The 2018 NFL Discussion Thread

[TheLoony]

Maybe not today, but sooner or later the clock will strike 12 and Fitzpatrick will turn back into a pumpkin.

There's a rub, though. What if he doesn't turn into a pumpkin next week and beats the Steelers? That's two teams that were rather close to making the Super Bowl last year and one who actually won it.

Do you bring in Winston if Fitz has another game like he's had in the first two weeks? I don't have faith in either QB but as I'm a Bucs fan I'm not supposed to trust our QB's. I don't get to make that call but knowing both guys history I don't really want either of them.

Whatever. It's only the Steelers who have proven to be not so good so far this season. If you have aspirations for a Super Bowl and can't beat the Browns nor Tampa, your season is lost.

[Vic2012]

Oakland loses a heartbreaker. Sorry Yves. See you guys next week in Miami.

[progeezer]

I record all sports contests to avoid commercials and just finished watching the Pack-Vikes game. I avoid any sports channels with a ticker & watch something else until at least 90 minutes after the telecast starts.

I'm glad that everyone & not just me realizes that if that bogus call on Matthews wasn't made then the game was over.

I'll wait until we see in the next few days what the banging around in this game has done to #12 before deciding whether or not to be contrite about my previous "sit him out" rant.

It was at least entertaining.

EDIT: Big props to Cousins, Diggs & Thielen, who all played amazingly!

[moecurlythanu]

What if he doesn't turn into a pumpkin next week and beats the Steelers?

Then I'll be a happy freakin' camper.

[Lou]

Then I'll be a happy freakin' camper.

I, would not!

[3LockBox]

There's a rub, though. What if he doesn't turn into a pumpkin next week and beats the Steelers?

history isn't on Fitzy's side. Like I said last week; he reminds me a lot of journeyman QBs of the past, like Dave Kreig in the early '90s and Steve Deberg in the '80s. John Kitna to a degree a decade ago. They'd come in to replace an injured starter, look incredible for a few games, then implode or get hurt themselves. Most any journeyman QB can play well if you keep them upright. Some QBs handle getting knocked around better than others. Some get rattled and lose it. Deberg and Kreig both would have as spectator a nose dive as they did an ascent. So has Fitzpatrick.

[moecurlythanu]

I seem to recall Steve DeBerg putting a few good seasons together.

[DocProgger]

^^^
and Montana was his clipboard carrier for a year while he learned the NFL ropes....

Kreig was more than a journeyman who occasionally started. I think he was a full time starter for 8-9 seasons, made 3 Pro Bowls and according to Wiki ranks in the top 15 of most passing categories. I would never call him a great QB, but he was more than just a plug in. Fitzpatrick has had some interesting bursts of top flight production for a Harvard QB drafted in the 7th round.

[TheLoony]

Krieg played twelve seasons with Seattle but did become a journeyman in his older age.

See, this where the David Carr syndrome starts to take effect. You are stuck on a really bad team, with bad players and a bad scheme, you are screwed. Then you get sacked 77 times in your rookie season and hit quite a few times beyond that and become shell shocked.

There really was no help for Carr but this Bucs team has receiver's who can really dial it up, it seems, after two weeks. Evans and Jackson have been superb. Plus the guy I've never heard of who had nearly a hundred yards today.

I had no hope when the season started. None at all. Not a lot more but damn, this has been crazy stuff I never imagined.

Ok, and can players stop with the first down call? Really, get over it. You didn't score a touchdown and I'm tired of seeing them signal a first down. Not nearly the same thing. Celebrate when you score but get over the great sack or a first down.

[Klonk]

I can only imagine the paralyzing fear that must go through a defensive players mind when Eli is forced to scramble...

[TheLoony]

I can only imagine the paralyzing fear that must go through a defensive players mind when Eli is forced to scramble...

Eli should retire. He sucks and mostly has sucked except those two runs to the Super Bowl when he got so damned lucky.

For all the talk about the Manning Bros. over the years they both weren't that great. How many championships for the two of them, with Eli getting seriously lucky for his two? Peyton could barely win his two championships and Eli got so ridiculously lucky to win his.

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

Is it too early to say that Tampa Bay is for real?

if the bearded one can keep this up...

heck yeah!!!

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

overall it was a great day for football

[3LockBox]

Kreig was more than a journeyman who occasionally started. I think he was a full time starter for 8-9 seasons, made 3 Pro Bowls and according to Wiki ranks in the top 15 of most passing categories. I would never call him a great QB, but he was more than just a plug in

his first 2 or 3 seasons with Seattle were stellar. He could keep pace with anyone, put up a bunch of yards and was involved in a lot of shoot-outs. But by 86 or 87 was very up and down. He was usually productive but always seemed to make the mistakes at the end of games. He had renaissances with Kansas City and Detroit but will mostly come up in conversation when discussing one of those categories for which he ranked very highly - fumbles

[3LockBox]

Steve Deberg was a good quarterback but never seemed to be impressive enough for a team to not draft an up-and-coming quarterback. He was in San Francisco when they drafted Joe Montana. He was traded to Denver where he was serviceable but expendable. They drafted John Elway and DeBerg was shipped to Tampa Bay, where again he was serviceable but not so impressive that they didn't draft Steve Young. His most successful tenure was with Kansas City where he was very productive but the Chiefs didn't really go anywhere. He would eventually be replaced,by, yet again, Joe Montana. I can't remember where he wound up after that (and find myself underwhelmed to research any further).

[Facelift]

I noticed a graphic of Sam Darnold where he pointed at you with a glare that said......I'm coming to get you.......

He's gonna be a good QB. I'd take him over Tannihill. Tanny just has more experience but he's mediocre at best.

He's already good. You know that by the fact that the Jets have given him the entire offense to work with. No training wheels for Darnold - he's playing the full playbook from week 1. He'll be a great one.

[Vic2012]

^ I agree. I wasn't kidding when I said I'd take him over Tannihill.

[Yves]

Oakland loses a heartbreaker. Sorry Yves. See you guys next week in Miami.

Crushing defeat. Raiders D not finding a way to counter their opponent's halftime adjustments. 0-2 and already 2 games back of the Chiefs. It took me a solid hour to get over that loss...

And how about those Browns? Man are they snake-bitten! I have to assume Gonzalez is not longer their kicker....

[Facelift]

Eli should retire. He sucks and mostly has sucked except those two runs to the Super Bowl when he got so damned lucky.

For all the talk about the Manning Bros. over the years they both weren't that great. How many championships for the two of them, with Eli getting seriously lucky for his two? Peyton could barely win his two championships and Eli got so ridiculously lucky to win his.

EIi was one of the league's best QBs for years. Never in the top 2 or 3, but he is vastly underrated and his super bowl runs can hardly be called lucky - he carried the offense on his back and had big game after big game.

That said, his skills have been eroding for about 4 years now and despite the fact that by far the biggest problem with the Giants is the O-Line and not Eli, he is still not performing on the level that he used to and is getting worse all the time. The Giants have a gutless GM who saw surrounding Manning with top skill positions as the best way to last for a few years, rather than rebuild with a drafted QB and almost certainly be bad for 2 or 3 seasons. By not fixing the O-Line, and having an impossible first-half schedule, the Giants will probably be bad this year anyway. As I said on this board when it was happening, the Giants should have 1). Traded Beckham after the 2016 season; 2) moved on from Eli last year; 3) drafted Darnold with 2 and, if for some reason they really didn't like Darnold, draft the pass-rusher or trade the pick down to rebuild the line. And if they didn't trade Beckham after 2016, don't give him a contract this year and just bite the bullet.

As for *Peyton* Manning, he's only the greatest QB to ever play. Overrated? Jesus.

[Facelift]

^ I agree. I wasn't kidding when I said I'd take him over Tannihill.

I don't hate the Jets by any means, but as a Giants fan, it could get tough at some point over the next 15 years watching and hearing about Darnold every week.

[JAMOOL]

that call on Matthews gave me some serious Fail Mary vibes. it wasn't just a "questionable" call (like his roughing call in literally the same situation last week), it was clearly wrong and directly altered the outcome of the game. not to mention the throw to Adams in the end zone on GB's last drive in which he was clearly interfered with, no call, Pack kick a FG (also not to mention the TD that was called back due to an off-the-ball hold). Packers had so many opportunities...3 dropped picks, needing just one defensive stand in the end (every single person in that stadium besides Mike McCarthy must've known what the Vikes were gonna run on that 2pt conversion), making that FG at the end of regulation, Rodgers taking that 2nd-in-1 in OT, *already* in FG range, having a clear shot at a 1st down bootleg run but falling over and fumbling, then taking a sack on 3rd to force a punt. I'm sure if you're a Vikings fan you've got a similar laundry list. Lets all just forget about this game and move on

[DocProgger]

As for *Peyton* Manning, he's only the greatest QB to ever play. Overrated? Jesus.

All time best QBs:

1. Joe Montana
1A. Tom Brady

After that, the Manning, Elway, Unitas, Favre etc advocates can line up and start fighting over #3 and down.

[DocProgger]

Do you Packers fans want some whine with your Cheese?

[JAMOOL]

eh I'm just glad we have a game to point to the next time some idiot whines about the Packers "getting all the calls"

[Jerjo]

That Vikings/Packer game was a debacle for both sides and the officials. I agree that the Matthews call sucked but keep in mind the bad "roughing the passer" call on a sack on Rodgers in the first half. Bad special teams work, horrible kicking, and WTF coaching decisions on both sides. It was like a preseason game rather than the second game of the season.