The 2007-08 National Football League Thread

[booztravlr]

no, i\'ve never been to indy for a colts game. i\'d like to catch one but without a free place to stay it would be too expensive. outside of the nashville games i have only seen the colts one other time, in 2004 on mnf in tampa. it was my first nfl game and was one of the biggest comebacks ever. something like 24 points in less than 5 minutes. i\'m surprised i made it out alive that night!

one of my friends from high school lives in murfreesboro (40 miles south of nashville). i used to go on tour with him all the time back in the day. every year i\'ve gone down to TN for 4-5 days to hang out. worked out well that bonnaroo is held down there. after three years of that i felt it had run it course so i decided to plan my trip around the colts game, seeing as they are in the same division and therefore play in nashville once a year. as long as he\'s living down there i\'ll be visiting for the colts game each year.

[Wolfman]

19-0: 18 to go.  

Think \'86 Celtics, \'96 Bulls, \'80s 49ers, \'92 Dream Team...teams that were on completely different planes of existence than anyone available to play against them.  That\'s the 2007 Patriots.  None of us are going to forget this team for the rest of our lives, Patriot fan or not.  Be glad you were here to witness it.

[antbach]

Think \'86 Celtics, \'96 Bulls, \'80s 49ers, \'92 Dream Team...teams that were on completely different planes of existence than anyone available to play against them.  That\'s the 2007 Patriots.  None of us are going to forget this team for the rest of our lives, Patriot fan or not.  Be glad you were here to witness it.

You are way to biased to be making such a statement. They will lose at least one game to the Dolphins this year. Meaningless to most out there, but something I look forward to every year as a fan of a team who still looks 8 years from making a return to the postseason.

[zuke583]

well this thread turned into "battle of the outlandish statements" pretty quickly.  i guess since i\'m here i\'d like to predict that alex smith will complete every pass attempt this season, frank gore will amass 3000 total yards, and the 49ers will win an unprecedented two super bowls this season.

[ChrisPitch]

Well, since I\'m off to about as good a start as my Brownies, let\'s take the Ravens at +2.5 and the Cardinals at +3.

[Wolfman]

well this thread turned into "battle of the outlandish statements" pretty quickly.  i guess since i\'m here i\'d like to predict that alex smith will complete every pass attempt this season, frank gore will amass 3000 total yards, and the 49ers will win an unprecedented two super bowls this season.

Against the NFC, the first two statements could actually happen.  

For the Super Bowl, the NFC should be allowed to line up their Pro-Bowl team against the Pats.  And there should be 4 weeks off after the Conferece championship so the NFC Pro-Bowl team can practice together.  And the Pats would still be favored and cover.

[booztravlr]

19-0: 18 to go.  

Think \'86 Celtics, \'96 Bulls, \'80s 49ers, \'92 Dream Team...teams that were on completely different planes of existence than anyone available to play against them.  That\'s the 2007 Patriots.  None of us are going to forget this team for the rest of our lives, Patriot fan or not.  Be glad you were here to witness it.

For the Super Bowl, the NFC should be allowed to line up their Pro-Bowl team against the Pats.  And there should be 4 weeks off after the Conferece championship so the NFC Pro-Bowl team can practice together.  And the Pats would still be favored and cover.

You Patriots fans crack me up. You talk all high and mighty but deep down you\'re all just bitter because your mancrush, Brady, couldn\'t live up to the challenge of the AFC Championship game last year. It\'s the end of Week 1 and you\'re already running your mouth about going undefeated. At first I thought you were joking but I actually think you\'re serious with your statement. The Patriots are a very good team, there is no denying that fact. Moss beat up on a weak secondary and Welker, though dropping a few balls, tore apart the middle of the field. However, all of this was against the Jets. The fact that they made the playoffs last year was a fluke (sorry Jets fans). You should feel good about the win but you\'re only 1-0. The road to "19-0" continues next week when you\'ll have to make it past San Diego. After that, I\'d say your two hardest games are @ Indy in Week 9 and then @ Baltimore in Week 13. If you\'re lucky enough to make it that long undefeated, then we can talk about a 16-0 regular season. By the way, you haven\'t beaten the Colts since Week 1 2004.

Though on second thought, if it\'s true, 19-0 does seem possible when you\'re team is doing shit like this.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/recap?gid=20070909020&prov=ap

NEW YORK (AP) -- The NFL is looking into claims a New England Patriots employee was videotaping signals by Jets coaches on New York\'s sideline during the season opener.

The investigation was first reported by ESPN.com, which said that NFL security confiscated a video camera and tape from a Patriots employee during New England\'s 38-14 victory Sunday. The employee was accused of aiming his camera at the Jets\' defensive coaches, who were sending signals out to the players, sources told the Web site.

"The rule is that no video recording devices of any kind are permitted to be in use in the coaches\' booth, on the field, or in the locker room during the game," the league said in a statement from spokesman Greg Aiello. "Clubs have specifically been reminded in the past that the videotaping of an opponent\'s offensive or defensive signals on the sidelines is prohibited.

"We are looking into whether the Patriots violated this rule."

The story was first reported on the Web site of Jets Confidential, which said the Jets chief of security alerted NFL security about the issue during the game.

"With anything along those lines, those are all league-related matters, and anything that deals with an issue like this or anything on a team-by-team basis, those all go to the league," coach Eric Mangini said in his news conference Monday.

When asked if the Jets had in fact notified the league, he said: "It\'s all a league matter."

Patriots spokesman Stacey James declined comment. New England cornerback Ellis Hobbs said he was unaware of the controversy, and unwilling to believe his team had cheated.

"We put too many hours in as individuals and a team to have to go out and cheat," he said. "If it\'s true, obviously, we\'re in the wrong. But I\'m standing behind my team, my coaches. I don\'t think we do that stuff."

Last November, the Green Bay Packers had an issue with a man wearing a Patriots staff credential and carrying a video camera on the sidelines at Lambeau Field.

Teams are allowed to have a limited number of their own videographers on the sideline during the game, but they must have a credential that authorizes them to shoot video, and wear a yellow vest. But Packers spokesman Jeff Blumb said the person in question didn\'t have the right credential and wasn\'t wearing a yellow vest, so Packers security asked him to put away the camera.

Updated on Monday, Sep 10, 2007 6:50 pm, EDT

The Colts have started each of the past two seasons 9-0. I don\'t see that happening again this year. But if it\'s going to, the Week 9 showdown against the Patriots (how devious of the NFL) will be that much more exciting. I\'d love to see both teams at 8-0 coming into that game. Good luck to your Patriots. Until the Colts suffer a loss in the playoffs, they\'re the Champs.

[Gfunk]

Though on second thought, if it\'s true, 19-0 does seem possible when you\'re team is doing shit like this.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/recap?gid=20070909020&prov=ap

NEW YORK (AP) -- The NFL is looking into claims a New England Patriots employee was videotaping signals by Jets coaches on New York\'s sideline during the season opener.

The investigation was first reported by ESPN.com, which said that NFL security confiscated a video camera and tape from a Patriots employee during New England\'s 38-14 victory Sunday. The employee was accused of aiming his camera at the Jets\' defensive coaches, who were sending signals out to the players, sources told the Web site.

"The rule is that no video recording devices of any kind are permitted to be in use in the coaches\' booth, on the field, or in the locker room during the game," the league said in a statement from spokesman Greg Aiello. "Clubs have specifically been reminded in the past that the videotaping of an opponent\'s offensive or defensive signals on the sidelines is prohibited.

"We are looking into whether the Patriots violated this rule."

The story was first reported on the Web site of Jets Confidential, which said the Jets chief of security alerted NFL security about the issue during the game.

"With anything along those lines, those are all league-related matters, and anything that deals with an issue like this or anything on a team-by-team basis, those all go to the league," coach Eric Mangini said in his news conference Monday.

When asked if the Jets had in fact notified the league, he said: "It\'s all a league matter."

Patriots spokesman Stacey James declined comment. New England cornerback Ellis Hobbs said he was unaware of the controversy, and unwilling to believe his team had cheated.

"We put too many hours in as individuals and a team to have to go out and cheat," he said. "If it\'s true, obviously, we\'re in the wrong. But I\'m standing behind my team, my coaches. I don\'t think we do that stuff."

Last November, the Green Bay Packers had an issue with a man wearing a Patriots staff credential and carrying a video camera on the sidelines at Lambeau Field.

Teams are allowed to have a limited number of their own videographers on the sideline during the game, but they must have a credential that authorizes them to shoot video, and wear a yellow vest. But Packers spokesman Jeff Blumb said the person in question didn\'t have the right credential and wasn\'t wearing a yellow vest, so Packers security asked him to put away the camera.

Updated on Monday, Sep 10, 2007 6:50 pm, EDT

:popcorn:

[Wolfman]

Yup, Brady\'s won me 3 Super Bowls but all I am is bitter over last year\'s playoffs.  :rolleyes:

And yup, I\'m really worried about San Diego at home when last time I saw them we beat them in San Diego with a team that wasn\'t as good as the one we have now.  (Pats 27-21 this week BTW.)

And yup, way to act like the Colts are better than the Pats because they FINALLY beat them one year.  The Patriots built a dynasty around owning the Colts.  So the Pats barely lost to them one time with 4 defensive starters out.  So what?  It\'s gonna happen eventually.  Peyton Manning will never have 3 rings.  Brady\'s finishing with at least 4.

All I do is talk positively about my own team.  That\'s what great fans do.  All you do is talk negatively about some team that isn\'t yours because whatever team you root for is so uninspiring to you that you don\'t even have anything to say about them or the pride to mention who they are.  I mean, I\'m not gonna totally kill ya, it\'s easy to be jealous right now so I\'ll cut you some slack.  If I weren\'t a Pats fan, I too would wish I had what they have.  But great fans of other teams don\'t overtly show this jealousy the way you just did.  They swallow their pride and stick to talking positively about their own team with dignity.  They would never openly admit how jealous they are of New England.  There\'s no need to.  I know it, they know it, it\'s an unspoken understanding between fans and there\'s no pride in showing it.      

The Patriots don\'t just have the greatest team, they have the greatest fans as well.  Other teams can learn a lot about winning by watching the Pats play.  And fans of other teams  can learn a lot about how to be a great fan by watching Patriots fans.  So do as I do and focus on your own team.  I will not talk trash about other teams at any point this year, and it\'s because I don\'t have to.  And if some team happens to pull the miracle and beat New England, I will tip my hat to them and settle for the Super Bowl title without the undefeated season.

[jking]

which is all very admirable, but what about the fact that they\'ve been caught cheating more than once now? its easy to have a superior team when you\'re cheating.


however, that being said, i still wish i would have grabbed brady as fantasy qb instead of palmer....

[FrankZappa]

I have not read any of this, but I\'d like to say I realy hate football season. From september through february that\'s all I see, day in, day out. A little baseball and nba, but mostly football. ugh.

ah, only 10.5 more months until the tour de france comes back.

[jking]

^^ that\'s unamerican!! ^^



:p

[FrankZappa]

hey, if you HAD to watch it, day in day out for 5+ months a year, 8 to 12 hours a day, you\'re either going to love it or hate it after a while.  Between college football and the nfl sometimes I\'ll go a whole week without seeing anything but football.

[jking]

sounds like a cream jeans supreme, to me...


now, if i was forced to watch that much basketball, eyes would be clawed out. no telling who\'s, but definitely someone\'s!  

but tour de freedom instead??....

[booztravlr]

Yup, Brady\'s won me 3 Super Bowls but all I am is bitter over last year\'s playoffs. :rolleyes:

You\'re telling me you could care less the Patriots choked in the AFC Championship game especially after seeing how awful the Bears performed in the Super Bowl? That fourth Championship would have put them in even more elite company than the 3 in 4 year franchises. Oh well, maybe Belichick will get another free trip to coach the Probowl again this year.

And yup, I\'m really worried about San Diego at home when last time I saw them we beat them in San Diego with a team that wasn\'t as good as the one we have now.  (Pats 27-21 this week BTW.)

The fact that the Patriots made significant offseason adjustments doesn\'t mean they are guaranteed to win in Foxboro this Sunday against San Diego...nor against Cleveland in Week 5. I\'ll take those 6 points and wage you a friendly bet of $5 if you want to back up your statement on the Chargers game.

And yup, way to act like the Colts are better than the Pats because they FINALLY beat them one year.

Actually, the Colts have beaten them in their last 3 contests against eachother. 2 Regular season and 1 Playoffs. Before you write off the Regular Season games as meaningless, think back to 2003 and 2004 where the Patriots\' wins over the Colts in the Regular Season locked up Home Field advantage for them. If those games went to the Colts, maybe the Patriots wouldn\'t have won as many Super Bowls.

The Patriots built a dynasty around owning the Colts.  So the Pats barely lost to them one time with 4 defensive starters out.  So what?  It\'s gonna happen eventually.  Peyton Manning will never have 3 rings.  Brady\'s finishing with at least 4.

So what is to say the Colts can\'t now build a Dynasty against the Patriots? To accomplish that they have to win 2 Super Bowls in the next 3 years. It\'s nothing easy, as history has proven, but it is possible.

All I do is talk positively about my own team.  That\'s what great fans do.  All you do is talk negatively about some team that isn\'t yours because whatever team you root for is so uninspiring to you that you don\'t even have anything to say about them or the pride to mention who they are.

The one negative statement I made towards the Patriots dealt with their alleged cheating. (Didn\'t care to comment on this one at all?) All the rest had to do with your statements of the Patriots world domination in 2007.

If you\'re read all my posts in this thread they deal with the Colts. The Colts banner I posted at the beginning, my comments about going to the Colts/Titans games every year. But nice try.

I mean, I\'m not gonna totally kill ya, it\'s easy to be jealous right now so I\'ll cut you some slack.  If I weren\'t a Pats fan, I too would wish I had what they have.  But great fans of other teams don\'t overtly show this jealousy the way you just did.  They swallow their pride and stick to talking positively about their own team with dignity.  They would never openly admit how jealous they are of New England.  There\'s no need to.  I know it, they know it, it\'s an unspoken understanding between fans and there\'s no pride in showing it.

     

I\'m not sure where I showed any jealousy towards the Patriots. I think it\'s just another case of a Boston area fan thinking they\'re city/teams are at the center of the universe again. I assure you, I want nothing to do with any Boston area teams. Theyr\'e all yours!

The Patriots don\'t just have the greatest team, they have the greatest fans as well.  Other teams can learn a lot about winning by watching the Pats play.  And fans of other teams  can learn a lot about how to be a great fan by watching Patriots fans.  So do as I do and focus on your own team.  I will not talk trash about other teams at any point this year, and it\'s because I don\'t have to.  And if some team happens to pull the miracle and beat New England, I will tip my hat to them and settle for the Super Bowl title without the undefeated season.

Like I said in my initial post, Good Luck to your Patriots. I look forward to their Week 9 showdown against the Colts.

[edit]Maybe we can wager something on this game. I see the Breakfast are playing in CT the following weekend. Maybe the loser has to wear a jersey of the winning team for the whole show? As long as they don\'t spill too much beer on it [/edit]