NFL - Are You Ready For Some Football?! - Off Season

[OzzyKP]

Oh yea, Sloww/Alby, Sloww/Imran, Ben/everyone really make these sports threads fun.

[Al B. Sure!]

People didn't really find it fun when I devoted several posts for an in-depth analysis of the career of Doug Flutie

[Al B. Sure!]

Okay what is seriously going on in San Diego? Malcom Floyd and Legedu Naanee are both not playing this week, Buster Davis is on IR, and Antonio Gates hurt his OTHER foot and is riding around on a scooter to keep the weight off his feet... Who the hell is Philip Rivers going to throw to? Patrick Crayton and Darren Sproles seem to be the only options he'll have.

[Jonny]

That's a good self-assessment. You've been great on general strategy and top players, but you're not as good with the marginal players.

The real hurt is Dallas Clark, though. At this point, I'm inclined to name Jonny as my most frightening competition.

Really, I think I've been more lucky than anything so far. I don't have the depth other teams do... beyond CJ, Eli, Harvin, and DeSean, there's really not too much there; those four have been having enough big days combine to cover up those deficiencies.

It seems like the Pittsburgh D is the only true consistency my team has.

[Al B. Sure!]

I didn't even know about this play from when the Browns defense and special teams raped New Orleans a few weeks back:

http://www.nfl.com/videos/cleveland-browns/09000d5d81b8f43b/Browns-pull-off-lateral-on-punt-return

Why don't more teams do that? It looks like a great way to get a nice return since the coverage team is going to be all on one side of the field. Wright got 70 yards out of that and he probably could have got the touchdown if he hadn't started stumbling.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Cause its really risky?

[Al B. Sure!]

What's the risk? You throw it to a wide open man.

[SlowwHand]

You do have to make sure that you throw it behind. It's not really all that uncommon though. Desperation has occurred before.

[Imran Siddiqui]

What's the risk? You throw it to a wide open man.

Slow pointed out that you MUST be sure you through it behind and then you have to be confident your return man can actually throw the ball somewhat accurately to that side of the field while tacklers are barreling at him.

[Al B. Sure!]

Childress is about done:

Randy Moss did not appear on waivers for 24 hours because Vikings owner Zygi Wilf was furious about being circumvented by coach Brad Childress. The owner considered retaining Moss and firing Childress, according to a team source.

Childress, according to The Star Tribune, put his job in jeopardy because he didn't follow franchise protocol and talk to Wilf before deciding to place Moss on waivers.

Wilf, who lives in New Jersey, spent much of the past week observing practices and meeting individually with Vikings players. One of the players who met with Wilf told ESPN he sensed the owner was attempting to determine how much support remained for Childress among veteran players and wanted to remind them they could still make the playoffs.

Meanwhile, Childress vs. Harvin some more:

The Star Tribune is reporting that Childress got into a "heated argument" Friday with receiver Percy Harvin, who returned to practice after Wednesday and Thursday because of an ankle injury. Harvin was limping badly during the portion of practice open to reporters, and the Star Tribune reported that Childress questioned Harvin's effort at some point after that.

[Donegeal]

Not only do you have to throw it backward, but if it was done more often, that wide open guy wouldn't be wide open. Not only that, but it would be pretty easy to time an interception (tecnically, it would count as a fumble recovery as throwing it backward counts as a backwards lateral) and return it for a TD.

[SlowwHand]

I thought this was funny. I'll post the link in case anyone wants to read this "10 Things To Watch" column, but this just gave me a case of the giggles.

Then came the unexpected. While the rest of the NFL was focused on things like the bone in Brett Favre's foot and/or the stick in Randy Moss' ass, the Raiders steamrolled the Broncos and Seahawks, via a combined score of 92-17.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/11/05/week-nine-friday-10-pack/?related=1

[SlowwHand]

I think this was an illegal play.

[ColdWizard]

Looks like a lateral + forward pass to me.

[Al B. Sure!]

Legal, assuming college rules on this are the same as NFL. The lateral part is the only questionable thing because (who is that? Nate Davis?) is barely barely behind the WR.