NFL 2015-2016

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Go Raiders!

The offense really showed up, and it had to as we are really struggling to get any pressure on the opposing QB. Happy to see Carr moving the ball as he has really struggled at times.
 
Yet again we lose to the Jaguars. Not the Patriots, Not the Colts, the FECKING Jacksonville Jaguars :(
 
Stephen A pisses me off sometimes, he practically underrates Tom Brady at every chance he gets, i mean he doesn't acknowledge certain things TB does, but he worships AR for basically the same things.

Today he practically said TB is great this season because he has Gronk to throw to, and then went on about how Cutler would probably be elite too if he had Gronk on his team.
 
Smith and Bayless are professional trolls. You should ignore them and read the likes of Bill Barnwell, who had a great piece today breaking down a new wrinkle the Patriots brought out. https://grantland.com/the-triangle/nfl-week-2-wrap-undefeated-cowboys-feeling-anything-but/

Here's an excerpt:

It’s fair to say that the Patriots have gotten off to a hot start. Buoyed by the unshackling of Tom Brady, New England has scored 68 points in its first two games. That includes the 40 points it dropped on Rex Ryan’s Bills on Sunday, eventually prevailing 40-32 after a late comeback by the Bills fell short. Specifically, the Patriots have gotten off to a hot start in the red zone. Brady’s offense has scored touchdowns on seven of its first nine trips inside the opposition 20-yard line, tying the Pats with the Steelers (7-for-8) and the Cardinals (7-for-7) for the most successful red zone possessions in football.

They’ve pulled this off by introducing yet another subtle wrinkle to their offense, a jumbo package that includes as many as four tight ends with the same telltale pre-snap motion. It’s designed to create matchup nightmares for the opposition, leaving Brady with easy throws against overwhelmed defenders. And each time the Patriots have shown it through two weeks, they’ve taken a markedly similar motion and followed it up with a different look. Run through those five plays and you see how tough it can be to stop the Patriots near the goal line.

The package produced two touchdowns on two tries against the Steelers in Week 1. I mentioned it in my Friday column last week, but the concept was basically designed to get Pittsburgh to insert its run-plugging linebackers on defense before splitting them out against Rob Gronkowski and Scott Chandler. The Patriots sent out three tight ends as part of their package and then motioned both Gronkowski and Chandler wide before the snap, splitting Gronkowski out like a wide receiver against overwhelmed Steelers backup linebacker Terence Garvin. Chandler stayed in the slot against Lawrence Timmons.

The first time they ran the package, the Patriots basically used Gronkowski as a decoy. His slant pattern drew Garvin directly into Timmons, a self-pick that created an easy throwing lane for Chandler’s flat route. I’ll make this one a little bigger than the other GIFs so it’s easier to see:






Later in the second half, the Patriots got the ball near the goal line and ran the same motion, with the Steelers moving Garvin and Timmons over to cover in the same way. This time, Gronk jabbed inside to feign the slant, got Garvin to go with him, and then transitioned to the fade for an easy score.






Now, on to Buffalo. The Bills undoubtedly saw this set on tape and expected to see more of it on Sunday. Unlike the Steelers, who tried to defend it with linebackers, the Bills used their defensive backs against Gronk & Co. The first time the Patriots ran it, the defense didn’t work. Chandler ran a hitch and occupied two underneath defenders while Gronkowski went behind him and ran a crossing route behind them; there was enough miscommunication that Buffalo’s defenders were shouting at each other and jumping up and down in anger before Gronkowski even spiked the football.



The next wrinkle: throw to the other side. This time, the Patriots came out with four tight ends and motioned Gronkowski and Michael Hoomanawanui to the left side while pushing Chandler by himself to the right side. With the Bills expecting another route combination between the two split-out tight ends, they overloaded their defense to that side, freeing up Chandler for an easy slant against Aaron Williams, on whom Chandler has 7 inches and 60 pounds. The play should have gone for a touchdown, but a Bills lineman does a nice job of jumping into the throwing lane at the right time and Brady’s adjustment sails the throw high:



On the very next play, the set finishes by going back to the same formation and the same motion, and, again, back to Chandler. This time, Brady makes a better throw on a fade, but Williams does a great job of competing and helps convince Chandler to drop the football. In any case, the motion set up a huge mismatch for the Patriots and a relatively easy, low-risk scoring opportunity against a very tough pass defense:



Of course, the Patriots will come back to this in the weeks to come. They have all kinds of route combinations to create picks and mismatches against linebackers. At some point soon, they’ll likely bring on those three tight ends, dare a team to keep defensive backs on the field to try to stop them, and then just run the ball with the ensuing weight advantage. It’s a great combination of athletic weapons and intelligent play design from what’s been the league’s best offense through two weeks.
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Oh man, I love watching the Fitz play. Every 1/3 times he decides to not throw 20 feet over a receiver's head he throws an absolute rocket of a pass hitting a receiver right in his stride that makes you think he's Brett Favre with a beard. No other QB I'd rather watch when I'm high as feck.
 
A little to early for 'I told you so's' don't you think?

I mean Brady was 'done' after that Monday night loss to the Chiefs last season, The Patriots were in a 'crisis' and look how that turned out.
 
I think it'll be Patriots-Packers with Packers winning it. But I also thought that the Seahawks would beat the Packers on the weekend, but lose the Championship game against them in the post-season.
 
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Always weary of teams who start off shit hot, Packers look like a championship team but injuries could really bite them in the arse and Brady has a huge chip on his shoulder this year but that Patriots secondary doesn't look too good to me (they always find a way though). Wouldn't rule out the Seahawks, once Lynch gets into his stride, Graham gets up to speed on offense and they pay Chancellor they will be superb and once that all probably happens it will be the business end of the season.
 
Both the Seahawks and Patriots had poor starts last season and look what happened. But I stand by my pre-season forecast that the Colts don't have the grapes to make the Superbowl and that Andrew Luck is overrated. A great QB but he's too turnover prone - especially in the big games.
 
"Ima go help my teammates that are understanding of my position and the ones who aren't," Chancellor said in a text message to Smith. "God forgives all, why can't i? Time to help us get back to the big dance. I can address business after the season. Me and Marshawn started a mission 2 years ago. I can't let my Dawg down....Real talk."
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People still talk like that! :wenger:
 
Typed. It's harder to type words like that than properly.
 
Deandre Hopkins out with concussion too now. Seems to be loads of them nowadays or it just because of the concussion protocol that we notice more?
 
Yes, I heard about guys finishing games that they had no idea they finished. The protocol is a good thing though, don't get me wrong. I just find it remarkable that more of them happen during training than during matches
 
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Do you guys read books on NFL? I've read the below till now:

That First Season
When Pride Still Mattered
Instant Replay
Paper Lions
Dixieland Delights (currently reading)
Take your Eye off the Ball (redoing this on and off for about 6 months now. QUite dry)
.

To all non-Packers fans, what books about your teams you support do you recommend as classic for reading?
 
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