The NFL Thread

[Giggles]

That didn't take long. The play that got them to the 10 was so bad from New England.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

http://www.reactiongifs.com/lol/VHFVT.gif

[Ian]

How can it matter if the ball moves when he hits the ground but AFTER it's broken the plane?

Some of these rules are absolute garbage.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

How can it matter if the ball moves when he hits the ground but AFTER it's broken the plane?

Some of these rules are absolute garbage.

He didn't have possession before he broke the plane.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Loooooooooooooooooooooooooooool.

[Giggles]

Pittsburgh made a hash of managing that.

[Ian]

Behave yourself, the ball only moved when his elbow dug into the turf.

Either way that's not really what I'm arguing. The reception rules themselves are a convoluted nonsense.

The throw on the int was a state too, mind.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Had he been a bit further out, able to take a step before breaking the plane and then bobbling it after he hit the ground then it would have been good.

Going to the ground was part of his 'footballing move' and as such he had to keep possession of it when he hit the ground.

I'm not a fan of it but I understand it.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Robbie Gould :drool:

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Brown has partially torn his calf and is out for the rest of the regular season.

Panthers are going UP FOR SALE at the end of the season.

[Giggles]

That the Seahawks pretty much out of it now? This is all shaping up to be a walk to the Superbowl for those fucking Vikings :(

[Gray Fox]

The NFC is pretty much decided, assuming the Falcons win tonight. The Lions, Seahawks and Cowboys are the only 8 win teams. Given that they can't replace a divisional champion, they are hunting the two wildcard entries. Currently that's the Falcons (assumed 9-7) and the Panthers(10-4). With 2 games left the Panthers are out of reach. Both Atlanta and Carolina hold a tie breaking win over the Lions, so Detroit can only catch Atlanta with 2 games remaining.

Seattle have also lost to Atlanta this season, so that leaves them needing to win both games (@ Dallas, vs Arizona) and hope Atlanta lose both (@ NO vs Carolina). The Cowboys are in the same boat as Seattle. They've also lost to Atlanta so need to win out(vs Seattle @ Philadelphia) and hope Atlanta lose both.

[Giggles]

Was just looking at the standings there. The Saints at 10-4 is a massive surprise to me, I thought they were having a shit year.

[Dan]

If you’d only seen the first two weeks & the last three you’d been absolutely correct :D We absolutely have to step up & play against the Falcons next week, otherwise we’re probably going to end up in a three team, one week shootout for the NFC South title

[Giggles]

Puff daddy is some dickhead.

[Dan]

Is it a serious offer? :D Steph Curry & Kap want in too. Probably the only way Kap gets another job, to be fair.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Diddy, Curry, Kap.

The dream team of owners.

[niko_cee]

I thought hiring Kaepernik as top of the agenda was quite funny.

Move over more black incumbent QB . . .

[Dan]

The idea that he can't even start for a team he/his mate owns is pretty lol.

[Giggles]

Davis has been given two games, though he didn't mean it :lol:

942993074799640576

[Giggles]

Are you lot getting Game Pass blackouts yet? I notice the past few weeks they've tweeted about the Sky games being blacked out but they haven't actually been here.

[Dan]

Tampa having half a team for the Carolina game isn’t exactly the greatest thing ever. Doug Martin being a healthy inactive last night means he’s probably out the door in he offseason.

Expect them to take a RB in the first few rounds of the draft. Might be picking a bit early in R1 unless Saquon somehow slips past the Browns twice, but I like the idea of them doing the Chubb double with Bradley in R1 & Nick in R2.

[Giggles]

As expected, Rodgers is gone back on IR.

[Dan]

Hunter Henry & Tom Savage too.

James Connor, Shane Ray, JR Sweezy & TJ Jones as well, but they're not as newsworthy.

[Giggles]

Chris Boswell AFC Pro Bowl kicker.

An image of Mahow's gaff this morning:

http://mbsbears.com/teched/animation/notes_fx_tutorials/explosions/nuclear/nuclear_explosion_files/image029.gif

[Browning]

I’ve never really followed the pro bowl but one look through the teams tells me it’s just “who is the most famous player”. Julio Jones and AJ Green amongst the WRs? Fuck off.

[Dan]

It’s shocking really. We’ll be having our own awards at the end of this week though, so we can do a proper job of it.

[McAvennie]

It’s shocking really. We’ll be having our own awards at the end of this week though, so we can do a proper job of it.

Oh looking forward to that, shall see if I can come up with some controversial selections 🤔

[Dan]

Jay Cutler for best QB. He did beat the Patriots, after all.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

The return specialist is always lol as Matthew Slater is always picked. He's not even played in half the games this year and he's done nothing. It should have have been Chris Moore who has done so much but everyone who votes is clueless.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

And I've just seen that Sam Koch was shunned too, lol.

What a shambles all round.

[Dan]

Jeff Fisher is eyeing up another coaching job for next season :drool:

[Dan]

Pick'em time, and this week it comes down to a couple of good predictions.

Sir Andy Mahowry - 22pts
Limoutsonik - 18pts
Me - 16pts
Gray Fox - 13pts
Pleb - 10pts

Browning didn't do the full list this week, but assuming he picked Gurley, Jags & Rams as anticipated that would've been 7pts just from those & his Denver pick, so he probably would've had a shot. Ultimately though, Mahow comes through in the best way he could imagine - thanks to the Ravens DST. Both Mahow & Limoutsonik got 5pts for Gronk, but the 5pts for Baltimore ensured 'how leapfrogged his way to glory.

I'll probably do the week 16 pick'em later, and I might try to knock together an awards list at some point too.

[Dan]

Alrighty then, here we go for what will be the last pick'em of the season, and to mark the occasion I've completely ignored how the phrase 'Game of the Week' is meant to be interpreted!

Game of the Week: Browns v Bears. Over/under 34.5pts.

Seahawks v Cowboys
Eagles v Raiders
Saints v Falcons
Patriots v Bills
Panthers v Buccaneers
Chiefs v Dolphins
Broncos v Redskins
Cardinals v Giants
Texans v Steelers
49ers v Jaguars
Vikings v Packers
Ravens v Colts
Lions v Bengals
Titans v Rams
Chargers v Jets

#1 QB:
#1 RB:
#1 WR:
#1 TE:
#1 DST:

Ezekiel Elliott will score:

[Gray Fox]

Game of the Week: Browns v Bears. Over/under 34.5pts. Over. Browns. It's their last chance to avoid another 0-16 really. We've got to believe!

Seahawks v Cowboys - Dem Boys
Eagles v Raiders - Eagles to win and claim home field advantage
Saints v Falcons - Falcons. Very close game like last time, but again the Falcons D is slightly better so I go for them.
Patriots v Bills - Pats take the winning streak 1 further
Panthers v Buccaneers - Panthers to lol while pounding the Bucs
Chiefs v Dolphins - Dolphins in surprising upset
Broncos v Redskins - Redskins
Cardinals v Giants - Cards. Surely the Giants just want a better draft pick by now?
Texans v Steelers - Steelers
49ers v Jaguars - Jags. Jimmy G meets his match this time.
Vikings v Packers - Vikings to also lol while taking the Packers apart.
Ravens v Colts - Ravens.
Lions v Bengals - Lions
Titans v Rams - Rams
Chargers v Jets - Chargers

#1 QB: Dak
#1 RB: Zeke
#1 WR: JuJu Smith-Schuster
#1 TE: Walker
#1 DST: Ravens

Ezekiel Elliott will score:[/QUOTE] 25.5 points

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Game of the Week: Browns v Bears. Over/under 34.5pts.

Seahawks v Cowboys
Eagles v Raiders
Saints v Falcons
Patriots v Bills
Panthers v Buccaneers
Chiefs v Dolphins
Broncos v Redskins
Cardinals v Giants
Texans v Steelers
49ers v Jaguars
Vikings v Packers
Ravens v Colts
Lions v Bengals
Titans v Rams
Chargers v Jets

#1 QB: Stafford
#1 RB: Bell
#1 WR: Hopkins
#1 TE: Kelce
#1 DST: Ravens

Ezekiel Elliott will score: 19 points.

[Limoutsonik]

Game of the Week: Browns v Bears. Over/under 34.5pts. Jordan Howard to go off(3rd time saying that) and the Bears to get the W.

Seahawks v Cowboys=If you can't stop Carlos Hyde from dropping 120+ yards,what are you going to do with Zeke?
Eagles v Raiders= Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
Saints v Falcons=Julio is silenced and Kamara drops 150+ scrimmage yards.
Patriots v Bills=Next.
Panthers v Buccaneers=The Dab returns and SuperCam wins again.
Chiefs v Dolphins=Next.
Broncos v Redskins=The Lobster can't drag the Broncos carcass so Captain Kirk wins it.
Cardinals v Giants=Next.
Texans v Steelers=Oof,Houston ready thy anus.
49ers v Jaguars=Could be a UFC PPV,49ers will the shit beaten out of them.
Vikings v Packers=Could be ugly.
Ravens v Colts=Scary Ravens picking up steam.
Lions v Bengals=Lions are hunting that Wild Card spot so they have to ball out.
Titans v Rams= Next.
Chargers v Jets=They still have a shot so they are in the same spot as the Lions.

#1 QB:Roethlisberger
#1 RB:Zeke
#1 WR:Robert Woods
#1 TE:Gronkowski
#1 DST:Ravens

Ezekiel Elliott will score:20 points

[Dan]

Lots of love for the Ravens DST so far. Can't imagine why :D


Game of the Week: Browns v Bears. Over/under 34.5pts. Jordan Howard to go off(3rd time saying that) and the Bears to get the W.

Was that over or under?

[Limoutsonik]

Apologies,that will be over 34.5 points my good sir.

[Dan]

Thank you muchly.

Working my way though the awards list & it's so long I'm going to have to break it up into two posts :D Expect the positional awards later tonight - hopefully before 9 as I want to watch Josh Allen in the Idaho Bowl tonight - and the rest at some point over the weekend.

[Dan]

:fun: The TTH NFL Awards! :fun:

That's right, today we will take a look back on the 2017 NFL season & cast our picks for the players & teams that rose stood out this year, both for good reasons and bad. We have a number of categories to vote in, so many in fact that I'm splitting this into two parts. Today will feature the positional awards, with the rest of the awards - including MVP & Rookie of the Year - coming in part two.

There will be a list of nominees for each category, however I will also accept submissions outside of those listed, so consider the lists more of a guideline than an exclusive list of who should be considered. If you feel Andrew Luck should be MVP then by all means vote for him, but he's not going to be on the shortlist.

I would like all votes to be submitted to me by PM in order to avoid having all the winners spoiled before the voting even closes, and I will set a provisional deadline for votes to be sent to me of NEW YEARS EVE, in order for the winners to be announced before the first set of wildcard games.

Now all the boring stuff is out the way, let's get to the awards!

Best Quarterback

We'll kick it off at QB, of course. It's the most important position in the game, and these guys all showed that they're among the best, putting in numerous impressive performances to help lead their teams towards the post-season. Nice and simple, vote for the quarterback who played the best this season.

Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles
Tom Brady, New England Patriots
Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs
Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams
Case Keenum, Minnesota Vikings


Best Wide Receiver

It's not been a great year for WRs, and yet we still have a nice list of contenders for this one, featuring a good mix of perennial studs, comeback players & breakouts. As above, pick the guy who had the best season.

Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers
DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans
Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings
Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers
Robby Anderson, New York Jets
Robert Woods, Los Angeles Rams


Best Running Back

We lost a few of the top guys this year, but fortunately there were plenty of guys ready to take their place, whether they were guys who stepped up & proved their doubters wrong, or guys who exploded onto the scene in their first year in the league. We've had some monster numbers put up at RB this season, and these guys were responsible for a lot of them. Here's the list of nominees. Pick one.

Le'Veon Bell, Pittsburgh Steelers
Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams
Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs
Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints
Alex Collins, Baltimore Ravens
Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints


Best Tight End

Not a great year for TEs, with almost everyone falling into the quagmire of being good one week & terrible he next. On the bright side, the top guys that survived the year all performed fantastically, so we've ended up with a short but strong list. Pick your winner.

Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots
Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
Jimmy Graham, Seattle Seahawks
Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles
Evan Engram, New York Giants


Best O-Line

We're hitting the positions nobody really pays attention to, so it's time to start clumping! It's hard to judge an offensive line properly, but sometimes you can just tell that the guys up front are playing well when you see how easy it is for everyone else around them. That's how it was with these lines this year. Vote for the best performing offensive line this season.

Philadelphia Eagles
New Orleans Saints
Dallas Cowboys
Los Angeles Rams
Pittsburgh Steelers


Best Front Seven

More clumping, this time on the defence. A good front seven can cause mayhem for an opponent, and that's certainly the case when you have talent likes these teams do. Whether it's a couple of monsters, a whole team of monsters or a whole team of guys just playing really fucking well, these teams proved to be an offensive co-ordinators worst nightmare. Vote for the best defensive line & linebacker group of the season

Philadelphia Eagles
Jacksonville Jaguars
Minnesota Vikings
Pittsburgh Steelers
Los Angeles Chargers
Baltimore Ravens


Best Secondary

Almost there now. This one was actually really hard to compile a list for, as it's hard to separate the performance of the secondary from that of the rest of the defence, but there were a few teams where the guys in the back showed that they have what it takes to shut opposing teams down & win their team some games. Pick the cornerback & safety group that performed best this season.

Jacksonville Jaguars
Minnesota Vikings
Buffalo Bills
Chicago Bears
Baltimore Ravens
New Orleans Saints


Best Kicker

Don't worry, I'm not doing punters! It's been a pretty good year for kickers, I'd say, with lots of guys winning their teams multiple games with great kicking performances. Here are the best of the bunch. SPOILER - both Roberto Aguayo & Younghoe Koo were unfortunately ineligible for the list. Pick the best of the rest.

Greg Zuerlein, Los Angeles Rams
Ryan Succop, Tennessee Titans
Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens
Robbie Gould, San Francisco 49ers
Jake Elliott, Philadelphia Eagles
Matt Prater, Detroit Lions


Best Kick Returner

Out final positional award goes to the best kick and/or punt returner of the season. While we haven't had anyone go full Hester & break off a load of monster TDs, we have still had some strong performers establish themselves as legitimate threats in the return game this season. Vote for the player who best helped their team flip the field this year.

Pharoh Cooper, Los Angeles Rams
Jonathan Agnew, Detroit Lions
Tarik Cohen, Chicago Bears
Ryan Switzer, Dallas Cowboys
Adoree' Jackson, Tennessee Titans
Trevor Davis, Green Bay Packers

That'll do for now, but I'll be back before Christmas with part two of the TTH Awards, where we'll not only cover the big awards, but we'll also take aim at some of the biggest flops of the year, and cast an eye forward to next season.

[Limoutsonik]

Best QB:Quite a homer pick but it's undeniable that Russell Wilson is the whole Seattle offence.For that reason alone and the fact that without him,we would be a 5-6 win team at best,proves he is MVP worthy
Best WR:I will go against the grain and vote for Deandre Hopkins because in spite of the revolving doors of QBs in his career,he has been playing lights out year in year out and this year he is the best WR not named Antonio Brown.
Best RB:My vote is Kamara because despite a slow start in the first 3 weeks,he exploded into the scene with top tier pass catching ability and dazzling speed which i think transformed the Saints offence to a 2-headed monster.
Best TE:I will go Kelce on this partly because i think he is fun to watch,very consistent and can take over a game in a good day.
Best O-Line:Rams and they are second to none.Goff has centuries to throw the ball,Gurley is trucking people left and right and they rightfully have the best offence.
Best Front Seven:Sacksonville.'Nuff said.
Best Secondary:Sacksonville x2.'Nuff said.
Best Kicker:Apparently Zeuerlein's nickname is Legatron so judging solely on that,i have to vote for him.Plus,putting 10+ fantasy points with an injured back last week shows his grit.

[Foe]

So the Browns hopes of not finishing 0-16 are beating the bears in Chicago or hoping the steelers have a bye and decide to play backups (badly) at Heinz field.

Does not look good.

[Dan]

They're super fucked. On the bright side, Houston have been so shit that the Browns could end up with picks 1 & 3 in the draft this year :drool:

[Foe]

They're super fucked. On the bright side, Houston have been so shit that the Browns could end up with picks 1 & 3 in the draft this year :drool:

Yep. And then 33 and 35. Great.

[Giggles]

And waste them all.

[Gray Fox]

It's great to see so many Eagles in lists like this after Chip Kelly.

I would say should we have a best Rookie category but it might be redundant.

[Dan]

It's great to see so many Eagles in lists like this after Chip Kelly.

I would say should we have a best Rookie category but it might be redundant.

It's in the next set. I was going to do OROTY & DROTY but there are really only two candidates for each so I've just done the overall ROTY award.

Probably not going to have time to do my full pick'em for this week today, but I'll be going with Baltimore & Minnesota, of course.

[Gray Fox]

Best QB - I feel this can only go to two of the nominees. 4 of them have had one or two bad games this year, whilst Wentz and Wilson haven't really. Wentz has guided us to the play-offs but as we saw last week, it wasn't all him. He has some great help on the team.
I give it to Wilson. He quite simply is the Seattle offence. He has dragged a team that, bar Graham, is awful player-for-player, to play-off contention.

Best WR - This again can only really go to one of two. Antonio Brown deserves a mention as he's a first ballot HOF guy. However he's also on a team with a 2x Superbowl Winning QB. The two for my consideration are Thielen and Hopkins. And for me it's Hopkins. He's looked great under garbage backup QBs. Under Watson he looked even better. I expect he'll get paid big in the off season to keep him in Houston.

Best RB - I think it has to be Gurley. He's not had a single bad or slow game. He also hurts you in both the pass and rush game

Best TE - I have to pick one Eagle right? Probably our biggest receiving threat. Hasn't put up a mental game, but has been very consistent.

Best O-Line - Rams. They've given Gurley and Goff a great chance this year. They're in the play-offs for a reason and they've done it with relative ease. Show me another team that could go to Seattle and lead by 34 points at the half.

Best Front 7 - This is close between the Eagles and Jags. However the Eagles has been given much more freedom by the fact the team is usually up a score or two in most games. Easier to line up for a go at the QB then. The Jags haven't had the offence to blow teams away for the most part, so I go with them.

Best Secondary - Surprised not to see a Steelers mention here. But this has the be the Vikings. They have the ability to shut down WRs at will and they know it.

Best Kicker - Has to be Zuerlein. The amount of points he's put up himself is lol worthy. Gould has also been very good this season, but the Ram takes it for me.

Best Returner - The only one who sticks to mind was the mazy, back-on-himself return by Cohen. So I'll give it to him.

[Dan]

Doing well with sending them by PM so far :D

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Should have been clearer, mate.

[Gray Fox]

Reading was not always my strongest point...

Or maybe those were my fake winners!

[Dan]

Steelers have cut James Harrison. Would’ve thought they’d have at least waited until the end of the season, but then apparently he did only play five games this season so I guess they won’t miss him too much.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Jefferson with the blocked field goal :drool:

[Giggles]

Have to be two of the most boring teams I've ever fucking seen. At least the Colts Broncos game last week had some decent flashes from Osweiler.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Weddle has had two easy picks and a third which was also fairly standard.

Fucked them all though :moop:

[Giggles]

Would be an excuse to sack Thompson anyway.

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/21863467/teams-complain-nfl-green-bay-packers-violated-ir-rule-think-aaron-rodgers-released

[Dan]

Game of the Week: Browns v Bears. Over/under 34.5pts. - Sorry Cleveland, you're done.

Seahawks v Cowboys - Both teams need this win badly, and I think Dallas are favourites, but you just can't write off Seattle as long as Wilson's on the field.
Eagles v Raiders - Should be nice an easy for Philly here.
Saints v Falcons - We have to win this game. Simple as.
Patriots v Bills - Mike Gillislee to score three 1yd TDs.
Panthers v Buccaneers - Please can we have good Jameis & bad Cam?
Chiefs v Dolphins - The Chiefs seem to have found their early season playbook again, so I think they'll take what could be a very entertaining game.
Broncos v Redskins - This is probably the under the radar worst game of the week. Redskins by a field goal.
Cardinals v Giants - I can't pick Arizona after they betrayed the Blaine Train
Texans v Steelers - This could be pretty scrappy, I think, but Lev Bell should carry Pittsburgh to victory
49ers v Jaguars - I'm rooting for the 49ers, but it's Jacksonville's game to lose.
Vikings v Packers - As mentioned, I had Minnesota to win. Fuck Case Keenum though - I saw his stats & thought Teddy had come in at half-time :panda:
Ravens v Colts - Again, this one was pretty clear. Should've stuck with Flacco after all.
Lions v Bengals - Both teams have potential to be really awful, so why not go with the team that has AJ Green?
Titans v Rams - This should be a typical Rams performance. The Titans will do well to keep it close.
Chargers v Jets - Beware the corpse of Antonio Gates.

#1 QB: Wilson - Just like every other week, it'll be on him to drag them to victory.
#1 RB: Gurley - I don't think I've picked him once yet this season, so let's fix that.
#1 WR: Evans - Jameis remembered he existed last week, and Mahow has him in the TTH final, so he's bound to run wild.
#1 TE: Olsen - Please Cam, I need this.
#1 DST: Rams - I was going to pick Minnesota here, but I forgot, so I'll take the Rams instead.

Ezekiel Elliott will score: 17pts - I think he'll get plenty of work, but he might get the odd series off if he's not properly in football condition.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

944691812022722560

Campanaro owes a lot of people a punch.

[Dan]

Apparently multiple teams complained that Green Bay put Aaron Rodgers back on IR, and the actual rule is that, if he didn’t suffer a new injury that would keep him out at least 6 weeks, they would have to release him when he’s healthy.

Somehow I can’t see that being enforced here, but if it was :drool:

[igor_balis]

Still not sure what is going on but I think I'm a Saints fan, now. Is that alright? I mostly like that Alvin Kamara bloke, he's dreamy.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Probably won't be able to watch any of the games today :(

[Pleb]

Jets with an onside kick :drool:

[Giggles]

Games today?

[Pleb]

Yes. Full week I believe.

[igor_balis]

Alvin :wub:

[Foe]

No red zone? Bullshit.

[Foe]

No red zone? Bullshit.

Just realised there's a sky sports channel which doesn't start with a 4.

Seemingly that shows NFL Red zone.

How many fucking times has that nugget evaded me this season then. For. Fuck. Sake.

[Giggles]

I thought all the games were yesterday, happy days. The folks have Sky Sports Mix too.

[Gray Fox]

Really hate when Rez Zone only seems to focus on games I don't care about. Feels like it's all the Panthers game and Rams.

[Browning]

Benjamin was fucking robbed there. The foot was still dragging. Same old cheating Patriots.

[Ian]

Apparently Denver did a fake field goal to punt earlier. Don't think I've seen that before.

[Pleb]

No red zone? Bullshit.
Sky Sports Mix.

[Dan]

I’m not watching as I’m on dodgy 3G but Gurley :cool:

Bucks giving the Panthers a game is nice too, but no doubt they’ll bottle it before twatting us next week.

[Browning]

That Titans onside kick was fucking amazing.

[Dan]

Told you they'd bottle it, the useless bunch of wankers. At least we've secured a playoff spot now though, so hopefully Atlanta will do us a favour & knock the Panthers off next week.

[Dan]

That dropped INT from San Fran :D

[Ian]

Another glorious week for the Broncos.

[Dan]

Seattle kicking the shit out of Dak Prescott so far.

That was the most pathetic flea flicker I've ever seen be completed :D

[Dan]

The Niners :alan:

Shame they immediately gave two back on the PAT though.

EDIT: That's surely not a fumble?

[Dan]

Just seen the Lattimore iNT.

We've had the butt fumble, now we have the butt pick :cool:

[Dan]

Suicide pass from Dak there. Impressive work to still manage to get a penalty for excessive celebration now they've relaxed the rules, but apparently jumping into a Salvation Army drum is enough to do it.

[Browning]

How dare he do something that raised $200,000 for charity last year.

[Dan]

Fuck the needy, that's money that could've gone to buying NFL merchandise.

[Dan]

I've actually been pretty impressed with Mike Davis from what I've seen today. He's got a bit of power, but he can wriggle as well. Seattle would probably be fine just rolling with him, Carson & maybe one of Rawls or McKissick.

EDIT: Jimmy G is unbeatable :drool:

Look at Jerrah :drool: :drool: :drool:

[Dan]

What the fuck is Scott Hanson wearing? :D

[Dan]

:fun: The TTH NFL Awards, Part Two! :fun:

It's Christmas, so here's my present to you all, more awards! Part one, featuring the positional awards for the season, can be found here (http://www.thethirdhalf.co.uk/showthread.php?12-The-NFL-Thread&p=241533&viewfull=1#post241533), so now it's on to part two, where we'll go through the major awards, and a few that you won't see handed out at the real award ceremony.

I would like all votes to be submitted to me by PM in order to avoid having all the winners spoiled before the voting even closes, and I will set a provisional deadline for votes to be sent to me of NEW YEARS EVE, in order for the winners to be announced before the first set of wildcard games.


Offensive Player of the Year

We'll start with a couple of the major awards. The awards today have much larger shortlists than the first part, so there is a different voting procedure - PICK YOUR TOP THREE, IN ORDER. THE PLAYER WITH THE MOST VOTES WILL BE THE WINNER. IN THE EVENT OF A TIE, THE PLAYER WITH THE MOST FIRST PLACE VOTES WINS, AND SO ON.

Having already looked at the best players at their positions, it's now time for you to cast your votes for the offensive player who performed best this season regardless of position. As stated, Pick your top three.

Tom Brady, New England Patriots
Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles
Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers
DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans
Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings
Le'Veon Bell, Pittsburgh Steelers
Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams
Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs
Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints
Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots
Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles


Defensive Player of the Year

Fairly obvious what this one is, I would assume. Defensive players don't get the same amount of hype as the offensive guys, but there are still plenty of strong candidates to choose from. As above, choose your top three.

Calais Campbell, Jacksonville Jaguars
Chandler Jones, Arizona Cardinals
Joey Bosa, Los Angeles Chargers
Melvin Ingram, Los Angeles Chargers
Jalen Ramsey, Jacksonville Jaguars
Marshon Lattimore, New Orleans Saints
Tre'Davious White, Buffalo Bills
Cameron Jordan, New Orleans Saints
Brandon Graham, Philadelphia Eagles
Everson Griffen, Minnesota Vikings
Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams
AJ Bouye, Jacksonville Jaguars
Bobby Wagner, Seattle Seahawks
CJ Mosley, Baltimore Ravens
Luke Keuchly, Carolina Panthers


Breakout Player of the Year

Our next award is for the player who came out of nowhere to make a big impact on the league. It should be noted that this is for players already in the league prior to this season, meaning no rookies are eligible for this award. Once again, pick three.

Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings
Robert Woods, Los Angeles Rams
Robby Anderson, New York Jets
Kevin Byard, Tennessee Titans
Case Keenum, Minnesota Vikings
Alex Collins, Baltimore Ravens
Blake Martinez, Green Bay Packers
Nelson Agholor, Philadelphia Eagles
Micah Hyde, Buffalo Bills
Yannick Ngakoue, Jacksonville Jaguars
Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers
Jabaal Sheard, Indianapolis Colts
Kenyan Drake, Miami Dolphins
Devin Funchess, Carolina Panthers
Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams
Xavien Howard, Miami Dolphins


Comeback Player of the Year

This award is for the player who came back from injury or poor performance last year to remind the world of their true talent. As you might expect, the shortlist for this award is nowhere near as lengthy as the others, but it's still packed with talent. Pick your winner. The one and only.

DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans
Jaylon Smith, Dallas Cowboys
Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers
Marshawn Lynch, Oakland Raiders
Josh Gordon, Cleveland Browns
Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams


Old Guy of the Year

Time for a slightly less common award. Pick the old guy who proved they still have it.

Frank Gore, Indianapolis Colts
Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals
Julius Peppers, Carolina Panthers
Terrelle Suggs, Baltimore Ravens
Josh McCown, New York Jets


Most Disappointing Player

Exactly what it says on the tin. Every year there are guys who start the season destined for greatness, only to end up with everyone wondering what happened to all that talent. This year is no different, with some big names making the list. Players who missed out through injury aren't included, so there's no David Johnson, but it was still pretty easy to draw up a hefty list of failures. Pick your top three.

Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders
Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Amari Cooper, Oakland Raiders
Eddie Lacy, Seattle Seahawks
Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans
Jordy Nelson, Green Bay Packers
TY Hilton, Indianapolis Colts
Mike Glennon, Chicago Bears
Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys
Willie Snead, New Orleans Saints
Terrelle Pryor, Washington Redskins
Demaryius Thomas, Denver Broncos
Hunter Henry, Los Angeles Chargers
DeVante Parker, Miami Dolphins


Most Disappointing Team

Like the last award, but for entire teams, obviously. As you might expect, there aren't as many nominees here, so pick only the team you think flopped the hardest.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Oakland Raiders
Denver Broncos
Atlanta Falcons
New York Giants
Cincinnati Bengals
Green Bay Packers


Overachieving Team of the Year

Like the last award, but the opposite, obviously. Pick the team you think most exceeded expectations this year.

New York Jets
Jacksonville Jaguars
Los Angeles Rams
Carolina Panthers
Philadelphia Eagles
San Francisco 49ers


Most Likely 2018 Breakout

We're going to look ahead to next season for a couple of categories, as I invite you all to make predictions that we can all laugh at next season when they're hilariously inaccurate. This isn't really an award, and as such there are no nominees, instead I'm just asking you to make your guess & I'll publish the TTH list when the award winners are revealed.

Take a look at the Breakout award for this season if you want to get an idea of the types of players that tend to fit the bill, then send me your 2018 breakout player.


Most Likely 2018 Bust

We predict the future again, this time as cynical bastards who don't believe the hype. Again, there are no nominees, so simply pick the player you think will be the biggest disappointment next season.


Rookie of the Year

The penultimate award, and it's time to dish out the big ones. There are always rookies who burst onto the scene & prove themselves to be impact players straight away, and this year is no different. On both sides of the ball there were rookies who came in & immediately improved their teams, but who was the best of the bunch? Vote for your top three.

Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs
Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
Tre'Davious White, Buffalo Bills
Tarik Cohen, Chicago Bears
Leonard Fournette, Jacksonville Jaguars
Marshon Lattimore, New Orleans Saints
Evan Engram, New York Giants
TJ Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers
Jamal Adams, New York Jets
JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers
Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams


Most Valuable Player

The big one. Out of every player in the league, who most demonstrated their importance to the success of their team this year? As previously mentioned,
players who missed the season through injury, such as Andrew Luck, haven't been included but can be nominated if you wish. This is the biggest list of the lot, but the rules are the same. Pick your top three most valuable players.

Tom Brady, New England Patriots
Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles
Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers
Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams
Calais Campbell, Jacksonville Jaguars
Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams
Chandler Jones, Arizona Cardinals
Le'Veon Bell, Pittsburgh Steelers
Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints
LeSean McCoy, Buffalo Bills
Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs
Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys
DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans
Cameron Jordan, New Orleans Saints
Luke Keuchly, Carolina Panthers
Case Keenum, Minnesota Vikings

Just to remind you, Send your votes via PM by NEW YEARS EVE!

[Pleb]

Steelers-Texans on Sports Action/Main Event now if you lot are bored.

[Giggles]

Gave it a few minutes there. Houstons first drive doubled my tiredness.

[igor_balis]

i'm half watching it, fuck knows why

[Foe]

This is such a terrible Xmas present. A TJ Yates led offense and a defence which is more porous than Swiss cheese.

[Pleb]

I just ate a huge packet of Burt Sea Salt crisps while drinking a JD and Coke watching this shitefest.

Merry Christmas lads. At least the Steelers get a first round bye now.

[Foe]

Two terrible throws in a row in the red zone. TJ Yates has no place starting in the NFL.

I was wrong about Keenum a couple of years ago. I don't think I'm wrong with Yates.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

If it stands, that's a fucking world class catch.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

945442710101594112

That's fucking ridiculous.

[Dan]

He's really fucking good. He could probably have a 1000 yard season with us taking turns at QB.

[Giggles]

When are the Wemberley games announced? I seen the Packers opponents for next year and the Rams are on the list.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Regarding that, can I buy a season ticket to just the Wembley games (will the Spurs games be next year, might go to those)?

I can't be fucked going to Twickenham but I loved the Wembley experience.

[Browning]

I think the answer is yes. When Twickenham was introduced we were offered first dibs on seats, but I don't think it was compulsory. If you do go to any other venues you get the same seat reserved for you in future years.

Games are normally announced well before now, so it's pissing me off we still know nothing.

[Giggles]

Do you have to have an account on NFLUK.com to get tickets?

[Browning]

I'm fairly sure you can do it all through Ticketmaster, but my friend I go with sorted it all out so I'm not 100% sure.

Edit- He reckons he had to join NFL UK, so it's probably best to do that just to be sure. He also isn't sure if you can do just Wembley, maybe it was only offered because we had just Wembley previously and they can't exactly force us to go to a new venue. The website certainly suggests the tickets are for "all 4 games" but I do know the Twickenham deal is technically up so we may not have to go there again. It was for 3 games over 3 years but they did state it could be "1 game this year, then 2 games next year and then 0 games in year 3" which we are currently on for. Reports are they want to extend it, I'm hoping not.

[Giggles]

Sounds like a whole setup where I wouldn't have a hope of getting them for the game if they were coming over.

[Browning]

I don't think anyone on here has ever struggled to get tickets for individual games, and I know people who have rocked up and bought one from the Stub Hub stands outside, though not sure what they charge. If you were looking for say 4 seats together you may struggle but getting 1-2 shouldn't be hard.

[Giggles]

I don't think anyone on here has ever struggled to get tickets for individual games, and I know people who have rocked up and bought one from the Stub Hub stands outside, though not sure what they charge. If you were looking for say 4 seats together you may struggle but getting 1-2 shouldn't be hard.

I'd be going myself. Only thing I'd want though is bottom deck. Wouldn't care where but those top decks in new stadiums are too steep.

[Browning]

Yea, I reckon you'd be fine. It's worth signing up to get notification of exactly when they go on sale and just in case you need to be registered.

[Giggles]

Yeah I'll do a password reminder thing in case I already have one.

Or would it be the same account as NFL Game Pass?

[Browning]

I don't believe it's the same, it's not recognising my details anyway, but Game Pass has been known to do that.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I had no problem buying my ticket for the Ravens game this year.

I logged on about 10 minutes after they opened and had my pick of seats (I went half way line in the 500 blocks which is the top tier, I want middle tier this year). There was also a load of touts there too anyway.

[Gray Fox]

Isn't New White Hart Lane scheduled to be ready for an NFL game in 2018? Barring delays obviously.

I think we're due at least 5 games. 2 at Wembley, 2 at WHL and 1 at Twickenham.

As for tickets, you're absolutely fine buying on the day of sale so long as you aren't going in a big group. Even then breaking into two smaller groups is good.

[Browning]

I don't think WHL is going to be ready for 2018. Hopefully I'm wrong because it will be much better than Twickenham.

[Gray Fox]

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11675/9906697/tottenham-announce-partnership-with-nfl-to-host-two-games-a-year

Only possible date I can find is Sky suggesting the target date was in summer 2018. If it's on time it'd be good to host a late October/November game or two.

[Dan]

Just a reminder that the TTH Awards are open to vote on until New Years Day. You can find part one here (http://www.thethirdhalf.co.uk/showthread.php?12-The-NFL-Thread&p=241533&viewfull=1#post241533), and the second part, which I have just added a couple of categories I'd missed off, here (http://www.thethirdhalf.co.uk/showthread.php?12-The-NFL-Thread&p=242281&viewfull=1#post242281).

Remember, send your votes by PM :D

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000899536/article/johnny-manziel-moves-closer-toward-playing-in-cfl

Johnny Football could be going to Canada to the team that used to employ Jeff Reinebold.

If he doesn't get back into the drugs/drink/battering women he'll probably do quite well with their rules, get signed by someone like the Bears after a season and do fuck all again.

[Giggles]

Reinbold is gone back to the CFL too.

Davante Adams has been locked up for 4 years, $58m, $18m bonus.

[Dan]

Bucs are sticking with Dirk Koetter :drool:

[Foe]

Gruden will be gutted.

I don't think dirk is strict enough for jameis.

Pagano and John Fox are gonners on Monday.

[Gray Fox]

We've just activated Sidney Jones from IR. For those who dont remember, he was the CB who was a projected 1st round pick and ranked 5th best Corner in the draft. He popped his Achilles in his pro day and has been recovering since. We nabbed him in the 2nd round with the expectation being he missed this season.

Hopefully he can come in and deliver on the hype. We'll really need him in the play-offs if we want any chance of winning a game.

[Foe]

I attempted to record the USC v Ohio State game last night and I've spent all day watching it in the background. I say all day, what I've discovered is that for some reason ESPN decide to hit 'recycle' numerous times through the recording. I seem to have about 3 recordings of the 3rd quarter back-to-back.

Not been a great game for Darnold to show off his stuff. USC special teams is also terrible, just absolutely woeful.

[Foe]

We've just activated Sidney Jones from IR. For those who dont remember, he was the CB who was a projected 1st round pick and ranked 5th best Corner in the draft. He popped his Achilles in his pro day and has been recovering since. We nabbed him in the 2nd round with the expectation being he missed this season.

Hopefully he can come in and deliver on the hype. We'll really need him in the play-offs if we want any chance of winning a game.

He's the Washington guy who came out with Budda Baker and another DB who went pretty early too no?

Elway is working his way around the bowl games with big QBs for his number 3 pick.

RIP PAXTON.

[Gray Fox]

He's the Washington guy who came out with Budda Baker and another DB who went pretty early too no?

The very same. He died on Washingtons pro day.

[Foe]

The very same. He died on Washingtons pro day.

Yeah I remember that now. Non contact injury, just running a route and basically collapsed in a heap.

There's loads of bowl games on at the moment. Lamar and the Louisville mob lost to Miss. State (lol) and theres currently a Washington v penn state fracker right now. Miami v Wisconsin is on after too.

[Foe]

Saquan Barkley is faaaaaaast.

[Foe]

This is on today gents.

I of course back the redskins to beat the Giants. Well done Foe. Well. Done.

[Foe]

The browns are getting rolled here by Pittsburg backups. That must be demoralising.

[Dan]

Good to see the Browns getting pasted by the Steelers' backups.

EDIT: Foe :gay:

[Dan]

How does that fake catch on the punt keep working? :D

[Dan]

JuJu :cool:

He's had a pretty good first season, I think it's fair to say.

[Foe]

There's a video of him on youtube getting drafted and taking a boombox out onto the beach by his house and he and his family all just bail into the sea. :cool:

Destined for Canton.

[Dan]

Robby Anderson taking out Johnson Bademosi with the spike :D

[Foe]

Robby Anderson taking out Johnson Bademosi with the spike :D

The delayed reaction secret sniper fall was also great.

[Dan]

Alvin :hail: Still don't think he's ever hit full sprint. Panthers going 3 & out after giving up a TD is good too.

Tyler Lockett with a return TD of his own at the same time as Kamara, although I wasn't paying attention when they showed that one.

[Dan]

Amari Cooper's going to have alright looking numbers at the end of the season, and they're all going to have come from about five catches :D

[Dan]

Marquise Goodwin just got destroyed, almost literally. They're probably going to have to scrap him off the floor & remind him what his name is. Y'know what, I'm not sure it was really an illegal hit either, despite ten thousand flags flying. Goodwin was pretty much squatting on the floor by the time Countess hit him, so it's hard to say he went high or anything. Might've launched himself though, I'd need to see another replay to make sure. Either way, Marquise Goodwin is going to the hospital.

Jameis :drool:

EDIT: Colts have fired Pagano, to the surprise of almost nobody. Not even Pagano himself. Meanwhile, Hugh Jackson is going to be coming back after he jumps in Lake Erie, and Bill O'Brien's chance to stay in Houston has gone up as GM Rick Smith is taking extended leave to be with his wife.

[Dan]

How you feeling at the moment Sir Andy Mahowry?

EDIT: Jameis again :harold: He's such a Bortles.

Great catch in traffic from Sanu as well. Not sure you can say for sure that was on the turf, but no doubt it'll come back anyway.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Just turned it on to see Alex Collins score :drool:

What a run that was.

[Dan]

Typical Saints clusterfuck :face:

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

What time does the vote close btw?

I still do need to do my second votes.

[Dan]

Just turned it on to see Alex Collins score :drool:

What a run that was.

Don't look at the highlights beyond the Chris Moore punt return & TD. From what I've seen they've been a mess today. Fucking BUFFALO are getting into the playoffs at the minute :cab:

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Only need a win though.

More than enough time for our defence to win it even with Flacco monging it up.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Oh and Chris Moore really needs to be move involved in the passing game. He's actually a great catcher who has done so much on special teams this year.

Deserves more snaps than Maclin and Perriman for sure.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

What a handoff :D

Mariota and Henry :harold:

'Mon Sacksonville.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

lol at Kenyan Drake lobbing a Bills helmet away after a fight.

[Dan]

Miami may as well try to KO a few Bills on their way out this season. They've already potentially lost Shady, so they're fucked either way, but the more players they lose the funner it'll be when they get pasted in their first playoff appearance of the millennium.

[Dan]

Get fucked Cam :dance:

[Dan]

Get fucked Buffalo :drool:

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

lol at the Saints (not that it matters).

[Dan]

Well thank fuck the Falcons have stepped up today :D There's no fucking chance we beat either the Rams or the Vikings if we end up playing them. We need to get ourselves some D-Line & linebacker upgrades this offseason, and a receiver who can help us on third down would be nice too. A decent special teams unit would be fantastic as well, but that's asking for miracles or Kamara injuries.

Kevin Byard is a baller :cool:

[Dan]

Raiders have fired Jack Del Rio, which suggests that Jon Gruden is on his way.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

My arse cheeks are proper clenched.

Chuck Clark is doing well on this drive.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

:face:

[Dan]

Nooooo! :(

[Gray Fox]

Literally the only thing Dalton has done all year.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Just lob it up to Quincy Adeboyejo or Chris Moore.

Only receivers I'd trust.

[Dan]

Fucking Buffalo :moop:

There's no way they're going to do anything in the playoffs, at least Baltimore might be able to give someone a decent game.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Please fire Marty fucking Mornhinweg and try to fuck Flacco off.

[Gray Fox]

Flacco has been awful every time I've seen him for at least 2 years now.

[Dan]

How pathetic are the AFC playoffs? Bills & Titans have been awful & yet they get in. Both of them will surely get humped in the wildcard round - they've got to be the worst teams to make the playoffs in the last decade, even including the Raiders with Connor Cook & Houston with Hoyer throwing a billion picks.

[Gray Fox]

Didn't the Ravens do exactly this last year? Lost their last game in the last 30 seconds thanks to Antonio Brown stretching an arm out.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Penultimate game, but yeah.

I'd also cut Dean Pees, he gets praise for the defence but with the talent we've got he's massively underperformed. We were weak as shit against the run and every time it actually mattered we were passed on far too easily.

A lot of fans will be calling for Harbaugh's head (and I think he might go) but I'd keep him as he has done a lot.

[Gray Fox]

Your defensive side of the ball is fine. It's quite similar to the Eagles D last year. When playing with a decent lead the defence makes it look easy, but the offence kept putting the pressure on the defence to do work and that fails after time. We got the QB some weapons and suddenly the defence looks great without adding anything serious to it.

[Dan]

Saquon Barkley & Malik Jefferson have declared for the draft.

For those that don't watch college football that's the best overall player in the draft (possibly one of the best in the last decade) & one of the top 3-5 linebackers, so it'll be interesting to see where they end up going. I'd be amazed if Saquon makes it out of the top four picks (Browns at 4 seems like good call), but I think Jefferson has been touted anywhere from the first round to the third, so maybe he'll be relying more on his combine etc to keep his draft stock high. He's supposed to be one of the athletic freaks of the draft though, so I would imagine he'll be a mid-second round pick at worst.

[Dan]

Your defensive side of the ball is fine. It's quite similar to the Eagles D last year. When playing with a decent lead the defence makes it look easy, but the offence kept putting the pressure on the defence to do work and that fails after time. We got the QB some weapons and suddenly the defence looks great without adding anything serious to it.

Baltimore would do well to focus on offence in this draft - there's enough WR & TE depth for them to be able to pick up both in the mid-rounds if they want, and probably a RB if they decide they need one of those as well. Not sure what they'll do about QB, but there are guys like Luke Falk, Clayton Thorson & Riley Ferguson that could all come in as developmental guys if they want to go that way, otherwise they might do well to try to bring Tyrod back or nab Alex Smith for a few years while you coach someone up.

[Gray Fox]

Barkley is interesting. Browns could well go back to AJ McCarron as I'm sure he's a FA this off season. The Giants and Colts could both use him. Giants really need to get a run game going and the Colts are still using a 34 year old as their primary back.

Gordon coming back helps them massively as we know he can be a stud. They chucked Britt so they should still have mass amounts of spare cap. They've clearly missed a trick on not grabbing Jimmy G and they look fucking stupid for passing on Goff and Wentz now. We know McCarron is a decent QB. Enough to pick up a win or two and much better than they have now. If I were them I'd take Barkley first and then pick up the best player available at pick 4, while signing McCarron. You cant let talent like Barkley slip(look what Zeke does for the Cowboys).

[Dan]

Barkley is interesting. Browns could well go back to AJ McCarron as I'm sure he's a FA this off season. The Giants and Colts could both use him. Giants really need to get a run game going and the Colts are still using a 34 year old as their primary back.

Gordon coming back helps them massively as we know he can be a stud. They chucked Britt so they should still have mass amounts of spare cap. They've clearly missed a trick on not grabbing Jimmy G and they look fucking stupid for passing on Goff and Wentz now. We know McCarron is a decent QB. Enough to pick up a win or two and much better than they have now. If I were them I'd take Barkley first and then pick up the best player available at pick 4, while signing McCarron. You cant let talent like Barkley slip(look what Zeke does for the Cowboys).

If Darnold & Rosen both stay then I can definitely see them going after McCarron/Smith/Tyrod/Cousins/anyone & taking Saquon #1 just to make sure they get him. I'm still not entirely convinced he's quite as good as the hype, but he's got something special & he could definitely help them out. If one of the two QBs comes out they should grab one & then take Barkley or Minkah Fitzpatrick depending on who's gone at #4.

Have they re-signed Gordon yet or is he up for grabs in the summer? I can definitely see someone trying to poach him, but you'd have to imagine Cleveland will match any offer to keep him given their cap room & desperation for any talent on offence.

[Gray Fox]

No actually they haven't extended him yet. He's still on that Rookie contract he signed in 2012 I believe.

Also:

947647838741237760

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Your defensive side of the ball is fine. It's quite similar to the Eagles D last year. When playing with a decent lead the defence makes it look easy, but the offence kept putting the pressure on the defence to do work and that fails after time. We got the QB some weapons and suddenly the defence looks great without adding anything serious to it.

It's fine for the most part but it's susceptible to crumbling.

Pees is an awful co-ordinator.

The 4th and 12 to win the game for the Bengals was pretty typical fare under him.

Marty deserves to go because he keeps trying to hand everything to Joe and will call so many stupid TE screens (that fucking fourth down, expecting Ben Watson to get an extra 10 yards) and look away from the running game which is always what has helped Flacco with his strengths, the deep pass.

[Giggles]

The Bills :cool:

The Ravens defense :lol:



.

[Foe]

Has mccarrons future been decided? I thought because he was inactive basically the entirety of his rookie season with a unable to participate designation he still had to see out another year before free agency? Did I miss the ruling on that?

Saquan is great, but if you're the Browns there's no way you can not take a QB at number 1, unless you do you diligence and discover that all 3 of Rosen, darnold, josh Allen + any others (baker mayfield etc) are worthy of a #1 pick and you're guaranteed one of them at 4.

If you don't have a decent OL I suspect Saquan will be a bit wasted.

The Bills :cool:

[Gray Fox]

Has mccarrons future been decided? I thought because he was inactive basically the entirety of his rookie season with a unable to participate designation he still had to see out another year before free agency? Did I miss the ruling on that?

Saquan is great, but if you're the Browns there's no way you can not take a QB at number 1, unless you do you diligence and discover that all 3 of Rosen, darnold, josh Allen + any others (baker mayfield etc) are worthy of a #1 pick and you're guaranteed one of them at 4.

If you don't have a decent OL I suspect Saquan will be a bit wasted.

The Bills :cool:

I don't think they've ruled on it yet. He is pursuing it, having filed a grievance about it on November 4th.

The future of Andrew Luck will also play a big role in the off season. There've been rumours about the Colts being willing to trade him. He's great but injury prone and now obviously takes a big chunk of salary cap. For a team wanting to win now, the Jags could do a lot worse, but I'm not sure on their cap space.
If they trade him away that'll be another QB going at pick #3.

Back to the NFL and the HC casualty list grows. Jim Caldwell joins Del Rio, McAdoo and Pagano in the job centre.

[Foe]

Pretty harsh on jim Caldwell that. He's definitely made the lions better in the short time I've watched. Win or bust league, though I suppose.

[Gray Fox]

They didn't get play-offs after getting there last season. A tough GM would see that as regression. Even if they do play well most of the time.

Add John Fox to the list now too.

[Foe]

Fucking shit loads of College Football on today too.

College gameday right now (didn't realise it would be on) and then a variety of bowl games before the CFP kicking off 10pm (probably like a 10.30 or 11 kick).

Auburn vs UCF or South Carolina v Michigan at 5.30 on different BT Sport channels.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Dean Pees is out, 'retiring' :drool:

Now to get rid of Mornhinweg.

[McAvennie]

Glad the Chiefs have avoided the Ravens, would much rather match up with the the Titans

[Gray Fox]

The Bills reward for making the play-offs for the first time in forever? Away at the Jags. Probably without Shady McCoy too. Good luck.

[Dan]

Fucking shit loads of College Football on today too.

College gameday right now (didn't realise it would be on) and then a variety of bowl games before the CFP kicking off 10pm (probably like a 10.30 or 11 kick).

Auburn vs UCF or South Carolina v Michigan at 5.30 on different BT Sport channels.

Auburn/UCF for sure. I want to see McKenzie Milton v Jarrett Stidham :drool:

[Dan]

Just a reminder that the TTH Awards are open to vote on until New Years Day. You can find part one here (http://www.thethirdhalf.co.uk/showthread.php?12-The-NFL-Thread&p=241533&viewfull=1#post241533), and the second part, which I have just added a couple of categories I'd missed off, here (http://www.thethirdhalf.co.uk/showthread.php?12-The-NFL-Thread&p=242281&viewfull=1#post242281).

Remember, send your votes by PM :D

Barely had any entries (especially the second part) so I'll leave it a bit longer before I tally everything up. A few runaway leaders & quite a few that are very close so far, so every vote counts!

[Dan]

Bruce Arians has retired. Loads of jobs opening up this year - shame all the candidates are shit. Jeff Fisher might end up getting another shot after all :uhoh:

[Giggles]

I'd seen reports Dom was gone before the game last night, is it official?

[Gray Fox]

Bruce Arians has retired. Loads of jobs opening up this year - shame all the candidates are shit. Jeff Fisher might end up getting another shot after all :uhoh:

That's sad. Mostly because that probably means the end of Palmer but most importantly Larry Fitz. Losing one of the greatest recievers ever.

[Dan]

Larry :cry: Hopefully he'll hold on for another year, but it does make sense for them all to walk off into the sunset together.

[Dan]

I'd seen reports Dom was gone before the game last night, is it official?

Yep, just seen that he's gone.

[Giggles]

Yep, just seen that he's gone.

McCarthy is going into his least year so it means he'll probably unfortunately promote from within.

[Foe]

Rose bowl on espn right now, channel 426.

[Giggles]

Presume that's subscription.

[Foe]

Bt sport espn.

Baker just made that drive look really easy.

Should be able to stream it on yourube giggles I'd imagine.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Is the NFL offseason as filled with utter wank as the baseball one is?

[Giggles]

Is the NFL offseason as filled with utter wank as the baseball one is?

I've no idea what goes on in baseball but there's very little different, Superbowl aside, in the playoffs compared to the regular season in the NFL.

[Foe]

Yep.

Draft, free agency, pre season.

All of which are talked about as if they're the next coming of the messiah. I fucking love it though.

[Giggles]

Ah, I read that as postseason not offseason.

After realising most of the draft is luck, I ignore most of if these days and just see what the Packers rock up with in week 1. They don't really do the free agency end of things anyway so I can tune out for that too.

[Jimmy Floyd]

The baseball draft happens during the season (fuck knows why), so at least you lot have that relatively real thing to look at and not just absolute toss like 'Player X is sizing up 11 teams but favours *team he eventually goes nowhere near* every day for six months.

[Foe]

I think the idea in America is the work their way through baseball, basketball and American football seasons so they never have to actually pay that much attention to the off season of any of them, bar a passing glance.

[Giggles]

Ted Thompson out now too.

Maybe I might have to keep an eye on free agency now after all.

[Gray Fox]

Is the NFL offseason as filled with utter wank as the baseball one is?

Once the Superbowl finishes attention goes straight on the draft and free agency. Clubs have to choose if to let "player x" go or almost force them to stay one more year by franchise tagging them(if they use this the player must get paid the average that the top 5 guys of his position do across the league). Players usually do as it's usually a good pay day but we have seen a few reject this.

You have the scouting combine where all the hopefuls turn out at the end of February and do set workout drills whilst all 32 teams watch. Free agency opens in March and also each University will host a "pro day" for teams to come and get 1 on 1 time with prospective picks.
Then you get the draft in late April.

After that it's pretty much nothing until August.

[Foe]

Baker :(

It's all falling apart.

[Giggles]

I didn't watch, but I always love when an anointed Messiah here falls on their face :drool:

[Gray Fox]

Carson Palmer is officially done. Larry Fitz probably too.

If I was them it's Cousins or draft pick at QB. I'd take Cousins if he's cheap enough.

[Dan]

I didn't watch, but I always love when an anointed Messiah here falls on their face :drool:

He played pretty well, to be fair - they scored more on their opening three drives than Georgia had been giving up all game on average.


Carson Palmer is officially done. Larry Fitz probably too.

If I was them it's Cousins or draft pick at QB. I'd take Cousins if he's cheap enough.

If there’s anything we’ve learnt from this whole Redskins franchise tag saga it’s that Kirk Cousins doesn’t come cheap :D

They could be in for Mayfield if he makes it that far, actually. That or someone like Alex Smith & then Josh Allen to develop behind him for a year or two.

[Gray Fox]

Yeah but Cousins options are suddenly a little limited. He doesn't have the guaranteed 49ers option he seemed to last year. Redskins are obviously iffy on him as it's been 2 years of being tagged now. Denver could do worse.

Rosen and Darnold have just declared for 2018 too. This first round is going to be interesting.

[Dan]

How much cap room do the Cardinals have? They’re not likely to have much choice at QB by the time they pick.

Jets, Jags & Bills could be options too, but I can’t really see Buffalo paying up for Cousins when they have Nathan Peterman already in the building.

Either way, surely there’s no way the Redskins just let him walk - it’s got to be a tag & trade situation if they decide to move on. Someone would pay up for him.

[Giggles]

Packers have got the sacking buzz now.

Offensive coordinator Edgar Bennett and QB coach Alex van Pelt sacked last night to join the 3 defensive coaches and Ted Thompson already gone.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2752289-edgar-bennett-alex-van-pelt-reportedly-fired-as-packers-oc-qbs-coaches

[Dan]

Probably going to end up cutting Jordy and/or Randall Cobb too. It’s a rebuilding year, by the look of it.

[Ian]

Denver seem to have taken the policy that the problems we have are down to the remaining Super Bowl 50 staff.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Marty Mornhinweg is staying :face:

Can't wait to see more TE screens 3 yards down the field on 3rd and 9.

[Giggles]

Probably going to end up cutting Jordy and/or Randall Cobb too. It’s a rebuilding year, by the look of it.

Have to cut one at least after the Adams deal.

[Dan]

Anyone read the Patriots Power Struggle article on ESPN? (“http://www.espn.co.uk/nfl/story/_/page/hotread180105/beginning-end-new-england-patriots-robert-kraft-tom-brady-bill-belichick-internal-power-struggle”)

[Gray Fox]

I saw a meme page suggest that the other day, citing Brady being the driving force to get Jimmy G out to keep his job for a few years. I think Brady is a dick enough for it to be true.

[Ian]

Why does Brady need to politicking regarding sodding Garoppolo?

I know he's a bell-end but I don't see the need. It's his team until Bob Kraft says it isn't. Belichick is great and everything but it's amazing how much easier life can be when you have the better part of two decades of a best-quarterback-ever conversation guy under center.

[Dan]

But on the other hand, is he a ‘best QB ever’ type player without Bill Belichick? It’s hard to believe he would’ve done as well if he’d been drafted by the Bills.

Guerrero comes across as the real dickhead of the piece though.

[Ian]

Quarterbacks are the difference.

The Patriots had been good in the 90s but weren't much cop in Belichick's first season. Second season, first with Brady..... well, we know the script.

Wikipedia can tell you the stats for other examples. The 49ers were not very good and then Montana comes in and they're a great team. The Colts were up and down in the years prior to Manning and his first few and then became consistently good around him. The Cowboys had been pants for a few years before Aikman came in. Now when you look at the stats in detail there are a few where these Hall of Fame / multi-Super Bowl QBs came together with their head coaches at about the same time which makes sense as in a lot of cases it's a crap team who've cleared out and taken a decent draft pick to recover from being rubbish (Brady wasn't a high draft pick of course, which bucks the trend) but a lot of them when you look at it had good coaches (or guys who are now seen as good coaches) but it didn't work out.

I'm not trying to dismiss the importance of the head coach and nor am I saying you could plug A. N. Other with the Patriots in 2001 and they'd have gone on to do what they have since. And let's be honest, chance are there are guys who could have gone on to win a ring or two who didn't because they ended up with a coach who wasn't up to it or the team messed them about or whatever. But having that one guy at QB who you know is the guy just makes everything so much easier.

Look at Denver this year, as an example. Man-for-man , certainly on defense, the team doesn't look like it should have been shitting the bed as hard as it did so often through the season. The offensive line is absolute balls and has been for ages but it wasn't seen as such a big deal when Manning was there because even in that last year when his arm was gone his decision-making was still better than what we've had this year. Worse decisions, lead to turnovers and that heaps more pressure on a defense that is still trying to work out a way to get back to where it was after a few big personnel changes. After the center you've got one guy who has his hands on the ball for basically half the plays every game. When that guy isn't up to it there's only so much a coach can do when he's not surrounded by studs. If he's amazing then he can probably make up for some of his team-mates shortcomings.

If you asked me whether, using Denver as the example again, we'd have benefited more from a HOF coach or HOF quarterback this year I'd say the latter in a heartbeat. Long term is a different issue, naturally.

What you actually want, of course, is just a team that has been consistently well-run for decades. I think Denver have suffered for Pat Bowlen's illness.

[Dan]

It's fine, they're best mates again now. (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2752577-tom-brady-bill-belichick-robert-kraft-respond-to-espn-report-on-discord)

[Giggles]

Rumours building that Ball is going to get the GM job in Green Bay and McCarthy could possibly quit because of it.

[Dan]

Isn't Eliot Wolf one of the most talked up GM candidates in the whole league? Seems a bit odd to not just give him the job. The Ravens guy is the other one that always gets talked up, but I can't remember his name.

Still, may as well go all out with the rebuild, I guess. Should cut Rodgers as well really. It'd help the cap.

[Limoutsonik]

Chucky is back,time to become a Raiders fan i guess.Bandwagoner for sure but i just like the attitude he brings.

[Giggles]

Isn't Eliot Wolf one of the most talked up GM candidates in the whole league? Seems a bit odd to not just give him the job. The Ravens guy is the other one that always gets talked up, but I can't remember his name.

Still, may as well go all out with the rebuild, I guess. Should cut Rodgers as well really. It'd help the cap.

Wolf is only always mentioned because of his surname, there's a few others as well regarded there. Gundekunst probably higher. Giving an accountant, especially in a move to alienate the head coach, the job is an odd one though.

Definitely need cuts though. Nelson, Cobb, and Matthews take up $36m of cap room by themselves next season as things stand and none are worth paying big money any more. I'd expect two to be gone.

[Browning]

If the NFL had any balls they’d make them cut Rodgers for that IR debacle but I guess the rule only applies to shit players.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000902650/article/shad-khan-jaguars-donate-playoff-tickets-to-refugees

Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan wants everyone to revel in the first home playoff game of his tenure.

The team announced Khan and the Jaguars Foundation donated 500 tickets to refugees from around the world who settled in Northeast Florida and an additional 500 tickets to Puerto Ricans and their families in North and Central Florida displaced by Hurricane Maria.

The Jaguars Foundation will provide transportation for the 1,000 recipients. The team also partnered with Delaware North Sportservice to give each attendee a food and beverage voucher to use during the game.

Khan and the Jags also provided 1,500 tickets at a reduced price ($20) to local military members through the United Service Organizations.

Fair play.

[Dan]

Watched the latest Brett Kolmann Film Room earlier - as if I wasn't already sufficiently concerned about the Panthers :moop:

I also watched some Quenton Nelson tape. That man is a strong, angry dude & I love him.

[Dan]

Anyone watching the Titans/Chiefs?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I'm hoping for a Chiefs win with Smith/Kelce going off.

[Giggles]

Anyone watching the Titans/Chiefs?

Yep. Wouldn't even turn it in if it wasn't playoffs but anything is worth a watch when it's knockout.

That said, it's manure so far.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I've got some money on the Chiefs -7.5 and Kelce to score the first TD.

[Giggles]

For all the talk early on about Rodgers and Smith from the same draft, Smith has turned out to be quite a player.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I've always liked him, it just took him a bit of time to really get the NFL game.

Didn't help that the Niners were pretty shit bar his last year and a half or so. Harbaugh and his team helped him a lot.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Titans are going to get stomped.

[Giggles]

I've always liked him, it just took him a bit of time to really get the NFL game.

Didn't help that the Niners were pretty shit bar his last year and a half or so. Harbaugh and his team helped him a lot.

Takes a lot to play in a Reid offense too. Always liked him as well.

Looking good on that bet.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I think they'll struggle next year if they do trade him to give Mahomes the gig.

[Dan]

This isn't going to be very close, is it?

[Pleb]

Nope.

Titans haven't turned up yet. The Chiefs defence looks desperate to throw away the game though.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

How does Decker drop that?

[Giggles]

I think they'll struggle next year if they do trade him to give Mahomes the gig.

Bigger physical upside and with age/contracts and l they have to, but it's hard to find that aptitude which Smith has in abundance. I can see him in Washington but Cleveland should be in there if they've any sense.

[Pleb]

How does Decker drop that?
:D

At least the Titans have finally showed their faces.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

:sick:

Why throw it at Peters? All he really does is pick QBs off.

[Dan]

I think I'm going to watch something else pretty soon :D

RIP Mularkey.

[Pleb]

That pick was disgusting.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

What a sack that was.

Johnson blew Mariota up.

[Pleb]

Woof that.

Derrick Henry needs shooting after that shit block.

[Giggles]

What a sack that was.

Johnson blew Mariota up.

Serious clatter. Big missed assignment but he Johnson some burst for his age.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Can't see Kelce coming back today.

[Giggles]

Kelce won't be back after that.

[Pleb]

The officiating in this game :D

Jesus.

[Giggles]

Needs a Titans TD here.

[Giggles]

Not seen that before.

[Pleb]

What the fuck was that? :D

New York gave that, that's fucking funny.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Does that count as a passing TD from Mariota to Mariota?

[Dan]

Is that 12 fantasy points? :D

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

It does as well :D

The NFL website has Mariota passing it to Mariota so he has a passing TD and a receiving one.

[Pleb]

That's fucking funny :D

Mariota's QB fantasy stock just rose after that touchdown.

Kelce now out with concussion, I swear it was due to targeting but hehs.

[Giggles]

Stupid cunt.

[Pleb]

This game :D