NFL 2016-2017

[britbox]

NFL Power Rankings:

http://www.espn.com.au/american-foo...ona-cardinals-top-new-england-patriots-behind

 

[britbox]

Big hopes for the Raiders this year. Need to make the playoffs. Stacked with talent and we're a young team.

Saw the highlights from the Packers game @Twisted and not that I look too much into preseason results, we did look soft down the middle on defense.

 

[DarthFed]

I'm pumped as always BB. Best time of the year. Surprisingly the rankings look pretty good though I'd flip the Pats to number 2 and maybe move Carolina to 3 ahead of the team they beat by 30+ in the NFC title game! I have pretty big hopes for GB due to a very easy schedule and what figures to be a more healthy roster. I also think Rodgers will prove that last year was a fluke for him. We can talk injuries to key players last year but I've seen him still look amazing with terrible WR'a before. Last year after week 6 Rodgers was terrible. This year will be telling, he is 32 which is not old for a QB these days. But if he stinks again we may have to start wondering if he is washed up at an early age.

I didn't see any of the preseason but am pleasantly surprised they aren't even playing Rodgers at all. Jordy got a season-ending injury in the final preseason game last year so they are learning their lesson.

 

[britbox]

NFL Week 1

Friday 9 September
01:30 Carolina Panthers @ Denver Broncos

Sun 11 September
18:00 Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Atlanta Falcons
18:00 Cincinnati Bengals @ NY Jets
18:00 Cleveland Browns @ Philadelphia Eagles
18:00 Oakland Raiders @ New Orleans Saints
18:00 Green Bay Packers @ Jacksonville Jaguars
18:00 San Diego Chargers @ Kansas City Chiefs
18:00 Buffalo Bills @ Baltimore Ravens
18:00 Chicago Bears @ Houston Texans
18:00 Minnesota Vikings @ Tennessee Titans
21:05 Miami Dolphins @ Seattle Seahawks
21:25 NY Giants @ Dallas Cowboys
21:25 Detroit Lions @ Indianapolis Colts

Mon 12 September
00:10 Pittsburgh Steelers @ Washington Redskins
01:30 New England Patriots @ Arizona Cardinals

Tues 13 September
03:20 Los Angeles Rams @ San Francisco 49ers

 

[britbox]

Great start for the Raiders Twisted, liked Del Rio going for 2 to win the match rather than taking a punt on overtime. Maybe I'd have been less happy if they'd missed the 2 point conversion... but who dares wins.

Good win for the Packers on the road.

 

[Federberg]

CRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!

 

[britbox]

Looks like we all sneaked home in Week 1.

 

[DarthFed]

Great start for the Raiders Twisted, liked Del Rio going for 2 to win the match rather than taking a punt on overtime. Maybe I'd have been less happy if they'd missed the 2 point conversion... but who dares wins.

Good win for the Packers on the road.

Hell of a win for your guys Baron. Coming back on the road like that against Brees and New Orleans having a monster game shows a lot of maturity. This figures to be a big year for Carr, I think they will be serious contenders for their division.

I like the call to go for 2 as well but I don't criticize coaches just going for 1 there. GB's coach Mike McCarthy caught a lot of crap last year for not going for 2 at the end of regulation in the Arizona playoff game. I can't stand McCarthy but I don't blame him for tying it up there.

GB did pretty decent yesterday, the offense still doesn't look too crisp even with Nelson back in the mix. Rodgers looked bad the 1st quarter but was great after that including one of the most amazing passes I've ever seen just before the half, a TD which would prove crucial. A big road game vs. Minnesota next week.

 

[DarthFed]

CRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!

I had no idea that he had basically missed two seasons. They said it was his first game in over 700 games. He looked pretty darn good too, nice win for the G-Men

 

[DarthFed]

^ Days, not games. Monday, Monday...can't trust that day

 

[Billie]

I meant to ask this before: what do you think about this sitting down or raising hands while the American national anthem is being played? I missed the beginning of tonight's game but San Fran have 2 players that were sitting down in the preseason games, not sure if they did it tonight. I know a Chiefs player raised his black gloved hand during the anthem yesterday. I'll offer my opinion later, but I am interested to read other people's opinions.

 

[DarthFed]

^ I think it is a disgrace. If these guys who are making millions playing a game hate the country so much they can leave. I'm not holding my breath on that happening. If you protest the national anthem you are spitting in the face of all those who have served in the military, people that have nothing to do with a few asshole cops, people that fight for these players' ability to make millions by playing a sport.

Kaepernick is garbage now anyways, now he gets another 5 minutes of fame.

 

[britbox]

I'm with Twisted on this. Kaepernick is a dick. The anthem is far more than a single issue, far more than policies you don't agree with, it's a collective for the country you were born and/or grew up in. A country that has served Kaepernick pretty well overall. "Oppressed" Kaepernick is probably earning more than 95% of the rest of the country. Maybe he should donate 90% of his salary to projects instead of sitting on his hands in some lame protest.

 

[DarthFed]

Well said Baron except he is earning more than 99% of people at least, and all for playing a game for 4-5 months of the year, and the guy has been so bad he is riding the bench. It was especially disgusting to see all the clowns protest the anthem on 9/11 but it was expected.

 

[Federberg]

^I look at it another way, and it seems a lot of vets see it the same... vets went to war in part to uphold the freedoms that Americans enjoy, part of that is the first amendment. Why shouldn't he be allowed to protest? Yes he could have picked a less controversial way to make his point, but isn't that the essence of protest? Doing something that will force a discussion? It seems to me that people are forgetting what is supposed to make America great, freedom of expression. If we set aside his method of protest, his aims seem entirely reasonable. African Americans should be able to enjoy the same freedoms as everyone else without persecution. They should be able to feel that the police will look after their interests, but clearly they don't feel that way. If nothing else has worked to change their situation to date, then the protest has to be a valid form of political discourse surely.

I watched Skip Bayliss and his new partner on 'Undisputed' the other day (I forget the guys name), and he made the point that in just the last year there have been a few white criminals who have committed some fairly heinous crimes and they were captured without violence, but people like Eric Garner are somehow killed selling cigarettes or cds? I won't go into specifics, that would be poor sampling, but if a large section of society feel that there is bias against them and it stays unresolved for decades, no... centuries, why shouldn't they force the issue however they feel appropriate, particularly when no one got hurt.. just my opinion. For what it's worth, taking the knee seems more sensible than the initial sitting down..

 

[DarthFed]

^ That's Shannon Sharpe, one of the greatest tight ends ever.

Kaepernick has every right to do what he's doing, I just think it's misguided, shameful and it is also timely on his part because quite frankly the guy went from being the next big thing to now riding the bench on a terrible team in the course of 2 seasons.

 

[Federberg]

^ That's Shannon Sharpe, one of the greatest tight ends ever.

Kaepernick has every right to do what he's doing, I just think it's misguided, shameful and it is also timely on his part because quite frankly the guy went from being the next big thing to now riding the bench on a terrible team in the course of 2 seasons.

Yes for me the discussion point is about how pure his motivations are. If it's just because he's been benched then it's not an Ali moment. Although, interestingly someone I was talking to about this made the point that actually the fact that he's now possibly surplus to requirement makes his stance braver. I'm told that he's been an active advocate for these types of issues on social media for quite some time, so maybe this is genuine

 

[DarthFed]

^ Yes he has been outspoken and there is no doubt that this isn't all for show. I just question if part of the motivation for just now starting to protest the anthem coincides with the fact he has become a bit of a laughing stock. It's got to be tough for a young athlete to be on top of the world (or damn close) like he was for a couple years in 2012 and 2013 and then suddenly he has fallen off far enough that he is now being benched for Blaine fekkin Gabbert on one of the worst teams in the league.

 

[Federberg]

^haha! Well I bet this has become very real for him. If that was part of it at the start, he's gone limit up on the trade. I guess history will tell us if he's brave or stupid. I'm intrigued to see if he's able to get his place back. Surely he's going to get a chance at some point in the season. Imagine if he dominates. What a story!

 

[Billie]

At first I also didn't understand why protest in this way, isn't it an insult to all people in USA, but then I read something about everybody having the right to protest and having their opinions. It just doesn't make sense to me and it feels like a cheap way to draw attention to yourself, when it comes from overpaid athletes. War veterans are something different, imo. I haven't seen this in other professional sports in the USA, or I missed it?

I think a lot of problems comes from poor and violence infested neighbourhoods, so that's where their concern should be and they should be trying to fix that, both rich athletes and politicians. Give kids from poor parts of many cities some decent chances to pursue something other than drugs and crime.