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non-Steelers NFL thread
I won't embarrass the Steelers further, except to note that they're now 0-3 after losing to the lowly KC Chiefs, who for once didn't choke.
How is your fave NFL team doing in this preseason? Any good prospects via the draft or trades from other teams? Coaching or strategy changes that improve the team's chances? General outlook?
Texans are doing okay so far, 2-0 but with a tricky game against the chocolate city Saints this afternoon. I'll of course be rooting for the Texans but haven't any clue as to who will win. Saints are tough.
Naturally it's preseason and the games don't count, but the 3rd game of the 4 is usually where the teams take a strong look at their starting lineups, with game 4 reserved for a final test for borderline players and a rattle of the dice. So the 3rd game has more significance as to the relative capability of the teams than others in preseason.
I know most of you have heard of JJ Watt, the 3rd year defensive star for the Texans (NFL defensive player of the year last season). Not only is he awesome on the field but he's one of those rare and delightful surprises, a genuinely good and decent young man, a true role model.
Here's an excellent CBS sports article on JJ Watt that I'd recommend for those who may feel unhappy about greedy or thuggish athletes. Watt is the exact opposite:
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/writer/jason-la-canfora/23286066/watts-star-burns-brightly-because-of-his-intense-singular-focus
He's the real deal. Stories about him abound, and they're all positive. One of my faves is that when he was a rookie and just becoming a star locally, he would go to schools and other venues to sign autographs for kids. So he started stopping by the Academy and buying up all the Texans shirts and ballcaps to give away. Someone on the team noticed this and told him, "JJ, you're an NFL player. All you need to do is requisition the goodies and you get them free!"
He hadn't realized this, instead was just trying to do the right thing on his own.
So anyway, it's okay to root for JJ as a person even if he's on the opposing team. Until he sacks your QB, that is.
What's the outlook for your NFL team?
How is your fave NFL team doing in this preseason? Any good prospects via the draft or trades from other teams? Coaching or strategy changes that improve the team's chances? General outlook?
Texans are doing okay so far, 2-0 but with a tricky game against the chocolate city Saints this afternoon. I'll of course be rooting for the Texans but haven't any clue as to who will win. Saints are tough.
Naturally it's preseason and the games don't count, but the 3rd game of the 4 is usually where the teams take a strong look at their starting lineups, with game 4 reserved for a final test for borderline players and a rattle of the dice. So the 3rd game has more significance as to the relative capability of the teams than others in preseason.
I know most of you have heard of JJ Watt, the 3rd year defensive star for the Texans (NFL defensive player of the year last season). Not only is he awesome on the field but he's one of those rare and delightful surprises, a genuinely good and decent young man, a true role model.
Here's an excellent CBS sports article on JJ Watt that I'd recommend for those who may feel unhappy about greedy or thuggish athletes. Watt is the exact opposite:
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/writer/jason-la-canfora/23286066/watts-star-burns-brightly-because-of-his-intense-singular-focus
He's the real deal. Stories about him abound, and they're all positive. One of my faves is that when he was a rookie and just becoming a star locally, he would go to schools and other venues to sign autographs for kids. So he started stopping by the Academy and buying up all the Texans shirts and ballcaps to give away. Someone on the team noticed this and told him, "JJ, you're an NFL player. All you need to do is requisition the goodies and you get them free!"
He hadn't realized this, instead was just trying to do the right thing on his own.
So anyway, it's okay to root for JJ as a person even if he's on the opposing team. Until he sacks your QB, that is.
What's the outlook for your NFL team?
Replies
Here we go Steelers
Never count them out.
Texans have 2 recurring problems that have plagued them the last couple years, after they became respectable: 1- annoying and stupid personal fouls that either stopped their own drives or kept the opponents' drive alive, and 2- not being able to score touchdowns from the red zone (inside the opponent 20). So far this preseason they seem to have mostly eliminated both nagging traits, although today they did stall inside the 10 and failed to score, trying for a TD rather than a field goal but that's a chance you take.
Today's specific problem was that they allowed the Saints' receivers to get outside on the patterns and get completions too easily. The defensive pass coverage for the Texans was just lagging today. Of course, Saints have an excellent passing game and a great passing QB.
Now on to a Thursday night game (8/29) against the Arlington Mookids.
I'll say it again, JJ Watt is going to be one of those rare pro athletes who rises above his job and becomes a national icon. Keep an eye on this young man. He's special, and the ABC network commentators continued to discuss him.
I like the ABC football coverage but I sincerely hate those animated robots they use for promos. Fun for a 5-year old, maybe.
Well, we'll just see how the Arlington Mookids do against the Texans this Thursday. Maybe a bet, loser has to wash the winner's car or truck? Wait, better yet, winner gets his car or truck washed by Buffy. Okay?
Tell the truth, although I enjoy watching various games, I'm only a mid-level NFL fan and I therefore don't read much about teams that the Texans aren't scheduled to play. So I'll rely on you guys to inform us all about your specific fave teams, right?
How are you going to persuade JJ to wash Tony Romo's car?
Gun control laws make about as much sense as taking ex-lax to cure a cough.
Not 100% sure, Sam, but I think he's the most highly paid pro football player in the state. Now, I just wish he would live up to expectations.
I still want to know how you're going to get JJ to wash his car, though????
Gun control laws make about as much sense as taking ex-lax to cure a cough.
W.T.F. are you doing when you can
Beat the Jets and the Pats..
and lose to effing CLEVELAND????????
I have them penciled in for two wins, maybe three or four..
Bucs & Bengals..
maaaaaaybe the Eagles..
maaaaaaybe Cleveland in the regular season if the Browns have injuries..
meh.. maybe five.. they usually split with the Bears..
I'd normally say a split with Green Bay and Minnesota, too.. but both those teams are looking stronger than usual..
a lot of guys say they're fans of certain teams, I'd characterize myself as a fan of a conference.
NFC North is traditionally the best conference in the league..
You are one of them.
-Russell Wilson
Words of wisdom from Big Chief: Flush twice, it's a long way to the Mess Hall
I'd rather have my sister work in a whorehouse than own another Taurus!
Hey, it was your bet. Just working out the details.
Gun control laws make about as much sense as taking ex-lax to cure a cough.
I don't know whether you read that article I linked about Watt but it shows just how he is dedicated to his job, how he works out and watches his food and all. Seriously intense young guy.
He is on track to be one of the memorable NFL stars in many years, an exceptional person off the field. He became the energy of the whole Texan defense in his 2nd year and is now being nationally recognized. And it's not just PR steam -- it's real.
I know it sounds repetitive but with all the spoiled brats in pro sports and the crime and thuggery, having a genuine player who's a throwback to the honorable stars of old is a breath of fresh air.
Good analysis! Lions are indeed strong but they're also in a tight division. I'd figure them to finish a close second behind the Packers (whom I think will be a strong team this year). I don't see any systemic weaknesses in the Lions either, just that overall they're not quite as strong as other teams.
Speaking about ANY NFL team, you guys know how hard it is to develop and then keep a winning team. A few years ago, w. Joe Montana, the 49ers were essentially unbeatable. And boy did they sink fast! Now they're back into it.
Building a winning franchise takes years and the owners and top mgt has to keep focused, and not get into power games or off the track. Look at the Cowboys -- whom I've never liked and tease, calling them the Arlington Mookids -- they should be dominant but the ownership has meddled in coaching and has disrupted the linearity of what's needed. So the team's energy has often been drained. Management has also been too prone to hire thugs as players and it's backfired. Lowlifes eventually show their true colors and fail.
Lots of other teams, Packers or Steelers or Texans for example (there are others), just don't put up with jerks and maintain solid standards instead of prima donnas. Eventually it pays off, for example the Texans have slowly built themselves into a genuine contender and are poised to make a legit run at the Super Bowl this season (they're stronger than last year).
I actually do care about the quality of human beings that teams hire and really don't have patience with teams whose management doesn't care how nasty their players behave off the field.
Some may say that pro athletes are overpaid. Well, they're not. They are paid the market price for their services for the most part. If the market will accept a star player getting $40mil or more, so be it. I'm not concerned. And many analyses have shown that a good, winning pro team, especially in the NFL, brings more money to the city than the city spends in perks.
But as I say, I'm not a rabid NFL fan. I try to watch all the Texans games and then maybe 1 other game per week, something like 49ers vs Steelers, two good teams knocking heads. It's just entertainment. And even if your fave team doesn't win too much, if the team is a hard-playing team and they don't screw up, maybe just get beat by the slightly better team, it's okay to watch. When a team continues to be sadsack for years and years without improving, that's no fun.
I can tell you that if you're even the slightest bit of an NFL fan, your city's team winning the Super Bowl is amazing fun! Even back for SB 4, when I lived in KC and the Chiefs won, it was a huge party and the excitement and boost to the city lasted a long time.
I don't exactly know what's wrong about the Cowboys -- they've got all the prestige and money in the world and should be able to field a top team but cannot. It has to be the coaching because they have plenty of good talented players.
Texans looked sharp tonight although they were only playing their 2nd string, as were the Cowboys -- a couple of bad holding calls early in the game which set them back but they rallied anyway and moved the ball briskly. Texans have no big organic weaknesses, with their big change coming when Wade Phillips (fired from Cowboys head coach) came on board as defensive leader and turned the team around. Since then they've gotten progressively better. Their 2 big problems last season were stupid penalties that either stopped their drives or boosted the opponent drive, and inability to score touchdowns in the red zone (inside 20yd). This season they seem to have mostly fixed this, as the Texans scored strongly on the Cowboys.
ROLL TIDE!!!!!
-- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German writer and politician
And this is which NFL team? Or are you referring to a semi-pro team? ha ha
Gone Cowboys.
DPRMD
Well, NO.
Also his keyboard is stuck.
Texans: On track and improved from last season, it seems. Added some talent and improved both defensive and offensive lines, have more depth in the running game. So I see the Texans as a good prospect for getting deep into the playoffs this new season. Of course it's still speculation right now but at least the Texans won 3-1 and never really looked bad in any of the games.
Steelers: Despite teasing Buford, I'm a Steelers fan and really can't understand how awful they look this year. I mean, 0-4 preseason, and as Buf said, sure, it's only preseason, but hey, what's the problem if you win a few of them? If things are equal then why not just win instead of lose those games? Doesn't look good with Ravens and Bengals in the same division.
Packers and Vikes should have done better. Might be a rough season for both teams, but they're both tough and don't seem to have any huge organic weakness, so they should improve.
Cowboys I've talked about -- they ought to be a contender but they didn't even make the playoffs last year and may not this time either. Big problems, I think.
The secondary looks horrible, the QBs make terrible decisions, the running game is nonexistant, and special teams are weak.
BTW...You're welcome for Shane Lechler.
Looks like I'll be watching more Boise St games again this year.
Adam J. McCleod
Btw, my growing up in KC and attending many Chiefs-Raiders bloodfests from the old AFL games? What fun, what excitement! Riots on the field and in the stands, snowball fights everywhere. Ah, those were the days!