Watson was fined over $35k for things he did in last week's game. It could have been worse as he put his hands on an official. I was shocked there was no call (or fine I guess) for that.
There are some interesting games this week, as there always are. I think there are nine teams that are 0-2. Some I think still have a reasonable chance of making the playoffs like the Bengals, Chargers, Vikings, and Panthers. And some don't have a prayer. See the Cardinals, Patriots, and especially the Bears.
My Lions have a big one at home. They really need this.
Everything in Moderation. Including Moderation.
Baker is kind of like that, but I actually feel he is a better QB right now (and last year even) than Watson. Watson's stats in his hay-day were nice and Baker isn't that, but Baker's play is above NFL average.
Seriously?!?! Do you think anyone would trade Watson for Mayfield? I highly doubt it. I think his best play was for part of one season with L.A. But you are probably more tuned into Cleveland than I am.
Oh, Tampa plays Philly this week and N.O. is in Green Bay. I think you were off one week. Maybe after this week, that could certainly happen. Not trying to be a know-it-all all.
Trading Watson for Mayfield, what anyone would do or not, I didn't say or suggest that. What I did say is that right now, and last year, Baker is a better QB that Watson. That I 100% firmly believe, my eyes have seen it. Do you not think that Mayfield has demonstrated himlself to be the better of the two? We are talking about one guy who is playing average to above average (Mayfield) and one guy who is playing average to below average (Watson). At least that is what I see. If somebody just started watching football last season and for the first couple games this year and they watched Deshaun Watson play QB it would be almost impossible to convince them the kind of numbers he has put up in his past. He isn't old yet, but the clock is ticking. I'm not willing to say he has lost it forever, but he better rediscover it pretty soon. Cleveland would've been better off with Mayfield I think. So far Cleveland is getting horrible ROI on Watson both on the field and off. It's a long term play, so they are going to hope he turns it around.
I wonder how much more crow Sean Payton is going to have to eat after trashing Denver's previous coach. I had to double check the score when I saw it, thought it was a typo.
Nice comeback by the Packers. I thought they had a chance going into the 4th down by 17. The defense had only given up 10 points, their offense just needed to get hot. Saints' corners were covering lights out until those penalties let GB sneak back in. Nice "gutty" win, as McC used to say.
Lions keep trucking along, look like the legit team to beat in the North, while the Vikings lose in typical Vikings way. GB-Det should be a fun Thursday night game.
Some thing never change.
the.
bears.
still.
suck.
Lions-Packers should be a battle again.
yeah mayb vs the defense that gave up 70 points, Justin Fields will have a huge game like last year & da Bears will grab a win
did any offensive player ever play like he did in week 9, 2022
& then follow it up the next week (10) vs Lions w/this - 12/20, 167 yds passing, 2 TDs - also 147 yards rushing, & 2 TDs - the guy looked like the next coming of Gale Sayers, Walter Payton & Slingin’ Sammy Baugh
-
yeah they’re back at Lambeau for 1st time since 2022 finale, should be some game - a statue of Barry Sanders was unveiled earlier this month
lets go Browns, howabout it Pats
Well you Packer lovers, are you ready for the game tonight? Got your no-salt popcorn and diet ginger ale all set to go? 
Even though I have a rooting interest in the game, of course, I would be interested regardless. This should be a good game. I've seen a few pundits saying whoever wins this one wins the division. Seems a little early for that.
They are pretty evenly matched but I would take Goff over Love. I guess Green Bay has some injury questions. I will say Detroit 26 Green Bay 20.
You can tell me I'm wrong Friday morning!
Everything in Moderation. Including Moderation.
Congrats to your Lions as they came into our house and dominated.
Absolutely controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball with over 200yrds rushing and 5 sacks.
Love had his ups and downs but was running for his life behind that makeshift OL and no running game to slow down the Lion pass rush.
Pack is a young team so we will have to take our lumps this year I guess but still fun to watch for me as they grow together.
Yep, they are definitely a solid young team. And the o-line injuries were obvious as Detroit had their way with them. If you take that out of the equation perhaps you are looking at a totally different outcome.
And Green Bay's "D" had to be on the field seemingly all of the time in the first half. Detroit kind of took their foot off of the gas in the 3rd quarter.
They can ruin Detroit's Thanksgiving though.
Everything in Moderation. Including Moderation.
@lee it feels a little like 1993 with the Lions and a young Packers team duking it out for the Central.
Lions look pretty solid, but the Packers have a ways to go. Their D couldn't get off the field, felt like they were backed up the whole night.
On a side note, what is up with the all white unis? I know they tried the color rush for Thursday nights a while back, but the mono makes the players look like a bunch of house painters.
Da Bears have the go ahead FG at a reasonable chip shot distance with about 3 minutes left to play and risk it on 4th and 1 and fail to pick up the 1st down.
Denver proceeds to drive and kick the go ahead FG with less than 2minutes to play the Bears drive into Denver territory and Fields throws an interception. da Bears lose.
I know this is the new NFL, and teams go for it on 4th down, but man passing on that go ahead FG seems a bit much even if Denvers defense stinks.
That said Fields had a great game otherwise. Maybe will turn the corner now?
Turning the corner with that mess will be some kind of shakeup. I'm not rooting for it but I can see Elerflus getting fired. Maybe a coordinator. Hey, at least they have two first-round picks next year and both are from teams 0-4. They could possibly get the first two picks in the draft.
I think the last time they had a good QB was in Sid Luckman. Nice draft to be needing one.
My opinion on Eberflus is he is too nice. He paints a very pretty picture every time he is in front of a camera. The glass is always half full. While that sounds nice, the truth is that they are a mess.
Fields did have a good game though as you said but I think he will be gone next year. The last I heard was he might warrant a 5th round pick.
Everything in Moderation. Including Moderation.
I just looked it up and Chicago plays Carolina on a Thursday night game. Now THAT could be fun! I bet the NFL regrets putting that on primetime.
Everything in Moderation. Including Moderation.
Green Bay plays Vegas on Monday night next week and they gave up 6 sacks to Mack today.
Rashan Gary has to be licking his chops looking forward to that game.
Da Bears have the go ahead FG at a reasonable chip shot distance with about 3 minutes left to play and risk it on 4th and 1 and fail to pick up the 1st down.
Denver proceeds to drive and kick the go ahead FG with less than 2minutes to play the Bears drive into Denver territory and Fields throws an interception. da Bears lose.
I know this is the new NFL, and teams go for it on 4th down, but man passing on that go ahead FG seems a bit much even if Denvers defense stinks.
That said Fields had a great game otherwise. Maybe will turn the corner now?
Did they say that was an "analytic" based decision. In that down and distance, blah, blah, blah converts 71.46% of the time. Well, what if one of the 28.54% of the failures just happens to be in a gotta have it moment and loses you the game? The averages over time, over hundreds of plays are all well and good, however the individual outcomes are what matters in the moment. Whether the analytics say that is the right thing to do, somebody needs to use some judgement rather than just going by whatever "the sheet" says.
I remember when it was the hip thing to be going for 2 point conversions randomly throughout the game, don't see that much any more. Same thing, "analytics says that if you can make a 2 pt conversion your win probability goes up x% and you can convert a 2 pt conversion on y% attempts" - yeah well the specific failures in the actual game mean more than whatever the total average is over the course of history.
Da Bears’ll win tonight for their great Dick Butkus - he was the living lethal Monster of the Midway at middle LB - he roamed Soldier Field like a dinosaur, hit just as hard & was just as feared
RIP, Mr Butkus
Hey, maybe Chicago is smart and tries to see what they can get for Fields after last night. They could OWN next year's draft.
Everything in Moderation. Including Moderation.
Da Bears have the go ahead FG at a reasonable chip shot distance with about 3 minutes left to play and risk it on 4th and 1 and fail to pick up the 1st down.
Denver proceeds to drive and kick the go ahead FG with less than 2minutes to play the Bears drive into Denver territory and Fields throws an interception. da Bears lose.
I know this is the new NFL, and teams go for it on 4th down, but man passing on that go ahead FG seems a bit much even if Denvers defense stinks.
That said Fields had a great game otherwise. Maybe will turn the corner now?
Did they say that was an "analytic" based decision. In that down and distance, blah, blah, blah converts 71.46% of the time. Well, what if one of the 28.54% of the failures just happens to be in a gotta have it moment and loses you the game? The averages over time, over hundreds of plays are all well and good, however the individual outcomes are what matters in the moment. Whether the analytics say that is the right thing to do, somebody needs to use some judgement rather than just going by whatever "the sheet" says.
I remember when it was the hip thing to be going for 2 point conversions randomly throughout the game, don't see that much any more. Same thing, "analytics says that if you can make a 2 pt conversion your win probability goes up x% and you can convert a 2 pt conversion on y% attempts" - yeah well the specific failures in the actual game mean more than whatever the total average is over the course of history.
I think analytics in sports is too much. Baseball is a perfect example. Why do the fielders have a card on them telling them what to do? The players go the the dugout and it is back to a tablet.
Back to football, I thought it was stupid to go for it. Eberflus said something along the lines of "thinking it was the right thing to do". I didn't hear him mention analytics. Kick the FG and get a lead.
The Washington/Philly game was another example. At the end of the game, Washington could have gone for two instead of the tie. They were big road underdogs. I say go for the win. Why give Philly a chance to win (which they did).
You might recall a handful of years ago Michigan was in a similar position against Ohio State. They could have kicked a PAT at the end of the game and played O/T. They went for two and didn't make it. They lost by a point. I still think it was the right call and I'm a Michigan fan.
Everything in Moderation. Including Moderation.
With any decision, what I like, and I think what others can at least respect - is tell us why. Justify your decision and if we disagree with it at least we know.
The Bears coach could've said, "I thought right there with 3 minutes left if we kick the FG, they get the ball back, you know whatever happens there, but if we convert that 4th down, we can run the clock and then kick a game winner with little to no time left or keep the drive going and maybe score a TD. It's a tie game at that point, we kick the FG instead of going for 4th down, with 3 minutes left, that doesn't win the game. So I thought if we can keep our O on the field, our chances to win the game are better that way"
So you know what he is thinking, a little explanation. Not everyone has to agree, but at least we'd know why.
And analytics or percentages or odds or whatever can go into any decision. I always hated when they just cite the numbers. Like if he would say "we trust the numbers, and we have smart people who are in charge of creating that data for us to use and it says if you can do this in a game then our chances of winning increases, that is what we are going to do".
No. Coaches are paid to make decisions not just follow a card or a sheet. When the NFL started allowing 2pt conversions, everyone had this "sheet" you know 'if the margin is this after scoring a TD kick an xpt if this is the number or go for 2 if this is the number" - wait - the coaches aren't smart enough to know the situation and the math that they need a little card to tell them? That always bothered me too.
So it's not the new-age analytic driven decisions that are always what make decisions like this bad. No, it's the impression that the coaches are just robots and beholden to some abstract data that is telling them what to do.
Back to Broncos-Bears. If there was :30 seconds left instead of 3 minutes left I'm sure they kick the FG. Just tell people what and why and we can agree or disagree but at least everyone knows what the reasons are and at that point I think we can understand. And if you don't have a good reason or can't explain yourself, then that too gets weighed, weighed on whether or somebody is cut out to be in a position to actually make those decisions.
They certainly go that rote rout in bball - by rote - letting #s, analytics, do the managing, not the ebb & flow of the game
4-6 pitchers per game, each allocated in advance/pre-programmed for, one IP each - it’s dumb imo & Not The Game Messers. Cartwright & Doubleday, Cy Young & Connie Mack, Intended
yeah it was the ol coulda woulda shoulda in the Bears-Denver game - the end of the Pats’ week 2 game was similar
given the choice between playing a hunch & making a decision based on analytics - I’ll go w/what’s in my gut/up my sleeve, as a rule
Well, what a great week in last week's pool - 3 people got 5 right, I got 4. Very impressive! At least the Bears won and Packers lost ...
Rypien - looked it up, sure enough - Brett Rypien, possibly taking snaps today on the non-frozen tundra of Rambeau, I mean Lambo Field
his uncle was Mark Rypien of those long line of Washington Redskins QBs > Sonny Jurgenson, Bill Kilmer, then Doug Williams after Rypien
they did Redskins fans, their tribes & the franchise proud w/weekly greatness at RFK Stadium under coach Geo. Allen, owner Edward Bennett Williams & on…..
& their greats like The Hogs, RBs Larry Brown & John the Diesel Riggins, all time Redskins wideout Art Monk🏈
🥱…now they’re the DC Commandos (COMMANDing officERS) & they’ll be dull as their name today in Foxboro - Pats still have time to make up ground
good one for Browns to get today w/their backup QB - he needs a good game today -
UPDATE, Deshaun Watson is apparently going to start the game - you just never know w/injuries etc
Stafford may play 2day in GBay, it’s a gametime call
At least the Bears won and Packers lost ...
Week 9 and the Packers won and the Bears lost. Back to normal.
Packers had the fortune of playing against a shaky backup QB and they still didn't look great. Love has his moments where he looks solid and moments where his throws are super off. He just needs reps to see if he can get better or not and all of the 3-and-outs in the first half of the past 4 or 5 games haven't helped. Then you watch Dak and Jalen Hurtz and you can see the difference in the level of confidence - Love just isn't as sure in his throws or in the pocket yet. The jury is still out.
Fun season so far, it's nice to see Dolphins fans excited about football again.
My opinion on Love is this should be going smoother. He is not like a rookie being brought in to start. He has been around the offense for what, three or four years now? They have good pieces around him and IMO, a solid head coach. Maybe they should look to the future.
Everything in Moderation. Including Moderation.
And I love the Bears/Packers rivalry. It makes me chuckle because as a Lions fan, I want you both to lose. But I do find it humorous how much fans of one team detest the other team.
Everything in Moderation. Including Moderation.
@lee Totally, Love came out the gate doing well, but should be improving. I'm hopeful, mostly for him, but I don't see it. There's a flash here and there but he's no Matt Flynn yet. Even Dan Orlovsky had a few good plays, right? Maybe he catches fire, but maybe not.
And I love the Bears/Packers rivalry. It makes me chuckle because as a Lions fan, I want you both to lose.
Hey the rivalries are what makes it fun, right? I always thinks it's funny that the closer the teams, the bigger the rivalry, even though they people far more similar. Norm MacDonald has bit about it I always loved. I guess familiarity breads contempt. Like in-state college rivalries - why would Iowa and Iowa State not like each other, right? Wisconsin and Marquette never really had that.
Geographically Chicago and GB/Milwaukee are so close. Meanwhile, most people from WI, if they've been to MI it's to the UP, not Detroit. But "upnordthder" WI is Vikings country, but the Vikings will always just be annoying before they tragically lose so it's not a big deal. I think a lot of Packers fans are just happy the Lions get better just to make it interesting. I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving!
The only rivalry that tops it is probably Yanks-Sox. I always pulled for NYY and went to a lot of Yankees-Sox games when I lived there which got pretty intense due to the century of butting heads. BUT try telling that to someone from south FL who hates all Nor'east snowbirds and can't tell the difference. Probably the only time I've seen Boston and NYers come together is in a room full of Florida Mans.
Here is a comparison between the first 5 games for Love and Rodgers.
https://www.si.com/nfl/packers/news/comparing-jordan-loves-first-five-games-to-aaron-rodgers-in-2008
Not a great difference IMHO just looking at the final Stats.
Fans need to keep in mind that Love is working with the youngest offense in football with green WR's while Rodgers had a veteran offense and receiver core.
Rodgers had Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson and James Jones as WR's and a veteran OL which included Clifton and Tauscher at OT.
When I think of recent high draft choice QB's they all pressty much needed several years to hit their stride so IMHO let's see how Love and his young offense mature as the season progresses before we pass judgement.
Hell yeah, rivalries are fun! As a University of Michigan fan, I always found it funny how Michigan State fans deemed UM their major foe. To UM fans, no, ours was Ohio St. And UM and MSU are an hour away from each other. Kinda goes to your geographic thing. Iowa/Iowa St is a great example. I always wondered about that.
The state of Michigan can get interesting the farther north you go. Football fans start turning from Lions to Packers. When you get to the Upper Peninsula it is even more pronounced. As you go west towards Wisconsin, nobody cares about anything Detroit really. The Brewers games come in on the radio crystal clear with Bob Eucker's voice coming in. Tigers games? Maybe if you search.
Years ago I was in Ontonogon, MI. Right before Halloween. I think a stone's throw from Wisconsin. I was in a dive bar and this bartender I think he was, had a Lions shirt and hat on and people were teasing him, laughing at him. He had lost a bet and the loser had to dress up as a Lions fan for Halloween. The more cheap Old Styles I had the more high-fives we shared.
Chicago people hating Detroit people is another good example.
Everything in Moderation. Including Moderation.
Chicago people hating Detroit people is another good example.
I didn't know that was a thing. But a lot of people on the East coast are surprised to hear WI and Illinois have a rivalry. When they ask why I usually tell them basically Dan Akroyd in The Great Outdoors.
I hear ya, I'm not writing him off by any means. He's had some decent moments and the offense hasn't given him the time on the field to get better. Love still doesn't look quite as comfortable in the pocket yet. The line isn't great, the penalties are maddening, but hopefully he gains confidence because his long ball has a ways to go.
Here's the comparison after 8 games. Comparisons to Favre aren't really fair, completely different game in 1992, but still interesting.
will Aaron adjust to/sparkle in the glitz/glitter, bright lights/neon signs of the city that never sleeps, incl round the clock press coverage
The Big Apple (NYJ)
I guess we’re going to find out - the quirky QB mentioned “a few fortnights” for his return - a fortnight is 2 weeks so let’s say, 6 weeks away - Jets have 9 games left, so if six was nine & they made playoffs he’d probly be their QB, aging & all
after all this time, Pats are at the bottom looking up - yes what’s that song, “🎼🎶Cycles🎼🎶🤔
early word from The Whirlybirds, Justin Fields will not play tmrw nite & they’re planning for him to start the game after that in Det
