NFL 2018 Season Thread

[rah]

I don't think many Bears fan are. Mediocrity is probably the most that could happen. And since that's the worst thing that can happen to an NFL team, it's probably what we'll get.

[Sava]

Anyone read this yet?

Apparently, the Patriots are much worse people than we(most of us) all thought.

http://deadspin.com/bombshell-espn-report-the-patriots-were-huge-cheaters-1729286402

[Ming]

That's the whole point!
We were all super optimistic last year, and we crashed in flames... and it REALLY SUCKED!

This year, we all are planning on them to suck... so any games they win will be a bonus.
There is NO way that I will be disappointed in their season, because I'm not expecting ANYTHING!

[Sava]

from your fingers to god's eyes

[Demonbinder]

That's the whole point!
We were all super optimistic last year, and we crashed in flames... and it REALLY SUCKED!

This year, we all are planning on them to suck... so any games they win will be a bonus.
There is NO way that I will be disappointed in their season, because I'm not expecting ANYTHING!

Totally agree with you. I've said five wins but wouldn't be shocked by three or even less. The only thing that would shock me is if they are over .500.

And then there is this from Vegas:

http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/bears/post/_/id/4699825/espn-nfl-vegas-experts-take-optimistic-view-of-chicago-bears

Sava, no but not really surprised by that either. There is no such thing as an independent commissioner any longer that is responsible to neither the owners or players.

[Sava]

A few teams will be injured and/or won't want to win that day. They should beat the Vikings at least once. I'd say... 5 maybe. 6 at most.

[Koyaanisqatsi]

Anyone read this yet?

Apparently, the Patriots are much worse people than we(most of us) all thought.

http://deadspin.com/bombshell-espn-r...ers-1729286402

It's the same stuff that's been rumored for years. The only thing in either the ESPN or SI articles that is new is an anonymous for Pats employee who is claiming they used to take playsheets that were in the opposing team's locker room. If true, yeah, that's an issue that should be dealt with. I'd like some proof though - obviously, anonymous ESPN sources aren't the most reliable thing in the world these days.

Anything else in the ESPN article was either already known and punished during Spygate or boils down to former players/coaches/executives feeling like the Pats must have been cheating because how else would they have won? (Really, ESPN used the fact that Belichick declined to kick to Marshall Faulk in the Superbowl as evidence they knew what the Rams were doing ahead of time - because otherwise, of course they would have put the ball right in his hands.) They never seem to have any evidence, though. The SI article was hilarious. Apparently teams have been sweeping the visitor's locker room for bugs for years. The fact that they've never found one seems like pretty good evidence that there weren't any there to begin with, and yet, they keep doing it and the paranoia is treated as supporting evidence for the idea that Belichick cheats.

I do, however, think it's quite an indictment of how Goodell runs things. Seriously? You pay Jeff Pash to go stomp on videotapes in a conference room at Gillette stadium? You first ask for a statement from an opposing coach saying that he's happy with the league's findings, then embellish it when what he gave you doesn't go far enough? You get criticized for not punishing NE hard enough (with what was the worst punishment ever handed out at the time) years ago and so you go so far overboard the next time that you're refuting fundamental laws of physics and getting your arbitration award laughed out of court by a federal judge? Come on...

It's a pretty good illustration of how the league office uses media, though. Simultaneous hit pieces by ESPN and SI that both restate known facts about Spygate and then conflate them with a bunch of innuendo and rumor? Yeah, nothing orchestrated there at all, NFL. Let's ignore that the judge seems to have found your case ridiculous and fall back on the idea that NE deserved punishment whether there was actually evidence here or not because of all those other times we thought something happened - whether there was evidence then or not, either.

[-Jrabbit]

So Brady's suspension and the team punishment was a make-up call for insufficient Spygate punishment??

"Yes, we were incompetent several years ago, so we will fix that by being blatantly unfair today."

Don't get me wrong; I think Spygate was reprehensible, but you don't get a do-over. Address the facts of the case before you.

Looking at this stuff, plus the handling of Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson, the mess that was the CBA negotiation, plus the fact that Goodell suddenly thinks it's a good idea to take discipline off his to-do list, it makes me think this commissioner will not have a long tenure.

[SlowwHand]

What about the snowplow? That was the beginning.

[Sava]

It's the same stuff that's been rumored for years. The only thing in either the ESPN or SI articles that is new is an anonymous for Pats employee who is claiming they used to take playsheets that were in the opposing team's locker room. If true, yeah, that's an issue that should be dealt with. I'd like some proof though - obviously, anonymous ESPN sources aren't the most reliable thing in the world these days.

Anything else in the ESPN article was either already known and punished during Spygate or boils down to former players/coaches/executives feeling like the Pats must have been cheating because how else would they have won? (Really, ESPN used the fact that Belichick declined to kick to Marshall Faulk in the Superbowl as evidence they knew what the Rams were doing ahead of time - because otherwise, of course they would have put the ball right in his hands.) They never seem to have any evidence, though. The SI article was hilarious. Apparently teams have been sweeping the visitor's locker room for bugs for years. The fact that they've never found one seems like pretty good evidence that there weren't any there to begin with, and yet, they keep doing it and the paranoia is treated as supporting evidence for the idea that Belichick cheats.

I do, however, think it's quite an indictment of how Goodell runs things. Seriously? You pay Jeff Pash to go stomp on videotapes in a conference room at Gillette stadium? You first ask for a statement from an opposing coach saying that he's happy with the league's findings, then embellish it when what he gave you doesn't go far enough? You get criticized for not punishing NE hard enough (with what was the worst punishment ever handed out at the time) years ago and so you go so far overboard the next time that you're refuting fundamental laws of physics and getting your arbitration award laughed out of court by a federal judge? Come on...

It's a pretty good illustration of how the league office uses media, though. Simultaneous hit pieces by ESPN and SI that both restate known facts about Spygate and then conflate them with a bunch of innuendo and rumor? Yeah, nothing orchestrated there at all, NFL. Let's ignore that the judge seems to have found your case ridiculous and fall back on the idea that NE deserved punishment whether there was actually evidence here or not because of all those other times we thought something happened - whether there was evidence then or not, either.

"anonymous" doesn't mean "wrong"

This isn't a legal standard of proof by any means

but


**** the patriots

disband the team for all i care

[-Jrabbit]

My whole point is that the league should stop living in the past, and your reaction is to bring up an incident from 1982???

In 1982, the Pats coach was Ron Meyer. According to the Internet, he's the one who ordered it.

So the owner, Kraft, was not involved. At the time, Bill Belichick was a 30-year-old linebacker/special teams coach for the NY Giants.

The commissioner was Pete Rozelle, and he ruled against the protest filed by Don Shula because there was no rule against it. (BTW, when the Dolphins got into field goal range on their next drive, the referee offered Shula the snowplow to clear a spot for the kick AND HE TURNED IT DOWN.)

Jeez, get over it.

[Koyaanisqatsi]

What about the snowplow? That was the beginning.

Yeah, but that was the old west NFL. Today Goodell would probably try to have the plow driver thrown in jail.

[SlowwHand]

Personally, I have nothing to get over. That's just the first incident that comes to mind.

[Donegeal]

Yeah, but that was the old west NFL. Today Goodell would probably try to have the plow driver thrown in jail.

No need. The plow drive was on work-release. He went back to jail after the game anyway.

[Koyaanisqatsi]