Topic: 🏈🏈 The American Football Discussion Thread 🏈🏈 - page 248. (Read 57541 times)

However, what are the chances that there might not be a 2020 season for the NFL, also the NBA and others? Coronavirus cases are still rising in America, riots and protests are keeping people afraid and many speculate that the election on November might end in a civil war.

As you say I think it is deserved and it is a way to show their player they really want him, however this is a risk, there is a reason on average the longest contracts on the NFL are up to 4 or 5 years, if something were to happen to Mahomes, something that a true lover of football does not want to happen, then they will be in salary cap hell for quite some time even with whatever precautions they took when drafting his contract, in fact it will be fascinating to see how KC will navigate the salary cap from now on, in the case of Mahomes they were getting a massive overproduction when he was on his rookie deal but that will not be the case anymore, it will be interesting to watch if they can avoid what happened to Seattle and Russell Wilson which went from a juggernaut to just another good team when they paid him his money.


Maybe a compromise could be reached, preseason games for the most part are useful to look at the drafted new talent and whatever players the team got on free agency, the owners could just make it official and exclude anyone that has been with the team for one year or longer from participating on those games, this arrangement will get most parts happy, the fans will have something to watch, the owners get some money out of this, new players get a chance to prove their worth to the coaches and try to secure a spot on the roster and coaches get a chance to see their players compete.


Just a question, what kind sites do you have on mind? If it is a website which accepts bitcoin then you can count me in even if I am quite sure I will be last place, but if something like PP is needed then I will have to think about it since I have been avoiding getting a PP account.

Patrick Mahomes signed a new little contract, which makes him halfway through a billionaire, the highest paid athlete ever and the first NFL player to lead this category.
Couldn't believe my eyes ( ) when I saw the news. This is probably deserved all things considered, but also just out of this world. I like it though, since Mahomes is exciting to watch and Reid the right guy to even develop him further as the offensive genius he is. 

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Regarding the preseason schedule, the NFLPA has voted to skip it entirely, while the NFL is more thinking about cutting it down to two games for this season. As much as I dislike preseason, I think going into competition with no preseason is not a good idea. There is a huge difference between practice vs competition and the preseason is something inbetween, which also helps a bit with player safety and getting your body/muscles/mind more match fit. If we go from practice straight into regular season, we will see some pretty strange and random results I guess - and probably more injuries.

The hardest part is actually getting the sarcasm, when it's not your first language And I am following things closely at the moment in US (Corona, Politics) and there are some news, where I think "ok, this can't be true", but it is reality in fact and I am scratching my head in disbelief then It's a good show and I enjoy it, but you always have to double-check everything^^

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Count me in. I never played FF, but always wanted to try it.

This makes perfect sense and I hadn't considered these little details. It will be interesting to see how/if the bookmakers factor these types of variables into their spreads.


There's really only a few. The Hard Times being the 3rd. Here's a sample Hard Times NFL article:

5 Ways to Enjoy the Super Bowl Vicariously Through Your Friend’s Gambling Problem

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Maybe this year we should try to do a thread Fantasy Football league. After last year's debacle, I don't really want to play in the same league as last time. Bastards still owe me about $250. I'm down for whatever website peeps want to use.

Err, am I the only one who thinks that that makes no sense This is like re-naming the New England Patriots to Boston Patriots. It's the "Redskins" name and logo that got more and more criticism over the years or am I missing something here ?

Edit: Ok, got it. I don't know all satirical outlets in the world unfortunately^^

First of all sorry for the double post but there is some breaking news.

A little while ago there was some confusion about a satirical news asking for the Patriots to change their name, I had a good laugh but I wondered how long it will take for this to become real and it did not took even a month for this to become true.

FedEx one of the sponsors of the Washington Redskins, probably the most important, and partial owner of the team is formally asking to the Washington Redskins to change the name of the team, if I remember correctly there have been complains about the name for quite some time but now that an important sponsor is asking for this it is going to put a lot of pressure to get this done, after all now that FedEx has taken this step most other sponsors will probably ask for the same thing as they do not want to not seem as progressive as FedEx.

So I am giving it about a decade before there are actual protests for the New England Patriots to change their name, this would not be the first time that a satirical article becomes reality, in fact there have been several instances in which I have read an article on the NYT and I had to make sure I was not reading The Onion.

Source: https://www.nbcsports.com/washington/redskins/major-disruption-fedex-formally-asks-redskins-change-team-name

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Edit: The Washington Redskins are changing their name to the D.C. Redskins.
Source: https://sports.theonion.com/washington-redskins-change-their-name-to-the-d-c-redsk-1819575691

I do not like it, it was obvious since long ago NE needed a third QB on the roster, and since NE did not drafted one then free agency was the only answer, according to the reports the contract is up for 7.5 millions if all incentives are included, so from a business perspective is not a bad deal.

However we are about 2 months and a half away from the beginning of the regular season and this movement is coming simply too late, also you do not bring someone like Cam Newton to be at the bench which means Belichick is not convinced by what he is seeing in Stidham and Hoyer and this is a problem, if this movement happened after the draft then Cam could have had more time to learn the playbook or to adapt the playbook to his skill set and when we take into account the exceptional circumstances we are in because of the pandemic this is going to become an even bigger challenge.

Also while Cam is still young, he is only 31, the style of football that he plays is extremely taxing to his body to the point he has not looked the same for quite some time, can he become more of a pocket passer? This is difficult to know because he has been going through a shoulder injury during the past two years and he was even trying to change the mechanics he used to throw the ball, all in all this is a gamble for NE, as a fan I hope it goes well but I do not have high hopes of that happening.

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Agreed, the schedule this year is many times more difficult than the one NE had to face during the past year, in fact taking into account the records of the teams during the previous season NE has the hardest schedule in all the NFL, we also talked a little bit about it when the NFL scheduled was released and if NE can go 5-5 during the first 10 games then there is hope to get to the post-season but anything worse than that and most likely any hope for a post-season game will be over.

I didn't think about it particularly in regards to NFL, since I am not betting it very seriously, but more for the fun of it. What I learned by betting the german Bundesliga is, that there is basically no home advantage no more - there seems to actually be an away advantage Last 9 rounds after Corona break went 26-19-37, so 32% home wins, 23% draws and a whopping 45% away wins. It got a bit better for the home teams in the end, at some point there were only 11% home wins.

These numbers are not only caused by lack of fan support, but also because the refs are not that biased with no home crowd around, that could cheer them into some decision (even with VAR available). Now I don't think the fans can influence the refs into some decisions in the NFL like they can do in soccer, but the absence of fan support should result in the home teams having less home advantage. But as far as I know, it's still not yet decided, if there will be no spectators at all or maybe at 50% stadium capacity or whatever.

With reduced preparation/pratice time, this will definitely be advantageous for teams like the Chiefs, who were able keep everyone. If you have a lot of young and new players and maybe a new QB on top of that, you are doomed imo, since it takes a lot of time to get everyone in sync (and NFL ready for the young players).

There was a team in german Bundesliga that had to go into 2-week quarantine shortly before the season resumed. When they were allowed to play again, they were completely lost, because practice is so very different to in-competition (and the teams they played already had 2-3 matches under their belt). You need more than some days of practice after a long-ish break to get match-fit again. So if certain teams get more practice time than others, that should give them an advantage as well. Especially in such a physical and sophisticated sport that American Football is.

For the sake of sparking some discussion, I'm wondering: how do you use the coronavirus mess (introduction of unknowns and special circumstances) to get an edge when placing a bet? I'm curious to know if you've thought about it. Perhaps some players will be more warmed up and better practiced than others? Or is there a rule that says all teams must get an equal amount of practice time?

I don't really care if they have to cancel the preseason as those games are always a toss-up and rather meaningless. But I can't help but think there's an introduction of extra risk by going straight into the regular season without any kind of "warmup" games. Perhaps even a higher chance of injury to starters.

I was just commenting in the other thread about fake noise/crowds for the NFL: let's hope the virus is better contained by September. I really don't want to have to endure the artificial aspects, seems like a buzzkill.

Hehe, although I called the Pats fans, I am happy with every opinion in fact This thread needs some more action again, we are not that far away from September anymore and it will be a special season with a lot of unknowns and special circumstances.


Source: https://twitter.com/AndrewBrandt/status/1276138959098257409

Now the above won't happen, but next season could see some very weird dynamics due to all the Corona-related issues. Teams that are in rebuild mode will have a disadvantage in comparison to teams that were able to keep their core players and/or don't have a new QB.


It certainly won't be as easy as it used to be, but they are priced more or less the same as the Bills for winning AFC East. Jets/Dolphins won't stand any chance imo and the Bills, well, they are the Bills and not the best run organisation. And don't forget, that there will be an additional wild card per conference starting this season

I think the Pats are gonna end the season with their worst record in quite some time, may not even make it to the playoffs. But I'm obviously not a Pats fan tho so my opinion probably isn't the one you wanted. Looking at the current SB odds, Pats are +2500... the 9th team down the line, this is already the lowest they've been for several years for this time of year.

At least Cam Newton has creative charactering in his social media.

So the Patriots signed Cam Newton to a one year deal, which was a bit expected. It gets me excited tbh, because I am super curious what BB can (still) do with him and what will happen to the Patriots offensive scheme, if Newton will win the starting job.

I know a lot of people are not very high on Newton (anymore) and he had his fair share of health issues in the last years, but BB can do magic. What do all the Patriots fans in here think about the signing ?

I love the Babylon Bee.  I've been tricked by it before; someone shares a link, and I don't pay close attention to the site, just the article.  Usually by the second or third paragraph it becomes obvious.

There may be some far left liberals that actually do hate America, but they're not quite so overt about it as this:

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I've been watching the EPL games on the telly while doing some work at home, just kind of to add atmosphere.  It's kind of strange to have soccer on this time of year, but it's even more strange with the canned crowd noise.  It reminds me of the laugh-track on those really cheesy sit-coms. 

I also noticed it's not compatible with my soccer-watching habits:  I usually put a sports game on the TV while I'm washing dishes or doing something repetitive that takes a little but not much attention.  Usually this allows me to get some stuff done, and watch the game without paying close attention to the TV, because when something really exciting happens in the game the crowd noise will draw my attention.  This isn't the case with the canned noise.  I wish the EPL would cut that shit out, just having the natural noise of the game the way it is would be better, in my opinion. 

Yep, we have it in german Bundesliga. They do take the audio tracks from pre-Corona matches and put it in. It gives some atmosphere to otherwise backyard soccer feeling, where you just hear some people talk/scream, but often times the sound is not in sync with what happens on the pitch, which makes it kind of annoying then again It's not like there is suddenly a "goal scream" from 50k people - these are cut out - but when there is a last minute counter-attack from home team, you normally have some roar in the stands and everyone going crazy, but you just hear some general singing for now. It's not perfect, but better than nothing.

I think/hope the NFL will have some more sophisticated solution, since they are generally better with these things and have more time to prepare for it. But maybe there will already be spectators allowed come September; 50% capacity with every second seat empty or things like that. Sport needs spectators and real atmosphere.

LOL bro that's a satire site, kind of like The Onion but a bit more edgy.


I'm thinking they'll definitely reopen in time for preseason, even if the stands have to be empty. I heard about how they were putting in fake crowd noise and even fake crowds (digitally rendered crowds) into soccer games. While that aspect makes the whole thing sound cheesy, it certainly is better than the stupid "virtual sports" games that have been popping up on the sportsbooks.

I tried my hardest to get into esports but its just not happening. I can watch a whole CS:GO match but would rather not have to learn enough about it to competently bet on it.

I think you didn't get the sarcasm But there are other companies that took or will take some measures, like Uncle Ben's

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Eagles OG Brandon Brooks tore his achilles some days ago, which is a big blow for Philly, since Brooks is probably the best guard in the NFL. Word is, they are maybe looking for Thuney from the Patriots or bringing Jason Peters back to compensate that loss, but he would have to switch from left to right side, which is not easy also considering his age.

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I hope the Corona situation gets better soon in the US - in general of course, but also for my very selfish reasons. Players from Cowboys and Texans tested positive in recent days and a player from the 49ers tested positive as well now, with more test results from other players to come. Clemson University has 23 positive football players The resumed european soccer seasons seem to go well Corona-wise, but if you have players from NFL teams being tested positive left and right, I don't know how they will be able to start the season (and preparing properly for it).

The democrat supporting liberal left people in mainstream media has again put their noses where it should not be. The Patriots have been called the Patriots for 60 years. Why would they change their brand because a few communists demand it?

Also, why did the Washington Post editor approve this article? I shake my head.


The Washington Post published an editorial today calling on the New England Patriots to change their team name due to its association with the United States of America.

The article called for the Patriots to change their team name immediately to something that doesn't imply they are proud of their country.

"The negative associations with the horrible country of America should be left in the past," the editorial board wrote. "This name is very offensive to austere religious scholars in other countries, liberals, and Canadians. We must call on the NFL to do better, to be better."

"They must change the name to something that signals that they are not proud to live in this country."

Source https://babylonbee.com/news/washington-post-calls-on-patriots-to-change-offensive-name

If I was in the position of having to defend myself in court I would like my lawyer to use the Chewbacca defense since it seems quite effective.




You were not alone, OJ was not just a NFL player he was a star, he even made it to the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team, and he had accumulated a lot of good will during his career and he was even an actor at some point, so it was natural that those that were aware of his achievements at first would not believe he was capable of something like that but the evidence is very telling.

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Keeping up with the Joneses and lifestyle inflation are some of the main reasons people do not seem to get ahead no matter how much money they earn since each time they get an increase on their income instead of saving a portion of it they spend it all dooming themselves to live paycheck to paycheck and if anything out of the ordinary happens, like this pandemic, they suddenly find themselves in economic troubles.


And things could be even worse than the statistics report, after all if you take out of the equation the highest paid players which are making more than 10 million per year then the percentage of broke players should be even higher.

As far as I know professional leagues like the NFL and the NBA do have programs to help rookie players to learn how to manage their finances but obviously the programs have failed to reach their objective.


I tell you the Chewbacca defense is quite effective, when O.J. lawyers used it he got free and when they did not he lost, I see a pattern here.  


It was just a small recommendation you can watch what you may like, personally I am currently spending most of my free time reading all the books I had on my to-do list.

Yes, it's very sad, but also understandable to some extent. They earn good money at a young age already often coming from a financially poor background. All of sudden, they have a lot of money and are overwhelmed dealing with it, because they never learned it. And then there is some competition going on in the locker room, where people brag about houses, cars, jewelry and whatever. So they probably feel urged to belong to that "club" and spend money they should better save for the future. Once their career is over, not much of that money is left, but they still have lots of cost with maintaining houses, cars and their general lifestyle, but no income no more.  


I did watch a loooong documentary about this case some years ago and enjoyed it. Iirc, it was just this glove that didn't fit his hand properly that made him being acquitted - always helpful to invest in good lawyers But he still served some time prison anyway for other misdemeanors.

I really enjoy these documentaries and not only NFL or sports related ones. I spent hours and hours on Youtube watching videos about the Madeleine McCann case from Portugal in 2007, which is so mysterious until today. Poor girl whatever happened.

I will check out the other documentaries you mentioned.

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Great post overall DireWolfM14


I can't help but think, that he hated himself for being gay. He was always told being gay is bad, he better not behave or become gay and all those things. How can you be confident with your sexuality, if you were always told it's wrong. You don't choose your sexuality, so how can it be a bad thing, whatever it turns out to be. His parents/father is to blame here imo.