Official 2008-09 NFL thread

[Martok]

Well what do you know? Maybe now, the Lions will actually get to the playoffs before the end of the decade.

[Ramses II CP]

I am officially removing the Lions from my 'teams likely to go at least 0-10' list now; they should get a boost in the next few weeks just from knowing they'll have a better GM next year. Poison accumulates in a franchise, and having it cut out can do amazing things for a team. Good luck Lions fans.

Good luck to Millen post-football too. Maybe the Broncos could hire him to take over personnel decisions for them? (Well, a Raider's fan can always hope)

[KukriKhan]

Well what do you know? Maybe now, the Lions will actually get to the playoffs before the end of the decade.

LOL. And only 24 hours remain to the Bobby Lane Curse, on a Lion's bye-week. Cool.

What is anybody's read on the Tampa Bay- Green Bay matchup? All my sources give the nod to Tampa, but only by a point.

[Ramses II CP]

I'm going to say Green Bay. I think the move away from Garcia is still rippling in that locker room and the Bucs are going to have a rough day.

[GeneralHankerchief]

The Packers are going to course-correct after that embarassing loss to Dallas. McCarthy is a good coach and GB is more talented than Tampa. Packers win handily.

[KukriKhan]

Thanks, fellas, for the "voice of reason." :)

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Ryan Fitzpatrick:

Completions: 21/35
Yards: 156
Interceptions: 3
Fumbles: 1

[KukriKhan]

Tampa tromps 30 - 21 Green Bay

ugh

gg tho'

:waves his $20 goodbye:

[Ramses II CP]

Ugh, sorry mate. Really though, the Pack had that game almost under control when Rodgers got hurt and then it all flew apart. Kind of an ugly one, but the defenses played well.

The Raiders are playing a solid one sp far. They've just got to keep the game moving and keep their heads and they'll be back in the mix.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Sorry about that, Kukri. I feel somewhat responsible for that.

Crazy week so far. Raiders and Chiefs win, Dallas down, etc. etc. etc.

-edit- And the Jets! Wow!

[KukriKhan]

No worries, guys. It was a coin-toss by the numbers, so I asked here & the missus, got consensus, made my pick.

I agree GB had it wrapped 'til the injury, then they lost steam.

This whole weekend's bet-card looks to be in the toilet for me. Oh well: 14 weeks to go in regular; all I gotta do is win 1 week to get my cash back (pool has 25 players).

[m52nickerson]

Buffalo Bills are now 4-0 with a 31-14 win over St. Louis.

[Csargo]

[Ramses II CP]

Yeah, you counted the Raiders a W a little too early.

I'm really starting to wonder if conditioning isn't a significant part of the problem in Oakland. Young teams can have discipline issues, but those guys looked flat out tired in the 4th quarter. Especially the O-line. Maybe they didn't like all the pass blocking (Hey, we all want to see a better run game), but at some point you've gotta suck in that gut and put out if you want to win.

I didn't see any of the Denver-KC game, what the &%$^ happened? I had KC pegged as one of my teams to make a run at 0-10 minimum and then the Broncos rolled over for them. If only the Raiders had held up they'd be in good position! Argh!

Ye gods let's not see Kiffin fired after that. Yeah, the offensive play calling was nothing impressive, but I have to pin that loss mostly on the players. They just didn't have the oomph to finish the game.

[GeneralHankerchief]

What a letdown. 4th and Goal on the 1 and we couldn't bang it through. I miss Westbrook already.

[Proletariat]

Can't wait to see Cowboy fans at work tomorrow. :D

Thanks for leaving the Skins off the poll for the second year in a row as even a consideration, GH. Looking forward to next week.

[Decker]

I believe... if the Raiders win the 4th quarter for the first time... we'll lose the previous three... oh wait! That already happened against Denver

[Strike For The South]

WHYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

15-1

[drone]

WHYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

15-1

Apparently, the Cowboys cannot stop the run.

[Strike For The South]

Apparently, the Cowboys cannot stop the run.

Which to me is downright baffling. Every single man on our front 7 has performed admirably. Im just chalking it up to a bad game. I don't really see any need to run to the hills yet.

[Martok]

Only 12 more losses games til Childress is run out of Minnesota! Woot!!

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I'm already stockpiling torches and sharpening my pitchfork....

[GeneralHankerchief]

Only 12 more losses games til Childress is run out of Minnesota! Woot!!

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I'm already stockpiling torches and sharpening my pitchfork....

And in that vein, I'd like an overhaul of our entire offensive coaching staff, particularly in regards to playcalling. Reid and Mornhinweig (spelling?) have proven time and time again that they just cannot get it done in pressure situations.

Maybe we can pick up Kiffin as soon as he gets fired. That would be nice.

[Ramses II CP]

The rumors are getting pretty serious now. According to 'sources' Kiffin was fired last night and there's going to be a press conference in a few hours for Davis to explain and make the official announcement.

Now I'm not saying this has been a good team, but they really aren't that far out of it. I didn't like the play calling in the second half, but you can't pin that just on Kiffin, and the players themselves looked and played like they were worn out. This just feels like absolutely giving up on yet another season, and I don't think we should be at that point! What's the gain here with getting Kiffin out now as opposed to giving him four more games, to mid-season, to right the ship?

Argh! One of the stats I heard that did impress me, in a negative way, was that of the 15 losses under Kiffin the Raiders held a lead going into the 4th quarter in 11 of those games. That's a pretty epic bit of fail and it does seem to say that the problems are with the system, I'm just not sure how much of that system Kiffin was responsible for as opposed to Davis' own responsibility.

Whatever happens I can hear a giant flushing sound all the way out here on the east coast, and I hate it.

[Decker]

KIFFIN IS FIRED

Tis OFFICIAL

[drone]

Sounds like it was done with true class as well. When Kiffin is coaching the Chiefs in 2 years and is constantly beating the Raiders twice a year, maybe Al will learn...

[KukriKhan]

M'gaw, heads rolling in week 5. This sounds like an upper-management problem, moreso than a play-calling or play-execution problem. He'll find work, no doubt.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Eagles assistant head coach!
Eagles assistant head coach!
Eagles assistant head coach!
Eagles assistant head coach!

A guy can dream, can't he?

-edit- Actually, I've reconsidered. Shanahan should hire Kiffin so they can swap Al Davis horror stories.

[Decker]

M'gaw, heads rolling in week 5. This sounds like an upper-management problem, moreso than a play-calling or play-execution problem. He'll find work, no doubt.

Well it is upper management. Not only with Shanahan, but also with Gruden. Gruden was doing WOOOONDERS with the Raiders, yet, he was still fired? Why would anyone hire a coach who made playoffs nearly every season and then the AFC Championship game the previous season. And next season showed that indeed Gruden would have carried the Raiders to the final and win... but that is all dreaming as apparently Davis doesn't like a coach hired to "fix" his team, talk back. It's simple as to why, but with Kiffin... well that's a WHOLE 'nother story. He made it public, but then he got stupid with his remarks and began alienating people within the organization.

I do think, however(from actually watching the game at home and also on TV), that Kiffin's play calling on offense was bad and that he was hindering and not putting confidence in his quarterback or his receivers. He never appeared to have control over his entire team. He appeared to make the wrong changes at halftime, continually call uncommon-sense-like play calls on the offense. 3-14 and he runs the ball up the middle. So for me, I feel that although he did put to light some the "hassels" that a coach at Oakland faces, he made some errors and then his work on the field showed also. All-in-all he could have done a better job going about his comments and play calling. But in the end, I believe that we'll be better off without him and Davis HOPEFULLY will make the right decision with the next coach.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Wow, the Giants are destroying a decent Seattle team. I think they're going to get the respect they deserve after this week.

Eagles need to get their stuff together. Every time I look at the TV, the Redskins offense is on the field.

[Ramses II CP]

Man, I had the Eagles winning that game. What was up with Westbrook on the ground? Looked like maybe they wasted him up the middle a few too many times, but I didn't see it all.

Houston really gave their game away and you have to pin that loss on the coach. What was with constantly throwing the ball with a two score lead and under 5 minutes to go?

What I really want to know is why, exactly, Fox is trying to make me watch the Cowboys paste the Bengals when the Bucs-Broncos contest is much more interesting and 'local.'


Hey, finally a week where I can safely guarantee the Raiders will not lose!