NFL Football - 2012 Season Thread

[-Jrabbit]

And Ray Rice is better than Matt Forte. He outperforms him in every way

1. Look at the first half stats from 2011.

2. Give Forte the Baltimore O-line and see what happens.

[Demonbinder]

I agree with you, JR, but you'll never convince Alby. Why even bother?

[SlowwHand]

Jesus Christ, Al. All anyone said was that Forte and Rice was a good comparison and it sets you off blabbering for post after new post. You and KH are weird that way.


Here, talk about this vote.

Which team will have a better season?

79%
Broncos

21%
Jets

http://espn.go.com/

[Al B. Sure!]

Really? I say Ray Rice is better than Matt Forte (which he is; but I conceded he plays for a much better team) and then 3 straight posts criticizing my opinion and I'm the one in the wrong.

Apolyton twilight zone.

[Donegeal]

I'll give you the post after thing was wrong, but if you put Forte on the Ravens and Rice on the Bears, Rice would have resigned with whatever the Bears wanted and Forte truely would be looking at AP/CJ money.

[Al B. Sure!]

Better get as much out of Devin Hester as you can, Bears' fans:

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/04/14/john-mara-nfl-evolving-toward-eliminating-kickoffs/

The NFL’s decision last year to move kickoffs from the 30-yard line to the 35 may have been the first step toward moving kickoffs out of football completely.

That’s the word from Giants owner John Mara, a Competition Committee member who says the conversations have already started about potentially taking the play that has started every football game in history out of the league for good.

“We had a lot of discussions about whether we should eliminate it and if we did what we could do in its place,” Mara told Giants.com. “There’s no consensus on it right now, but I could see the day in the future where that play could be taken out of the game. You see it evolving toward that.”

As for the difference the current rule change made:

Although the number of kickoffs rose slightly last year – to 2,572 from 2,539 in 2010 – returns fell to 1,375 from 2,033. In 2010, 80.1 percent of kickoffs were returned. Last year, the percentage of kickoffs returns was 53.5 percent, the lowest in history. The average yards per kickoff return was 23.8, the highest in history (the previous high was 23.7 in 1962).

Touchbacks rose to 1,120 (43.6 percent) in 2011 from 416 (16.4 percent) the year before. But to Mara, another statistic was far more important than those numbers.

“One thing we did determine is that by moving the kickoff to the 35 yard-line it reduced the number of returns, but reduced the number of concussions by 40 percent,” Mara said. “So I don’t think you’ll see that rule change. The kickoff is by far the most dangerous play that we have in our game. The hits are pretty violent and they come from all different directions. There are guys running full speed, that’s the problem. That’s why we put the rule in. It shortens the field a little bit and it cuts down the number of returns.”

[rah]

And the wussification of the NFL continues. I would think punt returns are equally dangerous since the defenders have more time to get there. I would think the % of fair catches would be similar to % of touchbacks.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Considering that former NFL players are suing the league due to concussions, the so-called "wussification" may be required to save the sport.

[rah]

Isn't the league being sued not because the players got concussions but that the league withheld information about the dangers and didn't inform the players.

[Imran Siddiqui]

The league withheld information because the information is, quite frankly, shocking. It's like the tobacco companies withholding information about how dangerous smoking was. The rate of concussions is astronomical and the effects (short and long term) are utterly frightening.

[rah]

And smoking is still allowed and they just have to give warnings.
I expect the same will happen in football. If they remove any potential for it to happen it will cease to be that popular of a game.
But yes, I also expect them to make a few changes to give the impression that they actually give a ****, when they don't.

[Imran Siddiqui]

The much, much bigger issue is that when this information is fully out there, it's going to be really hard to insure football programs in high schools and lot of them may close down - a lot already are moving that way (not to mention a bunch of parents may not allow their kids to participate). When that happens, it's going to have to result in a re-thinking of where the talent is going to come from.

[rah]

As long as minorities view it as a path to fame an money, I don't think it will be a problem. A few rich white kids removed from the pool is not going have that great an impact.

[Imran Siddiqui]

I can't imagine inner city schools are magically going to have more money for the increased insurance for football programs .

[rah]

Magically is right.