<p>As fan of the Washington team (but not its name or its current owner), I once again look at this season with a huge amount of dread. They are going to be awful and press coverage is going to make me crazy.</p>
<p>The Seahawks looked pretty dominant.</p>
<p>If this season goes as expected, then come mid-season I may declare myself a free agent and will root for your team for beer.</p>
<p>I have heard nothing about the Lions in weeks. Sports Radio has been focusing on U of M, MSU, and Tigers. </p>
<p>I’m so excited to see how my Spartans are going to do this year. </p>
<p>U of M cannot sell out student tickets. It’s kind of sad, actually. As much as I’m a Spartan fan, there’s no denying that U of M fans are as loyal as they come. The fact that they can’t sell out seats is kind of scary. It’s just not worth the money to a lot of students… especially with a mediocre team. Unfortunately, that’s what they are right now. </p>
<p>*The Seahawks looked pretty dominant.</p>
<p>If this season goes as expected, then come mid-season I may declare myself a free agent and will root for your team for beer.*</p>
<p>We have beer.
Ten microbreweries within walking distance.
Stoup bitter is my favorite.( although I admit Ive only tried a couple)</p>
<p>To be clear my free agency is for the NFL only, I reserve the right to hate your city’s MLS team</p>
<p>I realize that loving my teams (Raisers and Bears) means that the most I can be in the pre-season is cautiously optimistic. For both of my teams, I am hoping for break even season. In reality, I simply hope that the Bears beat the Packers and the Raiders beat KC or Denver. </p>
<p>My poor Packers aren’t a bad team but looked lost against the Seahawks. Sad face. Gearing up for a better Packers performance next time, and for my two FF teams to survive Eddy Lacy’s possible concussion and my roster of horrible wide receivers. Oh-- and (not NFL, but) Ducks vs Sparty this Saturday! Watch for me! I’m in the section where I sit next to rich old people who never yell!! </p>
<p>I hate the golf clap section.
Its like weaseling my way up to the front at a show to stand next to the friends & relatives who are there to show that they are * friends & relatives* but who would really rather be home watching Scandal.</p>
<p>Did Kurt Kobain spin in his grave with the idea that Soundgarden led off as the typical Seattle grunge band?
Rodgers did not throw near Sherman all night.In the Seahawks’ last four games, they’ve dominated Brees, Manning and Rodgers. Scary team.
If you were Welker, would you retire? Even before this positive test for Adderall was announced, I thought 3 concussions in a 10-month span was not something to take lightly.</p>
<p>Texas has lost nearly its entire OL and its QB, and is still “favored” by 1 against BYU.
say what?</p>
<p>Florida State has opened a Title IX inquiry into the 2012 Jameis Winston sexual assualt allegations, according to USA Today:</p>
<p><a href=“Florida State investigating Jameis Winston, attorney says”>http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2014/09/04/jameis-winston-florida-state-investigation-sexual-assault-allegations/15080921/</a></p>
<p>This is bad for Winston, though not necessarily immediately as these inquiries can take up to 60 days. However, Title IX requires only a “preponderance of evidence” as opposed to “guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.” </p>
<p>Oklahoma linebacker Frank Shannon was suspended from school for a year in August following a similar Title IX complaint. Shannon was never legally charged, either. </p>
<p>Wow, author, that was some kind of roundup! I am not sure why UT would be favored against anyone this week.</p>
<p>For the other thread … <a href=“Are You Ready for Some Football.mp4 - YouTube”>Are You Ready for Some Football.mp4 - YouTube;
<p>I’m not a big fan of the Packers’ defense and they lived up to my expectations. Seattle runs a fairly basic offense but they do it well with the somewhat college-style approach of hit into the middle and mix that up with outside runs and pass plays that force the other team to make basic coverage choices. The most obvious was the CB leaving his man to prevent a run by Wilson and no one in the secondary picking up the receiver. Not the CB’s fault but a nice job of creating the need to make decisions by the offense and the safety failed. Seattle ran basic crossing routes because that requires picking up a man moving through your formation and GB couldn’t do that. That’s my issue with the GB defense in a nutshell: they can attack a passer or play the run but they haven’t for some time shown an ability to make necessary decisions during a play. I saw lots of uncertainty and that made Seattle look faster than they are, the classic “back on their heels” imagery. </p>
<p>Seattle covers well. I guess all that talk about lots of flags was just talk. I wasn’t clear what GB’s strategy on offense was. One of the stats that stood out - and which stood out watching - was their intent to run, with Lacey getting little out of it. What was the game plan? Running and then trying to make up long yardage against a good cover secondary and a decent pass rush (enabled by poor line play too) seems stupid. The strength of the team is passing, so why not pass and run when they’re charging at the passer and screen them, etc.? I felt like GB wanted to show they can run the ball. I’m reminded of the Patriots game plan when facing the Colts then unstoppable offense: everyone said the Patriots had to run the ball, control the clock, keep the ball from Manning but they came out and threw 21 or more straight times because that’s what they did best. I felt like GB wasn’t doing what it does best. Seattle is a very competitive team up front, particularly at home, particularly in the opener after the Super Bowl, and you should know that running isn’t the best approach.</p>
<p>Too late to edit my comment above, so I’ll add to it.</p>
<p>Take that play where Wilson threw to a wide open man as the CB came up. The announcer referred to it as an Auburn type option, but it’s a simple high school play. It forces the defense to realize the QB has the ball and to commit a man to containing the QB. GB failed to do that and went after the RB without the ball. Then there’s the choice I mentioned: CB has to come up so someone has to rotate to his man, typically one of the safeties but maybe an LB. Didn’t do that either. Only guy to read it right seemed to be the CB. </p>
<p>That kind of play is elementary. It gets jazzed up by adding more hand-off options - including the classic pitch to the trailing RB or the 3 RB options in a wishbone. It’s about forcing the defense to think as they react and then taking what they leave open. GB doesn’t think well on defense. </p>
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<p>Oh, because UT’s sidelines will be so disciplined. Perhaps Strong will line them up by their jersey numbers and alphabetize the coaches! </p>
<p>Despite the suspensions, Texas remains a deep team in the second and third positions. The problems will surface when the stars stop reacting to the rah-rah style. There is a reason --next to our friend Jerry-- that Jimmy left the Cowboys. </p>
<p>In a way, Texas looking awful for a couple of weeks might be just what the doctor ordered. Let them boosters start cursing and the support for the Strong Man might melt like a Blue Bell cone on Sixth Street in July! Not a day too soon!</p>
<p>I just decided to cancel my pilgrimage to Austin for the Baylor game. Masochism has its limits. I’ll see if Notre Dame will rely on its divine intervention on that day. That and the blind zebras! </p>
<p>I haven’t been following the thread closely, has this come up yet? </p>
<p><a href=“This NFL Player Got Some Awful News, But Then Got A Huge Boost From His Team | HuffPost Sports”>This NFL Player Got Some Awful News, But Then Got A Huge Boost From His Team | HuffPost Sports;
<p>Thanks for the great football thread!</p>
<p>xiggi, if you come to town for the game I’ll buy you a Burrito as Big as Yo’ Face at Chuy’s!</p>
<p>Lacy kind up carved up the Seahawks run defense when they played last season so I imagine the Pack wanted to try to “establish the run” with Lacy to take advantage of that to keep the LBs and safeties honest. The problem was that the Seahawks core mentality is that if you get burned then analyze and fix the problem. Whatever issue they had last year at stopping the run seems to have been fixed. Lacy is great and had lots of carries but with a few exceptions they really flew to the ball en masse and didn’t let him get up a head of steam like he can.</p>
<p>You could say a similar thing about the defensive penalties. They had that one big interference where the LB caught out deep and didn’t turn his head but it was mostly clean. They tend not to whine and make excuses, rather they make adjustments. </p>
<p>The Hawks O and D are both fairly basic. As they said before the Denver game when people asked how they would stop Manning and that receiving core (to paraphrase), “We just run our defense and do what we do and try to play better than the other team.” They don’t swap Sherman all over the field or chase the other team’s #1 receiver. They play their game - which they did and forced Green Bay to adjust.</p>
<p>On Welker . . . He has no Super Bowl ring and he really wants one. I think 3 concussions in such a short span is not good and he should think about retiring. I think I said it up above somewhere but I’ll say it again . . . one of our local analysts who is a retired middle linebacker commented that Manning can fix the concussion problem by not throwing “hospital balls” down the middle with Welker moving through zones. That’s where you get the one guy tracking with him and the guy in the next zone is tracking toward him and he gets sandwiched. That is a choice in how they game plan that they could take ownership of.</p>
<p>@Romanigypsyeyes I think Detroit will be good. With Megatron getting double teamed Tate should be open a lot and catch a lot of balls. I heard a pundit yesterday who was picking Detroit to do really well if they could stay disciplined. I guess they can be kind of erratic and make some costly on field choices and plays? That could be an issue with Tate . . . he lacks discipline on and off the field. He is a great receiving talent and gets a lot of yards after the catch. He won’t add any on or off field maturity to the mix, though.</p>
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<p>Welp there goes our chances. “Disciplined” and “Detroit” don’t go in the same breath. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, I was strong armed into posting here. Whatever.</p>