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Re: The NFL 2007-08 Season thread
How is the Pats cap situation? Shouldn;t everyone on that team be demanding a 2-3 mil raise, and shouldn't other teams in the league be making big plays at their linemen and WRs? How much is Brady payed?
I dont know their cap situation, but here's the thing with NE that isn't the case with other teams: They want to win. Seriously. When you go to NE, you aren't going there looking for big time bucks you could get with some shit team with unlimited money. You go there to get SB rings. Period. They have set a standard there, and when stars(Seau, Moss,etc.) get sick of losing during their careers, they head out to NE.
Its a dangerous team, and will be for many years. NE is turning into a place rookies want to be so you can get success early in your career, and it is turning into the final pit stop for stars who have always desired a ring.
Money is not the issue. Success is.
If Brady went down with a catastrophic injury, I could easily see former star NFL QBs begging Belichick to give them one last shot at glory.
Re: The NFL 2007-08 Season thread
Latest power rankings......
'¢ 1. Patriots (10-0)
'¢ 2. Packers (9-1)
'¢ 3. Cowboys (9-1)
'¢ 4. Colts (8-2)
'¢ 5. Steelers (7-3)
'¢ 6. Jaguars (7-3)
'¢ 7. Giants (7-3)
'¢ 8. Bucs (6-4)
'¢ 9. Titans (6-4)
'¢ 10. Seahawks (6-4)
'¢ 11. Browns (6-4)
'¢ 12. Lions (6-4)
the rest:
13. PHILADELPHIA (5-5, previous rank: 14) - The Eagles aren't known for their toughness inside the tackles, but they lead the NFL with a 76.5 percent success rate running it on third-and-short.
14. SAN DIEGO (5-5, previous rank: 11) - LaDainian Tomlinson cranked out 10 100-yard rushing games in 2006. He's got only two this year.
15. ARIZONA (5-5, previous rank: 17) - The Cardinals have registered 12 rushes of 10 yards or more, worst in the league.
16 WASHINGTON (5-5, previous rank: 15) - Mediocre Skins haven't been five games over .500 since 1996 (7-1 under Norv Turner, finished 9-7).
17. DENVER (5-5, previous rank: 21) - Harder to understand than calculus.
18. HOUSTON (5-5, previous rank: 19) - QB Matt Schaub in three games with Andre Johnson: 8.97 yards per attempt, five TDs, 1 INT, three wins.
19. MINNESOTA (4-6, previous rank: 18) - Vikings are still waiting for their first 100-yard receiving game, but WR Sidney Rice almost had a 100-yard passing game (94 yards on gadget plays vs. Oakland Sunday)
20. BUFFALO (5-5, previous rank: 16) - Looking forward to facing NFL team without super powers this Sunday (Jacksonville).
21. KANSAS CITY (4-6, previous rank: 25) - Unbalanced Chiefs are tied for eighth in scoring defense, but 30th in scoring offense.
22. NEW ORLEANS (4-6, previous rank: 20) - Saints have allowed 119 points in their four games against AFC South opponents (three losses)
23. CHICAGO (4-6, previous rank: 23) - Bears opponents have punted 23 times in the last four games, Devin Hester has returned only 8 of them for 58 yards.
24. ATLANTA (3-7 previous rank: 22) - Joey Harrington as a starter, 3-5 record with 83.3 passer rating; Byron Leftwich as a starter, 0-2 record with 51.4 passer rating.
25. CINCINNATI (3-7, previous rank: 24) - Bengals average 4.7 yards per carry on grass, 3.2 on turf.
26. BALTIMORE (4-6, previous rank: 26) - MLB Ray Lewis is tied for the NFL lead in total tackles (92).
27. NEW YORK JETS (2-8, previous rank: 29) - QB Kellen Clemens (59.2 passer rating) averages 5.7 yards per pass; benched starter Chad Pennington averages 6.9 yards per pass.
28. CAROLINA (4-6, previous rank: 27) - Five of Panthers' six losses came by double digits.
29. ST. LOUIS (2-8, previous rank: 30) - WR Torry Holt is on pace for his fifth-straight 90-catch season.
30. OAKLAND (2-8, previous rank: 28) - Just Backslide, Baby!
31. SAN FRANCISCO (2-8, previous rank: 31) - You can tear up that 15-to-1 'SF Win SBXLII' betting slip you bought when you went to Vegas this summer.
32. MIAMI (0-10, previous rank: 32) - Wow! What do Dolphins have to do to win a game? Against Eagles, they had a +3 turnover edge, a punt return for a score � and a 17-7 loss.
Re: The NFL 2007-08 Season thread
Rankings are pretty solid this time, although Cleveland should be moved up to 8 and the Chargers should drop to 19, maybe even 20. I would actually put the Steelers ahead of the Colts even though the Steelers lost. That Colts win against KC was not impressive.
Looks like the dolphins, 49ers(patriots), and the Rams are fighting for the number one pick in the draft. Throw the Jets in their as well, although they might go 5-11, knocking them out of a chance at 1st pick.
Whoever it was in the 49ers franchise who traded their number one pick to New England last year should be fired. They bought in to fan hype and thought they had a shot at the SB this year meaning they would have a shit pick next season so they gave it to the Pats. Now the Pats are the hot item on draft day next April, and ALL eyes will be on NE. Pats being in the top 3 offers up tons of scenarios. If a bunch of QBs are desired by shit teams and they of course need a RB, do you trade down a few notches, get the RB you want and an extra pick? Trade the pick outright for a grab bag of picks in various rounds? Or go for the jugular and offer Moss and the 1st pick for about 10 picks over a 3 year period? Or trade the pick outright for a star RB(Tomlinson, Peterson, Alexander,etc.)?
A Tomlinson trade is not out of the question. His stock has dropped this year and he is no longer being compared to Walter Payton. Peterson would be even harder to get, but with injuries the Vikes MIGHT be willing to grab a top QB in the draft and deal Peterson for the pick. Sean Alexander isn't as hot anymore either, although this would probably be the most difficult of the three to acquire. How about Portis? Thomas Jones? Pats have their choice of anybody next season. They could even deal that pick to Chicago for Urlacher.
Regardless of what they do with that pick, they should make some sort of deal later in the draft(or during offseason) and grab Jamal Lewis from Cleveland. Not as good as he used to be, but he is still dangerous and would be a great 3rd and short RB and a clock killer.
Re: The NFL 2007-08 Season thread
Interesting theries James about the draft pick. Although, as for RB's, if they want a RB they would likely draft McFadden from Alabama. He could be great. Although, trading the pick for multiple later picks wouldn't be a bad idea either. Remember the Saints trading EVERY pick of the year for Ricky Williams. They could really build deep & draft for the future replacing their aging LB's, Safeties etc. Maybe even draft a WR in the 1st rd too, LB in 2nd & 3rd etc. Think about it, they'd have 2 picks in every round if they could make a trade like that.
Re: The NFL 2007-08 Season thread
Lions fuck up once again. They are just throwing away a playoff spot that was basically handed to them on a silver platter by a weak conference. Now all they can really aim for is the last playoff spot. Gotta win the rest of their games. Packers proving once again they are the elite of the NFC.
Dallas blows away a shitty Jets team. Pitt must have been asleep last week when playing them. That Jets team is terrible.
Colts are in BIG trouble. They are having difficulty with very mediocre teams. They might win these games(or some of them), but they're not going anywhere in the playoffs.
- Communist China
- Rep: 130
Re: The NFL 2007-08 Season thread
Yeah, I cannot believe that Lions team. Spurts of a very good team bogged down by penalties and the occasional misque. I'd really like to see them in the playoffs.
Re: The NFL 2007-08 Season thread
Remember the Saints trading EVERY pick of the year for Ricky Williams.
Yeah, and you know Belichick is foaming at the mouth about draft day. There will be several teams willing to offer up something similar. This is the parity era for all teams besides NE. You gotta win NOW. There will be teams bending over backwards to get that pick, and I would not be surprised if a decent team one or two players away from being legit contenders(Detroit, Minnesota, Houston, etc.) offer up everything but the kitchen sink to grab that pick. I also would not be shocked if Oakland sells their future to NE for the opportunity to have two of the top 5 picks. Same with Miami or St. Louis. If you are a team with two of the top 5 picks in the draft, if you make those picks wisely and they are not busts, your team will get good pretty quick. However, doing that means you have to win big in the next season or two, or go through a very slow rebuilding phase. One of those teams would have to liquidate their draft picks for a couple years to get that pick from NE.
I'll be speechless if NE actually keeps the pick and makes a selection. There's too much at stake to play it safe like that.
One other thing NE could do is pick a player that a team below them is dying for, which would just about force that team into a trade scenario. This scenario would only come into play if all trade scenarios failed before draft day, but its also risky because they might end up having to keep the guy they picked.
Re: The NFL 2007-08 Season thread
Patriots are 3-touchdown favorites over Eagles
Final number could be largest known spread ever for an NFL game
The Associated Press
updated 5:12 p.m. ET, Fri., Nov. 23, 2007
PHILADELPHIA - Need extra cash for holiday shopping? Take the Patriots and give the points '” no matter how large the number.
Bettors putting their money on New England have cashed in so often this season, oddsmakers are forced to inflate the line. This week, they've made the undefeated Patriots more than three touchdown-favorites over the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Glantz-Culver line was 22 on Friday. Several Las Vegas sportsbooks and a few offshore Internet gambling sites listed it at 24. It reached 24 1/2 at the Las Vegas Hilton. If the number stays that high or goes up, it would be the largest known spread for an NFL game.
San Francisco was a 24-point favorite against Cincinnati on Dec. 5, 1993, according to Keith Glantz, co-author of the Glantz-Culver Line. The 49ers won 21-8.
The Patriots are 9-1 against the spread and winning by an average margin of 25.4 points, including nine victories by more than 17 points. They've scored more than 34 points nine times, and their only close game of the season was a 24-20 win in Indianapolis.
Richard Gardner, manager at Costa Rica-based Bodoglife.com, explained why New England's line gets higher every week.
"It's not so much that the bookmakers don't think the Pats can cover lines over 20 as they've proven all season that they can. The bookmakers are trying to set the line so high that it will scare off a lot of bettors," Gardner said. "Unfortunately, the bettors keep betting on the Patriots regardless of the line and the Patriots are doing their part."
Even local bookies, including a few in Eagles-crazed South Philly, are keeping this one around 23 or 24. Normally, they shift it 1 1/2-2 points because the hometown action naturally is on the Eagles.
Not this week.
"They love their Eagles, but they ain't stupid," said a bookie known as Paulie Walnuts because he bears a striking resemblance to the character on "The Sopranos" with that nickname.
Anthony Traverisi, a die-hard Eagles fan with the team's helmet tattooed on his calf, plans to put a large sum on New England. He claimed betting the Patriots paid his mortgage twice since September.
"I'd feel like a traitor if the number was smaller and I bet against the Eagles," he said. "They ain't winning anything this year, so I'm going where the money's at."
The line opened at 17 1/2 in many places, but went up when Donovan McNabb couldn't practice because of ankle and thumb injuries. McNabb is listed as doubtful, so A.J. Feeley could start at quarterback for Philadelphia (5-5).
"I don't know how all of that works, and I don't care," Eagles coach Andy Reid said of the point spread. "I don't get into all of that. I prepare every week the same. I don't understand it all. We just take care of business here and make sure we prepare ourselves the right way. We don't get into point spreads and all that stuff."
Players insisted all week that being heavy underdogs doesn't motivate them any more than trying to keep their playoff hopes alive and become the first team to defeat the Patriots.
"If you need fuel right now, being 5-5, going against a team who is 10-0, if you need any more fuel than that, then something is wrong," safety Brian Dawkins said. "If you need some kind of booster cables to jump you, added to that, then something's wrong; you're in the wrong business, you're in the wrong game. I need nothing else right now to get me hyped and excited about this game."
Halfback Brian Westbrook agreed.
"I'm motivated by the opportunity to go out there and play another football game," he said.
Making money motivates the gambling public.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21941593/
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I am really not looking forward to Sunday night.
