The 2007-08 National Football League Thread

[Spacey]

wolfie, season ticket holder?

[tyzack]

I am beginning to think so.

[Spacey]

Congrats to the 2007 Miami Dolphins on winning their first game of the season. Way to not quit.

[Spacey]

PITTSBURGH -- Richard Desrosiers never made it to Heinz Field to watch his beloved Steelers play football, but his widow helped him fulfill his dream in death.

Thanks to some help from sympathetic donors, Kathleen Desrosiers attended Sunday\'s game, bringing an urn with some of her late husband\'s ashes, as well as his ring and two pictures of him. He had died in March of a brain tumor.

"I couldn\'t take the tumor away. I couldn\'t take the pain away. I couldn\'t make him better. But I can do this," Kathleen Desrosiers, 60, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Though he lived in Exeter, N.H., Richard Desrosiers adopted the Steelers at an early age and followed them closely. He named his dog Steeler and his wardrobe, by his widow\'s estimate, was 95 percent Steelers gear.

Braving the biting cold and the Steelers\' disappointing 29-22 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Desrosiers waved her new Terrible Towel, showed off her painted face and warmed her head with a Steelers hat.

She called it "an overwhelming experience."

"It\'s sad to think that he got here in death," she added. "But this is where he wanted to be. It was what he asked me to do. I got to be with him one last time while he did something he wanted more than anything else in the whole wide world."

Amy Litterini, a western Pennsylvania native who now lives in New Hampshire, was the couple\'s counselor during Desrosiers\' yearlong battle with cancer. She arranged for the purchase of the two tickets to Sunday\'s game and raised money for Kathleen Desrosiers and one of her sons to spend a night in a Pittsburgh hotel.

Desrosiers was covered with a Steelers blanket when he died, and at his funeral, his two stepsons honored his memory by donning Steelers jerseys.

ESPN - Steelers

Interesting little story. Never question a mans fanhood.

SOMERVILLE, N.J. -- Former NFL player Todd Burger was one of five men arrested over the weekend in a bust of an alleged Internet gambling operation.

Burger, who played guard for the Chicago Bears and the New York Jets, allegedly collected gambling debts for suspect Anthony "Cheese" Pecoraro.

Burger started all 16 regular-season games for the Jets in 1998. He played for the Chicago Bears from 1993-97, starting a total of 24 games. He was signed by the Bears as a free agent after playing at Penn State.

According to the Somerset County Prosecutor\'s Office and New Jersey State Police, who conducted a four-month joint investigation, the operation used the Web site http://www.beteastsports.com to process illegal wagers. Players used code names and Pecoraro set gambling limits, settled disputes and controlled the paying off and collecting of bets.

In addition to Burger and Pecoraro, authorities arrested Stephen Barone, Daniel Alaimo and Peter Carfaro.

Authorities seized about $70,000 in cash from the suspects in addition to computers and a .357 Magnum handgun.

ESPN - Betting

This one I found interesting because of the name association.

No relation that you know of, I assume, #12?

[Wolfman]

Not a season ticket holder, just had some good fortune back in July when tickets went on sale.  Got through 4 times, good for half the season.  Was prepared to get tickets to all 8 games but couldn\'t get through anymore after 4 times.  I later sold the Browns game because I ended up running a half-marathon that day, but kept and attended Eagles, Steelers, and Jets.  Yesterday I felt the presence of the same football spirit smiling on me that smiled on me that day in July.  

I go to at least two games a year though I often pay more than face value, so getting all the face value tickets is real nice.  Back in \'03 I paid $280 on EBay for a ticket to the AFC Championship vs. the Colts and after the game I actually deemed it to be one of the best values I ever got on a sports ticket.  The game was that good.  If prices are similar this year I\'ll be all about it again.  However, given the nature of the season I think a 17-0 Pats vs. Colts AFC title game will have tickets starting at $500, and if that\'s the case I\'ll just have to find some other game to go to...

[Wolfman]

19-0: 4 to go[/B]

Did the Pats look good today?  No.  
Does it matter?  No.

The greatest offense ever set the record for most touchdowns in a season and the greatest team of all time became the first ever to go 15-0 in a 16 game season.  Next week they go for the incredible 16-0 season.  Next week is actually much more exciting than this week, so let\'s talk about next week:

The Great Conflict Of 2007 takes place next Saturday night.  The situation: The Patriots play the Giants at 8, while The Breakfast plays Toad\'s at 10.  To make the matter even more complicated, the game is inexcusably being broadcast on the derelict NFL Network, which is unlikely to be available at Toad\'s.  Where do I go?  How can I not watch the Patriots in this historic moment?  How can I not watch The Breakfast take the stage in their penultimate show of the Spears era?  

DavePeck and the rest of Giants/Breakfast nation ducked the conflict with today\'s Giants victory.  They clinch a playoff spot and don\'t need the game anymore.  Chrispitch, NFL Historian, is still heavily conflicted, assuming he\'s alive after the Browns horrifying loss to the Bengals.    

I think I might get an easy out here.  I get the first two hours of the game by default since The Breakfast won\'t be playing yet.  By that point it\'s midway 3rd quarter and with the Giants not trying I think we\'ll see the Pats up 3-4 touchdowns and at that point I will take off for the show and not miss a note.  The Giants win today really helps, otherwise the game might be closer. I need to draw the line somewhere and it will ultimately be a gut decision in the moment, but to leave the game by 10pm I most likely need a 3 TD lead.  I\'d say there\'s only a 20% chance that I\'d need to watch the whole game.  Although I do want to see the postgame reactions, they\'re not going to be that great.  The Pats are not going to celebrate 16-0.  The Pats know better than anyone that the goal is 19-0.  So I can pass on postgame for The Breakfast.  Worst case scenario I miss first set, but like I said, I think that\'s highly unlikely.  Can\'t wait!  Let\'s do it!

[Klout]

The giants look pretty good at times today. If they have a great game next week and the pats have a real crappy one ya never know...

[leith]

The giants look pretty good at times today. If they have a great game next week and the pats have a real crappy one ya never know...

There is no way the Giants beat New England. Eli Manning sucks way to much for that to ever happen. So Congratulations on a perfect regular season New England Patriots. I really look forward to watching you guys crash and burn in the playoffs.

[Wolfman]

Just got off the phone with Pitchie who helped me realize two incredible facts:

1.  The Browns are tied for a playoff spot with Tennessee and yet the Browns\' game in Week 17 means nothing.  It doesn\'t matter if they win or lose; the Browns\' fate rests entirely on the Indy-Tennessee game (unless Indy/Ten finish in a tie).  I\'m not going to explain how it works it here but I just looked it over and it works out.  I can\'t remember that ever happening.  The Indy/Ten game isn\'t until Sunday night.  Oh, the agony.    

2.  The Patriots lead the league in most points scored and fewest points allowed!  Even after watching them this season the very concept of pulling that off is absolutely stunning.

[ChrisPitch]

Miserable showing by Derek Anderson and the Browns yesterday. Now their playoff hopes ride on the Jim Sorgi-led Colts. Needless to say, it doesn\'t look good and making matters worse is that NBC moved that to the night game so I get to wait around all day for the Browns likely demise. Then again, they\'re usually about 4-11 at this point so I don\'t want to etch the gravestone just yet. But still, you have playoff bid in your grasp and can\'t beat the lowly Bengals. Nauseating.

[Klout]

what are the odds on the giants pats game

[Spacey]

opened at 14 1/2 and the o/u 45

[Gordo]

Brady to Moss 2 times in the end-zone = 2 new (BIG) records

as for Cleveland: 1 out of 9 Wins against a team above .500 (SEA in OT), 5 out of 9 Wins against last place teams, the other 3 Wins come from teams with a combined record of 16-29.. They blow and should feel very fortunate to have such a weak schedule this year. If they make it, they\'ll get owned in a very ugly way.

I understand the heart ache though, reaching the Playoffs is always exciting and extremely desirable when it has happened only once in the past 12 seasons.

[ChrisPitch]

Of course, all you Patriots\' fans know that Jerry Rice\'s record was set in 12 games in 1987. Just something to keep in mind Saturday when Moss breaks the record on a triple-reverse flea flicker with the Patriots up 49-0 in the fourth quarter.

[Wolfman]

Of course, all you Patriots\' fans know that Jerry Rice\'s record was set in 12 games in 1987. Just something to keep in mind Saturday when Moss breaks the record on a triple-reverse flea flicker with the Patriots up 49-0 in the fourth quarter.

Chris Pitch, NFL Historian ladies and gentlemen.  You thought I was kidding.

Funny, my favorite play in Tecmo Super Bowl was throwing the triple-reverse flea flicker to Jerry Rice!  They actually had that play in the game.  I also played a full season of Tecmo Super Bowl where I had Rice leading the league in receiving AND rushing!  I didn\'t even move him to running back, it was entirely on reverses.  When Brady and Moss get their records on Saturday night, I\'ll be thinking about how Jerry Rice led the league in receiving and rushing in the same season.