default of playing in the NFC JV err West.

 

 

[Kinetic 0]

Five Question Footlong

 

1. What kind of changes can we expect from Samurai Mike taking over as the head coach in San Francisco?

2. If Indy loses on Monday, are they in deep shit? Are they in deep shit already?

3. If Dallas loses this week, are they in deep shit? Are they in deep shit already?

4. Will British people (in general) ever give a fuck about the NFL? Can you defend the NFL wanting to play these games overseas?

5. What does St. Louis have to do to maintain momentum and keep winning games? What does New England have to do to knock the Rams back down a peg?

 

1. It's tough to say, as we're now halfway through the season and that team isn't exactly bubbling over with talented players just waiting for an opportunity. I would imagine that there would be more of an emphasis on "fundamentals," but probably not a marked uptick in wins.

 

2. They're in mildly deep shit, because they're in the one AFC division where a team is clearly running away with it. A loss to Tennessee would put them squarely behind the 8-ball for the rest of the year, and I don't get the sense that this team is good enough or consistent enough to deal with that sort of pressure. That said, I think they'll beat Tennessee to keep their AFC South hopes alive.

 

3. When Dallas loses this week, they'll be in deep shit. This team is imploding. People will point to the decreased productivity of the offense because that's where all of the stars are, but this whole debacle really goes on their defense. They've been awful all year. I firmly believe that Dallas will finish somewhere in the .500 area and miss the playoffs.

 

4. I understand and accept Goodell's desire to "expand the brand" and all that. It's done wonders for the NBA, and the NFL is significantly more popular domestically than is the NBA. So it follows that if these dirty foreigners with their greasy money and boiled foods were to be exposed to NFL football in all its glory, they'd take to it. Whether or not this will actually happen remains to be seen, but I understand the idea behind it. And last year's Miami-New York game was a barnburner, too, wasn't it?

 

5. They need for Steven Jackson to continue playing well and they need to keep forcing turnovers. New England needs to come to terms with the fact that this is a lost season and just stop winning games already. Sheesh.

[Just John 0]

Five Question Footlong

 

1. What kind of changes can we expect from Samurai Mike taking over as the head coach in San Francisco?

2. If Indy loses on Monday, are they in deep shit? Are they in deep shit already?

3. If Dallas loses this week, are they in deep shit? Are they in deep shit already?

4. Will British people (in general) ever give a fuck about the NFL? Can you defend the NFL wanting to play these games overseas?

5. What does St. Louis have to do to maintain momentum and keep winning games? What does New England have to do to knock the Rams back down a peg?

 

1. Not much. Maybe you see a little more inspiration like STL experienced after their coaching change, and playing a tomato can like the Seahawks could possibly boost their confidence with a win, but I don't think they'll win any more games than they would have previously.

 

2. I'll say no, only because Jacksonville isn't pulling away with the 2-spot in the AFC South. Indy is still a wildcard threat, even though they're clearly not as good as past years.

 

3. Maybe slightly more trouble than Indy due to every team in the division having a decent record, but they're not out of it by any means. I don't like them to break their playoff losing streak if they make it, though.

 

4. Probably not and no. The games don't draw, and anyone that's ever flown to Europe can tell you how much jet lag sucks. I couldn't imagine doing that while trying to maintain a pro-athlete workout plan.

 

5. Marc Bulger needs to keep his head out of his ass. The first few games saw him missing open throws, taking bad sacks, and throwing careless INT's. He's cut down on that lot in their two wins, and the defense has stepped up as well. The Patriots need to get pressure on Bulger to force him into making stupid mistakes like they did against Cutler.

[CanadianChris 0]

1. He probably won't be as well dressed. As far as football goes, very little. Unlike the Rams, who have several very good players, the Niners just don't have the personnel to be competitive week in and week out to think that a coaching change would make a difference.

 

2. Yeah, they're in deep shit already. Tennessee is going to run over them all night long, and probably well into Tuesday. A loss would put them probably two games back of a wild-card spot, and I don't see them making a run at the playoffs if that happens.

 

3. Yeah, they're in deep shit already. The defence is not good, and they lost their best defensive player last week, so it's only going to get worse. I said last week that this season has all the hallmarks of Owens' second season in Philly, and I haven't seen anything that would make me change my mind on that score.

 

4. Why should they? Pretty much every single town in England has a soccer team to obsess over. American football is just a weird sport played with an oddly shaped ball where nothing is going on much of the time.

 

5. For St. Louis - keep playing hard, keep featuring Steven Jackson and don't turn the ball over. For New England - don't go into this game thinking these are the Rams from September.

[Gert T 0]

Five Question Footlong

 

1. What kind of changes can we expect from Samurai Mike taking over as the head coach in San Francisco?

Everybody says its going to be more Gore rushing, but I am not sure that will happen, hopefully a more intense team, on both sides of the ball.

 

2. If Indy loses on Monday, are they in deep shit? Are they in deep shit already?

Yes, they are in deep shit, and they already are. Its a tough division.

 

3. If Dallas loses this week, are they in deep shit? Are they in deep shit already?

Yes they are in deep shit, for the same reason as the Colts. And the fact that (and I hate to pile on), but I just do not see Wade Phillips creating any intrinsic or extrinsic motivation.

 

4. Will British people (in general) ever give a fuck about the NFL? Can you defend the NFL wanting to play these games overseas?

No they won't care, but I understand the NFL doing it. The stadium will sell out, an in business, you always want to spread your market.

 

5. What does St. Louis have to do to maintain momentum and keep winning games? What does New England have to do to knock the Rams back down a peg?

Keep Marc Bulger upright. New England just has to show up. If Steven Jackson is banged up a little, the Pats will win comfortably.

 

 

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

1. What kind of changes can we expect from Samurai Mike taking over as the head coach in San Francisco?

Nothing long term, they're still a less-than-mediocre team who had a few good weeks. I do see the boost of a first-game new coach being enough to lead them over Seattle this week, however.

 

2. If Indy loses on Monday, are they in deep shit? Are they in deep shit already?

I believe they already are, but that's not to take away from a huge divisional game in six days. They're missing two important players in Sanders and Addai (though the latter was underachieving), and have a so-so record to begin with. Indy's behind the eight ball in the standings, and that's not factoring in that the Titans are this good, IMO. There are four teams (excluding division leaders) who have a better or the same record as the Colts, and the Chargers(who have turned it around, despite the loss Sunday) are close at 3-4 also. A win Monday by the Colts puts them right back in it, but the same was true two weeks ago after beating Baltimore.

 

3. If Dallas loses this week, are they in deep shit? Are they in deep shit already?

It's tough to say. I don't think they're quite done yet, but close.

 

4. Will British people (in general) ever give a fuck about the NFL? Can you defend the NFL wanting to play these games overseas?

No, and the relative indifference to the WLAF and NFL Europe should be enough of a guideline. Still, the NFL is the best run and best marketed league in North America, and I can't blame them for trying to tap into a potential fanbase that's got twice as many people as North America.

 

5. What does St. Louis have to do to maintain momentum and keep winning games? What does New England have to do to knock the Rams back down a peg?

"Play like this week" is my cop-out answer. Not just play well, but take advantage of the other team's penalties.

 

Tampa Bay at Dallas Tampa. Not a blow-out, though. Dallas beat themselves this week more than Stephen Jackson and the Rams did. Few throws to Owens and lots of penalties. They're better than that, but Tampa's not the team to rebound against.

Washington at Detroit Washington. By a lot.

Buffalo at Miami Buffalo. Flying high after a good win Sunday, and they're always pumped for Miami.

St. Louis at New England New England. Miami was pumped after two big wins against two powerhouse teams, and I believe the same effect will apply here to the Rams. Not a run-away by the Pats, but a win.

San Diego at New Orleans @ Wembley Stadium Chargers. Though less distance, it's two road games in a row for the Saints as well, and without Bush? I like the Chargers chances here.

Kansas City at NY Jets Jets.

Atlanta at Philadelphia Eagles.

Oakland at Baltimore Raiders. Hunch.

Arizona at Carolina. Probably the second-toughest pick of the week. I'll go with the Cards.

 

Cleveland at Jacksonville Jags.

Cincinnati at Houston Texans.

NY Giants at Pittsburgh. Toughest of the week. When in doubt, take the home team. Steelers.

Seattle at San Francisco Niners. As mentioned, they've got to have a little boost from Nolan, and they did win in Week 2 over the Seahawks, who must be close to shell-shocked now.

 

Indianapolis at Tennessee Titans.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

 

1. What kind of changes can we expect from Samurai Mike taking over as the head coach in San Francisco?

Little. In terms of talent, this is the weakest team in the division and possibly the NFL. The Rams always underperformed with Linehan, but San Fran is doing about as well as expected.

 

2. If Indy loses on Monday, are they in deep shit? Are they in deep shit already?

I don't believe Monday will end up being that important since they won't take the division regardless, although a win puts them back in the hunt. They are fortunate to be in the weaker conference, because they are not a good team but the two wild card slots are going to be wide open.

 

3. If Dallas loses this week, are they in deep shit? Are they in deep shit already?

Dallas is in bigger trouble than Indy. This is a bad team right now and are the weakest team in their own division. I have my doubts that Romo will be any good until his finger heals, which might not be until the off-season. TO is old and slow and drops too many passes. More importantly the defence is terrible and has been since the beginning of the year. This isn't just a bad stretch, there are serious problems with this team.

 

4. Will British people (in general) ever give a fuck about the NFL? Can you defend the NFL wanting to play these games overseas?

No. I do however see the benefit in going to Mexico which has shown an interest in the game. Actually, I think Mexico City would be more than willing to support a permanent team. As for Europe, there might be some hope in Germany and the Netherlands as they always had the most support in NFL Europe, but Britain has no interest in the sport.

 

5. What does St. Louis have to do to maintain momentum and keep winning games? What does New England have to do to knock the Rams back down a peg?

They have to run Steven Jackson to death basically. He's by far their most potent weapon and doing so helps keep their lousy defence off the field. All New England needs to do is have Cassel make his throws. WRs have been getting open all year for him and his limp arm passes just don't get to them. If Cassel is even average, the Pats win. If not, then look to the Miami or Chargers game for what you can see here.

[Obi Chris Kenobi 0]

Five Question Footlong

 

1. What kind of changes can we expect from Samurai Mike taking over as the head coach in San Francisco?

As a neutral, I've really enjoyed watching the 49ers, you never know what to expect from them and always have excitment in their games. OK, so its not all for the 49ers, but still, fun games.

 

 

4. Will British people (in general) ever give a fuck about the NFL? Can you defend the NFL wanting to play these games overseas?

There's 80,000+ for Wembley, and to be fair, I'm not sure how many of those are UK fans and how many are US fans making the trip over. However, this year the English Premier League chief touted the idea of playing an English Premier League (soccer) game abroad, and that caused a huge up roar amongst fans. People kicked off saying it was just cashing in on the team values would gain nothing other then £££. To be fair, this is how I see these Wembley games. Its unfair to the team that loses their home game, and its unfair to cart the teams across the ocean for a regular season game. Pre-Season game I've had no worries about, but would it draw the $$$ that the NFL wants?

 

I think we've been lucky that the teams involved so far haven't had their playoffs ruined by making the trip over seas. When this happens, I can see the Franchise involved kicking up a storm about having to play afield. Do the teams that make the trip opt into the process, or is it forced by the NFL?

 

To say that Brits have no love for the sport is a bit harsh, though I can see why people say it. Its pretty much akin to Soccer over there. Its loved by those that follow it, but those that follow it either play it, or got hooked at College or whatever. Certainly has more support in Europe where NFL Europe is based.

[Skywarp! 0]

I don't think the NFL forces teams to go to England. I think I read last year that the teams have to agree to do it. That's why NYG @ Miami wouldn't have been anyone's first choice, but it's what they got because both clubs said "OK."

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

I dont get why its not the SNF/MNF game so more people could see it.

 

 

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

Because a live football game airing from England at 8 pm EST would be like... 1 am over there?

[Richard 0]

Maybe if we pretend to like soccer, they'll pretend to like our sport.

 

Or the NFL can round up whatever Mexicans like the product and ship them over there.

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

Maybe if we pretend to like soccer

 

I can't do it.

[Skywarp! 0]

They almost had me with Zidane's headbutt. Can't follow that, though.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Tony Romo out until mid-November.

 

Thank fuck. Really takes the sting out of that Week 3 loss now, especially if Green Bay can get and stay ahead of the Cowboys' record. Seriously, what a wuss. Tony Romo breaks his pinkie, he's out for a month. Aaron Rodgers sprains his throwing shoulder and he plays right through it for three games straight. And people were questioning the latter's toughness and durability!

 

Aaron Rodgers > Tony Romo. Hey, they have the same amount of playoff wins right now.

[Kinetic 0]

Oh, yes. Our two games before the bye will be against teams quarterbacked by Brad Johnson and Tyler Thigpen (or Quinn Grey or Bubby Brister or whoever the fuck) respectively. This whole season couldn't be coming together any better.

[Guest C*Z*E*C*H]

The NFL should have more parity when it comes to the bye week. I think either the whole league should have Week 9 off, so in effect there's no Week 17; just Week 8, The Week Football Stops, Week 9. That way it's right in the middle and everyone has the same opportunity to rest their injured players for the second half. Some bye weeks are completely useless. If it's unrealistic to expect football to go away for an entire week, an alternative that Hub Arkush just brought up is to have the NFC have Week 8 off, then have the AFC take Week 9 off, then alternate that each year. This also schedules more games per week, thus giving Sunday Ticket subscribers more options each week, and giving over-the-air stations more choices each week, potentially saving neutral observers from unwanted Bengals-Ravens stinkers or afternoon Cowboys monopolies.

[jimmy no nose 0]

I've concluded today that Terrell Suggs might be the dumbest player in the league. First there was the widely reported "bounty" comment about Hines Ward which even if it doesn't draw a fine already will at least draw a little extra attention from the league which is definitely not something you want, especially the way things have been going recently. Then of course there's this:

 

SUGGS LOBBIES FOR TROY SMITH

Posted by Mike Florio on October 22, 2008, 8:36 a.m. EDT

In another portion of his recent interview with 2 Live Stews, Ravens linebacker/defensive end Terrell Suggs was candid about the team’s rookie quarterback, Joe Flacco.

 

Suggs thinks Troy Smith should be the team’s starting quarterback, not Flacco.

 

At a minimum, Suggs wants to see packages for both quarterbacks.

 

“I think he should get some playing time, but I think Troy should be the starter,” Suggs said.

 

“[Flacco] started out hot, [but] I mean we played two teams [Cincinnati and Cleveland] at the bottom of the league in defense, so everybody was going all crazy about him.”

 

After those first two games, coach John Harbaugh named Flacco (whom Suggs calls “Shane Falco”) the starter for the rest of the season.