NFL 2013 Season Thread

[-Jrabbit]

Apparently the football gods were displeased by Tomlin and decided to stick it to him in the most brutal fashion. What would hurt the most is if the Chargers went on to win the superbowl, eh, JR?

No. It was bad officiating. Brutally bad. Games should not be decided in such a fashion, especially with playoffs on the line.

Odds to Win 2014 Super Bowl XLVIII
Team Odds
Seattle Seahawks 12/5
Denver Broncos 14/5
San Francisco 49ers 7/1
New England Patriots 17/2
Carolina Panthers 10/1
Cincinnati Bengals 20/1
Green Bay Packers 20/1
Philadelphia Eagles 20/1
Kansas City Chiefs 30/1
Indianapolis Colts 30/1
New Orleans Saints 30/1
San Diego Chargers 50/1

[DirtyMartini]

I've got a preseason ticket with the Saints at 25:1. That's crazy.

[Boris Godunov]

Yeah, the state whose governor removed collective bargaining powers from state employees (and survived the subsequent recall) is clearly left leaning.

When was the last time Wisconsin voted for a Republican in a Presidential election? The answer is 1984. Yes, they currently have a Republican governor. So did California until a few years ago. As did Maryland. As does Maine now. Meanwhile, Montana and West Virginia have Democratic governors. Guess what: in two-party systems, it's inevitable that states with a slight ideological lean will still elect politicians from the other party from time to time.

I never said GB had the biggest nationwide fanbase (Pittsburgh, Dallas are the leaders there), but it is a historic franchise. We're not talking Carolina or Jacksonville here.

I didn't argue otherwise, I was pointing out that Dallas easily has a larger and more conservative fanbase. and I'd wager a much larger percentage of Dallas fans, both in Texas and outside of it, live in more rural, backwards places than Green Bay, WI.

[DirtyMartini]

Would be amazing if true -- I can't think of any player coming out who would cause a bigger ruckus: True superstar playing in the most rural, backward city in the NFL with a huge nationwide fanbase, the local component of which is also largely rural and backward. Already divided the fanbase once by replacing (pathologically-hetero) fan fave Favre. Would be just amazing.

There's my original post -- which part is nonsense again?

Even if you think Cowboys fans are more numerous (granted) and conservative (not) than Packer's fans, Rogers coming out would still be a bigger deal then Romo. Cowboys fans already hate Romo.

[Ben Kenobi]

No. It was bad officiating. Brutally bad. Games should not be decided in such a fashion, especially with playoffs on the line.

I didn't see you complaining about the Houston game, where a penalty was called on the Chargers D-Line and a re-kick permitted them to win the game. There was no actual penalty on the play after review.

I can only conclude that you're butthurt that the Chargers got a call in their favour. I find your anger about this hilarious. You're more upset the Boltz got in than you are that the Bears fell short.

[-Jrabbit]

What makes you think I give two craps? Seriously. Facts are facts. Does pointing them out make me butthurt? Angry? Not in the slightest. Bolts are in and good luck to them. But it was a gift, especially considering who KC started. And your sensitive reaction suggests you know damn well it's so.

[Al B. Sure!]

It is pretty pathetic that they needed OT to beat Chase Daniels in his first NFL start and a running game headlined by Kniles Davis. Not saying they won't beat the Bengals this week. They very well might since the Chargers seem to play better against good teams and Andy Dalton can be erratic, but a playoff team really should have blown the second-string Chiefs out.

Makes you wonder if the second-string Chiefs would beat Houston or Jacksonville starters?

[rah]

The offseason debate among Bears fans has already begun, as I suspect that some will be upset with defensive coordinator Mel Tucker for bringing a big blitz with the game on the line. I don't think it was the wrong move or necessarily an obviously wrong call. How often do we hear that prevent defenses don't prevent anything?

Actually I think this was a result of what happened in the Vikings game when the all the bears had to do was hold the Vikings on 4th down inside their 10 and only rushed 3, which gave him time to complete and keep the tying drive alive. A LOT of people were critical of that decision, so when the situation happened again, the blitz was tried. Unfortunately it probably would have worked fine against Ponder. Not so much against a real quarter back.
I have no problem with blitzing in either situation. I agree that the prevent doesn't prevent.
I highly doubt the bears would have won if they made it further, but it's always fun to see them try. Maybe next year. It will be a busy off-season for the bears.

[Al B. Sure!]

According to Sportsbook.com, the most likely SB pairing is Seahawks/Broncos at +180. The least likely is Saints/Chargers at +37500.

[SlowwHand]

Seahawks/Broncos is what I figured.

[-Jrabbit]

Chicago has signed Cutler for 7 years. They have also signed DB Tim Jennings and OG Matt Slauson.
Bears have over half the roster unsigned, with tons of cap space available to re-design the team (notably defense). It will be an interesting off-season for them.

The Bears have made a long-term commitment to Jay Cutler, signing the veteran quarterback to a seven-year contract, general manager Phil Emery announced Thursday at Halas Hall.

"We're very excited to have Jay for the long term," Emery said. "He battled through the tough times and kept fighting."

Financial terms were not disclosed.

"We're pleased, it works for both parties," Emery said of the deal. "lt rewards Jay and it enables us to continue to build a championship team."

The team also has signed corneback Tim Jennings and left guard Matt Slauson, Emery said, adding that the majority of the work on all three contracts was done in the last three days.

Emery said the signings put the team on a "road map to go forward and win championships."

After reciting some of Cutler's 2013 statistics (2,621 yards passing, 63.1 completion percentage, 19 touchdowns, 89.2 passer rating), Emery said, "I see improvement in his ball security, distribution to his targets and a transformation in his demeanor as a leader."

Emery said Cutler's contract was "a key deal as far as how we manage our salary cap," which is why the team moved quickly.

"I think both parties wanted it to happen, which is why it was able to happen in such a short time frame," Emery said, adding that he finalized his decision after seeing how well Cutler handled the pregame pressure and in-game adversity when he returned from injury to help the Bears beat the Cleveland Browns on Dec. 15.

Calling Cutler "a quarterback we can win with," Emery said, "Jay doesn't have to be better than Aaron Rodgers. Our team has to be better than the Green Bay Packers."

Asked about bringing back reserve quarterback Josh McCown, who will be a free agent, Emery said the Bears "would love to have Josh back. He has earned the right through his play to have choices."

Emery and Trestman had a 90-minute presser this morning and were pretty (refreshingly) open about things -- like fingering Chris Conte for missing the defensive audible on the final TD play last Sunday.

I'm not thrilled about the Cutler deal, but given that they are suddenly a top-5 offense and Trestman thinks he can win with him, it's understandable. I was hoping for a shorter contract, but at least they made a decision early. Early reaction among fans is, umm, mixed: some hate it, some are resigned to it.

[-Jrabbit]

Head coaches hired today:

Bill O'Brien by Houston Texans. They have the overall #1, so presumably Bridgewater will be their QB.
Lovie Smith by Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Hired with no GM in place! Bringing Jeff Tedford (ex-Cal) as OC, Leslie Frazier (ex-Vikings) as DC.

[rah]

I'll hold judgement on the Cutler signing till I hear the money. I'll bet less than 100 mil. Or god I hope so.

[Al B. Sure!]

Heard he's getting $18M each of the first 3 years.

[-Jrabbit]

Realistically, those are the only years that matter.
That's basically = franchise tag money. So, no "hometown discount" apparently.

Emery and Trestman will sink or swim with this contract.