NFL - Are You Ready For Some Football?! - The Offseason

[notyoueither]

Any time a linebacker runs 100 yds for a TD, it's a freak play.

Yes, and?

[notyoueither]

Sour grapes? I don't care who won.

I haven't once said yeah Cardinals, boo Steelers.

ACK!

I read your mind.

[-Jrabbit]

Any time a linebacker runs 100 yds for a TD, it's a freak play.

It wasn't a freak play. He wouldn't have scored if not for a blatant clip.

It doesn't matter if it was legal -- only that it happened.

I'm just saying: look how often something like that occurs statistically. By definition, it was a freak play.

[Tuberski]

I read your mind.

GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!!!!

ACK!

[snoopy369]

Freak play to me means really absurd luck (like a ball bouncing off a receiver's helmet into the hands of a defensive player). Doesn't even have to be entirely rare - just substantially lucky, and at least somewhat rare. "Freak" to me means no or little skill involved, just luck.

The INT/TD was not luck any more than most plays are. The right D was called, Warner made an incredibly stupid throw [I'll say he pulled a Rex there, and await the booing in the AM], and Harrison took advantage; and then good blocking, ****ty tackling, and hard running led to a TD. (And maybe a clip, if you say so, but I didn't notice it. Then again, I was noticing the nearly stepping out of bounds mostly; and how many defensive runbacks don't involve several blocks of marginal legality? DT's don't exactly spend much time in blocking drills after all.) Calling it a "Freak" play detracts from the incredible skill involved in pulling it off. Might as well call the final TD a freak play, in my book.

[Naked Gents Rut]

I'm just saying: look how often something like that occurs statistically. By definition, it was a freak play.

Clips spring plenty of long returns (punt and interception) that wouldn't have gone the distance if not for the illegal blocking. I don't see why this play was any different, besides the fact that the refs didn't throw a flag.

Calling it a "Freak" play detracts from the incredible skill involved in pulling it off.

What skill is involved in following a convoy of your own players, some of whom are getting away with blatantly illegal blocks?

(And maybe a clip, if you say so, but I didn't notice it.

How the hell could you miss it? Hightower was right in front of Harrison, but then he gets shoved in the back by Woodley.

edit: Clip at 13 seconds in...

[-Jrabbit]

I stand by my statistically-based assertion that a 100-yd INT return by a linebacker is a freak play.

By no means did I mean to denigrate Harrison's effort. He has an incredible knack for making big plays in big games, and he did it again. As for the officiating on the play... well, I had issues with a lot of calls, and non-calls, in the game.

[Naked Gents Rut]

I stand by my statistically-based assertion that a 100-yd INT return by a linebacker is a freak play.

Your analysis is flawed because plays with blatant clips almost never stand. A legit 100-yd TAINT is definitely a freak occurrence, but this one wasn't legit.

[-Jrabbit]

Just went back and checked the video. The illegal block is pretty clear. It takes place at about the 30-yd line, :22 into the video. There's no guarantee that Hightower would have made the tackle (Harrison saw him coming), but the block in the back is pretty obvious and pushed him totally out of the play.

[-Jrabbit]

I stand by my statistically-based assertion that a 100-yd INT return by a linebacker is a freak play.

Your analysis is flawed because plays with blatant clips almost never stand. A legit 100-yd TAINT is definitely a freak occurrence, but this one wasn't legit.

Call it what you want. I call it freakish and statistically, that's accurate.
Denial won't change that. It happened. It's in the books. The game is over. It's reality.

Don't go all BK on me, dude.

[Naked Gents Rut]

How can it be "statistically accurate" to call the play freakish when comparable plays aren't included in the statistics? I'd love to see some numbers on the amount of TAINTs called back due to illegal blocks...

[snoopy369]

Again - I disagree with the use of the word "freakish" to denote "a play that happens rarely". A perfect game happens rarely, but it is not usually described as "freakish". Hitting for the cycle is not "freakish". Freakish does not denote "rare", it denotes "extremely lucky/unlucky". That is not the case here.

Every element of that play [excepting any fouls, which weren't called and therefore are irrelevant, BenDrake] required skill or talent to pull off. Calling the right defensive play, playing in the right spot, baiting the QB, jumping in and grabbing the pass, and then running ONE HUNDRED YARDS QUICKLY, by a player who is FREAKIN' HUGE and probably burned more calories in that 100 yard run then you did LAST WEEK IN TOTAL. Following a convoy is easier than doing a Devin Hester style return certainly, but it still takes speed and agility (particularly walking the sideline towards the 30 or so when he nearly got tackled out of bounds), and deserves recognition for that. The word "freakish" denotes something that is not about skill but about luck [and therefore should be discounted], which is clearly wrong here.

[Naked Gents Rut]

Sorry, but it wasn't that impressive of a return. Harrison was only touched twice and the only Cardinals player with a good chance to tackle him was taken out of the play by a block in the back.

[-Jrabbit]

Freakish does not denote "rare", it denotes "extremely lucky/unlucky".

Au contraire, Pierre...

freak (noun)
1. a very unusual or unexpected event or situation

You can disagree all you want; the usage is accurate. Thus, I would say that a perfect game is, in fact, a freak occurence. You choose to read my usage as pejorative. That's just a personal preference on your part. At no time did I say anything negative about James Harrison.

...by a player who is FREAKIN' HUGE...

James Harrison weighs 248 pounds, perfectly normal for an NFL LB. How dare you call him a freak!!!

...and probably burned more calories in that 100 yard run then you did LAST WEEK IN TOTAL.

Let's not turn this personal. I actually belong to a gym and burn 2-3 thousand calories a week there on average. So, wrong again.

[snoopy369]

Sorry, but it wasn't that impressive of a return. Harrison was only touched twice and the only Cardinals player with a good chance to tackle him was taken out of the play by a block in the back.

1. I consider the part before the return far more impressive (reading Warner right both before the play and during).

2. Why don't you go put full pads on, bulk up to 240lbs or whatever, and then play a half of football, and THEN run 100 yards as fast as you can. Tell me if it's not difficult.