2025 NFL Season Thread

[Amazin69]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

Bryce Young out next week vs Bills

Makes sense. The Panthers were going to have too easy of a time otherwise.

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

Doug Martin, former Pro Bowler & Bucs RB, dies @ 36

Doug Martin died in police custody. Reports are someone suffered a medical emergency during a break-in & was unresponsive after struggling w/police.

[Ragnar]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

Everyone is jumping on Fields. But was Taylor any better?

Fields 6/12 46 yds 0 td's 0int's
Taylor 10/22 126 yds 0 td's 2 INT's

And Taylor's misses include a couple of sure scores lost because he threw the ball short.

Jets are just awful as a whole. And this also, IMO, goes back to what I said about colleges not preparing the next generation of QB's for the NFL.

Taylor not only underthrew those passes, but he was a tad bit late on both. I think the criticism on Fields is that he's not throwing the ball downfield. Like I said, did any of his passes go past 10 yards? I don't mean catch and run, I mean 10 yards through the air.

[Ragnar]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

Doug Martin died in police custody. Reports are someone suffered a medical emergency during a break-in & was unresponsive after struggling w/police.

This don't look good.

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/...East%20Oakland.

[Cobra Mgr]

Why is it when a player attempts to punch the ball out, but misses & hits the player, is that not a penalty? Even a DQ?

[Cobra Mgr]

Lamar still out after bye

[Amazin69]

Perhaps Mike Evans should have taken another week to heal? Out for "most of the season" after MNF injury, it seems.

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by Amazin69

Perhaps Mike Evans should have taken another week to heal? Out for "most of the season" after MNF injury, it seems.

Maybe. He probably was concerned about that 1000 yd streak

[low]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

Doug Martin died in police custody. Reports are someone suffered a medical emergency during a break-in & was unresponsive after struggling w/police.

Oh no, here we go again...

[Ragnar]

Who's the coach of the Seahawks? What was he doing? You're up by two scores with 5 minutes left. Run the ball, make them use their timeouts, punt and end the game. WTF was he doing at the end there?

I used to play a head to head football game online back in the late 90s. Even we knew clock management. You get a certain amount of time to do something. If you can take that time away, you do it!! Why give your opponent new life? I just don't get it.

[Cobra Mgr]

He won't win it, but Panthers DT Derrick Brown deserves a look as DPOY. And I don't say that as a homer. Last year, the Panthers finished dead last against the run. That really doesn't illustrate how bad they were. They gave up 38 more yds per game on the ground than the Saints who finished 31st. The gap between the Saints & the Panthers was larger than #1 Baltimore & the #14 LA Chargers. Overall, they finished last in total yds per game.

Almost all of that was due to Derrick Brown being lost 1st game of the season. Carolina, IMO did very little to really fix the D. I felt they were counting too much on Brown making that big of a difference.

I stand corrected. This year, Carolina's rush defense is all the way up to 8th. They are giving up almost 80 yds less on the ground this year. Overall, they are 7th. Nearly 110 yds fewer per game. Now I'm going to quantify those numbers by acknowledging those stats will change once the competition gets tougher. And the schedule will get tougher.

But the only reason why the defense has had this jump in production is the presence of Derrick Brown. He has been absolutely killing it this year. He has been preventing teams from just running up the middle. He has been tossing 300lb grown men around ketchup packets. He has made every other Panther defender that much more effective. I don't think I can think of another player who has this much of an impact on an entire defensive unit. Ignore his individual numbers. Look @ the team's improved numbers.......

........And speaking of the Panthers schedule.....Panthers are above .500 for the 1st time since Cam Newton had a good shoulder. But they should be coming back to earth. BUCS x2 Bills, Packers, Rams, Niners & Seahawks make up 7 of the last 10 games. There are 2 games vs New Orleans & one in Atlanta. Or as we Panther watchers like to call it: HELL. I think 3 wins in the last 10 is a realistic expectation........

.....Last note on Carolina......They really are a QB away from being a true playoff contender. XL is finally getting it. Tetairola is legit. Coker & Horn have finally been put into the attack. The three TE's have proven reliable if not spectacular. And we've seen what Dowdle & Hubbard can do (Dowdle needs to be RB #1. I mean, what are we doing here?). What they need is a leader to put it all together. Bryce Young is still the O's biggest weakness despite the win streak..........

........Jaxon Smith-Njigba has 190 more receiving yds than anybody else......

.......You ever wonder just how much thought teams give their backup QB? How did Browning maintain a job for this long & be that terrible? The Bengals went to a Browns yard sale, saw Joe Flacco w/all his dents, immediately installed him as QB, & suddenly Cincy looks like they might stay in contention for the AFC North. What did CIncy see in practices & training camps for them to keep him employed?.........

.........What is Isaac Bruce up to?..............

.......Christian McCaffrey is on pace for 1000 yds rushing & receiving. Only 7 WR's have more yds catching...........

..........Speaking of San Fran........Can we talk about how they are leading the NFL in passing yds despite playing their backup, Mac Jones?......

.......Cards have lost 5 in a row. By a total of 13 pts..........

......The 1st place Eagles, Bucs & Nines are a combined 15-6 w/a combined pt diff of +11...........

[Ragnar]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

.....Last note on Carolina......They really are a QB away from being a true playoff contender.

Like you've said with QBs coming out of college today, we get very few elite talents. They aren't prepared. Does Young have the weapons? Does he have the OL to succeed? Many of the QBs in this league are night and day when they have the weapons.

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by Ragnar

Like you've said with QBs coming out of college today, we get very few elite talents. They aren't prepared. Does Young have the weapons? Does he have the OL to succeed? Many of the QBs in this league are night and day when they have the weapons.

The weapons are being developed. BY has enough experience & close to the most playing time on the offense. He should be the leader. The unquestioned leader. But he is still "finding his way". That abysmal performance vs the Jets was telling. Though I will say plenty of blame should go the coaches' way for starting Chuba over Rico. But one single TD vs the Jets should be seen as a failure even if getting a win isn't. BY should be doing more & should demand more from himself. He's not a baby. He's a vet. Past time to play like one.

[monkeyman576]

The problem isn't the quarterbacks themselves, it's that 1) the nfl draft is so random for quarterbacks in the first place, you never know what you're getting 2) most teams with high qb draft picks don't have an offensive line to speak of, so probably 5% of first round quarterbacks are actually ready to lead an NFL team.

[Amazin69]

Annie Agar, week 7

"Cleveland, what were you thinking?"
"I don't know if you're new here; we tend not to do that."

[Amazin69]

Hey, remember how Darren Waller's comeback was one of rhe few bright lights in a disastrous Miami season?

Yeah, well, to quote Dandy Don, "Turn out the lights, the party's over"…for at least the next four weeks.

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

That is why they need a minor league. The QB position is the hardest position in sports, period. First, of course you need the arm. But after that, you have to assess the game situation, get the play, recognize your personnel, relay the playcall correctly, know the assignment for the other 10 teammates, take note of the opponent's personnel, note where they are positioned, guess what their move will be post snap, figure out how that will affect the effectiveness of the play you've called, make adjustments to your teammates assignments and have all that done in 40 frikkin' seconds.

Cam Ward tests if media can relay a playcall.

[Amazin69]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

Cam Ward tests if media can relay a playcall.

Oooh, so reporters who don't actually have any interest in performing the task can't do something off the cuff that Cam does as his career and constantly practices? And Cam's enunciation was poor and the press was in a crowd rather than hearing the call directly in their ear?

Sick burn, Cam. Happy now?

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by Amazin69

Oooh, so reporters who don't actually have any interest in performing the task can't do something off the cuff that Cam does as his career and constantly practices? And Cam's enunciation was poor and the press was in a crowd rather than hearing the call directly in their ear?

Sick burn, Cam. Happy now?

I think you over simplified what took place there. I can't be certain of what was going on because I would need full video to provide context.

But what is the one thing about being a QB & being a reporter that correlates? Is it not listening to a statement & being able to relay that statement to others so that they could be informed?

Those are, likely, veteran press guys who have put in years roaming lockers, press rooms & fields getting quotes, then telling the public what was said. They do so w/o having just a minute to get it right. They have recording aides, take notes w/o 70,000+ voices all going off at one time.

And those reporters couldn't get a typical play call down. The one part of being a QB a reporter "should" be able to do they can't do. Maybe 8, 9 words tops. Sitting down. W/no pressure to get every last word repeated perfectly.

So no, a reporter is not expected to be able to do the job of a QB. But what Ward did, in a humorous way, was remind us just how difficult the job is. He has to relay the call. He has to understand the call. After physically exerting himself. While processing how that call is affected by the current situation. While deciphering how to best use that call vs what 11 other men are trying to do to wreck that call. In less than a minute. Knowing whatever decision he makes will be analyzed & scrutinized.

So maybe a little patience & perspective would be in order.

[dsvitak]

ANOTHER example on how teams don't give a CRAP about their players:
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...col-violations